《Solo Leveling》 Chapter Prologue -0 . Prologue- [The Daily Quest has arrived . ] A clear and articulate female voice spoke to him . This was not a video game . Nor was it a dream . The voice spoke to him, only in his head . On top of that, an informative quest screen floated in front of him, waiting for his access . ¡®Can¡¯t be¡­ today too?¡¯ With a heavy heart, he opened the quest and read its contents . ring~ ring~ Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful Do 100 Push-ups: (Incomplete) (0/100) Do 100 Sit-ups: (Incomplete) (0/100) Do 100 Squats: (Incomplete) (0/100) Run 10 kilometers: (Incomplete) (0/10) *Warning: Failing to complete the Daily Quest will result in a Penalty Quest . He cursed as he verified its contents . ¡°Goddammit, how many days has it been!¡± Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 1. . -0 . Prologue-. . [The Daily Quest has arrived . ]. . A clear and articulate female voice spoke to him . . This was not a video game . Nor was it a dream . . The voice spoke to him, only in his head . On top of that, an informative quest screen floated in front of him, waiting for his access . . . ¡®Can¡¯t be¡­ today too?¡¯. . With a heavy heart, he opened the quest and read its contents . . . ring~ ring~. . Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful. Do 100 Push-ups:. (Incomplete) (0/100). Do 100 Sit-ups:. (Incomplete) (0/100). . Do 100 Squats:. (Incomplete) (0/100). Run 10 kilometers:. (Incomplete) (0/10). *Warning: Failing to complete the Daily Quest will result in a Penalty Quest . . . He cursed as he verified its contents . . . ¡°Goddammit, how many days has it been!¡±. Chapter 1 ¡°E-rank Hunter¡± Sung Jinwoo . It was a title that followed him wherever he went . Even as a Hunter, his abilities were barely above that of an ordinary person . If it wasn¡¯t for his slightly more durable constitution or his slightly increased healing factor, there was but a little difference between him and a non-Hunter . As such, his Hunting career was riddled with variety of injuries . There were even times where he toed the line between life and death itself . But he was not a Hunter because he enjoyed the job . It was dangerous, filled with ridicule, and the pay was disappointing . No . If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the Hunter Association provided support for the medical bills of his mother, he was more than ready to give it up and start an ordinary employment as an ordinary person . But how could he, a man in his 20s with no special talents or background, afford to pay the medical bills that amounted to several million won a month[1]? You could say he had no choice in the matter . And so today, with a silent cry in his heart, Jinwoo took part in an Association-supervised Raid, same as any other day . Hunters who operated in the same area knew each other well . This was due to the collective gathering of all Hunters in the area whenever a Gate opened up . And today, the Hunters who¡¯ve gathered shared a cup of coffee while greeting each other . ¡°Oy, Mr . Kim, over here . ¡± ¡°Ooh, Mr . Park, what are you doing here? I thought you were done with the Hunter business . ¡± ¡°Ah that¡­ The wife just got pregnant with number two . ¡± ¡°Hahaha, is that so? Well, nothing better than a Raid to fill the pockets of a Hunter!¡± Both Mr . Kim and Mr . Park laughed . ¡°You know, it seems like the Association¡¯s been calling us less and less lately . Wonder if the rate of Gate appearances decreased?¡± ¡°Eh, nonsense . It¡¯s because the Guilds have been working harder than the Association lately . Whenever large sums of money¡¯s involved, you just know the Guilds pounce on¡¯em with that fiery look in their eyes . ¡± ¡°Well then, I guess this Raid being supervised by the Association means it¡¯ll be pretty safe, right?¡± With a slight concern, Mr . Park took a look around the area . A Gate ignored by a Guild meant low pay, and a low paying Gate meant low difficulty . Of course, there was nothing in life that was 100% certain . Similar to Mr . Park, other Hunters in the area shifted their eyes with nervousness . ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± As he finished the coffee, Mr . Kim suddenly waved to someone he saw approaching in the distance . ¡°Oh, wait, look who it is . Mr . Sung! Hey Mr . Sung!¡± Other Hunters also looked at the newcomer with familiarity and relief . ¡°Hello . ¡± It was Sung Jinwoo . Briefly greeting Mr . Kim with a nod, Jinwoo continued his walk . After he passed, Mr . Kim lightly chuckled and loosened his worries . ¡°So Jinwoo came . Then this place should be safe . ¡± With his eyes widened, Mr . Park asked Mr . Kim . ¡°What? Is Hunter Sung Jinwoo that strong?¡± ¡°Ah, Mr . Park wouldn¡¯t know . He started the job a little after you left . There¡¯s no Hunter here who doesn¡¯t know Sung Jinwoo . ¡± ¡°That strong? Why is he working under the Association, then? Why not freelance or join a large Guild?¡± Chuckling, Mr . Kim¡¯s eyes narrowed . ¡°You know what that man¡¯s nickname is?¡± ¡°How would I know? Come on, spit it out . ¡± ¡°Humanity¡¯s Weakest Soldier¡± ¡° . . . Weakest? Not Strongest?¡± ¡°Listen to yourself, that kind of title belongs only to the S-rank Hunters . That man over there is the Weakest Soldier . Probably the weakest Hunter in all of Korea . ¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Mr . Park furrowed his brows . If he was that weak, why would the Hunters look so relieved at his appearance? A fellow Hunter was someone who had to be relied upon in a Raid . He could not understand the other Hunters¡¯ reactions . Seeing Mr . Park¡¯s tilted head in contemplation, Mr . Park ribbed him with his elbows while laughing . ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? If Sung Jinwoo appeared in today¡¯s Raid, it means it¡¯s gotta be an easy one . The Association wouldn¡¯t risk putting him on anything hard . Nobody wants to see someone die pointlessly . ¡± And now, Mr . Park¡¯s face brightened . ¡°Is, is that so?¡± Coming back to the Raiding scene after a long break, both he and his wife were ladened with uneasiness and concern . But listening to Mr . Kim¡¯s words, his mood lightened up . Mr . Kim continued, ¡°Once, that man got injured in an E-rank Gate and had to be hospitalized for a week . ¡± ¡°A Hunter got injured in an E-rank Gate?¡± ¡°Yep . Nobody expected someone to actually get hurt in an E-rank Gate . I heard they didn¡¯t even take a Healer-class Hunter . ¡± Seeing Mr . Park laugh loudly in response, Mr . Kim shifted his eyes toward Jinwoo . ¡°Hey, hey, not too loud . He might hear . ¡± ¡°Oops, didn¡¯t think about that . ¡± Mr . Park shifted his eyes towards Jinwoo and quieted his laughter . Fortunately, Jinwoo appeared some distance away and probably couldn¡¯t hear their conversation . But he did . ¡®I heard everything, you geezers . ¡¯ Doing his best to ignore their laughter, he met their gaze and put on an ignorant smile . At times like this, he cursed his rather keen hearing . ¡®Did I come too soon?¡¯ It was some time before the Raid would begin . While waiting, Jinwoo approached an Association Employee for some coffee . ¡°Could I get a cup as well?¡± ¡°Ah, Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim[2] . . . I¡¯m so sorry, we just ran out¡­¡± ¡° . . . ¡± A cold winter breeze slapped his face . Jinwoo wiped his nose with fingers . It was a rather sad day where even the coffee ran out just as he got to it . . . ¡°Why are you so stubborn about this whole Hunter business, Mr . Jinwoo?¡± ¡°Sorry . ¡± Jinwoo bowed his head . As she healed him, Lee Juhee¡¯s face was filled with complaint . ¡°I¡¯m not trying to get an apology from you . I¡¯m just worried about you, you know? I swear, one of these days, you¡¯re going to get seriously hurt . ¡± Once you pass through the Gate, you would be in the Dungeon . The Dungeon this time around was probably D-rank . Jinwoo looked over Juhee¡¯s shoulders at his fellow Hunters . Ten-something number of Hunters were taking down monsters left and right . They did not appear to be particularly struggling . Yet here he was, injured . It was the role of the Healer-class Hunters to heal the injured Hunters from the rear . As a man who was hurt in nearly every Raid he participated in, Jinwoo was rather famous among the Healer-class Hunters . Juhee carefully asked him, ¡°Do you perhaps have a reason why you can¡¯t quit?¡± Jinwoo firmly shook his head . He didn¡¯t like revealing personal details about himself so easily . ¡°I¡¯m just doing this as a hobby . I¡¯ll probably die of boredom if it wasn¡¯t for this . ¡± Juhee pouted in response, ¡°You¡¯ll end up Raiding in the afterlife because of your ¡®hobby¡¯ ¡± Not expecting such a response, Jinwoo laughed . ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t laugh! You¡¯ll open your wounds!¡± Jinwoo asked while chuckling, ¡°Man, where did you hear such a phrase?¡± ¡°Where else? Mr . Kim ooover there . ¡± ¡°Sigh, that geezer . . . ¡± As they laughed and conversed, the healing was completed . But it was too late, the Raid was pretty much over at that point . Jinwoo grimaced . ¡®I only killed one magic beast[3] today¡­¡¯ And even then, it was only a E-rank monster . Jinwoo fidgeted with the the E-rank magic core[4] in his hand . Such low level magic core from an E-rank magic beast was barely worth a hundred thousand won[5] . The fact that he put his life on the line to earn it made it seem all the more pathetic . ¡®I heard a magic core from a C-rank magic beast is worth at least few ten millions[6]¡­¡¯ But to Jinwoo, an E-rank Hunter, the thought of taking down a C-rank magic beast was an impossibility . Suddenly, someone shouted, ¡°Eh? There¡¯s another entrance here!¡± The Hunters swarmed towards the voice . ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± ¡°Really? Another entrance?¡± As the first person noted, there indeed was another Dungeon entrance here . ¡°A Double Dungeon¡­ So they really do exist . ¡± A Hunter with 10 years worth of experience, Mr . Song looked at the newly found entrance with wonder . Unable to see far into the dark tunnel, Mr . Song used his specialty, fire magic . The fireball that shot out from his hand flew through the tunnel, illuminating its darkness . However, the tunnel was deeper than expected, and the fireball eventually lost its energy and fell to the ground and quickly extinguished as a spark . Darkness returned before their eyes . ¡°Hmm¡­ Everyone, please gather around . ¡± As the de facto leader of the Raid, Mr . Song gathered the Hunters before him . Juhee and Jinwoo, having completed Jinwoo¡¯s healing, also joined the crowd . Mr . Song addressed gathered Hunters, ¡°As you all may know, Gates do not close until the Dungeon¡¯s boss is taken down . Since our Gate is still open, even though we¡¯ve cleared all the mobs in the area, it appears that the real boss in down that tunnel . ¡± Mr . Song gestured towards the newly found Dungeon entrance . Looking at each other, the Hunters also nodded in agreement . ¡°The protocol in situations like this is to exit the Dungeon, contact the Association, and let them handle things going forward¡­ But if we do that, and some other group of Hunters take down the boss, there¡¯s a chance that our income for this Raid will drastically decrease . ¡± The gathered Hunters¡¯ expressions hardened . Mr . Park, who came here to support his expecting wife, looked doubly troubled . ¡®Postnatal care these days is really expensive¡­¡¯ If he left now, the efforts he risked his life for would be wasted . ¡°And so I was thinking . What if we just went ahead and go kill the boss? What do you guys think?¡± The Hunters fell in contemplation . ¡° . . . ¡± ¡° . . . ¡± It was not a decision that could be made easily . Some knew that there was no guarantee that the Double Dungeon would be as safe as the one that they had just cleared . Others came to the conclusion that if the Outer Dungeon was this easy, perhaps the Inner Dungeon would be just as easy . Regardless, it was not a situation where everyone would be in agreement . ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Mr . Song faked a cough, ¡°Since there¡¯s 17 of us here, why don¡¯t we take a vote on this? And no complaining after the vote . How about it?¡± At Mr . Song¡¯s suggestion, each Hunter nodded in agreement . Mr . Song¡¯s was the first to raise his hand . ¡°I¡¯ll go . ¡± Mr . Park was the first to follow Mr . Song, ¡°I¡¯ll go too . ¡± ¡°Me, me too¡­¡± ¡°Same here . ¡± ¡°One more vote for ¡®yes¡¯ ¡° Mr . Kim had also joined the ¡°go¡± group . But there were opposing votes as well, ¡°Let¡¯s not . ¡± ¡°I think we should wait on the Association¡¯s judgment . ¡± As the ¡°yes¡± crowd and the ¡°no¡± crowd clashed at 8-7, all gazes fell on the two last undecided people . ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Shaking her head, Juhee voted no, putting the count at 8-8 . Mr . Song turned and asked the last person for his vote . ¡°Mr . Sung?¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°several million won¡±: ~Several thousand in USD (his mother¡¯s medical bills) [2]: ¡°-nim¡±: Korean post-nominal honorific denoting high respect . Falls somewhere between Japanese -san and -sama . Most service employees in Korea refer to customers with ¡°-nim¡± . [3]: ¡°magic beast¡± (??; Ma-Su); ¡°Magic¡± Ma + ¡°Beast¡± Su [4]: ¡°magic core¡± (???; Ma-Jung-Suk); ¡°Magic¡± Ma + ¡°Center/Middle¡± Jung + ¡°Stone¡± Suk . i . e . - A magic stone at the center/middle of the magic beast > ¡°magic core¡± . [5]: ¡°hundred thousand won¡±: ~90 USD (value of E-rank Magic Core) [6]: ¡°few ten millions (won)¡±: ~Several ten thousand in USD (value of C-rank Magic Core) . Last time I clarify korean won to USD equivalent . As a rule of thumb, just divide the KRW number by 1,000 to get the USDE . Sponsored Content -1 . The E-rank Hunter-. . ¡°E-rank Hunter¡± Sung Jinwoo . . . It was a title that followed him wherever he went . . . Even as a Hunter, his abilities were barely above that of an ordinary person . If it wasn¡¯t for his slightly more durable constitution or his slightly increased healing factor, there was but a little difference between him and a non-Hunter . As such, his Hunting career was riddled with variety of injuries . There were even times where he toed the line between life and death itself . . . But he was not a Hunter because he enjoyed the job . . . It was dangerous, filled with ridicule, and the pay was disappointing . . . No . If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the Hunter Association provided support for the medical bills of his mother, he was more than ready to give it up and start an ordinary employment as an ordinary person . . . But how could he, a man in his 20s with no special talents or background, afford to pay the medical bills that amounted to several million won a month[1]?. . You could say he had no choice in the matter . . . And so today, with a silent cry in his heart, Jinwoo took part in an Association-supervised Raid, same as any other day . . . . . Hunters who operated in the same area knew each other well . This was due to the collective gathering of all Hunters in the area whenever a Gate opened up . And today, the Hunters who¡¯ve gathered shared a cup of coffee while greeting each other . . . ¡°Oy, Mr . Kim, over here . ¡±. . ¡°Ooh, Mr . Park, what are you doing here? I thought you were done with the Hunter business . ¡±. . ¡°Ah that¡­ The wife just got pregnant with number two . ¡±. . ¡°Hahaha, is that so? Well, nothing better than a Raid to fill the pockets of a Hunter!¡±. . Both Mr . Kim and Mr . Park laughed . . . ¡°You know, it seems like the Association¡¯s been calling us less and less lately . Wonder if the rate of Gate appearances decreased?¡±. . ¡°Eh, nonsense . It¡¯s because the Guilds have been working harder than the Association lately . Whenever large sums of money¡¯s involved, you just know the Guilds pounce on¡¯em with that fiery look in their eyes . ¡±. . ¡°Well then, I guess this Raid being supervised by the Association means it¡¯ll be pretty safe, right?¡±. . With a slight concern, Mr . Park took a look around the area . A Gate ignored by a Guild meant low pay, and a low paying Gate meant low difficulty . Of course, there was nothing in life that was 100% certain . Similar to Mr . Park, other Hunters in the area shifted their eyes with nervousness . . . ¡°Perhaps¡­¡±. . As he finished the coffee, Mr . Kim suddenly waved to someone he saw approaching in the distance . . . ¡°Oh, wait, look who it is . Mr . Sung! Hey Mr . Sung!¡±. . Other Hunters also looked at the newcomer with familiarity and relief . . . ¡°Hello . ¡±. . It was Sung Jinwoo . . . Briefly greeting Mr . Kim with a nod, Jinwoo continued his walk . After he passed, Mr . Kim lightly chuckled and loosened his worries . . . ¡°So Jinwoo came . Then this place should be safe . ¡±. . With his eyes widened, Mr . Park asked Mr . Kim . . . ¡°What? Is Hunter Sung Jinwoo that strong?¡±. . ¡°Ah, Mr . Park wouldn¡¯t know . He started the job a little after you left . There¡¯s no Hunter here who doesn¡¯t know Sung Jinwoo . ¡±. . ¡°That strong? Why is he working under the Association, then? Why not freelance or join a large Guild?¡±. . Chuckling, Mr . Kim¡¯s eyes narrowed . . . ¡°You know what that man¡¯s nickname is?¡±. . ¡°How would I know? Come on, spit it out . ¡±. . ¡°Humanity¡¯s Weakest Soldier¡±. . ¡° . Weakest? Not Strongest?¡±. . ¡°Listen to yourself, that kind of title belongs only to the S-rank Hunters . That man over there is the Weakest Soldier . Probably the weakest Hunter in all of Korea . ¡±. . ¡°Eh?¡±. . Mr . Park furrowed his brows . If he was that weak, why would the Hunters look so relieved at his appearance? A fellow Hunter was someone who had to be relied upon in a Raid . He could not understand the other Hunters¡¯ reactions . . . Seeing Mr . Park¡¯s tilted head in contemplation, Mr . Park ribbed him with his elbows while laughing . . . ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? If Sung Jinwoo appeared in today¡¯s Raid, it means it¡¯s gotta be an easy one . The Association wouldn¡¯t risk putting him on anything hard . Nobody wants to see someone die pointlessly . ¡±. . And now, Mr . Park¡¯s face brightened . . . ¡°Is, is that so?¡±. . Coming back to the Raiding scene after a long break, both he and his wife were ladened with uneasiness and concern . But listening to Mr . Kim¡¯s words, his mood lightened up . . . Mr . Kim continued,. . ¡°Once, that man got injured in an E-rank Gate and had to be hospitalized for a week . ¡±. . ¡°A Hunter got injured in an E-rank Gate?¡±. . ¡°Yep . Nobody expected someone to actually get hurt in an E-rank Gate . I heard they didn¡¯t even take a Healer-class Hunter . ¡±. . Seeing Mr . Park laugh loudly in response, Mr . Kim shifted his eyes toward Jinwoo . . . ¡°Hey, hey, not too loud . He might hear . ¡±. . ¡°Oops, didn¡¯t think about that . ¡±. . Mr . Park shifted his eyes towards Jinwoo and quieted his laughter . Fortunately, Jinwoo appeared some distance away and probably couldn¡¯t hear their conversation . . . But he did . . . ¡®I heard everything, you geezers . ¡¯. . Doing his best to ignore their laughter, he met their gaze and put on an ignorant smile . At times like this, he cursed his rather keen hearing . . . ¡®Did I come too soon?¡¯. . It was some time before the Raid would begin . While waiting, Jinwoo approached an Association Employee for some coffee . . . ¡°Could I get a cup as well?¡±. . ¡°Ah, Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim[2] . I¡¯m so sorry, we just ran out¡­¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . A cold winter breeze slapped his face . Jinwoo wiped his nose with fingers . . . It was a rather sad day where even the coffee ran out just as he got to it . . . . . ¡°Why are you so stubborn about this whole Hunter business, Mr . Jinwoo?¡±. . ¡°Sorry . ¡±. . Jinwoo bowed his head . . . As she healed him, Lee Juhee¡¯s face was filled with complaint . . . ¡°I¡¯m not trying to get an apology from you . I¡¯m just worried about you, you know? I swear, one of these days, you¡¯re going to get seriously hurt . ¡±. . Once you pass through the Gate, you would be in the Dungeon . The Dungeon this time around was probably D-rank . . . Jinwoo looked over Juhee¡¯s shoulders at his fellow Hunters . Ten-something number of Hunters were taking down monsters left and right . They did not appear to be particularly struggling . Yet here he was, injured . . . It was the role of the Healer-class Hunters to heal the injured Hunters from the rear . As a man who was hurt in nearly every Raid he participated in, Jinwoo was rather famous among the Healer-class Hunters . . . Juhee carefully asked him,. . ¡°Do you perhaps have a reason why you can¡¯t quit?¡±. . Jinwoo firmly shook his head . He didn¡¯t like revealing personal details about himself so easily . . . ¡°I¡¯m just doing this as a hobby . I¡¯ll probably die of boredom if it wasn¡¯t for this . ¡±. . Juhee pouted in response,. . ¡°You¡¯ll end up Raiding in the afterlife because of your ¡®hobby¡¯ ¡±. . Not expecting such a response, Jinwoo laughed . . . ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t laugh! You¡¯ll open your wounds!¡±. . Jinwoo asked while chuckling,. . ¡°Man, where did you hear such a phrase?¡±. . ¡°Where else? Mr . Kim ooover there . ¡±. . ¡°Sigh, that geezer . ¡±. . As they laughed and conversed, the healing was completed . But it was too late, the Raid was pretty much over at that point . . . Jinwoo grimaced . . . ¡®I only killed one magic beast[3] today¡­¡¯. . And even then, it was only a E-rank monster . . Jinwoo fidgeted with the the E-rank magic core[4] in his hand . Such low level magic core from an E-rank magic beast was barely worth a hundred thousand won[5] . The fact that he put his life on the line to earn it made it seem all the more pathetic . . . ¡®I heard a magic core from a C-rank magic beast is worth at least few ten millions[6]¡­¡¯. . But to Jinwoo, an E-rank Hunter, the thought of taking down a C-rank magic beast was an impossibility . . . Suddenly, someone shouted,. . ¡°Eh? There¡¯s another entrance here!¡±. . The Hunters swarmed towards the voice . . . ¡°You¡¯re right!¡±. . ¡°Really? Another entrance?¡±. . As the first person noted, there indeed was another Dungeon entrance here . . . ¡°A Double Dungeon¡­ So they really do exist . ¡±. . A Hunter with 10 years worth of experience, Mr . Song looked at the newly found entrance with wonder . Unable to see far into the dark tunnel, Mr . Song used his specialty, fire magic . The fireball that shot out from his hand flew through the tunnel, illuminating its darkness . However, the tunnel was deeper than expected, and the fireball eventually lost its energy and fell to the ground and quickly extinguished as a spark . Darkness returned before their eyes . . . ¡°Hmm¡­ Everyone, please gather around . ¡±. . As the de facto leader of the Raid, Mr . Song gathered the Hunters before him . Juhee and Jinwoo, having completed Jinwoo¡¯s healing, also joined the crowd . . . Mr . Song addressed gathered Hunters,. . ¡°As you all may know, Gates do not close until the Dungeon¡¯s boss is taken down . Since our Gate is still open, even though we¡¯ve cleared all the mobs in the area, it appears that the real boss in down that tunnel . ¡±. . Mr . Song gestured towards the newly found Dungeon entrance . Looking at each other, the Hunters also nodded in agreement . . . ¡°The protocol in situations like this is to exit the Dungeon, contact the Association, and let them handle things going forward¡­ But if we do that, and some other group of Hunters take down the boss, there¡¯s a chance that our income for this Raid will drastically decrease . ¡±. . The gathered Hunters¡¯ expressions hardened . Mr . Park, who came here to support his expecting wife, looked doubly troubled . ¡®Postnatal care these days is really expensive¡­¡¯ If he left now, the efforts he risked his life for would be wasted . . . ¡°And so I was thinking . What if we just went ahead and go kill the boss? What do you guys think?¡±. . The Hunters fell in contemplation . . . ¡° . ¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . It was not a decision that could be made easily . Some knew that there was no guarantee that the Double Dungeon would be as safe as the one that they had just cleared . Others came to the conclusion that if the Outer Dungeon was this easy, perhaps the Inner Dungeon would be just as easy . Regardless, it was not a situation where everyone would be in agreement . . . ¡°Hmm¡­¡±. . Mr . Song faked a cough,. . ¡°Since there¡¯s 17 of us here, why don¡¯t we take a vote on this? And no complaining after the vote . How about it?¡±. . At Mr . Song¡¯s suggestion, each Hunter nodded in agreement . . . Mr . Song¡¯s was the first to raise his hand . ¡°I¡¯ll go . ¡±. . Mr . Park was the first to follow Mr . Song, ¡°I¡¯ll go too . ¡±. . ¡°Me, me too¡­¡±. . ¡°Same here . ¡±. . ¡°One more vote for ¡®yes¡¯ ¡°. . Mr . Kim had also joined the ¡°go¡± group . But there were opposing votes as well,. . ¡°Let¡¯s not . ¡±. . ¡°I think we should wait on the Association¡¯s judgment . ¡±. . As the ¡°yes¡± crowd and the ¡°no¡± crowd clashed at 8-7, all gazes fell on the two last undecided people . . . ¡°Sorry¡­¡±. . Shaking her head, Juhee voted no, putting the count at 8-8 . Mr . Song turned and asked the last person for his vote . . . ¡°Mr . Sung?¡±. . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°several million won¡±: ~Several thousand in USD (his mother¡¯s medical bills). [2]: ¡°-nim¡±: Korean post-nominal honorific denoting high respect . Falls somewhere between Japanese -san and -sama . Most service employees in Korea refer to customers with ¡°-nim¡± . . [3]: ¡°magic beast¡± (??; Ma-Su); ¡°Magic¡± Ma + ¡°Beast¡± Su. [4]: ¡°magic core¡± (???; Ma-Jung-Suk); ¡°Magic¡± Ma + ¡°Center/Middle¡± Jung + ¡°Stone¡± Suk . i . e . - A magic stone at the center/middle of the magic beast > ¡°magic core¡± . . [5]: ¡°hundred thousand won¡±: ~90 USD (value of E-rank Magic Core). [6]: ¡°few ten millions (won)¡±: ~Several ten thousand in USD (value of C-rank Magic Core) . Last time I clarify korean won to USD equivalent . As a rule of thumb, just divide the KRW number by 1,000 to get the USDE . . Chapter 2 The final decision depended on him . He fidgeted again with the E-Rank magic core in his hands, then looked to his side . Juhee shook her head at his eyes . She had a bad feeling about this . Well, even Jinwoo felt the same way . Under any other circumstance, he would not have dared to jump into danger . After all, he lacked the skills and courage to do so . But Jinwoo had a little sister, who was preparing for college . ¡®I don¡¯t have anything saved up for that¡­¡¯ He was 24 years old, but he had to give up on college due to their poverty . He didn¡¯t want that poverty to hinder his sister¡¯s life as well . Their lives were counting on every penny that came and went . Mr . Park wasn¡¯t the only one who needed money . Jinwoo raised his hand . ¡°I¡¯ll also go . ¡± At his side, Juhee let out a small sigh disappointedly . -2 . Double Dungeon- The tunnel went on and on and on . At the vanguard stood Mr . Song and other veteran Hunters . Led by the light from the fireball in Mr . Song¡¯s hand, the party walked through the dimly lit tunnel . Mr . Kim spoke up from the party, ¡°Isn¡¯t this going in a little too deep? Maybe we should think about turning back . ¡± ¡°How long have we been walking?¡± Mr . Kim checked his watch, ¡°About¡­ 40 minutes . ¡± ¡°When we take down the boss, we¡¯ll have 1 hour before the Gate closes . Taking into account the time for the return trip, we still have a breathing room of 20 minutes, right?¡± ¡°Then if we don¡¯t come across the boss after 20 more minutes of walking, we should leave, right?¡± ¡°I suppose so . ¡± Nodding, Mr . Song pointed towards his back with his thumb . ¡°Hey Mr . Kim, it¡¯s dark ahead of me, so fall back a little bit . ¡± Mr . Kim looked at Mr . Song¡¯s fireball, then took out his cellphone and turned on its flashlight function . The light from the phone brightly illuminated their path . ¡° . . . ¡± Looking back and forth between his fireball and the phone¡¯s light, Mr . Song quietly searched pockets for his phone . At the rear of the party walked Jinwoo, who was injured, and Juhee, who had no fighting skills . Jinwoo scratched his head . ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry . ¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°Dragging you along like this . ¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine . You don¡¯t have to worry about me . ¡± Jinwoo discretely read her expression . It was not a face without worry . Tilting his head, Jinwoo carefully asked, ¡°Are you sure?¡± Juhee abruptly turned to face him, ¡°Of course I¡¯m not okay! Are you in your right mind?! Earlier, if the place you were stabbed in was just a bit higher, it would¡¯ve pierced your heart! And what about the injuries on your wrist and thigh?! I barely healed all those, and you¡¯re already jumping into another Dungeon? Especially when you don¡¯t know anything about it?¡± At her rant, Jinwoo felt himself becoming light-headed . But she was not wrong . Juhee was a Healer-class Hunter, and more than that, a B-Rank Hunter . A rare sight in the Association . If it was not for her healing, Jinwoo would¡¯ve probably succumbed to injuries that would¡¯ve put his normal life out of commission, much less being a Hunter . ¡®I really owe her a lot¡­¡¯ A Healer-class Hunter . Not only that, a B-Rank Healer-class Hunter . Whenever a Gate appeared, the Association would request her as a healer, and of course, Jinwoo would always find himself sitting or lying down next to her in treatment in their Raids . ¡°You¡¯re hurting, right? Please hang in there . ¡± ¡°You look familiar¡­ are you from that time¡­?¡± ¡°You got hurt again?¡± ¡°Seems like I see you again and again . ¡± ¡°You said your name was Jinwoo? Are you¡­ alright?¡± ¡°Do you ever think maybe the Hunter-life isn¡¯t for you¡­?¡± ¡° . . . You¡¯re here again . ¡± ¡°Hold out your arm . No, not there, you can mend that with just bandages, the other arm . ¡± Surpassing his gratitude, he now felt apologetic to her . ¡° . . . ¡± Seeing his silent face, Juhee felt bad about her rant and calmed down . ¡°Are you really sorry?¡± ¡°Of course . ¡± After some thought, Juhee looked at Jinwoo at her side, with corners of her mouth rising ever so slightly, ¡°Well¡­ maybe you could treat me to a meal sometime . ¡± It was not a response he expected . Shocked, Jinwoo looked at Juhee¡¯s face, now showing a mischievous smile . ¡®A girl¡­¡¯ He remembered Juhee was 20 going on 21 . If she had cut her long hair into a proper length and put on a school uniform, she¡¯d be a fitting image of a student . Imagining her in a uniform, his face blushed . Seeing his delayed response, Juhee blew air into her cheeks and pouted . ¡°Do you¡­ not want to eat with me?¡± It was then . Suddenly, a commotion rose from the vanguard of the party . ¡°This is it!¡± ¡°The boss room!¡± Jinwoo and Juhee turned their gazes forward . There stood a giant door signaling the end of the tunnel . The Hunters gathered before the door . ¡°To think there was a door at the end of the tunnel . ¡± ¡°Do you think this was always here?¡± ¡°First time I¡¯m seeing something like this¡­ . ¡± ¡°Do . . . do you think it¡¯s dangerous?¡± As they quietly whispered back and forth, the Hunters became uneasy . After all, their lives were on the line; they had to be careful . But too much care may impede progress, Mr . Song thought . ¡°So you guys want to turn back after all that? To go back empty handed?¡± He placed his hand on the door . ¡°You¡¯re free to go back . I¡¯ll go alone . ¡± Mr . Song was a C-Rank Hunter with 10 years of experience . If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he was past 60 years old, he could¡¯ve probably raided under a large Guild . So when such a veteran Hunter spoke with confidence, the uneasiness of the other Hunters slowly disappeared . ¡°Now that I think about it,¡± One of the Hunters spoke of a rumor regarding Double Dungeons, ¡°I heard that Double Dungeons have some crazy treasures . ¡± ¡°Yeah, I heard some mid-level Guild once found a Double Dungeon and shot straight to a large Guild status!¡± ¡°And wherever magic beasts may appears in a Dungeon, they should all be the same level generally¡­¡± And so the Hunters thought, what if this Double Dungeon contained a phenomenal treasure? And what if the magic beasts beyond this door were the same level as before? ¡®Can¡¯t let that old man take all the treasures by himself . ¡¯ ¡®Mm, of course . ¡¯ ¡®Forget just postnatal, I could probably pay for a big private school, pay for the mortgage¡­¡¯ And just like that, the Hunters¡¯ understandings became one . Even Jinwoo renewed his determination . ¡®I can¡¯t just return with a E-Rank magic core . At the very least, a D-Rank, no, just even one more E-Rank is good enough . ¡¯ It didn¡¯t have to be a magic beast either . ¡®If we find treasure beyond that door¡­¡¯ It was a standard agreement that any treasures or artifacts found in a Dungeon would be divided evenly amongst party members . This was different than the case where magic core from magic beasts would only go to the members who helped take a target down . ¡®If I can score big right here, I can rest easy for a bit¡­¡¯ Seeing his determined face, Juhee asked from his side, ¡°Is that really the face of someone who Hunts as a ¡®hobby¡¯?¡± Jinwoo shrugged, ¡°Who would risk their lives for work these days? But for a hobby, that¡¯s another story . ¡± ¡° . . . What?¡± As Juhee put on an incredulous expression on her face, Mr . Song started pushing the door open . creak~ Through some unknown mechanism, the giant door opened easily as the 60-year old man pushed . Bang The wide open door revealed a large interior, and the Hunters entered pushing past each other . ¡°We should go too . ¡± Not wanting to fall behind, Jinwoo took Juhee¡¯s wrist and went forward . ¡°Ah¡­¡± With redness creeping onto her face, Juhee followed him . As the Hunters¡¯ first steps fell onto the ground, the numerous torches that filled the walls of the area lit up, brightly illuminating the interior . ¡°Hmm? The light went on?¡± ¡°First time I¡¯m seeing that . ¡± ¡°Something¡¯s¡­ different . ¡± The Hunters surveilled their surroundings . It felt like the interior of a large temple . Like an ominous temple that would be hidden away deep underground, the floors, the walls and even the ceiling was covered in moss . Some Hunters shuddered and noted, ¡°Something feels wrong . ¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel like we¡¯re being watched?¡± The more fearful Hunters fell to the rear, while the stronger Hunters headed deeper into the room . ¡°Tsk . Don¡¯t say such things . ¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just finish up here and go back . ¡± The interior was incredibly large . A wide area in a dome shape . It was comparable to multiple olympic fields being put together . No, perhaps bigger . At the same time, it paradoxically felt cramped . The reason was simple . ¡°That . . that thing¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the boss, is it?¡± At the end of the room, something whose size surpassed reason and logic sat upon a grand and enormous seat . It could only described as a massive Statue of God[1] . ¡°My god[2] . . . ¡± ¡°Whoa¡­¡± They could not help but be amazed . Jinwoo himself compared the statue¡¯s size to America¡¯s Statue of Liberty[3] . ¡®If the Statue of Liberty sat down, it would probably look like that . ¡¯ Although the Statue of Liberty is female, and this one was clearly male . ¡®No¡­ This thing¡¯s bigger¡­¡¯ The Hunters gathered before the statue could not help but gulp repeatedly . They stood in fear, wondering if the Statue of God was the boss of this Dungeon . ¡° . . . ¡± But the Statue did not move . ¡°Phew~¡± Mr . Song also sighed in relief . ¡°Alright, let¡¯s spread out . ¡± With renewed confidence, the Hunters spread out, investigating the giant room . ¡°I don¡¯t see any magic beasts . ¡± ¡°Right?¡± ¡°Forget magic beasts, I don¡¯t even see a single bug . ¡± Compared to its well-lit interiors and enormous size, the room of the Statue of God was rather plain . Adorning its walls were countless torches, illuminating the room . In front of the torches stood statues slightly larger than the average man, forming equidistant points of a circle . ¡°Beautiful . ¡± ¡°It¡¯s like a work of art . ¡± Each statue held something different in its hands . Some held weapons, some books, others held instruments or torches . ¡°It¡¯s like¡­¡± Mr . Kim started describing, ¡°Decorations in a temple . ¡± Mr . Song finished his sentence . ¡°Hmm?¡± Mr . Song found something at his feet . ¡°This is¡­ a magic circle[4]?¡± At the center of the temple room, there was a magic circle that he had never seen before in his life . ¡°Mr . Song, there¡¯s something written here . Can you come take a look at this?¡± A Hunter called out to the Raid¡¯s leader, finding a statue that stood out from the rest . Leaving his observation of the magic circle, Mr . Song headed towards the Hunter . One by one, all the Hunters in the room gathered before the strange statue as well . Of all the statues in the room, this one was the only one with wings . It was holding a stone tablet . What caught the Hunters¡¯ eyes were the words written on the stone tablet . ¡°It¡¯s Runic[5] . ¡± Mr . Song spoke after analyzing the tablet . Runes . A form of text that could be found in Dungeons, it was something that could not be found elsewhere on Earth . Only the Hunters who Awakened[6] as Mage-class could interpret them . Mr . Song read the first line of the tablet: ¡° ¡®Commandments of the Cartenon Temple¡¯[7] ¡± Jinwoo listened to Mr . Song¡¯s reading of the tablet with a serious expression . But then suddenly, someone grabbed his arm . Turning around, he saw Juhee looking at him with a pale, fear-stricken face . Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Statue of God¡± (?? [ÉñÏñ]; Shin-Sang): ¡°God¡± Shin + ¡°Statue¡± Sang [2]: ¡°my god¡­¡±: Just an ¡°omg¡±, not specifically saying that the statue was his god . [3]: ¡°Statue of Liberty¡±: Heel-to-Head Height: ~111 feet . [4]: ¡°Magic Circle¡± (???; Ma-Beop-Jin): ¡°Magic¡± Ma-Beop + ¡°Circle¡± Jin [5]: ¡°Runic¡± (? ??; Rune Mun-Ja): Rune (in English) + ¡°Text¡± Mun-Ja [6]: ¡°Awakened¡± (??; Gak-Sung): Terminology used to describe the phenomenon where humans awaken special powers . Those that awaken obtain specific repertoire of abilities and skills fitting to a certain class (Fighter, Mage, Healer, etc¡­) [7]: ¡°Commandments of the Cartenon Temple¡± (???? ??? ??): The korean word for ¡°commandments¡± actually is closer to an uncommon way of saying ¡°rule¡±, but I¡¯ve translated as ¡°commandment¡± for a minor story purpose later on . I couldn¡¯t find a direct translation for ¡°Cartenon¡±, so this is just a pronunciation choice . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 2. . The final decision depended on him . He fidgeted again with the E-Rank magic core in his hands, then looked to his side . Juhee shook her head at his eyes . She had a bad feeling about this . Well, even Jinwoo felt the same way . Under any other circumstance, he would not have dared to jump into danger . After all, he lacked the skills and courage to do so . But Jinwoo had a little sister, who was preparing for college . . . ¡®I don¡¯t have anything saved up for that¡­¡¯. . He was 24 years old, but he had to give up on college due to their poverty . He didn¡¯t want that poverty to hinder his sister¡¯s life as well . . . Their lives were counting on every penny that came and went . Mr . Park wasn¡¯t the only one who needed money . . . Jinwoo raised his hand . . . ¡°I¡¯ll also go . ¡±. . At his side, Juhee let out a small sigh disappointedly . . . -2 . Double Dungeon-. . The tunnel went on and on and on . At the vanguard stood Mr . Song and other veteran Hunters . Led by the light from the fireball in Mr . Song¡¯s hand, the party walked through the dimly lit tunnel . . . Mr . Kim spoke up from the party, ¡°Isn¡¯t this going in a little too deep? Maybe we should think about turning back . ¡±. . ¡°How long have we been walking?¡±. . Mr . Kim checked his watch, ¡°About¡­ 40 minutes . ¡±. . ¡°When we take down the boss, we¡¯ll have 1 hour before the Gate closes . Taking into account the time for the return trip, we still have a breathing room of 20 minutes, right?¡±. . ¡°Then if we don¡¯t come across the boss after 20 more minutes of walking, we should leave, right?¡±. . ¡°I suppose so . ¡±. . Nodding, Mr . Song pointed towards his back with his thumb . . . ¡°Hey Mr . Kim, it¡¯s dark ahead of me, so fall back a little bit . ¡±. . Mr . Kim looked at Mr . Song¡¯s fireball, then took out his cellphone and turned on its flashlight function . The light from the phone brightly illuminated their path . . . ¡° . ¡±. . Looking back and forth between his fireball and the phone¡¯s light, Mr . Song quietly searched pockets for his phone . . . . . At the rear of the party walked Jinwoo, who was injured, and Juhee, who had no fighting skills . Jinwoo scratched his head . . . ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry . ¡±. . ¡°For what?¡±. . ¡°Dragging you along like this . ¡±. . ¡°I¡¯m fine . You don¡¯t have to worry about me . ¡±. . Jinwoo discretely read her expression . It was not a face without worry . Tilting his head, Jinwoo carefully asked,. . ¡°Are you sure?¡±. . Juhee abruptly turned to face him,. . ¡°Of course I¡¯m not okay! Are you in your right mind?! Earlier, if the place you were stabbed in was just a bit higher, it would¡¯ve pierced your heart! And what about the injuries on your wrist and thigh?! I barely healed all those, and you¡¯re already jumping into another Dungeon? Especially when you don¡¯t know anything about it?¡±. . At her rant, Jinwoo felt himself becoming light-headed . But she was not wrong . Juhee was a Healer-class Hunter, and more than that, a B-Rank Hunter . A rare sight in the Association . If it was not for her healing, Jinwoo would¡¯ve probably succumbed to injuries that would¡¯ve put his normal life out of commission, much less being a Hunter . . . ¡®I really owe her a lot¡­¡¯. . A Healer-class Hunter . . . Not only that, a B-Rank Healer-class Hunter . . . Whenever a Gate appeared, the Association would request her as a healer, and of course, Jinwoo would always find himself sitting or lying down next to her in treatment in their Raids . . . ¡°You¡¯re hurting, right? Please hang in there . ¡±. ¡°You look familiar¡­ are you from that time¡­?¡±. ¡°You got hurt again?¡±. ¡°Seems like I see you again and again . ¡±. ¡°You said your name was Jinwoo? Are you¡­ alright?¡±. ¡°Do you ever think maybe the Hunter-life isn¡¯t for you¡­?¡±. ¡° . You¡¯re here again . ¡±. ¡°Hold out your arm . No, not there, you can mend that with just bandages, the other arm . ¡±. . Surpassing his gratitude, he now felt apologetic to her . . . ¡° . ¡±. . Seeing his silent face, Juhee felt bad about her rant and calmed down . . . ¡°Are you really sorry?¡±. . ¡°Of course . ¡±. . After some thought, Juhee looked at Jinwoo at her side, with corners of her mouth rising ever so slightly,. . ¡°Well¡­ maybe you could treat me to a meal sometime . ¡±. . It was not a response he expected . Shocked, Jinwoo looked at Juhee¡¯s face, now showing a mischievous smile . ¡®A girl¡­¡¯ He remembered Juhee was 20 going on 21 . If she had cut her long hair into a proper length and put on a school uniform, she¡¯d be a fitting image of a student . Imagining her in a uniform, his face blushed . . . Seeing his delayed response, Juhee blew air into her cheeks and pouted . . . ¡°Do you¡­ not want to eat with me?¡±. . It was then . . . Suddenly, a commotion rose from the vanguard of the party . . . ¡°This is it!¡±. . ¡°The boss room!¡±. . Jinwoo and Juhee turned their gazes forward . . . There stood a giant door signaling the end of the tunnel . The Hunters gathered before the door . . . ¡°To think there was a door at the end of the tunnel . ¡±. . ¡°Do you think this was always here?¡±. . ¡°First time I¡¯m seeing something like this¡­ . ¡±. . ¡°Do . do you think it¡¯s dangerous?¡±. . As they quietly whispered back and forth, the Hunters became uneasy . After all, their lives were on the line; they had to be careful . But too much care may impede progress, Mr . Song thought . . . ¡°So you guys want to turn back after all that? To go back empty handed?¡±. . He placed his hand on the door . . . ¡°You¡¯re free to go back . I¡¯ll go alone . ¡±. . Mr . Song was a C-Rank Hunter with 10 years of experience . If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he was past 60 years old, he could¡¯ve probably raided under a large Guild . . . So when such a veteran Hunter spoke with confidence, the uneasiness of the other Hunters slowly disappeared . . . ¡°Now that I think about it,¡± One of the Hunters spoke of a rumor regarding Double Dungeons, ¡°I heard that Double Dungeons have some crazy treasures . ¡±. . ¡°Yeah, I heard some mid-level Guild once found a Double Dungeon and shot straight to a large Guild status!¡±. . ¡°And wherever magic beasts may appears in a Dungeon, they should all be the same level generally¡­¡±. . And so the Hunters thought, what if this Double Dungeon contained a phenomenal treasure? And what if the magic beasts beyond this door were the same level as before?. . ¡®Can¡¯t let that old man take all the treasures by himself . ¡¯. . ¡®Mm, of course . ¡¯. . ¡®Forget just postnatal, I could probably pay for a big private school, pay for the mortgage¡­¡¯. . And just like that, the Hunters¡¯ understandings became one . Even Jinwoo renewed his determination . . . ¡®I can¡¯t just return with a E-Rank magic core . At the very least, a D-Rank, no, just even one more E-Rank is good enough . ¡¯. . It didn¡¯t have to be a magic beast either . . . ¡®If we find treasure beyond that door¡­¡¯. . It was a standard agreement that any treasures or artifacts found in a Dungeon would be divided evenly amongst party members . This was different than the case where magic core from magic beasts would only go to the members who helped take a target down . . . ¡®If I can score big right here, I can rest easy for a bit¡­¡¯. . Seeing his determined face, Juhee asked from his side,. . ¡°Is that really the face of someone who Hunts as a ¡®hobby¡¯?¡±. . Jinwoo shrugged,. . ¡°Who would risk their lives for work these days? But for a hobby, that¡¯s another story . ¡±. . ¡° . What?¡±. . As Juhee put on an incredulous expression on her face, Mr . Song started pushing the door open . . . creak~. . Through some unknown mechanism, the giant door opened easily as the 60-year old man pushed . . . Bang. . The wide open door revealed a large interior, and the Hunters entered pushing past each other . . . ¡°We should go too . ¡±. . Not wanting to fall behind, Jinwoo took Juhee¡¯s wrist and went forward . . . ¡°Ah¡­¡±. . With redness creeping onto her face, Juhee followed him . . . . . As the Hunters¡¯ first steps fell onto the ground, the numerous torches that filled the walls of the area lit up, brightly illuminating the interior . . . ¡°Hmm? The light went on?¡±. . ¡°First time I¡¯m seeing that . ¡±. . ¡°Something¡¯s¡­ different . ¡±. . The Hunters surveilled their surroundings . It felt like the interior of a large temple . Like an ominous temple that would be hidden away deep underground, the floors, the walls and even the ceiling was covered in moss . Some Hunters shuddered and noted,. . ¡°Something feels wrong . ¡±. . ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel like we¡¯re being watched?¡±. . The more fearful Hunters fell to the rear, while the stronger Hunters headed deeper into the room . . . ¡°Tsk . Don¡¯t say such things . ¡±. . ¡°Let¡¯s just finish up here and go back . ¡±. . The interior was incredibly large . A wide area in a dome shape . It was comparable to multiple olympic fields being put together . No, perhaps bigger . At the same time, it paradoxically felt cramped . The reason was simple . . . ¡°That that thing¡­¡±. ¡°That¡¯s not the boss, is it?¡±. . At the end of the room, something whose size surpassed reason and logic sat upon a grand and enormous seat . It could only described as a massive Statue of God[1] . . . ¡°My god[2] . ¡±. . ¡°Whoa¡­¡±. . They could not help but be amazed . . . Jinwoo himself compared the statue¡¯s size to America¡¯s Statue of Liberty[3] . ¡®If the Statue of Liberty sat down, it would probably look like that . ¡¯ Although the Statue of Liberty is female, and this one was clearly male . ¡®No¡­ This thing¡¯s bigger¡­¡¯. . The Hunters gathered before the statue could not help but gulp repeatedly . They stood in fear, wondering if the Statue of God was the boss of this Dungeon . . . ¡° . ¡±. . But the Statue did not move . . . ¡°Phew~¡±. . Mr . Song also sighed in relief . . . ¡°Alright, let¡¯s spread out . ¡±. . With renewed confidence, the Hunters spread out, investigating the giant room . . . ¡°I don¡¯t see any magic beasts . ¡±. . ¡°Right?¡±. . ¡°Forget magic beasts, I don¡¯t even see a single bug . ¡±. . Compared to its well-lit interiors and enormous size, the room of the Statue of God was rather plain . Adorning its walls were countless torches, illuminating the room . In front of the torches stood statues slightly larger than the average man, forming equidistant points of a circle . . . ¡°Beautiful . ¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s like a work of art . ¡±. . Each statue held something different in its hands . Some held weapons, some books, others held instruments or torches . . . ¡°It¡¯s like¡­¡± Mr . Kim started describing,. . ¡°Decorations in a temple . ¡± Mr . Song finished his sentence . . . ¡°Hmm?¡±. . Mr . Song found something at his feet . . . ¡°This is¡­ a magic circle[4]?¡±. . At the center of the temple room, there was a magic circle that he had never seen before in his life . . . ¡°Mr . Song, there¡¯s something written here . Can you come take a look at this?¡±. . A Hunter called out to the Raid¡¯s leader, finding a statue that stood out from the rest . Leaving his observation of the magic circle, Mr . Song headed towards the Hunter . One by one, all the Hunters in the room gathered before the strange statue as well . . . Of all the statues in the room, this one was the only one with wings . It was holding a stone tablet . What caught the Hunters¡¯ eyes were the words written on the stone tablet . . . ¡°It¡¯s Runic[5] . ¡± Mr . Song spoke after analyzing the tablet . . . Runes . A form of text that could be found in Dungeons, it was something that could not be found elsewhere on Earth . Only the Hunters who Awakened[6] as Mage-class could interpret them . . . Mr . Song read the first line of the tablet:. . ¡° ¡®Commandments of the Cartenon Temple¡¯[7] ¡± . . Jinwoo listened to Mr . Song¡¯s reading of the tablet with a serious expression . But then suddenly, someone grabbed his arm . . . Turning around, he saw Juhee looking at him with a pale, fear-stricken face . . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Statue of God¡± (?? [ÉñÏñ]; Shin-Sang): ¡°God¡± Shin + ¡°Statue¡± Sang. [2]: ¡°my god¡­¡±: Just an ¡°omg¡±, not specifically saying that the statue was his god . . [3]: ¡°Statue of Liberty¡±: Heel-to-Head Height: ~111 feet . . [4]: ¡°Magic Circle¡± (???; Ma-Beop-Jin): ¡°Magic¡± Ma-Beop + ¡°Circle¡± Jin. [5]: ¡°Runic¡± (? ??; Rune Mun-Ja): Rune (in English) + ¡°Text¡± Mun-Ja. [6]: ¡°Awakened¡± (??; Gak-Sung): Terminology used to describe the phenomenon where humans awaken special powers . Those that awaken obtain specific repertoire of abilities and skills fitting to a certain class (Fighter, Mage, Healer, etc¡­). [7]: ¡°Commandments of the Cartenon Temple¡± (???? ??? ??): The korean word for ¡°commandments¡± actually is closer to an uncommon way of saying ¡°rule¡±, but I¡¯ve translated as ¡°commandment¡± for a minor story purpose later on . I couldn¡¯t find a direct translation for ¡°Cartenon¡±, so this is just a pronunciation choice . . Chapter 3 Her pale face shocked Jinwoo . ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you not feeling well?¡± ¡°Over¡­ over there . ¡± Jinwoo followed Juhee¡¯s pointing fingers to the Statue of God . The enormous statue . She was pointing at its face . Not seeing any difference from the first time he saw it, Jinwoo tilted his head . ¡°?¡± With a shaking voice, Juhee spoke, ¡°H-his eyes¡­ The Statue¡¯s eyes just looked at us . ¡± ¡°What?¡± No matter how long he stared, the results were the same . The Statue sat still, unmoving . ¡°Hmm¡­ You must¡¯ve imagined it . ¡± But his words fell on deaf ears . Casting her gaze to the ground, Juhee simply held on to his arms and trembled . ¡®Wait . ¡¯ A sense of dread washed over Jinwoo . ¡® . . . Where did the sound go?¡¯ The crackling sound from the torches¡¯ fires suddenly became silent . ¡°First . ¡± Meanwhile, Mr . Song¡¯s reading of the tablet continued . ¡°Worship the Lord . Second, Praise the Lord . Third, Prove your Faith to the Lord . Those who do not follow these commands will not leave alive . ¡± It was in that moment, creak~ At the sudden sound, all the Hunters jumped in surprise . ¡°What¡¯s happening?!¡± The first person to notice was Jinwoo . Having focused on his hearing because of the torches, he was able to immediately notice what was happening . ¡°The door! The door is closing!¡± At his words, the entire party turned towards the door, only to watch it close with a bang . ¡°Dammit! I can¡¯t do this anymore!¡± The Hunter who first voted ¡°no¡± to enter the Double Dungeon swore and headed towards the door . ¡°I¡¯m leaving now . You guys can have all the bosses and treasures you want . ¡± Glaring rebelliously at Mr . Song, the man turned and grabbed the door¡¯s handles . Suddenly . Mr . Song¡¯s eyes widened . ¡°No, don¡¯t!¡± Crunch! A sickening sound of ¡®something¡¯ striking ¡®something¡¯ rang throughout the temple . With it, the man¡¯s head had disappeared from sight . Having lost its head, his body naturally fell backwards onto the ground . thud- The Hunters started screaming . Having obliterated the man¡¯s head with its mace, the statue returned and assumed its position next to the door as if nothing had happened . ¡°That- that thing just moved!¡± ¡°What? Does that mean all the statues here can move?¡± ¡°We¡¯re supposed to fight those?!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even see him swing that mace!¡± It was at this point Jinwoo replayed Juhee¡¯s words in his mind . ¡°H-his eyes¡­ The Statue¡¯s eyes just looked at us . ¡± ¡®If that¡¯s true¡­¡¯ He shuddered . Making an effort to move his terrified body, he turned and looked at the Statue of God . And found the Statue of God looking back at him . ¡°Ah¡­¡± Jinwoo realized . This was just the beginning . -3 . Start of the Attack- The Statue of God¡¯s eyes were lit with a crimson light . Was it a Hunter¡¯s instinct? No, it was the survival instincts of a living being . ¡°Something¡± was coming . ¡°Something¡± that could not be stopped . Jinwoo turned and shouted on top of his lungs . ¡°GET DOWN!¡± Right as his mouth opened, a crimson ray of light shot out from the Statue¡¯s eyes . Jinwoo threw himself at Juhee and pulled her to the ground . BEAM~! The ray of light passed through where Jinwoo was standing moments before . 1 tenth of a second . No, 1 hundredth of a second . If the timing of his actions were off by just an infinitesimal amount¡­ The other Hunters were not as lucky . ¡°Uwaaaaaaah!¡± ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡± The screams did not come from the Hunters who were struck by the light . After all, the ones who were struck disintegrated instantly, leaving only a trace of ash and burnt stone in their wake . No, the screams were coming from the Hunters who survived . ¡°What the hell is this!¡± ¡°Waaaaah!¡± ¡°How could this¡­¡± The Hunters were in shock . 11 remaining alive out of 16 . They had never seen an attack like this before . ¡®I barely dodged after hearing Jinwoo . ¡¯ ¡®If Mr . Sung didn¡¯t shout just now¡­¡¯ The Hunters looked at Jinwoo and gulped . Their lives¡¯ savior . If it was not for him, they knew that they would be counted among the fallen . ¡° . . . ¡± With his entire body bowed on the ground, Jinwoo turned his head and peaked at the Statue . Its eyes were still lit with crimson glow but did not continue its attack . ¡®Is¡­ is it done attacking?¡¯ Jinwoo turned his head towards the ground again . Juhee lay below him, shaking in fear . Although she was a B-Rank Hunter, this was the reason she Hunted in simple Raids under the Association and not an advanced Raid under a large Guild . Her breathing became more and more irregular . He couldn¡¯t just leave her like this . Thinking he had to do something to help her, Jinwoo began to get-up when a strong hand forced him back down . ¡°Don¡¯t stand up . ¡± It was Mr . Song . Although surprised, Jinwoo sternly listened to his words . Mr . Song shouted at the other Hunters, as well . ¡°Everyone stay where you are! Don''t move from your position!¡± After taking a quick look across the party, Mr . Song turned to Jinwoo again . ¡°The ones who were moving got hit . Those that listened to you and got down survived . ¡± ¡°I see . . . ¡± Mr . Song tilted his head in confusion . ¡°Did you not shout after figuring something out?¡± ¡°I just felt something dangerous was coming, that¡¯s all¡­¡± Mr . Song¡¯s eyes looked at him with bright eyes . ¡®His instincts are good . I heard he was an E-Rank? If only his abilities were a little higher¡­¡¯ His gaze turned into one of pity as he continued to stare at Jinwoo . Meanwhile, Jinwoo got a better look at the man staring at him . What caught his eyes shocked him . ¡°Ah-ahjussi[1]¡­ your arm¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, I can endure this much . ¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Jinwoo gulped . Mr . Song¡¯s right arm was draped over Jinwoo¡¯s shoulder, and his other arm¡­ His other arm was gone . ¡° . . . ¡± While silently looking at Juhee, Mr . Song wordlessly wrapped the remnants of his shirt around the stump where his arm was, gritting his teeth through the pain . ¡°Can you tie the end here? Hard to do with just one hand . ¡± As Jinwoo nodded and completed what could barely be called first-aid, Mr . Song let out a long sigh . It was a sigh filled with the experience of 10-years of Hunting . Looking around, he took in the surroundings and the status of their situation . Just because the Statue of God had stopped its attack didn¡¯t mean their adversity was over . Time passed as the Hunters lay on the ground . ¡°Uwaaaah-¡± ¡°Why did this happen to us¡­¡± Some of the Hunters started crying again . ¡°We can¡¯t stay like this forever!¡± The patience of the survivors was slowly reaching its limits . Jinwoo felt the same . ¡®We can¡¯t stay like this forever . ¡¯ But what could they do? If Mr . Song¡¯s guess was correct, they would be attacked the moment they started moving . And even if they managed to dodge the Statue of God¡¯s attack, they still had to go through the statues guarding the door . And therein lied the other problem . The movement of the one guarding the door was so fast that it could barely be seen by the naked eye . How could they get past something like that? It was an impossible situation . The Hunters¡¯ annihilation was simply a matter of time . ¡®Wait¡­ a matter of time?¡¯ As the thought appeared in his head, an uncomfortable thought followed . Something that no one else had noticed . ¡®There¡¯s¡­ there¡¯s something we missed . ¡¯ Perhaps the answer was there . It was in that moment . ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± Mr . Song yelled at Mr . Joo, who responded by baring his teeth . ¡°Shut up! We don¡¯t know when that thing will attack again! You just want us to wait until that time?!¡± Mr . Joo was a Fighter-class Hunter . As beings who threw their bodies into the middle of combat, a Fighter-class Hunter¡¯s physical abilities were much greater than an ordinary human . On top of that, Mr . Joo was someone whose skills were acknowledged by a large Guild, who had offered him a contract . ¡°I can¡¯t die like this . ¡± With his body still lowered to the ground, Mr . Joo flexed the muscles in his legs . The goal is the door . With an explosive start, Mr . Joo ran towards the door . Watching the man¡¯s attempt, Jinwoo turned away and looked back at the Statue of God . As if waiting, the Statue was looking at Mr . Joo . A ray of light exploded from its eyes . BEAM~! The ray covered Mr . Joo¡¯s back . ¡°Kiyaaaaaah!¡± One of the female Hunters screamed . Unable to control her fear, a yellow puddle slowly appeared from the ground she was collapsed on . The other Hunter¡¯s faces hardened . ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± No trace of Mr . Joo could be found where he stood . Save for two feet on the ground, ending just above the ankles . The sound of a man retching reached Jinwoo¡¯s ears, and he furrowed his brows . As expected, this ¡®thing¡¯ was more than capable of annihilating all the Hunters in an instant . To it, it was easier than stepping on an insect . ¡®So why¡­ why isn¡¯t it?¡¯ It could kill them all, yet it did not . Compared to the magic beasts that always threw themselves at the Hunters, these things were different . Attacking someone only when they moved . Attacking someone only when they neared the door . There was a pattern and condition to their aggression . Like a game with rules . ¡®Perhaps¡­ There are rules to this room?¡¯ In that moment, Jinwoo found a piece of the puzzle in his head . It was the tablet that Mr . Song was reading earlier . ¡®Commandments of the Cartenon Temple¡¯ A commandment was a rule, and rules must be followed . If there was a way out of this place, away from these things, the key was written on that tablet . ¡° . . . Worship the Lord¡± Jinwoo spoke the first commandment out loud . ¡°Hmm? Did you say something?¡± Mr . Song asked, facing Jinwoo . Instead of answering, Jinwoo put a finger to his lips . ¡®If I¡¯m correct¡­¡± Slowly, Jinwoo got up . Mr . Song frantically tried to stop him, but Jinwoo shook his head at him with a determined face . ¡® . . . That¡¯s not a face that¡¯s given up on living . ¡¯ Mr . Song nodded at Jinwoo . Without looking away from the Statue of God, Jinwoo slowly rose and raised his body gradually higher and higher . Suddenly, the Statue of God¡¯s gaze fell upon him . BEAM~! If he hesitated even for a split second on getting back to the ground, Jinwoo would¡¯ve lost a lot more than few strands of hair on his head . Back on the ground, Jinwoo panted heavily . He had almost died just now . When his eyes met the Statue of God¡¯s, he knew he had looked at death right in the eyes . Having dodged the attack by a hair (literally), Jinwoo¡¯s legs could not stop shaking . ¡®But¡­¡¯ It was not for naught . ¡®He¡¯s not attacking someone who¡¯s moving . ¡¯ Having his body lowered to the ground, no amount of movement caused a reaction from the Statue of God . ¡®No, his attacks are towards someone who rises above a certain height . ¡¯ To confirm, he had just put his life on the line . And now, he had that confirmation . The meaning of the First Commandment! Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°ahjussi¡± (???; ah-juh-ssi): Korean noun to refer to or describe a middle-aged man . Japanese equivalent = ojisan . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 3. . Her pale face shocked Jinwoo . . . ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you not feeling well?¡±. . ¡°Over¡­ over there . ¡±. . Jinwoo followed Juhee¡¯s pointing fingers to the Statue of God . The enormous statue . She was pointing at its face . Not seeing any difference from the first time he saw it, Jinwoo tilted his head . . . ¡°?¡±. . With a shaking voice, Juhee spoke,. . ¡°H-his eyes¡­ The Statue¡¯s eyes just looked at us . ¡±. . ¡°What?¡±. . No matter how long he stared, the results were the same . The Statue sat still, unmoving . . . ¡°Hmm¡­ You must¡¯ve imagined it . ¡±. . But his words fell on deaf ears . Casting her gaze to the ground, Juhee simply held on to his arms and trembled . . . ¡®Wait . ¡¯. . A sense of dread washed over Jinwoo . . . ¡® . Where did the sound go?¡¯. . The crackling sound from the torches¡¯ fires suddenly became silent . . . ¡°First . ¡±. . Meanwhile, Mr . Song¡¯s reading of the tablet continued . . . ¡°Worship the Lord . Second, Praise the Lord . Third, Prove your Faith to the Lord . Those who do not follow these commands will not leave alive . ¡±. . It was in that moment,. . creak~. . At the sudden sound, all the Hunters jumped in surprise . . . ¡°What¡¯s happening?!¡±. . The first person to notice was Jinwoo . Having focused on his hearing because of the torches, he was able to immediately notice what was happening . . . ¡°The door! The door is closing!¡±. . At his words, the entire party turned towards the door, only to watch it close with a bang . . . ¡°Dammit! I can¡¯t do this anymore!¡±. . The Hunter who first voted ¡°no¡± to enter the Double Dungeon swore and headed towards the door . . . ¡°I¡¯m leaving now . You guys can have all the bosses and treasures you want . ¡±. . Glaring rebelliously at Mr . Song, the man turned and grabbed the door¡¯s handles . . . Suddenly . . . Mr . Song¡¯s eyes widened . . . ¡°No, don¡¯t!¡±. . Crunch!. . A sickening sound of ¡®something¡¯ striking ¡®something¡¯ rang throughout the temple . . . With it, the man¡¯s head had disappeared from sight . Having lost its head, his body naturally fell backwards onto the ground . . . thud-. . The Hunters started screaming . . . Having obliterated the man¡¯s head with its mace, the statue returned and assumed its position next to the door as if nothing had happened . . . ¡°That- that thing just moved!¡±. . ¡°What? Does that mean all the statues here can move?¡±. . ¡°We¡¯re supposed to fight those?!¡±. . ¡°I didn¡¯t even see him swing that mace!¡±. . It was at this point Jinwoo replayed Juhee¡¯s words in his mind . . . ¡°H-his eyes¡­ The Statue¡¯s eyes just looked at us . ¡±. . ¡®If that¡¯s true¡­¡¯. . He shuddered . Making an effort to move his terrified body, he turned and looked at the Statue of God . . . And found the Statue of God looking back at him . . . ¡°Ah¡­¡±. . Jinwoo realized . This was just the beginning . . . . -3 . Start of the Attack-. . The Statue of God¡¯s eyes were lit with a crimson light . . . Was it a Hunter¡¯s instinct? No, it was the survival instincts of a living being . ¡°Something¡± was coming . ¡°Something¡± that could not be stopped . . . Jinwoo turned and shouted on top of his lungs . . . ¡°GET DOWN!¡±. . Right as his mouth opened, a crimson ray of light shot out from the Statue¡¯s eyes . . . Jinwoo threw himself at Juhee and pulled her to the ground . . . BEAM~!. . The ray of light passed through where Jinwoo was standing moments before . . . 1 tenth of a second . . . No, 1 hundredth of a second . . . If the timing of his actions were off by just an infinitesimal amount¡­. . The other Hunters were not as lucky . . . ¡°Uwaaaaaaah!¡±. . ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡±. . The screams did not come from the Hunters who were struck by the light . After all, the ones who were struck disintegrated instantly, leaving only a trace of ash and burnt stone in their wake . No, the screams were coming from the Hunters who survived . . . ¡°What the hell is this!¡±. . ¡°Waaaaah!¡±. . ¡°How could this¡­¡±. . The Hunters were in shock . . . 11 remaining alive out of 16 . . . They had never seen an attack like this before . . . ¡®I barely dodged after hearing Jinwoo . ¡¯. . ¡®If Mr . Sung didn¡¯t shout just now¡­¡¯. . The Hunters looked at Jinwoo and gulped . Their lives¡¯ savior . If it was not for him, they knew that they would be counted among the fallen . . . ¡° . ¡±. . With his entire body bowed on the ground, Jinwoo turned his head and peaked at the Statue . Its eyes were still lit with crimson glow but did not continue its attack . . . ¡®Is¡­ is it done attacking?¡¯. . Jinwoo turned his head towards the ground again . Juhee lay below him, shaking in fear . Although she was a B-Rank Hunter, this was the reason she Hunted in simple Raids under the Association and not an advanced Raid under a large Guild . . . Her breathing became more and more irregular . He couldn¡¯t just leave her like this . Thinking he had to do something to help her, Jinwoo began to get-up when a strong hand forced him back down . . . ¡°Don¡¯t stand up . ¡±. . It was Mr . Song . . . Although surprised, Jinwoo sternly listened to his words . . . Mr . Song shouted at the other Hunters, as well . . . ¡°Everyone stay where you are! Don''t move from your position!¡±. . After taking a quick look across the party, Mr . Song turned to Jinwoo again . . . ¡°The ones who were moving got hit . Those that listened to you and got down survived . ¡±. . ¡°I see . ¡±. . Mr . Song tilted his head in confusion . . . ¡°Did you not shout after figuring something out?¡±. . ¡°I just felt something dangerous was coming, that¡¯s all¡­¡±. . Mr . Song¡¯s eyes looked at him with bright eyes . . . ¡®His instincts are good . I heard he was an E-Rank? If only his abilities were a little higher¡­¡¯. . His gaze turned into one of pity as he continued to stare at Jinwoo . Meanwhile, Jinwoo got a better look at the man staring at him . What caught his eyes shocked him . . . ¡°Ah-ahjussi[1]¡­ your arm¡­¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s alright, I can endure this much . ¡±. . ¡°But¡­¡±. . Jinwoo gulped . Mr . Song¡¯s right arm was draped over Jinwoo¡¯s shoulder, and his other arm¡­ His other arm was gone . . . ¡° . ¡±. . While silently looking at Juhee, Mr . Song wordlessly wrapped the remnants of his shirt around the stump where his arm was, gritting his teeth through the pain . . . ¡°Can you tie the end here? Hard to do with just one hand . ¡±. . As Jinwoo nodded and completed what could barely be called first-aid, Mr . Song let out a long sigh . It was a sigh filled with the experience of 10-years of Hunting . Looking around, he took in the surroundings and the status of their situation . Just because the Statue of God had stopped its attack didn¡¯t mean their adversity was over . . . Time passed as the Hunters lay on the ground . . . ¡°Uwaaaah-¡±. . ¡°Why did this happen to us¡­¡±. . Some of the Hunters started crying again . . . ¡°We can¡¯t stay like this forever!¡±. . The patience of the survivors was slowly reaching its limits . . . Jinwoo felt the same . . . ¡®We can¡¯t stay like this forever . ¡¯. . But what could they do? If Mr . Song¡¯s guess was correct, they would be attacked the moment they started moving . And even if they managed to dodge the Statue of God¡¯s attack, they still had to go through the statues guarding the door . And therein lied the other problem . The movement of the one guarding the door was so fast that it could barely be seen by the naked eye . . . How could they get past something like that? It was an impossible situation . The Hunters¡¯ annihilation was simply a matter of time . . . ¡®Wait¡­ a matter of time?¡¯. . As the thought appeared in his head, an uncomfortable thought followed . . . Something that no one else had noticed . . . ¡®There¡¯s¡­ there¡¯s something we missed . ¡¯. . Perhaps the answer was there . . . It was in that moment . . . ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±. . Mr . Song yelled at Mr . Joo, who responded by baring his teeth . . . ¡°Shut up! We don¡¯t know when that thing will attack again! You just want us to wait until that time?!¡±. . Mr . Joo was a Fighter-class Hunter . As beings who threw their bodies into the middle of combat, a Fighter-class Hunter¡¯s physical abilities were much greater than an ordinary human . On top of that, Mr . Joo was someone whose skills were acknowledged by a large Guild, who had offered him a contract . . . ¡°I can¡¯t die like this . ¡±. . With his body still lowered to the ground, Mr . Joo flexed the muscles in his legs . . . The goal is the door . . . With an explosive start, Mr . Joo ran towards the door . Watching the man¡¯s attempt, Jinwoo turned away and looked back at the Statue of God . As if waiting, the Statue was looking at Mr . Joo . A ray of light exploded from its eyes . . . BEAM~!. . The ray covered Mr . Joo¡¯s back . . . ¡°Kiyaaaaaah!¡±. . One of the female Hunters screamed . Unable to control her fear, a yellow puddle slowly appeared from the ground she was collapsed on . . . The other Hunter¡¯s faces hardened . . . ¡°Oh my god¡­¡±. . No trace of Mr . Joo could be found where he stood . Save for two feet on the ground, ending just above the ankles . . . The sound of a man retching reached Jinwoo¡¯s ears, and he furrowed his brows . . . As expected, this ¡®thing¡¯ was more than capable of annihilating all the Hunters in an instant . To it, it was easier than stepping on an insect . . . ¡®So why¡­ why isn¡¯t it?¡¯. . It could kill them all, yet it did not . . . Compared to the magic beasts that always threw themselves at the Hunters, these things were different . Attacking someone only when they moved . Attacking someone only when they neared the door . There was a pattern and condition to their aggression . Like a game with rules . . . ¡®Perhaps¡­ There are rules to this room?¡¯. . In that moment, Jinwoo found a piece of the puzzle in his head . It was the tablet that Mr . Song was reading earlier . . . ¡®Commandments of the Cartenon Temple¡¯. . A commandment was a rule, and rules must be followed . . . If there was a way out of this place, away from these things, the key was written on that tablet . . . ¡° . Worship the Lord¡±. . Jinwoo spoke the first commandment out loud . . . ¡°Hmm? Did you say something?¡± Mr . Song asked, facing Jinwoo . . . Instead of answering, Jinwoo put a finger to his lips . . . ¡®If I¡¯m correct¡­¡±. . Slowly, Jinwoo got up . Mr . Song frantically tried to stop him, but Jinwoo shook his head at him with a determined face . . . ¡® . That¡¯s not a face that¡¯s given up on living . ¡¯. . Mr . Song nodded at Jinwoo . . . Without looking away from the Statue of God, Jinwoo slowly rose and raised his body gradually higher and higher . Suddenly, the Statue of God¡¯s gaze fell upon him . . . BEAM~!. . If he hesitated even for a split second on getting back to the ground, Jinwoo would¡¯ve lost a lot more than few strands of hair on his head . . . Back on the ground, Jinwoo panted heavily . . . He had almost died just now . When his eyes met the Statue of God¡¯s, he knew he had looked at death right in the eyes . Having dodged the attack by a hair (literally), Jinwoo¡¯s legs could not stop shaking . . . ¡®But¡­¡¯. . It was not for naught . . . ¡®He¡¯s not attacking someone who¡¯s moving . ¡¯. . Having his body lowered to the ground, no amount of movement caused a reaction from the Statue of God . . . ¡®No, his attacks are towards someone who rises above a certain height . ¡¯. . To confirm, he had just put his life on the line . And now, he had that confirmation . . . The meaning of the First Commandment!. . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°ahjussi¡± (???; ah-juh-ssi): Korean noun to refer to or describe a middle-aged man . Japanese equivalent = ojisan . . Chapter 4 -4 . The Three Commandments- Jinwoo shouted towards the other Hunters . ¡°Everyone!¡± They turned their heads toward his voice . ¡°You have to bow before the Statue of God!¡± The Hunters tilted their heads in confusion . ¡°Bow¡­?¡± ¡°Bow to that thing?¡± The Hunters who were looking at each other started cursing at Jinwoo, ¡°Fuck¡­ What the hell are you saying?!¡± ¡°Is this a situation where you could say something like that?!¡± ¡°Have you gone crazy, Sung Jinwoo?!¡± Mr . Kim flared his nostrils . ¡°Looks like I judged you wrong! If I could get up from this spot, I¡¯d sock you right in the nose!¡± Jinwoo bit his lips . After all, 6 of their comrades had fallen to the Statue of God . To think that he¡¯d ask the others to bow before it understandably invited their ire . ¡®More importantly¡­¡¯ There was no solid proof to his guesses . Only a gut feeling . One could not easily explain or put to words what they felt through instinct . While he was lost for words, someone spoke up: ¡°I¡¯ll do it . ¡± The voice came from behind Jinwoo . The Hunters¡¯ eyes turned toward the Raid leader who had spoken . ¡°Mr . Song¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to bow before that goddamn statue?¡± As the Hunters spoke out in confusion, Mr . Song turned and met Jinwoo¡¯s eyes . ¡°What have you discovered?¡± Jinwoo shook his head . ¡°Just a gut feeling?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, for now . ¡± ¡°I see . ¡± Jinwoo¡¯s instincts resulted in 11 of them being still alive, well, 10 after Mr . Joo¡¯s death . As such, was it not worth it to try and put some faith in him? This was what Mr . Song believed . As the Raid leader bowed before the Statue of God, the mood in the air became somber . ¡°You¡¯re really going to do it?¡± Taking advantage of the opportunity Mr . Song had provided, Jinwoo spoke up, ¡°Please! Bow before the Statue of God . This might be our only way to leave here alive!¡± Alive . To leave here alive . That phrase reached the others¡¯ ears with a great weight . ¡®Leave here alive?¡¯ ¡®We can get out of here?¡¯ ¡®Just by bowing before that thing?¡¯ One by one, the hesitant Hunters started bowing before the Statue, imitating a scene of worship . Eventually, even the angry Mr . Kim also took his place bowing before the Statue . However, there was no response from the Statue of God . Its two eyes still glowed with the terrifying crimson light . Jinwoo felt his heart sinking to his stomach . ¡®Was I wrong?¡¯ And his gaze turned to Juhee at his side . Lying completely prone on the ground with her hands covering her head, it was hard to say that she was in a position of bowing before the Statue . ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ Jinwoo gently grabbed Juhee¡¯s wrists . Startled, Juhee looked up at him like a terrified prey . He wordlessly nodded at her, then released his hand . Slowly, Jinwoo helped Juhee assumed the position of worship before the Statue of God . ¡®This should do it . ¡¯ And then there was one . Himself . Jinwoo faced the Statue, kneeling, then put his hands on the ground and slowly bowed his head . And a change occurred . ¡°Oh, ooh?¡± The Hunters who noticed started making noise . ¡°The Statue of God? Everyone, look at the Statue of God!¡± ¡°Its eyes!¡± The crimson light that adorned the Statue¡¯s eyes were fading away . ¡°What? You mean this really is working?¡± And just like that, the lights completely disappeared from the Statue¡¯s eyes . The Hunters cheered in unison . ¡°The light disappeared!¡± ¡°We¡¯re alive!¡± The excited Hunters rose from their spots and cheered, but the Statue of God did not react . Jinwoo, who followed suit, sighed with relief . ¡°Phew-¡° As he had guessed . This room was operating accordingly to a set of rules and conditions, just like a game . ¡®If that¡¯s true,¡¯ The game was not over yet . There were two more Commandments . Second: Praise the Lord; Third: Prove your Faith Suddenly, with a deep rumbling, the entire room started to shake . Jinwoo¡¯s expression hardened . ¡®As I thought¡­¡¯ His guesses were correct . This was not over . The Statue of God¡¯s enormous body was slowly rising from its seat . ¡°Eh, eh?!¡± The Hunters who were celebrating together with tears of joy froze . ¡°W-what?! Wasn¡¯t it all over?!¡± ¡°No, it can¡¯t be!¡± Frozen in fear, the Hunters could not say much more . Their faces were filled with terror and despair . ¡°No¡­ no¡­¡± The Statue of God assumed a standing position . It looked around, taking in the surrounding, then started walking towards the Hunters . BOOM! With each step it took, the Statue of God shook the earth . BOOM! Its massive figure was such that its head almost reached the ceiling . BOOM! As its sheer size put pressure on the Hunters, it slowly closed the gap between it and them . ¡°Hey, Mr . Sung! Mr . Sung Jinwoo!¡± ¡°What should we do?!¡± The Hunters who were cursing Jinwoo only moments ago now looked towards him for hope . ¡°Is there anything else we have to do?!¡± ¡°Say something!¡± Even as grown adults, the Hunters¡¯ faces were on the verge of breaking down in tears . Yet they looked at Jinwoo as their only remaining hope . Jinwoo carefully helped Juhee, frozen in fear, to her feet, and he explained the Second Commandment . ¡°It said, ¡®Praise the Lord¡¯, that¡¯s our clue . ¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s!¡± Mr . Kim spoke knowingly, ¡°It was written on the tablet, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, ¡®Praise the Lord¡¯, ¡®Prove your Faith¡¯, we have to fulfill all three Commandments . ¡± Jinwoo¡¯s words were filled with urgency . BOOM~! With one last step, the Statue of God had already arrived before their group . Its massive shadows covered the Hunters, whose faces became pale . ¡°I, I¡¯ll try . ¡± One of the Hunters, normally a shy, youthful man, stepped forward . ¡°Hey! What are you going to try?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m part of my church¡¯s choir . If it¡¯s ¡®praise¡¯, I¡¯m confident in it . ¡± The young man answered Mr . Kim and walked towards the Statue of God . As he neared the Statue, he took a deep breath and started singing, ¡° ~As I walk to the Lord~ ¡± His youthful voice rang throughout the room . ¡° ~Please renew me and provide me with your blessing . ~ ¡± The Statue of God stopped before him . The Hunters gasped in surprise and awe . As if it was satisfied by the song, the Statue of God stood motionless . All other sounds of the room disappeared, only the youth¡¯s voice was heard in the room . Gaining courage from the apparent result, the Hunter strengthened his voice and continued to sing, ¡° ~All my weaknesses will be washed away by the grace of my Lord~ ¡± Amidst the hopeful Hunters, Jinwoo could not shake the feeling of uneasiness . The feeling that they were missing something . ¡®No¡­ this is all wrong . ¡¯ He kept repeating the thought to himself . This room had its own set of rules . Right now, the youthful Hunter was following the rule of Christianity, not this room . But thankfully, the Statue of God was not moving . Maybe this was enough to satisfy the conditions? Jinwoo tilted his head . The reason why he had not stopped the singing was because he could not think of any other way to stop the Statue of God . Suddenly, BOOM! A loud crash broke through the singing, followed by a scream, ¡°Kiyaaaaaaah!¡± As the Statue of God raised its foot again, the mangled remains of the singing Hunter fell from its sole . The other Hunters started screaming as well . ¡°Ahhhh!¡± ¡°Uwaaaaak!¡± The previously emotionless face of the Statue of God was now filled with an incredible rage . ¡°It¡¯s angry!¡± ¡°R-run!¡± The Hunters quickly ran away from the Statue . ¡°Kiyaaaaah!!!¡± Having lost all thought and reason after seeing the youthful man be crushed beneath the Statue of God¡¯s foot, a female Hunter simply stood in place and screamed . ¡®Shit¡­!¡¯ Jinwoo, who was running with Juhee in his arms, quickly turned to try and help her . But he was blocked by Mr . Song . ¡°Ahjussi¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too late!¡± Like swatting a fly, the Statue of God slammed its hand on top of the female Hunter . BANG! Jinwoo turned away . It was a gruesome scene which he could not bear to witness . ¡°We can¡¯t dilly dally here! Are you trying to get that young lady killed as well?!¡± At Mr . Song¡¯s rebuke, Jinwoo snapped back to attention . Mr . Song was right . BOOM! ¡°Uwaaaak!¡± BOOM! BOOM! ¡°Help me!¡± No longer walking, the Statue of God ran from Hunter to Hunter, crushing them beneath his feet . With each step, he shook the entire temple . BOOM! BOOM! Jinwoo ran with his teeth clenched . With her eyes closed, Juhee held on to Jinwoo as they ran . ¡°Let¡¯s split apart!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Knowing that running together made them a better target, Jinwoo and Mr . Song separated away from each other . Trying to maintain the largest distance between himself and the Statue of God, Jinwoo ran towards a spot at the walls . He saw that Mr . Park was already there, having ran with all his might, knowing there was more on the line to him than just his own life . The image of his family reflected over his teary eyes . His son, who looked just like his father . His wife, with his second child . Mr . Park could not afford to die in a place like this . Pulling forth every ounce of his strength, Mr . Park was able to reach the walls faster than the other Hunters . ¡°Huff¡­ Huff¡­¡± Suddenly, Mr . Kim, who was friends with the man, shouted at the panting Mr . Park . ¡°Mr . Park!¡± At the familiar voice, Mr . Park turned towards Mr . Kim, ¡°Hmm?¡± Mr . Kim gestured towards Mr . Park¡¯s back and yelled, ¡°Turn! Turn around!¡± And something sharp flashed from behind Mr . Park . ¡°Huh¡­?¡± slash- Mr . Park was split cleanly from the top of his head to the base of his crotch . The evenly separated sides of his body fell in different directions on to the ground . ¡°MR . PARK!!!¡± The statue that had cleaved Mr . Park in twain with its sword simply returned and assumed its position on the walls, as if nothing had happened . Mr . Kim held back tears as he witnessed the death of his friend . ¡°These fucking pieces of-!¡± BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Behind him, the giant Statue of God was going from Hunter to Hunter, crushing them with his feet . Those that fled to the walls were attacked by the statues . ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± ¡°My arm! My arm!¡± The interior of the temple had turned into a scene of terror and carnage . Jinwoo panted wildly as he ran, his forehead dripping with cold sweat . His legs getting heavier and heavier; his breath getting shallower and shallower . But his head was filled with a single thought, repeated over and over again: ¡®Praise the Lord . Praise the Lord . Praise the Lord . ¡¯ The Second Commandment that swam through his head . The key to solving the meaning of the Commandments must be hidden in this room . ¡®There must be something in here that we¡¯re supposed to use!¡¯ But when the Hunters initially entered the temple and looked around, they found no tools or mechanisms . ¡®The only thing here are those damned statues . ¡¯ ¡®Wait . ¡¯ A thought appeared in Jinwoo¡¯s head . ¡®The only thing that¡¯s here are those statues?¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened . ¡°Why didn¡¯t I think of that?!¡± If the statues were the only thing in this room . Then the statues must be the key to solving the mystery . The statues only moved when someone entered their proximity; this must have been the key to using them somehow . ¡®If that¡¯s correct¡­!¡¯ Gathering what energy he had left, Jinwoo screamed through his panting breath, ¡°EVERYONE, HEAD TO THE STATUES WITH INSTRUMENTS!¡± Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 4. . -4 . The Three Commandments-. . Jinwoo shouted towards the other Hunters . . . ¡°Everyone!¡±. . They turned their heads toward his voice . . . ¡°You have to bow before the Statue of God!¡±. . The Hunters tilted their heads in confusion . . . ¡°Bow¡­?¡±. . ¡°Bow to that thing?¡±. . The Hunters who were looking at each other started cursing at Jinwoo,. . ¡°Fuck¡­ What the hell are you saying?!¡±. . ¡°Is this a situation where you could say something like that?!¡±. . ¡°Have you gone crazy, Sung Jinwoo?!¡±. . Mr . Kim flared his nostrils . . . ¡°Looks like I judged you wrong! If I could get up from this spot, I¡¯d sock you right in the nose!¡±. . Jinwoo bit his lips . After all, 6 of their comrades had fallen to the Statue of God . To think that he¡¯d ask the others to bow before it understandably invited their ire . . . ¡®More importantly¡­¡¯. . There was no solid proof to his guesses . Only a gut feeling . One could not easily explain or put to words what they felt through instinct . . . While he was lost for words, someone spoke up: ¡°I¡¯ll do it . ¡±. . The voice came from behind Jinwoo . The Hunters¡¯ eyes turned toward the Raid leader who had spoken . . . ¡°Mr . Song¡­?¡±. . ¡°You¡¯re going to bow before that goddamn statue?¡±. . As the Hunters spoke out in confusion, Mr . Song turned and met Jinwoo¡¯s eyes . . . ¡°What have you discovered?¡±. . Jinwoo shook his head . . . ¡°Just a gut feeling?¡±. . ¡°¡­Yes, for now . ¡±. . ¡°I see . ¡±. . Jinwoo¡¯s instincts resulted in 11 of them being still alive, well, 10 after Mr . Joo¡¯s death . As such, was it not worth it to try and put some faith in him? This was what Mr . Song believed . As the Raid leader bowed before the Statue of God, the mood in the air became somber . . . ¡°You¡¯re really going to do it?¡±. . Taking advantage of the opportunity Mr . Song had provided, Jinwoo spoke up,. . ¡°Please! Bow before the Statue of God . This might be our only way to leave here alive!¡±. . Alive . . . To leave here alive . . . That phrase reached the others¡¯ ears with a great weight . . . ¡®Leave here alive?¡¯. . ¡®We can get out of here?¡¯. . ¡®Just by bowing before that thing?¡¯. . One by one, the hesitant Hunters started bowing before the Statue, imitating a scene of worship . Eventually, even the angry Mr . Kim also took his place bowing before the Statue . However, there was no response from the Statue of God . Its two eyes still glowed with the terrifying crimson light . Jinwoo felt his heart sinking to his stomach . . . ¡®Was I wrong?¡¯. . And his gaze turned to Juhee at his side . Lying completely prone on the ground with her hands covering her head, it was hard to say that she was in a position of bowing before the Statue . . . ¡®Ah¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo gently grabbed Juhee¡¯s wrists . Startled, Juhee looked up at him like a terrified prey . He wordlessly nodded at her, then released his hand . Slowly, Jinwoo helped Juhee assumed the position of worship before the Statue of God . . . ¡®This should do it . ¡¯. . And then there was one . Himself . . . Jinwoo faced the Statue, kneeling, then put his hands on the ground and slowly bowed his head . . . And a change occurred . . . ¡°Oh, ooh?¡±. . The Hunters who noticed started making noise . . . ¡°The Statue of God? Everyone, look at the Statue of God!¡±. . ¡°Its eyes!¡±. . The crimson light that adorned the Statue¡¯s eyes were fading away . . . ¡°What? You mean this really is working?¡±. . And just like that, the lights completely disappeared from the Statue¡¯s eyes . . . The Hunters cheered in unison . . . ¡°The light disappeared!¡±. . ¡°We¡¯re alive!¡±. . The excited Hunters rose from their spots and cheered, but the Statue of God did not react . Jinwoo, who followed suit, sighed with relief . . . ¡°Phew-¡°. . As he had guessed . This room was operating accordingly to a set of rules and conditions, just like a game . . . ¡®If that¡¯s true,¡¯. . The game was not over yet . There were two more Commandments . . . Second: Praise the Lord; Third: Prove your Faith. . Suddenly, with a deep rumbling, the entire room started to shake . Jinwoo¡¯s expression hardened . . . ¡®As I thought¡­¡¯. . His guesses were correct . This was not over . . . The Statue of God¡¯s enormous body was slowly rising from its seat . . . ¡°Eh, eh?!¡±. . The Hunters who were celebrating together with tears of joy froze . . . ¡°W-what?! Wasn¡¯t it all over?!¡±. . ¡°No, it can¡¯t be!¡±. . Frozen in fear, the Hunters could not say much more . Their faces were filled with terror and despair . . . ¡°No¡­ no¡­¡±. . The Statue of God assumed a standing position . It looked around, taking in the surrounding, then started walking towards the Hunters . . . BOOM!. . With each step it took, the Statue of God shook the earth . . . BOOM!. . Its massive figure was such that its head almost reached the ceiling . . . BOOM!. . As its sheer size put pressure on the Hunters, it slowly closed the gap between it and them . . . ¡°Hey, Mr . Sung! Mr . Sung Jinwoo!¡±. . ¡°What should we do?!¡±. . The Hunters who were cursing Jinwoo only moments ago now looked towards him for hope . . . ¡°Is there anything else we have to do?!¡±. . ¡°Say something!¡±. . Even as grown adults, the Hunters¡¯ faces were on the verge of breaking down in tears . Yet they looked at Jinwoo as their only remaining hope . Jinwoo carefully helped Juhee, frozen in fear, to her feet, and he explained the Second Commandment . . . ¡°It said, ¡®Praise the Lord¡¯, that¡¯s our clue . ¡±. . ¡°Ah, that¡¯s!¡± Mr . Kim spoke knowingly, ¡°It was written on the tablet, right?¡±. . ¡°That¡¯s right, ¡®Praise the Lord¡¯, ¡®Prove your Faith¡¯, we have to fulfill all three Commandments . ¡±. . Jinwoo¡¯s words were filled with urgency . . . BOOM~!. . With one last step, the Statue of God had already arrived before their group . Its massive shadows covered the Hunters, whose faces became pale . . . ¡°I, I¡¯ll try . ¡±. . One of the Hunters, normally a shy, youthful man, stepped forward . . . ¡°Hey! What are you going to try?!¡±. . ¡°I¡¯m part of my church¡¯s choir . If it¡¯s ¡®praise¡¯, I¡¯m confident in it . ¡±. . The young man answered Mr . Kim and walked towards the Statue of God . As he neared the Statue, he took a deep breath and started singing,. . ¡° ~As I walk to the Lord~ ¡± His youthful voice rang throughout the room . . . ¡° ~Please renew me and provide me with your blessing . ~ ¡±. . The Statue of God stopped before him . . . The Hunters gasped in surprise and awe . As if it was satisfied by the song, the Statue of God stood motionless . All other sounds of the room disappeared, only the youth¡¯s voice was heard in the room . Gaining courage from the apparent result, the Hunter strengthened his voice and continued to sing,. . ¡° ~All my weaknesses will be washed away by the grace of my Lord~ ¡±. . Amidst the hopeful Hunters, Jinwoo could not shake the feeling of uneasiness . The feeling that they were missing something . . . ¡®No¡­ this is all wrong . ¡¯. . He kept repeating the thought to himself . This room had its own set of rules . Right now, the youthful Hunter was following the rule of Christianity, not this room . But thankfully, the Statue of God was not moving . Maybe this was enough to satisfy the conditions?. . Jinwoo tilted his head . The reason why he had not stopped the singing was because he could not think of any other way to stop the Statue of God . . . Suddenly,. . BOOM!. . A loud crash broke through the singing, followed by a scream,. . ¡°Kiyaaaaaaah!¡±. . As the Statue of God raised its foot again, the mangled remains of the singing Hunter fell from its sole . . . The other Hunters started screaming as well . . . ¡°Ahhhh!¡±. . ¡°Uwaaaaak!¡±. . The previously emotionless face of the Statue of God was now filled with an incredible rage . . . ¡°It¡¯s angry!¡±. . ¡°R-run!¡±. . The Hunters quickly ran away from the Statue . . . ¡°Kiyaaaaah!!!¡±. . Having lost all thought and reason after seeing the youthful man be crushed beneath the Statue of God¡¯s foot, a female Hunter simply stood in place and screamed . . . ¡®Shit¡­!¡¯. . Jinwoo, who was running with Juhee in his arms, quickly turned to try and help her . But he was blocked by Mr . Song . . . ¡°Ahjussi¡­?¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s too late!¡±. . Like swatting a fly, the Statue of God slammed its hand on top of the female Hunter . . . BANG!. . Jinwoo turned away . It was a gruesome scene which he could not bear to witness . . . ¡°We can¡¯t dilly dally here! Are you trying to get that young lady killed as well?!¡±. . At Mr . Song¡¯s rebuke, Jinwoo snapped back to attention . Mr . Song was right . . . BOOM!. . ¡°Uwaaaak!¡±. . BOOM!. . BOOM!. . ¡°Help me!¡±. . No longer walking, the Statue of God ran from Hunter to Hunter, crushing them beneath his feet . With each step, he shook the entire temple . . . BOOM!. . BOOM!. . Jinwoo ran with his teeth clenched . With her eyes closed, Juhee held on to Jinwoo as they ran . . . ¡°Let¡¯s split apart!¡±. . ¡°Okay!¡±. . Knowing that running together made them a better target, Jinwoo and Mr . Song separated away from each other . Trying to maintain the largest distance between himself and the Statue of God, Jinwoo ran towards a spot at the walls . He saw that Mr . Park was already there, having ran with all his might, knowing there was more on the line to him than just his own life . The image of his family reflected over his teary eyes . . . His son, who looked just like his father . His wife, with his second child . Mr . Park could not afford to die in a place like this . Pulling forth every ounce of his strength, Mr . Park was able to reach the walls faster than the other Hunters . . . ¡°Huff¡­ Huff¡­¡±. . Suddenly, Mr . Kim, who was friends with the man, shouted at the panting Mr . Park . . . ¡°Mr . Park!¡±. . At the familiar voice, Mr . Park turned towards Mr . Kim,. . ¡°Hmm?¡±. . Mr . Kim gestured towards Mr . Park¡¯s back and yelled,. . ¡°Turn! Turn around!¡±. . And something sharp flashed from behind Mr . Park . . . ¡°Huh¡­?¡±. . slash- . . Mr . Park was split cleanly from the top of his head to the base of his crotch . The evenly separated sides of his body fell in different directions on to the ground . . . ¡°MR . PARK!!!¡±. . The statue that had cleaved Mr . Park in twain with its sword simply returned and assumed its position on the walls, as if nothing had happened . . . Mr . Kim held back tears as he witnessed the death of his friend . . . ¡°These fucking pieces of-!¡±. . BOOM!. . BOOM!. . BOOM!. . Behind him, the giant Statue of God was going from Hunter to Hunter, crushing them with his feet . Those that fled to the walls were attacked by the statues . . . ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±. . ¡°My arm! My arm!¡±. . The interior of the temple had turned into a scene of terror and carnage . . . Jinwoo panted wildly as he ran, his forehead dripping with cold sweat . His legs getting heavier and heavier; his breath getting shallower and shallower . But his head was filled with a single thought, repeated over and over again:. . ¡®Praise the Lord . Praise the Lord . Praise the Lord . ¡¯. . The Second Commandment that swam through his head . The key to solving the meaning of the Commandments must be hidden in this room . . . ¡®There must be something in here that we¡¯re supposed to use!¡¯. . But when the Hunters initially entered the temple and looked around, they found no tools or mechanisms . . . ¡®The only thing here are those damned statues . ¡¯. . ¡®Wait . ¡¯. . A thought appeared in Jinwoo¡¯s head . . . ¡®The only thing that¡¯s here are those statues?¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened . . . ¡°Why didn¡¯t I think of that?!¡±. . If the statues were the only thing in this room . Then the statues must be the key to solving the mystery . The statues only moved when someone entered their proximity; this must have been the key to using them somehow . . . ¡®If that¡¯s correct¡­!¡¯. . Gathering what energy he had left, Jinwoo screamed through his panting breath,. . ¡°EVERYONE, HEAD TO THE STATUES WITH INSTRUMENTS!¡±. Chapter 5 Jinwoo¡¯s shout reached all the Hunters¡¯ ears . ¡°!¡± ¡°Instruments?!¡± Hope returned to their eyes . Unlike the time where Jinwoo asked them to bow, the Hunters this time did not hesitate to respond . Of course, if Jinwoo was wrong on his guess, they would be massacred when they approached the statues . But in this moment, there was not one Hunter who remained suspicious of Jinwoo¡¯s directions . Mr . Song was the first to arrive at a statue holding an instrument . ¡°¡­¡± Holding his breath, Mr . Song slowly looked up at the statue . As if responding, the statue¡¯s fingers moved, and it started playing the harp in its hands . It was a beautiful sound . ¡°He was right!¡± ¡°Move to the statues with instruments!¡± Each Hunter, with renewed hope, ran towards the various statues holding instruments . Trumpets, flutes, lyres . Soon, the harmonious melody of different instruments filled the entire temple . Mr . Kim, who had been running until his breath ran out, collapsed and knelt before a statue holding a mandolin . strum~ strum~ As the mandolin¡¯s melody rang through the air, the Statue of God that was chasing Mr . Kim slowed to a stop . Unable to hold his emotions back, Mr . Kim burst into tears where he knelt . ¡°Uwaaaaah-¡° And the Statue of God turned away from him . Scanning the rest of the temple, it found its new target . ¡°Shit!¡± Meeting its eyes, Jinwoo cursed . And he started running, his heart beating like it was about to explode . His sweating back was soaked . ¡®Why! Why is this one not playing?!¡¯ Jinwoo glared at the statue he had arrived at with resentment . Holding drums in its hands, its silent figure made no indication that it would play its instrument . BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! With terrifying speed, the Statue of God closed the gap between them . As the Statue, which had been at the opposite end of the room only moments ago, neared them, Jinwoo gulped . ¡®Is it because Juhee and I are both here at the same time?¡¯ That must¡¯ve been the answer . As he looked around, no other Hunter had trouble with their statues . ¡®I don¡¯t have time to think about this,¡¯ He put down Juhee and prepared to run to a different spot . ¡°Jinwoo¡­¡± A terrified Juhee held onto his sleeves . Jinwoo calmly whispered into her ears, ¡°We¡¯ll both die if I stay . ¡± As he saw tears forming at the corners of her eyes, Jinwoo knew that there was no time to explain . He gently pulled away her shaking hands from his sleeves, then ran with all his might towards another statue . *Ba-Bum* *Ba-Bum* *Ba-Bum* He heard the beat of the drum starting from behind him as he ran . ¡®Thank god . ¡¯ There was only one thing left . To safely make it to another statue! Jinwoo was now the only one who had not made it to the protection of statues holding instruments . Accordingly, the complete rage of the Statue of God was now focused solely on him . Jinwoo ran away from the crashing footsteps of his chaser and sped across the room . BOOM! BOOM! As he barely dodged and rolled away from the Statue¡¯s stomps, his panting became heavier and heavier . Although he was the lowest of the E-rank Hunters, as a Fighter-class Hunter, his body offered what little help it could in this situation . ¡®Just a little bit more!¡¯ Taking notice of the Statue of God¡¯s footsteps closing in on him, he focused and strengthened his legs . His speed increased . There was but a few steps until he reached his target statue . ¡°NO, NOT THAT WAY!¡± Mr . Song had shouted at him . Having focused on the Statue of God¡¯s movements until now, Jinwoo turned his attention to the statue he had arrived at . ¡°Ah!¡± ¡®It¡¯s not holding an instrument!¡¯ He now realized what appeared to be an instrument in the statue¡¯s hands was actually a shield . Without mercy, the statue raised and brought down the shield in its hands . ¡°Uwah!¡± Jinwoo threw his body to the side . ¡°Kiyaah!¡± Juhee screamed . As he rolled across on the floor, he looked up . The Statue of God was almost upon him . ¡°Out of the frying pan¡­¡± His tumble on the ground had opened a cut on his forehead . Blood flowed down to his eyes, obscuring his vision . Jinwoo rapidly looked left and right . ¡®Instrument, instrument¡­¡¯ But no instrument registered in his eyes . The Statue of God raised its foot . ¡°Shit!¡± BOOM! Jinwoo barely evaded the stomp by throwing his body to the side . But he was reaching his limits . Feeling faint, he found it hard to maintain balance for some reason . ¡®Please¡­¡¯ If there was a God, he wanted to pray to it . In that moment, Jinwoo noticed a statue that was neither holding a weapon nor an instrument . ¡®That¡¯s!¡¯ He crawled with last vestiges of his strength, placing his hopes on the statue . With a final twist of his body, he threw himself at the feet of the statue with a book in its hands . Facing the Statue of God that was heading toward him, he realized he had no strength left to move . Panting heavily, he looked at the face of the Statue of God . As if made worse by his persistent resistance, the anger in the face that looked down upon Jinwoo was greatly magnified . It stopped before Jinwoo . Faced with a giant as tall as a building, Jinwoo struggled to breathe . ¡®Guess I¡¯m a cornered rat¡­¡¯ The Statue of God simply continued to stare . ¡®This is the end¡­¡¯ Certain of his impending doom, Jinwoo saw his death in the eyes that were looking down at him . In that moment, he heard a beautiful and melodious singing coming from behind him . With effort, he turned and looked at its source . The statue that he was resting on was now singing with a holy voice; its sound echoing throughout the temple . Looking back, Jinwoo saw the Statue of God¡¯s face starting to relax . The traces of its demonic rage disappeared as the Statue¡¯s face returned to its original emotionless visage . As the statues¡¯ music ended, the Statue of God turned and returned to its seat, appearing as if nothing had happened . BOOM! The sound of the giant sitting down rang throughout the temple . ¡°Hah . . . Hah . . . Are¡­ we¡­ safe¡­?¡± Jinwoo faintly smiled through his heavy breaths . Juhee quickly ran to him, ¡°Jinwoo!¡± Having reached him after running with all her might, Juhee collapsed next to him in tears . ¡°Oh my god¡­ oh my god¡­¡± She used all the mana at her disposal and tried every healing magic she knew . But it had no effect . One by one, the scattered Hunters gathered before Jinwoo . Their expressions equally dark . ¡°Oh no¡­ Jinwoo . . . ¡± Amidst their pitying looks and words, Juhee cried without ceasing . ¡®Why are they looking at me like that?¡® Jinwoo wanted to ask, but he lacked the energy to speak . So, he tried to gather his strength and stand up . ¡°¡­?¡± A pool of blood had gathered where he was sitting . Jinwoo finally was able to understand the situation he was in . ¡°Ah¡­¡± His right leg had disappeared below the knees . He looked across the room to the statue holding a shield . The base of the shield was covered in blood . His missing leg below it . He turned and saw blood dripping down from Juhee¡¯s nose . Her body had reached its limits . A B-rank Hunter¡¯s healing was insufficient for the regeneration of a body part . Yet she continued, her efforts like collecting water with a broken pitcher . And as she continued, both her mana and vitality quickly decreased . ¡°It¡¯s okay, Juhee . You can stop now¡­¡± ¡°No! I can heal this! I¡¯ll heal you!¡± The Hunters watched the pair with pity . Of the 17 that had entered, only 6 remained . Of the 6 remaining, 2 had received a seriously injury . Mr . Song and his arm, and now Jinwoo with his leg . Although their lives were saved, no one could put on a smile . Suddenly, a thundering noise rang throughout the temple . At its center, the ground with the magic circle inscribed upon it started rising, forming an platform . Jinwoo realized the final trial had arrived . ¡®Prove your Faith¡­¡¯ He had already been contemplating its meaning . -5 . The Final Trial- The rising ground stopped at waist height . ¡°An altar¡­¡± Jinwoo absent-mindedly spoke to himself . ¡®An altar?¡¯ ¡®Did he just say an altar?¡¯ The man who had saved their lives not once but twice; Jinwoo was not a high leveled Awakened Being[1], but a lowly E-rank Hunter that they looked down on in the past . ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for Mr . Sung, we would be¡­¡¯ The Hunters¡¯ thoughts were in union . Jinwoo¡¯s words up until now were a lifeline to them . And now this man had uttered the words, ¡°altar¡± . The quick-witted Mr . Kim was the first to speak, ¡°I think I understand . ¡± He unsheathed the sword at his waist . Normally a weapon to be used in slaying magic beasts, its purpose this time was different . ¡°Even an idiot like me can understand what you mean by ¡®altar¡¯ . ¡± The Hunters looked at Mr . Kim¡¯s drawn sword, gleaming with sharpness, and gulped . ¡°Hey, Mr . Kim! Why are you taking that out now?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk about this, talk!¡± Mr . Song¡¯s C-rank was the highest in the party . With him out of commission, there was no one else in the party would could match Mr . Kim, whose skill shone even amongst the other D-rankers . Mr . Kim pointed his sword at the altar . ¡°The last Commandment was, ¡®Prove your Faith¡¯, and now this altar appeared in the middle of the room . ¡± Mr . Kim¡¯s gaze shifted to Jinwoo, ¡°We have to sacrifice someone at the altar, right, Mr . Sung?¡± Jinwoo nodded . It was his guess as well . One of the living 6 had to become a sacrifice . ¡®That¡¯s probably the last rule¡­¡¯ As he raised his head, he saw Mr . Kim approaching him with a strange look in his eyes . A streak of sweat fell down the side of Jinwoo¡¯s head . ¡°Ahjussi¡­ what are you going to-¡± ¡°Just sit there quietly!¡± Mr . Kim pointed his sword at Mr . Song, who had been sitting next to Jinwoo looking over his injuries . ¡°Who is the one who dragged us all here? It¡¯s Mr . Song right here! Then shouldn¡¯t he be the one to pay the price for all this?!¡± ¡°Ahjussi!¡± Jinwoo yelled and tried to get up, but Mr . Song¡¯s hands stopped him . Jinwoo turned and look at the man . ¡° . . . ¡± Mr . Song shook his head without a word . His eyes begged Jinwoo to stay quiet . Jinwoo wanted to say something, but swallowed his words . Mr . Song slowly got up . ¡°Mr . Kim is right . I have to take responsibility . ¡± ¡°Then we¡¯re in agreement, old man . ¡± Mr . Kim gestured towards the altar with his sword . ¡°If you¡¯re in, then let¡¯s hurry up . 11 people died because of you . ¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Awakening Being¡± (???; gak-sung-ja): ¡°to awaken¡± gak-sung + ¡°person¡± ja > a person who had underwent Awakening . All Hunters are Awakened Beings . Not all Awakened Beings work as Hunters . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 5. . Jinwoo¡¯s shout reached all the Hunters¡¯ ears . . . ¡°!¡±. . ¡°Instruments?!¡±. . Hope returned to their eyes . Unlike the time where Jinwoo asked them to bow, the Hunters this time did not hesitate to respond . Of course, if Jinwoo was wrong on his guess, they would be massacred when they approached the statues . But in this moment, there was not one Hunter who remained suspicious of Jinwoo¡¯s directions . . . Mr . Song was the first to arrive at a statue holding an instrument . . . ¡°¡­¡±. . Holding his breath, Mr . Song slowly looked up at the statue . As if responding, the statue¡¯s fingers moved, and it started playing the harp in its hands . . . It was a beautiful sound . . . ¡°He was right!¡±. . ¡°Move to the statues with instruments!¡±. . Each Hunter, with renewed hope, ran towards the various statues holding instruments . . . Trumpets, flutes, lyres . Soon, the harmonious melody of different instruments filled the entire temple . . . Mr . Kim, who had been running until his breath ran out, collapsed and knelt before a statue holding a mandolin . . . strum~ strum~. . As the mandolin¡¯s melody rang through the air, the Statue of God that was chasing Mr . Kim slowed to a stop . Unable to hold his emotions back, Mr . Kim burst into tears where he knelt . . . ¡°Uwaaaaah-¡°. . And the Statue of God turned away from him . Scanning the rest of the temple, it found its new target . . . ¡°Shit!¡±. . Meeting its eyes, Jinwoo cursed . And he started running, his heart beating like it was about to explode . His sweating back was soaked . . . ¡®Why! Why is this one not playing?!¡¯. . Jinwoo glared at the statue he had arrived at with resentment . Holding drums in its hands, its silent figure made no indication that it would play its instrument . . . BOOM!. . BOOM!. . BOOM!. . With terrifying speed, the Statue of God closed the gap between them . As the Statue, which had been at the opposite end of the room only moments ago, neared them, Jinwoo gulped . . . ¡®Is it because Juhee and I are both here at the same time?¡¯. . That must¡¯ve been the answer . As he looked around, no other Hunter had trouble with their statues . . . ¡®I don¡¯t have time to think about this,¡¯. . He put down Juhee and prepared to run to a different spot . . . ¡°Jinwoo¡­¡±. . A terrified Juhee held onto his sleeves . Jinwoo calmly whispered into her ears,. . ¡°We¡¯ll both die if I stay . ¡±. . As he saw tears forming at the corners of her eyes, Jinwoo knew that there was no time to explain . He gently pulled away her shaking hands from his sleeves, then ran with all his might towards another statue . . . *Ba-Bum* *Ba-Bum* *Ba-Bum*. . He heard the beat of the drum starting from behind him as he ran . . . ¡®Thank god . ¡¯. . There was only one thing left . To safely make it to another statue!. . Jinwoo was now the only one who had not made it to the protection of statues holding instruments . Accordingly, the complete rage of the Statue of God was now focused solely on him . Jinwoo ran away from the crashing footsteps of his chaser and sped across the room . . . BOOM!. . BOOM!. . As he barely dodged and rolled away from the Statue¡¯s stomps, his panting became heavier and heavier . Although he was the lowest of the E-rank Hunters, as a Fighter-class Hunter, his body offered what little help it could in this situation . . . ¡®Just a little bit more!¡¯. . Taking notice of the Statue of God¡¯s footsteps closing in on him, he focused and strengthened his legs . His speed increased . There was but a few steps until he reached his target statue . . . ¡°NO, NOT THAT WAY!¡±. . Mr . Song had shouted at him . . . Having focused on the Statue of God¡¯s movements until now, Jinwoo turned his attention to the statue he had arrived at . . . ¡°Ah!¡±. . ¡®It¡¯s not holding an instrument!¡¯. . He now realized what appeared to be an instrument in the statue¡¯s hands was actually a shield . Without mercy, the statue raised and brought down the shield in its hands . . . ¡°Uwah!¡±. . Jinwoo threw his body to the side . . . ¡°Kiyaah!¡±. . Juhee screamed . . . As he rolled across on the floor, he looked up . The Statue of God was almost upon him . . . ¡°Out of the frying pan¡­¡±. . His tumble on the ground had opened a cut on his forehead . Blood flowed down to his eyes, obscuring his vision . Jinwoo rapidly looked left and right . . . ¡®Instrument, instrument¡­¡¯. . But no instrument registered in his eyes . . . The Statue of God raised its foot . . . ¡°Shit!¡±. . BOOM!. . Jinwoo barely evaded the stomp by throwing his body to the side . But he was reaching his limits . Feeling faint, he found it hard to maintain balance for some reason . . . ¡®Please¡­¡¯. . If there was a God, he wanted to pray to it . In that moment, Jinwoo noticed a statue that was neither holding a weapon nor an instrument . . . ¡®That¡¯s!¡¯. . He crawled with last vestiges of his strength, placing his hopes on the statue . With a final twist of his body, he threw himself at the feet of the statue with a book in its hands . Facing the Statue of God that was heading toward him, he realized he had no strength left to move . Panting heavily, he looked at the face of the Statue of God . As if made worse by his persistent resistance, the anger in the face that looked down upon Jinwoo was greatly magnified . . . It stopped before Jinwoo . . . Faced with a giant as tall as a building, Jinwoo struggled to breathe . . . ¡®Guess I¡¯m a cornered rat¡­¡¯. . The Statue of God simply continued to stare . . . ¡®This is the end¡­¡¯. . Certain of his impending doom, Jinwoo saw his death in the eyes that were looking down at him . . . In that moment, he heard a beautiful and melodious singing coming from behind him . With effort, he turned and looked at its source . The statue that he was resting on was now singing with a holy voice; its sound echoing throughout the temple . Looking back, Jinwoo saw the Statue of God¡¯s face starting to relax . The traces of its demonic rage disappeared as the Statue¡¯s face returned to its original emotionless visage . . . As the statues¡¯ music ended, the Statue of God turned and returned to its seat, appearing as if nothing had happened . . . BOOM!. . The sound of the giant sitting down rang throughout the temple . . . ¡°Hah . Hah . Are¡­ we¡­ safe¡­?¡±. . Jinwoo faintly smiled through his heavy breaths . . . Juhee quickly ran to him,. . ¡°Jinwoo!¡±. . Having reached him after running with all her might, Juhee collapsed next to him in tears . . . ¡°Oh my god¡­ oh my god¡­¡±. . She used all the mana at her disposal and tried every healing magic she knew . But it had no effect . . . One by one, the scattered Hunters gathered before Jinwoo . Their expressions equally dark . . . ¡°Oh no¡­ Jinwoo . ¡±. . Amidst their pitying looks and words, Juhee cried without ceasing . . . ¡®Why are they looking at me like that?¡®. . Jinwoo wanted to ask, but he lacked the energy to speak . So, he tried to gather his strength and stand up . . . ¡°¡­?¡±. . A pool of blood had gathered where he was sitting . Jinwoo finally was able to understand the situation he was in . . . ¡°Ah¡­¡±. . His right leg had disappeared below the knees . . . He looked across the room to the statue holding a shield . The base of the shield was covered in blood . . . His missing leg below it . . . He turned and saw blood dripping down from Juhee¡¯s nose . Her body had reached its limits . A B-rank Hunter¡¯s healing was insufficient for the regeneration of a body part . Yet she continued, her efforts like collecting water with a broken pitcher . And as she continued, both her mana and vitality quickly decreased . . . ¡°It¡¯s okay, Juhee . You can stop now¡­¡±. . ¡°No! I can heal this! I¡¯ll heal you!¡±. . The Hunters watched the pair with pity . . . Of the 17 that had entered, only 6 remained . . . Of the 6 remaining, 2 had received a seriously injury . . . Mr . Song and his arm, and now Jinwoo with his leg . . . Although their lives were saved, no one could put on a smile . . . Suddenly, a thundering noise rang throughout the temple . . . At its center, the ground with the magic circle inscribed upon it started rising, forming an platform . . . Jinwoo realized the final trial had arrived . . . ¡®Prove your Faith¡­¡¯. . He had already been contemplating its meaning . . -5 . The Final Trial-. . The rising ground stopped at waist height . . . ¡°An altar¡­¡±. . Jinwoo absent-mindedly spoke to himself . . . ¡®An altar?¡¯. . ¡®Did he just say an altar?¡¯. . The man who had saved their lives not once but twice; Jinwoo was not a high leveled Awakened Being[1], but a lowly E-rank Hunter that they looked down on in the past . . . ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for Mr . Sung, we would be¡­¡¯. . The Hunters¡¯ thoughts were in union . Jinwoo¡¯s words up until now were a lifeline to them . And now this man had uttered the words, ¡°altar¡± . The quick-witted Mr . Kim was the first to speak,. . ¡°I think I understand . ¡±. . He unsheathed the sword at his waist . Normally a weapon to be used in slaying magic beasts, its purpose this time was different . . . ¡°Even an idiot like me can understand what you mean by ¡®altar¡¯ . ¡±. . The Hunters looked at Mr . Kim¡¯s drawn sword, gleaming with sharpness, and gulped . . . ¡°Hey, Mr . Kim! Why are you taking that out now?¡±. . ¡°Let¡¯s talk about this, talk!¡±. . Mr . Song¡¯s C-rank was the highest in the party . With him out of commission, there was no one else in the party would could match Mr . Kim, whose skill shone even amongst the other D-rankers . . . Mr . Kim pointed his sword at the altar . . . ¡°The last Commandment was, ¡®Prove your Faith¡¯, and now this altar appeared in the middle of the room . ¡±. . Mr . Kim¡¯s gaze shifted to Jinwoo,. . ¡°We have to sacrifice someone at the altar, right, Mr . Sung?¡±. . Jinwoo nodded . It was his guess as well . One of the living 6 had to become a sacrifice . . . ¡®That¡¯s probably the last rule¡­¡¯. . As he raised his head, he saw Mr . Kim approaching him with a strange look in his eyes . A streak of sweat fell down the side of Jinwoo¡¯s head . . . ¡°Ahjussi¡­ what are you going to-¡±. . ¡°Just sit there quietly!¡±. . Mr . Kim pointed his sword at Mr . Song, who had been sitting next to Jinwoo looking over his injuries . . . ¡°Who is the one who dragged us all here? It¡¯s Mr . Song right here! Then shouldn¡¯t he be the one to pay the price for all this?!¡±. . ¡°Ahjussi!¡±. . Jinwoo yelled and tried to get up, but Mr . Song¡¯s hands stopped him . Jinwoo turned and look at the man . . . ¡° . ¡±. . Mr . Song shook his head without a word . His eyes begged Jinwoo to stay quiet . Jinwoo wanted to say something, but swallowed his words . Mr . Song slowly got up . . . ¡°Mr . Kim is right . I have to take responsibility . ¡±. . ¡°Then we¡¯re in agreement, old man . ¡±. . Mr . Kim gestured towards the altar with his sword . . . ¡°If you¡¯re in, then let¡¯s hurry up . 11 people died because of you . ¡±. . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Awakening Being¡± (???; gak-sung-ja): ¡°to awaken¡± gak-sung + ¡°person¡± ja > a person who had underwent Awakening . All Hunters are Awakened Beings . Not all Awakened Beings work as Hunters . . Chapter 6 One of the casualties included Mr . Park, Mr . Kim¡¯s friend . Of course, the party had voted on the issue before entering the Double Dungeon, with a stipulation that no one would argue the result . But to Mr . Kim, who had lost all reason, it was but a faded memory in the back of his mind . ¡°I¡¯ll go of my own will, so could you put away the sword?¡± Mr . Song asked Mr . Kim . ¡°How could I trust you after all this? Stop talking and walk . ¡± Sighing, Mr . Song walked to the altar, followed by Mr . Kim and his sword pointed at his back . As he watched, Jinwoo bit his lips . ¡®It¡¯s not Mr . Song¡¯s fault¡­¡¯ After all, they all had voted and agreed on the result . To Jinwoo, after everything they went through, putting all the blame on Mr . Song was the height of cowardice . ¡®But¡­¡¯ Jinwoo simply did not have the power to stop Mr . Kim . A D-ranker who stood at the height of his rank, and an E-ranker who groveled at the lowest of his . The difference in power was too much . On top of that, he was missing one of his legs . If he tried something now, not only him, but Juhee, who was healing him, could become the target of Mr . Kim¡¯s anger . ¡°Shit . ¡± Jinwoo closed his eyes . Out of all the days, he cursed his powerlessness the most in this moment . In the meantime, Mr . Song had gotten on top of the altar . woosh~! In response, a red flame appeared at the edges of the middle area where the altar was . All those gathered gulped as they cautiously prepared for what would happen next . But nothing happened . Except for the appearance of the flame . ¡° . . . ?¡± As no new development occurred after some time, Mr . Kim and the others started feeling anxious . ¡°Hey, Mr . Sung, wasn¡¯t this it?¡± Mr . Kim asked Jinwoo . ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± Jinwoo had expected the Third Commandment to be fulfilled when a person went on top of the altar . ¡®Was it not asking for a sacrifice?¡¯ Well, it was not a bad news to Jinwoo . If his theory of sacrifice was wrong, then there was a chance to save Mr . Song . Jinwoo¡¯s face brightened . As he struggled to get up, Jinwoo asked the two Hunters standing nearby for help . ¡°Could you help me get to the altar?¡± ¡°Jinwoo, your injury¡­¡± Juhee also stood up with Jinwoo . Having spent most of her mana, her appearance was pale and weak . Thanks to her help, Jinwoo was at least able to overcome the sense of pain from his injuries . ¡®I have to hurry . ¡¯ Juhee¡¯s condition . Mr . Kim¡¯s anger . The other Hunters¡¯ terror . He was running out of time . With the other two Hunters¡¯ assistance, Jinwoo arrived at the altar . ¡°Let¡¯s go up on the altar . ¡± His two helpers were taken back for a moment, but placed their faith in Jinwoo and got on top of the altar . In response, three more flames arose from the edge of the middle area . woosh~! woosh~! woosh~! Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened . ¡®Same as the number of people on top . ¡¯ Mr . Song, his two helpers and himself . The four flames flickered around the middle area, outlining a circle . ¡®Looking at their placement, we just need 2 more to complete the circle . ¡¯ And so, it appeared that the remaining people would have to come on top of the altar . ¡°Do you think someone will come to rescue us if we wait?¡± Jinwoo asked Mr . Song . Mr . Song shook his head . ¡°Today marks the 7th day since this Gate opened . Before reinforcements arrive, those things will probably move first . ¡± ¡°For a D-rank Gate, they sure left it alone for too long . ¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s the Association, after all¡­¡± A Gate will undergo a full opening after 7 days . It was the job of the Hunter to prevent that from happening . To close the Gate by slaying the boss in the Dungeon, that was the real objective of a Raid . Should they fail to do so in time, all the magic beasts within the Dungeon obtained the freedom to exit the Gate . A Dungeon Break . Jinwoo looked around him . The Statue of God remained in its seat, looking down upon their party from distance . ¡®If that thing is allowed to leave here¡­¡¯ He could not imagine the destruction that would follow . Of course, their party would be the first to be massacred, if the statues in the room gained the freedom to move about . So Jinwoo realized they could not just hold out for help . Jinwoo called out to Juhee and Mr . Kim . ¡°Can you two also come up here?¡± Juhee followed his instructions . Even the hesitating Mr . Kim quickly followed suit . Two more flames appeared, completing the circle . woosh~ The Hunters gasped . ¡°Huh?¡±¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± As Jinwoo expected, something was happening . ¡®It¡¯s coming . ¡¯ From the outermost circle of the middle area, small blue flames started appearing . One by one, they flared into existence and formed a circle around the middle area . ¡®34¡­ 35¡­ 36¡­¡¯ Jinwoo counted 36 blue flames . ¡®The red flames that matched the number of people . The blue flames that number 36 . Is there a meaning to their number?¡¯ In that moment, creak~ The door blocking their exit opened without a warning . The Hunters flinched in reaction . ¡°Argh¡­!¡± Every single one of them wanted to run towards the exit, but the memory of the final moments of the singing Hunter remained fresh in their minds, and no one made any movements . They did not know what fate would await the first person to leave the altar . As if waiting for an answer, all their gazes fell upon Jinwoo, who closed his mouth in silence . ¡° . . . ¡± It was too early to make a conclusion . Whether or not the opening of the door was a trap, or if it was the Dungeon¡¯s way of letting them know that they had fulfilled the Final Commandment, he did not know . As the Hunters waited for Jinwoo¡¯s directions, noises that carried bad news came from edges of the room . griiiiind sliiiide The six heads turned in unison, looking around the room . ¡°What the hell?!¡± ¡°They¡¯ve¡­ they¡¯ve come closer!¡± ¡°They¡¯re all just moved!¡± The Hunters¡¯ breathing quickened . The statues that only responded to humans being nearby suddenly appeared to be few steps closer than before . In that short time, Jinwoo was able to fully ascertain the situation . ¡®No, the statues didn¡¯t move . It was the pedestals beneath the statues that moved closer . ¡¯ The sliding sound from earlier was the sound of stone pedestals grinding against the floor . ¡° . . . They¡¯ve stopped moving?¡± Mr . Kim wiped away the sweat on his brows . As everyone else¡¯s attentions were focused on the statues, Jinwoo looked at the blue flames around them . Disappearing one by one, three blue flames had already gone out . griiiiind sliiiide ¡°What, what! Where is it?!¡± Someone shouted . Jinwoo raised his head, the sound came from his direction . The statues that faced him had moved closer . ¡®Why only me¡­?¡¯ Was it because he had looked away? Jinwoo closed his eyes to test the theory . grind slide ¡°Goddammit, why?!¡± ¡°What, what do we do now?!¡± With renewed understanding, Jinwoo shouted at the others, ¡°Don¡¯t look away from the statues!¡± Now that he thought about it, the initial movements of the pedestals were probably caused when everyone looked towards him for guidance earlier . ¡®These bastard don¡¯t move when we¡¯re looking at them . ¡¯ Another blue flame went out, but it did not elicit a response from the statues . ¡®Could it be¡­?¡¯ Without taking his eyes off the statues, Jinwoo carefully raised his arm and looked at his watch . ¡®As I thought . ¡¯ The blue flames were disappearing every minute . ¡®The blue flames are a timer . ¡¯ Jinwoo surmised that the Final Commandment¡¯s trial was to wait on top of the altar until the 36 blue flames disappeared . As long as each of them covered all the statues, they would be safe . There was a chance no one had to die in this final trial . Jinwoo checked his watch and the blue flames to determine the time remaining . ¡®30 left¡­¡¯ They just had to wait for 30 minutes! But Jinwoo had made a mistake . While he was counting the blue flames, he had looked away from the statues, and as such, they started moving toward him again . griiind sliide ¡°I-I can¡¯t do this!¡± The man who was positioned across Jinwoo screamed and ran towards the open door . Having startled by the sound of movement coming from behind him, unable to turn around, the man lost all courage and made the decision to run . As he jumped from the altar, one of the red flames disappeared . ¡°No, don¡¯t!¡± Jinwoo shouted . But the man who ran with all his might ignored him and safely passed through the open doors . ¡°W-what? Mr . Sung, what just happened? He got out safely!¡± Jinwoo, unable to turn around towards the door, did not know what had happened . ¡°Did anything change?¡± ¡°The door¡­ the door moved slightly inwards . ¡± ¡°Is it closing right now?¡± ¡°No, no . It started closing a little after that man went through but isn¡¯t moving anymore . ¡± Jinwoo remembered the red flame disappearing after the man left the altar . ¡®Of course!¡¯ His heart sank to his stomach . The riddle that plagued his mind atop the altar had finally revealed its answer . What part of this was proving ¡®Faith to the Lord¡¯? The answer had come to him . However, to a man who could only walk with someone else¡¯s assistance, it was the worst answer possible . The ¡®open door¡¯ was a trap . A false hope to their eyes! Had the entire party ran towards the exit after seeing the door open, the door would have closed immediately and the party would have ran towards their massacre . On the contrary, the altar was the safe zone . If they had just waited on top and waited out the blue flames while watching the statues, it would¡¯ve guaranteed their safety . A false hope they could see vs . a promise they could not . This was how one proved their ¡®Faith to the Lord¡¯ . It was a test to overcome the temptation of freedom amidst the approaching danger . Here, two variables appeared before their situation . One . Jinwoo¡¯s presence . Instead of running to the open door to their doom, the party stopped to listen to Jinwoo, avoiding a certain death . ¡®We got lucky . ¡¯ It was only possible due to the presence of a man who had solved the Two Commandments before and saved their lives, earning their respect and attention in the process . But the second variable was not as favorable . Someone had left their party to safety . How would those that remained behind react to this appearance of hope? The answer was obvious . The man supporting Jinwoo was the second to run out the open doors . Mr . Song quickly reacted and caught the falling Jinwoo . Another red flame went out with the second runner, and the door inched closer to being shut . ¡°Hey, hey!¡± Mr . Kim wagged his finger at the second runner, but the man, like the first, safely passed through the doors . Looking at the number of remaining flames, Jinwoo shouted, ¡°Please don¡¯t move! We can¡¯t afford to lose anyone else!¡± Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 6. . One of the casualties included Mr . Park, Mr . Kim¡¯s friend . . . Of course, the party had voted on the issue before entering the Double Dungeon, with a stipulation that no one would argue the result . But to Mr . Kim, who had lost all reason, it was but a faded memory in the back of his mind . . . ¡°I¡¯ll go of my own will, so could you put away the sword?¡±. . Mr . Song asked Mr . Kim . . . ¡°How could I trust you after all this? Stop talking and walk . ¡±. . Sighing, Mr . Song walked to the altar, followed by Mr . Kim and his sword pointed at his back . . . As he watched, Jinwoo bit his lips . . . ¡®It¡¯s not Mr . Song¡¯s fault¡­¡¯. . After all, they all had voted and agreed on the result . To Jinwoo, after everything they went through, putting all the blame on Mr . Song was the height of cowardice . . . ¡®But¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo simply did not have the power to stop Mr . Kim . A D-ranker who stood at the height of his rank, and an E-ranker who groveled at the lowest of his . The difference in power was too much . On top of that, he was missing one of his legs . If he tried something now, not only him, but Juhee, who was healing him, could become the target of Mr . Kim¡¯s anger . . . ¡°Shit . ¡±. . Jinwoo closed his eyes . Out of all the days, he cursed his powerlessness the most in this moment . . . In the meantime, Mr . Song had gotten on top of the altar . . . woosh~!. . In response, a red flame appeared at the edges of the middle area where the altar was . All those gathered gulped as they cautiously prepared for what would happen next . . . But nothing happened . . . Except for the appearance of the flame . . . ¡° . ?¡±. . As no new development occurred after some time, Mr . Kim and the others started feeling anxious . . . ¡°Hey, Mr . Sung, wasn¡¯t this it?¡±. . Mr . Kim asked Jinwoo . . . ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡±. . Jinwoo had expected the Third Commandment to be fulfilled when a person went on top of the altar . . . ¡®Was it not asking for a sacrifice?¡¯. . Well, it was not a bad news to Jinwoo . If his theory of sacrifice was wrong, then there was a chance to save Mr . Song . Jinwoo¡¯s face brightened . As he struggled to get up, Jinwoo asked the two Hunters standing nearby for help . . . ¡°Could you help me get to the altar?¡±. . ¡°Jinwoo, your injury¡­¡±. . Juhee also stood up with Jinwoo . Having spent most of her mana, her appearance was pale and weak . Thanks to her help, Jinwoo was at least able to overcome the sense of pain from his injuries . . . ¡®I have to hurry . ¡¯. . Juhee¡¯s condition . Mr . Kim¡¯s anger . The other Hunters¡¯ terror . . . He was running out of time . . . With the other two Hunters¡¯ assistance, Jinwoo arrived at the altar . . . ¡°Let¡¯s go up on the altar . ¡±. . His two helpers were taken back for a moment, but placed their faith in Jinwoo and got on top of the altar . . . In response, three more flames arose from the edge of the middle area . . . woosh~!. . woosh~!. . woosh~!. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened . . . ¡®Same as the number of people on top . ¡¯. . Mr . Song, his two helpers and himself . The four flames flickered around the middle area, outlining a circle . . . ¡®Looking at their placement, we just need 2 more to complete the circle . ¡¯. . And so, it appeared that the remaining people would have to come on top of the altar . . . ¡°Do you think someone will come to rescue us if we wait?¡±. . Jinwoo asked Mr . Song . . . Mr . Song shook his head . . . ¡°Today marks the 7th day since this Gate opened . Before reinforcements arrive, those things will probably move first . ¡±. . ¡°For a D-rank Gate, they sure left it alone for too long . ¡±. . ¡°Well, it¡¯s the Association, after all¡­¡±. . A Gate will undergo a full opening after 7 days . It was the job of the Hunter to prevent that from happening . To close the Gate by slaying the boss in the Dungeon, that was the real objective of a Raid . Should they fail to do so in time, all the magic beasts within the Dungeon obtained the freedom to exit the Gate . A Dungeon Break . . . Jinwoo looked around him . The Statue of God remained in its seat, looking down upon their party from distance . . . ¡®If that thing is allowed to leave here¡­¡¯. . He could not imagine the destruction that would follow . Of course, their party would be the first to be massacred, if the statues in the room gained the freedom to move about . So Jinwoo realized they could not just hold out for help . . . Jinwoo called out to Juhee and Mr . Kim . . . ¡°Can you two also come up here?¡±. . Juhee followed his instructions . Even the hesitating Mr . Kim quickly followed suit . . . Two more flames appeared, completing the circle . . . woosh~. . The Hunters gasped . . . ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±. . As Jinwoo expected, something was happening . . . ¡®It¡¯s coming . ¡¯. . From the outermost circle of the middle area, small blue flames started appearing . One by one, they flared into existence and formed a circle around the middle area . . . ¡®34¡­ 35¡­ 36¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo counted 36 blue flames . . . ¡®The red flames that matched the number of people . The blue flames that number 36 . Is there a meaning to their number?¡¯. . In that moment,. . creak~. . The door blocking their exit opened without a warning . The Hunters flinched in reaction . . . ¡°Argh¡­!¡±. . Every single one of them wanted to run towards the exit, but the memory of the final moments of the singing Hunter remained fresh in their minds, and no one made any movements . They did not know what fate would await the first person to leave the altar . As if waiting for an answer, all their gazes fell upon Jinwoo, who closed his mouth in silence . . . ¡° . ¡±. . It was too early to make a conclusion . Whether or not the opening of the door was a trap, or if it was the Dungeon¡¯s way of letting them know that they had fulfilled the Final Commandment, he did not know . . . As the Hunters waited for Jinwoo¡¯s directions, noises that carried bad news came from edges of the room . . . griiiiind. . sliiiide. . The six heads turned in unison, looking around the room . . . ¡°What the hell?!¡±. . ¡°They¡¯ve¡­ they¡¯ve come closer!¡±. . ¡°They¡¯re all just moved!¡±. . The Hunters¡¯ breathing quickened . The statues that only responded to humans being nearby suddenly appeared to be few steps closer than before . In that short time, Jinwoo was able to fully ascertain the situation . . . ¡®No, the statues didn¡¯t move . It was the pedestals beneath the statues that moved closer . ¡¯. . The sliding sound from earlier was the sound of stone pedestals grinding against the floor . . . ¡° . They¡¯ve stopped moving?¡±. . Mr . Kim wiped away the sweat on his brows . As everyone else¡¯s attentions were focused on the statues, Jinwoo looked at the blue flames around them . Disappearing one by one, three blue flames had already gone out . . . griiiiind. . sliiiide. . ¡°What, what! Where is it?!¡±. . Someone shouted . Jinwoo raised his head, the sound came from his direction . The statues that faced him had moved closer . . . ¡®Why only me¡­?¡¯. . Was it because he had looked away?. . Jinwoo closed his eyes to test the theory . . . grind. . slide. . ¡°Goddammit, why?!¡±. . ¡°What, what do we do now?!¡±. . With renewed understanding, Jinwoo shouted at the others,. . ¡°Don¡¯t look away from the statues!¡±. . Now that he thought about it, the initial movements of the pedestals were probably caused when everyone looked towards him for guidance earlier . . . ¡®These bastard don¡¯t move when we¡¯re looking at them . ¡¯. . Another blue flame went out, but it did not elicit a response from the statues . . . ¡®Could it be¡­?¡¯. . Without taking his eyes off the statues, Jinwoo carefully raised his arm and looked at his watch . . . ¡®As I thought . ¡¯. . The blue flames were disappearing every minute . . . ¡®The blue flames are a timer . ¡¯. . Jinwoo surmised that the Final Commandment¡¯s trial was to wait on top of the altar until the 36 blue flames disappeared . As long as each of them covered all the statues, they would be safe . There was a chance no one had to die in this final trial . . . Jinwoo checked his watch and the blue flames to determine the time remaining . . . ¡®30 left¡­¡¯. . They just had to wait for 30 minutes!. . But Jinwoo had made a mistake . While he was counting the blue flames, he had looked away from the statues, and as such, they started moving toward him again . . . griiind. . sliide. . ¡°I-I can¡¯t do this!¡±. . The man who was positioned across Jinwoo screamed and ran towards the open door . Having startled by the sound of movement coming from behind him, unable to turn around, the man lost all courage and made the decision to run . As he jumped from the altar, one of the red flames disappeared . . . ¡°No, don¡¯t!¡±. . Jinwoo shouted . . . But the man who ran with all his might ignored him and safely passed through the open doors . . . ¡°W-what? Mr . Sung, what just happened? He got out safely!¡±. . Jinwoo, unable to turn around towards the door, did not know what had happened . . . ¡°Did anything change?¡±. . ¡°The door¡­ the door moved slightly inwards . ¡±. . ¡°Is it closing right now?¡±. . ¡°No, no . It started closing a little after that man went through but isn¡¯t moving anymore . ¡±. . Jinwoo remembered the red flame disappearing after the man left the altar . . . ¡®Of course!¡¯. . His heart sank to his stomach . The riddle that plagued his mind atop the altar had finally revealed its answer . . . What part of this was proving ¡®Faith to the Lord¡¯? The answer had come to him . . . However, to a man who could only walk with someone else¡¯s assistance, it was the worst answer possible . . . . . The ¡®open door¡¯ was a trap . A false hope to their eyes!. . Had the entire party ran towards the exit after seeing the door open, the door would have closed immediately and the party would have ran towards their massacre . On the contrary, the altar was the safe zone . If they had just waited on top and waited out the blue flames while watching the statues, it would¡¯ve guaranteed their safety . . . A false hope they could see vs . a promise they could not . . . This was how one proved their ¡®Faith to the Lord¡¯ . It was a test to overcome the temptation of freedom amidst the approaching danger . . . Here, two variables appeared before their situation . . . One . Jinwoo¡¯s presence . . . Instead of running to the open door to their doom, the party stopped to listen to Jinwoo, avoiding a certain death . . . ¡®We got lucky . ¡¯. . It was only possible due to the presence of a man who had solved the Two Commandments before and saved their lives, earning their respect and attention in the process . . . But the second variable was not as favorable . . . Someone had left their party to safety . . . How would those that remained behind react to this appearance of hope?. . The answer was obvious . . . The man supporting Jinwoo was the second to run out the open doors . Mr . Song quickly reacted and caught the falling Jinwoo . Another red flame went out with the second runner, and the door inched closer to being shut . . . ¡°Hey, hey!¡±. . Mr . Kim wagged his finger at the second runner, but the man, like the first, safely passed through the doors . . . Looking at the number of remaining flames, Jinwoo shouted,. . ¡°Please don¡¯t move! We can¡¯t afford to lose anyone else!¡±. Chapter 7 Front . Back . Left . Right . To cover the four cardinal directions, a minimum of four people were needed . Jinwoo, Juhee, Mr . Song and Mr . Kim . If even one more person left amongst the remaining four, a gap would open up in their coverage . ¡°Mr . Sung, what¡¯s happening? Please explain . ¡± Mr . Kim asked while wiping away the sweat on his forehead . ¡°We just have to wait like this! Until all of the blue flames disappear!¡± Jinwoo revealed all that he had surmised . Mr . Kim listened with attention and nodded along . Finishing his explanation, Jinwoo added, ¡°We can all survive this . ¡± The rules of this room always opened a path to survival for those that followed it . The last rule should be no different . As long as they believed in each other, everyone could leave without being hurt . This was Jinwoo¡¯s conclusion . ¡° . . . ¡± Mr . Kim¡¯s thoughts were different . He asked after hesitating, ¡°Mr . Sung¡­ You might be correct on all this, but¡­ Isn¡¯t there a possibility that the door might just close once the timer ends?¡± ¡° . . . ¡± Jinwoo could not answer him . Although his theory was gathered from the multiple trials and the evidence observed so far, it was not 100% guaranteed that he was correct . And Mr . Kim needed an assurance . To him, the certainty of his own survival outweighed the uncertain survival of the entire group . ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I don¡¯t think I can do this . ¡± ¡°Ahjussi!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry . ¡± And with that, Mr . Kim stepped off of the altar . Ignoring Jinwoo¡¯s voice, he ran towards the door . After taking one last look at the people he left behind, Mr . Kim went through the door and did not come back . Jinwoo clenched and grinded his teeth . ¡°Fuck!¡± He had saved their lives . Instead of repaying his actions with kindness and gratitude, they betrayed him . As expected, a hole appeared in their coverage of the statues . griiiiiind~ sliiiiiide~ The statues inched closer and closer towards the group . After looking at their surroundings, Mr . Song spoke to Jinwoo and Juhee . ¡°You guys should go . ¡± It was a voice filled with resignation . Jinwoo turned his head and looked at the man . ¡°Ahjussi¡­?¡± ¡°Mr . Kim was right . Who was it that brought you all here? It¡¯s only right that I remain behind . ¡± ¡°But!¡± ¡°If anyone should live, it¡¯s you youngins with your many years of life remaining . ¡± Mr . Song smiled . They were words meant to comfort the two that would have to leave him behind . ¡° . . . ¡± Jinwoo nodded in defeat . His heart was heavy, but they were not in a situation where they could argue on who should stay and who should go . ¡°Ms . Juhee, could you please take Jinwoo?¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± But suddenly, Juhee who was approaching the two men collapsed onto the ground . ¡°Ah¡­¡± Struggling to get up, tears filled her eyes . ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t move my legs¡­¡± Jinwoo and Mr . Song¡¯s expressions darkened . She was not in a good state . Her lips had turned blue, and her entire body was spasming lightly . It was the side effect of overusing one¡¯s mana to near emptiness, made worse in her exhausted state . ¡®Only because she tried to heal my leg¡­¡¯ Jinwoo struggled to speak as the guilt weighed heavily upon his heart . But this was not a time to waste away like this . griiiiiind~ sliiiiiide~ The statues were continuing to move towards the center of the room . Jinwoo pulled away from Mr . Song¡¯s arms and collapsed onto the floor of the altar . Mr . Song¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°You¡­¡± Jinwoo spoke to him with a determined look, ¡°Ahjussi, please take Juhee and get out of here . ¡± ¡°I told you, I would remain . ¡± ¡°Then who will take Juhee?¡± Jinwoo wasn¡¯t able to walk on his own . It was impossible for him to take Juhee, also incapacitated, to the doors . ¡®Of course¡­¡¯ There was the option of leaving her behind . But she was someone who had saved his life countless times before . And even her current state was due to spending all her mana in efforts to heal him . He hated the thought of carrying the guilt of leaving such a person behind for the rest of his life ¡°There¡¯s no time . Please go . ¡± ¡° . . . ¡± Mr . Song picked up Juhee with a heavy expression . Juhee cried and shook her head in defiance . ¡°No¡­ we can¡¯t¡­ Jinwoo, you can leave, I¡¯ll stay behind¡­¡± ¡°I promised to buy you dinner, right?¡± Jinwoo took out the E-rank magic core from his pocket and placed it in Juhee¡¯s hand . ¡°Go ahead first and eat with this . I¡¯ll come collect the change later . ¡± Juhee flared at his smile . ¡°How could you even joke in a time like this!¡± Jinwoo nodded toward Mr . Song, who struck the back of Juhee¡¯s neck, knocking her out . Mr . Song carried her over his right shoulder . ¡° . . . I¡¯m sorry . ¡± ¡°It¡¯s my decision, after all . ¡± Mr . Song bowed his head toward Jinwoo, and stepped down from the altar with Juhee . The statues were quickly nearing the altar . Sitting down, Jinwoo took in a deep breath . Noticing the sword that Mr . Kim had left behind, he reached out and grabbed it . ¡®Now that it¡¯s like this . I¡¯m going to take at least one of you with me . ¡¯ Turning around, he saw Mr . Song and Juhee safely make it through the open doors . ¡®Thank god¡­ I¡¯m the only one that¡¯ll die now . ¡¯ It was not a sentiment borne of some noble self-sacrifice . Just a matter of simple calculation . Even if he got out somehow, he would have to live the rest of his life as a cripple . Forget being a Hunter, it wouldn¡¯t be possible for him to even live a normal life . With no special talents or learned skills, he did not see a happy life ahead of him . ¡®Then there¡¯s mother¡¯s hospital bills¡­ and Jinah¡¯s education expenses¡­¡¯ Since there was no way he¡¯d be able to support them with this injury, he thought to at least provide for them through his death . ¡®Let¡¯s see, the compensation for death during a Raid was¡­ three hundred million won to the surviving family? Or was it four hundred million?¡¯ Compared to the worthless life of an E-ranker, it was a rather generous compensation . griiiiiind~ sliiiiiide~ *Stop* They were here . The first statue to arrive took a step towards the altar . Jinwoo looked towards him and raised his sword . ¡°Come . ¡± But the first attack came from behind . *Stab* The spear that pierced his back now protruded out of his chest . ¡°cough~¡± Jinwoo threw up a large amount of blood . The pain assaulted his senses like hail . ¡°If the place you were stabbed in was just a bit higher, it would¡¯ve pierced your heart!¡± Juhee¡¯s words from earlier flashed across his mind . ¡°Wu-wuaaaaak!¡± The statue raised its spear and with it, Jinwoo . Still skewered to the weapon, Jinwoo found himself suspended in air . As he flailed his legs in pain, the statue slammed him towards the ground . Bang! crack crack crack He heard the sound of bones breaking throughout his entire body . There was nowhere he did not feel pain . One by one, the statues gathered around the convulsing Jinwoo, who glared up at them . ¡®I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t want to die like this¡­¡¯ As death crept closer and closer, tears formed in his eyes . His family appeared in his mind . Juhee, who worried for him until the last minute, also appeared in his mind . ¡®I don¡¯t want to die¡­¡¯ To end his life at a young age of 24 . step- A statue wielding a sword walked towards him with an expressionless face . Even as his entire body shook, Jinwoo did not look away from its gaze . Finally, the statue¡¯s raised sword fell down towards him . ¡®Just one more, if I had just one more chance!¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened at the falling sword . It was in that moment . tickticktick tick tick tick tick tick tick¡­ . As if someone had pressed the pause button on a video, the falling sword stopped before his eyes . No, not stopped . Slowed to a crawl, almost as if it was stopped . Millimeter by millimeter, the sword was definitely still coming down at him . ¡®W-what?¡¯ He could not hide his surprise . Then, a female voice he had never heard before in his life rang throughout his head . [You have fulfilled all conditions of the ¡®Secret Quest: The Weak One¡¯s Courage¡¯ . ] Secret quest? Fulfilled all conditions? He had no idea what it was saying . ¡®No, before that, where is that voice coming from?¡¯ Ignoring his thoughts, the voice continued . [You¡¯ve obtained the right to become a Player . Do you accept?] Obtained the right? Accept? ¡®It sounds like it¡¯s giving me something¡­¡¯ Growing up in poverty, he knew there was no such thing as free in life . ¡®But I supposed that was in life . What does any of it matter in death?¡¯ ¡° . . . ¡± As he waited in hesitation, the voice in his head asked again . [You do not have much allowed time remaining . In the case the right is refused, your heart will stop in 0 . 02 seconds . Do you accept?] Whether or not this was a hallucination, one thing was certain: his impending death . On top of the sword slowly coming down on his head, the other statues¡¯ weapons were also finding their way towards him . At this point, Jinwoo gave himself up to resignation . ¡® . . . Sure, why not?¡¯ He did not speak the words out loud . Merely thought them in his head . But the voice answered his thoughts . [Welcome to becoming a Player . ] Flash! A blinding light surrounded his body, and Jinwoo lost consciousness . -6 . Penalty- He opened his eyes . A bright white ceiling . The stinging smell of disinfectant . Feeling of a hard bed behind his back . Jinwoo immediately realized where he had opened his eyes . ¡®A hospital?¡¯ Although he found himself coming less and less after meeting the B-rank Healer-class Hunter Juhee, the hospital was still a place Jinwoo could call a second home in his job . After all, there were even rumors that there was a room reserved just for him here . Jinwoo sat upright . Holding his hand up to his chest, he felt the regular beating of his heart . ¡®I¡¯m . . . alive?¡¯ Not just alive, his entire body felt lighter than usual . Compared to the heaviness he felt when he would normally open his eyes here, something was different . It was as if he woke up after a good rest in his own home . ¡® . . . What?¡¯ When he remembered the scene before he passed out, it was an unthinkable occurrence . The falling sword . The statues that surrounded him . Even if he had somehow dodged the sword, it would take a party composed of A-rank, no, S-rank Hunters to defeat the enemies in that room . ¡®And I came out of there alive?¡¯ Was it a dream? Thankfully, there was an easy way to find out . Jinwoo looked underneath the blanket covering him . If it was all real, he would be missing a leg . Then, a deep voice interrupted him, ¡°Have you regained consciousness?¡± Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 7. . Front . Back . Left . Right . . . To cover the four cardinal directions, a minimum of four people were needed . . . Jinwoo, Juhee, Mr . Song and Mr . Kim . . . If even one more person left amongst the remaining four, a gap would open up in their coverage . . . ¡°Mr . Sung, what¡¯s happening? Please explain . ¡±. . Mr . Kim asked while wiping away the sweat on his forehead . . . ¡°We just have to wait like this! Until all of the blue flames disappear!¡±. . Jinwoo revealed all that he had surmised . Mr . Kim listened with attention and nodded along . Finishing his explanation, Jinwoo added,. . ¡°We can all survive this . ¡±. . The rules of this room always opened a path to survival for those that followed it . The last rule should be no different . As long as they believed in each other, everyone could leave without being hurt . This was Jinwoo¡¯s conclusion . . . ¡° . ¡±. . Mr . Kim¡¯s thoughts were different . He asked after hesitating,. . ¡°Mr . Sung¡­ You might be correct on all this, but¡­ Isn¡¯t there a possibility that the door might just close once the timer ends?¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . Jinwoo could not answer him . Although his theory was gathered from the multiple trials and the evidence observed so far, it was not 100% guaranteed that he was correct . . . And Mr . Kim needed an assurance . To him, the certainty of his own survival outweighed the uncertain survival of the entire group . . . ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I don¡¯t think I can do this . ¡±. . ¡°Ahjussi!¡±. . ¡°I¡¯m sorry . ¡±. . And with that, Mr . Kim stepped off of the altar . Ignoring Jinwoo¡¯s voice, he ran towards the door . After taking one last look at the people he left behind, Mr . Kim went through the door and did not come back . . . Jinwoo clenched and grinded his teeth . . . ¡°Fuck!¡±. . He had saved their lives . Instead of repaying his actions with kindness and gratitude, they betrayed him . . . As expected, a hole appeared in their coverage of the statues . . . griiiiiind~. . sliiiiiide~. . The statues inched closer and closer towards the group . . . After looking at their surroundings, Mr . Song spoke to Jinwoo and Juhee . . . ¡°You guys should go . ¡±. . It was a voice filled with resignation . . . Jinwoo turned his head and looked at the man . . . ¡°Ahjussi¡­?¡±. . ¡°Mr . Kim was right . Who was it that brought you all here? It¡¯s only right that I remain behind . ¡±. . ¡°But!¡±. . ¡°If anyone should live, it¡¯s you youngins with your many years of life remaining . ¡±. . Mr . Song smiled . They were words meant to comfort the two that would have to leave him behind . . . ¡° . ¡±. . Jinwoo nodded in defeat . His heart was heavy, but they were not in a situation where they could argue on who should stay and who should go . . . ¡°Ms . Juhee, could you please take Jinwoo?¡±. . ¡°Okay¡­¡±. . But suddenly, Juhee who was approaching the two men collapsed onto the ground . . . ¡°Ah¡­¡±. . Struggling to get up, tears filled her eyes . . . ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t move my legs¡­¡±. . Jinwoo and Mr . Song¡¯s expressions darkened . She was not in a good state . Her lips had turned blue, and her entire body was spasming lightly . It was the side effect of overusing one¡¯s mana to near emptiness, made worse in her exhausted state . . . ¡®Only because she tried to heal my leg¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo struggled to speak as the guilt weighed heavily upon his heart . But this was not a time to waste away like this . . . griiiiiind~. . sliiiiiide~. . The statues were continuing to move towards the center of the room . . . Jinwoo pulled away from Mr . Song¡¯s arms and collapsed onto the floor of the altar . . . Mr . Song¡¯s eyes widened,. . ¡°You¡­¡±. . Jinwoo spoke to him with a determined look,. . ¡°Ahjussi, please take Juhee and get out of here . ¡±. . ¡°I told you, I would remain . ¡±. ¡°Then who will take Juhee?¡±. . Jinwoo wasn¡¯t able to walk on his own . It was impossible for him to take Juhee, also incapacitated, to the doors . . . ¡®Of course¡­¡¯. . There was the option of leaving her behind . . . But she was someone who had saved his life countless times before . And even her current state was due to spending all her mana in efforts to heal him . He hated the thought of carrying the guilt of leaving such a person behind for the rest of his life. . ¡°There¡¯s no time . Please go . ¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . Mr . Song picked up Juhee with a heavy expression . Juhee cried and shook her head in defiance . . . ¡°No¡­ we can¡¯t¡­ Jinwoo, you can leave, I¡¯ll stay behind¡­¡±. . ¡°I promised to buy you dinner, right?¡±. . Jinwoo took out the E-rank magic core from his pocket and placed it in Juhee¡¯s hand . . . ¡°Go ahead first and eat with this . I¡¯ll come collect the change later . ¡±. . Juhee flared at his smile . . . ¡°How could you even joke in a time like this!¡±. . Jinwoo nodded toward Mr . Song, who struck the back of Juhee¡¯s neck, knocking her out . Mr . Song carried her over his right shoulder . . . ¡° . I¡¯m sorry . ¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s my decision, after all . ¡±. . Mr . Song bowed his head toward Jinwoo, and stepped down from the altar with Juhee . . The statues were quickly nearing the altar . . . Sitting down, Jinwoo took in a deep breath . . . Noticing the sword that Mr . Kim had left behind, he reached out and grabbed it . . . ¡®Now that it¡¯s like this . I¡¯m going to take at least one of you with me . ¡¯. . Turning around, he saw Mr . Song and Juhee safely make it through the open doors . . . ¡®Thank god¡­ I¡¯m the only one that¡¯ll die now . ¡¯. . It was not a sentiment borne of some noble self-sacrifice . Just a matter of simple calculation . Even if he got out somehow, he would have to live the rest of his life as a cripple . Forget being a Hunter, it wouldn¡¯t be possible for him to even live a normal life . With no special talents or learned skills, he did not see a happy life ahead of him . . . ¡®Then there¡¯s mother¡¯s hospital bills¡­ and Jinah¡¯s education expenses¡­¡¯. . Since there was no way he¡¯d be able to support them with this injury, he thought to at least provide for them through his death . . . ¡®Let¡¯s see, the compensation for death during a Raid was¡­ three hundred million won to the surviving family? Or was it four hundred million?¡¯. . Compared to the worthless life of an E-ranker, it was a rather generous compensation . . . griiiiiind~. . sliiiiiide~. . *Stop*. . They were here . . . The first statue to arrive took a step towards the altar . . . Jinwoo looked towards him and raised his sword . . . ¡°Come . ¡±. . But the first attack came from behind . . . *Stab*. . The spear that pierced his back now protruded out of his chest . . . ¡°cough~¡±. . Jinwoo threw up a large amount of blood . The pain assaulted his senses like hail . . . ¡°If the place you were stabbed in was just a bit higher, it would¡¯ve pierced your heart!¡±. . Juhee¡¯s words from earlier flashed across his mind . . . ¡°Wu-wuaaaaak!¡±. . The statue raised its spear and with it, Jinwoo . Still skewered to the weapon, Jinwoo found himself suspended in air . As he flailed his legs in pain, the statue slammed him towards the ground . . . Bang!. . crack crack crack. . He heard the sound of bones breaking throughout his entire body . There was nowhere he did not feel pain . . . One by one, the statues gathered around the convulsing Jinwoo, who glared up at them . . . ¡®I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t want to die like this¡­¡¯. . As death crept closer and closer, tears formed in his eyes . . . His family appeared in his mind . Juhee, who worried for him until the last minute, also appeared in his mind . . . ¡®I don¡¯t want to die¡­¡¯. . To end his life at a young age of 24 . . . step-. . A statue wielding a sword walked towards him with an expressionless face . . . Even as his entire body shook, Jinwoo did not look away from its gaze . . . Finally, the statue¡¯s raised sword fell down towards him . . . ¡®Just one more, if I had just one more chance!¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened at the falling sword . . . It was in that moment . . . tickticktick tick tick tick tick tick tick¡­ . . . As if someone had pressed the pause button on a video, the falling sword stopped before his eyes . . . No, not stopped . . . Slowed to a crawl, almost as if it was stopped . . . Millimeter by millimeter, the sword was definitely still coming down at him . . . ¡®W-what?¡¯. . He could not hide his surprise . . . Then, a female voice he had never heard before in his life rang throughout his head . . . [You have fulfilled all conditions of the ¡®Secret Quest: The Weak One¡¯s Courage¡¯ . ]. . Secret quest? Fulfilled all conditions?. . He had no idea what it was saying . . . ¡®No, before that, where is that voice coming from?¡¯. . Ignoring his thoughts, the voice continued . . . [You¡¯ve obtained the right to become a Player . Do you accept?]. . Obtained the right? Accept?. . ¡®It sounds like it¡¯s giving me something¡­¡¯. . Growing up in poverty, he knew there was no such thing as free in life . . . ¡®But I supposed that was in life . What does any of it matter in death?¡¯. . ¡° . ¡±. . As he waited in hesitation, the voice in his head asked again . . . [You do not have much allowed time remaining . In the case the right is refused, your heart will stop in 0 . 02 seconds . Do you accept?]. . Whether or not this was a hallucination, one thing was certain: his impending death . . . On top of the sword slowly coming down on his head, the other statues¡¯ weapons were also finding their way towards him . . . At this point, Jinwoo gave himself up to resignation . . . ¡® . Sure, why not?¡¯. . He did not speak the words out loud . Merely thought them in his head . . . But the voice answered his thoughts . . . [Welcome to becoming a Player . ]. . Flash!. . A blinding light surrounded his body, and Jinwoo lost consciousness . . . . -6 . Penalty-. . He opened his eyes . . . A bright white ceiling . The stinging smell of disinfectant . Feeling of a hard bed behind his back . . . Jinwoo immediately realized where he had opened his eyes . . . ¡®A hospital?¡¯. . Although he found himself coming less and less after meeting the B-rank Healer-class Hunter Juhee, the hospital was still a place Jinwoo could call a second home in his job . After all, there were even rumors that there was a room reserved just for him here . . . Jinwoo sat upright . Holding his hand up to his chest, he felt the regular beating of his heart . . . ¡®I¡¯m . alive?¡¯. . Not just alive, his entire body felt lighter than usual . Compared to the heaviness he felt when he would normally open his eyes here, something was different . It was as if he woke up after a good rest in his own home . . . ¡® . What?¡¯. . When he remembered the scene before he passed out, it was an unthinkable occurrence . . . The falling sword . The statues that surrounded him . . . Even if he had somehow dodged the sword, it would take a party composed of A-rank, no, S-rank Hunters to defeat the enemies in that room . . . ¡®And I came out of there alive?¡¯. . Was it a dream?. . Thankfully, there was an easy way to find out . Jinwoo looked underneath the blanket covering him . If it was all real, he would be missing a leg . . . Then, a deep voice interrupted him, . . ¡°Have you regained consciousness?¡±. Chapter 8 Startled by the deep voice that spoke to him from a corner, Jinwoo straightened his back and turned his head towards the source . ¡°I apologize if I¡¯ve surprised you . ¡± ¡°Unfortunately, we can¡¯t afford to delay here any longer . ¡± Two men, dressed in black suits, walked towards the bed . Jinwoo tilted his head and asked, ¡°May I ask . . . who you are?¡± He did not recognize their faces . One of the men, sporting a military-esque short hair, handed him a business card . ¡°This is where we¡¯re from . ¡± Jinwoo read the card he received, ¡®Korean Hunter Association, Hunter Surveillance Department[1], Section Chief Woo Jincheol?¡¯ Of all the departments of the Hunter Association, the Hunter Surveillance Department (HSD) was the only one composed of strong Hunters . As the department in charge of monitoring and keeping the Hunters in line, it made sense that it would be filled with high-level Hunters . ¡°What does the Hunter Surveillance Department want with me?¡± Woo Jincheol pulled up a chair and sat down . The other man who appeared to be his junior stood behind him . With the two men¡¯s imposing physique close before him, Jinwoo felt a great deal of pressure . They began explaining the situation . As he listened to their words, Jinwoo uttered in surprise, ¡°I was asleep for four days?¡± ¡°Do you by any chance remember anything before you lost consciousness?¡± ¡°I think so . ¡± ¡°Could you please tell us your recollection?¡± Leaving aside the detail regarding the mysterious voice, he recalled everything he went through until his passing out . ¡°¡­And so that¡¯s when you lost consciousness, is that correct?¡± ¡°Yes . When I opened my eyes, I was here . ¡± Woo Jincheol and his junior exchanged glances . Since the victim of the incident did not appear to know anything, they were at a loss regarding the situation . Of course, the one who wanted to know what happened the most was Jinwoo . ¡°How did I end up here? Did a large Guild take care of those things?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Woo Jincheol explained awkwardly, ¡°¡­After being contacted by the survivors, the Hunter Surveillance Department and Baekho Guild arrived at the scene of the incident, only to find¡­¡± With a large member count, Baekho Guild was one of the top 5 Guilds of Korea . If they were pulled into the situation by the Association, it meant the Association had recognized the magnitude of the danger . Jinwoo gulped, just what had happened there? ¡°To find¡­?¡± ¡°Nothing . Everything had disappeared . No traces of any statues or that Statue of God . Only the unconscious Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim, lying in the middle of the room . ¡± ¡°What?¡± Jinwoo¡¯s expression was one of disbelief . ¡°We couldn¡¯t believe it either . If there were any gaps or disconnects between the survivors¡¯ statements, or if we hadn¡¯t found the remains of the other victims, we might¡¯ve suspected some other possibility . ¡± Woo Jincheol scratched his chin . It had been 6 years since he Awakened as an A-ranker and started working in the HSD . He felt like he had seen everything since then, but this was the first time he had come across something like this . Even after reaching out to other Guilds and contacting foreign agencies, no one had ever heard of what the survivors described . And that¡¯s why, ¡°It¡¯s just a theory at the moment¡­¡± Woo Jincheol carefully started, ¡°It¡¯s undeniable that there were dangerous entities in that room . But someone or some people had taken care of them all . Until the Gate closed, no otherworldly existences came out of it . ¡± They had to consider all possibilities, no matter how unlikely . After much deliberation, the Association had come to a possible answer . Woo Jincheol looked at Jinwoo and continued, ¡°We¡­ we believe that there is a possibility Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim may have undergone a Second Awakening . [2]¡± A Second Awakening! Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened . It was a rare event, one where a person who had Awakened underwent another Awakening . More commonly known as ¡®Reawakening¡¯[3], nearly all the Hunters that Awakened again after their first Awakening received an incredible amount of power . Under normal circumstances, the power that someone received after Awakening could not be increased; as such, a Hunter¡¯s power was fixed at the amount they received in their first Awakening . This was not the case for the Reawakened Hunters . Leaping over their original limit, there were cases of C-rank Hunters becoming A-rank, and B-rank Hunters becoming S-rank . Woo Jincheol gulped . ¡®Sung Jinwoo¡­ If he underwent a Reawakening and achieved a power of an S-rank, no, perhaps even a greater power, it¡¯s possible that he single-handedly took care of the monsters described by the survivors . ¡¯ The Association employee recalled the enemies from the gruesome tales . Especially that Statue of God; the survivors described how it was able to disintegrate a C-rank Hunter just with its eye beams . To slay that kind of a monster in an unconscious state, just what kind of power were they talking about here? In preparation of such a possibility, the Association had put a moratorium on the information regarding incident and requested the silence of all those involved . The reason why Sung Jinwoo was placed in a private room in the hospital and provided the best medical assistance was the same . Woo Jincheol¡¯s heartbeat quickened . ¡®Perhaps¡­ There¡¯s a chance that Korea might be able to obtain a Nation-level Hunter[4]¡­¡¯ An existence whose individual might surpassed that of nuclear weapons; the number of Nation-level Hunters across the world was in the single digits . Woo Jincheol contained his excitement at the thought of such power being born here in his own country . Thankfully, it was easy to confirm a person¡¯s Reawakening . Woo Jincheol gestured to his subordinate, ¡°Bring it . ¡± And the man went to the corner and carefully took something out of a bag . ¡°Is that-¡± Woo Jincheol responded before Jinwoo could finish his question, ¡°It¡¯s a tool to measure magic power[5]¡± It was a portable version of the Association¡¯s official measurement device, located at their headquarters, but the difference in their capabilities were not that big . ¡°Just place your hand here . ¡± He gestured towards the Magic Core embedded on top of the device . A size of a human fist, its black color was reminiscent of a black hole . The Core was something that came from A-rank Magic Beasts; the highest quality item that carried a price of 1 billion won . Seeing his silent gaze towards the Magic Core, Woo Jincheol asked again with a stern expression, ¡°This will be crucial to our investigation of the incident . May we ask for your cooperation?¡± Jinwoo nodded . Reawakening . The thing of his dreams . If it truly had happened to him, it would completely turn his life around . And if they were offering to check it for free? Why shouldn¡¯t he accept? He placed his hand on the Magic Core, and the stone responded by radiating a faint light . The Association employees¡¯ foreheads moistened with cold sweat . hum~ Then the light surrounding the Magic Core disappeared . Removing his sunglasses, Woo Jincheol checked the results . His eyes started shaking at what he saw . ¡°This can¡¯t be!¡± No matter how many times he checked, the numbers stayed the same . ¡®How could this be¡­?¡¯ How could the magic power of a man who had the qualifications to obtain a Hunter license be only 10?! Even though they stood at the lowest of the ranks, the average magic power of an E-rank Hunter was still between 70 and 100 . Compared to this, Sung Jinwoo was barely above an ordinary person . ¡°Is it Reawakening? If it is, what rank am I now?¡± Jinwoo clenched his sweating hands . Looking at the responses of the HSD staff, he suspected a great result . Meanwhile, Woo Jincheol looked at Jinwoo¡¯s historical data and the current results . ¡®His first result was 12 . And four years later, 10 . It decreased by 2, but that¡¯s within a margin of error . ¡¯ So it was not the fault of the measuring device . Sung Jinwoo¡¯s powers were simply incredibly weak . The fact that he was able to come this far was nothing short of a miracle . Concluding that any more time spent was time wasted, Woo Jincheol rose from his seat . ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡± ¡°Yes sir . ¡± Jinwoo started speaking to the two men who were packing up, ¡°Wait, please say something-¡° Woo Jincheol nodded at the young man, ¡°Thank you for your cooperation . If you remember anything else, please feel free to contact us . ¡± Moving as if they wanted to be somewhere else, the two men quickly left the hospital . The hospital room that felt cramped until moments ago now felt empty . ¡°¡­¡± Jinwoo rubbed the back of his neck . ¡®Guess it was nothing after all¡­¡¯ Now that he thought about it, other than the fact that his condition felt great, nothing else seemed different about him . And even if he had undergone Reawakening, it was probably impossible for him to defeat all the enemies in that place . ¡®I wonder if Hunter Choi Jongin, the ¡°Strongest Soldier¡±, or Hunter Go Kwonhee, the ¡°S-rank among S-ranks¡±, could¡¯ve taken them on?¡¯ As he had never seen those two in action, he had no way of knowing . There was a lot of secrets behind the information regarding the S-rank Hunters, whose existences were regarded highly as the clouds in the sky . It was in that moment of contemplation, he noted something . ¡®Hmm?¡¯ In front of his eyes, words were floating in the middle of the air . You have unread messages . ¡°¡­?¡± He closed his eyes then opened them . You have unread messages . The floating letters did not disappear . He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, but the words still remained . He put his palms to his forehead and lowered his head . ¡®On top of hearing voices, now I¡¯m seeing things¡­¡¯ Did something happen to his head? He recalled the condition known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) . Having lost a large number of comrades, his own life reaching the brink of death, it was not weird that his mind might¡¯ve broken down somehow . ¡®But¡­¡¯ Before he could settle on that simple conclusion, there was something else lingering in his mind . He looked towards his legs . The leg that had been cleanly removed by that statue¡¯s shield was now attached to his body, as if nothing had ever happened . A temple hidden away in a Double Dungeon, the voice in his head, the spontaneous healing of his leg, and now this message . Too many things were happening . ¡®What if¡­ . ¡¯ The occurrences were not separate instances, but connected somehow? As he arrived at that conclusion, the thoughts that clouded his head cleared up a little . ¡®Okay . ¡¯ He raised his head . With his agitation gone, and his heart feeling lighter, his curiosity turned to the contents of the message . Perhaps it contained the clues that may help him solve the many mysteries . He stretched his hands toward the floating words . They passed right through them . ¡®Guess it¡¯s not a touch screen . ¡¯ He was too used to using a smartphone and couldn¡¯t think of another way . As he wondered on how he would open the message, he recalled his last moments in the temple . ¡°Ah, right . ¡± He remembered his last interaction with the mysterious voice was through words . ¡®Then I should just give the commands in my head or speak them out loud?¡¯ To test his theory, Jinwoo repeated all the phrases he could think of that might work: ¡°Confirm . ¡± ¡°Message . ¡± ¡°Confirm message . ¡± ¡°Check message . ¡± ¡°View . ¡± ¡°I¡¯ll view . ¡± ¡°Show me . ¡± ¡°Show me!¡± ¡°¡­What do you want to see so much?¡± He turned his heads toward the voice . Peeking through the half open door, his little sister in her school uniform was coldly staring at him . ¡°Er¡­¡± Jinwoo was at a loss for words . An oppa[6] that was making a request to the ceiling for something . He could not find the words to explain . Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Hunter Surveillance Department¡± (???): ¡°Surveillance/Monitoring¡± ?? + ¡°Department¡± ? . I¡¯ve decided to add ¡°Hunter¡± in front of the department to distinguish it going forward and will shorten it to ¡°HSD¡± when they come up again . [2]: ¡°Second Awakening¡± (?? ? ??): Lit . ¡°Awakening after Awakening¡±, but I shortened to ¡°second awakening¡± due to the usage as a noun in the passage . No impact on story down the line . [3]: ¡°Reawakening¡± (???): This is more literal translation than the above . [4]: ¡°Nation-level¡± (?? ???): ¡°nation/country¡± ?? + ¡°power/authority¡± ?? + ¡°level¡± ? . I shortened it to Nation-level . [5]: ¡°It¡¯s a tool to measure magic power¡± (?? ???): Pretty straight forward, ¡°magic power¡± ?? + ¡°measurement device¡± ??? [6]: ¡°oppa¡± (??): Like ahjussi, a commonly used korean noun . A way for little sisters to call their older brothers . It¡¯s also used in general population between unrelated people (female addressing an older male of a close age) . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 8. . Startled by the deep voice that spoke to him from a corner, Jinwoo straightened his back and turned his head towards the source . . . ¡°I apologize if I¡¯ve surprised you . ¡±. . ¡°Unfortunately, we can¡¯t afford to delay here any longer . ¡±. . Two men, dressed in black suits, walked towards the bed . . . Jinwoo tilted his head and asked,. . ¡°May I ask . who you are?¡±. . He did not recognize their faces . One of the men, sporting a military-esque short hair, handed him a business card . . . ¡°This is where we¡¯re from . ¡±. . Jinwoo read the card he received,. . ¡®Korean Hunter Association, Hunter Surveillance Department[1], Section Chief Woo Jincheol?¡¯. . Of all the departments of the Hunter Association, the Hunter Surveillance Department (HSD) was the only one composed of strong Hunters . As the department in charge of monitoring and keeping the Hunters in line, it made sense that it would be filled with high-level Hunters . . . ¡°What does the Hunter Surveillance Department want with me?¡±. . Woo Jincheol pulled up a chair and sat down . The other man who appeared to be his junior stood behind him . With the two men¡¯s imposing physique close before him, Jinwoo felt a great deal of pressure . . . They began explaining the situation . As he listened to their words, Jinwoo uttered in surprise,. . ¡°I was asleep for four days?¡±. . ¡°Do you by any chance remember anything before you lost consciousness?¡±. . ¡°I think so . ¡±. . ¡°Could you please tell us your recollection?¡±. . Leaving aside the detail regarding the mysterious voice, he recalled everything he went through until his passing out . . . ¡°¡­And so that¡¯s when you lost consciousness, is that correct?¡±. . ¡°Yes . When I opened my eyes, I was here . ¡±. . Woo Jincheol and his junior exchanged glances . Since the victim of the incident did not appear to know anything, they were at a loss regarding the situation . Of course, the one who wanted to know what happened the most was Jinwoo . . . ¡°How did I end up here? Did a large Guild take care of those things?¡±. . ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±. . Woo Jincheol explained awkwardly,. . ¡°¡­After being contacted by the survivors, the Hunter Surveillance Department and Baekho Guild arrived at the scene of the incident, only to find¡­¡±. . With a large member count, Baekho Guild was one of the top 5 Guilds of Korea . If they were pulled into the situation by the Association, it meant the Association had recognized the magnitude of the danger . Jinwoo gulped, just what had happened there?. . ¡°To find¡­?¡±. . ¡°Nothing . Everything had disappeared . No traces of any statues or that Statue of God . Only the unconscious Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim, lying in the middle of the room . ¡±. . ¡°What?¡±. . Jinwoo¡¯s expression was one of disbelief . . . ¡°We couldn¡¯t believe it either . If there were any gaps or disconnects between the survivors¡¯ statements, or if we hadn¡¯t found the remains of the other victims, we might¡¯ve suspected some other possibility . ¡±. . Woo Jincheol scratched his chin . It had been 6 years since he Awakened as an A-ranker and started working in the HSD . He felt like he had seen everything since then, but this was the first time he had come across something like this . Even after reaching out to other Guilds and contacting foreign agencies, no one had ever heard of what the survivors described . . . And that¡¯s why,. . ¡°It¡¯s just a theory at the moment¡­¡±. . Woo Jincheol carefully started,. . ¡°It¡¯s undeniable that there were dangerous entities in that room . But someone or some people had taken care of them all . Until the Gate closed, no otherworldly existences came out of it . ¡±. . They had to consider all possibilities, no matter how unlikely . After much deliberation, the Association had come to a possible answer . . . Woo Jincheol looked at Jinwoo and continued,. . ¡°We¡­ we believe that there is a possibility Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim may have undergone a Second Awakening . [2]¡±. . A Second Awakening!. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened . It was a rare event, one where a person who had Awakened underwent another Awakening . More commonly known as ¡®Reawakening¡¯[3], nearly all the Hunters that Awakened again after their first Awakening received an incredible amount of power . Under normal circumstances, the power that someone received after Awakening could not be increased; as such, a Hunter¡¯s power was fixed at the amount they received in their first Awakening . This was not the case for the Reawakened Hunters . Leaping over their original limit, there were cases of C-rank Hunters becoming A-rank, and B-rank Hunters becoming S-rank . . . Woo Jincheol gulped . . . ¡®Sung Jinwoo¡­ If he underwent a Reawakening and achieved a power of an S-rank, no, perhaps even a greater power, it¡¯s possible that he single-handedly took care of the monsters described by the survivors . ¡¯. . The Association employee recalled the enemies from the gruesome tales . Especially that Statue of God; the survivors described how it was able to disintegrate a C-rank Hunter just with its eye beams . To slay that kind of a monster in an unconscious state, just what kind of power were they talking about here? In preparation of such a possibility, the Association had put a moratorium on the information regarding incident and requested the silence of all those involved . . . The reason why Sung Jinwoo was placed in a private room in the hospital and provided the best medical assistance was the same . Woo Jincheol¡¯s heartbeat quickened . . . ¡®Perhaps¡­ There¡¯s a chance that Korea might be able to obtain a Nation-level Hunter[4]¡­¡¯. . An existence whose individual might surpassed that of nuclear weapons; the number of Nation-level Hunters across the world was in the single digits . Woo Jincheol contained his excitement at the thought of such power being born here in his own country . . . Thankfully, it was easy to confirm a person¡¯s Reawakening . Woo Jincheol gestured to his subordinate,. . ¡°Bring it . ¡±. . And the man went to the corner and carefully took something out of a bag . . . ¡°Is that-¡±. . Woo Jincheol responded before Jinwoo could finish his question,. . ¡°It¡¯s a tool to measure magic power[5]¡±. . It was a portable version of the Association¡¯s official measurement device, located at their headquarters, but the difference in their capabilities were not that big . . . ¡°Just place your hand here . ¡±. . He gestured towards the Magic Core embedded on top of the device . A size of a human fist, its black color was reminiscent of a black hole . The Core was something that came from A-rank Magic Beasts; the highest quality item that carried a price of 1 billion won . . . Seeing his silent gaze towards the Magic Core, Woo Jincheol asked again with a stern expression,. . ¡°This will be crucial to our investigation of the incident . May we ask for your cooperation?¡±. . Jinwoo nodded . . . Reawakening . The thing of his dreams . If it truly had happened to him, it would completely turn his life around . And if they were offering to check it for free? Why shouldn¡¯t he accept?. . He placed his hand on the Magic Core, and the stone responded by radiating a faint light . The Association employees¡¯ foreheads moistened with cold sweat . . . hum~. . Then the light surrounding the Magic Core disappeared . Removing his sunglasses, Woo Jincheol checked the results . His eyes started shaking at what he saw . . . ¡°This can¡¯t be!¡±. . No matter how many times he checked, the numbers stayed the same . . . ¡®How could this be¡­?¡¯. . How could the magic power of a man who had the qualifications to obtain a Hunter license be only 10?! Even though they stood at the lowest of the ranks, the average magic power of an E-rank Hunter was still between 70 and 100 . Compared to this, Sung Jinwoo was barely above an ordinary person . . . ¡°Is it Reawakening? If it is, what rank am I now?¡±. . Jinwoo clenched his sweating hands . Looking at the responses of the HSD staff, he suspected a great result . Meanwhile, Woo Jincheol looked at Jinwoo¡¯s historical data and the current results . . . ¡®His first result was 12 . And four years later, 10 . It decreased by 2, but that¡¯s within a margin of error . ¡¯. . So it was not the fault of the measuring device . Sung Jinwoo¡¯s powers were simply incredibly weak . The fact that he was able to come this far was nothing short of a miracle . . . Concluding that any more time spent was time wasted, Woo Jincheol rose from his seat . . . ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡±. . ¡°Yes sir . ¡±. . Jinwoo started speaking to the two men who were packing up,. . ¡°Wait, please say something-¡°. . Woo Jincheol nodded at the young man,. . ¡°Thank you for your cooperation . If you remember anything else, please feel free to contact us . ¡±. . Moving as if they wanted to be somewhere else, the two men quickly left the hospital . The hospital room that felt cramped until moments ago now felt empty . . . ¡°¡­¡±. . Jinwoo rubbed the back of his neck . . . ¡®Guess it was nothing after all¡­¡¯. . Now that he thought about it, other than the fact that his condition felt great, nothing else seemed different about him . And even if he had undergone Reawakening, it was probably impossible for him to defeat all the enemies in that place . . . ¡®I wonder if Hunter Choi Jongin, the ¡°Strongest Soldier¡±, or Hunter Go Kwonhee, the ¡°S-rank among S-ranks¡±, could¡¯ve taken them on?¡¯. . As he had never seen those two in action, he had no way of knowing . There was a lot of secrets behind the information regarding the S-rank Hunters, whose existences were regarded highly as the clouds in the sky . It was in that moment of contemplation, he noted something . . . ¡®Hmm?¡¯. . In front of his eyes, words were floating in the middle of the air . . . You have unread messages . . . ¡°¡­?¡±. . He closed his eyes then opened them . . . You have unread messages . . . The floating letters did not disappear . He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, but the words still remained . He put his palms to his forehead and lowered his head . . . ¡®On top of hearing voices, now I¡¯m seeing things¡­¡¯. . Did something happen to his head? He recalled the condition known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) . Having lost a large number of comrades, his own life reaching the brink of death, it was not weird that his mind might¡¯ve broken down somehow . . . ¡®But¡­¡¯. . Before he could settle on that simple conclusion, there was something else lingering in his mind . He looked towards his legs . . . The leg that had been cleanly removed by that statue¡¯s shield was now attached to his body, as if nothing had ever happened . . . A temple hidden away in a Double Dungeon, the voice in his head, the spontaneous healing of his leg, and now this message . . . Too many things were happening . . . ¡®What if¡­ . ¡¯. . The occurrences were not separate instances, but connected somehow?. . As he arrived at that conclusion, the thoughts that clouded his head cleared up a little . . . ¡®Okay . ¡¯. . He raised his head . With his agitation gone, and his heart feeling lighter, his curiosity turned to the contents of the message . Perhaps it contained the clues that may help him solve the many mysteries . . . He stretched his hands toward the floating words . . . They passed right through them . . . ¡®Guess it¡¯s not a touch screen . ¡¯. . He was too used to using a smartphone and couldn¡¯t think of another way . As he wondered on how he would open the message, he recalled his last moments in the temple . . . ¡°Ah, right . ¡±. . He remembered his last interaction with the mysterious voice was through words . . . ¡®Then I should just give the commands in my head or speak them out loud?¡¯. . To test his theory, Jinwoo repeated all the phrases he could think of that might work:. . . ¡°Confirm . ¡±. ¡°Message . ¡±. ¡°Confirm message . ¡±. ¡°Check message . ¡±. ¡°View . ¡±. ¡°I¡¯ll view . ¡±. ¡°Show me . ¡±. ¡°Show me!¡±. . ¡°¡­What do you want to see so much?¡±. . He turned his heads toward the voice . Peeking through the half open door, his little sister in her school uniform was coldly staring at him . . . ¡°Er¡­¡±. . Jinwoo was at a loss for words . . . An oppa[6] that was making a request to the ceiling for something . . . He could not find the words to explain . . . . . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Hunter Surveillance Department¡± (???): ¡°Surveillance/Monitoring¡± ?? + ¡°Department¡± ? . I¡¯ve decided to add ¡°Hunter¡± in front of the department to distinguish it going forward and will shorten it to ¡°HSD¡± when they come up again . . [2]: ¡°Second Awakening¡± (?? ? ??): Lit . ¡°Awakening after Awakening¡±, but I shortened to ¡°second awakening¡± due to the usage as a noun in the passage . No impact on story down the line . . [3]: ¡°Reawakening¡± (???): This is more literal translation than the above . . [4]: ¡°Nation-level¡± (?? ???): ¡°nation/country¡± ?? + ¡°power/authority¡± ?? + ¡°level¡± ? . I shortened it to Nation-level . . [5]: ¡°It¡¯s a tool to measure magic power¡± (?? ???): Pretty straight forward, ¡°magic power¡± ?? + ¡°measurement device¡± ???. [6]: ¡°oppa¡± (??): Like ahjussi, a commonly used korean noun . A way for little sisters to call their older brothers . It¡¯s also used in general population between unrelated people (female addressing an older male of a close age) . . Chapter 9 ¡°Did you hurt your head?¡± His little sister asked from the door . Jinwoo shook his head . ¡°No . ¡± Not comforted by his words, his sister¡¯s eyes were filled with concern . ¡°You¡¯re really okay, right?¡± ¡°I told you, yes . ¡± His little sister huffed and puffed as she started approaching him with a piercing gaze . Used to her reactions in situations like this, Jinwoo put up his guard as his little sister started hitting him . ¡°I told you to stop getting hurt! Do you know how much I was worried?!¡± ¡°¡­Sorry . ¡± ¡°Everyone else seems to do just fine, why are you the only one getting hurt all the time!¡± ¡°¡­Sorry¡­¡± The hands that were striking him slowly lost their strength . Eventually, Jinah stood with her head hung low, tears falling down her cheeks . Jinwoo patted his sister on the back, doing his best to comfort her . He held back the tears forming in his own eyes . ¡®To think I was prepared to die¡­ to leave her behind¡­¡¯ Thank god he had returned alive . Looking at this moment, he realized just how many times he came close to death . It was like being in a nightmare . Jinwoo turned his gaze toward the words suspended in air . You have unread messages . ¡®And it still feels like I haven¡¯t woken up¡­¡¯ He could not understand the meaning behind the words . Still, what could he do? The most important thing was the fact that he was able to return to his family alive . ¡°Sniff¡± Fortunately, his sister had stopped crying . Unfortunately, her rant at his condition continued for another hour¡­ ¡°-So do you understand? If you get hurt again, I¡¯ll give up my studies and go straight into working, so you won¡¯t be able to work as a Hunter ever again!¡± A sharp, piercing gaze that was unbecoming of her pretty face, she was truly her brother¡¯s sister . ¡°I got it, I got it . ¡± Jinwoo nodded in resignation . After receiving his confirmation multiple times, Jinah got up, satisfied . ¡°Where are you gong?¡± ¡°School . I just got permission to leave briefly to come and see you, but I have to go back . ¡± ¡°Right, right . The college entrance examinations are next year . ¡± Although he could not afford to provide a tutor or send her to a private school, Jinah still managed to become one of the top students in the school . Her goal: to become a doctor . The little girl who could not distance herself from video games suddenly became a fervent student when their mother fell ill few years ago . Jinwoo wanted to make sure her dreams came true . ¡®Wait¡­ video games?¡¯ His eyes suddenly shot open . ¡°I¡¯m going . ¡± Jinwoo quickly caught his sister, who was leaving, ¡°Jinah . ¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°When you play a game¡­¡± Jinah smiled, ¡°I don¡¯t play games these days . There¡¯s so little time until I¡¯m in my final year . ¡± ¡°I know, I know, but I still wanted to ask,¡± ¡°About what? Oppa, have you been playing games lately?¡± Although she had put them behind, she was very good in her past . As such, her brother¡¯s question flared her interest . Jinwoo continued to stare at the floating letters and asked, ¡°If I have an unread message in a game, how do I open or access it?¡± ¡°First, you have to open the message box . ¡± ¡°Open the message box?¡± ring~ The moment he spoke the words ¡°open¡±, an electronic beep followed the opening of the message box . You have 2 unread messages . Welcome to becoming a [Player] . (Unread) [Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful] has arrived . (Unread) Jinwoo felt himself being filled with joy . ¡®It worked!¡¯ Surprised by the sudden appearance of happiness in his face, Jinah anxiously asked, ¡°What? What game is it? Do you need my help?¡± Jinwoo firmly shook his head, ¡°No, I want to try it out alone . ¡± How would his sister react if he told her everything that was happening to him? ¡®Don¡¯t want to hear from my own sister that I¡¯m crazy . ¡¯ So Jinwoo swallowed the words he wanted to say and bid her goodbye . After confirming that she went down the elevator out of the hospital, Jinwoo returned to his room . ¡®Can¡¯t repeat the same mistake . ¡¯ click- lock- To avoid any unwanted attention, he locked the doors . Finishing his preparation, Jinwoo sat on the side of his bed and started reading the messages floating before his eyes . Welcome to becoming a [Player] . (Unread) [Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful] has arrived . (Unread) The first message seemed familiar to him . ¡®Where was it, I¡¯ve definitely heard this one before . ¡¯ He started with the first message . ¡®Open . ¡¯ ring~ This System will help with the growth of the ¡°Player¡± . Non-compliance with this System¡¯s instructions may result in a penalty . Your reward has been received . ¡°Ah¡­¡± He remembered now . It was the words he heard before losing consciousness . ¡®It said something about a player back then, too¡­¡¯ But just like that time, he had no idea what that meant . System . Growth . Penalty . Reward . It was a parade of unclear meanings . ¡®Just what is it helping grow, and what is it rewarding?¡¯ He found it difficult to apply these words that he saw in video games before . Ignoring the meaning of the words for now, he went onto the next message . [Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful] has arrived . (Unread) Gulp . Jinwoo swallowed at the suspicious title of the message . His heartbeat sped up . ¡®Open . ¡¯ ring~ Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful Do 100 Push-ups: (Incomplete) (0/100) Do 100 Sit-ups: (Incomplete) (0/100) Do 100 Squats: (Incomplete) (0/100) Run 10 kilometers: (Incomplete) (0/10) *Warning: Failing to complete the Daily Quest will result in a Penalty Quest . Jinwoo moaned after confirming the message . ¡°Sigh¡­ what is this¡­¡± Daily Quest . On top of that, a ¡°preparation to become powerful¡± . He expected more than just simple exercises with a title like that . At least, it was certain if he completed the exercises in the quest, his body would probably improve a little . Was this the growth and reward the System spoke of? ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ He recalled reading ¡°those with inner problems should listen to their inner voice¡± in some book before . ¡®Guess I¡¯m just hallucinating what my body¡¯s telling me¡¯ His urge to become stronger must¡¯ve been so strong that he was now seeing these nonsensical words in the air . More so than how laughable it was, he was disappointed . ¡°If you can just become strong like this, who wouldn¡¯t have done so already¡­?¡± He shook his head in disbelief . He felt pathetic in the expectation that he would find all the answers in these messages . ¡®Eh, I don¡¯t care . ¡¯ Jinwoo went to lie down in the bed . He stared up into the ceiling . ¡° . . . ¡± Although he was not doing anything in particular, time passed by quickly . As he began to feel the weight of silence throughout the hospital, he suddenly sat up . ¡®Still¡­¡¯ What if this did bring about change? Half in anticipation, half in suspicion, the thought of ¡®should I just give it a try¡¯ occured in his head . ¡®Can¡¯t hurt after all . ¡¯ What if he just lightly tried out one of the motions? After some thought, he made the decision to give it a try . Lightly stretching after getting off the bed, he attempted do half-hearted push-ups . Instead of getting on the ground, he stood up at and angle and pushed off the bed . ¡°1, 2, 3¡­¡± Starting at 1, he rapidly went down the line . ¡° . . . 97, 98, 99, 100 . ¡± Finishing what he started, he reached his 100th ¡°push-up¡± . Contrary to his expectation, nothing seemed to change . Except for his slightly sore arms . ¡° . . . So now what¡­¡± He stood up with a smile on his face . Welcome to becoming a [Player] . (Read) [Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful] has arrived . (Read) The previously ¡°unread¡± messages had become ¡°read¡± . The words telling him that he had unread messages had disappeared, but he no longer had any intention to continue entertaining these delusions . He felt he had done enough . Without any regrets, he closed the message window . With a yawn, he returned to his bed . In response to moving after such a long time, he started feeling sleepy . The window outside glowed orange from the sunset . ¡®Is it this late already?¡¯ The man from the Hunter Surveillance Department explained earlier that his hospital bills would be footed by the Association . With that in mind, Jinwoo was not in a rush to be discharged . ¡®Maybe I¡¯ll have the hospital run some tests, make sure I¡¯m completely healthy . ¡¯ He thought as he lay in bed . ¡®I¡¯m sure the hallucinations should disappear after some time . ¡¯ His eyelids slowly closed . Soon, he fell into deep slumber . tick tick tick As he slept, the clock on the opposite wall continued to tick . As time passed, the hands of the clock eventually pointed to 11:59:57 . tick 58 . tick 59 . tick 60 . The clock pointed to 12:00:00 . ring~ [You¡¯ve failed to complete the Daily Quest . You will be moved to the ¡®Penalty Zone¡¯ for a set duration . ] SHAKE!~ Jinwoo opened his eyes to an intense trembling that shook his entire body . ¡°E-earthquake?!¡± He shot up and grabbed the bed frame at the foot of the bed . The trembling was so strong that he found it difficult to hold on . SHAKE!~ But with each passing second, the tremors became worse . Suddenly, psssh~ The bed frame he held onto for his life broke . No, it had disappeared from his hands . His checked his hands, there was no sign of the bed frame . Instead, there was sand on his palms . ¡®Sand?¡¯ psssssh~ Rest of the frames on the bed turned to sand, and the trembling became even stronger . SHAKE!~ ¡°Uwaaak!¡± Unable to hold on, he was eventually thrown off the bed . Jinwoo screamed as he bounced up and down in his room . One by one, all the furniture and items in his room turned into sand . ¡°Uwaaaaaaah!¡± Crash! Jinwoo suddenly found himself embedded in something . His fingertips felt the softness of sand around him . The earthshake had stopped . spit spit As he spat out the sand that entered his mouth, he raised his head . ¡° . . . ?¡± He found himself in the middle of a vast desert . Patting the sand off his body, he stood up and looked around . In every direction, he saw an endless field of sand, stretching to the horizon . ¡°A desert¡­?¡± There was no logical explanation for this . Until moments ago, he was resting on a hospital bed in the middle of Seoul . He grabbed a handful of sand and let it fall . The sand fell in a straight line to the ground . ¡®There¡¯s no wind . ¡¯ Not just wind, looking up, there was no sun, moon or even stars . An empty sky like black ink spilled across a canvas . Even stranger, despite the lack of a visible light source, he had no trouble seeing his surroundings . ¡°Where am I?¡± Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 9. . ¡°Did you hurt your head?¡±. . His little sister asked from the door . Jinwoo shook his head . . . ¡°No . ¡±. . Not comforted by his words, his sister¡¯s eyes were filled with concern . . . ¡°You¡¯re really okay, right?¡±. . ¡°I told you, yes . ¡±. . His little sister huffed and puffed as she started approaching him with a piercing gaze . Used to her reactions in situations like this, Jinwoo put up his guard as his little sister started hitting him . . . ¡°I told you to stop getting hurt! Do you know how much I was worried?!¡±. . ¡°¡­Sorry . ¡±. . ¡°Everyone else seems to do just fine, why are you the only one getting hurt all the time!¡±. . ¡°¡­Sorry¡­¡±. . The hands that were striking him slowly lost their strength . Eventually, Jinah stood with her head hung low, tears falling down her cheeks . Jinwoo patted his sister on the back, doing his best to comfort her . He held back the tears forming in his own eyes . . . ¡®To think I was prepared to die¡­ to leave her behind¡­¡¯. . Thank god he had returned alive . Looking at this moment, he realized just how many times he came close to death . It was like being in a nightmare . . . Jinwoo turned his gaze toward the words suspended in air . . . You have unread messages . . . ¡®And it still feels like I haven¡¯t woken up¡­¡¯. . He could not understand the meaning behind the words . Still, what could he do? The most important thing was the fact that he was able to return to his family alive . . . ¡°Sniff¡±. . Fortunately, his sister had stopped crying . Unfortunately, her rant at his condition continued for another hour¡­. . ¡°-So do you understand? If you get hurt again, I¡¯ll give up my studies and go straight into working, so you won¡¯t be able to work as a Hunter ever again!¡±. . A sharp, piercing gaze that was unbecoming of her pretty face, she was truly her brother¡¯s sister . . . ¡°I got it, I got it . ¡±. . Jinwoo nodded in resignation . After receiving his confirmation multiple times, Jinah got up, satisfied . . . ¡°Where are you gong?¡±. . ¡°School . I just got permission to leave briefly to come and see you, but I have to go back . ¡±. . ¡°Right, right . The college entrance examinations are next year . ¡±. . Although he could not afford to provide a tutor or send her to a private school, Jinah still managed to become one of the top students in the school . Her goal: to become a doctor . The little girl who could not distance herself from video games suddenly became a fervent student when their mother fell ill few years ago . . . Jinwoo wanted to make sure her dreams came true . . . ¡®Wait¡­ video games?¡¯. . His eyes suddenly shot open . . . ¡°I¡¯m going . ¡±. . Jinwoo quickly caught his sister, who was leaving,. . ¡°Jinah . ¡±. . ¡°What?¡±. . ¡°When you play a game¡­¡±. . Jinah smiled, ¡°I don¡¯t play games these days . There¡¯s so little time until I¡¯m in my final year . ¡±. . ¡°I know, I know, but I still wanted to ask,¡±. . ¡°About what? Oppa, have you been playing games lately?¡±. . Although she had put them behind, she was very good in her past . As such, her brother¡¯s question flared her interest . Jinwoo continued to stare at the floating letters and asked,. . ¡°If I have an unread message in a game, how do I open or access it?¡±. . ¡°First, you have to open the message box . ¡±. . ¡°Open the message box?¡±. . ring~. . The moment he spoke the words ¡°open¡±, an electronic beep followed the opening of the message box . . . You have 2 unread messages . . Welcome to becoming a [Player] . (Unread). [Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful] has arrived . (Unread). . Jinwoo felt himself being filled with joy . . . ¡®It worked!¡¯. . Surprised by the sudden appearance of happiness in his face, Jinah anxiously asked,. . ¡°What? What game is it? Do you need my help?¡±. . Jinwoo firmly shook his head,. . ¡°No, I want to try it out alone . ¡±. . How would his sister react if he told her everything that was happening to him?. . ¡®Don¡¯t want to hear from my own sister that I¡¯m crazy . ¡¯. . So Jinwoo swallowed the words he wanted to say and bid her goodbye . . . . . After confirming that she went down the elevator out of the hospital, Jinwoo returned to his room . . . ¡®Can¡¯t repeat the same mistake . ¡¯. . click-. . lock-. . To avoid any unwanted attention, he locked the doors . Finishing his preparation, Jinwoo sat on the side of his bed and started reading the messages floating before his eyes . . . Welcome to becoming a [Player] . (Unread). [Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful] has arrived . (Unread). . The first message seemed familiar to him . . . ¡®Where was it, I¡¯ve definitely heard this one before . ¡¯. . He started with the first message . . . ¡®Open . ¡¯. . ring~. . This System will help with the growth of the ¡°Player¡± . . Non-compliance with this System¡¯s instructions may result in a penalty . . Your reward has been received . . . ¡°Ah¡­¡±. . He remembered now . It was the words he heard before losing consciousness . . . ¡®It said something about a player back then, too¡­¡¯. . But just like that time, he had no idea what that meant . . . System . Growth . Penalty . Reward . . . It was a parade of unclear meanings . . . ¡®Just what is it helping grow, and what is it rewarding?¡¯. . He found it difficult to apply these words that he saw in video games before . . . Ignoring the meaning of the words for now, he went onto the next message . . . [Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful] has arrived . (Unread). . Gulp . . . Jinwoo swallowed at the suspicious title of the message . His heartbeat sped up . . . ¡®Open . ¡¯. . ring~. . Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful. Do 100 Push-ups:. (Incomplete) (0/100). Do 100 Sit-ups:. (Incomplete) (0/100). . Do 100 Squats:. (Incomplete) (0/100). Run 10 kilometers:. (Incomplete) (0/10). *Warning: Failing to complete the Daily Quest will result in a Penalty Quest . . . . Jinwoo moaned after confirming the message . . . ¡°Sigh¡­ what is this¡­¡±. . Daily Quest . On top of that, a ¡°preparation to become powerful¡± . He expected more than just simple exercises with a title like that . At least, it was certain if he completed the exercises in the quest, his body would probably improve a little . Was this the growth and reward the System spoke of?. . ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯. . He recalled reading ¡°those with inner problems should listen to their inner voice¡± in some book before . . . ¡®Guess I¡¯m just hallucinating what my body¡¯s telling me¡¯. . His urge to become stronger must¡¯ve been so strong that he was now seeing these nonsensical words in the air . More so than how laughable it was, he was disappointed . . . ¡°If you can just become strong like this, who wouldn¡¯t have done so already¡­?¡±. . He shook his head in disbelief . He felt pathetic in the expectation that he would find all the answers in these messages . . . ¡®Eh, I don¡¯t care . ¡¯. . Jinwoo went to lie down in the bed . He stared up into the ceiling . . . ¡° . ¡±. . Although he was not doing anything in particular, time passed by quickly . As he began to feel the weight of silence throughout the hospital, he suddenly sat up . . . ¡®Still¡­¡¯. . What if this did bring about change? Half in anticipation, half in suspicion, the thought of ¡®should I just give it a try¡¯ occured in his head . . . ¡®Can¡¯t hurt after all . ¡¯. . What if he just lightly tried out one of the motions?. . After some thought, he made the decision to give it a try . . . Lightly stretching after getting off the bed, he attempted do half-hearted push-ups . Instead of getting on the ground, he stood up at and angle and pushed off the bed . . . ¡°1, 2, 3¡­¡±. . Starting at 1, he rapidly went down the line . . . ¡° . 97, 98, 99, 100 . ¡±. . Finishing what he started, he reached his 100th ¡°push-up¡± . Contrary to his expectation, nothing seemed to change . Except for his slightly sore arms . . . ¡° . So now what¡­¡±. . He stood up with a smile on his face . . . Welcome to becoming a [Player] . (Read). [Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful] has arrived . (Read). . The previously ¡°unread¡± messages had become ¡°read¡± . The words telling him that he had unread messages had disappeared, but he no longer had any intention to continue entertaining these delusions . He felt he had done enough . . . Without any regrets, he closed the message window . . . With a yawn, he returned to his bed . In response to moving after such a long time, he started feeling sleepy . The window outside glowed orange from the sunset . . . ¡®Is it this late already?¡¯. . The man from the Hunter Surveillance Department explained earlier that his hospital bills would be footed by the Association . With that in mind, Jinwoo was not in a rush to be discharged . . . ¡®Maybe I¡¯ll have the hospital run some tests, make sure I¡¯m completely healthy . ¡¯. . He thought as he lay in bed . . . ¡®I¡¯m sure the hallucinations should disappear after some time . ¡¯. . His eyelids slowly closed . Soon, he fell into deep slumber . . . tick tick tick . . As he slept, the clock on the opposite wall continued to tick . As time passed, the hands of the clock eventually pointed to 11:59:57 . . . tick . . 58 . . . tick . . 59 . . . tick . . 60 . . . The clock pointed to 12:00:00 . . . ring~. . [You¡¯ve failed to complete the Daily Quest . You will be moved to the ¡®Penalty Zone¡¯ for a set duration . ]. . . . SHAKE!~. . Jinwoo opened his eyes to an intense trembling that shook his entire body . . . ¡°E-earthquake?!¡±. . He shot up and grabbed the bed frame at the foot of the bed . The trembling was so strong that he found it difficult to hold on . . . SHAKE!~. . But with each passing second, the tremors became worse . . . Suddenly,. . psssh~. . The bed frame he held onto for his life broke . No, it had disappeared from his hands . His checked his hands, there was no sign of the bed frame . Instead, there was sand on his palms . . . ¡®Sand?¡¯. . psssssh~. . Rest of the frames on the bed turned to sand, and the trembling became even stronger . . . SHAKE!~. . ¡°Uwaaak!¡±. . Unable to hold on, he was eventually thrown off the bed . Jinwoo screamed as he bounced up and down in his room . One by one, all the furniture and items in his room turned into sand . . . ¡°Uwaaaaaaah!¡±. . Crash!. . Jinwoo suddenly found himself embedded in something . His fingertips felt the softness of sand around him . The earthshake had stopped . . . spit spit. . As he spat out the sand that entered his mouth, he raised his head . . . ¡° . ?¡±. . He found himself in the middle of a vast desert . Patting the sand off his body, he stood up and looked around . In every direction, he saw an endless field of sand, stretching to the horizon . . . ¡°A desert¡­?¡±. . There was no logical explanation for this . Until moments ago, he was resting on a hospital bed in the middle of Seoul . . . He grabbed a handful of sand and let it fall . The sand fell in a straight line to the ground . . . ¡®There¡¯s no wind . ¡¯. . Not just wind, looking up, there was no sun, moon or even stars . . . An empty sky like black ink spilled across a canvas . . . Even stranger, despite the lack of a visible light source, he had no trouble seeing his surroundings . . . ¡°Where am I?¡±. . Chapter 10 Panicking, Jinwoo tried to get a grasp of the situation; suddenly, he heard the sound of sand shifting . ssssssss The sand on the ground next to him was sinking into the ground . ¡°Uh, uh oh!¡± Using all his strength, Jinwoo struggled to not be sucked into the whirlpool . As the sunken area became wider, Jinwoo barely escaped the sinkhole using his two hands . ¡°Pant, pant, pant¡± As he sat panting, he looked down into the newly created depression on the ground . The sand at the lowest point of the hole was boiling strangely . Jinwoo shuddered as he realized a single misstep would¡¯ve resulted in him falling down into that hole . ¡°Wait¡­¡± His eyes narrowed . ¡°It¡¯s not boiling . ¡± Taking a closer look, he realized something big was wriggling beneath the sand at the bottom of the depression . Jinwoo stood up instinctively . Something did not feel right . Confirming his suspicions, a pillar of sand shot up from the hole as he was walking backwards . Shaaaah! Sounding like a waterfall, the sand fell all around him, revealing what had appeared from the hole . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened . ¡°A-a bug?¡± A giant centipede had risen out of the sand . Screeeech! The fully revealed form of the monster stood taller than a 5-story building . Jinwoo gulped . ¡®This is impossible¡­¡¯ And like so, it was an impossibly large existence . He had never heard of a centipede of this size before . But it wasn¡¯t just the size of the centipede that shocked Jinwoo . ¡°Why¡­ why is there a name floating above that thing¡¯s head?¡± Was he dreaming? He closed his eyes and opened them again . Nothing had changed . The centipede¡¯s name floated above its head in red letters . Like a video game monster . ¡®Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipede[1]¡¯ Alongside its uncanny and dangerous looking figure, it had a name that screamed at him to run . Especially the ¡°poison-fanged¡± part . Two fangs the size of a child caught Jinwoo¡¯s eye . It was very clear from its name what would happen if he was pierced by them . Jinwoo saw the centipede¡¯s mouth open and close repeatedly without rest . ¡°Looks like it¡¯s hungry . ¡± At that time, a sound rang through his head . ring~ Penalty Quest: Survive Goal: Survive for the required time . Required time: 4 Hours Remaining time: 4 Hours 0 Min 0 Sec ¡®You¡¯re kidding, right¡­?¡¯ But the second the remaining time decreased to 3 Hours 59 Min 59 Sec, the centipede started moving across the sand as if it was waiting . sliiiiiide ¡°Wait, what?!¡± Jinwoo quickly turned and started running . Tripping, he fell and rolled on the ground and quickly shook the sand off his head . His eyes widened looking at the sight before him . There were more pillars of sand appearing in front of him . shaaaah shaaaaaaah Before he realized it, seven centipede heads had risen from the ground and were staring down at him . Screech! Screeeeech! Jinwoo¡¯s face paled as he heard their terrifying shrieks . ¡°Shit¡­¡± Exactly 4 hours later, he reappeared in the hospital room . collapse- Lying on the floor of his room, he coughed in agony . *cough* *cough* *spit* *spit* The inside of his mouth was dry . His eyes stung from the sand . Jinwoo sprawled out on the ground, moaning . He did not have the strength to even move a finger . ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­ what¡­ was¡­ that¡­?¡± A new message appeared before the panting Jinwoo . ring~ You¡¯ve completed the ¡°Penalty Quest¡± . His brows furrowed . Penalty Quest? Did he do something to deserve punishment? Searching his memories, he remembered the [Daily Quest] that he half-heartedly gave up on . ¡®It can¡¯t be¡­¡¯ He recalled the part of the quest that talked about receiving a penalty if he did not complete it . ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­ you mean¡­ that wasn¡¯t . . . a hallucination . . . ?¡± Indeed . It was not a hallucination . Nor a dream . There was no need to check by pinching his cheeks . The pain of running until his breath ran out; the pain of being scratched by the centipede¡¯s legs; he felt them all even right now . It was all real . He had almost met his death back there . ¡°This¡­ is¡­ too¡­ much¡­ hah¡­ hah¡­¡± To think that something like a penalty would throw him into the jaws of death . At the same time, a foreboding dread washed over him . If what just happened now was due to the daily quest, it meant that all of this was not over yet . As if on cue, the electronic sound rang . ring~ Startled at first, he relaxed as he realized it was not another quest . The reward for completing the Penalty Quest has arrived . Would you like to verify? (Y/N) ¡®Reward¡­?¡¯ The word ¡°reward¡± briefly caught his attention . Unfortunately, Jinwoo lacked the strength to care about anything at the moment . It was a testament to how tough the Penalty Quest had been . ¡®Reward or whatever¡­ I just want to rest for now¡­¡¯ And with that, he fell into a deep slumber . ¡°Oh no! Why is he on the ground?!¡± Next morning, his assigned nurse was greeted with a shocking scene when she entered the room . The patient was lying on the floor, and there was sand scattered about the ground . Even the patient¡¯s clothes were filled with sand . The nurse threw the treatment chart onto the bed and pressed the call button . ¡°Someone come help!¡± Soon, Dr . Joo Chiui arrived . ¡°What¡¯s the ma- why is Mr . Sung on the ground?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure! He was fine until last night! I found him like this just now . . . ¡± ¡°Let¡¯s first get him on to the bed . One . Two!¡± The two put Jinwoo onto the bed . In the rough movement, the medical chart that was thrown on the bed made a small papercut on the back of Jinwoo¡¯s hand, but no one noticed . ¡°Now, let¡¯s check him . ¡± Joo Chiui went over Jinwoo¡¯s condition, but found no abnormalities . ¡°What¡¯s this? He¡¯s just sleeping . ¡± He sighed in relief . The Hunter Association had requested special care for this patient . He had been nervous in fear that something had happened to him . ¡°Let¡¯s just let him rest . He seems to be in deep sleep . ¡± After he spoke, Joo Chiui began to leave when he noticed the sand in the room . ¡°Er¡­ Looks like we should clean-up this room a little . Ms . Yura, I¡¯ll leave it to you . ¡± ¡°Understood, doctor . ¡± As the doctor left the room, nurse Choi Yura also relaxed in relief . It was a good thing nothing bad had happened . After all, there were no doctors or nurses who wished ill upon their patients . The hospital she worked at was specially dedicated to the treatment of Hunters . Having seen the unfortunate end of many Hunters before, she did not want to see yet another Hunter be hurt under her care . ¡°Phew-¡± Calmed down, she began to figure out how to clean the room when she noticed something on the ground . It was a drop of blood . ¡°Oh my . ¡± The drop of blood had fallen from the patient¡¯s hand that stretched out from the bed over the ground . Surprised, she looked for a wound on Jinwoo¡¯s hand and held it in inspection . Turning over to the back of his hand, ¡° . . . This is¡­?¡± She saw traces of fresh blood, but no scar . Wiping away the blood, the hand was completely clean . ¡®Did¡­ did his cut heal in an instant?¡¯ With concern, Yura looked over to Jinwoo¡¯s face . He appeared to be sleeping without a care in the world . -7 . Daily Quest- ring~ [The Daily Quest has arrived . ] Jinwoo¡¯s eyes shot open . Sitting straight up from the bed, the first thing Jinwoo did was to check the time; it was a little past 4:30 in the afternoon . There was roughly 7 hours and 30 minutes of breathing room until midnight . ¡®Good . ¡¯ He opened the message box . ring~ Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful Do 100 Push-ups: (Incomplete) (0/100) Do 100 Sit-ups: (Incomplete) (0/100) Do 100 Squats: (Incomplete) (0/100) Run 10 kilometers: (Incomplete) (0/10) *Warning: Failing to complete the Daily Quest will result in a Penalty Quest . ¡°Same thing?¡± He uttered reflexively . No, perhaps this was a good thing . Compared to a possibly difficult quest, this was much better . Even if it strained his body, it was at least something that could be completed with time . He went on the floor and began the push-ups . ¡°One . ¡± He couldn¡¯t afford to be dragged to some strange place and be forced to run from death again . ¡°Two . ¡± He got lucky last night . He didn¡¯t feel like he would get lucky again . ¡°Three . ¡± He paused to look up at the quest creen; the numbers were rising accordingly with each push-up . ring~ You¡¯ve succeeded in doing 1 push-up . Do 100 Push-ups: (Incomplete) (7/100) ring~ You¡¯ve succeeded in doing 1 push-up . Do 100 Push-ups: (Incomplete) (8/100) As if testing the System, he performed a half-hearted push-up, going only part way down, but it did not register on the screen . He understood why his weak attempts last night did nothing . ¡®Sigh¡­ really?¡¯ Although exasperated, he did not let-up the strength in his arms . 50 push-ups remaining . After that would be sit-ups . Then squats . . . Then running¡­ . . . 3 hours later . Do 100 Push-ups: (Complete) (100/100) Do 100 Sit-ups: (Complete) (100/100) Do 100 Squats: (Complete) (100/100) Run 10 kilometers: (Incomplete) (9/10) ¡°Pant, pant, pant, pant,¡± Having run a lap around the area outside, Jinwoo bowed over huffing . His heart felt like it was about to explode, but he knew he could not stop here . ¡®If I think about the effort up until now¡­¡¯ He entered the hospital gates and completed the last stretch of his run . ring~ Distance ran: 10km . You¡¯ve succeeded in running 10km . It was finally over . ¡°Pant¡­ pant¡­¡± He fell to his knees . His lungs were on fire . His forehead and back were soaked . ¡°Pant¡­ pant¡­¡± Sweating profusely, he attempted to control his breathing when a familiar message arrived . ring~ You¡¯ve completed the ¡®Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful¡¯ The reward for completing the quest has arrived . Would you like to verify? (Y/N) He almost wanted to forget about it like yesterday but changed his mind . He wanted to confirm just what this damn reward was . ¡°Yes . ¡± ring~ You¡¯ve received the below rewards . Reward 1 . Status Recovery Reward 2 . Stat points +3 Reward 3 . Random Box x 1 Accept all? ¡®Why is there so many?¡¯ Was his first thought after looking at the reward screen . But after thinking about it, he noticed some useful rewards and rewards he was curious about . Feeling like he was about to pass out any moment from now, the first reward caught his eyes . Having experienced the penalty involved in failure, he knew there was a good chance that its rewards were just as real . ¡®It couldn¡¯t hurt . Probably won¡¯t throw me in the Penalty Zone after offering me a reward . ¡¯ ¡°Accept . ¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipede¡±: The name translation is almost word for word literal . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 10. . Panicking, Jinwoo tried to get a grasp of the situation; suddenly, he heard the sound of sand shifting . . . ssssssss. . The sand on the ground next to him was sinking into the ground . . . ¡°Uh, uh oh!¡±. . Using all his strength, Jinwoo struggled to not be sucked into the whirlpool . As the sunken area became wider, Jinwoo barely escaped the sinkhole using his two hands . . . ¡°Pant, pant, pant¡±. . As he sat panting, he looked down into the newly created depression on the ground . The sand at the lowest point of the hole was boiling strangely . Jinwoo shuddered as he realized a single misstep would¡¯ve resulted in him falling down into that hole . . . ¡°Wait¡­¡±. . His eyes narrowed . . . ¡°It¡¯s not boiling . ¡±. . Taking a closer look, he realized something big was wriggling beneath the sand at the bottom of the depression . Jinwoo stood up instinctively . Something did not feel right . . . Confirming his suspicions, a pillar of sand shot up from the hole as he was walking backwards . . . Shaaaah!. . Sounding like a waterfall, the sand fell all around him, revealing what had appeared from the hole . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened . . . ¡°A-a bug?¡±. . A giant centipede had risen out of the sand . . . Screeeech!. . The fully revealed form of the monster stood taller than a 5-story building . . . Jinwoo gulped . . . ¡®This is impossible¡­¡¯. . And like so, it was an impossibly large existence . He had never heard of a centipede of this size before . But it wasn¡¯t just the size of the centipede that shocked Jinwoo . . . ¡°Why¡­ why is there a name floating above that thing¡¯s head?¡±. . Was he dreaming?. . He closed his eyes and opened them again . Nothing had changed . The centipede¡¯s name floated above its head in red letters . Like a video game monster . . . ¡®Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipede[1]¡¯. . Alongside its uncanny and dangerous looking figure, it had a name that screamed at him to run . Especially the ¡°poison-fanged¡± part . Two fangs the size of a child caught Jinwoo¡¯s eye . It was very clear from its name what would happen if he was pierced by them . . . Jinwoo saw the centipede¡¯s mouth open and close repeatedly without rest . . . ¡°Looks like it¡¯s hungry . ¡±. . At that time, a sound rang through his head . . . ring~. . Penalty Quest: Survive. Goal: Survive for the required time . . Required time: 4 Hours. Remaining time: 4 Hours 0 Min 0 Sec. . ¡®You¡¯re kidding, right¡­?¡¯. . But the second the remaining time decreased to 3 Hours 59 Min 59 Sec, the centipede started moving across the sand as if it was waiting . . . sliiiiiide. . ¡°Wait, what?!¡±. . Jinwoo quickly turned and started running . . . Tripping, he fell and rolled on the ground and quickly shook the sand off his head . His eyes widened looking at the sight before him . There were more pillars of sand appearing in front of him . . . shaaaah. . shaaaaaaah. . Before he realized it, seven centipede heads had risen from the ground and were staring down at him . . . Screech!. . Screeeeech!. . Jinwoo¡¯s face paled as he heard their terrifying shrieks . . . ¡°Shit¡­¡±. . . . Exactly 4 hours later, he reappeared in the hospital room . . . collapse-. . Lying on the floor of his room, he coughed in agony . . . *cough* *cough* *spit* *spit*. . The inside of his mouth was dry . His eyes stung from the sand . Jinwoo sprawled out on the ground, moaning . He did not have the strength to even move a finger . . . ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­ what¡­ was¡­ that¡­?¡±. . A new message appeared before the panting Jinwoo . . . ring~. . You¡¯ve completed the ¡°Penalty Quest¡± . . . His brows furrowed . . . Penalty Quest?. . Did he do something to deserve punishment?. . Searching his memories, he remembered the [Daily Quest] that he half-heartedly gave up on . . . ¡®It can¡¯t be¡­¡¯. . He recalled the part of the quest that talked about receiving a penalty if he did not complete it . . . ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­ you mean¡­ that wasn¡¯t . a hallucination . ?¡±. . Indeed . . . It was not a hallucination . . . Nor a dream . . . There was no need to check by pinching his cheeks . The pain of running until his breath ran out; the pain of being scratched by the centipede¡¯s legs; he felt them all even right now . . . It was all real . He had almost met his death back there . . . ¡°This¡­ is¡­ too¡­ much¡­ hah¡­ hah¡­¡±. . To think that something like a penalty would throw him into the jaws of death . At the same time, a foreboding dread washed over him . If what just happened now was due to the daily quest, it meant that all of this was not over yet . . . As if on cue, the electronic sound rang . . . ring~. . Startled at first, he relaxed as he realized it was not another quest . . . . The reward for completing the Penalty Quest has arrived . . Would you like to verify? (Y/N). . ¡®Reward¡­?¡¯. . The word ¡°reward¡± briefly caught his attention . Unfortunately, Jinwoo lacked the strength to care about anything at the moment . It was a testament to how tough the Penalty Quest had been . . . ¡®Reward or whatever¡­ I just want to rest for now¡­¡¯. . And with that, he fell into a deep slumber . . . . . ¡°Oh no! Why is he on the ground?!¡±. . Next morning, his assigned nurse was greeted with a shocking scene when she entered the room . The patient was lying on the floor, and there was sand scattered about the ground . Even the patient¡¯s clothes were filled with sand . The nurse threw the treatment chart onto the bed and pressed the call button . . . ¡°Someone come help!¡±. . Soon, Dr . Joo Chiui arrived . . . ¡°What¡¯s the ma- why is Mr . Sung on the ground?!¡±. . ¡°I¡¯m not sure! He was fine until last night! I found him like this just now . ¡±. . ¡°Let¡¯s first get him on to the bed . One . Two!¡±. . The two put Jinwoo onto the bed . In the rough movement, the medical chart that was thrown on the bed made a small papercut on the back of Jinwoo¡¯s hand, but no one noticed . . . ¡°Now, let¡¯s check him . ¡±. . Joo Chiui went over Jinwoo¡¯s condition, but found no abnormalities . . . ¡°What¡¯s this? He¡¯s just sleeping . ¡±. . He sighed in relief . The Hunter Association had requested special care for this patient . He had been nervous in fear that something had happened to him . . . ¡°Let¡¯s just let him rest . He seems to be in deep sleep . ¡±. . After he spoke, Joo Chiui began to leave when he noticed the sand in the room . . . ¡°Er¡­ Looks like we should clean-up this room a little . Ms . Yura, I¡¯ll leave it to you . ¡±. . ¡°Understood, doctor . ¡±. . As the doctor left the room, nurse Choi Yura also relaxed in relief . It was a good thing nothing bad had happened . After all, there were no doctors or nurses who wished ill upon their patients . The hospital she worked at was specially dedicated to the treatment of Hunters . Having seen the unfortunate end of many Hunters before, she did not want to see yet another Hunter be hurt under her care . . . ¡°Phew-¡±. . Calmed down, she began to figure out how to clean the room when she noticed something on the ground . It was a drop of blood . . . ¡°Oh my . ¡±. . The drop of blood had fallen from the patient¡¯s hand that stretched out from the bed over the ground . Surprised, she looked for a wound on Jinwoo¡¯s hand and held it in inspection . Turning over to the back of his hand,. . ¡° . This is¡­?¡±. . She saw traces of fresh blood, but no scar . Wiping away the blood, the hand was completely clean . . . ¡®Did¡­ did his cut heal in an instant?¡¯. . With concern, Yura looked over to Jinwoo¡¯s face . . . He appeared to be sleeping without a care in the world . . . -7 . Daily Quest-. . ring~. . [The Daily Quest has arrived . ]. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes shot open . Sitting straight up from the bed, the first thing Jinwoo did was to check the time; it was a little past 4:30 in the afternoon . There was roughly 7 hours and 30 minutes of breathing room until midnight . . . ¡®Good . ¡¯. . He opened the message box . . . ring~. . Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful. Do 100 Push-ups:. (Incomplete) (0/100). Do 100 Sit-ups:. (Incomplete) (0/100). . Do 100 Squats:. (Incomplete) (0/100). Run 10 kilometers:. (Incomplete) (0/10). *Warning: Failing to complete the Daily Quest will result in a Penalty Quest . . . ¡°Same thing?¡± He uttered reflexively . No, perhaps this was a good thing . Compared to a possibly difficult quest, this was much better . Even if it strained his body, it was at least something that could be completed with time . . . He went on the floor and began the push-ups . . . ¡°One . ¡±. . He couldn¡¯t afford to be dragged to some strange place and be forced to run from death again . . . ¡°Two . ¡±. . He got lucky last night . He didn¡¯t feel like he would get lucky again . . . ¡°Three . ¡±. . He paused to look up at the quest creen; the numbers were rising accordingly with each push-up . . . ring~. . You¡¯ve succeeded in doing 1 push-up . . Do 100 Push-ups:. (Incomplete) (7/100). . ring~. . You¡¯ve succeeded in doing 1 push-up . . Do 100 Push-ups:. (Incomplete) (8/100). . As if testing the System, he performed a half-hearted push-up, going only part way down, but it did not register on the screen . He understood why his weak attempts last night did nothing . . . ¡®Sigh¡­ really?¡¯. . Although exasperated, he did not let-up the strength in his arms . 50 push-ups remaining . After that would be sit-ups . . . Then squats . . . Then running¡­ . . . . . . 3 hours later . . . Do 100 Push-ups:. (Complete) (100/100). Do 100 Sit-ups:. (Complete) (100/100). . Do 100 Squats:. (Complete) (100/100). Run 10 kilometers:. (Incomplete) (9/10). . ¡°Pant, pant, pant, pant,¡±. . Having run a lap around the area outside, Jinwoo bowed over huffing . His heart felt like it was about to explode, but he knew he could not stop here . . . ¡®If I think about the effort up until now¡­¡¯. . He entered the hospital gates and completed the last stretch of his run . . . ring~. . Distance ran: 10km . . You¡¯ve succeeded in running 10km . . . It was finally over . . . ¡°Pant¡­ pant¡­¡±. . He fell to his knees . His lungs were on fire . His forehead and back were soaked . . . ¡°Pant¡­ pant¡­¡±. . Sweating profusely, he attempted to control his breathing when a familiar message arrived . . . ring~. . You¡¯ve completed the ¡®Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful¡¯. The reward for completing the quest has arrived . . Would you like to verify? (Y/N). . He almost wanted to forget about it like yesterday but changed his mind . He wanted to confirm just what this damn reward was . . . ¡°Yes . ¡±. . ring~. . You¡¯ve received the below rewards . . Reward 1 . Status Recovery. Reward 2 . Stat points +3. Reward 3 . Random Box x 1. Accept all?. . ¡®Why is there so many?¡¯. . Was his first thought after looking at the reward screen . But after thinking about it, he noticed some useful rewards and rewards he was curious about . . . Feeling like he was about to pass out any moment from now, the first reward caught his eyes . Having experienced the penalty involved in failure, he knew there was a good chance that its rewards were just as real . . . ¡®It couldn¡¯t hurt . Probably won¡¯t throw me in the Penalty Zone after offering me a reward . ¡¯. . ¡°Accept . ¡±. . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipede¡±: The name translation is almost word for word literal . . Chapter 11 The moment he spoke the words to accept the reward, a subtle blue glow covered his body . ¡®Oh¡­ this feeling is?¡¯ Juhee¡¯s face immediately appeared in his mind . It was a similar sensation he felt when he received healing magic; the feeling was comparable to breathing in crisp, fresh air after being stuck in a muggy, stuffy room . shooooo- He felt the glow subside but had hoped it would last a little longer . Standing up from his spot, Jinwoo stretched and moved his body around . ¡°Whoa!¡± The heart that felt like it was about to explode had calmed down, and the shortness of his breath had also disappeared . There was not a trace of exhaustion remaining . His body that was on the brink of collapse now felt like it had woken up from a good rest . The effects were unbelievable . ¡®This is amazing . ¡¯ His eyes were open wide in wonder . He wasn¡¯t sure if it was magic or something else, but the powerful effect it had left a great impression on Jinwoo . ¡®Then the ¡°stat points¡± must be¡­¡¯ Turning his head toward his bed, he saw a small box and a status screen before his eyes . ¡®That must be the random box it was talking about, and¡­¡¯ His attention was focused on the status screen . The information box that hung in the air contained various data regarding his status . Name: Sung Jinwoo Level: 1 Class: None Title: None HP: 100 MP: 10 Fatigue: 0 Stats Strength: 10 Constitution: 10 Agility: 10 Intelligence: 10 Sense: 10 (Available stat points: 3) Skills Passive Skills -(Unknown) (Lv . Max) -Unyielding Spirit[1] (Lv . 1) Active Skills -Sprint[2] (Lv . 1) He recalled the online RPGs he had played in the past; his stats were reminiscent of a freshly created character . ¡®So these are my stats?¡¯ Current level 1 . All stats at a basic level . Faced again with the reality of being the weakest E-rank Hunter, his stat numbers did not surprise him . Rather, his eyes were focused on his skills . The passive skills ¡®Unyielding Spirit¡¯ and active skill ¡®Sprint¡¯ . They were strangely familiar to him . ¡®Now that I think about it¡­ Yesterday¡­¡¯ Yesterday . More accurately, the dawn of today . He recalled the messages he received while being chased around by the centipedes in the Penalty Zone . It was around the 3rd hour of running from the clutches of death . You¡¯ve learned ¡°Sprint¡± (Lv . 1) You¡¯ve learned ¡°Unyielding Spirit¡± (Lv . 1) He did not pay attention at the time, his entire mind focused on running, but now he was able to take a closer look . Sprint (Lv . 1) Active Skill Mana Cost: 5 (+1/Minute) Activate to increase your movement speed by 30% . Costs 1 mana per minute to maintain . ¡°Your running has strengthened your legs . ¡± Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1) Passive Skill Mana Cost: 0 When below 30% HP, all damage received is reduced by 50% . ¡°You have an unyielding spirit . ¡± ¡®So because I ran like a dog, I learned these two skills?¡¯ The logic was sound . This meant that repetitive actions that met certain criteria unlocked skills . ¡°Amazing!¡± The merits of this were incalculable . Normally, the repertoire of skills that Hunters used were received and fixed at the moment of their Awakening . Only the rare Runestones[3] that sometimes dropped from A-rank or higher magic beasts could be used by a Hunter to learn a new skill . This is why the price of Runestones ranged from hundreds of million to tens of billion won . He recalled a recent event of a Runestone being sold at an auction for the price of 70 billion won . It was a Runestone that taught a powerful healing magic that could completely restore an injured person, purchased by an anonymous foreign S-rank Healer-class Hunter who emptied his wallet for it . Jinwoo¡¯s heartbeat sped up . A skill to increase his movement speed and a skill to reduce damage taken . Not quite skills that would cost tens of billions of won, but they were still useful skills . And he had earned such skills for free . Although it probably was difficult to make full use of ¡°Sprint¡± with his low magic power, the fact that he had these skills now was amazing . ¡®And the ¡°Unyielding Spirit¡± doesn¡¯t even take any mana¡­¡¯ It seemed like ¡°mana¡± was referring to ¡°magic power¡± . This meant that even his body that lacked magic power could take advantage of the ¡°Unyielding Spirit¡± . This alone was a great boon to Jinwoo . ¡®However¡­ What is this skill¡­¡¯ (Unknown) (Lv . Max) Passive Skill ¡°Unknown¡± that took up a line under his passive skills . As a passive skill, it should be something that activated automatically, but its information screen did not reveal any details . ¡®I have no clue what this is . ¡¯ There was nothing he could find or figure out about this unknown skill . Realizing his worries would get him nowhere, Jinwoo turned his attention to the other section of his status screen . ¡®Stat points¡­¡¯ The stat points he received as the reward for the Daily Quest remained undistributed . Stats Strength: 10 Constitution: 10 Agility: 10 Intelligence: 10 Sense: 10 (Available stat points: 3) ¡®So I can raise 3 points worth of stats?¡¯ Five different attributes were under the stats section . Being level 1, his points across the board were rather low . But remembering all that he had experienced up until now, he could not carelessly distribute his points . If the assignment of points truly enhanced his abilities, how could he make the decision lightly? His expression hardened . ¡®The meaning behind ¡°Strength¡± is pretty clear¡­¡¯ Strength, constitution, agility . He grasped the meaning behind these attributes quite easily . After all, they were some of the more straightforward ¡®stats¡¯ in video games . The problems were the ¡°Intelligence¡± and ¡°Sense¡± stats . The curt and distant System revealed no additional details to Jinwoo . Would he become smarter if he increased ¡°Intelligence¡±? Or more keen and sharper if he increased ¡°Sense¡±? Regardless, those two attributes did not seem particularly useful to him . He was a Fighter-class Hunter . What he needed the most was strength, mobility and durability . ¡®If I had to choose one, it¡¯d be strength . ¡¯ Increased strength would rather make a lot of things easier . He was curious on what kind of change his body would undergo when he increased his stats . As such, he selected the stat that would probably result in the most physical change in his body . ¡°3 points into strength . ¡± ring~ Stats Strength: 13 Constitution: 10 Agility: 10 Intelligence: 10 Sense: 10 (Available stat points: 0) ¡®Is¡­ is that it?¡¯ That was it . All that changed was the number in front of ¡°Strength¡± going from 10 to 13 . In his mind, he had expected the recreation of the scene in movies or cartoons where the hero pulled forth an unknown power from within . ¡°Well, did anything change?¡± Jinwoo decided to test out his strength . He stood next to his bed and lifted it . He felt a slight resistance from the bed¡¯s weight but was able to easily lift it off the ground . Still, he was unable to tell whether this was due to the lightness of the bed or his increased strength . ¡®Should¡¯ve made a comparison before and after I used up the points . ¡¯ As his points were already distributed, it was hard for him to distinguish the before and after of his changes . ¡®If I just had few more points¡­¡¯ Rolling his tongue in his mouth, Jinwoo suddenly remembered something: ¡°The reward from the Penalty Quest!¡± He had remembered that it wasn¡¯t just the Daily Quest he completed today . Although he had almost died from it, he did complete the Penalty Quest and even remembered the reward message from it as well . He quickly opened his message box . The reward for completing the Penalty Quest has arrived . Would you like to verify? (Y/N) ¡°It¡¯s there!¡± He clenched his fists . Of course, the answer is ¡°Yes!¡± You¡¯ve received the below rewards: Reward 1 . Stat points +3 Reward 2 . Random Box x 1 Accept all? Compared to the Daily Quest, there was no reward of status recovery, but what he needed now the most were stat points . Initially worried that a Penalty Quest might give reduced rewards, Jinwoo was relieved to see that it still gave him 3 stat points . He distributed the points in delight, ¡°Add 3 more points into strength!¡± ring~ Stats Strength: 16 Constitution: 10 Agility: 10 Intelligence: 10 Sense: 10 (Available stat points: 0) His strength had increased from 13 to 16 . He went before his bed once more and used his arms . Compared to before, the bed felt much lighter in his hands . He was able to fully comprehend the difference this time . ¡°It¡¯s true¡­!¡± He really had become stronger . By simple math, going from 10 to 16 points meant that his strength had increased by 60% . The result was blatantly clear to him now . Unable to control his excitement, Jinwoo loudly went from corner to corner of his room, lifting every furniture that he could get his hands on . He had to stop when a passing nurse peeked in and glared at him . ¡°¡­Sorry . ¡± After she left, he sighed a breath of relief . ¡°Phew-¡° But his excitement could not be abated . His heart was beating vigorously . ba dum ba dum A Daily Quest and stat point rewards! As long as this strange occurrence continued, his life would turn around completely going forward . It was an incredible opportunity for him . On top of that, the ¡°level¡± he saw under his status screen, ¡®It should be possible for me to raise my level as well, right?¡¯ He tilted his head . ¡®Eh¡­ probably not . ¡¯ It was but a dream; he did not expect himself to go that far . Just the daily rewards were good enough . Using stat points to increase his attributes . Yesterday then today, today then tomorrow, he would become stronger every day . ¡®To think that I, an E-rank Hunter, the ¡°Weakest Soldier¡±, could become strong?¡¯ Forget the A-rankers and S-rankers, even his C-ranked and D-ranked comrades would laugh at him . Sung Jinwoo becoming strong? That weakling Sung Jinwoo? But he did not care that he would be laughed at . No, he was already used to it after all . He was just happy that this opportunity had arrived in his hands . Then a question appeared in his mind, ¡®Perhaps this is the process of a Second Awakening?¡¯ It was a rare event, but there were cases where a Hunter at the bottom of the barrel shot up to first class through Reawakening . Maybe all those Reawakened Hunters had gone through the same phenomenon that he was experiencing right now? ¡®Let¡¯s find out . ¡¯ The now curious Jinwoo sat in front of a computer in the corner of his room . As he was designated a special patient by the Association, the VIP room that he was placed in even had such luxuries for his use . clack clack clack clack His fingers moved quickly across the keyboard . Search after search after search . He went through dozens of websites, including sites only accessible by those with Hunter licenses . Going as far as purchasing paid information, he gathered and went through as many documents he could find on Reawakening . But nothing he found matched what he was experiencing now . ¡®It¡¯s different¡­¡¯ His newfound powers were completely different from a Reawakening . The Hunters that went through Reawakening underwent the same process as their first Awakening[4] . No one mentioned hearing any voices on the verge of death or a video game like System that gave them stat points that increased their abilities . Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Unyielding Spirit¡± (??; geun-sung): The word on its own just means someone¡¯s disposition or natural spirit . Contextual clues imply the ¡°spirit¡± in this situation is one that would not give up even at 30% HP, so I chose to add the ¡°unyielding¡± in front of it . The skill description also goes as far as to say ¡°You have an unyielding/untiring spirit . ¡± [2]: ¡°Sprint¡± (??; jil-joo): Lit . ¡°speeding¡± or ¡°sprinting¡± . Shortened to just ¡°sprint¡± based on contextual clues . [3]: ¡°Runestones¡± (??; rune-suk): ¡°Rune¡± in english + ¡°stone¡± suk . Pretty straightforward . [4]: I just want to clarify this with information gathered from context throughout the story (not a spoiler) . All Hunters go through their first Awakening, receiving some form of power . This power includes a combination of increases in physical ability, magic power and a list of skills . What they get at their first Awakening does not change (except for new skills learned through Runestones) . A second Awakening (Reawakening) is exactly the same: An Awakened Being would receive power again which includes a combination of increased physical ability, magic power and new skills . After Reawakening, same as before, a Hunter¡¯s power does not change . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 11. . The moment he spoke the words to accept the reward, a subtle blue glow covered his body . . . ¡®Oh¡­ this feeling is?¡¯. . Juhee¡¯s face immediately appeared in his mind . It was a similar sensation he felt when he received healing magic; the feeling was comparable to breathing in crisp, fresh air after being stuck in a muggy, stuffy room . . . shooooo-. . He felt the glow subside but had hoped it would last a little longer . . . Standing up from his spot, Jinwoo stretched and moved his body around . . . ¡°Whoa!¡±. . The heart that felt like it was about to explode had calmed down, and the shortness of his breath had also disappeared . There was not a trace of exhaustion remaining . His body that was on the brink of collapse now felt like it had woken up from a good rest . The effects were unbelievable . . . ¡®This is amazing . ¡¯. . His eyes were open wide in wonder . He wasn¡¯t sure if it was magic or something else, but the powerful effect it had left a great impression on Jinwoo . . . ¡®Then the ¡°stat points¡± must be¡­¡¯. . Turning his head toward his bed, he saw a small box and a status screen before his eyes . . . ¡®That must be the random box it was talking about, and¡­¡¯. . His attention was focused on the status screen . The information box that hung in the air contained various data regarding his status . . . . . Name: Sung Jinwoo. Level: 1. Class: None. Title: None. HP: 100. MP: 10. Fatigue: 0. Stats. . Strength: 10. Constitution: 10. Agility: 10. Intelligence: 10. Sense: 10. (Available stat points: 3). Skills. . Passive Skills. -(Unknown) (Lv . Max). -Unyielding Spirit[1] (Lv . 1). . Active Skills. -Sprint[2] (Lv . 1). . He recalled the online RPGs he had played in the past; his stats were reminiscent of a freshly created character . . . ¡®So these are my stats?¡¯. . Current level 1 . All stats at a basic level . . . Faced again with the reality of being the weakest E-rank Hunter, his stat numbers did not surprise him . Rather, his eyes were focused on his skills . The passive skills ¡®Unyielding Spirit¡¯ and active skill ¡®Sprint¡¯ . They were strangely familiar to him . . . ¡®Now that I think about it¡­ Yesterday¡­¡¯. . Yesterday . More accurately, the dawn of today . He recalled the messages he received while being chased around by the centipedes in the Penalty Zone . It was around the 3rd hour of running from the clutches of death . . . You¡¯ve learned ¡°Sprint¡± (Lv . 1). . You¡¯ve learned ¡°Unyielding Spirit¡± (Lv . 1). . He did not pay attention at the time, his entire mind focused on running, but now he was able to take a closer look . . . Sprint (Lv . 1). Active Skill. . Mana Cost: 5 (+1/Minute). . Activate to increase your movement speed by 30% . . Costs 1 mana per minute to maintain . . . ¡°Your running has strengthened your legs . ¡±. . Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1). Passive Skill. . Mana Cost: 0. . When below 30% HP, all damage received is reduced by 50% . . . ¡°You have an unyielding spirit . ¡±. . ¡®So because I ran like a dog, I learned these two skills?¡¯. . The logic was sound . This meant that repetitive actions that met certain criteria unlocked skills . . . ¡°Amazing!¡±. . The merits of this were incalculable . Normally, the repertoire of skills that Hunters used were received and fixed at the moment of their Awakening . Only the rare Runestones[3] that sometimes dropped from A-rank or higher magic beasts could be used by a Hunter to learn a new skill . This is why the price of Runestones ranged from hundreds of million to tens of billion won . He recalled a recent event of a Runestone being sold at an auction for the price of 70 billion won . It was a Runestone that taught a powerful healing magic that could completely restore an injured person, purchased by an anonymous foreign S-rank Healer-class Hunter who emptied his wallet for it . . . Jinwoo¡¯s heartbeat sped up . . . A skill to increase his movement speed and a skill to reduce damage taken . . . Not quite skills that would cost tens of billions of won, but they were still useful skills . And he had earned such skills for free . Although it probably was difficult to make full use of ¡°Sprint¡± with his low magic power, the fact that he had these skills now was amazing . . . ¡®And the ¡°Unyielding Spirit¡± doesn¡¯t even take any mana¡­¡¯. . It seemed like ¡°mana¡± was referring to ¡°magic power¡± . This meant that even his body that lacked magic power could take advantage of the ¡°Unyielding Spirit¡± . This alone was a great boon to Jinwoo . . . ¡®However¡­ What is this skill¡­¡¯. . (Unknown) (Lv . Max). Passive Skill. . . ¡°Unknown¡± that took up a line under his passive skills . As a passive skill, it should be something that activated automatically, but its information screen did not reveal any details . . . ¡®I have no clue what this is . ¡¯. . There was nothing he could find or figure out about this unknown skill . Realizing his worries would get him nowhere, Jinwoo turned his attention to the other section of his status screen . . . ¡®Stat points¡­¡¯. . The stat points he received as the reward for the Daily Quest remained undistributed . . . Stats. . Strength: 10. Constitution: 10. Agility: 10. Intelligence: 10. Sense: 10. (Available stat points: 3). . ¡®So I can raise 3 points worth of stats?¡¯. . Five different attributes were under the stats section . Being level 1, his points across the board were rather low . But remembering all that he had experienced up until now, he could not carelessly distribute his points . If the assignment of points truly enhanced his abilities, how could he make the decision lightly?. . His expression hardened . . . ¡®The meaning behind ¡°Strength¡± is pretty clear¡­¡¯. . Strength, constitution, agility . He grasped the meaning behind these attributes quite easily . After all, they were some of the more straightforward ¡®stats¡¯ in video games . The problems were the ¡°Intelligence¡± and ¡°Sense¡± stats . The curt and distant System revealed no additional details to Jinwoo . . . Would he become smarter if he increased ¡°Intelligence¡±?. . Or more keen and sharper if he increased ¡°Sense¡±?. . Regardless, those two attributes did not seem particularly useful to him . He was a Fighter-class Hunter . What he needed the most was strength, mobility and durability . . . ¡®If I had to choose one, it¡¯d be strength . ¡¯. . Increased strength would rather make a lot of things easier . He was curious on what kind of change his body would undergo when he increased his stats . As such, he selected the stat that would probably result in the most physical change in his body . . . ¡°3 points into strength . ¡±. . ring~. . Stats. . Strength: 13. Constitution: 10. Agility: 10. Intelligence: 10. Sense: 10. (Available stat points: 0). . ¡®Is¡­ is that it?¡¯. . That was it . . . All that changed was the number in front of ¡°Strength¡± going from 10 to 13 . . . In his mind, he had expected the recreation of the scene in movies or cartoons where the hero pulled forth an unknown power from within . . . ¡°Well, did anything change?¡±. . Jinwoo decided to test out his strength . He stood next to his bed and lifted it . He felt a slight resistance from the bed¡¯s weight but was able to easily lift it off the ground . Still, he was unable to tell whether this was due to the lightness of the bed or his increased strength . . . ¡®Should¡¯ve made a comparison before and after I used up the points . ¡¯. . As his points were already distributed, it was hard for him to distinguish the before and after of his changes . . . ¡®If I just had few more points¡­¡¯. . Rolling his tongue in his mouth, Jinwoo suddenly remembered something:. . ¡°The reward from the Penalty Quest!¡±. . He had remembered that it wasn¡¯t just the Daily Quest he completed today . Although he had almost died from it, he did complete the Penalty Quest and even remembered the reward message from it as well . He quickly opened his message box . . . The reward for completing the Penalty Quest has arrived . . Would you like to verify? (Y/N). . ¡°It¡¯s there!¡±. . He clenched his fists . . . Of course, the answer is ¡°Yes!¡±. . You¡¯ve received the below rewards:. Reward 1 . Stat points +3. Reward 2 . Random Box x 1. Accept all?. . Compared to the Daily Quest, there was no reward of status recovery, but what he needed now the most were stat points . Initially worried that a Penalty Quest might give reduced rewards, Jinwoo was relieved to see that it still gave him 3 stat points . . . He distributed the points in delight,. . ¡°Add 3 more points into strength!¡±. . ring~. . Stats. . Strength: 16. Constitution: 10. Agility: 10. Intelligence: 10. Sense: 10. (Available stat points: 0). . His strength had increased from 13 to 16 . He went before his bed once more and used his arms . Compared to before, the bed felt much lighter in his hands . He was able to fully comprehend the difference this time . . . ¡°It¡¯s true¡­!¡±. . He really had become stronger . By simple math, going from 10 to 16 points meant that his strength had increased by 60% . The result was blatantly clear to him now . Unable to control his excitement, Jinwoo loudly went from corner to corner of his room, lifting every furniture that he could get his hands on . He had to stop when a passing nurse peeked in and glared at him . . . ¡°¡­Sorry . ¡±. . After she left, he sighed a breath of relief . . . ¡°Phew-¡°. . But his excitement could not be abated . His heart was beating vigorously . . . ba dum ba dum. . A Daily Quest and stat point rewards!. . As long as this strange occurrence continued, his life would turn around completely going forward . It was an incredible opportunity for him . On top of that, the ¡°level¡± he saw under his status screen,. . ¡®It should be possible for me to raise my level as well, right?¡¯. . He tilted his head . . . ¡®Eh¡­ probably not . ¡¯. . It was but a dream; he did not expect himself to go that far . Just the daily rewards were good enough . . . Using stat points to increase his attributes . . . Yesterday then today, today then tomorrow, he would become stronger every day . . . ¡®To think that I, an E-rank Hunter, the ¡°Weakest Soldier¡±, could become strong?¡¯. . Forget the A-rankers and S-rankers, even his C-ranked and D-ranked comrades would laugh at him . . . Sung Jinwoo becoming strong?. . That weakling Sung Jinwoo?. . But he did not care that he would be laughed at . No, he was already used to it after all . He was just happy that this opportunity had arrived in his hands . . . Then a question appeared in his mind,. . ¡®Perhaps this is the process of a Second Awakening?¡¯. . It was a rare event, but there were cases where a Hunter at the bottom of the barrel shot up to first class through Reawakening . Maybe all those Reawakened Hunters had gone through the same phenomenon that he was experiencing right now?. . ¡®Let¡¯s find out . ¡¯. . The now curious Jinwoo sat in front of a computer in the corner of his room . As he was designated a special patient by the Association, the VIP room that he was placed in even had such luxuries for his use . . . clack clack clack clack. . His fingers moved quickly across the keyboard . . . Search after search after search . . . He went through dozens of websites, including sites only accessible by those with Hunter licenses . Going as far as purchasing paid information, he gathered and went through as many documents he could find on Reawakening . . . But nothing he found matched what he was experiencing now . . . ¡®It¡¯s different¡­¡¯. . His newfound powers were completely different from a Reawakening . . . The Hunters that went through Reawakening underwent the same process as their first Awakening[4] . No one mentioned hearing any voices on the verge of death or a video game like System that gave them stat points that increased their abilities . . . . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Unyielding Spirit¡± (??; geun-sung): The word on its own just means someone¡¯s disposition or natural spirit . Contextual clues imply the ¡°spirit¡± in this situation is one that would not give up even at 30% HP, so I chose to add the ¡°unyielding¡± in front of it . The skill description also goes as far as to say ¡°You have an unyielding/untiring spirit . ¡±. [2]: ¡°Sprint¡± (??; jil-joo): Lit . ¡°speeding¡± or ¡°sprinting¡± . Shortened to just ¡°sprint¡± based on contextual clues . . [3]: ¡°Runestones¡± (??; rune-suk): ¡°Rune¡± in english + ¡°stone¡± suk . Pretty straightforward . . [4]: I just want to clarify this with information gathered from context throughout the story (not a spoiler) . All Hunters go through their first Awakening, receiving some form of power . This power includes a combination of increases in physical ability, magic power and a list of skills . What they get at their first Awakening does not change (except for new skills learned through Runestones) . A second Awakening (Reawakening) is exactly the same: An Awakened Being would receive power again which includes a combination of increased physical ability, magic power and new skills . After Reawakening, same as before, a Hunter¡¯s power does not change . . Chapter 12 ¡®Wellll- just in case¡­¡¯ To cover his bases, Jinwoo left an anonymous post in a Hunters-only forum . ¡°Something strange has happened¡± I¡¯m suddenly able to see floating screens in the air like a video game, and I¡¯m able to use stat points to increase my ability . Has anyone experienced something similar? The replies were not kind . ¡°Hahahaha nice bullshit . ¡± ¡°Think you¡¯re crazy, bro . ¡± ¡°Check the floor for some loose screws . ¡± ¡°Think you¡¯ve been playing too much games . ¡± ¡°Are you a comic book writer?¡± ¡°Here¡¯s the direction to the nearest hospital, lol . ¡± ¡°Can you give more details?¡± ¡°Looks like we need to curate who can post here¡± The next few dozens of comments were the same . ¡°Sigh¡­¡± He was at it for few more hours, to no avail . The members of the forum just called him crazy and cursed at him . Since he got this far with no new information¡­ ¡°I suppose I¡¯m a unique case . ¡± To be unique[1] (ΨһŸo¶þ) . . . The only Hunter in the world! Of course, he had to wait to see just how far this System would take him . Just how much of a help will it be? Just what was the limit of his growth? It would take time for him to find out, but he did not feel bad about it at all . As he looked around, he realized it was already deep into night . ¡°Where did the time go¡­?¡± Furrowing his brows, he massaged his eyes that were strained through hours of computer use . He stood up and started stretching . As he moved his body back and forth, he saw the two boxes on the floor . ¡°Ah . ¡± Random Box . It looked like something that could be found in a game . Neatly wrapped in gift paper, the two boxes lay on the ground, topped with ribbons . ¡®I must¡¯ve pushed them off the bed while running around the room . ¡¯ He had forgotten about these rewards . He grabbed one of the boxes and opened it up . ¡® . . . Bandages?¡¯ As he looked at what looked like rolled up medical wrappings, an information screen with green letters popped up . Bandages Plain bandages . Use on small wounds . You may keep this item in your inventory . ¡°It¡¯s really just bandages . ¡± He wondered if it had special effects like the treasures found in Dungeons, but that did not appear to be the case . ¡®I suppose I never heard of bandages being found in Dungeons¡­¡¯ Half disappointed, half anticipating, Jinwoo opened the other box . A pen was inside . He turned it over in his hands, clicking one end and checking the tip . It was an ordinary pen . Pen An ordinary pen . Good for writing memos . You may keep this item in your inventory . Fitting to their name, the Random Boxes truly produced random items . ¡°Hmm¡­¡± But he was not completely disappointed . Although he had little uses for the two random items, he learned something valuable from observing the items . The first was that the information screen on items did not popup from observing other items around the room . As such, he surmised that this function was limited to items from the Random Boxes[2] . The second information was far more valuable: The existence of an inventory . ¡°Inventory . ¡± As he spoke the words, an information box showing dozens of item slots appeared before him . Fitting of a level 1, his inventory was almost completely empty, but Jinwoo was surprised to see a familiar item in the first slot . ¡®Thats¡­?¡¯ He took the item out . ring~ Kim Sangshik¡¯s Steel Sword Attack Power +10 It was Mr . Kim¡¯s sword that he had picked up back in the temple . He had thought that it was left behind in the Gate . ¡°Good to see you again, you bastard . ¡± He couldn¡¯t help but laugh . Remembering his last moments in the temple, he felt like the two had shared a special bond . Seeing the sword back in his hand was a welcoming sight . Additionally, he felt a shame hiding away an item like this in his inventory . ¡®Kim-ssi[3] ahjussi said he bought it for 3 million won?¡¯ Although the Hunters¡¯ weapons may appear ordinary, they were anything but . Magic beasts could not be harmed by weapons with no magic power . As such, weapons created for the purpose of facing such existences were very expensive . ¡®Looks like I¡¯ll have to use this for a while . ¡¯ Up until now, he could not afford a Hunter¡¯s weapon and fought with his bare hands . As such, even though it was a relatively cheap sword (compared to better weapons), Jinwoo was very grateful for it . ¡®It¡¯s mine now . ¡¯ Kim-ssi will probably ask for it back, foaming at his mouth, if he saw it in Jinwoo¡¯s hands . After all, he was a selfish person who could leave behind his life¡¯s savior . To Jinwoo, both the sword and his newfound powers were things he had earned with his life . He had no plans to give them back easily . His eyes became fierce . In that temple, he had learned two things . One . He had to become strong . Due to his weakness, he faced death multiple times . Not only that, even knowing what would happen, he could not stop the choir Hunter from dying . Even when he knew Kim-ssi ahjussi was in the wrong, he could not help Song-ssi ahjussi . To survive, he was forced to turn a blind eye on what was right and wrong . And two . ¡®There is no need to be needlessly kind . ¡¯ His kindness was rewarded with betrayal from his comrades . Three of his comrades left behind his incapacitated body and ran . His pleading shouts falling on their deaf ears . To think that they would forget who had saved their lives moments before . ¡®Give and take . ¡¯ From now on, he vowed to never put his life in danger for the sake of others, at least, not out some imagined goodness of his heart . After all, the most important thing in his life was¡­ his life . These were the two lessons he had learned while on the brink of death . To become stronger . To become cold . ¡°I can do it . ¡± He was a man who did not easily forget his lessons . In some streetside food stall[4], nurse Choi Yura and and her friend conversed late into the night . ¡°Ah, right . ¡± Yura suddenly realized that her friend was a Hunter Association employee . It was due to her friend that she was able to find employment at the hospital designated for Hunters . ¡°You know a lot about Hunters, right?¡± ¡°As much as anyone else, why?¡± ¡°Do you know of Hunters that can heal their injuries really fast?¡± ¡°Of course, the Healer-class Hunters . When they use their healing spells, any injuries just go woosh~!¡± ¡°No, no . Not with a spell . While unconscious . ¡± ¡°While unconscious?¡± ¡°For example if they were knocked out¡­ or maybe even sleeping . ¡± Her friend shook her head . ¡°Eh, there¡¯s no way . That¡¯s an amazing ability called regeneration . It¡¯s a special power that only appears in A-rank or higher magic beasts . Even then, only in special ones . ¡± ¡°And no humans have this ability?¡± ¡°Yeah . I¡¯ve never heard of a Hunter with such abilities . ¡± ¡°Is¡­ is that so?¡± Was she mistaken? Yura nodded along as she listened to her friend . Then her friend continued, ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m not completely sure, but maybe it¡¯s possible in S-rank Hunters . ¡± Yura raised her head at her friend¡¯s words, ¡°S-rank?¡± ¡°Well the S-rank Hunters are filled with monsters, and information regarding their powers are hard to come across . Let¡¯s see, I¡¯ve heard the Baekho Guild¡¯s Hunter Baek Yunho could even transform into an actual monster . ¡± But Sung Jinwoo was an E-rank Hunter . The information regarding a Hunter¡¯s rank was publicly available through the Association¡¯s website; anyone was able to easily look it up . Earlier that morning, out of curiosity, Yura had already read up on Sung Jinwoo through the Association¡¯s website . ¡®His rank is too low to have such an ability- ah!¡± The Reawakening of Hunters! She recalled overhearing something about a Reawakening when she had passed by his room yesterday . ¡®Did that man Reawaken as a high level Hunter?¡¯ Forget being friends, the ordinary person couldn¡¯t even dream of meeting an S-rank Hunter . This was due to their low numbers and incredibly busy schedules . But to think that one of her patients had become such an existence . An E-rank becoming an S-rank¡­ ¡®Hmm, if no one had noticed that man¡¯s value¡­¡¯ This was her only chance to earn some brownie points with Jinwoo . It was not everyday someone got a chance to befriend an S-rank Hunter . Their value was so high that it was even hard for others to meet them by spending money . Imagining all sorts of things here and there, a smile crept on Yura¡¯s face . ¡°Oh my . Girl- did something good happen? Why¡¯re you suddenly smiling?¡± ¡°Ah, no . It¡¯s nothing . ¡± Even as she shook her head, Yura could not ease up on the smile on her face . -8 . Level-up!- ¡°Whoa, look at that body!¡± ¡°Was that patient¡¯s body that good when he came in?¡± The two young nurses who caught Jinwoo¡¯s figure as they passed him whispered to each other . Pretending not to hear, Jinwoo returned to his room . It had been a week since he started doing the daily quests . Many changes had happened since then . First was the change in his body . He went up to a mirror in his room . ¡°Hmm . Hmm . ¡± He looked up and down his body in front of the mirror . Embarrassed at acting like a girl examining her outfit, he faked a cough, even though no one was watching . Still, there was a clear difference . His body was changing . ¡®My muscles are bigger . ¡¯ It was the first thing that he noticed . The fat had disappeared here and there, replaced by muscles . His shoulders had widened, and his height seemed to have increased as well . ¡®I don¡¯t look that frail any more . ¡¯ Useful muscles had appeared all across his body . If he had to describe the feeling, it was ¡°nimble¡± or ¡°agile¡± . Even as a man, his body looked nice to him . It made sense that it would turn the nurses¡¯ heads . ¡®And all this is thanks to¡­¡¯ He opened his status screen . ring~ Name: Sung Jinwoo Level: 1 Class: None Title: None HP: 100 MP: 10 Fatigue: 0 Stats Strength: 31 Constitution: 10 Agility: 10 Intelligence: 10 Sense: 10 (Available stat points: 0) Skills Passive Skills -(Unknown) (Lv . Max) -Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1) Active Skills -Sprint (Lv . 1) In no time, he had raised his strength to 31 . As he was not yet sure about the effects of other stats, he had focused all his points toward strength for now . After all, the thing that was most helpful in fighting magic beasts was strength . ¡®The body doesn¡¯t just change like this after few days of exercise . ¡¯ If he thought of it like that, there was only one possibility . His body was changing accordingly to the increases in his strength attribute; to grow muscles to maximize the usage of his rising strength . He could not think of another possibility . However, he did worry at times that he was putting too much points into strength . But seeing his changed body, he became satisfied and forgot about his worries . ¡®It really does catch the eyes . ¡¯ Day by day, his name appeared more and more in the nurses¡¯ conversations . As women who constantly worked around the human body, they were probably more sensitive to the changes in his body . With his keen hearing, he did not miss a single mention of his name around him . ¡®Maybe it¡¯s about time I got discharged . ¡¯ Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°to be unique¡± (????; ΨһŸo¶þ): ¡°only¡± + ¡°one¡± + ¡°no¡± + ¡°second¡± . I think it¡¯s a phrase that basically translates to ¡°being unique¡± . [2]: ¡°this function was limited to items from random boxes . ¡± (? ?? ?? ???? ??? ?? ?? ? ?? ?? ??? ? ?? ????? ??? ???) This part threw me off as it was blatantly wrong . The information screen literally pops up on the sword in the next section . Not sure if I¡¯ve missed something in the translation or if the MC came to a conclusion too quick . [3]: ¡°-ssi¡± (?; ¡°ssi¡±): I used ¡°Mr . ¡± or ¡°Ms . ¡± for this Korean honorific up until this point, but as I go deeper and deeper in the story, just using ¡°Mr . ¡± started to not fit that well in certain situations . The honorific is used as basic courtesy when people talk or refer to each other, especially common in older ages . [4]: ¡°streetside food stall¡± (????; ¡°po-jang-ma-cha¡±): This is a commonplace shop in Korea . A cross between food cart and an actual restaurant, vendors would set up a giant tarp to act as the inside of a shop and serve various food and drinks . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 12. . ¡®Wellll- just in case¡­¡¯. . To cover his bases, Jinwoo left an anonymous post in a Hunters-only forum . . . ¡°Something strange has happened¡±. . I¡¯m suddenly able to see floating screens in the air like a video game, and I¡¯m able to use stat points to increase my ability . Has anyone experienced something similar?. . The replies were not kind . . . ¡°Hahahaha nice bullshit . ¡±. ¡°Think you¡¯re crazy, bro . ¡±. ¡°Check the floor for some loose screws . ¡±. ¡°Think you¡¯ve been playing too much games . ¡±. ¡°Are you a comic book writer?¡±. ¡°Here¡¯s the direction to the nearest hospital, lol . ¡±. ¡°Can you give more details?¡±. ¡°Looks like we need to curate who can post here¡±. . The next few dozens of comments were the same . . . ¡°Sigh¡­¡±. . He was at it for few more hours, to no avail . The members of the forum just called him crazy and cursed at him . Since he got this far with no new information¡­. . ¡°I suppose I¡¯m a unique case . ¡±. . To be unique[1] (ΨһŸo¶þ) . . . The only Hunter in the world!. . Of course, he had to wait to see just how far this System would take him . Just how much of a help will it be? Just what was the limit of his growth? It would take time for him to find out, but he did not feel bad about it at all . . . As he looked around, he realized it was already deep into night . . . ¡°Where did the time go¡­?¡±. . Furrowing his brows, he massaged his eyes that were strained through hours of computer use . He stood up and started stretching . As he moved his body back and forth, he saw the two boxes on the floor . . . ¡°Ah . ¡±. . Random Box . . . It looked like something that could be found in a game . Neatly wrapped in gift paper, the two boxes lay on the ground, topped with ribbons . . . ¡®I must¡¯ve pushed them off the bed while running around the room . ¡¯. . He had forgotten about these rewards . He grabbed one of the boxes and opened it up . . . ¡® . Bandages?¡¯. . As he looked at what looked like rolled up medical wrappings, an information screen with green letters popped up . . . Bandages. Plain bandages . Use on small wounds . . You may keep this item in your inventory . . . ¡°It¡¯s really just bandages . ¡±. . He wondered if it had special effects like the treasures found in Dungeons, but that did not appear to be the case . . . ¡®I suppose I never heard of bandages being found in Dungeons¡­¡¯. . Half disappointed, half anticipating, Jinwoo opened the other box . . . A pen was inside . . . He turned it over in his hands, clicking one end and checking the tip . . . It was an ordinary pen . . . Pen. An ordinary pen . Good for writing memos . . You may keep this item in your inventory . . . Fitting to their name, the Random Boxes truly produced random items . . . ¡°Hmm¡­¡±. . But he was not completely disappointed . Although he had little uses for the two random items, he learned something valuable from observing the items . The first was that the information screen on items did not popup from observing other items around the room . As such, he surmised that this function was limited to items from the Random Boxes[2] . The second information was far more valuable:. . The existence of an inventory . . . ¡°Inventory . ¡±. . As he spoke the words, an information box showing dozens of item slots appeared before him . Fitting of a level 1, his inventory was almost completely empty, but Jinwoo was surprised to see a familiar item in the first slot . . . ¡®Thats¡­?¡¯. . He took the item out . . . . ring~. . Kim Sangshik¡¯s Steel Sword. Attack Power +10. . It was Mr . Kim¡¯s sword that he had picked up back in the temple . He had thought that it was left behind in the Gate . . . ¡°Good to see you again, you bastard . ¡±. . He couldn¡¯t help but laugh . Remembering his last moments in the temple, he felt like the two had shared a special bond . Seeing the sword back in his hand was a welcoming sight . Additionally, he felt a shame hiding away an item like this in his inventory . . . ¡®Kim-ssi[3] ahjussi said he bought it for 3 million won?¡¯. . Although the Hunters¡¯ weapons may appear ordinary, they were anything but . Magic beasts could not be harmed by weapons with no magic power . As such, weapons created for the purpose of facing such existences were very expensive . . . ¡®Looks like I¡¯ll have to use this for a while . ¡¯. . Up until now, he could not afford a Hunter¡¯s weapon and fought with his bare hands . As such, even though it was a relatively cheap sword (compared to better weapons), Jinwoo was very grateful for it . . . ¡®It¡¯s mine now . ¡¯. . Kim-ssi will probably ask for it back, foaming at his mouth, if he saw it in Jinwoo¡¯s hands . After all, he was a selfish person who could leave behind his life¡¯s savior . To Jinwoo, both the sword and his newfound powers were things he had earned with his life . He had no plans to give them back easily . . . His eyes became fierce . . . In that temple, he had learned two things . . . . One . He had to become strong . . . Due to his weakness, he faced death multiple times . Not only that, even knowing what would happen, he could not stop the choir Hunter from dying . Even when he knew Kim-ssi ahjussi was in the wrong, he could not help Song-ssi ahjussi . To survive, he was forced to turn a blind eye on what was right and wrong . . . And two . . . ¡®There is no need to be needlessly kind . ¡¯. . His kindness was rewarded with betrayal from his comrades . Three of his comrades left behind his incapacitated body and ran . His pleading shouts falling on their deaf ears . To think that they would forget who had saved their lives moments before . . . ¡®Give and take . ¡¯. . From now on, he vowed to never put his life in danger for the sake of others, at least, not out some imagined goodness of his heart . After all, the most important thing in his life was¡­ his life . . . These were the two lessons he had learned while on the brink of death . . . To become stronger . To become cold . . . ¡°I can do it . ¡±. . He was a man who did not easily forget his lessons . . . . . In some streetside food stall[4], nurse Choi Yura and and her friend conversed late into the night . . . ¡°Ah, right . ¡±. . Yura suddenly realized that her friend was a Hunter Association employee . It was due to her friend that she was able to find employment at the hospital designated for Hunters . . . ¡°You know a lot about Hunters, right?¡±. . ¡°As much as anyone else, why?¡±. . ¡°Do you know of Hunters that can heal their injuries really fast?¡±. . ¡°Of course, the Healer-class Hunters . When they use their healing spells, any injuries just go woosh~!¡±. . ¡°No, no . Not with a spell . While unconscious . ¡±. . ¡°While unconscious?¡±. . ¡°For example if they were knocked out¡­ or maybe even sleeping . ¡±. . Her friend shook her head . . . ¡°Eh, there¡¯s no way . That¡¯s an amazing ability called regeneration . It¡¯s a special power that only appears in A-rank or higher magic beasts . Even then, only in special ones . ¡±. . ¡°And no humans have this ability?¡±. . ¡°Yeah . I¡¯ve never heard of a Hunter with such abilities . ¡±. . ¡°Is¡­ is that so?¡±. . Was she mistaken? Yura nodded along as she listened to her friend . Then her friend continued,. . ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m not completely sure, but maybe it¡¯s possible in S-rank Hunters . ¡±. . Yura raised her head at her friend¡¯s words,. . ¡°S-rank?¡±. . ¡°Well the S-rank Hunters are filled with monsters, and information regarding their powers are hard to come across . Let¡¯s see, I¡¯ve heard the Baekho Guild¡¯s Hunter Baek Yunho could even transform into an actual monster . ¡±. . But Sung Jinwoo was an E-rank Hunter . The information regarding a Hunter¡¯s rank was publicly available through the Association¡¯s website; anyone was able to easily look it up . Earlier that morning, out of curiosity, Yura had already read up on Sung Jinwoo through the Association¡¯s website . . . ¡®His rank is too low to have such an ability- ah!¡±. . The Reawakening of Hunters!. . She recalled overhearing something about a Reawakening when she had passed by his room yesterday . . . ¡®Did that man Reawaken as a high level Hunter?¡¯. . Forget being friends, the ordinary person couldn¡¯t even dream of meeting an S-rank Hunter . This was due to their low numbers and incredibly busy schedules . But to think that one of her patients had become such an existence . An E-rank becoming an S-rank¡­. . ¡®Hmm, if no one had noticed that man¡¯s value¡­¡¯. . This was her only chance to earn some brownie points with Jinwoo . It was not everyday someone got a chance to befriend an S-rank Hunter . Their value was so high that it was even hard for others to meet them by spending money . Imagining all sorts of things here and there, a smile crept on Yura¡¯s face . . . ¡°Oh my . Girl- did something good happen? Why¡¯re you suddenly smiling?¡±. . ¡°Ah, no . It¡¯s nothing . ¡±. . Even as she shook her head, Yura could not ease up on the smile on her face . . . . -8 . Level-up!-. . ¡°Whoa, look at that body!¡±. . ¡°Was that patient¡¯s body that good when he came in?¡±. . The two young nurses who caught Jinwoo¡¯s figure as they passed him whispered to each other . . . Pretending not to hear, Jinwoo returned to his room . . . It had been a week since he started doing the daily quests . Many changes had happened since then . . . First was the change in his body . He went up to a mirror in his room . . . ¡°Hmm . Hmm . ¡±. . He looked up and down his body in front of the mirror . Embarrassed at acting like a girl examining her outfit, he faked a cough, even though no one was watching . Still, there was a clear difference . His body was changing . . . ¡®My muscles are bigger . ¡¯. . It was the first thing that he noticed . The fat had disappeared here and there, replaced by muscles . His shoulders had widened, and his height seemed to have increased as well . . . ¡®I don¡¯t look that frail any more . ¡¯. . Useful muscles had appeared all across his body . If he had to describe the feeling, it was ¡°nimble¡± or ¡°agile¡± . Even as a man, his body looked nice to him . It made sense that it would turn the nurses¡¯ heads . . . ¡®And all this is thanks to¡­¡¯. . He opened his status screen . . . . ring~. . Name: Sung Jinwoo. Level: 1. Class: None. Title: None. HP: 100. MP: 10. Fatigue: 0. Stats. . Strength: 31. Constitution: 10. Agility: 10. Intelligence: 10. Sense: 10. (Available stat points: 0). Skills. . Passive Skills. -(Unknown) (Lv . Max). -Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1). . Active Skills. -Sprint (Lv . 1). . In no time, he had raised his strength to 31 . As he was not yet sure about the effects of other stats, he had focused all his points toward strength for now . After all, the thing that was most helpful in fighting magic beasts was strength . . . ¡®The body doesn¡¯t just change like this after few days of exercise . ¡¯. . If he thought of it like that, there was only one possibility . His body was changing accordingly to the increases in his strength attribute; to grow muscles to maximize the usage of his rising strength . He could not think of another possibility . . . However, he did worry at times that he was putting too much points into strength . But seeing his changed body, he became satisfied and forgot about his worries . . . ¡®It really does catch the eyes . ¡¯. . Day by day, his name appeared more and more in the nurses¡¯ conversations . As women who constantly worked around the human body, they were probably more sensitive to the changes in his body . With his keen hearing, he did not miss a single mention of his name around him . . . ¡®Maybe it¡¯s about time I got discharged . ¡¯. . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°to be unique¡± (????; ΨһŸo¶þ): ¡°only¡± + ¡°one¡± + ¡°no¡± + ¡°second¡± . I think it¡¯s a phrase that basically translates to ¡°being unique¡± . . [2]: ¡°this function was limited to items from random boxes . ¡± (? ?? ?? ???? ??? ?? ?? ? ?? ?? ??? ? ?? ????? ??? ???) This part threw me off as it was blatantly wrong . The information screen literally pops up on the sword in the next section . Not sure if I¡¯ve missed something in the translation or if the MC came to a conclusion too quick . . [3]: ¡°-ssi¡± (?; ¡°ssi¡±): I used ¡°Mr . ¡± or ¡°Ms . ¡± for this Korean honorific up until this point, but as I go deeper and deeper in the story, just using ¡°Mr . ¡± started to not fit that well in certain situations . The honorific is used as basic courtesy when people talk or refer to each other, especially common in older ages . . [4]: ¡°streetside food stall¡± (????; ¡°po-jang-ma-cha¡±): This is a commonplace shop in Korea . A cross between food cart and an actual restaurant, vendors would set up a giant tarp to act as the inside of a shop and serve various food and drinks . . Chapter 13 He did not want to attract unwanted attention . The gazes that fell on him were uncomfortable, and he did not want to reveal his strange phenomenon to others . What was the saying? ¡°Let sleeping dogs lie . ¡±? He wanted to increase his attributes away from prying eyes . ¡®I don¡¯t think there are any issues with leaving now . ¡¯ Thankfully, all the tests they ran came up positive; there was nothing wrong with his health . He was able to discharge whenever he wanted . Rather, both the Association and the hospital appeared to want him to leave¡­ They probably felt that it was a waste to spend all that money taking care of a mere E-rank Hunter . Compared to the S-rank Hunters who received a small portion of a country¡¯s budget if they required healing, Jinwoo lived in another world . As such, he felt that it was about time he left the hospital . There was also something he wanted to check out . ¡°Where did I put it¡­¡± Searching his pockets, Jinwoo took something out . It was a golden key . Due to its simple design, the key almost appeared to be decorational . After looking at it for some time, Jinwoo put the key back in his pockets . As he was in the middle of the discharge procedures, he saw a young nurse running to him in a hurry . ¡°Pant . . . pant . . . ! Sung Jinwoo-ssi, are you leaving right now?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, yes . ¡± It was his assigned nurse, Choi Yura . She looked to be sad at the news of his discharge . Not understanding her expression, Jinwoo became confused . He wondered if something had happened, but could not place his fingers on what . After fidgeting, she held out a small notepad . ¡°Could I have your contact information?¡± ¡°My contact information?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ if it¡¯s okay with you¡­¡± Did she want to send some test results later? Not thinking too much about it, Jinwoo took her notepad . Then he realized all she had given him was the notepad . As he blatantly stared at her, Yura blushed . ¡°What, what is it?¡± ¡°Er¡­ I don¡¯t have a pen . ¡± ¡°Oh, oh! Sorry, one second . ¡± She must¡¯ve forgotten in her hurry . She quickly turned to leave . ¡®Oh, wait . If it¡¯s a pen¡­¡¯ In a blink of an eye, he was suddenly holding a pen in his hand . As if responding to his thoughts, the pen had automatically appeared from his inventory . It seemed that he was able to freely store and retrieve the items from his inventory just by thinking about it . It was a rather convenient function of the inventory . Confirming what was in his hand, Jinwoo stopped Yura, ¡°Oh wait, it looks like I had one in my pockets . ¡± ¡°Oh? Phew, that¡¯s good . ¡± Yura clutched her chest and sighed in relief . Jinwoo smiled as he wrote his phone number on the notepad . This was not the first time something like this had happened . The items that came out of the Random Box often found a way to be useful, in one way or another . The day after he received a raincoat, it rained . The day before his water cooler ran out of cups, a cup had appeared . Although he did receive few unneeded items like the bandages, most had found their use . ¡°Here you go . ¡± Yura received the notepad with a happy expression, then bowed her head . ¡°Then I¡¯ll be in your care . ¡± ¡°Hmm? Ah, yes . Me as well . ¡± Turning around, Yura quickly disappeared around the corner . As he watched her shuffle away, Jinwoo tilted his head . ¡®Be in my care? Huh?¡¯ She seemed like a cute nurse with good manners . With that in mind, Jinwoo left the hospital with a spring in his steps . The first place he went to was the Hunter Association building located in the Guro district of Seoul . As he had lost his phone in the Double Dungeon, he needed a replacement . A Hunter¡¯s phone used special mechanisms and could only be obtained directly from the Association . The Association staff told Jinwoo after looking at his monitor, ¡°It looks like Hunter-nim¡¯s phone will be available in about 2 weeks . ¡± ¡°Really? That long?¡± Jinwoo exclaimed in surprise . His old phone was smashed to pieces when he was running from the Statue of God, and now they were telling him it would be 2 weeks before he could get a new one . ¡°If you have an urgent need for one, we can lend you a temporary phone . The rental fee is 50 thousand won . ¡± 50 thousand won¡­ Just the rental fee was that high . At his current status, it was too expensive . ¡®Well, it¡¯s not like anyone¡¯s going to call me . ¡¯ If they could not contact him through his phone, the Association would call him at home . So there wasn¡¯t a need for him to use money on a rental . Jinwoo shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ll just wait . ¡± ¡°Understood . When your new device is ready, we¡¯ll send it directly to your home . ¡± ¡°Thank you . ¡± He stood up . His errands were now over . He had already finished the daily quest, and the process of requesting a new phone at the Association was over as well . As he exited the building, he took out the golden key again . ¡®Is it time for this thing?¡¯ The key¡¯s information was outlined in green letters on the floating screen . Dungeon Key Rarity[1]: E-rank Type: Key Key to access an Instant Dungeon . Usable in Hapjeong Subway Station #3 . It was one of the rewards from a Random Box . At first, he was confused at the appearance a key, but looking at the first instance of a ¡°rarity¡± on an item, he knew it was not something ordinary . It was one of the main reasons he had decided to leave the hospital . ¡®A key to access an Instant Dungeon¡­¡¯ Even if it was called ¡°Instant¡±, a Dungeon was a Dungeon . It was a word that brought back a lot of painful memories . Once, he had participated in an E-rank raid but received a big injury and had to be hospitalized for a week . ¡®At least at that time, no one else got hurt in the party¡­¡¯ However, if he entered a Dungeon with this key, it would have to be completely alone . Jinwoo made the decision after thinking for some time . ¡®I could just check it out and leave . ¡¯ There was always the option of running away . Diligently running 10km everyday, Jinwoo was confident in his ability to run away . That confidence was a mistake . slam, slam! ¡°This is¡­ a wall?¡± He pounded on the invisible barrier and tried to scream towards the outside, but there was no response . The people outside walked by, taking no notice of him . Occasionally, someone would walk down the stairs into the subway station, but the moment they reached the invisible wall, they disappeared . Compared to the outside, it seemed like this place was in a separate dimension . As Jinwoo used all his strength to try and force his way out, he received another message . ring~ You cannot exit the Dungeon . Please defeat the boss or use a ¡°return stone¡±[2] It was the same message he received when he first tried to leave . The dungeon key that he was holding disappeared the moment he took a step into the Subway Station #3 . When he panicked and turned around to leave, an invisible barrier was already blocking his way . He had initially expected to find a Gate or a secret entrance somewhere in the station, but his expectations were off the mark . And worse, contrary to a normal Dungeon, it was impossible for him to leave . ¡°Contrary to a normal Dungeon¡­¡± With a heavy sigh, he turned around . The station had transformed, combining its natural interior with elements of a jungle . The walls were covered in vines, and the smell of rotting corpse stabbed at Jinwoo¡¯s nose . From a distance, he even heard something resembling an animal¡¯s cry . ¡° . . . ¡± Instead of finding an entrance somewhere in Hapjeong Subway Station, the entire station had become the Dungeon . Jinwoo retrieved the steel sword from his inventory . ring~ Kim Sangshik¡¯s Steel Sword Attack Power +10 If retreat wasn¡¯t an option, the only way was forward . Jinwoo gulped as he slowly descended the stairs into the station . He held his breath and looked around, but did not sense anything . Yet he could not relax; carelessness was not allowed . Even among the lower level magic beasts, there were ones that could hide their presence . Rather, it was because they were lower level that they had to hide their presence and attempt an ambush . He passed by a bathroom and came upon an underground shopping center . The various storefronts were in a state of deterioration . With no humans in sight, the dimly lit area was reminiscent of an apocalyptic movie . A hair-raising chill washed over Jinwoo . flicker- flicker- As if on their last legs, several of the ceiling lights flickered on and off . Walking on weeds that grew out from broken tiles, Jinwoo looked around anxiously . ¡° . . . ¡± His surroundings were empty, but he felt something looking at him . ¡®And this smell . ¡¯ A strong stench of a rotting corpse was coming from somewhere . Having entered many Dungeons before, it was a familiar smell to Jinwoo . ¡®It¡¯s a beast type magic beast[3]¡¯ However, he could not pinpoint its location . It was almost as if was waiting to ambush a prey . ¡®So you¡¯re gonna hide and wait for an opportunity, eh?¡¯ Then he¡¯ll give it an opportunity . Jinwoo turned around and showed his back on purpose, then slowly walked in the direction he came from . Predators tended to attack a prey¡¯s exposed back; the beast type magic beasts were no different . It was after he took his third step, shatter! The windows of a clothing storefront broke apart as something leaped through it from inside . The moment it landed on the floor, it immediately jumped again towards the back of Jinwoo¡¯s neck . Roar! Having already anticipated the attack, Jinwoo responded to the creature¡¯s roar by swinging his sword as he turned around . It was an impressive reflex! slash-! The sharp sword caught the chin of the attacking beast as it swung through the air . Falling away, the beast shrieked as it rolled on the ground . whimper- whimper- It was a large wolf with red furs . Having lost its entire snout, the wolf tossed and turned on the ground in pain . When Jinwoo looked closer, he was able to see a name above the beast¡¯s head, similar to the centipedes from the Penalty Zone . ¡®Steel-teeth Lycan¡¯ [4] However, unlike the centipedes whose name was in red, his current enemy¡¯s name was in white . ¡®No time to think about it!¡¯ With the beast writhing on the ground in pain, the opportunity to finish it was now . Jinwoo ran across the distance between the two . He brought down his sword as he reached the beast . Its head was cleanly separated from its body . whimper-! The Lycan let out a death rattle as it passed . You¡¯ve defeated the Steel-teeth Lycan . ¡°Good!¡± But he did not have time to celebrate . From the broken window, two more Lycans that were hiding in the darkness came out . ¡®Ah, it had friends . ¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened, Roar! Baring their scary fangs, the two beasts closed the gap toward Jinwoo in an instant . Jinwoo furrowed his brows . In his excitement to slay the first Lycan, he had brought down his sword with too much force, and now the sword was stuck in the ground . ¡®It¡¯s stuck!¡¯ While he was struggling to pull out the sword, one of the Lycans pounced towards his face . ¡°Whoa!¡± He quickly lowered his head to evade . The Lycan that missed his head could not control its speed and crashed into the ground . crack! The ground where its fangs struck cracked . ¡®Guess ¡°Steel-teeth¡± isn¡¯t just a name¡¯ But there was no time to be impressed, the other Lycan was now coming at him . The sword did not appear to be coming out anytime soon . ¡°Shit!¡± Having no choice, he abandoned the sword and swung his fist at the Lycan in midair . woosh! Making noise like the wind, his fist flew through the air . smash! Upon impact, the Lycan¡¯s head exploded . The headless body of the Lycan struck the ceiling then fell to the ground . slam! ¡° . . . ?¡± Jinwoo looked at his fist in surprise . Its destructive power was not something he had expected . Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Rarity¡± (?? ???): Lit . ¡°to obtain/get/acquire¡± ?? + ¡°difficulty¡± ??? > ¡°the difficulty in obtaining this item¡± > ¡°rarity¡± [2]: ¡°return stone¡± (???): Lit . ¡°to return¡± ?? + ¡°rock¡± ? > a return stone . In some video games, it¡¯s an item that allows the user to return to the nearest safe place (towns, save points, etc¡­) . Called ¡°hearthstone¡± in WoW . [3]: ¡°beast type magic beast¡± (??? ??): Lit . ¡°beast/animal¡± ?? + ¡°type¡± ? + ¡°magic beast¡± ??; the two words for ¡°beast¡± are different in Korean . A bit awkward to say ¡°beast type magic beast¡±, but Jinwoo clarifying the ¡°type¡± of the magic beast here has the implication that ¡°magic beast¡± just refers to any hostile entity in a Dungeon (meaning their forms are not just limited to beasts and animals) . [4]: ¡®steel-teeth lycan¡¯ (?? ?? ???) . Pretty literal translation . ¡°Steel¡± ?? + ¡°tooth¡± ?? . Someone told me ¡°Lycan¡± is the korean pronunciation of lycan, short for lycanthrope . Thanks to /u/Zarryiosiad for the reference . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 13. . He did not want to attract unwanted attention . The gazes that fell on him were uncomfortable, and he did not want to reveal his strange phenomenon to others . What was the saying? ¡°Let sleeping dogs lie . ¡±?. . He wanted to increase his attributes away from prying eyes . . . ¡®I don¡¯t think there are any issues with leaving now . ¡¯. . Thankfully, all the tests they ran came up positive; there was nothing wrong with his health . He was able to discharge whenever he wanted . Rather, both the Association and the hospital appeared to want him to leave¡­ They probably felt that it was a waste to spend all that money taking care of a mere E-rank Hunter . Compared to the S-rank Hunters who received a small portion of a country¡¯s budget if they required healing, Jinwoo lived in another world . . . As such, he felt that it was about time he left the hospital . . . There was also something he wanted to check out . . . ¡°Where did I put it¡­¡±. . Searching his pockets, Jinwoo took something out . . . It was a golden key . . . Due to its simple design, the key almost appeared to be decorational . . . After looking at it for some time, Jinwoo put the key back in his pockets . . . . . As he was in the middle of the discharge procedures, he saw a young nurse running to him in a hurry . . . ¡°Pant . pant . ! Sung Jinwoo-ssi, are you leaving right now?¡±. . ¡°Huh? Oh, yes . ¡±. . It was his assigned nurse, Choi Yura . She looked to be sad at the news of his discharge . Not understanding her expression, Jinwoo became confused . He wondered if something had happened, but could not place his fingers on what . After fidgeting, she held out a small notepad . . . ¡°Could I have your contact information?¡±. . ¡°My contact information?¡±. . ¡°Yes¡­ if it¡¯s okay with you¡­¡±. . Did she want to send some test results later? Not thinking too much about it, Jinwoo took her notepad . Then he realized all she had given him was the notepad . . . As he blatantly stared at her, Yura blushed . . . ¡°What, what is it?¡±. . ¡°Er¡­ I don¡¯t have a pen . ¡±. . ¡°Oh, oh! Sorry, one second . ¡±. . She must¡¯ve forgotten in her hurry . She quickly turned to leave . . . ¡®Oh, wait . If it¡¯s a pen¡­¡¯. . In a blink of an eye, he was suddenly holding a pen in his hand . As if responding to his thoughts, the pen had automatically appeared from his inventory . It seemed that he was able to freely store and retrieve the items from his inventory just by thinking about it . It was a rather convenient function of the inventory . Confirming what was in his hand, Jinwoo stopped Yura,. . ¡°Oh wait, it looks like I had one in my pockets . ¡±. . ¡°Oh? Phew, that¡¯s good . ¡±. . Yura clutched her chest and sighed in relief . Jinwoo smiled as he wrote his phone number on the notepad . This was not the first time something like this had happened . The items that came out of the Random Box often found a way to be useful, in one way or another . The day after he received a raincoat, it rained . The day before his water cooler ran out of cups, a cup had appeared . Although he did receive few unneeded items like the bandages, most had found their use . . . ¡°Here you go . ¡±. . Yura received the notepad with a happy expression, then bowed her head . . . ¡°Then I¡¯ll be in your care . ¡±. . ¡°Hmm? Ah, yes . Me as well . ¡±. . Turning around, Yura quickly disappeared around the corner . As he watched her shuffle away, Jinwoo tilted his head . . . ¡®Be in my care? Huh?¡¯. . She seemed like a cute nurse with good manners . . . With that in mind, Jinwoo left the hospital with a spring in his steps . . . . . The first place he went to was the Hunter Association building located in the Guro district of Seoul . As he had lost his phone in the Double Dungeon, he needed a replacement . A Hunter¡¯s phone used special mechanisms and could only be obtained directly from the Association . . . The Association staff told Jinwoo after looking at his monitor,. . ¡°It looks like Hunter-nim¡¯s phone will be available in about 2 weeks . ¡±. . ¡°Really? That long?¡±. . Jinwoo exclaimed in surprise . His old phone was smashed to pieces when he was running from the Statue of God, and now they were telling him it would be 2 weeks before he could get a new one . . . ¡°If you have an urgent need for one, we can lend you a temporary phone . The rental fee is 50 thousand won . ¡±. . 50 thousand won¡­ Just the rental fee was that high . At his current status, it was too expensive . . . ¡®Well, it¡¯s not like anyone¡¯s going to call me . ¡¯. . If they could not contact him through his phone, the Association would call him at home . So there wasn¡¯t a need for him to use money on a rental . . . Jinwoo shook his head,. . ¡°I¡¯ll just wait . ¡±. ¡°Understood . When your new device is ready, we¡¯ll send it directly to your home . ¡±. . ¡°Thank you . ¡±. . He stood up . His errands were now over . He had already finished the daily quest, and the process of requesting a new phone at the Association was over as well . As he exited the building, he took out the golden key again . . . ¡®Is it time for this thing?¡¯. . The key¡¯s information was outlined in green letters on the floating screen . . . Dungeon Key. Rarity[1]: E-rank. Type: Key. Key to access an Instant Dungeon . . Usable in Hapjeong Subway Station #3 . . . It was one of the rewards from a Random Box . At first, he was confused at the appearance a key, but looking at the first instance of a ¡°rarity¡± on an item, he knew it was not something ordinary . It was one of the main reasons he had decided to leave the hospital . . . ¡®A key to access an Instant Dungeon¡­¡¯. . Even if it was called ¡°Instant¡±, a Dungeon was a Dungeon . It was a word that brought back a lot of painful memories . Once, he had participated in an E-rank raid but received a big injury and had to be hospitalized for a week . . . ¡®At least at that time, no one else got hurt in the party¡­¡¯. . However, if he entered a Dungeon with this key, it would have to be completely alone . . . Jinwoo made the decision after thinking for some time . . . ¡®I could just check it out and leave . ¡¯. . There was always the option of running away . Diligently running 10km everyday, Jinwoo was confident in his ability to run away . . . . . That confidence was a mistake . . . slam, slam!. . ¡°This is¡­ a wall?¡±. . He pounded on the invisible barrier and tried to scream towards the outside, but there was no response . The people outside walked by, taking no notice of him . Occasionally, someone would walk down the stairs into the subway station, but the moment they reached the invisible wall, they disappeared . Compared to the outside, it seemed like this place was in a separate dimension . . . As Jinwoo used all his strength to try and force his way out, he received another message . . . ring~. . You cannot exit the Dungeon . . Please defeat the boss or use a ¡°return stone¡±[2]. . It was the same message he received when he first tried to leave . . . The dungeon key that he was holding disappeared the moment he took a step into the Subway Station #3 . When he panicked and turned around to leave, an invisible barrier was already blocking his way . . . He had initially expected to find a Gate or a secret entrance somewhere in the station, but his expectations were off the mark . And worse, contrary to a normal Dungeon, it was impossible for him to leave . . . ¡°Contrary to a normal Dungeon¡­¡±. . With a heavy sigh, he turned around . . . The station had transformed, combining its natural interior with elements of a jungle . The walls were covered in vines, and the smell of rotting corpse stabbed at Jinwoo¡¯s nose . From a distance, he even heard something resembling an animal¡¯s cry . . . ¡° . ¡±. . Instead of finding an entrance somewhere in Hapjeong Subway Station, the entire station had become the Dungeon . . . Jinwoo retrieved the steel sword from his inventory . . . . ring~. . Kim Sangshik¡¯s Steel Sword. Attack Power +10. . If retreat wasn¡¯t an option, the only way was forward . . . Jinwoo gulped as he slowly descended the stairs into the station . He held his breath and looked around, but did not sense anything . Yet he could not relax; carelessness was not allowed . Even among the lower level magic beasts, there were ones that could hide their presence . Rather, it was because they were lower level that they had to hide their presence and attempt an ambush . . . He passed by a bathroom and came upon an underground shopping center . The various storefronts were in a state of deterioration . With no humans in sight, the dimly lit area was reminiscent of an apocalyptic movie . A hair-raising chill washed over Jinwoo . . . flicker- flicker-. . As if on their last legs, several of the ceiling lights flickered on and off . . . Walking on weeds that grew out from broken tiles, Jinwoo looked around anxiously . . . ¡° . ¡±. . His surroundings were empty, but he felt something looking at him . . . ¡®And this smell . ¡¯. . A strong stench of a rotting corpse was coming from somewhere . Having entered many Dungeons before, it was a familiar smell to Jinwoo . . . ¡®It¡¯s a beast type magic beast[3]¡¯. . However, he could not pinpoint its location . It was almost as if was waiting to ambush a prey . . . ¡®So you¡¯re gonna hide and wait for an opportunity, eh?¡¯. . Then he¡¯ll give it an opportunity . . . Jinwoo turned around and showed his back on purpose, then slowly walked in the direction he came from . Predators tended to attack a prey¡¯s exposed back; the beast type magic beasts were no different . . . It was after he took his third step,. . shatter!. . The windows of a clothing storefront broke apart as something leaped through it from inside . The moment it landed on the floor, it immediately jumped again towards the back of Jinwoo¡¯s neck . . . Roar!. . Having already anticipated the attack, Jinwoo responded to the creature¡¯s roar by swinging his sword as he turned around . It was an impressive reflex!. . slash-!. . The sharp sword caught the chin of the attacking beast as it swung through the air . Falling away, the beast shrieked as it rolled on the ground . . . whimper- whimper-. . It was a large wolf with red furs . Having lost its entire snout, the wolf tossed and turned on the ground in pain . When Jinwoo looked closer, he was able to see a name above the beast¡¯s head, similar to the centipedes from the Penalty Zone . . . ¡®Steel-teeth Lycan¡¯ [4]. . However, unlike the centipedes whose name was in red, his current enemy¡¯s name was in white . . . ¡®No time to think about it!¡¯. . With the beast writhing on the ground in pain, the opportunity to finish it was now . Jinwoo ran across the distance between the two . He brought down his sword as he reached the beast . Its head was cleanly separated from its body . . . whimper-!. . The Lycan let out a death rattle as it passed . . . You¡¯ve defeated the Steel-teeth Lycan . . . ¡°Good!¡±. . But he did not have time to celebrate . From the broken window, two more Lycans that were hiding in the darkness came out . . . ¡®Ah, it had friends . ¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened,. . Roar!. . Baring their scary fangs, the two beasts closed the gap toward Jinwoo in an instant . Jinwoo furrowed his brows . In his excitement to slay the first Lycan, he had brought down his sword with too much force, and now the sword was stuck in the ground . . . ¡®It¡¯s stuck!¡¯. . While he was struggling to pull out the sword, one of the Lycans pounced towards his face . . . ¡°Whoa!¡±. . He quickly lowered his head to evade . The Lycan that missed his head could not control its speed and crashed into the ground . . . crack!. . The ground where its fangs struck cracked . . . ¡®Guess ¡°Steel-teeth¡± isn¡¯t just a name¡¯. . But there was no time to be impressed, the other Lycan was now coming at him . The sword did not appear to be coming out anytime soon . . . ¡°Shit!¡±. . Having no choice, he abandoned the sword and swung his fist at the Lycan in midair . . . woosh!. . Making noise like the wind, his fist flew through the air . . . smash!. . Upon impact, the Lycan¡¯s head exploded . The headless body of the Lycan struck the ceiling then fell to the ground . . . slam!. . ¡° . ?¡±. . Jinwoo looked at his fist in surprise . . . Its destructive power was not something he had expected . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Rarity¡± (?? ???): Lit . ¡°to obtain/get/acquire¡± ?? + ¡°difficulty¡± ??? > ¡°the difficulty in obtaining this item¡± > ¡°rarity¡±. [2]: ¡°return stone¡± (???): Lit . ¡°to return¡± ?? + ¡°rock¡± ? > a return stone . In some video games, it¡¯s an item that allows the user to return to the nearest safe place (towns, save points, etc¡­) . Called ¡°hearthstone¡± in WoW . . [3]: ¡°beast type magic beast¡± (??? ??): Lit . ¡°beast/animal¡± ?? + ¡°type¡± ? + ¡°magic beast¡± ??; the two words for ¡°beast¡± are different in Korean . A bit awkward to say ¡°beast type magic beast¡±, but Jinwoo clarifying the ¡°type¡± of the magic beast here has the implication that ¡°magic beast¡± just refers to any hostile entity in a Dungeon (meaning their forms are not just limited to beasts and animals) . . [4]: ¡®steel-teeth lycan¡¯ (?? ?? ???) . Pretty literal translation . ¡°Steel¡± ?? + ¡°tooth¡± ?? . Someone told me ¡°Lycan¡± is the korean pronunciation of lycan, short for lycanthrope . Thanks to /u/Zarryiosiad for the reference . . . Chapter 14 The Lycan that had flown over his head was now looking at him with fear . Its tail lowered, the wolf began to step backwards . ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Was this the result of putting all of his points into strength? As he stared at his fist with an open mouth, the headless body of the Lycan convulsed with a finality then stopped moving . A familiar electronic sound rang through Jinwoo¡¯s head . ring~ You¡¯ve defeated the Steel-tooth Lycan . You¡¯ve leveled up! ¡°I¡¯ve leveled up?¡± Make sure he didn¡¯t mishear, Jinwoo quickly opened his status screen . Name: Sung Jinwoo Level: 2 Class: None Title: None HP: 205 MP: 22 Fatigue: 0 Stats Strength: 32 Constitution: 11 Agility: 11 Intelligence: 11 Sense: 11 (Available stat points: 0) Skills Passive Skills -(Unknown) (Lv . Max) -Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1) Active Skills -Sprint (Lv . 1) [1] He really had leveled up . With it, all of his stats had increased by 1 point . Jinwoo realized that the quest rewards were not the only way to raise his attributes . It was apparent that leveling up increased them as well . ¡®To think that I could level-up!¡¯ Something that he had only dreamt about was now a reality before him . His heartbeat quickened . ¡®And the total points I¡¯ve gained is bigger than the daily quest . ¡¯ The stat points he received from quests were 3 . The stat points he gained from leveling up were 5 . Although he could not freely distribute these 5 points, the total benefit from a level-up was much bigger than the quest reward . ¡®And I leveled up after taking down just two of them . ¡¯ In a video game, low level characters were able to level up quickly . Jinwoo was currently level 2 . You could say he was at the bottom of the barrel . But his level did not properly reflect his strength . After all, his strength was already above 30; if you treated one level-up being equivalent to one point of strength, Jinwoo already had the strength of someone above level 20 . And when a level 1 character hunts with the strength of a level 20? ¡®I think they call this ¡°power leveling¡±?¡¯ The destructive power of his punch that surpassed all expectations was a testament to his progress . ¡®I¡¯ve tripled the strength attribute, but I feel more than just three times stronger than before . ¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s original strength stat was 10 . The difference between 10 strength and 30 strength was a factor of 3, but his power felt much greater than that . ¡®Maybe¡­¡¯ What if value of his attributes became weighted as they increased[2]? That would explain this destructive power . On top of that, his movements had also become faster . If it was the old him, he could not imagine dodging the beasts¡¯ fast attacks or make the wind howl when he made a punch . ¡°I suppose increasing my muscles would make me faster . ¡± It seemed that increasing the strength stat increased both his ¡®strength¡¯ and ¡®speed¡¯ . His battle with the Lycan was the proof . But what about the agility stat? If not his mobility, what would it increase? Jinwoo knew he could not satisfy his curiosity without more stat points . ¡®Even if I had some¡­¡¯ It felt a little wasteful to use up the points from quest rewards in agility . If he could raise both his power and speed through the strength stat, why put points into agility? If that¡¯s the case, there was one answer . ¡®Increase my level as fast as possible . ¡¯ He would obtain points in the agility stat through leveling up, gathering clumps of dirt until he had a sizeable hill . Surely the result of the incremental increases would be noticed eventually . ¡®Then, shall I get started?¡¯ He remembered the remaining Lycan . ¡°But, where did that bastard go?¡± The Lycan that had cowered nearby had disappeared . Jinwoo looked around but could not find traces of the beast . It appeared to have ran away while Jinwoo was focused on his status screen . ¡°Bleh . ¡± He rolled his tongue in his mouth, disappointed at the loss of experience points . As he began to walk away, ¡®Wait, do these things drop magic cores?¡¯ He stopped himself in thought . Every magic beast found in Gates had a magic core in their body; sometimes, a single magic beast could carry multiple cores . If you were lucky, you might even find a Runestone . The magic cores, which had many uses, and the Runestones, which taught valuable skills, could be sold for a high price . It would not be an exaggeration to say that the primary objective of most Hunters in a raid was to obtain magic cores . Jinwoo was a Hunter . Walking away from a hunt empty handed made him feel disappointed . Just in case, he had cut open the belly of one of the Lycan but found nothing . It seemed like these things were something different than a magic beast . In his Hunting experience, Jinwoo did not recall hearing anything about a wolf-like magic beast that resembled these Lycans . As Jinwoo wiped his hands and got up to leave, ¡°Hmm?¡± He saw something shining in the Lycan¡¯s mouth . Jinwoo opened its jaws . One of the Lycan¡¯s teeth was sparkling with light . When he reached out to it, a message appeared . You¡¯ve found a ¡°Lycan¡¯s canine¡± Would you like to acquire it? ¡°Acquire . ¡± Lycan¡¯s canine Rarity: None Type: Junk A Lycan¡¯s large and sharp canine . You may keep this item in your inventory . You may sell this item in the shop . Jinwoo read the canine in his hand and was taken back . ¡®There was a shop?¡¯ Where in the world did this unhelpful System come from? To think that it would force the user to figure out everything on his own . Jinwoo recalled how it had given him no explanation about the penalty quest; it just threw him in the penalty zone and expected him to run from death until his body gave out . Jinwoo gritted his teeth and called the shop . ¡°Shop . ¡± He half expected an NPC shopkeeper to popup out of nowhere . He was disappointed to find that the ¡®shop¡¯ just ended up being another information screen floating like a hologram . As if that wasn¡¯t enough, the green letters on the screen displayed just two words . Buy Sell ¡° . . . ¡± Wow . What an amazing shop . Jinwoo selected ¡°buy¡± . Although he had no money in his pockets, he was curious on what kind of items could be found in this shop . But of course, the System was not very kind . Your level is insufficient to use the ¡°buy¡± function . He was used to being turned away from places that needed money . ¡°Yessir, yessir . ¡± Not paying mind, he turned his eyes toward the other function . Would you like to sell the Lycan¡¯s canine? ¡°Sure . ¡± With a sound of coins dropping, his inventory opened up . At the base of the inventory screen, the section that said ¡°Gold¡± was now displaying 20 . Yesterday, it was 0 . ¡®20 gold . ¡¯ Unable to use it in real life or in the System, he was not sure what the value of this amount was . ¡®I doubt anything from an E-rank Dungeon would be useful . ¡¯ Even if there was a difference between a Dungeon and an Instant Dungeon . Still, Jinwoo started to head over and collect the other Lycan¡¯s teeth . He facepalmed . ¡°Right . I blew off its head¡­¡± Disappointed, he turned to leave . He was disappointed at the loss of 20 gold, the value of which he wasn¡¯t even sure about, but he was not about to waste the time to look for a tiny tooth that could¡¯ve flown off to god knows where . As he turned around, his disappointment melted away like snow . grrrrrrrrl grrrrl grrrrrrrl~ The Lycan that had ran away had returned with many more wolves! Jinwoo¡¯s face bloomed into a smile . At a glance, there were more than 20 of them . ¡°Eureka!¡± ¡®Wait, that¡¯s not the word¡­ . Whatever . ¡¯ What was certain was his happiness . He squeezed the hilt of his sword . ¡°Thank you for the meal~¡± At his greedy gaze, the Lycans cowered and trembled . Jinwoo leaped toward the beasts . You¡¯ve leveled up! You¡¯ve leveled up! You¡¯ve leveled up! As expected, his level rose quickly . Having ran around the entire first floor looking for Lycans, Jinwoo¡¯s level had already increased to 7 . A rather large leap of 5 levels . whimper-! As he took down the last remaining Lycan, a strange message appeared . ring~ You¡¯ve obtained the title, ¡°Wolf Slayer¡± ¡°Title?¡± Wolf Slayer All stats increased by 40% against beast type monsters . A title given to a hunter experienced in slaying wolves . His status screen reflected the new title as well: Name: Sung Jinwoo Level: 7 Class: None Title: Wolf Slayer HP: 766 MP: 81 Fatigue: 3 Stats Strength: 37 Constitution: 16 Agility: 16 Intelligence: 16 Sense: 16 (Available stat points: 0) Skills Passive Skills -(Unknown) (Lv . Max) -Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1) Active Skills -Sprint (Lv . 1) A stat boost against beast type monsters . Although the effect was limited against certain types, a 40% boost was nothing to scoff at . ¡®There¡¯s a lot of beast type magic beasts out there, wonder if it works against them?¡¯ If it did, it would help a lot in Raiding . Still, the loot so far was rather disappointing . ¡®34 canines, two rusty daggers, an adventurer¡¯s clothes and a return stone . ¡¯ Every once in a while, a wolf¡¯s belly would contain items . However, most were not particularly useful . The rusty daggers had lower attack power compared to his steel sword, and the adventurer¡¯s clothes ended up being junk items that he could not use . After selling all the junk he had picked up, Jinwoo had earned about a thousand gold . Current Gold: 1,060 ¡° . . . I can¡¯t tell if that¡¯s a lot or little . ¡± No matter how much he collected, there was nowhere he could spend it . Ignoring the gold, the only other item that he had now was the return stone . He recalled the invisible barrier that stopped him no matter how much force was applied . The System had told him he required one of these to exit . So, now he knew he was able to leave . Jinwoo was at a crossroad . Ahead was the stairs descending to basement level 2 . In his hand, the return stone . ¡®Forward or retreat¡­¡¯ If it was his old self, he would¡¯ve ran away without a second thought . After all, it was the only way he survived the many Raids with his weak abilities . Others called it a miracle, but he knew it was due to his clever movements . But it was different now . He did not want to turn back . If he left now, he felt like he could not return . ¡°I¡¯m sick of running away . ¡± It was about time he faced danger head on . He put the return stone back in his pockets . His footsteps down the stairs were light . Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: Oh shit, I just realized I can stack the stat screens horizontally¡­ I had to keep making page breaks when I had them vertical . Hope it doesn¡¯t impact the mobile readers too much . [2]: Sorry, I¡¯m actually not a 100% sure what the original phrase is referring to (???? ????? ???? ?????) . Lit would be ¡°as attributes go up¡± ¡°weighted value¡± ¡°is applied¡± . From context, I just gathered it to mean that the increases in his abilities were not arithmetic (straight line progression) but geometric (increasing progression) . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 14. . The Lycan that had flown over his head was now looking at him with fear . Its tail lowered, the wolf began to step backwards . . . ¡°Huh¡­?¡±. . Was this the result of putting all of his points into strength?. . As he stared at his fist with an open mouth, the headless body of the Lycan convulsed with a finality then stopped moving . A familiar electronic sound rang through Jinwoo¡¯s head . . . ring~. . You¡¯ve defeated the Steel-tooth Lycan . . . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . . . ¡°I¡¯ve leveled up?¡±. . Make sure he didn¡¯t mishear, Jinwoo quickly opened his status screen . . . Name: Sung Jinwoo. Level: 2. Class: None. Title: None. HP: 205. MP: 22. Fatigue: 0. Stats. . Strength: 32. Constitution: 11. Agility: 11. Intelligence: 11. Sense: 11. (Available stat points: 0). Skills. . Passive Skills. -(Unknown) (Lv . Max). -Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1). . Active Skills. -Sprint (Lv . 1). [1]. . He really had leveled up . With it, all of his stats had increased by 1 point . Jinwoo realized that the quest rewards were not the only way to raise his attributes . It was apparent that leveling up increased them as well . . . ¡®To think that I could level-up!¡¯. . Something that he had only dreamt about was now a reality before him . . . His heartbeat quickened . . . ¡®And the total points I¡¯ve gained is bigger than the daily quest . ¡¯. . The stat points he received from quests were 3 . . . The stat points he gained from leveling up were 5 . . . Although he could not freely distribute these 5 points, the total benefit from a level-up was much bigger than the quest reward . . . ¡®And I leveled up after taking down just two of them . ¡¯. . In a video game, low level characters were able to level up quickly . . . Jinwoo was currently level 2 . You could say he was at the bottom of the barrel . But his level did not properly reflect his strength . After all, his strength was already above 30; if you treated one level-up being equivalent to one point of strength, Jinwoo already had the strength of someone above level 20 . And when a level 1 character hunts with the strength of a level 20?. . ¡®I think they call this ¡°power leveling¡±?¡¯. . The destructive power of his punch that surpassed all expectations was a testament to his progress . . . ¡®I¡¯ve tripled the strength attribute, but I feel more than just three times stronger than before . ¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s original strength stat was 10 . The difference between 10 strength and 30 strength was a factor of 3, but his power felt much greater than that . . . ¡®Maybe¡­¡¯. . What if value of his attributes became weighted as they increased[2]? That would explain this destructive power . On top of that, his movements had also become faster . If it was the old him, he could not imagine dodging the beasts¡¯ fast attacks or make the wind howl when he made a punch . . . ¡°I suppose increasing my muscles would make me faster . ¡±. . It seemed that increasing the strength stat increased both his ¡®strength¡¯ and ¡®speed¡¯ . His battle with the Lycan was the proof . . . But what about the agility stat? If not his mobility, what would it increase?. . Jinwoo knew he could not satisfy his curiosity without more stat points . . . ¡®Even if I had some¡­¡¯. . It felt a little wasteful to use up the points from quest rewards in agility . If he could raise both his power and speed through the strength stat, why put points into agility?. . If that¡¯s the case, there was one answer . . . ¡®Increase my level as fast as possible . ¡¯. . He would obtain points in the agility stat through leveling up, gathering clumps of dirt until he had a sizeable hill . Surely the result of the incremental increases would be noticed eventually . . . ¡®Then, shall I get started?¡¯. . He remembered the remaining Lycan . . . ¡°But, where did that bastard go?¡±. . The Lycan that had cowered nearby had disappeared . Jinwoo looked around but could not find traces of the beast . It appeared to have ran away while Jinwoo was focused on his status screen . . . ¡°Bleh . ¡±. . He rolled his tongue in his mouth, disappointed at the loss of experience points . As he began to walk away,. . ¡®Wait, do these things drop magic cores?¡¯. . He stopped himself in thought . . . Every magic beast found in Gates had a magic core in their body; sometimes, a single magic beast could carry multiple cores . If you were lucky, you might even find a Runestone . The magic cores, which had many uses, and the Runestones, which taught valuable skills, could be sold for a high price . It would not be an exaggeration to say that the primary objective of most Hunters in a raid was to obtain magic cores . . . Jinwoo was a Hunter . Walking away from a hunt empty handed made him feel disappointed . Just in case, he had cut open the belly of one of the Lycan but found nothing . It seemed like these things were something different than a magic beast . . . In his Hunting experience, Jinwoo did not recall hearing anything about a wolf-like magic beast that resembled these Lycans . . . As Jinwoo wiped his hands and got up to leave,. . ¡°Hmm?¡±. . He saw something shining in the Lycan¡¯s mouth . Jinwoo opened its jaws . One of the Lycan¡¯s teeth was sparkling with light . When he reached out to it, a message appeared . . . You¡¯ve found a ¡°Lycan¡¯s canine¡±. Would you like to acquire it?. . ¡°Acquire . ¡±. . Lycan¡¯s canine. Rarity: None. Type: Junk. A Lycan¡¯s large and sharp canine . . You may keep this item in your inventory . . You may sell this item in the shop . . . Jinwoo read the canine in his hand and was taken back . . . ¡®There was a shop?¡¯. . Where in the world did this unhelpful System come from? To think that it would force the user to figure out everything on his own . Jinwoo recalled how it had given him no explanation about the penalty quest; it just threw him in the penalty zone and expected him to run from death until his body gave out . . . Jinwoo gritted his teeth and called the shop . . . ¡°Shop . ¡±. . He half expected an NPC shopkeeper to popup out of nowhere . He was disappointed to find that the ¡®shop¡¯ just ended up being another information screen floating like a hologram . As if that wasn¡¯t enough, the green letters on the screen displayed just two words . . . Buy. Sell. . ¡° . ¡±. . Wow . What an amazing shop . . . Jinwoo selected ¡°buy¡± . Although he had no money in his pockets, he was curious on what kind of items could be found in this shop . But of course, the System was not very kind . . . Your level is insufficient to use the ¡°buy¡± function . . . He was used to being turned away from places that needed money . . . ¡°Yessir, yessir . ¡±. . Not paying mind, he turned his eyes toward the other function . . . Would you like to sell the Lycan¡¯s canine?. . ¡°Sure . ¡±. . With a sound of coins dropping, his inventory opened up . At the base of the inventory screen, the section that said ¡°Gold¡± was now displaying 20 . Yesterday, it was 0 . . . ¡®20 gold . ¡¯. . Unable to use it in real life or in the System, he was not sure what the value of this amount was . . . ¡®I doubt anything from an E-rank Dungeon would be useful . ¡¯. . Even if there was a difference between a Dungeon and an Instant Dungeon . Still, Jinwoo started to head over and collect the other Lycan¡¯s teeth . He facepalmed . . . ¡°Right . I blew off its head¡­¡±. . Disappointed, he turned to leave . He was disappointed at the loss of 20 gold, the value of which he wasn¡¯t even sure about, but he was not about to waste the time to look for a tiny tooth that could¡¯ve flown off to god knows where . As he turned around, his disappointment melted away like snow . . . grrrrrrrrl. . grrrrl. . grrrrrrrl~. . The Lycan that had ran away had returned with many more wolves!. . Jinwoo¡¯s face bloomed into a smile . At a glance, there were more than 20 of them . . . ¡°Eureka!¡±. . ¡®Wait, that¡¯s not the word¡­ . Whatever . ¡¯. . What was certain was his happiness . He squeezed the hilt of his sword . . . ¡°Thank you for the meal~¡±. . At his greedy gaze, the Lycans cowered and trembled . . . Jinwoo leaped toward the beasts . . . . . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . As expected, his level rose quickly . Having ran around the entire first floor looking for Lycans, Jinwoo¡¯s level had already increased to 7 . A rather large leap of 5 levels . . . whimper-!. . As he took down the last remaining Lycan, a strange message appeared . . . ring~. . You¡¯ve obtained the title, ¡°Wolf Slayer¡±. . ¡°Title?¡±. . Wolf Slayer. All stats increased by 40% against beast type monsters . . A title given to a hunter experienced in slaying wolves . . . His status screen reflected the new title as well:. . Name: Sung Jinwoo. Level: 7. Class: None. Title: Wolf Slayer. HP: 766. MP: 81. Fatigue: 3. Stats. . Strength: 37. Constitution: 16. Agility: 16. Intelligence: 16. Sense: 16. (Available stat points: 0). Skills. . Passive Skills. -(Unknown) (Lv . Max). -Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1). . Active Skills. -Sprint (Lv . 1). . A stat boost against beast type monsters . Although the effect was limited against certain types, a 40% boost was nothing to scoff at . . . ¡®There¡¯s a lot of beast type magic beasts out there, wonder if it works against them?¡¯. . If it did, it would help a lot in Raiding . Still, the loot so far was rather disappointing . . . ¡®34 canines, two rusty daggers, an adventurer¡¯s clothes and a return stone . ¡¯. . Every once in a while, a wolf¡¯s belly would contain items . However, most were not particularly useful . The rusty daggers had lower attack power compared to his steel sword, and the adventurer¡¯s clothes ended up being junk items that he could not use . After selling all the junk he had picked up, Jinwoo had earned about a thousand gold . . . Current Gold: 1,060. . ¡° . I can¡¯t tell if that¡¯s a lot or little . ¡±. . No matter how much he collected, there was nowhere he could spend it . . . Ignoring the gold, the only other item that he had now was the return stone . He recalled the invisible barrier that stopped him no matter how much force was applied . The System had told him he required one of these to exit . So, now he knew he was able to leave . . . Jinwoo was at a crossroad . . . Ahead was the stairs descending to basement level 2 . . . In his hand, the return stone . . . ¡®Forward or retreat¡­¡¯. . If it was his old self, he would¡¯ve ran away without a second thought . After all, it was the only way he survived the many Raids with his weak abilities . Others called it a miracle, but he knew it was due to his clever movements . . . But it was different now . . . He did not want to turn back . . . If he left now, he felt like he could not return . . . ¡°I¡¯m sick of running away . ¡±. . It was about time he faced danger head on . He put the return stone back in his pockets . . . His footsteps down the stairs were light . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: Oh shit, I just realized I can stack the stat screens horizontally¡­ I had to keep making page breaks when I had them vertical . Hope it doesn¡¯t impact the mobile readers too much . . [2]: Sorry, I¡¯m actually not a 100% sure what the original phrase is referring to (???? ????? ???? ?????) . Lit would be ¡°as attributes go up¡± ¡°weighted value¡± ¡°is applied¡± . From context, I just gathered it to mean that the increases in his abilities were not arithmetic (straight line progression) but geometric (increasing progression) . . Chapter 15 You¡¯ve leveled up! You¡¯ve leveled up! Unlike a Dungeon, the Instant Dungeon had a respawn timer for its enemies . The monsters on the first level respawned while he took care of the second level monsters, then the monsters on the second level would respawn while he went back to the first level monsters . You¡¯ve leveled up! You¡¯ve leveled up! Jinwoo went back and forth between the first and second levels until his level stopped rising . ¡®Don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll get a chance like this again . ¡¯ After a certain point, he was able to predict where the monsters would attack from . ¡°A monkey from above,¡± He easily dodged the claws of the monkey that was falling on him and stabbed its chest with his sword . ¡°Cats from the left and right . ¡± He slashed the necks of the black panthers that pounced on him from his sides . You¡¯ve defeated the Razor-clawed Briga . You¡¯ve defeated the Black-shadow Razan . You¡¯ve defeated the Black-shadow Razan . [1] And with that, all the mobs on the second level were defeated . It had been some time since his level stopped at 15 . It looked like that was the limit of his growth on the first and second levels . ¡°Stat . ¡± Stats Strength: 45 Constitution: 24 Agility: 24 Intelligence: 24 Sense: 24 (Available stat points: 0) After leveling up several times, his stats had increased accordingly . Agility was almost at 25; after reaching above 20 in agility, he was able to fully discern the difference between strength agility . Instead of increasing is physical speed, the increased agility made his vision speed up, making it seem like the enemies were slowing down . ¡®Like a slow motion video . ¡¯ Even as the monkey fell down and the panthers leapt at him, he saw it all in slow motion . It was as if time itself had slowed down . The effect made it easier to dodge the enemy¡¯s attacks and at the same time land his attacks . It certainly made him feel more ¡®agile¡¯ . Speed is relative . As the agility stat became higher, the difference between him and his opponent would make his own movements seem faster to the enemy . ¡®Looks like there¡¯s a great synergy between the strength and agility stats . ¡¯ And that was Jinwoo¡¯s final thought on the agility stat . ¡°So that¡¯s that . ¡± His turned his head . ¡°What to do about that¡­¡± He was looking at the stairway down to the third level . Even though the path to the third level was wide open, there was a reason he spent his time between the first and second levels . ¡®I feel a chill down there . ¡¯ As his sense stat increased, the feeling of danger he felt from the third level became stronger . Even without looking, Jinwoo was certain there was something strong down there . He recalled the message from the Dungeon entrance, You cannot exit the Dungeon . Please defeat the boss or use a ¡°return stone¡± The existence of a boss . In preparation of facing it, Jinwoo had went back forth between the first and second levels countless amount of times . Even after such preparation, he felt an uneasiness as he stood before the third level entrance . He slapped his cheeks . ¡®I¡¯ve entered a Dungeon . I can¡¯t leave without taking a look at the boss, right?¡¯ A small amount of anxiety was good for maintaining the top level of readiness . His current anxiety was just the right amount . Holding his sword in his hands, Jinwoo slowly descended the stairs . ¡®Am I crazy or do these stairs feel longer than usual?¡¯ He gulped . Although the lighting was much dimmer than the first and second levels, he had no trouble seeing his surroundings . ¡®Is it because of the sense stat?¡¯ His eyesight had improved . As he cautiously descended, he came across the platforms where the trains would stop next to . But next to the platforms, instead of the tracks that the trains would travel on, was a giant mass of black water . ¡®What is this?¡¯ It was like a river or a lake . To take a closer look, Jinwoo took a step forward . Suddenly, something large, like a giant log, shot out from the waters . sliiiiide-! ¡®It¡¯s fast!¡¯ The thing that reached him in a blink of an eye was not a log, but a giant snake . ¡°Hiya!¡± Jinwoo reflexively struck the snake¡¯s head . clang! His eyes widened . ¡°What?!¡± Although he was able to parry the direction of the snake that was coming it at him, he now stared at the broken sword in his hand . He quickly turned around . As if surprised by Jinwoo¡¯s strike, the snake coiled at a distance, staring at him with a piercing gaze . ¡®Ruler of the Swamp, Blue Poison-fanged Casaka[2]¡¯ Its name in orange letters floated clearly above its head . Next to the ordinary monsters that had a white name up until now, this thing¡¯s speed and durability was incomparably greater . ¡®Still, to think that a magic power enforced sword would just break like this . ¡¯ Jinwoo gulped and analyzed Casaka . The blue scales on its body glistened; these armor like scales covered Casaka from head to tail . The scales that could not be pierced by a sword . Jinwoo¡¯s fists would probably not work either . As he considered the futility of his situation, Casaka, having determined that Jinwoo was a prey, charged towards him with an explosive speed . sliiiiiide-! Jinwoo narrowed his eyes . ¡®Here it comes!¡¯ As he concentrated with every ounce of his focus, Casaka¡¯s previously blurry form began to become clearer in his eyes . This was the power of the agility stat . As Casaka opened its jaws wide and came at him, Jinwoo quickly twisted his body to dodge the attack . At the same time, he maneuvered himself behind the snake¡¯s head and grabbed it with both of his arms and squeezed . crack! Jinwoo¡¯s strength stat was nearing 50 . The terrifying power was being applied to the snake¡¯s arteries . Unable to escape his clutches, the snake thrashed and struggled in pain . At the monster¡¯s resistance, Jinwoo gritted his teeth and strengthened his grip . slam! slam! Even as he was slammed into the floor and the walls by the snake¡¯s movements, Jinwoo held on and did not let go . ¡®If I didn¡¯t do all that leveling before coming here¡­¡¯ There was no end to the ¡®what-if¡¯s in Jinwoo¡¯s mind . What if he hadn¡¯t leveled to his limit beforehand? What if he hadn¡¯t focused all of his points into strength? It may have significantly hampered his ability to take down Casaka . This place would have been his grave . His judgment on waiting before going down to the third floor was wise . crack! With a sickening sound, Casaka¡¯s skull was crushed . You¡¯ve defeated the Ruler of the Swamp, Blue Poison-fanged Casaka . You¡¯ve leveled up! You¡¯ve leveled up! As expected of a boss mob . Defeating Casaka had granted him two levels . Jinwoo pumped his fists . The levels that seemed to stop at 15 shot up to 17 . He started the day at level 1; he had leveled up like crazy since then . ¡®However,¡¯ There was no one who hunted a boss mob just for experience points . When it comes to taking down a boss, the number one thing was items! As he looked over the sprawled out body of the snake, Jinwoo saw two sources of light coming from its body . ¡®I guess bosses drop more than one items?¡¯ With a delighted face, he stretched his hand towards the light . ring~ You¡¯ve found ¡°Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang¡± Would you like to acquire it? You¡¯ve found ¡°Casaka¡¯s Venom Gland¡± Would you like to acquire it? ¡°Acquire all . ¡± As he spoke, a dagger made out of bones and a pouch containing some substance appeared in his outstretched hand . Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang Rarity: C Type: Dagger Attack Power +25 Inflicts ¡®Paralysis¡¯ and ¡®Bleeding¡¯ on attack . ¡®Paralysis¡¯: The target has a chance to become immobilized . ¡®Bleeding¡¯: The target will lose 1% health per second . [3] A dagger made of Casaka¡¯s poisoned fang, still dripping with its poison . You may keep this item in your inventory . You may sell this item in the shop . Jinwoo nodded as he read the item¡¯s description . ¡®Not bone, but a dagger made out of that thing¡¯s fang . Its stats and effects are pretty good . ¡¯ He looked at the pouch next . Casaka¡¯s Venom Gland Rarity: A Type: Elixir[4] Buff ¡®Casaka¡¯s Armored Scales¡¯ applied on consumption . Debuff ¡®Weakened Muscles¡¯ applied on consumption . ¡®Casaka¡¯s Armored Scales¡¯: Physical Damage Reduction +20% ¡®Weakened Muscles¡¯: Strength -35 A pouch containing the refined venom of Casaka . Drinking will give you a permanently toughened skin, but the venom will also permanently damage your muscles . Rare drop from Casaka . You may keep this item in your inventory . Jinwoo¡¯s expression flickered back and forth between joy and sorrow . Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang was a good weapon to replace the broken steel sword . On top of the fact that the dagger¡¯s attack power was more than double of the sword, it even had special effects like ¡®paralysis¡¯ and ¡®bleeding¡¯ . ¡®But the venom is a bit¡­¡¯ At first excited about an A-rank rarity item, he quickly realized it was not that great of an item after reading its description . Of course, reducing all physical damage by 20% was an effect worthy of an A-ranked item . But the penalty of losing 35 points of strength was too much . Especially when he considered the fact that he had focused all his points into strength so far . Although a double-edged sword, it was still an item he did not want to throw away . Perhaps someday, when his stats were so high that a 35 point reduction wouldn¡¯t hurt that much, he would use this item . ¡° . . . For now, into the inventory you go . ¡± With a disappointed expression, he stored the dagger and the elixir in his inventory . If only an A-rank dagger and a C-rank elixir had come out instead¡­ As he contemplated the idea, he received a message . As the boss was defeated, the Dungeon will return to its normal interior . His surroundings blurred . Jinwoo became slightly dizzy as the world came back to him . Looking around, he was standing in the middle of a normal subway station . The lights were on brightly, and the waters that filled the tracks had disappeared . ¡°But where is everyone?¡± On top of the lack of humans, there were no trains either . Wondering if it was past the time trains were running, Jinwoo checked the time . The clock was pointing to 10 PM . He had entered the Instant Dungeon a little after lunch and had spent nearly 9 hours in it . ¡®A lot of time passed . ¡¯ If his level-ups were not accompanied by a status recovery, he probably would¡¯ve collapsed a while ago . ¡®Still, it¡¯s too early for trains to stop running . ¡¯ After waiting a bit to see if the trains would arrive, Jinwoo decided to leave the station . Walking through the second and first levels, he still didn¡¯t see anyone around . As he walked up the last flight of stairs, someone shouted to him, ¡°Sir!¡± A human voice was a rather welcoming sound to Jinwoo . He raised his head . It was a military soldier holding a gun . ¡°Identify yourself! What were you doing down there? Did you not hear the announcements?¡± Seeing the man¡¯s serious expression, Jinwoo¡¯s own became hardened . ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°What do you mean if ¡®something¡¯ happened?! Do you not know?!¡± The approaching soldier¡¯s eyes suddenly fell on the broken sword Jinwoo was holding . Jinwoo learned that being broken, the sword was not able to be placed into the inventory . Not wanting to throw it away, Jinwoo had held it in his hands while walking . Seeing the sword, the soldier¡¯s eyes changed . He carefully looked up and down on Jinwoo, noticing the traces of battle on his tattered clothes . The soldier who had maintained a hard attitude suddenly became friendly, ¡°Are you a Hunter-nim by any chance?¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: Literal translations + romnizations of non korean names . [2]: ?? ???, ?? ?? ??? . Pretty straightforward translation . The first part is the thing¡¯s title, ¡°swamp¡± ? + ¡°ruler¡± ??? . ¡°??¡± can refer to either blue or green; I went with blue . [3]: ¡°lose 1% health¡± (??? ¡­ ?????) . The word for ¡°health¡± is the same as the stat word for ¡°constitution¡± . I wasn¡¯t sure if the debuff affected the stat or the HP; I went with HP . [4]: ¡°Elixir¡± (??): Couldn¡¯t find a direct translation . Seemed like it was either potion or elixir . Found a ¡°water walking elixir¡± in WoW that translated ¡°elixir¡± to ??¡­ So i went with elixir . . . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 15. . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . Unlike a Dungeon, the Instant Dungeon had a respawn timer for its enemies . The monsters on the first level respawned while he took care of the second level monsters, then the monsters on the second level would respawn while he went back to the first level monsters . . . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . Jinwoo went back and forth between the first and second levels until his level stopped rising . . . ¡®Don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll get a chance like this again . ¡¯. . After a certain point, he was able to predict where the monsters would attack from . . . ¡°A monkey from above,¡±. . He easily dodged the claws of the monkey that was falling on him and stabbed its chest with his sword . . . ¡°Cats from the left and right . ¡±. . He slashed the necks of the black panthers that pounced on him from his sides . . . You¡¯ve defeated the Razor-clawed Briga . . . You¡¯ve defeated the Black-shadow Razan . . . You¡¯ve defeated the Black-shadow Razan . . [1]. . And with that, all the mobs on the second level were defeated . It had been some time since his level stopped at 15 . It looked like that was the limit of his growth on the first and second levels . . . ¡°Stat . ¡±. . . Stats. . Strength: 45. Constitution: 24. Agility: 24. Intelligence: 24. Sense: 24. (Available stat points: 0). . After leveling up several times, his stats had increased accordingly . Agility was almost at 25; after reaching above 20 in agility, he was able to fully discern the difference between strength agility . Instead of increasing is physical speed, the increased agility made his vision speed up, making it seem like the enemies were slowing down . . . ¡®Like a slow motion video . ¡¯. . Even as the monkey fell down and the panthers leapt at him, he saw it all in slow motion . It was as if time itself had slowed down . The effect made it easier to dodge the enemy¡¯s attacks and at the same time land his attacks . It certainly made him feel more ¡®agile¡¯ . . . Speed is relative . . . As the agility stat became higher, the difference between him and his opponent would make his own movements seem faster to the enemy . . . ¡®Looks like there¡¯s a great synergy between the strength and agility stats . ¡¯. . And that was Jinwoo¡¯s final thought on the agility stat . . . ¡°So that¡¯s that . ¡±. . His turned his head . . . ¡°What to do about that¡­¡±. . He was looking at the stairway down to the third level . . . Even though the path to the third level was wide open, there was a reason he spent his time between the first and second levels . . . ¡®I feel a chill down there . ¡¯. . As his sense stat increased, the feeling of danger he felt from the third level became stronger . Even without looking, Jinwoo was certain there was something strong down there . He recalled the message from the Dungeon entrance,. . You cannot exit the Dungeon . . Please defeat the boss or use a ¡°return stone¡±. . The existence of a boss . . . In preparation of facing it, Jinwoo had went back forth between the first and second levels countless amount of times . Even after such preparation, he felt an uneasiness as he stood before the third level entrance . . . He slapped his cheeks . . . ¡®I¡¯ve entered a Dungeon . I can¡¯t leave without taking a look at the boss, right?¡¯. . A small amount of anxiety was good for maintaining the top level of readiness . His current anxiety was just the right amount . . . Holding his sword in his hands, Jinwoo slowly descended the stairs . . . ¡®Am I crazy or do these stairs feel longer than usual?¡¯. . He gulped . Although the lighting was much dimmer than the first and second levels, he had no trouble seeing his surroundings . . . ¡®Is it because of the sense stat?¡¯. . His eyesight had improved . . . As he cautiously descended, he came across the platforms where the trains would stop next to . But next to the platforms, instead of the tracks that the trains would travel on, was a giant mass of black water . . . ¡®What is this?¡¯. . It was like a river or a lake . To take a closer look, Jinwoo took a step forward . . . Suddenly, something large, like a giant log, shot out from the waters . . . sliiiiide-!. . ¡®It¡¯s fast!¡¯. . The thing that reached him in a blink of an eye was not a log, but a giant snake . . . ¡°Hiya!¡±. . Jinwoo reflexively struck the snake¡¯s head . . . clang!. . His eyes widened . . . ¡°What?!¡±. . Although he was able to parry the direction of the snake that was coming it at him, he now stared at the broken sword in his hand . He quickly turned around . As if surprised by Jinwoo¡¯s strike, the snake coiled at a distance, staring at him with a piercing gaze . . . ¡®Ruler of the Swamp, Blue Poison-fanged Casaka[2]¡¯. . Its name in orange letters floated clearly above its head . . . Next to the ordinary monsters that had a white name up until now, this thing¡¯s speed and durability was incomparably greater . . . ¡®Still, to think that a magic power enforced sword would just break like this . ¡¯. . Jinwoo gulped and analyzed Casaka . The blue scales on its body glistened; these armor like scales covered Casaka from head to tail . The scales that could not be pierced by a sword . Jinwoo¡¯s fists would probably not work either . . . As he considered the futility of his situation, Casaka, having determined that Jinwoo was a prey, charged towards him with an explosive speed . . . sliiiiiide-!. . Jinwoo narrowed his eyes . . . ¡®Here it comes!¡¯. . As he concentrated with every ounce of his focus, Casaka¡¯s previously blurry form began to become clearer in his eyes . This was the power of the agility stat . . . As Casaka opened its jaws wide and came at him, Jinwoo quickly twisted his body to dodge the attack . At the same time, he maneuvered himself behind the snake¡¯s head and grabbed it with both of his arms and squeezed . . . crack!. . Jinwoo¡¯s strength stat was nearing 50 . The terrifying power was being applied to the snake¡¯s arteries . Unable to escape his clutches, the snake thrashed and struggled in pain . At the monster¡¯s resistance, Jinwoo gritted his teeth and strengthened his grip . . . slam! slam!. . Even as he was slammed into the floor and the walls by the snake¡¯s movements, Jinwoo held on and did not let go . . . ¡®If I didn¡¯t do all that leveling before coming here¡­¡¯. . There was no end to the ¡®what-if¡¯s in Jinwoo¡¯s mind . . . What if he hadn¡¯t leveled to his limit beforehand?. . What if he hadn¡¯t focused all of his points into strength?. . It may have significantly hampered his ability to take down Casaka . This place would have been his grave . His judgment on waiting before going down to the third floor was wise . . . crack!. . With a sickening sound, Casaka¡¯s skull was crushed . . . You¡¯ve defeated the Ruler of the Swamp, Blue Poison-fanged Casaka . . . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . As expected of a boss mob . Defeating Casaka had granted him two levels . Jinwoo pumped his fists . The levels that seemed to stop at 15 shot up to 17 . He started the day at level 1; he had leveled up like crazy since then . . . ¡®However,¡¯. . There was no one who hunted a boss mob just for experience points . When it comes to taking down a boss, the number one thing was items!. . As he looked over the sprawled out body of the snake, Jinwoo saw two sources of light coming from its body . . . ¡®I guess bosses drop more than one items?¡¯. . With a delighted face, he stretched his hand towards the light . . . ring~. . You¡¯ve found ¡°Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang¡±. Would you like to acquire it?. . You¡¯ve found ¡°Casaka¡¯s Venom Gland¡±. Would you like to acquire it?. . ¡°Acquire all . ¡±. . As he spoke, a dagger made out of bones and a pouch containing some substance appeared in his outstretched hand . . . Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang. Rarity: C. Type: Dagger. Attack Power +25. Inflicts ¡®Paralysis¡¯ and ¡®Bleeding¡¯ on attack . . ¡®Paralysis¡¯: The target has a chance to become immobilized . . ¡®Bleeding¡¯: The target will lose 1% health per second . [3]. A dagger made of Casaka¡¯s poisoned fang, still dripping with its poison . . You may keep this item in your inventory . . You may sell this item in the shop . . . Jinwoo nodded as he read the item¡¯s description . . . ¡®Not bone, but a dagger made out of that thing¡¯s fang . Its stats and effects are pretty good . ¡¯. . He looked at the pouch next . . . Casaka¡¯s Venom Gland. Rarity: A. Type: Elixir[4]. Buff ¡®Casaka¡¯s Armored Scales¡¯ applied on consumption . . Debuff ¡®Weakened Muscles¡¯ applied on consumption . . ¡®Casaka¡¯s Armored Scales¡¯: Physical Damage Reduction +20%. ¡®Weakened Muscles¡¯: Strength -35. A pouch containing the refined venom of Casaka . Drinking will give you a permanently toughened skin, but the venom will also permanently damage your muscles . . Rare drop from Casaka . . You may keep this item in your inventory . . . Jinwoo¡¯s expression flickered back and forth between joy and sorrow . . . Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang was a good weapon to replace the broken steel sword . On top of the fact that the dagger¡¯s attack power was more than double of the sword, it even had special effects like ¡®paralysis¡¯ and ¡®bleeding¡¯ . . . ¡®But the venom is a bit¡­¡¯. . At first excited about an A-rank rarity item, he quickly realized it was not that great of an item after reading its description . Of course, reducing all physical damage by 20% was an effect worthy of an A-ranked item . But the penalty of losing 35 points of strength was too much . Especially when he considered the fact that he had focused all his points into strength so far . . . Although a double-edged sword, it was still an item he did not want to throw away . Perhaps someday, when his stats were so high that a 35 point reduction wouldn¡¯t hurt that much, he would use this item . . . ¡° . For now, into the inventory you go . ¡±. . With a disappointed expression, he stored the dagger and the elixir in his inventory . If only an A-rank dagger and a C-rank elixir had come out instead¡­. . As he contemplated the idea, he received a message . . . As the boss was defeated, the Dungeon will return to its normal interior . . . His surroundings blurred . Jinwoo became slightly dizzy as the world came back to him . Looking around, he was standing in the middle of a normal subway station . The lights were on brightly, and the waters that filled the tracks had disappeared . . . ¡°But where is everyone?¡±. . On top of the lack of humans, there were no trains either . Wondering if it was past the time trains were running, Jinwoo checked the time . The clock was pointing to 10 PM . He had entered the Instant Dungeon a little after lunch and had spent nearly 9 hours in it . . . ¡®A lot of time passed . ¡¯. . If his level-ups were not accompanied by a status recovery, he probably would¡¯ve collapsed a while ago . . . ¡®Still, it¡¯s too early for trains to stop running . ¡¯. . After waiting a bit to see if the trains would arrive, Jinwoo decided to leave the station . Walking through the second and first levels, he still didn¡¯t see anyone around . As he walked up the last flight of stairs, someone shouted to him,. . ¡°Sir!¡±. . A human voice was a rather welcoming sound to Jinwoo . He raised his head . It was a military soldier holding a gun . . . ¡°Identify yourself! What were you doing down there? Did you not hear the announcements?¡±. . Seeing the man¡¯s serious expression, Jinwoo¡¯s own became hardened . . . ¡°Did something happen?¡±. . ¡°What do you mean if ¡®something¡¯ happened?! Do you not know?!¡±. . The approaching soldier¡¯s eyes suddenly fell on the broken sword Jinwoo was holding . Jinwoo learned that being broken, the sword was not able to be placed into the inventory . Not wanting to throw it away, Jinwoo had held it in his hands while walking . Seeing the sword, the soldier¡¯s eyes changed . He carefully looked up and down on Jinwoo, noticing the traces of battle on his tattered clothes . . . The soldier who had maintained a hard attitude suddenly became friendly,. . ¡°Are you a Hunter-nim by any chance?¡±. . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: Literal translations + romnizations of non korean names . . [2]: ?? ???, ?? ?? ??? . Pretty straightforward translation . The first part is the thing¡¯s title, ¡°swamp¡± ? + ¡°ruler¡± ??? . ¡°??¡± can refer to either blue or green; I went with blue . . [3]: ¡°lose 1% health¡± (??? ¡­ ?????) . The word for ¡°health¡± is the same as the stat word for ¡°constitution¡± . I wasn¡¯t sure if the debuff affected the stat or the HP; I went with HP . . [4]: ¡°Elixir¡± (??): Couldn¡¯t find a direct translation . Seemed like it was either potion or elixir . Found a ¡°water walking elixir¡± in WoW that translated ¡°elixir¡± to ??¡­ So i went with elixir . . Chapter 16 ¡°Er, yes, that¡¯s right¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I apologize . This way, sir . I¡¯ll lead the way . ¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Okay . ¡± Thinking that it would be a headache to try and clear up whatever misunderstanding this was, Jinwoo decided to go with the soldier for now . As he followed, he observed his surroundings, ¡®Now that I take a closer look¡­¡¯ Something had clearly happened in the area . The roads were empty, and the only people around were soldiers and policemen . On top of that, the area was scattered with abandoned cars, damaged buildings and the corpses of magic beasts . Jinwoo roughly understood what had happened . ¡®Looks like a Dungeon Break[1] happened nearby . ¡¯ In today¡¯s world, the proper management and monitoring of Gates meant that most of them were discovered on time and taken care of . However, every once in a while, a Gate appears in a hidden place and goes unnoticed until it¡¯s too late . Once that happens, the military is deployed to buy time before the Hunters can arrive . Of course, the weapons of the military did not work on the magic beasts . Yet they still fought to the best of their abilities; in order to protect the citizens and provide time for their escape, someone had to be the sacrifice . As such, the military bravely stood up and became meat shields . It was a job that had to be done, and the young men of this country nobly did that job . ¡°Thank you . ¡± The soldier that was leading him suddenly thanked Jinwoo . ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°It¡¯s thanks to the Hunter-nims that we are able to live . ¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Gratitude . Jinwoo was the one who wanted to thank the soldier . The soldier to the Hunter . The Hunter to the soldier . As men who both fought to protect the people, both sides wanted to thank the other . ¡° . . . Roger . Over and out . ¡± The soldier¡¯s face lit up after receiving a report through his radio . ¡°Most of the magic beasts in the area have been taken care of . They said there is just one big one remaining . ¡± Jinwoo nodded . He already knew this without the soldier¡¯s report . Through his raised sense stat, he was able to detect the presence of a powerful lifeform nearby, surrounded by the energy of multiple hunters . His instincts told him the powerful lifeform was the boss . Soon, the boss¡¯s figure came into their view . In an empty lot ahead, ten-something Hunters were fighting with a giant made out of stone . The giant¡¯s height was a little above a street light; it was a golem type magic beast . ¡°My god¡­¡± The soldier took a step back . As if it was the first time he had seen a magic beast, the man froze as he saw the golem . Any ordinary human would do the same . The presence of a magic beast in person was quite different than seeing it over the television or a computer screen . Compared to the soldier, Jinwoo calmly looked over to the battle . ¡°Healers! Please focus your healing on the Tanker!¡± ¡°We¡¯re doing our best!¡± ¡°Why is it not going down!¡± ¡°Dealers[2], what are you doing?! He doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s taking any damage!¡± ¡°His defense is too high! We need a few Mage-class Hunters!¡± As Hunters who were called over on a short notice, their ranks did not appear to be that high . Both their defense and offense were lacking . Bang! The golem slammed his stone fist onto the ground, and resulting shockwave caused the Hunter in charge of tanking to buckle . ¡°Cough!¡± The man spat out blood . ¡°Oh no!¡± ¡°The Tanker¡¯s going go die at this rate!¡± ¡°What can we do?! Our magic power¡¯s almost gone!¡± ¡°Where are the high rankers?!¡± The Hunters were reaching their limits . As he watched, Jinwoo¡¯s gaze sharpened . ¡®If it¡¯s this much¡­ I should be able to do it . ¡¯ He slowly took few steps backwards . All the golem type boss had going for it was its high defense; its overall level seemed to be low . Compared to the pressure he faced against the ¡®blue poisoned-fanged whatever[3]¡¯, the golem was a step below . ¡®So if I can just get through its defense . . . ¡¯ What the Hunters needed was a powerful attack to get through that stupid piece of rock . At a good distance, Jinwoo cocked his arm back into a throwing position . He tightened his grip on the broken sword, and the muscles of his arm expanded . Thick veins appeared all the way to the back of his hand . All of his strength was focused on his right arm . Then, the arm that was drawn back like a bowstring shot forward at the speed of sound . ¡°Go!¡± The D-rank Hunter, Lee Hansoo, despaired; he was at his limit . The shield that he was so proud of was cracking . The healing Hunters¡¯ magic power must¡¯ve hit rock bottom; the healing on him had decreased noticeably . At this rate, the entire party would be wiped out . He had to make a difficult choice . He decided to buy time for the other Hunters to run away and hope that the high ranking Hunters would arrive in time to take the golem down . ¡®Or else we¡¯ll all die here . ¡¯ Lee Hansoo¡¯s brows glistened with cold sweat . He was ready to die . He turned and shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here, so everyone-¡± It was in that moment he saw it . Something flashed from a distance and was flying this way . Rather, instead of seeing it, it was more like he felt it . His eyes could not possibly see that attack . BANG! That something obliterated the golem¡¯s head . ¡°W-what?¡± Lee Hansoo¡¯s eyes widened . The headless golem began to falter . Not noticing, the Hunters pressed their attacks . ¡°It¡¯s working! The attacks are working!¡± ¡°It¡¯s going down!¡± ¡°Just a little more!¡± They were all too focused on attacking and did not appear to have seen the ¡®something¡¯ that had flown over . Only Lee Hansoo, who stood right before the golem, caught a glimpse of it . groooooan- The golem finally went down . Koong! Its heavy body threw up a large cloud of dust . ¡°Yeaaaaaah!¡± The Hunters shouted and cheered . ¡°We did it!¡± ¡°We took it down!¡± Only Lee Hansoo, who saw what happened, shook his head . ¡®No . Our attacks weren¡¯t even working . ¡¯ He quickly searched around the fallen golem . ¡°Just what the hell blew apart its head?¡± Scanning the ground, Lee Hansoo came across the pieces of a broken sword . Although it had magic power, it was a rather plain steel sword . ¡®That thing was something over 10 Hunters were having difficulty taking down¡­ And someone blew its head open by throwing just this?¡¯ He was at a loss for words . Looking back and forth between the golem¡¯s corpse and the remnants of the sword, Lee Hansoo walked past the cheering Hunters to the direction the sword had flown from . ¡°Oy!¡± There was a soldier standing there . ¡°Sir? Are you talking to me?¡± ¡°Yes, you!¡± As the large physique of the Hunter walked towards him, the soldier stiffened and gulped . Such was the pressure Hunters gave off towards ordinary people . Lee Hansoo held out the sword and asked, ¡°Did you throw this?¡± ¡°Ah, that was-¡± The soldier gestured behind him, then stopped . ¡°Wait, what? There was a Hunter-nim right here . ¡± There was no one there . As the soldier panicked and looked around, Lee Hansoo scratched his head and looked at the sword in his hand again . ¡®That power . . . that destructiveness¡­ Did a high ranking Hunter come here?¡¯ As the man in question had disappeared, he had no way of knowing . At that time, Jinwoo was on the way home . He had already turned to leave when he saw the golem falter . He had taken down the golem . Normally, a dead magic beast¡¯s drops belonged to the person taking it down . If he wanted, he could¡¯ve laid a claim on the golem¡¯s corpse . ¡®But the problem is that I¡¯d have to prove that I was the one who took it down . ¡¯ Who would believe that it was an E-rank Hunter¡¯s attack that took the golem down? He had no proof; the broken sword or the soldier standing by did not seem like it would be enough . Even if he was able to prove it, he would have to reveal how he obtained the power to take down a golem . No matter how Jinwoo looked at it, the costs outweigh the benefits . The unique ability to level-up . He had no intention of revealing this historical occurrence over a mere golem¡¯s corpse . ¡®Regrettable, but what can I do . ¡¯ Well, it wasn¡¯t all for nothing . No, there was an unexpected boon . A message appeared to him, when he took down the golem: You¡¯ve leveled up! Taking down the golem gave him one level . ¡®So I CAN level-up by taking down magic beasts . ¡¯ It was good to know . This was enough for him, for now . At the outskirts of the city, there was an old and worn down apartment . Jinwoo¡¯s house was on the 9th floor of this building . The house was dark when he entered . ¡®Looks like Jinah¡¯s being diligent . ¡¯ His little sister was probably at the library . There was dinner on top of the table . It was Jinah¡¯s work, having picked up the slack after their mother¡¯s hospitalization few years ago . There was a small note next to the food, written in cute letters, ¡°Don¡¯t starve . I¡¯ll check whether or not you ate . ¡± Having received the news of his discharge today, she must¡¯ve taken the time to do this, even during her busy schedule . Jinwoo smiled and sat down at the table, but there was something he wanted to check before eating . ¡°Status screen . ¡± Name: Sung Jinwoo Level: 18 Class: None Title: Wolf Slayer HP: 2220 MP: 350 Fatigue: 2 Stats Strength: 48 Constitution: 27 Agility: 27 Intelligence: 27 Sense: 27 (Available stat points: 0) Skills Passive Skills -(Unknown) (Lv . Max) -Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1) Active Skills -Sprint (Lv . 1) It was a long day . In that long day, he was able to go all the way to level 18 . His strength was nearing 50, and his other stats had also risen greatly . Additionally, he was able to learn the effects of the agility and sense stats . ¡®On top of all that, I got a nice dagger with good effects and a good amount of gold¡­ that I can¡¯t spend yet¡­ still . ¡¯ Putting aside the venom that he didn¡¯t want to use¡­ The attack on the Instant Dungeon was a big success . -9 . Lizards- People who left their homes in the dawn of day always made a point to do so quietly . After all, they didn¡¯t want to wake up their family . Jinah was no different . Think of her sleeping brother, she quietly locked the door and turned to leave for school . ¡°Going to school?¡± ¡°Eh?!¡±She abruptly turned to see her brother jogging toward her . He was wearing a tracksuit and sneakers, his head covered by a hoodie . It looked like he was coming back from a run . Jinah stared at her brother with wide open eyes . ¡°What the . You were awake, oppa?¡± ¡°For a while now . Have a good day . ¡± ¡°Ah¡­ okay . ¡± She watched her brother go inside the house with her head tilted . ¡®Huh . To think that there¡¯d be a day where oppa woke up before I did . ¡¯ It was not that Jinwoo was lazy, but Jinah was a diligent student who often got up at the crack of dawn for school, so it was a rare sight for her to see her brother in the morning like this . ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ Her brother¡¯s shoulders were a bit wider than she¡¯d remembered . ¡®Eh, I must be mistaken . ¡¯ Human bodies were not rubber bands . They don¡¯t stretch like that in just a few days . Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Dungeon Break¡±: A reminder, a Gate undergoes full opening after 7 days, then a Dungeon Break occurs . The magic beasts that were normally confined to the inside of the Gate can now leave the Gate, causing destruction and mayhem outside . [2]: ¡°Dealers¡± (??): The word is in english, ¡°Dealer¡± . Korean gaming terminology to refer to ¡°damage dealers¡±; in the west, more commonly called the ¡°DPS¡± (damage per second) . [3]: Not a mistrans . Jinwoo forgot the name¡­ Thank you /u/Aetherpon for some grammar corrections/suggestions! Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 16. . ¡°Er, yes, that¡¯s right¡­¡±. . ¡°Ah, I apologize . This way, sir . I¡¯ll lead the way . ¡±. . ¡°Ah¡­ Okay . ¡±. . Thinking that it would be a headache to try and clear up whatever misunderstanding this was, Jinwoo decided to go with the soldier for now . As he followed, he observed his surroundings,. . ¡®Now that I take a closer look¡­¡¯. . Something had clearly happened in the area . The roads were empty, and the only people around were soldiers and policemen . On top of that, the area was scattered with abandoned cars, damaged buildings and the corpses of magic beasts . . . Jinwoo roughly understood what had happened . . . ¡®Looks like a Dungeon Break[1] happened nearby . ¡¯. . In today¡¯s world, the proper management and monitoring of Gates meant that most of them were discovered on time and taken care of . However, every once in a while, a Gate appears in a hidden place and goes unnoticed until it¡¯s too late . Once that happens, the military is deployed to buy time before the Hunters can arrive . . . Of course, the weapons of the military did not work on the magic beasts . Yet they still fought to the best of their abilities; in order to protect the citizens and provide time for their escape, someone had to be the sacrifice . As such, the military bravely stood up and became meat shields . It was a job that had to be done, and the young men of this country nobly did that job . . . ¡°Thank you . ¡±. . The soldier that was leading him suddenly thanked Jinwoo . . . ¡°Hmm?¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s thanks to the Hunter-nims that we are able to live . ¡±. . ¡°Ah¡­¡±. . . Gratitude . . . Jinwoo was the one who wanted to thank the soldier . . . The soldier to the Hunter . The Hunter to the soldier . . . As men who both fought to protect the people, both sides wanted to thank the other . . . ¡° . Roger . Over and out . ¡±. . The soldier¡¯s face lit up after receiving a report through his radio . . . ¡°Most of the magic beasts in the area have been taken care of . They said there is just one big one remaining . ¡±. . Jinwoo nodded . He already knew this without the soldier¡¯s report . Through his raised sense stat, he was able to detect the presence of a powerful lifeform nearby, surrounded by the energy of multiple hunters . . . His instincts told him the powerful lifeform was the boss . . . Soon, the boss¡¯s figure came into their view . In an empty lot ahead, ten-something Hunters were fighting with a giant made out of stone . The giant¡¯s height was a little above a street light; it was a golem type magic beast . . . ¡°My god¡­¡±. . The soldier took a step back . As if it was the first time he had seen a magic beast, the man froze as he saw the golem . Any ordinary human would do the same . The presence of a magic beast in person was quite different than seeing it over the television or a computer screen . . . Compared to the soldier, Jinwoo calmly looked over to the battle . . . ¡°Healers! Please focus your healing on the Tanker!¡±. ¡°We¡¯re doing our best!¡±. ¡°Why is it not going down!¡±. ¡°Dealers[2], what are you doing?! He doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s taking any damage!¡±. ¡°His defense is too high! We need a few Mage-class Hunters!¡±. . As Hunters who were called over on a short notice, their ranks did not appear to be that high . Both their defense and offense were lacking . . . Bang!. . The golem slammed his stone fist onto the ground, and resulting shockwave caused the Hunter in charge of tanking to buckle . . . ¡°Cough!¡±. . The man spat out blood . . . ¡°Oh no!¡±. ¡°The Tanker¡¯s going go die at this rate!¡±. ¡°What can we do?! Our magic power¡¯s almost gone!¡±. ¡°Where are the high rankers?!¡±. . The Hunters were reaching their limits . . . As he watched, Jinwoo¡¯s gaze sharpened . . . ¡®If it¡¯s this much¡­ I should be able to do it . ¡¯. . He slowly took few steps backwards . All the golem type boss had going for it was its high defense; its overall level seemed to be low . Compared to the pressure he faced against the ¡®blue poisoned-fanged whatever[3]¡¯, the golem was a step below . . . ¡®So if I can just get through its defense . ¡¯. . What the Hunters needed was a powerful attack to get through that stupid piece of rock . At a good distance, Jinwoo cocked his arm back into a throwing position . He tightened his grip on the broken sword, and the muscles of his arm expanded . Thick veins appeared all the way to the back of his hand . . . All of his strength was focused on his right arm . . . Then, the arm that was drawn back like a bowstring shot forward at the speed of sound . . . ¡°Go!¡±. . . . The D-rank Hunter, Lee Hansoo, despaired; he was at his limit . The shield that he was so proud of was cracking . The healing Hunters¡¯ magic power must¡¯ve hit rock bottom; the healing on him had decreased noticeably . At this rate, the entire party would be wiped out . . . He had to make a difficult choice . . . He decided to buy time for the other Hunters to run away and hope that the high ranking Hunters would arrive in time to take the golem down . . . ¡®Or else we¡¯ll all die here . ¡¯. . Lee Hansoo¡¯s brows glistened with cold sweat . He was ready to die . . . He turned and shouted,. . ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here, so everyone-¡±. . It was in that moment he saw it . Something flashed from a distance and was flying this way . . . Rather, instead of seeing it, it was more like he felt it . His eyes could not possibly see that attack . . . BANG!. . That something obliterated the golem¡¯s head . . . ¡°W-what?¡±. . Lee Hansoo¡¯s eyes widened . The headless golem began to falter . Not noticing, the Hunters pressed their attacks . . . ¡°It¡¯s working! The attacks are working!¡±. ¡°It¡¯s going down!¡±. ¡°Just a little more!¡±. . They were all too focused on attacking and did not appear to have seen the ¡®something¡¯ that had flown over . Only Lee Hansoo, who stood right before the golem, caught a glimpse of it . . . groooooan-. . The golem finally went down . . . Koong!. . Its heavy body threw up a large cloud of dust . . . ¡°Yeaaaaaah!¡±. . The Hunters shouted and cheered . . . ¡°We did it!¡±. ¡°We took it down!¡±. . Only Lee Hansoo, who saw what happened, shook his head . . . ¡®No . Our attacks weren¡¯t even working . ¡¯. . He quickly searched around the fallen golem . . . ¡°Just what the hell blew apart its head?¡±. . Scanning the ground, Lee Hansoo came across the pieces of a broken sword . Although it had magic power, it was a rather plain steel sword . . . ¡®That thing was something over 10 Hunters were having difficulty taking down¡­ And someone blew its head open by throwing just this?¡¯. . He was at a loss for words . Looking back and forth between the golem¡¯s corpse and the remnants of the sword, Lee Hansoo walked past the cheering Hunters to the direction the sword had flown from . . . ¡°Oy!¡±. . There was a soldier standing there . . . ¡°Sir? Are you talking to me?¡±. . ¡°Yes, you!¡±. . As the large physique of the Hunter walked towards him, the soldier stiffened and gulped . Such was the pressure Hunters gave off towards ordinary people . . . Lee Hansoo held out the sword and asked,. . ¡°Did you throw this?¡±. . ¡°Ah, that was-¡±. . The soldier gestured behind him, then stopped . . . ¡°Wait, what? There was a Hunter-nim right here . ¡±. . There was no one there . As the soldier panicked and looked around, Lee Hansoo scratched his head and looked at the sword in his hand again . . . ¡®That power . that destructiveness¡­ Did a high ranking Hunter come here?¡¯. . As the man in question had disappeared, he had no way of knowing . . . . . At that time, Jinwoo was on the way home . He had already turned to leave when he saw the golem falter . . . He had taken down the golem . Normally, a dead magic beast¡¯s drops belonged to the person taking it down . If he wanted, he could¡¯ve laid a claim on the golem¡¯s corpse . . . ¡®But the problem is that I¡¯d have to prove that I was the one who took it down . ¡¯. . Who would believe that it was an E-rank Hunter¡¯s attack that took the golem down? He had no proof; the broken sword or the soldier standing by did not seem like it would be enough . Even if he was able to prove it, he would have to reveal how he obtained the power to take down a golem . No matter how Jinwoo looked at it, the costs outweigh the benefits . . . The unique ability to level-up . . . He had no intention of revealing this historical occurrence over a mere golem¡¯s corpse . . . ¡®Regrettable, but what can I do . ¡¯. . Well, it wasn¡¯t all for nothing . No, there was an unexpected boon . A message appeared to him, when he took down the golem:. . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . Taking down the golem gave him one level . . . ¡®So I CAN level-up by taking down magic beasts . ¡¯. . It was good to know . This was enough for him, for now . . . . . At the outskirts of the city, there was an old and worn down apartment . Jinwoo¡¯s house was on the 9th floor of this building . . . The house was dark when he entered . . . ¡®Looks like Jinah¡¯s being diligent . ¡¯. . His little sister was probably at the library . There was dinner on top of the table . It was Jinah¡¯s work, having picked up the slack after their mother¡¯s hospitalization few years ago . There was a small note next to the food, written in cute letters,. . ¡°Don¡¯t starve . I¡¯ll check whether or not you ate . ¡±. . Having received the news of his discharge today, she must¡¯ve taken the time to do this, even during her busy schedule . Jinwoo smiled and sat down at the table, but there was something he wanted to check before eating . . . ¡°Status screen . ¡±. . Name: Sung Jinwoo. Level: 18. Class: None. Title: Wolf Slayer. HP: 2220. MP: 350. Fatigue: 2. Stats. . Strength: 48. Constitution: 27. Agility: 27. Intelligence: 27. Sense: 27. (Available stat points: 0). Skills. . Passive Skills. -(Unknown) (Lv . Max). -Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1). . Active Skills. -Sprint (Lv . 1). . It was a long day . In that long day, he was able to go all the way to level 18 . His strength was nearing 50, and his other stats had also risen greatly . Additionally, he was able to learn the effects of the agility and sense stats . . . ¡®On top of all that, I got a nice dagger with good effects and a good amount of gold¡­ that I can¡¯t spend yet¡­ still . ¡¯. . Putting aside the venom that he didn¡¯t want to use¡­. . The attack on the Instant Dungeon was a big success . . -9 . Lizards-. . People who left their homes in the dawn of day always made a point to do so quietly . After all, they didn¡¯t want to wake up their family . Jinah was no different . Think of her sleeping brother, she quietly locked the door and turned to leave for school . . . ¡°Going to school?¡±. . ¡°Eh?!¡± She abruptly turned to see her brother jogging toward her . He was wearing a tracksuit and sneakers, his head covered by a hoodie . It looked like he was coming back from a run . . . Jinah stared at her brother with wide open eyes . . . ¡°What the . You were awake, oppa?¡±. . ¡°For a while now . Have a good day . ¡±. . ¡°Ah¡­ okay . ¡±. . She watched her brother go inside the house with her head tilted . . . ¡®Huh . To think that there¡¯d be a day where oppa woke up before I did . ¡¯. . It was not that Jinwoo was lazy, but Jinah was a diligent student who often got up at the crack of dawn for school, so it was a rare sight for her to see her brother in the morning like this . . . ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯. . Her brother¡¯s shoulders were a bit wider than she¡¯d remembered . . . ¡®Eh, I must be mistaken . ¡¯. . Human bodies were not rubber bands . They don¡¯t stretch like that in just a few days . . . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Dungeon Break¡±: A reminder, a Gate undergoes full opening after 7 days, then a Dungeon Break occurs . The magic beasts that were normally confined to the inside of the Gate can now leave the Gate, causing destruction and mayhem outside . . [2]: ¡°Dealers¡± (??): The word is in english, ¡°Dealer¡± . Korean gaming terminology to refer to ¡°damage dealers¡±; in the west, more commonly called the ¡°DPS¡± (damage per second) . . [3]: Not a mistrans . Jinwoo forgot the name¡­. . Thank you /u/Aetherpon for some grammar corrections/suggestions!. Chapter 17 As she was shaking her head in disbelief, Jinwoo suddenly came back out and held an umbrella towards her . ¡°Why an umbrella?¡± She took the umbrella and looked up to the sky . It was still dark at dawn, but the sky appeared to be clear . ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to rain today . ¡± ¡°Just take it . ¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be a hassle¡­¡± ¡°Just take it still . It¡¯s not that heavy, stop crying . ¡± He closed the door and went back inside . ¡°Sigh- always so stubborn . ¡± She tapped the door rebelliously with her foot few times, then put the umbrella in her bag and started walking . ¡®Wait¡­¡¯ She recalled her brother¡¯s figure just now . It was strange . Her brother was distinctly taller than she had remembered . ¡°Do men still keep growing after 20?¡± ¡®Can¡¯t be¡­¡¯ She shook her head again and walked towards school . click Jinwoo locked the door and opened his inventory . ¡°Storage . ¡± Storage . Inv . Inventory . After experimenting, he found that the spoken command did not have to be that exact . Same with the messages . Various phrases with the intent and meaning of ¡°opening¡± worked . He took the umbrella obtained from today¡¯s Random Box and put it into the digital storage before his eyes . ¡°Today¡¯s was a bust again . ¡± It had been four days since his first trip into an Instant Dungeon . Since then, he had hoped for another key from the Random Boxes but was not so lucky . ¡®How disappointing . ¡¯ He went to his room and sat on his bed . There was something he had to decide today . ¡°Stat . ¡± Stats Strength: 48 Constitution: 27 Agility: 27 Intelligence: 27 Sense: 27 (Available stat points: 12) Four days¡¯ worth of stat points were piled up in his stat screen . He had not missed a single daily quest, and of course, diligently collected the rewards . But he had not used any of the points yet . He wasn¡¯t sure what to do with them . ¡° . . . This is hard . ¡± Indeed it was . It was not an easy decision to make . Strength . Good stat . No regrets in dumping every point in it so far . Agility . Also good stat . Not needed against low level enemies, but absolutely critical against stronger foes . Speed was relative, after all . Constitution and sense . Having higher health was always a good thing, and sense turned out to be surprisingly useful as well . Intelligence¡­ . . . This was the problem . This was the sole attribute that he had no information to go on . Even after his levels rose, he didn¡¯t really feel smarter . His memorization didn¡¯t exactly improve, nor did his mental math become any faster . ¡®I¡¯m sure it¡¯s related to magic¡­¡¯ Perhaps he didn¡¯t need it after all . That left just strength, agility, constitution and sense . ¡° . . . Still, it¡¯s hard . ¡± Even with one less choice, he still was not sure . The synergy between strength and agility was clear; no matter how hard he could hit, it meant nothing if he couldn¡¯t hit his target . On the same hand, no matter how accurate he was, it meant nothing without power behind the attack . With that in mind, strength and agility were a set . ¡®Since my strength is at a good place, I should bring up agility to a similar level . ¡¯ At the same time, if he chose to raise the agility stat, he would have to put a lower priority on constitution . The synergy between agility and constitution was bad . With high agility, his ability to evade the enemy¡¯s attack would increase; on the other hand, constitution only shined when he took the enemy¡¯s attack head on . ¡®Of course, I¡¯ll always need some minimum amount, just in case¡­¡¯ Still, raising both agility and constitution at the same time did not seem like the best distribution of his points . After thinking about it for some time, he came to a conclusion: First, agility . Second, sense . Third, constitution . He had already invested quite a bit into strength, so he¡¯ll leave it as is . He¡¯ll focus on bringing agility to a matching level; with the focus on agility, he¡¯ll also put sense ahead of constitution . Having made his decision, Jinwoo put 2 points into strength[0] . ring~ Stats Strength: 50 Constitution: 27 Agility: 27 Intelligence: 27 Sense: 27 (Available stat points: 10) He just wanted to have his strength at an even 50 . Wouldn¡¯t anyone do the same? He put the next 8 points into agility for the same reason . He wanted the number to end on a nice ¡°5¡± . Stats Strength: 50 Constitution: 27 Agility: 35 Intelligence: 27 Sense: 27 (Available stat points: 2) ¡®Numbers always look nice when they¡¯re in multiples of 5 . ¡¯ 50 strength and 35 agility . The multiples of 5 gave him a pointless sense of satisfaction . ¡®And the last 2 points . ¡¯ He put them into sense . And with that, the distribution of his points was over . Stats Strength: 50 Constitution: 27 Agility: 35 Intelligence: 27 Sense: 29 (Available stat points: 0) The fact that he couldn¡¯t get sense to 30 felt a little sad . ¡®Can¡¯t do much about it with no points left . ¡¯ Other than that, everything looked good to him . Constitution and intelligence would have to be raised through level-ups . ¡°Is this good enough?¡± Of course, he could not be satisfied 100% in everything . Still, having made the decision after much thought, he felt that it was good enough . ring~ ring~ He heard the phone ring from the living room . ¡®Is it a call from the Association?¡¯ In the past, he would hold out picking up as long as he could, afraid to be called to Raids . But now, his body was itching to face magic beasts with his raised attributes . He quickly went and picked up the receiver . ¡°This is Hunter Sung Jinwoo . ¡± -¡±Ah, there you are . ¡± It was not the Association . Jinwoo felt a little disappointed . -¡°Student Jinwoo, why haven¡¯t you picked up the phone in a while?¡± It was a familiar voice . It had been 4 years since Jinwoo had graduated from high school and left behind the title of student, but the landlord, who had watched over Jinwoo since he was a kid, still called him one . ¡°Sorry landlord ahjussi . I was hospitalized for a while after an accident . ¡± -¡°Oh no . Is that so? That explains that . So, er . . Student Jinwoo, I haven¡¯t received this month¡¯s rent yet . How is it, do you want to push it back to next month?¡± ¡°Oh no, that¡¯s fine . I¡¯ll send it now . ¡± -¡°Ah, okay . Don¡¯t push yourself too hard . I know you¡¯re working hard to take care of your mom and little sister . Money is money, but don¡¯t neglect your body . ¡± ¡°I understand . Thank you very much . ¡± He ended the conversation and took out his bankbook[1] from a drawer . His account had 800 thousand won . ¡°Sigh¡­¡± He could not help but let out a long breath . After 500 thousand won for rent, the amount left over for living expenses this month would be just 300 thousand won[2] . Even the 500 thousand rent was due to the fact that he lived at a worn-down apartment on the edges of the city; on top of that, the landlord, who had a soft heart for Jinwoo¡¯s situation, had not raised the rent in the past few years . It would be hard to find a place for 500 thousand these days . It would be even harder to live on 300 thousand for the month . ¡°First, let¡¯s earn some money . ¡± He had picked out the priority goal . He was not the same man who had struggled in taking down a single E-rank magic beast . How does a Hunter earn money? The best way was to take down magic beasts . The A-rank and S-rank Hunters had the luxury of being sponsored, filming commercials and making TV appearances, but they were in the minority . For the rest, the Hunters earned their keep in Dungeons . Your income was dependent on the quality and quantity of the Dungeon . And your Dungeon was dependent on your capabilities . Higher the Rank, higher the Dungeon . More experienced you were, more Dungeons you could get into . As an E-rank Hunter under the Association, Jinwoo had never entered anything above a D-rank Gate . As such, he had neither the rank nor the experience to prove his worth . Jinwoo furrowed his brows . ¡®Forget any conditions, if I could only get into a raiding party[3] . . . ¡¯ He browsed through the job boards[4] on Hunter websites and even made a few phone calls but made no progress . Nobody wanted an E-rank Hunter . The Hunters who put up listings on the job boards were there for personal raids . As such, they were looking for reliable people to watch their backs and were strict in their criteria for selection . These people were those that fell in an awkward place in the Hunter world . Too weak for Guilds but too strong to work under the Association . ¡®Even those Hunters make several ten million a month . ¡¯ High risk, high return . Putting their lives on the line, the reward was just as great . There was a reason Hunters were the target of envy . To Jinwoo, it was rather frustrating . ¡®Should I just go get retested[5] and raise my rank?¡¯ Jinwoo shook his head . No matter how long he thought about it, it was a stupid idea . It didn¡¯t matter if his new rank was A-rank, B-rank or even C-rank . A Hunter¡¯s Reawakening would be big news . The people loved gossip, and Hunters made prime gossip material . If he got re-tested now and entered the public¡¯s perception, it would only be a matter of time before his special circumstances would be discovered . After all, he had no plans to stop his growth . ¡°A Hunter that can raise his abilities?¡± ¡°He gets stronger with time?¡±¡°Who is that Hunter?¡± ¡°How could he do such a thing?¡± ¡°How could I do something like that?¡± Surely, many people would become interested . There was never a Hunter like him in history . Amidst their interest, there would definitely be those that would try to use him or antagonize him . ¡®And if any of them are stronger than me¡­¡¯ The thought scared Jinwoo . He still lacked power . Until he was confident in his ability to protect himself, he did not want to reveal himself to the world . So, a ranking retest was out of the question . ¡®Still, I need a way to make money somehow¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t get an ordinary job . He did not know when the Association would come calling . If he got called to a Raid, he would be able to earn experience points and money; he didn¡¯t want to throw that chance away for some pocket money . As Jinwoo pondered on what he could do, he noticed a new listing on the job board . We¡¯ll take anyone, regardless of ranking, first come first serve! His eyes shot open . It was a newly created post . Quickly checking the details, he realized the location wasn¡¯t far from his house . Jinwoo quickly picked up the phone . As if waiting, the other side also picked up quickly . -¡°Hello?¡± Jinwoo gave a brief introduction and inquired about the job posting . -¡°Ah, you¡¯re an E-rank?¡± The response was better than he had hoped . -¡°That¡¯s fine . You just have to come and help us fill the headcount . But since it¡¯s a C-rank Gate, you probably won¡¯t be much help in the fighting . So we¡¯ll have to leave you out of the loot distribution . Instead, we¡¯ll give you a flat amount of 2 million, how¡¯s that sound? Could you make it?¡± Flat amount of 2 million! It was an incredible compensation for just filling the headcount . The conditions were not that bad . Although regrettable that he¡¯d be excluded from the loot, he could not let 2 million slip out of his hands . ¡®For now, let¡¯s start with this . ¡¯ An opportunity like this didn¡¯t come every day . 2 million would be more than enough for the month . Jinwoo accepted the proposition, ¡°I¡¯ll be there in 15 minutes . ¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [0]: This goddamn troll . [1]: ¡°bankbook¡± (??): In Korea, people often have these physical representations of their bank balance, which also records deposits and withdrawals . A relic from days before online banking, you¡¯d have to take these to banks to get an update on your account status . They look like thin checkbooks . [2]: Just a reminder, when converting from KRW to USD, just divide it by a thousand (it¡¯ll be off by few %, but good enough for story purposes) . His rent is ~$500 and he would have ~$300 left over for the month . [3]: ¡°raiding party¡± (???): ¡°attack/attacking¡± ?? + ¡°group¡± ? . Since the context refers to hunters that would group up and attack a dungeon, I decided to translate it as ¡°raiding party¡± . [4]: ¡°job board¡± (???): ¡°wanted¡± ?? ¡°board/column¡± ? . Normally refers to ¡°wanted¡± section or ¡°classified¡± in newspapers . I really wanted to call it the ¡°LFG¡± board of the Hunter website but thought that¡¯d be going too far . [5]: ¡°retested¡± (???): ¡°re/again¡± ? + ¡°test¡± ?? . I used it as a verb for the context but will come up as a noun in the future . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 17. . As she was shaking her head in disbelief, Jinwoo suddenly came back out and held an umbrella towards her . . . ¡°Why an umbrella?¡±. . She took the umbrella and looked up to the sky . It was still dark at dawn, but the sky appeared to be clear . . . ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to rain today . ¡±. . ¡°Just take it . ¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s going to be a hassle¡­¡±. . ¡°Just take it still . It¡¯s not that heavy, stop crying . ¡±. . He closed the door and went back inside . . . ¡°Sigh- always so stubborn . ¡±. . She tapped the door rebelliously with her foot few times, then put the umbrella in her bag and started walking . . . ¡®Wait¡­¡¯. . She recalled her brother¡¯s figure just now . It was strange . Her brother was distinctly taller than she had remembered . . . ¡°Do men still keep growing after 20?¡±. . ¡®Can¡¯t be¡­¡¯. . She shook her head again and walked towards school . . . . . click. . Jinwoo locked the door and opened his inventory . . . ¡°Storage . ¡±. . Storage . Inv . Inventory . . . After experimenting, he found that the spoken command did not have to be that exact . Same with the messages . Various phrases with the intent and meaning of ¡°opening¡± worked . . . He took the umbrella obtained from today¡¯s Random Box and put it into the digital storage before his eyes . . . ¡°Today¡¯s was a bust again . ¡±. . It had been four days since his first trip into an Instant Dungeon . Since then, he had hoped for another key from the Random Boxes but was not so lucky . . . ¡®How disappointing . ¡¯. . He went to his room and sat on his bed . . . There was something he had to decide today . . . ¡°Stat . ¡±. . Stats. . Strength: 48. Constitution: 27. Agility: 27. Intelligence: 27. Sense: 27. (Available stat points: 12). . Four days¡¯ worth of stat points were piled up in his stat screen . He had not missed a single daily quest, and of course, diligently collected the rewards . But he had not used any of the points yet . He wasn¡¯t sure what to do with them . . . ¡° . This is hard . ¡±. . Indeed it was . It was not an easy decision to make . . . . Strength . Good stat . No regrets in dumping every point in it so far . . . Agility . Also good stat . Not needed against low level enemies, but absolutely critical against stronger foes . Speed was relative, after all . . . Constitution and sense . Having higher health was always a good thing, and sense turned out to be surprisingly useful as well . . . Intelligence¡­. . . This was the problem . This was the sole attribute that he had no information to go on . Even after his levels rose, he didn¡¯t really feel smarter . His memorization didn¡¯t exactly improve, nor did his mental math become any faster . . . ¡®I¡¯m sure it¡¯s related to magic¡­¡¯. . Perhaps he didn¡¯t need it after all . . . That left just strength, agility, constitution and sense . . . ¡° . Still, it¡¯s hard . ¡±. . Even with one less choice, he still was not sure . The synergy between strength and agility was clear; no matter how hard he could hit, it meant nothing if he couldn¡¯t hit his target . On the same hand, no matter how accurate he was, it meant nothing without power behind the attack . With that in mind, strength and agility were a set . . . ¡®Since my strength is at a good place, I should bring up agility to a similar level . ¡¯. . At the same time, if he chose to raise the agility stat, he would have to put a lower priority on constitution . The synergy between agility and constitution was bad . With high agility, his ability to evade the enemy¡¯s attack would increase; on the other hand, constitution only shined when he took the enemy¡¯s attack head on . . . ¡®Of course, I¡¯ll always need some minimum amount, just in case¡­¡¯. . Still, raising both agility and constitution at the same time did not seem like the best distribution of his points . . . After thinking about it for some time, he came to a conclusion:. . First, agility . Second, sense . Third, constitution . . . He had already invested quite a bit into strength, so he¡¯ll leave it as is . He¡¯ll focus on bringing agility to a matching level; with the focus on agility, he¡¯ll also put sense ahead of constitution . . . Having made his decision, Jinwoo put 2 points into strength[0] . . . ring~. . Stats. . Strength: 50. Constitution: 27. Agility: 27. Intelligence: 27. Sense: 27. (Available stat points: 10). . He just wanted to have his strength at an even 50 . Wouldn¡¯t anyone do the same?. . He put the next 8 points into agility for the same reason . He wanted the number to end on a nice ¡°5¡± . . . Stats. . Strength: 50. Constitution: 27. Agility: 35. Intelligence: 27. Sense: 27. (Available stat points: 2). . ¡®Numbers always look nice when they¡¯re in multiples of 5 . ¡¯. . 50 strength and 35 agility . The multiples of 5 gave him a pointless sense of satisfaction . . . ¡®And the last 2 points . ¡¯. . He put them into sense . And with that, the distribution of his points was over . . . . Stats. . Strength: 50. Constitution: 27. Agility: 35. Intelligence: 27. Sense: 29. (Available stat points: 0). . The fact that he couldn¡¯t get sense to 30 felt a little sad . . . ¡®Can¡¯t do much about it with no points left . ¡¯. . Other than that, everything looked good to him . Constitution and intelligence would have to be raised through level-ups . . . ¡°Is this good enough?¡±. . Of course, he could not be satisfied 100% in everything . Still, having made the decision after much thought, he felt that it was good enough . . . ring~ ring~. . He heard the phone ring from the living room . . . ¡®Is it a call from the Association?¡¯. . In the past, he would hold out picking up as long as he could, afraid to be called to Raids . But now, his body was itching to face magic beasts with his raised attributes . He quickly went and picked up the receiver . . . ¡°This is Hunter Sung Jinwoo . ¡±. . -¡±Ah, there you are . ¡±. . It was not the Association . Jinwoo felt a little disappointed . . . -¡°Student Jinwoo, why haven¡¯t you picked up the phone in a while?¡±. . It was a familiar voice . It had been 4 years since Jinwoo had graduated from high school and left behind the title of student, but the landlord, who had watched over Jinwoo since he was a kid, still called him one . . . ¡°Sorry landlord ahjussi . I was hospitalized for a while after an accident . ¡±. . -¡°Oh no . Is that so? That explains that . So, er Student Jinwoo, I haven¡¯t received this month¡¯s rent yet . How is it, do you want to push it back to next month?¡±. . ¡°Oh no, that¡¯s fine . I¡¯ll send it now . ¡±. . -¡°Ah, okay . Don¡¯t push yourself too hard . I know you¡¯re working hard to take care of your mom and little sister . Money is money, but don¡¯t neglect your body . ¡±. . ¡°I understand . Thank you very much . ¡±. . He ended the conversation and took out his bankbook[1] from a drawer . His account had 800 thousand won . . . ¡°Sigh¡­¡±. . He could not help but let out a long breath . After 500 thousand won for rent, the amount left over for living expenses this month would be just 300 thousand won[2] . Even the 500 thousand rent was due to the fact that he lived at a worn-down apartment on the edges of the city; on top of that, the landlord, who had a soft heart for Jinwoo¡¯s situation, had not raised the rent in the past few years . . . It would be hard to find a place for 500 thousand these days . It would be even harder to live on 300 thousand for the month . . . ¡°First, let¡¯s earn some money . ¡±. . He had picked out the priority goal . . . He was not the same man who had struggled in taking down a single E-rank magic beast . . . . . . How does a Hunter earn money?. . The best way was to take down magic beasts . . . The A-rank and S-rank Hunters had the luxury of being sponsored, filming commercials and making TV appearances, but they were in the minority . For the rest, the Hunters earned their keep in Dungeons . . . Your income was dependent on the quality and quantity of the Dungeon . And your Dungeon was dependent on your capabilities . . . Higher the Rank, higher the Dungeon . More experienced you were, more Dungeons you could get into . . . As an E-rank Hunter under the Association, Jinwoo had never entered anything above a D-rank Gate . As such, he had neither the rank nor the experience to prove his worth . . . Jinwoo furrowed his brows . . . ¡®Forget any conditions, if I could only get into a raiding party[3] . ¡¯. . He browsed through the job boards[4] on Hunter websites and even made a few phone calls but made no progress . Nobody wanted an E-rank Hunter . The Hunters who put up listings on the job boards were there for personal raids . As such, they were looking for reliable people to watch their backs and were strict in their criteria for selection . . . These people were those that fell in an awkward place in the Hunter world . Too weak for Guilds but too strong to work under the Association . . . ¡®Even those Hunters make several ten million a month . ¡¯. . High risk, high return . Putting their lives on the line, the reward was just as great . There was a reason Hunters were the target of envy . To Jinwoo, it was rather frustrating . . . ¡®Should I just go get retested[5] and raise my rank?¡¯. . Jinwoo shook his head . No matter how long he thought about it, it was a stupid idea . It didn¡¯t matter if his new rank was A-rank, B-rank or even C-rank . A Hunter¡¯s Reawakening would be big news . The people loved gossip, and Hunters made prime gossip material . If he got re-tested now and entered the public¡¯s perception, it would only be a matter of time before his special circumstances would be discovered . After all, he had no plans to stop his growth . . . . ¡°A Hunter that can raise his abilities?¡±. ¡°He gets stronger with time?¡±. ¡°Who is that Hunter?¡±. ¡°How could he do such a thing?¡±. ¡°How could I do something like that?¡±. . Surely, many people would become interested . There was never a Hunter like him in history . Amidst their interest, there would definitely be those that would try to use him or antagonize him . . . ¡®And if any of them are stronger than me¡­¡¯. . The thought scared Jinwoo . He still lacked power . Until he was confident in his ability to protect himself, he did not want to reveal himself to the world . So, a ranking retest was out of the question . . . ¡®Still, I need a way to make money somehow¡­¡¯. . He couldn¡¯t get an ordinary job . He did not know when the Association would come calling . If he got called to a Raid, he would be able to earn experience points and money; he didn¡¯t want to throw that chance away for some pocket money . . . As Jinwoo pondered on what he could do, he noticed a new listing on the job board . . . We¡¯ll take anyone, regardless of ranking, first come first serve!. . His eyes shot open . It was a newly created post . Quickly checking the details, he realized the location wasn¡¯t far from his house . Jinwoo quickly picked up the phone . As if waiting, the other side also picked up quickly . . . -¡°Hello?¡±. . Jinwoo gave a brief introduction and inquired about the job posting . . . -¡°Ah, you¡¯re an E-rank?¡±. . The response was better than he had hoped . . . -¡°That¡¯s fine . You just have to come and help us fill the headcount . But since it¡¯s a C-rank Gate, you probably won¡¯t be much help in the fighting . So we¡¯ll have to leave you out of the loot distribution . Instead, we¡¯ll give you a flat amount of 2 million, how¡¯s that sound? Could you make it?¡±. . Flat amount of 2 million!. . It was an incredible compensation for just filling the headcount . The conditions were not that bad . Although regrettable that he¡¯d be excluded from the loot, he could not let 2 million slip out of his hands . . . ¡®For now, let¡¯s start with this . ¡¯. . An opportunity like this didn¡¯t come every day . 2 million would be more than enough for the month . . . Jinwoo accepted the proposition,. . ¡°I¡¯ll be there in 15 minutes . ¡±. . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [0]: This goddamn troll . . [1]: ¡°bankbook¡± (??): In Korea, people often have these physical representations of their bank balance, which also records deposits and withdrawals . A relic from days before online banking, you¡¯d have to take these to banks to get an update on your account status . They look like thin checkbooks . . [2]: Just a reminder, when converting from KRW to USD, just divide it by a thousand (it¡¯ll be off by few %, but good enough for story purposes) . His rent is ~$500 and he would have ~$300 left over for the month . . [3]: ¡°raiding party¡± (???): ¡°attack/attacking¡± ?? + ¡°group¡± ? . Since the context refers to hunters that would group up and attack a dungeon, I decided to translate it as ¡°raiding party¡± . . [4]: ¡°job board¡± (???): ¡°wanted¡± ?? ¡°board/column¡± ? . Normally refers to ¡°wanted¡± section or ¡°classified¡± in newspapers . I really wanted to call it the ¡°LFG¡± board of the Hunter website but thought that¡¯d be going too far . . [5]: ¡°retested¡± (???): ¡°re/again¡± ? + ¡°test¡± ?? . I used it as a verb for the context but will come up as a noun in the future . . Chapter 18 Having finished his preparation in a minute, Jinwoo called for a cab and arrived at the promised location . 9 people were waiting for him . A man who appeared to be their leader waved to Jinwoo . ¡°Over here!¡± It was a rather hairy man with a large body . He greeted Jinwoo with a smile, ¡°Sung Jinwoo-ssi?¡± ¡°Yeah . ¡± ¡°Alright, glad you made it . Shall we introduce ourselves?¡± The man briefly introduced his teammates . Eight of the Hunters, including himself, were a group that had been working together for a long time . The ninth Hunter, like Jinwoo, came after seeing the job post to fill the headcount . As he greeted his teammates, Jinwoo looked over their faces . Due to his raised sense stat, he was able to discern the relative strength between the gathered Hunters . ¡®Five of them are about the same level . Four of them below . So it¡¯s five C-ranks and four D-ranks?¡¯ Raiding a C-rank Gate had rules . It required a minimum of 10 people, and half of the party had to be at least C-rank . Only then, the Association would give raiding permission . It seemed like their need for Jinwoo just to the fill the headcount was true . ¡°Now that we¡¯ve all been introduced, I¡¯ll explain a few things . ¡± Hwang Dongseok, a C-rank Hunter, had a relaxed face born from experience . As he began to explain the various rules and warnings in this Raid, someone approached Jinwoo . ¡°So- looks like we¡¯re both tagalongs . ¡± The young man with a bright face was the other Hunter recruited by Hwang Dongseok to fill the headcount . However, unlike Jinwoo, he was not a noncombatant; he was a D-ranker who would be participating in battle . His name was Yoo Jinho, 22 years old . Jinwoo greeted him with a light bow of his head and turned back to Hwang Dongseok . Yoo Jinho, who had hoped for a conversation, scratched his head and returned to his spot . ¡°Hyungnim[1], let¡¯s just go in already . ¡± ¡°It¡¯s just going to be us fighting anyways, so why explain all that?¡± ¡°Yeah, I suppose it¡¯s all falling on deaf ears . ¡± As his team members complained, Hwang Dongseok laughed and clapped his hands . ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll stop the explanations here . Let¡¯s head on in . ¡± Everyone began the last minute preparation before heading to the Gate . ¡°Ah, before that, if you two could just sign this real quick . ¡± Hwang Dongseok handed Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho a piece of paper . It was a simple contract . ¡°You just have to write your name at the end and sign . ¡± Jinwoo¡¯s contract stated that he would not be involved in combat or be given part of the loot . Instead, he would receive 2 million won at the end of the Raid . It was same as the conversation Jinwoo had over the phone . However, a line at the end caught Jinwoo¡¯s eye, ¡®No matter what accident befalls in the Dungeon, they would not take any responsibility¡­¡¯ Compared to an official Raid under the Association, a private Raid had no compensation if something happened . Hunters could not even obtain insurance; their lives involved too much danger . Reading the line, it officially hit Jinwoo that he had entered a raiding party . Before signing, Jinwoo asked Hwang Dongseok, ¡°So what do you need me to do?¡± ¡°Not much, just follow us around and carry the baggage . ¡± ¡°Baggage¡­?¡± Hwang Dongseok gestured to a large backpack his teammates were unloading from a Bongo[2] . ¡°Inside it are food, clothes, equipment, first aid kit, etc¡­¡± Wait, a first aid kit in a Dungeon? ¡°Are we going in without a Healer?¡± ¡°You should know, it¡¯s really hard to get a Healer-class Hunter for a personal raiding party . We¡¯ve always been like this¡± Hwang Dongseok laughed awkwardly . A raiding party formed at the last minute, only going in with the minimum headcount . A filler member who mistook the Raid for a social gathering . And now, the news that there were no Healers in the party, only Tankers and Dealers . Jinwoo swallowed his laugh, ¡®They¡¯re all scrubs . ¡¯ Still, the reason he was able to sign the contract was not because of the 2 million won . It was because he was confident in his abilities to protect himself . ¡°Here you go . ¡± ¡°Mine as well!¡± Hwang Dongseok checked the two men¡¯s signatures then proclaimed loudly, ¡°Then, let¡¯s go!¡± The party headed towards the place the Gate had appeared . It was an abandoned construction site for an apartment complex . The construction had been halted partway . ¡°Tsk . I suppose the economy¡¯s not doing that well . . . ¡± Hwang Dongseok clicked his tongue . The traces of the unfinished building stood like a gravestone . It would be a fitting memorial to a giant . ¡°Did you know?¡± Yoo Jinho walked up to Jinwoo¡¯s side and spoke in a lowered voice, ¡°I heard the investors and the employees who worked here lost everything and are struggling to live these days . But the president of the company ran away from the country with 900 billion won two months ago . ¡± ¡° . . . ¡± Although Jinwoo gave repeated indication that he did not want to talk, Yoo Jinho did not appear to want to leave Jinwoo¡¯s side . This might¡¯ve been because the 8 people that excluded the two appeared to be old friends, and it was hard to fit amongst them . ¡°Hyung, are you usually a man of few words?¡± Before he realized it, Jinho was calling him hyung . Even ignoring him was becoming tiring . ¡° . . . You¡¯re really bad at taking a hint . ¡± ¡°I grew up without having to, haha¡± Jinwoo wasn¡¯t sure if the boy was just optimistic or stupid . He scratched his head at Yoo Jinho¡¯s smiling face . ¡®Hmm . . . I am tense, however . ¡¯ It was true that he would become more stiff near Gates . He couldn¡¯t help it after all . To other Hunters, it may have been a simple source of income . To Jinwoo, every Raid had been a battle for his life . All those painful memories were the cause of his stiffness . ¡°Over here,¡± Hwang Dongseok stopped the party . Oooh- The Hunters gasped in awe . ¡°Hwang hyung, are you sure this is a C-rank Gate? It¡¯s a little big . ¡± ¡°Psh, do you think the Association would lie? I heard their surveillance team already checked it out twice . ¡± A black hole like entrance that hung in the air, that was the Gate . Waves of magic power would seep from the Gate, and the amount of magic power in those waves would determine the rank of the Gate . Once discovered, the Association would send special teams that would measure the magic power with a device . The resulting information would be made public, and individuals or Guilds would request the raiding rights from the Association . Most of the B-rank and A-rank Gates would be picked up by large Guilds . Those were too dangerous for an individual to lead a private party into . Instead, private parties would request and reserve C-rank or lower Gates . Hwang Dongseok stopped before the Gate and turned to his party . ¡°I¡¯ll go in first, please follow after . ¡± The Tanker took the vanguard, then one by one, rest of the party followed . ¡®Just in case . ¡¯ Jinwoo lightly stretched his body . Next to him, Yoo Jinho was taking out various equipment from his bag . The sword and shield he wielded sparked with radiance . Even at a glance, they were high quality equipment . It was not something a beginner Hunter would be wielding . ¡®Hmm¡­ ¡°grew up without having to take a hint¡± . . . Looks like he¡¯s from a wealthy household . ¡¯ Jinwoo looked at Jinho with surprise . Feeling his gaze, Jinho took few steps forward in elation . ¡°Hyung, you said you were E-rank, right? I¡¯ll make sure to protect you . Please stand close to me . ¡± Jinwoo scratched the back of his head . Who was going to protect who? . . . ¡° . . . Sure, thank you for that . ¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go in as well . ¡± Regardless of how Jinwoo felt, the two men safely entered the Gate . The inside of the Dungeon was quiet . ¡° . . . ¡± It was silent and dark . Hwang Dongseok gave his first command . ¡°Gyuhwan, make a light . ¡± ¡°Yessir . ¡± The Mage-class Hunter Jo Gyuhwan created a floating light . Their surroundings became lit . Hwang Dongseok lowered his shield and tilted his head . ¡°What? Where are the magic beasts?¡± ¡°I wonder . There¡¯s no light, either . ¡± Normally in Dungeons, glowing rocks[3] would be placed here and there throughout the cave to light the way . But this Dungeon did not appear to have any . Yoo Jinho whispered to Jinwoo, ¡°Hyung, are there any Dungeons with no magic beasts?¡± ¡°Shh . ¡± Jinwoo put a finger to his lips, his ears perked . From a distance, he heard numerous footsteps approaching . Jinwoo spoke, ¡°It¡¯s not that there aren¡¯t any . They just haven¡¯t come yet . ¡± Yoo Jinho gulped . skitter- The party soon heard the noise that Jinwoo heard . Hwang Dongseok felt something was off . ¡®A Dungeon with no glowing rocks¡­?¡¯ ¡°What lives and moves in the dark and are attracted to the light?¡± Right! Hwang Dongseok and his teammates¡¯ expressions darkened as one . ¡°Bugs!¡± ¡°It¡¯s bugs!¡± ¡°Fuck, why of all the things, bugs?!¡± Hwang Dongseok shouted at the party, ¡°Everyone, to your positions! They¡¯re coming! Faces forward!¡± Somewhere ahead of the tunnel, numerous ¡°somethings¡± were heading this way . ¡°This isn¡¯t an ant¡¯s nest, is it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say something like that . ¡± Of the many types of magic beasts, insect types were particularly troublesome . They were hard to kill; they moved in groups; on top of that, even a single one of them had good amount of power . And of the insect types, the worst were the ants . Many Hunters mistakenly entered the nest of ant magic beasts and met tragic ends . skitter skitter skitter- The sound of bugs moving across the floor became louder and louder . They were nearing the party . Hwang Dongseok raised his shield below his chins . But the insects did not appear . His juniors muttered from behind him, ¡°What? Where are they?¡± ¡°I can still hear them . ¡± ¡°Dongseok hyung, do you see anything?¡± Jinwoo interrupted them, ¡°Above!¡± ¡®What?¡¯ Hwang Dongseok reflexively looked up . skitter skitter- Giant bugs were coming at them across the ceiling . If the warning had been a little late, the bugs would be falling on their heads now . Against the magic beasts that clumped up on the ground like insects, losing your balance spelled a death sentence . ¡®If we had discovered them just a little later¡­¡¯ Hwang Dongseok¡¯s insides squirmed . Thankfully, he did not see any ants among the attacking bugs . He gathered strength in his throat, ¡°Shoot! Shoot them down! I¡¯ll grab the aggro[4] when they fall!¡± Arrows and magic flew across the air towards the bugs . woosh- thwack! bang! screeeeech! scree- As few of the bugs fell down due to the Hunters¡¯ attacks, the remaining ones jumped to the ground of their own volition . Their intent was to fight the Hunters . Now would begin the Tanker¡¯s role in the fight . Hwang Dongseok used a taunting skill and grabbed the attention of the magic beasts . As if ensnared by some promise, all of them turned their gazes toward Hwang Dongseok . ¡°Over here, you insects!¡± screeeech! Dozens of magic beasts charged toward Hwang Dongseok . crash! clang! clang! His shield blocked every one of their attacks . Even with their strong claws and mandibles, the bugs were not able to get through the shield The Tanker Hwang Dongseok skillfully held off the bugs . ¡°Hold . Hold . Hold!¡± He was waiting for the right time . Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Hyung-nim¡±: Combination of ¡°hyung¡± and honorific ¡°nim¡± . ¡°Hyung¡± is the way younger male would address his older brother . But it¡¯s also used in general population (by younger male to and older male of a closer age) . ¡°Nim¡± is added as an honorific, denoting respect . [2]: ¡°Bongo¡± . A small flatbed pickup truck . [3]: ¡°glowing rocks¡± (???): ¡°darkness¡± ? + ¡°light¡± ? + stone ¡°?¡± . ¡°Light that glows in the dark¡± > just ¡°glowing rock¡± . The word ¡°??¡± also specially refers to the glow-in-the dark stuff . [4]: ¡°aggro¡± (??): The author¡¯s usage of gaming terminology is becoming more and more apparent . Short for korean pronunciation of the english word ¡°aggression¡±, it refers to the idea that a video game enemy will be focused on a target with the most threat . Normally, that would be the damage dealers, but tanking roles often have special skills to forcibly increase their threat and draw the aggression or ¡°aggro¡± of an enemy . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 18. . Having finished his preparation in a minute, Jinwoo called for a cab and arrived at the promised location . . . 9 people were waiting for him . A man who appeared to be their leader waved to Jinwoo . . . ¡°Over here!¡±. . It was a rather hairy man with a large body . He greeted Jinwoo with a smile,. . ¡°Sung Jinwoo-ssi?¡±. . ¡°Yeah . ¡±. . ¡°Alright, glad you made it . Shall we introduce ourselves?¡±. . The man briefly introduced his teammates . Eight of the Hunters, including himself, were a group that had been working together for a long time . The ninth Hunter, like Jinwoo, came after seeing the job post to fill the headcount . . . As he greeted his teammates, Jinwoo looked over their faces . Due to his raised sense stat, he was able to discern the relative strength between the gathered Hunters . . . ¡®Five of them are about the same level . Four of them below . So it¡¯s five C-ranks and four D-ranks?¡¯. . Raiding a C-rank Gate had rules . It required a minimum of 10 people, and half of the party had to be at least C-rank . Only then, the Association would give raiding permission . It seemed like their need for Jinwoo just to the fill the headcount was true . . . ¡°Now that we¡¯ve all been introduced, I¡¯ll explain a few things . ¡±. . Hwang Dongseok, a C-rank Hunter, had a relaxed face born from experience . As he began to explain the various rules and warnings in this Raid, someone approached Jinwoo . . . ¡°So- looks like we¡¯re both tagalongs . ¡±. . The young man with a bright face was the other Hunter recruited by Hwang Dongseok to fill the headcount . However, unlike Jinwoo, he was not a noncombatant; he was a D-ranker who would be participating in battle . . . His name was Yoo Jinho, 22 years old . Jinwoo greeted him with a light bow of his head and turned back to Hwang Dongseok . Yoo Jinho, who had hoped for a conversation, scratched his head and returned to his spot . . . ¡°Hyungnim[1], let¡¯s just go in already . ¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s just going to be us fighting anyways, so why explain all that?¡±. . ¡°Yeah, I suppose it¡¯s all falling on deaf ears . ¡±. . As his team members complained, Hwang Dongseok laughed and clapped his hands . . . ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll stop the explanations here . Let¡¯s head on in . ¡±. . Everyone began the last minute preparation before heading to the Gate . . . ¡°Ah, before that, if you two could just sign this real quick . ¡±. . Hwang Dongseok handed Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho a piece of paper . It was a simple contract . . . ¡°You just have to write your name at the end and sign . ¡±. . Jinwoo¡¯s contract stated that he would not be involved in combat or be given part of the loot . Instead, he would receive 2 million won at the end of the Raid . It was same as the conversation Jinwoo had over the phone . However, a line at the end caught Jinwoo¡¯s eye,. . ¡®No matter what accident befalls in the Dungeon, they would not take any responsibility¡­¡¯. . Compared to an official Raid under the Association, a private Raid had no compensation if something happened . Hunters could not even obtain insurance; their lives involved too much danger . . . Reading the line, it officially hit Jinwoo that he had entered a raiding party . . . Before signing, Jinwoo asked Hwang Dongseok,. . ¡°So what do you need me to do?¡±. . ¡°Not much, just follow us around and carry the baggage . ¡±. . ¡°Baggage¡­?¡±. . Hwang Dongseok gestured to a large backpack his teammates were unloading from a Bongo[2] . . . ¡°Inside it are food, clothes, equipment, first aid kit, etc¡­¡±. . Wait, a first aid kit in a Dungeon?. . ¡°Are we going in without a Healer?¡±. . ¡°You should know, it¡¯s really hard to get a Healer-class Hunter for a personal raiding party . We¡¯ve always been like this¡±. . Hwang Dongseok laughed awkwardly . . . A raiding party formed at the last minute, only going in with the minimum headcount . . . A filler member who mistook the Raid for a social gathering . . . And now, the news that there were no Healers in the party, only Tankers and Dealers . . . Jinwoo swallowed his laugh,. . ¡®They¡¯re all scrubs . ¡¯. . Still, the reason he was able to sign the contract was not because of the 2 million won . It was because he was confident in his abilities to protect himself . . . ¡°Here you go . ¡±. . ¡°Mine as well!¡±. . Hwang Dongseok checked the two men¡¯s signatures then proclaimed loudly,. . ¡°Then, let¡¯s go!¡±. . . . The party headed towards the place the Gate had appeared . It was an abandoned construction site for an apartment complex . The construction had been halted partway . . . ¡°Tsk . I suppose the economy¡¯s not doing that well . ¡±. . Hwang Dongseok clicked his tongue . The traces of the unfinished building stood like a gravestone . It would be a fitting memorial to a giant . . . ¡°Did you know?¡±. . Yoo Jinho walked up to Jinwoo¡¯s side and spoke in a lowered voice,. . ¡°I heard the investors and the employees who worked here lost everything and are struggling to live these days . But the president of the company ran away from the country with 900 billion won two months ago . ¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . Although Jinwoo gave repeated indication that he did not want to talk, Yoo Jinho did not appear to want to leave Jinwoo¡¯s side . This might¡¯ve been because the 8 people that excluded the two appeared to be old friends, and it was hard to fit amongst them . . . ¡°Hyung, are you usually a man of few words?¡±. . Before he realized it, Jinho was calling him hyung . Even ignoring him was becoming tiring . . . ¡° . You¡¯re really bad at taking a hint . ¡±. . ¡°I grew up without having to, haha¡±. . Jinwoo wasn¡¯t sure if the boy was just optimistic or stupid . He scratched his head at Yoo Jinho¡¯s smiling face . . . ¡®Hmm . I am tense, however . ¡¯. . It was true that he would become more stiff near Gates . He couldn¡¯t help it after all . To other Hunters, it may have been a simple source of income . To Jinwoo, every Raid had been a battle for his life . All those painful memories were the cause of his stiffness . . . ¡°Over here,¡±. . Hwang Dongseok stopped the party . . . Oooh-. . The Hunters gasped in awe . . . ¡°Hwang hyung, are you sure this is a C-rank Gate? It¡¯s a little big . ¡±. . ¡°Psh, do you think the Association would lie? I heard their surveillance team already checked it out twice . ¡±. . A black hole like entrance that hung in the air, that was the Gate . . . Waves of magic power would seep from the Gate, and the amount of magic power in those waves would determine the rank of the Gate . Once discovered, the Association would send special teams that would measure the magic power with a device . The resulting information would be made public, and individuals or Guilds would request the raiding rights from the Association . . . Most of the B-rank and A-rank Gates would be picked up by large Guilds . Those were too dangerous for an individual to lead a private party into . Instead, private parties would request and reserve C-rank or lower Gates . . . Hwang Dongseok stopped before the Gate and turned to his party . . . ¡°I¡¯ll go in first, please follow after . ¡±. . The Tanker took the vanguard, then one by one, rest of the party followed . . . ¡®Just in case . ¡¯. . Jinwoo lightly stretched his body . Next to him, Yoo Jinho was taking out various equipment from his bag . The sword and shield he wielded sparked with radiance . Even at a glance, they were high quality equipment . It was not something a beginner Hunter would be wielding . . . ¡®Hmm¡­ ¡°grew up without having to take a hint¡± . Looks like he¡¯s from a wealthy household . ¡¯. . Jinwoo looked at Jinho with surprise . Feeling his gaze, Jinho took few steps forward in elation . . . ¡°Hyung, you said you were E-rank, right? I¡¯ll make sure to protect you . Please stand close to me . ¡±. . Jinwoo scratched the back of his head . Who was going to protect who? . . . ¡° . Sure, thank you for that . ¡±. . ¡°Let¡¯s go in as well . ¡±. . Regardless of how Jinwoo felt, the two men safely entered the Gate . . . . . . The inside of the Dungeon was quiet . . . ¡° . ¡±. . It was silent and dark . . . Hwang Dongseok gave his first command . . . ¡°Gyuhwan, make a light . ¡±. . ¡°Yessir . ¡±. . The Mage-class Hunter Jo Gyuhwan created a floating light . Their surroundings became lit . Hwang Dongseok lowered his shield and tilted his head . . . ¡°What? Where are the magic beasts?¡±. . ¡°I wonder . There¡¯s no light, either . ¡±. . Normally in Dungeons, glowing rocks[3] would be placed here and there throughout the cave to light the way . But this Dungeon did not appear to have any . . . Yoo Jinho whispered to Jinwoo,. . ¡°Hyung, are there any Dungeons with no magic beasts?¡±. . ¡°Shh . ¡±. . Jinwoo put a finger to his lips, his ears perked . From a distance, he heard numerous footsteps approaching . . . Jinwoo spoke,. . ¡°It¡¯s not that there aren¡¯t any . They just haven¡¯t come yet . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho gulped . . . skitter-. . The party soon heard the noise that Jinwoo heard . Hwang Dongseok felt something was off . . . ¡®A Dungeon with no glowing rocks¡­?¡¯. . ¡°What lives and moves in the dark and are attracted to the light?¡±. . Right!. . Hwang Dongseok and his teammates¡¯ expressions darkened as one . . . ¡°Bugs!¡±. ¡°It¡¯s bugs!¡±. ¡°Fuck, why of all the things, bugs?!¡±. . Hwang Dongseok shouted at the party,. . ¡°Everyone, to your positions! They¡¯re coming! Faces forward!¡±. . Somewhere ahead of the tunnel, numerous ¡°somethings¡± were heading this way . . . ¡°This isn¡¯t an ant¡¯s nest, is it?¡±. . ¡°Don¡¯t say something like that . ¡±. . Of the many types of magic beasts, insect types were particularly troublesome . They were hard to kill; they moved in groups; on top of that, even a single one of them had good amount of power . And of the insect types, the worst were the ants . Many Hunters mistakenly entered the nest of ant magic beasts and met tragic ends . . . skitter skitter skitter-. . The sound of bugs moving across the floor became louder and louder . They were nearing the party . Hwang Dongseok raised his shield below his chins . But the insects did not appear . His juniors muttered from behind him,. . ¡°What? Where are they?¡±. ¡°I can still hear them . ¡±. ¡°Dongseok hyung, do you see anything?¡±. . Jinwoo interrupted them,. . ¡°Above!¡±. . ¡®What?¡¯. . Hwang Dongseok reflexively looked up . . . skitter skitter-. . Giant bugs were coming at them across the ceiling . If the warning had been a little late, the bugs would be falling on their heads now . Against the magic beasts that clumped up on the ground like insects, losing your balance spelled a death sentence . . . ¡®If we had discovered them just a little later¡­¡¯. . Hwang Dongseok¡¯s insides squirmed . Thankfully, he did not see any ants among the attacking bugs . He gathered strength in his throat,. . ¡°Shoot! Shoot them down! I¡¯ll grab the aggro[4] when they fall!¡±. . Arrows and magic flew across the air towards the bugs . . . woosh- thwack!. . bang!. . screeeeech!. . scree-. . As few of the bugs fell down due to the Hunters¡¯ attacks, the remaining ones jumped to the ground of their own volition . Their intent was to fight the Hunters . Now would begin the Tanker¡¯s role in the fight . . . Hwang Dongseok used a taunting skill and grabbed the attention of the magic beasts . As if ensnared by some promise, all of them turned their gazes toward Hwang Dongseok . . . ¡°Over here, you insects!¡±. . screeeech!. . Dozens of magic beasts charged toward Hwang Dongseok . . . crash!. . clang! clang!. . His shield blocked every one of their attacks . Even with their strong claws and mandibles, the bugs were not able to get through the shield The Tanker Hwang Dongseok skillfully held off the bugs . . . ¡°Hold . Hold . Hold!¡±. . He was waiting for the right time . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Hyung-nim¡±: Combination of ¡°hyung¡± and honorific ¡°nim¡± . ¡°Hyung¡± is the way younger male would address his older brother . But it¡¯s also used in general population (by younger male to and older male of a closer age) . ¡°Nim¡± is added as an honorific, denoting respect . . [2]: ¡°Bongo¡± . A small flatbed pickup truck . . [3]: ¡°glowing rocks¡± (???): ¡°darkness¡± ? + ¡°light¡± ? + stone ¡°?¡± . ¡°Light that glows in the dark¡± > just ¡°glowing rock¡± . The word ¡°??¡± also specially refers to the glow-in-the dark stuff . . [4]: ¡°aggro¡± (??): The author¡¯s usage of gaming terminology is becoming more and more apparent . Short for korean pronunciation of the english word ¡°aggression¡±, it refers to the idea that a video game enemy will be focused on a target with the most threat . Normally, that would be the damage dealers, but tanking roles often have special skills to forcibly increase their threat and draw the aggression or ¡°aggro¡± of an enemy . . Chapter 19 Even as the bugs continuously bit and tore away at his defense, Hwang Dongseok calmly waited for the moment of opportunity . He wanted to make sure the aggro was focused on him even when the Dealers began their counterattack . ¡®This should be good enough!¡¯ Now would begin the real hunt . The bugs would learn why Hunters are called Hunters! Hwang Dongseok roared with strength, ¡°Deal!¡± In response to the single word, the entire team¡¯s firepower rained upon the bugs . screech-! screeeeeech-! The cry of the magic beasts rang forth here and there . As part of the Raid agreement, Jinwoo watched the party¡¯s battle from the rear . As he analyzed the battle, he imagined how he would fight against the bugs . ¡®How frustrating¡­¡¯ He suppressed the urge to step forward . There were too many openings in the magic beasts; unfortunately, many of the Hunters seemed to miss those openings completely . Yet, he was forced to stand in the back, doing nothing . It was frustrating . Nonetheless, the damage to Hwang Dongseok¡¯s team was minimal . Their teamwork was that good . It appeared that the carefree attitude Hwang Dongseok maintained before the Raid was not for nothing . ¡°Jinseok, 11 o¡¯clock!¡± ¡°Hyung, from the right, too!¡± ¡°Joontae, Sukmin, Gyuhwan! Take the right!¡± ¡°Yessir!¡± ¡°Cheoljin, your wrist is swelling . Get to the rear!¡± ¡°Hwang hyung, I can handle this much!¡± ¡°You think we¡¯ll be done after this? We don¡¯t know how many more battles are waiting here, don¡¯t go all out from the start! Control your pace!¡± ¡°Alright, alright, I got it!¡± Having been through many battles together, even their conversations showed experience . Proper communication in battle was the key to teamwork . Compared to the chaotic formations of the Association¡¯s Hunters, these men were different . ¡®Even he¡¯s doing just fine . ¡¯ Jinwoo looked over to Yoo Jinho . As a magic beast crashed into his shield, Jinho kicked away the bug and swung his sword . The expensive blade cut straight through its head . Even as a mere D-rank Hunter, Jinho was putting up a good fight . ¡®I guess the equipment¡¯s covering for his lack of power and experience . ¡¯ There was a reason why Hunters sought good equipment . Meeting his eyes, Yoo Jinho made a thumbs-up at Jinwoo . ¡°¡­¡± Relenting under Jinho¡¯s bright and hopeful gaze, Jinwoo returned a thumbs-up back at the young man . Yoo Jinho looked satisfied . screeee- Regardless, the battle was nearing its end . As the rest of the party cleaned up the remaining magic beasts, Hwang Dongseok ordered his subordinates, ¡°Grab all the magic cores! We¡¯ll be dividing it up exactly 9 ways . ¡± ¡°Yessir . ¡± ¡°This is my favorite part . ¡± ¡°Me too . ¡± Watching his teammates work happily, Hwang Dongseok approached Jinwoo . ¡°Oh boy, I gotta thank you for that . ¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who shouted the warning in the beginning, right? How did you know?¡± ¡°Just a¡­ gut feeling . ¡± Jinwoo made up an explanation . He could not say that it was due to his raised sense stat . ¡°Ah, is that so? A gut feeling . You got some luck in ya . If we were just a step late in discovering them¡­ phew-¡° Suddenly, one of the Hunters who was going through the corpses gestured to Hwang Dongseok . ¡°Hwang hyung, come take a look at this . ¡± His subordinates were gathered around something . Hwang Dongseok headed towards them . ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s something off about these guys . ¡± The Hunters parted to make room for Hwang Dongseok . He sat down and looked over what they were pointing at . There wasn¡¯t anything wrong at a first glance; it was just dead bugs . ¡°What¡¯s off about them?¡± One of his subordinates pointed to the leg of one of the bugs . Its end showed traces of being torn off messily . ¡°That wound, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s from us . ¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hwang Dongseok¡¯s forehead wrinkled . After taking a closer look, he noted, ¡°Looks like¡­ it was bitten off by something . ¡± ¡°Right? And this isn¡¯t the only one . Look, this one . And that one too . This one even had a wing ripped off . I think they were like this before they fought us . ¡± Hwang Dongseok¡¯s face hardened . Despite their numbers, it did feel like the magic beasts went down easier than expected . ¡°Were they¡­ fighting each other before this?¡± In that moment, it was very brief, but Jinwoo felt the 8 Hunters¡¯ gaze fall on him . When they saw that he was looking, they quickly turned back . With that, Jinwoo became sure . ¡®As I thought¡­¡¯ His first intuition was correct . Their good teamwork was indicative of their long history together . But how was it that they came this far without a Healer? No matter how good they were, people were prone to making mistakes from time to time . Even just now, if it wasn¡¯t for Jinwoo, their formation would¡¯ve broken down at the sudden appearance of the bugs . The pieces of the puzzle fell together in Jinwoo¡¯s head, and a smile appeared on his lips . ¡®I might be able to make use of them¡­¡¯ As long as they moved according to his expectations . Hwang Dongseok chuckled as he got up, ¡°Now, now . Let¡¯s keep going . Looks like we won¡¯t have any issues if it¡¯s just this level . ¡± His loud voice was not for the benefit of his teammates; they were right next to him, after all . In the meantime, Yoo Jinho approached Jinwoo with a wide smile . ¡°Hyung, did you see that? You saw me, right? I just wooshed! And bam! All these magic beasts-¡° He swung his sword around with a flourish . Jinwoo ask him, ¡°Your sword and shield, they¡¯re quite expensive, right?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah . My father took special care on me when he heard that I was going on my first Raid . ¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to be careful, too, then . ¡± Jinwoo patted Yoo Jinho¡¯s back, then headed after the other Hunters . ¡°Huh?¡± With a confused look, Yoo Jinho followed after him . The party traveled deeper into the cave but did not come across any more magic beasts . As a Dungeon with a long single path, it couldn¡¯t have been that they had went around any . ¡°Were the ones at the entrance it?¡± ¡°Nah, there¡¯s no way . ¡± ¡°How strange . ¡± ¡°There should at least be a boss, right?¡± ¡°You think a Gate would open up with no boss in it?¡± The Hunters exchanged different opinions back and forth as they walked through the large but empty Dungeon . ¡°Hold up . ¡± Hwang Dongseok stopped the party . At his sudden action, few people bumped into each other as they stopped . The Hunter who smacked his face into Hwang Dongseok¡¯s back asked as he rubbed his nose, ¡°Ow, Hwang hyung, what is it?¡± ¡°Gyuhwan, shine your light here . ¡± Jo Gyuhwan moved his ball of light from their rear to the area where Hwang Dongseok was indicating . ¡°Holy shit¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re all¡­¡± The Hunters let out quiet groans . Insect wings, legs, bodies and even heads were littered across the ground . Corpses of the bug type magic beasts were everywhere . The dead bodies piled up more and more deeper into the cave, and at the end of the tunnel: ¡°It¡¯s the boss room . ¡± Someone uttered . Hwang Dongseok nodded in agreement . ¡°Everyone, gears out . ¡± They responded immediately, faces filled with nervousness . The party quietly sneaked towards the boss room, with Hwang Dongseok at the vanguard . Suddenly, the man who had bumped into Hwang Dongseok exclaimed, ¡°Holy- holy shit!¡± It was the height of stupidity to make loud noises in a Dungeon; it would only serve to attract magic beasts that could¡¯ve been avoided . But nobody rebuked the Hunter who had shouted . ¡°Whoa-¡° ¡°How much would all this be?¡± ¡°This is a big score!¡± They were all exclaiming in admiration . ¡°Hold . ¡± As Jo Gyuhwan¡¯s light lit up the area from above, what the Hunters had discovered in the room became clearer . A large amount of jewel like rocks were embedded on the walls . ¡°It¡¯s mana crystals![1]¡± ¡°The entire wall is filled with them!¡± The Hunters¡¯ eyes sparkled brighter than the light reflecting off the mana crystals . Mana crystals! It was one of the treasures that could be found in Dungeons . Although they contained less magic power than the magic cores from magic beasts, they were normally found in large amounts . Mining them would result in an impressive income for a raiding party . The amount that the party had come across was even more impressive; the entire wall was filled to the brim with crystals . ¡°By my rough estimates¡­¡± One of the Hunters, quick with his calculations, started counting the crystals . ¡°If we got all of it out, it¡¯d be roughly 1 billion . If we divided it by 9 shares, each person could walk away with over a 100 million . ¡± A big smile appeared on the Hunters listening . Suddenly, Yoo Jinho, who was standing next to Jinwoo, poked Jinwoo¡¯s sides with his elbows . ¡°Hyung, give me your contract for a second . ¡± ¡°The contract? What for?¡± ¡°Just trust me, I¡¯m pretty good with these kinds of things . ¡± Jinwoo shrugged and handed his contract over . Yoo Jinho took it and walked over to Hwang Dongseok . ¡°Excuse me, sunbae-nims[2], I have something I want to say . ¡± He unfolded and held out the contract for all to see . ¡°Leader, this is Jinwoo hyung¡¯s contract . As you can see, there¡¯s nothing in here about being excluded from mana crystals, only mana cores . ¡± Everyone understood what Yoo Jinho was trying to say . It was standard agreement that income from treasures and artifacts would be divided evenly across all members of the raiding party . This was different than magic cores only going to those who took down the magic beasts . As such, the mana crystals should be divided up 10 ways, not 9 . The look in the other Hunters¡¯ faces changed, but Hwang Dongseok stepped in front of them with a smile . ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll divide it up across all of us . I know this . But there¡¯s something we have to take care of first . ¡± Hwang Dongseok pointed forward with his finger . Yoo Jinho got startled for a second; he thought the man was pointing at him . But turning around, he saw a giant spider resting in a faraway corner . ¡°Whoa¡­!¡± Yoo Jinho started walking backwards after discovering the creature and covered his mouth . Thankfully, the spider did not move; it appeared to be sleeping . The lifeless husks of bugs littered its surroundings . The half-eaten corpses reminded the Hunters of leftover food sitting at the bottom of a garbage can . ¡°It¡¯s the boss . ¡± ¡°Was it the one that ate all those bugs?¡± ¡°He sure had a feast . ¡± Hwang Dongseok gathered the Hunters, including Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho . ¡°As you¡¯re all aware, if the boss goes down, the Gate will start closing . So why don¡¯t we mine all the mana crystals before we take the spider down?¡± They all nodded in agreement . Hwang Dongseok turned to a bald Hunter . ¡°Cheoljin, did you grab the gear?¡± Lee Cheoljin shook his head . ¡°No . Who would¡¯ve thought to find mana crystals in a C-rank Dungeon? I left all the mining gear back in the car . ¡± ¡°You punk¡­ Didn¡¯t I tell you to be prepared at all times?¡± ¡°Sorry, sorry . Really sorry . ¡± Lee Cheoljin apologized to everyone with a smile . Hwang Dongseok scratched his head and spoke, ¡°Sigh, this is going to be a hassle . Can you two stay here while we go grab the equipment?¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°mana crystals¡± (???): ¡°mana¡± in english + ¡°stone/rock¡± ? . Stylized the translation into ¡°crystals¡± because of their shininess . [2]: ¡°sunbae-nim¡± (???): ¡°sunbae¡± is a Korean word used to address one¡¯s seniors in the same profession . In rare cases where someone younger than you was at the company longer than you were, that person would still be your ¡°sunbae¡± . ¡°Nim¡± is added with respect occasionally . Japanese equivalent = senpai . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 19. . Even as the bugs continuously bit and tore away at his defense, Hwang Dongseok calmly waited for the moment of opportunity . He wanted to make sure the aggro was focused on him even when the Dealers began their counterattack . . . ¡®This should be good enough!¡¯. . Now would begin the real hunt . The bugs would learn why Hunters are called Hunters!. . Hwang Dongseok roared with strength,. . ¡°Deal!¡±. . In response to the single word, the entire team¡¯s firepower rained upon the bugs . . . screech-!. . screeeeeech-!. . The cry of the magic beasts rang forth here and there . As part of the Raid agreement, Jinwoo watched the party¡¯s battle from the rear . As he analyzed the battle, he imagined how he would fight against the bugs . . . ¡®How frustrating¡­¡¯. . He suppressed the urge to step forward . There were too many openings in the magic beasts; unfortunately, many of the Hunters seemed to miss those openings completely . Yet, he was forced to stand in the back, doing nothing . It was frustrating . . . Nonetheless, the damage to Hwang Dongseok¡¯s team was minimal . Their teamwork was that good . It appeared that the carefree attitude Hwang Dongseok maintained before the Raid was not for nothing . . . ¡°Jinseok, 11 o¡¯clock!¡±. ¡°Hyung, from the right, too!¡±. ¡°Joontae, Sukmin, Gyuhwan! Take the right!¡±. ¡°Yessir!¡±. ¡°Cheoljin, your wrist is swelling . Get to the rear!¡±. ¡°Hwang hyung, I can handle this much!¡±. ¡°You think we¡¯ll be done after this? We don¡¯t know how many more battles are waiting here, don¡¯t go all out from the start! Control your pace!¡±. ¡°Alright, alright, I got it!¡±. . Having been through many battles together, even their conversations showed experience . Proper communication in battle was the key to teamwork . Compared to the chaotic formations of the Association¡¯s Hunters, these men were different . . . ¡®Even he¡¯s doing just fine . ¡¯. . Jinwoo looked over to Yoo Jinho . As a magic beast crashed into his shield, Jinho kicked away the bug and swung his sword . The expensive blade cut straight through its head . Even as a mere D-rank Hunter, Jinho was putting up a good fight . . . ¡®I guess the equipment¡¯s covering for his lack of power and experience . ¡¯. . There was a reason why Hunters sought good equipment . . . Meeting his eyes, Yoo Jinho made a thumbs-up at Jinwoo . . . ¡°¡­¡±. . Relenting under Jinho¡¯s bright and hopeful gaze, Jinwoo returned a thumbs-up back at the young man . Yoo Jinho looked satisfied . . . screeee-. . Regardless, the battle was nearing its end . As the rest of the party cleaned up the remaining magic beasts, Hwang Dongseok ordered his subordinates,. . ¡°Grab all the magic cores! We¡¯ll be dividing it up exactly 9 ways . ¡±. . ¡°Yessir . ¡±. ¡°This is my favorite part . ¡±. ¡°Me too . ¡±. . Watching his teammates work happily, Hwang Dongseok approached Jinwoo . . . ¡°Oh boy, I gotta thank you for that . ¡±. . ¡°Hmm?¡±. . ¡°You¡¯re the one who shouted the warning in the beginning, right? How did you know?¡±. . ¡°Just a¡­ gut feeling . ¡±. . Jinwoo made up an explanation . He could not say that it was due to his raised sense stat . . . ¡°Ah, is that so? A gut feeling . You got some luck in ya . If we were just a step late in discovering them¡­ phew-¡°. . Suddenly, one of the Hunters who was going through the corpses gestured to Hwang Dongseok . . . ¡°Hwang hyung, come take a look at this . ¡±. . His subordinates were gathered around something . Hwang Dongseok headed towards them . . . ¡°What is it?¡±. . ¡°There¡¯s something off about these guys . ¡±. . The Hunters parted to make room for Hwang Dongseok . He sat down and looked over what they were pointing at . There wasn¡¯t anything wrong at a first glance; it was just dead bugs . . . ¡°What¡¯s off about them?¡± . . One of his subordinates pointed to the leg of one of the bugs . Its end showed traces of being torn off messily . . . ¡°That wound, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s from us . ¡±. . ¡°¡­¡±. . Hwang Dongseok¡¯s forehead wrinkled . After taking a closer look, he noted,. . ¡°Looks like¡­ it was bitten off by something . ¡±. . ¡°Right? And this isn¡¯t the only one . Look, this one . And that one too . This one even had a wing ripped off . I think they were like this before they fought us . ¡±. . Hwang Dongseok¡¯s face hardened . Despite their numbers, it did feel like the magic beasts went down easier than expected . . . ¡°Were they¡­ fighting each other before this?¡±. . In that moment, it was very brief, but Jinwoo felt the 8 Hunters¡¯ gaze fall on him . When they saw that he was looking, they quickly turned back . With that, Jinwoo became sure . . . ¡®As I thought¡­¡¯. . His first intuition was correct . Their good teamwork was indicative of their long history together . But how was it that they came this far without a Healer? No matter how good they were, people were prone to making mistakes from time to time . Even just now, if it wasn¡¯t for Jinwoo, their formation would¡¯ve broken down at the sudden appearance of the bugs . . . The pieces of the puzzle fell together in Jinwoo¡¯s head, and a smile appeared on his lips . . . ¡®I might be able to make use of them¡­¡¯. . As long as they moved according to his expectations . . . Hwang Dongseok chuckled as he got up,. . ¡°Now, now . Let¡¯s keep going . Looks like we won¡¯t have any issues if it¡¯s just this level . ¡±. . His loud voice was not for the benefit of his teammates; they were right next to him, after all . . . In the meantime, Yoo Jinho approached Jinwoo with a wide smile . . . ¡°Hyung, did you see that? You saw me, right? I just wooshed! And bam! All these magic beasts-¡°. . He swung his sword around with a flourish . . . Jinwoo ask him,. . ¡°Your sword and shield, they¡¯re quite expensive, right?¡±. . ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah . My father took special care on me when he heard that I was going on my first Raid . ¡±. . ¡°You¡¯ll have to be careful, too, then . ¡±. . Jinwoo patted Yoo Jinho¡¯s back, then headed after the other Hunters . . . ¡°Huh?¡±. . With a confused look, Yoo Jinho followed after him . . . . The party traveled deeper into the cave but did not come across any more magic beasts . As a Dungeon with a long single path, it couldn¡¯t have been that they had went around any . . . ¡°Were the ones at the entrance it?¡±. ¡°Nah, there¡¯s no way . ¡±. ¡°How strange . ¡±. ¡°There should at least be a boss, right?¡±. ¡°You think a Gate would open up with no boss in it?¡±. . The Hunters exchanged different opinions back and forth as they walked through the large but empty Dungeon . . . ¡°Hold up . ¡±. . Hwang Dongseok stopped the party . At his sudden action, few people bumped into each other as they stopped . The Hunter who smacked his face into Hwang Dongseok¡¯s back asked as he rubbed his nose,. . ¡°Ow, Hwang hyung, what is it?¡±. . ¡°Gyuhwan, shine your light here . ¡±. . Jo Gyuhwan moved his ball of light from their rear to the area where Hwang Dongseok was indicating . . . ¡°Holy shit¡­¡±. . ¡°They¡¯re all¡­¡±. . The Hunters let out quiet groans . . . Insect wings, legs, bodies and even heads were littered across the ground . Corpses of the bug type magic beasts were everywhere . The dead bodies piled up more and more deeper into the cave, and at the end of the tunnel:. . ¡°It¡¯s the boss room . ¡±. . Someone uttered . Hwang Dongseok nodded in agreement . . . ¡°Everyone, gears out . ¡±. . They responded immediately, faces filled with nervousness . The party quietly sneaked towards the boss room, with Hwang Dongseok at the vanguard . Suddenly, the man who had bumped into Hwang Dongseok exclaimed,. . ¡°Holy- holy shit!¡±. . It was the height of stupidity to make loud noises in a Dungeon; it would only serve to attract magic beasts that could¡¯ve been avoided . But nobody rebuked the Hunter who had shouted . . . ¡°Whoa-¡°. ¡°How much would all this be?¡±. ¡°This is a big score!¡±. . They were all exclaiming in admiration . . . ¡°Hold . ¡±. . As Jo Gyuhwan¡¯s light lit up the area from above, what the Hunters had discovered in the room became clearer . A large amount of jewel like rocks were embedded on the walls . . . ¡°It¡¯s mana crystals![1]¡±. . ¡°The entire wall is filled with them!¡±. . The Hunters¡¯ eyes sparkled brighter than the light reflecting off the mana crystals . . . Mana crystals!. . It was one of the treasures that could be found in Dungeons . Although they contained less magic power than the magic cores from magic beasts, they were normally found in large amounts . Mining them would result in an impressive income for a raiding party . The amount that the party had come across was even more impressive; the entire wall was filled to the brim with crystals . . . ¡°By my rough estimates¡­¡±. . One of the Hunters, quick with his calculations, started counting the crystals . . . ¡°If we got all of it out, it¡¯d be roughly 1 billion . If we divided it by 9 shares, each person could walk away with over a 100 million . ¡±. . A big smile appeared on the Hunters listening . Suddenly, Yoo Jinho, who was standing next to Jinwoo, poked Jinwoo¡¯s sides with his elbows . . . ¡°Hyung, give me your contract for a second . ¡±. . ¡°The contract? What for?¡±. . ¡°Just trust me, I¡¯m pretty good with these kinds of things . ¡±. . Jinwoo shrugged and handed his contract over . Yoo Jinho took it and walked over to Hwang Dongseok . . . ¡°Excuse me, sunbae-nims[2], I have something I want to say . ¡±. . He unfolded and held out the contract for all to see . . . ¡°Leader, this is Jinwoo hyung¡¯s contract . As you can see, there¡¯s nothing in here about being excluded from mana crystals, only mana cores . ¡±. . Everyone understood what Yoo Jinho was trying to say . It was standard agreement that income from treasures and artifacts would be divided evenly across all members of the raiding party . This was different than magic cores only going to those who took down the magic beasts . As such, the mana crystals should be divided up 10 ways, not 9 . . . The look in the other Hunters¡¯ faces changed, but Hwang Dongseok stepped in front of them with a smile . . . ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll divide it up across all of us . I know this . But there¡¯s something we have to take care of first . ¡±. . Hwang Dongseok pointed forward with his finger . Yoo Jinho got startled for a second; he thought the man was pointing at him . But turning around, he saw a giant spider resting in a faraway corner . . . ¡°Whoa¡­!¡±. . Yoo Jinho started walking backwards after discovering the creature and covered his mouth . Thankfully, the spider did not move; it appeared to be sleeping . The lifeless husks of bugs littered its surroundings . The half-eaten corpses reminded the Hunters of leftover food sitting at the bottom of a garbage can . . . ¡°It¡¯s the boss . ¡±. ¡°Was it the one that ate all those bugs?¡±. ¡°He sure had a feast . ¡±. . Hwang Dongseok gathered the Hunters, including Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho . . . ¡°As you¡¯re all aware, if the boss goes down, the Gate will start closing . So why don¡¯t we mine all the mana crystals before we take the spider down?¡±. . They all nodded in agreement . . . Hwang Dongseok turned to a bald Hunter . . . ¡°Cheoljin, did you grab the gear?¡±. . Lee Cheoljin shook his head . . . ¡°No . Who would¡¯ve thought to find mana crystals in a C-rank Dungeon? I left all the mining gear back in the car . ¡±. . ¡°You punk¡­ Didn¡¯t I tell you to be prepared at all times?¡±. . ¡°Sorry, sorry . Really sorry . ¡±. . Lee Cheoljin apologized to everyone with a smile . . . Hwang Dongseok scratched his head and spoke,. . ¡°Sigh, this is going to be a hassle . Can you two stay here while we go grab the equipment?¡±. . . . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°mana crystals¡± (???): ¡°mana¡± in english + ¡°stone/rock¡± ? . Stylized the translation into ¡°crystals¡± because of their shininess . . [2]: ¡°sunbae-nim¡± (???): ¡°sunbae¡± is a Korean word used to address one¡¯s seniors in the same profession . In rare cases where someone younger than you was at the company longer than you were, that person would still be your ¡°sunbae¡± . ¡°Nim¡± is added with respect occasionally . Japanese equivalent = senpai . . . Chapter 20 As the Hunters began to leave, Yoo Jinho asked with a worried expression, ¡°You want just me and Jinwoo hyung to stay here? In the boss room?¡± With laughter in his eyes, Hwang Dongseok replied, ¡°The thing didn¡¯t even wake up after all that cheering . You guys will be just fine . I have some things I want to discuss with my teammates over a cigarette . We¡¯ll be back in a jiffy . ¡± Jinwoo listened to Hwang Dongseok¡¯s half-assed explanation and smiled inside . ¡®So, they¡¯ve revealed their true selves . But to think that they¡¯re all going to just leave . Aren¡¯t you looking down on us a little too much?¡¯ It was probably because Jinwoo and Jinho¡¯s ranks were low . But just as Jinwoo guessed, Hwang Dongseok and co . were moving according to expectations . Even if it was a little different than what he had in mind . It had been 4 years since Jinwoo had started working as a Hunter; in that time, he had met many different Hunters . One of them was Oh-ssi ahjussi . He was a freelancer who occasionally helped with Association jobs . ¡°Watch out for lizards . ¡± It was something Oh-ssi repeated every once in a while . It was common to come across danger in Raids . In those times, there would be certain Hunters who would sacrifice their own comrades to escape safely . Whether it was because the victim wasn¡¯t a part of their crew or the victim was much weaker than they were, it did not matter . They would be thrown aside all the same . Like a lizard cutting off its tail to escape . ¡®Cutting off the tail¡­¡¯ Oh-ssi would call those Hunters ¡°Lizards¡±, and their act, ¡°cutting off the tail¡± . The minimum number of people required for C-rank Gates was 10, yet Hwang Dongseok¡¯s main team was composed of 8 . ¡°You should know, it¡¯s really hard to get a Healer-class Hunter for a personal raiding party . We¡¯ve always been like this . ¡± If they¡¯ve ¡°always been like this¡±, it meant that they had entered many C-rank Gates before . ¡®Of course they didn¡¯t bother to fill the remaining two spots . ¡¯ You needed to leave room for the tail, after all . There was a reason why they didn¡¯t care if the filler member was an E-rank or a beginner . And now, just because they were not part of the original group, Hwang Dongseok was planning to abandon Sung Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho . ¡®I suppose this is good for me . ¡¯ Having figured out Hwang Dongseok¡¯s intentions, Jinwoo did not feel bad . Rather, it was what he wanted . However, Yoo Jinho, who was on his first Raid ever, was not as confident . He asked with a worried voice, ¡°Well, still¡­ Don¡¯t you think we should all go together?¡± Jinwoo noticed one of the Hunters move his hand toward his weapon . He went up and put a hand on Yoo Jinho¡¯s shoulder . ¡°It¡¯s alright . We¡¯ll stay behind and watch the spot . ¡± The Hunter¡¯s hand stopped . ¡°Hyung¡­?¡± Yoo Jinho looked at him with a pleading expression, but Jinwoo did not respond and instead lightly shook his head . The young man was annoying, but he couldn¡¯t let him die just like that . After all, even with no benefit to himself, Jinho tried to help Jinwoo out with the contract earlier . Hwang Dongseok smiled at the two . ¡°Our car¡¯s parked right in front . We won¡¯t take long . See you soon, then . ¡± And the 8 Hunters left the boss room . Their footsteps quickly disappeared in the distance . Yoo Jinho turned and questioned Jinwoo accusingly, ¡°Hyung, how could you say that? What if that thing wakes up?¡± He was terrified of the spider . ¡®Looks like he hasn¡¯t fully understood the situation yet . ¡¯ Jinwoo clicked his tongue in his mind . It would be annoying to explain every little detail to this kid . Instead, he started warming up his body . It was at that time Hwang Dongseok turned around and faced towards the boss room . The following Hunters also stopped . They were actually not that far away from the boss room, just enough so their voices would not reach . Smiling, Hwang Dongseok raised his chin towards Jo Gyuhwan . ¡°Gyuhwan, block the entrance to the boss room . ¡± ¡°Should I blow it up?¡± ¡°Yeah . Not too hard though, we still have to go back inside . ¡± Lee Cheoljin interrupted them, ¡°Hwang hyung, why go through all this trouble? Why didn¡¯t we just kill¡¯em both right there?¡± Hwang Dongseok turned a sharp gaze toward the man, eyes narrowed . There was no need to put up a front anymore . ¡°S-sorry . ¡± Hwang Dongseok clicked his tongue . ¡°And if the spider woke up while we were fighting? How would we mine the mana crystals?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry . ¡± Jo Gyuhwan joined them, ¡°Hwang hyung, now that you mention it, wouldn¡¯t the spider still wake up if we tried to mine the mana crystals? It¡¯s not exactly going to be quiet . ¡± That thing was something that ate the dangerous bug type magic beasts for food . If they were caught off guard while mining, it would result in a disaster for their party . ¡°And that¡¯s why,¡± Hwang Dongseok smiled widely, ¡°We¡¯re gonna feed those two to it . ¡± ¡°Ah . ¡± Jo Gyuhwan nodded, understanding his meaning . At the moment, they did not know when the spider would wake up . It could be 10 hours from now or 1 minute . So the best option was to wake it now and feed it, to refresh its sleeping cycle . The sound of the entrance being boarded up should definitely wake it up . Hwang Dongseok continued, ¡°We can go mine the mana crystals when the spider goes back to sleep after eating . ¡± The Association had allotted 5 days for their Raid, which meant that they still had 4 days remaining . They would wait to see if the spider would fall asleep . If it didn¡¯t, they would just take it down and try to mine as much crystals before the Gate closed . They probably couldn¡¯t get it all in just an hour, but with two less shares to give, they probably could still walk away with a great income . Wasn¡¯t that better than working away in fear? The most important thing was their safety, after all . ¡®And of course, that¡¯s the worst-case scenario¡­¡¯ If they were lucky, they would be able to grab all the mana crystals, take down the spider, and get Yoo Jinho¡¯s gear to boot . ¡®That sword and shield¡­ at minimum, they¡¯d be worth a few hundred million each . ¡¯ There was little they could lose . The corners of Hwang Dongseok¡¯s mouth rose . ¡°Alright, block the entrance and let¡¯s go out for a smoke . ¡± ¡°Yes, hyung . ¡± As he replied, a blinding light gathered in Jo Gyuhwan¡¯s hands . ¡°¡­¡± Yoo Jinho¡¯s eyes were fixed on the spider, doing his best to quiet his breath . He asked with a fearful expression, ¡°That spider¡­ You don¡¯t think it¡¯ll wake up, do you?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Jinwoo saved his words . He had an idea of what was about to happen, but he felt like explaining it in full would make the young man faint . ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ Yoo Jinho¡¯s words to him just now was after five minutes of silence . Compared to his chatty demeanor earlier, it seemed like the young man was truly afraid . It was in that moment, BANG! With a disastrous sound, the entrance of the boss room collapsed . ¡°Huh? Huh?!!!¡± Yoo Jinho ran towards the entrance in panic, but the fallen stones had already blocked off the exit . He pushed with all his might, but the rocks did not budge . Jinwoo approached him casually . ¡°Hng-! Hyung, help me with this!¡± The young man was still trying to clear the rocks with every ounce of his strength . ¡®The mage¡¯s name was Jo Gyuhwan?¡¯ Jinwoo noticed a flash of light before the collapse . A C-rank Mage who used light . This was definitely his doing . Jinwoo placed a hand on one of the rocks . ¡®I could get out of this easily . ¡¯ He was able to feel the weight of the stone through his touch . It was lighter than expected . Putting a little bit of power into it, he felt the nearby rocks budge slightly . However, he had no intention of leaving . ¡°Ah! I got it!¡± Yoo Jinho suddenly stopped pushing and spoke understandingly . He turned to Jinwoo with a red face and continued, ¡°Those sons of bitches are trying to kill us! They don¡¯t want to share the mana crystals so they¡¯re going to block us in and let the spider do their job!¡± ¡®Yes . You got it . Good job . ¡¯ Jinwoo held back a sigh . ¡°You got it . Looks like we¡¯re in trouble . ¡± ¡°Argh!¡± The face that was red with anger quickly turned pale . Jinwoo didn¡¯t need to ask why . He saw the movement of the giant magic beast reflected in Yoo Jinho¡¯s eyes . He turned around . grrrrr The spider, having woke up from the sound, was slowly moving his giant body . Size of a house . Dozens of eyes . Terrifying mandibles . Long, thick legs . Seeing the thing in motion made it seem much more terrifying than when it was sleeping . ¡°Wah¡­¡± Yoo Jinho began to moan in terror . His entire body froze up . On the other hand, Jinwoo fixed his gaze on the spider and calmly called for Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang from his inventory . ¡®You¡¯re mine . ¡¯ It was finally time to test his increased abilities . Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang appeared in his right hand . Holding it as if it was always there, he tightened his grip . Now would begin the real hunt . Time to show why Hunters are called Hunters! ¡°W-wait, hyung!¡± Yoo Jinho frantically stopped Jinwoo, who was walking toward the spider . ¡°W-what are you going to do?¡± The hands holding onto Jinwoo were trembling . Jinwoo pointed at the spider with his left hand . ¡°I¡¯m going to take it down . ¡± This was the reason why Jinwoo had followed Hwang Dongseok up until now . If he attempted to ¡®cut off the tail¡¯, Jinwoo would take all the magic beasts of the Dungeon for himself . It was a good opportunity to obtain valuable experience points and magic cores . ¡®If only the boss hadn¡¯t eaten all the magic beasts¡­¡¯ He could¡¯ve earned so much more . It was regrettable . In the meantime, Yoo Jinho, who did not know the truth about Jinwoo, looked at him incredulously . ¡®What is this hyung even saying?¡¯ Jinho recalled hearing somewhere that people would sometimes go insane after a great shock . And now, this E-rank Hunter was saying he would solo a C-rank Dungeon¡¯s boss . What was this, if not insane?! ¡°You¡¯re going to take that thing down?¡± Jinwoo scratched the top of his head, ¡°Do you want to do it?¡± -10 . Give and Take- Before he could respond, Jinwoo turned back to the boss . There was no need to hear his response . Yoo Jinho just stood with shaky legs . From the start, Jinwoo expected nothing from Yoo Jinho . Rather, he was glad that the young man didn¡¯t offer to help . ¡®He¡¯ll just get in the way . ¡¯ Jinwoo slowly walked towards the spider . Having discovered him as well, the spider moved its eight legs and faced Jinwoo . It was coming . As if amused by a new type of food, the spider did not hurry . It took small steps with its long and thick legs and slowly closed the gap between the two . ¡°Breathe-¡± Faced with the spider¡¯s giant figure, Jinwoo felt his breath speeding up . His heartbeat raced crazily . ba dum ba dum ba dum He controlled his breathing and tried to bring down his excitement . He had to be calm . The image of him standing before the third level entrance at the subway station came to mind . ¡®The Blue Poison-fanged Casaka . . . ¡¯ Thankfully, the pressure he felt from the spider in front of him was not as great as that time . He felt fully confident in his ability to take it down . After all, if he had felt that it was an impossible boss to face, he would not have stayed behind . grrrrrl- The spider was close enough that he could see his face reflected in its eyes . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes narrowed . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 20. . As the Hunters began to leave, Yoo Jinho asked with a worried expression,. . ¡°You want just me and Jinwoo hyung to stay here? In the boss room?¡±. . With laughter in his eyes, Hwang Dongseok replied,. . ¡°The thing didn¡¯t even wake up after all that cheering . You guys will be just fine . I have some things I want to discuss with my teammates over a cigarette . We¡¯ll be back in a jiffy . ¡±. . Jinwoo listened to Hwang Dongseok¡¯s half-assed explanation and smiled inside . . . ¡®So, they¡¯ve revealed their true selves . But to think that they¡¯re all going to just leave . Aren¡¯t you looking down on us a little too much?¡¯. . It was probably because Jinwoo and Jinho¡¯s ranks were low . But just as Jinwoo guessed, Hwang Dongseok and co . were moving according to expectations . Even if it was a little different than what he had in mind . . . It had been 4 years since Jinwoo had started working as a Hunter; in that time, he had met many different Hunters . One of them was Oh-ssi ahjussi . He was a freelancer who occasionally helped with Association jobs . . . ¡°Watch out for lizards . ¡±. . It was something Oh-ssi repeated every once in a while . It was common to come across danger in Raids . In those times, there would be certain Hunters who would sacrifice their own comrades to escape safely . Whether it was because the victim wasn¡¯t a part of their crew or the victim was much weaker than they were, it did not matter . They would be thrown aside all the same . Like a lizard cutting off its tail to escape . . . ¡®Cutting off the tail¡­¡¯. . Oh-ssi would call those Hunters ¡°Lizards¡±, and their act, ¡°cutting off the tail¡± . . . The minimum number of people required for C-rank Gates was 10, yet Hwang Dongseok¡¯s main team was composed of 8 . . . ¡°You should know, it¡¯s really hard to get a Healer-class Hunter for a personal raiding party . We¡¯ve always been like this . ¡±. . If they¡¯ve ¡°always been like this¡±, it meant that they had entered many C-rank Gates before . . . ¡®Of course they didn¡¯t bother to fill the remaining two spots . ¡¯. . You needed to leave room for the tail, after all . There was a reason why they didn¡¯t care if the filler member was an E-rank or a beginner . . . And now, just because they were not part of the original group, Hwang Dongseok was planning to abandon Sung Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho . . . ¡®I suppose this is good for me . ¡¯. . Having figured out Hwang Dongseok¡¯s intentions, Jinwoo did not feel bad . Rather, it was what he wanted . However, Yoo Jinho, who was on his first Raid ever, was not as confident . He asked with a worried voice,. . ¡°Well, still¡­ Don¡¯t you think we should all go together?¡±. . Jinwoo noticed one of the Hunters move his hand toward his weapon . He went up and put a hand on Yoo Jinho¡¯s shoulder . . . ¡°It¡¯s alright . We¡¯ll stay behind and watch the spot . ¡±. . The Hunter¡¯s hand stopped . . . ¡°Hyung¡­?¡±. . Yoo Jinho looked at him with a pleading expression, but Jinwoo did not respond and instead lightly shook his head . The young man was annoying, but he couldn¡¯t let him die just like that . After all, even with no benefit to himself, Jinho tried to help Jinwoo out with the contract earlier . . . Hwang Dongseok smiled at the two . . . ¡°Our car¡¯s parked right in front . We won¡¯t take long . See you soon, then . ¡±. . And the 8 Hunters left the boss room . Their footsteps quickly disappeared in the distance . Yoo Jinho turned and questioned Jinwoo accusingly,. . ¡°Hyung, how could you say that? What if that thing wakes up?¡±. . He was terrified of the spider . . . ¡®Looks like he hasn¡¯t fully understood the situation yet . ¡¯. . Jinwoo clicked his tongue in his mind . It would be annoying to explain every little detail to this kid . Instead, he started warming up his body . . . . . It was at that time Hwang Dongseok turned around and faced towards the boss room . The following Hunters also stopped . They were actually not that far away from the boss room, just enough so their voices would not reach . . . Smiling, Hwang Dongseok raised his chin towards Jo Gyuhwan . . . ¡°Gyuhwan, block the entrance to the boss room . ¡±. . ¡°Should I blow it up?¡±. . ¡°Yeah . Not too hard though, we still have to go back inside . ¡±. . Lee Cheoljin interrupted them,. . ¡°Hwang hyung, why go through all this trouble? Why didn¡¯t we just kill¡¯em both right there?¡±. . Hwang Dongseok turned a sharp gaze toward the man, eyes narrowed . There was no need to put up a front anymore . . . ¡°S-sorry . ¡±. . Hwang Dongseok clicked his tongue . . . ¡°And if the spider woke up while we were fighting? How would we mine the mana crystals?¡±. . ¡°I¡¯m sorry . ¡±. . Jo Gyuhwan joined them,. . ¡°Hwang hyung, now that you mention it, wouldn¡¯t the spider still wake up if we tried to mine the mana crystals? It¡¯s not exactly going to be quiet . ¡±. . That thing was something that ate the dangerous bug type magic beasts for food . If they were caught off guard while mining, it would result in a disaster for their party . . . ¡°And that¡¯s why,¡±. . Hwang Dongseok smiled widely,. . ¡°We¡¯re gonna feed those two to it . ¡±. . ¡°Ah . ¡±. . Jo Gyuhwan nodded, understanding his meaning . At the moment, they did not know when the spider would wake up . It could be 10 hours from now or 1 minute . So the best option was to wake it now and feed it, to refresh its sleeping cycle . The sound of the entrance being boarded up should definitely wake it up . . . Hwang Dongseok continued,. . ¡°We can go mine the mana crystals when the spider goes back to sleep after eating . ¡±. . The Association had allotted 5 days for their Raid, which meant that they still had 4 days remaining . They would wait to see if the spider would fall asleep . If it didn¡¯t, they would just take it down and try to mine as much crystals before the Gate closed . They probably couldn¡¯t get it all in just an hour, but with two less shares to give, they probably could still walk away with a great income . Wasn¡¯t that better than working away in fear? The most important thing was their safety, after all . . . ¡®And of course, that¡¯s the worst-case scenario¡­¡¯. . If they were lucky, they would be able to grab all the mana crystals, take down the spider, and get Yoo Jinho¡¯s gear to boot . . . ¡®That sword and shield¡­ at minimum, they¡¯d be worth a few hundred million each . ¡¯. . There was little they could lose . The corners of Hwang Dongseok¡¯s mouth rose . . . ¡°Alright, block the entrance and let¡¯s go out for a smoke . ¡±. . ¡°Yes, hyung . ¡±. . As he replied, a blinding light gathered in Jo Gyuhwan¡¯s hands . . . . . ¡°¡­¡±. . Yoo Jinho¡¯s eyes were fixed on the spider, doing his best to quiet his breath . He asked with a fearful expression,. . ¡°That spider¡­ You don¡¯t think it¡¯ll wake up, do you?¡±. . ¡°Hmm¡­¡±. . Jinwoo saved his words . He had an idea of what was about to happen, but he felt like explaining it in full would make the young man faint . . . ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯. . Yoo Jinho¡¯s words to him just now was after five minutes of silence . Compared to his chatty demeanor earlier, it seemed like the young man was truly afraid . . . It was in that moment,. . BANG!. . With a disastrous sound, the entrance of the boss room collapsed . . . ¡°Huh? Huh?!!!¡±. . Yoo Jinho ran towards the entrance in panic, but the fallen stones had already blocked off the exit . He pushed with all his might, but the rocks did not budge . Jinwoo approached him casually . . . ¡°Hng-! Hyung, help me with this!¡±. . The young man was still trying to clear the rocks with every ounce of his strength . . . ¡®The mage¡¯s name was Jo Gyuhwan?¡¯. . Jinwoo noticed a flash of light before the collapse . A C-rank Mage who used light . This was definitely his doing . . . Jinwoo placed a hand on one of the rocks . . . ¡®I could get out of this easily . ¡¯. . He was able to feel the weight of the stone through his touch . It was lighter than expected . Putting a little bit of power into it, he felt the nearby rocks budge slightly . However, he had no intention of leaving . . . ¡°Ah! I got it!¡±. . Yoo Jinho suddenly stopped pushing and spoke understandingly . He turned to Jinwoo with a red face and continued,. . ¡°Those sons of bitches are trying to kill us! They don¡¯t want to share the mana crystals so they¡¯re going to block us in and let the spider do their job!¡±. . ¡®Yes . You got it . Good job . ¡¯. . Jinwoo held back a sigh . . . ¡°You got it . Looks like we¡¯re in trouble . ¡±. . ¡°Argh!¡±. . The face that was red with anger quickly turned pale . Jinwoo didn¡¯t need to ask why . He saw the movement of the giant magic beast reflected in Yoo Jinho¡¯s eyes . He turned around . . . grrrrr. . The spider, having woke up from the sound, was slowly moving his giant body . . . Size of a house . . . Dozens of eyes . . . Terrifying mandibles . . . Long, thick legs . . . Seeing the thing in motion made it seem much more terrifying than when it was sleeping . . . ¡°Wah¡­¡±. . Yoo Jinho began to moan in terror . His entire body froze up . On the other hand, Jinwoo fixed his gaze on the spider and calmly called for Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang from his inventory . . . ¡®You¡¯re mine . ¡¯. . It was finally time to test his increased abilities . Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang appeared in his right hand . Holding it as if it was always there, he tightened his grip . . . Now would begin the real hunt . Time to show why Hunters are called Hunters!. . ¡°W-wait, hyung!¡±. . Yoo Jinho frantically stopped Jinwoo, who was walking toward the spider . . . ¡°W-what are you going to do?¡±. . The hands holding onto Jinwoo were trembling . Jinwoo pointed at the spider with his left hand . . . ¡°I¡¯m going to take it down . ¡±. . This was the reason why Jinwoo had followed Hwang Dongseok up until now . If he attempted to ¡®cut off the tail¡¯, Jinwoo would take all the magic beasts of the Dungeon for himself . It was a good opportunity to obtain valuable experience points and magic cores . . . ¡®If only the boss hadn¡¯t eaten all the magic beasts¡­¡¯. . He could¡¯ve earned so much more . It was regrettable . . . In the meantime, Yoo Jinho, who did not know the truth about Jinwoo, looked at him incredulously . . . ¡®What is this hyung even saying?¡¯. . Jinho recalled hearing somewhere that people would sometimes go insane after a great shock . And now, this E-rank Hunter was saying he would solo a C-rank Dungeon¡¯s boss . What was this, if not insane?!. . ¡°You¡¯re going to take that thing down?¡±. . Jinwoo scratched the top of his head,. . ¡°Do you want to do it?¡±. . . -10 . Give and Take-. . Before he could respond, Jinwoo turned back to the boss . There was no need to hear his response . Yoo Jinho just stood with shaky legs . From the start, Jinwoo expected nothing from Yoo Jinho . Rather, he was glad that the young man didn¡¯t offer to help . . . ¡®He¡¯ll just get in the way . ¡¯. . Jinwoo slowly walked towards the spider . Having discovered him as well, the spider moved its eight legs and faced Jinwoo . . . It was coming . . . As if amused by a new type of food, the spider did not hurry . It took small steps with its long and thick legs and slowly closed the gap between the two . . . ¡°Breathe-¡±. . Faced with the spider¡¯s giant figure, Jinwoo felt his breath speeding up . His heartbeat raced crazily . . . ba dum ba dum ba dum. . He controlled his breathing and tried to bring down his excitement . He had to be calm . The image of him standing before the third level entrance at the subway station came to mind . . . ¡®The Blue Poison-fanged Casaka . ¡¯. . Thankfully, the pressure he felt from the spider in front of him was not as great as that time . He felt fully confident in his ability to take it down . After all, if he had felt that it was an impossible boss to face, he would not have stayed behind . . . grrrrrl-. . The spider was close enough that he could see his face reflected in its eyes . . . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes narrowed . . Chapter 21 ¡®His skin looks pretty tough¡­ Wonder if I could damage it with this dagger . ¡¯ The dagger had a shorter reach than the sword he used in the Instant Dungeon . To inflict a deep wound with it, he would have to use a lot of strength . He flipped his grip on the dagger, holding it downwards . This way, he felt like it¡¯d be easier to do damage with it . grrl . . . The spider stopped before Jinwoo . It raised its two front legs . Outstretched at its sides, its figure looked like a giant X from the front . ¡®What is it trying to-¡¯ Slam! If he did not instinctively move his body, his chest would¡¯ve been pierced by the spider¡¯s leg . The spider quickly retracted its leg from the ground and assumed the striking position again . Bits and pieces of rock fell from the tip of his legs . Jinwoo made a quick glance behind him . The ground made of stone had a hole in it . ¡®If I get hit by that, it won¡¯t end in just pain . ¡¯ His eyes flashed with readiness . It was time to focus . ¡®Here it comes again!¡¯ wooooosh-! He began to be able to see the legs that previously moved like bullets . Left . He lowered his head, evading a leg . Right . Turning his body to the side, he dodged the spider¡¯s right leg and advanced a step . Right again . The leg aimed for his head again was dodged . Jinwoo took two more steps . Left . Right . Right . Left . Right . Right . Right . Left . Left . slam! slam! slam! slam! slam! slam! slam! slam! slam! The sound of the spider¡¯s legs striking the ground stung his ears; bits and pieces of the ground flew in all directions . Dodging the rain of assault, Jinwoo closed the gap with each step he took . Yoo Jinho could not believe his eyes . ¡°Who- who the hell is he?¡± Even from a distance, the spider¡¯s attacks raised the hair on the back of his head . And this man was evading all the attacks while closing the gap at the same time . Jinwoo¡¯s body that made no wasted movements was chilling . ¡°That¡¯s an E-rank Hunter?¡± No . There was no way . If he was standing in the place of Sung Jinwoo, his body would¡¯ve been torn apart like rags . He did not have the confidence to dodge a single attack . But Jinwoo was doing so without a single mistake . An E-rank pulling off something that was impossible for a D-rank? There was only one answer . ¡® . . . A false ranker!¡¯ [1] Yoo Jinho¡¯s face darkened . Of the skilled Hunters, there were those that could control their own magic power . If they wanted, they could even hide their own rank . Purposely lowering their magic power, they would receive a lower rank than they should . These people were called ¡°false rankers¡± . Most of them were known for their malicious intents . ¡®I heard they were serial killers who enjoyed slaughtering low ranked Hunters in lower ranked Dungeons¡­¡¯ Since only the people who had participated in the Raid would know what happened in the Dungeon, it was the perfect place to commit a crime . Yoo Jinho gulped . Suddenly, Jinwoo was scarier than the spider . ¡®Why did I come here¡­¡¯ He felt like crying . woosh! woosh! woosh! The spider continued its attacks relentlessly . Jinwoo became confident of his victory as he dodged the attacks . As he closed the gap, bit by bit, the spider¡¯s head entered his range . Due to the simple pattern of the spider¡¯s attack, he did not have that much difficulty . ¡®First . Eyes . ¡¯ Attacking the weakness of a magic beast was a Raid fundamental . So he chose the eyes, which looked like the softest target . ¡®Now to stab its eyes!¡¯ It was as he made the decision . The spider¡¯s attacks seemed slow down . woosh! woosh! Did he get used to the attacks? slam! slam! No . That was not it . His eyes may be tricked, but not his ears . The sound of the attacks striking the ground had definitely slowed a beat . Even before his strengthening, Jinwoo was confident of his hearing . An uneasy feeling washed over him . Looking closer, Jinwoo saw the spider¡¯s mandibles twitching . ¡®Why would it open its mouth in this timing?¡¯ Jinwoo, who was about to leap 3 meters towards the spider¡¯s head, felt that something was off . Trusting his instincts, he jumped to the side, instead of up . shaaaaaa-! The spider spat out a murky fluid from its mouth . Jinwoo rolled on the ground, got back on his feet and looked behind him . The space where he was standing was now smoking and turning black . shiiiiiii- The stone that made up the ground was melting . Jinwoo gulped . ¡®If I jumped at its head just now¡­¡¯ The stone would not be the only thing melting . Sensing his agitation, the spider quickly turned towards Jinwoo . skitter skitter skitter The spider was already before him as he raised his head . woosh! Jinwoo jumped up from his spot, dodging the spider¡¯s leg . slam! Its attack had started up again . ¡°Shit!¡± He made the same movements as before, getting closer to the spider but was driven off again by the acid attack . As another move was added to the spider¡¯s attack pattern, the situation became difficult . Acid if he got too close . Legs if he kept his distance . ¡°Fuck!¡± Frustrated, Jinwoo tried attacking the legs . But his dagger could not even scratch the tough chitinous exterior . Jinwoo bit his lips . ¡®This is not going well . ¡¯ While the spider was just using its two front legs to attack, Jinwoo was evading with his entire body . It was obvious who would tire first . ¡®Fatigue . ¡¯ Fatigue: 57 As expected, his fatigue was rapidly rising . If it hit 70, his speed would slow down . Above 90, his breath would seize and it would become difficult to move . Jinwoo was running out of time . ¡®If I can just be a little faster¡­¡¯ Speed . Speed was the problem . slam! slam! slam! slam! ¡®Wait, speed?¡¯ As he dodged the attacks by a hair¡¯s breadth, a thought flashed across Jinwoo¡¯s mind . ¡®Right! There was that!¡¯ The only active skill at his disposal . He had forgotten about it until now, not having needed it . ¡®Sprint!¡¯ Sprint has been activated . Your movement speed is increased by 30% . While active, 1 mana will be used up every minute . Accompanying the message, Jinwoo¡¯s body became faster as if a booster was applied . It became a lot easier to dodge the spider¡¯s attacks . woosh! woosh! woosh! slam! slam! slam! Dodging the lightning-like strikes of the spider legs, Jinwoo quickly came in front of the spider again . Panicking, the spider sprayed the acid once more . shaaaaaa-! But to the sped-up Jinwoo, a breathing room appeared in his movements . Easily dodging the acid spray, Jinwoo jumped towards the spider¡¯s head . slash! The dagger flashed across the spider¡¯s eyes . Paralysis has been inflicted . The target¡¯s resistance was too high . Effect cancelled . Bleeding has been inflicted . The target will lose 1% health per second . ¡°Good!¡± The special effect of the dagger, Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang, was successfully applied . screeeech! The spider howled and twisted its body . Jinwoo did not miss the opportunity . Landing on the ground, he immediately jumped on to the spider¡¯s body and moved towards the head . The spider thrashed about and tried to get him with its legs, but Jinwoo was not about to be caught by a blind attack . slam! slam! slam! Only the poor ground was turned into swiss cheese . On top of its head, Jinwoo repeatedly attacked the remaining eyes . stab! stab! stab! screeeech! stab! stab! screeeeeeeeech! The spider shook its body side to side, but Jinwoo held on and continued put holes in the spider¡¯s head . It began to falter . The damage was being done . Jinwoo¡¯s hands became faster . Eventually, the spider¡¯s giant body finally slammed on to the ground . Boom! But Jinwoo still kept going . Until its life was snuffed out . stab! stab! stab! krrrrl- With its death rattle, messages appeared . You¡¯ve defeated the boss[2] of the Dungeon . You¡¯ve leveled up! You¡¯ve leveled up! You¡¯ve leveled up! ¡°Yes!¡± Covered in the spider¡¯s blood, Jinwoo raised his hands to the sky . Having defeated a boss, his levels went up by an impressive amount of three . ¡°Status screen . ¡± Name: Sung Jinwoo Level: 21 Class: None Title: Wolf Slayer HP: 2600 MP: 391 Fatigue: 0 Stats Strength: 53 Constitution: 30 Agility: 38 Intelligence: 30 Sense: 32 (Available stat points: 0) Skills Passive Skills -(Unknown) (Lv . Max) -Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1) Active Skills -Sprint (Lv . 1) He went from level 18 to 21 in a leap . And that was not it . Another message accompanied the level-up messages . ring~ You¡¯ve leveled up past level 20 . The ¡°buy¡± function of the shop is now enabled . ¡®I can finally use my gold . ¡¯ It was a good news . But there was no time to dilly dally and use the shop here . shake- The cave began to shake . Because the Dungeon¡¯s boss has been defeated, the Gate[3] will be destroyed in 1 hour . Remaining time: 59 min 58 sec He had to leave before the Gate closed after all . There would be plenty of time to take a look at the shop outside . Halfway down the body, Jinwoo noticed a shiny light in the middle of the spider¡¯s head . ¡®Item?¡¯ But compared to a monster¡¯s drop, there was no item message, and he could not automatically obtain whatever it was . What is it? Briefly thinking about it, Jinwoo quickly realized . ¡®Ah, right . Magic cores . ¡¯ No matter how hurried he was, he couldn¡¯t forget those . He went to the spider¡¯s head and ripped out the magic core . Coming from the boss of a C-rank Dungeon, it was worth about 10 million won . It was not a bad reward for the troublesome fight . Jinwoo leaped down from the spider¡¯s head . After a light landing, he took a glance backwards and noticed another source of light from the spider¡¯s abdomen . And multiple of them, too! Jinwoo became suspicious . He had heard of magic beasts with extra magic cores, but this was too many . ¡®What could it be?¡¯ Cutting open the spider¡¯s body, he found his answer . The corpses of many half-eaten bug magic beasts fell out of the stomach . The light was coming from each of the bugs . ¡°Maybe . . . ¡± Going from bug to bug, he found a magic core in each of them . Some of them were smaller due to being digested, but many more were in perfect condition . Combined, he obtained 10 more magic cores . ¡°Awesome!¡± He came here for rent money . He would walk away with a mortgage . ¡°Hyungnim . ¡± Turning around, he saw Yoo Jinho . ¡°Please, you can put them here . ¡± Yoo Jinho took the magic cores and placed them in his own pack with great care . Then, he took out a thermos and poured something out in its cap . ¡°Hyungnim . You¡¯re thirsty, right? Here¡¯s some water . ¡± The water was cold enough to collect condensation on the cup . ¡®Why is he doing all this?¡¯ Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°false ranker¡± (?? ???): Lit . ¡°illegal/dishonest¡± ?? + ¡°registrant/a registered person¡± ??? . Based on the context, I felt like a ¡°false ranker¡± was a better fit . [2]: ¡°boss¡± (??): The word used here actually does not mean boss at all . ?? means ¡°owner¡± or ¡°master¡± . I substituted boss for context . [3]: ¡°gate¡± (??? ??): Again, word used here is not ¡°gate¡±, but ¡°Dungeon¡¯s entrance¡± . Context reasons to shorten the phrasing . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 21. . ¡®His skin looks pretty tough¡­ Wonder if I could damage it with this dagger . ¡¯. . The dagger had a shorter reach than the sword he used in the Instant Dungeon . To inflict a deep wound with it, he would have to use a lot of strength . He flipped his grip on the dagger, holding it downwards . This way, he felt like it¡¯d be easier to do damage with it . . . grrl . . . The spider stopped before Jinwoo . It raised its two front legs . Outstretched at its sides, its figure looked like a giant X from the front . . . ¡®What is it trying to-¡¯. . Slam!. . If he did not instinctively move his body, his chest would¡¯ve been pierced by the spider¡¯s leg . The spider quickly retracted its leg from the ground and assumed the striking position again . Bits and pieces of rock fell from the tip of his legs . . . Jinwoo made a quick glance behind him . The ground made of stone had a hole in it . . . ¡®If I get hit by that, it won¡¯t end in just pain . ¡¯. . His eyes flashed with readiness . It was time to focus . . . ¡®Here it comes again!¡¯. . wooooosh-!. . He began to be able to see the legs that previously moved like bullets . . . Left . . . He lowered his head, evading a leg . . . Right . . . Turning his body to the side, he dodged the spider¡¯s right leg and advanced a step . . . Right again . . . The leg aimed for his head again was dodged . Jinwoo took two more steps . . . Left . Right . Right . Left . Right . Right . Right . Left . Left . . . slam! slam! slam! slam! slam! slam! slam! slam! slam! . . The sound of the spider¡¯s legs striking the ground stung his ears; bits and pieces of the ground flew in all directions . Dodging the rain of assault, Jinwoo closed the gap with each step he took . . . . . Yoo Jinho could not believe his eyes . . . ¡°Who- who the hell is he?¡±. . Even from a distance, the spider¡¯s attacks raised the hair on the back of his head . And this man was evading all the attacks while closing the gap at the same time . Jinwoo¡¯s body that made no wasted movements was chilling . . . ¡°That¡¯s an E-rank Hunter?¡±. . No . There was no way . . . If he was standing in the place of Sung Jinwoo, his body would¡¯ve been torn apart like rags . He did not have the confidence to dodge a single attack . But Jinwoo was doing so without a single mistake . An E-rank pulling off something that was impossible for a D-rank?. . There was only one answer . . . ¡® . A false ranker!¡¯ [1]. . Yoo Jinho¡¯s face darkened . Of the skilled Hunters, there were those that could control their own magic power . If they wanted, they could even hide their own rank . Purposely lowering their magic power, they would receive a lower rank than they should . . . These people were called ¡°false rankers¡± . Most of them were known for their malicious intents . . . ¡®I heard they were serial killers who enjoyed slaughtering low ranked Hunters in lower ranked Dungeons¡­¡¯. . Since only the people who had participated in the Raid would know what happened in the Dungeon, it was the perfect place to commit a crime . . . Yoo Jinho gulped . Suddenly, Jinwoo was scarier than the spider . . . ¡®Why did I come here¡­¡¯. . He felt like crying . . . . . woosh! woosh! woosh! . . The spider continued its attacks relentlessly . Jinwoo became confident of his victory as he dodged the attacks . As he closed the gap, bit by bit, the spider¡¯s head entered his range . Due to the simple pattern of the spider¡¯s attack, he did not have that much difficulty . . . ¡®First . Eyes . ¡¯. . Attacking the weakness of a magic beast was a Raid fundamental . So he chose the eyes, which looked like the softest target . . . ¡®Now to stab its eyes!¡¯. . It was as he made the decision . The spider¡¯s attacks seemed slow down . . . woosh! woosh! . . Did he get used to the attacks?. . slam! slam!. . No . That was not it . . . His eyes may be tricked, but not his ears . The sound of the attacks striking the ground had definitely slowed a beat . Even before his strengthening, Jinwoo was confident of his hearing . An uneasy feeling washed over him . . . Looking closer, Jinwoo saw the spider¡¯s mandibles twitching . . . ¡®Why would it open its mouth in this timing?¡¯. . Jinwoo, who was about to leap 3 meters towards the spider¡¯s head, felt that something was off . Trusting his instincts, he jumped to the side, instead of up . . . shaaaaaa-!. . The spider spat out a murky fluid from its mouth . Jinwoo rolled on the ground, got back on his feet and looked behind him . . . The space where he was standing was now smoking and turning black . . . shiiiiiii-. . The stone that made up the ground was melting . . . Jinwoo gulped . . . ¡®If I jumped at its head just now¡­¡¯. . The stone would not be the only thing melting . . . Sensing his agitation, the spider quickly turned towards Jinwoo . . . skitter skitter skitter. . The spider was already before him as he raised his head . . . woosh!. . Jinwoo jumped up from his spot, dodging the spider¡¯s leg . . . slam!. . Its attack had started up again . . . ¡°Shit!¡±. . He made the same movements as before, getting closer to the spider but was driven off again by the acid attack . As another move was added to the spider¡¯s attack pattern, the situation became difficult . . . Acid if he got too close . . . Legs if he kept his distance . . . ¡°Fuck!¡±. . Frustrated, Jinwoo tried attacking the legs . But his dagger could not even scratch the tough chitinous exterior . . . Jinwoo bit his lips . . . ¡®This is not going well . ¡¯. . While the spider was just using its two front legs to attack, Jinwoo was evading with his entire body . It was obvious who would tire first . . . ¡®Fatigue . ¡¯. . Fatigue: 57. . As expected, his fatigue was rapidly rising . If it hit 70, his speed would slow down . Above 90, his breath would seize and it would become difficult to move . Jinwoo was running out of time . . . ¡®If I can just be a little faster¡­¡¯. . Speed . . . Speed was the problem . . . slam! slam! slam! slam! . . ¡®Wait, speed?¡¯. . As he dodged the attacks by a hair¡¯s breadth, a thought flashed across Jinwoo¡¯s mind . . . ¡®Right! There was that!¡¯. . The only active skill at his disposal . He had forgotten about it until now, not having needed it . . . ¡®Sprint!¡¯. . Sprint has been activated . . Your movement speed is increased by 30% . . While active, 1 mana will be used up every minute . . . Accompanying the message, Jinwoo¡¯s body became faster as if a booster was applied . It became a lot easier to dodge the spider¡¯s attacks . . . woosh! woosh! woosh!. . slam! slam! slam! . . Dodging the lightning-like strikes of the spider legs, Jinwoo quickly came in front of the spider again . Panicking, the spider sprayed the acid once more . . . shaaaaaa-!. . But to the sped-up Jinwoo, a breathing room appeared in his movements . Easily dodging the acid spray, Jinwoo jumped towards the spider¡¯s head . . . slash!. . The dagger flashed across the spider¡¯s eyes . . . Paralysis has been inflicted . . The target¡¯s resistance was too high . Effect cancelled . . . Bleeding has been inflicted . . The target will lose 1% health per second . . . ¡°Good!¡±. . The special effect of the dagger, Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang, was successfully applied . . . screeeech!. . The spider howled and twisted its body . Jinwoo did not miss the opportunity . Landing on the ground, he immediately jumped on to the spider¡¯s body and moved towards the head . The spider thrashed about and tried to get him with its legs, but Jinwoo was not about to be caught by a blind attack . . . slam! slam! slam! . . Only the poor ground was turned into swiss cheese . . . On top of its head, Jinwoo repeatedly attacked the remaining eyes . . . stab! stab! stab! . . screeeech!. . stab! stab!. . screeeeeeeeech!. . The spider shook its body side to side, but Jinwoo held on and continued put holes in the spider¡¯s head . It began to falter . The damage was being done . Jinwoo¡¯s hands became faster . . . Eventually, the spider¡¯s giant body finally slammed on to the ground . . . Boom!. . But Jinwoo still kept going . Until its life was snuffed out . . . stab! stab! stab! . . krrrrl-. . With its death rattle, messages appeared . . . You¡¯ve defeated the boss[2] of the Dungeon . . . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . ¡°Yes!¡±. . Covered in the spider¡¯s blood, Jinwoo raised his hands to the sky . Having defeated a boss, his levels went up by an impressive amount of three . . . ¡°Status screen . ¡±. . Name: Sung Jinwoo. Level: 21. Class: None. Title: Wolf Slayer. HP: 2600. MP: 391. Fatigue: 0. Stats. . Strength: 53. Constitution: 30. Agility: 38. Intelligence: 30. Sense: 32. (Available stat points: 0). Skills. . Passive Skills. -(Unknown) (Lv . Max). -Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1). . Active Skills. -Sprint (Lv . 1). . He went from level 18 to 21 in a leap . And that was not it . Another message accompanied the level-up messages . . . ring~. . You¡¯ve leveled up past level 20 . The ¡°buy¡± function of the shop is now enabled . . . ¡®I can finally use my gold . ¡¯. . It was a good news . But there was no time to dilly dally and use the shop here . . . shake-. . The cave began to shake . . . Because the Dungeon¡¯s boss has been defeated, the Gate[3] will be destroyed in 1 hour . . Remaining time: 59 min 58 sec. . He had to leave before the Gate closed after all . There would be plenty of time to take a look at the shop outside . Halfway down the body, Jinwoo noticed a shiny light in the middle of the spider¡¯s head . . . ¡®Item?¡¯. . But compared to a monster¡¯s drop, there was no item message, and he could not automatically obtain whatever it was . . . What is it?. . Briefly thinking about it, Jinwoo quickly realized . . . ¡®Ah, right . Magic cores . ¡¯. . No matter how hurried he was, he couldn¡¯t forget those . He went to the spider¡¯s head and ripped out the magic core . Coming from the boss of a C-rank Dungeon, it was worth about 10 million won . It was not a bad reward for the troublesome fight . . . Jinwoo leaped down from the spider¡¯s head . After a light landing, he took a glance backwards and noticed another source of light from the spider¡¯s abdomen . And multiple of them, too!. . Jinwoo became suspicious . He had heard of magic beasts with extra magic cores, but this was too many . . . ¡®What could it be?¡¯. . Cutting open the spider¡¯s body, he found his answer . The corpses of many half-eaten bug magic beasts fell out of the stomach . The light was coming from each of the bugs . . . ¡°Maybe . ¡±. . Going from bug to bug, he found a magic core in each of them . Some of them were smaller due to being digested, but many more were in perfect condition . Combined, he obtained 10 more magic cores . . . ¡°Awesome!¡±. . He came here for rent money . He would walk away with a mortgage . . . ¡°Hyungnim . ¡±. . Turning around, he saw Yoo Jinho . . . ¡°Please, you can put them here . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho took the magic cores and placed them in his own pack with great care . Then, he took out a thermos and poured something out in its cap . . . ¡°Hyungnim . You¡¯re thirsty, right? Here¡¯s some water . ¡±. . The water was cold enough to collect condensation on the cup . . . ¡®Why is he doing all this?¡¯. . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°false ranker¡± (?? ???): Lit . ¡°illegal/dishonest¡± ?? + ¡°registrant/a registered person¡± ??? . Based on the context, I felt like a ¡°false ranker¡± was a better fit . . [2]: ¡°boss¡± (??): The word used here actually does not mean boss at all . ?? means ¡°owner¡± or ¡°master¡± . I substituted boss for context . . [3]: ¡°gate¡± (??? ??): Again, word used here is not ¡°gate¡±, but ¡°Dungeon¡¯s entrance¡± . Context reasons to shorten the phrasing . . Chapter 22 Good timing . He was thirsty after the fight . Still, Jinwoo took the cup with a confused look . gulp gulp gulp The cold water went down refreshingly down his throat . ¡°How is it, hyungnim?¡± Now that he thought about, Jinho¡¯s title for him had gone from ¡°hyung¡± to ¡°hyungnim¡± . ¡°Mm, it¡¯s refreshing . ¡± He returned the cup to Jinho . ¡°So what you just saw here-¡± Jinho interrupted before Jinwoo could finish his sentence, almost as if to tell him not to worry . ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll carry this secret with me to the grave . ¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to go that far¡­¡± ¡°How can I not? It¡¯s my promise with hyungnim . ¡± ¡°Well¡­ Okay . If you feel that way . ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, hyungnim . ¡± Besides, there was no way someone would believe that an E-rank Hunter took down a C-rank Gate¡¯s boss on his own . Still, Jinwoo was thankful that Jinho promised his silence on his own . ¡®Thought he was bad at taking a hint . He sure doesn¡¯t seem like it now . ¡¯ ¡°Is there anything else, hyungnim?¡± ¡° . . . No . ¡± It was strange . Jinwoo looked up and down on Jinho¡¯s figure that was standing at attention . ¡®Well, I guess I did save his life . ¡¯ After all, it was normal for someone to be respectful towards the person who saved their life . It was understandable if that was the case . Of course, the truth was a little different . shaaake~ The Dungeon lightly shook again, then stopped . The shaking was the signal that the Gate would be closing soon . The tremors would increase as time passed, until right before the Gate¡¯s closing, when it would feel like an earthquake . ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡± ¡°Yes, hyungnim . ¡± Jinwoo started walking towards the blockage . Suddenly, the collapsed rocks blew apart with a flash . Bang! Hwang Dongseok and co . entered the boss room . Seeing the collapsed spider behind Jinwoo, their looks were incredulous . ¡°What the, it¡¯s dead?¡± ¡°Those two took it down?¡± ¡°Was the only thing scary its size?¡± ¡°Well, if it got taken down by an E-rank and a D-rank . . . ¡± ¡°Hwang hyung, what do we do now?¡± Hwang Dongseok looked at Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho and scratched his chin . With the spider dead, the Gate would close soon . It was too late to start mining the mana crystals now . They weren¡¯t prepared for it, and the time remaining was less than an hour . He had to change the plan . He shouted toward Yoo Jinho, ¡°Yoo Jinho!¡± Yoo Jinho flinched and took a step backwards, face was full of nervousness . Hwang Dongseok smirked, ¡°Your equipment really caught our eye, so we did a little investigation . Your daddy turned out to be someone crazy! Yoojin Construction¡¯s chairman, Yoo Myunghan . ¡± ¡°So- so what?¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re giving you a chance . We have some things we want to talk over with your daddy . But if what happened here got out, our situation would become a little uncomfortable . So if you want to live, become our accomplice . ¡± ¡°An accomplice?¡± Hwang Dongseok raised his chin towards Jinwoo . At his unpleasant gaze, Jinwoo grimaced . ¡°Kill Sung Jinwoo . ¡± ¡°What?¡± Yoo Jinho panicked, but Hwang Dongseok looked at his face and laughed . Their original plan was to kill Jinho as well . But they had discovered that Yoo Jinho¡¯s father was the chairman of one of the top construction companies of the country . With that in mind, a devious thought came to him . What if they filmed Yoo Jinho killing Sung Jinwoo, and used that to blackmail Yoo Myunghan? ¡®Yoo Myunghan¡¯s known net worth is about 10 trillion . ¡¯ If everything went right, they could earn several times more than what they would¡¯ve gotten from the mana crystals . ¡°That is your way out of here . We¡¯ll let you live if you kill Sung Jinwoo with your own hands . Otherwise, we¡¯ll kill you both . ¡± Hwang Dongseok¡¯s eyes became murderous . ¡°What are you waiting for? No one¡¯s going to know what happened in a Dungeon anyways . Is a D-rank cowering before an E-rank?¡± Yoo Jinho looked to his side . Jinwoo just shrugged in response . ¡°Do what you want¡± was what he was telling him . Yoo Jinho took out his sword with a determined face . ¡®Looks like he made his decision . ¡¯ Hwang Dongseok smiled . But the results were not what he expected . Yoo Jinho took his sword and stood at Jinwoo¡¯s side . ¡°Oh? Going to team up against us?¡± Hwang Dongseok spoke to himself . The young master sure got gutsy after luckily taking down a C-rank boss . Jo Gyuhwan whispered to him from his side, ¡°Hyung, what should we do?¡± Hwang Dongseok whispered back, ¡°For now, take care of Sung Jinwoo . We¡¯ll hold on to Mr . Moneybags for now . Our loss was too big today . ¡± ¡°Got it . ¡± A bright light appeared in Jo Gyuhwan¡¯s hands . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes narrowed . ¡®So we¡¯re doing it this way, after all . ¡¯ This would be his first time fighting a Hunter . However, he had no plans on being merciful to those who had threatened his life multiple times . Suddenly! ring~ The electronic sound rang in his head . An emergency quest has been created . ¡®Emergency quest?¡¯ He raised his head . He did not give the command to open it, but the quest screen had opened up on its own . This was the first time this had happened . Emergency Quest: Deal With The Enemies! Those with murderous intent towards the ¡®Player¡¯ have been detected . Ensure your safety by dealing with these enemies . Enemies to deal with: 8 Enemies dealt with: 0 Non-compliance will result in a penalty . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes were open wide . ¡®The quest requires me to kill Hwang Dongseok¡¯s entire party?¡¯ Something behind the screen flashed . It was the arrow of light released from Jo Gyuhwan¡¯s hands . Bang! Jinwoo¡¯s body was thrown from the explosion and crashed into the wall with great speed . Slam! The wall broke apart on impact and the pieces landed on Jinwoo . ¡°Hyungnim!¡± Yoo Jinho tried to run to Jinwoo in panic, but Hwang Dongseok stopped him, ¡°Yoo Jinho!¡± Yoo Jinho flinched and stopped . ¡°You better not pay any mind to a dead person and come here . ¡± Hwang Dongseok gestured him to come over . Yoo Jinho turned and looked at where Jinwoo was . Like Hwang Dongseok said, Jinwoo was buried in rocks and did not appear to be moving . ¡°You¡­ you murderers¡­¡± Tears gathered at the corner of Yoo Jinho¡¯s eyes . Hwang Dongseok and his party laughed at his words . It was the truth, after all . They lost count of the number of people they had killed in Dungeons . As they laughed at Yoo Jinho, Jinwoo was questioning his eyes below the rubble . This was because the quest¡¯s contents were changing before his eyes . Emergency Quest: Deal With The Enemies! Those with murderous intent towards %*@## have been detected . Ensure your safety by dealing with these enemies . Enemies to deal with: 8 Enemies dealt with: 0 Non-compliance will result in #$%^%@$#$%#^ ! ^&#$%^$ . Several of the letters broke apart and reformed into new words . Emergency Quest: Deal With The Enemies! Those with murderous intent towards you have been detected . Ensure your safety by dealing with these enemies . Enemies to deal with: 8 Enemies dealt with: 0 Non-compliance will result your heart stopping . It was a very clear threat, ¡°I¡¯ll kill you if you don¡¯t do the quest . ¡± ¡®Kill if I don¡¯t want to be killed?¡¯ It was a shocking message, but his confusion did not last long . The confusion quickly turned to comfort . He could not believe it, but it was true . From the day the quests and stat screens appeared, a single thought had plagued Jinwoo¡¯s mind . ¡°What if this strange occurrence ends?¡± If all this happened out of coincidence, could it end just as suddenly? Such worrisome thought always followed him . But now, with the appearance of this quest, he obtained a certainty . This was neither coincidence or kindness . If the System came to him out of some kindness, it would¡¯ve given him the option to avoid the danger . It would not use a penalty to force him to kill . The System had a goal . Not ¡°to make Sung Jinwoo become strong¡±, but ¡°need Sung Jinwoo to become strong¡± . ¡®Depending on the situation, even kill fellow Hunters¡­¡¯ That was what he gathered from the appearance of the quest . Still, Jinwoo found comfort in the thought . ¡®Thank god . ¡¯ Because it was not a coincidence . There was a clear purpose . Every time he faced danger, he wanted to become stronger . He wanted the opportunity to rise above his life that felt like holding onto the edge of a cliff . And on that day, in the most dangerous moment of his life, the opportunity came to him . The System¡¯s goals were perfectly aligned with Jinwoo¡¯s desires . ¡®The System uses me, and I¡¯ll use the System . ¡¯ That¡¯s all he had to do . As long as it had a goal, he would be able to hold on to this phenomenon . Jinwoo rose from the rubble . Health: 1360 / 2600 He really did get hit by a C-rank Hunter¡¯s magic . A single hit took half of his life down . There was no room for error going forward . A coldness crept into Jinwoo¡¯s eyes . He began to walk towards Hwang Dongseok . ¡°What?¡± Having surrounded the cowering Yoo Jinho, Hwang Dongseok¡¯s party noticed Jinwoo . ¡°What the, he¡¯s alive?¡± ¡°Gyuhwan hyung, looks like you¡¯ve lost your touch . ¡± ¡°How embarrassing, against an E-ranker, too . ¡± Hwang Dongseok scratched his chin, ¡°Gyuhwan, do it right next time . ¡± Jo Gyuhwan¡¯s face reddened with embarrassment, ¡°I-I got it . ¡± No . He definitely used his most powerful spell . It was an attack that used up a third of his magic power, how could he get up? Did he miss? No, if he missed, it wouldn¡¯t have made such a loud sound . He had many questions but did not get the chance to ask . Because Jinwoo was the first to speak, ¡°You¡¯ve played with people¡¯s lives . ¡± Hwang Dongseok¡¯s group¡¯s eyes were fixed on Jinwoo . Jinwoo stopped before them . Yoo Jinho was surprised, but the other Hunters were nonchalant . Few of them even had a mocking expression . Jinwoo continued dryly, ¡°You¡¯re ready to pay the price, right?¡± At that phrase, Hwang Dongseok snorted . ¡°The hell is this fucker saying?¡± ¡°Hyungnim, I got this . ¡± A Hunter with narrow eyes went over and draped an arm around Jinwoo¡¯s neck . ¡°It looks like you¡¯re not really understanding the situation here,¡± The narrow-eye¡¯s expression became strange as he put strength on his arm . ¡® . . . What? Why is he not bending?¡¯ He used all of his strength to try and put Jinwoo in a headlock, but no matter how much he flexed, Jinwoo¡¯s body did not bend . Wasn¡¯t this fucker an E-rank? The narrow-eye¡¯s brows moistened with cold sweat . ¡®What¡¯s with this pow-¡¯ slash . The narrow-eye¡¯s head fell onto the ground . thud ¡°J-Joontae!¡± Hwang Dongseok¡¯s eyes shook . ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°When did that fucker get a dagger?!¡± ¡°Where did it come from?!¡± Hwang Dongseok¡¯s party quickly drew their weapons and took a step back . In Jinwoo¡¯s hand was Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang he had summoned from his inventory . The dagger dripped with blood . ring~ Enemies to deal with: 7 Enemies dealt with: 1 ¡®7 left . ¡¯ Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 22. . Good timing . He was thirsty after the fight . Still, Jinwoo took the cup with a confused look . . . gulp gulp gulp. . The cold water went down refreshingly down his throat . . . ¡°How is it, hyungnim?¡±. . Now that he thought about, Jinho¡¯s title for him had gone from ¡°hyung¡± to ¡°hyungnim¡± . . . ¡°Mm, it¡¯s refreshing . ¡±. . He returned the cup to Jinho . . . ¡°So what you just saw here-¡±. . Jinho interrupted before Jinwoo could finish his sentence, almost as if to tell him not to worry . . . ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll carry this secret with me to the grave . ¡±. . ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to go that far¡­¡±. . ¡°How can I not? It¡¯s my promise with hyungnim . ¡±. . ¡°Well¡­ Okay . If you feel that way . ¡±. . ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, hyungnim . ¡±. . Besides, there was no way someone would believe that an E-rank Hunter took down a C-rank Gate¡¯s boss on his own . Still, Jinwoo was thankful that Jinho promised his silence on his own . . . ¡®Thought he was bad at taking a hint . He sure doesn¡¯t seem like it now . ¡¯. . ¡°Is there anything else, hyungnim?¡±. . ¡° . No . ¡±. . It was strange . Jinwoo looked up and down on Jinho¡¯s figure that was standing at attention . . . ¡®Well, I guess I did save his life . ¡¯. . After all, it was normal for someone to be respectful towards the person who saved their life . It was understandable if that was the case . Of course, the truth was a little different . . . shaaake~. . The Dungeon lightly shook again, then stopped . The shaking was the signal that the Gate would be closing soon . The tremors would increase as time passed, until right before the Gate¡¯s closing, when it would feel like an earthquake . . . ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡±. . ¡°Yes, hyungnim . ¡±. . Jinwoo started walking towards the blockage . Suddenly, the collapsed rocks blew apart with a flash . . . Bang!. . Hwang Dongseok and co . entered the boss room . Seeing the collapsed spider behind Jinwoo, their looks were incredulous . . . ¡°What the, it¡¯s dead?¡±. ¡°Those two took it down?¡±. ¡°Was the only thing scary its size?¡±. ¡°Well, if it got taken down by an E-rank and a D-rank . ¡±. ¡°Hwang hyung, what do we do now?¡±. . Hwang Dongseok looked at Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho and scratched his chin . With the spider dead, the Gate would close soon . It was too late to start mining the mana crystals now . They weren¡¯t prepared for it, and the time remaining was less than an hour . He had to change the plan . . . He shouted toward Yoo Jinho,. . ¡°Yoo Jinho!¡±. . Yoo Jinho flinched and took a step backwards, face was full of nervousness . . . Hwang Dongseok smirked,. . ¡°Your equipment really caught our eye, so we did a little investigation . Your daddy turned out to be someone crazy! Yoojin Construction¡¯s chairman, Yoo Myunghan . ¡±. . ¡°So- so what?¡±. . ¡°Well, we¡¯re giving you a chance . We have some things we want to talk over with your daddy . But if what happened here got out, our situation would become a little uncomfortable . So if you want to live, become our accomplice . ¡±. . ¡°An accomplice?¡±. . Hwang Dongseok raised his chin towards Jinwoo . At his unpleasant gaze, Jinwoo grimaced . . . ¡°Kill Sung Jinwoo . ¡±. . ¡°What?¡±. . Yoo Jinho panicked, but Hwang Dongseok looked at his face and laughed . Their original plan was to kill Jinho as well . But they had discovered that Yoo Jinho¡¯s father was the chairman of one of the top construction companies of the country . With that in mind, a devious thought came to him . What if they filmed Yoo Jinho killing Sung Jinwoo, and used that to blackmail Yoo Myunghan?. . ¡®Yoo Myunghan¡¯s known net worth is about 10 trillion . ¡¯. . If everything went right, they could earn several times more than what they would¡¯ve gotten from the mana crystals . . . ¡°That is your way out of here . We¡¯ll let you live if you kill Sung Jinwoo with your own hands . Otherwise, we¡¯ll kill you both . ¡±. . Hwang Dongseok¡¯s eyes became murderous . . . ¡°What are you waiting for? No one¡¯s going to know what happened in a Dungeon anyways . Is a D-rank cowering before an E-rank?¡±. . Yoo Jinho looked to his side . Jinwoo just shrugged in response . ¡°Do what you want¡± was what he was telling him . Yoo Jinho took out his sword with a determined face . . . ¡®Looks like he made his decision . ¡¯. . Hwang Dongseok smiled . . . But the results were not what he expected . . . Yoo Jinho took his sword and stood at Jinwoo¡¯s side . . . ¡°Oh? Going to team up against us?¡±. . Hwang Dongseok spoke to himself . The young master sure got gutsy after luckily taking down a C-rank boss . . . Jo Gyuhwan whispered to him from his side,. . ¡°Hyung, what should we do?¡±. . Hwang Dongseok whispered back,. . ¡°For now, take care of Sung Jinwoo . We¡¯ll hold on to Mr . Moneybags for now . Our loss was too big today . ¡±. . ¡°Got it . ¡±. . A bright light appeared in Jo Gyuhwan¡¯s hands . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes narrowed . . . ¡®So we¡¯re doing it this way, after all . ¡¯. . This would be his first time fighting a Hunter . However, he had no plans on being merciful to those who had threatened his life multiple times . . . Suddenly!. . ring~. . The electronic sound rang in his head . . . An emergency quest has been created . . . ¡®Emergency quest?¡¯. . He raised his head . He did not give the command to open it, but the quest screen had opened up on its own . This was the first time this had happened . . . Emergency Quest: Deal With The Enemies!. Those with murderous intent towards the ¡®Player¡¯ have been detected . Ensure your safety by dealing with these enemies . . Enemies to deal with: 8. Enemies dealt with: 0. Non-compliance will result in a penalty . . . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes were open wide . . . ¡®The quest requires me to kill Hwang Dongseok¡¯s entire party?¡¯. . Something behind the screen flashed . It was the arrow of light released from Jo Gyuhwan¡¯s hands . . . Bang!. . Jinwoo¡¯s body was thrown from the explosion and crashed into the wall with great speed . . . Slam!. . The wall broke apart on impact and the pieces landed on Jinwoo . . . ¡°Hyungnim!¡±. . Yoo Jinho tried to run to Jinwoo in panic, but Hwang Dongseok stopped him,. . ¡°Yoo Jinho!¡±. . Yoo Jinho flinched and stopped . . . ¡°You better not pay any mind to a dead person and come here . ¡±. . Hwang Dongseok gestured him to come over . Yoo Jinho turned and looked at where Jinwoo was . Like Hwang Dongseok said, Jinwoo was buried in rocks and did not appear to be moving . . . ¡°You¡­ you murderers¡­¡±. . Tears gathered at the corner of Yoo Jinho¡¯s eyes . Hwang Dongseok and his party laughed at his words . . . It was the truth, after all . They lost count of the number of people they had killed in Dungeons . . . As they laughed at Yoo Jinho, Jinwoo was questioning his eyes below the rubble . This was because the quest¡¯s contents were changing before his eyes . . . Emergency Quest: Deal With The Enemies!. Those with murderous intent towards %*@## have been detected . Ensure your safety by dealing with these enemies . . Enemies to deal with: 8. Enemies dealt with: 0. Non-compliance will result in #$%^%@$#$%#^ ! ^&#$%^$ . . . Several of the letters broke apart and reformed into new words . . . Emergency Quest: Deal With The Enemies!. Those with murderous intent towards you have been detected . Ensure your safety by dealing with these enemies . . Enemies to deal with: 8. Enemies dealt with: 0. Non-compliance will result your heart stopping . . . It was a very clear threat, ¡°I¡¯ll kill you if you don¡¯t do the quest . ¡±. . ¡®Kill if I don¡¯t want to be killed?¡¯. . It was a shocking message, but his confusion did not last long . The confusion quickly turned to comfort . He could not believe it, but it was true . From the day the quests and stat screens appeared, a single thought had plagued Jinwoo¡¯s mind . . . ¡°What if this strange occurrence ends?¡±. . If all this happened out of coincidence, could it end just as suddenly?. . Such worrisome thought always followed him . . . But now, with the appearance of this quest, he obtained a certainty . . . This was neither coincidence or kindness . . . If the System came to him out of some kindness, it would¡¯ve given him the option to avoid the danger . It would not use a penalty to force him to kill . . . The System had a goal . . . Not ¡°to make Sung Jinwoo become strong¡±, but ¡°need Sung Jinwoo to become strong¡± . . . ¡®Depending on the situation, even kill fellow Hunters¡­¡¯. . That was what he gathered from the appearance of the quest . . . Still, Jinwoo found comfort in the thought . . . ¡®Thank god . ¡¯. . Because it was not a coincidence . . . There was a clear purpose . . . Every time he faced danger, he wanted to become stronger . He wanted the opportunity to rise above his life that felt like holding onto the edge of a cliff . And on that day, in the most dangerous moment of his life, the opportunity came to him . . . The System¡¯s goals were perfectly aligned with Jinwoo¡¯s desires . . . ¡®The System uses me, and I¡¯ll use the System . ¡¯. . That¡¯s all he had to do . As long as it had a goal, he would be able to hold on to this phenomenon . . . Jinwoo rose from the rubble . . . Health: 1360 / 2600. . He really did get hit by a C-rank Hunter¡¯s magic . A single hit took half of his life down . There was no room for error going forward . A coldness crept into Jinwoo¡¯s eyes . He began to walk towards Hwang Dongseok . . . ¡°What?¡±. . Having surrounded the cowering Yoo Jinho, Hwang Dongseok¡¯s party noticed Jinwoo . . . ¡°What the, he¡¯s alive?¡±. ¡°Gyuhwan hyung, looks like you¡¯ve lost your touch . ¡±. ¡°How embarrassing, against an E-ranker, too . ¡±. . Hwang Dongseok scratched his chin,. . ¡°Gyuhwan, do it right next time . ¡±. . Jo Gyuhwan¡¯s face reddened with embarrassment,. . ¡°I-I got it . ¡±. . No . He definitely used his most powerful spell . It was an attack that used up a third of his magic power, how could he get up? Did he miss? No, if he missed, it wouldn¡¯t have made such a loud sound . He had many questions but did not get the chance to ask . . . Because Jinwoo was the first to speak,. . ¡°You¡¯ve played with people¡¯s lives . ¡±. . Hwang Dongseok¡¯s group¡¯s eyes were fixed on Jinwoo . Jinwoo stopped before them . Yoo Jinho was surprised, but the other Hunters were nonchalant . Few of them even had a mocking expression . . . Jinwoo continued dryly,. . ¡°You¡¯re ready to pay the price, right?¡±. . At that phrase, Hwang Dongseok snorted . . . ¡°The hell is this fucker saying?¡±. ¡°Hyungnim, I got this . ¡±. . A Hunter with narrow eyes went over and draped an arm around Jinwoo¡¯s neck . . . ¡°It looks like you¡¯re not really understanding the situation here,¡±. . The narrow-eye¡¯s expression became strange as he put strength on his arm . . . ¡® . What? Why is he not bending?¡¯. . He used all of his strength to try and put Jinwoo in a headlock, but no matter how much he flexed, Jinwoo¡¯s body did not bend . . . Wasn¡¯t this fucker an E-rank?. . The narrow-eye¡¯s brows moistened with cold sweat . . . ¡®What¡¯s with this pow-¡¯. . slash . . . The narrow-eye¡¯s head fell onto the ground . . . thud. . ¡°J-Joontae!¡±. . Hwang Dongseok¡¯s eyes shook . . . ¡°Wait, what?¡±. ¡°When did that fucker get a dagger?!¡±. ¡°Where did it come from?!¡±. . Hwang Dongseok¡¯s party quickly drew their weapons and took a step back . In Jinwoo¡¯s hand was Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang he had summoned from his inventory . . . The dagger dripped with blood . . . ring~. . Enemies to deal with: 7. Enemies dealt with: 1. . ¡®7 left . ¡¯. Chapter 23 With the eyes of a predator sizing up prey, Jinwoo moved his gaze from one Hunter to the next . Hwang Dongseok gulped . The fact that a dagger had appeared out of nowhere in his hand was surprising, but what shocked him even more was Park Joontae¡¯s death . ¡®How did an E-rank kill a D-rank in one hit?¡¯ Regardless of what trick he used, he could no longer be underestimated . They had to become focused . Hwang Dongseok cast a glance to his side, ¡®give him another one . ¡¯ Jo Gyuhwan nodded . He would not make the same mistake! The determined hands once more gathered light in them . But before he could fire the arrow of light, Jinwoo appeared before Jo Gyuhwan . ¡°Huh?¡± Jo Gyuhwan¡¯s mouth opened wide in surprise . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes were fierce . ¡®First, the Mage-class Hunter with strong firepower but weak constitution . ¡¯ He had already made all the calculations . The dagger embedded into Jo Gyuhwan¡¯s neck . stab! cough! Jo Gyuhwan grabbed his neck and fell . thud ¡°Kill him!¡± ¡°Ahh!!!¡± The man¡¯s death signaled the start of the fight; all the Hunters came at Jinwoo . Jinwoo sharpened his nerves and focused on each of their movements . Sound disappeared, and time slowed down . The power of the agility stat, raised to 38 points, began to show off . He blocked and dodged the torrent of swords, spears and arrows that were coming at him . The Hunters¡¯ eyes widened, ¡®How, how is an E-ranker moving like this?!¡¯ ¡®He¡¯s too fast!¡¯ ¡®I can¡¯t hit him!¡¯ Their faces became pale . Speed was relative . To their eyes, Jinwoo¡¯s movements were terrifyingly swift . Jinwoo weaved between the Hunters, stabbing them one by one . Paralysis has been inflicted . Bleeding has been inflicted . Paralysis has been inflicted . Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang inflicted its debuffs left and right, throwing the Hunters into chaos . ¡°I-I can¡¯t move my body! Uwak!¡± ¡°Magic? Is this magic?¡± ¡°This son of a bitch!¡± Bleeding has been inflicted . Paralysis has been inflicted . Paralysis has been inflicted . ¡°Ahh!¡± ¡°What, what the hell is he?!¡± ¡°Uwaaaak!¡± All around the room, the Hunters¡¯ screams spilled forth . Five of the surrounding enemies had already fallen . thud thud ring~ Enemies to deal with: 1 Enemies dealt with: 7 Jinwoo faced the last man remaining . The hairy man with a large physique, Hwang Dongseok . With a determined face, he threw aside his shield and gathered his energy . ¡°Waaaaaah!!!¡± He kicked the ground and charged . boom boom boom boom! As he ran, he thought to himself . He was a Tanker who shone in the upper echelon of C-rankers . The target was probably a Dealer . His movements were fast, but there was no way that he would have the power to go through his body, reinforced with the ¡®Strengthen¡¯[1] skill . ¡®You cannot give me a mortal wound with a mere dagger!¡¯ The one who would be destroyed in their clash will be Sung Jinwoo! He tackled with his shoulder as the distance closed . ¡°Strengthen!¡± The room suddenly spun around him, and the Dungeon¡¯s ceiling appeared before his eyes . Slam! His head shook and he felt a great pain on his neck and back . He tried to rise but his body did not listen . The struggling Hwang Dongseok sprawled on the ground . ¡°cough!¡± Blood came out of his mouth . ¡®Did¡­ did he just throw me?¡¯ He, Hwang Dongseok, just lost in power? In a contest of strength? ¡°A mere E-rank trash like you¡­¡± He realized his mistake . 5 C-ranks and 4 D-ranks were defeated in an instant . There was no way Jinwoo was an E-ranker . Jinwoo stood next to Hwang Dongseok . The man could not even move his body . The results of the fight was clear . If this was a competitive sport, this is where it would end . It was not going to end here . ¡°W-wait . ¡± Hwang Dongseok raised a feeble hand . ¡°P-please, let me live . If you want money, I¡¯ll give you money . Plenty of it, just let me live¡­¡± ¡°Three times . ¡± Jinwoo replied with ice in his voice, ¡°Aren¡¯t you embarrassed to ask someone you tried to kill three times for mercy?¡± One . Through blocking the entrance . Two . Through ordering Yoo Jinho . Three . Through Jo Gyuhwan¡¯s magic . Hwang Dongseok had made three attempts on Jinwoo¡¯s life, discounting the fight just now . Give and Take . After returning alive from the temple, Jinwoo had made this creed . To give as much was given, and to take as much was taken . Whether it was good or bad . There would be no compromise . Realizing he could not beg for mercy, Hwang Dongseok opened his eyes wide and foamed at the mouth, ¡°You, you think you¡¯ll just get away with this?! Do you know who my little brother-¡± Snap! Hwang Dongseok could not continue with his crushed neck . His eyes rolled back to reveal their whites . ring~ Enemies to deal with: 0 Enemies dealt with: 8 The quest was finally over . ¡°Phew-¡± Jinwoo¡¯s lengthy sigh carried many meanings . He took his hand off Hwang Dongseok¡¯s throat and looked at it . Although it was a one-sided battle, his hands were shaking at the fact that he had just taken eight lives . ¡®Is this really okay?¡¯ He placed the hand on his chest and felt his heart . ba dum ba dum ba dum It was beating normally . ¡®I wonder¡­¡¯ From the day that he had returned from the underground temple, perhaps the System wasn¡¯t the only change within Jinwoo . But his worries were brief, interrupted by the familiar electronic tone . ring~ You¡¯ve completed the ¡®Emergency Quest: Deal With The Enemies¡¯ The reward for completing the quest has arrived . Would you like to verify? (Y/N) He had expected this . Without delay, he confirmed the rewards . ¡°Verify . ¡± ring~ You¡¯ve received the below rewards . Reward 1 . Status Recovery Reward 2 . Stat points +10 Reward 3 . Skill: ¡®Bloodlust¡¯[2] Accept all? ¡®10 stat points and even a new skill?¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened at the incredible reward . Putting the attribute points aside, the idea of a new skill piqued his interest greatly . ¡®If I didn¡¯t have ¡®sprint¡¯ while fighting the spider¡­¡¯ The reason he was able to defeat the boss was thanks to a skill . Their effectiveness in battles could not be understated . There was reason why Runestones were insanely expensive . Jinwoo immediately checked the ¡®Bloodlust¡¯ skill . ¡®Check Reward 3 . ¡¯ ring~ Bloodlust (Lv . 1) Active Skill Mana Cost: 100 Activate to inflict ¡®Fear¡¯ on a target for 1 minute . Multiple targets can be selected . ¡®Fear¡¯: All stats -50% ¡°You emit a murderous intent . ¡± Although temporary, it had a very desirable power to lower every attribute of a target . Jinwoo was sure it would not work against targets with high resistance, but to the ones that didn¡¯t, they would become food before his hands . On top of that, it was able to affect multiple targets . ¡®It¡¯s amazing . ¡¯ As the penalty was great, so was the reward . ¡®Well¡­ it makes sense, right?¡¯ His life was on the line this time . Not only that- Jinwoo looked around . He frowned at the scene of massacre . He had witnessed the death of many Hunters before, but he was still not used to the sight of their corpses . This was the result that the quest wanted . Compared to the number of lives he had taken, the reward now seemed small . Not that he would¡¯ve been able to avoid all this, even without the quest . ¡®There¡¯s no end to man¡¯s greed¡­¡¯ He shook his head . The cave shook again . Shaaaaake! It was a lot stronger than before . It was time to leave the Dungeon . But there was a loose end to tidy up before leaving . Yoo Jinho . Jinwoo turned his gaze towards the young man . The pitiful form of Yoo Jinho, frozen from fear, cast his eyes down at Jinwoo¡¯s gaze . ¡®What to do with him¡­¡¯ Of course, he wasn¡¯t thinking of killing Yoo Jinho . There was no reason or need . But if everything that had happened here leaked, it would become very bothersome . ¡®Let¡¯s thoroughly ensure his silence . ¡¯ As if on cue, Yoo Jinho ran forward and knelt before Jinwoo, ¡°Hyungnim! Please let me live!¡± ¡° . . . ¡± Jinwoo realized this would be easier than he thought . Yoo Jinho trembled heavily . His face was completely pale . After all, he had just watched Jinwoo slaughter eight people . One of the most powerful weapon to rule over a person was ¡®fear¡¯ . So Jinwoo decided to use that to his advantage . ¡°Why should I?¡± Jinwoo swore he heard Yoo Jinho¡¯s heart literally sink . ¡®Was that too much?¡¯ ¡°M-money- if you n-need money, I can ask my-¡± ¡°What are you taking me for?!¡± Jinwoo flared with a genuine anger . He lived his entire life in poverty, but he had no intentions to use someone as a hostage for money . If he did that, he would be no different than Hwang Dongseok . ¡°I-I apologize . ¡± If Yoo Jinho was not shaking in fear, he would¡¯ve smacked him on the back of his head . But if he did, it felt like the young man would keel over with a heart attack, so Jinwoo stayed his hand . Seeing Jinwoo¡¯s hardened expression, Yoo Jinho gulped . ¡®Now that I think about it, he also refused Hwang Dongseok¡¯s offer of money¡­ Is he a man who abandoned material wants and walks a path of flesh and blood?¡¯ The image of Jinwoo in Yoo Jinho¡¯s head became stranger . But it was too early to make that call, ¡®Then why did he collect the magic cores?¡¯ Just moments earlier, Jinwoo was cutting open the spider¡¯s stomach to grab every last bit of the magic cores . A source of great power, the magic cores had many uses beyond just crafting magic items . But to a Hunter, they were no different than money . Yoo Jinho¡¯s head spun with thought . ¡®Then it must be that!¡¯ It was the price of blood . The reason that he dirtied his hands to look through the corpse was because he had fought the spider boss for it . He would have no mercy towards those who went against him, but he would also have nothing to do with that which was not earned with sweat and blood . A true patron of effort[3]! ¡®To think that I tried to buy such hyungnim¡¯s mercy with money . Of course he would be mad at me . ¡¯ Then, what he needed now was not ¡®his father¡¯s money¡¯, but a ¡®worthiness¡¯ to spare his life . He glanced over at Jinwoo¡¯s face, but the man still appeared to be mad . Yoo Jinho quickly spoke, ¡°Hyungnim . If you spare me, I¡¯ll turn over all the income from this Dungeon to hyungnim . ¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± As he expected, Jinwoo was interested . ¡°Think about it, hyungnim . If nine of the ten people died in this Dungeon, and hyungnim took home all the profits, anyone would be suspicious, no?¡± Yoo Jinho was sure that Jinwoo was a false ranker . Not only that, a powerful false ranker who enjoyed killing! A person like that could not afford the attention of others falling on him . ¡°So?¡± ¡°On the other hand, if hyungnim and I leave here together, according to the contract, all of the magic cores would become mine . Even with the eight others dead, since there was no benefit to hyungnim, nobody would suspect you . ¡± Of course, nobody would suspect Yoo Jinho either . He was the son of one of the country¡¯s most powerful chairman . The magic cores wouldn¡¯t be of any worth to him . ¡°Of course, the money would belong to you, hyungnim . It¡¯s the ¡®fair price¡¯ for killing Hwang Dongseok¡¯s party and saving my life . ¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Strengthen¡± (??): lit . ¡°reinforce/strengthen¡± [2]: ¡°Bloodlust¡± (??): ¡°murder/murderous¡± ? + ¡°energy/spirit¡± ? . Directly translates to ¡°bloodthirst/bloodlust¡± . Also could be ¡°Killing Intent¡± . [3]: ¡°patron of effort¡± (?? ???): My apologies, my translation is actually completely different than the original korean . The literal translation would be ¡°ascetic of blood¡±, which I had felt did not convey the meaning of the passage in English . Jinho¡¯s image of Jinwoo is basically that he only takes what he has earned . In Korean culture, ¡°blood¡± carries a very common symbolic meaning of effort, hence the ¡°ascetic of blood¡± title . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 23. . With the eyes of a predator sizing up prey, Jinwoo moved his gaze from one Hunter to the next . . . Hwang Dongseok gulped . . . The fact that a dagger had appeared out of nowhere in his hand was surprising, but what shocked him even more was Park Joontae¡¯s death . . . ¡®How did an E-rank kill a D-rank in one hit?¡¯. . Regardless of what trick he used, he could no longer be underestimated . They had to become focused . Hwang Dongseok cast a glance to his side, ¡®give him another one . ¡¯. . Jo Gyuhwan nodded . He would not make the same mistake! The determined hands once more gathered light in them . . . But before he could fire the arrow of light, Jinwoo appeared before Jo Gyuhwan . . . ¡°Huh?¡±. . Jo Gyuhwan¡¯s mouth opened wide in surprise . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes were fierce . . . ¡®First, the Mage-class Hunter with strong firepower but weak constitution . ¡¯. . He had already made all the calculations . . . The dagger embedded into Jo Gyuhwan¡¯s neck . . . stab!. . cough!. . Jo Gyuhwan grabbed his neck and fell . . . thud. . ¡°Kill him!¡±. ¡°Ahh!!!¡±. . The man¡¯s death signaled the start of the fight; all the Hunters came at Jinwoo . Jinwoo sharpened his nerves and focused on each of their movements . . . Sound disappeared, and time slowed down . . . The power of the agility stat, raised to 38 points, began to show off . . . He blocked and dodged the torrent of swords, spears and arrows that were coming at him . . . The Hunters¡¯ eyes widened,. . ¡®How, how is an E-ranker moving like this?!¡¯. ¡®He¡¯s too fast!¡¯. ¡®I can¡¯t hit him!¡¯. . Their faces became pale . . . Speed was relative . To their eyes, Jinwoo¡¯s movements were terrifyingly swift . . . Jinwoo weaved between the Hunters, stabbing them one by one . . . Paralysis has been inflicted . . . Bleeding has been inflicted . . . Paralysis has been inflicted . . . Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang inflicted its debuffs left and right, throwing the Hunters into chaos . . . ¡°I-I can¡¯t move my body! Uwak!¡±. ¡°Magic? Is this magic?¡±. ¡°This son of a bitch!¡±. . Bleeding has been inflicted . . . Paralysis has been inflicted . . . Paralysis has been inflicted . . . . ¡°Ahh!¡±. ¡°What, what the hell is he?!¡±. ¡°Uwaaaak!¡±. . All around the room, the Hunters¡¯ screams spilled forth . Five of the surrounding enemies had already fallen . . . thud. . thud. . ring~. . Enemies to deal with: 1. Enemies dealt with: 7. . Jinwoo faced the last man remaining . . . The hairy man with a large physique, Hwang Dongseok . . . With a determined face, he threw aside his shield and gathered his energy . . . ¡°Waaaaaah!!!¡±. . He kicked the ground and charged . . . boom boom boom boom!. . As he ran, he thought to himself . He was a Tanker who shone in the upper echelon of C-rankers . The target was probably a Dealer . His movements were fast, but there was no way that he would have the power to go through his body, reinforced with the ¡®Strengthen¡¯[1] skill . . . ¡®You cannot give me a mortal wound with a mere dagger!¡¯. . The one who would be destroyed in their clash will be Sung Jinwoo!. . He tackled with his shoulder as the distance closed . . . ¡°Strengthen!¡±. . The room suddenly spun around him, and the Dungeon¡¯s ceiling appeared before his eyes . . . Slam!. . His head shook and he felt a great pain on his neck and back . He tried to rise but his body did not listen . The struggling Hwang Dongseok sprawled on the ground . . . ¡°cough!¡±. . Blood came out of his mouth . . . ¡®Did¡­ did he just throw me?¡¯. . He, Hwang Dongseok, just lost in power?. . In a contest of strength?. . ¡°A mere E-rank trash like you¡­¡±. . He realized his mistake . 5 C-ranks and 4 D-ranks were defeated in an instant . There was no way Jinwoo was an E-ranker . . . Jinwoo stood next to Hwang Dongseok . The man could not even move his body . The results of the fight was clear . If this was a competitive sport, this is where it would end . . . It was not going to end here . . . ¡°W-wait . ¡±. . Hwang Dongseok raised a feeble hand . . . ¡°P-please, let me live . If you want money, I¡¯ll give you money . Plenty of it, just let me live¡­¡±. . ¡°Three times . ¡±. . Jinwoo replied with ice in his voice,. . ¡°Aren¡¯t you embarrassed to ask someone you tried to kill three times for mercy?¡±. . One . Through blocking the entrance . . . Two . Through ordering Yoo Jinho . . . Three . Through Jo Gyuhwan¡¯s magic . . . Hwang Dongseok had made three attempts on Jinwoo¡¯s life, discounting the fight just now . . . Give and Take . . . After returning alive from the temple, Jinwoo had made this creed . . . To give as much was given, and to take as much was taken . . . Whether it was good or bad . . . There would be no compromise . . . Realizing he could not beg for mercy, Hwang Dongseok opened his eyes wide and foamed at the mouth,. . ¡°You, you think you¡¯ll just get away with this?! Do you know who my little brother-¡±. . Snap!. . Hwang Dongseok could not continue with his crushed neck . . . His eyes rolled back to reveal their whites . . . ring~. . Enemies to deal with: 0. Enemies dealt with: 8. . The quest was finally over . . . ¡°Phew-¡±. . Jinwoo¡¯s lengthy sigh carried many meanings . He took his hand off Hwang Dongseok¡¯s throat and looked at it . Although it was a one-sided battle, his hands were shaking at the fact that he had just taken eight lives . . . ¡®Is this really okay?¡¯. . He placed the hand on his chest and felt his heart . . . ba dum ba dum ba dum . . It was beating normally . . . ¡®I wonder¡­¡¯. . From the day that he had returned from the underground temple, perhaps the System wasn¡¯t the only change within Jinwoo . But his worries were brief, interrupted by the familiar electronic tone . . . ring~. . You¡¯ve completed the ¡®Emergency Quest: Deal With The Enemies¡¯. The reward for completing the quest has arrived . . Would you like to verify? (Y/N). . He had expected this . Without delay, he confirmed the rewards . . . ¡°Verify . ¡±. . ring~. . You¡¯ve received the below rewards . . Reward 1 . Status Recovery. Reward 2 . Stat points +10. Reward 3 . Skill: ¡®Bloodlust¡¯[2]. Accept all?. . ¡®10 stat points and even a new skill?¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened at the incredible reward . Putting the attribute points aside, the idea of a new skill piqued his interest greatly . . . ¡®If I didn¡¯t have ¡®sprint¡¯ while fighting the spider¡­¡¯. . The reason he was able to defeat the boss was thanks to a skill . Their effectiveness in battles could not be understated . There was reason why Runestones were insanely expensive . . . Jinwoo immediately checked the ¡®Bloodlust¡¯ skill . . . ¡®Check Reward 3 . ¡¯. . ring~. . Bloodlust (Lv . 1). Active Skill. . Mana Cost: 100. . Activate to inflict ¡®Fear¡¯ on a target for 1 minute . . Multiple targets can be selected . . ¡®Fear¡¯: All stats -50%. . ¡°You emit a murderous intent . ¡±. . Although temporary, it had a very desirable power to lower every attribute of a target . Jinwoo was sure it would not work against targets with high resistance, but to the ones that didn¡¯t, they would become food before his hands . On top of that, it was able to affect multiple targets . . . ¡®It¡¯s amazing . ¡¯. . As the penalty was great, so was the reward . . . ¡®Well¡­ it makes sense, right?¡¯. . His life was on the line this time . Not only that-. . Jinwoo looked around . He frowned at the scene of massacre . He had witnessed the death of many Hunters before, but he was still not used to the sight of their corpses . This was the result that the quest wanted . Compared to the number of lives he had taken, the reward now seemed small . Not that he would¡¯ve been able to avoid all this, even without the quest . . . ¡®There¡¯s no end to man¡¯s greed¡­¡¯. . He shook his head . . . The cave shook again . . . Shaaaaake!. . It was a lot stronger than before . It was time to leave the Dungeon . . . But there was a loose end to tidy up before leaving . . . Yoo Jinho . . . Jinwoo turned his gaze towards the young man . The pitiful form of Yoo Jinho, frozen from fear, cast his eyes down at Jinwoo¡¯s gaze . . . ¡®What to do with him¡­¡¯. . Of course, he wasn¡¯t thinking of killing Yoo Jinho . There was no reason or need . . . But if everything that had happened here leaked, it would become very bothersome . . . ¡®Let¡¯s thoroughly ensure his silence . ¡¯. . As if on cue, Yoo Jinho ran forward and knelt before Jinwoo,. . ¡°Hyungnim! Please let me live!¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . Jinwoo realized this would be easier than he thought . . . . . Yoo Jinho trembled heavily . His face was completely pale . After all, he had just watched Jinwoo slaughter eight people . One of the most powerful weapon to rule over a person was ¡®fear¡¯ . So Jinwoo decided to use that to his advantage . . . ¡°Why should I?¡±. . Jinwoo swore he heard Yoo Jinho¡¯s heart literally sink . . . ¡®Was that too much?¡¯. . ¡°M-money- if you n-need money, I can ask my-¡±. . ¡°What are you taking me for?!¡±. . Jinwoo flared with a genuine anger . He lived his entire life in poverty, but he had no intentions to use someone as a hostage for money . If he did that, he would be no different than Hwang Dongseok . . . ¡°I-I apologize . ¡±. . If Yoo Jinho was not shaking in fear, he would¡¯ve smacked him on the back of his head . But if he did, it felt like the young man would keel over with a heart attack, so Jinwoo stayed his hand . . . Seeing Jinwoo¡¯s hardened expression, Yoo Jinho gulped . . . ¡®Now that I think about it, he also refused Hwang Dongseok¡¯s offer of money¡­ Is he a man who abandoned material wants and walks a path of flesh and blood?¡¯. . The image of Jinwoo in Yoo Jinho¡¯s head became stranger . But it was too early to make that call,. . ¡®Then why did he collect the magic cores?¡¯. . Just moments earlier, Jinwoo was cutting open the spider¡¯s stomach to grab every last bit of the magic cores . A source of great power, the magic cores had many uses beyond just crafting magic items . But to a Hunter, they were no different than money . . . Yoo Jinho¡¯s head spun with thought . . . ¡®Then it must be that!¡¯. . It was the price of blood . The reason that he dirtied his hands to look through the corpse was because he had fought the spider boss for it . He would have no mercy towards those who went against him, but he would also have nothing to do with that which was not earned with sweat and blood . A true patron of effort[3]!. . ¡®To think that I tried to buy such hyungnim¡¯s mercy with money . Of course he would be mad at me . ¡¯. . Then, what he needed now was not ¡®his father¡¯s money¡¯, but a ¡®worthiness¡¯ to spare his life . He glanced over at Jinwoo¡¯s face, but the man still appeared to be mad . . . Yoo Jinho quickly spoke,. . ¡°Hyungnim . If you spare me, I¡¯ll turn over all the income from this Dungeon to hyungnim . ¡±. . ¡°Hmm?¡±. . As he expected, Jinwoo was interested . . . ¡°Think about it, hyungnim . If nine of the ten people died in this Dungeon, and hyungnim took home all the profits, anyone would be suspicious, no?¡±. . Yoo Jinho was sure that Jinwoo was a false ranker . Not only that, a powerful false ranker who enjoyed killing! A person like that could not afford the attention of others falling on him . . . ¡°So?¡±. . ¡°On the other hand, if hyungnim and I leave here together, according to the contract, all of the magic cores would become mine . Even with the eight others dead, since there was no benefit to hyungnim, nobody would suspect you . ¡±. . Of course, nobody would suspect Yoo Jinho either . He was the son of one of the country¡¯s most powerful chairman . The magic cores wouldn¡¯t be of any worth to him . . . ¡°Of course, the money would belong to you, hyungnim . It¡¯s the ¡®fair price¡¯ for killing Hwang Dongseok¡¯s party and saving my life . ¡±. . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Strengthen¡± (??): lit . ¡°reinforce/strengthen¡± . [2]: ¡°Bloodlust¡± (??): ¡°murder/murderous¡± ? + ¡°energy/spirit¡± ? . Directly translates to ¡°bloodthirst/bloodlust¡± . Also could be ¡°Killing Intent¡± . . [3]: ¡°patron of effort¡± (?? ???): My apologies, my translation is actually completely different than the original korean . The literal translation would be ¡°ascetic of blood¡±, which I had felt did not convey the meaning of the passage in English . Jinho¡¯s image of Jinwoo is basically that he only takes what he has earned . In Korean culture, ¡°blood¡± carries a very common symbolic meaning of effort, hence the ¡°ascetic of blood¡± title . . . . Chapter 24 Yoo Jinho placed emphasis on the words, ¡®fair price¡¯ . ¡®He¡¯s not wrong¡­¡¯ Jinho¡¯s suggestion would be the best course of option for Jinwoo to safely obtain all the magic cores . Currently, the ownership of the magic cores was clear . No matter how greedy the man was, Hwang Dongseok could not take them with him to the afterlife . As such, Yoo Jinho had the legal rights to all the magic cores they carried . And now, the young man was offering it all to Jinwoo . This was different than taking them by force . ¡®No reason to turn away good fortune like this¡­¡¯ After all, if it wasn¡¯t for him, Yoo Jinho would already be dead or taken as hostage . In that line of thinking, it indeed was the fair price for Jinwoo to obtain all the magic cores . Watching Jinwoo¡¯s expression soften, Yoo Jinho was sure that he had hit the right mark . ¡®As I thought, the magic cores are the price of the blood he spilled taking down Hwang Dongseok¡¯s party . That¡¯s why he won¡¯t refuse them . ¡¯ The two men¡¯s idea of the ¡®fair price¡¯ was completely different, but neither of them would realize this . ¡°Alright . ¡± At Jinwoo¡¯s agreement, Yoo Jinho¡¯s face brightened . The young man felt a little awe at what he perceived to be the Jinwoo¡¯s ironclad conviction . But then, Jinwoo¡¯s face became cold again . ¡°But how would I be able to trust you?¡± Jinwoo thought back on the initial goal of this conversation . He did not frighten the young man for a material gain; he just wanted to make sure the events of this Raid would not cause him troubles in the future . ¡°How could I betray the hyungnim that saved my life multiple times?¡± ¡°You could always ignore the promise and go around blabbing your mouth off . ¡± Well, it wouldn¡¯t really hurt him in the long run . Killing Hwang Dongseok¡¯s party was 100% in self-defense . It was eight armed men versus just him, and they were the ones who attacked first . With the world¡¯s laws having changed in the advent of Hunters, he would definitely be found not guilty in all of this . Still, he wanted to avoid all that if he could . For that, he needed Yoo Jinho¡¯s cooperation . ¡°Well?¡± Jinwoo pressed his question and stared . Yoo Jinho responded with a fierce look in his eyes . ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare do such a cowardly thing! Especially to the savior of my life!¡± ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ He realized where he had seen that determined look in Yoo Jinho¡¯s eyes before . It was the same eyes he defiantly stood up to Hwang Dongseok with . ¡®Kid¡­ you¡¯re the real thing, aren¡¯t you?¡¯ Give and Take . With his life on the line, Yoo Jinho chose to stand with Jinwoo . Putting his faith in him, the young man was ready to fight eight Hunters . And so, Jinwoo decided to return some of that faith . Well¡­ after putting in some final touches . Jinwoo went over and picked up Hwang Dongseok¡¯s shield . ¡°You know, I¡¯m still pissed about Hwang Dongseok¡¯s betrayal . ¡± Casually turning the shield over in his hands, Jinwoo suddenly threw the shield at the wall . Crack! The shield became half embedded into the wall . Yoo Jinho gulped, and his body began to sweat . ¡°My dongsaeng[1] won¡¯t betray me like that, would he?¡± ¡°Of-of course not, hyungnim . ¡± The Dungeon shook again, more violently than before . Shaaaaaake-!! Alright . Jinwoo was done teasing the young man . From the start, he had no plans to hurt Yoo Jinho . He felt that he had done enough and made his final decision . ¡°Okay . Go grab their magic cores . We¡¯re leaving the Dungeon . ¡± ¡°Thank you very much, hyungnim!¡± Yoo Jinho stood up and bowed his entire upper body, making a 90-degree angle at the waist . The smile returned to his face . While Yoo Jinho went around gathering Hwang Dongseok party¡¯s bags with the magic cores, Jinwoo went and picked the pocket of Hwang Dongseok . ¡®Gotta take what¡¯s mine . ¡¯ The contractual wage for today was 2 million . He was not going to let the man go to the afterlife without paying him . In Hwang Dongseok¡¯s wallet, he found just a little over 2 million won . He recalled Hwang Dongseok saying he would be paid in cash, right after the Raid; it seemed the man was not lying . After all, you couldn¡¯t cut off the tail every time . If nothing unusual like the appearance of mana crystals had occurred, they would¡¯ve probably finished the Raid with no trouble . ¡°Thank you for today¡¯s wages . ¡± Jinwoo thanked no one in particular, then got up and left . Yoo Jinho, who had gone to place the Hunters¡¯ magic cores in his bag, panicked when he saw Jinwoo missing after coming back . ¡°Hyungnim?¡± Only the corpses of Jinwoo¡¯s victims were scattered about . ¡°Aaaaahhhhhh!¡± Turning blue, Yoo Jinho frantically chased after Jinwoo . At the scene of the incident, the Association¡¯s investigators and staff had arrived . The protocol in the case of a death during a Raid was simple . They would have to report the incident to the Association and undergo a brief investigation . The investigator this time was a strict-looking middle-aged woman . ¡°Your names?¡± ¡°Sung Jinwoo . ¡± ¡°I¡¯m Yoo Jinho . ¡± A Hunter¡¯s death in a Dungeon was unfortunately a common occurrence, so the aftermath investigations were more or less routine . It was just a matter of keeping proper record of everything that had happened . It would all go smooth¡­ as long as nothing suspicious was noted . ¡°¡­Hmm, you¡¯re telling me all the C-rank Hunters died, but you two, a D-rank and an E-rank, got out safely?¡± The investigator pushed her glasses up and asked, her eyes narrow . ¡®In a normal Raid, the first to die are the weak ones¡­¡¯ As she carefully looked over the survivors, something caught her eye, and she spoke with a raised voice, ¡°Oh my!¡± She approached Yoo Jinho with sparkles in her eyes . ¡°Isn¡¯t this one of Maya Company¡¯s new products? The long sword, Kallion? And oh my, this is one of master artisan Gredos¡¯ works, the Royal Series Shields!¡± [2] Yoo Jinho put on a proud expression . ¡°You know your stuff!¡± ¡°Hohoho, oh no . I just love looking through new product catalogues . ¡± The longsword¡¯s price was 700 million, and the shield was 500 million . Produced from magic cores worth hundreds of million won and other expensive materials, these were powerful equipment that could raise the level of a D-rank Hunter to C-rank . A theory of what happened in the Dungeon was created in her head . ¡®If it was with these gear¡­¡¯ A D-ranker just might¡¯ve been able to defeat the boss in a situation where all the C-rankers had died . ¡®The E-ranker probably survived by hiding away in some corner . ¡¯ Of course, the truth was completely opposite . Still, she had made her conclusion . Someone who could afford such gear would not have betrayed his comrades for few paltry pieces of magic cores . There was also no way that the E-ranker could do anything against the C-rankers . As such, Hwang Dongseok and co . ¡¯s deaths would be ruled as an unfortunate accident . ¡°Well, I think that should do it . ¡± With a satisfied expression, she finished the recording of the incident . ¡°The investigation is now over . You are both free to leave . I know today must¡¯ve been hard . The Association thanks you for your cooperation in this matter . ¡± ¡°Thank you . ¡± Jinwoo answered for the pair . The investigator left as quickly as she had arrived . ¡°Thank you as well, hyungnim . ¡± Yoo Jinho bowed again in a 90-degree angle . Even after coming out of the Gate, his at-attention-attitude did not change . The young man probably went through a lot of scary things back there, Jinwoo thought . ¡°You did well, too . ¡± ¡°Eh, I didn¡¯t really do anything . It was all hyungnim . Here, your magic cores . ¡± Yoo Jinho respectfully held out a bag with two hands . Jinwoo took the bag; it was filled to the brim with magic cores . The highest price for a magic core from a C-rank Gate was 10 million, even the lowest would be worth at least several million . Jinwoo tried to obtain a rough count of the magic cores he was holding and screamed inside in delight . ¡®How much is all of this¡­?¡¯ He had to hold back the laughter of joy . Suddenly, drops of water appeared on the bag . drop . drop . Jinwoo raised his head . The sky that began to darken after noon was now beginning to rain . ¡®Good thing I sent her with an umbrella . ¡¯ He smiled at the sudden thought of his little sister . Deep into the night . The moment he arrived home, he opened his stat screen . ¡°Stat!¡± Stats Strength: 53 Constitution: 30 Agility: 38 Intelligence: 30 Sense: 32 (Available stat points: 10) He still had the 10 stat points from the emergency quest . He was itching to use them up . It was an amount that normally required three days of daily quests (albeit missing a point) or two level-ups (but not freely distributable) . ¡®First and foremost, agility . Then, sense . ¡¯ He put 7 points into agility and the remaining 3 into sense . Stats Strength: 53 Constitution: 30 Agility: 45 Intelligence: 30 Sense: 35 (Available stat points: 0) ¡°Okay . ¡± His attributes had risen quite a bit . Agility had almost caught up to his strength, and in no time, his sense had reached 35 points . Once agility and strength reached the same level, he planned on focusing on constitution . Leaving aside intelligence, which he still did not know the effect of, he wanted to raise his stats evenly . ¡°Let¡¯s check today¡¯s progress . ¡± Name: Sung Jinwoo Level: 21 Class: None Title: Wolf Slayer HP: 2600 MP: 390 Fatigue: 0 Stats Strength: 53 Constitution: 30 Agility: 45 Intelligence: 30 Sense: 35 (Available stat points: 0) Skills Passive Skills -(Unknown) (Lv . Max) -Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1) Active Skills -Sprint (Lv . 1) -Bloodlust (Lv . 1) What made him the happiest registered first: his level, which had jumped by 3 levels, and the newly earned ¡°Bloodlust¡± skill . Thanks to the 10 stat points, his attributes looked great as well . Just all this would¡¯ve made a very productive day, but this was not all that he had earned today . ¡®On top of the wage of 2 million,¡¯ He opened the bag full of magic cores and started counting . ¡¯11 magic cores from the spider . 38 from Hwang Dongseok¡¯s team . ¡¯ All in all, he had 49 magic cores! At an average price of 5 million each, he would be walking away with over 200 million . [3] ¡°200 million in one day¡­¡± Having collected ten, no, nine people¡¯s shares all to himself, Jinwoo had earned an incredible amount . It was an unthinkable stroke of luck . ¡®All that¡¯s left is to sell these . ¡¯ It was not difficult to sell magic cores . The demand was so high that they would be snatched up the moment they were put up on the market . The question was where to sell them . He could sell them personally to another individual, to a Guild or through a business . Looking at the amount he was holding, Jinwoo concluded that instead of a personal sale or using an online market, he would go to an intermediary for brokerage . ¡®Wonder if I can just sell these in the shop?¡¯ It would be rather convenient if the shop took the magic cores at face value like the junk items . Thinking about the shop, Jinwoo put away the bag . He realized the one other progress he had made today . ¡®It said I could use the buy function of the shop now, right?¡¯ He quickly opened the shop . The gold that he had collected in the Instant Dungeon was sitting in his inventory, figuratively collecting dust . ¡°Buy . ¡± ring~ With that familiar electronic tone, a seemingly endless list of purchasable items appeared before his eyes . They ranged from cheap potions and miscellaneous accessories to expensive armors and powerful weapons . Every one of them was being sold for gold . Obviously, the better the item was, more expensive the gold cost . Some of the most powerful items cost as much as 10 billion pieces of gold . ¡°Whoa¡­ 10 billion¡­¡± His current gold was at 112 thousand . It was far too low to purchase anything that appeared to be useful, but there was no need to rush . He had plenty of time . ¡®So as long as I gather the gold, I can buy all of this, right?¡¯ He hummed as he continued to browse through the list of items . He had obtained one more reason to enter an Instant Dungeon . Jinwoo was already anticipating the reward from tomorrow¡¯s Random Box . Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°dongsaeng¡± (??): Another super common Korean noun used to refer to someone makes an appearance . This one is used by older siblings to refer to their younger sibling (unlike oppa/hyung, it¡¯s gender neutral) . Just like oppa/hyung, it¡¯s used in general population between unrelated people as well (older person to a younger person of a relative close age) . [2]: ¡°Maya Company¡±, ¡°Kallion¡±, ¡°Gredos¡± (?? ?, ???, ????): What appears to be bunch of proper nouns . [3]: No, not a mis translation . Technically 245 is above 200 . . . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 24. . Yoo Jinho placed emphasis on the words, ¡®fair price¡¯ . . . ¡®He¡¯s not wrong¡­¡¯. . Jinho¡¯s suggestion would be the best course of option for Jinwoo to safely obtain all the magic cores . Currently, the ownership of the magic cores was clear . No matter how greedy the man was, Hwang Dongseok could not take them with him to the afterlife . As such, Yoo Jinho had the legal rights to all the magic cores they carried . And now, the young man was offering it all to Jinwoo . This was different than taking them by force . . . ¡®No reason to turn away good fortune like this¡­¡¯. . After all, if it wasn¡¯t for him, Yoo Jinho would already be dead or taken as hostage . In that line of thinking, it indeed was the fair price for Jinwoo to obtain all the magic cores . . . Watching Jinwoo¡¯s expression soften, Yoo Jinho was sure that he had hit the right mark . . . ¡®As I thought, the magic cores are the price of the blood he spilled taking down Hwang Dongseok¡¯s party . That¡¯s why he won¡¯t refuse them . ¡¯. . The two men¡¯s idea of the ¡®fair price¡¯ was completely different, but neither of them would realize this . . . ¡°Alright . ¡±. . At Jinwoo¡¯s agreement, Yoo Jinho¡¯s face brightened . The young man felt a little awe at what he perceived to be the Jinwoo¡¯s ironclad conviction . But then, Jinwoo¡¯s face became cold again . . . ¡°But how would I be able to trust you?¡±. . Jinwoo thought back on the initial goal of this conversation . He did not frighten the young man for a material gain; he just wanted to make sure the events of this Raid would not cause him troubles in the future . . . ¡°How could I betray the hyungnim that saved my life multiple times?¡±. . ¡°You could always ignore the promise and go around blabbing your mouth off . ¡±. . Well, it wouldn¡¯t really hurt him in the long run . Killing Hwang Dongseok¡¯s party was 100% in self-defense . It was eight armed men versus just him, and they were the ones who attacked first . With the world¡¯s laws having changed in the advent of Hunters, he would definitely be found not guilty in all of this . Still, he wanted to avoid all that if he could . For that, he needed Yoo Jinho¡¯s cooperation . . . ¡°Well?¡±. . Jinwoo pressed his question and stared . Yoo Jinho responded with a fierce look in his eyes . . . ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare do such a cowardly thing! Especially to the savior of my life!¡±. . ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯. . He realized where he had seen that determined look in Yoo Jinho¡¯s eyes before . It was the same eyes he defiantly stood up to Hwang Dongseok with . . . ¡®Kid¡­ you¡¯re the real thing, aren¡¯t you?¡¯. . Give and Take . . . With his life on the line, Yoo Jinho chose to stand with Jinwoo . Putting his faith in him, the young man was ready to fight eight Hunters . And so, Jinwoo decided to return some of that faith . . . Well¡­ after putting in some final touches . . . Jinwoo went over and picked up Hwang Dongseok¡¯s shield . . . ¡°You know, I¡¯m still pissed about Hwang Dongseok¡¯s betrayal . ¡±. . Casually turning the shield over in his hands, Jinwoo suddenly threw the shield at the wall . . . Crack!. . The shield became half embedded into the wall . Yoo Jinho gulped, and his body began to sweat . . . ¡°My dongsaeng[1] won¡¯t betray me like that, would he?¡±. . ¡°Of-of course not, hyungnim . ¡±. . The Dungeon shook again, more violently than before . . . Shaaaaaake-!!. . Alright . Jinwoo was done teasing the young man . From the start, he had no plans to hurt Yoo Jinho . He felt that he had done enough and made his final decision . . . ¡°Okay . Go grab their magic cores . We¡¯re leaving the Dungeon . ¡±. . ¡°Thank you very much, hyungnim!¡±. . Yoo Jinho stood up and bowed his entire upper body, making a 90-degree angle at the waist . The smile returned to his face . . . While Yoo Jinho went around gathering Hwang Dongseok party¡¯s bags with the magic cores, Jinwoo went and picked the pocket of Hwang Dongseok . . . ¡®Gotta take what¡¯s mine . ¡¯. . The contractual wage for today was 2 million . He was not going to let the man go to the afterlife without paying him . In Hwang Dongseok¡¯s wallet, he found just a little over 2 million won . He recalled Hwang Dongseok saying he would be paid in cash, right after the Raid; it seemed the man was not lying . After all, you couldn¡¯t cut off the tail every time . If nothing unusual like the appearance of mana crystals had occurred, they would¡¯ve probably finished the Raid with no trouble . . . ¡°Thank you for today¡¯s wages . ¡±. . Jinwoo thanked no one in particular, then got up and left . Yoo Jinho, who had gone to place the Hunters¡¯ magic cores in his bag, panicked when he saw Jinwoo missing after coming back . . . ¡°Hyungnim?¡±. . Only the corpses of Jinwoo¡¯s victims were scattered about . . . ¡°Aaaaahhhhhh!¡±. . Turning blue, Yoo Jinho frantically chased after Jinwoo . . . . . At the scene of the incident, the Association¡¯s investigators and staff had arrived . The protocol in the case of a death during a Raid was simple . They would have to report the incident to the Association and undergo a brief investigation . The investigator this time was a strict-looking middle-aged woman . . . ¡°Your names?¡±. . ¡°Sung Jinwoo . ¡±. . ¡°I¡¯m Yoo Jinho . ¡±. . A Hunter¡¯s death in a Dungeon was unfortunately a common occurrence, so the aftermath investigations were more or less routine . It was just a matter of keeping proper record of everything that had happened . It would all go smooth¡­ as long as nothing suspicious was noted . . . ¡°¡­Hmm, you¡¯re telling me all the C-rank Hunters died, but you two, a D-rank and an E-rank, got out safely?¡±. . The investigator pushed her glasses up and asked, her eyes narrow . . . ¡®In a normal Raid, the first to die are the weak ones¡­¡¯. . As she carefully looked over the survivors, something caught her eye, and she spoke with a raised voice,. . ¡°Oh my!¡±. . She approached Yoo Jinho with sparkles in her eyes . . . ¡°Isn¡¯t this one of Maya Company¡¯s new products? The long sword, Kallion? And oh my, this is one of master artisan Gredos¡¯ works, the Royal Series Shields!¡± [2]. . Yoo Jinho put on a proud expression . . . ¡°You know your stuff!¡±. . ¡°Hohoho, oh no . I just love looking through new product catalogues . ¡±. . The longsword¡¯s price was 700 million, and the shield was 500 million . Produced from magic cores worth hundreds of million won and other expensive materials, these were powerful equipment that could raise the level of a D-rank Hunter to C-rank . A theory of what happened in the Dungeon was created in her head . . . ¡®If it was with these gear¡­¡¯. . A D-ranker just might¡¯ve been able to defeat the boss in a situation where all the C-rankers had died . . . ¡®The E-ranker probably survived by hiding away in some corner . ¡¯. . Of course, the truth was completely opposite . Still, she had made her conclusion . Someone who could afford such gear would not have betrayed his comrades for few paltry pieces of magic cores . There was also no way that the E-ranker could do anything against the C-rankers . As such, Hwang Dongseok and co . ¡¯s deaths would be ruled as an unfortunate accident . . . ¡°Well, I think that should do it . ¡±. . With a satisfied expression, she finished the recording of the incident . . . ¡°The investigation is now over . You are both free to leave . I know today must¡¯ve been hard . The Association thanks you for your cooperation in this matter . ¡±. . ¡°Thank you . ¡±. . Jinwoo answered for the pair . . . The investigator left as quickly as she had arrived . . . ¡°Thank you as well, hyungnim . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho bowed again in a 90-degree angle . Even after coming out of the Gate, his at-attention-attitude did not change . The young man probably went through a lot of scary things back there, Jinwoo thought . . . ¡°You did well, too . ¡±. . ¡°Eh, I didn¡¯t really do anything . It was all hyungnim . Here, your magic cores . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho respectfully held out a bag with two hands . Jinwoo took the bag; it was filled to the brim with magic cores . The highest price for a magic core from a C-rank Gate was 10 million, even the lowest would be worth at least several million . Jinwoo tried to obtain a rough count of the magic cores he was holding and screamed inside in delight . . . ¡®How much is all of this¡­?¡¯. . He had to hold back the laughter of joy . Suddenly, drops of water appeared on the bag . . . drop . . . drop . . . Jinwoo raised his head . The sky that began to darken after noon was now beginning to rain . . . ¡®Good thing I sent her with an umbrella . ¡¯. . He smiled at the sudden thought of his little sister . . . . . Deep into the night . . . The moment he arrived home, he opened his stat screen . . . ¡°Stat!¡±. . Stats. . Strength: 53. Constitution: 30. Agility: 38. Intelligence: 30. Sense: 32. (Available stat points: 10). . He still had the 10 stat points from the emergency quest . He was itching to use them up . It was an amount that normally required three days of daily quests (albeit missing a point) or two level-ups (but not freely distributable) . . . ¡®First and foremost, agility . Then, sense . ¡¯. . He put 7 points into agility and the remaining 3 into sense . . . . Stats. . Strength: 53. Constitution: 30. Agility: 45. Intelligence: 30. Sense: 35. (Available stat points: 0). . ¡°Okay . ¡±. . His attributes had risen quite a bit . Agility had almost caught up to his strength, and in no time, his sense had reached 35 points . Once agility and strength reached the same level, he planned on focusing on constitution . Leaving aside intelligence, which he still did not know the effect of, he wanted to raise his stats evenly . . . ¡°Let¡¯s check today¡¯s progress . ¡±. . Name: Sung Jinwoo. Level: 21. Class: None. Title: Wolf Slayer. HP: 2600. MP: 390. Fatigue: 0. Stats. . Strength: 53. Constitution: 30. Agility: 45. Intelligence: 30. Sense: 35. (Available stat points: 0). Skills. . Passive Skills. -(Unknown) (Lv . Max). -Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1). . Active Skills. -Sprint (Lv . 1). -Bloodlust (Lv . 1) . . What made him the happiest registered first: his level, which had jumped by 3 levels, and the newly earned ¡°Bloodlust¡± skill . Thanks to the 10 stat points, his attributes looked great as well . Just all this would¡¯ve made a very productive day, but this was not all that he had earned today . . . ¡®On top of the wage of 2 million,¡¯. . He opened the bag full of magic cores and started counting . . . ¡¯11 magic cores from the spider . 38 from Hwang Dongseok¡¯s team . ¡¯. . All in all, he had 49 magic cores!. . At an average price of 5 million each, he would be walking away with over 200 million . [3]. . ¡°200 million in one day¡­¡±. . Having collected ten, no, nine people¡¯s shares all to himself, Jinwoo had earned an incredible amount . It was an unthinkable stroke of luck . . . ¡®All that¡¯s left is to sell these . ¡¯. . It was not difficult to sell magic cores . The demand was so high that they would be snatched up the moment they were put up on the market . The question was where to sell them . He could sell them personally to another individual, to a Guild or through a business . Looking at the amount he was holding, Jinwoo concluded that instead of a personal sale or using an online market, he would go to an intermediary for brokerage . . . ¡®Wonder if I can just sell these in the shop?¡¯. . It would be rather convenient if the shop took the magic cores at face value like the junk items . Thinking about the shop, Jinwoo put away the bag . He realized the one other progress he had made today . . . ¡®It said I could use the buy function of the shop now, right?¡¯. . He quickly opened the shop . The gold that he had collected in the Instant Dungeon was sitting in his inventory, figuratively collecting dust . . . ¡°Buy . ¡±. . ring~. . With that familiar electronic tone, a seemingly endless list of purchasable items appeared before his eyes . They ranged from cheap potions and miscellaneous accessories to expensive armors and powerful weapons . Every one of them was being sold for gold . Obviously, the better the item was, more expensive the gold cost . Some of the most powerful items cost as much as 10 billion pieces of gold . . . ¡°Whoa¡­ 10 billion¡­¡±. . His current gold was at 112 thousand . It was far too low to purchase anything that appeared to be useful, but there was no need to rush . He had plenty of time . . . ¡®So as long as I gather the gold, I can buy all of this, right?¡¯. . He hummed as he continued to browse through the list of items . He had obtained one more reason to enter an Instant Dungeon . . . Jinwoo was already anticipating the reward from tomorrow¡¯s Random Box . . . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°dongsaeng¡± (??): Another super common Korean noun used to refer to someone makes an appearance . This one is used by older siblings to refer to their younger sibling (unlike oppa/hyung, it¡¯s gender neutral) . Just like oppa/hyung, it¡¯s used in general population between unrelated people as well (older person to a younger person of a relative close age) . . [2]: ¡°Maya Company¡±, ¡°Kallion¡±, ¡°Gredos¡± (?? ?, ???, ????): What appears to be bunch of proper nouns . . [3]: No, not a mis translation . Technically 245 is above 200 . . Chapter 25 -11 . Arrangement- It had been 3 days since Jinwoo had returned from the C-rank Gate . Having come home early on a Saturday, Jinah smelled something delicious and quickly threw off her shoes . ¡°What¡¯s this? Oppa, did you order chicken?¡± ¡°Yeah, you got here right on time . ¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Jinwoo gestured to a seat next to him at the table, and Jinah shuffled towards him with a surprised look . ¡°But what¡¯s the occasion? Did something good happen to my cheapskate oppa?¡± ¡°Hey, hey, now . Go put your bags away, you¡¯re being too impatient . ¡± ¡°Ha! I¡¯m good, the bag¡¯s not that heavy . ¡± This was the same girl who complained about the extra weight of an umbrella in her bag . Even as he clicked his tongue, Jinwoo struggled to hide the smile on his face . ¡®Did something good happen?¡¯ Of course! The numbers in his bankbook had increased from just 800 thousand to a whopping 180 million and 300 thousand . The 180 million was the income from selling the magic cores, and 500 thousand won was sent to the landlord as rent . A hundred and eighty million won! This was the incredible amount he had obtained from a single Raid . He had diligently worked as a Hunter in the past, but this was the first time he truly felt like one . After all, great wealth was associated with being a Hunter, but his past income was not that great . The face of the magic core exchange staff still remained fresh in his mind . ¡°You, you gathered all of this on your own?¡± ¡°Yeah, I managed it somehow . ¡± ¡°How in the¡­ amazing . ¡± 49 C-rank magic cores . Initial estimates were little over 300 million, but the taxes on the sale took a bulk amount . ¡°40%?¡± ¡°Yes sir . A personal sale has a tax rate of 40% . On the other hand, a Guild sale has a tax rate of 10% . ¡± ¡°Is there a reason why Guilds get a much better rate?¡± ¡°Well unlike a private party, a Guild cannot ignore a mobilization order . ¡± Now that he thought about it, he recalled that even the great Baekho Guild was pulled into assistance by the Association during the Double Dungeon incident . Because of the many benefits and leniencies they were allowed, Guilds would comply with the orders from the government and the Association . This made Jinwoo stop and think for a second . ¡®Should I just enter a Guild and wait on selling these magic cores?¡¯ But he quickly waved away the thought . If he became active in a Guild, the Gates he would be entering would be B-rank or A-rank . The income from those Gates would be much larger than the amount obtained from the C-rank Gate . There was no need to miserly count every penny on these C-rank magic cores . ¡®I can¡¯t just thoughtlessly enter a random Guild to save on taxes for just this amount¡¯ ¡°I understand . I¡¯ll make the transaction . ¡± And like that, 180 million won came into his account . As his sister had guessed, the chicken and beer were to celebrate the large windfall . ¡°Thank you for the food~¡± Jinwoo flicked the forehead of Jinah who was coyly reaching for a can of beer . thwack! ¡°Ow!¡± ¡°This is for you . ¡± He placed a can of cola in front of her . ¡°Hiiing¡­ I was just kidding¡­¡± As Jinah rubbed the red spot on her forehead, Jinwoo took a swig of cold refreshing beer . An unexpected sound appeared in his head . ring~ Jinwoo grimaced at the electronic tone . ¡®A System message?¡¯ A harmful substance has been detected . The effects of the ¡®Detoxification¡¯[1] buff will be activated . 3, 2, 1¡­ Detoxification complete . ¡®A harmful substance was detected? Is it talking about the alcohol?¡¯ Jinwoo finished the beer and opened another can . gulp gulp gulp A harmful substance has been detected . The effects of the ¡®Detoxification¡¯ buff will be activated . 3, 2, 1¡­ Detoxification complete . As expected, the same message appeared . Even after chugging two cans of beer back-to-back, Jinwoo did not feel a hint of a buzz . The effect of the buff was clear . ¡®But when and where did I get a buff?¡¯ Jinwoo tilted his head . He had never met a Hunter would could place buffs on others . Hunters with such special abilities mostly worked for large Guilds . There was no chance of meeting someone like that under the Association . ¡®Even if someone buffed me without knowing, I should¡¯ve gotten a System notification . ¡¯ That left two possibilities . Either he was buffed while unconscious or he had received the buff before the appearance of the System . Jinwoo¡¯s thoughts leaned towards the latter . ¡°Oppa, what¡¯s wrong? Indigestion? Should¡¯ve ate slower . ¡± Watching his face deep in thought, Jinah asked with concern . ¡°No, something just came to mind . You keep eating . ¡± He went to his room . He ran through his memories, trying to remember if he had missed anything in the past . ¡®Ah . ¡¯ A realization flashed across his mind . ¡®All the quests have had a reward so far, even the penalty quest . But there was one quest that I haven¡¯t verified the reward for . ¡¯ He quickly opened his message box . At the time, he did not know anything about the System or its rewards, so he had put the message aside, but that message definitely had mentioned a reward as well . His heartbeat quickened . Jinwoo scrolled to the last message on the list . Welcome to becoming a [Player] . (Read) He spoke with a shaky voice, ¡°Open . ¡± ring~ This System will help with the growth of the ¡°Player¡± . Non-compliance with this System¡¯s instructions may result in a penalty . Your reward has been received . As he thought . It had mentioned a reward . He thought back on the first time he heard the voice in his head, back in the underground temple . [You have fulfilled all conditions of the ¡®Secret Quest: The Weak One¡¯s Courage¡¯ . ] A secret quest was a quest like any other, but Jinwoo had never checked its reward . All that was on his mind at the time was his impending death . Jinwoo scrolled down on the message, . . . Non-compliance with this System¡¯s instructions may result in a penalty . Your reward has been received . Would you like to verify? (Y/N) ¡®Yes . ¡¯ ring~ ¡®Secret Quest: The Weak One¡¯s Courage¡¯, Received Reward The Great Sorcerer Kandiaru¡¯s Blessing [2] One-time effect, ¡®Will to be Reborn¡¯ applied on blessing . Continuous effect, ¡®Longevity¡¯ applied on blessing . ¡®Will to be Reborn¡¯: All damaged parts of the body are restored . ¡®Longevity¡¯: Become immune to all diseases, poisons and ailments . Sleeping will explosively increase your regeneration ability . Awed by your great courage, the Great Sorcerer Kandiaru has blessed you with a special gift . Blessed by the Great Kandiaru, you will live a long and healthy life ¡°A bright future awaits the challenger . ¡± [3] Everything fell into place . ¡®So that¡¯s why my leg was healed¡­¡¯ The severed leg that was reattached was due to this quest¡¯s reward . Same with the fact that he could not get drunk off the beer just now . ¡®Wait, immunity to all poisons?¡¯ Jinwoo suddenly became alert . Perhaps even that would be¡­? Jinwoo took out an item from his inventory . Casaka¡¯s Venom Gland Rarity: A Type: Elixir Buff ¡®Casaka¡¯s Armored Scales¡¯ applied on consumption . Debuff ¡®Weakened Muscles¡¯ applied on consumption . ¡®Casaka¡¯s Armored Scales¡¯: Physical Damage Reduction +20% ¡®Weakened Muscles¡¯: Strength -35 A pouch containing the refined venom of Casaka . Drinking will give you a permanently toughened skin, but the venom will also permanently damage your muscles . ¡®If the muscle debuff was due to the venom, maybe the detoxification buff will block it . ¡¯ Only one way to find out . Jinwoo closed his eyes and drank the substance from the pouch . gulp gulp The thick liquid went down his throat . He ignored the bitter taste and finished the whole pouch . ¡®Bleh, and they say medicine is bitter¡­¡¯ As the pouch became empty, a message appeared . A harmful substance has been detected . The effects of the ¡®Detoxification¡¯ buff will be activated . 3, 2, 1¡­ Detoxification complete . The debuff, ¡®Weakened Muscles¡¯, has been removed . ¡°It worked!¡± Jinwoo raised his fist in the air in triumph and checked his status screen . ¡®Stat . ¡¯ Stats Strength: 53 Constitution: 30 Agility: 53 Intelligence: 30 Sense: 36 (Available stat points: 0) Physical Damage Reduction: 20% As expected, there was no reduction in strength . It remained at 53 points, but a new attribute of physical damage reduction had appeared . An amazing power to reduce all physical damage taken by 20% . ¡°Good!¡± As he celebrated his new stat, Jinah called to him from the living room . ¡°Oppa, do you know someone named Yoo Jinwoo? An Yoo Jinwoo is looking for you . ¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think his name is Yoo Jinwoo¡­¡± He went over to the living room and took the receiver from his sister . ¡°Hello . ¡± -¡°Hyungnim, it¡¯s me, Yoo Jinho . ¡± Of course . ¡°¡­How did you get this number?¡± -¡°I know someone in the Association . You weren¡¯t answering your cell phone, so I decided to reach you through your home phone . ¡± ¡°Make it short . ¡± -¡°Ah! I apologize, hyungnim . But there¡¯s something I really want to discuss with you . It¡¯s hard to explain over the phone, can we meet up somewhere?¡± Jinwoo tilted his head . ¡®After all that, you still want to meet with me?¡¯ -¡°It¡¯s really important, hyungnim . ¡± He was a really strange fellow . Jinwoo allowed Yoo Jinho exactly 1 hour of his time . They met at a French caf¨¦ near Jinwoo¡¯s house . Even on a weekday afternoon, the caf¨¦ was packed with people . ¡°Hyungnim, over here!¡± Yoo Jinho greeted him happily . Jinwoo had expanded his senses when he entered but did not notice any other Hunters . At the very least, this was not going to be an ambush for some retaliation . Well, Jinwoo didn¡¯t exactly recall anything to be retaliated for . He sat down opposite from Yoo Jinho . In front of him was half-eaten ice cream in a bowl . ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see you again . ¡± Yoo Jinho stood up and asked, ¡°Did you order anything? Shall I go grab some coffee?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay . ¡± With a disappointed face, Yoo Jinho sat back down . Jinwoo opened his mouth to speak, ¡°So what¡¯s this all about-¡° But he was interrupted by a group of students a table over . ¡°I¡¯m telling you it¡¯s true! You should¡¯ve seen it, it was crazy!¡± There were three strong looking boys wearing athletic-club uniforms talking with three girls . Jinwoo tried to focus on the conversation on hand, ¡°So what¡¯s this all-¡° ¡°What are you talking about! Look at this fucker make up shit in front of girls again!¡± ¡°¡­About¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you! Holy shit, you want me to show you the pictures? I got the proof right here!¡± The male students¡¯ voices were loud, but just as annoying was the giggling female students . ¡°¡­¡± Unable to talk through the loud conversation next to them, Jinwoo got up and quietly walked over to the other table . The three boys¡¯ faces turned to Jinwoo in unison . ¡°Could you please quiet down a little? There are other people here . ¡± One of the boys mockingly bowed his head . ¡°Yes sir, yes sir . We¡¯ll be quiet . Sowwy~¡± The girls laughed at his apology . ¡°¡­¡± Jinwoo just stared at them, then turned around . Suddenly, something soft hit the back of his head . A rolled-up napkin fell on to the floor . ¡°Hahahahaha!¡± ¡°Hehehehehehe!¡± ¡°Stop it! Haha, stop it!¡± The male students laughed out loud, while the female students pretended to stop them and laugh . Yoo Jinho¡¯s face that was watching the scene started to freeze . ¡°H-hyungnim¡­¡± Jinwoo grabbed a spoon from Yoo Jinho¡¯s ice cream bowl and went over to the counter . ¡°Look at that him, he¡¯s going to tell on us . ¡± ¡°Waah- mommy, there¡¯s some people being loud, waah . Hahaha¡± Even as he walked, the students continued their mocking . Jinwoo asked the nervous looking shop employee, ¡°This spoon . How much is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry customer, we don¡¯t really sell those spoons . . . ¡± ¡°It¡¯s less than ten thousand, right?¡± ¡°Sir? Ah, well¡­ probably¡­¡± Jinwoo placed a ten thousand won bill on the counter and turned around . ¡°Customer? S-sir?¡± Jinwoo ignored the woman¡¯s voice and walked towards the students¡¯ table . Seeing him approach with a serious expression, the male students rose up from their seats . ¡°What, you wanna go?¡± Every eye in the shop was focused on the scene that was unfolding . Jinwoo held out the spoon that he was holding to the boys . ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± As they looked at him with confusion, Jinwoo slowly closed his fist around the spoon . The metallic spoon crumpled into an unrecognizable mess in his hand . The boys¡¯ faces began to turn white . toss roll roll roll The thing that rolled across the table could no longer be called a spoon . It was a piece of metal crushed into a ball shape . ¡°!¡± Each of the boys gulped . ¡®That¡¯s not an ordinary human¡¯s strength . ¡¯ ¡®H-he¡¯s a Hunter . ¡¯ As they cast glances at each other, the boy who had thrown the paper napkin was the first to lower his head . ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry . ¡± The other two quickly followed . ¡°Sorry¡­¡± ¡°We made a mistake . Sorry¡­¡± After repeatedly bowing their heads, the boys quickly ran out of the caf¨¦ with the girls in tow . Whoa- The other customers, also bothered by the students¡¯ loud rambling, sent a silent gratitude toward Jinwoo . He returned to his seat . Yoo Jinho exclaimed with sparkles in his eyes, ¡°As expected of hyungnim!¡± ¡°Enough . ¡± Jinwoo steered the conversation back to the start, ¡°So . What . Is . This . About?¡± ¡°Well¡­ hyungnim . I gave it a lot of thought . Like, I really really thought about it hard . And there¡¯s something I want to ask you . ¡± Jinwoo tilted his head, ¡°And?¡± ¡°Hyungnim, the truth is¡­¡± Yoo Jinho¡¯s face turned red with embarrassment . He gathered the courage to finish his sentence . ¡°¡­I¡¯m trying to create a private raiding party-¡° It didn¡¯t even take Jinwoo one second to think about it . ¡°I refuse . ¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Detoxification¡± (??): Literal translation of the word . Could also mean ¡°neutralize/cure poison¡± [2]: ¡°Great Sorcerer Kandiaru¡± (???? ????): ¡°great¡± ? + ¡°sorcerer¡± ??? . ???? = khan - dee - ah - ru . [3]: ¡°Will to be Reborn¡± (??? ??): ¡°rehabilitation¡± ?? + ¡°will¡± ?? . The word for ¡°rehabilitation¡± can also be read as ¡°rebirth¡± . ¡°Longevity¡± (????): Lit . translation of the word . ¡°No¡± ? + ¡°sickness¡± ? + ¡°life¡± ?? Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 25. . -11 . Arrangement-. . It had been 3 days since Jinwoo had returned from the C-rank Gate . Having come home early on a Saturday, Jinah smelled something delicious and quickly threw off her shoes . . . ¡°What¡¯s this? Oppa, did you order chicken?¡±. . ¡°Yeah, you got here right on time . ¡±. . ¡°Yay!¡±. . Jinwoo gestured to a seat next to him at the table, and Jinah shuffled towards him with a surprised look . . . ¡°But what¡¯s the occasion? Did something good happen to my cheapskate oppa?¡±. . ¡°Hey, hey, now . Go put your bags away, you¡¯re being too impatient . ¡±. . ¡°Ha! I¡¯m good, the bag¡¯s not that heavy . ¡±. . This was the same girl who complained about the extra weight of an umbrella in her bag . Even as he clicked his tongue, Jinwoo struggled to hide the smile on his face . . . ¡®Did something good happen?¡¯. . Of course!. . The numbers in his bankbook had increased from just 800 thousand to a whopping 180 million and 300 thousand . The 180 million was the income from selling the magic cores, and 500 thousand won was sent to the landlord as rent . . . A hundred and eighty million won!. . This was the incredible amount he had obtained from a single Raid . He had diligently worked as a Hunter in the past, but this was the first time he truly felt like one . After all, great wealth was associated with being a Hunter, but his past income was not that great . The face of the magic core exchange staff still remained fresh in his mind . . . ¡°You, you gathered all of this on your own?¡±. ¡°Yeah, I managed it somehow . ¡±. ¡°How in the¡­ amazing . ¡±. . 49 C-rank magic cores . Initial estimates were little over 300 million, but the taxes on the sale took a bulk amount . . . ¡°40%?¡±. ¡°Yes sir . A personal sale has a tax rate of 40% . On the other hand, a Guild sale has a tax rate of 10% . ¡±. ¡°Is there a reason why Guilds get a much better rate?¡±. ¡°Well unlike a private party, a Guild cannot ignore a mobilization order . ¡±. . Now that he thought about it, he recalled that even the great Baekho Guild was pulled into assistance by the Association during the Double Dungeon incident . Because of the many benefits and leniencies they were allowed, Guilds would comply with the orders from the government and the Association . This made Jinwoo stop and think for a second . . . ¡®Should I just enter a Guild and wait on selling these magic cores?¡¯. . But he quickly waved away the thought . If he became active in a Guild, the Gates he would be entering would be B-rank or A-rank . The income from those Gates would be much larger than the amount obtained from the C-rank Gate . There was no need to miserly count every penny on these C-rank magic cores . . . ¡®I can¡¯t just thoughtlessly enter a random Guild to save on taxes for just this amount¡¯. . ¡°I understand . I¡¯ll make the transaction . ¡±. . And like that, 180 million won came into his account . As his sister had guessed, the chicken and beer were to celebrate the large windfall . . . ¡°Thank you for the food~¡±. . Jinwoo flicked the forehead of Jinah who was coyly reaching for a can of beer . . . thwack!. . ¡°Ow!¡±. . ¡°This is for you . ¡±. . He placed a can of cola in front of her . . . ¡°Hiiing¡­ I was just kidding¡­¡±. . As Jinah rubbed the red spot on her forehead, Jinwoo took a swig of cold refreshing beer . An unexpected sound appeared in his head . . . ring~. . Jinwoo grimaced at the electronic tone . . . ¡®A System message?¡¯. . A harmful substance has been detected . . The effects of the ¡®Detoxification¡¯[1] buff will be activated . . 3, 2, 1¡­ Detoxification complete . . . ¡®A harmful substance was detected? Is it talking about the alcohol?¡¯. . Jinwoo finished the beer and opened another can . . . gulp gulp gulp. . A harmful substance has been detected . . The effects of the ¡®Detoxification¡¯ buff will be activated . . 3, 2, 1¡­ Detoxification complete . . . As expected, the same message appeared . Even after chugging two cans of beer back-to-back, Jinwoo did not feel a hint of a buzz . The effect of the buff was clear . . . ¡®But when and where did I get a buff?¡¯. . Jinwoo tilted his head . He had never met a Hunter would could place buffs on others . Hunters with such special abilities mostly worked for large Guilds . There was no chance of meeting someone like that under the Association . . . ¡®Even if someone buffed me without knowing, I should¡¯ve gotten a System notification . ¡¯. . That left two possibilities . Either he was buffed while unconscious or he had received the buff before the appearance of the System . Jinwoo¡¯s thoughts leaned towards the latter . . . ¡°Oppa, what¡¯s wrong? Indigestion? Should¡¯ve ate slower . ¡±. . Watching his face deep in thought, Jinah asked with concern . . . ¡°No, something just came to mind . You keep eating . ¡±. . He went to his room . He ran through his memories, trying to remember if he had missed anything in the past . . . ¡®Ah . ¡¯. . A realization flashed across his mind . . . ¡®All the quests have had a reward so far, even the penalty quest . But there was one quest that I haven¡¯t verified the reward for . ¡¯. . He quickly opened his message box . At the time, he did not know anything about the System or its rewards, so he had put the message aside, but that message definitely had mentioned a reward as well . . . His heartbeat quickened . . . Jinwoo scrolled to the last message on the list . . . Welcome to becoming a [Player] . (Read). . He spoke with a shaky voice,. . ¡°Open . ¡±. . ring~. . This System will help with the growth of the ¡°Player¡± . . Non-compliance with this System¡¯s instructions may result in a penalty . . Your reward has been received . . . As he thought . It had mentioned a reward . He thought back on the first time he heard the voice in his head, back in the underground temple . . . [You have fulfilled all conditions of the ¡®Secret Quest: The Weak One¡¯s Courage¡¯ . ]. . A secret quest was a quest like any other, but Jinwoo had never checked its reward . All that was on his mind at the time was his impending death . Jinwoo scrolled down on the message,. . . Non-compliance with this System¡¯s instructions may result in a penalty . . Your reward has been received . . Would you like to verify? (Y/N). . ¡®Yes . ¡¯. . ring~. . ¡®Secret Quest: The Weak One¡¯s Courage¡¯, Received Reward. The Great Sorcerer Kandiaru¡¯s Blessing [2]. One-time effect, ¡®Will to be Reborn¡¯ applied on blessing . . Continuous effect, ¡®Longevity¡¯ applied on blessing . . ¡®Will to be Reborn¡¯: All damaged parts of the body are restored . . ¡®Longevity¡¯: Become immune to all diseases, poisons and ailments . . Sleeping will explosively increase your regeneration ability . . Awed by your great courage, the Great Sorcerer Kandiaru has blessed you with a special gift . Blessed by the Great Kandiaru, you will live a long and healthy life. ¡°A bright future awaits the challenger . ¡±. [3]. . Everything fell into place . . . ¡®So that¡¯s why my leg was healed¡­¡¯. . The severed leg that was reattached was due to this quest¡¯s reward . Same with the fact that he could not get drunk off the beer just now . . . ¡®Wait, immunity to all poisons?¡¯. . Jinwoo suddenly became alert . Perhaps even that would be¡­?. . Jinwoo took out an item from his inventory . . . . Casaka¡¯s Venom Gland. Rarity: A. Type: Elixir. Buff ¡®Casaka¡¯s Armored Scales¡¯ applied on consumption . . Debuff ¡®Weakened Muscles¡¯ applied on consumption . . ¡®Casaka¡¯s Armored Scales¡¯: Physical Damage Reduction +20%. ¡®Weakened Muscles¡¯: Strength -35. A pouch containing the refined venom of Casaka . Drinking will give you a permanently toughened skin, but the venom will also permanently damage your muscles . . . ¡®If the muscle debuff was due to the venom, maybe the detoxification buff will block it . ¡¯. . Only one way to find out . Jinwoo closed his eyes and drank the substance from the pouch . . . gulp gulp. . The thick liquid went down his throat . He ignored the bitter taste and finished the whole pouch . . . ¡®Bleh, and they say medicine is bitter¡­¡¯. . As the pouch became empty, a message appeared . . . A harmful substance has been detected . . The effects of the ¡®Detoxification¡¯ buff will be activated . . 3, 2, 1¡­ Detoxification complete . . The debuff, ¡®Weakened Muscles¡¯, has been removed . . . ¡°It worked!¡±. . Jinwoo raised his fist in the air in triumph and checked his status screen . . . ¡®Stat . ¡¯. . . . . Stats. . Strength: 53. Constitution: 30. Agility: 53. Intelligence: 30. Sense: 36. (Available stat points: 0). Physical Damage Reduction: 20%. . As expected, there was no reduction in strength . It remained at 53 points, but a new attribute of physical damage reduction had appeared . An amazing power to reduce all physical damage taken by 20% . . . ¡°Good!¡±. . As he celebrated his new stat, Jinah called to him from the living room . . . ¡°Oppa, do you know someone named Yoo Jinwoo? An Yoo Jinwoo is looking for you . ¡±. . ¡°I don¡¯t think his name is Yoo Jinwoo¡­¡±. . He went over to the living room and took the receiver from his sister . . . ¡°Hello . ¡±. . -¡°Hyungnim, it¡¯s me, Yoo Jinho . ¡±. . Of course . . . ¡°¡­How did you get this number?¡±. . -¡°I know someone in the Association . You weren¡¯t answering your cell phone, so I decided to reach you through your home phone . ¡±. . ¡°Make it short . ¡±. . -¡°Ah! I apologize, hyungnim . But there¡¯s something I really want to discuss with you . It¡¯s hard to explain over the phone, can we meet up somewhere?¡±. . Jinwoo tilted his head . . . ¡®After all that, you still want to meet with me?¡¯. . -¡°It¡¯s really important, hyungnim . ¡±. . He was a really strange fellow . . . . . Jinwoo allowed Yoo Jinho exactly 1 hour of his time . They met at a French caf¨¦ near Jinwoo¡¯s house . Even on a weekday afternoon, the caf¨¦ was packed with people . . . ¡°Hyungnim, over here!¡±. . Yoo Jinho greeted him happily . Jinwoo had expanded his senses when he entered but did not notice any other Hunters . At the very least, this was not going to be an ambush for some retaliation . Well, Jinwoo didn¡¯t exactly recall anything to be retaliated for . . . He sat down opposite from Yoo Jinho . In front of him was half-eaten ice cream in a bowl . . . ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see you again . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho stood up and asked,. . ¡°Did you order anything? Shall I go grab some coffee?¡±. . ¡°No, it¡¯s okay . ¡±. . With a disappointed face, Yoo Jinho sat back down . . . Jinwoo opened his mouth to speak,. . ¡°So what¡¯s this all about-¡°. . But he was interrupted by a group of students a table over . . . ¡°I¡¯m telling you it¡¯s true! You should¡¯ve seen it, it was crazy!¡±. . There were three strong looking boys wearing athletic-club uniforms talking with three girls . Jinwoo tried to focus on the conversation on hand,. . ¡°So what¡¯s this all-¡°. . ¡°What are you talking about! Look at this fucker make up shit in front of girls again!¡±. . ¡°¡­About¡­¡±. . ¡°I¡¯m telling you! Holy shit, you want me to show you the pictures? I got the proof right here!¡±. . The male students¡¯ voices were loud, but just as annoying was the giggling female students . . . ¡°¡­¡±. . Unable to talk through the loud conversation next to them, Jinwoo got up and quietly walked over to the other table . The three boys¡¯ faces turned to Jinwoo in unison . . . ¡°Could you please quiet down a little? There are other people here . ¡±. . One of the boys mockingly bowed his head . . . ¡°Yes sir, yes sir . We¡¯ll be quiet . Sowwy~¡±. . The girls laughed at his apology . . . ¡°¡­¡±. . Jinwoo just stared at them, then turned around . Suddenly, something soft hit the back of his head . A rolled-up napkin fell on to the floor . . . ¡°Hahahahaha!¡±. ¡°Hehehehehehe!¡±. ¡°Stop it! Haha, stop it!¡±. . The male students laughed out loud, while the female students pretended to stop them and laugh . Yoo Jinho¡¯s face that was watching the scene started to freeze . . . ¡°H-hyungnim¡­¡±. . Jinwoo grabbed a spoon from Yoo Jinho¡¯s ice cream bowl and went over to the counter . . . ¡°Look at that him, he¡¯s going to tell on us . ¡±. ¡°Waah- mommy, there¡¯s some people being loud, waah . Hahaha¡±. . Even as he walked, the students continued their mocking . Jinwoo asked the nervous looking shop employee,. . ¡°This spoon . How much is it?¡±. . ¡°I¡¯m sorry customer, we don¡¯t really sell those spoons . ¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s less than ten thousand, right?¡±. . ¡°Sir? Ah, well¡­ probably¡­¡±. . Jinwoo placed a ten thousand won bill on the counter and turned around . . . ¡°Customer? S-sir?¡±. . Jinwoo ignored the woman¡¯s voice and walked towards the students¡¯ table . Seeing him approach with a serious expression, the male students rose up from their seats . . . ¡°What, you wanna go?¡±. . Every eye in the shop was focused on the scene that was unfolding . . . Jinwoo held out the spoon that he was holding to the boys . . . ¡°¡­?¡±. . ¡°¡­?¡±. . As they looked at him with confusion, Jinwoo slowly closed his fist around the spoon . The metallic spoon crumpled into an unrecognizable mess in his hand . . . The boys¡¯ faces began to turn white . . . toss. . roll roll roll. . The thing that rolled across the table could no longer be called a spoon . It was a piece of metal crushed into a ball shape . . . ¡°!¡±. . Each of the boys gulped . . . ¡®That¡¯s not an ordinary human¡¯s strength . ¡¯. . ¡®H-he¡¯s a Hunter . ¡¯. . As they cast glances at each other, the boy who had thrown the paper napkin was the first to lower his head . . . ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry . ¡±. . The other two quickly followed . . . ¡°Sorry¡­¡±. . ¡°We made a mistake . Sorry¡­¡±. . After repeatedly bowing their heads, the boys quickly ran out of the caf¨¦ with the girls in tow . . . Whoa-. . The other customers, also bothered by the students¡¯ loud rambling, sent a silent gratitude toward Jinwoo . He returned to his seat . Yoo Jinho exclaimed with sparkles in his eyes,. . ¡°As expected of hyungnim!¡±. . ¡°Enough . ¡±. . Jinwoo steered the conversation back to the start,. . ¡°So . What . Is . This . About?¡±. . ¡°Well¡­ hyungnim . I gave it a lot of thought . Like, I really really thought about it hard . And there¡¯s something I want to ask you . ¡±. . Jinwoo tilted his head,. . ¡°And?¡±. . ¡°Hyungnim, the truth is¡­¡±. . Yoo Jinho¡¯s face turned red with embarrassment . He gathered the courage to finish his sentence . . . ¡°¡­I¡¯m trying to create a private raiding party-¡°. . It didn¡¯t even take Jinwoo one second to think about it . . . ¡°I refuse . ¡±. . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Detoxification¡± (??): Literal translation of the word . Could also mean ¡°neutralize/cure poison¡±. [2]: ¡°Great Sorcerer Kandiaru¡± (???? ????): ¡°great¡± ? + ¡°sorcerer¡± ??? . ???? = khan - dee - ah - ru . . [3]: ¡°Will to be Reborn¡± (??? ??): ¡°rehabilitation¡± ?? + ¡°will¡± ?? . The word for ¡°rehabilitation¡± can also be read as ¡°rebirth¡± . ¡°Longevity¡± (????): Lit . translation of the word . ¡°No¡± ? + ¡°sickness¡± ? + ¡°life¡± ??. Chapter 26 -1 . Deal- [0] Yoo Jinho was stunned . ¡°Hyungnim, I didn¡¯t even finish . ¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I have to listen to the rest to get the jist of what you¡¯re asking . ¡± Jinwoo cut him off firmly . It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t like Yoo Jinho . He was a weird one, but he was energetic and genuine . The young man was different than the image of the ultra rich heirs he saw in the media . However, Jinwoo had no intention of playing Hunter with a rich boy, who probably thought of the Dungeon as a playground . ¡°Well, if that was all you wanted to ask, I¡¯m leaving . ¡± ¡°H-hyungnim!¡± Yoo Jinho frantically tried to stop Jinwoo . ¡°Hyungnim! Just 20 times, no just accompany me 19 times!¡± ¡°To where? Dungeons?¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll of course make sure you are compensated properly . ¡± Yoo Jinho was practically begging . Jinwoo tilted his head . There were two reasons people became Hunters: Money or Duty . Yoo Jinho didn¡¯t seem like he fit either ideals . The young heir had no need for money from Dungeons, and if it was sense of duty that carried him there, he would not have asked for someone else to do all the job for him . Perhaps he was looking for a bigger sense of thrill than an extreme sport? It would not be strange that a child from a rich family, having every need taken care of and having provided every protection there is, would become tired of a safe, boring life . ¡®I suppose there are all kinds of people in this world . ¡¯ This was Jinwoo¡¯s opinion of the young man until now . But compared to what Jinwoo had previously thought, he saw a strange light of determination behind Yoo Jinho¡¯s eyes . ¡®Does he have some other purpose?¡¯ Instead of the ¡°proper compensation¡± the young man was offering, what caught Jinwoo¡¯s interest was the specific number of 19 Raids . His mind began to run the calculations . ¡®Wait¡­ If the last Dungeon was his first Raid, and now he needs nineteen more¡­¡¯ This punk couldn¡¯t be thinking of¡­ Jinwoo reached a conclusion, dumbfounded . ¡°Are you thinking of going for a Guildmaster License?¡± ¡°Yes, hyungnim!¡± It was good thing he had not ordered coffee . He would¡¯ve surely done a spit take while drinking it . ¡°You¡¯re going to become a Guildmaster . You . ¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s complicated, hyungnim . . . ¡± Yoo Jinho¡¯s face reddened even more than before . ¡°Please hear me out, hyungnim . ¡± ¡° . . . ¡± Wondering what he would do, Jinwoo lost to his curiosity and sat back down . ¡°Alright, let¡¯s hear it . ¡± After all, the 1 hour that he allotted had not passed yet . He could afford to at least listen to the young man¡¯s story . Yoo Jinho followed suit and sat down across from him again . ¡°As you said, I want to obtain the Guildmaster License . ¡± It wasn¡¯t exactly hard for a Hunter to obtain a Guildmaster License . It just required the Hunter to obtain the experience of 20 Raids . After meeting that requirement, the Hunter just had to take a simple written test, and they will be awarded the license . Of course, nobody would want to join a no name Hunter¡¯s Guild, and if they could not maintain the minimum number of members required for a Guild, the Guild would be disbanded . Yoo Jinho continued, ¡°It hasn¡¯t been revealed to the public yet, but the truth is, my father wants to make a Guild . ¡± ¡°Yoojin Construction wants to make a Guild?¡± ¡°Yes . ¡± Yoojin Construction was one of the top construction companies of South Korea . Despite their name, their activities were not limited to just construction . The company was known for having a finger in many areas of business, and recently, they had even begun engaging in Hunter-related businesses, making a lot of money . ¡®And such a company wants its own Guild?¡¯ Seeing Jinwoo¡¯s interest, Yoo Jinho continued excitedly, ¡°Father wants to gather strong Hunters and grow a large Guild, and through the Guild, he wants to conduct all sorts of Hunter-related businesses . ¡± If a company wanted to conduct Hunter-related business, the cooperation of a Guild was crucial . After all, it required the provision from a large Guild to obtain magic cores, magic beast corpses, mana crystals and other treasures from B-rank or A-rank Gates . ¡°So he wants to cut out the middleman in that process . ¡± ¡°You¡¯ve hit the mark, hyungnim!¡± With their power, it would be no problem for Yoojin Construction to make a Guild . The problem would be who would manage that Guild . ¡°Currently, father wants to employee an S-rank Hunter as the Guildmaster, and make my older brother the Deputy Guildmaster to operate the Guild as a branch of the business¡­ But¡­¡± Jinwoo caught the hint of what Yoo Jinho was saying . The father¡¯s current plan had a small flaw . The Guildmaster¡¯s powers in the Guild was absolute . If a friction arose between the company and the Hunter they employed, it would result in the destruction of their plan . In that line of thought, there was another option: to make someone who would never betray the company the Guildmaster . For example, the son of the chairman . And Chairman Yoo Myunghan had Yoo Jinho as his son . ¡° . . . Compared to my brother, my influence or achievements aren¡¯t enough to become the Guildmaster . It was his idea to move the company in the direction of Hunter-related businesses, and that direction already resulted in massive profits for the company . ¡± At the young age of 31, Yoo Jinho¡¯s older brother had already become an accomplished businessman . Compared to him, the younger brother was just a 22-year old college student, putting aside the fact that he was a D-rank Awakened Being . It was clear that the chairman intended to leave the business of the Guild to his firstborn . While the older brother could not become a Guildmaster as a non-Hunter, he had already showed great results in the realm of Hunter-related business . They would take the gamble against the risk of the employed Hunter¡¯s loyalty . ¡°And you want to convince your father to make you the Guildmaster?¡± ¡°Yes, that is right, hyungnim . ¡± Now Jinwoo realized why Yoo Jinho had clung to him with great desperation . If the young man just employed a high ranking Hunter and obtained the Guildmaster License, it would be no different than buying the license . But what if he went with low ranking Hunters like himself and completed 20 Raids? This might just move his father¡¯s heart . Yoo Jinho had to show that he could lead the other Hunters . This was his gamble . Once he became the Guildmaster, he could place an S-rank Hunter as the Deputy Guildmaster and gather other skilled Hunters . As long as one of the leaders of the Guild was skilled, it would be good enough for the other Hunters . For all this to happen, he needed the 20 Raids . Specifically with low ranking Hunters . ¡°Hyungnim, please! I beg you for your help!¡± Yoo Jinho bowed his head deeply . If it wasn¡¯t for Jinwoo, he would¡¯ve lost his life twice on his first Raid . Once from the spider, and second from Hwang Dongseok . He needed a reliable ally . ¡®I can put my trust in hyungnim . ¡¯ To Yoo Jinho, Jinwoo was a man of absolute fairness . He was someone who would coldly kill his enemies without blinking, yet would not needlessly threaten the lives of the weak . A patron of effort who would not forcibly take something that wasn¡¯t earned . The E-ranker Sung Jinwoo was the perfect candidate for his plans . But Sung Jinwoo did not need Yoo Jinho . So he asked, ¡°What¡¯s in it for me?¡± Yoo Jinho raised his head and gladly took out a manilla envelope he had prepared . Inside it was the blueprint for a building . He handed it to Jinwoo . ¡°It¡¯s the building we¡¯ll be building for the Guild Office . Estimated value is about 30 billion won . ¡± Although the Association did its best, the possibility of a Dungeon Break always existed in this country . As such, the areas where large Guilds maintained their headquarters had their land values rise explosively . One¡¯s life was the most valuable asset, after all . Even the presence of a small Guild nearby would increase their safety, and if it was a large Guild instead? ¡°If I become the Guildmaster, we¡¯ll use it for exactly one year until the Guild becomes stabilized . Then, I¡¯ll turn over the deed to hyungnim . Of course, we¡¯ll notarize the agreement so the company won¡¯t be able to back out in any way . ¡± A 30 billion won building for just 19 C-rank Raids¡­ Jinwoo smiled, ¡°Are you saying the price of you becoming Guildmaster is worth that much?¡± ¡°That is correct, hyungnim . ¡± On that day in the C-rank Dungeon, Yoo Jinho learned that anything could happen in a Raid . Going in with a weak Hunter could result in his death . On the other hand, if he employed a famous Hunter, his father would not be convinced in any capacity . But Jinwoo was different, he was an E-rank Hunter who took down a C-rank boss and multiple C-rank Hunters alone, without any major injuries . ¡®Hyungnim is at the very least a B-rank¡­ maybe even greater . ¡¯ With his help, going through 19 C-rank Raids would be a breeze . If he could become a Guildmaster, 30 billion would be nothing . All that was left was Jinwoo¡¯s answer . ¡®I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll refuse such an offer . ¡¯ Yoo Jinho carefully tried to read Jinwoo¡¯s expression . ¡®What should I do?¡¯ Jinwoo had fallen into contemplation . 30 billion won . It was a massive amount . If winning the lottery meant one and a half billion won, he would have to win the lottery 20 times to obtain such an amount . On top of that, the building¡¯s value would only rise with the presence of a Guild operating out of it . The ordinary Hunter would immediately grab the papers and sign the offer . But Jinwoo was not an ordinary Hunter . ¡°Only One, No Second (ΨһŸo¶þ) . ¡± [1] He was the only Hunter capable of growth . As long as he continued his quests and level-ups, he would someday reach S-rank, no, higher than that . ¡®If I become an S-rank Hunter, 30 billion is nothing . ¡¯ Just the contract fees for S-rank Hunters were in the tens of billions . No celebrity or sports stars could compare to the worth of these S-rank Hunters . This was a world where the number of S-rank Hunters signified the influence and power of a country . As such, the treatment of S-rankers surpassed imagination . So in this moment, the most important thing to Jinwoo was not money, but progress . And to grow his powers, being alone was the best . ¡®I have to minimize the unknown factors . ¡¯ Hunting together would decrease his experience points, and it would also be difficult to act under the gaze of others . Even in the last Dungeon, he had to ensure Yoo Jinho¡¯s silence to make sure nothing bothersome happened to him . It would also be a headache to match his schedule to his teammates¡¯ . No matter how he looked at it, the negatives were too much . ¡®I can always earn more money . ¡¯ Regrettable, but Jinwoo decided to refuse the offer . ¡®Wait . ¡¯ Suddenly, he thought of a way to earn money and ensure growth at the same time . ¡®If I can do that¡­¡¯ He raised his head and found Yoo Jinho¡¯s nervous eyes looking at him . Jinwoo slowly opened his mouth, ¡°I have one condition . ¡± Yoo Jinho¡¯s face immediately filled with happiness, ¡°Anything! Just let me know, hyungnim!¡± Jinwoo wondered if he would still smile after hearing the condition . He held back his own smile . ¡°Just you and me . Only the two of us will enter the Dungeon . ¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Yoo Jinho became surprised . ¡°H-hyungnim, forgive me if I got it wrong¡­ But are you saying that just you and I would clear a C-rank Dungeon?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got it . ¡± Yoo Jinho¡¯s face turned as pale as snow . Translator¡¯s Notes: [0]: the part numbering: I got confused too, but the part numbers reset after the last chapter . I wasn¡¯t sure if it was signifying an end of a volume (seemed like too many chapters for 1 volume, though) . To be honest, the part numbering kinda disappears eventually in the novels . I wonder if the author just forgot about it or stopped doing it . [1]: ¡°Only one, no second¡± (????): I had previously translated this as ¡°to be unique¡± . The meaning is same, but I felt like the impact of the phrase was better in the direct translation . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 26. . -1 . Deal- [0]. . Yoo Jinho was stunned . . . ¡°Hyungnim, I didn¡¯t even finish . ¡±. . ¡°I don¡¯t think I have to listen to the rest to get the jist of what you¡¯re asking . ¡±. . Jinwoo cut him off firmly . It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t like Yoo Jinho . He was a weird one, but he was energetic and genuine . The young man was different than the image of the ultra rich heirs he saw in the media . However, Jinwoo had no intention of playing Hunter with a rich boy, who probably thought of the Dungeon as a playground . . . ¡°Well, if that was all you wanted to ask, I¡¯m leaving . ¡±. . ¡°H-hyungnim!¡±. . Yoo Jinho frantically tried to stop Jinwoo . . . ¡°Hyungnim! Just 20 times, no just accompany me 19 times!¡±. . ¡°To where? Dungeons?¡±. . ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll of course make sure you are compensated properly . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho was practically begging . Jinwoo tilted his head . There were two reasons people became Hunters: Money or Duty . Yoo Jinho didn¡¯t seem like he fit either ideals . The young heir had no need for money from Dungeons, and if it was sense of duty that carried him there, he would not have asked for someone else to do all the job for him . . . Perhaps he was looking for a bigger sense of thrill than an extreme sport? It would not be strange that a child from a rich family, having every need taken care of and having provided every protection there is, would become tired of a safe, boring life . . . ¡®I suppose there are all kinds of people in this world . ¡¯. . This was Jinwoo¡¯s opinion of the young man until now . But compared to what Jinwoo had previously thought, he saw a strange light of determination behind Yoo Jinho¡¯s eyes . . . ¡®Does he have some other purpose?¡¯. . Instead of the ¡°proper compensation¡± the young man was offering, what caught Jinwoo¡¯s interest was the specific number of 19 Raids . His mind began to run the calculations . . . ¡®Wait¡­ If the last Dungeon was his first Raid, and now he needs nineteen more¡­¡¯. . This punk couldn¡¯t be thinking of¡­. . Jinwoo reached a conclusion, dumbfounded . . . ¡°Are you thinking of going for a Guildmaster License?¡±. . ¡°Yes, hyungnim!¡±. . It was good thing he had not ordered coffee . He would¡¯ve surely done a spit take while drinking it . . . ¡°You¡¯re going to become a Guildmaster . You . ¡±. . ¡°Well, it¡¯s complicated, hyungnim . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho¡¯s face reddened even more than before . . . ¡°Please hear me out, hyungnim . ¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . Wondering what he would do, Jinwoo lost to his curiosity and sat back down . . . ¡°Alright, let¡¯s hear it . ¡±. . After all, the 1 hour that he allotted had not passed yet . He could afford to at least listen to the young man¡¯s story . Yoo Jinho followed suit and sat down across from him again . . . ¡°As you said, I want to obtain the Guildmaster License . ¡±. . It wasn¡¯t exactly hard for a Hunter to obtain a Guildmaster License . It just required the Hunter to obtain the experience of 20 Raids . After meeting that requirement, the Hunter just had to take a simple written test, and they will be awarded the license . Of course, nobody would want to join a no name Hunter¡¯s Guild, and if they could not maintain the minimum number of members required for a Guild, the Guild would be disbanded . . . Yoo Jinho continued,. . ¡°It hasn¡¯t been revealed to the public yet, but the truth is, my father wants to make a Guild . ¡±. . ¡°Yoojin Construction wants to make a Guild?¡±. . ¡°Yes . ¡±. . Yoojin Construction was one of the top construction companies of South Korea . Despite their name, their activities were not limited to just construction . The company was known for having a finger in many areas of business, and recently, they had even begun engaging in Hunter-related businesses, making a lot of money . . . ¡®And such a company wants its own Guild?¡¯. . Seeing Jinwoo¡¯s interest, Yoo Jinho continued excitedly,. . ¡°Father wants to gather strong Hunters and grow a large Guild, and through the Guild, he wants to conduct all sorts of Hunter-related businesses . ¡±. . If a company wanted to conduct Hunter-related business, the cooperation of a Guild was crucial . After all, it required the provision from a large Guild to obtain magic cores, magic beast corpses, mana crystals and other treasures from B-rank or A-rank Gates . . . ¡°So he wants to cut out the middleman in that process . ¡±. . ¡°You¡¯ve hit the mark, hyungnim!¡±. . With their power, it would be no problem for Yoojin Construction to make a Guild . . . The problem would be who would manage that Guild . . . ¡°Currently, father wants to employee an S-rank Hunter as the Guildmaster, and make my older brother the Deputy Guildmaster to operate the Guild as a branch of the business¡­ But¡­¡±. . Jinwoo caught the hint of what Yoo Jinho was saying . The father¡¯s current plan had a small flaw . The Guildmaster¡¯s powers in the Guild was absolute . If a friction arose between the company and the Hunter they employed, it would result in the destruction of their plan . In that line of thought, there was another option: to make someone who would never betray the company the Guildmaster . . . For example, the son of the chairman . . . And Chairman Yoo Myunghan had Yoo Jinho as his son . . . ¡° . Compared to my brother, my influence or achievements aren¡¯t enough to become the Guildmaster . It was his idea to move the company in the direction of Hunter-related businesses, and that direction already resulted in massive profits for the company . ¡±. . At the young age of 31, Yoo Jinho¡¯s older brother had already become an accomplished businessman . Compared to him, the younger brother was just a 22-year old college student, putting aside the fact that he was a D-rank Awakened Being . . . It was clear that the chairman intended to leave the business of the Guild to his firstborn . While the older brother could not become a Guildmaster as a non-Hunter, he had already showed great results in the realm of Hunter-related business . They would take the gamble against the risk of the employed Hunter¡¯s loyalty . . . ¡°And you want to convince your father to make you the Guildmaster?¡±. . ¡°Yes, that is right, hyungnim . ¡±. . Now Jinwoo realized why Yoo Jinho had clung to him with great desperation . If the young man just employed a high ranking Hunter and obtained the Guildmaster License, it would be no different than buying the license . But what if he went with low ranking Hunters like himself and completed 20 Raids?. . This might just move his father¡¯s heart . . . Yoo Jinho had to show that he could lead the other Hunters . This was his gamble . Once he became the Guildmaster, he could place an S-rank Hunter as the Deputy Guildmaster and gather other skilled Hunters . As long as one of the leaders of the Guild was skilled, it would be good enough for the other Hunters . . . For all this to happen, he needed the 20 Raids . Specifically with low ranking Hunters . . . ¡°Hyungnim, please! I beg you for your help!¡±. . Yoo Jinho bowed his head deeply . If it wasn¡¯t for Jinwoo, he would¡¯ve lost his life twice on his first Raid . Once from the spider, and second from Hwang Dongseok . He needed a reliable ally . . . ¡®I can put my trust in hyungnim . ¡¯. . To Yoo Jinho, Jinwoo was a man of absolute fairness . He was someone who would coldly kill his enemies without blinking, yet would not needlessly threaten the lives of the weak . A patron of effort who would not forcibly take something that wasn¡¯t earned . . . The E-ranker Sung Jinwoo was the perfect candidate for his plans . . . But Sung Jinwoo did not need Yoo Jinho . So he asked,. . ¡°What¡¯s in it for me?¡±. . Yoo Jinho raised his head and gladly took out a manilla envelope he had prepared . Inside it was the blueprint for a building . He handed it to Jinwoo . . . ¡°It¡¯s the building we¡¯ll be building for the Guild Office . Estimated value is about 30 billion won . ¡±. . Although the Association did its best, the possibility of a Dungeon Break always existed in this country . As such, the areas where large Guilds maintained their headquarters had their land values rise explosively . One¡¯s life was the most valuable asset, after all . Even the presence of a small Guild nearby would increase their safety, and if it was a large Guild instead?. . ¡°If I become the Guildmaster, we¡¯ll use it for exactly one year until the Guild becomes stabilized . Then, I¡¯ll turn over the deed to hyungnim . Of course, we¡¯ll notarize the agreement so the company won¡¯t be able to back out in any way . ¡±. . A 30 billion won building for just 19 C-rank Raids¡­. . Jinwoo smiled,. . ¡°Are you saying the price of you becoming Guildmaster is worth that much?¡±. . ¡°That is correct, hyungnim . ¡±. . On that day in the C-rank Dungeon, Yoo Jinho learned that anything could happen in a Raid . Going in with a weak Hunter could result in his death . On the other hand, if he employed a famous Hunter, his father would not be convinced in any capacity . But Jinwoo was different, he was an E-rank Hunter who took down a C-rank boss and multiple C-rank Hunters alone, without any major injuries . . . ¡®Hyungnim is at the very least a B-rank¡­ maybe even greater . ¡¯. . With his help, going through 19 C-rank Raids would be a breeze . If he could become a Guildmaster, 30 billion would be nothing . All that was left was Jinwoo¡¯s answer . . . ¡®I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll refuse such an offer . ¡¯. . Yoo Jinho carefully tried to read Jinwoo¡¯s expression . . . ¡®What should I do?¡¯. . Jinwoo had fallen into contemplation . . . 30 billion won . . . It was a massive amount . . . If winning the lottery meant one and a half billion won, he would have to win the lottery 20 times to obtain such an amount . On top of that, the building¡¯s value would only rise with the presence of a Guild operating out of it . The ordinary Hunter would immediately grab the papers and sign the offer . . . But Jinwoo was not an ordinary Hunter . . . ¡°Only One, No Second (ΨһŸo¶þ) . ¡± [1]. . He was the only Hunter capable of growth . . . As long as he continued his quests and level-ups, he would someday reach S-rank, no, higher than that . . . ¡®If I become an S-rank Hunter, 30 billion is nothing . ¡¯. . Just the contract fees for S-rank Hunters were in the tens of billions . No celebrity or sports stars could compare to the worth of these S-rank Hunters . This was a world where the number of S-rank Hunters signified the influence and power of a country . As such, the treatment of S-rankers surpassed imagination . . . So in this moment, the most important thing to Jinwoo was not money, but progress . And to grow his powers, being alone was the best . . . ¡®I have to minimize the unknown factors . ¡¯. . Hunting together would decrease his experience points, and it would also be difficult to act under the gaze of others . Even in the last Dungeon, he had to ensure Yoo Jinho¡¯s silence to make sure nothing bothersome happened to him . It would also be a headache to match his schedule to his teammates¡¯ . No matter how he looked at it, the negatives were too much . . . ¡®I can always earn more money . ¡¯. . Regrettable, but Jinwoo decided to refuse the offer . . . ¡®Wait . ¡¯. . Suddenly, he thought of a way to earn money and ensure growth at the same time . . . ¡®If I can do that¡­¡¯. . He raised his head and found Yoo Jinho¡¯s nervous eyes looking at him . . . Jinwoo slowly opened his mouth,. . ¡°I have one condition . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho¡¯s face immediately filled with happiness,. . ¡°Anything! Just let me know, hyungnim!¡±. . Jinwoo wondered if he would still smile after hearing the condition . He held back his own smile . . . ¡°Just you and me . Only the two of us will enter the Dungeon . ¡±. . ¡°Huh?¡±. . Yoo Jinho became surprised . . . ¡°H-hyungnim, forgive me if I got it wrong¡­ But are you saying that just you and I would clear a C-rank Dungeon?¡±. . ¡°You¡¯ve got it . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho¡¯s face turned as pale as snow . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [0]: the part numbering: I got confused too, but the part numbers reset after the last chapter . I wasn¡¯t sure if it was signifying an end of a volume (seemed like too many chapters for 1 volume, though) . To be honest, the part numbering kinda disappears eventually in the novels . I wonder if the author just forgot about it or stopped doing it . . [1]: ¡°Only one, no second¡± (????): I had previously translated this as ¡°to be unique¡± . The meaning is same, but I felt like the impact of the phrase was better in the direct translation . . Chapter 27 If it was just the boss, Jinwoo had already shown that he could solo the spider . But thinking about holding back the horde of insects at the entrance with just the two of them made Yoo Jinho¡¯s breath stop . ¡° . . . ¡± Watching Yoo Jinho at a loss for words, Jinwoo nodded understandingly . ¡®Still, this is the best method . ¡¯ To kill two birds with one stone . It was very difficult for an E-ranker like him to get into a private raiding party . He had realized this after trying to earn money for the month . He could not reserve a Dungeon with his own credentials, and it was impossible for him to form his own raiding party . But now Yoo Jinho was offering to create the party for him . This was the perfect opportunity . ¡°B-but hyungnim! To enter a C-rank Gate, you¡¯d need a minimum party of ten people!¡± ¡°If we told them we just needed to fill the headcount and offered them money, people would be lining up . ¡± It was the method he had learned from Hwang Dongseok . The Hunters who did not want to risk their lives but needed money would jump at the opportunity with a hunger in their eyes . Yoo Jinho made an expression of defeat, ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re saying we¡¯ll be taking down all the monsters of the Dungeon on our own?¡± Well, it would be just Jinwoo . ¡°Yep . ¡± With that method, he would be able to hoard all the experience points to himself . Additionally, with just Yoo Jinho at his side, he didn¡¯t need to hold back or worry about revealing his true powers . ¡®I¡¯ll be able to powerlevel with that . ¡¯ On top of that, after the Raids were complete, he would obtain that valuable building . Once again, ¡°killing two birds with one stone¡± . All that was left to do is convince Yoo Jinho . As expected, the young man was terrified . ¡°S-still¡­ wouldn¡¯t it be too dangerous, hyungnim?¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk . You understand one thing but not the other . ¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Jinwoo gestured for Yoo Jinho to come closer, and the young man leaned in . ¡°If you looked at just the two of us going into the Dungeon from another angle, it means that no one else has to get hurt, right?¡± ¡°R-right . ¡± ¡°Let¡¯s put aside your first Raid, which you had to join as a tagalong . Imagine how your father will feel if the raid team that you put together goes through nineteen Raids with no one getting hurt . ¡± Yoo Jinho¡¯s eyes shot open in understanding . If¡­ If they were able to pull that off, convincing his father would become that much easier! He would be able to show that a mere D-ranker is able to lead a raiding party through 19 Raids without any casualties . It would be a testament to his ability to become the Guildmaster . This would be the greatest feat that he could bring before his father . Jinwoo read Yoo Jinho¡¯s expressions and became satisfied . ¡®Got him . ¡¯ The one holding all the cards right now was Jinwoo . Even if Yoo Jinho could not be convinced, he could always ensure his growth through the Association¡¯s Raids or Instant Dungeons; it would just be a matter of time . In the meantime, Yoo Jinho was deep in thought . Even if it was a little scary, if everything went according to Jinwoo¡¯s words, the benefit to him would be great . Thinking back on the unstoppable power that Jinwoo displayed in the last Raid, he felt that it would just be possible . Yoo Jinho made his decision . ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll agree to those conditions, hyungnim . I¡¯ll gather the team members . ¡± ¡°Good . ¡± Jinwoo nodded . The two men were in agreement . Yoo Jinho finally was able to sit-up straight and put on a bright smile . ¡®I was able to get hyungnim¡¯s help . ¡¯ The remaining Raids no longer worried him . He had gained a reliable ally in Jinwoo, and per his condition, gathering the remaining members suddenly became a lot easier . He no longer needed other capable, low ranking Hunters . Instead, anyone who answered the job boards would do . ¡®With this, I¡¯ve taken a step towards becoming a Guildmaster . ¡¯ Jinwoo was also smiling . ¡®I¡¯ll solo all the C-rank Dungeons and quickly raise my levels . ¡¯ The two men left the cafe with satisfied faces . After bidding farewell to Yoo Jinho, Jinwoo quickly ran home . He didn¡¯t know when the Association would come calling . It had been 10 days since he was discharged from hospital; it would not be strange for a Gate to appear in their vicinity soon . On average, the Association had gathered its Hunters two or three times throughout the month for a Raid . The reason he had initially allotted 1 hour to Yoo Jinho was because Jinwoo wanted to be back home as fast as possible . ¡®Right now, even missing just one E-rank Dungeon would be regrettable . ¡¯ He wanted to quickly raise his levels through magic beasts . To think that not having a phone would be this inconvenient . . . Thankfully, his new phone would be arriving in few days . Jinwoo opened the door and headed inside . ¡° . . . ¡± The house was quiet . Since it was a weekday, his little sister was in school . Confirming that no one else was in the house, Jinwoo opened his daily quest window . ¡®Time to grab today¡¯s reward . ¡¯ Jinwoo had already finished the daily quest before meeting with Yoo Jinho but did not receive the rewards yet . He wasn¡¯t about to show off the light of status recovery or the appearance of a gift box out of nowhere in the middle of the street . ring~ Do 100 Push-ups: (Complete) (100/100) Do 100 Sit-ups: (Complete) (100/100) Do 100 Squats: (Complete) (100/100) Run 10 kilometers: (Complete) (11/10) You¡¯ve completed the ¡®Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful¡¯ The reward for completing the quest has arrived . Would you like to verify? (Y/N) ¡°Ye----no . No . ¡± He was about to verify the rewards out of habit but quickly stopped himself after noticing something . His eyes focused on the running part of the quest . Run 10 kilometers: (Complete) (11/10) Going over the 10 km requirement by 1 didn¡¯t phase him much at first . But more he thought about it, it was strange . ¡®Why would it keep recording after meeting the goal?¡¯ His eyes narrowed . Was this a coincidence? He got down on the ground and started performing push-ups in rapid succession, his gaze fixed on the quest screen . ring~! You¡¯ve succeeded in doing 1 push-up . Do 100 Push-ups: (Complete) (111/100) ring~! You¡¯ve succeeded in doing 1 push-up . Do 100 Push-ups: (Complete) (112/100) ¡®As I thought¡­¡¯ Running wasn¡¯t the only category that was recording beyond the goal . The push-ups were also going above their required amount . Jinwoo became curious just how high the numbers would go . His arms flexed, showing their veins . Thanks to his raised attributes, he could barely feel the weight of his body . It felt as light as feathers . The numbers quickly reached 200 . ring~! You¡¯ve succeeded in doing 1 push-up . Do 100 Push-ups: (Complete) (200/100) ring~! You¡¯ve succeeded in doing 1 push-up . Do 100 Push-ups: (Complete) (200/100) The numbers stopped exactly at 200 . He tried few more times, but they did not go up . Soon, he had completed the sit-ups and squats to 200 as well . Do 100 Push-ups: (Complete) (200/100) Do 100 Sit-ups: (Complete) (200/100) Do 100 Squats: (Complete) (200/100) Run 10 kilometers: (Complete) (11/10) Exactly 200 . The tracker was not going up infinitely, nor was it stopping at 100 . There was something to this . What would be waiting for him when all of the overcaps were met? ¡®Time to find out . ¡¯ Jinwoo left the house faster than ever . The 9 km of running was completed in a blink of an eye . As he finished the run in front of his house, a message arrived . ring~ You¡¯ve completed the ¡®Hidden Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful¡¯ The reward for completing the quest has arrived . Would you like to verify? (Y/N) The name of the quest did not change, but the quest type had turned to ¡°hidden¡± . His intuitions were correct . Jinwoo gulped . ¡® . . . Verify . ¡¯ ring~ You¡¯ve received the below rewards . Reward 1 . Status Recovery Reward 2 . All stats +3 Reward 3 . Select one: 1 . Blessed Random Box (Select) 2 . Cursed Random Box (Select) Accept all? ¡®Three points to every attribute!¡¯ His eyes were wide open . As expected of a hidden quest, the rewards were amazing . Adding 3 points to every stat was the same thing as leveling up 3 times . No, in a way, it was even better . Gaining all these points without raising his levels would make leveling that much easier . At the same time, he felt a twinge of sadness . Somewhere deep in him, there was hope that every daily quest going forward could be completed this way, but Jinwoo knew that this was probably a one time deal . And if it was a one time deal, he would have to take great care with Reward 3 . Reward 3 . Select one: 1 . Blessed Random Box (Select) 2 . Cursed Random Box (Select) This was the first time he had to choose between different rewards . Selecting one would lose the other . ¡®So I probably will never be able to see the other . ¡¯ Just going by their names, it was clear which one he had to pick . But even that could be a trap . ¡°Accept Reward 3¡± ring~ You must choose between the two Random Boxes . Blessed Random Box Cursed Random Box Will provide what the ¡®Player¡¯ wants . Will provide what the ¡®Player¡¯ needs . Which one will you choose? The explanations were simple . That made the decision even harder . If there was no explanation, he would¡¯ve chose the blessed one without a thought . But after reading the explanation, it felt that he would regret the decision no matter which one he picked . ¡®Something that I want vs . something that I need¡­¡¯ At first glance, both sounded good to him . ¡®But there is a trap here . ¡¯ Something that he ¡®wanted¡¯ would be because it was needed . But something that he ¡®needed¡¯ might not necessarily be something that he wanted . For example, if he was in a situation where he needed a powerful weapon, a powerful bomb that could blow away everything including him might appear . ¡®That seems fitting of something cursed . ¡¯ Jinwoo decided to go with the less risky option . Not knowing the result yet, it was best to minimize the amount of regret involved . Feeling like he couldn¡¯t be disappointed in something that he wanted, Jinwoo made a cold decision . ¡°Blessed Random Box . ¡± A small box appeared at his feet . Jinwoo picked it up . ¡®Could it be¡­?¡¯ Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 27. . If it was just the boss, Jinwoo had already shown that he could solo the spider . But thinking about holding back the horde of insects at the entrance with just the two of them made Yoo Jinho¡¯s breath stop . . . ¡° . ¡±. . Watching Yoo Jinho at a loss for words, Jinwoo nodded understandingly . . . ¡®Still, this is the best method . ¡¯. . To kill two birds with one stone . . . It was very difficult for an E-ranker like him to get into a private raiding party . He had realized this after trying to earn money for the month . He could not reserve a Dungeon with his own credentials, and it was impossible for him to form his own raiding party . But now Yoo Jinho was offering to create the party for him . . . This was the perfect opportunity . . . ¡°B-but hyungnim! To enter a C-rank Gate, you¡¯d need a minimum party of ten people!¡±. . ¡°If we told them we just needed to fill the headcount and offered them money, people would be lining up . ¡±. . It was the method he had learned from Hwang Dongseok . The Hunters who did not want to risk their lives but needed money would jump at the opportunity with a hunger in their eyes . . . Yoo Jinho made an expression of defeat,. . ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re saying we¡¯ll be taking down all the monsters of the Dungeon on our own?¡±. . Well, it would be just Jinwoo . . . ¡°Yep . ¡±. . With that method, he would be able to hoard all the experience points to himself . Additionally, with just Yoo Jinho at his side, he didn¡¯t need to hold back or worry about revealing his true powers . . . ¡®I¡¯ll be able to powerlevel with that . ¡¯. . On top of that, after the Raids were complete, he would obtain that valuable building . Once again, ¡°killing two birds with one stone¡± . . . All that was left to do is convince Yoo Jinho . As expected, the young man was terrified . . . ¡°S-still¡­ wouldn¡¯t it be too dangerous, hyungnim?¡±. . ¡°Tsk, tsk . You understand one thing but not the other . ¡±. . ¡°Huh?¡±. . Jinwoo gestured for Yoo Jinho to come closer, and the young man leaned in . . . ¡°If you looked at just the two of us going into the Dungeon from another angle, it means that no one else has to get hurt, right?¡±. . ¡°R-right . ¡±. . ¡°Let¡¯s put aside your first Raid, which you had to join as a tagalong . Imagine how your father will feel if the raid team that you put together goes through nineteen Raids with no one getting hurt . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho¡¯s eyes shot open in understanding . . . If¡­ If they were able to pull that off, convincing his father would become that much easier!. . He would be able to show that a mere D-ranker is able to lead a raiding party through 19 Raids without any casualties . It would be a testament to his ability to become the Guildmaster . This would be the greatest feat that he could bring before his father . . . Jinwoo read Yoo Jinho¡¯s expressions and became satisfied . . . ¡®Got him . ¡¯. . The one holding all the cards right now was Jinwoo . Even if Yoo Jinho could not be convinced, he could always ensure his growth through the Association¡¯s Raids or Instant Dungeons; it would just be a matter of time . . . In the meantime, Yoo Jinho was deep in thought . Even if it was a little scary, if everything went according to Jinwoo¡¯s words, the benefit to him would be great . Thinking back on the unstoppable power that Jinwoo displayed in the last Raid, he felt that it would just be possible . . . Yoo Jinho made his decision . . . ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll agree to those conditions, hyungnim . I¡¯ll gather the team members . ¡±. . ¡°Good . ¡±. . Jinwoo nodded . The two men were in agreement . Yoo Jinho finally was able to sit-up straight and put on a bright smile . . . ¡®I was able to get hyungnim¡¯s help . ¡¯. . The remaining Raids no longer worried him . He had gained a reliable ally in Jinwoo, and per his condition, gathering the remaining members suddenly became a lot easier . He no longer needed other capable, low ranking Hunters . Instead, anyone who answered the job boards would do . . . ¡®With this, I¡¯ve taken a step towards becoming a Guildmaster . ¡¯. . Jinwoo was also smiling . . . ¡®I¡¯ll solo all the C-rank Dungeons and quickly raise my levels . ¡¯. . The two men left the cafe with satisfied faces . . . . . After bidding farewell to Yoo Jinho, Jinwoo quickly ran home . He didn¡¯t know when the Association would come calling . It had been 10 days since he was discharged from hospital; it would not be strange for a Gate to appear in their vicinity soon . On average, the Association had gathered its Hunters two or three times throughout the month for a Raid . The reason he had initially allotted 1 hour to Yoo Jinho was because Jinwoo wanted to be back home as fast as possible . . . ¡®Right now, even missing just one E-rank Dungeon would be regrettable . ¡¯. . He wanted to quickly raise his levels through magic beasts . To think that not having a phone would be this inconvenient . Thankfully, his new phone would be arriving in few days . . . Jinwoo opened the door and headed inside . . . ¡° . ¡±. . The house was quiet . Since it was a weekday, his little sister was in school . Confirming that no one else was in the house, Jinwoo opened his daily quest window . . . ¡®Time to grab today¡¯s reward . ¡¯. . Jinwoo had already finished the daily quest before meeting with Yoo Jinho but did not receive the rewards yet . He wasn¡¯t about to show off the light of status recovery or the appearance of a gift box out of nowhere in the middle of the street . . . ring~. . Do 100 Push-ups:. (Complete) (100/100). Do 100 Sit-ups:. (Complete) (100/100). . Do 100 Squats:. (Complete) (100/100). Run 10 kilometers:. (Complete) (11/10). You¡¯ve completed the ¡®Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful¡¯. The reward for completing the quest has arrived . . Would you like to verify? (Y/N). . ¡°Ye----no . No . ¡±. . He was about to verify the rewards out of habit but quickly stopped himself after noticing something . His eyes focused on the running part of the quest . . . Run 10 kilometers:. (Complete) (11/10). . Going over the 10 km requirement by 1 didn¡¯t phase him much at first . But more he thought about it, it was strange . . . ¡®Why would it keep recording after meeting the goal?¡¯. . His eyes narrowed . Was this a coincidence?. . He got down on the ground and started performing push-ups in rapid succession, his gaze fixed on the quest screen . . . ring~!. . You¡¯ve succeeded in doing 1 push-up . . Do 100 Push-ups:. (Complete) (111/100). . ring~!. . You¡¯ve succeeded in doing 1 push-up . . Do 100 Push-ups:. (Complete) (112/100). . ¡®As I thought¡­¡¯. . Running wasn¡¯t the only category that was recording beyond the goal . The push-ups were also going above their required amount . . . Jinwoo became curious just how high the numbers would go . His arms flexed, showing their veins . Thanks to his raised attributes, he could barely feel the weight of his body . It felt as light as feathers . The numbers quickly reached 200 . . . ring~!. . You¡¯ve succeeded in doing 1 push-up . . Do 100 Push-ups:. (Complete) (200/100). . ring~!. . You¡¯ve succeeded in doing 1 push-up . . Do 100 Push-ups:. (Complete) (200/100). . The numbers stopped exactly at 200 . He tried few more times, but they did not go up . Soon, he had completed the sit-ups and squats to 200 as well . . . Do 100 Push-ups:. (Complete) (200/100). Do 100 Sit-ups:. (Complete) (200/100). . Do 100 Squats:. (Complete) (200/100). Run 10 kilometers:. (Complete) (11/10). . Exactly 200 . The tracker was not going up infinitely, nor was it stopping at 100 . There was something to this . What would be waiting for him when all of the overcaps were met?. . ¡®Time to find out . ¡¯. . Jinwoo left the house faster than ever . The 9 km of running was completed in a blink of an eye . As he finished the run in front of his house, a message arrived . . . ring~. . You¡¯ve completed the ¡®Hidden Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful¡¯. The reward for completing the quest has arrived . . Would you like to verify? (Y/N). . The name of the quest did not change, but the quest type had turned to ¡°hidden¡± . His intuitions were correct . Jinwoo gulped . . . ¡® . Verify . ¡¯. . ring~. . You¡¯ve received the below rewards . . Reward 1 . Status Recovery. Reward 2 . All stats +3. Reward 3 . Select one:. 1 . Blessed Random Box (Select). 2 . Cursed Random Box (Select). Accept all?. . ¡®Three points to every attribute!¡¯. . His eyes were wide open . As expected of a hidden quest, the rewards were amazing . Adding 3 points to every stat was the same thing as leveling up 3 times . No, in a way, it was even better . Gaining all these points without raising his levels would make leveling that much easier . . . At the same time, he felt a twinge of sadness . Somewhere deep in him, there was hope that every daily quest going forward could be completed this way, but Jinwoo knew that this was probably a one time deal . . . And if it was a one time deal, he would have to take great care with Reward 3 . . . Reward 3 . Select one:. 1 . Blessed Random Box (Select). 2 . Cursed Random Box (Select). . This was the first time he had to choose between different rewards . Selecting one would lose the other . . . ¡®So I probably will never be able to see the other . ¡¯. . Just going by their names, it was clear which one he had to pick . But even that could be a trap . . . ¡°Accept Reward 3¡±. . ring~. . You must choose between the two Random Boxes . . Blessed Random Box. Cursed Random Box. Will provide what the ¡®Player¡¯ wants . . Will provide what the ¡®Player¡¯ needs . . Which one will you choose?. . The explanations were simple . That made the decision even harder . If there was no explanation, he would¡¯ve chose the blessed one without a thought . But after reading the explanation, it felt that he would regret the decision no matter which one he picked . . . ¡®Something that I want vs . something that I need¡­¡¯. . At first glance, both sounded good to him . . . ¡®But there is a trap here . ¡¯. . Something that he ¡®wanted¡¯ would be because it was needed . But something that he ¡®needed¡¯ might not necessarily be something that he wanted . For example, if he was in a situation where he needed a powerful weapon, a powerful bomb that could blow away everything including him might appear . . . ¡®That seems fitting of something cursed . ¡¯. . Jinwoo decided to go with the less risky option . Not knowing the result yet, it was best to minimize the amount of regret involved . Feeling like he couldn¡¯t be disappointed in something that he wanted, Jinwoo made a cold decision . . . ¡°Blessed Random Box . ¡±. . A small box appeared at his feet . . . Jinwoo picked it up . . . ¡®Could it be¡­?¡¯. Chapter 28 Jinwoo¡¯s heart began to race . It was because the size of the box was familiar to him . He quickly unwrapped the box and opened it, ¡®It is!¡¯ His eyes opened wide . There was a golden key inside of the box . An Instant Dungeon key that he had been wanting for a long time . The information box popped up on the key . ring~ The Demon Castle Key Rarity: S-rank Type: Key Key to enter an Instant Dungeon . Usable in Daesung Tower . ¡°S-rank?¡± His voice was raised . Of course, there was no guarantee that the rarity of the key indicated the difficulty of the Dungeon, but it would not be an unusual conclusion to have . After all, the Instant Dungeon he had entered with the E-rank key was as easy as an E-rank Gate¡¯s Dungeon . What if this key¡¯s Dungeon was S-rank? It would be difficult to clear it even with a team composed of only S-rank Hunters . The probability of success would be 50% . Above the B-rank, the difficulty of a Gate increases at a geometric rate . In the past 10 years since the Gates first started appearing, only a handful of S-rank Gates had opened across the world . ¡®And Jejudo[1] was one them¡­¡¯ After South Korea¡¯s Hunters failed to clear the Dungeon on the island, the S-rank Gate underwent a Dungeon Break, and the island became uninhabitable and was now abandoned by the country . Jinwoo looked at the key in his hand . ¡®This is something that I wanted?¡¯ There was one potential silver lining . Compared to the first key, which ¡°moved¡± him into the Dungeon, this key stated that he could ¡°enter¡± the Dungeon[2] . Jinwoo concluded that the difference in the wording meant that he could move in and out of the Dungeon . Even if the key disappeared like last time, he still had the return stone in his inventory . He would not be imprisoned by an invisible wall again . ¡®Well, I shouldn¡¯t throw away a rare opportunity like this . ¡¯ He would confirm the Instant Dungeon with his own eyes . -2 . The Demon Castle- Jinwoo stood in front of the Daesung Tower . With exactly hundred floors, the building reached high towards the sky . Fitting of a skyscraper, even looking up at it from the ground gave a sense of vertigo . It was currently night, and there was practically no one in the area . The absence of humans created a gloomy atmosphere . ¡®But just in case¡­¡¯ Jinwoo looked around and lowered the hood over his head tightly . If someone saw a man disappear into thin air without a Gate in sight, it would surely cause a disturbance . In the case that he gets caught on the surveillance cameras here and there, a little anonymity would be useful . As matter of fact, there was someone who was watching Jinwoo . ¡®What¡¯s he up to?¡¯ The security guard that was posted in the lobby of the building looked at the shady, hooded man who was loitering in front of the building . The guard rose from his seat and walked over to take a closer look, then was caught off guard in shock . ¡°W-what?!¡± The hooded man that was walking towards the building suddenly disappeared without a trace . No matter how long the guard stared at the spot, not even an insect could be found . ¡°Er¡­ Must¡¯ve been seeing things¡­¡± The man turned to go back inside but then saw something in the corner of his eyes . He screamed and fell to the ground . ¡°Ah! What the hell?!¡± The hand that was floating in the air disappeared again . Jinwoo retracted the hand that he was holding out . ¡®It¡¯s connected to the outside . ¡¯ Unlike last time, there was no invisible wall blocking his exit . The key also did not disappear but remained in his pockets . Jinwoo confirmed that he would be able to exit and come back whenever . ¡®Alright, the path to retreat is secured¡­¡¯ As he did not know if the rarity of the key corresponded to the difficulty, Jinwoo was being a lot more careful than usual . He took off his hood and turned around . ¡°¡­¡± It was a scenery that invited despair . Moments ago, when he took few steps towards the Daesung Tower, the world before his eyes changed in an instant . Could this even be called a Dungeon? In front of him was an entirely new world . In place of the Daesung Tower stood a massive tower . ¡®Can¡¯t tell if it¡¯s a castle or a tower . ¡¯ The tower that stretched towards the sky was surrounded by a crimson flame . Instead of being on fire, it was more like the tower was holding the fire back . ¡°A tower on fire¡­¡± This felt like a more fitting description of the place than a Demon Castle . Jinwoo took steps toward the tower . flare! As he got closer, the sound of the fire roaring became louder . ¡®Could I even get inside?¡¯ Even if he could, there was another problem . The last Instant Dungeon used the subway station as the template for its levels . If this one used Daesung Tower as its, Jinwoo would have to clear a hundred different levels of monsters . He could not imagine just how long that would take . ¡®Hmm?¡¯ He stopped, feeling a powerful presence near the tower¡¯s gate . Taking a closer look, he saw a black beast, the size of a bull, rolled up on the ground sleeping . Jinwoo took out the Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang . ring~ Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang Rarity: C Type: Dagger Attack Power +25 Inflicts ¡®Paralysis¡¯ and ¡®Bleeding¡¯ on attack . ¡®Paralysis¡¯: The target has a chance to become immobilized . ¡®Bleeding¡¯: The target will lose 1% health per second . A dagger made of Casaka¡¯s poisoned fang, still dripping with its poison . You may keep this item in your inventory . You may sell this item in the shop . Although its attack power wasn¡¯t that high, its special effects had already proved themselves in battle . ¡®It¡¯d be nice if I could just kill after paralyzing it . ¡¯ Jinwoo slowly approached the beast, quieting his footsteps as best as he could . But he could not hide from the monster¡¯s sense of smell . The beast soon started to rise, sniffing the air . ¡®Shit . ¡¯ Jinwoo clicked his tongue . The beast¡¯s form, standing up fully, raised three separate heads towards Jinwoo . ¡®Gatekeeper of Hell, Cerberus¡¯ A vicious looking hound with three heads . Its heads were adorned by its name in red letters . This meant the monster¡¯s level was high . ¡®If it¡¯s red, does it mean it¡¯s the same as the centipedes from the penalty zone?¡¯ He recalled running for his life from the centipedes . After all, he was just level 1 back then . ¡®I¡¯m different now . ¡¯ In a short period, Jinwoo had experienced an explosive growth . The monster before him was definitely strong, but it did not give off a feeling of overwhelming pressure . This was ascertained with Jinwoo¡¯s sense stat . He had not raised the attribute thoughtlessly . Valuable points were invested into it so that it could help him determine whether to fight or run from an enemy . Grrrrrl! The Cerberus registered an enemy and bared its teeth . The beast¡¯s tail caught Jinwoo¡¯s eyes momentarily . The long, whip-like tail decorated its tip with powerful flames . ¡®Fangs and tail . The thing¡¯s attack pattern will have at minimum two moves . ¡¯ Jinwoo gulped . The Cerberus slowly closed the gap between the two, then stopped right before the Hunter and stared . ¡®Is it looking for an openi-¡¯ The Cerberus suddenly leaped towards him . Woof! Jinwoo was caught off guard . ¡®It¡¯s fast!¡¯ Jinwoo quickly slid underneath the Cerberus¡¯ body and dodged its bite . Landing on the ground, Cerberus immediately turned around and bared its teeth across all three heads . Bark! Bark Bark! The fangs between its jaws shone in the light . ring~ The effect of the title, ¡®Wolf Slayer¡¯, has been activated . Wolf Slayer All stats increased by 40% against beast type monsters . A title given to a hunter experienced in slaying wolves . Jinwoo felt his body becoming lighter . ¡®I can feel it!¡¯ The Cerberus charged at Jinwoo . Jinwoo rapidly took backward steps, trying to distance himself from the Cerberus¡¯ advances, and repeatedly blocked its bites with his dagger . slash, slash, slaaash, slash! clang! clang clang! clang! The sound of the metal clashing against the fangs rang loudly . Although he was swinging the dagger with an incredible speed, it was all he could do to block the Cerberus¡¯ attacks . ¡®I¡¯m being pushed back even with the title buff!¡¯ The Cerberus¡¯ agility had surpassed his expectations . Jinwoo tried to turn the tide of the battle with a skill . Bloodlust has been activated . The target¡¯s resistance was too high . Effect cancelled . Jinwoo was shocked . ¡®It didn¡¯t work?¡¯ The Cerberus¡¯ whipped its tail at Jinwoo . snap! Jinwoo reflexively lowered his head to dodge, but this stopped his legs temporarily . The Cerberus did not miss the opportunity; one of its heads bit down on Jinwoo¡¯s left shoulder . ¡°Uwaaaaak!¡± Jinwoo stabbed its forehead with all his strength . stab! Paralysis has been inflicted . The target¡¯s resistance was too high . Effect cancelled . Bleeding has been inflicted . The target¡¯s resistance was too high . Effect cancelled . whimper! The Cerberus yelped and backed away . Thankfully, Jinwoo managed to drive it off before the other heads could also bite down, but the damage was done to his left shoulder . His left arm hung limp at his sides, the joints mangled . The beast¡¯s jaws had a terrifying bite . Jinwoo furrowed his brows . Compared to the small damage he had inflicted on the Cerberus, his own injury was far greater . ¡®If only paralysis or bleeding had stuck¡­¡¯ Jinwoo glared at Cerberus with disappointment . Suddenly, the beast¡¯s eyes started turning red . ¡®Huh?¡¯ grrrrrl A frightening pressure washed over Jinwoo . ¡®What?¡¯ The Gatekeeper of Hell, Cerberus has used ¡®Rage¡¯ . It will enter a state of rage for 3 minutes . Cerberus¡¯ all attributes are doubled . Cerberus¡¯ cannot feel any pain . Jinwoo cried out in frustration, ¡°What?!¡± A magic beast, no, a monster using a skill?! The Cerberus kicked the ground and charged . ¡®Shit!¡¯ Jinwoo could not react in time; his swinging dagger bounced uselessly off the beast¡¯s head . All three heads bit down on Jinwoo . crack! ¡°Argh!¡± Jinwoo clenched his teeth . The beast had simultaneously clamped down on Jinwoo¡¯s neck, sides and thigh . It continued its momentum and slammed Jinwoo into the castle¡¯s gates . slam! Jinwoo¡¯s health plummeted to the ground . ¡°Cough!¡± Health: 411 / 3,602 ring~ Your health has fallen below 30% . ¡®Unyielding Spirit¡¯ has been activated . All damage received is reduced by 50% . Thanks to the Unyielding Spirit and his physical damage reduction, Jinwoo managed to avoid an instant death . ¡°Kuh¡­¡± His eyes shot open . Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Jejudo¡± (???): An island province of South Korea . Considered the ¡°Hawaii¡± of South Korea, it is a popular destination for tourists (both domestic and foreign) and honeymoons . [2]: Sorry, in my attempt to be concise in the translation of the first key, I didn¡¯t really emphasize the difference between ¡°moved into¡± and ¡°enter¡± . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 28. . Jinwoo¡¯s heart began to race . It was because the size of the box was familiar to him . He quickly unwrapped the box and opened it,. . ¡®It is!¡¯. . His eyes opened wide . There was a golden key inside of the box . An Instant Dungeon key that he had been wanting for a long time . The information box popped up on the key . . . ring~. . The Demon Castle Key. Rarity: S-rank. Type: Key. Key to enter an Instant Dungeon . . Usable in Daesung Tower . . . ¡°S-rank?¡±. . His voice was raised . Of course, there was no guarantee that the rarity of the key indicated the difficulty of the Dungeon, but it would not be an unusual conclusion to have . After all, the Instant Dungeon he had entered with the E-rank key was as easy as an E-rank Gate¡¯s Dungeon . . . What if this key¡¯s Dungeon was S-rank? It would be difficult to clear it even with a team composed of only S-rank Hunters . The probability of success would be 50% . . . Above the B-rank, the difficulty of a Gate increases at a geometric rate . In the past 10 years since the Gates first started appearing, only a handful of S-rank Gates had opened across the world . . . ¡®And Jejudo[1] was one them¡­¡¯. . After South Korea¡¯s Hunters failed to clear the Dungeon on the island, the S-rank Gate underwent a Dungeon Break, and the island became uninhabitable and was now abandoned by the country . . . Jinwoo looked at the key in his hand . . . ¡®This is something that I wanted?¡¯. . There was one potential silver lining . Compared to the first key, which ¡°moved¡± him into the Dungeon, this key stated that he could ¡°enter¡± the Dungeon[2] . Jinwoo concluded that the difference in the wording meant that he could move in and out of the Dungeon . Even if the key disappeared like last time, he still had the return stone in his inventory . He would not be imprisoned by an invisible wall again . . . ¡®Well, I shouldn¡¯t throw away a rare opportunity like this . ¡¯. . He would confirm the Instant Dungeon with his own eyes . . . . . -2 . The Demon Castle-. . Jinwoo stood in front of the Daesung Tower . With exactly hundred floors, the building reached high towards the sky . Fitting of a skyscraper, even looking up at it from the ground gave a sense of vertigo . . . It was currently night, and there was practically no one in the area . The absence of humans created a gloomy atmosphere . . . ¡®But just in case¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo looked around and lowered the hood over his head tightly . If someone saw a man disappear into thin air without a Gate in sight, it would surely cause a disturbance . In the case that he gets caught on the surveillance cameras here and there, a little anonymity would be useful . . . As matter of fact, there was someone who was watching Jinwoo . . . ¡®What¡¯s he up to?¡¯. . The security guard that was posted in the lobby of the building looked at the shady, hooded man who was loitering in front of the building . The guard rose from his seat and walked over to take a closer look, then was caught off guard in shock . . . ¡°W-what?!¡±. . The hooded man that was walking towards the building suddenly disappeared without a trace . No matter how long the guard stared at the spot, not even an insect could be found . . . ¡°Er¡­ Must¡¯ve been seeing things¡­¡±. . The man turned to go back inside but then saw something in the corner of his eyes . He screamed and fell to the ground . . . ¡°Ah! What the hell?!¡±. . The hand that was floating in the air disappeared again . . . . . Jinwoo retracted the hand that he was holding out . . . ¡®It¡¯s connected to the outside . ¡¯. . Unlike last time, there was no invisible wall blocking his exit . The key also did not disappear but remained in his pockets . Jinwoo confirmed that he would be able to exit and come back whenever . . . ¡®Alright, the path to retreat is secured¡­¡¯. . As he did not know if the rarity of the key corresponded to the difficulty, Jinwoo was being a lot more careful than usual . He took off his hood and turned around . . . ¡°¡­¡±. . It was a scenery that invited despair . . . Moments ago, when he took few steps towards the Daesung Tower, the world before his eyes changed in an instant . . . Could this even be called a Dungeon?. . In front of him was an entirely new world . . . In place of the Daesung Tower stood a massive tower . . . ¡®Can¡¯t tell if it¡¯s a castle or a tower . ¡¯. . The tower that stretched towards the sky was surrounded by a crimson flame . Instead of being on fire, it was more like the tower was holding the fire back . . . ¡°A tower on fire¡­¡±. . This felt like a more fitting description of the place than a Demon Castle . . . Jinwoo took steps toward the tower . . . flare!. . As he got closer, the sound of the fire roaring became louder . . . ¡®Could I even get inside?¡¯. . Even if he could, there was another problem . The last Instant Dungeon used the subway station as the template for its levels . If this one used Daesung Tower as its, Jinwoo would have to clear a hundred different levels of monsters . He could not imagine just how long that would take . . . ¡®Hmm?¡¯. . He stopped, feeling a powerful presence near the tower¡¯s gate . Taking a closer look, he saw a black beast, the size of a bull, rolled up on the ground sleeping . Jinwoo took out the Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang . . . ring~. . Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang. Rarity: C. Type: Dagger. Attack Power +25. Inflicts ¡®Paralysis¡¯ and ¡®Bleeding¡¯ on attack . . ¡®Paralysis¡¯: The target has a chance to become immobilized . . ¡®Bleeding¡¯: The target will lose 1% health per second . . A dagger made of Casaka¡¯s poisoned fang, still dripping with its poison . . You may keep this item in your inventory . . You may sell this item in the shop . . . Although its attack power wasn¡¯t that high, its special effects had already proved themselves in battle . . . ¡®It¡¯d be nice if I could just kill after paralyzing it . ¡¯. . Jinwoo slowly approached the beast, quieting his footsteps as best as he could . But he could not hide from the monster¡¯s sense of smell . The beast soon started to rise, sniffing the air . . . ¡®Shit . ¡¯. . Jinwoo clicked his tongue . The beast¡¯s form, standing up fully, raised three separate heads towards Jinwoo . . . ¡®Gatekeeper of Hell, Cerberus¡¯ . . A vicious looking hound with three heads . Its heads were adorned by its name in red letters . This meant the monster¡¯s level was high . . . ¡®If it¡¯s red, does it mean it¡¯s the same as the centipedes from the penalty zone?¡¯. . He recalled running for his life from the centipedes . After all, he was just level 1 back then . . . ¡®I¡¯m different now . ¡¯. . In a short period, Jinwoo had experienced an explosive growth . The monster before him was definitely strong, but it did not give off a feeling of overwhelming pressure . This was ascertained with Jinwoo¡¯s sense stat . . . He had not raised the attribute thoughtlessly . Valuable points were invested into it so that it could help him determine whether to fight or run from an enemy . . . Grrrrrl!. . The Cerberus registered an enemy and bared its teeth . The beast¡¯s tail caught Jinwoo¡¯s eyes momentarily . The long, whip-like tail decorated its tip with powerful flames . . . ¡®Fangs and tail . The thing¡¯s attack pattern will have at minimum two moves . ¡¯. . Jinwoo gulped . The Cerberus slowly closed the gap between the two, then stopped right before the Hunter and stared . . . ¡®Is it looking for an openi-¡¯. . The Cerberus suddenly leaped towards him . . . Woof!. . Jinwoo was caught off guard . . . ¡®It¡¯s fast!¡¯. . Jinwoo quickly slid underneath the Cerberus¡¯ body and dodged its bite . Landing on the ground, Cerberus immediately turned around and bared its teeth across all three heads . . . Bark! Bark Bark!. . The fangs between its jaws shone in the light . . . ring~. . The effect of the title, ¡®Wolf Slayer¡¯, has been activated . . . Wolf Slayer. All stats increased by 40% against beast type monsters . . A title given to a hunter experienced in slaying wolves . . . Jinwoo felt his body becoming lighter . . . ¡®I can feel it!¡¯. . The Cerberus charged at Jinwoo . Jinwoo rapidly took backward steps, trying to distance himself from the Cerberus¡¯ advances, and repeatedly blocked its bites with his dagger . . . slash, slash, slaaash, slash!. . clang! clang clang! clang!. . The sound of the metal clashing against the fangs rang loudly . Although he was swinging the dagger with an incredible speed, it was all he could do to block the Cerberus¡¯ attacks . . . ¡®I¡¯m being pushed back even with the title buff!¡¯. . The Cerberus¡¯ agility had surpassed his expectations . Jinwoo tried to turn the tide of the battle with a skill . . . Bloodlust has been activated . . The target¡¯s resistance was too high . Effect cancelled . . . Jinwoo was shocked . . . ¡®It didn¡¯t work?¡¯. . The Cerberus¡¯ whipped its tail at Jinwoo . . . snap!. . Jinwoo reflexively lowered his head to dodge, but this stopped his legs temporarily . The Cerberus did not miss the opportunity; one of its heads bit down on Jinwoo¡¯s left shoulder . . . ¡°Uwaaaaak!¡±. . Jinwoo stabbed its forehead with all his strength . . . stab!. . Paralysis has been inflicted . . The target¡¯s resistance was too high . Effect cancelled . . . Bleeding has been inflicted . . The target¡¯s resistance was too high . Effect cancelled . . . whimper!. . The Cerberus yelped and backed away . Thankfully, Jinwoo managed to drive it off before the other heads could also bite down, but the damage was done to his left shoulder . His left arm hung limp at his sides, the joints mangled . The beast¡¯s jaws had a terrifying bite . . . Jinwoo furrowed his brows . Compared to the small damage he had inflicted on the Cerberus, his own injury was far greater . . . ¡®If only paralysis or bleeding had stuck¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo glared at Cerberus with disappointment . . . Suddenly, the beast¡¯s eyes started turning red . . . ¡®Huh?¡¯. . grrrrrl. . A frightening pressure washed over Jinwoo . . . ¡®What?¡¯. . The Gatekeeper of Hell, Cerberus has used ¡®Rage¡¯ . . It will enter a state of rage for 3 minutes . . Cerberus¡¯ all attributes are doubled . . Cerberus¡¯ cannot feel any pain . . . Jinwoo cried out in frustration,. . ¡°What?!¡±. . A magic beast, no, a monster using a skill?!. . The Cerberus kicked the ground and charged . . . ¡®Shit!¡¯. . Jinwoo could not react in time; his swinging dagger bounced uselessly off the beast¡¯s head . All three heads bit down on Jinwoo . . . crack!. . ¡°Argh!¡±. . Jinwoo clenched his teeth . The beast had simultaneously clamped down on Jinwoo¡¯s neck, sides and thigh . It continued its momentum and slammed Jinwoo into the castle¡¯s gates . . . slam!. . Jinwoo¡¯s health plummeted to the ground . . . ¡°Cough!¡±. . Health: 411 / 3,602. . ring~. . Your health has fallen below 30% . ¡®Unyielding Spirit¡¯ has been activated . . All damage received is reduced by 50% . . . Thanks to the Unyielding Spirit and his physical damage reduction, Jinwoo managed to avoid an instant death . . . ¡°Kuh¡­¡±. . His eyes shot open . . . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Jejudo¡± (???): An island province of South Korea . Considered the ¡°Hawaii¡± of South Korea, it is a popular destination for tourists (both domestic and foreign) and honeymoons . . [2]: Sorry, in my attempt to be concise in the translation of the first key, I didn¡¯t really emphasize the difference between ¡°moved into¡± and ¡°enter¡± . . Chapter 29 It was difficult to continue dodging with his body in so much pain, but Jinwoo could not miss the timing of his next move . If he lost consciousness now, it would be all over . ¡®¡­178, 179, 180!¡¯ Having waited out the 3-minute timer on Cerberus¡¯ buff, Jinwoo activated the trump card he had prepared before the fight . ¡®Accept Reward 1!¡¯ He had purposely held on to the first reward of his daily quest, specifically for an occasion like this . Reward 1 . Status Recovery has been accepted . wooosh! A blue light covered his body and completely restored his health . Health: 3,602 / 3,602 His injured shoulder and arm also became healed . ¡®This is my chance!¡¯ At the shoulder-to-shoulder distance the two maintained, even Cerberus, with all of his agility, could not dodge Jinwoo¡¯s next move . Having recovered all his strength and stamina, Jinwoo deftly maneuvered around the Cerberus¡¯ heads, putting it in a headlock with his left arm; it was the same maneuver he used against Casaka . With his right arm, Jinwoo began to mercilessly stab the center of the beast¡¯s neck repeatedly . Stab! Stab! Stab! Having ended its enraged state, Cerberus felt the pain and thrashed around, trying to loosen Jinwoo from its back . yelp! whimper! whimper! Just as before, Jinwoo held on with all his strength . As the Cerberus whipped back and forth, he tightened the grip on its neck and continued to stab . Stab! Stab! Stab! The beast continued to whimper in pain and tried desperately to bite Jinwoo, but the fight was over at this point . Stab! Stab! The Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang moved past the beast¡¯s throat and toward its heart . Stab! Stab! Stab! The light of struggle in Cerberus¡¯ eyes began to fade . whimper¡­ Finally, the beast¡¯s heads went limp . ring~! You¡¯ve defeated the Gatekeeper of Hell, Cerberus . You¡¯ve leveled up! You¡¯ve leveled up! You¡¯ve leveled up! You¡¯ve leveled up! Jinwoo had leveled up four times in one go . It was that difficult of a fight . Jinwoo made sure the beast¡¯s life was completely snuffed out before letting go of its neck . The Cerberus¡¯ body slumped onto the ground lifelessly . thud Jinwoo bent over with hands on his knees . ¡°Hah¡­¡± He let out a sigh of relief . To think that he would face a monster that could use a skill . If it wasn¡¯t for the trump card he had prepared, he would be the one on the ground right now . Thinking about this made Jinwoo shudder . ¡®Ah¡­ items¡­¡¯ What kind of drops would he obtain after all this work? Jinwoo sighed once more and stretched a hand out toward the corpse . ring~! You¡¯ve found a ¡°Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace¡± Would you like to acquire it? You¡¯ve found a ¡°Castle Gate Key¡± Would you like to acquire it? You¡¯ve found a ¡°Cerberus¡¯ Molar¡± x3 Would you like to acquire it? ¡®Obtain all . ¡¯ Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace Rarity: A-rank Type: Necklace Agility +20, Sense +20 Cerberus¡¯ Molar Rarity: None Type: Junk Castle Gate Key Rarity: A-rank Type: Key It is the key to the Demon Castle¡¯s gates . Obtained after killing the Gatekeeper . ¡°Whoa . ¡± Jinwoo was jubilant . ¡®Increase agility and sense stats by twenty points?¡¯ The necklace¡¯s stats were amazing, fitting of an A-rank item . It was the highest-ranking equipment he had seen so far . ¡®Makes sense after that fight¡­¡¯ If anything, he would¡¯ve been mad if the rarity on it was low . However, taking a closer look at the necklace, Jinwoo hesitated . A round gold band with soft tipped spikes jutting around it, it was clearly a dog collar . ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Having contemplated putting it on with closed eyes, Jinwoo relented and moved it towards his neck . A message appeared in response . ring~ Would you like to equip the ¡°Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace¡±? He hesitated again . ¡°¡­Sure . ¡± Then the necklace slowly disappeared from his hands . The ¡°Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace¡± has been equipped . ¡°Huh?¡± Jinwoo quickly opened his stat screen . Stats Strength: 60 Constitution: 39 Agility: 80 Intelligence: 37 Sense: 67 (Available stat points: 0) Physical Damage Reduction: 20% ¡°Oh, whoa!¡± His agility and sense stats were raised by 20 points . The necklace¡¯s stats had been applied to him . He felt around his neck, confirming that the necklace wasn¡¯t there . It seemed that equipping items through the System did not necessarily put them on him physically . He was relieved that he would not have to walk around wearing a dog collar . ¡®Next, the molars . ¡¯ Jinwoo opened up the shop . Each of the molars were sold for 150 thousand gold . Having sold 3 molars, Jinwoo had collected 450 thousand pieces of gold . Current Gold: 562,362 ¡®What kind of junk item is this expensive?¡¯ His first fight had given him an idea of the difficulty of this Dungeon . The Demon Castle would not be a pushover . But this was not a bad news to Jinwoo . Just taking down one monster gave him four times the amount of gold he had earned in his first Instant Dungeon . At this rate, he would surely be able to afford some of the top tier items from the System¡¯s shop . ¡®As long as I can clear this place¡­¡¯ Jinwoo looked up at the tower on fire . flare! The top of the tower was obscured by a strange fog . The only way to see what was on top would be to climb the tower from the inside . Jinwoo shook his head at the thought . ¡®No . It¡¯s too early for me . ¡¯ After all, he had only barely managed to defeat the Gatekeeper, and that was with the title buff and the trick using the daily quest¡¯s reward . There was no knowing what waited beyond the gates . For now, it was time to retreat . Still, one thing was for sure . The Demon Castle Key was indeed something that he wanted . The description of the Blessed Random Box was not wrong . Level-up, items and even gold, all that he wanted could be found in this place . Once he had the power, he would be able to obtain it all . Just not today . Regretfully, Jinwoo put away the key back into the inventory . ¡®I¡¯ll be back . ¡¯ It was a promise that he would keep . Jinwoo turned back with a smile on his face . -3 . Coincidence- The next few days went by without incidence . Yoo Jinho kept calling him on a daily basis to check with his status . -¡°Hyungnim! It¡¯s me, Yoo Jinho . ¡± ¡°Make it short . ¡± -¡°Yes, hyungnim . ¡± The young man told him that he was diligently working on getting together a team . The raiding party would be completed shortly, so he repeatedly asked Jinwoo to wait just a little longer . ¡®He must be scared that I might back out . ¡¯ But there was no way that Jinwoo would wait idly while Yoo Jinho completed his task . So today, like the past few days, Jinwoo went on the Hunter website . He had continuously checked the job boards, but as expected, there were no private Raids that were accepting an E-rank Hunter . His run in with Hwang Dongseok was luck . Even if the bastard had nefarious plans in mind, it still meant that Jinwoo was able to go on a private Raid . ¡®Thankfully, I was able to earn some money, level-up and even get a new skill . ¡¯ Wait, was he actually thanking Hwang Dongseok? Jinwoo groaned . Still, even if it was with more lizards[1], he wanted to get back into a Dungeon . Can¡¯t get into a private Raid, no calls from the Association, and no keys from daily quests . Jinwoo hated wasting time like this . growl¡­ ¡®Is it already time to eat?¡¯ Jinwoo stepped away from browsing the job boards and went over to the kitchen . The fridge was empty . ¡°¡­¡± He had been distracted by so many things lately and had forgotten to go shopping . ¡®Guess I¡¯ll go do that today . ¡¯ He closed the fridge with a yawn . One of the few benefits of his worn-down apartment was that it was close to a large grocery store . Jinwoo changed into something comfortable and went outside . It took him 10 minutes of walking to reach the store . The large interior of the store greeted him as he walked in . Since there was no sale going on, there were less people around than usual . Jinwoo grabbed a basket and started walking down the aisles . Having become the man of the house after his mother fell ill, going grocery shopping was a routine experience for Jinwoo . ¡®Nothing¡¯s really catching my eyes . ¡¯ He stared at the ingredients while thinking about dinner . ¡°Young man, is your body feeling better?¡± Jinwoo turned around towards the friendly voice . ¡®Who?¡¯ Due to his high sense stat, he knew that there was another Hunter nearby, but since the grocery store was a place where a lot of people, including Hunters, would be shopping at, he had not paid it much mind . He did not expect that Hunter to actually speak to him, but it was someone that he knew . ¡°Song-ssi ahjussi?¡± Jinwoo greeted him with welcome . Song-ssi ahjussi, aka Song Chiyeol, looked at Jinwoo with a mix of surprise and happiness . ¡°I had heard that you were alright, but looking at you now, I can¡¯t believe it . ¡± Song Chiyeol was awed by just how fast Jinwoo had recovered . Embarrassed at the man¡¯s staring, Jinwoo scratched his temples . Song Chiyeol continued, ¡°I should¡¯ve gone to see you myself, but those bastards at the Association, I don¡¯t know what they were thinking, put a moratorium on the incident, and I had no way of reaching you . I believe Ms . Juhee was also dying to hear about you . ¡± ¡°Juhee-ssi?¡± ¡°Yep . She said she would retire, but still went to last week¡¯s Raid to catch a glimpse of you . ¡± ¡°Last week¡­?¡± Hearing Song-ssi ahjussi¡¯s explanation, Jinwoo learned that the day he went on a Raid with Hwang Dongseok¡¯s team was also the day an Association Raid had taken place . ¡®No wonder the Association¡¯s been quiet . ¡¯ It wasn¡¯t that they weren¡¯t contacting him, but rather, he had missed them on that one day . A small mystery cleared up for Jinwoo . Song Chiyeol continued to observe Jinwoo¡¯s figure with an amazed look . ¡®Was Sung-ssi always this big? His leg should be still¡­¡¯ Song Chiyeol¡¯s gaze fell to Jinwoo¡¯s lower half . His eyes widened . ¡°Young man¡­ is your leg¡­?¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Lizards¡±: Scumbag Hunters who would purposely recruit weak/inexperienced people to use as getaway sacrifices in Dungeons . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 29. . It was difficult to continue dodging with his body in so much pain, but Jinwoo could not miss the timing of his next move . If he lost consciousness now, it would be all over . . . ¡®¡­178, 179, 180!¡¯. . Having waited out the 3-minute timer on Cerberus¡¯ buff, Jinwoo activated the trump card he had prepared before the fight . . . ¡®Accept Reward 1!¡¯. . He had purposely held on to the first reward of his daily quest, specifically for an occasion like this . . . Reward 1 . Status Recovery has been accepted . . . wooosh!. . A blue light covered his body and completely restored his health . . . Health: 3,602 / 3,602. . His injured shoulder and arm also became healed . . . ¡®This is my chance!¡¯. . At the shoulder-to-shoulder distance the two maintained, even Cerberus, with all of his agility, could not dodge Jinwoo¡¯s next move . Having recovered all his strength and stamina, Jinwoo deftly maneuvered around the Cerberus¡¯ heads, putting it in a headlock with his left arm; it was the same maneuver he used against Casaka . . . With his right arm, Jinwoo began to mercilessly stab the center of the beast¡¯s neck repeatedly . . . Stab! Stab! Stab! . . Having ended its enraged state, Cerberus felt the pain and thrashed around, trying to loosen Jinwoo from its back . . . yelp! whimper! whimper!. . Just as before, Jinwoo held on with all his strength . As the Cerberus whipped back and forth, he tightened the grip on its neck and continued to stab . . . Stab! Stab! Stab! . . The beast continued to whimper in pain and tried desperately to bite Jinwoo, but the fight was over at this point . . . Stab! Stab!. . The Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang moved past the beast¡¯s throat and toward its heart . . . Stab! Stab! Stab!. . The light of struggle in Cerberus¡¯ eyes began to fade . . . whimper¡­. . Finally, the beast¡¯s heads went limp . . . ring~!. . You¡¯ve defeated the Gatekeeper of Hell, Cerberus . . . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . Jinwoo had leveled up four times in one go . It was that difficult of a fight . Jinwoo made sure the beast¡¯s life was completely snuffed out before letting go of its neck . The Cerberus¡¯ body slumped onto the ground lifelessly . . . thud. . Jinwoo bent over with hands on his knees . . . ¡°Hah¡­¡±. . He let out a sigh of relief . To think that he would face a monster that could use a skill . If it wasn¡¯t for the trump card he had prepared, he would be the one on the ground right now . Thinking about this made Jinwoo shudder . . . ¡®Ah¡­ items¡­¡¯. . What kind of drops would he obtain after all this work?. . Jinwoo sighed once more and stretched a hand out toward the corpse . . . ring~!. . You¡¯ve found a ¡°Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace¡±. Would you like to acquire it?. . You¡¯ve found a ¡°Castle Gate Key¡±. Would you like to acquire it?. . You¡¯ve found a ¡°Cerberus¡¯ Molar¡± x3. Would you like to acquire it?. . ¡®Obtain all . ¡¯. . Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace. Rarity: A-rank. Type: Necklace. Agility +20, Sense +20. . Cerberus¡¯ Molar. Rarity: None. Type: Junk. . Castle Gate Key. Rarity: A-rank. Type: Key. It is the key to the Demon Castle¡¯s gates . . Obtained after killing the Gatekeeper . . . ¡°Whoa . ¡±. . Jinwoo was jubilant . . . ¡®Increase agility and sense stats by twenty points?¡¯. . The necklace¡¯s stats were amazing, fitting of an A-rank item . It was the highest-ranking equipment he had seen so far . . . ¡®Makes sense after that fight¡­¡¯. . If anything, he would¡¯ve been mad if the rarity on it was low . However, taking a closer look at the necklace, Jinwoo hesitated . A round gold band with soft tipped spikes jutting around it, it was clearly a dog collar . . . ¡°Hmm¡­¡±. . Having contemplated putting it on with closed eyes, Jinwoo relented and moved it towards his neck . A message appeared in response . . . ring~. . Would you like to equip the ¡°Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace¡±?. . He hesitated again . . . ¡°¡­Sure . ¡±. . Then the necklace slowly disappeared from his hands . . . The ¡°Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace¡± has been equipped . . . ¡°Huh?¡±. . Jinwoo quickly opened his stat screen . . . Stats. . Strength: 60. Constitution: 39. Agility: 80. Intelligence: 37. Sense: 67. (Available stat points: 0). Physical Damage Reduction: 20%. . ¡°Oh, whoa!¡±. . His agility and sense stats were raised by 20 points . The necklace¡¯s stats had been applied to him . He felt around his neck, confirming that the necklace wasn¡¯t there . It seemed that equipping items through the System did not necessarily put them on him physically . He was relieved that he would not have to walk around wearing a dog collar . . . ¡®Next, the molars . ¡¯. . Jinwoo opened up the shop . Each of the molars were sold for 150 thousand gold . Having sold 3 molars, Jinwoo had collected 450 thousand pieces of gold . . . Current Gold: 562,362. . ¡®What kind of junk item is this expensive?¡¯. . His first fight had given him an idea of the difficulty of this Dungeon . The Demon Castle would not be a pushover . But this was not a bad news to Jinwoo . Just taking down one monster gave him four times the amount of gold he had earned in his first Instant Dungeon . At this rate, he would surely be able to afford some of the top tier items from the System¡¯s shop . . . ¡®As long as I can clear this place¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo looked up at the tower on fire . . . flare!. . The top of the tower was obscured by a strange fog . The only way to see what was on top would be to climb the tower from the inside . Jinwoo shook his head at the thought . . . ¡®No . It¡¯s too early for me . ¡¯. . After all, he had only barely managed to defeat the Gatekeeper, and that was with the title buff and the trick using the daily quest¡¯s reward . There was no knowing what waited beyond the gates . For now, it was time to retreat . . . Still, one thing was for sure . . . The Demon Castle Key was indeed something that he wanted . The description of the Blessed Random Box was not wrong . Level-up, items and even gold, all that he wanted could be found in this place . Once he had the power, he would be able to obtain it all . . . Just not today . . . Regretfully, Jinwoo put away the key back into the inventory . . . ¡®I¡¯ll be back . ¡¯. . It was a promise that he would keep . . . Jinwoo turned back with a smile on his face . . . . . -3 . Coincidence-. . The next few days went by without incidence . Yoo Jinho kept calling him on a daily basis to check with his status . . . -¡°Hyungnim! It¡¯s me, Yoo Jinho . ¡±. . ¡°Make it short . ¡±. . -¡°Yes, hyungnim . ¡±. . The young man told him that he was diligently working on getting together a team . The raiding party would be completed shortly, so he repeatedly asked Jinwoo to wait just a little longer . . . ¡®He must be scared that I might back out . ¡¯. . But there was no way that Jinwoo would wait idly while Yoo Jinho completed his task . So today, like the past few days, Jinwoo went on the Hunter website . He had continuously checked the job boards, but as expected, there were no private Raids that were accepting an E-rank Hunter . His run in with Hwang Dongseok was luck . Even if the bastard had nefarious plans in mind, it still meant that Jinwoo was able to go on a private Raid . . . ¡®Thankfully, I was able to earn some money, level-up and even get a new skill . ¡¯. . Wait, was he actually thanking Hwang Dongseok?. . Jinwoo groaned . Still, even if it was with more lizards[1], he wanted to get back into a Dungeon . . . Can¡¯t get into a private Raid, no calls from the Association, and no keys from daily quests . . . Jinwoo hated wasting time like this . . . growl¡­. . ¡®Is it already time to eat?¡¯. . Jinwoo stepped away from browsing the job boards and went over to the kitchen . . . The fridge was empty . . . ¡°¡­¡±. . He had been distracted by so many things lately and had forgotten to go shopping . . . ¡®Guess I¡¯ll go do that today . ¡¯. . He closed the fridge with a yawn . . . . . One of the few benefits of his worn-down apartment was that it was close to a large grocery store . Jinwoo changed into something comfortable and went outside . It took him 10 minutes of walking to reach the store . . . The large interior of the store greeted him as he walked in . Since there was no sale going on, there were less people around than usual . Jinwoo grabbed a basket and started walking down the aisles . Having become the man of the house after his mother fell ill, going grocery shopping was a routine experience for Jinwoo . . . ¡®Nothing¡¯s really catching my eyes . ¡¯. . He stared at the ingredients while thinking about dinner . . . ¡°Young man, is your body feeling better?¡±. . Jinwoo turned around towards the friendly voice . . . ¡®Who?¡¯. . Due to his high sense stat, he knew that there was another Hunter nearby, but since the grocery store was a place where a lot of people, including Hunters, would be shopping at, he had not paid it much mind . He did not expect that Hunter to actually speak to him, but it was someone that he knew . . . ¡°Song-ssi ahjussi?¡±. . Jinwoo greeted him with welcome . . . Song-ssi ahjussi, aka Song Chiyeol, looked at Jinwoo with a mix of surprise and happiness . . . ¡°I had heard that you were alright, but looking at you now, I can¡¯t believe it . ¡±. . Song Chiyeol was awed by just how fast Jinwoo had recovered . Embarrassed at the man¡¯s staring, Jinwoo scratched his temples . Song Chiyeol continued,. . ¡°I should¡¯ve gone to see you myself, but those bastards at the Association, I don¡¯t know what they were thinking, put a moratorium on the incident, and I had no way of reaching you . I believe Ms . Juhee was also dying to hear about you . ¡±. . ¡°Juhee-ssi?¡±. . ¡°Yep . She said she would retire, but still went to last week¡¯s Raid to catch a glimpse of you . ¡±. . ¡°Last week¡­?¡±. . Hearing Song-ssi ahjussi¡¯s explanation, Jinwoo learned that the day he went on a Raid with Hwang Dongseok¡¯s team was also the day an Association Raid had taken place . . . ¡®No wonder the Association¡¯s been quiet . ¡¯. . It wasn¡¯t that they weren¡¯t contacting him, but rather, he had missed them on that one day . A small mystery cleared up for Jinwoo . . . Song Chiyeol continued to observe Jinwoo¡¯s figure with an amazed look . . . ¡®Was Sung-ssi always this big? His leg should be still¡­¡¯. . Song Chiyeol¡¯s gaze fell to Jinwoo¡¯s lower half . His eyes widened . . . ¡°Young man¡­ is your leg¡­?¡±. . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Lizards¡±: Scumbag Hunters who would purposely recruit weak/inexperienced people to use as getaway sacrifices in Dungeons . . Chapter 30 Jinwoo had expected the inquiry and replied calmly, ¡°It was just there when I woke up . I don¡¯t know what happened . ¡± Song Chiyeol nodded . Since the day the first Gate appeared 10 years ago, many incredible things had happened in the world . One of them was the phenomenon of Awakened Beings, now called Hunters . Among the S-rank Healer-class Hunters, there were those that could completely restore the body of a teammate that had their bodies ripped apart . As long as the victim had a shred of life left in them, they could be made whole . So it wasn¡¯t crazy to think that some high ranking Healer had restored Jinwoo¡¯s leg . ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been right for such a young person to become a cripple . Thank goodness for that . ¡± Song Chiyeol sighed in relief . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes moved over to the old man¡¯s left arm . The sleeve that covered it was clearly empty . Song Chiyeol laughed at his gaze and rubbed his left shoulder . ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this . It¡¯s normal for a Hunter my age to get into an accident in a Raid . I was just lucky that I got this far before having one . ¡± Song Chiyeol spoke to put Jinwoo¡¯s mind at ease, but his words did not reach the onlookers . ¡°Oh my, that man¡­¡± ¡°How terrible, it must¡¯ve been from a magic beast . ¡± The people passing by whispered to each other at the man¡¯s missing arm . Some children stopped and blatantly stared . Jinwoo hoped to rescue the man, ¡°Should we move to somewhere quieter?¡± There were too many people walking buy . Feeling uncomfortable from their gazes, Song Chiyeol nodded in agreement . There were still few things he wanted to say to Jinwoo . ¡°Yes, that would be good . ¡± The two men tried to find a small corner to continue their conversation . While walking, Song Chiyeol noticed something, ¡®Sung-ssi¡¯s footsteps¡­¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s footsteps were incredibly light . Even standing right next to him, Song Chiyeol had difficulty detecting the man¡¯s presence . How could this be? The veteran Hunter felt that if he and Jinwoo fought in this moment, he could not even touch the young man . Even if he was a C-ranker, while Jinwoo was an E-ranker . ¡®What am I thinking now¡­¡¯ Song Chiyeol shook his head . None of that mattered in the moment . There was something he wanted say to Sung-ssi . No, it was something that had to be said . Having found a suitable place, Song Chiyeol stopped and Jinwoo followed suit . Turning around to face him, Song Chiyeol bowed his head to Jinwoo before the young man could stop him . ¡°Sung-ssi . I have to thank you . ¡± As the man who was old enough to be his father bowed to him, Jinwoo became somber . Even as the young man tried to stop him, Song Chiyeol did not relent and continued with his head lowered . ¡°Eleven people died because of me . Thanks to you, six of us were able to live . As my responsibility was the heaviest in that place, I thank you on behalf of everyone else . ¡± Every word he spoke was out of his heart . Even Jinwoo was able to feel the man¡¯s sincerity . It was an unexpected situation, but Jinwoo did not feel bad . Rather, he felt a twinge of pride . But he could not have an elder bow to him like this forever . ¡°Ahjussi, please raise your head . ¡± At Jinwoo¡¯s pleading words, Song Chiyeol raised his head . Just then, his phone rang . The old man apologized and turned away to pick it up . ¡°Got it . I¡¯ll be right there . ¡± Ending the call, Song Chiyeol¡¯s face was hardened . He turned to address Jinwoo, ¡°I have to go somewhere now . ¡± The elder spoke as if he had a private business to take care of, but Jinwoo had already heard the entire conversation through his ears . Thanks to his raised sense stat, his naturally good hearing was improved even more . The phone call just now was from the Association, who was notifying Song Chiyeol of a Gate that had appeared . Worrying about the recently discharged Jinwoo, the old man hid this information and was trying to walk away, but Jinwoo had no intention of letting this slip from his hands . ¡°It was the Association, right?¡± ¡°You¡­ you heard all that?¡± The Association will call all of its affiliated Hunters in an area in the event of a Raid . If Song Chiyeol was contacted, surely Jinwoo would¡¯ve been too, if he had his phone . This was the call that Jinwoo had been waiting for . ¡°I¡¯ll go too . ¡± ¡°Young man¡­¡± Song Chiyeol¡¯s eyes looking at Jinwoo was quickly filled with defeat . The two men arrived at the appointed location . Because the Gate had appeared in a residential area, the police were already around, cordoning off the area . However, there was little need, as there were no noisy civilians watching . The Gates that the Association ended up taking care of were those on the verge of Dungeon Break, so the people stayed away in case of danger . Besides, it wasn¡¯t as if they could watch the Hunters battle in the Dungeon anyways . Every now and then, a curious child might approach with mischief, but they would be chased away by the police . Jinwoo and Song Chiyeol got off the taxi and were stopped by the police . ¡°Could you please show me your identification?¡± Song Chiyeol took out his Hunter license from his wallet . ¡°C-rank Hunter, Song Chiyeol . This is my fellow Hunter, Sung Jinwoo . ¡± Satisfied, the policeman let the pair through . ¡°We¡¯re in your care, Hunter-nims . ¡± ¡°We¡¯ll do our best . Thank you for your service . ¡± After exchanging light greetings, the two began to walk towards the Gate . Jinwoo walked behind the old man . In front of the Gate, an Association employee was waiting . It was a young woman with glasses . She approached the pair, ¡°Hunter Song Chiyeol-nim! Huh? How did Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim get here? You weren¡¯t picking up the phone . ¡± Song Chiyeol replied for Jinwoo, ¡°We were together when I got the call . ¡± ¡°Oh, is that so? We just thought Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim was avoiding the call again . ¡± The employee smiled in jest . A long time ago, she would have been correct . Having received a major injury during a Raid, Jinwoo once even turned off his phone in fear . However, he had to eventually relent and show up because refusing the Association¡¯s call three times would result in an expulsion . Thinking about the past, Jinwoo smiled bittersweetly . ¡°Ah, right . The other Hunters are already here . Why don¡¯t you go and say hi?¡± The employee gestured to the other Hunters . There were only two of them waiting . After the incident at the Double Dungeon, the number of Hunters in the area had decreased greatly . According to Song ahjussi, two of the surviving Hunters even chose to retire out of trauma . ¡®And Juhee-ssi was one of them¡­¡¯ Jinwoo looked around but did not see Juhee . As the two men approached, the Hunters who had arrived before them avoided his gaze . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes narrowed . ¡®Of course¡­¡¯ It was two of the men who had abandoned him back in the underground temple, Kim Sangshik and the man who cast aside Jinwoo¡¯s injured body to the ground . It made sense that they were avoiding him . ¡°Er, Sung-ssi¡­¡± Kim Sangshik gathered his courage and tried to make a late greeting but was rebuffed by Jinwoo¡¯s cold eyes . ¡°¡­¡± The man closed his mouth and walked away . From a distance away, he looked at Jinwoo and tilted his head . ¡®Is that human really the Sung Jinwoo that I knew? His eyes were fierce like a magic beast¡¯s¡­¡¯ Kim Sangshik¡¯s body shuddered . His arms were covered in goosebumps . It was not his fault, Jinwoo had lightly applied a killing intent in his gaze . Thankfully, the man had taken the hint and avoided him . Jinwoo had hoped he would continue to do so going forward . ¡°Sung-ssi,¡± Song Chiyeol, who was standing next to Jinwoo, suddenly smiled . ¡°There she comes . ¡± Jinwoo started turning his head towards where the elder was gesturing, but before he fully could, ¡°Jinwoo-ssi!¡± Something soft hugged him tightly . ¡°Juhee-ssi?¡± As Jinwoo panicked, Juhee examined his body with tears in her eyes . ¡°Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? Your leg! How is your leg-?¡± Juhee looked back and forth between Jinwoo¡¯s face and legs with surprise . The magnitude was different, but her response was the same as Song Chiyeol . ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­¡± Jinwoo¡¯s explanation was interrupted by a loud voice, ¡°Ah, young love! Hot hot hot!¡± A man in prisoner¡¯s uniform was whistling towards them, having just gotten out of a car . ¡®Are they filming a movie nearby?¡¯ As Jinwoo stared with confusion, a man wearing a suit got out of the passenger seat of the car . The man gave a stern warning to the prisoner, ¡°Shut your mouth . ¡± The prisoner avoided his gaze and looked away . While the man in the suit turned back to the car, the prisoner winked at Juhee . Jinwoo¡¯s forehead furrowed . From the car, two additional men got out . They were all wearing a prisoner¡¯s uniform and handcuffed . The man in the suit led the three prisoners towards the Association employee and greeted her . ¡°You¡¯re finally here . ¡± ¡°Sorry . There was a little traffic on the way . ¡± The Association employee handed the man some papers, and he began to sign them one by one . Meanwhile, the Association employee called over all the Hunters . ¡°These men are prisoners on a work-release program[1] that will be going with the Hunter-nims into the Raid . ¡± The Hunters¡¯ expressions darkened . Kim Sangshik stepped forward, ¡°Prisoners on work-release? You¡¯re telling us to Raid with criminals?¡± Hunters who had committed crimes had two choices . Fulfill their sentences away in a prison or cooperate with the Association and reduce their sentences . Most chose the latter . These criminals would be on ¡°work-release¡± . The employee apologetically bowed before the Hunters . ¡°I really have to apologize . The number of Hunters in our area had decreased too drastically . The Association said we had no choice for the time being . Thankfully, a Hunter from the Hunter Surveillance Department will be accompanying you, so you shouldn¡¯t have to worry . ¡± Kim Sangshik asked suspiciously, ¡°The HSD Hunter will be going with us too?¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°prisoners on a work-release program¡±(?? ???): Not gonna lie, I have no idea what this means . I just used my best guess based on context¡­ Sorry . . . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 30. . Jinwoo had expected the inquiry and replied calmly,. . ¡°It was just there when I woke up . I don¡¯t know what happened . ¡±. . Song Chiyeol nodded . Since the day the first Gate appeared 10 years ago, many incredible things had happened in the world . One of them was the phenomenon of Awakened Beings, now called Hunters . Among the S-rank Healer-class Hunters, there were those that could completely restore the body of a teammate that had their bodies ripped apart . As long as the victim had a shred of life left in them, they could be made whole . So it wasn¡¯t crazy to think that some high ranking Healer had restored Jinwoo¡¯s leg . . . ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been right for such a young person to become a cripple . Thank goodness for that . ¡±. . Song Chiyeol sighed in relief . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes moved over to the old man¡¯s left arm . The sleeve that covered it was clearly empty . Song Chiyeol laughed at his gaze and rubbed his left shoulder . . . ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this . It¡¯s normal for a Hunter my age to get into an accident in a Raid . I was just lucky that I got this far before having one . ¡±. . Song Chiyeol spoke to put Jinwoo¡¯s mind at ease, but his words did not reach the onlookers . . . ¡°Oh my, that man¡­¡±. ¡°How terrible, it must¡¯ve been from a magic beast . ¡±. . The people passing by whispered to each other at the man¡¯s missing arm . Some children stopped and blatantly stared . . . Jinwoo hoped to rescue the man,. . ¡°Should we move to somewhere quieter?¡±. . There were too many people walking buy . Feeling uncomfortable from their gazes, Song Chiyeol nodded in agreement . There were still few things he wanted to say to Jinwoo . . . ¡°Yes, that would be good . ¡±. . The two men tried to find a small corner to continue their conversation . While walking, Song Chiyeol noticed something,. . ¡®Sung-ssi¡¯s footsteps¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s footsteps were incredibly light . Even standing right next to him, Song Chiyeol had difficulty detecting the man¡¯s presence . How could this be? The veteran Hunter felt that if he and Jinwoo fought in this moment, he could not even touch the young man . Even if he was a C-ranker, while Jinwoo was an E-ranker . . . ¡®What am I thinking now¡­¡¯. . Song Chiyeol shook his head . None of that mattered in the moment . There was something he wanted say to Sung-ssi . No, it was something that had to be said . Having found a suitable place, Song Chiyeol stopped and Jinwoo followed suit . Turning around to face him, Song Chiyeol bowed his head to Jinwoo before the young man could stop him . . . ¡°Sung-ssi . I have to thank you . ¡±. . As the man who was old enough to be his father bowed to him, Jinwoo became somber . Even as the young man tried to stop him, Song Chiyeol did not relent and continued with his head lowered . . . ¡°Eleven people died because of me . Thanks to you, six of us were able to live . As my responsibility was the heaviest in that place, I thank you on behalf of everyone else . ¡±. . Every word he spoke was out of his heart . Even Jinwoo was able to feel the man¡¯s sincerity . It was an unexpected situation, but Jinwoo did not feel bad . Rather, he felt a twinge of pride . But he could not have an elder bow to him like this forever . . . ¡°Ahjussi, please raise your head . ¡±. . At Jinwoo¡¯s pleading words, Song Chiyeol raised his head . Just then, his phone rang . The old man apologized and turned away to pick it up . . . ¡°Got it . I¡¯ll be right there . ¡±. . Ending the call, Song Chiyeol¡¯s face was hardened . He turned to address Jinwoo,. . ¡°I have to go somewhere now . ¡±. . The elder spoke as if he had a private business to take care of, but Jinwoo had already heard the entire conversation through his ears . Thanks to his raised sense stat, his naturally good hearing was improved even more . The phone call just now was from the Association, who was notifying Song Chiyeol of a Gate that had appeared . Worrying about the recently discharged Jinwoo, the old man hid this information and was trying to walk away, but Jinwoo had no intention of letting this slip from his hands . . . ¡°It was the Association, right?¡±. . ¡°You¡­ you heard all that?¡±. . The Association will call all of its affiliated Hunters in an area in the event of a Raid . If Song Chiyeol was contacted, surely Jinwoo would¡¯ve been too, if he had his phone . This was the call that Jinwoo had been waiting for . . . ¡°I¡¯ll go too . ¡±. . ¡°Young man¡­¡±. . Song Chiyeol¡¯s eyes looking at Jinwoo was quickly filled with defeat . . . . . The two men arrived at the appointed location . Because the Gate had appeared in a residential area, the police were already around, cordoning off the area . However, there was little need, as there were no noisy civilians watching . The Gates that the Association ended up taking care of were those on the verge of Dungeon Break, so the people stayed away in case of danger . Besides, it wasn¡¯t as if they could watch the Hunters battle in the Dungeon anyways . Every now and then, a curious child might approach with mischief, but they would be chased away by the police . . . Jinwoo and Song Chiyeol got off the taxi and were stopped by the police . . . ¡°Could you please show me your identification?¡±. . Song Chiyeol took out his Hunter license from his wallet . . . ¡°C-rank Hunter, Song Chiyeol . This is my fellow Hunter, Sung Jinwoo . ¡±. . Satisfied, the policeman let the pair through . . . ¡°We¡¯re in your care, Hunter-nims . ¡±. . ¡°We¡¯ll do our best . Thank you for your service . ¡±. . After exchanging light greetings, the two began to walk towards the Gate . Jinwoo walked behind the old man . In front of the Gate, an Association employee was waiting . It was a young woman with glasses . She approached the pair,. . ¡°Hunter Song Chiyeol-nim! Huh? How did Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim get here? You weren¡¯t picking up the phone . ¡±. . Song Chiyeol replied for Jinwoo,. . ¡°We were together when I got the call . ¡±. . ¡°Oh, is that so? We just thought Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim was avoiding the call again . ¡±. . The employee smiled in jest . A long time ago, she would have been correct . Having received a major injury during a Raid, Jinwoo once even turned off his phone in fear . However, he had to eventually relent and show up because refusing the Association¡¯s call three times would result in an expulsion . Thinking about the past, Jinwoo smiled bittersweetly . . . ¡°Ah, right . The other Hunters are already here . Why don¡¯t you go and say hi?¡±. . The employee gestured to the other Hunters . There were only two of them waiting . After the incident at the Double Dungeon, the number of Hunters in the area had decreased greatly . According to Song ahjussi, two of the surviving Hunters even chose to retire out of trauma . . . ¡®And Juhee-ssi was one of them¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo looked around but did not see Juhee . As the two men approached, the Hunters who had arrived before them avoided his gaze . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes narrowed . . . ¡®Of course¡­¡¯. . It was two of the men who had abandoned him back in the underground temple, Kim Sangshik and the man who cast aside Jinwoo¡¯s injured body to the ground . It made sense that they were avoiding him . . . ¡°Er, Sung-ssi¡­¡±. . Kim Sangshik gathered his courage and tried to make a late greeting but was rebuffed by Jinwoo¡¯s cold eyes . . . ¡°¡­¡±. . The man closed his mouth and walked away . From a distance away, he looked at Jinwoo and tilted his head . . . ¡®Is that human really the Sung Jinwoo that I knew? His eyes were fierce like a magic beast¡¯s¡­¡¯. . Kim Sangshik¡¯s body shuddered . His arms were covered in goosebumps . It was not his fault, Jinwoo had lightly applied a killing intent in his gaze . Thankfully, the man had taken the hint and avoided him . Jinwoo had hoped he would continue to do so going forward . . . ¡°Sung-ssi,¡±. . Song Chiyeol, who was standing next to Jinwoo, suddenly smiled . . . ¡°There she comes . ¡±. . Jinwoo started turning his head towards where the elder was gesturing, but before he fully could,. . ¡°Jinwoo-ssi!¡±. . Something soft hugged him tightly . . . ¡°Juhee-ssi?¡±. . As Jinwoo panicked, Juhee examined his body with tears in her eyes . . . ¡°Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? Your leg! How is your leg-?¡±. . Juhee looked back and forth between Jinwoo¡¯s face and legs with surprise . The magnitude was different, but her response was the same as Song Chiyeol . . . ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­¡±. . Jinwoo¡¯s explanation was interrupted by a loud voice,. . ¡°Ah, young love! Hot hot hot!¡±. . A man in prisoner¡¯s uniform was whistling towards them, having just gotten out of a car . . . ¡®Are they filming a movie nearby?¡¯. . As Jinwoo stared with confusion, a man wearing a suit got out of the passenger seat of the car . The man gave a stern warning to the prisoner,. . ¡°Shut your mouth . ¡±. . The prisoner avoided his gaze and looked away . While the man in the suit turned back to the car, the prisoner winked at Juhee . Jinwoo¡¯s forehead furrowed . From the car, two additional men got out . They were all wearing a prisoner¡¯s uniform and handcuffed . The man in the suit led the three prisoners towards the Association employee and greeted her . . . ¡°You¡¯re finally here . ¡±. . ¡°Sorry . There was a little traffic on the way . ¡±. . The Association employee handed the man some papers, and he began to sign them one by one . Meanwhile, the Association employee called over all the Hunters . . . ¡°These men are prisoners on a work-release program[1] that will be going with the Hunter-nims into the Raid . ¡±. . The Hunters¡¯ expressions darkened . Kim Sangshik stepped forward,. . ¡°Prisoners on work-release? You¡¯re telling us to Raid with criminals?¡±. . Hunters who had committed crimes had two choices . Fulfill their sentences away in a prison or cooperate with the Association and reduce their sentences . Most chose the latter . These criminals would be on ¡°work-release¡± . The employee apologetically bowed before the Hunters . . . ¡°I really have to apologize . The number of Hunters in our area had decreased too drastically . The Association said we had no choice for the time being . Thankfully, a Hunter from the Hunter Surveillance Department will be accompanying you, so you shouldn¡¯t have to worry . ¡±. . Kim Sangshik asked suspiciously,. . ¡°The HSD Hunter will be going with us too?¡±. . . . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°prisoners on a work-release program¡±(?? ???): Not gonna lie, I have no idea what this means . I just used my best guess based on context¡­ Sorry . . . Chapter 31 ¡°Yes, all of the prisoners are C-rank, but the HSD Hunter is a B-rank, so there¡¯s nothing to worry about . ¡± Kim Sangshik relented and nodded . It was a basic theory that you needed at least 10 C-rank Hunters to defeat a single B-ranker . If such a B-ranker was offering to not only watch the prisoners but also help with the Raid, there was nothing to complain about . ¡®A single B-ranker and three C-rankers¡­¡¯ Jinwoo stared at the HSD Hunter and the prisoners with confusion . ¡®Something¡¯s weird . ¡¯ There was a strange killing intent spilling forth from one of them . Was this an effect of the sense stat, or was he just imagining things out of worry? Whatever it was, Jinwoo could not help but feel uneasy . He whispered to Juhee, ¡°Juhee-ssi, please don¡¯t go on this Raid . ¡± She looked around then responded, ¡°What about you?¡± He answered her question with a question, ¡°If I go?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m also going . ¡± Her face was determined to follow him . ¡®I understand you¡¯re worried about me, but¡­¡¯ Having experienced her stubbornness in the past, Jinwoo relented . ¡®I suppose everything should be alright if I¡¯m there . ¡¯ After all, he had single handedly defeated Hwang Dongseok¡¯s party, which included 5 C-rankers . Jinwoo nodded, ¡°Alright . Alright . ¡± The HSD Hunter finished with the documents then appeared before all the Hunters . ¡°I¡¯m Kang Taeshik of the Hunter Surveillance Department . I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already heard the situation . I¡¯ll be keeping a close eye on them, so don¡¯t worry about those bastards . ¡± He gestured towards the prisoners, and they came to him and held out their cuffed hands . One by one, Kang Taeshik uncuffed them . ¡°Aw man, that was really uncomfortable . ¡± ¡°You can¡¯t drag us around like this . We¡¯re not slaves, ya know?¡± The freed prisoners rubbed their wrists and complained . Ignoring them, Kang Taeshik turned toward the Hunters . ¡°Who¡¯ll be leading the Raid today?¡± Having taken the responsibility normally, Song Chiyeol half-heartedly raised his hand . Kang Taeshik nodded, ¡°Understood¡± With Song Chiyeol in front, the Hunters started entering the Gate . ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡± Jinwoo and Juhee also stood before the Gate . Remember her last trip into a Dungeon, Juhee lightly held on to Jinwoo¡¯s sleeves as they entered . The Dungeon this time was filled with goblins . Faced against the weakest humanoid type magic beasts, the Raid was a lot easier than expected . screech! scree-! Even before he had powered up, Jinwoo could take on these bizarre looking things . He carefully defeated of them one by one . His combat prowess surprised Juhee and Song Chiyeol, who had not remembered him like this . ¡°Whoa~¡± Jinwoo was using the bare minimum power required, as to not get noticed, but the difference between his old self was still noticeable . Juhee approached him and asked, ¡°Have-have you been learning somewhere?¡± ¡°That¡¯s er¡­ I¡¯ve been running every day . ¡± ¡°Running?¡± Juhee was confused, but it wasn¡¯t exactly a lie . ¡®But¡­ I¡¯m not getting any experience points¡­¡¯ screech! The enemy¡¯s level was too low . You¡¯ve gained no experience points . screech! The enemy¡¯s level was too low . You¡¯ve gained no experience points . Jinwoo was disappointed . All he kept getting was the message that the goblins¡¯ levels were too low . ¡®At this rate¡­¡¯ Even worse, the magic cores from the goblins were the lowest tier possible . Jinwoo looked around . Excited at the freedom of movement after a long time, the prisoners were going all out on the goblins . screech! screeee! It was hard to tell who was the human and who was the beast . ¡®Looks like I don¡¯t have to do that much . ¡¯ Still, he wasn¡¯t getting experience or good income . This concerned Jinwoo, ¡®If it¡¯s going to be like this all the time, should I just leave the Association?¡¯ The Raids under the Association were mostly D-rank or E-rank Gates, and if he was not getting any experience points in those low-level Dungeons, there was no point to staying with the Association . ¡®And at this point, I can easily take care of mother¡¯s hospital bills¡­¡¯ He could leave the Association whenever he wanted . This was why having money was good . It allowed Jinwoo more freedom in the paths that he could take . While he was lost in thought, the party had ventured deep into the Dungeon . ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± They came across three different paths . Kang Taeshik suggested to Song Chiyeol, ¡°The Dungeon¡¯s difficulty is rather low . Shall we split up here?¡± ¡°Sounds good . ¡± Song Chiyeol agreed . Jinwoo closed his eyes and focused his senses . ¡®Now which path leads to the boss?¡¯ He had hoped at least the boss would give him some small amount of experience . Soon, the energy of the various lifeform in the Dungeon entered his senses . Opening his eyes, Jinwoo told Song Chiyeol, ¡°Ahjussi, let¡¯s go to the left path . ¡± ¡°Alright . ¡± Jinwoo, Juhee and Song Chiyeol chose the left path . Kang Taeshik and the prisoners chose the right path . The remaining two went down the middle path . Jinwoo¡¯s heartbeat increased slightly . ¡®The boss is at the end of this path . ¡¯ It couldn¡¯t be called strong, but it definitely gave off a tougher presence than the goblins . Jinwoo wanted to get to the boss quickly . But just after taking few steps into the left path, a group of goblins appeared and blocked their way . ¡°Kikik . ¡± ¡°Kiriririk . ¡± ¡°Kiiik . ¡± There was about ten of them . Holding wooden clubs, wooden swords and wooden staves, the goblins gave absolutely no sense of danger to Jinwoo . ¡®Aren¡¯t they tired of this?¡¯ Jinwoo scrunched his face in annoyance . These worthless things that ran at him with no experience points or money were just a thorn at his sides . ¡°There are ten of them¡­¡± ¡°What should we do? Should we group with the others and come back?¡± However, the other two with him were taking it much more seriously . ¡°Well, since they¡¯re just goblins, we should just give it a go . ¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Okay . ¡± A fireball appeared in Song Chiyeol¡¯s hand and Juhee began preparing her healing magic . Jinwoo scratched the back of his head . ¡®Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve never been this relaxed in a Dungeon before¡­¡¯ Was it because he had become incomparably stronger? Applied to a familiar situation from his old life, Jinwoo finally began to feel the changes that he was undergoing . Song Chiyeol interrupted his thoughts, ¡°Sung-ssi, are you ready?¡± ¡°Yes . ¡± Jinwoo matched the pace of his teammates and slowly stepped up towards the goblins . Suddenly, a scream rang forth from somewhere . ¡°Uwaaaak!¡± ¡°Ahhhh!¡± It wasn¡¯t goblin . It was a human scream . Jinwoo and co . looked at each other . Just as they thought the screams had died out, another one rang forth . ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± Song Chiyeol¡¯s face hardened, ¡°Let¡¯s go check it out . ¡± The three Hunters quickly ran towards the direction of the scream . Jinwoo could¡¯ve easily went ahead of the two but decided to match their speed for their safety . After running for some time, they came across the source . Juhee discovered someone and shouted, ¡°Over there! Someone is¡­¡± The HSD Hunter Kang Taeshik was kneeling on the ground, covered in blood . He shouted at the approaching party, ¡°B-be careful! Those bastards are still around somewhere!¡± Appearing to have shouted with the last bit of his strength, Kang Taeshik collapsed face-down onto the ground . Unable to ignore him, Juhee quickly ran toward his body . ¡°I¡¯ll heal him!¡± Even after everything she had gone through, Juhee still held pride as a B-rank Healer . Even if there were enemies around, her healing would be quick . She concluded that it would be best to heal Kang Taeshik before they could attack . ¡°Please just wait . ¡± She held out her hands in front of Kang Taeshik, and a light gathered in her hands . It was in that moment, Kang Taeshik shot up from the ground and stretched a hand filled with magic power toward Juhee¡¯s throat . woosh! Before his hand could reach Juhee¡¯s throat, someone grabbed his wrist in the nick of time . grab! ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Taking few steps backwards in surprise, Juhee fell onto the ground . Kang Taeshik was surprised . ¡®Someone stopped my attack at this distance?¡¯ It was easy for a higher-ranking Hunter to dispose of a lower-ranking one . That¡¯s why his first target was the female Hunter, who was a B-ranker like him . Fortunately for him, she was a noncombat-class Hunter, so he had expected to take care of her easily through a surprise attack . But his attack¡­ was stopped . The efforts he put toward acting disappeared in a puff of smoke . Kang Taeshik¡¯s eyes followed the hand holding his wrist to Jinwoo¡¯s face . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes were filled with murderous intent . Kang Taeshik frowned, ¡°Just a shitty Association-affiliated Hunter?!¡± woosh! Kang Taeshik¡¯s other fist flew towards Jinwoo¡¯s face, but the man easily turned his head and dodged the attack . ¡®What?¡¯ Kang Taeshik threw aside Jinwoo¡¯s grip with strength . ¡°What?¡± Jinwoo was also surprised . It was a strength worthy of a high-ranking Hunter . Having freed himself from Jinwoo¡¯s hands, Kang Taeshik rained his fists upon him mercilessly . Not losing to his speed, Jinwoo dodged and counterattacked . Hit! Strike! Woosh! Bam! Pow! The two men ceaselessly traded and evaded each other¡¯s blows . Neither of them backed off . While they were fighting, Song Chiyeol grabbed Juhee and pulled her away from the danger . ¡°A-ahjussi¡­¡± Juhee could not speak, stunned . Song Chiyeol was even more surprised than her . ¡®How is this possible¡­?¡¯ Their offense and defense were happening at an unbelievable speed . It was too fast even to track with his own eyes . The high-ranking Hunter¡¯s movements made sense, but Sung Jinwoo was not the man he had remembered . The young man was keeping up with the B-ranker . ¡®His speed is too fast even for this C-ranker¡¯s eyes!¡¯ He was correct on his feelings earlier . The Jinwoo that was fighting before him was not the same weak E-ranker from before . Having traded dozens of exchanges in a blink of an eye, the two fighters backed away from each other to catch their breath . Jinwoo looked at Kang Taeshik with narrowed eyes, ¡°The blood on your clothes¡­ It¡¯s not yours, is it?¡± Kang Taeshik rubbed his wrists replied, ¡°That¡¯s right . It¡¯s those fuckers¡¯ blood . Putting that aside, to think that I¡¯d meet a Hunter like you here . ¡± He was truly awed . He had no idea that there was an Association-affiliated Hunter that was a high-ranker . ¡®This is not good . ¡¯ He had thought that today was the best opportunity to act, but Jinwoo¡¯s appearance had thrown a wrench in his plans . Kang Taeshik asked out of curiosity, ¡°Who are you? What¡¯s your ranking?¡± Jinwoo summoned Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang in his hand and answered . ¡°Sung Jinwoo . E-rank . ¡± Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 31. . ¡°Yes, all of the prisoners are C-rank, but the HSD Hunter is a B-rank, so there¡¯s nothing to worry about . ¡±. . Kim Sangshik relented and nodded . It was a basic theory that you needed at least 10 C-rank Hunters to defeat a single B-ranker . If such a B-ranker was offering to not only watch the prisoners but also help with the Raid, there was nothing to complain about . . . ¡®A single B-ranker and three C-rankers¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo stared at the HSD Hunter and the prisoners with confusion . . . ¡®Something¡¯s weird . ¡¯. . There was a strange killing intent spilling forth from one of them . Was this an effect of the sense stat, or was he just imagining things out of worry? Whatever it was, Jinwoo could not help but feel uneasy . . . He whispered to Juhee,. . ¡°Juhee-ssi, please don¡¯t go on this Raid . ¡±. . She looked around then responded,. . ¡°What about you?¡±. . He answered her question with a question,. . ¡°If I go?¡±. . ¡°Then I¡¯m also going . ¡±. . Her face was determined to follow him . . . ¡®I understand you¡¯re worried about me, but¡­¡¯. . Having experienced her stubbornness in the past, Jinwoo relented . . . ¡®I suppose everything should be alright if I¡¯m there . ¡¯. . After all, he had single handedly defeated Hwang Dongseok¡¯s party, which included 5 C-rankers . . . Jinwoo nodded,. . ¡°Alright . Alright . ¡±. . The HSD Hunter finished with the documents then appeared before all the Hunters . . . ¡°I¡¯m Kang Taeshik of the Hunter Surveillance Department . I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already heard the situation . I¡¯ll be keeping a close eye on them, so don¡¯t worry about those bastards . ¡±. . He gestured towards the prisoners, and they came to him and held out their cuffed hands . One by one, Kang Taeshik uncuffed them . . . ¡°Aw man, that was really uncomfortable . ¡±. ¡°You can¡¯t drag us around like this . We¡¯re not slaves, ya know?¡±. . The freed prisoners rubbed their wrists and complained . Ignoring them, Kang Taeshik turned toward the Hunters . . . ¡°Who¡¯ll be leading the Raid today?¡±. . Having taken the responsibility normally, Song Chiyeol half-heartedly raised his hand . . . Kang Taeshik nodded,. . ¡°Understood¡±. . With Song Chiyeol in front, the Hunters started entering the Gate . . . ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡±. . Jinwoo and Juhee also stood before the Gate . Remember her last trip into a Dungeon, Juhee lightly held on to Jinwoo¡¯s sleeves as they entered . . . . . . . The Dungeon this time was filled with goblins . Faced against the weakest humanoid type magic beasts, the Raid was a lot easier than expected . . . screech!. . scree-!. . Even before he had powered up, Jinwoo could take on these bizarre looking things . He carefully defeated of them one by one . His combat prowess surprised Juhee and Song Chiyeol, who had not remembered him like this . . . ¡°Whoa~¡±. . Jinwoo was using the bare minimum power required, as to not get noticed, but the difference between his old self was still noticeable . . . Juhee approached him and asked,. . ¡°Have-have you been learning somewhere?¡±. . ¡°That¡¯s er¡­ I¡¯ve been running every day . ¡±. . ¡°Running?¡±. . Juhee was confused, but it wasn¡¯t exactly a lie . . . ¡®But¡­ I¡¯m not getting any experience points¡­¡¯. . screech!. . The enemy¡¯s level was too low . You¡¯ve gained no experience points . . . screech!. . The enemy¡¯s level was too low . You¡¯ve gained no experience points . . . Jinwoo was disappointed . All he kept getting was the message that the goblins¡¯ levels were too low . . . ¡®At this rate¡­¡¯. . Even worse, the magic cores from the goblins were the lowest tier possible . Jinwoo looked around . Excited at the freedom of movement after a long time, the prisoners were going all out on the goblins . . . screech!. . screeee!. . It was hard to tell who was the human and who was the beast . . . ¡®Looks like I don¡¯t have to do that much . ¡¯. . Still, he wasn¡¯t getting experience or good income . This concerned Jinwoo,. . ¡®If it¡¯s going to be like this all the time, should I just leave the Association?¡¯. . The Raids under the Association were mostly D-rank or E-rank Gates, and if he was not getting any experience points in those low-level Dungeons, there was no point to staying with the Association . . . ¡®And at this point, I can easily take care of mother¡¯s hospital bills¡­¡¯. . He could leave the Association whenever he wanted . This was why having money was good . It allowed Jinwoo more freedom in the paths that he could take . . . While he was lost in thought, the party had ventured deep into the Dungeon . . . ¡°Huh?¡±. ¡°Hmm¡­¡±. . They came across three different paths . Kang Taeshik suggested to Song Chiyeol,. . ¡°The Dungeon¡¯s difficulty is rather low . Shall we split up here?¡±. . ¡°Sounds good . ¡±. . Song Chiyeol agreed . Jinwoo closed his eyes and focused his senses . . . ¡®Now which path leads to the boss?¡¯. . He had hoped at least the boss would give him some small amount of experience . Soon, the energy of the various lifeform in the Dungeon entered his senses . Opening his eyes, Jinwoo told Song Chiyeol,. . ¡°Ahjussi, let¡¯s go to the left path . ¡±. . ¡°Alright . ¡±. . Jinwoo, Juhee and Song Chiyeol chose the left path . Kang Taeshik and the prisoners chose the right path . The remaining two went down the middle path . . . Jinwoo¡¯s heartbeat increased slightly . . . ¡®The boss is at the end of this path . ¡¯. . It couldn¡¯t be called strong, but it definitely gave off a tougher presence than the goblins . Jinwoo wanted to get to the boss quickly . But just after taking few steps into the left path, a group of goblins appeared and blocked their way . . . ¡°Kikik . ¡±. ¡°Kiriririk . ¡±. ¡°Kiiik . ¡±. . There was about ten of them . Holding wooden clubs, wooden swords and wooden staves, the goblins gave absolutely no sense of danger to Jinwoo . . . ¡®Aren¡¯t they tired of this?¡¯. . Jinwoo scrunched his face in annoyance . These worthless things that ran at him with no experience points or money were just a thorn at his sides . . . ¡°There are ten of them¡­¡±. ¡°What should we do? Should we group with the others and come back?¡±. . However, the other two with him were taking it much more seriously . . . ¡°Well, since they¡¯re just goblins, we should just give it a go . ¡±. ¡°Hmm¡­ Okay . ¡±. . A fireball appeared in Song Chiyeol¡¯s hand and Juhee began preparing her healing magic . Jinwoo scratched the back of his head . . . ¡®Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve never been this relaxed in a Dungeon before¡­¡¯. . Was it because he had become incomparably stronger? Applied to a familiar situation from his old life, Jinwoo finally began to feel the changes that he was undergoing . . . Song Chiyeol interrupted his thoughts,. . ¡°Sung-ssi, are you ready?¡±. ¡°Yes . ¡±. . Jinwoo matched the pace of his teammates and slowly stepped up towards the goblins . Suddenly, a scream rang forth from somewhere . . . ¡°Uwaaaak!¡±. ¡°Ahhhh!¡±. . It wasn¡¯t goblin . It was a human scream . Jinwoo and co . looked at each other . Just as they thought the screams had died out, another one rang forth . . . ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±. . Song Chiyeol¡¯s face hardened,. . ¡°Let¡¯s go check it out . ¡±. . The three Hunters quickly ran towards the direction of the scream . Jinwoo could¡¯ve easily went ahead of the two but decided to match their speed for their safety . After running for some time, they came across the source . . . Juhee discovered someone and shouted,. . ¡°Over there! Someone is¡­¡±. . The HSD Hunter Kang Taeshik was kneeling on the ground, covered in blood . He shouted at the approaching party,. . ¡°B-be careful! Those bastards are still around somewhere!¡±. . Appearing to have shouted with the last bit of his strength, Kang Taeshik collapsed face-down onto the ground . Unable to ignore him, Juhee quickly ran toward his body . . . ¡°I¡¯ll heal him!¡±. . Even after everything she had gone through, Juhee still held pride as a B-rank Healer . Even if there were enemies around, her healing would be quick . She concluded that it would be best to heal Kang Taeshik before they could attack . . . ¡°Please just wait . ¡±. . She held out her hands in front of Kang Taeshik, and a light gathered in her hands . . . It was in that moment, Kang Taeshik shot up from the ground and stretched a hand filled with magic power toward Juhee¡¯s throat . . . woosh!. . Before his hand could reach Juhee¡¯s throat, someone grabbed his wrist in the nick of time . . . grab!. . ¡°Ah¡­!¡±. . Taking few steps backwards in surprise, Juhee fell onto the ground . . . Kang Taeshik was surprised . . . ¡®Someone stopped my attack at this distance?¡¯. . It was easy for a higher-ranking Hunter to dispose of a lower-ranking one . That¡¯s why his first target was the female Hunter, who was a B-ranker like him . Fortunately for him, she was a noncombat-class Hunter, so he had expected to take care of her easily through a surprise attack . . . But his attack¡­ was stopped . . . The efforts he put toward acting disappeared in a puff of smoke . . . Kang Taeshik¡¯s eyes followed the hand holding his wrist to Jinwoo¡¯s face . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes were filled with murderous intent . Kang Taeshik frowned,. . ¡°Just a shitty Association-affiliated Hunter?!¡±. . woosh!. . Kang Taeshik¡¯s other fist flew towards Jinwoo¡¯s face, but the man easily turned his head and dodged the attack . . . ¡®What?¡¯. . Kang Taeshik threw aside Jinwoo¡¯s grip with strength . . . ¡°What?¡±. . Jinwoo was also surprised . It was a strength worthy of a high-ranking Hunter . . . Having freed himself from Jinwoo¡¯s hands, Kang Taeshik rained his fists upon him mercilessly . Not losing to his speed, Jinwoo dodged and counterattacked . . . Hit! Strike! Woosh! Bam! Pow!. . The two men ceaselessly traded and evaded each other¡¯s blows . Neither of them backed off . . . While they were fighting, Song Chiyeol grabbed Juhee and pulled her away from the danger . . . ¡°A-ahjussi¡­¡±. . Juhee could not speak, stunned . Song Chiyeol was even more surprised than her . . . ¡®How is this possible¡­?¡¯. . Their offense and defense were happening at an unbelievable speed . It was too fast even to track with his own eyes . The high-ranking Hunter¡¯s movements made sense, but Sung Jinwoo was not the man he had remembered . The young man was keeping up with the B-ranker . . . ¡®His speed is too fast even for this C-ranker¡¯s eyes!¡¯. . He was correct on his feelings earlier . The Jinwoo that was fighting before him was not the same weak E-ranker from before . . . Having traded dozens of exchanges in a blink of an eye, the two fighters backed away from each other to catch their breath . . . Jinwoo looked at Kang Taeshik with narrowed eyes,. . ¡°The blood on your clothes¡­ It¡¯s not yours, is it?¡±. . Kang Taeshik rubbed his wrists replied,. . ¡°That¡¯s right . It¡¯s those fuckers¡¯ blood . Putting that aside, to think that I¡¯d meet a Hunter like you here . ¡±. . He was truly awed . He had no idea that there was an Association-affiliated Hunter that was a high-ranker . . . ¡®This is not good . ¡¯. . He had thought that today was the best opportunity to act, but Jinwoo¡¯s appearance had thrown a wrench in his plans . . . Kang Taeshik asked out of curiosity,. . ¡°Who are you? What¡¯s your ranking?¡±. . Jinwoo summoned Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang in his hand and answered . . . ¡°Sung Jinwoo . E-rank . ¡±. . . Chapter 32 -4 . B-ranker Kang Taeshik- Kang Taeshik felt like he got slapped in the face . Even amongst the B-rankers, he had never lost in speed, and now this man who had kept up with him was introducing himself as an E-ranker . ¡®Who is this fucker kidding?¡¯ Kang Taeshik grinded his teeth . ¡®Wait¡­¡¯ There was something that tripped him up . ¡®If he¡¯s really a high-ranking Hunter, there¡¯s no way he would be here . ¡¯ The Hunters who worked for the Association basically groveled for scraps . After all, the Gates that the Association had to clear were those that were passed up by the Guilds or private parties for being too weak . Compared to the other Hunters, the Association-affiliated Hunters did not earn much and were even looked down on by most . So this bastard was surely an E-ranker . Just one that was hiding his skill . ¡®Still, even a false ranker wouldn¡¯t be working under the Association . ¡¯ After all that, Kang Taeshik came upon a conclusion . ¡®¡­Awakening after Awakening . ¡¯ Now that he thought about it, he recalled a short time ago when the upper management of the Association was excited at the news of a potential Reawakening happening in this area . ¡®They said it was an Association-affiliated Hunter¡­¡¯ Kang Taeshik cursed himself, as he realized he should¡¯ve remembered the Hunter¡¯s name . If the man was putting off his retest, he would¡¯ve still been working in the area as an E-ranker . To think that he would be facing off against him now¡­ He had thoroughly looked over the list of Hunters participating in today¡¯s Raid but did not pay attention to the possibility that the Reawakened Hunter would be here . [1] ¡®That¡¯s some bad luck I¡¯ve got¡­¡¯ He could not help but think this way . ¡®If I knew this, I should¡¯ve asked for more money¡­¡¯ Kang Taeshik thought back on the event that occurred few days ago and licked his lips . Few days ago . A caf¨¦ near the Association Headquarters . Kang Taeshik spoke as he sat down . ¡°Why did you call me?¡± The middle-aged man sitting across from him looked emaciated . ¡®He said he was a president of some business?¡¯ He had never met the man, but after repeatedly being called, Kang Taeshik relented and decided to give the man his time . The man seemingly spoke to himself, ¡°I heard nobody know what happens in a Dungeon . ¡± His voice was so small; Kang Taeshik had to ask him to clarify, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°This is all the money I¡¯ve gathered . ¡± The man slid a bankbook across the table . Kang Taeshik stared back and forth between the man and the bankbook, then picked it up and checked its contents . The bankbook contained 2 billion won . ¡°And you¡¯re giving this to me¡­ why?¡± The man replied to Kang Taeshik¡¯s suspicious face, ¡°One of the prisoners under your watch violated my daughter . She hanged herself afterwards . My wife collapsed out of shock and is still hospitalized . ¡± The man spoke with tears on his face . ¡°And they say the son of a bitch who did it is going to go free in just a few years¡­ How could I sleep knowing this?¡± The man raised his eyes, and his face was filled with rage and sorrow . ¡°I think you know what I mean by this . ¡± The man bowed his head, ¡°Please, Hunter-nim! I beg of you!¡± A quietness fell between the two men . Kang Taeshik leaned back on his chair and fell into deep thought . After some time, he opened his mouth, ¡°Do you know why I went into the Hunter Association¡¯s Hunter Surveillance Department?¡± ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°As a B-rank Hunter, I would be considered a high-ranking Hunter . It wouldn¡¯t be strange for me to receive offers from various Guilds . Yet do you know why I chose this job with its shitty pay?¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know . ¡± The corners of Kang Taeshik¡¯s mouth rose, ¡°Compared to fighting monsters, I much rather enjoy fighting humans . ¡± For that purpose, working for the HSD was a dream job . He was able to legally beat up other Hunters . And occasionally, if they resisted too hard¡­ He couldn¡¯t help but kill them . ¡®Couldn¡¯t¡­ help it¡­ . pft¡­¡¯ Kang Taeshik swallowed his laughter . ¡°As you¡¯ve asked, it won¡¯t be much for me to take care of the bugs you¡¯re referring to . The problem is, there will be Hunters other than the bugs in the Dungeon . Well, they¡¯re all bugs to me, but still, what would you have me do about those other Hunters?¡± At Kang Taeshik¡¯s words, the man frowned disappointedly . All he wanted was revenge for his daughter . As if mocking him, Kang Taeshik put on an ugly smile . ¡°I¡¯m going to ask 1 billion more for taking care of the other Hunters . Does that work for you?¡± However, if those other Hunters included a Reawakened Hunter, 3 billion would not nearly be enough . His life was on the line, after all . The so-called E-rank Hunter was expelling an oppressive amount of pressure . He was poised to leap at any opening Kang Taeshik showed . The man gulped . ¡®He¡¯s not an easy target . ¡¯ He had the confidence to win . Even before he became an Awakened Being, Kang Taeshik had never lost a duel . Still, it would not be an easy victory . He may need to change up the plan a little . Suddenly, the E-rank Hunter spoke, ¡°Those prisoners¡­ why did you kill them?¡± ¡°One of them raped a girl . Her father came to me and asked me directly for it . They were beasts that deserved it . All I did was to kill that beast . ¡± The E-rank Hunter listened without speaking . Perhaps it¡¯d be possible to talk his way out of this . Kang Taeshik moved into action, ¡°After all this, I don¡¯t really feel like killing you . Why don¡¯t you just look away for today? If you promise to be quiet, I won¡¯t touch you guys anymore¡± Of course, he had no intention of letting them go . But a direct confrontation here could result in him being injured, and he wanted to avoid that . He would let them go, then take care of them one by one later . But the E-ranker laughed in his face, ¡°That¡¯s something you should¡¯ve said before attacking . Now that you¡¯ve failed your ambush, you¡¯re going to try and talk your way out of this?¡± Well, he was not wrong . Kang Taeshik also smiled . ¡®So it¡¯s going to be this way after all . ¡¯ Then, he would give it all he has . Kang Taeshik¡¯s eyes became filled with bloodlust . His eyes quickly scanned the E-rank Hunter up and down . ¡®Where did he get the dagger?¡¯ Before he had realized it, the E-ranker was holding a dagger . ¡®Well¡­ whatever . ¡¯ It did not matter where he had gotten it . Only what he was holding . Kang Taeshik finished a brief analysis . The enemy was a dagger user with a quick body, an ultra short range fighter . His class was probably assassin . Coincidentally, it was the same as his own class . But the bastard only Reawakened a short time ago, so the difference in experience would be massive . He would not have the chance to show off his skills . ¡°This sunbae will teach you a few things . ¡± Kang Taeshik took out a knife from his waist and mocked the E-rank Hunter . ¡°Can you do something like¡­ this?¡± Kang Taeshik used the skill, ¡®Stealth¡¯[2], and his body became invisible . At his disappearance, the E-ranker panicked and looked around . ¡®Of course . ¡¯ The ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill was not just a simple invisibility . Appearance, sound and smell! All the traces detectable by the normal senses of a human being would be erased, that was ¡®Stealth¡¯ . Even among the Assassin-class Hunters, only a handful of them could use ¡®Stealth¡¯ . Regardless of their rank, only the lucky ones received this skill at their Awakening . ¡®Surprise, bitch!¡¯ Kang Taeshik moved behind the E-ranker in an instant . His back was completely exposed . ¡®It¡¯s over . ¡¯ He had expected a difficult fight, but this was a lot more boring than he thought . If the opponent had anticipated the ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill, he might¡¯ve been able to do something . The difference in experience ended up being the deciding factor, after all . ¡®Die!¡¯ Kang Taeshik¡¯s knife stabbed straight towards Jinwoo¡¯s ribs . clang! Two daggers clashed and sparked . With his ¡®Stealth¡¯ released, Kang Taeshik¡¯s eyes widened . ¡°How?¡± The E-ranker¡¯s dagger was blocking his own . Kang Taeshik looked up at the E-rank Hunter¡¯s face in surprise . The man opened his mouth with an expressionless face . ¡°It finally came up . ¡± ¡°What came up¡­?¡± Unable to understand Jinwoo¡¯s words, Kang Taeshik felt an unknown sense of terror wash over him . ring~! Emergency Quest: Deal With The Enemies! Those with murderous intent towards the ¡®Player¡¯ have been detected . Ensure your safety by dealing with these enemies . Enemies to deal with: 1 Enemies dealt with: 0 Non-compliance will result in a penalty . Jinwoo confirmed the contents of the emergency quest and sighed in relief . ¡®This wasn¡¯t all for nothing . ¡¯ He had hoped that letting Kang Taeshik make the first move would result in an emergency quest, just like the time with Hwang Dongseok¡¯s party . He tested it to make sure and the results were as expected . The moment Kang Taeshik struck with a killing intent, the message popped up . There was a reason he had refused the offer and pretended to panic . ¡®Well, I didn¡¯t expect to see him use ¡®Stealth¡¯¡­¡¯ When Kang Taeshik disappeared before his eyes, it did surprise him a little bit . After all, the ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill was a rare sight to behold . But the moment Jinwoo focused his senses, he was able to feel the man¡¯s presence even with his eyes closed . This was the power of his raised sense stat . At first, he had invested points into it to determine whether he had to fight or run from an enemy, but now it had found another use . ¡®I got lucky . ¡¯ And thanks to that, Kang Taeshik was startled as if he had seen a ghost . ¡°How, how did you?¡± All that was left was to deal with him and get the quest¡¯s reward . ¡®If I¡¯m going to fight, might as well get paid for it . ¡¯ It was his turn now . Time to attack . The two men put strength behind their daggers, attempting to push towards the other . Their strength was evenly matched . ¡®Should I try something else?¡¯ Jinwoo quickly slammed his foot down on Kang Taeshik¡¯s . crack! ¡°Uwaaaak!¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: Just a reminder, the Reawakening is Kang Taeshik¡¯s theory in the moment . Jinwoo confirmed before that what he was going through is NOT Reawakening . [2]: ¡°Stealth¡± (??): Lit . ¡°hide/stealth¡± . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 32. . -4 . B-ranker Kang Taeshik-. . Kang Taeshik felt like he got slapped in the face . Even amongst the B-rankers, he had never lost in speed, and now this man who had kept up with him was introducing himself as an E-ranker . . . ¡®Who is this fucker kidding?¡¯. . Kang Taeshik grinded his teeth . . . ¡®Wait¡­¡¯. . There was something that tripped him up . . . ¡®If he¡¯s really a high-ranking Hunter, there¡¯s no way he would be here . ¡¯. . The Hunters who worked for the Association basically groveled for scraps . After all, the Gates that the Association had to clear were those that were passed up by the Guilds or private parties for being too weak . Compared to the other Hunters, the Association-affiliated Hunters did not earn much and were even looked down on by most . . . So this bastard was surely an E-ranker . Just one that was hiding his skill . . . ¡®Still, even a false ranker wouldn¡¯t be working under the Association . ¡¯. . After all that, Kang Taeshik came upon a conclusion . . . ¡®¡­Awakening after Awakening . ¡¯. . Now that he thought about it, he recalled a short time ago when the upper management of the Association was excited at the news of a potential Reawakening happening in this area . . . ¡®They said it was an Association-affiliated Hunter¡­¡¯. . Kang Taeshik cursed himself, as he realized he should¡¯ve remembered the Hunter¡¯s name . If the man was putting off his retest, he would¡¯ve still been working in the area as an E-ranker . To think that he would be facing off against him now¡­ He had thoroughly looked over the list of Hunters participating in today¡¯s Raid but did not pay attention to the possibility that the Reawakened Hunter would be here . [1]. . ¡®That¡¯s some bad luck I¡¯ve got¡­¡¯. . He could not help but think this way . . . ¡®If I knew this, I should¡¯ve asked for more money¡­¡¯. . Kang Taeshik thought back on the event that occurred few days ago and licked his lips . . . . . Few days ago . . . A caf¨¦ near the Association Headquarters . . . Kang Taeshik spoke as he sat down . . . ¡°Why did you call me?¡±. . The middle-aged man sitting across from him looked emaciated . . . ¡®He said he was a president of some business?¡¯. . He had never met the man, but after repeatedly being called, Kang Taeshik relented and decided to give the man his time . . . The man seemingly spoke to himself,. . ¡°I heard nobody know what happens in a Dungeon . ¡±. . His voice was so small; Kang Taeshik had to ask him to clarify,. . ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±. . ¡°This is all the money I¡¯ve gathered . ¡±. . The man slid a bankbook across the table . Kang Taeshik stared back and forth between the man and the bankbook, then picked it up and checked its contents . The bankbook contained 2 billion won . . . ¡°And you¡¯re giving this to me¡­ why?¡±. . The man replied to Kang Taeshik¡¯s suspicious face,. . ¡°One of the prisoners under your watch violated my daughter . She hanged herself afterwards . My wife collapsed out of shock and is still hospitalized . ¡±. . The man spoke with tears on his face . . . ¡°And they say the son of a bitch who did it is going to go free in just a few years¡­ How could I sleep knowing this?¡±. . The man raised his eyes, and his face was filled with rage and sorrow . . . ¡°I think you know what I mean by this . ¡±. . The man bowed his head,. . ¡°Please, Hunter-nim! I beg of you!¡±. . A quietness fell between the two men . . . Kang Taeshik leaned back on his chair and fell into deep thought . . . After some time, he opened his mouth,. . ¡°Do you know why I went into the Hunter Association¡¯s Hunter Surveillance Department?¡±. . ¡°Sir?¡±. . ¡°As a B-rank Hunter, I would be considered a high-ranking Hunter . It wouldn¡¯t be strange for me to receive offers from various Guilds . Yet do you know why I chose this job with its shitty pay?¡±. . ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know . ¡±. . The corners of Kang Taeshik¡¯s mouth rose,. . ¡°Compared to fighting monsters, I much rather enjoy fighting humans . ¡±. . For that purpose, working for the HSD was a dream job . He was able to legally beat up other Hunters . And occasionally, if they resisted too hard¡­ He couldn¡¯t help but kill them . . . ¡®Couldn¡¯t¡­ help it¡­ . pft¡­¡¯. . Kang Taeshik swallowed his laughter . . . ¡°As you¡¯ve asked, it won¡¯t be much for me to take care of the bugs you¡¯re referring to . The problem is, there will be Hunters other than the bugs in the Dungeon . Well, they¡¯re all bugs to me, but still, what would you have me do about those other Hunters?¡±. . At Kang Taeshik¡¯s words, the man frowned disappointedly . All he wanted was revenge for his daughter . As if mocking him, Kang Taeshik put on an ugly smile . . . ¡°I¡¯m going to ask 1 billion more for taking care of the other Hunters . Does that work for you?¡±. . . . However, if those other Hunters included a Reawakened Hunter, 3 billion would not nearly be enough . His life was on the line, after all . The so-called E-rank Hunter was expelling an oppressive amount of pressure . He was poised to leap at any opening Kang Taeshik showed . The man gulped . . . ¡®He¡¯s not an easy target . ¡¯. . He had the confidence to win . Even before he became an Awakened Being, Kang Taeshik had never lost a duel . Still, it would not be an easy victory . He may need to change up the plan a little . . . Suddenly, the E-rank Hunter spoke,. . ¡°Those prisoners¡­ why did you kill them?¡±. . ¡°One of them raped a girl . Her father came to me and asked me directly for it . They were beasts that deserved it . All I did was to kill that beast . ¡±. . The E-rank Hunter listened without speaking . Perhaps it¡¯d be possible to talk his way out of this . Kang Taeshik moved into action,. . ¡°After all this, I don¡¯t really feel like killing you . Why don¡¯t you just look away for today? If you promise to be quiet, I won¡¯t touch you guys anymore¡±. . Of course, he had no intention of letting them go . But a direct confrontation here could result in him being injured, and he wanted to avoid that . He would let them go, then take care of them one by one later . . . But the E-ranker laughed in his face,. . ¡°That¡¯s something you should¡¯ve said before attacking . Now that you¡¯ve failed your ambush, you¡¯re going to try and talk your way out of this?¡±. . Well, he was not wrong . Kang Taeshik also smiled . . . ¡®So it¡¯s going to be this way after all . ¡¯. . Then, he would give it all he has . Kang Taeshik¡¯s eyes became filled with bloodlust . His eyes quickly scanned the E-rank Hunter up and down . . . ¡®Where did he get the dagger?¡¯. . Before he had realized it, the E-ranker was holding a dagger . . . ¡®Well¡­ whatever . ¡¯. . It did not matter where he had gotten it . Only what he was holding . Kang Taeshik finished a brief analysis . The enemy was a dagger user with a quick body, an ultra short range fighter . His class was probably assassin . Coincidentally, it was the same as his own class . But the bastard only Reawakened a short time ago, so the difference in experience would be massive . He would not have the chance to show off his skills . . . ¡°This sunbae will teach you a few things . ¡±. . Kang Taeshik took out a knife from his waist and mocked the E-rank Hunter . . . ¡°Can you do something like¡­ this?¡±. . Kang Taeshik used the skill, ¡®Stealth¡¯[2], and his body became invisible . At his disappearance, the E-ranker panicked and looked around . . . ¡®Of course . ¡¯. . The ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill was not just a simple invisibility . . . Appearance, sound and smell!. . All the traces detectable by the normal senses of a human being would be erased, that was ¡®Stealth¡¯ . Even among the Assassin-class Hunters, only a handful of them could use ¡®Stealth¡¯ . Regardless of their rank, only the lucky ones received this skill at their Awakening . . . ¡®Surprise, bitch!¡¯. . Kang Taeshik moved behind the E-ranker in an instant . His back was completely exposed . . . ¡®It¡¯s over . ¡¯. . He had expected a difficult fight, but this was a lot more boring than he thought . If the opponent had anticipated the ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill, he might¡¯ve been able to do something . The difference in experience ended up being the deciding factor, after all . . . ¡®Die!¡¯. . Kang Taeshik¡¯s knife stabbed straight towards Jinwoo¡¯s ribs . . . clang!. . Two daggers clashed and sparked . With his ¡®Stealth¡¯ released, Kang Taeshik¡¯s eyes widened . . . ¡°How?¡±. . The E-ranker¡¯s dagger was blocking his own . . . Kang Taeshik looked up at the E-rank Hunter¡¯s face in surprise . . . The man opened his mouth with an expressionless face . . . ¡°It finally came up . ¡±. . ¡°What came up¡­?¡±. . Unable to understand Jinwoo¡¯s words, Kang Taeshik felt an unknown sense of terror wash over him . . . ring~!. . Emergency Quest: Deal With The Enemies!. Those with murderous intent towards the ¡®Player¡¯ have been detected . Ensure your safety by dealing with these enemies . . Enemies to deal with: 1. Enemies dealt with: 0. Non-compliance will result in a penalty . . . Jinwoo confirmed the contents of the emergency quest and sighed in relief . . . ¡®This wasn¡¯t all for nothing . ¡¯. . He had hoped that letting Kang Taeshik make the first move would result in an emergency quest, just like the time with Hwang Dongseok¡¯s party . He tested it to make sure and the results were as expected . The moment Kang Taeshik struck with a killing intent, the message popped up . There was a reason he had refused the offer and pretended to panic . . . ¡®Well, I didn¡¯t expect to see him use ¡®Stealth¡¯¡­¡¯. . When Kang Taeshik disappeared before his eyes, it did surprise him a little bit . After all, the ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill was a rare sight to behold . But the moment Jinwoo focused his senses, he was able to feel the man¡¯s presence even with his eyes closed . This was the power of his raised sense stat . At first, he had invested points into it to determine whether he had to fight or run from an enemy, but now it had found another use . . . ¡®I got lucky . ¡¯. . And thanks to that, Kang Taeshik was startled as if he had seen a ghost . . . ¡°How, how did you?¡±. . All that was left was to deal with him and get the quest¡¯s reward . . . ¡®If I¡¯m going to fight, might as well get paid for it . ¡¯. . It was his turn now . . . Time to attack . . . The two men put strength behind their daggers, attempting to push towards the other . . . Their strength was evenly matched . . . ¡®Should I try something else?¡¯. . Jinwoo quickly slammed his foot down on Kang Taeshik¡¯s . . . crack!. . ¡°Uwaaaak!¡±. . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: Just a reminder, the Reawakening is Kang Taeshik¡¯s theory in the moment . Jinwoo confirmed before that what he was going through is NOT Reawakening . . [2]: ¡°Stealth¡± (??): Lit . ¡°hide/stealth¡± . . Chapter 33 Having focused on the clash of daggers, Kang Taeshik was caught off guard by the sudden surge of pain shooting from his foot and backed off . Jinwoo did not give the man any room to breathe . ¡®Sprint!¡¯ Sprinthas been activated . Your movement speed is increased by 30% . While active, 1 mana will be used up every minute . As Jinwoo rapidly chased after the man, Kang Taeshik was surprised once more . ¡®He got faster!¡¯ Up until now, he had felt that his speed was matched by Jinwoo¡¯s; maybe he was just a smidgen faster . But seeing Jinwoo suddenly speed up a level, Kang Taeshik could not afford to lose a moment of focus . Jinwoo closed the gap in an instant and stabbed his dagger into Kang Taeshik¡¯s thigh . ¡°Argh!¡± It was an attack that slipped past Kang Taeshik¡¯s defense that had been focused on his upper body . Paralysis has been inflicted . The target¡¯s resistance was too high . Effect cancelled . Bleeding has been inflicted . The target will lose 1% health per second . ¡®Good enough!¡¯ One of Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang¡¯s special effects went through . It was a shame that it wasn¡¯t ¡®Paralysis¡¯, but ¡®Bleeding¡¯ would still make the fight much easier . But Kang Taeshik held his pride as a high-ranking Hunter! His resistance was not at all low . He leaped after Jinwoo with his knife . slash- slash- Jinwoo dodged the knife by a hair¡¯s breadth and counterattacked towards Kang Taeshik¡¯s vitals . Even with a wound on his thigh, the man skillfully blocked Jinwoo¡¯s attacks . clang, clang! Both of the fighter¡¯s brows moistened with sweat . ¡®The speed is about even!¡¯ ¡®Our speed¡¯s the same!¡¯ The two men praised the other¡¯s speed and continued their ultra short-range battle of speed . A single misstep would mean defeat; the duo mercilessly attacked each other with attacks meant to kill . slash, slash, slaaaash, slash- slash! A spectacle that would drain the blood of those watching, it was truly a fight to the death . ¡®I have to break the balance . ¡¯ Jinwoo focused strength into his eyes . Bloodlust has been activated . Kang Taeshik looked into Jinwoo¡¯s eyes and flinched . ¡®What?¡¯ Fear has been inflicted . The target will lose 50% of all attributes for 1 minute . ¡®It worked!¡¯ Jinwoo became assured of victory . On the other hand, Kang Taeshik¡¯s eyes were trembling . ¡®What¡¯s happening to me?¡¯ After meeting Jinwoo¡¯s eyes, it suddenly felt like he had been submerged in deep water . His body felt heavy, as if he was struggling to move underwater . The speed that he was so proud of was cut drastically . slash! slaash! The stalemate had been broken . Jinwoo¡¯s attacks began to land . One by one, wounds started appearing on Kang Taeshik¡¯s body . ¡®This, this can¡¯t be!¡¯ The B-rank Hunter was in panic . This was definitely an effect of a debuff skill . He had never heard of an Assassin-class that could use a debuff magic . ¡®Is he not an Assassin-class?¡¯ But if not, how was his speed possible? Kang Taeshik could not finish his thought . His panic quickly turned into terror . Jinwoo was charging straight at him from the front . Kang Taeshik swung his knife at Jinwoo¡¯s eyes with all of his speed as a final resort . slash! Jinwoo quickly twisted his head but was scratched by the knife on his cheek . But this amount of damage was in his calculations . He had thrown his entire body into the deciding blow, anticipating to dodge the desperate counterattack . The two men had fought in a world where time had slowed down . In their final infinitesimal moment, Kang Taeshik frowned in realization . ¡®Shit . ¡¯ stab . Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang dug itself deep into Kang Taeshik¡¯s chest . ¡°cough!¡± Kang Taeshik widened his eyes in pain . In that moment, the two men knew it was over; the victor had been decided . Blood seeped out of the corner of Kang Taeshik¡¯s mouth . He smiled with a blood-filled mouth . Of all the days, he just had to meet a Reawakened Hunter in a D-rank Dungeon today . ¡®I really have shitty luck¡­¡¯ The knife in his hand fell to the ground . As he gasped for breath, Kang Taeshik whispered something into Jinwoo¡¯s ear . ¡°¡­¡± Jinwoo allowed the man his final words, then removed the dagger from his chest . Kang Taeshik¡¯s body slumped to the ground, like a puppet with its strings cut . collapse ring~! You¡¯ve completed the ¡®Emergency Quest: Deal With The Enemies¡¯ The reward for completing the quest has arrived . Would you like to verify? (Y/N) Jinwoo grimaced at the message . Like before, killing a human being left a bitter taste in his mouth, even if the opponent had instigated it . If not for the reward, this affair would¡¯ve been a red in his ledger . Jinwoo tried to comfort himself with that thought and checked the reward . ring~! You¡¯ve received the below reward . Reward 1 . Stat points +5 ¡®What?¡¯ Jinwoo stared at the reward incredulously . It was much smaller than what he had received for dealing with Hwang Dongseok¡¯s party . ¡®The difficulty this time was much higher!¡¯ Did the number of enemies matter more than their skill? Or was there some other factor involved? Jinwoo tilted his head in question, then, something caught his eyes behind the screen . There was a dime-sized light coming from Kang Taeshik¡¯s corpse . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened, ¡®Is it¡­?¡¯ He could not believe it, but it was the same light coming from monsters¡¯ corpses with drops . The same light also appeared in magic beasts¡¯ corpses with magic cores . And now, the light that signified a drop was coming from Kang Taeshik . ¡®What could it be?¡¯ He calmed his beating heart and stretched a hand toward Kang Taeshik¡¯s corpse . ring~! He was not mistaken! You¡¯ve found a ¡°Runestone: Stealth¡± Would you like to acquire it? ¡®Runestone? Wait, Runestone?!!!¡¯ His heart started pounding again in excitement . The skill that Kang Taeshik used had been left behind as a Runestone on his corpse . ¡®Stealth¡¯ was a rare skill that only a handful of Hunters had . If Jinwoo was able to obtain a Runestone with that skill¡­ ¡®Acquire . ¡¯ A small stone with runes inscribed on it appeared in his outstretched hand . Runestone: Stealth Break the Runestone to absorb the skill . He had to break the stone to absorb the skill . This confirmed that this was truly a Runestone . Breaking this would give him access to ¡®Stealth¡¯ . Jinwoo had never heard of a Runestone granting ¡®Stealth¡¯, that alone made the item priceless . Two people¡¯s voice cried out from behind him . ¡°Sung-ssi, are you alright?¡± ¡°Jinwoo-ssi!¡± Jinwoo quickly hid the Runestone in his pockets and turned around . Song Chiyeol and Lee Juhee was staring at him in disbelief . To think that an E-rank Hunter Jinwoo, who used to tremble in fear in D-rank Dungeons, defeated the B-rank Hunter Kang Taeshik . The noncombat-class Lee Juhee might not fully grasp the situation, but the C-rank Song Chiyeol understood just how unbelievable this was . Jinwoo looked over his body . ¡°Yes, I¡¯m alright . ¡± At a glance, everything seemed to be alright . There wasn¡¯t any specific place that was hurting . But as he turned his head, the blood that had pooled beneath his chin dripped to the ground . Jinwoo touched his cheek; the cut that he received during his final attack was bleeding . ¡°Ah . ¡± ¡°I¡¯ll heal it . ¡± A blue light gathered in Juhee¡¯s hands, and even that small wound quickly disappeared . The E-rank Hunter had defeated the B-ranker without any major injury . To the two that knew Jinwoo, this was more shocking than the fact that a B-ranker had tried to kill them all . ¡°Young man, how did you¡­¡± Song Chiyeol could not finish his sentence . Jinwoo knew what he wanted to say, so he opened his mouth instead, ¡°I¡¯m sorry . I¡¯ll be able to tell you the full story someday, but right now, please don¡¯t ask me any questions . ¡± As Jinwoo asked with a stern and sincere voice, Juhee nodded her head . Song Chiyeol hesitated, then nodded as well, ¡°If you say it like that, I¡¯m sure you have a good reason . I understand . ¡± Then, Jinwoo turned his head towards the direction of the boss room . They had hit a bump on the road, but he wanted to complete his original objective . However, he had to send the other two away . He wanted to solo the boss, and there was something he wanted to do without the others watching . Jinwoo asked Song Chiyeol, ¡°I¡¯m sure continuing the Raid after all this is too much for the two of you . Why don¡¯t you leave the Dungeon and contact the Association? I¡¯ll stay behind and see if there are other survivors . ¡± Song Chiyeol intuitively understood what Jinwoo was asking for . ¡®He¡¯s going to close the Gate . ¡¯ ¡°That sounds good, Ms . Juhee, why don¡¯t we leave . ¡± Juhee hesitated, then ran over to Jinwoo, ¡°You didn¡¯t forget our dinner promise, right?¡± Jinwoo smiled, ¡°Of course not . I still have to get that change . ¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t forget . I¡¯ll be waiting outside . ¡± Jinwoo nodded, and Juhee, satisfied, left with Song Chiyeol . But even as she walked out of the Dungeon, she repeatedly looked back . Confirming the two had left, Jinwoo sighed . ¡°Sigh . . . ¡± He had hoped to hide his abilities for a bit longer . But now that there were two more witnesses, he could not delay it much longer . ¡®It¡¯s not like I want to threaten Juhee or Song-ssi ahjussi . ¡¯ Killing the B-rank Hunter would be ruled as an act of self-defense . Since he had two witnesses, there would be no problem . The problem was explaining how an E-rank Hunter had defeated a B-rank Hunter . ¡®Best explanation is that I went through Reawakening¡­¡¯ And so, he decided to go with that route . He would claim that he was a Reawakened Hunter and undergo the retest . Nobody would believe the truth about the System or level-ups, and he didn¡¯t particularly want to reveal that detail . Having determined that he would undergo a retest, Jinwoo felt a slight sense of disappointment . ¡®I planned to do it after getting just a bit stronger¡­¡¯ But sometimes, things just did not go according to plan . There was nothing he could do . ¡®Wonder what my new rank will be?¡¯ He felt evenly matched with Kang Taeshik, so perhaps he was a little above B-rank? Jinwoo had thought that he had become stronger, but the increases in strength from B-rank to S-rank Hunters were beyond his expectations . ¡®Well, I¡¯ll worry about that later . ¡¯ Right now, he had to focus on the boss . The D-rank Dungeon had only shown E-rank magic beasts so far, this meant that the magic power that was detected when measuring the Dungeon¡¯s difficulty mostly came from the boss . If that was the case, he could probably earn some experience points still . ¡®Before that . ¡¯ There was something he had to check . He focused his energies and expanded the range of his senses . ¡°Found him . ¡± Jinwoo started walking . On the way, he found the corpses of Kim Sangshik and the other Hunter[1] . This was the power of a high-ranking Hunter . If they wanted, it was nothing for them to quickly dispatch a lower-ranking Hunter . Jinwoo passed the bodies of his former comrades with a hardened expression . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 33 Having focused on the clash of daggers, Kang Taeshik was caught off guard by the sudden surge of pain shooting from his foot and backed off Jinwoo did not give the man any room to breathe ¡®Sprint!¡¯. Sprinthas been activated . Your movement speed is increased by 30% . While active, 1 mana will be used up every minute . As Jinwoo rapidly chased after the man, Kang Taeshik was surprised once more ¡®He got faster!¡¯. Up until now, he had felt that his speed was matched by Jinwoo¡¯s; maybe he was just a smidgen faster . But seeing Jinwoo suddenly speed up a level, Kang Taeshik could not afford to lose a moment of focus . Jinwoo closed the gap in an instant and stabbed his dagger into Kang Taeshik¡¯s thigh . . ¡°Argh!¡±. It was an attack that slipped past Kang Taeshik¡¯s defense that had been focused on his upper body Paralysis has been inflicted . The target¡¯s resistance was too high . Effect cancelled . Bleeding has been inflicted . The target will lose 1% health per second . ¡®Good enough!¡¯. One of Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang¡¯s special effects went through . It was a shame that it wasn¡¯t ¡®Paralysis¡¯, but ¡®Bleeding¡¯ would still make the fight much easier But Kang Taeshik held his pride as a high-ranking Hunter!. His resistance was not at all low . He leaped after Jinwoo with his knife slash- slash-. Jinwoo dodged the knife by a hair¡¯s breadth and counterattacked towards Kang Taeshik¡¯s vitals . Even with a wound on his thigh, the man skillfully blocked Jinwoo¡¯s attacks clang, clang!. Both of the fighter¡¯s brows moistened with sweat ¡®The speed is about even!¡¯. ¡®Our speed¡¯s the same!¡¯. The two men praised the other¡¯s speed and continued their ultra short-range battle of speed . A single misstep would mean defeat; the duo mercilessly attacked each other with attacks meant to kill slash, slash, slaaaash, slash- slash!. A spectacle that would drain the blood of those watching, it was truly a fight to the death ¡®I have to break the balance . ¡¯. Jinwoo focused strength into his eyes Bloodlust has been activated . Kang Taeshik looked into Jinwoo¡¯s eyes and flinched ¡®What?¡¯. Fear has been inflicted . The target will lose 50% of all attributes for 1 minute . ¡®It worked!¡¯. Jinwoo became assured of victory . On the other hand, Kang Taeshik¡¯s eyes were trembling ¡®What¡¯s happening to me?¡¯. After meeting Jinwoo¡¯s eyes, it suddenly felt like he had been submerged in deep water . His body felt heavy, as if he was struggling to move underwater . The speed that he was so proud of was cut drastically slash! slaash!. The stalemate had been broken . Jinwoo¡¯s attacks began to land . One by one, wounds started appearing on Kang Taeshik¡¯s body ¡®This, this can¡¯t be!¡¯. The B-rank Hunter was in panic . This was definitely an effect of a debuff skill . He had never heard of an Assassin-class that could use a debuff magic ¡®Is he not an Assassin-class?¡¯. But if not, how was his speed possible?. Kang Taeshik could not finish his thought . His panic quickly turned into terror . Jinwoo was charging straight at him from the front . Kang Taeshik swung his knife at Jinwoo¡¯s eyes with all of his speed as a final resort slash!. Jinwoo quickly twisted his head but was scratched by the knife on his cheek . But this amount of damage was in his calculations . He had thrown his entire body into the deciding blow, anticipating to dodge the desperate counterattack The two men had fought in a world where time had slowed down . In their final infinitesimal moment, Kang Taeshik frowned in realization ¡®Shit . ¡¯. stab . . Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang dug itself deep into Kang Taeshik¡¯s chest ¡°cough!¡±. Kang Taeshik widened his eyes in pain . In that moment, the two men knew it was over; the victor had been decided . Blood seeped out of the corner of Kang Taeshik¡¯s mouth . He smiled with a blood-filled mouth . Of all the days, he just had to meet a Reawakened Hunter in a D-rank Dungeon today ¡®I really have shitty luck¡­¡¯. The knife in his hand fell to the ground . As he gasped for breath, Kang Taeshik whispered something into Jinwoo¡¯s ear ¡°¡­¡±. Jinwoo allowed the man his final words, then removed the dagger from his chest Kang Taeshik¡¯s body slumped to the ground, like a puppet with its strings cut collapse. ring~!. You¡¯ve completed the ¡®Emergency Quest: Deal With The Enemies¡¯ The reward for completing the quest has arrived . Would you like to verify? (Y/N) Jinwoo grimaced at the message . Like before, killing a human being left a bitter taste in his mouth, even if the opponent had instigated it . If not for the reward, this affair would¡¯ve been a red in his ledger . Jinwoo tried to comfort himself with that thought and checked the reward ring~!. You¡¯ve received the below reward . Reward 1 . Stat points +5 ¡®What?¡¯. Jinwoo stared at the reward incredulously . It was much smaller than what he had received for dealing with Hwang Dongseok¡¯s party ¡®The difficulty this time was much higher!¡¯. Did the number of enemies matter more than their skill? Or was there some other factor involved?. Jinwoo tilted his head in question, then, something caught his eyes behind the screen . There was a dime-sized light coming from Kang Taeshik¡¯s corpse . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened,. ¡®Is it¡­?¡¯. He could not believe it, but it was the same light coming from monsters¡¯ corpses with drops . The same light also appeared in magic beasts¡¯ corpses with magic cores . And now, the light that signified a drop was coming from Kang Taeshik ¡®What could it be?¡¯. He calmed his beating heart and stretched a hand toward Kang Taeshik¡¯s corpse ring~!. He was not mistaken!. You¡¯ve found a ¡°Runestone: Stealth¡± Would you like to acquire it? ¡®Runestone? Wait, Runestone?!!!¡¯. His heart started pounding again in excitement . The skill that Kang Taeshik used had been left behind as a Runestone on his corpse . ¡®Stealth¡¯ was a rare skill that only a handful of Hunters had . If Jinwoo was able to obtain a Runestone with that skill¡­. ¡®Acquire . ¡¯. A small stone with runes inscribed on it appeared in his outstretched hand Runestone: Stealth Break the Runestone to absorb the skill . He had to break the stone to absorb the skill . This confirmed that this was truly a Runestone . Breaking this would give him access to ¡®Stealth¡¯ . Jinwoo had never heard of a Runestone granting ¡®Stealth¡¯, that alone made the item priceless Two people¡¯s voice cried out from behind him ¡°Sung-ssi, are you alright?¡±. ¡°Jinwoo-ssi!¡±. Jinwoo quickly hid the Runestone in his pockets and turned around . Song Chiyeol and Lee Juhee was staring at him in disbelief . To think that an E-rank Hunter Jinwoo, who used to tremble in fear in D-rank Dungeons, defeated the B-rank Hunter Kang Taeshik . The noncombat-class Lee Juhee might not fully grasp the situation, but the C-rank Song Chiyeol understood just how unbelievable this was Jinwoo looked over his body ¡°Yes, I¡¯m alright . ¡±. At a glance, everything seemed to be alright . There wasn¡¯t any specific place that was hurting . But as he turned his head, the blood that had pooled beneath his chin dripped to the ground . Jinwoo touched his cheek; the cut that he received during his final attack was bleeding ¡°Ah . ¡±. ¡°I¡¯ll heal it . ¡±. A blue light gathered in Juhee¡¯s hands, and even that small wound quickly disappeared . The E-rank Hunter had defeated the B-ranker without any major injury . To the two that knew Jinwoo, this was more shocking than the fact that a B-ranker had tried to kill them all ¡°Young man, how did you¡­¡±. Song Chiyeol could not finish his sentence . Jinwoo knew what he wanted to say, so he opened his mouth instead,. ¡°I¡¯m sorry . I¡¯ll be able to tell you the full story someday, but right now, please don¡¯t ask me any questions . ¡±. As Jinwoo asked with a stern and sincere voice, Juhee nodded her head . Song Chiyeol hesitated, then nodded as well,. ¡°If you say it like that, I¡¯m sure you have a good reason . I understand . ¡±. Then, Jinwoo turned his head towards the direction of the boss room . They had hit a bump on the road, but he wanted to complete his original objective . However, he had to send the other two away . He wanted to solo the boss, and there was something he wanted to do without the others watching Jinwoo asked Song Chiyeol,. ¡°I¡¯m sure continuing the Raid after all this is too much for the two of you . Why don¡¯t you leave the Dungeon and contact the Association? I¡¯ll stay behind and see if there are other survivors . ¡±. Song Chiyeol intuitively understood what Jinwoo was asking for ¡®He¡¯s going to close the Gate . ¡¯. ¡°That sounds good, Ms . Juhee, why don¡¯t we leave . ¡±. Juhee hesitated, then ran over to Jinwoo,. ¡°You didn¡¯t forget our dinner promise, right?¡±. Jinwoo smiled,. ¡°Of course not . I still have to get that change . ¡±. ¡°Then don¡¯t forget . I¡¯ll be waiting outside . ¡±. Jinwoo nodded, and Juhee, satisfied, left with Song Chiyeol . But even as she walked out of the Dungeon, she repeatedly looked back . . Confirming the two had left, Jinwoo sighed ¡°Sigh . ¡±. He had hoped to hide his abilities for a bit longer . But now that there were two more witnesses, he could not delay it much longer ¡®It¡¯s not like I want to threaten Juhee or Song-ssi ahjussi . ¡¯. Killing the B-rank Hunter would be ruled as an act of self-defense . Since he had two witnesses, there would be no problem . The problem was explaining how an E-rank Hunter had defeated a B-rank Hunter ¡®Best explanation is that I went through Reawakening¡­¡¯. And so, he decided to go with that route . He would claim that he was a Reawakened Hunter and undergo the retest . Nobody would believe the truth about the System or level-ups, and he didn¡¯t particularly want to reveal that detail Having determined that he would undergo a retest, Jinwoo felt a slight sense of disappointment ¡®I planned to do it after getting just a bit stronger¡­¡¯. But sometimes, things just did not go according to plan . There was nothing he could do ¡®Wonder what my new rank will be?¡¯. He felt evenly matched with Kang Taeshik, so perhaps he was a little above B-rank?. Jinwoo had thought that he had become stronger, but the increases in strength from B-rank to S-rank Hunters were beyond his expectations ¡®Well, I¡¯ll worry about that later . ¡¯. Right now, he had to focus on the boss . The D-rank Dungeon had only shown E-rank magic beasts so far, this meant that the magic power that was detected when measuring the Dungeon¡¯s difficulty mostly came from the boss . If that was the case, he could probably earn some experience points still ¡®Before that . ¡¯. There was something he had to check . He focused his energies and expanded the range of his senses ¡°Found him . ¡±. Jinwoo started walking . On the way, he found the corpses of Kim Sangshik and the other Hunter[1] . This was the power of a high-ranking Hunter . If they wanted, it was nothing for them to quickly dispatch a lower-ranking Hunter Jinwoo passed the bodies of his former comrades with a hardened expression Chapter 34 Soon, Jinwoo came upon what he was looking for . ¡°Mmph! mMM! Mph!¡± One of the prisoners was struggling on the ground . The man¡¯s hands and feet were tied-up, and his mouth was gagged . Before he died, Kang Taeshik¡¯s whispers had sent Jinwoo here, ¡°I left the rapist tied-up somewhere nearby . The girl¡¯s father asked me to kill him in the most painful way, so I had saved him for last . ¡± And those were the B-rank Hunter¡¯s final words . The prisoner saw Jinwoo approaching and struggled harder . It was as if he was telling Jinwoo to untie him quickly . ¡°Mph! Mmmph! mmM!¡± Looking closer, Jinwoo realized it was the prisoner who had winked at Juhee . He knelt down and removed the gag from the man¡¯s mouth; the criminal opened his eyes wide in relief and took in a deep breath . ¡°pant, pant, pant! Kang Taeshik, that crazy fucker, he killed them all . All of them! Where did he go? What¡¯s with the blood? Did he get you too?¡± Jinwoo did not reply and instead, raised his head and looked straight ahead . It was the direction of the boss room . The prisoner¡¯s voice became more urgent, ¡°Hurry up and get me out of these . We gotta get out of here before Kang Taeshik comes back . Fuck, if only these ropes weren¡¯t filled with magic power! You got something to cut these with, right? Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Are you not listening to me?!¡± As the lowly Association-affiliated Hunter ignored him, the prisoner forgot the situation he was in and became angry . The emotionless Jinwoo finally opened his mouth, ¡°The boss is straight up ahead . ¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He¡¯s stronger than an average D-rank Dungeon¡¯s boss . I¡¯m curious what his attack pattern is like . ¡± The prisoner lost all patience, ¡°Who the fuck cares?! Fuck!¡± Jinwoo continued calmly, ¡°Before that, I want to ask one thing . Do you remember the girl you raped?¡± ¡°Huh? Which one? Are you related to one of the victims or something?!¡± Jinwoo¡¯s eyes twitched . ¡°Which one¡±¡­ he had guessed correctly . The man¡¯s crime was not limited to just one victim . Possessing a great strength, a Hunter can easily become a monster before an ordinary human . And this man had used that strength to violate women . This solidified what Jinwoo planned to do . He looked down on the prisoner and coldly spoke, ¡°Well, thank you for confirming . ¡± ¡°What? mmM! Mmph!¡± Before the prisoner could continue, Jinwoo gagged him again . Then, he grabbed the man by his ankle and started dragging him forward . ¡°mMM! Mph! Mmph!!!¡± The prisoner struggled with all his might, veins popping up on his face . Ignoring the man thrashing about, Jinwoo calmly dragged him all the way before the entrance of the boss room . ¡°MM!!! MMPH!!!¡± Inside, there were hobgoblins, known for their love of human organs . ¡°MMM!!! MPH!!! MMPH!!!¡± The prisoner realized what Jinwoo was about to do . He saw the hobgoblins and shook his head fiercely, tears trailing from his eyes . The front of his pants became wet . ¡°whooo-¡° Jinwoo took a deep breath, then threw the prisoner into the middle of the hobgoblins . ¡°MMMMMPH-!¡± ¡°Kirik?¡± ¡°Kikikiki¡± ¡°Kiiiik!¡± Smelling fresh meat, the hobgoblins leaped upon the prisoner as one and started tearing into his stomach . ¡°MMM!!! MM!!! MMPH!!!¡± The thrashing prisoner moved so violently that a blood vessel burst in his head, turning his eyes red . ¡°Mmmph! Mmm¡­ mph¡­¡± Even as the man lost consciousness, the hobgoblins continued ripping and eating . Could an ordinary human watch this violent spectacle of a man being eaten alive while keeping their lunch? Jinwoo scanned the room with narrowed eyes, looking for the boss . ¡®There he is . ¡¯ A large hobgoblin was sitting arrogantly in a faraway spot in the room . His subordinates distracted by the bait, the boss was left unguarded . This was Jinwoo¡¯s opportunity . ¡®Sprint!¡¯ Jinwoo flashed past the hobgoblins and appeared before the boss hobgoblin . ¡°Kiiiik!¡± The boss tried to rise in surprise, but his head was rolling on the ground before he was fully up . thud roll roll roll ring~! You¡¯ve defeated the boss of the Dungeon . You¡¯ve leveled up! ¡®Ah, I forgot . ¡¯ Looking at the hobgoblin boss¡¯ head on the ground, Jinwoo remembered the Runestone he had gotten moments earlier . ¡®If I used ¡®Stealth¡¯, I probably didn¡¯t need to use a bait to get to the boss . ¡¯ Jinwoo clicked his tongue at the mangled remains of the prisoner . The body could not be recognized as human anymore . Still, Jinwoo did not feel any sense of compassion towards the man . ¡®Well, whatever¡­¡¯ The plan had worked after all . -5 . Gears- It was easy to take care of the remaining hobgoblins that had lost their leader . ¡°Kiiik!¡± ¡°Kiaaak!¡± ¡°Kiyak!¡± The hobgoblins tried to run from Jinwoo but were taken down in an instant . ¡°Kiiik!¡± When the last hobgoblin went down, a rather joyous sight appeared before Jinwoo¡¯s eyes . You¡¯ve leveled up! ¡®Again?¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s face brightened at the unexpected growth . He wiped the blood from Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang and collected the magic cores from the magic beasts¡¯ corpses . After depositing the cores into his inventory, he called up his status screen . ring~! Name: Sung Jinwoo Level: 27 Class: None Title: Wolf Slayer HP: 5,114 MP: 548 Fatigue: 0 Stats Strength: 72 Constitution: 43 Agility: 82 Intelligence: 39 Sense: 69 (Available stat points: 5) Physical Damage Reduction: 20% Skills Passive Skills -(Unknown) (Lv . Max) -Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1) Active Skills -Sprint (Lv . 1) -Bloodlust (Lv . 1) Equipment Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace (A) In no time, he had almost reached level 30 . He was disappointed at first in the beginning of the Raid, but having taken down the hobgoblin boss and its subordinates, he had unexpectedly gained 2 levels . It was lucky that all the strong magic beasts were gathered in the boss room . ¡®Wait, is it lucky?¡¯ Jinwoo thought about the three different paths and the difficulty of the boss room . If low-level Hunters spent the entire Raid taking down the weak goblins, they might¡¯ve carelessly entered the boss room with confidence . Then, the sudden leap in strength of the hobgoblins might¡¯ve resulted in a terrible end for the Hunters . The difference between the goblins and the hobgoblins were that big . ¡®I know that appearance of hobgoblins are not uncommon in Dungeons with goblins, but still¡­¡¯ It was unusual for hobgoblins to make a nest at the boss room like just now . It truly was impossible to predict what could happen in a Dungeon . One person¡¯s luck just might be a disaster for others . Only a strong power could protect someone in the chaos of the unknown that plagued this world . Because of that, Jinwoo wanted to become stronger . Surviving in a Dungeon was one thing, but what if a Dungeon Break occurred near his mother¡¯s hospital? What if he was attacked by magic beasts in the middle of the road? No, magic beasts were not the only thing to fear . The Hunters had already become an existence as dangerous as magic beasts . Even if they were being held back by society¡¯s rules, there were limits . Jinwoo had to obtain the power to protect himself . ¡®There are limits to a Hunter¡¯s strength . ¡¯ He had no such limits . Increasing his attributes and obtaining new items, his power would rise infinitely beyond any logic . And today, he had obtained another method to become stronger . Runestones! Jinwoo took out the Runestone from his pockets . Just like other items, floating holographic letters formed the information box on the Runestone . Runestone: Stealth Break the Runestone to absorb the skill . To an ignorant individual, this was just a small rock with strange markings on it . To a Hunter, it would make anyone drool with greed, regardless of their rank . A high-ranker could use the skill, while a low-ranker could sell it . Especially a Runestone with the skill, ¡®Stealth¡¯ . What Jinwoo held in his palms could probably fetch a price of several billions on the public market . Ten times that amount at a black market . The reason why a sale at a black market was more profitable was simple . It was because such sales would not leave any records of who had purchased the Runestone . Having a skill that no one else knew about was the same as holding a hidden trump card or a secret weapon . ¡®Just like Kang Taeshik was hiding the ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill . ¡¯ If Jinwoo¡¯s sense stat was not high, his back would¡¯ve been exposed just like that . He shuddered at the thought . ¡®For now, I¡¯ll use this . I can always earn more money . ¡¯ Jinwoo was not going to let an immediate profit cloud the long-term benefit . The priority right now was becoming stronger . The usefulness of the ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill could not be understated . ¡®To think that this little pebble is worth several houses¡­¡¯ Jinwoo put into action what he had only dreamed about in the past . He clenched his fists around the Runestone . crack From the cracked Runestone, a subtle red light started to slowly surround his body . The phenomenon was similar to receiving healing magic, except the light was red instead of blue . It was not a bad feeling . The red aura whirled around his body, then entered his lungs through his nose, and a strange power began to fill Jinwoo¡¯s body . A familiar electronic tone rang in his head . ring~! You¡¯ve learned ¡®Stealth¡¯ (Lv . 1) ¡®Alright!¡¯ He had successfully absorbed the skill . Since he had never used a Runestone before, he felt nervous on how the process would go, but it was quicker and easier than he thought . ¡®So I can use ¡®Stealth¡¯ now?¡¯ At the thought of obtaining a rare skill, his heart began to race excitedly . Jinwoo tried the skill out, ¡®Stealth . ¡¯ The skill responded to his thoughts immediately, and his body began to fade . From the tip of his feet to the top of his head, his body became invisible . It was a strange feeling to not be able to see his own hands in front of him . ¡®Would this work?¡¯ Jinwoo took out his dagger . He felt the weapon in his hands but could not see it . ¡®I wonder¡­¡¯ Just like the knife that Kang Taeshik wielded, Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang also had ¡®Stealth¡¯ applied to it . As he thought, it wasn¡¯t a special function of Kang Taeshik¡¯s weapon but the power of the skill . ¡®What else can this be applied to?¡¯ Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 34. . Soon, Jinwoo came upon what he was looking for . . . ¡°Mmph! mMM! Mph!¡±. . One of the prisoners was struggling on the ground . The man¡¯s hands and feet were tied-up, and his mouth was gagged . Before he died, Kang Taeshik¡¯s whispers had sent Jinwoo here,. . ¡°I left the rapist tied-up somewhere nearby . The girl¡¯s father asked me to kill him in the most painful way, so I had saved him for last . ¡±. . And those were the B-rank Hunter¡¯s final words . . . The prisoner saw Jinwoo approaching and struggled harder . It was as if he was telling Jinwoo to untie him quickly . . . ¡°Mph! Mmmph! mmM!¡±. . Looking closer, Jinwoo realized it was the prisoner who had winked at Juhee . He knelt down and removed the gag from the man¡¯s mouth; the criminal opened his eyes wide in relief and took in a deep breath . . . ¡°pant, pant, pant! Kang Taeshik, that crazy fucker, he killed them all . All of them! Where did he go? What¡¯s with the blood? Did he get you too?¡±. . Jinwoo did not reply and instead, raised his head and looked straight ahead . It was the direction of the boss room . The prisoner¡¯s voice became more urgent,. . ¡°Hurry up and get me out of these . We gotta get out of here before Kang Taeshik comes back . Fuck, if only these ropes weren¡¯t filled with magic power! You got something to cut these with, right? Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Are you not listening to me?!¡±. . As the lowly Association-affiliated Hunter ignored him, the prisoner forgot the situation he was in and became angry . The emotionless Jinwoo finally opened his mouth,. . ¡°The boss is straight up ahead . ¡±. . ¡°What?¡±. . ¡°He¡¯s stronger than an average D-rank Dungeon¡¯s boss . I¡¯m curious what his attack pattern is like . ¡±. . The prisoner lost all patience,. . ¡°Who the fuck cares?! Fuck!¡±. . Jinwoo continued calmly,. . ¡°Before that, I want to ask one thing . Do you remember the girl you raped?¡±. . ¡°Huh? Which one? Are you related to one of the victims or something?!¡±. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes twitched . ¡°Which one¡±¡­ he had guessed correctly . The man¡¯s crime was not limited to just one victim . Possessing a great strength, a Hunter can easily become a monster before an ordinary human . And this man had used that strength to violate women . This solidified what Jinwoo planned to do . . . He looked down on the prisoner and coldly spoke,. . ¡°Well, thank you for confirming . ¡±. . ¡°What? mmM! Mmph!¡±. . Before the prisoner could continue, Jinwoo gagged him again . Then, he grabbed the man by his ankle and started dragging him forward . . . ¡°mMM! Mph! Mmph!!!¡±. . The prisoner struggled with all his might, veins popping up on his face . Ignoring the man thrashing about, Jinwoo calmly dragged him all the way before the entrance of the boss room . . . ¡°MM!!! MMPH!!!¡±. . Inside, there were hobgoblins, known for their love of human organs . . . ¡°MMM!!! MPH!!! MMPH!!!¡±. . The prisoner realized what Jinwoo was about to do . He saw the hobgoblins and shook his head fiercely, tears trailing from his eyes . The front of his pants became wet . . . ¡°whooo-¡°. . Jinwoo took a deep breath, then threw the prisoner into the middle of the hobgoblins . . . ¡°MMMMMPH-!¡±. . ¡°Kirik?¡±. ¡°Kikikiki¡±. ¡°Kiiiik!¡±. . Smelling fresh meat, the hobgoblins leaped upon the prisoner as one and started tearing into his stomach . . . ¡°MMM!!! MM!!! MMPH!!!¡±. . The thrashing prisoner moved so violently that a blood vessel burst in his head, turning his eyes red . . . ¡°Mmmph! Mmm¡­ mph¡­¡±. . Even as the man lost consciousness, the hobgoblins continued ripping and eating . Could an ordinary human watch this violent spectacle of a man being eaten alive while keeping their lunch?. . Jinwoo scanned the room with narrowed eyes, looking for the boss . . . ¡®There he is . ¡¯. . A large hobgoblin was sitting arrogantly in a faraway spot in the room . His subordinates distracted by the bait, the boss was left unguarded . This was Jinwoo¡¯s opportunity . . . ¡®Sprint!¡¯. . Jinwoo flashed past the hobgoblins and appeared before the boss hobgoblin . . . ¡°Kiiiik!¡±. . The boss tried to rise in surprise, but his head was rolling on the ground before he was fully up . . . thud. . roll roll roll. . ring~!. . You¡¯ve defeated the boss of the Dungeon . . . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . ¡®Ah, I forgot . ¡¯. . Looking at the hobgoblin boss¡¯ head on the ground, Jinwoo remembered the Runestone he had gotten moments earlier . . . ¡®If I used ¡®Stealth¡¯, I probably didn¡¯t need to use a bait to get to the boss . ¡¯. . Jinwoo clicked his tongue at the mangled remains of the prisoner . The body could not be recognized as human anymore . Still, Jinwoo did not feel any sense of compassion towards the man . . . ¡®Well, whatever¡­¡¯. . The plan had worked after all . . . . . . . -5 . Gears-. . It was easy to take care of the remaining hobgoblins that had lost their leader . . . ¡°Kiiik!¡±. ¡°Kiaaak!¡±. ¡°Kiyak!¡±. . The hobgoblins tried to run from Jinwoo but were taken down in an instant . . . ¡°Kiiik!¡±. . When the last hobgoblin went down, a rather joyous sight appeared before Jinwoo¡¯s eyes . . . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . ¡®Again?¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s face brightened at the unexpected growth . He wiped the blood from Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang and collected the magic cores from the magic beasts¡¯ corpses . After depositing the cores into his inventory, he called up his status screen . . . ring~!. . Name: Sung Jinwoo. Level: 27. Class: None. Title: Wolf Slayer. HP: 5,114. MP: 548. Fatigue: 0. Stats. . Strength: 72. Constitution: 43. Agility: 82. Intelligence: 39. Sense: 69. (Available stat points: 5). Physical Damage Reduction: 20%. Skills. . Passive Skills. -(Unknown) (Lv . Max). -Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1). . Active Skills. -Sprint (Lv . 1). -Bloodlust (Lv . 1). Equipment. Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace (A) . In no time, he had almost reached level 30 . He was disappointed at first in the beginning of the Raid, but having taken down the hobgoblin boss and its subordinates, he had unexpectedly gained 2 levels . It was lucky that all the strong magic beasts were gathered in the boss room . . . ¡®Wait, is it lucky?¡¯. . Jinwoo thought about the three different paths and the difficulty of the boss room . If low-level Hunters spent the entire Raid taking down the weak goblins, they might¡¯ve carelessly entered the boss room with confidence . Then, the sudden leap in strength of the hobgoblins might¡¯ve resulted in a terrible end for the Hunters . The difference between the goblins and the hobgoblins were that big . . . ¡®I know that appearance of hobgoblins are not uncommon in Dungeons with goblins, but still¡­¡¯. . It was unusual for hobgoblins to make a nest at the boss room like just now . It truly was impossible to predict what could happen in a Dungeon . One person¡¯s luck just might be a disaster for others . . . Only a strong power could protect someone in the chaos of the unknown that plagued this world . Because of that, Jinwoo wanted to become stronger . Surviving in a Dungeon was one thing, but what if a Dungeon Break occurred near his mother¡¯s hospital? What if he was attacked by magic beasts in the middle of the road? No, magic beasts were not the only thing to fear . The Hunters had already become an existence as dangerous as magic beasts . Even if they were being held back by society¡¯s rules, there were limits . Jinwoo had to obtain the power to protect himself . . . ¡®There are limits to a Hunter¡¯s strength . ¡¯. . He had no such limits . . . Increasing his attributes and obtaining new items, his power would rise infinitely beyond any logic . And today, he had obtained another method to become stronger . . . Runestones!. . Jinwoo took out the Runestone from his pockets . Just like other items, floating holographic letters formed the information box on the Runestone . . . Runestone: Stealth. Break the Runestone to absorb the skill . . . To an ignorant individual, this was just a small rock with strange markings on it . To a Hunter, it would make anyone drool with greed, regardless of their rank . A high-ranker could use the skill, while a low-ranker could sell it . Especially a Runestone with the skill, ¡®Stealth¡¯ . What Jinwoo held in his palms could probably fetch a price of several billions on the public market . Ten times that amount at a black market . . . The reason why a sale at a black market was more profitable was simple . It was because such sales would not leave any records of who had purchased the Runestone . Having a skill that no one else knew about was the same as holding a hidden trump card or a secret weapon . . . ¡®Just like Kang Taeshik was hiding the ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill . ¡¯. . If Jinwoo¡¯s sense stat was not high, his back would¡¯ve been exposed just like that . He shuddered at the thought . . . ¡®For now, I¡¯ll use this . I can always earn more money . ¡¯. . Jinwoo was not going to let an immediate profit cloud the long-term benefit . The priority right now was becoming stronger . The usefulness of the ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill could not be understated . . . ¡®To think that this little pebble is worth several houses¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo put into action what he had only dreamed about in the past . He clenched his fists around the Runestone . . . crack. . From the cracked Runestone, a subtle red light started to slowly surround his body . The phenomenon was similar to receiving healing magic, except the light was red instead of blue . It was not a bad feeling . The red aura whirled around his body, then entered his lungs through his nose, and a strange power began to fill Jinwoo¡¯s body . A familiar electronic tone rang in his head . . . ring~!. . You¡¯ve learned ¡®Stealth¡¯ (Lv . 1). . ¡®Alright!¡¯. . He had successfully absorbed the skill . Since he had never used a Runestone before, he felt nervous on how the process would go, but it was quicker and easier than he thought . . . ¡®So I can use ¡®Stealth¡¯ now?¡¯. . At the thought of obtaining a rare skill, his heart began to race excitedly . Jinwoo tried the skill out,. . ¡®Stealth . ¡¯. . The skill responded to his thoughts immediately, and his body began to fade . From the tip of his feet to the top of his head, his body became invisible . It was a strange feeling to not be able to see his own hands in front of him . . . ¡®Would this work?¡¯. . Jinwoo took out his dagger . He felt the weapon in his hands but could not see it . . . ¡®I wonder¡­¡¯. . Just like the knife that Kang Taeshik wielded, Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang also had ¡®Stealth¡¯ applied to it . As he thought, it wasn¡¯t a special function of Kang Taeshik¡¯s weapon but the power of the skill . . . ¡®What else can this be applied to?¡¯. Chapter 35 Jinwoo picked up a stone from the ground . It also disappeared from sight . ¡®What about this?¡¯ He went and put his hand on the shoulder of a dead hobgoblin, but it did not become invisible . Bit by bit, he was beginning to understand the limits of the skill . It seemed that it applied to something that he was wearing and something that he could hold in his hands . Suddenly, You are out of mana . ¡®Stealth¡¯ will be cancelled . ¡°What?¡± The ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill had been cancelled . ¡®It¡¯s only been a few seconds, but my mana is already gone?¡¯ He had been trying to get used to the invisible form, testing out its effects here and there . Jinwoo opened up the skill listing with a dumbfounded expression . Skills Passive Skills -(Unknown) (Lv . Max) -Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1) Active Skills -Sprint (Lv . 1) -Bloodlust (Lv . 1) -Stealth (Lv . 1) What he wanted was the ¡®Stealth¡¯ information . The words appeared in the air before him . ring~! Stealth (Lv . 1) Active Skill Mana Cost: 200 (+10/Second) Activate to disappear (sight, sound, smell) Costs 10 mana per second to maintain . ¡°Become invisible and hide the traces of your existence . ¡± The activation cost is 200 and it uses up 10 mana per second? ¡°Sigh¡­¡± No wonder his mana ran out so fast . MP: 7 / 548 His remaining 7 mana seemed to laugh at him . ¡®It really hit rock bottom . ¡¯ With his current mana, he could maintain ¡®Stealth¡¯ for a little under 35 seconds . However, if he factored in other skills into calculation, it would be far less than that . ¡®Now that I think about it, even Kang Taeshik released the skill after few seconds . ¡¯ It was clear that the B-rank Hunter did not do so out of some dramatic flair . He probably did not have the magic power to maintain the skill for long . If the high-ranker Kang Taeshik was like that, low-rankers probably couldn¡¯t even activate the skill . ¡°Looks like mana is the problem . ¡± He had invested points in every stat except for intelligence so far, but his mana did not increase . This told him that to increase his mana, he had to raise the intelligence stat¡­ ¡®Do I have to start putting points into intelligence?¡¯ But it felt a little wasteful to invest his valuable points just so he could use a skill for a little longer . Especially because Jinwoo felt that intelligence was not a stat directly usable in combat . ¡®Compared to the others, intelligence really feels lacking . ¡¯ Strength, constitution, agility, sense . As each of those stats rose, he became noticeably stronger . But even when he had raised the intelligence stat through level-ups, he did not gain any worthwhile powerup . Compared to when he was level 1, his intelligence stat had nearly quadrupled, but the only thing it gave him was increased mana . That was it . To invest valuable points into the stat just for that was¡­ ¡®Too wasteful . ¡¯ Using those points in the other four attributes equaled to directly strengthening his flesh and blood . In the end, Jinwoo decided that he would just increase his mana through level-ups . The stat points would be distributed into the other, more useful stats . ¡®Stat points¡­¡¯ He remembered that he still had 5 points received from the emergency quest . After thinking about putting them into intelligence, Jinwoo instead put 3 points into strength and 2 points in to constitution . Stats Strength: 75 Constitution: 45 Agility: 82 Intelligence: 39 Sense: 69 (Available stat points: 0) Physical Damage Reduction: 20% ¡®Yep . Multiples of five are a good thing . ¡¯ As Jinwoo smiled in satisfaction, SHAAAAAKE! The Dungeon¡¯s interiors shook as if the world was ending . ¡®Has it already been one hour?¡¯ There was no time to delay anymore . Jinwoo closed his stat screen . He had purposely waited inside until right before the Gate would close . Staying here any longer would mean that he would never be able to leave . Jinwoo did a final check before leaving the boss room . ¡®Let¡¯s see, I got all the magic cores¡­¡¯ There was nothing he had forgotten . After going over every detail, Jinwoo quickly ran through the Dungeon . SHAAAAAAKE!!! As if telling him to leave, the Dungeon shook intensely again . Right on time, the Association¡¯s investigators and employees had arrived . They watched Jinwoo exit the Gate just as it closed and asked, ¡°H-Hunter-nim! Are there any other survivors?¡± ¡°No . ¡± ¡°Oh no!¡± The employee¡¯s expressions hardened . 9 people had entered the Dungeon; only 3 had come out alive . This would be yet another major incident for the Association in the area . Faced with the prospect of a second incident, the Association employees assigned to this sector grimaced . They wanted to enter the Dungeon themselves to check for survivors, but the Gate had already closed . This was the reason why Jinwoo had purposely waited until the last minute to exit . ¡®Can¡¯t let them know there was another survivor . Was . . . ¡¯ Now, the only witnesses were the three that had survived . An employee started talking hesitantly, ¡°Just now . . . we¡¯ve received the confession of Gold Mountain Company¡¯s president over the phone . ¡± Song Chiyeol stepped forward, ¡°The president of Gold Mountain Company?¡± ¡°Yes, he¡¯s one of the prisoner¡¯s victim¡¯s father who had contacted HSD Hunter Kang Taeshik for an assassination . ¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The employee explained that once he had heard that Kang Taeshik had succeeded in killing the prisoner, the president of the company had confessed to everything . ¡®Well, it wasn¡¯t Kang Taeshik, but me¡­¡¯ Jinwoo thought . The police had gone to the company president, and the Association had come to the Gate . After a moment of silence, Jinwoo asked, ¡°So there are no problems, right?¡± The employee responded embarrassingly, ¡°Yes, I suppose so . ¡± Kang Taeshik¡¯s crimes had a clear evidence, and the three survivors had fought him for their own lives . As Jinwoo said, there was indeed no problems . Except one . The employee asked something that was troubling him, ¡°Who killed the B-rank Hunter Kang Taeshik?¡± Having just arrived, the employees had not heard this part of the story yet . The distance to the Association HQ was far from here, and the employees had hurriedly made efforts to arrive before the Gate closed . They all looked very tired . Jinwoo decided to tell the truth, then thought of Yoo Jinho . ¡®It¡¯s unfortunate but looks like I won¡¯t be able to help him anymore . ¡¯ If he told the truth, he would have to undergo a retest and have his rank raised . Once that happened, his part in Yoo Jinho¡¯s plans would be over . After all, what the young man needed was not only a skilled Hunter, but a low ranking one . Once he received his new rank, Jinwoo would no longer qualify . ¡®Hmm¡­ what¡¯s with this feeling?¡¯ Jinwoo imagined Yoo Jinho¡¯s disappointed face . Instead of feeling sorry, he actually felt like laughing . Still, it was a shame that he wouldn¡¯t get that building . ¡®Well, what could I do¡­¡¯ Determined, Jinwoo started opening his mouth but was interrupted, ¡°It was me . ¡± Jinwoo turned towards the voice . Lee Juhee was staring at Song Chiyeol in shock . ¡°Ahjussi¡­?¡± Before Jinwoo could stop him, the old man stepped forth . ¡°I was the one who killed Kang Taeshik . ¡± The employee looked suspicious, ¡°Hunter Song Chiyeol-nim was the one?¡± That was impossible . Song Chiyeol was a C-ranker; on top of that, he was missing an arm . His opponent was a B-ranker, whose existence would be called a high-ranker . Their strength exceeded imagination . The difference between a B-ranker and a C-ranker was incomparable to the difference between a C-ranker and a D-ranker . Song Chiyeol laughed and replied, ¡°You all know who¡¯s standing behind me, right?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± All eyes fell on Lee Juhee, who lowered her embarrassed face . Lee Juhee was also a B-rank Hunter . She may not be a combat-class Hunter, but she was still a high-ranker like Kang Taeshik . If a B-rank Healer supported a C-rank Hunter, there just might have been a chance that they prevailed . The employees all nodded understandingly . While they were thinking about the possibilities, Jinwoo went up to Song Chiyeol¡¯s side and quietly asked, ¡°Why did you lie?¡± Song Chiyeol replied with a subdued voice, ¡°I felt like Sung-ssi had a reason to hide your abilities . Should I not have?¡± Of course not . Thanks to the elder, Jinwoo would be able to avoid a thorn in his side for a bit longer . Jinwoo was impressed by the old man¡¯s ability to take a hint . ¡°No, no . I¡¯m grateful . ¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who has to be grateful . I¡¯m just glad I was able to help out a little . ¡± An Association investigator approached the pair . ¡°Song Chiyeol-ssi, could you please come with us? We just have to wrap-up the details . ¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s . ¡± Song Chiyeol left with the investigator to the Association, along with the rest of the employees . Soon, only Jinwoo and Juhee remained . The sun had already set a while ago . Feeling awkward near the changed Jinwoo, Juhee shyly approached him and asked, ¡°Could we walk together for a bit?¡± ¡®Is this about the dinner promise?¡¯ Jinwoo was hungry after moving around for a while and felt that it was a good timing . He happily agreed, ¡°Sure . ¡± Under the streetlights, the pair walked, side by side, in silence . ¡° . . . ¡± Juhee stared at her feet as they walked . Everytime she looked up, she peaked a glance at Jinwoo . She wanted to ignore it, but she could not ignore the fact that the man felt a lot stronger than before . She had found him more comfortable to be near in the past . Now, it was hard to even strike up a conversation with him . ¡®Just what happened to him¡­?¡¯ Not just the fact that he had easily defeated a B-rank Hunter . The man¡¯s presence felt completely different than before . He had asked for her silence, so she did not want to press the issue . But his abrupt change bothered her for some reason . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 35. . Jinwoo picked up a stone from the ground . It also disappeared from sight . . . ¡®What about this?¡¯. . He went and put his hand on the shoulder of a dead hobgoblin, but it did not become invisible . Bit by bit, he was beginning to understand the limits of the skill . It seemed that it applied to something that he was wearing and something that he could hold in his hands . Suddenly,. . You are out of mana . ¡®Stealth¡¯ will be cancelled . . . ¡°What?¡±. . The ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill had been cancelled . . . ¡®It¡¯s only been a few seconds, but my mana is already gone?¡¯. . He had been trying to get used to the invisible form, testing out its effects here and there . Jinwoo opened up the skill listing with a dumbfounded expression . . . Skills. . Passive Skills. -(Unknown) (Lv . Max). -Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1). . Active Skills. -Sprint (Lv . 1). -Bloodlust (Lv . 1). -Stealth (Lv . 1). . What he wanted was the ¡®Stealth¡¯ information . The words appeared in the air before him . . . ring~!. . . Stealth (Lv . 1). Active Skill. . Mana Cost: 200 (+10/Second). . Activate to disappear (sight, sound, smell). Costs 10 mana per second to maintain . . . ¡°Become invisible and hide the traces of your existence . ¡±. . The activation cost is 200 and it uses up 10 mana per second?. . ¡°Sigh¡­¡±. . No wonder his mana ran out so fast . . . MP: 7 / 548. . His remaining 7 mana seemed to laugh at him . . . ¡®It really hit rock bottom . ¡¯. . With his current mana, he could maintain ¡®Stealth¡¯ for a little under 35 seconds . However, if he factored in other skills into calculation, it would be far less than that . . . ¡®Now that I think about it, even Kang Taeshik released the skill after few seconds . ¡¯. . It was clear that the B-rank Hunter did not do so out of some dramatic flair . He probably did not have the magic power to maintain the skill for long . If the high-ranker Kang Taeshik was like that, low-rankers probably couldn¡¯t even activate the skill . . . ¡°Looks like mana is the problem . ¡±. . He had invested points in every stat except for intelligence so far, but his mana did not increase . This told him that to increase his mana, he had to raise the intelligence stat¡­. . ¡®Do I have to start putting points into intelligence?¡¯. . But it felt a little wasteful to invest his valuable points just so he could use a skill for a little longer . Especially because Jinwoo felt that intelligence was not a stat directly usable in combat . . . ¡®Compared to the others, intelligence really feels lacking . ¡¯. . Strength, constitution, agility, sense . . . As each of those stats rose, he became noticeably stronger . But even when he had raised the intelligence stat through level-ups, he did not gain any worthwhile powerup . Compared to when he was level 1, his intelligence stat had nearly quadrupled, but the only thing it gave him was increased mana . That was it . To invest valuable points into the stat just for that was¡­. . ¡®Too wasteful . ¡¯. . Using those points in the other four attributes equaled to directly strengthening his flesh and blood . In the end, Jinwoo decided that he would just increase his mana through level-ups . The stat points would be distributed into the other, more useful stats . . . ¡®Stat points¡­¡¯. . He remembered that he still had 5 points received from the emergency quest . After thinking about putting them into intelligence, Jinwoo instead put 3 points into strength and 2 points in to constitution . . . Stats. . Strength: 75. Constitution: 45. Agility: 82. Intelligence: 39. Sense: 69. (Available stat points: 0). Physical Damage Reduction: 20%. . ¡®Yep . Multiples of five are a good thing . ¡¯. . As Jinwoo smiled in satisfaction,. . SHAAAAAKE!. . The Dungeon¡¯s interiors shook as if the world was ending . . . ¡®Has it already been one hour?¡¯. . There was no time to delay anymore . Jinwoo closed his stat screen . He had purposely waited inside until right before the Gate would close . Staying here any longer would mean that he would never be able to leave . Jinwoo did a final check before leaving the boss room . . . ¡®Let¡¯s see, I got all the magic cores¡­¡¯. . There was nothing he had forgotten . After going over every detail, Jinwoo quickly ran through the Dungeon . . . SHAAAAAAKE!!!. . As if telling him to leave, the Dungeon shook intensely again . . . . . Right on time, the Association¡¯s investigators and employees had arrived . They watched Jinwoo exit the Gate just as it closed and asked,. . ¡°H-Hunter-nim! Are there any other survivors?¡±. . ¡°No . ¡±. . ¡°Oh no!¡±. . The employee¡¯s expressions hardened . 9 people had entered the Dungeon; only 3 had come out alive . This would be yet another major incident for the Association in the area . Faced with the prospect of a second incident, the Association employees assigned to this sector grimaced . They wanted to enter the Dungeon themselves to check for survivors, but the Gate had already closed . This was the reason why Jinwoo had purposely waited until the last minute to exit . . . ¡®Can¡¯t let them know there was another survivor . Was . ¡¯. . Now, the only witnesses were the three that had survived . An employee started talking hesitantly,. . ¡°Just now . we¡¯ve received the confession of Gold Mountain Company¡¯s president over the phone . ¡±. . Song Chiyeol stepped forward,. . ¡°The president of Gold Mountain Company?¡±. . ¡°Yes, he¡¯s one of the prisoner¡¯s victim¡¯s father who had contacted HSD Hunter Kang Taeshik for an assassination . ¡±. . ¡°Ah¡­¡±. . The employee explained that once he had heard that Kang Taeshik had succeeded in killing the prisoner, the president of the company had confessed to everything . . . ¡®Well, it wasn¡¯t Kang Taeshik, but me¡­¡¯ Jinwoo thought . . . The police had gone to the company president, and the Association had come to the Gate . . . After a moment of silence, Jinwoo asked,. . ¡°So there are no problems, right?¡±. . The employee responded embarrassingly,. . ¡°Yes, I suppose so . ¡±. . Kang Taeshik¡¯s crimes had a clear evidence, and the three survivors had fought him for their own lives . As Jinwoo said, there was indeed no problems . Except one . . . The employee asked something that was troubling him,. . ¡°Who killed the B-rank Hunter Kang Taeshik?¡±. . Having just arrived, the employees had not heard this part of the story yet . The distance to the Association HQ was far from here, and the employees had hurriedly made efforts to arrive before the Gate closed . They all looked very tired . . . Jinwoo decided to tell the truth, then thought of Yoo Jinho . . . ¡®It¡¯s unfortunate but looks like I won¡¯t be able to help him anymore . ¡¯. . If he told the truth, he would have to undergo a retest and have his rank raised . Once that happened, his part in Yoo Jinho¡¯s plans would be over . After all, what the young man needed was not only a skilled Hunter, but a low ranking one . Once he received his new rank, Jinwoo would no longer qualify . . . ¡®Hmm¡­ what¡¯s with this feeling?¡¯. . Jinwoo imagined Yoo Jinho¡¯s disappointed face . Instead of feeling sorry, he actually felt like laughing . Still, it was a shame that he wouldn¡¯t get that building . . . ¡®Well, what could I do¡­¡¯. . Determined, Jinwoo started opening his mouth but was interrupted,. . ¡°It was me . ¡±. . Jinwoo turned towards the voice . Lee Juhee was staring at Song Chiyeol in shock . . . ¡°Ahjussi¡­?¡±. . Before Jinwoo could stop him, the old man stepped forth . . . ¡°I was the one who killed Kang Taeshik . ¡±. . The employee looked suspicious,. . ¡°Hunter Song Chiyeol-nim was the one?¡±. . That was impossible . Song Chiyeol was a C-ranker; on top of that, he was missing an arm . His opponent was a B-ranker, whose existence would be called a high-ranker . Their strength exceeded imagination . The difference between a B-ranker and a C-ranker was incomparable to the difference between a C-ranker and a D-ranker . . . Song Chiyeol laughed and replied,. . ¡°You all know who¡¯s standing behind me, right?¡±. . ¡°Ah!¡±. . All eyes fell on Lee Juhee, who lowered her embarrassed face . . . Lee Juhee was also a B-rank Hunter . She may not be a combat-class Hunter, but she was still a high-ranker like Kang Taeshik . If a B-rank Healer supported a C-rank Hunter, there just might have been a chance that they prevailed . The employees all nodded understandingly . While they were thinking about the possibilities, Jinwoo went up to Song Chiyeol¡¯s side and quietly asked,. . ¡°Why did you lie?¡±. . Song Chiyeol replied with a subdued voice,. . ¡°I felt like Sung-ssi had a reason to hide your abilities . Should I not have?¡±. . Of course not . Thanks to the elder, Jinwoo would be able to avoid a thorn in his side for a bit longer . Jinwoo was impressed by the old man¡¯s ability to take a hint . . . ¡°No, no . I¡¯m grateful . ¡±. . ¡°I¡¯m the one who has to be grateful . I¡¯m just glad I was able to help out a little . ¡±. . An Association investigator approached the pair . . . ¡°Song Chiyeol-ssi, could you please come with us? We just have to wrap-up the details . ¡±. . ¡°Yes, let¡¯s . ¡±. . Song Chiyeol left with the investigator to the Association, along with the rest of the employees . Soon, only Jinwoo and Juhee remained . The sun had already set a while ago . Feeling awkward near the changed Jinwoo, Juhee shyly approached him and asked,. . ¡°Could we walk together for a bit?¡±. . ¡®Is this about the dinner promise?¡¯. . Jinwoo was hungry after moving around for a while and felt that it was a good timing . He happily agreed,. . ¡°Sure . ¡±. . Under the streetlights, the pair walked, side by side, in silence . . . ¡° . ¡±. . Juhee stared at her feet as they walked . Everytime she looked up, she peaked a glance at Jinwoo . She wanted to ignore it, but she could not ignore the fact that the man felt a lot stronger than before . She had found him more comfortable to be near in the past . Now, it was hard to even strike up a conversation with him . . . ¡®Just what happened to him¡­?¡¯. . Not just the fact that he had easily defeated a B-rank Hunter . The man¡¯s presence felt completely different than before . He had asked for her silence, so she did not want to press the issue . . . But his abrupt change bothered her for some reason . . Chapter 36 ¡®I wish he would say something¡­¡¯ The silent figure of Jinwoo felt cold to her. Gathering her courage, Juhee opened her mouth first with great difficulty, ¡°So¡­ I don¡¯t think I can eat anything today, so I¡¯ll return this¡­¡± Juhee gave Jinwoo a magic core. It was the same core that he had given to her back in the underground temple. Her hand that handed over the magic core was trembling. ¡®I suppose that time was less than a month ago¡­ And we had another incident today.¡¯ Jinwoo realized just how scared Juhee must be. He fully understood that she would lose her appetite after everything that happened today. ¡°Today¡¯s not the only day we could grab dinner. You don¡¯t have to return it like this.¡± Juhee shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m going back home next week.¡± As she had retired from being a Hunter, she must¡¯ve planned to return to her hometown. Jinwoo became disappointed, ¡°Because of that incident?¡± ¡°Not just that¡­¡± Remembering the Double Dungeon, Juhee¡¯s face darkened. Jinwoo quickly steered the conversation away, ¡°Where is your hometown?¡± ¡°Busan. So, Jinwoo-ssi.¡± Suddenly, her eyes became serious. ¡°Yes?¡± Having sensed the mood, Jinwoo erased his smile and also became serious. Juhee stared at his face. She thought about his eyes that were filled with life. When everyone else had fallen into despair, he held onto the light in his eyes. Juhee remembered being right next to him and looking into them. ¡®He said something about coming back alive.¡¯ The ray of hope that his eyes held onto resulted in saving the lives of many people, including her own. It was an act that could not be imitated by any other. ba dum ba dum As she thought back on that day, her heart started pounding. ¡®No¡­¡¯ She had no regrets about retiring as a Hunter; she knew she was not fit for the life. But thinking about how hard it will be to see Jinwoo again filled her with regret. ¡®If I asked him now, ¡°can I see you again¡±, he¡¯ll probably think I¡¯m a weird person¡­¡¯ But there was nothing she could do. To dwell on such matters would be foolish. After some time, Juhee chortled and lightly shook her head, ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. If you¡¯re ever down in Busan, please give me a call. I¡¯ll buy you some food.¡± ¡°Sound good.¡± Jinwoo smiled, and Juhee returned the smile. And so, having said the words she wanted to say, the two bid each other farewell. ¡°...¡± The road home had never felt this long. After seeing Juhee off, Jinwoo returned home. The sight of the worn-down apartment came into his view from afar. He lived on the 9th floor. He passed by the parked cars and headed towards the building, then an aged voice stopped him, ¡°Young man from unit 902.¡± It was the elderly guard ahjussi. Jinwoo greeted the guard he had known for a long time. ¡°Have you not gone home for the day?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m on the night shift today.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Jinwoo nodded. ¡°Here, a package came for you.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you.¡± It was from the Association. ¡®Was it supposed to arrive today?¡¯ The Hunter phone from the Association was supposed to arrive soon. Jinwoo took the phone out of the box. It was a sparkling new phone. Lately, there was much public interest in the Hunters. Jinwoo recalled a news segment where increasing number of people who were not Awakened Beings tried to illicitly buy a Hunter phone. ¡®Forget the buyers, what are the thieves thinking?¡¯ They say it¡¯s not that a country doesn¡¯t have money, but it has too many thieves. Whether it was the Association or the military, wherever people gathered produced all kinds of corruption. Whenever money leaks from such organizations through said corruption, it decreases the ability of the organization to provide support for the people. And if the support for the people decreases, the society suffers. When society suffers, eventually, someone who needs help will be hurt because they cannot get it. ¡®I was worried about that¡­¡¯ Thankfully, there appeared to be no flaws with his new phone. [1] While he was waiting for the elevator, he turned on the phone. It was packed with notifications. ¡®Sigh, how long will it take to go through all of this?¡¯ Among the missed calls and messages, two numbers kept repeating. Neither of the numbers seemed familiar to him. One of the numbers had repeatedly called him, the other had repeatedly sent him a message. ¡®I don¡¯t think I know anyone who would contact me this much.¡¯ Jinwoo looked at the phone with a tilted head, then started checking the messages. Hi, it¡¯s me from that time at the hospit... Are you free this week by any chan... Was I being too annoying? I hop... He remembered who this was. It was the nurse that had asked for his contact information on the day of his discharge. ¡®I think her name was Choi Yura?¡¯ Her messages were not particularly annoying, but Jinwoo felt that once he replied, it would get really annoying. ¡®I¡¯ll pass on this then¡­¡¯ Next was the number that had repeatedly called him. Jinwoo clicked the call button on the number. The caller ringtone was a loud pop song that had just come out[2]. Jinwoo had a feeling he knew who this would be. The person on the other end picked up quickly. -¡°Hello.¡± As expected. Having predicted the person, Jinwoo chuckled and spoke, ¡°It¡¯s me. Call me on this number from now on.¡± -¡°Ah! You¡¯ve received your new phone, hyungnim!¡± It was Yoo Jinho. Jinwoo had remembered the young man¡¯s number, but not having called him before, it had slipped his mind. Yoo Jinho spoke with an excited voice, - ¡°I was actually about to call you. Hyungnim, the raiding party is complete! I¡¯ll come pick you up tomorrow!¡± Even just hearing his voice, Jinwoo could imagine Yoo Jinho¡¯s smiling face. Jinwoo also smiled widely. ¡°Alrighty, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± click Right on time, the elevator arrived as he ended the call. Finally, the real Raids would begin tomorrow. Jinwoo¡¯s heart beat in anticipation. ¡®Time to level-up a ton.¡¯ He¡¯ll level-up, raise his stats and become stronger than anyone else. Once he became a strong Hunter, money, fame, influence, he would be able to obtain it all. Tomorrow would be the first step towards that dream. Eastern United States. Deep into the night. Hwang Dongsoo, one of the main Hunters of one of the top Guilds of North America, ¡°Scavenger¡±, received a shocking news before he was about to go to bed. ¡°...My older brother is dead? How? Explain it¡­ slowly¡­¡± His older brother¡¯s name was Hwang Dongseok. The person on the other end told him that the man had lost his life in a C-rank Gate. ¡°...Hyung¡¯s main team of eight members all died, but two others got out alive?¡± And those two were a D-ranker and an E-ranker? Something was fishy. The older brother he knew would not risk his life for a weakling. On top of that, they were filler members? There was no fucking way. But here it was, his brother and his C-rank teammates had died, and the D and E-rankers had lived. ¡®Something¡¯s definitely wrong¡­¡¯ Hwang Dongsoo¡¯s eyes became sharp. Even though he was scouted by a famous American Guild and was currently away, back in South Korea, Hwang Dongseok was an older brother who took care of him more than anyone else in life. He could not be called a good man, but he was a good brother. ¡®Once I solidified my position here, I was going to bring him over¡­¡¯ To think that he would die before he could. Hwang Dongsoo bit his lips. ¡°Fax me the two survivor¡¯s information, my number is¡­¡± Hwang Dongsoo hung up and called the manager. - ¡°Mr. Hwang, what is it at this hour?¡± ¡°Laura, what would happen if I killed someone in South Korea?¡± - ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± It took the woman a moment to respond, - ¡°...At the moment, there is no Criminal Extradition Treaty[3] between the U.S. and South Korea. As Mr. Hwang is a Hunter under the American government, you¡¯ll be tried back here in the states. But considering our relationship with the government, I don¡¯t think the sentence will be that high.¡± ¡°Good. Something came up, so I¡¯ll have to go to Korea for a bit. Can you clear my schedule?¡± - ¡°But Mr. Hwang, if you left just like that, it¡¯ll have an impact on the Guild¡¯s business. Could you let me know what this is about?¡± ¡°It¡¯s personal. Of course, I have no intentions of hurting the Guild. How backed up is my schedule?¡± - ¡°It¡¯s packed for about two months.¡± ¡°Two months¡­ Alright, clear my schedule beyond that. Doesn¡¯t have to be long, just two weeks. Give me two weeks and I¡¯ll be back from Korea.¡± - ¡°...Got it. What should I tell the brass?¡± ¡°Tell them I¡¯m going for my brother¡¯s funeral, and I¡¯ll need some time to grieve.¡± - ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll do that. But Mr. Hwang¡­ If there¡¯s anything I can-¡± Click! Hwang Dongsoo ended the call. Whether it was words of comfort or a warning. He was not in the mood to hear either. beep beep The fax that he had requested earlier had arrived. Hwang Dongsoo looked at the printed documents. It contained the information on the two Hunters. Their names, pictures, brief profiles, etc¡­ ¡°D-rank Hunter Yoo Jinho. E-rank Hunter Sung Jinwoo.¡± Hwang Dongsoo looked back and forth between the two faces and made a determination. ¡®I should be able to obtain some answers if I questioned these two.¡¯ And if he should detect a hint of lie in their answers¡­ ¡°You¡¯ll regret coming out of there alive.¡± Hwang Dongsoo¡¯s eyes were red with rage. -6. A Strange Raid- Next morning. Jinwoo received the call from Yoo Jinho and went outside. He was greeted by a large Bongo out in front. ¡°...?¡± He was about to ask who the hell was blocking someone else¡¯s house when the driver seat window rolled down. The owner of the smiling face was¡­ Yoo Jinho. ¡°Hyungnim! Get in!¡± Yoo Jinho slapped the side of the car. Hearing that Yoo Jinho was coming to pick him up personally, Jinwoo had expected a Benz¡­ Anyway he looked at it, this was an ordinary van. Well, it was a bit larger. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a second generation chaebol[4]?¡± ¡°Well, I felt like if I brought my car, we¡¯d get noticed a bit. I bought this one to use in our Raids.¡± Jinwoo did realize the car was clean and sparkling. ¡®He must¡¯ve bought it pretty recently.¡¯ The young man diligently came to pick him up early in the morning and had even bought a new car so they would not be noticed. Yoo Jinho¡¯s preparations were thorough. His expectations on this arrangement was that high. Yoo Jinho mistook Jinwoo looking over the new car for something else, ¡°Is this not satisfactory to you, hyungnim?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s good.¡± He cut him off and got in the passenger seat. ¡°We¡¯re off, hyungnim.¡± Excited by the official start of their Raids, Yoo Jinho hummed happily as he drove. After some time, they arrived at a vacant lot. screech- ¡°Hyungnim, this is it.¡± There were 8 Hunters waiting in the promised location. Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: I think the way I translated the passage is a bit confusing. Basically, it seems like Jinwoo is going into a philosophical rant about society being hurt by corruption, when in reality, he was worried about him not getting his new phone (¡°help to someone who needs it¡±). This troll... [2]: In South Korea, people can set-up their own receiving ringtones to different sounds/music. As in if you call that person, you¡¯ll hear their personal ringtone in the receiver (and not the standard ring ring ring sound you¡¯d hear in the West). Young folks often set-up the songs that they like as their ringtone. [3]: Criminal Extradition Treaty (??? ?? ??): literal translation. [4]: ¡°Chaebol¡± (??): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaebol (¡°large industrial conglomerate that is run by an owner or family in South Korea¡±) Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 36. . ¡®I wish he would say something¡­¡¯. . The silent figure of Jinwoo felt cold to her. Gathering her courage, Juhee opened her mouth first with great difficulty,. . ¡°So¡­ I don¡¯t think I can eat anything today, so I¡¯ll return this¡­¡±. . Juhee gave Jinwoo a magic core. It was the same core that he had given to her back in the underground temple. Her hand that handed over the magic core was trembling.. . ¡®I suppose that time was less than a month ago¡­ And we had another incident today.¡¯. . Jinwoo realized just how scared Juhee must be. He fully understood that she would lose her appetite after everything that happened today.. . ¡°Today¡¯s not the only day we could grab dinner. You don¡¯t have to return it like this.¡±. . Juhee shook her head,. . ¡°I¡¯m going back home next week.¡±. . As she had retired from being a Hunter, she must¡¯ve planned to return to her hometown. Jinwoo became disappointed,. . ¡°Because of that incident?¡±. . ¡°Not just that¡­¡±. . Remembering the Double Dungeon, Juhee¡¯s face darkened. Jinwoo quickly steered the conversation away,. . ¡°Where is your hometown?¡±. . ¡°Busan. So, Jinwoo-ssi.¡±. . Suddenly, her eyes became serious.. . ¡°Yes?¡±. . Having sensed the mood, Jinwoo erased his smile and also became serious. Juhee stared at his face. She thought about his eyes that were filled with life. When everyone else had fallen into despair, he held onto the light in his eyes. Juhee remembered being right next to him and looking into them.. . ¡®He said something about coming back alive.¡¯. . The ray of hope that his eyes held onto resulted in saving the lives of many people, including her own. It was an act that could not be imitated by any other.. . ba dum ba dum. . As she thought back on that day, her heart started pounding.. . ¡®No¡­¡¯. . She had no regrets about retiring as a Hunter; she knew she was not fit for the life. But thinking about how hard it will be to see Jinwoo again filled her with regret.. . ¡®If I asked him now, ¡°can I see you again¡±, he¡¯ll probably think I¡¯m a weird person¡­¡¯. . But there was nothing she could do. To dwell on such matters would be foolish. After some time, Juhee chortled and lightly shook her head,. . ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. If you¡¯re ever down in Busan, please give me a call. I¡¯ll buy you some food.¡±. . ¡°Sound good.¡±. . Jinwoo smiled, and Juhee returned the smile. And so, having said the words she wanted to say, the two bid each other farewell.. . ¡°...¡±. . The road home had never felt this long.. . . . After seeing Juhee off, Jinwoo returned home. The sight of the worn-down apartment came into his view from afar. He lived on the 9th floor. He passed by the parked cars and headed towards the building, then an aged voice stopped him,. . ¡°Young man from unit 902.¡±. . It was the elderly guard ahjussi. Jinwoo greeted the guard he had known for a long time.. . ¡°Have you not gone home for the day?¡±. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m on the night shift today.¡±. ¡°Ah,¡± Jinwoo nodded.. ¡°Here, a package came for you.¡±. ¡°Ah, thank you.¡±. . It was from the Association.. . ¡®Was it supposed to arrive today?¡¯. . The Hunter phone from the Association was supposed to arrive soon. Jinwoo took the phone out of the box. It was a sparkling new phone.. . Lately, there was much public interest in the Hunters. Jinwoo recalled a news segment where increasing number of people who were not Awakened Beings tried to illicitly buy a Hunter phone.. . ¡®Forget the buyers, what are the thieves thinking?¡¯. . They say it¡¯s not that a country doesn¡¯t have money, but it has too many thieves. Whether it was the Association or the military, wherever people gathered produced all kinds of corruption. Whenever money leaks from such organizations through said corruption, it decreases the ability of the organization to provide support for the people. And if the support for the people decreases, the society suffers. When society suffers, eventually, someone who needs help will be hurt because they cannot get it.. . ¡®I was worried about that¡­¡¯. . Thankfully, there appeared to be no flaws with his new phone. [1]. . While he was waiting for the elevator, he turned on the phone. It was packed with notifications.. . ¡®Sigh, how long will it take to go through all of this?¡¯. . Among the missed calls and messages, two numbers kept repeating. Neither of the numbers seemed familiar to him. One of the numbers had repeatedly called him, the other had repeatedly sent him a message.. . ¡®I don¡¯t think I know anyone who would contact me this much.¡¯. . Jinwoo looked at the phone with a tilted head, then started checking the messages.. . Hi, it¡¯s me from that time at the hospit.... Are you free this week by any chan.... Was I being too annoying? I hop.... . He remembered who this was. It was the nurse that had asked for his contact information on the day of his discharge.. . ¡®I think her name was Choi Yura?¡¯. . Her messages were not particularly annoying, but Jinwoo felt that once he replied, it would get really annoying.. . ¡®I¡¯ll pass on this then¡­¡¯. . Next was the number that had repeatedly called him. Jinwoo clicked the call button on the number. The caller ringtone was a loud pop song that had just come out[2]. Jinwoo had a feeling he knew who this would be. The person on the other end picked up quickly.. . -¡°Hello.¡±. . As expected.. . Having predicted the person, Jinwoo chuckled and spoke,. . ¡°It¡¯s me. Call me on this number from now on.¡±. . -¡°Ah! You¡¯ve received your new phone, hyungnim!¡±. . It was Yoo Jinho.. . Jinwoo had remembered the young man¡¯s number, but not having called him before, it had slipped his mind. Yoo Jinho spoke with an excited voice,. . - ¡°I was actually about to call you. Hyungnim, the raiding party is complete! I¡¯ll come pick you up tomorrow!¡±. . Even just hearing his voice, Jinwoo could imagine Yoo Jinho¡¯s smiling face. Jinwoo also smiled widely.. . ¡°Alrighty, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±. . click. . Right on time, the elevator arrived as he ended the call. Finally, the real Raids would begin tomorrow. Jinwoo¡¯s heart beat in anticipation. . . ¡®Time to level-up a ton.¡¯. . He¡¯ll level-up, raise his stats and become stronger than anyone else.. . Once he became a strong Hunter, money, fame, influence, he would be able to obtain it all.. . Tomorrow would be the first step towards that dream.. . . . Eastern United States.. . Deep into the night.. . Hwang Dongsoo, one of the main Hunters of one of the top Guilds of North America, ¡°Scavenger¡±, received a shocking news before he was about to go to bed.. . ¡°...My older brother is dead? How? Explain it¡­ slowly¡­¡±. . His older brother¡¯s name was Hwang Dongseok. The person on the other end told him that the man had lost his life in a C-rank Gate.. . ¡°...Hyung¡¯s main team of eight members all died, but two others got out alive?¡±. . And those two were a D-ranker and an E-ranker?. . Something was fishy. The older brother he knew would not risk his life for a weakling. On top of that, they were filler members? There was no fucking way.. . But here it was, his brother and his C-rank teammates had died, and the D and E-rankers had lived.. . ¡®Something¡¯s definitely wrong¡­¡¯. . Hwang Dongsoo¡¯s eyes became sharp. Even though he was scouted by a famous American Guild and was currently away, back in South Korea, Hwang Dongseok was an older brother who took care of him more than anyone else in life. He could not be called a good man, but he was a good brother.. . ¡®Once I solidified my position here, I was going to bring him over¡­¡¯. . To think that he would die before he could. Hwang Dongsoo bit his lips.. . ¡°Fax me the two survivor¡¯s information, my number is¡­¡±. . Hwang Dongsoo hung up and called the manager.. . - ¡°Mr. Hwang, what is it at this hour?¡±. . ¡°Laura, what would happen if I killed someone in South Korea?¡±. . - ¡°Are you serious?¡±. . ¡°Yes.¡±. . It took the woman a moment to respond,. . - ¡°...At the moment, there is no Criminal Extradition Treaty[3] between the U.S. and South Korea. As Mr. Hwang is a Hunter under the American government, you¡¯ll be tried back here in the states. But considering our relationship with the government, I don¡¯t think the sentence will be that high.¡±. . ¡°Good. Something came up, so I¡¯ll have to go to Korea for a bit. Can you clear my schedule?¡±. . - ¡°But Mr. Hwang, if you left just like that, it¡¯ll have an impact on the Guild¡¯s business. Could you let me know what this is about?¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s personal. Of course, I have no intentions of hurting the Guild. How backed up is my schedule?¡±. . - ¡°It¡¯s packed for about two months.¡±. . ¡°Two months¡­ Alright, clear my schedule beyond that. Doesn¡¯t have to be long, just two weeks. Give me two weeks and I¡¯ll be back from Korea.¡±. . - ¡°...Got it. What should I tell the brass?¡±. . ¡°Tell them I¡¯m going for my brother¡¯s funeral, and I¡¯ll need some time to grieve.¡±. . - ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll do that. But Mr. Hwang¡­ If there¡¯s anything I can-¡±. . Click!. . Hwang Dongsoo ended the call. Whether it was words of comfort or a warning. He was not in the mood to hear either.. . beep beep. . The fax that he had requested earlier had arrived. Hwang Dongsoo looked at the printed documents. It contained the information on the two Hunters. Their names, pictures, brief profiles, etc¡­. . ¡°D-rank Hunter Yoo Jinho. E-rank Hunter Sung Jinwoo.¡±. . Hwang Dongsoo looked back and forth between the two faces and made a determination.. . ¡®I should be able to obtain some answers if I questioned these two.¡¯. . And if he should detect a hint of lie in their answers¡­. . ¡°You¡¯ll regret coming out of there alive.¡±. . Hwang Dongsoo¡¯s eyes were red with rage.. . . . -6. A Strange Raid-. . Next morning.. . Jinwoo received the call from Yoo Jinho and went outside. He was greeted by a large Bongo out in front.. . ¡°...?¡±. . He was about to ask who the hell was blocking someone else¡¯s house when the driver seat window rolled down. The owner of the smiling face was¡­ Yoo Jinho.. . ¡°Hyungnim! Get in!¡±. . Yoo Jinho slapped the side of the car. Hearing that Yoo Jinho was coming to pick him up personally, Jinwoo had expected a Benz¡­ Anyway he looked at it, this was an ordinary van. Well, it was a bit larger.. . ¡°Aren¡¯t you a second generation chaebol[4]?¡±. . ¡°Well, I felt like if I brought my car, we¡¯d get noticed a bit. I bought this one to use in our Raids.¡±. . Jinwoo did realize the car was clean and sparkling.. . ¡®He must¡¯ve bought it pretty recently.¡¯. . The young man diligently came to pick him up early in the morning and had even bought a new car so they would not be noticed. Yoo Jinho¡¯s preparations were thorough. His expectations on this arrangement was that high. Yoo Jinho mistook Jinwoo looking over the new car for something else,. . ¡°Is this not satisfactory to you, hyungnim?¡±. . ¡°No, it¡¯s good.¡±. . He cut him off and got in the passenger seat.. . ¡°We¡¯re off, hyungnim.¡±. . Excited by the official start of their Raids, Yoo Jinho hummed happily as he drove. After some time, they arrived at a vacant lot.. . screech-. . ¡°Hyungnim, this is it.¡±. . There were 8 Hunters waiting in the promised location.. . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: I think the way I translated the passage is a bit confusing. Basically, it seems like Jinwoo is going into a philosophical rant about society being hurt by corruption, when in reality, he was worried about him not getting his new phone (¡°help to someone who needs it¡±). This troll.... [2]: In South Korea, people can set-up their own receiving ringtones to different sounds/music. As in if you call that person, you¡¯ll hear their personal ringtone in the receiver (and not the standard ring ring ring sound you¡¯d hear in the West). Young folks often set-up the songs that they like as their ringtone.. [3]: Criminal Extradition Treaty (??? ?? ??): literal translation.. [4]: ¡°Chaebol¡± (??): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaebol (¡°large industrial conglomerate that is run by an owner or family in South Korea¡±). Chapter 37 The Gate that stood behind them was big even for a C-rank Gate . The waiting Hunters approached Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho who got out of their Bongo . None of them were¡­ normal . Some of them appeared to have trouble moving, others looked like patients, while some even gave off the impression of an alcoholic . There was even an underage girl, whose age would mean that she would not be accepted by the Association or the Guilds; she appeared to be a highschool student . ¡°Is it okay to bring that one?¡± ¡°I went ahead and got some legal counsel . There isn¡¯t any legal reason why she can¡¯t join us . It¡¯s just going to be a big problem if she gets hurt . ¡± Jinwoo nodded . ¡®That should be alright, then . ¡¯ As the only ones entering the gate would be him and Yoo Jinho, there was no chance that she would get hurt . All that the gathered Hunters would be used for is to fill the minimum headcount to enter the Gate . The other Hunters were well aware of this . Although they had their Hunter licenses, they could not work as Hunters due to various reasons . Having lived an ordinary life because of those reasons, they readily agreed to be recruited as just filler members . Yoo Jinho stepped forward, ¡°My name is Yoo Jinho . I will be this Raid¡¯s leader . And this person is Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim . He¡¯s the only other person who will enter the Dungeon with me . The rest of you can just wait near the Gate until we return . ¡± One of the Hunters cautiously raised a hand, ¡°Er¡­ So if we just wait out here, you¡¯ll pay us three million?¡± There was no need for the rest of them to hunt . There wasn¡¯t even a need for them to enter the Dungeon . Yet they would be paid 3 million per Raid . For just filling the headcount for the Association¡¯s records, this was an incredible compensation . But because of the large reward for doing so little, many of the Hunters were cautious . ¡°Yes, that is the promise . ¡± Yoo Jinho gathered strength in his lungs; his eyes became serious . ¡°There is one condition . You must not speak of what you see here to anyone . There will be a non-disclosure clause attached to your contracts . Upon breaking that contract, you will be required to pay ten times your pay as penalty . ¡± The Hunters whispered among themselves . Just what did these two plan to do in the Dungeon that they would offer such a contract? They were curious, but they could not ask any questions . That was also part of the non-disclosure clause . [¡°No questions on what¡¯s going to happen in the Dungeon . ¡±] Jinwoo wanted to keep his special circumstances secret, while Yoo Jinho wanted to keep his plans to become a Guildmaster secret . As such, they thoroughly planned to maintain the silence of their filler teammates . ¡°¡­¡± Instead of asking the duo questions, the Hunters just whispered among themselves about the situation . ¡°Wait, could just two people even do anything in a C-rank Dungeon?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t seem that strong¡­¡± ¡°If they were good enough to clear a C-rank Gate with just the two of them, why wouldn¡¯t they be working for a large Guild?¡± ¡°Yep, you¡¯re right¡­¡± They were all suspicious, but not one of them wanted to back out . The reason was obvious . The conditions were too good . Even Jinwoo had accepted similar conditions for 2 million before . Compared to the Hwang Dongseok incident, they pair had decided to add an additional 1 million to the contract for the non-disclosure clause . They¡¯ve wasted enough time explaining everything . Looking at the time, Jinwoo approached Yoo Jinho, ¡°We should get going . ¡± ¡°Understood, hyungnim . ¡± Yoo Jinho replied politely, then grabbed everyone¡¯s attention with a clap . ¡°Well, I think we¡¯re done explaining the details . We won¡¯t be forcing anyone to sign . Is there anyone who wants to backout at this point?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Of course, there was no one who raised their hands . Now, the pair could enter the Gate- ¡°Ah, hyungnim, one moment . ¡± As if remembering something, Yoo Jinho quickly ran to the Bongo . He took something out of the car and started putting it on, then slowly lumbered toward Jinwoo . ¡°What¡­ are you wearing?¡± ¡°It was made by a Craftsmen Guild in Italy . It¡¯s a full set of strong armor, hyungnim . If it¡¯s just going to be us two in the Dungeon, I should prepare at least this much, right?¡± Jinwoo facepalmed . ¡°¡­¡± Covered from tip of the head to toes in armor, Yoo Jinho looked like a giant walking piece of metal . Even just looking at him gave off a sense of claustrophobia . ¡°What¡¯s wrong, hyungnim?¡± Unable to take it any longer, Jinwoo walked over and unsheathe the sword at Yoo Jinho¡¯s side and dropped it at his feet . ¡°W-what?¡± Yoo Jinho lost his balance trying to pick up the sword and fell flat onto the ground . collapse Jinwoo held back the rage that was forming inside of him and spoke sternly to the young man, ¡°I¡¯ll say this once . Go take it off . ¡± ¡°¡­Yes sir¡­¡± Yoo Jinho started getting up then spoke, ¡°Hyungnim¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Could you please help me up . ¡± Jinwoo sighed deeply at Yoo Jinho¡¯s outstretched hand . ¡°Is this okay, hyungnim?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine . ¡± In the end, they agreed that Yoo Jinho would at least wear the helmet . The young man entered the Gate with a satisfied expression; Jinwoo wordlessly followed suit . After the pair entered the Gate, the Hunters approached it one by one and stared . One of them spoke with a worry, ¡°They didn¡¯t exactly inspire confidence¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Their words broke the dam of silence of the other Hunters . They all had something they wanted to say . ¡°What happens if those two just kick it in the Dungeon?¡± ¡°Well, we already received the money¡­¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± ¡°Wait, what were their names again?¡± ¡°Hmm, it was¡­¡± A man with a cast on one of his legs quickly took out his phone and looked their employers up . ¡°Yoo Jinho, Sung Jinwoo¡­¡± Whether they were concerned for the man standing up with a crutch or they were curious on what he had found, the other Hunters helped the man stand while looking at his phone . ¡°What? The Raid leader¡¯s a D-rank?¡± The Hunters groaned at this news . The next bit of information surprised them even more . ¡°And the other one¡¯s an E-ranker!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t is dangerous for an E-ranker to even enter a C-rank Gate?¡± ¡°A D-ranker and an E-ranker is going to clear a C-rank Dungeon?¡± ¡°Is that possible?¡± ¡°Hell, the Raid leader doesn¡¯t even have any prior experiences!¡± ¡°Why would someone so young do this?¡± To the other Hunters, Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho¡¯s actions were just suicide with extra steps . There was a reason why the Association placed a restriction of a minimum headcount for C-rank Gates: 10 Hunters, with at least half of them being above C-rank . ¡°Tsk, tsk . ¡± A man with greying hair took out a cigarette and placed it in his mouth . ¡°I tell you, rashness is the death of many youths . ¡± A white smoke filled the air . ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The Hunters became at a loss for words . Having felt like they¡¯ve assisted in someone else¡¯s suicide, they did not feel good . Even if it was a complete stranger, no one wanted to see, or rather, know that someone was about to die in the Gate in front of them . Not only that, they felt disappointed at the idea that they would not be paid for the remaining 18 Raids . It was regrettable, but there was no way those two men would be coming back alive . ¡°Should¡­ should we call the Association?¡± ¡°No, what if we get blamed during the investigation?¡± At that time, the Gate rippled, and Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho came out of the Dungeon . ¡°pant, pant, pant . ¡± Yoo Jinho was taking vigorous breaths . The two men¡¯s faces were filled with exhaustion . ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°They escaped safely!¡± ¡°Thank goodness . ¡± The Hunters greeted the pair with welcome . Because of the short time they were in the Dungeon, the Hunters had thought that the pair wandered aimlessly at the entrance and managed to run away . But suddenly, the Hunters¡¯ expressions started changing . Someone shouted, ¡°Th-the Gate! The Gate is closing!¡± What? They all turned towards the Gate . ¡°Holy shit!¡± ¡°It is!¡± ¡°They-they took down the boss?!¡± As it always would when the boss was taken down, the Gate was rippling and blurring, signaling its closing . While the Hunters opened their mouths wide in surprise, Jinwoo quietly slipped away from them and asked Yoo Jinho, ¡°Where¡¯s the next one?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about an hour drive from here, hyungnim . ¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡± Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho got in the Bongo . The Hunters were watching their backs with dumbfounded expressions . Realizing the other Hunters were not moving, Yoo Jinho shouted after them, ¡°Let¡¯s go please, Hunter-nims . We have to cover two more Gates today . ¡± The other Hunters¡¯ mouths opened even wider . The middle-aged Hunter with the greying hair didn¡¯t even realize his cigarette had fallen out of his open mouth . ¡®They just smashed a C-rank Dungeon and they¡¯re going on another Raid?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t the only one with the thought . All the other Hunters were thinking something similar . ¡®Just what are those two?¡¯ Day 1 . groooooan The zombie horde approached . ¡°Hyungnim, here they come!¡± ¡°Alright . ¡± Jinwoo smoothly slipped through the approaching zombies . As he passed them, the heads of zombies fell onto the ground . Their numbers diminished quickly . One left . stab! groooan! As Jinwoo stabbed its chest with the dagger, the familiar electronic tone rang . ring~! You¡¯ve leveled up! Watching from the rear, Yoo Jinho clapped rapidly in awe . ¡°Hyungnim! You look so cool!¡± ¡°The magic cores . ¡± ¡°Ah, right . ¡± Yoo Jinho quickly started to gather the magic cores into his bag . Meanwhile, the electronic tone that only Jinwoo could hear continued after the level-up message . ring~! You¡¯ve learned ¡®Advanced Dagger Proficiency¡¯ (Lv . 1) You¡¯ve learned ¡®Vital Stab¡¯ (Lv . 1) [1] ¡®Sprint¡¯ has leveled up! Jinwoo¡¯s expression became bright . ¡®New skills?¡¯ How long has it been? Jinwoo immediately opened his skill screen with joy . Skills Passive Skills -(Unknown) (Lv . Max) -Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1) -Advanced Dagger Proficiency (Lv . 1) Active Skills -Sprint (Lv . 2) -Bloodlust (Lv . 1) -Stealth (Lv . 1)[2] -Vital Stab (Lv . 1) Having used it so often, ¡®Sprint¡¯ had leveled up to level 2 . And he gained a passive skill and an active skill, ¡®Advanced Dagger Proficiency¡¯ and ¡®Vital Stab¡¯ . [1] Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Advanced Dagger Proficiency¡± (?? ???): ¡°high level¡± ?? + ¡°dagger¡± ?? + ¡°arts/skill¡± ¡°?¡± . Took a video game approach and decided to call it ¡°Advanced Dagger Proficiency¡± . ¡°Vital Stab¡± (?? ???): ¡°vital point/pressure point¡± ?? + ¡°stabbing¡± ??? . Condensed to ¡°Vital Stab¡± [2]: Heheh, in the original Korean, there is actually a mistake here . The author forgot to put ¡®Stealth¡¯ in the skill listing . I added it in . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 37. . The Gate that stood behind them was big even for a C-rank Gate . The waiting Hunters approached Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho who got out of their Bongo . None of them were¡­ normal . . . Some of them appeared to have trouble moving, others looked like patients, while some even gave off the impression of an alcoholic . There was even an underage girl, whose age would mean that she would not be accepted by the Association or the Guilds; she appeared to be a highschool student . . . ¡°Is it okay to bring that one?¡±. . ¡°I went ahead and got some legal counsel . There isn¡¯t any legal reason why she can¡¯t join us . It¡¯s just going to be a big problem if she gets hurt . ¡±. . Jinwoo nodded . . . ¡®That should be alright, then . ¡¯. . As the only ones entering the gate would be him and Yoo Jinho, there was no chance that she would get hurt . All that the gathered Hunters would be used for is to fill the minimum headcount to enter the Gate . The other Hunters were well aware of this . Although they had their Hunter licenses, they could not work as Hunters due to various reasons . Having lived an ordinary life because of those reasons, they readily agreed to be recruited as just filler members . . . Yoo Jinho stepped forward,. . ¡°My name is Yoo Jinho . I will be this Raid¡¯s leader . And this person is Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim . He¡¯s the only other person who will enter the Dungeon with me . The rest of you can just wait near the Gate until we return . ¡±. . One of the Hunters cautiously raised a hand,. . ¡°Er¡­ So if we just wait out here, you¡¯ll pay us three million?¡±. . There was no need for the rest of them to hunt . There wasn¡¯t even a need for them to enter the Dungeon . Yet they would be paid 3 million per Raid . For just filling the headcount for the Association¡¯s records, this was an incredible compensation . But because of the large reward for doing so little, many of the Hunters were cautious . . . ¡°Yes, that is the promise . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho gathered strength in his lungs; his eyes became serious . . . ¡°There is one condition . You must not speak of what you see here to anyone . There will be a non-disclosure clause attached to your contracts . Upon breaking that contract, you will be required to pay ten times your pay as penalty . ¡±. . The Hunters whispered among themselves . Just what did these two plan to do in the Dungeon that they would offer such a contract? They were curious, but they could not ask any questions . That was also part of the non-disclosure clause . . . [¡°No questions on what¡¯s going to happen in the Dungeon . ¡±]. . Jinwoo wanted to keep his special circumstances secret, while Yoo Jinho wanted to keep his plans to become a Guildmaster secret . As such, they thoroughly planned to maintain the silence of their filler teammates . . . ¡°¡­¡±. . Instead of asking the duo questions, the Hunters just whispered among themselves about the situation . . . ¡°Wait, could just two people even do anything in a C-rank Dungeon?¡±. ¡°They don¡¯t seem that strong¡­¡±. ¡°If they were good enough to clear a C-rank Gate with just the two of them, why wouldn¡¯t they be working for a large Guild?¡±. ¡°Yep, you¡¯re right¡­¡±. . They were all suspicious, but not one of them wanted to back out . The reason was obvious . The conditions were too good . Even Jinwoo had accepted similar conditions for 2 million before . Compared to the Hwang Dongseok incident, they pair had decided to add an additional 1 million to the contract for the non-disclosure clause . . . They¡¯ve wasted enough time explaining everything . Looking at the time, Jinwoo approached Yoo Jinho,. . ¡°We should get going . ¡±. . ¡°Understood, hyungnim . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho replied politely, then grabbed everyone¡¯s attention with a clap . . . ¡°Well, I think we¡¯re done explaining the details . We won¡¯t be forcing anyone to sign . Is there anyone who wants to backout at this point?¡±. . ¡°¡­¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. . Of course, there was no one who raised their hands . Now, the pair could enter the Gate-. . ¡°Ah, hyungnim, one moment . ¡±. . As if remembering something, Yoo Jinho quickly ran to the Bongo . He took something out of the car and started putting it on, then slowly lumbered toward Jinwoo . . . ¡°What¡­ are you wearing?¡±. . ¡°It was made by a Craftsmen Guild in Italy . It¡¯s a full set of strong armor, hyungnim . If it¡¯s just going to be us two in the Dungeon, I should prepare at least this much, right?¡±. . Jinwoo facepalmed . . . ¡°¡­¡±. . Covered from tip of the head to toes in armor, Yoo Jinho looked like a giant walking piece of metal . Even just looking at him gave off a sense of claustrophobia . . . ¡°What¡¯s wrong, hyungnim?¡±. . Unable to take it any longer, Jinwoo walked over and unsheathe the sword at Yoo Jinho¡¯s side and dropped it at his feet . . . ¡°W-what?¡±. . Yoo Jinho lost his balance trying to pick up the sword and fell flat onto the ground . . . collapse. . Jinwoo held back the rage that was forming inside of him and spoke sternly to the young man,. . ¡°I¡¯ll say this once . Go take it off . ¡±. . ¡°¡­Yes sir¡­¡±. . Yoo Jinho started getting up then spoke,. . ¡°Hyungnim¡­¡±. . ¡°What?¡±. . ¡°Could you please help me up . ¡±. . Jinwoo sighed deeply at Yoo Jinho¡¯s outstretched hand . . . . . ¡°Is this okay, hyungnim?¡±. . ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine . ¡±. . In the end, they agreed that Yoo Jinho would at least wear the helmet . The young man entered the Gate with a satisfied expression; Jinwoo wordlessly followed suit . . . After the pair entered the Gate, the Hunters approached it one by one and stared . One of them spoke with a worry,. . ¡°They didn¡¯t exactly inspire confidence¡­¡±. ¡°Yeah¡­¡±. . Their words broke the dam of silence of the other Hunters . They all had something they wanted to say . . . ¡°What happens if those two just kick it in the Dungeon?¡±. ¡°Well, we already received the money¡­¡±. ¡°Still¡­¡±. ¡°Wait, what were their names again?¡±. ¡°Hmm, it was¡­¡±. . A man with a cast on one of his legs quickly took out his phone and looked their employers up . . . ¡°Yoo Jinho, Sung Jinwoo¡­¡±. . Whether they were concerned for the man standing up with a crutch or they were curious on what he had found, the other Hunters helped the man stand while looking at his phone . . . ¡°What? The Raid leader¡¯s a D-rank?¡±. . The Hunters groaned at this news . The next bit of information surprised them even more . . . ¡°And the other one¡¯s an E-ranker!¡±. ¡°Isn¡¯t is dangerous for an E-ranker to even enter a C-rank Gate?¡±. ¡°A D-ranker and an E-ranker is going to clear a C-rank Dungeon?¡±. ¡°Is that possible?¡±. ¡°Hell, the Raid leader doesn¡¯t even have any prior experiences!¡±. ¡°Why would someone so young do this?¡±. . To the other Hunters, Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho¡¯s actions were just suicide with extra steps . There was a reason why the Association placed a restriction of a minimum headcount for C-rank Gates: 10 Hunters, with at least half of them being above C-rank . . . ¡°Tsk, tsk . ¡±. . A man with greying hair took out a cigarette and placed it in his mouth . . . ¡°I tell you, rashness is the death of many youths . ¡±. . A white smoke filled the air . . . ¡°¡­¡±. . ¡°¡­¡±. . The Hunters became at a loss for words . Having felt like they¡¯ve assisted in someone else¡¯s suicide, they did not feel good . Even if it was a complete stranger, no one wanted to see, or rather, know that someone was about to die in the Gate in front of them . Not only that, they felt disappointed at the idea that they would not be paid for the remaining 18 Raids . It was regrettable, but there was no way those two men would be coming back alive . . . ¡°Should¡­ should we call the Association?¡±. . ¡°No, what if we get blamed during the investigation?¡±. . At that time, the Gate rippled, and Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho came out of the Dungeon . . . ¡°pant, pant, pant . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho was taking vigorous breaths . The two men¡¯s faces were filled with exhaustion . . . ¡°Oh!¡±. ¡°They escaped safely!¡±. ¡°Thank goodness . ¡±. . The Hunters greeted the pair with welcome . Because of the short time they were in the Dungeon, the Hunters had thought that the pair wandered aimlessly at the entrance and managed to run away . But suddenly, the Hunters¡¯ expressions started changing . Someone shouted,. . ¡°Th-the Gate! The Gate is closing!¡±. . What?. . They all turned towards the Gate . . . ¡°Holy shit!¡±. ¡°It is!¡±. ¡°They-they took down the boss?!¡±. . As it always would when the boss was taken down, the Gate was rippling and blurring, signaling its closing . While the Hunters opened their mouths wide in surprise, Jinwoo quietly slipped away from them and asked Yoo Jinho,. . ¡°Where¡¯s the next one?¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s about an hour drive from here, hyungnim . ¡±. . ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡±. . Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho got in the Bongo . The Hunters were watching their backs with dumbfounded expressions . Realizing the other Hunters were not moving, Yoo Jinho shouted after them,. . ¡°Let¡¯s go please, Hunter-nims . We have to cover two more Gates today . ¡±. . The other Hunters¡¯ mouths opened even wider . The middle-aged Hunter with the greying hair didn¡¯t even realize his cigarette had fallen out of his open mouth . . . ¡®They just smashed a C-rank Dungeon and they¡¯re going on another Raid?¡¯. . He wasn¡¯t the only one with the thought . All the other Hunters were thinking something similar . . . ¡®Just what are those two?¡¯. . . . . Day 1 . . . groooooan. . The zombie horde approached . . . ¡°Hyungnim, here they come!¡±. . ¡°Alright . ¡±. . Jinwoo smoothly slipped through the approaching zombies . As he passed them, the heads of zombies fell onto the ground . Their numbers diminished quickly . . . One left . . . stab!. . groooan!. . As Jinwoo stabbed its chest with the dagger, the familiar electronic tone rang . . . ring~!. . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . Watching from the rear, Yoo Jinho clapped rapidly in awe . . . ¡°Hyungnim! You look so cool!¡±. . ¡°The magic cores . ¡±. . ¡°Ah, right . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho quickly started to gather the magic cores into his bag . Meanwhile, the electronic tone that only Jinwoo could hear continued after the level-up message . . . ring~!. . You¡¯ve learned ¡®Advanced Dagger Proficiency¡¯ (Lv . 1). . You¡¯ve learned ¡®Vital Stab¡¯ (Lv . 1). [1]. ¡®Sprint¡¯ has leveled up!. . Jinwoo¡¯s expression became bright . . . ¡®New skills?¡¯. . How long has it been? Jinwoo immediately opened his skill screen with joy . . . Skills. . Passive Skills. -(Unknown) (Lv . Max). -Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1). -Advanced Dagger. Proficiency (Lv . 1). . Active Skills. -Sprint (Lv . 2). -Bloodlust (Lv . 1). -Stealth (Lv . 1)[2]. -Vital Stab (Lv . 1). . Having used it so often, ¡®Sprint¡¯ had leveled up to level 2 . And he gained a passive skill and an active skill, ¡®Advanced Dagger Proficiency¡¯ and ¡®Vital Stab¡¯ . [1]. . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Advanced Dagger Proficiency¡± (?? ???): ¡°high level¡± ?? + ¡°dagger¡± ?? + ¡°arts/skill¡± ¡°?¡± . Took a video game approach and decided to call it ¡°Advanced Dagger Proficiency¡± . . ¡°Vital Stab¡± (?? ???): ¡°vital point/pressure point¡± ?? + ¡°stabbing¡± ??? . Condensed to ¡°Vital Stab¡±. [2]: Heheh, in the original Korean, there is actually a mistake here . The author forgot to put ¡®Stealth¡¯ in the skill listing . I added it in . . . Chapter 38 Sprint (Lv . 2) Active Skill Mana Cost: 5 (+1/Minute) Activate to increase your movement speed by 40% . Costs 1 mana per minute to maintain . ¡°Your running has strengthened your legs . ¡± ¡®The movement speed boost went up . ¡¯ The skill had gone from 30% to 40% boost in movement speed . Even just a 10% improvement was huge . ¡®Sprint¡¯ was his most used skill, after all . Advanced Dagger Proficiency (Lv . 1) Passive Skill Mana Cost: 0 Dagger-specific +33% Damage with Daggers . ¡°Having used a dagger for a long time, you are able to wield them with greater proficiency . ¡± Increased damage when wielding a dagger! It seemed that since he had solely used a dagger up until now, he had received a dagger-specific skill . ¡®Looks like it¡¯ll be less effective to use other weapons now . ¡¯ On the other hand, it¡¯ll now be more effective than ever to use a dagger . More so, he had become used to wielding a dagger, and it did not seem like he would change weapons from Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang for the time being . ¡®Lastly . ¡¯ Jinwoo looked at the other new skill with interest . Vital Stab (Lv . 1) Active Skill Mana Cost: 70 Dagger-specific Stab the enemy¡¯s vitals with fatal damage . ¡°You¡¯ve learned to strike effectively . ¡± This was also a dagger-specific skill . ¡®A way to strike effectively¡­¡¯ Now that he thought about it, the final attack that he used on Kang Taeshik and the final attack on the last zombie just now both left a similar feeling in his hand . It could somewhat be described as satisfying . The moment he stabbed with the dagger, the feeling in his hand told him that the fight was over . ¡®So that was ¡®Vital Stab¡¯ . ¡¯ To think that he would now be able to repeatedly use the skill he had discovered on accident! Jinwoo¡¯s heart raced . Having mindlessly slashed and stabbed with the dagger until now, receiving an official offensive skill was like finding water in a desert . ¡®Awesome!¡¯ Level-up and new skills . This was a good start . Day 2 . You¡¯ve leveled up! You¡¯ve leveled up! With the new offensive skill, the hunting speed had become drastically faster . You¡¯ve leveled up! One shot, one kill! Everytime Jinwoo used ¡®Vital Stab¡¯, a magic beast would fall . Yoo Jinho watched each kill with eyes wide open . ¡®Where was he hiding such a skill?¡¯ Just what was the limit of hyungnim¡¯s abilities? Yoo Jinho could not help but be amazed . At the same time, he became curious about Jinwoo¡¯s true rank . ¡®He easily defeated C-rank Hunters, so he¡¯s at least B-rank¡­¡¯ Unfortunately, the young man was too scared of asking Jinwoo directly, so he just settled for watching him with an open mouth . In the meantime, Jinwoo discovered a flaw in hunting with his new skill . Insufficient mana to use skill . Insufficient mana to use skill . Jinwoo scrunched his face in annoyance . ¡®Again?¡¯ Like he had done previously, Jinwoo took out a mana potion from his inventory to fill his mana . It was purchased from the System¡¯s shop . ¡°What¡¯s that, hyungnim?¡± Yoo Jinho asked curiously . Whenever he spent time with Jinwoo, Yoo Jinho experienced many incredible and wondrous things . Although he had held his tongue in both respect and fear up until now, his curiosity got the best of him when he kept seeing Jinwoo drink this mysterious blue liquid . ¡°This?¡± Before answering, Jinwoo looked at the mana potion¡¯s information . Mana Potion Rarity: E Type: Consumable Drink to recover 500 MP . ¡°It¡¯s a potion to recover mana . ¡± You may keep this item in your inventory . Cannot be traded . [1] ¡®¡°Cannot be traded¡±¡­ I wonder what happens if I try?¡¯ Jinwoo also had his own share of curiosities . He handed the mana potion to Yoo Jinho . The moment the young man grabbed it, the bottle disappeared into thin air . ¡°W-was that magic, hyungnim?¡± ¡®So this is what they meant by ¡®cannot be traded¡±¡¯ Jinwoo had learned something new . Items that cannot be traded would disappear when they were placed into someone else¡¯s hands . But what if it didn¡¯t touch their hands? Jinwoo opened the shop and purchased another potion . This time, instead of the blue mana potion, he purchased a red healing potion . After confirming the purchase, the potion appeared in Jinwoo¡¯s hand . ¡°H-hyungnim! That was so cool! The liquid turned to red!¡± Seeing the blue mana potion disappear from his own hands and seemingly reappear in Jinwoo¡¯s hand as red, Yoo Jinho thought he was watching some magic trick . However, Jinwoo had a reason for switching up the potions . ¡®I want to know if it could be ¡°used¡± on another person . ¡¯ Jinwoo lowered Yoo Jinho¡¯s body . ¡°Open your mouth and tilt your head back . ¡± [2] ¡°L-like this, hyungnim?¡± ¡°Yeah, stand still . ¡± Jinwoo poured the healing potion into Yoo Jinho¡¯s mouth . pour Yoo Jinho became surprised, ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this, hyungnim? I¡¯m suddenly feeling energized!¡± Yoo Jinho¡¯s face was filled with exhaustion from acting as the baggage boy . Once the potion was administered to him, light and energy returned to the young man¡¯s face . Jinwoo was satisfied . ¡®So I could use its effects like this . ¡¯ He had learned something else . From now on, even if they didn¡¯t have a Healer, Jinwoo would be able to heal an injured person with this method . He imagined it would be helpful in the future . ¡°Let me know if you feel exhausted . There¡¯s plenty more where that came from . ¡± This was not an act of needless kindness . If the baggage boy became slower because of fatigue, their hunting speed would fall . Ultimately, Jinwoo decided this after weighing the cost of the healing potion against the rate of their hunting . However, to Yoo Jinho, the gesture carried a great meaning . ¡°H-hyungnim¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡± With tears forming in the corner of his eyes, Yoo Jinho trailed after Jinwoo, in awe of the man¡¯s great heart . Day 3 . ¡°Ah, before I forget . This is for you, hyungnim . ¡± Yoo Jinho looked through his bag then took out a bankbook . ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the magic core income from the past two days, hyungnim . ¡± ¡®Why are you giving this to me in the middle of- gah, nevermind . ¡¯ The pair was deep in a Dungeon filled with magic beasts . ¡®Six hundred million?¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened after looking inside the bankbook . ¡°You¡¯re giving all the income from the magic cores so far to me?¡± Yoo Jinho nodded . ¡°Of course, hyungnim . It¡¯s not like I¡¯m Raiding because I need the money . More than that, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s really killing all the magic beasts, right? What right do I have to even think about sharing such income?¡± The young man¡¯s eyes sparkled, hoping for some praise . ¡®Oy¡­ Look at this kid¡­¡¯ In the past few days, Jinwoo had felt like Yoo Jinho¡¯s attitude towards him was changing . In the beginning, the young man had followed him with no choice out of fear . Now, it felt like he was a little dongsaeng that truly respected his sunbae . [3] ¡®You know, he¡¯s kind of adorable in that sense . ¡¯ Jinwoo smiled widely . ¡°I can really take all of this, right?¡± ¡°Have I, Yoo Jinho, ever seemed like someone who would say one thing and mean the other, hyungnim?¡± Jinwoo chuckled and waved the bankbook . ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take this with gratitude, then . ¡± ¡°Thank you, hyungnim!¡± Yoo Jinho bowed his body in a 90-degree angle . If someone was watching from a distance, they would not be able to tell exactly who was giving money to whom . Meanwhile, outside of the Dungeon . The pair¡¯s ¡°teammates¡± had found their own way of passing the time . When Raid leader Yoo Jinho and assistant(?) Sung Jinwoo entered the Gate, the other Hunters began to grab a spot here and there and entertained themselves . As expected, the most popular pastime for a group of them was ¡°Go-Stop¡± [4] . Five of the Hunters sat in a circle, playing the game . ¡°Which Raid is this one?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ we did three on the first day, two yesterday, and this is the second one today . That makes it the seventh?¡± ¡°Is it okay for those two to continue at this pace? Normally, raiding parties tend to take a week¡¯s rest after a single Raid, right?¡± ¡°Eh, don¡¯t worry about those guys . Everytime they come out of the Gate, they¡¯re not even breaking a sweat . Besides, we¡¯re just earning three million each time without doing anything . We¡¯re not in a position to complain . Oy, it¡¯s your turn . ¡± ¡°Ah, okay . ¡± As they noted, even through their nonstop schedule, Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho did not appear to be tired at all . They did not know, but this was due to the effect of the potions . Thanks to that, they were over a third of a way through the 19 Raids they needed . Soon, the Gate started to ripple and the pair appeared before the waiting Hunters . ¡°Oy, there comes the leader . ¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get up¡± The Hunters started cleaning up their spots . ¡°Don¡¯t forget your stuff . ¡± ¡°Wake up the sleeping ones . Make sure you didn¡¯t miss anything . ¡± The Hunters moved with perfect coordination . The sleeping Hunters also quickly got up and prepared to move . ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Everyone was becoming used to this bizarre Raiding method . Baekho Guild¡¯s office, nearby . The head of Second Management Division, Ahn Sangmin, was about to blow a gasket early in the morning . ¡°Deputy Hyun! The new recruit training training is tomorrow! What do you mean we don¡¯t have a Gate reserved for it?!¡± Deputy Hyun Gicheol lowered his head deeply . ¡°I-I apologize, chief . There¡¯s been a team that¡¯s been snatching up every C-rank Gate in the area before we could get our hands on it . . . ¡± ¡°What? Then just spend more money to reserve it! Is our Guild missing money or manpower? What exactly is the problem?!¡± ¡°I tried but¡­¡± ¡°Hey! I didn¡¯t ask for your ¡°tried but¡±s!¡± At Ahn Sangmin¡¯s shouting, the entire Second Management Division fell into silence as if at a funeral . It has been some time since Ahn Sangmin was this angry . Just what did they think Baekho Guild was? It was one of the top 5 Guild of South Korea . Appropriately, its employees must be greatly skilled . Deputy Hyun Gicheol was also a proud employee who had never made a mistake until now . And to think such a man couldn¡¯t even reserve a Gate for new recruit training! This was a major mistake . Chief Ahn Sangmin was the head of the Second Management Division, which was the team in charge of recruiting new Hunters and training them . (The First Management Division was in charge of managing the official member Hunters of the Guild . ) ¡°J-just take a look at this, chief!¡± Hyun Gicheol held out a laptop . ¡°You son of a-¡± Ahn Sangmin was about to berate the man again, but then looked at the numbers on the laptop and gasped in surprise, ¡°T-two hundred and fifty million? There¡¯s someone who used two hundred and fifty million to reserve a mere C-rank Gate?!¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Cannot be traded¡± (???? ??? ??????): Lit . ¡°Cannot be transferred/given to others¡± [2]: Erm¡­ [3]: Reminder, ¡°dongsaeng¡± (??) = ¡°little sibling¡±, usable b/w unrelated parties . ¡°Sunbae¡± (??): ¡°senior¡±, i . e . someone who¡¯s been in your profession longer than you . [4]: ¡°Go-Stop¡± (???): Korean card game . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 38. . Sprint (Lv . 2). Active Skill. . Mana Cost: 5 (+1/Minute). . Activate to increase your movement speed by 40% . . Costs 1 mana per minute to maintain . . . ¡°Your running has strengthened your legs . ¡±. . ¡®The movement speed boost went up . ¡¯. . The skill had gone from 30% to 40% boost in movement speed . Even just a 10% improvement was huge . ¡®Sprint¡¯ was his most used skill, after all . . . Advanced Dagger Proficiency (Lv . 1). Passive Skill. . Mana Cost: 0. . Dagger-specific. +33% Damage with Daggers . . . ¡°Having used a dagger for a long time, you are able to wield them with greater proficiency . ¡±. . Increased damage when wielding a dagger! It seemed that since he had solely used a dagger up until now, he had received a dagger-specific skill . . . ¡®Looks like it¡¯ll be less effective to use other weapons now . ¡¯. . On the other hand, it¡¯ll now be more effective than ever to use a dagger . More so, he had become used to wielding a dagger, and it did not seem like he would change weapons from Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang for the time being . . . ¡®Lastly . ¡¯. . Jinwoo looked at the other new skill with interest . . . Vital Stab (Lv . 1). Active Skill. . Mana Cost: 70. Dagger-specific. Stab the enemy¡¯s vitals with fatal damage . . . ¡°You¡¯ve learned to strike effectively . ¡±. . This was also a dagger-specific skill . . . ¡®A way to strike effectively¡­¡¯. . Now that he thought about it, the final attack that he used on Kang Taeshik and the final attack on the last zombie just now both left a similar feeling in his hand . It could somewhat be described as satisfying . The moment he stabbed with the dagger, the feeling in his hand told him that the fight was over . . . ¡®So that was ¡®Vital Stab¡¯ . ¡¯. . To think that he would now be able to repeatedly use the skill he had discovered on accident!. . Jinwoo¡¯s heart raced . Having mindlessly slashed and stabbed with the dagger until now, receiving an official offensive skill was like finding water in a desert . . . ¡®Awesome!¡¯. . Level-up and new skills . . . This was a good start . . . . . . Day 2 . . . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . With the new offensive skill, the hunting speed had become drastically faster . . . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . One shot, one kill!. . Everytime Jinwoo used ¡®Vital Stab¡¯, a magic beast would fall . Yoo Jinho watched each kill with eyes wide open . . . ¡®Where was he hiding such a skill?¡¯. . Just what was the limit of hyungnim¡¯s abilities? Yoo Jinho could not help but be amazed . At the same time, he became curious about Jinwoo¡¯s true rank . . . ¡®He easily defeated C-rank Hunters, so he¡¯s at least B-rank¡­¡¯. . Unfortunately, the young man was too scared of asking Jinwoo directly, so he just settled for watching him with an open mouth . . . In the meantime, Jinwoo discovered a flaw in hunting with his new skill . . . Insufficient mana to use skill . . . Insufficient mana to use skill . . . Jinwoo scrunched his face in annoyance . . . ¡®Again?¡¯. . Like he had done previously, Jinwoo took out a mana potion from his inventory to fill his mana . It was purchased from the System¡¯s shop . . . ¡°What¡¯s that, hyungnim?¡±. . Yoo Jinho asked curiously . Whenever he spent time with Jinwoo, Yoo Jinho experienced many incredible and wondrous things . Although he had held his tongue in both respect and fear up until now, his curiosity got the best of him when he kept seeing Jinwoo drink this mysterious blue liquid . . . ¡°This?¡±. . Before answering, Jinwoo looked at the mana potion¡¯s information . . . Mana Potion. Rarity: E. Type: Consumable. Drink to recover 500 MP . . ¡°It¡¯s a potion to recover mana . ¡±. You may keep this item in your inventory . . Cannot be traded . [1]. . ¡®¡°Cannot be traded¡±¡­ I wonder what happens if I try?¡¯. . Jinwoo also had his own share of curiosities . He handed the mana potion to Yoo Jinho . The moment the young man grabbed it, the bottle disappeared into thin air . . . ¡°W-was that magic, hyungnim?¡±. . ¡®So this is what they meant by ¡®cannot be traded¡±¡¯. . Jinwoo had learned something new . Items that cannot be traded would disappear when they were placed into someone else¡¯s hands . But what if it didn¡¯t touch their hands? Jinwoo opened the shop and purchased another potion . This time, instead of the blue mana potion, he purchased a red healing potion . After confirming the purchase, the potion appeared in Jinwoo¡¯s hand . . . ¡°H-hyungnim! That was so cool! The liquid turned to red!¡±. . Seeing the blue mana potion disappear from his own hands and seemingly reappear in Jinwoo¡¯s hand as red, Yoo Jinho thought he was watching some magic trick . However, Jinwoo had a reason for switching up the potions . . . ¡®I want to know if it could be ¡°used¡± on another person . ¡¯. . Jinwoo lowered Yoo Jinho¡¯s body . . . ¡°Open your mouth and tilt your head back . ¡± [2]. . ¡°L-like this, hyungnim?¡±. . ¡°Yeah, stand still . ¡±. . Jinwoo poured the healing potion into Yoo Jinho¡¯s mouth . . . pour. . Yoo Jinho became surprised,. . ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this, hyungnim? I¡¯m suddenly feeling energized!¡±. . Yoo Jinho¡¯s face was filled with exhaustion from acting as the baggage boy . Once the potion was administered to him, light and energy returned to the young man¡¯s face . Jinwoo was satisfied . . . ¡®So I could use its effects like this . ¡¯. . He had learned something else . From now on, even if they didn¡¯t have a Healer, Jinwoo would be able to heal an injured person with this method . He imagined it would be helpful in the future . . . ¡°Let me know if you feel exhausted . There¡¯s plenty more where that came from . ¡±. . This was not an act of needless kindness . If the baggage boy became slower because of fatigue, their hunting speed would fall . Ultimately, Jinwoo decided this after weighing the cost of the healing potion against the rate of their hunting . However, to Yoo Jinho, the gesture carried a great meaning . . . ¡°H-hyungnim¡­¡±. . ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡±. . With tears forming in the corner of his eyes, Yoo Jinho trailed after Jinwoo, in awe of the man¡¯s great heart . . . . . Day 3 . . . ¡°Ah, before I forget . This is for you, hyungnim . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho looked through his bag then took out a bankbook . . . ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s the magic core income from the past two days, hyungnim . ¡±. . ¡®Why are you giving this to me in the middle of- gah, nevermind . ¡¯. . The pair was deep in a Dungeon filled with magic beasts . . . ¡®Six hundred million?¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened after looking inside the bankbook . . . ¡°You¡¯re giving all the income from the magic cores so far to me?¡±. . Yoo Jinho nodded . . . ¡°Of course, hyungnim . It¡¯s not like I¡¯m Raiding because I need the money . More than that, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s really killing all the magic beasts, right? What right do I have to even think about sharing such income?¡±. . The young man¡¯s eyes sparkled, hoping for some praise . . . ¡®Oy¡­ Look at this kid¡­¡¯. . In the past few days, Jinwoo had felt like Yoo Jinho¡¯s attitude towards him was changing . In the beginning, the young man had followed him with no choice out of fear . Now, it felt like he was a little dongsaeng that truly respected his sunbae . [3]. . ¡®You know, he¡¯s kind of adorable in that sense . ¡¯. . Jinwoo smiled widely . . . ¡°I can really take all of this, right?¡±. . ¡°Have I, Yoo Jinho, ever seemed like someone who would say one thing and mean the other, hyungnim?¡±. . Jinwoo chuckled and waved the bankbook . . . ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take this with gratitude, then . ¡±. . ¡°Thank you, hyungnim!¡±. . Yoo Jinho bowed his body in a 90-degree angle . If someone was watching from a distance, they would not be able to tell exactly who was giving money to whom . . . . . Meanwhile, outside of the Dungeon . The pair¡¯s ¡°teammates¡± had found their own way of passing the time . When Raid leader Yoo Jinho and assistant(?) Sung Jinwoo entered the Gate, the other Hunters began to grab a spot here and there and entertained themselves . As expected, the most popular pastime for a group of them was ¡°Go-Stop¡± [4] . Five of the Hunters sat in a circle, playing the game . . . ¡°Which Raid is this one?¡±. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ we did three on the first day, two yesterday, and this is the second one today . That makes it the seventh?¡±. ¡°Is it okay for those two to continue at this pace? Normally, raiding parties tend to take a week¡¯s rest after a single Raid, right?¡±. ¡°Eh, don¡¯t worry about those guys . Everytime they come out of the Gate, they¡¯re not even breaking a sweat . Besides, we¡¯re just earning three million each time without doing anything . We¡¯re not in a position to complain . Oy, it¡¯s your turn . ¡±. ¡°Ah, okay . ¡±. . As they noted, even through their nonstop schedule, Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho did not appear to be tired at all . They did not know, but this was due to the effect of the potions . Thanks to that, they were over a third of a way through the 19 Raids they needed . Soon, the Gate started to ripple and the pair appeared before the waiting Hunters . . . ¡°Oy, there comes the leader . ¡±. ¡°Let¡¯s get up¡±. . The Hunters started cleaning up their spots . . . ¡°Don¡¯t forget your stuff . ¡±. ¡°Wake up the sleeping ones . Make sure you didn¡¯t miss anything . ¡±. . The Hunters moved with perfect coordination . The sleeping Hunters also quickly got up and prepared to move . . . ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±. . Everyone was becoming used to this bizarre Raiding method . . . . . Baekho Guild¡¯s office, nearby . . . The head of Second Management Division, Ahn Sangmin, was about to blow a gasket early in the morning . . . ¡°Deputy Hyun! The new recruit training training is tomorrow! What do you mean we don¡¯t have a Gate reserved for it?!¡±. . Deputy Hyun Gicheol lowered his head deeply . . . ¡°I-I apologize, chief . There¡¯s been a team that¡¯s been snatching up every C-rank Gate in the area before we could get our hands on it . ¡±. . ¡°What? Then just spend more money to reserve it! Is our Guild missing money or manpower? What exactly is the problem?!¡±. . ¡°I tried but¡­¡±. . ¡°Hey! I didn¡¯t ask for your ¡°tried but¡±s!¡±. . At Ahn Sangmin¡¯s shouting, the entire Second Management Division fell into silence as if at a funeral . It has been some time since Ahn Sangmin was this angry . . . Just what did they think Baekho Guild was?. . It was one of the top 5 Guild of South Korea . . . Appropriately, its employees must be greatly skilled . Deputy Hyun Gicheol was also a proud employee who had never made a mistake until now . And to think such a man couldn¡¯t even reserve a Gate for new recruit training! This was a major mistake . Chief Ahn Sangmin was the head of the Second Management Division, which was the team in charge of recruiting new Hunters and training them . (The First Management Division was in charge of managing the official member Hunters of the Guild . ). . ¡°J-just take a look at this, chief!¡±. . Hyun Gicheol held out a laptop . . . ¡°You son of a-¡±. . Ahn Sangmin was about to berate the man again, but then looked at the numbers on the laptop and gasped in surprise,. . ¡°T-two hundred and fifty million? There¡¯s someone who used two hundred and fifty million to reserve a mere C-rank Gate?!¡±. . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Cannot be traded¡± (???? ??? ??????): Lit . ¡°Cannot be transferred/given to others¡±. [2]: Erm¡­. [3]: Reminder, ¡°dongsaeng¡± (??) = ¡°little sibling¡±, usable b/w unrelated parties . ¡°Sunbae¡± (??): ¡°senior¡±, i . e . someone who¡¯s been in your profession longer than you . . [4]: ¡°Go-Stop¡± (???): Korean card game . . Chapter 39 Ahn Sangmin was at a complete loss for words . The maximum amount of profit you could earn in a C-rank Gate was 200 million . To use 250 million on such a Gate was utter foolishness . ¡°Their original bid was about seventy million . But when I outbid them with a hundred million, those bastards raised their bid to two hundred and fifty million . ¡± In Baekho Guild, the default maximum for reserving C-rank Gates was 100 million . If what he said was true, it was reasonable for Hyun Gicheol to feel wronged . ¡®Who the hell are these bastards?¡¯ clack clack clack Ahn Sangmin¡¯s fingers blazed across the keyboard . The search results immediately came up on the screen . As Hyun Gicheol had said, the raiding permissions for all the C-rank Gates in the area were being bought out at an incredible speed and an unreasonable price . ¡°Who the hell are these crazy sons of¡­¡± This area was under the management of the Baekho Guild . At first, he thought it might¡¯ve been another Guild¡¯s way of hindering the Guild . ¡®No, there¡¯s no way . ¡¯ There was no Guild stupid enough to start a fight with the Baekho Guild . Even the other top 5 Guilds would have to be prepared for an all out war if they did something like this . ¡®It¡¯s not a Guild¡­¡¯ Then who? And why? Ahn Sangmin gulped and pulled up the party information of the ones who reserved all the Gates . The leader¡¯s name was ¡°Yoo Jinho¡± . ¡°First time I¡¯m hearing of him . ¡± It was Ahn Sangmin¡¯s job to scout potential new recruits . As such, even a freelancer with the smallest amount of fame would be known to him . But the name ¡°Yoo Jinho¡± was completely unfamiliar to him . ¡®Ok, next . ¡¯ Ahn Sangmin slowly scrolled through rest of the party members, confirming each Hunter one at a time . There was not one that he recognized . Except one . One of the names was familiar to him . ¡®Sung Jinwoo? Sung Jinwoo¡­ Where did I hear that name before¡­?¡¯ After combing through his memories, Ahn Sangmin remembered the Double Dungeon incident 2 months ago, which became a hot topic among those involved . The Guild that was pulled into assistance by the Association at the time was Baekho . ¡°Gicheol, do you remember the Double Dungeon incident two months ago, when our Guild was called to mobilization?¡± ¡°Yes, of course . Didn¡¯t we find only one survivor in the Dungeon with no magic beasts?¡± ¡°What was the survivor¡¯s name?¡± Hyun Gicheol had a good head . He could not be called a genius, but his memory was the one thing he was proud of . The man did not need to perform a search or look through any documents . ¡°E-rank Hunter, Sung Jinwoo . ¡± ¡®As I thought!¡¯ He had wondered about the possibility and came to a conclusion through intuition . There was something here . The gut feeling that appeared in situations like this had never steered him wrong . Ahn Sangmin shouted to the rest of his team, ¡°Everyone stop what you¡¯re doing and bring me every single bit of information on D-rank Hunter Yoo Jinho and E-rank Hunter Sung Jinwoo! Right now!¡± The response speed of the employees at this sudden order was beyond imagination . They were called elites for a reason . One by one, the reports quickly appeared before Ahn Sangmin . To be honest, there was nothing that special about Yoo Jinho . He was the second son of Yoojin Construction¡¯s Chairman Yoo Myunghan, but other than that, there was nothing noticeable about him . Sung Jinwoo was different . ¡°So including the Double Dungeon incident, he¡¯s been involved in a total of three different incidents . And he came out of every one of them unharmed?¡± Hyun Gicheol added on, ¡°And as an E-rank Hunter, too . ¡± Sung Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho met during Yoo Jinho¡¯s first Raid, and they were the only ones who survived that Raid . And now, the pair had formed a team and was clearing 2~3 Dungeons a day . This was an unfathomable speed . ¡°Something about this smells¡­¡± ¡°What do you think they¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Wait, wasn¡¯t there a rumor recently that Chairman Yoo Myunghan was making contact with various S-rank Hunters?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that rumor, yes . ¡± ¡°And Yoo Jinho is that Chairman Yoo Myunghan¡¯s son¡­¡± It appeared that Yoo Myunghan planned to make a Guild . This would be a top secret information that would shake the industry . And if this was true, Yoo Jinho¡¯s current actions would definitely be related . ¡°Could it be¡­?!¡± A piece of the puzzle fell into place in Ahn Sangmin¡¯s head . That would make sense! Watching his superior¡¯s expressions change, Hyun Gicheol gulped . Ahn Sangmin spoke with a confident voice, ¡°This son of a bitch is a Reawakened Hunter!¡± ¡°A Reawakened Hunter?!¡± Hyun Gicheol¡¯s looked like a deer in headlights . ¡°Yes . ¡± An E-rank Hunter was barely above an ordinary person . If there was an accident, they were all but counted as dead . But Sung Jinwoo had gone through multiple incidents where his teammates had died without being harmed . ¡®Of course, he could just be lucky as hell, but,¡¯ The third incident . The incident where Hunter Surveillance Department Hunter Kang Taeshik committed murder was different . The records showed that a C-rank Mage and a B-rank Healer teamed up to defeat Kang Taeshik . ¡®There¡¯s no way . The HSD Hunters¡¯ primary job is to fight other Hunters . ¡¯ Unless Kang Taeshik was a moron, he would¡¯ve tried to take care of the one with the highest rank but lowest combat ability, the B-rank Healer, first . ¡®And they say a C-rank Mage-class Hunter stopped him from doing that?¡¯ Mage-class Hunters were weak against Fighter-class Hunters, and among them, their worst possible match-up would be against the Assassin-class . Perhaps Kang Taeshik could¡¯ve arrogantly ignored the presence of the B-rank Healer, but it was unlikely that a 3-year veteran of the HSD would make such a mistake . ¡®The person who stopped Kang Taeshik on that day was not the C-rank Song Chiyeol, but someone else who was with them . ¡¯ There was no solid proof, but Ahn Sangmin was certain of his theory . Sung Jinwoo had Reawakened as a high-ranking Hunter . Yoo Jinho had witnessed his power in their Raid and decided to test him to place him in his father¡¯s Guild . Everything fell into place . ¡®This is big news . ¡¯ If Sung Jinwoo truly was a Reawakened Hunter, the only ones who knew his true value were Yoo Jinho and few others . Knowing public image of Yoo Myunghan, the man would not carelessly accept anyone into his Guild, especially as a founding member . This would be an opportunity to steal away a talent that THE Yoo Myunghan had picked . ¡®If he defeated the B-ranker Kang Taeshik, he¡¯s at least above a B-ranker!¡¯ Their priority now would be to obtain Sung Jinwoo before the other Guilds and especially Yoo Myunghan could . The competition would become fierce after Sung Jinwoo¡¯s retest . Even if the man did not turn out to be that highly ranked, it would not matter . As their numbers across the world was incredibly small, a Reawakened Hunter would be prime target of the press . That alone would make the man an incredible source of advertising power, one that could not be bought with money . This was not an opportunity Baekho could pass up on . ¡®Well, if he already signed the contract with Yoo Myunghan, it¡¯s too late¡­¡¯ But there was low chance of that . The fact that Sung Jinwoo was being tested through C-rank Gates was the proof . ¡®There¡¯s a good chance that there¡¯s nothing set in stone . ¡¯ This meant that the Baekho Guild still had a chance . ¡®There¡¯s no time to waste,¡¯ Ahn Sangmin grabbed his coat on his chair . ¡°Gicheol, let¡¯s go . ¡± He needed his right hand man for this . Hyun Gicheol was a man Ahn Sangmin would trust with his back . Hyun Gicheol was surprised, ¡°Sir? Where are we going, chief?¡± ¡°Where do you think? Recruitment!¡± ¡°The chief himself is going out for recruitment?¡± ¡°Of course, is that not allowed?¡± Ahn Sangmin quickly turned to leave . Hyun Gicheol followed him with a tilted head . ¡®How strange¡­¡¯ Since he became chief 2 years ago, this was the first time Ahn Sangmin directly went out for recruitment . -7 . The Premonition of Success- From their investigation, the Baekho employees learned that Yoo Jinho¡¯s team had reserved two Gates today . The distance between the Gates were quite far . Ahn Sangmin and Hyun Gicheol split up and went to separate Gates to confirm Ahn Sangmin¡¯s theory . The pair occasionally contacted each other and waited for Yoo Jinho¡¯s team to appear . ¡®It¡¯s still a little cold¡­¡¯ Ahn Sangmin grabbed a canned coffee from a nearby vending machine . It had been 1 hour since he started waiting for Yoo Jinho¡¯s team . But more than boredom, he was filled with anticipation . His heart raced in excitement . ¡®If I¡¯m correct, this¡¯ll be the first great recruit in a while . A special one at that!¡¯ Ahn Sangmin had become the head of the division at a young age, faster than anyone else . This was all thanks to his great instinct . His contribution was crucial in helping the Baekho Guild grow to what it was today . And now his instincts were telling him: Sung Jinwoo was someone who could raise Baekho to greater heights . ¡®They¡¯ll probably call me crazy if I said that out loud¡­¡¯ After all, Sung Jinwoo was officially just an E-rank Hunter . But not everything was as they appeared . If it were so, he would not be where he was . As he surveyed the Gate with hawk-like eyes, his phone rang . ring ring It was Hyun Gicheol . ¡°Oy, Gicheol . ¡± - ¡°Chief, Yoo Jinho¡¯s team just arrived . ¡± ¡°Got it . Don¡¯t panic and report everything you see, don¡¯t leave out a single detail . ¡± - ¡°Yes, chief . Eh? What? C-chief!¡± The voice on the other end became strange . ¡®Did this idiot get caught?¡¯ Ahn Sangmin became worried, ¡°What is it? Talk! Talk!¡± - ¡°Chief, you were right!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ahn Sangmin¡¯s heartbeat became faster . - ¡°It¡¯s just Yoo Jinho and Sung Jinwoo! They¡¯re the only ones entering the Gate!¡± ¡°Of course! It¡¯s was all to test Sung Jinwoo!¡± As expected! His guesses were right on the mark . His instincts had not failed him . ¡®Perfect!¡¯ Ahn Sangmin pumped his fists . ¡®While you¡¯re busy testing the man, Sung Jinwoo will become ours!¡¯ Because Baekho Guild¡¯s Second Management Division had Ahn Sangmin! While Ahn Sangmin was celebrating his victory, Hyun Gicheol¡¯s voice continued . - ¡°So what should I do? Should I come to you?¡± ¡°No, no . Watch them for a bit longer . ¡± - ¡°Sir? Didn¡¯t we confirm your theory?¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious about their clearing time . How many hours do you think it¡¯ll take them to clear a C-rank Dungeon?¡± - ¡°Doesn¡¯t it take even an A-rank Hunter about two hours to solo clear a C-rank Dungeon?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think they can do it?¡± - ¡°Of course not . I was just worried that you¡¯ll be lonely while waiting . ¡± The ability to change his attitude in a flash . This was why Ahn Sangmin could not get mad at Hyun Gicheol . ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me . Just watch them closely and time them when they come out . ¡± Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 39. . Ahn Sangmin was at a complete loss for words . The maximum amount of profit you could earn in a C-rank Gate was 200 million . To use 250 million on such a Gate was utter foolishness . . . ¡°Their original bid was about seventy million . But when I outbid them with a hundred million, those bastards raised their bid to two hundred and fifty million . ¡±. . In Baekho Guild, the default maximum for reserving C-rank Gates was 100 million . If what he said was true, it was reasonable for Hyun Gicheol to feel wronged . . . ¡®Who the hell are these bastards?¡¯. . clack clack clack. . Ahn Sangmin¡¯s fingers blazed across the keyboard . The search results immediately came up on the screen . As Hyun Gicheol had said, the raiding permissions for all the C-rank Gates in the area were being bought out at an incredible speed and an unreasonable price . . . ¡°Who the hell are these crazy sons of¡­¡±. . This area was under the management of the Baekho Guild . At first, he thought it might¡¯ve been another Guild¡¯s way of hindering the Guild . . . ¡®No, there¡¯s no way . ¡¯. . There was no Guild stupid enough to start a fight with the Baekho Guild . Even the other top 5 Guilds would have to be prepared for an all out war if they did something like this . . . ¡®It¡¯s not a Guild¡­¡¯. . Then who? And why?. . Ahn Sangmin gulped and pulled up the party information of the ones who reserved all the Gates . The leader¡¯s name was ¡°Yoo Jinho¡± . . . ¡°First time I¡¯m hearing of him . ¡±. . It was Ahn Sangmin¡¯s job to scout potential new recruits . As such, even a freelancer with the smallest amount of fame would be known to him . But the name ¡°Yoo Jinho¡± was completely unfamiliar to him . . . ¡®Ok, next . ¡¯. . Ahn Sangmin slowly scrolled through rest of the party members, confirming each Hunter one at a time . There was not one that he recognized . . . Except one . . . One of the names was familiar to him . . . ¡®Sung Jinwoo? Sung Jinwoo¡­ Where did I hear that name before¡­?¡¯. . After combing through his memories, Ahn Sangmin remembered the Double Dungeon incident 2 months ago, which became a hot topic among those involved . The Guild that was pulled into assistance by the Association at the time was Baekho . . . ¡°Gicheol, do you remember the Double Dungeon incident two months ago, when our Guild was called to mobilization?¡±. . ¡°Yes, of course . Didn¡¯t we find only one survivor in the Dungeon with no magic beasts?¡±. . ¡°What was the survivor¡¯s name?¡±. . Hyun Gicheol had a good head . He could not be called a genius, but his memory was the one thing he was proud of . The man did not need to perform a search or look through any documents . . . ¡°E-rank Hunter, Sung Jinwoo . ¡±. . ¡®As I thought!¡¯. . He had wondered about the possibility and came to a conclusion through intuition . There was something here . The gut feeling that appeared in situations like this had never steered him wrong . Ahn Sangmin shouted to the rest of his team,. . ¡°Everyone stop what you¡¯re doing and bring me every single bit of information on D-rank Hunter Yoo Jinho and E-rank Hunter Sung Jinwoo! Right now!¡±. . The response speed of the employees at this sudden order was beyond imagination . They were called elites for a reason . One by one, the reports quickly appeared before Ahn Sangmin . . . To be honest, there was nothing that special about Yoo Jinho . He was the second son of Yoojin Construction¡¯s Chairman Yoo Myunghan, but other than that, there was nothing noticeable about him . . . Sung Jinwoo was different . . . ¡°So including the Double Dungeon incident, he¡¯s been involved in a total of three different incidents . And he came out of every one of them unharmed?¡±. . Hyun Gicheol added on,. . ¡°And as an E-rank Hunter, too . ¡±. . Sung Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho met during Yoo Jinho¡¯s first Raid, and they were the only ones who survived that Raid . . . And now, the pair had formed a team and was clearing 2~3 Dungeons a day . This was an unfathomable speed . . . ¡°Something about this smells¡­¡±. . ¡°What do you think they¡¯re doing?¡±. . ¡°Hmm¡­ Wait, wasn¡¯t there a rumor recently that Chairman Yoo Myunghan was making contact with various S-rank Hunters?¡±. . ¡°I¡¯ve heard that rumor, yes . ¡±. . ¡°And Yoo Jinho is that Chairman Yoo Myunghan¡¯s son¡­¡±. . It appeared that Yoo Myunghan planned to make a Guild . This would be a top secret information that would shake the industry . And if this was true, Yoo Jinho¡¯s current actions would definitely be related . . . ¡°Could it be¡­?!¡±. . A piece of the puzzle fell into place in Ahn Sangmin¡¯s head . . . That would make sense! Watching his superior¡¯s expressions change, Hyun Gicheol gulped . Ahn Sangmin spoke with a confident voice,. . ¡°This son of a bitch is a Reawakened Hunter!¡±. . ¡°A Reawakened Hunter?!¡±. . Hyun Gicheol¡¯s looked like a deer in headlights . . . ¡°Yes . ¡±. . An E-rank Hunter was barely above an ordinary person . If there was an accident, they were all but counted as dead . But Sung Jinwoo had gone through multiple incidents where his teammates had died without being harmed . . . ¡®Of course, he could just be lucky as hell, but,¡¯. . The third incident . . . The incident where Hunter Surveillance Department Hunter Kang Taeshik committed murder was different . The records showed that a C-rank Mage and a B-rank Healer teamed up to defeat Kang Taeshik . . . ¡®There¡¯s no way . The HSD Hunters¡¯ primary job is to fight other Hunters . ¡¯. . Unless Kang Taeshik was a moron, he would¡¯ve tried to take care of the one with the highest rank but lowest combat ability, the B-rank Healer, first . . . ¡®And they say a C-rank Mage-class Hunter stopped him from doing that?¡¯. . Mage-class Hunters were weak against Fighter-class Hunters, and among them, their worst possible match-up would be against the Assassin-class . Perhaps Kang Taeshik could¡¯ve arrogantly ignored the presence of the B-rank Healer, but it was unlikely that a 3-year veteran of the HSD would make such a mistake . . . ¡®The person who stopped Kang Taeshik on that day was not the C-rank Song Chiyeol, but someone else who was with them . ¡¯. . There was no solid proof, but Ahn Sangmin was certain of his theory . . . Sung Jinwoo had Reawakened as a high-ranking Hunter . Yoo Jinho had witnessed his power in their Raid and decided to test him to place him in his father¡¯s Guild . Everything fell into place . . . ¡®This is big news . ¡¯. . If Sung Jinwoo truly was a Reawakened Hunter, the only ones who knew his true value were Yoo Jinho and few others . Knowing public image of Yoo Myunghan, the man would not carelessly accept anyone into his Guild, especially as a founding member . This would be an opportunity to steal away a talent that THE Yoo Myunghan had picked . . . ¡®If he defeated the B-ranker Kang Taeshik, he¡¯s at least above a B-ranker!¡¯. . Their priority now would be to obtain Sung Jinwoo before the other Guilds and especially Yoo Myunghan could . The competition would become fierce after Sung Jinwoo¡¯s retest . Even if the man did not turn out to be that highly ranked, it would not matter . As their numbers across the world was incredibly small, a Reawakened Hunter would be prime target of the press . That alone would make the man an incredible source of advertising power, one that could not be bought with money . . . This was not an opportunity Baekho could pass up on . . . ¡®Well, if he already signed the contract with Yoo Myunghan, it¡¯s too late¡­¡¯. . But there was low chance of that . . . The fact that Sung Jinwoo was being tested through C-rank Gates was the proof . . . ¡®There¡¯s a good chance that there¡¯s nothing set in stone . ¡¯. . This meant that the Baekho Guild still had a chance . . . ¡®There¡¯s no time to waste,¡¯. . Ahn Sangmin grabbed his coat on his chair . . . ¡°Gicheol, let¡¯s go . ¡±. . He needed his right hand man for this . Hyun Gicheol was a man Ahn Sangmin would trust with his back . . . Hyun Gicheol was surprised,. . ¡°Sir? Where are we going, chief?¡±. . ¡°Where do you think? Recruitment!¡±. . ¡°The chief himself is going out for recruitment?¡±. . ¡°Of course, is that not allowed?¡±. . Ahn Sangmin quickly turned to leave . Hyun Gicheol followed him with a tilted head . . . ¡®How strange¡­¡¯. . Since he became chief 2 years ago, this was the first time Ahn Sangmin directly went out for recruitment . . . -7 . The Premonition of Success-. . From their investigation, the Baekho employees learned that Yoo Jinho¡¯s team had reserved two Gates today . The distance between the Gates were quite far . Ahn Sangmin and Hyun Gicheol split up and went to separate Gates to confirm Ahn Sangmin¡¯s theory . The pair occasionally contacted each other and waited for Yoo Jinho¡¯s team to appear . . . ¡®It¡¯s still a little cold¡­¡¯. . Ahn Sangmin grabbed a canned coffee from a nearby vending machine . It had been 1 hour since he started waiting for Yoo Jinho¡¯s team . But more than boredom, he was filled with anticipation . His heart raced in excitement . . . ¡®If I¡¯m correct, this¡¯ll be the first great recruit in a while . A special one at that!¡¯. . Ahn Sangmin had become the head of the division at a young age, faster than anyone else . This was all thanks to his great instinct . His contribution was crucial in helping the Baekho Guild grow to what it was today . And now his instincts were telling him:. . Sung Jinwoo was someone who could raise Baekho to greater heights . . . ¡®They¡¯ll probably call me crazy if I said that out loud¡­¡¯. . After all, Sung Jinwoo was officially just an E-rank Hunter . But not everything was as they appeared . If it were so, he would not be where he was . As he surveyed the Gate with hawk-like eyes, his phone rang . . . ring ring. . It was Hyun Gicheol . . . ¡°Oy, Gicheol . ¡±. - ¡°Chief, Yoo Jinho¡¯s team just arrived . ¡±. ¡°Got it . Don¡¯t panic and report everything you see, don¡¯t leave out a single detail . ¡±. - ¡°Yes, chief . Eh? What? C-chief!¡±. . The voice on the other end became strange . . . ¡®Did this idiot get caught?¡¯. . Ahn Sangmin became worried,. . ¡°What is it? Talk! Talk!¡±. - ¡°Chief, you were right!¡±. ¡°Huh?¡±. . Ahn Sangmin¡¯s heartbeat became faster . . . - ¡°It¡¯s just Yoo Jinho and Sung Jinwoo! They¡¯re the only ones entering the Gate!¡±. ¡°Of course! It¡¯s was all to test Sung Jinwoo!¡±. . As expected!. . His guesses were right on the mark . His instincts had not failed him . . . ¡®Perfect!¡¯. . Ahn Sangmin pumped his fists . . . ¡®While you¡¯re busy testing the man, Sung Jinwoo will become ours!¡¯. . Because Baekho Guild¡¯s Second Management Division had Ahn Sangmin!. . While Ahn Sangmin was celebrating his victory, Hyun Gicheol¡¯s voice continued . . . - ¡°So what should I do? Should I come to you?¡±. ¡°No, no . Watch them for a bit longer . ¡±. - ¡°Sir? Didn¡¯t we confirm your theory?¡±. ¡°I¡¯m curious about their clearing time . How many hours do you think it¡¯ll take them to clear a C-rank Dungeon?¡±. - ¡°Doesn¡¯t it take even an A-rank Hunter about two hours to solo clear a C-rank Dungeon?¡±. ¡°You don¡¯t think they can do it?¡±. - ¡°Of course not . I was just worried that you¡¯ll be lonely while waiting . ¡±. . The ability to change his attitude in a flash . This was why Ahn Sangmin could not get mad at Hyun Gicheol . . . ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me . Just watch them closely and time them when they come out . ¡±. Chapter 40 - ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting with the phone in hand . Contact me immediately if something happens . ¡± - ¡°Understood, chief . ¡± Ahn Sangmin ended the call, then realized he was hungry . growl ¡®Argh, I was too focused on all of this . . ¡¯ It was already long past lunchtime, but Ahn Sangmin had not eaten, having waited for Sung Jinwoo . He did not know when Yoo Jinho¡¯s team would arrive, so he had not left the spot . Having some free time now, Ahn Sangmin looked around for a place to eat, then settled on a convenience store . ¡®Not that I¡¯m trying to save any money¡­¡¯ Though no one said anything, he felt weird going into a restaurant alone . So, he decided to just get a cup ramen at the convenience store . He poured the hot water and waited 3 minutes, then was about to dig in when his phone rang . ring ring ¡°Dammit! Who the hell? I¡¯m trying to eat here!¡± Looking at the phone, it was a familiar name . [My Right Arm] ¡®Hyun Gicheol, you son of a¡­¡¯ Ahn Sangmin answered with an annoyed voice, ¡°Did you really miss my voice that much?¡± - ¡°Chief, that¡¯s not it¡­¡± ¡°Then what is it, if you¡¯ve called me for no reason, you¡¯re eating cup ramen for a week . ¡± - ¡°That¡¯s not it, chief! The two just came out!¡± Ahn Sangmin, who was about to eat his first bite, froze like a still image of a video . ¡°What?¡± - ¡°Like I said, Yoo Jinho and Sung Jinwoo just came out! Their team¡¯s all preparing to move out!¡± He checked his ears . There was nothing wrong with them . He quickly checked the time . ¡°It¡¯s only been thirty minutes . Are they giving up on the Raid?¡± - ¡°No¡­ The Gate is closing . ¡± How the hell?! No matter how low the difficulty of a given C-rank Dungeon was, no one could solo clear it in just 30 minutes . ¡°Check again! Are you sure the Gate is closing?!¡± - ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure . Do you want me to send you a video?¡± ¡° . . . No, it¡¯s okay . ¡± Ahn Sangmin hung up and stared blankly into the distance . They cleared a C-rank Dungeon that would take an A-rank Hunter 2 hours to clear in just 30 minutes . ¡®Above B-rank my ass¡­¡¯ Even if he took an objective look at the information so far, ¡°Above¡­ A-rank¡­¡± This was an unimaginably good fortune . ¡°Hyungnim, do you have somewhere else to go after this?¡± ¡°Hmm? No, why?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you hunt this fast before . ¡± Yoo Jinho was astonished . He had always known Jinwoo was strong, but today, he seemed stronger than ever . Well of course . Jinwoo swallowed a laughter . ¡®The magic beasts today were werewolves~¡¯ Wolf Slayer All stats increased by 40% against beast type monsters . A title given to a hunter experienced in slaying wolves . The buff of his title worked against the werewolves . On top of all of the level-ups he had gone through, if the title buff was applied, no C-rank magic beasts could stand against him . ¡°Whimper!¡± ¡°Whiiimper!¡± ¡°Yelp!¡± Thanks to that, Yoo Jinho had to go from corpse to corpse without stopping, collecting magic cores . If he had 10 more hands, it wouldn¡¯t have been enough . Jinwoo had to spend 5 healing potions on him because of this . The young man even had his hunger satiated by the healing potion, so he didn¡¯t even stop to eat . ¡®Well, that¡¯s that . . . ¡¯ Jinwoo raised his head . He felt a presence of someone watching him from somewhere . ¡®I don¡¯t sense any magic power, so it¡¯s probably not a Hunter . ¡¯ He looked around but didn¡¯t see anyone suspicious . Of course, if he wanted, he could find the man with effort . But not detecting any killing or hostile intent from the man, Jinwoo decided it was not worth the time . ¡° . . . ¡± It could just be nothing . As if reading his mind, the presence disappeared . ¡°Hyungnim, what is it?¡± ¡° . . . It¡¯s nothing . Let¡¯s go . ¡± They had no time to waste . Jinwoo took one last look around the area then got in the passenger seat . At the second Gate, he did not feel anyone watching him, both before he entered the Gate and after he left it . ¡®Was I being too cautious?¡¯ Thankfully, it appeared that it was nothing after all . Yoo Jinho approached him and bowed his head, ¡°Sorry, hyungnim, this is it for today . The other Gates are too far . ¡± ¡°Nothing to be sorry about . ¡± It would be a while before the sunset, but because of the two men¡¯s efforts, all the Gates in the area had been closed, so they would have to call it a day . ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard . ¡± ¡°Oh, the one who worked hard is the Raid leader . ¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow¡± ¡°Thank you, you¡¯ve worked hard . ¡± After bidding the other Hunters goodbye, Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho got in the car . ¡°I¡¯ll drive you home, hyungnim . ¡± Before he knew it, Yoo Jinho had become a faithful driver . The image of him holding the handle was rather fitting . Jinwoo blatantly stared at the young man . ¡®To think that the young master of a rich household would become a chauffeur, just so he can become a Guildmaster¡­¡¯ Stepping on the gas with a smile, Yoo Jinho suddenly realized Jinwoo was staring at him . ¡°Hmm? Is there something on my face, hyungnim?¡± ¡° . . . No, it¡¯s nothing . ¡± Jinwoo pretended to not have stared and took out his phone as a distraction . ¡®4:46¡­¡¯ It was too early to go home . Thankfully, there was something he had to do . ¡®It was around here, right?¡¯ ¡°Jinho,¡± ¡°Yes, hyungnim . ¡± Yoo Jinho skillfully turned the handle around a curve while answering . ¡°Let¡¯s go to Mirae Mall . ¡± ¡°Mirae Mall?¡± Yoo Jinho was surprised . ¡°Yes . ¡± ¡°Well it is right ahead¡­ You know, you¡¯ve been acting weird all day, hyungnim . Are you sure everything¡¯s alright?¡± ¡° . . . You know, you¡¯ve been getting rather talkative these days . ¡± And with that, Yoo Jinho¡¯s face became fixed on the road . ¡°I will take you there with the speed of light, hyungnim . Hold onto your belt!¡± Changing his attitude in a flash, Yoo Jinho drove the car without braking . They soon arrived at Mirae Mall . screech- The car stopped at their destination . As a mall at the heart of Seoul, Mirae Mall was quite a spectacle . Jinwoo got out of the car, and Yoo Jinho followed . The young man closed the door and walked up to Jinwoo¡¯s side . ¡°Hyungnim, someday, our Guild should use a building like this for our headquarters . ¡± Yoo Jinho looked up and down at the mall and made a half-serious joke . But no one replied . Noticing something was off, Yoo Jinho quickly turned toward where Jinwoo was . ¡°What?¡± Jinwoo had disappeared . ¡°Hyungnim?¡± No matter where he looked, Jinwoo was gone . ¡°Hyungniiiim?¡± As the boss was defeated, the Dungeon will return to its normal interior . ¡®Two more levels from the mall¡¯s Instant Dungeon . ¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s footsteps on the way home were light with joy . It was the first key he had seen in a while from a Random Box, usable in Mirae Mall . He had wondered when he would go and clear it, and today, the opportunity presented itself . ¡°Hyungniiiim?¡± Remembering Yoo Jinho call after his disappeared self, Jinwoo stifled a laughter . ring ring Jinwoo started to answer his phone out of habit, but stopped when he realized it was a number he had never seen before . ¡®Who?¡¯ When he was in highschool, he was busy taking care of his little sister in the place of their mother . After graduating, he had started work as a Hunter . Because of this, Jinwoo did not know that many people . ¡®There shouldn¡¯t be anyone I don¡¯t know calling me¡­¡¯ After a brief pause, Jinwoo picked up . ¡°Hello . ¡± - ¡°Hello, is this Sung Jinwoo-ssi?¡± A clear and well-spoken male¡¯s voice . Jinwoo immediately hung up . ¡®In my experience, 99% of these calls are telemarketing or loan sharks . ¡¯ He was about to put the phone away when it rang again . ring ring It was the same number . ¡®Hmm? Was it not telemarketing?¡¯ Valuing quantity over quality, telemarketing calls usually did not call again after one attempt . They knew that it¡¯d be a waste of time . ¡®Then this person might really have a reason¡­¡¯ This time, he properly answered the call . ¡°Yes, this is Sung Jinwoo . ¡± - ¡°Ah, I had the right number . I thought I had the wrong one when you just hung up now, haha . ¡± ¡° . . . ¡± Jinwoo considered for about 2 seconds whether to explain that he had thought the clear and well-spoken voice belonged to a telemarketer . ¡®Feels like apologizing for it might sound more rude¡­¡¯ Soon, the business employee, or rather, the man who sounded like a business employee introduced himself . - ¡°Ah, I apologize . I have not introduced myself . I am Ahn Sangmin of the Baekho Guild . ¡± Jinwoo stopped walking . ¡®The Baekho Guild is calling me?¡¯ No matter how he thought about it, the Baekho Guild would not have a reason to call him . Only possible relation he had with them was the fact that they were the Guild who helped out the Association during the Double Dungeon incident . ¡®But I don¡¯t think they¡¯re calling me about that day after all this time . ¡¯ Curiosity was a feeling that invited impatience . Before Ahn Sangmin could continue, Jinwoo asked, ¡°Why is the Baekho Guild calling me?¡± - ¡°It¡¯s a little hard to explain over the phone, could we come to see you and explain?¡± Instead of telling him to come over, they were offering to come to him . Jinwoo had no reason to refuse . He would have some free time anyways the day after tomorrow . ¡®Jinho said he had some event at home?¡¯ Yoo Jinho had explained that there was a big event that required the attendance of the entire family and apologized for not being able to Raid on Thursday . ¡®A big event¡­¡¯ Imagining a chaebol¡¯s family gathering, Jinwoo imagined a party held in some luxurious banquet hall at a top hotel, like in the dramas . Anyways, he would be free that day . ¡°I¡¯ll have some free time on Thursday . ¡± - ¡°That¡¯s er¡­ Are you free right now?¡± Right now? Jinwoo checked the time . It was 8 o¡¯ clock . ¡°It¡¯s almost eight . ¡± - ¡°We¡¯re waiting nearby . We just need a moment of your time . ¡± ¡°Nearby?¡± - ¡°It¡¯s a french cafe . ¡± Ahn Sangmin told him the location . It was a familiar place . After all, it was the place he had met with Yoo Jinho . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes became sharp . ¡®He knows where I live . ¡¯ Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 40. . - ¡°Are you sure?¡±. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting with the phone in hand . Contact me immediately if something happens . ¡±. - ¡°Understood, chief . ¡±. . Ahn Sangmin ended the call, then realized he was hungry . . . growl. . ¡®Argh, I was too focused on all of this ¡¯. . It was already long past lunchtime, but Ahn Sangmin had not eaten, having waited for Sung Jinwoo . He did not know when Yoo Jinho¡¯s team would arrive, so he had not left the spot . Having some free time now, Ahn Sangmin looked around for a place to eat, then settled on a convenience store . . . ¡®Not that I¡¯m trying to save any money¡­¡¯. . Though no one said anything, he felt weird going into a restaurant alone . So, he decided to just get a cup ramen at the convenience store . . . He poured the hot water and waited 3 minutes, then was about to dig in when his phone rang . . . ring ring. . ¡°Dammit! Who the hell? I¡¯m trying to eat here!¡±. . Looking at the phone, it was a familiar name . . . [My Right Arm]. . ¡®Hyun Gicheol, you son of a¡­¡¯. . Ahn Sangmin answered with an annoyed voice,. . ¡°Did you really miss my voice that much?¡±. - ¡°Chief, that¡¯s not it¡­¡±. ¡°Then what is it, if you¡¯ve called me for no reason, you¡¯re eating cup ramen for a week . ¡±. - ¡°That¡¯s not it, chief! The two just came out!¡±. . Ahn Sangmin, who was about to eat his first bite, froze like a still image of a video . . . ¡°What?¡±. - ¡°Like I said, Yoo Jinho and Sung Jinwoo just came out! Their team¡¯s all preparing to move out!¡±. . He checked his ears . There was nothing wrong with them . He quickly checked the time . . . ¡°It¡¯s only been thirty minutes . Are they giving up on the Raid?¡±. - ¡°No¡­ The Gate is closing . ¡±. . How the hell?!. . No matter how low the difficulty of a given C-rank Dungeon was, no one could solo clear it in just 30 minutes . . . ¡°Check again! Are you sure the Gate is closing?!¡±. - ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure . Do you want me to send you a video?¡±. ¡° . No, it¡¯s okay . ¡±. . Ahn Sangmin hung up and stared blankly into the distance . . . They cleared a C-rank Dungeon that would take an A-rank Hunter 2 hours to clear in just 30 minutes . . . ¡®Above B-rank my ass¡­¡¯. . Even if he took an objective look at the information so far,. . ¡°Above¡­ A-rank¡­¡±. . This was an unimaginably good fortune . . . . . ¡°Hyungnim, do you have somewhere else to go after this?¡±. . ¡°Hmm? No, why?¡±. . ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you hunt this fast before . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho was astonished . He had always known Jinwoo was strong, but today, he seemed stronger than ever . . . Well of course . . . Jinwoo swallowed a laughter . . . ¡®The magic beasts today were werewolves~¡¯. . Wolf Slayer. All stats increased by 40% against beast type monsters . . A title given to a hunter experienced in slaying wolves . . . The buff of his title worked against the werewolves . On top of all of the level-ups he had gone through, if the title buff was applied, no C-rank magic beasts could stand against him . . . ¡°Whimper!¡±. ¡°Whiiimper!¡±. ¡°Yelp!¡±. . Thanks to that, Yoo Jinho had to go from corpse to corpse without stopping, collecting magic cores . If he had 10 more hands, it wouldn¡¯t have been enough . Jinwoo had to spend 5 healing potions on him because of this . The young man even had his hunger satiated by the healing potion, so he didn¡¯t even stop to eat . . . ¡®Well, that¡¯s that . ¡¯. . Jinwoo raised his head . He felt a presence of someone watching him from somewhere . . . ¡®I don¡¯t sense any magic power, so it¡¯s probably not a Hunter . ¡¯. . He looked around but didn¡¯t see anyone suspicious . Of course, if he wanted, he could find the man with effort . But not detecting any killing or hostile intent from the man, Jinwoo decided it was not worth the time . . . ¡° . ¡±. . It could just be nothing . . . As if reading his mind, the presence disappeared . . . ¡°Hyungnim, what is it?¡±. . ¡° . It¡¯s nothing . Let¡¯s go . ¡±. . They had no time to waste . Jinwoo took one last look around the area then got in the passenger seat . . . . . At the second Gate, he did not feel anyone watching him, both before he entered the Gate and after he left it . . . ¡®Was I being too cautious?¡¯. . Thankfully, it appeared that it was nothing after all . . . Yoo Jinho approached him and bowed his head,. . ¡°Sorry, hyungnim, this is it for today . The other Gates are too far . ¡±. . ¡°Nothing to be sorry about . ¡±. . It would be a while before the sunset, but because of the two men¡¯s efforts, all the Gates in the area had been closed, so they would have to call it a day . . . ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard . ¡±. ¡°Oh, the one who worked hard is the Raid leader . ¡±. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow¡±. ¡°Thank you, you¡¯ve worked hard . ¡±. . After bidding the other Hunters goodbye, Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho got in the car . . . ¡°I¡¯ll drive you home, hyungnim . ¡±. . Before he knew it, Yoo Jinho had become a faithful driver . The image of him holding the handle was rather fitting . Jinwoo blatantly stared at the young man . . . ¡®To think that the young master of a rich household would become a chauffeur, just so he can become a Guildmaster¡­¡¯. . Stepping on the gas with a smile, Yoo Jinho suddenly realized Jinwoo was staring at him . . . ¡°Hmm? Is there something on my face, hyungnim?¡±. . ¡° . No, it¡¯s nothing . ¡±. . Jinwoo pretended to not have stared and took out his phone as a distraction . . . ¡®4:46¡­¡¯. . It was too early to go home . Thankfully, there was something he had to do . . . ¡®It was around here, right?¡¯. . ¡°Jinho,¡±. . ¡°Yes, hyungnim . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho skillfully turned the handle around a curve while answering . . . ¡°Let¡¯s go to Mirae Mall . ¡±. . ¡°Mirae Mall?¡±. . Yoo Jinho was surprised . . . ¡°Yes . ¡±. . ¡°Well it is right ahead¡­ You know, you¡¯ve been acting weird all day, hyungnim . Are you sure everything¡¯s alright?¡±. . ¡° . You know, you¡¯ve been getting rather talkative these days . ¡±. . And with that, Yoo Jinho¡¯s face became fixed on the road . . . ¡°I will take you there with the speed of light, hyungnim . Hold onto your belt!¡±. . Changing his attitude in a flash, Yoo Jinho drove the car without braking . They soon arrived at Mirae Mall . . . screech-. . The car stopped at their destination . As a mall at the heart of Seoul, Mirae Mall was quite a spectacle . Jinwoo got out of the car, and Yoo Jinho followed . The young man closed the door and walked up to Jinwoo¡¯s side . . . ¡°Hyungnim, someday, our Guild should use a building like this for our headquarters . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho looked up and down at the mall and made a half-serious joke . But no one replied . Noticing something was off, Yoo Jinho quickly turned toward where Jinwoo was . . . ¡°What?¡±. . Jinwoo had disappeared . . . ¡°Hyungnim?¡±. . No matter where he looked, Jinwoo was gone . . . ¡°Hyungniiiim?¡±. . . . As the boss was defeated, the Dungeon will return to its normal interior . . . ¡®Two more levels from the mall¡¯s Instant Dungeon . ¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s footsteps on the way home were light with joy . It was the first key he had seen in a while from a Random Box, usable in Mirae Mall . He had wondered when he would go and clear it, and today, the opportunity presented itself . . . ¡°Hyungniiiim?¡±. . Remembering Yoo Jinho call after his disappeared self, Jinwoo stifled a laughter . . . ring ring. . Jinwoo started to answer his phone out of habit, but stopped when he realized it was a number he had never seen before . . . ¡®Who?¡¯. . When he was in highschool, he was busy taking care of his little sister in the place of their mother . After graduating, he had started work as a Hunter . Because of this, Jinwoo did not know that many people . . . ¡®There shouldn¡¯t be anyone I don¡¯t know calling me¡­¡¯. . After a brief pause, Jinwoo picked up . . . ¡°Hello . ¡±. . - ¡°Hello, is this Sung Jinwoo-ssi?¡±. . A clear and well-spoken male¡¯s voice . . . Jinwoo immediately hung up . . . ¡®In my experience, 99% of these calls are telemarketing or loan sharks . ¡¯. . He was about to put the phone away when it rang again . . . ring ring. . It was the same number . . . ¡®Hmm? Was it not telemarketing?¡¯. . Valuing quantity over quality, telemarketing calls usually did not call again after one attempt . They knew that it¡¯d be a waste of time . . . ¡®Then this person might really have a reason¡­¡¯. . This time, he properly answered the call . . . ¡°Yes, this is Sung Jinwoo . ¡±. . - ¡°Ah, I had the right number . I thought I had the wrong one when you just hung up now, haha . ¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . Jinwoo considered for about 2 seconds whether to explain that he had thought the clear and well-spoken voice belonged to a telemarketer . . . ¡®Feels like apologizing for it might sound more rude¡­¡¯. . Soon, the business employee, or rather, the man who sounded like a business employee introduced himself . . . - ¡°Ah, I apologize . I have not introduced myself . I am Ahn Sangmin of the Baekho Guild . ¡±. . Jinwoo stopped walking . . . ¡®The Baekho Guild is calling me?¡¯. . No matter how he thought about it, the Baekho Guild would not have a reason to call him . Only possible relation he had with them was the fact that they were the Guild who helped out the Association during the Double Dungeon incident . . . ¡®But I don¡¯t think they¡¯re calling me about that day after all this time . ¡¯. . Curiosity was a feeling that invited impatience . Before Ahn Sangmin could continue, Jinwoo asked,. . ¡°Why is the Baekho Guild calling me?¡±. . - ¡°It¡¯s a little hard to explain over the phone, could we come to see you and explain?¡±. . Instead of telling him to come over, they were offering to come to him . Jinwoo had no reason to refuse . He would have some free time anyways the day after tomorrow . . . ¡®Jinho said he had some event at home?¡¯. . Yoo Jinho had explained that there was a big event that required the attendance of the entire family and apologized for not being able to Raid on Thursday . . . ¡®A big event¡­¡¯. . Imagining a chaebol¡¯s family gathering, Jinwoo imagined a party held in some luxurious banquet hall at a top hotel, like in the dramas . Anyways, he would be free that day . . . ¡°I¡¯ll have some free time on Thursday . ¡±. . - ¡°That¡¯s er¡­ Are you free right now?¡±. . Right now?. . Jinwoo checked the time . It was 8 o¡¯ clock . . . ¡°It¡¯s almost eight . ¡±. . - ¡°We¡¯re waiting nearby . We just need a moment of your time . ¡±. . ¡°Nearby?¡±. . - ¡°It¡¯s a french cafe . ¡±. . Ahn Sangmin told him the location . It was a familiar place . After all, it was the place he had met with Yoo Jinho . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes became sharp . . . ¡®He knows where I live . ¡¯. Chapter 41 Even the Association¡¯s website did not reveal a Hunter¡¯s home address, only their names and rank . An individual Hunter may opt to add additional information on their profile, but Jinwoo was not one of those people . So if they knew not just his phone number but where he lived, they must¡¯ve performed a thorough investigation on him . ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ He remembered something from earlier in the day . ¡°I felt someone watching me from afar today . Was that you guys?¡± Jinwoo¡¯s voice was filled with hostility . Hearing this, the person on the other end explained apologetically, - ¡°We apologize for intruding on you like that . There was just something we wanted to confirm . If we wanted to cause you any trouble, we wouldn¡¯t have contacted you like this . You¡¯ll understand when you hear us out . ¡± Jinwoo hesitated, then replied, ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be right there . ¡± ¡°Hunters, Grim Reaper, Knights, Myungsung, and us, Baekho . I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard each of them at least once . ¡± [1] Ahn Sangmin had listed the top 5 Guilds of South Korea . The number one among them was ¡°Hunters¡± . However, that was not always the case . Originally, the number one Guild of Korea was ¡°Grim Reaper¡±, but some members of Grim Reaper ceded from the Guild and formed their own, ¡°Baekho¡±, resulting in Hunters taking the number one spot . And like the student surpassing the master, Baekho had already surpassed Grim Reaper as a Guild . Now, they were gunning for the number one spot . Ahn Sangmin was certain . The man sitting in front of him, Sung Jinwoo, would be the one to propel Baekho into that number one spot . He handed Jinwoo his business card . [Baekho Guild Second Management Division[2] Chief, Ahn Sangmin] ¡°I¡¯m the man who oversees recruiting and managing new Hunters for one of the top five Guilds, Baekho . My name is Ahn Sangmin, chief of the Second Management Division . ¡± Other Hunters would¡¯ve bowed their heads in a 90-degree angle before even receiving the business card . Unless you were an S-ranker or stood at the pinnacle of the A-rankers, the Baekho Guild was a target of great desire for most Hunters . Truthfully, Ahn Sangmin had hoped for such a reaction from Jinwoo, but he was disappointed . As if he was not impressed, Jinwoo calmly asked the question he had come for, ¡°Why is someone working for the Baekho Guild doing a background investigation on me?¡± Ahn Sangmin flinched, ¡®To think that he would hold up his head high after hearing our name¡­¡¯ Just from the introduction, he realized that recruiting Jinwoo would not be an easy task . However, this made him want the Hunter even more . A recruit with a fighting spirit was not a bad thing . ¡®Yes . You need at least this much spirit to be of use anywhere . ¡¯ Ahn Sangmin renewed his determination once more . ¡°I¡¯ll cut to the chase . Our Guild wants to bring Sung Jinwoo-ssi into our fold . Whatever Yoojin Construction has offered you, we¡¯ll double it . ¡± The division chief smiled . He believed that Yoojin Construction was in the process of testing Sung Jinwoo . ¡®What a foolish thing to do . ¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s C-rank Dungeon clearing time . The fact that he was a Reawakened Hunter . And the calm attitude he was displaying now . Taking all of that into consideration, there was clearly no need to test the Hunter . ¡®They¡¯re testing him as if they don¡¯t understand his true value . There¡¯s no way we won¡¯t be able to beat their price . ¡¯ Because of this, Ahn Sangmin was confident that Baekho could more than double Yoojin Construction¡¯s offer . Suddenly, Jinwoo¡¯s eyes filled with coldness . ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°H-hmm?¡± Surprised at an unexpected response, Ahn Sangmin stuttered his words, unbecoming of a chief of a large Guild . ¡°How did you know to seek me out?¡± If words had physical weight, Ahn Sangmin felt like he would be crushed by Jinwoo¡¯s . ¡®What is this pressure?¡¯ It appeared that the man sitting across from him registered him as an enemy . Now that he thought about, he did place a tail on Jinwoo and had asked to meet him out of nowhere . Looking at it from Jinwoo¡¯s perspective, it was reasonable that his actions would invite hostility . Ahn Sangmin started explaining in panic, ¡°Ah, ah, please don¡¯t misunderstand . We did not purposefully single you out for investigation . It¡¯s just that someone was taking up all the C-rank Gates in our Guild¡¯s territory, and when we looked into it, your name came up . ¡± ¡°¡­¡± Jinwoo looked away into the distance . ¡®So that¡¯s what it was . ¡¯ Contrary to what he had thought, it appeared that the man sitting across from him did not start an investigation after realizing the truth about him . Jinwoo was just naturally noticed after completing a rapid succession of Raids . ¡®I don¡¯t particularly sense any bad intentions from him . ¡¯ Jinwoo relaxed his expression slightly . The nervousness between the two men eased up as well . ¡®Phew¡­¡¯ Ahn Sangmin sighed in his head, but all he had accomplished was bringing their relationship back to neutral . Now would begin the real trial of earning Jinwoo¡¯s faith . ¡®There¡¯s no better way to earn someone¡¯s trust than sharing information . ¡¯ Ahn Sangmin was a recruitment specialist! He erased his panicked expression and put on his smile again . ¡°This might be a top-secret information, but we¡¯re well aware of Chairman Yoo Myunghan¡¯s plans to make a new Guild . ¡± ¡°¡­¡± Jinwoo neither confirmed nor denied . Ahn Sangmin continued, ¡°And when we noted Yoo Jinho, the man¡¯s son, and Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim had made contact, we were able to piece together a conclusion . Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim is a Reawakened Hunter, and Yoojin Construction wanted you for their Guild . ¡± As expected, Ahn Sangmin thought that he was a Reawakened Hunter . ¡®Well, I¡¯ll let him believe that . ¡¯ Jinwoo had no reasons to contradict him . Ahn Sangmin quickly added, ¡°We had hoped to speak to you before you signed an official contract with Yoojin . That¡¯s why we contacted you out of the blue like this . We apologize again for our rudeness . ¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright . ¡± It would¡¯ve been different if they had approached him with ill intent, but now that they were apologizing like this, there was no need for Jinwoo to be angry . ¡®More importantly¡­¡¯ How to handle this now . This was Jinwoo¡¯s quandary . Noticing his hesitation, Ahn Sangmin spoke up again, ¡°Have you by any chance signed the contract with Yoojin Construction?¡± Perhaps the man thought he had, seeing his hesitation . Jinwoo shook his head . Ahn Sangmin, who had looked a little defeated, immediately became happy . ¡®Perfect! He is a free agent!¡¯ This was the chance to obtain a Hunter would could solo clear a C-rank Dungeon in just 30 minutes . Although a D-ranker had followed him into the Dungeon, to a man who was above B-rank, the D-ranker would¡¯ve been nothing more than a baggage boy . ¡®Imagine if Sung Jinwoo retests as an A-ranker under the Baekho Guild!¡¯ Ahn Sangmin kept suppressing his smile and struggled to keep a calm expression[3] . Meanwhile, Jinwoo was scratching his chin . ¡®This man, he¡¯s counting the chickens before they¡¯ve hatched . . . Well, Baekho wouldn¡¯t be that bad . It was one of the top 5 Guilds and was even gunning for the number one spot . But right now, Jinwoo had no desire to enter a Guild . ¡®My value only rises as I level-up . ¡¯ Additionally, although it may be far down the road¡­ ¡®Just like how I¡¯m solo clearing a C-rank Dungeon right now, what if I can eventually solo clear a B-rank, maybe even an A-rank Dungeon?¡¯ The income from the high-ranking Dungeons surpassed imagination . Conquering those Dungeons is what allowed the large Guilds to grow as powerful as big corporations . When you considered the high-quality magic cores, magic beast corpses, minerals, Runestones and artifacts, an astronomical amount of money was involved in the Hunter-related businesses . If he could maintain a monopoly of all the income from the Dungeon, was there a reason he should join a Guild? ¡®As long as I keep leveling up, it¡¯s not an impossible scenario . ¡¯ As such, it was too early for him to go into a Guild . The corners of Jinwoo¡¯s mouth rose . Mistaking his smile for good news, Ahn Sangmin also smiled . ¡°Have you made your decision?¡± ¡°You said double the price, right?¡± ¡°Yes, of course . And if we feel that the price is lacking compared to Hunter-nim¡¯s abilities, we may even raise it higher . ¡± ¡°Then what is the value of the building Baekho is using as its headquarters?¡± Ahn Sangmin froze for a second . ¡®Is he questioning our Guild¡¯s financial power?¡¯ Well, there was no need to panic . This was an opportunity to show off the Guild . There was no need to hide or hold his tongue . Ahn Sangmin was rather glad for the opportunity . ¡°The estimated value is about fifty billion . We¡¯re not using the entire building, but the deed is under our name . ¡± Ahn Sangmin spoke with pride . In the past, they had rented their office in the building, but when the Guild solidified its position in the country, they outright purchased it . It took them one year to achieve this feat . It was a testament to just how much the large Guilds earned . Ahn Sangmin was ready to go into details about Baekho¡¯s finances and income but froze when Jinwoo spoke, ¡°That building, could you give it to me?¡± ¡°What?¡± Ahn Sangmin¡¯s eyes were wide open . He doubted his hearing and asked, ¡°W-what do you mean by that?¡± Jinwoo happily explained, ¡°Yoojin promised me a building worth thirty billion on their end . Although it¡¯s not quite double, I¡¯d be happy to accept a price of fifty billion from Baekho¡¯s building . ¡± ¡°Th-thirty billion?¡± Sung Jinwoo¡¯s Hunter career was 4 years old, but that was as an E-rank Hunter . He had not done anything noticeable until recently, meaning his Reawakening must be just as recent . So just what kind of a power did this man display that Yoo Myunghan, a man known for his business acumen, would offer him 30 billion won? And even before he got retested? ¡®Is, is he bluffing since we have no way of confirming?¡¯ Ahn Sangmin stared at Jinwoo with a suspicious gaze . As if reading his mind, Jinwoo took out his phone and made a call . ring ring click - ¡°Yes, hyungnim . ¡± It was dinner time, and the caf¨¦ was near empty . Jinwoo purposely put the volume on the highest setting . ¡°Jinho, let me ask you something . ¡± - ¡°Of course, anything, hyungnim . ¡± Jinho? As in Yoo Jinho? Ahn Sangmin gulped . ¡®Is he planning on ratting me out to Yoo Jinho?¡¯ But his guess was off . Instead, Jinwoo brought up a different topic, ¡°That building you promised me, how much was it again?¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Hunters, Grim Reaper, Knights, Myungsung, Baekho¡± ¡°Hunters¡± (???): Literal english of ¡°Hunters¡±, including the plural form . ¡°Hun¡± ? + ¡°Tuh¡± ? + ¡°Ss¡± ? . Not gonna lie, it¡¯s going to be headache to distinguish this from the profession of ¡°Hunter¡± from now on¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have capitalized the word Hunter . . . ¡°Grim Reaper¡± (??): This word could be interpreted in few ways, ¡°Four Gods, Death God, Envoy¡± . I chose ¡°Death God¡± > Grim Reaper ¡°Knights¡± (???): Lit . ¡°Knighthood¡± or ¡°Knight Corps¡± . ¡°Myungsung¡± (??): Just appears to be a proper noun / name . ¡°Baekho¡± (??): Could be translated as ¡°White Tiger¡±, which actually fits really well . I chose to leave it in Korean to give weight to the relationship between the Guild name and the Guildmaster . [2]: ¡°Second Management Division¡± (?2???): ¡°Number 2¡± ?2 + ¡°administrative/management division/department¡± ??? [3]: /r/prematurecelebration Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 41. . Even the Association¡¯s website did not reveal a Hunter¡¯s home address, only their names and rank . An individual Hunter may opt to add additional information on their profile, but Jinwoo was not one of those people . So if they knew not just his phone number but where he lived, they must¡¯ve performed a thorough investigation on him . . . ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯. . He remembered something from earlier in the day . . . ¡°I felt someone watching me from afar today . Was that you guys?¡±. . Jinwoo¡¯s voice was filled with hostility . Hearing this, the person on the other end explained apologetically,. . - ¡°We apologize for intruding on you like that . There was just something we wanted to confirm . If we wanted to cause you any trouble, we wouldn¡¯t have contacted you like this . You¡¯ll understand when you hear us out . ¡±. . Jinwoo hesitated, then replied,. . ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be right there . ¡±. . . . ¡°Hunters, Grim Reaper, Knights, Myungsung, and us, Baekho . I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard each of them at least once . ¡± [1]. . Ahn Sangmin had listed the top 5 Guilds of South Korea . The number one among them was ¡°Hunters¡± . However, that was not always the case . Originally, the number one Guild of Korea was ¡°Grim Reaper¡±, but some members of Grim Reaper ceded from the Guild and formed their own, ¡°Baekho¡±, resulting in Hunters taking the number one spot . And like the student surpassing the master, Baekho had already surpassed Grim Reaper as a Guild . Now, they were gunning for the number one spot . . . Ahn Sangmin was certain . The man sitting in front of him, Sung Jinwoo, would be the one to propel Baekho into that number one spot . He handed Jinwoo his business card . . . [Baekho Guild Second Management Division[2] Chief, Ahn Sangmin]. . ¡°I¡¯m the man who oversees recruiting and managing new Hunters for one of the top five Guilds, Baekho . My name is Ahn Sangmin, chief of the Second Management Division . ¡±. . Other Hunters would¡¯ve bowed their heads in a 90-degree angle before even receiving the business card . Unless you were an S-ranker or stood at the pinnacle of the A-rankers, the Baekho Guild was a target of great desire for most Hunters . Truthfully, Ahn Sangmin had hoped for such a reaction from Jinwoo, but he was disappointed . As if he was not impressed, Jinwoo calmly asked the question he had come for,. . ¡°Why is someone working for the Baekho Guild doing a background investigation on me?¡±. . Ahn Sangmin flinched,. . ¡®To think that he would hold up his head high after hearing our name¡­¡¯. . Just from the introduction, he realized that recruiting Jinwoo would not be an easy task . However, this made him want the Hunter even more . A recruit with a fighting spirit was not a bad thing . . . ¡®Yes . You need at least this much spirit to be of use anywhere . ¡¯. . Ahn Sangmin renewed his determination once more . . . ¡°I¡¯ll cut to the chase . Our Guild wants to bring Sung Jinwoo-ssi into our fold . Whatever Yoojin Construction has offered you, we¡¯ll double it . ¡±. . The division chief smiled . He believed that Yoojin Construction was in the process of testing Sung Jinwoo . . . ¡®What a foolish thing to do . ¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s C-rank Dungeon clearing time . The fact that he was a Reawakened Hunter . And the calm attitude he was displaying now . Taking all of that into consideration, there was clearly no need to test the Hunter . . . ¡®They¡¯re testing him as if they don¡¯t understand his true value . There¡¯s no way we won¡¯t be able to beat their price . ¡¯. . Because of this, Ahn Sangmin was confident that Baekho could more than double Yoojin Construction¡¯s offer . Suddenly, Jinwoo¡¯s eyes filled with coldness . . . ¡°How did you know?¡±. . ¡°H-hmm?¡±. . Surprised at an unexpected response, Ahn Sangmin stuttered his words, unbecoming of a chief of a large Guild . . . ¡°How did you know to seek me out?¡±. . If words had physical weight, Ahn Sangmin felt like he would be crushed by Jinwoo¡¯s . . . ¡®What is this pressure?¡¯. . It appeared that the man sitting across from him registered him as an enemy . Now that he thought about, he did place a tail on Jinwoo and had asked to meet him out of nowhere . Looking at it from Jinwoo¡¯s perspective, it was reasonable that his actions would invite hostility . Ahn Sangmin started explaining in panic,. . ¡°Ah, ah, please don¡¯t misunderstand . We did not purposefully single you out for investigation . It¡¯s just that someone was taking up all the C-rank Gates in our Guild¡¯s territory, and when we looked into it, your name came up . ¡±. . ¡°¡­¡±. . Jinwoo looked away into the distance . . . ¡®So that¡¯s what it was . ¡¯. . Contrary to what he had thought, it appeared that the man sitting across from him did not start an investigation after realizing the truth about him . Jinwoo was just naturally noticed after completing a rapid succession of Raids . . . ¡®I don¡¯t particularly sense any bad intentions from him . ¡¯. . Jinwoo relaxed his expression slightly . The nervousness between the two men eased up as well . . . ¡®Phew¡­¡¯. . Ahn Sangmin sighed in his head, but all he had accomplished was bringing their relationship back to neutral . Now would begin the real trial of earning Jinwoo¡¯s faith . . . ¡®There¡¯s no better way to earn someone¡¯s trust than sharing information . ¡¯. . Ahn Sangmin was a recruitment specialist!. . He erased his panicked expression and put on his smile again . . . ¡°This might be a top-secret information, but we¡¯re well aware of Chairman Yoo Myunghan¡¯s plans to make a new Guild . ¡±. . ¡°¡­¡±. . Jinwoo neither confirmed nor denied . Ahn Sangmin continued,. . ¡°And when we noted Yoo Jinho, the man¡¯s son, and Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim had made contact, we were able to piece together a conclusion . Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim is a Reawakened Hunter, and Yoojin Construction wanted you for their Guild . ¡±. . As expected, Ahn Sangmin thought that he was a Reawakened Hunter . . . ¡®Well, I¡¯ll let him believe that . ¡¯. . Jinwoo had no reasons to contradict him . Ahn Sangmin quickly added,. . ¡°We had hoped to speak to you before you signed an official contract with Yoojin . That¡¯s why we contacted you out of the blue like this . We apologize again for our rudeness . ¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s alright . ¡±. . It would¡¯ve been different if they had approached him with ill intent, but now that they were apologizing like this, there was no need for Jinwoo to be angry . . . ¡®More importantly¡­¡¯. . How to handle this now . This was Jinwoo¡¯s quandary . Noticing his hesitation, Ahn Sangmin spoke up again,. . ¡°Have you by any chance signed the contract with Yoojin Construction?¡±. . Perhaps the man thought he had, seeing his hesitation . Jinwoo shook his head . Ahn Sangmin, who had looked a little defeated, immediately became happy . . . ¡®Perfect! He is a free agent!¡¯. . This was the chance to obtain a Hunter would could solo clear a C-rank Dungeon in just 30 minutes . Although a D-ranker had followed him into the Dungeon, to a man who was above B-rank, the D-ranker would¡¯ve been nothing more than a baggage boy . . . ¡®Imagine if Sung Jinwoo retests as an A-ranker under the Baekho Guild!¡¯. . Ahn Sangmin kept suppressing his smile and struggled to keep a calm expression[3] . Meanwhile, Jinwoo was scratching his chin . . . ¡®This man, he¡¯s counting the chickens before they¡¯ve hatched . . . Well, Baekho wouldn¡¯t be that bad . It was one of the top 5 Guilds and was even gunning for the number one spot . But right now, Jinwoo had no desire to enter a Guild . . . ¡®My value only rises as I level-up . ¡¯. . Additionally, although it may be far down the road¡­. . ¡®Just like how I¡¯m solo clearing a C-rank Dungeon right now, what if I can eventually solo clear a B-rank, maybe even an A-rank Dungeon?¡¯. . The income from the high-ranking Dungeons surpassed imagination . Conquering those Dungeons is what allowed the large Guilds to grow as powerful as big corporations . When you considered the high-quality magic cores, magic beast corpses, minerals, Runestones and artifacts, an astronomical amount of money was involved in the Hunter-related businesses . If he could maintain a monopoly of all the income from the Dungeon, was there a reason he should join a Guild?. . ¡®As long as I keep leveling up, it¡¯s not an impossible scenario . ¡¯. . As such, it was too early for him to go into a Guild . . . The corners of Jinwoo¡¯s mouth rose . Mistaking his smile for good news, Ahn Sangmin also smiled . . . ¡°Have you made your decision?¡±. . ¡°You said double the price, right?¡±. . ¡°Yes, of course . And if we feel that the price is lacking compared to Hunter-nim¡¯s abilities, we may even raise it higher . ¡±. . ¡°Then what is the value of the building Baekho is using as its headquarters?¡±. . Ahn Sangmin froze for a second . . . ¡®Is he questioning our Guild¡¯s financial power?¡¯. . Well, there was no need to panic . This was an opportunity to show off the Guild . There was no need to hide or hold his tongue . Ahn Sangmin was rather glad for the opportunity . . . ¡°The estimated value is about fifty billion . We¡¯re not using the entire building, but the deed is under our name . ¡±. . Ahn Sangmin spoke with pride . In the past, they had rented their office in the building, but when the Guild solidified its position in the country, they outright purchased it . It took them one year to achieve this feat . It was a testament to just how much the large Guilds earned . Ahn Sangmin was ready to go into details about Baekho¡¯s finances and income but froze when Jinwoo spoke,. . ¡°That building, could you give it to me?¡±. . ¡°What?¡±. . Ahn Sangmin¡¯s eyes were wide open . He doubted his hearing and asked,. . ¡°W-what do you mean by that?¡±. . Jinwoo happily explained,. . ¡°Yoojin promised me a building worth thirty billion on their end . Although it¡¯s not quite double, I¡¯d be happy to accept a price of fifty billion from Baekho¡¯s building . ¡±. . ¡°Th-thirty billion?¡±. . Sung Jinwoo¡¯s Hunter career was 4 years old, but that was as an E-rank Hunter . He had not done anything noticeable until recently, meaning his Reawakening must be just as recent . So just what kind of a power did this man display that Yoo Myunghan, a man known for his business acumen, would offer him 30 billion won? And even before he got retested?. . ¡®Is, is he bluffing since we have no way of confirming?¡¯. . Ahn Sangmin stared at Jinwoo with a suspicious gaze . As if reading his mind, Jinwoo took out his phone and made a call . . . ring ring. . click. . - ¡°Yes, hyungnim . ¡±. . It was dinner time, and the caf¨¦ was near empty . Jinwoo purposely put the volume on the highest setting . . . ¡°Jinho, let me ask you something . ¡±. . - ¡°Of course, anything, hyungnim . ¡±. . Jinho? As in Yoo Jinho? Ahn Sangmin gulped . . . ¡®Is he planning on ratting me out to Yoo Jinho?¡¯. . But his guess was off . Instead, Jinwoo brought up a different topic,. . ¡°That building you promised me, how much was it again?¡±. . . . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Hunters, Grim Reaper, Knights, Myungsung, Baekho¡±. ¡°Hunters¡± (???): Literal english of ¡°Hunters¡±, including the plural form . ¡°Hun¡± ? + ¡°Tuh¡± ? + ¡°Ss¡± ? . Not gonna lie, it¡¯s going to be headache to distinguish this from the profession of ¡°Hunter¡± from now on¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have capitalized the word Hunter . . ¡°Grim Reaper¡± (??): This word could be interpreted in few ways, ¡°Four Gods, Death God, Envoy¡± . I chose ¡°Death God¡± > Grim Reaper. ¡°Knights¡± (???): Lit . ¡°Knighthood¡± or ¡°Knight Corps¡± . . ¡°Myungsung¡± (??): Just appears to be a proper noun / name . . ¡°Baekho¡± (??): Could be translated as ¡°White Tiger¡±, which actually fits really well . I chose to leave it in Korean to give weight to the relationship between the Guild name and the Guildmaster . . [2]: ¡°Second Management Division¡± (?2???): ¡°Number 2¡± ?2 + ¡°administrative/management division/department¡± ???. [3]: /r/prematurecelebration. Chapter 42 - ¡°The current estimates put it at thirty billion, but once we establish our Guild there, the value is sure to go up greatly . Ah, hyungnim, right! Do you need a copy of our agreement? Should I fax it over to you?¡± ¡°Hold on . ¡± Jinwoo covered the bottom of the phone so he could not be heard . ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, would you like to speak to him directly?¡± Ahn Sangmin shook his head while sweating . ¡°No, it¡¯s alright . I¡¯m hanging up . ¡± - ¡°Yes, hyungnim . ¡± After Jinwoo ended the call, he noted Ahn Sangmin¡¯s expression had completely changed from before . The man¡¯s eyes were shaking lightly . ¡®Even before they made the Guild, Yoojin Construction promised him thirty billion as the contract fee? And the respectful way that the chairman''s son was addressing him¡­¡¯ Ahn Sangmin¡¯s head was spinning . ¡°So, er, that¡¯s¡­ So that amount is a bit beyond my authority to decide¡­ If you just gave us some time to talk it over¡­¡± Jinwoo cut him off, ¡°Then our conversation ends here . ¡± Ahn Sangmin was at a loss for words . He weakly nodded and realized that he had failed . ¡®Ultimately, it was because of the lack of information . ¡¯ He was angry that he had rushed all of this . He was blinded by the prospect of a big windfall and moved too carelessly . If only he had investigated Yoojin¡¯s offer more thoroughly and worked with the Guild to proceed¡­ ¡®I have to report this to the Guildmaster . ¡¯ If Jinwoo was a Hunter worth 30 billion to Chairman Yoo Myunghan, he could be worth 50, maybe even 100 billion . It was not too late . ¡®Once I obtain the Guild¡¯s support, I¡¯ll investigate him more thoroughly and approach with more aggression next time¡­¡¯ Jinwoo interrupted his thoughts, ¡°I wanted to ask one thing . ¡± Ahn Sangmin raised his head . The smile had disappeared from Jinwoo¡¯s face . Today had a warm spring weather, but suddenly, his surroundings became cold . gulp ¡°How many people know about me?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Right now, it¡¯s just me . I had rushed in the attempt to recruit Hunter-nim, and I didn¡¯t have the time to report this to the higher ups . ¡± Truthfully, there was one other . His subordinate and right-hand man, Hyun Gicheol . But Ahn Sangmin hid the man¡¯s existence in case Jinwoo became angry . However, Jinwoo spoke again with a more threatening tone, ¡°Why don¡¯t we respect each other and avoid telling lies?¡± Ahn Sangmin panicked . ¡®What? Did he come here with some information about us?¡¯ If that was the case, making excuses right now would worsen their relationship . ¡®Guess I¡¯ll have to come clean . ¡¯ The relationship between a Hunter and a Guild was like that of a celebrity and their agent . Even if they could not recruit Jinwoo right now, it would be a good idea to maintain a friendly relationship for the future . At the very least, they would have to avoid any friction with a Hunter . This was the ironclad rule of the Second Management Division . Ahn Sangmin spoke, ¡°Truthfully, one of my subordinates is also aware . But I swear that he¡¯s the only other . ¡± Jinwoo nodded . ¡®As I thought¡­¡¯ It was as he had guessed . All of this would be too much for one man to handle . The investigation, the surveillance and the contact . The damning evidence was the contact . He was called right as he got home . ¡®Someone must¡¯ve been watching me and gave the signal . ¡¯ They were eager to meet with him but could not afford to tip off Yoo Jinho . ¡®But at the very least, I¡¯ve confirmed that it¡¯s not the entire Baekho Guild moving after me . ¡¯ He was able to discern this from Ahn Sangmin¡¯s reaction to the 50 billion earlier . The man had panicked when Jinwoo brought up an amount that he did not have the authority to agree to . If the Guild¡¯s higher-ups were involved, the man would¡¯ve at least made an effort to contact them then and there . And so, Jinwoo suspected that there was only a small team involved, and as he thought, it was indeed just two people . ¡®That¡¯s good . ¡¯ He did not want to complicate his situation . If it was just two, it was an amount that he could deal with . If he did nothing, he was sure that it would become a headache down the road . So Jinwoo decided to leave them with a little warning . ¡°If I¡¯m being honest as well, I¡¯ve also rejected Yoojin¡¯s offer . ¡± At Jinwoo¡¯s explosive confession, Ahn Sangmin sat straight up . ¡°What?¡± Suddenly, Jinwoo disappeared before his eyes . ¡°What?!¡± Ahn Sangmin stood-up in shock . He quickly looked around but did not see the Hunter¡¯s figure . ¡®What was that? Did he move faster than my eyes could follow?¡¯ While panicking, Ahn Sangmin realized too late that someone had placed a hand on his shoulder . ¡°gasp¡± A cold chill ran down his back . ¡°Don¡¯t turn around . ¡± A voice came from his side . Jinwoo, who had disappeared without a trace, was standing right next to him . ¡®S-stealth?¡¯ Ahn Sangmin¡¯s brows were dripping with cold sweat . ¡®He¡­ he¡¯s not mad at me, is he?¡¯ In many ways, Hunters were monstrous existences . And the man who worked close to them knew this better than anyone else . That¡¯s why he had always put on the most respectful attitude towards them . ¡®Is he mad at the surveillance and the tailing? Should I have brought a bodyguard from the Guild? No, wait, I don¡¯t even know the man¡¯s ranking, how could I ask for a bodyguard¡­¡¯ His head spun with many thoughts and his heart was beating like it was about to explode . Every time he gulped, he was surprised at how loud it sounded in his head . Jinwo spoke with a quiet voice, ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a seat, slowly . I don¡¯t want to give you a fright . ¡± Ahn Sangmin nodded, ¡®Sir, this situation is already plenty frightening¡­¡¯ He complied and slowly sat down on his seat . Jinwoo reappeared and took a seat next to him . ¡®I see¡­¡¯ Ahn Sangmin understood what Jinwoo had meant . Earlier, when Jinwoo spoke about asking one question, the air itself became cold in response . In this tense situation, if Jinwoo reappeared in front of him and met his eyes directly, he probably would¡¯ve had a heart attack . ¡®Is this his way of giving me room to breathe?¡¯ Still, the situation was definitely frightening . Regardless, Jinwoo spoke, ¡°The reason why I had refused Yoojin¡¯s offer was because I don¡¯t plan on entering a Guild for the time being . ¡± The two men did not face each other, and instead, continued their conversation while facing forward . ¡°Is, is that so . ¡± ¡°And . ¡± Jinwoo paused for a beat and continued, ¡°I don¡¯t want the number of people who know about me to increase . ¡± What he wanted was simple . He did not want to enter a Guild, and he did not want his information to leak . Ahn Sangmin understood what Jinwoo was asking . However, there was one curious thing, ¡°Th-then, why are you Raiding with Yoo Jinho-ssi?¡± ¡°I¡¯m helping Yoo Jinho out of personal reasons . He was the only one who knew about my Reawakening, and I thought of him as a trustworthy friend . And so . ¡± Jinwoo spoke his next words with weight, ¡°If I ever hear about myself from someone else, would it be okay to assume that it¡¯s because of Chief Ahn Sangmin and your subordinate?¡± Jinwoo had removed his hand from Ahn Sangmin¡¯s shoulder a while ago, but the man continued to feel pressured just from his voice . ¡®This is not a bluff . ¡¯ What was this feeling? Despite being backed by one of the top Guilds of Korea, Ahn Sangmin was certain that Jinwoo was someone who would be able to go through with his threat . ¡®I have never been wrong about a person . ¡¯ Jinwoo had repeatedly come out unharmed through multiple incidents . They say what happens in a Dungeon stays in the Dungeon . Nobody knew exactly what this man did in the Dungeon in those incidents . ¡®On top of that, this man can use ¡®Stealth¡¯¡­¡¯ The ¡®Stealth¡¯ was a troublesome skill . A person with that skill could freely commit crimes without leaving a trace . It bypassed all surveillance and monitoring equipment . A streak of sweat trailed down on the side of Ahn Sangmin¡¯s face . ¡®To think that he had such a skill¡­¡¯ Possessing great abilities and a rare skill, it made perfect sense that Yoojin had offered him 30 billion . ¡®They are not a company to overpay for something . ¡¯ ba dum ba dum Even though he was afraid, Ahn Sangmin could not help but feel excited . He opened his mouth with effort, ¡°I-I swear my silence on this matter . I¡¯ll make sure to thoroughly silence Gicheol, no, my subordinate as well . ¡± To be honest, Ahn Sangmin was the one who wanted to bring up the idea of silence . Jinwoo was a hidden treasure that no one else had discovered . Ahn Sangmin did not want to invite unnecessary competition by spreading the news about his existence . ¡®If I¡¯m being really honest, it¡¯s because I don¡¯t want to make an enemy out of him . ¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll place my faith in you, chief . ¡± With that, the presence of the man next to Ahn Sangmin completely disappeared . Ahn Sangmin looked around, but the caf¨¦ was deserted as if he was transported to a different world . ¡°Hah¡­¡± The man could not speak, only heave a deep sigh . Hyun Gicheol ran into the caf¨¦ . The subordinate was watching the pair¡¯s meeting, but when Jinwoo disappeared into thin air, he decided to hurry to the side of his superior . ¡°Chief!¡± Ahn Sangmin¡¯s expression was not good . Hyun Gicheol asked with concern, ¡°What happened? Did it not go well with Sung Jinwoo?¡± Ahn Sangmin took out a cigarette with a shaking hand and placed it in his mouth . ¡°Gicheol¡­ We might¡¯ve come across something bigger than we thought . ¡± They had to obtain this treasure . Ahn Sangmin¡¯s head was filled to the brim with thoughts on how to obtain Sung Jinwoo . Thankfully, there was still a chance . Suddenly, Hyun Gicheol gently grabbed Ahn Sangmin¡¯s wrist . ¡°¡­Er, chief,¡± Ahn Sangmin was about to light up his cigarette and raised his head, ¡°Hmm?¡± Hyun Gicheol looked around and carefully whispered, ¡°It¡¯s no smoking in here . ¡± Ahn Sangmin crumpled up the cigarette in his hand . ¡°You fucking son of a-¡° The first thing Jinwoo did after coming home was to open up his status screen . ring~ Name: Sung Jinwoo Level: 39 Class: None Title: Wolf Slayer HP: 7,229 MP: 683 Fatigue: 0 Stats Strength: 97 Constitution: 59 Agility: 97 Intelligence: 51 Sense: 81 (Available stat points: 0) Physical Damage Reduction: 20% Skills Passive Skills -(Unknown) (Lv . Max) -Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1) -Advanced Dagger Proficiency (Lv . 1) Active Skills -Sprint (Lv . 2) -Bloodlust (Lv . 1) -Stealth (Lv . 1) -Vital Stab (Lv . 1) Equipment Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace (A) ¡®I suppose all this is bound to catch someone¡¯s eye . ¡¯ Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 42. . - ¡°The current estimates put it at thirty billion, but once we establish our Guild there, the value is sure to go up greatly . Ah, hyungnim, right! Do you need a copy of our agreement? Should I fax it over to you?¡±. . ¡°Hold on . ¡±. . Jinwoo covered the bottom of the phone so he could not be heard . . . ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, would you like to speak to him directly?¡±. . Ahn Sangmin shook his head while sweating . . . ¡°No, it¡¯s alright . I¡¯m hanging up . ¡±. . - ¡°Yes, hyungnim . ¡±. . After Jinwoo ended the call, he noted Ahn Sangmin¡¯s expression had completely changed from before . The man¡¯s eyes were shaking lightly . . . ¡®Even before they made the Guild, Yoojin Construction promised him thirty billion as the contract fee? And the respectful way that the chairman''s son was addressing him¡­¡¯. . Ahn Sangmin¡¯s head was spinning . . . ¡°So, er, that¡¯s¡­ So that amount is a bit beyond my authority to decide¡­ If you just gave us some time to talk it over¡­¡±. . Jinwoo cut him off,. . ¡°Then our conversation ends here . ¡±. . Ahn Sangmin was at a loss for words . He weakly nodded and realized that he had failed . . . ¡®Ultimately, it was because of the lack of information . ¡¯. . He was angry that he had rushed all of this . He was blinded by the prospect of a big windfall and moved too carelessly . If only he had investigated Yoojin¡¯s offer more thoroughly and worked with the Guild to proceed¡­. . ¡®I have to report this to the Guildmaster . ¡¯. . If Jinwoo was a Hunter worth 30 billion to Chairman Yoo Myunghan, he could be worth 50, maybe even 100 billion . It was not too late . . . ¡®Once I obtain the Guild¡¯s support, I¡¯ll investigate him more thoroughly and approach with more aggression next time¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo interrupted his thoughts,. . ¡°I wanted to ask one thing . ¡±. . Ahn Sangmin raised his head . The smile had disappeared from Jinwoo¡¯s face . Today had a warm spring weather, but suddenly, his surroundings became cold . . . gulp. . ¡°How many people know about me?¡±. . ¡°Ah¡­ Right now, it¡¯s just me . I had rushed in the attempt to recruit Hunter-nim, and I didn¡¯t have the time to report this to the higher ups . ¡±. . Truthfully, there was one other . His subordinate and right-hand man, Hyun Gicheol . But Ahn Sangmin hid the man¡¯s existence in case Jinwoo became angry . However, Jinwoo spoke again with a more threatening tone,. . ¡°Why don¡¯t we respect each other and avoid telling lies?¡±. . Ahn Sangmin panicked . . . ¡®What? Did he come here with some information about us?¡¯. . If that was the case, making excuses right now would worsen their relationship . . . ¡®Guess I¡¯ll have to come clean . ¡¯. . The relationship between a Hunter and a Guild was like that of a celebrity and their agent . Even if they could not recruit Jinwoo right now, it would be a good idea to maintain a friendly relationship for the future . At the very least, they would have to avoid any friction with a Hunter . This was the ironclad rule of the Second Management Division . . . Ahn Sangmin spoke,. . ¡°Truthfully, one of my subordinates is also aware . But I swear that he¡¯s the only other . ¡±. . Jinwoo nodded . . . ¡®As I thought¡­¡¯. . It was as he had guessed . All of this would be too much for one man to handle . The investigation, the surveillance and the contact . The damning evidence was the contact . He was called right as he got home . . . ¡®Someone must¡¯ve been watching me and gave the signal . ¡¯. . They were eager to meet with him but could not afford to tip off Yoo Jinho . . . ¡®But at the very least, I¡¯ve confirmed that it¡¯s not the entire Baekho Guild moving after me . ¡¯. . He was able to discern this from Ahn Sangmin¡¯s reaction to the 50 billion earlier . The man had panicked when Jinwoo brought up an amount that he did not have the authority to agree to . If the Guild¡¯s higher-ups were involved, the man would¡¯ve at least made an effort to contact them then and there . And so, Jinwoo suspected that there was only a small team involved, and as he thought, it was indeed just two people . . . ¡®That¡¯s good . ¡¯. . He did not want to complicate his situation . If it was just two, it was an amount that he could deal with . If he did nothing, he was sure that it would become a headache down the road . So Jinwoo decided to leave them with a little warning . . . ¡°If I¡¯m being honest as well, I¡¯ve also rejected Yoojin¡¯s offer . ¡±. . At Jinwoo¡¯s explosive confession, Ahn Sangmin sat straight up . . . ¡°What?¡±. . Suddenly, Jinwoo disappeared before his eyes . . . ¡°What?!¡±. . Ahn Sangmin stood-up in shock . He quickly looked around but did not see the Hunter¡¯s figure . . . ¡®What was that? Did he move faster than my eyes could follow?¡¯. . While panicking, Ahn Sangmin realized too late that someone had placed a hand on his shoulder . . . ¡°gasp¡±. . A cold chill ran down his back . . . ¡°Don¡¯t turn around . ¡±. . A voice came from his side . Jinwoo, who had disappeared without a trace, was standing right next to him . . . ¡®S-stealth?¡¯. . Ahn Sangmin¡¯s brows were dripping with cold sweat . . . ¡®He¡­ he¡¯s not mad at me, is he?¡¯. . In many ways, Hunters were monstrous existences . And the man who worked close to them knew this better than anyone else . That¡¯s why he had always put on the most respectful attitude towards them . . . ¡®Is he mad at the surveillance and the tailing? Should I have brought a bodyguard from the Guild? No, wait, I don¡¯t even know the man¡¯s ranking, how could I ask for a bodyguard¡­¡¯. . His head spun with many thoughts and his heart was beating like it was about to explode . Every time he gulped, he was surprised at how loud it sounded in his head . . . Jinwo spoke with a quiet voice,. . ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a seat, slowly . I don¡¯t want to give you a fright . ¡±. . Ahn Sangmin nodded,. . ¡®Sir, this situation is already plenty frightening¡­¡¯. . He complied and slowly sat down on his seat . Jinwoo reappeared and took a seat next to him . . . ¡®I see¡­¡¯. . Ahn Sangmin understood what Jinwoo had meant . Earlier, when Jinwoo spoke about asking one question, the air itself became cold in response . In this tense situation, if Jinwoo reappeared in front of him and met his eyes directly, he probably would¡¯ve had a heart attack . . . ¡®Is this his way of giving me room to breathe?¡¯. . Still, the situation was definitely frightening . Regardless, Jinwoo spoke,. . ¡°The reason why I had refused Yoojin¡¯s offer was because I don¡¯t plan on entering a Guild for the time being . ¡±. . The two men did not face each other, and instead, continued their conversation while facing forward . . . ¡°Is, is that so . ¡±. . ¡°And . ¡±. . Jinwoo paused for a beat and continued,. . ¡°I don¡¯t want the number of people who know about me to increase . ¡±. . What he wanted was simple . He did not want to enter a Guild, and he did not want his information to leak . Ahn Sangmin understood what Jinwoo was asking . However, there was one curious thing,. . ¡°Th-then, why are you Raiding with Yoo Jinho-ssi?¡±. . ¡°I¡¯m helping Yoo Jinho out of personal reasons . He was the only one who knew about my Reawakening, and I thought of him as a trustworthy friend . And so . ¡±. . Jinwoo spoke his next words with weight,. . ¡°If I ever hear about myself from someone else, would it be okay to assume that it¡¯s because of Chief Ahn Sangmin and your subordinate?¡±. . Jinwoo had removed his hand from Ahn Sangmin¡¯s shoulder a while ago, but the man continued to feel pressured just from his voice . . . ¡®This is not a bluff . ¡¯. . What was this feeling? Despite being backed by one of the top Guilds of Korea, Ahn Sangmin was certain that Jinwoo was someone who would be able to go through with his threat . . . ¡®I have never been wrong about a person . ¡¯. . Jinwoo had repeatedly come out unharmed through multiple incidents . They say what happens in a Dungeon stays in the Dungeon . Nobody knew exactly what this man did in the Dungeon in those incidents . . . ¡®On top of that, this man can use ¡®Stealth¡¯¡­¡¯. . The ¡®Stealth¡¯ was a troublesome skill . A person with that skill could freely commit crimes without leaving a trace . It bypassed all surveillance and monitoring equipment . A streak of sweat trailed down on the side of Ahn Sangmin¡¯s face . . . ¡®To think that he had such a skill¡­¡¯. . Possessing great abilities and a rare skill, it made perfect sense that Yoojin had offered him 30 billion . . . ¡®They are not a company to overpay for something . ¡¯. . ba dum ba dum. . Even though he was afraid, Ahn Sangmin could not help but feel excited . He opened his mouth with effort,. . ¡°I-I swear my silence on this matter . I¡¯ll make sure to thoroughly silence Gicheol, no, my subordinate as well . ¡±. . To be honest, Ahn Sangmin was the one who wanted to bring up the idea of silence . Jinwoo was a hidden treasure that no one else had discovered . Ahn Sangmin did not want to invite unnecessary competition by spreading the news about his existence . . . ¡®If I¡¯m being really honest, it¡¯s because I don¡¯t want to make an enemy out of him . ¡¯. . ¡°I¡¯ll place my faith in you, chief . ¡±. . With that, the presence of the man next to Ahn Sangmin completely disappeared . Ahn Sangmin looked around, but the caf¨¦ was deserted as if he was transported to a different world . . . ¡°Hah¡­¡±. . The man could not speak, only heave a deep sigh . Hyun Gicheol ran into the caf¨¦ . The subordinate was watching the pair¡¯s meeting, but when Jinwoo disappeared into thin air, he decided to hurry to the side of his superior . . . ¡°Chief!¡±. . Ahn Sangmin¡¯s expression was not good . Hyun Gicheol asked with concern,. . ¡°What happened? Did it not go well with Sung Jinwoo?¡±. . Ahn Sangmin took out a cigarette with a shaking hand and placed it in his mouth . . . ¡°Gicheol¡­ We might¡¯ve come across something bigger than we thought . ¡±. . They had to obtain this treasure . Ahn Sangmin¡¯s head was filled to the brim with thoughts on how to obtain Sung Jinwoo . Thankfully, there was still a chance . Suddenly, Hyun Gicheol gently grabbed Ahn Sangmin¡¯s wrist . . . ¡°¡­Er, chief,¡±. . Ahn Sangmin was about to light up his cigarette and raised his head,. . ¡°Hmm?¡±. . Hyun Gicheol looked around and carefully whispered,. . ¡°It¡¯s no smoking in here . ¡±. . Ahn Sangmin crumpled up the cigarette in his hand . . . ¡°You fucking son of a-¡°. . . . . . The first thing Jinwoo did after coming home was to open up his status screen . . . ring~. . Name: Sung Jinwoo. Level: 39. Class: None. Title: Wolf Slayer. HP: 7,229. MP: 683. Fatigue: 0. Stats. . Strength: 97. Constitution: 59. Agility: 97. Intelligence: 51. Sense: 81. (Available stat points: 0). Physical Damage Reduction: 20%. Skills. . Passive Skills. -(Unknown) (Lv . Max). -Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1). -Advanced Dagger. Proficiency (Lv . 1). . Active Skills. -Sprint (Lv . 2). -Bloodlust (Lv . 1). -Stealth (Lv . 1). -Vital Stab (Lv . 1). Equipment. Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace (A) . ¡®I suppose all this is bound to catch someone¡¯s eye . ¡¯. . Chapter 43 From 27 to 39, he had gained 12 levels . Other than the time he had entered his first Instant Dungeon at level 1 and left at level 17, he had not gained levels this fast before . Even moreso, he was a much lower level back then and was expected to level-up faster . This was not the case for him right now . As such, all this could be attributed to the number of Raids he had completed with Yoo Jinho . ¡®It¡¯s been four days since we started Raiding together . We¡¯ve gone through nine Dungeons in those four days¡­¡¯ And those 9 Dungeons were C-rank Dungeons, the highest difficulty possible for a solo clear . It was indeed a crazy speed . However, to the other Hunters who needed C-rank Gates, it was as if a disaster had fallen upon them . Even Yoo Jinho, who had watched Jinwoo¡¯s increasing clear times, was impressed . Of course, all of this made sense to Jinwoo . After all, with each level-up, clearing the same difficulty became easier . 12 levels from 9 Dungeons, it was practically one level-up per Dungeon . And there were 10 Raids remaining . If he completed the 19 Raids he had promised to Yoo Jinho, he could probably go up another 4~5 levels . He recalled defeating a B-rank Hunter when his level was in the 20s . He was no longer sure how powerful had become . ¡®My heart is beating . ¡¯ Jinwoo placed a hand over his heart . He felt its vigorous beating . ba dum ba dum ba dum It was an exciting feeling to experience the growth of his strength day by day . All of this was something he couldn¡¯t even dream of in the past . To think that he would actually enjoy entering a Gate and raiding a Dungeon . ¡®It¡¯s because I can confirm my strength each time . ¡¯ As he leveled up . As his attributes increased . Hunting the magic beasts gave him assurance of his changed strength . ¡®Hunting¡­¡¯ He truly had felt that he had become a Hunter . The idea of hunting was no longer awkward to him . Now, he had a new goal: ¡® . . . The Demon Castle . ¡¯ He was level 21 when he had first entered it . Since then, he had gained nearly 20 levels . Jinwoo wondered if this would be enough, but then thought back on the Cerberus and became unsure . ¡®If I entered through the castle gates and was met with something that I could not run from¡­¡¯ He shuddered . It would be good if he could escape using the ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill, but even that was not a guaranteed possibility . You could be successful 10 times in a row, but a single mistake could cost you your life; that was the Hunter¡¯s life . So he needed a complete assurance . The assurance that he could fight something like the Cerberus and win . ¡®Cerberus¡¯ name was in red . ¡¯ The monster¡¯s difficulty was classified by the color of its name . Outside of the Demon Castle, Jinwoo had yet to see another monster with a red name . The other Instant Dungeons he had entered so far all had low-level monsters, including the Mirae Mall today . But something was off . ¡®What is it?¡¯ When he thought about the idea that he had only seen a monster with a red name in the Demon Castle, something felt off . As if he was forgetting something¡­ ¡®Have I seen a red name monster outside of the Demon Castle?¡¯ That was impossible . Even at level 21, he had almost died while fighting the Cerberus . If he had met a red name monster before that, he would¡¯ve surely died- ¡°Ah!¡± Jinwoo gasped in disbelief . Yes, indeed there was a time . A time where he ran from a red named monster until he was about to die . ¡®The penalty quest!¡¯ The centipedes he had encountered in that desert had red names . ¡®Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipede¡¯ Because of the time that had passed, doubled up with the fact that he had no idea what was happening at the time, the memory of those monsters had faded in Jinwoo¡¯s head . ¡®If I can take those centipedes down easily!¡¯ Then he would earn the assurance that he could raid the Demon Castle . Since there was more than one centipede, he could even test himself against multiple enemies . The problem was how he would go back there¡­ ¡®Is skipping out on the daily quest the only way?¡¯ There was not that much loss involved . He would still earn the same amount of stat points, even if it was the penalty quest . ¡®Let¡¯s try for the Penalty Zone tomorrow . ¡¯ To think that he would skip the daily quest so he could get the penalty quest¡­ Jinwoo thought back on the time he ran for his life and chuckled . ¡°I wonder if they¡¯ll give experience and items . ¡± Jinwoo couldn¡¯t help but smile . At that time, Jinwoo felt a presence of someone getting out of the elevator at the end of the hallway outside . It was the light footsteps of a girl . Her walk was familiar to him . ¡®It¡¯s Jinah . ¡¯ It was 11 o¡¯clock at night, about time for his sister to come home . Jinwoo got up and opened the door before she could even get the keys out of her pocket . ¡°Oooh~¡± Jinah jokingly praised her brother . The first time he did this, she nearly jumped out of her skin, but she had gotten accustomed to this method of greeting . They say human beings can get used to anything . ¡°I¡¯m home~¡± ¡°Welcome~¡± Jinah happily greeted her brother then walked to her room . She was about to close the door, then stopped, ¡°Oppa . ¡± She stuck her head out of her room . ¡°Do you have any free time this week?¡± ¡°This week? Why?¡± ¡°The teacher asked me to ask you for a parent/guardian meeting[1] . Can¡¯t be helped if you¡¯re not free, though . ¡± As if her teacher had sent her on an important mission, Jinah looked nervous . ¡®Parent/guardian meeting¡­¡¯ As a senior in high school, Jinah must¡¯ve been busy with school . He wanted to make an excuse that he did not have the time, but thanks to someone, he did have a day he was completely free . ¡®Sigh¡­ Yoo Jinho, you¡¯re no help at all . ¡¯ Jinwoo replied after giving it some thought, ¡°Thursday . ¡± ¡°Really? Thanks, oppa!¡± Jinah¡¯s expression brightened . Feeling like she was about to run over and give him a hug, Jinwoo held up a hand . ¡°Che . ¡± Jinah scrunched her face at him and closed the door . Jinwoo sighed at his situation . ¡°Hah¡­¡± On top of the nonstop Raids, he wanted to visit the Penalty Zone and now, he had to go to a parent/guardian meeting on Thursday . It was going to be a busy week . -8 . Class Advancement Quest- [2] Jinwoo left his house early in the morning . Today¡¯s schedule was packed with work . Yoo Jinho had told him that they had reserved 4 Gates . As they would be taking a break tomorrow, the young man wanted to take care of 2 day¡¯s worth of Raids in one day . ¡®Well, when I think about the recent clear speeds¡­¡¯ He could certainly pull off 4~5 Raids in a day . The only limiting factor was the number of C-rank Gates appearing in a same area . So today was a rather lucky day . He happily walked towards outside of the apartment, but he did not see Yoo Jinho¡¯s Bongo that would always be waiting for him . On top of that, he felt an unfamiliar presence nearby . ¡°Tsk . ¡± If it wasn¡¯t for what happened yesterday, he would¡¯ve given it no thought . But not after that meeting . ¡®I even warned them . . . ¡¯ Jinwoo discovered his watcher hiding around the corner . The man in a business suit was checking the time on his watch and did not notice Jinwoo approaching him . Jinwo spoke up right in front of the man, ¡°Excuse me . ¡± The man jumped in surprise, ¡°H-Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim!¡± He looked like he had seen a ghost . ¡®Well, that¡¯s why I hid my presence . ¡¯ Jinwoo clicked his tongue on the inside . ¡°You¡¯re from Baekho Guild, right?¡± ¡°Hmm? Ah, yes . I¡¯m Hyun Gicheol of Baekho Guild¡¯s Second Management Division . ¡± This appeared to be the subordinate that Ahn Sangmin was talking about yesterday . ¡°Please to meet you, Hunter-nim . ¡± Hyun Gicheol cautiously held out a hand . He was asking for a handshake, but Jinwoo was not in the mood . Seeing Jinwoo just stare without reciprocating, Hyun Gicheol turned red and retracted his hand . ¡°Didn¡¯t I make it clear that I won¡¯t be entering a Guild for the time being?¡± Hyun Gicheol frantically held out a hand . ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not why I¡¯m here . ¡± Then, the man held out a tumbler he was holding in the other hand . ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± In the frosted sides of the tumbler, Jinwoo saw a strange colorful liquid . Hyun Gicheol held his head up with pride and replied, ¡°It¡¯s vegetable juice . I personally made it, and I can guarantee it¡¯s quality . ¡± ¡° . . . ¡± Hyun Gicheol did not lower his hand this time . Jinwoo relented and took the tumbler from him . ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me you¡¯ve been waiting since dawn, just to give me this?¡± ¡°Yes! Hunter-nim has to think about his health, after all!¡± Jinwoo wanted to ask why Baekho Guild would be concerned with his health but stopped himself . Hyun Gicheol bowed his head then smiled brightly as he walked away . ¡°Then, I¡¯ll see you again, Hunter-nim!¡± The man waved to him as he disappeared in the distance . Jinwoo waved the tumbler back at him . ¡° . . . What an amusing man . ¡± After Hyun Gicheol left, Jinwoo stared at the tumbler . He had heard of insurance salesmen who tried to earn brownie points with a potential customer with store-bought yogurt, but that man was probably the first in history to bring handmade vegetable juice to a potential customer . ¡®Well, I shouldn¡¯t throw it away . ¡¯ It probably wasn¡¯t poisoned . Not that it would work against him . He thought to at least give the taste a try . gulp Jinwoo drank the juice and was surprised . ¡®It¡¯s delicious . ¡¯ A familiar voice came from behind him, ¡°Hyungnim!¡± Turning around, he saw Yoo Jinho approaching him . Brightly smiling as always, the young man gestured towards the direction Hyun Gicheol had walked away to . ¡°Hyungnim, who was that just now? I saw him standing around for a while . ¡± Jinwoo¡¯s reply was short . ¡°An insurance salesman . ¡± ¡°Ah . ¡± As expected, Yoo Jinho accepted the explanation without a doubt . Jinwoo looked around and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s your car?¡± If the young man had seen Hyun Gicheol waiting for him, that meant he must¡¯ve been also waiting around nearby, but Jinwoo did not see his ride . ¡°I parked it way over there, hyungnim . ¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t there been reports of a serial killer in this area? I¡¯m not from around here, so people were looking at me strangely . ¡± Jinwoo nodded, understanding . It was an incident making its round in the news . The victims were mostly young women . They said there were already two murders just this month . Of course, if people saw a strange Bongo parked at the entrance of the apartment¡­ It made sense the neighbors would be suspicious . Jinwoo drank the last drops of the juice and started walking towards where Yoo Jinho had parked the car . ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡± ¡°Yes, hyungnim!¡± The magic beasts this time were lizardmen . As their name implied, the lizardmen were humanoids in the shape of lizards . Walking on two feet, they used both weapons and occasionally magic . The lizardmen magicians were few in number, but they were an annoying enemy . Two fireballs appeared in the lizardmen magician¡¯s hands . ¡®Magic?¡¯ As Jinwoo tried to approach the caster, the two lizardmen that were standing guard at its side raised their spears . Their reptilian reflexes were fast . Jinwo leaped backwards to dodge their spears, but the fireballs launched themselves at him, one after the other . woooosh- ¡°Hyungnim, watch out!¡± Yoo Jinwoo screamed from a distance . Bang! The cave shook with the explosion . Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°parent/guardian meeting¡± (??? ??): ¡°student¡¯s parent¡± ??? + ¡°discussion/counselling¡± ?? . As highschool students near their graduation and prepare for college in Korea, parent/guardians are often called to the school to sit down and discuss the student¡¯s future prospects with their homeroom teacher . [2]: ¡°Class Advancement¡± (??): lit . ¡°to change jobs¡± . I¡¯ve translated ¡°job¡± as ¡°class¡± in his status screen . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 43. . From 27 to 39, he had gained 12 levels . Other than the time he had entered his first Instant Dungeon at level 1 and left at level 17, he had not gained levels this fast before . Even moreso, he was a much lower level back then and was expected to level-up faster . This was not the case for him right now . As such, all this could be attributed to the number of Raids he had completed with Yoo Jinho . . . ¡®It¡¯s been four days since we started Raiding together . We¡¯ve gone through nine Dungeons in those four days¡­¡¯. . And those 9 Dungeons were C-rank Dungeons, the highest difficulty possible for a solo clear . It was indeed a crazy speed . However, to the other Hunters who needed C-rank Gates, it was as if a disaster had fallen upon them . Even Yoo Jinho, who had watched Jinwoo¡¯s increasing clear times, was impressed . . . Of course, all of this made sense to Jinwoo . After all, with each level-up, clearing the same difficulty became easier . 12 levels from 9 Dungeons, it was practically one level-up per Dungeon . And there were 10 Raids remaining . If he completed the 19 Raids he had promised to Yoo Jinho, he could probably go up another 4~5 levels . . . He recalled defeating a B-rank Hunter when his level was in the 20s . He was no longer sure how powerful had become . . . ¡®My heart is beating . ¡¯. . Jinwoo placed a hand over his heart . He felt its vigorous beating . . . ba dum ba dum ba dum. . It was an exciting feeling to experience the growth of his strength day by day . All of this was something he couldn¡¯t even dream of in the past . To think that he would actually enjoy entering a Gate and raiding a Dungeon . . . ¡®It¡¯s because I can confirm my strength each time . ¡¯. . As he leveled up . As his attributes increased . Hunting the magic beasts gave him assurance of his changed strength . . . ¡®Hunting¡­¡¯. . He truly had felt that he had become a Hunter . The idea of hunting was no longer awkward to him . Now, he had a new goal:. . ¡® . The Demon Castle . ¡¯. . He was level 21 when he had first entered it . Since then, he had gained nearly 20 levels . Jinwoo wondered if this would be enough, but then thought back on the Cerberus and became unsure . . . ¡®If I entered through the castle gates and was met with something that I could not run from¡­¡¯. . He shuddered . It would be good if he could escape using the ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill, but even that was not a guaranteed possibility . You could be successful 10 times in a row, but a single mistake could cost you your life; that was the Hunter¡¯s life . So he needed a complete assurance . The assurance that he could fight something like the Cerberus and win . . . ¡®Cerberus¡¯ name was in red . ¡¯. . The monster¡¯s difficulty was classified by the color of its name . Outside of the Demon Castle, Jinwoo had yet to see another monster with a red name . The other Instant Dungeons he had entered so far all had low-level monsters, including the Mirae Mall today . . . But something was off . . . ¡®What is it?¡¯. . When he thought about the idea that he had only seen a monster with a red name in the Demon Castle, something felt off . As if he was forgetting something¡­. . ¡®Have I seen a red name monster outside of the Demon Castle?¡¯. . That was impossible . Even at level 21, he had almost died while fighting the Cerberus . If he had met a red name monster before that, he would¡¯ve surely died-. . ¡°Ah!¡±. . Jinwoo gasped in disbelief . . . Yes, indeed there was a time . . . A time where he ran from a red named monster until he was about to die . . . ¡®The penalty quest!¡¯. The centipedes he had encountered in that desert had red names . . . ¡®Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipede¡¯. . Because of the time that had passed, doubled up with the fact that he had no idea what was happening at the time, the memory of those monsters had faded in Jinwoo¡¯s head . . . ¡®If I can take those centipedes down easily!¡¯. . Then he would earn the assurance that he could raid the Demon Castle . Since there was more than one centipede, he could even test himself against multiple enemies . . . The problem was how he would go back there¡­. . ¡®Is skipping out on the daily quest the only way?¡¯. . There was not that much loss involved . He would still earn the same amount of stat points, even if it was the penalty quest . . . ¡®Let¡¯s try for the Penalty Zone tomorrow . ¡¯. . To think that he would skip the daily quest so he could get the penalty quest¡­ Jinwoo thought back on the time he ran for his life and chuckled . . . ¡°I wonder if they¡¯ll give experience and items . ¡±. . Jinwoo couldn¡¯t help but smile . . . At that time, Jinwoo felt a presence of someone getting out of the elevator at the end of the hallway outside . It was the light footsteps of a girl . Her walk was familiar to him . . . ¡®It¡¯s Jinah . ¡¯. . It was 11 o¡¯clock at night, about time for his sister to come home . Jinwoo got up and opened the door before she could even get the keys out of her pocket . . . ¡°Oooh~¡±. . Jinah jokingly praised her brother . The first time he did this, she nearly jumped out of her skin, but she had gotten accustomed to this method of greeting . They say human beings can get used to anything . . . ¡°I¡¯m home~¡±. . ¡°Welcome~¡±. . Jinah happily greeted her brother then walked to her room . She was about to close the door, then stopped,. . ¡°Oppa . ¡±. . She stuck her head out of her room . . . ¡°Do you have any free time this week?¡±. . ¡°This week? Why?¡±. . ¡°The teacher asked me to ask you for a parent/guardian meeting[1] . Can¡¯t be helped if you¡¯re not free, though . ¡±. . As if her teacher had sent her on an important mission, Jinah looked nervous . . . ¡®Parent/guardian meeting¡­¡¯. . As a senior in high school, Jinah must¡¯ve been busy with school . He wanted to make an excuse that he did not have the time, but thanks to someone, he did have a day he was completely free . . . ¡®Sigh¡­ Yoo Jinho, you¡¯re no help at all . ¡¯. . Jinwoo replied after giving it some thought,. . ¡°Thursday . ¡±. . ¡°Really? Thanks, oppa!¡±. . Jinah¡¯s expression brightened . Feeling like she was about to run over and give him a hug, Jinwoo held up a hand . . . ¡°Che . ¡±. . Jinah scrunched her face at him and closed the door . Jinwoo sighed at his situation . . . ¡°Hah¡­¡±. . On top of the nonstop Raids, he wanted to visit the Penalty Zone and now, he had to go to a parent/guardian meeting on Thursday . . . It was going to be a busy week . . . -8 . Class Advancement Quest- [2]. . Jinwoo left his house early in the morning . Today¡¯s schedule was packed with work . Yoo Jinho had told him that they had reserved 4 Gates . As they would be taking a break tomorrow, the young man wanted to take care of 2 day¡¯s worth of Raids in one day . . . ¡®Well, when I think about the recent clear speeds¡­¡¯. . He could certainly pull off 4~5 Raids in a day . The only limiting factor was the number of C-rank Gates appearing in a same area . So today was a rather lucky day . He happily walked towards outside of the apartment, but he did not see Yoo Jinho¡¯s Bongo that would always be waiting for him . On top of that, he felt an unfamiliar presence nearby . . . ¡°Tsk . ¡±. . If it wasn¡¯t for what happened yesterday, he would¡¯ve given it no thought . But not after that meeting . . . ¡®I even warned them . ¡¯. . Jinwoo discovered his watcher hiding around the corner . The man in a business suit was checking the time on his watch and did not notice Jinwoo approaching him . Jinwo spoke up right in front of the man,. . ¡°Excuse me . ¡±. . The man jumped in surprise,. . ¡°H-Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim!¡±. . He looked like he had seen a ghost . . . ¡®Well, that¡¯s why I hid my presence . ¡¯. . Jinwoo clicked his tongue on the inside . . . ¡°You¡¯re from Baekho Guild, right?¡±. . ¡°Hmm? Ah, yes . I¡¯m Hyun Gicheol of Baekho Guild¡¯s Second Management Division . ¡±. . This appeared to be the subordinate that Ahn Sangmin was talking about yesterday . . . ¡°Please to meet you, Hunter-nim . ¡±. . Hyun Gicheol cautiously held out a hand . He was asking for a handshake, but Jinwoo was not in the mood . Seeing Jinwoo just stare without reciprocating, Hyun Gicheol turned red and retracted his hand . . . ¡°Didn¡¯t I make it clear that I won¡¯t be entering a Guild for the time being?¡±. . Hyun Gicheol frantically held out a hand . . . ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not why I¡¯m here . ¡±. . Then, the man held out a tumbler he was holding in the other hand . . . ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±. . In the frosted sides of the tumbler, Jinwoo saw a strange colorful liquid . Hyun Gicheol held his head up with pride and replied,. . ¡°It¡¯s vegetable juice . I personally made it, and I can guarantee it¡¯s quality . ¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . Hyun Gicheol did not lower his hand this time . Jinwoo relented and took the tumbler from him . . . ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me you¡¯ve been waiting since dawn, just to give me this?¡±. . ¡°Yes! Hunter-nim has to think about his health, after all!¡±. . Jinwoo wanted to ask why Baekho Guild would be concerned with his health but stopped himself . Hyun Gicheol bowed his head then smiled brightly as he walked away . . . ¡°Then, I¡¯ll see you again, Hunter-nim!¡±. . The man waved to him as he disappeared in the distance . Jinwoo waved the tumbler back at him . . . ¡° . What an amusing man . ¡±. . After Hyun Gicheol left, Jinwoo stared at the tumbler . He had heard of insurance salesmen who tried to earn brownie points with a potential customer with store-bought yogurt, but that man was probably the first in history to bring handmade vegetable juice to a potential customer . . . ¡®Well, I shouldn¡¯t throw it away . ¡¯. . It probably wasn¡¯t poisoned . Not that it would work against him . . . He thought to at least give the taste a try . . . gulp. . Jinwoo drank the juice and was surprised . . . ¡®It¡¯s delicious . ¡¯. . A familiar voice came from behind him,. . ¡°Hyungnim!¡±. . Turning around, he saw Yoo Jinho approaching him . Brightly smiling as always, the young man gestured towards the direction Hyun Gicheol had walked away to . . . ¡°Hyungnim, who was that just now? I saw him standing around for a while . ¡±. . Jinwoo¡¯s reply was short . . . ¡°An insurance salesman . ¡±. . ¡°Ah . ¡±. . As expected, Yoo Jinho accepted the explanation without a doubt . Jinwoo looked around and asked,. . ¡°Where¡¯s your car?¡±. . If the young man had seen Hyun Gicheol waiting for him, that meant he must¡¯ve been also waiting around nearby, but Jinwoo did not see his ride . . . ¡°I parked it way over there, hyungnim . ¡±. . ¡°Why?¡±. . ¡°Haven¡¯t there been reports of a serial killer in this area? I¡¯m not from around here, so people were looking at me strangely . ¡±. . Jinwoo nodded, understanding . It was an incident making its round in the news . The victims were mostly young women . They said there were already two murders just this month . Of course, if people saw a strange Bongo parked at the entrance of the apartment¡­ It made sense the neighbors would be suspicious . . . Jinwoo drank the last drops of the juice and started walking towards where Yoo Jinho had parked the car . . . ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡±. . ¡°Yes, hyungnim!¡±. . . . The magic beasts this time were lizardmen . As their name implied, the lizardmen were humanoids in the shape of lizards . Walking on two feet, they used both weapons and occasionally magic . The lizardmen magicians were few in number, but they were an annoying enemy . . . Two fireballs appeared in the lizardmen magician¡¯s hands . . . ¡®Magic?¡¯. . As Jinwoo tried to approach the caster, the two lizardmen that were standing guard at its side raised their spears . Their reptilian reflexes were fast . Jinwo leaped backwards to dodge their spears, but the fireballs launched themselves at him, one after the other . . . woooosh-. . ¡°Hyungnim, watch out!¡±. . Yoo Jinwoo screamed from a distance . . . Bang!. . The cave shook with the explosion . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°parent/guardian meeting¡± (??? ??): ¡°student¡¯s parent¡± ??? + ¡°discussion/counselling¡± ?? . As highschool students near their graduation and prepare for college in Korea, parent/guardians are often called to the school to sit down and discuss the student¡¯s future prospects with their homeroom teacher . . [2]: ¡°Class Advancement¡± (??): lit . ¡°to change jobs¡± . I¡¯ve translated ¡°job¡± as ¡°class¡± in his status screen . . Chapter 44 An eye watering smoke filled the room . ¡°cough, cough . ¡± Yoo Jinho covered his face with a hand and coughed, but he was more worried about Jinwoo than himself . The lizardmen magician¡¯s attack was dangerous, and his hyung appeared to have caught the brunt of it . Fortunately, Jinwoo appeared from the smoke, looking unharmed . Yoo Jinho was amazed, ¡®Sasuga hyungnim!¡¯ They say the lizardmen were one of the toughest magic beasts to face in a C-rank Dungeon, but Jinwoo had skillfully dodged a lizardmen magician¡¯s attack without having a hair on him harmed . Somehow, it felt like the man was becoming faster everyday . ¡® . . . It can¡¯t be, right?¡¯ Jinwoo spat out small bits of rocks from his mouth . ¡°spit . ¡± The spit on the ground was black . ¡®These bastards¡­¡¯ A mere lizardmen using paltry tricks forced him to breathe in some smoke . Jinwoo was annoyed by this, and it showed on his face . Bloodlust has been activated . His wide open eyes radiated a powerful, murderous rage . Fear has been inflicted . The targets will lose 50% of all attributes for 1 minute . The lizardmen hit with the bloodlust panicked . ¡°Ssuwack?¡± [1] ¡°Ssurukka?¡± Jinwoo took advantage of the chaos and threw Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang . The dagger flew in a straight line, right into the forehead of one of the lizard spearmen . stab! In their debuffed state, Jinwoo¡¯s dagger was too fast to avoid . ¡°Ssukwa!¡± Watching his comrade fall, the other lizard spearman roared with anger and thrust his spear . But his weapon struck nothing but air . Jinwoo had already disappeared into thin air . ¡°Ssurukahnakka!¡± The lizardmen magician shouted with panic . ¡°Ssurukahnakka!!!¡± As the magician repeated his words to the spearman, the warrior lizard turned to the magician and let out a beastly roar . ¡°Ssuukwa!¡± The spearmen bared his teeth and approached the magician . The magician did not lose in fighting spirit . ¡°Sswarik!¡± Suddenly . ¡°Kak!¡± A hole appeared in the spearman¡¯s chest . The blood spilled all over the magician, who took a step back in surprise . ¡°Ssuwak?¡± shoooo- As ¡®Stealth¡¯ was released, the spear that had pierced the lizard spearman¡¯s chest showed its form . The hands wielding it belonged to Jinwoo . He let go of the weapon, and both it and the corpse stuck to it dropped to the ground . thud While the body fell, Jinwoo resummoned Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang from the other corpse¡¯s forehead back into his hand . ¡°Ssuwaaaaaarik!¡± The lizardmen magician¡¯s hands collected fire again . Jinwoo had no intentions of letting the thing annoy him again . ¡®Sprint!¡¯ The distance between him and the lizard shrank in an instant . The lizard magician¡¯s eyes widened . Its reptilian eyes were rather unpleasant . flaaare- Jinwoo easily dodged its flames and appeared behind the magician¡¯s back . Before the lizardman realized what happened, Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang was sticking out of its spine . ¡®Vital Stab!¡¯ Stab! The magician screamed . ¡°Kiaaaaaak!¡± The second time it was stabbed, the scream was a lot shorter . Stab! ¡°Kak!¡± The lizardmen magician threw up blood and fell . thud In his head, Jinwoo pumped his fists . It was a clean fight . ¡®Alrighty!¡¯ As if congratulating him, the System¡¯s electronic tone rang . ring~ You¡¯ve leveled up! The ¡®Player¡¯ has reached a milestone level . [2] A familiar message and an unfamiliar one . ¡®A ¡°milestone level¡±?¡¯ At this point, Jinwoo had no idea what this meant . But reading the messages that followed, Jinwoo¡¯s heartbeat raced to the point it was almost hurting . He had to spend some mental effort to try and calm himself . ring~ The Class Advancement Quest as arrived . [3] Would you like to accept? (Y/N) ¡®Class¡­ Class Advancement Quest?¡¯ Up until now, he had focused on his levels and stats and did not give much thought to a certain part of his status screen . Name: Sung Jinwoo Level: 40 Class: None The third line of his status screen, ¡°Class¡± . ¡®If there is such a thing as Class Advancement Quest¡­¡¯ Instead of ¡°none¡±, it would finally be the opportunity to place a different word there . He would obtain a class . In most video games, the player character had a lot of choices in choosing their class . The System that operated like a video game should be the same . BA DUM BA DUM His heartbeat was roaring . In the face of another opportunity to become stronger, he could not calm himself . Would you like to accept? (Y/N) The ¡°(Y/N)¡± kept blinking in front of his eyes . ¡®Of course it¡¯s yes¡­¡¯ What kind of an idiot would throw this chance away? Jinwoo prepared to accept the quest, but stopped instinctively . ¡®Wait . ¡¯ There was no knowing what kind of a quest he would receive . The instinctive hesitation was followed by a feeling of caution . ¡®We¡¯re inside a Dungeon right now . ¡¯ They were in the most dangerous place in the world right now . Even if he had gotten used to the C-rank Dungeons, a Dungeon was a Dungeon . There was no need to ignorantly invite danger here . On top of that, Yoo Jinho was also here . It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t trust the young man . But there was no need to clue him in on the System or show him a strange phenomenon that may appear when he accepted the quest . Things might get complicated if he did . ¡®Also, the quest might result in Jinho becoming hurt . ¡¯ What if the quest suddenly spawned monsters? ¡®Well, just that would be fine . ¡¯ He just had to take them down as fast as possible . But from his experience, a mere monster hunting was not the limit of the quests . For example, the 2 emergency quests he had to complete . ¡®This quest might tell me to kill the nearest Hunter next to me . ¡¯ It was a faint possibility, probably not a realistic one, but Jinwoo was not about to risk it . While he was lost in thought, Yoo Jinho ran up to him . ¡°Hyungnim!¡± It looked like the lizardmen magician¡¯s last attack landed near the young man, his face was covered with soot and dust . ¡°I just saw you disappear and reappear! You had a skill like that?¡± Despite of his dirtied face, Yoo Jinho¡¯s eyes were sparkling with awe . It seemed that the young man was fascinated by seeing the rare skill . ¡®I¡¯m more fascinated by your face right now . ¡¯ Instead of replying, Jinwoo took out a handkerchief from his inventory; it was one of the random items received from a daily quest . ¡°H-hyungnim?¡± Jinwoo roughly wiped Yoo Jinho¡¯s face with the handkerchief . ¡°Oof, mmph!¡± The clean, white handkerchief quickly turned black . Jinwoo handed the item to Yoo Jinho . The young man looked at the dirty cloth and realized what his face was like . He walked away and quietly cleaned his face . ¡°Jinho . ¡± ¡°Yes, hyungnim . ¡± ¡°Something came up . ¡± Yoo Jinho turned his face towards him with surprising alacrity . ¡°Do you have to go?¡± ¡°After finishing up here . ¡± ¡°I understand . I¡¯ll cancel the reservation on the remaining Gates . ¡± Yoo Jinho did not want to show Jinwoo his disappointment, but he deeply regretted the fact that they would have to give-up on the remaining 3 Gates . ¡®I¡¯m starting to run out of funds¡­¡¯ To the young man who did not particularly have a source of income, the ¡°funds¡± for his plan came from the allowance that he had saved up until now . Because he was acting without his father¡¯s knowledge, he could not easily access the family¡¯s money in his plan . If he cancelled the reservations, he would not be able to get the fees back . It would be money down the drain . Because of the unusual method in their Raiding, he had to spend a lot more than he had budgeted for . To think that he would be wasting the reservation fees for today¡­ Yoo Jinho¡¯s shoulders sunk . But Jinwoo replied with a calm expression, ¡°Why would you cancel it? It¡¯s so wasteful . ¡± Yoo Jinho tilted his head in confusion . ¡°Hmm? If we reserve a Gate and not enter it in two days, the raiding rights are automatically forfeited, hyungnim . ¡± Of course Jinwoo knew this basic fact of hunting . ¡°Leave it to me . ¡± Did he have a plan? Yoo Jinho was curious . At the same time, he felt strangely proud of his reliable hyung . Baekho Guild Headquarters . ¡°Chief Ahn! Is your head on straight?!¡± A loud berating was heard from the Second Management Division office . The owner of the voice was Baek Yoonho . He was Baekho¡¯s Guildmaster, and the one who acted as the organization¡¯s president . As often is the case, when someone who was basically the head of a company came down to a lower floor, it was not a good thing . ¡°What do you mean we still don¡¯t have a Gate for new recruit training? We¡¯ve already pushed the training back four days!¡± The employees of the Second Management Division could not raise their eyes . They all looked away, hoping to avoid the Guildmaster¡¯s wrath . In front of Baek Yoonho, Ahn Sangmin was receiving the verbal abuse with his head lowered . ¡° . . . ¡± Unlike his subordinate Hyun Gicheol, Ahn Sangmin did not have the ability to skillfully steer the conversation to calm the wrath of the other person . In times like these, his best response was just to endure it with a closed mouth . Ignoring the man¡¯s feelings, Baek Yoonho angrily waved the division¡¯s report that had found its way to his desk this morning . ¡°What kind of an excuse is this?! Some other team was bidding too high, so we couldn¡¯t reserve any? Is our Guild lacking funds? Is the other team some chaebol¡¯s son?!¡± Ahn Sangmin really, really, really wanted to speak up at that last sentence . But the man held his silence with an iron will . He remembered the promise with Jinwoo . ¡®If I open my mouth now, the topic will naturally change to Yoo Jinho and Sung Jinwoo . ¡¯ Not knowing just how much Ahn Sangmin¡¯s insides were in turmoil, Baek Yoonho continued his shouting . The S-ranker¡¯s roaring voice was enough to almost chase away the entire room . ¡°I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s one hundred or two hundred million, reserve a damn Gate! Do you understand?!¡± It was in that moment . Ahn Sangmin¡¯s phone rang . [Sorry I couldn¡¯t pick up earlier~ I was meeting my friends~ shy shy shy~] [4] He glanced at the caller and opened his eyes wide in surprise . ¡°Guildmaster, I have to pick this up . ¡± ¡° . . . ¡± Timing was the key to the main purpose of the Second Management Division: new recruit scouting . Ahn Sangmin was the boss of that division . No matter what kind of a mistake the man had made, it would be the height of foolishness to not let him do his job . ¡°Well? Pick it up . ¡± Baek Yoonho gave a blunt permission . Ahn Sangmin apologetically bowed his head to the Guildmaster then answered the phone . ¡°Hello, this is Baekho Guild¡¯s Ahn Sangmin . ¡± Baek Yoonho watched the man with his arms crossed . ¡°Yes, yes . I understand . I¡¯ll come right over, please wait right there . ¡± After hanging up, Ahn Sangmin immediately spoke up . ¡°Guildmaster, I have to leave on an urgent business . ¡± The ace of the Second Management Division . If that Ahn Sangmin spoke of an ¡°urgent business¡±, even in this situation where he was being berated¡­ Baek Yoonho¡¯s face relaxed ever so slightly . ¡°Is it related to new recruit scouting?¡± ¡°Yes, sir . ¡± Looking at the man¡¯s confident and determined face, Baek Yoonho realized something . ¡®And the division chief himself is going?¡¯ It meant that the target was not an ordinary Hunter . Baek Yoonho¡¯s face that was filled with rage suddenly showed a smile . ¡°How could I stop the recruitment specialist from doing his job? Don¡¯t worry about here and go . Do your thing . ¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: Random noises made by the lizardmen [2]: ¡°milestone level¡± (?? ??): ¡°demanded/asked¡± ?? + ¡°level¡± in english . Contextually changed it up to a ¡°milestone¡± instead . [3]: ¡°Class Advancement¡± (??): I¡¯ve mentioned this before, but the literal meaning is ¡°to change jobs¡± . I¡¯ve taken a translator¡¯s liberty and changed ¡°job¡± into ¡°class¡± . No real impact on the story . [4]: I took the translation directly from a kpop lyric translation website . For those of you into k-pop, yes, Ahn Sangmin is a Once . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 44. . An eye watering smoke filled the room . . . ¡°cough, cough . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho covered his face with a hand and coughed, but he was more worried about Jinwoo than himself . The lizardmen magician¡¯s attack was dangerous, and his hyung appeared to have caught the brunt of it . Fortunately, Jinwoo appeared from the smoke, looking unharmed . Yoo Jinho was amazed,. . ¡®Sasuga hyungnim!¡¯. . They say the lizardmen were one of the toughest magic beasts to face in a C-rank Dungeon, but Jinwoo had skillfully dodged a lizardmen magician¡¯s attack without having a hair on him harmed . Somehow, it felt like the man was becoming faster everyday . . . ¡® . It can¡¯t be, right?¡¯. . Jinwoo spat out small bits of rocks from his mouth . . . ¡°spit . ¡±. . The spit on the ground was black . . . ¡®These bastards¡­¡¯. . A mere lizardmen using paltry tricks forced him to breathe in some smoke . Jinwoo was annoyed by this, and it showed on his face . . . Bloodlust has been activated . . . His wide open eyes radiated a powerful, murderous rage . . . Fear has been inflicted . . The targets will lose 50% of all attributes for 1 minute . . . The lizardmen hit with the bloodlust panicked . . . ¡°Ssuwack?¡± [1]. . ¡°Ssurukka?¡±. . Jinwoo took advantage of the chaos and threw Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang . The dagger flew in a straight line, right into the forehead of one of the lizard spearmen . . . stab!. . In their debuffed state, Jinwoo¡¯s dagger was too fast to avoid . . . ¡°Ssukwa!¡±. . Watching his comrade fall, the other lizard spearman roared with anger and thrust his spear . But his weapon struck nothing but air . Jinwoo had already disappeared into thin air . . . ¡°Ssurukahnakka!¡±. . The lizardmen magician shouted with panic . . . ¡°Ssurukahnakka!!!¡±. . As the magician repeated his words to the spearman, the warrior lizard turned to the magician and let out a beastly roar . . . ¡°Ssuukwa!¡±. . The spearmen bared his teeth and approached the magician . The magician did not lose in fighting spirit . . . ¡°Sswarik!¡±. . Suddenly . . . ¡°Kak!¡±. . A hole appeared in the spearman¡¯s chest . The blood spilled all over the magician, who took a step back in surprise . . . ¡°Ssuwak?¡±. . shoooo-. . As ¡®Stealth¡¯ was released, the spear that had pierced the lizard spearman¡¯s chest showed its form . The hands wielding it belonged to Jinwoo . He let go of the weapon, and both it and the corpse stuck to it dropped to the ground . . . thud. . While the body fell, Jinwoo resummoned Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang from the other corpse¡¯s forehead back into his hand . . . ¡°Ssuwaaaaaarik!¡±. . The lizardmen magician¡¯s hands collected fire again . Jinwoo had no intentions of letting the thing annoy him again . . . ¡®Sprint!¡¯. . The distance between him and the lizard shrank in an instant . The lizard magician¡¯s eyes widened . Its reptilian eyes were rather unpleasant . . . flaaare-. . Jinwoo easily dodged its flames and appeared behind the magician¡¯s back . Before the lizardman realized what happened, Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang was sticking out of its spine . . . ¡®Vital Stab!¡¯. . Stab!. . The magician screamed . . . ¡°Kiaaaaaak!¡±. . The second time it was stabbed, the scream was a lot shorter . . . Stab!. . ¡°Kak!¡±. . The lizardmen magician threw up blood and fell . . . thud. . In his head, Jinwoo pumped his fists . It was a clean fight . . . ¡®Alrighty!¡¯. . As if congratulating him, the System¡¯s electronic tone rang . . . ring~. . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . The ¡®Player¡¯ has reached a milestone level . [2]. . A familiar message and an unfamiliar one . . . ¡®A ¡°milestone level¡±?¡¯. . At this point, Jinwoo had no idea what this meant . But reading the messages that followed, Jinwoo¡¯s heartbeat raced to the point it was almost hurting . He had to spend some mental effort to try and calm himself . . . ring~. . The Class Advancement Quest as arrived . [3]. Would you like to accept? (Y/N). . ¡®Class¡­ Class Advancement Quest?¡¯. . Up until now, he had focused on his levels and stats and did not give much thought to a certain part of his status screen . . . Name: Sung Jinwoo. Level: 40. Class: None. . The third line of his status screen, ¡°Class¡± . . . ¡®If there is such a thing as Class Advancement Quest¡­¡¯. . Instead of ¡°none¡±, it would finally be the opportunity to place a different word there . . . He would obtain a class . . . In most video games, the player character had a lot of choices in choosing their class . The System that operated like a video game should be the same . . . BA DUM BA DUM. . His heartbeat was roaring . In the face of another opportunity to become stronger, he could not calm himself . . . Would you like to accept? (Y/N). . The ¡°(Y/N)¡± kept blinking in front of his eyes . . . ¡®Of course it¡¯s yes¡­¡¯. . What kind of an idiot would throw this chance away? Jinwoo prepared to accept the quest, but stopped instinctively . . . ¡®Wait . ¡¯. . There was no knowing what kind of a quest he would receive . The instinctive hesitation was followed by a feeling of caution . . . ¡®We¡¯re inside a Dungeon right now . ¡¯. . They were in the most dangerous place in the world right now . Even if he had gotten used to the C-rank Dungeons, a Dungeon was a Dungeon . There was no need to ignorantly invite danger here . . . On top of that, Yoo Jinho was also here . It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t trust the young man . But there was no need to clue him in on the System or show him a strange phenomenon that may appear when he accepted the quest . Things might get complicated if he did . . . ¡®Also, the quest might result in Jinho becoming hurt . ¡¯. . What if the quest suddenly spawned monsters?. . ¡®Well, just that would be fine . ¡¯. . He just had to take them down as fast as possible . But from his experience, a mere monster hunting was not the limit of the quests . For example, the 2 emergency quests he had to complete . . . ¡®This quest might tell me to kill the nearest Hunter next to me . ¡¯. . It was a faint possibility, probably not a realistic one, but Jinwoo was not about to risk it . While he was lost in thought, Yoo Jinho ran up to him . . . ¡°Hyungnim!¡±. . It looked like the lizardmen magician¡¯s last attack landed near the young man, his face was covered with soot and dust . . . ¡°I just saw you disappear and reappear! You had a skill like that?¡±. . Despite of his dirtied face, Yoo Jinho¡¯s eyes were sparkling with awe . It seemed that the young man was fascinated by seeing the rare skill . . . ¡®I¡¯m more fascinated by your face right now . ¡¯. . Instead of replying, Jinwoo took out a handkerchief from his inventory; it was one of the random items received from a daily quest . . . ¡°H-hyungnim?¡±. . Jinwoo roughly wiped Yoo Jinho¡¯s face with the handkerchief . . . ¡°Oof, mmph!¡±. . The clean, white handkerchief quickly turned black . Jinwoo handed the item to Yoo Jinho . The young man looked at the dirty cloth and realized what his face was like . He walked away and quietly cleaned his face . . . ¡°Jinho . ¡±. . ¡°Yes, hyungnim . ¡±. . ¡°Something came up . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho turned his face towards him with surprising alacrity . . . ¡°Do you have to go?¡±. . ¡°After finishing up here . ¡±. . ¡°I understand . I¡¯ll cancel the reservation on the remaining Gates . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho did not want to show Jinwoo his disappointment, but he deeply regretted the fact that they would have to give-up on the remaining 3 Gates . . . ¡®I¡¯m starting to run out of funds¡­¡¯. . To the young man who did not particularly have a source of income, the ¡°funds¡± for his plan came from the allowance that he had saved up until now . Because he was acting without his father¡¯s knowledge, he could not easily access the family¡¯s money in his plan . If he cancelled the reservations, he would not be able to get the fees back . It would be money down the drain . Because of the unusual method in their Raiding, he had to spend a lot more than he had budgeted for . To think that he would be wasting the reservation fees for today¡­ Yoo Jinho¡¯s shoulders sunk . . . But Jinwoo replied with a calm expression,. . ¡°Why would you cancel it? It¡¯s so wasteful . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho tilted his head in confusion . . . ¡°Hmm? If we reserve a Gate and not enter it in two days, the raiding rights are automatically forfeited, hyungnim . ¡±. . Of course Jinwoo knew this basic fact of hunting . . . ¡°Leave it to me . ¡±. . Did he have a plan?. . Yoo Jinho was curious . At the same time, he felt strangely proud of his reliable hyung . . . . . . Baekho Guild Headquarters . . . ¡°Chief Ahn! Is your head on straight?!¡±. . A loud berating was heard from the Second Management Division office . The owner of the voice was Baek Yoonho . He was Baekho¡¯s Guildmaster, and the one who acted as the organization¡¯s president . As often is the case, when someone who was basically the head of a company came down to a lower floor, it was not a good thing . . . ¡°What do you mean we still don¡¯t have a Gate for new recruit training? We¡¯ve already pushed the training back four days!¡±. . The employees of the Second Management Division could not raise their eyes . They all looked away, hoping to avoid the Guildmaster¡¯s wrath . In front of Baek Yoonho, Ahn Sangmin was receiving the verbal abuse with his head lowered . . . ¡° . ¡±. . Unlike his subordinate Hyun Gicheol, Ahn Sangmin did not have the ability to skillfully steer the conversation to calm the wrath of the other person . In times like these, his best response was just to endure it with a closed mouth . Ignoring the man¡¯s feelings, Baek Yoonho angrily waved the division¡¯s report that had found its way to his desk this morning . . . ¡°What kind of an excuse is this?! Some other team was bidding too high, so we couldn¡¯t reserve any? Is our Guild lacking funds? Is the other team some chaebol¡¯s son?!¡±. . Ahn Sangmin really, really, really wanted to speak up at that last sentence . But the man held his silence with an iron will . He remembered the promise with Jinwoo . . . ¡®If I open my mouth now, the topic will naturally change to Yoo Jinho and Sung Jinwoo . ¡¯. . Not knowing just how much Ahn Sangmin¡¯s insides were in turmoil, Baek Yoonho continued his shouting . The S-ranker¡¯s roaring voice was enough to almost chase away the entire room . . . ¡°I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s one hundred or two hundred million, reserve a damn Gate! Do you understand?!¡±. . It was in that moment . . . Ahn Sangmin¡¯s phone rang . . . [Sorry I couldn¡¯t pick up earlier~ I was meeting my friends~ shy shy shy~] [4]. . He glanced at the caller and opened his eyes wide in surprise . . . ¡°Guildmaster, I have to pick this up . ¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . Timing was the key to the main purpose of the Second Management Division: new recruit scouting . Ahn Sangmin was the boss of that division . No matter what kind of a mistake the man had made, it would be the height of foolishness to not let him do his job . . . ¡°Well? Pick it up . ¡±. . Baek Yoonho gave a blunt permission . . . Ahn Sangmin apologetically bowed his head to the Guildmaster then answered the phone . . . ¡°Hello, this is Baekho Guild¡¯s Ahn Sangmin . ¡±. . Baek Yoonho watched the man with his arms crossed . . . ¡°Yes, yes . I understand . I¡¯ll come right over, please wait right there . ¡±. . After hanging up, Ahn Sangmin immediately spoke up . . . ¡°Guildmaster, I have to leave on an urgent business . ¡±. . The ace of the Second Management Division . If that Ahn Sangmin spoke of an ¡°urgent business¡±, even in this situation where he was being berated¡­ Baek Yoonho¡¯s face relaxed ever so slightly . . . ¡°Is it related to new recruit scouting?¡±. . ¡°Yes, sir . ¡±. . Looking at the man¡¯s confident and determined face, Baek Yoonho realized something . . . ¡®And the division chief himself is going?¡¯. . It meant that the target was not an ordinary Hunter . Baek Yoonho¡¯s face that was filled with rage suddenly showed a smile . . . ¡°How could I stop the recruitment specialist from doing his job? Don¡¯t worry about here and go . Do your thing . ¡±. Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: Random noises made by the lizardmen. [2]: ¡°milestone level¡± (?? ??): ¡°demanded/asked¡± ?? + ¡°level¡± in english . Contextually changed it up to a ¡°milestone¡± instead . . [3]: ¡°Class Advancement¡± (??): I¡¯ve mentioned this before, but the literal meaning is ¡°to change jobs¡± . I¡¯ve taken a translator¡¯s liberty and changed ¡°job¡± into ¡°class¡± . No real impact on the story . . [4]: I took the translation directly from a kpop lyric translation website . For those of you into k-pop, yes, Ahn Sangmin is a Once . . Chapter 45 Ahn Sangmin bowed his head once more, then quickly call over to Hyun Gicheol . ¡°Deputy Hyun, grab the contract and the seals[1] . ¡± ¡°Yessir!¡± The man finished his preparations in an instant . As the two men quickly left the office, Baek Yoonho asked an employee standing nearby, ¡°What just happened? Just what kind of a recruit is it, that Chief Ahn moved like that?¡± The man he asked turned to a female coworker for help, but she shook her head . I don¡¯t know either . Her eyes told him . ¡®Sigh¡­¡¯ Flustered, the man scratched the back of his head and spoke with difficulty, ¡°Er¡­ That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± He expected the wrath of the Guildmaster to come down upon him next, but the Guildmaster did not say anything . ¡®He¡¯s even hiding it from his subordinates, is that it?¡¯ Baek Yoonho put a hand on his chin . One of the crucial pieces that built Baekho to what it was today was Chief Ahn Sangmin . And if such a man was this focused on his task¡­ ¡®Did our Chief Ahn come across something big?¡¯ Baek Yoonho¡¯s lips widened to a bright smile . ¡®What kind of coffee is this bitter?¡¯ Jinwoo scrunched his face . Compared to a can of coffee from a vending machine, this ¡°espresso¡± he had ordered tasted more like a medicine . On top of that, it was so expensive . ¡®You know how many canned coffees I could buy with six thousand won¡­?¡¯ As he considered how much sugar he would have to add to get it to the level of a canned coffee, Ahn Sangmin and Hyun Gicheol entered the cafe . ¡°Over here . ¡± Jinwoo waved his hand . Ahn Sangmin and Hyun Gicheol discovered Jinwoo after looking around the shop and smiled . They looked like they were about to win big on some lottery . ¡°We didn¡¯t think we¡¯d see you again so soon . ¡± Ahn Sangmin greeted Jinwoo and sat across from him . His subordinate sat down next to the division chief . Jinwoo greeted them with a light nod of the head . They say to strike while the iron¡¯s hot; Ahn Sangmin immediately began to take out the contract as he sat down . ¡°So first, we¡¯ll go over the contractual conditions-¡± The man¡¯s eagerness was blinding, but Jinwoo firmly cut him off, ¡°I¡¯m not here for a contract today . ¡± The hand that was taking out the contract froze . Hyun Gicheol¡¯s expression equally hardened . As if someone had pressed a pause button on his life, Ahn Sangmin spoke while his hands were still frozen on the half-revealed documents, ¡°Then what business do you have with the Baekho Guild¡­?¡± As his expectations were large, so was his disappointment . The new recruit that had approached them of his own will rejected the contract as soon as he saw it . It couldn¡¯t have been that he changed his mind in that instant . ¡°I¡¯m here to help you both . ¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Both of the Baekho employees reacted in the same way . The pair looked at each other, then back at Jinwoo . Jinwoo continued at the confused pair, ¡°You told me that because our side was taking up all the C-rank Gates, you were having some issues with new recruit training, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right . Even if we don¡¯t have a C-rank Gate, we can¡¯t exactly take new recruits into a higher level Dungeon . ¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why I¡¯m here . ¡± Ahn Sangmin was confused, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t follow¡­¡± Jinwoo decided he had teased them enough and got to the point, ¡°We currently have three C-rank Gates reserved . I¡¯d like to sell the raiding rights to the Baekho Guild . ¡± Ah~ Hyun Gicheol opened his mouth in understanding . The two men from Baekho finally understood why Jinwoo was here . Ahn Sangmin put away the contract and asked, ¡°If you wanted to help us, wouldn¡¯t it have been better to just not reserve them in the first place?¡± Jinwoo shook his head, ¡°We have a need to reserve a lot of C-rank Gates for a while . ¡± ¡°Then why today¡­?¡± Jinwoo smiled widely, ¡°Well, I wanted to help you two out . ¡± Should they believe him? Ahn Sangmin started to run all sorts of possibilities in his head, but Jinwoo continued, ¡°Of course, this offer is only for today . We can¡¯t put it off forever after all . If you miss this offer, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be difficult for you to reserve a C-rank Gate for a while . ¡± It was the way home shopping channel salesmen would speak when a sale was about to expire . ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Ahn Sangmin fell into contemplation . It wasn¡¯t as if Gates only appeared in the capitol area . If they became desperate, they could go to other regions to train their new recruits . However, such a method might invite complaint from that region¡¯s Guilds or private parties . Not only that, doing so would give off a hint of weakness to the other top Guilds . They would basically be announcing that they did not have the power to train their new recruits in their own territory . ¡®Hmm¡­ That would be disgraceful . ¡¯ It was the truth . What kind of a recruit would want to enter a Guild that was belittled by the other top Guilds? This is why a Guild¡¯s image was important . ¡°Alright . ¡± After giving it some thought, Ahn Sangmin made a decision . ¡°We¡¯ll buy the raiding rights . Three C-rank Gates should just be enough for us . How much for all of them?¡± Baekho Guild certainly had the funds to fight for the Gates going forward . But it would neither be worth it to get into a battle of finances against Yoojin Construction nor sour their relationship with Jinwoo . So if Jinwoo was offering to turn over the Gates, shouldn¡¯t they be thankful? They were not thankful for his asking price . ¡°How about three hundred million per Gate, so nine hundred million total?¡± ¡°Huk!¡± Both of the employees made a same noise . ¡°That¡¯s a little-¡± Hyun Gicheol started to protest, but Ahn Sangmin quickly stopped him . This was just like their first meeting . Back then, Jinwoo ended the discussion after Baekho was unable to meet his asking price . They could not miss an opportunity like this . If they did, it would become very difficult to reserve a C-rank Gate in the area . Worst case scenario, they would have to go to the other regions to train their new recruits . ¡®I¡¯ll atleast have to try a counteroffer . ¡¯ It was too early to end the negotiations . Still, 300 million for a single Gate was too much . According to their recent investigation, Yoo Jinho¡¯s team bought the Gates for 100 million each . Jinwoo was asking for 3 times that amount . Ahn Sangmin was sure Jinwoo knew as much . ¡®He probably gave a high number, expecting us to negotiate it down . ¡¯ The division chief remembered his Guildmaster¡¯s words as he left the office . ¡°I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s one hundred or two hundred million, reserve a damn Gate! Do you understand?!¡± This was as good as receiving permission from the company president . Since the rest of the Second Management Division heard the same thing, the Guildmaster would probably not retract his words . Ahn Sangmin gulped and gave a counteroffer, ¡°Three hundred is a bit hard for us, how about two hund-¡± ¡°Works for me . ¡± Before Ahn Sangmin even finished, Jinwoo held out a hand . Ahn Sangmin took the hand, flustered . ¡°So¡­ so we¡¯re in agreement?¡± ¡°Yes, two hundred million per C-rank Gate . Please put it into this account . ¡± It felt like the negotiation was over too quickly, but Ahn Sangmin was still glad . The man shook Jinwoo¡¯s hand and bowed his head . ¡°Thank you very much . ¡± ¡°It was nothing . ¡± Jinwoo was smiling widely . Ahn Sangmin thought that he had scored some small victory here . He had solved the issue of new recruit training and furthered the Guild¡¯s relationship with Jinwoo . ¡®A transaction like this is the first step to building faith . ¡¯ Yes . Step by step, he would build a good relationship with Jinwoo . Eventually, he¡¯ll come over to their side . People did not spit in the face of someone smiling at them, nor did they ignore a present that was given . In his heart, Ahn Sangmin pumped his fists in accomplishment . Jinwoo was the first to rise . ¡°Then, I¡¯ll see you again someday . Ah, I forgot, here-¡± Jinwoo held out a shopping bag with a tumbler in it and returned it to its owner ¡°Thank you for that . It was delicious . ¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad it was to your tastes . ¡± Hyun Gicheol took the shopping bag, and Jinwoo left the cafe . After walking some distance away from the Baekho¡¯s employees, Jinwoo called Yoo Jinho . The young man answered the call with a surprised voice, - ¡°Hyungnim, the funds really came in . Six hundred million?¡± ¡° . . . ¡± Jinwoo silently laughed . The transaction was a success . He managed to sell the raiding rights that would¡¯ve been thrown away for twice what they paid . It was an incredible deal . Yoo Jinho asked with awe in his voice, - ¡°Hyungnim, just how did you pull this off? Where did you sell the C-rank Gates?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a trade secret . ¡± - ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Rest well, I¡¯ll see you in two days . ¡± While Yoo Jinho was flustered, Jinwoo hung up . That night . The Second Management Division office . Hyun Gicheol frantically looked for Ahn Sangmin . ¡°Chief! Chief!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Ahn Sangmin turned away from his computer . Hyun Gicheol held out his phone with a panicked expression . ¡°Look at this!¡± ¡°Just what is it?¡± Looking at the phone screen, Ahn Sangmin¡¯s eyes narrowed . ¡®This is¡­?¡¯ It was the Hunter Association¡¯s website available only for Hunters . The website revealed the information on Gates that had appeared . The phone was specifically in the real-time raiding rights reservation section . ¡°What the?! There are plenty of C-rank Gates in our area!¡± ¡°I know! And most of them were reserved for less than ten million!¡± ¡°Wait¡­ Are you telling me¡­¡± Ahn Sangmin dreaded Hyun Gicheol¡¯s next words, ¡°Yoo Jinho¡¯s team didn¡¯t reserve any Gates today . ¡± He then recalled Jinwoo¡¯s words from the first phone call they had . ¡°I¡¯ll have some free time on Thursday . ¡± Tomorrow was that Thursday . From the start, Yoo Jinho¡¯s team had no plans to Raid tomorrow . Ahn Sangmin had forgotten about this and purchased the raiding rights for an expensive price . ¡°Hah¡­¡± Ahn Sangmin groaned . The facts were all there, but he failed to put them together . It was a grave mistake . Well, that mistake managed to calm the wrath of the Guildmaster . ¡°I think he got us, chief . ¡± As if on cue, Ahn Sangmin received a message . beep beep It was Sung Jinwoo . Looks like we¡¯re even now . I¡¯ll forget about the spying business with this . ¡®Ha ha ha, the man¡¯s not to be underestimated . ¡¯ Ahn Sangmin swallowed a laughter . If Jinwoo really meant to overlook the spying, Ahn Sangmin did not feel bad at all about being tricked . Their final objective was to recruit Jinwoo, after all . The amount that they spent today was nothing for Baekho . ¡°Let¡¯s just consider it an investment into Sung Jinwoo . ¡± If only they could gain something worthy from their investment . Ahn Sangmin looked at the message with a smile then put away his phone . After sending the message, Jinwoo looked around the surrounding . There was no one around . He was in the middle of a forest . To plan for all possibilities, he had chosen a secluded place . The time was 5:44 PM . There would be no one hiking at this hour . Just in case, he had still picked a place far away from any hiking trails . ¡®Shall I get started?¡¯ Jinwoo opened the System¡¯s message box . The Class Advancement Quest has arrived . Would you like to accept? (Y/N) As if waiting for him, the message appeared in front of his eyes . Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: In Korea, businesses/individual use official/personal seals to officialize various documents . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 45. . Ahn Sangmin bowed his head once more, then quickly call over to Hyun Gicheol . . . ¡°Deputy Hyun, grab the contract and the seals[1] . ¡±. . ¡°Yessir!¡±. . The man finished his preparations in an instant . As the two men quickly left the office, Baek Yoonho asked an employee standing nearby,. . ¡°What just happened? Just what kind of a recruit is it, that Chief Ahn moved like that?¡±. . The man he asked turned to a female coworker for help, but she shook her head . . . I don¡¯t know either . Her eyes told him . . . ¡®Sigh¡­¡¯. . Flustered, the man scratched the back of his head and spoke with difficulty,. . ¡°Er¡­ That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m not sure¡­¡±. . He expected the wrath of the Guildmaster to come down upon him next, but the Guildmaster did not say anything . . . ¡®He¡¯s even hiding it from his subordinates, is that it?¡¯. . Baek Yoonho put a hand on his chin . One of the crucial pieces that built Baekho to what it was today was Chief Ahn Sangmin . And if such a man was this focused on his task¡­. . ¡®Did our Chief Ahn come across something big?¡¯. . Baek Yoonho¡¯s lips widened to a bright smile . . . . . ¡®What kind of coffee is this bitter?¡¯. . Jinwoo scrunched his face . Compared to a can of coffee from a vending machine, this ¡°espresso¡± he had ordered tasted more like a medicine . On top of that, it was so expensive . . . ¡®You know how many canned coffees I could buy with six thousand won¡­?¡¯. . As he considered how much sugar he would have to add to get it to the level of a canned coffee, Ahn Sangmin and Hyun Gicheol entered the cafe . . . ¡°Over here . ¡±. . Jinwoo waved his hand . . . Ahn Sangmin and Hyun Gicheol discovered Jinwoo after looking around the shop and smiled . They looked like they were about to win big on some lottery . . . ¡°We didn¡¯t think we¡¯d see you again so soon . ¡±. . Ahn Sangmin greeted Jinwoo and sat across from him . His subordinate sat down next to the division chief . Jinwoo greeted them with a light nod of the head . They say to strike while the iron¡¯s hot; Ahn Sangmin immediately began to take out the contract as he sat down . . . ¡°So first, we¡¯ll go over the contractual conditions-¡±. . The man¡¯s eagerness was blinding, but Jinwoo firmly cut him off,. . ¡°I¡¯m not here for a contract today . ¡±. . The hand that was taking out the contract froze . Hyun Gicheol¡¯s expression equally hardened . . . As if someone had pressed a pause button on his life, Ahn Sangmin spoke while his hands were still frozen on the half-revealed documents,. . ¡°Then what business do you have with the Baekho Guild¡­?¡±. . As his expectations were large, so was his disappointment . The new recruit that had approached them of his own will rejected the contract as soon as he saw it . It couldn¡¯t have been that he changed his mind in that instant . . . ¡°I¡¯m here to help you both . ¡±. . ¡°Huh?¡±. . ¡°Huh?¡±. . Both of the Baekho employees reacted in the same way . The pair looked at each other, then back at Jinwoo . Jinwoo continued at the confused pair,. . ¡°You told me that because our side was taking up all the C-rank Gates, you were having some issues with new recruit training, right?¡±. . ¡°That¡¯s right . Even if we don¡¯t have a C-rank Gate, we can¡¯t exactly take new recruits into a higher level Dungeon . ¡±. . ¡°And that¡¯s why I¡¯m here . ¡±. . Ahn Sangmin was confused,. . ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t follow¡­¡±. . Jinwoo decided he had teased them enough and got to the point,. . ¡°We currently have three C-rank Gates reserved . I¡¯d like to sell the raiding rights to the Baekho Guild . ¡±. . Ah~. . Hyun Gicheol opened his mouth in understanding . The two men from Baekho finally understood why Jinwoo was here . Ahn Sangmin put away the contract and asked,. . ¡°If you wanted to help us, wouldn¡¯t it have been better to just not reserve them in the first place?¡±. . Jinwoo shook his head,. . ¡°We have a need to reserve a lot of C-rank Gates for a while . ¡±. . ¡°Then why today¡­?¡±. . Jinwoo smiled widely,. . ¡°Well, I wanted to help you two out . ¡±. . Should they believe him? Ahn Sangmin started to run all sorts of possibilities in his head, but Jinwoo continued,. . ¡°Of course, this offer is only for today . We can¡¯t put it off forever after all . If you miss this offer, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be difficult for you to reserve a C-rank Gate for a while . ¡±. . It was the way home shopping channel salesmen would speak when a sale was about to expire . . . ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯. . Ahn Sangmin fell into contemplation . It wasn¡¯t as if Gates only appeared in the capitol area . If they became desperate, they could go to other regions to train their new recruits . However, such a method might invite complaint from that region¡¯s Guilds or private parties . Not only that, doing so would give off a hint of weakness to the other top Guilds . They would basically be announcing that they did not have the power to train their new recruits in their own territory . . . ¡®Hmm¡­ That would be disgraceful . ¡¯. . It was the truth . What kind of a recruit would want to enter a Guild that was belittled by the other top Guilds? This is why a Guild¡¯s image was important . . . ¡°Alright . ¡±. . After giving it some thought, Ahn Sangmin made a decision . . . ¡°We¡¯ll buy the raiding rights . Three C-rank Gates should just be enough for us . How much for all of them?¡±. . Baekho Guild certainly had the funds to fight for the Gates going forward . But it would neither be worth it to get into a battle of finances against Yoojin Construction nor sour their relationship with Jinwoo . So if Jinwoo was offering to turn over the Gates, shouldn¡¯t they be thankful?. . They were not thankful for his asking price . . . ¡°How about three hundred million per Gate, so nine hundred million total?¡±. . ¡°Huk!¡±. . Both of the employees made a same noise . . . ¡°That¡¯s a little-¡±. . Hyun Gicheol started to protest, but Ahn Sangmin quickly stopped him . This was just like their first meeting . Back then, Jinwoo ended the discussion after Baekho was unable to meet his asking price . They could not miss an opportunity like this . If they did, it would become very difficult to reserve a C-rank Gate in the area . Worst case scenario, they would have to go to the other regions to train their new recruits . . . ¡®I¡¯ll atleast have to try a counteroffer . ¡¯. . It was too early to end the negotiations . Still, 300 million for a single Gate was too much . According to their recent investigation, Yoo Jinho¡¯s team bought the Gates for 100 million each . Jinwoo was asking for 3 times that amount . Ahn Sangmin was sure Jinwoo knew as much . . . ¡®He probably gave a high number, expecting us to negotiate it down . ¡¯. . The division chief remembered his Guildmaster¡¯s words as he left the office . . . ¡°I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s one hundred or two hundred million, reserve a damn Gate! Do you understand?!¡±. . This was as good as receiving permission from the company president . Since the rest of the Second Management Division heard the same thing, the Guildmaster would probably not retract his words . Ahn Sangmin gulped and gave a counteroffer,. . ¡°Three hundred is a bit hard for us, how about two hund-¡±. . ¡°Works for me . ¡±. . Before Ahn Sangmin even finished, Jinwoo held out a hand . Ahn Sangmin took the hand, flustered . . . ¡°So¡­ so we¡¯re in agreement?¡±. . ¡°Yes, two hundred million per C-rank Gate . Please put it into this account . ¡±. . It felt like the negotiation was over too quickly, but Ahn Sangmin was still glad . The man shook Jinwoo¡¯s hand and bowed his head . . . ¡°Thank you very much . ¡±. . ¡°It was nothing . ¡±. . Jinwoo was smiling widely . Ahn Sangmin thought that he had scored some small victory here . He had solved the issue of new recruit training and furthered the Guild¡¯s relationship with Jinwoo . . . ¡®A transaction like this is the first step to building faith . ¡¯. . Yes . Step by step, he would build a good relationship with Jinwoo . Eventually, he¡¯ll come over to their side . People did not spit in the face of someone smiling at them, nor did they ignore a present that was given . In his heart, Ahn Sangmin pumped his fists in accomplishment . . . Jinwoo was the first to rise . . . ¡°Then, I¡¯ll see you again someday . Ah, I forgot, here-¡±. . Jinwoo held out a shopping bag with a tumbler in it and returned it to its owner. . ¡°Thank you for that . It was delicious . ¡±. . ¡°I¡¯m glad it was to your tastes . ¡±. . Hyun Gicheol took the shopping bag, and Jinwoo left the cafe . . . After walking some distance away from the Baekho¡¯s employees, Jinwoo called Yoo Jinho . The young man answered the call with a surprised voice,. . - ¡°Hyungnim, the funds really came in . Six hundred million?¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . Jinwoo silently laughed . The transaction was a success . He managed to sell the raiding rights that would¡¯ve been thrown away for twice what they paid . It was an incredible deal . Yoo Jinho asked with awe in his voice,. . - ¡°Hyungnim, just how did you pull this off? Where did you sell the C-rank Gates?¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s a trade secret . ¡±. . - ¡°Eh?¡±. . ¡°Rest well, I¡¯ll see you in two days . ¡±. . While Yoo Jinho was flustered, Jinwoo hung up . . . . . That night . . . The Second Management Division office . . . Hyun Gicheol frantically looked for Ahn Sangmin . . . ¡°Chief! Chief!¡±. . ¡°What is it?¡±. . Ahn Sangmin turned away from his computer . Hyun Gicheol held out his phone with a panicked expression . . . ¡°Look at this!¡±. . ¡°Just what is it?¡±. . Looking at the phone screen, Ahn Sangmin¡¯s eyes narrowed . . . ¡®This is¡­?¡¯. . It was the Hunter Association¡¯s website available only for Hunters . The website revealed the information on Gates that had appeared . The phone was specifically in the real-time raiding rights reservation section . . . ¡°What the?! There are plenty of C-rank Gates in our area!¡±. . ¡°I know! And most of them were reserved for less than ten million!¡±. . ¡°Wait¡­ Are you telling me¡­¡±. . Ahn Sangmin dreaded Hyun Gicheol¡¯s next words,. . ¡°Yoo Jinho¡¯s team didn¡¯t reserve any Gates today . ¡±. . He then recalled Jinwoo¡¯s words from the first phone call they had . . . ¡°I¡¯ll have some free time on Thursday . ¡±. . Tomorrow was that Thursday . . . From the start, Yoo Jinho¡¯s team had no plans to Raid tomorrow . Ahn Sangmin had forgotten about this and purchased the raiding rights for an expensive price . . . ¡°Hah¡­¡±. . Ahn Sangmin groaned . The facts were all there, but he failed to put them together . It was a grave mistake . Well, that mistake managed to calm the wrath of the Guildmaster . . . ¡°I think he got us, chief . ¡±. . As if on cue, Ahn Sangmin received a message . . . beep beep. . It was Sung Jinwoo . . . Looks like we¡¯re even now . I¡¯ll forget about the spying business with this . . . ¡®Ha ha ha, the man¡¯s not to be underestimated . ¡¯. . Ahn Sangmin swallowed a laughter . If Jinwoo really meant to overlook the spying, Ahn Sangmin did not feel bad at all about being tricked . Their final objective was to recruit Jinwoo, after all . The amount that they spent today was nothing for Baekho . . . ¡°Let¡¯s just consider it an investment into Sung Jinwoo . ¡±. . If only they could gain something worthy from their investment . Ahn Sangmin looked at the message with a smile then put away his phone . . . . . After sending the message, Jinwoo looked around the surrounding . . . There was no one around . . . He was in the middle of a forest . . . To plan for all possibilities, he had chosen a secluded place . . . The time was 5:44 PM . There would be no one hiking at this hour . Just in case, he had still picked a place far away from any hiking trails . . . ¡®Shall I get started?¡¯. . Jinwoo opened the System¡¯s message box . . . The Class Advancement Quest has arrived . . Would you like to accept? (Y/N). . As if waiting for him, the message appeared in front of his eyes . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: In Korea, businesses/individual use official/personal seals to officialize various documents . . Chapter 46 gulp Even after all of his progress, Jinwoo could not help but be wary of what was to come . Still, his excitement in the anticipation of growth eclipsed his fear . A moment ago, while he was looking for a suitable spot to start the quest, Jinwoo had used his phone to look through various video game wikis on classes . [New skill . ] [Growth benefits . ] [Class-specific weapons . ] [Class-only quests] [ . . . Etc] One thing was common across different video games: class advancement had many great benefits and rewards . ¡®And it became possible for me at level forty . ¡¯ Of course, not everything he found was positive . There were forum posts here and there complaining: [I¡¯m worried that I picked the wrong class . ] [F***, if I knew, I would¡¯ve picked a different class . ] [I messed up on my build . I think I¡¯m done with this game . ] [Do I have to delete my character?] . . . Well, they were still talking about video games . Jinwoo wasn¡¯t that worried about what class he would pick . He had solely used a dagger up until now, and even his skills were all related to an assassin class . ¡®Dagger skills and something like ¡®Stealth¡¯ . ¡¯ On top of that, his attributes were largely focused on strength and agility . Because of this, Jinwoo couldn¡¯t think of obtaining a class other than Assassin . Thinking about the idea, Jinwoo summoned Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang from his inventory . shooo- The dagger¡¯s grip felt perfect in his hand . He nodded to himself . ¡®Yep, this is what I¡¯m used to . ¡¯ With the dagger in hand, Jinwoo moved his gaze towards the quest screen . ¡®Well then¡­¡¯ He began planning for as many possibilities as possible . After taking a moment to prepare his heart, Jinwoo replied to the message . The Class Advancement Quest has arrived . Would you like to accept? (Y/N) ¡®Accept . ¡¯ The moment he spoke the word in his mind, a messaged followed . ring~ You¡¯ve accept the Class Advancement Quest . A Dungeon will be created for the quest . ¡®A Dungeon¡­ will be created?¡¯ Before he could fully grasp the meaning of the message, a change occurred in the space in front of him . wooooong- A tiny black hole appeared before his eyes, but that was just the start . woo wooooong- The hole that was as small as a bean grew to a size of a coin, then a volleyball, then finally became large enough for a man to enter . ¡®This is¡­?¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s eyes were wide open . After accepting the quest, he had expected another information screen with the quest¡¯s information would follow but not this¡­ A Gate had formed before his eyes . ¡®To think that it would even make a Gate¡­¡¯ The phenomenon in front of him was exactly the same as the Gates that appeared in the world . Only difference was that it was a bit smaller than the one he had seen . The System¡¯s message continued, beckoning him in . Please enter the Dungeon through the Gate . ¡®Let¡¯s be calm . ¡¯ Jinwoo calmed his heart . Yes . If he thought about it, whether he entered using a key or through a Gate, a Dungeon would be waiting on the other side . He was just surprised at the creation of an artificial Gate in front of his eyes . While he had entered many Gates before, he had never seen one being created . When he reached that line of thought, an idea appeared in his head, ¡®Wait¡­ Could other Hunters enter this Gate?¡¯ Well, there was no time to experiment . There weren¡¯t any other Hunters in the vicinity, nor did he know of any Hunters that would come running if . . he . . . called¡­ . Jinwoo erased Yoo Jinho¡¯s face from his mind and shook his head . ¡®What would I do if something went wrong . ¡¯ The System¡¯s message blinked as if reminding him, ring~ Please enter the Dungeon through the Gate . Jinwoo was snapped back to reality by the electronic tone . He slapped his cheeks to focus . ¡®Now¡¯s not the time to get distracted . ¡¯ Success here would mean obtaining a class and other rewards . He dreaded what failure would entail . He had to be focused . ¡°Whew-¡± After a deep breath, Jinwoo held Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang in a reverse grip and entered the Gate . You¡¯ve entered the Dungeon . ¡®Huh?¡¯ To be honest, he had entered the Gate with a great anticipation . Contrary to his expectations, there was not much to be surprised at inside . It was just a simple cave Dungeon . ¡°It¡¯s the same as always¡­?¡± He had heard that high-level Dungeons would connect to different types of interiors and expected something similar but was disappointed . A special message did appear, however, ring~ In this place, usage of potions and the shop is restricted, and leveling up will not restore your status . Jinwoo put away the dagger after confirming that there were no magic beasts around . ¡® . . . Looks like this won¡¯t be easy . ¡¯ Since this was a special Dungeon for class advancement, it seemed that there were a few conditions . The fact that he could not heal himself through potions or level-ups was particularly troubling . ¡®That means even small damage will accumulate over time . ¡¯ An injury would spell the end here . Without means of recovery, he would have to be cautious of every move he made . ¡®I really, really have to be focused . ¡¯ Jinwoo closed the message box . As he always did, he checked the exit of the Dungeon . Until your class advancement is complete, you cannot leave . The moment he placed his hand on the Gate, that message appeared . He put his back into it, but the exit did not budge . ¡° . . . ¡± He retracted his hand . ¡®So the path to retreat is blocked . ¡¯ He had yet to figure out the difficulty of the Dungeon . Additionally, he could not recover his health here . Finally, there was no leaving until he was finished . The risk this time was very high . Even the bravest of Hunters would hesitate before entering with such conditions . ¡®But a high risk doesn¡¯t necessary mean that it¡¯s bad . ¡¯ High risk equaled high rewards . He had learned as much from his experiences . If all these conditions made the quest harder, perhaps an equally great reward waited at the end . Well, there was only one way to find out . ¡®Time to go . ¡¯ Jinwoo began to walk deeper into the cave . He could not see the end of the tunnel and at the same time did not see or sense any magic beasts . ¡®Wait, since this is the System¡¯s territory, should it be ¡°monsters¡± and not ¡°magic beasts¡±?¡¯ Eh, in the end, they were both dangerous beings . There was one difference in this place compared to the normal cave Dungeons . The cave¡¯s walls were decorated with torches, placed evenly across the path . ¡®Torches instead of glowing rocks . Hmm . . . ¡¯ The torches were not an effective source of light . Even if there were many of them, it was not enough to completely illuminate the dark tunnel . As such, the flickering light produced many shadows here and there . The combination of the shadows and the silence produced a very dreary atmosphere compared to a normal Dungeon . ¡®Well, I don¡¯t have any problems seeing . ¡¯ What bothered him was the impact it had on his mood . Jinwoo went over and removed the closest torch from the wall . The way forward became slightly brighter . ¡®This is better . ¡¯ Jinwoo smiled in satisfaction . He took a brief look behind him, then started forward again, torch in hand . How long did he walk in this straight path? After some time, he finally came across a turn . Around the corner, he felt several presences . ¡®Finally . ¡¯ He carefully dropped the torch on the ground . shooo- In the place of the torch, his right hand now held a dagger . He briefly considered using ¡®Stealth¡¯ to gain a preemptive advantage but decided to conserve his mana; potions could not be used after all . If he carelessly spent his mana, he might not be able to use a skill in a pivotal moment . ¡® . . . They¡¯re coming this way . ¡¯ Jinwoo hugged the wall with his back, then waited for the enemies to come around the corner . clang, clang A metallic sound rang while they were walking towards him . The sound came closer and closer . clang, clang At the rambunctious sound, Jinwoo wondered, ¡®Are they holding some sort of a chain weapon?¡¯ He was curious but did not worry . He would find out in a moment . ¡®5, 4, 3 . ¡¯ He held his dagger in a reverse grip and held his breath . He did not want the sound of his breathing to be heard . ¡®2, 1 . ¡¯ clang, clang . Finally, their shadows appeared around the corner . ¡® . . . 0 . ¡¯ As Jinwoo finished counting down, the thing showed itself . Jinwoo immediately went for its neck . Clang! The sound of metal striking metal rang loudly . His dagger did not pierce the target . ¡®Armor?¡¯ Jinwoo was surprised . Confirming the identity of his enemy, he quickly backed way . ¡°Human?¡± It was a knight equipped with a full set of armor . Even its face was covered by a helmet . Just in case, Jinwoo called toward it, ¡°Oy!¡± The knight reacted by charging toward Jinwoo . clang, clang, clang! The knight vigorously used his shoulders to try and tackle Jinwoo, but the Hunter easily twisted his body to dodge the attack . The knight could not stop its momentum and ran forward for a bit before stopping . ¡®Not human?¡¯ After expanding his sense a bit more, Jinwoo was sure . The knight did not have a heartbeat . It was a magic beast, or rather, a monster that he had never seen before . To think that there¡¯d be a monster covered from head to toe in armor . ¡®So¡­¡¯ It was almost as if he was fighting another human . shiing! The knight turned around and unsheathe the sword at its side . As Jinwoo thought, it had no intention of letting him leave alive . Confirming each other¡¯s hostility, Jinwoo¡¯s eyes became a level sharper . ¡®Sprint!¡¯ Your movement speed is increased by 40% . The first to strike would be the victor! Before the knight could reach him, Jinwoo entered its range first . slash! The Hunter dodged its panicked swing and stabbed its armor here and there . Clang! Clang! But he could not do any damage . ¡®The armor¡¯s too thick . ¡¯ Not only that, it could almost be described as slippery . His dagger helplessly slid off and was deflected everytime he struck the armor . The knight swung its sword in a horizontal line . slash! Jinwoo lowered his head to dodge . The blade of the sword passed just inches above his head . As its attack was powerful, the opening created after missing was equally huge . Jinwoo did not miss the opportunity . Still in melee range, Jinwoo focused all of his power into his dagger . ¡®Vital Stab!¡¯ Crack! The dagger pierced through the armor . ¡®Did it work?¡¯ However, as if it didn¡¯t do any damage, the knight ignored the dagger sticking out of its side and brought down the sword in a vertical line . Slash! Jinwoo threw his body backwards . Clang! Sparks flew from the ground the sword struck . ¡° . . . ¡± Jinwoo straightened himself after taking few steps back . Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang was still stuck to the knight¡¯s side . Che . Jinwoo clicked his tongue . ¡®He¡¯s not exactly strong . ¡¯ It was true . Because of its armor, the knight was slow . Not only that, its attack pattern was rather simple . The primary obstacle was its tough resistance to bladed weapons . Jinwoo rolled up his sleeves . ¡®If it¡¯s a tough armor a blade can¡¯t get through, I¡¯ve already got some experience . ¡¯ His maintained his composure . He recalled the scales of a boss that effortlessly broke a magic power infused steel sword . He remembered how he took down that giant snake . ¡®Compared to Casaka, this bastard¡¯s nothing¡­¡¯ Thinking of the first boss he ever won against, Jinwoo smiled in nostalgia . clang, clang, clang! The knight, confident in its armor, charged at Jinwoo once more . ¡®As expected, it¡¯s not that smart . ¡¯ Jinwoo easily dodged the knight¡¯s shoulder tackle and maneuvered behind its back and put it in a headlock . craaack! Of course, its neck was also armored; it probably would not be choked just by this . craaaaaack! Jinwoo¡¯s arms flexed and showed their veins . He was not trying to choke the knight . He clenched his teeth, and his eyes flared open . CRACK! With a sickening sound, the helmet was removed . This was the power of the strength stat that had reached above 100 . Having lost its head, the knight knelt to the ground . Clang! You¡¯ve defeated the Knight . The welcoming sight of a message signaled the end of the fight . While there was a light indicating a drop coming from the knight¡¯s corpse, Jinwoo was focused on something else . ¡®What the, it¡¯s empty?¡¯ There was no head in the helmet he was holding . He also looked inside the kneeling armor but found it just as empty . ¡®Then was I fighting with a moving armor?¡¯ As he reached that conclusion, two more knights appeared around the corner . It appeared that they had finally realized that there was a fight going on . clang, clang . Having discovered Jinwoo, the two knights took out their swords in unison . shiing- shiing- Jinwoo threw aside the helmet and stretched his neck and shoulders . He knew the method of defeating them now . ¡®Shall we begin?¡¯ clang, clang, clang, clang! Jinwoo smiled at the approaching knights . The quest was going smoothly so far . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 46. . gulp. . Even after all of his progress, Jinwoo could not help but be wary of what was to come . Still, his excitement in the anticipation of growth eclipsed his fear . . . A moment ago, while he was looking for a suitable spot to start the quest, Jinwoo had used his phone to look through various video game wikis on classes . . . [New skill . ]. [Growth benefits . ]. [Class-specific weapons . ]. [Class-only quests]. [ . Etc]. . One thing was common across different video games: class advancement had many great benefits and rewards . . . ¡®And it became possible for me at level forty . ¡¯. . Of course, not everything he found was positive . There were forum posts here and there complaining:. . [I¡¯m worried that I picked the wrong class . ]. [F***, if I knew, I would¡¯ve picked a different class . ]. [I messed up on my build . I think I¡¯m done with this game . ]. [Do I have to delete my character?]. . . Well, they were still talking about video games . . . Jinwoo wasn¡¯t that worried about what class he would pick . He had solely used a dagger up until now, and even his skills were all related to an assassin class . . . ¡®Dagger skills and something like ¡®Stealth¡¯ . ¡¯. . On top of that, his attributes were largely focused on strength and agility . Because of this, Jinwoo couldn¡¯t think of obtaining a class other than Assassin . Thinking about the idea, Jinwoo summoned Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang from his inventory . . . shooo-. . The dagger¡¯s grip felt perfect in his hand . He nodded to himself . . . ¡®Yep, this is what I¡¯m used to . ¡¯. . With the dagger in hand, Jinwoo moved his gaze towards the quest screen . . . ¡®Well then¡­¡¯. . He began planning for as many possibilities as possible . After taking a moment to prepare his heart, Jinwoo replied to the message . . . The Class Advancement Quest has arrived . . Would you like to accept? (Y/N). . ¡®Accept . ¡¯. . The moment he spoke the word in his mind, a messaged followed . . . ring~. . You¡¯ve accept the Class Advancement Quest . . A Dungeon will be created for the quest . . . ¡®A Dungeon¡­ will be created?¡¯. . Before he could fully grasp the meaning of the message, a change occurred in the space in front of him . . . wooooong-. . A tiny black hole appeared before his eyes, but that was just the start . . . woo wooooong-. . The hole that was as small as a bean grew to a size of a coin, then a volleyball, then finally became large enough for a man to enter . . . ¡®This is¡­?¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes were wide open . After accepting the quest, he had expected another information screen with the quest¡¯s information would follow but not this¡­. . A Gate had formed before his eyes . . . ¡®To think that it would even make a Gate¡­¡¯. . The phenomenon in front of him was exactly the same as the Gates that appeared in the world . Only difference was that it was a bit smaller than the one he had seen . The System¡¯s message continued, beckoning him in . . . Please enter the Dungeon through the Gate . . . ¡®Let¡¯s be calm . ¡¯. . Jinwoo calmed his heart . . . Yes . . . If he thought about it, whether he entered using a key or through a Gate, a Dungeon would be waiting on the other side . He was just surprised at the creation of an artificial Gate in front of his eyes . While he had entered many Gates before, he had never seen one being created . When he reached that line of thought, an idea appeared in his head,. . ¡®Wait¡­ Could other Hunters enter this Gate?¡¯. . Well, there was no time to experiment . There weren¡¯t any other Hunters in the vicinity, nor did he know of any Hunters that would come running if he . called¡­ . . . Jinwoo erased Yoo Jinho¡¯s face from his mind and shook his head . . . ¡®What would I do if something went wrong . ¡¯. . The System¡¯s message blinked as if reminding him,. . ring~. . Please enter the Dungeon through the Gate . . . Jinwoo was snapped back to reality by the electronic tone . He slapped his cheeks to focus . . . ¡®Now¡¯s not the time to get distracted . ¡¯. . Success here would mean obtaining a class and other rewards . He dreaded what failure would entail . He had to be focused . . . ¡°Whew-¡±. . After a deep breath, Jinwoo held Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang in a reverse grip and entered the Gate . . . . . You¡¯ve entered the Dungeon . . . ¡®Huh?¡¯. . To be honest, he had entered the Gate with a great anticipation . Contrary to his expectations, there was not much to be surprised at inside . It was just a simple cave Dungeon . . . ¡°It¡¯s the same as always¡­?¡±. . He had heard that high-level Dungeons would connect to different types of interiors and expected something similar but was disappointed . A special message did appear, however,. . ring~. . In this place, usage of potions and the shop is restricted, and leveling up will not restore your status . . . Jinwoo put away the dagger after confirming that there were no magic beasts around . . . ¡® . Looks like this won¡¯t be easy . ¡¯. . Since this was a special Dungeon for class advancement, it seemed that there were a few conditions . The fact that he could not heal himself through potions or level-ups was particularly troubling . . . ¡®That means even small damage will accumulate over time . ¡¯. . An injury would spell the end here . Without means of recovery, he would have to be cautious of every move he made . . . ¡®I really, really have to be focused . ¡¯. . Jinwoo closed the message box . As he always did, he checked the exit of the Dungeon . . . Until your class advancement is complete, you cannot leave . . . The moment he placed his hand on the Gate, that message appeared . He put his back into it, but the exit did not budge . . . ¡° . ¡±. . He retracted his hand . . . ¡®So the path to retreat is blocked . ¡¯. . He had yet to figure out the difficulty of the Dungeon . Additionally, he could not recover his health here . Finally, there was no leaving until he was finished . . . The risk this time was very high . Even the bravest of Hunters would hesitate before entering with such conditions . . . ¡®But a high risk doesn¡¯t necessary mean that it¡¯s bad . ¡¯. . High risk equaled high rewards . He had learned as much from his experiences . If all these conditions made the quest harder, perhaps an equally great reward waited at the end . . . Well, there was only one way to find out . . . ¡®Time to go . ¡¯. . Jinwoo began to walk deeper into the cave . He could not see the end of the tunnel and at the same time did not see or sense any magic beasts . . . ¡®Wait, since this is the System¡¯s territory, should it be ¡°monsters¡± and not ¡°magic beasts¡±?¡¯. . Eh, in the end, they were both dangerous beings . . . There was one difference in this place compared to the normal cave Dungeons . The cave¡¯s walls were decorated with torches, placed evenly across the path . . . ¡®Torches instead of glowing rocks . Hmm . ¡¯. . The torches were not an effective source of light . Even if there were many of them, it was not enough to completely illuminate the dark tunnel . As such, the flickering light produced many shadows here and there . The combination of the shadows and the silence produced a very dreary atmosphere compared to a normal Dungeon . . . ¡®Well, I don¡¯t have any problems seeing . ¡¯. . What bothered him was the impact it had on his mood . . . Jinwoo went over and removed the closest torch from the wall . The way forward became slightly brighter . . . ¡®This is better . ¡¯. . Jinwoo smiled in satisfaction . He took a brief look behind him, then started forward again, torch in hand . . . . . How long did he walk in this straight path?. . After some time, he finally came across a turn . Around the corner, he felt several presences . . . ¡®Finally . ¡¯. . He carefully dropped the torch on the ground . . . shooo-. . In the place of the torch, his right hand now held a dagger . He briefly considered using ¡®Stealth¡¯ to gain a preemptive advantage but decided to conserve his mana; potions could not be used after all . If he carelessly spent his mana, he might not be able to use a skill in a pivotal moment . . . ¡® . They¡¯re coming this way . ¡¯. . Jinwoo hugged the wall with his back, then waited for the enemies to come around the corner . . . clang, clang. . A metallic sound rang while they were walking towards him . The sound came closer and closer . . . clang, clang. . At the rambunctious sound, Jinwoo wondered,. . ¡®Are they holding some sort of a chain weapon?¡¯. . He was curious but did not worry . He would find out in a moment . . . ¡®5, 4, 3 . ¡¯. . He held his dagger in a reverse grip and held his breath . He did not want the sound of his breathing to be heard . . . ¡®2, 1 . ¡¯. . clang, clang . . . Finally, their shadows appeared around the corner . . . ¡® . 0 . ¡¯. . As Jinwoo finished counting down, the thing showed itself . Jinwoo immediately went for its neck . . . Clang!. . The sound of metal striking metal rang loudly . His dagger did not pierce the target . . . ¡®Armor?¡¯. . Jinwoo was surprised . Confirming the identity of his enemy, he quickly backed way . . . ¡°Human?¡±. . It was a knight equipped with a full set of armor . Even its face was covered by a helmet . Just in case, Jinwoo called toward it,. . ¡°Oy!¡±. . The knight reacted by charging toward Jinwoo . . . clang, clang, clang!. . The knight vigorously used his shoulders to try and tackle Jinwoo, but the Hunter easily twisted his body to dodge the attack . The knight could not stop its momentum and ran forward for a bit before stopping . . . ¡®Not human?¡¯. . After expanding his sense a bit more, Jinwoo was sure . The knight did not have a heartbeat . It was a magic beast, or rather, a monster that he had never seen before . To think that there¡¯d be a monster covered from head to toe in armor . . . ¡®So¡­¡¯. . It was almost as if he was fighting another human . . . shiing!. . The knight turned around and unsheathe the sword at its side . As Jinwoo thought, it had no intention of letting him leave alive . Confirming each other¡¯s hostility, Jinwoo¡¯s eyes became a level sharper . . . ¡®Sprint!¡¯. . Your movement speed is increased by 40% . . . The first to strike would be the victor!. . Before the knight could reach him, Jinwoo entered its range first . . . slash!. . The Hunter dodged its panicked swing and stabbed its armor here and there . . . Clang! Clang!. . But he could not do any damage . . . ¡®The armor¡¯s too thick . ¡¯. . Not only that, it could almost be described as slippery . His dagger helplessly slid off and was deflected everytime he struck the armor . The knight swung its sword in a horizontal line . . . slash!. . Jinwoo lowered his head to dodge . The blade of the sword passed just inches above his head . As its attack was powerful, the opening created after missing was equally huge . Jinwoo did not miss the opportunity . Still in melee range, Jinwoo focused all of his power into his dagger . . . ¡®Vital Stab!¡¯. . Crack!. . The dagger pierced through the armor . . . ¡®Did it work?¡¯. . However, as if it didn¡¯t do any damage, the knight ignored the dagger sticking out of its side and brought down the sword in a vertical line . . . Slash!. . Jinwoo threw his body backwards . . . Clang!. . Sparks flew from the ground the sword struck . . . ¡° . ¡±. . Jinwoo straightened himself after taking few steps back . Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang was still stuck to the knight¡¯s side . . . Che . . . Jinwoo clicked his tongue . . . ¡®He¡¯s not exactly strong . ¡¯. . It was true . Because of its armor, the knight was slow . Not only that, its attack pattern was rather simple . The primary obstacle was its tough resistance to bladed weapons . . . Jinwoo rolled up his sleeves . . . ¡®If it¡¯s a tough armor a blade can¡¯t get through, I¡¯ve already got some experience . ¡¯. . His maintained his composure . He recalled the scales of a boss that effortlessly broke a magic power infused steel sword . He remembered how he took down that giant snake . . . ¡®Compared to Casaka, this bastard¡¯s nothing¡­¡¯. . Thinking of the first boss he ever won against, Jinwoo smiled in nostalgia . . . clang, clang, clang!. . The knight, confident in its armor, charged at Jinwoo once more . . . ¡®As expected, it¡¯s not that smart . ¡¯. . Jinwoo easily dodged the knight¡¯s shoulder tackle and maneuvered behind its back and put it in a headlock . . . craaack!. . Of course, its neck was also armored; it probably would not be choked just by this . . . craaaaaack!. . Jinwoo¡¯s arms flexed and showed their veins . He was not trying to choke the knight . He clenched his teeth, and his eyes flared open . . . CRACK!. . With a sickening sound, the helmet was removed . This was the power of the strength stat that had reached above 100 . Having lost its head, the knight knelt to the ground . . . Clang!. . You¡¯ve defeated the Knight . . . The welcoming sight of a message signaled the end of the fight . While there was a light indicating a drop coming from the knight¡¯s corpse, Jinwoo was focused on something else . . . ¡®What the, it¡¯s empty?¡¯. . There was no head in the helmet he was holding . He also looked inside the kneeling armor but found it just as empty . . . ¡®Then was I fighting with a moving armor?¡¯. . As he reached that conclusion, two more knights appeared around the corner . It appeared that they had finally realized that there was a fight going on . . . clang, clang . . . Having discovered Jinwoo, the two knights took out their swords in unison . . . shiing-. . shiing-. . Jinwoo threw aside the helmet and stretched his neck and shoulders . He knew the method of defeating them now . . . ¡®Shall we begin?¡¯. . clang, clang, clang, clang!. . Jinwoo smiled at the approaching knights . . . The quest was going smoothly so far . . Chapter 47 Was it because of the restrictions? The drop rate was good . He had only taken down three knights, but two of them dropped an item . It was a drop rate of 66 . 6% . He had not seen a rate like this anywhere else before . On top of that, most of the items dropped in Instant Dungeons were trash that were sold to the shop . This was not the case here . You¡¯ve found a ¡°High-level Knight¡¯s Breastplate¡± [1] Would you like to acquire it? ¡®Of course I would . ¡¯ The breastplate of the first knight Jinwoo took out slowly disappeared then reappeared in front of his feet . thud The equipment¡¯s information popped up . High-level Knight¡¯s Breastplate Rarity: B Type: Armor Physical Damage Reduction +7% (If your strength is below 80, your movements will be slowed . ) 7% physical damage reduction! Combined with his natural buff, he could increase his damage reduction to a total of 27% . ¡®If I reach a 100%, do I just become immune to physical damage?¡¯ He dismissed the thought after realizing that a B-rank equipment only gave 7% . If the pattern stuck, an A-rank equipment would probably not give 30% or 40% reduction, so reaching 100% would be impossible . ¡®Still, every little bit counts . ¡¯ Gathering the boosts bit by bit would have a great impact down the line . He remembered the effectiveness of good equipment the first time he saw Yoo Jinho . ¡®So I just do this, right?¡¯ He held up the breastplate . As expected, the System asked him with a message, Would you like to equip the ¡°High-level Knight¡¯s Breastplate¡±? Just looking at the armor, it was not something he wanted to be seen walking around in . If it wasn¡¯t for his experiences with ¡°Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace¡±, he would¡¯ve been a lot more hesitant . . . ¡®Yes . ¡¯ ring~ The ¡°High-level Knight¡¯s Breastplate¡± has been equipped . The breastplate was invisible to the eye . Jinwoo opened up his status screen to confirm the benefits . Physical Damage Reduction: 27% ¡®The reduction increased . ¡¯ He felt his chest; he did not feel anything there . He twisted and stretched his body but did not feel the armor hinder him . It was almost as if it wasn¡¯t there . It was the same as the time he equipped the Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace . ¡®Good . ¡¯ Jinwoo turned his gaze to the other knight, crumpled up in a corner . Its crushed form sparked with the light of a drop . You¡¯ve found a ¡°Leather Pouch¡± Would you like to acquire it? Although it was his handiwork, he felt a little bad at its mangled body . It seemed that he could not control his strength when using his bare hands in a fight . ¡° . . . ¡± With a solemn expression, he stretched a hand to the light, ¡®Acquire . ¡¯ You¡¯ve opened the leather pouch . There was 30,000 gold inside . You¡¯ve acquired 30,000 gold . ¡®Huh?¡¯ Without even appearing in his hands, the leather pouch was just opened . It appeared that this was a little different than the other items . He opened his inventory and confirmed that he had received the 30,000 gold . Current Gold: 863,400 ¡®Thirty thousand in one go, eh?¡¯ Was it because knights normally carried that much? He remembered that in video games, humanoid monsters often dropped more items than others . Well, it made sense that humans carried more things than beasts or bugs . Not that it was certain the System was copying all of that . Still, this was good news . There were still many things he wanted to buy with gold, and it would be good if gold kept dropping this way . ¡®Anything else I could take?¡¯ They say there was no end to man¡¯s greed . Jinwoo looked around with greedy eyes . The knights¡¯ armors were all crushed by his hands and did not look usable¡­ His gaze fell upon their swords . ¡®That looks usable . ¡¯ A clean longsword that looked new . Since it was not a dagger, he didn¡¯t plan on using it, but he could probably sell in the shop or to other Hunters . Jinwoo picked up the sword . However, the moment he raised the weapon, it rapidly rusted then turned to dust in his hands . ¡°Shit¡­¡± It happened in a blink of an eye . ¡®It won¡¯t let me obtain anything if it¡¯s not a drop?¡¯ Regrettable, but there was nothing he could do . He clapped his hands and picked up the torch he had dropped earlier . Turning around the corner to where the knights had come from, he saw yet another deep, dark tunnel . ¡° . . . ¡± It seemed that there was still a long way to go . . . It was funny, but it almost seemed like he had to study the encounters like a test . After 2 hours of wandering the Dungeon, he had come across 4 types of monsters: Knights, Mages, Assassins and Archers . ¡°Is it ¡®Stealth¡¯ this time?¡± The assassin had disappeared before his eyes . Without panicking, Jinwoo immediately focused his senses and detected the enemy approaching from his back . clang! Jinwoo parried the assassin¡¯s dagger with Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang, then quickly counterattacked after it fell off his balance . His dagger found its way straight into the enemy¡¯s chest . stab! You¡¯ve defeated the Assassin . You¡¯ve leveled up! After receiving a fatal blow, the assassin turned into black smoke without so much as a scream . thud All that was left in its place was the leather armor it was wearing . ¡®I wonder why they¡¯re all humanoid . ¡¯ Jinwoo thought this every time he defeated one of them . Thankfully, he did not get to see their faces when they fought . The knights had their helmets, the assassins and archers their leather hoods, and the mages covered their heads with the hood of their robes . Jinwoo turned to continue on his path . Suddenly, a flash blinded his vision . A mage that hid its presence had completed casting its light-element spell . Bang! It was an explosion that pierced the ears! But Jinwoo had already moved behind the mage . ¡° . . . !¡± The mage detected a presence behind it and quickly began to cast a spell, but Jinwoo had already brought down his dagger down upon it . The mage disappeared with a black smoke . thud Jinwoo stared at the robe that lost its owner and put away his dagger . ¡®I was hit by an attack like that before, you see . ¡¯ In fact, he was already preparing to move when he felt the collection of mana from a distance . Jo Gyuhwan¡¯s light-element magic . Jinwoo was not as naive as to be struck by an attack he was hit with before . This was the meaning of studying the encounters . ¡®Not only that . ¡¯ Each of the monsters needed a specific stat to deal with . Knights with strength, assassins with sense, archers with agility and mages with constitution . If the appropriate stat was not above a certain level, dealing with the corresponding enemy would¡¯ve been very difficult . With a low strength, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to damage the armor of the knight; with a low sense, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to detect the assassin . ¡®Looks like distributing my stats evenly was helpful for situations like this¡¯ Well, his intelligence was a bit low, but that could be dealt with by managing his mana carefully . You¡¯ve opened the leather pouch . There was 20,000 gold and a ¡°canteen with warm water¡± inside . You¡¯ve acquired 20,000 gold and a ¡°canteen with warm water¡± . Jinwoo opened his inventory and took out the canteen and drank from it . ¡°Whew-¡± Fatigue was piling up . ¡®How much longer do I have to go?¡¯ No, was there even an end? Jinwoo dropped the empty canteen and stood with his hands on his hip . It¡¯s been 3 hours since he had started the quest . Both his body and mind were becoming tired . ¡® . . . Should I rest for a bit?¡¯ He sat down with his back against the cave wall . ¡®Status screen . ¡¯ ring~ Fatigue: 66 His fatigue had almost reached a dangerous point . Above 70, it would have a noticeable debuff on his body and mind . Even for a moment, he had to rest his eyes and recover his stamina . Jinwoo rested his head against the wall and quickly began to doze off . Even in this environment, he was so tired that he would fall asleep in a moment . Unfortunately¡­ thwip-! A sharp sound flew across the air! With his agility stat slowing down the world, Jinwoo was able to grab the arrow that was flying towards him . grab! The Hunter¡¯s eyes shot open . At a distance, the archer was preparing its next shot . ¡®Won¡¯t let me even sleep, huh . ¡¯ Jinwoo summoned Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang as he got up . crack! The breastplate caved in at Jinwoo¡¯s punch, and the knight struck the wall . Its body slid down the wall, sprawled out on the ground and stopped moving . ring~ You¡¯ve defeated the Knight . You¡¯ve leveled up! It was unfortunate that it was not accompanied by a status recovery, but Jinwoo was still steadily leveling up through the battles . It was a small consolation amidst the piling up fatigue . The man stared at his slightly scratched knuckles and clicked his tongue . It would be nice if he could just rest for a little bit, but the monsters did not give him any room to breathe . Thankfully, they did drop a lot of items . Equipment [2] Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace (A) High-level Knight¡¯s Breastplate (B) Mid-level Assassin¡¯s Shoes (B) Low-level Archer¡¯s Gloves (C) High-level Mage¡¯s Ring (B) Other than what he had equipped, there were several items that he put away in his inventory as well . ¡®Wish they dropped a usable weapon . ¡¯ Unfortunately, the daggers dropped by the assassins, while having a similar attack power as Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang, did not have any special effects so could not be considered an upgrade . ¡®Alright, what¡¯ve you got?¡¯ Jinwoo stretched a hand toward the light from the fallen knight . ring~ High-level Knight¡¯s Gauntlet Rarity: B Type: Armor Physical Damage Reduction +3% Additional effect: Protects the hands from injury (If your strength is below 80, your movement will be slowed . ) ¡®Oooh . ¡¯ Jinwoo obtained the gauntlets with a happy expression and equipped them . Just like the other equipment, the gauntlets did not show their form and did not impede his fingers . ¡®Good . ¡¯ After moving his fingers around, Jinwoo raised his head . Ahead of the tunnel, the torches that lined the wall finally ended . At their end was a giant door . Jinwoo remembered the entrance of the underground temple from back then . His party was not prepared and met a tragic fate through the doors . It would be different this time . Jinwoo looked back on the path that he had walked so far . ¡®It¡¯s been six hours since I came in here¡­¡¯ His level had reached 45, and he had picked up a lot of new equipment . He was prepared . He wanted to rest for a bit and recover his stamina, but he knew that it would just summon more monsters that would interrupt his sleep . He could not afford to increase his fatigue any more through such encounters . HP: 4,511 / 8,330 MP: 660 / 790 Fatigue: 43 ¡®I have to win with just this . ¡¯ After performing a final check on his status, Jinwoo grabbed the handles of the door . guoooooooo-! As if moved by some unknown mechanism, the doors opened apart easily . Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°High-level Knight¡¯s Breastplate¡± (?? ??? ??): ¡°advanced/high level¡± ?? + ¡°knight¡± ?? + ¡°breastplate¡± ?? [2]: All pretty literal and straight forward . The equipment are divided into 3 tiers, high-level, mid-level and low-level (??, ??, ??) . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 47. . Was it because of the restrictions?. . The drop rate was good . He had only taken down three knights, but two of them dropped an item . It was a drop rate of 66 . 6% . He had not seen a rate like this anywhere else before . On top of that, most of the items dropped in Instant Dungeons were trash that were sold to the shop . This was not the case here . . . You¡¯ve found a ¡°High-level Knight¡¯s Breastplate¡± [1]. Would you like to acquire it?. . ¡®Of course I would . ¡¯. . The breastplate of the first knight Jinwoo took out slowly disappeared then reappeared in front of his feet . . . thud. . The equipment¡¯s information popped up . . . High-level Knight¡¯s Breastplate. Rarity: B. Type: Armor. Physical Damage Reduction +7%. (If your strength is below 80, your movements will be slowed . ). . 7% physical damage reduction! Combined with his natural buff, he could increase his damage reduction to a total of 27% . . . ¡®If I reach a 100%, do I just become immune to physical damage?¡¯. . He dismissed the thought after realizing that a B-rank equipment only gave 7% . If the pattern stuck, an A-rank equipment would probably not give 30% or 40% reduction, so reaching 100% would be impossible . . . ¡®Still, every little bit counts . ¡¯. . Gathering the boosts bit by bit would have a great impact down the line . He remembered the effectiveness of good equipment the first time he saw Yoo Jinho . . . ¡®So I just do this, right?¡¯. . He held up the breastplate . As expected, the System asked him with a message,. . Would you like to equip the ¡°High-level Knight¡¯s Breastplate¡±?. . Just looking at the armor, it was not something he wanted to be seen walking around in . If it wasn¡¯t for his experiences with ¡°Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace¡±, he would¡¯ve been a lot more hesitant . . . ¡®Yes . ¡¯. . ring~. . The ¡°High-level Knight¡¯s Breastplate¡± has been equipped . . . The breastplate was invisible to the eye . Jinwoo opened up his status screen to confirm the benefits . . . Physical Damage Reduction: 27%. . ¡®The reduction increased . ¡¯. . He felt his chest; he did not feel anything there . He twisted and stretched his body but did not feel the armor hinder him . It was almost as if it wasn¡¯t there . It was the same as the time he equipped the Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace . . . ¡®Good . ¡¯. . Jinwoo turned his gaze to the other knight, crumpled up in a corner . Its crushed form sparked with the light of a drop . . . You¡¯ve found a ¡°Leather Pouch¡±. Would you like to acquire it?. . Although it was his handiwork, he felt a little bad at its mangled body . It seemed that he could not control his strength when using his bare hands in a fight . . . ¡° . ¡±. . With a solemn expression, he stretched a hand to the light,. . ¡®Acquire . ¡¯. . You¡¯ve opened the leather pouch . . There was 30,000 gold inside . . You¡¯ve acquired 30,000 gold . . . ¡®Huh?¡¯. . Without even appearing in his hands, the leather pouch was just opened . It appeared that this was a little different than the other items . He opened his inventory and confirmed that he had received the 30,000 gold . . . Current Gold: 863,400. . ¡®Thirty thousand in one go, eh?¡¯. . Was it because knights normally carried that much? He remembered that in video games, humanoid monsters often dropped more items than others . Well, it made sense that humans carried more things than beasts or bugs . Not that it was certain the System was copying all of that . Still, this was good news . There were still many things he wanted to buy with gold, and it would be good if gold kept dropping this way . . . ¡®Anything else I could take?¡¯. . They say there was no end to man¡¯s greed . Jinwoo looked around with greedy eyes . The knights¡¯ armors were all crushed by his hands and did not look usable¡­ His gaze fell upon their swords . . . ¡®That looks usable . ¡¯. . A clean longsword that looked new . Since it was not a dagger, he didn¡¯t plan on using it, but he could probably sell in the shop or to other Hunters . Jinwoo picked up the sword . However, the moment he raised the weapon, it rapidly rusted then turned to dust in his hands . . . ¡°Shit¡­¡±. . It happened in a blink of an eye . . . ¡®It won¡¯t let me obtain anything if it¡¯s not a drop?¡¯. . Regrettable, but there was nothing he could do . He clapped his hands and picked up the torch he had dropped earlier . . . Turning around the corner to where the knights had come from, he saw yet another deep, dark tunnel . . . ¡° . ¡±. . It seemed that there was still a long way to go . . . . . It was funny, but it almost seemed like he had to study the encounters like a test . After 2 hours of wandering the Dungeon, he had come across 4 types of monsters:. . Knights, Mages, Assassins and Archers . . . ¡°Is it ¡®Stealth¡¯ this time?¡±. . The assassin had disappeared before his eyes . Without panicking, Jinwoo immediately focused his senses and detected the enemy approaching from his back . . . clang!. . Jinwoo parried the assassin¡¯s dagger with Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang, then quickly counterattacked after it fell off his balance . His dagger found its way straight into the enemy¡¯s chest . . . stab!. . You¡¯ve defeated the Assassin . . . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . After receiving a fatal blow, the assassin turned into black smoke without so much as a scream . . . thud. . All that was left in its place was the leather armor it was wearing . . . ¡®I wonder why they¡¯re all humanoid . ¡¯. . Jinwoo thought this every time he defeated one of them . Thankfully, he did not get to see their faces when they fought . The knights had their helmets, the assassins and archers their leather hoods, and the mages covered their heads with the hood of their robes . . . Jinwoo turned to continue on his path . . . Suddenly, a flash blinded his vision . A mage that hid its presence had completed casting its light-element spell . . . Bang!. . It was an explosion that pierced the ears!. . But Jinwoo had already moved behind the mage . . . ¡° . !¡±. . The mage detected a presence behind it and quickly began to cast a spell, but Jinwoo had already brought down his dagger down upon it . The mage disappeared with a black smoke . . . thud. . Jinwoo stared at the robe that lost its owner and put away his dagger . . . ¡®I was hit by an attack like that before, you see . ¡¯. . In fact, he was already preparing to move when he felt the collection of mana from a distance . Jo Gyuhwan¡¯s light-element magic . Jinwoo was not as naive as to be struck by an attack he was hit with before . This was the meaning of studying the encounters . . . ¡®Not only that . ¡¯. . Each of the monsters needed a specific stat to deal with . . . Knights with strength, assassins with sense, archers with agility and mages with constitution . . . If the appropriate stat was not above a certain level, dealing with the corresponding enemy would¡¯ve been very difficult . With a low strength, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to damage the armor of the knight; with a low sense, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to detect the assassin . . . ¡®Looks like distributing my stats evenly was helpful for situations like this¡¯. . Well, his intelligence was a bit low, but that could be dealt with by managing his mana carefully . . . You¡¯ve opened the leather pouch . . There was 20,000 gold and a ¡°canteen with warm water¡± inside . . You¡¯ve acquired 20,000 gold and a ¡°canteen with warm water¡± . . . Jinwoo opened his inventory and took out the canteen and drank from it . . . ¡°Whew-¡±. . Fatigue was piling up . . . ¡®How much longer do I have to go?¡¯. . No, was there even an end?. . Jinwoo dropped the empty canteen and stood with his hands on his hip . It¡¯s been 3 hours since he had started the quest . Both his body and mind were becoming tired . . . ¡® . Should I rest for a bit?¡¯. . He sat down with his back against the cave wall . . . ¡®Status screen . ¡¯. . ring~. . Fatigue: 66. . His fatigue had almost reached a dangerous point . Above 70, it would have a noticeable debuff on his body and mind . Even for a moment, he had to rest his eyes and recover his stamina . Jinwoo rested his head against the wall and quickly began to doze off . Even in this environment, he was so tired that he would fall asleep in a moment . Unfortunately¡­. . thwip-!. . A sharp sound flew across the air! With his agility stat slowing down the world, Jinwoo was able to grab the arrow that was flying towards him . . . grab!. . The Hunter¡¯s eyes shot open . At a distance, the archer was preparing its next shot . . . ¡®Won¡¯t let me even sleep, huh . ¡¯. . Jinwoo summoned Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang as he got up . . . . . crack!. . The breastplate caved in at Jinwoo¡¯s punch, and the knight struck the wall . Its body slid down the wall, sprawled out on the ground and stopped moving . . . ring~. . You¡¯ve defeated the Knight . . . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . It was unfortunate that it was not accompanied by a status recovery, but Jinwoo was still steadily leveling up through the battles . It was a small consolation amidst the piling up fatigue . The man stared at his slightly scratched knuckles and clicked his tongue . It would be nice if he could just rest for a little bit, but the monsters did not give him any room to breathe . Thankfully, they did drop a lot of items . . . Equipment [2]. Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace (A). High-level Knight¡¯s Breastplate (B). Mid-level Assassin¡¯s Shoes (B). Low-level Archer¡¯s Gloves (C). High-level Mage¡¯s Ring (B). . Other than what he had equipped, there were several items that he put away in his inventory as well . . . ¡®Wish they dropped a usable weapon . ¡¯. . Unfortunately, the daggers dropped by the assassins, while having a similar attack power as Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang, did not have any special effects so could not be considered an upgrade . . . ¡®Alright, what¡¯ve you got?¡¯. . Jinwoo stretched a hand toward the light from the fallen knight . . . ring~. . High-level Knight¡¯s Gauntlet. Rarity: B. Type: Armor. Physical Damage Reduction +3%. Additional effect: Protects the hands from injury. (If your strength is below 80, your movement will be slowed . ). . ¡®Oooh . ¡¯. . Jinwoo obtained the gauntlets with a happy expression and equipped them . Just like the other equipment, the gauntlets did not show their form and did not impede his fingers . . . ¡®Good . ¡¯. . After moving his fingers around, Jinwoo raised his head . . . Ahead of the tunnel, the torches that lined the wall finally ended . At their end was a giant door . Jinwoo remembered the entrance of the underground temple from back then . His party was not prepared and met a tragic fate through the doors . . . It would be different this time . . . Jinwoo looked back on the path that he had walked so far . . . ¡®It¡¯s been six hours since I came in here¡­¡¯. . His level had reached 45, and he had picked up a lot of new equipment . . . He was prepared . . . He wanted to rest for a bit and recover his stamina, but he knew that it would just summon more monsters that would interrupt his sleep . He could not afford to increase his fatigue any more through such encounters . . . HP: 4,511 / 8,330. MP: 660 / 790. Fatigue: 43. . ¡®I have to win with just this . ¡¯. . After performing a final check on his status, Jinwoo grabbed the handles of the door . . . guoooooooo-!. . As if moved by some unknown mechanism, the doors opened apart easily . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°High-level Knight¡¯s Breastplate¡± (?? ??? ??): ¡°advanced/high level¡± ?? + ¡°knight¡± ?? + ¡°breastplate¡± ??. [2]: All pretty literal and straight forward . The equipment are divided into 3 tiers, high-level, mid-level and low-level (??, ??, ??) . . Chapter 48 Kooong-! The doors of the boss room opened . Inside of the room was dark . Even with his raised sense stat, it was hard for Jinwoo to see inside . All that he could see was the front of his feet . The floor was neatly lined with stone slabs . The grey stones gave off a cold feeling compared to the heat of his body . The moment he took a step onto those slabs, flaaare-! The numerous torches that lined the interior of the room all lit up, illuminating the area . ¡®As I thought¡­ it¡¯s the same as the underground temple . ¡¯ Jinwoo could not lower his guard . He cautiously walked while observing his surroundings . The sides of the room contained giant pillars, and at the deep end of the room was a large throne . ¡®This reminds me of¡­¡¯ It was reminiscent of a king¡¯s throne room that he saw in a movie . Well, the scale was quite different . After he had taken few steps into the room, the door behind him closed with a loud sound . Slam! He took a glance back but did not panic . He had already predicted as much . He continued forward . ¡® . . . I sense a strong presence . ¡¯ He felt that to finish the class advancement quest, he would have to reach the throne ahead . That kind of thinking had mostly worked out so far, but he was wrong this time . As he neared the throne, an armored form hidden behind a pillar revealed itself and slowly walked in front of him, blocking his path . step step stop . The thing stopped and turned to face Jinwoo . gulp He knew this was the boss . Its name in red letters, floating above its head, told him as much . ¡®Knight Captain, Blood-red Ygritte¡¯ [1] It was a knight wearing a red armor . The armor part was same as the knights he had faced before, but compared to those lumbering enemies, this one looked a lot more agile . What stood out to Jinwoo was its helmet . The top of the helmet was adorned with a plumage . It was a streak of red hair that started from the top of the helmet and fell backwards, looking like a horse¡¯s tail . While looking over the helmet, Jinwoo noticed something else, ¡®He¡­ he has eyes?¡¯ Or rather, in the spot where a person¡¯s eyes should be, the opening of the helmet glowed with two silver lights . Its ¡°eyes¡± were reminiscent of light coming from a machine and gave off a sense of coldness . Those eyes were looking at Jinwoo . It raised the hair on the back of his neck . ¡®So this was the owner of the powerful presence¡­¡¯ Perhaps defeating it was the goal of the class advancement quest . If that was the case, Jinwoo had to be careful . He kept an eye on Ygritte¡¯s movements and raised his fists . ¡®Dagger won¡¯t work anyways . ¡¯ What was needed to defeat a knight was destructive power . He would need his strength . ¡° . . . ¡± Ygritte was watching Jinwoo, then suddenly removed its red cape . thud The cape fell onto the ground . ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Its strange behavior did not stop there . The knight took out the longsword and the two daggers at its sides and threw them on to the floor, one at a time . It was a slow, deliberate act, sending a message to Jinwoo . clang . clang . clang . The silence of the boss room was broken by the loud sounds of the metal falling onto the stone slabs . Having discarded his weapons, Ygritte raised his fists and took a fighting stance, imitating the Hunter . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened . ¡®Is this bastard¡­¡¯ Was he going to fight him in a hand-to-hand combat because Jinwoo did not take out a weapon? The Hunter bit his lips . ¡® . . . Looking down on me?¡¯ The monster had succeeded in taunting Jinwoo without using a skill . However, Jinwoo maintained his focus . The angrier he got, the more he cooled himself . Compared to the increasing speed of his heartbeat, Jinwoo¡¯s eyes shone with sharpness . ¡®Come . ¡¯ As if reading his mind, Ygritte charged at him in a straight line . step, step, step, step! It was an unthinkable speed for an armored being . ¡®My armor said strength below eighty resulted in a movement penalty . ¡¯ That meant the opponent¡¯s strength was at least 80! On top of that, the knight¡¯s movements revealed that his agility was not at all below a high-ranking Hunter . Ygritte came before Jinwoo and leaped . Step! The knight aimed a knee at Jinwoo . ¡®He¡¯s fast!¡¯ But Jinwoo was not about to lose in speed . He bent his body backwards in a near 90-degree angle and dodged Ygritte¡¯s attack . He quickly raised his body and turned to face the boss . Unlike the knights that lost to their momentum and continued after missing their charge, Ygritte immediately turned around after landing . Koong! There was no time to be impressed by his clean movements . Jinwoo quickly ran to Ygritte before he fully turned around and aimed a kick at his face . However, even while turning around, the knight accurately moved his arm . Bang! Jinwoo¡¯s right leg was easily stopped by Ygritte¡¯s left hand . ¡®Impossible!¡¯ Jinwoo was surprised . While Jinwoo¡¯s leg was still off the ground, Ygritte¡¯s fist flew straight toward him . woosh-! The Hunter reflexively put up both arms to guard but could not completely block the impact . Bang! The punch broke through his guard, and Jinwoo felt his body tossed into the air . ¡°What?¡± Jinwoo exclaimed in shock but the sound from his mouth quickly turned to a groan . ¡° . . . ?¡± Ygritte was already right before his eyes . Before he could react, Jinwoo¡¯s face was greeted by the knight¡¯s left fist . Smash! The Hunter bounced on the ground and rolled across the room . tiiiiiiing- When he finally stopped and got up, Jinwoo¡¯s ears were ringing . He shook his head few times and the ringing eased up a bit . However, there was a bigger problem approaching . Through his blurred vision, Jinwoo saw Ygritte walking towards him . step step Jinwoo opened his eyes wide and focused strength into his legs . Ygritte stopped at an arm¡¯s reach before him . A slugfest began between the pair . Ygritte did not make any attempts to dodge Jinwoo¡¯s attacks . He took the man¡¯s fist and counterattacked with his own . Bam! The knight¡¯s head turned slightly . Even before Jinwoo¡¯s hand retracted after punching, the knight struck with a blinding speed . Pow! Jinwoo¡¯s body swayed . Smash! This time, Ygritte took a step backwards . Bash! The knight¡¯s fists struck Jinwoo¡¯s stomach, and the Hunter bent over . ¡°cough!¡± Blood came out of the man¡¯s mouth . ¡®So much for physical damage reduction¡­¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s physical damage reduction was at a whopping 30% with his equipment . But each of Ygritte¡¯s punches hurt like a hammer slamming into on him . On the other hand, his own attacks did not seem to do much damage to the knight . The pair¡¯s exchange did not last long . Smash! Shaking, Jinwoo finally took a knee . thud . He tried to rise again but could not find the strength . thud . ¡°Grrl¡­¡± Ygritte stood before Jinwoo and stopped his attacks . The knight stared down at the man . ¡® . . . ?¡¯ The crimson figure ignored the eyes looking at him with confusion and stretched a hand towards the sword in the distance . The knight¡¯s sword flew across the air into his hand . Jinwoo realized what Ygritte was going to do . ¡®You want to execute me, is that it?¡¯ It truly deserved its title of ¡°Knight Captain¡± . When Jinwoo did not particularly make any movements to resist, Ygritte raised his sword to behead the Hunter . The sword fell in a straight line towards the man¡¯s neck . However, Jinwoo had no intention of going that easily . slash- Jinwoo¡¯s left hand shot up and blocked the falling blade . Clang! It made an unexpected sound of metal striking metal! The gauntlet that he had earned before coming here had protected his hand . ! He felt Ygritte¡¯s shock . Not missing the opportunity, Jinwoo¡¯s threw his right fist at the knight . As expected, Ygritte did not show any indication that he would dodge . ¡®You¡¯re just going to counterattack again, right?¡¯ The monster¡¯s calculation was to exchange blow for blow . However, there was something that was not included in his calculation . ¡®Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang!¡¯ shooo- In an infinitesimal moment, the fist that was flying towards Ygritte¡¯s face was holding the summoned dagger . Jinwoo dug his dagger into the knight¡¯s eyes . Stab! Kuwaaaaaah! An inhuman scream spilled forth from the helmet . At the same time, the eyes struck by Jinwoo¡¯s dagger shone with a powerful light . Jinwoo stood up . ¡®Now what?¡¯ The battle was not over just because he took one eye . He needed something more powerful . A memory flashed across Jinwoo¡¯s mind . That attack that nearly killed him in the past! Let¡¯s use that again Ygritte . His body moved before his mind could give the order . Jinwoo lowered his body and hugged Ygritte¡¯s waist . He started running . Kuwaaaaak! While thrashing about in pain, Ygritte repeatedly struck Jinwoo¡¯s back . The man clenched his teeth and did not let go of the knight . Instead, he raised his speed . ¡°Sprint!¡± Your movement speed is increased by 40% . The Hunter¡¯s legs moved faster . He reached a speed where his entire body was shaking . ¡®Yes, like this . ¡¯ He would slam him into the wall with this speed! Jinwoo did not ease up on the strength that was holding the knight¡¯s waist and ran with all of his might towards the wall . Of course, he knew that the damage to his own body would not be minimal at this speed, but Jinwoo had a passive skill as a trump card . He was almost there! The wall was just ahead . Kuang-! SLAM! With a scream, Ygritte was slammed into the wall . At the same time, a System message appeared . ring~! Your health has fallen below 30% . ¡®Unyielding Spirit¡¯ has been activated . All damage received is reduced by 50% . The shock of the attack was powerful enough to shake the entire room . ¡°Kuuk . ¡¯ Jinwoo took a step back . Even stuck to the wall, Ygritte was still alive . Jinwoo felt the blazing lifeforce emanating from the knight . ¡® . . . I have to end it . ¡¯ He removed Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang from where it was stuck . Ygritte¡¯s body flinched as he took the dagger . Jinwoo grabbed the dagger like an ice pick and brought it down at the knight¡¯s neck . ¡®Vital Stab!¡¯ Clang! The attack did not pierce . One more time . ¡®Vital Stab!¡¯ Clang! Sparks flew from the dagger¡¯s tip . A small scratch appeared in the armor . Again . ¡®Vital Stab!¡¯ Clang! Again . Clang! Again . Clang! And finally . ¡®Vital Stab!¡¯ Crack! Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang dug itself deep into the knight¡¯s neck . You¡¯ve defeated the Knight Captain, Blood-red Ygritte . You¡¯ve leveled up! You¡¯ve leveled up! Jinwoo raised his arms high into the air . While walking backwards, he lost the strength in his legs and fell to the ground . ¡°pant, pant . ¡± He panted like he was about to throw up . This was a barely obtained victory . It was an incredibly close fight . ¡®So¡­ is that it? Am I done with the quest?¡¯ After trying to collect his breath for some time, Jinwoo finally got up with difficulty . He had expected the class advancement quest to finish after defeating Ygritte, but no messages appeared . Looking around, nothing had really changed . Well, there was one thing . There were several streaks of light coming from Ygritte¡¯s body . It was the calling card of items . ¡®Let¡¯s grab those first . ¡¯ He wasn¡¯t sure what was about to happen next . He judged that he should grab what he could for now . Jinwoo stretched a hand towards the light . You¡¯ve found the ¡°Red Knight¡¯s Helmet¡± Would you like to acquire it? You¡¯ve found a ¡°Runestone: Ruler¡¯s Hands¡±[2] Would you like to acquire it? You¡¯ve found a ¡°Leather Pouch¡± Would you like to acquire it? You¡¯ve found an ¡°Instant Return Stone¡± Would you like to acquire it? Why was there so many? Jinwoo was suspicious but could not hide his happiness . ¡®Acquire all . ¡¯ The leather pouch was the first to be obtained . You¡¯ve opened the leather pouch . There was 1,500,000 gold inside . You¡¯ve acquired 1,500,000 gold . Jinwoo was taken back . ¡®The reward is in a different class . ¡¯ As expected, the difficulty in taking down the boss resulted in a great reward . Even the leather pouch, which he did not have much expectations on, gave him an insane amount of gold . This would be quite useful for the shop . However, Jinwoo was more interested in the other items . If just the leather pouch gave him this much, just what about the helmet and the Runestone? He opened the information screen on the helmet with an excited heart . ring~ Red Knight¡¯s Helmet Rarity: S Type: Armor Physical Damage Reduction +15% Strength +20, Constitution +20 ¡°S-rank!¡± Jinwoo let out a scream of joy . Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Knight Captain, Blood-red Ygritte¡± (???? ??? ????): ¡°knights/knightcorp leader/captain¡± ???? + ¡°color of blood¡± ??? + proper name . This might be weird, but the korean spelling of its name is exactly the same as Ygritte from Game of Thrones, ¡°Yi¡± ? + ¡°Geu¡± ? + ¡°Ri¡± ? + ¡°Teu¡± ? . Not sure if it¡¯s an homage . The knight is male, however . [2]: ¡°Ruler¡¯s Hands¡± (???? ??): ¡°ruler¡± ??? + ¡°touch/hands¡± ?? Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 48. . Kooong-!. . The doors of the boss room opened . Inside of the room was dark . Even with his raised sense stat, it was hard for Jinwoo to see inside . All that he could see was the front of his feet . The floor was neatly lined with stone slabs . The grey stones gave off a cold feeling compared to the heat of his body . . . The moment he took a step onto those slabs,. . flaaare-!. . The numerous torches that lined the interior of the room all lit up, illuminating the area . . . ¡®As I thought¡­ it¡¯s the same as the underground temple . ¡¯. . Jinwoo could not lower his guard . He cautiously walked while observing his surroundings . The sides of the room contained giant pillars, and at the deep end of the room was a large throne . . . ¡®This reminds me of¡­¡¯. . It was reminiscent of a king¡¯s throne room that he saw in a movie . Well, the scale was quite different . . . After he had taken few steps into the room, the door behind him closed with a loud sound . . . Slam!. . He took a glance back but did not panic . He had already predicted as much . He continued forward . . . ¡® . I sense a strong presence . ¡¯. . He felt that to finish the class advancement quest, he would have to reach the throne ahead . That kind of thinking had mostly worked out so far, but he was wrong this time . . . As he neared the throne, an armored form hidden behind a pillar revealed itself and slowly walked in front of him, blocking his path . . . step step. . stop . . . The thing stopped and turned to face Jinwoo . . . gulp. . He knew this was the boss . Its name in red letters, floating above its head, told him as much . . . ¡®Knight Captain, Blood-red Ygritte¡¯ [1]. . It was a knight wearing a red armor . The armor part was same as the knights he had faced before, but compared to those lumbering enemies, this one looked a lot more agile . What stood out to Jinwoo was its helmet . The top of the helmet was adorned with a plumage . It was a streak of red hair that started from the top of the helmet and fell backwards, looking like a horse¡¯s tail . While looking over the helmet, Jinwoo noticed something else,. . ¡®He¡­ he has eyes?¡¯. . Or rather, in the spot where a person¡¯s eyes should be, the opening of the helmet glowed with two silver lights . Its ¡°eyes¡± were reminiscent of light coming from a machine and gave off a sense of coldness . Those eyes were looking at Jinwoo . It raised the hair on the back of his neck . . . ¡®So this was the owner of the powerful presence¡­¡¯. . Perhaps defeating it was the goal of the class advancement quest . If that was the case, Jinwoo had to be careful . He kept an eye on Ygritte¡¯s movements and raised his fists . . . ¡®Dagger won¡¯t work anyways . ¡¯. . What was needed to defeat a knight was destructive power . He would need his strength . . . ¡° . ¡±. . Ygritte was watching Jinwoo, then suddenly removed its red cape . . . thud. . The cape fell onto the ground . . . ¡®Hmm?¡¯. . Its strange behavior did not stop there . . . The knight took out the longsword and the two daggers at its sides and threw them on to the floor, one at a time . It was a slow, deliberate act, sending a message to Jinwoo . . . clang . . . clang . clang . . . The silence of the boss room was broken by the loud sounds of the metal falling onto the stone slabs . Having discarded his weapons, Ygritte raised his fists and took a fighting stance, imitating the Hunter . . . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened . . . ¡®Is this bastard¡­¡¯. . Was he going to fight him in a hand-to-hand combat because Jinwoo did not take out a weapon? The Hunter bit his lips . . . ¡® . Looking down on me?¡¯. . The monster had succeeded in taunting Jinwoo without using a skill . However, Jinwoo maintained his focus . The angrier he got, the more he cooled himself . Compared to the increasing speed of his heartbeat, Jinwoo¡¯s eyes shone with sharpness . . . ¡®Come . ¡¯. . As if reading his mind, Ygritte charged at him in a straight line . . . step, step, step, step!. . It was an unthinkable speed for an armored being . . . ¡®My armor said strength below eighty resulted in a movement penalty . ¡¯. . That meant the opponent¡¯s strength was at least 80! On top of that, the knight¡¯s movements revealed that his agility was not at all below a high-ranking Hunter . . . Ygritte came before Jinwoo and leaped . . . Step!. . The knight aimed a knee at Jinwoo . . . ¡®He¡¯s fast!¡¯. . But Jinwoo was not about to lose in speed . He bent his body backwards in a near 90-degree angle and dodged Ygritte¡¯s attack . He quickly raised his body and turned to face the boss . Unlike the knights that lost to their momentum and continued after missing their charge, Ygritte immediately turned around after landing . . . Koong!. . There was no time to be impressed by his clean movements . Jinwoo quickly ran to Ygritte before he fully turned around and aimed a kick at his face . However, even while turning around, the knight accurately moved his arm . . . Bang!. . Jinwoo¡¯s right leg was easily stopped by Ygritte¡¯s left hand . . . ¡®Impossible!¡¯. . Jinwoo was surprised . While Jinwoo¡¯s leg was still off the ground, Ygritte¡¯s fist flew straight toward him . . . woosh-!. . The Hunter reflexively put up both arms to guard but could not completely block the impact . . . Bang!. . The punch broke through his guard, and Jinwoo felt his body tossed into the air . . . ¡°What?¡±. . Jinwoo exclaimed in shock but the sound from his mouth quickly turned to a groan . . . ¡° . ?¡±. . Ygritte was already right before his eyes . Before he could react, Jinwoo¡¯s face was greeted by the knight¡¯s left fist . . . Smash!. . The Hunter bounced on the ground and rolled across the room . . . tiiiiiiing-. . When he finally stopped and got up, Jinwoo¡¯s ears were ringing . He shook his head few times and the ringing eased up a bit . However, there was a bigger problem approaching . Through his blurred vision, Jinwoo saw Ygritte walking towards him . . . step step. . Jinwoo opened his eyes wide and focused strength into his legs . Ygritte stopped at an arm¡¯s reach before him . . . A slugfest began between the pair . . . Ygritte did not make any attempts to dodge Jinwoo¡¯s attacks . He took the man¡¯s fist and counterattacked with his own . . . Bam!. . The knight¡¯s head turned slightly . Even before Jinwoo¡¯s hand retracted after punching, the knight struck with a blinding speed . . . Pow!. . Jinwoo¡¯s body swayed . . . Smash!. . This time, Ygritte took a step backwards . . . Bash!. . The knight¡¯s fists struck Jinwoo¡¯s stomach, and the Hunter bent over . . . ¡°cough!¡±. . Blood came out of the man¡¯s mouth . . . ¡®So much for physical damage reduction¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s physical damage reduction was at a whopping 30% with his equipment . But each of Ygritte¡¯s punches hurt like a hammer slamming into on him . On the other hand, his own attacks did not seem to do much damage to the knight . The pair¡¯s exchange did not last long . . . Smash!. . Shaking, Jinwoo finally took a knee . . . thud . . . He tried to rise again but could not find the strength . . . thud . . . ¡°Grrl¡­¡±. . Ygritte stood before Jinwoo and stopped his attacks . The knight stared down at the man . . . ¡® . ?¡¯. . The crimson figure ignored the eyes looking at him with confusion and stretched a hand towards the sword in the distance . The knight¡¯s sword flew across the air into his hand . Jinwoo realized what Ygritte was going to do . . . ¡®You want to execute me, is that it?¡¯. . It truly deserved its title of ¡°Knight Captain¡± . When Jinwoo did not particularly make any movements to resist, Ygritte raised his sword to behead the Hunter . The sword fell in a straight line towards the man¡¯s neck . . . However, Jinwoo had no intention of going that easily . . . slash-. . Jinwoo¡¯s left hand shot up and blocked the falling blade . . . Clang!. . It made an unexpected sound of metal striking metal! The gauntlet that he had earned before coming here had protected his hand . . . !. . He felt Ygritte¡¯s shock . Not missing the opportunity, Jinwoo¡¯s threw his right fist at the knight . As expected, Ygritte did not show any indication that he would dodge . . . ¡®You¡¯re just going to counterattack again, right?¡¯. . The monster¡¯s calculation was to exchange blow for blow . However, there was something that was not included in his calculation . . . ¡®Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang!¡¯. . shooo-. . In an infinitesimal moment, the fist that was flying towards Ygritte¡¯s face was holding the summoned dagger . Jinwoo dug his dagger into the knight¡¯s eyes . . . Stab!. . Kuwaaaaaah!. . An inhuman scream spilled forth from the helmet . At the same time, the eyes struck by Jinwoo¡¯s dagger shone with a powerful light . Jinwoo stood up . . . ¡®Now what?¡¯. . The battle was not over just because he took one eye . He needed something more powerful . A memory flashed across Jinwoo¡¯s mind . That attack that nearly killed him in the past! Let¡¯s use that again Ygritte . His body moved before his mind could give the order . Jinwoo lowered his body and hugged Ygritte¡¯s waist . He started running . . . Kuwaaaaak!. . While thrashing about in pain, Ygritte repeatedly struck Jinwoo¡¯s back . The man clenched his teeth and did not let go of the knight . Instead, he raised his speed . . . ¡°Sprint!¡±. . Your movement speed is increased by 40% . . . The Hunter¡¯s legs moved faster . He reached a speed where his entire body was shaking . . . ¡®Yes, like this . ¡¯. . He would slam him into the wall with this speed!. . Jinwoo did not ease up on the strength that was holding the knight¡¯s waist and ran with all of his might towards the wall . Of course, he knew that the damage to his own body would not be minimal at this speed, but Jinwoo had a passive skill as a trump card . . . He was almost there! The wall was just ahead . . . Kuang-!. . SLAM!. . With a scream, Ygritte was slammed into the wall . At the same time, a System message appeared . . . ring~!. . Your health has fallen below 30% . ¡®Unyielding Spirit¡¯ has been activated . . All damage received is reduced by 50% . . . The shock of the attack was powerful enough to shake the entire room . . . ¡°Kuuk . ¡¯. . Jinwoo took a step back . Even stuck to the wall, Ygritte was still alive . Jinwoo felt the blazing lifeforce emanating from the knight . . . ¡® . I have to end it . ¡¯. . He removed Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang from where it was stuck . Ygritte¡¯s body flinched as he took the dagger . Jinwoo grabbed the dagger like an ice pick and brought it down at the knight¡¯s neck . . . ¡®Vital Stab!¡¯. . Clang!. . The attack did not pierce . . . One more time . . . ¡®Vital Stab!¡¯. . Clang!. . Sparks flew from the dagger¡¯s tip . A small scratch appeared in the armor . . . Again . . . ¡®Vital Stab!¡¯. . Clang!. . Again . . . Clang!. . Again . . . Clang!. . And finally . . . ¡®Vital Stab!¡¯. . Crack!. . Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang dug itself deep into the knight¡¯s neck . . . You¡¯ve defeated the Knight Captain, Blood-red Ygritte . . . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . Jinwoo raised his arms high into the air . While walking backwards, he lost the strength in his legs and fell to the ground . . . ¡°pant, pant . ¡±. . He panted like he was about to throw up . This was a barely obtained victory . It was an incredibly close fight . . . ¡®So¡­ is that it? Am I done with the quest?¡¯. . After trying to collect his breath for some time, Jinwoo finally got up with difficulty . He had expected the class advancement quest to finish after defeating Ygritte, but no messages appeared . Looking around, nothing had really changed . Well, there was one thing . There were several streaks of light coming from Ygritte¡¯s body . It was the calling card of items . . . ¡®Let¡¯s grab those first . ¡¯. . He wasn¡¯t sure what was about to happen next . He judged that he should grab what he could for now . Jinwoo stretched a hand towards the light . . . You¡¯ve found the ¡°Red Knight¡¯s Helmet¡±. Would you like to acquire it?. . You¡¯ve found a ¡°Runestone: Ruler¡¯s Hands¡±[2]. Would you like to acquire it?. . You¡¯ve found a ¡°Leather Pouch¡±. Would you like to acquire it?. . You¡¯ve found an ¡°Instant Return Stone¡±. Would you like to acquire it?. . Why was there so many? Jinwoo was suspicious but could not hide his happiness . . . ¡®Acquire all . ¡¯. . The leather pouch was the first to be obtained . . . You¡¯ve opened the leather pouch . . There was 1,500,000 gold inside . . You¡¯ve acquired 1,500,000 gold . . . Jinwoo was taken back . . . ¡®The reward is in a different class . ¡¯. . As expected, the difficulty in taking down the boss resulted in a great reward . Even the leather pouch, which he did not have much expectations on, gave him an insane amount of gold . This would be quite useful for the shop . However, Jinwoo was more interested in the other items . If just the leather pouch gave him this much, just what about the helmet and the Runestone? He opened the information screen on the helmet with an excited heart . . . ring~. . Red Knight¡¯s Helmet. Rarity: S. Type: Armor. Physical Damage Reduction +15%. Strength +20, Constitution +20. . ¡°S-rank!¡±. . Jinwoo let out a scream of joy . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Knight Captain, Blood-red Ygritte¡± (???? ??? ????): ¡°knights/knightcorp leader/captain¡± ???? + ¡°color of blood¡± ??? + proper name . This might be weird, but the korean spelling of its name is exactly the same as Ygritte from Game of Thrones, ¡°Yi¡± ? + ¡°Geu¡± ? + ¡°Ri¡± ? + ¡°Teu¡± ? . Not sure if it¡¯s an homage . The knight is male, however . . [2]: ¡°Ruler¡¯s Hands¡± (???? ??): ¡°ruler¡± ??? + ¡°touch/hands¡± ??. Chapter 49 This was the first S-rank equipment he had found . On top of the incredible benefit of reducing physical damage taken by 15%, it also had a powerful effect of giving strength and constitution a 20 point boost . Jinwoo¡¯s chest pounded in excitement at the item . ¡®It¡¯s incomparable to the A-rank equipment . ¡¯ He had obtained 2 A-rank items so far . The first was Casaka¡¯s Venom Gland from taking down Casaka . The second was the Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace from Cerberus . Even those two were plenty powerful . While the Venom Gland did technically have a penalty on strength, it still was a powerful item that gave him a permanent 20% physical damage reduction . And the Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace? It was an amazing item that gave 20 points to both agility and sense . The benefit of those two stats only became more apparent as time passed . And the ¡°Red Knight¡¯s Helmet¡± that he obtained had effects that nearly combined those two A-rank items . And without any penalties . ¡®It¡¯s really the best . ¡¯ Jinwoo could not help but smile despite of the difficult fight . There was one more minor thing; he actually liked the design of the helmet . ¡®Shame that I won¡¯t be able to show it off . ¡¯ The helmet shone with the color of blood . Along with the long plumage, it was almost like a work of art . For a brief moment, Jinwoo would¡¯ve liked to obtain and wear the full set of the crimson armor . Unfortunately, ¡®Regrettable¡­¡¯ The other pieces of Ygritte¡¯s armor did not appear as drops . Only the helmet had been obtained . Jinwoo put aside the small regret and carefully put on the helmet . shooo- As always, the item disappeared the moment he equipped it . Although he could not show off its form, the helmet greatly increased his attributes . Stats Strength: 128 (+20) Constitution: 87 (+20) Agility: 107 Intelligence: 66 Sense: 89 (Available stat points: 0) Physical Damage Reduction: 46% (+15%) The boost of the helmet was temporarily shown in parenthesis . Strength, constitution and even physical damage reduction had been greatly increased . Jinwoo was immensely satisfied . Confirming the effects with his eyes made his heart race . ¡®Wait . ¡¯ Jinwoo shook his head . ¡®The quest is not over . I need to calm myself . ¡¯ There was one more item he had to check . Still excited, Jinwoo looked over the two remaining items . Runestone: Ruler¡¯s Hands Instant Return Stone Two stones . Jinwoo first looked at the ¡°Instant Return Stone¡± . It was a piece of rock slightly bigger than a walnut . ¡®I know what a Runestone is, but¡­¡¯ What was an ¡°Instant¡± Return Stone? His curiosity was quickly answered . The stone¡¯s information came up in front of him . ring~ Instant Return Stone Rarity: ??? Type: Consumable Class Advancement Quest Item Break to immediately return to the outside of the Dungeon . This item will disappear once the quest is complete . You may not keep this item in your inventory . The way to use it was the same as a Runestone . Instead of a skill, breaking it would take him to the outside . ¡®Wait, so the class advancement quest isn¡¯t over?¡¯ According to the item¡¯s description, if the quest was over, it should¡¯ve been destroyed . That meant . . . A chill ran down Jinwoo¡¯s spine . It was a strange feeling . He received a way to exit the Dungeon in case of an emergency, so why did he feel so uneasy? If this was something that could be used in a real Dungeon, the stone¡¯s value would be incalculable . The little rock was equivalent to a lifesaving device, who would be stingy with their money on something like that? Of course, Jinwoo felt the same way . This should¡¯ve decreased the danger in the quest greatly . ¡®If I wanted to, I can leave any time I want¡­¡¯ Despite all this, he could not shake the dread that he was feeling . As if it was waiting, the System warned him with its tone . ring . The player has obtained the Instant Return Stone . The Class Advancement Quest will now begin . Ah! So this was the item that started the quest! Jinwoo was shocked . He felt like he had stepped on a mine that could¡¯ve been avoided . ¡®If I knew this, I would¡¯ve rested before picking it up¡­¡¯ It was too late to regret it now . No matter how much he combined his experience and intelligence, it was impossible to predict the future with a 100% certainty . Cold sweat gathered on his brows . He checked his status . HP: 4,161 / 10,270 MP: 390 / 850 Fatigue: 61 ¡®The fatigue is a bit high, but it¡¯s still manageable . ¡¯ Thanks to the increase in constitution from the helmet, both his current and maximum health went up proportionately . Thank goodness for that . Jinwoo tried to cheer himself up a little . ¡®This is still doable . For now . ¡¯ Ultimately, his life wouldn¡¯t be in danger . He was holding the Instant Return Stone in his hand . But no matter how he thought about it, the stone represented giving-up on the quest . If not, it would not have been given to him as the starting signal . ¡®And if I give-up on the quest¡­¡¯ It¡¯d be no different than giving up on obtaining a class . The sweat that gathered now fell in streaks down his face . gulp The System¡¯s next message appeared . ring . In 10 seconds, dimensional gates will start opening at random . ¡®Dimensional gates?¡¯ [1] Before he could figure out what those words meant, the System produced a huge screen with numbers high in the air . 00:00:10 Well, that was easy enough to understand . It was probably the countdown it spoke of earlier . The messages continued . The player has a choice: Use the Instant Return Stone to escape the Dungeon, . . . 8, 7, 6¡­ The countdown continued . Or endure as long as possible and obtain the advancement points required for class advancement . ¡°Endure? Endure what?¡± Jinwoo uttered loudly in frustration . His hand was already holding Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang, summoned from the inventory . The Runestone was placed in the inventory, and the Instant Return Stone that he could not store was placed in his back pocket . While his heart felt like it was about to explode, he had finished his combat preparations . This was Sung Jinwoo . The Class Advancement Quest will begin soon . . . . 4, 3, 2 . Jinwoo stared at the numbers counting down, then surveilled his surroundings . His gaze quickly fell here and there . Something was about to start . The air in the room started to twist and become distorted . 00:00:01 I wish you luck . What? It was the first time the System displayed a semblance of emotion, but there was no time to be surprised . The moment the timer hit 0, gates[2] started appearing in various places around the room . woong- woong- It wasn¡¯t just one or two . There were 6 close to him, behind them were many more appearing . At the same time, the timer started to count forward . 00:00:02 The countdown had started again . This time, it would time his trial here . The advancement points would depend on his record . The System wasn¡¯t fully clear, but Jinwoo understood as much . ¡®I¡¯ll become stronger the more I endure . ¡¯ More accurately, he would obtain a more powerful class . He could not waste an opportunity like this . There was breathing room in his HP and MP . ¡®Let¡¯s endure as much as I can . ¡¯ 00:00:03 The exact moment the timer reached 3 seconds, the nearest gates started spawning a multitude of knights without weapons . clack-clack-clack-clack The ground shook as the armored knights got into formation . They looked like a silver tidal wave frozen in time, waiting to crash down upon him . Even in face of the oppressive force, a smile appeared on Jinwoo¡¯s face . ¡®If it¡¯s just this much, I can take them on . ¡¯ In a way, he was thankful that it was just this level of enemies . If something like Ygritte came out of those gates, he couldn¡¯t imagine lasting more than seconds . ¡®Stealth!¡¯ Jinwoo used what little mana he had left to go into ¡®Stealth¡¯ . ¡®It¡¯s a lot, but I¡¯ll use it to first check out the situation . ¡¯ shooo- The Hunter¡¯s form disappeared from sight . As expected, the knights that were running toward him all slowed down and stopped . Unfortunately, something happened that Jinwoo did not expect, A mage has used ¡®Eye of Detection¡¯ . [3] The System beeped with warning . Jinwoo turned his head towards the sound . ¡®What?¡¯ A mage that had appeared from one of the gates was casting a spell . Jinwoo saw an eye-shaped mark above its head . The mark sparkled, and Jinwoo¡¯s ¡®Stealth¡¯ was released . ¡®Shit!¡¯ His plans went kaput from the start . turn . turn . The knights that stood motionless after he disappeared turned their heads in unison towards Jinwoo . It was a scene straight out of a horror movie . The silver tidal wave fell upon the man . He clenched his teeth and prepared himself . Bang! His punch blew off a knight¡¯s head . His victim fell on the spot . You¡¯ve defeated the Knight . A light gathered in Jinwoo¡¯s eyes . ¡®Bloodlust!¡¯ Bloodlust has been activated . Fear has been inflicted . The targets will lose 50% of all attributes for 1 minute . He was able to slow many of the monsters with the fear¡¯s effects, but his mana had fallen all the way to 90 . The ¡®Bloodlust¡¯ mana cost was 100 . He would not be able to use it again . ¡®But I bought myself a minute with this . ¡¯ In the single minute that the monsters¡¯ attributes were lowered, Jinwoo merciless destroyed as many enemies as he could . Bang! Crack! Boom! Kaboom! In face of the Hunter¡¯s terrifying might, the knights crumpled left and right . Bang! Boom! Crack! However, the speed at which new knights spawned outpaced Jinwoo¡¯s ability to destroy them . clack-clack-clack-clack In the middle of frantic melee, Jinwoo checked the time . 00:03:19 3 minutes and 19 seconds . Jinwoo wondered how many points that translated to . What would he receive if he left now? The situation was becoming more and more unbearable by the second . The onslaught of the knights continued from the gates . He had destroyed many of them, but their numbers remained uncountable . ¡°Uwaaaaah-!¡± Eventually, Jinwoo was buried in the mass of the knights . ¡®Unyielding Spirit¡¯ has been activated . ¡®Unyielding Spirit¡¯ has been activated . He began to feel his health plummet . HP: 1,036 / 10,270 ¡®And the time¡­?¡¯ 00:05:08 5 minutes and 8 seconds . He had endured as long as he could . ¡® . . . Let¡¯s leave . ¡¯ At the bottom of the suffocating dogpile of the knights, Jinwoo reached into his back pocket with effort . But¡­ drop The Instant Return Stone slipped from his hands . roll roll roll The round stone was kicked by a knight¡¯s heel and rolled far away . ¡°NO!!!¡± Jinwoo futilely stretched his hand towards his lifeline but could not get through the knights . More knights piled on top of him . It was becoming hard to breathe . ¡®Unyielding Spirit¡¯ has been activated . ¡®Unyielding Spirit¡¯ has been activated . He felt his consciousness fade . clang! clang clang! In the chaos of the knights clashing on top of him, Jinwoo heard a laughter coming from somewhere . - ¡°Didn¡¯t you bring all this down on yourself?¡± ¡® . . . ¡¯ - ¡°Why go down such a dangerous path over a safe one? If an E-rank Hunter became a B-rank, or even a C-rank, wouldn¡¯t it have been an incredible stroke of luck?¡± ¡® . . . ¡± - ¡°I guess this is all you¡¯re worth . ¡± ¡® . . . Shut up . ¡¯ - ¡°You are the reason you will die here . ¡± Shut! Up! BOOM! The knights that had piled up on Jinwoo were all blasted back . Even on the edge of death, the Hunter¡¯s eyes were still alive . They were filled with the spirit of determination . ¡®I¡¯m not going to let it end like this . ¡¯ Just how do you think he obtained this opportunity? No . It would not end here . He knew what it was like to be at the absolute bottom of the world, and that¡¯s why he desired to stand at the absolute peak . More than anyone else, he knew the weak one¡¯s pain . He had done cowardly things to survive and was met with ridicule in doing so . ¡°How much of a help could an E-ranker be?¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s the Association, couldn¡¯t they have sent someone more helpful? This guy¡¯s just¡­¡± ¡°Is that punk just surviving by hiding behind his teammates?¡± The ladder to the peak that he had only dreamt about had finally appeared before him . Did they expect him to just stare and do nothing? There was no way . ¡® . . . I remember . ¡¯ That voice in his head . It was ¡°their¡± voice . The voices that whispered behind his back . Sure, go ahead . Laugh . I will struggle until the end . It doesn¡¯t matter if my health is 10 or 1 . I will fight to the bitter end . Until my bones are dust and my muscles are torn . ¡°UWAAAH-!¡± Jinwoo threw his body at the knights . Smash! His fist flew forward . A knight¡¯s breastplate caved in and its wearer was sent flying . Like a bowling ball, the flying body knocked down other knights in its path . Unrelenting, the knights charged at him once more . Jinwoo struggled even harder . Bang! Smash! Boom! Fists . Elbows . Knees . Feet . Jinwoo threw every part of his body at his enemies . Each time he attacked, a knight crumpled like a paper doll . Your fatigue is over 70 . Your movements will be restricted . As the warning said, his body began to slow down . But the light in Jinwoo¡¯s eyes did not fade . Eventually, the knights continued even after one or two hits . Still, if they won¡¯t go down in one hit, he would just strike them twice . If they won¡¯t go down in two hits, he would strike them three times . Four times . Five times . Crack! . . . 8, 7, 6, 5 Meanwhile, some sort of a countdown was happening . Jinwoo was focused on the battle at hand and had not noticed it before . ¡®What? Is the quest ending?¡¯ His brief moment of hope was quickly dashed . 00:06:27 The quest timer was still climbing . Whatever was happening in front of him was unrelated to the timer . 4, 3, 2 ¡®Are you counting down to my death?¡¯ Jinwoo thought to the System . He remembered the first time it spoke to him . How it threatened to stop his heart in 0 . 02 seconds if he did not accept becoming a player . Good . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes opened wide . ¡®I¡¯ll use you until the very last second . ¡¯ Bang! Kaboom! Two more knights were crushed . However, compared to his fighting spirit, Jinwoo¡¯s body was unrecognizable . The strength behind his shoulders were gone . The slowed fists could no longer block the knights¡¯ attacks . One from the front, one from the back . Bam! Crushed between the two charging knights, Jinwoo let out a painful groan . ¡°Kuk!¡± Not missing the opening, the knights closed in on Jinwoo once more . Imprisoned by the multitude, he could not lift a finger . clack-clack-clack-clack Even still, more and more knights piled towards the Hunter . The silver tide turned in to a silver mountain . Jinwoo breathed what he imagined to be his last breaths . ¡°Hah . . . Hah¡­!¡± So this was the end . Somehow, Jinwoo found a small opening and stretched his hand to the sky . It was a meaningless gesture in the moment . HP: 93 / 10,270 The situation was hopeless . But Jinwoo did not give up . ¡®No, not yet¡­ just¡­ a little more¡­¡¯ The hand that was held to the sky clenched into a fist . In that moment, the unknown countdown finished . . . . 1, 0 You¡¯ve failed to complete the Daily Quest . You will now be moved to the Penalty Zone . Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°dimensional gates¡± (??? ?): ¡°dimension¡± ?? + ¡°door/gate¡± ? . Not the same word as the ¡°Gates¡± that have Dungeons . [2]: ¡°gates¡±: I¡¯m not sure if it means anything, but this time, Jinwoo uses the english word for ¡°Gates¡± . The same as the ¡°Gates¡± that have Dungeons . [3]: ¡°eye of detection¡± (??? ??): ¡°detect/spy/search¡± ?? + ¡°eyes/sight¡± ?? Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 49. . This was the first S-rank equipment he had found . On top of the incredible benefit of reducing physical damage taken by 15%, it also had a powerful effect of giving strength and constitution a 20 point boost . Jinwoo¡¯s chest pounded in excitement at the item . . . ¡®It¡¯s incomparable to the A-rank equipment . ¡¯. . He had obtained 2 A-rank items so far . The first was Casaka¡¯s Venom Gland from taking down Casaka . The second was the Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace from Cerberus . Even those two were plenty powerful . While the Venom Gland did technically have a penalty on strength, it still was a powerful item that gave him a permanent 20% physical damage reduction . And the Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace? It was an amazing item that gave 20 points to both agility and sense . The benefit of those two stats only became more apparent as time passed . . . And the ¡°Red Knight¡¯s Helmet¡± that he obtained had effects that nearly combined those two A-rank items . And without any penalties . . . ¡®It¡¯s really the best . ¡¯. . Jinwoo could not help but smile despite of the difficult fight . There was one more minor thing; he actually liked the design of the helmet . . . ¡®Shame that I won¡¯t be able to show it off . ¡¯. . The helmet shone with the color of blood . Along with the long plumage, it was almost like a work of art . For a brief moment, Jinwoo would¡¯ve liked to obtain and wear the full set of the crimson armor . Unfortunately,. . ¡®Regrettable¡­¡¯. . The other pieces of Ygritte¡¯s armor did not appear as drops . Only the helmet had been obtained . Jinwoo put aside the small regret and carefully put on the helmet . . . shooo-. . As always, the item disappeared the moment he equipped it . Although he could not show off its form, the helmet greatly increased his attributes . . . . Stats. . Strength: 128 (+20). Constitution: 87 (+20). Agility: 107. Intelligence: 66. Sense: 89. (Available stat points: 0). Physical Damage Reduction: 46% (+15%). . The boost of the helmet was temporarily shown in parenthesis . Strength, constitution and even physical damage reduction had been greatly increased . Jinwoo was immensely satisfied . Confirming the effects with his eyes made his heart race . . . ¡®Wait . ¡¯. . Jinwoo shook his head . . . ¡®The quest is not over . I need to calm myself . ¡¯. . There was one more item he had to check . Still excited, Jinwoo looked over the two remaining items . . . Runestone: Ruler¡¯s Hands. . Instant Return Stone. . Two stones . Jinwoo first looked at the ¡°Instant Return Stone¡± . It was a piece of rock slightly bigger than a walnut . . . ¡®I know what a Runestone is, but¡­¡¯. . What was an ¡°Instant¡± Return Stone? His curiosity was quickly answered . The stone¡¯s information came up in front of him . . . ring~. . Instant Return Stone. Rarity: ???. Type: Consumable. Class Advancement Quest Item. Break to immediately return to the outside of the Dungeon . . This item will disappear once the quest is complete . . You may not keep this item in your inventory . . . The way to use it was the same as a Runestone . Instead of a skill, breaking it would take him to the outside . . . ¡®Wait, so the class advancement quest isn¡¯t over?¡¯. . According to the item¡¯s description, if the quest was over, it should¡¯ve been destroyed . That meant . . . A chill ran down Jinwoo¡¯s spine . It was a strange feeling . He received a way to exit the Dungeon in case of an emergency, so why did he feel so uneasy? If this was something that could be used in a real Dungeon, the stone¡¯s value would be incalculable . The little rock was equivalent to a lifesaving device, who would be stingy with their money on something like that? Of course, Jinwoo felt the same way . This should¡¯ve decreased the danger in the quest greatly . . . ¡®If I wanted to, I can leave any time I want¡­¡¯. . Despite all this, he could not shake the dread that he was feeling . As if it was waiting, the System warned him with its tone . . . ring . . . The player has obtained the Instant Return Stone . . The Class Advancement Quest will now begin . . . Ah! So this was the item that started the quest! Jinwoo was shocked . He felt like he had stepped on a mine that could¡¯ve been avoided . . . ¡®If I knew this, I would¡¯ve rested before picking it up¡­¡¯. . It was too late to regret it now . No matter how much he combined his experience and intelligence, it was impossible to predict the future with a 100% certainty . Cold sweat gathered on his brows . He checked his status . . . HP: 4,161 / 10,270. MP: 390 / 850. Fatigue: 61. . ¡®The fatigue is a bit high, but it¡¯s still manageable . ¡¯. . Thanks to the increase in constitution from the helmet, both his current and maximum health went up proportionately . Thank goodness for that . Jinwoo tried to cheer himself up a little . . . ¡®This is still doable . For now . ¡¯. . Ultimately, his life wouldn¡¯t be in danger . He was holding the Instant Return Stone in his hand . But no matter how he thought about it, the stone represented giving-up on the quest . If not, it would not have been given to him as the starting signal . . . ¡®And if I give-up on the quest¡­¡¯. . It¡¯d be no different than giving up on obtaining a class . The sweat that gathered now fell in streaks down his face . . . gulp. . The System¡¯s next message appeared . . . ring . . . In 10 seconds, dimensional gates will start opening at random . . . ¡®Dimensional gates?¡¯ [1]. . Before he could figure out what those words meant, the System produced a huge screen with numbers high in the air . . . 00:00:10. . Well, that was easy enough to understand . It was probably the countdown it spoke of earlier . The messages continued . . . The player has a choice:. Use the Instant Return Stone to escape the Dungeon,. . . 8, 7, 6¡­. . The countdown continued . . . Or endure as long as possible and obtain the advancement points required for class advancement . . . ¡°Endure? Endure what?¡±. . Jinwoo uttered loudly in frustration . His hand was already holding Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang, summoned from the inventory . The Runestone was placed in the inventory, and the Instant Return Stone that he could not store was placed in his back pocket . . . While his heart felt like it was about to explode, he had finished his combat preparations . . . This was Sung Jinwoo . . . The Class Advancement Quest will begin soon . . . . 4, 3, 2 . . . Jinwoo stared at the numbers counting down, then surveilled his surroundings . His gaze quickly fell here and there . Something was about to start . The air in the room started to twist and become distorted . . . 00:00:01. . I wish you luck . . . What?. . It was the first time the System displayed a semblance of emotion, but there was no time to be surprised . The moment the timer hit 0, gates[2] started appearing in various places around the room . . . woong-. . woong-. . It wasn¡¯t just one or two . There were 6 close to him, behind them were many more appearing . At the same time, the timer started to count forward . . . 00:00:02. . The countdown had started again . This time, it would time his trial here . The advancement points would depend on his record . The System wasn¡¯t fully clear, but Jinwoo understood as much . . . ¡®I¡¯ll become stronger the more I endure . ¡¯. . More accurately, he would obtain a more powerful class . He could not waste an opportunity like this . There was breathing room in his HP and MP . . . ¡®Let¡¯s endure as much as I can . ¡¯. . 00:00:03. . The exact moment the timer reached 3 seconds, the nearest gates started spawning a multitude of knights without weapons . . . clack-clack-clack-clack. . The ground shook as the armored knights got into formation . They looked like a silver tidal wave frozen in time, waiting to crash down upon him . Even in face of the oppressive force, a smile appeared on Jinwoo¡¯s face . . . ¡®If it¡¯s just this much, I can take them on . ¡¯. . In a way, he was thankful that it was just this level of enemies . If something like Ygritte came out of those gates, he couldn¡¯t imagine lasting more than seconds . . . ¡®Stealth!¡¯. . Jinwoo used what little mana he had left to go into ¡®Stealth¡¯ . . . ¡®It¡¯s a lot, but I¡¯ll use it to first check out the situation . ¡¯. . shooo-. . The Hunter¡¯s form disappeared from sight . As expected, the knights that were running toward him all slowed down and stopped . Unfortunately, something happened that Jinwoo did not expect,. . A mage has used ¡®Eye of Detection¡¯ . [3]. . The System beeped with warning . Jinwoo turned his head towards the sound . . . ¡®What?¡¯. . A mage that had appeared from one of the gates was casting a spell . Jinwoo saw an eye-shaped mark above its head . The mark sparkled, and Jinwoo¡¯s ¡®Stealth¡¯ was released . . . ¡®Shit!¡¯. . His plans went kaput from the start . . . turn . . . turn . . . The knights that stood motionless after he disappeared turned their heads in unison towards Jinwoo . It was a scene straight out of a horror movie . The silver tidal wave fell upon the man . He clenched his teeth and prepared himself . . . Bang!. . His punch blew off a knight¡¯s head . His victim fell on the spot . . . You¡¯ve defeated the Knight . . . A light gathered in Jinwoo¡¯s eyes . . . ¡®Bloodlust!¡¯. . Bloodlust has been activated . . Fear has been inflicted . . The targets will lose 50% of all attributes for 1 minute . . . He was able to slow many of the monsters with the fear¡¯s effects, but his mana had fallen all the way to 90 . The ¡®Bloodlust¡¯ mana cost was 100 . He would not be able to use it again . . . ¡®But I bought myself a minute with this . ¡¯. . In the single minute that the monsters¡¯ attributes were lowered, Jinwoo merciless destroyed as many enemies as he could . . . Bang!. . Crack!. . Boom!. . Kaboom!. . In face of the Hunter¡¯s terrifying might, the knights crumpled left and right . . . Bang! Boom! Crack!. . However, the speed at which new knights spawned outpaced Jinwoo¡¯s ability to destroy them . . . clack-clack-clack-clack. . In the middle of frantic melee, Jinwoo checked the time . . . 00:03:19. . 3 minutes and 19 seconds . Jinwoo wondered how many points that translated to . What would he receive if he left now? The situation was becoming more and more unbearable by the second . The onslaught of the knights continued from the gates . He had destroyed many of them, but their numbers remained uncountable . . . ¡°Uwaaaaah-!¡±. . Eventually, Jinwoo was buried in the mass of the knights . . . ¡®Unyielding Spirit¡¯ has been activated . . . ¡®Unyielding Spirit¡¯ has been activated . . . He began to feel his health plummet . . . HP: 1,036 / 10,270. . ¡®And the time¡­?¡¯. . 00:05:08. . 5 minutes and 8 seconds . He had endured as long as he could . . . ¡® . Let¡¯s leave . ¡¯. . At the bottom of the suffocating dogpile of the knights, Jinwoo reached into his back pocket with effort . . . But¡­. . drop. . The Instant Return Stone slipped from his hands . . . roll roll roll. . The round stone was kicked by a knight¡¯s heel and rolled far away . . . ¡°NO!!!¡±. . Jinwoo futilely stretched his hand towards his lifeline but could not get through the knights . More knights piled on top of him . It was becoming hard to breathe . . . ¡®Unyielding Spirit¡¯ has been activated . . . ¡®Unyielding Spirit¡¯ has been activated . . . He felt his consciousness fade . . . clang! clang clang!. . In the chaos of the knights clashing on top of him, Jinwoo heard a laughter coming from somewhere . . . - ¡°Didn¡¯t you bring all this down on yourself?¡±. ¡® . ¡¯. - ¡°Why go down such a dangerous path over a safe one? If an E-rank Hunter became a B-rank, or even a C-rank, wouldn¡¯t it have been an incredible stroke of luck?¡±. ¡® . ¡±. - ¡°I guess this is all you¡¯re worth . ¡±. ¡® . Shut up . ¡¯. - ¡°You are the reason you will die here . ¡±. . Shut! Up!. . BOOM!. . The knights that had piled up on Jinwoo were all blasted back . Even on the edge of death, the Hunter¡¯s eyes were still alive . They were filled with the spirit of determination . . . ¡®I¡¯m not going to let it end like this . ¡¯. . Just how do you think he obtained this opportunity?. . No . It would not end here . . . He knew what it was like to be at the absolute bottom of the world, and that¡¯s why he desired to stand at the absolute peak . More than anyone else, he knew the weak one¡¯s pain . He had done cowardly things to survive and was met with ridicule in doing so . . . ¡°How much of a help could an E-ranker be?¡±. ¡°Even if it¡¯s the Association, couldn¡¯t they have sent someone more helpful? This guy¡¯s just¡­¡±. ¡°Is that punk just surviving by hiding behind his teammates?¡±. . The ladder to the peak that he had only dreamt about had finally appeared before him . Did they expect him to just stare and do nothing? There was no way . . . ¡® . I remember . ¡¯. . That voice in his head . It was ¡°their¡± voice . The voices that whispered behind his back . . . Sure, go ahead . Laugh . . . I will struggle until the end . . . It doesn¡¯t matter if my health is 10 or 1 . I will fight to the bitter end . Until my bones are dust and my muscles are torn . . . ¡°UWAAAH-!¡±. . Jinwoo threw his body at the knights . . . Smash!. . His fist flew forward . A knight¡¯s breastplate caved in and its wearer was sent flying . Like a bowling ball, the flying body knocked down other knights in its path . Unrelenting, the knights charged at him once more . Jinwoo struggled even harder . . . Bang! Smash! Boom!. . Fists . Elbows . Knees . Feet . . . Jinwoo threw every part of his body at his enemies . Each time he attacked, a knight crumpled like a paper doll . . . Your fatigue is over 70 . . Your movements will be restricted . . . As the warning said, his body began to slow down . But the light in Jinwoo¡¯s eyes did not fade . Eventually, the knights continued even after one or two hits . Still, if they won¡¯t go down in one hit, he would just strike them twice . If they won¡¯t go down in two hits, he would strike them three times . Four times . Five times . . . Crack!. . . 8, 7, 6, 5. . Meanwhile, some sort of a countdown was happening . Jinwoo was focused on the battle at hand and had not noticed it before . . . ¡®What? Is the quest ending?¡¯. . His brief moment of hope was quickly dashed . . . 00:06:27. . The quest timer was still climbing . Whatever was happening in front of him was unrelated to the timer . . . 4, 3, 2. . ¡®Are you counting down to my death?¡¯. . Jinwoo thought to the System . He remembered the first time it spoke to him . How it threatened to stop his heart in 0 . 02 seconds if he did not accept becoming a player . . . Good . . . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes opened wide . . . ¡®I¡¯ll use you until the very last second . ¡¯. . Bang! Kaboom!. . Two more knights were crushed . However, compared to his fighting spirit, Jinwoo¡¯s body was unrecognizable . The strength behind his shoulders were gone . The slowed fists could no longer block the knights¡¯ attacks . . . One from the front, one from the back . . . Bam!. . Crushed between the two charging knights, Jinwoo let out a painful groan . . . ¡°Kuk!¡±. . Not missing the opening, the knights closed in on Jinwoo once more . Imprisoned by the multitude, he could not lift a finger . . . clack-clack-clack-clack. . Even still, more and more knights piled towards the Hunter . The silver tide turned in to a silver mountain . Jinwoo breathed what he imagined to be his last breaths . . . ¡°Hah . Hah¡­!¡±. . So this was the end . . . Somehow, Jinwoo found a small opening and stretched his hand to the sky . It was a meaningless gesture in the moment . . . HP: 93 / 10,270. . The situation was hopeless . . . But Jinwoo did not give up . . . ¡®No, not yet¡­ just¡­ a little more¡­¡¯. . The hand that was held to the sky clenched into a fist . . . In that moment, the unknown countdown finished . . . . 1, 0. You¡¯ve failed to complete the Daily Quest . . You will now be moved to the Penalty Zone . . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°dimensional gates¡± (??? ?): ¡°dimension¡± ?? + ¡°door/gate¡± ? . Not the same word as the ¡°Gates¡± that have Dungeons . . [2]: ¡°gates¡±: I¡¯m not sure if it means anything, but this time, Jinwoo uses the english word for ¡°Gates¡± . The same as the ¡°Gates¡± that have Dungeons . . [3]: ¡°eye of detection¡± (??? ??): ¡°detect/spy/search¡± ?? + ¡°eyes/sight¡± ??. Chapter 50 Jinwoo could not believe what he was hearing . ¡® . . . Penalty Zone?¡¯ Ah- He remembered . He did not do the daily quest today . He had purposely skipped it to enter the Penalty Zone, in order to test out his progress against the centipedes and see if he could continue the Demon Castle Raid . To think that it would work out like this . shaaaaaake- Like back in the hospital, the area started shaking vigorously . pshhhh pshaaaaah One by one, even the knights that he was fighting turned into sand . The world changed around him . ¡®Ha¡­ ha ha¡­¡¯ He silently laughed . The System¡¯s words before the quest started kept appearing in his head . I wish you luck . Was it because it was that difficult of a quest? Or did it want him to be lucky in obtaining more advancement points? Luck, coincidence, call it what you want . It was just another chance for him . The important thing was how he would use this chance . Shaaaake-! The tremors became stronger . Instead of fighting to keep his balance like in the past, Jinwoo gave himself up to the earthquake and closed his eyes . ¡®Be calm¡­¡¯ And just like that, he felt a sense of weightlessness, and all sounds disappeared . When he opened his eyes, it was in the middle of a familiar desert . Jinwoo collapsed onto the sand . ¡°gasp- gasp- pant- pant-¡± He grabbed the sand with his hands and let loose a torrent of panting . His lungs filled with a refreshing breath of air, spreading the feeling to his entire body . Finally, ¡°I feel alive . ¡± With the sense of safety surrounding his mind, Jinwoo stayed lying on the ground . He looked up at the empty, black sky . The vision of an endless pitch black ceiling filled his view . It was the Penalty Zone that he remembered . ¡®Oh wait, now¡¯s not the time to be lying down . ¡¯ Because he had just escaped from an incredibly dangerous place, he forgot that this place was not exactly a safe one . Still, he didn¡¯t want to get-up, so he called up the status screen while lying down . HP: 104 / 10,270 MP: 202 / 850 Fatigue: 91 He wondered why it was so hard to move . Now he knew why; his fatigue had risen over 90 . ¡®This is the first time that happened, I think . ¡¯ He didn¡¯t feel like moving a finger right now . His health was one thing, but at the moment, it was important to recover his stamina . ¡°Shop . ¡± ring~ The words ¡°Buy¡± and ¡°Sell¡± appeared in the air . No matter how he looked at it, the System had clearly created the so-called shop with the bare minimum of effort, but today, it was an incredibly welcoming sight . Jinwoo purchased the most expensive healing potion . The moment he confirmed the transaction, shooo- A glass bottle with a red liquid appeared in his sprawled arm . pop In his state, it took effort even to uncork the bottle . He poured the potion down his mouth . gulp gulp The red liquid passed through his throat . Your stamina is recovered . Your stamina is recovered . Your stamina is recovered . Since it was the highest level healing potion, just one bottle was enough to completely undo his fatigue . Strangely, his health did not recover . HP: 106 / 10,270 MP: 204 / 850 Fatigue: 0 Even when the bottle was emptied, his health stayed the same . It was drastically different than the fatigue that was now zero . ¡®Why?¡¯ The moment the last drop of potion fell into his mouth, he was able to find out why . ring . Your health is below 10% . You cannot recover your health with a potion . The reason was simple . It was because his health was too low . ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ Even healing magic had their limits . This was not an unfamiliar phenomenon . Just as Healers could not heal someone past a certain point depending on their skill, it appeared that potions had similar limits . ¡®And you''re telling me that the limit is 10% remaining health . ¡¯ This was good to know . Had he placed faith in the potion at a wrong time, he could¡¯ve made a grave mistake . This is why experience was important . Wasn¡¯t there a saying? ¡°What doesn¡¯t kill you makes you stronger . ¡± That was all due to the power of experience . Even right now, he thankfully had the experience of encountering the Penalty Zone . ¡®It¡¯s about time¡­¡¯ And indeed it was . He felt a lifeform rising beneath the sand . Jinwoo raised his legs and shot up from the ground . His body felt as light as a feather . Thanks to the potion, his strength had completely returned . Jinwoo landed few steps away and turned around . shaaaaah As expected, the spot he was lying on was sinking to the ground . ¡®Heh, I remember thinking that I¡¯d slip and fall into that in the past . ¡¯ Now, he could stare at the sinkhole with a carefree attitude . The bottom of the depression boiled like in the past, and- pshaaaah! A column of sand exploded from the ground, revealing the form of the giant centipede . screeeeech! It was all just as he remembered . ¡®Man, they looked a lot scarier back then¡­¡¯ Now, they appeared to be moving in slow motion in Jinwoo¡¯s eyes . He raised his gaze and confirmed the red letters above the centipede¡¯s head . ¡®Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipede¡¯ A red name . Just like the Cerberus from the Demon Castle . The quest message appeared . ring~! Penalty Quest: Survive Goal: Survive for the required time . Required time: 4 Hours Remaining time: 4 Hours 0 Min 0 Sec After reading the message, Jinwoo clenched his fists . ¡®I can buy some time with this . ¡¯ As he did not use the Instant Return Stone out of the Dungeon, he probably still had a chance . ¡®I¡¯ll probably be moved back after the penalty quest . ¡¯ And if the 4 hours he spent here was added to the endurance timer? The advancement points he would gain would be massive . Well, he still did not know just how the math worked . ¡®Still¡­¡¯ When he thought about how the System worked up until now, this might become an incredible windfall . ¡®Four fucking hours!¡¯ He couldn¡¯t last 10 minutes back there and was about to use the Instant Return Stone . Now, thanks to the Penalty Zone, he would be able to add 4 hours to that timer . There was one problem left . He had to survive this world with barely a 100 health remaining . Since he could not recover using a potion, he had to level-up through the centipedes without receiving any damage . In a way, this was an additional condition of the penalty quest . ¡® . . . Let¡¯s do this . ¡¯ Jinwoo summoned Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang . Remaining time: 3 Hours 59 Min 59 Sec The moment the penalty quest started, Jinwoo began to move . Because of his experience, he knew to move before the centipedes did . He closed the distance in a flash and jumped . land! He reached a halfway point on the insect¡¯s body then started working his way to the head while slashing at its body . stab! stab stab! slash! Wherever the dagger attacked, the exoskeleton of the centipede cracked and seeped a liquid . screeeech! Every time Jinwoo made a new wound on its body, the centipede thrashed in pain . ¡®Sprint!¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s legs sped up . step, step, step, step! He quickly reached the top of the monster¡¯s head and grabbed the dagger with both hands . ¡®Vital Stab!¡¯ He used the skill and brought down the dagger onto the centipede¡¯s head . The dagger dug deep into the head . crack! ¡®Vital Stab¡¯ has leveled up! ¡®Alright!¡¯ It had been a while! The leveled-up skill appeared to have done quite a damage . The centipede shook its head in pain . screech, screee! Jinwoo did not stop there . He moved from its head towards the centipede¡¯s back . The monster¡¯s back was completely exposed . stab! After stabbing a point behind the centipede¡¯s head, Jinwoo held the dagger in place and jumped down . cra-cra-cra-cra-craaaaaack! Combined with the strength over 120 and a leap from a height of a 5 story building, the dagger slid completely across the centipede¡¯s back, cutting it wide open . cra-cra-crack! land . Jinwoo landed safely . screeech, screeeeee! The centipede spewed a liquid all over the place then finally fell . Boom! Its body raised up a cloud of sand . ring~ You¡¯ve defeated the Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipede Jinwoo patted the sand off his body and checked the time . Remaining time: 3 Hours 59 Min 42 Sec ¡®That took 17 seconds . ¡¯ It took him less than 20 seconds to take down the centipede . It was completely different than the time he took down the Cerberus . His strength had reached a different dimension . ¡®Well, if I think about all the leveling I did and the items I¡¯ve obtained¡­¡¯ It made sense . At this rate, Jinwoo was confident he could continue hunting without losing life . ¡®Now the problem is if there are enough monsters here for a level-up¡­¡¯ Only then would he have a chance of surviving when he went back to the class advancement quest . If he went back without recovering his health, he was sure to be crushed like an insect . As he was deep in worry, multiple sand columns appeared around him . pshhhhh- pshaaaah- The centipedes had arrived after smelling their kin¡¯s blood . screeech- screeech- Jinwoo¡¯s face brightened . ¡®Just how many are there?¡¯ Looking at the heads of the centipedes popping up from the ground, Jinwoo could not hide the smile on his face . You¡¯ve leveled up! You¡¯ve leveled up! You¡¯ve leveled up! You¡¯ve leveled up! After nearly 4 hours, Jinwoo had gained 4 levels after taking down countless centipedes . He had reached level 51 . The penalty quest was almost over . Penalty Quest: Survive Goal: Survive for the required time . Required time: 4 Hours Remaining time: 0 Hours 3 Min 19 Sec It was about time he¡¯d return . Jinwoo looked around at the corpses of the centipedes that littered the area . Thanks to their sacrifice, he was able to recover his health . ¡®It¡¯s a shame they didn¡¯t drop any items or gold¡­¡¯ Well, it wouldn¡¯t have made sense for a place of punishment to reward him that much . Now, it was time to prepare for his return . ¡®Shop . ¡¯ Current Gold: 3,115,629 On top of the various moneybags from the humanoid monsters, he had earned a whopping 1,500,000 gold from Ygritte . He had plenty of funds now . With that in mind, he looked through the shop for a new weapon . A suitable upgrade caught his eye: Knight Killer Rarity: B Type: Dagger Attack Power +75 ¡®Knight Killing¡¯: +25% damage against heavy armored opponents It¡¯s a sturdy and sharp dagger designed to cut a knight¡¯s armor . Because of its serrated blades, it will not slip easily against armor . It was a weapon meant to be used for killing heavily armored targets . The cost was 2,800,000 gold . He would have to spend most of his gold, but this was not the time to be stingy . ¡®Can¡¯t take my gold with me to the afterlife . ¡¯ Without hesitating, Jinwoo bought the weapon . Additionally, he also purchased some wrappings . You¡¯ve purchased ¡°Knight Killer¡± . You¡¯ve purchased ¡°Wrappings¡± . As its description noted, it was a scary looking dagger with a serrated blade . He took the weapon with his right hand and used the wrappings to tightly bind it in his hand . slash! slash slash! He swung the blade around . It felt natural in his hand, as if it was a part of his body . ¡®At the very least, I won¡¯t be dropping it like this . ¡¯ He briefly considered wrapping Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang to his left hand but decided against it . It would be too inconvenient to lose both of his hands . He would keep the usage of his left hand just in case . He placed the leftover wrappings into the inventory then noticed the Runestone he had gotten from Ygritte . ¡®Ah right, there was this . ¡¯ Runestone: Ruler¡¯s Hands Break the Runestone to absorb the skill . He needed every little bit right now, whether it was an item or a skill . Jinwoo smashed the Runestone without a regret . You¡¯ve learned ¡®Ruler¡¯s Hands¡¯ (Lv . 1) Ruler¡¯s Hands (Lv . 1) Active Skill Mana Cost: 0 Exert your will over an object without physically touching it . ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ Reading the explanation, he remembered a scene from earlier . It was when Ygritte stretched a hand to his sword and brought it to his hands from a distance . ¡®So he used this skill to move the longsword . ¡¯ A skill to move an object from a distance just with his mind! On top of that, it didn¡¯t have a mana cost . ¡®If I can really move anything, it¡¯s an incredible skill . ¡¯ Jinwoo quickly tried it out on the corpse of the centipede next to him . Your proficiency is insufficient to move the object . Your proficiency is insufficient to move the object . It seemed that moving something heavy required more practice . ¡®What about this one?¡¯ Jinwoo dropped Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang onto the ground, then stretched a hand toward it . The dagger easily moved into his hand . grab! ¡®Oh~ . ¡¯ Jinwoo stared at the dagger with amazement . ¡®Alright, this is helpful enough . ¡¯ And with that, he had completed all preparations . Jinwoo raised his head and saw that the time was almost over . Remaining time: 0 Hours 0 Min 4 Sec As the 4 seconds decreased to 3, the System messaged him . ring~ The Penalty Quest will end soon . And another one followed, ring~ Because you¡¯ve hunted in the Penalty Zone, The next Penalty Quest¡¯s difficulty will be adjusted . An adjustment of difficulty . It would make it harder to hunt so that the penalty will feel like a penalty . Well, would there even be a next time? Jinwoo gulped . ¡®Now, the class advancement quest will resume . ¡¯ Hundreds of monsters would probably be waiting for him back in the boss room . Perhaps even more . Although he thought of it as ¡°returning¡± to the room, it was more like he was being ¡°thrown¡± back there . Health, mana, fatigue, equipment and skill . In addition to those, even his mind had improved in the past 4 hours . Still, he was feeling nervous . ba dum ba dum ba dum The beating of his heart was almost painful . Jinwoo closed his eyes to calm himself . Then, the electronic tone rang . ring . The Penalty Quest will end now . ¡®This is my last chance¡­¡¯ When Jinwoo opened his eyes, he saw the mass of silver knights starting to turn towards him . They were not his target . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes shifted side to side, looking for his target . ¡®First, the mages!¡¯ Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 50. . Jinwoo could not believe what he was hearing . . . ¡® . Penalty Zone?¡¯. . Ah-. . He remembered . He did not do the daily quest today . He had purposely skipped it to enter the Penalty Zone, in order to test out his progress against the centipedes and see if he could continue the Demon Castle Raid . To think that it would work out like this . . . shaaaaaake-. . Like back in the hospital, the area started shaking vigorously . . . pshhhh. . pshaaaaah. . One by one, even the knights that he was fighting turned into sand . . . The world changed around him . . . ¡®Ha¡­ ha ha¡­¡¯. . He silently laughed . The System¡¯s words before the quest started kept appearing in his head . . . I wish you luck . . . Was it because it was that difficult of a quest? Or did it want him to be lucky in obtaining more advancement points?. . Luck, coincidence, call it what you want . It was just another chance for him . The important thing was how he would use this chance . . . Shaaaake-!. . The tremors became stronger . Instead of fighting to keep his balance like in the past, Jinwoo gave himself up to the earthquake and closed his eyes . . . ¡®Be calm¡­¡¯. . And just like that, he felt a sense of weightlessness, and all sounds disappeared . When he opened his eyes, it was in the middle of a familiar desert . Jinwoo collapsed onto the sand . . . ¡°gasp- gasp- pant- pant-¡±. . He grabbed the sand with his hands and let loose a torrent of panting . His lungs filled with a refreshing breath of air, spreading the feeling to his entire body . . . Finally,. . ¡°I feel alive . ¡±. . With the sense of safety surrounding his mind, Jinwoo stayed lying on the ground . He looked up at the empty, black sky . The vision of an endless pitch black ceiling filled his view . It was the Penalty Zone that he remembered . . . ¡®Oh wait, now¡¯s not the time to be lying down . ¡¯. . Because he had just escaped from an incredibly dangerous place, he forgot that this place was not exactly a safe one . Still, he didn¡¯t want to get-up, so he called up the status screen while lying down . . . HP: 104 / 10,270. MP: 202 / 850. Fatigue: 91. . He wondered why it was so hard to move . Now he knew why; his fatigue had risen over 90 . . . ¡®This is the first time that happened, I think . ¡¯. . He didn¡¯t feel like moving a finger right now . His health was one thing, but at the moment, it was important to recover his stamina . . . ¡°Shop . ¡±. . ring~. . The words ¡°Buy¡± and ¡°Sell¡± appeared in the air . No matter how he looked at it, the System had clearly created the so-called shop with the bare minimum of effort, but today, it was an incredibly welcoming sight . Jinwoo purchased the most expensive healing potion . The moment he confirmed the transaction,. . shooo-. . A glass bottle with a red liquid appeared in his sprawled arm . . . pop. . In his state, it took effort even to uncork the bottle . He poured the potion down his mouth . . . gulp gulp . . The red liquid passed through his throat . . . Your stamina is recovered . . . Your stamina is recovered . . . Your stamina is recovered . . . Since it was the highest level healing potion, just one bottle was enough to completely undo his fatigue . Strangely, his health did not recover . . . HP: 106 / 10,270. MP: 204 / 850. Fatigue: 0. . Even when the bottle was emptied, his health stayed the same . It was drastically different than the fatigue that was now zero . . . ¡®Why?¡¯. . The moment the last drop of potion fell into his mouth, he was able to find out why . . . ring . . . Your health is below 10% . You cannot recover your health with a potion . . . The reason was simple . It was because his health was too low . . . ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯. . Even healing magic had their limits . This was not an unfamiliar phenomenon . Just as Healers could not heal someone past a certain point depending on their skill, it appeared that potions had similar limits . . . ¡®And you''re telling me that the limit is 10% remaining health . ¡¯. . This was good to know . Had he placed faith in the potion at a wrong time, he could¡¯ve made a grave mistake . This is why experience was important . Wasn¡¯t there a saying?. . ¡°What doesn¡¯t kill you makes you stronger . ¡±. . That was all due to the power of experience . Even right now, he thankfully had the experience of encountering the Penalty Zone . . . ¡®It¡¯s about time¡­¡¯. . And indeed it was . He felt a lifeform rising beneath the sand . Jinwoo raised his legs and shot up from the ground . His body felt as light as a feather . Thanks to the potion, his strength had completely returned . Jinwoo landed few steps away and turned around . . . shaaaaah. . As expected, the spot he was lying on was sinking to the ground . . . ¡®Heh, I remember thinking that I¡¯d slip and fall into that in the past . ¡¯. . Now, he could stare at the sinkhole with a carefree attitude . The bottom of the depression boiled like in the past, and-. . pshaaaah!. . A column of sand exploded from the ground, revealing the form of the giant centipede . . . screeeeech!. . It was all just as he remembered . . . ¡®Man, they looked a lot scarier back then¡­¡¯. . Now, they appeared to be moving in slow motion in Jinwoo¡¯s eyes . He raised his gaze and confirmed the red letters above the centipede¡¯s head . . . ¡®Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipede¡¯. . A red name . Just like the Cerberus from the Demon Castle . The quest message appeared . . . ring~!. . Penalty Quest: Survive. Goal: Survive for the required time . . Required time: 4 Hours. Remaining time: 4 Hours 0 Min 0 Sec. . After reading the message, Jinwoo clenched his fists . . . ¡®I can buy some time with this . ¡¯. . As he did not use the Instant Return Stone out of the Dungeon, he probably still had a chance . . . ¡®I¡¯ll probably be moved back after the penalty quest . ¡¯. . And if the 4 hours he spent here was added to the endurance timer? The advancement points he would gain would be massive . Well, he still did not know just how the math worked . . . ¡®Still¡­¡¯. . When he thought about how the System worked up until now, this might become an incredible windfall . . . ¡®Four fucking hours!¡¯. . He couldn¡¯t last 10 minutes back there and was about to use the Instant Return Stone . Now, thanks to the Penalty Zone, he would be able to add 4 hours to that timer . There was one problem left . He had to survive this world with barely a 100 health remaining . Since he could not recover using a potion, he had to level-up through the centipedes without receiving any damage . In a way, this was an additional condition of the penalty quest . . . ¡® . Let¡¯s do this . ¡¯. . Jinwoo summoned Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang . . . Remaining time: 3 Hours 59 Min 59 Sec. . The moment the penalty quest started, Jinwoo began to move . Because of his experience, he knew to move before the centipedes did . He closed the distance in a flash and jumped . . . land!. . He reached a halfway point on the insect¡¯s body then started working his way to the head while slashing at its body . . . stab! stab stab! slash!. . Wherever the dagger attacked, the exoskeleton of the centipede cracked and seeped a liquid . . . screeeech!. . Every time Jinwoo made a new wound on its body, the centipede thrashed in pain . . . ¡®Sprint!¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s legs sped up . . . step, step, step, step!. . He quickly reached the top of the monster¡¯s head and grabbed the dagger with both hands . . . ¡®Vital Stab!¡¯. . He used the skill and brought down the dagger onto the centipede¡¯s head . The dagger dug deep into the head . . . crack!. . ¡®Vital Stab¡¯ has leveled up!. . ¡®Alright!¡¯. . It had been a while! The leveled-up skill appeared to have done quite a damage . The centipede shook its head in pain . . . screech, screee!. . Jinwoo did not stop there . He moved from its head towards the centipede¡¯s back . The monster¡¯s back was completely exposed . . . stab!. . After stabbing a point behind the centipede¡¯s head, Jinwoo held the dagger in place and jumped down . . . cra-cra-cra-cra-craaaaaack!. . Combined with the strength over 120 and a leap from a height of a 5 story building, the dagger slid completely across the centipede¡¯s back, cutting it wide open . . . cra-cra-crack!. . land . . . Jinwoo landed safely . . . screeech, screeeeee!. . The centipede spewed a liquid all over the place then finally fell . . . Boom!. . Its body raised up a cloud of sand . . . ring~. . You¡¯ve defeated the Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipede. . Jinwoo patted the sand off his body and checked the time . . . Remaining time: 3 Hours 59 Min 42 Sec. . ¡®That took 17 seconds . ¡¯. . It took him less than 20 seconds to take down the centipede . It was completely different than the time he took down the Cerberus . His strength had reached a different dimension . . . ¡®Well, if I think about all the leveling I did and the items I¡¯ve obtained¡­¡¯. . It made sense . At this rate, Jinwoo was confident he could continue hunting without losing life . . . ¡®Now the problem is if there are enough monsters here for a level-up¡­¡¯. . Only then would he have a chance of surviving when he went back to the class advancement quest . If he went back without recovering his health, he was sure to be crushed like an insect . As he was deep in worry, multiple sand columns appeared around him . . . pshhhhh-. . pshaaaah-. . The centipedes had arrived after smelling their kin¡¯s blood . . . screeech-. . screeech-. . Jinwoo¡¯s face brightened . . . ¡®Just how many are there?¡¯. . Looking at the heads of the centipedes popping up from the ground, Jinwoo could not hide the smile on his face . . . . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . You¡¯ve leveled up!. After nearly 4 hours, Jinwoo had gained 4 levels after taking down countless centipedes . He had reached level 51 . The penalty quest was almost over . . . Penalty Quest: Survive. Goal: Survive for the required time . . Required time: 4 Hours. Remaining time: 0 Hours 3 Min 19 Sec. . It was about time he¡¯d return . Jinwoo looked around at the corpses of the centipedes that littered the area . Thanks to their sacrifice, he was able to recover his health . . . ¡®It¡¯s a shame they didn¡¯t drop any items or gold¡­¡¯. . Well, it wouldn¡¯t have made sense for a place of punishment to reward him that much . Now, it was time to prepare for his return . . . ¡®Shop . ¡¯. . Current Gold: 3,115,629. . On top of the various moneybags from the humanoid monsters, he had earned a whopping 1,500,000 gold from Ygritte . He had plenty of funds now . With that in mind, he looked through the shop for a new weapon . A suitable upgrade caught his eye:. . Knight Killer. Rarity: B. Type: Dagger. Attack Power +75. ¡®Knight Killing¡¯: +25% damage against heavy armored opponents. It¡¯s a sturdy and sharp dagger designed to cut a knight¡¯s armor . Because of its serrated blades, it will not slip easily against armor . . . It was a weapon meant to be used for killing heavily armored targets . The cost was 2,800,000 gold . He would have to spend most of his gold, but this was not the time to be stingy . . . ¡®Can¡¯t take my gold with me to the afterlife . ¡¯. . Without hesitating, Jinwoo bought the weapon . Additionally, he also purchased some wrappings . . . You¡¯ve purchased ¡°Knight Killer¡± . . You¡¯ve purchased ¡°Wrappings¡± . . . As its description noted, it was a scary looking dagger with a serrated blade . He took the weapon with his right hand and used the wrappings to tightly bind it in his hand . . . slash! slash slash!. . He swung the blade around . It felt natural in his hand, as if it was a part of his body . . . ¡®At the very least, I won¡¯t be dropping it like this . ¡¯. . He briefly considered wrapping Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang to his left hand but decided against it . It would be too inconvenient to lose both of his hands . He would keep the usage of his left hand just in case . He placed the leftover wrappings into the inventory then noticed the Runestone he had gotten from Ygritte . . . ¡®Ah right, there was this . ¡¯. . Runestone: Ruler¡¯s Hands. Break the Runestone to absorb the skill . . . He needed every little bit right now, whether it was an item or a skill . Jinwoo smashed the Runestone without a regret . . . You¡¯ve learned ¡®Ruler¡¯s Hands¡¯ (Lv . 1). . Ruler¡¯s Hands (Lv . 1). Active Skill. . Mana Cost: 0. Exert your will over an object without physically touching it . . . ¡®Ah¡­¡¯. . Reading the explanation, he remembered a scene from earlier . It was when Ygritte stretched a hand to his sword and brought it to his hands from a distance . . . ¡®So he used this skill to move the longsword . ¡¯. . A skill to move an object from a distance just with his mind! On top of that, it didn¡¯t have a mana cost . . . ¡®If I can really move anything, it¡¯s an incredible skill . ¡¯. . Jinwoo quickly tried it out on the corpse of the centipede next to him . . . Your proficiency is insufficient to move the object . . . Your proficiency is insufficient to move the object . . . It seemed that moving something heavy required more practice . . . ¡®What about this one?¡¯. . Jinwoo dropped Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang onto the ground, then stretched a hand toward it . The dagger easily moved into his hand . . . grab!. . ¡®Oh~ . ¡¯. . Jinwoo stared at the dagger with amazement . . . ¡®Alright, this is helpful enough . ¡¯. . And with that, he had completed all preparations . Jinwoo raised his head and saw that the time was almost over . . . Remaining time: 0 Hours 0 Min 4 Sec. . As the 4 seconds decreased to 3, the System messaged him . . . ring~. . The Penalty Quest will end soon . . . And another one followed,. . ring~. . Because you¡¯ve hunted in the Penalty Zone,. The next Penalty Quest¡¯s difficulty will be adjusted . . . An adjustment of difficulty . It would make it harder to hunt so that the penalty will feel like a penalty . Well, would there even be a next time? Jinwoo gulped . . . ¡®Now, the class advancement quest will resume . ¡¯. . Hundreds of monsters would probably be waiting for him back in the boss room . Perhaps even more . Although he thought of it as ¡°returning¡± to the room, it was more like he was being ¡°thrown¡± back there . . . Health, mana, fatigue, equipment and skill . In addition to those, even his mind had improved in the past 4 hours . Still, he was feeling nervous . . . ba dum ba dum ba dum. . The beating of his heart was almost painful . . . Jinwoo closed his eyes to calm himself . . . Then, the electronic tone rang . . . ring . . . The Penalty Quest will end now . . . ¡®This is my last chance¡­¡¯. . When Jinwoo opened his eyes, he saw the mass of silver knights starting to turn towards him . They were not his target . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes shifted side to side, looking for his target . . . ¡®First, the mages!¡¯. Chapter 51 The reason why he targeted the mages first was simple . ¡®If my theory is correct¡­¡¯ It was to confirm the theory that had he had thought up in the Penalty Zone . clack-clack-clack-clack! The knights fiercely charged toward him . Jinwoo calmly used the knight at the head of the party as a stepping stone and leaped off of its shoulders . He overlooked the enemy army in the air . ¡®Where are the mages?¡¯ . . . Found one! In a distance, he saw a lone mage . ¡®I was right!¡¯ What he saw earlier was correct . In the Penalty Zone, he had considered if he was mistaken, but now he was sure . It was during the time he was being suffocated by the mass of the knights, only able to hold up a hand to the sky . In that moment, through the tiny gaps of the soldiers before him, he saw something that made no logical sense . ¡® . . . ¡¯ It was a lone mage that was continually casting spells . If it was just a mage preparing a spell, it would¡¯ve been nothing out of the ordinary . But in that brief moment, something felt off in Jinwoo¡¯s mind, ¡®Then why¡­¡¯ Was there not a single spell that came toward him? The attack on him was solely relegated to the knights . The mages were continuously casting spells but their completed spells did not display any effects on him . Well, except for the time they used a detection skill to break his ¡®Stealth¡¯ . And during that time, the knights around him paused for a moment . At first, he had thought it was because they had lost their target . But while hunting the centipedes in the Penalty Zone, he realized something very important . Was it after the 8th centipede? When he took down the monster, he celebrated at the level-up message that followed . And the level-up was followed by a complete recovery of his health . In that moment of joy, a thought had occurred to him, ¡®Wait, I just leveled up this easily, why didn¡¯t I gain a single level back there?¡¯ The System had warned him that the level-ups back there would not recover his status, but it did not warn him that he would not level-up at all . In fact, he leveled up five times before reaching the boss room . But during the actual class advancement quest, he did not gain a single level . In the 6 minutes that he endured, he had destroyed nearly a hundred knights . Mages that did not use their spells on him . Knights that did not give any experience points . He had not given much thought on these two facts and placed them in the back of his mind . But after some time, the two facts combined into a theory in Jinwoo¡¯s head . ¡®What if¡­¡¯ Every single knights in that area were all fake? What if the reason why all the knights stopped when the mage used ¡®Eye of Detection¡¯ was not because Jinwoo had disappeared, but because the mage had stopped the casting of its other spell? ¡®If I¡¯m correct!¡¯ Now was the time to confirm his theory . Jinwoo ignored the outstretched hands that were trying to grab him and used the knights¡¯ heads and shoulders as a pathway to the mage . ¡® . . . !¡¯ He felt the mage that noticed him panic . Its casting sped up . The knights that had previously focused on swarming him suddenly changed pattern and formed a protective wall around the mage . Jinwoo practically received the confirmation of his theory with this . step! The Hunter landed in front of the mage . Without an ounce of hesitation, he stabbed the mage¡¯s chest with the dagger in his right hand . ¡®Vital Stab!¡¯ Stab! Without a sound, the mage disappeared in a puff of black smoke . You¡¯ve defeated a mage . And at the same time! COLLAAAAPSE! The hundred-something knights that were gunning for Jinwoo all fell down, quite literally like a puppet with its strings cut[1] . The fallen knights were just empty armors without an owner . ¡®This was it!¡¯ Jinwoo internally screamed in victory . After toeing the line between life and death, he had finally arrived at the answer . The knights were nothing . It was the mages that controlled the knights . Killing them was the goal . ¡®To think that the first victim of Knight Killer was¡­ a mage¡­¡¯ Jinwoo looked at the ownerless robe on the ground with a smile . He had obtained that much breathing room now . However, he was not about to become careless . The quest was not over . clack-clack-clack-clack! The ground shook . Jinwoo turned around . The other knights had already surrounded him . There must¡¯ve been more mages controlling them around . The knights swarmed after Jinwoo . The Hunter¡¯s right arm turned into a blur . Slaaash! The tidal wave of knights in front of him were all cut neatly in a straight line . Jinwoo was shocked despite of himself . ¡®Wow!¡¯ The investment of 2,800,000 gold paid off dearly . The blade of Knight Killer cut through the knight¡¯s armor like paper . It wasn¡¯t just because of the serrated edge . As fitting of its name, a powerful magic to cut through the knights was enchanting the weapon . ¡®The weapons from the shop are this good?¡¯ This was a little different from the standard video game logic he was familiar with . In a normal video game, weapons from the shop were just filler weapons to use when you couldn¡¯t find a good one in the wild . ¡®If it¡¯s like this, I really can¡¯t look down on gold¡­¡¯ At the very least, it was much better than the Hunter-use weapons from the real world . At the same time, Jinwoo thought about just how much money he could make if he sold the items from the System¡¯s shop in the real world . Unlike the consumables, the equipment from the System¡¯s shop did not have an untradable restriction . ¡®Oh shit, focus . Focus . ¡¯ This was not the time to be distracted . The knights continued to charge at him without stopping . Slash! Slaaaash! Jinwoo dodged here and there and continued to defeat the knights . However, ¡®It¡¯s not going to end if I keep up like this . ¡¯ The moment he focused in one direction and took down a number of knights, a larger group would appear from a different direction and charge at him . slash! Another knight lost its head . ¡®I have to find the mages . ¡¯ Jinwoo used the headless knight¡¯s falling corpse as a platform . Using its shoulders, Jinwoo leaped into the air again . ¡®Stealth!¡¯ shoooo- His figure began to fade . Of course, this was not to hide himself for any reason . What he wanted was- A mage has used ¡®Eye of Detection¡¯ . A mage has used ¡®Eye of Detection¡¯ . A mage has used ¡®Eye of Detection¡¯ . Ring, ring, ring, the System¡¯s warning alarms pierced his ears . Jinwoo continued to leap from knight to knight and memorized the location of the eye-shaped marks . ¡®There are five mages . ¡¯ He went for the nearest one first . ¡® . . . !¡¯ As Jinwoo turned to face it, the mage panicked and gathered its knights to itself, but it was too late . woosh! Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang flew from Jinwoo¡¯s left hand and struck the mage¡¯s forehead . crack! You¡¯ve learned ¡®Dagger Throw¡¯ (Lv . 1) You¡¯ve defeated a mage . COLLAAAAPSE Once more, a hundred knights fell lifelessly to the ground . ¡®Four left!¡¯ Used to the maneuver, Jinwoo used the heads and shoulders of the army again to move . While moving, Jinwoo quickly glanced at Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang that he had not resummoned . He decided to test out his new skill . ¡®Ruler¡¯s Hands . ¡¯ Jinwoo stretched a hand towards the dagger on the ground . As if pulled by a magnet, the dagger shot across the air toward his hand . ¡®Yes!¡¯ Jinwoo grabbed the dagger . He would no longer need to inefficiently resummon the dagger into his hand now . Meanwhile, he had arrived in front of the next mage . ¡® . . . !¡¯ Before it could try anything this time, Jinwoo brought the dagger down diagonally on its body . You¡¯ve defeated a mage . More knights fell . There were less than half of them remaining . Jinwoo became assured of victory; his eyes opened wide in anticipation . ¡®Three more . ¡¯ As if sensing the danger, the remaining mages gathered at the same spot . Following them was their knight army . When all the knights gathered in one spot, the mages cast another spell . Their strange voices echoed throughout the room, and their magic was completed . crack, crack The mass of knights that guarded the mages began to collapse on themselves like they were put into a hydraulic press . Soon, a giant metal golem was formed out of their bodies and stared down on Jinwoo . wooooo- ¡®Damn, that¡¯s cool!¡¯ At the powerful pressure it gave off, Jinwoo briefly paused and praised the magic . But there was nothing to be afraid of . After the numerous times he had faced death, he was filled with an anticipation rather than nervousness . Boom, Boom, Boom! The golem¡¯s footsteps shook the ground . It looked very dangerous . WOOOSH-! Jinwoo lowered his body to dodge the swing of its gigantic fist . CRASH! The pillar behind Jinwoo was lightly grazed by the fist but the destructive power of the attack resulted in the structure being half obliterated . ¡®Well, that is quite scary¡­¡¯ Jinwoo smiled widely . If he had not figured out the truth, he would¡¯ve panicked at the idea of taking this thing down, but he was filled with no such worries . GOOOOO-! The golem puts its hands together and was about to bring it down on the ground . Instead of running backwards, Jinwoo used ¡®Sprint¡¯ and charged forward . sliiiiide-! In an blink of an eye, Jinwoo passed between the golem¡¯s legs . While the giant monster lost its balance, Jinwoo appeared in front of the three mages . ¡® . . . !¡¯ ¡® . . . !¡¯ The mage¡¯s shoulders rose in surprise . ¡®Checkmate!¡¯ They say there is strength in standing together . Not this time . Both of the daggers in Jinwoo¡¯s hands flashed . You¡¯ve defeated a mage . You¡¯ve defeated a mage . You¡¯ve defeated a mage . The 3 mages disappeared in a puff of black smoke in unison . The golem that finally turned around to strike Jinwoo also fell apart . The knights¡¯ armors that made up the composition of its body scattered about the ground . However, Jinwoo did not ease up . ¡®Is it over? Or is something else coming?¡¯ He held his fighting stance, and the System¡¯s electronic sound rang . ring~ Jinwoo gulped in anticipation . On the contrary to his thoughts, the System announced the end of the quest . You¡¯ve defeated all the monsters of the testing room . The Class Advancement Quest will now end . Your class will be decided next . Depending on the advancement points earned, you may advance to a higher class . Finally . Jinwoo breathed a sigh of relief . ¡°Whew-¡± It was a difficult fight . If he held onto the idea of the Instant Return Stone until the end, he would not have figured out the secret to the fight . ¡®I probably would¡¯ve just focused on when to end the quest . ¡¯ Through bad luck, or perhaps good luck, he lost the stone and was able to focus on the battle at hand . The result was a great success . Now, it was time to reap the rewards . Jinwoo moved his gaze to the timer . 04:29:16 The timer was stopped . He managed to last nearly four and a half hours . Not only that, in a quest where he just had to endure, he actually ended up killing all the monsters and ended the quest itself . Thinking about just how many points he would earn, and what he would do with those points, Jinwoo¡¯s heart began to race . The Player¡¯s actions will be analyzed to determine the appropriate class . ¡®Fine with me . ¡¯ If the System used his actions up until now to determine his class, there was little chance of him receiving something that did not fit his fighting style . It was a welcoming news . The presence of the death god follows where the Player goes . The road he walks is paved with corpses, and the smell of blood follows in his wake . . . . Jinwoo felt like that was a bit too much, but when he thought about it, he could not disagree . ¡®Well, it was all for leveling up¡­¡¯ Whenever he entered an Instant Dungeon, he slaughtered the respawning monsters until he no longer leveled-up . In a normal Dungeon, he combed every single corner for the very last magic beast to kill it . And not that he instigated it, but he had killed few Hunters as well . Death god, corpses, smell of blood . ¡®No matter how you analyze that¡­¡¯ As he had first expected, it looked like his class would be Assassin . The Player yearns for a great power, but without relying on any comrades, he builds his road with his own strength . Jinwoo nodded along as he listened . He agreed with the System¡¯s analysis of him . ¡®From the start, I never had anyone to rely on . ¡¯ Still, Jinwoo was not sure why the System was going this deep into analysing his personality when all it was doing was determining his class . The System continued, Your desire for great power is strong enough to call upon the spirits that wander the valley of death . Through the army of the dead that will follow your every command, you will be able to build your own path without anyone¡¯s help . ¡® . . . Army of the dead?¡¯ It was there Jinwoo realized something was wrong . ¡°Wait!¡± Before he could protest, the System used the calm tone it always used to relay the results . Your class is the Necromancer . ¡° . . . . . . wat?¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: Ok this is an unusual translator¡¯s note . This has nothing to do with the actual translated phrase, but I swear to god, I typed the phrase ¡°like a puppet with its strings cut¡± as a joke before actually realizing the phrase was in the original text . Like, I finished the sentence out of habit (thanks Overlord), but then looked over to the original text and realized the author actually used the same phrase, hahaha! Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 51. . The reason why he targeted the mages first was simple . . . ¡®If my theory is correct¡­¡¯. . It was to confirm the theory that had he had thought up in the Penalty Zone . . . clack-clack-clack-clack!. . The knights fiercely charged toward him . Jinwoo calmly used the knight at the head of the party as a stepping stone and leaped off of its shoulders . He overlooked the enemy army in the air . . . ¡®Where are the mages?¡¯. . . Found one!. . In a distance, he saw a lone mage . . . ¡®I was right!¡¯. . What he saw earlier was correct . In the Penalty Zone, he had considered if he was mistaken, but now he was sure . It was during the time he was being suffocated by the mass of the knights, only able to hold up a hand to the sky . In that moment, through the tiny gaps of the soldiers before him, he saw something that made no logical sense . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . It was a lone mage that was continually casting spells . If it was just a mage preparing a spell, it would¡¯ve been nothing out of the ordinary . But in that brief moment, something felt off in Jinwoo¡¯s mind,. . ¡®Then why¡­¡¯. . Was there not a single spell that came toward him?. . The attack on him was solely relegated to the knights . The mages were continuously casting spells but their completed spells did not display any effects on him . Well, except for the time they used a detection skill to break his ¡®Stealth¡¯ . And during that time, the knights around him paused for a moment . At first, he had thought it was because they had lost their target . But while hunting the centipedes in the Penalty Zone, he realized something very important . . . Was it after the 8th centipede? When he took down the monster, he celebrated at the level-up message that followed . And the level-up was followed by a complete recovery of his health . In that moment of joy, a thought had occurred to him,. . ¡®Wait, I just leveled up this easily, why didn¡¯t I gain a single level back there?¡¯. . The System had warned him that the level-ups back there would not recover his status, but it did not warn him that he would not level-up at all . In fact, he leveled up five times before reaching the boss room . But during the actual class advancement quest, he did not gain a single level . In the 6 minutes that he endured, he had destroyed nearly a hundred knights . . . Mages that did not use their spells on him . . . Knights that did not give any experience points . . . He had not given much thought on these two facts and placed them in the back of his mind . But after some time, the two facts combined into a theory in Jinwoo¡¯s head . . . ¡®What if¡­¡¯. . Every single knights in that area were all fake?. . What if the reason why all the knights stopped when the mage used ¡®Eye of Detection¡¯ was not because Jinwoo had disappeared, but because the mage had stopped the casting of its other spell?. . ¡®If I¡¯m correct!¡¯. . Now was the time to confirm his theory . Jinwoo ignored the outstretched hands that were trying to grab him and used the knights¡¯ heads and shoulders as a pathway to the mage . . . ¡® . !¡¯. . He felt the mage that noticed him panic . Its casting sped up . The knights that had previously focused on swarming him suddenly changed pattern and formed a protective wall around the mage . Jinwoo practically received the confirmation of his theory with this . . . step!. . The Hunter landed in front of the mage . Without an ounce of hesitation, he stabbed the mage¡¯s chest with the dagger in his right hand . . . ¡®Vital Stab!¡¯. . Stab!. . Without a sound, the mage disappeared in a puff of black smoke . . . You¡¯ve defeated a mage . . . And at the same time!. . COLLAAAAPSE!. . The hundred-something knights that were gunning for Jinwoo all fell down, quite literally like a puppet with its strings cut[1] . The fallen knights were just empty armors without an owner . . . ¡®This was it!¡¯. . Jinwoo internally screamed in victory . After toeing the line between life and death, he had finally arrived at the answer . The knights were nothing . It was the mages that controlled the knights . Killing them was the goal . . . ¡®To think that the first victim of Knight Killer was¡­ a mage¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo looked at the ownerless robe on the ground with a smile . He had obtained that much breathing room now . However, he was not about to become careless . The quest was not over . . . clack-clack-clack-clack!. . The ground shook . Jinwoo turned around . The other knights had already surrounded him . There must¡¯ve been more mages controlling them around . The knights swarmed after Jinwoo . The Hunter¡¯s right arm turned into a blur . . . Slaaash!. . The tidal wave of knights in front of him were all cut neatly in a straight line . Jinwoo was shocked despite of himself . . . ¡®Wow!¡¯. . The investment of 2,800,000 gold paid off dearly . The blade of Knight Killer cut through the knight¡¯s armor like paper . It wasn¡¯t just because of the serrated edge . As fitting of its name, a powerful magic to cut through the knights was enchanting the weapon . . . ¡®The weapons from the shop are this good?¡¯. . This was a little different from the standard video game logic he was familiar with . In a normal video game, weapons from the shop were just filler weapons to use when you couldn¡¯t find a good one in the wild . . . ¡®If it¡¯s like this, I really can¡¯t look down on gold¡­¡¯. . At the very least, it was much better than the Hunter-use weapons from the real world . At the same time, Jinwoo thought about just how much money he could make if he sold the items from the System¡¯s shop in the real world . Unlike the consumables, the equipment from the System¡¯s shop did not have an untradable restriction . . . ¡®Oh shit, focus . Focus . ¡¯. . This was not the time to be distracted . The knights continued to charge at him without stopping . . . Slash! Slaaaash!. . Jinwoo dodged here and there and continued to defeat the knights . However,. . ¡®It¡¯s not going to end if I keep up like this . ¡¯. . The moment he focused in one direction and took down a number of knights, a larger group would appear from a different direction and charge at him . . . slash!. . Another knight lost its head . . . ¡®I have to find the mages . ¡¯. . Jinwoo used the headless knight¡¯s falling corpse as a platform . Using its shoulders, Jinwoo leaped into the air again . . . ¡®Stealth!¡¯. . shoooo-. . His figure began to fade . Of course, this was not to hide himself for any reason . What he wanted was-. . A mage has used ¡®Eye of Detection¡¯ . . . A mage has used ¡®Eye of Detection¡¯ . . . A mage has used ¡®Eye of Detection¡¯ . . . Ring, ring, ring, the System¡¯s warning alarms pierced his ears . Jinwoo continued to leap from knight to knight and memorized the location of the eye-shaped marks . . . ¡®There are five mages . ¡¯. . He went for the nearest one first . . . ¡® . !¡¯. . As Jinwoo turned to face it, the mage panicked and gathered its knights to itself, but it was too late . . . woosh!. . Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang flew from Jinwoo¡¯s left hand and struck the mage¡¯s forehead . . . crack!. . You¡¯ve learned ¡®Dagger Throw¡¯ (Lv . 1). . You¡¯ve defeated a mage . . . COLLAAAAPSE. . Once more, a hundred knights fell lifelessly to the ground . . . ¡®Four left!¡¯. . Used to the maneuver, Jinwoo used the heads and shoulders of the army again to move . While moving, Jinwoo quickly glanced at Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang that he had not resummoned . He decided to test out his new skill . . . ¡®Ruler¡¯s Hands . ¡¯. . Jinwoo stretched a hand towards the dagger on the ground . As if pulled by a magnet, the dagger shot across the air toward his hand . . . ¡®Yes!¡¯. . Jinwoo grabbed the dagger . He would no longer need to inefficiently resummon the dagger into his hand now . Meanwhile, he had arrived in front of the next mage . . . ¡® . !¡¯. . Before it could try anything this time, Jinwoo brought the dagger down diagonally on its body . . . You¡¯ve defeated a mage . . . More knights fell . There were less than half of them remaining . Jinwoo became assured of victory; his eyes opened wide in anticipation . . . ¡®Three more . ¡¯. . As if sensing the danger, the remaining mages gathered at the same spot . Following them was their knight army . When all the knights gathered in one spot, the mages cast another spell . Their strange voices echoed throughout the room, and their magic was completed . . . crack, crack. . The mass of knights that guarded the mages began to collapse on themselves like they were put into a hydraulic press . Soon, a giant metal golem was formed out of their bodies and stared down on Jinwoo . . . wooooo-. . ¡®Damn, that¡¯s cool!¡¯. . At the powerful pressure it gave off, Jinwoo briefly paused and praised the magic . But there was nothing to be afraid of . After the numerous times he had faced death, he was filled with an anticipation rather than nervousness . . . Boom, Boom, Boom!. . The golem¡¯s footsteps shook the ground . It looked very dangerous . . . WOOOSH-!. . Jinwoo lowered his body to dodge the swing of its gigantic fist . . . CRASH!. . The pillar behind Jinwoo was lightly grazed by the fist but the destructive power of the attack resulted in the structure being half obliterated . . . ¡®Well, that is quite scary¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo smiled widely . If he had not figured out the truth, he would¡¯ve panicked at the idea of taking this thing down, but he was filled with no such worries . . . GOOOOO-!. . The golem puts its hands together and was about to bring it down on the ground . Instead of running backwards, Jinwoo used ¡®Sprint¡¯ and charged forward . . . sliiiiide-!. . In an blink of an eye, Jinwoo passed between the golem¡¯s legs . While the giant monster lost its balance, Jinwoo appeared in front of the three mages . . . ¡® . !¡¯. . ¡® . !¡¯. . The mage¡¯s shoulders rose in surprise . . . ¡®Checkmate!¡¯. . They say there is strength in standing together . . . Not this time . . . Both of the daggers in Jinwoo¡¯s hands flashed . . . You¡¯ve defeated a mage . . . You¡¯ve defeated a mage . . . You¡¯ve defeated a mage . . . The 3 mages disappeared in a puff of black smoke in unison . The golem that finally turned around to strike Jinwoo also fell apart . The knights¡¯ armors that made up the composition of its body scattered about the ground . However, Jinwoo did not ease up . . . ¡®Is it over? Or is something else coming?¡¯. . He held his fighting stance, and the System¡¯s electronic sound rang . . . ring~. . Jinwoo gulped in anticipation . On the contrary to his thoughts, the System announced the end of the quest . . . You¡¯ve defeated all the monsters of the testing room . The Class Advancement Quest will now end . . Your class will be decided next . . Depending on the advancement points earned, you may advance to a higher class . . . Finally . . . Jinwoo breathed a sigh of relief . . . ¡°Whew-¡±. . It was a difficult fight . If he held onto the idea of the Instant Return Stone until the end, he would not have figured out the secret to the fight . . . ¡®I probably would¡¯ve just focused on when to end the quest . ¡¯. . Through bad luck, or perhaps good luck, he lost the stone and was able to focus on the battle at hand . The result was a great success . Now, it was time to reap the rewards . Jinwoo moved his gaze to the timer . . . 04:29:16. . The timer was stopped . He managed to last nearly four and a half hours . Not only that, in a quest where he just had to endure, he actually ended up killing all the monsters and ended the quest itself . Thinking about just how many points he would earn, and what he would do with those points, Jinwoo¡¯s heart began to race . . . The Player¡¯s actions will be analyzed to determine the appropriate class . . . ¡®Fine with me . ¡¯. . If the System used his actions up until now to determine his class, there was little chance of him receiving something that did not fit his fighting style . It was a welcoming news . . . The presence of the death god follows where the Player goes . The road he walks is paved with corpses, and the smell of blood follows in his wake . . . . Jinwoo felt like that was a bit too much, but when he thought about it, he could not disagree . . . ¡®Well, it was all for leveling up¡­¡¯. . Whenever he entered an Instant Dungeon, he slaughtered the respawning monsters until he no longer leveled-up . In a normal Dungeon, he combed every single corner for the very last magic beast to kill it . And not that he instigated it, but he had killed few Hunters as well . . . Death god, corpses, smell of blood . . . ¡®No matter how you analyze that¡­¡¯. . As he had first expected, it looked like his class would be Assassin . . . The Player yearns for a great power, but without relying on any comrades, he builds his road with his own strength . . . Jinwoo nodded along as he listened . He agreed with the System¡¯s analysis of him . . . ¡®From the start, I never had anyone to rely on . ¡¯. . Still, Jinwoo was not sure why the System was going this deep into analysing his personality when all it was doing was determining his class . The System continued,. . . Your desire for great power is strong enough to call upon the spirits that wander the valley of death . Through the army of the dead that will follow your every command, you will be able to build your own path without anyone¡¯s help . . . ¡® . Army of the dead?¡¯. . It was there Jinwoo realized something was wrong . . . ¡°Wait!¡±. . Before he could protest, the System used the calm tone it always used to relay the results . . . Your class is the Necromancer . . . ¡° wat?¡±. . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: Ok this is an unusual translator¡¯s note . This has nothing to do with the actual translated phrase, but I swear to god, I typed the phrase ¡°like a puppet with its strings cut¡± as a joke before actually realizing the phrase was in the original text . Like, I finished the sentence out of habit (thanks Overlord), but then looked over to the original text and realized the author actually used the same phrase, hahaha!. Chapter 52 What the hell was this . How did it start off so nicely towards ¡®Assassin¡¯, then veer sharply to ¡®Necromancer¡¯? Jinwoo blankly stared at the results with a dumbfounded expression . He rubbed his eyes, but the words did not change . Your class is the Necromancer . The message still floated in front of him . His initial disbelief was followed by anger . ¡®I never even touched the intelligence stat! Why?!¡¯ Of all the Mage-class Hunters, he had never heard of a Necromancer . When he first Awakened as an E-ranker, Jinwoo was a Fighter-class . Putting aside the sword he briefly used in the beginning, he had solely used a dagger up until now, and the skills he obtained easily belonged to the Assassin-class . He could not have imagined that an entirely different category of class would appear . To think that he would receive a Mage-class, not only that, the Necromancer . He only knew of the class through video game knowledge, but he had a rough idea of what the Necromancer class entailed . A distasteful mage followed by an undead army . No matter how he thought about it, it did not fit him . Jinwoo relaxed his scrunched face and shook his head . ¡® . . . For now, let¡¯s calm down . ¡¯ Even if his thoughts were in chaos, he would approach the situation calmly . This calmness was one of Jinwoo¡¯s weapons . Taking a moment, he was able to find his composure . ¡®Still, how the hell¡­¡¯ Denial, then anger . He felt like a patient that had received a terminal diagnosis, going through the five stages of grief . ¡®Anger . . Then . . was it bargaining or compromise?¡¯ In this situation, there was not much room to compromise . If he had to pick the benefits of the Necromancer class¡­ as the System said, he supposed he could make his own army . ¡®The problem is that the army would be composed of soldiers made of bones and corpses . ¡¯ Taking that around the real world would flip society on its back . Hunters were already the target of envy and fear . Imagine if a Hunter led an ¡®Army of the Dead¡¯ around . Forget compatibility, he could not imagine shouldering the burden . ring~ Would you like to accept the class? The System asked for his reply . Oh thank god . ¡®I have a choice¡­¡¯ Jinwoo sighed in relief . The fact that the class wasn¡¯t being forced on him meant that he had another chance . And if he had another chance, he was not about to hesitate . Jinwoo easily(?) refused the offer . ¡°Nope . ¡± Then the message asked again . The Necromancer is a ¡°Hidden Class¡± . Would you still like to refuse? It was basically the same question, but he could not readily reply after being asked twice . This time, he hesitated . ¡®Hidden¡­ Class?¡¯ It was certainly something that could be found in a game, but in reality, there were Hunters with rare abilities . A Hunter that could form barriers, or a Hunter that could cast buffs . ¡®I heard a rumor that Baekho¡¯s Guildmaster Baek Yoonho even has the ability to transform into a magic beast . ¡¯ All those Hunters with special powers worked for large Guilds and wielded an immense amount of influence and power . ¡®When it says a ¡°Hidden Class¡±, is it talking about those Hunters with special powers?¡¯ If that was the case¡­ ¡®This might be a good chance . ¡¯ He imagined the System talking to him . ¡°I¡¯m offering you the Necromancer class because I know you want a great power . ¡± In that sense, the Necromancer was probably a powerful class . In fact, he remembered that most of the Hunters with special powers fell under the Support-class . On the contrary, he would be a Hunter with a special power under the Combat-class . Little by little, his heart began to race . ¡®If I could only try out the Necromancer-class, I wouldn¡¯t be hesitating this much . ¡¯ But it was a hopeless thought . Things wouldn¡¯t just go like that his way, and he had never heard of anyone with such powers . In fact, he had never heard of summoners who fought and commanded an army . When he reached that line of thought, ¡®Wait¡­¡¯ Jinwoo looked around the fallen army of knights around him . ¡®Those mages!¡¯ In a way, the mages that he fought during the class advancement quest wielded similar powers as a Necromancer . The knights were their army . ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Fighting the knights that threw themselves at Jinwoo without a care for their lives was annoying . If he failed to solve the answer to the fight, or if the combat prowess of the mages were not low¡­ ¡®What would be lying on the ground aren¡¯t these pieces of metal but me . ¡¯ Jinwoo raised his head . An understanding filled his eyes . ¡®My combat prowess is not low . ¡¯ He was different than these mages . What would happen if the summoner that led an army also maintained a great individual might? It would truly be a nightmare to his enemies . ¡®If it could be like that¡­¡¯ The fleeting idea that was like a dream to him in the past . It might even be possible for him to solo clear a B-rank Dungeon and above . Jinwoo gulped . If he could continue to raise his abilities after becoming a Necromancer, naturally, the army under him would also become stronger . The synergy of growth surpassed his imagination . ¡®It¡¯s not just solo leveling . ¡¯ His army would level with him . ¡®Is it possible . . ?¡¯ A chill ran down his back . Jinwoo looked up at the floating message . It quietly waited for his reply . The Necromancer is a ¡°Hidden Class¡± . Would you still like to refuse? Contrary to before, it did not press the question . Jinwoo asked within his thoughts, ¡®Is this what you wanted for me?¡¯ Of course, the System did not reply . After much thought, Jinwoo made a decision . If it was giving him a strong power, he would accept . He no longer hesitated . Would you like to accept the class? ¡°Alright . ¡± As if waiting, the System immediately sent the next message . ring~ You¡¯ve accepted your class . Depending on the advancement points earned, you may advance to a higher class . The points will be calculated now . Calculating . . . While the System calculated, Jinwoo unwrapped the wrapping around his right hand . He had clenched the grip so hard that welts appeared on the palm . ¡°This is going to blister . ¡± He lightly clicked his tongue . It could be taken care of with single drop of a healing potion, but the fact that he wasn¡¯t able to do so in this place was inconvenient . As he returned Knight Killer into the inventory, the System rang . ring~ Jinwoo raised his head in response . You¡¯ve surpassed the expected time limit! Extra points are awarded . Extra points . Well, it made sense . ¡®Not sure what the expected time limit was, but I did last for quite a long time . He chuckled in satisfaction, but then suddenly, numerous messages appeared before his eyes . You did not use the Instant Return Stone! Extra points are awarded . Your current health is above 50%! Extra points are awarded . You¡¯ve defeated all enemies! Extra points are awarded . The aggregate advancement points have surpassed the required amount . As agreed, a special reward will be provided . ring~ ring~ ring~ ¡®What?¡¯ The repeating tone was piercing to the ears, but the sound didn¡¯t even register in Jinwoo¡¯s mind . His gaze was affixed on two specific words . ¡®Special reward?¡¯ Reward . A ¡°Special¡± one . Jinwoo¡¯s hands that were placing Knight Killer into the inventory froze, and his eyes stared at the message box . He could not look away . The message continued . ring~ You have advanced from Necromancer to Monarch of Shadows . [1] You¡¯ve learned class-specific skills . You¡¯ve obtained 10 stat points . You¡¯ve obtained the title, ¡°One Who Has Triumphed Over Adversity¡± ¡®Monarch of Shadows?¡¯ At an unfamiliar name, he quickly opened his status screen . Name: Sung Jinwoo Level: 51 Class: Monarch of Shadows His new class was placed at the appropriate spot . ¡®It¡¯s not Necromancer?¡¯ The System did tell him that depending on the advancement points, it was possible to advance to a higher class . And just now, it told him that his advancement points surpassed the required amount . And the resulting class was the ¡°Monarch of Shadows¡± . ¡°So this is the¡­¡± Special reward that the System spoke of? He could not put into words what he witnessed next . ¡® . . . ?¡¯ Something strange was happening before his eyes, behind the floating message . There was a strange black smoke rising from the corpses of the knights that littered the view in front of him . It was not there before the class advancement . Just a moment ago, they were mere pieces of metal without a controller . And now¡­ Jinwoo closed his status screen and looked around . It was not just one or two of them . Every single fallen knights were giving off the black smoke . It¡¯s a possible target for Shadow Extraction . It¡¯s a possible target for Shadow Extraction . It¡¯s a possible target for Shadow Extraction . Every time he looked at a corpse with the black smoke, a message appeared, telling him that extraction was possible . ¡®Shadow Extraction?¡¯ He had no idea what this meant . The black smoke almost looked like it was twisting in pain . It felt like they were stretching a hand towards him, asking him to rescue them . Would it be weird to say that he could . . . hear screaming? ¡®But . ¡¯ Jinwoo was sure . He would be able to save them from their pain . ¡®Shadow Extraction . ¡¯ Please choose the command phrase for Shadow Extraction . ¡®I have to assign a spoken phrase to the skill?¡¯ After a brief moment, Jinwoo spoke out of instinct . ¡°Arise . ¡± And with that- Uwaaaaaah- With a heavy moan that came from somewhere, the shadows of the knights started quivering as if it was alive . Jinwoo looked around the fallen army . All of their shadows were moving . A black hand appeared from one of the shadows . Then it placed itself on the ground and seemingly pulled itself up from the shadows . ¡®Holy shit!¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s eyes were wide open . It was human . More accurately, soldiers in the shape of man! Covered from head to toe in pitch black armor, soldiers started appearing one by one from the shadows . ¡®This is a skill?¡¯ Before he realized it, several dozen soldiers had risen . You¡¯ve succeeded in Shadow Extraction . The dozen of soldiers stood, surrounding him . ¡®What is this¡­¡¯ He approached the closest soldier . First, touch . He placed a hand on them and felt metal . The armor wasn¡¯t just for show . They really were soldiers clad in pitch black armor, holding weapons . ¡®They look like a person . ¡¯ But they were not human . He did not sense any lifeforce coming from them . Not a sound of breathing or a hint of a heartbeat . On top of that . ¡° . . . ¡± Jinwoo swallowed a scream . He had taken a look through the visors of the helmet . Inside was darkness itself . Feeling as if he would be swallowed by it, Jinwoo slowly took few steps backwards . ¡®All of them were spawned from the shadows?¡¯ He quickly opened up his skill screen . As the System had told him, there were new class-specific skills in his listing . Class-specific Skills Active Skills -Shadow Extraction (Lv . 1) -Shadow Storage (Lv . 1) He checked the first skill . Shadow Extraction (Lv . 1) [2] Class-specific Skill Mana Cost: 0 Create a Shadow Soldier from a corpse . Success rate is dependent on target¡¯s abilities and time of death . Maximum Shadows: 30 / 30 You extract and shape the mana from a lifeless body . After reading the skill¡¯s explanation, he was able to ascertain the identity of the black soldiers . ¡® . . . They¡¯re the undead . ¡¯ Shadow Soldier . It was a monster created from a corpse¡¯s shadow . Jinwoo gulped . ¡®If these guys are really my soldiers¡­¡¯ Jinwoo stretched his hand to the right . The soldiers all turned right . He slowly moved the hand to himself . The soldiers followed his hand and faced forward . In the middle of their gazes stood Jinwoo . He calmed his beating heart and lowered his hand . Clack Clack . All the soldiers kneeled before him . It was all moving according to his will . ¡°Hah¡­¡± Jinwoo expressed his amazement, and the corners of his mouth rose . ¡®This is so cool . ¡¯ Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Monarch of Shadows¡± (??? ??): ¡°shadow¡± ??? + ¡°king/monarch/lord¡± ?? . Flipped the words for coolness . [2]: ¡°Shadow Extraction¡± (??? ??): Literal . ¡°Shadow¡± ??? + ¡°extract/extraction¡± ?? Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 52. . What the hell was this . . . How did it start off so nicely towards ¡®Assassin¡¯, then veer sharply to ¡®Necromancer¡¯?. . Jinwoo blankly stared at the results with a dumbfounded expression . . . He rubbed his eyes, but the words did not change . . . Your class is the Necromancer . . . The message still floated in front of him . His initial disbelief was followed by anger . . . ¡®I never even touched the intelligence stat! Why?!¡¯. . Of all the Mage-class Hunters, he had never heard of a Necromancer . When he first Awakened as an E-ranker, Jinwoo was a Fighter-class . Putting aside the sword he briefly used in the beginning, he had solely used a dagger up until now, and the skills he obtained easily belonged to the Assassin-class . He could not have imagined that an entirely different category of class would appear . . . To think that he would receive a Mage-class, not only that, the Necromancer . . . He only knew of the class through video game knowledge, but he had a rough idea of what the Necromancer class entailed . A distasteful mage followed by an undead army . No matter how he thought about it, it did not fit him . Jinwoo relaxed his scrunched face and shook his head . . . ¡® . For now, let¡¯s calm down . ¡¯. . Even if his thoughts were in chaos, he would approach the situation calmly . This calmness was one of Jinwoo¡¯s weapons . Taking a moment, he was able to find his composure . . . ¡®Still, how the hell¡­¡¯. . Denial, then anger . He felt like a patient that had received a terminal diagnosis, going through the five stages of grief . . . ¡®Anger Then was it bargaining or compromise?¡¯. . In this situation, there was not much room to compromise . If he had to pick the benefits of the Necromancer class¡­ as the System said, he supposed he could make his own army . . . ¡®The problem is that the army would be composed of soldiers made of bones and corpses . ¡¯. . Taking that around the real world would flip society on its back . Hunters were already the target of envy and fear . Imagine if a Hunter led an ¡®Army of the Dead¡¯ around . Forget compatibility, he could not imagine shouldering the burden . . . ring~. . Would you like to accept the class?. . The System asked for his reply . . . Oh thank god . . . ¡®I have a choice¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo sighed in relief . The fact that the class wasn¡¯t being forced on him meant that he had another chance . And if he had another chance, he was not about to hesitate . . . Jinwoo easily(?) refused the offer . . . ¡°Nope . ¡±. . Then the message asked again . . . The Necromancer is a ¡°Hidden Class¡± . Would you still like to refuse?. . It was basically the same question, but he could not readily reply after being asked twice . This time, he hesitated . . . ¡®Hidden¡­ Class?¡¯. . It was certainly something that could be found in a game, but in reality, there were Hunters with rare abilities . A Hunter that could form barriers, or a Hunter that could cast buffs . . . ¡®I heard a rumor that Baekho¡¯s Guildmaster Baek Yoonho even has the ability to transform into a magic beast . ¡¯. . All those Hunters with special powers worked for large Guilds and wielded an immense amount of influence and power . . . ¡®When it says a ¡°Hidden Class¡±, is it talking about those Hunters with special powers?¡¯. . If that was the case¡­. . ¡®This might be a good chance . ¡¯. . He imagined the System talking to him . . . ¡°I¡¯m offering you the Necromancer class because I know you want a great power . ¡±. . In that sense, the Necromancer was probably a powerful class . In fact, he remembered that most of the Hunters with special powers fell under the Support-class . On the contrary, he would be a Hunter with a special power under the Combat-class . Little by little, his heart began to race . . . ¡®If I could only try out the Necromancer-class, I wouldn¡¯t be hesitating this much . ¡¯. . But it was a hopeless thought . Things wouldn¡¯t just go like that his way, and he had never heard of anyone with such powers . In fact, he had never heard of summoners who fought and commanded an army . When he reached that line of thought,. . ¡®Wait¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo looked around the fallen army of knights around him . . . ¡®Those mages!¡¯. . In a way, the mages that he fought during the class advancement quest wielded similar powers as a Necromancer . The knights were their army . . . ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯. . Fighting the knights that threw themselves at Jinwoo without a care for their lives was annoying . If he failed to solve the answer to the fight, or if the combat prowess of the mages were not low¡­. . ¡®What would be lying on the ground aren¡¯t these pieces of metal but me . ¡¯. . Jinwoo raised his head . An understanding filled his eyes . . . ¡®My combat prowess is not low . ¡¯. . He was different than these mages . What would happen if the summoner that led an army also maintained a great individual might? It would truly be a nightmare to his enemies . . . ¡®If it could be like that¡­¡¯. . The fleeting idea that was like a dream to him in the past . It might even be possible for him to solo clear a B-rank Dungeon and above . Jinwoo gulped . If he could continue to raise his abilities after becoming a Necromancer, naturally, the army under him would also become stronger . The synergy of growth surpassed his imagination . . . ¡®It¡¯s not just solo leveling . ¡¯. . His army would level with him . . . ¡®Is it possible ?¡¯. . A chill ran down his back . Jinwoo looked up at the floating message . It quietly waited for his reply . . . The Necromancer is a ¡°Hidden Class¡± . Would you still like to refuse?. . Contrary to before, it did not press the question . Jinwoo asked within his thoughts,. . ¡®Is this what you wanted for me?¡¯. . Of course, the System did not reply . . . After much thought, Jinwoo made a decision . . . If it was giving him a strong power, he would accept . . . He no longer hesitated . . . Would you like to accept the class?. . ¡°Alright . ¡±. . As if waiting, the System immediately sent the next message . . . ring~. . You¡¯ve accepted your class . . Depending on the advancement points earned, you may advance to a higher class . . The points will be calculated now . . Calculating . . . While the System calculated, Jinwoo unwrapped the wrapping around his right hand . He had clenched the grip so hard that welts appeared on the palm . . . ¡°This is going to blister . ¡±. . He lightly clicked his tongue . It could be taken care of with single drop of a healing potion, but the fact that he wasn¡¯t able to do so in this place was inconvenient . As he returned Knight Killer into the inventory, the System rang . . . ring~. . Jinwoo raised his head in response . . . You¡¯ve surpassed the expected time limit!. Extra points are awarded . . . Extra points . Well, it made sense . . . ¡®Not sure what the expected time limit was, but I did last for quite a long time . . . He chuckled in satisfaction, but then suddenly, numerous messages appeared before his eyes . . . You did not use the Instant Return Stone!. Extra points are awarded . . . Your current health is above 50%!. Extra points are awarded . . . You¡¯ve defeated all enemies!. Extra points are awarded . . . The aggregate advancement points have surpassed the required amount . . As agreed, a special reward will be provided . . . ring~ ring~ ring~. . ¡®What?¡¯. . The repeating tone was piercing to the ears, but the sound didn¡¯t even register in Jinwoo¡¯s mind . His gaze was affixed on two specific words . . . ¡®Special reward?¡¯. . Reward . A ¡°Special¡± one . . . Jinwoo¡¯s hands that were placing Knight Killer into the inventory froze, and his eyes stared at the message box . He could not look away . The message continued . . . ring~. . You have advanced from Necromancer to Monarch of Shadows . [1]. You¡¯ve learned class-specific skills . . You¡¯ve obtained 10 stat points . . You¡¯ve obtained the title, ¡°One Who Has Triumphed Over Adversity¡±. . ¡®Monarch of Shadows?¡¯. . At an unfamiliar name, he quickly opened his status screen . . . Name: Sung Jinwoo. Level: 51. Class: Monarch of Shadows. . His new class was placed at the appropriate spot . . . ¡®It¡¯s not Necromancer?¡¯. . The System did tell him that depending on the advancement points, it was possible to advance to a higher class . And just now, it told him that his advancement points surpassed the required amount . And the resulting class was the ¡°Monarch of Shadows¡± . . . ¡°So this is the¡­¡±. . Special reward that the System spoke of?. . He could not put into words what he witnessed next . . . ¡® . ?¡¯. . Something strange was happening before his eyes, behind the floating message . There was a strange black smoke rising from the corpses of the knights that littered the view in front of him . It was not there before the class advancement . Just a moment ago, they were mere pieces of metal without a controller . . . And now¡­. . Jinwoo closed his status screen and looked around . It was not just one or two of them . Every single fallen knights were giving off the black smoke . . . It¡¯s a possible target for Shadow Extraction . . . It¡¯s a possible target for Shadow Extraction . . . It¡¯s a possible target for Shadow Extraction . . . Every time he looked at a corpse with the black smoke, a message appeared, telling him that extraction was possible . . . ¡®Shadow Extraction?¡¯. . He had no idea what this meant . The black smoke almost looked like it was twisting in pain . It felt like they were stretching a hand towards him, asking him to rescue them . Would it be weird to say that he could . hear screaming?. . ¡®But . ¡¯. . Jinwoo was sure . He would be able to save them from their pain . . . ¡®Shadow Extraction . ¡¯. . Please choose the command phrase for Shadow Extraction . . . ¡®I have to assign a spoken phrase to the skill?¡¯. . After a brief moment, Jinwoo spoke out of instinct . . . ¡°Arise . ¡±. . And with that-. . Uwaaaaaah-. . With a heavy moan that came from somewhere, the shadows of the knights started quivering as if it was alive . Jinwoo looked around the fallen army . All of their shadows were moving . A black hand appeared from one of the shadows . Then it placed itself on the ground and seemingly pulled itself up from the shadows . . . ¡®Holy shit!¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes were wide open . . . It was human . . . More accurately, soldiers in the shape of man!. . Covered from head to toe in pitch black armor, soldiers started appearing one by one from the shadows . . . ¡®This is a skill?¡¯. . Before he realized it, several dozen soldiers had risen . . . You¡¯ve succeeded in Shadow Extraction . . . The dozen of soldiers stood, surrounding him . . . ¡®What is this¡­¡¯. . He approached the closest soldier . . . First, touch . . . He placed a hand on them and felt metal . The armor wasn¡¯t just for show . They really were soldiers clad in pitch black armor, holding weapons . . . ¡®They look like a person . ¡¯. . But they were not human . . . He did not sense any lifeforce coming from them . Not a sound of breathing or a hint of a heartbeat . . . On top of that . . . ¡° . ¡±. . Jinwoo swallowed a scream . He had taken a look through the visors of the helmet . Inside was darkness itself . Feeling as if he would be swallowed by it, Jinwoo slowly took few steps backwards . . . ¡®All of them were spawned from the shadows?¡¯. . He quickly opened up his skill screen . As the System had told him, there were new class-specific skills in his listing . . . Class-specific Skills. Active Skills. -Shadow Extraction (Lv . 1). -Shadow Storage (Lv . 1). . He checked the first skill . . . . Shadow Extraction (Lv . 1) [2]. Class-specific Skill. . Mana Cost: 0. . Create a Shadow Soldier from a corpse . . Success rate is dependent on target¡¯s abilities and time of death . . Maximum Shadows: 30 / 30. You extract and shape the mana from a lifeless body . . . After reading the skill¡¯s explanation, he was able to ascertain the identity of the black soldiers . . . ¡® . They¡¯re the undead . ¡¯. . Shadow Soldier . . . It was a monster created from a corpse¡¯s shadow . . . Jinwoo gulped . . . ¡®If these guys are really my soldiers¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo stretched his hand to the right . The soldiers all turned right . He slowly moved the hand to himself . The soldiers followed his hand and faced forward . In the middle of their gazes stood Jinwoo . He calmed his beating heart and lowered his hand . . . Clack. . Clack . . . All the soldiers kneeled before him . It was all moving according to his will . . . ¡°Hah¡­¡±. . Jinwoo expressed his amazement, and the corners of his mouth rose . . . ¡®This is so cool . ¡¯. Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Monarch of Shadows¡± (??? ??): ¡°shadow¡± ??? + ¡°king/monarch/lord¡± ?? . Flipped the words for coolness . . [2]: ¡°Shadow Extraction¡± (??? ??): Literal . ¡°Shadow¡± ??? + ¡°extract/extraction¡± ??. Chapter 53 Oh, right! An idea flashed across Jinwoo¡¯s head . ¡®I can¡¯t waste another second . ¡¯ He just saw the power of the new skill . He could turn a slain monster into an undead soldier . If that was the case, there was a monster nearby that he had to quickly turn into his own! Jinwoo went up on the pile of armors that made up the golem . He was able to see the entire room from the top . ¡® . . . ¡¯ His eyes scanned across the room and found his target . Found him! Jinwoo quickly ran towards the direction . step, step, step, step! Even without ¡®Sprint¡¯, he immediately reached his destination with anticipation . gulp Jinwoo stared at the extraction target and gulped . The monster¡¯s corpse was exactly where he had left it . ¡® . . . Blood-red Ygritte . ¡¯ Looking at the headless body half buried in the wall, Jinwoo remember just how fierce their battle was . He stood before Ygritte . Just a few hours ago, he was an enemy that threatened his life . But now, the fallen knight was a top class ingredient for his skill . Thankfully, like the other knights, there was a black smoke coming from Ygritte¡¯s body . It¡¯s a possible target for Shadow Extraction . Jinwoo¡¯s face brightened . ¡®Good . ¡¯ He remembered the command phrase . After taking a breath, Jinwoo quietly spoke the words, ¡°Arise . ¡± That was the activation phrase he had chosen . But the skill did not activate . ¡® . . . ?¡¯ Jinwoo tilted his head in confusion and was about to try again when the System rang . You¡¯ve exceeded the maximum number of Shadows allowed . To extract another Shadow, use ¡®Extraction Cancel¡¯ to send one or more Shadow Soldiers to the World of Nothingness . [1] The Shadow Soldiers sent to the void cannot be summoned again . Oh, right . He did remember that part of the skill, Maximum Shadows: 30 / 30 The ¡®Shadow Extraction¡¯¡¯s limit was 30 . That meant the number of soldiers he made was exactly 30¡­ Jinwoo turned around . The Shadow Soldiers had followed him and were standing at attention . ¡®When did they follow me?¡¯ As fitting of their name, the Shadow Soldiers had moved without a sound . Anyways, to extract Ygritte¡¯s shadow, he had to get rid of one of them . ¡®But¡­¡¯ Even after meeting them only moments ago, it felt regrettable to get rid of one of his soldiers . Had he gained a familiarity in that short time? With a sorrowful look, Jinwoo scanned each of the Shadow Soldiers . As he moved from one to the next, their names and level appeared . Shadow Infantry (Lv . 1) Normal Grade Shadow Infantry (Lv . 1) Normal Grade They all had the same name and level . ¡®Well, I guess their base was all same . ¡¯ However, he did discover three soldiers that were not infantry . ¡®Those are¡­?¡¯ Unlike the armor-clad infantry, those three wore robes . Shadow Mage (Lv . 1) Veteran Grade ¡°Ah . ¡± He knew where these had come from . The three mages that controlled the iron golem had also risen under his command . ¡®27 infantry and 3 mages . ¡¯ He determined that the small number of mages would have to be kept, so Jinwoo selected the nearest infantry . . . . I¡¯m sorry . ¡°Extraction Cancel . ¡± vanish- The soldier turned to smoke and scattered into nothingness . Not a trace of it could be found . ¡® . . . ¡¯ Jinwoo took a moment of silence for it, then turned to Ygritte . He was ready . He had sacrificed a valuable soldier to make room for Ygritte, this better be worth it . Time to strike while the iron¡¯s hot . Jinwoo attempted the skill, ¡°Arise . ¡± Compared to his previous attempt, the shadow beneath Ygritte began to quiver and move as if it was live . It was the same phenomenon he saw when extracting the other soldiers . ¡®It¡¯s working!¡¯ Jinwoo clenched his fists . He had a good feeling about this . Shadow Extraction has been attempted . Extracting . . . What would Ygritte look like when he rose again? Sweat gathered in Jinwoo¡¯s hands . However . Crack! With a sound of metal breaking, a message appeared, Shadow Extraction failed . ¡°What?¡± 2 attempts remaining . ¡°Phew-¡± He sighed in relief after seeing that he still had a chance . ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ The skill¡¯s description did tell him that the success rate was dependent on the target¡¯s abilities . Seeing that in action was rather surprising . His first extraction failure . It was like being slapped in the face . On top of that, there was a limit on the number of attempts . ¡®Two attempts remaining¡­¡¯ If he failed those 2 attempts, would Ygritte¡¯s shadow return to the void like the sacrificed soldier? Jinwoo shuddered at the worst case scenario . He shook his head, ¡®Let¡¯s not be pessimistic . ¡¯ Be optimistic . If he believed, perhaps the universe would help out . Feeling a mix of dread and anticipation, Jinwoo tried the second attempt . ¡°Arise . ¡± His expectations were off . Crack! Shadow Extraction failed . 1 attempt remaining . ¡® . . . ¡¯ Ygritte was a pain in the ass while living, and he was equally annoying in death . He thought of the worst case scenario again . After the second failure, the outcome looked bleak . Whew- Jinwoo took a deep breath . There was only one chance left . The last chance . Jinwoo closed his eyes and organized his thoughts . ¡®It might just be based on a probability, but¡­¡¯ He considered that maybe his desire for Ygritte¡¯s shadow was not showing enough . Jinwoo slowly opened his eyes . The black smoke coming from Ygritte looked like it was holding out a hand towards him, asking him to rescue the knight . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes became focused . As if to take the hand in rescue, Jinwoo also held out his right hand . ¡°Arise . ¡± Something happened that Jinwoo did not mean to do . Nor did he realize that it happened . But in that moment, the word he spoke echoed and vibrated with power . And following his command! Waaaaah-! A deep scream rang forth from somewhere and a chilling wind followed . ¡®This is?¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s face lit up . He remembered this phenomenon . It was the same as when the soldiers rose earlier . Aaaaaah- As expected, when the scream ended, a hand rose from Ygritte¡¯s shadow . The moment the hand was placed on the ground, a message appeared . You¡¯ve succeeded in Shadow Extraction . Jinwoo yelled in celebration . ¡°Alright!¡± He clenched his fists . Because he had failed twice, the success was all the more sweeter . The good news did not stop there, The Monarch¡¯s voice pulled forth the fighting spirit of the fallen one . You¡¯ve succeeded in Shadow Strengthening! The Shadow¡¯s level will start at 7 . ¡®Succeeded in strengthening?¡¯ Did this mean that they did not necessarily start at level 1? Jinwoo¡¯s eyes were wide open . As the message told him, the pitch black knight that rose from the shadow was level 7 . ¡°Mhmm!¡± Jinwoo yelped lightly . Ygritte¡¯s form was exactly as he remembered . The plumage that decorated its helmet . The nimble looking body covered from head to toe in armor . It even maintained the classy cape it had taken off before the fight . Only difference was that instead of the blood-red color, it was pitch black all over . Other than that, it was the same boss that he had defeated earlier . You could almost say that Ygritte had come back to life . However, ¡® . . . ¡¯ Compared to before, there was not a shred of hostility coming from the reborn Ygritte . It stood at attention, waiting for an order . ba dum ba dum Looking at Ygritte, Jinwoo¡¯s heart beat vigorously . A smile decorated his face . At the same time, a question appeared in his mind . Jinwoo looked above the knight¡¯s head . ¡®Why doesn¡¯t he have a name?¡¯ ??? (Lv . 7) Knight Grade Curiously, question marks appeared where his name should be . ¡®The grade is different, too . ¡¯ He had expected it to be stronger because of his level, but there was a few more difference between him and the other soldiers . As if reading his mind, ring~ You may assign a name to soldiers at or above the knight grade . The given name will be maintained until the soldier is released . Please choose a name for the soldier . ¡®Name?¡¯ He was unsure at first, but then realized this soldier did have his own name . It wouldn¡¯t be a problem if he called him by that name . Please choose a name for the soldier . As if asking him to hurry, the message was blinking rapidly . Jinwoo opened his mouth, ¡°Blood-red Ygri- . . . ¡± Wait . If he assigned a name, he would have to constantly call it by that name . That meant that if he assigned the name was thinking of, he would always have to start with ¡°Blood-red¡± something . He shuddered at how lame that sounded . ¡® . . . Too lame . ¡¯ And so, Jinwoo decided to shortened the name a bit . ¡°Ygritte . ¡± Would you like to pick ¡°Ygritte¡±? ¡°Yes . ¡± The moment he confirmed, the question marks in the knight¡¯s name disappeared and were replaced with Ygritte . Ygritte (Lv . 7) Knight Grade Even though it was the knight¡¯s original name, seeing his name officially decorate the information box gave Jinwoo a sense of pride . It was as if the idea that the boss was now his soldier had solidified . ¡®My soldier¡­¡¯ Jinwoo turned around . The 29 Shadow Soldiers awaited his command . Right now, his army¡¯s numbers were little . ¡®Only thirty soldiers¡­¡¯ It could¡¯ve been because the ¡®Shadow Extraction¡¯¡¯s level was too low, or it could¡¯ve been that his intelligence stat was too low . Still, Jinwoo was sure that the number of his army would only increase going forward . ¡®I really obtained an army . ¡¯ And contrary to what he had feared earlier, an army made of shadows, not bone and corpses . Only one problem remained . How would he walk around with these soldiers? It gave him a headache imagining walking down the road with the pitch black humanoids following . ¡®Whether it¡¯s skeletons or shadows¡­¡¯ He would surely be noticed if these things were surrounding him . Not only noticed¡­ This ability was beyond Reawakening . If he was placed under special surveillance, people may even ask him to cancel the summoning . ¡®Hunter Association HSD Chief Woo Jincheol¡­¡¯ He imagined those military-looking ahjussis swarming him and felt stifled at the headache that would follow . Thankfully, he had another skill . ¡®Skill . ¡¯ Jinwoo opened up his skill screen . Class-specific Skills Active Skills -Shadow Extraction (Lv . 1) -Shadow Storage (Lv . 1) The one that he hadn¡¯t checked yet . Shadow Storage . It seemed like something that would be used in situations like this . Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°World of Nothingness¡± (?(Ÿo)? ??): ¡°nothing/zero¡± ?(Ÿo) + world (??) . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 53. . Oh, right!. . An idea flashed across Jinwoo¡¯s head . . . ¡®I can¡¯t waste another second . ¡¯. . He just saw the power of the new skill . He could turn a slain monster into an undead soldier . If that was the case, there was a monster nearby that he had to quickly turn into his own! Jinwoo went up on the pile of armors that made up the golem . He was able to see the entire room from the top . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . His eyes scanned across the room and found his target . . . Found him!. . Jinwoo quickly ran towards the direction . . . step, step, step, step!. . Even without ¡®Sprint¡¯, he immediately reached his destination with anticipation . . . gulp. . Jinwoo stared at the extraction target and gulped . The monster¡¯s corpse was exactly where he had left it . . . ¡® . Blood-red Ygritte . ¡¯. . Looking at the headless body half buried in the wall, Jinwoo remember just how fierce their battle was . . . He stood before Ygritte . . . Just a few hours ago, he was an enemy that threatened his life . But now, the fallen knight was a top class ingredient for his skill . Thankfully, like the other knights, there was a black smoke coming from Ygritte¡¯s body . . . It¡¯s a possible target for Shadow Extraction . . . Jinwoo¡¯s face brightened . . . ¡®Good . ¡¯. . He remembered the command phrase . After taking a breath, Jinwoo quietly spoke the words,. . ¡°Arise . ¡±. . That was the activation phrase he had chosen . But the skill did not activate . . . ¡® . ?¡¯. . Jinwoo tilted his head in confusion and was about to try again when the System rang . . . You¡¯ve exceeded the maximum number of Shadows allowed . . To extract another Shadow, use ¡®Extraction Cancel¡¯ to send one or more Shadow Soldiers to the World of Nothingness . [1]. The Shadow Soldiers sent to the void cannot be summoned again . . . Oh, right . He did remember that part of the skill,. . Maximum Shadows: 30 / 30. . The ¡®Shadow Extraction¡¯¡¯s limit was 30 . That meant the number of soldiers he made was exactly 30¡­ Jinwoo turned around . The Shadow Soldiers had followed him and were standing at attention . . . ¡®When did they follow me?¡¯. . As fitting of their name, the Shadow Soldiers had moved without a sound . Anyways, to extract Ygritte¡¯s shadow, he had to get rid of one of them . . . ¡®But¡­¡¯. . Even after meeting them only moments ago, it felt regrettable to get rid of one of his soldiers . Had he gained a familiarity in that short time? With a sorrowful look, Jinwoo scanned each of the Shadow Soldiers . As he moved from one to the next, their names and level appeared . . . Shadow Infantry (Lv . 1). Normal Grade. . Shadow Infantry (Lv . 1). Normal Grade. . They all had the same name and level . . . ¡®Well, I guess their base was all same . ¡¯. . However, he did discover three soldiers that were not infantry . . . ¡®Those are¡­?¡¯. . Unlike the armor-clad infantry, those three wore robes . . . Shadow Mage (Lv . 1). Veteran Grade. . ¡°Ah . ¡±. . He knew where these had come from . The three mages that controlled the iron golem had also risen under his command . . . ¡®27 infantry and 3 mages . ¡¯. . He determined that the small number of mages would have to be kept, so Jinwoo selected the nearest infantry . . . . I¡¯m sorry . . . ¡°Extraction Cancel . ¡±. . vanish-. . The soldier turned to smoke and scattered into nothingness . Not a trace of it could be found . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . Jinwoo took a moment of silence for it, then turned to Ygritte . He was ready . He had sacrificed a valuable soldier to make room for Ygritte, this better be worth it . Time to strike while the iron¡¯s hot . Jinwoo attempted the skill,. . ¡°Arise . ¡±. . Compared to his previous attempt, the shadow beneath Ygritte began to quiver and move as if it was live . It was the same phenomenon he saw when extracting the other soldiers . . . ¡®It¡¯s working!¡¯. . Jinwoo clenched his fists . He had a good feeling about this . . . Shadow Extraction has been attempted . . Extracting . . . What would Ygritte look like when he rose again? Sweat gathered in Jinwoo¡¯s hands . . . However . . . Crack!. . With a sound of metal breaking, a message appeared,. . Shadow Extraction failed . . . ¡°What?¡±. . 2 attempts remaining . . . ¡°Phew-¡±. . He sighed in relief after seeing that he still had a chance . . . ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯. . The skill¡¯s description did tell him that the success rate was dependent on the target¡¯s abilities . Seeing that in action was rather surprising . His first extraction failure . It was like being slapped in the face . On top of that, there was a limit on the number of attempts . . . ¡®Two attempts remaining¡­¡¯. . If he failed those 2 attempts, would Ygritte¡¯s shadow return to the void like the sacrificed soldier? Jinwoo shuddered at the worst case scenario . He shook his head,. . ¡®Let¡¯s not be pessimistic . ¡¯. . Be optimistic . If he believed, perhaps the universe would help out . Feeling a mix of dread and anticipation, Jinwoo tried the second attempt . . . ¡°Arise . ¡±. . His expectations were off . . . Crack!. . Shadow Extraction failed . . . 1 attempt remaining . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . Ygritte was a pain in the ass while living, and he was equally annoying in death . He thought of the worst case scenario again . After the second failure, the outcome looked bleak . . . Whew-. . Jinwoo took a deep breath . There was only one chance left . The last chance . Jinwoo closed his eyes and organized his thoughts . . . ¡®It might just be based on a probability, but¡­¡¯. . He considered that maybe his desire for Ygritte¡¯s shadow was not showing enough . Jinwoo slowly opened his eyes . The black smoke coming from Ygritte looked like it was holding out a hand towards him, asking him to rescue the knight . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes became focused . As if to take the hand in rescue, Jinwoo also held out his right hand . . . ¡°Arise . ¡±. . Something happened that Jinwoo did not mean to do . Nor did he realize that it happened . But in that moment, the word he spoke echoed and vibrated with power . . . And following his command!. . Waaaaah-!. . A deep scream rang forth from somewhere and a chilling wind followed . . . ¡®This is?¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s face lit up . He remembered this phenomenon . It was the same as when the soldiers rose earlier . . . Aaaaaah-. . As expected, when the scream ended, a hand rose from Ygritte¡¯s shadow . . . The moment the hand was placed on the ground, a message appeared . . . You¡¯ve succeeded in Shadow Extraction . . . Jinwoo yelled in celebration . . . ¡°Alright!¡±. . He clenched his fists . Because he had failed twice, the success was all the more sweeter . The good news did not stop there,. . The Monarch¡¯s voice pulled forth the fighting spirit of the fallen one . . You¡¯ve succeeded in Shadow Strengthening!. The Shadow¡¯s level will start at 7 . . . ¡®Succeeded in strengthening?¡¯. . Did this mean that they did not necessarily start at level 1? Jinwoo¡¯s eyes were wide open . As the message told him, the pitch black knight that rose from the shadow was level 7 . . . ¡°Mhmm!¡±. . Jinwoo yelped lightly . Ygritte¡¯s form was exactly as he remembered . The plumage that decorated its helmet . The nimble looking body covered from head to toe in armor . It even maintained the classy cape it had taken off before the fight . Only difference was that instead of the blood-red color, it was pitch black all over . Other than that, it was the same boss that he had defeated earlier . You could almost say that Ygritte had come back to life . . . However,. . ¡® . ¡¯. . Compared to before, there was not a shred of hostility coming from the reborn Ygritte . . . It stood at attention, waiting for an order . . . ba dum ba dum. . Looking at Ygritte, Jinwoo¡¯s heart beat vigorously . A smile decorated his face . At the same time, a question appeared in his mind . Jinwoo looked above the knight¡¯s head . . . ¡®Why doesn¡¯t he have a name?¡¯. . ??? (Lv . 7). Knight Grade. . Curiously, question marks appeared where his name should be . . . ¡®The grade is different, too . ¡¯. . He had expected it to be stronger because of his level, but there was a few more difference between him and the other soldiers . As if reading his mind,. . ring~. . You may assign a name to soldiers at or above the knight grade . . The given name will be maintained until the soldier is released . . Please choose a name for the soldier . . . ¡®Name?¡¯. . He was unsure at first, but then realized this soldier did have his own name . It wouldn¡¯t be a problem if he called him by that name . . . Please choose a name for the soldier . . . As if asking him to hurry, the message was blinking rapidly . Jinwoo opened his mouth,. . ¡°Blood-red Ygri- . ¡±. . Wait . . . If he assigned a name, he would have to constantly call it by that name . That meant that if he assigned the name was thinking of, he would always have to start with ¡°Blood-red¡± something . He shuddered at how lame that sounded . . . ¡® . Too lame . ¡¯. . And so, Jinwoo decided to shortened the name a bit . . . ¡°Ygritte . ¡±. . Would you like to pick ¡°Ygritte¡±?. . ¡°Yes . ¡±. . The moment he confirmed, the question marks in the knight¡¯s name disappeared and were replaced with Ygritte . . . Ygritte (Lv . 7). Knight Grade. . Even though it was the knight¡¯s original name, seeing his name officially decorate the information box gave Jinwoo a sense of pride . It was as if the idea that the boss was now his soldier had solidified . . . ¡®My soldier¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo turned around . . . The 29 Shadow Soldiers awaited his command . Right now, his army¡¯s numbers were little . . . ¡®Only thirty soldiers¡­¡¯. . It could¡¯ve been because the ¡®Shadow Extraction¡¯¡¯s level was too low, or it could¡¯ve been that his intelligence stat was too low . Still, Jinwoo was sure that the number of his army would only increase going forward . . . ¡®I really obtained an army . ¡¯. . And contrary to what he had feared earlier, an army made of shadows, not bone and corpses . . . Only one problem remained . How would he walk around with these soldiers? It gave him a headache imagining walking down the road with the pitch black humanoids following . . . ¡®Whether it¡¯s skeletons or shadows¡­¡¯. . He would surely be noticed if these things were surrounding him . Not only noticed¡­ This ability was beyond Reawakening . If he was placed under special surveillance, people may even ask him to cancel the summoning . . . ¡®Hunter Association HSD Chief Woo Jincheol¡­¡¯. . He imagined those military-looking ahjussis swarming him and felt stifled at the headache that would follow . Thankfully, he had another skill . . . ¡®Skill . ¡¯. . Jinwoo opened up his skill screen . . . Class-specific Skills. Active Skills. -Shadow Extraction (Lv . 1). -Shadow Storage (Lv . 1). . The one that he hadn¡¯t checked yet . . . Shadow Storage . . . It seemed like something that would be used in situations like this . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°World of Nothingness¡± (?(Ÿo)? ??): ¡°nothing/zero¡± ?(Ÿo) + world (??) . . Chapter 54 Shadow Storage (Lv . 1) [1] Class-specific Skill Mana Cost: 0 Absorb the Shadow Soldiers into the user¡¯s shadow for storage . The stored soldiers can be freely summoned and reabsorbed by the user . Stored Shadows: 0 / 20 ¡®As I thought . ¡¯ Jinwoo nodded . Before he had checked the description, he had surmised that the ¡°storage¡± in its name meant that the skill would allow him to manage the soldiers somehow . However, there was one thing he did not expect . ¡®The limit is¡­¡¯ The limits of the storage was smaller than the limits of the summoning . While he could make 30 soldiers, he could only store 20 of them . That meant that he would have to get rid of 10 more . ¡®Well that sucks . ¡¯ It would be like biting of one of his fingers . Even getting rid of just one soldier was painful, and now he had to get rid of 10 of them . ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ With a heavy heart, Jinwoo looked over his army . Of course, Ygritte and the mages would be excluded from selection . That would leave the infantry . He decided to pick the 10 soldiers furthest away this time . ¡®I¡¯m sorry . ¡¯ Jinwoo briefly prayed for their souls . shooooo- The soldiers he selected became dust and scattered . Compared to the first time, the regret that he felt was lessened . They say humans can get used to anything . Anyways . Jinwoo looked at the remaining soldiers and used ¡®Shadow Storage¡¯ . At the activation of the skill, Ygritte and the Shadow Soldiers melted like ice into flat shadows . Then, their shadows flowed over to Jinwoo and entered his own shadow . ¡®So this is what the skill meant by absorbing them¡­!¡¯ It was exactly as described by the skill; his army was absorbed into his shadow . It all happened in a blink of an eye . The shadow army was nowhere to be seen . ¡® . . . Even after seeing it¡­¡¯ Jinwoo looked at his shadow with amazement . In that moment, the System rang . ring~ You¡¯ve tried out all the class-specific skills . The class advancement is now complete . The exit will now be created . ¡®Is it finally over¡­?¡¯ It was a long and tough road . Jinwoo took one last look around the Dungeon . The traces of combat littered the area . Broken knights . Cracked walls . The destroyed pillar . And the one who destroyed the pillar, the iron golem, which was now a pile of broken armor . But his trials had resulted in many great boons . New class and skills . A powerful army . A smile appeared on Jinwoo¡¯s face . He turned around without a lingering thought . The gate to the real world waited for him . Jinwoo stepped through . He returned to the clearing in the forest . It was the same spot he had first entered the quest¡¯s Dungeon . The time was 5 AM . The sun would be rising soon . Oh right . Jinwoo looked at his watch and kicked himself in his mind . ¡®If I knew I was going to take this long, I should¡¯ve let Jinah know . ¡¯ Fortunately, he had been late in the past due to the Association¡¯s Raids . Jinwoo looked behind him . The gate that he left from had disappeared without a trace . ¡®Huh¡­¡¯ Looking at the empty clearing, everything that had happened felt like a dream . Wait, a dream? No, no way . Jinwoo looked around . Soldiers clad in pitch black surrounded him . The Shadow Soldiers had come out the moment he thought of them in his head . ¡® . . . ¡¯ At first, he thought of them as monsters . Shadow Soldiers . Monsters that were called from the shadows of the dead . If they were monsters, what do you call the being that can freely create and control them? Jinwoo smiled, ¡®Well, it doesn¡¯t matter¡­¡¯ He recalled the soldiers into his shadow again . The road home felt as easy as walking downhill . Jinwoo slept for a long time . He could not help it . The moment he had lied down in his bed, the day was already bright . ring~ ring~ What woke him was the ringing of his phone . He managed to grab it with much difficulty . Jinwoo answered the phone with his eyes still closed . ¡°Hello¡­¡± His tired voice cracked a bit . - ¡°What the¡­ Oppa, are you still sleeping? Do you know what time it is?!¡± Jinah asked with surprise from the other end, so Jinwoo asked . ¡°What time is it¡­¡± - ¡°It¡¯s 2 PM!¡± ¡°Whaaa?¡± Jinwoo peaked at the phone through a crack in his eyes . She was right . - ¡°Oppa, you do remember that you have to come to the school today, right?¡± Her voice was filled with concern . This made Jinwoo finally sit-up on the bed . ¡°When do I have to be there by?¡± - ¡°5!¡± ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t be late . Don¡¯t worry . ¡± - ¡°As expected of my brother! Call me when you get here!¡± Jinah cutely ended the call . Jinwoo scratched his head and slowly got up . He could probably make it if he got ready now . ¡®Still, I¡¯m about to go see my little sister¡¯s teacher . ¡¯ On top of that, it was for the parent/guardian meeting for a highschool senior . They say this was one of the most important meetings of a child¡¯s life . ¡®I can¡¯t go looking like this . ¡¯ He went over and looked through his wardrobe . A musty scent filled his nose; it was not exactly a good smell . Jinwoo¡¯s forehead wrinkled . The most suitable thing he found was the old suit that he had worn for his graduation . ¡®Can I wear this?¡¯ He tried it on, but it did not fit . The suit was too small for his body . ¡®Man, my body really grew . ¡¯ Trying on his old clothes was a sure way to tell . The suit felt like it was about to rip apart over him . . . . Now what? While wondering what he could wear, Jinwoo¡¯s eyes fell on the bankbook that Yoo Jinho had given him . It contained the magic core income from their Raids . Looking back and forth between the old suit and the bankbook, a smile crept up on Jinwoo¡¯s face . ¡®It¡¯s been a while . Shall I go shopping?¡¯ However, there was something small he had to check . Wait, not small, something big . Jinwoo took off the suit and sat down on his bed and opened up the status screen . ¡®Status screen . ¡¯ An information box filled a bunch of words filled his view . Name: Sung Jinwoo Level: 51 Class: Monarch of Shadows Title: Wolf Slayer ( . . . 1 more) HP: 11,035 MP: 1,022 Fatigue: 0 Stats Strength: 132 Constitution: 91 Agility: 111 Intelligence: 70 Sense: 93 (Available stat points: 10) Physical Damage Reduction: 46% Skills Passive Skills -(Unknown) (Lv . Max) -Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1) -Advanced Dagger Proficiency (Lv . 1) Active Skills -Sprint (Lv . 2) -Bloodlust (Lv . 1) -Stealth (Lv . 1) -Vital Stab (Lv . 2) -Dagger Throw (Lv . 1) Class-specific Skills Active Skills -Shadow Extraction (Lv . 1) -Shadow Storage (Lv . 1) Equipment Red Knight¡¯s Helmet (S) Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace (A) High-level Knight¡¯s Breastplate (B) High-level Knight¡¯s Gauntlet (B) High-level Mage¡¯s Ring (B) Mid-level Assassin¡¯s Shoes (C) [2] ¡°Huh¡­¡± Jinwoo stuck out a tongue at the status screen that went on and on . ¡®I feel like only few days ago this was nearly empty . ¡¯ It was true . But now, just the skills and equipment alone had increased greatly . Above all else, what stood out to him was his new class . Class: Monarch of Shadows Just yesterday, this spot was decorated with word, ¡°none¡± . To be honest, everytime he opened his status screen, that ¡°none¡± bothered him . A Hunter that didn¡¯t Raid was basically an unemployed bum . At least, that¡¯s how society viewed them . So when he looked at his status screen before and saw that he had no class(job), it struck a chord in his mind . Now, he could not hide his joy in looking at the newly filled part of his status screen . ¡®Is this what they call an inferiority complex?¡¯ Of course, having ¡°none¡± in that section didn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t have a job in real life . Still, it reminded him of his past . Other Hunters raided and earned a ton of money without paying attention to the eyes of the world . He was the not the same . He could not even proudly claim that he was a Hunter . After all, he was a mere E-ranker who could barely hold onto his own life . ¡°Hello, I¡¯m an E-rank Hunter . ¡± Every time those words escaped his mouth, anyone who knew anything about Hunters would praise him for his hard work but go on to mock him behind his back . That¡¯s why not having a class bothered him, despite how illogical it was . But now, he had obtained a job, or rather something special . His job was still a Hunter, but in a way, he had obtained a special calling called the ¡°Monarch of Shadows¡± . ¡®Even if it¡¯s not exactly what I was hoping for¡­¡¯ He had no regrets . If anything, he was satisfied . If he wasn¡¯t in his room, he would¡¯ve summoned Ygritte and the Shadow Soldiers before him . Jinwoo really wanted to test out their capabilities in battle . What if they could bring out a 100% of their former powers? ¡®Probably not . ¡¯ But even imagining it made his heart race . ba dum ba dum Jinwoo stood still and felt his heartbeat . In his head, he was running simulations of his next Raid . Additionally, he was looking forward to Yoo Jinho¡¯s reaction . Imagining the young man¡¯s face with wide open eyes and mouth, Jinwoo laughed despite of himself . Hold on . ¡®Now that I think about it . ¡¯ If he was able to raise a dead target, and if that target was not limited to a monster or a magic beast¡­ ¡®I should be able to raise a soldier from a dead Hunter, right?¡¯ It was obvious, but he had avoided the idea because a human was involved . To think that he would command an undead soldier from a dead man¡¯s shadow . Just the idea shocked him . Even still¡­ ¡®What if I can raise an A-rank or a S-rank Hunter¡¯s shadow?¡¯ The power he would obtain would be beyond imagination . Even if the soldier could wield just 50% of their former powers, it would be enough for him to raid high-level Dungeons . The light racing of his heart turned to a full sprint . BA DUM, BA DUM, BA DUM! But Jinwoo shook his head . ¡®Still, raising a human being into an undead is¡­¡¯ It was not something that should be done . No matter how much it increased his powers, he wanted to avoid doing that . Unless someone appeared that truly deserved it¡­ ¡®Not that there are a lot of opportunities to fight another Hunter . ¡¯ Even if an opportunity appeared, there was a philosophical problem . Humans were not monsters or magic beasts . Alright . For now, he would be satisfied with the army on hand . ¡®I did obtain a boss-level soldier too . ¡¯ The Shadow Soldier who was level 7 and a knight grade . How powerful was he? Jinwoo anticipated his next Raid . Translator¡¯s Notes:[1]: Shadow Storage (??? ??): Same as extraction, pretty literal . ¡°Shadow¡± ??? + ¡°save/store/preserve¡± ?? [2]: I need a new way of displaying this information¡­ It¡¯s only going to get bigger¡­ Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 54. . Shadow Storage (Lv . 1) [1]. Class-specific Skill. Mana Cost: 0. Absorb the Shadow Soldiers into the user¡¯s shadow for storage . . The stored soldiers can be freely summoned and reabsorbed by the user . . Stored Shadows: 0 / 20. . ¡®As I thought . ¡¯. . Jinwoo nodded . Before he had checked the description, he had surmised that the ¡°storage¡± in its name meant that the skill would allow him to manage the soldiers somehow . However, there was one thing he did not expect . . . ¡®The limit is¡­¡¯. . The limits of the storage was smaller than the limits of the summoning . While he could make 30 soldiers, he could only store 20 of them . That meant that he would have to get rid of 10 more . . . ¡®Well that sucks . ¡¯. . It would be like biting of one of his fingers . Even getting rid of just one soldier was painful, and now he had to get rid of 10 of them . . . ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯. . With a heavy heart, Jinwoo looked over his army . Of course, Ygritte and the mages would be excluded from selection . That would leave the infantry . He decided to pick the 10 soldiers furthest away this time . . . ¡®I¡¯m sorry . ¡¯. . Jinwoo briefly prayed for their souls . . . shooooo-. . The soldiers he selected became dust and scattered . Compared to the first time, the regret that he felt was lessened . They say humans can get used to anything . . . Anyways . . . Jinwoo looked at the remaining soldiers and used ¡®Shadow Storage¡¯ . . . At the activation of the skill, Ygritte and the Shadow Soldiers melted like ice into flat shadows . Then, their shadows flowed over to Jinwoo and entered his own shadow . . . ¡®So this is what the skill meant by absorbing them¡­!¡¯. . It was exactly as described by the skill; his army was absorbed into his shadow . It all happened in a blink of an eye . The shadow army was nowhere to be seen . . . ¡® . Even after seeing it¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo looked at his shadow with amazement . In that moment, the System rang . . . ring~. . You¡¯ve tried out all the class-specific skills . . The class advancement is now complete . . The exit will now be created . . . ¡®Is it finally over¡­?¡¯. . It was a long and tough road . Jinwoo took one last look around the Dungeon . The traces of combat littered the area . . . Broken knights . Cracked walls . The destroyed pillar . . . And the one who destroyed the pillar, the iron golem, which was now a pile of broken armor . . . But his trials had resulted in many great boons . . . New class and skills . . . A powerful army . . . A smile appeared on Jinwoo¡¯s face . He turned around without a lingering thought . The gate to the real world waited for him . Jinwoo stepped through . . . He returned to the clearing in the forest . It was the same spot he had first entered the quest¡¯s Dungeon . The time was 5 AM . The sun would be rising soon . . . Oh right . . . Jinwoo looked at his watch and kicked himself in his mind . . . ¡®If I knew I was going to take this long, I should¡¯ve let Jinah know . ¡¯. . Fortunately, he had been late in the past due to the Association¡¯s Raids . . . Jinwoo looked behind him . The gate that he left from had disappeared without a trace . . . ¡®Huh¡­¡¯. . Looking at the empty clearing, everything that had happened felt like a dream . . . Wait, a dream?. . No, no way . . . Jinwoo looked around . . . Soldiers clad in pitch black surrounded him . The Shadow Soldiers had come out the moment he thought of them in his head . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . At first, he thought of them as monsters . . . Shadow Soldiers . . . Monsters that were called from the shadows of the dead . If they were monsters, what do you call the being that can freely create and control them? Jinwoo smiled,. . ¡®Well, it doesn¡¯t matter¡­¡¯. . He recalled the soldiers into his shadow again . . . The road home felt as easy as walking downhill . . . . Jinwoo slept for a long time . He could not help it . The moment he had lied down in his bed, the day was already bright . . . ring~ ring~. . What woke him was the ringing of his phone . He managed to grab it with much difficulty . Jinwoo answered the phone with his eyes still closed . . . ¡°Hello¡­¡±. . His tired voice cracked a bit . . . - ¡°What the¡­ Oppa, are you still sleeping? Do you know what time it is?!¡±. . Jinah asked with surprise from the other end, so Jinwoo asked . . . ¡°What time is it¡­¡±. . - ¡°It¡¯s 2 PM!¡±. . ¡°Whaaa?¡±. . Jinwoo peaked at the phone through a crack in his eyes . She was right . . . - ¡°Oppa, you do remember that you have to come to the school today, right?¡±. . Her voice was filled with concern . This made Jinwoo finally sit-up on the bed . . . ¡°When do I have to be there by?¡±. . - ¡°5!¡±. . ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t be late . Don¡¯t worry . ¡±. . - ¡°As expected of my brother! Call me when you get here!¡±. . Jinah cutely ended the call . . . Jinwoo scratched his head and slowly got up . He could probably make it if he got ready now . . . ¡®Still, I¡¯m about to go see my little sister¡¯s teacher . ¡¯. . On top of that, it was for the parent/guardian meeting for a highschool senior . They say this was one of the most important meetings of a child¡¯s life . . . ¡®I can¡¯t go looking like this . ¡¯. . He went over and looked through his wardrobe . A musty scent filled his nose; it was not exactly a good smell . Jinwoo¡¯s forehead wrinkled . The most suitable thing he found was the old suit that he had worn for his graduation . . . ¡®Can I wear this?¡¯. . He tried it on, but it did not fit . The suit was too small for his body . . . ¡®Man, my body really grew . ¡¯. . Trying on his old clothes was a sure way to tell . The suit felt like it was about to rip apart over him . . . . Now what?. . While wondering what he could wear, Jinwoo¡¯s eyes fell on the bankbook that Yoo Jinho had given him . It contained the magic core income from their Raids . Looking back and forth between the old suit and the bankbook, a smile crept up on Jinwoo¡¯s face . . . ¡®It¡¯s been a while . Shall I go shopping?¡¯. . However, there was something small he had to check . Wait, not small, something big . Jinwoo took off the suit and sat down on his bed and opened up the status screen . . . ¡®Status screen . ¡¯. . An information box filled a bunch of words filled his view . . . . Name: Sung Jinwoo. Level: 51. Class: Monarch of Shadows. Title: Wolf Slayer ( . 1 more). HP: 11,035. MP: 1,022. Fatigue: 0. Stats. . Strength: 132. Constitution: 91. Agility: 111. Intelligence: 70. Sense: 93. (Available stat points: 10). Physical Damage Reduction: 46%. Skills. . Passive Skills. -(Unknown) (Lv . Max). -Unyielding Spirit (Lv . 1). -Advanced Dagger. Proficiency (Lv . 1). . Active Skills. -Sprint (Lv . 2). -Bloodlust (Lv . 1). -Stealth (Lv . 1). -Vital Stab (Lv . 2). -Dagger Throw (Lv . 1). Class-specific Skills. Active Skills. -Shadow Extraction (Lv . 1). -Shadow Storage (Lv . 1). Equipment. Red Knight¡¯s Helmet (S). Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace (A). High-level Knight¡¯s Breastplate (B). High-level Knight¡¯s Gauntlet (B). High-level Mage¡¯s Ring (B). Mid-level Assassin¡¯s Shoes (C). [2]. . ¡°Huh¡­¡±. . Jinwoo stuck out a tongue at the status screen that went on and on . . . ¡®I feel like only few days ago this was nearly empty . ¡¯. . It was true . But now, just the skills and equipment alone had increased greatly . Above all else, what stood out to him was his new class . . . Class: Monarch of Shadows. . Just yesterday, this spot was decorated with word, ¡°none¡± . To be honest, everytime he opened his status screen, that ¡°none¡± bothered him . A Hunter that didn¡¯t Raid was basically an unemployed bum . At least, that¡¯s how society viewed them . So when he looked at his status screen before and saw that he had no class(job), it struck a chord in his mind . Now, he could not hide his joy in looking at the newly filled part of his status screen . . . ¡®Is this what they call an inferiority complex?¡¯. . Of course, having ¡°none¡± in that section didn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t have a job in real life . Still, it reminded him of his past . Other Hunters raided and earned a ton of money without paying attention to the eyes of the world . He was the not the same . He could not even proudly claim that he was a Hunter . After all, he was a mere E-ranker who could barely hold onto his own life . . . ¡°Hello, I¡¯m an E-rank Hunter . ¡±. . Every time those words escaped his mouth, anyone who knew anything about Hunters would praise him for his hard work but go on to mock him behind his back . That¡¯s why not having a class bothered him, despite how illogical it was . . . But now, he had obtained a job, or rather something special . His job was still a Hunter, but in a way, he had obtained a special calling called the ¡°Monarch of Shadows¡± . . . ¡®Even if it¡¯s not exactly what I was hoping for¡­¡¯. . He had no regrets . If anything, he was satisfied . If he wasn¡¯t in his room, he would¡¯ve summoned Ygritte and the Shadow Soldiers before him . Jinwoo really wanted to test out their capabilities in battle . What if they could bring out a 100% of their former powers?. . ¡®Probably not . ¡¯. . But even imagining it made his heart race . . . ba dum ba dum. . Jinwoo stood still and felt his heartbeat . In his head, he was running simulations of his next Raid . Additionally, he was looking forward to Yoo Jinho¡¯s reaction . . . Imagining the young man¡¯s face with wide open eyes and mouth, Jinwoo laughed despite of himself . . . Hold on . . . ¡®Now that I think about it . ¡¯. . If he was able to raise a dead target, and if that target was not limited to a monster or a magic beast¡­. . ¡®I should be able to raise a soldier from a dead Hunter, right?¡¯. . It was obvious, but he had avoided the idea because a human was involved . To think that he would command an undead soldier from a dead man¡¯s shadow . Just the idea shocked him . . . Even still¡­. . ¡®What if I can raise an A-rank or a S-rank Hunter¡¯s shadow?¡¯. . The power he would obtain would be beyond imagination . Even if the soldier could wield just 50% of their former powers, it would be enough for him to raid high-level Dungeons . The light racing of his heart turned to a full sprint . . . BA DUM, BA DUM, BA DUM!. . But Jinwoo shook his head . . . ¡®Still, raising a human being into an undead is¡­¡¯. . It was not something that should be done . No matter how much it increased his powers, he wanted to avoid doing that . Unless someone appeared that truly deserved it¡­. . ¡®Not that there are a lot of opportunities to fight another Hunter . ¡¯. . Even if an opportunity appeared, there was a philosophical problem . Humans were not monsters or magic beasts . . . Alright . . . For now, he would be satisfied with the army on hand . . . ¡®I did obtain a boss-level soldier too . ¡¯. . The Shadow Soldier who was level 7 and a knight grade . How powerful was he?. . Jinwoo anticipated his next Raid . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: Shadow Storage (??? ??): Same as extraction, pretty literal . ¡°Shadow¡± ??? + ¡°save/store/preserve¡± ??. [2]: I need a new way of displaying this information¡­ It¡¯s only going to get bigger¡­. Chapter 55 While staring at the screen in happiness, Jinwoo noticed something else . Title: Wolf Slayer ( . . . 1 more) ¡® . . . One more?¡¯ Ah . He suddenly remembered that the reward from the class advancement quest did say something about a new title . Jinwoo checked the hidden title . One Who Has Triumphed Over Adversity For every 1% HP lost, all stats increased by 1% . It¡¯s a title given to the one who has courageously endured against adversity . ¡®I like it!¡¯ It was an amazing buff that would increase all of his attributes as he lost life . The ¡®Wolf Slayer¡¯ was a decent title on its own, increasing his attributes by 40% against beast-type monsters . However, its condition made it difficult to see the benefit most of the time . ¡®If I¡¯m facing something other than a beast-type, it¡¯s as if I didn¡¯t have a title . ¡¯ And now, he had earned something that he could always use . After thinking about it, it even had a good synergy with the ¡®Unyielding Spirit¡¯ passive . Without a hesitation, Jinwoo changed his title . Title: One Who¡­ ( . . . 1 more) The unused title would be hidden, but he could always swap it out when he needed it . ¡®Next, stats . ¡¯ There were three rewards he had received after reaching a high amount of advancement points . The first was the advancement to a higher class . The second was the new title . And the third was bonus stats . Stats Strength: 132 Constitution: 91 Agility: 111 Intelligence: 70 Sense: 93 (Available stat points: 10) Physical Damage Reduction: 46% There were 10 undistributed points . In the past, he would¡¯ve invested them into agility or sense, but things were different now . Jinwoo put all 10 points into intelligence . Even still, the stat was only at 80 . ring~ Stats Strength: 132 Constitution: 91 Agility: 111 Intelligence: 80 Sense: 93 (Available stat points: 0) Physical Damage Reduction: 46% Compared to strength or agility, it was really lacking . It even fell behind the constitution stat, which he had neglected because he wanted to raise agility higher . That was how much Jinwoo had left behind the intelligence stat . ¡®I never thought I¡¯d be using magic . ¡¯ His plan for the time being was to invest every point into intelligence . However, Jinwoo did not plan to switch up his fighting style . ¡®Man, even the other new skill feels like it belongs to Assassin-class . ¡¯ It was the new skill he had learned during combat . Dagger Throw . He did not need to read the explanation to understand what it was . Dagger Throw (Lv . 1) Active Skill Mana Cost: 30 Dagger-specific Throw your dagger to inflict damage . As the skill level increases, the accuracy and damage increases . ¡®As I thought . ¡¯ He had fought like a Fighter-class up until now . Just because he had earned a new class and class-specific skills, he couldn¡¯t just throw away his way of fighting . For now, he would use the shadow skills as a support and continue to wield the dagger . ¡®At least, until my intelligence is high enough . ¡¯ An outstanding combat skill, supported by the shadow army . His goal before receiving the class was unchanged . ¡®Only difference is . . ¡¯ The Shadow Soldiers appeared more useful than he thought . He did not think it was possible to subordinate a boss-level monster . ¡® . . . Still . ¡¯ If he relied solely on those new skills, the dagger-specific skills he had obtained would be wasted . On top of that, he had just purchased Knight Killer . ¡®If I knew I was going to be a Mage-class, I would¡¯ve bought a staff or something . ¡¯ Of course, had he done that, he might not have been able to finish the class advancement quest . Jinwoo closed the status screen . He had sufficiently absorbed all of the new information . ¡®Oh shit, the time . ¡¯ He had spent 20 minutes going through everything . Jinwoo scratched his head . ¡®Time to head out, I guess . ¡¯ Jinwoo smirked . The power of the attributes did not shine just in fighting magic beasts . When he focused, time slowed down . More accurately, Jinwoo had sped up . He opened the door and went outside of his room . Shower . Dry . Put on clothes . It took him 3 minutes . He could¡¯ve done it faster, but he felt like the worn down apartment would not be able to withstand his full speed . ¡®My hair¡¯s still wet . ¡¯ Still, he had basically saved about 20 minutes, so there was no need to hurry . Jinwoo was about to leave when realized he forgot something . His keys . The keys were on top of the desk . On any other day, he would¡¯ve walked over in annoyance to grab them . Today, he stretched a hand towards it . ¡®Where else would I use this?¡¯ Ruler¡¯s Hands! The key slowly slid across the table, then shot into his hand as if pulled by a powerful magnet . Jinwoo grabbed the key and smiled . Having finished all preparations in a flash, Jinwoo left his house while whistling . The first place he visited was the bank . He was curious on how much he had earned from the magic cores . ¡®I was too busy to check it . ¡¯ The management of the magic cores were left to the Raid Leader, Yoo Jinho . The young man had told him that he had sold all the magic cores after each day¡¯s Raids . The funds were deposited into the bankbook Jinwoo was holding . However, they did not particularly discuss the actual amounts involved . ¡®Jinho, that punk . He¡¯s so good at reporting on everything else . Guess he doesn¡¯t really have an interest in money . ¡¯ Maybe because of the circumstances of his life, the young man probably had little interest in financial matters . His conversation topics mostly revolved around celebrities, Raids, music and movies . Well, ¡°conversation¡± mostly entailed Yoo Jinho talking while Jinwoo just silently nodded along . ¡®Hmm, also¡­¡¯ When Jinwoo thought back on the times he spent with Yoo Jinho, the chattermouth had never talked about his family . It was strange . Before Jinwoo could give it more thought, he arrived at the bank . ¡®Of all the days¡­¡¯ The ATMs were being serviced . Defeated, Jinwoo grabbed a number and waited . Soon, he was called and went up to the counter . ¡°Hello . ¡± The female service employee had a short hair and a bright smile . She asked helpfully, ¡°How may I help you today?¡± ¡°Could I get some help with this?¡± ¡°Of course . ¡± The employee took the bankbook from Jinwoo¡¯s hands with a smile . While waiting, Jinwoo looked around the bank . Even though it was a weekday afternoon, there were unusually many people around . While he was people watching, the bank employee took a look at Jinwoo¡¯s bankbook and was surprised . ¡®Holy!¡¯ [Account Balance: 1,482,920,000] She carefully reread the number, counting the zeroes; it was definitely over a billion . And the amount wasn¡¯t some life saving . The transaction history showed that it was all collected in the past week . ¡®He¡¯s so young, how could he¡­?¡¯ She had first thought of Jinwoo as a college student who was running bankbook errands for his mother . Now, she stared at the man with a completely different look . She carefully asked him a question with a slight ulterior motive . ¡°So¡­ what do you do?¡± Realizing how her question sounded, the employee became embarrassed and looked away with her cheeks reddening . ¡°I¡¯m a Hunter . ¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The employee nodded . The rumors were true . ¡®I heard that Hunters earned a lot of money . ¡¯ To think it would be this much . She suddenly felt a shame at her ordinary desk job . Just until moments ago, Jinwoo was just a customer like any other . Now, she realized he lived in a different world . ¡®He¡¯s probably a really high-ranking Hunter . ¡¯ Only they would earn this much money . This was the first high-ranker she had met . The thought made her heart flutter . A young man like him with over a billion in cash would be considered a VIP at this bank . And if he was a Hunter on top of that, he would be a VVIP . She did not want to miss the opportunity . The employee started to go off as mandated by her training, ¡°So, there¡¯s a new product for VIP customers at our bank,¡± Her business-use smile had turned into a genuine one; her eyes were fixed on Jinwoo . ¡®Oh my, he¡¯s¡­¡¯ The man looked like he had left his house in a hurry, wearing carefree clothes and unstyled hair still slightly wet . She realized he probably lived a very busy life and took valuable time out of it to come here . Looking at such a capable man (in her head), her heart beat slightly faster . ¡°It¡¯s been very popular with the customers . Would you perhaps like to invest in it?¡± But Jinwoo held out a hand . ¡°No, I¡¯m good . ¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Okay . ¡± She could not hide the disappointment in her voice . Feeling like a lengthy conversation might follow, Jinwoo hurried and got up . ¡°Thank you for your hard work . ¡± While ignoring the gaze of the employee on the back of his neck, he left the bank . The moment he went outside, he sighed in relief . ¡°Whew-¡± He had noticed change in her eyes after he revealed that he was a Hunter . The gazes of others . And their interest . It was something normal for other Hunters but not to Jinwoo . ¡®I suppose I have to get used to that . ¡¯ Once he took the retest and obtained a high rank, the attention on him would become a lot heavier . He had heard that Hunters even had their own share of fans and paparazzi . Looking up, he saw a billboard on top of a building with an advertisement; the model was a famous Hunter . Before the days of the Gates, it would¡¯ve been an athlete or a celebrity . Now, Hunters received the love of the masses . Jinwoo might become the same . Now days, the only people who disliked Hunters were insurance companies . ¡®Well, anyways . ¡¯ After leaving the bank, Jinwoo was finally able to check his income . He was very surprised . ¡®1,482,920,000¡­!!!¡¯ The income from 9 Raids was nearly a billion and a half . It was an average of 160 million per C-rank Dungeon . Considering the C-rank Dungeon with Hwang Dongseok paid out 180 million, he roughly determined that C-rank Gates would give 150~200 million each . ¡®Well, any employee would be surprised after looking at this . ¡¯ Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 55. . While staring at the screen in happiness, Jinwoo noticed something else . . . Title: Wolf Slayer ( . 1 more). . ¡® . One more?¡¯. . Ah . He suddenly remembered that the reward from the class advancement quest did say something about a new title . Jinwoo checked the hidden title . . . One Who Has Triumphed Over Adversity. For every 1% HP lost, all stats increased by 1% . . It¡¯s a title given to the one who has courageously endured against adversity . . . ¡®I like it!¡¯. . It was an amazing buff that would increase all of his attributes as he lost life . The ¡®Wolf Slayer¡¯ was a decent title on its own, increasing his attributes by 40% against beast-type monsters . However, its condition made it difficult to see the benefit most of the time . . . ¡®If I¡¯m facing something other than a beast-type, it¡¯s as if I didn¡¯t have a title . ¡¯. . And now, he had earned something that he could always use . After thinking about it, it even had a good synergy with the ¡®Unyielding Spirit¡¯ passive . Without a hesitation, Jinwoo changed his title . . . Title: One Who¡­ ( . 1 more). . The unused title would be hidden, but he could always swap it out when he needed it . . . ¡®Next, stats . ¡¯. . There were three rewards he had received after reaching a high amount of advancement points . . . The first was the advancement to a higher class . . . The second was the new title . . . And the third was bonus stats . . . Stats. . Strength: 132. Constitution: 91. Agility: 111. Intelligence: 70. Sense: 93. (Available stat points: 10). Physical Damage Reduction: 46%. . There were 10 undistributed points . In the past, he would¡¯ve invested them into agility or sense, but things were different now . Jinwoo put all 10 points into intelligence . Even still, the stat was only at 80 . . . ring~. . Stats. . Strength: 132. Constitution: 91. Agility: 111. Intelligence: 80. Sense: 93. (Available stat points: 0). Physical Damage Reduction: 46%. . Compared to strength or agility, it was really lacking . It even fell behind the constitution stat, which he had neglected because he wanted to raise agility higher . That was how much Jinwoo had left behind the intelligence stat . . . ¡®I never thought I¡¯d be using magic . ¡¯. . His plan for the time being was to invest every point into intelligence . However, Jinwoo did not plan to switch up his fighting style . . . ¡®Man, even the other new skill feels like it belongs to Assassin-class . ¡¯. . It was the new skill he had learned during combat . . . Dagger Throw . . . He did not need to read the explanation to understand what it was . . . Dagger Throw (Lv . 1). Active Skill. . Mana Cost: 30. Dagger-specific. . Throw your dagger to inflict damage . . As the skill level increases, the accuracy and damage increases . . . ¡®As I thought . ¡¯. . He had fought like a Fighter-class up until now . Just because he had earned a new class and class-specific skills, he couldn¡¯t just throw away his way of fighting . For now, he would use the shadow skills as a support and continue to wield the dagger . . . ¡®At least, until my intelligence is high enough . ¡¯. . An outstanding combat skill, supported by the shadow army . His goal before receiving the class was unchanged . . . ¡®Only difference is ¡¯. . The Shadow Soldiers appeared more useful than he thought . He did not think it was possible to subordinate a boss-level monster . . . ¡® . Still . ¡¯. . If he relied solely on those new skills, the dagger-specific skills he had obtained would be wasted . On top of that, he had just purchased Knight Killer . . . ¡®If I knew I was going to be a Mage-class, I would¡¯ve bought a staff or something . ¡¯. . Of course, had he done that, he might not have been able to finish the class advancement quest . . . Jinwoo closed the status screen . He had sufficiently absorbed all of the new information . . . ¡®Oh shit, the time . ¡¯. . He had spent 20 minutes going through everything . Jinwoo scratched his head . . . ¡®Time to head out, I guess . ¡¯. . Jinwoo smirked . The power of the attributes did not shine just in fighting magic beasts . When he focused, time slowed down . More accurately, Jinwoo had sped up . He opened the door and went outside of his room . . . Shower . Dry . Put on clothes . . . It took him 3 minutes . . . He could¡¯ve done it faster, but he felt like the worn down apartment would not be able to withstand his full speed . . . ¡®My hair¡¯s still wet . ¡¯. . Still, he had basically saved about 20 minutes, so there was no need to hurry . Jinwoo was about to leave when realized he forgot something . . . His keys . . . The keys were on top of the desk . On any other day, he would¡¯ve walked over in annoyance to grab them . Today, he stretched a hand towards it . . . ¡®Where else would I use this?¡¯. . Ruler¡¯s Hands!. . The key slowly slid across the table, then shot into his hand as if pulled by a powerful magnet . Jinwoo grabbed the key and smiled . Having finished all preparations in a flash, Jinwoo left his house while whistling . . . . . The first place he visited was the bank . He was curious on how much he had earned from the magic cores . . . ¡®I was too busy to check it . ¡¯. . The management of the magic cores were left to the Raid Leader, Yoo Jinho . The young man had told him that he had sold all the magic cores after each day¡¯s Raids . The funds were deposited into the bankbook Jinwoo was holding . However, they did not particularly discuss the actual amounts involved . . . ¡®Jinho, that punk . He¡¯s so good at reporting on everything else . Guess he doesn¡¯t really have an interest in money . ¡¯. . Maybe because of the circumstances of his life, the young man probably had little interest in financial matters . His conversation topics mostly revolved around celebrities, Raids, music and movies . Well, ¡°conversation¡± mostly entailed Yoo Jinho talking while Jinwoo just silently nodded along . . . ¡®Hmm, also¡­¡¯. . When Jinwoo thought back on the times he spent with Yoo Jinho, the chattermouth had never talked about his family . It was strange . . . Before Jinwoo could give it more thought, he arrived at the bank . . . ¡®Of all the days¡­¡¯. . The ATMs were being serviced . . . Defeated, Jinwoo grabbed a number and waited . Soon, he was called and went up to the counter . . . ¡°Hello . ¡±. . The female service employee had a short hair and a bright smile . She asked helpfully,. . ¡°How may I help you today?¡±. . ¡°Could I get some help with this?¡±. . ¡°Of course . ¡±. . The employee took the bankbook from Jinwoo¡¯s hands with a smile . While waiting, Jinwoo looked around the bank . Even though it was a weekday afternoon, there were unusually many people around . While he was people watching, the bank employee took a look at Jinwoo¡¯s bankbook and was surprised . . . ¡®Holy!¡¯. . [Account Balance: 1,482,920,000]. . She carefully reread the number, counting the zeroes; it was definitely over a billion . And the amount wasn¡¯t some life saving . The transaction history showed that it was all collected in the past week . . . ¡®He¡¯s so young, how could he¡­?¡¯. . She had first thought of Jinwoo as a college student who was running bankbook errands for his mother . Now, she stared at the man with a completely different look . She carefully asked him a question with a slight ulterior motive . . . ¡°So¡­ what do you do?¡±. . Realizing how her question sounded, the employee became embarrassed and looked away with her cheeks reddening . . . ¡°I¡¯m a Hunter . ¡±. . ¡°Ah¡­¡±. . The employee nodded . The rumors were true . . . ¡®I heard that Hunters earned a lot of money . ¡¯. . To think it would be this much . She suddenly felt a shame at her ordinary desk job . Just until moments ago, Jinwoo was just a customer like any other . Now, she realized he lived in a different world . . . ¡®He¡¯s probably a really high-ranking Hunter . ¡¯. . Only they would earn this much money . This was the first high-ranker she had met . The thought made her heart flutter . A young man like him with over a billion in cash would be considered a VIP at this bank . And if he was a Hunter on top of that, he would be a VVIP . She did not want to miss the opportunity . The employee started to go off as mandated by her training,. . ¡°So, there¡¯s a new product for VIP customers at our bank,¡±. . Her business-use smile had turned into a genuine one; her eyes were fixed on Jinwoo . . . ¡®Oh my, he¡¯s¡­¡¯. . The man looked like he had left his house in a hurry, wearing carefree clothes and unstyled hair still slightly wet . She realized he probably lived a very busy life and took valuable time out of it to come here . Looking at such a capable man (in her head), her heart beat slightly faster . . . ¡°It¡¯s been very popular with the customers . Would you perhaps like to invest in it?¡±. . But Jinwoo held out a hand . . . ¡°No, I¡¯m good . ¡±. . ¡°Ah¡­ Okay . ¡±. . She could not hide the disappointment in her voice . Feeling like a lengthy conversation might follow, Jinwoo hurried and got up . . . ¡°Thank you for your hard work . ¡±. . While ignoring the gaze of the employee on the back of his neck, he left the bank . The moment he went outside, he sighed in relief . . . ¡°Whew-¡±. . He had noticed change in her eyes after he revealed that he was a Hunter . The gazes of others . And their interest . It was something normal for other Hunters but not to Jinwoo . . . ¡®I suppose I have to get used to that . ¡¯. . Once he took the retest and obtained a high rank, the attention on him would become a lot heavier . He had heard that Hunters even had their own share of fans and paparazzi . Looking up, he saw a billboard on top of a building with an advertisement; the model was a famous Hunter . Before the days of the Gates, it would¡¯ve been an athlete or a celebrity . Now, Hunters received the love of the masses . Jinwoo might become the same . Now days, the only people who disliked Hunters were insurance companies . . . ¡®Well, anyways . ¡¯. . After leaving the bank, Jinwoo was finally able to check his income . He was very surprised . . . ¡®1,482,920,000¡­!!!¡¯. . The income from 9 Raids was nearly a billion and a half . It was an average of 160 million per C-rank Dungeon . Considering the C-rank Dungeon with Hwang Dongseok paid out 180 million, he roughly determined that C-rank Gates would give 150~200 million each . . . ¡®Well, any employee would be surprised after looking at this . ¡¯. Chapter 56 After Jinwoo finished the errand to check his account balance, he went and got fitted for a suit and even had the time to get a haircut at a nearby salon . ¡°Hmm . ¡± He was a completely different person than when he had left the house . ¡®Money really is good . ¡¯ Jinwoo stopped next to a shop window and checked his new look out in the reflection . This should be good enough . ¡®At the very least, I won¡¯t leave a bad impression . ¡¯ He checked the time . It was 4:20 . ¡®She said be there by 5 . ¡¯ He would make it in time . ¡°Taxi!¡± He hailed a cab and arrived at the school with time to spare . He saw Jinah waiting for him out in front . ¡°Sung Jinah . ¡± His little sister did not realize he had approached and jumped . ¡°Oppa?¡± Jinah stared at him like a deer in headlights . ¡°Excuse me, are you really Sung Jinwoo-ssi?¡± ¡°Do you not recognize your own oppa?¡± Jinah looked up and down on his figure and exclaimed, ¡°Well, you¡¯re a completely different person!¡± ¡°Did you think I would meet my dongsaeng¡¯s teacher in tracksuit and slippers?¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Jinah could not close her mouth . ¡°Your jaw¡¯s going to fall off . I¡¯m going ahead . ¡± It looked like Jinah was too shocked to guide him, so Jinwoo took the lead . He was a student here 5 years ago . The structure was familiar to him . He knew the meeting would happen in a conference room and not her homeroom, so he headed in that direction . His pace was quick . ¡°O-oppa! Wait for me!¡± Jinah quickly trotted after her brother . ¡°Hello, teacher . ¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh, hello . ¡± On the way, he greeted various teachers . Everyone of them stared at him as he walked by . ¡®Who was that?¡¯ ¡®Is he an alumni? I don¡¯t think there are students like that at our school . ¡¯ ¡®Is he a new teacher?¡¯ The teachers weren¡¯t the only ones who turned their heads . ¡°Whoa, handsome . ¡± ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that Jinah next to him?¡± ¡°It must be her brother . Wow, he¡¯s so cool . ¡± A muscular body and a fashionable suit . Even a plain-looking person would catch their eyes . Well, Jinwoo was completely uninterested . ¡® . . . ¡¯ The student¡¯s whispers went in one ear and out the other to him . The one who was excited was Jinah . She perked her ears and listened to her fellow students¡¯ whispers, then went up to her brother and ribbed him with her elbow . ¡°Wow, Oppa¡¯s pretty popular~¡± He ignored her the first time . ¡°You know, oppa doesn¡¯t have a girlfriend, right?¡± He ignored her the second time . . ¡°Should your cute little sister introduce you to someone?¡± He pinched her cheeks the third time . ¡°Don¡¯t mess around . ¡± ¡°S-sorry . ¡± Jinwoo released her, and she rubbed her red cheek . ¡°Che, I know you¡¯re enjoying all this¡­¡± While they were being siblings, they had arrived . Jinah spun with a flourish then gestured . ¡°Oppa, it¡¯s here . ¡± Jinwoo was about to enter, then turned to Jinah . ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°This is only for the parent/guardian and the teacher . I¡¯m just here to see you off . ¡± Oh right, Jinwoo remembered his own back in his last year of highschool . At the time, no one had come for him . ¡®Mother was already having difficulties moving back then . ¡¯ After she fell ill, his mother had to be quickly hospitalized . Not wanting to exert her weak body, Jinwoo did not tell her about the parent/guardian meeting . He had to endure the pestering of his teacher for a while because of that . Remembering that experience, he realized why Jinah was nervous when she asked for his time . He asked his sister with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re staying out late today, too, right?¡± ¡°Yep, you can go home without me . ¡± ¡°Alright . ¡± He patted her head before she could react, messing up her hair . ¡°Study hard . ¡± ¡°Ah danggit, don¡¯t do that . ¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see you at home . ¡± Jinwoo entered the conference room with a smile . Jinah fixed her hair while pouting . ¡°How long will you treat me like a kid¡­¡± Well, it wasn¡¯t like she hated it . She looked around, worried that someone might¡¯ve seen . After confirming no one was around, she skipped towards her classroom . If he had to describe his first impression of Jinah¡¯s homeroom teacher in a sentence . . . ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ She looked like a virtuous person . ¡°You must be Jinah¡¯s older brother . ¡± She was a wise-looking middle-aged female teacher . Someone whose bright smile made the other person feel comfortable . Knowing the circumstances of his household, she did not question Jinwoo¡¯s presence at all for the parent/guardian meeting . ¡°Please to meet you . I am Jinah¡¯s homeroom teacher . I didn¡¯t realize Jinah had such a handsome older brother, hoho . ¡± At her sassy but pleasant greeting, Jinwoo bowed his head . ¡®I don¡¯t remember her while I was here . ¡¯ She must¡¯ve been a new teacher after he had graduated . They say the first impression was very important . After their greeting, he was able to relax a bit . ¡®She¡¯s very respectful to someone much younger like me . ¡¯ It appeared that his little sister¡¯s senior year would not be plagued by a bad teacher . ¡°Please, have a seat . ¡± She gestured toward a chair . Jinwoo sat down and faced the teacher across a large desk . ¡°I don¡¯t think you have to worry about Jinah . ¡± They talked about the average matters for a parent/guardian meeting . Their conversation continued in a good mood for some time . Because Jinah was a model student, her teacher had nothing but good things to say . ¡°You¡¯re aware that Jinah wants to go to a medical school, right?¡± ¡°Yes . ¡± The teacher read through Jinah¡¯s profile . ¡°Her test scores were good, and her overall grades are excellent . She should be more than capable of getting into a good school . So please don¡¯t put too much pressure on her . ¡± Jinwoo solemnly nodded . The teacher¡¯s face was filled with expectations for Jinah . Truthfully, many homeroom teachers for highschool seniors were filled with stress due to the student¡¯s grades . After all, a student¡¯s final years in highschool determined the course of their lives . [0] ¡®And that¡¯s why I heard most teachers wanted to avoid teaching seniors . ¡¯ He had heard that some teachers had to be forced into the spot . With that in mind, it was clear that Jinah¡¯s teacher was someone with passion for the job . As Jinah¡¯s guardian, Jinwoo was very grateful for this . The meeting was nearing its end after 15 minutes . ¡°And then¡­¡± Jinwoo was about to rise, but then the teacher carefully asked a question, ¡°I heard that Jinah¡¯s oppa was a Hunter . ¡± Her eyes had suddenly turned serious . Jinwoo realized something was up . ¡°Yes, I am . ¡± ¡°If¡­ Jinah underwent Awakening, would you let her work as a Hunter?¡± ¡°Absolutely not . ¡± Never . Jinwoo firmly replied . He did not need to think about it . The teacher¡¯s expression darkened . ¡°As I expected¡­¡± When Jinwoo looked at her suspiciously, the teacher continued with hesitation, ¡°If it¡¯s not too much trouble, may I ask you for a favor?¡± Jinwoo nodded . ¡°If it¡¯s something I can do¡­¡± He¡¯d hear her out at least . The woman was Jinah¡¯s teacher; he did not want to sour their relationship by cutting her off from the start . Fearing that he would change his mind, the teacher quickly spoke, ¡°One of the female students here underwent Awakening recently . She¡¯s planning on dropping out and starting work as a Hunter . She¡¯s been absent for some time now . ¡± ¡®Ah . ¡¯ It was a common occurrence . People who freshly received their Awakening ignored common sense and threw themselves into the Hunter profession . Despite not knowing what the job truly entailed, they did it with pride at the fact that they were different from an ordinary person . Even if you were an Awakened Being, taking on the title of a Hunter and earning life-changing amounts were difficult . The teacher sighed deeply, ¡°If this continues, the school will have no choice but to take action . I want to avoid that if possible . Even if you were a Hunter, don¡¯t you think you should atleast have a highschool diploma?¡± Jinwoo nodded in agreement . At the positive response, the teacher¡¯s face brightened a bit . ¡°Could you please convince her to at least consider graduating?¡± The teacher smiled pleadingly . Jinwoo asked a question out of curiosity, ¡°That student, what was her rank?¡± ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard¡­ it was the lowest rank¡­¡± E-rank . ¡® . . . She¡¯s not going to live long . ¡¯ Jinwoo clicked his tongue inside his head . Even just entering a Dungeon required a caution at that rank . 9 out of 10 times, entering a Dungeon with carefree attitude born of arrogance resulted in either becoming disabled or dying . The fact that a girl his sister¡¯s age might meet such a fate weighed heavily on Jinwoo . However, he knew this was her decision . No one had forced her into it . It was unfortunate, but he did not want to take valuable time out of his schedule to interfere with someone else¡¯s choice . ¡®I¡¯m not sure if I could even convince her . ¡¯ People like that didn¡¯t like being told what to do . And so, Jinwoo decided to refuse and started to rise . But the teacher continued, ¡°Her name is ___ . Jinah should know her . ¡± [1] When he heard the student¡¯s name, Jinwoo could not get up . He asked to confirm, ¡°Teacher, what was her name again?¡± ¡°It¡¯s ___ . Do you know her?¡± [2] ¡° . . . ¡± What a small world . ¡®Huh¡­¡¯ Jinwoo was at a loss for words . At the same hour . Yoojin Construction¡¯s Chairman Yoo Myunghan¡¯s personal residence . From early morning, luxurious and expensive cars made nonstop appearances at the house . They all had arrived for the same reason . It was for the memorial service[3] of Yoojin Construction¡¯s founding chairman, Yoo Byungcheol . He was the father of Korea¡¯s #1 businessman, Yoo Myunghan . The man¡¯s firstborn made sure to clear all schedules, no matter how busy he was, and took care of his father¡¯s memorial service every year . As a testament to the man¡¯s fierce demeanor and influence, the entire Yoo clan gathered as one on this day . A certain investment firm¡¯s president . A certain pharmaceutical company¡¯s chairman . A certain mall¡¯s owner . The members of the Yoo clan were filled with prominent heads of various business sectors . Even their children were the elites among elites . Except for one . That one person, without being told to do so, took up a spot quietly in a corner, acting as if he didn¡¯t exist . It was Yoo Jinho . [4] ¡®Boring . ¡¯ The young man wished this entire ceremony would be over soon . Running through Dungeons with hyungnim was a hundred times, no, a thousand times more fun than this . ¡®I wonder what hyungnim¡¯s up to right now?¡¯ Now that he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t imagine how Jinwoo would spend his day off . Jinho idly thought about random things while sipping away at his drink, when a voice he didn¡¯t want to hear spoke up from behind him . ¡°Oy . ¡± Who else could it be? Even at a glance, you could tell that the voice¡¯s owner was a man of talent . Exuding the aura of an elite . Wearing high-class glasses . A tall height . It was Yoo Jinho¡¯s older brother, Yoo Jinsung . The firstborn son of Yoo Myunghan . The heir who would control Yoojin Construction someday . The man stood right before his younger brother and stared down on him . ¡°You should be up and about greeting the relatives . How long are you going to act like a little kid for?¡± ¡° . . . Whatever . ¡± ¡°Know that your unseemly actions only besmirch the name of our father . ¡± Yoo Jinsung¡¯s words did not have a shred of brotherly love in them, only an utter disdain of looking down on someone inferior . Of course, Yoo Jinho also had little love for his brother but did not dare speak up against him . ¡° . . . ¡± His brother took after their father in many ways after all . He was a genius among geniuses that stood at the top of the class in every subject, and his grades were just the tip of the iceberg . Once he graduated, he quickly began working under his father, Yoo Myunghan, in various sectors of business and produced great results . Compared to him, Yoo Jinho had nothing to show for himself . Even entering college was with the help of the family name . Whenever he stood next to his brother, Jinho felt himself shrinking down to nonexistence . ¡° . . . ¡± ¡°Pathetic . ¡± The older brother frowned at the younger¡¯s lowered head . He quickly turned and walked away . ¡°Esteemed uncle . ¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Jinsung . How are you?¡± Yoo Jinho was able to finally raise his head after Yoo Jinsung had walked away . This is why he hated coming home . If only it wasn¡¯t his grandfather¡¯s memorial service¡­ While Yoo Jinho repeatedly sighed to himself, another familiar voice came from behind him . ¡°Wow, I really hate that guy . ¡± Yoo Jinho turned around . It was his cousin, a year older than him, Yoo Soohyun . Translator¡¯s Notes: [0]: Might sound weird for folks in the west, but it¡¯s really true in Korea . There¡¯s a reason why the country¡¯s known for the immense amount of pressure parents put on their kids during highschool . [1]: The original passage skips over the student¡¯s name here . [2]: Again, the name is not written down in the original passage . [3]: ¡°memorial service¡± (??): In Korea (and I think most east asian countries), families go the extra mile when it comes to remembering the dead, specifically their elders that have passed . Large families would gather the entire clan into one place for remembrance . [4]: Aww . . . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 56. . After Jinwoo finished the errand to check his account balance, he went and got fitted for a suit and even had the time to get a haircut at a nearby salon . . . ¡°Hmm . ¡±. . He was a completely different person than when he had left the house . . . ¡®Money really is good . ¡¯. . Jinwoo stopped next to a shop window and checked his new look out in the reflection . This should be good enough . . . ¡®At the very least, I won¡¯t leave a bad impression . ¡¯. . He checked the time . It was 4:20 . . . ¡®She said be there by 5 . ¡¯. . He would make it in time . . . ¡°Taxi!¡±. . He hailed a cab and arrived at the school with time to spare . He saw Jinah waiting for him out in front . . . ¡°Sung Jinah . ¡±. . His little sister did not realize he had approached and jumped . . . ¡°Oppa?¡±. . Jinah stared at him like a deer in headlights . . . ¡°Excuse me, are you really Sung Jinwoo-ssi?¡±. . ¡°Do you not recognize your own oppa?¡±. . Jinah looked up and down on his figure and exclaimed,. . ¡°Well, you¡¯re a completely different person!¡±. . ¡°Did you think I would meet my dongsaeng¡¯s teacher in tracksuit and slippers?¡±. . ¡°Wow¡­¡±. . Jinah could not close her mouth . . . ¡°Your jaw¡¯s going to fall off . I¡¯m going ahead . ¡±. . It looked like Jinah was too shocked to guide him, so Jinwoo took the lead . He was a student here 5 years ago . The structure was familiar to him . He knew the meeting would happen in a conference room and not her homeroom, so he headed in that direction . His pace was quick . . . ¡°O-oppa! Wait for me!¡±. . Jinah quickly trotted after her brother . . . ¡°Hello, teacher . ¡±. . ¡°Hmm? Oh, hello . ¡±. . On the way, he greeted various teachers . Everyone of them stared at him as he walked by . . . ¡®Who was that?¡¯. ¡®Is he an alumni? I don¡¯t think there are students like that at our school . ¡¯. ¡®Is he a new teacher?¡¯. . The teachers weren¡¯t the only ones who turned their heads . . . ¡°Whoa, handsome . ¡±. ¡°Who is that?¡±. ¡°Isn¡¯t that Jinah next to him?¡±. ¡°It must be her brother . Wow, he¡¯s so cool . ¡±. . A muscular body and a fashionable suit . Even a plain-looking person would catch their eyes . Well, Jinwoo was completely uninterested . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . The student¡¯s whispers went in one ear and out the other to him . The one who was excited was Jinah . She perked her ears and listened to her fellow students¡¯ whispers, then went up to her brother and ribbed him with her elbow . . . ¡°Wow, Oppa¡¯s pretty popular~¡±. . He ignored her the first time . . . ¡°You know, oppa doesn¡¯t have a girlfriend, right?¡±. . He ignored her the second time . . ¡°Should your cute little sister introduce you to someone?¡±. . He pinched her cheeks the third time . . . ¡°Don¡¯t mess around . ¡±. . ¡°S-sorry . ¡±. . Jinwoo released her, and she rubbed her red cheek . . . ¡°Che, I know you¡¯re enjoying all this¡­¡±. . While they were being siblings, they had arrived . Jinah spun with a flourish then gestured . . . ¡°Oppa, it¡¯s here . ¡±. . Jinwoo was about to enter, then turned to Jinah . . . ¡°What about you?¡±. . ¡°This is only for the parent/guardian and the teacher . I¡¯m just here to see you off . ¡±. . Oh right, Jinwoo remembered his own back in his last year of highschool . At the time, no one had come for him . . . ¡®Mother was already having difficulties moving back then . ¡¯. . After she fell ill, his mother had to be quickly hospitalized . Not wanting to exert her weak body, Jinwoo did not tell her about the parent/guardian meeting . He had to endure the pestering of his teacher for a while because of that . Remembering that experience, he realized why Jinah was nervous when she asked for his time . He asked his sister with a smile,. . ¡°You¡¯re staying out late today, too, right?¡±. . ¡°Yep, you can go home without me . ¡±. . ¡°Alright . ¡±. . He patted her head before she could react, messing up her hair . . . ¡°Study hard . ¡±. . ¡°Ah danggit, don¡¯t do that . ¡±. . ¡°I¡¯ll see you at home . ¡±. . Jinwoo entered the conference room with a smile . Jinah fixed her hair while pouting . . . ¡°How long will you treat me like a kid¡­¡±. . Well, it wasn¡¯t like she hated it . She looked around, worried that someone might¡¯ve seen . After confirming no one was around, she skipped towards her classroom . . . . . If he had to describe his first impression of Jinah¡¯s homeroom teacher in a sentence . . . ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯. . She looked like a virtuous person . . . ¡°You must be Jinah¡¯s older brother . ¡±. . She was a wise-looking middle-aged female teacher . Someone whose bright smile made the other person feel comfortable . Knowing the circumstances of his household, she did not question Jinwoo¡¯s presence at all for the parent/guardian meeting . . . ¡°Please to meet you . I am Jinah¡¯s homeroom teacher . I didn¡¯t realize Jinah had such a handsome older brother, hoho . ¡±. . At her sassy but pleasant greeting, Jinwoo bowed his head . . . ¡®I don¡¯t remember her while I was here . ¡¯. . She must¡¯ve been a new teacher after he had graduated . They say the first impression was very important . After their greeting, he was able to relax a bit . . . ¡®She¡¯s very respectful to someone much younger like me . ¡¯. . It appeared that his little sister¡¯s senior year would not be plagued by a bad teacher . . . ¡°Please, have a seat . ¡±. . She gestured toward a chair . Jinwoo sat down and faced the teacher across a large desk . . . ¡°I don¡¯t think you have to worry about Jinah . ¡±. . They talked about the average matters for a parent/guardian meeting . Their conversation continued in a good mood for some time . Because Jinah was a model student, her teacher had nothing but good things to say . . . ¡°You¡¯re aware that Jinah wants to go to a medical school, right?¡±. . ¡°Yes . ¡±. . The teacher read through Jinah¡¯s profile . . . ¡°Her test scores were good, and her overall grades are excellent . She should be more than capable of getting into a good school . So please don¡¯t put too much pressure on her . ¡±. . Jinwoo solemnly nodded . The teacher¡¯s face was filled with expectations for Jinah . Truthfully, many homeroom teachers for highschool seniors were filled with stress due to the student¡¯s grades . After all, a student¡¯s final years in highschool determined the course of their lives . [0]. . ¡®And that¡¯s why I heard most teachers wanted to avoid teaching seniors . ¡¯. . He had heard that some teachers had to be forced into the spot . With that in mind, it was clear that Jinah¡¯s teacher was someone with passion for the job . As Jinah¡¯s guardian, Jinwoo was very grateful for this . . . The meeting was nearing its end after 15 minutes . . . ¡°And then¡­¡±. . Jinwoo was about to rise, but then the teacher carefully asked a question,. . ¡°I heard that Jinah¡¯s oppa was a Hunter . ¡±. . Her eyes had suddenly turned serious . Jinwoo realized something was up . . . ¡°Yes, I am . ¡±. . ¡°If¡­ Jinah underwent Awakening, would you let her work as a Hunter?¡±. . ¡°Absolutely not . ¡±. . Never . . . Jinwoo firmly replied . He did not need to think about it . The teacher¡¯s expression darkened . . . ¡°As I expected¡­¡±. . When Jinwoo looked at her suspiciously, the teacher continued with hesitation,. . ¡°If it¡¯s not too much trouble, may I ask you for a favor?¡±. . Jinwoo nodded . . . ¡°If it¡¯s something I can do¡­¡±. . He¡¯d hear her out at least . The woman was Jinah¡¯s teacher; he did not want to sour their relationship by cutting her off from the start . Fearing that he would change his mind, the teacher quickly spoke,. . ¡°One of the female students here underwent Awakening recently . She¡¯s planning on dropping out and starting work as a Hunter . She¡¯s been absent for some time now . ¡±. . ¡®Ah . ¡¯. . It was a common occurrence . People who freshly received their Awakening ignored common sense and threw themselves into the Hunter profession . Despite not knowing what the job truly entailed, they did it with pride at the fact that they were different from an ordinary person . Even if you were an Awakened Being, taking on the title of a Hunter and earning life-changing amounts were difficult . . . The teacher sighed deeply,. . ¡°If this continues, the school will have no choice but to take action . I want to avoid that if possible . Even if you were a Hunter, don¡¯t you think you should atleast have a highschool diploma?¡±. . Jinwoo nodded in agreement . At the positive response, the teacher¡¯s face brightened a bit . . . ¡°Could you please convince her to at least consider graduating?¡±. . The teacher smiled pleadingly . Jinwoo asked a question out of curiosity,. . ¡°That student, what was her rank?¡±. . ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard¡­ it was the lowest rank¡­¡±. . E-rank . . . ¡® . She¡¯s not going to live long . ¡¯. . Jinwoo clicked his tongue inside his head . Even just entering a Dungeon required a caution at that rank . 9 out of 10 times, entering a Dungeon with carefree attitude born of arrogance resulted in either becoming disabled or dying . The fact that a girl his sister¡¯s age might meet such a fate weighed heavily on Jinwoo . However, he knew this was her decision . No one had forced her into it . It was unfortunate, but he did not want to take valuable time out of his schedule to interfere with someone else¡¯s choice . . . ¡®I¡¯m not sure if I could even convince her . ¡¯. . People like that didn¡¯t like being told what to do . And so, Jinwoo decided to refuse and started to rise . But the teacher continued,. . ¡°Her name is ___ . Jinah should know her . ¡± [1]. . When he heard the student¡¯s name, Jinwoo could not get up . He asked to confirm,. . ¡°Teacher, what was her name again?¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s ___ . Do you know her?¡± [2]. . ¡° . ¡±. . What a small world . . . ¡®Huh¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo was at a loss for words . . . . . At the same hour . . . Yoojin Construction¡¯s Chairman Yoo Myunghan¡¯s personal residence . . . From early morning, luxurious and expensive cars made nonstop appearances at the house . . . They all had arrived for the same reason . . . It was for the memorial service[3] of Yoojin Construction¡¯s founding chairman, Yoo Byungcheol . He was the father of Korea¡¯s #1 businessman, Yoo Myunghan . The man¡¯s firstborn made sure to clear all schedules, no matter how busy he was, and took care of his father¡¯s memorial service every year . As a testament to the man¡¯s fierce demeanor and influence, the entire Yoo clan gathered as one on this day . . . A certain investment firm¡¯s president . A certain pharmaceutical company¡¯s chairman . A certain mall¡¯s owner . The members of the Yoo clan were filled with prominent heads of various business sectors . Even their children were the elites among elites . Except for one . . . That one person, without being told to do so, took up a spot quietly in a corner, acting as if he didn¡¯t exist . . . It was Yoo Jinho . [4]. . ¡®Boring . ¡¯. . The young man wished this entire ceremony would be over soon . Running through Dungeons with hyungnim was a hundred times, no, a thousand times more fun than this . . . ¡®I wonder what hyungnim¡¯s up to right now?¡¯. . Now that he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t imagine how Jinwoo would spend his day off . Jinho idly thought about random things while sipping away at his drink, when a voice he didn¡¯t want to hear spoke up from behind him . . . ¡°Oy . ¡±. . Who else could it be? Even at a glance, you could tell that the voice¡¯s owner was a man of talent . Exuding the aura of an elite . Wearing high-class glasses . A tall height . . . It was Yoo Jinho¡¯s older brother, Yoo Jinsung . The firstborn son of Yoo Myunghan . The heir who would control Yoojin Construction someday . . . The man stood right before his younger brother and stared down on him . . . ¡°You should be up and about greeting the relatives . How long are you going to act like a little kid for?¡±. . ¡° . Whatever . ¡±. . ¡°Know that your unseemly actions only besmirch the name of our father . ¡±. . Yoo Jinsung¡¯s words did not have a shred of brotherly love in them, only an utter disdain of looking down on someone inferior . Of course, Yoo Jinho also had little love for his brother but did not dare speak up against him . . . ¡° . ¡±. . His brother took after their father in many ways after all . He was a genius among geniuses that stood at the top of the class in every subject, and his grades were just the tip of the iceberg . Once he graduated, he quickly began working under his father, Yoo Myunghan, in various sectors of business and produced great results . Compared to him, Yoo Jinho had nothing to show for himself . Even entering college was with the help of the family name . Whenever he stood next to his brother, Jinho felt himself shrinking down to nonexistence . . . ¡° . ¡±. . ¡°Pathetic . ¡±. . The older brother frowned at the younger¡¯s lowered head . He quickly turned and walked away . . . ¡°Esteemed uncle . ¡±. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Jinsung . How are you?¡±. . Yoo Jinho was able to finally raise his head after Yoo Jinsung had walked away . This is why he hated coming home . If only it wasn¡¯t his grandfather¡¯s memorial service¡­ While Yoo Jinho repeatedly sighed to himself, another familiar voice came from behind him . . . ¡°Wow, I really hate that guy . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho turned around . It was his cousin, a year older than him, Yoo Soohyun . . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [0]: Might sound weird for folks in the west, but it¡¯s really true in Korea . There¡¯s a reason why the country¡¯s known for the immense amount of pressure parents put on their kids during highschool . . [1]: The original passage skips over the student¡¯s name here . . [2]: Again, the name is not written down in the original passage . . [3]: ¡°memorial service¡± (??): In Korea (and I think most east asian countries), families go the extra mile when it comes to remembering the dead, specifically their elders that have passed . Large families would gather the entire clan into one place for remembrance . . [4]: Aww . . Chapter 57 ¡°Did you hear what he just said? What a total jerk-face . ¡± Yu Soo-Hyun approached closer, before Yu Jin-Ho could react, and lightly tapped him on the shoulder . Yu Soo-Hyun¡¯s forehead creased up rather prettily . ¡°Look at you . C¡¯mon now . Seriously? Tsk, tsk . Still so pathetic . Tsk, tsk . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho couldn¡¯t suppress his laughter after seeing her imitate his older brother . ¡°Fuhup . Keuk . Stop that . I don¡¯t feel like cracking jokes with you right now, you know . ¡± ¡°Still so~~ pathetic . Tsk, tsk . ¡± ¡°Keuh, hehehe¡­ . Keuk! Argh, I¡¯m telling you, stop it!¡± Their ages were almost the same, so their relationship was more like that of really close friends . Yu Soo-Hyun stood right in front of Yu Jin-Ho . ¡°Why do you keep acting like this, though?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I mean, c¡¯mon . You¡¯re an Awakened now, right? Don¡¯t tell me, you still can¡¯t win against a regular person?¡± ¡°So what if I am? You think I¡¯m gonna start throwing punches at my older brother or something?¡± ¡°Well, not really, no . But¡­ . ¡± Yu Soo-Hyun bit on her rather shapely lower lip . Imagining the kind of punishment the patriarch of the family might saddle the poor Yu Jin-Ho with, if the latter did throw a knuckle sandwich to his much more successful older brother¡­ . The prospect of that alone was quite terrifying, to say the least . It wasn¡¯t as if she didn¡¯t understand Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s inner thoughts while he had to remain on the receiving end of the ridicule . Yu Soo-Hyun narrowed her eyes and glared in the direction that Yu Jin-Seong had disappeared to . ¡°Whatever . He¡¯s still a stuck-up, no fun jerkoff, that guy . ¡± She too disliked Yu Jin-Seong as much as Yu Jin-Ho did . She just so happened to be one of the few people who knew what Yu Jin-Seong¡¯s real personality was like, hidden beneath that fakey, smiley facade . However, Yu Jin-Ho didn¡¯t agree with her . It wasn¡¯t because that guy was his older brother, no . No, he simply wanted to win against his older brother in an upfront manner, not badmouth him from behind like this . When Yu Jin-Ho kept his mouth shut, Yu Soo-Hyun cautiously asked him . ¡°Hey, so¡­ that plan, is it still ongoing?¡± ¡°Mm?¡± ¡°You know, you said you¡¯d become a Guild Master . At that guy¡¯s expense . ¡± Instead of a reply, Yu Jin-Ho simply smiled . Who¡¯d believe him even if he said that out loud? It¡¯d be a relief if no one mocked him or something . Him and his brother battling like that? However, now that he held the huge ace called ¡®hyung-nim¡¯, the odds of his victory had risen up by quite a lot . ¡®If I manage to get the Master licence¡­ . ¡¯ It¡¯d be possible to duke it out with his older brother, then . He might even win . Yu Soo-Hyun saw the determination burning in Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s eyes and spoke in no uncertain terms while placing her hands on her hips . ¡°I¡¯d rather kill myself instead of working for that man . So, you do everything you can, okay? Cuz I don¡¯t wanna fight your old man over this . ¡± ¡°¡­ . Thanks . ¡± This was how Yu Soo-Hyun would usually cheer him on . She was actually a rank A Hunter who started her career as a famous child actor . Even with her background of being a lady or a chaebol was not taken into account, many Guilds still tried their darnedest to scout her because of her rank and fame . For some reason, though, she had refused all of their offers and continued to act as a model every now and then . However, a new offer that she couldn¡¯t really refuse had arrived at her doorstep recently . And that was to become one of the founding members of the soon-to-launch Yujin Guild . It was a direct order from the chairman himself, Yu Myung-Hwan . She couldn¡¯t outright ignore the orders of the family patriarch, but she also didn¡¯t want to work for Yu Jin-Seong, either . Yu Soo-Hyun herself had a lot to worry about now . Although the kid was not all that trustworthy, she had little choice but to place her faith in Yu Jin-Ho . Brrrr¡­ . Brrr¡­ . Hearing the sound of a phone vibrating coming from Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s pocket, Yu Soo-Hyun asked him . ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to answer that?¡± ¡°¡­Oh . ¡± He was daydreaming about something else just then; he hurriedly pulled his phone out after it had been ringing for a while . The number appearing on the phone¡¯s screen was a familiar one . [Hyung-nim] Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s expression brightened up immediately after realising who it was . ¡°Hello, hyung-nim!¡± He answered the call with an energetic voice . ¡°Yes? Yes, hyung-nim . No, I can be there, no problem . Yes . I¡¯ll be there shortly, hyung-nim . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho ended the call there . Yu Soo-Hyun displayed her interest after sensing Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s moods doing a 180 . ¡°What the heck? Who was that?¡± Too bad for her, this was absolutely not the time for him to stand around leisurely explaining the situation to her . After all, didn¡¯t hyung-nim ask him for a favour just now? And with the desire to escape from this place added on top, his mind could only think about leaving as soon as possible, even if it was only a second faster . ¡°Let¡¯s talk later!¡± Watching Yu Jin-Ho hurriedly run away, Yu Soo-Hyun¡¯s head tilted from side to side . ¡°And why is he so pumped up like that now?¡± Every time he participated in a family meeting of some sort, Yu Jin-Ho always walked around with slumped shoulders, but it was a different story today . ¡°¡­ . How odd . ¡± Yu Soo-Hyun told herself to definitely interrogate the kid later . While that was happening, Yu Jin-Ho was searching for his father . It¡¯d soon be dinner time . And Yu Jin-Ho couldn¡¯t be excused from the family gathering without his father¡¯s approval, especially when every single family member and relatives were present . Yu Jin-Ho scanned his surroundings . And eventually, spotted his father over in the distance, conversing with some people . He had a countenance of a tiger . His personality was just as strict, him never cracking a smile with matters he thought were insignificant . For someone like Yu Jin-Ho, his father was a very difficult person to talk to . ¡®And I haven¡¯t even started yet¡­ . ¡¯ Yet, he was already getting nervous . But, he needed to be courageous here . ¡®Yeah, well . I made a promise . ¡¯ Yu Jin-Ho took a couple of deep breaths and slowly walked to where his father was . He almost turned around several times on his way, though . However, he held the urges back . And finally, Yu Jin-Ho managed to arrive before his father, Yu Myung-Hwan . ¡°Father¡­ . ?¡± Their distance was a bit too far for a relationship between a father and a son, though . Yu Myung-Hwan shifted his gaze over to Yu Jin-Ho . ¡°What do you want?¡± Sensing the uncertain air, the people around Yu Myung-Hwan distanced themselves all at the same time as if they had a prior agreement . ¡°Father, will it be okay if I went out for a little while?¡± Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s voice lacked any discernible energy as he spoke to his father . ¡°I, I will return before dinner . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . ¡± Yu Myung-Hwan stood there with an expression of someone getting ready to scold his disappointing son, but then, he let off a sigh and gave his permission, albeit quite unwillingly so . ¡°¡­ . . Fine . Go, but return on time . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s expression brightened and bowed his head . ¡°Thank you, father . ¡± He then ran out of there like a streak of lightning . Yu Myung-Hwan stood there and looked at the back of Yu Jin-Ho with a stiff face . Meanwhile, his wife walked closer to him . ¡°Dear? I just got a call from Vienna . ¡± That was one of the messages he¡¯d been eagerly waiting for . Yu Myung-Hwan immediately shifted his attention over to his wife . ¡°And the results of the concours are?¡± ¡°She won, of course . She¡¯s our daughter, so it¡¯s expected, really . ¡± A subtle smile formed on Yu Myung-Hwan¡¯s face . But it disappeared without a trace before anyone had the chance to see it . ¡°Hmm . When will she be returning to Korea, then?¡± ¡°She says that she¡¯s far too busy during the semester, but will come around once it ends . ¡± Yu Myung-Hwan frowned deeply . ¡°I told her to attend her grandfather¡¯s ancestral ceremony regardless of how busy she was . ¡± ¡°Dear . Children nowadays don¡¯t place much importance on such matters anymore . ¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk . ¡± The madam of the Yu family carefully fixed Yu Myung-Hwan¡¯s slightly out of shape tie and spoke to him intimately . ¡°Also, dear¡­ . how about paying more attention to Jin-Ho?¡± ¡°You¡¯re speaking about that again¡­ A tiger is supposed to rear tiger cubs, not kittens . ¡± ¡°Whether he¡¯s a tiger or a kitten, he¡¯s still my child . And your child, too . ¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ . . ¡± ¡°Did you notice? After his graduation from middle school, it was Jin-Ho¡¯s first time smiling in front of you . ¡± Did he do that? Yu Myung-Hwan fixed his gaze in the direction Yu Jin-Ho had disappeared to, his expression showing just the slightest hint of puzzlement . But, that lasted only for a brief second . Yu Myung-Hwan spoke dismissively . ¡°Maybe he found himself a girlfriend . Anyway, others must be waiting for us now . Let us go back inside . ¡± Inside the Hunter Association¡¯s HQ, located in Seoul¡¯s Guro-gu . One of the Association¡¯s employees was checking various equipment located within the building and came to a sudden stop in front of a miniature magic energy measuring equipment . ¡°What the hell? What¡¯s wrong with this guy?¡± The number on the display panel should¡¯ve stayed ¡®0¡¯, yet the value was climbing up and down continuously . It was as if it had lost its mind . However, this employee didn¡¯t think too much about it . As these measuring equipments were very sensitive, they broke down more often than not . ¡°Hey, Kim Gun-Ah . ¡± ¡°Yes, sir?¡± A subordinate quickly jogged closer . ¡°How many Gates has this guy measured recently?¡± ¡°What is its serial number, sir?¡± ¡°It¡¯s N-1744B . ¡± The subordinate scanned through the log, and nodded his head . ¡°Seven Gates, a couple of days ago . ¡± ¡°A couple of days ago? Let me see . ¡± Indeed, it was the truth . Two days ago, this equipment measured the ranks of seven Gates, and out of them, four had been closed by the Hunters already . ¡°Were there any problems with the Gates this guy measured?¡± ¡°No, sir . I didn¡¯t hear anything . ¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± The senior employee slowly scratched the stubble on his chin . Now normally, when magic measuring equipment like this one was found to be malfunctioning, the raid permits issued for all the Gates the faulty device had measured would be rescinded immediately . It was an obvious thing if one thought about it; what would happen to Hunters who entered a Gate thinking that it was only a rank C, but it turned out to be A or B? None of them would return alive and in one piece . High ranked dungeons were such places . Just as the boundary between lower ranked Hunters and higher ranked ones were crystal-clear and impossible to bridge, the differences between the higher ranked dungeons and lower ranked ones were also quite humongous . It was not for nothing that high ranked dungeons were all dealt with exclusively by the large Guilds until now . ¡®Should I send out notices now?¡¯ Letting others know wasn¡¯t all that difficult . However, never mind the discontent voices of anger coming from the teams that paid for the permits, taking more time to measure the Gates again could mean that a dungeon break might occur in the meantime . And if that happened, the Association wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge the pointed criticism flying in their way . Hell, if things went wrong somewhere, he might even lose his job . ¡®I worked so hard to get to this position, too . ¡¯ The Hunter Association received similar levels of treatment to state-run public enterprises . If one wanted to enter this organisation, one had to put in as much effort as passing the bar exam, for instance . Just thinking about losing this job, he almost blacked out right there and then . ¡®No freaking way . Nope . ¡¯ He shook his head . The subordinate also more or less knew what the superior¡¯s dilemma was . That was why he asked rather cautiously . ¡°This¡­ . What should we do now?¡± ¡°Hmm . ¡± It¡¯d been two days already . If there were problems, shouldn¡¯t he have heard about it by now? ¡°¡­ . . Let it be . ¡± ¡°W-will it be fine that way?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure nothing much will happen . It¡¯s been two days already, right?¡± ¡°Well, that is true . ¡± The subordinate nodded his head . ¡°On the report, write that N-1744B was working fine until yesterday, but developed a fault earlier today . Okay?¡± ¡°Okay, sir . ¡± The private residence of the Chief of the White Tiger Guild¡¯s Second Division, Ahn Sahng-Min . He stopped cutting the spring onion and straightened his back, and his bones issued a loud complaint . Crackle¡­ . ¡°Aigoo¡­ . ¡± Today dinner: doenjang stew . As befitting a bachelor going on eight years strong, he had mastered the art of cooking a fair number of dishes already . It all happened five years ago . Back then, he filled himself up all the time with instant foods, until he realised that his health was rapidly deteriorating, and reflected on his stupidity . He made up his mind to learn cooking, and now, he was at the level of almost replicating a dish that appeared on the TV in passing . However¡­ Didn¡¯t they say that end of tuning is pure love? (TL: not sure what this line is supposed to mean, but I TLed it as it appears in the raw . ) As his skill grew, the types of dishes that he prepared for himself became simple side dishes . Such as today¡¯s doenjang stew . ¡°Kyah, now this is what I¡¯m talking about!¡± Ahn Sahng-Min tasted his own creation and nodded his head as if he was truly amazed by his own skills . Too bad, only one person could taste this wonderful stew, though . He really felt sorry about that . ¡®Should I invite someone over for a meal?¡¯ He immediately thought of a certain subordinate, but soon, shook his head . He was already sick and tired of being called an old bachelor, yet just what kind of a misunderstanding would he arouse if he invited a fellow male employee? ¡®I wonder if he¡¯s properly doing the job I gave him . ¡¯ That guy was quite attentive and smart most of the time, yet there was this part of him that was undeniably sloppy, too . ¡®Eii, why am I worried about work even though I¡¯m at home, relaxing?¡¯ Time to eat his dinner, then . Ahn Sahng-Min placed the doenjang stew on the coffee table by the living room while humming to himself . It was now a normal thing for him to watch TV in the living room while eating dinner alone . The dining table in the kitchen was far too big and lonesome for a bachelor to have a meal alone there . Click . He switched the TV on with the remote and settled down on the couch . A news broadcast came on . [Today¡¯s breaking news . ] One of the main advantages of being a bachelor was that he¡¯d never have to fight someone else for the TV remote . When he turned that boobtube on, it¡¯d always be on the channel he preferred . Ahn Sahng-Min watched the large flat screen TV mounted on the wall with the corner of his eyes while he scooped up a spoonful of rice . [¡­ . The entirety of the United States of America is in deep shock after an unexplainable explosion took place in the American Hunter¡¯s Association headquarters in Washington D . C . A rumour is rising among some experts, that the explosion was due to a new rising talent causing irreparable friction among S-ranked Hunters¡­ . ] ¡°Uh-huh¡­ . What is this world coming to, huh . Really now . ¡± Ahn Sahng-Min clicked his tongue with a rueful expression, but still didn¡¯t forget to carefully choose the side dish that would signal the beginning of his dinner . Well, there weren¡¯t that many side dishes to choose from, anyway . ¡®Well, it just has to be kimchi, no?¡¯ [¡­ . This is the CCTV footage recorded near the American Monitoring Division¡¯s building . Cracks suddenly formed on the walls of the building, and¡­ . ] Not really caring what the news bulletin was saying, the steamy rice resting on top of his spoon now acted as a home for a cold piece of kimchi he took out from the separate kimchi refrigerator . And just as Ahn Sahng-Min was bringing the pair to his mouth, his phone suddenly issued a loud ring . ¡®Argh! Who the heck is it this time??¡¯ Ahn Sahng-Min inwardly complained and picked up the smartphone . But he hurriedly answered the phone after discovering who was calling him . ¡°Hello, this is Ahn Sahng-Min speaking . ¡± The one calling him was, of course, Seong Jin-Woo . Ahn Sahng-Min¡¯s expression was bright as he answered the call . However¡­ While listening to Jin-Woo¡¯s story, Ahn Sahng-Min¡¯s expression progressively became puzzled . ¡°Pardon me? You were wondering if you could tag along during the training of our new recruits?¡± < Chapter 57 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 57: Chapter 57 . ¡°Did you hear what he just said? What a total jerk-face . ¡±. Yu Soo-Hyun approached closer, before Yu Jin-Ho could react, and lightly tapped him on the shoulder Yu Soo-Hyun¡¯s forehead creased up rather prettily ¡°Look at you . C¡¯mon now . Seriously? Tsk, tsk . Still so pathetic . Tsk, tsk . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho couldn¡¯t suppress his laughter after seeing her imitate his older brother ¡°Fuhup . Keuk . Stop that . I don¡¯t feel like cracking jokes with you right now, you know . ¡±. ¡°Still so~~ pathetic . Tsk, tsk . ¡±. ¡°Keuh, hehehe¡­ . Keuk! Argh, I¡¯m telling you, stop it!¡±. Their ages were almost the same, so their relationship was more like that of really close friends Yu Soo-Hyun stood right in front of Yu Jin-Ho ¡°Why do you keep acting like this, though?¡±. ¡°What do you mean?¡±. ¡°I mean, c¡¯mon . You¡¯re an Awakened now, right? Don¡¯t tell me, you still can¡¯t win against a regular person?¡±. ¡°So what if I am? You think I¡¯m gonna start throwing punches at my older brother or something?¡±. ¡°Well, not really, no . But¡­ . ¡±. Yu Soo-Hyun bit on her rather shapely lower lip Imagining the kind of punishment the patriarch of the family might saddle the poor Yu Jin-Ho with, if the latter did throw a knuckle sandwich to his much more successful older brother¡­ The prospect of that alone was quite terrifying, to say the least It wasn¡¯t as if she didn¡¯t understand Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s inner thoughts while he had to remain on the receiving end of the ridicule . Yu Soo-Hyun narrowed her eyes and glared in the direction that Yu Jin-Seong had disappeared to ¡°Whatever . He¡¯s still a stuck-up, no fun jerkoff, that guy . ¡±. She too disliked Yu Jin-Seong as much as Yu Jin-Ho did . She just so happened to be one of the few people who knew what Yu Jin-Seong¡¯s real personality was like, hidden beneath that fakey, smiley facade However, Yu Jin-Ho didn¡¯t agree with her . It wasn¡¯t because that guy was his older brother, no No, he simply wanted to win against his older brother in an upfront manner, not badmouth him from behind like this When Yu Jin-Ho kept his mouth shut, Yu Soo-Hyun cautiously asked him ¡°Hey, so¡­ that plan, is it still ongoing?¡±. ¡°Mm?¡±. ¡°You know, you said you¡¯d become a Guild Master . At that guy¡¯s expense . ¡±. Instead of a reply, Yu Jin-Ho simply smiled Who¡¯d believe him even if he said that out loud? It¡¯d be a relief if no one mocked him or something . Him and his brother battling like that?. However, now that he held the huge ace called ¡®hyung-nim¡¯, the odds of his victory had risen up by quite a lot ¡®If I manage to get the Master licence¡­ . ¡¯. It¡¯d be possible to duke it out with his older brother, then He might even win Yu Soo-Hyun saw the determination burning in Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s eyes and spoke in no uncertain terms while placing her hands on her hips ¡°I¡¯d rather kill myself instead of working for that man . So, you do everything you can, okay? Cuz I don¡¯t wanna fight your old man over this . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . Thanks . ¡±. This was how Yu Soo-Hyun would usually cheer him on She was actually a rank A Hunter who started her career as a famous child actor Even with her background of being a lady or a chaebol was not taken into account, many Guilds still tried their darnedest to scout her because of her rank and fame For some reason, though, she had refused all of their offers and continued to act as a model every now and then However, a new offer that she couldn¡¯t really refuse had arrived at her doorstep recently And that was to become one of the founding members of the soon-to-launch Yujin Guild . It was a direct order from the chairman himself, Yu Myung-Hwan She couldn¡¯t outright ignore the orders of the family patriarch, but she also didn¡¯t want to work for Yu Jin-Seong, either Yu Soo-Hyun herself had a lot to worry about now Although the kid was not all that trustworthy, she had little choice but to place her faith in Yu Jin-Ho Brrrr¡­ . Brrr¡­ Hearing the sound of a phone vibrating coming from Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s pocket, Yu Soo-Hyun asked him ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to answer that?¡±. ¡°¡­Oh . ¡±. He was daydreaming about something else just then; he hurriedly pulled his phone out after it had been ringing for a while . The number appearing on the phone¡¯s screen was a familiar one [Hyung-nim]. Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s expression brightened up immediately after realising who it was ¡°Hello, hyung-nim!¡±. He answered the call with an energetic voice ¡°Yes? Yes, hyung-nim . No, I can be there, no problem . Yes . I¡¯ll be there shortly, hyung-nim . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho ended the call there Yu Soo-Hyun displayed her interest after sensing Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s moods doing a 180 ¡°What the heck? Who was that?¡±. Too bad for her, this was absolutely not the time for him to stand around leisurely explaining the situation to her . After all, didn¡¯t hyung-nim ask him for a favour just now?. And with the desire to escape from this place added on top, his mind could only think about leaving as soon as possible, even if it was only a second faster ¡°Let¡¯s talk later!¡±. Watching Yu Jin-Ho hurriedly run away, Yu Soo-Hyun¡¯s head tilted from side to side ¡°And why is he so pumped up like that now?¡±. Every time he participated in a family meeting of some sort, Yu Jin-Ho always walked around with slumped shoulders, but it was a different story today ¡°¡­ . How odd . ¡±. Yu Soo-Hyun told herself to definitely interrogate the kid later While that was happening, Yu Jin-Ho was searching for his father It¡¯d soon be dinner time . And Yu Jin-Ho couldn¡¯t be excused from the family gathering without his father¡¯s approval, especially when every single family member and relatives were present Yu Jin-Ho scanned his surroundings . And eventually, spotted his father over in the distance, conversing with some people He had a countenance of a tiger . His personality was just as strict, him never cracking a smile with matters he thought were insignificant For someone like Yu Jin-Ho, his father was a very difficult person to talk to ¡®And I haven¡¯t even started yet¡­ . ¡¯. Yet, he was already getting nervous . But, he needed to be courageous here ¡®Yeah, well . I made a promise . ¡¯. Yu Jin-Ho took a couple of deep breaths and slowly walked to where his father was He almost turned around several times on his way, though . However, he held the urges back And finally, Yu Jin-Ho managed to arrive before his father, Yu Myung-Hwan ¡°Father¡­ . ?¡±. Their distance was a bit too far for a relationship between a father and a son, though Yu Myung-Hwan shifted his gaze over to Yu Jin-Ho ¡°What do you want?¡±. Sensing the uncertain air, the people around Yu Myung-Hwan distanced themselves all at the same time as if they had a prior agreement ¡°Father, will it be okay if I went out for a little while?¡±. Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s voice lacked any discernible energy as he spoke to his father ¡°I, I will return before dinner . ¡±. ¡°¡­ ¡±. Yu Myung-Hwan stood there with an expression of someone getting ready to scold his disappointing son, but then, he let off a sigh and gave his permission, albeit quite unwillingly so ¡°¡­ Fine . Go, but return on time . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s expression brightened and bowed his head ¡°Thank you, father . ¡±. He then ran out of there like a streak of lightning Yu Myung-Hwan stood there and looked at the back of Yu Jin-Ho with a stiff face . Meanwhile, his wife walked closer to him ¡°Dear? I just got a call from Vienna . ¡±. That was one of the messages he¡¯d been eagerly waiting for . Yu Myung-Hwan immediately shifted his attention over to his wife ¡°And the results of the concours are?¡±. ¡°She won, of course . She¡¯s our daughter, so it¡¯s expected, really . ¡±. A subtle smile formed on Yu Myung-Hwan¡¯s face . But it disappeared without a trace before anyone had the chance to see it ¡°Hmm . When will she be returning to Korea, then?¡±. ¡°She says that she¡¯s far too busy during the semester, but will come around once it ends . ¡±. Yu Myung-Hwan frowned deeply ¡°I told her to attend her grandfather¡¯s ancestral ceremony regardless of how busy she was . ¡±. ¡°Dear . Children nowadays don¡¯t place much importance on such matters anymore . ¡±. ¡°Tsk, tsk . ¡±. The madam of the Yu family carefully fixed Yu Myung-Hwan¡¯s slightly out of shape tie and spoke to him intimately ¡°Also, dear¡­ . how about paying more attention to Jin-Ho?¡±. ¡°You¡¯re speaking about that again¡­ A tiger is supposed to rear tiger cubs, not kittens . ¡±. ¡°Whether he¡¯s a tiger or a kitten, he¡¯s still my child . And your child, too . ¡±. ¡°Hmm¡­ ¡±. ¡°Did you notice? After his graduation from middle school, it was Jin-Ho¡¯s first time smiling in front of you . ¡±. Did he do that?. Yu Myung-Hwan fixed his gaze in the direction Yu Jin-Ho had disappeared to, his expression showing just the slightest hint of puzzlement But, that lasted only for a brief second Yu Myung-Hwan spoke dismissively ¡°Maybe he found himself a girlfriend . Anyway, others must be waiting for us now . Let us go back inside . ¡±. Inside the Hunter Association¡¯s HQ, located in Seoul¡¯s Guro-gu One of the Association¡¯s employees was checking various equipment located within the building and came to a sudden stop in front of a miniature magic energy measuring equipment ¡°What the hell? What¡¯s wrong with this guy?¡±. The number on the display panel should¡¯ve stayed ¡®0¡¯, yet the value was climbing up and down continuously . It was as if it had lost its mind However, this employee didn¡¯t think too much about it . As these measuring equipments were very sensitive, they broke down more often than not ¡°Hey, Kim Gun-Ah . ¡±. ¡°Yes, sir?¡±. A subordinate quickly jogged closer ¡°How many Gates has this guy measured recently?¡±. ¡°What is its serial number, sir?¡±. ¡°It¡¯s N-1744B . ¡±. The subordinate scanned through the log, and nodded his head ¡°Seven Gates, a couple of days ago . ¡±. ¡°A couple of days ago? Let me see . ¡±. Indeed, it was the truth . Two days ago, this equipment measured the ranks of seven Gates, and out of them, four had been closed by the Hunters already ¡°Were there any problems with the Gates this guy measured?¡±. ¡°No, sir . I didn¡¯t hear anything . ¡±. ¡°Oh, really?¡±. The senior employee slowly scratched the stubble on his chin Now normally, when magic measuring equipment like this one was found to be malfunctioning, the raid permits issued for all the Gates the faulty device had measured would be rescinded immediately It was an obvious thing if one thought about it; what would happen to Hunters who entered a Gate thinking that it was only a rank C, but it turned out to be A or B?. None of them would return alive and in one piece High ranked dungeons were such places Just as the boundary between lower ranked Hunters and higher ranked ones were crystal-clear and impossible to bridge, the differences between the higher ranked dungeons and lower ranked ones were also quite humongous It was not for nothing that high ranked dungeons were all dealt with exclusively by the large Guilds until now ¡®Should I send out notices now?¡¯. Letting others know wasn¡¯t all that difficult However, never mind the discontent voices of anger coming from the teams that paid for the permits, taking more time to measure the Gates again could mean that a dungeon break might occur in the meantime . And if that happened, the Association wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge the pointed criticism flying in their way Hell, if things went wrong somewhere, he might even lose his job ¡®I worked so hard to get to this position, too . ¡¯. The Hunter Association received similar levels of treatment to state-run public enterprises . If one wanted to enter this organisation, one had to put in as much effort as passing the bar exam, for instance . Just thinking about losing this job, he almost blacked out right there and then ¡®No freaking way . Nope . ¡¯. He shook his head The subordinate also more or less knew what the superior¡¯s dilemma was . That was why he asked rather cautiously ¡°This¡­ . What should we do now?¡±. ¡°Hmm . ¡±. It¡¯d been two days already If there were problems, shouldn¡¯t he have heard about it by now?. ¡°¡­ Let it be . ¡±. ¡°W-will it be fine that way?¡±. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure nothing much will happen . It¡¯s been two days already, right?¡±. ¡°Well, that is true . ¡±. The subordinate nodded his head ¡°On the report, write that N-1744B was working fine until yesterday, but developed a fault earlier today . Okay?¡±. ¡°Okay, sir . ¡±. The private residence of the Chief of the White Tiger Guild¡¯s Second Division, Ahn Sahng-Min He stopped cutting the spring onion and straightened his back, and his bones issued a loud complaint Crackle¡­ ¡°Aigoo¡­ . ¡±. Today dinner: doenjang stew As befitting a bachelor going on eight years strong, he had mastered the art of cooking a fair number of dishes already It all happened five years ago Back then, he filled himself up all the time with instant foods, until he realised that his health was rapidly deteriorating, and reflected on his stupidity . He made up his mind to learn cooking, and now, he was at the level of almost replicating a dish that appeared on the TV in passing However¡­. Didn¡¯t they say that end of tuning is pure love? (TL: not sure what this line is supposed to mean, but I TLed it as it appears in the raw . ). As his skill grew, the types of dishes that he prepared for himself became simple side dishes Such as today¡¯s doenjang stew ¡°Kyah, now this is what I¡¯m talking about!¡±. Ahn Sahng-Min tasted his own creation and nodded his head as if he was truly amazed by his own skills Too bad, only one person could taste this wonderful stew, though . He really felt sorry about that ¡®Should I invite someone over for a meal?¡¯. He immediately thought of a certain subordinate, but soon, shook his head He was already sick and tired of being called an old bachelor, yet just what kind of a misunderstanding would he arouse if he invited a fellow male employee?. ¡®I wonder if he¡¯s properly doing the job I gave him . ¡¯. That guy was quite attentive and smart most of the time, yet there was this part of him that was undeniably sloppy, too ¡®Eii, why am I worried about work even though I¡¯m at home, relaxing?¡¯. Time to eat his dinner, then Ahn Sahng-Min placed the doenjang stew on the coffee table by the living room while humming to himself It was now a normal thing for him to watch TV in the living room while eating dinner alone . The dining table in the kitchen was far too big and lonesome for a bachelor to have a meal alone there Click He switched the TV on with the remote and settled down on the couch A news broadcast came on [Today¡¯s breaking news . ]. One of the main advantages of being a bachelor was that he¡¯d never have to fight someone else for the TV remote When he turned that boobtube on, it¡¯d always be on the channel he preferred Ahn Sahng-Min watched the large flat screen TV mounted on the wall with the corner of his eyes while he scooped up a spoonful of rice [¡­ . The entirety of the United States of America is in deep shock after an unexplainable explosion took place in the American Hunter¡¯s Association headquarters in Washington D . C . A rumour is rising among some experts, that the explosion was due to a new rising talent causing irreparable friction among S-ranked Hunters¡­ . ]. ¡°Uh-huh¡­ . What is this world coming to, huh . Really now . ¡±. Ahn Sahng-Min clicked his tongue with a rueful expression, but still didn¡¯t forget to carefully choose the side dish that would signal the beginning of his dinner Well, there weren¡¯t that many side dishes to choose from, anyway ¡®Well, it just has to be kimchi, no?¡¯. [¡­ . This is the CCTV footage recorded near the American Monitoring Division¡¯s building . Cracks suddenly formed on the walls of the building, and¡­ . ]. Not really caring what the news bulletin was saying, the steamy rice resting on top of his spoon now acted as a home for a cold piece of kimchi he took out from the separate kimchi refrigerator And just as Ahn Sahng-Min was bringing the pair to his mouth, his phone suddenly issued a loud ring ¡®Argh! Who the heck is it this time??¡¯. Ahn Sahng-Min inwardly complained and picked up the smartphone . But he hurriedly answered the phone after discovering who was calling him ¡°Hello, this is Ahn Sahng-Min speaking . ¡±. The one calling him was, of course, Seong Jin-Woo Ahn Sahng-Min¡¯s expression was bright as he answered the call However¡­. While listening to Jin-Woo¡¯s story, Ahn Sahng-Min¡¯s expression progressively became puzzled ¡°Pardon me? You were wondering if you could tag along during the training of our new recruits?¡±. < Chapter 57 > Fin Chapter 58 ¡®Alright . That¡¯s taken care of . ¡¯ Jinwoo ended the call . At first, Ahn Sangmin was flustered but upon hearing Jinwoo¡¯s explanation, the man happily agreed to his request . Thank to that, Jinwoo would be able to see how Baekho trained their new recruits in a Raid . ¡®I¡¯ve already got the van . ¡¯ Yoo Jinho had helped him out with that even on his busy day . The young man had told him that he could only vacate wherever he came from for a brief moment and apologized . Jinwoo thought the young man¡¯s attitude was rather mature compared how he had acted in the past . Anyways, Jinwoo was ready . He was currently in front of the residence of the trouble student that Jinah¡¯s teacher had asked him to convince . ¡®It¡¯s kinda close to our place . ¡¯ It was about a two minute walk . Jinwoo probably could¡¯ve hit it with a rock from his own room . He took a look around the neighborhood . It was a small neighborhood filled with worn down buildings . He was able to roughly gather that, like his own family, she probably did not grow up that well . He understand why she wanted to be a Hunter . It reminded him of his past . ¡®Still, it¡¯s people like that who are the first to die . ¡¯ He himself had gotten hurt many times before . The E-rank Hunter even teetered between life and death few times . If it wasn¡¯t for his mother¡¯s rare illness, he would¡¯ve never started the job . For an E-rank Hunter, the Dungeon was that much of a dangerous place . If he did nothing, she would surely come to regret her decision . Forget regret, she might even lose her life . ¡®And that¡¯s not all that rare . ¡¯ After all, dozens of Hunters died everyday across the world . Jinwoo did not care about any of them; it was their decision . ¡®However . ¡¯ The person this time around was not a complete stranger . If she was, Jinwoo would¡¯ve ignored the teachers request, even if it was Jinah¡¯s classmate . But the young girl¡¯s name was familiar to Jinwoo . He felt a presence approaching; looking up, it was the problem student . Seeing her face, Jinwoo confirmed it was indeed the same girl . ¡°What the?¡± The student noticed Jinwoo and tilted her head, ¡°Ahjussi, why are you here?¡± As expected, the girl recognized him . ¡®Sigh¡­ it¡¯s a really a small world after all . ¡¯ Jinwoo scratched the side of his head . A female highschool student who wanted to be a Hunter . She was the sole female member of Yoo Jinho¡¯s raiding party; the one whose age concerned Jinwoo in the beginning . ¡°Is it okay to bring that one?¡± ¡°I went ahead and got some legal counsel . There isn¡¯t any legal reason why she can¡¯t join us . It¡¯s just going to be a big problem if she gets hurt . ¡± ¡®Han Songyi . ¡¯ When he heard her name from Jinah¡¯s teacher, Jinwoo was sure it was her . Just in case, he asked for her records . The day that she stopped coming to school was the day he started raiding with Yoo Jinho¡¯s team . Once he realized this, Jinwoo realized all this might¡¯ve been partially his fault, so he decided to take responsibility . The circumstances of their raiding party were special, and he did not want to mislead the girl into thinking that what she earned with them would be the norm going forward . After all, she had earned 30 million won in the past week; that was an unthinkable amount for a highschooler . ¡®One thing¡¯s for sure . ¡¯ If he heard in the future that she died in a Dungeon, he knew it would be a thorn in his heart . And so, he decided to take the time today to convince her . It wouldn¡¯t be that difficult . ¡°So why are you here?¡± Han Songyi stared at Jinwoo with wide open eyes . She looked a little hesitant . ¡°No way, the Hunter that the teacher wanted to introduce me to was you, ahjussi?¡± He was bothered at the fact that she kept calling him ahjussi but nodded with a smile . ¡°I don¡¯t know what the teacher told you, but I¡¯m not interested in school anymore . I don¡¯t plan on giving up the Hunter life . ¡± She attempted to cut him off firmly from whatever he was planning on doing . Back in the raiding party, she was a rather quiet girl, but when it involved her future, her attitude had changed . It was a precocious behavior fitting of today¡¯s children . ¡®Reminds me of another precocious brat living at home . ¡¯ Jinwoo smiled widely . Having attempted to come off as stern, Han Songyi was flustered by Jinwoo¡¯s unexpected response . Jinwoo calmly spoke, ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t plan on telling you to give it up either . ¡± The girl¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, ¡°Really?¡± Jinwoo knew, telling kids like her to not do something was the best way to get them to do that thing . From the start, he had no intention of convincing her through words . He would just show her a glimpse of reality . ¡®I was the same . ¡¯ He realized that truth on his first Raid . That reality was much more cruel than he thought . Han Songyi tried to keep up a stern demeanor and asked, ¡°Th-then why are you here?¡± Jinwoo stepped forward . The girl almost took a step back in surprise but kept her composure as to not appear weak . In front of Han Songyi, Jinwoo put on a smile . He did not mean to do so, but it was a rather evil looking smile, filled with ulterior motives . ¡°I want to make you into an amazing Hunter . ¡± She did not need any convincing to go into the Dungeon . Enticed by the prospect of watching Baekho¡¯s new recruit training in person, she excitedly tagged along without a shred of suspicion at Jinwoo . When she asked how he knew her homeroom teacher, Jinwoo showed her a picture of him and his sister . ¡°Ahjussi, you¡¯re Jinah¡¯s oppa?¡± ¡° . . . ¡± A certain word kept hitting a nerve on his mind, but Jinwoo overlooked it since things were going according to plan . ¡°Get in . ¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Jinwoo drove Han Songyi to the place where Baekho would be holding their new recruit training in the form of a Raid . He was told that they would begin their training at 9 PM, so he had plenty of time . zoom- The van that was too large for just two people traveled to their destination like it was flying . Was it because of the agility and sense stats? Jinwoo, who had never driven a car after obtaining his driver¡¯s license, was skillfully navigating the road . Even focusing just a little bit slowed down the other cars . ¡®Man, these attribute stats sure are useful . ¡¯ From his side, Han Songyi struck up a conversation, ¡°So does Jinah really spend all day studying at home? I heard she even uses an encyclopedia as wallpaper so she can constantly look at something to memorize . ¡± Did his little sister really have such a reputation? At home, she was just a chicken-loving girl who loved to sleep . ¡°She¡¯s the same as everyone else . When she comes home, she plays around, eats and sleeps . ¡± Well, mostly sleep . ¡°Eh¡­ No way . How could her grades be so good if that was the case?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe it either . Back in junior high, she was just a girl who went to arcades with me . ¡± While the pair shared a conversation, they had arrived at the Gate . Jinwoo stopped the car . screech- It was a neighborhood that produced a lot of Gates for some reason . Because of that, most of the people had moved away, and it was easy to find parking . Jinwoo heard that there were at least 8 residential buildings in the area that were abandoned . Once the remaining people moved away, the government planned to just flatten the entire area . Jinwoo and Han Songyi got out from the car . There was a strange foreboding feeling in the air . Waaaah- Jinwoo swore he could hear a cheering coming from his shadow . He chalked it up to the atmosphere . Han Songyi was slightly scared because of that atmosphere but quickly cheered up when she saw other Hunters in the distance . Her sparkling eyes were like someone looking at a celebrity . ¡®Well, they are THE Baekho¡¯s Hunters . ¡¯ He supposed to a student who wanted to be a Hunter, they were no different than celebrities . When he remembered the image of Hunters in the media, it was not a strange thing . ¡°Oh, you really came . ¡± Hyun Gicheol noticed Jinwoo and came over . ¡°Do you remember me?¡± Jinwoo lightly nodded . When Hyun Gicheol greeted him with a genuine and not a business-use smile, Jinwoo smiled back despite of himself . He had only met the man few times, but it seemed like he had a likeable personality . ¡°I heard from the chief . So this is the student?¡± ¡°Hello . ¡± Hang Songyi bowed her head . They were lightly exchanging greetings when a large musclehead split off from the Hunters and came over, ¡°Can we get going already? We¡¯re not here for a picnic . It¡¯s almost nine . ¡± Without waiting for their response, the man returned to the Gate . Jinwoo could tell he was not an ordinary man; he turned to Hyun Gicheol, ¡°Who was that?¡±¡°Ah, he¡¯s an A-rank new recruit that just entered the Guild . When we informed him about you and the student, he was annoyed . Said something about a Dungeon not being a playground¡­¡± ¡°A-rank?¡± Hyun Gicheol nodded . The man being an A-rank would explain the presence Jinwoo felt . Jinwoo asked another question, ¡°What¡¯s the level of the raiding party?¡± ¡°One A-rank, seven B-ranks, four C-ranks for a total of twelve members . ¡± ¡°You¡¯re taking an A-rank and B-ranks for just a C-rank Gate?¡± ¡°Well, even if their rank is high, they¡¯re newbies . It¡¯s to give them a taste of what the Dungeon is like . ¡± Hyun Gicheol spoke with pride . Once they completed their Raid today, he added that they would be placed in official high-level Raids going forward . ¡®Still, an A-rank and seven B-ranks are a bit too much¡­¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s eyes changed . In fact, this was the real reason why Ahn Sangmin let him tag along so easily . The chief wanted to show off the elite new recruits of Baekho to Jinwoo, to show him the value of the Guild . However, contrary to Ahn Sangmin and Hyun Gicheol¡¯s expectations, Jinwoo looked over at the raiding party with a disappointment in his eyes . The Gate was a C-rank . Compared to that, the raiding party was too strong . ¡®If the Raid is too easy, my plan won¡¯t work . ¡¯ This was his worry, but he shook his head . ¡®Eh, I¡¯m sure once she see what it¡¯s like in there, she¡¯ll realize the truth . ¡¯ The truth of how powerless an E-ranker was in a Dungeon . That should be enough . ¡°When are we going in?¡± Not realizing Jinwoo¡¯s true intentions, Han Songyi impatiently asked when they would start the Raid . Turning to his side, Jinwoo saw that her face was filled with excitement and anticipation . ¡®Let¡¯s see how long you can keep that up . ¡¯ He laughed in his head and turned to Hyun Gicheol, ¡°Then, we¡¯ll be going as well . ¡± ¡°Ah, yes . ¡± Hyun Gicheol looked around then leaned in and whispered to Jinwoo, ¡°Er¡­ If Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim steps up, the Raid will be over in a flash . Could you please just stay in the back and watch?¡± Well, that was his plan . ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do just that . ¡± He would resume the Raids with Yoo Jinho tomorrow; he had no need to interfere with Baekho¡¯s new recruit training . However, tomorrow would be the inaugural combat for his shadow army, so he decided to bring Han Songyi here . ¡®I don¡¯t want to show off the Shadow Soldiers in front of her . ¡¯ If the girl saw him easily taking down magic beasts with his shadows, her delusions might worsen . Jinwoo and Han Songyi went before the Gate . Unlike the A-ranker, some of the other Hunters greeted them with a smile . ¡°Hello . ¡± ¡°Please to meet you . ¡± As the purpose of the Raid was not money, having more people was a good thing . They took turns introducing themselves . When it was the A-ranker¡¯s turn, ¡°I¡¯m good . ¡± He turned and entered the Gate first . ¡°Let us go as well . ¡± Baekho¡¯s new recruits entered the Gate one by one . Han Songyi stopped before the Gate and turned to Jinwoo, ¡°What about you, ahjussi?¡± Jinwoo crossed his arms and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll see you go in first . ¡± With a face filled with nervousness, the girl nodded and entered . ¡®Hmm . ¡¯ Jinwoo lightly sighed then stood before the Gate . Turning around, he saw Hyun Gicheol waving to him and cheering . ¡® . . . ¡¯ Jinwoo turned back to the Gate . Something was wrong . ¡® . . . ?¡¯ The Gate was rippling and trembling nonstop . ¡®Unless someone is in the process of entering or leaving, it should stay still like a black curtain . ¡¯ But right now, even though no one was entering or leaving, the Gate was rippling like someone had disturbed the surface of a lake . Something was different . Jinwoo placed a hand on the Gate . The surface of the Gate clung to his hand like a sticky substance and started crawling up his hand . ¡®Wait, this is . . !¡¯ Jinwoo sharply turned his head and met Hyun Gicheol¡¯s eyes . The employee also realized something was wrong . Jinwoo shouted at the man, ¡°CALL YOUR MAIN HUNTERS, RIGHT N-¡± Before Jinwoo could finish, he was sucked into the Gate . ¡°W-what was that?¡± ¡°D-deputy Hyun!¡± Hyun Gicheol ran to the Gate . The three other Baekho employees also went up behind him . In front of the Gate, Hyun Gicheol was panicking in terror . ¡°No¡­ no way!¡± The Hunters weren¡¯t the only new recruits here . The employees standing behind him were also new hires . Of course they would be confused at what was happening . They looked at Hyun Gicheol like deer in headlights . ¡°D-deputy! The Gate is turning red!¡± As if a drop of blood fell on the surface of water, the Gate¡¯s surface was quickly turning red . Hyun Gicheol ignored the employees and quickly made a call . click - ¡°What is it, Gicheol?¡± ¡°Chief! It¡¯s a Red Gate! The new recruits just entered a Red Gate!!!¡± - ¡°What?!¡± Ahn Sangmin¡¯s voice became serious . - ¡°What the hell?! How did a Red Gate come out of a C-rank Gate?!¡± Hyun Gicheol looked up at the Gate that had turned completely red . The rippling had already stopped . The deputy gulped . ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s definitely a Red Gate . ¡± - ¡°What?!!!¡± Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 58. . ¡®Alright . That¡¯s taken care of . ¡¯. . Jinwoo ended the call . At first, Ahn Sangmin was flustered but upon hearing Jinwoo¡¯s explanation, the man happily agreed to his request . Thank to that, Jinwoo would be able to see how Baekho trained their new recruits in a Raid . . . ¡®I¡¯ve already got the van . ¡¯. . Yoo Jinho had helped him out with that even on his busy day . The young man had told him that he could only vacate wherever he came from for a brief moment and apologized . Jinwoo thought the young man¡¯s attitude was rather mature compared how he had acted in the past . . . Anyways, Jinwoo was ready . He was currently in front of the residence of the trouble student that Jinah¡¯s teacher had asked him to convince . . . ¡®It¡¯s kinda close to our place . ¡¯. . It was about a two minute walk . Jinwoo probably could¡¯ve hit it with a rock from his own room . He took a look around the neighborhood . It was a small neighborhood filled with worn down buildings . He was able to roughly gather that, like his own family, she probably did not grow up that well . He understand why she wanted to be a Hunter . It reminded him of his past . . . ¡®Still, it¡¯s people like that who are the first to die . ¡¯. . He himself had gotten hurt many times before . The E-rank Hunter even teetered between life and death few times . If it wasn¡¯t for his mother¡¯s rare illness, he would¡¯ve never started the job . For an E-rank Hunter, the Dungeon was that much of a dangerous place . If he did nothing, she would surely come to regret her decision . Forget regret, she might even lose her life . . . ¡®And that¡¯s not all that rare . ¡¯. . After all, dozens of Hunters died everyday across the world . Jinwoo did not care about any of them; it was their decision . . . ¡®However . ¡¯. . The person this time around was not a complete stranger . If she was, Jinwoo would¡¯ve ignored the teachers request, even if it was Jinah¡¯s classmate . But the young girl¡¯s name was familiar to Jinwoo . He felt a presence approaching; looking up, it was the problem student . Seeing her face, Jinwoo confirmed it was indeed the same girl . . . ¡°What the?¡±. . The student noticed Jinwoo and tilted her head,. . ¡°Ahjussi, why are you here?¡±. . As expected, the girl recognized him . . . ¡®Sigh¡­ it¡¯s a really a small world after all . ¡¯. . Jinwoo scratched the side of his head . . . A female highschool student who wanted to be a Hunter . She was the sole female member of Yoo Jinho¡¯s raiding party; the one whose age concerned Jinwoo in the beginning . . . ¡°Is it okay to bring that one?¡±. ¡°I went ahead and got some legal counsel . There isn¡¯t any legal reason why she can¡¯t join us . It¡¯s just going to be a big problem if she gets hurt . ¡±. . ¡®Han Songyi . ¡¯. . When he heard her name from Jinah¡¯s teacher, Jinwoo was sure it was her . Just in case, he asked for her records . The day that she stopped coming to school was the day he started raiding with Yoo Jinho¡¯s team . Once he realized this, Jinwoo realized all this might¡¯ve been partially his fault, so he decided to take responsibility . The circumstances of their raiding party were special, and he did not want to mislead the girl into thinking that what she earned with them would be the norm going forward . After all, she had earned 30 million won in the past week; that was an unthinkable amount for a highschooler . . . ¡®One thing¡¯s for sure . ¡¯. . If he heard in the future that she died in a Dungeon, he knew it would be a thorn in his heart . And so, he decided to take the time today to convince her . It wouldn¡¯t be that difficult . . . ¡°So why are you here?¡±. . Han Songyi stared at Jinwoo with wide open eyes . She looked a little hesitant . . . ¡°No way, the Hunter that the teacher wanted to introduce me to was you, ahjussi?¡±. . He was bothered at the fact that she kept calling him ahjussi but nodded with a smile . . . ¡°I don¡¯t know what the teacher told you, but I¡¯m not interested in school anymore . I don¡¯t plan on giving up the Hunter life . ¡±. . She attempted to cut him off firmly from whatever he was planning on doing . Back in the raiding party, she was a rather quiet girl, but when it involved her future, her attitude had changed . It was a precocious behavior fitting of today¡¯s children . . . ¡®Reminds me of another precocious brat living at home . ¡¯. . Jinwoo smiled widely . Having attempted to come off as stern, Han Songyi was flustered by Jinwoo¡¯s unexpected response . Jinwoo calmly spoke,. . ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t plan on telling you to give it up either . ¡±. . The girl¡¯s eyes widened in surprise,. . ¡°Really?¡±. . Jinwoo knew, telling kids like her to not do something was the best way to get them to do that thing . From the start, he had no intention of convincing her through words . He would just show her a glimpse of reality . . . ¡®I was the same . ¡¯. . He realized that truth on his first Raid . That reality was much more cruel than he thought . Han Songyi tried to keep up a stern demeanor and asked,. . ¡°Th-then why are you here?¡±. . Jinwoo stepped forward . The girl almost took a step back in surprise but kept her composure as to not appear weak . In front of Han Songyi, Jinwoo put on a smile . He did not mean to do so, but it was a rather evil looking smile, filled with ulterior motives . . . ¡°I want to make you into an amazing Hunter . ¡±. . . . She did not need any convincing to go into the Dungeon . Enticed by the prospect of watching Baekho¡¯s new recruit training in person, she excitedly tagged along without a shred of suspicion at Jinwoo . When she asked how he knew her homeroom teacher, Jinwoo showed her a picture of him and his sister . . . ¡°Ahjussi, you¡¯re Jinah¡¯s oppa?¡±. ¡° . ¡±. . A certain word kept hitting a nerve on his mind, but Jinwoo overlooked it since things were going according to plan . . . ¡°Get in . ¡±. ¡°Thank you!¡±. . Jinwoo drove Han Songyi to the place where Baekho would be holding their new recruit training in the form of a Raid . He was told that they would begin their training at 9 PM, so he had plenty of time . . . zoom-. . The van that was too large for just two people traveled to their destination like it was flying . Was it because of the agility and sense stats? Jinwoo, who had never driven a car after obtaining his driver¡¯s license, was skillfully navigating the road . Even focusing just a little bit slowed down the other cars . . . ¡®Man, these attribute stats sure are useful . ¡¯. . From his side, Han Songyi struck up a conversation,. . ¡°So does Jinah really spend all day studying at home? I heard she even uses an encyclopedia as wallpaper so she can constantly look at something to memorize . ¡±. . Did his little sister really have such a reputation? At home, she was just a chicken-loving girl who loved to sleep . . . ¡°She¡¯s the same as everyone else . When she comes home, she plays around, eats and sleeps . ¡±. . Well, mostly sleep . . . ¡°Eh¡­ No way . How could her grades be so good if that was the case?¡±. ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe it either . Back in junior high, she was just a girl who went to arcades with me . ¡±. . While the pair shared a conversation, they had arrived at the Gate . Jinwoo stopped the car . . . screech-. . It was a neighborhood that produced a lot of Gates for some reason . Because of that, most of the people had moved away, and it was easy to find parking . Jinwoo heard that there were at least 8 residential buildings in the area that were abandoned . Once the remaining people moved away, the government planned to just flatten the entire area . . . Jinwoo and Han Songyi got out from the car . There was a strange foreboding feeling in the air . . . Waaaah-. . Jinwoo swore he could hear a cheering coming from his shadow . He chalked it up to the atmosphere . Han Songyi was slightly scared because of that atmosphere but quickly cheered up when she saw other Hunters in the distance . Her sparkling eyes were like someone looking at a celebrity . . . ¡®Well, they are THE Baekho¡¯s Hunters . ¡¯. . He supposed to a student who wanted to be a Hunter, they were no different than celebrities . When he remembered the image of Hunters in the media, it was not a strange thing . . . ¡°Oh, you really came . ¡±. . Hyun Gicheol noticed Jinwoo and came over . . . ¡°Do you remember me?¡±. . Jinwoo lightly nodded . When Hyun Gicheol greeted him with a genuine and not a business-use smile, Jinwoo smiled back despite of himself . He had only met the man few times, but it seemed like he had a likeable personality . . . ¡°I heard from the chief . So this is the student?¡±. ¡°Hello . ¡±. . Hang Songyi bowed her head . They were lightly exchanging greetings when a large musclehead split off from the Hunters and came over,. . ¡°Can we get going already? We¡¯re not here for a picnic . It¡¯s almost nine . ¡±. . Without waiting for their response, the man returned to the Gate . Jinwoo could tell he was not an ordinary man; he turned to Hyun Gicheol,. . ¡°Who was that?¡±. ¡°Ah, he¡¯s an A-rank new recruit that just entered the Guild . When we informed him about you and the student, he was annoyed . Said something about a Dungeon not being a playground¡­¡±. ¡°A-rank?¡±. . Hyun Gicheol nodded . The man being an A-rank would explain the presence Jinwoo felt . Jinwoo asked another question,. . ¡°What¡¯s the level of the raiding party?¡±. ¡°One A-rank, seven B-ranks, four C-ranks for a total of twelve members . ¡±. ¡°You¡¯re taking an A-rank and B-ranks for just a C-rank Gate?¡±. ¡°Well, even if their rank is high, they¡¯re newbies . It¡¯s to give them a taste of what the Dungeon is like . ¡±. . Hyun Gicheol spoke with pride . Once they completed their Raid today, he added that they would be placed in official high-level Raids going forward . . . ¡®Still, an A-rank and seven B-ranks are a bit too much¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes changed . In fact, this was the real reason why Ahn Sangmin let him tag along so easily . The chief wanted to show off the elite new recruits of Baekho to Jinwoo, to show him the value of the Guild . However, contrary to Ahn Sangmin and Hyun Gicheol¡¯s expectations, Jinwoo looked over at the raiding party with a disappointment in his eyes . . . The Gate was a C-rank . Compared to that, the raiding party was too strong . . . ¡®If the Raid is too easy, my plan won¡¯t work . ¡¯. . This was his worry, but he shook his head . . . ¡®Eh, I¡¯m sure once she see what it¡¯s like in there, she¡¯ll realize the truth . ¡¯. . The truth of how powerless an E-ranker was in a Dungeon . That should be enough . . . ¡°When are we going in?¡±. . Not realizing Jinwoo¡¯s true intentions, Han Songyi impatiently asked when they would start the Raid . Turning to his side, Jinwoo saw that her face was filled with excitement and anticipation . . . ¡®Let¡¯s see how long you can keep that up . ¡¯. . He laughed in his head and turned to Hyun Gicheol,. . ¡°Then, we¡¯ll be going as well . ¡±. ¡°Ah, yes . ¡±. . Hyun Gicheol looked around then leaned in and whispered to Jinwoo,. . ¡°Er¡­ If Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim steps up, the Raid will be over in a flash . Could you please just stay in the back and watch?¡±. . Well, that was his plan . . . ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do just that . ¡±. . He would resume the Raids with Yoo Jinho tomorrow; he had no need to interfere with Baekho¡¯s new recruit training . However, tomorrow would be the inaugural combat for his shadow army, so he decided to bring Han Songyi here . . . ¡®I don¡¯t want to show off the Shadow Soldiers in front of her . ¡¯. . If the girl saw him easily taking down magic beasts with his shadows, her delusions might worsen . Jinwoo and Han Songyi went before the Gate . Unlike the A-ranker, some of the other Hunters greeted them with a smile . . . ¡°Hello . ¡±. ¡°Please to meet you . ¡±. . As the purpose of the Raid was not money, having more people was a good thing . They took turns introducing themselves . When it was the A-ranker¡¯s turn,. . ¡°I¡¯m good . ¡±. . He turned and entered the Gate first . . . ¡°Let us go as well . ¡±. . Baekho¡¯s new recruits entered the Gate one by one . Han Songyi stopped before the Gate and turned to Jinwoo,. . ¡°What about you, ahjussi?¡±. . Jinwoo crossed his arms and replied,. . ¡°I¡¯ll see you go in first . ¡±. . With a face filled with nervousness, the girl nodded and entered . . . ¡®Hmm . ¡¯. . Jinwoo lightly sighed then stood before the Gate . Turning around, he saw Hyun Gicheol waving to him and cheering . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . Jinwoo turned back to the Gate . . . Something was wrong . . . ¡® . ?¡¯. . The Gate was rippling and trembling nonstop . . . ¡®Unless someone is in the process of entering or leaving, it should stay still like a black curtain . ¡¯. . But right now, even though no one was entering or leaving, the Gate was rippling like someone had disturbed the surface of a lake . Something was different . Jinwoo placed a hand on the Gate . The surface of the Gate clung to his hand like a sticky substance and started crawling up his hand . . . ¡®Wait, this is !¡¯. . Jinwoo sharply turned his head and met Hyun Gicheol¡¯s eyes . The employee also realized something was wrong . Jinwoo shouted at the man,. . ¡°CALL YOUR MAIN HUNTERS, RIGHT N-¡±. . Before Jinwoo could finish, he was sucked into the Gate . . . ¡°W-what was that?¡±. ¡°D-deputy Hyun!¡±. . Hyun Gicheol ran to the Gate . The three other Baekho employees also went up behind him . In front of the Gate, Hyun Gicheol was panicking in terror . . . ¡°No¡­ no way!¡±. . The Hunters weren¡¯t the only new recruits here . The employees standing behind him were also new hires . Of course they would be confused at what was happening . They looked at Hyun Gicheol like deer in headlights . . . ¡°D-deputy! The Gate is turning red!¡±. . As if a drop of blood fell on the surface of water, the Gate¡¯s surface was quickly turning red . Hyun Gicheol ignored the employees and quickly made a call . . . click. . - ¡°What is it, Gicheol?¡±. ¡°Chief! It¡¯s a Red Gate! The new recruits just entered a Red Gate!!!¡±. - ¡°What?!¡±. . Ahn Sangmin¡¯s voice became serious . . . - ¡°What the hell?! How did a Red Gate come out of a C-rank Gate?!¡±. . Hyun Gicheol looked up at the Gate that had turned completely red . The rippling had already stopped . The deputy gulped . . . ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s definitely a Red Gate . ¡±. - ¡°What?!!!¡±. Chapter 59 ¡°A Red Gate? How did this happen?¡± Baekho¡¯s Guildmaster Baek Yoonho immediately came to the scene after receiving the news . Hyun Gicheol, the man in charge of the training, had a dark expression . ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Let me take a look . ¡± Baek Yoonho walked past the employees, who were practically preparing for a funeral in their minds, and walked up to the Gate . ¡®It¡¯s really a Red Gate!¡¯ Baek Yoonho¡¯s face hardened . Red Gates . It was a terrifying phenomenon observed in random high-level Gates . Instead of taking you to a small and confined Dungeon, it would connect to an entirely different world, complete with their own environments and lifeforms . Once the Gate solidified in its red color, no one could enter or leave until the boss was taken down or a Dungeon Break occurred . It was completely closed off from the outside . Baek Yoonho placed a hand on the Gate . It was definitely blocked . ¡®This is not good . ¡¯ There was nothing they could do . Unlike other emergencies, help could not be provided to the ones inside . Baek Yoonho turned to Hyun Gicheol, ¡°Was this not a C-rank Gate?¡± ¡°It was . ¡± ¡°Did you confirm with the Association?¡± ¡°We did, but¡­ They were unusually adamant that this was a C-rank Gate . ¡± ¡°Those fucking sons of bitches!¡± Baek Yoonho swore loudly . The Red Gates were a phenomenon limited to high-level Gates . It would take you to an entirely different world on the other side, and they said the magic power seeping out was only that of a C-rank Gate? It was an unthinkable bullshit . The Gate in front of him was at minimum, a B-rank . If they were unlucky, it could be an A-rank . If they were really unlucky, something above that . . . Meanwhile, there was a reason why the Association could stubbornly deny any wrongdoing . ¡°Should we measure it with our own devices?¡± At Hyun Gicheol¡¯s question, Baek Yoonho shook his head, ¡°No, Red Gates stop seeping magic power after solidifying . It¡¯s impossible to measure it now . ¡± And this is why the Association could deny everything . It was impossible to remeasure a Red Gate, so there would be no evidence that they had messed up their initial measurements . Regardless, the rank of the Gate was not important right now, ¡°How many of our own went in?¡± ¡°Twelve, sir . ¡± ¡®How many were high-rankers?¡± ¡°The A-rank Hunter Kim Cheol-nim took the lead, and seven B-rank Hunter-nims below him . ¡± ¡°One A-rank and seven B-ranks¡­¡± ¡°Do¡­ do you think the recruits will be alright?¡± Baek Yoonho shook his head . ¡°We can consider them dead . If we¡¯re lucky, the A-ranker and few B-rankers might come back alive . ¡± If they were lucky . The composition of the party that went in would have a difficult time clearing the easiest of B-rank Dungeons . Anything beyond that was impossible . Without a miracle, the possibility of the new recruits coming back alive was slim . Baek Yoonho¡¯s face darkened . Reading the mood, Hyung Gicheol carefully spoke up, ¡°Er¡­ So¡­ there are two others that entered with our new recruits . ¡± Baek Yoonho raised his head . Did a passing high-ranker tag along out of curiosity? That indeed would be a miracle! Baek Yoonho¡¯s voice became louder, ¡°Who was it?!¡± ¡°He¡¯s the Hunter that¡¯s been on my sights recently . ¡± The reply came from their side . Both Hyun Gicheol and Baek Yoonho turned their heads to face Ahn Sangmin . The division chief was drenched in sweat and was panting . ¡°Sorry for being late . There was a little traffic . ¡± Because he lived the furthest away from the scene of the incident, Ahn Sangmin had arrived the latest . The man glanced at the Gate . The phenomenon that was like a door to another world was now an iron wall, cutting everyone off from the other side . Just looking at it made it hard for an ordinary person to breathe . ¡®But if it¡¯s Hunter Sung Jinwoo¡­¡¯ The man who had triumphed over incident after incident . That man just might be able to surpass everyone¡¯s expectations here . Baek Yoonho quickly approached Ahn Sangmin, ¡°He¡¯s a Hunter that Chief Ahn had his eyes on?¡± ¡°Yes sir . ¡± Ah . Baek Yoonho remembered the whispers around the office . ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ Lately, people were talking about how Chief Ahn was coming and leaving the office in a hurry . As expected, it was for the recruitment of a new Hunter . The man¡¯s eyes were never wrong . ¡®Could it be¡­¡¯ The fires of hope lit up in Baek Yoonho¡¯s chest . ¡°What¡¯s the Hunter¡¯s rank? A? Or maybe B?¡± It couldn¡¯t have been S . There had only been 10 S-rank Hunters born in South Korea; every single one of them knew each other . But Ahn Sangmin shook his head! ¡®My god!¡¯ The hardened face of Baek Yoonho relaxed in an instant, ¡°Are you telling me an S-ranker went in with them?¡± Ahn Sangmin calmly replied, ¡°No sir . He¡¯s an E-ranker . ¡± Baek Yoonho looked like he had swallowed a bug . Jinwoo was surprised . ¡®So this is the other world that they talked about?¡¯ This was his first time seeing it person, but Jinwoo had read up on the Red Gates on the internet in the past . They all used the expression of being ¡°sucked in¡± . Jinwoo agreed . When the Gate seemingly grabbed onto his hand and pulled him in, all he saw for a moment was darkness, and it felt like he was sliding down a tunnel . ¡®Holy!¡¯ When he opened his eyes, he was in the middle of a forest covered in snow . ¡°Where are we?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think this is a Dungeon . ¡± ¡°The Gate is gone!¡± The other Hunters looked around and could not hide their panic . While they were in chaos, Jinwoo calmly looked around with narrowed eyes . ¡®I don¡¯t sense anything weird . ¡¯ Thanks to the System, even in a situation like this, he was able to remain calm . First thing that he analyzed was the trees . Giant evergreens, impossibly large to be found in their country, covered the landscape, reaching high into the sky . The top of the trees were stacked with snow . He lowered his gaze and met someone else¡¯s eyes . It was the A-rank Hunter Kim Cheol, who had also been surveilling the surroundings . ¡® . . . ¡¯ ¡® . . . ¡¯ The two stared down at each other, then looked away . Han Songyi approached Jinwoo and lightly tugged on his clothes . ¡°Excuse me¡­ Something went wrong, right?¡± Her eyes were filled with fear . The confidence she displayed outside was completely gone . Suddenly, Jinwoo¡¯s hand shot toward her face . ¡® . . . ?¡¯ The girl¡¯s eyes widened . grab! The arrow Jinwoo caught lightly trembled as if angry at not hitting its target . The target was Han Songyi¡¯s forehead . ¡°Ah, ah¡­¡± Realizing what just happened, Han Songyi¡¯s face turned white . However, the scream that rang forth did not come from her . ¡°Kiyaaaaah!¡± ¡°U-uwak!¡± thud Blood seep out the Hunter¡¯s mouth as he fell to the ground, an arrow sticking out of his temple . A crimson flower bloomed on top of the snow . The Hunters began to moan in fear . The two arrows had flown toward them at the same time . Thanks to that, most of them did not see Jinwoo catch the other arrow . ¡°Over there!¡± ¡°It was them!¡± A B-rank Hunter pointed toward a faint spot on top of a distant tree . Long before he pointed, Jinwoo and Kim Cheol¡¯s eyes were already looking in the direction . There were two people standing on top of the trees . ¡®Or rather, they certainly aren¡¯t people . ¡¯ White hair . Skin as pale as snow . Silver eyes . And the trademark of their race, pointed ears . Because of their fair beauty and the fact that you could only see them in high-level Dungeons, they were quite famous among the magic beasts . ¡®Ice elf . ¡¯ Also known as the White Walkers . [1] Those that never met them in person refer to them as ice elves . However, those that have faced them directly in battle called them White Walkers . Their reasoning was that a pretty name like ¡°elf¡± was not fitting for these things . Jinwoo was able to understand why the Hunter sunbaes called these things White Walkers while gritting their teeth . ¡® . . . They¡¯re laughing at us . ¡¯ The two elves had lowered their bows and were laughing disgustingly at the Hunters . It was as if they were deciding which food to eat first at a buffet . ¡®And this was your decision?¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s eyes became sharp . An arrow to the right of the party . An arrow to the left of the party . Their targets were not random . The Hunter killed by the arrow was a newly Awakened C-ranker in his 30s . Other than Han Songyi, he was the weakest of the group . And the other arrow was aimed at¡­ ¡®Han Songyi . ¡¯ The elves had targeted the two weakest members of their party . ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for the System, I would¡¯ve been the other target . ¡¯ The White Walkers¡¯ calculating ways annoyed Jinwoo . Making sure they could see him, Jinwoo held out the arrow and crushed it in his hand . crack! Accepting the challenge, one of the White Walkers slid a finger across his throat . Even between human and magic beast, it was a universal gesture . Jinwoo¡¯s mouth formed a smile . His eyes were not smiling . ¡® . . . You . I will kill you myself . ¡¯ At a mere magic beast¡¯s taunt, Jinwoo¡¯s eyes filled with a cold fury . The White Walkers quickly disappeared behind the tree . ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re here to be friends . ¡± Kim Cheol finally opened his mouth . As he was the sole A-ranker of the party, everyone turned their eyes to him . He was technically the leader of this Raid after all . ¡°I¡¯m sure some of you noticed . This is a Red Gate . ¡± Kim Cheol spoke in a condescending manner, but nobody dared to complain . ¡°That means that until we are all dead or a Dungeon Break occurs, no one will be coming for us . ¡± Many of the Hunters groaned in defeat . Some of the ignorant ones had hoped for a rescue, and the fact that no such help would be coming crushed their spirits . Kim Cheol continued, ¡°If we stay here, we¡¯ll either freeze to death or be ambushed by those bastards . I will go and clear this Dungeon to leave . Who¡¯s with me?¡± With wide shoulders and a powerful look in his eyes, Kim Cheol looked rather dependable . After a brief pause, the Hunters approached the man in unison, ¡°I¡¯ll go . ¡± ¡°Me too please . ¡± ¡°Let¡¯s leave here alive . ¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help as well!¡± However, Kim Cheol shoved a man who had approached him . ¡°Ow!¡± He had held back, but it was the power of an A-ranker . The man walked backwards while clutching his chest in pain . ¡°Not you . ¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°And you, you, you and you . ¡± In addition to the man, Kim Cheol pointed to several others, including Jinwoo and Han Songyi . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes twitched, realizing Kim Cheol¡¯s intentions . The musclehead had pointed to a total of 5 people . They were the C-rank and below Hunters . ¡°Unfortunately, we cannot take you with us . ¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What do you know of Red Gates?¡± The man shook his head . ¡°A day in here is an hour outside . Worst case scenario, it¡¯ll take months before either we take down the boss or a Dungeon Break occurs . With that in mind, we can¡¯t babysit you all . ¡± ¡°What do you mean babysit us?!¡± The Hunters that would be excluded tried to protest but were silenced when Kim Cheol gave a fierce look with his eyes . With a false kindness, Kim Cheol continued, ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad . All you have to do is survive until we take down the boss . ¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± The excluded Hunters looked toward the other Hunters in Kim Cheol¡¯s group pleadingly, but not one of the stepped forward . They all looked away . Except one . ¡°Excuse me . ¡± A female B-ranker in Kim Cheol¡¯s team raised a hand . ¡® . . . ?¡¯ When Kim Cheol turned around, the woman gestured to Jinwoo . ¡°We can go from here to there, right?¡± ¡° . . . If you want . ¡± Without a hesitation, the woman walked over to Jinwoo¡¯s side . Kim Cheol looked back and forth between the woman and Jinwoo . The A-ranker snorted then spoke with a loud voice, ¡°Well, looks like we have a spot open . We¡¯ll take one more from your end . ¡± ¡°M-me!¡± The man who was shoved earlier quickly ran over to Kim Cheol¡¯s side . That¡¯s how it should be, Jinwoo thought . ¡®This woman¡¯s the weird one . ¡¯ Jinwoo stared at the woman at his side with a suspicious gaze . Meeting his eyes, the woman quietly spoke so no one else could hear, ¡°That man, Kim Cheol, he didn¡¯t see the arrow coming . ¡± Just because you were a high-ranker, didn¡¯t mean that all your stats were evenly distributed . Kim Cheol¡¯s agility stat might¡¯ve been low . Knowing the power of the different stats, Jinwoo did not give it much thought . ¡°So?¡± The woman smiled widely, ¡°You . You¡¯re not an E-rank, are you?¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°White Walkers¡± (??): One way to translate is the Japanese phrase for ¡°Hyakki Yako¡±, aka the ¡°Procession of Hundred Demons¡± . It¡¯s also could be referring to Korean translation of ¡°White Walkers¡± from Game of Thrones . I decided to go with the latter . With ¡°Ygritte¡± and ¡°White Walkers¡±, I think the author might be a fan of the show . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 59. . ¡°A Red Gate? How did this happen?¡±. . Baekho¡¯s Guildmaster Baek Yoonho immediately came to the scene after receiving the news . Hyun Gicheol, the man in charge of the training, had a dark expression . . . ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±. ¡°Let me take a look . ¡±. . Baek Yoonho walked past the employees, who were practically preparing for a funeral in their minds, and walked up to the Gate . . . ¡®It¡¯s really a Red Gate!¡¯. . Baek Yoonho¡¯s face hardened . . . Red Gates . It was a terrifying phenomenon observed in random high-level Gates . Instead of taking you to a small and confined Dungeon, it would connect to an entirely different world, complete with their own environments and lifeforms . Once the Gate solidified in its red color, no one could enter or leave until the boss was taken down or a Dungeon Break occurred . It was completely closed off from the outside . . . Baek Yoonho placed a hand on the Gate . It was definitely blocked . . . ¡®This is not good . ¡¯. . There was nothing they could do . Unlike other emergencies, help could not be provided to the ones inside . Baek Yoonho turned to Hyun Gicheol,. . ¡°Was this not a C-rank Gate?¡±. ¡°It was . ¡±. ¡°Did you confirm with the Association?¡±. ¡°We did, but¡­ They were unusually adamant that this was a C-rank Gate . ¡±. ¡°Those fucking sons of bitches!¡±. . Baek Yoonho swore loudly . The Red Gates were a phenomenon limited to high-level Gates . It would take you to an entirely different world on the other side, and they said the magic power seeping out was only that of a C-rank Gate? It was an unthinkable bullshit . The Gate in front of him was at minimum, a B-rank . If they were unlucky, it could be an A-rank . If they were really unlucky, something above that . . . Meanwhile, there was a reason why the Association could stubbornly deny any wrongdoing . . . ¡°Should we measure it with our own devices?¡±. . At Hyun Gicheol¡¯s question, Baek Yoonho shook his head,. . ¡°No, Red Gates stop seeping magic power after solidifying . It¡¯s impossible to measure it now . ¡±. . And this is why the Association could deny everything . It was impossible to remeasure a Red Gate, so there would be no evidence that they had messed up their initial measurements . Regardless, the rank of the Gate was not important right now,. . ¡°How many of our own went in?¡±. ¡°Twelve, sir . ¡±. ¡®How many were high-rankers?¡±. ¡°The A-rank Hunter Kim Cheol-nim took the lead, and seven B-rank Hunter-nims below him . ¡±. ¡°One A-rank and seven B-ranks¡­¡±. ¡°Do¡­ do you think the recruits will be alright?¡±. . Baek Yoonho shook his head . . . ¡°We can consider them dead . If we¡¯re lucky, the A-ranker and few B-rankers might come back alive . ¡±. . If they were lucky . . . The composition of the party that went in would have a difficult time clearing the easiest of B-rank Dungeons . Anything beyond that was impossible . Without a miracle, the possibility of the new recruits coming back alive was slim . Baek Yoonho¡¯s face darkened . Reading the mood, Hyung Gicheol carefully spoke up,. . ¡°Er¡­ So¡­ there are two others that entered with our new recruits . ¡±. . Baek Yoonho raised his head . Did a passing high-ranker tag along out of curiosity? That indeed would be a miracle! Baek Yoonho¡¯s voice became louder,. . ¡°Who was it?!¡±. ¡°He¡¯s the Hunter that¡¯s been on my sights recently . ¡±. . The reply came from their side . Both Hyun Gicheol and Baek Yoonho turned their heads to face Ahn Sangmin . The division chief was drenched in sweat and was panting . . . ¡°Sorry for being late . There was a little traffic . ¡±. . Because he lived the furthest away from the scene of the incident, Ahn Sangmin had arrived the latest . The man glanced at the Gate . The phenomenon that was like a door to another world was now an iron wall, cutting everyone off from the other side . Just looking at it made it hard for an ordinary person to breathe . . . ¡®But if it¡¯s Hunter Sung Jinwoo¡­¡¯. . The man who had triumphed over incident after incident . That man just might be able to surpass everyone¡¯s expectations here . Baek Yoonho quickly approached Ahn Sangmin,. . ¡°He¡¯s a Hunter that Chief Ahn had his eyes on?¡±. ¡°Yes sir . ¡±. . Ah . Baek Yoonho remembered the whispers around the office . . . ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯. . Lately, people were talking about how Chief Ahn was coming and leaving the office in a hurry . As expected, it was for the recruitment of a new Hunter . The man¡¯s eyes were never wrong . . . ¡®Could it be¡­¡¯. . The fires of hope lit up in Baek Yoonho¡¯s chest . . . ¡°What¡¯s the Hunter¡¯s rank? A? Or maybe B?¡±. . It couldn¡¯t have been S . There had only been 10 S-rank Hunters born in South Korea; every single one of them knew each other . But Ahn Sangmin shook his head!. . ¡®My god!¡¯. . The hardened face of Baek Yoonho relaxed in an instant,. . ¡°Are you telling me an S-ranker went in with them?¡±. . Ahn Sangmin calmly replied,. . ¡°No sir . He¡¯s an E-ranker . ¡±. . Baek Yoonho looked like he had swallowed a bug . . . . . Jinwoo was surprised . . . ¡®So this is the other world that they talked about?¡¯. . This was his first time seeing it person, but Jinwoo had read up on the Red Gates on the internet in the past . They all used the expression of being ¡°sucked in¡± . Jinwoo agreed . When the Gate seemingly grabbed onto his hand and pulled him in, all he saw for a moment was darkness, and it felt like he was sliding down a tunnel . . . ¡®Holy!¡¯. . When he opened his eyes, he was in the middle of a forest covered in snow . . . ¡°Where are we?!¡±. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is a Dungeon . ¡±. ¡°The Gate is gone!¡±. . The other Hunters looked around and could not hide their panic . While they were in chaos, Jinwoo calmly looked around with narrowed eyes . . . ¡®I don¡¯t sense anything weird . ¡¯. . Thanks to the System, even in a situation like this, he was able to remain calm . First thing that he analyzed was the trees . Giant evergreens, impossibly large to be found in their country, covered the landscape, reaching high into the sky . The top of the trees were stacked with snow . He lowered his gaze and met someone else¡¯s eyes . It was the A-rank Hunter Kim Cheol, who had also been surveilling the surroundings . . . ¡® . ¡¯. ¡® . ¡¯. . The two stared down at each other, then looked away . Han Songyi approached Jinwoo and lightly tugged on his clothes . . . ¡°Excuse me¡­ Something went wrong, right?¡±. . Her eyes were filled with fear . The confidence she displayed outside was completely gone . Suddenly, Jinwoo¡¯s hand shot toward her face . . . ¡® . ?¡¯. . The girl¡¯s eyes widened . . . grab!. . The arrow Jinwoo caught lightly trembled as if angry at not hitting its target . The target was Han Songyi¡¯s forehead . . . ¡°Ah, ah¡­¡±. . Realizing what just happened, Han Songyi¡¯s face turned white . However, the scream that rang forth did not come from her . . . ¡°Kiyaaaaah!¡±. ¡°U-uwak!¡±. . thud. . Blood seep out the Hunter¡¯s mouth as he fell to the ground, an arrow sticking out of his temple . A crimson flower bloomed on top of the snow . The Hunters began to moan in fear . The two arrows had flown toward them at the same time . Thanks to that, most of them did not see Jinwoo catch the other arrow . . . ¡°Over there!¡±. ¡°It was them!¡±. . A B-rank Hunter pointed toward a faint spot on top of a distant tree . Long before he pointed, Jinwoo and Kim Cheol¡¯s eyes were already looking in the direction . There were two people standing on top of the trees . . . ¡®Or rather, they certainly aren¡¯t people . ¡¯. . White hair . Skin as pale as snow . Silver eyes . And the trademark of their race, pointed ears . . . Because of their fair beauty and the fact that you could only see them in high-level Dungeons, they were quite famous among the magic beasts . . . ¡®Ice elf . ¡¯. . Also known as the White Walkers . [1]. . Those that never met them in person refer to them as ice elves . However, those that have faced them directly in battle called them White Walkers . Their reasoning was that a pretty name like ¡°elf¡± was not fitting for these things . Jinwoo was able to understand why the Hunter sunbaes called these things White Walkers while gritting their teeth . . . ¡® . They¡¯re laughing at us . ¡¯. . The two elves had lowered their bows and were laughing disgustingly at the Hunters . It was as if they were deciding which food to eat first at a buffet . . . ¡®And this was your decision?¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes became sharp . An arrow to the right of the party . An arrow to the left of the party . Their targets were not random . The Hunter killed by the arrow was a newly Awakened C-ranker in his 30s . Other than Han Songyi, he was the weakest of the group . And the other arrow was aimed at¡­. . ¡®Han Songyi . ¡¯. . The elves had targeted the two weakest members of their party . . . ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for the System, I would¡¯ve been the other target . ¡¯. . The White Walkers¡¯ calculating ways annoyed Jinwoo . Making sure they could see him, Jinwoo held out the arrow and crushed it in his hand . . . crack!. . Accepting the challenge, one of the White Walkers slid a finger across his throat . Even between human and magic beast, it was a universal gesture . . . Jinwoo¡¯s mouth formed a smile . His eyes were not smiling . . . ¡® . You . I will kill you myself . ¡¯. . At a mere magic beast¡¯s taunt, Jinwoo¡¯s eyes filled with a cold fury . The White Walkers quickly disappeared behind the tree . . . ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re here to be friends . ¡±. . Kim Cheol finally opened his mouth . As he was the sole A-ranker of the party, everyone turned their eyes to him . He was technically the leader of this Raid after all . . . ¡°I¡¯m sure some of you noticed . This is a Red Gate . ¡±. . Kim Cheol spoke in a condescending manner, but nobody dared to complain . . . ¡°That means that until we are all dead or a Dungeon Break occurs, no one will be coming for us . ¡±. . Many of the Hunters groaned in defeat . Some of the ignorant ones had hoped for a rescue, and the fact that no such help would be coming crushed their spirits . Kim Cheol continued,. . ¡°If we stay here, we¡¯ll either freeze to death or be ambushed by those bastards . I will go and clear this Dungeon to leave . Who¡¯s with me?¡±. . With wide shoulders and a powerful look in his eyes, Kim Cheol looked rather dependable . After a brief pause, the Hunters approached the man in unison,. . ¡°I¡¯ll go . ¡±. ¡°Me too please . ¡±. ¡°Let¡¯s leave here alive . ¡±. ¡°I¡¯ll help as well!¡±. . However, Kim Cheol shoved a man who had approached him . . . ¡°Ow!¡±. . He had held back, but it was the power of an A-ranker . The man walked backwards while clutching his chest in pain . . . ¡°Not you . ¡±. . ¡°Huh?¡±. . ¡°And you, you, you and you . ¡±. . In addition to the man, Kim Cheol pointed to several others, including Jinwoo and Han Songyi . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes twitched, realizing Kim Cheol¡¯s intentions . The musclehead had pointed to a total of 5 people . They were the C-rank and below Hunters . . . ¡°Unfortunately, we cannot take you with us . ¡±. . ¡°What?¡±. . ¡°What do you know of Red Gates?¡±. . The man shook his head . . . ¡°A day in here is an hour outside . Worst case scenario, it¡¯ll take months before either we take down the boss or a Dungeon Break occurs . With that in mind, we can¡¯t babysit you all . ¡±. . ¡°What do you mean babysit us?!¡±. . The Hunters that would be excluded tried to protest but were silenced when Kim Cheol gave a fierce look with his eyes . With a false kindness, Kim Cheol continued,. . ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad . All you have to do is survive until we take down the boss . ¡±. . ¡°Still¡­¡±. . The excluded Hunters looked toward the other Hunters in Kim Cheol¡¯s group pleadingly, but not one of the stepped forward . They all looked away . Except one . . . ¡°Excuse me . ¡±. . A female B-ranker in Kim Cheol¡¯s team raised a hand . . . ¡® . ?¡¯. . When Kim Cheol turned around, the woman gestured to Jinwoo . . . ¡°We can go from here to there, right?¡±. . ¡° . If you want . ¡±. . Without a hesitation, the woman walked over to Jinwoo¡¯s side . Kim Cheol looked back and forth between the woman and Jinwoo . The A-ranker snorted then spoke with a loud voice,. . ¡°Well, looks like we have a spot open . We¡¯ll take one more from your end . ¡±. . ¡°M-me!¡±. . The man who was shoved earlier quickly ran over to Kim Cheol¡¯s side . That¡¯s how it should be, Jinwoo thought . . . ¡®This woman¡¯s the weird one . ¡¯. . Jinwoo stared at the woman at his side with a suspicious gaze . Meeting his eyes, the woman quietly spoke so no one else could hear,. . ¡°That man, Kim Cheol, he didn¡¯t see the arrow coming . ¡±. . Just because you were a high-ranker, didn¡¯t mean that all your stats were evenly distributed . Kim Cheol¡¯s agility stat might¡¯ve been low . Knowing the power of the different stats, Jinwoo did not give it much thought . . . ¡°So?¡±. . The woman smiled widely,. . ¡°You . You¡¯re not an E-rank, are you?¡±. . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°White Walkers¡± (??): One way to translate is the Japanese phrase for ¡°Hyakki Yako¡±, aka the ¡°Procession of Hundred Demons¡± . It¡¯s also could be referring to Korean translation of ¡°White Walkers¡± from Game of Thrones . I decided to go with the latter . With ¡°Ygritte¡± and ¡°White Walkers¡±, I think the author might be a fan of the show . . Chapter 60 Meanwhile, outside of the Red Gate . Baek Yoonho¡¯s expression was dark again . Ahn Sangmin gave a brief explanation of who Sung Jinwoo was, but the Guildmaster was not convinced . ¡°In the end, it¡¯s just a theory, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes, sir . ¡± The chief agreed . After all, there was nothing official on Sung Jinwoo yet . ¡®If only the Guildmaster had seen Hunter Sung Jinwoo in person, he would¡¯ve understood . ¡¯ There was something definitely different about Sung Jinwoo . Unfortunately, Ahn Sangmin was frustrated at the fact that he could not explain this in words . Baek Yoonho glanced at the Gate . ¡°Then the person we have to place our hopes in is Kim Cheol . ¡± Another voice spoke up, ¡°There should be no problems with that . ¡± Another person had joined Baek Yoonho, Ahn Sangmin and Hyun Gicheol . The three men turned their gaze towards the newcomer . It was the First Management Division Chief, Joo Sungchan . He looked over at the three men and continued with confidence, ¡°We¡¯ve already firmly educated Kim Cheol to prepare for any circumstances . ¡± While new recruitment training was the Second Management Division¡¯s job, the First Management Division directly managed the education of A-rank new recruits . For the talents that would be placed in Baekho¡¯s main raiding party, their starting place would be different in the Guild . At Joo Sungchan¡¯s confidence, Baek Yoonho relaxed a little . ¡°How was Kim Cheol¡¯s scores?¡± ¡°They were very good . His combat abilities weren¡¯t lacking at all compared to our main raiding party members . ¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± A smile finally returned to Baek Yoonho¡¯s face . Kim Cheol was an A-ranker . An existence among high-rankers that should be treated valuably . If that man was leading the B-rank Hunters of this Raid, he just might be able to clear this Dungeon . It was a shame about the C-rank Hunters, but to Baekho, the most important asset was the high-rankers . ¡®Thankfully, it looks like Hunter Kim Cheol¡¯s abilities are top notch . . . ¡¯ The flickering embers of hope lit up again in his chest . Having reassured his Guildmaster, Joo Sungchan turned to Ahn Sangmin, ¡°I heard something about a Reawakened E-rank Hunter?¡± Joo Sungchan snorted derisively, ¡°Compared a baseless theory like that, our Hunter Kim Cheol will be infinitely more reliable . ¡± Ahn Sangmin¡¯s expression hardened . The man was being blatantly condescending . However, Ahn Sangmin did not stoop to arguing with the Joo Sungchan . ¡®The results will prove who is right¡­¡¯ The four men all turned to the Red Gate in unison . The color of the phenomenon looked like an ill omen of today . ¡°You . You¡¯re not an E-rank, are you?¡± The woman asked brazenly . Jinwoo replied, ¡°Then let me ask you something . ¡± ¡°Sure . ¡± Jinwoo looked over to Kim Cheol¡¯s party . They were making various plans before heading out . ¡°All of you, how could you be so calm as new recruits?¡± ¡°The first thing they teach us is that ¡®Anything can happen in a Dungeon¡¯ . ¡± Anything can happen in a Dungeon . Jinwoo knew this better than anyone else here . ¡°We¡¯ve all already received some education . Especially that man, Kim Cheol . He¡¯s received a special training . They say he¡¯ll enter Baekho¡¯s main raiding party . ¡± They were unafraid just because they had received some education . Jinwoo was aghast . He realized that there was little difference between them and Han Songyi . So they sat down in a classroom and were taught a few things, but how useful would it be in a real situation? They were arrogantly puffing out their chest, not knowing the terror of the Dungeon . ¡®There is a huge difference between hearing about it in a classroom and experiencing it in real life . ¡¯ In fact, walking around as if they knew the Dungeon, a slightest crack in their confidence would bring down the dam of their arrogance . It takes time to build up something so fragile but an instant to break it all down . Somehow, Jinwoo was able to see the fate of Kim Cheol¡¯s party . They looked confident and fine on the outside, but he knew they were all beginners . ¡°You didn¡¯t answer . ¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Jinwoo turned his gaze back to the strange woman . ¡°My question, you didn¡¯t answer . ¡± Was he really an E-rank . She was a rather persistent woman . ¡°Why do I have to tell you that?¡± Although he had chosen to not answer her question, the woman, Park Heejin, pumped a fist inside her mind . She had met many people in her life, and she was able to understand their minds . Just now, Jinwoo¡¯s answer was meant to deflect, but it had betrayed the confidence beneath the man . ¡®I was right about him!¡¯ There was one other reason why she was sure . In the past, she had trained with the high-rankers of Baekho and remembered the speed their movements . But Jinwoo¡¯s hand just now . The hand that caught the arrow was faster than any of Baekho¡¯s high-rankers . ¡®I was barely able to understand what happened . ¡¯ She was an athlete who Awakened as a Fighter-class . She was confident in her visual acuity but was unable to fully see Jinwoo¡¯s movements . Park Heejin¡¯s eyes were sparkling . ¡®At the very least, this man¡¯s an A-ranker . ¡¯ No, perhaps¡­ ¡°Could you just tell me?¡± ¡°No . ¡± The casual conversation would stop here . Jinwoo turned his head . He did not want to continue this back and forth that would go nowhere . More importantly, Kim Cheol was walking towards them . Jinwoo and Kim Cheol¡¯s eyes met . ¡°We . ¡± Because of his gruff and low voice, no matter what his intentions were, the man¡¯s voice was threatening . ¡°Will be heading down the road . ¡± He was not here to simply let them know of their plans . Kim Cheol¡¯s eyes were asking him what Jinwoo¡¯s party would do . A subtle indication of ¡°don¡¯t follow us¡± was hidden beneath the words . ¡® . . . ¡¯ Jinwoo looked around then replied, ¡°We¡¯ll be heading down the forest . ¡± ¡° . . . Good luck . ¡± Well, the ones who¡¯ll need luck are you guys . Jinwoo swallowed the words . ¡°You too . ¡± Jinwoo¡¯s team headed into the forest . After watching them disappear in the distance, Kim Cheol let out a laughter he had been holding in . ¡°Morons . ¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Look over there . ¡± Kim Cheol uncrossed his arms and pointed from tree to tree . It wasn¡¯t just in one place . Wherever he pointed, there was a territorial marking placed by some large beast . ¡°Th-thats¡­!¡± ¡°Bears . ¡± ¡°Ice bear!¡± Of the beast type magic beasts, the bear types were especially dangerous . The marks on the trees signified their territory . The Hunters in Kim Cheol¡¯s team clicked their tongues . ¡°Tsk . tsk . ¡± ¡°Should¡¯ve just waited here . ¡± ¡°Looks like that E-ranker¡¯s going to get everyone killed . ¡± ¡°What does an E-ranker know?¡± Kim Cheol looked towards the forest mockingly . ¡®Of course, what does an E-ranker know?¡¯ . . . Wait . The smile disappeared from his face . ¡®Their team has two C-rankers and even a B-ranker¡­¡¯ So why did he consider Jinwoo to be their leader? He had not realized this until now . Kim Cheol shook his head, ¡® . . . Well, whatever . ¡¯ They¡¯ll all be dead soon anyways . Kim Cheol decided to focus on himself and put the weaklings out of his mind . The dead are dead, but the living should strive to live . Kim Cheol turned to the road and spoke with a strength in his voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡± Jinwoo walked in front of the group . However, he had only taken few steps when Park Heejin ran ahead of him and blocked his way . ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Jinwoo did not hide his annoyance and crossed his arms . ¡°Choose your next words carefully¡± was the message . Reading the mood, Park Heejin lowered her voice, ¡°Sorry, but I have to say this . ¡± She gestured at the trees around them, ¡°Do you see those?¡± A large claw mark on a tree . ¡°And there . Over there too!¡± In fact, it was harder to find an unmarked tree . ¡°The bears¡¯ territorial marks are all over the place! This entire forest must be the home to bear magic beasts!¡± In the animal kingdom, dogs and cats were weak compared to tigers and lions . It was the same with magic beasts . A dog type or a cat type magic beasts were far weaker than a tiger type or a lion type . And what about a bear type? Doubly so when it was a polar bear, a top predator among the animals . And right now, Jinwoo had lead his team into the territory of those terrifying magic beasts . It was understandable that Park Heejin was mad . ¡°We have to go back right now! Before the magic beasts come!¡± Tsk tsk . Jinwoo clicked his tongue . ¡®What?¡¯ Park Heejin had expected one of three responses from Jinwoo: anger, surprise or acceptance . Her expectations were off . Instead of acting like the one at fault, Jinwoo was instead looking down at her condescendingly . ¡®Why-why is he looking at me like that?¡¯ Feeling embarrassed, Park Heejin¡¯s face turned red . ¡°W-What!¡± Her voice was raised again . Jinwoo sighed deeply and opened his mouth, ¡°Since it¡¯s hard to find an unmarked tree, that means there are a lot of ice bears, right?¡± ¡°E-exactly, so we have to quickly-¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re heading into the forest . ¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Park Heejin¡¯s eyes were wide open . ¡®Does she still not understand?¡¯ Jinwoo decided to take the time to explain, ¡°In the forest, all we have to worry about are the ice bears . ¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Park Heejin finally understood the meaning of Jinwoo¡¯s actions . If this forest was a home to many ice bears, that also meant that there was nothing here that threatened the ice bears . It meant they didn¡¯t have to worry about any magic beasts stronger than ice bears . ¡®Why didn¡¯t I think of that¡­¡¯ She felt embarrassed at yelling knowingly at the man . She could not raise her reddened face . Jinwoo clicked a tongue in his mind again . One of the scariest things about a Dungeon was that you did not know what kind of an enemy waited around the corner . Knowing the enemy was half the battle after all . And in this forest, the information about the enemy was all over the place . ¡®Magic beasts in the form of a bear . ¡¯ No matter how strong these ice bears were, Jinwoo was sure that they were weaker than the ice elves earlier . It was because the elves¡¯ clothing was made of bear pelts . That¡¯s why he selected the forest . His plan was to level-up here while keeping an eye out for Kim Cheol¡¯s team and the White Walkers . That was the safest path he had determined . ¡® . . . ?¡¯ Jinwoo stared suspiciously at Park Heejin, ¡°Why is your face so red?¡± Her face was really red . She spoke with her head lowered, ¡°I . . . I¡¯m cold . ¡± ¡°Whew-¡± With a deep sigh, Jinwoo pulled up the shop and purchased several articles of clothing, made out of thick fur, and some winter-use shoes . ring~ Warm Fur Coat Rarity: N/A Type: Junk It¡¯s really warm . Cost: 10 gold Warm Boots Rarity: N/A Type: Junk It¡¯s really warm . Cost: 10 gold ¡®Fur coat and boots, ten gold each . ¡¯ Compared to items with special effects, ordinary use items like these were not expensive . Compared to his gold, they were rather cheap . Current Gold: 431,930 ¡®Still, to think that I would actually purchase junk items¡­¡¯ Jinwoo confirmed the transaction . Since he could not discriminate in their current situation, he spent a 100 gold to buy a set for each of the 5 Hunters . shooo- Five sets of fur coats and boots appeared out of thin air in front of his feet . Other than Jinwoo, every one of his party members opened their eyes wide in shock . ¡°What the!¡± ¡°W-what the hell? Spatial magic?¡± Park Heejin was also shocked and raised her head . Ignoring their gasps, Jinwoo calmly spoke, ¡°Everyone, pick one up and put it on . ¡± And with that, Jinwoo reached for the nearest fur coat when he felt a tug on his sleeves . ¡® . . . ?¡¯ Jinwoo turned his head to face Han Songyi . The girl gathered courage and spoke with difficulty, ¡°Ah-ahjussi, what are you? The arrow from earlier¡­ And now this weird magic¡­¡± Jinwoo furrowed his brows . If he let this continue, it would only be a headache going forward . ¡®Ok, let¡¯s nip this in the bud right now . ¡¯ Jinwoo sternly spoke, ¡°I brought you here, so I¡¯ll be responsible for your protection . But . ¡± His voice lowered, ¡°You can¡¯t ask me any questions . ¡± He raised his head and stared at Park Heejin and the other Hunters . ¡°That goes for all of you as well . Do not ask or request anything of me . ¡± He continued, ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, you are more than free to leave . I won¡¯t stop you . ¡± Truthfully, the two other male Hunters had followed the B-rank Hunter Park Heejin up until now . But looking back and forth between the warm gear and Jinwoo, they vigorously nodded . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 60. . Meanwhile, outside of the Red Gate . . . Baek Yoonho¡¯s expression was dark again . Ahn Sangmin gave a brief explanation of who Sung Jinwoo was, but the Guildmaster was not convinced . . . ¡°In the end, it¡¯s just a theory, isn¡¯t it?¡±. . ¡°Yes, sir . ¡±. . The chief agreed . After all, there was nothing official on Sung Jinwoo yet . . . ¡®If only the Guildmaster had seen Hunter Sung Jinwoo in person, he would¡¯ve understood . ¡¯. . There was something definitely different about Sung Jinwoo . Unfortunately, Ahn Sangmin was frustrated at the fact that he could not explain this in words . Baek Yoonho glanced at the Gate . . . ¡°Then the person we have to place our hopes in is Kim Cheol . ¡±. . Another voice spoke up,. . ¡°There should be no problems with that . ¡±. . Another person had joined Baek Yoonho, Ahn Sangmin and Hyun Gicheol . The three men turned their gaze towards the newcomer . It was the First Management Division Chief, Joo Sungchan . He looked over at the three men and continued with confidence,. . ¡°We¡¯ve already firmly educated Kim Cheol to prepare for any circumstances . ¡±. . While new recruitment training was the Second Management Division¡¯s job, the First Management Division directly managed the education of A-rank new recruits . For the talents that would be placed in Baekho¡¯s main raiding party, their starting place would be different in the Guild . At Joo Sungchan¡¯s confidence, Baek Yoonho relaxed a little . . . ¡°How was Kim Cheol¡¯s scores?¡±. . ¡°They were very good . His combat abilities weren¡¯t lacking at all compared to our main raiding party members . ¡±. . ¡°Is that so?¡±. . A smile finally returned to Baek Yoonho¡¯s face . Kim Cheol was an A-ranker . An existence among high-rankers that should be treated valuably . If that man was leading the B-rank Hunters of this Raid, he just might be able to clear this Dungeon . It was a shame about the C-rank Hunters, but to Baekho, the most important asset was the high-rankers . . . ¡®Thankfully, it looks like Hunter Kim Cheol¡¯s abilities are top notch . ¡¯. . The flickering embers of hope lit up again in his chest . Having reassured his Guildmaster, Joo Sungchan turned to Ahn Sangmin,. . ¡°I heard something about a Reawakened E-rank Hunter?¡±. . Joo Sungchan snorted derisively,. . ¡°Compared a baseless theory like that, our Hunter Kim Cheol will be infinitely more reliable . ¡±. . Ahn Sangmin¡¯s expression hardened . The man was being blatantly condescending . However, Ahn Sangmin did not stoop to arguing with the Joo Sungchan . . . ¡®The results will prove who is right¡­¡¯. . The four men all turned to the Red Gate in unison . . . The color of the phenomenon looked like an ill omen of today . . . . . ¡°You . You¡¯re not an E-rank, are you?¡±. . The woman asked brazenly . Jinwoo replied,. . ¡°Then let me ask you something . ¡±. . ¡°Sure . ¡±. . Jinwoo looked over to Kim Cheol¡¯s party . They were making various plans before heading out . . . ¡°All of you, how could you be so calm as new recruits?¡±. . ¡°The first thing they teach us is that ¡®Anything can happen in a Dungeon¡¯ . ¡±. . Anything can happen in a Dungeon . Jinwoo knew this better than anyone else here . . . ¡°We¡¯ve all already received some education . Especially that man, Kim Cheol . He¡¯s received a special training . They say he¡¯ll enter Baekho¡¯s main raiding party . ¡±. . They were unafraid just because they had received some education . Jinwoo was aghast . He realized that there was little difference between them and Han Songyi . So they sat down in a classroom and were taught a few things, but how useful would it be in a real situation? They were arrogantly puffing out their chest, not knowing the terror of the Dungeon . . . ¡®There is a huge difference between hearing about it in a classroom and experiencing it in real life . ¡¯. . In fact, walking around as if they knew the Dungeon, a slightest crack in their confidence would bring down the dam of their arrogance . It takes time to build up something so fragile but an instant to break it all down . Somehow, Jinwoo was able to see the fate of Kim Cheol¡¯s party . They looked confident and fine on the outside, but he knew they were all beginners . . . ¡°You didn¡¯t answer . ¡±. . ¡°Hmm?¡±. . Jinwoo turned his gaze back to the strange woman . . . ¡°My question, you didn¡¯t answer . ¡±. . Was he really an E-rank . She was a rather persistent woman . . . ¡°Why do I have to tell you that?¡±. . Although he had chosen to not answer her question, the woman, Park Heejin, pumped a fist inside her mind . She had met many people in her life, and she was able to understand their minds . Just now, Jinwoo¡¯s answer was meant to deflect, but it had betrayed the confidence beneath the man . . . ¡®I was right about him!¡¯. . There was one other reason why she was sure . In the past, she had trained with the high-rankers of Baekho and remembered the speed their movements . But Jinwoo¡¯s hand just now . The hand that caught the arrow was faster than any of Baekho¡¯s high-rankers . . . ¡®I was barely able to understand what happened . ¡¯. . She was an athlete who Awakened as a Fighter-class . She was confident in her visual acuity but was unable to fully see Jinwoo¡¯s movements . Park Heejin¡¯s eyes were sparkling . . . ¡®At the very least, this man¡¯s an A-ranker . ¡¯. . No, perhaps¡­. . ¡°Could you just tell me?¡±. . ¡°No . ¡±. . The casual conversation would stop here . Jinwoo turned his head . He did not want to continue this back and forth that would go nowhere . More importantly, Kim Cheol was walking towards them . Jinwoo and Kim Cheol¡¯s eyes met . . . ¡°We . ¡±. . Because of his gruff and low voice, no matter what his intentions were, the man¡¯s voice was threatening . . . ¡°Will be heading down the road . ¡±. . He was not here to simply let them know of their plans . Kim Cheol¡¯s eyes were asking him what Jinwoo¡¯s party would do . A subtle indication of ¡°don¡¯t follow us¡± was hidden beneath the words . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . Jinwoo looked around then replied,. . ¡°We¡¯ll be heading down the forest . ¡±. . ¡° . Good luck . ¡±. . Well, the ones who¡¯ll need luck are you guys . Jinwoo swallowed the words . . . ¡°You too . ¡±. . Jinwoo¡¯s team headed into the forest . After watching them disappear in the distance, Kim Cheol let out a laughter he had been holding in . . . ¡°Morons . ¡±. . ¡°What do you mean?¡±. . ¡°Look over there . ¡±. . Kim Cheol uncrossed his arms and pointed from tree to tree . It wasn¡¯t just in one place . Wherever he pointed, there was a territorial marking placed by some large beast . . . ¡°Th-thats¡­!¡±. ¡°Bears . ¡±. ¡°Ice bear!¡±. . Of the beast type magic beasts, the bear types were especially dangerous . The marks on the trees signified their territory . The Hunters in Kim Cheol¡¯s team clicked their tongues . . . ¡°Tsk . tsk . ¡±. ¡°Should¡¯ve just waited here . ¡±. ¡°Looks like that E-ranker¡¯s going to get everyone killed . ¡±. ¡°What does an E-ranker know?¡±. . Kim Cheol looked towards the forest mockingly . . . ¡®Of course, what does an E-ranker know?¡¯. . . Wait . . . The smile disappeared from his face . . . ¡®Their team has two C-rankers and even a B-ranker¡­¡¯. . So why did he consider Jinwoo to be their leader? He had not realized this until now . Kim Cheol shook his head,. . ¡® . Well, whatever . ¡¯. . They¡¯ll all be dead soon anyways . Kim Cheol decided to focus on himself and put the weaklings out of his mind . The dead are dead, but the living should strive to live . Kim Cheol turned to the road and spoke with a strength in his voice,. . ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡±. . . . Jinwoo walked in front of the group . However, he had only taken few steps when Park Heejin ran ahead of him and blocked his way . . . ¡°What is it?¡±. . ¡°Are you crazy?¡±. . Jinwoo did not hide his annoyance and crossed his arms . ¡°Choose your next words carefully¡± was the message . Reading the mood, Park Heejin lowered her voice,. . ¡°Sorry, but I have to say this . ¡±. . She gestured at the trees around them,. . ¡°Do you see those?¡±. . A large claw mark on a tree . . . ¡°And there . Over there too!¡±. . In fact, it was harder to find an unmarked tree . . . ¡°The bears¡¯ territorial marks are all over the place! This entire forest must be the home to bear magic beasts!¡±. . In the animal kingdom, dogs and cats were weak compared to tigers and lions . It was the same with magic beasts . A dog type or a cat type magic beasts were far weaker than a tiger type or a lion type . And what about a bear type? Doubly so when it was a polar bear, a top predator among the animals . And right now, Jinwoo had lead his team into the territory of those terrifying magic beasts . It was understandable that Park Heejin was mad . . . ¡°We have to go back right now! Before the magic beasts come!¡±. . Tsk tsk . . . Jinwoo clicked his tongue . . . ¡®What?¡¯. . Park Heejin had expected one of three responses from Jinwoo: anger, surprise or acceptance . Her expectations were off . Instead of acting like the one at fault, Jinwoo was instead looking down at her condescendingly . . . ¡®Why-why is he looking at me like that?¡¯. . Feeling embarrassed, Park Heejin¡¯s face turned red . . . ¡°W-What!¡±. . Her voice was raised again . Jinwoo sighed deeply and opened his mouth,. . ¡°Since it¡¯s hard to find an unmarked tree, that means there are a lot of ice bears, right?¡±. . ¡°E-exactly, so we have to quickly-¡±. . ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re heading into the forest . ¡±. . ¡°Huh?¡±. . Park Heejin¡¯s eyes were wide open . . . ¡®Does she still not understand?¡¯. . Jinwoo decided to take the time to explain,. . ¡°In the forest, all we have to worry about are the ice bears . ¡±. . ¡°Ah!¡±. . Park Heejin finally understood the meaning of Jinwoo¡¯s actions . If this forest was a home to many ice bears, that also meant that there was nothing here that threatened the ice bears . It meant they didn¡¯t have to worry about any magic beasts stronger than ice bears . . . ¡®Why didn¡¯t I think of that¡­¡¯. . She felt embarrassed at yelling knowingly at the man . She could not raise her reddened face . Jinwoo clicked a tongue in his mind again . One of the scariest things about a Dungeon was that you did not know what kind of an enemy waited around the corner . Knowing the enemy was half the battle after all . And in this forest, the information about the enemy was all over the place . . . ¡®Magic beasts in the form of a bear . ¡¯. . No matter how strong these ice bears were, Jinwoo was sure that they were weaker than the ice elves earlier . It was because the elves¡¯ clothing was made of bear pelts . That¡¯s why he selected the forest . His plan was to level-up here while keeping an eye out for Kim Cheol¡¯s team and the White Walkers . That was the safest path he had determined . . . ¡® . ?¡¯. . Jinwoo stared suspiciously at Park Heejin,. . ¡°Why is your face so red?¡±. . Her face was really red . She spoke with her head lowered,. . ¡°I . I¡¯m cold . ¡±. . ¡°Whew-¡±. . With a deep sigh, Jinwoo pulled up the shop and purchased several articles of clothing, made out of thick fur, and some winter-use shoes . . . ring~. . Warm Fur Coat. Rarity: N/A. Type: Junk. It¡¯s really warm . . Cost: 10 gold. . Warm Boots. Rarity: N/A. Type: Junk. It¡¯s really warm . . Cost: 10 gold. . ¡®Fur coat and boots, ten gold each . ¡¯. . Compared to items with special effects, ordinary use items like these were not expensive . Compared to his gold, they were rather cheap . . . Current Gold: 431,930. . ¡®Still, to think that I would actually purchase junk items¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo confirmed the transaction . Since he could not discriminate in their current situation, he spent a 100 gold to buy a set for each of the 5 Hunters . . . shooo-. . Five sets of fur coats and boots appeared out of thin air in front of his feet . Other than Jinwoo, every one of his party members opened their eyes wide in shock . . . ¡°What the!¡±. ¡°W-what the hell? Spatial magic?¡±. . Park Heejin was also shocked and raised her head . Ignoring their gasps, Jinwoo calmly spoke,. . ¡°Everyone, pick one up and put it on . ¡±. . And with that, Jinwoo reached for the nearest fur coat when he felt a tug on his sleeves . . . ¡® . ?¡¯. . Jinwoo turned his head to face Han Songyi . The girl gathered courage and spoke with difficulty,. . ¡°Ah-ahjussi, what are you? The arrow from earlier¡­ And now this weird magic¡­¡±. . Jinwoo furrowed his brows . If he let this continue, it would only be a headache going forward . . . ¡®Ok, let¡¯s nip this in the bud right now . ¡¯. . Jinwoo sternly spoke, ¡°I brought you here, so I¡¯ll be responsible for your protection . But . ¡±. . His voice lowered, ¡°You can¡¯t ask me any questions . ¡±. . He raised his head and stared at Park Heejin and the other Hunters . . . ¡°That goes for all of you as well . Do not ask or request anything of me . ¡±. . He continued, ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, you are more than free to leave . I won¡¯t stop you . ¡±. . Truthfully, the two other male Hunters had followed the B-rank Hunter Park Heejin up until now . But looking back and forth between the warm gear and Jinwoo, they vigorously nodded . . Chapter 61 There was one more reason Jinwoo had chosen the forest . ¡®Status screen . ¡¯ Name: Sung Jinwoo Level: 51 Class: Monarch of Shadows Title: One Who¡­ ( . . . 1 more) Without letting the others know what was happening, Jinwoo quietly changed his title from ¡®One Who Has Triumphed Over Adversity¡¯ to ¡®Wolf Slayer¡¯ . Wolf Slayer ( . . . 1 more) All stats increased by 40% against beast type monsters . A title given to a hunter experienced in slaying wolves . It was time to show off this cheat-like buff . ring~ A beast type monster has appeared . The effect of the title, ¡®Wolf Slayer¡¯, has been activated . Confirming his increased attributes, Jinwoo smiled . ¡®Good . ¡¯ It was in that moment, the other Hunters screamed, ¡°I-it¡¯s a bear!¡± ¡°Ice bear!¡± Having smelled humans, an ice bear was slowly walking towards them . To the beast, they were enemies who had intruded on its territory . The ice bear was not looking at them nicely . grrrrrl- The ice bear bared its teeth and growled; its fangs were as clear as ice . The beast stood up, towering over the Hunters . It almost covered their entire vision . ¡°Ah¡­¡± Although it looked like a polar bear, the beast was twice as big, and adorning its chest was the signature magic core of magic beasts . Roooaaar! A powerful roar that echoed in the area! Hearing its roar, all the Hunters, save for Jinwoo, froze up . Park Heejin frowned, ¡®What do you mean all we have to worry about are ice bears!¡¯ Was that something that could be said while looking at the beast before them?! She had fallen for Sung Jinwoo¡¯s so-called logic . Looking at the ice bear in person, she was now sure, ¡®We shouldn¡¯t have entered this forest!¡¯ Sensing danger, Park Heejin stepped in front of the party and shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll grab its attention, everyone else-ahh!¡± A powerful force grabbed the hood of her coat and pulled her back . It was all she could to maintain her balance while being dragged backwards . After collecting herself, she looked up and saw Jinwoo in front of her . ¡°What the hell!¡± Jinwoo pointed a finger at her, ¡°I¡¯m going to say this once . All the magic beasts going forward are mine . ¡± He could not share valuable experience points after all . To Jinwoo, these cute little bears were just the appetizer before the main course of White Walkers . ¡°Huh?¡± Park Heejin could not hide her confusion . ¡®Did he seriously just pull me back to face the thing alone?¡¯ The two C-rank Mage-class Hunters also stopped their casting and stared with a dumbfounded expression . ¡°No matter how strong you are, those are high-level Dungeon¡¯s magic beasts!¡± Jinwoo ignored the fiery protest coming from the woman behind him and slowly walked towards the ice bear . ¡®Hmm, if I used a dagger¡­¡¯ The spilt blood would mess up his clothes . Jinwoo had summoned the two daggers out of habit but quickly returned them to the inventory . Instead, the man clenched his fists . ¡®I know I said I would just watch, but the situation¡¯s different now . I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll understand . ¡¯ Jinwoo met the gaze of the ice bear . Roooaar! The ice bear swung an arm the size of a tree trunk with a lightning speed . woosh-! But its attack struck nothing but air . ¡®It¡¯s fast for its size . ¡¯ Having jumped above the bear¡¯s head, Jinwoo realized why it had such a dangerous reputation . ¡®Still¡­¡¯ The level-ups he underwent were not for nothing . Before the ice bear could raise its head, Jinwoo used all of his strength to punch its forehead . BAM! The bear¡¯s head crashed into the ground . Its skull obliterated, the bear stuck out a tongue and did not move again . You¡¯ve leveled up! Alright! Jinwoo felt like he was close to leveling up and realized that it was a good thing that he stopped Park Heejin . ¡°Who¡­ who the hell are you?¡± He turned to face the shaking voice and looked at the four members of his party at a loss for words . Jinwoo scratched his temple . ¡®I thought I made myself clear . ¡¯ Well, they probably forgot after seeing such a shocking scene . Jinwoo firmly spoke his conditions again, ¡°Once again, no questions . If you don¡¯t like it, you can go-¡± Jinwoo pointed towards the direction Kim Cheol¡¯s team had left in . ¡°-to them . ¡± His words snapped Park Heejin to attention, ¡°I just saw you kill an ice bear in one hit . I am NOT leaving your side . ¡± Her heart was beating fast . She had instinctively selected Jinwoo over Kim Cheol but now realized just how correct her decision was . She made a determination after a quick calculation . In order to leave this place alive, she would have to follow Sung Jinwoo . Before Jinwoo could change his mind, she quickly spoke, ¡°Jinwoo-ssi, please be our leader . I¡¯ll follow whatever you have say . ¡± ¡®I also said I won¡¯t be accepting any requests¡­¡¯ After a brief moment, Jinwoo nodded . When he thought about it, this would probably be the best . Park Heejin turned around to the rest of the party . Since Han Songyi was brought here by Jinwoo, she probably didn¡¯t need to ask the girl . And the other two Hunters¡­ ¡°You two also agree, right?¡± Suddenly having the attention focused on them, the two Hunters looked back and forth between the ice bear¡¯s corpse and Jinwoo then vigorously nodded . Meanwhile, outside of the Red Gate . Hyun Gicheol wiped away the sweat on his brows and checked the time . Baek Yoonho asked, ¡°How long has it been?¡± ¡°About three hours . ¡± ¡°Three hours¡­ That means three days have passed inside . ¡± Baek Yoonho¡¯s voice was heavy . Of the four gathered here, only Baek Yoonho had actually experienced the Red Gate before . The man was one of the S-rankers who represented South Korea . Even to a man like him, a Red Gate was not something to be taken lightly . With a calm heart, he recalled the memory of the time, ¡°The true terror of Red Gates is the fact that the inside connects to an entirely different world . ¡± This was a rare sight: an S-rank Hunter was about to tell his experiences with a Red Gate . Ahn Sangmin, Joo Sungchan and Hyun Gicheol all perked up in attention . ¡°Inside the Gate, you could end up in a desert world with temperatures exceeding 140 degrees fahrenheit . Or perhaps it¡¯ll be a jungle world infested with venomous snakes and poisonous insects . Maybe even a tundra world where the tips of your fingers will freeze . ¡± gulp . The three listening gulped as one . ¡°The problems it that until you¡¯ve entered the Gate, you won¡¯t know that it¡¯s a Red Gate . This means that there is no way of preparing ahead of time . ¡± Today was the same . An ordinary Gate had turned red after the Hunters had entered . ¡°Whether burning under the blazing sun, hounded by poisonous insects day and night, or frozen in the cold¡­ The weak will be the first to die . ¡± ¡°My god¡­¡± Hyun Gicheol let out a small moan in disbelief . ¡°And in that harsh environment, you have to face magic beasts . ¡± Just hearing the circumstances relayed the dark situation the Hunters were in . But that was not all . ¡°And let¡¯s say you somehow managed to get used to the environment . The problem after that is finding sustenance . ¡± At the minimum few weeks, at the longest few months . You had to find your own food in that time . It was not an easy task . ¡°In the harsh environment made worse by the hunger, the only thing you can rely on is the magic power compass . ¡± It was a tool to point toward strong sources of magic power . Defeating the boss was the only way to leave a Red Gate, outside of letting it undergo a Dungeon Break . ¡°Imagine looking at that tiny compass and enduring days, weeks or months . Do you think you could keep your sanity?¡± The three men shook their heads . If ordinary non-Hunters like them were thrown into such a place, forget the magic beasts, the environment would kill them in a day . ¡°You said three days had passed, right?¡± ¡°Yes . ¡± At Hyun Gicheol¡¯s confirmation, Baek Yoonho made a tragic face . ¡°If it¡¯s been that long, all the Hunters below B-rank are dead . ¡± Kim Cheol was an A-ranker . But no matter how skilled an A-ranker was, it was impossible to protect his entire party in a situation like this . At the very least, you¡¯d need an S-ranker with them . And so, ¡°All we can do is pray that the high-rankers come back alive . ¡± It was a conclusion born from experience . In Baek Yoonho¡¯s head, the C-rank Hunters and below were as good as dead . Back in the Red Gate . The C-rank Hunters and below were enjoying a feast around a campfire . On top of the fire, a large piece of meat was being cooked . ¡°You know this bear meat, it¡¯s a little tough, but it¡¯s not bad . ¡± ¡°Would you like some more?¡± ¡°Oh, thank you . ¡± Yoon Gijoong held out a plate and Go Myunghwan cut up some more ice bear meat and placed it on the plate . These were the two C-rankers of Jinwoo¡¯s party . Park Heejin and Han Songyi also ate their fill of the bear meat . ¡°Unni, could you pass the pepper?¡± [1] ¡°You want the salt as well?¡± ¡°No, just the pepper please . ¡± Somehow, they all had gotten used to the Dungeon . Alongside the campfire, they even had tents and blankets for sleeping . They didn¡¯t exactly have much discomfort . No¡­ In a bizarre way, they were almost feeling cozy, like they were on vacation . Go Myunghwan looked around and spoke, ¡°You know, doesn¡¯t it feel like the ice bears have been attacking us less and less lately?¡± Park Heejin replied to him, ¡°Well, it¡¯s because the Raid Leader took care of them . ¡± ¡°You know, I don¡¯t know what grudge that man has against ice bears, but whenever I see him looking at one, it¡¯s terrifying . Honestly hope that the Raid Leader never looks at me that way . ¡± In no time, Jinwoo¡¯s title among his teammates had turned into ¡°Raid Leader¡± . Feeling his absence, Park Heejin look around and asked, ¡°Where did our dear Raid Leader disappear off to anyways?¡± Yoon Gijoong raised his head that was focused on his plate and replied, ¡°He said he was going to patrol the area . ¡± What . Park Heejin was incredulous . ¡°To go around a high-level Dungeon on his own¡­ Is he not scared even a little bit?¡± Yoon Gijoong smiled widely, ¡°I think he¡¯ll be alright, don¡¯t you think?¡± Go Myunghwan added, ¡°Seriously . The man killed a high-level magic beast with his bare hands . ¡± The man continued, ¡°You know¡­ now that I mention it¡­ Just how high does your rank have to be to kill a magic beast like that with your bare hands?¡± A silence fell on the group . Of course, they were all curious . But they did not want to break the cardinal rule of their group even when Jinwoo was absent . ¡° . . . Let¡¯s just keep eating . ¡± At Park Heejin¡¯s words, everyone nodded . Jinwoo was combing the forest and walked through a bush . ¡®It was around here somewhere¡­¡¯ He felt the presence of multiple ice bears from somewhere . He had been tracking their den since last night . He had started this after realizing that the attacking bears were all coming from the same direction . Walking all over the area, Jinwoo¡¯s eyes suddenly sparkled . ¡®Found them!¡¯ Across the thicket, he saw dozens of caves . In each cave, he felt more than one presence . Well, he didn¡¯t need to use the sense stat . Just before him, many ice bears were entering and leaving the caves . At a rough count, there were about 30 of them . It was truly a den of bears . The corners of Jinwoo¡¯s mouth rose . He had purposely came alone . This would be the prime opportunity . They had been waiting . This would be their inaugural battle . ¡®Come forth . ¡¯ Responding to his thoughts, soldiers clad in black armor soundlessly appeared from his shadow and stood behind him . ¡°You know this is your first battle, right?¡± As people had first impressions between each other, your first battle will determine my impression of you . Is what he meant . ¡® . . . ¡¯ ¡® . . . ¡¯ The Shadow Soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder . Good . Jinwoo smiled widely . sniff sniff The ice bears caught a whiff of Jinwoo and slowly started coming out of their caves . ¡®Looks like they¡¯re also ready . ¡¯ Jinwoo pointed a hand toward the ice bears . ¡°Go . ¡± At his command, the Shadow Soldiers slid across the land toward the enemy . Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Unni¡± (??): Lit . ¡°Older Sister¡± . Surprised it took this long for this word to appear . Yet another ultra common title in the Korean language . This one is used by females to refer to older females of a relatively close age . Basically the female equivalent of ¡°hyung¡± Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 61. . There was one more reason Jinwoo had chosen the forest . . . ¡®Status screen . ¡¯. . Name: Sung Jinwoo. Level: 51. Class: Monarch of Shadows. Title: One Who¡­ ( . 1 more). . Without letting the others know what was happening, Jinwoo quietly changed his title from ¡®One Who Has Triumphed Over Adversity¡¯ to ¡®Wolf Slayer¡¯ . . . Wolf Slayer ( . 1 more). All stats increased by 40% against beast type monsters . . A title given to a hunter experienced in slaying wolves . . . It was time to show off this cheat-like buff . . . ring~. . A beast type monster has appeared . . The effect of the title, ¡®Wolf Slayer¡¯, has been activated . . . Confirming his increased attributes, Jinwoo smiled . . . ¡®Good . ¡¯. . It was in that moment, the other Hunters screamed,. . ¡°I-it¡¯s a bear!¡±. ¡°Ice bear!¡±. . Having smelled humans, an ice bear was slowly walking towards them . To the beast, they were enemies who had intruded on its territory . The ice bear was not looking at them nicely . . . grrrrrl-. . The ice bear bared its teeth and growled; its fangs were as clear as ice . The beast stood up, towering over the Hunters . It almost covered their entire vision . . . ¡°Ah¡­¡±. . Although it looked like a polar bear, the beast was twice as big, and adorning its chest was the signature magic core of magic beasts . . . Roooaaar!. . A powerful roar that echoed in the area! Hearing its roar, all the Hunters, save for Jinwoo, froze up . Park Heejin frowned, . . ¡®What do you mean all we have to worry about are ice bears!¡¯. . Was that something that could be said while looking at the beast before them?! She had fallen for Sung Jinwoo¡¯s so-called logic . Looking at the ice bear in person, she was now sure,. . ¡®We shouldn¡¯t have entered this forest!¡¯. . Sensing danger, Park Heejin stepped in front of the party and shouted,. . ¡°I¡¯ll grab its attention, everyone else-ahh!¡±. . A powerful force grabbed the hood of her coat and pulled her back . It was all she could to maintain her balance while being dragged backwards . After collecting herself, she looked up and saw Jinwoo in front of her . . . ¡°What the hell!¡±. . Jinwoo pointed a finger at her,. . ¡°I¡¯m going to say this once . All the magic beasts going forward are mine . ¡±. . He could not share valuable experience points after all . To Jinwoo, these cute little bears were just the appetizer before the main course of White Walkers . . . ¡°Huh?¡±. . Park Heejin could not hide her confusion . . . ¡®Did he seriously just pull me back to face the thing alone?¡¯. . The two C-rank Mage-class Hunters also stopped their casting and stared with a dumbfounded expression . . . ¡°No matter how strong you are, those are high-level Dungeon¡¯s magic beasts!¡±. . Jinwoo ignored the fiery protest coming from the woman behind him and slowly walked towards the ice bear . . . ¡®Hmm, if I used a dagger¡­¡¯. . The spilt blood would mess up his clothes . Jinwoo had summoned the two daggers out of habit but quickly returned them to the inventory . Instead, the man clenched his fists . . . ¡®I know I said I would just watch, but the situation¡¯s different now . I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll understand . ¡¯. . Jinwoo met the gaze of the ice bear . . . Roooaar!. . The ice bear swung an arm the size of a tree trunk with a lightning speed . . . woosh-!. . But its attack struck nothing but air . . . ¡®It¡¯s fast for its size . ¡¯. . Having jumped above the bear¡¯s head, Jinwoo realized why it had such a dangerous reputation . . . ¡®Still¡­¡¯. . The level-ups he underwent were not for nothing . Before the ice bear could raise its head, Jinwoo used all of his strength to punch its forehead . . . BAM!. . The bear¡¯s head crashed into the ground . Its skull obliterated, the bear stuck out a tongue and did not move again . . . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . Alright! Jinwoo felt like he was close to leveling up and realized that it was a good thing that he stopped Park Heejin . . . ¡°Who¡­ who the hell are you?¡±. . He turned to face the shaking voice and looked at the four members of his party at a loss for words . Jinwoo scratched his temple . . . ¡®I thought I made myself clear . ¡¯. . Well, they probably forgot after seeing such a shocking scene . Jinwoo firmly spoke his conditions again,. . ¡°Once again, no questions . If you don¡¯t like it, you can go-¡±. . Jinwoo pointed towards the direction Kim Cheol¡¯s team had left in . . . ¡°-to them . ¡±. . His words snapped Park Heejin to attention,. . ¡°I just saw you kill an ice bear in one hit . I am NOT leaving your side . ¡±. . Her heart was beating fast . She had instinctively selected Jinwoo over Kim Cheol but now realized just how correct her decision was . She made a determination after a quick calculation . In order to leave this place alive, she would have to follow Sung Jinwoo . Before Jinwoo could change his mind, she quickly spoke,. . ¡°Jinwoo-ssi, please be our leader . I¡¯ll follow whatever you have say . ¡±. . ¡®I also said I won¡¯t be accepting any requests¡­¡¯. . After a brief moment, Jinwoo nodded . When he thought about it, this would probably be the best . Park Heejin turned around to the rest of the party . Since Han Songyi was brought here by Jinwoo, she probably didn¡¯t need to ask the girl . And the other two Hunters¡­. . ¡°You two also agree, right?¡±. . Suddenly having the attention focused on them, the two Hunters looked back and forth between the ice bear¡¯s corpse and Jinwoo then vigorously nodded . . . . . Meanwhile, outside of the Red Gate . . . Hyun Gicheol wiped away the sweat on his brows and checked the time . Baek Yoonho asked,. . ¡°How long has it been?¡±. . ¡°About three hours . ¡±. . ¡°Three hours¡­ That means three days have passed inside . ¡±. . Baek Yoonho¡¯s voice was heavy . Of the four gathered here, only Baek Yoonho had actually experienced the Red Gate before . The man was one of the S-rankers who represented South Korea . Even to a man like him, a Red Gate was not something to be taken lightly . With a calm heart, he recalled the memory of the time,. . ¡°The true terror of Red Gates is the fact that the inside connects to an entirely different world . ¡±. . This was a rare sight: an S-rank Hunter was about to tell his experiences with a Red Gate . Ahn Sangmin, Joo Sungchan and Hyun Gicheol all perked up in attention . . . ¡°Inside the Gate, you could end up in a desert world with temperatures exceeding 140 degrees fahrenheit . Or perhaps it¡¯ll be a jungle world infested with venomous snakes and poisonous insects . Maybe even a tundra world where the tips of your fingers will freeze . ¡±. . gulp . . . The three listening gulped as one . . . ¡°The problems it that until you¡¯ve entered the Gate, you won¡¯t know that it¡¯s a Red Gate . This means that there is no way of preparing ahead of time . ¡±. . Today was the same . An ordinary Gate had turned red after the Hunters had entered . . . ¡°Whether burning under the blazing sun, hounded by poisonous insects day and night, or frozen in the cold¡­ The weak will be the first to die . ¡±. . ¡°My god¡­¡±. . Hyun Gicheol let out a small moan in disbelief . . . ¡°And in that harsh environment, you have to face magic beasts . ¡±. . Just hearing the circumstances relayed the dark situation the Hunters were in . But that was not all . . . ¡°And let¡¯s say you somehow managed to get used to the environment . The problem after that is finding sustenance . ¡±. . At the minimum few weeks, at the longest few months . You had to find your own food in that time . It was not an easy task . . . ¡°In the harsh environment made worse by the hunger, the only thing you can rely on is the magic power compass . ¡±. . It was a tool to point toward strong sources of magic power . Defeating the boss was the only way to leave a Red Gate, outside of letting it undergo a Dungeon Break . . . ¡°Imagine looking at that tiny compass and enduring days, weeks or months . Do you think you could keep your sanity?¡±. . The three men shook their heads . If ordinary non-Hunters like them were thrown into such a place, forget the magic beasts, the environment would kill them in a day . . . ¡°You said three days had passed, right?¡±. . ¡°Yes . ¡±. . At Hyun Gicheol¡¯s confirmation, Baek Yoonho made a tragic face . . . ¡°If it¡¯s been that long, all the Hunters below B-rank are dead . ¡±. . Kim Cheol was an A-ranker . But no matter how skilled an A-ranker was, it was impossible to protect his entire party in a situation like this . At the very least, you¡¯d need an S-ranker with them . And so,. . ¡°All we can do is pray that the high-rankers come back alive . ¡±. . It was a conclusion born from experience . . . In Baek Yoonho¡¯s head, the C-rank Hunters and below were as good as dead . . . . . Back in the Red Gate . . . The C-rank Hunters and below were enjoying a feast around a campfire . . . On top of the fire, a large piece of meat was being cooked . . . ¡°You know this bear meat, it¡¯s a little tough, but it¡¯s not bad . ¡±. ¡°Would you like some more?¡±. ¡°Oh, thank you . ¡±. . Yoon Gijoong held out a plate and Go Myunghwan cut up some more ice bear meat and placed it on the plate . These were the two C-rankers of Jinwoo¡¯s party . Park Heejin and Han Songyi also ate their fill of the bear meat . . . ¡°Unni, could you pass the pepper?¡± [1]. ¡°You want the salt as well?¡±. ¡°No, just the pepper please . ¡±. . Somehow, they all had gotten used to the Dungeon . Alongside the campfire, they even had tents and blankets for sleeping . They didn¡¯t exactly have much discomfort . No¡­ In a bizarre way, they were almost feeling cozy, like they were on vacation . Go Myunghwan looked around and spoke,. . ¡°You know, doesn¡¯t it feel like the ice bears have been attacking us less and less lately?¡±. . Park Heejin replied to him,. . ¡°Well, it¡¯s because the Raid Leader took care of them . ¡±. . ¡°You know, I don¡¯t know what grudge that man has against ice bears, but whenever I see him looking at one, it¡¯s terrifying . Honestly hope that the Raid Leader never looks at me that way . ¡±. . In no time, Jinwoo¡¯s title among his teammates had turned into ¡°Raid Leader¡± . Feeling his absence, Park Heejin look around and asked,. . ¡°Where did our dear Raid Leader disappear off to anyways?¡±. . Yoon Gijoong raised his head that was focused on his plate and replied,. . ¡°He said he was going to patrol the area . ¡±. . What . Park Heejin was incredulous . . . ¡°To go around a high-level Dungeon on his own¡­ Is he not scared even a little bit?¡±. . Yoon Gijoong smiled widely,. . ¡°I think he¡¯ll be alright, don¡¯t you think?¡±. . Go Myunghwan added,. . ¡°Seriously . The man killed a high-level magic beast with his bare hands . ¡±. . The man continued,. . ¡°You know¡­ now that I mention it¡­ Just how high does your rank have to be to kill a magic beast like that with your bare hands?¡±. . A silence fell on the group . Of course, they were all curious . But they did not want to break the cardinal rule of their group even when Jinwoo was absent . . . ¡° . Let¡¯s just keep eating . ¡±. . At Park Heejin¡¯s words, everyone nodded . . . . . Jinwoo was combing the forest and walked through a bush . . . ¡®It was around here somewhere¡­¡¯. . He felt the presence of multiple ice bears from somewhere . He had been tracking their den since last night . He had started this after realizing that the attacking bears were all coming from the same direction . Walking all over the area, Jinwoo¡¯s eyes suddenly sparkled . . . ¡®Found them!¡¯. . Across the thicket, he saw dozens of caves . In each cave, he felt more than one presence . Well, he didn¡¯t need to use the sense stat . Just before him, many ice bears were entering and leaving the caves . At a rough count, there were about 30 of them . It was truly a den of bears . . . The corners of Jinwoo¡¯s mouth rose . He had purposely came alone . . . This would be the prime opportunity . . . They had been waiting . . . This would be their inaugural battle . . . ¡®Come forth . ¡¯. . Responding to his thoughts, soldiers clad in black armor soundlessly appeared from his shadow and stood behind him . . . ¡°You know this is your first battle, right?¡±. . As people had first impressions between each other, your first battle will determine my impression of you . Is what he meant . . . ¡® . ¡¯. ¡® . ¡¯. . The Shadow Soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder . . . Good . . . Jinwoo smiled widely . . . sniff sniff. . The ice bears caught a whiff of Jinwoo and slowly started coming out of their caves . . . ¡®Looks like they¡¯re also ready . ¡¯. . Jinwoo pointed a hand toward the ice bears . . . ¡°Go . ¡±. . At his command, the Shadow Soldiers slid across the land toward the enemy . . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Unni¡± (??): Lit . ¡°Older Sister¡± . Surprised it took this long for this word to appear . Yet another ultra common title in the Korean language . This one is used by females to refer to older females of a relatively close age . Basically the female equivalent of ¡°hyung¡±. Chapter 62 The Shadow Soldiers quickly closed the gap! However, the ferocious movements of the ice bears were far faster than the Shadow Soldiers . Boom! Crack! A single swipe of the bear¡¯s claw obliterated a Shadow Soldier . If it was a human in that pitch black armor and not a shadow, it would¡¯ve been a gruesome sight . ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Jinwoo furrowed his brows . ¡®As I thought, was it too much?¡¯ Whether it was strength or size, it unfortunately looked like it was too much for Shadow Soldiers to face the ice bears . But suddenly, something surprising happened . ¡®What the!¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened . The body of the Shadow Soldier that was destroyed by an ice bear turned to black smoke before it fully hit the ground . shooooo- The black smoke gathered at some distance away, then reformed into its original shape . ¡®Oh shit!¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s face lit up . Undead . He had forgotten about the true nature of these shadows and was now reminded . Realizing its attack had no effect, the ice bear panicked and roared . Roooaaaar! While the Shadow Infantry kept the ice bears busy, the Shadow Mages had finished their casting . Flaaaare-! Bang! Kaboom! The fireballs released from the mages¡¯ hands exploded here and there . While the Shadow Infantry caught by the explosion regenerated immediately, the ice bears caught on fire and thrashed about . ¡°Kuwaaaah!¡± ¡°Kuwuuh!¡± The Shadow Infantry continued their attacks, swinging and stabbing their swords at the burning bears . slash! stab! At first, the ice bears looked like they had the advantage, but they were slowly being pushed back by the combined attack of the infantry and the mages . ¡®Whoa¡­¡¯ Jinwoo watched the battle with great interest . The infantry¡¯s fast regeneration . The mage¡¯s powerful firepower . The might of Shadow Soldiers exceeded his expectations . The ice bears were soon overwhelmed and were pushed all the way back to the caves . It seemed like the battle was over- ROOOOAAAAR! With a roar that shook the eardrums, something giant appeared from the cave . ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened . It was an ice bear a head taller than the rest and also much wider . ROAR! At a single swipe of its claw, many Shadow Soldiers were swept away . BOOM! Craaaaack! Even their quick regeneration speed could not keep up . Crack! Smash! ¡°Looks like the alpha made his appearance¡­¡± Of course, he had expected that a den of bears would have an alpha bear . But the thing¡¯s size and power surpassed his expectations . ROOOOAR! The giant ice bear slapped away the Shadow Soldiers and ran toward Jinwoo . Suddenly, a message appeared, ring~ You are out of mana . The Shadow Soldiers cannot regenerate . You are out of mana . The Shadow Soldiers cannot regenerate . What? He checked his mana in panic . Just as the System said, his mana was at zero . MP: 0 / 1,860 With his mana gone, the Shadow Soldiers no longer regenerated after being destroyed . Instead, they turned into shadow and returned to Jinwoo¡¯s shadow . Jinwoo realized that it was his mana that allowed the soldiers to regenerate . ¡®That goddamn mana¡­¡¯ He found yet another reason to raise his intelligence stat . Jinwoo scratched the side of his head . The appearance of the alpha had completely turned the tide of the battle . However, Jinwoo still had a trump card up his sleeve . ¡®If their boss came out, I should send mine out as well . ¡¯ With his arms crossed, Jinwoo called for the one who was worthy to be called the Shadow Soldier¡¯s boss . ¡°Ygritte!¡± A single shadow slid out from Jinwoo¡¯s shadow . From the shadow rose a knight wearing a helmet adorned with a plumage . Jinwoo raised a chin at the alpha . Ygritte bowed his head to Jinwoo then shot forth towards the giant ice bear . step, step, step, step! Ygritte dodged the alpha¡¯s swipe and slid between the ice bear¡¯s legs . While in motion, he quickly took out the daggers at his side and cut the tendons of the beast¡¯s legs . ¡°Kuwwaaah!¡± This was only the beginning . Unsheathing his long sword, Ygritte skillfully dodged the torrent of attacks from the alpha while carving it up like a sculpture . Tendons, claws, paws, legs . Bit by bit, the alpha¡¯s flesh was being cut off like being worked by a butcher . ¡°Huh¡­¡± Jinwoo watched Ygritte¡¯s flowing, artlike movements with great admiration . The head was the last to go . Slash! The giant ice bear¡¯s head was cleanly separated from its body . Before it could hit the ground, Ygritte snatched it from the air . The knight approached Jinwoo then knelt before the Hunter . drop Ygritte placed the bear¡¯s head in front of Jinwoo feet, as if offering a trophy to his king . Jinwoo stared at the knight and gulped, ¡®If he used his sword from the start back then, could I have defeated him?¡¯ The remaining ice bears were thrown into chaos after losing their leader and were quickly routed by the soldiers . The battle was over . The results greatly satisfied Jinwoo . Shadow Infantry (Lv . 2) Shadow Infantry (Lv . 3) Shadow Infantry (Lv . 2) Shadow Mage (Lv . 2) The soldiers had leveled up here and there . Since the Shadow Soldiers themselves were Jinwoo¡¯s skill, the Hunter had also gained 3 levels . And above all else, ¡°Arise . ¡± You¡¯ve succeeded in Shadow Extraction . You¡¯ve succeeded in Shadow Extraction . You¡¯ve succeeded in Shadow Extraction . He had earned new friends . ROOOAR-! Including the alpha, Jinwoo had selected several ice bears . From their shadows, a large black mass rose . ¡®I expected a bear wearing an armor¡­¡¯ The reality was a little different . The ¡®Shadow Beasts¡¯[1] that arose maintained some semblance to a bear but at the same time had a form that seemed to shift between solid and gas . A black steam continuously spewed from their figures . ¡®The visuals are a bit lacking, but still, it¡¯s those ice bears¡¯ shadows . ¡¯ Their strength and capacity for destruction . He would surely have a use for it . Suddenly, rooooar Jinwoo¡¯s ears perked up at a cry sounding from a distance . It was not just one or two . ¡®Looks like there are more dens in the area . ¡¯ It was getting a little late in the day . He¡¯ll check it out tomorrow . A bright smile appeared on Jinwoo¡¯s face . ¡°Uwaaaaak!¡± ¡°Kuk!¡± His teammates were screaming left and right . Kim Cheol¡¯s eyes were wide open . ¡®There is no way!¡¯ That he, Kim Cheol, would fail like this! He was someone would become Baekho¡¯s elite . He had even received special training for that goal . And now, he was going to fail?! The A-ranker could not accept it . Their party had endured the cold and hunger and fought with yetis . After that were the ice giants . They had lost two of their members but managed to prevail against them too . The Raid appeared to be going smooth . But . But!!! The moment they had triumphed over the ice giants, the White Walkers ambushed them from all directions, as if they had been waiting . Those bastards had been watching their party, waiting for their stamina to hit rock bottom . What followed was a massacre . The Hunters fell, one after another, in an instant . ¡°L-leader!¡± A fallen Hunter stretched a bloodied hand toward Kim Cheol . Kim Cheol stepped backwards . A White Walker appeared out of nowhere and slit the throat of the Hunter on the ground . While the man gurgled and choked on his own blood, the White Walker raised his head towards Kim Cheol . The A-ranker screamed, ¡°U-uwaaaah!¡± He turned around and ran into the forest . The forest had ice bears? Those bears were nothing compared to the yetis, ice giants and the White Walkers . Kim Cheol ran with all of his might . Watching his figure disappear into the distance, the White Walkers raised their bows and took aim . But before they could fire, a White Walker raised his hand and stopped them . It was an ice elf with hair flowing down to his waist . The other White Walkers lowered their bows . ¡® . . . ¡¯ The long hair pointed and gestured to follow Kim Cheol . One by one, the other White Walkers disappeared from sight . Kim Cheol leaped through a bush . ¡°pant, pant, pant . ¡± His lungs felt like they were on fire . The image of the White Walkers that smiled while slaughtering his teammates was still fresh on his mind . The man looked down at his hands . The frostbitten hands were losing their sense of touch . His toes had long since lost all feeling . He could not fight properly in his current condition . ¡®This damn cold¡­ No, if we just didn¡¯t starve for the past few days, we would¡¯ve won . ¡¯ To the bitter end, Kim Cheol could not acknowledge his failure . While muttering to himself, Kim Cheol raised his head . ¡®Anyways, how deep am I into the forest?¡¯ He looked around . The smell of blood poked at his nose from somewhere . The man followed the smell . It was close . Moving through the trees, he came upon a clearing and could not believe his eyes . ¡®How is this possible?¡¯ In front of the caves were over 20 ice bear corpses . He had wondered why he hadn¡¯t come across a single bear! ¡°What the?¡± He studied the corpses . All the corpses had traces of being cut with something . Some of them also had traces of being burned . Sung Jinwoo and his party flashed across Kim Cheol¡¯s head . ¡°It can¡¯t be . . . those bastards did this?¡± No . Kim Cheol shook his head . The wounds on the corpses of the ice bears were made with a sword . To his knowledge, Sung Jinwoo¡¯s party did not have a sword user . ¡®The two E-rankers didn¡¯t even have a weapon . ¡¯ There was no way they had survived here . Then there was only one other conclusion, ¡®The White Walkers are also here!¡¯ His heart sank . He had thought that he managed to get away from those elves . To think that he had wandered into another group of them . With a great fear in his heart, Kim Cheol held his breath and turned back to the direction he had come from . Further . Faster . He wanted to get out of the White Walker¡¯s territory . At the same time . ¡°Wuwaaaaang!¡¯ An ice bear fell with a death rattle . The Shadow Soldiers swarmed its body and made sure it was dead . You¡¯ve leveled up! ¡°Alright . ¡± Jinwoo was in a different bear den . It¡¯s been five days since they had entered the Gate . He had gone through three different bear dens since then . ¡®Looks like I¡¯ve taken care of every bear in this forest . ¡¯ Thanks to that, both he and his army¡¯s levels had risen quite a bit . At first, it required two soldiers just to hold back an ice bear . Now, a single soldier was capable of winning one on one against the beast . Jinwoo was satisfied . As the abilities of his soldiers rose, he started assigning them different roles . His current limit was 30 shadows . 28 of them would be assigned to combat, while 2 of them would be assigned to the collection of magic cores and meat . Now that he didn¡¯t have to lift a finger to fight or collect drops, life became incredibly convenient for the Hunter . ¡®I don¡¯t sense any more magic beasts . ¡¯ It seemed that he had cleared the entire forest . Then . ¡®Is it time to go for the boss?¡¯ There was still about a month to go, at worst several months, until the Dungeon Break . He had no intention of waiting for that to happen . ¡®Gotta kill that arrogant elf too . ¡¯ A mere magic beast that taunted a Hunter . Its arrogant smile still annoyed Jinwoo . Kim Cheol¡¯s nose detected the smell of cooking meat from somewhere . sniff sniff The man¡¯s sense of smell had become sensitive due to his hunger . After entering the Gate, all he had to eat for the past few days was a single rabbit . His mouth watered at the smell of food . gulp The White Walkers might be eating somewhere . ¡®But if there¡¯s only few of them¡­¡¯ He was confident he could take care of them and steal the food . It was a misguided confidence born out of hunger . ¡®Let¡¯s check it out . ¡¯ Kim Cheol did his best to quiet his footsteps and carefully approached where the smell was coming from . Finally, he came upon a clearing where Jinwoo¡¯s team was . Kim Cheol¡¯s eyes widened . ¡®What?¡¯ The smell of meat was coming from their campfire . ¡®How are they still alive?¡¯ However, he did not see one of the E-rank Hunters . ¡®Pft . He took the lead with such confidence . Must¡¯ve died first . ¡¯ That much was obvious . But what wasn¡¯t obvious was the scene in front of him . How to¡­ analyze all this? Something was weird . ¡®Wait, their clothes¡­?¡¯ Warm clothes, blankets, tents and other equipment entered his eye . They were clearly prepared for the environment . ¡®How the hell?¡¯ While flustered, Kim Cheol¡¯s gaze became affixed on something . It was a piece of bread next to the meat . There was no way they had found or made bread here . It must¡¯ve been prepared beforehand . His confusion quickly turned to anger . ¡®These fuckers¡­¡¯ grind Kim Cheol grinded his teeth . These fuckers had all of this with them and walked away on their own . ¡®If my hands weren¡¯t frozen, no, if only I wasn¡¯t hungry, I could¡¯ve easily taken care of those ice elves . ¡¯ Thinking about how they greedily hoarded something that should¡¯ve been shared with the Raid team, Kim Cheol could not help it any more . He leaped out into the clearing . ¡°You bastards!¡± Park Heejin jumped in surprise and stood up . ¡°Kim Cheol? How are you here?¡± To be honest, it was hard to say that he was a welcoming sight . It was because the man¡¯s eyes were filled with murderous intent . Kim Cheol did not hide his hostility . ¡°Our party failed in clearing the Dungeon because we lacked proper equipment and food . Then how the hell are you sitting here with those equipment and food?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Park Heejin could not answer . She feared that bringing up Jinwoo would turn Kim Cheol¡¯s wrath towards Jinwoo . She did not want to turn in the savior of her life . ¡®From the start, I didn¡¯t like the way that man looked at Sung Jinwoo . ¡¯ Park Heejin closed her mouth . Seeing her defy his will, Kim Cheol¡¯s rage increased . ¡°I don¡¯t consider every one of you an accomplice . Who hid all this? I¡¯ll spare the rest of you . ¡± The veins in his neck bulged . ¡°WHICH ONE OF YOU HOARDED ALL OF THIS AND ENDANGERED THE LIVES OF YOUR COMRADES?!!!¡± His shouting echoed loudly throughout the forest . Kim Cheol realized he would have to up the ante . ¡°I¡¯m going to count to three . If no one speaks up, I¡¯ll consider all of you equally guilty . ¡± Han Songyi tugged at Park Heejin¡¯s sleeves . ¡°U-unni¡­¡± Park Heejin hugged Han Songyi . Go Myunghwan and Yoon Gijoong also gulped while sweating . Kim Cheol was an A-ranker . Even if they combined their powers, they could not hope to win against him . Still, not one of them betrayed Jinwoo . ¡°One . ¡± Kim Cheol unsheathe the sword at his side . schiing- ¡°Two . ¡± The Hunters still held their silence . Mere low-level Hunters dare to disobey him? Kim Cheol¡¯s anger flared . ¡®How dare you look down on me¡­¡¯ His eyes turned red with murderous intent . First would be this woman . The one who betrayed his team and decided to join the weaklings . Park Heejin will be the first to die . ¡®Yes . She must¡¯ve been hiding something . That¡¯s why she left my team . ¡¯ That was the only reason he could think of . Kim Cheol stepped up to Park Heejin and finished his countdown . ¡°Three . ¡± Park Heejin closed her eyes . Suddenly . ¡°Four . ¡± Bam! Something struck Kim Cheol on the back of the head, and the man fell face forward onto the ground and slid forward for a few feet . All the Hunters¡¯ eyes opened wide . ¡°Raid Leader!¡± Jinwoo had struck with such a force that his fist was still smoking . He spoke, appalled, ¡°Who¡¯s the fucker that really endangered the lives of his comrades?¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Shadow Beast¡± (??? ???): Lit . ¡°Shadow Magic Beast Soldier¡± . I¡¯ve removed ¡°magic¡± to distinguish them from magic beasts . The reason was because in the context, ¡°magic beast¡± was clearly referring to the shadow¡¯s bear-like bestial form, but in the general story, ¡°magic beast¡± refers to any otherworldly entities found in Dungeons . I wanted to avoid the confusion . Also took out the word ¡°soldier¡± because it felt redundant in most context cases . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 62. . The Shadow Soldiers quickly closed the gap!. . However, the ferocious movements of the ice bears were far faster than the Shadow Soldiers . . . Boom!. . Crack!. . A single swipe of the bear¡¯s claw obliterated a Shadow Soldier . If it was a human in that pitch black armor and not a shadow, it would¡¯ve been a gruesome sight . . . ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo furrowed his brows . . . ¡®As I thought, was it too much?¡¯. . Whether it was strength or size, it unfortunately looked like it was too much for Shadow Soldiers to face the ice bears . . . But suddenly, something surprising happened . . . ¡®What the!¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened . . . The body of the Shadow Soldier that was destroyed by an ice bear turned to black smoke before it fully hit the ground . . . shooooo-. . The black smoke gathered at some distance away, then reformed into its original shape . . . ¡®Oh shit!¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s face lit up . . . Undead . . . He had forgotten about the true nature of these shadows and was now reminded . . . Realizing its attack had no effect, the ice bear panicked and roared . . . Roooaaaar!. . While the Shadow Infantry kept the ice bears busy, the Shadow Mages had finished their casting . . . Flaaaare-!. . Bang!. . Kaboom!. . The fireballs released from the mages¡¯ hands exploded here and there . While the Shadow Infantry caught by the explosion regenerated immediately, the ice bears caught on fire and thrashed about . . . ¡°Kuwaaaah!¡±. ¡°Kuwuuh!¡±. . The Shadow Infantry continued their attacks, swinging and stabbing their swords at the burning bears . . . slash!. . stab!. . At first, the ice bears looked like they had the advantage, but they were slowly being pushed back by the combined attack of the infantry and the mages . . . ¡®Whoa¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo watched the battle with great interest . . . The infantry¡¯s fast regeneration . . . The mage¡¯s powerful firepower . . . The might of Shadow Soldiers exceeded his expectations . The ice bears were soon overwhelmed and were pushed all the way back to the caves . It seemed like the battle was over-. . ROOOOAAAAR!. . With a roar that shook the eardrums, something giant appeared from the cave . . . ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened . It was an ice bear a head taller than the rest and also much wider . . . ROAR!. . At a single swipe of its claw, many Shadow Soldiers were swept away . . . BOOM!. . Craaaaack!. . Even their quick regeneration speed could not keep up . . . Crack!. . Smash!. . ¡°Looks like the alpha made his appearance¡­¡±. . Of course, he had expected that a den of bears would have an alpha bear . But the thing¡¯s size and power surpassed his expectations . . . ROOOOAR!. . The giant ice bear slapped away the Shadow Soldiers and ran toward Jinwoo . Suddenly, a message appeared,. . ring~. . You are out of mana . The Shadow Soldiers cannot regenerate . . . You are out of mana . The Shadow Soldiers cannot regenerate . . . What?. . He checked his mana in panic . Just as the System said, his mana was at zero . . . MP: 0 / 1,860. . With his mana gone, the Shadow Soldiers no longer regenerated after being destroyed . Instead, they turned into shadow and returned to Jinwoo¡¯s shadow . Jinwoo realized that it was his mana that allowed the soldiers to regenerate . . . ¡®That goddamn mana¡­¡¯. . He found yet another reason to raise his intelligence stat . Jinwoo scratched the side of his head . The appearance of the alpha had completely turned the tide of the battle . However, Jinwoo still had a trump card up his sleeve . . . ¡®If their boss came out, I should send mine out as well . ¡¯. . With his arms crossed, Jinwoo called for the one who was worthy to be called the Shadow Soldier¡¯s boss . . . ¡°Ygritte!¡±. . A single shadow slid out from Jinwoo¡¯s shadow . From the shadow rose a knight wearing a helmet adorned with a plumage . Jinwoo raised a chin at the alpha . Ygritte bowed his head to Jinwoo then shot forth towards the giant ice bear . . . step, step, step, step!. . Ygritte dodged the alpha¡¯s swipe and slid between the ice bear¡¯s legs . While in motion, he quickly took out the daggers at his side and cut the tendons of the beast¡¯s legs . . . ¡°Kuwwaaah!¡±. . This was only the beginning . . . Unsheathing his long sword, Ygritte skillfully dodged the torrent of attacks from the alpha while carving it up like a sculpture . . . Tendons, claws, paws, legs . Bit by bit, the alpha¡¯s flesh was being cut off like being worked by a butcher . . . ¡°Huh¡­¡±. . Jinwoo watched Ygritte¡¯s flowing, artlike movements with great admiration . . . The head was the last to go . . . Slash!. . The giant ice bear¡¯s head was cleanly separated from its body . Before it could hit the ground, Ygritte snatched it from the air . The knight approached Jinwoo then knelt before the Hunter . . . drop. . Ygritte placed the bear¡¯s head in front of Jinwoo feet, as if offering a trophy to his king . Jinwoo stared at the knight and gulped,. . ¡®If he used his sword from the start back then, could I have defeated him?¡¯. . The remaining ice bears were thrown into chaos after losing their leader and were quickly routed by the soldiers . The battle was over . The results greatly satisfied Jinwoo . . . Shadow Infantry (Lv . 2). . Shadow Infantry (Lv . 3). . Shadow Infantry (Lv . 2). . Shadow Mage (Lv . 2). . The soldiers had leveled up here and there . Since the Shadow Soldiers themselves were Jinwoo¡¯s skill, the Hunter had also gained 3 levels . And above all else,. . ¡°Arise . ¡±. . You¡¯ve succeeded in Shadow Extraction . . . You¡¯ve succeeded in Shadow Extraction . . . You¡¯ve succeeded in Shadow Extraction . . . He had earned new friends . . . ROOOAR-!. . Including the alpha, Jinwoo had selected several ice bears . From their shadows, a large black mass rose . . . ¡®I expected a bear wearing an armor¡­¡¯. . The reality was a little different . . . The ¡®Shadow Beasts¡¯[1] that arose maintained some semblance to a bear but at the same time had a form that seemed to shift between solid and gas . A black steam continuously spewed from their figures . . . ¡®The visuals are a bit lacking, but still, it¡¯s those ice bears¡¯ shadows . ¡¯. . Their strength and capacity for destruction . He would surely have a use for it . Suddenly,. . rooooar. . Jinwoo¡¯s ears perked up at a cry sounding from a distance . It was not just one or two . . . ¡®Looks like there are more dens in the area . ¡¯. . It was getting a little late in the day . He¡¯ll check it out tomorrow . . . A bright smile appeared on Jinwoo¡¯s face . . . . . ¡°Uwaaaaak!¡±. ¡°Kuk!¡±. . His teammates were screaming left and right . Kim Cheol¡¯s eyes were wide open . . . ¡®There is no way!¡¯. . That he, Kim Cheol, would fail like this! He was someone would become Baekho¡¯s elite . He had even received special training for that goal . And now, he was going to fail?! The A-ranker could not accept it . . . Their party had endured the cold and hunger and fought with yetis . After that were the ice giants . They had lost two of their members but managed to prevail against them too . The Raid appeared to be going smooth . . . But . . . But!!!. . The moment they had triumphed over the ice giants, the White Walkers ambushed them from all directions, as if they had been waiting . Those bastards had been watching their party, waiting for their stamina to hit rock bottom . What followed was a massacre . The Hunters fell, one after another, in an instant . . . ¡°L-leader!¡±. . A fallen Hunter stretched a bloodied hand toward Kim Cheol . Kim Cheol stepped backwards . A White Walker appeared out of nowhere and slit the throat of the Hunter on the ground . While the man gurgled and choked on his own blood, the White Walker raised his head towards Kim Cheol . The A-ranker screamed,. . ¡°U-uwaaaah!¡±. . He turned around and ran into the forest . The forest had ice bears? Those bears were nothing compared to the yetis, ice giants and the White Walkers . Kim Cheol ran with all of his might . Watching his figure disappear into the distance, the White Walkers raised their bows and took aim . But before they could fire, a White Walker raised his hand and stopped them . It was an ice elf with hair flowing down to his waist . The other White Walkers lowered their bows . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . The long hair pointed and gestured to follow Kim Cheol . One by one, the other White Walkers disappeared from sight . . . . . Kim Cheol leaped through a bush . . . ¡°pant, pant, pant . ¡±. . His lungs felt like they were on fire . The image of the White Walkers that smiled while slaughtering his teammates was still fresh on his mind . The man looked down at his hands . The frostbitten hands were losing their sense of touch . His toes had long since lost all feeling . He could not fight properly in his current condition . . . ¡®This damn cold¡­ No, if we just didn¡¯t starve for the past few days, we would¡¯ve won . ¡¯. . To the bitter end, Kim Cheol could not acknowledge his failure . While muttering to himself, Kim Cheol raised his head . . . ¡®Anyways, how deep am I into the forest?¡¯. . He looked around . The smell of blood poked at his nose from somewhere . The man followed the smell . It was close . Moving through the trees, he came upon a clearing and could not believe his eyes . . . ¡®How is this possible?¡¯. . In front of the caves were over 20 ice bear corpses . He had wondered why he hadn¡¯t come across a single bear!. . ¡°What the?¡±. . He studied the corpses . All the corpses had traces of being cut with something . Some of them also had traces of being burned . Sung Jinwoo and his party flashed across Kim Cheol¡¯s head . . . ¡°It can¡¯t be . those bastards did this?¡±. . No . Kim Cheol shook his head . The wounds on the corpses of the ice bears were made with a sword . To his knowledge, Sung Jinwoo¡¯s party did not have a sword user . . . ¡®The two E-rankers didn¡¯t even have a weapon . ¡¯. . There was no way they had survived here . Then there was only one other conclusion,. . ¡®The White Walkers are also here!¡¯. . His heart sank . He had thought that he managed to get away from those elves . To think that he had wandered into another group of them . With a great fear in his heart, Kim Cheol held his breath and turned back to the direction he had come from . . . Further . Faster . . . He wanted to get out of the White Walker¡¯s territory . . . . . At the same time . . . ¡°Wuwaaaaang!¡¯. . An ice bear fell with a death rattle . The Shadow Soldiers swarmed its body and made sure it was dead . . . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . ¡°Alright . ¡±. . Jinwoo was in a different bear den . It¡¯s been five days since they had entered the Gate . He had gone through three different bear dens since then . . . ¡®Looks like I¡¯ve taken care of every bear in this forest . ¡¯. . Thanks to that, both he and his army¡¯s levels had risen quite a bit . At first, it required two soldiers just to hold back an ice bear . Now, a single soldier was capable of winning one on one against the beast . Jinwoo was satisfied . As the abilities of his soldiers rose, he started assigning them different roles . His current limit was 30 shadows . 28 of them would be assigned to combat, while 2 of them would be assigned to the collection of magic cores and meat . Now that he didn¡¯t have to lift a finger to fight or collect drops, life became incredibly convenient for the Hunter . . . ¡®I don¡¯t sense any more magic beasts . ¡¯. . It seemed that he had cleared the entire forest . . . Then . . . ¡®Is it time to go for the boss?¡¯. . There was still about a month to go, at worst several months, until the Dungeon Break . He had no intention of waiting for that to happen . . . ¡®Gotta kill that arrogant elf too . ¡¯. . A mere magic beast that taunted a Hunter . Its arrogant smile still annoyed Jinwoo . . . . . Kim Cheol¡¯s nose detected the smell of cooking meat from somewhere . . . sniff sniff. . The man¡¯s sense of smell had become sensitive due to his hunger . After entering the Gate, all he had to eat for the past few days was a single rabbit . His mouth watered at the smell of food . . . gulp. . The White Walkers might be eating somewhere . . . ¡®But if there¡¯s only few of them¡­¡¯. . He was confident he could take care of them and steal the food . It was a misguided confidence born out of hunger . . . ¡®Let¡¯s check it out . ¡¯. . Kim Cheol did his best to quiet his footsteps and carefully approached where the smell was coming from . Finally, he came upon a clearing where Jinwoo¡¯s team was . Kim Cheol¡¯s eyes widened . . . ¡®What?¡¯. . The smell of meat was coming from their campfire . . . ¡®How are they still alive?¡¯. . However, he did not see one of the E-rank Hunters . . . ¡®Pft . He took the lead with such confidence . Must¡¯ve died first . ¡¯. . That much was obvious . But what wasn¡¯t obvious was the scene in front of him . How to¡­ analyze all this? Something was weird . . . ¡®Wait, their clothes¡­?¡¯. . Warm clothes, blankets, tents and other equipment entered his eye . They were clearly prepared for the environment . . . ¡®How the hell?¡¯. . While flustered, Kim Cheol¡¯s gaze became affixed on something . . . It was a piece of bread next to the meat . There was no way they had found or made bread here . It must¡¯ve been prepared beforehand . His confusion quickly turned to anger . . . ¡®These fuckers¡­¡¯. . grind. . Kim Cheol grinded his teeth . These fuckers had all of this with them and walked away on their own . . . ¡®If my hands weren¡¯t frozen, no, if only I wasn¡¯t hungry, I could¡¯ve easily taken care of those ice elves . ¡¯. . Thinking about how they greedily hoarded something that should¡¯ve been shared with the Raid team, Kim Cheol could not help it any more . He leaped out into the clearing . . . ¡°You bastards!¡±. . Park Heejin jumped in surprise and stood up . . . ¡°Kim Cheol? How are you here?¡±. . To be honest, it was hard to say that he was a welcoming sight . It was because the man¡¯s eyes were filled with murderous intent . Kim Cheol did not hide his hostility . . . ¡°Our party failed in clearing the Dungeon because we lacked proper equipment and food . Then how the hell are you sitting here with those equipment and food?¡±. . ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±. . Park Heejin could not answer . She feared that bringing up Jinwoo would turn Kim Cheol¡¯s wrath towards Jinwoo . She did not want to turn in the savior of her life . . . ¡®From the start, I didn¡¯t like the way that man looked at Sung Jinwoo . ¡¯. . Park Heejin closed her mouth . Seeing her defy his will, Kim Cheol¡¯s rage increased . . . ¡°I don¡¯t consider every one of you an accomplice . Who hid all this? I¡¯ll spare the rest of you . ¡±. . The veins in his neck bulged . . . ¡°WHICH ONE OF YOU HOARDED ALL OF THIS AND ENDANGERED THE LIVES OF YOUR COMRADES?!!!¡±. . His shouting echoed loudly throughout the forest . Kim Cheol realized he would have to up the ante . . . ¡°I¡¯m going to count to three . If no one speaks up, I¡¯ll consider all of you equally guilty . ¡±. . Han Songyi tugged at Park Heejin¡¯s sleeves . . . ¡°U-unni¡­¡±. . Park Heejin hugged Han Songyi . Go Myunghwan and Yoon Gijoong also gulped while sweating . Kim Cheol was an A-ranker . Even if they combined their powers, they could not hope to win against him . Still, not one of them betrayed Jinwoo . . . ¡°One . ¡±. . Kim Cheol unsheathe the sword at his side . . . schiing-. . ¡°Two . ¡±. . The Hunters still held their silence . . . Mere low-level Hunters dare to disobey him? Kim Cheol¡¯s anger flared . . . ¡®How dare you look down on me¡­¡¯. . His eyes turned red with murderous intent . . . First would be this woman . The one who betrayed his team and decided to join the weaklings . Park Heejin will be the first to die . . . ¡®Yes . She must¡¯ve been hiding something . That¡¯s why she left my team . ¡¯. . That was the only reason he could think of . Kim Cheol stepped up to Park Heejin and finished his countdown . . . ¡°Three . ¡±. . Park Heejin closed her eyes . . . Suddenly . . . ¡°Four . ¡±. . Bam!. . Something struck Kim Cheol on the back of the head, and the man fell face forward onto the ground and slid forward for a few feet . . . All the Hunters¡¯ eyes opened wide . . . ¡°Raid Leader!¡±. . Jinwoo had struck with such a force that his fist was still smoking . . . He spoke, appalled,. . ¡°Who¡¯s the fucker that really endangered the lives of his comrades?¡±. . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Shadow Beast¡± (??? ???): Lit . ¡°Shadow Magic Beast Soldier¡± . I¡¯ve removed ¡°magic¡± to distinguish them from magic beasts . The reason was because in the context, ¡°magic beast¡± was clearly referring to the shadow¡¯s bear-like bestial form, but in the general story, ¡°magic beast¡± refers to any otherworldly entities found in Dungeons . I wanted to avoid the confusion . Also took out the word ¡°soldier¡± because it felt redundant in most context cases . . Chapter 63 ¡°Jinwoo oppa!¡± Han Songyi¡¯s eyes were filled with tears as she greeted Jinwoo with joy . ¡°Raid Leader!¡± It wasn¡¯t as much as the girl¡¯s reaction, but the two male Hunters also greeted him happily . Park Heejin sighed in relief after realizing Jinwoo was here . However, Jinwoo did not have the luxury to return their greeting, ¡°Shh . ¡± He put a finger to his lips . Halfway to rushing him and giving him a hug, the four Hunters froze up at Jinwoo¡¯s gesture . Park Heejin asked, ¡°W-what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jinwoo glanced over to to the passed out Kim Cheol . The E-rank Hunter was still furious at the man, feeling like he could beat him to death without blinking . ¡°Kim Cheol was followed . ¡± Jinwoo felt a powerful presence coming from the forest . Now was not the time to be concerned about Kim Cheol . The real problem was coming from the distance . shooo- Realizing Jinwoo was looking directly at them, the White Walkers released ¡®Stealth¡¯ and showed themselves . There were about 20 of them . One of them stood out from the rest . Jinwoo stared at the White Walker with long hair flowing down to its waist on top of a horse . ¡® . . . He¡¯s the boss . ¡¯ Compared to the ice bears or even the White Walkers next to him, the long hair was giving off an oppressive amount of pressure . If this wasn¡¯t the boss of the Dungeon, who else could it be? It had been a long time, but a chill ran down Jinwoo¡¯s back . While Jinwoo lightly trembled at the thing¡¯s power, the boss also observed Jinwoo, [¡°So it was true . The trash ended up being useful after all . ¡±] [¡°What did you say?¡±] [¡° . . . ?¡±] Jinwoo had replied without realizing, and the boss was shocked . [¡°You . You speak our language?¡±] Jinwoo was equally shocked, ¡®How am I communicating with a magic beast?¡¯ He was able to understand the magic beast¡¯s language . Not only that, he was in fact able to speak it . Words that he had never learned were flowing out of him like it was his native tongue . ¡°You¡­ You can speak the language of the magic beasts?¡± Park Heejin was running out of things to be surprised by from Jinwoo . Her question gave Jinwoo confirmation that he was indeed speaking and understanding the magic beast¡¯s language . ¡®Is this also an effect of the System?¡¯ Something like a universal translator . Jinwoo looked back at the boss . The boss was looking at him with an amused face . [¡°So we can communicate¡­ How interesting . There is someone I want to introduce to you . ¡±] The boss gestured behind him to a White Walker . [¡°I believe you are already acquainted . ¡±] Jinwoo¡¯s eyes sharpened . Indeed, he was familiar with this one . ¡®That bastard is¡­¡¯ It was the ice elf that shot an arrow towards Han Songyi when their group had first entered the Gate . He could not forget that arrogant face . Just like back then, a sneer decorated its lips . [¡°He has told me that there was someone strong among the humans . He wished to duel that someone, so-¡±] pierce! The smiling face of the White Walker was now decorated with Knight Killer sticking out of it . ¡°Ah!¡± The scream came from the Hunters¡¯ side . Yoon Gijoong quickly covered his mouth after screaming without meaning to . thud The White Walker fell . Jinwoo stretched a hand toward its corpse . The dagger that was stuck to its head lightly trembled, then shot forth into Jinwoo¡¯s hand . Jinwoo grabbed the Knight Killer in a reverse grip and took a combat stance, [¡°Anything else?¡±] The boss spoke with awe, [¡° . . . You truly are strong . ¡±] And got down from the horse . However, the boss did not appear to want to fight yet; it did not raise a weapon or give off a sense of hostility . [¡°However you should know . ¡±] With a carefree expression, it continued their conversation, [¡°That even you cannot win against this number . ¡±] Jinwoo looked over the ice elves . There were at least 20 of them . But their numbers weren¡¯t what concerned him . It was the strength of the boss . The trash mobs around the boss were no match for Jinwoo, who had greatly raised his levels while hunting the ice bears . As a testament, Jinwoo had just killed a White Walker with but a throw of his dagger . ¡®So what to do about the boss?¡¯ While Jinwoo ran the simulations in his mind, the boss continued, [¡°I have a proposal . ¡±] [¡°A proposal?¡±] [¡°Yes . I think you¡¯ll find it to your benefit as well . ¡±] [¡° . . . ¡±] [1] Jinwoo was surprised . He knew that humanoid magic beasts had some semblance of intelligence, but he had never thought that they would attempt to bargain with a human being . His curiosity got the best of him, [¡° . . . Let¡¯s hear it . ¡±] The boss smiled as expecting that response, [¡°Before that, I have a question . ¡±] [¡° . . . ?¡±] [¡°You are not human . Why are you among the humans?¡±] Jinwoo¡¯s brows furrowed . [¡°The hell are you talking about?¡±] [¡°Ha ha . Are you not aware?¡±] The boss chuckled then pointed to its temple . [¡°In our head, there is a voice whispering to us without rest . It tells us to ¡®kill all humans¡¯ . But in front of you, the voice becomes silent . ¡±] Ah . Is that so? If that was the case, Jinwoo had a rough theory, ¡®The word ¡°human¡± is probably referring to Hunters . ¡¯ On the other hand, after coming out of the underground temple with the System, Jinwoo¡¯s identity had probably changed to a ¡°Player¡± . In a strict sense, he was probably registered differently than Hunters, aka Awakened Beings . ¡®That¡¯s why he¡¯s mistakenly thinking I¡¯m not human . ¡¯ Jinwoo thought he was right on the mark . Mistaking the look on Jinwoo¡¯s face for agreement, the boss nodded, [¡°There is no need for us to fight . We want to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed in our end . ¡±] The boss got to the point, [¡°Give us the humans behind you . Then we will let you leave here alive . How about it? Do you accept our proposal?¡±] Instead of an answer, Jinwoo asked a question, [¡°Let me also ask one thing . ¡±] [¡°Very well . ¡±] [¡°Who are you people? Where did you come from and why are you trying to kill humans?¡±] [¡°We are-¡±] Suddenly, the smiling face of the boss froze for a split second . Then he continued naturally as if nothing had happened, [¡°There is no need for us to fight . We want to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed in our end¡±] ¡®What was that?¡¯ Jinwoo narrowed his eyes . The boss reacted like an NPC in a video game, forced into repeating his words after trying to act outside of his program . [¡°Give us the humans behind you . Then we will let you leave here alive . How about it? Do you accept our proposal?¡±] The boss¡¯s face showed no indication that something had happened . It continued to maintain its carefree smile . The White Walkers behind him also did not show any reaction . ¡® . . . ¡¯ When Jinwoo just observed the situation in silence, the boss pressed his question, [¡°Do you accept?¡±] Jinwoo wanted to obtain some information about the magic beasts and their goals but realized it would be futile . ¡®In that case¡­¡¯ There was only one thing left . His reply was already determined a long time ago . [¡°I refuse . ¡±] The corners of Jinwoo¡¯s mouth rose . ¡®You see, you¡¯ve got such a delicious looking shadow for me to just let you walk away . ¡¯ He would defeat the boss and take its shadow . From the moment he laid his eyes on the long hair, this was his plan . [¡°You want to fight me and my soldiers? Do you think that you could withstand our numbers?¡±] Jinwoo smiled widely . Soldiers? ¡®You think you¡¯re the only one? I got some too . Shadow corp, come forth . ¡¯ Following his will, the soldiers waiting in Jinwoo¡¯s shadow appeared behind him . ¡°U-uwaaak!¡± Once again, the scream came from the Hunters¡¯ side . Yoon Gijoong screamed after seeing the ice bear¡¯s shadow, the Shadow Beast, and fell on his rear . ¡°Ah- ah¡­¡± Jinwoo glanced over at the pale faces of his teammates and felt a little bad . But this was a dangerous moment, there was no time to explain . ¡®Not that I would explain even if there was no danger . ¡¯ There were 29 Shadow Soldiers . Jinwoo stood at their head and leered at the boss, [¡°So . Who¡¯s withstanding whose numbers?¡±] The boss finally emitted hostility, [¡° . . . You wield but a mere parlor trick . Very well, I will fulfill your death wish . ¡±] The boss took out the two tanto [2] at its side . Jinwoo mirrored its action and held Knight Killer in his right hand and Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang in his left . ¡®A parlor trick . . . ¡¯ Well, Jinwoo didn¡¯t disagree . The shadow army might have the advantage in numbers, but he knew that their overall might was lacking compared to the boss . He understood where the boss¡¯s confidence was coming from . He needed a powerful reinforcement . ¡®Wait, if it¡¯s a powerful reinforcement I need¡­¡¯ There was someone fitting . Jinwoo quickly glanced over to his side . Kim Cheol was still passed out over there . [¡°Attack!¡±] At the boss¡¯s command, the White Walkers aimed their bows . ¡°Bears!¡± Jinwoo placed the Shadow Beasts in front . Hit! Hit! Hit! Hit! Kuwaak! The Shadow Beasts baptised by arrows cried out . Before the White Walkers could draw their next round, the Shadow Infantry charged forth . The Shadow Mages also began their casting . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes flared, ¡®My target is you!¡¯ Before heading out, Jinwoo quickly kicked over Kim Cheol¡¯s sword to the passed out Hunter . Jinwoo¡¯s gaze was fixed on the boss and the boss¡¯s on Jinwoo . The four daggers clashed in a magnificent display of sparks . Clang! Clang! Cla-clang! Around them, the skirmish between the Shadow Soldiers and the White Walkers raged . Go Myunghwan turned to Park Heejin, ¡°Should¡­ Should we also help out?¡± The woman shook her head, ¡°This is not a fight that we should be joining . ¡± It was a chaotic battlefield where giant black monsters were swinging their claws, destroyed black soldiers were instantly regenerating and high-level magic beasts were mercilessly attacking with swords and arrows . ¡®What could we, a B-ranker and two C-rankers, even do in this situation?¡¯ All they could do was pray . Park Heejin stared at the form of Jinwoo clashing with the long haired White Walker . ¡°Kuk!¡± A yelp escaped from Jinwoo¡¯s mouth . This was indeed a high-level Dungeon¡¯s boss! A casual observer might think that they were evenly matched, but Jinwoo was slowly being pushed back . Various cuts appeared here and there on his body . Could he hold out for another three minutes? Even as he fought the boss, the regeneration of his army continued to drain his mana . The Shadow Mages had finished casting their spell . A fireball much bigger than a volleyball fell into the middle of the White Walkers . BANG! It was the power of the leveled up mages . The deafening sound of the explosion woke up Kim Cheol . ¡°Mmm¡­¡± He raised his head . Clang! Clang! Bam! Boom! In his blurred vision, he saw the terrifying White Walkers fighting unknown black soldiers . ¡®What¡­the hell . . . is this?¡¯ He had no idea what was going on, but he knew why he was on the ground . The hand that struck him on the back of his head! That voice he heard while falling down! ¡®It was Sung Jinwoo!¡¯ Once he regained consciousness, the humiliation and the rage he felt made his hands tremble . His hands found their way to his sword that was conveniently right next to him . Now that they were surrounded by the White Walkers, they were all as good as dead . At the very least, ¡®Sung Jinwoo . I will kill that fucker before I die . ¡¯ His heated gaze found Jinwoo¡¯s back . . . . Found him! The fucker was fighting a White Walker, and his back was wide open . This was his chance . Kim Cheol shot up from the ground and ran forth . ¡°Waaaaaah-!¡¯ Sensing the powerful reinforcement running to him, Jinwoo celebrated in his mind, ¡®Yes, if it¡¯s you . ¡¯ Jinwoo believed in Kim Cheol . Kim Cheol reached Jinwoo and swung his sword at the E-rank Hunter¡¯s neck with all his might . ¡°DIE!¡± The boss in front of him, Kim Cheol behind him . Seemingly between a rock and a hard place, Jinwoo shouted, ¡°Ygritte!¡± As if waiting, Ygritte rose from Jinwoo¡¯s shadow and deflected Kim Cheol¡¯s sword . clang! ¡°What?!¡± Kim Cheol¡¯s eyes widened, revealing the bloodshot whites . Before he could say anything, Ygritte¡¯s sword dug itself deeply into the A-ranker¡¯s chest . staaaab! The sword pierced straight through the muscular man and came out of his back . ¡°cough!¡± Jinwoo quickly backed away from the boss . ¡®Yes . I believed in you, Kim Cheol . I believed that this is exactly how you would act . ¡¯ A foolish man who moved according to his feelings without thinking about the future . In a short time, Jinwoo fully understood what kind of a man Kim Cheol was . Kim Cheol glared at Jinwoo, ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡± And those were Kim Cheol¡¯s final words . White Ygritte was keeping the boss busy, Jinwoo stood before Kim Cheol¡¯s body, ¡°Arise!¡± uwaaaaah- The familiar deep scream rang forth from somewhere . With it, a giant hand came out of Kim Cheol¡¯s shadow . Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: Ever see those unnecessary closed caption describing a sound with too much detail, like ¡°Brooding in Spanish¡±? Well, Jinwoo is ¡°being silent in language of the magic beasts¡± here :P [2]: ¡°Tanto¡± (??): A japanese knife . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 63. . ¡°Jinwoo oppa!¡±. . Han Songyi¡¯s eyes were filled with tears as she greeted Jinwoo with joy . . . ¡°Raid Leader!¡±. . It wasn¡¯t as much as the girl¡¯s reaction, but the two male Hunters also greeted him happily . Park Heejin sighed in relief after realizing Jinwoo was here . However, Jinwoo did not have the luxury to return their greeting,. . ¡°Shh . ¡±. . He put a finger to his lips . Halfway to rushing him and giving him a hug, the four Hunters froze up at Jinwoo¡¯s gesture . Park Heejin asked,. . ¡°W-what¡¯s wrong?¡±. . Jinwoo glanced over to to the passed out Kim Cheol . The E-rank Hunter was still furious at the man, feeling like he could beat him to death without blinking . . . ¡°Kim Cheol was followed . ¡±. . Jinwoo felt a powerful presence coming from the forest . Now was not the time to be concerned about Kim Cheol . The real problem was coming from the distance . . . shooo-. . Realizing Jinwoo was looking directly at them, the White Walkers released ¡®Stealth¡¯ and showed themselves . There were about 20 of them . One of them stood out from the rest . Jinwoo stared at the White Walker with long hair flowing down to its waist on top of a horse . . . ¡® . He¡¯s the boss . ¡¯. . Compared to the ice bears or even the White Walkers next to him, the long hair was giving off an oppressive amount of pressure . If this wasn¡¯t the boss of the Dungeon, who else could it be? It had been a long time, but a chill ran down Jinwoo¡¯s back . While Jinwoo lightly trembled at the thing¡¯s power, the boss also observed Jinwoo,. . [¡°So it was true . The trash ended up being useful after all . ¡±]. . [¡°What did you say?¡±]. . [¡° . ?¡±]. . Jinwoo had replied without realizing, and the boss was shocked . . . [¡°You . You speak our language?¡±]. . Jinwoo was equally shocked,. . ¡®How am I communicating with a magic beast?¡¯. . He was able to understand the magic beast¡¯s language . Not only that, he was in fact able to speak it . Words that he had never learned were flowing out of him like it was his native tongue . . . ¡°You¡­ You can speak the language of the magic beasts?¡±. . Park Heejin was running out of things to be surprised by from Jinwoo . Her question gave Jinwoo confirmation that he was indeed speaking and understanding the magic beast¡¯s language . . . ¡®Is this also an effect of the System?¡¯. . Something like a universal translator . Jinwoo looked back at the boss . The boss was looking at him with an amused face . . . [¡°So we can communicate¡­ How interesting . There is someone I want to introduce to you . ¡±]. . The boss gestured behind him to a White Walker . . . [¡°I believe you are already acquainted . ¡±]. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes sharpened . Indeed, he was familiar with this one . . . ¡®That bastard is¡­¡¯. . It was the ice elf that shot an arrow towards Han Songyi when their group had first entered the Gate . He could not forget that arrogant face . Just like back then, a sneer decorated its lips . . . [¡°He has told me that there was someone strong among the humans . He wished to duel that someone, so-¡±]. . pierce!. . The smiling face of the White Walker was now decorated with Knight Killer sticking out of it . . . ¡°Ah!¡±. . The scream came from the Hunters¡¯ side . Yoon Gijoong quickly covered his mouth after screaming without meaning to . . . thud. . The White Walker fell . Jinwoo stretched a hand toward its corpse . The dagger that was stuck to its head lightly trembled, then shot forth into Jinwoo¡¯s hand . Jinwoo grabbed the Knight Killer in a reverse grip and took a combat stance,. . [¡°Anything else?¡±]. . The boss spoke with awe,. . [¡° . You truly are strong . ¡±]. . And got down from the horse . However, the boss did not appear to want to fight yet; it did not raise a weapon or give off a sense of hostility . . . [¡°However you should know . ¡±]. . With a carefree expression, it continued their conversation,. . [¡°That even you cannot win against this number . ¡±]. . Jinwoo looked over the ice elves . There were at least 20 of them . But their numbers weren¡¯t what concerned him . It was the strength of the boss . The trash mobs around the boss were no match for Jinwoo, who had greatly raised his levels while hunting the ice bears . As a testament, Jinwoo had just killed a White Walker with but a throw of his dagger . . . ¡®So what to do about the boss?¡¯. . While Jinwoo ran the simulations in his mind, the boss continued,. . [¡°I have a proposal . ¡±]. . [¡°A proposal?¡±]. . [¡°Yes . I think you¡¯ll find it to your benefit as well . ¡±]. . [¡° . ¡±] [1]. . Jinwoo was surprised . He knew that humanoid magic beasts had some semblance of intelligence, but he had never thought that they would attempt to bargain with a human being . His curiosity got the best of him,. . [¡° . Let¡¯s hear it . ¡±]. . The boss smiled as expecting that response,. . [¡°Before that, I have a question . ¡±]. . [¡° . ?¡±]. . [¡°You are not human . Why are you among the humans?¡±]. . Jinwoo¡¯s brows furrowed . . . [¡°The hell are you talking about?¡±]. . [¡°Ha ha . Are you not aware?¡±]. . The boss chuckled then pointed to its temple . . . [¡°In our head, there is a voice whispering to us without rest . It tells us to ¡®kill all humans¡¯ . But in front of you, the voice becomes silent . ¡±]. . Ah . Is that so? If that was the case, Jinwoo had a rough theory,. . ¡®The word ¡°human¡± is probably referring to Hunters . ¡¯. . On the other hand, after coming out of the underground temple with the System, Jinwoo¡¯s identity had probably changed to a ¡°Player¡± . In a strict sense, he was probably registered differently than Hunters, aka Awakened Beings . . . ¡®That¡¯s why he¡¯s mistakenly thinking I¡¯m not human . ¡¯. . Jinwoo thought he was right on the mark . Mistaking the look on Jinwoo¡¯s face for agreement, the boss nodded,. . [¡°There is no need for us to fight . We want to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed in our end . ¡±]. . The boss got to the point,. . [¡°Give us the humans behind you . Then we will let you leave here alive . How about it? Do you accept our proposal?¡±]. . Instead of an answer, Jinwoo asked a question,. . [¡°Let me also ask one thing . ¡±]. . [¡°Very well . ¡±] . . [¡°Who are you people? Where did you come from and why are you trying to kill humans?¡±]. . [¡°We are-¡±]. . Suddenly, the smiling face of the boss froze for a split second . Then he continued naturally as if nothing had happened,. . [¡°There is no need for us to fight . We want to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed in our end¡±]. . ¡®What was that?¡¯. . Jinwoo narrowed his eyes . The boss reacted like an NPC in a video game, forced into repeating his words after trying to act outside of his program . . . [¡°Give us the humans behind you . Then we will let you leave here alive . How about it? Do you accept our proposal?¡±]. . The boss¡¯s face showed no indication that something had happened . It continued to maintain its carefree smile . The White Walkers behind him also did not show any reaction . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . When Jinwoo just observed the situation in silence, the boss pressed his question,. . [¡°Do you accept?¡±]. . Jinwoo wanted to obtain some information about the magic beasts and their goals but realized it would be futile . . . ¡®In that case¡­¡¯. . There was only one thing left . His reply was already determined a long time ago . . . [¡°I refuse . ¡±]. . The corners of Jinwoo¡¯s mouth rose . . . ¡®You see, you¡¯ve got such a delicious looking shadow for me to just let you walk away . ¡¯. . He would defeat the boss and take its shadow . From the moment he laid his eyes on the long hair, this was his plan . . . [¡°You want to fight me and my soldiers? Do you think that you could withstand our numbers?¡±]. . Jinwoo smiled widely . . . Soldiers?. . ¡®You think you¡¯re the only one? I got some too . Shadow corp, come forth . ¡¯. . Following his will, the soldiers waiting in Jinwoo¡¯s shadow appeared behind him . . . ¡°U-uwaaak!¡±. . Once again, the scream came from the Hunters¡¯ side . Yoon Gijoong screamed after seeing the ice bear¡¯s shadow, the Shadow Beast, and fell on his rear . . . ¡°Ah- ah¡­¡±. . Jinwoo glanced over at the pale faces of his teammates and felt a little bad . But this was a dangerous moment, there was no time to explain . . . ¡®Not that I would explain even if there was no danger . ¡¯. . There were 29 Shadow Soldiers . Jinwoo stood at their head and leered at the boss,. . [¡°So . Who¡¯s withstanding whose numbers?¡±]. . The boss finally emitted hostility,. . [¡° . You wield but a mere parlor trick . Very well, I will fulfill your death wish . ¡±]. . The boss took out the two tanto [2] at its side . Jinwoo mirrored its action and held Knight Killer in his right hand and Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang in his left . . . ¡®A parlor trick . ¡¯. . Well, Jinwoo didn¡¯t disagree . The shadow army might have the advantage in numbers, but he knew that their overall might was lacking compared to the boss . He understood where the boss¡¯s confidence was coming from . He needed a powerful reinforcement . . . ¡®Wait, if it¡¯s a powerful reinforcement I need¡­¡¯. . There was someone fitting . Jinwoo quickly glanced over to his side . Kim Cheol was still passed out over there . . . [¡°Attack!¡±]. . At the boss¡¯s command, the White Walkers aimed their bows . . . ¡°Bears!¡±. . Jinwoo placed the Shadow Beasts in front . . . Hit! Hit! Hit! Hit!. . Kuwaak!. . The Shadow Beasts baptised by arrows cried out . Before the White Walkers could draw their next round, the Shadow Infantry charged forth . The Shadow Mages also began their casting . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes flared,. . ¡®My target is you!¡¯. . Before heading out, Jinwoo quickly kicked over Kim Cheol¡¯s sword to the passed out Hunter . Jinwoo¡¯s gaze was fixed on the boss and the boss¡¯s on Jinwoo . The four daggers clashed in a magnificent display of sparks . . . Clang! Clang! Cla-clang!. . Around them, the skirmish between the Shadow Soldiers and the White Walkers raged . . . Go Myunghwan turned to Park Heejin,. . ¡°Should¡­ Should we also help out?¡±. . The woman shook her head,. . ¡°This is not a fight that we should be joining . ¡±. . It was a chaotic battlefield where giant black monsters were swinging their claws, destroyed black soldiers were instantly regenerating and high-level magic beasts were mercilessly attacking with swords and arrows . . . ¡®What could we, a B-ranker and two C-rankers, even do in this situation?¡¯. . All they could do was pray . Park Heejin stared at the form of Jinwoo clashing with the long haired White Walker . . . ¡°Kuk!¡±. . A yelp escaped from Jinwoo¡¯s mouth . This was indeed a high-level Dungeon¡¯s boss! A casual observer might think that they were evenly matched, but Jinwoo was slowly being pushed back . Various cuts appeared here and there on his body . Could he hold out for another three minutes? Even as he fought the boss, the regeneration of his army continued to drain his mana . . . The Shadow Mages had finished casting their spell . A fireball much bigger than a volleyball fell into the middle of the White Walkers . . . BANG!. . It was the power of the leveled up mages . The deafening sound of the explosion woke up Kim Cheol . . . ¡°Mmm¡­¡±. . He raised his head . . . Clang! Clang! Bam! Boom!. . In his blurred vision, he saw the terrifying White Walkers fighting unknown black soldiers . . . ¡®What¡­the hell . is this?¡¯. . He had no idea what was going on, but he knew why he was on the ground . The hand that struck him on the back of his head! That voice he heard while falling down!. . ¡®It was Sung Jinwoo!¡¯. . Once he regained consciousness, the humiliation and the rage he felt made his hands tremble . His hands found their way to his sword that was conveniently right next to him . Now that they were surrounded by the White Walkers, they were all as good as dead . At the very least,. . ¡®Sung Jinwoo . I will kill that fucker before I die . ¡¯. . His heated gaze found Jinwoo¡¯s back . . . . Found him!. . The fucker was fighting a White Walker, and his back was wide open . This was his chance . Kim Cheol shot up from the ground and ran forth . . . ¡°Waaaaaah-!¡¯. . Sensing the powerful reinforcement running to him, Jinwoo celebrated in his mind,. . ¡®Yes, if it¡¯s you . ¡¯. . Jinwoo believed in Kim Cheol . . . Kim Cheol reached Jinwoo and swung his sword at the E-rank Hunter¡¯s neck with all his might . . . ¡°DIE!¡±. . The boss in front of him, Kim Cheol behind him . Seemingly between a rock and a hard place, Jinwoo shouted,. . ¡°Ygritte!¡±. . As if waiting, Ygritte rose from Jinwoo¡¯s shadow and deflected Kim Cheol¡¯s sword . . . clang!. . ¡°What?!¡±. . Kim Cheol¡¯s eyes widened, revealing the bloodshot whites . Before he could say anything, Ygritte¡¯s sword dug itself deeply into the A-ranker¡¯s chest . . . staaaab!. . The sword pierced straight through the muscular man and came out of his back . . . ¡°cough!¡±. . Jinwoo quickly backed away from the boss . . . ¡®Yes . I believed in you, Kim Cheol . I believed that this is exactly how you would act . ¡¯. . A foolish man who moved according to his feelings without thinking about the future . In a short time, Jinwoo fully understood what kind of a man Kim Cheol was . Kim Cheol glared at Jinwoo,. . ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡±. . And those were Kim Cheol¡¯s final words . . . White Ygritte was keeping the boss busy, Jinwoo stood before Kim Cheol¡¯s body,. . ¡°Arise!¡±. . uwaaaaah-. . The familiar deep scream rang forth from somewhere . . . With it, a giant hand came out of Kim Cheol¡¯s shadow . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: Ever see those unnecessary closed caption describing a sound with too much detail, like ¡°Brooding in Spanish¡±? Well, Jinwoo is ¡°being silent in language of the magic beasts¡± here :P. [2]: ¡°Tanto¡± (??): A japanese knife . . Chapter 64 You¡¯ve succeeded in Shadow Extraction . ¡®Of course!¡¯ Jinwoo clenched his fists . The path to victory of this battle was a puzzle . And the last piece of that puzzle just fell into place . The black knight that rose from Kim Cheol¡¯s shadow was much bigger and thicker than his base . One hand wielded a giant hammer . The other hand held a shield the size of an adult . The knight gave off an incredible sense of danger . ¡®Man, I know Kim Cheol was a musclehead, but this thing is¡­¡¯ Even in the tense situation, Jinwoo could not help but be amazed . Please choose a name for the soldier . ¡®Oh right, name . ¡¯ Jinwoo took a quick glance at side . Ygritte was being pushed back by the boss; his regeneration was the only thing keeping him in the fray . slash! One of Ygritte¡¯s arms were cut off . ¡®Shoot, I have to hurry . ¡¯ Name . Should he just use the man¡¯s name? Jinwoo shook his head . No, it was rather distasteful to use the human being¡¯s name on his undead form . ¡®Oh wait, Kim Cheol . Cheol is iron, so Iron!¡¯ [1] He decided on the name . The moment he made his decision, the newly born shadow earned its name . Iron (Lv . 1) Knight Grade Knight grade! It was the same as Ygritte, but now was not the time to celebrate . ¡®No time to dilly dally!¡¯ Jinwoo raised a chin at the boss, ¡°Iron!¡± Iron moved his large body and stepped forward . STEP! STEP! STEP! Its giant body was filled with power, but there was no way that this lumbering thing was going to face that nimble boss . However, Iron exceeded Jinwoo¡¯s expectations . The giant knight thrust out his chest and roared, WAAAAAAH-! ¡®What?¡¯ A message appeared in front of the confused Jinwoo . ring~ Iron has used ¡®Taunting Shout¡¯ . [2] The boss has been taunted . ¡°A taunt skill!¡± Kim Cheol was an A-rank Tanker . As expected, he maintained a powerful aggro management skill, and Iron, his shadow, perfectly imitated that skill . The boss¡¯s head sharply turned to the giant knight . Leaving behind Ygritte, who it could¡¯ve easily finished, the boss ran towards Iron as if possessed by a ghost . Iron followed up with ¡®Strengthen¡¯ and endured the boss¡¯s attacks . ¡®Good job!¡¯ Jinwoo nodded in approvement . Meanwhile, Ygritte¡¯s arm regenerated . Black smoke seeped from the wound then reformed into the knight¡¯s arm . The boss was still focused on Iron . Jinwoo and Ygritte began their combination attack . ¡® . . . ¡¯ Park Heejin was at a complete loss for words . The scene unfolding before her was outside of reality . She lost the strength to be even curious at this point . At her side, Han Songyi asked a question with a tiny voice, ¡°Unni¡­¡± It took Park Heejin a moment to respond, ¡°Huh? Hmm?¡± ¡°Are¡­ are all Hunters¡¯ fights like this?¡± The girl¡¯s voice filled with fear was shaking . Park Heejin¡¯s response was a little curt, ¡° . . . If that was the case, do you think I would¡¯ve gotten my license?¡± Go Myunghwan uttered with a blank look in his eyes, ¡°Are¡­ are we in a dream?¡± If this was a dream, it was definitely a nightmare . Park Heejin could only watch the magic beasts fighting ¡°something¡± clad in pitch black with an open mouth . At the same time, a worry appeared in her mind, ¡®Once we get out, we¡¯ll definitely¡­¡¯ As survivors, they¡¯ll be thoroughly interviewed and investigated . How would she explain all of this? Thinking about the things Sung Jinwoo had shown them in this place, she could not imagine how the brass will react . She voiced all of this to her fellow Hunters . ¡°But you know,¡± Trembling while sitting on the ground, Yoon Gijoong opened his mouth with difficulty, ¡°The fact that we¡¯re worrying about what we¡¯ll do ¡°once we get out¡± . . . Isn¡¯t that amazing?¡± The party members nodded in unison . They were in a high-level Dungeon, a Red Gate on top of that . The moment they were thrown aside by Kim Cheol, they were only dreading their deaths . But now, they were actually worrying about the outside as if leaving here alive was guaranteed . This was all thanks to one man . Park Heejin turned her gaze to Jinwoo, ¡®Sung Jinwoo-ssi, you¡­¡¯ The awe in her heart surpassed her gratitude and surprise . Stab! Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang struck the boss¡¯s shoulder . Paralysis has been inflicted . The target¡¯s resistance was too high . Effect cancelled . Bleeding has been inflicted . The target¡¯s resistance was too high . Effect cancelled . Lately, because his opponents had become a lot stronger, Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang¡¯s special effects did not take most of the time . Still, leaving a wound was good enough . ¡®Good!¡¯ As more and more wounds appeared on its body, the boss¡¯s movements began to slow down . [¡°Kwaak!¡±] The smile had long since disappeared from the ice elf¡¯s face . It had taken on Jinwoo, Ygritte and Iron on its own and was now panting . ¡®Just a bit more!¡¯ Suddenly, Iron succeeded in pulling the boss in to a bear hug . ¡°Now!¡± At Jinwoo¡¯s signal, both Jinwoo and Ygritte fell back . The boss¡¯s eyes widened, [¡°What are you¡­?¡±] The finished spells of the Shadow Mages fell upon Iron . BANG! KABOOM! BOOM! [¡°COUGH!¡±] [3] For the first time, the boss betrayed signs of its pain . The ice elf twisted his body and Iron¡¯s arms were blown off . crack! The boss sent a venomous glare at Jinwoo . [¡°KWAAAAK!¡±] [4] Jinwoo was once again in awe of the boss¡¯s strength . ¡®Even with that much damage, he¡¯s still able to pull out this much power!¡¯ It was truly the boss of a high-level Dungeon . However, the scales of the battle had already tipped towards Jinwoo . ¡®Dagger Throw!¡¯ Just like how he took care of that arrogant White Walker, Knight Killer flew towards the boss . Jinwoo even used the ¡®Ruler¡¯s Hands¡¯ to supplement its speed . woosh-! The dagger reached the boss in a flash . [¡®Keuk!¡¯] Realizing it could not dodge, the boss deflected the dagger with its tanto . Crack! As a testament to the Knight Killer¡¯s speed, a large crack appeared in the blocking tanto . At the same time, Having closed the gap to the boss using ¡®Stealth¡¯ and ¡®Sprint¡¯, Jinwoo stabbed the ice elf¡¯s ribs with Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang . Stab! The boss¡¯s eyes widened in pain, [¡°COUGH!¡±] Even still, the ice elf grabbed Jinwoo¡¯s wrist . Its eyes screamed that it would not die without leaving a mark . [¡°KAAAAH!¡±] The boss raised its tanto over Jinwoo¡¯s head . Jinwoo sneered brightly in its face . The giant hammer swung down on the ice elf¡¯s head . CRASH! With a sickening crunch, the boss¡¯s head was slammed into the snow . Behind it was Iron with his giant hammer, his arms already regenerated . The giant knight raised his hammer again and brought it down . CRASH! Ygritte was also preparing to attack but then put away his sword . Jinwoo also returned his daggers to the inventory . ring~ CRASH! You¡¯ve defeated the boss of the Dungeon . You¡¯ve leveled up! CRASH! You¡¯ve leveled up! ¡®Phew, it¡¯s finally over . ¡¯ CRASH! Jinwoo sighed in relief . It was a difficult fight . He was about to collect his breath but then noticed Iron . ¡°Hey, hey, that¡¯s enough . ¡± Jinwoo quickly stopped the newest member of his army . Iron was about to bring down his hammer again and stopped . Just like his base, it seemed like the giant knight was¡­ slow in more ways than one . The boss¡¯s corpse was an unrecognizable, mangled mess . ¡®Well, there¡¯s no problem with its shadow . ¡¯ Jinwoo smiled widely again . His reward after a difficult fight was waiting beneath his feet . The Hunter gave the command with a subdued voice, ¡°Arise . ¡± It was already 3 AM . The faces of the four men guarding the area were dark . Unable to take it any longer, Hyun Gicheol spoke up, ¡°We¡¯ll keep watch here, why don¡¯t you turn in for the night, Guildmaster?¡± ¡°The members of my Guild are in there . How could I rest in a time like this?¡± Baek Yoonho was determined . As a master of the Guild and as an S-rank Hunter, he could not leave this spot . Suddenly, Ahn Sangmin shouted in surprise, ¡°What? The Red Gate!¡± Hyun Gicheol and Joo Sungchan also noticed at the same time, ¡°The Red Gate is opening!¡± ¡°They cleared the Dungeon!¡± ¡°People¡­ people are coming out!¡± Baek Yoonho clenched his fist . ¡®Kim Cheol! Kim Cheol, he¡¯s done it!¡¯ The four men all ran to the Gate . Unable to hide his excitement, Baek Yoonho looked for Kim Cheol¡¯s face among the survivors . However, even after everyone had exited the Gate, he could not find Kim Cheol . ¡®Huh? Something¡¯s wrong . ¡¯ Even Joo Sungchan, who told everyone to believe in Kim Cheol, lost his confident attitude and put on a confused expression . ¡°Hunter Park Heejin-nim! Hunters Go Myunghwan-nim, Yoon Gijoong-nim!¡± ¡°Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim!!!¡± Seeing Jinwoo follow Han Songyi out of the Gate, a smile bloomed on Ahn Sangmin¡¯s face . ¡®As I thought!¡¯ Joo Sungchan and Ahn Sangmin¡¯s moods had completely flipped from hours ago . However, the smile quickly disappeared from Ahn Sangmin¡¯s face . After the five Hunters, including Sung Jinwoo, came out of the Gate, the Gate quickly disappeared into oblivion . ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­ are the ones here it?¡± With a defeated face, Jinwoo nodded . Hyun Gicheol, who had asked the question, froze . ¡®It can¡¯t be¡­¡¯ With tears forming in his eyes, Hyun Gicheol began to cross off the names of the deceased in the party list . It was a sad job, but someone had to do it . Baek Yoonho was dumbfounded, ¡®Only the low-rankers came back? Not even the A-ranker and only one B-ranker?¡¯ It was impossible . Just what happened in there? ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you home . ¡± Jinwoo was about to leave the scene of the incident with Han Songyi when Baek Yoonho grabbed his wrist . ¡°Excuse me, hold on a minute-¡± woosh! Jinwoo threw aside the S-ranker¡¯s grip, and Baek Yoonho¡¯s eyes turned sharp . ¡°Can we talk for a minute?¡± Jinwoo turned around, ¡°I¡¯m a little tired right now . If you have anything to ask, talk to your Guild members . ¡± Baek Yoonho could not take it anymore . He revealed his identity to Jinwoo, ¡°I am Baekho¡¯s Guildmaster, Hunter Baek Yoonho . ¡± Jinwoo¡¯s eyes maintained their coldness, ¡°So what?¡± At Jinwoo¡¯s cold reply, Baek Yoonho¡¯s irises flickered and turned into that of a magic beast¡¯s . They were an inhuman, beastly eyes . ¡°We¡¯ve just lost nine Guild members because of this incident . As the Guildmaster, I have the right to ask you some questions . ¡± This was not a request . An order . In a way, a threat . No matter what, Baek Yoonho had no intentions of letting Jinwoo leave that easily . But suddenly, Jinwoo flared his eyes . He was not pushed back in any way by the S-ranker¡¯s genuine hostility . ¡°And I just saved three of your Guild members . If you¡¯re their leader, shouldn¡¯t you be thanking me before anything else?¡± At the stifling pressure the E-rank Hunter was giving off, the S-rank Hunter retracted his hostility . The man was right . Baek Yoonho had no room to argue . ¡° . . . I apologize . ¡± As Baek Yoonho bowed his head, Jinwoo turned around again . ¡°Han Songyi, we¡¯re going . ¡¯ ¡°Okay . ¡± The student carefully followed after Jinwoo while making glances at Baek Yoonho . Soon, the pair got in the van they had arrived in and left the scene of the incident . ¡®What just happened¡­¡¯ His thoughts in chaos, Baek Yoonho quickly ran toward the sole high-ranker of the survivors . ¡°Excuse me, Park Heejin-ssi . ¡± The woman was warming her body with some tea provided by Hyun Gicheol and raised her head . ¡°What was with that man? Why was he so mad?¡± Their party had overcome all odds and should¡¯ve left the Gate happily with their lives, so why was Jinwoo filled with so much anger? Park Heejin shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ He took down the boss and yelled something three times in front of the corpse¡­ Then he got really mad after that¡­¡± ¡°And he was fine until then?¡± Park Heejin looked over to Go Myunghwan and Yoon Gijoong . The two men nodded in unison . ¡°What a strange man¡­¡± Baek Yoonho uttered while staring off into the distance where Jinwoo had disappeared off to . Ahn Sangmin approached his boss as if Jinwoo¡¯s bad mood was his fault, ¡°I apologize, Guildmaster . I¡¯m sure he was just tired after everything . In my eyes, he¡¯s not a bad person . ¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not the problem . ¡± ¡°Sir?¡± Baek Yoonho turned and faced Ahn Sangmin, ¡°Why have you not recruited that man yet?¡± ¡°S-sir?¡± Ahn Sangmin could not hide his embarrassment . But his embarrassment paled in comparison to Baek Yoonho¡¯s . ¡®Against me¡­¡¯ The S-ranker recalled meeting Jinwoo¡¯s eyes moments ago and gulped . gulp If they had fought just now, Baek Yoonho was sure that he would have to be prepared to lose an arm . ¡®Maybe even more¡­¡¯ Realizing his Guildmaster¡¯s meaning, Ahn Sangmin quickly replied, ¡°I¡¯m currently doing my best . ¡± ¡°That¡¯s not enough . ¡± Baek Yoonho¡¯s eyes lit up . Sung Jinwoo . As expected, Chief Ahn¡¯s eyes were never wrong . ¡°From now on, the full support of the Guild is at your disposal . You must bring that man into our fold . ¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: It¡¯s straight up noted in the context but ¡°Cheol¡± (?) means ¡°Iron/Metal¡± . [2]: ¡°Taunting Shout¡± (??? ??): ¡°provoke/taunt¡± ?? + ¡°cry/shout/roar/yell¡± ?? [3]: ¡°coughing in the language of the magic beasts¡± :P [4]: ¡°screaming in the language of the magic beasts¡± :P Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 64. . You¡¯ve succeeded in Shadow Extraction . . . ¡®Of course!¡¯. . Jinwoo clenched his fists . The path to victory of this battle was a puzzle . And the last piece of that puzzle just fell into place . The black knight that rose from Kim Cheol¡¯s shadow was much bigger and thicker than his base . One hand wielded a giant hammer . The other hand held a shield the size of an adult . The knight gave off an incredible sense of danger . . . ¡®Man, I know Kim Cheol was a musclehead, but this thing is¡­¡¯. . Even in the tense situation, Jinwoo could not help but be amazed . . . Please choose a name for the soldier . . . ¡®Oh right, name . ¡¯. . Jinwoo took a quick glance at side . Ygritte was being pushed back by the boss; his regeneration was the only thing keeping him in the fray . . . slash!. . One of Ygritte¡¯s arms were cut off . . . ¡®Shoot, I have to hurry . ¡¯. . Name . . . Should he just use the man¡¯s name? Jinwoo shook his head . No, it was rather distasteful to use the human being¡¯s name on his undead form . . . ¡®Oh wait, Kim Cheol . Cheol is iron, so Iron!¡¯ [1]. . He decided on the name . The moment he made his decision, the newly born shadow earned its name . . . Iron (Lv . 1). Knight Grade. . Knight grade! It was the same as Ygritte, but now was not the time to celebrate . . . ¡®No time to dilly dally!¡¯. . Jinwoo raised a chin at the boss,. . ¡°Iron!¡±. . Iron moved his large body and stepped forward . . . STEP! STEP! STEP!. . Its giant body was filled with power, but there was no way that this lumbering thing was going to face that nimble boss . However, Iron exceeded Jinwoo¡¯s expectations . The giant knight thrust out his chest and roared,. . WAAAAAAH-!. . ¡®What?¡¯. . A message appeared in front of the confused Jinwoo . . . ring~. . Iron has used ¡®Taunting Shout¡¯ . [2]. The boss has been taunted . . . ¡°A taunt skill!¡±. . Kim Cheol was an A-rank Tanker . As expected, he maintained a powerful aggro management skill, and Iron, his shadow, perfectly imitated that skill . The boss¡¯s head sharply turned to the giant knight . Leaving behind Ygritte, who it could¡¯ve easily finished, the boss ran towards Iron as if possessed by a ghost . Iron followed up with ¡®Strengthen¡¯ and endured the boss¡¯s attacks . . . ¡®Good job!¡¯. . Jinwoo nodded in approvement . Meanwhile, Ygritte¡¯s arm regenerated . Black smoke seeped from the wound then reformed into the knight¡¯s arm . The boss was still focused on Iron . Jinwoo and Ygritte began their combination attack . . . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . Park Heejin was at a complete loss for words . The scene unfolding before her was outside of reality . She lost the strength to be even curious at this point . At her side, Han Songyi asked a question with a tiny voice,. . ¡°Unni¡­¡±. . It took Park Heejin a moment to respond,. . ¡°Huh? Hmm?¡±. . ¡°Are¡­ are all Hunters¡¯ fights like this?¡±. . The girl¡¯s voice filled with fear was shaking . Park Heejin¡¯s response was a little curt,. . ¡° . If that was the case, do you think I would¡¯ve gotten my license?¡±. . Go Myunghwan uttered with a blank look in his eyes,. . ¡°Are¡­ are we in a dream?¡±. . If this was a dream, it was definitely a nightmare . Park Heejin could only watch the magic beasts fighting ¡°something¡± clad in pitch black with an open mouth . At the same time, a worry appeared in her mind,. . ¡®Once we get out, we¡¯ll definitely¡­¡¯. . As survivors, they¡¯ll be thoroughly interviewed and investigated . How would she explain all of this? Thinking about the things Sung Jinwoo had shown them in this place, she could not imagine how the brass will react . She voiced all of this to her fellow Hunters . . . ¡°But you know,¡±. . Trembling while sitting on the ground, Yoon Gijoong opened his mouth with difficulty,. . ¡°The fact that we¡¯re worrying about what we¡¯ll do ¡°once we get out¡± . Isn¡¯t that amazing?¡±. . The party members nodded in unison . . . They were in a high-level Dungeon, a Red Gate on top of that . The moment they were thrown aside by Kim Cheol, they were only dreading their deaths . But now, they were actually worrying about the outside as if leaving here alive was guaranteed . This was all thanks to one man . Park Heejin turned her gaze to Jinwoo,. . ¡®Sung Jinwoo-ssi, you¡­¡¯. . The awe in her heart surpassed her gratitude and surprise . . . . . Stab!. . Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang struck the boss¡¯s shoulder . . . Paralysis has been inflicted . . The target¡¯s resistance was too high . Effect cancelled . . . Bleeding has been inflicted . . The target¡¯s resistance was too high . Effect cancelled . . . Lately, because his opponents had become a lot stronger, Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang¡¯s special effects did not take most of the time . Still, leaving a wound was good enough . . . ¡®Good!¡¯. . As more and more wounds appeared on its body, the boss¡¯s movements began to slow down . . . [¡°Kwaak!¡±]. . The smile had long since disappeared from the ice elf¡¯s face . It had taken on Jinwoo, Ygritte and Iron on its own and was now panting . . . ¡®Just a bit more!¡¯. . Suddenly, Iron succeeded in pulling the boss in to a bear hug . . . ¡°Now!¡±. . At Jinwoo¡¯s signal, both Jinwoo and Ygritte fell back . The boss¡¯s eyes widened,. . [¡°What are you¡­?¡±]. . The finished spells of the Shadow Mages fell upon Iron . . . BANG!. . KABOOM!. . BOOM!. . [¡°COUGH!¡±] [3]. . For the first time, the boss betrayed signs of its pain . The ice elf twisted his body and Iron¡¯s arms were blown off . . . crack!. . The boss sent a venomous glare at Jinwoo . . . [¡°KWAAAAK!¡±] [4]. . Jinwoo was once again in awe of the boss¡¯s strength . . . ¡®Even with that much damage, he¡¯s still able to pull out this much power!¡¯. . It was truly the boss of a high-level Dungeon . However, the scales of the battle had already tipped towards Jinwoo . . . ¡®Dagger Throw!¡¯. . Just like how he took care of that arrogant White Walker, Knight Killer flew towards the boss . Jinwoo even used the ¡®Ruler¡¯s Hands¡¯ to supplement its speed . . . woosh-!. . The dagger reached the boss in a flash . . . [¡®Keuk!¡¯]. . Realizing it could not dodge, the boss deflected the dagger with its tanto . . . Crack!. . As a testament to the Knight Killer¡¯s speed, a large crack appeared in the blocking tanto . . . At the same time,. . Having closed the gap to the boss using ¡®Stealth¡¯ and ¡®Sprint¡¯, Jinwoo stabbed the ice elf¡¯s ribs with Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang . . . Stab!. . The boss¡¯s eyes widened in pain,. . [¡°COUGH!¡±]. . Even still, the ice elf grabbed Jinwoo¡¯s wrist . Its eyes screamed that it would not die without leaving a mark . . . [¡°KAAAAH!¡±]. . The boss raised its tanto over Jinwoo¡¯s head . Jinwoo sneered brightly in its face . . . The giant hammer swung down on the ice elf¡¯s head . . . CRASH!. . With a sickening crunch, the boss¡¯s head was slammed into the snow . Behind it was Iron with his giant hammer, his arms already regenerated . The giant knight raised his hammer again and brought it down . . . CRASH!. . Ygritte was also preparing to attack but then put away his sword . Jinwoo also returned his daggers to the inventory . . . ring~. CRASH!. You¡¯ve defeated the boss of the Dungeon . . . You¡¯ve leveled up!. CRASH!. You¡¯ve leveled up!. . ¡®Phew, it¡¯s finally over . ¡¯. . CRASH!. . Jinwoo sighed in relief . It was a difficult fight . He was about to collect his breath but then noticed Iron . . . ¡°Hey, hey, that¡¯s enough . ¡±. . Jinwoo quickly stopped the newest member of his army . Iron was about to bring down his hammer again and stopped . Just like his base, it seemed like the giant knight was¡­ slow in more ways than one . . . The boss¡¯s corpse was an unrecognizable, mangled mess . . . ¡®Well, there¡¯s no problem with its shadow . ¡¯. . Jinwoo smiled widely again . His reward after a difficult fight was waiting beneath his feet . . . The Hunter gave the command with a subdued voice,. . ¡°Arise . ¡±. . . . It was already 3 AM . . . The faces of the four men guarding the area were dark . Unable to take it any longer, Hyun Gicheol spoke up,. . ¡°We¡¯ll keep watch here, why don¡¯t you turn in for the night, Guildmaster?¡±. . ¡°The members of my Guild are in there . How could I rest in a time like this?¡±. . Baek Yoonho was determined . As a master of the Guild and as an S-rank Hunter, he could not leave this spot . Suddenly, Ahn Sangmin shouted in surprise,. . ¡°What? The Red Gate!¡±. . Hyun Gicheol and Joo Sungchan also noticed at the same time,. . ¡°The Red Gate is opening!¡±. ¡°They cleared the Dungeon!¡±. ¡°People¡­ people are coming out!¡±. . Baek Yoonho clenched his fist . . . ¡®Kim Cheol! Kim Cheol, he¡¯s done it!¡¯. . The four men all ran to the Gate . Unable to hide his excitement, Baek Yoonho looked for Kim Cheol¡¯s face among the survivors . However, even after everyone had exited the Gate, he could not find Kim Cheol . . . ¡®Huh? Something¡¯s wrong . ¡¯. . Even Joo Sungchan, who told everyone to believe in Kim Cheol, lost his confident attitude and put on a confused expression . . . ¡°Hunter Park Heejin-nim! Hunters Go Myunghwan-nim, Yoon Gijoong-nim!¡±. . ¡°Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim!!!¡±. . Seeing Jinwoo follow Han Songyi out of the Gate, a smile bloomed on Ahn Sangmin¡¯s face . . . ¡®As I thought!¡¯. . Joo Sungchan and Ahn Sangmin¡¯s moods had completely flipped from hours ago . However, the smile quickly disappeared from Ahn Sangmin¡¯s face . After the five Hunters, including Sung Jinwoo, came out of the Gate, the Gate quickly disappeared into oblivion . . . ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­ are the ones here it?¡±. . With a defeated face, Jinwoo nodded . Hyun Gicheol, who had asked the question, froze . . . ¡®It can¡¯t be¡­¡¯. . With tears forming in his eyes, Hyun Gicheol began to cross off the names of the deceased in the party list . It was a sad job, but someone had to do it . Baek Yoonho was dumbfounded,. . ¡®Only the low-rankers came back? Not even the A-ranker and only one B-ranker?¡¯. . It was impossible . Just what happened in there?. . ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you home . ¡±. . Jinwoo was about to leave the scene of the incident with Han Songyi when Baek Yoonho grabbed his wrist . . . ¡°Excuse me, hold on a minute-¡±. . woosh!. . Jinwoo threw aside the S-ranker¡¯s grip, and Baek Yoonho¡¯s eyes turned sharp . . . ¡°Can we talk for a minute?¡±. . Jinwoo turned around,. . ¡°I¡¯m a little tired right now . If you have anything to ask, talk to your Guild members . ¡±. . Baek Yoonho could not take it anymore . He revealed his identity to Jinwoo,. . ¡°I am Baekho¡¯s Guildmaster, Hunter Baek Yoonho . ¡±. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes maintained their coldness,. . ¡°So what?¡±. . At Jinwoo¡¯s cold reply, Baek Yoonho¡¯s irises flickered and turned into that of a magic beast¡¯s . They were an inhuman, beastly eyes . . . ¡°We¡¯ve just lost nine Guild members because of this incident . As the Guildmaster, I have the right to ask you some questions . ¡±. . This was not a request . . . An order . . . In a way, a threat . . . No matter what, Baek Yoonho had no intentions of letting Jinwoo leave that easily . But suddenly, Jinwoo flared his eyes . He was not pushed back in any way by the S-ranker¡¯s genuine hostility . . . ¡°And I just saved three of your Guild members . If you¡¯re their leader, shouldn¡¯t you be thanking me before anything else?¡±. . At the stifling pressure the E-rank Hunter was giving off, the S-rank Hunter retracted his hostility . The man was right . Baek Yoonho had no room to argue . . . ¡° . I apologize . ¡±. . As Baek Yoonho bowed his head, Jinwoo turned around again . . . ¡°Han Songyi, we¡¯re going . ¡¯. . ¡°Okay . ¡±. . The student carefully followed after Jinwoo while making glances at Baek Yoonho . Soon, the pair got in the van they had arrived in and left the scene of the incident . . . ¡®What just happened¡­¡¯. . His thoughts in chaos, Baek Yoonho quickly ran toward the sole high-ranker of the survivors . . . ¡°Excuse me, Park Heejin-ssi . ¡±. . The woman was warming her body with some tea provided by Hyun Gicheol and raised her head . . . ¡°What was with that man? Why was he so mad?¡±. . Their party had overcome all odds and should¡¯ve left the Gate happily with their lives, so why was Jinwoo filled with so much anger? Park Heejin shook her head,. . ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ He took down the boss and yelled something three times in front of the corpse¡­ Then he got really mad after that¡­¡±. . ¡°And he was fine until then?¡±. . Park Heejin looked over to Go Myunghwan and Yoon Gijoong . The two men nodded in unison . . . ¡°What a strange man¡­¡±. . Baek Yoonho uttered while staring off into the distance where Jinwoo had disappeared off to . Ahn Sangmin approached his boss as if Jinwoo¡¯s bad mood was his fault,. . ¡°I apologize, Guildmaster . I¡¯m sure he was just tired after everything . In my eyes, he¡¯s not a bad person . ¡±. . ¡°No, that¡¯s not the problem . ¡±. . ¡°Sir?¡±. . Baek Yoonho turned and faced Ahn Sangmin,. . ¡°Why have you not recruited that man yet?¡±. . ¡°S-sir?¡±. . Ahn Sangmin could not hide his embarrassment . But his embarrassment paled in comparison to Baek Yoonho¡¯s . . . ¡®Against me¡­¡¯. . The S-ranker recalled meeting Jinwoo¡¯s eyes moments ago and gulped . . . gulp. . If they had fought just now, Baek Yoonho was sure that he would have to be prepared to lose an arm . . . ¡®Maybe even more¡­¡¯. . Realizing his Guildmaster¡¯s meaning, Ahn Sangmin quickly replied,. . ¡°I¡¯m currently doing my best . ¡±. . ¡°That¡¯s not enough . ¡±. . Baek Yoonho¡¯s eyes lit up . . . Sung Jinwoo . . . As expected, Chief Ahn¡¯s eyes were never wrong . . . ¡°From now on, the full support of the Guild is at your disposal . You must bring that man into our fold . ¡±. . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: It¡¯s straight up noted in the context but ¡°Cheol¡± (?) means ¡°Iron/Metal¡± . . [2]: ¡°Taunting Shout¡± (??? ??): ¡°provoke/taunt¡± ?? + ¡°cry/shout/roar/yell¡± ??. [3]: ¡°coughing in the language of the magic beasts¡± :P. [4]: ¡°screaming in the language of the magic beasts¡± :P. Chapter 65 On the drive home . zooom- The face of the van¡¯s driver was clouded with disappointment . ¡®Sigh¡­¡¯ Was it because the extraction target¡¯s abilities were far greater than his own? Unfortunately, Jinwoo had failed in the Shadow Extraction of the ice elf boss . ¡®Shame, but what can I do¡­¡¯ Surely, the opportunity to take down another high-level boss would come again someday . The important thing was that when that opportunity came again, he would be strong enough to not fail . Level-up . It was something he was quite good at . Still, the Raid wasn¡¯t all for naught . He took his left hand off of the steering wheel; an elegant, curved dagger appeared in it . Baruka¡¯s Tanto [1] Rarity: A Type: Dagger Attack Power +110 Agility +10 It is the tanto wielded by the great warrior, Baruka . A magical enchantment makes both the dagger and the wielder more agile . Jinwoo had not left the Dungeon empty-handed . While one of the twin daggers wielded by the boss was destroyed by Knight Killer, he had claimed the unbroken one as his own . ¡®Baruka¡¯s Tanto . ¡¯ It had the highest attack power out of all the daggers he had found so far; on top of that, it even had an effect of increasing his agility . It was obviously better than the C-rank Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang, and even the B-rank Knight Killer, bought with gold, could not compare to it . An A-rank dagger! It was the perfect weapon to replace Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang, which was gradually losing its effectiveness in battle . ¡®The grip doesn¡¯t feel bad either . ¡¯ While he was going over the events of the Red Gate, the van had arrived in front of Han Songyi¡¯s house . screech . The student, who was silent throughout the entire ride, bowed her head to Jinwoo, ¡°Then, take care . ¡± ¡°Okay . ¡± Watching the girl walk back to her house with sunken shoulders, Jinwoo felt like he had accomplished his mission . ¡®Things got a little complicated, but the original goal was to convince Han Songyi . ¡¯ It looked like the girl would not be continuing as a Hunter anymore . Well, anyone whose first ever Dungeon was a Red Gate would do the same . Jinwoo was about to drive away in satisfaction when the passenger door opened . ¡® . . . ?¡¯ He turned to see Han Songyi holding the door open . ¡®What¡¯s wrong with her?¡¯ His curiosity only lasted for a brief moment . The girl deeply bowed her head again, ¡°Thank you for today, oppa . ¡± Now that he thought about it, her title for him had changed from ¡°ahjussi¡± to ¡°oppa¡± . ¡°Oh, yeah, no problem . ¡± ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow- I mean, few hours from now . ¡± Few hours from now? Before he could ask her what she meant, Han Songyi ran inside . After she disappeared into her home, Jinwoo realized, ¡®Oh right . ¡¯ It was already dawn, but the Raids with Yoo Jinho would resume today . As Han Songyi was still part of their raiding party, they would see each other again . ¡®That¡¯s what she meant . ¡¯ Oh shit¡­ If Han Songyi completely retired from anything related to Hunters, Yoo Jinho¡¯s team would¡¯ve lost a team member, and it would¡¯ve delayed their plans . Thankfully, it looked like the girl would at least finish the remaining Raids . ¡®Thank god . . . ¡¯ With the Shadow Soldiers, the clearing speed of the C-rank Dungeons would rise a level higher . Jinwoo was confident he could complete the remaining Raids in a record time . He was also looking forward to Yoo Jinho¡¯s reaction when the young man saw the Shadow Soldiers . ¡®That man, Yoon Gijoong, his reactions were top notch . ¡¯ Jinwoo grinned widely while turning the steering wheel . Few hours later . ¡°Yawn-¡± Jinwoo arrived at the lobby of his apartment while yawning . When he opened his eyes after a brief nap, it was already the promised time . ¡°Good morning, hyungnim!¡± A familiar voice filled with energy greeted him . Yoo Jinho was already waiting for him . ¡°I took the car . How¡¯d you get here?¡± Jinwoo had borrowed the workhorse of their raiding party, ¡°Bongo¡±, for last night¡¯s events . The van was parked nearby . ¡°A taxi, hyungnim . ¡± ¡°Ah, taxi . ¡± Jinwoo had hoped to flip their positions for once and go pick up the young man . ¡°It¡¯s okay, hyungnim . I¡¯m the one receiving your help . I should be the one accommodating you . ¡± Yoo Jinho spoke while chortling . After a one day break, their morning exchanges had resumed as normal . ¡°Huh?¡± Yoo Jinho discovered something . Jinwoo was holding something cylindrical in his hand . The young man asked curiously, ¡°Hyungnim, what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°What, this?¡± Jinwoo smiled widely, ¡°I¡¯m going to use it in the Dungeon today . ¡± Holy¡­ Yoo Jinho¡¯s stomach fluttered . ¡®Is it a weapon to be used in the Dungeon?¡¯ Hyungnim always showed off something crazy in Dungeons . Just what kind of a terrifying weapon was he holding now? Yoo Jinho already began to feel anxious . gulp Yoo Jinho gathered his courage then raised his head, ¡°Hyungnim, let us go . ¡± ¡°Hold on . ¡± Jinwoo put up a hand, then took out his phone . ¡°We¡¯ll be picking up someone on the way . ¡± ¡°Huh? Who?¡± Jinwoo ignored him and spoke into the phone, ¡°Yeah, Songyi, it¡¯s me . We¡¯ll pick you up and take you to the Gate . ¡± Songyi¡­ That Songyi? When Jinwoo hung up, Yoo Jinho asked, ¡°Hyungnim, is the person we¡¯re picking up our team¡¯s highschool student?¡± Jinwoo nodded . Since she lived really closed to his house, he felt like it would be efficient to just pick her up before leaving the area . However, as he had done in the past, Yoo Jinho completely misread Jinwoo¡¯s intents . Han Songyi . A cute-looking girl with short hair falling just below her ears . ¡®If hyungnim knows her number and talked to her with such familiarity¡­ Is their relationship like¡­ that?¡¯ As he had always known, hyungnim was an amazing man . ¡®Especially when I watch him go to work on giant magic beasts with a single dagger¡­¡¯ The young man was sure his hyungnim had no interest, but it made sense that the female student would fall for his hyungnim . Yoo Jinho nodded to himself . If that was the case, there was something he had to clear up, ¡°Hyungnim, so should I be addressing Ms . Han Songyi as ¡°missus¡± from now on?¡± [2] What the fuck . Was what Jinwoo¡¯s eyes were saying . Even Yoo Jinho, who was terrible at taking hints, was able to read as much from the man¡¯s expression . ¡°Er¡­ Were you two not dating?¡± ¡°She¡¯s just my little sister¡¯s friend . ¡± ¡°Oh . Oooooh . ¡± So that¡¯s what it was . Yoo Jinho finally understood the situation . To think that he accidentally almost called her his sister-in-law . The young man¡¯s face turned red with embarrassment . Soon, Hang Songyi came down from her apartment . Compared to their previous meetings, the girl appeared to have paid a little more attention to her looks this time . Yoo Jinho smiled, ¡®She¡¯s just like a teenager who wants to show off before her friend¡¯s oppa . ¡¯ Yoo Jinho was about to act like a leader and compliment the girl¡¯s clothes when Jinwoo greeted her first, ¡°Did you get some sleep?¡± Yoo Jinho¡¯s face froze . ¡® . . . ¡¯ Han Songyi smiled and shook her head, ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep a wink . ¡± ¡°You must be tired, get some shut-eye in the car . ¡± At the pair¡¯s conversation, Yoo Jinho¡¯s mind became more and more chaotic . ¡®Huh? Huuuuuh?¡¯ Han Songyi asked Jinwoo a question, ¡°Oppa, did you get any sleep?¡± ¡°Just a quick nap . It was already 4AM when I got home . ¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Couldn¡¯t sleep? Must be tired? 4AM? Yoo Jinho¡¯s confusion turned to horror . Jinwoo was heading toward the Bongo and turned around, ¡°Yoo Jinho, are you coming?¡± ¡°Err¡­ Hyungnim?¡± ¡° . . . ?¡± ¡°That¡¯s er¡­ Ms . Han Songyi is underage, hyungnim . ¡± What the fuck . ¡°So?¡± ¡° . . . Nevermind, hyungnim . ¡± As expected, hyungnim was the manliest of men . Yoo Jinho was in awe of Jinwoo¡¯s personality that gave no thoughts to society¡¯s rules . ¡®He¡¯s truly not a normal man . ¡¯ Yoo Jinho berated himself for judging his hyungnim with laws of ordinary people . [3] At the same hour . Baekho Guild¡¯s Meeting Room . ¡°-And that¡¯s pretty much all I saw . ¡± Park Heejin finished recounting the events of the Red Gate . Before she began, Baek Yoonho had asked if she needed some rest out of concern, but the woman insisted that they complete the investigation . She explained that she was relatively comfortable(?) in there . ¡° . . . ¡± ¡° . . . ¡± The two upper management members who conducted the interview, Guildmaster Baek Yoonho and Chief Ahn Sangmin, were at a loss for words . The one who was in charge of the training, Hyun Gicheol, was sent to the Association to argue about the incident . As such, only three people were gathered in the meeting room . Ahn Sangmin broke the silence, ¡°Was all that really true?¡± ¡°You can contact Go Myunghwan and Yoon Gijoong . They¡¯ll tell you the same story . ¡± The two C-rankers had returned to their homes, stating that they wanted to see their families . Park Heejin could confidently say that their statements would not differ from hers . ¡®All I did was explain what I experienced in person . ¡¯ How the forest that man disappeared off to rang with screams of ice bears, or how that man was doing push-ups while everyone else was sleeping . She didn¡¯t dare to include any hearsay from the other teammates, only what she had seen with her own two eyes . ¡°Huh¡­¡± Ahn Sangmin made a strange noise with his mouth . Knocking out an A-rank Hunter in one hit . Freely using spatial magic . Wielding dozens of summons . Each one of them alone would be an unbelievable thing . And the man in question had done it all . But the most shocking fact was, ¡°So he solo cleared a high-level Dungeon . ¡± Baek Yoonho uttered after a long period of silence . It was because he was an S-ranker that he was able to say, ¡°That is an incredible feat . ¡± Although the man had fought with summons, those summons were not comrades but Hunter Sung Jinwoo¡¯s skill . It was the same as solo clearing the Dungeon . ¡°No matter how high one¡¯s rank is, it is difficult for a Hunter to solo clear a high-level Dungeon . ¡± A Red Gate on top of that . What if he himself was there? Could he solo clear a B-rank Red Gate? It was possible for Hunter Sung Jinwoo, who wielded not one or two but dozens of summons . Ahn Sangmin spoke with amazement, ¡°With this, it is clear that he¡¯s an Awakened Being with special powers . ¡± Baek Yoonho agreed, ¡°Among Hunters, those that can use summoning are rare . And to think that he¡¯s a Hunter that can wield multiple summons¡­¡± Having worked as an S-rank Hunter, Baek Yoonho had met and conversed with many different Hunters . Not one of them ever spoke of a Hunter wielding that many summons . ¡°An Awakened Being with a special power in a different dimension than the average special power¡­¡± Baek Yoonho was amazed . Ahn Sangmin thought of something and asked, ¡°If you had to put a value on Sung Jinwoo-ssi¡¯s abilities, how much do you think he¡¯s worth right now?¡± ¡° . . . ¡± Baek Yoonho could not easily reply . But one thing was for sure, regardless of what the value of Sung Jinwoo was right now, it would multiply explosively once the man underwent the retest . They had to act before that happened . Baekho had just lost an A-rank Hunter and multiple B-rank Hunters . If they were not able to obtain the power known as Sung Jinwoo, their losses from this incident would be too great . ¡°I trust you, Chief Ahn . ¡± Baek Yoonho sent a look of faith towards the man . Ahn Sangmin replied with a determined expression . Suddenly, the two men turned toward Park Heejin . The woman was raising a hand . ¡°Do you have something to ask?¡± Succeeding in grabbing the two men¡¯s attentions, Park Heejin lowered her hand, ¡°Please allow me to help . ¡± ¡°With what?¡± ¡°Raid Lead- I mean, Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim¡¯s recruitment . ¡± Baek Yoonho and Ahn Sangmin exchanged glances . The Recruitment Specialist Ahn Sangmin tilted his head, ¡°Why would Hunter Park Heejin-nim be¡­?¡± ¡°Of the members of our Guild, I¡¯m the one who spent the most time with Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim . I believe I can be of great assistance . ¡± 6 hours outside of the Gate . Nearly a week inside . Baek Yoonho and Ahn Sangmin thought Park Heejin¡¯s words made sense . On top of that, the woman was a beauty . Her appearance wouldn''t exactly be a hindrance in their efforts to obtain Sung Jinwoo . Realizing her suggestion was moving the minds of the Guildmaster and the chief, Park Heejin continued, ¡°But I have one condition . ¡± Baek Yoonho asked, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Once Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim enters Baekho, please be sure to place me in his raiding party . ¡± Translator¡¯s Notes:[1]: ¡°Baruka¡¯s Tanto¡±: Tanto was covered before; it is a word for a japanese dagger/knife . Baruka (???): ¡°ba¡± + ¡°ru¡± + ¡°ka¡± . Translating the ¡°r¡± or ¡°l¡± sound from east asian languages often is shortened to remove the vowel sound, but in this case, I kept the ¡°ru¡± as it was . If it was ¡°?¡± (reu) instead of ¡°?¡± (roo), I might¡¯ve shortened it to Balka . [2]: ¡°missus¡± (???): I chose not to do the usual and put this in korean . I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a word that¡¯ll come up that much throughout the story . The korean word here means ¡°wife of older brother¡± . More commonly used in actual blood relative situations, but jokingly/friendly used by non-related people as well to their hyung¡¯s wife/girlfriend . [3]: What the fuck . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 65. . On the drive home . . . zooom-. . The face of the van¡¯s driver was clouded with disappointment . . . ¡®Sigh¡­¡¯. . Was it because the extraction target¡¯s abilities were far greater than his own? Unfortunately, Jinwoo had failed in the Shadow Extraction of the ice elf boss . . . ¡®Shame, but what can I do¡­¡¯. . Surely, the opportunity to take down another high-level boss would come again someday . The important thing was that when that opportunity came again, he would be strong enough to not fail . . . Level-up . . . It was something he was quite good at . . . Still, the Raid wasn¡¯t all for naught . He took his left hand off of the steering wheel; an elegant, curved dagger appeared in it . . . Baruka¡¯s Tanto [1]. Rarity: A. Type: Dagger. Attack Power +110. Agility +10. It is the tanto wielded by the great warrior, Baruka . A magical enchantment makes both the dagger and the wielder more agile . . . Jinwoo had not left the Dungeon empty-handed . While one of the twin daggers wielded by the boss was destroyed by Knight Killer, he had claimed the unbroken one as his own . . . ¡®Baruka¡¯s Tanto . ¡¯. . It had the highest attack power out of all the daggers he had found so far; on top of that, it even had an effect of increasing his agility . It was obviously better than the C-rank Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang, and even the B-rank Knight Killer, bought with gold, could not compare to it . An A-rank dagger! It was the perfect weapon to replace Casaka¡¯s Poisoned Fang, which was gradually losing its effectiveness in battle . . . ¡®The grip doesn¡¯t feel bad either . ¡¯. . While he was going over the events of the Red Gate, the van had arrived in front of Han Songyi¡¯s house . . . screech . . . The student, who was silent throughout the entire ride, bowed her head to Jinwoo,. . ¡°Then, take care . ¡±. . ¡°Okay . ¡±. . Watching the girl walk back to her house with sunken shoulders, Jinwoo felt like he had accomplished his mission . . . ¡®Things got a little complicated, but the original goal was to convince Han Songyi . ¡¯. . It looked like the girl would not be continuing as a Hunter anymore . Well, anyone whose first ever Dungeon was a Red Gate would do the same . Jinwoo was about to drive away in satisfaction when the passenger door opened . . . ¡® . ?¡¯. . He turned to see Han Songyi holding the door open . . . ¡®What¡¯s wrong with her?¡¯. . His curiosity only lasted for a brief moment . The girl deeply bowed her head again,. . ¡°Thank you for today, oppa . ¡±. . Now that he thought about it, her title for him had changed from ¡°ahjussi¡± to ¡°oppa¡± . . . ¡°Oh, yeah, no problem . ¡±. . ¡°So¡­¡±. . ¡°Hmm?¡±. . ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow- I mean, few hours from now . ¡±. . Few hours from now?. . Before he could ask her what she meant, Han Songyi ran inside . After she disappeared into her home, Jinwoo realized,. . ¡®Oh right . ¡¯. . It was already dawn, but the Raids with Yoo Jinho would resume today . As Han Songyi was still part of their raiding party, they would see each other again . . . ¡®That¡¯s what she meant . ¡¯. . Oh shit¡­ If Han Songyi completely retired from anything related to Hunters, Yoo Jinho¡¯s team would¡¯ve lost a team member, and it would¡¯ve delayed their plans . Thankfully, it looked like the girl would at least finish the remaining Raids . . . ¡®Thank god . ¡¯. . With the Shadow Soldiers, the clearing speed of the C-rank Dungeons would rise a level higher . Jinwoo was confident he could complete the remaining Raids in a record time . He was also looking forward to Yoo Jinho¡¯s reaction when the young man saw the Shadow Soldiers . . . ¡®That man, Yoon Gijoong, his reactions were top notch . ¡¯. . Jinwoo grinned widely while turning the steering wheel . . . . . Few hours later . . . ¡°Yawn-¡±. . Jinwoo arrived at the lobby of his apartment while yawning . When he opened his eyes after a brief nap, it was already the promised time . . . ¡°Good morning, hyungnim!¡±. . A familiar voice filled with energy greeted him . Yoo Jinho was already waiting for him . . . ¡°I took the car . How¡¯d you get here?¡±. . Jinwoo had borrowed the workhorse of their raiding party, ¡°Bongo¡±, for last night¡¯s events . The van was parked nearby . . . ¡°A taxi, hyungnim . ¡±. . ¡°Ah, taxi . ¡±. . Jinwoo had hoped to flip their positions for once and go pick up the young man . . . ¡°It¡¯s okay, hyungnim . I¡¯m the one receiving your help . I should be the one accommodating you . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho spoke while chortling . After a one day break, their morning exchanges had resumed as normal . . . ¡°Huh?¡±. . Yoo Jinho discovered something . Jinwoo was holding something cylindrical in his hand . The young man asked curiously,. . ¡°Hyungnim, what¡¯s that?¡±. . ¡°What, this?¡±. . Jinwoo smiled widely,. . ¡°I¡¯m going to use it in the Dungeon today . ¡±. . Holy¡­ Yoo Jinho¡¯s stomach fluttered . . . ¡®Is it a weapon to be used in the Dungeon?¡¯. . Hyungnim always showed off something crazy in Dungeons . Just what kind of a terrifying weapon was he holding now? Yoo Jinho already began to feel anxious . . . gulp. . Yoo Jinho gathered his courage then raised his head,. . ¡°Hyungnim, let us go . ¡±. . ¡°Hold on . ¡±. . Jinwoo put up a hand, then took out his phone . . . ¡°We¡¯ll be picking up someone on the way . ¡±. . ¡°Huh? Who?¡±. . Jinwoo ignored him and spoke into the phone,. . ¡°Yeah, Songyi, it¡¯s me . We¡¯ll pick you up and take you to the Gate . ¡±. . Songyi¡­ That Songyi? When Jinwoo hung up, Yoo Jinho asked,. . ¡°Hyungnim, is the person we¡¯re picking up our team¡¯s highschool student?¡±. . Jinwoo nodded . Since she lived really closed to his house, he felt like it would be efficient to just pick her up before leaving the area . However, as he had done in the past, Yoo Jinho completely misread Jinwoo¡¯s intents . . . Han Songyi . . . A cute-looking girl with short hair falling just below her ears . . . ¡®If hyungnim knows her number and talked to her with such familiarity¡­ Is their relationship like¡­ that?¡¯. . As he had always known, hyungnim was an amazing man . . . ¡®Especially when I watch him go to work on giant magic beasts with a single dagger¡­¡¯. . The young man was sure his hyungnim had no interest, but it made sense that the female student would fall for his hyungnim . Yoo Jinho nodded to himself . If that was the case, there was something he had to clear up,. . ¡°Hyungnim, so should I be addressing Ms . Han Songyi as ¡°missus¡± from now on?¡± [2]. . What the fuck . . . Was what Jinwoo¡¯s eyes were saying . Even Yoo Jinho, who was terrible at taking hints, was able to read as much from the man¡¯s expression . . . ¡°Er¡­ Were you two not dating?¡±. . ¡°She¡¯s just my little sister¡¯s friend . ¡±. . ¡°Oh . Oooooh . ¡±. . So that¡¯s what it was . Yoo Jinho finally understood the situation . To think that he accidentally almost called her his sister-in-law . The young man¡¯s face turned red with embarrassment . . . Soon, Hang Songyi came down from her apartment . Compared to their previous meetings, the girl appeared to have paid a little more attention to her looks this time . Yoo Jinho smiled,. . ¡®She¡¯s just like a teenager who wants to show off before her friend¡¯s oppa . ¡¯. . Yoo Jinho was about to act like a leader and compliment the girl¡¯s clothes when Jinwoo greeted her first,. . ¡°Did you get some sleep?¡±. . Yoo Jinho¡¯s face froze . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . Han Songyi smiled and shook her head,. . ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep a wink . ¡±. . ¡°You must be tired, get some shut-eye in the car . ¡±. . At the pair¡¯s conversation, Yoo Jinho¡¯s mind became more and more chaotic . . . ¡®Huh? Huuuuuh?¡¯. . Han Songyi asked Jinwoo a question,. . ¡°Oppa, did you get any sleep?¡±. . ¡°Just a quick nap . It was already 4AM when I got home . ¡±. . ¡°Right¡­¡±. . Couldn¡¯t sleep? Must be tired? 4AM? Yoo Jinho¡¯s confusion turned to horror . Jinwoo was heading toward the Bongo and turned around,. . ¡°Yoo Jinho, are you coming?¡±. . ¡°Err¡­ Hyungnim?¡±. . ¡° . ?¡±. . ¡°That¡¯s er¡­ Ms . Han Songyi is underage, hyungnim . ¡±. . What the fuck . . . ¡°So?¡±. . ¡° . Nevermind, hyungnim . ¡±. . As expected, hyungnim was the manliest of men . Yoo Jinho was in awe of Jinwoo¡¯s personality that gave no thoughts to society¡¯s rules . . . ¡®He¡¯s truly not a normal man . ¡¯. . Yoo Jinho berated himself for judging his hyungnim with laws of ordinary people . [3]. . . . At the same hour . . . Baekho Guild¡¯s Meeting Room . . . ¡°-And that¡¯s pretty much all I saw . ¡±. . Park Heejin finished recounting the events of the Red Gate . Before she began, Baek Yoonho had asked if she needed some rest out of concern, but the woman insisted that they complete the investigation . She explained that she was relatively comfortable(?) in there . . . ¡° . ¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . The two upper management members who conducted the interview, Guildmaster Baek Yoonho and Chief Ahn Sangmin, were at a loss for words . The one who was in charge of the training, Hyun Gicheol, was sent to the Association to argue about the incident . As such, only three people were gathered in the meeting room . Ahn Sangmin broke the silence,. . ¡°Was all that really true?¡±. . ¡°You can contact Go Myunghwan and Yoon Gijoong . They¡¯ll tell you the same story . ¡±. . The two C-rankers had returned to their homes, stating that they wanted to see their families . Park Heejin could confidently say that their statements would not differ from hers . . . ¡®All I did was explain what I experienced in person . ¡¯. . How the forest that man disappeared off to rang with screams of ice bears, or how that man was doing push-ups while everyone else was sleeping . She didn¡¯t dare to include any hearsay from the other teammates, only what she had seen with her own two eyes . . . ¡°Huh¡­¡±. . Ahn Sangmin made a strange noise with his mouth . Knocking out an A-rank Hunter in one hit . Freely using spatial magic . Wielding dozens of summons . Each one of them alone would be an unbelievable thing . And the man in question had done it all . But the most shocking fact was,. . ¡°So he solo cleared a high-level Dungeon . ¡±. . Baek Yoonho uttered after a long period of silence . It was because he was an S-ranker that he was able to say,. . ¡°That is an incredible feat . ¡±. . Although the man had fought with summons, those summons were not comrades but Hunter Sung Jinwoo¡¯s skill . It was the same as solo clearing the Dungeon . . . ¡°No matter how high one¡¯s rank is, it is difficult for a Hunter to solo clear a high-level Dungeon . ¡±. . A Red Gate on top of that . . . What if he himself was there? Could he solo clear a B-rank Red Gate? It was possible for Hunter Sung Jinwoo, who wielded not one or two but dozens of summons . Ahn Sangmin spoke with amazement,. . ¡°With this, it is clear that he¡¯s an Awakened Being with special powers . ¡±. . Baek Yoonho agreed,. . ¡°Among Hunters, those that can use summoning are rare . And to think that he¡¯s a Hunter that can wield multiple summons¡­¡±. . Having worked as an S-rank Hunter, Baek Yoonho had met and conversed with many different Hunters . Not one of them ever spoke of a Hunter wielding that many summons . . . ¡°An Awakened Being with a special power in a different dimension than the average special power¡­¡±. . Baek Yoonho was amazed . Ahn Sangmin thought of something and asked,. . ¡°If you had to put a value on Sung Jinwoo-ssi¡¯s abilities, how much do you think he¡¯s worth right now?¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . Baek Yoonho could not easily reply . But one thing was for sure, regardless of what the value of Sung Jinwoo was right now, it would multiply explosively once the man underwent the retest . They had to act before that happened . Baekho had just lost an A-rank Hunter and multiple B-rank Hunters . If they were not able to obtain the power known as Sung Jinwoo, their losses from this incident would be too great . . . ¡°I trust you, Chief Ahn . ¡±. . Baek Yoonho sent a look of faith towards the man . Ahn Sangmin replied with a determined expression . Suddenly, the two men turned toward Park Heejin . The woman was raising a hand . . . ¡°Do you have something to ask?¡±. . Succeeding in grabbing the two men¡¯s attentions, Park Heejin lowered her hand,. . ¡°Please allow me to help . ¡±. . ¡°With what?¡±. . ¡°Raid Lead- I mean, Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim¡¯s recruitment . ¡±. . Baek Yoonho and Ahn Sangmin exchanged glances . The Recruitment Specialist Ahn Sangmin tilted his head,. . ¡°Why would Hunter Park Heejin-nim be¡­?¡±. . ¡°Of the members of our Guild, I¡¯m the one who spent the most time with Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim . I believe I can be of great assistance . ¡±. . 6 hours outside of the Gate . Nearly a week inside . Baek Yoonho and Ahn Sangmin thought Park Heejin¡¯s words made sense . On top of that, the woman was a beauty . Her appearance wouldn''t exactly be a hindrance in their efforts to obtain Sung Jinwoo . Realizing her suggestion was moving the minds of the Guildmaster and the chief, Park Heejin continued,. . ¡°But I have one condition . ¡±. . Baek Yoonho asked,. . ¡°What is it?¡±. . ¡°Once Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim enters Baekho, please be sure to place me in his raiding party . ¡±. . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Baruka¡¯s Tanto¡±: Tanto was covered before; it is a word for a japanese dagger/knife . Baruka (???): ¡°ba¡± + ¡°ru¡± + ¡°ka¡± . Translating the ¡°r¡± or ¡°l¡± sound from east asian languages often is shortened to remove the vowel sound, but in this case, I kept the ¡°ru¡± as it was . If it was ¡°?¡± (reu) instead of ¡°?¡± (roo), I might¡¯ve shortened it to Balka . . [2]: ¡°missus¡± (???): I chose not to do the usual and put this in korean . I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a word that¡¯ll come up that much throughout the story . The korean word here means ¡°wife of older brother¡± . More commonly used in actual blood relative situations, but jokingly/friendly used by non-related people as well to their hyung¡¯s wife/girlfriend . . [3]: What the fuck . . Chapter 66 Park Heejin had learned something in the last Raid: the terror of a high-level Dungeon and just how powerless she could become . ¡®In the end, I ended up learning the lesson Sung Jinwoo-ssi was trying to teach Hang Songyi . . . ¡¯ It was embarrassing, but it was true . To stubbornly claim that something terrifying wasn¡¯t scary was just foolishness . What happened in the Red Gate was certainly a terrifying experience . However, she did not want to give-up the benefits of working as a B-rank Hunter . A high salary! Multiple career choices! And the acknowledgment of society on top of that! If you put aside the danger involved in the job, being a Hunter was the perfect profession . If anything, it was because of the high risks involved that the rewards were just as high . However, Park Heejin had found a way to reduce that risk . ¡®It¡¯s to raid with Raid Leader Sung Jinwoo-nim . ¡¯ The person she was most jealous of in the Red Gate was in fact Han Songyi . The reason was simple . It was because of the promise Sung Jinwoo made to Han Songyi on their first day: ¡°I brought you here, so I¡¯ll be responsible for your protection . ¡± In other words, Jinwoo had no responsibility to protect anyone except Han Songyi . Park Heejin and the two C-rank Hunters were just added baggage . The woman had always held a fear that they would be thrown aside . And on the 6th day, Sung Jinwoo cleared the Dungeon and protected Han Songyi until the end . The man had kept his promise . Watching all of this, Park Heejin obtained an assurance . If she raided under that man, she wouldn¡¯t be in any danger . After she had realized this, her heart began to race . In fact, her heart was still beating vigorously right now . The ability to cooly make decisions . A powerful strength . And a sense of responsibility to boot . She wanted to be at Sung Jinwoo¡¯s side in the next Raid . And that was her condition . ¡®Place me in Sung Jinwoo¡¯s raiding party . ¡¯ Baek Yoonho and Ahn Sangmin talked among themselves for a bit . Soon, they came back to Park Heejin, ¡°Alright . ¡± Baek Yoonho laughed excitedly, ¡°Then Park Heejin-ssi will be acting together with Chief Ahn for a while . ¡± ¡°Thank you . ¡± Of course, the recruitment would not be easy . Sung Jinwoo was someone who knew the value of his ability . ¡®He was so confident in the Red Gate too . ¡¯ Convincing him would not be an easy task . ¡®Still¡­¡¯ She obtained the opportunity to see him again . Park Heejin smiled in her head . Meanwhile, after thinking about something, Baek Yoonho opened his mouth with difficulty, ¡°Chief Ahn,¡± ¡°Yes sir . ¡± ¡°I would like to know Sung Jinwoo-ssi¡¯s contact information . ¡± ¡°Guildmaster, that¡¯s¡­¡± Ahn Sangmin finally explained his experiences with Sung Jinwoo . How they had first met . Why he had hidden the man¡¯s existence up until now . Listening to his story, Baek Yoonho nodded understandingly, ¡°If he had that amount of power, it makes sense that he would want to hide it . After all, there are certainly people in this world who do not want the attention of society . ¡± However, that man had shown his abilities in front of many people this time . Of course, it was during an emergency, but it also meant that the man was ready to show himself to the world . ¡°I¡¯m sure as long as it doesn¡¯t get out of hand, Sung Jinwoo-ssi won¡¯t blame Chief Ahn . ¡± Ahn Sangmin nodded . Of course, there was no chance what they discussed here would be leaked to the outside . Sung Jinwoo had his reasons, but at the same time, Baekho had no intention of inviting unwanted competition by revealing the truth . ¡°I understand that, but¡­¡± What Ahn Sangmin was worried about was something else . The chief was afraid that, not knowing Sung Jinwoo¡¯s stern personality, the Guildmaster might mess things up with his impatient personality . He wanted to avoid that at all costs, ¡°I think the Guildmaster contacting him directly is a bit¡­¡± Baek Yoonho understood what Ahn Sangmin was worried about, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not trying to contact him about the recruitment . ¡± ¡°Oh? Then why¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s as Sung Jinwoo-ssi said last night . ¡± Baek Yoonho realized it after listening to Park Heejin¡¯s story; Sung Jinwoo was the savior of the Baekho Guild . The man had rescued three of the new recruits of the Guild; on top of that, he had prevented the Dungeon Break of a Red Gate in their area and saved their reputation as well . Even if it was the Association¡¯s fault, how much would the Guild¡¯s image fall if they lost all of their new recruits in this incident? Just imagining it made Baek Yoonho¡¯s stomach sink . ¡®To think that I was being so hostile to that savior . ¡¯ Baek Yoonho understood why Jinwoo was in a bad mood . Now knowing the full story, there was something the Guildmaster had to do, ¡°As a representative of Baekho, I would like to give my gratitude to Sung Jinwoo-ssi . I also have to apologize for my behavior last night . ¡± ¡®Oh, if it¡¯s just that¡­¡¯ Ahn Sangmin fully agreed with his Guildmaster . Knowing the man¡¯s personality, the chief knew the S-ranker would not do something as low as bringing up the idea of recruitment while thanking Jinwoo . ¡°I understand . ¡± Ahn Sangmin took his phone out and found Jinwoo¡¯s number . ¡°What¡¯s his number?¡±Baek Yoonho also took his phone out . ¡°It¡¯s-¡± Ahn Sangmin was about to read off the number when he realized something weird . The chief raised his head, ¡°Er, Hunter Park Heejin-nim, why do you have your phone out?¡± ¡°Oh, er¡­ haha¡­¡± Park Heejin smiled awkwardly and put away her phone . South Korea¡¯s #1 Guild, Hunters Guild . [1] The Guildmaster and active S-rank Hunter Choi Jongin was going over an interesting report . ¡°Is¡­ this all true?¡± Well, would he have bothered the Guildmaster with a false report? The Head of Recruitment, Jo Myunggi, nodded . ¡°Yes sir . It¡¯s the information we¡¯ve obtained from the Association today . ¡± Every large Guild had a discrete line of contact in the Association, a spy of sorts . It was a little underhanded, but it was necessary to obtain information on new high-ranking Awakened Beings . And today, the Hunters Guild¡¯s line of contact had leaked an interesting tale . After looking over the report, Jo Myunggi decided to bring it to the Guildmaster¡¯s attention . ¡®The recently rising Baekho is one of the large Guilds after Hunters Guild¡¯s position . ¡¯ The man thought it was worthy enough to look into . As expected, Choi Jongin was greatly interested . ¡°A C-rank Gate became a Red Gate? And the lone A-ranker and multiple B-rankers died, but two C-rankers came out alive? And they cleared the Dungeon? This is completely impossible . ¡± Even if there was a single B-ranker among the survivors . Reading up and down the report, Choi Jongin shook his head, ¡°There is someone, a helper, who was left off of this report . ¡± Choi Jongin was completely sure . His extensive raiding experiences were telling him so . Jo Myunggi replied, ¡°The Association had also suspected as much, but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°Baekho closed their mouths on the incident . ¡± ¡°And the Association¡¯s just going to let it go?¡± ¡°Well, I heard that there was some fault on the Association¡¯s end this time, so it looks like they don¡¯t want to escalate the issue . ¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Choi Jongin put a hand to his chin . It was the man¡¯s habit whenever he fell into thought . If they had made a mistake, the Association¡¯s attitude was understandable . But why was Baekho also maintaining a silence? There was one answer, ¡°Looks like Baekho received help from someone that they don¡¯t want to reveal . ¡± ¡°I also think that way . ¡± The two men were in agreement . Choi Jongin¡¯s head ran with quick calculations, ¡®A nameless helper that was able to save the low-rank Hunters in a difficult Dungeon where multiple high-rankers died¡­¡¯ The S-ranker became filled with curiosity, ¡®A new recruit that didn¡¯t even receive a rank yet? Or a criminal that couldn¡¯t reveal their identity?¡¯ It didn¡¯t matter . If it was a newbie, they would be recruited by Hunters Guild . If it was a criminal, they would use it to besmirch the name of Baekho . Choi Jongin¡¯s eyes sparkled, ¡°We have to find out who that was . ¡± ¡°Do you have a plan?¡± ¡°To smoke out a tiger, you set fire to his den . ¡± Jo Myunggi could not hide his shock, ¡°You want to set Baekho on fire?¡± ¡°What?! No, I¡¯m not crazy enough to light someone else¡¯s company on fire . ¡± ¡°Ah, sorry . But you know you have a reputation for your magic¡­¡± There was a reason why Choi Jongin was called the ¡°Strongest Soldier¡±[2] . If the Mage-class Hunter wanted, it was an easy feat for him to blow away a building or two . Anyways, Choi Jongin continued, ¡°No, no, I meant that we¡¯ll create a fire . ¡± ¡°Okay, you keep using that word, ¡®fire¡¯-¡± Jo Myunggi shut up when Choi Jongin¡¯s eyes flared, ¡°I mean . Let¡¯s leak this to the press . ¡± ¡®Oooooooh!¡¯ Jo Myunggi finally realized what his Guildmaster was saying, ¡°Just imagine the headlines, ¡®The Association¡¯s Mistake, a Large Guild¡¯s Misfortune, and the Mysterious Hunter behind it all . ¡¯ Isn¡¯t this just what the press loves?¡± The head of recruitment nodded . Choi Jongin chuckled, ¡°Once the media¡¯s attentions fall on Baekho, they¡¯ll have to eventually reveal the identity of their mysterious helper . ¡± ¡°That could work!¡± Jo Myunggi also laughed . This was the opportunity to strike at Baekho, who was steadily coming after Hunters Guild . The corner¡¯s of Choi Jongin¡¯s mouth rose, ¡°Contact the reporters immediately . ¡± You¡¯ve entered the Dungeon . Jinwoo took in the Dungeon¡¯s air when he entered . ¡®Whew-¡¯ Having being stuck in a field-type Dungeon for several days, the cave-type Dungeon¡¯s air felt new to him . Yoo Jinho followed in after him, ¡°What do you think the magic beasts this time will be?¡± ¡°I wonder¡­¡± ¡®I definitely sense something nearby . ¡¯ But he did not see anything . However, the moment he took a step, bodies started rising here and there from the floor of the cave . dudududududu dududududu The humanoid magic beasts made out of rocks . Yoo Jinho remembered their names, ¡°Hyungnim, it¡¯s the stonemen . ¡± Jinwoo nodded . Of all the magic beasts that could be found in low-level Dungeons, the stonemen boasted the strongest defense . Basic logic called for magic to overcome the tough exteriors of the stonemen . ¡°Here, hold this . ¡± The man for whom basic logic did not apply handed the cylindrical object to Yoo Jinho . ¡®Holy!¡¯ Not knowing what was inside, Yoo Jinho flinched as he took the object from Jinwoo, but nothing happened . ¡®Is it not a weapon?¡¯ Meanwhile, Jinwoo stepped towards the stonemen and summoned Baruka¡¯s Tanto and Knight Killer . slash! In an instant, a stoneman¡¯s head fell to the floor . Jinwoo looked at Baruka¡¯s Tanto with satisfaction, ¡®Not bad . ¡¯ The smiling figure of Jinwoo moved faster than the eye could see . step The Hunter reappeared behind the group of stonemen . Ten magic beasts fell to the ground . collapse ¡®My body feels a lot lighter since the Red Gate . ¡¯ Of course . The man was currently Level 60 . Hunting the bears and White Walkers had raised his levels by 9 from Level 51 . The magic beasts of the C-rank Dungeon now felt like the goblins from E-rank Dungeons . ¡®I don¡¯t think I need take out a weapon if it¡¯s only this much . ¡¯ His warm-up was complete . ¡®Time to raise the speed . ¡¯ It was time for them to mobilize . Right on cue, more stonemen appeared from further down the cave . ¡®Come forth . ¡¯ As his order fell, the Shadow Soldiers waiting in his shadow all appeared behind him . A scream followed their appearance, ¡°AHHHH!!!!!¡± Oh right . Jinwoo facepalmed . ¡®Forgot about him . ¡¯ In his excitement, Jinwoo had forgotten about Yoo Jinho . ¡°H-hyuuuungnim . ¡± The young man was on his rear wagging a finger at the Shadow Soldiers, ¡°W-what are those?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain¡­ Just think of them as my skill . ¡± ¡°Y-you can make something like that with a skill?¡± Jinwoo nodded . Yoo Jinho could not close his mouth . ¡°Ah¡­¡± This was his 11th Raid with hyungnim . The young man had thought that he had seen everything with Jinwoo . That was a grave mistake . As always, hyungnim was someone who surpassed all expectations . gulp Feeling a dangerous presence coming from the soldiers clad in pitch-black, Yoo Jinho gulped . Jinwoo turned back to the magic beasts . The lumbering stonemen had already arrived before them . Jinwoo raised a chin . ¡°Go . ¡± The Shadow Soldiers had been waiting for that order . STEP STEP STEP STEP When the soldiers that neared 40 in number[3] charged at the enemy, their combined movements shook the floors of the cave . As the army included Iron and the Shadow Beasts, the weight of the army had certainly become heavier . ¡®Feels like I¡¯ve added a tank division in my army . ¡¯ Jinwoo looked at the scene with satisfaction . Once his forces were mobilized, the Dungeon was cleared in a blink of an eye . All that remained were the destroyed corpses of the stonemen . The C-rank Dungeon was obliterated in an instant . Wow- Jinwoo was in awe . ¡®At this rate, we can finish the remaining Raids in no time . ¡¯ It looked like the remaining eight Raids would be over soon . step, step, step After the battle, the Shadow Soldiers collected the magic cores and lined-up in front of Jinwoo . At their head was Iron and Ygritte[4] . The two knights stood at attention . When the Shadow Soldiers stopped their movements, Yoo Jinho was finally able to move . The young man nervously approached Jinwoo, ¡°Hyungnim, here¡­¡± He returned the plastic bag with the cylindrical object back to Jinwoo . Jinwoo took out the tumbler and started drinking from it . ¡°Hyungnim, what is that?¡± ¡°Vegetable juice . ¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not bad . ¡± sip siiiip When the tumbler was nearly empty, Jinwoo asked, ¡°Jinho, how many Gates did we reserve today?¡± The young man was in the middle of reaching out to touch the fur of a Shadow Beast and froze, ¡°Four, hyungnim . ¡± Four today, then five after that . There was no need to delay it any longer . ¡°Then let¡¯s end it tomorrow . It doesn¡¯t matter if we have to travel a bit . ¡± ¡°Tomorrow?¡± Yoo Jinho looked around . The traces of the massacred stonemen were all around them . The young man nodded, ¡®With this speed, it¡¯s more than doable¡­¡¯ ¡°Understood, hyungnim . But¡­¡± The young man hesitated then spoke with difficulty, ¡° . . . Is it okay if I pick up the magic cores?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I feel like my job was taken away from me, hyungnim . ¡± Jinwoo laughed . ¡®He¡¯s really an amusing guy . ¡¯ And a day later, Jinwoo completed the 19 Raids he had promised to Yoo Jinho . Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: Okay, I wondered how I would distinguish ¡°Hunters¡± (guild) from ¡°Hunters¡± (profession) . I¡¯m just going to always make sure their name is followed by the world ¡°Guild¡± . Please note that the guild¡¯s name, ¡°Hunters¡±, is straight up english written in korean . It is not possessive like ¡°Hunter¡¯s Guild¡± . ¡°Hunters¡± is their name . [2]: Strongest Soldier (????): Pretty literal . There is a little pun in Choi Jongin¡¯s name . The ¡°Strongest Soldier¡± is pronounced Choi-Jong-Byung-Gi . Btw, anyone remember a certain Hunter called the ¡°Weakest Soldier¡±? Now we meet that Hunter¡¯s opposite, hue hue hue¡­ [3]: Okay, so the passages up until now haven¡¯t gotten into detail, but it¡¯s assumed that Jinwoo¡¯s maximum storage limit had been increasing with either level-ups or intelligence increases . This has not been specifically clarified yet . Right after class advancement, the storage limit was 20 . During ice bears part in the red gate, the storage limit was 30, and now, the storage limit is ¡°nearly 40¡± . [4]: Not sure if people were joking or not, but best girl Ygritte is a man . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 66. . Park Heejin had learned something in the last Raid: the terror of a high-level Dungeon and just how powerless she could become . . . ¡®In the end, I ended up learning the lesson Sung Jinwoo-ssi was trying to teach Hang Songyi . ¡¯. . It was embarrassing, but it was true . To stubbornly claim that something terrifying wasn¡¯t scary was just foolishness . What happened in the Red Gate was certainly a terrifying experience . However, she did not want to give-up the benefits of working as a B-rank Hunter . A high salary! Multiple career choices! And the acknowledgment of society on top of that! If you put aside the danger involved in the job, being a Hunter was the perfect profession . If anything, it was because of the high risks involved that the rewards were just as high . . . However, Park Heejin had found a way to reduce that risk . . . ¡®It¡¯s to raid with Raid Leader Sung Jinwoo-nim . ¡¯. . The person she was most jealous of in the Red Gate was in fact Han Songyi . The reason was simple . It was because of the promise Sung Jinwoo made to Han Songyi on their first day:. . ¡°I brought you here, so I¡¯ll be responsible for your protection . ¡±. . In other words, Jinwoo had no responsibility to protect anyone except Han Songyi . Park Heejin and the two C-rank Hunters were just added baggage . The woman had always held a fear that they would be thrown aside . And on the 6th day, Sung Jinwoo cleared the Dungeon and protected Han Songyi until the end . The man had kept his promise . Watching all of this, Park Heejin obtained an assurance . . . If she raided under that man, she wouldn¡¯t be in any danger . After she had realized this, her heart began to race . In fact, her heart was still beating vigorously right now . . . The ability to cooly make decisions . A powerful strength . And a sense of responsibility to boot . . . She wanted to be at Sung Jinwoo¡¯s side in the next Raid . And that was her condition . . . ¡®Place me in Sung Jinwoo¡¯s raiding party . ¡¯. . Baek Yoonho and Ahn Sangmin talked among themselves for a bit . Soon, they came back to Park Heejin,. . ¡°Alright . ¡±. . Baek Yoonho laughed excitedly,. . ¡°Then Park Heejin-ssi will be acting together with Chief Ahn for a while . ¡±. . ¡°Thank you . ¡±. . Of course, the recruitment would not be easy . Sung Jinwoo was someone who knew the value of his ability . . . ¡®He was so confident in the Red Gate too . ¡¯. . Convincing him would not be an easy task . . . ¡®Still¡­¡¯. . She obtained the opportunity to see him again . Park Heejin smiled in her head . . . Meanwhile, after thinking about something, Baek Yoonho opened his mouth with difficulty,. . ¡°Chief Ahn,¡±. . ¡°Yes sir . ¡±. . ¡°I would like to know Sung Jinwoo-ssi¡¯s contact information . ¡±. . ¡°Guildmaster, that¡¯s¡­¡±. . Ahn Sangmin finally explained his experiences with Sung Jinwoo . How they had first met . Why he had hidden the man¡¯s existence up until now . Listening to his story, Baek Yoonho nodded understandingly,. . ¡°If he had that amount of power, it makes sense that he would want to hide it . After all, there are certainly people in this world who do not want the attention of society . ¡±. . However, that man had shown his abilities in front of many people this time . Of course, it was during an emergency, but it also meant that the man was ready to show himself to the world . . . ¡°I¡¯m sure as long as it doesn¡¯t get out of hand, Sung Jinwoo-ssi won¡¯t blame Chief Ahn . ¡±. . Ahn Sangmin nodded . Of course, there was no chance what they discussed here would be leaked to the outside . Sung Jinwoo had his reasons, but at the same time, Baekho had no intention of inviting unwanted competition by revealing the truth . . . ¡°I understand that, but¡­¡±. . What Ahn Sangmin was worried about was something else . The chief was afraid that, not knowing Sung Jinwoo¡¯s stern personality, the Guildmaster might mess things up with his impatient personality . He wanted to avoid that at all costs,. . ¡°I think the Guildmaster contacting him directly is a bit¡­¡±. . Baek Yoonho understood what Ahn Sangmin was worried about,. . ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not trying to contact him about the recruitment . ¡±. . ¡°Oh? Then why¡­?¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s as Sung Jinwoo-ssi said last night . ¡±. . Baek Yoonho realized it after listening to Park Heejin¡¯s story; Sung Jinwoo was the savior of the Baekho Guild . The man had rescued three of the new recruits of the Guild; on top of that, he had prevented the Dungeon Break of a Red Gate in their area and saved their reputation as well . Even if it was the Association¡¯s fault, how much would the Guild¡¯s image fall if they lost all of their new recruits in this incident? Just imagining it made Baek Yoonho¡¯s stomach sink . . . ¡®To think that I was being so hostile to that savior . ¡¯. . Baek Yoonho understood why Jinwoo was in a bad mood . Now knowing the full story, there was something the Guildmaster had to do,. . ¡°As a representative of Baekho, I would like to give my gratitude to Sung Jinwoo-ssi . I also have to apologize for my behavior last night . ¡±. . ¡®Oh, if it¡¯s just that¡­¡¯. . Ahn Sangmin fully agreed with his Guildmaster . Knowing the man¡¯s personality, the chief knew the S-ranker would not do something as low as bringing up the idea of recruitment while thanking Jinwoo . . . ¡°I understand . ¡±. . Ahn Sangmin took his phone out and found Jinwoo¡¯s number . . . ¡°What¡¯s his number?¡± Baek Yoonho also took his phone out . . . ¡°It¡¯s-¡±. . Ahn Sangmin was about to read off the number when he realized something weird . The chief raised his head,. . ¡°Er, Hunter Park Heejin-nim, why do you have your phone out?¡±. . ¡°Oh, er¡­ haha¡­¡±. . Park Heejin smiled awkwardly and put away her phone . . . . . South Korea¡¯s #1 Guild, Hunters Guild . [1]. . The Guildmaster and active S-rank Hunter Choi Jongin was going over an interesting report . . . ¡°Is¡­ this all true?¡±. . Well, would he have bothered the Guildmaster with a false report? The Head of Recruitment, Jo Myunggi, nodded . . . ¡°Yes sir . It¡¯s the information we¡¯ve obtained from the Association today . ¡±. . Every large Guild had a discrete line of contact in the Association, a spy of sorts . It was a little underhanded, but it was necessary to obtain information on new high-ranking Awakened Beings . And today, the Hunters Guild¡¯s line of contact had leaked an interesting tale . After looking over the report, Jo Myunggi decided to bring it to the Guildmaster¡¯s attention . . . ¡®The recently rising Baekho is one of the large Guilds after Hunters Guild¡¯s position . ¡¯. . The man thought it was worthy enough to look into . As expected, Choi Jongin was greatly interested . . . ¡°A C-rank Gate became a Red Gate? And the lone A-ranker and multiple B-rankers died, but two C-rankers came out alive? And they cleared the Dungeon? This is completely impossible . ¡±. . Even if there was a single B-ranker among the survivors . Reading up and down the report, Choi Jongin shook his head,. . ¡°There is someone, a helper, who was left off of this report . ¡±. . Choi Jongin was completely sure . His extensive raiding experiences were telling him so . Jo Myunggi replied,. . ¡°The Association had also suspected as much, but¡­¡±. . ¡°But?¡±. . ¡°Baekho closed their mouths on the incident . ¡±. . ¡°And the Association¡¯s just going to let it go?¡±. . ¡°Well, I heard that there was some fault on the Association¡¯s end this time, so it looks like they don¡¯t want to escalate the issue . ¡±. . ¡°Hmm¡­¡±. . Choi Jongin put a hand to his chin . It was the man¡¯s habit whenever he fell into thought . If they had made a mistake, the Association¡¯s attitude was understandable . But why was Baekho also maintaining a silence? There was one answer,. . ¡°Looks like Baekho received help from someone that they don¡¯t want to reveal . ¡±. . ¡°I also think that way . ¡±. . The two men were in agreement . Choi Jongin¡¯s head ran with quick calculations,. . ¡®A nameless helper that was able to save the low-rank Hunters in a difficult Dungeon where multiple high-rankers died¡­¡¯. . The S-ranker became filled with curiosity,. . ¡®A new recruit that didn¡¯t even receive a rank yet? Or a criminal that couldn¡¯t reveal their identity?¡¯. . It didn¡¯t matter . If it was a newbie, they would be recruited by Hunters Guild . If it was a criminal, they would use it to besmirch the name of Baekho . Choi Jongin¡¯s eyes sparkled,. . ¡°We have to find out who that was . ¡±. . ¡°Do you have a plan?¡±. . ¡°To smoke out a tiger, you set fire to his den . ¡±. . Jo Myunggi could not hide his shock,. . ¡°You want to set Baekho on fire?¡±. . ¡°What?! No, I¡¯m not crazy enough to light someone else¡¯s company on fire . ¡±. . ¡°Ah, sorry . But you know you have a reputation for your magic¡­¡±. . There was a reason why Choi Jongin was called the ¡°Strongest Soldier¡±[2] . If the Mage-class Hunter wanted, it was an easy feat for him to blow away a building or two . Anyways, Choi Jongin continued,. . ¡°No, no, I meant that we¡¯ll create a fire . ¡±. . ¡°Okay, you keep using that word, ¡®fire¡¯-¡±. . Jo Myunggi shut up when Choi Jongin¡¯s eyes flared,. . ¡°I mean . Let¡¯s leak this to the press . ¡±. . ¡®Oooooooh!¡¯. . Jo Myunggi finally realized what his Guildmaster was saying,. . ¡°Just imagine the headlines, ¡®The Association¡¯s Mistake, a Large Guild¡¯s Misfortune, and the Mysterious Hunter behind it all . ¡¯ Isn¡¯t this just what the press loves?¡±. . The head of recruitment nodded . Choi Jongin chuckled,. . ¡°Once the media¡¯s attentions fall on Baekho, they¡¯ll have to eventually reveal the identity of their mysterious helper . ¡±. . ¡°That could work!¡±. . Jo Myunggi also laughed . This was the opportunity to strike at Baekho, who was steadily coming after Hunters Guild . The corner¡¯s of Choi Jongin¡¯s mouth rose,. . ¡°Contact the reporters immediately . ¡±. . . . You¡¯ve entered the Dungeon . . . Jinwoo took in the Dungeon¡¯s air when he entered . . . ¡®Whew-¡¯. . Having being stuck in a field-type Dungeon for several days, the cave-type Dungeon¡¯s air felt new to him . Yoo Jinho followed in after him,. . ¡°What do you think the magic beasts this time will be?¡±. . ¡°I wonder¡­¡±. . ¡®I definitely sense something nearby . ¡¯. . But he did not see anything . However, the moment he took a step, bodies started rising here and there from the floor of the cave . . . dudududududu. . dududududu. . The humanoid magic beasts made out of rocks . Yoo Jinho remembered their names,. . ¡°Hyungnim, it¡¯s the stonemen . ¡±. . Jinwoo nodded . Of all the magic beasts that could be found in low-level Dungeons, the stonemen boasted the strongest defense . Basic logic called for magic to overcome the tough exteriors of the stonemen . . . ¡°Here, hold this . ¡±. . The man for whom basic logic did not apply handed the cylindrical object to Yoo Jinho . . . ¡®Holy!¡¯. . Not knowing what was inside, Yoo Jinho flinched as he took the object from Jinwoo, but nothing happened . . . ¡®Is it not a weapon?¡¯. . Meanwhile, Jinwoo stepped towards the stonemen and summoned Baruka¡¯s Tanto and Knight Killer . . . slash!. . In an instant, a stoneman¡¯s head fell to the floor . Jinwoo looked at Baruka¡¯s Tanto with satisfaction,. . ¡®Not bad . ¡¯. . The smiling figure of Jinwoo moved faster than the eye could see . . . step. . The Hunter reappeared behind the group of stonemen . Ten magic beasts fell to the ground . . . collapse. . ¡®My body feels a lot lighter since the Red Gate . ¡¯. . Of course . The man was currently Level 60 . Hunting the bears and White Walkers had raised his levels by 9 from Level 51 . The magic beasts of the C-rank Dungeon now felt like the goblins from E-rank Dungeons . . . ¡®I don¡¯t think I need take out a weapon if it¡¯s only this much . ¡¯. . His warm-up was complete . . . ¡®Time to raise the speed . ¡¯. . It was time for them to mobilize . Right on cue, more stonemen appeared from further down the cave . . . ¡®Come forth . ¡¯. . As his order fell, the Shadow Soldiers waiting in his shadow all appeared behind him . A scream followed their appearance,. . ¡°AHHHH!!!!!¡±. . Oh right . Jinwoo facepalmed . . . ¡®Forgot about him . ¡¯. . In his excitement, Jinwoo had forgotten about Yoo Jinho . . . ¡°H-hyuuuungnim . ¡±. . The young man was on his rear wagging a finger at the Shadow Soldiers,. . ¡°W-what are those?¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain¡­ Just think of them as my skill . ¡±. . ¡°Y-you can make something like that with a skill?¡±. . Jinwoo nodded . Yoo Jinho could not close his mouth . . . ¡°Ah¡­¡±. . This was his 11th Raid with hyungnim . The young man had thought that he had seen everything with Jinwoo . That was a grave mistake . As always, hyungnim was someone who surpassed all expectations . . . gulp. . Feeling a dangerous presence coming from the soldiers clad in pitch-black, Yoo Jinho gulped . Jinwoo turned back to the magic beasts . The lumbering stonemen had already arrived before them . Jinwoo raised a chin . . . ¡°Go . ¡±. . The Shadow Soldiers had been waiting for that order . . . STEP STEP STEP STEP. . When the soldiers that neared 40 in number[3] charged at the enemy, their combined movements shook the floors of the cave . As the army included Iron and the Shadow Beasts, the weight of the army had certainly become heavier . . . ¡®Feels like I¡¯ve added a tank division in my army . ¡¯. . Jinwoo looked at the scene with satisfaction . Once his forces were mobilized, the Dungeon was cleared in a blink of an eye . All that remained were the destroyed corpses of the stonemen . The C-rank Dungeon was obliterated in an instant . . . Wow-. . Jinwoo was in awe . . . ¡®At this rate, we can finish the remaining Raids in no time . ¡¯. . It looked like the remaining eight Raids would be over soon . . . step, step, step. . After the battle, the Shadow Soldiers collected the magic cores and lined-up in front of Jinwoo . At their head was Iron and Ygritte[4] . The two knights stood at attention . When the Shadow Soldiers stopped their movements, Yoo Jinho was finally able to move . The young man nervously approached Jinwoo,. . ¡°Hyungnim, here¡­¡±. . He returned the plastic bag with the cylindrical object back to Jinwoo . Jinwoo took out the tumbler and started drinking from it . . . ¡°Hyungnim, what is that?¡±. . ¡°Vegetable juice . ¡±. . ¡°Oh¡­¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s not bad . ¡±. . sip siiiip. . When the tumbler was nearly empty, Jinwoo asked,. . ¡°Jinho, how many Gates did we reserve today?¡±. . The young man was in the middle of reaching out to touch the fur of a Shadow Beast and froze,. . ¡°Four, hyungnim . ¡±. . Four today, then five after that . There was no need to delay it any longer . . . ¡°Then let¡¯s end it tomorrow . It doesn¡¯t matter if we have to travel a bit . ¡±. . ¡°Tomorrow?¡±. . Yoo Jinho looked around . The traces of the massacred stonemen were all around them . The young man nodded,. . ¡®With this speed, it¡¯s more than doable¡­¡¯. . ¡°Understood, hyungnim . But¡­¡±. . The young man hesitated then spoke with difficulty,. . ¡° . Is it okay if I pick up the magic cores?¡±. . ¡°Why?¡±. . ¡°I feel like my job was taken away from me, hyungnim . ¡±. . Jinwoo laughed . . . ¡®He¡¯s really an amusing guy . ¡¯. . And a day later, Jinwoo completed the 19 Raids he had promised to Yoo Jinho . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: Okay, I wondered how I would distinguish ¡°Hunters¡± (guild) from ¡°Hunters¡± (profession) . I¡¯m just going to always make sure their name is followed by the world ¡°Guild¡± . Please note that the guild¡¯s name, ¡°Hunters¡±, is straight up english written in korean . It is not possessive like ¡°Hunter¡¯s Guild¡± . ¡°Hunters¡± is their name . . [2]: Strongest Soldier (????): Pretty literal . There is a little pun in Choi Jongin¡¯s name . The ¡°Strongest Soldier¡± is pronounced Choi-Jong-Byung-Gi . Btw, anyone remember a certain Hunter called the ¡°Weakest Soldier¡±? Now we meet that Hunter¡¯s opposite, hue hue hue¡­. [3]: Okay, so the passages up until now haven¡¯t gotten into detail, but it¡¯s assumed that Jinwoo¡¯s maximum storage limit had been increasing with either level-ups or intelligence increases . This has not been specifically clarified yet . Right after class advancement, the storage limit was 20 . During ice bears part in the red gate, the storage limit was 30, and now, the storage limit is ¡°nearly 40¡± . . [4]: Not sure if people were joking or not, but best girl Ygritte is a man . . Chapter 67 ¡°Hyungnim! Now that we¡¯re done, how about a celebratory dinner?¡± On the drive home, Yoo Jinho carefully brought up the subject. ¡°Celebratory dinner? Just us two?¡± With the final Raid, their raiding party had been disbanded. Han Songyi had told them she had somewhere to be, so it was just Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho in the car. Yoo Jinho shyly continued, ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ve just been getting help from you left and right. I thought I¡¯d treat you today.¡± Why was he so shy about just asking to eat together? Jinwoo grinned. The young man had offered to pay, so he didn¡¯t have any reason to refuse. ¡°Alright.¡± When Jinwoo casually agreed, Yoo Jinho¡¯s face lit up noticeably. ¡°Hyungnim! There¡¯s a high class restaurant at a hotel that I know, how about it? Their steak is to die for.¡± ¡°Nah, nothing like that.¡± Jinwoo wanted to eat with Yoo Jinho somewhere comfortable. A suitable restaurant came into view while driving. tap Jinwoo tapped the car window with his finger. ¡°How about there?¡± ¡°Ah, did you want some hanwoo beef?¡± [1] ¡°No, next to it.¡± Yoo Jinho¡¯s eyes narrowed. Next to it¡­ There was only one other restaurant. [Flower Samgyupsal Day - Thin slice specialty] [2] ¡°Are you talking about the thinly sliced samgyupsal place, hyungnim?¡± ¡°Do you not like samgyupsal?¡± Yoo Jinho smiled brightly, ¡°No, hyungmin. I like it too.¡± After parking the van, the duo entered the shop, only to find it bustling. It was 7 PM, just about time for most restaurants to be packed. ¡°Welcome.¡± A waiter greeted them with a smile. ¡°How many?¡± ¡°Two.¡± ¡°Please, this way.¡± The waiter led them to a spot in a corner. Suddenly, ¡°Hold on.¡± Looking around the restaurant, Yoo Jinho gestured to an empty spot near the windows, ¡°Can we sit there?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. Those tables are reserved¡­¡± It appeared that a large group had reserved a section of the restaurant. Yoo Jinho looked at the wide open tables with disappointment then shook his head. And so, the two men ended up being seated at a corner deep into the restaurant. Yoo Jinho lowered his head, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, hyungnim.¡± ¡°Hmm? What do you have to be sorry for, I was the one who wanted to come here.¡± ¡°Still, I should¡¯ve treated you to somewhere better.¡± Jinwoo smiled and tapped Yoo Jinho¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that and just enjoy the food, ya punk.¡± In fact, Jinwoo was worried that this cheap establishment might not have been to Yoo Jinho¡¯s expensive tastes. ¡®And I didn¡¯t want to mention it, but...¡¯ Jinwoo looked around. The restaurant was packed with people. Because he had often spent time in a quiet solitude at home, a lively atmosphere like this wasn¡¯t exactly bad. ¡°Here is samgyupsal for three and two bottles of soju.¡± [3] Their order had arrived. sizzle- The meat cooked nicely over the pan. The two Hunters dug into the food. One by one, pieces of meat disappeared from the pan. Fortunately, it looked like the young master of a chaebol liked the food. ¡°I often eat samgyupsal with my friends, hyungnim.¡± ¡°Oh yeah? College friends?¡± ¡°Yep. Compared to the rich kids from expensive and prestigious schools, I get along much better with my peers from a normal college.¡± Jinwoo smiled and nodded as Yoo Jinho spoke. It was rather fitting of the young man he had gotten to know. ¡°Here, hyungnim.¡± Yoo Jinho poured Jinwoo a shot of soju. ¡°You too.¡± Jinwoo returned the gesture. gulp gulp They filled each other¡¯s glasses, clinked then drank the shot it one go. ¡°Kyaaaah-¡± However, compared to Yoo Jinho who made a delicious expression, Jinwoo¡¯s face scrunched up in annoyance and realization. ¡°Huh? Hyungnim, is it not to your liking?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s not that¡­¡± Jinwoo stared at his empty glass. Amidst the busy schedule he maintained, he had forgotten about this. ring~ A harmful substance has been detected. The effects of the ¡®Detoxification¡¯ buff will be activated. 3, 2, 1¡­ Detoxification complete. ¡®Right. I can never get drunk again.¡¯ No matter how much he drank, the results were the same. ring~ ring~ ring~ With the ¡®Longevity¡¯ buff in effect, all harmful effects were removed from Jinwoo. The soju he drank was nothing more than bitter water. Jinwoo cursed internally, ¡®Fuck.¡¯ Rather than putting down this useless, bitter liquid, he was better off drinking soda. ¡°Excuse me,¡± Jinwoo flagged a server, ¡°Could we get two more orders of samgyupsal and a bottle of soda?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± When the server walked away, Yoo Jinho tilted his head, ¡°Hyungnim, you¡¯re not going to drink anymore?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that good with alcohol.¡± Jinwoo had replied with an expressionless face, but as always, Yoo Jinho did not take the hint. His face was becoming red with drunkenness, and the young man smiled moronically, ¡®To think that even hyungnim has a human side like this¡­¡¯ Yoo Jinho sent a strange look at Jinwoo, but the man ignored it. ¡®Not like this is the only time the kid¡¯s being weird.¡¯ There was something Jinwoo was curious about however, ¡°So what¡¯s your plan now?¡± When a serious question appeared, Yoo Jinho suddenly sat upright like an interviewee on his first job interview, ¡°After a simple written test at the Association, I will obtain my Guildmaster license, hyungnim. With it, I will go and try to make a deal with my father.¡± The young man¡¯s eyes were filled with determination. He had invested quite a bit of his own money into this plan; there was no room for backing out now. ¡®And I have my promise with hyungnim.¡¯ That building he promised to Jinwoo. He would only be able to keep that promise if he was able to convince his father to hand over the Guildmaster¡¯s position. Meanwhile, Jinwoo was rather carefree about the entire affair. ¡®It¡¯d be nice to get that 30 billion won building, but,¡¯ That was just the tip of the iceberg. His real goal was to level-up. And with the 20 C-rank Dungeons he had conquered with Yoo Jinho, he managed to fulfill that goal plenty of times. The results of that level-up? Kim Cheol was an A-ranker with contract fees probably in the billions, and Jinwoo knocked him out with a single hit. ¡®That means at the very least, I¡¯ll be able to earn more than that shitbag.¡¯ Great income would naturally follow great abilities. There was no need for Jinwoo to worry about money. Because of that, Jinwoo¡¯s face was filled with a carefree expression. As Jinwoo reminisced on the past few days with a smile, Yoo Jinho asked a question, ¡°What about you, hyungnim? What¡¯s your plan now?¡± ¡°Me?¡± Was it something he shouldn¡¯t have asked? Yoo Jinho panicked for a second but relaxed when Jinwoo softened his expression. ¡°I¡¯ll be out of contact for a while. There¡¯s somewhere I have to go.¡± With that sentence, a noticeable frown appeared on Yoo Jinho¡¯s face. The young man looked like a puppy abandoned on the road and drained his glass. tap Yoo Jinho¡¯s placed his glass loudly down on the table. With help from the liquid courage, the young man opened his mouth, ¡°Hyungnim, if I¡¯m just a bother to you, please let me know. I won¡¯t bother you anymore.¡± [4] ¡®This brat¡­¡¯ It seemed that Jinho had mistaken his words about being ¡°out of contact¡± for something else. Jinwoo scratched his temple and spoke, ¡°Jinho.¡± ¡°Yes, hyungnim.¡± ¡°What exactly am I to you?¡± ¡°To me¡­¡± Unable to reply immediately, the young man¡¯s eyes looked to the ceiling. ¡°I have an older brother, about 10 years older than me, hyungnim.¡± Jinwoo had heard of it. Yoo Myunghan¡¯s firstborn, Yoo Jinsung. ¡°My hyung doesn¡¯t like me that much. To be honest, I¡¯ve probably spent more time with you in the past few days compared to my entire life with my hyung. Compared to that older brother, hyungnim saved my life, helped me with my plans¡­¡± Yoo Jinho looked at Jinwoo with a clear eyes, ¡°To me, hyungnim feels more like my older brother than my real brother.¡± [5] Well, he was still scared of Jinwoo from time to time. Still, the memories he had made with Jinwoo in their days together were something he could never forget. The respect Yoo Jinho had for his hyungnim was far greater than any fear. ¡°If you think of me as your older brother,¡± Jinwoo spoke with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll think of you as my little brother.¡± ¡°H-hyungnim¡­¡± With his nose turning red, Yoo Jinho began to cry. Well, Jinwoo could¡¯ve tolerated just crying, but the young man suddenly pushed himself toward Jinwoo, ¡°Hyungnim! I want to give you a hug!¡± ¡°Hey, hey! You¡¯re drunk, you punk!¡± ¡°No, hyungnim! My head has never been clearer than now!¡± ¡°At least keep your eyes open when you¡¯re talking!¡± ¡°Waaaaaaah!¡± Whether he was truly moved or was just drunk, Yoo Jinho put his head on the table and began to cry loudly. Jinwoo gently patted the young man on the shoulder. Soon, Yoo Jinho fell asleep. ¡°Sigh¡­ He¡¯s really something else.¡± Jinwoo leaned back on his chair and bit his tongue. Yoo Jinho. In many ways, he was an annoyance, but Jinwoo did not dislike him. [-And here¡¯s the next report.] Jinwoo turned his head towards the TV. The TV in the restaurant was turned to a news channel. ¡®Is it already 9?¡¯ Jinwoo absentmindedly stared at the screen when a familiar face appeared. ¡®Oh?¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened. Leaving his Guild HQ, Baek Yoonho was assaulted with a barrage of questions from reporters surrounding him. [We¡¯ve received a report saying there was a big accident with the new recruit training, is it true?] [We¡¯ve heard that all the high-ranking Hunters died and only low-rank Hunters lived, do you have any comments?] [There were reports that an unknown helper rescued the survivors, what are your thoughts on this?] The S-ranker did his best to ignore the reporters but eventually relented, [The incident has already been investigated by the Association. It is true that there was an accident during the training, but there was no such thing as an outsider helper. Baekho¡¯s members worked together to clear the Dungeon, but many Hunters fell during the process. That is the final story.] A reporter asked, [Then why are you preventing an interview with the survivors?] [They¡¯ve just barely escaped with their lives from the jaws of death. I would not let them be held to questioning after what they¡¯ve been through. That will be all.] The TV showed Baek Yoonho quickly getting into a car and driving away. Jinwoo¡¯s eyes were wide open. ¡®...Aren¡¯t they talking about me?¡¯ Some time ago. Eastern Seaboard, United States. ¡°AHHHHH!¡± James fell to the ground. With the strength in his legs gone, the man crawled on the floor to escape but realized he had come across a dead-end. All hope left the american. ¡°Oh jesus!¡± The Dungeon this time was A-rank. A raiding party with the appropriate level of power was put together to clear the Dungeon, but the entire party was wiped out. To be accurate, they were knocked out. ¡®Impossible!¡¯ With his back against the wall, James collected his breath and shook his head repeatedly. It truly was an impossible occurrence. When they had first entered the Dungeon, the raiding party had discovered it was completely empty. Not a single magic beast was found. ¡°A Dungeon with no magic beasts?¡± ¡°Is that even possible?¡± ¡°Then where did all the magic power measured outside come from?¡± The Hunters were confused in unison. However, past this strange issue, something even more surprising was found in the boss room. They found a lone magic beast there. A magic beast that looked exactly like a human. That single enemy knocked out the entire raiding party. Strong didn¡¯t even begin to describe this thing. Only James was able to barely escape the boss room. ¡®Wait, was all the magic power measured outside coming from just that one magic beast?¡¯ The A-rank designation was given to the Dungeon after measuring the magic power seeping from the Gate outside. In an ordinary situation, that magic power would be the combined amount leaked by every magic beast in the Dungeon. This time, there was only one entity releasing said magic power. [6] ¡®Impossible.¡¯ But. ¡°Sigh¡­ Come on.¡± (In Korean) That magic beast had appeared in the distance. James screamed, ¡°AHHHHHH!¡± (Screaming in English) ¡°Ow, my ears¡± (In Korean) The magic beast, no, the asian man with overgrown hair and facial hair scratched his head. ¡°Ah, ahh¡­¡± Jame¡¯s screams turned into a groan. The mysterious man stood before the american and put his hands on his hips. ¡°I mean, why¡¯d you attack me like that? I told you, I¡¯m not a magic beast. I¡¯m human.¡± (In Korean) James could not understand the man. His face just turned whiter and whiter. The asian man stared at the panicking american, wondering what he should do. He sighed deeply. ¡°Not like you yankees can understand me.¡± (In Korean) Still, the man attempted communication. He squatted down to sit at an eye level with James, then tried to speak as friendly as possible, ¡°Hey, hey¡± (In broken English) The man tried to remember what little English he knew. ¡°Aim Coreaun.¡± [I¡¯m Korean] He did his best to speak as clearly as possible, ¡°Ai wanteu to go hom.¡± [I want to go home] Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Hanwoo beef¡± (??): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanwoo . Just a breed of cattle in Korea famous for their deliciousness. [2]: ¡°Samgyupsal¡± (???): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samgyeopsal . staple of korean bbq; pork belly meat to be self grilled over a flame. [3]: ¡°Soju¡± (??): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soju . we are just going all over korean culture today. Traditional korean alcohol that often (often is an understatement) accompanies group meals. [4]: BEST LITTLE BROTHER [5]: BEST. LITTLE. BROTHER. [6]: Just a small reminder that as you go up in the rank of Dungeons, the difficulty rises exponentially (just like power level of Hunters). Logically speaking, multiple X-rankers are needed to conquer an X-rank Dungeon. If all the magic power of a dungeon came from a single entity in a X-rank Dungeon, that entity would be massively stronger than a single corresponding X-rank Hunter. On top of that, high-level Dungeons (B, A, S) require Hunters with higher rank than a given Dungeon¡¯s rank. For example, Baek Yoonho implied that multiple A-rankers would be needed to clear a B-rank Dungeon (Chapter 59). A larger number of A-rankers and maybe even some S-rankers are needed to clear an A-rank Gate, and a shit ton of S-rankers are needed to even have a chance of clearing an S-rank Gate (Jinwoo notes in Chapter 28 that a team of only S-rankers would have 50% of clearing an S-rank Dungeon). Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 67. . ¡°Hyungnim! Now that we¡¯re done, how about a celebratory dinner?¡±. . On the drive home, Yoo Jinho carefully brought up the subject.. . ¡°Celebratory dinner? Just us two?¡±. . With the final Raid, their raiding party had been disbanded. Han Songyi had told them she had somewhere to be, so it was just Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho in the car. Yoo Jinho shyly continued,. . ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ve just been getting help from you left and right. I thought I¡¯d treat you today.¡±. . Why was he so shy about just asking to eat together? Jinwoo grinned. The young man had offered to pay, so he didn¡¯t have any reason to refuse.. . ¡°Alright.¡±. . When Jinwoo casually agreed, Yoo Jinho¡¯s face lit up noticeably.. . ¡°Hyungnim! There¡¯s a high class restaurant at a hotel that I know, how about it? Their steak is to die for.¡±. . ¡°Nah, nothing like that.¡±. . Jinwoo wanted to eat with Yoo Jinho somewhere comfortable. A suitable restaurant came into view while driving.. . tap. . Jinwoo tapped the car window with his finger.. . ¡°How about there?¡±. . ¡°Ah, did you want some hanwoo beef?¡± [1]. . ¡°No, next to it.¡±. . Yoo Jinho¡¯s eyes narrowed. Next to it¡­ There was only one other restaurant.. . [Flower Samgyupsal Day - Thin slice specialty] [2]. . ¡°Are you talking about the thinly sliced samgyupsal place, hyungnim?¡±. . ¡°Do you not like samgyupsal?¡±. . Yoo Jinho smiled brightly,. . ¡°No, hyungmin. I like it too.¡±. . After parking the van, the duo entered the shop, only to find it bustling. It was 7 PM, just about time for most restaurants to be packed.. . ¡°Welcome.¡±. . A waiter greeted them with a smile.. . ¡°How many?¡±. ¡°Two.¡±. ¡°Please, this way.¡±. . The waiter led them to a spot in a corner. Suddenly,. . ¡°Hold on.¡±. . Looking around the restaurant, Yoo Jinho gestured to an empty spot near the windows,. . ¡°Can we sit there?¡±. . ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. Those tables are reserved¡­¡±. . It appeared that a large group had reserved a section of the restaurant. Yoo Jinho looked at the wide open tables with disappointment then shook his head. And so, the two men ended up being seated at a corner deep into the restaurant. Yoo Jinho lowered his head,. . ¡°I¡¯m sorry, hyungnim.¡±. . ¡°Hmm? What do you have to be sorry for, I was the one who wanted to come here.¡±. . ¡°Still, I should¡¯ve treated you to somewhere better.¡±. . Jinwoo smiled and tapped Yoo Jinho¡¯s shoulder,. . ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that and just enjoy the food, ya punk.¡±. . In fact, Jinwoo was worried that this cheap establishment might not have been to Yoo Jinho¡¯s expensive tastes.. . ¡®And I didn¡¯t want to mention it, but...¡¯. . Jinwoo looked around. The restaurant was packed with people. Because he had often spent time in a quiet solitude at home, a lively atmosphere like this wasn¡¯t exactly bad.. . ¡°Here is samgyupsal for three and two bottles of soju.¡± [3]. . Their order had arrived.. . sizzle-. . The meat cooked nicely over the pan. The two Hunters dug into the food. One by one, pieces of meat disappeared from the pan. Fortunately, it looked like the young master of a chaebol liked the food.. . ¡°I often eat samgyupsal with my friends, hyungnim.¡±. . ¡°Oh yeah? College friends?¡±. . ¡°Yep. Compared to the rich kids from expensive and prestigious schools, I get along much better with my peers from a normal college.¡±. . Jinwoo smiled and nodded as Yoo Jinho spoke. It was rather fitting of the young man he had gotten to know.. . ¡°Here, hyungnim.¡±. . Yoo Jinho poured Jinwoo a shot of soju.. . ¡°You too.¡±. . Jinwoo returned the gesture.. . gulp gulp. . They filled each other¡¯s glasses, clinked then drank the shot it one go.. . ¡°Kyaaaah-¡±. . However, compared to Yoo Jinho who made a delicious expression, Jinwoo¡¯s face scrunched up in annoyance and realization.. . ¡°Huh? Hyungnim, is it not to your liking?¡±. . ¡°No. It¡¯s not that¡­¡±. . Jinwoo stared at his empty glass. Amidst the busy schedule he maintained, he had forgotten about this.. . ring~. . A harmful substance has been detected.. The effects of the ¡®Detoxification¡¯ buff will be activated.. 3, 2, 1¡­ Detoxification complete.. . ¡®Right. I can never get drunk again.¡¯. . No matter how much he drank, the results were the same.. . ring~ ring~ ring~. . With the ¡®Longevity¡¯ buff in effect, all harmful effects were removed from Jinwoo. The soju he drank was nothing more than bitter water. Jinwoo cursed internally,. . ¡®Fuck.¡¯. . Rather than putting down this useless, bitter liquid, he was better off drinking soda.. . ¡°Excuse me,¡±. . Jinwoo flagged a server,. . ¡°Could we get two more orders of samgyupsal and a bottle of soda?¡±. . ¡°Of course.¡±. . When the server walked away, Yoo Jinho tilted his head,. . ¡°Hyungnim, you¡¯re not going to drink anymore?¡±. . ¡°I¡¯m not that good with alcohol.¡±. . Jinwoo had replied with an expressionless face, but as always, Yoo Jinho did not take the hint. His face was becoming red with drunkenness, and the young man smiled moronically,. . ¡®To think that even hyungnim has a human side like this¡­¡¯. . Yoo Jinho sent a strange look at Jinwoo, but the man ignored it.. . ¡®Not like this is the only time the kid¡¯s being weird.¡¯. . There was something Jinwoo was curious about however,. . ¡°So what¡¯s your plan now?¡±. . When a serious question appeared, Yoo Jinho suddenly sat upright like an interviewee on his first job interview,. . ¡°After a simple written test at the Association, I will obtain my Guildmaster license, hyungnim. With it, I will go and try to make a deal with my father.¡±. . The young man¡¯s eyes were filled with determination. He had invested quite a bit of his own money into this plan; there was no room for backing out now.. . ¡®And I have my promise with hyungnim.¡¯. . That building he promised to Jinwoo. He would only be able to keep that promise if he was able to convince his father to hand over the Guildmaster¡¯s position. Meanwhile, Jinwoo was rather carefree about the entire affair.. . ¡®It¡¯d be nice to get that 30 billion won building, but,¡¯. . That was just the tip of the iceberg. His real goal was to level-up. And with the 20 C-rank Dungeons he had conquered with Yoo Jinho, he managed to fulfill that goal plenty of times. The results of that level-up? Kim Cheol was an A-ranker with contract fees probably in the billions, and Jinwoo knocked him out with a single hit.. . ¡®That means at the very least, I¡¯ll be able to earn more than that shitbag.¡¯. . Great income would naturally follow great abilities. There was no need for Jinwoo to worry about money. Because of that, Jinwoo¡¯s face was filled with a carefree expression. As Jinwoo reminisced on the past few days with a smile, Yoo Jinho asked a question,. . ¡°What about you, hyungnim? What¡¯s your plan now?¡±. . ¡°Me?¡±. . Was it something he shouldn¡¯t have asked? Yoo Jinho panicked for a second but relaxed when Jinwoo softened his expression.. . ¡°I¡¯ll be out of contact for a while. There¡¯s somewhere I have to go.¡±. . With that sentence, a noticeable frown appeared on Yoo Jinho¡¯s face. The young man looked like a puppy abandoned on the road and drained his glass.. . tap. . Yoo Jinho¡¯s placed his glass loudly down on the table. With help from the liquid courage, the young man opened his mouth,. . ¡°Hyungnim, if I¡¯m just a bother to you, please let me know. I won¡¯t bother you anymore.¡± [4]. . ¡®This brat¡­¡¯. . It seemed that Jinho had mistaken his words about being ¡°out of contact¡± for something else. Jinwoo scratched his temple and spoke,. . ¡°Jinho.¡±. . ¡°Yes, hyungnim.¡±. . ¡°What exactly am I to you?¡±. . ¡°To me¡­¡±. . Unable to reply immediately, the young man¡¯s eyes looked to the ceiling.. . ¡°I have an older brother, about 10 years older than me, hyungnim.¡±. . Jinwoo had heard of it. Yoo Myunghan¡¯s firstborn, Yoo Jinsung.. . ¡°My hyung doesn¡¯t like me that much. To be honest, I¡¯ve probably spent more time with you in the past few days compared to my entire life with my hyung. Compared to that older brother, hyungnim saved my life, helped me with my plans¡­¡±. . Yoo Jinho looked at Jinwoo with a clear eyes,. . ¡°To me, hyungnim feels more like my older brother than my real brother.¡± [5]. . Well, he was still scared of Jinwoo from time to time. Still, the memories he had made with Jinwoo in their days together were something he could never forget. The respect Yoo Jinho had for his hyungnim was far greater than any fear.. . ¡°If you think of me as your older brother,¡±. . Jinwoo spoke with a smile,. . ¡°I¡¯ll think of you as my little brother.¡±. . ¡°H-hyungnim¡­¡±. . With his nose turning red, Yoo Jinho began to cry. Well, Jinwoo could¡¯ve tolerated just crying, but the young man suddenly pushed himself toward Jinwoo,. . ¡°Hyungnim! I want to give you a hug!¡±. . ¡°Hey, hey! You¡¯re drunk, you punk!¡±. . ¡°No, hyungnim! My head has never been clearer than now!¡±. . ¡°At least keep your eyes open when you¡¯re talking!¡±. . ¡°Waaaaaaah!¡±. . Whether he was truly moved or was just drunk, Yoo Jinho put his head on the table and began to cry loudly. Jinwoo gently patted the young man on the shoulder. Soon, Yoo Jinho fell asleep.. . ¡°Sigh¡­ He¡¯s really something else.¡±. . Jinwoo leaned back on his chair and bit his tongue.. . Yoo Jinho. In many ways, he was an annoyance, but Jinwoo did not dislike him.. . [-And here¡¯s the next report.]. . Jinwoo turned his head towards the TV. The TV in the restaurant was turned to a news channel.. . ¡®Is it already 9?¡¯. . Jinwoo absentmindedly stared at the screen when a familiar face appeared.. . ¡®Oh?¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened. Leaving his Guild HQ, Baek Yoonho was assaulted with a barrage of questions from reporters surrounding him.. . [We¡¯ve received a report saying there was a big accident with the new recruit training, is it true?]. [We¡¯ve heard that all the high-ranking Hunters died and only low-rank Hunters lived, do you have any comments?]. [There were reports that an unknown helper rescued the survivors, what are your thoughts on this?]. . The S-ranker did his best to ignore the reporters but eventually relented,. . [The incident has already been investigated by the Association. It is true that there was an accident during the training, but there was no such thing as an outsider helper. Baekho¡¯s members worked together to clear the Dungeon, but many Hunters fell during the process. That is the final story.]. . A reporter asked,. . [Then why are you preventing an interview with the survivors?]. . [They¡¯ve just barely escaped with their lives from the jaws of death. I would not let them be held to questioning after what they¡¯ve been through. That will be all.]. . The TV showed Baek Yoonho quickly getting into a car and driving away. Jinwoo¡¯s eyes were wide open.. . ¡®...Aren¡¯t they talking about me?¡¯. . . . Some time ago. . . Eastern Seaboard, United States.. . ¡°AHHHHH!¡±. . James fell to the ground. With the strength in his legs gone, the man crawled on the floor to escape but realized he had come across a dead-end. All hope left the american.. . ¡°Oh jesus!¡±. . The Dungeon this time was A-rank. A raiding party with the appropriate level of power was put together to clear the Dungeon, but the entire party was wiped out. To be accurate, they were knocked out.. . ¡®Impossible!¡¯. . With his back against the wall, James collected his breath and shook his head repeatedly. It truly was an impossible occurrence. When they had first entered the Dungeon, the raiding party had discovered it was completely empty. Not a single magic beast was found.. . ¡°A Dungeon with no magic beasts?¡±. ¡°Is that even possible?¡±. ¡°Then where did all the magic power measured outside come from?¡±. . The Hunters were confused in unison. However, past this strange issue, something even more surprising was found in the boss room. They found a lone magic beast there. A magic beast that looked exactly like a human. That single enemy knocked out the entire raiding party. Strong didn¡¯t even begin to describe this thing. Only James was able to barely escape the boss room.. . ¡®Wait, was all the magic power measured outside coming from just that one magic beast?¡¯. . The A-rank designation was given to the Dungeon after measuring the magic power seeping from the Gate outside. In an ordinary situation, that magic power would be the combined amount leaked by every magic beast in the Dungeon. This time, there was only one entity releasing said magic power. [6]. . ¡®Impossible.¡¯. . But.. . ¡°Sigh¡­ Come on.¡± (In Korean). . That magic beast had appeared in the distance. James screamed,. . ¡°AHHHHHH!¡± (Screaming in English). . ¡°Ow, my ears¡± (In Korean). . The magic beast, no, the asian man with overgrown hair and facial hair scratched his head.. . ¡°Ah, ahh¡­¡±. . Jame¡¯s screams turned into a groan. The mysterious man stood before the american and put his hands on his hips.. . ¡°I mean, why¡¯d you attack me like that? I told you, I¡¯m not a magic beast. I¡¯m human.¡± (In Korean). . James could not understand the man. His face just turned whiter and whiter. The asian man stared at the panicking american, wondering what he should do. He sighed deeply.. . ¡°Not like you yankees can understand me.¡± (In Korean). . Still, the man attempted communication. He squatted down to sit at an eye level with James, then tried to speak as friendly as possible,. . ¡°Hey, hey¡± (In broken English). . The man tried to remember what little English he knew.. . ¡°Aim Coreaun.¡± [I¡¯m Korean]. . He did his best to speak as clearly as possible,. . ¡°Ai wanteu to go hom.¡± [I want to go home]. . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Hanwoo beef¡± (??): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanwoo . Just a breed of cattle in Korea famous for their deliciousness.. [2]: ¡°Samgyupsal¡± (???): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samgyeopsal . staple of korean bbq; pork belly meat to be self grilled over a flame.. [3]: ¡°Soju¡± (??): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soju . we are just going all over korean culture today. Traditional korean alcohol that often (often is an understatement) accompanies group meals.. [4]: BEST LITTLE BROTHER. [5]: BEST. LITTLE. BROTHER.. [6]: Just a small reminder that as you go up in the rank of Dungeons, the difficulty rises exponentially (just like power level of Hunters). Logically speaking, multiple X-rankers are needed to conquer an X-rank Dungeon. If all the magic power of a dungeon came from a single entity in a X-rank Dungeon, that entity would be massively stronger than a single corresponding X-rank Hunter. On top of that, high-level Dungeons (B, A, S) require Hunters with higher rank than a given Dungeon¡¯s rank. For example, Baek Yoonho implied that multiple A-rankers would be needed to clear a B-rank Dungeon (Chapter 59). A larger number of A-rankers and maybe even some S-rankers are needed to clear an A-rank Gate, and a shit ton of S-rankers are needed to even have a chance of clearing an S-rank Gate (Jinwoo notes in Chapter 28 that a team of only S-rankers would have 50% of clearing an S-rank Dungeon).. Chapter 68 It was an unprecedented news! A living human came out of a Dungeon! The Federal Bureau of Hunters (FBH) was called in an emergency . The Deputy Director of FBH arrived at the interrogation room . He was on one side of a one-way mirror, looking at an asian man in handcuffs on the other side . ¡°Is that him?¡± ¡°Yes, sir . ¡± ¡°Looks human to me . ¡± ¡°I agree, sir . ¡± Indeed . If he cleaned up his messily grown hair and facial hair, he would¡¯ve looked like an ordinary, middle-aged asian man . ¡°Did he say anything about himself?¡± ¡°He¡¯s claiming that he¡¯s a Hunter from South Korea . ¡± ¡°South Korea?¡± ¡°Yes, sir . ¡± ¡°How the hell did a Hunter from South Korea come out of a Dungeon on the other side of the world?¡± ¡°He says he was stranded in the Dungeon 10 years ago when the Gate closed before he could leave . ¡± ¡°And when he opened his eyes, he was in the states?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what he¡¯s claiming . ¡± The deputy director placed a hand on his forehead . How to explain all this to the director? He already felt a headache coming on . ¡°So why are you just waiting out here? Shouldn¡¯t someone be in there interrogating him?¡± Forget the director, this might make its way up high into the chain of command . They shouldn¡¯t be wasting time like this . However, the head of interrogation had other thoughts, ¡°It is one of our theories that that man is a magic beast that somehow obtained a human¡¯s memories . ¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°If it reveals its true nature during interrogation, the entire capitol might be placed in danger . ¡± [1] It certainly was a possibility . According to the report, even a raiding party with multiple A-rankers were taken down by this thing . They could not make any careless movements . ¡°So we need a capable Hunter to perform the interrogation . ¡± An S-ranker if possible . The head of interrogation nodded, ¡°Fortunately, there is an S-rank Hunter nearby fluent in Korean . ¡± The deputy director¡¯s face brightened . He was the Deputy Director of the FBH; the man was familiar with every single S-rank Hunter working in the U . S . ¡°Mr . Hwang! Is he on the way?¡± ¡°Yes, sir . ¡± One of the main Hunters of Scavenger, Hwang Dongsoo . Bringing him to the U . S . required quite an effort by the FBH . ¡®But if it¡¯s him¡­¡¯ There shouldn¡¯t be any problems . The deputy director smiled . ¡°Oh right,¡± He had forgotten to ask . To report this to the higher-ups, he had to at least know the target¡¯s name . ¡°What did that man say his name was?¡± The head of interrogations had trouble pronouncing the name . He checked the report from his subordinates, ¡°A Hunter from South Korea . His name is Sung Ilhwan . ¡± Hwang Dongsoo was a merciless person . Especially to magic beasts . Because of a Dungeon Break, he had lost his parents and grew up under his older brother . And when he Awakened as an S-ranker, he considered it a blessing from the heavens . ¡®The chance to rip apart magic beasts without mercy!¡¯ And so, the S-ranker entered the interrogation with a cold attitude . A man from a Dungeon . They even said the wavelength of his magic power matched the pattern of magic beasts . ¡®If it¡¯s a magic beast imitating a human¡­¡¯ He would kill it on the spot . He had accepted the request from the FBH with that in mind . Hwang Dongsoo met the eyes of the man . ¡® . . . ¡¯ ¡® . . . ¡¯ The pair exchanged looks . Hwang Dongsoo placed the man¡¯s file on the table and leaned back on the chair, ¡°I suggest you cooperate . My word will determine whether or not you¡¯re a human or a magic beast . ¡± ¡°Alright . ¡± Before starting the official interrogation, Hwang Dongsoo asked a personal question . They said his brother died in the Dungeon . Was there a chance he could come back? The S-ranker wanted to know, ¡°Is it possible for other Hunters to come back like you?¡± The man shook his head . Hwang Dongsoo¡¯s brows twitched, ¡°How can you be sure?¡± ¡°Because I know the reason why I was able to return . ¡± ¡°Reason? What reason?¡± ¡°Before that, let me ask you something,¡± ¡° . . . I¡¯m the one asking the questions . ¡± Hwang Dongsoo¡¯s eyes narrowed[2] . However, the man ignored him and continued, ¡°Gates, magic beasts, Dungeon Breaks . Just what do you know about all of that?¡± ¡° . . . ¡± If it was a boring question, Hwang Dongsoo would¡¯ve used his strength to silence the man . But it was not a boring question . Since the Gates first started appearing 10 years ago, followed by the Awakened Beings, many had challenged that question but to no avail . This might be an opportunity to finally obtain some answers . ¡°Deputy director¡­¡± ¡°Shh . ¡± The FBH employees across the one-way mirror gulped . Hwang Dongsoo asked, ¡°Are you saying you know?¡± ¡°Dungeons, Gates, magic beasts¡­ They are all but a prelude to the real war that¡¯s coming . And the existence that will become the greatest disaster of that war just opened its eyes . ¡± ¡°Then the reason you are here is?¡± ¡°To prevent that disaster . ¡± ¡°What exactly is this ¡°greatest disaster¡±?¡± ¡° . . . That I cannot say . ¡± Hwang Dongsoo sneered, ¡°If you truly are a human who came here to prevent a disaster, why can¡¯t you reveal any details? No matter what it is, wouldn¡¯t it be better to work together?¡± The man shook his head, ¡°Numbers mean nothing in front of its power . Weaklings grouping up will only become used by it . ¡± ¡°And only you can stop it?¡± The man nodded . Hwang Dongsoo clicked his tongue in his mind . ¡®He¡¯s fucking crazy . ¡¯ Well, it made sense if the man was stranded in a Dungeon for 10 years . Or, it could just be that a magic beast imitating a human made an error . Hwang Dongsoo decided to entertain the man¡¯s delusions, ¡°You must be quite confident in your abilities . ¡± ¡°I have a certain qualification other than abilities . ¡± ¡°Well, of course, of course . ¡± What could they hope to learn from a crazy man? Hwang Dongsoo decided he was done asking questions . Instead, he opened the file given to him by the FBH . It was a list of information and questions to confirm the man¡¯s identity . ¡°Name, Sung Ilhwan¡­¡± The picture in the file was a perfect match . ¡®Instead of 10 years, it looks like only few weeks or months passed . ¡¯ But Hwang Dongsoo did not pay it much mind . After all, they say high-ranking Hunters can even slow their aging . ¡°Your accomplishments as a Hunter are rather impressive . You could earn quite a bit in today¡¯s world . ¡± Sung Ilhwan did not reply . At the time, the system of classifying Hunters did not exist . They were not even assigned rankings . Hwang Dongsoo continued through the document, ¡°Wife, Park Gyunghae . Two kids, son¡¯s name is¡­¡± Absentmindedly reading down the list, Hwang Dongsoo froze for the briefest of moments when he got to the son¡¯s name, ¡®Sung Jinwoo?¡¯ Hwang Dongsoo continued without showing any indication, ¡° . . . Sung Jinwoo . What is your daughter¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Sung Jinah . ¡± ¡°Okay, next . ¡± Suddenly, ¡°Hold on . ¡± Hwang Dongsoo was about to flip to the next page when Sung Ilhwan stopped him . The S-ranker raised his head without much thought . Sung Ilhwan¡¯s face had turned as cold as Hwang Dongsoo¡¯s, ¡°Why did I feel a killing intent when you read my son¡¯s name?¡± ¡° . . . ¡± tak The file was tossed to the table . Hwang Dongsoo turned off the microphone connecting to the outside . ¡°I thought I said I would be the one asking questions . ¡± ¡°I need to hear your answer . ¡± ¡°And if I refuse?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have you talk with force . ¡± Sung Ilhwan¡¯s eyes flared . The man was not about to back off . With that, Hwang Dongsoo sneered widely, ¡°Alright . You¡¯re a magic beast . ¡± How dare a mere magic beast threaten a Hunter? Feeling Sung Ilhwan emit a powerful hostility toward him, Hwang Dongsoo felt that it was enough evidence to claim the man was a magic beast . ¡®Perhaps the heavens have blessed me again . ¡¯ Having made his conclusion without much thought, Hwang Dongsoo turned on the microphone again . beep ¡°Deputy director, this man is a magic beast . He¡¯s going to attack soon, please evacuate . ¡± - ¡°What? Hey, wait!¡± beep The presences he felt on the other side of the one-way mirror panicked then ran off . The a siren rang loudly throughout the building . Hwang Dongsoo¡¯s fists began to glow with a silver light . ¡°I will be visiting Korea soon . ¡± Finishing his preparations, Hwang Dongsoo¡¯s lips made an ugly smile towards Sung Ilhwan, ¡°What should I tell your son his father¡¯s last words were?¡± The TV continued to report on the Red Gate incident . Jinwoo scratched the back of his head . ¡®Things are about to get really loud . ¡¯ However, he did not feel an annoyance . Just a strangeness . Strangers on the TV were reporting left and right trying to figure out Jinwoo¡¯s identity . And if they succeeded? It did not matter . ¡®I¡¯ve become strong enough . ¡¯ The reason why he had hid his power up until now was to avoid being used by someone . But things were different . Baek Yoonho . Jinwoo was able to throw aside the grip of the S-rank Guildmaster of Baekho . That¡¯s how strong he had become . It was an unthinkable action in the past . ¡®I would¡¯ve probably pissed my pants if I saw those eyes in the past . ¡¯ A light smile appeared on Jinwoo¡¯s face . It was moments like this you had enjoy in drunkenness . ring~ A harmful substance has been detected . The effects of the ¡®Detoxification¡¯ buff will be activated . 3, 2, 1¡­ Detoxification complete . Unfortunately, that much was not allowed for him . Jinwoo chuckled in defeat . Putting down the shot glass, his expression became serious again . ¡®Still, I¡¯m not stopping here . ¡¯ Jinwoo brought up the status screen . ring~ Name: Sung Jinwoo Level: 61 Class: Monarch of Shadows Title: One Who . . . ( . . . 1 more) HP: 13,001 MP: 1,677 Fatigue: 0 Stats Strength: 142 Constitution: 101 Agility: 121 Intelligence: 99 [3] Sense: 103 (Available stat points: 0) Physical Damage Reduction: 46% Level 61 . Having invested all the points from the daily quest, even his intelligence was nearing 100 . ¡®I still have a long way to go¡­¡¯ Yes, a long way to go . To a higher place . Somewhere no one could dare to reach him . For a start, he would begin with the Demon Castle . ¡®The System definitely told me it¡¯s something I want . ¡¯ He recalled the description on the Blessed Random Box, Blessed Random Box Will provide what the ¡®Player¡¯ wants . And the Demon Castle Key came out of that box . High-leveled monsters and great rewards . He had already confirmed this with the Cerberus . No matter what was inside, Jinwoo was sure that it would be just as great . It was finally time to return to that place . In fact, he planned on staying there for a few days . He just had one issue, ¡®Once I¡¯m inside, I won¡¯t be able to make contact with the outside world . ¡¯ What would he tell his little sister? He would have to think of an excuse . Jinwoo stood up . tap tap ¡°Jinho . ¡± tap tap ¡°Yoo Jinho . ¡± ¡°Mm-what . ¡± Jinwoo shook and lightly slapped the young man, but Yoo Jinho was completely out . What to do now? ¡®Didn¡¯t this fool say he was going to take the test at the Association tomorrow?¡¯ Forget the test, Jinwoo had to get Yoo Jinho home somehow . He picked up Jinho¡¯s phone . ¡°Of course I can¡¯t call Chairman Yoo Myunghan or Yoo Jinsung . ¡± Was there anyone else he could call to pick up Yoo Jinho? Looking through the contact list, Jinwoo noted a name . ¡®Yoo Soohyun?¡¯ Unlike the heir¡¯s father or brother, the young man had contacted this person quite a bit . It looked like a girl¡¯s name¡­ Considering calling her for a moment, Jinwoo put the phone down . ¡®What if,¡¯ Jinwoo looked through the shop and found what he was looking for . Status Recovery Potion Rarity: E Type: Consumable Drink to recover your status . You may keep this item in your inventory . Untradeable . After confirming the transaction, a yellow bottle appeared on the table . It was different from the red healing potions or the blue mana potions . Jinwoo looked around, then quickly tilted Yoo Jinho¡¯s head back and poured the potion down his throat . The effects took in an instant . Yoo Jinho¡¯s eyes shot open . ¡°Hyungnim?¡± ¡°You awake now?¡± His head was tilted back . His hyungnim was standing over him, looking down . ¡°Hyungnim, what are you doing?¡± ¡° . . . ¡± Jinwoo could not figure out how to explain all this . He decided to feign ignorance . ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡± ¡°Yes, hyungnim!¡± Yoo Jinho quickly got up from his seat and was confused . ¡®Huh? Why does my body feel so light?¡¯ The young man stretched his body here and there, then ran after Jinwoo with a bright expression . As the pair left the restaurant, the news on the TV continued, [-Here¡¯s the next report . The U . S . government remains silent on the explosion at the FBH headquarters few days ago¡­] Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: It was noted in previous chapters, but the FBH HQ is in Washington, D . C . [2]: Found another mistake in the original text! In the original text, it says Hwang Dongseok (the dead older brother¡¯s name) here, xD . Your welcome, author! [3]: Ok, I think I found another error here . The original text says his intelligence was 89, but that doesn¡¯t make sense considering he gained 10 levels since the last time we saw his status screen (level 51, int was 80) . So his int should be at least 90 . Also, right next in the passage, he says he put in all of the daily quest points into int . It¡¯s been 3 days since he left the red gate, that should be 9 points into int, so I think it should be 99 . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 68. . It was an unprecedented news!. . A living human came out of a Dungeon!. . The Federal Bureau of Hunters (FBH) was called in an emergency . The Deputy Director of FBH arrived at the interrogation room . He was on one side of a one-way mirror, looking at an asian man in handcuffs on the other side . . . ¡°Is that him?¡±. ¡°Yes, sir . ¡±. ¡°Looks human to me . ¡±. ¡°I agree, sir . ¡±. . Indeed . If he cleaned up his messily grown hair and facial hair, he would¡¯ve looked like an ordinary, middle-aged asian man . . . ¡°Did he say anything about himself?¡±. ¡°He¡¯s claiming that he¡¯s a Hunter from South Korea . ¡±. ¡°South Korea?¡±. ¡°Yes, sir . ¡±. ¡°How the hell did a Hunter from South Korea come out of a Dungeon on the other side of the world?¡±. ¡°He says he was stranded in the Dungeon 10 years ago when the Gate closed before he could leave . ¡±. ¡°And when he opened his eyes, he was in the states?¡±. ¡°That¡¯s what he¡¯s claiming . ¡±. . The deputy director placed a hand on his forehead . How to explain all this to the director? He already felt a headache coming on . . . ¡°So why are you just waiting out here? Shouldn¡¯t someone be in there interrogating him?¡±. . Forget the director, this might make its way up high into the chain of command . They shouldn¡¯t be wasting time like this . However, the head of interrogation had other thoughts,. . ¡°It is one of our theories that that man is a magic beast that somehow obtained a human¡¯s memories . ¡±. ¡°So?¡±. ¡°If it reveals its true nature during interrogation, the entire capitol might be placed in danger . ¡± [1]. . It certainly was a possibility . According to the report, even a raiding party with multiple A-rankers were taken down by this thing . They could not make any careless movements . . . ¡°So we need a capable Hunter to perform the interrogation . ¡±. . An S-ranker if possible . The head of interrogation nodded,. . ¡°Fortunately, there is an S-rank Hunter nearby fluent in Korean . ¡±. . The deputy director¡¯s face brightened . He was the Deputy Director of the FBH; the man was familiar with every single S-rank Hunter working in the U . S . . . ¡°Mr . Hwang! Is he on the way?¡±. ¡°Yes, sir . ¡±. . One of the main Hunters of Scavenger, Hwang Dongsoo . Bringing him to the U . S . required quite an effort by the FBH . . . ¡®But if it¡¯s him¡­¡¯. . There shouldn¡¯t be any problems . The deputy director smiled . . . ¡°Oh right,¡±. . He had forgotten to ask . To report this to the higher-ups, he had to at least know the target¡¯s name . . . ¡°What did that man say his name was?¡±. . The head of interrogations had trouble pronouncing the name . He checked the report from his subordinates,. . ¡°A Hunter from South Korea . His name is Sung Ilhwan . ¡±. . . . Hwang Dongsoo was a merciless person . Especially to magic beasts . Because of a Dungeon Break, he had lost his parents and grew up under his older brother . And when he Awakened as an S-ranker, he considered it a blessing from the heavens . . . ¡®The chance to rip apart magic beasts without mercy!¡¯. . And so, the S-ranker entered the interrogation with a cold attitude . A man from a Dungeon . They even said the wavelength of his magic power matched the pattern of magic beasts . . . ¡®If it¡¯s a magic beast imitating a human¡­¡¯. . He would kill it on the spot . He had accepted the request from the FBH with that in mind . . . Hwang Dongsoo met the eyes of the man . . . ¡® . ¡¯. ¡® . ¡¯. . The pair exchanged looks . Hwang Dongsoo placed the man¡¯s file on the table and leaned back on the chair,. . ¡°I suggest you cooperate . My word will determine whether or not you¡¯re a human or a magic beast . ¡±. . ¡°Alright . ¡±. . Before starting the official interrogation, Hwang Dongsoo asked a personal question . They said his brother died in the Dungeon . Was there a chance he could come back? The S-ranker wanted to know,. . ¡°Is it possible for other Hunters to come back like you?¡±. . The man shook his head . Hwang Dongsoo¡¯s brows twitched,. . ¡°How can you be sure?¡±. . ¡°Because I know the reason why I was able to return . ¡±. . ¡°Reason? What reason?¡±. . ¡°Before that, let me ask you something,¡±. . ¡° . I¡¯m the one asking the questions . ¡±. . Hwang Dongsoo¡¯s eyes narrowed[2] . However, the man ignored him and continued,. . ¡°Gates, magic beasts, Dungeon Breaks . Just what do you know about all of that?¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . If it was a boring question, Hwang Dongsoo would¡¯ve used his strength to silence the man . But it was not a boring question . Since the Gates first started appearing 10 years ago, followed by the Awakened Beings, many had challenged that question but to no avail . This might be an opportunity to finally obtain some answers . . . ¡°Deputy director¡­¡±. . ¡°Shh . ¡±. . The FBH employees across the one-way mirror gulped . Hwang Dongsoo asked,. . ¡°Are you saying you know?¡±. . ¡°Dungeons, Gates, magic beasts¡­ They are all but a prelude to the real war that¡¯s coming . And the existence that will become the greatest disaster of that war just opened its eyes . ¡±. . ¡°Then the reason you are here is?¡±. . ¡°To prevent that disaster . ¡±. . ¡°What exactly is this ¡°greatest disaster¡±?¡±. . ¡° . That I cannot say . ¡±. . Hwang Dongsoo sneered,. . ¡°If you truly are a human who came here to prevent a disaster, why can¡¯t you reveal any details? No matter what it is, wouldn¡¯t it be better to work together?¡±. . The man shook his head,. . ¡°Numbers mean nothing in front of its power . Weaklings grouping up will only become used by it . ¡±. . ¡°And only you can stop it?¡±. . The man nodded . Hwang Dongsoo clicked his tongue in his mind . . . ¡®He¡¯s fucking crazy . ¡¯. . Well, it made sense if the man was stranded in a Dungeon for 10 years . Or, it could just be that a magic beast imitating a human made an error . Hwang Dongsoo decided to entertain the man¡¯s delusions,. . ¡°You must be quite confident in your abilities . ¡±. . ¡°I have a certain qualification other than abilities . ¡±. . ¡°Well, of course, of course . ¡±. . What could they hope to learn from a crazy man? Hwang Dongsoo decided he was done asking questions . Instead, he opened the file given to him by the FBH . It was a list of information and questions to confirm the man¡¯s identity . . . ¡°Name, Sung Ilhwan¡­¡±. . The picture in the file was a perfect match . . . ¡®Instead of 10 years, it looks like only few weeks or months passed . ¡¯. . But Hwang Dongsoo did not pay it much mind . After all, they say high-ranking Hunters can even slow their aging . . . ¡°Your accomplishments as a Hunter are rather impressive . You could earn quite a bit in today¡¯s world . ¡±. . Sung Ilhwan did not reply . At the time, the system of classifying Hunters did not exist . They were not even assigned rankings . Hwang Dongsoo continued through the document,. . ¡°Wife, Park Gyunghae . Two kids, son¡¯s name is¡­¡±. . Absentmindedly reading down the list, Hwang Dongsoo froze for the briefest of moments when he got to the son¡¯s name,. . ¡®Sung Jinwoo?¡¯. . Hwang Dongsoo continued without showing any indication,. . ¡° . Sung Jinwoo . What is your daughter¡¯s name?¡±. . ¡°Sung Jinah . ¡±. . ¡°Okay, next . ¡±. . Suddenly,. . ¡°Hold on . ¡±. . Hwang Dongsoo was about to flip to the next page when Sung Ilhwan stopped him . The S-ranker raised his head without much thought . Sung Ilhwan¡¯s face had turned as cold as Hwang Dongsoo¡¯s,. . ¡°Why did I feel a killing intent when you read my son¡¯s name?¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . tak. . The file was tossed to the table . Hwang Dongsoo turned off the microphone connecting to the outside . . . ¡°I thought I said I would be the one asking questions . ¡±. . ¡°I need to hear your answer . ¡±. . ¡°And if I refuse?¡±. . ¡°I¡¯ll have you talk with force . ¡±. . Sung Ilhwan¡¯s eyes flared . The man was not about to back off . With that, Hwang Dongsoo sneered widely,. . ¡°Alright . You¡¯re a magic beast . ¡±. . How dare a mere magic beast threaten a Hunter? Feeling Sung Ilhwan emit a powerful hostility toward him, Hwang Dongsoo felt that it was enough evidence to claim the man was a magic beast . . . ¡®Perhaps the heavens have blessed me again . ¡¯. . Having made his conclusion without much thought, Hwang Dongsoo turned on the microphone again . . . beep. . ¡°Deputy director, this man is a magic beast . He¡¯s going to attack soon, please evacuate . ¡±. . - ¡°What? Hey, wait!¡±. . beep. . The presences he felt on the other side of the one-way mirror panicked then ran off . The a siren rang loudly throughout the building . Hwang Dongsoo¡¯s fists began to glow with a silver light . . . ¡°I will be visiting Korea soon . ¡±. . Finishing his preparations, Hwang Dongsoo¡¯s lips made an ugly smile towards Sung Ilhwan,. . ¡°What should I tell your son his father¡¯s last words were?¡±. . . . The TV continued to report on the Red Gate incident . Jinwoo scratched the back of his head . . . ¡®Things are about to get really loud . ¡¯. . However, he did not feel an annoyance . Just a strangeness . Strangers on the TV were reporting left and right trying to figure out Jinwoo¡¯s identity . And if they succeeded? It did not matter . . . ¡®I¡¯ve become strong enough . ¡¯. . The reason why he had hid his power up until now was to avoid being used by someone . But things were different . . . Baek Yoonho . . . Jinwoo was able to throw aside the grip of the S-rank Guildmaster of Baekho . That¡¯s how strong he had become . It was an unthinkable action in the past . . . ¡®I would¡¯ve probably pissed my pants if I saw those eyes in the past . ¡¯. . A light smile appeared on Jinwoo¡¯s face . It was moments like this you had enjoy in drunkenness . . . ring~. . . A harmful substance has been detected . . The effects of the ¡®Detoxification¡¯ buff will be activated . . 3, 2, 1¡­ Detoxification complete . . . Unfortunately, that much was not allowed for him . Jinwoo chuckled in defeat . Putting down the shot glass, his expression became serious again . . . ¡®Still, I¡¯m not stopping here . ¡¯. . Jinwoo brought up the status screen . . . ring~. . Name: Sung Jinwoo. Level: 61. Class: Monarch of Shadows. Title: One Who . ( . 1 more). HP: 13,001. MP: 1,677. Fatigue: 0. Stats. . Strength: 142. Constitution: 101. Agility: 121. Intelligence: 99 [3]. Sense: 103. (Available stat points: 0). Physical Damage Reduction: 46%. . Level 61 . . . Having invested all the points from the daily quest, even his intelligence was nearing 100 . . . ¡®I still have a long way to go¡­¡¯. . Yes, a long way to go . To a higher place . Somewhere no one could dare to reach him . . . For a start, he would begin with the Demon Castle . . . ¡®The System definitely told me it¡¯s something I want . ¡¯. . He recalled the description on the Blessed Random Box,. . Blessed Random Box. Will provide what the ¡®Player¡¯ wants . . . And the Demon Castle Key came out of that box . High-leveled monsters and great rewards . He had already confirmed this with the Cerberus . No matter what was inside, Jinwoo was sure that it would be just as great . It was finally time to return to that place . In fact, he planned on staying there for a few days . He just had one issue,. . ¡®Once I¡¯m inside, I won¡¯t be able to make contact with the outside world . ¡¯. . What would he tell his little sister? He would have to think of an excuse . Jinwoo stood up . . . tap tap. . ¡°Jinho . ¡±. . tap tap. . ¡°Yoo Jinho . ¡±. . ¡°Mm-what . ¡±. . Jinwoo shook and lightly slapped the young man, but Yoo Jinho was completely out . What to do now?. . ¡®Didn¡¯t this fool say he was going to take the test at the Association tomorrow?¡¯. . Forget the test, Jinwoo had to get Yoo Jinho home somehow . He picked up Jinho¡¯s phone . . . ¡°Of course I can¡¯t call Chairman Yoo Myunghan or Yoo Jinsung . ¡±. . Was there anyone else he could call to pick up Yoo Jinho? Looking through the contact list, Jinwoo noted a name . . . ¡®Yoo Soohyun?¡¯. . Unlike the heir¡¯s father or brother, the young man had contacted this person quite a bit . It looked like a girl¡¯s name¡­ Considering calling her for a moment, Jinwoo put the phone down . . . ¡®What if,¡¯. . Jinwoo looked through the shop and found what he was looking for . . . Status Recovery Potion. Rarity: E. Type: Consumable. Drink to recover your status . . You may keep this item in your inventory . . Untradeable . . . After confirming the transaction, a yellow bottle appeared on the table . It was different from the red healing potions or the blue mana potions . Jinwoo looked around, then quickly tilted Yoo Jinho¡¯s head back and poured the potion down his throat . . . The effects took in an instant . . . Yoo Jinho¡¯s eyes shot open . . . ¡°Hyungnim?¡±. . ¡°You awake now?¡±. . His head was tilted back . His hyungnim was standing over him, looking down . . . ¡°Hyungnim, what are you doing?¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . Jinwoo could not figure out how to explain all this . He decided to feign ignorance . . . ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡±. . ¡°Yes, hyungnim!¡±. . Yoo Jinho quickly got up from his seat and was confused . . . ¡®Huh? Why does my body feel so light?¡¯. . The young man stretched his body here and there, then ran after Jinwoo with a bright expression . . . As the pair left the restaurant, the news on the TV continued,. . [-Here¡¯s the next report . The U . S . government remains silent on the explosion at the FBH headquarters few days ago¡­]. . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: It was noted in previous chapters, but the FBH HQ is in Washington, D . C . . [2]: Found another mistake in the original text! In the original text, it says Hwang Dongseok (the dead older brother¡¯s name) here, xD . Your welcome, author!. [3]: Ok, I think I found another error here . The original text says his intelligence was 89, but that doesn¡¯t make sense considering he gained 10 levels since the last time we saw his status screen (level 51, int was 80) . So his int should be at least 90 . Also, right next in the passage, he says he put in all of the daily quest points into int . It¡¯s been 3 days since he left the red gate, that should be 9 points into int, so I think it should be 99 . . Chapter 69 Next morning, Jinwoo went straight to Daesung Tower . ¡®Man, it¡¯s still so tall . ¡¯ A skyscraper with a hundred floors . Standing near it, you¡¯d have to strain your neck to look up to the top . ¡®There are a lot of people here today . ¡¯ Compared to the last time he had come here, there were a lot more people around . Guess that was the literal difference between night and day . Whether it was the lobby, entrance or the sidewalk, people came and went nonstop . ¡®Man, if I just disappeared into thin air like last time, it¡¯ll cause quite a commotion . ¡¯ There were already many eyes looking for him because of this so-called ¡°unknown helper¡± incident . Was there a need for him to reveal himself and purposely attract attention? ¡®Of course not . ¡¯ Jinwoo did not enjoy having attention focused on him . He walked over to a hidden corner and took out the Demon Castle Key . It was a slender, golden key . At a casual glance, it was clearly nonfunctional . ¡®No one¡¯s looking, right?¡¯ Jinwoo looked around and nodded . ¡®Time to go . ¡¯ The Hunter used the ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill . shooo- The invisible man came out of his hiding spot then made his way through the crowd to the building . Because of how packed the streets were, he couldn¡¯t avoid bumping into few people here and there, but none of them paid any mind . ¡®Man, this skill can be used for some really bad things . ¡¯ No wonder high-rankers with ¡®Stealth¡¯ were under a lot of surveillance . flaaaare! In the meantime, he passed through the invisible threshold into a completely different world . ¡®If I can hear the flames from here, just how hot is it?¡¯ Jinwoo looked up at the massive tower on fire . It stood where Daesung Tower was moments ago . The Demon Castle nearly filled his entire vision . Still, they say humans can get used to anything . ¡®Feels less oppressive than last time . ¡¯ Indeed, Jinwoo¡¯s anxiousness was practically nonexistent this time . Or perhaps, ¡®It¡¯s because I¡¯ve grown that much . ¡¯ Jinwoo returned the golden Demon Castle Key to the inventory then took out a gray key . Castle Gate Key Rarity: A-rank Type: Key It is the key to the Demon Castle¡¯s gates . Obtained after killing the Gatekeeper . It was what he obtained after killing the watchdog, Cerberus . He was unable to use it in the past, having just barely defeated Cerberus . Now, he would finally enter the castle . Next, he took out his weapon . Baruka¡¯s Tanto in his right hand, the gate key in his left, Jinwoo carefully walked towards the castle gate . Curiously, he did not see Cerberus . ¡®Do monsters not respawn in the Demon Castle Dungeon?¡¯ Might be just limited to the dog, but there was a strong possibility that it was a special rule of this place . ¡®If that¡¯s the case¡­¡¯ The interiors might be a little different than the Instant Dungeons where monsters respawned . Jinwoo sharply focused his senses . BA DUM BA DUM BA DUM! Because of the sense stat that had reached over a hundred, focusing his senses made his own heartbeat sound like thunder . ¡®But I am not afraid . ¡¯ Compared to the past, what he felt now was not fear but an overwhelming confidence resulting from his power . Maintaining a sharpness and being afraid were two completely different things . ring~ A message appeared in front of the castle door . Would you like to use the Castle Gate Key and enter? (Y/N) ¡®No, miss System, I¡¯ll just turn back and go home . ¡¯ Jinwoo laughed at the stupid question and selected ¡°Yes¡± . creaaaak- He had not touched the door, but the giant gates swung open on their own . Clunk! ¡®Huh¡­?¡¯ Jinwoo was taken back . Even though his senses were focused, he did not sense any monsters past the doors . ¡®No monsters?¡¯ He had prepared for the exact opposite . His worst case scenario visioned a scene where a ton of monsters jumped him the moment he opened the door . It was this pessimistic thought that had carried him to the penalty zone for training . ¡®But¡­¡¯ Just what was this? It seemed like his efforts were in vain . The inside of the castle was almost pathetically devoid of any monsters¡¯ presence . ¡®Huh¡­ What now?¡¯ With a disappointed feeling, Jinwoo returned Baruka¡¯s Tanto to the inventory and stepped into the Demon Castle . As these things usually go, that first step into the area triggered the response . ring~ Jinwoo reflexively called his two daggers to his hands in a flash . ¡®What! What is it?!¡¯ A quest has arrived . ¡®A quest?¡¯ And it¡¯s not the daily quest? Well that would¡¯ve been weird; he had already made sure to complete the daily quest before coming here . Then this must be¡­ just a quest . This was the first time he had received ¡°just¡± a quest . ¡®Every other quest up until now was hidden, emergency or something . ¡¯ Jinwoo checked the quest with a tilted head . Ordinary Quest: Collect the Demon Souls! Part 1 The Demon Castle is full of demons . Please hunt them and collect their souls to earn a special reward . Normal demons contain only one soul, but the upper floors will have demons with multiple souls . Quest Requirement: Enter the Demon Castle Quest Goal: Demon Souls 0 / 10,000 Rewards: Pick one item from every item possible Stat points +20 Unknown Reward 20 Stat points! As always, the first thing that grabbed Jinwoo¡¯s attention was the stat point reward . ¡®I can raise my intelligence by 20!¡¯ He could not help but smile . The disadvantages of low mana could not be understated . ¡®I need a ton of mana to keep my soldiers regenerating . ¡¯ And mana wasn¡¯t the only benefit of the intelligence stat . Jinwoo was finally able to learn that as his intelligence increased, the number of shadows he could extract and store increased as well[1] . Because of all this, increasing his intelligence was urgent . ¡®There¡¯s a limit with just level-ups and daily quests¡­¡¯ If he could earn 20 bonus stats through the quest, it would take care of a large problem . gulp ¡®And¡­¡¯ Jinwoo looked up from the stat reward . ¡°Pick one item from every item possible¡± Just the bonus stats were an insane reward, then there was this . ¡®Really? Every item possible?¡¯ Jinwoo remembered the absolute highest-class equipments from the shop . ¡®There were even¡­¡¯ S-rank equipment that cost billions, some even tens of billions, of gold . Jinwoo looked at Knight Killer in his left hand . This powerful dagger cost nearly three million gold, and he was still using it . ¡®If a B-rank dagger costing nearly three million is this good, just how good are the S-rank daggers costing tens of billions?¡¯ He became curious . Looking at just the first and second rewards, even ignoring the unknown third reward, this was an incredible quest . ¡®Considering the rewards, taking down few monsters will be as easy as eating-¡¯ Because Jinwoo¡¯s eyes fell on the quest rewards first, he had not taken a closer look at the quest goal . The man finally looked at the number of zeros and was shocked . ¡°Ten¡­ thousand?¡± Jinwoo could not help but exclaim loudly . This was not just ¡°taking down few monsters¡± . ¡®It¡¯s really, really not an ordinary quest . ¡¯ No matter what kind of monsters these demons were, killing ten thousand of them would be an ordeal . However, the Hunter smiled widely . ¡®That is¡­ if I was alone . ¡¯ The current number of soldiers was 50 . They each just had to take down 200 demons . Yes, with those soldiers, this quest would be doable . Would you like to accept the quest? ¡®Of course . ¡¯ There was no way he would refuse . You¡¯ve accepted the quest . If he failed, the ¡°penalty¡± would be just the wasted time . ¡®Compared the penalty of those other quests¡­ bleh¡­¡¯ His life was on the line for the Class Advancement Quest and the Emergency Quests . Compared to those, this was truly a blessed quest . Jinwoo raised his head, ¡®So that¡¯s going to keep track of my progress?¡¯ The moment he accepted the quest, a counter appeared in the air . Collected Demon Souls: 0 / 10,000 ¡®10,000¡­ This¡¯ll be a long road . ¡¯ With the numbers he imagined in his head actually visualized, Jinwoo chuckled in disbelief . Suddenly, he discovered another counter to the left to the souls counter . ¡®Huh?¡¯ Exp . to Next Level: 60,000 The holographic letters clearly displayed a number, and it was telling him that he would level up once he filled that number . ¡®Am I finally able to see my experience?¡¯ But he was Level 61 . 61 didn¡¯t particularly seem like a milestone level for something like this to happen . Not only that, Jinwoo didn¡¯t see such a counter before heading into the Demon Castle . ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­¡¯ Jinwoo took a step back and exited the Demon Castle . With that, both the soul counter and the experience counter disappeared . When he went back in, the two counters returned as if they were always there . ¡®Looks like it¡¯s only for the Demon Castle . ¡¯ It was a shame he wouldn¡¯t be able to see the experience counter on the outside, but it would surely be convenient while he was in here . On the other hand, ¡®Does that mean it¡¯ll take that long to conquer this place?¡¯ That was certainly a possibility . Jinwoo pored over the details of the quest once more, then closed the message box . ¡®Think I got the details down . ¡¯ Finally, it would be time to explore the interiors of the Demon Castle . ¡®Whoa!¡¯ wooooooooo- A ruined city lay before his eyes . Unexpectedly, it was another field-type Dungeon . ¡®Where is this? Is this Seoul?¡¯ Perhaps if everyone in Seoul died and a hundred years passed, it might look like this . A lifeless city faded to gray . Few street lights flickered on and off here and there . ¡®To think that it¡¯d be another field-type Dungeon¡­¡¯ On top of that, it was using the great city of Seoul as its base . Next to the Instant Dungeons that used a subway station or a mall as their base, this was incomparable . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes narrowed . ¡®Where do I go first?¡¯ Where was the goal? Jinwoo looked over here and there . Thankfully, he did not have to wonder for too long . From a distance, where Namsan Tower should¡¯ve been, a giant pillar of light stood in its place . ¡®Let¡¯s try over there . ¡¯ Jinwoo started heading towards the direction . In case he got lost, he carefully remembered the area where the castle gate was . However, he did not go too far when he was interrupted, ¡°Kik kik . ¡± ¡°Kikikik . ¡± Small monsters crawled out from between the buildings here and there . ¡®Low-level Demon¡¯ Jinwoo read the dark red names above their heads and understood what they were . ¡®They look like¡­¡¯ If the gargoyle magic beasts had wings, it would look just like them . There were eight of them . Jinwoo smiled . ¡®Got eight souls . ¡¯ Pierce! One of the demons sported Baruka¡¯s Tanto out of its forehead . You¡¯ve defeated a Low-level Demon . You¡¯ve earned 100 experience points . You¡¯ve earned 1 Demon Soul . ¡°Kiak?¡± ¡°Kiek?¡± While they were distracted by their fallen comrade, Jinwoo quickly ran over and removed another¡¯s head . slash! You¡¯ve defeated a Low-level Demon . You¡¯ve earned 100 experience points . You¡¯ve earned 1 Demon Soul . These things gave a hundred experience points each . ¡®And I need 60,000 experience points to level-up¡­¡¯ Defeating 600 of these low-level demons should level him up . The remaining demons fell quickly . ¡°Kiiiiiiek!¡± ¡°Kek!¡± Current souls at 8 . Experienced gained was 800 . ¡®Not a bad start . ¡¯ A marathon starts with just a few steps . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes sparkled, looking for the next prey . Baekho Guild . Guildmaster¡¯s Office . After being busy for the past few days, Baek Yoonho was going through the documents and reports that he had been neglecting . Beep- He picked up the phone . - ¡°Guildmaster, Hunter Min Byunggu-nim is calling . Would you like me to connect?¡± ¡°Yes, please . ¡± - ¡°Alright . ¡± A moment later, a familiar voice came from the receiver . - ¡°Baek hyung, why is your cellphone off?¡± Baek Yoonho sighed deeply, ¡°Because of those damn reporters . I¡¯m going dark until this damn story dies down . ¡± - ¡°Oh, yeah, that! Red Gate! I saw the news from Japan . Hyung, you look pretty good on the TV . ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t test me . I¡¯m not in the mood to joke around . Once I find who leaked that story, I¡¯m going to just¡­¡± - ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that too much, hyung . That story¡¯s going to get pushed over by a big news soon . ¡± ¡°A big news? From Japan?¡± - ¡°Yeah . The problem is worse than we thought . It¡¯s going to make waves in Korea soon . ¡± ¡°Why? What happened?¡± A week ago, Japan secretly contacted the Korean Hunter Association and the large Guilds of South Korea . They were informed that Japan needed a consultation with Korea¡¯s Hunters . And so, several Hunters representing Korea headed over to Japan for a meeting . Min Byunggu was one of those Hunters . Baek Yoonho had been curious about the matter, ¡°Stop messing around and spill it . This is the first time those Japanese bastards asked for our advice on something . Just what¡¯s going on over there that could rattle those arrogant fucks?¡± [2] - ¡°Baek hyung, you remember the ants of Jeju Island, right?¡± An S-rank Gate underwent a Dungeon Break four years ago on Jeju Island . The Dungeon was populated by ant type magic beasts . South Korea had attempted to reclaim the island three times . They failed three times . Eventually, the government gave up on the jewel of Korea, and Jeju Island became the land of the magic beasts . ¡°How could I forget? I almost died during one of the reclamation efforts . ¡± - ¡°There¡¯s been a development in that area . ¡± ¡°Development? Who the hell cares . Let them kill and eat each other on that island . ¡± - ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The voice on the phone became filled with worry and continued, - ¡°They discovered a corpse of a winged ant on the coast of Japan . ¡± [3] Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: Oh, here it is . The actual confirmation that intelligence increased his maximum shadows . [2]: Err, in case anyone¡¯s uncomfortable with the rather blatant racism, the relationship between Korean and Japan, especially for older folks, is not that good . [3]: In the next arc of SoloxLeveling, we¡¯ll be visiting the Chimera Ant Island :P Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 69. . Next morning, Jinwoo went straight to Daesung Tower . . . ¡®Man, it¡¯s still so tall . ¡¯. . A skyscraper with a hundred floors . Standing near it, you¡¯d have to strain your neck to look up to the top . . . ¡®There are a lot of people here today . ¡¯. . Compared to the last time he had come here, there were a lot more people around . Guess that was the literal difference between night and day . Whether it was the lobby, entrance or the sidewalk, people came and went nonstop . . . ¡®Man, if I just disappeared into thin air like last time, it¡¯ll cause quite a commotion . ¡¯. . There were already many eyes looking for him because of this so-called ¡°unknown helper¡± incident . Was there a need for him to reveal himself and purposely attract attention?. . ¡®Of course not . ¡¯. . Jinwoo did not enjoy having attention focused on him . He walked over to a hidden corner and took out the Demon Castle Key . It was a slender, golden key . At a casual glance, it was clearly nonfunctional . . . ¡®No one¡¯s looking, right?¡¯. . Jinwoo looked around and nodded . . . ¡®Time to go . ¡¯. . The Hunter used the ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill . . . shooo-. . The invisible man came out of his hiding spot then made his way through the crowd to the building . Because of how packed the streets were, he couldn¡¯t avoid bumping into few people here and there, but none of them paid any mind . . . ¡®Man, this skill can be used for some really bad things . ¡¯. . No wonder high-rankers with ¡®Stealth¡¯ were under a lot of surveillance . . . flaaaare!. . In the meantime, he passed through the invisible threshold into a completely different world . . . ¡®If I can hear the flames from here, just how hot is it?¡¯. . Jinwoo looked up at the massive tower on fire . It stood where Daesung Tower was moments ago . The Demon Castle nearly filled his entire vision . Still, they say humans can get used to anything . . . ¡®Feels less oppressive than last time . ¡¯. . Indeed, Jinwoo¡¯s anxiousness was practically nonexistent this time . . . Or perhaps,. . ¡®It¡¯s because I¡¯ve grown that much . ¡¯. . Jinwoo returned the golden Demon Castle Key to the inventory then took out a gray key . . . Castle Gate Key. Rarity: A-rank. Type: Key. It is the key to the Demon Castle¡¯s gates . . Obtained after killing the Gatekeeper . . . It was what he obtained after killing the watchdog, Cerberus . He was unable to use it in the past, having just barely defeated Cerberus . Now, he would finally enter the castle . Next, he took out his weapon . Baruka¡¯s Tanto in his right hand, the gate key in his left, Jinwoo carefully walked towards the castle gate . Curiously, he did not see Cerberus . . . ¡®Do monsters not respawn in the Demon Castle Dungeon?¡¯. . Might be just limited to the dog, but there was a strong possibility that it was a special rule of this place . . . ¡®If that¡¯s the case¡­¡¯. . The interiors might be a little different than the Instant Dungeons where monsters respawned . Jinwoo sharply focused his senses . . . BA DUM BA DUM BA DUM!. . Because of the sense stat that had reached over a hundred, focusing his senses made his own heartbeat sound like thunder . . . ¡®But I am not afraid . ¡¯. . Compared to the past, what he felt now was not fear but an overwhelming confidence resulting from his power . Maintaining a sharpness and being afraid were two completely different things . . . ring~. . A message appeared in front of the castle door . . . Would you like to use the Castle Gate Key and enter? (Y/N). . ¡®No, miss System, I¡¯ll just turn back and go home . ¡¯. . Jinwoo laughed at the stupid question and selected ¡°Yes¡± . . . creaaaak-. . He had not touched the door, but the giant gates swung open on their own . . . Clunk!. . ¡®Huh¡­?¡¯. . Jinwoo was taken back . Even though his senses were focused, he did not sense any monsters past the doors . . . ¡®No monsters?¡¯. . He had prepared for the exact opposite . His worst case scenario visioned a scene where a ton of monsters jumped him the moment he opened the door . It was this pessimistic thought that had carried him to the penalty zone for training . . . ¡®But¡­¡¯. . Just what was this? It seemed like his efforts were in vain . The inside of the castle was almost pathetically devoid of any monsters¡¯ presence . . . ¡®Huh¡­ What now?¡¯. . With a disappointed feeling, Jinwoo returned Baruka¡¯s Tanto to the inventory and stepped into the Demon Castle . As these things usually go, that first step into the area triggered the response . . . ring~. . Jinwoo reflexively called his two daggers to his hands in a flash . . . ¡®What! What is it?!¡¯. . A quest has arrived . . . ¡®A quest?¡¯. . And it¡¯s not the daily quest? Well that would¡¯ve been weird; he had already made sure to complete the daily quest before coming here . Then this must be¡­ just a quest . . . This was the first time he had received ¡°just¡± a quest . . . ¡®Every other quest up until now was hidden, emergency or something . ¡¯. . Jinwoo checked the quest with a tilted head . . Ordinary Quest: Collect the Demon Souls! Part 1. The Demon Castle is full of demons . Please hunt them and collect their souls to earn a special reward . Normal demons contain only one soul, but the upper floors will have demons with multiple souls . . Quest Requirement: Enter the Demon Castle. Quest Goal: Demon Souls 0 / 10,000. Rewards:. Pick one item from every item possible. Stat points +20. Unknown Reward. . 20 Stat points! As always, the first thing that grabbed Jinwoo¡¯s attention was the stat point reward . . . ¡®I can raise my intelligence by 20!¡¯. . He could not help but smile . The disadvantages of low mana could not be understated . . . ¡®I need a ton of mana to keep my soldiers regenerating . ¡¯. . And mana wasn¡¯t the only benefit of the intelligence stat . Jinwoo was finally able to learn that as his intelligence increased, the number of shadows he could extract and store increased as well[1] . Because of all this, increasing his intelligence was urgent . . . ¡®There¡¯s a limit with just level-ups and daily quests¡­¡¯. . If he could earn 20 bonus stats through the quest, it would take care of a large problem . . . gulp. . ¡®And¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo looked up from the stat reward . . . ¡°Pick one item from every item possible¡±. . Just the bonus stats were an insane reward, then there was this . . . ¡®Really? Every item possible?¡¯. . Jinwoo remembered the absolute highest-class equipments from the shop . . . ¡®There were even¡­¡¯. . S-rank equipment that cost billions, some even tens of billions, of gold . Jinwoo looked at Knight Killer in his left hand . This powerful dagger cost nearly three million gold, and he was still using it . . . ¡®If a B-rank dagger costing nearly three million is this good, just how good are the S-rank daggers costing tens of billions?¡¯. . He became curious . Looking at just the first and second rewards, even ignoring the unknown third reward, this was an incredible quest . . . ¡®Considering the rewards, taking down few monsters will be as easy as eating-¡¯. . Because Jinwoo¡¯s eyes fell on the quest rewards first, he had not taken a closer look at the quest goal . The man finally looked at the number of zeros and was shocked . . . ¡°Ten¡­ thousand?¡±. . Jinwoo could not help but exclaim loudly . This was not just ¡°taking down few monsters¡± . . . ¡®It¡¯s really, really not an ordinary quest . ¡¯. . No matter what kind of monsters these demons were, killing ten thousand of them would be an ordeal . However, the Hunter smiled widely . . . ¡®That is¡­ if I was alone . ¡¯. . The current number of soldiers was 50 . They each just had to take down 200 demons . Yes, with those soldiers, this quest would be doable . . . Would you like to accept the quest?. . ¡®Of course . ¡¯. . There was no way he would refuse . . . You¡¯ve accepted the quest . . . If he failed, the ¡°penalty¡± would be just the wasted time . . . ¡®Compared the penalty of those other quests¡­ bleh¡­¡¯. . His life was on the line for the Class Advancement Quest and the Emergency Quests . Compared to those, this was truly a blessed quest . Jinwoo raised his head,. . ¡®So that¡¯s going to keep track of my progress?¡¯. . The moment he accepted the quest, a counter appeared in the air . . . Collected Demon Souls: 0 / 10,000. . ¡®10,000¡­ This¡¯ll be a long road . ¡¯. . With the numbers he imagined in his head actually visualized, Jinwoo chuckled in disbelief . Suddenly, he discovered another counter to the left to the souls counter . . . ¡®Huh?¡¯. . Exp . to Next Level: 60,000. . The holographic letters clearly displayed a number, and it was telling him that he would level up once he filled that number . . . ¡®Am I finally able to see my experience?¡¯. . But he was Level 61 . 61 didn¡¯t particularly seem like a milestone level for something like this to happen . Not only that, Jinwoo didn¡¯t see such a counter before heading into the Demon Castle . . . ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo took a step back and exited the Demon Castle . With that, both the soul counter and the experience counter disappeared . When he went back in, the two counters returned as if they were always there . . . ¡®Looks like it¡¯s only for the Demon Castle . ¡¯. . It was a shame he wouldn¡¯t be able to see the experience counter on the outside, but it would surely be convenient while he was in here . On the other hand,. . ¡®Does that mean it¡¯ll take that long to conquer this place?¡¯. . That was certainly a possibility . Jinwoo pored over the details of the quest once more, then closed the message box . . . ¡®Think I got the details down . ¡¯. . Finally, it would be time to explore the interiors of the Demon Castle . . . ¡®Whoa!¡¯. . wooooooooo-. . A ruined city lay before his eyes . Unexpectedly, it was another field-type Dungeon . . . ¡®Where is this? Is this Seoul?¡¯. . Perhaps if everyone in Seoul died and a hundred years passed, it might look like this . A lifeless city faded to gray . Few street lights flickered on and off here and there . . . ¡®To think that it¡¯d be another field-type Dungeon¡­¡¯. . On top of that, it was using the great city of Seoul as its base . Next to the Instant Dungeons that used a subway station or a mall as their base, this was incomparable . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes narrowed . . . ¡®Where do I go first?¡¯. . Where was the goal? Jinwoo looked over here and there . Thankfully, he did not have to wonder for too long . From a distance, where Namsan Tower should¡¯ve been, a giant pillar of light stood in its place . . . ¡®Let¡¯s try over there . ¡¯. . Jinwoo started heading towards the direction . In case he got lost, he carefully remembered the area where the castle gate was . However, he did not go too far when he was interrupted,. . ¡°Kik kik . ¡±. ¡°Kikikik . ¡±. . Small monsters crawled out from between the buildings here and there . . . ¡®Low-level Demon¡¯. . Jinwoo read the dark red names above their heads and understood what they were . . . ¡®They look like¡­¡¯. . If the gargoyle magic beasts had wings, it would look just like them . There were eight of them . Jinwoo smiled . . . ¡®Got eight souls . ¡¯. . Pierce!. . One of the demons sported Baruka¡¯s Tanto out of its forehead . . . . You¡¯ve defeated a Low-level Demon . . You¡¯ve earned 100 experience points . . You¡¯ve earned 1 Demon Soul . . . ¡°Kiak?¡±. ¡°Kiek?¡±. . While they were distracted by their fallen comrade, Jinwoo quickly ran over and removed another¡¯s head . . . slash!. . You¡¯ve defeated a Low-level Demon . . You¡¯ve earned 100 experience points . . You¡¯ve earned 1 Demon Soul . . . These things gave a hundred experience points each . . . ¡®And I need 60,000 experience points to level-up¡­¡¯. . Defeating 600 of these low-level demons should level him up . The remaining demons fell quickly . . . ¡°Kiiiiiiek!¡±. ¡°Kek!¡±. . Current souls at 8 . Experienced gained was 800 . . . ¡®Not a bad start . ¡¯. . A marathon starts with just a few steps . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes sparkled, looking for the next prey . . . . . Baekho Guild . Guildmaster¡¯s Office . . . After being busy for the past few days, Baek Yoonho was going through the documents and reports that he had been neglecting . . . Beep-. . He picked up the phone . . . - ¡°Guildmaster, Hunter Min Byunggu-nim is calling . Would you like me to connect?¡±. . ¡°Yes, please . ¡±. . - ¡°Alright . ¡±. . A moment later, a familiar voice came from the receiver . . . - ¡°Baek hyung, why is your cellphone off?¡±. . Baek Yoonho sighed deeply,. . ¡°Because of those damn reporters . I¡¯m going dark until this damn story dies down . ¡±. . - ¡°Oh, yeah, that! Red Gate! I saw the news from Japan . Hyung, you look pretty good on the TV . ¡±. . ¡°Don¡¯t test me . I¡¯m not in the mood to joke around . Once I find who leaked that story, I¡¯m going to just¡­¡±. . - ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that too much, hyung . That story¡¯s going to get pushed over by a big news soon . ¡±. . ¡°A big news? From Japan?¡±. . - ¡°Yeah . The problem is worse than we thought . It¡¯s going to make waves in Korea soon . ¡±. . ¡°Why? What happened?¡±. . A week ago, Japan secretly contacted the Korean Hunter Association and the large Guilds of South Korea . They were informed that Japan needed a consultation with Korea¡¯s Hunters . And so, several Hunters representing Korea headed over to Japan for a meeting . Min Byunggu was one of those Hunters . Baek Yoonho had been curious about the matter,. . ¡°Stop messing around and spill it . This is the first time those Japanese bastards asked for our advice on something . Just what¡¯s going on over there that could rattle those arrogant fucks?¡± [2]. . - ¡°Baek hyung, you remember the ants of Jeju Island, right?¡±. . An S-rank Gate underwent a Dungeon Break four years ago on Jeju Island . The Dungeon was populated by ant type magic beasts . South Korea had attempted to reclaim the island three times . They failed three times . Eventually, the government gave up on the jewel of Korea, and Jeju Island became the land of the magic beasts . . . ¡°How could I forget? I almost died during one of the reclamation efforts . ¡±. . - ¡°There¡¯s been a development in that area . ¡±. . ¡°Development? Who the hell cares . Let them kill and eat each other on that island . ¡±. . - ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±. . The voice on the phone became filled with worry and continued,. . - ¡°They discovered a corpse of a winged ant on the coast of Japan . ¡± [3]. . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: Oh, here it is . The actual confirmation that intelligence increased his maximum shadows . . [2]: Err, in case anyone¡¯s uncomfortable with the rather blatant racism, the relationship between Korean and Japan, especially for older folks, is not that good . . [3]: In the next arc of SoloxLeveling, we¡¯ll be visiting the Chimera Ant Island :P. Chapter 70 You¡¯ve defeated a Low-level Demon . You¡¯ve earned 100 experience points . You¡¯ve earned 1 Demon Soul . ¡­ ¡­ You¡¯ve defeated a Low-level Demon . You¡¯ve earned 100 experience points . You¡¯ve earned 1 Demon Soul . Jinwoo had been hunting the low-level demons for two hours now . He checked the current soul count . Collected Demon Souls: 309 / 10,000 The quest was 3% done . Additionally, at the current rate, he would level-up in about two more hours of hunting . His current level was 61 . It took nine C-rank Dungeons to level-up from 60 to 61, and that was over two days . Compared to that, he would be able to gain one level after four hours of hunting here . ¡®That¡¯s crazy . ¡¯ A smile appeared on Jinwoo¡¯s face . How long had it been since he enjoyed hunting this much? ¡®I think it¡¯s the first time since that day . ¡¯ He recalled his first Instant Dungeon with nostalgia . Jinwoo had alternated hunting between the first and second levels of the subway Dungeon nonstop until he stopped leveling up . ¡°Kiek!¡± Everytime Jinwoo¡¯s dagger flashed, a low-level demon fell . ¡°Kiaaak!¡± ¡°Kiek . ¡± ¡°Keh geck, kek!¡± Sometimes, more than one with a single swing . In no time, he took down 20 more low-level demons . ¡®This is amazing . ¡¯ The experience points and soul counts increased appropriately with the fallen demons . On top of that were the drops . A smile bloomed on the face of the Hunter collecting items . ¡®Looks like the horns are a guaranteed drop . ¡¯ Low-level Demon¡¯s Horn Rarity: None Type: Junk A horn from the low-level demon¡¯s head . As a valuable magic reagent, a demon¡¯s horn sells for quite an amount . The junk item, ¡°Demon¡¯s Horn¡± . Selling it at the shop earned him 200,000 gold . ¡®Even Cerberus¡¯ teeth sold for 150,000 each¡­ The monsters of the Demon Castle sure are generous . ¡¯ Having tasted the value of the shop recently, the junk items were no longer just ¡°junk¡± to Jinwoo . They were valuable gold would become his flesh and blood . ¡®There¡¯s really nothing to throw away . ¡¯ Jinwoo happily sold what needed to be sold and stored whatever he didn¡¯t . While he was going through the corpses, he discovered something . ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ He found an item he had not seen before . Entry Permit Rarity: ??? Type: ??? It¡¯s a permit to enter the 2nd Floor . Usable in the interfloor movement magic circle on the 1st Floor . It was a document rolled up like a scroll . ¡®Entry Permit?¡¯ Unfurling the scroll, Jinwoo found a bunch of letters and shapes he could not interpret . The only information he could find was in the item¡¯s information box . ¡®An item that lets me go from the first floor to the second¡­¡¯ Could it be? Jinwoo looked around the area . While this was the interiors of the Demon Castle, in a way, its base was Daesung Tower . If the Demon Castle was divided up into floors like Daesung Tower, then this would be the 1st Floor . ¡®It never even occurred to me that a field-type Dungeon could have multiple floors¡­¡¯ Did that mean this place also had a hundred floors like Daesung Tower? Imagining the sheer scale of the Dungeon, Jinwoo stuck out a tongue . ¡® . . . It can¡¯t actually be a hundred floors, right?¡¯ Only one way to find out . He had to find that magic circle . ¡®Only place that the interfloor movement magic circle could be is¡­¡¯ Jinwoo looked over to the pillar of light that reached to the sky . ¡® . . . That . ¡¯ Well, it was his goal from the start, but he was distracted by hunting the low-level demons and ended up in the opposite direction . ¡®Guess I¡¯ll head over there now . ¡¯ He had hunted all the low-level demons in the area anyways . Jinwoo smiled . ¡®Come forth . ¡¯ The Shadow Soldiers stored by Shadow Storage did not need any particular command to be summoned . All he had to do was call on them with intent . shooo- The Shadow Beast spawned from the alpha ice bear stood before Jinwoo . grrrrl The monstrous bear stood on its hind legs . It towered over a house . However, in front of Jinwoo, it was no different than a trained puppy . ¡°Down . ¡± whimper The Shadow Beast obediently lowered its body, and Jinwoo got on its back . ¡°Hiyah!¡± Jinwoo kicked the side of the beast, and his ride shot forward towards the pillar of light with a terrifying speed . koong koong koong koong! Combined with the large strides of its giant body, doubled up with its unnaturally fast speed, the objective came closer with great haste . Well, there was an obstacle every once in a while . ¡°Kirik!¡± ¡°Kik kik!¡± ROOAR! The beast swiped its claws with a lightning speed, and the obstacles disappeared in an instant . Oh? Jinwoo nodded in satisfaction . ¡®I just got on for kicks and giggles, but he¡¯s better than I thought . ¡¯ Jinwoo decided he would use him as a mount in the future and even gave it a name . ¡°From now on, your name is Tank . ¡± ¡°Guoooo!¡± The Shadow Beast, no, Tank raised its head and howled . Jinwoo wasn¡¯t sure if it liked or disliked the name . Slowing down, Tank reached and stopped before the pillar of light . ¡°Good boy . ¡± Jinwoo dismounted, petted the Shadow Beast then returned him to his shadow . He turned around . ring~ You¡¯ve discovered the interfloor movement magic circle . A circle magic seal was drawn on the floor . The light from the magic circle reached the sky . Jinwoo stepped in the light . ¡® . . . ¡¯ Nothing happened . Confused, Jinwoo took few more steps and reached the center of the circle . There are no other open floors . Which floor would you like to go to? ¡°How many floors are there?¡± There was no reply . ¡®To see the top, I just have to climb the tower, eh?¡¯ Jinwoo thought for a moment . He was almost leveled up . Should he level-up here or go up a floor? ¡®Compared to the other Instant Dungeons, monsters don¡¯t respawn here . There¡¯s no point in staying in one place . ¡¯ On top of that, the quest told him that there would be demons with multiple souls in the upper floors . With regards to both experience points and souls, Jinwoo decided it would be better to go up to higher floors . ¡®Alright . ¡¯ Let¡¯s go up . Jinwoo spoked to the air, ¡°2nd Floor . ¡± An entry permit is required . Following the instruction, Jinwoo took out the scroll from the inventory . The moment it left the inventory, the scroll disappeared with a flash of light . The 2nd Floor of the Demon Castle has been opened . . You will now go up to the 2nd Floor . wooooong- The magic circle began to glow fiercely . At the same time, Jinwoo understood what was happening . ¡®Oh . . so this is¡­¡¯ Just an elevator . The moment he understood the pillar of light¡¯s purpose, Jinwoo was sent to the 2nd Floor with a blinding flash . 2nd Floor, 3rd Floor, 4th Floor¡­ And now, 27th Floor . This was Jinwoo¡¯s progress in the past two days . He had told Jinah that he would be traveling for a week . ¡®I have five days remaining . ¡¯ Considering the increasing speed at which he was clearing each floor, Jinwoo gained hope that it might be possible for him to reach the 100th Floor in the five days remaining . Jinwoo looked around area . It was a completely destroyed city . ¡®I can¡¯t even tell what city this is based off of . ¡¯ Every floor was a different city . Additionally, the destruction of the cities worsened as he went up the floors . On the 27th Floor, it started becoming harder to even call it a city anymore . Is this what a city would look like if it was carpet bombed? Jinwoo dismissed the thought and shook his head . ¡®Not the time for such thoughts . ¡¯ He checked his watch; it was 11 PM . There was no night or day in this place . He had to rely on his watch to keep track of the time . If it was 11 o¡¯clock, he should grab some rest . Proper sleep was necessary to continue the Raid . Before that, ¡®Let¡¯s check the progress . ¡¯ Collected Demon Souls: 2,116 / 10,000 ¡®2,100¡­¡¯ It was a rate of roughly a thousand demons a day . He had made good progress in the past two days . There was still a long way to go to ten thousand, but Jinwoo had great expectations on those demons with multiple souls on the upper floors . ¡®Looks like the most important thing is to keep going up . ¡¯ After that would be leveling . ¡°Wow!¡± Jinwoo opened his eyes wide . Level: 67 He had reached Level 67 in no time . Going from the low-level demons that gave 100 experience points to mid-level demons that gave 300, the progress he made towards leveling increased explosively . ¡®Man, I really am leveling up fast here . ¡¯ Ton of monsters . Generous experience points . A proper difficulty . The Demon Castle was truly a heaven for leveling . And that was not all . Jinwoo had diligently worked on raising the proficiency of his kills . Even now, he was keeping Knight Killer hovering over his hand . The ¡®Ruler¡¯s Hands¡¯ . It was a skill that allowed him to move physical things without touching them . ¡®Thankfully, the ¡°Ruler¡¯s Hands¡± don¡¯t cost any mana . ¡¯ It was a bit tiring to keep his mind concentrated on maintaining the skill, but compared to the benefits of raising his proficiency, it was worth it . As if on cue, Jinwoo received the good news . ¡®Ruler¡¯s Hands¡¯ has leveled up! ¡®Alright!¡¯ Jinwoo beamed in happiness and rested his back against the wall . Everytime he became stronger, his heart relaxed a bit . His eyelids began to droop . ¡®Hmm, he should¡¯ve gotten his license by now . ¡¯ Wonder if Yoo Jinho was well? It¡¯s been a while since Jinwoo moved on his own . It made him think of the young man who had always clung to his back in Dungeons . The fight between the older brother who had already proven his worth in the financial world and the younger brother who was only a college student with a Guildmaster license . It would not be an easy battle . ¡®Stay strong, Yoo Jinho . ¡¯ Cheering Yoo Jinho on in his heart, Jinwoo slowly fell into deep slumber . Yoo Jinho entered the high-end Korean restaurant with a determined face . He handpicked the location to accommodate his father¡¯s tastes . ¡°The chairman?¡± ¡°He¡¯s waiting inside . ¡± Yoo Jinho gulped . ¡°Please, this way . ¡± Yoo Jinho was led to the room his father was in . slide- The sliding door opened, and the young man saw his father¡¯s face across the room . His nervousness multiplied . The moment of weakness lasting only a moment, Yoo Jinho gathered his courage and sat down across his father . ¡°So what is this all about? To think that you of all people would actually set-up a meeting with me . ¡± ¡°Father, before I say my piece, please take a look at this . ¡± ¡°This is¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my Guildmaster license and my raiding records . ¡± ¡°A Guildmaster¡­ licence? You?¡± When Yoo Myunghan looked at him with a suspicious gaze, Yoo Jinho nodded happily, ¡°Yes, father . ¡± Without a word, Yoo Myunghan took the documents Yoo Jinho took out and looked over them . As the chairman pored over the information, a light appeared in his eyes . ¡°So,¡± Yoo Myunghan put down the documents on the table . ¡°You¡¯re telling me you want Yoojin Guild?¡± ¡°Yes, sir . ¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± For a brief moment, traces of surprise and contemplation appeared in Yoo Myunghan¡¯s face . ¡®To think that father actually has to take the time to choose between me and my brother . ¡¯ Yoo Jinho was amazed . Even just that was a great result for the young man . If it was him in the past, he would¡¯ve been satisfied with that . However, Yoo Jinho had changed . The young man did not want to back off after coming this far . ¡°Father should know already, but leaving the Guildmaster¡¯s position to an outsider gives too much power to someone not under-¡± ¡°Enough . ¡± Yoo Myunghan held up a hand . At the same time, Yoo Jinho closed this mouth . In the Yoo clan, the word ¡°enough¡± from Yoo Myunghan was an absolute order no one would dare refuse . ¡°There is someone I want to introduce you to . ¡± ¡°Sir?¡± Yoo Jinho was caught off guard . The one who called for this meeting was him, so how could his father have someone to introduce him to? Who could it be? As the young man¡¯s curiosity reached its peak, another entrance to the room opened . ¡°Er¡­ Hello . ¡± A man in his 20~30s stood at the door and awkwardly greeted them . Who? Yoo Jinho did not recognize the man . Yoo Myunghan gestured with his chin, and the man sat down next to him . ¡°This is Hunter Go Myunghwan . ¡± ¡®Go Myunghwan?¡¯ Yoo Jinho was confused . It was a name he had never heard of . His father nodded understandingly then continued, ¡°That Baekho Guild¡¯s Red Gate news making its rounds lately, he¡¯s one of the survivors of that incident . ¡± Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 70. . You¡¯ve defeated a Low-level Demon . . You¡¯ve earned 100 experience points . . You¡¯ve earned 1 Demon Soul . . . ¡­. . ¡­. . You¡¯ve defeated a Low-level Demon . . You¡¯ve earned 100 experience points . . You¡¯ve earned 1 Demon Soul . . . Jinwoo had been hunting the low-level demons for two hours now . He checked the current soul count . . . Collected Demon Souls: 309 / 10,000. . The quest was 3% done . Additionally, at the current rate, he would level-up in about two more hours of hunting . His current level was 61 . It took nine C-rank Dungeons to level-up from 60 to 61, and that was over two days . Compared to that, he would be able to gain one level after four hours of hunting here . . . ¡®That¡¯s crazy . ¡¯. . A smile appeared on Jinwoo¡¯s face . How long had it been since he enjoyed hunting this much?. . ¡®I think it¡¯s the first time since that day . ¡¯. . He recalled his first Instant Dungeon with nostalgia . Jinwoo had alternated hunting between the first and second levels of the subway Dungeon nonstop until he stopped leveling up . . . ¡°Kiek!¡±. . Everytime Jinwoo¡¯s dagger flashed, a low-level demon fell . . . ¡°Kiaaak!¡±. ¡°Kiek . ¡±. ¡°Keh geck, kek!¡±. . Sometimes, more than one with a single swing . In no time, he took down 20 more low-level demons . . . ¡®This is amazing . ¡¯. . The experience points and soul counts increased appropriately with the fallen demons . On top of that were the drops . A smile bloomed on the face of the Hunter collecting items . . . ¡®Looks like the horns are a guaranteed drop . ¡¯. . Low-level Demon¡¯s Horn. Rarity: None. Type: Junk. A horn from the low-level demon¡¯s head . As a valuable magic reagent, a demon¡¯s horn sells for quite an amount . . . The junk item, ¡°Demon¡¯s Horn¡± . Selling it at the shop earned him 200,000 gold . . . ¡®Even Cerberus¡¯ teeth sold for 150,000 each¡­ The monsters of the Demon Castle sure are generous . ¡¯. . Having tasted the value of the shop recently, the junk items were no longer just ¡°junk¡± to Jinwoo . They were valuable gold would become his flesh and blood . . . ¡®There¡¯s really nothing to throw away . ¡¯. . Jinwoo happily sold what needed to be sold and stored whatever he didn¡¯t . While he was going through the corpses, he discovered something . . . ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯. . He found an item he had not seen before . . . Entry Permit. Rarity: ???. Type: ???. It¡¯s a permit to enter the 2nd Floor . . Usable in the interfloor movement magic circle on the 1st Floor . . . It was a document rolled up like a scroll . . . ¡®Entry Permit?¡¯. . Unfurling the scroll, Jinwoo found a bunch of letters and shapes he could not interpret . The only information he could find was in the item¡¯s information box . . . ¡®An item that lets me go from the first floor to the second¡­¡¯. . Could it be? Jinwoo looked around the area . While this was the interiors of the Demon Castle, in a way, its base was Daesung Tower . If the Demon Castle was divided up into floors like Daesung Tower, then this would be the 1st Floor . . . ¡®It never even occurred to me that a field-type Dungeon could have multiple floors¡­¡¯. . Did that mean this place also had a hundred floors like Daesung Tower? Imagining the sheer scale of the Dungeon, Jinwoo stuck out a tongue . . . ¡® . It can¡¯t actually be a hundred floors, right?¡¯. . Only one way to find out . He had to find that magic circle . . . ¡®Only place that the interfloor movement magic circle could be is¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo looked over to the pillar of light that reached to the sky . . . ¡® . That . ¡¯. . Well, it was his goal from the start, but he was distracted by hunting the low-level demons and ended up in the opposite direction . . . ¡®Guess I¡¯ll head over there now . ¡¯. . He had hunted all the low-level demons in the area anyways . Jinwoo smiled . . . ¡®Come forth . ¡¯. . The Shadow Soldiers stored by Shadow Storage did not need any particular command to be summoned . All he had to do was call on them with intent . . . shooo-. . The Shadow Beast spawned from the alpha ice bear stood before Jinwoo . . . grrrrl. . The monstrous bear stood on its hind legs . It towered over a house . However, in front of Jinwoo, it was no different than a trained puppy . . . ¡°Down . ¡±. . whimper. . The Shadow Beast obediently lowered its body, and Jinwoo got on its back . . . ¡°Hiyah!¡±. . Jinwoo kicked the side of the beast, and his ride shot forward towards the pillar of light with a terrifying speed . . . koong koong koong koong!. . Combined with the large strides of its giant body, doubled up with its unnaturally fast speed, the objective came closer with great haste . Well, there was an obstacle every once in a while . . . ¡°Kirik!¡±. ¡°Kik kik!¡±. . ROOAR!. . The beast swiped its claws with a lightning speed, and the obstacles disappeared in an instant . . . Oh?. . Jinwoo nodded in satisfaction . . . ¡®I just got on for kicks and giggles, but he¡¯s better than I thought . ¡¯. . Jinwoo decided he would use him as a mount in the future and even gave it a name . . . ¡°From now on, your name is Tank . ¡±. . ¡°Guoooo!¡±. . The Shadow Beast, no, Tank raised its head and howled . Jinwoo wasn¡¯t sure if it liked or disliked the name . Slowing down, Tank reached and stopped before the pillar of light . . . ¡°Good boy . ¡±. . Jinwoo dismounted, petted the Shadow Beast then returned him to his shadow . He turned around . . . ring~. . You¡¯ve discovered the interfloor movement magic circle . . . A circle magic seal was drawn on the floor . The light from the magic circle reached the sky . Jinwoo stepped in the light . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . Nothing happened . Confused, Jinwoo took few more steps and reached the center of the circle . . . There are no other open floors . . Which floor would you like to go to?. . ¡°How many floors are there?¡±. . There was no reply . . . ¡®To see the top, I just have to climb the tower, eh?¡¯. . Jinwoo thought for a moment . He was almost leveled up . Should he level-up here or go up a floor?. . ¡®Compared to the other Instant Dungeons, monsters don¡¯t respawn here . There¡¯s no point in staying in one place . ¡¯. . On top of that, the quest told him that there would be demons with multiple souls in the upper floors . With regards to both experience points and souls, Jinwoo decided it would be better to go up to higher floors . . . ¡®Alright . ¡¯. . Let¡¯s go up . . . Jinwoo spoked to the air,. . ¡°2nd Floor . ¡±. . An entry permit is required . . . Following the instruction, Jinwoo took out the scroll from the inventory . The moment it left the inventory, the scroll disappeared with a flash of light . . . The 2nd Floor of the Demon Castle has been opened . You will now go up to the 2nd Floor . . . wooooong-. . The magic circle began to glow fiercely . At the same time, Jinwoo understood what was happening . . . ¡®Oh so this is¡­¡¯. . Just an elevator . . . The moment he understood the pillar of light¡¯s purpose, Jinwoo was sent to the 2nd Floor with a blinding flash . . . . . 2nd Floor, 3rd Floor, 4th Floor¡­ And now, 27th Floor . . . This was Jinwoo¡¯s progress in the past two days . He had told Jinah that he would be traveling for a week . . . ¡®I have five days remaining . ¡¯. . Considering the increasing speed at which he was clearing each floor, Jinwoo gained hope that it might be possible for him to reach the 100th Floor in the five days remaining . Jinwoo looked around area . It was a completely destroyed city . . . ¡®I can¡¯t even tell what city this is based off of . ¡¯. . Every floor was a different city . Additionally, the destruction of the cities worsened as he went up the floors . On the 27th Floor, it started becoming harder to even call it a city anymore . Is this what a city would look like if it was carpet bombed? Jinwoo dismissed the thought and shook his head . . . ¡®Not the time for such thoughts . ¡¯. . He checked his watch; it was 11 PM . There was no night or day in this place . He had to rely on his watch to keep track of the time . If it was 11 o¡¯clock, he should grab some rest . Proper sleep was necessary to continue the Raid . Before that,. . ¡®Let¡¯s check the progress . ¡¯. . Collected Demon Souls: 2,116 / 10,000. . ¡®2,100¡­¡¯. . It was a rate of roughly a thousand demons a day . He had made good progress in the past two days . There was still a long way to go to ten thousand, but Jinwoo had great expectations on those demons with multiple souls on the upper floors . . . ¡®Looks like the most important thing is to keep going up . ¡¯. . After that would be leveling . . . ¡°Wow!¡±. . Jinwoo opened his eyes wide . . . Level: 67. . He had reached Level 67 in no time . Going from the low-level demons that gave 100 experience points to mid-level demons that gave 300, the progress he made towards leveling increased explosively . . . ¡®Man, I really am leveling up fast here . ¡¯. . Ton of monsters . Generous experience points . A proper difficulty . . . The Demon Castle was truly a heaven for leveling . And that was not all . Jinwoo had diligently worked on raising the proficiency of his kills . Even now, he was keeping Knight Killer hovering over his hand . The ¡®Ruler¡¯s Hands¡¯ . It was a skill that allowed him to move physical things without touching them . . . ¡®Thankfully, the ¡°Ruler¡¯s Hands¡± don¡¯t cost any mana . ¡¯. . It was a bit tiring to keep his mind concentrated on maintaining the skill, but compared to the benefits of raising his proficiency, it was worth it . As if on cue, Jinwoo received the good news . . . ¡®Ruler¡¯s Hands¡¯ has leveled up!. . ¡®Alright!¡¯. . Jinwoo beamed in happiness and rested his back against the wall . Everytime he became stronger, his heart relaxed a bit . His eyelids began to droop . . . ¡®Hmm, he should¡¯ve gotten his license by now . ¡¯. . Wonder if Yoo Jinho was well? It¡¯s been a while since Jinwoo moved on his own . It made him think of the young man who had always clung to his back in Dungeons . The fight between the older brother who had already proven his worth in the financial world and the younger brother who was only a college student with a Guildmaster license . It would not be an easy battle . . . ¡®Stay strong, Yoo Jinho . ¡¯. . Cheering Yoo Jinho on in his heart, Jinwoo slowly fell into deep slumber . . . . . Yoo Jinho entered the high-end Korean restaurant with a determined face . He handpicked the location to accommodate his father¡¯s tastes . . . ¡°The chairman?¡±. . ¡°He¡¯s waiting inside . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho gulped . . . ¡°Please, this way . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho was led to the room his father was in . . . slide-. . The sliding door opened, and the young man saw his father¡¯s face across the room . His nervousness multiplied . The moment of weakness lasting only a moment, Yoo Jinho gathered his courage and sat down across his father . . . ¡°So what is this all about? To think that you of all people would actually set-up a meeting with me . ¡±. . ¡°Father, before I say my piece, please take a look at this . ¡±. . ¡°This is¡­?¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s my Guildmaster license and my raiding records . ¡±. . ¡°A Guildmaster¡­ licence? You?¡±. . When Yoo Myunghan looked at him with a suspicious gaze, Yoo Jinho nodded happily,. . ¡°Yes, father . ¡±. . Without a word, Yoo Myunghan took the documents Yoo Jinho took out and looked over them . As the chairman pored over the information, a light appeared in his eyes . . . ¡°So,¡±. . Yoo Myunghan put down the documents on the table . . . ¡°You¡¯re telling me you want Yoojin Guild?¡±. . ¡°Yes, sir . ¡±. . ¡°Hmm¡­¡±. . For a brief moment, traces of surprise and contemplation appeared in Yoo Myunghan¡¯s face . . . ¡®To think that father actually has to take the time to choose between me and my brother . ¡¯. . Yoo Jinho was amazed . Even just that was a great result for the young man . If it was him in the past, he would¡¯ve been satisfied with that . However, Yoo Jinho had changed . The young man did not want to back off after coming this far . . . ¡°Father should know already, but leaving the Guildmaster¡¯s position to an outsider gives too much power to someone not under-¡±. . ¡°Enough . ¡±. . Yoo Myunghan held up a hand . At the same time, Yoo Jinho closed this mouth . In the Yoo clan, the word ¡°enough¡± from Yoo Myunghan was an absolute order no one would dare refuse . . . ¡°There is someone I want to introduce you to . ¡±. . ¡°Sir?¡±. . Yoo Jinho was caught off guard . The one who called for this meeting was him, so how could his father have someone to introduce him to? Who could it be? As the young man¡¯s curiosity reached its peak, another entrance to the room opened . . . ¡°Er¡­ Hello . ¡±. . A man in his 20~30s stood at the door and awkwardly greeted them . . . Who?. . Yoo Jinho did not recognize the man . Yoo Myunghan gestured with his chin, and the man sat down next to him . . . ¡°This is Hunter Go Myunghwan . ¡±. . ¡®Go Myunghwan?¡¯. . Yoo Jinho was confused . It was a name he had never heard of . His father nodded understandingly then continued,. . ¡°That Baekho Guild¡¯s Red Gate news making its rounds lately, he¡¯s one of the survivors of that incident . ¡±. Chapter 71 Yoo Jinho was shocked . ¡® . . . Red Gate?¡¯ Why would that be brought up here? Because of how much attention it was getting in the media, Yoo Jinho was well aware of the incident . However, he was not sure why his father was bringing it up in this meeting . ¡®And that man¡­¡¯ The so-called survivor of the incident . The press was looking for anyone related to the incident with fervor . How was that man even called to this place? Questions piled up in Yoo Jinho¡¯s mind . Watching him, Yoo Myunghan slowly opened his mouth, ¡°It appears that you are not aware . ¡± ¡°Sir?¡± Putting aside the confused Yoo Jinho, the chairman turned to the nervous looking Go Myunghwan . ¡°Hunter-nim . ¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Please inform my son who was there on that day, other than the Baekho¡¯s new recruits . ¡± ¡°Understood . ¡± Go Myunghwan turned to Yoo Jinho . Looking at the man, Yoo Jinho still showed confusion on his face . ¡°There was a young female Hunter, about the age of a highschooler, and-¡± ¡®A young female Hunter?¡¯ Up until that point, Yoo Jinho could not have dreamt of the name Go Myunghwan would say next, ¡°Sung Jinwoo-ssi . ¡± sink Yoo Jinho could almost hear his heart sinking to his stomach . ¡®H-hyungnim was at the Red Gate incident?¡¯ How could this have happened? Yoo Jinho¡¯s mind fell into chaos . But then the young man remembered something, ¡®Wait, few days ago¡­¡¯ Han Songyi, who had completely ignored hyungnim in the past, was sharing a friendly conversation with the man . ¡°What was the female Hunter¡¯s name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Ms . Han Songyi . ¡± My god . Yoo Jinho¡¯s mouth opened wide . To think that this was the secret of hyungnim and Han Songyi¡¯s relationship . ¡®That means¡­¡¯ The ¡°unknown helper¡± theorized all over the news is¡­ As if finishing his thought, Go Myunghwan continued, ¡°It was because of Sung Jinwoo-ssi that Ms . Han Songyi and our Baekho members were able to leave the Red Gate with our lives . ¡± ¡®Oh my god¡­¡¯ Hyungnim, just what were you doing over there . Yoo Jinho was half surprised and half happy at hearing his hyungnim¡¯s name . The young man forgot about his father in front of him and brazenly asked, ¡°What happened in the Red Gate?¡± Go Myunghwan looked to his side for permission . Yoo Myunghan nodded . The Hunter was already itching to go off into details, so the man happily explained everything that had happened in the Red Gate, ¡°Well, where to start¡­¡± Yoo Jinho listened with his eyes sparkling . ¡°We were flustered at first, when we heard that two E-rank Hunters would be joining in our training . But¡­¡± Go Myunghwan began regaling the tales that happened like a child showing off his new toy to his friends . However, he was not the only one excited by the tale, ¡°An A-rank Hunter?!¡± ¡°I know, right! He just slapped him like pow! And Kim Cheol just went down like boom!¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Everytime he heard a new accomplishment of hyungnim, Yoo Jinho¡¯s heart beat faster . ¡®As expected of hyungnim . ¡¯ Taking down the high-level magic beasts was nothing . But to think that he could knock out an A-rank Hunter in one blow . The fact that that man was his hyungnim filled Yoo Jinho with awe and pride . Go Myunghwan continued his story, ¡°-Then dozens of ice elves appeared out of thin air . I really thought we were done for then, but-¡± Was it because they were so focused on the story? The time passed by quickly . The tale of the Red Gate was not a short story, but in no time, Go Myunghwan reached the end . The man spoke a little too excitedly, ¡°It was something impossible . Sung Jinwoo-ssi was the savior of everyone there . ¡± Yoo Jinho nodded along without realizing . He fully understood Go Myunghwan¡¯s feelings . He himself was saved by hyungnim several times . ¡°And to think that we couldn¡¯t tell the story of our savior! It was hard for me to accept Baekho¡¯s decision on this matter . Fortunately, the chairman contacted me and-¡± Yoo Myunghan cut off Go Myunghwan at the right time, ¡°Hunter Go Myunghwan-nim . ¡± ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s good enough . ¡± ¡°Ah, I apologize . I got a little too excited . ¡± Go Myunghwan slightly bowed his head in embarrassment . Yoo Myunghan turned back to his son, ¡°And when I investigated Hunter Sung Jinwoo, an unexpected name appeared . ¡± Yoo Myunghan pointed to a name on a document in front of him . The man¡¯s finger was on Yoo Jinho¡¯s name . The document was one of the raiding reports the young Hunter had handed to his father in the beginning . The finger slid over to a second name on the document, Sung Jinwoo . Raid Leader Yoo Jinho . Raid Member Sung Jinwoo . The evidence was clear . ¡®He got me¡­¡¯ The fact that he had borrowed a powerful Hunter¡¯s abilities for his Guildmaster license plan was found out . Yoo Jinho¡¯s expression hardened . ¡°The fact that Hunter Sung Jinwoo¡¯s help was great in your plans to obtain the Guildmaster license . Do you deny it?¡± ¡° . . . No, sir . ¡± ¡°Do you have anything else to say?¡± ¡° . . . ¡± The road ahead looked bleak to the young man . The moment hyungnim¡¯s involvement in the plan was revealed, it became impossible to convince his father that he was worthy of Yoojin Guild . ¡® . . . ¡¯ His father continued to look at him with a fierce gaze . In the past, Yoo Jinho would¡¯ve lost all strength before that gaze . ¡®But . ¡¯ He could not back off like this . For the first time in his life, Yoo Jinho gathered the courage to stand up to his father . The young man bowed his head and raised his voice, ¡°Could you please leave Yoojin Guild to me, father?¡± ¡°Alright . ¡± ¡°Eh?¡± At the cool reply, Yoo Jinho raised his head . ¡°I¡¯ll leave Yoojin Guild to you . ¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°You said it yourself . It¡¯s too risky to leave the Guild to an outsider . With your existence, is there a need for us to take on unnecessary risk?¡± ¡°B-but, I tried to deceive you, father-¡± ¡°So what . Did you think I would scold you and chase you away?¡± Was he mistaken? His father¡¯s face remained stern; his mouth closed in a straight line . But Yoo Jinho felt like his father was smiling . ¡°If you had carelessly entered these Dungeons without a plan, perhaps I would¡¯ve done so . I do not recall raising a fool for a son . ¡± Yoo Jinho felt his face becoming hot . ¡®If I never met hyungnim, I would be yelled at and sent away by father right now . ¡¯ Well, he would¡¯ve probably died before that . Yoo Jinho sighed in relief in his mind . ¡°However, I have a condition . ¡± ¡°Yes, sir . ¡± ¡°This Hunter Sung Jinwoo¡­ Could you bring him to Yoojin Guild?¡± Yoo Jinho¡¯s eyes opened wide, ¡°Hyungnim to our Guild?¡± ¡®Did he just say hyungnim?¡¯ A light flashed across Yoo Myunghan¡¯s eyes for a split second . ¡°Yes . ¡± Yoo Jinho could not reply easily, ¡®Argh¡­¡¯ The young man knew he had to appear confident before his father right now . However, the target in question was hyungnim . All he could do is ask and hope for the best . So, he spoke truthfully to his father, ¡°I¡¯m not sure . ¡± ¡°Good . There would¡¯ve been no point to a condition if it was that easy . ¡± Chairman Yoo Myunghan drank some water then wiped his mouth with a handkerchief . ¡°If you fail, I will turn the Guild over to your brother . How about it, will you give it a go?¡± Yoo Jinho¡¯s face filled with determination . ¡®I¡¯ve worked hard for this opportunity¡­¡¯ If he walked away now, he would not be able to raise his head in front of hyungnim, who had helped him until the very end . Yoo Jinho spoke with a serious look in his eyes, ¡°Yes, I will try . ¡± ¡°Good . ¡± With his father¡¯s last word, the deal between father and son was complete . Yoo Myunghan silently nodded to dismiss his son, and Yoo Jinho bid his goodbyes and left . Yoo Myunghan removed the handkerchief from his mouth; the man had difficulty hiding the smile on his face . ¡®That brat¡­¡¯ To think that he would ask for the Yoojin Guild . He had a rough idea of what Yoo Jinho wanted when his son asked for this meeting, but it was beyond Yoo Myunghan¡¯s expectations that his son would come with such determination . ¡®As expected, the tiger¡¯s son is a tiger . ¡¯ The smile on Yoo Myunghan¡¯s face slowly widened . ¡®Holy shit! THE Chairman Yoo Myunghan is smiling!¡¯ Go Myunghwan was beyond shocked . The chairman¡¯s nickname was ¡°Pokerface¡± . Whether something good or bad happened, the man was famous for maintaining his stern and fierce expression . Sensing Go Myunghwan¡¯s awed stare, Yoo Myunghan turned to his side and asked, ¡°Hunter-nim, do you have anything else to say?¡± At the sudden question, Go Myunghwan hastily shook his head, ¡°N-no, sir . ¡± . . . 47, 48, 49, 50 . Jinwoo climbed toward the upper floor with a terrifying speed . You¡¯ve defeated a Mid-level Demon . You¡¯ve earned 300 experience points . You¡¯ve earned 1 Demon Soul . ¡­ ¡­ You¡¯ve defeated a Mid-level Demon . . . You¡¯ve defeated a Mid-level Demon . . . However, looking at the piling up experience points and souls every time he defeated a demon, Jinwoo did not feel tired . Collected Demon Souls: 4,388/ 10,000 ¡®Not even halfway, huh?¡¯ He felt like he had hunted an endless horde of demons here, but the wall known as 10,000 was still very high . What about his level? Level: 69 He had gained two more levels after a day . It definitely had slowed down, but was still fast compared to the rate of soul collecting . Even now, he continued to gain experience points . ¡°Kkieeeek!¡± . . . Mid-level Demon . You¡¯ve earned 300 experience points . You¡¯ve earned 1 Demon Soul . ¡°Whew-!¡± After taking down the last demon in front of him, Jinwoo stretched his back and looked around . Between the Shadow Soldiers standing at attention, countless corpses of mid-level demons were scattered about . clap Jinwoo smiled and put his hands together . ¡°Good job, everyone . ¡± The soldiers that fought hard returned to his shadow . While they could be used to collect magic cores in normal Dungeons, in here, only Jinwoo was able to collect the drops . Would you like to acquire it? After all, only he could respond to the System¡¯s messages . ¡®This part¡¯s a bit inconvenient . ¡¯ And so, if the number of demons was low, Jinwoo would take care of them on his own . Only against a larger group, were the soldiers summoned . After each battle, he went from corpse to corpse, stretching his hand toward the light and collecting drops . ¡®What was so fun about this that Jinho kept volunteering?¡¯ Remembering his dongsaeng, Jinwoo smiled as he continued to work . There was one more inconvenience here . In the Demon Castle, Shadow Extraction was impossible . The low-level and mid-level demons he fought did not give off the black smoke that indicated a soldier could be raised . ¡®Even when I stare at the corpses, all I get is-¡¯ The mana is contaminated . It¡¯s not a possible target for Shadow Extraction . The message that told him extraction was impossible due to contaminated mana . ¡®Well, what could I do?¡¯ With a disappointed feeling, Jinwoo went from corpse to corpse and piled up the drop messages . ring~ You¡¯ve found 29 ¡°Mid-level Demon¡¯s Horns¡± Would you like to acquire them all? Jinwoo smiled widely, ¡®Of course!¡¯ Looking at the items that piled up on the ground out of thin air, Jinwoo forgot about the disappointment regarding Shadow Extraction . ¡®Nothing I could use . ¡¯ Then everything has to go! The mass sale of junk items in the past few days had massively increased his hoard . Current Gold: 914,690,772 Damn! Looking at the amount of gold he had amassed, Jinwoo was satisfied once more . His funds for the System¡¯s shop had risen above 900 million . ¡®Makes sense . A single demon¡¯s horn is about 200,000, and I¡¯ve hunted 4,000 of them . ¡¯ And adding the other random items sold here and there, the gold piled up with terrifying speed . ¡®Should I purchase an S-rank weapon or an armor?¡¯ Jinwoo shook his head . He didn¡¯t particularly feel the need right now and did not want to forcefully spend gold . ¡®I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll have a need for it someday . ¡¯ Jinwoo closed the inventory and dusted off his hands . The area was roughly cleared . He had long since obtained the entry permit for the 51st Floor . All that was left to do is head over to the magic elevator¡­ Jinwoo moved his gaze to the pillar of light . Guarding the magic circle was a single giant demon surrounded by multiple high-level demons . Jinwoo looked above the giant demon¡¯s head . Its name was floating in the usual place, in black letters: ¡®Overlord of the Lower Floors, Volkhan of Avarice¡¯ [1] The demon had a giant muscular body that looked like it weight several dozen, no, several hundred tons . In its hands was a terrifyingly large club . Still, Jinwoo smiled, ¡®So that¡¯s the halfway boss?¡¯ Jinwoo had no bad memories when it came to the bosses of the Instant Dungeons . They had always given a large amount of experience points and dropped good items . Compared to the boss-level magic beasts that often gave little reward, boss-level monsters were practically gift boxes . The Hunter wondered just what this thing would drop . gulp Jinwoo smiled as he gulped in anticipation . Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Overlord of the Lower Floors, Volkhan of Avarice¡± (??? ???, ???? ??): Wew, long name . ¡°Lower level/floor¡± ?? + ¡°ruler/overlord/dominator¡± ??? . ¡°Greedy/Avarice¡± ???? + proper name (ball ? + khan ?) . Note, the title for ¡°overlord¡± ???, is the exact same word as ¡°Ruler¡± from ¡°Ruler¡¯s Hands¡± skill (???? ??), but I am purposely using a different word here . Don¡¯t ask why . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 71. . Yoo Jinho was shocked . . . ¡® . Red Gate?¡¯. . Why would that be brought up here? Because of how much attention it was getting in the media, Yoo Jinho was well aware of the incident . However, he was not sure why his father was bringing it up in this meeting . . . ¡®And that man¡­¡¯. . The so-called survivor of the incident . The press was looking for anyone related to the incident with fervor . How was that man even called to this place? Questions piled up in Yoo Jinho¡¯s mind . Watching him, Yoo Myunghan slowly opened his mouth,. . ¡°It appears that you are not aware . ¡±. . ¡°Sir?¡±. . Putting aside the confused Yoo Jinho, the chairman turned to the nervous looking Go Myunghwan . . . ¡°Hunter-nim . ¡±. . ¡°Yes?¡±. . ¡°Please inform my son who was there on that day, other than the Baekho¡¯s new recruits . ¡±. . ¡°Understood . ¡±. . Go Myunghwan turned to Yoo Jinho . Looking at the man, Yoo Jinho still showed confusion on his face . . . ¡°There was a young female Hunter, about the age of a highschooler, and-¡±. . ¡®A young female Hunter?¡¯. . Up until that point, Yoo Jinho could not have dreamt of the name Go Myunghwan would say next,. . ¡°Sung Jinwoo-ssi . ¡±. . sink. . Yoo Jinho could almost hear his heart sinking to his stomach . . . ¡®H-hyungnim was at the Red Gate incident?¡¯. . How could this have happened? Yoo Jinho¡¯s mind fell into chaos . But then the young man remembered something,. . ¡®Wait, few days ago¡­¡¯. . Han Songyi, who had completely ignored hyungnim in the past, was sharing a friendly conversation with the man . . . ¡°What was the female Hunter¡¯s name?¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s Ms . Han Songyi . ¡±. . My god . Yoo Jinho¡¯s mouth opened wide . To think that this was the secret of hyungnim and Han Songyi¡¯s relationship . . . ¡®That means¡­¡¯. . The ¡°unknown helper¡± theorized all over the news is¡­ As if finishing his thought, Go Myunghwan continued,. . ¡°It was because of Sung Jinwoo-ssi that Ms . Han Songyi and our Baekho members were able to leave the Red Gate with our lives . ¡±. . ¡®Oh my god¡­¡¯. . Hyungnim, just what were you doing over there . Yoo Jinho was half surprised and half happy at hearing his hyungnim¡¯s name . The young man forgot about his father in front of him and brazenly asked,. . ¡°What happened in the Red Gate?¡±. . Go Myunghwan looked to his side for permission . Yoo Myunghan nodded . The Hunter was already itching to go off into details, so the man happily explained everything that had happened in the Red Gate,. . ¡°Well, where to start¡­¡±. . Yoo Jinho listened with his eyes sparkling . . . ¡°We were flustered at first, when we heard that two E-rank Hunters would be joining in our training . But¡­¡±. . Go Myunghwan began regaling the tales that happened like a child showing off his new toy to his friends . However, he was not the only one excited by the tale,. . ¡°An A-rank Hunter?!¡±. . ¡°I know, right! He just slapped him like pow! And Kim Cheol just went down like boom!¡±. . ¡°Wow¡­¡±. . Everytime he heard a new accomplishment of hyungnim, Yoo Jinho¡¯s heart beat faster . . . ¡®As expected of hyungnim . ¡¯. . Taking down the high-level magic beasts was nothing . But to think that he could knock out an A-rank Hunter in one blow . The fact that that man was his hyungnim filled Yoo Jinho with awe and pride . Go Myunghwan continued his story,. . ¡°-Then dozens of ice elves appeared out of thin air . I really thought we were done for then, but-¡±. . Was it because they were so focused on the story? The time passed by quickly . The tale of the Red Gate was not a short story, but in no time, Go Myunghwan reached the end . The man spoke a little too excitedly,. . ¡°It was something impossible . Sung Jinwoo-ssi was the savior of everyone there . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho nodded along without realizing . He fully understood Go Myunghwan¡¯s feelings . He himself was saved by hyungnim several times . . . ¡°And to think that we couldn¡¯t tell the story of our savior! It was hard for me to accept Baekho¡¯s decision on this matter . Fortunately, the chairman contacted me and-¡±. . Yoo Myunghan cut off Go Myunghwan at the right time,. . ¡°Hunter Go Myunghwan-nim . ¡±. . ¡°Sir?¡±. . ¡°I think that¡¯s good enough . ¡±. . ¡°Ah, I apologize . I got a little too excited . ¡±. . Go Myunghwan slightly bowed his head in embarrassment . Yoo Myunghan turned back to his son,. . ¡°And when I investigated Hunter Sung Jinwoo, an unexpected name appeared . ¡±. . Yoo Myunghan pointed to a name on a document in front of him . The man¡¯s finger was on Yoo Jinho¡¯s name . The document was one of the raiding reports the young Hunter had handed to his father in the beginning . The finger slid over to a second name on the document, Sung Jinwoo . . . Raid Leader Yoo Jinho . Raid Member Sung Jinwoo . . . The evidence was clear . . . ¡®He got me¡­¡¯. . The fact that he had borrowed a powerful Hunter¡¯s abilities for his Guildmaster license plan was found out . Yoo Jinho¡¯s expression hardened . . . ¡°The fact that Hunter Sung Jinwoo¡¯s help was great in your plans to obtain the Guildmaster license . Do you deny it?¡±. . ¡° . No, sir . ¡±. . ¡°Do you have anything else to say?¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . The road ahead looked bleak to the young man . The moment hyungnim¡¯s involvement in the plan was revealed, it became impossible to convince his father that he was worthy of Yoojin Guild . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . His father continued to look at him with a fierce gaze . In the past, Yoo Jinho would¡¯ve lost all strength before that gaze . . . ¡®But . ¡¯. . He could not back off like this . For the first time in his life, Yoo Jinho gathered the courage to stand up to his father . The young man bowed his head and raised his voice,. . ¡°Could you please leave Yoojin Guild to me, father?¡±. . ¡°Alright . ¡±. . ¡°Eh?¡±. . At the cool reply, Yoo Jinho raised his head . . . ¡°I¡¯ll leave Yoojin Guild to you . ¡±. . ¡°Huh¡­?¡±. . ¡°You said it yourself . It¡¯s too risky to leave the Guild to an outsider . With your existence, is there a need for us to take on unnecessary risk?¡±. . ¡°B-but, I tried to deceive you, father-¡±. . ¡°So what . Did you think I would scold you and chase you away?¡±. . Was he mistaken? His father¡¯s face remained stern; his mouth closed in a straight line . But Yoo Jinho felt like his father was smiling . . . ¡°If you had carelessly entered these Dungeons without a plan, perhaps I would¡¯ve done so . I do not recall raising a fool for a son . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho felt his face becoming hot . . . ¡®If I never met hyungnim, I would be yelled at and sent away by father right now . ¡¯. . Well, he would¡¯ve probably died before that . Yoo Jinho sighed in relief in his mind . . . ¡°However, I have a condition . ¡±. . ¡°Yes, sir . ¡±. . ¡°This Hunter Sung Jinwoo¡­ Could you bring him to Yoojin Guild?¡±. . Yoo Jinho¡¯s eyes opened wide,. . ¡°Hyungnim to our Guild?¡±. . ¡®Did he just say hyungnim?¡¯. . A light flashed across Yoo Myunghan¡¯s eyes for a split second . . . ¡°Yes . ¡±. . Yoo Jinho could not reply easily,. . ¡®Argh¡­¡¯. . The young man knew he had to appear confident before his father right now . However, the target in question was hyungnim . All he could do is ask and hope for the best . So, he spoke truthfully to his father,. . ¡°I¡¯m not sure . ¡±. . ¡°Good . There would¡¯ve been no point to a condition if it was that easy . ¡±. . Chairman Yoo Myunghan drank some water then wiped his mouth with a handkerchief . . . ¡°If you fail, I will turn the Guild over to your brother . How about it, will you give it a go?¡±. . Yoo Jinho¡¯s face filled with determination . . . ¡®I¡¯ve worked hard for this opportunity¡­¡¯. . If he walked away now, he would not be able to raise his head in front of hyungnim, who had helped him until the very end . Yoo Jinho spoke with a serious look in his eyes,. . ¡°Yes, I will try . ¡±. . ¡°Good . ¡±. . With his father¡¯s last word, the deal between father and son was complete . Yoo Myunghan silently nodded to dismiss his son, and Yoo Jinho bid his goodbyes and left . Yoo Myunghan removed the handkerchief from his mouth; the man had difficulty hiding the smile on his face . . . ¡®That brat¡­¡¯. . To think that he would ask for the Yoojin Guild . He had a rough idea of what Yoo Jinho wanted when his son asked for this meeting, but it was beyond Yoo Myunghan¡¯s expectations that his son would come with such determination . . . ¡®As expected, the tiger¡¯s son is a tiger . ¡¯. . The smile on Yoo Myunghan¡¯s face slowly widened . . . ¡®Holy shit! THE Chairman Yoo Myunghan is smiling!¡¯. . Go Myunghwan was beyond shocked . The chairman¡¯s nickname was ¡°Pokerface¡± . Whether something good or bad happened, the man was famous for maintaining his stern and fierce expression . Sensing Go Myunghwan¡¯s awed stare, Yoo Myunghan turned to his side and asked,. . ¡°Hunter-nim, do you have anything else to say?¡±. . At the sudden question, Go Myunghwan hastily shook his head,. . ¡°N-no, sir . ¡±. . . . . 47, 48, 49, 50 . . . Jinwoo climbed toward the upper floor with a terrifying speed . . . You¡¯ve defeated a Mid-level Demon . . You¡¯ve earned 300 experience points . . You¡¯ve earned 1 Demon Soul . . . ¡­. . ¡­. . You¡¯ve defeated a Mid-level Demon . . . You¡¯ve defeated a Mid-level Demon . . . However, looking at the piling up experience points and souls every time he defeated a demon, Jinwoo did not feel tired . . . Collected Demon Souls: 4,388/ 10,000. . ¡®Not even halfway, huh?¡¯. . He felt like he had hunted an endless horde of demons here, but the wall known as 10,000 was still very high . What about his level?. . Level: 69. . He had gained two more levels after a day . It definitely had slowed down, but was still fast compared to the rate of soul collecting . Even now, he continued to gain experience points . . . ¡°Kkieeeek!¡±. . . Mid-level Demon . . You¡¯ve earned 300 experience points . . You¡¯ve earned 1 Demon Soul . . . ¡°Whew-!¡±. . After taking down the last demon in front of him, Jinwoo stretched his back and looked around . Between the Shadow Soldiers standing at attention, countless corpses of mid-level demons were scattered about . . . clap. . Jinwoo smiled and put his hands together . . . ¡°Good job, everyone . ¡±. . The soldiers that fought hard returned to his shadow . While they could be used to collect magic cores in normal Dungeons, in here, only Jinwoo was able to collect the drops . . . Would you like to acquire it?. . After all, only he could respond to the System¡¯s messages . . . ¡®This part¡¯s a bit inconvenient . ¡¯. . And so, if the number of demons was low, Jinwoo would take care of them on his own . Only against a larger group, were the soldiers summoned . After each battle, he went from corpse to corpse, stretching his hand toward the light and collecting drops . . . ¡®What was so fun about this that Jinho kept volunteering?¡¯. . Remembering his dongsaeng, Jinwoo smiled as he continued to work . . . There was one more inconvenience here . In the Demon Castle, Shadow Extraction was impossible . The low-level and mid-level demons he fought did not give off the black smoke that indicated a soldier could be raised . . . ¡®Even when I stare at the corpses, all I get is-¡¯. . The mana is contaminated . . It¡¯s not a possible target for Shadow Extraction . . . The message that told him extraction was impossible due to contaminated mana . . . ¡®Well, what could I do?¡¯. . With a disappointed feeling, Jinwoo went from corpse to corpse and piled up the drop messages . . . ring~. . You¡¯ve found 29 ¡°Mid-level Demon¡¯s Horns¡±. Would you like to acquire them all?. . Jinwoo smiled widely,. . ¡®Of course!¡¯. . Looking at the items that piled up on the ground out of thin air, Jinwoo forgot about the disappointment regarding Shadow Extraction . . . ¡®Nothing I could use . ¡¯. . Then everything has to go! The mass sale of junk items in the past few days had massively increased his hoard . . . Current Gold: 914,690,772. . Damn! Looking at the amount of gold he had amassed, Jinwoo was satisfied once more . His funds for the System¡¯s shop had risen above 900 million . . . ¡®Makes sense . A single demon¡¯s horn is about 200,000, and I¡¯ve hunted 4,000 of them . ¡¯. . And adding the other random items sold here and there, the gold piled up with terrifying speed . . . ¡®Should I purchase an S-rank weapon or an armor?¡¯. . Jinwoo shook his head . He didn¡¯t particularly feel the need right now and did not want to forcefully spend gold . . . ¡®I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll have a need for it someday . ¡¯. . Jinwoo closed the inventory and dusted off his hands . The area was roughly cleared . He had long since obtained the entry permit for the 51st Floor . All that was left to do is head over to the magic elevator¡­. . Jinwoo moved his gaze to the pillar of light . Guarding the magic circle was a single giant demon surrounded by multiple high-level demons . Jinwoo looked above the giant demon¡¯s head . Its name was floating in the usual place, in black letters:. . ¡®Overlord of the Lower Floors, Volkhan of Avarice¡¯ [1]. . The demon had a giant muscular body that looked like it weight several dozen, no, several hundred tons . In its hands was a terrifyingly large club . Still, Jinwoo smiled,. . ¡®So that¡¯s the halfway boss?¡¯. . Jinwoo had no bad memories when it came to the bosses of the Instant Dungeons . They had always given a large amount of experience points and dropped good items . Compared to the boss-level magic beasts that often gave little reward, boss-level monsters were practically gift boxes . The Hunter wondered just what this thing would drop . . . gulp. . Jinwoo smiled as he gulped in anticipation . . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Overlord of the Lower Floors, Volkhan of Avarice¡± (??? ???, ???? ??): Wew, long name . ¡°Lower level/floor¡± ?? + ¡°ruler/overlord/dominator¡± ??? . ¡°Greedy/Avarice¡± ???? + proper name (ball ? + khan ?) . Note, the title for ¡°overlord¡± ???, is the exact same word as ¡°Ruler¡± from ¡°Ruler¡¯s Hands¡± skill (???? ??), but I am purposely using a different word here . Don¡¯t ask why . . Chapter 72 ¡®Shall we get started?¡¯ The Shadow Soldiers appeared behind Jinwoo¡¯s back . His army was composed of infantry, mages, beasts and the two knights . At their head stood Jinwoo . The two knights stepped forward and took place at Jinwoo¡¯s sides . Ygritte to his right, Iron to his left . Looking at the pair, Jinwoo beamed with pride . ¡®They¡¯re rather dependable . ¡¯ Even if it was his skill, they felt like comrades that protected his back . It gave Jinwoo a sense of security . However, ¡®Facing that thing head on is a bit¡­¡¯ Dangerous . Mainly because of the giant wooden club that Volkhan was holding . ¡®It¡¯s amazing there¡¯s a tree large enough to make that thing . ¡¯ Taking Volkhan¡¯s giant body and the size of the wooden club into account, a single swipe would wipe away his entire army . ¡®Well, being wiped away is fine . ¡¯ The problem was the limited amount of mana he had to regenerate his entire army . Jinwoo knew his mana would plummet to the ground if he stupidly rushed at the demon with everyone at his disposal . That left one option, ¡®That musclehead is mine . ¡¯ His army would take care of the trash mobs around Volkhan, while Jinwoo fought the giant demon on his own . He felt that that was the best way to approach this fight . ¡®I just have to not get hit . ¡¯ Unlike his soldiers, Jinwoo was confident in his ability to dodge Volkhan¡¯s attacks . The Hunter ordered the Shadow Mages to fire the opening shot . ¡®The ranged attacks will grab aggro from the trash mobs . When that slow looking thing lumbers behind the high-level demons, I¡¯ll go fight it one-on-one . ¡¯ It was a straight forward tactic . ¡®Now . ¡¯ When he gave the signal, fireballs shot out from the Shadow Mages¡¯ hands . wooosh- wooooooosh- BANG! The fireball exploded near the mobs around Volkhan and signaled the start of battle . ring~! The Overlord of the Lower Floors, Volkhan of Avarice has noticed an intruder! Volkhan¡¯s Bodyguard has noticed . . . Volkhan¡¯s Bodyguard has noticed . . . ring, ring, ring! The warning tones came one after another repeatedly . With the warning, Volkhan and the bodyguards turned their gazes toward Jinwoo . ¡®Alright¡­¡¯ They succeeded in grabbing the enemy¡¯s attention . Jinwoo activated ¡®Stealth¡¯; his plan was to flank around the trash mobs and get to Volkhan . shooo- Everything was going to plan . . . . Or so he thought . BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM-! ¡® . . . !!!¡¯ Contrary to Jinwoo¡¯s expectations, Volkhan was the first to run towards the Shadow Army . If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that they were about to engage in a difficult battle, it would¡¯ve almost been comical sight . Instead of lumbering slowly, the giant demon was running at full sprint towards them, almost as if, ¡®What the hell?! What¡¯s with its movement?! It¡¯s like someone pressed fast forward on a video!¡¯ Indeed, Volkhan had reached them in a blink of an eye! Leaving behind his bodyguards, the giant demon stopped before the Shadow Soldiers . ¡®I fucked up!¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s eyes opened wide . The demon¡¯s mountain-like body displayed a speed that betrayed all logic . ¡°Mm!¡± Volkhan raised its club and brought it down . As the club fell down towards the exposed Shadow Mages, Iron appeared out nowhere and raised his pitch-black shield to block . SMASH! CRACK! It was a valiant effort¡­ While the giant knight managed to blocked the attack, Iron¡¯s two arms were completely destroyed . The Shadow Soldier with the highest defense was rendered useless after a single attack . thud Pieces of Iron¡¯s two broken arms fell onto the ground . ¡°Mm? Mm?¡± As if disappointed by its last attack, Volkhan tilted his head and squinted at his club . Well, the demon¡¯s confusion only lasted for a split second . The wooden club was brought down once more . ¡°Mm!¡± CRACK! With no way to defend anymore, Iron and the Shadow Mages behind him were crushed without resistance . snap Watching this scene, something snapped inside of Jinwoo . ¡®You fucking¡­¡¯ The Hunter bit his lower lip . His body moved before his mind could give the order . jump! Before he realized, Jinwoo was already in the air, flying towards Volkhan . His target was clear . Compared to its mountain-like body, the demon¡¯s head was tiny . Jinwoo twisted his hips midair, pulling his right arm back . The muscles on the Hunter¡¯s right arm and shoulder flexed . As he focused every ounce of his strength into his clenched fist, ¡®Stealth¡¯ was released . ¡°Mm?¡± Volkhan discovered Jinwoo too late . Jinwoo was not about to miss a target at this range . WOOSH-! The man¡¯s fist shot forth like a bullet into the side of Volkhan¡¯s face . BAM! The body of the giant demon was thrown back . The demon rolled on the ground for some time, finally stopping when it struck a building with only frames remaining . Collapse! What remained of the building collapsed when the giant demon crashed into it . step Jinwoo nimbly landed on the ground but was surprised . ¡®Why did he fly so far?¡¯ He looked down at his fist with disbelief . There was not a scratch on the fist that blew away giant demon . Then he realized, ¡®Oh right¡­¡¯ Jinwoo looked up . The stat screen was pulled up . Stats Strength: 150 Constitution: 109 Agility: 139 Intelligence: 109 Sense: 111 (Available stat points: 0) Physical Damage Reduction: 46% ¡® . . . I forgot . ¡¯ Because he had mostly received Assassin-class skills and obtained a Mage-class as his class, Jinwoo had forgotten about something: Strength: 150 ¡® . . . ¡¯ Even though he had invested every point into intelligence lately, his strength was still nearly 50% higher than intelligence . ¡®I really invested a stupid amount of points into that, huh . ¡¯ On top of that, he had explosively raised his levels in the past few days . Looking at the stats, he was able to feel his growth . And the results of that growth was¡­ that . Jinwoo looked at Volkhan¡¯s body in the rubbles of the building in disbelief . It was hard to tell when he fought the low-level and mid-level demons . But using his powers against the boss-level monster gave him assurance, ¡®I¡­ have become strong . ¡¯ clench Strength filled Jinwoo¡¯s fist and spread throughout his entire body . Suddenly, the familiar electronic tone rang, ring~ ¡®What is it?¡¯ Jinwoo raised his head . ¡°Mm? Mm?¡± Volkhan used its club as a support and rose from the ground . ¡®Is it warning me that a monster is getting up?¡¯ Had the System ever been that friendly? With a tilted head, Jinwoo realized the true meaning of the System¡¯s warning tone . The Overlord of the Lower Floors, Volkhan of Avarice has used ¡®Rage¡¯ . ¡®Huh?¡¯ ring, ring, ring The warning tones continued . It will permanently enter a state of rage . Volkhan¡¯s all attributes are increased by 50% . Volkhan cannot feel any pain . ¡®That skill is¡­?¡¯ Before even Jinwoo could recall the memories of Cerberus, Volkhan charged at him with blood-red eyes . BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM-! The ground shook with each deafening footstep . Jinwoo took a quick glance back; his Shadow Soldiers and Volkhan¡¯s minions were in a fierce battle . ¡°Guoooo!¡± ¡°Kiiek!¡± Amidst the chaotic battle, Jinwoo found Iron . As a testament to Volkhan¡¯s destructive power, the giant knight was still in the middle of regenerating . ¡°Iron!¡± Jinwoo shouted . His knight immediately understood his liege¡¯s order . Iron threw his shield with strength towards Jinwoo . The Hunter quickly snatched it out of the air . When he turned his gaze forward again, Volkhan was already before him . ¡®If I dodge, my soldiers will be hit . ¡¯ It would be impossible to take down Volkhan and his minions without his army . And so, Jinwoo selected the best method to protect his soldiers . He raised his shield and focused strength into his arms . ¡°Mm!¡± Volkhan¡¯s club fell . BANG! BANG! BANG! The brutal attacks that made the earth cry rained down mercilessly on Jinwoo, but the Hunter held his ground . It was only made possible due to his high physical damage reduction and constitution stats . ¡°Mm? Mm?¡± Enraged that his attacks were ineffective, Volkhan started swinging his club with fury . BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! However, Jinwoo¡¯s knees did not buckle . ¡®Still¡­¡¯ Just blocking like this would never bring down that mountain . Jinwoo¡¯s brows furrowed . Unlike Cerberus, Volkhan¡¯s ¡®Rage¡¯, while it was less effective than the dog¡¯s, did not have a time limit . He could not wait for it to time out like last time . BANG! BANG! Jinwoo clenched his teeth . ¡®Not really my style to be a Tanker anyways¡­¡¯ BANG! The moment Volkhan¡¯s club retracted for the next blow, Jinwoo leaped towards demon¡¯s head again . However, Jinwoo wasn¡¯t the only one looking for an opportunity . ¡°Mm!¡± Timing its movements, Volkhan stepped back as Jinwoo flew towards him . ¡®What?¡¯ Jinwoo saw the club swinging towards him horizontally . ¡® . . . He got me . ¡¯ If he was on the ground, it would¡¯ve been a different story . But there was no way to dodge midair . Even if he blocked, he would be smashed into something . woooooooosh-! In a world of slowed time, Jinwoo saw the club making its way to him in slow motion . ¡®Is there anything I could do?!¡¯ If only he could move his body somehow . Suddenly, a thought flashed across his mind, ¡®If I could only move my body?¡¯ There was no time to think . Jinwoo quickly used ¡®Ruler¡¯s Hands¡¯ to try and push Volkhan . ¡°Mm?¡± Of course, moving that mountainous body with his current level of proficiency was impossible . However, the rebounding force instead pushed Jinwoo¡¯s body back . woooosh-! The tip of the club passed before his eyes . ¡®Thank you Newton ahjussi!¡¯ Because of the erratic movement, Jinwoo lost his balance and rolled on the ground for a bit, but it was nothing compared to the damage he would¡¯ve received if he was struck by the attack . ¡°Phew-!¡± Jinwoo collected himself and sighed in relief . ¡°Mm?¡± On the other hand, Volkhan¡¯s face scrunched hideously in anger . Missing its planned attack made every inch of its body tremble in rage . ¡°Mm, Mm!¡± Looking at the demon¡¯s face turning red, Jinwoo scratched the side of his head . ¡®Now what?¡¯ It just displayed the ability to dodge when he jumped at its head . Additionally, it did not feel like Jinwoo could do much damage to the rest of its body considering its size . ¡®Is there anyway I can prevent it from dodging?¡¯ Jinwoo thought of an idea . The corners of his mouth rose . The Hunter turned around and ran . Mistaking it for Jinwoo trying to escape, Volkhan rapidly chased after him . BOOM BOOM BOOM-! Jinwoo controlled his pace so Volkhan could follow right behind him . His eyes lit up when he found a suitable building . ¡®That should work . ¡¯ Meanwhile, ¡°MM!¡± As the distance between it and Jinwoo closed, the demon swung his club . This insectile existence! The chance to crush this annoyance was here . A disgusting smile appeared on Volkhan¡¯s face . But as his club fell down towards the ground, the insect suddenly sped up and ran up the side of a crumbling building . ¡°Mm?¡± Something felt off, but it was too late to slow down . ¡°Mm, mm?¡± The insect on the building reached the demon¡¯s eye level, then kicked off the building with all his might . CRACK! The wall he kicked off of cracked like a spider¡¯s web, and something flew toward Volkhan¡¯s face faster than it could react . It was the insect . ¡°Mm!¡± Volkhan¡¯s eyes widened . Jinwoo met its eyes with a smile . Wielding Baruka¡¯s Tanto in his right hand, Jinwoo sliced the bulging artery on demon¡¯s neck . Slash! As fitting of its large body, blood spilled out like a fountain from the wound . splash! ¡°Mm? Mm!¡± Volkhan threw away its club and quickly put a hand over the wound . ¡°Mm!¡± However, it was not enough to stop the bleeding . The giant demon¡¯s eyes began to tremble . ¡°M-mm?¡± Jinwoo had already climbed behind its back and used his two daggers to stab the demon¡¯s neck . ¡®Is once not enough?¡¯ With a tilted head, Jinwoo used the skill again . ¡®Vital Stab!¡¯ The two daggers dug into Volkhan¡¯s neck again . stab! stab! And finally, the victorious message appeared . ring~ You¡¯ve defeated the Overlord of the Lower Floors, Volkhan of Avarice . You¡¯ve earned 150,000 experience points . Volkhan has thrown up the Demon Souls in his stomach . You¡¯ve earned 72 Demon Souls . You¡¯ve leveled up! You¡¯ve leveled up! Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 72. . ¡®Shall we get started?¡¯. . The Shadow Soldiers appeared behind Jinwoo¡¯s back . His army was composed of infantry, mages, beasts and the two knights . At their head stood Jinwoo . The two knights stepped forward and took place at Jinwoo¡¯s sides . Ygritte to his right, Iron to his left . Looking at the pair, Jinwoo beamed with pride . . . ¡®They¡¯re rather dependable . ¡¯. . Even if it was his skill, they felt like comrades that protected his back . It gave Jinwoo a sense of security . . . However,. . ¡®Facing that thing head on is a bit¡­¡¯. . Dangerous . Mainly because of the giant wooden club that Volkhan was holding . . . ¡®It¡¯s amazing there¡¯s a tree large enough to make that thing . ¡¯. . Taking Volkhan¡¯s giant body and the size of the wooden club into account, a single swipe would wipe away his entire army . . . ¡®Well, being wiped away is fine . ¡¯. . The problem was the limited amount of mana he had to regenerate his entire army . Jinwoo knew his mana would plummet to the ground if he stupidly rushed at the demon with everyone at his disposal . That left one option,. . ¡®That musclehead is mine . ¡¯. . His army would take care of the trash mobs around Volkhan, while Jinwoo fought the giant demon on his own . He felt that that was the best way to approach this fight . . . ¡®I just have to not get hit . ¡¯. . Unlike his soldiers, Jinwoo was confident in his ability to dodge Volkhan¡¯s attacks . The Hunter ordered the Shadow Mages to fire the opening shot . . . ¡®The ranged attacks will grab aggro from the trash mobs . When that slow looking thing lumbers behind the high-level demons, I¡¯ll go fight it one-on-one . ¡¯. . It was a straight forward tactic . . . ¡®Now . ¡¯. . When he gave the signal, fireballs shot out from the Shadow Mages¡¯ hands . . . wooosh-. . wooooooosh-. . BANG!. . The fireball exploded near the mobs around Volkhan and signaled the start of battle . . . ring~!. . The Overlord of the Lower Floors, Volkhan of Avarice has noticed an intruder!. Volkhan¡¯s Bodyguard has noticed . . Volkhan¡¯s Bodyguard has noticed . . . ring, ring, ring!. . The warning tones came one after another repeatedly . With the warning, Volkhan and the bodyguards turned their gazes toward Jinwoo . . . ¡®Alright¡­¡¯. . They succeeded in grabbing the enemy¡¯s attention . Jinwoo activated ¡®Stealth¡¯; his plan was to flank around the trash mobs and get to Volkhan . . . shooo-. . Everything was going to plan . . . . Or so he thought . . . BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM-!. . ¡® . !!!¡¯. . Contrary to Jinwoo¡¯s expectations, Volkhan was the first to run towards the Shadow Army . If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that they were about to engage in a difficult battle, it would¡¯ve almost been comical sight . Instead of lumbering slowly, the giant demon was running at full sprint towards them, almost as if,. . ¡®What the hell?! What¡¯s with its movement?! It¡¯s like someone pressed fast forward on a video!¡¯. . Indeed, Volkhan had reached them in a blink of an eye! Leaving behind his bodyguards, the giant demon stopped before the Shadow Soldiers . . . ¡®I fucked up!¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes opened wide . The demon¡¯s mountain-like body displayed a speed that betrayed all logic . . . ¡°Mm!¡±. . Volkhan raised its club and brought it down . As the club fell down towards the exposed Shadow Mages, Iron appeared out nowhere and raised his pitch-black shield to block . . . SMASH!. . CRACK!. . It was a valiant effort¡­ While the giant knight managed to blocked the attack, Iron¡¯s two arms were completely destroyed . The Shadow Soldier with the highest defense was rendered useless after a single attack . . . thud. . Pieces of Iron¡¯s two broken arms fell onto the ground . . . ¡°Mm? Mm?¡±. . As if disappointed by its last attack, Volkhan tilted his head and squinted at his club . Well, the demon¡¯s confusion only lasted for a split second . The wooden club was brought down once more . . . ¡°Mm!¡±. . CRACK!. . With no way to defend anymore, Iron and the Shadow Mages behind him were crushed without resistance . . . snap. . Watching this scene, something snapped inside of Jinwoo . . . ¡®You fucking¡­¡¯. . The Hunter bit his lower lip . His body moved before his mind could give the order . . . jump!. . Before he realized, Jinwoo was already in the air, flying towards Volkhan . His target was clear . Compared to its mountain-like body, the demon¡¯s head was tiny . Jinwoo twisted his hips midair, pulling his right arm back . The muscles on the Hunter¡¯s right arm and shoulder flexed . As he focused every ounce of his strength into his clenched fist, ¡®Stealth¡¯ was released . . . ¡°Mm?¡±. . Volkhan discovered Jinwoo too late . Jinwoo was not about to miss a target at this range . . . WOOSH-!. . The man¡¯s fist shot forth like a bullet into the side of Volkhan¡¯s face . . . BAM!. . The body of the giant demon was thrown back . The demon rolled on the ground for some time, finally stopping when it struck a building with only frames remaining . . . Collapse!. . What remained of the building collapsed when the giant demon crashed into it . . . step. . Jinwoo nimbly landed on the ground but was surprised . . . ¡®Why did he fly so far?¡¯. . He looked down at his fist with disbelief . There was not a scratch on the fist that blew away giant demon . Then he realized,. . ¡®Oh right¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo looked up . The stat screen was pulled up . . . Stats. . Strength: 150. Constitution: 109. Agility: 139. Intelligence: 109. Sense: 111. (Available stat points: 0). Physical Damage Reduction: 46%. . ¡® . I forgot . ¡¯. . Because he had mostly received Assassin-class skills and obtained a Mage-class as his class, Jinwoo had forgotten about something:. . Strength: 150. . ¡® . ¡¯. . Even though he had invested every point into intelligence lately, his strength was still nearly 50% higher than intelligence . . . ¡®I really invested a stupid amount of points into that, huh . ¡¯. . On top of that, he had explosively raised his levels in the past few days . Looking at the stats, he was able to feel his growth . . . And the results of that growth was¡­ that . Jinwoo looked at Volkhan¡¯s body in the rubbles of the building in disbelief . It was hard to tell when he fought the low-level and mid-level demons . But using his powers against the boss-level monster gave him assurance,. . ¡®I¡­ have become strong . ¡¯. . clench. . Strength filled Jinwoo¡¯s fist and spread throughout his entire body . Suddenly, the familiar electronic tone rang,. . ring~. . ¡®What is it?¡¯. . Jinwoo raised his head . . . ¡°Mm? Mm?¡±. . Volkhan used its club as a support and rose from the ground . . . ¡®Is it warning me that a monster is getting up?¡¯. . Had the System ever been that friendly? With a tilted head, Jinwoo realized the true meaning of the System¡¯s warning tone . . . The Overlord of the Lower Floors, Volkhan of Avarice has used ¡®Rage¡¯ . . . ¡®Huh?¡¯. . ring, ring, ring. . The warning tones continued . . . It will permanently enter a state of rage . . Volkhan¡¯s all attributes are increased by 50% . . Volkhan cannot feel any pain . . . ¡®That skill is¡­?¡¯. . Before even Jinwoo could recall the memories of Cerberus, Volkhan charged at him with blood-red eyes . . . BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM-!. . The ground shook with each deafening footstep . Jinwoo took a quick glance back; his Shadow Soldiers and Volkhan¡¯s minions were in a fierce battle . . . ¡°Guoooo!¡±. ¡°Kiiek!¡±. . Amidst the chaotic battle, Jinwoo found Iron . As a testament to Volkhan¡¯s destructive power, the giant knight was still in the middle of regenerating . . . ¡°Iron!¡±. . Jinwoo shouted . His knight immediately understood his liege¡¯s order . Iron threw his shield with strength towards Jinwoo . The Hunter quickly snatched it out of the air . When he turned his gaze forward again, Volkhan was already before him . . . ¡®If I dodge, my soldiers will be hit . ¡¯. . It would be impossible to take down Volkhan and his minions without his army . And so, Jinwoo selected the best method to protect his soldiers . He raised his shield and focused strength into his arms . . . ¡°Mm!¡±. . Volkhan¡¯s club fell . . . BANG!. . BANG!. . BANG!. . The brutal attacks that made the earth cry rained down mercilessly on Jinwoo, but the Hunter held his ground . It was only made possible due to his high physical damage reduction and constitution stats . . . ¡°Mm? Mm?¡±. . Enraged that his attacks were ineffective, Volkhan started swinging his club with fury . . . BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!. . However, Jinwoo¡¯s knees did not buckle . . . ¡®Still¡­¡¯. . Just blocking like this would never bring down that mountain . Jinwoo¡¯s brows furrowed . Unlike Cerberus, Volkhan¡¯s ¡®Rage¡¯, while it was less effective than the dog¡¯s, did not have a time limit . He could not wait for it to time out like last time . . . BANG! BANG!. . Jinwoo clenched his teeth . . . ¡®Not really my style to be a Tanker anyways¡­¡¯. . BANG!. . The moment Volkhan¡¯s club retracted for the next blow, Jinwoo leaped towards demon¡¯s head again . However, Jinwoo wasn¡¯t the only one looking for an opportunity . . . ¡°Mm!¡±. . Timing its movements, Volkhan stepped back as Jinwoo flew towards him . . . ¡®What?¡¯. . Jinwoo saw the club swinging towards him horizontally . . . ¡® . He got me . ¡¯. . If he was on the ground, it would¡¯ve been a different story . But there was no way to dodge midair . Even if he blocked, he would be smashed into something . . . woooooooosh-!. . In a world of slowed time, Jinwoo saw the club making its way to him in slow motion . . . ¡®Is there anything I could do?!¡¯. . If only he could move his body somehow . Suddenly, a thought flashed across his mind,. . ¡®If I could only move my body?¡¯. . There was no time to think . Jinwoo quickly used ¡®Ruler¡¯s Hands¡¯ to try and push Volkhan . . . ¡°Mm?¡±. . Of course, moving that mountainous body with his current level of proficiency was impossible . However, the rebounding force instead pushed Jinwoo¡¯s body back . . . woooosh-!. . The tip of the club passed before his eyes . . . ¡®Thank you Newton ahjussi!¡¯. . Because of the erratic movement, Jinwoo lost his balance and rolled on the ground for a bit, but it was nothing compared to the damage he would¡¯ve received if he was struck by the attack . . . ¡°Phew-!¡±. . Jinwoo collected himself and sighed in relief . . . ¡°Mm?¡±. . On the other hand, Volkhan¡¯s face scrunched hideously in anger . Missing its planned attack made every inch of its body tremble in rage . . . ¡°Mm, Mm!¡±. . Looking at the demon¡¯s face turning red, Jinwoo scratched the side of his head . . . ¡®Now what?¡¯. . It just displayed the ability to dodge when he jumped at its head . Additionally, it did not feel like Jinwoo could do much damage to the rest of its body considering its size . . . ¡®Is there anyway I can prevent it from dodging?¡¯. . Jinwoo thought of an idea . The corners of his mouth rose . The Hunter turned around and ran . Mistaking it for Jinwoo trying to escape, Volkhan rapidly chased after him . . . BOOM BOOM BOOM-!. . Jinwoo controlled his pace so Volkhan could follow right behind him . His eyes lit up when he found a suitable building . . . ¡®That should work . ¡¯. . Meanwhile,. . ¡°MM!¡±. . As the distance between it and Jinwoo closed, the demon swung his club . . . This insectile existence!. . The chance to crush this annoyance was here . A disgusting smile appeared on Volkhan¡¯s face . But as his club fell down towards the ground, the insect suddenly sped up and ran up the side of a crumbling building . . . ¡°Mm?¡±. . Something felt off, but it was too late to slow down . . . ¡°Mm, mm?¡±. . The insect on the building reached the demon¡¯s eye level, then kicked off the building with all his might . . . CRACK!. . The wall he kicked off of cracked like a spider¡¯s web, and something flew toward Volkhan¡¯s face faster than it could react . It was the insect . . . ¡°Mm!¡±. . Volkhan¡¯s eyes widened . Jinwoo met its eyes with a smile . Wielding Baruka¡¯s Tanto in his right hand, Jinwoo sliced the bulging artery on demon¡¯s neck . . . Slash!. . As fitting of its large body, blood spilled out like a fountain from the wound . . . splash!. . ¡°Mm? Mm!¡±. . Volkhan threw away its club and quickly put a hand over the wound . . . ¡°Mm!¡±. . However, it was not enough to stop the bleeding . The giant demon¡¯s eyes began to tremble . . . ¡°M-mm?¡±. . Jinwoo had already climbed behind its back and used his two daggers to stab the demon¡¯s neck . . . ¡®Is once not enough?¡¯. . With a tilted head, Jinwoo used the skill again . . . ¡®Vital Stab!¡¯. . The two daggers dug into Volkhan¡¯s neck again . . . stab!. . stab!. . And finally, the victorious message appeared . . . ring~. . You¡¯ve defeated the Overlord of the Lower Floors, Volkhan of Avarice . . You¡¯ve earned 150,000 experience points . . Volkhan has thrown up the Demon Souls in his stomach . . You¡¯ve earned 72 Demon Souls . . . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . Chapter 73 BOOM! Volkhan fell . From the dust blown up by its giant body, Jinwoo stepped out . He looked around . He was about to go to the aid of his army, but it looked like they were finishing up as well . ¡°Kiiiiek!¡± ¡°Kekek!¡± ¡°Keeeek!¡± With the combined might of the Shadow Army, Volkhan¡¯s minions rapidly fell left and right . ¡®Status screen . ¡¯ Jinwoo looked over his status . Because he had just leveled up, he had recovered all of his health, mana and stamina . ¡®With my mana refreshed, I don¡¯t need to help them . ¡¯ As long as there was mana, the Shadow Soldiers were immortal . That was the power of the undead army . Deciding to leave the trash mobs to the soldiers, Jinwoo turned back to Volkhan¡¯s corpse to collect the drops . ¡°Hmm . ¡± It felt like he was about to open his Christmas gifts . Jinwoo could not help but smile while looking at Volkhan¡¯s body . ¡®Wonder what I¡¯ll get?¡¯ There were multiple lights coming from the corpse . As always, Jinwoo stretched a hand towards the light . The item message appeared . ring~! You¡¯ve found the ¡°Monarch of Demons¡¯ Earrings¡± Would you like to acquire it? You¡¯ve found the ¡°Marble of Avarice¡± Would you like to acquire it? You¡¯ve found 2 ¡°Volkhan¡¯s Horns¡± Would you like to acquire it? You¡¯ve found a crafting ingredient, ¡°Fragment of the World Tree¡± Would you like to acquire it? [1] Jinwoo had a good feeling while fighting Volkhan . As expected, multiple items dropped from the boss¡¯s corpse . A joy filled the Hunter¡¯s face as he looked over the drops . ¡®Of course, Volkhan¡¯s Horns are probably junk items . ¡¯ Just looking at the name and the amount acquired, Jinwoo was sure Volkhan¡¯s Horns were the same as the horns dropped by the other demons: just junk items to be sold . That left the other three items¡­ One of them grabbed Jinwoo¡¯s attention . You¡¯ve found a crafting ingredient, ¡°Fragment of the World Tree¡± Would you like to acquire it? ¡®Crafting ingredient?¡¯ What could he craft with it? Or was it part of the quest? His curiosity peaked at the new type of item he had found . In order to read the item¡¯s information, he had to first solidify the item from the light . And so, Jinwoo decided to pick up all the items . ¡°Acquire all . ¡± The multiple lights disappeared from Volkhan¡¯s corpse, and an equal amount of physical objects appeared in front of Jinwoo out of thin air . Two earrings, a red marble¡­ . . . And a giant piece of wood the size of a grown man . Jinwoo instantly knew which one of these was the Fragment of the World Tree . He stared at the giant piece of lumber, and the corresponding information popped up . Fragment of the World Tree Rarity: ?? Type: Ingredient Volkhan¡¯s Club was made out of wood from the World Tree . This piece of wood remained after the contaminated parts were removed from the club . The wood obtained from the World Tree contains a strong magic power and is the highest-class material for crafting magic items . ¡®The ingredient for the highest-class magic items . ¡¯ Jinwoo wanted to know just what he could make with this thing . Unfortunately, that information was nowhere to be found . Still, it was certain this was not an ordinary item . Standing close to it, he was able to feel a powerful energy emanating from the piece of wood . ¡®I have a feeling¡­ this wood will be useful somehow . ¡¯ Instead of selling it, Jinwoo put the Fragment of the World Tree into his inventory . He pored over the other items¡¯ information . The Monarch of Demons¡¯ Earrings Rarity: S Type: Accessory Strength +20, Constitution +20 Set: The Crown Jewels of the Monarch of Demons[2] 1 . The Monarch of Demons¡¯ Earrings 2 . The Monarch of Demons¡¯ Necklace 3 . The Monarch of Demons¡¯ Ring Set Bonus: 1 . ??? (2 Items) 2 . ??? (3 Items) ¡®A set item?¡¯ While the base effects were similar to the A-rank Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace, the Monarch of Demons¡¯ Earrings had an unknown set effect . Even without knowing the set effects, it was an amazing item, increasing both strength and constitution by 20 points . ¡®Since one level-up is equivalent to five stat points . ¡¯ In that line of thought, this was the same as leveling up eight times . With a happy heart, Jinwoo picked up the earrings . Would you like to equip the ¡°Monarch of Demons¡¯ Earrings¡±? ¡®Equip . ¡¯ Like always, the earrings disappeared and its effects were applied to Jinwoo . He smiled in satisfaction at his increased stats . The Crown Jewels of the Monarch of Demons . ¡®I¡¯m sure the other pieces will drop here . ¡¯ With a name that included the word ¡°Demon¡±, it was to easy to understand that the full set would drop from a place called Demon Castle . Just what would the set effects be? Even though he had obtained only one part, Jinwoo¡¯s expectations were great . However, his smile would soon disappear . ¡®This is¡­?¡¯ Marble of Avarice Rarity: A Type: Magic Tool Effect ¡®Desire for Destruction¡¯: Your magic damage is doubled . It¡¯s a marble made from the blood of the archdemon Volkhan . The marble will empower the wielder¡¯s magic and increase the destruction caused . It was a red ball the size of a billiard ball . Jinwoo held the Marble of Avarice in his hand . There was no change to his stats . He pulled up the skill information on the only thing he had that might qualify as magic, his class-specific shadow skills, but there were no changes . The limits on the number of shadows remained the same . ¡®Is it not something I could benefit from?¡¯ Jinwoo tilted his head . Doubling the magic damage . Its effects were incredible . Out in the real world, magic tools that empowered the user¡¯s magic were prohibitively expensive . Because of that, they were only used by a handful of the Mage-class Hunters . However, Jinwoo had never heard of an artifact that increased your offensive power by a 100% . If something like this was found, it would¡¯ve made waves across the entire world . There was no way someone had kept something like that hidden . And here he was, holding an item that doubled one¡¯s magic damage . ¡®Still, it¡¯s useless to me . ¡¯ An item that simply increased magic damage did nothing for him . After all, the shadow skills technically did not do damage on their own . His offensive skills weren¡¯t even magic . If only an item that increased intelligence appeared . ¡®Tsk . ¡¯ While he tossed the marble up and down disappointedly, the Shadow Soldiers had finished the trash mobs and gathered before him . The fastest among them was Ygritte . Three in his right hand . Three in his left hand . The knight walked up to Jinwoo and placed six demons¡¯ heads in front of the Hunter . ¡° . . . ¡± Jinwoo scratched his temple while looking at the kneeling knight . ¡°Could you please stop doing that?¡± Of course, the respectfully bowed head of the knight did not reply . ¡°Because when you do that¡­¡± Jinwoo was not sure when the other knight managed to do it, but Iron had cut off Volkhan¡¯s head and dragged it over to his master as well . ¡° . . . He also does it . ¡± ¡®I mean, I¡¯m the one who took it down, right?¡¯ Jinwoo fixed his gaze on Iron and sighed deeply . Looking at the kneeling giant knight, an interesting idea occurred to him . ¡®What if I can give the Marble of Avarice to one of them like how I was able to use Iron¡¯s shield?¡¯ Right on cue, the Shadow Mages were slowly approaching Jinwoo behind the infantry . Compared to the knights or even the infantry, the mages were rather slow . Jinwoo called over the nearest one to him . When he gestured with his hand, the indicated mage slowly walked over to his master . ¡® . . . Maybe I should go to him . ¡¯ Jinwoo shook his head then quickly walked over to the mage . He placed the Marble of Avarice onto the mage¡¯s hand, then pointed to the building he had used to jump towards Volkhan . As the Shadow Soldiers moved according to his will, he did not particularly need to explain the details . Jinwoo gave the signal, ¡°Fire . ¡± With it, a fireball twice the size of what he was used to seeing appeared in the mage¡¯s hands . ¡®Whoa!¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened . Ignoring his shock, the fireball flew from the mage¡¯s hands . WOOOOOSH-! BAAAAAANG! ¡°Wha-!¡± Jinwoo¡¯s mouth opened wide . The building was swallowed by the explosion and blew apart like a toy house . The fire consuming the building did not look like it could be put out easily . Flaaaare! Watching the fireworks caused by the mage¡¯s spell, Jinwoo quickly took back the Marble of Avarice . He pored over the item information, looking for a specific phrase, ¡®It¡¯s not there . It¡¯s really not there . ¡¯ No matter how much he looked up and down on the description, the item did not say that it was untradable . Did that mean he could sell this? gulp Jinwoo looked back at the burning building . flaaare! Even few parts of the building that remained standing fell eventually with a crashing sound . Jinwoo smiled at the destruction . ¡®This thing¡­¡¯ It¡¯ll drive the Mage-class Hunters crazy . His disappointment was nowhere to be seen, replaced by an anticipation . A bright afternoon . ¡°The young man in 902?¡± A middle-aged woman thought for a moment then replied, ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not sure . Haven¡¯t seen him around lately . ¡± ¡°Ah, okay . Thank you . ¡± Hyun Gicheol bowed his head . It had been four days since the deputy had been waiting for Jinwoo near his house, but the man had not ran into the Hunter . He had been making vegetable juice nonstop . With a sigh, he took out his phone . ring~ ring~ Someone picked up . - ¡°Oy, Gicheol . ¡± ¡°Chief . ¡± It was Chief Ahn Sangmin . ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim . The neighbors also said they haven¡¯t seen him recently . ¡± - ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, sir . ¡± - ¡°Well, can¡¯t be helped . Start coming to the office tomorrow, then . ¡± ¡°Yes, sir . Understood . ¡± click Ahn Sangmin hung up and tilted his head . Where did Hunter Sung Jinwoo go? The man fell off the grid few days ago . Thinking that he might be purposely avoiding their calls, Hyun Gicheol was sent to the Hunter¡¯s residence but could not find him . The Second Management Division Chief began to worry if something had gone wrong . ¡®Well, not sure who¡¯s worrying about whom . ¡¯ Still, the man felt restless . tap tap Someone tapped him on the shoulder . Turning around, he saw Hunter Park Heejin behind to him . ¡°According to his little sister, he¡¯s gone on a trip with a friend for about a week . ¡± ¡°Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim?¡± ¡°Yes . ¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case¡­ I don¡¯t think the destination is on Earth . ¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Park Heejin was taken aback . Ahn Sangmin quickly explained, ¡°There¡¯s no record of him leaving the country . And there are also no records of him pulling funds or using his card from the bank . ¡± ¡°You can obtain that kind of information?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s our job to keep an eye on Hunters . ¡± ¡°Oh my . ¡± ¡°On top of that, according to the Association¡¯s tracking records, the last place he was noted in was in the middle of the city, five days ago . Isn¡¯t it all too mysterious?¡± ¡°Do you think he got kidnapped?¡± The moment the words left her mouth, she realized how stupid they sounded . The pair met each other¡¯s eyes and laughed . Just who was Sung Jinwoo? He was the man who solo cleared a high-level Dungeon, a Red Gate at that . Ahn Sangmin scratched his cheek and spoke, ¡°If you want to nab Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim, you¡¯ll need to call in that Chinese special forces unit . The one solely comprised of Hunters . ¡± Park Heejin nodded in agreement . Stifling his laughter, Ahn Sangmin became curious and asked a question, ¡°By the way, how did you find out that he was going on a trip?¡± ¡°Oh, it was Han Songyi . We still keep in touch . She goes to the same school as Sung Jinwoo-ssi¡¯s little sister, so I asked her to find out . ¡± ¡°Aha¡­¡± With that, the pair¡¯s conversation was over . But they were thinking the same thing, ¡®Just where did the man go?¡¯ Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: Lots of item names 1 . ¡°Monarch of Demons¡¯ Earrings¡± (?? ??? ???): Pretty literal . The word used for ¡°monarch¡± is the same words as ¡°Monarch of Shadows¡± . ¡°Demon¡± ?? + ¡°monarch/king/lord¡± ?? + ¡°earrings¡± ??? . One thing to note here, just like ¡°Shadow Monarch vs . Monarch of Shadows¡±, ???? is more closely read ¡°Demon Monarch or Demonic Monarch¡± . I am making a purposeful style choice to flip the words . 2 . ¡°Marble of Avarice¡± (??? ??): Pretty literal . Same word ¡°Avarice¡± as Volkhan¡¯s title . ¡°greed/avarice¡± ?? + ¡°marble¡± ?? 3 . ¡°Fragment of the World Tree¡± (???? ??): Also literal . ¡°world tree¡± ??? + ¡°fragment¡± ?? . ¡°World tree¡± can also refer to Yggdrasil from nordic mythology, but I don¡¯t know if it fit the context of the story . [2]: Original korean says the ¡°Accessory Series of the Monarch of Demons¡± (?? ?? ??? ???) . I styled it up a bit . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 73. . BOOM!. . Volkhan fell . From the dust blown up by its giant body, Jinwoo stepped out . He looked around . He was about to go to the aid of his army, but it looked like they were finishing up as well . . . ¡°Kiiiiek!¡±. ¡°Kekek!¡±. ¡°Keeeek!¡±. . With the combined might of the Shadow Army, Volkhan¡¯s minions rapidly fell left and right . . . ¡®Status screen . ¡¯. . Jinwoo looked over his status . Because he had just leveled up, he had recovered all of his health, mana and stamina . . . ¡®With my mana refreshed, I don¡¯t need to help them . ¡¯. . As long as there was mana, the Shadow Soldiers were immortal . That was the power of the undead army . Deciding to leave the trash mobs to the soldiers, Jinwoo turned back to Volkhan¡¯s corpse to collect the drops . . . ¡°Hmm . ¡±. . It felt like he was about to open his Christmas gifts . Jinwoo could not help but smile while looking at Volkhan¡¯s body . . . ¡®Wonder what I¡¯ll get?¡¯. . There were multiple lights coming from the corpse . As always, Jinwoo stretched a hand towards the light . The item message appeared . . . ring~!. . You¡¯ve found the ¡°Monarch of Demons¡¯ Earrings¡±. Would you like to acquire it?. . . You¡¯ve found the ¡°Marble of Avarice¡±. Would you like to acquire it?. . You¡¯ve found 2 ¡°Volkhan¡¯s Horns¡±. Would you like to acquire it?. . You¡¯ve found a crafting ingredient, ¡°Fragment of the World Tree¡±. Would you like to acquire it?. [1]. . Jinwoo had a good feeling while fighting Volkhan . As expected, multiple items dropped from the boss¡¯s corpse . A joy filled the Hunter¡¯s face as he looked over the drops . . . ¡®Of course, Volkhan¡¯s Horns are probably junk items . ¡¯. . Just looking at the name and the amount acquired, Jinwoo was sure Volkhan¡¯s Horns were the same as the horns dropped by the other demons: just junk items to be sold . That left the other three items¡­ One of them grabbed Jinwoo¡¯s attention . . . You¡¯ve found a crafting ingredient, ¡°Fragment of the World Tree¡±. Would you like to acquire it?. . ¡®Crafting ingredient?¡¯. . What could he craft with it? Or was it part of the quest? His curiosity peaked at the new type of item he had found . In order to read the item¡¯s information, he had to first solidify the item from the light . And so, Jinwoo decided to pick up all the items . . . ¡°Acquire all . ¡±. . The multiple lights disappeared from Volkhan¡¯s corpse, and an equal amount of physical objects appeared in front of Jinwoo out of thin air . Two earrings, a red marble¡­. . . And a giant piece of wood the size of a grown man . . . Jinwoo instantly knew which one of these was the Fragment of the World Tree . He stared at the giant piece of lumber, and the corresponding information popped up . . . Fragment of the World Tree. Rarity: ??. Type: Ingredient. Volkhan¡¯s Club was made out of wood from the World Tree . This piece of wood remained after the contaminated parts were removed from the club . The wood obtained from the World Tree contains a strong magic power and is the highest-class material for crafting magic items . . . ¡®The ingredient for the highest-class magic items . ¡¯. . Jinwoo wanted to know just what he could make with this thing . Unfortunately, that information was nowhere to be found . Still, it was certain this was not an ordinary item . Standing close to it, he was able to feel a powerful energy emanating from the piece of wood . . . ¡®I have a feeling¡­ this wood will be useful somehow . ¡¯. . Instead of selling it, Jinwoo put the Fragment of the World Tree into his inventory . He pored over the other items¡¯ information . . . The Monarch of Demons¡¯ Earrings. Rarity: S. Type: Accessory. Strength +20, Constitution +20. Set: The Crown Jewels of the Monarch of Demons[2]. 1 . The Monarch of Demons¡¯ Earrings. 2 . The Monarch of Demons¡¯ Necklace. 3 . The Monarch of Demons¡¯ Ring. Set Bonus:. 1 . ??? (2 Items). 2 . ??? (3 Items). . ¡®A set item?¡¯. . While the base effects were similar to the A-rank Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace, the Monarch of Demons¡¯ Earrings had an unknown set effect . Even without knowing the set effects, it was an amazing item, increasing both strength and constitution by 20 points . . . ¡®Since one level-up is equivalent to five stat points . ¡¯. . In that line of thought, this was the same as leveling up eight times . With a happy heart, Jinwoo picked up the earrings . . . Would you like to equip the ¡°Monarch of Demons¡¯ Earrings¡±?. . ¡®Equip . ¡¯. . Like always, the earrings disappeared and its effects were applied to Jinwoo . He smiled in satisfaction at his increased stats . . . The Crown Jewels of the Monarch of Demons . . . ¡®I¡¯m sure the other pieces will drop here . ¡¯. . With a name that included the word ¡°Demon¡±, it was to easy to understand that the full set would drop from a place called Demon Castle . Just what would the set effects be? Even though he had obtained only one part, Jinwoo¡¯s expectations were great . However, his smile would soon disappear . . . ¡®This is¡­?¡¯. . Marble of Avarice. Rarity: A. Type: Magic Tool. Effect ¡®Desire for Destruction¡¯: Your magic damage is doubled . . It¡¯s a marble made from the blood of the archdemon Volkhan . The marble will empower the wielder¡¯s magic and increase the destruction caused . . . It was a red ball the size of a billiard ball . Jinwoo held the Marble of Avarice in his hand . There was no change to his stats . He pulled up the skill information on the only thing he had that might qualify as magic, his class-specific shadow skills, but there were no changes . The limits on the number of shadows remained the same . . . ¡®Is it not something I could benefit from?¡¯. . Jinwoo tilted his head . . . Doubling the magic damage . Its effects were incredible . . . Out in the real world, magic tools that empowered the user¡¯s magic were prohibitively expensive . Because of that, they were only used by a handful of the Mage-class Hunters . However, Jinwoo had never heard of an artifact that increased your offensive power by a 100% . If something like this was found, it would¡¯ve made waves across the entire world . There was no way someone had kept something like that hidden . . . And here he was, holding an item that doubled one¡¯s magic damage . . . ¡®Still, it¡¯s useless to me . ¡¯. . An item that simply increased magic damage did nothing for him . After all, the shadow skills technically did not do damage on their own . His offensive skills weren¡¯t even magic . If only an item that increased intelligence appeared . . . ¡®Tsk . ¡¯. . While he tossed the marble up and down disappointedly, the Shadow Soldiers had finished the trash mobs and gathered before him . The fastest among them was Ygritte . . . Three in his right hand . Three in his left hand . . . The knight walked up to Jinwoo and placed six demons¡¯ heads in front of the Hunter . . . ¡° . ¡±. . Jinwoo scratched his temple while looking at the kneeling knight . . . ¡°Could you please stop doing that?¡±. . Of course, the respectfully bowed head of the knight did not reply . . . ¡°Because when you do that¡­¡±. . Jinwoo was not sure when the other knight managed to do it, but Iron had cut off Volkhan¡¯s head and dragged it over to his master as well . . . ¡° . He also does it . ¡±. . ¡®I mean, I¡¯m the one who took it down, right?¡¯. . Jinwoo fixed his gaze on Iron and sighed deeply . Looking at the kneeling giant knight, an interesting idea occurred to him . . . ¡®What if I can give the Marble of Avarice to one of them like how I was able to use Iron¡¯s shield?¡¯. . Right on cue, the Shadow Mages were slowly approaching Jinwoo behind the infantry . Compared to the knights or even the infantry, the mages were rather slow . Jinwoo called over the nearest one to him . When he gestured with his hand, the indicated mage slowly walked over to his master . . . ¡® . Maybe I should go to him . ¡¯. . Jinwoo shook his head then quickly walked over to the mage . He placed the Marble of Avarice onto the mage¡¯s hand, then pointed to the building he had used to jump towards Volkhan . As the Shadow Soldiers moved according to his will, he did not particularly need to explain the details . . . Jinwoo gave the signal,. . ¡°Fire . ¡±. . With it, a fireball twice the size of what he was used to seeing appeared in the mage¡¯s hands . . . ¡®Whoa!¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened . Ignoring his shock, the fireball flew from the mage¡¯s hands . . . WOOOOOSH-!. . BAAAAAANG!. . ¡°Wha-!¡±. . Jinwoo¡¯s mouth opened wide . The building was swallowed by the explosion and blew apart like a toy house . The fire consuming the building did not look like it could be put out easily . . . Flaaaare!. . Watching the fireworks caused by the mage¡¯s spell, Jinwoo quickly took back the Marble of Avarice . He pored over the item information, looking for a specific phrase,. . ¡®It¡¯s not there . It¡¯s really not there . ¡¯. . No matter how much he looked up and down on the description, the item did not say that it was untradable . Did that mean he could sell this?. . gulp. . Jinwoo looked back at the burning building . . . flaaare!. . Even few parts of the building that remained standing fell eventually with a crashing sound . Jinwoo smiled at the destruction . . . ¡®This thing¡­¡¯. . It¡¯ll drive the Mage-class Hunters crazy . His disappointment was nowhere to be seen, replaced by an anticipation . . . . . A bright afternoon . . . ¡°The young man in 902?¡±. . A middle-aged woman thought for a moment then replied,. . ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not sure . Haven¡¯t seen him around lately . ¡±. . ¡°Ah, okay . Thank you . ¡±. . Hyun Gicheol bowed his head . It had been four days since the deputy had been waiting for Jinwoo near his house, but the man had not ran into the Hunter . He had been making vegetable juice nonstop . With a sigh, he took out his phone . . . ring~ ring~. . Someone picked up . . . - ¡°Oy, Gicheol . ¡±. ¡°Chief . ¡±. . It was Chief Ahn Sangmin . . . ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim . The neighbors also said they haven¡¯t seen him recently . ¡±. - ¡°Really?¡±. ¡°Yes, sir . ¡±. - ¡°Well, can¡¯t be helped . Start coming to the office tomorrow, then . ¡±. ¡°Yes, sir . Understood . ¡±. . click. . Ahn Sangmin hung up and tilted his head . Where did Hunter Sung Jinwoo go? The man fell off the grid few days ago . Thinking that he might be purposely avoiding their calls, Hyun Gicheol was sent to the Hunter¡¯s residence but could not find him . The Second Management Division Chief began to worry if something had gone wrong . . . ¡®Well, not sure who¡¯s worrying about whom . ¡¯. . Still, the man felt restless . . . tap tap. . Someone tapped him on the shoulder . Turning around, he saw Hunter Park Heejin behind to him . . . ¡°According to his little sister, he¡¯s gone on a trip with a friend for about a week . ¡±. ¡°Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim?¡±. ¡°Yes . ¡±. ¡°If that¡¯s the case¡­ I don¡¯t think the destination is on Earth . ¡±. ¡°Huh?¡±. . Park Heejin was taken aback . Ahn Sangmin quickly explained,. . ¡°There¡¯s no record of him leaving the country . And there are also no records of him pulling funds or using his card from the bank . ¡±. ¡°You can obtain that kind of information?¡±. ¡°Well, it¡¯s our job to keep an eye on Hunters . ¡±. ¡°Oh my . ¡±. ¡°On top of that, according to the Association¡¯s tracking records, the last place he was noted in was in the middle of the city, five days ago . Isn¡¯t it all too mysterious?¡±. ¡°Do you think he got kidnapped?¡±. . The moment the words left her mouth, she realized how stupid they sounded . The pair met each other¡¯s eyes and laughed . . . Just who was Sung Jinwoo? He was the man who solo cleared a high-level Dungeon, a Red Gate at that . Ahn Sangmin scratched his cheek and spoke,. . ¡°If you want to nab Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim, you¡¯ll need to call in that Chinese special forces unit . The one solely comprised of Hunters . ¡±. . Park Heejin nodded in agreement . Stifling his laughter, Ahn Sangmin became curious and asked a question,. . ¡°By the way, how did you find out that he was going on a trip?¡±. ¡°Oh, it was Han Songyi . We still keep in touch . She goes to the same school as Sung Jinwoo-ssi¡¯s little sister, so I asked her to find out . ¡±. ¡°Aha¡­¡±. . With that, the pair¡¯s conversation was over . But they were thinking the same thing,. . ¡®Just where did the man go?¡¯. . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: Lots of item names. 1 . ¡°Monarch of Demons¡¯ Earrings¡± (?? ??? ???): Pretty literal . The word used for ¡°monarch¡± is the same words as ¡°Monarch of Shadows¡± . ¡°Demon¡± ?? + ¡°monarch/king/lord¡± ?? + ¡°earrings¡± ??? . One thing to note here, just like ¡°Shadow Monarch vs . Monarch of Shadows¡±, ???? is more closely read ¡°Demon Monarch or Demonic Monarch¡± . I am making a purposeful style choice to flip the words . . 2 . ¡°Marble of Avarice¡± (??? ??): Pretty literal . Same word ¡°Avarice¡± as Volkhan¡¯s title . ¡°greed/avarice¡± ?? + ¡°marble¡± ??. 3 . ¡°Fragment of the World Tree¡± (???? ??): Also literal . ¡°world tree¡± ??? + ¡°fragment¡± ?? . ¡°World tree¡± can also refer to Yggdrasil from nordic mythology, but I don¡¯t know if it fit the context of the story . . [2]: Original korean says the ¡°Accessory Series of the Monarch of Demons¡± (?? ?? ??? ???) . I styled it up a bit . . Chapter 74 ¡®The upper floors are a different level . ¡¯ Jinwoo recalled the first and only boss of the Demon Castle he had fought, the Overlord of the Lower Floors, Volkhan of Avarice . The bastard¡¯s title was the ¡°Overlord of the Lower Floors¡± . After going above the 50th Floor where the demon was, the difficulty of each floor increased rapidly . Before, he was able to climb 10 floors a day, 20 on a good one . Now, he was barely able to clear 7~8 floors a day . Jinwoo was currently on the 74th Floor . The normal mobs here were the top-level demons and occasionally archdemons . They were in a different class than the demons from the lower floors . stab! A top-level demon size of a two story building fell with a tanto sticking out of its chest . Koong! You¡¯ve defeated a Top-level Demon . You¡¯ve earned 1,700 experience points . You¡¯ve earned 1 Demon Soul . Jinwoo removed Baruka¡¯s Tanto from the fallen demon¡¯s chest . It was the last enemy of the latest group . Another battle was won . The victorious Shadow Soldiers all gathered before Jinwoo . He looked over his army . It was impossible for the undead army, but Jinwoo swore his soldiers actually looked tired . That was how tough the monsters were on the upper floors . Thankfully, an archdemon was not involved in the battle just now, so it was relatively easier than the others . ¡®Each of those damned things are boss-class . ¡¯ This was not a conclusion made idly . The description of the Marble of Avarice indicated that Volkhan himself was an archdemon . While Volkhan may have been the boss of the lower floors, the archdemons were just normal monsters on the upper floors . After the 70th Floor, they started appearing more and more commonly . ¡®If it was just the monsters getting stronger, I can manage it¡­¡¯ But there was a bigger problem . It was the change in the environment in the upper floors . Starting with the 51st Floor, the city was on fire . The fires became stronger with each floor . After the 70th Floor, the heat became strong enough to shave away at his health . Just moving his body a little bit increased his fatigue greatly . Not a ¡°Demon Castle¡± but a ¡°Tower on Fire¡± . That feeling he had before entering the place was on the mark . ¡® . . . Let¡¯s leave . ¡¯ He would end his Raid here . He needed a way to deal with the heat of the flames . ¡®I need to obtain an artifact that can increase my resistance against fire-type magic . ¡¯ The equipment used by high-ranking Hunters were incredibly expensive . On top of that, if they were enchanted with protective magic, it would be doubly so . He recalled seeing on the news that the some of the more expensive items cost tens of billions of won . While he had earned quite a bit of real money while raiding with Yoo Jinho, Jinwoo wasn¡¯t sure if it would be enough to buy the artifacts he needed . So he needed an insurance, ¡®This should be good enough . ¡¯ Jinwoo looked at the Marble of Avarice in his inventory and smiled . Any Mage-class Hunter would drool at the sight of such an item . What would happen if he put the marble up for auction? If its effects were proven, the high-ranking Mage-Class Hunters would line-up at the door . Jinwoo closed the inventory . His goal in this Dungeon was to level-up . He had achieved that goal wonderfully . He did not feel any shame in putting off the Raid for the future . However, one thing lingered in his mind . He raised his head . Collected Demon Souls: 9,624 / 10,000 ¡®Only 400 souls go to . ¡¯ Just a little more, and he could finish the quest . Today was the 6th day . One more day would be more than enough to collect the remaining souls . A silver lining of the upper floors was the existence of demons that gave multiple souls . 400 could be collected in a flash . ¡®Let¡¯s leave after finishing the quest . ¡¯ With that determination, Jinwoo headed forward . Because he had a solid goal in mind, there was more strength in his steps . Floors 1 through 74 are open . Which floor would you like to go to? In the middle of the magic circle, Jinwoo spoke, ¡°75th Floor . ¡± What was this unexpected boon? Jinwoo stared at the monster guarding the interfloor movement magic circle in the distance . ¡®The Guide of Souls, Metus¡¯ [1] Looking at the name, it was clear that it was a boss-class monster . The monster was clad in a black robe, wearing a silver necklace . ¡®And that must be the Monarch of Demons¡¯ Necklace . ¡¯ In his path to just complete the quest and leave, he had unexpectedly come across the next piece of the set items . However, the reason why Jinwoo was smiling was not because of the item . No matter how good the drops were, you couldn¡¯t obtain them if you couldn¡¯t kill the monster . Jinwoo smiled as he realized there was something critically different about this monster that would help him kill it . The Hunter held his two daggers in his hands and ran forward . The skeleton mage clad in black robes discovered him . ring~ The Guide of Souls, Metus has noticed an intruder! As expected of a boss-class monster, Metus completed its spell in an instant . A blood-red magic circle appeared at its feet and a gloomy energy gathered around it . The Guide of Souls, Metus has used ¡®Cursed Voice¡¯ . Receiving Metus¡¯s calling, an undead army rose from the ground . Their numbers were in the thousands! A normal person would¡¯ve suffocated just looking at this terrifying army, but Jinwoo was not phased in any capacity . ¡®As I thought¡­¡¯ He had predicted this . Out of the entire Demon Castle, this was the first place he saw that familiar black smoke rising from the ground . Looking at the strange phenomenon, it was easy for Jinwoo to tell what kind of a monster Metus was . ¡®The Guide of Souls . ¡¯ The boss¡¯s title only added onto his suspicions . And as expected, Metus had called forth a powerful undead army . However, in that area of expertise, Jinwoo had the strongest class . ¡°ARISE!!!¡± UWAAAAAH-! With a piercing scream of pain, soldiers rose from the shadows of Metus¡¯s undead army . Their numbers were in the hundreds! [2] It was a greatly lacking to Metus¡¯ army, but it was more than enough . The ones doing the job would be his real army . ¡°Make me a path!¡± And here was the real army . The pitch-black soldiers rising out of Jinwoo¡¯s shadow . The hundreds of soldiers made from Shadow Extraction distracted Metus¡¯s army . Meanwhile, the members of Jinwoo¡¯s real army, having leveled up together with their master while clearing the Demon Castle, cleared a path for Jinwoo . There was only one target! Ygritte and Iron took the vanguard and cut down the undead with an incredible speed . The distance between Jinwoo and Metus had shortened in an instant . ¡®This is good enough . ¡¯ Jinwoo ran ahead of his knights . ¡®Sprint!¡¯ ¡®Sprint¡¯ has leveled up! Having used it to run all over the Demon Castle, ¡®Sprint¡¯ leveled up . ¡®Good . ¡¯ Jinwoo smiled widely . Having escaped the encirclement of the undead army in a flash, Jinwoo stood before Metus . The two commanders of the undead met each other¡¯s gazes . ¡®Didn¡¯t expect this, did you?¡¯ While the light of victory filled Jinwoo¡¯s eyes, Metus¡¯s shoulders jumped at the sight of Jinwoo . At least, that¡¯s what it looked like . ¡®Do monsters feel fear?¡¯ Well, this was not a moment to think of such things . The flashing daggers moved with such speed that they created dozens of afterimages . thud The boss-class monster fell without a fight . Jinwoo knew through his experiences that mage-class monsters that commanded minions were incredibly weak at one-on-one combat . He knew this from the moment he laid eyes on Metus . The Hunter returned his weapons to the inventory . ring~ You¡¯ve defeated the Guide of Souls, Metus . You¡¯ve earned 200,000 experience points . The Demon Souls sealed in Metus¡¯ pendant were released . You¡¯ve earned 220 Demon Souls . You¡¯ve leveled up! You¡¯ve leveled up! Jinwoo pumped his fist in victory . He had earned 220 souls in one go . It was truly an unexpected boon . Collected Demon Souls: 9,971 / 10,000 A smile bloomed on Jinwoo¡¯s face . ¡®Not many left now . ¡¯ Just 29 souls to go . He just needed to kill a few more demons . Jinwoo quickly grabbed the items off of the boss¡¯s corpse and moved to the magic circle . Which floor would you like to go to? ¡°76th Floor . ¡± Eastern Seaboard, United States . A sleeping man struggled like he was in a nightmare, then awoke with a start . It was Hwang Dongsoo . ¡® . . . ?¡¯ The first thing he saw was the white ceiling . In an unfamiliar environment, the man looked left and right . ¡°A¡­ hospital?¡± Dream . Was it not a dream? When Hwang Dongsoo wiped away a streak of sweat beneath his chin with the back of his hand, he discovered something . On top of the hospital gown, an IV needle was stuck to his hand . The man¡¯s face hardened . A cold voice came out of his mouth, ¡°Just say what you¡¯re here for and go . ¡± The Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Hunters (FBH) stood across the room . He was a middle-aged american with more whites in his hair than black . The man slowly approached Hwang Dongsoo . ¡°I had something I wanted to ask you, so I was waiting here . ¡± What did he want to ask? Hwang Dongsoo raised his head . The deputy director met his gaze and spoke, ¡°That man, Sung Ilhwan¡­ Are you really sure he¡¯s a magic beast?¡± ¡°Do you think I attacked an ordinary person?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you . I just wanted to confirm what I saw with my eyes . ¡± The deputy director handed the Hunter his phone . A video was playing . ¡°What is this¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a security footage from that day . ¡± In the video, an asian man was rescuing FBH employees from the collapsing building . Hwang Dongsoo did not need to ask who the man was . How could he forget? It was the last face he saw before losing consciousness, Sung Ilhwan . The deputy director continued with a darkened expression, ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ never heard of a magic beast that helped humans . Are you still certain that that man is a magic beast?¡± ¡° . . . He¡¯s most certainly a magic beast . ¡± ¡°Is that so . ¡± The deputy director put away his phone, ¡°Once you¡¯re discharged, come to the FBH, there are few things we need to put on record . ¡± As the deputy director turned around to leave, Hwang Dongsoo asked, ¡°What happened to that man?¡± ¡°He disappeared after fighting you . While the bureau¡¯s working hard to track him down, we¡¯re not sure if we can get someone who was able to defeat you¡­¡± Before leaving, the deputy director asked one more question with difficulty, ¡°Do you¡­ by any chance know of a place he might go to?¡± ¡° . . . ¡± Watching the Hunter close his mouth with a finality, the deputy director headed out of the hospital room . The moment the man left, Hwang Dongsoo ripped out the IV needle from his arm . ¡°Fuck!¡± Hwang Dongsoo combed through his memories . It was a humiliating defeat . Before he realized what was happening, Sung Ilhwan¡¯s foot was on his neck . He was sprawled out on the floor like a weakling . While he was coughing, Sung Ilhwan spoke to him, ¡°Do not take a step into Korea . This is for your benefit, not my son¡¯s . If you do, you will not be able to rest even in death . ¡± And he couldn¡¯t remember anything after that . When he had opened his eyes, he was here . ¡®I won¡¯t be able to rest even in death?¡¯ What did that mean? Was it a threat that he would be viciously killed? ¡®You dare¡­ threaten me?¡¯ Hwang Dongsoo¡¯s fists trembled . It was humiliating enough that he lost to a magic beast, but to think that he would be further disgraced by a threat . ¡®I know where he¡¯s going . ¡¯ He will kill that thing . But how? Whether or not he truly was a magic beast, Sung Ilhwan was undeniably strong . ¡®I need a proper gear to take him down . ¡¯ Fortunately, it would be easy to obtain such gear . ¡®I¡¯ll call the Guild . ¡¯ The Guild Hwang Dongsoo belonged to, Scavenger, was one of the top Guilds across the entire world . Just the value of the artifacts owned by Scavenger was greater than a small country¡¯s budget . ¡®It won¡¯t be a problem as long as I can borrow few artifacts . ¡¯ [3] Hwang Dongsoo¡¯s eyes flickered with a powerful light . To Korea . The man decided on his next objective . You¡¯ve defeated an Archdemon . You¡¯ve earned 2,200 experience points . You¡¯ve earned 1 Demon Soul . You¡¯ve earned 3 Demon Souls from the Archdemon¡¯s slaves . ¡®I¡¯M ALL DONE!¡¯ Jinwoo could not hide his joy . Luckily, the last monster he took down gave him four souls, just the amount needed to complete the quest . Collected Demon Souls: 10,001 ring~ You¡¯ve completed the ¡®Ordinary Quest: Collect the Demon Souls! Part 1¡¯ The reward for completing the quest has arrived . Would you like to verify? (Y/N) ¡®Of course!¡¯ With his mental reply, the rewards appeared . You¡¯ve received the below rewards . Reward 1 . Pick one item from every item possible Reward 2 . Stat points +20 Reward 3 . Unknown Reward Accept all? Of course, every reward was amazing, but Jinwoo was most interested in the first reward . It would¡¯ve been worth it to complete the quest just for that reward . ¡®Accept Reward 1 . ¡¯ ring~! You may pick one item from every item possible . Which item do you want? An item I want . There was one . It was an item Jinwoo had thought about ever since he saw the quest . He took his memories back to the day he had to make a similar decision . What would¡¯ve happened if he picked the other item? The possibility had plagued his mind ever since that time . He wasn¡¯t sure if that item was even a possibility here but decided to try . You may pick one item from every item possible . Which item do you want? As if pressuring him, the System asked again . Jinwoo spoke after some thought, ¡°Cursed Random Box . ¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Guide of Souls, Metus¡± (??? ??? ???): pretty straightforward . ¡°souls/spirits¡± ?? + ¡°guide¡± ??? + proper name (meh ? too ? ss ?) . [2]: ¡°Their numbers were in the hundreds!¡±: I know he gained a ton of levels (and intelligence points correspondingly), but I didn¡¯t expect his Shadow Extraction limit to increase by this much¡­ Nothing else in the passage indicates that this is some special occurrence . Not sure if it¡¯s plot-hole or rule-of-cool, but Jinwoo apparently can raise hundreds of soldiers through Shadow Extraction now . Shrug . OR, since all the other stats are weighted (i . e . gaining 1 point from 100 to 101 strength gives far more benefit than going from 10 to 11), maybe intelligence is the same (i . e . gaining 1 point from 109 to 110 gives far more Shadow limits than going from 50 to 51) . [3]: Just a small reminder all the way back from the first arc, but ¡°artifacts¡± are what people call magic items (tools/equipment/gear) from Dungeons . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 74. . ¡®The upper floors are a different level . ¡¯. . Jinwoo recalled the first and only boss of the Demon Castle he had fought, the Overlord of the Lower Floors, Volkhan of Avarice . The bastard¡¯s title was the ¡°Overlord of the Lower Floors¡± . After going above the 50th Floor where the demon was, the difficulty of each floor increased rapidly . Before, he was able to climb 10 floors a day, 20 on a good one . Now, he was barely able to clear 7~8 floors a day . . . Jinwoo was currently on the 74th Floor . The normal mobs here were the top-level demons and occasionally archdemons . They were in a different class than the demons from the lower floors . . . stab!. . A top-level demon size of a two story building fell with a tanto sticking out of its chest . . . Koong!. . You¡¯ve defeated a Top-level Demon . . You¡¯ve earned 1,700 experience points . . You¡¯ve earned 1 Demon Soul . . . Jinwoo removed Baruka¡¯s Tanto from the fallen demon¡¯s chest . It was the last enemy of the latest group . Another battle was won . The victorious Shadow Soldiers all gathered before Jinwoo . He looked over his army . It was impossible for the undead army, but Jinwoo swore his soldiers actually looked tired . That was how tough the monsters were on the upper floors . Thankfully, an archdemon was not involved in the battle just now, so it was relatively easier than the others . . . ¡®Each of those damned things are boss-class . ¡¯. . This was not a conclusion made idly . The description of the Marble of Avarice indicated that Volkhan himself was an archdemon . While Volkhan may have been the boss of the lower floors, the archdemons were just normal monsters on the upper floors . After the 70th Floor, they started appearing more and more commonly . . . ¡®If it was just the monsters getting stronger, I can manage it¡­¡¯. . But there was a bigger problem . It was the change in the environment in the upper floors . Starting with the 51st Floor, the city was on fire . The fires became stronger with each floor . After the 70th Floor, the heat became strong enough to shave away at his health . Just moving his body a little bit increased his fatigue greatly . . . Not a ¡°Demon Castle¡± but a ¡°Tower on Fire¡± . That feeling he had before entering the place was on the mark . . . ¡® . Let¡¯s leave . ¡¯. . He would end his Raid here . He needed a way to deal with the heat of the flames . . . ¡®I need to obtain an artifact that can increase my resistance against fire-type magic . ¡¯. . The equipment used by high-ranking Hunters were incredibly expensive . On top of that, if they were enchanted with protective magic, it would be doubly so . He recalled seeing on the news that the some of the more expensive items cost tens of billions of won . While he had earned quite a bit of real money while raiding with Yoo Jinho, Jinwoo wasn¡¯t sure if it would be enough to buy the artifacts he needed . So he needed an insurance,. . ¡®This should be good enough . ¡¯. . Jinwoo looked at the Marble of Avarice in his inventory and smiled . Any Mage-class Hunter would drool at the sight of such an item . What would happen if he put the marble up for auction? If its effects were proven, the high-ranking Mage-Class Hunters would line-up at the door . Jinwoo closed the inventory . . . His goal in this Dungeon was to level-up . He had achieved that goal wonderfully . He did not feel any shame in putting off the Raid for the future . However, one thing lingered in his mind . He raised his head . . . Collected Demon Souls: 9,624 / 10,000. . ¡®Only 400 souls go to . ¡¯. . Just a little more, and he could finish the quest . Today was the 6th day . One more day would be more than enough to collect the remaining souls . A silver lining of the upper floors was the existence of demons that gave multiple souls . 400 could be collected in a flash . . . ¡®Let¡¯s leave after finishing the quest . ¡¯. . With that determination, Jinwoo headed forward . Because he had a solid goal in mind, there was more strength in his steps . . . Floors 1 through 74 are open . . Which floor would you like to go to?. . In the middle of the magic circle, Jinwoo spoke,. . ¡°75th Floor . ¡±. . . . What was this unexpected boon?. . Jinwoo stared at the monster guarding the interfloor movement magic circle in the distance . . . ¡®The Guide of Souls, Metus¡¯ [1]. . Looking at the name, it was clear that it was a boss-class monster . The monster was clad in a black robe, wearing a silver necklace . . . ¡®And that must be the Monarch of Demons¡¯ Necklace . ¡¯. . In his path to just complete the quest and leave, he had unexpectedly come across the next piece of the set items . However, the reason why Jinwoo was smiling was not because of the item . No matter how good the drops were, you couldn¡¯t obtain them if you couldn¡¯t kill the monster . Jinwoo smiled as he realized there was something critically different about this monster that would help him kill it . The Hunter held his two daggers in his hands and ran forward . The skeleton mage clad in black robes discovered him . . . ring~. . The Guide of Souls, Metus has noticed an intruder!. . As expected of a boss-class monster, Metus completed its spell in an instant . A blood-red magic circle appeared at its feet and a gloomy energy gathered around it . . . The Guide of Souls, Metus has used ¡®Cursed Voice¡¯ . . . Receiving Metus¡¯s calling, an undead army rose from the ground . . . Their numbers were in the thousands!. . A normal person would¡¯ve suffocated just looking at this terrifying army, but Jinwoo was not phased in any capacity . . . ¡®As I thought¡­¡¯. . He had predicted this . Out of the entire Demon Castle, this was the first place he saw that familiar black smoke rising from the ground . Looking at the strange phenomenon, it was easy for Jinwoo to tell what kind of a monster Metus was . . . ¡®The Guide of Souls . ¡¯. . The boss¡¯s title only added onto his suspicions . . . And as expected, Metus had called forth a powerful undead army . However, in that area of expertise, Jinwoo had the strongest class . . . ¡°ARISE!!!¡±. . UWAAAAAH-!. . With a piercing scream of pain, soldiers rose from the shadows of Metus¡¯s undead army . . . Their numbers were in the hundreds! [2]. . It was a greatly lacking to Metus¡¯ army, but it was more than enough . The ones doing the job would be his real army . . . ¡°Make me a path!¡±. . And here was the real army . The pitch-black soldiers rising out of Jinwoo¡¯s shadow . The hundreds of soldiers made from Shadow Extraction distracted Metus¡¯s army . Meanwhile, the members of Jinwoo¡¯s real army, having leveled up together with their master while clearing the Demon Castle, cleared a path for Jinwoo . . . There was only one target!. . Ygritte and Iron took the vanguard and cut down the undead with an incredible speed . The distance between Jinwoo and Metus had shortened in an instant . . . ¡®This is good enough . ¡¯. . Jinwoo ran ahead of his knights . . . ¡®Sprint!¡¯. . ¡®Sprint¡¯ has leveled up!. . Having used it to run all over the Demon Castle, ¡®Sprint¡¯ leveled up . . . ¡®Good . ¡¯. . Jinwoo smiled widely . Having escaped the encirclement of the undead army in a flash, Jinwoo stood before Metus . The two commanders of the undead met each other¡¯s gazes . . . ¡®Didn¡¯t expect this, did you?¡¯. . While the light of victory filled Jinwoo¡¯s eyes, Metus¡¯s shoulders jumped at the sight of Jinwoo . At least, that¡¯s what it looked like . . . ¡®Do monsters feel fear?¡¯. . Well, this was not a moment to think of such things . The flashing daggers moved with such speed that they created dozens of afterimages . . . thud. . The boss-class monster fell without a fight . Jinwoo knew through his experiences that mage-class monsters that commanded minions were incredibly weak at one-on-one combat . He knew this from the moment he laid eyes on Metus . The Hunter returned his weapons to the inventory . . . ring~. . You¡¯ve defeated the Guide of Souls, Metus . . You¡¯ve earned 200,000 experience points . . The Demon Souls sealed in Metus¡¯ pendant were released . . You¡¯ve earned 220 Demon Souls . . . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . You¡¯ve leveled up!. . Jinwoo pumped his fist in victory . He had earned 220 souls in one go . It was truly an unexpected boon . . . Collected Demon Souls: 9,971 / 10,000. . A smile bloomed on Jinwoo¡¯s face . . . ¡®Not many left now . ¡¯. . Just 29 souls to go . He just needed to kill a few more demons . Jinwoo quickly grabbed the items off of the boss¡¯s corpse and moved to the magic circle . . . Which floor would you like to go to?. . ¡°76th Floor . ¡±. . . . Eastern Seaboard, United States . . . A sleeping man struggled like he was in a nightmare, then awoke with a start . It was Hwang Dongsoo . . . ¡® . ?¡¯. . The first thing he saw was the white ceiling . In an unfamiliar environment, the man looked left and right . . . ¡°A¡­ hospital?¡±. . Dream . . . Was it not a dream?. . When Hwang Dongsoo wiped away a streak of sweat beneath his chin with the back of his hand, he discovered something . On top of the hospital gown, an IV needle was stuck to his hand . The man¡¯s face hardened . A cold voice came out of his mouth,. . ¡°Just say what you¡¯re here for and go . ¡±. . The Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Hunters (FBH) stood across the room . He was a middle-aged american with more whites in his hair than black . The man slowly approached Hwang Dongsoo . . . ¡°I had something I wanted to ask you, so I was waiting here . ¡±. . What did he want to ask? Hwang Dongsoo raised his head . The deputy director met his gaze and spoke,. . ¡°That man, Sung Ilhwan¡­ Are you really sure he¡¯s a magic beast?¡±. . ¡°Do you think I attacked an ordinary person?¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you . I just wanted to confirm what I saw with my eyes . ¡±. . The deputy director handed the Hunter his phone . A video was playing . . . ¡°What is this¡­?¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s a security footage from that day . ¡±. . In the video, an asian man was rescuing FBH employees from the collapsing building . Hwang Dongsoo did not need to ask who the man was . How could he forget? It was the last face he saw before losing consciousness, Sung Ilhwan . The deputy director continued with a darkened expression,. . ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ never heard of a magic beast that helped humans . Are you still certain that that man is a magic beast?¡±. . ¡° . He¡¯s most certainly a magic beast . ¡±. . ¡°Is that so . ¡±. . The deputy director put away his phone,. . ¡°Once you¡¯re discharged, come to the FBH, there are few things we need to put on record . ¡±. . As the deputy director turned around to leave, Hwang Dongsoo asked,. . ¡°What happened to that man?¡±. . ¡°He disappeared after fighting you . While the bureau¡¯s working hard to track him down, we¡¯re not sure if we can get someone who was able to defeat you¡­¡±. . Before leaving, the deputy director asked one more question with difficulty,. . ¡°Do you¡­ by any chance know of a place he might go to?¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . Watching the Hunter close his mouth with a finality, the deputy director headed out of the hospital room . The moment the man left, Hwang Dongsoo ripped out the IV needle from his arm . . . ¡°Fuck!¡±. . Hwang Dongsoo combed through his memories . . . It was a humiliating defeat . . . Before he realized what was happening, Sung Ilhwan¡¯s foot was on his neck . He was sprawled out on the floor like a weakling . While he was coughing, Sung Ilhwan spoke to him,. . ¡°Do not take a step into Korea . This is for your benefit, not my son¡¯s . If you do, you will not be able to rest even in death . ¡±. . And he couldn¡¯t remember anything after that . When he had opened his eyes, he was here . . . ¡®I won¡¯t be able to rest even in death?¡¯. . What did that mean? Was it a threat that he would be viciously killed?. . ¡®You dare¡­ threaten me?¡¯. . Hwang Dongsoo¡¯s fists trembled . It was humiliating enough that he lost to a magic beast, but to think that he would be further disgraced by a threat . . . ¡®I know where he¡¯s going . ¡¯. . He will kill that thing . . . But how? Whether or not he truly was a magic beast, Sung Ilhwan was undeniably strong . . . ¡®I need a proper gear to take him down . ¡¯. . Fortunately, it would be easy to obtain such gear . . . ¡®I¡¯ll call the Guild . ¡¯. . The Guild Hwang Dongsoo belonged to, Scavenger, was one of the top Guilds across the entire world . Just the value of the artifacts owned by Scavenger was greater than a small country¡¯s budget . . . ¡®It won¡¯t be a problem as long as I can borrow few artifacts . ¡¯ [3]. . Hwang Dongsoo¡¯s eyes flickered with a powerful light . . . To Korea . . . The man decided on his next objective . . . . . You¡¯ve defeated an Archdemon . . You¡¯ve earned 2,200 experience points . . You¡¯ve earned 1 Demon Soul . . You¡¯ve earned 3 Demon Souls from the Archdemon¡¯s slaves . . . ¡®I¡¯M ALL DONE!¡¯. . Jinwoo could not hide his joy . Luckily, the last monster he took down gave him four souls, just the amount needed to complete the quest . . . Collected Demon Souls: 10,001. . ring~. . You¡¯ve completed the ¡®Ordinary Quest: Collect the Demon Souls! Part 1¡¯. The reward for completing the quest has arrived . . Would you like to verify? (Y/N). . ¡®Of course!¡¯. . With his mental reply, the rewards appeared . . . You¡¯ve received the below rewards . . Reward 1 . Pick one item from every item possible. Reward 2 . Stat points +20. Reward 3 . Unknown Reward. Accept all?. . Of course, every reward was amazing, but Jinwoo was most interested in the first reward . It would¡¯ve been worth it to complete the quest just for that reward . . . ¡®Accept Reward 1 . ¡¯. . ring~!. . You may pick one item from every item possible . . Which item do you want?. . An item I want . . . There was one . . . It was an item Jinwoo had thought about ever since he saw the quest . He took his memories back to the day he had to make a similar decision . What would¡¯ve happened if he picked the other item? The possibility had plagued his mind ever since that time . He wasn¡¯t sure if that item was even a possibility here but decided to try . . . You may pick one item from every item possible . . Which item do you want?. . As if pressuring him, the System asked again . Jinwoo spoke after some thought,. . ¡°Cursed Random Box . ¡±. . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Guide of Souls, Metus¡± (??? ??? ???): pretty straightforward . ¡°souls/spirits¡± ?? + ¡°guide¡± ??? + proper name (meh ? too ? ss ?) . . [2]: ¡°Their numbers were in the hundreds!¡±: I know he gained a ton of levels (and intelligence points correspondingly), but I didn¡¯t expect his Shadow Extraction limit to increase by this much¡­ Nothing else in the passage indicates that this is some special occurrence . Not sure if it¡¯s plot-hole or rule-of-cool, but Jinwoo apparently can raise hundreds of soldiers through Shadow Extraction now . Shrug . OR, since all the other stats are weighted (i . e . gaining 1 point from 100 to 101 strength gives far more benefit than going from 10 to 11), maybe intelligence is the same (i . e . gaining 1 point from 109 to 110 gives far more Shadow limits than going from 50 to 51) . . [3]: Just a small reminder all the way back from the first arc, but ¡°artifacts¡± are what people call magic items (tools/equipment/gear) from Dungeons . . Chapter 75 On that crossroad in the past, Jinwoo had selected the Blessed Random Box over the Cursed Random Box . It was from that Blessed Random Box that he had obtained the Demon Castle Key . Through that key, he had earned many things . Level-ups, new items, and¡­ so much gold that he was starting to worry if he had to start spending it . ¡®Even if the same choice was presented to me, I would pick the Blessed Random Box . ¡¯ However, that didn¡¯t mean that he was not curious about what the other choice would have resulted in . The blessed box that would give him what he ¡°wanted¡±, and the cursed box that would give him what he ¡°needed¡± . Just what was the thing that he ¡°needed¡± from the cursed box? ¡®The Blessed Random Box certainly had what I wanted . ¡¯ And now, Jinwoo had the opportunity to finally satisfy his curiosity . ¡® . . . ¡¯ Jinwoo waited for the System¡¯s reply with an anxious heart . For some reason, the System appeared to be more delayed in its response than usual . ring~! Abating his worries, the System¡¯s reply came a moment later, You¡¯ve chosen the ¡°Cursed Random Box¡± . The chosen item will now be provided . shooo- A small box appeared in front of his feet . ¡®Alright!¡¯ With a shaking heart, Jinwoo picked up the box . He was shocked when he picked it up; its weight was very familiar to him . Could it be? Jinwoo quickly opened the box . His eyes were widened . ¡° . . . This is?¡± After leaving the Demon Castle, Jinwoo quickly headed home . The first thing he wanted to do was wash-up . It was a luxury not afforded while being in the Dungeon for a week . Although he could obtain water from the System¡¯s shop, he had neither the time nor the place to clean his body . ¡®After all, showering while being in a place packed with monsters is a bit¡­¡¯ splash- Feeling the heat of the water wash over his body, the Hunter finally felt like he had left the Dungeon . ¡®This is why home is the best . ¡¯ After showering, Jinwoo had changed into a fresh set of clothes and sat on the bed with a wet towel draped over his head . It was time to review some things . First, he pulled up the status screen . ¡®Status screen . ¡¯ ring~ Screens filled with enough words to spin one¡¯s eyes appeared . Jinwoo¡¯s gaze stopped at the stat screen . Available stat points: 20 The bonus stat points from the quest was neatly waiting for his decision . Of course, Jinwoo put it all into intelligence . ring~ Stats Strength: 178 Constitution: 137 Agility: 147 Intelligence: 149 Sense: 119 Finally, intelligence began to overtake the other stats . It was not quite at the strength stat¡¯s level, but compared to the past, it had made an amazing progress . Strength, Constitution, Agility, Intelligence, Sense . A balance was forming across the attributes . ¡®There are no wasted stats . ¡¯ Before he knew it, he underwent periods where he had solely invested into a single attribute . Periods where he had solely invested into strength, periods where he had solely invested into agility, and lately, the period where he had solely invested into intelligence . Now, he fully understood that each stat had its own benefits and uses . ¡®You know¡­¡¯ Now that he had reached this point, what if he just distributed his points evenly across the board from now on? An All-Stat Player . A desire for something like that appeared in Jinwoo¡¯s mind . It was a rather happy quandary, born out of knowing that not a single attribute was useless . ¡®Once intelligence reaches the level of strength, let¡¯s raise the other stats accordingly . ¡¯ Having made his decision, Jinwoo turned to the skill screen . The third reward was in that space . Reward 3 . Unknown Reward Because of just how great the first and second rewards were, Jinwoo had not paid much attention to this unknown third reward, having looked at it with a passing curiosity . Still, he was not a man to ignore any reward given to him . Reward 3 will now be provided . What appeared in his hand with the message was a scroll, similar to the Entry Permits from the Demon Castle . ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ Surprised at the reward giving him an unexpected item, Jinwoo unfurled the scroll . Recipe: Holy Water of Life [1] Learn how to craft the ¡°Holy Water of Life¡± . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened . ¡®I can make an item myself?¡¯ Only the Mage-class Awakened Beings could make weapons with magic power¡­ Oh wait, he was technically a Mage-class now . ¡®Still, to think that I can make an item if I just have the recipe¡­¡¯ Jinwoo heart began to race . At the same time, a question appeared in his mind . Just what exactly could he make? ¡®What¡¯s a Holy Water of Life?¡¯ Jinwoo read over the item information of Holy Water of Life on the recipe scroll . Holy Water of Life Rarity: S Type: Consumable Heal any and every illness . Effects will only be shown after a full bottle is used . It is a divine potion filled with a powerful magic to cure every sickness . ¡®Cure¡­ every sickness?¡¯ The moment he read the words, Jinwoo thought of his mother in the hospital . Through his experiments with Yoo Jinho, Jinwoo knew that potions can be used on other people . If he could truly obtain this Holy Water of Life, it meant that he could save his mother . The hands that held the scroll trembled in excitement . The ingredients were simple . ¡®Fragment of the World Tree . ¡¯ Was obtained after killing Volkhan on the 50th Floor . ¡®The Spring Water from the Echoing Forest¡¯ [2] Was obtained after killing Metus on the 75th Floor . And the last ingredient . ¡® . . . The Purified Blood of the Demon King . ¡¯ [3] This was the only item he had not obtained yet . However, looking at the floors he had gotten the two ingredients, it was clear to him where the last would come from . The top of the tower . ¡®It¡¯ll probably come from the final boss of the Demon Castle on the 100th Floor . ¡¯ As such, clearing the Demon Castle Dungeon would net him all the ingredients to craft the Holy Water of Life . It was in this moment Jinwoo realized, ¡°Ah . ¡± He uttered without thinking . The shock of his realization was that great . What if¡­ the thing that he ¡°wanted¡± from the Blessed Random Box was this Holy Water of Life? ¡®Mother¡­¡¯ His eyes glistened with tears at the thought of seeing his mother healthy again . ring~ You may learn a crafting skill through Recipe: Holy Water of Life Would you like to learn the crafting skill? At the electronic tone, Jinwoo snapped back to reality . To craft the Holy Water of Life, he had to succeed in conquering the Demon Castle . In order to accomplish that, he had to quickly obtain the proper raiding gear and return . There was no time to be lost in his feelings . ¡° . . . Teach me . ¡± You¡¯ve learned how to make Holy Water of Life ¡®This is not a dream, is it?¡¯ As if reminding him, the skill screen now showed a section for crafting skills . Crafting Skills -Consumable: Holy Water of Life (2/3) The numbers at the end probably referred to the number of ingredients he had on hand . ¡®Oh right . Forgot about this . ¡¯ Jinwoo took out an item next to the Spring Water in the inventory . It was a necklace made out of skulls of small animals . The Monarch of Demons¡¯ Necklace Rarity: S Type: Accessory Agility +20, Intelligence +20 Set: The Crown Jewels of the Monarch of Demons 1 . The Monarch of Demons¡¯ Earrings 2 . The Monarch of Demons¡¯ Necklace 3 . The Monarch of Demons¡¯ Ring Set Bonus: 1 . ??? (2 Items) 2 . ??? (3 Items) The Spring Water from the Echoing Forest wasn¡¯t the only thing he had earned from the Guide of Souls . He had also obtained this rather distasteful looking necklace filled with bad vibes . ¡®Why are all these necklaces like this¡­¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s face scrunched at thinking about the dog collar he was ¡°wearing¡± right now . He held the Monarch of Demons¡¯ Necklace to his neck . ring~ Would you like to replace the ¡°Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace¡± with the ¡°Monarch of Demons¡¯ Necklace¡±? The boost from the two items were pretty similar . Both of them increased two stats by 20 . However, the new item had a set effect . ¡®Exchange¡¯ shooo- The ¡°Monarch of Demons¡¯ Necklace¡± has been equipped . The skull necklace disappeared and was replaced with a dog collar in Jinwoo¡¯s hand . He put away the dog collar into his inventory and checked the set bonus of the Crown Jewels of the Monarch of Demons . The Monarch of Demons¡¯ Necklace . . . Set Bonus: 1 . All Stats +5 (2 Items) 2 . ??? (3 Items) ¡®All stats increased by five . ¡¯ Just a single set bonus was equivalent to increasing his levels by five, and there was still one set bonus remaining . ¡®The Monarch of Demons¡¯ Ring¡­¡¯ Usually in video games, the set bonuses became better and better as you equipped more items in the set . In that line of thinking, the unrevealed set bonus should be something crazy . Still, the S-rank equipments he had earned were but the side benefits of his time spent in the Demon Castle . The true benefit was the great leap he had made in his levels . Jinwoo looked at the progress he made while climbing 77 floors and smiled . ¡®I went up 16 levels in one week . ¡¯ It was a speed unthinkable in the C-rank Dungeons . This was the result of his efforts spent in the wild(?) for seven days . Of course, he still had business left in the place, but the Demon Castle Raid was an incredible success . ¡®But there¡¯s this¡­¡¯ One thing he could not understand . Jinwoo held the item from the Cursed Random Box under the light from a lamp . ¡®What is this?¡¯ It was a black key that seemed to absorb all light . No information box popped when he stared at it . ¡®I¡¯ve never had the information box not pop up from an item from the System¡­¡¯ Just Instant Dungeon Keys were rare enough from normal Random Boxes, but he had never seen something like this before . ¡®Where do I even use this?¡¯ Because it was an item from a ¡°cursed¡± box, he did feel a little anxious holding it . Still, it was something that had been earned with effort, so he couldn¡¯t just throw it away . ¡®I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll find a use for it someday . ¡¯ After all, the Cursed Random Box did say it¡¯ll give him something he needed . Returning the key back to the inventory, Jinwoo stood up . Now, he had to focus on obtaining artifacts to help clear the Demon Castle . ¡®And there¡¯s something I want to sell . ¡¯ However, the problem was that an E-rank Hunter could not easily buy or sell high-level artifacts . If a low-ranking Hunter (and Jinwoo was known to be the weakest) put up an item for auction (an item that even high-rankers would be pressed to obtain), who wouldn¡¯t be suspicious of him? Same goes for buying . With the title of ¡°E-rank Hunter¡± attached to him, it was hard for Jinwoo use the funds he had amassed . ¡®It¡¯ll be hard to explain where I want to use the artifacts too . ¡¯ And so, he had to overcome this awkward situation . ¡°Is it time¡­¡± Time to cast aside the facade of the E-rank . Ranking Retest . It was time for him to earn his true ranking . The Hunter¡¯s expression became serious . ¡®At my current level, I probably won¡¯t be used by others against my will . ¡¯ From the start, that was one of the objectives of leveling up . To prevent a stronger power from forcing him under their control, Jinwoo had masqueraded as an E-ranker . But now? He was able to stand face to face against Baekho¡¯s Guildmaster Baek Yoonho . No, even if it wasn¡¯t Baek Yoonho, he was confident that he could remain strong in front of anyone . There was no longer any reason to hide his powers . ba dum, ba dum, ba dum Thinking about throwing away that annoying title of ¡°E-rank¡± that plagued his past, Jinwoo¡¯s heart began to beat faster . ¡®Before that,¡¯ There was one thing he had to check . Jinwoo turned on his Hunter phone . After a week of no contact, his phone was filled with missed calls and messages . Most of them were unknown numbers . He felt sorry, but he did not particularly want to check who they were . ¡®If it¡¯s urgent, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll call again . ¡¯ With a cool mind, he kept going down the call history and found the number he wanted . Jinwoo called the number . [Follow me~] Before the song even finished a verse, the person on the other end picked up the phone with an incredible speed . - ¡°Hyungnim!¡± Was he in the Dungeon for that long? To think that this brat¡¯s voice would sound so welcoming . Jinwoo smiled and opened his mouth, ¡°Did the talk with your father go well?¡± - ¡°Yes! It went well, hyungnim!¡± ¡®Oh yeah?¡¯ That was good to hear . Jinwoo did not want to take the retest while Yoo Jinho and his father¡¯s deal was not completed . And if their side was all good, he had no problems anymore . He had guessed that Yoo Jinho¡¯s happy greeting meant good news, but hearing it from the young man¡¯s mouth gave him the assurance he needed . - ¡°Hyungnim! I was actually going to go see you about-¡± click . ¡®Huh?¡¯ The call was suddenly ended . Jinwoo checked his phone; it had died because the battery ran out . ¡®Well¡­ I did forget to charge it before going into the Demon Castle . ¡¯ Still, it was good that he was able to confirm Yoo Jinho had succeeded . Jinwoo changed his clothes . The Association HQ was not far from here . He could finish the retest in an instant . ¡°Oh right . ¡± Jinwoo was half way out of the door and quickly came back in . He forgot about his little sister . She would probably worry if her brother, who said he¡¯d be home after a week, left the house again without a word . He left a brief note on the kitchen table . [Oppa came home and left . ] With a satisfied smile, Jinwoo left the house . It had been a long time since Jinwoo had stood before the Awakened Being Ranking Test Office . ¡®Has it been four years?¡¯ Maybe five? With a nostalgic face, Jinwoo walked up to the employee at the reception desk . The employee didn¡¯t even look up, ¡°Your proof of identity and contact information please . ¡± Remembering how the proceedings went last time, Jinwoo put down the documents he had already prepared . ¡®Hmm?¡¯ The employee looked at Jinwoo¡¯s proof of identity and tilted his head, ¡°This is a Hunter¡¯s License . ¡± ¡°Yep . ¡± The employee looked confused, ¡°If you have any complaints about the results of your rank, that¡¯s for a different office . ¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m here for a retest . ¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The employee looked back and forth between Jinwoo¡¯s face and the license then put up a finger, ¡°O-one moment . ¡± The employee stood up and went behind him to a middle-aged man who looked like he had a temper . ¡°Deputy, some Hunter came here for a retest, what should I do?¡± ¡°Retest? What¡¯s his current rank?¡± ¡°E-rank, sir . ¡± The deputy looked behind the employee at Jinwoo . ¡°It happens from time to time . Deluded Hunters who come here, unable to accept their reality . ¡± ¡°So you think that man is?¡± The deputy nodded, ¡°Reawakened my ass¡­ He¡¯s just unable to accept the fact that other Hunters earn a ton and are more famous than him . ¡± ¡°Ah . ¡± ¡°People like that become a headache if you entertain them for too long . Just tell him that he¡¯ll have to pay the retest fee and send him to the testing building . ¡± ¡°Yes, sir . ¡± Having rid of his worries, the employee returned to the reception desk . The deputy stared at the employee and Jinwoo and clicked his tongue, then returned his gaze to his computer . Suddenly, the deputy¡¯s fingers stopped . That Hunter¡¯s name¡­ He felt like he had heard it before . ¡®Where was it?¡¯ After the man disappeared off to the testing building, he quietly went up to the employee . ¡°That E-rank Hunter just now, what was his name?¡± ¡°It was Sung Jinwoo . Do you know him?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so . ¡± But the deputy couldn¡¯t shake the feeling he had heard of the name before . Combing over his memories, he suddenly realized and widened his eyes . ¡®Ah!¡¯ That man had asked him! To let him know if a Hunter named Sung Jinwoo came to the testing office . Why didn¡¯t he remember?! The deputy disappeared to a corner and quickly called someone . ring, ring - ¡°Hello, this is Baek Yoonho . ¡± [4] ¡°Ah, Guildmaster Baek . It¡¯s about that Hunter you asked about before . That Hunter Sung Jinwoo . He really came here . I mean, how did you know he would come?¡± - ¡°Sung Jinwoo-ssi came to the testing office?¡± ¡°Yes, he just requested a retest just now . ¡± - ¡° . . . ¡± The deputy thought the call was ended, but a moment later, an urgent voice continued across the phone, - ¡°Could you please delay his testing, even for a little bit? I¡¯ll be right there . ¡± The deputy tilted his head . Was he mistaken? That Baekho¡¯s Guildmaster¡¯s voice sounded anxious . ¡®What a strange day . ¡¯ Unfortunately, the matter was already out of his hands . The deputy scratched his temple and replied, ¡°Er¡­ He already left for the testing building . ¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Recipe: Holy Water of Life¡± (??: ??? ??): two parts here to go over, 1 . ¡°Recipe¡± (??): lit . ¡°design¡± . ¡°Design¡± is probably more appropriate in context of learning new crafting items, but I went with ¡°recipe¡± since the crafting item in question is a consumable . 2 . ¡°Holy Water of Life¡± (??? ??): ¡°life¡± ?? + ¡°god¡± ? + ¡°water¡± ? . Closest cultural approximation of ¡°god water¡± (??) is the ceremonial water used in certain east asian religious rites, so I decided to go with ¡°holy water¡± . [2]: ¡°Spring Water from the Echoing Forest¡± (??? ?? ??): quite literal . ¡°Echo¡± ??? + ¡°forest¡± ? + ¡°spring water¡± ?? [3]: ¡°Purified Blood of the Demon King¡± (??? ???? ?): quite literal . ¡°Purified¡± ??? + ¡°demon king¡± ??? + ¡°blood¡± ? . Please note that this is one of the reasons why I translated ?? as ¡°Monarch¡± and not ¡°King¡± . It¡¯s because the word ? (¡°King¡±) exists, and that word can only be really used for ¡°King¡± . [4]: corrected a mistake on the original . Baek Yoonho¡¯s name is written as Baek Yoonhob . :P Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 75. . On that crossroad in the past, Jinwoo had selected the Blessed Random Box over the Cursed Random Box . It was from that Blessed Random Box that he had obtained the Demon Castle Key . Through that key, he had earned many things . Level-ups, new items, and¡­ so much gold that he was starting to worry if he had to start spending it . . . ¡®Even if the same choice was presented to me, I would pick the Blessed Random Box . ¡¯. . However, that didn¡¯t mean that he was not curious about what the other choice would have resulted in . The blessed box that would give him what he ¡°wanted¡±, and the cursed box that would give him what he ¡°needed¡± . Just what was the thing that he ¡°needed¡± from the cursed box?. . ¡®The Blessed Random Box certainly had what I wanted . ¡¯. . And now, Jinwoo had the opportunity to finally satisfy his curiosity . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . Jinwoo waited for the System¡¯s reply with an anxious heart . For some reason, the System appeared to be more delayed in its response than usual . . . ring~!. . Abating his worries, the System¡¯s reply came a moment later,. . You¡¯ve chosen the ¡°Cursed Random Box¡± . . The chosen item will now be provided . . . shooo-. . A small box appeared in front of his feet . . . ¡®Alright!¡¯. . With a shaking heart, Jinwoo picked up the box . He was shocked when he picked it up; its weight was very familiar to him . . . Could it be?. . Jinwoo quickly opened the box . His eyes were widened . . . ¡° . This is?¡±. . . . After leaving the Demon Castle, Jinwoo quickly headed home . The first thing he wanted to do was wash-up . It was a luxury not afforded while being in the Dungeon for a week . Although he could obtain water from the System¡¯s shop, he had neither the time nor the place to clean his body . . . ¡®After all, showering while being in a place packed with monsters is a bit¡­¡¯. . splash-. . Feeling the heat of the water wash over his body, the Hunter finally felt like he had left the Dungeon . . . ¡®This is why home is the best . ¡¯. . After showering, Jinwoo had changed into a fresh set of clothes and sat on the bed with a wet towel draped over his head . It was time to review some things . First, he pulled up the status screen . . . ¡®Status screen . ¡¯. . ring~. . Screens filled with enough words to spin one¡¯s eyes appeared . Jinwoo¡¯s gaze stopped at the stat screen . . . Available stat points: 20. . The bonus stat points from the quest was neatly waiting for his decision . Of course, Jinwoo put it all into intelligence . . . ring~. . . Stats. Strength: 178. Constitution: 137. Agility: 147. Intelligence: 149. Sense: 119. . Finally, intelligence began to overtake the other stats . It was not quite at the strength stat¡¯s level, but compared to the past, it had made an amazing progress . . . Strength, Constitution, Agility, Intelligence, Sense . . . A balance was forming across the attributes . . . ¡®There are no wasted stats . ¡¯. . Before he knew it, he underwent periods where he had solely invested into a single attribute . Periods where he had solely invested into strength, periods where he had solely invested into agility, and lately, the period where he had solely invested into intelligence . Now, he fully understood that each stat had its own benefits and uses . . . ¡®You know¡­¡¯. . Now that he had reached this point, what if he just distributed his points evenly across the board from now on?. . An All-Stat Player . . . A desire for something like that appeared in Jinwoo¡¯s mind . It was a rather happy quandary, born out of knowing that not a single attribute was useless . . . ¡®Once intelligence reaches the level of strength, let¡¯s raise the other stats accordingly . ¡¯. . Having made his decision, Jinwoo turned to the skill screen . The third reward was in that space . . . Reward 3 . Unknown Reward. . Because of just how great the first and second rewards were, Jinwoo had not paid much attention to this unknown third reward, having looked at it with a passing curiosity . Still, he was not a man to ignore any reward given to him . . . Reward 3 will now be provided . . . What appeared in his hand with the message was a scroll, similar to the Entry Permits from the Demon Castle . . . ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯. . Surprised at the reward giving him an unexpected item, Jinwoo unfurled the scroll . . . Recipe: Holy Water of Life [1]. Learn how to craft the ¡°Holy Water of Life¡± . . . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes widened . . . ¡®I can make an item myself?¡¯. . Only the Mage-class Awakened Beings could make weapons with magic power¡­ Oh wait, he was technically a Mage-class now . . . ¡®Still, to think that I can make an item if I just have the recipe¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo heart began to race . At the same time, a question appeared in his mind . Just what exactly could he make?. . ¡®What¡¯s a Holy Water of Life?¡¯. . Jinwoo read over the item information of Holy Water of Life on the recipe scroll . . . Holy Water of Life. Rarity: S. Type: Consumable. Heal any and every illness . . Effects will only be shown after a full bottle is used . . It is a divine potion filled with a powerful magic to cure every sickness . . . ¡®Cure¡­ every sickness?¡¯. . The moment he read the words, Jinwoo thought of his mother in the hospital . Through his experiments with Yoo Jinho, Jinwoo knew that potions can be used on other people . If he could truly obtain this Holy Water of Life, it meant that he could save his mother . The hands that held the scroll trembled in excitement . The ingredients were simple . . . ¡®Fragment of the World Tree . ¡¯. . Was obtained after killing Volkhan on the 50th Floor . . . ¡®The Spring Water from the Echoing Forest¡¯ [2]. . Was obtained after killing Metus on the 75th Floor . . . And the last ingredient . . . ¡® . The Purified Blood of the Demon King . ¡¯ [3]. . This was the only item he had not obtained yet . However, looking at the floors he had gotten the two ingredients, it was clear to him where the last would come from . . . The top of the tower . . . ¡®It¡¯ll probably come from the final boss of the Demon Castle on the 100th Floor . ¡¯. . As such, clearing the Demon Castle Dungeon would net him all the ingredients to craft the Holy Water of Life . . . It was in this moment Jinwoo realized,. . ¡°Ah . ¡±. . He uttered without thinking . The shock of his realization was that great . . . What if¡­ the thing that he ¡°wanted¡± from the Blessed Random Box was this Holy Water of Life?. . ¡®Mother¡­¡¯. . His eyes glistened with tears at the thought of seeing his mother healthy again . . . ring~. . You may learn a crafting skill through Recipe: Holy Water of Life . Would you like to learn the crafting skill?. . At the electronic tone, Jinwoo snapped back to reality . To craft the Holy Water of Life, he had to succeed in conquering the Demon Castle . In order to accomplish that, he had to quickly obtain the proper raiding gear and return . There was no time to be lost in his feelings . . ¡° . Teach me . ¡±. . You¡¯ve learned how to make Holy Water of Life. . ¡®This is not a dream, is it?¡¯. . As if reminding him, the skill screen now showed a section for crafting skills . . . Crafting Skills. -Consumable: Holy Water of Life (2/3). . The numbers at the end probably referred to the number of ingredients he had on hand . . . ¡®Oh right . Forgot about this . ¡¯. . Jinwoo took out an item next to the Spring Water in the inventory . It was a necklace made out of skulls of small animals . . . The Monarch of Demons¡¯ Necklace. Rarity: S. Type: Accessory. Agility +20, Intelligence +20. Set: The Crown Jewels of the Monarch of Demons. 1 . The Monarch of Demons¡¯ Earrings. 2 . The Monarch of Demons¡¯ Necklace. 3 . The Monarch of Demons¡¯ Ring. Set Bonus:. 1 . ??? (2 Items). 2 . ??? (3 Items). . The Spring Water from the Echoing Forest wasn¡¯t the only thing he had earned from the Guide of Souls . He had also obtained this rather distasteful looking necklace filled with bad vibes . . . ¡®Why are all these necklaces like this¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s face scrunched at thinking about the dog collar he was ¡°wearing¡± right now . He held the Monarch of Demons¡¯ Necklace to his neck . . . ring~. . Would you like to replace the ¡°Gatekeeper¡¯s Necklace¡± with the ¡°Monarch of Demons¡¯ Necklace¡±?. . The boost from the two items were pretty similar . Both of them increased two stats by 20 . However, the new item had a set effect . . . ¡®Exchange¡¯. . shooo-. . The ¡°Monarch of Demons¡¯ Necklace¡± has been equipped . . . The skull necklace disappeared and was replaced with a dog collar in Jinwoo¡¯s hand . He put away the dog collar into his inventory and checked the set bonus of the Crown Jewels of the Monarch of Demons . . . The Monarch of Demons¡¯ Necklace. . . Set Bonus:. 1 . All Stats +5 (2 Items). 2 . ??? (3 Items). . ¡®All stats increased by five . ¡¯. . Just a single set bonus was equivalent to increasing his levels by five, and there was still one set bonus remaining . . . ¡®The Monarch of Demons¡¯ Ring¡­¡¯. . Usually in video games, the set bonuses became better and better as you equipped more items in the set . In that line of thinking, the unrevealed set bonus should be something crazy . . . Still, the S-rank equipments he had earned were but the side benefits of his time spent in the Demon Castle . . . The true benefit was the great leap he had made in his levels . Jinwoo looked at the progress he made while climbing 77 floors and smiled . . . ¡®I went up 16 levels in one week . ¡¯. . It was a speed unthinkable in the C-rank Dungeons . This was the result of his efforts spent in the wild(?) for seven days . Of course, he still had business left in the place, but the Demon Castle Raid was an incredible success . . . ¡®But there¡¯s this¡­¡¯. . One thing he could not understand . Jinwoo held the item from the Cursed Random Box under the light from a lamp . . . ¡®What is this?¡¯. . It was a black key that seemed to absorb all light . No information box popped when he stared at it . . . ¡®I¡¯ve never had the information box not pop up from an item from the System¡­¡¯. . Just Instant Dungeon Keys were rare enough from normal Random Boxes, but he had never seen something like this before . . . ¡®Where do I even use this?¡¯. . Because it was an item from a ¡°cursed¡± box, he did feel a little anxious holding it . Still, it was something that had been earned with effort, so he couldn¡¯t just throw it away . . . ¡®I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll find a use for it someday . ¡¯. . After all, the Cursed Random Box did say it¡¯ll give him something he needed . . . Returning the key back to the inventory, Jinwoo stood up . Now, he had to focus on obtaining artifacts to help clear the Demon Castle . . . ¡®And there¡¯s something I want to sell . ¡¯. . However, the problem was that an E-rank Hunter could not easily buy or sell high-level artifacts . If a low-ranking Hunter (and Jinwoo was known to be the weakest) put up an item for auction (an item that even high-rankers would be pressed to obtain), who wouldn¡¯t be suspicious of him? Same goes for buying . With the title of ¡°E-rank Hunter¡± attached to him, it was hard for Jinwoo use the funds he had amassed . . . ¡®It¡¯ll be hard to explain where I want to use the artifacts too . ¡¯. . And so, he had to overcome this awkward situation . . . ¡°Is it time¡­¡±. . Time to cast aside the facade of the E-rank . . . Ranking Retest . . . It was time for him to earn his true ranking . . . The Hunter¡¯s expression became serious . . . ¡®At my current level, I probably won¡¯t be used by others against my will . ¡¯. . From the start, that was one of the objectives of leveling up . To prevent a stronger power from forcing him under their control, Jinwoo had masqueraded as an E-ranker . . . But now? He was able to stand face to face against Baekho¡¯s Guildmaster Baek Yoonho . No, even if it wasn¡¯t Baek Yoonho, he was confident that he could remain strong in front of anyone . There was no longer any reason to hide his powers . . . ba dum, ba dum, ba dum. . Thinking about throwing away that annoying title of ¡°E-rank¡± that plagued his past, Jinwoo¡¯s heart began to beat faster . . . ¡®Before that,¡¯. . There was one thing he had to check . Jinwoo turned on his Hunter phone . After a week of no contact, his phone was filled with missed calls and messages . Most of them were unknown numbers . He felt sorry, but he did not particularly want to check who they were . . . ¡®If it¡¯s urgent, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll call again . ¡¯. . With a cool mind, he kept going down the call history and found the number he wanted . Jinwoo called the number . . . [Follow me~]. . Before the song even finished a verse, the person on the other end picked up the phone with an incredible speed . . . - ¡°Hyungnim!¡±. . Was he in the Dungeon for that long? To think that this brat¡¯s voice would sound so welcoming . Jinwoo smiled and opened his mouth,. . ¡°Did the talk with your father go well?¡±. . - ¡°Yes! It went well, hyungnim!¡±. . ¡®Oh yeah?¡¯. . That was good to hear . Jinwoo did not want to take the retest while Yoo Jinho and his father¡¯s deal was not completed . And if their side was all good, he had no problems anymore . He had guessed that Yoo Jinho¡¯s happy greeting meant good news, but hearing it from the young man¡¯s mouth gave him the assurance he needed . . . - ¡°Hyungnim! I was actually going to go see you about-¡±. . click . . . ¡®Huh?¡¯. . The call was suddenly ended . Jinwoo checked his phone; it had died because the battery ran out . . . ¡®Well¡­ I did forget to charge it before going into the Demon Castle . ¡¯. . Still, it was good that he was able to confirm Yoo Jinho had succeeded . Jinwoo changed his clothes . The Association HQ was not far from here . He could finish the retest in an instant . . . ¡°Oh right . ¡±. . Jinwoo was half way out of the door and quickly came back in . He forgot about his little sister . She would probably worry if her brother, who said he¡¯d be home after a week, left the house again without a word . He left a brief note on the kitchen table . . . [Oppa came home and left . ]. . With a satisfied smile, Jinwoo left the house . . . . . It had been a long time since Jinwoo had stood before the Awakened Being Ranking Test Office . . . ¡®Has it been four years?¡¯. . Maybe five? With a nostalgic face, Jinwoo walked up to the employee at the reception desk . The employee didn¡¯t even look up,. . ¡°Your proof of identity and contact information please . ¡±. . Remembering how the proceedings went last time, Jinwoo put down the documents he had already prepared . . . ¡®Hmm?¡¯. . The employee looked at Jinwoo¡¯s proof of identity and tilted his head,. . ¡°This is a Hunter¡¯s License . ¡±. . ¡°Yep . ¡±. . The employee looked confused,. . ¡°If you have any complaints about the results of your rank, that¡¯s for a different office . ¡±. . ¡°No, I¡¯m here for a retest . ¡±. . ¡°Huh?¡±. . The employee looked back and forth between Jinwoo¡¯s face and the license then put up a finger,. . ¡°O-one moment . ¡±. . The employee stood up and went behind him to a middle-aged man who looked like he had a temper . . . ¡°Deputy, some Hunter came here for a retest, what should I do?¡±. . ¡°Retest? What¡¯s his current rank?¡±. . ¡°E-rank, sir . ¡±. . The deputy looked behind the employee at Jinwoo . . . ¡°It happens from time to time . Deluded Hunters who come here, unable to accept their reality . ¡±. . ¡°So you think that man is?¡±. . The deputy nodded,. . ¡°Reawakened my ass¡­ He¡¯s just unable to accept the fact that other Hunters earn a ton and are more famous than him . ¡±. . ¡°Ah . ¡±. . ¡°People like that become a headache if you entertain them for too long . Just tell him that he¡¯ll have to pay the retest fee and send him to the testing building . ¡±. . ¡°Yes, sir . ¡±. . Having rid of his worries, the employee returned to the reception desk . The deputy stared at the employee and Jinwoo and clicked his tongue, then returned his gaze to his computer . Suddenly, the deputy¡¯s fingers stopped . That Hunter¡¯s name¡­ He felt like he had heard it before . . . ¡®Where was it?¡¯. . After the man disappeared off to the testing building, he quietly went up to the employee . . . ¡°That E-rank Hunter just now, what was his name?¡±. . ¡°It was Sung Jinwoo . Do you know him?¡±. . ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so . ¡±. . But the deputy couldn¡¯t shake the feeling he had heard of the name before . Combing over his memories, he suddenly realized and widened his eyes . . . ¡®Ah!¡¯. . That man had asked him! To let him know if a Hunter named Sung Jinwoo came to the testing office . Why didn¡¯t he remember?! The deputy disappeared to a corner and quickly called someone . . . ring, ring. . - ¡°Hello, this is Baek Yoonho . ¡± [4]. . ¡°Ah, Guildmaster Baek . It¡¯s about that Hunter you asked about before . That Hunter Sung Jinwoo . He really came here . I mean, how did you know he would come?¡±. . - ¡°Sung Jinwoo-ssi came to the testing office?¡±. . ¡°Yes, he just requested a retest just now . ¡±. . - ¡° . ¡±. . The deputy thought the call was ended, but a moment later, an urgent voice continued across the phone,. . - ¡°Could you please delay his testing, even for a little bit? I¡¯ll be right there . ¡±. . The deputy tilted his head . . . Was he mistaken? That Baekho¡¯s Guildmaster¡¯s voice sounded anxious . . . ¡®What a strange day . ¡¯. . Unfortunately, the matter was already out of his hands . The deputy scratched his temple and replied,. . ¡°Er¡­ He already left for the testing building . ¡±. . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Recipe: Holy Water of Life¡± (??: ??? ??): two parts here to go over,. 1 . ¡°Recipe¡± (??): lit . ¡°design¡± . ¡°Design¡± is probably more appropriate in context of learning new crafting items, but I went with ¡°recipe¡± since the crafting item in question is a consumable . . 2 . ¡°Holy Water of Life¡± (??? ??): ¡°life¡± ?? + ¡°god¡± ? + ¡°water¡± ? . Closest cultural approximation of ¡°god water¡± (??) is the ceremonial water used in certain east asian religious rites, so I decided to go with ¡°holy water¡± . . [2]: ¡°Spring Water from the Echoing Forest¡± (??? ?? ??): quite literal . ¡°Echo¡± ??? + ¡°forest¡± ? + ¡°spring water¡± ??. [3]: ¡°Purified Blood of the Demon King¡± (??? ???? ?): quite literal . ¡°Purified¡± ??? + ¡°demon king¡± ??? + ¡°blood¡± ? . Please note that this is one of the reasons why I translated ?? as ¡°Monarch¡± and not ¡°King¡± . It¡¯s because the word ? (¡°King¡±) exists, and that word can only be really used for ¡°King¡± . . [4]: corrected a mistake on the original . Baek Yoonho¡¯s name is written as Baek Yoonhob . :P. Chapter 76 ¡®Wait, what¡¯s going on¡­?¡¯ Just what was happening? Jung Gisoo ended the call with Baek Yoonho and tilted his head . It was amusing enough that an E-rank Hunter was here for a retest, and now, Baekho¡¯s Guildmaster was coming here to learn that Hunter¡¯s results . ¡®Is he the real deal?¡¯ If the Baek Yoonho was being this serious, perhaps there was something really going on? But the deputy quickly shook his head . ¡®Eh, no way . ¡¯ The Awakening after Awakening was not a phenomenon you saw every day . Was it few months ago? The entire Association was thrown into chaos when a potential Reawakening candidate appeared, but nothing came out of it . The confirmed cases of the phenomenon were incredibly few, but there were a lot of mistaken cases . ¡®Plenty of deluded people came here for a retest and wasted our resources . . . ¡¯ Baekho must¡¯ve been thoroughly mistaken about something . Still, thinking about maintaining a good relationship with Baekho, Jung Gisso could not refuse Baek Yoonho¡¯s request . ¡°I¡¯m heading out . I¡¯ll be right back . ¡± ¡°Huh? Where are you headed, deputy?¡± ¡°I just remembered I have something to do in Building B . ¡± Building B was the occupational language used in the Association for the building with the magic power measuring equipment . It was where the evaluation of the Hunters¡¯ rankings occurred in . ¡°Alright, understood . ¡± ¡°Call me if anything happens . ¡± ¡°Yes, sir . ¡± Even as he kept thinking ¡°Reawakening my ass¡­¡± in his head, Jung Gisoo imagined Baek Yoonho¡¯s face and headed toward Building B . Jinwoo sat down on a chair at the end of the waiting room . There were three others waiting for their testing . Their faces were filled with nervousness; Jinwoo fully understood their feelings . ¡®After all, the results of the test will determine the course of their lives . ¡¯ Jinwoo was the same the first time he waited in this place . He recalled how he had hoped to become a high-ranker back then . The young man four years ago dreamt about B-rank, A-rank and even deluded himself as far as becoming an S-ranker . Receiving his E-rank shocked him and destroyed his dreams . Remembering that day four years ago, Jinwoo smiled in nostalgia . ¡®Why is he smiling?¡¯ ¡®How could you smile at a time like this?¡¯ The others waiting stared at Jinwoo strangely, but the man remained carefree . ¡®Was he born with a strong heart?¡¯ ¡®He doesn¡¯t look nervous at all . ¡¯ The spirits of the others were lowered by Jinwoo¡¯s confident attitude . They turned their heads and looked at each other . ¡®Looks like nothing changed . ¡¯ Jinwoo also remembered this . Waiting here filled you with nervousness, and people would look at each other, interested in the other¡¯s results . Still smiling, Jinwoo looked around the building . Just like the people, the building itself had not changed . Since the Hunter Association was only ten years old, the building looked relatively new . The interiors were as he remembered . However, one thing was different, ¡®Those people over there . ¡¯ As Jinwoo stared at the group of well dressed men and women across the room, the man next to him struck up a conversation, ¡°They¡¯re all from various Guilds . ¡± ¡°Guilds?¡± ¡°Yeah . Hunters don¡¯t exactly go looking for small Guilds to join . So instead, they send representatives here to try and recruit the fresh rankers . ¡± It did look like the people in the group were giving off a cold vibe to each other . ¡®And the way that they¡¯re looking at us with anticipation . ¡¯ It now made sense . ¡°Just in case you don¡¯t know, you shouldn¡¯t join those Guilds . ¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, small Guilds engage in dangerous Raids and lose a lot of Hunters . ¡± Jinwoo nodded . That made sense . The small Guilds were probably not in a good position . Raiding low-level Dungeons like private parties wouldn¡¯t result in a good income, and at the same time, they did not have enough power to properly raid high-level Dungeons . Because of that, small Guilds¡¯ affairs often resulted in incidents . ¡®So refreshing their member count is very important to them . ¡¯ And that resulted in these small Guilds coming to the Association¡¯s building for recruitment . ¡°Ah . ¡± The man who struck up a conversation wiped away the sweat gathering at his brows with a handkerchief . The man carefully held out a hand to Jinwoo, ¡°Since we met in a place like this, shall we introduce ourselves? My name is Yoon Junghoon . ¡± ¡°I¡¯m Sung Jinwoo . ¡± With a short greeting, the two men returned to waiting in silence . ¡°Next person . ¡± The measuring room was wide open, so people were able see the expressions of the employees and the tested person . The person who just got tested did not look good . ¡®Must be E or D . ¡¯ As if reaching the same conclusion as Jinwoo, the people from the Guilds did not show any interest . It was a rather honest reaction . Jinwoo wondered if they had a way of knowing the exact results somehow . ¡°Next person . ¡± Another result came out . It seemed like this one was also a dud . The man walked out with heavy footsteps . Well, it made sense . ¡®If high-rankers came out that often, they wouldn¡¯t be so revered . ¡¯ For the average person, even receiving a C-rank was a great thing . They could earn a lot through a private party, and if they were lucky, they could even enter a large Guild . Even Baekho¡¯s new recruits had four C-rank members . If you succeeded in entering a large Guild, you¡¯ll earn an income comparable to a doctor or a lawyer . The man next to Jinwoo struck up a conversation again, ¡°I heard that the signing bonus for large Guilds are incredible . ¡± The man¡¯s hand holding the handkerchief was lightly trembling . ¡°To be honest, I actually in a bit of debt . Have to live away from my daughter, you see . All this is making me more anxious . ¡± The man realized he was speaking a little too freely . He quickly lowered his head to Jinwoo, ¡°Sorry, what am I saying to a stranger . . . how embarrassing . I get a little talkative when I¡¯m nervous . ¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright . ¡± Jinwoo smiled and also bowed his head . Another Awakened Being left the testing room . ¡°Next person, please . ¡± It was the man¡¯s turn . However, the sweating man suddenly held and shook Jinwoo¡¯s sleeves . Was he sick? ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡± Jinwoo asked out of concern . The man shook his head . ¡°No, nothing like that¡­ Er¡­ Do you mind going first? I¡¯m feeling too nervous right now . ¡± The man¡¯s eyes were pleading . Well, if he was going to give up his spot, Jinwoo had no reasons to refuse . Jinwoo happily agreed . He understood the man¡¯s feelings; after all, the few minutes in that room would determine the fate of your life . Anyone would be shaking . Jinwoo got up instead of the man and headed to the employee . The employee asked with a business tone, ¡°Name?¡± ¡°Sung Jinwoo . ¡± ¡°Sung Jinwoo-ssi¡­ Alright, place your hand on that black surface and wait . ¡± As instructed, Jinwoo walked up to the measuring device and placed a hand on the black surface . ¡®Huh? He was already tested as an E-ranker?¡¯ The employee looked at Jinwoo¡¯s file and was amused . Almost every single Hunter that came here for a retest were these pathetic E-rankers . The employee looked derisively at Jinwoo then turned on the measuring device . beep woooong- The machine made a noise for a moment, then completed its measurement . The results were displayed on the monitor . ¡®Huh? What the hell?¡¯ Jinwoo removed the hand, and the employee spoke to him in confusion, ¡°Hold on . ¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to do it again . ¡± ¡°Oh, okay . ¡± Jinwoo put his palm on the machine again . beep ¡®Huh?¡¯ This had never happened before . The employee¡¯s expression darkened . Of all the days the measuring device could be acting up¡­ The employee apologetically spoke to Jinwoo again, ¡°Sorry . Just one more time . ¡± ¡° . . . ¡± At the repeated instruction, Jinwoo just placed a hand on the machine and kept it there . beep beeeeeep ¡®Why is it like this?¡¯ The employee began to sweat . The people gathered outside realized something was wrong . ¡®What is it? Did something happen?¡¯ ¡®How many times is that man going to run the measuring device?¡¯ ¡®Looks like something went wrong . ¡¯ Feeling the attention on him, the employee began to sweat profusely . beep ¡®Dammit, what am I supposed to do?¡¯ While the employee stood still in panic, ¡°What the? Where did Changshik go? Why are you here alone?¡± The employee turned around . The Deputy of the Reception Office, Jung Gisoo was standing behind him . ¡°Deputy Jung!¡± At the appearance of an unexpected ally, the employee¡¯s face relaxed a bit . ¡°Sunbae went on a bathroom break . ¡± ¡°Does that bastard know what the time is? To think that he would leave his spot like that¡­¡± Jung Gisoo could not continue . ¡® . . . Well, I also left my post . ¡¯ Anyways, it was a good thing that he had come here . With the senior employee missing, this unlucky newbie was sweating profusely . This was the time for a veteran to step-up . ¡°So what is it? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jung Gisoo showed interest at whatever was happening . ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with the machine . ¡± ¡°The measuring device?¡± ¡°Here, look . The results keep showing an error . ¡± The employee stepped aside and showed Jung Gisoo the monitor showing the measurement results . The deputy¡¯s face froze . ¡° . . . How long have you been working here?¡± ¡°About six months . Did I do something wrong?¡± ¡°No . Call Changshik and tell him to come right away . ¡± ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°Now¡¯s not the time for bathroom breaks, call him!¡± Jung Gisoo raised his voice . The employee flinched and asked, ¡°W-what¡¯s going on, deputy?¡± ¡°This is not an error! It¡¯s saying ¡®measurement impossible¡¯! Don¡¯t you know what that means?!¡± ¡°Eh? It¡¯s not just an error message?¡± Why were all the new hires so useless? Jung Gisoo moved his gaze from the employee to the person being measured . ¡®How could this be¡­¡¯ Sung Jinwoo . The man whose results interested Baekho¡¯s Guildmaster . Jung Gisoo kept his eyes on Sung Jinwoo and spoke to the employee, ¡°You moron, it means that our devices are incapable of measuring that man¡¯s magic power . ¡± ¡°Sir? Does-does that mean?¡± He said he worked here for six months? Forget six months, this had not happened in the past two years . Of course the new hire wouldn¡¯t know . Jung Gisoo replied with a shaking voice, ¡°Yes¡­ He¡¯s an S-ranker . ¡± S-rank . Because of its widespread use to denote certain people¡¯s rankings, it¡¯s often mistaken as an official power level . In reality, the S-rank was given to people whose powers could not be measured by the limits of humanity¡¯s measuring technology . ¡°So hurry up and call over Changshik . ¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call him right away . ¡± Soon, Kim Changshik ran over while pulling up his pants . ¡°pant, pant . Let me see . ¡± Confirming the information on the monitor, Kim Changshik¡¯s face turned white . His eyes were shaking as they moved over to Jinwoo . ¡®This man is Korea¡¯s tenth¡­¡¯ [1] Kim Changshik approached Jinwoo . The Hunter finally took his hand off of the measuring device . ¡°Er¡­ With our current machine, Sung Jinwoo-ssi,¡± Kim Changshik realized who this man would become and quickly changed his tone, ¡°No, Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim, it is impossible to measure your magic power . In order to use our more accurate measuring device, we¡¯ll have to obtain the upper management¡¯s permission . Do you mind coming back to the Association in three days?¡± Kim Changshik had spoken as mandated by his training . It had been such a long time since he had to read that script memorized in his head . He barely remembered the correct phrases . As a man with knowledge about Hunters, Jinwoo understood what that meant . ¡®Alright . ¡¯ A deferred measurement evaluation . In other words, if this more accurate measurement device was also unable to measure him, it would mean that he would become an S-ranker . ¡®Thank god . ¡¯ If he received an A-rank just now, he would have to return to the Association after becoming stronger . But what would they think if he ¡°Awakened¡± once more after Reawakening? The Reawakening itself was an incredibly rare occurrence, but a third Awakening would raise a ton of suspicion . Jinwoo was glad he did not need to be bothered by such attention . ¡®Phew-¡¯ With the satisfying result, Jinwoo sighed in relief . As he turned to leave, ¡°Huh?¡± Every single pair of eyes in the building was focused on him . ¡°Oh my, you¡¯re a busy man . You didn¡¯t have to come here yourself like this . ¡± ¡°Nonsense, I¡¯m here to meet the Hunter Association¡¯s Director Park . How could I just give you a call? I had to come see you face to face . ¡± As Choi Jongin smiled with his eyes and spoke with friendliness, the elderly Director Park chuckled in response . Who was this man in front of him? He was the man who led South Korea¡¯s top Guild, ¡°Hunters¡± . The Strongest Soldier, Choi Jongin . The man¡¯s words could move the country¡¯s most powerful raiding party . And that man was showing consideration for the elderly director, how could he not feel happy? Choi Jongin placed a cigarette in his mouth, ¡°Is it okay if I smoke?¡± ¡°Of course . ¡± ¡°What about you, director?¡± ¡°Oh, no, I¡¯m good . ¡± With a lit cigarette, Choi Jongin was the fitting image of a carefree young man who had everything in life . ¡®Is this what they call charisma?¡¯ While the director stared at him, Choi Jongin asked, ¡°You know, Building B¡¯s rather loud today . ¡± ¡°Building B?¡± The director looked in the direction of the building . In reality, the director could not have heard what was happening . However, Choi Jongin was an S-rank Hunter . The man¡¯s five senses were incomparable to an ordinary person . If that man was saying it was loud, something must be happening over there . A valuable guest was here, how embarrassing . The director furrowed his brows and spoke, ¡°I¡¯ll go check it out . ¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s alright . ¡± Choi Jongin dropped the cigarette and put it out with a foot . ¡°I¡¯m also curious on what¡¯s going on over there . ¡± Raising his head, Choi Jongin¡¯s eyes were filled with light, and a smile appeared on his face, ¡°Let¡¯s go together . ¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: I have to correct a mistake I made earlier . In chapter 59, I translated that Baek Yoonho only knew 10 S-rankers born in Korea . Looking back on the original passage, the man¡¯s thoughts are more closely translated as ¡°I only know of 10-ish S-rankers currently IN Korea¡±, not born . This could¡¯ve meant that there were non-Korean S-rankers currently at the time in Korea for whatever reason (never confirmed) . Still, I was wrong, our MC Sung Jinwoo is the 10th S-ranker born in Korea . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 76. . ¡®Wait, what¡¯s going on¡­?¡¯. . Just what was happening? Jung Gisoo ended the call with Baek Yoonho and tilted his head . It was amusing enough that an E-rank Hunter was here for a retest, and now, Baekho¡¯s Guildmaster was coming here to learn that Hunter¡¯s results . . . ¡®Is he the real deal?¡¯. . If the Baek Yoonho was being this serious, perhaps there was something really going on? But the deputy quickly shook his head . . . ¡®Eh, no way . ¡¯. . The Awakening after Awakening was not a phenomenon you saw every day . . . Was it few months ago? The entire Association was thrown into chaos when a potential Reawakening candidate appeared, but nothing came out of it . The confirmed cases of the phenomenon were incredibly few, but there were a lot of mistaken cases . . . ¡®Plenty of deluded people came here for a retest and wasted our resources . ¡¯. . Baekho must¡¯ve been thoroughly mistaken about something . Still, thinking about maintaining a good relationship with Baekho, Jung Gisso could not refuse Baek Yoonho¡¯s request . . . ¡°I¡¯m heading out . I¡¯ll be right back . ¡±. . ¡°Huh? Where are you headed, deputy?¡±. . ¡°I just remembered I have something to do in Building B . ¡±. . Building B was the occupational language used in the Association for the building with the magic power measuring equipment . It was where the evaluation of the Hunters¡¯ rankings occurred in . . . ¡°Alright, understood . ¡±. . ¡°Call me if anything happens . ¡±. . ¡°Yes, sir . ¡±. . Even as he kept thinking ¡°Reawakening my ass¡­¡± in his head, Jung Gisoo imagined Baek Yoonho¡¯s face and headed toward Building B . . . . . Jinwoo sat down on a chair at the end of the waiting room . There were three others waiting for their testing . Their faces were filled with nervousness; Jinwoo fully understood their feelings . . . ¡®After all, the results of the test will determine the course of their lives . ¡¯. . Jinwoo was the same the first time he waited in this place . He recalled how he had hoped to become a high-ranker back then . The young man four years ago dreamt about B-rank, A-rank and even deluded himself as far as becoming an S-ranker . Receiving his E-rank shocked him and destroyed his dreams . Remembering that day four years ago, Jinwoo smiled in nostalgia . . . ¡®Why is he smiling?¡¯. ¡®How could you smile at a time like this?¡¯. . The others waiting stared at Jinwoo strangely, but the man remained carefree . . . ¡®Was he born with a strong heart?¡¯. ¡®He doesn¡¯t look nervous at all . ¡¯. . The spirits of the others were lowered by Jinwoo¡¯s confident attitude . They turned their heads and looked at each other . . . ¡®Looks like nothing changed . ¡¯. . Jinwoo also remembered this . Waiting here filled you with nervousness, and people would look at each other, interested in the other¡¯s results . Still smiling, Jinwoo looked around the building . Just like the people, the building itself had not changed . Since the Hunter Association was only ten years old, the building looked relatively new . The interiors were as he remembered . However, one thing was different,. . ¡®Those people over there . ¡¯. . As Jinwoo stared at the group of well dressed men and women across the room, the man next to him struck up a conversation,. . ¡°They¡¯re all from various Guilds . ¡±. . ¡°Guilds?¡±. . ¡°Yeah . Hunters don¡¯t exactly go looking for small Guilds to join . So instead, they send representatives here to try and recruit the fresh rankers . ¡±. . It did look like the people in the group were giving off a cold vibe to each other . . . ¡®And the way that they¡¯re looking at us with anticipation . ¡¯. . It now made sense . . . ¡°Just in case you don¡¯t know, you shouldn¡¯t join those Guilds . ¡±. . ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±. . ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, small Guilds engage in dangerous Raids and lose a lot of Hunters . ¡±. . Jinwoo nodded . That made sense . The small Guilds were probably not in a good position . Raiding low-level Dungeons like private parties wouldn¡¯t result in a good income, and at the same time, they did not have enough power to properly raid high-level Dungeons . Because of that, small Guilds¡¯ affairs often resulted in incidents . . . ¡®So refreshing their member count is very important to them . ¡¯. . And that resulted in these small Guilds coming to the Association¡¯s building for recruitment . . . ¡°Ah . ¡±. . The man who struck up a conversation wiped away the sweat gathering at his brows with a handkerchief . The man carefully held out a hand to Jinwoo,. . ¡°Since we met in a place like this, shall we introduce ourselves? My name is Yoon Junghoon . ¡±. . ¡°I¡¯m Sung Jinwoo . ¡±. . With a short greeting, the two men returned to waiting in silence . . . ¡°Next person . ¡±. . The measuring room was wide open, so people were able see the expressions of the employees and the tested person . The person who just got tested did not look good . . . ¡®Must be E or D . ¡¯. . As if reaching the same conclusion as Jinwoo, the people from the Guilds did not show any interest . It was a rather honest reaction . Jinwoo wondered if they had a way of knowing the exact results somehow . . . ¡°Next person . ¡±. . Another result came out . It seemed like this one was also a dud . The man walked out with heavy footsteps . Well, it made sense . . . ¡®If high-rankers came out that often, they wouldn¡¯t be so revered . ¡¯. . For the average person, even receiving a C-rank was a great thing . They could earn a lot through a private party, and if they were lucky, they could even enter a large Guild . Even Baekho¡¯s new recruits had four C-rank members . If you succeeded in entering a large Guild, you¡¯ll earn an income comparable to a doctor or a lawyer . The man next to Jinwoo struck up a conversation again,. . ¡°I heard that the signing bonus for large Guilds are incredible . ¡±. . The man¡¯s hand holding the handkerchief was lightly trembling . . . ¡°To be honest, I actually in a bit of debt . Have to live away from my daughter, you see . All this is making me more anxious . ¡±. . The man realized he was speaking a little too freely . He quickly lowered his head to Jinwoo,. . ¡°Sorry, what am I saying to a stranger . how embarrassing . I get a little talkative when I¡¯m nervous . ¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s alright . ¡±. . Jinwoo smiled and also bowed his head . Another Awakened Being left the testing room . . . ¡°Next person, please . ¡±. . It was the man¡¯s turn . However, the sweating man suddenly held and shook Jinwoo¡¯s sleeves . Was he sick?. . ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡±. . Jinwoo asked out of concern . The man shook his head . . . ¡°No, nothing like that¡­ Er¡­ Do you mind going first? I¡¯m feeling too nervous right now . ¡±. . The man¡¯s eyes were pleading . Well, if he was going to give up his spot, Jinwoo had no reasons to refuse . Jinwoo happily agreed . He understood the man¡¯s feelings; after all, the few minutes in that room would determine the fate of your life . Anyone would be shaking . . . Jinwoo got up instead of the man and headed to the employee . The employee asked with a business tone,. . ¡°Name?¡±. . ¡°Sung Jinwoo . ¡±. . ¡°Sung Jinwoo-ssi¡­ Alright, place your hand on that black surface and wait . ¡±. . As instructed, Jinwoo walked up to the measuring device and placed a hand on the black surface . . . ¡®Huh? He was already tested as an E-ranker?¡¯. . The employee looked at Jinwoo¡¯s file and was amused . Almost every single Hunter that came here for a retest were these pathetic E-rankers . The employee looked derisively at Jinwoo then turned on the measuring device . . . beep. . woooong-. . The machine made a noise for a moment, then completed its measurement . The results were displayed on the monitor . . . ¡®Huh? What the hell?¡¯. . Jinwoo removed the hand, and the employee spoke to him in confusion,. . ¡°Hold on . ¡±. . ¡°Hmm?¡±. . ¡°We¡¯ll have to do it again . ¡±. . ¡°Oh, okay . ¡±. . Jinwoo put his palm on the machine again . . . beep. . ¡®Huh?¡¯. . This had never happened before . The employee¡¯s expression darkened . Of all the days the measuring device could be acting up¡­ The employee apologetically spoke to Jinwoo again,. . ¡°Sorry . Just one more time . ¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . At the repeated instruction, Jinwoo just placed a hand on the machine and kept it there . . . beep beeeeeep. . ¡®Why is it like this?¡¯. . The employee began to sweat . The people gathered outside realized something was wrong . . . ¡®What is it? Did something happen?¡¯. ¡®How many times is that man going to run the measuring device?¡¯. ¡®Looks like something went wrong . ¡¯. . Feeling the attention on him, the employee began to sweat profusely . . . beep . . ¡®Dammit, what am I supposed to do?¡¯. . While the employee stood still in panic,. . ¡°What the? Where did Changshik go? Why are you here alone?¡±. . The employee turned around . The Deputy of the Reception Office, Jung Gisoo was standing behind him . . . ¡°Deputy Jung!¡±. . At the appearance of an unexpected ally, the employee¡¯s face relaxed a bit . . . ¡°Sunbae went on a bathroom break . ¡±. . ¡°Does that bastard know what the time is? To think that he would leave his spot like that¡­¡±. . Jung Gisoo could not continue . . . ¡® . Well, I also left my post . ¡¯. . Anyways, it was a good thing that he had come here . With the senior employee missing, this unlucky newbie was sweating profusely . This was the time for a veteran to step-up . . . ¡°So what is it? What¡¯s wrong?¡±. . Jung Gisoo showed interest at whatever was happening . . . ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with the machine . ¡±. . ¡°The measuring device?¡±. . ¡°Here, look . The results keep showing an error . ¡±. . The employee stepped aside and showed Jung Gisoo the monitor showing the measurement results . The deputy¡¯s face froze . . . ¡° . How long have you been working here?¡±. . ¡°About six months . Did I do something wrong?¡±. . ¡°No . Call Changshik and tell him to come right away . ¡±. . ¡°Sir?¡±. . ¡°Now¡¯s not the time for bathroom breaks, call him!¡±. . Jung Gisoo raised his voice . The employee flinched and asked,. . ¡°W-what¡¯s going on, deputy?¡±. . ¡°This is not an error! It¡¯s saying ¡®measurement impossible¡¯! Don¡¯t you know what that means?!¡±. . ¡°Eh? It¡¯s not just an error message?¡±. . Why were all the new hires so useless? Jung Gisoo moved his gaze from the employee to the person being measured . . . ¡®How could this be¡­¡¯. . Sung Jinwoo . The man whose results interested Baekho¡¯s Guildmaster . . . Jung Gisoo kept his eyes on Sung Jinwoo and spoke to the employee,. . ¡°You moron, it means that our devices are incapable of measuring that man¡¯s magic power . ¡±. . ¡°Sir? Does-does that mean?¡±. . He said he worked here for six months? Forget six months, this had not happened in the past two years . Of course the new hire wouldn¡¯t know . Jung Gisoo replied with a shaking voice,. . ¡°Yes¡­ He¡¯s an S-ranker . ¡±. . S-rank . Because of its widespread use to denote certain people¡¯s rankings, it¡¯s often mistaken as an official power level . In reality, the S-rank was given to people whose powers could not be measured by the limits of humanity¡¯s measuring technology . . . ¡°So hurry up and call over Changshik . ¡±. . ¡°I¡¯ll call him right away . ¡±. . Soon, Kim Changshik ran over while pulling up his pants . . . ¡°pant, pant . Let me see . ¡±. . Confirming the information on the monitor, Kim Changshik¡¯s face turned white . His eyes were shaking as they moved over to Jinwoo . . . ¡®This man is Korea¡¯s tenth¡­¡¯ [1]. . Kim Changshik approached Jinwoo . The Hunter finally took his hand off of the measuring device . . . ¡°Er¡­ With our current machine, Sung Jinwoo-ssi,¡±. . Kim Changshik realized who this man would become and quickly changed his tone,. . ¡°No, Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim, it is impossible to measure your magic power . In order to use our more accurate measuring device, we¡¯ll have to obtain the upper management¡¯s permission . Do you mind coming back to the Association in three days?¡±. . Kim Changshik had spoken as mandated by his training . It had been such a long time since he had to read that script memorized in his head . He barely remembered the correct phrases . . . As a man with knowledge about Hunters, Jinwoo understood what that meant . . . ¡®Alright . ¡¯. . A deferred measurement evaluation . In other words, if this more accurate measurement device was also unable to measure him, it would mean that he would become an S-ranker . . . ¡®Thank god . ¡¯. . If he received an A-rank just now, he would have to return to the Association after becoming stronger . But what would they think if he ¡°Awakened¡± once more after Reawakening? The Reawakening itself was an incredibly rare occurrence, but a third Awakening would raise a ton of suspicion . Jinwoo was glad he did not need to be bothered by such attention . . . ¡®Phew-¡¯. . With the satisfying result, Jinwoo sighed in relief . As he turned to leave,. . ¡°Huh?¡±. . Every single pair of eyes in the building was focused on him . . . . . ¡°Oh my, you¡¯re a busy man . You didn¡¯t have to come here yourself like this . ¡±. . ¡°Nonsense, I¡¯m here to meet the Hunter Association¡¯s Director Park . How could I just give you a call? I had to come see you face to face . ¡±. . As Choi Jongin smiled with his eyes and spoke with friendliness, the elderly Director Park chuckled in response . . . Who was this man in front of him? He was the man who led South Korea¡¯s top Guild, ¡°Hunters¡± . . . The Strongest Soldier, Choi Jongin . The man¡¯s words could move the country¡¯s most powerful raiding party . And that man was showing consideration for the elderly director, how could he not feel happy?. . Choi Jongin placed a cigarette in his mouth,. . ¡°Is it okay if I smoke?¡±. ¡°Of course . ¡±. ¡°What about you, director?¡±. ¡°Oh, no, I¡¯m good . ¡±. . With a lit cigarette, Choi Jongin was the fitting image of a carefree young man who had everything in life . . . ¡®Is this what they call charisma?¡¯. . While the director stared at him, Choi Jongin asked,. . ¡°You know, Building B¡¯s rather loud today . ¡±. . ¡°Building B?¡±. . The director looked in the direction of the building . In reality, the director could not have heard what was happening . However, Choi Jongin was an S-rank Hunter . The man¡¯s five senses were incomparable to an ordinary person . If that man was saying it was loud, something must be happening over there . A valuable guest was here, how embarrassing . The director furrowed his brows and spoke,. . ¡°I¡¯ll go check it out . ¡±. . ¡°No, it¡¯s alright . ¡±. . Choi Jongin dropped the cigarette and put it out with a foot . . . ¡°I¡¯m also curious on what¡¯s going on over there . ¡±. . Raising his head, Choi Jongin¡¯s eyes were filled with light, and a smile appeared on his face,. . ¡°Let¡¯s go together . ¡±. . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: I have to correct a mistake I made earlier . In chapter 59, I translated that Baek Yoonho only knew 10 S-rankers born in Korea . Looking back on the original passage, the man¡¯s thoughts are more closely translated as ¡°I only know of 10-ish S-rankers currently IN Korea¡±, not born . This could¡¯ve meant that there were non-Korean S-rankers currently at the time in Korea for whatever reason (never confirmed) . Still, I was wrong, our MC Sung Jinwoo is the 10th S-ranker born in Korea . . Chapter 77 The entire Building B became silent . ¡®Did he just say ¡°measurement impossible¡± . . . ?¡¯ ¡®Does that mean that man is an S-ranker?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ve only heard of it in stories . To think that I would actually see it in person¡­¡¯ gulp The representatives from the small Guilds gulped as Jinwoo turned to leave . However, not one of them could approach him . ¡° . . . ¡± ¡° . . . ¡± If a C-ranker appeared, a fierce competition would¡¯ve taken place among the representatives to try and recruit the Hunter . Many of them would line up just to get a word or two in . And if a B-ranker appeared? The representatives would practically fight each other to offer all kinds of deals, benefits and conditions to the Hunter . To an outside observer, it would look like a war . Every once in a while, B-rankers who wanted to be the head of a snake instead of the tail of a dragon would be won over . However, A-rankers were a different story . They were the special existences that could find a home in large Guilds and ignore small and middle Guilds . Of course, they would obviously be placed in primary raiding group of any large Guilds they enter, and through their jobs, clear high-level Dungeons and earn an unimaginable amount of money . That was not all . If they wanted, A-rankers could easily make their own Guilds and become the Guildmaster . And so, they had no reasons to give the time of day to small and middle Guilds . And then¡­ A magic power that cannot be measured means an S-ranker . S-rank, not A-rank . It was the difference of a single letter, but it meant that he was among the nine highest-ranking Awakened Beings of South Korea . ¡®Well, if you include him, it¡¯s ten now, right?¡¯ ¡®The tenth S-rank Hunter¡­¡¯ He was not a target small and middle Guilds could even think of recruiting . gulp All they could do is silently gulp repeatedly . He was truly a treasure just out of their reach . However, ¡®Wait¡­¡¯ ¡®Is this not my chance?¡¯ Some of the more cunning scouts thought of a dastardly idea . What if they reported the information of an S-rank Awakened Being to a large Guild for money? The S-rankers¡¯ contractual fees surmounted to several tens of billions at minimum . If they could obtain just 1% of that fee as a finder¡¯s fee, they could retire then and there . And if they were lucky, they could even act as that man¡¯s personal manager . Didn¡¯t some S-rank Hunter¡¯s personal manager receive a Porsche as a birthday present? ¡® . . . Should I try it?¡¯ ¡®If it¡¯s me, I could do it¡­¡¯ ¡®I should just close my eyes and do it . ¡¯ In that short time, many of the scouts became brazen . A failure would result in a moment¡¯s humiliation, while a success would change their lives . The scouts glanced at each other and slowly began to make their move . Suddenly, someone pointed at the building¡¯s entrance, ¡°Huh? Over there¡­!¡± Was it because they were all holding their breath in anxiety? Everyone turned to where the man was pointing . The eyes of the scouts opened wide . ¡°Holy shit!¡± Every single person recognized the fashionable man entering Building B . ¡°Choi¡­ Choi Jongin?¡± ¡°Why is the Guildmaster of ¡®Hunters¡¯ here?¡± Choi Jongin ignored their attentions, lightly pressed his clothes, then walked over to Jinwoo . ¡®He can¡¯t have arrived after receiving a word . It¡¯s too soon . ¡¯ ¡®Was that man already contracted with Hunters Guild?¡¯ ¡®Did Hunters Guild already know? Man, the number one Guild sure is something else . ¡¯ The scouts nodded in understanding . It was a good thing that they did not approach Jinwoo . If they were found out by Choi Jongin in the process, what would¡¯ve happened to them? The situation finally looked like it was about to resolve . ¡®The picture looks completed with Choi Jongin here . ¡¯ ¡®Damn, this is so cool . ¡¯ ¡®To think that Hunters Guild¡¯s Guildmaster himself would come¡­ Man, the S-rankers sure are in a different class . ¡¯ While disappointed, the scouts watched the meeting between the Guildmaster of South Korea¡¯s number one Guild and the fresh S-rank Awakened Being in anticipation . Meanwhile . Jinwoo saw Choi Jongin¡¯s arrival and sighed in relief . ¡®Thank god . ¡¯ He was confused on what to do when all the attention was on him . Thankfully, Choi Jongin had appeared and took that attention away . Jinwoo silently thanked the man in his heart and walked past him . Choi Jongin was taken back . ¡®Huh? Wait, this isn¡¯t it . ¡¯ The man quickly stopped Jinwoo, ¡°Excuse me,¡± Jinwoo stopped and turned around, ¡° . . . ?¡± Looking at Jinwoo, a light appeared in Choi Jongin¡¯s eyes, ¡®This man is the tenth¡­¡¯ He had told the director that he wanted to come along and see what the fuss was about, but truthfully, Choi Jongin was well aware what had happened here . ¡®They were so loud going on about ¡°measurement impossible¡±, how could I not hear?¡¯ Because of that, he had obtained a large windfall . The man in front of him was an S-ranker . An S-ranker! If Choi Jongin could bring this man to Hunters Guild, his Guild would have three S-rank Hunters . Forget Korea, they could stand shoulder to shoulder with the best Guilds across the entire world . He could not help but drool at the thought . ¡®There¡¯s no need for me to borrow a measuring device . ¡¯ Just meeting Jinwoo¡¯s eyes, Choi Jongin could feel the other¡¯s power . He was undoubtedly the highest-ranking Hunter . There was no need to wait three days . Choi Jongin started with a refreshing smile, ¡°I am the Hunters Guild¡¯s Guildmaster, Choi Jongin . ¡± Jinwoo already knew as much . The man¡¯s face was plastered all over the media . He was curious on why this celebrity was talking to him all the way at the Association, but he did not have the time to ask . Jinwoo glanced at the clock on the wall, ¡®It¡¯s 5:50 right now . ¡¯ Taking the travel time into account, he barely had any time . When Jinwoo put on an impatient expression, Choi Jongin continued, a little flustered, ¡°Ah, well¡­ I heard that you just received your ranking . ¡± ¡°Yep . ¡± ¡°Do you perhaps have a Guild in mind to join?¡± ¡°Nope . ¡± With that reply, a bright smile appeared on Choi Jongin¡¯s face . ¡®Yes, this is good . ¡¯ He already imagined their future together . ¡°One of the top three Guilds of the world, Hunters Guild . ¡± Oh how sweet that sounded in his mind . Starting today, it was no longer a pipe dream . ¡®You¡¯re mine . ¡¯ Choi Jongin calmed his heart and spoke the words that he believed would go down in history, ¡°I wish to have a discussion with you about that . Could you please spare the time?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t, sorry . ¡± And with that, Jinwoo left the building . ¡° . . . ¡± Everything happened so quickly . Choi Jongin was so shocked that he couldn¡¯t even stop Jinwoo . The Association employees and the scouts realized what happened and fell into chaos . ¡°What?¡± ¡°Did Guildmaster Choi Jongin just get rejected?¡± ¡°He just got ignored just like that!¡± The interior of the building became loud with chatter . Choi Jongin did his best to keep his composure and turned to his side, ¡°Director Park . ¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The director replied with an awkward expression . ¡°Did I just mess up my introduction?¡± ¡°Er¡­ That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m not sure . ¡± Of course, the director had heard every word from start to finish . However, this was not a time to reply so directly . When the director closed his mouth, the dumbfounded Choi Jongin scratched the side of his face . ¡®Did I come on too strong¡­?¡¯ Well, there was no need to be disappointed . He definitely was ahead of the other Guilds on this . ¡®The only one who knows about the new S-ranker is me . ¡¯ The remeasurement would be three days from now . He had time until the official announcement . ¡®I have to plan a meeting with him somehow until then¡­¡¯ Was there a good method? While in contemplation, Choi Jongin discovered someone running with all of his might toward the Association building . ¡® . . . Wait, that¡¯s?¡¯ It was a familiar face . When the man opened the glass doors and entered the building, Choi Jongin greeted him with shock, ¡°Guildmaster Baek, why are you¡­?¡± Baek Yoonho also saw Choi Jongin and opened his eyes wide in surprise, ¡°Guildmaster Choi?¡± Choi Jongin quickly read Baek Yoonho¡¯s expression . ¡®That¡¯s the face of a man who got caught¡­¡¯ It couldn¡¯t have been that the man had come here after receiving word . The timing didn¡¯t fit . ¡®Baekho¡¯s offices are too far from the Hunter Association¡­¡¯ That means¡­ Baek Yoonho knew from the start what would happen here . ¡®Was he aware of that man¡¯s existence?¡¯ No, if that was the case, Baek Yoonho would not have simply let him undertake a retest like this . ¡®If I was aware of such an existence, I would¡¯ve made a contract before letting him take a retest . ¡¯ In that moment, the scattered pieces of the puzzle began to assemble in Choi Jongin¡¯s head . ¡® . . . Could it be?¡¯ Baekho Guild . The incident during the new recruit training . Red Gate . The unknown helper . . . . And this new S-rank Awakened Being . ¡°Looks like Baekho received help from someone that they don¡¯t want to reveal . ¡± ¡°A new recruit that didn¡¯t even receive a rank yet? Or a criminal that couldn¡¯t reveal their identity?¡± Everything fell into place . . . Found him . ¡®It was that man . ¡¯ As a sign of just how hard he ran here, Baek Yoonho was panting . Choi Jongin realized it wasn¡¯t that Baek Yoonho had left the man alone; Baek Yoonho couldn¡¯t prevent the man from taking the retest . Choi Jongin turned to Baek Yoonho with a smile, ¡®You didn¡¯t get him . ¡¯ I¡¯m different than you . ¡®Thank you for the opportunity . ¡¯ Without saying anything to the man, Choi Jongin walked past Baek Yoonho . Baek Yoonho looked around . He did not see Jinwoo . ¡®Was I too late?¡¯ Baek Yoonho started at Choi Jongin disappearing in the distance and sighed deeply . ¡°Sigh-¡± Of all the days the Hunters Guild¡¯s master could be here . . . Baek Yoonho scratched the back of his head and uttered, ¡°Things just got complicated . ¡± Seoul¡¯s Ilshin Hospital¡¯s patient visiting hours ran until 8 p . m . ¡°You¡¯re patient Park Gyunghae¡¯s guardian?¡± ¡°Yes . ¡± ¡°Visitation should be fine . You¡¯re aware of the visiting hours?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware . ¡± Jinwoo headed to the hospital room where his mother was . Because he had hurried, he managed to arrive in time . After opening the door and entering, Jinwoo saw his mother . The woman was lying on the bed as if sleeping . Her son quietly sat down next to her . ¡®Just looking at her like this, it feels like she could wake up any minute¡­¡¯ The sleep which you would not wake up from . It was an illness that appeared after the Gates started appearing . ¡®They say there¡¯s at least ten other patients with the same condition here . ¡¯ Jinwoo gently held his mother¡¯s hand . ¡°Mom¡­¡± Fortunately, life support devices empowered by magic cores protected her body from wasting away, even after years of unconsciousness . However, magic cores were expensive . Just the monthly cost of the magic cores used to run the machine was in excess of five million won . Without the support provided by the Association, it was not an amount that a man in his 20s could pay . Thanks to working as a Hunter under the Association, Jinwoo was able to hold his mother¡¯s hand like this . But things were different now . Instead of being just satisfied with the fact that his mother was alive, Jinwoo obtained the means to cure her . The Holy Water of Life . The cure gifted by the System . Whether or not it would work was for the future . Right now, the priority was to make it . ¡°I¡¯ll save you . ¡± The mother that held the family together with her weak body after their father had disappeared . They would soon be able to see their mother whole again . ¡®Please wait until that time . ¡¯ How long did he stay by his mother¡¯s side? Some time later, Jinwoo finally got up . After a long visitation, Jinwoo silently left the patient¡¯s room and closed the door . When he turned around, he ran into a familiar face . ¡°As I thought¡­ were you the man who took care of the magic beasts in the Double Dungeon that day?¡± A deep voice . Sharp eyes . It was the Hunter Surveillance Department (HSD) Chief Woo Jincheol . Jinwoo did not reply . He neither had the reason nor the desire to do so . Instead, he asked a question, ¡°How did you know I was here?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve theorized the places where Hunter-nim might go . When I contacted the hospital, they told me you were here . ¡± The ones who provided for his mother¡¯s hospital bills were the Association . ¡®Well, not anymore . ¡¯ Perhaps the first place they would¡¯ve looked for him was here . It was a speed fitting of the HSD . Jinwoo smiled widely and spoke, ¡°Are you here to ask me about that day again?¡± Woo Jincheol shook his head, ¡°No, sir . ¡± ¡°Then why?¡± ¡°There is someone who would like to meet with Hunter-nim . Could you please accompany me?¡± Hunter Association¡¯s Hunter Surveillance Department . The HSD¡¯s primary function was to monitor and arrest any wrong-doing Hunters . To the Hunters, they weren¡¯t exactly a friendly existence . Jinwoo was the same, ¡°Is that an order?¡± ¡°No, sir . ¡± Woo Jincheol removed his sunglasses and bowed his upper body in a near 90-degree angle, ¡°It is a request . ¡± ¡° . . . ¡± To think that the fierce-looking Woo Jincheol would be this respectful to him . After thinking for a moment, Jinwoo decided he would at least find out who it was, ¡°Who¡¯s the person that wants to meet with me?¡± Woo Jincheol raised his head, ¡°The Hunter Association¡¯s President Go Gunhee-nim . ¡± Woo Jincheol gestured to a corner at the end of the hall . ¡°The association president is here . ¡± Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 77. . The entire Building B became silent . . . ¡®Did he just say ¡°measurement impossible¡± . ?¡¯. ¡®Does that mean that man is an S-ranker?¡¯. ¡®I¡¯ve only heard of it in stories . To think that I would actually see it in person¡­¡¯. . gulp. . The representatives from the small Guilds gulped as Jinwoo turned to leave . However, not one of them could approach him . . . ¡° . ¡±. ¡° . ¡±. . If a C-ranker appeared, a fierce competition would¡¯ve taken place among the representatives to try and recruit the Hunter . Many of them would line up just to get a word or two in . . . And if a B-ranker appeared? The representatives would practically fight each other to offer all kinds of deals, benefits and conditions to the Hunter . To an outside observer, it would look like a war . Every once in a while, B-rankers who wanted to be the head of a snake instead of the tail of a dragon would be won over . . . However, A-rankers were a different story . They were the special existences that could find a home in large Guilds and ignore small and middle Guilds . Of course, they would obviously be placed in primary raiding group of any large Guilds they enter, and through their jobs, clear high-level Dungeons and earn an unimaginable amount of money . That was not all . If they wanted, A-rankers could easily make their own Guilds and become the Guildmaster . And so, they had no reasons to give the time of day to small and middle Guilds . . . And then¡­. . A magic power that cannot be measured means an S-ranker . . . S-rank, not A-rank . . . It was the difference of a single letter, but it meant that he was among the nine highest-ranking Awakened Beings of South Korea . . . ¡®Well, if you include him, it¡¯s ten now, right?¡¯. ¡®The tenth S-rank Hunter¡­¡¯. . He was not a target small and middle Guilds could even think of recruiting . . . gulp. . All they could do is silently gulp repeatedly . He was truly a treasure just out of their reach . . . However,. . ¡®Wait¡­¡¯. ¡®Is this not my chance?¡¯. . Some of the more cunning scouts thought of a dastardly idea . What if they reported the information of an S-rank Awakened Being to a large Guild for money? The S-rankers¡¯ contractual fees surmounted to several tens of billions at minimum . If they could obtain just 1% of that fee as a finder¡¯s fee, they could retire then and there . And if they were lucky, they could even act as that man¡¯s personal manager . Didn¡¯t some S-rank Hunter¡¯s personal manager receive a Porsche as a birthday present?. . ¡® . Should I try it?¡¯. ¡®If it¡¯s me, I could do it¡­¡¯. ¡®I should just close my eyes and do it . ¡¯. . In that short time, many of the scouts became brazen . A failure would result in a moment¡¯s humiliation, while a success would change their lives . The scouts glanced at each other and slowly began to make their move . Suddenly, someone pointed at the building¡¯s entrance,. . ¡°Huh? Over there¡­!¡±. . Was it because they were all holding their breath in anxiety? Everyone turned to where the man was pointing . The eyes of the scouts opened wide . . . ¡°Holy shit!¡±. . Every single person recognized the fashionable man entering Building B . . . ¡°Choi¡­ Choi Jongin?¡±. ¡°Why is the Guildmaster of ¡®Hunters¡¯ here?¡±. . Choi Jongin ignored their attentions, lightly pressed his clothes, then walked over to Jinwoo . . . ¡®He can¡¯t have arrived after receiving a word . It¡¯s too soon . ¡¯. ¡®Was that man already contracted with Hunters Guild?¡¯. ¡®Did Hunters Guild already know? Man, the number one Guild sure is something else . ¡¯. . The scouts nodded in understanding . It was a good thing that they did not approach Jinwoo . If they were found out by Choi Jongin in the process, what would¡¯ve happened to them? The situation finally looked like it was about to resolve . . . ¡®The picture looks completed with Choi Jongin here . ¡¯. ¡®Damn, this is so cool . ¡¯. ¡®To think that Hunters Guild¡¯s Guildmaster himself would come¡­ Man, the S-rankers sure are in a different class . ¡¯. . While disappointed, the scouts watched the meeting between the Guildmaster of South Korea¡¯s number one Guild and the fresh S-rank Awakened Being in anticipation . . . Meanwhile . . . Jinwoo saw Choi Jongin¡¯s arrival and sighed in relief . . . ¡®Thank god . ¡¯. . He was confused on what to do when all the attention was on him . Thankfully, Choi Jongin had appeared and took that attention away . Jinwoo silently thanked the man in his heart and walked past him . . . Choi Jongin was taken back . . . ¡®Huh? Wait, this isn¡¯t it . ¡¯. . The man quickly stopped Jinwoo,. . ¡°Excuse me,¡±. . Jinwoo stopped and turned around,. . ¡° . ?¡±. . Looking at Jinwoo, a light appeared in Choi Jongin¡¯s eyes,. . ¡®This man is the tenth¡­¡¯. . He had told the director that he wanted to come along and see what the fuss was about, but truthfully, Choi Jongin was well aware what had happened here . . . ¡®They were so loud going on about ¡°measurement impossible¡±, how could I not hear?¡¯. . Because of that, he had obtained a large windfall . The man in front of him was an S-ranker . An S-ranker! If Choi Jongin could bring this man to Hunters Guild, his Guild would have three S-rank Hunters . Forget Korea, they could stand shoulder to shoulder with the best Guilds across the entire world . He could not help but drool at the thought . . . ¡®There¡¯s no need for me to borrow a measuring device . ¡¯. . Just meeting Jinwoo¡¯s eyes, Choi Jongin could feel the other¡¯s power . He was undoubtedly the highest-ranking Hunter . There was no need to wait three days . . . Choi Jongin started with a refreshing smile,. . ¡°I am the Hunters Guild¡¯s Guildmaster, Choi Jongin . ¡±. . Jinwoo already knew as much . The man¡¯s face was plastered all over the media . He was curious on why this celebrity was talking to him all the way at the Association, but he did not have the time to ask . Jinwoo glanced at the clock on the wall,. . ¡®It¡¯s 5:50 right now . ¡¯. . Taking the travel time into account, he barely had any time . When Jinwoo put on an impatient expression, Choi Jongin continued, a little flustered,. . ¡°Ah, well¡­ I heard that you just received your ranking . ¡±. . ¡°Yep . ¡±. . ¡°Do you perhaps have a Guild in mind to join?¡±. . ¡°Nope . ¡±. . With that reply, a bright smile appeared on Choi Jongin¡¯s face . . . ¡®Yes, this is good . ¡¯. . He already imagined their future together . ¡°One of the top three Guilds of the world, Hunters Guild . ¡± Oh how sweet that sounded in his mind . Starting today, it was no longer a pipe dream . . . ¡®You¡¯re mine . ¡¯. . Choi Jongin calmed his heart and spoke the words that he believed would go down in history,. . ¡°I wish to have a discussion with you about that . Could you please spare the time?¡±. . ¡°Can¡¯t, sorry . ¡±. . And with that, Jinwoo left the building . . . ¡° . ¡±. . Everything happened so quickly . Choi Jongin was so shocked that he couldn¡¯t even stop Jinwoo . The Association employees and the scouts realized what happened and fell into chaos . . . ¡°What?¡±. ¡°Did Guildmaster Choi Jongin just get rejected?¡±. ¡°He just got ignored just like that!¡±. . The interior of the building became loud with chatter . Choi Jongin did his best to keep his composure and turned to his side,. . ¡°Director Park . ¡±. . ¡°Hmm?¡±. . The director replied with an awkward expression . . . ¡°Did I just mess up my introduction?¡±. . ¡°Er¡­ That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m not sure . ¡±. . Of course, the director had heard every word from start to finish . However, this was not a time to reply so directly . When the director closed his mouth, the dumbfounded Choi Jongin scratched the side of his face . . . ¡®Did I come on too strong¡­?¡¯. . Well, there was no need to be disappointed . He definitely was ahead of the other Guilds on this . . . ¡®The only one who knows about the new S-ranker is me . ¡¯. . The remeasurement would be three days from now . He had time until the official announcement . . . ¡®I have to plan a meeting with him somehow until then¡­¡¯. . Was there a good method? While in contemplation, Choi Jongin discovered someone running with all of his might toward the Association building . . . ¡® . Wait, that¡¯s?¡¯. . It was a familiar face . When the man opened the glass doors and entered the building, Choi Jongin greeted him with shock,. . ¡°Guildmaster Baek, why are you¡­?¡±. . Baek Yoonho also saw Choi Jongin and opened his eyes wide in surprise,. . ¡°Guildmaster Choi?¡±. . Choi Jongin quickly read Baek Yoonho¡¯s expression . . . ¡®That¡¯s the face of a man who got caught¡­¡¯. . It couldn¡¯t have been that the man had come here after receiving word . The timing didn¡¯t fit . . . ¡®Baekho¡¯s offices are too far from the Hunter Association¡­¡¯. . That means¡­ Baek Yoonho knew from the start what would happen here . . . ¡®Was he aware of that man¡¯s existence?¡¯. . No, if that was the case, Baek Yoonho would not have simply let him undertake a retest like this . . . ¡®If I was aware of such an existence, I would¡¯ve made a contract before letting him take a retest . ¡¯. . In that moment, the scattered pieces of the puzzle began to assemble in Choi Jongin¡¯s head . . . ¡® . Could it be?¡¯. . Baekho Guild . The incident during the new recruit training . Red Gate . The unknown helper . . . . And this new S-rank Awakened Being . . . ¡°Looks like Baekho received help from someone that they don¡¯t want to reveal . ¡±. ¡°A new recruit that didn¡¯t even receive a rank yet? Or a criminal that couldn¡¯t reveal their identity?¡±. . Everything fell into place. . . Found him . . . ¡®It was that man . ¡¯. . As a sign of just how hard he ran here, Baek Yoonho was panting . Choi Jongin realized it wasn¡¯t that Baek Yoonho had left the man alone; Baek Yoonho couldn¡¯t prevent the man from taking the retest . Choi Jongin turned to Baek Yoonho with a smile,. . ¡®You didn¡¯t get him . ¡¯. . I¡¯m different than you . . . ¡®Thank you for the opportunity . ¡¯. . Without saying anything to the man, Choi Jongin walked past Baek Yoonho . . . Baek Yoonho looked around . He did not see Jinwoo . . . ¡®Was I too late?¡¯. . Baek Yoonho started at Choi Jongin disappearing in the distance and sighed deeply . . . ¡°Sigh-¡±. . Of all the days the Hunters Guild¡¯s master could be here . Baek Yoonho scratched the back of his head and uttered,. . ¡°Things just got complicated . ¡±. . . . Seoul¡¯s Ilshin Hospital¡¯s patient visiting hours ran until 8 p . m . . . ¡°You¡¯re patient Park Gyunghae¡¯s guardian?¡±. ¡°Yes . ¡±. ¡°Visitation should be fine . You¡¯re aware of the visiting hours?¡±. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware . ¡±. . Jinwoo headed to the hospital room where his mother was . Because he had hurried, he managed to arrive in time . . . After opening the door and entering, Jinwoo saw his mother . The woman was lying on the bed as if sleeping . Her son quietly sat down next to her . . . ¡®Just looking at her like this, it feels like she could wake up any minute¡­¡¯. . The sleep which you would not wake up from . It was an illness that appeared after the Gates started appearing . . . ¡®They say there¡¯s at least ten other patients with the same condition here . ¡¯. . Jinwoo gently held his mother¡¯s hand . . . ¡°Mom¡­¡±. . Fortunately, life support devices empowered by magic cores protected her body from wasting away, even after years of unconsciousness . However, magic cores were expensive . Just the monthly cost of the magic cores used to run the machine was in excess of five million won . Without the support provided by the Association, it was not an amount that a man in his 20s could pay . Thanks to working as a Hunter under the Association, Jinwoo was able to hold his mother¡¯s hand like this . . . But things were different now . . . Instead of being just satisfied with the fact that his mother was alive, Jinwoo obtained the means to cure her . . . The Holy Water of Life . . . The cure gifted by the System . . . Whether or not it would work was for the future . Right now, the priority was to make it . . . ¡°I¡¯ll save you . ¡±. . The mother that held the family together with her weak body after their father had disappeared . They would soon be able to see their mother whole again . . . ¡®Please wait until that time . ¡¯. . How long did he stay by his mother¡¯s side? Some time later, Jinwoo finally got up . After a long visitation, Jinwoo silently left the patient¡¯s room and closed the door . When he turned around, he ran into a familiar face . . . ¡°As I thought¡­ were you the man who took care of the magic beasts in the Double Dungeon that day?¡±. . A deep voice . Sharp eyes . . . It was the Hunter Surveillance Department (HSD) Chief Woo Jincheol . . . Jinwoo did not reply . He neither had the reason nor the desire to do so . Instead, he asked a question,. . ¡°How did you know I was here?¡±. . ¡°I¡¯ve theorized the places where Hunter-nim might go . When I contacted the hospital, they told me you were here . ¡±. . The ones who provided for his mother¡¯s hospital bills were the Association . . . ¡®Well, not anymore . ¡¯. . Perhaps the first place they would¡¯ve looked for him was here . It was a speed fitting of the HSD . Jinwoo smiled widely and spoke,. . ¡°Are you here to ask me about that day again?¡±. . Woo Jincheol shook his head,. . ¡°No, sir . ¡±. . ¡°Then why?¡±. . ¡°There is someone who would like to meet with Hunter-nim . Could you please accompany me?¡±. . Hunter Association¡¯s Hunter Surveillance Department . . . The HSD¡¯s primary function was to monitor and arrest any wrong-doing Hunters . To the Hunters, they weren¡¯t exactly a friendly existence . Jinwoo was the same,. . ¡°Is that an order?¡±. . ¡°No, sir . ¡±. . Woo Jincheol removed his sunglasses and bowed his upper body in a near 90-degree angle,. . ¡°It is a request . ¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . To think that the fierce-looking Woo Jincheol would be this respectful to him . After thinking for a moment, Jinwoo decided he would at least find out who it was,. . ¡°Who¡¯s the person that wants to meet with me?¡±. . Woo Jincheol raised his head,. . ¡°The Hunter Association¡¯s President Go Gunhee-nim . ¡±. . Woo Jincheol gestured to a corner at the end of the hall . . . ¡°The association president is here . ¡±. Chapter 78 Hunter Association, Association President¡¯s Room. Doctor Joo Chiui was looking over Go Gunhee with a solemn expression. The doctor removed the stethoscope from the elder¡¯s chest. ¡°Association President¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything. Your expression tells me everything I need to know.¡± Go Gunhee buttoned up his shirt and chuckled. Joo Chiui could not open his mouth. ¡®Association President Go Gunhee¡­ It¡¯s a miracle that he¡¯s even able to walk in this state¡­¡¯ And yet the head of the association did not ease up on his busy activities. After all, the man did not even have the time to go to the hospital and had to call the doctor over to his workplace. ¡°You know,¡± Go Gunhee put on his suit. ¡°I once thought that with the appearance of Healers and their healing magic, I might be able to experience my youth again. I was ready to say goodbye to this frail old body of mine.¡± Go Gunhee laughed again. ¡°Seems that wasn¡¯t the case.¡± ¡°Is there no other way?¡± ¡°Even high-ranking Hunters cannot stop the arrow of time.¡± If Healer-class Hunters were truly able to eliminate every sickness, every hospital in the country would¡¯ve closed down, and the doctors would be out of a job. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, such a thing did not happen. Just helping the body regenerate were the limits of healing magic. Even if it could miraculously regrow an arm that was cut off, it could not cure a child with a simple cold. ¡®Thanks to that, I at least have a job¡­¡¯ Joo Chiui stared at the association president already preparing to head out. ¡®A person like the association president needs to borrow some unknown magic¡¯s power and become whole.¡¯ Unfortunately, no healing magic or medical advances could help the man. Only thing the doctor could do was offer up words of support, ¡°Please take care of yourself, sir. Even it¡¯s a little, you need to get some rest.¡± ¡°I also would like that.¡± But what would happen to the Hunter Association? Go Gunhee just laughed instead of continuing. ¡®An Association without this Go Gunhee.¡¯ Even now, the large Guilds were fiercely competing to become stronger. Their strength has far since grown beyond the conventional military might of most countries. The fact that the Association had any influence over them was not because of the government backing the Association, but because of the power of Go Gunhee. The moment the Association loses that power, the Hunters will become like beasts unleashed from their cages. ¡®No¡­ Not yet.¡¯ He could not retire now. Right now, the Association was the only existence keeping the Guilds in check. Without a suitable alternative, the man could not afford to disappear. ¡®To show that the Association is alive and strong, my presence is needed.¡¯ The S-rank among S-ranks. The name Go Gunhee had to be there. No matter how long it had to go on for¡­ ¡°Mm!¡± Go Gunhee clutched his chest in pain. ¡°Association president, here¡­¡± Joo Chiui prepared some painkillers and water. ¡°Thank you.¡± After taking the medicine, he felt a little better. Suddenly, his phone rang, ¡®Hmm?¡¯ He had given strict instructions not to disturb him while the doctor was here. Go Gunhee furrowed his brows and picked up the phone, ¡°I¡¯m being examined right now.¡± Across the line, his secretary spoke with a panicked voice, - ¡°I apologize, association president. This was too urgent.¡± ¡°Did Japan contact us again?¡± - ¡°They did, but it¡¯s not about that, sir.¡± Go Gunhee¡¯s eyebrows twitched for a moment, ¡®There¡¯s a bigger problem than the ants of Jeju Island?¡¯ What could it be? ¡°What is it?¡± Before Go Gunhee could lose his patience, the assistant carefully spoke, - ¡°There¡¯s been a word from the Testing Department.¡± ¡°The Testing Department?¡± The Hunter Association¡¯s Testing Department was in charge of measuring the magic power of Gates and determining the rank of new Awakened Beings. It was not exactly a department that would be calling about a problem. ¡®Unless¡­¡¯ Did they mismeasure yet another Gate? Go Gunhee frowned while recalling the incident with Baekho. However, that ill feeling lasted only for a moment. The words the secretary spoke next far exceeded any problem, - ¡°Just now at the Testing Department¡­ they say an Awakened Being appeared with a result of ¡®measurement impossible¡¯.¡± ¡°The Hunter Association President Go Gunhee?¡± Did he hear that correctly? Jinwoo questioned his ears. The greatest Hunter of South Korea came all the way to the hospital to meet with him? ¡®No way¡­¡¯ While Jinwoo stood in disbelief, Woo Jincheol gestured to his back and confirmed, ¡°Yes, the association president is here.¡± Woo Jincheol waited for Jinwoo¡¯s reply with a serious look. The man was clearly not joking. ¡®...He¡¯s really here.¡¯ Why would the Go Gunhee want to meet with him? A strong suspicion appeared in Jinwoo¡¯s mind. The only think he could think of was the results of the retest¡­ ¡®Do they want to bring me into the Association?¡¯ But the Association was a non-profit organization. They would not use the chief of HSD just to come and get a lone Hunter like this. On top of that, the results of his retest were still pending. More and more he thought about it, the association president¡¯s actions did not make sense. ¡°Okay.¡± Jinwoo decided to comply. Compared to the serious expression he put on moments ago, Woo Jincheol¡¯s face brightened in an instant. ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± His gratitude was filled with sincerity. ¡®Even that seriously looking ahjussi could make a face like that, huh.¡¯ Still amazed, Jinwoo followed after Woo Jincheol. Around the corner, an elderly man sat on one of the chairs used by people waiting in the hospital. ¡®That man is¡­¡¯ Jinwoo gulped. The S-rank Hunter who was called ¡°The Sky Above Skies¡±, Go Gunhee. rise Discovering Jinwoo, Go Gunhee rose from his seat. ¡°Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim?¡± The elderly man¡¯s body did not look like it belonged to someone over 80-years old. It was reminiscent of a retired wrestler or a sireum player[1]. However, there was no oppressive pressure coming from the man. ¡®Not what I expected.¡¯ Jinwoo thought the man¡¯s appearance and place in society would¡¯ve given off a sense of pressure. Instead, the HSD chief next to him looked much more scary in his eyes. ¡°Yes, I am Sung Jinwoo.¡± Jinwoo replied. Go Gunhee held out a hand with a bright face. ¡°Please to meet you. I am Go Gunhee.¡± The two men briefly shook hands. Go Gunhee gestured to a chair across the one he was sitting in. ¡°Please, have a seat.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After Jinwoo sat down, Go Gunhee followed suit. The first thing that caught Jinwoo¡¯s eyes was the golden badge pinned on Go Gunhee¡¯s suit. A member of the National Assembly[2] and the Hunter Association¡¯s President, ¡®And an S-rank Awakened Being.¡¯ Go Gunhee was not a man just anyone could meet. Including the nation¡¯s politicians and even foreign dignitaries, the waiting list for the people wanting to meet with the man was uncountably long. And this piqued Jinwoo¡¯s curiosity even more. Why did a man like Go Gunhee look for him in such a hurry? ¡®Now that I think about it, Choi Jongin too¡­¡¯ The two men he had met one after the other today were truly deserving of the word ¡°best¡± in describing them. And Jinwoo wasn¡¯t even officially an S-ranker yet. Go Gunhee spoke as if on cue, ¡°Congratulations on becoming an S-rank Hunter.¡± Jinwoo was confused, ¡°I believe I still have the remeasurement to undergo.¡± Go Gunhee shook his head, ¡°There is no meaning to the remeasurement.¡± ¡°Sir?¡± When Jinwoo became incredulous, Go Gunhee continued with a gentle smile, ¡°The truth is, the so-called accurate measuring device is only used to breakdown your results. It is not capable of measuring any more magic power than our ordinary machines could.¡± ¡°Then why-¡± ¡°Did we make up something like a remeasurement?¡± Yes. If the results were going to be the same, why would the Association make things more complicated with a false remeasurement? Go Gunhee¡¯s reply was straightforward, ¡°It is to buy us some time.¡± ¡®Buy time¡­?¡¯ Before Jinwoo could ask, Go Gunhee continued, a little embarrassed, ¡°What little time we could obtain to have the first opportunity to talk to people like Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim.¡± Ah~ Jinwoo completely understood what the association president was saying. ¡°As you know, compared to the size of our organization, the Association does not have many outstanding Hunters like Chief Woo Jincheol.¡± Jinwoo knew why. ¡°Because of the large Guilds.¡± Of course. Jinwoo nodded. ¡°The large Guilds can offer an immense amount of money and fame. Compared to that, who would want to come work for us in the Association?¡± The salaries of the Association¡¯s Hunters were not exactly small. However, compared to the amounts offered by the large Guilds, it would look like a pittance. Same for fame. ¡°The people may recognize the names of the large Guild¡¯s primary raiding members, but no one knows our Chief Woo Jincheol¡¯s name.¡± At the mention of primary raiding members, Jinwoo thought of Kim Cheol. The Sense stat had many uses. One of which was to discern the abilities of different people. Right now, Jinwoo was able to tell that Woo Jincheol was a level above Kim Cheol. ¡®They¡¯re both A-rankers, but the levels are different.¡¯ Jinwoo turned his head to look at the HSD chief. As if embarrassed by the association president¡¯s complimenting words and Jinwoo¡¯s gaze, the man was standing with his head lowered. ¡®But¡­¡¯ Had Kim Cheol been able to work as a Hunter, he would¡¯ve earned a ton more than Woo Jincheol. Not to mention much more famous. That was the difference between an Association Hunter and a Guild Hunter. ¡°And so, we created a little scheme for occasions when a powerful Awakened Being appeared at the Association. And that¡¯s the remeasurement? ¡®When I think about it¡­¡¯ Once the results were officially made known, it would make waves across the country. The Association would have a hard time meeting him face to face like this once that happened. It was a convincing stratagem. ¡°Allow me to get to the point.¡± Suddenly, the smile disappeared from the association president¡¯s face. ¡°We are not a business, so we cannot promise you much money. However,¡± Go Gunhee put a hand inside his suit pocket and removed something in a closed fist. ¡°We could help down another path.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°It means we can help Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim grow in other ways.¡± The closed fist opened. The gold badge of the National Assembly sparkled in Go Gunhee¡¯s hand. ¡®He¡¯s talking about¡­ authority?¡¯ However, Jinwoo was still suspicious, ¡°There¡¯s something I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Was there a reason to seek me out like this?¡± It was a fair question. Go Gunhee¡¯s eyes starting at Jinwoo lit up with interest. ¡®He¡¯s neither phased by who I am, nor shaken by the offer in front of him. Instead, he calmly asks such a question¡­¡¯ Had he rushed too much into this? They say your patience decreases as you get older. Go Gunhee realized how true that was. The elder swallowed a laughter and continued, ¡°You are aware of the top five Guilds of our nation, right?¡± Who wouldn¡¯t? Jinwoo nodded. ¡°In our country right now, there are five dinosaurs barely maintaining a balance.¡± The capitol area¡¯s Hunters Guild, Baekho, and Grim Reapers. The other province¡¯s Myungsung and Knights. ¡°No matter which of those Guilds Hunter-nim joins, that fragile balance will be broken and the board will be flipped over.¡± Even now, the power and authority of the large Guilds soared to the sky. And if one of them was able to obtain a single S-rank Hunter and leave the others behind in dust? Could the Association still have any hold over that Guild? The Association was the lynchpin holding the balance of the large Guilds. ¡°Laws, society, military. It is too late for any of those things to hold back the Hunters.¡± Jinwoo had thought something similar in the past. Magic beasts weren¡¯t the only monsters. Hunters could easily become just as dangerous. If anything, just going by ¡°strength¡±, Hunters were already more dangerous than magic beasts. ¡°And that is why the Association is needed.¡± Go Gunhee¡¯s face turned very serious, ¡°And that Association needs Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim.¡± ¡®A man wielding a powerful strength like you.¡¯ The elder¡¯s eyes became keen, ¡®Well, time will tell what kind of a man you really are¡­¡¯ As long as Sung Jinwoo said ¡°yes¡± here, the association president had no qualms about supporting him with everything he had. That was the value of the S-rankers. ¡®I think I¡¯ve said enough.¡¯ It had been a long time since the elder had felt this much nervousness and anticipation. And with that, Go Gunhee asked with a subdued voice, ¡°What is your answer, Hunter-nim?¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°sireum¡± (??): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ssireum . Korean wrestling [2]: ¡°member of the National Assembly¡± (????): Korea¡¯s parliament/congress. Members are given special gold badges to wear to prove their identity. Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 78. . Hunter Association, Association President¡¯s Room.. . Doctor Joo Chiui was looking over Go Gunhee with a solemn expression. The doctor removed the stethoscope from the elder¡¯s chest.. . ¡°Association President¡­¡±. . ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything. Your expression tells me everything I need to know.¡±. . Go Gunhee buttoned up his shirt and chuckled. Joo Chiui could not open his mouth.. . ¡®Association President Go Gunhee¡­ It¡¯s a miracle that he¡¯s even able to walk in this state¡­¡¯. . And yet the head of the association did not ease up on his busy activities. After all, the man did not even have the time to go to the hospital and had to call the doctor over to his workplace.. . ¡°You know,¡±. . Go Gunhee put on his suit.. . ¡°I once thought that with the appearance of Healers and their healing magic, I might be able to experience my youth again. I was ready to say goodbye to this frail old body of mine.¡±. . Go Gunhee laughed again.. . ¡°Seems that wasn¡¯t the case.¡±. . ¡°Is there no other way?¡±. . ¡°Even high-ranking Hunters cannot stop the arrow of time.¡±. . If Healer-class Hunters were truly able to eliminate every sickness, every hospital in the country would¡¯ve closed down, and the doctors would be out of a job. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, such a thing did not happen. Just helping the body regenerate were the limits of healing magic. Even if it could miraculously regrow an arm that was cut off, it could not cure a child with a simple cold.. . ¡®Thanks to that, I at least have a job¡­¡¯. . Joo Chiui stared at the association president already preparing to head out.. . ¡®A person like the association president needs to borrow some unknown magic¡¯s power and become whole.¡¯. . Unfortunately, no healing magic or medical advances could help the man. Only thing the doctor could do was offer up words of support,. . ¡°Please take care of yourself, sir. Even it¡¯s a little, you need to get some rest.¡±. . ¡°I also would like that.¡±. . But what would happen to the Hunter Association? Go Gunhee just laughed instead of continuing.. . ¡®An Association without this Go Gunhee.¡¯. . Even now, the large Guilds were fiercely competing to become stronger. Their strength has far since grown beyond the conventional military might of most countries. The fact that the Association had any influence over them was not because of the government backing the Association, but because of the power of Go Gunhee. The moment the Association loses that power, the Hunters will become like beasts unleashed from their cages.. . ¡®No¡­ Not yet.¡¯. . He could not retire now. Right now, the Association was the only existence keeping the Guilds in check. Without a suitable alternative, the man could not afford to disappear.. . ¡®To show that the Association is alive and strong, my presence is needed.¡¯. . The S-rank among S-ranks. The name Go Gunhee had to be there. No matter how long it had to go on for¡­. . ¡°Mm!¡±. . Go Gunhee clutched his chest in pain.. . ¡°Association president, here¡­¡±. . Joo Chiui prepared some painkillers and water.. . ¡°Thank you.¡±. . After taking the medicine, he felt a little better. Suddenly, his phone rang,. . ¡®Hmm?¡¯. . He had given strict instructions not to disturb him while the doctor was here. Go Gunhee furrowed his brows and picked up the phone,. . ¡°I¡¯m being examined right now.¡±. . Across the line, his secretary spoke with a panicked voice,. . - ¡°I apologize, association president. This was too urgent.¡±. . ¡°Did Japan contact us again?¡±. . - ¡°They did, but it¡¯s not about that, sir.¡±. . Go Gunhee¡¯s eyebrows twitched for a moment,. . ¡®There¡¯s a bigger problem than the ants of Jeju Island?¡¯. . What could it be?. . ¡°What is it?¡±. . Before Go Gunhee could lose his patience, the assistant carefully spoke,. . - ¡°There¡¯s been a word from the Testing Department.¡±. . ¡°The Testing Department?¡±. . The Hunter Association¡¯s Testing Department was in charge of measuring the magic power of Gates and determining the rank of new Awakened Beings. It was not exactly a department that would be calling about a problem.. . ¡®Unless¡­¡¯. . Did they mismeasure yet another Gate? Go Gunhee frowned while recalling the incident with Baekho. However, that ill feeling lasted only for a moment. The words the secretary spoke next far exceeded any problem,. . - ¡°Just now at the Testing Department¡­ they say an Awakened Being appeared with a result of ¡®measurement impossible¡¯.¡±. . . . ¡°The Hunter Association President Go Gunhee?¡±. . Did he hear that correctly? Jinwoo questioned his ears. The greatest Hunter of South Korea came all the way to the hospital to meet with him?. . ¡®No way¡­¡¯. . While Jinwoo stood in disbelief, Woo Jincheol gestured to his back and confirmed,. . ¡°Yes, the association president is here.¡±. . Woo Jincheol waited for Jinwoo¡¯s reply with a serious look. The man was clearly not joking.. . ¡®...He¡¯s really here.¡¯. . Why would the Go Gunhee want to meet with him? A strong suspicion appeared in Jinwoo¡¯s mind. The only think he could think of was the results of the retest¡­. . ¡®Do they want to bring me into the Association?¡¯. . But the Association was a non-profit organization. They would not use the chief of HSD just to come and get a lone Hunter like this. On top of that, the results of his retest were still pending. More and more he thought about it, the association president¡¯s actions did not make sense.. . ¡°Okay.¡±. . Jinwoo decided to comply. Compared to the serious expression he put on moments ago, Woo Jincheol¡¯s face brightened in an instant.. . ¡°Thank you, sir!¡±. . His gratitude was filled with sincerity.. . ¡®Even that seriously looking ahjussi could make a face like that, huh.¡¯. . Still amazed, Jinwoo followed after Woo Jincheol. Around the corner, an elderly man sat on one of the chairs used by people waiting in the hospital.. . ¡®That man is¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo gulped.. . The S-rank Hunter who was called ¡°The Sky Above Skies¡±, Go Gunhee.. . rise. . Discovering Jinwoo, Go Gunhee rose from his seat.. . ¡°Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim?¡±. . The elderly man¡¯s body did not look like it belonged to someone over 80-years old. It was reminiscent of a retired wrestler or a sireum player[1]. However, there was no oppressive pressure coming from the man.. . ¡®Not what I expected.¡¯. . Jinwoo thought the man¡¯s appearance and place in society would¡¯ve given off a sense of pressure. Instead, the HSD chief next to him looked much more scary in his eyes.. . ¡°Yes, I am Sung Jinwoo.¡±. . Jinwoo replied. Go Gunhee held out a hand with a bright face.. . ¡°Please to meet you. I am Go Gunhee.¡±. . The two men briefly shook hands. Go Gunhee gestured to a chair across the one he was sitting in.. . ¡°Please, have a seat.¡±. . ¡°Thank you.¡±. . After Jinwoo sat down, Go Gunhee followed suit. The first thing that caught Jinwoo¡¯s eyes was the golden badge pinned on Go Gunhee¡¯s suit. A member of the National Assembly[2] and the Hunter Association¡¯s President,. . ¡®And an S-rank Awakened Being.¡¯. . Go Gunhee was not a man just anyone could meet. Including the nation¡¯s politicians and even foreign dignitaries, the waiting list for the people wanting to meet with the man was uncountably long. And this piqued Jinwoo¡¯s curiosity even more. Why did a man like Go Gunhee look for him in such a hurry?. . ¡®Now that I think about it, Choi Jongin too¡­¡¯. . The two men he had met one after the other today were truly deserving of the word ¡°best¡± in describing them. And Jinwoo wasn¡¯t even officially an S-ranker yet. Go Gunhee spoke as if on cue,. . ¡°Congratulations on becoming an S-rank Hunter.¡±. . Jinwoo was confused,. . ¡°I believe I still have the remeasurement to undergo.¡±. . Go Gunhee shook his head,. . ¡°There is no meaning to the remeasurement.¡±. . ¡°Sir?¡±. . When Jinwoo became incredulous, Go Gunhee continued with a gentle smile,. . ¡°The truth is, the so-called accurate measuring device is only used to breakdown your results. It is not capable of measuring any more magic power than our ordinary machines could.¡±. . ¡°Then why-¡±. . ¡°Did we make up something like a remeasurement?¡±. . Yes. If the results were going to be the same, why would the Association make things more complicated with a false remeasurement? Go Gunhee¡¯s reply was straightforward,. . ¡°It is to buy us some time.¡±. . ¡®Buy time¡­?¡¯. . Before Jinwoo could ask, Go Gunhee continued, a little embarrassed,. . ¡°What little time we could obtain to have the first opportunity to talk to people like Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim.¡±. . Ah~. . Jinwoo completely understood what the association president was saying.. . ¡°As you know, compared to the size of our organization, the Association does not have many outstanding Hunters like Chief Woo Jincheol.¡±. . Jinwoo knew why.. . ¡°Because of the large Guilds.¡±. . Of course.. . Jinwoo nodded.. . ¡°The large Guilds can offer an immense amount of money and fame. Compared to that, who would want to come work for us in the Association?¡±. . The salaries of the Association¡¯s Hunters were not exactly small. However, compared to the amounts offered by the large Guilds, it would look like a pittance. Same for fame.. . ¡°The people may recognize the names of the large Guild¡¯s primary raiding members, but no one knows our Chief Woo Jincheol¡¯s name.¡±. . At the mention of primary raiding members, Jinwoo thought of Kim Cheol. The Sense stat had many uses. One of which was to discern the abilities of different people. Right now, Jinwoo was able to tell that Woo Jincheol was a level above Kim Cheol.. . ¡®They¡¯re both A-rankers, but the levels are different.¡¯. . Jinwoo turned his head to look at the HSD chief. As if embarrassed by the association president¡¯s complimenting words and Jinwoo¡¯s gaze, the man was standing with his head lowered.. . ¡®But¡­¡¯. . Had Kim Cheol been able to work as a Hunter, he would¡¯ve earned a ton more than Woo Jincheol. Not to mention much more famous. That was the difference between an Association Hunter and a Guild Hunter.. . ¡°And so, we created a little scheme for occasions when a powerful Awakened Being appeared at the Association.. . And that¡¯s the remeasurement?. . ¡®When I think about it¡­¡¯. . Once the results were officially made known, it would make waves across the country. The Association would have a hard time meeting him face to face like this once that happened. It was a convincing stratagem. . . ¡°Allow me to get to the point.¡±. . Suddenly, the smile disappeared from the association president¡¯s face.. . ¡°We are not a business, so we cannot promise you much money. However,¡±. . Go Gunhee put a hand inside his suit pocket and removed something in a closed fist.. . ¡°We could help down another path.¡±. . ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡±. . ¡°It means we can help Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim grow in other ways.¡±. . The closed fist opened. The gold badge of the National Assembly sparkled in Go Gunhee¡¯s hand. . . ¡®He¡¯s talking about¡­ authority?¡¯. . However, Jinwoo was still suspicious,. . ¡°There¡¯s something I don¡¯t understand.¡±. . ¡°Hmm?¡±. . ¡°Was there a reason to seek me out like this?¡±. . It was a fair question. Go Gunhee¡¯s eyes starting at Jinwoo lit up with interest.. . ¡®He¡¯s neither phased by who I am, nor shaken by the offer in front of him. Instead, he calmly asks such a question¡­¡¯. . Had he rushed too much into this? They say your patience decreases as you get older. Go Gunhee realized how true that was. The elder swallowed a laughter and continued,. . ¡°You are aware of the top five Guilds of our nation, right?¡±. . Who wouldn¡¯t? Jinwoo nodded.. . ¡°In our country right now, there are five dinosaurs barely maintaining a balance.¡±. . The capitol area¡¯s Hunters Guild, Baekho, and Grim Reapers.. . The other province¡¯s Myungsung and Knights.. . ¡°No matter which of those Guilds Hunter-nim joins, that fragile balance will be broken and the board will be flipped over.¡±. . Even now, the power and authority of the large Guilds soared to the sky. And if one of them was able to obtain a single S-rank Hunter and leave the others behind in dust? Could the Association still have any hold over that Guild? The Association was the lynchpin holding the balance of the large Guilds.. . ¡°Laws, society, military. It is too late for any of those things to hold back the Hunters.¡±. . Jinwoo had thought something similar in the past. Magic beasts weren¡¯t the only monsters. Hunters could easily become just as dangerous. If anything, just going by ¡°strength¡±, Hunters were already more dangerous than magic beasts.. . ¡°And that is why the Association is needed.¡±. . Go Gunhee¡¯s face turned very serious,. . ¡°And that Association needs Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim.¡±. . ¡®A man wielding a powerful strength like you.¡¯. . The elder¡¯s eyes became keen,. . ¡®Well, time will tell what kind of a man you really are¡­¡¯. . As long as Sung Jinwoo said ¡°yes¡± here, the association president had no qualms about supporting him with everything he had. That was the value of the S-rankers.. . ¡®I think I¡¯ve said enough.¡¯. . It had been a long time since the elder had felt this much nervousness and anticipation. And with that, Go Gunhee asked with a subdued voice,. . ¡°What is your answer, Hunter-nim?¡±. . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°sireum¡± (??): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ssireum . Korean wrestling. [2]: ¡°member of the National Assembly¡± (????): Korea¡¯s parliament/congress. Members are given special gold badges to wear to prove their identity.. Chapter 79 It was not a bad offer. With Go Gunhee¡¯s backing, even an ordinary man could quickly reach the upper ranks of government. After all, there was no place the association president¡¯s influence did not reach. But if that man was an S-rank Hunter? ¡®I can¡¯t even imagine how high I can go.¡¯ Jinwoo imagined himself wearing a clean suit and neatly standing next to Go Gunhee in the National Assembly. His heart raced a little. ¡®It¡¯s not an opportunity that comes everyday.¡¯ The road offered by Go Gunhee was not a path just anyone could follow. However, there was something critical missing in that road. ¡®If I enter the Association, I won¡¯t be able to level up anymore.¡¯ The Association¡¯s staff Hunters did not go raiding. Their primary role was to fight other Hunters, not magic beasts. Even if they occasionally entered an Association Raid, ¡®The Association¡¯s Raids are limited to the D and E-rank Dungeons that the Guilds don¡¯t even look at.¡¯ Could he live the rest of his life as a low-level without earning any more experience points? No, there was no way. A strong determination cried out inside of Jinwoo, ¡®I want to become stronger.¡¯ To a higher place. As high as he could go. If he had reached his limit, it would be a different story, but he knew that he had not. How could he give that up? From the bottom of his heart, Jinwoo could not. ¡®As long I can keep leveling, my growth will not stop.¡¯ ba dum ba dum Compared to his image of neatly standing next to Association President Go Gunhee, Jinwoo¡¯s heart beat much faster. Go Gunhee also noticed the change in Jinwoo, ¡®His breathing sped up. Has he reached a decision?¡¯ If only it was a good decision. ¡®No, it has to be a good one.¡¯ When he thought of his remaining time. Go Gunhee was as excited as Jinwoo as he waited for the young man¡¯s reply. A single second felt like a full minute. Jinwoo finally opened his mouth, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Go Gunhee¡¯s face darkened. ¡®I swear his face was filled with determination just now¡­ Was I mistaken?¡¯ The elder could not hide his disappointment, ¡®In the end, this is all that the man amounts to.¡¯ He was not lying when he said he would help Jinwoo down a different path. In fact, he had thought of a place higher than that. ¡®The first S-ranker in two years¡­¡¯ He planned to place the young man at his side and teach him many things, and if the man showed potential, he would¡¯ve made him the heir to his work. The strong power that could uphold the Association after he died. That was what he had meant by a ¡°different path¡±. Go Gunhee was prepared to give everything to the young man. And to think that this was his reply. ¡®I must look like a fool.¡¯ Go Gunhee put away the badge he was holding and asked defeatedly, ¡°In the end¡­ is it money?¡± Jinwoo sharply replied, ¡°No.¡± Go Gunhee snorted in his head, ¡®Of course you would say that.¡¯ But he knew. Everyone was the same. All they thought about was money. The fame was just the cherry on top of the cake. ¡®Well¡­¡¯ It was human nature to seek material wealth. He did not criticize that fact. It was just a little insulting that they were always so dishonest. ¡°Then why did you refuse?¡± Even knowing the answer, Go Gunhee asked. He just wanted to see the man¡¯s reaction. However, ¡°Because I want to fight.¡± Jinwoo¡¯s immediate reply, spoken without an ounce of hesitation, slapped Go Gunhee across the cheeks. ¡®What?¡¯ No, not slapped, it felt like a punch to the guts. ¡°You mean¡­ you want to fight with the magic beasts?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jinwoo did not add any unnecessary clarification and told the truth, ¡°I want to enter the Gates and eliminate the magic beasts. The place where I belong is the Dungeon.¡± ¡®My god.¡¯ Go Gunhee¡¯s eyes widened. As a man standing at the top, he could tell by looking into someone¡¯s eyes whether or not they were lying. After all, such insight was needed to reach the top. And looking at Jinwoo¡¯s eyes right now, Go Gunhee knew, ¡®Those eyes¡­ are telling the truth.¡¯ His opinion of Jinwoo made a 180-degree turn. ¡®How long has it been since I felt like this?¡¯ When he first became an Awakened Being, Go Gunhee was already too old to make full use of his power. And so, instead of fighting magic beasts, the man looked for a different way to help the world. He sold his private company to obtain the funds to create the Association, collected Hunters and used his influence to enter the National Assembly to create laws for the Hunters. However, no matter how hard he worked, there was a core disappointment in his heart, ¡®If I was just twenty, no, just ten years younger, I could be fighting alongside men like these¡­!¡¯ ba dum, ba dum, ba dum Go Gunhee placed a hand on his chest. The heart that could¡¯ve stopped any minute was now beating furiously. ¡®To think that my heart could make a sound like this.¡¯ It was a good sound. Meanwhile, Jinwoo was confused, ¡®Weird¡­¡¯ He had refused the offer, expecting to be shunned by the Association. Instead, the association president was maintaining a happy expression for some reason. ¡®Well, not that it matters¡­¡¯ Jinwoo had said all that was needed. He stood up from his seat, ¡°My little sister¡¯s at home alone, so I¡¯ll be taking my leave now.¡± ¡°Thank you for your time.¡± Go Gunhee rose after Jinwoo and held something out to the young man, ¡°And here.¡± It was a business card. ¡®...?¡¯ ¡°If you need my help, please feel free to call me at any time.¡± Go Gunhee smiled brightly. Jinwoo was right. A strong Hunter belonged in the Dungeon. Although he had failed to recruit Sung Jinwoo, as the Hunter Association¡¯s President and as a fellow Hunter, Go Gunhee wanted to help the young man in what ways he could. If he was being a little more honest, ¡®I like this youth¡¯s spirit.¡¯ Still, he had to leave with a word of advice. An interest in someone often brought about nagging. ¡°It¡¯ll be impossible for you to enter a high-level Dungeon on your own. So please be careful in what Guild you decide to join.¡± After all, your decision will make a great wave. Hearing the elder¡¯s advice filled with sincerity, Jinwoo briefly showed a smile. ¡°Thank you.¡± Placing the business card in his wallet, Jinwoo lightly bid farewells to Go Gunhee and Woo Jincheol and left the building. ¡°Whew-¡± With a sigh, Go Gunhee collapsed onto his chair. ¡°Are you alright, sir?¡± Fearing for the elder¡¯s health, Woo Jincheol quickly rushed to his side. However, Go Gunhee held up a hand while smiling, ¡°No, no. I¡¯m fine.¡± Yes, yes. He was fine. It had been a long time since he had felt this much joy. After enjoying the feeling for a while, Go Gunhee turned to his secretary and gave an order, ¡°Cancel all my appointments today.¡± ¡°But sir, you have the meeting with the cabinet members to-¡± ¡°Every single one of them.¡± And he smiled widely, ¡°I don¡¯t want to sour this feeling by seeing those geezers.¡± Even for just the rest of the day, Go Gunhee wanted to savor this happiness. Suddenly, he turned his gaze to Woo Jincheol. Because of seeing the rare smile of the association president, Woo Jincheol was also elated, ¡°Do you have something you need, sir?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s nothing, but¡­¡± Pausing for a moment, Go Gunhee placed a hand on his chin, ¡°Why don¡¯t you and I go for a drink today?¡± At the unexpected request, Woo Jincheol smiled awkwardly, ¡°I¡¯m not very good with alcohol¡­ Is that okay with you?¡± ¡°Huh, didn¡¯t think that about you.¡± Go Gunhee clicked his tongue jokingly, ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard a saying? ¡®The size of your drinking glass is how much of the world you can put in it¡¯?¡± ¡°I apologize, association president.¡± Embarrassed, Woo Jincheol put a hand on the back of his head. ¡°I¡¯m joking. This good mood even makes me crack jokes.¡± Well, the real person he wanted to share a drink with already left. Go Gunhee stared off into the hallway Jinwoo disappeared off to. ¡®Hunter Sung Jinwoo¡­¡¯ How much could that fellow drink? Go Gunhee hoped to share a glass with him someday and continued to smile. Jinwoo got off the bus near his home. ¡®I used Jinah as an excuse but¡­¡¯ Looking at the time, it would be a while before his little sister would come home. Jinwoo slowly headed towards the apartment. buzz buzz At an unfamiliar sound, he turned his head. At a distance, a street light was flickering on and off. ¡®Now that I think about it.¡¯ It was too dark around here. Because they lived in an obscure neighborhood, leaving the main roads would greet you with a darkness. And Jinwoo remembered the recent news, ¡®There was a string of cold blooded murders around here.¡¯ The victims were all female. His little sister often traveled on this path, late at night. ¡®We can¡¯t even move since her school is so close.¡¯ He began to worry. If he caught the perpetrator, it was a different story. But he could not patrol the nights just because he was worried. Was there something he could do? While thinking with his arms crossed, Jinwoo suddenly smiled. ¡®I could leave it someone else.¡¯ There were plenty of ¡°someone else¡±s that he could use in situations like this. ¡°Come out.¡± At his calling, the Shadow Soldiers appeared. ¡®Five should be enough.¡¯ The soldiers had climbed the Demon Castle with Jinwoo and had grown quite strong. They looked very dependable. ¡°From now on, you will be the neighborhood watch around here. Your patrol begins now.¡± The moment he finished, the soldiers returned to their shadow forms. The flat shadows disappeared in and out of the various buildings and objects¡¯ shadows and moved across the neighborhood. ¡®Yes, just like that. Patrol without being noticed by anyone.¡¯ Aw, they were adorable. As long as the serial killer was not a high-ranking Hunter, the Shadow Soldiers would not lose. Even if one of them fell, Jinwoo would know in an instant if something happened to one of his soldiers. He was an S-rank Hunter now. ¡®Wait, wait. I don¡¯t have my official license yet, so I guess I¡¯m just an S-rank Awakened Being for now.¡¯ Whatever. Whether it was a Hunter or an Awakened Being, this was a neighborhood protected by an S-ranker. If his 24-hour free surveillance system was revealed to the world, how high would the land values rise around here? Jinwoo laughed. ¡®Alright.¡¯ With this, he abated his worries. He took one last look around then headed home. ¡°You said you wanted to eat, so I came over running. But you¡¯re treating me to some sliced samgyupsal?¡± ¡°What? Are you looking down on samgyupsal?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°This is a precious place where hyungnim and I shared an unforgettable memory!¡± His face red with drunkeness, Yoo Jinho flared his nostrils as he put down his shot glass. ¡°So why did you call me to your precious place?¡± Yoo Soohyun looked incredulous. She was about to go to sleep when Yoo Jinho called him. - ¡°Noona, come cheer me up.¡± [1] ¡°What happened that you¡¯re calling me noona?¡± - ¡°Noonaaaaaa-¡± His crying voice sounded so pathetic that she decided to come out. To think that the place he took her was here. The young woman had grown up under a nice chaebol household and even worked as a famous model right now. She could not help but be shocked at Yoo Jinho¡¯s choice. She left her home in a hurry and dressed casually. Even though she was wearing a hat, the gazes of men kept falling on her. ¡°So what is it? Say something, put it in words.¡± She filled Yoo Jinho¡¯s empty glass with soju and asked. ¡°Look at this, look. Hyungnim¡¯s ignoring my calls, right?¡± Yoo Jinho held out his phone with tears in his eyes. The screen was on call history. It showed one connected call followed by four missed ones. And the connected call was ended mid-conversation. ¡°Did you seriously call me out because you couldn¡¯t get in touch with someone?¡± Yoo Jinho nodded. ¡°Sigh-¡± Dumbstruck in awe, Yoo Soohyun ripped Yoo Jinho¡¯s phone out of his hand. ¡°Here, let me see.¡± She pressed the call button. ring~ The ringing stopped in matter of seconds. Yoo Soohyun glared at her cousin. ¡°Moron.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Yoo Jinho raised his head. ¡°It hangs up exactly after 15 seconds. This isn¡¯t him ignoring your call. It means his phone is off. And if your first call ended in the middle of conversation, that probably means his battery died.¡± ¡°...Really?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, try it yourself.¡± ring~ As she said, the ringing stopped exactly after 15 seconds. ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± Yoo Jinho¡¯s face brightened. ¡°You¡¯re good now, right? I¡¯m leaving.¡± The young woman got up to leave, but then Yoo Jinho clung to her sleeves. ¡°Noonaaaa- at least finish the soju we have here!¡± ¡°Why am I noona only in times like this?¡± This bastard normally called her ¡°you¡±[2]. Eventually, Yoo Soohyun relented and sat back down. ¡°Huh? You¡¯re going to drink too?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say let¡¯s finish the soju we have here? It¡¯s going to take forever if it¡¯s just you drinking.¡± ¡°As I thought, I can depend on my noona.¡± ¡°Enough.¡± Despite the mood until now, the pair began to drink in a friendly atmosphere. ¡°By the way, who¡¯s this ¡®hyungnim¡¯ you keep talking about?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll know soon.¡± If he came to Yoojin Guild. Yoo Jinho was about to say as much when he saw something on the TV. ¡°Huh? That man¡­?¡± Yoo Soohyun also turned to face the TV. On the screen, the news reported the Awakening of one of Korea¡¯s top celebrities, actor Lee Minsung. The actor shyly spoke in front of a multitude of reporters, [Well, I¡¯m still in the middle of filming a project¡­ I won¡¯t know until my rank is revealed.] The captions below noted that Lee Minsung planned to go to the Hunter Association in the near future to undergo the ranking tests. ¡°Whoa¡­ As expected of the Korean Wave¡¯s star Lee Minsung! Look at the reporters. Oh look, there¡¯s even reporters from China.¡± [3] Yoo Jinho was in awe. However, his cousin scrunched her face. ¡°Man, how could he lie so openly in front of that many people?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Everyone in the industry already knows. All that on the TV right now is just for show. He¡¯s already received an A-rank and now wants to show off after grabbing all the attention.¡± ¡°He¡¯s making a show of it? That symbol of humility, Lee Minsung?¡± Yoo Soohyun clicked her tongue. Tsk. Tsk. ¡®Why is everyone so ignorant?¡¯ She held her tongue, not wanting to talk behind people¡¯s backs. But in reality, people who really knew what Lee Minsung was like held an incredibly low opinion of him. He was a completely different person away from the cameras. It was Yoo Soohyun¡¯s least favorite type of person. If the man was just a two-face, she might be able to ignore it, but he had relentlessly pestered and flirted with her. Even just a while ago, she had to do her best to hang up on the man who called her, prancing on about ¡°becoming a Hunter just like her¡±. ¡®What a shitty man¡­¡¯ He was already so arrogant before he became an Awakened Being. Just how much more unbearable would he become now that he was an A-rank Hunter? On top of that, he made it so that the entire country would watch him receive the A-rank results. ¡®He¡¯s really good at scheming shit like that.¡¯ Yoo Soohyun shook her head and drained her glass. Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°noona¡± (??): Oh hey, I think this is the last of the sibling titles (also used by nonrelated people). Younger male to older female of relatively close age. (think we covered hyung, oppa and unni up until now). [2]: Multiple forms of informal ¡°You¡± are written here in Korean¡­ But English really only has one informal ¡°you¡±. [3]: ¡°Korean Wave¡± (??): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Wave . not much to say about this. Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 79. . It was not a bad offer. With Go Gunhee¡¯s backing, even an ordinary man could quickly reach the upper ranks of government. After all, there was no place the association president¡¯s influence did not reach. But if that man was an S-rank Hunter?. . ¡®I can¡¯t even imagine how high I can go.¡¯. . Jinwoo imagined himself wearing a clean suit and neatly standing next to Go Gunhee in the National Assembly. His heart raced a little.. . ¡®It¡¯s not an opportunity that comes everyday.¡¯. . The road offered by Go Gunhee was not a path just anyone could follow.. . However, there was something critical missing in that road.. . ¡®If I enter the Association, I won¡¯t be able to level up anymore.¡¯. . The Association¡¯s staff Hunters did not go raiding. Their primary role was to fight other Hunters, not magic beasts. Even if they occasionally entered an Association Raid,. . ¡®The Association¡¯s Raids are limited to the D and E-rank Dungeons that the Guilds don¡¯t even look at.¡¯. . Could he live the rest of his life as a low-level without earning any more experience points? No, there was no way. A strong determination cried out inside of Jinwoo,. . ¡®I want to become stronger.¡¯. . To a higher place. As high as he could go. If he had reached his limit, it would be a different story, but he knew that he had not. How could he give that up? From the bottom of his heart, Jinwoo could not.. . ¡®As long I can keep leveling, my growth will not stop.¡¯. . ba dum ba dum. . Compared to his image of neatly standing next to Association President Go Gunhee, Jinwoo¡¯s heart beat much faster. Go Gunhee also noticed the change in Jinwoo,. . ¡®His breathing sped up. Has he reached a decision?¡¯. . If only it was a good decision.. . ¡®No, it has to be a good one.¡¯. . When he thought of his remaining time.. . Go Gunhee was as excited as Jinwoo as he waited for the young man¡¯s reply. A single second felt like a full minute. . . Jinwoo finally opened his mouth,. . ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±. . Go Gunhee¡¯s face darkened.. . ¡®I swear his face was filled with determination just now¡­ Was I mistaken?¡¯. . The elder could not hide his disappointment,. . ¡®In the end, this is all that the man amounts to.¡¯. . He was not lying when he said he would help Jinwoo down a different path. In fact, he had thought of a place higher than that.. . ¡®The first S-ranker in two years¡­¡¯. . He planned to place the young man at his side and teach him many things, and if the man showed potential, he would¡¯ve made him the heir to his work. The strong power that could uphold the Association after he died. That was what he had meant by a ¡°different path¡±. Go Gunhee was prepared to give everything to the young man. And to think that this was his reply.. . ¡®I must look like a fool.¡¯. . Go Gunhee put away the badge he was holding and asked defeatedly,. . ¡°In the end¡­ is it money?¡±. . Jinwoo sharply replied,. . ¡°No.¡±. . Go Gunhee snorted in his head,. . ¡®Of course you would say that.¡¯. . But he knew. Everyone was the same. All they thought about was money. The fame was just the cherry on top of the cake.. . ¡®Well¡­¡¯. . It was human nature to seek material wealth. He did not criticize that fact. It was just a little insulting that they were always so dishonest.. . ¡°Then why did you refuse?¡±. . Even knowing the answer, Go Gunhee asked. He just wanted to see the man¡¯s reaction.. . However,. . ¡°Because I want to fight.¡±. . Jinwoo¡¯s immediate reply, spoken without an ounce of hesitation, slapped Go Gunhee across the cheeks. . . ¡®What?¡¯. . No, not slapped, it felt like a punch to the guts.. . ¡°You mean¡­ you want to fight with the magic beasts?¡±. . ¡°Yes.¡±. . Jinwoo did not add any unnecessary clarification and told the truth,. . ¡°I want to enter the Gates and eliminate the magic beasts. The place where I belong is the Dungeon.¡±. . ¡®My god.¡¯. . Go Gunhee¡¯s eyes widened. As a man standing at the top, he could tell by looking into someone¡¯s eyes whether or not they were lying. After all, such insight was needed to reach the top. And looking at Jinwoo¡¯s eyes right now, Go Gunhee knew,. . ¡®Those eyes¡­ are telling the truth.¡¯. . His opinion of Jinwoo made a 180-degree turn.. . ¡®How long has it been since I felt like this?¡¯. . When he first became an Awakened Being, Go Gunhee was already too old to make full use of his power. And so, instead of fighting magic beasts, the man looked for a different way to help the world. He sold his private company to obtain the funds to create the Association, collected Hunters and used his influence to enter the National Assembly to create laws for the Hunters. However, no matter how hard he worked, there was a core disappointment in his heart,. . ¡®If I was just twenty, no, just ten years younger, I could be fighting alongside men like these¡­!¡¯. . ba dum, ba dum, ba dum. . Go Gunhee placed a hand on his chest. The heart that could¡¯ve stopped any minute was now beating furiously.. . ¡®To think that my heart could make a sound like this.¡¯. . It was a good sound. Meanwhile, Jinwoo was confused,. . ¡®Weird¡­¡¯. . He had refused the offer, expecting to be shunned by the Association. Instead, the association president was maintaining a happy expression for some reason.. . ¡®Well, not that it matters¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo had said all that was needed. He stood up from his seat,. . ¡°My little sister¡¯s at home alone, so I¡¯ll be taking my leave now.¡±. . ¡°Thank you for your time.¡±. . Go Gunhee rose after Jinwoo and held something out to the young man,. . ¡°And here.¡±. . It was a business card.. . ¡®...?¡¯. . ¡°If you need my help, please feel free to call me at any time.¡±. . Go Gunhee smiled brightly. Jinwoo was right. A strong Hunter belonged in the Dungeon. Although he had failed to recruit Sung Jinwoo, as the Hunter Association¡¯s President and as a fellow Hunter, Go Gunhee wanted to help the young man in what ways he could.. . If he was being a little more honest,. . ¡®I like this youth¡¯s spirit.¡¯. . Still, he had to leave with a word of advice. An interest in someone often brought about nagging.. . ¡°It¡¯ll be impossible for you to enter a high-level Dungeon on your own. So please be careful in what Guild you decide to join.¡±. . After all, your decision will make a great wave.. . Hearing the elder¡¯s advice filled with sincerity, Jinwoo briefly showed a smile.. . ¡°Thank you.¡±. . Placing the business card in his wallet, Jinwoo lightly bid farewells to Go Gunhee and Woo Jincheol and left the building.. . ¡°Whew-¡±. . With a sigh, Go Gunhee collapsed onto his chair.. . ¡°Are you alright, sir?¡±. . Fearing for the elder¡¯s health, Woo Jincheol quickly rushed to his side. However, Go Gunhee held up a hand while smiling,. . ¡°No, no. I¡¯m fine.¡±. . Yes, yes. He was fine. It had been a long time since he had felt this much joy. After enjoying the feeling for a while, Go Gunhee turned to his secretary and gave an order,. . ¡°Cancel all my appointments today.¡±. . ¡°But sir, you have the meeting with the cabinet members to-¡±. . ¡°Every single one of them.¡±. . And he smiled widely,. . ¡°I don¡¯t want to sour this feeling by seeing those geezers.¡±. . Even for just the rest of the day, Go Gunhee wanted to savor this happiness. Suddenly, he turned his gaze to Woo Jincheol. Because of seeing the rare smile of the association president, Woo Jincheol was also elated,. . ¡°Do you have something you need, sir?¡±. . ¡°Well, it¡¯s nothing, but¡­¡±. . Pausing for a moment, Go Gunhee placed a hand on his chin,. . ¡°Why don¡¯t you and I go for a drink today?¡±. . At the unexpected request, Woo Jincheol smiled awkwardly,. . ¡°I¡¯m not very good with alcohol¡­ Is that okay with you?¡±. . ¡°Huh, didn¡¯t think that about you.¡±. . Go Gunhee clicked his tongue jokingly,. . ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard a saying? ¡®The size of your drinking glass is how much of the world you can put in it¡¯?¡±. . ¡°I apologize, association president.¡±. . Embarrassed, Woo Jincheol put a hand on the back of his head.. . ¡°I¡¯m joking. This good mood even makes me crack jokes.¡±. . Well, the real person he wanted to share a drink with already left. Go Gunhee stared off into the hallway Jinwoo disappeared off to.. . ¡®Hunter Sung Jinwoo¡­¡¯. . How much could that fellow drink? Go Gunhee hoped to share a glass with him someday and continued to smile.. . . . Jinwoo got off the bus near his home.. . ¡®I used Jinah as an excuse but¡­¡¯. . Looking at the time, it would be a while before his little sister would come home. Jinwoo slowly headed towards the apartment.. . buzz buzz. . At an unfamiliar sound, he turned his head. At a distance, a street light was flickering on and off.. . ¡®Now that I think about it.¡¯. . It was too dark around here. Because they lived in an obscure neighborhood, leaving the main roads would greet you with a darkness. And Jinwoo remembered the recent news,. . ¡®There was a string of cold blooded murders around here.¡¯. . The victims were all female. His little sister often traveled on this path, late at night.. . ¡®We can¡¯t even move since her school is so close.¡¯. . He began to worry. If he caught the perpetrator, it was a different story. But he could not patrol the nights just because he was worried. Was there something he could do? While thinking with his arms crossed, Jinwoo suddenly smiled.. . ¡®I could leave it someone else.¡¯. . There were plenty of ¡°someone else¡±s that he could use in situations like this.. . ¡°Come out.¡±. . At his calling, the Shadow Soldiers appeared.. . ¡®Five should be enough.¡¯. . The soldiers had climbed the Demon Castle with Jinwoo and had grown quite strong. They looked very dependable.. . ¡°From now on, you will be the neighborhood watch around here. Your patrol begins now.¡±. . The moment he finished, the soldiers returned to their shadow forms. The flat shadows disappeared in and out of the various buildings and objects¡¯ shadows and moved across the neighborhood.. . ¡®Yes, just like that. Patrol without being noticed by anyone.¡¯. . Aw, they were adorable. As long as the serial killer was not a high-ranking Hunter, the Shadow Soldiers would not lose. Even if one of them fell, Jinwoo would know in an instant if something happened to one of his soldiers.. . He was an S-rank Hunter now.. . ¡®Wait, wait. I don¡¯t have my official license yet, so I guess I¡¯m just an S-rank Awakened Being for now.¡¯. . Whatever.. . Whether it was a Hunter or an Awakened Being, this was a neighborhood protected by an S-ranker. If his 24-hour free surveillance system was revealed to the world, how high would the land values rise around here? Jinwoo laughed.. . ¡®Alright.¡¯. . With this, he abated his worries. He took one last look around then headed home.. . . . ¡°You said you wanted to eat, so I came over running. But you¡¯re treating me to some sliced samgyupsal?¡±. . ¡°What? Are you looking down on samgyupsal?¡±. . ¡°...¡±. . ¡°This is a precious place where hyungnim and I shared an unforgettable memory!¡±. . His face red with drunkeness, Yoo Jinho flared his nostrils as he put down his shot glass.. . ¡°So why did you call me to your precious place?¡±. . Yoo Soohyun looked incredulous. She was about to go to sleep when Yoo Jinho called him.. . - ¡°Noona, come cheer me up.¡± [1]. ¡°What happened that you¡¯re calling me noona?¡±. . - ¡°Noonaaaaaa-¡±. . His crying voice sounded so pathetic that she decided to come out. To think that the place he took her was here. The young woman had grown up under a nice chaebol household and even worked as a famous model right now. She could not help but be shocked at Yoo Jinho¡¯s choice. She left her home in a hurry and dressed casually. Even though she was wearing a hat, the gazes of men kept falling on her.. . ¡°So what is it? Say something, put it in words.¡±. . She filled Yoo Jinho¡¯s empty glass with soju and asked.. . ¡°Look at this, look. Hyungnim¡¯s ignoring my calls, right?¡±. . Yoo Jinho held out his phone with tears in his eyes. The screen was on call history. It showed one connected call followed by four missed ones. And the connected call was ended mid-conversation.. . ¡°Did you seriously call me out because you couldn¡¯t get in touch with someone?¡±. . Yoo Jinho nodded.. . ¡°Sigh-¡±. . Dumbstruck in awe, Yoo Soohyun ripped Yoo Jinho¡¯s phone out of his hand.. . ¡°Here, let me see.¡±. . She pressed the call button.. . ring~. . The ringing stopped in matter of seconds. Yoo Soohyun glared at her cousin.. . ¡°Moron.¡±. . ¡°Hmm?¡±. . Yoo Jinho raised his head.. . ¡°It hangs up exactly after 15 seconds. This isn¡¯t him ignoring your call. It means his phone is off. And if your first call ended in the middle of conversation, that probably means his battery died.¡±. . ¡°...Really?¡±. . ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, try it yourself.¡±. . ring~. . As she said, the ringing stopped exactly after 15 seconds.. . ¡°You¡¯re right!¡±. . Yoo Jinho¡¯s face brightened.. . ¡°You¡¯re good now, right? I¡¯m leaving.¡±. . The young woman got up to leave, but then Yoo Jinho clung to her sleeves.. . ¡°Noonaaaa- at least finish the soju we have here!¡±. . ¡°Why am I noona only in times like this?¡±. . This bastard normally called her ¡°you¡±[2]. Eventually, Yoo Soohyun relented and sat back down.. . ¡°Huh? You¡¯re going to drink too?¡±. . ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say let¡¯s finish the soju we have here? It¡¯s going to take forever if it¡¯s just you drinking.¡±. . ¡°As I thought, I can depend on my noona.¡±. . ¡°Enough.¡±. . Despite the mood until now, the pair began to drink in a friendly atmosphere.. . ¡°By the way, who¡¯s this ¡®hyungnim¡¯ you keep talking about?¡±. . ¡°You¡¯ll know soon.¡±. . If he came to Yoojin Guild. Yoo Jinho was about to say as much when he saw something on the TV.. . ¡°Huh? That man¡­?¡±. . Yoo Soohyun also turned to face the TV. On the screen, the news reported the Awakening of one of Korea¡¯s top celebrities, actor Lee Minsung. The actor shyly spoke in front of a multitude of reporters,. . [Well, I¡¯m still in the middle of filming a project¡­ I won¡¯t know until my rank is revealed.]. . The captions below noted that Lee Minsung planned to go to the Hunter Association in the near future to undergo the ranking tests.. . ¡°Whoa¡­ As expected of the Korean Wave¡¯s star Lee Minsung! Look at the reporters. Oh look, there¡¯s even reporters from China.¡± [3]. . Yoo Jinho was in awe. However, his cousin scrunched her face.. . ¡°Man, how could he lie so openly in front of that many people?¡±. . ¡°Huh?¡±. . ¡°Everyone in the industry already knows. All that on the TV right now is just for show. He¡¯s already received an A-rank and now wants to show off after grabbing all the attention.¡±. . ¡°He¡¯s making a show of it? That symbol of humility, Lee Minsung?¡±. . Yoo Soohyun clicked her tongue.. . Tsk. Tsk.. . ¡®Why is everyone so ignorant?¡¯. . She held her tongue, not wanting to talk behind people¡¯s backs. But in reality, people who really knew what Lee Minsung was like held an incredibly low opinion of him. He was a completely different person away from the cameras. It was Yoo Soohyun¡¯s least favorite type of person. If the man was just a two-face, she might be able to ignore it, but he had relentlessly pestered and flirted with her. Even just a while ago, she had to do her best to hang up on the man who called her, prancing on about ¡°becoming a Hunter just like her¡±.. . ¡®What a shitty man¡­¡¯. . He was already so arrogant before he became an Awakened Being. Just how much more unbearable would he become now that he was an A-rank Hunter? On top of that, he made it so that the entire country would watch him receive the A-rank results.. . ¡®He¡¯s really good at scheming shit like that.¡¯. . Yoo Soohyun shook her head and drained her glass.. . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°noona¡± (??): Oh hey, I think this is the last of the sibling titles (also used by nonrelated people). Younger male to older female of relatively close age. (think we covered hyung, oppa and unni up until now).. [2]: Multiple forms of informal ¡°You¡± are written here in Korean¡­ But English really only has one informal ¡°you¡±.. [3]: ¡°Korean Wave¡± (??): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Wave . not much to say about this.. Chapter 80 - ¡°And what if I get fired? Will you take responsibility?¡± ¡°What? What do you mean by that?¡± - ¡°The association president has placed a complete gag order what happened yesterday . He also added that if the Hunter¡¯s identity was leaked, he would move heaven and earth to find out who did it and thoroughly punish them . ¡± ¡°Association President Go Gunhee-nim said that? He¡¯s never acted like this before . ¡± - ¡°How would I know what the association president is thinking?¡± ¡° . . . ¡± - ¡°If that¡¯s all, I¡¯m hanging up . ¡± ¡° . . . I¡¯ll call you again . ¡± click And just like that, the call ended . Grim Reaper¡¯s Guildmaster Lim Taegyu put down the receiver; his face did not look good . ¡®Just what happened¡­?¡¯ He had heard a rumour that a super rookie appeared after two years and called the Association himself . He had not expected such a response . ¡°What if I get fired?¡±? As if there was any Guild stupid enough to hire someone chased out of the Association by the Go Gunhee . Especially since there was no guarantee that they even could recruit this super rookie . ¡®Move heaven and earth to¡­ thoroughly punish them . . . ¡¯ If it was Go Gunhee, it was certainly possible . ¡®But what the hell? Did that geezer finally go senile? Why is he doing something like this?¡¯ Just what kind of a rookie was it? To think that the Association would prevent the identify of an Awakened Being from leaking . This had never been done before . Because of that, all Grim Reaper could do was wait while twiddling their thumbs until the official unveiling . The humiliation did not end there . ¡®How the hell did Choi Jongin and Baek Yoonho get the inside scoop?¡¯ Was this the difference in their information network? Did Grim Reaper fall that low among the top Guilds? If this unknown super rookie ended up entering Baekho or Hunters Guild, it would widened the gap even further . In a situation like this, the gag order completely cut off the path for Grim Reaper¡¯s future . ¡®Were that geezer and I sworn enemies in a past life or something?¡¯ When Baek Yoonho left Grim Reaper, it was that geezer who helped him safely make Baekho . Because of that, Grim Reaper lost its place as the number one Guild of Korea . Hunters Guild and Baekho were advancing further and further, while Grim Reaper seemed to just spin in circles . ¡®Isn¡¯t it about time you helped us out a little?!¡¯ Suddenly, he felt a resentment for Go Gunhee . But what could he do? With a frustration, all Lim Taegyu could do was kick his feet on the ground . ¡®The daily quest is all done . ¡¯ With a light heart, Jinwoo started surfing the internet . There were two days before his remeasurement . He planned to obtain as much information as possible on artifacts and exchanges . ¡®Whoa!¡¯ Looking at the auction pages, Jinwoo was shocked . ¡®The smallest increment of currency is in the hundred millions . ¡¯ Was that all? The useful looking items cost billions . ¡®Makes sense¡­¡¯ To a Hunter, the equipment was equivalent to their lifeline . Better equipment meant increased safety . Since the Hunters earned so much, why would they cheap out on tools that helped them hunt faster and more safely? It was very understandable . Still, he could not help but be surprised . Looking at the prices of the artifacts, he began to worry a bit . ¡®My current funds aren¡¯t going to be enough . ¡¯ He did not see any artifacts with flame resistance up for auction, but the other high-class armors cost far more than everything he had earned so far . ¡®I thought I already collected enough¡­¡¯ However, that was through the eyes of an ordinary person . To get to the Hunter¡¯s level, Jinwoo still had a long way to go . The funds in his bankbook amounted to about 1 . 7 billion won . In order to buy what he needed, he had no choice but to sell the Marble of Avarice . When he switched gears to becoming a seller, his expression changed . ¡®If it costs a ton to buy artifacts, on the flip side, I can make a ton buy selling my artifacts . ¡¯ click . He moved his mouse to click on the section where magic tools were being sold . ¡® . . . ¡¯ No matter where he looked, there were no artifacts that doubled your magic damage . The closest ones increased it by about 20%~30% . And those artifacts were unbelievably expensive . ¡®The prices of magic tools aren¡¯t a joke . ¡¯ In a way, even a 20% increase of power was nothing to scoff at . The only ones able to purchase these expensive artifacts were the high-rank, no, the highest-ranking Hunters . And if those Hunters¡¯ powers were increased by 20%? It would make a huge difference . In fact, some of the items already were marked as sold . And if they were this excited about 20% . . . ¡®Just how much can I sell this for?¡¯ gulp Because he had never even dreamt of holding an artifact in the past, Jinwoo was unable to imagine the price of the Marble of Avarice . ¡®That¡¯s why we have auctions . ¡¯ He hoped that putting the marble up for auction would result in a good price . With a satisfied smile, Jinwoo closed the auction websites . After his research, he had learned that there were two main ways to sell an artifact . One . Through ordinary sellers and means . Two . Through the blackmarket . However, he had no way of finding a blackmarket . There were limits to what he could find on the internet . ¡®If you could just reach it in few mouse clicks, you couldn¡¯t call it a blackmarket . ¡¯ And the Marble of Avarice wasn¡¯t exactly a shady item, so there was no reason to use the black market . And so, Jinwoo decided that the best way to sell the marble was to get in touch with a professional artifact exchange and let them auction it off for him . Even though there were taxes and fees involved, it would be the fastest and cleanest method . ¡®The problem is that I have to somehow explain where I got it¡­¡¯ What would they say if an E-rank Hunter brought an insane and never-before-seen artifact to them? Would they accept it quietly? The Korean Hunter Auction was the biggest business when it came to brokering deals between Hunters . They would surely iron out all details involved in the items they sold . ¡®And that¡¯s why I need that license . ¡¯ A Hunter¡¯s license with the letter ¡°S¡± on it . This is why he undertook the retest, and the results were a success . If Association President Go Gunhee was right, he would obtain his new S-rank license in two days . He did worry for a moment when he refused the elder¡¯s offer but¡­ ¡®Thankfully, it doesn¡¯t seem like the association president is that kind of a person . ¡¯ Even as they bid each other goodbye, the association president was smiling . Spending a long time reading the hints of other people gave one the ability to read the mood . Jinwoo had done that in the past . As an E-ranker, he had spent four years carefully taking notice of other people . Because of that, he was mostly able to read their moods by looking at their faces . Go Gunhee¡¯s smile at the time was definitely not fake . At least, it looked genuine to Jinwoo¡¯s eyes . And so, he did not worry about the remeasurement two days from now . ¡®But¡­ what to do in the meantime?¡¯ Jinwoo leaned back on his chair . Two days . Too short to do something serious . Too long to just waste it playing around . ¡®Should I check that out?¡¯ Jinwoo half-heartedly moved his cursor to the Hunter website¡¯s job board . click . With a click, many posts filled the screen . He saw multiple posts stating that people were looking for members for private raiding parties in the area . ¡® . . . ¡¯ The reason was obvious . When he and Yoo Jinho monopolized the C-rank Gates in the area for few days, all the private parties in the area had to stop working for a while . Now that Jinwoo had stopped, all the stopped parties could resume their work again . The absence of Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho created a vacuum, and many parties appeared to fill that void . Jinwoo chuckled bitterly then went to the next page . ¡®I don¡¯t level up in C-rank Dungeons anymore . ¡¯ It took him the entire day of raiding to level up the last time he entered C-rank Dungeons . Actually, it took two days . Since then, he had leveled up more than a dozen times . If he could see his experience points, he knew that C-rank magic beasts would barely make a tickle . ¡®So, C-rank Dungeons mean nothing to me . ¡¯ Unfortunately, there were no postings for high-level Dungeons . It was suicide for a private party to attempt a high-level Dungeon, and Guilds wouldn¡¯t be looking for members on a job board like this . Still, just in case . ¡®Should I switch up the search terms a bit?¡¯ He changed the filter so only high-level Dungeons would show . He did not expect anything out of it . However, ¡® . . . Huh?¡¯ A posting came up . ¡°You said you were an E-rank?¡± ¡°Yes . ¡± ¡°Have you ever done a job like this?¡± ¡°No . ¡± ¡°Er¡­ and your category is?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a Fighter-class . ¡± ¡®Well, that¡¯s good news . ¡¯ The team leader wearing a hard hat looked up and down on Jinwoo . ¡®For an E-rank, his body looks strong . His eyes are showing good spirit . ¡¯ Jinwoo patiently waited for the team leader¡¯s reply . Soon, the man handed him an ID card and laughed lively . ¡°Ha ha ha, there are many people like you here, Jinwoo-ssi . Don¡¯t be nervous and let¡¯s work well together . ¡± Even though he looked over 40, the ahjussi was filled with energy . His mustache fit his face well . ¡°We just wait here and go in when the people inside come out . Don¡¯t forget your equipment . ¡± ¡°Equipment¡­?¡± ¡°You can just pick one of those up on the floor . ¡± ¡° . . . Got it . ¡± Jinwoo nodded towards a pile of pickaxes . Meanwhile, an ahjussi with a towel draped over his shoulders hastily walked over . ¡°Bae-ssi! We¡¯re shorthanded today, why would you take someone away from us?¡± ¡°Eh, your collection team has plenty of people . What if we¡¯re the one who¡¯s shorthanded and miss the timing on the Gate closing? You gonna take responsibility?¡± ¡°Well, still . ¡± The mustache ahjussi turned to the towel ahjussi and smiled at Jinwoo, ¡°Sung-ssi, you can just rest here . I¡¯m going to have words with this guy . ¡± ¡°We can have words here, why do we have to walk away?¡± ¡°I wonder . Follow me . ¡± The two ahjussis bantered and walked away . ¡®So the other team is in charge of collecting¡­¡¯ The high-level Dungeons were so large that a single raiding party could not do everything . And so, multiple parties were created for each job . A party to clear the Dungeon, a party to mine the Dungeon¡¯s ores, and a party to collect the corpses of the magic beasts[1] . The offensive raiding party would clear the Dungeon all the way to the boss, then leave . Once the magic beasts in the Dungeon were isolated to the boss¡¯s room, the mining team and the collection team would enter . Jinwoo was placed into the mining team . ¡® . . . Is this all I need?¡¯ With a sour face, Jinwoo picked up a pickaxe . It was tiny, but he felt a magic power in it . ¡®It contains magic power . ¡¯ The modern machines that used electricity did not function within the Dungeon . Because of that, tools like this filled with magic power were used instead . ¡® . . . ¡¯ There was a reason why Hunters in mining teams were jokingly called Dungeon Miners . Jinwoo turned his head towards the Gate . A giant hole floated in the air . It was a size incomparable to a C-rank Gate . ¡®So that¡¯s an A-rank Gate¡­¡¯ The real reason he was here was because of that . ¡®I want to see a high-level Dungeon with my own eyes . ¡¯ Even though all the magic beasts, save for the boss and its minions, would be dead, Jinwoo still wanted to check out the interiors of an A-rank Dungeon . ¡®I¡¯ll have to go in a place like that someday . ¡¯ Knowledge was power . But there was a limit to what he could learn through books or the internet . Even the new recruits of Baekho relied on written knowledge and met an untimely end . ¡®If I wasn¡¯t there, they would¡¯ve all died . ¡¯ Knowing something and experiencing it were two different things . When the opportunity appeared, Jinwoo volunteered himself for the mining team so he could take a look at the A-rank Dungeon . He briefly regretted his decision after looking at the piss poor pickaxes but felt better when he saw the giant Gate . ¡®Coming here was a good thing . ¡¯ There was still time until his remeasurement . This was a good opportunity . As if their conversation had gone well, the mustache ahjussi, no, Team Leader Bae Yoonsuk came back smiling . ¡°Let¡¯s go in, they¡¯re all ready . ¡± Holding a pickaxe, Jinwoo smiled and nodded . Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: Think it was noted in the past that for high-level magic beasts, even their corpses are used for various purposes . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 80. . - ¡°And what if I get fired? Will you take responsibility?¡±. . ¡°What? What do you mean by that?¡±. . - ¡°The association president has placed a complete gag order what happened yesterday . He also added that if the Hunter¡¯s identity was leaked, he would move heaven and earth to find out who did it and thoroughly punish them . ¡±. . ¡°Association President Go Gunhee-nim said that? He¡¯s never acted like this before . ¡±. . - ¡°How would I know what the association president is thinking?¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . - ¡°If that¡¯s all, I¡¯m hanging up . ¡±. . ¡° . I¡¯ll call you again . ¡±. . click. . And just like that, the call ended . Grim Reaper¡¯s Guildmaster Lim Taegyu put down the receiver; his face did not look good . . . ¡®Just what happened¡­?¡¯. . He had heard a rumour that a super rookie appeared after two years and called the Association himself . He had not expected such a response . ¡°What if I get fired?¡±? As if there was any Guild stupid enough to hire someone chased out of the Association by the Go Gunhee . Especially since there was no guarantee that they even could recruit this super rookie . . . ¡®Move heaven and earth to¡­ thoroughly punish them . ¡¯. . If it was Go Gunhee, it was certainly possible . . . ¡®But what the hell? Did that geezer finally go senile? Why is he doing something like this?¡¯. . Just what kind of a rookie was it? To think that the Association would prevent the identify of an Awakened Being from leaking . This had never been done before . Because of that, all Grim Reaper could do was wait while twiddling their thumbs until the official unveiling . The humiliation did not end there . . . ¡®How the hell did Choi Jongin and Baek Yoonho get the inside scoop?¡¯. . Was this the difference in their information network? Did Grim Reaper fall that low among the top Guilds? If this unknown super rookie ended up entering Baekho or Hunters Guild, it would widened the gap even further . In a situation like this, the gag order completely cut off the path for Grim Reaper¡¯s future . . . ¡®Were that geezer and I sworn enemies in a past life or something?¡¯. . When Baek Yoonho left Grim Reaper, it was that geezer who helped him safely make Baekho . Because of that, Grim Reaper lost its place as the number one Guild of Korea . Hunters Guild and Baekho were advancing further and further, while Grim Reaper seemed to just spin in circles . . . ¡®Isn¡¯t it about time you helped us out a little?!¡¯. . Suddenly, he felt a resentment for Go Gunhee . But what could he do?. . With a frustration, all Lim Taegyu could do was kick his feet on the ground . . . . . ¡®The daily quest is all done . ¡¯. . With a light heart, Jinwoo started surfing the internet . There were two days before his remeasurement . He planned to obtain as much information as possible on artifacts and exchanges . . . ¡®Whoa!¡¯. . Looking at the auction pages, Jinwoo was shocked . . . ¡®The smallest increment of currency is in the hundred millions . ¡¯. . Was that all? The useful looking items cost billions . . . ¡®Makes sense¡­¡¯. . To a Hunter, the equipment was equivalent to their lifeline . Better equipment meant increased safety . Since the Hunters earned so much, why would they cheap out on tools that helped them hunt faster and more safely? It was very understandable . Still, he could not help but be surprised . Looking at the prices of the artifacts, he began to worry a bit . . . ¡®My current funds aren¡¯t going to be enough . ¡¯. . He did not see any artifacts with flame resistance up for auction, but the other high-class armors cost far more than everything he had earned so far . . . ¡®I thought I already collected enough¡­¡¯. . However, that was through the eyes of an ordinary person . To get to the Hunter¡¯s level, Jinwoo still had a long way to go . The funds in his bankbook amounted to about 1 . 7 billion won . In order to buy what he needed, he had no choice but to sell the Marble of Avarice . When he switched gears to becoming a seller, his expression changed . . . ¡®If it costs a ton to buy artifacts, on the flip side, I can make a ton buy selling my artifacts . ¡¯. . click . . . He moved his mouse to click on the section where magic tools were being sold . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . No matter where he looked, there were no artifacts that doubled your magic damage . The closest ones increased it by about 20%~30% . And those artifacts were unbelievably expensive . . . ¡®The prices of magic tools aren¡¯t a joke . ¡¯. . In a way, even a 20% increase of power was nothing to scoff at . The only ones able to purchase these expensive artifacts were the high-rank, no, the highest-ranking Hunters . And if those Hunters¡¯ powers were increased by 20%? It would make a huge difference . In fact, some of the items already were marked as sold . And if they were this excited about 20% . . . ¡®Just how much can I sell this for?¡¯. . gulp. . Because he had never even dreamt of holding an artifact in the past, Jinwoo was unable to imagine the price of the Marble of Avarice . . . ¡®That¡¯s why we have auctions . ¡¯. . He hoped that putting the marble up for auction would result in a good price . With a satisfied smile, Jinwoo closed the auction websites . After his research, he had learned that there were two main ways to sell an artifact . . . One . Through ordinary sellers and means . . . Two . Through the blackmarket . . . However, he had no way of finding a blackmarket . There were limits to what he could find on the internet . . . ¡®If you could just reach it in few mouse clicks, you couldn¡¯t call it a blackmarket . ¡¯. . And the Marble of Avarice wasn¡¯t exactly a shady item, so there was no reason to use the black market . And so, Jinwoo decided that the best way to sell the marble was to get in touch with a professional artifact exchange and let them auction it off for him . Even though there were taxes and fees involved, it would be the fastest and cleanest method . . . ¡®The problem is that I have to somehow explain where I got it¡­¡¯. . What would they say if an E-rank Hunter brought an insane and never-before-seen artifact to them? Would they accept it quietly? The Korean Hunter Auction was the biggest business when it came to brokering deals between Hunters . They would surely iron out all details involved in the items they sold . . . ¡®And that¡¯s why I need that license . ¡¯. . A Hunter¡¯s license with the letter ¡°S¡± on it . This is why he undertook the retest, and the results were a success . If Association President Go Gunhee was right, he would obtain his new S-rank license in two days . He did worry for a moment when he refused the elder¡¯s offer but¡­. . ¡®Thankfully, it doesn¡¯t seem like the association president is that kind of a person . ¡¯. . Even as they bid each other goodbye, the association president was smiling . . . Spending a long time reading the hints of other people gave one the ability to read the mood . Jinwoo had done that in the past . As an E-ranker, he had spent four years carefully taking notice of other people . Because of that, he was mostly able to read their moods by looking at their faces . Go Gunhee¡¯s smile at the time was definitely not fake . At least, it looked genuine to Jinwoo¡¯s eyes . . . And so, he did not worry about the remeasurement two days from now . . . ¡®But¡­ what to do in the meantime?¡¯. . Jinwoo leaned back on his chair . . . Two days . . . Too short to do something serious . Too long to just waste it playing around . . . ¡®Should I check that out?¡¯. . Jinwoo half-heartedly moved his cursor to the Hunter website¡¯s job board . . . click . . . With a click, many posts filled the screen . He saw multiple posts stating that people were looking for members for private raiding parties in the area . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . The reason was obvious . When he and Yoo Jinho monopolized the C-rank Gates in the area for few days, all the private parties in the area had to stop working for a while . Now that Jinwoo had stopped, all the stopped parties could resume their work again . The absence of Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho created a vacuum, and many parties appeared to fill that void . Jinwoo chuckled bitterly then went to the next page . . . ¡®I don¡¯t level up in C-rank Dungeons anymore . ¡¯. . It took him the entire day of raiding to level up the last time he entered C-rank Dungeons . Actually, it took two days . Since then, he had leveled up more than a dozen times . If he could see his experience points, he knew that C-rank magic beasts would barely make a tickle . . . ¡®So, C-rank Dungeons mean nothing to me . ¡¯. . Unfortunately, there were no postings for high-level Dungeons . It was suicide for a private party to attempt a high-level Dungeon, and Guilds wouldn¡¯t be looking for members on a job board like this . . . Still, just in case . . . ¡®Should I switch up the search terms a bit?¡¯. . He changed the filter so only high-level Dungeons would show . He did not expect anything out of it . . . However,. . ¡® . Huh?¡¯. . A posting came up . . . . . ¡°You said you were an E-rank?¡±. . ¡°Yes . ¡±. . ¡°Have you ever done a job like this?¡±. . ¡°No . ¡±. . ¡°Er¡­ and your category is?¡±. . ¡°I¡¯m a Fighter-class . ¡±. . ¡®Well, that¡¯s good news . ¡¯. . The team leader wearing a hard hat looked up and down on Jinwoo . . . ¡®For an E-rank, his body looks strong . His eyes are showing good spirit . ¡¯. . Jinwoo patiently waited for the team leader¡¯s reply . Soon, the man handed him an ID card and laughed lively . . . ¡°Ha ha ha, there are many people like you here, Jinwoo-ssi . Don¡¯t be nervous and let¡¯s work well together . ¡±. . Even though he looked over 40, the ahjussi was filled with energy . His mustache fit his face well . . . ¡°We just wait here and go in when the people inside come out . Don¡¯t forget your equipment . ¡±. . ¡°Equipment¡­?¡±. . ¡°You can just pick one of those up on the floor . ¡±. . ¡° . Got it . ¡±. . Jinwoo nodded towards a pile of pickaxes . Meanwhile, an ahjussi with a towel draped over his shoulders hastily walked over . . . ¡°Bae-ssi! We¡¯re shorthanded today, why would you take someone away from us?¡±. . ¡°Eh, your collection team has plenty of people . What if we¡¯re the one who¡¯s shorthanded and miss the timing on the Gate closing? You gonna take responsibility?¡±. . ¡°Well, still . ¡±. . The mustache ahjussi turned to the towel ahjussi and smiled at Jinwoo,. . ¡°Sung-ssi, you can just rest here . I¡¯m going to have words with this guy . ¡±. . ¡°We can have words here, why do we have to walk away?¡±. . ¡°I wonder . Follow me . ¡±. . The two ahjussis bantered and walked away . . . ¡®So the other team is in charge of collecting¡­¡¯. . The high-level Dungeons were so large that a single raiding party could not do everything . And so, multiple parties were created for each job . A party to clear the Dungeon, a party to mine the Dungeon¡¯s ores, and a party to collect the corpses of the magic beasts[1] . The offensive raiding party would clear the Dungeon all the way to the boss, then leave . Once the magic beasts in the Dungeon were isolated to the boss¡¯s room, the mining team and the collection team would enter . Jinwoo was placed into the mining team . . . ¡® . Is this all I need?¡¯. . With a sour face, Jinwoo picked up a pickaxe . It was tiny, but he felt a magic power in it . . . ¡®It contains magic power . ¡¯. . The modern machines that used electricity did not function within the Dungeon . Because of that, tools like this filled with magic power were used instead . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . There was a reason why Hunters in mining teams were jokingly called Dungeon Miners . Jinwoo turned his head towards the Gate . A giant hole floated in the air . It was a size incomparable to a C-rank Gate . . . ¡®So that¡¯s an A-rank Gate¡­¡¯. . The real reason he was here was because of that . . . ¡®I want to see a high-level Dungeon with my own eyes . ¡¯. . Even though all the magic beasts, save for the boss and its minions, would be dead, Jinwoo still wanted to check out the interiors of an A-rank Dungeon . . . ¡®I¡¯ll have to go in a place like that someday . ¡¯. . Knowledge was power . But there was a limit to what he could learn through books or the internet . Even the new recruits of Baekho relied on written knowledge and met an untimely end . . . ¡®If I wasn¡¯t there, they would¡¯ve all died . ¡¯. . Knowing something and experiencing it were two different things . When the opportunity appeared, Jinwoo volunteered himself for the mining team so he could take a look at the A-rank Dungeon . He briefly regretted his decision after looking at the piss poor pickaxes but felt better when he saw the giant Gate . . . ¡®Coming here was a good thing . ¡¯. . There was still time until his remeasurement . This was a good opportunity . . . As if their conversation had gone well, the mustache ahjussi, no, Team Leader Bae Yoonsuk came back smiling . . . ¡°Let¡¯s go in, they¡¯re all ready . ¡±. . Holding a pickaxe, Jinwoo smiled and nodded . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: Think it was noted in the past that for high-level magic beasts, even their corpses are used for various purposes . . Chapter 81 knock knock ¡°Sir, I have the file you requested . ¡± ¡°Come in . ¡± Woo Jincheol entered the association president¡¯s office . Having waited for the chief, Go Gunhee greeted him with a bright expression . Taking the documents from Woo Jincheol, the elderly association president looked at the picture on top . It was Jinwoo . The picture was taken in the past when the young man first received his license . While the difference in the man was great between the past and the present, it was still easily recognizable as Jinwoo . ¡°Hmm . ¡± Reading down the list of Jinwoo¡¯s activity records, Go Gunhee¡¯s eyes became somber . ¡®Not only an E-ranker, but the weakest of them . He worked as a Hunter for four years like that?¡¯ The man¡¯s actions were no different than suicide . No matter how easy the Association¡¯s Raids were compared to the Guild¡¯s, it was still at a level that would stifle an E-ranker . Appropriately, Jinwoo had spent a long time in hospitals during his career as a Hunter . ¡°He endured well with all these injuries . ¡± ¡°They said he could not leave the Association because of his mother¡¯s medical bills . ¡± ¡° . . . What a rare youth in today¡¯s world . ¡± A light filled Go Gunhee¡¯s eyes . ¡®In lieu of his missing father, he took care of his little sister and ill mother on his own¡­¡¯ The association president had decided to look over Jinwoo¡¯s files out of interest when he learned that the E-rank Hunter had Reawakened but did not expect to find something like this . More and more he learned about him, Go Gunhee felt that he was a good man . ¡®What a shame that I have to hand him over to the Guilds . ¡¯ After reading Jinwoo¡¯s file, the fact that he had failed to persuade the young man into joining the Association fet more and more disappointing . Go Gunhee clicked his tongue and turned the page, but he had reached the end of the file . With a satisfied expression, the elder closed the file . ¡°Good work . ¡± ¡°Thank you, sir . ¡± Woo Jincheol took the documents and was about to leave, but then turned around and spoke with difficulty, ¡°Er¡­ association president . ¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Go Gunhee raised his head . Woo Jincheol had an awkward look on his face . ¡®He normally looks like he wouldn¡¯t bleed if you cut him . To think that Chief Woo could make a face like that¡­¡¯ Was there something difficult he wanted to say? Go Gunhee became curious, ¡°What is it?¡± The chief continued after a moment of hesitation, ¡°There¡¯s something I have to report¡­ Just a moment ago, we¡¯ve received a word that Hunter Sung Jinwoo has entered a Raid . ¡± ¡°Already? Whose Raid is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a Raid from Hunters Guild . ¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Hunters Guild you say . ¡± Sung Jinwoo ended up choosing Hunters Guild . And only after one day . Go Gunhee¡¯s face became dark . ¡®After all that talk, was he swayed by the amount Hunters Guild offered him?¡¯ If that was the case, Go Gunhee would truly be disappointed . He had been deeply moved after meeting such a great man after a long time . However, when he recalled the young Hunter¡¯s attitude yesterday, combined with the file he had just gone over, Jinwoo did not seem like a man to change his mind that easily . No, there must be another reason . Like, ¡°If you wanted to fight with strong magic beasts, Hunters Guild certainly would be the best place to do so . ¡± Go Gunhee decided to tell himself that that was the reason . However, Woo Jincheol¡¯s next words kicked that reason away, ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s it, association president . ¡± ¡°Was there more information?¡± ¡°According to our records¡­ Hunter Sung Jinwoo did not enter the raiding party . Instead¡­ he went into the mining team . ¡± Go Gunhee shot up from his seat . ¡°What? An S-rank Hunter volunteered as a miner?¡± The elder could not believe it . In fact, Woo Jincheol agreed . The HSD chief had repeatedly checked and confirmed the information, but the reports remained the same . ¡®This is why I was hesitant to report it¡­¡¯ Just what was Sung Jinwoo thinking? With sweat gathering at his brows, Woo Jincheol replied, ¡°That is what was reported, sir . ¡± Go Gunhee collapsed onto his chair and laughed . ¡°What an amusing young man . ¡± Wearing the hard hat and work clothes he had received, Jinwoo followed behind Team Leader Bae Yoonsuk . Near the Gate, many Hunters wearing hard hats were gathered . Roughly 20 of them? All their gazes turned to Team Leader Bae . The mustache ahjussi introduced Jinwoo, ¡°This is Sung-ssi . He¡¯ll be joining us today . ¡± ¡°Hello, everyone . ¡± Jinwoo lightly bowed his head then read the Hunters¡¯ moods . ¡° . . . ¡± They were all rather being cold . Jinwoo understood why . ¡®After all,¡¯ He was just a temp that might not even show up tomorrow, while they were Hunters officially contracted with the Guild as members of the mining team . From their point of view, there was no reason for them to be friendly with him . ¡°My god, you people are¡­ Come on, he¡¯s still a teammate that¡¯ll be working with you all . ¡± Team Leader Bae smiled awkwardly and pointed at an intimidating-looking Hunter . ¡°Sung-ssi, you can just stick to Mok-ssi over there . If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t know, you can learn from him . He¡¯s a little quiet, but he¡¯s the most veteran miner here . ¡± ¡° . . . I understand . ¡± Jinwoo walked over and stood silently next to the man named Mok-ssi . Mok-ssi met Jinwoo¡¯s eyes and spoke in a barely audible voice, ¡°Mok Jinsoo . ¡± ¡°I¡¯m Sung Jinwoo . ¡± That was it for their greeting . Mok Jinsoo immediately turned back to the team leader . ¡®Everyone sure is friendly . ¡¯ Jinwoo also turned his gaze . Some distance away, the team leader and a Guild employee that looked like an ordinary man were sharing what looked like a serious talk . Focusing just a little, Jinwoo was able to eavesdrop on their conversation . ¡° . . . Is the attack team still in there? They told us that they were done a while ago, why is it taking so long?¡± ¡°They¡¯re really almost done . This is all for the safety of you and your team members, so please just wait a little longer until all the magic beasts are down . ¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that three times already . ¡± ¡°Team leader, you know how dangerous it could be if they half-ass the clean-up . What if a hidden magic beast leaped out at your team?¡± As the man young enough to be his son smiled with his eyes and explained, Team Leader Bae could not stay angry; he shook his head and smiled . ¡°I got it, I got it . ¡± ¡°Oh? Did you calm down a bit?¡± ¡°I said I got it . Go do your job . ¡± ¡°Yes, sir . Once they come out, I¡¯ll make sure to run here with all my might and let you know . Oh yeah, you know we¡¯re all going for happy-hour after, right?¡± ¡°I know, so go do your damn job, ya punk . ¡± Thankfully, it looked like the conversation ended in a friendly mood . The employee had handled the situation with finesse . ¡®You¡¯d think that everyone working in large Guilds would be arrogant hot-heads¡­¡¯ However, the Guild employees doing clerical work were ordinary men, while the Hunters doing the physical labor were Awakened Beings . There were a lot of jobs that the Awakened Beings had to do but a limited number of Awakened Beings . You couldn¡¯t just take one out and replace them with another like pieces of a machine . And that¡¯s why the staff employees watched their words and attitudes around the Hunters . While the public may view the white-collar employees of large Guilds with envy, the employees had their share of frustrations and hard work . ¡® . . . Hmm?¡¯ As he eased up on focusing on the distant conversation, Jinwoo heard whispers coming from behind him . ¡°Did you hear? The temp today is an E-ranker . ¡± ¡®This again?¡¯ Like in the past, Jinwoo sometimes hated his keen hearing . ¡®Not like I can just go around with my ears covered¡­¡¯ While he chuckled defeatedly, his teammates¡¯ quiet conversations continued, ¡°What? E-rank?¡± ¡°They picked an E-ranker?¡± ¡°Yeah . ¡± He felt the fiery gazes falling on the back of his head . ¡°I mean, why the hell did the team leader pick an E-ranker?¡± ¡°Would an E-ranker even be of any use?¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll be able to finish on time today . ¡± Worried voices came from here and there . While they were being considerate of his feelings and keeping their voices down, their efforts meant nothing before Jinwoo¡¯s heightened senses . Jinwoo swallowed a laughter . ¡®Looks like there was another reason why they were so cold . ¡¯ As expected, E-rankers were looked down on everywhere . Because he was so used to it, he didn¡¯t feel annoyed . ¡®Besides, I¡¯ll be putting that title behind me soon . ¡¯ Meanwhile, it got noisy around the Gate . ¡°The attack team must be out . ¡± ¡°Looks like they¡¯re finally done . ¡± Tired of waiting, the mining team¡¯s Hunters cheered up a bit . Watching the scene, Team Leader Bae gestured to his team . ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get moving . ¡± The mining team Hunters each gathered their gear and started walking, Jinwoo included . ¡°Thank you for your hard work . ¡± ¡°Thank you . ¡± ¡°Everyone, good job today!¡± In front of the Gate, Hunters Guild¡¯s employees were happily greeting the exiting raiding party . Jinwoo realized ¡°attack team¡± was referring to ¡°raiding party¡± around here . [1] ¡®These guys are¡­ the nation¡¯s strongest raiding party . ¡¯ Looking at the high-rank, no, the highest-ranking Hunters, Jinwoo¡¯s eyes sharpened . He recognized a face among them . ¡® . . . Choi Jongin . ¡¯ Hunters Guild¡¯s Guildmaster and a Mage-class S-rank Hunter . Jinwoo felt like it would get annoying if Choi Jongin recognized him, so he pressed his hard hat down . Fortunately, there were many Hunters around him wearing the same thing, and Jinwoo was able to blend into the background . As he quietly studied the country¡¯s top raiding party members while hidden amidst the miners, ¡® . . . These are the main members of Hunters Guild?¡± Jinwoo could not hide his shock . Despite of his expectations, it was difficult for him to find a Hunter with a strong energy . While Choi Jongin gave off an incredible magic power deserving of his title as the ¡°Strongest Soldier¡±, the rest were rather disappointing . ¡®Are they that weak?¡¯ Of course not . Jinwoo shook his head . The members of the main raiding party of the country¡¯s number one Guild were chosen after an incredible amount of scrutiny . ¡®The Guildmaster himself participated in the Raid . I doubt the members of his party would be put together that poorly . ¡¯ No, the word ¡°weak¡± was as far as it could be from these men . That meant one thing: ¡®I have become that strong . ¡¯ The corners of Jinwoo¡¯s mouth rose . Strength was relative . His efforts in the past few months had not betrayed him . It took him to a place where even these Hunters that just cleared an A-rank Dungeon felt weak to him . The relative strength between them and him gave him the assurance that he had become strong . ba dum ba dum ba dum It made his heart beat faster . In that moment¡­ No one had said anything . No one had told him to do so . But Jinwoo¡¯s gaze naturally drifted towards the Gate . A feeling of wonder overtook him . ¡®My god¡­¡¯ A short-haired woman was leisurely walking out of the Gate . What caught his attention first was her big and clear eyes, adorning her makeup-free face . Her clear, white skin and perfect face were equally eye-catching . She was a beauty that would invite brazen compliments from 99 out of a 100 men . [2] However, what turned his gaze to her in the first place was not her beauty, but what he felt inside of her . The strength that resided in her body . An enormous amount of magic power was ceaselessly emanating from the expressionless female Hunter . ¡®At the very least, it¡¯s on the level of Choi Jongin¡¯ Perhaps higher . She exuded an incredible aura of pressure . When he calmed his surprise and succeeded in expelling all earthly desires from his mind, Jinwoo realized who this was . ¡®That woman is¡­¡¯ Korea¡¯s sole female S-ranker, Cha Haein . [3] Along with Choi Jongin, she was the other axis of Hunters Guild, the highest of rankers . ¡®It can¡¯t be anyone else . ¡¯ How many other women in Korea wielded this much power? Compared to her fame, Cha Haein¡¯s face was not known to the public; the female Hunter had distanced herself from appearing in the media . As such, this was the first time Jinwoo saw her face . ¡®Contrary to the rumors, she¡¯s not weird looking at all . Why would she hate the cameras so much?¡¯ Girls in their early 20s often enjoyed being in front of the camera . Well, mostly just a cellphone . Perhaps feeling his gaze, Cha Haein turned her head toward Jinwoo¡¯s direction . ¡®I shouldn¡¯t need to¡­ use ¡®Stealth¡¯, right?¡¯ Jinwoo hid his presence, and the young woman looking over the mining team became confused . ¡®What was that? I just felt a strong presence . ¡¯ Was she imagining it? At first, she thought Association President Go Gunhee had arrived in the area . But the presence had completely disappeared, as if it was never there . ¡®The association president is a busy man . There¡¯s no way he would visit us without a notice . ¡¯ Unfortunately, the cost of her distraction was huge . She had heightened her senses to look for the strong presence . Because of that, the foul stench she normally smelled assaulted her nose stronger than usual . ¡®Ugh . ¡¯ As she always had done, Cha Haein took out a handkerchief and pinched her nose . The young woman quickly ran through the other Hunters out of the area . ¡®Her senses are pretty good . ¡¯ Watching Cha Haein disappear in the distance, Jinwoo sighed in relief . And with that, the entire attack team had left the Gate . Having waited for this moment, Team Leader Bae turned to the members of the mining team . He clapped his hands loudly then spoke with a clear voice, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s our turn now! Let¡¯s work hard!¡± After the collection team entered the Gate, the mining team followed . Jinwoo stopped in front of the Gate . ¡® . . . ¡¯ As he stood still and took in the experience of seeing his first A-rank Gate, Bae Yoonsuk approached him, ¡°Sung-ssi, what¡¯re you doing? We should also go in . ¡± ¡°Okay . ¡± With a short reply, Jinwoo also stepped through the Gate . That familiar message appeared, as it always would: You have entered a Dungeon . Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: attack team (???) vs raiding party (???) . Both words literally mean the same thing, ?? and ?? both mean attack/assault/offense, ? means team . ??? was the commonly used word to refer to a team of hunters that cleared dungeons up until now, and I¡¯ve previously translated that as ¡°raiding party¡± in the past . [2]: who da fuck¡¯s the 100th . [3]: Hello people who read the mtls, car girl has finally arrived . Or tea girl . Whichever you prefer . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 81. . knock knock . . ¡°Sir, I have the file you requested . ¡±. . ¡°Come in . ¡±. . Woo Jincheol entered the association president¡¯s office . Having waited for the chief, Go Gunhee greeted him with a bright expression . Taking the documents from Woo Jincheol, the elderly association president looked at the picture on top . . . It was Jinwoo . . . The picture was taken in the past when the young man first received his license . While the difference in the man was great between the past and the present, it was still easily recognizable as Jinwoo . . . ¡°Hmm . ¡±. . Reading down the list of Jinwoo¡¯s activity records, Go Gunhee¡¯s eyes became somber . . . ¡®Not only an E-ranker, but the weakest of them . He worked as a Hunter for four years like that?¡¯. . The man¡¯s actions were no different than suicide . No matter how easy the Association¡¯s Raids were compared to the Guild¡¯s, it was still at a level that would stifle an E-ranker . Appropriately, Jinwoo had spent a long time in hospitals during his career as a Hunter . . . ¡°He endured well with all these injuries . ¡±. . ¡°They said he could not leave the Association because of his mother¡¯s medical bills . ¡±. . ¡° . What a rare youth in today¡¯s world . ¡±. . A light filled Go Gunhee¡¯s eyes . . . ¡®In lieu of his missing father, he took care of his little sister and ill mother on his own¡­¡¯. . The association president had decided to look over Jinwoo¡¯s files out of interest when he learned that the E-rank Hunter had Reawakened but did not expect to find something like this . More and more he learned about him, Go Gunhee felt that he was a good man . . . ¡®What a shame that I have to hand him over to the Guilds . ¡¯. . After reading Jinwoo¡¯s file, the fact that he had failed to persuade the young man into joining the Association fet more and more disappointing . . . Go Gunhee clicked his tongue and turned the page, but he had reached the end of the file . With a satisfied expression, the elder closed the file . . . ¡°Good work . ¡±. . ¡°Thank you, sir . ¡±. . Woo Jincheol took the documents and was about to leave, but then turned around and spoke with difficulty,. . ¡°Er¡­ association president . ¡±. . ¡°Hmm?¡±. . Go Gunhee raised his head . Woo Jincheol had an awkward look on his face . . . ¡®He normally looks like he wouldn¡¯t bleed if you cut him . To think that Chief Woo could make a face like that¡­¡¯. . Was there something difficult he wanted to say? Go Gunhee became curious,. . ¡°What is it?¡±. . The chief continued after a moment of hesitation,. . ¡°There¡¯s something I have to report¡­ Just a moment ago, we¡¯ve received a word that Hunter Sung Jinwoo has entered a Raid . ¡±. . ¡°Already? Whose Raid is it?¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s a Raid from Hunters Guild . ¡±. . ¡°Hmm¡­ Hunters Guild you say . ¡±. . Sung Jinwoo ended up choosing Hunters Guild . And only after one day . Go Gunhee¡¯s face became dark . . . ¡®After all that talk, was he swayed by the amount Hunters Guild offered him?¡¯. . If that was the case, Go Gunhee would truly be disappointed . He had been deeply moved after meeting such a great man after a long time . However, when he recalled the young Hunter¡¯s attitude yesterday, combined with the file he had just gone over, Jinwoo did not seem like a man to change his mind that easily . No, there must be another reason . . . Like,. . ¡°If you wanted to fight with strong magic beasts, Hunters Guild certainly would be the best place to do so . ¡±. . Go Gunhee decided to tell himself that that was the reason . However, Woo Jincheol¡¯s next words kicked that reason away,. . ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s it, association president . ¡±. . ¡°Was there more information?¡±. . ¡°According to our records¡­ Hunter Sung Jinwoo did not enter the raiding party . Instead¡­ he went into the mining team . ¡±. . Go Gunhee shot up from his seat . . . ¡°What? An S-rank Hunter volunteered as a miner?¡±. . The elder could not believe it . In fact, Woo Jincheol agreed . The HSD chief had repeatedly checked and confirmed the information, but the reports remained the same . . . ¡®This is why I was hesitant to report it¡­¡¯. . Just what was Sung Jinwoo thinking? With sweat gathering at his brows, Woo Jincheol replied,. . ¡°That is what was reported, sir . ¡±. . Go Gunhee collapsed onto his chair and laughed . . . ¡°What an amusing young man . ¡±. . . . Wearing the hard hat and work clothes he had received, Jinwoo followed behind Team Leader Bae Yoonsuk . Near the Gate, many Hunters wearing hard hats were gathered . Roughly 20 of them? All their gazes turned to Team Leader Bae . The mustache ahjussi introduced Jinwoo,. . ¡°This is Sung-ssi . He¡¯ll be joining us today . ¡±. . ¡°Hello, everyone . ¡±. . Jinwoo lightly bowed his head then read the Hunters¡¯ moods . . . ¡° . ¡±. . They were all rather being cold . Jinwoo understood why . . . ¡®After all,¡¯. . He was just a temp that might not even show up tomorrow, while they were Hunters officially contracted with the Guild as members of the mining team . From their point of view, there was no reason for them to be friendly with him . . . ¡°My god, you people are¡­ Come on, he¡¯s still a teammate that¡¯ll be working with you all . ¡±. . Team Leader Bae smiled awkwardly and pointed at an intimidating-looking Hunter . . . ¡°Sung-ssi, you can just stick to Mok-ssi over there . If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t know, you can learn from him . He¡¯s a little quiet, but he¡¯s the most veteran miner here . ¡±. . ¡° . I understand . ¡±. . Jinwoo walked over and stood silently next to the man named Mok-ssi . Mok-ssi met Jinwoo¡¯s eyes and spoke in a barely audible voice,. . ¡°Mok Jinsoo . ¡±. . ¡°I¡¯m Sung Jinwoo . ¡±. . That was it for their greeting . Mok Jinsoo immediately turned back to the team leader . . . ¡®Everyone sure is friendly . ¡¯. . Jinwoo also turned his gaze . Some distance away, the team leader and a Guild employee that looked like an ordinary man were sharing what looked like a serious talk . Focusing just a little, Jinwoo was able to eavesdrop on their conversation . . . ¡° . Is the attack team still in there? They told us that they were done a while ago, why is it taking so long?¡±. . ¡°They¡¯re really almost done . This is all for the safety of you and your team members, so please just wait a little longer until all the magic beasts are down . ¡±. . ¡°I¡¯ve heard that three times already . ¡±. . ¡°Team leader, you know how dangerous it could be if they half-ass the clean-up . What if a hidden magic beast leaped out at your team?¡±. . As the man young enough to be his son smiled with his eyes and explained, Team Leader Bae could not stay angry; he shook his head and smiled . . . ¡°I got it, I got it . ¡±. . ¡°Oh? Did you calm down a bit?¡±. . ¡°I said I got it . Go do your job . ¡±. . ¡°Yes, sir . Once they come out, I¡¯ll make sure to run here with all my might and let you know . Oh yeah, you know we¡¯re all going for happy-hour after, right?¡±. . ¡°I know, so go do your damn job, ya punk . ¡±. . Thankfully, it looked like the conversation ended in a friendly mood . The employee had handled the situation with finesse . . . ¡®You¡¯d think that everyone working in large Guilds would be arrogant hot-heads¡­¡¯. . However, the Guild employees doing clerical work were ordinary men, while the Hunters doing the physical labor were Awakened Beings . There were a lot of jobs that the Awakened Beings had to do but a limited number of Awakened Beings . You couldn¡¯t just take one out and replace them with another like pieces of a machine . And that¡¯s why the staff employees watched their words and attitudes around the Hunters . While the public may view the white-collar employees of large Guilds with envy, the employees had their share of frustrations and hard work . . . ¡® . Hmm?¡¯. . As he eased up on focusing on the distant conversation, Jinwoo heard whispers coming from behind him . . . ¡°Did you hear? The temp today is an E-ranker . ¡±. . ¡®This again?¡¯. . Like in the past, Jinwoo sometimes hated his keen hearing . . . ¡®Not like I can just go around with my ears covered¡­¡¯. . While he chuckled defeatedly, his teammates¡¯ quiet conversations continued,. . ¡°What? E-rank?¡±. ¡°They picked an E-ranker?¡±. ¡°Yeah . ¡±. . He felt the fiery gazes falling on the back of his head . . . ¡°I mean, why the hell did the team leader pick an E-ranker?¡±. ¡°Would an E-ranker even be of any use?¡±. ¡°I know, right?¡±. ¡°I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll be able to finish on time today . ¡±. . Worried voices came from here and there . While they were being considerate of his feelings and keeping their voices down, their efforts meant nothing before Jinwoo¡¯s heightened senses . Jinwoo swallowed a laughter . . . ¡®Looks like there was another reason why they were so cold . ¡¯. . As expected, E-rankers were looked down on everywhere . Because he was so used to it, he didn¡¯t feel annoyed . . . ¡®Besides, I¡¯ll be putting that title behind me soon . ¡¯. . Meanwhile, it got noisy around the Gate . . . ¡°The attack team must be out . ¡±. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re finally done . ¡±. . Tired of waiting, the mining team¡¯s Hunters cheered up a bit . Watching the scene, Team Leader Bae gestured to his team . . . ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get moving . ¡±. . The mining team Hunters each gathered their gear and started walking, Jinwoo included . . . ¡°Thank you for your hard work . ¡±. ¡°Thank you . ¡±. ¡°Everyone, good job today!¡±. . In front of the Gate, Hunters Guild¡¯s employees were happily greeting the exiting raiding party . Jinwoo realized ¡°attack team¡± was referring to ¡°raiding party¡± around here . [1]. . ¡®These guys are¡­ the nation¡¯s strongest raiding party . ¡¯. . Looking at the high-rank, no, the highest-ranking Hunters, Jinwoo¡¯s eyes sharpened . He recognized a face among them . . . ¡® . Choi Jongin . ¡¯. . Hunters Guild¡¯s Guildmaster and a Mage-class S-rank Hunter . . . Jinwoo felt like it would get annoying if Choi Jongin recognized him, so he pressed his hard hat down . Fortunately, there were many Hunters around him wearing the same thing, and Jinwoo was able to blend into the background . As he quietly studied the country¡¯s top raiding party members while hidden amidst the miners,. . ¡® . These are the main members of Hunters Guild?¡±. . Jinwoo could not hide his shock . Despite of his expectations, it was difficult for him to find a Hunter with a strong energy . While Choi Jongin gave off an incredible magic power deserving of his title as the ¡°Strongest Soldier¡±, the rest were rather disappointing . . . ¡®Are they that weak?¡¯. . Of course not . Jinwoo shook his head . The members of the main raiding party of the country¡¯s number one Guild were chosen after an incredible amount of scrutiny . . . ¡®The Guildmaster himself participated in the Raid . I doubt the members of his party would be put together that poorly . ¡¯. . No, the word ¡°weak¡± was as far as it could be from these men . That meant one thing:. . ¡®I have become that strong . ¡¯. . The corners of Jinwoo¡¯s mouth rose . Strength was relative . His efforts in the past few months had not betrayed him . It took him to a place where even these Hunters that just cleared an A-rank Dungeon felt weak to him . The relative strength between them and him gave him the assurance that he had become strong . . . ba dum ba dum ba dum. . It made his heart beat faster . . . In that moment¡­ No one had said anything . No one had told him to do so . . . But Jinwoo¡¯s gaze naturally drifted towards the Gate . . . A feeling of wonder overtook him . . . ¡®My god¡­¡¯. . A short-haired woman was leisurely walking out of the Gate . What caught his attention first was her big and clear eyes, adorning her makeup-free face . Her clear, white skin and perfect face were equally eye-catching . She was a beauty that would invite brazen compliments from 99 out of a 100 men . [2]. . However, what turned his gaze to her in the first place was not her beauty, but what he felt inside of her . . . The strength that resided in her body . . . An enormous amount of magic power was ceaselessly emanating from the expressionless female Hunter . . . ¡®At the very least, it¡¯s on the level of Choi Jongin¡¯. . Perhaps higher . . . She exuded an incredible aura of pressure . . . When he calmed his surprise and succeeded in expelling all earthly desires from his mind, Jinwoo realized who this was . . . ¡®That woman is¡­¡¯. . Korea¡¯s sole female S-ranker, Cha Haein . [3]. . Along with Choi Jongin, she was the other axis of Hunters Guild, the highest of rankers . . . ¡®It can¡¯t be anyone else . ¡¯. . How many other women in Korea wielded this much power? Compared to her fame, Cha Haein¡¯s face was not known to the public; the female Hunter had distanced herself from appearing in the media . As such, this was the first time Jinwoo saw her face . . . ¡®Contrary to the rumors, she¡¯s not weird looking at all . Why would she hate the cameras so much?¡¯. . Girls in their early 20s often enjoyed being in front of the camera . Well, mostly just a cellphone . . . Perhaps feeling his gaze, Cha Haein turned her head toward Jinwoo¡¯s direction . . . ¡®I shouldn¡¯t need to¡­ use ¡®Stealth¡¯, right?¡¯. . Jinwoo hid his presence, and the young woman looking over the mining team became confused . . . ¡®What was that? I just felt a strong presence . ¡¯. . Was she imagining it? At first, she thought Association President Go Gunhee had arrived in the area . But the presence had completely disappeared, as if it was never there . . . ¡®The association president is a busy man . There¡¯s no way he would visit us without a notice . ¡¯. . Unfortunately, the cost of her distraction was huge . She had heightened her senses to look for the strong presence . Because of that, the foul stench she normally smelled assaulted her nose stronger than usual . . . ¡®Ugh . ¡¯. . As she always had done, Cha Haein took out a handkerchief and pinched her nose . The young woman quickly ran through the other Hunters out of the area . . . ¡®Her senses are pretty good . ¡¯. . Watching Cha Haein disappear in the distance, Jinwoo sighed in relief . And with that, the entire attack team had left the Gate . Having waited for this moment, Team Leader Bae turned to the members of the mining team . He clapped his hands loudly then spoke with a clear voice,. . ¡°Alright, it¡¯s our turn now! Let¡¯s work hard!¡±. . After the collection team entered the Gate, the mining team followed . Jinwoo stopped in front of the Gate . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . As he stood still and took in the experience of seeing his first A-rank Gate, Bae Yoonsuk approached him,. . ¡°Sung-ssi, what¡¯re you doing? We should also go in . ¡±. . ¡°Okay . ¡±. . With a short reply, Jinwoo also stepped through the Gate . . . That familiar message appeared, as it always would:. . You have entered a Dungeon . . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: attack team (???) vs raiding party (???) . Both words literally mean the same thing, ?? and ?? both mean attack/assault/offense, ? means team . ??? was the commonly used word to refer to a team of hunters that cleared dungeons up until now, and I¡¯ve previously translated that as ¡°raiding party¡± in the past . . [2]: who da fuck¡¯s the 100th . . [3]: Hello people who read the mtls, car girl has finally arrived . Or tea girl . Whichever you prefer . . Chapter 82 ¡®Wind? In a Dungeon?¡¯ Jinwoo raised his head . The moment he entered the Dungeon, he felt an ominous wind blowing over him . It was coming from deep within the Dungeon . A chill ran down his back; at the same time, he realized what it was . ¡®It¡¯s not wind . ¡¯ It was waves of magic power . Magic power strong enough to be given substance, released by the boss of an A-rank Dungeon and washing over the E-rank Hunter, giving him the sensation of wind . Considering the fortunate rarity of the S-rank Dungeons, it could be said that the owner of this magic power is one of the highest-level magic beasts that Jinwoo could come across realistically . ¡®An A-rank Dungeon¡¯s boss¡­¡¯ He wanted to see it with his own eyes . And if there was an opportunity¡­ Even standing before waves of magic power that raised the hair on his body, Jinwoo could not hide his smile . Was this a Hunter¡¯s drive? Like a hunter that wants to point a gun at a strong animal, the Hunter wanted to fight the strong magic beast . Suddenly, bump Someone tried to push him on the shoulder from behind . ¡°Hey, how about you keep moving?¡± Lee Sunggu scrunched his face and spoke antagonistically . The interiors of the A-rank Dungeon were wide . There was plenty of room to walk around . However, the man had purposely picked a fight because the temp worker standing still annoyed him . So he thought to embarrass the temp a bit and pushed him¡­ Or at least tried¡­ ¡®What¡¯s with this fucker? It¡¯s like pushing a boulder . ¡¯ When the man pushed Jinwoo, Lee Sunggu was the one who was pushed back . This increased his annoyance . ¡®What kind of an E-rank shit is this sturdy?¡¯ Whatever . This brat was an E-ranker . Lee Sunggu was a C-ranker . Even though he worked as a miner because his skills were on the low end of C-rankers, he was not about to lose in a contest of spirit against an E-ranker . However, the temp worker did not show so much as an inkling that he noticed Lee Sunggu . Lee Sunggu¡¯s eyes narrowed . ¡®What the fuck, look at this shit . ¡¯ The anger slowly building up inside of him, Lee Sunggu flared his eyes and strengthened his voice, ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you going to apologize for bumping into me?¡± Jinwoo turned around . Lee Sunggu flinched and took a step back . ¡®What the hell?!¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s eyes looked like they were glowing with a powerful light . Lee Sunggu became flustered; his breath was stifled by the oppressive amount of pressure coming from the man he was trying to bully . ¡°I apologize . ¡± ¡°N-no, that¡¯s¡­¡± Lee Sunggu stuttered and managed to squeeze out a response, ¡°It happens from time to time¡­ sir . ¡± The man added an honorific without meaning to . Turning red, he lowered his head and quickly walked away from Jinwoo . ¡°Phew-¡± Lee Sunggu was finally able to breathe after creating some distance away from the temp worker . ¡®What the hell was with those eyes? Also, what the hell was he smiling about?¡¯ Meeting Jinwoo¡¯s eyes for a brief moment made his entire body freeze up, and it even became difficult to speak . The fact that he did not lower his eyes was the small amount of pride he was able to walk away with . ¡® . . . Is he really an E-ranker?¡¯ Lee Sunggu thought back on how Jinwoo was not pushed back . And those eyes the E-ranker looked at him with . Eh, fuck it . Lee Sunggu shook his head violently as if to expel strange thoughts, then quickened his pace . ¡°Shit . ¡± Jinwoo stared at Lee Sunggu and scratched his temple . ¡®I was on edge because of the boss¡­¡¯ He did not mean to frighten the man . His training was still lacking . Jinwoo scolded his demeanor just now and ran after the mining team . He reached them in an instant, then slowed down to match the team¡¯s pace . ¡®If I walked at my pace, no one will be able to catch up . ¡¯ Yes, he had to match the pace of others . However, the deeper he went into the Dungeon, the waves of the magic power coming from the boss became stronger . ¡®My Sense stat really rose a lot . ¡¯ To think that he could feel the presence of the boss all the way from here . The boss was in its room, at the deepest area of the Dungeon, while the mining team was far, far away near the entrance . Because of that, his heartbeat sped up . ¡®Can I focus on the work like this?¡¯ As if replying to his thoughts, a loud shouting came from ahead . ¡°One! Two! One! Two!¡± The collection team that had entered ahead of the mining team was already hard at work . They were pulling a giant magic beast¡¯s corpse with ropes . ¡°One! Two!¡± ¡°Pull!¡± Because the team was composed of strong Fighter-class Hunters, they did not particularly need the help of machinery to work on their task . Jinwoo observed the jobs being done in a high-level Dungeon . ¡®First, the attack team enters and clears the Dungeon of all magic beasts except for the ones in the boss room . ¡¯ After that, the collection team would collect the corpses of the magic beasts . Finally, the mining team would mine the various ores on the cave walls . To maximize the income, not a single job could be slacking . Magic cores and magic ores were obvious, but even the corpses of the high-level magic beasts were a great source of money . ¡®Bones, hides, flesh, etc¡­ There¡¯s nothing to be throw away from corpses of high-level magic beasts, eh?¡¯ That was the difference between the magic beasts of low-level Dungeons and high-level Dungeons . And after everything worth anything was cleanly removed from the Dungeon, ¡®They¡¯ll take down the boss and close the Gate . ¡¯ Once these four jobs were finished, it could be said the high-level Dungeon was completely cleared . At least, from the point of a Guild . However, ¡®If it¡¯s this simple level of work, my soldiers should suffice, right?¡¯ Jinwoo thought while passing by the sweating Hunters of the collection team . The Shadow Soldiers that had leveled up were far stronger than the C-rank Hunters of the collection team . If he distributed the Shadow Army so that there was a unit for hunting, a unit for collecting, and a unit for mining¡­ ¡®I could really solo clear a high-level Dungeon on my own . ¡¯ Jinwoo smiled in satisfaction . The goal of coming here was to obtain information . He was rather glad that he came here during his free time . ¡°Something good on your mind, Sung-ssi?¡± The team leader came up to him and struck up a conversation . Looking at an E-rank Hunter quietly smiling in a high-level Dungeon, the man was curious . ¡°Oh, I was just surprised by the size of the magic beasts . ¡± As if satisfied by his half-assed explanation, the team leader chimed in enthusiastically, ¡°Oh that was it? Yeah, I was the same way . I remember just staring with a wide open mouth the first time I saw those . ¡± Feeling like it was a good opportunity, Jinwoo decided to ask a few things, ¡°Even if the normal magic beasts were taken down, isn¡¯t the boss still alive?¡± ¡°Of course, the Gate will close if the boss is dead . ¡± He meant that until the collection and mining teams finished their work, the boss would not be taken down . ¡°What happens if the boss leaves the boss room?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s ever happened¡­ but if it did, we¡¯d all die . ¡± It was an obvious truth . The raiding party that left the Dungeon would rest until the time came to kill the boss, and there was no power among the collection and mining teams that could face an A-rank Dungeon¡¯s boss . Fortunately, it was basic knowledge that the boss would stay in the boss room until a Dungeon Break occurred . Because of that, the team leader did not look at all afraid . ¡°Still, to think that such a terrifying thing is at our backs . Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡± ¡°Nope . ¡± Team Leader Bae was confident, ¡°I¡¯ve worked at Hunters Guild for three years . During that time, we¡¯ve never had an accident due to a boss coming out like that . You don¡¯t have to worry, Sung-ssi . ¡± The team leader tapped Jinwoo¡¯s shoulder and grinned . For a moment, Jinwoo envied the man¡¯s carefreeness . ¡®They say ignorance is bliss . ¡¯ Even now, Jinwoo was making an effort to calm his nerves while being assaulted by the waves of the boss¡¯s magic power . It looked like he was the only one who could feel the boss¡¯s energy in this group . ¡°Alright, this is our spot!¡± Team Leader Bae happily exclaimed as the group came upon the veins of magic ores decorating the cave¡¯s wall . The experienced members of the mining team took their spots upon the walls without being need to told to do so . They dropped their bags and picked up their pickaxes . Jinwoo also went up to an open spot of a magic ore vein . ¡®Do I just hit it with this?¡¯ He was a little uneasy . It felt like it he struck with his stupid strength, both the pickaxe and the magic ores would be obliterated . ¡®What to do¡­¡¯ Jinwoo could not start the work immediately and hesitated . Suddenly, he noticed the veteran miner referred to him by Team Leader Bae, Mok Jinsoo . Swing! Crack! Swing! Crack! Mok Jinsoo was rhythmically mining away at the magic ores . Every time he struck the walls, pieces of magic ores fell off with a nice sound . ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ It was a skill worthy of a veteran . The man was working at twice the speed of his peers around him . A light flashed across Jinwoo¡¯s eyes . He focused his senses, slowing down the world around him . In slow motion, he carefully studied Mok Jinsoo¡¯s posture, form, breathing and the movement of the man¡¯s muscles . The veteran miner¡¯s effective moments were repeated over and over in Jinwoo¡¯s head . ¡®I think I got it . ¡¯ Jinwoo picked up the pickaxe . Soon, he looked like the mirror image of Mok Jinsoo . Swing! CRACK! Swing! CRACK! However, even if it was the same movement, Jinwoo possessed a strength incomparable to Mok Jinsoo . Everytime the E-rank Hunter struck the walls, a large amount of magic ores rolled away from the veins . Swing! CRACK! Swing! CRACK! Realizing there was an incredible sound coming from one of the workers, all the mining team Hunters slowly turned their heads . ¡°Hey¡­ hey,¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Look over there . ¡± ¡°Whoa!¡± ¡°What¡¯s with him?¡± One by one, the miners stopped and stared at Jinwoo with a dumbfounded expression . Even Mok Jinsoo stopped to observe the temp worker . ¡® . . . ¡¯ Everyone was at a loss for words . The E-rank Hunter that had never worked as a miner before was now effectively shaving away at the magic ore veins with skilled movements! ¡°What¡¯s going on here?! We¡¯re here to work, people! What are you all staring at?¡± Team Leader Bae had been recording the amount of magic ore veins when he realized nearly every member of his team had stopped working . ¡°Team leader, look at that . ¡± ¡°Look at what?¡± Team Leader Bae turned his head . His eyes opened wide . ¡°Whoa!¡± The team leader reacted the same way as the other miners . He could not help but be awed at Jinwoo, who was working three times as fast as anyone else . ¡°Team leader, didn¡¯t you say this was his first day?¡± ¡° . . . I did . ¡± Lee Sunggu, who had been curious about Jinwoo¡¯s identity, spoke up, ¡°Are you sure that man¡¯s an E-ranker?¡± ¡°Of course, we check those kinds of things thoroughly . You think I would¡¯ve accepted a stranger without looking at his Hunter¡¯s license?¡± ¡°So how do you explain that?¡± ¡° . . . ¡± After silently observing Jinwoo, Team Leader Bae gulped . ¡°Sung-ssi¡­ is a miner blessed by the heavens . ¡± Even during the interview process, Jinwoo¡¯s muscles stood out to the team leader . ¡®I¡¯ve got a good eye for people . ¡¯ A smile bloomed on Team Leader Bae¡¯s face . beep, beep, beep The alarm went off on Team Leader Bae¡¯s watch . The man looked at his wrist and checked the time . ¡®Whoa, it¡¯s already this late¡­¡¯ It was lunch time . ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s go eat!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± All the miners dropped their equipment and wiped their hands . When Jinwoo showed no indication of moving while everyone else was leaving, Team Leader Bae approached him, ¡°Sung-ssi, aren¡¯t you coming?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not really hungry . ¡± ¡°Still, you need to eat to work . ¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, I had a late breakfast . ¡± ¡°Oh? Well, okay . ¡± The team leader wanted to share a meal with Jinwoo and talk about some serious matters, but he did not want to force the man . Disappointed, Team Leader Bae walked towards the Gate . Watching him leave, the corners of Jinwoo¡¯s mouth rose . ¡®I can¡¯t miss an opportunity like this . ¡¯ Finally, he was alone . Both the collection and the mining teams had left the Dungeon . He would have about an hour¡¯s time to himself in here . It was the opportunity to go find the boss-class magic beast deep in the Dungeon . Jinwoo dropped the pickaxe and looked towards the direction of the boss room . The presence of a magic beast came strongly from that way . ¡®I¡¯m just going to take a look . ¡¯ He wasn¡¯t going to do anything . He just wanted to take a look at the boss . ba dum, ba dum, ba dum At the thought of seeing the boss, Jinwoo¡¯s heart already began to race . He forcibly calmed his beating heart and started walking . Following the energy of the boss, he walked deep into the cave¡¯s interior . How long had he walked? After some time, he finally came across a giant room . It was the boss room . The tunnels of the cave were incredibly wide, but the boss room was even bigger than that . Were all the high-level Dungeons like this? When he asked that question in his head, he looked at the boss and received an answer . There was a reason why this Dungeon was so huge . ¡®If that thing leaves this place¡­¡¯ A giant humanoid magic beast with a single eye was standing all the way at the end of the boss room . Jinwoo looked like a child who was standing in front of a toy that he wanted . ¡®Giant-type magic beast . ¡¯ He had heard of them before, but this was the first time seeing one in person . Corpses of giant-type magic beasts were too large to be moved out of the Gates . Unless there was a Dungeon Break, it was impossible to see one in the real world . Standing in front of such an existence, Jinwoo¡¯s heart fluttered . ¡®It¡¯s strong . ¡¯ Enough to raise the hair on the back of his head . However, it did not feel impossible to take down . ¡®If it¡¯s the current me . ¡¯ It would be enough . The moment that thought entered his head, Jinwoo gulped . gulp How much experience points would this thing give? After toiling away at the Demon Castle, Jinwoo had raised 15 levels in one week . But if he could take down a single boss and obtain two or three levels¡­ ¡®Wait, I shouldn¡¯t be doing this . ¡¯ Contrary to his thoughts, the Hunter¡¯s hands were already holding Baruka¡¯s Tanto and Knight Killer . His face also did not match his thoughts . Should I just go and stab it? Even his mouth was curled up with too much excitement . Suddenly, while the man was contemplating his actions with a smile, a woman¡¯s voice came from behind him . ¡°Excuse me, but what are you doing here?¡± Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 82. . ¡®Wind? In a Dungeon?¡¯. . Jinwoo raised his head . The moment he entered the Dungeon, he felt an ominous wind blowing over him . It was coming from deep within the Dungeon . A chill ran down his back; at the same time, he realized what it was . . . ¡®It¡¯s not wind . ¡¯. . It was waves of magic power . Magic power strong enough to be given substance, released by the boss of an A-rank Dungeon and washing over the E-rank Hunter, giving him the sensation of wind . Considering the fortunate rarity of the S-rank Dungeons, it could be said that the owner of this magic power is one of the highest-level magic beasts that Jinwoo could come across realistically . . . ¡®An A-rank Dungeon¡¯s boss¡­¡¯. . He wanted to see it with his own eyes . And if there was an opportunity¡­. . Even standing before waves of magic power that raised the hair on his body, Jinwoo could not hide his smile . Was this a Hunter¡¯s drive? Like a hunter that wants to point a gun at a strong animal, the Hunter wanted to fight the strong magic beast . . . Suddenly,. . bump. . Someone tried to push him on the shoulder from behind . . . ¡°Hey, how about you keep moving?¡±. . Lee Sunggu scrunched his face and spoke antagonistically . The interiors of the A-rank Dungeon were wide . There was plenty of room to walk around . However, the man had purposely picked a fight because the temp worker standing still annoyed him . So he thought to embarrass the temp a bit and pushed him¡­ Or at least tried¡­. . ¡®What¡¯s with this fucker? It¡¯s like pushing a boulder . ¡¯. . When the man pushed Jinwoo, Lee Sunggu was the one who was pushed back . This increased his annoyance . . . ¡®What kind of an E-rank shit is this sturdy?¡¯. . Whatever . This brat was an E-ranker . Lee Sunggu was a C-ranker . Even though he worked as a miner because his skills were on the low end of C-rankers, he was not about to lose in a contest of spirit against an E-ranker . However, the temp worker did not show so much as an inkling that he noticed Lee Sunggu . Lee Sunggu¡¯s eyes narrowed . . . ¡®What the fuck, look at this shit . ¡¯. . The anger slowly building up inside of him, Lee Sunggu flared his eyes and strengthened his voice,. . ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you going to apologize for bumping into me?¡±. . Jinwoo turned around . Lee Sunggu flinched and took a step back . . . ¡®What the hell?!¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes looked like they were glowing with a powerful light . Lee Sunggu became flustered; his breath was stifled by the oppressive amount of pressure coming from the man he was trying to bully . . . ¡°I apologize . ¡±. . ¡°N-no, that¡¯s¡­¡±. . Lee Sunggu stuttered and managed to squeeze out a response,. . ¡°It happens from time to time¡­ sir . ¡±. . The man added an honorific without meaning to . Turning red, he lowered his head and quickly walked away from Jinwoo . . . ¡°Phew-¡±. . Lee Sunggu was finally able to breathe after creating some distance away from the temp worker . . . ¡®What the hell was with those eyes? Also, what the hell was he smiling about?¡¯. . Meeting Jinwoo¡¯s eyes for a brief moment made his entire body freeze up, and it even became difficult to speak . The fact that he did not lower his eyes was the small amount of pride he was able to walk away with . . . ¡® . Is he really an E-ranker?¡¯. . Lee Sunggu thought back on how Jinwoo was not pushed back . And those eyes the E-ranker looked at him with . . . Eh, fuck it . Lee Sunggu shook his head violently as if to expel strange thoughts, then quickened his pace . . . . . ¡°Shit . ¡±. . Jinwoo stared at Lee Sunggu and scratched his temple . . . ¡®I was on edge because of the boss¡­¡¯. . He did not mean to frighten the man . His training was still lacking . Jinwoo scolded his demeanor just now and ran after the mining team . He reached them in an instant, then slowed down to match the team¡¯s pace . . . ¡®If I walked at my pace, no one will be able to catch up . ¡¯. . Yes, he had to match the pace of others . However, the deeper he went into the Dungeon, the waves of the magic power coming from the boss became stronger . . . ¡®My Sense stat really rose a lot . ¡¯. . To think that he could feel the presence of the boss all the way from here . The boss was in its room, at the deepest area of the Dungeon, while the mining team was far, far away near the entrance . Because of that, his heartbeat sped up . . . ¡®Can I focus on the work like this?¡¯. . As if replying to his thoughts, a loud shouting came from ahead . . . ¡°One! Two! One! Two!¡±. . The collection team that had entered ahead of the mining team was already hard at work . They were pulling a giant magic beast¡¯s corpse with ropes . . . ¡°One! Two!¡±. ¡°Pull!¡±. . Because the team was composed of strong Fighter-class Hunters, they did not particularly need the help of machinery to work on their task . Jinwoo observed the jobs being done in a high-level Dungeon . . . ¡®First, the attack team enters and clears the Dungeon of all magic beasts except for the ones in the boss room . ¡¯. . After that, the collection team would collect the corpses of the magic beasts . Finally, the mining team would mine the various ores on the cave walls . To maximize the income, not a single job could be slacking . Magic cores and magic ores were obvious, but even the corpses of the high-level magic beasts were a great source of money . . . ¡®Bones, hides, flesh, etc¡­ There¡¯s nothing to be throw away from corpses of high-level magic beasts, eh?¡¯. . That was the difference between the magic beasts of low-level Dungeons and high-level Dungeons . . . And after everything worth anything was cleanly removed from the Dungeon,. . ¡®They¡¯ll take down the boss and close the Gate . ¡¯. . Once these four jobs were finished, it could be said the high-level Dungeon was completely cleared . . . At least, from the point of a Guild . . . However,. . ¡®If it¡¯s this simple level of work, my soldiers should suffice, right?¡¯. . Jinwoo thought while passing by the sweating Hunters of the collection team . The Shadow Soldiers that had leveled up were far stronger than the C-rank Hunters of the collection team . If he distributed the Shadow Army so that there was a unit for hunting, a unit for collecting, and a unit for mining¡­. . ¡®I could really solo clear a high-level Dungeon on my own . ¡¯. . Jinwoo smiled in satisfaction . The goal of coming here was to obtain information . He was rather glad that he came here during his free time . . . ¡°Something good on your mind, Sung-ssi?¡±. . The team leader came up to him and struck up a conversation . Looking at an E-rank Hunter quietly smiling in a high-level Dungeon, the man was curious . . . ¡°Oh, I was just surprised by the size of the magic beasts . ¡±. . As if satisfied by his half-assed explanation, the team leader chimed in enthusiastically,. . ¡°Oh that was it? Yeah, I was the same way . I remember just staring with a wide open mouth the first time I saw those . ¡±. . Feeling like it was a good opportunity, Jinwoo decided to ask a few things,. . ¡°Even if the normal magic beasts were taken down, isn¡¯t the boss still alive?¡±. . ¡°Of course, the Gate will close if the boss is dead . ¡±. . He meant that until the collection and mining teams finished their work, the boss would not be taken down . . . ¡°What happens if the boss leaves the boss room?¡±. . ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s ever happened¡­ but if it did, we¡¯d all die . ¡±. . It was an obvious truth . The raiding party that left the Dungeon would rest until the time came to kill the boss, and there was no power among the collection and mining teams that could face an A-rank Dungeon¡¯s boss . Fortunately, it was basic knowledge that the boss would stay in the boss room until a Dungeon Break occurred . Because of that, the team leader did not look at all afraid . . . ¡°Still, to think that such a terrifying thing is at our backs . Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡±. . ¡°Nope . ¡±. . Team Leader Bae was confident,. . ¡°I¡¯ve worked at Hunters Guild for three years . During that time, we¡¯ve never had an accident due to a boss coming out like that . You don¡¯t have to worry, Sung-ssi . ¡±. . The team leader tapped Jinwoo¡¯s shoulder and grinned . For a moment, Jinwoo envied the man¡¯s carefreeness . . . ¡®They say ignorance is bliss . ¡¯. . Even now, Jinwoo was making an effort to calm his nerves while being assaulted by the waves of the boss¡¯s magic power . It looked like he was the only one who could feel the boss¡¯s energy in this group . . . ¡°Alright, this is our spot!¡±. . Team Leader Bae happily exclaimed as the group came upon the veins of magic ores decorating the cave¡¯s wall . The experienced members of the mining team took their spots upon the walls without being need to told to do so . They dropped their bags and picked up their pickaxes . Jinwoo also went up to an open spot of a magic ore vein . . . ¡®Do I just hit it with this?¡¯. . He was a little uneasy . It felt like it he struck with his stupid strength, both the pickaxe and the magic ores would be obliterated . . . ¡®What to do¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo could not start the work immediately and hesitated . Suddenly, he noticed the veteran miner referred to him by Team Leader Bae, Mok Jinsoo . . . Swing! Crack! Swing! Crack!. . Mok Jinsoo was rhythmically mining away at the magic ores . Every time he struck the walls, pieces of magic ores fell off with a nice sound . . . ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯. . It was a skill worthy of a veteran . The man was working at twice the speed of his peers around him . A light flashed across Jinwoo¡¯s eyes . He focused his senses, slowing down the world around him . In slow motion, he carefully studied Mok Jinsoo¡¯s posture, form, breathing and the movement of the man¡¯s muscles . The veteran miner¡¯s effective moments were repeated over and over in Jinwoo¡¯s head . . . ¡®I think I got it . ¡¯. . Jinwoo picked up the pickaxe . Soon, he looked like the mirror image of Mok Jinsoo . . . Swing! CRACK! Swing! CRACK!. . However, even if it was the same movement, Jinwoo possessed a strength incomparable to Mok Jinsoo . Everytime the E-rank Hunter struck the walls, a large amount of magic ores rolled away from the veins . . . Swing! CRACK! Swing! CRACK!. . Realizing there was an incredible sound coming from one of the workers, all the mining team Hunters slowly turned their heads . . . ¡°Hey¡­ hey,¡±. ¡°What?¡±. ¡°Look over there . ¡±. ¡°Whoa!¡±. ¡°What¡¯s with him?¡±. . One by one, the miners stopped and stared at Jinwoo with a dumbfounded expression . Even Mok Jinsoo stopped to observe the temp worker . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . Everyone was at a loss for words . The E-rank Hunter that had never worked as a miner before was now effectively shaving away at the magic ore veins with skilled movements!. . ¡°What¡¯s going on here?! We¡¯re here to work, people! What are you all staring at?¡±. . Team Leader Bae had been recording the amount of magic ore veins when he realized nearly every member of his team had stopped working . . . ¡°Team leader, look at that . ¡±. ¡°Look at what?¡±. . Team Leader Bae turned his head . His eyes opened wide . . . ¡°Whoa!¡±. . The team leader reacted the same way as the other miners . He could not help but be awed at Jinwoo, who was working three times as fast as anyone else . . . ¡°Team leader, didn¡¯t you say this was his first day?¡±. ¡° . I did . ¡±. . Lee Sunggu, who had been curious about Jinwoo¡¯s identity, spoke up,. . ¡°Are you sure that man¡¯s an E-ranker?¡±. ¡°Of course, we check those kinds of things thoroughly . You think I would¡¯ve accepted a stranger without looking at his Hunter¡¯s license?¡±. ¡°So how do you explain that?¡±. ¡° . ¡±. . After silently observing Jinwoo, Team Leader Bae gulped . . . ¡°Sung-ssi¡­ is a miner blessed by the heavens . ¡±. . Even during the interview process, Jinwoo¡¯s muscles stood out to the team leader . . . ¡®I¡¯ve got a good eye for people . ¡¯. . A smile bloomed on Team Leader Bae¡¯s face . . . . . beep, beep, beep. . The alarm went off on Team Leader Bae¡¯s watch . The man looked at his wrist and checked the time . . . ¡®Whoa, it¡¯s already this late¡­¡¯. . It was lunch time . . . ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s go eat!¡±. ¡°Yes, sir!¡±. . All the miners dropped their equipment and wiped their hands . When Jinwoo showed no indication of moving while everyone else was leaving, Team Leader Bae approached him,. . ¡°Sung-ssi, aren¡¯t you coming?¡±. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not really hungry . ¡±. ¡°Still, you need to eat to work . ¡±. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I had a late breakfast . ¡±. ¡°Oh? Well, okay . ¡±. . The team leader wanted to share a meal with Jinwoo and talk about some serious matters, but he did not want to force the man . Disappointed, Team Leader Bae walked towards the Gate . Watching him leave, the corners of Jinwoo¡¯s mouth rose . . . ¡®I can¡¯t miss an opportunity like this . ¡¯. . Finally, he was alone . Both the collection and the mining teams had left the Dungeon . He would have about an hour¡¯s time to himself in here . It was the opportunity to go find the boss-class magic beast deep in the Dungeon . Jinwoo dropped the pickaxe and looked towards the direction of the boss room . The presence of a magic beast came strongly from that way . . . ¡®I¡¯m just going to take a look . ¡¯. . He wasn¡¯t going to do anything . He just wanted to take a look at the boss . . . ba dum, ba dum, ba dum. . At the thought of seeing the boss, Jinwoo¡¯s heart already began to race . He forcibly calmed his beating heart and started walking . Following the energy of the boss, he walked deep into the cave¡¯s interior . . . How long had he walked? After some time, he finally came across a giant room . It was the boss room . The tunnels of the cave were incredibly wide, but the boss room was even bigger than that . Were all the high-level Dungeons like this? When he asked that question in his head, he looked at the boss and received an answer . There was a reason why this Dungeon was so huge . . . ¡®If that thing leaves this place¡­¡¯. . A giant humanoid magic beast with a single eye was standing all the way at the end of the boss room . Jinwoo looked like a child who was standing in front of a toy that he wanted . . . ¡®Giant-type magic beast . ¡¯. . He had heard of them before, but this was the first time seeing one in person . Corpses of giant-type magic beasts were too large to be moved out of the Gates . Unless there was a Dungeon Break, it was impossible to see one in the real world . Standing in front of such an existence, Jinwoo¡¯s heart fluttered . . . ¡®It¡¯s strong . ¡¯. . Enough to raise the hair on the back of his head . However, it did not feel impossible to take down . . . ¡®If it¡¯s the current me . ¡¯. . It would be enough . The moment that thought entered his head, Jinwoo gulped . . . gulp. . How much experience points would this thing give? After toiling away at the Demon Castle, Jinwoo had raised 15 levels in one week . But if he could take down a single boss and obtain two or three levels¡­. . ¡®Wait, I shouldn¡¯t be doing this . ¡¯. . Contrary to his thoughts, the Hunter¡¯s hands were already holding Baruka¡¯s Tanto and Knight Killer . His face also did not match his thoughts . . . Should I just go and stab it?. . Even his mouth was curled up with too much excitement . . . Suddenly, while the man was contemplating his actions with a smile, a woman¡¯s voice came from behind him . . . ¡°Excuse me, but what are you doing here?¡±. Chapter 83 Jinwoo felt his heart sinking to his stomach . ¡®When did she come?¡¯ Because he had been too focused on the boss, he had not realized someone else had arrived . ¡®I¡¯ve been found out . ¡¯ Jinwoo clicked his tongue with disappointment . tsk Now that a witness was here, he snapped out of his greed towards the boss . Hunters Guild had bought the raiding rights of this Gate; in a sense, the boss was the property of Hunters Guild . On top of that, if he took down the boss right now, the Gate would close and the unfinished jobs of the collection and mining teams would result in a great loss for the Guild . ¡®I almost did something terrible . ¡¯ Blinded by the greed of leveling up, he almost laid hands on someone else¡¯s property . Jinwoo came to his senses and breathed a sigh of relief . Meanwhile, the owner of the voice came closer, ¡°Excuse me, I asked you a question . ¡± Jinwoo smiled awkwardly and turned around, ¡°Er, I got lost and ended up here . ¡± ¡°You got lost?¡± The voice was flustered . Jinwoo realized who the owner of the voice was . ¡®Huh? This woman is¡­?¡¯ That face he saw before entering the Dungeon . It was the female S-rank Hunter, Cha Haein . She slowly closed the gap toward Jinwoo and looked at the man¡¯s hands . ¡®I swear I saw him holding weapons . ¡¯ Was she mistaken? Whatever he was holding had disappeared as if it was never there . The woman looked up and down on Jinwoo . ¡®Hard hat and work clothes¡­ Is he a Hunter from our mining team?¡¯ It seemed that the man¡¯s excuse that he was lost was not a lie . Still, regardless of his reason, the boss room was a dangerous place . Cha Haein decided that sending him away from here was more important than finding out the truth . ¡°This is a place where the boss resides . ¡± As she always would, Cha Haein pinched her nose with a handkerchief and stood before Jinwoo . ¡°Please get away from here . If you accidently grab aggro, everyone here could end up dying . ¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry . ¡± Thankfully, it looked like his acting worked . Jinwoo walked past Cha Haein with a satisfied face . As he passed by, ¡®Huh?¡¯ Cha Haein turned her head toward Jinwoo . Something impossible happened . With her eyes wide open, the S-rank Hunter stopped Jinwoo before she realized it, ¡°Hey, excuse me . ¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Hold on a minute . ¡± What is this woman doing? Like a thief who had been caught, Jinwoo did not particularly feel good as Cha Haein approached him . The woman got uncomfortably close to him . ¡°Er¡­ what is it?¡± Jinwoo asked with an awkward face . However, Cha Haein did not reply . Instead, the woman boldly sniffed the man . She had already put her handkerchief away . ¡®What the hell?¡¯ Jinwoo had no idea what was happening . ¡®Why is she smelling me?¡¯ The man was flustered . However, the woman was even more so . ¡®There¡¯s no . . . foul stench . ¡¯ This was the first time she had met a Hunter without that foul smell . Cha Haein looked at Jinwoo with wide open eyes . A question mark appeared on Jinwoo¡¯s face . ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°Are you¡­ really a Hunter?¡± Was there a need to go into detail? Jinwoo removed the Hunter¡¯s license around his neck and held it out to her . The woman took the license and looked back and forth between Jinwoo¡¯s face and the picture on the license . ¡®E-rank¡­ Sung Jinwoo¡­¡¯ Was it because his rank was too low? There was no bad smell coming from Jinwoo . In fact, she smelled a pleasant fragrance from him . Jinwoo carefully took his license from Cha Haein¡¯s hands . ¡°So¡­ Can I go?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The woman realized she no longer had any reason to hold him here . ¡° . . . Never mind . Please be careful on your way back . The Dungeon is large . ¡± ¡°Ah, okay . ¡± Jinwoo bid his goodbye then walked back towards the direction of the work area . His back quickly disappeared in the distance of the cave . However, Cha Haein stood still looking at the direction the man walked off to for some time . ¡®He smelled nice¡­¡¯ After finishing lunch, the Hunters of the mining team returned to the work area . Walking in while picking his teeth, Team Leader Bae jumped after discovering Jinwoo coming back from deep into the Dungeon . ¡°Whoa, whoa . Sung-ssi, why are you coming from that way?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­¡± Jinwoo briefly turned his head back to the boss room¡¯s direction . ¡®I can¡¯t exactly explain that I was curious about what the A-rank Dungeon¡¯s boss looked like, right?¡¯ He turned back to the team leader . ¡°I got lost while looking for the bathroom . ¡± ¡°Oh, no! You have to be careful! Lots of Dungeons are like mazes . If you get lost, you might never find your way back . In fact, how did you find your way back?¡± ¡°I ran into Hunter Cha Haein-nim on the way back¡­¡± ¡°Ah, Hunter Cha-nim? She went to keep watch just in case the boss came out of its room . Like you, she¡¯s a rather worry-filled person . ¡± Team Leader Bae laughed energetically . It seemed like Jinwoo¡¯s questions earlier about the boss had given the man a wrong impression . Jinwoo smiled bitterly . ¡®The team leader can laugh since he doesn¡¯t know how scary the boss is . ¡¯ This was the difference between the work team and the raiding party . Knowing the true terror of magic beasts, Cha Haein was keeping watch and preparing for the worst case scenario that these men did not give a second thought to . ¡®Even with that expressionless face, she¡¯s got a side like that to her . ¡¯ If the boss left its room, the ones in danger were not the raiding party . It was the labor team working while the raiding party was absent . To protect their lives, the woman had forgone sweet resting time and went to keep watch at the boss room . ¡® . . . She¡¯s an amazing woman . ¡¯ This was Jinwoo¡¯s honest opinion of Cha Haein . Suddenly, he recalled the woman¡¯s strange habit . ¡®Why does she block her nose with that handkerchief?¡¯ Now that he thought about it, other than the time just now, she had constantly held that handkerchief to her nose . ¡°Team leader,¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Instead of being annoyed by the pestering, Team Leader Bae was rather friendly and accomodating whenever Jinwoo called to him . ¡®He did seem to respond well to my work earlier . ¡¯ It seemed that his prowess had earned some brownie points with the team leader . Thanks to that, Jinwoo was able to comfortably ask things here and there . If anything, Team Leader Bae was the one who pressed him, ¡°Why are you quiet after calling a man over, Sung-ssi?¡± Jinwoo grinned and replied, ¡°No it¡¯s nothing . . I was just curious on why Hunter Cha Haein carried that handkerchief around . ¡± ¡°Oh, that? She¡¯s a little special . ¡± ¡°Special?¡± What did that mean? The team leader explained patiently, ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, Hunter Cha is able to smell something from Hunters . It¡¯s apparently not a good smell . ¡± ¡°A Hunter¡¯s smell?¡± ¡°Something about a unique physiology . ¡± A unique physiology . Jinwoo had something similar: his keen sense of hearing . Even before he had become an Awakened Being, the young man had good ears . And after he Awakened? Well, even as an E-rank Hunter, his hearing was a level above others . ¡®Her sense of smell must¡¯ve also been enhanced after Awakening . ¡¯ He understood her to a degree . ¡°Peculiar, right?¡± As if liking that Jinwoo was paying attention, Team Leader Bae continued, ¡°I heard that because of that smell, she has difficulty breathing around Hunters . ¡± ¡° . . . ¡± Was that the reason? ¡®Why she asked me if I was really a Hunter . ¡¯ Was it because he did not smell like a Hunter? Jinwoo recalled the words of the leader of the White Walkers back in the Red Gate, [¡°In our head, there is a voice whispering to us without rest . It tells us to ¡®kill all humans¡¯ . But in front of you, the voice becomes silent . ¡±] Was it related to what that thing told him? Not having the smell associated with Hunters, not being told to be killed like humans . ¡®Because I am a Player¡­¡¯ The absolute singular existence that was chosen by the System . Just what was a Player? Briefly questioning his own identity, Jinwoo quickly shook his head, ¡®Not like I can obtain the answer to that question right now . ¡¯ He cleared his mind . Worrying about a riddle that he could not solve would only exhaust him mentally . Crack! Crack! Soon, the sound of his coworkers mining started . Jinwoo also grabbed his pickaxe . ¡®An A-rank Boss¡­ I really wanted to kill it . ¡¯ What would¡¯ve happened if Cha Haein didn¡¯t arrive on time? Jinwoo swung away while thinking about it . Because of Jinwoo¡¯s outstanding performance, the mining team managed to finish their work before dinner . According to the team leader, it was two hours earlier than usual . Because of that, the eyes of his teammates looking at him had changed . ¡°Good work today, Sung-ssi!¡± ¡°Not bad!¡± ¡°I thought someone brought in a mining machine, haha!¡± The Hunters surrounded him and poured compliments all over him . The cold attitude they greeted him with before the Gate had all but disappeared . Jinwoo was also in a good mood . The experience of working as a miner was interesting, and he had succeeded in his objective of scouting an A-rank Dungeon . ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go go go!¡± At Team Leader Bae¡¯s order, the mining team moved as one towards the exit . ¡°One! Two!¡± ¡°Pull!¡± They passed by the still working collection team . Soon, the mining team left the Dungeon and loitered while preparing to leave . Compared to the Guild¡¯s official members, the temp worker Sung Jinwoo¡¯s pay was provided on the spot . ¡°Sung-ssi, here you go, this is yours . ¡± ¡°Thank you . ¡± While handing over the envelope, Team Leader Bae discretely asked him a question, ¡°We¡¯re about to go for some food, would you like to join us?¡± While the question was asked casually, the team leader¡¯s eyes were serious . ¡®It feels like he has something he wants to ask me¡­¡¯ Jinwoo felt the man¡¯s sincerity . However, he politely declined . ¡°I¡¯m sorry . ¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s okay . ¡± The team leader scratched his chin . ¡®I wanted to ask him while we were in a good mood with alcohol¡­¡¯ But the man had to change his plans a bit, ¡°You know, I¡¯ve met a lot of people while working on this job . ¡± ¡°Mhmm . ¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve never seen a man like you . You were born to be a miner . ¡± It seemed that the team leader had taken a liking to him . ¡®Haha¡­ That¡¯s a bit¡­¡¯ Jinwoo could neither confirm nor deny the team leader¡¯s words . Instead, he awkwardly laughed . Confusing that for a good sign, the team leader got to business, ¡°I don¡¯t normally do this but¡­ How would you like to come work under me? I guarantee you¡¯ll be paid well . ¡± The young man called Sung Jinwoo . On his first day as a miner, the man had completed several times more work than a veteran miner . If he could not obtain this genius, it would be his failure as the leader of the mining team . Even if he had to talk to the higher-ups to provide a special consideration for Jinwoo, the team leader wanted to hire the young man . However, Jinwoo¡¯s refusal was firm . ¡°I¡¯m grateful for your words but¡­ There¡¯s something I¡¯m preparing for . ¡± At that sentence, the team leader¡¯s cheerful mood fell . ¡°Is¡­ is that so?¡± Jinwoo swallowed a laughter . ¡®What a fun person . ¡¯ To think that his feelings would show this much on his face . It seemed that Team Leader Bae thought he had discovered some hidden talent in the E-ranker . After a moment of thought, the team leader carefully asked, ¡°How about tomorrow? Do you think you could come out again?¡± ¡°Tomorrow is a bit¡­ Hmm¡­¡± Well, he was still free tomorrow . The remeasurement was two days from now . But Jinwoo wondered if there was a reason for him to work as a miner again . He had already observed the raiding method of a large Guild and even took a look at an A-rank Dungeon¡¯s boss . Suddenly, Jinwoo realized something, ¡®Hold on . ¡¯ He was about to refuse when a question flashed across his mind, ¡°Does that mean Hunters Guild has another Raid tomorrow?¡± ¡°Yep . It¡¯s another A-rank Gate . ¡± ¡°Is that even possible? They just finished a Raid today . ¡± It was common practice for raiding parties to rest for a week after completing a Raid . ¡®They said that today¡¯s Raid started yesterday evening . ¡¯ That meant the main raiding party of Hunters Guild had raided for two consecutive days . On top of that, by the time they went back to take down the boss after the collection team finished, it would be dawn . Jinwoo couldn¡¯t imagine that they would raid again tomorrow . When Jinwoo looked interested, the team leader continued, ¡°Instead of Attack Team A, Attack Team B will be up to the plate tomorrow . ¡± Attack Team B? They were going to clear an A-rank Dungeon with the secondary raiding party? ¡°This is the power of Hunters Guild . We¡¯re probably the only Guild in South Korea that can take down two A-rank Gates with two separate teams . ¡± Team Leader Bae spoke with pride . ¡°Is this how Hunters Guild always raided?¡± ¡°No, no . Normally they wouldn¡¯t divide up the teams like that . But seems like the jobs overlapped this time . ¡± Because two A-rank Gates had simultaneously appeared in Hunters Guild¡¯s territory, the team leader explained that Guildmaster Choi Jongin had to pull a lot of strings in order to obtain the raiding rights for both of them . ¡®Oh, so that¡¯s why Guildmaster Choi was at the Association yesterday¡­¡¯ A busy man like Choi Jongin would not have frivolously visited the Association . Jinwoo nodded, ¡°So does that mean this is the first time the secondary raiding party will be the sole attack team of the Raid?¡± ¡°Yep . But don¡¯t let that fool you . Hunters Guild¡¯s secondary team is not just any secondary team . They¡¯re better than most large Guild¡¯s primary team . ¡± ¡°Still, it should be much more dangerous than today, right?¡± Team Leader Bae was at a loss for words . Jinwoo was right . Two S-rankers had participated in the Raid today . Compared to that, only A-rankers would be part of the offensive tomorrow . Even though they had heard that tomorrow¡¯s Gate was smaller than today¡¯s, the absence of the two S-rankers would be great . The team leader recalled how Sung-ssi was worried about the boss even though the S-rankers were nearby . ¡®Still, I don¡¯t want to lie to the man . ¡¯ Team Leader Bae had hoped to work with Jinwoo tomorrow . Realizing that would not happen, the man answered him disappointedly, ¡°It¡¯ll be much more dangerous . If things go wrong, the Raid itself might fail . ¡± Jinwoo¡¯s eyes lit up . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 83. . Jinwoo felt his heart sinking to his stomach . . . ¡®When did she come?¡¯. . Because he had been too focused on the boss, he had not realized someone else had arrived . . . ¡®I¡¯ve been found out . ¡¯. . Jinwoo clicked his tongue with disappointment . . . tsk. . Now that a witness was here, he snapped out of his greed towards the boss . Hunters Guild had bought the raiding rights of this Gate; in a sense, the boss was the property of Hunters Guild . On top of that, if he took down the boss right now, the Gate would close and the unfinished jobs of the collection and mining teams would result in a great loss for the Guild . . . ¡®I almost did something terrible . ¡¯. . Blinded by the greed of leveling up, he almost laid hands on someone else¡¯s property . Jinwoo came to his senses and breathed a sigh of relief . Meanwhile, the owner of the voice came closer,. . ¡°Excuse me, I asked you a question . ¡±. . Jinwoo smiled awkwardly and turned around,. . ¡°Er, I got lost and ended up here . ¡±. . ¡°You got lost?¡±. . The voice was flustered . Jinwoo realized who the owner of the voice was . . . ¡®Huh? This woman is¡­?¡¯. . That face he saw before entering the Dungeon . It was the female S-rank Hunter, Cha Haein . She slowly closed the gap toward Jinwoo and looked at the man¡¯s hands . . . ¡®I swear I saw him holding weapons . ¡¯. . Was she mistaken? Whatever he was holding had disappeared as if it was never there . The woman looked up and down on Jinwoo . . . ¡®Hard hat and work clothes¡­ Is he a Hunter from our mining team?¡¯. . It seemed that the man¡¯s excuse that he was lost was not a lie . Still, regardless of his reason, the boss room was a dangerous place . Cha Haein decided that sending him away from here was more important than finding out the truth . . . ¡°This is a place where the boss resides . ¡±. . As she always would, Cha Haein pinched her nose with a handkerchief and stood before Jinwoo . . . ¡°Please get away from here . If you accidently grab aggro, everyone here could end up dying . ¡±. . ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry . ¡±. . Thankfully, it looked like his acting worked . Jinwoo walked past Cha Haein with a satisfied face . . . As he passed by,. . ¡®Huh?¡¯. . Cha Haein turned her head toward Jinwoo . Something impossible happened . With her eyes wide open, the S-rank Hunter stopped Jinwoo before she realized it,. . ¡°Hey, excuse me . ¡±. . ¡°Yes?¡±. . ¡°Hold on a minute . ¡±. . What is this woman doing? Like a thief who had been caught, Jinwoo did not particularly feel good as Cha Haein approached him . The woman got uncomfortably close to him . . . ¡°Er¡­ what is it?¡±. . Jinwoo asked with an awkward face . However, Cha Haein did not reply . Instead, the woman boldly sniffed the man . She had already put her handkerchief away . . . ¡®What the hell?¡¯. . Jinwoo had no idea what was happening . . . ¡®Why is she smelling me?¡¯. . The man was flustered . However, the woman was even more so . . . ¡®There¡¯s no . foul stench . ¡¯. . This was the first time she had met a Hunter without that foul smell . Cha Haein looked at Jinwoo with wide open eyes . A question mark appeared on Jinwoo¡¯s face . . . ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±. . ¡°Are you¡­ really a Hunter?¡±. . Was there a need to go into detail? Jinwoo removed the Hunter¡¯s license around his neck and held it out to her . The woman took the license and looked back and forth between Jinwoo¡¯s face and the picture on the license . . . ¡®E-rank¡­ Sung Jinwoo¡­¡¯. . Was it because his rank was too low? There was no bad smell coming from Jinwoo . In fact, she smelled a pleasant fragrance from him . . . Jinwoo carefully took his license from Cha Haein¡¯s hands . . . ¡°So¡­ Can I go?¡±. . ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±. . The woman realized she no longer had any reason to hold him here . . . ¡° . Never mind . Please be careful on your way back . The Dungeon is large . ¡±. . ¡°Ah, okay . ¡±. . Jinwoo bid his goodbye then walked back towards the direction of the work area . His back quickly disappeared in the distance of the cave . However, Cha Haein stood still looking at the direction the man walked off to for some time . . . ¡®He smelled nice¡­¡¯. . . . After finishing lunch, the Hunters of the mining team returned to the work area . Walking in while picking his teeth, Team Leader Bae jumped after discovering Jinwoo coming back from deep into the Dungeon . . . ¡°Whoa, whoa . Sung-ssi, why are you coming from that way?¡±. . ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­¡±. . Jinwoo briefly turned his head back to the boss room¡¯s direction . . . ¡®I can¡¯t exactly explain that I was curious about what the A-rank Dungeon¡¯s boss looked like, right?¡¯. . He turned back to the team leader . . . ¡°I got lost while looking for the bathroom . ¡±. . ¡°Oh, no! You have to be careful! Lots of Dungeons are like mazes . If you get lost, you might never find your way back . In fact, how did you find your way back?¡±. . ¡°I ran into Hunter Cha Haein-nim on the way back¡­¡±. . ¡°Ah, Hunter Cha-nim? She went to keep watch just in case the boss came out of its room . Like you, she¡¯s a rather worry-filled person . ¡±. . Team Leader Bae laughed energetically . It seemed like Jinwoo¡¯s questions earlier about the boss had given the man a wrong impression . Jinwoo smiled bitterly . . . ¡®The team leader can laugh since he doesn¡¯t know how scary the boss is . ¡¯. . This was the difference between the work team and the raiding party . Knowing the true terror of magic beasts, Cha Haein was keeping watch and preparing for the worst case scenario that these men did not give a second thought to . . . ¡®Even with that expressionless face, she¡¯s got a side like that to her . ¡¯. . If the boss left its room, the ones in danger were not the raiding party . It was the labor team working while the raiding party was absent . To protect their lives, the woman had forgone sweet resting time and went to keep watch at the boss room . . . ¡® . She¡¯s an amazing woman . ¡¯. . This was Jinwoo¡¯s honest opinion of Cha Haein . Suddenly, he recalled the woman¡¯s strange habit . . . ¡®Why does she block her nose with that handkerchief?¡¯. . Now that he thought about it, other than the time just now, she had constantly held that handkerchief to her nose . . . ¡°Team leader,¡±. . ¡°Hmm?¡±. . Instead of being annoyed by the pestering, Team Leader Bae was rather friendly and accomodating whenever Jinwoo called to him . . . ¡®He did seem to respond well to my work earlier . ¡¯. . It seemed that his prowess had earned some brownie points with the team leader . Thanks to that, Jinwoo was able to comfortably ask things here and there . If anything, Team Leader Bae was the one who pressed him,. . ¡°Why are you quiet after calling a man over, Sung-ssi?¡±. . Jinwoo grinned and replied,. . ¡°No it¡¯s nothing I was just curious on why Hunter Cha Haein carried that handkerchief around . ¡±. . ¡°Oh, that? She¡¯s a little special . ¡±. . ¡°Special?¡±. . What did that mean? The team leader explained patiently,. . ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, Hunter Cha is able to smell something from Hunters . It¡¯s apparently not a good smell . ¡±. . ¡°A Hunter¡¯s smell?¡±. . ¡°Something about a unique physiology . ¡±. . A unique physiology . Jinwoo had something similar: his keen sense of hearing . Even before he had become an Awakened Being, the young man had good ears . And after he Awakened? Well, even as an E-rank Hunter, his hearing was a level above others . . . ¡®Her sense of smell must¡¯ve also been enhanced after Awakening . ¡¯. . He understood her to a degree . . . ¡°Peculiar, right?¡±. . As if liking that Jinwoo was paying attention, Team Leader Bae continued,. . ¡°I heard that because of that smell, she has difficulty breathing around Hunters . ¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . Was that the reason?. . ¡®Why she asked me if I was really a Hunter . ¡¯. . Was it because he did not smell like a Hunter? Jinwoo recalled the words of the leader of the White Walkers back in the Red Gate,. . [¡°In our head, there is a voice whispering to us without rest . It tells us to ¡®kill all humans¡¯ . But in front of you, the voice becomes silent . ¡±]. . Was it related to what that thing told him?. . Not having the smell associated with Hunters, not being told to be killed like humans . . . ¡®Because I am a Player¡­¡¯. . The absolute singular existence that was chosen by the System . . . Just what was a Player?. . Briefly questioning his own identity, Jinwoo quickly shook his head,. . ¡®Not like I can obtain the answer to that question right now . ¡¯. . He cleared his mind . Worrying about a riddle that he could not solve would only exhaust him mentally . . . Crack! Crack!. . Soon, the sound of his coworkers mining started . Jinwoo also grabbed his pickaxe . . . ¡®An A-rank Boss¡­ I really wanted to kill it . ¡¯. . What would¡¯ve happened if Cha Haein didn¡¯t arrive on time?. . Jinwoo swung away while thinking about it . . . . . Because of Jinwoo¡¯s outstanding performance, the mining team managed to finish their work before dinner . According to the team leader, it was two hours earlier than usual . Because of that, the eyes of his teammates looking at him had changed . . . ¡°Good work today, Sung-ssi!¡±. ¡°Not bad!¡±. ¡°I thought someone brought in a mining machine, haha!¡±. . The Hunters surrounded him and poured compliments all over him . The cold attitude they greeted him with before the Gate had all but disappeared . Jinwoo was also in a good mood . The experience of working as a miner was interesting, and he had succeeded in his objective of scouting an A-rank Dungeon . . . ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±. ¡°Yes, sir!¡±. ¡°Let¡¯s go go go!¡±. . At Team Leader Bae¡¯s order, the mining team moved as one towards the exit . . . ¡°One! Two!¡±. ¡°Pull!¡±. . They passed by the still working collection team . Soon, the mining team left the Dungeon and loitered while preparing to leave . Compared to the Guild¡¯s official members, the temp worker Sung Jinwoo¡¯s pay was provided on the spot . . . ¡°Sung-ssi, here you go, this is yours . ¡±. . ¡°Thank you . ¡±. . While handing over the envelope, Team Leader Bae discretely asked him a question,. . ¡°We¡¯re about to go for some food, would you like to join us?¡±. . While the question was asked casually, the team leader¡¯s eyes were serious . . . ¡®It feels like he has something he wants to ask me¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo felt the man¡¯s sincerity . However, he politely declined . . . ¡°I¡¯m sorry . ¡±. . ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s okay . ¡±. . The team leader scratched his chin . . . ¡®I wanted to ask him while we were in a good mood with alcohol¡­¡¯. . But the man had to change his plans a bit,. . ¡°You know, I¡¯ve met a lot of people while working on this job . ¡±. . ¡°Mhmm . ¡±. . ¡°But I¡¯ve never seen a man like you . You were born to be a miner . ¡±. . It seemed that the team leader had taken a liking to him . . . ¡®Haha¡­ That¡¯s a bit¡­¡¯. . Jinwoo could neither confirm nor deny the team leader¡¯s words . Instead, he awkwardly laughed . Confusing that for a good sign, the team leader got to business,. . ¡°I don¡¯t normally do this but¡­ How would you like to come work under me? I guarantee you¡¯ll be paid well . ¡±. . The young man called Sung Jinwoo . On his first day as a miner, the man had completed several times more work than a veteran miner . If he could not obtain this genius, it would be his failure as the leader of the mining team . Even if he had to talk to the higher-ups to provide a special consideration for Jinwoo, the team leader wanted to hire the young man . . . However, Jinwoo¡¯s refusal was firm . . . ¡°I¡¯m grateful for your words but¡­ There¡¯s something I¡¯m preparing for . ¡±. . At that sentence, the team leader¡¯s cheerful mood fell . . . ¡°Is¡­ is that so?¡±. . Jinwoo swallowed a laughter . . . ¡®What a fun person . ¡¯. . To think that his feelings would show this much on his face . It seemed that Team Leader Bae thought he had discovered some hidden talent in the E-ranker . After a moment of thought, the team leader carefully asked,. . ¡°How about tomorrow? Do you think you could come out again?¡±. . ¡°Tomorrow is a bit¡­ Hmm¡­¡±. . Well, he was still free tomorrow . The remeasurement was two days from now . But Jinwoo wondered if there was a reason for him to work as a miner again . He had already observed the raiding method of a large Guild and even took a look at an A-rank Dungeon¡¯s boss . . . Suddenly, Jinwoo realized something,. . ¡®Hold on . ¡¯. . He was about to refuse when a question flashed across his mind,. . ¡°Does that mean Hunters Guild has another Raid tomorrow?¡±. . ¡°Yep . It¡¯s another A-rank Gate . ¡±. . ¡°Is that even possible? They just finished a Raid today . ¡±. . It was common practice for raiding parties to rest for a week after completing a Raid . . . ¡®They said that today¡¯s Raid started yesterday evening . ¡¯. . That meant the main raiding party of Hunters Guild had raided for two consecutive days . On top of that, by the time they went back to take down the boss after the collection team finished, it would be dawn . Jinwoo couldn¡¯t imagine that they would raid again tomorrow . . . When Jinwoo looked interested, the team leader continued,. . ¡°Instead of Attack Team A, Attack Team B will be up to the plate tomorrow . ¡±. . Attack Team B? They were going to clear an A-rank Dungeon with the secondary raiding party?. . ¡°This is the power of Hunters Guild . We¡¯re probably the only Guild in South Korea that can take down two A-rank Gates with two separate teams . ¡±. . Team Leader Bae spoke with pride . . . ¡°Is this how Hunters Guild always raided?¡±. . ¡°No, no . Normally they wouldn¡¯t divide up the teams like that . But seems like the jobs overlapped this time . ¡±. . Because two A-rank Gates had simultaneously appeared in Hunters Guild¡¯s territory, the team leader explained that Guildmaster Choi Jongin had to pull a lot of strings in order to obtain the raiding rights for both of them . . . ¡®Oh, so that¡¯s why Guildmaster Choi was at the Association yesterday¡­¡¯. . A busy man like Choi Jongin would not have frivolously visited the Association . . . Jinwoo nodded,. . ¡°So does that mean this is the first time the secondary raiding party will be the sole attack team of the Raid?¡±. . ¡°Yep . But don¡¯t let that fool you . Hunters Guild¡¯s secondary team is not just any secondary team . They¡¯re better than most large Guild¡¯s primary team . ¡±. . ¡°Still, it should be much more dangerous than today, right?¡±. . Team Leader Bae was at a loss for words . Jinwoo was right . Two S-rankers had participated in the Raid today . Compared to that, only A-rankers would be part of the offensive tomorrow . Even though they had heard that tomorrow¡¯s Gate was smaller than today¡¯s, the absence of the two S-rankers would be great . The team leader recalled how Sung-ssi was worried about the boss even though the S-rankers were nearby . . . ¡®Still, I don¡¯t want to lie to the man . ¡¯. . Team Leader Bae had hoped to work with Jinwoo tomorrow . Realizing that would not happen, the man answered him disappointedly,. . ¡°It¡¯ll be much more dangerous . If things go wrong, the Raid itself might fail . ¡±. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes lit up . . Chapter 84 The E-rank Hunter did not hesitate . ¡°Alright . ¡± ¡°Well, I understand if you feel that way . ¡± ¡°So where do I have to go tomorrow?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The team leader¡¯s eyes opened wide . ¡®Did I explain it wrong?¡¯ He was certain he just told Jinwoo that tomorrow would be much more dangerous . Jinwoo had listened to his words with a strange expression, so the team leader thought that it was a lost cause . But what was this unexpected boon? Thanks to Sung-ssi, it seemed that they would not have to recruit additional hands for tomorrow . ¡®And that¡¯s not all . ¡¯ Sung-ssi was a man who did five men¡¯s work on his own . On his first day ever as a miner to boot . Everyone in the team was truly in awe of his speed that surpassed the team¡¯s ace, Mok Jinsoo¡­ So hearing that Jinwoo was going to come again, Team Leader Bae became filled with joy . ¡°Sung-ssi! You¡¯ve made a good choice!¡± Team Leader Bae smiled brightly . Just in case the man changed his mind over night, the team leader quickly added on some incentives, ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the higher-ups and get you twice the pay tomorrow . ¡± ¡°Is that okay?¡± ¡°Of course! It¡¯s the least I could do for Sung-ssi . ¡± The team leader pounded his chest . ¡°Don¡¯t worry about a thing . All you have to do is show up tomorrow . ¡± Of course . It was not wasteful in any capacity to give double to the man who did five people¡¯s work on his own . If he was the Guildmaster, he would''ve been prepared to pay Jinwoo three times, maybe even more . ¡®Haha, to think that there¡¯s a day I would feel bad that I¡¯m not the Hunters¡¯ Guildmaster . ¡¯ Team Leader Bae swallowed a laughter . In that moment, Jinwoo asked, ¡°Oh, I have a promise at night tomorrow, is that okay?¡± He had received a call from Yoo Jinho this morning, - ¡°Hyungnim, could we meet up?¡± The young man¡¯s voice sounded timid . ¡®This punk, I thought he said everything went alright . . . ?¡¯ Jinwoo was lightly surprised . Unfortunately, he had already volunteered for the miner job and had to push back the meeting with Yoo Jinho to tomorrow . Team Leader Bae replied with a smile, ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, tomorrow¡¯s workload is smaller than today¡¯s . We should be done by 6 . ¡± Even today, they had finished by 5 . If tomorrow¡¯s workload was smaller, there would be time to spare . Jinwoo nodded, ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you tomorrow . ¡± ¡°Alright, take care . ¡± Watching Jinwoo leave, Team Leader Bae smiled, ¡®If I was married, I¡¯d probably have a son his age . ¡¯ Even the young man¡¯s back looked dependable . If only every new hires in the world were all like Sung-ssi . The smile did not leave the team leader¡¯s face . However, he was not the only one smiling . Walking towards the bus stop, Jinwoo was also smiling . Unlike the reason behind the team leader¡¯s smile, however, the E-rank Hunter¡¯s smile was¡­ slightly filled with an ulterior motive . ¡®I mean¡­ it¡¯s not like I¡¯m hoping that something goes wrong tomorrow¡­¡¯ But if something did go wrong¡­ He could be a valuable help to the raiding party or the mining team . The man had not changed his mind for no reason . In a strange way, A-rank Gates actually had a higher success rate compared to the lower ranked Gates . ¡®First, the Association wouldn¡¯t just give away the raiding rights to any Guild . ¡¯ Second, the Guilds receiving the raiding right would throw everything they had at the Raid . However, ¡®Hunters Guild is not throwing everything they have at tomorrow¡¯s Raid . ¡¯ To think that they would actually split up their raiding members and try to clear two A-rank Gates at once . It was a confidence worthy of the nation¡¯s #1 Guild . At the same time, it was an incredibly dangerous thing to do . ¡®No matter what happens, there¡¯s no loss for me . ¡¯ If the Raid was completed safely, it would be the best outcome . But if something went wrong, Jinwoo would acquire the high-level magic beasts as payment for helping Hunters Guild . ¡®Good . ¡¯ Jinwoo got on the bus with a smile . Late at night . Cha Haein tossed and turned in her bed . ¡®Why was that man different?¡¯ Because of the man she met outside of the boss room, she could not fall asleep . After her Awakening two years ago, she had met a lot of Hunters, but every single one of them was the same . Hunters, or more accurately, Awakened Beings, all gave off a terrible stench that assaulted her nose . At first, she had thought it was an illness and met with many doctors, but to no avail . One of the doctors who consulted her at the time carefully brought up a theory, ¡°Could it be that Hunter Cha-nim is able to detect magic power with her sense of smell?¡± It was certainly a possible idea . Higher-ranking Hunters gave off a worse smell compared to low-ranking Hunters . Of course, ordinary people did not give off a smell . But . ¡® . . . He was the first person to actually smell good . ¡¯ Thinking about the events of the day, her heart began to beat faster . Curious about who the man was, she had looked him up on the Association¡¯s website . E-rank . Sung Jinwoo . The information she saw on his license came up . ¡®No contact information¡­¡¯ Wait, what would she even do with his number? Realizing that there was not much more she could learn from the Association¡¯s website, she called the Head of Recruitment, Jo Myunggi, before she could stop herself, - ¡°Hunter Cha-nim, what is it at this hour?¡± It was already 1 AM . If the caller was not the sole female S-rank Hunter of South Korea and the Deputy Guildmaster of his Guild, the man would¡¯ve never picked up . She momentarily regretted her decision after hearing the man¡¯s half-awoken voice, ¡°Could you look up some information on a Hunter named Sung Jinwoo?¡± - ¡°Huh? Do you mean the E-ranker who worked under the Association?¡± Cha Haein was surprised . Jo Myunggi was the Head of Recruitment for the nation¡¯s #1 Guild . How did he know an E-ranker¡¯s name? ¡°Do you know him?¡± - ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­ Guildmaster Choi had asked the same thing yesterday: find information on Sung Jinwoo . ¡± ¡°Guildmaster Choi?¡± - ¡°Yes, maam . ¡± ¡°Do you know what it was about?¡± - ¡°Err, no . . . ¡° ¡° . . . So what did you find out?¡± A deep sigh rang across the receiver, - ¡°I spent considerable effort to investigate, but the Association had placed a lock on the man¡¯s information . I¡¯ve never had something like this happen before, the Association blocking an information of an ordinary Hunter . ¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± - ¡°But why are you looking for him, Hunter Cha-nim? Is it something I could help with?¡± ¡°No, sorry for bothering you at this hour . ¡± click That call was three hours ago . She had gathered her courage to find out who Sung Jinwoo was . Instead, only more questions piled up in her head . A man who Hunters Guild¡¯s Guildmaster wanted to investigate¡­ A man who the Association was working to hide¡­ An E-ranker¡­ ¡®Something¡¯s there . ¡¯ No, something better be there¡­ She hoped . He might be the key to solving the riddle of her unique physiology . The thing that had plagued her life since the day she had Awakened two years ago at the age of 21 . ¡®That man, would I ever see him again?¡¯ What if she could never see him again? A strange worry appeared in her head . Thankfully, Cha Haein recalled the hard hat Sung Jinwoo was wearing . Along with the hat, his work clothes had Hunters Guild¡¯s logo on it . ¡®He must be part of our mining team . ¡¯ Unlike Attack Team A she belonged to, the mining team would be working again today . If Sung Jinwoo had not left the team, she might be able to see him again . ¡®I¡¯m going to go . ¡¯ It was not a strange thing for the Deputy Guildmaster to pay visit to a Raid . ¡®I¡¯ll just act naturally while seeing if he¡¯s there . ¡¯ Why was this? When she thought about seeing that strange Hunter again, her mind relaxed . ¡®I have to go to sleep then . ¡¯ For her plan today, Cha Haein forcibly tried to fall asleep . Before the sun was up . Jinwoo headed out at the crack of dawn to the Raid location . Compared to yesterday, where he had joined while the raiding was in progress, today was different . ¡®Was I worried for no reason?¡¯ He was worried that he had arrived too early . However, the Gate area was already packed with Hunters . ¡°Oh? Sung-ssi! Sung-ssi!¡± Team Leader Bae was the first to greet him . ¡°Sung-ssi¡¯s here . ¡± ¡°Oy! Sung-ssi!¡± The other Hunters also greeted him happily . Since they all worked towards the same goal, a skilled teammate was a welcoming sight . ¡®Feels a bit¡­ awkward . ¡¯ In the past, the E-ranker had always been treated with contempt and derision . This was the first time he was being greeted so sincerely by his teammates . Still, Jinwoo liked their reactions . ¡° . . . ¡± Jinwoo responded to their greetings by silently bowing his head . ¡°One, two, three-¡± Team Leader Bae counted the mining team¡¯s members . ¡°Eighteen, nineteen, everyone¡¯s here . ¡± This was more than enough . Well, on a day like this, it didn¡¯t matter if one or two people were missing . ¡®After all, we have two aces now . ¡¯ When the team leader looked at his two aces, Mok Jinwoo looked away, while Sung Jinwoo tilted his head . In that moment, ¡°Excuse me, Team Leader Bae . ¡± ¡°Whoa! You surprised me . ¡± The team leader jumped at the sudden voice that came from his side . It was a testament to one¡¯s abilities if they could move while erasing their presence . As expected, the person who had surprised the team leader was the leader of this raiding party, Son Gihoon . ¡°I almost had a heart attack, Hunter Son-nim . ¡± ¡°I apologize . It¡¯s a habit from Dungeons . ¡± Son Gihoon smiled sheepishly . From behind him, the collection team¡¯s leader stepped out . ¡°Stop acting like an old man¡­¡± ¡°Huh? You too? Why are you here?¡± ¡°What do you mean? It¡¯s for work . ¡± Team Leader Bae turned to Son Gihoon with a curious gaze . The A-rank Hunter looked over the mining team¡¯s Hunters then opened his mouth, ¡°The person in charge of carrying our bags didn¡¯t come today . I think we¡¯ll have to borrow someone from the mining team . ¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Team Leader Bae¡¯s eyes opened wide . ¡°There are strong fellows in the collection team used to carrying heavy loads, so why our team¡­?¡± As if waiting, the collection team¡¯s leader spoke up, ¡°Our boys had to skip dinner and work nonstop for three hours yesterday . And you want one of us to be a baggage boy today?¡± There was a reason why the collection team had to skip dinner and work nonstop . It was because the mining team had finished too quickly . ¡®Well, normally we would¡¯ve worked until 7, but thanks to Sung-ssi, we managed to finish by 5¡­¡¯ When the collection team¡¯s leader stared daggers at him, Team Leader Bae could not argue . Feeling like the situation was resolved, Son Gihoon asked the mining team Hunters, ¡°Is there anyone who can accompany the raiding party? Of course, we¡¯ll compensate you properly for the added danger . ¡± ¡° . . . ¡± Son Gihoon turned his gaze here and there pleadingly, but no one volunteered . The miners avoided his gaze as one . It made sense . ¡®You think I¡¯ll risk my life for money?¡¯ ¡®Can¡¯t get me to go in there even if you kill me¡­¡¯ The highest rank among the miners was C-rank . The average was D-rank . Some of them were even E-rankers . And the place that Son Gihoon was trying to take them to was an A-rank Dungeon . They would¡¯ve hesitated before even a B-rank Gate, but an A-rank? A scratch in there would kill the low-rank Hunters . No, forget being scratched, a misstep would kill them . It was not a place for low-rankers . Even if being a porter meant that they just had to carry the bags, it was far more dangerous compared to the mining work . ¡°Is there¡­ anyone?¡± Son Gihoon became panicked . He didn¡¯t know how long it would take to find another porter . They might waste a quarter or half of the day . Worst case scenario, the entire day would be wasted . ¡®This is a big problem . ¡¯ Suddenly, the A-ranker met the eyes of a lone Hunter . ¡®Huh?¡¯ Unlike the other miners, this Hunter was staring straight at him . ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ While Son Gihoon was looking over him, Jinwoo also looked over Son Gihoon . ¡®He¡¯s pretty sharp for a Tanker . ¡¯ It was basic knowledge that the leader of a Raid was a Tanker . However, unlike the average Tanker, Son Gihoon was rather slender . Adding his tall height into the equation, the man looked more like a basketball player . ¡® . . . ¡¯ After taking in the measure of the man, Jinwoo moved his gaze somewhere else . ¡°Hah-¡± With that, Son Gihoon finally was able to breathe . What was that just now? The A-ranker became stiff to the point where he did not even realize that he was holding his breath . The man had no idea what just happened . ¡®Was I too nervous because this is the first time I¡¯m taking lead in a Raid?¡¯ In the past, he had only worked as a sub-Tanker in Raids . So today was a special opportunity for him . He could not make a mistake on a day like this . The man hunched over, breathing heavily . Suddenly, he heard a commotion from the miners . Was it because he had suddenly doubled over? He quickly realized that was not the case . Looking over the miners, Son Gihoon realized a hand was raised to the sky . It was the volunteer for the porter the Tanker had been praying for . The man¡¯s face brightened . Jinwoo took a step forward . All eyes were on him . ¡°I¡¯ll go . ¡± Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 84. . The E-rank Hunter did not hesitate . . . ¡°Alright . ¡±. . ¡°Well, I understand if you feel that way . ¡±. . ¡°So where do I have to go tomorrow?¡±. . ¡°Huh?¡±. . The team leader¡¯s eyes opened wide . . . ¡®Did I explain it wrong?¡¯. . He was certain he just told Jinwoo that tomorrow would be much more dangerous . Jinwoo had listened to his words with a strange expression, so the team leader thought that it was a lost cause . But what was this unexpected boon? Thanks to Sung-ssi, it seemed that they would not have to recruit additional hands for tomorrow . . . ¡®And that¡¯s not all . ¡¯. . Sung-ssi was a man who did five men¡¯s work on his own . On his first day ever as a miner to boot . Everyone in the team was truly in awe of his speed that surpassed the team¡¯s ace, Mok Jinsoo¡­ So hearing that Jinwoo was going to come again, Team Leader Bae became filled with joy . . . ¡°Sung-ssi! You¡¯ve made a good choice!¡±. . Team Leader Bae smiled brightly . Just in case the man changed his mind over night, the team leader quickly added on some incentives,. . ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the higher-ups and get you twice the pay tomorrow . ¡±. . ¡°Is that okay?¡±. . ¡°Of course! It¡¯s the least I could do for Sung-ssi . ¡±. . The team leader pounded his chest . . . ¡°Don¡¯t worry about a thing . All you have to do is show up tomorrow . ¡±. . Of course . It was not wasteful in any capacity to give double to the man who did five people¡¯s work on his own . If he was the Guildmaster, he would''ve been prepared to pay Jinwoo three times, maybe even more . . . ¡®Haha, to think that there¡¯s a day I would feel bad that I¡¯m not the Hunters¡¯ Guildmaster . ¡¯. . Team Leader Bae swallowed a laughter . In that moment, Jinwoo asked,. . ¡°Oh, I have a promise at night tomorrow, is that okay?¡±. . He had received a call from Yoo Jinho this morning,. . - ¡°Hyungnim, could we meet up?¡±. . The young man¡¯s voice sounded timid . . . ¡®This punk, I thought he said everything went alright . ?¡¯. . Jinwoo was lightly surprised . Unfortunately, he had already volunteered for the miner job and had to push back the meeting with Yoo Jinho to tomorrow . . . Team Leader Bae replied with a smile,. . ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, tomorrow¡¯s workload is smaller than today¡¯s . We should be done by 6 . ¡±. . Even today, they had finished by 5 . If tomorrow¡¯s workload was smaller, there would be time to spare . Jinwoo nodded,. . ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you tomorrow . ¡±. . ¡°Alright, take care . ¡±. . Watching Jinwoo leave, Team Leader Bae smiled,. . ¡®If I was married, I¡¯d probably have a son his age . ¡¯. . Even the young man¡¯s back looked dependable . If only every new hires in the world were all like Sung-ssi . The smile did not leave the team leader¡¯s face . However, he was not the only one smiling . Walking towards the bus stop, Jinwoo was also smiling . Unlike the reason behind the team leader¡¯s smile, however, the E-rank Hunter¡¯s smile was¡­ slightly filled with an ulterior motive . . . ¡®I mean¡­ it¡¯s not like I¡¯m hoping that something goes wrong tomorrow¡­¡¯. . But if something did go wrong¡­ He could be a valuable help to the raiding party or the mining team . The man had not changed his mind for no reason . In a strange way, A-rank Gates actually had a higher success rate compared to the lower ranked Gates . . . ¡®First, the Association wouldn¡¯t just give away the raiding rights to any Guild . ¡¯. . Second, the Guilds receiving the raiding right would throw everything they had at the Raid . . . However,. . ¡®Hunters Guild is not throwing everything they have at tomorrow¡¯s Raid . ¡¯. . To think that they would actually split up their raiding members and try to clear two A-rank Gates at once . It was a confidence worthy of the nation¡¯s #1 Guild . At the same time, it was an incredibly dangerous thing to do . . . ¡®No matter what happens, there¡¯s no loss for me . ¡¯. . If the Raid was completed safely, it would be the best outcome . . . But if something went wrong, Jinwoo would acquire the high-level magic beasts as payment for helping Hunters Guild . . . ¡®Good . ¡¯. . Jinwoo got on the bus with a smile . . . . . Late at night . . . Cha Haein tossed and turned in her bed . . . ¡®Why was that man different?¡¯. . Because of the man she met outside of the boss room, she could not fall asleep . After her Awakening two years ago, she had met a lot of Hunters, but every single one of them was the same . Hunters, or more accurately, Awakened Beings, all gave off a terrible stench that assaulted her nose . At first, she had thought it was an illness and met with many doctors, but to no avail . One of the doctors who consulted her at the time carefully brought up a theory,. . ¡°Could it be that Hunter Cha-nim is able to detect magic power with her sense of smell?¡±. . It was certainly a possible idea . Higher-ranking Hunters gave off a worse smell compared to low-ranking Hunters . Of course, ordinary people did not give off a smell . . . But . . . ¡® . He was the first person to actually smell good . ¡¯. . Thinking about the events of the day, her heart began to beat faster . . . Curious about who the man was, she had looked him up on the Association¡¯s website . . . E-rank . . . Sung Jinwoo . . . The information she saw on his license came up . . . ¡®No contact information¡­¡¯. . Wait, what would she even do with his number? Realizing that there was not much more she could learn from the Association¡¯s website, she called the Head of Recruitment, Jo Myunggi, before she could stop herself,. . - ¡°Hunter Cha-nim, what is it at this hour?¡±. . It was already 1 AM . . . If the caller was not the sole female S-rank Hunter of South Korea and the Deputy Guildmaster of his Guild, the man would¡¯ve never picked up . She momentarily regretted her decision after hearing the man¡¯s half-awoken voice,. . ¡°Could you look up some information on a Hunter named Sung Jinwoo?¡±. . - ¡°Huh? Do you mean the E-ranker who worked under the Association?¡±. . Cha Haein was surprised . Jo Myunggi was the Head of Recruitment for the nation¡¯s #1 Guild . How did he know an E-ranker¡¯s name?. . ¡°Do you know him?¡±. . - ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­ Guildmaster Choi had asked the same thing yesterday: find information on Sung Jinwoo . ¡±. . ¡°Guildmaster Choi?¡±. . - ¡°Yes, maam . ¡±. . ¡°Do you know what it was about?¡±. . - ¡°Err, no . ¡°. . ¡° . So what did you find out?¡±. . A deep sigh rang across the receiver,. . - ¡°I spent considerable effort to investigate, but the Association had placed a lock on the man¡¯s information . I¡¯ve never had something like this happen before, the Association blocking an information of an ordinary Hunter . ¡±. . ¡°Ah¡­¡±. . - ¡°But why are you looking for him, Hunter Cha-nim? Is it something I could help with?¡±. . ¡°No, sorry for bothering you at this hour . ¡±. . click. . That call was three hours ago . She had gathered her courage to find out who Sung Jinwoo was . Instead, only more questions piled up in her head . . . A man who Hunters Guild¡¯s Guildmaster wanted to investigate¡­ A man who the Association was working to hide¡­ An E-ranker¡­. . ¡®Something¡¯s there . ¡¯. . No, something better be there¡­ She hoped . . . He might be the key to solving the riddle of her unique physiology . The thing that had plagued her life since the day she had Awakened two years ago at the age of 21 . . . ¡®That man, would I ever see him again?¡¯. . What if she could never see him again? A strange worry appeared in her head . Thankfully, Cha Haein recalled the hard hat Sung Jinwoo was wearing . Along with the hat, his work clothes had Hunters Guild¡¯s logo on it . . . ¡®He must be part of our mining team . ¡¯. . Unlike Attack Team A she belonged to, the mining team would be working again today . If Sung Jinwoo had not left the team, she might be able to see him again . . . ¡®I¡¯m going to go . ¡¯. . It was not a strange thing for the Deputy Guildmaster to pay visit to a Raid . . . ¡®I¡¯ll just act naturally while seeing if he¡¯s there . ¡¯. . Why was this? When she thought about seeing that strange Hunter again, her mind relaxed . . . ¡®I have to go to sleep then . ¡¯. . For her plan today, Cha Haein forcibly tried to fall asleep . . . . . Before the sun was up . . . Jinwoo headed out at the crack of dawn to the Raid location . Compared to yesterday, where he had joined while the raiding was in progress, today was different . . . ¡®Was I worried for no reason?¡¯. . He was worried that he had arrived too early . However, the Gate area was already packed with Hunters . . . ¡°Oh? Sung-ssi! Sung-ssi!¡±. . Team Leader Bae was the first to greet him . . . ¡°Sung-ssi¡¯s here . ¡±. ¡°Oy! Sung-ssi!¡±. . The other Hunters also greeted him happily . Since they all worked towards the same goal, a skilled teammate was a welcoming sight . . . ¡®Feels a bit¡­ awkward . ¡¯. . In the past, the E-ranker had always been treated with contempt and derision . This was the first time he was being greeted so sincerely by his teammates . Still, Jinwoo liked their reactions . . . ¡° . ¡±. . Jinwoo responded to their greetings by silently bowing his head . . . ¡°One, two, three-¡±. . Team Leader Bae counted the mining team¡¯s members . . . ¡°Eighteen, nineteen, everyone¡¯s here . ¡±. . This was more than enough . Well, on a day like this, it didn¡¯t matter if one or two people were missing . . . ¡®After all, we have two aces now . ¡¯. . When the team leader looked at his two aces, Mok Jinwoo looked away, while Sung Jinwoo tilted his head . . . In that moment,. . ¡°Excuse me, Team Leader Bae . ¡±. . ¡°Whoa! You surprised me . ¡±. . The team leader jumped at the sudden voice that came from his side . It was a testament to one¡¯s abilities if they could move while erasing their presence . As expected, the person who had surprised the team leader was the leader of this raiding party, Son Gihoon . . . ¡°I almost had a heart attack, Hunter Son-nim . ¡±. . ¡°I apologize . It¡¯s a habit from Dungeons . ¡±. . Son Gihoon smiled sheepishly . From behind him, the collection team¡¯s leader stepped out . . . ¡°Stop acting like an old man¡­¡±. . ¡°Huh? You too? Why are you here?¡±. . ¡°What do you mean? It¡¯s for work . ¡±. . Team Leader Bae turned to Son Gihoon with a curious gaze . The A-rank Hunter looked over the mining team¡¯s Hunters then opened his mouth,. . ¡°The person in charge of carrying our bags didn¡¯t come today . I think we¡¯ll have to borrow someone from the mining team . ¡±. . ¡°Huh?¡±. . Team Leader Bae¡¯s eyes opened wide . . . ¡°There are strong fellows in the collection team used to carrying heavy loads, so why our team¡­?¡±. . As if waiting, the collection team¡¯s leader spoke up,. . ¡°Our boys had to skip dinner and work nonstop for three hours yesterday . And you want one of us to be a baggage boy today?¡±. . There was a reason why the collection team had to skip dinner and work nonstop . It was because the mining team had finished too quickly . . . ¡®Well, normally we would¡¯ve worked until 7, but thanks to Sung-ssi, we managed to finish by 5¡­¡¯. . When the collection team¡¯s leader stared daggers at him, Team Leader Bae could not argue . Feeling like the situation was resolved, Son Gihoon asked the mining team Hunters,. . ¡°Is there anyone who can accompany the raiding party? Of course, we¡¯ll compensate you properly for the added danger . ¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . Son Gihoon turned his gaze here and there pleadingly, but no one volunteered . The miners avoided his gaze as one . It made sense . . . ¡®You think I¡¯ll risk my life for money?¡¯. ¡®Can¡¯t get me to go in there even if you kill me¡­¡¯. . The highest rank among the miners was C-rank . The average was D-rank . Some of them were even E-rankers . And the place that Son Gihoon was trying to take them to was an A-rank Dungeon . They would¡¯ve hesitated before even a B-rank Gate, but an A-rank? A scratch in there would kill the low-rank Hunters . No, forget being scratched, a misstep would kill them . It was not a place for low-rankers . Even if being a porter meant that they just had to carry the bags, it was far more dangerous compared to the mining work . . . ¡°Is there¡­ anyone?¡±. . Son Gihoon became panicked . He didn¡¯t know how long it would take to find another porter . They might waste a quarter or half of the day . Worst case scenario, the entire day would be wasted . . . ¡®This is a big problem . ¡¯. . Suddenly, the A-ranker met the eyes of a lone Hunter . . . ¡®Huh?¡¯. . Unlike the other miners, this Hunter was staring straight at him . . . ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯. . While Son Gihoon was looking over him, Jinwoo also looked over Son Gihoon . . . ¡®He¡¯s pretty sharp for a Tanker . ¡¯. . It was basic knowledge that the leader of a Raid was a Tanker . However, unlike the average Tanker, Son Gihoon was rather slender . Adding his tall height into the equation, the man looked more like a basketball player . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . After taking in the measure of the man, Jinwoo moved his gaze somewhere else . . . ¡°Hah-¡±. . With that, Son Gihoon finally was able to breathe . . . What was that just now? The A-ranker became stiff to the point where he did not even realize that he was holding his breath . The man had no idea what just happened . . . ¡®Was I too nervous because this is the first time I¡¯m taking lead in a Raid?¡¯. . In the past, he had only worked as a sub-Tanker in Raids . So today was a special opportunity for him . He could not make a mistake on a day like this . The man hunched over, breathing heavily . Suddenly, he heard a commotion from the miners . Was it because he had suddenly doubled over? He quickly realized that was not the case . . . Looking over the miners, Son Gihoon realized a hand was raised to the sky . It was the volunteer for the porter the Tanker had been praying for . The man¡¯s face brightened . . . Jinwoo took a step forward . All eyes were on him . . . ¡°I¡¯ll go . ¡±. Chapter 85 An E-rank Hunter volunteered to go into an A-rank Dungeon?! It indeed stirred a commotion amongst the Hunters . ¡°The high-level magic beasts are waiting in there!¡± ¡°Sung-ssi, what are you thinking?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re still young, don¡¯t throw away your life for some money!¡± The members of the mining team swarmed him, trying to change his mind . Team Leader Bae explained to Son Gihoon, ¡°Oh no, that fellow just started working here . He must¡¯ve raised his hand without knowing anything . ¡± ¡°What is his rank?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The team leader glanced at Jinwoo and whispered, ¡°He¡¯s an E-ranker . His rank is too low, why don¡¯t you take someone else? Taking that fellow is too dangerous . ¡± Son Gihoon¡¯s expression became serious . ¡®That man¡­ is an E-ranker?¡¯ The man who had met his eyes earlier . Certainly, the A-ranker did not detect any strong magic power coming from him . But what was it? The man had . . . an unexplainable and dangerous aura about him . ¡®He didn¡¯t feel like an E-ranker . ¡¯ In any glance, he did not look like the lowest-ranking Hunter . Of course, Son Gihoon didn¡¯t think that Team Leader Bae was lying, but he could not shake his instinct . ¡®Still, the porter¡¯s rank doesn¡¯t matter . ¡¯ All the porter had to do was carry the baggage . If the porter placed at the rear of the raiding party was in danger, the Raid would¡¯ve already failed . If it got to a situation where an A-ranker¡¯s life was in danger, what did it matter if the porter was C-rank or E-rank? They¡¯ll all die just the same . However, Son Gihoon could not think beyond that . The time was running out . He looked at Jinwoo and spoke, ¡°No, we¡¯ll take that man . ¡± ¡°Is it too heavy?¡± Son Gihoon asked . Jinwoo shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m alright . ¡± The bag on the E-ranker¡¯s back contained the raiding party¡¯s clothes, weapons and defensive gears . The size was quite large, but to Jinwoo, it did not feel heavy at all . It was the power of his Strength stat . ¡®He doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s struggling . ¡¯ Son Gihoon looked over Jinwoo¡¯s expression then turned towards the Gate . Jinwoo also turned his head . In front of them, a Gate as large as yesterday¡¯s floated in the air . ¡®Wait, is this one bigger?¡¯ However, they said the magic power seeping out today¡¯s Gate was smaller than yesterday¡¯s . Since the Raid¡¯s difficulty was determined by the magic power and not the size of the Gate, the secondary raiding party was deployed here . ¡®Huh¡­ the magic power coming out is pitiful compared to yesterday¡¯s . ¡¯ In front of the Gate, Jinwoo was assured . It seemed that the Association¡¯s measurements were not off . But what was this feeling? Just like in front of the Red Gate, the E-rank Hunter felt a strange sense of dread . ¡® . . . I¡¯m just imagining it, right?¡¯ Son Gihoon gave the order, ¡°Let us go . ¡± The members of the raiding party that had been waiting near the Gate all started to move as one . One by one, the Hunters entered the Dungeon . ¡® . . . ¡¯ Watching them, Jinwoo followed behind . You have entered the Dungeon . The insides were rather plain . Having entered with his nerves on edge, Jinwoo relaxed once he came across a tunnel far smaller than yesterday¡¯s . ¡®Phew-¡¯ Thankfully, they were not transported to another world . Well, the composition of the party might be able to clear a Red Gate . 11 A-rankers and 6 B-rankers . Like Team Leader Bae said, in any other Guild, this party would have never been the secondary raiding party . Jinwoo smiled, ¡®I¡¯m not even part of the raiding party, let¡¯s relax . ¡¯ Yesterday and today . In a way, he was just here to play around . Only difference today was that he would be able to witness more things . There was no need to be on edge . With that in mind, his heart relaxed a bit . ¡°Don¡¯t be so nervous . ¡± From his side, a female Healer-class Hunter struck up a conversation . She looked like she was in her late 20s? It seemed that she had noticed his hardened expression and wanted to cheer him up a bit . ¡°Gihoon oppa, I mean, the Raid Leader and everyone here are experienced Hunters . Well, except for me . ¡± A brightly smiling Healer . From the start, there was nothing like fear in Jinwoo¡¯s heart, but at her carefree expression, his sharpened nerves emptied from his heart like someone popped a balloon with a needle . Jinwoo held back a laughter and nodded, ¡°Ah, okay . ¡± As if satisfied by her work, the Healer put on a proud expression . Meanwhile, having confirmed that there were no magic beasts near the entrance, a signal was given to move forward . ¡°Let¡¯s move . ¡± Jinwoo and the Healer matched the pace of the raiding party and walked slowly . Because they were taking care of their surroundings, the movement of the party was slow . ¡°If it¡¯s heavy, could I help out a bit?¡± The Healer asked after glancing at the baggage Jinwoo was carrying . Without a word, he held out a water tank in his left hand . The woman took it and immediately faltered at its weight . ¡°Ahhh!!!¡± Jinwoo quickly grabbed the water tank from the Healer who was about to lose her balance . The entire party halted and stared at the Healer . ¡°I¡¯m sorry . I¡¯m sorry . ¡± The Healer bowed her head left and right . Of course, she did not offer to help again . Instead, she glared at him every once in a while . Jinwoo swallowed a laughter and feigned ignorance . It¡¯s been a long time since he felt like laughing in a Dungeon . ¡®It¡¯s dangerous to get distracted . ¡¯ Especially in his recent Raids . When he thought back on the difficulty of the Demon Castle, he shuddered . However, today was different . It felt nice to tag along as a nobody in a Raid like this . Suddenly, Jinwoo stopped . Noticing what the E-ranker noticed a beat later than he did, the raiding party also stopped . ¡°Here they come!¡± Before even Son Gihoon finished giving the order, the entire party got into defensive positions . It was in a blink of an eye . Jinwoo was amazed, ¡®So this is the Raid of high-ranking Hunters¡­¡¯ It was in a completely different level than the raiding parties he had seen in the past . Even the naive-looking female Healer also was in a utmost ready stance, a clear light coming from her hands . ¡®Looks like I won¡¯t have a chance to step up . ¡¯ Jinwoo rid himself of the worry and at the same time was disappointed . Anyways, the magic beasts arrived . Beast? Dog? Son Gihoon¡¯s eyes narrowed . da da da da da da da da A group of magic beasts that looked like hyenas ran towards the group . Each of them was a size of a midsize car . Son Gihoon tilted his head, ¡®Dungeon Jackals?¡¯ As they neared, he became sure . They were Dungeon Jackals . Son Gihoon relaxed his tensed form that held out a shield . The man slammed his shield down on a Dungeon Jackal that leaped toward his neck . whimper! ¡°The hell?¡± ¡°Dungeon Jackals?¡± The members of the party that had been maintaining a tense stance also relaxed and tilted their heads . Soon, the cry of Dungeon Jackals filled the cave . whimper! yelp! whimp- The magic beasts were routed in no time . The dozen or so jackals were quickly turned to corpses . The Hunters dusted off their hands in confusion . ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even have time to finish casting my spell . ¡± ¡°Why would Dungeon Jackals come out of an A-rank Dungeon?¡± ¡°Right?¡± ¡°Did the Association fuck up again?¡± Their voices were raised . It was a cardinal rule in Dungeons not to raise your voice . The appearance of the Dungeon Jackals were shocking enough to make the Hunters forget that rule . ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Son Gihoon looked over the jackals¡¯ corpses and scratched his temple . ¡®Why would magic beasts from a C-rank Dungeon come out here?¡¯ The Tanker looked around in disbelief . Everyone had similar expressions . Except one man . Jinwoo was looking at the corpses of the jackals with an uneasy expression . ¡®They¡¯re not normal jackals . ¡¯ His eyes narrowed . He looked over the traces of matted furs around the jackals¡¯ necks . It was evidence that they were tied up somewhere . ¡®That means there¡¯s something else here that raised these things¡­¡¯ Magic beasts with intelligence . Jinwoo recalled the White Walkers from the Red Gate . No matter what race they belonged to, magic beasts with intelligence were a difficult enemy . ¡®That feeling I had¡­ might be right after all . ¡¯ It was not a good omen . ¡°What are you looking at so seriously?¡± The female Healer came up to him and stared blankly at the corpse . ¡°Shh!¡± Jinwoo held up a finger . step step step step He heard footsteps coming this way from deeper into the cave . ¡®The real thing is coming . ¡¯ Jinwoo got up . Meanwhile, the other Hunters also realized something was wrong . ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± ¡°P-prepare for battle!¡± Son Gihoon squeezed out an order . Finally, from the darkness of the cave, the real enemy appeared . The eyes of the Hunters widened . ¡°High orcs?¡± ¡°Of all the magic beasts, why high orcs?!¡± The high orc warriors that looked battle-hardened were standing in a formation . There was 22 of them . Even if it was just normal high orcs, 22 of them would¡¯ve been a difficult enemy . But these were high orc warriors . ¡°Something¡­ something went wrong . ¡± Someone uttered . To think that the low-level magic beasts would be followed by high-level magic beasts that were known for their strength among the high-level magic beasts . Clack! Clack! The long spears of the high orcs pointed towards the Hunters . ¡®The Hunters and the high orcs are about evenly matched . ¡¯ Jinwoo evacuated to a corner . He planned to quietly observe the situation and look for the timing where he had to step up . The female Healer mistook his intentions, ¡°Stay there and hide so you don¡¯t get hurt!¡± For some reason¡­ that was a bit infuriating . Jinwoo closed his eyes and took deep breaths to try and calm his anger . Soon, the battle began . ¡°Kuaaaaaah!¡± At the approaching high orcs, Son Gihoon used a wide area taunting skill . However, the high orcs were not so easily provoked . Soon, the Fighter-class Hunters and the high orcs clashed . slash! stab! crack! Blood spilled everywhere, followed by screams . ¡°Euaaaak!¡± The completed spells of the Mage-class Hunters fell upon the high orcs . Bang! Boom! The high orcs struck by ¡®Arrow of Light¡¯ lost their heads . However, the spells did not shoot out repeatedly . While the magic¡¯s effects were strong, it had a drawback of having casting times . ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± The high orcs were starting to win the melee . ¡°Heal! Heal!¡± ¡°H-hurry!¡± The number of injured increased, and the Healers became busy . ¡°H-healer-nim!¡± The female Healer was also running left and right . ¡°I¡¯m on my way! I¡¯m on my way!¡± She knelt down next to a Hunter that had lost an arm and uttered incantations . wooooong- With a bright light, the Hunter¡¯s arm began to regenerate . It was the power of healing afforded by an A-rank Healer¡¯s powers . But while she was focused on her patient, a large shadow fell over her . The Healer raised her head . A high orc that she had thought was dead was standing over her with an axe in hand . ¡°Ah¡­¡± The Healer¡¯s face turned white . Unfortunately, there were no allies nearby . When the orc raised its axe, instead of running away, the Healer covered her patient with her body . ¡°No!¡± She held her head down, waiting for the blow to come . However, no matter how long she waited, she did not feel any pain . In a moment where a single second felt like a minute, the Healer raised her head slightly . An incredible sight was before her . ¡°Ku . . . Kwek¡­¡± The high orc was floating in the air, flailing its limbs . ¡°What¡­?¡± What was happening? The Healer opened her eyes wide . Suddenly, cruuuunch The high orc¡¯s head separated from its body, pulling up its spine with it . It was an incredible display of power . thud ¡® . . . ?¡¯ Looking at the high orc¡¯s body that collapsed to the ground, the Healer looked completely dumbfounded . ¡°Huh¡­?¡± The high orc¡¯s head was still floating in the air . ¡® . . . Bleh, I got blood on me . ¡¯ Jinwoo scrunched his face and threw the high orc¡¯s head . SMACK! Another high orc was struck by his comrade¡¯s head and fell to the ground . Its neck twisted in a grotesque way, it was not going to be getting up anytime soon . ¡®Two down . ¡¯ Jinwoo turned his gaze . He was currently in ¡®Stealth¡¯ . Neither the high orcs nor the Hunters could see him in this state . The man had worried about stepping up and getting scolded by the Hunters, but then found a solution in his ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill . With this, he would be able to do whatever he wanted . The corners of his mouth rose . ¡®Shall I get started?¡¯ In that moment, ¡°Uwaaah!¡± He saw the Raid Leader, Son Gihoon, fighting with three high orcs at once . Jinwoo¡¯s legs moved with incredible speed . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 85. . An E-rank Hunter volunteered to go into an A-rank Dungeon?!. . It indeed stirred a commotion amongst the Hunters . . . ¡°The high-level magic beasts are waiting in there!¡±. ¡°Sung-ssi, what are you thinking?!¡±. ¡°You¡¯re still young, don¡¯t throw away your life for some money!¡±. . The members of the mining team swarmed him, trying to change his mind . Team Leader Bae explained to Son Gihoon,. . ¡°Oh no, that fellow just started working here . He must¡¯ve raised his hand without knowing anything . ¡±. . ¡°What is his rank?¡±. . ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±. . The team leader glanced at Jinwoo and whispered,. . ¡°He¡¯s an E-ranker . His rank is too low, why don¡¯t you take someone else? Taking that fellow is too dangerous . ¡±. . Son Gihoon¡¯s expression became serious . . . ¡®That man¡­ is an E-ranker?¡¯. . The man who had met his eyes earlier . Certainly, the A-ranker did not detect any strong magic power coming from him . But what was it? The man had . an unexplainable and dangerous aura about him . . . ¡®He didn¡¯t feel like an E-ranker . ¡¯. . In any glance, he did not look like the lowest-ranking Hunter . Of course, Son Gihoon didn¡¯t think that Team Leader Bae was lying, but he could not shake his instinct . . . ¡®Still, the porter¡¯s rank doesn¡¯t matter . ¡¯. . All the porter had to do was carry the baggage . If the porter placed at the rear of the raiding party was in danger, the Raid would¡¯ve already failed . If it got to a situation where an A-ranker¡¯s life was in danger, what did it matter if the porter was C-rank or E-rank? They¡¯ll all die just the same . However, Son Gihoon could not think beyond that . The time was running out . He looked at Jinwoo and spoke,. . ¡°No, we¡¯ll take that man . ¡±. . . . ¡°Is it too heavy?¡±. . Son Gihoon asked . Jinwoo shook his head,. . ¡°I¡¯m alright . ¡±. . The bag on the E-ranker¡¯s back contained the raiding party¡¯s clothes, weapons and defensive gears . The size was quite large, but to Jinwoo, it did not feel heavy at all . It was the power of his Strength stat . . . ¡®He doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s struggling . ¡¯. . Son Gihoon looked over Jinwoo¡¯s expression then turned towards the Gate . Jinwoo also turned his head . In front of them, a Gate as large as yesterday¡¯s floated in the air . . . ¡®Wait, is this one bigger?¡¯. . However, they said the magic power seeping out today¡¯s Gate was smaller than yesterday¡¯s . Since the Raid¡¯s difficulty was determined by the magic power and not the size of the Gate, the secondary raiding party was deployed here . . . ¡®Huh¡­ the magic power coming out is pitiful compared to yesterday¡¯s . ¡¯. . In front of the Gate, Jinwoo was assured . It seemed that the Association¡¯s measurements were not off . . . But what was this feeling? Just like in front of the Red Gate, the E-rank Hunter felt a strange sense of dread . . . ¡® . I¡¯m just imagining it, right?¡¯. . Son Gihoon gave the order,. . ¡°Let us go . ¡±. . The members of the raiding party that had been waiting near the Gate all started to move as one . One by one, the Hunters entered the Dungeon . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . Watching them, Jinwoo followed behind . . . You have entered the Dungeon . . . . . The insides were rather plain . Having entered with his nerves on edge, Jinwoo relaxed once he came across a tunnel far smaller than yesterday¡¯s . . . ¡®Phew-¡¯. . Thankfully, they were not transported to another world . Well, the composition of the party might be able to clear a Red Gate . . . 11 A-rankers and 6 B-rankers . . . Like Team Leader Bae said, in any other Guild, this party would have never been the secondary raiding party . Jinwoo smiled,. . ¡®I¡¯m not even part of the raiding party, let¡¯s relax . ¡¯. . Yesterday and today . In a way, he was just here to play around . Only difference today was that he would be able to witness more things . There was no need to be on edge . With that in mind, his heart relaxed a bit . . . ¡°Don¡¯t be so nervous . ¡±. . From his side, a female Healer-class Hunter struck up a conversation . She looked like she was in her late 20s? It seemed that she had noticed his hardened expression and wanted to cheer him up a bit . . . ¡°Gihoon oppa, I mean, the Raid Leader and everyone here are experienced Hunters . Well, except for me . ¡±. . A brightly smiling Healer . From the start, there was nothing like fear in Jinwoo¡¯s heart, but at her carefree expression, his sharpened nerves emptied from his heart like someone popped a balloon with a needle . Jinwoo held back a laughter and nodded,. . ¡°Ah, okay . ¡±. . As if satisfied by her work, the Healer put on a proud expression . . . Meanwhile, having confirmed that there were no magic beasts near the entrance, a signal was given to move forward . . . ¡°Let¡¯s move . ¡±. . Jinwoo and the Healer matched the pace of the raiding party and walked slowly . Because they were taking care of their surroundings, the movement of the party was slow . . . ¡°If it¡¯s heavy, could I help out a bit?¡±. . The Healer asked after glancing at the baggage Jinwoo was carrying . Without a word, he held out a water tank in his left hand . The woman took it and immediately faltered at its weight . . . ¡°Ahhh!!!¡±. . Jinwoo quickly grabbed the water tank from the Healer who was about to lose her balance . The entire party halted and stared at the Healer . . . ¡°I¡¯m sorry . I¡¯m sorry . ¡±. . The Healer bowed her head left and right . Of course, she did not offer to help again . Instead, she glared at him every once in a while . Jinwoo swallowed a laughter and feigned ignorance . It¡¯s been a long time since he felt like laughing in a Dungeon . . . ¡®It¡¯s dangerous to get distracted . ¡¯. . Especially in his recent Raids . When he thought back on the difficulty of the Demon Castle, he shuddered . However, today was different . It felt nice to tag along as a nobody in a Raid like this . . . Suddenly, Jinwoo stopped . Noticing what the E-ranker noticed a beat later than he did, the raiding party also stopped . . . ¡°Here they come!¡±. . Before even Son Gihoon finished giving the order, the entire party got into defensive positions . It was in a blink of an eye . Jinwoo was amazed,. . ¡®So this is the Raid of high-ranking Hunters¡­¡¯. . It was in a completely different level than the raiding parties he had seen in the past . Even the naive-looking female Healer also was in a utmost ready stance, a clear light coming from her hands . . . ¡®Looks like I won¡¯t have a chance to step up . ¡¯. . Jinwoo rid himself of the worry and at the same time was disappointed . . . Anyways, the magic beasts arrived . . . Beast? Dog?. . Son Gihoon¡¯s eyes narrowed . . . da da da da da da da da. . A group of magic beasts that looked like hyenas ran towards the group . Each of them was a size of a midsize car . Son Gihoon tilted his head,. . ¡®Dungeon Jackals?¡¯. . As they neared, he became sure . They were Dungeon Jackals . Son Gihoon relaxed his tensed form that held out a shield . The man slammed his shield down on a Dungeon Jackal that leaped toward his neck . . . whimper!. . ¡°The hell?¡±. ¡°Dungeon Jackals?¡±. . The members of the party that had been maintaining a tense stance also relaxed and tilted their heads . Soon, the cry of Dungeon Jackals filled the cave . . . whimper!. yelp!. whimp-. . The magic beasts were routed in no time . The dozen or so jackals were quickly turned to corpses . The Hunters dusted off their hands in confusion . . . ¡°What was that?¡±. ¡°I didn¡¯t even have time to finish casting my spell . ¡±. ¡°Why would Dungeon Jackals come out of an A-rank Dungeon?¡±. ¡°Right?¡±. ¡°Did the Association fuck up again?¡±. . Their voices were raised . It was a cardinal rule in Dungeons not to raise your voice . The appearance of the Dungeon Jackals were shocking enough to make the Hunters forget that rule . . . ¡°Hmm¡­¡±. . Son Gihoon looked over the jackals¡¯ corpses and scratched his temple . . . ¡®Why would magic beasts from a C-rank Dungeon come out here?¡¯. . The Tanker looked around in disbelief . Everyone had similar expressions . Except one man . . . Jinwoo was looking at the corpses of the jackals with an uneasy expression . . . ¡®They¡¯re not normal jackals . ¡¯. . His eyes narrowed . He looked over the traces of matted furs around the jackals¡¯ necks . It was evidence that they were tied up somewhere . . . ¡®That means there¡¯s something else here that raised these things¡­¡¯. . Magic beasts with intelligence . Jinwoo recalled the White Walkers from the Red Gate . No matter what race they belonged to, magic beasts with intelligence were a difficult enemy . . . ¡®That feeling I had¡­ might be right after all . ¡¯. . It was not a good omen . . . ¡°What are you looking at so seriously?¡±. . The female Healer came up to him and stared blankly at the corpse . . . ¡°Shh!¡±. . Jinwoo held up a finger . . . step step. . step step. . He heard footsteps coming this way from deeper into the cave . . . ¡®The real thing is coming . ¡¯. . Jinwoo got up . Meanwhile, the other Hunters also realized something was wrong . . . ¡°Oh my god¡­¡±. ¡°P-prepare for battle!¡±. . Son Gihoon squeezed out an order . Finally, from the darkness of the cave, the real enemy appeared . The eyes of the Hunters widened . . . ¡°High orcs?¡±. ¡°Of all the magic beasts, why high orcs?!¡±. . The high orc warriors that looked battle-hardened were standing in a formation . There was 22 of them . Even if it was just normal high orcs, 22 of them would¡¯ve been a difficult enemy . But these were high orc warriors . . . ¡°Something¡­ something went wrong . ¡±. . Someone uttered . To think that the low-level magic beasts would be followed by high-level magic beasts that were known for their strength among the high-level magic beasts . . . Clack! Clack!. . The long spears of the high orcs pointed towards the Hunters . . . ¡®The Hunters and the high orcs are about evenly matched . ¡¯. . Jinwoo evacuated to a corner . He planned to quietly observe the situation and look for the timing where he had to step up . The female Healer mistook his intentions,. . ¡°Stay there and hide so you don¡¯t get hurt!¡±. . For some reason¡­ that was a bit infuriating . Jinwoo closed his eyes and took deep breaths to try and calm his anger . . . Soon, the battle began . . . ¡°Kuaaaaaah!¡±. . At the approaching high orcs, Son Gihoon used a wide area taunting skill . However, the high orcs were not so easily provoked . Soon, the Fighter-class Hunters and the high orcs clashed . . . slash!. stab!. crack!. . Blood spilled everywhere, followed by screams . . . ¡°Euaaaak!¡±. . The completed spells of the Mage-class Hunters fell upon the high orcs . . . Bang! Boom!. . The high orcs struck by ¡®Arrow of Light¡¯ lost their heads . However, the spells did not shoot out repeatedly . While the magic¡¯s effects were strong, it had a drawback of having casting times . . . ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±. . The high orcs were starting to win the melee . . . ¡°Heal! Heal!¡±. ¡°H-hurry!¡±. . The number of injured increased, and the Healers became busy . . . ¡°H-healer-nim!¡±. . The female Healer was also running left and right . . . ¡°I¡¯m on my way! I¡¯m on my way!¡±. . She knelt down next to a Hunter that had lost an arm and uttered incantations . . . wooooong-. . With a bright light, the Hunter¡¯s arm began to regenerate . It was the power of healing afforded by an A-rank Healer¡¯s powers . But while she was focused on her patient, a large shadow fell over her . The Healer raised her head . A high orc that she had thought was dead was standing over her with an axe in hand . . . ¡°Ah¡­¡±. . The Healer¡¯s face turned white . Unfortunately, there were no allies nearby . When the orc raised its axe, instead of running away, the Healer covered her patient with her body . . . ¡°No!¡±. . She held her head down, waiting for the blow to come . However, no matter how long she waited, she did not feel any pain . In a moment where a single second felt like a minute, the Healer raised her head slightly . An incredible sight was before her . . . ¡°Ku . Kwek¡­¡±. . The high orc was floating in the air, flailing its limbs . . . ¡°What¡­?¡±. . What was happening? The Healer opened her eyes wide . . . Suddenly,. . cruuuunch. . The high orc¡¯s head separated from its body, pulling up its spine with it . It was an incredible display of power . . . thud. . ¡® . ?¡¯. . Looking at the high orc¡¯s body that collapsed to the ground, the Healer looked completely dumbfounded . . . ¡°Huh¡­?¡±. . The high orc¡¯s head was still floating in the air . . . . . ¡® . Bleh, I got blood on me . ¡¯. . Jinwoo scrunched his face and threw the high orc¡¯s head . . . SMACK!. . Another high orc was struck by his comrade¡¯s head and fell to the ground . Its neck twisted in a grotesque way, it was not going to be getting up anytime soon . . . ¡®Two down . ¡¯. . Jinwoo turned his gaze . He was currently in ¡®Stealth¡¯ . Neither the high orcs nor the Hunters could see him in this state . . . The man had worried about stepping up and getting scolded by the Hunters, but then found a solution in his ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill . With this, he would be able to do whatever he wanted . The corners of his mouth rose . . . ¡®Shall I get started?¡¯. . In that moment,. . ¡°Uwaaah!¡±. . He saw the Raid Leader, Son Gihoon, fighting with three high orcs at once . . . Jinwoo¡¯s legs moved with incredible speed . . Chapter 86 It was a long distance that was at the same time short . Focusing the strength into his legs a little bit, Jinwoo leaped and immediately shot away from the ground . When he landed, he was behind the large backs of the high orcs . step With the landing, a conundrum appeared in his head . ¡®It¡¯s easy for me to kill the high orcs like this . ¡¯ But then there was no point in using ¡®Stealth¡¯ . Including Son Gihoon, the Hunters here could be considered to be at the top of the nation . If they witnessed the high orcs being ripped apart by an unseen force, every single one of them would quickly realize that ¡®Stealth¡¯ was being used . Well, almost every single one of them¡­ The naive female Hunter had not realized . ¡®Well, it¡¯s not like it matters if I get caught . ¡¯ Still, with his remeasurement coming up, he did not want to invite needless ire from Hunters Guild . Because of that, Jinwoo had planned to perhaps just wait until the Raid had completely failed¡­ But it seemed like the harm to the Hunters was going to be too great . The female Healer had already almost died just now . And so . A light gathered in Jinwoo¡¯s eyes . ¡®I have to act without being noticed . ¡¯ He decided on his approach to this battle . The entire passage above took about one, maybe two seconds for Jinwoo to think . A moment later, Baruka¡¯s Tanto and Knight Killer were in his hands . These days, the daggers were reflexively summoned before he even gave the mental command . ¡®When did I summon these?¡¯ Amidst the battle, Jinwoo smiled with amusement . The familiar grips of the daggers calmed his beating heart . Thank god he couldn¡¯t be seen right now . He would¡¯ve looked like a mad man, smiling in the middle of this chaotic melee . The sweating Raid Leader that was fending off three high orcs especially would¡¯ve been mad . ¡®First, these guys . ¡¯ Jinwoo moved into action . With his body lowered, he wielded the daggers in a reverse grip and cut a high orc¡¯s achilles tendon . ¡°Kuaaaaaak!¡± When its ankles were cut out of nowhere, the high orc warrior cried out in pain . This was only the beginning . With fluid movements that could be described as a dance, Jinwoo weaved in between the high orcs . One was stabbed by Baruka¡¯s Tanto in its ribs . Another was cut behind the knees by Knight Killer . ¡°Kreureuk!¡± ¡°Kuhak!¡± The adrenaline from the battle was insufficient to block their pain . Having cut and stabbed in an entirely unexpected way, the high orc warriors stiffened . This was more than enough . Son Gihoon immediately sprang to his counteroffensive when the high orcs showed a moment of weakness . stab! ¡°Kreu¡­ kreureuk . ¡± ¡°pant, pant¡± Son Gihoon raised his head . The longsword in his hand was sticking through a high orc¡¯s heart . ¡°Kkreuk . ¡± The high orc that was glaring with its lips trembling soon showed the whites of its eyes and fell backwards . thud The Tanker clenched his fists . ¡®Yes! We can do this!¡¯ The man slew the high orcs surrounding him one by one . Meanwhile, Jinwoo moved ceaselessly around the Dungeon . ¡°Kuaaaak!¡± ¡°Kwoook!¡± In the world of slowed time, he casually moved around and broke the balance of the various battles around while doing his best not to make it noticeable . slash! Everytime he passed a high orc, small but effective wounds appeared on its body . ¡°Kreureuk!¡± ¡°Kuwak?¡± When the high orcs were thrown into chaos by the sudden injuries appearing on their bodies, the elite Hunters¡¯ attacks did not miss the opportunity . ¡®Did¡­ did the fight just become easier?¡¯ ¡®What¡¯s this feeling?¡¯ ¡®Are we winning against this many high orcs without a casualty?¡¯ The Hunters had been resolved that at least one or two of them would die in this battle . Contrary to their expectations, the battle was going exceedingly in their favor . smash! A mace swung by one of the Hunters smashed into a high orc¡¯s head . With that, a welcoming voice rang in Jinwoo¡¯s head . You have leveled up! ¡®Oooh . ¡¯ His efforts had not been in vain . He had leveled up . Even though he had not killed or inflicted a mortal wound, it seemed that he still earned experience points by just helping . ¡®The only ones I actually killed were two of them . ¡¯ The ones he assisted in killing were thirteen of them . If his actions were still giving him experience points, it made sense that he would level up . Excited by this, Jinwoo¡¯s movements sped up . slash! stab! ¡°Kaaak!¡± Because of Jinwoo¡¯s invisible support, the curtains were closing on the battle . ¡®Phew-!¡¯ He took a step back from the melee and returned his daggers to the inventory . The man looked around the battlefield . ¡®I think I did enough¡­¡¯ The situation was nearly over; his operation was a success . And he had leveled up on top of that as a bonus . Jinwoo looked over the ground . Nearly twenty corpses of the high orcs were scattered about . ¡®If I took them down on my own, I probably could¡¯ve gained another level . ¡¯ Regrettable, but this was Hunters Guild¡¯s hunting ground; the Guild had paid a large sum of money for the raiding rights . He had done the best he could . ¡®Alright . ¡¯ With a satisfied expression, Jinwoo returned to the corner where the porter should¡¯ve been hiding . ¡°Kaaaah!¡± Their initial situations flipped, the Hunters surrounded the last high orc . Its scream rang loudly throughout the cave . Watching the final enemy go down, Jinwoo released ¡®Stealth¡¯ . shoooo- The Hunters gathered their breaths . Looking around, they confirmed that all the high orcs were dead . ¡°Is¡­ is it over?¡± ¡°We¡¯re done?¡± ¡°Hold on . ¡± Before they could celebrate, Raid Leader Son Gihoon checked for the injured . ¡°Injuries! Is anyone hurt?¡± In reality, there were rarely injured people at the end of battles with a high-ranking Healer . As long as they clung to a shred of life, they could be healed . When Son Gihoon asked for injuries, he was not actually asking if anyone was hurt . He was asking if anyone had died . Meeting his eyes, the female Healer shook her head . There were injuries but no casualties . ¡°Then¡­¡± The faces of the entire raiding party brightened . ¡°We won!¡± ¡°We actually won!¡± ¡°Waaaah!¡± The Hunters celebrated in unison . Jinwoo looked on with his arms crossed . ¡®Are high orcs that strong?¡¯ From what he saw just now¡­ perhaps not . Having no experiences with a high-level Raid, the celebratory mood of the raiding party was lost on Jinwoo . At the time, Jinwoo did not know . When it came to B-rank and A-rank Dungeons, the rank of the Dungeon wasn¡¯t the only thing taken into consideration when determining the difficulty . The magic power measured were carefully reviewed to figure out the approach and party composition of the Raid . Even for an A-rank Dungeon, high orcs were at the upper end of the high-level magic beasts . And if it was not just an ordinary high orc but over twenty high orc warriors¡­? The victory obtained just now was no different than a miracle . The one responsible for this miracle didn¡¯t even know the weight of what he had done . Jinwoo just quietly congratulated the raiding party¡¯s victory . ¡®Hmm?¡¯ He saw the female Hunter approach Son Gihoon with a serious expression . Her eyes said she had something to say . Jinwoo focused his hearing towards their conversation . ¡°Gihoon oppa . ¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°When we were fighting the high orcs just now¡­¡± The Healer carefully explained what she saw . That a high orc suddenly floated in the air and removed its own head, then flew over to strike and kill another high orc . Her face was completely serious . ¡° . . . ¡± Son Gihoon was at a loss for words . ¡°I¡¯m telling you the truth!¡± Looking at the mortified red face of the Healer, Jinwoo struggled to keep in his laughter . Meanwhile, the Hunters¡¯ celebrations lasted only a short while . They gathered around the Raid Leader, Son Gihoon . ¡°Leader, are we going to continue?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit dangerous? To think that high orcs would appear just ahead of the entrance . ¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we retreat for now?¡± Son Gihoon stared down the cave and closed his mouth . ¡®It¡¯s probably not easy for him . ¡¯ Jinwoo understood Son Gihoon¡¯s feelings . In a Guild with two S-rank Hunters, this was probably the first and last time Son Gihoon would be given command of a raiding party . To think that he would have to end what might be the height of his career that quickly¡­ ¡®Anyone would want to continue and clear the place . ¡¯ Unless they were a level-headed leader¡­ Having made his decision, Son Gihoon slowly opened his mouth . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes narrowed . Thankfully, Son Gihoon was not a foolish man . ¡°Let us retreat for now . ¡± The Raid Leader¡¯s decisions were absolute in the Dungeon . As long as you were part of the raiding party, it was an unspoken rule that you had to follow the orders of the Raid Leader . In ancient times, weren¡¯t disobedient soldiers even executed before a battle? In a way, a Dungeon was a much more dangerous place than an ancient battlefield . Because of that, who your leader was often determined your safety in a Dungeon . Son Gihoon did not disappoint his teammates . At his retreat orders, the entire raiding party breathed a sigh of relief . ¡°Phew-¡± ¡°I thought Son hyung was going to go to the bitter end . ¡± Son Gihoon grinned and slapped the shoulders of the man who just spoke . ¡°I¡¯m not that much of a dumbass . ¡± ¡°I know . Man, look hyung, my hands are shaking . ¡± ¡°Stop being such a baby . Alright, everyone! Let¡¯s head out!¡± Jinwoo picked up the baggage . As commanded, the raiding party began to move back to the entrance . Jinwoo smiled defeatedly . ¡®I wanted to go in a bit more . ¡¯ Still, he was only a guest here . A mere guest should not contest the will of the homeowner . Regrettable, but it looked like this would be it for today . ¡°Dammit¡­¡± Frustrated at the fact that the Raid Leader did not believe her, the female Hunter came up to Jinwoo¡¯s side while pouting . ¡°It really happened . ¡± With her cheeks puffed up like a child, she asked Jinwoo with a hope, ¡°Did you by any chance see that high orc-¡± ¡°Nope . ¡± ¡°Hiiiiing¡­¡± Her hopes were dashed in an instant . Jinwoo thought he was going to bust his stomach from holding in the laughter . How long did they walk for? Suddenly, the vanguard of the party stopped . Son Gihoon raised his right hand . ¡°S-stop!¡± His voice was filled with panic . The Hunters tired from walking and Jinwoo, who had focused his senses behind the party to detect any ambushing magic beasts, also stopped . A commotion broke out between the Hunters . ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°What the hell is this?¡± ¡°Why is the road blocked? It was fine on the way here!¡± Jinwoo passed through the chaos and reached out with a hand . His eyes widened . ¡®It¡¯s¡­ blocked?¡¯ There was an invisible barrier blocking their way . The first thing that came to mind was the Instant Dungeon . That invisible wall that separated the Instant Dungeon and reality, like the two were in different dimensions . But Jinwoo shook his head . ¡®No, this isn¡¯t the same . ¡¯ The wall reeked of being artificially made . Sensing magic power mixed in it, it was clear that it was the magic of a magic beast with intelligence . ¡®But why?¡¯ Why did it block them from leaving, instead of blocking them from coming in? Suddenly, Jinwoo sharply turned his head . ¡® . . . ?¡¯ As if waiting, a terrifying wave of magic power came in torrents from the deep end of the Dungeon . ¡®My god¡­¡¯ This is a boss of a Dungeon? It was on a different scale than the magic power he had felt from outside of the Gate or even in the Dungeon up until now . The other Hunters also felt the power and shuddered . ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°I just got chills . ¡± Looking at the faces of the Hunters turning white, Jinwoo thought up of a theory, ¡®If it¡¯s a boss that can erase or hide its energy¡­¡¯ The wall that was not there on the way in . And the boss that revealed its magic power after creating the wall . ¡®Did it¡­ create a trap for the Hunters?¡¯ When he thought that way, a chill ran down his back . As if on cue, step step step step From the distant darkness of the Dungeon, footsteps incomparably louder than the first high orc group rang forth . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 86. . It was a long distance that was at the same time short . . . Focusing the strength into his legs a little bit, Jinwoo leaped and immediately shot away from the ground . When he landed, he was behind the large backs of the high orcs . . . step. . With the landing, a conundrum appeared in his head . . . ¡®It¡¯s easy for me to kill the high orcs like this . ¡¯. . But then there was no point in using ¡®Stealth¡¯ . Including Son Gihoon, the Hunters here could be considered to be at the top of the nation . If they witnessed the high orcs being ripped apart by an unseen force, every single one of them would quickly realize that ¡®Stealth¡¯ was being used . Well, almost every single one of them¡­ The naive female Hunter had not realized . . . ¡®Well, it¡¯s not like it matters if I get caught . ¡¯. . Still, with his remeasurement coming up, he did not want to invite needless ire from Hunters Guild . Because of that, Jinwoo had planned to perhaps just wait until the Raid had completely failed¡­ But it seemed like the harm to the Hunters was going to be too great . The female Healer had already almost died just now . . . And so . . . A light gathered in Jinwoo¡¯s eyes . . . ¡®I have to act without being noticed . ¡¯. . He decided on his approach to this battle . The entire passage above took about one, maybe two seconds for Jinwoo to think . A moment later, Baruka¡¯s Tanto and Knight Killer were in his hands . These days, the daggers were reflexively summoned before he even gave the mental command . . . ¡®When did I summon these?¡¯. . Amidst the battle, Jinwoo smiled with amusement . The familiar grips of the daggers calmed his beating heart . Thank god he couldn¡¯t be seen right now . He would¡¯ve looked like a mad man, smiling in the middle of this chaotic melee . The sweating Raid Leader that was fending off three high orcs especially would¡¯ve been mad . . . ¡®First, these guys . ¡¯. . Jinwoo moved into action . With his body lowered, he wielded the daggers in a reverse grip and cut a high orc¡¯s achilles tendon . . . ¡°Kuaaaaaak!¡±. . When its ankles were cut out of nowhere, the high orc warrior cried out in pain . . . This was only the beginning . . . With fluid movements that could be described as a dance, Jinwoo weaved in between the high orcs . One was stabbed by Baruka¡¯s Tanto in its ribs . Another was cut behind the knees by Knight Killer . . . ¡°Kreureuk!¡±. ¡°Kuhak!¡±. . The adrenaline from the battle was insufficient to block their pain . Having cut and stabbed in an entirely unexpected way, the high orc warriors stiffened . This was more than enough . Son Gihoon immediately sprang to his counteroffensive when the high orcs showed a moment of weakness . . . stab!. . ¡°Kreu¡­ kreureuk . ¡±. . ¡°pant, pant¡±. . Son Gihoon raised his head . The longsword in his hand was sticking through a high orc¡¯s heart . . . ¡°Kkreuk . ¡±. . The high orc that was glaring with its lips trembling soon showed the whites of its eyes and fell backwards . . . thud. . The Tanker clenched his fists . . . ¡®Yes! We can do this!¡¯. . The man slew the high orcs surrounding him one by one . Meanwhile, Jinwoo moved ceaselessly around the Dungeon . . . ¡°Kuaaaak!¡±. ¡°Kwoook!¡±. . In the world of slowed time, he casually moved around and broke the balance of the various battles around while doing his best not to make it noticeable . . . slash!. . Everytime he passed a high orc, small but effective wounds appeared on its body . . . ¡°Kreureuk!¡±. ¡°Kuwak?¡±. . When the high orcs were thrown into chaos by the sudden injuries appearing on their bodies, the elite Hunters¡¯ attacks did not miss the opportunity . . . ¡®Did¡­ did the fight just become easier?¡¯. ¡®What¡¯s this feeling?¡¯. ¡®Are we winning against this many high orcs without a casualty?¡¯. . The Hunters had been resolved that at least one or two of them would die in this battle . Contrary to their expectations, the battle was going exceedingly in their favor . . . smash!. . A mace swung by one of the Hunters smashed into a high orc¡¯s head . With that, a welcoming voice rang in Jinwoo¡¯s head . . . You have leveled up!. . ¡®Oooh . ¡¯. . His efforts had not been in vain . He had leveled up . Even though he had not killed or inflicted a mortal wound, it seemed that he still earned experience points by just helping . . . ¡®The only ones I actually killed were two of them . ¡¯. . The ones he assisted in killing were thirteen of them . If his actions were still giving him experience points, it made sense that he would level up . Excited by this, Jinwoo¡¯s movements sped up . . . slash!. stab!. . ¡°Kaaak!¡±. . Because of Jinwoo¡¯s invisible support, the curtains were closing on the battle . . . ¡®Phew-!¡¯. . He took a step back from the melee and returned his daggers to the inventory . The man looked around the battlefield . . . ¡®I think I did enough¡­¡¯. . The situation was nearly over; his operation was a success . And he had leveled up on top of that as a bonus . Jinwoo looked over the ground . Nearly twenty corpses of the high orcs were scattered about . . . ¡®If I took them down on my own, I probably could¡¯ve gained another level . ¡¯. . Regrettable, but this was Hunters Guild¡¯s hunting ground; the Guild had paid a large sum of money for the raiding rights . He had done the best he could . . . ¡®Alright . ¡¯. . With a satisfied expression, Jinwoo returned to the corner where the porter should¡¯ve been hiding . . . ¡°Kaaaah!¡±. . Their initial situations flipped, the Hunters surrounded the last high orc . Its scream rang loudly throughout the cave . Watching the final enemy go down, Jinwoo released ¡®Stealth¡¯ . . . shoooo-. . The Hunters gathered their breaths . Looking around, they confirmed that all the high orcs were dead . . . ¡°Is¡­ is it over?¡±. ¡°We¡¯re done?¡±. ¡°Hold on . ¡±. . Before they could celebrate, Raid Leader Son Gihoon checked for the injured . . . ¡°Injuries! Is anyone hurt?¡±. . In reality, there were rarely injured people at the end of battles with a high-ranking Healer . As long as they clung to a shred of life, they could be healed . When Son Gihoon asked for injuries, he was not actually asking if anyone was hurt . He was asking if anyone had died . Meeting his eyes, the female Healer shook her head . There were injuries but no casualties . . . ¡°Then¡­¡±. . The faces of the entire raiding party brightened . . . ¡°We won!¡±. ¡°We actually won!¡±. ¡°Waaaah!¡±. . The Hunters celebrated in unison . Jinwoo looked on with his arms crossed . . . ¡®Are high orcs that strong?¡¯. . From what he saw just now¡­ perhaps not . Having no experiences with a high-level Raid, the celebratory mood of the raiding party was lost on Jinwoo . . . At the time, Jinwoo did not know . When it came to B-rank and A-rank Dungeons, the rank of the Dungeon wasn¡¯t the only thing taken into consideration when determining the difficulty . The magic power measured were carefully reviewed to figure out the approach and party composition of the Raid . Even for an A-rank Dungeon, high orcs were at the upper end of the high-level magic beasts . And if it was not just an ordinary high orc but over twenty high orc warriors¡­? The victory obtained just now was no different than a miracle . . . The one responsible for this miracle didn¡¯t even know the weight of what he had done . Jinwoo just quietly congratulated the raiding party¡¯s victory . . . ¡®Hmm?¡¯. . He saw the female Hunter approach Son Gihoon with a serious expression . Her eyes said she had something to say . Jinwoo focused his hearing towards their conversation . . . ¡°Gihoon oppa . ¡±. ¡°Hmm?¡±. ¡°When we were fighting the high orcs just now¡­¡±. . The Healer carefully explained what she saw . That a high orc suddenly floated in the air and removed its own head, then flew over to strike and kill another high orc . Her face was completely serious . . . ¡° . ¡±. . Son Gihoon was at a loss for words . . . ¡°I¡¯m telling you the truth!¡±. . Looking at the mortified red face of the Healer, Jinwoo struggled to keep in his laughter . . . Meanwhile, the Hunters¡¯ celebrations lasted only a short while . They gathered around the Raid Leader, Son Gihoon . . . ¡°Leader, are we going to continue?¡±. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit dangerous? To think that high orcs would appear just ahead of the entrance . ¡±. ¡°Why don¡¯t we retreat for now?¡±. . Son Gihoon stared down the cave and closed his mouth . . . ¡®It¡¯s probably not easy for him . ¡¯. . Jinwoo understood Son Gihoon¡¯s feelings . In a Guild with two S-rank Hunters, this was probably the first and last time Son Gihoon would be given command of a raiding party . To think that he would have to end what might be the height of his career that quickly¡­. . ¡®Anyone would want to continue and clear the place . ¡¯. . Unless they were a level-headed leader¡­. . Having made his decision, Son Gihoon slowly opened his mouth . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes narrowed . Thankfully, Son Gihoon was not a foolish man . . . ¡°Let us retreat for now . ¡±. . The Raid Leader¡¯s decisions were absolute in the Dungeon . As long as you were part of the raiding party, it was an unspoken rule that you had to follow the orders of the Raid Leader . In ancient times, weren¡¯t disobedient soldiers even executed before a battle? In a way, a Dungeon was a much more dangerous place than an ancient battlefield . Because of that, who your leader was often determined your safety in a Dungeon . Son Gihoon did not disappoint his teammates . . . At his retreat orders, the entire raiding party breathed a sigh of relief . . . ¡°Phew-¡±. . ¡°I thought Son hyung was going to go to the bitter end . ¡±. . Son Gihoon grinned and slapped the shoulders of the man who just spoke . . . ¡°I¡¯m not that much of a dumbass . ¡±. . ¡°I know . Man, look hyung, my hands are shaking . ¡±. . ¡°Stop being such a baby . Alright, everyone! Let¡¯s head out!¡±. . Jinwoo picked up the baggage . As commanded, the raiding party began to move back to the entrance . Jinwoo smiled defeatedly . . . ¡®I wanted to go in a bit more . ¡¯. . Still, he was only a guest here . A mere guest should not contest the will of the homeowner . Regrettable, but it looked like this would be it for today . . . ¡°Dammit¡­¡±. . Frustrated at the fact that the Raid Leader did not believe her, the female Hunter came up to Jinwoo¡¯s side while pouting . . . ¡°It really happened . ¡±. . With her cheeks puffed up like a child, she asked Jinwoo with a hope,. . ¡°Did you by any chance see that high orc-¡±. ¡°Nope . ¡±. ¡°Hiiiiing¡­¡±. . Her hopes were dashed in an instant . Jinwoo thought he was going to bust his stomach from holding in the laughter . . . . . How long did they walk for?. . Suddenly, the vanguard of the party stopped . Son Gihoon raised his right hand . . . ¡°S-stop!¡±. . His voice was filled with panic . The Hunters tired from walking and Jinwoo, who had focused his senses behind the party to detect any ambushing magic beasts, also stopped . . . A commotion broke out between the Hunters . . . ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±. ¡°What the hell is this?¡±. ¡°Why is the road blocked? It was fine on the way here!¡±. . Jinwoo passed through the chaos and reached out with a hand . His eyes widened . . . ¡®It¡¯s¡­ blocked?¡¯. . There was an invisible barrier blocking their way . . . The first thing that came to mind was the Instant Dungeon . That invisible wall that separated the Instant Dungeon and reality, like the two were in different dimensions . But Jinwoo shook his head . . . ¡®No, this isn¡¯t the same . ¡¯. . The wall reeked of being artificially made . Sensing magic power mixed in it, it was clear that it was the magic of a magic beast with intelligence . . . ¡®But why?¡¯. . Why did it block them from leaving, instead of blocking them from coming in?. . Suddenly, Jinwoo sharply turned his head . . . ¡® . ?¡¯. . As if waiting, a terrifying wave of magic power came in torrents from the deep end of the Dungeon . . . ¡®My god¡­¡¯. . This is a boss of a Dungeon? It was on a different scale than the magic power he had felt from outside of the Gate or even in the Dungeon up until now . The other Hunters also felt the power and shuddered . . . ¡°W-what?¡±. ¡°I just got chills . ¡±. . Looking at the faces of the Hunters turning white, Jinwoo thought up of a theory,. . ¡®If it¡¯s a boss that can erase or hide its energy¡­¡¯. . The wall that was not there on the way in . And the boss that revealed its magic power after creating the wall . . . ¡®Did it¡­ create a trap for the Hunters?¡¯. . When he thought that way, a chill ran down his back . . . As if on cue,. . step step. . step step. . From the distant darkness of the Dungeon, footsteps incomparably louder than the first high orc group rang forth . . Chapter 87 It was an interesting phenomenon . As the footsteps grew louder and closer, the sound from the Hunters became quieter . ¡°Son hyung¡­¡± ¡° . . . ¡± A silence fell on the raiding party . Meanwhile, Jinwoo¡¯s ears were working hard . Using the silence of the raiding party to his advantage, he perked his ears to try and determine the number of approaching entities . step step step step Because of his naturally keen hearing combined with the high Sense stat, he was able to distinguish between the footsteps . ¡®48, 49, 50, 51 . ¡¯ 51 footsteps . It was the same sound as the high orcs earlier . Jinwoo looked around . ¡® . . . ¡¯ Nervousness filled the faces of the Hunters . They, too, had roughly determined the number of enemies through their senses . Winning the battle just now against 22 high orc warriors was a miracle . And now there were 51 more approaching, over twice the previous amount . ¡® . . . There¡¯s no hope for victory . ¡¯ Well, to the Hunters Guild¡¯s raiding party, of course . Jinwoo looked behind him into his shadow . His shadow appeared to be swaying and twitching . woooooooo- It felt like his soldiers were complaining that they haven¡¯t seen blood in a while . Jinwoo returned his gaze forward . ba dum, ba dum, ba dum The heart that was calm up until now was starting to beat harder . ¡®Just wait¡­¡¯ Now was not the right time . He calmed himself and quietly looked forward . The enemies finally appeared . stop The high orcs stopped a bit of distance away from the Hunters . ¡°Kreuuuuu¡± ¡°Kreuk . ¡± They looked like they were about to charge at them any second now . The oppressive pressure coming from the high orcs that numbered over fifty could not be put to words . Even without fighting, the results were clear . ¡°Fuck!¡± ¡°Why is this happening¡­¡± ¡°Sniff . ¡± The Hunters groaned in terror . They had retreated backwards because of the pressure, but their backs were met by the invisible wall . What could they do now? They had finished their battle preparations a while ago, but none of them took the initiative . Instead, they all looked to the Raid Leader Son Gihoon for help . The Tanker¡¯s mouth was closed in a straight line . ¡®Shit¡­¡¯ If only Guildmaster Choi Jongin or Deputy Guildmaster Cha Haein was here¡­ Son Gihoon¡¯s brows furrowed . S-rankers wielded the unimaginable power to overturn situations like this . If they were here, high orcs like these would be nothing . ¡®Of all the days¡­¡¯ . . . Why were those two absent from the Raid today? Having always fought at their side, Son Gihoon realized just how powerless he was in this moment . The absence of the S-rank was too painful . However, he could not wallow in despair forever . He had to make a decision . ¡®Fighting here would just get us all killed . ¡¯ However, with their retreat cut off, there wasn¡¯t any other option . From the day he made the decision to become a Hunter, From the day he took his inaugural step into the Dungeon, From the day he first lost conscious after being wounded, He knew that this day would come someday . ¡®Yes, yes I did . ¡¯ Resolved to fight until the bitter end, Son Gihoon unsheathed his longsword . shiing- When the Raid Leader looked back to his team, the Hunters that waited for his orders nodded . Son Gihoon turned his gaze forward . Raising his shield to below his chin, the Tanker glared at the high orcs . However, the magic beasts did not appear to be attacking yet . ¡®Did he make his decision?¡¯ Jinwoo also began his preparations . His right hand was held behind his back, gripping Baruka¡¯s Tanto . The E-ranker closed his eyes . The heart that was beating crazily was now calming down in the eve of battle . Ba dum . Ba dum . Ba dum . Don¡¯t waste any strength on useless movements . Control your breathing . ¡® . . . Good . ¡¯ When Jinwoo opened his eyes again, they were filled with a sharp light . gulp The Hunters gulped nervously as sweat gathered on their brows . Meanwhile, Jinwoo gulped in anticipation . gulp ¡®I wonder how much experience points these guys will give me?¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s lips curved into a thin smile . Suddenly, a lone high orc started to move from back of the group . The magic beast shoved its comrades roughly out of its way and came out ahead of the group . The orc looked over the Hunters with its beast-like eyes . ¡°Grrrrl¡­ . ¡± It was a head taller than the rest, with long tusks sticking out of its mouth . ¡®Is he the captain?¡¯ Jinwoo¡¯s eyes narrowed . If he just killed that thing right now, wouldn¡¯t the battle become easier? What should he do? While Jinwoo fidgeted with Baruka¡¯s Tanto and wondered, the high orc opened its mouth, ¡°Kraerak Tuo Sheena Wegeudu Ahraknaka . ¡± It was a booming voice . The high orc¡¯s gaze was fixed on the vanguard of the raiding party, Son Gihoon . ¡°Kraerak Tuo Sheena Wegeudu Ahraknaka!¡± The Hunters began to whisper among themselves . ¡°What?¡± ¡°Is it trying to talk to us?¡± ¡°What¡¯s it saying?¡± Suddenly, the face of the high orc began to shake . When the shaking stopped, its mouth opened and spoke with a completely different voice than just now, ¡°Human¡­¡± It was like a ventriloquist speaking through a dummy . ¡°Humans¡­¡± Looking closer, the high orc¡¯s eyes had turned white like a fish that had been dead for a while . What! The Hunters felt like they had been slapped across the face . The orc was speaking in the language of humans! ¡®How does an orc know Korean?!¡¯ ¡®Magic? Is it magic?¡¯ In this unexpected development, the Hunters could not close their mouths . The high orc captain¡¯s mouth continued to move, ¡°I¡­ Am¡­ Kargargan[1] . . . I¡­ Wish¡­ To¡­ Meet¡­ With¡­ You¡­ Humans¡­ Follow¡­ This¡­ One¡­¡± A magic beast wants to talk with humans? Something like this had not ever been reported in the history of the Gates . In an unprecedented situation, Son Gihoon and his teammates fell into chaos . ¡°Gihoon hyung, you don¡¯t actually believe a magic beast, right?¡± ¡°Ignore it, sir . ¡± ¡°Gihoon, this is trap . If we¡¯re going to die, let¡¯s just end it here . ¡± ¡°Still, if it¡¯s an orc that we can talk to, maybe¡­¡± ¡°Hey moron, after all the time you spent in Dungeons, do you still not know magic beasts?¡± In that short time, a discord fell upon the Hunters . Son Gihoon broke his silence with a question, ¡°Kargargan, are you the one who blocked the cave?¡± ¡°That¡­ is¡­ correct¡­ I¡­ am¡­ a¡­ proud¡­ great¡­ sorcerer¡­ of¡­ the¡­ oruku¡­ your¡­ human¡­ strengths¡­ cannot¡­ break¡­ my¡­ magic . ¡± ¡°Is there an existence stronger than you in this cave?¡± ¡°How¡­ dare¡­ would¡­ any¡­ stand¡­ against¡­ me!¡± A booming voice rang out and assaulted the ears of the Hunters . Several of the Hunters flinched or covered their ears, but Son Gihoon nodded calmly . His guesses were on the mark . The existence that was borrowing that high orc¡¯s mouth to talk to them was the boss of this Dungeon . Because the boss could not leave its room until the Dungeon Break, it was calling the Hunters to where it was . ¡®I don¡¯t know why but¡­¡¯ As the Raid Leader¡¯s reply was delayed, the high orc captain raised its axed high into the air . ¡°Choose¡­ will¡­ you¡­ die¡­ here¡­ by¡­ my¡­ soldiers¡­ or¡­ will¡­ you¡­ follow¡­ my¡­ soldiers . ¡± ¡°We¡¯ll follow . ¡± At his reply, the Hunter¡¯s were shocked, ¡°Hoon hyung!¡± ¡°Gihoon-ssi!¡± Son Gihoon silenced his teammates and watched the high orc¡¯s reaction . ¡°Follow¡­ human . ¡± With that, the high orc captain¡¯s eyes returned to normal . The beast-like ugly eyes . The high orc spoke, ¡°Ash tuo reka . ¡± With that phrase, the high orc warriors that were giving off a dangerous hostility all turned around and began to fall back as one . The high orc captain remained and gestured to Son Gihoon to follow it . ¡°We should go to . ¡± Son Gihoon was the first to start walking . The hesitating Hunters started to follow after him one by one . ¡®What¡¯s he thinking?¡¯ Jinwoo stared curiously at Son Gihoon . On top of the boss himself, the boss room should be filled with even more high orcs . Of course, the probability of survival would plummet there . And so, Jinwoo was not sure what the Raid Leader was thinking by following them . ¡®Is he thinking of bargaining with the boss? To leave here alive?¡¯ The chance of that happening was low¡­ Still . This might actually be a good thing for Jinwoo . He had expected to just take care of a few dozen high orc warriors . Now, he was about to come face to face with the boss . Jinwoo returned the dagger in his hand to the inventory and quietly followed the group . Purposely slowing his pace, Son Gihoon came next to Jinwoo . The Raid Leader spoke to the porter in a low voice, ¡°Hunter-nim . ¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Jinwoo replied without turning his head . Son Gihoon also spoke while keeping his gaze fixed on the high orc in front of them . ¡°When we meet the boss¡­ we¡¯re going to ambush it . Whether or not we succeed in killing it, its magic blocking the exit should be released . ¡± It was a reasonable thought . With the exception of curses, maintaining a spell required the focus and concentration of the caster . The higher the level of the magic, the stronger the focus required . But what would they do with that? Even if they succeeded in killing the boss or undoing its magic, they would just be swarmed and massacred by the high orc warriors . In other words, the chance of the raiding party leaving here alive was about 0% . As if to clear up Jinwoo¡¯s confusion, Son Gihoon continued with a determined face, ¡°Once we have all of their attention, Hunter-nim, escape from the boss room . Leave this Dungeon and contact the main raiding party . ¡± By the time the raiding party including the S-rankers arrived, it will have been all over for the current party . Son Gihoon was resolved to sacrifice his life . ¡°Are you all planning to die in taking down the boss?¡± Jinwoo cast a quick sideway glance to look over the man¡¯s face . The Tanker¡¯s expression was hardened, but the light in his eyes were strong . ¡°As Hunters, our job is not to leave the Dungeon alive . It is to close the Gate . It is because of that job that many people support us with a great amount of money . ¡± Son Gihoon strengthened his voice, ¡°We¡¯ll just do as we always have . But not you . There is no need for you to die here . I hope that you can leave here alive . ¡± Jinwoo felt a strong conviction from the man¡¯s voice . He was putting his life on the line . No matter what Jinwoo said, he knew it would not change Son Gihoon¡¯s mind . As such, Jinwoo just replied with a nod . Cha Haein arrived at the scene . She had pressed her cap down so most people did not recognize her . She walked over to look for the mining team . Some Hunters passed her by and gave quick glances but concluded that she must¡¯ve been a Guild employee and did not pay much attention . In the distance, she saw Team Leader Bae and the Hunters of the mining team . ba dum, ba dum Her heart began to race . She carefully looked through the miner¡¯s faces . ¡®Where is that man¡­?¡¯ She did not find Jinwoo . Should she say something? It felt like she had lost the strength in her entire body . ¡®Did he quit being a miner?¡¯ Let¡¯s just wait a minute . He might¡¯ve gone to the bathroom . . . . Just three more minutes . . . . Just five more¡­ . . . After fifteen minutes, Jinwoo did not show up . ¡°Sigh-¡± With a deep sigh, she turned to leave . The woman took few steps, then immediately turned around and returned to her waiting spot . She removed her cap, then huffed rapidly to psyche herself up . After gathering the courage, she walked over to Team Leader Bae . The Hunters of the mining team turned their gaze towards the approaching woman . Thankfully, because they were low-ranking Hunters, their stench was bearable . ¡°Huh?¡± Recognizing the Deputy Guildmaster, the team leader quickly ran over . ¡°Hunter Cha-nim, isn¡¯t this your day off?¡± ¡°Hello . ¡± After a quick greeting, Cha Haein looked around to see if there was anyone listening, then carefully asked, ¡°Er¡­ is Hunter Sung Jinwoo here by any chance?¡± ¡°Sung-ssi?¡± At the unexpected mention of his ace, Team Leader Bae looked curious, ¡°Sung-ssi went with the attack team as a porter¡­¡± ¡°A porter?¡± Cha Haein was shocked, ¡°He went into the Gate?¡± The team leader agreed with her disbelief and replied, ¡°Yep . ¡± An E-rank Hunter volunteered as a porter and entered an A-rank Dungeon? It¡¯s not like he was a cat with nine lives . ¡®What¡¯s he thinking?¡¯ Now that she thought about, the man was standing in front of the boss room yesterday with weapons . She had not been mistaken about those daggers . There was something else . Although she had accepted his explanation without much fuss yesterday, when she thought about it carefully, there was no way a Hunter with four years of experience would be ¡°lost¡± in a Dungeon . ¡®I have to find out . ¡¯ Just what was this man called Sung Jinwoo doing at Hunters Guild? She had to confirm with her own two eyes . In order to do that, she had to enter the Dungeon . The woman was the Deputy Guildmaster of Hunters Guild and an S-rank Hunter . No one would stop her if she wanted to participate in her own Guild¡¯s Raid . Biting the nail on her thumb while contemplating, Cha Haein made her decision . ¡°That Gate, I¡¯m going to go inside . ¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°Kargargan¡± (????): made up name . Ka ? + reu ? + gar ? + gan ? . Kargargan Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 87. . It was an interesting phenomenon . As the footsteps grew louder and closer, the sound from the Hunters became quieter . . . ¡°Son hyung¡­¡±. ¡° . ¡±. . A silence fell on the raiding party . . . Meanwhile, Jinwoo¡¯s ears were working hard . Using the silence of the raiding party to his advantage, he perked his ears to try and determine the number of approaching entities . . . step step. . step step. . Because of his naturally keen hearing combined with the high Sense stat, he was able to distinguish between the footsteps . . . ¡®48, 49, 50, 51 . ¡¯. . 51 footsteps . It was the same sound as the high orcs earlier . Jinwoo looked around . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . Nervousness filled the faces of the Hunters . They, too, had roughly determined the number of enemies through their senses . Winning the battle just now against 22 high orc warriors was a miracle . And now there were 51 more approaching, over twice the previous amount . . . ¡® . There¡¯s no hope for victory . ¡¯. . Well, to the Hunters Guild¡¯s raiding party, of course . Jinwoo looked behind him into his shadow . His shadow appeared to be swaying and twitching . . . woooooooo-. . It felt like his soldiers were complaining that they haven¡¯t seen blood in a while . Jinwoo returned his gaze forward . . . ba dum, ba dum, ba dum. . The heart that was calm up until now was starting to beat harder . . . ¡®Just wait¡­¡¯. . Now was not the right time . He calmed himself and quietly looked forward . The enemies finally appeared . . . stop. . The high orcs stopped a bit of distance away from the Hunters . . . ¡°Kreuuuuu¡±. ¡°Kreuk . ¡±. . They looked like they were about to charge at them any second now . The oppressive pressure coming from the high orcs that numbered over fifty could not be put to words . Even without fighting, the results were clear . . . ¡°Fuck!¡±. ¡°Why is this happening¡­¡±. ¡°Sniff . ¡±. . The Hunters groaned in terror . They had retreated backwards because of the pressure, but their backs were met by the invisible wall . What could they do now? They had finished their battle preparations a while ago, but none of them took the initiative . Instead, they all looked to the Raid Leader Son Gihoon for help . . . The Tanker¡¯s mouth was closed in a straight line . . . ¡®Shit¡­¡¯. . If only Guildmaster Choi Jongin or Deputy Guildmaster Cha Haein was here¡­ Son Gihoon¡¯s brows furrowed . S-rankers wielded the unimaginable power to overturn situations like this . If they were here, high orcs like these would be nothing . . . ¡®Of all the days¡­¡¯. . . Why were those two absent from the Raid today? Having always fought at their side, Son Gihoon realized just how powerless he was in this moment . The absence of the S-rank was too painful . However, he could not wallow in despair forever . He had to make a decision . . . ¡®Fighting here would just get us all killed . ¡¯. . However, with their retreat cut off, there wasn¡¯t any other option . . . From the day he made the decision to become a Hunter,. From the day he took his inaugural step into the Dungeon,. From the day he first lost conscious after being wounded,. . He knew that this day would come someday . . . ¡®Yes, yes I did . ¡¯. . Resolved to fight until the bitter end, Son Gihoon unsheathed his longsword . . . shiing-. . When the Raid Leader looked back to his team, the Hunters that waited for his orders nodded . Son Gihoon turned his gaze forward . Raising his shield to below his chin, the Tanker glared at the high orcs . However, the magic beasts did not appear to be attacking yet . . . ¡®Did he make his decision?¡¯. . Jinwoo also began his preparations . His right hand was held behind his back, gripping Baruka¡¯s Tanto . The E-ranker closed his eyes . The heart that was beating crazily was now calming down in the eve of battle . . . Ba dum . Ba dum . Ba dum . . . Don¡¯t waste any strength on useless movements . . . Control your breathing . . . ¡® . Good . ¡¯. . When Jinwoo opened his eyes again, they were filled with a sharp light . . . gulp. . The Hunters gulped nervously as sweat gathered on their brows . . . Meanwhile, Jinwoo gulped in anticipation . . . gulp. . ¡®I wonder how much experience points these guys will give me?¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s lips curved into a thin smile . . . Suddenly, a lone high orc started to move from back of the group . The magic beast shoved its comrades roughly out of its way and came out ahead of the group . The orc looked over the Hunters with its beast-like eyes . . . ¡°Grrrrl¡­ . ¡±. . It was a head taller than the rest, with long tusks sticking out of its mouth . . . ¡®Is he the captain?¡¯. . Jinwoo¡¯s eyes narrowed . If he just killed that thing right now, wouldn¡¯t the battle become easier? What should he do? While Jinwoo fidgeted with Baruka¡¯s Tanto and wondered, the high orc opened its mouth,. . ¡°Kraerak Tuo Sheena Wegeudu Ahraknaka . ¡±. . It was a booming voice . The high orc¡¯s gaze was fixed on the vanguard of the raiding party, Son Gihoon . . . ¡°Kraerak Tuo Sheena Wegeudu Ahraknaka!¡±. . The Hunters began to whisper among themselves . . . ¡°What?¡±. ¡°Is it trying to talk to us?¡±. ¡°What¡¯s it saying?¡±. . Suddenly, the face of the high orc began to shake . When the shaking stopped, its mouth opened and spoke with a completely different voice than just now,. . ¡°Human¡­¡±. . It was like a ventriloquist speaking through a dummy . . . ¡°Humans¡­¡±. . Looking closer, the high orc¡¯s eyes had turned white like a fish that had been dead for a while . . . What! The Hunters felt like they had been slapped across the face . The orc was speaking in the language of humans!. . ¡®How does an orc know Korean?!¡¯. ¡®Magic? Is it magic?¡¯. . In this unexpected development, the Hunters could not close their mouths . The high orc captain¡¯s mouth continued to move,. . ¡°I¡­ Am¡­ Kargargan[1] . I¡­ Wish¡­ To¡­ Meet¡­ With¡­ You¡­ Humans¡­ Follow¡­ This¡­ One¡­¡±. . A magic beast wants to talk with humans? Something like this had not ever been reported in the history of the Gates . In an unprecedented situation, Son Gihoon and his teammates fell into chaos . . . ¡°Gihoon hyung, you don¡¯t actually believe a magic beast, right?¡±. ¡°Ignore it, sir . ¡±. ¡°Gihoon, this is trap . If we¡¯re going to die, let¡¯s just end it here . ¡±. ¡°Still, if it¡¯s an orc that we can talk to, maybe¡­¡±. ¡°Hey moron, after all the time you spent in Dungeons, do you still not know magic beasts?¡±. . In that short time, a discord fell upon the Hunters . Son Gihoon broke his silence with a question,. . ¡°Kargargan, are you the one who blocked the cave?¡±. . ¡°That¡­ is¡­ correct¡­ I¡­ am¡­ a¡­ proud¡­ great¡­ sorcerer¡­ of¡­ the¡­ oruku¡­ your¡­ human¡­ strengths¡­ cannot¡­ break¡­ my¡­ magic . ¡±. . ¡°Is there an existence stronger than you in this cave?¡±. . ¡°How¡­ dare¡­ would¡­ any¡­ stand¡­ against¡­ me!¡±. . A booming voice rang out and assaulted the ears of the Hunters . Several of the Hunters flinched or covered their ears, but Son Gihoon nodded calmly . His guesses were on the mark . The existence that was borrowing that high orc¡¯s mouth to talk to them was the boss of this Dungeon . Because the boss could not leave its room until the Dungeon Break, it was calling the Hunters to where it was . . . ¡®I don¡¯t know why but¡­¡¯. . As the Raid Leader¡¯s reply was delayed, the high orc captain raised its axed high into the air . . . ¡°Choose¡­ will¡­ you¡­ die¡­ here¡­ by¡­ my¡­ soldiers¡­ or¡­ will¡­ you¡­ follow¡­ my¡­ soldiers . ¡±. . ¡°We¡¯ll follow . ¡±. . At his reply, the Hunter¡¯s were shocked,. . ¡°Hoon hyung!¡±. ¡°Gihoon-ssi!¡±. . Son Gihoon silenced his teammates and watched the high orc¡¯s reaction . . . ¡°Follow¡­ human . ¡±. . With that, the high orc captain¡¯s eyes returned to normal . The beast-like ugly eyes . The high orc spoke,. . ¡°Ash tuo reka . ¡±. . With that phrase, the high orc warriors that were giving off a dangerous hostility all turned around and began to fall back as one . The high orc captain remained and gestured to Son Gihoon to follow it . . . ¡°We should go to . ¡±. . Son Gihoon was the first to start walking . The hesitating Hunters started to follow after him one by one . . . ¡®What¡¯s he thinking?¡¯. . Jinwoo stared curiously at Son Gihoon . On top of the boss himself, the boss room should be filled with even more high orcs . Of course, the probability of survival would plummet there . And so, Jinwoo was not sure what the Raid Leader was thinking by following them . . . ¡®Is he thinking of bargaining with the boss? To leave here alive?¡¯. . The chance of that happening was low¡­. . Still . This might actually be a good thing for Jinwoo . He had expected to just take care of a few dozen high orc warriors . Now, he was about to come face to face with the boss . Jinwoo returned the dagger in his hand to the inventory and quietly followed the group . . . Purposely slowing his pace, Son Gihoon came next to Jinwoo . The Raid Leader spoke to the porter in a low voice,. . ¡°Hunter-nim . ¡±. . ¡°Yes?¡±. . Jinwoo replied without turning his head . Son Gihoon also spoke while keeping his gaze fixed on the high orc in front of them . . . ¡°When we meet the boss¡­ we¡¯re going to ambush it . Whether or not we succeed in killing it, its magic blocking the exit should be released . ¡±. . It was a reasonable thought . With the exception of curses, maintaining a spell required the focus and concentration of the caster . The higher the level of the magic, the stronger the focus required . . . But what would they do with that? Even if they succeeded in killing the boss or undoing its magic, they would just be swarmed and massacred by the high orc warriors . In other words, the chance of the raiding party leaving here alive was about 0% . As if to clear up Jinwoo¡¯s confusion, Son Gihoon continued with a determined face,. . ¡°Once we have all of their attention, Hunter-nim, escape from the boss room . Leave this Dungeon and contact the main raiding party . ¡±. . By the time the raiding party including the S-rankers arrived, it will have been all over for the current party . Son Gihoon was resolved to sacrifice his life . . . ¡°Are you all planning to die in taking down the boss?¡±. . Jinwoo cast a quick sideway glance to look over the man¡¯s face . The Tanker¡¯s expression was hardened, but the light in his eyes were strong . . . ¡°As Hunters, our job is not to leave the Dungeon alive . It is to close the Gate . It is because of that job that many people support us with a great amount of money . ¡±. . Son Gihoon strengthened his voice,. . ¡°We¡¯ll just do as we always have . But not you . There is no need for you to die here . I hope that you can leave here alive . ¡±. . Jinwoo felt a strong conviction from the man¡¯s voice . He was putting his life on the line . No matter what Jinwoo said, he knew it would not change Son Gihoon¡¯s mind . As such, Jinwoo just replied with a nod . . . . . Cha Haein arrived at the scene . . . She had pressed her cap down so most people did not recognize her . She walked over to look for the mining team . Some Hunters passed her by and gave quick glances but concluded that she must¡¯ve been a Guild employee and did not pay much attention . . . In the distance, she saw Team Leader Bae and the Hunters of the mining team . . . ba dum, ba dum. . Her heart began to race . She carefully looked through the miner¡¯s faces . . . ¡®Where is that man¡­?¡¯. . She did not find Jinwoo . . . Should she say something? It felt like she had lost the strength in her entire body . . . ¡®Did he quit being a miner?¡¯. . Let¡¯s just wait a minute . He might¡¯ve gone to the bathroom . . . . . . Just three more minutes . . . . . . Just five more¡­. . . . . After fifteen minutes, Jinwoo did not show up . . . ¡°Sigh-¡±. . With a deep sigh, she turned to leave . . . The woman took few steps, then immediately turned around and returned to her waiting spot . . . She removed her cap, then huffed rapidly to psyche herself up . After gathering the courage, she walked over to Team Leader Bae . The Hunters of the mining team turned their gaze towards the approaching woman . Thankfully, because they were low-ranking Hunters, their stench was bearable . . . ¡°Huh?¡±. . Recognizing the Deputy Guildmaster, the team leader quickly ran over . . . ¡°Hunter Cha-nim, isn¡¯t this your day off?¡±. . ¡°Hello . ¡±. . After a quick greeting, Cha Haein looked around to see if there was anyone listening, then carefully asked,. . ¡°Er¡­ is Hunter Sung Jinwoo here by any chance?¡±. . ¡°Sung-ssi?¡±. . At the unexpected mention of his ace, Team Leader Bae looked curious,. . ¡°Sung-ssi went with the attack team as a porter¡­¡±. . ¡°A porter?¡±. . Cha Haein was shocked,. . ¡°He went into the Gate?¡±. . The team leader agreed with her disbelief and replied,. . ¡°Yep . ¡±. . An E-rank Hunter volunteered as a porter and entered an A-rank Dungeon? It¡¯s not like he was a cat with nine lives . . . ¡®What¡¯s he thinking?¡¯. . Now that she thought about, the man was standing in front of the boss room yesterday with weapons . She had not been mistaken about those daggers . There was something else . Although she had accepted his explanation without much fuss yesterday, when she thought about it carefully, there was no way a Hunter with four years of experience would be ¡°lost¡± in a Dungeon . . . ¡®I have to find out . ¡¯. . Just what was this man called Sung Jinwoo doing at Hunters Guild? She had to confirm with her own two eyes . In order to do that, she had to enter the Dungeon . The woman was the Deputy Guildmaster of Hunters Guild and an S-rank Hunter . No one would stop her if she wanted to participate in her own Guild¡¯s Raid . . . Biting the nail on her thumb while contemplating, Cha Haein made her decision . . . ¡°That Gate, I¡¯m going to go inside . ¡±. . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°Kargargan¡± (????): made up name . Ka ? + reu ? + gar ? + gan ? . Kargargan. Chapter 88 Team Leader Bae was shocked, ¡°Did¡­ did something happen? Should I go call for reinforcements from the Guild?¡± ¡°No, nothing like that . It¡¯s for a personal reason . I just have something I want to talk with the man, so you don¡¯t have to worry . ¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Okay . ¡± Cha Haein turned towards the Gate . Suddenly, she felt an emptiness at her side . ¡®Ah¡­ my weapon . ¡¯ Patting her hips here and there without looking, she realized she had left her sword at home . Well, it¡¯s not like she had planned on going into the Dungeon today . Her pretty forehead gently wrinkled . ¡®I know Raid Leader Gihoon-ssi is a dependable man, and of course all the team members are capable Hunters but¡­¡¯ Entering a Dungeon without a weapon was an unthinkable thing . After a moment of contemplation, Cha Haein turned to Team Leader Bae . ¡°Is there anything else¡­?¡± ¡°Team Leader, could I borrow a weapon?¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± After hesitating, the team leader indicated to a passing miner, ¡°Hey, Suk-ssi, bring one of the equipment over here . ¡± ¡°Yes, sir . ¡± What Suk-ssi brought in a flash was the mining team¡¯s¡­ pickaxe . ¡° . . . ¡± Cha Haein¡¯s expression hardened, ¡°Is¡­ is there anything else?¡± ¡°When you say anything else¡­¡± ¡°Like a sword, or maybe a spear . ¡± ¡°Deputy Guildmaster, if you¡¯re asking for something like that from us¡­¡± ¡° . . . ¡± Cha Haein lightly sighed, ¡°Alright . ¡± She respectfully declined the pickaxe Team Leader Bae was holding out then headed towards the Gate . The team leader looked at her with worry then asked, ¡°Hunter Cha-nim, are you sure you¡¯ll be alright empty-handed?¡± flinch . Cha Haein froze in her spot and thought about it . She quickly turned around and took the pickaxe from the team leader . The man chuckled, ¡°Good thinking . No matter what, going into a Dungeon empty-handed is dangerous . ¡± ¡°Thank you¡­¡± As she turned around and left, the team leader did not notice how red her ears had gotten . Strong look of determination filled the entire party¡¯s faces . Every one of them accepted their fates and walked with resolve . Meanwhile, the female Healer came over to Jinwoo and looked through the bag on his back . Jinwoo turned his head and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Hold on . ¡± What she took out was a woman¡¯s handbag . ¡°From a long time ago, I felt strangely worried when my bag was away from me, so I take it with me on Raids . ¡± She sure liked to answer questions he didn¡¯t ask . She took out a small notepad and a pen from the bag; the Healer began to write something in the notepad . Because she was not looking where she was walking, she kept bumping her head into Jinwoo¡¯s shoulders . Soon, she finished and closed her notepad . She put her handbag back into Jinwoo¡¯s bag but held on to the notepad . Curious on what she would do next, the woman suddenly held the notepad out to Jinwoo . ¡° . . . ?¡± He took the notepad with a tilted head, and the woman spoke with tears in her eyes, ¡°I just wrote some things that I wanted to say to my family . When you get to the outside, please make sure it gets to their hands . ¡± If he laughed right now, she would be really hurt . For the umpteenth time in front of this woman, Jinwoo suppressed his laughter and put the notepad into his pockets . ¡°I¡¯ll hold on to it, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have the chance to deliver it . ¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay . ¡± The Healer nodded . ¡®Of course, all the high orc warriors are keeping an eye on us . It¡¯ll be difficult for him to leave here alive . ¡¯ After all, porter-ssi was only an E-ranker . The woman would later realize what Jinwoo had really meant . Soon, the boss room came into view . The nervousness of the Hunters reached its peak . The room was incredibly large . ¡® . . . ¡¯ Jinwoo looked around the boss room . It was bigger than the room the giant-type magic beast was in yesterday . Unlike yesterday however, the room did not feel big . It was because of the horde of high orcs that took up the entire room . High orcs twice the number of the group that came to pick up the raiding party waited in the room . ¡®About a hundred of them¡­ maybe a little higher?¡¯ Instead of being scattered about the Dungeon¡¯s interior, all the magic beasts were gathered in the boss room . Looking over the horde of the high orcs, Son Gihoon¡¯s face turned pale . ¡®If this many high orcs leave the Gate¡­¡¯ By the time the highest-ranking Hunters arrived, a small city could be destroyed . The Tanker¡¯s back became wet with sweat . ¡®At the very least, we have to kill the boss . ¡¯ He pressed that determination deep into his heart . The high orcs in the room parted to make a road . ¡°Ah shaku . ¡± The high orc captain gestured to the raiding party again . Following the guiding high orcs, the raiding party walked towards an altar at the end of the boss room . ¡°Over there!¡± A Hunter pointed to the top of the altar . On top, there was a masked high orc sorcerer . The sorcerer was wearing a necklace and earrings made of bones and was covered from head to toe in various adornments and ornaments . ¡®So that¡¯s the boss¡­¡¯ Son Gihoon¡¯s expression hardened . He realized that the terrifying magic power that filled the Dungeon was mostly coming from him . The boss was surrounded by four bodyguards that also gave off a dangerous presence . ¡®This is not good . ¡¯ Could they ambush the sorcerer with those bodyguards around? All the members of the raiding party had this thought . The raiding party stopped before the sorcerer . A strange nervousness filled the high orcs that watched the procession from a distance in the boss room . ¡°Hue hue . ¡± However, the sorcerer ignored the uneasiness his minions felt and laughed, revealing a hideous mouth . ¡°Welcome, humans . ¡± The Hunters of the raiding party exchanged signals . ¡®Once Son hyung gives the signal . ¡¯ ¡®We¡¯ll all attack at once . ¡¯ ¡®Just focus on the sorcerer . ¡¯ They were looking for the opportunity to attack . Suddenly, the air around them became incredibly chilling . All the Hunters raised their heads as one at the source of the chill . It was the sorcerer . The high orc boss had removed the mask he was wearing, and with it, the magic power that he had been hiding was unleashed in full . WOOOSH- A horrible wave of magic power shot from the sorcerer in all directions, washing over the entire Dungeon . Like a prey frozen in front of a predator, the Hunters of the raiding party became like statues . ¡°M-my god¡­¡± ¡°How is this amount of magic power even possible?¡± ¡°W-we have to fight with this thing?¡± Frustration, Lamentation, Resentment, Regret . At the different forms of despair the Hunters showed, the sorcerer made an ugly smile with its mouth again . ¡°Are you afraid of me, humans?¡± Biting his lips, Son Gihoon took a step forward with difficulty and asked, ¡°Why did you bring us all the way here? Those warriors should¡¯ve been more than enough to kill us all . ¡± The sorcerer sneered widely . Just looking at its smile made the Hunters shudder . ¡°For fun . ¡± ¡°What?¡± Son Gihoon was dumbstruck . That was the reason why they were brought here? For fun? The sorcerer continued, ¡°In the time we have remaining, each of you will die one by one to entertain my soldiers!¡± UWAAAAAAH-! The high orc warriors roared in excitement . At the oppressive pressure they gave off, the Hunters struggled to even breathe . Some of them were even crying . ¡°But¡­¡± The sorcerer hesitated . The boss looked over the Hunters then stopped at Jinwoo . ¡° . . . There is something interesting mixed among the humans . ¡± In an instant, Son Gihoon¡¯s eyes flared . ¡®The sorcerer is distracted! Now is the time!¡¯ Veins popped up in the Raid Leader¡¯s throat, ¡°NOW!¡± With a roar, Son Gihoon took his sword and ran forward . However¡­ there was no sound coming from behind him . ¡®What¡­?¡¯ While running, he quickly looked back . His teammates did not show any indication that they would be moving . Their fighting spirits had been crushed by the oppressive display of power; their bodies frozen in terror . Son Gihoon¡¯s heart sank to his stomach . ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ Still, he had a job to do . He could not stop here . The Raid Leader looked forward again . The sorcerer was still laughing, and the bodyguards had not reacted yet . This was it . His first and only chance . It¡¯s okay if it was luck . It¡¯s okay if it was a fluke . This sword just needed to reach it¡­ step, step, step! Charging with all his might, Son Gihoon brought his sword backwards . ¡°Uwaaaaaah-!¡± However, he did not get the chance to swing his sword . Instead, he bounced against something and was thrown back . Bang! It was a shield magic . ¡°cough!¡± Blasted back by the barrier, Son Gihoon rolled across the ground . ¡°So, we have our first volunteer . ¡± With the sorcerer¡¯s mocking words, Son Gihoon¡¯s body floated to the air . woooong- It was reverse gravity magic . [1] ¡° . . . ¡± The sorcerer¡¯s lips were moving continuously with incantations . After raising the Tanker to the height of a two-story building, the sorcerer recited a different spell . ¡° . . . ¡± Gravity acceleration . [2] Slam! Son Gihoon was slammed onto the ground . ¡°Cough!¡± Before he could even flail about in pain, he was raised in to the air again . ¡°Reverse gravity . ¡± kik kik kik Along with the sorcerer, the high orcs revealed their tusks and laughed . Slam! ¡°Cough!¡± woooooong- Slam! ¡°COUGH!¡± The sorcerer repeatedly raised and slammed Son Gihoon like a puppet . The fourth time the man was slammed into the ground, Son Gihoon threw up a torrent of blood . Watching their leader¡¯s torture, the Hunters¡¯ faces turned more and more pale . But not one of them could gather the courage to step forward . ¡°G-Gihoon hyung¡­¡± All they could do was just watch while trembling as Son Gihoon was being broken apart . collapse The female Healer finally lost the strength to stay standing and fell to her knees . Meanwhile, the sorcerer raised Son Gihoon for the fifth time . ¡°You sure are a sturdy one . ¡± ¡°groan¡­¡± The man groaned in pain in the air . However, his hands held his sword tightly, not intending to give up until the bitter end . woooong-! Slam! woooong-! Slam! woooong-! The bitter end came close for the Tanker . As he was raised into the air again, he could not hold onto the sword anymore . It fell to the ground . clang With it, Son Gihoon¡¯s body fell for the last time¡­ . . . Or so everyone had thought . ¡°Hmm?¡± The sorcerer¡¯s eyes widened . The Tanker falling to the ground suddenly had disappeared . The thing should have been smashed to pieces, where did he go? The sorcerer moved his eyes to look for the man¡¯s presence . ¡®Over there¡­?¡¯ In some distance away, Son Gihoon was lying down on the ground . At the same time, the sorcerer discovered a man next to Son Gihoon . It was Jinwoo . After laying the man down gently, Jinwoo asked the Raid Leader while staring at the sorcerer, ¡°Leader-ssi, I¡¯m going to ask you just one thing . ¡± ¡° . . . ?¡± Up until that point, Son Gihoon had no idea what had happened to him . ¡°Is it okay if I kill all the magic beasts here?¡± ¡°You¡­ what are you¡­ saying?¡± Meanwhile, the sorcerer raised his chin at Jinwoo while furrowing his brows . One of the bodyguards turned and charged at the E-ranker . Watching it run toward him, Jinwoo¡¯s eyes flashed with a light . The man held out a hand towards the approaching high orc . ¡®Ruler¡¯s Hands . ¡¯ With that, the high orc bodyguard floated to the air as if grabbed by a giant, invisible hand . ¡°Keu, krah?¡± It flailed its legs in the air . ¡®What¡­?¡¯ The sorcerer¡¯s eyes became wide . Jinwoo moved the tip of his hands to the ground . SLAM! The bodyguard was slammed to the ground . The strength of the fall cracked the floors . However, Jinwoo did not stop there . Just like the sorcerer had done to Son Gihoon, the E-rank Hunter raised the bodyguard to the air again . SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! The high orc screamed while being bounced between the ceiling and the floor like a basketball, then was silenced when its head was nailed to the ceiling . CRACK! scatter Bits and pieces of the powdered ceiling fell to the ground . Looking at the swaying body of the high orc stuck to the ceiling, both the high orcs and the Hunters could not hide their shock . Son Gihoon trembled as he asked, ¡°You¡­ who are you¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask again . ¡± This was the hunting grounds of Hunters Guild . There was only one person here who could act as the representative of Hunters Guild . Jinwoo asked for the last time, ¡°The magic beasts in this room¡­ Can I take them all?¡± What was this feeling? Son Gihoon no longer cared about the identify of the porter . He was just angry . Angry at the fact that he was played with like a toy by a magic beast . Streaks of tears fell down from the Raid Leader¡¯s eyes as he replied, ¡°Please¡­ Please help us . ¡± Done . As Jinwoo stood up, the high orcs approached him . At their back was the sorcerer . The high orc boss laughed derisively, ¡°For a human, you have an interesting trick . ¡± The sorcerer gestured, and the high orcs surrounded Jinwoo . ¡°How far will that trick carry you, I wonder?¡± Jinwoo¡¯s expression turned unbelievably cold . The man had never liked magic beasts, but this was the first time he had come across one that he wanted to kill this much . ¡°You . You¡¯ll be the last . ¡± If it could feel joy, it could certainly feel fear . If not, it will learn . Jinwoo spoke with a low voice, ¡°Shadows,¡± Two daggers appeared in his hands, ¡°Come forth . ¡± Translator¡¯s Notes: [1]: ¡°reverse gravity magic¡± (??? ??): Pretty straight forward ¡°anti/reverse¡± ? + ¡°gravity¡± ?? + ¡°magic¡± ?? . [2]: ¡°gravity acceleration¡± (?? ??): literal . [N/A]: Omg, can you imagine if I ended the batch here? Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 88. . Team Leader Bae was shocked,. . ¡°Did¡­ did something happen? Should I go call for reinforcements from the Guild?¡±. ¡°No, nothing like that . It¡¯s for a personal reason . I just have something I want to talk with the man, so you don¡¯t have to worry . ¡±. ¡°Oh¡­ Okay . ¡±. . Cha Haein turned towards the Gate . Suddenly, she felt an emptiness at her side . . . ¡®Ah¡­ my weapon . ¡¯. . Patting her hips here and there without looking, she realized she had left her sword at home . Well, it¡¯s not like she had planned on going into the Dungeon today . Her pretty forehead gently wrinkled . . . ¡®I know Raid Leader Gihoon-ssi is a dependable man, and of course all the team members are capable Hunters but¡­¡¯. . Entering a Dungeon without a weapon was an unthinkable thing . After a moment of contemplation, Cha Haein turned to Team Leader Bae . . . ¡°Is there anything else¡­?¡±. ¡°Team Leader, could I borrow a weapon?¡±. ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡±. . After hesitating, the team leader indicated to a passing miner,. . ¡°Hey, Suk-ssi, bring one of the equipment over here . ¡±. ¡°Yes, sir . ¡±. . What Suk-ssi brought in a flash was the mining team¡¯s¡­ pickaxe . . . ¡° . ¡±. . Cha Haein¡¯s expression hardened,. . ¡°Is¡­ is there anything else?¡±. ¡°When you say anything else¡­¡±. ¡°Like a sword, or maybe a spear . ¡±. ¡°Deputy Guildmaster, if you¡¯re asking for something like that from us¡­¡±. ¡° . ¡±. . Cha Haein lightly sighed,. . ¡°Alright . ¡±. . She respectfully declined the pickaxe Team Leader Bae was holding out then headed towards the Gate . The team leader looked at her with worry then asked,. . ¡°Hunter Cha-nim, are you sure you¡¯ll be alright empty-handed?¡±. . flinch . . . Cha Haein froze in her spot and thought about it . She quickly turned around and took the pickaxe from the team leader . The man chuckled,. . ¡°Good thinking . No matter what, going into a Dungeon empty-handed is dangerous . ¡±. ¡°Thank you¡­¡±. . As she turned around and left, the team leader did not notice how red her ears had gotten . . . . . Strong look of determination filled the entire party¡¯s faces . Every one of them accepted their fates and walked with resolve . Meanwhile, the female Healer came over to Jinwoo and looked through the bag on his back . Jinwoo turned his head and asked,. . ¡°What are you doing?¡±. ¡°Hold on . ¡±. . What she took out was a woman¡¯s handbag . . . ¡°From a long time ago, I felt strangely worried when my bag was away from me, so I take it with me on Raids . ¡±. . She sure liked to answer questions he didn¡¯t ask . . . She took out a small notepad and a pen from the bag; the Healer began to write something in the notepad . Because she was not looking where she was walking, she kept bumping her head into Jinwoo¡¯s shoulders . Soon, she finished and closed her notepad . She put her handbag back into Jinwoo¡¯s bag but held on to the notepad . Curious on what she would do next, the woman suddenly held the notepad out to Jinwoo . . . ¡° . ?¡±. . He took the notepad with a tilted head, and the woman spoke with tears in her eyes,. . ¡°I just wrote some things that I wanted to say to my family . When you get to the outside, please make sure it gets to their hands . ¡±. . If he laughed right now, she would be really hurt . For the umpteenth time in front of this woman, Jinwoo suppressed his laughter and put the notepad into his pockets . . . ¡°I¡¯ll hold on to it, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have the chance to deliver it . ¡±. . ¡°It¡¯s okay . ¡±. . The Healer nodded . . . ¡®Of course, all the high orc warriors are keeping an eye on us . It¡¯ll be difficult for him to leave here alive . ¡¯. . After all, porter-ssi was only an E-ranker . . . The woman would later realize what Jinwoo had really meant . . . . . Soon, the boss room came into view . The nervousness of the Hunters reached its peak . The room was incredibly large . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . Jinwoo looked around the boss room . It was bigger than the room the giant-type magic beast was in yesterday . Unlike yesterday however, the room did not feel big . It was because of the horde of high orcs that took up the entire room . High orcs twice the number of the group that came to pick up the raiding party waited in the room . . . ¡®About a hundred of them¡­ maybe a little higher?¡¯. . Instead of being scattered about the Dungeon¡¯s interior, all the magic beasts were gathered in the boss room . Looking over the horde of the high orcs, Son Gihoon¡¯s face turned pale . . . ¡®If this many high orcs leave the Gate¡­¡¯. . By the time the highest-ranking Hunters arrived, a small city could be destroyed . The Tanker¡¯s back became wet with sweat . . . ¡®At the very least, we have to kill the boss . ¡¯. . He pressed that determination deep into his heart . . . The high orcs in the room parted to make a road . . . ¡°Ah shaku . ¡±. . The high orc captain gestured to the raiding party again . Following the guiding high orcs, the raiding party walked towards an altar at the end of the boss room . . . ¡°Over there!¡±. . A Hunter pointed to the top of the altar . On top, there was a masked high orc sorcerer . The sorcerer was wearing a necklace and earrings made of bones and was covered from head to toe in various adornments and ornaments . . . ¡®So that¡¯s the boss¡­¡¯. . Son Gihoon¡¯s expression hardened . He realized that the terrifying magic power that filled the Dungeon was mostly coming from him . The boss was surrounded by four bodyguards that also gave off a dangerous presence . . . ¡®This is not good . ¡¯. . Could they ambush the sorcerer with those bodyguards around? All the members of the raiding party had this thought . . . The raiding party stopped before the sorcerer . A strange nervousness filled the high orcs that watched the procession from a distance in the boss room . . . ¡°Hue hue . ¡±. . However, the sorcerer ignored the uneasiness his minions felt and laughed, revealing a hideous mouth . . . ¡°Welcome, humans . ¡±. . The Hunters of the raiding party exchanged signals . . . ¡®Once Son hyung gives the signal . ¡¯. ¡®We¡¯ll all attack at once . ¡¯. ¡®Just focus on the sorcerer . ¡¯. . They were looking for the opportunity to attack . . . Suddenly, the air around them became incredibly chilling . All the Hunters raised their heads as one at the source of the chill . It was the sorcerer . The high orc boss had removed the mask he was wearing, and with it, the magic power that he had been hiding was unleashed in full . . . WOOOSH-. . A horrible wave of magic power shot from the sorcerer in all directions, washing over the entire Dungeon . Like a prey frozen in front of a predator, the Hunters of the raiding party became like statues . . . ¡°M-my god¡­¡±. ¡°How is this amount of magic power even possible?¡±. ¡°W-we have to fight with this thing?¡±. . Frustration, Lamentation, Resentment, Regret . . . At the different forms of despair the Hunters showed, the sorcerer made an ugly smile with its mouth again . . . ¡°Are you afraid of me, humans?¡±. . Biting his lips, Son Gihoon took a step forward with difficulty and asked,. . ¡°Why did you bring us all the way here? Those warriors should¡¯ve been more than enough to kill us all . ¡±. . The sorcerer sneered widely . Just looking at its smile made the Hunters shudder . . . ¡°For fun . ¡±. . ¡°What?¡±. . Son Gihoon was dumbstruck . That was the reason why they were brought here? For fun?. . The sorcerer continued,. . ¡°In the time we have remaining, each of you will die one by one to entertain my soldiers!¡±. . UWAAAAAAH-!. . The high orc warriors roared in excitement . At the oppressive pressure they gave off, the Hunters struggled to even breathe . Some of them were even crying . . . ¡°But¡­¡±. . The sorcerer hesitated . The boss looked over the Hunters then stopped at Jinwoo . . . ¡° . There is something interesting mixed among the humans . ¡±. . In an instant, Son Gihoon¡¯s eyes flared . . . ¡®The sorcerer is distracted! Now is the time!¡¯. . Veins popped up in the Raid Leader¡¯s throat,. . ¡°NOW!¡±. . With a roar, Son Gihoon took his sword and ran forward . . . However¡­ there was no sound coming from behind him . . . ¡®What¡­?¡¯. . While running, he quickly looked back . His teammates did not show any indication that they would be moving . Their fighting spirits had been crushed by the oppressive display of power; their bodies frozen in terror . Son Gihoon¡¯s heart sank to his stomach . . . ¡®Ah¡­¡¯. . Still, he had a job to do . He could not stop here . The Raid Leader looked forward again . The sorcerer was still laughing, and the bodyguards had not reacted yet . This was it . His first and only chance . It¡¯s okay if it was luck . It¡¯s okay if it was a fluke . This sword just needed to reach it¡­. . step, step, step!. . Charging with all his might, Son Gihoon brought his sword backwards . . . ¡°Uwaaaaaah-!¡±. . However, he did not get the chance to swing his sword . Instead, he bounced against something and was thrown back . . . Bang!. . It was a shield magic . . . ¡°cough!¡±. . Blasted back by the barrier, Son Gihoon rolled across the ground . . . ¡°So, we have our first volunteer . ¡±. . With the sorcerer¡¯s mocking words, Son Gihoon¡¯s body floated to the air . . . woooong-. . It was reverse gravity magic . [1]. . ¡° . ¡±. . The sorcerer¡¯s lips were moving continuously with incantations . After raising the Tanker to the height of a two-story building, the sorcerer recited a different spell . . . ¡° . ¡±. . Gravity acceleration . [2]. . Slam!. . Son Gihoon was slammed onto the ground . . . ¡°Cough!¡±. . Before he could even flail about in pain, he was raised in to the air again . . . ¡°Reverse gravity . ¡±. . kik kik kik. . Along with the sorcerer, the high orcs revealed their tusks and laughed . . . Slam!. . ¡°Cough!¡±. . woooooong-. . Slam!. . ¡°COUGH!¡±. . The sorcerer repeatedly raised and slammed Son Gihoon like a puppet . The fourth time the man was slammed into the ground, Son Gihoon threw up a torrent of blood . Watching their leader¡¯s torture, the Hunters¡¯ faces turned more and more pale . But not one of them could gather the courage to step forward . . . ¡°G-Gihoon hyung¡­¡±. . All they could do was just watch while trembling as Son Gihoon was being broken apart . . . collapse. . The female Healer finally lost the strength to stay standing and fell to her knees . . . Meanwhile, the sorcerer raised Son Gihoon for the fifth time . . . ¡°You sure are a sturdy one . ¡±. . ¡°groan¡­¡±. . The man groaned in pain in the air . However, his hands held his sword tightly, not intending to give up until the bitter end . . . woooong-!. . Slam!. . woooong-!. . Slam!. . woooong-!. . The bitter end came close for the Tanker . As he was raised into the air again, he could not hold onto the sword anymore . It fell to the ground . . . clang. . With it, Son Gihoon¡¯s body fell for the last time¡­. . . Or so everyone had thought . . . ¡°Hmm?¡±. . The sorcerer¡¯s eyes widened . The Tanker falling to the ground suddenly had disappeared . The thing should have been smashed to pieces, where did he go? The sorcerer moved his eyes to look for the man¡¯s presence . . . ¡®Over there¡­?¡¯. . In some distance away, Son Gihoon was lying down on the ground . At the same time, the sorcerer discovered a man next to Son Gihoon . It was Jinwoo . . . After laying the man down gently, Jinwoo asked the Raid Leader while staring at the sorcerer,. . ¡°Leader-ssi, I¡¯m going to ask you just one thing . ¡±. . ¡° . ?¡±. . Up until that point, Son Gihoon had no idea what had happened to him . . . ¡°Is it okay if I kill all the magic beasts here?¡±. . ¡°You¡­ what are you¡­ saying?¡±. . Meanwhile, the sorcerer raised his chin at Jinwoo while furrowing his brows . One of the bodyguards turned and charged at the E-ranker . Watching it run toward him, Jinwoo¡¯s eyes flashed with a light . The man held out a hand towards the approaching high orc . . . ¡®Ruler¡¯s Hands . ¡¯. . With that, the high orc bodyguard floated to the air as if grabbed by a giant, invisible hand . . . ¡°Keu, krah?¡±. . It flailed its legs in the air . . . ¡®What¡­?¡¯. . The sorcerer¡¯s eyes became wide . . . Jinwoo moved the tip of his hands to the ground . . . SLAM!. . The bodyguard was slammed to the ground . The strength of the fall cracked the floors . . . However, Jinwoo did not stop there . . . Just like the sorcerer had done to Son Gihoon, the E-rank Hunter raised the bodyguard to the air again . . . SLAM!. . SLAM!. . SLAM!. . The high orc screamed while being bounced between the ceiling and the floor like a basketball, then was silenced when its head was nailed to the ceiling . . . CRACK!. . scatter. . Bits and pieces of the powdered ceiling fell to the ground . Looking at the swaying body of the high orc stuck to the ceiling, both the high orcs and the Hunters could not hide their shock . . . Son Gihoon trembled as he asked,. . ¡°You¡­ who are you¡­?¡±. . ¡°I¡¯ll ask again . ¡±. . This was the hunting grounds of Hunters Guild . There was only one person here who could act as the representative of Hunters Guild . Jinwoo asked for the last time,. . ¡°The magic beasts in this room¡­ Can I take them all?¡±. . What was this feeling? Son Gihoon no longer cared about the identify of the porter . He was just angry . Angry at the fact that he was played with like a toy by a magic beast . Streaks of tears fell down from the Raid Leader¡¯s eyes as he replied,. . ¡°Please¡­ Please help us . ¡±. . Done . . . As Jinwoo stood up, the high orcs approached him . At their back was the sorcerer . The high orc boss laughed derisively,. . ¡°For a human, you have an interesting trick . ¡±. . The sorcerer gestured, and the high orcs surrounded Jinwoo . . . ¡°How far will that trick carry you, I wonder?¡±. . Jinwoo¡¯s expression turned unbelievably cold . . . The man had never liked magic beasts, but this was the first time he had come across one that he wanted to kill this much . . . ¡°You . You¡¯ll be the last . ¡±. . If it could feel joy, it could certainly feel fear . . . If not, it will learn . . . Jinwoo spoke with a low voice,. . ¡°Shadows,¡±. . Two daggers appeared in his hands,. . ¡°Come forth . ¡±. . . Translator¡¯s Notes:. [1]: ¡°reverse gravity magic¡± (??? ??): Pretty straight forward ¡°anti/reverse¡± ? + ¡°gravity¡± ?? + ¡°magic¡± ?? . . [2]: ¡°gravity acceleration¡± (?? ??): literal . . [N/A]: Omg, can you imagine if I ended the batch here?. Chapter 89 screech- A black sedan stopped on the side of the road . A man wearing sunglasses and a black suit got off from the car . He was the Hunter Surveillance Department¡¯s (HSD) Chief, Woo Jincheol . Following him, three other HSD Hunters also got off from the car . ¡°Chief, why did we stop here? Weren¡¯t we going directly to the Association?¡± ¡°I just have something I want to check out . ¡± Woo Jincheol turned his head towards the Gate in the distance . ¡®No matter how many times I see it, an A-rank Gate is a dreadful thing . ¡¯ The HSD chief furrowed his brows . If that giant hole opened up and unleashed the magic beasts within¡­ Even just imagining it made the A-rank Hunter shudder . ¡®So why would that man volunteer as a miner in such a scary place?¡¯ And not just for a single day but two . Even if Association President Go Gunhee had not asked him personally, Woo Jincheol would¡¯ve tried to find out on his own . ¡®We can¡¯t¡­ investigate him behind his back . ¡¯ ¡°Him¡± was an S-rank Hunter . It was impossible for an A-ranker like Woo Jincheol to secretly investigate an S-rank Hunter without being detected . As such, the HSD chief had decided to appear boldly to check out what Jinwoo was up to . Since the HSD had another job nearby, he had thought to use the excuse that he was just passing by and wanted to give his greetings . ¡®That won¡¯t come off as too strange, right?¡¯ If a Hunter that was confirmed to be an S-rank was doing a job digging away at the ground, anyone would be curious . On top of that, Sung Jinwoo was someone who had the attention of the Hunter Association, especially the association president . The association president must¡¯ve really liked the man; recently, Woo Jincheol noticed that Go Gunhee had perked up both eyes and ears whenever Jinwoo was mentioned . ¡®No, if anything, the strange one isn¡¯t me . ¡¯ Being curious was obvious, and asking few questions out of that curiosity was normal . With that in mind, Woo Jincheol approached a Hunters Guild employee . ¡°Hello, I¡¯m looking for the mining team . ¡± ¡°Excuse me . . . but who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m from the Association . ¡± After confirming Woo Jincheol¡¯s identity, the employee gestured to where the mining team was on standby . ¡°You can find them over there . ¡± ¡°Thank you . ¡± The four HSD Hunters went over to the mining team . Having heard that they were on the way, Team Leader Bae came out running, ¡°Oh boy, to think that the Association¡¯s HSD Hunter-nims would be paying us a visit today . How can we be of service?¡± Having been resting comfortably only moments ago, the Hunters of the mining team now looked uneasy . To Hunters, ¡°HSD¡± was a rather threatening word to hear . After all, the HSD Hunters were the ones that dealt with Awakened Beings that could not be controlled by society¡¯s laws and enforcement . They would arrest, imprison and at times¡­ eliminate such criminals . And now, these HSD Hunters were standing before them . ¡°What is it?¡±¡°The HSD¡¯s here . ¡± ¡°Why is the HSD¡­?¡± Something was about to happen . With a curiosity, the miners gathered next to Team Leader Bae . Woo Jincheol removed his sunglasses . ¡® . . . ¡¯ The A-ranker looked for Sung Jinwoo¡¯s face . When he didn¡¯t find it, he decided to ask the team leader, ¡°Where is Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim?¡± ¡°I knew it!¡± Suddenly, a man pushed his way through the miners . It was the man who had tried to bully Sung Jinwoo yesterday, Lee Sunggu . The man spat on the ground and went off in to a rant, ¡°That fucker turned around and looked at me while smiling! I swear, his eyes looked like they could swallow a person whole! Shit man, even thinking about it now makes me shake . ¡± Woo Jincheol¡¯s brows furrowed slightly, ¡®Eyes looking like they could swallow a person?¡¯ Just what happened? The miners started to whisper among themselves . Woo Jincheol ignored them and asked Lee Sunggu, ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­¡± The miner was about to reply, then realized that he was the one who tried to bully Jinwoo . He quickly waved his hand, ¡°That¡¯s not important . I¡¯m telling you, the man¡¯s eyes were just too scary . ¡± ¡° . . . ¡± Woo Jincheol turned to Team Leader Bae again, ¡°Where is Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim now?¡± ¡°Er¡­ Sung-ssi is inside the Gate right now . ¡± Sung Jinwoo entered an A-rank Gate while the Raid was in progress? The HSD chief¡¯s eyes grew wide . ¡°Why would Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim be in the Dungeon?¡± ¡°Well, the attack team¡¯s porter didn¡¯t come today . Sung-ssi was the only one who volunteered to go into the Dungeon as their porter . ¡± ¡° . . . ¡± ¡°You know it¡¯s strange . ¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s nothing but¡­ just now, Hunter Cha-nim, I mean, Hunter Cha Haein-nim also looked for Sung-ssi . When she heard that he had entered the Gate, she also went in . I just thought it was strange¡­¡± Team Leader Bae tilted his head . When he heard the man¡¯s words, Woo Jincheol¡¯s mind started turning frantically . ¡®The Deputy Guildmaster of Hunters Guild looked for Sung Jinwoo? And she actually followed him into the Dungeon?¡¯ Just what was going on? Woo Jincheol had only come here to give Sung Jinwoo his greetings, but it appeared that something was going out of hand . ¡®First, let¡¯s check out the Gate . ¡¯ As members of the HSD, that was the least they could do . ¡°We¡¯ll be checking the Gate out . ¡± ¡°Ah, understood . ¡± As Woo Jincheol turned to leave with his subordinates, Lee Sunggu suddenly stopped them and spoke up, ¡°Er, Hunter-nim!¡± The miner¡¯s face was filled with anticipation and excitement, ¡°That fucker, Sung Jinwoo or something . Did he do something bad? Like kill a man? He seemed like the type . ¡± Woo Jincheol scrunched his face . Suddenly, he realized just why Sung Jinwoo would glare at this man . ¡®You look like you¡¯d keel over if Sung Jinwoo so much as sneezed in your direction¡­¡¯ Still, there were too many eyes here . A representative of the Association couldn¡¯t just berate or show anger at an ordinary Hunter . At times like this, Woo Jincheol disliked his status in the organization . The HSD chief did his best to speak as diplomatically as possible, ¡°You¡¯ll find out on tomorrow¡¯s evening news . ¡± As if that was the reply he was looking for, Lee Sunggu looked satisfied and vindicated, ¡°You see? What¡¯d I tell you? That fucker was suspicious as hell!¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t seem like that to me¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, seemed like a good worker . Pretty diligent . ¡± Lee Sunggu ignored the lukewarm responses of his teammates and held his nose high at the idea that he was right all along . Having enough of the pathetic man, Woo Jincheol took his subordinates and left toward the Gate . flinch Woo Jincheol instinctively stopped few steps before the Gate . ¡°Chief?¡± The HSD Hunters looked at Woo Jincheol with confusion . The man¡¯s face was frozen . ¡®What the hell¡­ this is impossible . ¡¯ Woo Jincheol took out his phone and pulled up this A-rank Gate¡¯s information . He was shocked at what he read, ¡®Why is the magic power so low?¡¯ He shook his head, ¡®The measurement was off . ¡¯ Not all A-rank Hunters were equal . Woo Jincheol was at the upper echelon of the A-rank Hunters . And his skilled senses were telling him: the magic power measurement was wrong . He quickly turned to his side and gave an order, ¡°Magic power measuring device, now!¡± Reading the mood, a subordinate quickly ran to the car and returned with the device . The miniature measuring device used by the HSD were of a different class than the ones used by the ordinary Association employees . As expected of a device made with a magic core costing a billion won, it rarely ever produced an incorrect measurement . beep The measurement finished . ¡®I was right¡­¡¯ The results were noticeably different than the measurement done by the normal Association employees . If a Guild relied on the initial data from the Association in planning their raiding party, it would¡¯ve ended in a disaster . ¡®Shouldn¡¯t be an issue now that two S-rankers are in there but¡­¡¯ Woo Jincheol reached down to pick up the measuring device when suddenly, wooong- The Gate shook with a powerful vibration; it was not the same phenomenon as a Gate closing . It was caused by a powerful wave of magic power being released from within . Putting the highly skilled Woo Jincheol aside, even the weaker senses of his subordinates were able to detect the powerful wave . Each of them flinched and shook when they felt it, ¡°C-chief?¡± ¡°What is this?¡± Woo Jincheol looked at the youngest member who had turned pale, ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Y-yes, sir . ¡± After replying, the man carefully looked at the back of his hand . It was filled with goosebumps . Woo Jincheol rose from the ground . ¡°We¡¯re going inside . ¡± ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°You want to go in there?¡± Woo Jincheol continued, ¡°Those afraid can remain behind . ¡± The only ones who knew the measurement was wrong were the HSD Hunters here . They had to relay this information to the Hunters inside . On top of managing and monitoring Hunters, it was the Association¡¯s first and foremost duty to help Hunters . ¡°N-no . I¡¯ll go . ¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go together . ¡± Woo Jincheol nodded then turned to the youngest employee, ¡°You, stay here and report this to the Association . ¡± ¡°S-sir?¡± ¡°You can do it, right?¡± Woo Jincheol tapped him on his shoulder, and the youngest employee nodded with effort, ¡°Yes, I will do that . ¡± The HSD chief turned back to the Gate . On top of what they had felt just now, even more powerful wave of magic power poured out from the Gate . ¡®Just what¡¯s happening in there?¡¯ With Woo Jincheol taking the lead, the three HSD Hunters threw themselves into the Gate . A moment ago . Cha Haein was tracing the steps of the raiding party inside the Dungeon . ¡®Weird . Why aren¡¯t there any magic beasts?¡¯ If it was an ordinary Dungeon, there should¡¯ve been corpses of magic beasts from the entrance all the way to the boss room . However, she had come across no such corpses . Were all the magic beasts gathered in one place or something? While moving with that in mind, ¡®Huh?¡¯ She had finally come across corpses of the magic beasts . step, step, step As fitting of an S-rank Fighter-class Hunter, she reached the site of the battle in a blink of an eye . ¡®My god!¡¯ Her eyes widened . The corpses were high orcs . The high orcs were easily distinguished from ordinary orcs due to their red skin and long tusks . ¡®How did Son Gihoon-ssi¡¯s team win against this many high orcs?¡¯ Not only that, it looked like there was no casualties among the Hunters . If there were, the raiding party would¡¯ve surely retreated from the Dungeon . ¡®Did I look down on A-rank and B-rank Hunters too much?¡¯ Perhaps¡­ Looking over the battlefield, it looked like an ordinary clash between Hunters and magic beasts- Wait . ¡®What¡¯s this¡­?¡¯ Cha Haein lowered her body to take a closer look at something she noticed . Her eyes opened wider . Getting up, she went from corpse to corpse . ¡®Here¡­ and here¡­ also here¡­¡¯ Her suspicions quickly turned to confirmation . ¡®How¡­?¡¯ Did this happen? Almost every high orc corpse had a wound caused by a small and sharp weapon . ¡®It¡¯s not enough to be fatal, but¡­¡¯ It would¡¯ve been more than enough to weaken the high orcs¡¯ combat prowess, and it was clearly done by a single Hunter . Ultimately, all the other Hunters had to do was finish off the heavily wounded prey . In reality, it was the same as a single Hunter massacring twenty high orcs . On top of that, she noticed two high orcs that had died in a different fashion . One of them had its head ripped off by a powerful force and another was killed by blunt trauma to the head . ¡®Other than these two, someone had single-handedly injured the high orcs so the other Hunters could take them down easily . ¡¯ Was that possible? Even with pride in her speed, Cha Haein was not sure she could do something like that . And to her knowledge, there was no Assassin-class Hunter wielding daggers in Son Gihoon¡¯s team . ¡®Dagger?¡¯ Suddenly, a memory flashed across her head . That man who stood before the boss room yesterday . Sung Jinwoo was definitely holding some kind of small weapons in both of his hands . ¡®Was it that man?¡¯ As she reached that line of thought, the S-ranker¡¯s head turned sharply towards the interior of the Dungeon . Somewhere from deep within the Dungeon, a wave, no, a tsunami of magic power that she had never experienced before was pouring out . The woman¡¯s face darkened . The air itself shook at the magic power . ¡®Oh no!¡¯ Cha Haein bit her lips and ran with all her might towards the boss room . If this was the boss¡¯s magic power, Son Gihoon¡¯s team would be annihilated . Sponsored Content I Alone Level-up: Chapter 89. . screech-. . A black sedan stopped on the side of the road . A man wearing sunglasses and a black suit got off from the car . He was the Hunter Surveillance Department¡¯s (HSD) Chief, Woo Jincheol . Following him, three other HSD Hunters also got off from the car . . . ¡°Chief, why did we stop here? Weren¡¯t we going directly to the Association?¡±. . ¡°I just have something I want to check out . ¡±. . Woo Jincheol turned his head towards the Gate in the distance . . . ¡®No matter how many times I see it, an A-rank Gate is a dreadful thing . ¡¯. . The HSD chief furrowed his brows . If that giant hole opened up and unleashed the magic beasts within¡­ Even just imagining it made the A-rank Hunter shudder . . . ¡®So why would that man volunteer as a miner in such a scary place?¡¯. . And not just for a single day but two . Even if Association President Go Gunhee had not asked him personally, Woo Jincheol would¡¯ve tried to find out on his own . . . ¡®We can¡¯t¡­ investigate him behind his back . ¡¯. . ¡°Him¡± was an S-rank Hunter . It was impossible for an A-ranker like Woo Jincheol to secretly investigate an S-rank Hunter without being detected . As such, the HSD chief had decided to appear boldly to check out what Jinwoo was up to . Since the HSD had another job nearby, he had thought to use the excuse that he was just passing by and wanted to give his greetings . . . ¡®That won¡¯t come off as too strange, right?¡¯. . If a Hunter that was confirmed to be an S-rank was doing a job digging away at the ground, anyone would be curious . On top of that, Sung Jinwoo was someone who had the attention of the Hunter Association, especially the association president . The association president must¡¯ve really liked the man; recently, Woo Jincheol noticed that Go Gunhee had perked up both eyes and ears whenever Jinwoo was mentioned . . . ¡®No, if anything, the strange one isn¡¯t me . ¡¯. . Being curious was obvious, and asking few questions out of that curiosity was normal . With that in mind, Woo Jincheol approached a Hunters Guild employee . . . ¡°Hello, I¡¯m looking for the mining team . ¡±. . ¡°Excuse me . but who are you?¡±. . ¡°I¡¯m from the Association . ¡±. . After confirming Woo Jincheol¡¯s identity, the employee gestured to where the mining team was on standby . . . ¡°You can find them over there . ¡±. . ¡°Thank you . ¡±. . The four HSD Hunters went over to the mining team . Having heard that they were on the way, Team Leader Bae came out running,. . ¡°Oh boy, to think that the Association¡¯s HSD Hunter-nims would be paying us a visit today . How can we be of service?¡±. . Having been resting comfortably only moments ago, the Hunters of the mining team now looked uneasy . To Hunters, ¡°HSD¡± was a rather threatening word to hear . After all, the HSD Hunters were the ones that dealt with Awakened Beings that could not be controlled by society¡¯s laws and enforcement . They would arrest, imprison and at times¡­ eliminate such criminals . And now, these HSD Hunters were standing before them . . . ¡°What is it?¡±. ¡°The HSD¡¯s here . ¡±. ¡°Why is the HSD¡­?¡±. . Something was about to happen . With a curiosity, the miners gathered next to Team Leader Bae . Woo Jincheol removed his sunglasses . . . ¡® . ¡¯. . The A-ranker looked for Sung Jinwoo¡¯s face . When he didn¡¯t find it, he decided to ask the team leader,. . ¡°Where is Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim?¡±. . ¡°I knew it!¡±. . Suddenly, a man pushed his way through the miners . It was the man who had tried to bully Sung Jinwoo yesterday, Lee Sunggu . The man spat on the ground and went off in to a rant,. . ¡°That fucker turned around and looked at me while smiling! I swear, his eyes looked like they could swallow a person whole! Shit man, even thinking about it now makes me shake . ¡±. . Woo Jincheol¡¯s brows furrowed slightly,. . ¡®Eyes looking like they could swallow a person?¡¯. . Just what happened? The miners started to whisper among themselves . Woo Jincheol ignored them and asked Lee Sunggu,. . ¡°Did something happen?¡±. . ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­¡±. . The miner was about to reply, then realized that he was the one who tried to bully Jinwoo . He quickly waved his hand,. . ¡°That¡¯s not important . I¡¯m telling you, the man¡¯s eyes were just too scary . ¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . Woo Jincheol turned to Team Leader Bae again,. . ¡°Where is Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim now?¡±. . ¡°Er¡­ Sung-ssi is inside the Gate right now . ¡±. . Sung Jinwoo entered an A-rank Gate while the Raid was in progress? The HSD chief¡¯s eyes grew wide . . . ¡°Why would Hunter Sung Jinwoo-nim be in the Dungeon?¡±. . ¡°Well, the attack team¡¯s porter didn¡¯t come today . Sung-ssi was the only one who volunteered to go into the Dungeon as their porter . ¡±. . ¡° . ¡±. . ¡°You know it¡¯s strange . ¡±. . ¡°What do you mean?¡±. . ¡°Well, it¡¯s nothing but¡­ just now, Hunter Cha-nim, I mean, Hunter Cha Haein-nim also looked for Sung-ssi . When she heard that he had entered the Gate, she also went in . I just thought it was strange¡­¡±. . Team Leader Bae tilted his head . When he heard the man¡¯s words, Woo Jincheol¡¯s mind started turning frantically . . . ¡®The Deputy Guildmaster of Hunters Guild looked for Sung Jinwoo? And she actually followed him into the Dungeon?¡¯. . Just what was going on? Woo Jincheol had only come here to give Sung Jinwoo his greetings, but it appeared that something was going out of hand . . . ¡®First, let¡¯s check out the Gate . ¡¯. . As members of the HSD, that was the least they could do . . . ¡°We¡¯ll be checking the Gate out . ¡±. . ¡°Ah, understood . ¡±. . As Woo Jincheol turned to leave with his subordinates, Lee Sunggu suddenly stopped them and spoke up,. . ¡°Er, Hunter-nim!¡±. . The miner¡¯s face was filled with anticipation and excitement,. . ¡°That fucker, Sung Jinwoo or something . Did he do something bad? Like kill a man? He seemed like the type . ¡±. . Woo Jincheol scrunched his face . Suddenly, he realized just why Sung Jinwoo would glare at this man . . . ¡®You look like you¡¯d keel over if Sung Jinwoo so much as sneezed in your direction¡­¡¯. . Still, there were too many eyes here . A representative of the Association couldn¡¯t just berate or show anger at an ordinary Hunter . At times like this, Woo Jincheol disliked his status in the organization . The HSD chief did his best to speak as diplomatically as possible,. . ¡°You¡¯ll find out on tomorrow¡¯s evening news . ¡±. . As if that was the reply he was looking for, Lee Sunggu looked satisfied and vindicated,. . ¡°You see? What¡¯d I tell you? That fucker was suspicious as hell!¡±. ¡°He didn¡¯t seem like that to me¡­¡±. ¡°Yeah, seemed like a good worker . Pretty diligent . ¡±. . Lee Sunggu ignored the lukewarm responses of his teammates and held his nose high at the idea that he was right all along . Having enough of the pathetic man, Woo Jincheol took his subordinates and left toward the Gate . . . . . flinch. . Woo Jincheol instinctively stopped few steps before the Gate . . . ¡°Chief?¡±. . The HSD Hunters looked at Woo Jincheol with confusion . The man¡¯s face was frozen . . . ¡®What the hell¡­ this is impossible . ¡¯. . Woo Jincheol took out his phone and pulled up this A-rank Gate¡¯s information . He was shocked at what he read,. . ¡®Why is the magic power so low?¡¯. . He shook his head,. . ¡®The measurement was off . ¡¯. . Not all A-rank Hunters were equal . Woo Jincheol was at the upper echelon of the A-rank Hunters . And his skilled senses were telling him: the magic power measurement was wrong . He quickly turned to his side and gave an order,. . ¡°Magic power measuring device, now!¡±. . Reading the mood, a subordinate quickly ran to the car and returned with the device . The miniature measuring device used by the HSD were of a different class than the ones used by the ordinary Association employees . As expected of a device made with a magic core costing a billion won, it rarely ever produced an incorrect measurement . . . beep. . The measurement finished . . . ¡®I was right¡­¡¯. . The results were noticeably different than the measurement done by the normal Association employees . If a Guild relied on the initial data from the Association in planning their raiding party, it would¡¯ve ended in a disaster . . . ¡®Shouldn¡¯t be an issue now that two S-rankers are in there but¡­¡¯. . Woo Jincheol reached down to pick up the measuring device when suddenly,. . wooong-. . The Gate shook with a powerful vibration; it was not the same phenomenon as a Gate closing . It was caused by a powerful wave of magic power being released from within . Putting the highly skilled Woo Jincheol aside, even the weaker senses of his subordinates were able to detect the powerful wave . Each of them flinched and shook when they felt it,. . ¡°C-chief?¡±. ¡°What is this?¡±. . Woo Jincheol looked at the youngest member who had turned pale,. . ¡°Are you alright?¡±. ¡°Y-yes, sir . ¡±. . After replying, the man carefully looked at the back of his hand . It was filled with goosebumps . Woo Jincheol rose from the ground . . . ¡°We¡¯re going inside . ¡±. . ¡°Sir?¡±. . ¡°You want to go in there?¡±. . Woo Jincheol continued,. . ¡°Those afraid can remain behind . ¡±. . The only ones who knew the measurement was wrong were the HSD Hunters here . They had to relay this information to the Hunters inside . On top of managing and monitoring Hunters, it was the Association¡¯s first and foremost duty to help Hunters . . . ¡°N-no . I¡¯ll go . ¡±. ¡°Let¡¯s go together . ¡±. . Woo Jincheol nodded then turned to the youngest employee,. . ¡°You, stay here and report this to the Association . ¡±. ¡°S-sir?¡±. ¡°You can do it, right?¡±. . Woo Jincheol tapped him on his shoulder, and the youngest employee nodded with effort,. . ¡°Yes, I will do that . ¡±. . The HSD chief turned back to the Gate . On top of what they had felt just now, even more powerful wave of magic power poured out from the Gate . . . ¡®Just what¡¯s happening in there?¡¯. . With Woo Jincheol taking the lead, the three HSD Hunters threw themselves into the Gate . . . . . A moment ago . . . Cha Haein was tracing the steps of the raiding party inside the Dungeon . . . ¡®Weird . Why aren¡¯t there any magic beasts?¡¯. . If it was an ordinary Dungeon, there should¡¯ve been corpses of magic beasts from the entrance all the way to the boss room . However, she had come across no such corpses . Were all the magic beasts gathered in one place or something? While moving with that in mind,. . ¡®Huh?¡¯. . She had finally come across corpses of the magic beasts . . . step, step, step. . As fitting of an S-rank Fighter-class Hunter, she reached the site of the battle in a blink of an eye . . . ¡®My god!¡¯. . Her eyes widened . The corpses were high orcs . The high orcs were easily distinguished from ordinary orcs due to their red skin and long tusks . . . ¡®How did Son Gihoon-ssi¡¯s team win against this many high orcs?¡¯. . Not only that, it looked like there was no casualties among the Hunters . If there were, the raiding party would¡¯ve surely retreated from the Dungeon . . . ¡®Did I look down on A-rank and B-rank Hunters too much?¡¯. . Perhaps¡­ Looking over the battlefield, it looked like an ordinary clash between Hunters and magic beasts- Wait . . . ¡®What¡¯s this¡­?¡¯. . Cha Haein lowered her body to take a closer look at something she noticed . Her eyes opened wider . Getting up, she went from corpse to corpse . . . ¡®Here¡­ and here¡­ also here¡­¡¯. . Her suspicions quickly turned to confirmation . . . ¡®How¡­?¡¯. . Did this happen? Almost every high orc corpse had a wound caused by a small and sharp weapon . . . ¡®It¡¯s not enough to be fatal, but¡­¡¯. . It would¡¯ve been more than enough to weaken the high orcs¡¯ combat prowess, and it was clearly done by a single Hunter . Ultimately, all the other Hunters had to do was finish off the heavily wounded prey . In reality, it was the same as a single Hunter massacring twenty high orcs . On top of that, she noticed two high orcs that had died in a different fashion . One of them had its head ripped off by a powerful force and another was killed by blunt trauma to the head . . . ¡®Other than these two, someone had single-handedly injured the high orcs so the other Hunters could take them down easily . ¡¯. . Was that possible? Even with pride in her speed, Cha Haein was not sure she could do something like that . And to her knowledge, there was no Assassin-class Hunter wielding daggers in Son Gihoon¡¯s team . . . ¡®Dagger?¡¯. . Suddenly, a memory flashed across her head . . . That man who stood before the boss room yesterday . . . Sung Jinwoo was definitely holding some kind of small weapons in both of his hands . . . ¡®Was it that man?¡¯. . As she reached that line of thought, the S-ranker¡¯s head turned sharply towards the interior of the Dungeon . Somewhere from deep within the Dungeon, a wave, no, a tsunami of magic power that she had never experienced before was pouring out . The woman¡¯s face darkened . The air itself shook at the magic power . . . ¡®Oh no!¡¯. . Cha Haein bit her lips and ran with all her might towards the boss room . . . If this was the boss¡¯s magic power, Son Gihoon¡¯s team would be annihilated . . Chapter 90 "Come out and play . " Everything began with those words . Whoooosh-!! A ripple incomparably greater than that of the magic energy wave from the High Orc Shaman spread out everywhere . That wasn''t the only change to take place, however . Along with him unshackling his magic power, the shadow beneath Jin-Woo''s feet spread out, too . And it covered the entirety of the chamber''s surface at a frightening pace, as if someone had poured a bucket of pitch-black ink onto the floor . "Heok?!" "W-what''s this??" The Hunters of Sohn Ki-Hoon''s raid team saw the ''shadow'' spread beneath their feet and freaked out . How should they even go about describing this situation? Even the most experienced, grizzled Hunters among the group hadn''t heard of anything like this, never mind seeing one . Tremble . . . An unknown fear crept up over them . Sohn Ki-Hoon, lying on the ground, powerlessly began trembling violently while staring up at Jin-Woo . ''What . . . . Just what are you planning to do?'' As if to answer his silent question ¨C when the spreading shadow completely covered the floor of the boss room . . . . Shururuk . . . The surface of the shadow wavered, and soldiers wearing jet-black armour rose up one by one . [You have activated ''Skill: Sovereign''s Territory'' . ] [All Stats of the Shadow Soldiers fighting over the Summoner''s shadow will rise up by 50% . ] A thin smile spread on Jin-Woo''s lips . ''Good . '' This was the new Class-specific Skill he learnt when he broke past level 70 back in the Demon''s Castle . He sensed the fighting spirit of his enhanced soldiers soaring higher . Quite obviously, a satisfied grin formed on his face . 50 summoned Shadow Soldiers stood around Jin-Woo in a circle as if to protect him . "Ku-kururuk??" "Kuruk!!" The High Orc Warriors, famed for their bravery, began retreating one step at a time after getting their wits scared off by the dangerous pressure emitted by Jin-Woo and his soldiers . "O-Orcs are retreating?!" "Just what is the meaning of this . . . . " Even though they were trembling like a leaf from this unbelievable situation, the Hunters also began clutching onto a slender thread of renewed hope now . "D-did you feel that?" "Yeah . " "Can . . . can that even make any sense?" The mage-type Hunters were sensitive towards the magic energy, to begin with . And they couldn''t control their furiously quickening heartbeat no matter what . Because, an insane amount of magic energy was gushing out from the man who subbed in for their luggage carrier . Someone whom they thought of as a simple rank E, no less . ''No, hang on . Is this even magic energy?'' ''To think, this magical energy is even more ominous than what the High Orc Shaman is emitting . . . !!'' The sheer pressure from the magic energy thickly filling up the boss room made it difficult to even breathe properly . The fact that this incredible power didn''t belong to an enemy relieved them to no end . On the other hand, indescribably heavy and taut tension was flowing among the ranks of High Orcs . With the appearance of the Shadow Soldiers, the difference of 1 to 150 suddenly got reduced to 50 to 150 . More importantly, though, those 50 were no ordinary 50 at all . No, that was the power that already transcended common sense, the one that couldn''t be quantified with mere numbers! As if to prove that reality, Jin-Woo was the very first one to dash forward . The Shaman hurriedly shouted out, then . "What are you doing!! Kill that human right now!!" With their backs pushed forward by the voice carrying a thick amount of the Shaman''s magical energy, the High Orc warriors all roared out and raised their weapons . "Kuwaaaaarrr!!" Step, step, step ¨C slice!! The skill, ''Sovereign''s Territory'' was designed solely for his Shadow Soldiers . However, even without a Status boosting buff, Jin-Woo''s displayed strength was already out of this world . "Kuwaaahk!!" "Kuaahh, kuaaah!!" High Orcs screamed out . Limbs, bits of body parts sliced off by Jin-Woo''s two daggers, and the ensuing trails of blood scattered in all directions . He was so fast that even the elite Hunters could only catch the glimpses of his afterimage . "That . . . . " "Right . That''s like seeing our Vice Chairman . " Cha Hae-In''s nickname was the ''Dancer'' . Normally, she remained a calm, composed figure, but when she jumped into a battle, she swiftly cut down monsters as if she was performing a fast-tempo dance routine . Hence, that nickname was given to her . The woman in question forbade the use of that nickname because of how embarrassing it sounded, so it wasn''t widely known, but some people still resorted to calling her that every now and then . And now, their supposed porter was displaying a movement that equalled Cha Hae-In ¨C no, even exceeding her speed . If Cha Hae-In danced, then Mister Porter was a typhoon . He had become the centre of the storm to obliterate the surrounding monsters . Kuoooaaahhh!! The Shadow Soldiers didn''t lose out, either; the former leader of the Ice Bears, Tank, took a step forward and that signalled the attack of the Shadow Soldiers . Iron took to the front . Just as he had done previously, Iron yelled out at the top of his lungs before he could enter the fray properly . Wuooaaaahhhh!!! [Iron has used ''Skill: Shout of Provocation'' . ] [The targets'' resistance is too high and the intended effect didn''t activate . ] When his skill failed to work, Iron got angry and began roaring out like a beast . And then, he began destroying the hapless High Orcs with his massive hammer . Swooosh-!! Kwajeeck!! Crack!! "Kuhhhaarck!!" "Kiiehck!" He was so destructive that one even felt a smidgeon of pity for the High Orcs . On the other hand, Igrit was elegantly and efficiently cutting down the necks of his enemies in complete contrast to Iron''s brutality . High Orcs running into Igrit didn''t even have a chance to scream before their breaths were cut short . Slice! When Igrit''s sword drew an arc in the air, another High Orc lost its head . Regular Shadow Soldiers found it hard to fight against individual High Orcs, but they possessed stamina that didn''t know the meaning of fatigue, and the capability to regenerate almost endlessly . And by buying time in this fashion, the sea of fire shooting out from the Magic Soldiers would rain down on top of the enemies with no exceptions . Kaaabbboooom!! Rumble-!! The number of High Orcs decreased substantially in no time at all . The Shaman''s swine-like cheek meat quivered in rage . ''How an insolent human being dares to . . . !'' The boss''s glare was now firmly fixed on Jin-Woo . The boss quickly decided to kill that human first . The black-armoured soldiers were summons called forth by that human! If that human died, then these soldiers would disappear, too . In order to kill Jin-Woo, the Shaman began chanting a spell . " . . . " The lips of the Shaman quickly moved up and down . The song of slowness, the song of blindness, the song of crippling fever, the song of intolerable pain, and the song of demonic slumber; five different types of hexes were completed in an instant and flew towards their intended victim . "It''s done!" The corners of the Shaman''s lips arched up . The moment all those hexes were completed, Jin-Woo also sensed the unnatural movement of magic energy . ''¡­ . Magic, is it?'' Jin-Woo''s eyes met those of the Shaman''s . The Orc Shaman smirked derisively . ''It''s already too late, human . '' Hexes were different from normal magic spells and couldn''t be evaded . The moment it was cast, that would be the end . With that human b*stard turning into a walking corpse wrecked by all sorts of afflictions, his fate was sealed ¨C to be ripped to shreds by the High Orc Warriors and their weapons . That was the end truly befitting a measly human who didn''t know his place and dared to show off . Unfortunately for the monster, however . . . . A familiar mechanical beep rang in Jin-Woo''s ears . Tti-ring . [Abnormal status has occurred . ] [All abnormal status will be removed with the effects of ''Buff: Immunity'' . ] Tti-ring, tti-ring, tti-ring . Mechanical beeps fired out one after the other . [''Hex: Slow'' has been dispelled . ] [''Hex: Blindness'' has been dispelled . ] ¡­ . ¡­ . . . . . All five hexes were dispelled even before they had the chance to activate . Grin . Jin-Woo smirked at the results . There was this ''Buff'' he received when he changed into the ''Player'' . [The blessings from the Grand Sorcerer, Kandiaru] - Continuous effect ''Good Health and Long Life'': You''ll be immune to all types of diseases, poisonous substances, as well as all forms of status debuffs . During sleep, your recovery rate will increase exponentially . Thanks to that, he didn''t have to worry about status-altering magic, such as hexes . "W-what?!" The Shaman shuddered in shock . Fitting for a boss of the rank A dungeon, the High Orc Shaman had immediately realised that its curses were rendered ineffective by an even greater power than it . ''But, those were hexes I cast!'' This made no sense! In order to dispel hexes, one required the purification magic, or the blessings of a being possessing greater power than that of the hex itself . ''There is an even more excellent Shaman than this great me among humans?'' Even before the monster could think about it some more, the Shaman cried out from the pain shooting up from the back of its foot . "Kuuuwaaaahk!!" When it looked down, it found a dagger deeply lodged in its foot . "Keuh . . . . " It was Jin-Woo''s ''Knight Killer'' . The Shaman raised its head and its bloodshot glare landed on Jin-Woo . "How dare a mere human . . . . . !" Jin-Woo casually cut apart a High Orc trying to pounce on him, and silently mouthed some words to the Orc Shaman . - Quietly wait for your turn . . . . . Don''t do anything useless, in other words . Immediately, the Shaman''s face reddened up like a beautifully ripe persimmon . "How dare a measly human!!" ''¡­ . So, it still has some mental capacity left to get angry, huh?'' Jin-Woo''s expression turned icy in the blink of an eye . In all honesty, he could''ve eliminated the Shaman right at the beginning of the battle if he wanted to . However, he chose not to . Because, he wanted to instil the sense of fear into the heart of that Shaman, the way it managed to do to the Hunters present . However, it seemed not quite enough to make that arrogant monster taste the true meaning of fear . The b*stard''s eyes were still ''alive'' . In that case . . . . ''Let me show you an interesting spectacle, then . '' From now on, he''d show the true sphere of influence of a necromancer . In the eyes of this Shadow Sovereign, his surroundings now resembled a location of celebration, filled with all sorts of delicacies . From the corpses of the High Orcs sprawled on the ground, black smokes eerily rose up as if they were waiting for Jin-Woo''s call . So, Jin-Woo called out to them . "Rise up . " [Shadow Extraction has commenced . ] Accompanying the System''s message alerting him to the activation of his skill, horrifying screams that resembled death throes resounded out from somewhere unknown . Wuuuaaaaahhhh---- The Shaman''s eyes widened in shock . "W-what is . . . . ?!" The Shaman didn''t get to finish its sentence . Even before it could, black hands began rising up from the shadows beneath the corpses of the High Orcs, that was why . [Shadow Extraction is a success . ] Jin-Woo began smiling deeply while gazing contently at the newbies joining his Shadow army . ''My warriors have become undead . . . !!'' The Shaman began shuddering uncontrollably . About 50 warriors had lost their lives so far . And about the same number had changed into those black-armoured soldiers . ''Which means, those soldiers that b*stard had summoned are . . . ?!'' The Shaman finally realised that the unidentifiable human was not wielding regular summons at all . And at the same time, it also realised how disadvantageous they were against the enemy''s powers . The fight between 50 and 150 had morphed to 100 versus 100 . High Orc Warriors would bravely jump into a fight against enemies stronger than themselves without fear, but they rapidly lost all their fighting spirit the moment they saw their former comrades being ''revived'' as Shadow Soldiers . "Ku . . . . Kururuk . " "Kuruk . " "Kuwak . " High Orcs, renowned for never backing down from a chance to shed some blood, were now openly retreating out of terror . The fact that they wouldn''t be able to ascend to the warrior''s heaven after their death and instead become the puppets of the enemy was the worst possible nightmare for these High Orcs . For sure, the impact of him showing off the Shadow Extraction skill was quite huge . ''It worked against the warriors, so what about the Shaman, then?'' Jin-Woo scanned the complexion of the Shaman next . ''Hoh . '' Jin-Woo''s expression brightened . Finally, there were signs of fear in that b*stard''s eyes . While shaking like a leaf, the Shaman recalled the existence that could revive the dead into ''shadows'' . There could not possibly be two people possessing the exact same power . So, that human had to be ''him'' . ''If that person is him, then . . . . . Then, why are we here . . . . ?!'' However, the moment the Shaman thought about ''itself'' and ''we'', the inside of its brain blanked out and the relevant memories contained within were wiped out in an instant . The only emotion remaining there was fear . Not knowing what happened, Jin-Woo formed a satisfied expression . ''That''s right . Stay exactly like that . '' His plan of making the Shaman shudder in fear until the end was a resounding success . He turned his head while smiling like that, and then, spotted a certain familiar female standing by the entrance of the boss room . Jin-Woo tilted his head . ''Who was that?'' She seemed a bit too ''distant'' to be totally familiar to him, however . That was why he needed a bit of a moment to recall what her name was . And she was none other than the rank S Hunter currently affiliated to the Hunters Guild, Cha Hae-In . ''But, what is that woman doing here?'' Jin-Woo might have been somewhat surprised by her presence here, but then, Cha Hae-In''s own shock was far greater than his . Her wide-open eyes stared at Jin-Woo and his Shadow Soldiers . < Chapter 90 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 90: Chapter 90 . "Come out and play . ". Everything began with those words Whoooosh-!!. A ripple incomparably greater than that of the magic energy wave from the High Orc Shaman spread out everywhere . That wasn''t the only change to take place, however Along with him unshackling his magic power, the shadow beneath Jin-Woo''s feet spread out, too . And it covered the entirety of the chamber''s surface at a frightening pace, as if someone had poured a bucket of pitch-black ink onto the floor "Heok?!". "W-what''s this??". The Hunters of Sohn Ki-Hoon''s raid team saw the ''shadow'' spread beneath their feet and freaked out . How should they even go about describing this situation? Even the most experienced, grizzled Hunters among the group hadn''t heard of anything like this, never mind seeing one Tremble An unknown fear crept up over them Sohn Ki-Hoon, lying on the ground, powerlessly began trembling violently while staring up at Jin-Woo ''What Just what are you planning to do?''. As if to answer his silent question ¨C when the spreading shadow completely covered the floor of the boss room . Shururuk The surface of the shadow wavered, and soldiers wearing jet-black armour rose up one by one [You have activated ''Skill: Sovereign''s Territory'' . ]. [All Stats of the Shadow Soldiers fighting over the Summoner''s shadow will rise up by 50% . ]. A thin smile spread on Jin-Woo''s lips ''Good . ''. This was the new Class-specific Skill he learnt when he broke past level 70 back in the Demon''s Castle He sensed the fighting spirit of his enhanced soldiers soaring higher . Quite obviously, a satisfied grin formed on his face . 50 summoned Shadow Soldiers stood around Jin-Woo in a circle as if to protect him "Ku-kururuk??". "Kuruk!!". The High Orc Warriors, famed for their bravery, began retreating one step at a time after getting their wits scared off by the dangerous pressure emitted by Jin-Woo and his soldiers "O-Orcs are retreating?!". "Just what is the meaning of this ". Even though they were trembling like a leaf from this unbelievable situation, the Hunters also began clutching onto a slender thread of renewed hope now "D-did you feel that?". "Yeah . ". "Can . can that even make any sense?". The mage-type Hunters were sensitive towards the magic energy, to begin with . And they couldn''t control their furiously quickening heartbeat no matter what . Because, an insane amount of magic energy was gushing out from the man who subbed in for their luggage carrier . Someone whom they thought of as a simple rank E, no less ''No, hang on . Is this even magic energy?''. ''To think, this magical energy is even more ominous than what the High Orc Shaman is emitting . !!''. The sheer pressure from the magic energy thickly filling up the boss room made it difficult to even breathe properly . The fact that this incredible power didn''t belong to an enemy relieved them to no end On the other hand, indescribably heavy and taut tension was flowing among the ranks of High Orcs With the appearance of the Shadow Soldiers, the difference of 1 to 150 suddenly got reduced to 50 to 150 More importantly, though, those 50 were no ordinary 50 at all . No, that was the power that already transcended common sense, the one that couldn''t be quantified with mere numbers!. As if to prove that reality, Jin-Woo was the very first one to dash forward The Shaman hurriedly shouted out, then "What are you doing!! Kill that human right now!!". With their backs pushed forward by the voice carrying a thick amount of the Shaman''s magical energy, the High Orc warriors all roared out and raised their weapons "Kuwaaaaarrr!!". Step, step, step ¨C slice!!. The skill, ''Sovereign''s Territory'' was designed solely for his Shadow Soldiers . However, even without a Status boosting buff, Jin-Woo''s displayed strength was already out of this world "Kuwaaahk!!". "Kuaahh, kuaaah!!". High Orcs screamed out . Limbs, bits of body parts sliced off by Jin-Woo''s two daggers, and the ensuing trails of blood scattered in all directions . He was so fast that even the elite Hunters could only catch the glimpses of his afterimage "That ". "Right . That''s like seeing our Vice Chairman . ". Cha Hae-In''s nickname was the ''Dancer'' Normally, she remained a calm, composed figure, but when she jumped into a battle, she swiftly cut down monsters as if she was performing a fast-tempo dance routine . Hence, that nickname was given to her The woman in question forbade the use of that nickname because of how embarrassing it sounded, so it wasn''t widely known, but some people still resorted to calling her that every now and then And now, their supposed porter was displaying a movement that equalled Cha Hae-In ¨C no, even exceeding her speed If Cha Hae-In danced, then Mister Porter was a typhoon . He had become the centre of the storm to obliterate the surrounding monsters Kuoooaaahhh!!. The Shadow Soldiers didn''t lose out, either; the former leader of the Ice Bears, Tank, took a step forward and that signalled the attack of the Shadow Soldiers Iron took to the front . Just as he had done previously, Iron yelled out at the top of his lungs before he could enter the fray properly Wuooaaaahhhh!!!. [Iron has used ''Skill: Shout of Provocation'' . ]. [The targets'' resistance is too high and the intended effect didn''t activate . ]. When his skill failed to work, Iron got angry and began roaring out like a beast . And then, he began destroying the hapless High Orcs with his massive hammer Swooosh-!!. Kwajeeck!!. Crack!!. "Kuhhhaarck!!". "Kiiehck!". He was so destructive that one even felt a smidgeon of pity for the High Orcs On the other hand, Igrit was elegantly and efficiently cutting down the necks of his enemies in complete contrast to Iron''s brutality . High Orcs running into Igrit didn''t even have a chance to scream before their breaths were cut short Slice!. When Igrit''s sword drew an arc in the air, another High Orc lost its head Regular Shadow Soldiers found it hard to fight against individual High Orcs, but they possessed stamina that didn''t know the meaning of fatigue, and the capability to regenerate almost endlessly And by buying time in this fashion, the sea of fire shooting out from the Magic Soldiers would rain down on top of the enemies with no exceptions Kaaabbboooom!!. Rumble-!!. The number of High Orcs decreased substantially in no time at all . The Shaman''s swine-like cheek meat quivered in rage ''How an insolent human being dares to . !''. The boss''s glare was now firmly fixed on Jin-Woo . The boss quickly decided to kill that human first The black-armoured soldiers were summons called forth by that human! If that human died, then these soldiers would disappear, too In order to kill Jin-Woo, the Shaman began chanting a spell " . ". The lips of the Shaman quickly moved up and down The song of slowness, the song of blindness, the song of crippling fever, the song of intolerable pain, and the song of demonic slumber; five different types of hexes were completed in an instant and flew towards their intended victim "It''s done!". The corners of the Shaman''s lips arched up The moment all those hexes were completed, Jin-Woo also sensed the unnatural movement of magic energy ''¡­ . Magic, is it?''. Jin-Woo''s eyes met those of the Shaman''s The Orc Shaman smirked derisively ''It''s already too late, human . ''. Hexes were different from normal magic spells and couldn''t be evaded . The moment it was cast, that would be the end With that human b*stard turning into a walking corpse wrecked by all sorts of afflictions, his fate was sealed ¨C to be ripped to shreds by the High Orc Warriors and their weapons . That was the end truly befitting a measly human who didn''t know his place and dared to show off Unfortunately for the monster, however . A familiar mechanical beep rang in Jin-Woo''s ears Tti-ring [Abnormal status has occurred . ]. [All abnormal status will be removed with the effects of ''Buff: Immunity'' . ]. Tti-ring, tti-ring, tti-ring Mechanical beeps fired out one after the other [''Hex: Slow'' has been dispelled . ]. [''Hex: Blindness'' has been dispelled . ]. ¡­ ¡­ All five hexes were dispelled even before they had the chance to activate Grin Jin-Woo smirked at the results . There was this ''Buff'' he received when he changed into the ''Player'' [The blessings from the Grand Sorcerer, Kandiaru]. - Continuous effect ''Good Health and Long Life'': You''ll be immune to all types of diseases, poisonous substances, as well as all forms of status debuffs . During sleep, your recovery rate will increase exponentially Thanks to that, he didn''t have to worry about status-altering magic, such as hexes "W-what?!". The Shaman shuddered in shock . Fitting for a boss of the rank A dungeon, the High Orc Shaman had immediately realised that its curses were rendered ineffective by an even greater power than it ''But, those were hexes I cast!''. This made no sense!. In order to dispel hexes, one required the purification magic, or the blessings of a being possessing greater power than that of the hex itself ''There is an even more excellent Shaman than this great me among humans?''. Even before the monster could think about it some more, the Shaman cried out from the pain shooting up from the back of its foot "Kuuuwaaaahk!!". When it looked down, it found a dagger deeply lodged in its foot "Keuh ". It was Jin-Woo''s ''Knight Killer'' The Shaman raised its head and its bloodshot glare landed on Jin-Woo "How dare a mere human . !". Jin-Woo casually cut apart a High Orc trying to pounce on him, and silently mouthed some words to the Orc Shaman - Quietly wait for your turn Don''t do anything useless, in other words Immediately, the Shaman''s face reddened up like a beautifully ripe persimmon "How dare a measly human!!". ''¡­ . So, it still has some mental capacity left to get angry, huh?''. Jin-Woo''s expression turned icy in the blink of an eye In all honesty, he could''ve eliminated the Shaman right at the beginning of the battle if he wanted to . However, he chose not to Because, he wanted to instil the sense of fear into the heart of that Shaman, the way it managed to do to the Hunters present However, it seemed not quite enough to make that arrogant monster taste the true meaning of fear . The b*stard''s eyes were still ''alive'' In that case . ''Let me show you an interesting spectacle, then . ''. From now on, he''d show the true sphere of influence of a necromancer In the eyes of this Shadow Sovereign, his surroundings now resembled a location of celebration, filled with all sorts of delicacies . From the corpses of the High Orcs sprawled on the ground, black smokes eerily rose up as if they were waiting for Jin-Woo''s call So, Jin-Woo called out to them "Rise up . ". [Shadow Extraction has commenced . ]. Accompanying the System''s message alerting him to the activation of his skill, horrifying screams that resembled death throes resounded out from somewhere unknown Wuuuaaaaahhhh----. The Shaman''s eyes widened in shock "W-what is ?!". The Shaman didn''t get to finish its sentence . Even before it could, black hands began rising up from the shadows beneath the corpses of the High Orcs, that was why [Shadow Extraction is a success . ]. Jin-Woo began smiling deeply while gazing contently at the newbies joining his Shadow army ''My warriors have become undead . !!''. The Shaman began shuddering uncontrollably . About 50 warriors had lost their lives so far . And about the same number had changed into those black-armoured soldiers ''Which means, those soldiers that b*stard had summoned are . ?!''. The Shaman finally realised that the unidentifiable human was not wielding regular summons at all . And at the same time, it also realised how disadvantageous they were against the enemy''s powers The fight between 50 and 150 had morphed to 100 versus 100 High Orc Warriors would bravely jump into a fight against enemies stronger than themselves without fear, but they rapidly lost all their fighting spirit the moment they saw their former comrades being ''revived'' as Shadow Soldiers "Ku Kururuk . ". "Kuruk . ". "Kuwak . ". High Orcs, renowned for never backing down from a chance to shed some blood, were now openly retreating out of terror The fact that they wouldn''t be able to ascend to the warrior''s heaven after their death and instead become the puppets of the enemy was the worst possible nightmare for these High Orcs For sure, the impact of him showing off the Shadow Extraction skill was quite huge ''It worked against the warriors, so what about the Shaman, then?''. Jin-Woo scanned the complexion of the Shaman next ''Hoh . ''. Jin-Woo''s expression brightened Finally, there were signs of fear in that b*stard''s eyes While shaking like a leaf, the Shaman recalled the existence that could revive the dead into ''shadows'' . There could not possibly be two people possessing the exact same power . So, that human had to be ''him'' ''If that person is him, then . Then, why are we here ?!''. However, the moment the Shaman thought about ''itself'' and ''we'', the inside of its brain blanked out and the relevant memories contained within were wiped out in an instant . The only emotion remaining there was fear Not knowing what happened, Jin-Woo formed a satisfied expression ''That''s right . Stay exactly like that . ''. His plan of making the Shaman shudder in fear until the end was a resounding success . He turned his head while smiling like that, and then, spotted a certain familiar female standing by the entrance of the boss room Jin-Woo tilted his head ''Who was that?''. She seemed a bit too ''distant'' to be totally familiar to him, however That was why he needed a bit of a moment to recall what her name was And she was none other than the rank S Hunter currently affiliated to the Hunters Guild, Cha Hae-In ''But, what is that woman doing here?''. Jin-Woo might have been somewhat surprised by her presence here, but then, Cha Hae-In''s own shock was far greater than his . Her wide-open eyes stared at Jin-Woo and his Shadow Soldiers < Chapter 90 > Fin Chapter 91 ''Summons??'' The first thing Cha Hae-In thought of was summoning when she saw the Shadow Soldiers . However, there were simply too many of them to say that this was the result of summoning magic . The thing was, the mage-type Hunters specialising in summoning magic could only control one, or two at a push . If one could control two, then the treatment one received improved greatly, and she hadn''t yet heard of anyone capable of controlling three or more summon creatures . However . . . . Just how many of them were here?! ''This makes no sense!'' One man summoned over 100 in one go . And, he didn''t even need a lot of time to summon them, too . No, he only needed a moment to summon dozens and dozens in one go . ''I wouldn''t have believed it if I didn''t see it with my own two eyes . '' She might be one of the top-ten ranked Hunters in South Korea, but another Hunter''s ability had managed to leave her totally speechless now . However . . . . ''This isn''t the time for me to stand around like this . '' Her gaze immediately shifted past the Shadow Soldiers and locked onto the raid team . Their complexions were not good at all . Some of them were squatting on the ground as if they no longer had any energy left . Didn''t matter what the identity of the man named Seong Jin-Woo was, didn''t matter what kind of ability he possessed ¨C her priority lay with lending him aid by taking care of these High Orcs right away . The results of her thought process might be simple, but she was incredibly quick to put them into action . Cha Hae-In tightened her grip on the ''weapon'' in her hands and took a step towards the High Orcs . However, it happened then . Her eyes met Jin-Woo''s . And his eyes were telling her in no uncertain terms . ¡­ . That it was not necessary; that she shouldn''t interfere . That she should just observe from the sidelines . Cha Hae-In couldn''t understand why . ''But, how come . . . . ?'' She could easily tell that Seong Jin-Woo was capable of controlling countless summons . However, there were just as many High Orcs standing, and there was also the boss possessing greater power, too . Because he had to summon that many creatures, and he had to maintain them constantly too, his magic energy reserve should be running empty by now . Yet . . . . ''What is he trying to do on his own?'' She was puzzled, sure, but in the end, Cha Hae-In lowered her weapon . It wasn''t because the so-called weapon just so happened to be a pickaxe she borrowed from the mining team . No, she became curious with what the Hunter named Seong Jin-Woo would do against the army of High Orcs, instead . Expectations . Her cool-headed reasoning and her expectation had a fight in her mind, and the latter achieved a resounding victory . For some reason, her heart began palpitating faster now . ''Whew, that''s a relief . '' Jin-Woo inwardly breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Cha Hae-In''s response . Seriously, the real thing was about to begin, so it wouldn''t do for some interference to suddenly pop out, now would it? Heck, he even had to let the poor Sohn Ki-Hoon go through that crap until the very last moment humanly possible, just for a chance to monopolise all the monsters in here . ''Well, he''s the kind of a guy who''d try to fight alongside if he has some energy left still . '' That was why he only acted the moment Sohn Ki-Hoon let go of his sword . Even though he had to suppress his urge to rush forward and kick the head of that d*mn Shaman . It was all for this moment . ''As expected of a quick-witted woman . '' What a relief it was that Cha Hae-In turned out to be a smart girl . She backed off without him needing to raise his voice, after all . Jin-Woo turned his attention back to his front while a deep smile formed on his face . "Shadows!" Jin-Woo loud yell reverberating within the boss room prompted the shadows to take the battle stance all at once, not one of them deviating from the formation ever so slightly . Clack!! Only a moment later, an eerie silence filled up the chamber . The thing that broke this silence was the single word Jin-Woo threw out while pointing at the High Orc Shaman . "Go . " With that, over a hundred Shadow Soldiers rushed towards the cowering group of High Orc warriors . RUMBLE---!!! The black soldiers and their controlled march shook the ground, the cavern, and even the eyes of all those witnessing this scene . *** Woo Jin-Cheol was running breathlessly . "Pant, pant, pant . . . . " He ran so hard that he now tasted sweetness in his mouth . He bent over and tried to catch his breaths, before raising his torso up ¨C only to spot a woman with a short hairstyle standing near the entrance of the boss room . He immediately recognised who she was . ''Cha Hae-in . . . . '' Where would you find a female Hunter possessing an aura like hers? ''¡­ . However, why is she standing still like that?'' Woo Jin-Cheol found it strange that she didn''t try to participate in the battle and simply stood by, so he quickly walked up next to her . And it was at that point he got to see clearly the situation inside the boss room . "This . . . . What is this?" Soldiers wearing jet-black armour were one-sidedly massacring the supposedly-powerful monsters, also known as High Orc warriors . "K-kuwaaahk!!" "Kiiahk!" "Kueehhk!!" The pitiful screams of the High Orcs even managed to deafen Woo Jin-Cheol''s hearing . Also, he might have been less shocked if there were only human-shaped soldiers present . But then again, just what were those nonsensically huge black bears with smoke coming out of them, as well as High Orcs kitted out in various black-coloured armours? "Been a while, Chief Woo Jin-Cheol . " "Ah, yes, miss . It''s been a while . . . but, what are they? They don''t seem to be simple monsters . . . . " "They are summons that man called out . " Cha Hae-In greeted Woo Jin-Cheol first before pointing at Jin-Woo in the distance . Woo Jin-Cheol quickly took his sunglasses off and stared at Jin-Woo, now standing in the middle of the battlefield . While wielding two shortswords that looked like daggers, he was busy destroying the formation of the High Orcs . ''No matter how I see it, doesn''t he look like a top-ranked melee-type Hunter?'' However, he could even use summoning magic, too? And, sure enough . . . When Jin-Woo''s lips moved a little, dozens more summons rose up from the ground . "Oh, my god!" Woo Jin-Cheol''s jaw fell to the floor . Just how many summons could that man control?! ''This . . . this is the true ability of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . . . . '' He couldn''t close shut his slack jaw at all . Could the Association President Goh Gun-Hui have recognised the skill set of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo already? If so, then his sky-high interest in Hunter Seong Jin-Woo made plenty of sense . Cha Hae-In couldn''t rip her eyes away from Jin-Woo for a long time, but she belatedly did manage that and asked Woo Jin-Cheol . "By the way, why are you here, Chief Woo? Was the call made to the Monitoring Division already?" When Cha Hae-In asked him that question, Woo Jin-Cheol somehow managed to regain control over his emotions and replied . "No, that''s not it . We were in the neighbourhood, just passing by . But, it was a coincidence that we discovered the Gate''s abnormal condition, and we came here to help facilitate the evacuation of the raid team, but well . . . . " Woo Jin-Cheol stopped talking there and stared at Jin-Woo again . "However, looks like that won''t be necessary . " This would be his first time witnessing Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s true skill . And that just so happened to be the spectacle of him clearing a rank A dungeon with his own power . It didn''t look like other''s help was necessary . "Yes . I think standing still is the right call to make here . " Cha Hae-In too agreed with that assessment . That man''s battle didn''t leave any gaps for a rank S like her to butt in at all . "Do you know who that man is?" Cha Hae-In asked . Woo Jin-Cheol was clearly admiring Seong Jin-Woo''s skills, and obviously not worried about his identity, at least not outwardly . Also, he was an agent of the Association which did block Jin-Woo''s information from leaking out, too . ''So maybe, Woo Jin-Cheol might know who that man is . '' Her expectation was on the money . "Yes, a little bit . " "That man . . . just who is he?" Woo Jin-Cheol put his sunglasses back on and replied . "I can''t reveal that information . " *** The Shaman was furious . When it first opened its eyes in this place, only one order was filling up its mind . - Hunt down humans! However, what was the meaning of this pathetic display? Wasn''t a lone human easily hunting down every single member of its tribe? This wasn''t supposed to happen . No, such a thing must not happen at all . The Shaman''s eyes reddened even further as it witnessed the massacre of its subordinates . ''You insect-like b*stard! I''ll step on you!!'' If hexes didn''t work against the enemy, then all it had to do was to bless itself and fight! "The song of rage! The song of strengthening! The song of the giants! The song of the fire dragon!" With the completion of the various spells, the Shaman''s body suddenly ballooned up to nearly ten metres tall . Its strength, agility, stamina, and even its confidence increased greatly as well, power filling up every square inch of its frame . Right away, the Shaman used its gigantic arm to swat away the Shadow Soldiers, and then took a deep breath . And then . . . "Fuuuu-hoook!!" When the Shaman spat out its breath, reddish black flames erupted out of its mouth . Rumble!! The soldiers immediately dissipated and scattered away when they were struck dead-on by the flames . Even those grazed by it were no exception . Parts of their bodies were blown away and they were rendered unable to carry on fighting . The flames didn''t end with one attack; the second wave of flames spat out of the Shaman''s mouth in a row . The Shaman was able to greatly reduce the number of the Shadow Soldiers with its continuous attacks . Having received a boost to its confidence, it roared out at the top of its lungs . "Do you still find this great Karugalgan funny now?!" The reply came from above its head . "Yup . " The Shaman flinched and raised its head, all the while hurriedly trying to chant a defensive spell, but . . . But, Jin-Woo was one step quicker . POW!! CRACK!! The Shaman''s head smashed down into the ground . The floor shattered and spiderweb-like cracks rapidly spread out . Jin-Woo had already experienced blowing away Vulcan with his bare fist . And that demon was much, much larger than this arrogant Shaman, too . [You have killed the owner of the dungeon . ] Tab . When he lightly landed on the ground, feel-good messages began popping up in his view one after the other . Tt-ring . [Level up!] "There you go!" Jin-Woo pumped his fist . Back when he was fighting using ''Stealth'', he levelled up once . When he was killing these Orcs, another level up . And, after killing the boss just now, another level up . Clearing this rank A dungeon netted him three level ups, in other words . This was a result well above his expectation . He even felt very grateful towards Foreman Bae for suggesting yesterday that they should work together again . ''This is very good . '' With an elated mind, Jin-Woo walked closer to the boss . The once-buffed up Shaman''s body had reverted back to its original size already . He saw an egg-sized magic crystal embedded in the dead boss''s necklace, but he decided to not to get too greedy . ''Earning experience points is good enough . '' This was the Hunters Guild''s dungeon, at the end of the day . If he wanted to get his hands on a magic crystal from a rank A dungeon, he didn''t need to enter someone else''s dungeon ¨C he''d just buy himself a permit for a dungeon of his own, instead . No, what Jin-Woo was aiming for was something else . And that would be the black smoke beginning to rise up from the boss''s corpse . Gulp . Jin-Woo licked his lips in anticipation . He couldn''t help but remember the corpse of Baruka, the one that slipped through his fingers back in the Red Gate . ''But, my situation is a lot different compared to then . '' Compared to now, his Stats weren''t that high back then . Also, killing that b*stard took a lot out of him . Only after receiving the aid of two knight-grade soldiers, Igrit and Iron, did he manage to beat that boss down . However, he was able to kill this Shaman comparatively easily today . A week spent inside the Demon''s Castle ¨C this was the definite proof that the events of those short seven days weren''t in vain . Jin-Woo issued a new order at the rising, wavering black steam-like smoke . "Rise up . " At the same time, an ominous wind brushed past his two cheeks . He instinctively realised it right away . ''It worked!'' A radiant smile bloomed on Jin-Woo''s face . Kuwaaaahhh!! As the soul-tearing scream resounded out, a mage covered in black robe rose up from the shadow of the dead Shaman . '' . . . Huh?'' Jin-Woo sensed something was different about this guy, and so he checked the information window . [?? Lv . 1] Elite Knight grade ''An Elite Knight?'' Previously, Jin-Woo was able to confirm that there were three grades to the Shadow Soldiers . Regular grade . Elite grade . And then, the Knight grade . But now, for the first time ever, the ''Elite Knight'' grade appeared . He began to think that, seeing the word ''elite'' tacked on to the already-existing grade ''Knight'', this new guy had to be a realm higher than either Igrit or Iron in terms of combat prowess . ''For sure, I can sense that its magic energy is far greater than that of my two knights . '' As expected of turning the boss of a rank A dungeon into his Shadow Soldier . Tti-ring . [Please set the soldier''s name . ] And also as expected, he got another System message telling to name the new guy, now that another Knight-grade Shadow Soldier had appeared . ''A name, is it . . . . '' Well, its face was hidden under the hood of the robe now, but still, High Orcs and lengthy fangs went hand in hand, no? ''Right, let''s name it Fangs . '' (TL note at the end) He didn''t need to issue a separate order; just thinking about it meant the new guy''s name would be set . [Fangs Lv . 1] Elite Knight grade . Instead of question marks, the new name appeared in the information window . If the Shaman who remained utterly arrogant right till the moment it died heard this name, the poor guy might have fainted on the spot . But well, who cares? It was already dead, anyway . With a satisfied grin on his face, Jin-Woo recalled his Shadow Soldiers . He could now store almost 130 of them . Although it was a bit regrettable, he had to return the rest back to the void . ''This much is more than enough, though . '' He stepped off from the altar with a big smile on his face, but then, several people rushed over to him . They were ¨C Hunters from the raid team, Cha Hae-In, and finally, a group of men wearing matching black business suits . Jin-Woo recognised one of the faces among the black suits . ''Since when did Chief Woo Jin-Cheol show up?'' Seeing the expression on Woo Jin-Cheol, he probably had witnessed the Shadow Soldiers in action in full . "Mister Seong Jin-Woo . " "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . " "Mister Porter?!" Everyone called out to him at the same time, then they took glances at each other . Well, it was all fine and dandy that he got to fight to his heart''s content since he no longer had any reason to hide his powers, but . . . . . ''¡­ . How am I supposed to get out of this now?'' Jin-Woo looked at all these people surrounding him and scratched the back of his head . < Chapter 91 > Fin . (TL: Right, for some reason, this author keep using the Korean word for molars when describing the characteristics of the High Orc . So, he named the new Shadow Soldier "Molar" but I just couldn''t use that in my good conscience and swapped it out to "Fangs" which, to me personally, make more physiological sense . I mean, lengthy molars wouldn''t be practical at all, right? And I''m pretty sure Orcs have long fangs, not long molars . . . . ) Sponsored Content Chapter 91: Chapter 91 . ''Summons??''. The first thing Cha Hae-In thought of was summoning when she saw the Shadow Soldiers . However, there were simply too many of them to say that this was the result of summoning magic The thing was, the mage-type Hunters specialising in summoning magic could only control one, or two at a push . If one could control two, then the treatment one received improved greatly, and she hadn''t yet heard of anyone capable of controlling three or more summon creatures However . Just how many of them were here?!. ''This makes no sense!''. One man summoned over 100 in one go . And, he didn''t even need a lot of time to summon them, too . No, he only needed a moment to summon dozens and dozens in one go ''I wouldn''t have believed it if I didn''t see it with my own two eyes . ''. She might be one of the top-ten ranked Hunters in South Korea, but another Hunter''s ability had managed to leave her totally speechless now However . ''This isn''t the time for me to stand around like this . ''. Her gaze immediately shifted past the Shadow Soldiers and locked onto the raid team . Their complexions were not good at all . Some of them were squatting on the ground as if they no longer had any energy left Didn''t matter what the identity of the man named Seong Jin-Woo was, didn''t matter what kind of ability he possessed ¨C her priority lay with lending him aid by taking care of these High Orcs right away The results of her thought process might be simple, but she was incredibly quick to put them into action . Cha Hae-In tightened her grip on the ''weapon'' in her hands and took a step towards the High Orcs However, it happened then Her eyes met Jin-Woo''s . And his eyes were telling her in no uncertain terms ¡­ . That it was not necessary; that she shouldn''t interfere That she should just observe from the sidelines Cha Hae-In couldn''t understand why ''But, how come ?''. She could easily tell that Seong Jin-Woo was capable of controlling countless summons . However, there were just as many High Orcs standing, and there was also the boss possessing greater power, too Because he had to summon that many creatures, and he had to maintain them constantly too, his magic energy reserve should be running empty by now . Yet . ''What is he trying to do on his own?''. She was puzzled, sure, but in the end, Cha Hae-In lowered her weapon . It wasn''t because the so-called weapon just so happened to be a pickaxe she borrowed from the mining team . No, she became curious with what the Hunter named Seong Jin-Woo would do against the army of High Orcs, instead Expectations Her cool-headed reasoning and her expectation had a fight in her mind, and the latter achieved a resounding victory . For some reason, her heart began palpitating faster now ''Whew, that''s a relief . ''. Jin-Woo inwardly breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Cha Hae-In''s response . Seriously, the real thing was about to begin, so it wouldn''t do for some interference to suddenly pop out, now would it?. Heck, he even had to let the poor Sohn Ki-Hoon go through that crap until the very last moment humanly possible, just for a chance to monopolise all the monsters in here ''Well, he''s the kind of a guy who''d try to fight alongside if he has some energy left still . ''. That was why he only acted the moment Sohn Ki-Hoon let go of his sword . Even though he had to suppress his urge to rush forward and kick the head of that d*mn Shaman It was all for this moment ''As expected of a quick-witted woman . ''. What a relief it was that Cha Hae-In turned out to be a smart girl . She backed off without him needing to raise his voice, after all . Jin-Woo turned his attention back to his front while a deep smile formed on his face "Shadows!". Jin-Woo loud yell reverberating within the boss room prompted the shadows to take the battle stance all at once, not one of them deviating from the formation ever so slightly Clack!!. Only a moment later, an eerie silence filled up the chamber The thing that broke this silence was the single word Jin-Woo threw out while pointing at the High Orc Shaman "Go . ". With that, over a hundred Shadow Soldiers rushed towards the cowering group of High Orc warriors RUMBLE---!!!. The black soldiers and their controlled march shook the ground, the cavern, and even the eyes of all those witnessing this scene ***. Woo Jin-Cheol was running breathlessly "Pant, pant, pant ". He ran so hard that he now tasted sweetness in his mouth He bent over and tried to catch his breaths, before raising his torso up ¨C only to spot a woman with a short hairstyle standing near the entrance of the boss room . He immediately recognised who she was ''Cha Hae-in ''. Where would you find a female Hunter possessing an aura like hers?. ''¡­ . However, why is she standing still like that?''. Woo Jin-Cheol found it strange that she didn''t try to participate in the battle and simply stood by, so he quickly walked up next to her And it was at that point he got to see clearly the situation inside the boss room "This What is this?". Soldiers wearing jet-black armour were one-sidedly massacring the supposedly-powerful monsters, also known as High Orc warriors "K-kuwaaahk!!". "Kiiahk!". "Kueehhk!!". The pitiful screams of the High Orcs even managed to deafen Woo Jin-Cheol''s hearing Also, he might have been less shocked if there were only human-shaped soldiers present . But then again, just what were those nonsensically huge black bears with smoke coming out of them, as well as High Orcs kitted out in various black-coloured armours?. "Been a while, Chief Woo Jin-Cheol . ". "Ah, yes, miss . It''s been a while . but, what are they? They don''t seem to be simple monsters ". "They are summons that man called out . ". Cha Hae-In greeted Woo Jin-Cheol first before pointing at Jin-Woo in the distance Woo Jin-Cheol quickly took his sunglasses off and stared at Jin-Woo, now standing in the middle of the battlefield . While wielding two shortswords that looked like daggers, he was busy destroying the formation of the High Orcs ''No matter how I see it, doesn''t he look like a top-ranked melee-type Hunter?''. However, he could even use summoning magic, too?. And, sure enough When Jin-Woo''s lips moved a little, dozens more summons rose up from the ground "Oh, my god!". Woo Jin-Cheol''s jaw fell to the floor Just how many summons could that man control?!. ''This . this is the true ability of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo ''. He couldn''t close shut his slack jaw at all Could the Association President Goh Gun-Hui have recognised the skill set of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo already? If so, then his sky-high interest in Hunter Seong Jin-Woo made plenty of sense Cha Hae-In couldn''t rip her eyes away from Jin-Woo for a long time, but she belatedly did manage that and asked Woo Jin-Cheol "By the way, why are you here, Chief Woo? Was the call made to the Monitoring Division already?". When Cha Hae-In asked him that question, Woo Jin-Cheol somehow managed to regain control over his emotions and replied "No, that''s not it . We were in the neighbourhood, just passing by . But, it was a coincidence that we discovered the Gate''s abnormal condition, and we came here to help facilitate the evacuation of the raid team, but well ". Woo Jin-Cheol stopped talking there and stared at Jin-Woo again "However, looks like that won''t be necessary . ". This would be his first time witnessing Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s true skill . And that just so happened to be the spectacle of him clearing a rank A dungeon with his own power It didn''t look like other''s help was necessary "Yes . I think standing still is the right call to make here . ". Cha Hae-In too agreed with that assessment That man''s battle didn''t leave any gaps for a rank S like her to butt in at all "Do you know who that man is?". Cha Hae-In asked Woo Jin-Cheol was clearly admiring Seong Jin-Woo''s skills, and obviously not worried about his identity, at least not outwardly . Also, he was an agent of the Association which did block Jin-Woo''s information from leaking out, too ''So maybe, Woo Jin-Cheol might know who that man is . ''. Her expectation was on the money "Yes, a little bit . ". "That man . just who is he?". Woo Jin-Cheol put his sunglasses back on and replied "I can''t reveal that information . ". ***. The Shaman was furious When it first opened its eyes in this place, only one order was filling up its mind - Hunt down humans!. However, what was the meaning of this pathetic display?. Wasn''t a lone human easily hunting down every single member of its tribe? This wasn''t supposed to happen . No, such a thing must not happen at all The Shaman''s eyes reddened even further as it witnessed the massacre of its subordinates ''You insect-like b*stard! I''ll step on you!!''. If hexes didn''t work against the enemy, then all it had to do was to bless itself and fight!. "The song of rage! The song of strengthening! The song of the giants! The song of the fire dragon!". With the completion of the various spells, the Shaman''s body suddenly ballooned up to nearly ten metres tall . Its strength, agility, stamina, and even its confidence increased greatly as well, power filling up every square inch of its frame Right away, the Shaman used its gigantic arm to swat away the Shadow Soldiers, and then took a deep breath And then "Fuuuu-hoook!!". When the Shaman spat out its breath, reddish black flames erupted out of its mouth Rumble!!. The soldiers immediately dissipated and scattered away when they were struck dead-on by the flames . Even those grazed by it were no exception . Parts of their bodies were blown away and they were rendered unable to carry on fighting The flames didn''t end with one attack; the second wave of flames spat out of the Shaman''s mouth in a row The Shaman was able to greatly reduce the number of the Shadow Soldiers with its continuous attacks . Having received a boost to its confidence, it roared out at the top of its lungs "Do you still find this great Karugalgan funny now?!". The reply came from above its head "Yup . ". The Shaman flinched and raised its head, all the while hurriedly trying to chant a defensive spell, but But, Jin-Woo was one step quicker POW!!. CRACK!!. The Shaman''s head smashed down into the ground . The floor shattered and spiderweb-like cracks rapidly spread out Jin-Woo had already experienced blowing away Vulcan with his bare fist . And that demon was much, much larger than this arrogant Shaman, too [You have killed the owner of the dungeon . ]. Tab When he lightly landed on the ground, feel-good messages began popping up in his view one after the other Tt-ring [Level up!]. "There you go!". Jin-Woo pumped his fist Back when he was fighting using ''Stealth'', he levelled up once . When he was killing these Orcs, another level up . And, after killing the boss just now, another level up . Clearing this rank A dungeon netted him three level ups, in other words . This was a result well above his expectation . He even felt very grateful towards Foreman Bae for suggesting yesterday that they should work together again ''This is very good . ''. With an elated mind, Jin-Woo walked closer to the boss . The once-buffed up Shaman''s body had reverted back to its original size already He saw an egg-sized magic crystal embedded in the dead boss''s necklace, but he decided to not to get too greedy ''Earning experience points is good enough . ''. This was the Hunters Guild''s dungeon, at the end of the day If he wanted to get his hands on a magic crystal from a rank A dungeon, he didn''t need to enter someone else''s dungeon ¨C he''d just buy himself a permit for a dungeon of his own, instead No, what Jin-Woo was aiming for was something else . And that would be the black smoke beginning to rise up from the boss''s corpse Gulp Jin-Woo licked his lips in anticipation He couldn''t help but remember the corpse of Baruka, the one that slipped through his fingers back in the Red Gate ''But, my situation is a lot different compared to then . ''. Compared to now, his Stats weren''t that high back then Also, killing that b*stard took a lot out of him . Only after receiving the aid of two knight-grade soldiers, Igrit and Iron, did he manage to beat that boss down However, he was able to kill this Shaman comparatively easily today A week spent inside the Demon''s Castle ¨C this was the definite proof that the events of those short seven days weren''t in vain Jin-Woo issued a new order at the rising, wavering black steam-like smoke "Rise up . ". At the same time, an ominous wind brushed past his two cheeks . He instinctively realised it right away ''It worked!''. A radiant smile bloomed on Jin-Woo''s face Kuwaaaahhh!!. As the soul-tearing scream resounded out, a mage covered in black robe rose up from the shadow of the dead Shaman '' . Huh?''. Jin-Woo sensed something was different about this guy, and so he checked the information window [?? Lv . 1]. Elite Knight grade. ''An Elite Knight?''. Previously, Jin-Woo was able to confirm that there were three grades to the Shadow Soldiers Regular grade Elite grade And then, the Knight grade But now, for the first time ever, the ''Elite Knight'' grade appeared He began to think that, seeing the word ''elite'' tacked on to the already-existing grade ''Knight'', this new guy had to be a realm higher than either Igrit or Iron in terms of combat prowess ''For sure, I can sense that its magic energy is far greater than that of my two knights . ''. As expected of turning the boss of a rank A dungeon into his Shadow Soldier Tti-ring [Please set the soldier''s name . ]. And also as expected, he got another System message telling to name the new guy, now that another Knight-grade Shadow Soldier had appeared ''A name, is it ''. Well, its face was hidden under the hood of the robe now, but still, High Orcs and lengthy fangs went hand in hand, no?. ''Right, let''s name it Fangs . '' (TL note at the end). He didn''t need to issue a separate order; just thinking about it meant the new guy''s name would be set [Fangs Lv . 1]. Elite Knight grade Instead of question marks, the new name appeared in the information window If the Shaman who remained utterly arrogant right till the moment it died heard this name, the poor guy might have fainted on the spot . But well, who cares? It was already dead, anyway With a satisfied grin on his face, Jin-Woo recalled his Shadow Soldiers He could now store almost 130 of them . Although it was a bit regrettable, he had to return the rest back to the void ''This much is more than enough, though . ''. He stepped off from the altar with a big smile on his face, but then, several people rushed over to him . They were ¨C Hunters from the raid team, Cha Hae-In, and finally, a group of men wearing matching black business suits Jin-Woo recognised one of the faces among the black suits ''Since when did Chief Woo Jin-Cheol show up?''. Seeing the expression on Woo Jin-Cheol, he probably had witnessed the Shadow Soldiers in action in full "Mister Seong Jin-Woo . ". "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ". "Mister Porter?!". Everyone called out to him at the same time, then they took glances at each other Well, it was all fine and dandy that he got to fight to his heart''s content since he no longer had any reason to hide his powers, but ''¡­ . How am I supposed to get out of this now?''. Jin-Woo looked at all these people surrounding him and scratched the back of his head < Chapter 91 > Fin (TL: Right, for some reason, this author keep using the Korean word for molars when describing the characteristics of the High Orc . So, he named the new Shadow Soldier "Molar" but I just couldn''t use that in my good conscience and swapped it out to "Fangs" which, to me personally, make more physiological sense . I mean, lengthy molars wouldn''t be practical at all, right? And I''m pretty sure Orcs have long fangs, not long molars ). Chapter 92 Woo Jin-Cheol was the first to react . While everyone else was busy eyeing others around them, he quickly walked right up to Jin-Woo''s side, pulled out his identification card and displayed it proudly for all to see . "We''re from the Association''s Monitoring Division . " Didn''t matter whether you were a high ranked Hunter or a low ranked one, you''d inevitably tense up after hearing the name of the Monitoring Division . And this tactic was the right one . It was only for a brief moment, but a hint of nervousness flashed past the expressions of the Hunters Guild members, with the sole exception of Cha Hae-In . Woo Jin-Cheol seized upon this chance and carried on with what he wanted to say . "The identity of Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim is being strictly guarded by the Association . It is highly classified information that cannot be revealed publicly . " Jin-Woo could only stand back in dumbfounded admiration at Woo Jin-Cheol''s skilful bullsh*tting . Heck, his expression and words looked and sounded so natural that one couldn''t help but wonder if he practised it every morning while looking in the mirror or some such . Whatever the case may be, his intentions definitely got through to the other party . At the same time, Woo Jin-Cheol sent the slightest hint of a signal to Jin-Woo with his eyes . ''We will assist you with avoiding unnecessary fuss when exiting from this place . '' Jin-Woo had no idea why the Monitoring Division were helping him, but since they were volunteering to take care of the aftermath, was there a reason for him to refuse now? Jin-Woo nodded his head . That''s what he wanted, anyway . The quick-witted subordinates of Woo Jin-Cheol quickly surrounded Jin-Woo like bodyguards . "If you have any questions, please send them to the Association . We shall escort Seong Jin-Woo Hunter now . " Not-so-subtle implication of ''We won''t hear any of your objections'' was apparent in his voice . All thanks to Woo Jin-Cheol''s hardened attitude, hard enough to shatter a rock even, the members of the Hunters Guild had no choice but to rein in their questions and stay silent . "Shall we go?" While being escorted by the agents of the Monitoring Division, Jin-Woo walked past the Hunters . ''Well, I am grateful, but . . . . '' Something felt a bit odd, just then . Why did Chief Woo Jin-Cheol do something no one asked him to do in the first place? Once they got to a sufficient distance away from the members of the Hunters Guild, Jin-Woo quietly asked . "Why are you doing this all of a sudden?" "By any chance, are you thinking of signing up with the Hunters Guild?" Jin-Woo shook his head . As if he knew that such an answer was coming already, Woo Jin-Cheol quickly made his reply . "What you did just now was to display the kind of power that exceeds rank S classification in front of the employees working for the largest, wealthiest Guild in South Korea . If you wish to avoid annoying matters in the near future, this method is the best one . " Indeed, he was right . No one could tell just what lengths the wealthy Hunters Guild might go to secure another rank S Hunter . Other Hunters would raise their hands and welcome that, but Jin-Woo was different . It was the same story for the Hunter''s Association, too . And so, the interests of both the Association, trying to prevent the concentration of too much power to one specific Guild, and Jin-Woo''s, who found the hindrance (?) of the Guilds annoying, lined up rather nicely . Since this wasn''t one-sided goodwill coming from the other party but something that would help both sides, Jin-Woo didn''t feel uncomfortable by the current situation at all . ''Well, things have become more convenient thanks to the Association . '' Because this matter had been resolved quite nicely in an unexpected manner, Jin-Woo could afford to float a thin, nearly-imperceptible smile on his lips . But, as they were about to exit from the boss room for good . . . . "H-hold on!!" An urgent call came from behind the group . Unintentionally looking back, Jin-Woo spotted Sohn Ki-Hoon approaching them while being supported by his big-framed colleague . All of his external wounds had been healed perfectly, but his complexion remained pale as he had lost a lot of blood . ''It''d be better for him to not move yet, though . '' Despite Jin-Woo''s worries, Sohn Ki-Hoon managed to stand before him . He then bowed deeply . "Thank you . " And he began speaking up his mind without holding anything back . "Thanks to you, we are all still alive . On behalf of the raid team, I''d like to thank you . " If one believed the words of the Monitoring Division''s Hunters, then this young man seemed to be burdened by some kind of circumstances preventing him from revealing himself . ''With that kind of power, it''d not be too strange if he does have some kind of an unspeakable circumstance . '' However . . . . He risked his identity being revealed to aid Sohn Ki-Hoon and the rest of the raid team . But, was that all? He didn''t even ask for any compensation, either . He could''ve easily requested the Hunters Guild for the corpses of the monsters or for the cost of saving the lives of the raid team, but he backed off without saying a thing . So, how could he not bow down to this young man? " . . . . Thank you very much!" His emotions now getting raw, Sohn Ki-Hoon bent his back forward 90 degrees once more . That sudden movement caused his aching body to scream out in pain, but he actually found that rather welcoming . His heart had welled up with emotions when he saw Jin-Woo kill the monster in the exact same fashion as how he had been toyed around with before . Thinking back to that moment was enough for him to thank this young man a countless number of times . The Hunters of the raid team saw their leader bow down to express his gratitude and finally snapped out of their stupor . ''If it wasn''t for that man . . . . '' ''He''s our saviour, isn''t he?'' ''In that case, I shouldn''t be standing around like this in a daze . '' They scrambled to get closer and bowed their heads as well . "Thank you, Mister Port . . . . No, I mean, Hunter-nim . " "If it wasn''t for you, we . . . . . " "Thanks to you, my wife won''t become a widow now . " A young male Hunter who showed off his shaking hands back when Sohn Ki-Hoon decided to give up on raiding this dungeon, approached Jin-Woo with a tearful face . "Excuse me, Hunter-nim . . . . It''s because I''m really grateful so, like, can I hug you just this once?" "Eiii, that''s too much, dude . " "He''s starting again . Someone stop him . " "Well, why don''t you hug me instead, then??" Hug . "Euh-heok?! You''re giving me the creeps, so let go of me!!" Wahahahahaha . . . . . For the first time ever since entering this particular rank A dungeon, the members of the raid team got to laugh to their heart''s content . Jin-Woo stared at these Hunters, feeling content inside . He didn''t help them out for their flattery or for their praises, but their genuine thanks did automatically bring about a warm smile to his lips . " . . . . Ah . " Jin-Woo walked over to the female Hunter jumping up and down by the corner . ''Because she''s so small, I nearly failed to spot her . '' When he pushed forward the memo she gave to him earlier, the female Healer blushed and received it with both of her hands . "T-thank you . . . . " Inwardly, though, she was admonishing herself . ''Ah-whew . Why did I even say those embarrassing things to him back then?'' She now had one more reason to kick her sheets before going to bed if and when she ended up remembering today''s event in the future . From the perspective of Mister Porter who could easily punch the dungeon boss to death, she must''ve looked really funny when she handed over a memo while saying it contained her final will . She slightly raised her head and found that, thankfully enough, he wasn''t sneering at her . No, actually ¨C he began speaking to her in a bit of strict voice . "Miss Healer . " "Y-yes?" The female Healer straightened her posture right away like a student being reprimanded for her sloppy behaviour . "From today onwards, please refrain from placing your personal articles inside the raid team''s luggage . It only serves to increase the volume . " " . . . . Pardon me??" The female Healer became utterly speechless, her eyes opening up to form round buttons . Jin-Woo grinned in satisfaction . He said all he wanted to say . And it seemed that the other party had pretty much said everything in her mind, too . So, putting the dazed female Healer behind him, he coolly turned around to leave . "Let''s go . " As soon as Jin-Woo began walking, the agents of the Monitoring Division moved together in one unit as if they had been rehearsing it . There was one exception, though . ''Ah . . . '' Only Cha Hae-In had failed to say something to Jin-Woo and she tried to reach out to him, but gave up in the end . ''I wanted to ask him for his contact numbers . . . . '' All she wanted was to ask him if he could find some time to talk to her . However, she might be misunderstood if she asked him that now, what with the current situation not being settled yet . It was then . A female Hunter walked over to Cha Hae-In . "Excuse me . . . . Vice Chair?" "Yes?" When Cha Hae-In turned around to look, the female Hunter pointed to her hand . "Why are you carrying a pickaxe?" Cha Hae-In''s gaze drifted towards the head of the pickaxe and her face began blushing rather quickly . She hurriedly lowered the pickaxe and cautiously asked . "You think he found me weird?" The female Hunter, a mage, tilted her head and asked back . "Who did?" And that caused not just Cha Hae-In''s face, but even her neck to blush in the deep shade of crimson . * When they came out of the Gate . . . Woo Jin-Cheol took a look at his wristwatch and asked Jin-Woo . "We''re planning to return to the Association but, well . . . . If it''s okay with you, why don''t you ride along with us and join the Association President for dinner?" "What time is it now?" "It''s quarter past five . PM . " ''Mm . . . . '' Although he was cutting it close, he should be able to arrive at the promised location in time . Jin-Woo politely rejected Woo Jin-Cheol''s invitation . "I''m sorry . I''ve already made a prior engagement . " *** Shu, shu, fuu, fuu . . . . Yu Jin-Ho did his very best to maintain his calm by breathing in deeply several times, just like how he saw it in one of the movies . ''My fated hour is approaching . '' Indeed, hyung-nim''s choice would decide Yu Jin-Ho''s fate . His heart was palpitating faster, and he felt even more nervous compared to a few days ago when he was negotiating with his father for the right to become the Yujin Guild Master . ''Let''s go back to my original purpose . My original purpose . . . . '' It was no coincidence that he chose the exact same cafe as the first time he met hyung-nim back when to propose his plan . ''Without hyung-nim''s help, I wouldn''t even be here right now . '' He began looking around the interior of the cafe while thinking as such, and he was able to see this place in a new light . Quite coincidentally, the table he chose was the exact same one as the last time, too . Ringgg . . . . Along with the doorbell, Jin-Woo entered the cafe . "Hyung-nim!" Yu Jin-Ho discovered Jin-Woo and shot up from his seat with a welcoming smile on his face . He bowed down as his greeting . Jin-Woo performed a simple little greeting with a nod and settled down on the opposite side of Yu Jin-Ho . The latter sat down after that . "So, what did you call me here for?" Yu Jin-Ho raised his head, only for his eyes to widen . "H-hyung-nim, your clothes . . . . . ?" "Oh, this?" Jin-Woo came running here right after killing the High Orcs so his clothing was understandably dirty . His shirt even sported bloodstains from the dying High Orcs, too . He spoke as if there was nothing to worry about . "I was coming straight from a dungeon, that''s why . " ''Heok!'' Yu Jin-Ho was taken by surprise once more . He was nothing compared to someone like hyung-nim; after getting his Guild Master licence, all Yu Jin-Ho did was to waste time by drinking and partying . But, what did hyung-nim do in the meantime? He possessed incredible power, yet he still found time to enter dungeons to further hone his crafts . Suddenly, Yu Jin-Ho felt ashamed of himself . ''As expected of hyung-nim . . . . '' And at the same time, he held hyung-nim in an even higher reverence now . The reason why hyung-nim didn''t bother to wipe away the blood on his clothes was probably because he was confident and forthright enough not to feel the need to hide his training process . ''Well, the evidence of battle would be more like a medal of honour that he earned through his own two hands, after all . '' Yu Jin-Ho''s expression hardened . He was ready to follow hyung-nim''s decision, regardless of which direction he''d take . So, he should come clean and don''t hold anything back . "Hyung-nim, actually . . . . " Yu Jin-Ho didn''t leave anything out and reported everything that happened during the negotiation with his father to Jin-Woo ¨C even the event of Goh Myoung-Hwan''s testimony revealing the truth of who saved the Hunters of the White Tiger Guild from the Red Gate incident, too . ''That uncle, doing something unnecessary . . . . '' Still, that man did that for Jin-Woo''s benefit, so he couldn''t get angry at that . Perhaps that was the reason for Yu Jin-Ho''s expression to be a bit more glowing than usual when he was talking about the Red Gate incident . In any case . . . . Jin-Woo knew what Yu Jin-Ho was trying to say here . "So, in order for you to become the Yujin Guild''s new Master, you need my help, is that about right?" Finishing all he had to say, Yu Jin-Ho calmly waited for Jin-Woo''s reply . He didn''t grow restless or try to sweet talk like how he would do normally . ''Well, I''m talking to hyung-nim here, after all . '' Yu Jin-Ho was definitely thinking of leaving everything to hyung-nim''s decision . Remaining silent as long as Yu Jin-Ho''s worries were deep, Jin-Woo finally raised his gaze . "Hey, Jin-Ho . I am . . . . " Gulp . Yu Jin-Ho swallowed his drying saliva . *** The Chairman of the Hunters Guild Choi Jong-In received a certain call . After answering that, he abandoned what he was doing, entered his private chamber, and began shouting out loudly at the phone . "What was that?! Seong Jin-Woo was present during our raids yesterday and today?!" The newly-appeared rank S Hunter, Seong Jin-Woo . Such a man decided to present himself right before Choi Jong-In''s own Guild, yet why did he fail to even notice that?! It was the same thing as kicking away the golden goose willing to enter his house . It was enough to make him tear his hair out, but . . . "Whaaat?! He was working for the mining team yesterday, and today, he was carrying luggage?!" ¡­ . After hearing that revelation, it did make sense for him to not know . ''Okay, for the time being, let''s not worry about why he did what he did . . . . '' He got this feeling that sweating over that mystery would only give him a case of a migraine and no tangible answer to chew on . Besides, that wasn''t important at all . ''After White Tiger, us Hunters also owe that man now . '' Indeed, they were indebted to Seong Jin-Woo . Choi Jong-In wished to talk to that man as equals as much as he could before attempting to scout him, but now, his position was no different than that of the White Tiger . ''Even still, I learned of the tenth rank S''s existence before anyone else, so that''s something . '' That''s right . The more pressing issue here was not the fact that his Guild received that man''s aid, but rather, knowing of what his abilities were . "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, what type of Hunter was he?" - " . . . . . " As he listened to the explanation coming from the other side of the phone line, Choi Jong-In began talking progressively less and less . The person he was talking to right now ¨C the Hunter who took on the role of the raid team''s captain, Sohn Ki-Hoon, wasn''t a fellow who''d lie about something that didn''t happen, or embellish something minor as if it was a big deal . Even then, Choi Jong-In asked reflexively . "Are you telling me the truth??" - "Yes, sir . That''s all I saw . " ''That''s all he saw . . . . ?! Does that mean there could be more?!'' If Seong Jin-Woo was that powerful, then . . . . "If you compare him to me, then how about it?" Although he may have sounded a bit childish just then, there was no better way to ascertain someone''s strength than this question . Sohn Ki-Hoon took a little time before continuing on . - "Chairman . Can you solo an upper-grade rank A dungeon by yourself?" " . . . . . No, it''s impossible . " - "However, that man did precisely that . He even dissuaded Cha Hunter-nim from lending her aid, as well . " ''Cha Hae-In was there, too?'' Something felt a bit off, but her being there was not a big problem to worry about . "Is there a chance that the dungeon was not an upper grade rank A?" - "If it wasn''t, we wouldn''t have encountered so much difficulty, sir . That man saved us all . " " . . . . " Choi Jong-In was often referred to as the ''Ultimate Weapon'' . From a certain perspective, one could argue that he was being roundly disregarded in this situation, but rather than feeling sour, his heart was pounding harder instead . ''Me, Cha Hae-In, and then, Seong Jin-Woo . '' This was the golden chance that his Guild could become renowned in South Korea, no, Asia, no, the whole world, on the back of Seong Jin-Woo''s abilities alone . - "Chairman Choi . I know that I''m in no position to advise you on how to run the Guild, but . . . . " Sohn Ki-Hoon was definitely not someone who''d go beyond his stations and run his mouth off about the Guild . So, Choi Jong-In became even more curious about what he might say next . "No, it''s fine . Please speak . " - "That man . . . . You must scout Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim to our Guild . With him, your dream might become reality . " Ba-dump . Choi Jong-In''s heart began beating faster . He tried very hard to disguise his trembling voice as he spoke . "I''ll do my best . " *** In front of the Korean Hunters Association main building . The sea of reporters showing up to cover Rhee Min-Seong''s rank assignment test had set up a camp in front of the Association building . South Korea''s own Rhee Min-Seong, often referred as Asia''s top superstar, becoming a Hunter! It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that the cameras from the entire world were being focused here today . What with space being such a premium, the reporters began a war of nerves with each other . "Excuse me! We already reserved this spot!" "Hey man! Are you blind? Can''t you see how many people showed up today? Who cares about your spot or mine?! Your spot is where you''re standing . " "Dang it . . . . " Meanwhile, a full-blown smile was forming on Rhee Min-Seong''s face as he stared through the window at the sea of reporters extending as far as the access road while standing inside the Association building . "Indeed, this many people showing up sounds about right . " Deliberately wasting time and attracting the attention of the public definitely paid off today . "Excuse me, Mister Min-Seong? This will be tomorrow''s headline, but what do you think about it?" South Korea''s top newspaper reporter showed Rhee Min-Seong the manuscript for tomorrow''s front page and asked . "Don''t you think using that as the headline is a bit dull?" "You think so?" "Hmm . . . . How about this one? ''The man who has everything, Rhee Min-Seong . He now grasps power transcending humanity!'' . Well?" "But, if we use a strong lead-in like that, don''t you think a portion of the readers will feel uncomfortable?" "Well, I''m not exaggerating here, and besides, no one in their right minds would talk rubbish about me in South Korea, anyway . I mean, both the media and my fans are watching closely with their eyes wide open, after all . " "Okay . Got it . We''ll go with that one . " "I''ll be in your care . " Rhee Min-Seong bowed his head good-naturedly, but when he raised it again, a deep frown was etched on his face . ''He''s going to do what I told him in the end, so why does he have to yap on about so much crap?'' It was then, two imported luxury sedans arrived at the parking lot of the Association . Two men climbed out of their respective cars almost at the same time ¨C they were none other than Baek Yun-Ho from the White Tiger Guild, and Choi Jong-In from the Hunters Guild . "Uh? Look at that!" "It''s Baek Yun-Ho!" "Choi Jong-In''s here too!" The reporters blocking the front entrance of the Association building all rushed towards the side of these two men . Baek Yun-Ho and Choi Jong-In both frowned unhappily . ''What is up with these reporters?'' ''Why is it so chaotic today?'' The noises of camera flashes going off were ringing out loudly . Countless reporters surrounded these two men and began their barrage of questions . "Are you two visiting the Association to scout Mister Rhee Min-Seong?" "As the Hunters representing South Korea, what do you think about Mister Rhee Min-Seong potentially retiring from the entertainment industry?" "What do you think will be Mister Rhee Min-Seong''s rank?" "Please share your thoughts on Mister Rhee Min-Seong . " The famously short-tempered Baek Yun-Ho waved his hands around as if he found all this annoying . "I''m not here because of that man . I''ve nothing else to say . " ¡­ . While Choi Jong-In emotionlessly stated the facts . "Anyone related to this matter would know by now that Mister Rhee Min-Seong has already signed up with the Reapers Guild . I''m visiting the Association today on an unrelated matter . " After hearing answers that didn''t meet their expectations, the reporters inwardly grumbled and turned around . ''Eii, what the hell . '' ''And I thought I might have a juicy new story . '' ''I got excited for no dang reason . '' Still, none of them dared to express their dissatisfaction in front of a pair of rank S Hunters . Reporters returned to their spots and began their waiting for Rhee Min-Seong''s emergence once more . Once the reporters left them alone, Baek Yun-Ho and Choi Jong-In met each other''s glare . Baek Yun-Ho greeted his counterpart first . "I heard the story . Hunters Guild almost got into a big tangle yesterday, too . Or so I hear . " He even deliberately emphasized the word ''too'' as well . "Well, it wasn''t much of a big ''tangle'', compared to how the White Tiger had to lose their newbie rank A . " The two men''s war of nerves was just as fierce as the one taking place among the reporters . Baek Yun-Ho was incensed for a little bit there, but eventually, he sighed out softly and spoke up . "In any case, both the Hunters and us are in that man''s debt . " "We really were kissed by Lady Luck yesterday . If he wasn''t there, my second elite team would''ve been wiped out . " Even though both men knew that person''s name, not mentioning it could be considered the final act to their war of nerves . Choi Jong-In took a step closer . "That is why, out of principal, I''d like to ''definitely'' bring that man over to our Guild . " Baek Yun-Ho didn''t back down . He and Choi Jong-In got close enough for their foreheads to nearly butt against each other . "We even had suffered casualties . Looking at the need to replenish our combat force, wouldn''t you agree that person joining us makes more sense?" "Just what are you planning to do by recruiting a rank S to shore up your combat force? Are you thinking of invading North Korea or something?" "What about you? Since when did you worry about principals and the like to talk about your principals here?" Flames erupted out from the eyes of the two men . ''¡­ . Huh?'' Master of the Reapers Guild, Im Tae-Gyu, was arriving at the Association building just now to match the timing of the press conference . When he saw those two growling at one another, a mocking smirk formed on his face . Wasn''t there an old saying for that? Didn''t it go, counting chickens before hatching or something like that? For Im Tae-Gyu, this sure was an exciting development, since he always lost out to their two Guilds when trying to secure resources until now . He did his best to not to let the corners of his lips arch up and approached the two men . "Oiii, two Guild chairmen over there . I hope you aren''t acting like that over my Min-Seong, no?" And then, both Baek Yun-Ho and Choi Jong-In''s heads spun at the same time towards Im Tae-Gyu . It was hard to tell who was first, really . ''What the hell is up with this moron?'' ''I don''t give a rat''s a*s about this Rhee Min-Seong or Rhee Min-Gun or whatever . '' Im Tae-Gyu flinched in surprise and took a step back when two rather terrifying glares landed squarely on him . ''What is up with these two b*stards all of a sudden?!'' *** ''What''s this? Choi Jong-In, and Baek Yun-Ho, too?'' Rhee Min-Seong grinned deeply . He already familiar with Chairman Im Tae-Gyu when they met during the signing of the contract . Rhee Min-Seong signing up with the Reapers Guild, which had been criticised for being a shell of its former glory, while disregarding the country''s top two Guilds, was a calculated move on his part . ''I mean, with this, I''ll enjoy the image of someone willing to stand up for the underdogs . '' Crudely speaking, celebrities survived on their public image . And Rhee Min-Seong was really meticulous about maintaining his . ''The best Guilds in Korea are fighting over me . . . . '' He wasn''t thinking of carrying on this Hunter lifestyle for long, but still, that sight naturally made him feel even better about himself . Soon afterwards, his manager entered the reception area . "Min-Seong-ah, they say they are ready now . Let''s go and do the press conference . " "Alright . " The manager took the lead . He opened the glass front entrance and allowed Rhee Min-Seong to emerge from the Association building; camera flashes exploded in a scary cacophony of endless shutter clicks . Click, click, click, click, click . . . . . As he would do every day, Rhee Min-Seong formed a fake smile towards hundreds of lenses surrounding him . It was then . Jin-Woo had finally arrived at the front of the Association . ''¡­ . . . ??'' Just like he''d been told, he was stopping by the Association three days later . ''Why is it so noisy here?'' However, it didn''t look like he''d be able to enter the Association at all under the current circumstances . Of course, there were plenty of ways to go around these people, such as using ''Stealth'', or jumping over the reporters, or even by finding a back entrance . But then again, his re-evaluation test had been reserved in advance three days ago, so he didn''t feel like going through the back entrance just to avoid this wall of reporters . ''It''s not like I committed a crime or something anyways . '' He had no reason not to use the front door at all . Jin-Woo then proceeded to push away the tightly-packed throngs of reporters and made a path for himself . "I''m coming through . " "Oii, what are you doing??" "What the hell?" "What''s wrong with you?!" This was the physical strength of a rank S Hunter . Reporters were all helplessly pushed away, deep frowns etched on their faces . The path forward was opened up in the blink of an eye, and Jin-Woo could walk up the steps leading to the front entrance of the Association . However, even before he could take another step, a large, muscular dude suddenly blocked Jin-Woo''s path . "Oii!!" He was Rhee Min-Seong''s manager . His eyebrows rose up as he growled menacingly . "Who the hell are you? You work for the Association or something?" Jin-Woo didn''t bother to avert his gaze and met this manager''s glare squarely, before shaking his head . ''Huh? Would you look at this b*stard?'' The manager''s thick eyebrows quivered . "Can''t you see all those reporters behind you?!" Jin-Woo took a short glance at the reporters . They were all shooting him with unhappy glares . Even Jin-Woo could understand that they were trying to do a press conference here . However, it wasn''t as if they had rented out the whole entrance, now had they? A private individual had no right to chase away the reporters, and conversely, they had no right to chase him away, either . That was common knowledge . There were plenty of eyes watching and Jin-Woo didn''t particularly want to raise his voice here, so he was going to ignore this idiot and walk right by, but at that moment . . . . "Go back to where you came from . You can''t go through here . Get lost, punk . " The manager blocked the path again and tried to shove Jin-Woo''s chest away . The light in Jin-Woo''s eyes changed immediately . ''¡­ . What was that?!'' The manager was taken by a huge surprise . He was a melee-type rank D Awakened, and pushed this young punk away with the full intention of embarrassing him, but the guy didn''t even budge from the spot as if his legs were nailed to the ground . The manager had used enough force that would''ve injured a regular person greatly . Jin-Woo also knew that fact very well . " . . . . . " That was why he wordlessly glared, and that alone was enough to gradually drain the manager''s face of all colour . "What the heck? What''s the matter with that guy?" "What happened? Are they going to fight?" Bustle, bustle . . . The reporters present all sensed the atmosphere becoming rather strange, and they became noisy quite quickly . Cold sweat was pouring out of the manager . If there was no one watching, he''d have conceded already and stepped aside . However, never mind the reporters, his employer Rhee Min-Seong was watching him from behind at the moment . Rhee Min-Seong walked closer to the manager and whispered with a deep frown . "Argh, hyung, what are you doing? Hurry up and get rid of this loser already . " "Uh, uh . . . . . S-sure thing . " If he showed a shameful sight here, then he''d lose his job without a doubt . The manager''s expression crumpled unsightly and he raised his voice up high . "You can''t pass by here, so get lost already!" "And just who said you can block the entrance like this?" ''Uh?'' The reply didn''t come from the manager''s front but from his back . The manager quickly spun his head around . The Hunter''s Association President Goh Gun-Hui stood tall in front of the glass doors . The eyes of the reporters grew extra round . They were so shocked that they even forgot to operate their cameras . "G-Goh Gun-Hui?!" "President Goh Gun-Hui''s here?" The once-chaotic bustling atmosphere immediately cooled down with the entrance of someone completely unexpected . Goh Gun-Hui walked right up to the steps and spoke up . "This gentleman is my guest . " And then, Goh Gun-Hui stared at Rhee Min-Seong . "I hope you haven''t forgotten who gave you the permission to hold a press conference in this place, Mister Rhee Min-Seong . " Rhee Min-Seong recovered his wits right away . "O-of course, sir . " The first day as a Hunter, he falls out of favour with the Association President and loses the location of the press conference ¨C Rhee Min-Seong couldn''t afford to suffer such a humiliation when there were so many eyes watching him right now . Rhee Min-Seong frowned and quickly signalled his manager; the burly guy bowed slightly to both Goh Gun-Hui and Jin-Woo and voluntarily stepped aside . "Please, follow me, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . " Even until Jin-Woo disappeared into the Association building under the guidance of Goh Gun-Hui, the gathered reporters couldn''t hide their confusion at all . Noisy, noisy . . . . "What was that all about? "Who was that man, and why is the Association President personally coming out to greet him?" "Does anyone know who that man is?" Reporters felt frustrated and raised their voices, but there was no one answering them . < Chapter 92 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 92: Chapter 92 . Woo Jin-Cheol was the first to react While everyone else was busy eyeing others around them, he quickly walked right up to Jin-Woo''s side, pulled out his identification card and displayed it proudly for all to see "We''re from the Association''s Monitoring Division . ". Didn''t matter whether you were a high ranked Hunter or a low ranked one, you''d inevitably tense up after hearing the name of the Monitoring Division . And this tactic was the right one It was only for a brief moment, but a hint of nervousness flashed past the expressions of the Hunters Guild members, with the sole exception of Cha Hae-In Woo Jin-Cheol seized upon this chance and carried on with what he wanted to say "The identity of Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim is being strictly guarded by the Association . It is highly classified information that cannot be revealed publicly . ". Jin-Woo could only stand back in dumbfounded admiration at Woo Jin-Cheol''s skilful bullsh*tting Heck, his expression and words looked and sounded so natural that one couldn''t help but wonder if he practised it every morning while looking in the mirror or some such Whatever the case may be, his intentions definitely got through to the other party . At the same time, Woo Jin-Cheol sent the slightest hint of a signal to Jin-Woo with his eyes ''We will assist you with avoiding unnecessary fuss when exiting from this place . ''. Jin-Woo had no idea why the Monitoring Division were helping him, but since they were volunteering to take care of the aftermath, was there a reason for him to refuse now?. Jin-Woo nodded his head That''s what he wanted, anyway The quick-witted subordinates of Woo Jin-Cheol quickly surrounded Jin-Woo like bodyguards "If you have any questions, please send them to the Association . We shall escort Seong Jin-Woo Hunter now . ". Not-so-subtle implication of ''We won''t hear any of your objections'' was apparent in his voice All thanks to Woo Jin-Cheol''s hardened attitude, hard enough to shatter a rock even, the members of the Hunters Guild had no choice but to rein in their questions and stay silent "Shall we go?". While being escorted by the agents of the Monitoring Division, Jin-Woo walked past the Hunters ''Well, I am grateful, but ''. Something felt a bit odd, just then . Why did Chief Woo Jin-Cheol do something no one asked him to do in the first place? Once they got to a sufficient distance away from the members of the Hunters Guild, Jin-Woo quietly asked "Why are you doing this all of a sudden?". "By any chance, are you thinking of signing up with the Hunters Guild?". Jin-Woo shook his head . As if he knew that such an answer was coming already, Woo Jin-Cheol quickly made his reply "What you did just now was to display the kind of power that exceeds rank S classification in front of the employees working for the largest, wealthiest Guild in South Korea . If you wish to avoid annoying matters in the near future, this method is the best one . ". Indeed, he was right No one could tell just what lengths the wealthy Hunters Guild might go to secure another rank S Hunter . Other Hunters would raise their hands and welcome that, but Jin-Woo was different It was the same story for the Hunter''s Association, too And so, the interests of both the Association, trying to prevent the concentration of too much power to one specific Guild, and Jin-Woo''s, who found the hindrance (?) of the Guilds annoying, lined up rather nicely Since this wasn''t one-sided goodwill coming from the other party but something that would help both sides, Jin-Woo didn''t feel uncomfortable by the current situation at all ''Well, things have become more convenient thanks to the Association . ''. Because this matter had been resolved quite nicely in an unexpected manner, Jin-Woo could afford to float a thin, nearly-imperceptible smile on his lips But, as they were about to exit from the boss room for good . "H-hold on!!". An urgent call came from behind the group Unintentionally looking back, Jin-Woo spotted Sohn Ki-Hoon approaching them while being supported by his big-framed colleague . All of his external wounds had been healed perfectly, but his complexion remained pale as he had lost a lot of blood ''It''d be better for him to not move yet, though . ''. Despite Jin-Woo''s worries, Sohn Ki-Hoon managed to stand before him . He then bowed deeply "Thank you . ". And he began speaking up his mind without holding anything back "Thanks to you, we are all still alive . On behalf of the raid team, I''d like to thank you . ". If one believed the words of the Monitoring Division''s Hunters, then this young man seemed to be burdened by some kind of circumstances preventing him from revealing himself ''With that kind of power, it''d not be too strange if he does have some kind of an unspeakable circumstance . ''. However . He risked his identity being revealed to aid Sohn Ki-Hoon and the rest of the raid team . But, was that all? He didn''t even ask for any compensation, either He could''ve easily requested the Hunters Guild for the corpses of the monsters or for the cost of saving the lives of the raid team, but he backed off without saying a thing So, how could he not bow down to this young man?. " Thank you very much!". His emotions now getting raw, Sohn Ki-Hoon bent his back forward 90 degrees once more . That sudden movement caused his aching body to scream out in pain, but he actually found that rather welcoming His heart had welled up with emotions when he saw Jin-Woo kill the monster in the exact same fashion as how he had been toyed around with before . Thinking back to that moment was enough for him to thank this young man a countless number of times The Hunters of the raid team saw their leader bow down to express his gratitude and finally snapped out of their stupor ''If it wasn''t for that man ''. ''He''s our saviour, isn''t he?''. ''In that case, I shouldn''t be standing around like this in a daze . ''. They scrambled to get closer and bowed their heads as well "Thank you, Mister Port No, I mean, Hunter-nim . ". "If it wasn''t for you, we . ". "Thanks to you, my wife won''t become a widow now . ". A young male Hunter who showed off his shaking hands back when Sohn Ki-Hoon decided to give up on raiding this dungeon, approached Jin-Woo with a tearful face "Excuse me, Hunter-nim It''s because I''m really grateful so, like, can I hug you just this once?". "Eiii, that''s too much, dude . ". "He''s starting again . Someone stop him . ". "Well, why don''t you hug me instead, then??". Hug "Euh-heok?! You''re giving me the creeps, so let go of me!!". Wahahahahaha For the first time ever since entering this particular rank A dungeon, the members of the raid team got to laugh to their heart''s content Jin-Woo stared at these Hunters, feeling content inside . He didn''t help them out for their flattery or for their praises, but their genuine thanks did automatically bring about a warm smile to his lips " Ah . ". Jin-Woo walked over to the female Hunter jumping up and down by the corner ''Because she''s so small, I nearly failed to spot her . ''. When he pushed forward the memo she gave to him earlier, the female Healer blushed and received it with both of her hands "T-thank you ". Inwardly, though, she was admonishing herself ''Ah-whew . Why did I even say those embarrassing things to him back then?''. She now had one more reason to kick her sheets before going to bed if and when she ended up remembering today''s event in the future From the perspective of Mister Porter who could easily punch the dungeon boss to death, she must''ve looked really funny when she handed over a memo while saying it contained her final will She slightly raised her head and found that, thankfully enough, he wasn''t sneering at her . No, actually ¨C he began speaking to her in a bit of strict voice "Miss Healer . ". "Y-yes?". The female Healer straightened her posture right away like a student being reprimanded for her sloppy behaviour "From today onwards, please refrain from placing your personal articles inside the raid team''s luggage . It only serves to increase the volume . ". " Pardon me??". The female Healer became utterly speechless, her eyes opening up to form round buttons . Jin-Woo grinned in satisfaction He said all he wanted to say . And it seemed that the other party had pretty much said everything in her mind, too . So, putting the dazed female Healer behind him, he coolly turned around to leave "Let''s go . ". As soon as Jin-Woo began walking, the agents of the Monitoring Division moved together in one unit as if they had been rehearsing it There was one exception, though ''Ah . ''. Only Cha Hae-In had failed to say something to Jin-Woo and she tried to reach out to him, but gave up in the end ''I wanted to ask him for his contact numbers ''. All she wanted was to ask him if he could find some time to talk to her . However, she might be misunderstood if she asked him that now, what with the current situation not being settled yet It was then A female Hunter walked over to Cha Hae-In "Excuse me Vice Chair?". "Yes?". When Cha Hae-In turned around to look, the female Hunter pointed to her hand "Why are you carrying a pickaxe?". Cha Hae-In''s gaze drifted towards the head of the pickaxe and her face began blushing rather quickly . She hurriedly lowered the pickaxe and cautiously asked "You think he found me weird?". The female Hunter, a mage, tilted her head and asked back "Who did?". And that caused not just Cha Hae-In''s face, but even her neck to blush in the deep shade of crimson *. When they came out of the Gate Woo Jin-Cheol took a look at his wristwatch and asked Jin-Woo "We''re planning to return to the Association but, well If it''s okay with you, why don''t you ride along with us and join the Association President for dinner?". "What time is it now?". "It''s quarter past five . PM . ". ''Mm ''. Although he was cutting it close, he should be able to arrive at the promised location in time Jin-Woo politely rejected Woo Jin-Cheol''s invitation "I''m sorry . I''ve already made a prior engagement . ". ***. Shu, shu, fuu, fuu . Yu Jin-Ho did his very best to maintain his calm by breathing in deeply several times, just like how he saw it in one of the movies ''My fated hour is approaching . ''. Indeed, hyung-nim''s choice would decide Yu Jin-Ho''s fate His heart was palpitating faster, and he felt even more nervous compared to a few days ago when he was negotiating with his father for the right to become the Yujin Guild Master ''Let''s go back to my original purpose . My original purpose ''. It was no coincidence that he chose the exact same cafe as the first time he met hyung-nim back when to propose his plan ''Without hyung-nim''s help, I wouldn''t even be here right now . ''. He began looking around the interior of the cafe while thinking as such, and he was able to see this place in a new light . Quite coincidentally, the table he chose was the exact same one as the last time, too Ringgg . Along with the doorbell, Jin-Woo entered the cafe "Hyung-nim!". Yu Jin-Ho discovered Jin-Woo and shot up from his seat with a welcoming smile on his face . He bowed down as his greeting . Jin-Woo performed a simple little greeting with a nod and settled down on the opposite side of Yu Jin-Ho . The latter sat down after that "So, what did you call me here for?". Yu Jin-Ho raised his head, only for his eyes to widen "H-hyung-nim, your clothes . ?". "Oh, this?". Jin-Woo came running here right after killing the High Orcs so his clothing was understandably dirty . His shirt even sported bloodstains from the dying High Orcs, too . He spoke as if there was nothing to worry about "I was coming straight from a dungeon, that''s why . ". ''Heok!''. Yu Jin-Ho was taken by surprise once more He was nothing compared to someone like hyung-nim; after getting his Guild Master licence, all Yu Jin-Ho did was to waste time by drinking and partying . But, what did hyung-nim do in the meantime? He possessed incredible power, yet he still found time to enter dungeons to further hone his crafts Suddenly, Yu Jin-Ho felt ashamed of himself ''As expected of hyung-nim ''. And at the same time, he held hyung-nim in an even higher reverence now The reason why hyung-nim didn''t bother to wipe away the blood on his clothes was probably because he was confident and forthright enough not to feel the need to hide his training process ''Well, the evidence of battle would be more like a medal of honour that he earned through his own two hands, after all . ''. Yu Jin-Ho''s expression hardened . He was ready to follow hyung-nim''s decision, regardless of which direction he''d take So, he should come clean and don''t hold anything back "Hyung-nim, actually ". Yu Jin-Ho didn''t leave anything out and reported everything that happened during the negotiation with his father to Jin-Woo ¨C even the event of Goh Myoung-Hwan''s testimony revealing the truth of who saved the Hunters of the White Tiger Guild from the Red Gate incident, too ''That uncle, doing something unnecessary ''. Still, that man did that for Jin-Woo''s benefit, so he couldn''t get angry at that Perhaps that was the reason for Yu Jin-Ho''s expression to be a bit more glowing than usual when he was talking about the Red Gate incident In any case . Jin-Woo knew what Yu Jin-Ho was trying to say here "So, in order for you to become the Yujin Guild''s new Master, you need my help, is that about right?". Finishing all he had to say, Yu Jin-Ho calmly waited for Jin-Woo''s reply . He didn''t grow restless or try to sweet talk like how he would do normally ''Well, I''m talking to hyung-nim here, after all . ''. Yu Jin-Ho was definitely thinking of leaving everything to hyung-nim''s decision Remaining silent as long as Yu Jin-Ho''s worries were deep, Jin-Woo finally raised his gaze "Hey, Jin-Ho . I am ". Gulp Yu Jin-Ho swallowed his drying saliva ***. The Chairman of the Hunters Guild Choi Jong-In received a certain call . After answering that, he abandoned what he was doing, entered his private chamber, and began shouting out loudly at the phone "What was that?! Seong Jin-Woo was present during our raids yesterday and today?!". The newly-appeared rank S Hunter, Seong Jin-Woo Such a man decided to present himself right before Choi Jong-In''s own Guild, yet why did he fail to even notice that?! It was the same thing as kicking away the golden goose willing to enter his house It was enough to make him tear his hair out, but "Whaaat?! He was working for the mining team yesterday, and today, he was carrying luggage?!". ¡­ . After hearing that revelation, it did make sense for him to not know ''Okay, for the time being, let''s not worry about why he did what he did ''. He got this feeling that sweating over that mystery would only give him a case of a migraine and no tangible answer to chew on . Besides, that wasn''t important at all ''After White Tiger, us Hunters also owe that man now . ''. Indeed, they were indebted to Seong Jin-Woo Choi Jong-In wished to talk to that man as equals as much as he could before attempting to scout him, but now, his position was no different than that of the White Tiger ''Even still, I learned of the tenth rank S''s existence before anyone else, so that''s something . ''. That''s right The more pressing issue here was not the fact that his Guild received that man''s aid, but rather, knowing of what his abilities were "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, what type of Hunter was he?". - " . ". As he listened to the explanation coming from the other side of the phone line, Choi Jong-In began talking progressively less and less The person he was talking to right now ¨C the Hunter who took on the role of the raid team''s captain, Sohn Ki-Hoon, wasn''t a fellow who''d lie about something that didn''t happen, or embellish something minor as if it was a big deal . Even then, Choi Jong-In asked reflexively "Are you telling me the truth??". - "Yes, sir . That''s all I saw . ". ''That''s all he saw ?! Does that mean there could be more?!''. If Seong Jin-Woo was that powerful, then . "If you compare him to me, then how about it?". Although he may have sounded a bit childish just then, there was no better way to ascertain someone''s strength than this question Sohn Ki-Hoon took a little time before continuing on - "Chairman . Can you solo an upper-grade rank A dungeon by yourself?". " . No, it''s impossible . ". - "However, that man did precisely that . He even dissuaded Cha Hunter-nim from lending her aid, as well . ". ''Cha Hae-In was there, too?''. Something felt a bit off, but her being there was not a big problem to worry about "Is there a chance that the dungeon was not an upper grade rank A?". - "If it wasn''t, we wouldn''t have encountered so much difficulty, sir . That man saved us all . ". " ". Choi Jong-In was often referred to as the ''Ultimate Weapon'' From a certain perspective, one could argue that he was being roundly disregarded in this situation, but rather than feeling sour, his heart was pounding harder instead ''Me, Cha Hae-In, and then, Seong Jin-Woo . ''. This was the golden chance that his Guild could become renowned in South Korea, no, Asia, no, the whole world, on the back of Seong Jin-Woo''s abilities alone - "Chairman Choi . I know that I''m in no position to advise you on how to run the Guild, but ". Sohn Ki-Hoon was definitely not someone who''d go beyond his stations and run his mouth off about the Guild . So, Choi Jong-In became even more curious about what he might say next "No, it''s fine . Please speak . ". - "That man You must scout Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim to our Guild . With him, your dream might become reality . ". Ba-dump Choi Jong-In''s heart began beating faster He tried very hard to disguise his trembling voice as he spoke "I''ll do my best . ". ***. In front of the Korean Hunters Association main building The sea of reporters showing up to cover Rhee Min-Seong''s rank assignment test had set up a camp in front of the Association building South Korea''s own Rhee Min-Seong, often referred as Asia''s top superstar, becoming a Hunter!. It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that the cameras from the entire world were being focused here today What with space being such a premium, the reporters began a war of nerves with each other "Excuse me! We already reserved this spot!". "Hey man! Are you blind? Can''t you see how many people showed up today? Who cares about your spot or mine?! Your spot is where you''re standing . ". "Dang it ". Meanwhile, a full-blown smile was forming on Rhee Min-Seong''s face as he stared through the window at the sea of reporters extending as far as the access road while standing inside the Association building "Indeed, this many people showing up sounds about right . ". Deliberately wasting time and attracting the attention of the public definitely paid off today "Excuse me, Mister Min-Seong? This will be tomorrow''s headline, but what do you think about it?". South Korea''s top newspaper reporter showed Rhee Min-Seong the manuscript for tomorrow''s front page and asked "Don''t you think using that as the headline is a bit dull?". "You think so?". "Hmm How about this one? ''The man who has everything, Rhee Min-Seong . He now grasps power transcending humanity!'' . Well?". "But, if we use a strong lead-in like that, don''t you think a portion of the readers will feel uncomfortable?". "Well, I''m not exaggerating here, and besides, no one in their right minds would talk rubbish about me in South Korea, anyway . I mean, both the media and my fans are watching closely with their eyes wide open, after all . ". "Okay . Got it . We''ll go with that one . ". "I''ll be in your care . ". Rhee Min-Seong bowed his head good-naturedly, but when he raised it again, a deep frown was etched on his face ''He''s going to do what I told him in the end, so why does he have to yap on about so much crap?''. It was then, two imported luxury sedans arrived at the parking lot of the Association . Two men climbed out of their respective cars almost at the same time ¨C they were none other than Baek Yun-Ho from the White Tiger Guild, and Choi Jong-In from the Hunters Guild "Uh? Look at that!". "It''s Baek Yun-Ho!". "Choi Jong-In''s here too!". The reporters blocking the front entrance of the Association building all rushed towards the side of these two men . Baek Yun-Ho and Choi Jong-In both frowned unhappily ''What is up with these reporters?''. ''Why is it so chaotic today?''. The noises of camera flashes going off were ringing out loudly . Countless reporters surrounded these two men and began their barrage of questions "Are you two visiting the Association to scout Mister Rhee Min-Seong?". "As the Hunters representing South Korea, what do you think about Mister Rhee Min-Seong potentially retiring from the entertainment industry?". "What do you think will be Mister Rhee Min-Seong''s rank?". "Please share your thoughts on Mister Rhee Min-Seong . ". The famously short-tempered Baek Yun-Ho waved his hands around as if he found all this annoying "I''m not here because of that man . I''ve nothing else to say . ". ¡­ . While Choi Jong-In emotionlessly stated the facts "Anyone related to this matter would know by now that Mister Rhee Min-Seong has already signed up with the Reapers Guild . I''m visiting the Association today on an unrelated matter . ". After hearing answers that didn''t meet their expectations, the reporters inwardly grumbled and turned around ''Eii, what the hell . ''. ''And I thought I might have a juicy new story . ''. ''I got excited for no dang reason . ''. Still, none of them dared to express their dissatisfaction in front of a pair of rank S Hunters . Reporters returned to their spots and began their waiting for Rhee Min-Seong''s emergence once more Once the reporters left them alone, Baek Yun-Ho and Choi Jong-In met each other''s glare . Baek Yun-Ho greeted his counterpart first "I heard the story . Hunters Guild almost got into a big tangle yesterday, too . Or so I hear . ". He even deliberately emphasized the word ''too'' as well "Well, it wasn''t much of a big ''tangle'', compared to how the White Tiger had to lose their newbie rank A . ". The two men''s war of nerves was just as fierce as the one taking place among the reporters . Baek Yun-Ho was incensed for a little bit there, but eventually, he sighed out softly and spoke up "In any case, both the Hunters and us are in that man''s debt . ". "We really were kissed by Lady Luck yesterday . If he wasn''t there, my second elite team would''ve been wiped out . ". Even though both men knew that person''s name, not mentioning it could be considered the final act to their war of nerves . Choi Jong-In took a step closer "That is why, out of principal, I''d like to ''definitely'' bring that man over to our Guild . ". Baek Yun-Ho didn''t back down . He and Choi Jong-In got close enough for their foreheads to nearly butt against each other "We even had suffered casualties . Looking at the need to replenish our combat force, wouldn''t you agree that person joining us makes more sense?". "Just what are you planning to do by recruiting a rank S to shore up your combat force? Are you thinking of invading North Korea or something?". "What about you? Since when did you worry about principals and the like to talk about your principals here?". Flames erupted out from the eyes of the two men ''¡­ . Huh?''. Master of the Reapers Guild, Im Tae-Gyu, was arriving at the Association building just now to match the timing of the press conference . When he saw those two growling at one another, a mocking smirk formed on his face Wasn''t there an old saying for that?. Didn''t it go, counting chickens before hatching or something like that?. For Im Tae-Gyu, this sure was an exciting development, since he always lost out to their two Guilds when trying to secure resources until now . He did his best to not to let the corners of his lips arch up and approached the two men "Oiii, two Guild chairmen over there . I hope you aren''t acting like that over my Min-Seong, no?". And then, both Baek Yun-Ho and Choi Jong-In''s heads spun at the same time towards Im Tae-Gyu . It was hard to tell who was first, really ''What the hell is up with this moron?''. ''I don''t give a rat''s a*s about this Rhee Min-Seong or Rhee Min-Gun or whatever . ''. Im Tae-Gyu flinched in surprise and took a step back when two rather terrifying glares landed squarely on him ''What is up with these two b*stards all of a sudden?!''. ***. ''What''s this? Choi Jong-In, and Baek Yun-Ho, too?''. Rhee Min-Seong grinned deeply He already familiar with Chairman Im Tae-Gyu when they met during the signing of the contract Rhee Min-Seong signing up with the Reapers Guild, which had been criticised for being a shell of its former glory, while disregarding the country''s top two Guilds, was a calculated move on his part ''I mean, with this, I''ll enjoy the image of someone willing to stand up for the underdogs . ''. Crudely speaking, celebrities survived on their public image . And Rhee Min-Seong was really meticulous about maintaining his ''The best Guilds in Korea are fighting over me ''. He wasn''t thinking of carrying on this Hunter lifestyle for long, but still, that sight naturally made him feel even better about himself . Soon afterwards, his manager entered the reception area "Min-Seong-ah, they say they are ready now . Let''s go and do the press conference . ". "Alright . ". The manager took the lead . He opened the glass front entrance and allowed Rhee Min-Seong to emerge from the Association building; camera flashes exploded in a scary cacophony of endless shutter clicks Click, click, click, click, click As he would do every day, Rhee Min-Seong formed a fake smile towards hundreds of lenses surrounding him It was then Jin-Woo had finally arrived at the front of the Association ''¡­ . ??''. Just like he''d been told, he was stopping by the Association three days later ''Why is it so noisy here?''. However, it didn''t look like he''d be able to enter the Association at all under the current circumstances . Of course, there were plenty of ways to go around these people, such as using ''Stealth'', or jumping over the reporters, or even by finding a back entrance But then again, his re-evaluation test had been reserved in advance three days ago, so he didn''t feel like going through the back entrance just to avoid this wall of reporters ''It''s not like I committed a crime or something anyways . ''. He had no reason not to use the front door at all . Jin-Woo then proceeded to push away the tightly-packed throngs of reporters and made a path for himself "I''m coming through . ". "Oii, what are you doing??". "What the hell?". "What''s wrong with you?!". This was the physical strength of a rank S Hunter . Reporters were all helplessly pushed away, deep frowns etched on their faces . The path forward was opened up in the blink of an eye, and Jin-Woo could walk up the steps leading to the front entrance of the Association However, even before he could take another step, a large, muscular dude suddenly blocked Jin-Woo''s path "Oii!!". He was Rhee Min-Seong''s manager . His eyebrows rose up as he growled menacingly "Who the hell are you? You work for the Association or something?". Jin-Woo didn''t bother to avert his gaze and met this manager''s glare squarely, before shaking his head ''Huh? Would you look at this b*stard?''. The manager''s thick eyebrows quivered "Can''t you see all those reporters behind you?!". Jin-Woo took a short glance at the reporters . They were all shooting him with unhappy glares . Even Jin-Woo could understand that they were trying to do a press conference here . However, it wasn''t as if they had rented out the whole entrance, now had they?. A private individual had no right to chase away the reporters, and conversely, they had no right to chase him away, either . That was common knowledge There were plenty of eyes watching and Jin-Woo didn''t particularly want to raise his voice here, so he was going to ignore this idiot and walk right by, but at that moment . "Go back to where you came from . You can''t go through here . Get lost, punk . ". The manager blocked the path again and tried to shove Jin-Woo''s chest away . The light in Jin-Woo''s eyes changed immediately ''¡­ . What was that?!''. The manager was taken by a huge surprise He was a melee-type rank D Awakened, and pushed this young punk away with the full intention of embarrassing him, but the guy didn''t even budge from the spot as if his legs were nailed to the ground The manager had used enough force that would''ve injured a regular person greatly . Jin-Woo also knew that fact very well " . ". That was why he wordlessly glared, and that alone was enough to gradually drain the manager''s face of all colour "What the heck? What''s the matter with that guy?". "What happened? Are they going to fight?". Bustle, bustle The reporters present all sensed the atmosphere becoming rather strange, and they became noisy quite quickly Cold sweat was pouring out of the manager If there was no one watching, he''d have conceded already and stepped aside . However, never mind the reporters, his employer Rhee Min-Seong was watching him from behind at the moment Rhee Min-Seong walked closer to the manager and whispered with a deep frown "Argh, hyung, what are you doing? Hurry up and get rid of this loser already . ". "Uh, uh . S-sure thing . ". If he showed a shameful sight here, then he''d lose his job without a doubt . The manager''s expression crumpled unsightly and he raised his voice up high "You can''t pass by here, so get lost already!". "And just who said you can block the entrance like this?". ''Uh?''. The reply didn''t come from the manager''s front but from his back . The manager quickly spun his head around The Hunter''s Association President Goh Gun-Hui stood tall in front of the glass doors . The eyes of the reporters grew extra round . They were so shocked that they even forgot to operate their cameras "G-Goh Gun-Hui?!". "President Goh Gun-Hui''s here?". The once-chaotic bustling atmosphere immediately cooled down with the entrance of someone completely unexpected . Goh Gun-Hui walked right up to the steps and spoke up "This gentleman is my guest . ". And then, Goh Gun-Hui stared at Rhee Min-Seong "I hope you haven''t forgotten who gave you the permission to hold a press conference in this place, Mister Rhee Min-Seong . ". Rhee Min-Seong recovered his wits right away "O-of course, sir . ". The first day as a Hunter, he falls out of favour with the Association President and loses the location of the press conference ¨C Rhee Min-Seong couldn''t afford to suffer such a humiliation when there were so many eyes watching him right now Rhee Min-Seong frowned and quickly signalled his manager; the burly guy bowed slightly to both Goh Gun-Hui and Jin-Woo and voluntarily stepped aside "Please, follow me, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ". Even until Jin-Woo disappeared into the Association building under the guidance of Goh Gun-Hui, the gathered reporters couldn''t hide their confusion at all Noisy, noisy . "What was that all about?. "Who was that man, and why is the Association President personally coming out to greet him?". "Does anyone know who that man is?". Reporters felt frustrated and raised their voices, but there was no one answering them < Chapter 92 > Fin Chapter 93 Rhee Min-Seong''s expression stiffened right away . A mysterious man who cut through the throng of reporters, and then, the Association President Goh Gun-Hui who came out to personally escort that man into the building . "How does President Goh Gun-Hui''s schedule look like for the rest of today?" "I hear he cancelled everything for the morning . " "Are you telling me that the Association President cancelled the whole morning''s worth of appointments for that man?" Noisy, noisy . . . . . This place had become too restless after those two men''s sudden entrance, and the current situation was no longer suitable for holding a press conference . But, just how much effort did Rhee Min-Seong pour in for today''s event? He shot a glare at his manager with an expression of a man chewing on insects . ''D*mn idiot of a manager who can''t even take care of something so simple . . . '' The manager couldn''t meet that glare and powerlessly lowered his head; now that Rhee Min-Seong had become a rank A Awakened, the manager couldn''t even win against him in physical strength anymore . He had no choice but to cower accordingly . ''¡­ . . . . . '' Rhee Min-Seong glared at his manager for a long time, before his head naturally spun towards his side . "Cue!" ''D*mn it!'' Like throwing salt on the wound, the camera crew from the news stations were getting ready to leave . They were supposed to broadcast everything live . If this ''distracted'' spectacle got on the airwaves and was broadcast to the rest of the country, then there was a good chance that all of Rhee Min-Seong''s hard work to increase his brand''s value by becoming a rank A Hunter would go down the drain for good . However, the Association President Goh Gun-Hui''s entrance caused too much of a ripple to calm the mood down and restart the press conference . Just why did someone so big have to appear at such an important time?? ''Isn''t there a way to reverse this situation?'' The quick-witted Rhee Min-Seong began kicking his brain into gear . ''Right . Only a big something can reverse a situation like this one . '' These reporters didn''t come here because they wanted to find out about his feelings regarding the rank assignment test or some such . No, they came here to find out what the top star Rhee Min-Seong''s Hunter ranking would be, as well as what his future plan was after he got his licence . If he gave them what they wanted, then everything would return to order . ''I should start the assignment test ahead of schedule . '' A sly smile formed on Rhee Min-Seong''s face . Indeed, his ability to come up with schemes on the fly, something others around him had already acknowledged him for, remained rather exceptional . "Excuse me, everyone . Allow me to go have a quick chat regarding my schedule today with the Association''s representatives . " Blurting that nonsense to the reporters, Rhee Min-Seong then headed to the main Association building . It was to not to ''discuss'' the change of schedule but to ''declare'' his intentions . ''I mean, you have any idea how much my dad donates to the Association? The Association or not, they should grovel accordingly before me . '' Unfortunately . . . ''Huh??'' Just before he could push open the glass front door, Hunters from the Monitoring Division rushed out first and he was pushed back, instead . They stood in a line to block off the front entrance . ''What the hell is this now?!'' Rhee Min-Seong''s forehead creased up . He quickly checked the name tag attached to one of the men''s chest . ''Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol, Hunter''s Association Monitoring Division?'' Rhee Min-Seong questioned Woo Jin-Cheol right away . "What''s the meaning of this? Why are you blocking the entrance?" Woo Jin-Cheol''s sunglasses-covered eyes stared down at Rhee Min-Seong . "Currently, another Awakened is going through the process of the rank re-assignment test . No one will be allowed to enter the building until 11 o''clock, when the test is scheduled to end . " "What did you just say?!" By ''another Awakened'', was this man referring to that young man who followed the Association President into the building not too long ago? Rhee Min-Seong took a look at his watch . The time now was half past ten in the morning . Eleven o''clock was the originally scheduled time for his rank assignment test . No one was allowed to enter before that? Rhee Min-Seong''s scheme to take the test ahead of schedule to reverse the situation was about to blow up in his face . At first, he spoke in a polite tone of voice . "Please, don''t be like this and let me in . I have something to discuss with the related department of the Association . " "I''m sorry . " Woo Jin-Cheol shut his mouth up with that single short sentence . With his frustration boiling over, Rhee Min-Seong couldn''t hold back any longer and his true colours slowly surfaced to the fore . "Look here, mister . Don''t you know who I am? I''m Rhee Min-Seong, man . Rhee Min-Seong!" Rhee Min-Seong''s tone of voice became sharp and abrasive as if he could no longer take this crap, but still, Woo Jin-Cheol showed no sign of budging . "Hah . . . . " Rhee Min-Seong spat out a dumbfounded groan . "Oii . You know that Yujin Construction is the biggest sponsor of the Hunter''s Association, right?" The corners of Rhee Min-Seong''s lips arched up . "Vice Chairman of the Yujin Construction, Rhee Won-Gyu is my father, okay? And do you see all these people behind me?" Rhee Min-Seong pointed towards the sea of reporters below the entrance steps . "You think you can treat the son of Yujin Construction''s Vice Chairman this badly in front of these many reporters? You think you can handle the fallout?" Woo Jin-Cheol''s reply was pretty simple . "Yes, we can . " "What?!" Rhee Min-Seong was even more dumbfounded now . Just who the hell was that young man for the Association President to personally escort him inside, and block off the entire building for a measly rank assignment test? And, letting a Section Chief gopher, someone not even that high up in the food chain like a head of the department, to do whatever the hell he pleased?? Rhee Min-Seong''s hands were placed on his waist as he began questioning in anger . "Just who the hell is this ''another Awakened'' supposed to be that the Association is willing to bend over backwards like this?" Only then did Woo Jin-Cheol remove his sunglasses . "If I were to tell you that . . . . " Flinch . When Woo Jin-Cheol''s sharp, scary eyes resembling a bird of prey were finally revealed, Rhee Min-Seong unwittingly took a step back . Woo Jin-Cheol continued to glare at Rhee Min-Seong and quietly spoke . " . . . . . Do you think you can handle the fallout instead, Mister Rhee Min-Seong?" *** The inside of the main building was rather empty . There was no one waiting to take their rank assignment test inside the hallway, with only a smattering of Association employees going about their usual business . This unusual situation was probably related to the reason why all those reporters were camping outside . "Please, come this way . " "Alright . " Jin-Woo was about to follow after Goh Gun-Hui''s guidance and enter the measurement room, but then, spotted two somewhat familiar-looking faces . ''Eh?'' Baek Yun-Ho and Choi Jong-In were sitting on the waiting room chairs facing the measurement room . That was where smartly-dressed headhunters of various smaller Guilds could be found three days ago . When their gazes met, both men stood up from their seats and bowed lightly . Jin-Woo reciprocated the greeting and walked past the hallway . As they walked down on the passageway, a soft smile formed on Goh Gun-Hui''s lips . "Those two men, they have been waiting for you for about an hour . " The leaders of two Guilds that represented South Korea in the world stage had shown up one hour early to wait for the re-evaluation result? Perhaps he had read Jin-Woo''s expression, because Goh Gun-Hui continued to explain in a calm voice . "A new rank S Hunter has appeared after two long years . And besides, Choi Jong-In has heard of your powers so he should be even more anxious at the moment . " Jin-Woo slowly nodded his head . "Oh, my!" "Association President!" The Association employees they met on the way all politely greeted Goh Gun-Hui, and stared at Jin-Woo with mystified eyes . ''Who is that man that necessitates our Association President to personally guide him?'' ''Could he be someone really important?'' ''How can someone that young know our President?'' Goh Gun-Hui had never shown up to personally receive guests even when a government minister came to visit, so the fact that he was doing precisely that had shocked the Association employees to no end . Goh Gun-Hui spoke while keeping his eyes fixed to the front . "I heard about what happened yesterday . " Goh Gun-Hui''s expression was one of enjoyment for some reason . As a matter of fact, he was indeed feeling really excited . Because his expectation of Seong Jin-Woo being a different type of Hunter from the rest proved to be right on the money, that was why . When he heard about Seong Jin-Woo''s actions from Woo Jin-Cheol, sweat formed in Goh Gun-Hui''s hands as if he was personally there, witnessing everything . ''Yes, he does have incredible powers, but also . . . . '' But also, he found Seong Jin-Woo''s actions afterwards even more to his liking . Including the boss, he had almost single-handedly cleared the dungeon all by himself, yet the young man had shown not one trace of greed over the loot found within . If Seong Jin-Woo''s real aim was to fight monsters and protect other people rather than become famous and make lots of money, then the Association was fully prepared to support him in every conceivable manner . Because, that goal lined up perfectly with the purpose of the Association''s existence . ''If it''s possible, I wish I could bring him into the Association with whatever means necessary, but . . . '' But, he couldn''t do that, now could he? Just like what the young man told him before, entering the Association would mean he''d have nearly zero opportunity to fight against the monsters . And from what Goh Gun-Hui had heard about Seong Jin-Woo''s powers, it was way too good to be wasted outside dungeons . Soon, they arrived at the examination area, located deeper within the building . "Before the re-evaluation can take place, we must confirm your abilities first and set the new classification for you . " Jin-Woo already knew that . Hunters were classified as a melee, mage, healing, or even support-type according to their abilities, and performed their roles where they were needed the most . The Association employee waiting at the examination area bent his back forward 90 degrees to greet Goh Gun-Hui, and took over guiding Jin-Woo from him . "Please, come this way . " Jin-Woo stepped up to the middle of the examination area . Its interior layout much resembled an indoor gymnasium commonly found everywhere . If there was one thing different from those gymnasiums, then it''d be the fact that one could sense powerful fluctuations of magic energy coming from the walls as well as from the floor . Magic had been utilised to reinforce the structure in case something went wrong . The examiner asked Jin-Woo . "What kind of ability can you use?" The Association President Goh Gun-Hui didn''t return to his office immediately and, while standing in the far corner, stared at the examination process with a great deal of interest . This was the reason why he came to guide Jin-Woo personally . He wanted to confirm Jin-Woo''s powers with his own eyes as quickly as possible . "Well, I can do this . " Jin-Woo called out a single Shadow Soldier . "Heok?!" The examiner was greatly taken by surprise . Seriously speaking, how could anyone stay composed when a soldier decked out in jet-black armour suddenly rose up from the ground? Jin-Woo deliberately chose the lowest levelled one out of his regular Soldiers, but still, the dude emitted intense pressure that most normal people found hard to endure . "This . . . . Is this your summoned creature? You can control a summon?" The examiner''s voice was trembling noticeably . Jin-Woo had half a mind to helpfully explain that his Soldier was definitely not dangerous, but . . . . He formed a pitying expression while making his reply . " . . . . Well, something like that . " "I-in that case, h-how many summoned creatures can you control?" ''Well, it will be useless to lie, so . . . . '' Indeed, the number of eyewitnesses who saw his Shadow Soldiers yesterday was nearly twenty . Jin-Woo spoke up a slightly reduced number of Soldiers sealed inside his shadow through his skill . "It''s around 100 or so . . . . " The examiner''s eyes went extra round at the number 100 . "A h-hundred?!" "Yes . " On the other hand, Jin-Woo remained nonplussed . At the same time . . . As he stared at the Shadow Soldier, Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes were glittering brightly . ''A hundred of those . . . . '' At a glance, that ''soldier'' possessed around the same amount of magic energy as a rank B Hunter . If that young man could summon a hundred of those soldiers, then one simply had to concede that his powers had already exceeded a regular large Guild''s combat force . Truthfully, that was an incredible ability . Jin-Woo could feel Goh Gun-Hui''s passionate gaze burning up on his skin . He breathed a sigh of relief after confirming the reactions of the surroundings . ''Well, if one regular Soldier can elicit this sort of reaction, then . . . . '' He should thank his lucky stars that he didn''t choose to call out the highest levelled soldier among his flock, ''Igrit'', or the boss-level creature he managed to poach yesterday, ''Fangs'' . Whatever the case may be, this was enough to prove the type of ability he had possessed . "In that case . . . . Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, you''re a mage type . " The examiner studiously jotted down something on the recording document and raised his head up, while looking rather satisfied . "We can now head to the measurement room . " *** Jin-Woo held the newly-issued Hunter licence in his hand . It said, ''Seong Jin-Woo, rank S, Mage-type'' . Even though his face was plastered on the photo box, he still found it hard to believe . ''Very good . It''s been smooth sailing until now . '' Jin-Woo quickly shoved his new Hunter licence inside his wallet . When he got to the end of the corridor, the waiting duo of Baek Yun-Ho and Choi Jong-In approached him . "Mister Seong Jin-Woo, can we have a chat?" "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, I . . . . . " "I''m sorry . I''m pressed for time at the moment . " Jin-Woo ignored them both and quickly walked towards the glass door . "Uh? Uh?!" Baek Yun-Ho raised his worried voice . "If it was me, I wouldn''t use that exit . " ''Is he trying to imply that the sweet deals he prepared for this occasion will make me regret walking out of this door or something?'' Jin-Woo wasn''t interested regardless of what was being offered, so he continued to ignore Baek Yun-Ho''s dissuasion and pushed the glass door wide open . When that happened . . . . Click, click, click, click, click, click . . . . !! The reporters that had managed to climb up the steps to push and shove against the Monitoring Division''s agents, began clicking their cameras non-stop, with flashes exploding brightly all around him . ''What the heck is this?'' Jin-Woo became utterly speechless at this blinding explosion of lights . *** As usual, Seong Jin-Ah stopped by the school tuck shop after the third period ended, and bought herself a pack of banana milk . There was still around one hour to go to lunch . If she didn''t fill herself up temporarily with something like milk, for instance, she''d be unable to concentrate during the class . And sure enough . . . . Rumble . . . Already, her remorseless stomach was noisily demanding for more fuel to be put in there . Jin-Ah rubbed her hungry tummy and was about to enter her classroom, but then, one of her friends grabbed her wrist, a shocked expression clearly visible on that girl''s face . "J-Jin-Ah!!" "Wha-what?!" With her friend shocked like this, even Jin-Ah got shocked alongside her for no reason . "It''s your oppa! He''s on TV right now!!" "What?? Why is my oppa . . . ??" Jin-Woo felt her heart tumble to the pit of her stomach . Did he get injured again? If not, could it be even worse . . . . ?? The friend dragged Jin-Ah by her wrist inside the classroom as if she didn''t want to waste time explaining anymore . Jin-Ah''s eyes immediately shifted over to the large TV located next to the blackboard . And there was . . . . "O . . . . oppa?!" The moment Jin-Ah saw the TV screen, the banana milk in her hand fell to the floor . < Chapter 93 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 93: Chapter 93 . Rhee Min-Seong''s expression stiffened right away A mysterious man who cut through the throng of reporters, and then, the Association President Goh Gun-Hui who came out to personally escort that man into the building "How does President Goh Gun-Hui''s schedule look like for the rest of today?". "I hear he cancelled everything for the morning . ". "Are you telling me that the Association President cancelled the whole morning''s worth of appointments for that man?". Noisy, noisy This place had become too restless after those two men''s sudden entrance, and the current situation was no longer suitable for holding a press conference But, just how much effort did Rhee Min-Seong pour in for today''s event? He shot a glare at his manager with an expression of a man chewing on insects ''D*mn idiot of a manager who can''t even take care of something so simple . ''. The manager couldn''t meet that glare and powerlessly lowered his head; now that Rhee Min-Seong had become a rank A Awakened, the manager couldn''t even win against him in physical strength anymore . He had no choice but to cower accordingly ''¡­ . ''. Rhee Min-Seong glared at his manager for a long time, before his head naturally spun towards his side "Cue!". ''D*mn it!''. Like throwing salt on the wound, the camera crew from the news stations were getting ready to leave . They were supposed to broadcast everything live . If this ''distracted'' spectacle got on the airwaves and was broadcast to the rest of the country, then there was a good chance that all of Rhee Min-Seong''s hard work to increase his brand''s value by becoming a rank A Hunter would go down the drain for good However, the Association President Goh Gun-Hui''s entrance caused too much of a ripple to calm the mood down and restart the press conference . Just why did someone so big have to appear at such an important time??. ''Isn''t there a way to reverse this situation?''. The quick-witted Rhee Min-Seong began kicking his brain into gear ''Right . Only a big something can reverse a situation like this one . ''. These reporters didn''t come here because they wanted to find out about his feelings regarding the rank assignment test or some such . No, they came here to find out what the top star Rhee Min-Seong''s Hunter ranking would be, as well as what his future plan was after he got his licence If he gave them what they wanted, then everything would return to order ''I should start the assignment test ahead of schedule . ''. A sly smile formed on Rhee Min-Seong''s face Indeed, his ability to come up with schemes on the fly, something others around him had already acknowledged him for, remained rather exceptional "Excuse me, everyone . Allow me to go have a quick chat regarding my schedule today with the Association''s representatives . ". Blurting that nonsense to the reporters, Rhee Min-Seong then headed to the main Association building . It was to not to ''discuss'' the change of schedule but to ''declare'' his intentions ''I mean, you have any idea how much my dad donates to the Association? The Association or not, they should grovel accordingly before me . ''. Unfortunately ''Huh??''. Just before he could push open the glass front door, Hunters from the Monitoring Division rushed out first and he was pushed back, instead . They stood in a line to block off the front entrance ''What the hell is this now?!''. Rhee Min-Seong''s forehead creased up . He quickly checked the name tag attached to one of the men''s chest ''Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol, Hunter''s Association Monitoring Division?''. Rhee Min-Seong questioned Woo Jin-Cheol right away "What''s the meaning of this? Why are you blocking the entrance?". Woo Jin-Cheol''s sunglasses-covered eyes stared down at Rhee Min-Seong "Currently, another Awakened is going through the process of the rank re-assignment test . No one will be allowed to enter the building until 11 o''clock, when the test is scheduled to end . ". "What did you just say?!". By ''another Awakened'', was this man referring to that young man who followed the Association President into the building not too long ago?. Rhee Min-Seong took a look at his watch . The time now was half past ten in the morning . Eleven o''clock was the originally scheduled time for his rank assignment test . No one was allowed to enter before that?. Rhee Min-Seong''s scheme to take the test ahead of schedule to reverse the situation was about to blow up in his face At first, he spoke in a polite tone of voice "Please, don''t be like this and let me in . I have something to discuss with the related department of the Association . ". "I''m sorry . ". Woo Jin-Cheol shut his mouth up with that single short sentence With his frustration boiling over, Rhee Min-Seong couldn''t hold back any longer and his true colours slowly surfaced to the fore "Look here, mister . Don''t you know who I am? I''m Rhee Min-Seong, man . Rhee Min-Seong!". Rhee Min-Seong''s tone of voice became sharp and abrasive as if he could no longer take this crap, but still, Woo Jin-Cheol showed no sign of budging "Hah ". Rhee Min-Seong spat out a dumbfounded groan "Oii . You know that Yujin Construction is the biggest sponsor of the Hunter''s Association, right?". The corners of Rhee Min-Seong''s lips arched up "Vice Chairman of the Yujin Construction, Rhee Won-Gyu is my father, okay? And do you see all these people behind me?". Rhee Min-Seong pointed towards the sea of reporters below the entrance steps "You think you can treat the son of Yujin Construction''s Vice Chairman this badly in front of these many reporters? You think you can handle the fallout?". Woo Jin-Cheol''s reply was pretty simple "Yes, we can . ". "What?!". Rhee Min-Seong was even more dumbfounded now Just who the hell was that young man for the Association President to personally escort him inside, and block off the entire building for a measly rank assignment test?. And, letting a Section Chief gopher, someone not even that high up in the food chain like a head of the department, to do whatever the hell he pleased??. Rhee Min-Seong''s hands were placed on his waist as he began questioning in anger "Just who the hell is this ''another Awakened'' supposed to be that the Association is willing to bend over backwards like this?". Only then did Woo Jin-Cheol remove his sunglasses "If I were to tell you that ". Flinch When Woo Jin-Cheol''s sharp, scary eyes resembling a bird of prey were finally revealed, Rhee Min-Seong unwittingly took a step back Woo Jin-Cheol continued to glare at Rhee Min-Seong and quietly spoke " . Do you think you can handle the fallout instead, Mister Rhee Min-Seong?". ***. The inside of the main building was rather empty There was no one waiting to take their rank assignment test inside the hallway, with only a smattering of Association employees going about their usual business This unusual situation was probably related to the reason why all those reporters were camping outside "Please, come this way . ". "Alright . ". Jin-Woo was about to follow after Goh Gun-Hui''s guidance and enter the measurement room, but then, spotted two somewhat familiar-looking faces ''Eh?''. Baek Yun-Ho and Choi Jong-In were sitting on the waiting room chairs facing the measurement room . That was where smartly-dressed headhunters of various smaller Guilds could be found three days ago When their gazes met, both men stood up from their seats and bowed lightly . Jin-Woo reciprocated the greeting and walked past the hallway . As they walked down on the passageway, a soft smile formed on Goh Gun-Hui''s lips "Those two men, they have been waiting for you for about an hour . ". The leaders of two Guilds that represented South Korea in the world stage had shown up one hour early to wait for the re-evaluation result?. Perhaps he had read Jin-Woo''s expression, because Goh Gun-Hui continued to explain in a calm voice "A new rank S Hunter has appeared after two long years . And besides, Choi Jong-In has heard of your powers so he should be even more anxious at the moment . ". Jin-Woo slowly nodded his head "Oh, my!". "Association President!". The Association employees they met on the way all politely greeted Goh Gun-Hui, and stared at Jin-Woo with mystified eyes ''Who is that man that necessitates our Association President to personally guide him?''. ''Could he be someone really important?''. ''How can someone that young know our President?''. Goh Gun-Hui had never shown up to personally receive guests even when a government minister came to visit, so the fact that he was doing precisely that had shocked the Association employees to no end Goh Gun-Hui spoke while keeping his eyes fixed to the front "I heard about what happened yesterday . ". Goh Gun-Hui''s expression was one of enjoyment for some reason As a matter of fact, he was indeed feeling really excited . Because his expectation of Seong Jin-Woo being a different type of Hunter from the rest proved to be right on the money, that was why When he heard about Seong Jin-Woo''s actions from Woo Jin-Cheol, sweat formed in Goh Gun-Hui''s hands as if he was personally there, witnessing everything ''Yes, he does have incredible powers, but also ''. But also, he found Seong Jin-Woo''s actions afterwards even more to his liking Including the boss, he had almost single-handedly cleared the dungeon all by himself, yet the young man had shown not one trace of greed over the loot found within If Seong Jin-Woo''s real aim was to fight monsters and protect other people rather than become famous and make lots of money, then the Association was fully prepared to support him in every conceivable manner . Because, that goal lined up perfectly with the purpose of the Association''s existence ''If it''s possible, I wish I could bring him into the Association with whatever means necessary, but . ''. But, he couldn''t do that, now could he?. Just like what the young man told him before, entering the Association would mean he''d have nearly zero opportunity to fight against the monsters And from what Goh Gun-Hui had heard about Seong Jin-Woo''s powers, it was way too good to be wasted outside dungeons Soon, they arrived at the examination area, located deeper within the building "Before the re-evaluation can take place, we must confirm your abilities first and set the new classification for you . ". Jin-Woo already knew that Hunters were classified as a melee, mage, healing, or even support-type according to their abilities, and performed their roles where they were needed the most The Association employee waiting at the examination area bent his back forward 90 degrees to greet Goh Gun-Hui, and took over guiding Jin-Woo from him "Please, come this way . ". Jin-Woo stepped up to the middle of the examination area . Its interior layout much resembled an indoor gymnasium commonly found everywhere If there was one thing different from those gymnasiums, then it''d be the fact that one could sense powerful fluctuations of magic energy coming from the walls as well as from the floor . Magic had been utilised to reinforce the structure in case something went wrong The examiner asked Jin-Woo "What kind of ability can you use?". The Association President Goh Gun-Hui didn''t return to his office immediately and, while standing in the far corner, stared at the examination process with a great deal of interest This was the reason why he came to guide Jin-Woo personally . He wanted to confirm Jin-Woo''s powers with his own eyes as quickly as possible "Well, I can do this . ". Jin-Woo called out a single Shadow Soldier "Heok?!". The examiner was greatly taken by surprise Seriously speaking, how could anyone stay composed when a soldier decked out in jet-black armour suddenly rose up from the ground?. Jin-Woo deliberately chose the lowest levelled one out of his regular Soldiers, but still, the dude emitted intense pressure that most normal people found hard to endure "This Is this your summoned creature? You can control a summon?". The examiner''s voice was trembling noticeably Jin-Woo had half a mind to helpfully explain that his Soldier was definitely not dangerous, but . He formed a pitying expression while making his reply " Well, something like that . ". "I-in that case, h-how many summoned creatures can you control?". ''Well, it will be useless to lie, so ''. Indeed, the number of eyewitnesses who saw his Shadow Soldiers yesterday was nearly twenty Jin-Woo spoke up a slightly reduced number of Soldiers sealed inside his shadow through his skill "It''s around 100 or so ". The examiner''s eyes went extra round at the number 100 "A h-hundred?!". "Yes . ". On the other hand, Jin-Woo remained nonplussed At the same time As he stared at the Shadow Soldier, Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes were glittering brightly ''A hundred of those ''. At a glance, that ''soldier'' possessed around the same amount of magic energy as a rank B Hunter . If that young man could summon a hundred of those soldiers, then one simply had to concede that his powers had already exceeded a regular large Guild''s combat force Truthfully, that was an incredible ability Jin-Woo could feel Goh Gun-Hui''s passionate gaze burning up on his skin He breathed a sigh of relief after confirming the reactions of the surroundings ''Well, if one regular Soldier can elicit this sort of reaction, then ''. He should thank his lucky stars that he didn''t choose to call out the highest levelled soldier among his flock, ''Igrit'', or the boss-level creature he managed to poach yesterday, ''Fangs'' Whatever the case may be, this was enough to prove the type of ability he had possessed "In that case Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, you''re a mage type . ". The examiner studiously jotted down something on the recording document and raised his head up, while looking rather satisfied "We can now head to the measurement room . ". ***. Jin-Woo held the newly-issued Hunter licence in his hand It said, ''Seong Jin-Woo, rank S, Mage-type'' Even though his face was plastered on the photo box, he still found it hard to believe ''Very good . It''s been smooth sailing until now . ''. Jin-Woo quickly shoved his new Hunter licence inside his wallet . When he got to the end of the corridor, the waiting duo of Baek Yun-Ho and Choi Jong-In approached him "Mister Seong Jin-Woo, can we have a chat?". "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, I . ". "I''m sorry . I''m pressed for time at the moment . ". Jin-Woo ignored them both and quickly walked towards the glass door "Uh? Uh?!". Baek Yun-Ho raised his worried voice "If it was me, I wouldn''t use that exit . ". ''Is he trying to imply that the sweet deals he prepared for this occasion will make me regret walking out of this door or something?''. Jin-Woo wasn''t interested regardless of what was being offered, so he continued to ignore Baek Yun-Ho''s dissuasion and pushed the glass door wide open When that happened . Click, click, click, click, click, click !!. The reporters that had managed to climb up the steps to push and shove against the Monitoring Division''s agents, began clicking their cameras non-stop, with flashes exploding brightly all around him ''What the heck is this?''. Jin-Woo became utterly speechless at this blinding explosion of lights ***. As usual, Seong Jin-Ah stopped by the school tuck shop after the third period ended, and bought herself a pack of banana milk There was still around one hour to go to lunch . If she didn''t fill herself up temporarily with something like milk, for instance, she''d be unable to concentrate during the class And sure enough . Rumble Already, her remorseless stomach was noisily demanding for more fuel to be put in there . Jin-Ah rubbed her hungry tummy and was about to enter her classroom, but then, one of her friends grabbed her wrist, a shocked expression clearly visible on that girl''s face "J-Jin-Ah!!". "Wha-what?!". With her friend shocked like this, even Jin-Ah got shocked alongside her for no reason "It''s your oppa! He''s on TV right now!!". "What?? Why is my oppa . ??". Jin-Woo felt her heart tumble to the pit of her stomach Did he get injured again? If not, could it be even worse ??. The friend dragged Jin-Ah by her wrist inside the classroom as if she didn''t want to waste time explaining anymore Jin-Ah''s eyes immediately shifted over to the large TV located next to the blackboard And there was . "O oppa?!". The moment Jin-Ah saw the TV screen, the banana milk in her hand fell to the floor < Chapter 93 > Fin Chapter 94 Ten minutes prior, in front of the Hunters Association building . When it clearly became impossible to take his rank evaluation test ahead of schedule, Rhee Min-Seong sensed the looming crisis, and in the end, decided to drop a bombshell . "Excuse me, I, Rhee Min-Seong, will retire from the entertainment industry regardless of the test result, and I shall pledge my service as a Hunter for the betterment of the public!!" This was his last hurrah at reviving the atmosphere of the press conference that had cooled off from the sudden entrance of Goh Gun-Hui . Its effect was immediately noticeable . "What?!" "Rhee Min-Seong is going to retire?" "Regardless of what his rank is?" Right away, the atmosphere became frenzied . Click, click, click!! Countless cameras were now pointing at Rhee Min-Seong, and questions from excited reporters poured down on him non-stop . "Mister Rhee Min-Seong!! Please look this way!" "Are you telling us that you''ll abandon the title of Asia''s top movie star and choose the life of a low-ranked Hunter if need be?" "Are you willing to give up on everything you built up as a successful actor?" ''Yes! Very good!'' Rhee Min-Seong was pleased as punch at all the attention being focused on him again . "Even if the result is bad and I end up with a low rank, I wish to repay all the love everyone has shown me by fighting the monster threats . " Of course, he was lying through his teeth . Just two years . He was thinking of helping out with the Reapers Guild''s public image as its most famous rank A Hunter for only two years, while enjoying the sky-high annual pay package . This was the best method to silence those voices raising issues with him avoiding the draft with his father''s help, as well as a few distracting noises rising up here and there recently, all in one fell swoop . Climbing down from the summit to protect the ordinary citizens while risking his own life! This was the greatest opportunity for him yet, to achieve that often-talked about ''lifetime guarantee against criticism'' status . Enjoying the taste of everything finally going according to his plan, Rhee Min-Seong continued on with the press conference . "And, with the Master of Reapers Guild, Chairman Im Tae-Gyu, who shares my wish, I . . . . " And so, as the gathered reporters were listening to Rhee Min-Seong''s future aspirations . . . . Ringggg . . . . Someone''s phone suddenly went off . The surrounding reporters glared at the phone''s owner, and he quickly killed the phone before lowering his head in apology several times . Thanks to that, the press conference was slightly interrupted, but fortunately enough, it was not a permanent interruption in the end . Rhee Min-Seong also pretended to not hear it and continued on . However . . . . This time, someone else''s phone went off . "Argh, what the hell?" "Whose phone was that?!" "Isn''t is a common sense to switch it off before a conference?" "Turn it off, now . " Thinking that this might be a good chance to earn himself some extra brownie points, Rhee Min-Seong beamed brightly and spoke up . "I''m fine with it, so why don''t we continue after you answer your urgent call?" Hahahaha . . . . Rhee Min-Seong''s spontaneous response elicited jovial laughter from here and there . But, who knew that was merely the beginning? Buzzzz . . . . Vrrrr . . . . . Seemingly from everywhere, mobile phones were singing out in a messy chorus of noises . "What''s this?" "What the hell? Even me?" The first reporter who switched his phone off first realised that something was very wrong . Meanwhile, the eyes of the reporters were growing extra wide after confirming the contents of the calls . "You got a call from the Association??" "Why are you only telling me this now?!" Reporters present hurriedly accessed the Association''s website . It was then, they discovered the new rank S Hunter''s photo and his name being uploaded there as if everything had been prepared beforehand . The announcement date for that person''s evaluation result just so happened to be today . ''Wait, but didn''t they say something about the measurement room not being available in the morning?'' ''It wasn''t because of Rhee Min-Seong?'' ''In that case, the reason for the measurement room being emptied out wasn''t because of Rhee Min-Seong''s rank evaluation, but this new rank S Hunter?'' And then, the face of a certain man flashed by in the heads of all the reporters present . Could he have been? That young man who followed Association President Goh Gun-Hui into the building! He was the only one to have accessed the measurement room today . If they all go inside now, wouldn''t they be able to take that man''s pictures? "E-everyone?!" With their eyes now resembling those of a starving predator, reporters ignored Rhee Min-Seong and rushed towards the Association building . Rumble . . . . When Woo Jin-Cheol signalled with his eyes, Hunters from the Monitoring Division spread out their arms and formed a human barricade . "Let us in!!" "A rank S has emerged, right? Aren''t you supposed to announce this ahead of time?" "Just get out of the way, will you?!" Reporters violently pounced forward, but they couldn''t overcome the wall created by the agents of the Monitoring Division, where every single member was a Hunter . "W-what the hell is this??" Having been forgotten by everyone in an instant, Rhee Min-Seong and his flustered face ran over to his burly manager . Mister manager pushed forward the screen of his phone with what he discovered only a second ago . " . . . . A rank S?!" Rhee Min-Seong became completely dazed . "A rank S showed up today, of all days?!" He wanted to receive the attention and adulations of the world by becoming a rank A Hunter . But, to think that a rank S Hunter would pop up out of nowhere and ruin everything . . . . Rhee Min-Seong shook his head, hard . ''No, wait . Something doesn''t feel right here . '' Seriously now, a rank S wasn''t a cup of instant coffee one could buy in a vending machine with a couple of change, now was it? Maybe, these reporters knew something about what was happening right now? It was at that point that Rhee Min-Seong spotted a reporter still talking to someone on the phone while belatedly climbing up the steps . He was none other than the exact same reporter who sought out Rhee Min-Seong''s opinion regarding tomorrow''s headline earlier . "Excuse me, Reporter Im?" Even though Rhee Min-Seong''s voice sounded urgent, Reporter Im simply walked past while responding in haste . "Ah, Mister Rhee Min-Seong . I''ll get in touch a little bit later, okay?" "Excuse me? Reporter Im!! Wait!" Rhee Min-Seong got to eavesdrop on the contents of the call as the Reporter Im''s back gradually distanced itself away from him . " . . . . That''s right . I''m telling you to go with the headline of ''Tears of rank E, now joys of rank S'' for tomorrow . " Rhee Min-Seong scanned his vicinity with energyless eyes . There was no one around him now . He fell down on his knees . "What . . . . what is this . . . . " While he remained on the ground muttering to himself in dejection, the front entrance to the Association was abruptly pushed open wide, and South Korea''s tenth rank S Hunter revealed himself . Click, click, click, click, click, click, click . . . . Jin-Woo''s eyes opened up super-wide . ''What the heck is this?'' The camera lenses captured in full Jin-Woo standing in front of the entrance, and behind him, Baek Yun-Ho with a rueful expression and Choi Jong-In and his bitter smile . *** It was now lunch time . The Hunters of the mining team had ended the morning''s operation and were sitting around to enjoy their lunch . Mining might have been their main role, but, since there was no threat of rockfall or cave-in, the mood of the team was rather carefree . Some Hunters were lying on the floor resting, having gobbled up their meals in the blink; some Hunters were busy giggling to themselves while checking out their phones; a few Hunters were even enjoying cold alcoholic beverages while sharing snacks among themselves . "Huh??" One of the Hunters playing with his phone cried out in surprise and hurriedly raised his upper body up . "Hey, isn''t this Mister Seong??" Lee Seong-Gu''s ears perked up . "Hey, it is him!" "Mister Seong''s on the news . " Indeed, Lee Seong-Gu hadn''t heard wrong . "I knew it . " With his face considerably flushed red after ingesting three cups of alcohol, Lee Seong-Gu ran to where his colleagues were as if he had been waiting for this . Even while he was doing that, his mouth continued to operate without rest . "I knew it from the moment that b*stard glared at me! Let me see for myself what horrible things that insolent b*stard committed now!" Perhaps Lee Seong-Gu''s voice was too loud? "Mister Seong did what?" "Did Mister Seong commit a crime or something?" Including Foreman Bae, all of the mining team''s Hunters in the near vicinity gathered in one spot . Jin-Woo''s face filled up the palm-sized screen of the mobile phone, and just below that, large subtitles flashed by . [¡­ . Following after Hwang Dong-Seok and Cha Hae-In, South Korea''s tenth rank S Hunter, Mister Seong Jin-Woo, has just now . . . ] "Heok?!" Having ''discovered'' Jin-Woo, Lee Seong-Gu''s eyes began trembling . *** In front of the private office of Yujin Construction''s chairman . Standing in front of the door, Yu Jin-Ho let out a short sigh . "Fuu . . . . " He opened the door, and as it smoothly glided inward, he also raised his head to spot his father busy going through several documents, not bothering to even turn his head this way . "Come inside . " Even though he made his ''reply'', Yu Myung-Hwan continued to scribble his signatures on the documents . Yu Jin-Ho stood next to Yu Myung-Hwan . The father briefly raised his head to confirm the son''s visage, before continuing on with his work . ''Dad''s still the same, I see . '' In the past, Yu Jin-Ho would''ve been suppressed by his father being like this and run off, utterly unable to say what he wanted to say . However, it was different now . "I''d like to speak to you about something, Father . " "Is it regarding Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?" "Yes . " Yu Myung-Hwan finally raised his head up . "Alright . So, what happe . . . . " It was then . Yu Myung-Hwan''s phone suddenly went off . Vrrrr . . . "Hold on . " Yu Myung-Hwan raised his hand and stopped Yu Jin-Ho''s words . Checking the message on the phone''s screen, Yu Myung-Hwan''s eyes grew wide just a little . ''My dad can get surprised too?'' Yu Jin-Ho tilted his head slightly . " . . . There''s something you should see . " "Pardon?" Rather than providing an answer, Yu Myung-Hwan operated the remote and switched the giant TV mounted on one of the walls, instead . A breaking news piece immediately came up on the screen . [Yes, it has been confirmed just now . The Hunter who was evaluated as rank S earlier today is a Re-Awakened, someone who has gone through the secondary Awakening process after his initial one . His name is Mister Seong Jin-Woo, who used to work for the Association as a rank E previously . ] The reporter''s excited voice easily conveyed the current atmosphere of the location . Yu Jin-Ho had been listening disinterestedly, but when he heard the name ''Seong Jin-Woo'', he was taken greatly by surprise . ''Heok!" The screen changed after that . It was now showing the emotionless face of someone he was quite familiar with, busy surveying the immediate surroundings . It was none other than his hyung-nim . ''I''m sure of it . Hyung-nim is feeling irritated right now . '' Thanks to Yu Jin-Ho sticking around hyung-nim for a while, it became pretty easy to tell what he was thinking about simply through his expressions . But, besides all that ¨C he was a rank S? Yu Jin-Ho was well aware of his hyung-nim being great, but that greatness had far exceeded his own imagination . At the same time . . . . ''Even though he possesses such incredible power, he enters dungeons every day to train himself even further?'' A sense of awe rushed in, fast . As a person who used to guard his side, Yu Jin-Ho''s heart swelled with pride as Jin-Woo''s name got continuously mentioned on the TV . Beep . . . . The TV was switched off and hyung-nim''s face also disappeared from the view . Yu Jin-Ho formed a wistful expression . "Okay, continue . " Father was telling Yu Jin-Ho to continue with what he wanted to say . As he had practised beforehand, Yu Jin-Ho bowed down hard and spoke . "My apologies, father . I couldn''t change hyung-nim''s mind . " Yu Myung-Hwan''s expression hardened . " . . . . . Okay, what did Hunter Seong Jin-Woo say while rejecting your offer?" "Well, hyung-nim said . . . . . " Yu Jin-Ho hesitated slightly, but he slightly raised his head and spoke . "He wants to make his own Guild, so if I was interested in the Vice Master spot, I should come over, instead . . . . . " Yu Jin-Ho thought that father would get angry or ignore that suggestion altogether, but instead, his expression was solidly frozen up . And then . . . . Grin . Yu Myung-Hwan chuckled without making a sound . Someone widely known for his poker face, Chairman Yu Myung-Hwan had actually revealed a change of expression in front of his own son . ''What is my dad doing?'' Yu Jin-Ho couldn''t dare to ask what was happening, so all he could do was to avert his gaze this way and that . Yu Myung-Hwan spoke, that smile now erased from his lips . "Do you know why I''m trying to establish the Yujin Guild?" "Isn''t it because . . . . there''s money to be made in the Hunter business?" "No, it''s not . " Yu Myung-Hwan''s tone of voice was resolute, unwavering . "We have more than enough money right now . You think I''ll try something that could put us at odds with other large Guilds just for the sake of chasing after a couple more bucks?" Was he trying to imply that money wasn''t the reason? Yu Jin-Ho''s eyes widened . "But, if not that, then . . . . ?" Yu Myung-Hwan carefully put the pen down . "It''s in order to protect ourselves . " Yu Myung-Hwan''s serious, dignified eyes caused Yu Jin-Ho to swallow his dry saliva in nervousness . "Hunters are growing in power every day . And it''s not uncommon to see a single person possessing enough power to rival a country''s military might . " For instance, the world''s most powerful Hunters, seen as already on the level of exercising power equal to that of a country''s government . Yu Myung-Hwan was talking about those people . "I hear that some Hunters already rule smaller nations like kings . How long do you think that the rule of law and governmental authority will keep us safe under the current situation?" Yu Myung-Hwan''s voice was getting heavier . However, as Yu Jin-Ho was listening to this explanation, it suddenly dawned on him that he was actually feeling happy at the moment . Why was that? ''¡­ . Ah . '' That was because, his father included him too and said ''We'', instead . Indeed, Yu Jin-Ho felt happy because he thought he got to glimpse for the first time another side of his father . Yu Myung-Hwan''s explanation continued on . "I wished to establish a Guild and gather trustworthy Hunters to our side . Not because I needed more money or that I am searching for talented individuals, but it''s all to find those Hunters who we can trust as fellow human beings, as well as for us to rely on their strength . " And then, a nearly imperceptible smile formed on Yu Myung-Hwan''s face again . "Looks like you already found someone like that, haven''t you?" "Yes, Father . " Yu Jin-Ho replied right away . It was a bit hard to tell where his father was going with this, but well, it was true regardless that Yu Jin-Ho could trust and rely on his hyung-nim . Yu Myung-Hwan nodded his head . "Very good . " "Yes?" "You pass . " What did he pass just now? Yu Jin-Ho belatedly raised his bowed head . "I shall entrust the Yujin Guild to you . " "Pardon me?" "Do your best to develop the Yujin Guild . Make those trustworthy and reliable Hunters ''your'' people . In the future, they will no doubt become even more valuable assets than any form of wealth . " Yu Myung-Hwan spoke with abundant certainty in his voice . And, just as his certainty was great, so was Yu Jin-Ho''s delight . Would this be the first time since his birth that Yu Jin-Ho was acknowledged by his father? "Thank you very much, Father!" With an ample smile blooming on his face, Yu Jin-Ho bent his back forward 90 degrees . Yu Myung-Hwan looked on at that sight with a content expression . Unfortunately, what Yu Jin-Ho said next went completely against Yu Myung-Hwan''s expectations . "However, Father, I don''t think I can accept your offer . " "Mm?" Yu Myung-Hwan''s brows quivered slightly . The financial wherewithal of the Yujin Construction was more than enough to put the soon-to-be-established Yujin Guild on the fast track . Already, talks with a few rank S Hunters had advanced into a more concrete stage, as well . The Yujin Guild becoming South Korea''s best, biggest Guild was already a foregone conclusion . Yu Jin-Ho must''ve known this, too . ''That''s why my son wanted to become the Master, wasn''t it?'' However, now that he was about to hand the Guild over, why was his boy declining it? Did he get scared in the meantime? Yu Myung-Hwan did his best to suppress his disappointment and rage towards Yu Jin-Ho, and managed to say something . " . . . . What is your reason?" Yu Jin-Ho raised his head at that prompt, and while still carrying a happy-looking face, he spoke without holding anything back . "I''ve decided to work for hyung-nim''s Guild . " < Chapter 94 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 94: Chapter 94 . Ten minutes prior, in front of the Hunters Association building When it clearly became impossible to take his rank evaluation test ahead of schedule, Rhee Min-Seong sensed the looming crisis, and in the end, decided to drop a bombshell "Excuse me, I, Rhee Min-Seong, will retire from the entertainment industry regardless of the test result, and I shall pledge my service as a Hunter for the betterment of the public!!". This was his last hurrah at reviving the atmosphere of the press conference that had cooled off from the sudden entrance of Goh Gun-Hui . Its effect was immediately noticeable "What?!". "Rhee Min-Seong is going to retire?". "Regardless of what his rank is?". Right away, the atmosphere became frenzied Click, click, click!!. Countless cameras were now pointing at Rhee Min-Seong, and questions from excited reporters poured down on him non-stop "Mister Rhee Min-Seong!! Please look this way!". "Are you telling us that you''ll abandon the title of Asia''s top movie star and choose the life of a low-ranked Hunter if need be?". "Are you willing to give up on everything you built up as a successful actor?". ''Yes! Very good!''. Rhee Min-Seong was pleased as punch at all the attention being focused on him again "Even if the result is bad and I end up with a low rank, I wish to repay all the love everyone has shown me by fighting the monster threats . ". Of course, he was lying through his teeth Just two years . He was thinking of helping out with the Reapers Guild''s public image as its most famous rank A Hunter for only two years, while enjoying the sky-high annual pay package This was the best method to silence those voices raising issues with him avoiding the draft with his father''s help, as well as a few distracting noises rising up here and there recently, all in one fell swoop Climbing down from the summit to protect the ordinary citizens while risking his own life!. This was the greatest opportunity for him yet, to achieve that often-talked about ''lifetime guarantee against criticism'' status Enjoying the taste of everything finally going according to his plan, Rhee Min-Seong continued on with the press conference "And, with the Master of Reapers Guild, Chairman Im Tae-Gyu, who shares my wish, I ". And so, as the gathered reporters were listening to Rhee Min-Seong''s future aspirations . Ringggg . Someone''s phone suddenly went off . The surrounding reporters glared at the phone''s owner, and he quickly killed the phone before lowering his head in apology several times Thanks to that, the press conference was slightly interrupted, but fortunately enough, it was not a permanent interruption in the end . Rhee Min-Seong also pretended to not hear it and continued on However . This time, someone else''s phone went off "Argh, what the hell?". "Whose phone was that?!". "Isn''t is a common sense to switch it off before a conference?". "Turn it off, now . ". Thinking that this might be a good chance to earn himself some extra brownie points, Rhee Min-Seong beamed brightly and spoke up "I''m fine with it, so why don''t we continue after you answer your urgent call?". Hahahaha . Rhee Min-Seong''s spontaneous response elicited jovial laughter from here and there . But, who knew that was merely the beginning?. Buzzzz . Vrrrr Seemingly from everywhere, mobile phones were singing out in a messy chorus of noises "What''s this?". "What the hell? Even me?". The first reporter who switched his phone off first realised that something was very wrong . Meanwhile, the eyes of the reporters were growing extra wide after confirming the contents of the calls "You got a call from the Association??". "Why are you only telling me this now?!". Reporters present hurriedly accessed the Association''s website . It was then, they discovered the new rank S Hunter''s photo and his name being uploaded there as if everything had been prepared beforehand The announcement date for that person''s evaluation result just so happened to be today ''Wait, but didn''t they say something about the measurement room not being available in the morning?''. ''It wasn''t because of Rhee Min-Seong?''. ''In that case, the reason for the measurement room being emptied out wasn''t because of Rhee Min-Seong''s rank evaluation, but this new rank S Hunter?''. And then, the face of a certain man flashed by in the heads of all the reporters present Could he have been?. That young man who followed Association President Goh Gun-Hui into the building! He was the only one to have accessed the measurement room today If they all go inside now, wouldn''t they be able to take that man''s pictures?. "E-everyone?!". With their eyes now resembling those of a starving predator, reporters ignored Rhee Min-Seong and rushed towards the Association building Rumble . When Woo Jin-Cheol signalled with his eyes, Hunters from the Monitoring Division spread out their arms and formed a human barricade "Let us in!!". "A rank S has emerged, right? Aren''t you supposed to announce this ahead of time?". "Just get out of the way, will you?!". Reporters violently pounced forward, but they couldn''t overcome the wall created by the agents of the Monitoring Division, where every single member was a Hunter "W-what the hell is this??". Having been forgotten by everyone in an instant, Rhee Min-Seong and his flustered face ran over to his burly manager . Mister manager pushed forward the screen of his phone with what he discovered only a second ago " A rank S?!". Rhee Min-Seong became completely dazed "A rank S showed up today, of all days?!". He wanted to receive the attention and adulations of the world by becoming a rank A Hunter . But, to think that a rank S Hunter would pop up out of nowhere and ruin everything . Rhee Min-Seong shook his head, hard ''No, wait . Something doesn''t feel right here . ''. Seriously now, a rank S wasn''t a cup of instant coffee one could buy in a vending machine with a couple of change, now was it? Maybe, these reporters knew something about what was happening right now?. It was at that point that Rhee Min-Seong spotted a reporter still talking to someone on the phone while belatedly climbing up the steps . He was none other than the exact same reporter who sought out Rhee Min-Seong''s opinion regarding tomorrow''s headline earlier "Excuse me, Reporter Im?". Even though Rhee Min-Seong''s voice sounded urgent, Reporter Im simply walked past while responding in haste "Ah, Mister Rhee Min-Seong . I''ll get in touch a little bit later, okay?". "Excuse me? Reporter Im!! Wait!". Rhee Min-Seong got to eavesdrop on the contents of the call as the Reporter Im''s back gradually distanced itself away from him " That''s right . I''m telling you to go with the headline of ''Tears of rank E, now joys of rank S'' for tomorrow . ". Rhee Min-Seong scanned his vicinity with energyless eyes . There was no one around him now . He fell down on his knees "What what is this ". While he remained on the ground muttering to himself in dejection, the front entrance to the Association was abruptly pushed open wide, and South Korea''s tenth rank S Hunter revealed himself Click, click, click, click, click, click, click . Jin-Woo''s eyes opened up super-wide ''What the heck is this?''. The camera lenses captured in full Jin-Woo standing in front of the entrance, and behind him, Baek Yun-Ho with a rueful expression and Choi Jong-In and his bitter smile ***. It was now lunch time The Hunters of the mining team had ended the morning''s operation and were sitting around to enjoy their lunch Mining might have been their main role, but, since there was no threat of rockfall or cave-in, the mood of the team was rather carefree Some Hunters were lying on the floor resting, having gobbled up their meals in the blink; some Hunters were busy giggling to themselves while checking out their phones; a few Hunters were even enjoying cold alcoholic beverages while sharing snacks among themselves "Huh??". One of the Hunters playing with his phone cried out in surprise and hurriedly raised his upper body up "Hey, isn''t this Mister Seong??". Lee Seong-Gu''s ears perked up "Hey, it is him!". "Mister Seong''s on the news . ". Indeed, Lee Seong-Gu hadn''t heard wrong "I knew it . ". With his face considerably flushed red after ingesting three cups of alcohol, Lee Seong-Gu ran to where his colleagues were as if he had been waiting for this . Even while he was doing that, his mouth continued to operate without rest "I knew it from the moment that b*stard glared at me! Let me see for myself what horrible things that insolent b*stard committed now!". Perhaps Lee Seong-Gu''s voice was too loud?. "Mister Seong did what?". "Did Mister Seong commit a crime or something?". Including Foreman Bae, all of the mining team''s Hunters in the near vicinity gathered in one spot Jin-Woo''s face filled up the palm-sized screen of the mobile phone, and just below that, large subtitles flashed by [¡­ . Following after Hwang Dong-Seok and Cha Hae-In, South Korea''s tenth rank S Hunter, Mister Seong Jin-Woo, has just now . ]. "Heok?!". Having ''discovered'' Jin-Woo, Lee Seong-Gu''s eyes began trembling ***. In front of the private office of Yujin Construction''s chairman Standing in front of the door, Yu Jin-Ho let out a short sigh "Fuu ". He opened the door, and as it smoothly glided inward, he also raised his head to spot his father busy going through several documents, not bothering to even turn his head this way "Come inside . ". Even though he made his ''reply'', Yu Myung-Hwan continued to scribble his signatures on the documents Yu Jin-Ho stood next to Yu Myung-Hwan . The father briefly raised his head to confirm the son''s visage, before continuing on with his work ''Dad''s still the same, I see . ''. In the past, Yu Jin-Ho would''ve been suppressed by his father being like this and run off, utterly unable to say what he wanted to say . However, it was different now "I''d like to speak to you about something, Father . ". "Is it regarding Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?". "Yes . ". Yu Myung-Hwan finally raised his head up "Alright . So, what happe ". It was then Yu Myung-Hwan''s phone suddenly went off Vrrrr "Hold on . ". Yu Myung-Hwan raised his hand and stopped Yu Jin-Ho''s words . Checking the message on the phone''s screen, Yu Myung-Hwan''s eyes grew wide just a little ''My dad can get surprised too?''. Yu Jin-Ho tilted his head slightly " . There''s something you should see . ". "Pardon?". Rather than providing an answer, Yu Myung-Hwan operated the remote and switched the giant TV mounted on one of the walls, instead A breaking news piece immediately came up on the screen [Yes, it has been confirmed just now . The Hunter who was evaluated as rank S earlier today is a Re-Awakened, someone who has gone through the secondary Awakening process after his initial one . His name is Mister Seong Jin-Woo, who used to work for the Association as a rank E previously . ]. The reporter''s excited voice easily conveyed the current atmosphere of the location . Yu Jin-Ho had been listening disinterestedly, but when he heard the name ''Seong Jin-Woo'', he was taken greatly by surprise ''Heok!". The screen changed after that . It was now showing the emotionless face of someone he was quite familiar with, busy surveying the immediate surroundings It was none other than his hyung-nim ''I''m sure of it . Hyung-nim is feeling irritated right now . ''. Thanks to Yu Jin-Ho sticking around hyung-nim for a while, it became pretty easy to tell what he was thinking about simply through his expressions . But, besides all that ¨C he was a rank S?. Yu Jin-Ho was well aware of his hyung-nim being great, but that greatness had far exceeded his own imagination At the same time . ''Even though he possesses such incredible power, he enters dungeons every day to train himself even further?''. A sense of awe rushed in, fast . As a person who used to guard his side, Yu Jin-Ho''s heart swelled with pride as Jin-Woo''s name got continuously mentioned on the TV Beep . The TV was switched off and hyung-nim''s face also disappeared from the view . Yu Jin-Ho formed a wistful expression "Okay, continue . ". Father was telling Yu Jin-Ho to continue with what he wanted to say As he had practised beforehand, Yu Jin-Ho bowed down hard and spoke "My apologies, father . I couldn''t change hyung-nim''s mind . ". Yu Myung-Hwan''s expression hardened " . Okay, what did Hunter Seong Jin-Woo say while rejecting your offer?". "Well, hyung-nim said . ". Yu Jin-Ho hesitated slightly, but he slightly raised his head and spoke "He wants to make his own Guild, so if I was interested in the Vice Master spot, I should come over, instead . ". Yu Jin-Ho thought that father would get angry or ignore that suggestion altogether, but instead, his expression was solidly frozen up And then . Grin Yu Myung-Hwan chuckled without making a sound Someone widely known for his poker face, Chairman Yu Myung-Hwan had actually revealed a change of expression in front of his own son ''What is my dad doing?''. Yu Jin-Ho couldn''t dare to ask what was happening, so all he could do was to avert his gaze this way and that Yu Myung-Hwan spoke, that smile now erased from his lips "Do you know why I''m trying to establish the Yujin Guild?". "Isn''t it because there''s money to be made in the Hunter business?". "No, it''s not . ". Yu Myung-Hwan''s tone of voice was resolute, unwavering "We have more than enough money right now . You think I''ll try something that could put us at odds with other large Guilds just for the sake of chasing after a couple more bucks?". Was he trying to imply that money wasn''t the reason?. Yu Jin-Ho''s eyes widened "But, if not that, then ?". Yu Myung-Hwan carefully put the pen down "It''s in order to protect ourselves . ". Yu Myung-Hwan''s serious, dignified eyes caused Yu Jin-Ho to swallow his dry saliva in nervousness "Hunters are growing in power every day . And it''s not uncommon to see a single person possessing enough power to rival a country''s military might . ". For instance, the world''s most powerful Hunters, seen as already on the level of exercising power equal to that of a country''s government Yu Myung-Hwan was talking about those people "I hear that some Hunters already rule smaller nations like kings . How long do you think that the rule of law and governmental authority will keep us safe under the current situation?". Yu Myung-Hwan''s voice was getting heavier However, as Yu Jin-Ho was listening to this explanation, it suddenly dawned on him that he was actually feeling happy at the moment Why was that?. ''¡­ . Ah . ''. That was because, his father included him too and said ''We'', instead Indeed, Yu Jin-Ho felt happy because he thought he got to glimpse for the first time another side of his father Yu Myung-Hwan''s explanation continued on "I wished to establish a Guild and gather trustworthy Hunters to our side . Not because I needed more money or that I am searching for talented individuals, but it''s all to find those Hunters who we can trust as fellow human beings, as well as for us to rely on their strength . ". And then, a nearly imperceptible smile formed on Yu Myung-Hwan''s face again "Looks like you already found someone like that, haven''t you?". "Yes, Father . ". Yu Jin-Ho replied right away . It was a bit hard to tell where his father was going with this, but well, it was true regardless that Yu Jin-Ho could trust and rely on his hyung-nim Yu Myung-Hwan nodded his head "Very good . ". "Yes?". "You pass . ". What did he pass just now? Yu Jin-Ho belatedly raised his bowed head "I shall entrust the Yujin Guild to you . ". "Pardon me?". "Do your best to develop the Yujin Guild . Make those trustworthy and reliable Hunters ''your'' people . In the future, they will no doubt become even more valuable assets than any form of wealth . ". Yu Myung-Hwan spoke with abundant certainty in his voice . And, just as his certainty was great, so was Yu Jin-Ho''s delight Would this be the first time since his birth that Yu Jin-Ho was acknowledged by his father?. "Thank you very much, Father!". With an ample smile blooming on his face, Yu Jin-Ho bent his back forward 90 degrees . Yu Myung-Hwan looked on at that sight with a content expression Unfortunately, what Yu Jin-Ho said next went completely against Yu Myung-Hwan''s expectations "However, Father, I don''t think I can accept your offer . ". "Mm?". Yu Myung-Hwan''s brows quivered slightly The financial wherewithal of the Yujin Construction was more than enough to put the soon-to-be-established Yujin Guild on the fast track Already, talks with a few rank S Hunters had advanced into a more concrete stage, as well The Yujin Guild becoming South Korea''s best, biggest Guild was already a foregone conclusion Yu Jin-Ho must''ve known this, too ''That''s why my son wanted to become the Master, wasn''t it?''. However, now that he was about to hand the Guild over, why was his boy declining it? Did he get scared in the meantime?. Yu Myung-Hwan did his best to suppress his disappointment and rage towards Yu Jin-Ho, and managed to say something " What is your reason?". Yu Jin-Ho raised his head at that prompt, and while still carrying a happy-looking face, he spoke without holding anything back "I''ve decided to work for hyung-nim''s Guild . ". < Chapter 94 > Fin Chapter 95 Finding himself surrounded by a wall of reporters, Jin-Woo became quite flustered . ''Why aren''t these people taking pictures of Rhee Min-Seong like they were supposed to, instead of blocking my way??'' Wondering if Rhee Min-Seong was standing behind him, he took a quick glance, but he could only see Baek Yun-Ho and Choi Jong-In there . It was then, his thigh began vibrating . Vrrrr . . . . Vrrrr . . . . It was his mobile phone inside the pocket . ''Why would Jin-Ah call me at this time of the day?'' As soon as he tapped on the ''Answer'' icon, his little sister''s urgent voice exploded out from the speaker . - "Oppa! Oppa, you''re on TV!!" But, that was obvious . Just how many TV cameras were present here? You would still get roughly the same picture regardless of which TV station you tuned into . He got momentarily tense after his sister, who was supposed to be still in school, suddenly called him up but was able to breathe a sigh in relief . "Mm . . . . So, nothing in particular happened, right?" - "Nothing in particular?? How can you even say that?! What''s this about Re-Awakening? And this rank S thing, too???" From her voice, it was quite obvious that the girl was feeling really shocked at the moment . Unfortunately, his current circumstances meant that he couldn''t explain everything to her in detail . "Right now, I''m a bit occupied so . . . . Okay, I''ll tell you everything once you get back home . " - "Oppa?! Oppa!" Despite his sister''s anxious voice calling out to him, Jin-Woo ended the call . Click . And at the same time, he got to figure out how the current situation came to be . ''¡­ . There was a message, huh . '' The Hunters Association used a dedicated app to deliver important information in real time . Most of the time, the app alerted the users to the locations of rank A or higher dungeons, or where dungeon breaks were about to occur, but it was a different story today . ''¡­ . Huh . '' After confirming the contents of the message, Jin-Woo quickly accessed the Association''s website . And sure enough . . . . The ink on his rank S Hunter licence wasn''t even dry yet, but the list of the highest ranking Hunters in South Korea had been updated already . [Seong Jin-Woo, rank S, Mage-type] It was as it was written on his licence . ''¡­ . They are unnecessarily fast on things like this . '' Shoving the phone back in his pocket, Jin-Woo redirected his gaze back to the front . "Mister Seong Jin-Woo! Are you really the rank E Hunter once affiliated with the Association?" "You are now a very rare Re-Awakened!! How are you feeling right now?" Reporters writhed and struggled desperately in order to capture a bit more of Jin-Woo''s face or his voice with their cameras . However, Jin-Woo found their explosive attention towards him simply annoying . ''I gotta get out of this place first . '' Asking them politely to make way wouldn''t going to work . Jin-Woo''s brows quivered . Should he just summon his Shadow Soldiers to carve out a path and leave? "Over here! Mister Seong Jin-Woo, please look over this way!" "Mister Seong Jin-Woo! The whole country is watching, so how about a smile for the viewers?" While the camera lenses and mics were gradually inching closer, Jin-Woo spent the next two seconds earnestly pondering whether he should summon Shadow Soldiers like ''Tank'' or ''Fangs'' or not . Meanwhile, behind Jin-Woo . . . Choi Jong-In looked at Jin-Woo''s back as the youth stood there, unable to go anywhere thanks to the cordon of reporters blocking his way . He approached Baek Yun-Ho and spoke . "Looks like my new recruit Hunter-nim is feeling a bit troubled from the excessive attention, no?" "And just who gave you the permission to call Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim ''your'' new recruit now?" "Can''t I even make a joke? It''s just a joke . " Two men began their war of nerves once more . In the end, though, Choi Jong-In took a step back first . He sighed before speaking up again . "In any case, it''d be the same thing as giving other Guilds a chance if we waste any more time here . " Baek Yun-Ho agreed with that assessment . Not just the Reapers Guild''s Master Im Tae-Gyu, who just so coincidentally was present here today because of Rhee Min-Seong, but the other remaining super-large Guilds would be desperately trying to get in touch with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo right about now . Baek Yun-Ho scanned the crowd of reporters . "So, Chairman Choi, what you''re suggesting is . . . . " "Before flies come rushing in from the smell, let us escort Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim to his residence . While we have a chat with him regarding this and that . " Meaning, the two of them should pool their resources first, and prevent more potential rivals from appearing . Didn''t matter what kind of abilities Hunter Seong Jin-Woo possessed, he''d still need a Guild''s aid if he were to attack high-ranking dungeons . So, if they played their cards right, then either the White Tiger or the Hunters Guild could find themselves with another rank S in the roster . Choi Jong-In was utterly confident of the Guild he led, the Hunters, and . . . . "Alright . " ¡­ . Baek Yun-Ho too didn''t feel that this was a bad suggestion, either . The White Tiger might not have been as big as the Hunters, but it still was a Guild with great future prospects . ''Besides, our Section Chief Ahn and Deputy Hyun are familiar with Mister Seong Jin-Woo from a while ago, too . '' At a bare minimum, he knew for sure that they had a closer relationship than the Hunters Guild . And so, the interests of these two men lined up rather nicely . They exchanged a few suspicious gazes at each other, before turning around to approach Jin-Woo . The first one to engage the young man in conversation was Baek Yun-Ho . "Hunter-nim . " Jin-Woo looked behind him . "Yes?" Choi Jong-In inwardly clicked his tongue after losing the initiative, but since they made a tacit agreement to cooperate, he didn''t interfere . Baek Yun-Ho formed the brightest smile he could manage and continued on . "Are you feeling lost with all these reporters around? We can safely escort you back to your house, so how about going with us? We are pretty good at dealing with these sorts of situations, you see . " Although a bit of exaggeration was mixed in there, what he said wasn''t an empty promise at all . This event was something any rank S Hunter would experience at least once . Not only that, these two men also learned how to deal with people''s attention while managing their respective large Guilds, too . Choi Jong-In provided support fire from the side . "Let''s head out together . Also, there is something we''d like to discuss with you, as well . " Too bad for them, Jin-Woo simply formed a polite-enough smile to reject them . "I''ll be alright . " He then pulled the hood attached to his top and hid his face . "I actually do have a place I need to stop by first . " "Excuse me? But, how will you get out of here, what with all these repor . . . . . " Choi Jong-In couldn''t get to continue with the rest of his sentence . Swish-!! Because, Jin-Woo turned to face the reporters and then, jumped up tens of metres in the air before landing on the other side of the crowd, that''s why . "Uh, uh???" Even before the flustered reporters could respond, Jin-Woo blended into the crowd and disappeared from the view . Choi Jong-In was left speechless . Now that was a movement he couldn''t even react to in time, even though he was a rank S . It was quite obvious that the reporters, who were all regular people, wouldn''t be able to follow that with their naked eyes . Choi Jong-In let out a wry chuckle . ''As soon as registering as a rank S, he''s already playing the part of Superman?'' How was he supposed to be a Mage-type with that sort of physical ability? As a fellow Mage-type, it sure riled him up a bit . But, in that case, how would a rank S melee-type Hunter think of that? "Just now, he . . . . " Choi Jong-In turned towards Baek Yun-Ho in order to ask a question, but he flinched and reflexively took a step back . "Chairman Baek, your eyes??" He was so surprised that he even forgot to add the honorific title . "Ah . . . . ! M-my apologies . " Baek Yun-Ho hurriedly covered his eyes with his hand and turned around . When he opened his eyes again a short while later, they had reverted back from the monster-like irises to those of a normal human being . However, just because his eyes changed back to normal, that didn''t mean his shock had worn off . ''How can this be . . . . . ??'' Baek Yun-Ho trembled on the spot . Just now, when Jin-Woo gathered strength on his legs to prepare for that jump, he very briefly released his magic energy he''d been concealing until then . No matter how skilful a Hunter was, it was nearly impossible to detect anything in such a short period of time . However, that incredible magic energy still caused Baek Yun-Ho to instinctively activate one of his abilities, the Eyes of the Beast, and those eyes successfully detected Jin-Woo''s hidden power . ''He''s strong . '' Baek Yun-Ho already knew how strong the youth was . However . . . . ''No, that''s not important . '' Back when they had gotten into a bit of confrontation in front of the Red Gate, Baek Yun-Ho also activated the Eyes of the Beast inadvertently . Jin-Woo''s strength was clearly imprinted in Baek Yun-Ho''s mind back then . Back then, the youth was very strong . Even if it was Baek Yun-Ho himself, he would not have been able to win without sacrificing an arm . However, that was all . If he was willing to sacrifice that much, then he''d be able to win at any time . But now . . . . What was the meaning of this difference in strength? He detected magic energy incomparably greater than before . That youth was so much stronger now . So, so much stronger than back then . His Re-Awakening process should''ve been over a long time ago . So, how could this be? In that instant, an implausible theory popped up in Baek Yun-Ho''s head . ''Could he . . . be able to grow stronger?'' Possibly, not through Re-Awakening process, but through growing stronger that he . . . . . Just as his thoughts arrived at this point, "Excuse me, Chairman Baek? Are you alright? Your complexion is . . . . " ¡­ . Choi Jong-In worriedly asked him . Baek Yun-Ho rubbed his face and shook his head, hard . "I was suddenly feeling a bit dizzy just now . I''m okay . " "You''re still young . . . . You should be more careful . " While conversing with Choi Jong-In, Baek Yun-Ho continued to stare in the direction that Jin-Woo had disappeared to . ''He''s already transcended the regular rank S, but if he could continue increasing his strength, then . . . '' Shudder . Baek Yun-Ho''s entire body shuddered from goosebumps . *** "Taxi!" After successfully shaking off the reporters, Jin-Woo caught a taxi on a deserted road . He now possessed the rank S licence that he so wanted . Him levelling up and clearing dungeons were all good and nice, but right now, the most important thing was curing his mother . ''The Divine Water of Life . . . . '' He didn''t know if this item called ''Divine Water of Life'' could really heal his mother . ''However, if there is a one in a thousand, no, even if it''s one in a ten thousand chance, then I . . . . . '' He wanted to clear the Demon''s Castle as quickly as humanly possible and collect all the ingredients so he could craft this ''Divine Water of Life'' . And in order to do that, he needed to find an artefact that could protect him from the overwhelming heat of the Demon''s Castle . Jin-Woo settled down in the backseat of the taxi and told the driver his destination . "To the Korean Hunter Auction, please . " The taxi driver took a glance through the rear-view mirror and grinned brightly . "Well, you must be going there to sell something good, am I right? I hear that the minimum trading price starts at around tens of millions of Won . " Instead of a reply, Jin-Woo simply formed a thin smile . Gulp . The driver swallowed his saliva . By saying that he wanted to go to the Hunter Auction to sell something, that youth was declaring that he was a Hunter; and the driver needed to be extra careful when dealing with Hunters . There were more than a few among the Hunters possessing somewhat of ''particular'' personalities that were just as strange as their powers . If the driver made a mistake and got on the bad side of this youth, a big incident might break out . ''Well, this young man doesn''t look like one of those people, but still, it''s better to be on the cautious side, no?'' The driver remained mindful of Jin-Woo''s moods and kept his mouth shut, and thanks to that, the interior of the taxi was left largely quiet during the drive . Jin-Woo used this part of the trip to search the internet . Various articles, social media sites, as well as portal communities etc . , were all filled with the discussion regarding the new rank S Hunter . Rhee Min-Seong used to be the number one most-searched-for topic until this morning, yet his name could no longer be seen in the top 10 now . ''Tsk . '' Jin-Woo clicked his tongue . ''I didn''t expect it to be this crazy, though . '' Sure, he did expect some amount of attention, but he definitely didn''t believe that it''d become such a hot trending topic at all . Then again . . . There were only ten in South Korea . If one were to exclude two who died or had emigrated to elsewhere, then there were only eight rank S Hunters in the country, so how could the response of its citizens not be feverish? ''Wait, why was it quiet back when Cha Hae-In became a rank S?'' Because the ninth rank S Cha Hae-In was almost never exposed to the media, Jin-Woo thought his case would be similar to that . But when he searched this and that, he eventually discovered that, once Cha Hae-In had become a rank S, she requested the Association to keep most of her details confidential . ''Just by requesting the Association, both the media and Guilds can''t even rely on laws to approach you . '' If there was such a convenient method available, why didn''t the Association President tell him about this? ''¡­ . Ah . '' Jin-Woo recalled the question he got just as he was about to enter the examination area . Back then, the Association President asked him this: "Have you thought of a Guild to join?" "No, not yet . " Did he ask because of that? If he were to request confidentiality, then Guilds wouldn''t have been able to approach him, so it was likely that the Association President deliberately hadn''t said anything . ''Well, that''s that, I guess . '' Jin-Woo requested confidentiality from the Association while online, and rang up the Korean Hunter Auction . Click . - "Welcome to Korean Hunter Auction . " "I''d like to get an artefact appraised . I''m on my way there, but will it be okay?" - "Yes, of course . However, what type of an artefact would you like to get appraised?" "It''s a bead containing an amplification effect on one''s magic . " - "Ah . A magic tool that can amplify . . . . . By the way, seeing that you''re already aware of the artefact''s effects, you must have had it appraised elsewhere?" "Indeed I have, but they weren''t really all that trustworthy so I wanted to get the Hunter Auction''s opinion . " - "Hahaha . You made the right choice . There is no one out there that can correctly estimate the value of an artefact better than us . " The conversation was halted for a moment as if the other party was jotting something down, but it soon resumed . - "So, may I ask, what was the amplification percentage detected from the previous appraisal?" "It was 100% . " - "Pardon me?" "It was a one hundred percent amplification effect . " - " . . . . " The voice over the phone came out after a short pause . - "My apologies, but may I ask if you''re a Hunter?" "Yes, I am . " - "In order for the smooth appraisal process, we require the identity of the seller . Can you provide us with your rank and your name, please?" The corners of Jin-Woo''s lips arched up . ''I knew this would happen . '' Would the Hunter Auction even talk to him if he wanted to sell this nonsensical artefact when he was still a rank E Hunter? It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that he got re-evaluated precisely for this moment . Jin-Woo confidently declared . "It''s rank S . Name''s Seong Jin-Woo . " < Chapter 95 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 95: Chapter 95 . Finding himself surrounded by a wall of reporters, Jin-Woo became quite flustered ''Why aren''t these people taking pictures of Rhee Min-Seong like they were supposed to, instead of blocking my way??''. Wondering if Rhee Min-Seong was standing behind him, he took a quick glance, but he could only see Baek Yun-Ho and Choi Jong-In there It was then, his thigh began vibrating Vrrrr Vrrrr . It was his mobile phone inside the pocket ''Why would Jin-Ah call me at this time of the day?''. As soon as he tapped on the ''Answer'' icon, his little sister''s urgent voice exploded out from the speaker - "Oppa! Oppa, you''re on TV!!". But, that was obvious . Just how many TV cameras were present here? You would still get roughly the same picture regardless of which TV station you tuned into He got momentarily tense after his sister, who was supposed to be still in school, suddenly called him up but was able to breathe a sigh in relief "Mm So, nothing in particular happened, right?". - "Nothing in particular?? How can you even say that?! What''s this about Re-Awakening? And this rank S thing, too???". From her voice, it was quite obvious that the girl was feeling really shocked at the moment . Unfortunately, his current circumstances meant that he couldn''t explain everything to her in detail "Right now, I''m a bit occupied so Okay, I''ll tell you everything once you get back home . ". - "Oppa?! Oppa!". Despite his sister''s anxious voice calling out to him, Jin-Woo ended the call Click And at the same time, he got to figure out how the current situation came to be ''¡­ . There was a message, huh . ''. The Hunters Association used a dedicated app to deliver important information in real time . Most of the time, the app alerted the users to the locations of rank A or higher dungeons, or where dungeon breaks were about to occur, but it was a different story today ''¡­ . Huh . ''. After confirming the contents of the message, Jin-Woo quickly accessed the Association''s website . And sure enough . The ink on his rank S Hunter licence wasn''t even dry yet, but the list of the highest ranking Hunters in South Korea had been updated already [Seong Jin-Woo, rank S, Mage-type]. It was as it was written on his licence ''¡­ . They are unnecessarily fast on things like this . ''. Shoving the phone back in his pocket, Jin-Woo redirected his gaze back to the front "Mister Seong Jin-Woo! Are you really the rank E Hunter once affiliated with the Association?". "You are now a very rare Re-Awakened!! How are you feeling right now?". Reporters writhed and struggled desperately in order to capture a bit more of Jin-Woo''s face or his voice with their cameras . However, Jin-Woo found their explosive attention towards him simply annoying ''I gotta get out of this place first . ''. Asking them politely to make way wouldn''t going to work Jin-Woo''s brows quivered . Should he just summon his Shadow Soldiers to carve out a path and leave?. "Over here! Mister Seong Jin-Woo, please look over this way!". "Mister Seong Jin-Woo! The whole country is watching, so how about a smile for the viewers?". While the camera lenses and mics were gradually inching closer, Jin-Woo spent the next two seconds earnestly pondering whether he should summon Shadow Soldiers like ''Tank'' or ''Fangs'' or not Meanwhile, behind Jin-Woo Choi Jong-In looked at Jin-Woo''s back as the youth stood there, unable to go anywhere thanks to the cordon of reporters blocking his way He approached Baek Yun-Ho and spoke "Looks like my new recruit Hunter-nim is feeling a bit troubled from the excessive attention, no?". "And just who gave you the permission to call Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim ''your'' new recruit now?". "Can''t I even make a joke? It''s just a joke . ". Two men began their war of nerves once more . In the end, though, Choi Jong-In took a step back first . He sighed before speaking up again "In any case, it''d be the same thing as giving other Guilds a chance if we waste any more time here . ". Baek Yun-Ho agreed with that assessment . Not just the Reapers Guild''s Master Im Tae-Gyu, who just so coincidentally was present here today because of Rhee Min-Seong, but the other remaining super-large Guilds would be desperately trying to get in touch with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo right about now Baek Yun-Ho scanned the crowd of reporters "So, Chairman Choi, what you''re suggesting is ". "Before flies come rushing in from the smell, let us escort Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim to his residence . While we have a chat with him regarding this and that . ". Meaning, the two of them should pool their resources first, and prevent more potential rivals from appearing Didn''t matter what kind of abilities Hunter Seong Jin-Woo possessed, he''d still need a Guild''s aid if he were to attack high-ranking dungeons . So, if they played their cards right, then either the White Tiger or the Hunters Guild could find themselves with another rank S in the roster Choi Jong-In was utterly confident of the Guild he led, the Hunters, and . "Alright . ". ¡­ . Baek Yun-Ho too didn''t feel that this was a bad suggestion, either The White Tiger might not have been as big as the Hunters, but it still was a Guild with great future prospects ''Besides, our Section Chief Ahn and Deputy Hyun are familiar with Mister Seong Jin-Woo from a while ago, too . ''. At a bare minimum, he knew for sure that they had a closer relationship than the Hunters Guild And so, the interests of these two men lined up rather nicely . They exchanged a few suspicious gazes at each other, before turning around to approach Jin-Woo The first one to engage the young man in conversation was Baek Yun-Ho "Hunter-nim . ". Jin-Woo looked behind him "Yes?". Choi Jong-In inwardly clicked his tongue after losing the initiative, but since they made a tacit agreement to cooperate, he didn''t interfere . Baek Yun-Ho formed the brightest smile he could manage and continued on "Are you feeling lost with all these reporters around? We can safely escort you back to your house, so how about going with us? We are pretty good at dealing with these sorts of situations, you see . ". Although a bit of exaggeration was mixed in there, what he said wasn''t an empty promise at all This event was something any rank S Hunter would experience at least once . Not only that, these two men also learned how to deal with people''s attention while managing their respective large Guilds, too Choi Jong-In provided support fire from the side "Let''s head out together . Also, there is something we''d like to discuss with you, as well . ". Too bad for them, Jin-Woo simply formed a polite-enough smile to reject them "I''ll be alright . ". He then pulled the hood attached to his top and hid his face "I actually do have a place I need to stop by first . ". "Excuse me? But, how will you get out of here, what with all these repor . ". Choi Jong-In couldn''t get to continue with the rest of his sentence Swish-!!. Because, Jin-Woo turned to face the reporters and then, jumped up tens of metres in the air before landing on the other side of the crowd, that''s why "Uh, uh???". Even before the flustered reporters could respond, Jin-Woo blended into the crowd and disappeared from the view Choi Jong-In was left speechless . Now that was a movement he couldn''t even react to in time, even though he was a rank S . It was quite obvious that the reporters, who were all regular people, wouldn''t be able to follow that with their naked eyes Choi Jong-In let out a wry chuckle ''As soon as registering as a rank S, he''s already playing the part of Superman?''. How was he supposed to be a Mage-type with that sort of physical ability? As a fellow Mage-type, it sure riled him up a bit But, in that case, how would a rank S melee-type Hunter think of that?. "Just now, he ". Choi Jong-In turned towards Baek Yun-Ho in order to ask a question, but he flinched and reflexively took a step back "Chairman Baek, your eyes??". He was so surprised that he even forgot to add the honorific title "Ah ! M-my apologies . ". Baek Yun-Ho hurriedly covered his eyes with his hand and turned around . When he opened his eyes again a short while later, they had reverted back from the monster-like irises to those of a normal human being . However, just because his eyes changed back to normal, that didn''t mean his shock had worn off ''How can this be . ??''. Baek Yun-Ho trembled on the spot Just now, when Jin-Woo gathered strength on his legs to prepare for that jump, he very briefly released his magic energy he''d been concealing until then No matter how skilful a Hunter was, it was nearly impossible to detect anything in such a short period of time . However, that incredible magic energy still caused Baek Yun-Ho to instinctively activate one of his abilities, the Eyes of the Beast, and those eyes successfully detected Jin-Woo''s hidden power ''He''s strong . ''. Baek Yun-Ho already knew how strong the youth was . However . ''No, that''s not important . ''. Back when they had gotten into a bit of confrontation in front of the Red Gate, Baek Yun-Ho also activated the Eyes of the Beast inadvertently . Jin-Woo''s strength was clearly imprinted in Baek Yun-Ho''s mind back then Back then, the youth was very strong . Even if it was Baek Yun-Ho himself, he would not have been able to win without sacrificing an arm However, that was all If he was willing to sacrifice that much, then he''d be able to win at any time But now . What was the meaning of this difference in strength? He detected magic energy incomparably greater than before . That youth was so much stronger now So, so much stronger than back then His Re-Awakening process should''ve been over a long time ago . So, how could this be?. In that instant, an implausible theory popped up in Baek Yun-Ho''s head ''Could he . be able to grow stronger?''. Possibly, not through Re-Awakening process, but through growing stronger that he Just as his thoughts arrived at this point,. "Excuse me, Chairman Baek? Are you alright? Your complexion is ". ¡­ . Choi Jong-In worriedly asked him Baek Yun-Ho rubbed his face and shook his head, hard "I was suddenly feeling a bit dizzy just now . I''m okay . ". "You''re still young You should be more careful . ". While conversing with Choi Jong-In, Baek Yun-Ho continued to stare in the direction that Jin-Woo had disappeared to ''He''s already transcended the regular rank S, but if he could continue increasing his strength, then . ''. Shudder Baek Yun-Ho''s entire body shuddered from goosebumps ***. "Taxi!". After successfully shaking off the reporters, Jin-Woo caught a taxi on a deserted road He now possessed the rank S licence that he so wanted . Him levelling up and clearing dungeons were all good and nice, but right now, the most important thing was curing his mother ''The Divine Water of Life ''. He didn''t know if this item called ''Divine Water of Life'' could really heal his mother ''However, if there is a one in a thousand, no, even if it''s one in a ten thousand chance, then I . ''. He wanted to clear the Demon''s Castle as quickly as humanly possible and collect all the ingredients so he could craft this ''Divine Water of Life'' . And in order to do that, he needed to find an artefact that could protect him from the overwhelming heat of the Demon''s Castle Jin-Woo settled down in the backseat of the taxi and told the driver his destination "To the Korean Hunter Auction, please . ". The taxi driver took a glance through the rear-view mirror and grinned brightly "Well, you must be going there to sell something good, am I right? I hear that the minimum trading price starts at around tens of millions of Won . ". Instead of a reply, Jin-Woo simply formed a thin smile Gulp The driver swallowed his saliva By saying that he wanted to go to the Hunter Auction to sell something, that youth was declaring that he was a Hunter; and the driver needed to be extra careful when dealing with Hunters There were more than a few among the Hunters possessing somewhat of ''particular'' personalities that were just as strange as their powers . If the driver made a mistake and got on the bad side of this youth, a big incident might break out ''Well, this young man doesn''t look like one of those people, but still, it''s better to be on the cautious side, no?''. The driver remained mindful of Jin-Woo''s moods and kept his mouth shut, and thanks to that, the interior of the taxi was left largely quiet during the drive . Jin-Woo used this part of the trip to search the internet Various articles, social media sites, as well as portal communities etc . , were all filled with the discussion regarding the new rank S Hunter . Rhee Min-Seong used to be the number one most-searched-for topic until this morning, yet his name could no longer be seen in the top 10 now ''Tsk . ''. Jin-Woo clicked his tongue ''I didn''t expect it to be this crazy, though . ''. Sure, he did expect some amount of attention, but he definitely didn''t believe that it''d become such a hot trending topic at all Then again There were only ten in South Korea If one were to exclude two who died or had emigrated to elsewhere, then there were only eight rank S Hunters in the country, so how could the response of its citizens not be feverish?. ''Wait, why was it quiet back when Cha Hae-In became a rank S?''. Because the ninth rank S Cha Hae-In was almost never exposed to the media, Jin-Woo thought his case would be similar to that . But when he searched this and that, he eventually discovered that, once Cha Hae-In had become a rank S, she requested the Association to keep most of her details confidential ''Just by requesting the Association, both the media and Guilds can''t even rely on laws to approach you . ''. If there was such a convenient method available, why didn''t the Association President tell him about this?. ''¡­ . Ah . ''. Jin-Woo recalled the question he got just as he was about to enter the examination area . Back then, the Association President asked him this:. "Have you thought of a Guild to join?". "No, not yet . ". Did he ask because of that?. If he were to request confidentiality, then Guilds wouldn''t have been able to approach him, so it was likely that the Association President deliberately hadn''t said anything ''Well, that''s that, I guess . ''. Jin-Woo requested confidentiality from the Association while online, and rang up the Korean Hunter Auction Click - "Welcome to Korean Hunter Auction . ". "I''d like to get an artefact appraised . I''m on my way there, but will it be okay?". - "Yes, of course . However, what type of an artefact would you like to get appraised?". "It''s a bead containing an amplification effect on one''s magic . ". - "Ah . A magic tool that can amplify . By the way, seeing that you''re already aware of the artefact''s effects, you must have had it appraised elsewhere?". "Indeed I have, but they weren''t really all that trustworthy so I wanted to get the Hunter Auction''s opinion . ". - "Hahaha . You made the right choice . There is no one out there that can correctly estimate the value of an artefact better than us . ". The conversation was halted for a moment as if the other party was jotting something down, but it soon resumed - "So, may I ask, what was the amplification percentage detected from the previous appraisal?". "It was 100% . ". - "Pardon me?". "It was a one hundred percent amplification effect . ". - " ". The voice over the phone came out after a short pause - "My apologies, but may I ask if you''re a Hunter?". "Yes, I am . ". - "In order for the smooth appraisal process, we require the identity of the seller . Can you provide us with your rank and your name, please?". The corners of Jin-Woo''s lips arched up ''I knew this would happen . ''. Would the Hunter Auction even talk to him if he wanted to sell this nonsensical artefact when he was still a rank E Hunter? It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that he got re-evaluated precisely for this moment Jin-Woo confidently declared "It''s rank S . Name''s Seong Jin-Woo . ". < Chapter 95 > Fin Chapter 96 Jin-Woo soon arrived at the Hunter Auction . The main building was not tall but was rather wide, leading to an initial impression that, instead of an office building, it was more like a museum or an art gallery . The massive car park seemed to scream out loud ''We''ll accommodate everyone regardless of whether the participants are in the hundreds or in the thousands!'' The impressive building was standing in the middle of that parking lot . One could easily guess just how much money the Hunter Auction was making through commissions from the artefact trade . Jin-Woo exited from the taxi and made his way towards the building, but even before he could take a couple more steps, a formally-dressed man suddenly ran outside first . "You must be Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . " "Yes, I am . " The man checked Jin-Woo''s face and formed a surprised expression . But, he quickly remembered his role and greeted the youth with a welcoming tone of voice . "My name is Kim Jeong-Ki from the Hunter Auction Appraisal Department . We talked on the phone . Please, follow me . " Jin-Woo lightly nodded his head . While leading Jin-Woo towards the appraisal room, Kim Jeong-Ki''s mind was racing . ''The new rank S that disappeared from the reporters only a short while ago is standing right behind me . '' When he first received the call, he thought it had to be some kind of a prank . First of all, the supposed effect of the artefact sounded nonsensical, and more importantly, it was because the guy on the phone said that he was the rank S Hunter announced earlier in the day . ''I almost ended up insulting a rank S Hunter, didn''t I?'' Just how frightened was he after the Hunters Association confirmed that the phone number did indeed belong to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo? He should thank the lucky stars that he followed the book and didn''t rudely dismiss the call outright . [¡­ . Now officially registered in his new rank, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo has jumped up over five levels in rank, from E to S, through his Re-Awakening process, and it''s revealed that he possesses Mage-type abilities . . . . ] Even now, this young man''s face could be seen plastered on the TV screens mounted on various parts of the Auction house . Perhaps he himself found it a bit too much, since the youth pulled his hood low to hide his face . They weren''t even talking about Kim Jeong-Ki, but for some reason, he felt a bit flattered as the news broadcast continued to mention Jin-Woo''s name . ''Should I ask him if we can take a selfie together?'' He shook his head, though . If he wasn''t currently at work, he''d have ''requested'' for a selfie as well as some autographs . However, he couldn''t do something that rude to a client coming in for an important trade . He had to persevere and hold tight for the time being . ''Was the corridor from the entrance to here this short?'' They arrived at the appraisal room while several thoughts fleeted in and out of his head . Kim Jeong-Ki spoke with a wistful expression . "It''s this way . " The head of the Appraisal Department, as well as the company''s best appraiser, were anxiously waiting inside this wide room . They even gave up on lunch just to be here . Seeing Jin-Woo''s face, the department head''s eyes opened wider . ''It''s really the same guy from the news!'' Meanwhile, the appraiser nervously swallowed his dry saliva . ''In that case, the magic amplification tool is really . . . . ??'' No, nothing was certain, yet . Just because the guy was real, that didn''t mean the stuff would be real, too . The appraiser repeated this in his head as if to calm himself down . Even the best magic amplification artefact created with top materials by the world''s greatest artefact maker pouring out his soul would not exceed 50% in effect . And then, gathering of the right materials itself would not be easy, not to mention that the manpower necessary and time required to make one should be ridiculous as well . One might consider himself lucky if he got to see one of those artefacts popping up in the market once every few years . There were willing Mage-type Hunters from around the world lining up in a long-a*s queue to buy such items, but there was literally nothing to sell to them . Well, there was no need to go as far as the ''world'' here . Even locally, the Mage-type Hunter, and often referred to as the Ultimate Weapon, Choi Jong-In was seriously determined to purchase an amplification artefact with ''50% or more'' effect . But then, a Hunter who might be a rank S but not widely known, came to visit the Auction while carrying an artefact with 100% amplification effect? ''That must be nonsense . . . . '' The story was so inconceivable that, if only the guy wasn''t the top-ranked Hunter, they would''ve kicked him in the a*s and thrown him out of the premises already . However . . . . They couldn''t refuse admittance to a rank S Hunter . Even if today''s matter ended as a whole heap of nothing, this man would no doubt become an important client in the future . ''Well, there''s nothing to lose here . '' The appraiser spoke to Jin-Woo, his face a mixture of a slight expectation and several times greater misgiving . "May . . . . May I take a look at that artefact?" Both Kim Jeong-Ki and the department head also stared at Jin-Woo with tense expressions . "Alright . " While pretending to take it out from his pocket, Jin-Woo summoned the Bead of Avarice from his Inventory . "So, this is . . . . " The appraiser adjusted his glasses and stared at the beautiful round blood-coloured bead . It was an item possessing a certain magnetic charm that made the onlookers gasp out in astonishment involuntarily . The two men from the Appraisal Department expressed their admiration under their breaths . "H-mm . . . . " However, the appraiser was tilting his head while adjusting his glasses again . "This doesn''t look like an artefact made from a magic crystal or a Mana Stone . Am I correct?" "Yes, you''re right . " The appraiser nodded his head . ''As I thought . '' He had been an appraiser for seven years already . He was able to observe countless artefacts until now, but he hadn''t seen a single crystal emitting a crimson hue like this one . Most regular crystals emitted a clean bluish tinge, and the higher the grade, the darker they got . However, this one was a red colour? The appraiser continued to tilt his head this way and that, before receiving the bead . When he did . . . . ''W-what is this?'' Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his spine . It was because of the unidentifiable power he sensed from the crystal bead . ''C-could it be . . . . ??'' He was frightened out of his wits as he stared at the magic bead . The appraiser was actually a rank B Mage-type Awakened . And thus, he could immediately sense what kind of an item he was holding in his hand . Cold sweat broke out all over him . ''Oh my god!'' Goosebumps formed on his skin because of the sheer power emanating from this magic bead, and he hurriedly raised his head to find Jin-Woo wordlessly staring back at him . ''If the person who brought this here was a low-rank Hunter, then I . . . . '' This was his first time feeling like this . He lost count how many priceless artefacts he had handled over the years, but this was the first and the only time he felt the strong desire to beat up the person bringing this item for appraisal and steal it . Unfortunately, his opponent was a rank S . ''¡­ . . . . . ?'' Jin-Woo continued to silently stare . The appraiser managed to pull himself together and rein his desire in after receiving that stare . ''I wanted to rob a rank S?'' Never mind trying, he wouldn''t even dare to imagine doing something like that to a Hunter with such a huge gap in power from him . Just like how the appraiser did when he was looking at the bead, Jin-Woo was tilting his head at the appraiser now . ''What''s the matter with him?'' Was he feeling unwell, somehow? Nonetheless, the appraiser wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and spoke to the department head . "Excuse me, director . Please turn the camera on . " "Ah! Yes, hold on . " The meaning behind that request was that the item in the appraiser''s hand was not a fake . The department head''s heartbeat increased rapidly . The person to answer Jin-Woo''s call first, Kim Jeong-Ki, also displayed a similar expression . "Filming will commence now . " The department head shifted the camera lens over to the appraiser . The appraiser walked over to the dish-shaped magic energy measuring device . First, he put the bead down and got himself measured . Bleep- Numerical values showed up . Next up, he got measured again, but this time with the magic bead in his hand . The measured magic energy leaking out of the appraiser instantly doubled in value . Bleep- After confirming the results, Kim Jeong-Ki''s complexion paled . "How could this be . . . . . ?" The department head also hurriedly approached closer and confirmed the results, too . ''100 percent?! It''s really a magic tool possessing 100% amplification effect???'' His heart began pounding harder . The average commission the Hunter Auction earned from assisting with the artefact trade was around five percent . If an item sold for around 100 billion Won, then they would earn about 5 billion from the deal . However, even with his vast experience, he could not estimate just how much this crimson magic bead could be sold for . ''This is a huge jackpot! A jackpot!!'' If there were no one looking, he''d have cried out "Hooray!!" and hug the subordinate employee next to him . Just how much sales incentive would he receive if the deal goes through successfully? The overwhelming excitement left him utterly breathless . Kim Jeong-Ki''s reactions were not too different from his superior . He clenched his fists tightly with an ecstatic expression on his face . ''Yes!!'' If he could get recognised for today''s work, then it''d be only a matter of time before he got a promotion . "I . . . will move on to demonstration next . " The appraiser spoke with great difficulty, his voice trembling non-stop . The two men from the Appraisal Department quickly distanced themselves . Jin-Woo also took a few steps back . The camera was filming everything quite well . If one were to appeal to the potential buyers, actual footage was far more effective then simple numerical values . The appraiser''s eyes were directed towards the camera . "Let''s get started . " The blizzard the size of a truck''s wheel began raging on the appraiser''s right hand . He continued on . "While maintaining this magic energy, I shall touch the magic bead . " The moment his left hand touched the ''Bead of Avarice'' . . . . Wheeeeeeiiing-!!! The blizzard dancing on his hand rocked the entire appraisal room . "Heok!!" If the stunned appraiser hadn''t cancelled his magic quickly, the entire room might have frozen solid in an instant . "Turn the camera off, please . " "Ah, yes . " The department head nodded and ran to the camera to turn it off . With that, the artefact appraisal process had been concluded . ''Fuu . . . . '' Jin-Woo was worried after sensing the magic energy exploding out of the appraiser''s hand, but in the end, he got to breathe a sigh of relief . It wasn''t just him, though, as everyone present in the room also spat out long sighs to calm their trembling hearts . Almost instantly, silence descended in the room . Jin-Woo quietly asked . "How much do you think it''ll go for?" Could he be able to buy the artefact he wanted after selling this guy off? Well, besides that, he was also genuinely curious about how much a magic tool capable of amplifying one''s magic by 100% would go for . The appraiser stared at the ''Bead of Avarice'' with a look of incredulity . "This . . . . How can I even think about putting a price tag on this . . . . . " His gaze shifted over to Jin-Woo . Gulp . He swallowed down his dry saliva . Just where did this man acquire an artefact like this? This wasn''t a problem the appraiser should worry about . He knew that, but still, he couldn''t hold back and asked anyway . "Where did you find this?" Jin-Woo looked at Kim Jeong-Ki, not the appraiser, and asked instead . "Is that question also necessary for a smooth transaction?" Kim Jeong-Ki avoided meeting his gaze as if he was feeling sheepish, and scratched the back of his neck . The appraiser quickly shook his head . "No, not at all . It''s just that, I . . . . I was just too surprised, that''s all . However, when the existence of this magic tool is revealed to the public, everyone would no doubt grow curious about its origins . " Indeed, the other two men present seemed to be dying of curiosity as well . ''Well, I guess it doesn''t really matter . '' There was no reason not to answer if they asked him . It wasn''t as if he acquired this bead through less-than-honest means, and also, even if others know, none of them would be able to find another one for themselves, anyway . Jin-Woo''s lips parted . Three other people in the room held their breaths and focused on Jin-Woo''s answer, wondering just what might come out of his mouth . Jin-Woo simply grinned and replied . "I picked it up in a dungeon . " *** Baek Yun-Ho returned to his private office . "I wish to be left alone for a while, so don''t let anyone in . " Maybe he found ordering his secretary wasn''t enough, he even locked the door, too . Only after that, he switched on his computer . And then, using the authority afforded to a rank S Hunter, as well as a Master of a Guild, he began perusing every information he could get his hands on . ''Can it really happen?'' Baek Yun-Ho couldn''t stop thinking about Jin-Woo . A Hunter that could grow stronger? But, if not that, then how could anyone explain that man''s strength that had increased to an unrecognisable degree in only a few days? Baek Yun-Ho''s fingers moved quite quickly . He logged in to the special Hunter website that only the top-ranked Hunters around the world could access, and searched for any information related to this matter . Unfortunately, it was a waste of time . ''There''s nothing . . . . '' There was not one Hunter who could improve their stats all by themselves . No, they could only grow stronger through pure luck, also known as Awakening, or Re-Awakening process . So, should he call that man not as a Hunter, but someone chosen by the gods? Countless windows repeatedly popped up, only to disappear, and countless texts filled the computer screen without a moment''s rest . Three hours passed by like that . Getting fatigued from the long hours spent on searching, Baek Yun-Ho leaned against the back of his chair . ''Maybe, I overreacted?'' That could''ve been a possibility . Because he was too shocked by the incredible strength Hunter Seong Jin-Woo displayed, he could''ve thought up a crazy theory as a way to explain that . " . . . Hahaha . " What was he doing when things remained so hectic? Rather than wasting time like this, he should be sending another offer to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, instead . Who knows, that quick-witted Chairman Choi could already be visiting Hunter Seong Jin-Woo with a contract in his hand by now . Baek Yun-Ho chuckled wryly and began closing all the windows one by one . But, when only a single window was left open . . . . ''Wait a minute . . . . '' Just for fun, he typed ''Hunter level up ability'' in the search engine . Of course, there was no result to speak of . Baek Yun-Ho wasn''t expecting anything tangible, to begin with, when he typed that, anyway . It was just that, he was unconsciously repeating the actions he''d perform when searching for something online . ''Now that I think about it . . . . I haven''t had lunch today . '' He slowly rubbed his tummy as he belatedly sensed his hunger . Baek Yun-Ho was about to log off the search engine altogether, but then, his eyes gleamed brightly . ''¡­ . . . . . ?'' He spotted a certain link with some words below it, found on the fifth page of the search results . If the linked address wasn''t the forum only Hunters could sign up with, he''d have ignored those words and move on . Baek Yun-Ho quickly moved the mouse . [Title: Something weird has happened to me . ] [Description: I can suddenly see my Stats in numbers like in a video game, and I can even increase their values, too . Is there anyone who has experienced something similar to me?] An ''anonymous'' had opened a thread with those words . However, how should Baek Yun-Ho describe this? When he read that, he could feel his breaths quickening, as well as his heartbeat, pounding faster and faster . ''Surely, others will think that I''ve lost my mind . '' Still, there was nothing to lose by confirming it . Baek Yun-Ho picked his phone up . - "Hello, sir . " Soon, the Section Chief of the Second Division, Ahn Sahng-Min, answered the call . "I''d like you to find something out for me, please . " Baek Yun-Ho wanted to find out what Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was doing on the day this anonymous wrote those words . - "Yes, sir . I''ll find out . " With a short but simple answer, the call ended . Section Chief Ahn was a talented employee . If Baek Yun-Ho waited for a little while, then that man would find what he needed through any means necessary . However, the result arrived sooner than he expected . ''Already?'' Baek Yun-Ho quickly picked up the ringing phone . - "Sir, we fortunately still had some information on hand, so we were able to find what you wanted pretty quickly . " "Oh, really?" Baek Yun-Ho smiled brightly . Now that he thought about it, there once was a time when the entirety of the Second Division was focused on gathering intel on Hunter Seong Jin-Woo after Chief Ahn ordered them . Thanks to that, he didn''t have to wait for long . - "Yes, sir . On that day, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim was . . . . Ah, looks like it was during that time . Sir, do you still remember the dual dungeon incident from a few months ago?" "Yes, I remember . " - "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim was the sole survivor of that dual dungeon incident, actually . If I remember correctly, he was unconscious throughout the duration of his stay in the hospital . " "Oh . . . . Is that so . " Baek Yun-Ho formed a disappointed expression . An unconscious man wouldn''t be able to upload anything on the internet, after all . ''Increasing your Stat values . . . . There''s no way such a thing is even possible . '' It all really was an unfunny waste of time in the end . He was getting somewhat tired now . He decided that he''d go home a bit early today and sleep, but then . . . . - "Uh? Wait a minute, sir . Yes, he was indeed in a comatose state, but . . . . " From the phone''s speaker, Ahn Sahng-Min''s mystified voice came out . - "Looks like he woke up on that day, sir . " < Chapter 96 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 96: Chapter 96 . Jin-Woo soon arrived at the Hunter Auction The main building was not tall but was rather wide, leading to an initial impression that, instead of an office building, it was more like a museum or an art gallery . The massive car park seemed to scream out loud ''We''ll accommodate everyone regardless of whether the participants are in the hundreds or in the thousands!''. The impressive building was standing in the middle of that parking lot One could easily guess just how much money the Hunter Auction was making through commissions from the artefact trade Jin-Woo exited from the taxi and made his way towards the building, but even before he could take a couple more steps, a formally-dressed man suddenly ran outside first "You must be Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ". "Yes, I am . ". The man checked Jin-Woo''s face and formed a surprised expression . But, he quickly remembered his role and greeted the youth with a welcoming tone of voice "My name is Kim Jeong-Ki from the Hunter Auction Appraisal Department . We talked on the phone . Please, follow me . ". Jin-Woo lightly nodded his head While leading Jin-Woo towards the appraisal room, Kim Jeong-Ki''s mind was racing ''The new rank S that disappeared from the reporters only a short while ago is standing right behind me . ''. When he first received the call, he thought it had to be some kind of a prank First of all, the supposed effect of the artefact sounded nonsensical, and more importantly, it was because the guy on the phone said that he was the rank S Hunter announced earlier in the day ''I almost ended up insulting a rank S Hunter, didn''t I?''. Just how frightened was he after the Hunters Association confirmed that the phone number did indeed belong to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?. He should thank the lucky stars that he followed the book and didn''t rudely dismiss the call outright [¡­ . Now officially registered in his new rank, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo has jumped up over five levels in rank, from E to S, through his Re-Awakening process, and it''s revealed that he possesses Mage-type abilities ]. Even now, this young man''s face could be seen plastered on the TV screens mounted on various parts of the Auction house . Perhaps he himself found it a bit too much, since the youth pulled his hood low to hide his face They weren''t even talking about Kim Jeong-Ki, but for some reason, he felt a bit flattered as the news broadcast continued to mention Jin-Woo''s name ''Should I ask him if we can take a selfie together?''. He shook his head, though . If he wasn''t currently at work, he''d have ''requested'' for a selfie as well as some autographs . However, he couldn''t do something that rude to a client coming in for an important trade . He had to persevere and hold tight for the time being ''Was the corridor from the entrance to here this short?''. They arrived at the appraisal room while several thoughts fleeted in and out of his head . Kim Jeong-Ki spoke with a wistful expression "It''s this way . ". The head of the Appraisal Department, as well as the company''s best appraiser, were anxiously waiting inside this wide room . They even gave up on lunch just to be here Seeing Jin-Woo''s face, the department head''s eyes opened wider ''It''s really the same guy from the news!''. Meanwhile, the appraiser nervously swallowed his dry saliva ''In that case, the magic amplification tool is really ??''. No, nothing was certain, yet . Just because the guy was real, that didn''t mean the stuff would be real, too . The appraiser repeated this in his head as if to calm himself down Even the best magic amplification artefact created with top materials by the world''s greatest artefact maker pouring out his soul would not exceed 50% in effect And then, gathering of the right materials itself would not be easy, not to mention that the manpower necessary and time required to make one should be ridiculous as well . One might consider himself lucky if he got to see one of those artefacts popping up in the market once every few years There were willing Mage-type Hunters from around the world lining up in a long-a*s queue to buy such items, but there was literally nothing to sell to them Well, there was no need to go as far as the ''world'' here Even locally, the Mage-type Hunter, and often referred to as the Ultimate Weapon, Choi Jong-In was seriously determined to purchase an amplification artefact with ''50% or more'' effect But then, a Hunter who might be a rank S but not widely known, came to visit the Auction while carrying an artefact with 100% amplification effect?. ''That must be nonsense ''. The story was so inconceivable that, if only the guy wasn''t the top-ranked Hunter, they would''ve kicked him in the a*s and thrown him out of the premises already However . They couldn''t refuse admittance to a rank S Hunter . Even if today''s matter ended as a whole heap of nothing, this man would no doubt become an important client in the future ''Well, there''s nothing to lose here . ''. The appraiser spoke to Jin-Woo, his face a mixture of a slight expectation and several times greater misgiving "May May I take a look at that artefact?". Both Kim Jeong-Ki and the department head also stared at Jin-Woo with tense expressions "Alright . ". While pretending to take it out from his pocket, Jin-Woo summoned the Bead of Avarice from his Inventory "So, this is ". The appraiser adjusted his glasses and stared at the beautiful round blood-coloured bead . It was an item possessing a certain magnetic charm that made the onlookers gasp out in astonishment involuntarily The two men from the Appraisal Department expressed their admiration under their breaths "H-mm ". However, the appraiser was tilting his head while adjusting his glasses again "This doesn''t look like an artefact made from a magic crystal or a Mana Stone . Am I correct?". "Yes, you''re right . ". The appraiser nodded his head ''As I thought . ''. He had been an appraiser for seven years already . He was able to observe countless artefacts until now, but he hadn''t seen a single crystal emitting a crimson hue like this one Most regular crystals emitted a clean bluish tinge, and the higher the grade, the darker they got However, this one was a red colour?. The appraiser continued to tilt his head this way and that, before receiving the bead When he did . ''W-what is this?''. Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his spine . It was because of the unidentifiable power he sensed from the crystal bead ''C-could it be ??''. He was frightened out of his wits as he stared at the magic bead . The appraiser was actually a rank B Mage-type Awakened . And thus, he could immediately sense what kind of an item he was holding in his hand Cold sweat broke out all over him ''Oh my god!''. Goosebumps formed on his skin because of the sheer power emanating from this magic bead, and he hurriedly raised his head to find Jin-Woo wordlessly staring back at him ''If the person who brought this here was a low-rank Hunter, then I ''. This was his first time feeling like this He lost count how many priceless artefacts he had handled over the years, but this was the first and the only time he felt the strong desire to beat up the person bringing this item for appraisal and steal it Unfortunately, his opponent was a rank S ''¡­ . ?''. Jin-Woo continued to silently stare . The appraiser managed to pull himself together and rein his desire in after receiving that stare ''I wanted to rob a rank S?''. Never mind trying, he wouldn''t even dare to imagine doing something like that to a Hunter with such a huge gap in power from him Just like how the appraiser did when he was looking at the bead, Jin-Woo was tilting his head at the appraiser now ''What''s the matter with him?''. Was he feeling unwell, somehow?. Nonetheless, the appraiser wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and spoke to the department head "Excuse me, director . Please turn the camera on . ". "Ah! Yes, hold on . ". The meaning behind that request was that the item in the appraiser''s hand was not a fake . The department head''s heartbeat increased rapidly The person to answer Jin-Woo''s call first, Kim Jeong-Ki, also displayed a similar expression "Filming will commence now . ". The department head shifted the camera lens over to the appraiser The appraiser walked over to the dish-shaped magic energy measuring device . First, he put the bead down and got himself measured Bleep-. Numerical values showed up Next up, he got measured again, but this time with the magic bead in his hand . The measured magic energy leaking out of the appraiser instantly doubled in value Bleep-. After confirming the results, Kim Jeong-Ki''s complexion paled "How could this be . ?". The department head also hurriedly approached closer and confirmed the results, too ''100 percent?! It''s really a magic tool possessing 100% amplification effect???''. His heart began pounding harder The average commission the Hunter Auction earned from assisting with the artefact trade was around five percent . If an item sold for around 100 billion Won, then they would earn about 5 billion from the deal However, even with his vast experience, he could not estimate just how much this crimson magic bead could be sold for ''This is a huge jackpot! A jackpot!!''. If there were no one looking, he''d have cried out "Hooray!!" and hug the subordinate employee next to him . Just how much sales incentive would he receive if the deal goes through successfully?. The overwhelming excitement left him utterly breathless Kim Jeong-Ki''s reactions were not too different from his superior . He clenched his fists tightly with an ecstatic expression on his face ''Yes!!''. If he could get recognised for today''s work, then it''d be only a matter of time before he got a promotion "I . will move on to demonstration next . ". The appraiser spoke with great difficulty, his voice trembling non-stop . The two men from the Appraisal Department quickly distanced themselves Jin-Woo also took a few steps back The camera was filming everything quite well . If one were to appeal to the potential buyers, actual footage was far more effective then simple numerical values The appraiser''s eyes were directed towards the camera "Let''s get started . ". The blizzard the size of a truck''s wheel began raging on the appraiser''s right hand . He continued on "While maintaining this magic energy, I shall touch the magic bead . ". The moment his left hand touched the ''Bead of Avarice'' . Wheeeeeeiiing-!!!. The blizzard dancing on his hand rocked the entire appraisal room "Heok!!". If the stunned appraiser hadn''t cancelled his magic quickly, the entire room might have frozen solid in an instant "Turn the camera off, please . ". "Ah, yes . ". The department head nodded and ran to the camera to turn it off . With that, the artefact appraisal process had been concluded ''Fuu ''. Jin-Woo was worried after sensing the magic energy exploding out of the appraiser''s hand, but in the end, he got to breathe a sigh of relief . It wasn''t just him, though, as everyone present in the room also spat out long sighs to calm their trembling hearts Almost instantly, silence descended in the room Jin-Woo quietly asked "How much do you think it''ll go for?". Could he be able to buy the artefact he wanted after selling this guy off?. Well, besides that, he was also genuinely curious about how much a magic tool capable of amplifying one''s magic by 100% would go for The appraiser stared at the ''Bead of Avarice'' with a look of incredulity "This How can I even think about putting a price tag on this . ". His gaze shifted over to Jin-Woo Gulp He swallowed down his dry saliva Just where did this man acquire an artefact like this? This wasn''t a problem the appraiser should worry about . He knew that, but still, he couldn''t hold back and asked anyway "Where did you find this?". Jin-Woo looked at Kim Jeong-Ki, not the appraiser, and asked instead "Is that question also necessary for a smooth transaction?". Kim Jeong-Ki avoided meeting his gaze as if he was feeling sheepish, and scratched the back of his neck . The appraiser quickly shook his head "No, not at all . It''s just that, I I was just too surprised, that''s all . However, when the existence of this magic tool is revealed to the public, everyone would no doubt grow curious about its origins . ". Indeed, the other two men present seemed to be dying of curiosity as well ''Well, I guess it doesn''t really matter . ''. There was no reason not to answer if they asked him . It wasn''t as if he acquired this bead through less-than-honest means, and also, even if others know, none of them would be able to find another one for themselves, anyway Jin-Woo''s lips parted Three other people in the room held their breaths and focused on Jin-Woo''s answer, wondering just what might come out of his mouth Jin-Woo simply grinned and replied "I picked it up in a dungeon . ". ***. Baek Yun-Ho returned to his private office "I wish to be left alone for a while, so don''t let anyone in . ". Maybe he found ordering his secretary wasn''t enough, he even locked the door, too . Only after that, he switched on his computer . And then, using the authority afforded to a rank S Hunter, as well as a Master of a Guild, he began perusing every information he could get his hands on ''Can it really happen?''. Baek Yun-Ho couldn''t stop thinking about Jin-Woo A Hunter that could grow stronger?. But, if not that, then how could anyone explain that man''s strength that had increased to an unrecognisable degree in only a few days?. Baek Yun-Ho''s fingers moved quite quickly He logged in to the special Hunter website that only the top-ranked Hunters around the world could access, and searched for any information related to this matter . Unfortunately, it was a waste of time ''There''s nothing ''. There was not one Hunter who could improve their stats all by themselves . No, they could only grow stronger through pure luck, also known as Awakening, or Re-Awakening process So, should he call that man not as a Hunter, but someone chosen by the gods?. Countless windows repeatedly popped up, only to disappear, and countless texts filled the computer screen without a moment''s rest . Three hours passed by like that Getting fatigued from the long hours spent on searching, Baek Yun-Ho leaned against the back of his chair ''Maybe, I overreacted?''. That could''ve been a possibility Because he was too shocked by the incredible strength Hunter Seong Jin-Woo displayed, he could''ve thought up a crazy theory as a way to explain that " . Hahaha . ". What was he doing when things remained so hectic?. Rather than wasting time like this, he should be sending another offer to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, instead . Who knows, that quick-witted Chairman Choi could already be visiting Hunter Seong Jin-Woo with a contract in his hand by now Baek Yun-Ho chuckled wryly and began closing all the windows one by one . But, when only a single window was left open . ''Wait a minute ''. Just for fun, he typed ''Hunter level up ability'' in the search engine . Of course, there was no result to speak of . Baek Yun-Ho wasn''t expecting anything tangible, to begin with, when he typed that, anyway . It was just that, he was unconsciously repeating the actions he''d perform when searching for something online ''Now that I think about it I haven''t had lunch today . ''. He slowly rubbed his tummy as he belatedly sensed his hunger . Baek Yun-Ho was about to log off the search engine altogether, but then, his eyes gleamed brightly ''¡­ . ?''. He spotted a certain link with some words below it, found on the fifth page of the search results If the linked address wasn''t the forum only Hunters could sign up with, he''d have ignored those words and move on Baek Yun-Ho quickly moved the mouse [Title: Something weird has happened to me . ]. [Description: I can suddenly see my Stats in numbers like in a video game, and I can even increase their values, too . Is there anyone who has experienced something similar to me?]. An ''anonymous'' had opened a thread with those words However, how should Baek Yun-Ho describe this? When he read that, he could feel his breaths quickening, as well as his heartbeat, pounding faster and faster ''Surely, others will think that I''ve lost my mind . ''. Still, there was nothing to lose by confirming it . Baek Yun-Ho picked his phone up - "Hello, sir . ". Soon, the Section Chief of the Second Division, Ahn Sahng-Min, answered the call "I''d like you to find something out for me, please . ". Baek Yun-Ho wanted to find out what Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was doing on the day this anonymous wrote those words - "Yes, sir . I''ll find out . ". With a short but simple answer, the call ended Section Chief Ahn was a talented employee . If Baek Yun-Ho waited for a little while, then that man would find what he needed through any means necessary . However, the result arrived sooner than he expected ''Already?''. Baek Yun-Ho quickly picked up the ringing phone - "Sir, we fortunately still had some information on hand, so we were able to find what you wanted pretty quickly . ". "Oh, really?". Baek Yun-Ho smiled brightly Now that he thought about it, there once was a time when the entirety of the Second Division was focused on gathering intel on Hunter Seong Jin-Woo after Chief Ahn ordered them . Thanks to that, he didn''t have to wait for long - "Yes, sir . On that day, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim was Ah, looks like it was during that time . Sir, do you still remember the dual dungeon incident from a few months ago?". "Yes, I remember . ". - "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim was the sole survivor of that dual dungeon incident, actually . If I remember correctly, he was unconscious throughout the duration of his stay in the hospital . ". "Oh Is that so . ". Baek Yun-Ho formed a disappointed expression An unconscious man wouldn''t be able to upload anything on the internet, after all ''Increasing your Stat values There''s no way such a thing is even possible . ''. It all really was an unfunny waste of time in the end . He was getting somewhat tired now . He decided that he''d go home a bit early today and sleep, but then . - "Uh? Wait a minute, sir . Yes, he was indeed in a comatose state, but ". From the phone''s speaker, Ahn Sahng-Min''s mystified voice came out - "Looks like he woke up on that day, sir . ". < Chapter 96 > Fin Chapter 97 As soon as he heard that, Baek Yun-Ho quickly fixed his previously-slouched sitting posture . ''He woke up on that day?'' - "Ah, actually, sir . He woke up on the previous day . " Ahn Sahng-Min amended his answer almost right away . But, Baek Yun-Ho thought that the time difference of one day wasn''t important here . No, the truly important bit was the fact that the possibility of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo posting those words had not dissipated at all . " . . . . I see . That should be enough . Thank you for your help . " Baek Yun-Ho ended the call there, and after finding the folder containing a certain file on his computer, he opened it . It was the report compiled on Seong Jin-Woo by the Second Division . Click, click . . . . Baek Yun-Ho paid greater attention to Jin-Woo''s recent activities as he browsed through the information . He hadn''t displayed anything particularly interesting before that incident . He lived a typical life of rank E Hunter ¨C got injured often, didn''t make a lot of money, etc . However . . . . ''After the dual dungeon incident . . . . '' Baek Yun-Ho was present that day as well . The Association urgently sought after the aid of the nearest large Guild, which was the White Tiger, and Baek Yun-Ho gladly led the elite assault team and went over there . That''s when he saw the sight of an unconscious young man being taken to the hospital in an ambulance . ''Well, I didn''t know that was Seong Jin-Woo back then . . . . '' Just what went down inside that dungeon? In any case, Seong Jin-Woo had changed completely from that point onwards . He used to quietly help out with the work of Association until then; but, not only he chose to join up with a freelancer raid team, he even cleared several rank C Gates in a single day, as well . Without a doubt, something in him changed inside that dual dungeon . ''This is definitely not your typical Re-Awakening . '' Section Chief Ahn theorised that Yujin Construction was testing out Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s powers after he went through the Re-Awakening process, but . . . . ''No, it''s not . '' But, that wouldn''t be able to explain the continued and rather speedy increase in that man''s powers even though his Re-Awakening process should have ended by now . So, what if . . . . ''¡­ . What if, there is a Hunter who can continuously grow stronger?'' Not only that, his rate of growth was so fast that, within a span of a few months, his powers rose up from the rank E all the way up to rank S? " . . . " Baek Yun-Ho inadvertently let a gasp escape from his mouth . It was a goosebumps-inducing idea, indeed . Of course, there was no evidence that the anonymous poster and Hunter Seong Jin-Woo were the same person . However, if Hunter Seong Jin-Woo could increase his strength exactly like how it was written in that post, then just imagining how much further he could grow made Baek Yun-Ho dizzy . And at the same time . . . . ''I was being foolish . '' He finally understood why Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was so disinterested in signing up with a Guild . ''Thinking about it from his perspective . . . . '' If he was given an ability where he could theoretically grow stronger infinitely, would he want to enter someone else''s Guild? Baek Yun-Ho shook his head . ''Nope, I''d rather make a Guild of my own . '' Who cared about the number one or two Guilds in the country? After all, his own would soon become the best, anyway . ''This . . . . Both Choi Jong-In and I have been wasting time chasing after a pipe dream, huh . '' Thinking about Chairman Choi who should be sweating profusely right about now while trying to woo Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, a wry chuckle automatically broke out of his mouth . However . . . . ''If my theory is correct, then this matter isn''t something to laugh about . '' In the not too distant future, that man would surely become an existence that would get to control the community of Hunters in South Korea . No, Hunters of the entire world might focus all their attention on him, at this rate . He needed to completely rethink the plan regarding Hunter Seong Jin-Woo now . But before all that . . . ''I need to meet him face to face and confirm it first . '' Baek Yun-Ho nodded his head . No matter how hard he thought about it, meeting Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was the number one priority . Unfortunately . . . . ''¡­ . How am I supposed to ask him for a meeting??'' Baek Yun-Ho held his head tightly . " . . . " When he realised that he just made his mind up to meet with a man who didn''t even reply once to the countless requests for a sit-down until now, his head already began throbbing from a migraine . *** The appraiser spoke in a shocked tone of voice . "You . . . ''picked'' it up in a dungeon?!" Jin-Woo nodded his head . Technically speaking, he did ''pick'' it up after defeating Vulcan in the Demon''s Castle ''dungeon'' . So, he wasn''t lying here, was he? ''You can find something like this inside a dungeon??'' ''Well, it''s not something the current level of craftsmanship can create . . . . '' The appraiser who asked the question, as well as the two members of the Appraisal Department who heard the answer, all carried unconvinced expressions, but since the person himself said so, there was no other choice but to accept it . And truth be told, it wasn''t really important where this crimson magic tool came from . ''No, the important thing would be what this Hunter-nim wants to do with it . '' The department head took a step forward . "It has been confirmed to be a real deal . " His gaze was fixed on the bead lying in Jin-Woo''s palm . "Will you commence with the auction with us? We will ensure that you get the maximum amount for this article . " So, what should Jin-Woo do now? Before he could decide on what to do with the ''Bead of Avarice'', he asked for something else, first . "By any chance, can I purchase a flame resistant defensive artefact here?" The department head and Kim Jeong-Ki looked at each other . And then, they looked back at Jin-Woo with somewhat awkward expressions . Jin-Woo was confused by that . "Did I ask for something I shouldn''t have?" "No, not at all . " "Or is it really difficult to find a flame resistance armour, then?" "Actually . . . . " The department head smiled and spoke . "It''s the exact opposite . It''s really easy to acquire one . " "But, I couldn''t find one online, though?" "Weapons and defensive equipment with innate attributes cost a lot of money, so they don''t normally appear online all that often . Even still, if you are looking for it, you should be able to find one very quickly . Well, fire-type magic is the most common attack magic spells there are, after all . " But, of course . Most of the Mage-type Hunters Jin-Woo met so far either wielded flames or rays of light . He heard that even the rank S Hunter Choi Jong-In specialised in flame attribute magic, too . Not only that, the Shadow Magic Soldiers he controlled also used flames, and even Fangs could breathe fire . In other words, ''fire'' type attacks were a pretty common sight . ''What a relief to hear that it''s easy to find one . '' He did kinda feel a bit pressured after hearing that it would cost a lot, but his mother''s treatment depended on him getting one . As long as he could find one quickly enough, he was willing to pay regardless of what the asking price was . If the push came to shove, he could sell the ''Bead of Avarice'', too . "Can you find one for me?" "Yes, of course . " The department head about to exit the appraisal room, but stopped and looked at Kim Jeong-Ki . "Mister Jeong-Ki? Rather than having our guest wait here doing nothing at all, how about showing him around the items that will go up in auction soon?" "Ah, of course . I will . " Kim Jeong-Ki stepped forward . "Please, come with me . " So, two men headed off to the display hall exclusively reserved for the VIP clients that exhibited only those ultra-expensive artefacts about to be auctioned off, or still waiting for their willing buyers . Weapons, armours, Rune Stones, etc . , were displayed inside clear glass cases . Jin-Woo stopped in front of a glass display case that contained a longsword . Kim Jeong-Ki approached him . "Do you see something you''re interested in?" "No, it''s not that, but . . . . " Jin-Woo lightly knocked on the glass case . "Can you really protect these artefacts with such a thin glass? I don''t see any particular security system in here, either . " Kim Jeong-Ki formed a proud expression . "They may look that way, but these glasses are reinforced with powerful magical energy by the very best craftsmen . Nothing would happen even if a melee-type rank A Hunter hits them with everything he has . " "Even when a rank A hits it . . . . ?" Seeing that Jin-Woo seemed rather unconvinced, Kim Jeong-Ki smirked and carried on . "If you don''t believe me, how about hitting the glass once? If you manage to break it, then I might give you the artefact found inside, Hunter-nim . " "Hmm . . . . " Was this reinforced glass really that strong? ''I can sense some magic energy in it, but . . . '' Now feeling genuinely curious, Jin-Woo began gathering strength in his right arm to test it out . Fuu-wook! In an instant, his shoulder and forearm expanded, and the surrounding air sank under the heavy pressure . "H-hold on!!" Kim Jeong-Ki hurriedly blocked Jin-Woo''s way . "I was only just joking! I wasn''t really asking you to hit it, you know . " " . . . . Oh . I see . " "If the case really breaks, then the elites of the Hunters Guild will rush over here . Our Auction house and the Hunters have signed a security contract, you see . " "Aha . " ¡­ . This man, telling joking as if he''s being earnest . Jin-Woo withdrew his strength . As soon as the heavy pressure emanating from him was lifted, Kim Jeong-Ki quickly breathed a sigh of relief . ''By the way, this guy . . . Wasn''t he supposed to be a Mage-type Hunter??'' He was supposed to be a Mage-type Hunter, yet why was his aura so outrageous? Kim Jeong-Ki wasn''t joking when he told Jin-Woo to hit the glass . He was thinking that, even though this youth was a rank S, he was a Mage-type, so his physical strength couldn''t actually be that high . But then, when Jin-Woo began concentrating, all the hair on Kim Jeong-Ki''s body stood up and instinctively, he knew that he had to stop the youth . What a relief it was that Jin-Woo backed off without raising a fuss . ''Well, Hunter-nim''s hand might get hurt if something went wrong, so this is fine . '' Kim Jeong-Ki consoled himself like that and guided Jin-Woo to other artefacts on display . After taking a look around once, Jin-Woo asked . "Isn''t there anything that I can actually touch? Daggers, if possible . " Since he wasn''t really the type who depended on weapons, he hadn''t paid much attention to the matter until now, but after taking a look at the various equipment on display, he suddenly became curious . Kim Jeong-Ki''s expression brightened . The reason for showing off these artefacts to Hunters was exactly for moments like this . Hunters may be sellers, but they were also valuable clients as well . "Of course, we have them . " After replying, Kim Jeong-Ki used the mic attached to the collar of his suit just below his neck to summon the staff member in charge of the weapons . Fearing that Jin-Woo might change his mind, the staff member quickly arrived . "And this gentleman is?" The staff signalled with his eyes, and Kim Jeong-Ki nodded his head . "Ah, it''s a pleasure to meet you . I''m in charge of the weapons section . Please come with me . " The staff member guided Jin-Woo and they exited from the VIP display hall . After seeing those two off, Kim Jeong-Ki spat out another sigh . ''This Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim seems to possess a talent for surprising people, doesn''t he?'' After regaining some of his calm, Kim Jeong-Ki disinterestedly took a look around him, before he walked over to the glass case with the longsword Jin-Woo seemed to be interested in earlier . He checked the glass case to see if there was a fingerprint or something since Jin-Woo had been standing pretty close to it, but then, he tilted his head slightly . "Ng?" Something was on the upper side of the case . "What the heck?" He spotted a crack in the corner of the glass case that was so small, it was easy to miss with naked eyes . "Since when did this happen?" He pulled out a handkerchief and rubbed it, but sure enough, it didn''t get wiped away . It wasn''t some dirt, but an actual crack . "Well, I''ll be . " Kim Jeong-Ki frowned deeply . How disappointed Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would''ve been, someone who could be one of their most important clients, if he saw that? It was a small relief that the crack was near the corner of the case in a hard-to-spot location . "Tsk, tsk . " Kim Jeong-Ki tutted audibly and summoned the maintenance team, before exiting from the VIP display hall, like Jin-Woo had done . *** Jin-Woo picked up the dagger that the staff member in charge gave to him . If he were being honest, it was rather lousy in quality . ''It''s far worse than the Knight Killer, which is ranked at rarity B . '' The attack power was not even half of the Knight Killer, too . With a disappointed expression on his face, Jin-Woo returned the dagger . "How much is this guy?" "It''s 30 million Won . " (TL: Around $26,830) Jin-Woo''s eyes widened . How much did he say for this measly little dagger?? "How much??" "30 million Won, Hunter-nim . " "H-hold on . " Jin-Woo turned around, and while pretending to rummage around, he summoned the Knight Killer and showed it to the staff member . "Okay, how much would this guy go for, then?" It was now the turn of staff to widen his eyes . "Is this your current weapon? Wowsers . I can definitely sense the touch of a great artisan from this dagger!" ''No, well, I bought it off the Store, though . . . . '' The staff member hesitated slightly, before raising his voice with a grin . "It won''t be accurate since I''m not a dedicated appraiser, but at the bare minimum, I think it should cost well over 100 million Won . " Jin-Woo''s expression hardened . ''But, uh, I paid 3 million Gold for it in the Store?'' Or was it more like 2 . 8 million? Seeing Jin-Woo''s expression, the staff member embarrassedly scratched the back of his head . "Was I wrong? Since I''m a specialist when it comes to weapons, I thought I could give it a shot, even though it''s not really my place . " "No, it''s nothing like that . " Indeed, Jin-Woo was simply shocked by the sky-high price tag, that was all . But, well . . . . The first real weapon he held, Kim Sahng-Sik''s steel sword and its attack damage of 10, was supposedly over three million Won in price, while Yu Jin-Ho''s equipment, which the kid didn''t really get to use all that much, also commanded price tags of over 100 million each . So, he shouldn''t have been surprised by the fact that items with high Stats sold in the System''s Store could potentially fetch high asking price in real life, too . ''It''s just that I didn''t pay attention to that side of things until now . '' Because he wasn''t too interested in making a quick buck . ''Wait a minute . . . . '' Currently, he had so much Gold stored in his Inventory that it was practically bursting at the seams . However, if he could buy items from the Store with that accumulated Gold, and then sell them off at a really high price? Jin-Woo''s head spun pretty quickly then . ''Doesn''t this mean I won''t have to sell the Bead of Avarice?'' Just as his thoughts arrived at this point . . . . Waaaaahhh-!! Were his emotions to blame? He thought he could hear the loud cheers of the Magic Soldiers hidden inside his shadow . < Chapter 97 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 97: Chapter 97 . As soon as he heard that, Baek Yun-Ho quickly fixed his previously-slouched sitting posture ''He woke up on that day?''. - "Ah, actually, sir . He woke up on the previous day . ". Ahn Sahng-Min amended his answer almost right away . But, Baek Yun-Ho thought that the time difference of one day wasn''t important here . No, the truly important bit was the fact that the possibility of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo posting those words had not dissipated at all " I see . That should be enough . Thank you for your help . ". Baek Yun-Ho ended the call there, and after finding the folder containing a certain file on his computer, he opened it . It was the report compiled on Seong Jin-Woo by the Second Division Click, click . Baek Yun-Ho paid greater attention to Jin-Woo''s recent activities as he browsed through the information . He hadn''t displayed anything particularly interesting before that incident . He lived a typical life of rank E Hunter ¨C got injured often, didn''t make a lot of money, etc However . ''After the dual dungeon incident ''. Baek Yun-Ho was present that day as well The Association urgently sought after the aid of the nearest large Guild, which was the White Tiger, and Baek Yun-Ho gladly led the elite assault team and went over there That''s when he saw the sight of an unconscious young man being taken to the hospital in an ambulance ''Well, I didn''t know that was Seong Jin-Woo back then ''. Just what went down inside that dungeon?. In any case, Seong Jin-Woo had changed completely from that point onwards He used to quietly help out with the work of Association until then; but, not only he chose to join up with a freelancer raid team, he even cleared several rank C Gates in a single day, as well Without a doubt, something in him changed inside that dual dungeon ''This is definitely not your typical Re-Awakening . ''. Section Chief Ahn theorised that Yujin Construction was testing out Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s powers after he went through the Re-Awakening process, but . ''No, it''s not . ''. But, that wouldn''t be able to explain the continued and rather speedy increase in that man''s powers even though his Re-Awakening process should have ended by now So, what if . ''¡­ . What if, there is a Hunter who can continuously grow stronger?''. Not only that, his rate of growth was so fast that, within a span of a few months, his powers rose up from the rank E all the way up to rank S?. " . ". Baek Yun-Ho inadvertently let a gasp escape from his mouth It was a goosebumps-inducing idea, indeed . Of course, there was no evidence that the anonymous poster and Hunter Seong Jin-Woo were the same person However, if Hunter Seong Jin-Woo could increase his strength exactly like how it was written in that post, then just imagining how much further he could grow made Baek Yun-Ho dizzy And at the same time . ''I was being foolish . ''. He finally understood why Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was so disinterested in signing up with a Guild ''Thinking about it from his perspective ''. If he was given an ability where he could theoretically grow stronger infinitely, would he want to enter someone else''s Guild?. Baek Yun-Ho shook his head ''Nope, I''d rather make a Guild of my own . ''. Who cared about the number one or two Guilds in the country? After all, his own would soon become the best, anyway ''This Both Choi Jong-In and I have been wasting time chasing after a pipe dream, huh . ''. Thinking about Chairman Choi who should be sweating profusely right about now while trying to woo Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, a wry chuckle automatically broke out of his mouth However . ''If my theory is correct, then this matter isn''t something to laugh about . ''. In the not too distant future, that man would surely become an existence that would get to control the community of Hunters in South Korea . No, Hunters of the entire world might focus all their attention on him, at this rate He needed to completely rethink the plan regarding Hunter Seong Jin-Woo now But before all that ''I need to meet him face to face and confirm it first . ''. Baek Yun-Ho nodded his head . No matter how hard he thought about it, meeting Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was the number one priority Unfortunately . ''¡­ . How am I supposed to ask him for a meeting??''. Baek Yun-Ho held his head tightly " . ". When he realised that he just made his mind up to meet with a man who didn''t even reply once to the countless requests for a sit-down until now, his head already began throbbing from a migraine ***. The appraiser spoke in a shocked tone of voice "You . ''picked'' it up in a dungeon?!". Jin-Woo nodded his head Technically speaking, he did ''pick'' it up after defeating Vulcan in the Demon''s Castle ''dungeon'' So, he wasn''t lying here, was he?. ''You can find something like this inside a dungeon??''. ''Well, it''s not something the current level of craftsmanship can create ''. The appraiser who asked the question, as well as the two members of the Appraisal Department who heard the answer, all carried unconvinced expressions, but since the person himself said so, there was no other choice but to accept it And truth be told, it wasn''t really important where this crimson magic tool came from ''No, the important thing would be what this Hunter-nim wants to do with it . ''. The department head took a step forward "It has been confirmed to be a real deal . ". His gaze was fixed on the bead lying in Jin-Woo''s palm "Will you commence with the auction with us? We will ensure that you get the maximum amount for this article . ". So, what should Jin-Woo do now?. Before he could decide on what to do with the ''Bead of Avarice'', he asked for something else, first "By any chance, can I purchase a flame resistant defensive artefact here?". The department head and Kim Jeong-Ki looked at each other . And then, they looked back at Jin-Woo with somewhat awkward expressions Jin-Woo was confused by that "Did I ask for something I shouldn''t have?". "No, not at all . ". "Or is it really difficult to find a flame resistance armour, then?". "Actually ". The department head smiled and spoke "It''s the exact opposite . It''s really easy to acquire one . ". "But, I couldn''t find one online, though?". "Weapons and defensive equipment with innate attributes cost a lot of money, so they don''t normally appear online all that often . Even still, if you are looking for it, you should be able to find one very quickly . Well, fire-type magic is the most common attack magic spells there are, after all . ". But, of course Most of the Mage-type Hunters Jin-Woo met so far either wielded flames or rays of light . He heard that even the rank S Hunter Choi Jong-In specialised in flame attribute magic, too . Not only that, the Shadow Magic Soldiers he controlled also used flames, and even Fangs could breathe fire In other words, ''fire'' type attacks were a pretty common sight ''What a relief to hear that it''s easy to find one . ''. He did kinda feel a bit pressured after hearing that it would cost a lot, but his mother''s treatment depended on him getting one . As long as he could find one quickly enough, he was willing to pay regardless of what the asking price was If the push came to shove, he could sell the ''Bead of Avarice'', too "Can you find one for me?". "Yes, of course . ". The department head about to exit the appraisal room, but stopped and looked at Kim Jeong-Ki "Mister Jeong-Ki? Rather than having our guest wait here doing nothing at all, how about showing him around the items that will go up in auction soon?". "Ah, of course . I will . ". Kim Jeong-Ki stepped forward "Please, come with me . ". So, two men headed off to the display hall exclusively reserved for the VIP clients that exhibited only those ultra-expensive artefacts about to be auctioned off, or still waiting for their willing buyers Weapons, armours, Rune Stones, etc . , were displayed inside clear glass cases . Jin-Woo stopped in front of a glass display case that contained a longsword . Kim Jeong-Ki approached him "Do you see something you''re interested in?". "No, it''s not that, but ". Jin-Woo lightly knocked on the glass case "Can you really protect these artefacts with such a thin glass? I don''t see any particular security system in here, either . ". Kim Jeong-Ki formed a proud expression "They may look that way, but these glasses are reinforced with powerful magical energy by the very best craftsmen . Nothing would happen even if a melee-type rank A Hunter hits them with everything he has . ". "Even when a rank A hits it ?". Seeing that Jin-Woo seemed rather unconvinced, Kim Jeong-Ki smirked and carried on "If you don''t believe me, how about hitting the glass once? If you manage to break it, then I might give you the artefact found inside, Hunter-nim . ". "Hmm ". Was this reinforced glass really that strong?. ''I can sense some magic energy in it, but . ''. Now feeling genuinely curious, Jin-Woo began gathering strength in his right arm to test it out Fuu-wook!. In an instant, his shoulder and forearm expanded, and the surrounding air sank under the heavy pressure "H-hold on!!". Kim Jeong-Ki hurriedly blocked Jin-Woo''s way "I was only just joking! I wasn''t really asking you to hit it, you know . ". " Oh . I see . ". "If the case really breaks, then the elites of the Hunters Guild will rush over here . Our Auction house and the Hunters have signed a security contract, you see . ". "Aha . ". ¡­ . This man, telling joking as if he''s being earnest Jin-Woo withdrew his strength . As soon as the heavy pressure emanating from him was lifted, Kim Jeong-Ki quickly breathed a sigh of relief ''By the way, this guy . Wasn''t he supposed to be a Mage-type Hunter??''. He was supposed to be a Mage-type Hunter, yet why was his aura so outrageous?. Kim Jeong-Ki wasn''t joking when he told Jin-Woo to hit the glass He was thinking that, even though this youth was a rank S, he was a Mage-type, so his physical strength couldn''t actually be that high . But then, when Jin-Woo began concentrating, all the hair on Kim Jeong-Ki''s body stood up and instinctively, he knew that he had to stop the youth What a relief it was that Jin-Woo backed off without raising a fuss ''Well, Hunter-nim''s hand might get hurt if something went wrong, so this is fine . ''. Kim Jeong-Ki consoled himself like that and guided Jin-Woo to other artefacts on display After taking a look around once, Jin-Woo asked "Isn''t there anything that I can actually touch? Daggers, if possible . ". Since he wasn''t really the type who depended on weapons, he hadn''t paid much attention to the matter until now, but after taking a look at the various equipment on display, he suddenly became curious Kim Jeong-Ki''s expression brightened The reason for showing off these artefacts to Hunters was exactly for moments like this . Hunters may be sellers, but they were also valuable clients as well "Of course, we have them . ". After replying, Kim Jeong-Ki used the mic attached to the collar of his suit just below his neck to summon the staff member in charge of the weapons Fearing that Jin-Woo might change his mind, the staff member quickly arrived "And this gentleman is?". The staff signalled with his eyes, and Kim Jeong-Ki nodded his head "Ah, it''s a pleasure to meet you . I''m in charge of the weapons section . Please come with me . ". The staff member guided Jin-Woo and they exited from the VIP display hall After seeing those two off, Kim Jeong-Ki spat out another sigh ''This Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim seems to possess a talent for surprising people, doesn''t he?''. After regaining some of his calm, Kim Jeong-Ki disinterestedly took a look around him, before he walked over to the glass case with the longsword Jin-Woo seemed to be interested in earlier He checked the glass case to see if there was a fingerprint or something since Jin-Woo had been standing pretty close to it, but then, he tilted his head slightly "Ng?". Something was on the upper side of the case "What the heck?". He spotted a crack in the corner of the glass case that was so small, it was easy to miss with naked eyes "Since when did this happen?". He pulled out a handkerchief and rubbed it, but sure enough, it didn''t get wiped away . It wasn''t some dirt, but an actual crack "Well, I''ll be . ". Kim Jeong-Ki frowned deeply How disappointed Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would''ve been, someone who could be one of their most important clients, if he saw that?. It was a small relief that the crack was near the corner of the case in a hard-to-spot location "Tsk, tsk . ". Kim Jeong-Ki tutted audibly and summoned the maintenance team, before exiting from the VIP display hall, like Jin-Woo had done ***. Jin-Woo picked up the dagger that the staff member in charge gave to him . If he were being honest, it was rather lousy in quality ''It''s far worse than the Knight Killer, which is ranked at rarity B . ''. The attack power was not even half of the Knight Killer, too . With a disappointed expression on his face, Jin-Woo returned the dagger "How much is this guy?". "It''s 30 million Won . " (TL: Around $26,830). Jin-Woo''s eyes widened How much did he say for this measly little dagger??. "How much??". "30 million Won, Hunter-nim . ". "H-hold on . ". Jin-Woo turned around, and while pretending to rummage around, he summoned the Knight Killer and showed it to the staff member "Okay, how much would this guy go for, then?". It was now the turn of staff to widen his eyes "Is this your current weapon? Wowsers . I can definitely sense the touch of a great artisan from this dagger!". ''No, well, I bought it off the Store, though ''. The staff member hesitated slightly, before raising his voice with a grin "It won''t be accurate since I''m not a dedicated appraiser, but at the bare minimum, I think it should cost well over 100 million Won . ". Jin-Woo''s expression hardened ''But, uh, I paid 3 million Gold for it in the Store?''. Or was it more like 2 . 8 million?. Seeing Jin-Woo''s expression, the staff member embarrassedly scratched the back of his head "Was I wrong? Since I''m a specialist when it comes to weapons, I thought I could give it a shot, even though it''s not really my place . ". "No, it''s nothing like that . ". Indeed, Jin-Woo was simply shocked by the sky-high price tag, that was all But, well . The first real weapon he held, Kim Sahng-Sik''s steel sword and its attack damage of 10, was supposedly over three million Won in price, while Yu Jin-Ho''s equipment, which the kid didn''t really get to use all that much, also commanded price tags of over 100 million each So, he shouldn''t have been surprised by the fact that items with high Stats sold in the System''s Store could potentially fetch high asking price in real life, too ''It''s just that I didn''t pay attention to that side of things until now . ''. Because he wasn''t too interested in making a quick buck ''Wait a minute ''. Currently, he had so much Gold stored in his Inventory that it was practically bursting at the seams . However, if he could buy items from the Store with that accumulated Gold, and then sell them off at a really high price?. Jin-Woo''s head spun pretty quickly then ''Doesn''t this mean I won''t have to sell the Bead of Avarice?''. Just as his thoughts arrived at this point . Waaaaahhh-!!. Were his emotions to blame?. He thought he could hear the loud cheers of the Magic Soldiers hidden inside his shadow < Chapter 97 > Fin Chapter 98 "Holy cow! Oppa, those reporters are still outside the building!" Jin-Ah spoke while looking out of the window . It was already late in the evening . Reporters who hadn''t given up yet were still gathered around in front of the apartment''s entrance like a storm cloud . "Look!! Up there!" After discovering the silhouette of a person by the window, they hurriedly operated their cameras, thinking that it was Jin-Woo . Click, click, click!! Seeing all those camera flashes suddenly exploding from here and there, Jin-Ah jumped up in fright and quickly shuttered the curtains . She turned around and sighed softly like a timid little animal . "Whew . . . . " Having returned from the Hunter Auction, Jin-Woo was thinking of taking a bit of a well-deserved rest, but he was carrying a rather stiff expression at the moment . "Should I go downstairs and say something?" It was fine for those folks to disrupt his rest . However, he was more worried about them disrupting his sister''s studies . Jin-Ah was a high school senior, about to take the most important test of her life . Wasn''t this the time when some overly-sensitive kids would throw a tantrum just because of the faint footsteps outside their doors disrupting their studies? ''Well, Jin-Ah isn''t the type to raise a fuss over stuff like this, but . . . . '' But, still ¨C could she even be able to concentrate with all these distracting noises coming from the outside? Just as Jin-Woo was getting prepared to step forward . . . . "Nonono, don''t do it . " . . . . Jin-Ah quickly waved her hands about . "Oppa, you''re already being slagged off in the internet, you know? So, can you imagine what they''ll say if you chase away the reporters?" "Slagged off?" ''Since when did I do something worthy of that treatment??'' As Jin-Woo tilted his head this way and that, Jin-Ah accessed one of the news articles online with her phone and pushed it forward . So, he took it from her . ''¡­ . . . '' On the screen, he could see the photo of him standing in front of the Association''s entrance, relaxedly answering his phone while being surrounded by a sea of reporters . Maybe because a professional snapped that shot, even a plain guy like him came out looking pretty good, so he was happy about that . However, when he took a look a bit lower down . . . . ''His attitude sucks . '' ''He already doesn''t care about the reporters . '' ''He''s way too cool for himself . '' Countless comments with similar nature were posted below the article, and the highest upvoted comment was ''Mom, I''ve become a rank S!!'' Because the photo and the comment went so well along with each other, Jin-Woo ended up breaking out in a grin . Jin-Ah in turn became flabbergasted from his reaction . "How can you smile from that?!" "But, it is funny . " " . . . . " When Jin-Woo showed her the top upvoted comment, Jin-Ah too nearly broke out in laughter, but somehow managed to suppress it . And, perhaps as a rebound . . . . "No, wait a minute! That''s not important, is it?!" With a slightly flushed face, Jin-Ah raised her voice . "Why did you have to answer your phone there?? I mean, there were so many reporters present, you know! Thanks to you, everyone now knows my name!" Jin-Woo replied confidently as if he couldn''t be fazed by anything . "Do I really need to observe reporters and their moods when answering my little sister''s call?" "Euk!!" Jin-Ah became speechless . No matter how hard she thought about it, he wasn''t wrong, so she couldn''t readily come up with a suitable rebuttal . ''¡­ . I simply can''t win against him in an argument . '' Jin-Woo handed the phone back to her . "Here . " Jin-Ah took the phone back with a slightly testy face, and opened her mouth . "In any case, I''ll be fine, so oppa, don''t mind the reporters, okay?" "Okay . Got it . " Jin-Woo nodded his head . If the current situation persisted, then he might have done something, but then again, the Association did call him earlier to say that these reporters should all receive orders to stay far away from him in a day or two . ''Well, I can endure that . '' And there was also Jin-Ah not wanting to inflate the situation any further, too . "By the way, just what on earth happened here?" Jin-Ah looked at her brother with a pair of mystified eyes . "My own oppa became a rank S Hunter, and reporters are camping outside our house, too . . . . " Some said that it''d be difficult to run into a rank S Hunter even once in your entire life, yet there was one standing right in front of her . Not only that, he was her older brother, no less . Pretty much anyone would react the same way if they were in her shoes . Jin-Ah sounded as if she couldn''t quite believe it . Too bad, she had no choice but to adjust to the new reality sooner rather than later . ''Just like how I had to . '' Jin-Woo smirked softly . And, in order to soothe his sister and her still-stunned heart, he lightly pinched Jin-Ah''s cheeks . Of course, she reacted in the same manner as in the past by kicking him, but . . . . "Ouch!!" She instead grabbed her foot and jumped up and down in pain . "Heeiing~ . " Jin-Ah glared at him from the corners of her eyes as if this was just too much, while Jin-Woo could only shrug his shoulders . It seemed that she''d need quite a lot of time to get used to the fact that her oppa was now a rank S Awakened . "Oppa, I guess you''ll become a lot busier now, right?" Jin-Ah cautiously asked him . "Mm . " Jin-Woo nodded his head . There were lots of things he wanted to do, and plenty of work to get through, too ¨C but for now, clearing the Demon''s Castle took priority . He even resorted to buying a flame-resistance defensive artefact for the sole purpose of conquering the upper floors, after all . His own funds came up ridiculously short so his heart nearly fell to the pit of his stomach, but thankfully, he was able to use one of the Store''s rarity ''A'' items as collateral and got a loan from the Hunter Auction . ''I''m in debt as soon as becoming a rank S . . . . '' For some reason, a wry chuckle escaped from his lips . Well, as long as the items from the Store could be sold off at high prices in auctions, that debt would be wiped clean in an instant, though . "In that case, it''d get harder to see you, right?" Hearing that he might get a lot busier in the future, Jin-Ah formed a slightly rueful expression . Indeed, being alone would be a lonesome task . Without saying anything, Jin-Woo placed his hand on Jin-Ah''s head . A few days from now . . . . Once he cleared the Demon''s Castle dungeon, there would never be another day when his sister would have to house-sit all alone . ''I''ll make sure that happens for real . '' It was then . Jin-Woo''s eyes narrowed to a slit . His gaze shifted toward the front door . ''Someone''s coming this way . '' Jin-Ah also noticed her brother''s tense aura . She asked, sounding a little anxious . "Oppa?" "Stay in your room for a bit, okay?" "What''s the matter?" A presence climbing out of the elevator was walking straight to here now . ''It''s a Hunter . . . . ?'' The suspicious presence emitted a thin and weak magic energy . Jin-Woo couldn''t sense any hostile intentions from this presence, but still, he didn''t feel like humouring an uninvited guest . Did a Guild send someone over? Or, was it a foolhardy reporter placing too much faith in his own Awakened powers? Didn''t matter which was which ¨C Jin-Woo wasn''t a gracious enough person to accept with a smile an uninvited guest trying to invade the privacy of his home, when the hour was already well past ten in the evening . Jin-Woo stood before the door . ''With that kind of power . . . '' He didn''t need to summon his weapons . Jin-Woo lightly loosened his muscles . He tilted his head left and right, and his neck issued cracking noise . And, as he expected . . . . Thud, thud . Someone ''knocked'' on the door, causing Jin-Ah to run into her room in a bit of surprise . Jin-Woo quietly opened the door . Clang . And from the slowly-widening gap of the door, a familiar face of a man could be seen . The man spoke . "Hyunnng-nim . . . . " He was even sniffling, too . Yu Jin-Ho and his reddened nose were standing in front of the door, sniffling like a little kid . " . . . . . " Jin-Woo was so dumbstruck that he stood there in a total daze, prompting Yu Jin-Ho to tearfully speak up . "Hyung-nim . I got kicked out of the house . Dad kicked me out . " " . . . " Now that Jin-Woo took another look, there was a backpack as big as Yu Jin-Ho slung on his back . He was even carrying quite a lot of luggage in both of his hands, too . " . . . . . Wait, didn''t you live alone already?" "Well, that . . . . " Sniff . "The villa I was living in was under father''s name, and he took it away . He even blocked all my bank accounts . " A father blocking his son''s bank accounts . All of them . What a movie-like situation that was, but well, this being the top businessman in South Korea, Chairman Yu Myung-Hwan, it sounded rather plausible . Besides all that, though ¨C what did this kid do to get on his father''s bad side like this? When Jin-Woo stared with a pair of questioning gaze, Yu Jin-Ho spoke up, his voice trembling . "So, like, I was wondering, hyung-nim . Can I impose on you for the time being?" Creaaak . . . . Clank . Jin-Woo quietly closed the door, and even proceeded to lock it . Click . Worried Jin-Ah had been observing the situation from her room, and once Jin-Woo turned away from the door, she quickly jogged next to him and asked . "Oppa, who was that? Do you know him?" Jin-Woo shook his head . "Nope . Never met him before . " "You really don''t know him? But, why did he come to our place, then?" "Don''t worry about it . I''m sure he got the wrong address . " " . . . . . Really?" But, it sure didn''t look like that, though . As Jin-Woo gently but firmly pushed his still-suspicious little sister back into her room, Yu Jin-Ho''s sorrowful voice continued to ring out behind him . Thud, thud!! "Hyuuung-niiim!! Hyung-niiiiim!!" *** "Dear, don''t you think you were being too harsh on Jin-Ho earlier today?" "Hmph . " Yu Myung-Hwan roughly yanked at his tie . What an insolent little child . He was about to be gifted with the Yujin Guild, which would no doubt become the Yujin Construction''s core business in the future, yet he dared to answer like that? ["I''ve decided to work for hyung-nim''s Guild . "] What? Follow ''hyung-nim'', was it? "That fool deserved it . " Yu Myung-Han snorted derisively . If the boy wished to stand on his two feet, then he should do so on his own power, too . The father thought that he''d teach his son about every choice being accompanied by responsibilities and consequences . Was it because he was far too agitated? For some reason, it felt like his d*mn tie just didn''t want to come undone . His clumsy and hasty hands caused the tie to be tangled up even more instead, prompting the lady of the Yu family to reach out with her hands . "Let me do it for you . " Soon enough, the tie was easily loosened . Yu Myung-Han entrusted himself to his wife''s skilful hands . However . . . . The wife began giggling while holding his tie . "What''s the matter, dear?" Yu Myung-Han was confused . She had been doing his ties for as long as they were together . So, she shouldn''t have found his tangled up tie all that funny by now . "My dear . Are you sure you''re really angry?" "Mm . . . . ??" Did she eat something wrong? Why was she saying something so nonsensical? Yu Myung-Han tilted his head slightly and took a look at his own reflection in the mirror . ''What the . . . . '' He was surprised by what he saw . Why did he look so pleased in the reflection, even though his mouth was busy spewing out complaints only until a second ago? Feeling embarrassed now, Yu Myung-Han began rubbing his cheeks and chin . "Today was the first time, wasn''t it, dear?" "What do you mean?" "Jin-Ho rebelling against you . " " . . . . " That was why he was angry . Just like how water flowed from the top to bottom, a large corporation would not be able to sustain its massive self if the orders from the top didn''t get delivered to the rest . He believed it was the same story for running a family, as well . That was why he maintained the exact same type of attitude he''d have when at work while he was home with his family, and he did not accept anyone going against his decisions . However . . . . Even though he was feeling angry today, why didn''t he feel bad about it, either? ''I''m angry, but not unhappy at the same time?'' This situation made no sense when he thought about it . The madam spoke gently like a mother pacifying a child, as if she had already read everything in her husband''s mind . "Jin-Ho is trying to do something he feels passionate about for the first time in his life . So, how about cooling your anger a little and cheering him on from the side?" " . . . . . " Yu Myung-Han shut his mouth tight . He found it a bit hard to decipher his own head at the moment . "For the time being . . . I shall keep an eye on him . " "Of course . " The madam formed a sweet smile and received his jacket as he took it off . However, something happened then . Yu Myung-Han stared at his wife''s face . "But, this is quite strange . " "What is strange, dear?" "I can see two of your faces . " "Pardon?" Just as the madam''s eyes widened, Yu Myung-Han lost his balance and staggered unsteadily . "Dear?!" The frightened madam hurriedly tried to support Yu Myung-Han . He shook his head continuously, heavily gasps escaping from his mouth . "Pant, pant . . . . . " The madam''s eyes opened wider . ''Why is there so much cold sweat?!'' Yu Myung-Han tried to keep his eyes wide open to forcefully beat back the sudden feeling of sleepiness, but in the end, lost his consciousness . *** Yu Myung-Han reopened his eyes inside the VIP room located in the country''s top university hospital . One of the doctors in charge approached him to check up on Yu Myung-Han''s complexion . They had been working in a 24-hour rotation schedule to keep an eye on his condition . "Can you hear me, Chairman?" " . . . . " Yu Myung-Han took a quick look around him, and immediately figured out where he was . "How long have I been here?" "You''ve been sleeping for the last two days . " Two days? The person most likely to be picked as the role model for "hard working" would be Yu Myung-Han . He had never slept for more than five hours in a day in his entire life, no matter how tired he was . " . . . . . " Yu Myung-Han resolutely kept his mouth shut, before speaking up as if it was nothing . "I guess I was quite tired, then . " He was indeed swarmed with various matters that kept him insanely busy recently . The sudden bout of vertigo and that unshakeable sleepiness were probably the side effects . However, the doctor couldn''t hide the seriousness from his expression . Yu Myung-Han was the owner of the country''s top company that employed tens of thousands of people . So, he was already a master at reading people''s expressions . Seeing the stiffening face of the doctor, Yu Myung-Han asked him . "By any chance . . . . Have you discovered something wrong with my body?" < Chapter 98 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 98: Chapter 98 . "Holy cow! Oppa, those reporters are still outside the building!". Jin-Ah spoke while looking out of the window It was already late in the evening . Reporters who hadn''t given up yet were still gathered around in front of the apartment''s entrance like a storm cloud "Look!! Up there!". After discovering the silhouette of a person by the window, they hurriedly operated their cameras, thinking that it was Jin-Woo Click, click, click!!. Seeing all those camera flashes suddenly exploding from here and there, Jin-Ah jumped up in fright and quickly shuttered the curtains . She turned around and sighed softly like a timid little animal "Whew ". Having returned from the Hunter Auction, Jin-Woo was thinking of taking a bit of a well-deserved rest, but he was carrying a rather stiff expression at the moment "Should I go downstairs and say something?". It was fine for those folks to disrupt his rest . However, he was more worried about them disrupting his sister''s studies . Jin-Ah was a high school senior, about to take the most important test of her life Wasn''t this the time when some overly-sensitive kids would throw a tantrum just because of the faint footsteps outside their doors disrupting their studies?. ''Well, Jin-Ah isn''t the type to raise a fuss over stuff like this, but ''. But, still ¨C could she even be able to concentrate with all these distracting noises coming from the outside?. Just as Jin-Woo was getting prepared to step forward . "Nonono, don''t do it . ". Jin-Ah quickly waved her hands about "Oppa, you''re already being slagged off in the internet, you know? So, can you imagine what they''ll say if you chase away the reporters?". "Slagged off?". ''Since when did I do something worthy of that treatment??''. As Jin-Woo tilted his head this way and that, Jin-Ah accessed one of the news articles online with her phone and pushed it forward . So, he took it from her ''¡­ . ''. On the screen, he could see the photo of him standing in front of the Association''s entrance, relaxedly answering his phone while being surrounded by a sea of reporters Maybe because a professional snapped that shot, even a plain guy like him came out looking pretty good, so he was happy about that . However, when he took a look a bit lower down . ''His attitude sucks . ''. ''He already doesn''t care about the reporters . ''. ''He''s way too cool for himself . ''. Countless comments with similar nature were posted below the article, and the highest upvoted comment was ''Mom, I''ve become a rank S!!''. Because the photo and the comment went so well along with each other, Jin-Woo ended up breaking out in a grin Jin-Ah in turn became flabbergasted from his reaction "How can you smile from that?!". "But, it is funny . ". " ". When Jin-Woo showed her the top upvoted comment, Jin-Ah too nearly broke out in laughter, but somehow managed to suppress it . And, perhaps as a rebound . "No, wait a minute! That''s not important, is it?!". With a slightly flushed face, Jin-Ah raised her voice "Why did you have to answer your phone there?? I mean, there were so many reporters present, you know! Thanks to you, everyone now knows my name!". Jin-Woo replied confidently as if he couldn''t be fazed by anything "Do I really need to observe reporters and their moods when answering my little sister''s call?". "Euk!!". Jin-Ah became speechless . No matter how hard she thought about it, he wasn''t wrong, so she couldn''t readily come up with a suitable rebuttal ''¡­ . I simply can''t win against him in an argument . ''. Jin-Woo handed the phone back to her "Here . ". Jin-Ah took the phone back with a slightly testy face, and opened her mouth "In any case, I''ll be fine, so oppa, don''t mind the reporters, okay?". "Okay . Got it . ". Jin-Woo nodded his head If the current situation persisted, then he might have done something, but then again, the Association did call him earlier to say that these reporters should all receive orders to stay far away from him in a day or two ''Well, I can endure that . ''. And there was also Jin-Ah not wanting to inflate the situation any further, too "By the way, just what on earth happened here?". Jin-Ah looked at her brother with a pair of mystified eyes "My own oppa became a rank S Hunter, and reporters are camping outside our house, too ". Some said that it''d be difficult to run into a rank S Hunter even once in your entire life, yet there was one standing right in front of her . Not only that, he was her older brother, no less Pretty much anyone would react the same way if they were in her shoes . Jin-Ah sounded as if she couldn''t quite believe it Too bad, she had no choice but to adjust to the new reality sooner rather than later ''Just like how I had to . ''. Jin-Woo smirked softly And, in order to soothe his sister and her still-stunned heart, he lightly pinched Jin-Ah''s cheeks . Of course, she reacted in the same manner as in the past by kicking him, but . "Ouch!!". She instead grabbed her foot and jumped up and down in pain "Heeiing~ . ". Jin-Ah glared at him from the corners of her eyes as if this was just too much, while Jin-Woo could only shrug his shoulders . It seemed that she''d need quite a lot of time to get used to the fact that her oppa was now a rank S Awakened "Oppa, I guess you''ll become a lot busier now, right?". Jin-Ah cautiously asked him "Mm . ". Jin-Woo nodded his head There were lots of things he wanted to do, and plenty of work to get through, too ¨C but for now, clearing the Demon''s Castle took priority . He even resorted to buying a flame-resistance defensive artefact for the sole purpose of conquering the upper floors, after all His own funds came up ridiculously short so his heart nearly fell to the pit of his stomach, but thankfully, he was able to use one of the Store''s rarity ''A'' items as collateral and got a loan from the Hunter Auction ''I''m in debt as soon as becoming a rank S ''. For some reason, a wry chuckle escaped from his lips Well, as long as the items from the Store could be sold off at high prices in auctions, that debt would be wiped clean in an instant, though "In that case, it''d get harder to see you, right?". Hearing that he might get a lot busier in the future, Jin-Ah formed a slightly rueful expression . Indeed, being alone would be a lonesome task Without saying anything, Jin-Woo placed his hand on Jin-Ah''s head A few days from now . Once he cleared the Demon''s Castle dungeon, there would never be another day when his sister would have to house-sit all alone ''I''ll make sure that happens for real . ''. It was then Jin-Woo''s eyes narrowed to a slit . His gaze shifted toward the front door ''Someone''s coming this way . ''. Jin-Ah also noticed her brother''s tense aura . She asked, sounding a little anxious "Oppa?". "Stay in your room for a bit, okay?". "What''s the matter?". A presence climbing out of the elevator was walking straight to here now ''It''s a Hunter ?''. The suspicious presence emitted a thin and weak magic energy . Jin-Woo couldn''t sense any hostile intentions from this presence, but still, he didn''t feel like humouring an uninvited guest Did a Guild send someone over? Or, was it a foolhardy reporter placing too much faith in his own Awakened powers?. Didn''t matter which was which ¨C Jin-Woo wasn''t a gracious enough person to accept with a smile an uninvited guest trying to invade the privacy of his home, when the hour was already well past ten in the evening Jin-Woo stood before the door ''With that kind of power . ''. He didn''t need to summon his weapons . Jin-Woo lightly loosened his muscles . He tilted his head left and right, and his neck issued cracking noise And, as he expected . Thud, thud Someone ''knocked'' on the door, causing Jin-Ah to run into her room in a bit of surprise . Jin-Woo quietly opened the door Clang And from the slowly-widening gap of the door, a familiar face of a man could be seen . The man spoke "Hyunnng-nim ". He was even sniffling, too Yu Jin-Ho and his reddened nose were standing in front of the door, sniffling like a little kid " . ". Jin-Woo was so dumbstruck that he stood there in a total daze, prompting Yu Jin-Ho to tearfully speak up "Hyung-nim . I got kicked out of the house . Dad kicked me out . ". " . ". Now that Jin-Woo took another look, there was a backpack as big as Yu Jin-Ho slung on his back . He was even carrying quite a lot of luggage in both of his hands, too " . Wait, didn''t you live alone already?". "Well, that ". Sniff "The villa I was living in was under father''s name, and he took it away . He even blocked all my bank accounts . ". A father blocking his son''s bank accounts . All of them . What a movie-like situation that was, but well, this being the top businessman in South Korea, Chairman Yu Myung-Hwan, it sounded rather plausible Besides all that, though ¨C what did this kid do to get on his father''s bad side like this?. When Jin-Woo stared with a pair of questioning gaze, Yu Jin-Ho spoke up, his voice trembling "So, like, I was wondering, hyung-nim . Can I impose on you for the time being?". Creaaak . Clank Jin-Woo quietly closed the door, and even proceeded to lock it Click Worried Jin-Ah had been observing the situation from her room, and once Jin-Woo turned away from the door, she quickly jogged next to him and asked "Oppa, who was that? Do you know him?". Jin-Woo shook his head "Nope . Never met him before . ". "You really don''t know him? But, why did he come to our place, then?". "Don''t worry about it . I''m sure he got the wrong address . ". " . Really?". But, it sure didn''t look like that, though As Jin-Woo gently but firmly pushed his still-suspicious little sister back into her room, Yu Jin-Ho''s sorrowful voice continued to ring out behind him Thud, thud!!. "Hyuuung-niiim!! Hyung-niiiiim!!". ***. "Dear, don''t you think you were being too harsh on Jin-Ho earlier today?". "Hmph . ". Yu Myung-Hwan roughly yanked at his tie What an insolent little child He was about to be gifted with the Yujin Guild, which would no doubt become the Yujin Construction''s core business in the future, yet he dared to answer like that?. ["I''ve decided to work for hyung-nim''s Guild . "]. What?. Follow ''hyung-nim'', was it?. "That fool deserved it . ". Yu Myung-Han snorted derisively If the boy wished to stand on his two feet, then he should do so on his own power, too The father thought that he''d teach his son about every choice being accompanied by responsibilities and consequences Was it because he was far too agitated? For some reason, it felt like his d*mn tie just didn''t want to come undone . His clumsy and hasty hands caused the tie to be tangled up even more instead, prompting the lady of the Yu family to reach out with her hands "Let me do it for you . ". Soon enough, the tie was easily loosened . Yu Myung-Han entrusted himself to his wife''s skilful hands However . The wife began giggling while holding his tie "What''s the matter, dear?". Yu Myung-Han was confused . She had been doing his ties for as long as they were together . So, she shouldn''t have found his tangled up tie all that funny by now "My dear . Are you sure you''re really angry?". "Mm ??". Did she eat something wrong? Why was she saying something so nonsensical?. Yu Myung-Han tilted his head slightly and took a look at his own reflection in the mirror ''What the ''. He was surprised by what he saw Why did he look so pleased in the reflection, even though his mouth was busy spewing out complaints only until a second ago?. Feeling embarrassed now, Yu Myung-Han began rubbing his cheeks and chin "Today was the first time, wasn''t it, dear?". "What do you mean?". "Jin-Ho rebelling against you . ". " ". That was why he was angry Just like how water flowed from the top to bottom, a large corporation would not be able to sustain its massive self if the orders from the top didn''t get delivered to the rest . He believed it was the same story for running a family, as well That was why he maintained the exact same type of attitude he''d have when at work while he was home with his family, and he did not accept anyone going against his decisions However . Even though he was feeling angry today, why didn''t he feel bad about it, either?. ''I''m angry, but not unhappy at the same time?''. This situation made no sense when he thought about it The madam spoke gently like a mother pacifying a child, as if she had already read everything in her husband''s mind "Jin-Ho is trying to do something he feels passionate about for the first time in his life . So, how about cooling your anger a little and cheering him on from the side?". " . ". Yu Myung-Han shut his mouth tight He found it a bit hard to decipher his own head at the moment "For the time being . I shall keep an eye on him . ". "Of course . ". The madam formed a sweet smile and received his jacket as he took it off . However, something happened then Yu Myung-Han stared at his wife''s face "But, this is quite strange . ". "What is strange, dear?". "I can see two of your faces . ". "Pardon?". Just as the madam''s eyes widened, Yu Myung-Han lost his balance and staggered unsteadily "Dear?!". The frightened madam hurriedly tried to support Yu Myung-Han . He shook his head continuously, heavily gasps escaping from his mouth "Pant, pant . ". The madam''s eyes opened wider ''Why is there so much cold sweat?!''. Yu Myung-Han tried to keep his eyes wide open to forcefully beat back the sudden feeling of sleepiness, but in the end, lost his consciousness ***. Yu Myung-Han reopened his eyes inside the VIP room located in the country''s top university hospital One of the doctors in charge approached him to check up on Yu Myung-Han''s complexion . They had been working in a 24-hour rotation schedule to keep an eye on his condition "Can you hear me, Chairman?". " ". Yu Myung-Han took a quick look around him, and immediately figured out where he was "How long have I been here?". "You''ve been sleeping for the last two days . ". Two days?. The person most likely to be picked as the role model for "hard working" would be Yu Myung-Han . He had never slept for more than five hours in a day in his entire life, no matter how tired he was " . ". Yu Myung-Han resolutely kept his mouth shut, before speaking up as if it was nothing "I guess I was quite tired, then . ". He was indeed swarmed with various matters that kept him insanely busy recently . The sudden bout of vertigo and that unshakeable sleepiness were probably the side effects However, the doctor couldn''t hide the seriousness from his expression Yu Myung-Han was the owner of the country''s top company that employed tens of thousands of people . So, he was already a master at reading people''s expressions Seeing the stiffening face of the doctor, Yu Myung-Han asked him "By any chance Have you discovered something wrong with my body?". < Chapter 98 > Fin Chapter 99 "Mister Chairman, by any chance, do you have anyone near you who is a Hunter, or someone who''s not a Hunter yet but has been evaluated as an Awakened?" The doctor suddenly asked about something rather strange . Yu Myung-Han asked if there was something wrong with his body, yet why was he talking about Hunters now? Yu Myung-Han asked back feeling puzzled now . "What are you talking about? Why Hunters, all of a sudden?" "Have you heard of Eternal Sleep?" Hearing the term "Eternal Sleep", Yu Myung-Han finally lost his cool, and his eyes trembled . The Eternal Sleep Disorder . An endless slumber that no one could wake up from . Not only was it impossible to wake up from its death-like slumber, but the lifeforce of the sufferer would also decline quite sharply, so it was a necessity to use life support machines that utilised magic energy . Appearing for the first time after the advent of the Gates, it was a terrifying illness that managed to kill scores of people who lacked the wherewithal to borrow one of those life support machines . "It''s an illness where you''d be assaulted often by drowsiness, and eventually, you''d be unable to wake up at all . " The doctor carried a complicated expression . There had not been a single case of the sufferer of the ''Eternal Sleep'' waking up, so far . Even if one''s life was extended via machines, you''d still be unable to open your eyes . It was no different from a death sentence for the victims . " . . . . " Yu Myung-Han waited for the doctor to finish explaining before asking his question . "How does that relate to Hunters?" "The ''Eternal Sleep'' is widely believed to be deeply related to magic energy . " There were those people who, by nature, couldn''t endure magic energy all that well . One of the abnormalities displayed by these people after being exposed to surrounding magic energy for a long time was this Eternal Sleep Disorder . "Wait, isn''t magic energy used to power the life support machines that supply lifeforce to the patients?" "That is true, but . . . . " Just like how one could safely use the electricity generated by the dangerous material fuelling the nuclear reaction, the doctor explained, magical devices and magics utilising magic energy did not harm people . "What you need to be careful with are the Magic Crystals, Mana Stones, as well as people possessing magic energy . " ''People possessing magic energy . . . . . '' Yu Myung-Han immediately recalled the sole Awakened in his family, Yu Jin-Ho . Meanwhile, the doctor cautiously carried on . "I''ve heard that your second son is a Hunter, sir . " When Yu Jin-Ho was mentioned, Yu Myung-Han''s face visibly hardened . "So, the gist of it is . . . you want me to never meet my own son? Is that it?" "If it''s at all possible, that is indeed my recomm . . . . . " "Don''t make me laugh!!" Yu Myung-Han abruptly cut the doctor off and empathised his point . "Don''t speak of nonsense . " And then, as if he was annoyed, he gestured the doctor to leave . "Chairman . . . . " The doctor hesitated, not knowing what to do, but he soon left the room as if he was being chased away after being glared at by Yu Myung-Han''s furious eyes . He continued to glare at the door the doctor used to escape with barely concealed fury in his eyes . ''Distance oneself from one''s son, just because one fears the illness getting worse? Is that something a father should even say??'' Sure, let''s say that did happen . What if Jin-Ho heard that news? What would that boy think of, then? As a father, he could not bear to burden his son with something that heavy . At least, that''s what Yu Myung-Han believed . ''Not only that . . . . '' With each passing day, people found more and more practical applications for magic energy, and the number of people innately possessing magic energy was steadily increasing, as well . So, if you couldn''t withstand magic energy when living in a world like this, didn''t that already mean you had been eliminated from the natural selection? Yu Myung-Han harrumphed unhappily . ''I, Yu Myung-Han, have failed to make the cut?'' Such a thing could never happen . ''I will not submit . '' Even when everyone else ridiculed him and predicted his failure, he always managed to succeed so his detractors could take a good look at him . He was the very person who, after inheriting the Yujin Construction that barely cracked the top 30 in the country, turned it into the number one corporation in South Korea . ''So, you think I''ll kneel in defeat over a stupid illness like this?'' He wouldn''t give up . Yu Myung-Han inwardly told himself this over and over again . *** Before leaving, Jin-Woo carefully opened the door to his sister''s room . As it was still in the early hours, Jin-Ah remained blissfully stuck in a slumber so deep that she''d not be any wiser if someone kidnapped her right now . Suddenly, he felt worried . ''There might be a jacka*s or two who''ll try to get closer to her while I''m away . '' Of course, there should be no one stupid enough to harm the little sister of a rank S Hunter, but well, it was hard to tell what was in a human''s heart sometimes . At least, he needed some sort of a contingency plan . ''Wait a minute . I can hide my soldiers inside shadows, right?'' Jin-Woo recalled the time when he sent out his Shadow Soldiers on the patrol of the district, in case that serial killer decided to show up again . Back then, soldiers moved by hiding in the various shades found in the surroundings . By utilising that, he might be able to protect his sister without anyone even noticing it . Which was good, because he just so happened to possess the perfect candidates for this role . ''Come out . '' Jin-Woo called out those monster soldiers that had been guarding ''Fangs'' when they were still alive . Shururu . . . . Three of the biggest, burliest High Orcs appeared simultaneously and ended up making the already-tiny room of his sister feel even more claustrophobic . However . . . . ''Huh? Why are there only three?'' There definitely had been four guards, though? Jin-Woo combed through his memories, only to spit out a soundless groan . ''Ah . '' Only now did he remember that he ''planted'' one of the guards in the ceiling of the boss room . And naturally, he forgot to extract that guy''s shadow . ''I guess I should pay closer attention next time . '' Jin-Woo smirked softly, before shifting his gaze over to the three monster soldiers, who used to be High Orc guards while still alive . All of them were elite grade . They were on another scale altogether when compared to the shadows extracted from the ''regular'' High Orcs . With these three, they would still be fine even if their opponent was a rank A Hunter . He wasn''t exaggerating here ¨C the leader of the Hunters'' raid team, the rank A Sohn Ki-Hoon, was pushed to a corner while fighting off three regular High Orcs, after all . So, there was no reason to worry about these guys . Jin-Woo pointed with his chin towards the sleeping Jin-Ah . And when that happened . . . Shururu . . . . The guards returned to ''shadow'' forms and moved along the floor, and they assimilated into her shadow . ''Very good . '' Hide in there quietly, and when Jin-Ah finds herself in danger, get rid of the opponent, regardless of who it is . Jin-Woo gave that order to the guards and carefully closed shut the door to her room . ''I can relax a little now . '' Indeed, he felt less worried . He made sure to lock the front door properly and exited from the apartment, and found Yu Jin-Ho waiting for him there, just as promised . "Hyung-nim!" Yu Jin-Ho greeted Jin-Woo with a bright face . "Was it okay sleeping in that place?" "Yes, it was fine, hyung-nim . I had no idea, but motels nowadays seem to feature pretty good amenities . " Since his little sister was staying at home, Jin-Woo had Yu Jin-Ho stay in a local motel nearby . Thankfully, it must not have been too bad there . "Until we can find some office space for my Guild, stay there for the time being . " "Got it, hyung-nim . " He must''ve been enjoying himself, since Yu Jin-Ho continued to giggle . Jin-Woo already heard the most of what happened from the kid last night . While listening to the tale, he was hoping against hoping, but to think, this kid would show up here after really rejecting the golden chance to become a Guild Master . . . . . When he heard that, Jin-Woo was so dumbfounded that he just had to ask, and that prompted Yu Jin-Ho to reply while sounding like a victim . ["You really came over just because I made an offer?!"] ["But, hyung-nim, you said I should come!!"] Even then, Jin-Woo couldn''t really kick to the curve a kid who gave up on a job equivalent to being a chairman of a company just to be next to him . "Okay, well, let''s go . " "Yes, hyung-nim . " Yu Jin-Ho climbed into the driver''s seat of the van, and Jin-Woo settled down on the passenger''s . And the van containing two people drove towards the Daesung Tower . Yu Jin-Ho sneaked a glance at Jin-Woo . ''What business does he have in the Daesung Tower so early in the morning?'' He was curious, but he also thought that asking hyung-nim this and that would be quite insolent of him, so his lips didn''t want to part that easily . Screech . By the time their van came to a stop in front of the Daesung Tower, though, he managed to work up some courage . "By the way, hyung-nim . What about this Daesung Towe . . . . " "I''m off . " "Eh?" Yu Jin-Ho hurriedly turned his head to the passenger side . However, the door was already wide open, and hyung-nim was nowhere to be seen . Didn''t something similar to this happen before? Yu Jin-Ho scratched the side of his head . ''Hyung-nim can be so elusive sometimes, you know . '' *** [You have entered Demon''s Castle dungeon . ] Jin-Woo cancelled his ''Stealth'' skill . ''I''ve finally returned . '' Thinking that he had returned to the place where he could cut loose without worry, his heart began pounding harder . As soon as he walked past the castle''s gates, the mechanical bleep went off as if it was waiting for his arrival . Tti-ring . [A new quest is available . ] Unlike the first time he got here, Jin-Woo wasn''t surprised . Well, the quest he got the first time was called ''Collect the Souls of Demons! (1)'', after all . He expected the next part of the quest to show up sooner or later . Jin-Woo opened the message window . Tti-ring . [Normal Quest: Collect the Souls of Demons! (2)] The sovereign of the demons, ''Baran'', can be found residing on the top floor of the Demon''s Castle . Defeat Baran and collect his soul . If you succeed in sealing the soul of the Demon King, you will be rewarded handsomely . Quest generation conditions: - Completion of ''Normal Quest: Collect the Souls of Demons! (1)'' - Re-entering the Demon''s Castle Quest completion condition: - Slay the Demon King Rewards: 1 . One highest grade Rune Stone 2 . Bonus Stat points +30 3 . Unknown reward ''The goal of this quest is to kill the Demon King?'' Jin-Woo''s expression brightened . He no longer needed to go all over the place now . Instead, he just needed to climb up to the top floor of the Demon''s Castle as soon as possible . And the rewards on offer were excellent as well . ''30 bonus Stat points!'' The previous quest was pretty much slave labour, asking him to collect ten thousand demon souls . And after all that hard work, he ''only'' received 20 bonus Stat points . However, he could earn 30 points this time by killing one Demon King . He''d need ten days of Daily Quests, or six level-ups, to match that amount of Stat points . A smile instinctively broke out of his lips at this unexpectedly rich reward . ''Ok so, what is this highest grade Rune Stone all about?'' Jin-Woo confirmed the details of the first reward next . Tti-ring . [Highest grade Rune Stone: Shadow Exchange] By breaking this highest grade Rune Stone, you can learn a Class-specific Skill . ''I can learn a Class-specific skill?'' Jin-Woo''s brows shot up . So far, he had ''earned'' three Class-specific skills . The ''Shadow Extraction'' . The ''Shadow Storage'' . And finally, ''Sovereign''s Territory'' . Every single one of them was an indispensable skill . And, just from the mere idea of adding one more skill to his roster, his heart palpitated even harder . ''What kind of skill is this?'' He wanted to confirm the information on the skill, but the only thing that popped up was its name, and no in-depth explanation was offered . ''Tsk . '' Jin-Woo could only smack his lips wryly . ''Well, I''ll find out eventually after completing the quest . '' A Class-specific skill, and 30 bonus Stat points, too . Even when excluding the unknown reward, it was already a remarkable amount of loot on offer . He was really tempted to simply rush up to the top floor in one go, but . . . ''Before I start anything, though . . . '' Jin-Woo summoned his Status Window for the first time in a while . Tti-ring . [Name: Seong Jin-Woo] [Level: 80] [Title: The One Who Overcame the Adversity (extra 1)] [HP: 24,406] [MP: 5,019] [Tiredness: 0] [Stats] Strength: 186 Endurance: 145 Agility: 175 Intelligence: 189 Perception: 126 (Remaining points available to distribute: 0) Reduction in physical damage: 46% [Skills] Passive Skills: - (Unknown) Lv . Max - Tenacity Lv . 1 - High-Grade Dagger Technique Lv . 2 Active Skills: - Dash Lv . Max - Vital Points Targetting Lv . Max - Intimidation Lv . 1 - Dagger Throw Lv . 2 - Stealth Lv . 2 - Ruler''s Reach Lv . 2 [Class-specific Skills] Active Skills: - Shadow Extraction Lv . 1 - Shadow Storage Lv . 1 - Sovereign''s Territory Lv . 1 [Crafting Skill] Consumable: Divine Water of Life (2/3) [Equipped Items] - Red Knight''s Helm (S) - Demon Sovereign''s Earring (S) - Demon Sovereign''s Necklace (S) - Advanced Knight''s Breastplate (B) - Advanced Knight''s Gauntlets (B) - Advanced Mage''s Ring (B) - Intermediate Assassin''s Shoes (C) His level was already 80 . And thanks to him investing every single bonus Stat point on Intelligence, he could see that it exceeded his Strength Stat now . ''My Intelligence Stat is nearing the 200 mark already . '' The result of that was his total MP now went past 5000 . His MP, or Mana, was a must for one thing . It was like a cheat device that allowed him to infinitely revive his soldiers . But, when he thought about the number of his soldiers increasing in the future, that 5000 MP seemed rather inadequate to his eyes . ''Fine . Let''s get started . '' Even a second couldn''t be wasted here . Jin-Woo closed his Status Windows . Currently, he was standing on the ground floor of the Demon''s Castle . Getting back to the 76th floor, where he temporarily had to stop his conquest, wouldn''t take long at all . So, he immediately made his way over to the floor-transfer magic circle . [Floors 1 to 76 have been opened . ] [Which floor would you like to go to?] Jin-Woo spoke without hesitation . "76 . " The light gleamed brightly . In the moment it took to blink an eye, his surroundings had changed completely . He was now faced with a vigorously-burning city . When inside the floor-transfer magic circle, he wasn''t supposed to be affected by the environments outside, but it still felt like his skin was burning up already . Jin-Woo put the luggage down and pulled two artefacts out . First one was a black robe named the ''Wind Robe'' by its maker, and the other one was a nameless ring with water-type magic imbued within . Jin-Woo put on both the robe and the ring . After putting on the robe and pulling on the hood, Jin-Woo finally felt like he was a true Mage-type Hunter now . ''¡­ . I can feel my body cooling down . '' Just by wearing them, it felt like he was standing inside a refreshingly cool cavern or some such . ''I wonder, will this work against the flames of the Demon''s Castle?'' Jin-Woo slowly stepped outside of the magic circle . And thankfully, these artefacts proved their expensive worth . The debilitating heat couldn''t affect him at all now, quite unlike the last time he was here . ''Wait, won''t it be uncomfortable to move around because it''s a robe?'' He couldn''t be sure, so he moved this way and that, but it proved to be surprisingly comfortable . As befitting its name, ''Wind Robe'', the whole thing felt as light as air . ''Nice . '' With that, his preparations were complete . However, it seemed that he wasn''t the only one who had finished his preparations, because demons had picked up on his scent, and had formed a large group to rush towards his position . If it was in the past, he''d probably fight them off in order to loosen his muscles or search through every nook and cranny of each floor to increase his level . ''However, right now . . . . '' Now that his mother''s treatment depended on this dungeon being cleared, he couldn''t afford to waste a single second here . Rather than summoning out his daggers like the usual, he instead called out his soldiers first . Shururu . . . . His trusty Shadow Soldiers revealed themselves . ''Where is Fangs?'' Jin-Woo looked for Fangs amidst his soldiers . It seemed that the higher the soldier''s grade, the closer he''d appear, because Fangs had been summoned right behind Jin-Woo . He took out the ''Bead of Avarice'' from his Inventory and placed it on top of Fangs'' palm . "You use this from now on . " Even though Jin-Woo was supposed to be a Mage-type as well, the amplification effect of the ''Bead of Avarice'' didn''t work on him . But, he thought it''d prove to be quite helpful to a sorcerer like Fangs . ''¡­ . . . . '' As if to express his gratitude, Fangs deeply bowed his head . Thump, thump, thump!!! Finally, Jin-Woo could see the huge bodies of the demons getting closer . ''Okay, time to get started . '' After ordering his soldiers to get ready for battle, Jin-Woo grasped both ''Baruka''s Dagger'' and ''Knight Killer'' in his hands . Soon, demons rushed forward like a horde of insects in front of his nose . However, his own numbers weren''t that lacking, either . With a more relaxed expression on his face compared to his previous sojourn in this place, Jin-Woo bid his time and then, loudly shouted out . "Go . . . . !" No, actually, he was planning to shout, ''Go, now!'' But, even before he could finish his words . . . . Kuuuuuoooooooohhh---!! From somewhere high up above his head, a stupendously thick frightening pillar of flames fell in a diagonal line and swept every single enemy away . "W-what the f*ck?!" Kuuuuuoooohhh!! The moment that scary pillar of flames swept by, everything had melted down, whether that be demons or the ground itself . "Kiiiieeehhckk!!" "Kiieeck!!" Demons were incinerated in an instant, and familiar mechanical beeps rang one after the other in his ears . [Level up!] [Level up!] ''No way . . . . . '' Jin-Woo tried to calm his trembling heart and took a look behind him . And he spotted Fangs standing there, now twice the size of what his living counterpart grew to back in the dungeon, busy breathing out grey smoke from his mouth . Gulp . Jin-Woo swallowed down dry saliva . ''Is this the true might of the ''Bead of Avarice''??'' Since these monsters lived inside the Demon''s Castle, they all must''ve had some amount of innate resistance towards flame-based attacks, but they were all burned away into oblivion, just like that . "Huh, huhuhuh . . . . " Once he figured out what was going on, a chuckle broke out of his lips all by itself . ''Wait, maybe I''ll get to clear this place a lot quicker than I thought?'' Jin-Woo stared at the still-burning remains of the demons as well as at the scorched-black earth and screamed out in joy inwardly . < Chapter 99 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 99: Chapter 99 . "Mister Chairman, by any chance, do you have anyone near you who is a Hunter, or someone who''s not a Hunter yet but has been evaluated as an Awakened?". The doctor suddenly asked about something rather strange Yu Myung-Han asked if there was something wrong with his body, yet why was he talking about Hunters now?. Yu Myung-Han asked back feeling puzzled now "What are you talking about? Why Hunters, all of a sudden?". "Have you heard of Eternal Sleep?". Hearing the term "Eternal Sleep", Yu Myung-Han finally lost his cool, and his eyes trembled The Eternal Sleep Disorder . An endless slumber that no one could wake up from Not only was it impossible to wake up from its death-like slumber, but the lifeforce of the sufferer would also decline quite sharply, so it was a necessity to use life support machines that utilised magic energy Appearing for the first time after the advent of the Gates, it was a terrifying illness that managed to kill scores of people who lacked the wherewithal to borrow one of those life support machines "It''s an illness where you''d be assaulted often by drowsiness, and eventually, you''d be unable to wake up at all . ". The doctor carried a complicated expression . There had not been a single case of the sufferer of the ''Eternal Sleep'' waking up, so far Even if one''s life was extended via machines, you''d still be unable to open your eyes . It was no different from a death sentence for the victims " ". Yu Myung-Han waited for the doctor to finish explaining before asking his question "How does that relate to Hunters?". "The ''Eternal Sleep'' is widely believed to be deeply related to magic energy . ". There were those people who, by nature, couldn''t endure magic energy all that well . One of the abnormalities displayed by these people after being exposed to surrounding magic energy for a long time was this Eternal Sleep Disorder "Wait, isn''t magic energy used to power the life support machines that supply lifeforce to the patients?". "That is true, but ". Just like how one could safely use the electricity generated by the dangerous material fuelling the nuclear reaction, the doctor explained, magical devices and magics utilising magic energy did not harm people "What you need to be careful with are the Magic Crystals, Mana Stones, as well as people possessing magic energy . ". ''People possessing magic energy . ''. Yu Myung-Han immediately recalled the sole Awakened in his family, Yu Jin-Ho . Meanwhile, the doctor cautiously carried on "I''ve heard that your second son is a Hunter, sir . ". When Yu Jin-Ho was mentioned, Yu Myung-Han''s face visibly hardened "So, the gist of it is . you want me to never meet my own son? Is that it?". "If it''s at all possible, that is indeed my recomm . ". "Don''t make me laugh!!". Yu Myung-Han abruptly cut the doctor off and empathised his point "Don''t speak of nonsense . ". And then, as if he was annoyed, he gestured the doctor to leave "Chairman ". The doctor hesitated, not knowing what to do, but he soon left the room as if he was being chased away after being glared at by Yu Myung-Han''s furious eyes He continued to glare at the door the doctor used to escape with barely concealed fury in his eyes ''Distance oneself from one''s son, just because one fears the illness getting worse? Is that something a father should even say??''. Sure, let''s say that did happen What if Jin-Ho heard that news? What would that boy think of, then?. As a father, he could not bear to burden his son with something that heavy . At least, that''s what Yu Myung-Han believed ''Not only that ''. With each passing day, people found more and more practical applications for magic energy, and the number of people innately possessing magic energy was steadily increasing, as well So, if you couldn''t withstand magic energy when living in a world like this, didn''t that already mean you had been eliminated from the natural selection?. Yu Myung-Han harrumphed unhappily ''I, Yu Myung-Han, have failed to make the cut?''. Such a thing could never happen ''I will not submit . ''. Even when everyone else ridiculed him and predicted his failure, he always managed to succeed so his detractors could take a good look at him He was the very person who, after inheriting the Yujin Construction that barely cracked the top 30 in the country, turned it into the number one corporation in South Korea ''So, you think I''ll kneel in defeat over a stupid illness like this?''. He wouldn''t give up Yu Myung-Han inwardly told himself this over and over again ***. Before leaving, Jin-Woo carefully opened the door to his sister''s room As it was still in the early hours, Jin-Ah remained blissfully stuck in a slumber so deep that she''d not be any wiser if someone kidnapped her right now Suddenly, he felt worried ''There might be a jacka*s or two who''ll try to get closer to her while I''m away . ''. Of course, there should be no one stupid enough to harm the little sister of a rank S Hunter, but well, it was hard to tell what was in a human''s heart sometimes At least, he needed some sort of a contingency plan ''Wait a minute . I can hide my soldiers inside shadows, right?''. Jin-Woo recalled the time when he sent out his Shadow Soldiers on the patrol of the district, in case that serial killer decided to show up again Back then, soldiers moved by hiding in the various shades found in the surroundings . By utilising that, he might be able to protect his sister without anyone even noticing it Which was good, because he just so happened to possess the perfect candidates for this role ''Come out . ''. Jin-Woo called out those monster soldiers that had been guarding ''Fangs'' when they were still alive Shururu . Three of the biggest, burliest High Orcs appeared simultaneously and ended up making the already-tiny room of his sister feel even more claustrophobic However . ''Huh? Why are there only three?''. There definitely had been four guards, though?. Jin-Woo combed through his memories, only to spit out a soundless groan ''Ah . ''. Only now did he remember that he ''planted'' one of the guards in the ceiling of the boss room . And naturally, he forgot to extract that guy''s shadow ''I guess I should pay closer attention next time . ''. Jin-Woo smirked softly, before shifting his gaze over to the three monster soldiers, who used to be High Orc guards while still alive . All of them were elite grade They were on another scale altogether when compared to the shadows extracted from the ''regular'' High Orcs . With these three, they would still be fine even if their opponent was a rank A Hunter He wasn''t exaggerating here ¨C the leader of the Hunters'' raid team, the rank A Sohn Ki-Hoon, was pushed to a corner while fighting off three regular High Orcs, after all So, there was no reason to worry about these guys Jin-Woo pointed with his chin towards the sleeping Jin-Ah . And when that happened Shururu . The guards returned to ''shadow'' forms and moved along the floor, and they assimilated into her shadow ''Very good . ''. Hide in there quietly, and when Jin-Ah finds herself in danger, get rid of the opponent, regardless of who it is Jin-Woo gave that order to the guards and carefully closed shut the door to her room ''I can relax a little now . ''. Indeed, he felt less worried He made sure to lock the front door properly and exited from the apartment, and found Yu Jin-Ho waiting for him there, just as promised "Hyung-nim!". Yu Jin-Ho greeted Jin-Woo with a bright face "Was it okay sleeping in that place?". "Yes, it was fine, hyung-nim . I had no idea, but motels nowadays seem to feature pretty good amenities . ". Since his little sister was staying at home, Jin-Woo had Yu Jin-Ho stay in a local motel nearby . Thankfully, it must not have been too bad there "Until we can find some office space for my Guild, stay there for the time being . ". "Got it, hyung-nim . ". He must''ve been enjoying himself, since Yu Jin-Ho continued to giggle Jin-Woo already heard the most of what happened from the kid last night . While listening to the tale, he was hoping against hoping, but to think, this kid would show up here after really rejecting the golden chance to become a Guild Master When he heard that, Jin-Woo was so dumbfounded that he just had to ask, and that prompted Yu Jin-Ho to reply while sounding like a victim ["You really came over just because I made an offer?!"]. ["But, hyung-nim, you said I should come!!"]. Even then, Jin-Woo couldn''t really kick to the curve a kid who gave up on a job equivalent to being a chairman of a company just to be next to him "Okay, well, let''s go . ". "Yes, hyung-nim . ". Yu Jin-Ho climbed into the driver''s seat of the van, and Jin-Woo settled down on the passenger''s . And the van containing two people drove towards the Daesung Tower Yu Jin-Ho sneaked a glance at Jin-Woo ''What business does he have in the Daesung Tower so early in the morning?''. He was curious, but he also thought that asking hyung-nim this and that would be quite insolent of him, so his lips didn''t want to part that easily Screech By the time their van came to a stop in front of the Daesung Tower, though, he managed to work up some courage "By the way, hyung-nim . What about this Daesung Towe ". "I''m off . ". "Eh?". Yu Jin-Ho hurriedly turned his head to the passenger side . However, the door was already wide open, and hyung-nim was nowhere to be seen Didn''t something similar to this happen before?. Yu Jin-Ho scratched the side of his head ''Hyung-nim can be so elusive sometimes, you know . ''. ***. [You have entered Demon''s Castle dungeon . ]. Jin-Woo cancelled his ''Stealth'' skill ''I''ve finally returned . ''. Thinking that he had returned to the place where he could cut loose without worry, his heart began pounding harder As soon as he walked past the castle''s gates, the mechanical bleep went off as if it was waiting for his arrival Tti-ring [A new quest is available . ]. Unlike the first time he got here, Jin-Woo wasn''t surprised Well, the quest he got the first time was called ''Collect the Souls of Demons! (1)'', after all . He expected the next part of the quest to show up sooner or later Jin-Woo opened the message window Tti-ring [Normal Quest: Collect the Souls of Demons! (2)]. The sovereign of the demons, ''Baran'', can be found residing on the top floor of the Demon''s Castle . Defeat Baran and collect his soul If you succeed in sealing the soul of the Demon King, you will be rewarded handsomely Quest generation conditions:. - Completion of ''Normal Quest: Collect the Souls of Demons! (1)''. - Re-entering the Demon''s Castle. Quest completion condition:. - Slay the Demon King. Rewards:. 1 . One highest grade Rune Stone. 2 . Bonus Stat points +30. 3 . Unknown reward. ''The goal of this quest is to kill the Demon King?''. Jin-Woo''s expression brightened . He no longer needed to go all over the place now . Instead, he just needed to climb up to the top floor of the Demon''s Castle as soon as possible And the rewards on offer were excellent as well ''30 bonus Stat points!''. The previous quest was pretty much slave labour, asking him to collect ten thousand demon souls . And after all that hard work, he ''only'' received 20 bonus Stat points However, he could earn 30 points this time by killing one Demon King . He''d need ten days of Daily Quests, or six level-ups, to match that amount of Stat points . A smile instinctively broke out of his lips at this unexpectedly rich reward ''Ok so, what is this highest grade Rune Stone all about?''. Jin-Woo confirmed the details of the first reward next Tti-ring [Highest grade Rune Stone: Shadow Exchange]. By breaking this highest grade Rune Stone, you can learn a Class-specific Skill ''I can learn a Class-specific skill?''. Jin-Woo''s brows shot up So far, he had ''earned'' three Class-specific skills The ''Shadow Extraction'' The ''Shadow Storage'' And finally, ''Sovereign''s Territory'' Every single one of them was an indispensable skill . And, just from the mere idea of adding one more skill to his roster, his heart palpitated even harder ''What kind of skill is this?''. He wanted to confirm the information on the skill, but the only thing that popped up was its name, and no in-depth explanation was offered ''Tsk . ''. Jin-Woo could only smack his lips wryly ''Well, I''ll find out eventually after completing the quest . ''. A Class-specific skill, and 30 bonus Stat points, too . Even when excluding the unknown reward, it was already a remarkable amount of loot on offer . He was really tempted to simply rush up to the top floor in one go, but ''Before I start anything, though . ''. Jin-Woo summoned his Status Window for the first time in a while Tti-ring [Name: Seong Jin-Woo]. [Level: 80]. [Title: The One Who Overcame the Adversity (extra 1)]. [HP: 24,406]. [MP: 5,019]. [Tiredness: 0]. [Stats]. Strength: 186. Endurance: 145. Agility: 175. Intelligence: 189. Perception: 126. (Remaining points available to distribute: 0). Reduction in physical damage: 46%. [Skills]. Passive Skills:. - (Unknown) Lv . Max. - Tenacity Lv . 1. - High-Grade Dagger Technique Lv . 2. Active Skills:. - Dash Lv . Max. - Vital Points Targetting Lv . Max. - Intimidation Lv . 1. - Dagger Throw Lv . 2. - Stealth Lv . 2. - Ruler''s Reach Lv . 2. [Class-specific Skills]. Active Skills:. - Shadow Extraction Lv . 1. - Shadow Storage Lv . 1. - Sovereign''s Territory Lv . 1. [Crafting Skill]. Consumable: Divine Water of Life (2/3). [Equipped Items]. - Red Knight''s Helm (S). - Demon Sovereign''s Earring (S). - Demon Sovereign''s Necklace (S). - Advanced Knight''s Breastplate (B). - Advanced Knight''s Gauntlets (B). - Advanced Mage''s Ring (B). - Intermediate Assassin''s Shoes (C). His level was already 80 . And thanks to him investing every single bonus Stat point on Intelligence, he could see that it exceeded his Strength Stat now ''My Intelligence Stat is nearing the 200 mark already . ''. The result of that was his total MP now went past 5000 His MP, or Mana, was a must for one thing . It was like a cheat device that allowed him to infinitely revive his soldiers . But, when he thought about the number of his soldiers increasing in the future, that 5000 MP seemed rather inadequate to his eyes ''Fine . Let''s get started . ''. Even a second couldn''t be wasted here Jin-Woo closed his Status Windows Currently, he was standing on the ground floor of the Demon''s Castle . Getting back to the 76th floor, where he temporarily had to stop his conquest, wouldn''t take long at all So, he immediately made his way over to the floor-transfer magic circle [Floors 1 to 76 have been opened . ]. [Which floor would you like to go to?]. Jin-Woo spoke without hesitation "76 . ". The light gleamed brightly . In the moment it took to blink an eye, his surroundings had changed completely . He was now faced with a vigorously-burning city When inside the floor-transfer magic circle, he wasn''t supposed to be affected by the environments outside, but it still felt like his skin was burning up already Jin-Woo put the luggage down and pulled two artefacts out . First one was a black robe named the ''Wind Robe'' by its maker, and the other one was a nameless ring with water-type magic imbued within Jin-Woo put on both the robe and the ring After putting on the robe and pulling on the hood, Jin-Woo finally felt like he was a true Mage-type Hunter now ''¡­ . I can feel my body cooling down . ''. Just by wearing them, it felt like he was standing inside a refreshingly cool cavern or some such ''I wonder, will this work against the flames of the Demon''s Castle?''. Jin-Woo slowly stepped outside of the magic circle . And thankfully, these artefacts proved their expensive worth . The debilitating heat couldn''t affect him at all now, quite unlike the last time he was here ''Wait, won''t it be uncomfortable to move around because it''s a robe?''. He couldn''t be sure, so he moved this way and that, but it proved to be surprisingly comfortable . As befitting its name, ''Wind Robe'', the whole thing felt as light as air ''Nice . ''. With that, his preparations were complete However, it seemed that he wasn''t the only one who had finished his preparations, because demons had picked up on his scent, and had formed a large group to rush towards his position If it was in the past, he''d probably fight them off in order to loosen his muscles or search through every nook and cranny of each floor to increase his level ''However, right now ''. Now that his mother''s treatment depended on this dungeon being cleared, he couldn''t afford to waste a single second here . Rather than summoning out his daggers like the usual, he instead called out his soldiers first Shururu . His trusty Shadow Soldiers revealed themselves ''Where is Fangs?''. Jin-Woo looked for Fangs amidst his soldiers . It seemed that the higher the soldier''s grade, the closer he''d appear, because Fangs had been summoned right behind Jin-Woo He took out the ''Bead of Avarice'' from his Inventory and placed it on top of Fangs'' palm "You use this from now on . ". Even though Jin-Woo was supposed to be a Mage-type as well, the amplification effect of the ''Bead of Avarice'' didn''t work on him . But, he thought it''d prove to be quite helpful to a sorcerer like Fangs ''¡­ ''. As if to express his gratitude, Fangs deeply bowed his head Thump, thump, thump!!!. Finally, Jin-Woo could see the huge bodies of the demons getting closer ''Okay, time to get started . ''. After ordering his soldiers to get ready for battle, Jin-Woo grasped both ''Baruka''s Dagger'' and ''Knight Killer'' in his hands Soon, demons rushed forward like a horde of insects in front of his nose . However, his own numbers weren''t that lacking, either With a more relaxed expression on his face compared to his previous sojourn in this place, Jin-Woo bid his time and then, loudly shouted out "Go !". No, actually, he was planning to shout, ''Go, now!''. But, even before he could finish his words . Kuuuuuoooooooohhh---!!. From somewhere high up above his head, a stupendously thick frightening pillar of flames fell in a diagonal line and swept every single enemy away "W-what the f*ck?!". Kuuuuuoooohhh!!. The moment that scary pillar of flames swept by, everything had melted down, whether that be demons or the ground itself "Kiiiieeehhckk!!". "Kiieeck!!". Demons were incinerated in an instant, and familiar mechanical beeps rang one after the other in his ears [Level up!]. [Level up!]. ''No way . ''. Jin-Woo tried to calm his trembling heart and took a look behind him . And he spotted Fangs standing there, now twice the size of what his living counterpart grew to back in the dungeon, busy breathing out grey smoke from his mouth Gulp Jin-Woo swallowed down dry saliva ''Is this the true might of the ''Bead of Avarice''??''. Since these monsters lived inside the Demon''s Castle, they all must''ve had some amount of innate resistance towards flame-based attacks, but they were all burned away into oblivion, just like that "Huh, huhuhuh ". Once he figured out what was going on, a chuckle broke out of his lips all by itself ''Wait, maybe I''ll get to clear this place a lot quicker than I thought?''. Jin-Woo stared at the still-burning remains of the demons as well as at the scorched-black earth and screamed out in joy inwardly < Chapter 99 > Fin Chapter 100 Fangs'' power, having been buffed up by the item ''Bead of Avarice'', was gobsmackingly incredible . Fuu-woop . Fangs sucked in so much air that the temperature of the surroundings momentarily dropped to a bone-chilling level . And then . . . Kuuuuwuuuu . . . . He spat out a massive pillar of flames from left to right and literally vaporised all enemies before him . [You killed a High-Ranked Demon . ] [You have earned 1,700 experience points . ] [You killed a Superior Demon . ] [You have earned 2,200 experience points . ] ¡­ . ¡­ . . . . [You killed a High-Ranked Demon . ] The messages telling him that he killed a demon and earned some experience points endlessly popped up in his view . And the tti-ring, tti-rings of the mechanical beeps didn''t want to end for a while, too . Jin-Woo was all smiles, though . ''I''ve hit the jackpot!!'' His Mana must''ve run dry, because Fangs stopped attacking . A single shot from Fangs managed to vaporise the majority of the attacking demons'' group, but there were a few lucky ones who managed to somehow survive the fiery massacre . Jin-Woo simply ordered his Shadow Soldiers to go and get rid of them . Quietly watching over one hundred of his Shadow Soldiers marching forward in perfect order, Jin-Woo finally felt like the ''Shadow Sovereign'' . [You killed a High-Ranked Demon . ] [You killed a High-Ranked Demon . ] The feel-good messages continued on . Jin-Woo didn''t even lift a finger and used only his Shadow Soldiers to annihilate the monsters . The biggest contributor among them was, of course, Fangs . ''Fangs, you beauty . . . . '' Jin-Woo looked behind him ¨C or, more specifically, way up behind him . He then saw the gigantified Shadow Magic Soldier, previously a High Orc Sorcerer, and the ''Bead of Avarice'' that had also been enlarged to match his size . That bead was an item capable of doubling the power of its holder''s magic attack . From Jin-Woo''s perspective, it looked like that bead shored up Fangs'' powers quite nicely, which would''ve been nerfed somewhat after becoming a Shadow Soldier . And it looked like there was some room to spare too . ''Looks like I''ll have to entrust the ''Bead of Avarice'' to Fangs for a while . '' Even though he was also a mage-type, he possessed not one skill that might enjoy the amplification effect, so he didn''t have much of a choice here . Jin-Woo opened his own Skill Window . [Number of shadows that can be extracted: 127/820] [Number of shadows that can be stored: 127/155] ''Shadow Extraction, Shadow Storage, and Sovereign''s Territory . '' All three skills were unaffected by the ''Bead of Avarice'' whatsoever . If he wanted to increase the number of slots for either the extraction or storage for his shadows, the sole method available currently was to increase his Intelligence Stat . Jin-Woo closed the Skill Window . Meanwhile, the soldiers gathered one by one in front of Jin-Woo after mopping up their quarries . Seeing the mountains of demon corpses piled up like that, the corners of Jin-Woo''s lips arched up considerably . ''With this many demons, I get plenty of loot as a result . '' Tti-ring, tti-ring, tti-ring . . . . This time, an endless stream of item acquisition messages popped up in his view . ''Well, I got everything I can from here . . . . '' Jin-Woo smiled deeply as he went about acquiring all the loot, and after finishing that up, he climbed up on the back of ''Tank'', his trusty Ice Bear Shadow Beast Soldier . The so-called ''Entry Permit'' allowing him to move to the next floor hadn''t come out yet . Which meant, he had to kill more monsters on this floor . Jin-Woo ordered his troops to move out . "Giddy up!" Tank slowly began trotting forward, and the Shadow Soldiers all followed after Jin-Woo in an orderly fashion . *** ''The whole army moving around together is inefficient . '' Jin-Woo thought that all 120 Shadow Soldiers acting as one unit was not quite efficient enough . If the individual soldier was weak, fine, this tactic made sense . But, even the regular soldiers had gone up several levels now and they could more or less hold their own against the demons and still achieve some success . Not only that, he even had assimilated monsters from a rank A dungeon into his Shadow Soldier army, too . Quite obviously, the overall quality of the soldiers had risen up by a lot . "Kiiieehhk!!" "Kiiaahk!" [You killed a High-Ranked . . . . ] [You killed a . . . . . ] What with his soldiers boasting such a mighty combat prowess, the time taken to move around and search for monsters turned out to be longer than it took to actually kill them . The thing was, each floor of this Demon''s Castle was as wide as an average city . ''This will take forever at this rate . '' Jin-Woo divided his soldiers into six groups of twenty . And then, had them scatter around to hunt down monsters . He gave them two orders . ''One, kill every enemy you can find . '' ''Two, if the entry permit for the next floor is found, let me know straight away . '' It may not be possible to hold a conversation with his soldiers, but he could still communicate by using simple hand gestures . Since the soldiers couldn''t pick up any loot, he had to go there personally if he were to acquire the entry permit . Sure, he''d have to give up on other loot beside the ''floor entry permit'', but his current priority was to get to the top floor as soon as possible . "Begin . " With his command, all six groups went their separate ways . And, a short while later . . . . [You have earned 1,500 experience points . ] [You have earned 1,500 experience points . ] [You have earned 900 experience points . ] [You have earned 1,100 experience points . ] Experience points began raining down on him from literally everywhere . ''Looks like my shadows have begun hunting, huh . '' Jin-Woo watched his experience points climb up and formed a pleased expression . However, he soon discovered that something was off . ''The amount of experience points I get has decreased?'' After arriving on the upper floors, he never once ran into the commonly-found low or mid-ranked demons from the lower floors . High-Ranked Demons appeared most of the time now, and every now and then, he would find a couple of Superior Demons mixed in among them . The amount of experience points earned after killing a High-Ranked Demon was 1,700 . And from the Superior Demon, a creature one rank higher than High-Ranked Demons, he received the fixed amount of 2,200 points . However, the amount he was getting at the moment fell far, far short of those numbers . ''Could it be that the further away they are from me, the less experience points I earn?'' Jin-Woo quietly observed the experience points messages popping up non-stop for a while . The amount earned had definitely decreased, albeit by a small margin . It seemed that he was right about the distance affecting the amount of experience points he could earn . ''I got to learn about something useful . '' He wouldn''t have found out about this fact without the unique set-up of the Demon''s Castle, which let him know of the information regarding experience points . He also thought that, he did the right thing by not letting his soldiers go out in groups to hunt on the lower floors . Back then, he wanted to refine his combat style even further by personally fighting the monsters, as well as not wanting to miss out on a single ''Demon''s Soul'', the so-called quest completion ''items'' . Still, he didn''t think the reduced experience points weren''t much of a loss . ''Sure, I''m getting less experience points, but . . . . '' Now that much more efficient hunting was taking place over a greater expanse of the hunting area, the overall rate of the experience points earned was actually a lot faster than before . Even now, the experience points messages were raining down on him . With the situation being like this, his level that had stayed still since the first battle of this floor suddenly gained a lot of momentum . [Level up!] [Level up!] Jin-Woo clenched his fists tightly . ''Nice!'' Sure, he felt a bit sore about giving up on loot, but . . . ''Levelling up and fast clearing speed, I shall catch these two birds in one go . '' Jin-Woo smiled in satisfaction as he confirmed his level jumping up by two . *** His plan was on the money . He got to climb up to the 80th floor much faster than anticipated . As soon as arriving there, he summoned his soldiers once more . Shururuk . 119 Shadow Soldiers were summoned simultaneously . The soldiers and their levels had all climbed up pretty nicely after going on their own groups to hunt monsters and earn a ton of experience points for themselves . ''Oh? Since when did Tank gain over ten levels?'' Jin-Woo''s eyes opened wider . Maybe it felt happy after his owner''s interested gaze fell on it, Tank, who had reached level 28 only yesterday, stood on his hind legs and let out a roar of ''Wuuong'' . Jin-Woo wasn''t the only one to enjoy the fruits of the efficient hunting, as it turned out . He grinned brightly . "Alright, then . Let''s go!" Just like before, he divided his army into six groups and had them set off . He then took off alone, as well . He was familiar with acting alone anyway, and he also didn''t really need the soldiers'' help, either . Excluding Fangs buffed up by the ''Bead of Avarice'', he was pretty confident of fighting the whole Shadow Soldier army and winning . However . . . . ''If Fangs is included?'' In that case, who knows? If Fangs was indeed included, then things could get really interesting, that''s for sure . In the end, though, it was just him imagining something improbable, anyway . ''Was it a week or so ago?'' Out of sheer curiosity, and also a bit as an experiment, he ordered Shadow Soldiers to attack him . For the first time ever, the soldiers disobeyed him . ''I couldn''t tell whether that was from their loyalty to me, or because of another power restricting them . . . . '' They didn''t budge an inch, in the end . Well, as the guy using them as his subordinates, that result wasn''t such a bad one . Regardless of all that . . . . ''How come I can''t see any demons?'' After summoning ''Baruka''s Dagger'', Jin-Woo lightly tossed it over his head and caught it a few times while searching for the presence of monsters . ''I can tell that they are nearby, but . . . . '' Jin-Woo took a quick look around . He could definitely sense their presence nearby, but he couldn''t spot a single monster . When was it again? Didn''t he experience something similar to this before? It was then, the ground seemed to undulate violently a couple of times, before the earth suddenly shot up . "Kek, kek . " "Keeheehee . . . . " At the same time, three Superior Demons emerged from the ground and surrounded Jin-Woo while letting off rather unpleasant cackles . Jin-Woo frowned deeply . Demons took that as the sign of their prey being scared, and they scrambled among themselves to throw their wide open maws first at the head of the prey . It was to call dibs on the tastiest part of a human, the head . However, when that prey jumped up and spun around once in the air . . . Swiiiish!! Even before Jin-Woo''s feet landed back on the ground, heads of the demons fell with soft thud, thud!! first . [You killed a Superior Demon . ] [You killed a . . . . . ] "Ah!" Jin-Woo lightly clapped his hands . He finally recalled when it happened ¨C it was the last rank C dungeon he cleared with Yu Jin-Ho . ''Right, those Stonemen back then were hiding underground before bursting out like this, weren''t they?'' Jin-Woo''s expression that had darkened from failing to remember brightened up immediately . It sure felt like he had gotten a load off his chest . Jin-Woo took care of the loot from the monster corpses, his face still bright, and began walking away again . But, only after taking a handful of steps, he stopped again . " . . . . " Jin-Woo''s eyes were now nailed to the ground . While glaring at the ground beneath his feet, he spoke up . "By the way, why aren''t you guys coming out already?" No one could tell whether the thing that trembled just then happened to be the ground or the demons'' eyes . *** Jin-Woo wasn''t able to easily leave the 80th floor . ''Is there a group of really strong monsters somewhere on this floor?'' Yet another of Jin-Woo''s group returned back to him as shadows . He had no choice but to call them back because his Mana couldn''t sustain the rate of the soldiers'' destruction and revival anymore . This would be the first time this happened . From the 76th to 80th floor . . . The method of hunting in dispersed groups during the past four floors had yielded the highest efficiency . ''Is it because fighting against Superior Demons is still too much to ask for?'' For sure, it were the Superior Demons and not High-Ranked Demons that appeared on the 80th floor most of the time . Heck, these Superior Demons even employed petty tricks like hiding under the ground, too . Even then, he didn''t think these Superior Demons possessed such powers, to be able to push back his soldiers to this degree . ''Not only that . . . . '' There was something weird here as well . And that would be the groups of soldiers getting attacked all happened to lack a ''captain-class'' among them . The groups with Fangs, Igrit, Iron, and Tank were all perfectly fine, but the other two with no captain-class got annihilated . ''Wait, could it be that the enemy is deliberately attacking the weakest groups first?'' If so, this could only mean that a monster possessing high-enough intelligence to detect the opponent''s weakness existed on this floor . Not only strong, but it even possessed intelligence . He obviously didn''t know who it, or they, were, but without a doubt, they were proving to be a bit of a pain in the neck . There were four groups remaining . If he were to include himself, then five . ''If the enemy has figured out the soldiers'' movement pattern, then their next target is pretty obvious . '' The moment he thought that, Jin-Woo disappeared from the spot . < Chapter 100 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 100: Chapter 100 . Fangs'' power, having been buffed up by the item ''Bead of Avarice'', was gobsmackingly incredible Fuu-woop Fangs sucked in so much air that the temperature of the surroundings momentarily dropped to a bone-chilling level . And then Kuuuuwuuuu . He spat out a massive pillar of flames from left to right and literally vaporised all enemies before him [You killed a High-Ranked Demon . ]. [You have earned 1,700 experience points . ]. [You killed a Superior Demon . ]. [You have earned 2,200 experience points . ]. ¡­ ¡­ . [You killed a High-Ranked Demon . ]. The messages telling him that he killed a demon and earned some experience points endlessly popped up in his view . And the tti-ring, tti-rings of the mechanical beeps didn''t want to end for a while, too Jin-Woo was all smiles, though ''I''ve hit the jackpot!!''. His Mana must''ve run dry, because Fangs stopped attacking A single shot from Fangs managed to vaporise the majority of the attacking demons'' group, but there were a few lucky ones who managed to somehow survive the fiery massacre . Jin-Woo simply ordered his Shadow Soldiers to go and get rid of them Quietly watching over one hundred of his Shadow Soldiers marching forward in perfect order, Jin-Woo finally felt like the ''Shadow Sovereign'' [You killed a High-Ranked Demon . ]. [You killed a High-Ranked Demon . ]. The feel-good messages continued on . Jin-Woo didn''t even lift a finger and used only his Shadow Soldiers to annihilate the monsters . The biggest contributor among them was, of course, Fangs ''Fangs, you beauty ''. Jin-Woo looked behind him ¨C or, more specifically, way up behind him He then saw the gigantified Shadow Magic Soldier, previously a High Orc Sorcerer, and the ''Bead of Avarice'' that had also been enlarged to match his size That bead was an item capable of doubling the power of its holder''s magic attack . From Jin-Woo''s perspective, it looked like that bead shored up Fangs'' powers quite nicely, which would''ve been nerfed somewhat after becoming a Shadow Soldier . And it looked like there was some room to spare too ''Looks like I''ll have to entrust the ''Bead of Avarice'' to Fangs for a while . ''. Even though he was also a mage-type, he possessed not one skill that might enjoy the amplification effect, so he didn''t have much of a choice here Jin-Woo opened his own Skill Window [Number of shadows that can be extracted: 127/820]. [Number of shadows that can be stored: 127/155]. ''Shadow Extraction, Shadow Storage, and Sovereign''s Territory . '' All three skills were unaffected by the ''Bead of Avarice'' whatsoever If he wanted to increase the number of slots for either the extraction or storage for his shadows, the sole method available currently was to increase his Intelligence Stat Jin-Woo closed the Skill Window Meanwhile, the soldiers gathered one by one in front of Jin-Woo after mopping up their quarries Seeing the mountains of demon corpses piled up like that, the corners of Jin-Woo''s lips arched up considerably ''With this many demons, I get plenty of loot as a result . ''. Tti-ring, tti-ring, tti-ring . This time, an endless stream of item acquisition messages popped up in his view ''Well, I got everything I can from here ''. Jin-Woo smiled deeply as he went about acquiring all the loot, and after finishing that up, he climbed up on the back of ''Tank'', his trusty Ice Bear Shadow Beast Soldier The so-called ''Entry Permit'' allowing him to move to the next floor hadn''t come out yet . Which meant, he had to kill more monsters on this floor Jin-Woo ordered his troops to move out "Giddy up!". Tank slowly began trotting forward, and the Shadow Soldiers all followed after Jin-Woo in an orderly fashion ***. ''The whole army moving around together is inefficient . ''. Jin-Woo thought that all 120 Shadow Soldiers acting as one unit was not quite efficient enough . If the individual soldier was weak, fine, this tactic made sense . But, even the regular soldiers had gone up several levels now and they could more or less hold their own against the demons and still achieve some success Not only that, he even had assimilated monsters from a rank A dungeon into his Shadow Soldier army, too . Quite obviously, the overall quality of the soldiers had risen up by a lot "Kiiieehhk!!". "Kiiaahk!". [You killed a High-Ranked ]. [You killed a . ]. What with his soldiers boasting such a mighty combat prowess, the time taken to move around and search for monsters turned out to be longer than it took to actually kill them The thing was, each floor of this Demon''s Castle was as wide as an average city ''This will take forever at this rate . ''. Jin-Woo divided his soldiers into six groups of twenty . And then, had them scatter around to hunt down monsters He gave them two orders ''One, kill every enemy you can find . ''. ''Two, if the entry permit for the next floor is found, let me know straight away . ''. It may not be possible to hold a conversation with his soldiers, but he could still communicate by using simple hand gestures Since the soldiers couldn''t pick up any loot, he had to go there personally if he were to acquire the entry permit . Sure, he''d have to give up on other loot beside the ''floor entry permit'', but his current priority was to get to the top floor as soon as possible "Begin . ". With his command, all six groups went their separate ways And, a short while later . [You have earned 1,500 experience points . ]. [You have earned 1,500 experience points . ]. [You have earned 900 experience points . ]. [You have earned 1,100 experience points . ]. Experience points began raining down on him from literally everywhere ''Looks like my shadows have begun hunting, huh . ''. Jin-Woo watched his experience points climb up and formed a pleased expression . However, he soon discovered that something was off ''The amount of experience points I get has decreased?''. After arriving on the upper floors, he never once ran into the commonly-found low or mid-ranked demons from the lower floors High-Ranked Demons appeared most of the time now, and every now and then, he would find a couple of Superior Demons mixed in among them The amount of experience points earned after killing a High-Ranked Demon was 1,700 . And from the Superior Demon, a creature one rank higher than High-Ranked Demons, he received the fixed amount of 2,200 points However, the amount he was getting at the moment fell far, far short of those numbers ''Could it be that the further away they are from me, the less experience points I earn?''. Jin-Woo quietly observed the experience points messages popping up non-stop for a while . The amount earned had definitely decreased, albeit by a small margin . It seemed that he was right about the distance affecting the amount of experience points he could earn ''I got to learn about something useful . ''. He wouldn''t have found out about this fact without the unique set-up of the Demon''s Castle, which let him know of the information regarding experience points He also thought that, he did the right thing by not letting his soldiers go out in groups to hunt on the lower floors . Back then, he wanted to refine his combat style even further by personally fighting the monsters, as well as not wanting to miss out on a single ''Demon''s Soul'', the so-called quest completion ''items'' Still, he didn''t think the reduced experience points weren''t much of a loss ''Sure, I''m getting less experience points, but ''. Now that much more efficient hunting was taking place over a greater expanse of the hunting area, the overall rate of the experience points earned was actually a lot faster than before . Even now, the experience points messages were raining down on him With the situation being like this, his level that had stayed still since the first battle of this floor suddenly gained a lot of momentum [Level up!]. [Level up!]. Jin-Woo clenched his fists tightly ''Nice!''. Sure, he felt a bit sore about giving up on loot, but ''Levelling up and fast clearing speed, I shall catch these two birds in one go . ''. Jin-Woo smiled in satisfaction as he confirmed his level jumping up by two ***. His plan was on the money . He got to climb up to the 80th floor much faster than anticipated As soon as arriving there, he summoned his soldiers once more Shururuk 119 Shadow Soldiers were summoned simultaneously The soldiers and their levels had all climbed up pretty nicely after going on their own groups to hunt monsters and earn a ton of experience points for themselves ''Oh? Since when did Tank gain over ten levels?''. Jin-Woo''s eyes opened wider Maybe it felt happy after his owner''s interested gaze fell on it, Tank, who had reached level 28 only yesterday, stood on his hind legs and let out a roar of ''Wuuong'' . Jin-Woo wasn''t the only one to enjoy the fruits of the efficient hunting, as it turned out He grinned brightly "Alright, then . Let''s go!". Just like before, he divided his army into six groups and had them set off . He then took off alone, as well . He was familiar with acting alone anyway, and he also didn''t really need the soldiers'' help, either Excluding Fangs buffed up by the ''Bead of Avarice'', he was pretty confident of fighting the whole Shadow Soldier army and winning However . ''If Fangs is included?''. In that case, who knows?. If Fangs was indeed included, then things could get really interesting, that''s for sure . In the end, though, it was just him imagining something improbable, anyway ''Was it a week or so ago?''. Out of sheer curiosity, and also a bit as an experiment, he ordered Shadow Soldiers to attack him . For the first time ever, the soldiers disobeyed him ''I couldn''t tell whether that was from their loyalty to me, or because of another power restricting them ''. They didn''t budge an inch, in the end . Well, as the guy using them as his subordinates, that result wasn''t such a bad one Regardless of all that . ''How come I can''t see any demons?''. After summoning ''Baruka''s Dagger'', Jin-Woo lightly tossed it over his head and caught it a few times while searching for the presence of monsters ''I can tell that they are nearby, but ''. Jin-Woo took a quick look around . He could definitely sense their presence nearby, but he couldn''t spot a single monster When was it again?. Didn''t he experience something similar to this before?. It was then, the ground seemed to undulate violently a couple of times, before the earth suddenly shot up "Kek, kek . ". "Keeheehee ". At the same time, three Superior Demons emerged from the ground and surrounded Jin-Woo while letting off rather unpleasant cackles Jin-Woo frowned deeply . Demons took that as the sign of their prey being scared, and they scrambled among themselves to throw their wide open maws first at the head of the prey It was to call dibs on the tastiest part of a human, the head However, when that prey jumped up and spun around once in the air Swiiiish!!. Even before Jin-Woo''s feet landed back on the ground, heads of the demons fell with soft thud, thud!! first [You killed a Superior Demon . ]. [You killed a . ]. "Ah!". Jin-Woo lightly clapped his hands He finally recalled when it happened ¨C it was the last rank C dungeon he cleared with Yu Jin-Ho ''Right, those Stonemen back then were hiding underground before bursting out like this, weren''t they?''. Jin-Woo''s expression that had darkened from failing to remember brightened up immediately . It sure felt like he had gotten a load off his chest Jin-Woo took care of the loot from the monster corpses, his face still bright, and began walking away again But, only after taking a handful of steps, he stopped again " ". Jin-Woo''s eyes were now nailed to the ground While glaring at the ground beneath his feet, he spoke up "By the way, why aren''t you guys coming out already?". No one could tell whether the thing that trembled just then happened to be the ground or the demons'' eyes ***. Jin-Woo wasn''t able to easily leave the 80th floor ''Is there a group of really strong monsters somewhere on this floor?''. Yet another of Jin-Woo''s group returned back to him as shadows . He had no choice but to call them back because his Mana couldn''t sustain the rate of the soldiers'' destruction and revival anymore This would be the first time this happened From the 76th to 80th floor The method of hunting in dispersed groups during the past four floors had yielded the highest efficiency ''Is it because fighting against Superior Demons is still too much to ask for?''. For sure, it were the Superior Demons and not High-Ranked Demons that appeared on the 80th floor most of the time . Heck, these Superior Demons even employed petty tricks like hiding under the ground, too Even then, he didn''t think these Superior Demons possessed such powers, to be able to push back his soldiers to this degree ''Not only that ''. There was something weird here as well . And that would be the groups of soldiers getting attacked all happened to lack a ''captain-class'' among them The groups with Fangs, Igrit, Iron, and Tank were all perfectly fine, but the other two with no captain-class got annihilated ''Wait, could it be that the enemy is deliberately attacking the weakest groups first?''. If so, this could only mean that a monster possessing high-enough intelligence to detect the opponent''s weakness existed on this floor . Not only strong, but it even possessed intelligence He obviously didn''t know who it, or they, were, but without a doubt, they were proving to be a bit of a pain in the neck There were four groups remaining . If he were to include himself, then five ''If the enemy has figured out the soldiers'' movement pattern, then their next target is pretty obvious . ''. The moment he thought that, Jin-Woo disappeared from the spot < Chapter 100 > Fin Chapter 101 Jin-Woo quickly arrived near where Tank''s group was . In the not too far distance, he spotted the Shadow Beast Soldier squad half made up of black bears with black steam rising up from their bodies, and High Orcs covered in armour from head to toe . Right in front of the pack, Tank was walking slowly but steadily forward . ''I''m pretty sure the next target will be this group . '' Tank was originally the pack leader of the Ice Bears . When it was still alive, he was strong enough to easily overwhelm the Shadow Soldiers . Even as a shadow, not many soldiers could defeat him in terms of sheer physical strength . Unfortunately, the comparison didn''t favour him this time . First of all, the captains of the other groups, Iron, Igrit, and Fangs were different ''grades'' to begin with . Even though Tank''s level was high, at the end of the day, he was still an elite soldier grade . But, both Igrit and Iron were knight grades, while Fangs enjoyed the prefix of ''elite'' tacked onto his knight grade, too . Meaning, there was no comparison here . Since the enemy seemed to possess enough intelligence to detect weaker opponents, as well as to identify the movements of the soldiers, their next target had to be here . ''Let''s observe for a little while . '' Jin-Woo hid his presence to the best of his abilities and, while maintaining a fixed distance, he followed after his Shadow Beast Soldiers . His own soldiers didn''t even realise that he was following them . And so, just how much time passed them by? Even after a long period of waiting, no enemies showed themselves, and Jin-Woo began tilting his head . ''Was I wrong about this whole thing?'' He began suspecting that, rather than powerful enemies, there just so happened to be a big concentration of enemies in the location of his soldiers getting annihilated ¨C but, then . . . . Jin-Woo''s eyes narrowed to a slit . ''¡­ . . Here they come . '' Maybe the enemies were also concealing their presence until the soldiers got closer to them, Jin-Woo had discovered them a bit later than usual . He closed his eyes and focused his Perception . His shockingly enhanced Perception began sweeping over all the presences found within the vicinity like a radar . ''Four presences approaching . My soldiers, 20 . Demons hiding underground, five . '' Jin-Woo opened his eyes . He decided to get rid of the five demons playing possum underground a bit later, and then . . . . ''Stealth . '' Shururuk . . . . Jin-Woo activated the Stealth skill to become invisible and approached his soldiers . And soon enough, he got to confirm the enemies'' appearance with his own eyes . ''¡­ . They are riding on horseback??'' Rumble, rumble . . . . ''Not only that, they are armed, too?'' Not just the riders, but even the horses they were riding on were armoured . When the enemies came close enough, their names became visible . He was thinking that these guys were way too different from the regular demons that walked around ''naked'', whether they be low or high demons, and now he could even see that their names were different from the rest, as well . ''¡­ . A Demon Aristocrat, and three Demon Knights?'' The names he saw for the first time were written in black and very clear to see . He sensed strong hostility from all four of them . ''It must be those four that attacked my boys . '' They all possessed powerful auras and strong hostility . Jin-Woo decided to maintain ''Stealth'' and observe the situation for a little while longer . ''Let''s see what happens next . '' Since these monsters were new, he wanted to check out their skills and battle styles with his own eyes first . ''Monsters capable of massacring Shadow Soldiers, is it . . . . '' He was also feeling a bit expectant, too . Jin-Woo stopped at a suitable position where he wouldn''t get in the way of the battle between the Shadow Beast Soldiers and the new types of demons that was about to get underway . Growl? Tank finally discovered the demons . Once the demons got close enough, they dismounted from the horses . ''Huh . So, those rides were simply a means of transportation . '' Jin-Woo continued to stare at the demons with a great deal of interest . Soon afterwards, the Beast Soldiers became excited by the entrance of enemies, roared out, and attacked first, signalling the beginning of the bitter, violent battle between these two groups . Rooooaaaar!! Tank took to the front . He shot forward with every ounce of power provided with his four limbs, and when he arrived in front of the enemies, he reared up on his hind legs . A regular person would''ve fainted from the enormous pressure alone . However, the four demons remained steadfast . Even when Tank swung his massive front leg like a baseball bat, they didn''t even blink . Whooooosh! Tank''s front paw scythed the air . It was an agile attack that belied his massive frame . However . . . . Tank''s target, the Demon Aristocrat, easily jumped over the swung front paw with a light but quick movement . ''¡­ . . !!'' Jin-Woo''s brows shot up . That wasn''t the end of the surprising spectacle, either . The Demon Aristocrat then spun in the air and thrust forward the spear held in its hand at Tank''s chest . Kaboom-!! The fierce attack containing magic energy put a watermelon-sized hole in Tank''s torso . From that small-ish frame, an explosive aura could be felt rather clearly . And on top of that, it also possessed beautifully simple and clean movements, too . Jin-Woo grew even more interested by then . ''Yup, not a regular monster, alright . '' It wasn''t just the Demon Aristocrat either, but the three Demon Knights were also eye-wideningly strong, as well . The battle was one-sided . In short, the Beast Soldiers were no match for the demons . Quite unlike the Superior Demons, which were only big in size but rather easy to hunt, these so-called Demon ''Aristocrats'' or whatever and their humanoid appearances simply toyed around with the Beast Soldiers . ''This was why the rate of regeneration couldn''t keep up . '' Jin-Woo''s expression gradually hardened . "Roar!!" "Keuahahk!" Even before the Beast Soldiers could regenerate, they were cut and sliced apart and stabbed through by spears and swords . By then, Jin-Woo was carrying a crumpled expression . He knew very well that, as long as his MP supply held up, his Beast Soldiers were practically immortals . Even if his MP did run out, they would simply return to him as shadows . "Kuwaak!!" However, he sure as hell didn''t feel pleased watching his own boys getting pummelled like that . Was this how an older brother would feel when his younger sibling came home all beaten up black and blue? ''That is enough . '' Jin-Woo couldn''t stand it anymore and recalled his Beast Soldiers . They reverted back to their shadow forms and quickly moved below his feet, and absorbed back into his own shadow . As soon as the Beast Soldiers disappeared after seemingly failing to endure the attacks, the demons gazed at each other and nodded their heads . It was as if they were celebrating their third victory on the trot . However, it happened then . Shururuk . Jin-Woo undid his Stealth in the midst of the demons . Flinch!! The demons were greatly taken by surprise, but as expected of ''pros'', they immediately sensed Jin-Woo''s hostility and attacked him right away . Slam!! Kwang!! Jin-Woo punched down bare-fisted on the two knights beside him, and then, grabbed the last one rushing at him and slammed the sucker down hard on the ground . CRACK! The spiderweb-like cracks formed on the ground and a message popped up in his view . [You killed a Demon Knight . ] [You have earned 3,000 experience points . ] The exact same messages repeated three times . Each of his attacks killed one of his enemies . In less than one second, he cut short the lives of three monsters . ''These guys were side distractions, anyway . The real deal is that guy . '' Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to the Demon Aristocrat . After their eyes met, the Aristocrat flinched rather grandly and pointed at him with its spear . ''I always wondered whether monsters could feel fear or not . . . . '' But now, he was pretty certain of it . Different from back when the Demon Aristocrat was pointing the spear at the Beast Soldier group, the tip of the weapon was trembling ever so slightly . Well, being able to sense the opponent''s strength was also a part of one''s skills, after all . ''I ain''t going to go easy on you because of that, though . '' Jin-Woo dashed forward . At the same time, the Demon Aristocrat thrust the spear forward . Jin-Woo evaded the attack by tilting his head out of the way . Surprisingly, though ¨C the spear changed directions multiple times and continued to harass him slightly . First, it was his face, Next, his neck . And right after that, his heart . As if this wasn''t something learned overnight, the demon''s movement was smooth like flowing water . However, the spear was constantly blocked by Jin-Woo''s weapon, ''Baruka''s Dagger'' . And when the final attack aiming for his heart was parried off, ''Baruka''s Dagger'' sliced the spear''s shaft in two . " . . . . !!" The Demon Aristocrat froze up after seeing its broken spear . With that, this battle was over . ''Well, not even three, or four, rank A Hunters would be able to win against you, but . . . . '' Jin-Woo rated the demon''s abilities pretty highly . Too bad, today''s match-up was all wrong for the monster . Jin-Woo reached out and grabbed the enemy''s helmet with his left hand . "Keuk!" The shocked enemy immediately went into panic mode . It tried to pull its head back, but couldn''t do anything from Jin-Woo''s powerful grip . He was thinking of yanking the helmet loose and cut the head off, so he strengthened his left hand some more . As expected, the helmet came off rather easily . And, Jin-Woo raised the ''Baruka''s Dagger'' high up . "I surrender!! I will surrender!!" Jin-Woo frowned and stopped moving . " . . . . A female?" The face underneath the helmet definitely belonged to a female . Actually, Jin-Woo didn''t really care whether a monster was a male or female . But the thing was, the monster quickly lifted its hands high up in the air and declared its intentions to surrender, making him realise that he could initiate conversation with it . And right after that, ''she'' even fell to the ground in a kowtow, too . ''¡­ . . . '' So, naturally, he felt a bit put off by the idea of stabbing ''her'' with his dagger for the time being . "P-p-please accept my apologies! We were in the wrong! P-p-please spare my life!" Not only had she changed her stance in the blink of an eye, but she was also now even begging for her life? A monster was doing what now??? "Hah . . . . . ??" With a disbelieving expression etched on his face, Jin-Woo stared at the petite back of the ''monster'' still prostrating before his feet . *** Since intelligent monsters could be found in regular dungeons, it wasn''t so strange for intelligent monsters to appear in these instant dungeons, as well . Even then, this creature . . . was a strange one . ''¡­ . . . . '' Left feeling a bit speechless, Jin-Woo pondered what he should say here for a while, and eventually, he opened his mouth with some difficulty . "You attacked my soldiers, yet you want my forgiveness?" "W-we have committed a grave sin . " The Demon Aristocrat planted her forehead on the ground and continued on . "However, as our clan is tasked with protecting this place, we couldn''t simply let some basta . . . . Heok! I, I mean, we couldn''t let any great beings go on a demon hunting spree without doing anything . I''d be eternally grateful if you forgive us . " Oh, well . From the demons'' perspective, it was reasonable for them to think of this whole thing as a bit unfair . After all, it was he who just barged in here totally unannounced to hunt and massacre demons one-sidedly, right? So, Jin-Woo changed his question slightly . "Is it alright for you to beg for your life from someone who killed your own soldiers?" "The main role of the knights are to protect their lord . As long as I''m safe, they should be happy with the results . " Jin-Woo scratched his temple for a little . He was even more speechless now . ''I can''t tell whether she''s thick-skinned, or just way too optimistic . '' The Demon Aristocrat slightly raised her head and tried to read Jin-Woo''s reactions . ''Heok!!'' She couldn''t help but feel that the situation was getting gradually worse for her . She kowtowed even harder than before and spoke in an urgent voice . "If you spare my measly life, I shall give you anything you want . " Jin-Woo placed his hands on his waist . This Demon Aristocrat was a powerful monster, yes, but what with her armament now stripped from her, killing her was now easier than drinking cold soup for Jin-Woo . ''So, what should I do with this one, then?'' Jin-Woo was in a dilemma . And that wasn''t to do with letting her go or not ¨C no, he was simply trying to think of something more valuable than the experience points and possible loot he could get his hands on after killing her . ''¡­ . Ah . '' There indeed was one such item . "I want the Entry Permit . " "Excuse me??" Swish . The Demon Aristocrat raised her head and stared at him with a surprised expression . Her face was shaped completely like a human''s, excluding a pair of sharp incisors he saw when she opened her mouth just now, of course . Jin-Woo disinterestedly asked her . "Can you get it for me?" " . . . " When her gaze met Jin-Woo''s, her complexion paled even more and she planted her forehead back on the ground . ''Oh well . I should''ve known that monsters weren''t aware of what items are . '' The negotiation was over with that . Jin-Woo recalled ''Baruka''s Dagger'' back from his Inventory . He didn''t know why monsters possessed intelligence, and were able to use that intelligence to beg for her life like this, but he had not one thought of giving up on the potential experience points . ''A Demon Knight gave three thousand points, so how much will she give me?'' Who knows, the Entry Permit might appear after killing her, too . However . . . . "I, I shall give it to you . " "Give me what, exactly?" "The . . . the Entry Permit . " The ''monster'' raised her head and immediately began shedding cold sweat drops after spotting the deadly-looking dagger in Jin-Woo''s hand . "You can give me the Entry Permit? Really?" The Demon Aristocrat hurriedly nodded her head . "It''s in safekeeping by our clan . If you allow me to safely return, I shall hand over the permit . " Demons were guarding the entry permit? Jin-Woo slowly scratched his chin . For sure, it had been a long time since he arrived on the 80th floor . And not to forget, lots of demons were hunted down so far, too . Yet, there hadn''t been a peep about the news of the entry permit . ''I thought the drop rate had worsened because I''m in the upper floors, or that a mid-boss was carrying it around, but now . . . . '' If she was telling the truth about monsters hiding the permit, then, well, the current situation made a bit more sense . Seeing that Jin-Woo was silently pondering his options, the Demon Aristocrat felt even more desperate than ever before and quickly added some more ''encouragement'' . "I also know where you can locate the Entry Permits on the upper floors as well . If you guarantee my, and my clan''s, safety, then I shall safely escort you to where they are . " The light shining in Jin-Woo''s eyes changed a little bit . Now that offer was a bit more enticing . To Jin-Woo''s ears, who wanted to get to the top floor as soon as possible, her suggestion of guiding him to where each floor''s Entry Permit sounded rather attractive . However . . . . ''The question is, can I really trust her?'' Jin-Woo reached down and lifted the demon''s chin . She was clearly panicking, but he didn''t lessen his strength . He then looked straight into her eyes . ''Intimidation . '' [You have activated ''Skill: Intimidation'' . ] Swwwoooosh . . . . A chill-inducing aura emanated from Jin-Woo''s eyes . The Demon Aristocrat was so terrified that her lips were trembling involuntarily . "Can I trust you?" "I, I, I am not l-l-lying . " He made a pledge to himself back when he received the power of the System . ''Give and take . '' Even if his opponent was a monster, his principals wouldn''t change . If a monster kept her side of the bargain, so would he . "Alright . " Jin-Woo withdrew the ''Intimidation'' . "You hand over the Entry Permit, and I''ll quietly leave . " "T-truthfully?" Jin-Woo nodded his head . It was a bit of a waste to give up on the potential experience points gained from this demon, as well as those monsters supposedly guarding the Entry Permit . But then again, he found it even more of a waste to spend time searching for the permit himself . He had been delayed for much longer than expected on this 80th floor already . Besides, if this female demon was thinking of tricking him, well, he wouldn''t be too unhappy about that, either . Because, if she did, then he''d get to go all out in the monsters'' main camp, now wouldn''t he? "Thank you very much!!" The complexion of the Demon Aristocrat brightened so much that he couldn''t help but notice it . Was she just honest with her emotions, or was she just a simpleton? Jin-Woo inwardly clicked his tongue, but still, didn''t forget to ask her something he was curious about for a while . "Before all that, though . . . . Just what are you?" < Chapter 101 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 101: Chapter 101 . Jin-Woo quickly arrived near where Tank''s group was In the not too far distance, he spotted the Shadow Beast Soldier squad half made up of black bears with black steam rising up from their bodies, and High Orcs covered in armour from head to toe Right in front of the pack, Tank was walking slowly but steadily forward ''I''m pretty sure the next target will be this group . ''. Tank was originally the pack leader of the Ice Bears . When it was still alive, he was strong enough to easily overwhelm the Shadow Soldiers . Even as a shadow, not many soldiers could defeat him in terms of sheer physical strength Unfortunately, the comparison didn''t favour him this time First of all, the captains of the other groups, Iron, Igrit, and Fangs were different ''grades'' to begin with . Even though Tank''s level was high, at the end of the day, he was still an elite soldier grade But, both Igrit and Iron were knight grades, while Fangs enjoyed the prefix of ''elite'' tacked onto his knight grade, too . Meaning, there was no comparison here Since the enemy seemed to possess enough intelligence to detect weaker opponents, as well as to identify the movements of the soldiers, their next target had to be here ''Let''s observe for a little while . ''. Jin-Woo hid his presence to the best of his abilities and, while maintaining a fixed distance, he followed after his Shadow Beast Soldiers . His own soldiers didn''t even realise that he was following them And so, just how much time passed them by?. Even after a long period of waiting, no enemies showed themselves, and Jin-Woo began tilting his head ''Was I wrong about this whole thing?''. He began suspecting that, rather than powerful enemies, there just so happened to be a big concentration of enemies in the location of his soldiers getting annihilated ¨C but, then . Jin-Woo''s eyes narrowed to a slit ''¡­ Here they come . ''. Maybe the enemies were also concealing their presence until the soldiers got closer to them, Jin-Woo had discovered them a bit later than usual . He closed his eyes and focused his Perception His shockingly enhanced Perception began sweeping over all the presences found within the vicinity like a radar ''Four presences approaching . My soldiers, 20 . Demons hiding underground, five . ''. Jin-Woo opened his eyes . He decided to get rid of the five demons playing possum underground a bit later, and then . ''Stealth . ''. Shururuk . Jin-Woo activated the Stealth skill to become invisible and approached his soldiers . And soon enough, he got to confirm the enemies'' appearance with his own eyes ''¡­ . They are riding on horseback??''. Rumble, rumble . ''Not only that, they are armed, too?''. Not just the riders, but even the horses they were riding on were armoured When the enemies came close enough, their names became visible He was thinking that these guys were way too different from the regular demons that walked around ''naked'', whether they be low or high demons, and now he could even see that their names were different from the rest, as well ''¡­ . A Demon Aristocrat, and three Demon Knights?''. The names he saw for the first time were written in black and very clear to see . He sensed strong hostility from all four of them ''It must be those four that attacked my boys . ''. They all possessed powerful auras and strong hostility . Jin-Woo decided to maintain ''Stealth'' and observe the situation for a little while longer ''Let''s see what happens next . ''. Since these monsters were new, he wanted to check out their skills and battle styles with his own eyes first ''Monsters capable of massacring Shadow Soldiers, is it ''. He was also feeling a bit expectant, too Jin-Woo stopped at a suitable position where he wouldn''t get in the way of the battle between the Shadow Beast Soldiers and the new types of demons that was about to get underway Growl?. Tank finally discovered the demons Once the demons got close enough, they dismounted from the horses ''Huh . So, those rides were simply a means of transportation . ''. Jin-Woo continued to stare at the demons with a great deal of interest Soon afterwards, the Beast Soldiers became excited by the entrance of enemies, roared out, and attacked first, signalling the beginning of the bitter, violent battle between these two groups Rooooaaaar!!. Tank took to the front He shot forward with every ounce of power provided with his four limbs, and when he arrived in front of the enemies, he reared up on his hind legs A regular person would''ve fainted from the enormous pressure alone . However, the four demons remained steadfast . Even when Tank swung his massive front leg like a baseball bat, they didn''t even blink Whooooosh!. Tank''s front paw scythed the air . It was an agile attack that belied his massive frame However . Tank''s target, the Demon Aristocrat, easily jumped over the swung front paw with a light but quick movement ''¡­ !!''. Jin-Woo''s brows shot up That wasn''t the end of the surprising spectacle, either . The Demon Aristocrat then spun in the air and thrust forward the spear held in its hand at Tank''s chest Kaboom-!!. The fierce attack containing magic energy put a watermelon-sized hole in Tank''s torso From that small-ish frame, an explosive aura could be felt rather clearly . And on top of that, it also possessed beautifully simple and clean movements, too . Jin-Woo grew even more interested by then ''Yup, not a regular monster, alright . ''. It wasn''t just the Demon Aristocrat either, but the three Demon Knights were also eye-wideningly strong, as well The battle was one-sided . In short, the Beast Soldiers were no match for the demons Quite unlike the Superior Demons, which were only big in size but rather easy to hunt, these so-called Demon ''Aristocrats'' or whatever and their humanoid appearances simply toyed around with the Beast Soldiers ''This was why the rate of regeneration couldn''t keep up . ''. Jin-Woo''s expression gradually hardened "Roar!!". "Keuahahk!". Even before the Beast Soldiers could regenerate, they were cut and sliced apart and stabbed through by spears and swords By then, Jin-Woo was carrying a crumpled expression . He knew very well that, as long as his MP supply held up, his Beast Soldiers were practically immortals . Even if his MP did run out, they would simply return to him as shadows "Kuwaak!!". However, he sure as hell didn''t feel pleased watching his own boys getting pummelled like that . Was this how an older brother would feel when his younger sibling came home all beaten up black and blue?. ''That is enough . ''. Jin-Woo couldn''t stand it anymore and recalled his Beast Soldiers . They reverted back to their shadow forms and quickly moved below his feet, and absorbed back into his own shadow As soon as the Beast Soldiers disappeared after seemingly failing to endure the attacks, the demons gazed at each other and nodded their heads It was as if they were celebrating their third victory on the trot However, it happened then Shururuk Jin-Woo undid his Stealth in the midst of the demons Flinch!!. The demons were greatly taken by surprise, but as expected of ''pros'', they immediately sensed Jin-Woo''s hostility and attacked him right away Slam!! Kwang!!. Jin-Woo punched down bare-fisted on the two knights beside him, and then, grabbed the last one rushing at him and slammed the sucker down hard on the ground CRACK!. The spiderweb-like cracks formed on the ground and a message popped up in his view [You killed a Demon Knight . ]. [You have earned 3,000 experience points . ]. The exact same messages repeated three times Each of his attacks killed one of his enemies . In less than one second, he cut short the lives of three monsters ''These guys were side distractions, anyway . The real deal is that guy . ''. Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to the Demon Aristocrat . After their eyes met, the Aristocrat flinched rather grandly and pointed at him with its spear ''I always wondered whether monsters could feel fear or not ''. But now, he was pretty certain of it Different from back when the Demon Aristocrat was pointing the spear at the Beast Soldier group, the tip of the weapon was trembling ever so slightly . Well, being able to sense the opponent''s strength was also a part of one''s skills, after all ''I ain''t going to go easy on you because of that, though . ''. Jin-Woo dashed forward . At the same time, the Demon Aristocrat thrust the spear forward Jin-Woo evaded the attack by tilting his head out of the way Surprisingly, though ¨C the spear changed directions multiple times and continued to harass him slightly First, it was his face, Next, his neck . And right after that, his heart . As if this wasn''t something learned overnight, the demon''s movement was smooth like flowing water However, the spear was constantly blocked by Jin-Woo''s weapon, ''Baruka''s Dagger'' And when the final attack aiming for his heart was parried off, ''Baruka''s Dagger'' sliced the spear''s shaft in two " !!". The Demon Aristocrat froze up after seeing its broken spear With that, this battle was over ''Well, not even three, or four, rank A Hunters would be able to win against you, but ''. Jin-Woo rated the demon''s abilities pretty highly . Too bad, today''s match-up was all wrong for the monster Jin-Woo reached out and grabbed the enemy''s helmet with his left hand "Keuk!". The shocked enemy immediately went into panic mode . It tried to pull its head back, but couldn''t do anything from Jin-Woo''s powerful grip . He was thinking of yanking the helmet loose and cut the head off, so he strengthened his left hand some more As expected, the helmet came off rather easily . And, Jin-Woo raised the ''Baruka''s Dagger'' high up "I surrender!! I will surrender!!". Jin-Woo frowned and stopped moving " A female?". The face underneath the helmet definitely belonged to a female Actually, Jin-Woo didn''t really care whether a monster was a male or female . But the thing was, the monster quickly lifted its hands high up in the air and declared its intentions to surrender, making him realise that he could initiate conversation with it . And right after that, ''she'' even fell to the ground in a kowtow, too ''¡­ . ''. So, naturally, he felt a bit put off by the idea of stabbing ''her'' with his dagger for the time being "P-p-please accept my apologies! We were in the wrong! P-p-please spare my life!". Not only had she changed her stance in the blink of an eye, but she was also now even begging for her life?. A monster was doing what now???. "Hah . ??". With a disbelieving expression etched on his face, Jin-Woo stared at the petite back of the ''monster'' still prostrating before his feet ***. Since intelligent monsters could be found in regular dungeons, it wasn''t so strange for intelligent monsters to appear in these instant dungeons, as well Even then, this creature . was a strange one ''¡­ ''. Left feeling a bit speechless, Jin-Woo pondered what he should say here for a while, and eventually, he opened his mouth with some difficulty "You attacked my soldiers, yet you want my forgiveness?". "W-we have committed a grave sin . ". The Demon Aristocrat planted her forehead on the ground and continued on "However, as our clan is tasked with protecting this place, we couldn''t simply let some basta Heok! I, I mean, we couldn''t let any great beings go on a demon hunting spree without doing anything . I''d be eternally grateful if you forgive us . ". Oh, well From the demons'' perspective, it was reasonable for them to think of this whole thing as a bit unfair . After all, it was he who just barged in here totally unannounced to hunt and massacre demons one-sidedly, right?. So, Jin-Woo changed his question slightly "Is it alright for you to beg for your life from someone who killed your own soldiers?". "The main role of the knights are to protect their lord . As long as I''m safe, they should be happy with the results . ". Jin-Woo scratched his temple for a little . He was even more speechless now ''I can''t tell whether she''s thick-skinned, or just way too optimistic . ''. The Demon Aristocrat slightly raised her head and tried to read Jin-Woo''s reactions ''Heok!!''. She couldn''t help but feel that the situation was getting gradually worse for her . She kowtowed even harder than before and spoke in an urgent voice "If you spare my measly life, I shall give you anything you want . ". Jin-Woo placed his hands on his waist This Demon Aristocrat was a powerful monster, yes, but what with her armament now stripped from her, killing her was now easier than drinking cold soup for Jin-Woo ''So, what should I do with this one, then?''. Jin-Woo was in a dilemma And that wasn''t to do with letting her go or not ¨C no, he was simply trying to think of something more valuable than the experience points and possible loot he could get his hands on after killing her ''¡­ . Ah . ''. There indeed was one such item "I want the Entry Permit . ". "Excuse me??". Swish The Demon Aristocrat raised her head and stared at him with a surprised expression . Her face was shaped completely like a human''s, excluding a pair of sharp incisors he saw when she opened her mouth just now, of course Jin-Woo disinterestedly asked her "Can you get it for me?". " . ". When her gaze met Jin-Woo''s, her complexion paled even more and she planted her forehead back on the ground ''Oh well . I should''ve known that monsters weren''t aware of what items are . ''. The negotiation was over with that Jin-Woo recalled ''Baruka''s Dagger'' back from his Inventory He didn''t know why monsters possessed intelligence, and were able to use that intelligence to beg for her life like this, but he had not one thought of giving up on the potential experience points ''A Demon Knight gave three thousand points, so how much will she give me?''. Who knows, the Entry Permit might appear after killing her, too However . "I, I shall give it to you . ". "Give me what, exactly?". "The . the Entry Permit . ". The ''monster'' raised her head and immediately began shedding cold sweat drops after spotting the deadly-looking dagger in Jin-Woo''s hand "You can give me the Entry Permit? Really?". The Demon Aristocrat hurriedly nodded her head "It''s in safekeeping by our clan . If you allow me to safely return, I shall hand over the permit . ". Demons were guarding the entry permit?. Jin-Woo slowly scratched his chin For sure, it had been a long time since he arrived on the 80th floor . And not to forget, lots of demons were hunted down so far, too . Yet, there hadn''t been a peep about the news of the entry permit ''I thought the drop rate had worsened because I''m in the upper floors, or that a mid-boss was carrying it around, but now ''. If she was telling the truth about monsters hiding the permit, then, well, the current situation made a bit more sense Seeing that Jin-Woo was silently pondering his options, the Demon Aristocrat felt even more desperate than ever before and quickly added some more ''encouragement'' "I also know where you can locate the Entry Permits on the upper floors as well . If you guarantee my, and my clan''s, safety, then I shall safely escort you to where they are . ". The light shining in Jin-Woo''s eyes changed a little bit . Now that offer was a bit more enticing To Jin-Woo''s ears, who wanted to get to the top floor as soon as possible, her suggestion of guiding him to where each floor''s Entry Permit sounded rather attractive However . ''The question is, can I really trust her?''. Jin-Woo reached down and lifted the demon''s chin . She was clearly panicking, but he didn''t lessen his strength . He then looked straight into her eyes ''Intimidation . ''. [You have activated ''Skill: Intimidation'' . ]. Swwwoooosh . A chill-inducing aura emanated from Jin-Woo''s eyes . The Demon Aristocrat was so terrified that her lips were trembling involuntarily "Can I trust you?". "I, I, I am not l-l-lying . ". He made a pledge to himself back when he received the power of the System ''Give and take . ''. Even if his opponent was a monster, his principals wouldn''t change . If a monster kept her side of the bargain, so would he "Alright . ". Jin-Woo withdrew the ''Intimidation'' "You hand over the Entry Permit, and I''ll quietly leave . ". "T-truthfully?". Jin-Woo nodded his head It was a bit of a waste to give up on the potential experience points gained from this demon, as well as those monsters supposedly guarding the Entry Permit . But then again, he found it even more of a waste to spend time searching for the permit himself He had been delayed for much longer than expected on this 80th floor already Besides, if this female demon was thinking of tricking him, well, he wouldn''t be too unhappy about that, either . Because, if she did, then he''d get to go all out in the monsters'' main camp, now wouldn''t he?. "Thank you very much!!". The complexion of the Demon Aristocrat brightened so much that he couldn''t help but notice it Was she just honest with her emotions, or was she just a simpleton?. Jin-Woo inwardly clicked his tongue, but still, didn''t forget to ask her something he was curious about for a while "Before all that, though Just what are you?". < Chapter 101 > Fin Chapter 102 "I am Esil, the first-born daughter of House Radiru . And my clan is . . . " "No, not that . " Jin-Woo cut Esil off . He didn''t really care about the finer details of a monster family''s history . What he wanted to know was the reason why monsters and instant dungeons existed . How should he go about asking this question, so he''d get himself a satisfying enough answer? No, he would still be okay if there was no concrete answer . He''d be happy enough to get a single clue, a lead of some kind . He tried asking the same thing to monsters in the regular dungeons, but the only thing he got to learn was that they could only hear the order of ''Kill the humans'' inside their heads . ''In that case, do these guys receive the exact same order, too?'' In order to help him compare the current situation with the monsters of the regular dungeons, he simplified the question a bit . "Hey, do you also hear a voice telling you to kill humans?" "Pardon me?" Esil looked at him with a pair of confused eyes . Because she was still kowtowing on the ground, he had to continue staring down at her if he wanted to talk to her face to face, and he kinda felt a bit uncomfortable about this arrangement . ''Tsk . '' Jin-Woo lightly clicked his tongue, and as if Esil was a little kid, picked her up and made her stand straight . And then, he stared at her face again . Maybe she got scared of the unannounced physical contact, he heard her heart rate quicken noticeably . Not minding that, Jin-Woo asked her again . "I''m asking you if you hear a whisper of someone busy telling you to kill humans . " "Oh . . . . " Esil hesitated and pondered for a moment, before opening her mouth . "No . But, we do hear a different voice all the time . " "Okay . What does it say?" "It tells us to . . . protect the space we''re residing in . " Esil spoke cautiously while being extra mindful of Jin-Woo''s reactions . ''The purpose of the instant dungeon''s monsters is different from monsters of the regular dungeons?'' The sole purpose of the monsters from the regular dungeons was to kill humans, while the monsters of the instant dungeons were to guard where they were . The nature of the two camps'' aim was quite different from each other . ''Wait a minute . . . . '' Now that he thought about it, wasn''t Jin-Woo a monster-like existence to these monsters of the instant dungeons?? Esil''s complexion was still quite pale after bearing the full brunt of his skill, ''Intimidation'', and he couldn''t help but feel a wee bit of pity for her . Just a tiny bit, though . "How long have you been hearing that voice?" "It''s right after we opened our eyes in this place . " ''After opening their eyes in this place, is it?'' Didn''t that imply that she and others were living in another location before this? Whether that was a genuine or a fake memory, that''s what was left imprinted in her brain . Jin-Woo continued on with his questioning . "Okay . Then, where have you been before waking up in this place?" "We were in the Demon World . We just woke up one day and found ourselves stuck here . " "And what were you doing back in the Demon World before that?" "We were . . . . getting ready for war . " "War, you say?" "Yes . " Did she recall the memories of back then? Esil''s expression no longer had any traces of fear when she was begging for her life, now only filled with grave determination . "We were in the situation of preparing for war against a horrifyingly powerful foe that necessitated every demon scattered around in the Demon World to unite . . . . " ¡­ . And that''s where Esil''s words were cut off . " . . . " No, accurately speaking, Esil was still talking . Her lips were clearly moving up and down even now . However, Jin-Woo couldn''t hear her voice at all . Instead, he was blessed with the monotone mechanical voice spat out by the System . [You have exceeded the allowed information threshold, therefore this conversation has been blocked . ] [You have exceeded the allowed information threshold, therefore this conversation has been blocked . ] [You have exceeded the allowed information threshold . . . . ] Right until Esil''s explanations came to an end, that exact same message played over and over again . Jin-Woo''s eyes gleamed suspiciously . ''Had you left it alone, I wouldn''t have suspected anything, actually . '' Indeed, he might have thought Esil''s explanations as a backstory for the monsters of this place cooked up by the System or some such . Levelling up, instant dungeons, quests, quest rewards, penalties, and even the process of getting his Class . . . . . He was faced with one situation after another that resembled video games, so if monsters had a game-like backstory as well, it''d not come across as strange at all . However, the moment the System forcibly intervened, Jin-Woo became sure of one thing . ''Talking to her might give me a clue to solving everything, in other words . '' The System made a clear and definite mistake here, just now . "Did . . . . Did I make a mistake somewhere?" When Jin-Woo''s expression became graver, even Esil''s own expression darkened . ''What does the System want to hide? This unknown foe the demons were supposed to fight? Or the reason for the war? Maybe the end result?'' In order to figure this out, he narrowed down the scope of his next question . "What was the identity of those horrifyingly powerful foes?" However, at that moment . . . . Like a toy with a dead battery, Esil froze up on the spot . But, that lasted only for a little while . She suddenly lost consciousness and powerlessly collapsed to the floor . Jin-Woo quickly snatched her, and carefully laid her down on the ground . Seeing that her breathing was steady, it didn''t look like she was in any danger . However, there was a frown on her face; perhaps she felt a bit uncomfortable somewhere . She seemed to be having a bit of trouble breathing properly, too . In order to help her rest more easily, Jin-Woo began ripping her armours off . Riiiip . Her armours came off rather easily . He also tore the mantle on the back of the armour, rolled it up and placed it under her head like a pillow . It sure was a lot of work for a monster, but he didn''t think this was him being too nice at all . Because she ended up in this state, he got himself yet another clue, that''s why . ''The foes demons fought . . . . '' The System reacted way too sensitively towards the identity of this unknown foe, or foes . ''Could those beings be related?'' What if those beings possessed some kind of incredible transcendental powers, and for some reason, exerted their influence on Earth and more specifically, him . . . . ? Jin-Woo summoned the Store interface . He tried to wake Esil up with a potion, but it didn''t seem to work . ''I guess I don''t have a choice but to wait it out . '' Plop . Jin-Woo sat down next to Esil . And until she woke up, he systematically pieced together each tidbit of info she supplied him with . *** " . . . . Uh?" Esil quickly raised her upper body . Sensing another presence nearby, she looked to her side and found the totally-wordless Jin-Woo sitting there . Her shoulders flinched a little, just then . ''S-so, I wasn''t dreaming . . . . '' Slowly getting to terms with her new reality, Esil took a look around her . And there were huge piles of dead Superior Demons found nearly everywhere . Her brows shot up immediately . Demons with little intelligence didn''t treat other demons with intelligence as their kin . So, an unconscious demon like her would''ve been seen as a tasty meal . However . . . . . The only reason why she was unscathed like this, was . . . . "Were you protecting me all this time?" Rather than answering her, Jin-Woo raised his body up and then, extended his hand out to Esil . Esil looked as if she was profoundly moved and, after holding onto his hand, cautiously stood up from the spot . "Thank you . " "How long will we take to get to where the Entry Permit is?" "It''s not too far from here . I''ll take you there . " Esil then presented Jin-Woo with both of her wrists . " . . . . . ?" " . . . ??" Jin-Woo and Esil stared at each other in confusion . Feeling a bit frustrated, Esil opened her mouth first . "I''m your hostage, so aren''t you supposed to bind my hands first before moving out?" "Don''t wanna . " He was confident of stopping her from resisting or escaping even without the aid of restraints . Besides, way too much time had been wasted already for him to waste even more on something useless like that . Jin-Woo spun Esil around and pushed her slightly on her back . Maybe she was still scared of him, he sensed her heartbeat getting faster, but Jin-Woo didn''t mention it . Instead, his gaze shifted over to the horses the demons rode on . "What about them?" "I''ll take them along . " With a slightly flushed face, Esil took the reins of the horses and took the lead . Jin-Woo quietly followed her from behind . *** Just as Esil said, they didn''t have to travel far before arriving at a location where the Entry Permit was likely to be present . And it just so happened to be a large castle . ''A demon''s castle inside the Demon''s Castle, is it . . . . ?'' The Demon''s Castle was only a ''castle'' in name and was actually a tower, but the one in front of his eyes seemed to have taken quite a lot of inspirations from the ancient castles of the medieval times . The soldiers guarding the castle gates became tense instantly after seeing Jin-Woo, but . . . . "He''s a guest . " Esil spoke disinterestedly and pointed with her chin, causing the guards to quickly open the castle gates . Soon, a group of knights came out from the inside of the castle to greet her . "Lady Esil . We were waiting for your return . " "Where is my father?" "The lord is waiting in the audience chamber . " "Understood . " One of the knights glanced at Jin-Woo and asked . "Lady Esil . . . . This gentleman is . . . ?" "He''s an important guest, so do not forget to mind your manners . " After hearing Esil''s solemn tone of voice, knights quickly parted ways and lowered their heads . Jin-Woo wordlessly followed after her and entered the deeper part of the castle . After a long walk down a wide corridor, he found himself entering a very large chamber that looked like a boss room in a dungeon . ''So, this is the audience chamber?'' Jin-Woo scanned his surroundings . Other than tall stone pillars reaching up to the ceiling situated at a regular interval to either sides of the chamber, it was pretty much wide open and empty . It was as if this whole place had been prepared for potential battles that could break out . ''If I were to fight my way here, then I guess I was supposed to face the boss in this chamber, huh . '' Which meant, the male Demon Aristocrat sitting on a huge throne atop a rostrum located on the other side of the audience chamber was the boss of this place . Esil and Jin-Woo stopped before the ''boss'' . The boss was the first to break the ice . "Esil . " "Father, this person is . . . . " Even before listening to Esil''s explanation, the boss met the gaze of Jin-Woo, and its brows shot up high . The irises of the boss were quaking visibly now . "Y-you!! Just who did you bring before me?!" "F-Father, this man is a guest . . . . " Esil desperately tried to explain, but the boss''s agitation didn''t want to lessen at all . "A guest?! Just what kind of a guest invades the home of the inviter with an army?!" "Pardon me?!" Esil quickly shifted her gaze over to Jin-Woo . Just where was this army her father was speaking of here? The boss, meanwhile, kept his eyes firmly fixed on Jin-Woo and spoke with a trembling voice . "Esil, do you not see it with your own eyes? Can you not see the countless soldiers hidden in that man''s darkness?" (TL note at the end) Jin-Woo''s glare sharpened up a notch . Flinching from the sudden change in the atmosphere, Esil quickly took a step back . Meanwhile, Jin-Woo was somewhat surprised by this development . ''I guess he''s got pretty good senses . '' It seemed that the boss was able to ''see'' the soldiers hidden inside Jin-Woo''s shadow . ''Not sure whether I can call this a good thing or not, though . '' He had recalled all of his Shadow Soldiers and stored them back in his shadow to prepare for battles, just in case, before arriving here . "How dare you bring soldiers into my house?!" As soon as the boss roared out, many knights rushed inside the audience chamber . "Father!" Esil cried out to her father in a loud voice of her own . The boss was now standing up from his throne, glaring down with anger-filled eyes . Staring silently at the developing situation until then, Jin-Woo finally opened his mouth . "We made a promise . " Failing to sense any form of tension whatsoever from Jin-Woo, the boss''s brows quivered greatly . "What kind of a promise did you make?" "The Entry Permit . " Jin-Woo took a step forward . "As long as you hand over the floor entry permit, I''ll quietly leave this floor . " The boss swallowed his saliva nervously . ''The man who hunted down demons at a frightening pace while climbing up the floors must be him . '' The boss recalled how despondent he felt when the news of the much-trusted Vulcan and Metus falling reached his ears . Even though the Radiru clan was nominally aristocrats, they were actually ranked 20th, the very last spot on the list of the demon''s hierarchy . Meaning, they were the weakest among the aristocratic clans . If they were to face off against an enemy that took care of Vulcan and Metus quite easily, the boss knew that he''d have to sacrifice quite a lot of their own . However, such a terrifying enemy was saying that he''d leave on his own volition . ''Should I believe him . . . . ?'' The boss asked, feeling not entirely convinced . "Is that the only thing you want from us?" As if he was waiting for that, Jin-Woo spoke up . "And also . . . . " ''But, of course . . . . '' The boss''s forehead creased up in a frown as the situation unfolded as he expected . The demands of the strong were always unfair and constant . Even before hearing the ridiculousness of the demands that would insult the clan''s honour, and ridicule his proud soldiers, the boss could feel his chest tighten in frustration already . Sure enough . . . . The man placed his hand on the shoulder of the boss''s daughter and spoke . "I wish to borrow this kid from you, too . " " . . . . What did you say??" The boss and the knights all cried out in astonishment simultaneously . Jin-Woo scanned his vicinity, feeling genuinely puzzled now . ''Mm?'' Esil told him that she knew where the Entry Permits were at in the higher floors . He only asked to ''borrow'' her for a little bit so she could guide him to where the permits were, but this was . . . . . ''Did I say something wrong?'' Jin-Woo could only tilt his head this way and that as he alternated his gaze between the heavily-trembling boss, the knights who couldn''t hide their astonishment, as well as Esil and her deeply-blushing face . < Chapter 102 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 102: Chapter 102 . "I am Esil, the first-born daughter of House Radiru . And my clan is . ". "No, not that . ". Jin-Woo cut Esil off He didn''t really care about the finer details of a monster family''s history . What he wanted to know was the reason why monsters and instant dungeons existed How should he go about asking this question, so he''d get himself a satisfying enough answer?. No, he would still be okay if there was no concrete answer . He''d be happy enough to get a single clue, a lead of some kind He tried asking the same thing to monsters in the regular dungeons, but the only thing he got to learn was that they could only hear the order of ''Kill the humans'' inside their heads ''In that case, do these guys receive the exact same order, too?''. In order to help him compare the current situation with the monsters of the regular dungeons, he simplified the question a bit "Hey, do you also hear a voice telling you to kill humans?". "Pardon me?". Esil looked at him with a pair of confused eyes Because she was still kowtowing on the ground, he had to continue staring down at her if he wanted to talk to her face to face, and he kinda felt a bit uncomfortable about this arrangement ''Tsk . ''. Jin-Woo lightly clicked his tongue, and as if Esil was a little kid, picked her up and made her stand straight . And then, he stared at her face again Maybe she got scared of the unannounced physical contact, he heard her heart rate quicken noticeably . Not minding that, Jin-Woo asked her again "I''m asking you if you hear a whisper of someone busy telling you to kill humans . ". "Oh ". Esil hesitated and pondered for a moment, before opening her mouth "No . But, we do hear a different voice all the time . ". "Okay . What does it say?". "It tells us to . protect the space we''re residing in . ". Esil spoke cautiously while being extra mindful of Jin-Woo''s reactions ''The purpose of the instant dungeon''s monsters is different from monsters of the regular dungeons?''. The sole purpose of the monsters from the regular dungeons was to kill humans, while the monsters of the instant dungeons were to guard where they were . The nature of the two camps'' aim was quite different from each other ''Wait a minute ''. Now that he thought about it, wasn''t Jin-Woo a monster-like existence to these monsters of the instant dungeons??. Esil''s complexion was still quite pale after bearing the full brunt of his skill, ''Intimidation'', and he couldn''t help but feel a wee bit of pity for her Just a tiny bit, though "How long have you been hearing that voice?". "It''s right after we opened our eyes in this place . ". ''After opening their eyes in this place, is it?''. Didn''t that imply that she and others were living in another location before this? Whether that was a genuine or a fake memory, that''s what was left imprinted in her brain Jin-Woo continued on with his questioning "Okay . Then, where have you been before waking up in this place?". "We were in the Demon World . We just woke up one day and found ourselves stuck here . ". "And what were you doing back in the Demon World before that?". "We were getting ready for war . ". "War, you say?". "Yes . ". Did she recall the memories of back then? Esil''s expression no longer had any traces of fear when she was begging for her life, now only filled with grave determination "We were in the situation of preparing for war against a horrifyingly powerful foe that necessitated every demon scattered around in the Demon World to unite ". ¡­ . And that''s where Esil''s words were cut off " . ". No, accurately speaking, Esil was still talking . Her lips were clearly moving up and down even now . However, Jin-Woo couldn''t hear her voice at all . Instead, he was blessed with the monotone mechanical voice spat out by the System [You have exceeded the allowed information threshold, therefore this conversation has been blocked . ]. [You have exceeded the allowed information threshold, therefore this conversation has been blocked . ]. [You have exceeded the allowed information threshold ]. Right until Esil''s explanations came to an end, that exact same message played over and over again Jin-Woo''s eyes gleamed suspiciously ''Had you left it alone, I wouldn''t have suspected anything, actually . ''. Indeed, he might have thought Esil''s explanations as a backstory for the monsters of this place cooked up by the System or some such . Levelling up, instant dungeons, quests, quest rewards, penalties, and even the process of getting his Class He was faced with one situation after another that resembled video games, so if monsters had a game-like backstory as well, it''d not come across as strange at all However, the moment the System forcibly intervened, Jin-Woo became sure of one thing ''Talking to her might give me a clue to solving everything, in other words . ''. The System made a clear and definite mistake here, just now "Did Did I make a mistake somewhere?". When Jin-Woo''s expression became graver, even Esil''s own expression darkened ''What does the System want to hide? This unknown foe the demons were supposed to fight? Or the reason for the war? Maybe the end result?''. In order to figure this out, he narrowed down the scope of his next question "What was the identity of those horrifyingly powerful foes?". However, at that moment . Like a toy with a dead battery, Esil froze up on the spot . But, that lasted only for a little while . She suddenly lost consciousness and powerlessly collapsed to the floor Jin-Woo quickly snatched her, and carefully laid her down on the ground . Seeing that her breathing was steady, it didn''t look like she was in any danger However, there was a frown on her face; perhaps she felt a bit uncomfortable somewhere . She seemed to be having a bit of trouble breathing properly, too In order to help her rest more easily, Jin-Woo began ripping her armours off Riiiip Her armours came off rather easily . He also tore the mantle on the back of the armour, rolled it up and placed it under her head like a pillow . It sure was a lot of work for a monster, but he didn''t think this was him being too nice at all Because she ended up in this state, he got himself yet another clue, that''s why ''The foes demons fought ''. The System reacted way too sensitively towards the identity of this unknown foe, or foes ''Could those beings be related?''. What if those beings possessed some kind of incredible transcendental powers, and for some reason, exerted their influence on Earth and more specifically, him ?. Jin-Woo summoned the Store interface He tried to wake Esil up with a potion, but it didn''t seem to work ''I guess I don''t have a choice but to wait it out . ''. Plop Jin-Woo sat down next to Esil And until she woke up, he systematically pieced together each tidbit of info she supplied him with ***. " Uh?". Esil quickly raised her upper body Sensing another presence nearby, she looked to her side and found the totally-wordless Jin-Woo sitting there . Her shoulders flinched a little, just then ''S-so, I wasn''t dreaming ''. Slowly getting to terms with her new reality, Esil took a look around her . And there were huge piles of dead Superior Demons found nearly everywhere . Her brows shot up immediately Demons with little intelligence didn''t treat other demons with intelligence as their kin . So, an unconscious demon like her would''ve been seen as a tasty meal However The only reason why she was unscathed like this, was . "Were you protecting me all this time?". Rather than answering her, Jin-Woo raised his body up and then, extended his hand out to Esil Esil looked as if she was profoundly moved and, after holding onto his hand, cautiously stood up from the spot "Thank you . ". "How long will we take to get to where the Entry Permit is?". "It''s not too far from here . I''ll take you there . ". Esil then presented Jin-Woo with both of her wrists " . ?". " . ??". Jin-Woo and Esil stared at each other in confusion . Feeling a bit frustrated, Esil opened her mouth first "I''m your hostage, so aren''t you supposed to bind my hands first before moving out?". "Don''t wanna . ". He was confident of stopping her from resisting or escaping even without the aid of restraints . Besides, way too much time had been wasted already for him to waste even more on something useless like that Jin-Woo spun Esil around and pushed her slightly on her back Maybe she was still scared of him, he sensed her heartbeat getting faster, but Jin-Woo didn''t mention it . Instead, his gaze shifted over to the horses the demons rode on "What about them?". "I''ll take them along . ". With a slightly flushed face, Esil took the reins of the horses and took the lead . Jin-Woo quietly followed her from behind ***. Just as Esil said, they didn''t have to travel far before arriving at a location where the Entry Permit was likely to be present . And it just so happened to be a large castle ''A demon''s castle inside the Demon''s Castle, is it ?''. The Demon''s Castle was only a ''castle'' in name and was actually a tower, but the one in front of his eyes seemed to have taken quite a lot of inspirations from the ancient castles of the medieval times The soldiers guarding the castle gates became tense instantly after seeing Jin-Woo, but . "He''s a guest . ". Esil spoke disinterestedly and pointed with her chin, causing the guards to quickly open the castle gates . Soon, a group of knights came out from the inside of the castle to greet her "Lady Esil . We were waiting for your return . ". "Where is my father?". "The lord is waiting in the audience chamber . ". "Understood . ". One of the knights glanced at Jin-Woo and asked "Lady Esil This gentleman is . ?". "He''s an important guest, so do not forget to mind your manners . ". After hearing Esil''s solemn tone of voice, knights quickly parted ways and lowered their heads Jin-Woo wordlessly followed after her and entered the deeper part of the castle . After a long walk down a wide corridor, he found himself entering a very large chamber that looked like a boss room in a dungeon ''So, this is the audience chamber?''. Jin-Woo scanned his surroundings Other than tall stone pillars reaching up to the ceiling situated at a regular interval to either sides of the chamber, it was pretty much wide open and empty . It was as if this whole place had been prepared for potential battles that could break out ''If I were to fight my way here, then I guess I was supposed to face the boss in this chamber, huh . ''. Which meant, the male Demon Aristocrat sitting on a huge throne atop a rostrum located on the other side of the audience chamber was the boss of this place Esil and Jin-Woo stopped before the ''boss'' The boss was the first to break the ice "Esil . ". "Father, this person is ". Even before listening to Esil''s explanation, the boss met the gaze of Jin-Woo, and its brows shot up high . The irises of the boss were quaking visibly now "Y-you!! Just who did you bring before me?!". "F-Father, this man is a guest ". Esil desperately tried to explain, but the boss''s agitation didn''t want to lessen at all "A guest?! Just what kind of a guest invades the home of the inviter with an army?!". "Pardon me?!". Esil quickly shifted her gaze over to Jin-Woo . Just where was this army her father was speaking of here?. The boss, meanwhile, kept his eyes firmly fixed on Jin-Woo and spoke with a trembling voice "Esil, do you not see it with your own eyes? Can you not see the countless soldiers hidden in that man''s darkness?" (TL note at the end). Jin-Woo''s glare sharpened up a notch Flinching from the sudden change in the atmosphere, Esil quickly took a step back . Meanwhile, Jin-Woo was somewhat surprised by this development ''I guess he''s got pretty good senses . ''. It seemed that the boss was able to ''see'' the soldiers hidden inside Jin-Woo''s shadow ''Not sure whether I can call this a good thing or not, though . ''. He had recalled all of his Shadow Soldiers and stored them back in his shadow to prepare for battles, just in case, before arriving here "How dare you bring soldiers into my house?!". As soon as the boss roared out, many knights rushed inside the audience chamber "Father!". Esil cried out to her father in a loud voice of her own The boss was now standing up from his throne, glaring down with anger-filled eyes . Staring silently at the developing situation until then, Jin-Woo finally opened his mouth "We made a promise . ". Failing to sense any form of tension whatsoever from Jin-Woo, the boss''s brows quivered greatly "What kind of a promise did you make?". "The Entry Permit . ". Jin-Woo took a step forward "As long as you hand over the floor entry permit, I''ll quietly leave this floor . ". The boss swallowed his saliva nervously ''The man who hunted down demons at a frightening pace while climbing up the floors must be him . ''. The boss recalled how despondent he felt when the news of the much-trusted Vulcan and Metus falling reached his ears Even though the Radiru clan was nominally aristocrats, they were actually ranked 20th, the very last spot on the list of the demon''s hierarchy . Meaning, they were the weakest among the aristocratic clans If they were to face off against an enemy that took care of Vulcan and Metus quite easily, the boss knew that he''d have to sacrifice quite a lot of their own . However, such a terrifying enemy was saying that he''d leave on his own volition ''Should I believe him ?''. The boss asked, feeling not entirely convinced "Is that the only thing you want from us?". As if he was waiting for that, Jin-Woo spoke up "And also ". ''But, of course ''. The boss''s forehead creased up in a frown as the situation unfolded as he expected . The demands of the strong were always unfair and constant Even before hearing the ridiculousness of the demands that would insult the clan''s honour, and ridicule his proud soldiers, the boss could feel his chest tighten in frustration already Sure enough . The man placed his hand on the shoulder of the boss''s daughter and spoke "I wish to borrow this kid from you, too . ". " What did you say??". The boss and the knights all cried out in astonishment simultaneously . Jin-Woo scanned his vicinity, feeling genuinely puzzled now ''Mm?''. Esil told him that she knew where the Entry Permits were at in the higher floors . He only asked to ''borrow'' her for a little bit so she could guide him to where the permits were, but this was ''Did I say something wrong?''. Jin-Woo could only tilt his head this way and that as he alternated his gaze between the heavily-trembling boss, the knights who couldn''t hide their astonishment, as well as Esil and her deeply-blushing face < Chapter 102 > Fin Chapter 103 "My daughter, as a guide??" Esil''s explanation and Jin-Woo saying the exact same thing finally managed to calm down the boss''s agitation . He settled back down on his throne to think . ''The floor entry permit, and a guide? Are they truly everything he wants from us?'' From the moment the demons found themselves locked up in here, they had to constantly hear the order to protect this land in their heads . The order itself was not what one would call forceful . However, just like one would follow their instincts to eat when they were hungry and sleep when they were tired, the demons all thought that they had to carry this order out . That was why the boss felt his heart fall to the pit of his stomach when he heard the news of black-armoured soldiers suddenly invading this land and hunting down lesser demons . He knew that the thing they were supposed to protect this place from had finally arrived . The boss gave it a lot of thought, before ordering the subjugation force to move out . And surprisingly, the platoons made up of black soldiers proved easier than expected to defeat . However, according to the reports made by the advanced scouts, there were enemies on a completely different scale compared to those easy-to-defeat black soldiers present as well . They said that against platoons led by the robe-wearing giant ''knight'' that could spit out flames, or a knight with something lengthy attached to its helm, there was no guarantee of victory at all . And that was why the entirety of the Radiru Clan was getting ready to sortie in order to subjugate those two forces . Unfortunately, those reports failed to mention the man in front of the boss''s eyes . Not even once . Meaning, the enemies'' true combat force was someone else entirely different . ''If I knew this monster-like human was the leader of those soldiers, I wouldn''t even have started fighting in the first place . '' The boss could see it . He rejoiced after hearing the news of those black soldiers suddenly vanishing . But, they were now gathered right in front of his eyes . They were hiding within the man''s darkness, waiting for an order to attack . Even now, the boss felt a chill from the countless soldiers inside the shadow shooting him cold glares filled with thick, bone-chilling murderous intent . ''Negotiating with a mere human hurts my pride, but . . . . '' A certain scroll named ''Entry Permit'' could also be found in the list of things the demons were supposed to protect . However, wasn''t the cost of protecting that single scroll far too high? No, even if the boss was prepared to sacrifice every single one of his clansmen, he couldn''t be sure of winning against this human and his soldiers . Not only that, this man . . . . ''¡­ . Is hiding his true abilities . '' It was uncertain what he was aiming for, but there was little doubt that he was hiding almost all of his powers like an iceberg floating on the quiet water''s surface . Fighting against an enemy no one could truly comprehend was a terrifying prospect, indeed . The boss asked again with a nervous expression . "Truly . . . is that all you want?" If the boss could protect everyone simply by handing out that Entry permit, then there was no reason not to . Also, since he''d be doing that in order to protect this land, he wasn''t exactly going against that order from the unknown source, either . Jin-Woo nodded his head . "You will not bring harm upon my daughter?" Suddenly, Jin-Woo felt Esil''s glance . ''A monster worrying about his daughter, is it . . . . . '' Jin-Woo was inwardly surprised but didn''t forget to nod his head regardless . The boss pondered for a short while, before a smile formed on his face . "We''ll do that, then . " The moment he agreed to hand it over, the boss felt as if a persistently-annoying aching tooth had finally come loose or some such . If the event of stopping the prophetised advent of calamity by handing over a scrap of paper didn''t qualify as a matter to rejoice, then what else would? "No, if you could do that, we''d be very grateful . " Jin-Woo had been getting ready for the eventuality where things go the other way, but after seeing the boss''s bright smile, he too smirked and let go of all the built-up tension in his body . ''I guess Esil got her personality from her old man . '' Was this how the System''s setting was like for this place, or what she said was really . . . . . Jin-Woo quickly shook off the distracting thoughts and gave his assurance to the eagerly-waiting boss . "I keep my promises . " "Very good . " The boss snapped his fingers, and a soldier hurriedly brought a large scroll from somewhere to present it before Jin-Woo . He then unfurled the scroll . ''It is really the Entry permit . '' Confirming the contents of the scroll, a thick smile formed on Jin-Woo''s lips . [Item: Entry Permit] Rarity: ?? Type: ?? A permit allowing you to enter the 81st floor of the Demon''s Castle . Can only be used on the 80th floor''s floor-transfer magic circle . He was suspicious of whether he could get an item from monsters through nothing more than just dialogue, but this was really the Entry Permit he was looking for . If there was one difference from the permits found on the lower floors, then it''d be the red emblem of the Radiru Clan stamped on the bottom of the permit itself . ''So, does this mean I''m supposed to take the permits away from different clans from this floor onwards?'' The corners of Jin-Woo''s lips arched up . He preferred this arrangement a lot more than hunting monsters endlessly and waiting forever for the permit to randomly drop without notice . Jin-Woo rolled the scroll back up and sent it to his Inventory . "Hey, is it fine if we get going now?" Jin-Woo urged Esil and turned towards the exit, but then, the waiting knights suddenly blocked the doorway . ''¡­ . . . ?'' Jin-Woo looked back feeling puzzled, only to find Esil grinning brightly back at him . So, what was going on now? The boss quickly walked over and stood before Jin-Woo . "We''d never let an important guest of the Radiru Clan go like this . " A certain overbearing aura came off from the boss''s large frame . However, seeing that there was a smile of a friendly neighbourhood uncle etched on his face, it didn''t look like he was trying to intimidate the other party . The boss spoke with a pleading tone of voice . "As a celebration of the successful negotiation, would you mind having a feast with us? We also need to prepare my daughter for the long voyage ahead . " Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to Esil . She was cautiously waiting for his answer, although he could easily see that she also wanted this . Well, she did keep her side of the bargain . So, wouldn''t it be only right that he too behave in a gentlemanly manner, too? Besides, he also needed to eat anyway, and he had grown sick and tired of the stale bread and jerky strip combo being sold in the Store by now . " . . . . Okay, I will . " Jin-Woo finally consented after a short bout of hesitation, prompting the boss to break out in a big grin . "Thank you!" The complexions of Esil and the knights also brightened considerably . Soon, the boss was yelling at his subordinates . "What are you all doing? Prepared for a grand feast!" *** Since he had spent way too much time on the 80th floor, he wasn''t planning on wasting any more on other floors . He was worried about whether Esil, coming with him as a guide, could use the floor-transfer magic circles or not, but that worry was put to rest pretty quickly . [A Demon Aristocrat has requested to accompany you . ] [Will you allow it?] [Once allowed, the companion will be able to use the magic circles, and depending on the rate of contribution, experience points earned will be shared as well . ] ''¡­ . Wait, I''ll be sharing my experience points with my companion??'' The thing about sharing experience points got on his nerves slightly, but thankfully, there was the clause about ''rate of contribution'' . Which meant that, as long as he didn''t give his companion a chance to fight, the experience points wouldn''t be divided at all . So, Jin-Woo made sure to drill this point into Esil . "Even if battles break out, you must not interfere . I shall take care of everything . Understood?" " . . . . . Y-yes . " Esil replied rather shyly . ''¡­ . ??'' In any case, Jin-Woo agreed to her accompanying him and hurried with his steps . A few steps behind him, Esil did her best to chase after Jin-Woo while carrying luggage several times the size of her actual body . The luggage itself wasn''t heavy, but keeping up with Jin-Woo''s walking speed was proving to be somewhat challenging to her . Jin-Woo had no choice but to stop and wait now and then so she could catch up to him . "We can see it now over there . " After arriving on the 81st floor, Esil began checking out the map of this very floor, and then, pointed at the faint outline of a castle far away from them . Jin-Woo nodded his head, having already thought as much . "Please wait . " Esil put down the large luggage, and began rummaging through it . Soon, a ceramic liquor bottle rested in her hands . Jin-Woo had to ask her about that . "What are you planning to do with that now?" "This is a bottle of the finest liquor that the Clan Head of the Garuche Clan enjoys . If we go and speak to him with it, the negotiation will be . . . . . " "Negotiation?" Jin-Woo smirked and summoned his Shadow Soldiers out . ''Come out . '' As soon as he called, the soldiers instantly revealed themselves . Shururu . . . . ''How can this be . . . . ?!'' Esil doubted her own sight, then . There were three ''soldiers'' with similar levels to that of an upper Demon Aristocrat . And then, two deadly-looking daggers suddenly appeared out of nowhere to rest in the hands of the very person who summoned these soldiers . After being subjected to an aura that was sharp enough to almost slice her flesh simply by standing near him, Esil had to do a double take to make sure that the man in front of her eyes was the same person she had been conversing with until just now . "Y-you''re not going to negotiate with them??" Rather than an answer, Jin-Woo asked back, instead . "By any chance, is your clan friendly with this Garuche or whatever clan?" "N-no, not at all . We the aristocrats always competed bitterly against each other for a place in the Demon World''s nobility ranking, so . . . . Still, they are a group we can hold civilised meetings with . " Hearing that, Jin-Woo simply grinned . "In that case, it''s fine . " Making one exception was enough . Just as important as finding the Entry Permit, he needed to raise his level, too . "You, wait here . " Jin-Woo told her as so, and while leading his soldiers forward, headed towards the distant castle . "P-please, wait!!" Esil stood there in stunned silence for a moment, before she belatedly stared in the direction of Jin-Woo''s travel . "Heok!!" In that short amount of time, the castle belonging to the Garuche Clan was burning in flames . Rumble . . . . . A monster as tall as a giant spat out a pillar of flames, and the castle''s gate and walls melted down without offering any resistance whatsoever . Garuche knights rushing out in confusion were cut down by the black soldiers one by one . "Oh, my dear lord . . . . '' Esil was so shocked that she spat out something that could either be a gasp or a moan . "Kuwaahhhk!!" "Uwaaah!!" The castle of Garuche that looked several times more impregnable than Radiru Clan''s own castle, was powerlessly crumbling down . Esil could only swallow down her nervous saliva . ''If father didn''t hand over the permit willingly, then . . . . . '' The Radiru castle might have been burning down to cinders just like the Garuche castle right about now . Just imagining it made her dizzy . At the same time, she thought that her clan got a really lucky break after their negotiation went down so well . Kaboom!!! Another tower beyond the castle walls crumbled back down to earth with a loud explosion . ''How can anyone fight against a monster like him . . . . ?'' Esil wiped the sweat drops trickling down to her chin, and breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that her clan had managed to skirt past a calamity . *** The higher-ups of the Japanese Hunter Association and the ministerial members of the Japanese government had gathered today for an urgent meeting . As the heavy, gloomy atmosphere descended on the conference chamber, the Association President quietly opened his mouth . "I hear that recently, the mood in South Korea is boisterous due to the entrance of their tenth rank S Hunter . " The high ranking officials present smirked slightly . There were already more than twenty rank S Hunters in Japan . Yet, the Koreans were celebrating their tenth rank S? Well, that did make some sense considering that, after excluding the two they lost to an accident as well as to emigration, there were only eight rank S Hunters found in Korea, to begin with . Whatever the case may be, today''s meeting wasn''t held to ridicule South Korea . If that were the case, then the atmosphere of this place wouldn''t be this grave . Sitting in his chair with a deep frown on his face, the ''Boei Daijin'' of Japan ¨C the Minister of Defense ¨C testily opened his mouth . "What does that have to do with today''s meeting?" His voice accurately conveyed how deeply troubled he was . The island at the southern end of the Korean peninsula, Jeju Island, had been completely overrun by monsters after the Koreans failed to clear a dungeon there . On top of that, these weren''t any other regular monsters, but ant-types that boasted a rigid hierarchy system as well as an incredibly rapid reproduction rate . If that was all, the Japanese government would simply ridicule their Korean counterpart and laugh at their misfortune, but now, the Japanese mainland was bearing the cost of that mishap as well . Only yesterday, an ant they suspected to have flown in from the Jeju Island completely wiped a small village off the Japanese map . They could no longer ignore the fallout from that event anymore . Most of all, their urgent priority had to be with calming down the irate Prime Minister and his orders of finding a speedy resolution to this crisis . Which meant, the job security of several important people gathered here was hanging in the balance, yet to start such an important meeting off with some useless banter? It was only natural that the Defense Minister would frown unhappily . However, the Association President carried on regardless . "People are more prone to making mistakes when they are in an agitated state . " The snow-white hair and wrinkles filling up the entirety of his face spoke of how old he was already . "And I believe this is the best chance for us . " His declaration managed to gather the eyes of everyone present within this noisy conference chamber . Unlike just now, when he raised his voice in unhappiness, the Minister of Defense was speaking with a lot more nervousness . "Do . . . . you have a good plan in mind?" "Rather than calling it ''good'', I''d say ''appropriate'' is a more suitable description, instead . " Everyone present, including the Minister of Defense, as well as various ministers and Association''s own upper management, all focused their attention on the Association President''s words . As if he was taking his time for precisely this moment, the President opened his mouth . "If you insist that a piece of land is yours when you don''t even have enough strength to defend it, will anyone acknowledge you as the owner?" " . . . . . " A bout of silence fell on the conference room . Just what was the Association President trying to say here? Considering the relationship between South Korea and Japan, that declaration would never be glossed over as a senile old man''s ramblings if the general public got wind of that . Not to forget, this old man was none other than the current President of the Japanese Hunter''s Association . " . . . So, what is it that you wish to say?" Minister of State cautiously asked . The Association President scanned the men sitting to his left and right side, before confidently declaring out loudly . "We shall get rid of the monsters in the Jeju island . " Noisy, noisy . . . . "And then . . . . " The chamber had gotten noisy for a brief moment, but it was silenced immediately by the Association President''s voice . He carried on . " . . . . We will take Jeju island from them . " < Chapter 103 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 103: Chapter 103 . "My daughter, as a guide??". Esil''s explanation and Jin-Woo saying the exact same thing finally managed to calm down the boss''s agitation . He settled back down on his throne to think ''The floor entry permit, and a guide? Are they truly everything he wants from us?''. From the moment the demons found themselves locked up in here, they had to constantly hear the order to protect this land in their heads The order itself was not what one would call forceful . However, just like one would follow their instincts to eat when they were hungry and sleep when they were tired, the demons all thought that they had to carry this order out That was why the boss felt his heart fall to the pit of his stomach when he heard the news of black-armoured soldiers suddenly invading this land and hunting down lesser demons . He knew that the thing they were supposed to protect this place from had finally arrived The boss gave it a lot of thought, before ordering the subjugation force to move out . And surprisingly, the platoons made up of black soldiers proved easier than expected to defeat However, according to the reports made by the advanced scouts, there were enemies on a completely different scale compared to those easy-to-defeat black soldiers present as well They said that against platoons led by the robe-wearing giant ''knight'' that could spit out flames, or a knight with something lengthy attached to its helm, there was no guarantee of victory at all And that was why the entirety of the Radiru Clan was getting ready to sortie in order to subjugate those two forces Unfortunately, those reports failed to mention the man in front of the boss''s eyes . Not even once . Meaning, the enemies'' true combat force was someone else entirely different ''If I knew this monster-like human was the leader of those soldiers, I wouldn''t even have started fighting in the first place . ''. The boss could see it He rejoiced after hearing the news of those black soldiers suddenly vanishing . But, they were now gathered right in front of his eyes . They were hiding within the man''s darkness, waiting for an order to attack Even now, the boss felt a chill from the countless soldiers inside the shadow shooting him cold glares filled with thick, bone-chilling murderous intent ''Negotiating with a mere human hurts my pride, but ''. A certain scroll named ''Entry Permit'' could also be found in the list of things the demons were supposed to protect . However, wasn''t the cost of protecting that single scroll far too high?. No, even if the boss was prepared to sacrifice every single one of his clansmen, he couldn''t be sure of winning against this human and his soldiers Not only that, this man . ''¡­ . Is hiding his true abilities . ''. It was uncertain what he was aiming for, but there was little doubt that he was hiding almost all of his powers like an iceberg floating on the quiet water''s surface . Fighting against an enemy no one could truly comprehend was a terrifying prospect, indeed The boss asked again with a nervous expression "Truly . is that all you want?". If the boss could protect everyone simply by handing out that Entry permit, then there was no reason not to . Also, since he''d be doing that in order to protect this land, he wasn''t exactly going against that order from the unknown source, either Jin-Woo nodded his head "You will not bring harm upon my daughter?". Suddenly, Jin-Woo felt Esil''s glance ''A monster worrying about his daughter, is it . ''. Jin-Woo was inwardly surprised but didn''t forget to nod his head regardless The boss pondered for a short while, before a smile formed on his face "We''ll do that, then . ". The moment he agreed to hand it over, the boss felt as if a persistently-annoying aching tooth had finally come loose or some such If the event of stopping the prophetised advent of calamity by handing over a scrap of paper didn''t qualify as a matter to rejoice, then what else would?. "No, if you could do that, we''d be very grateful . ". Jin-Woo had been getting ready for the eventuality where things go the other way, but after seeing the boss''s bright smile, he too smirked and let go of all the built-up tension in his body ''I guess Esil got her personality from her old man . ''. Was this how the System''s setting was like for this place, or what she said was really Jin-Woo quickly shook off the distracting thoughts and gave his assurance to the eagerly-waiting boss "I keep my promises . ". "Very good . ". The boss snapped his fingers, and a soldier hurriedly brought a large scroll from somewhere to present it before Jin-Woo . He then unfurled the scroll ''It is really the Entry permit . ''. Confirming the contents of the scroll, a thick smile formed on Jin-Woo''s lips [Item: Entry Permit]. Rarity: ??. Type: ??. A permit allowing you to enter the 81st floor of the Demon''s Castle . Can only be used on the 80th floor''s floor-transfer magic circle He was suspicious of whether he could get an item from monsters through nothing more than just dialogue, but this was really the Entry Permit he was looking for If there was one difference from the permits found on the lower floors, then it''d be the red emblem of the Radiru Clan stamped on the bottom of the permit itself ''So, does this mean I''m supposed to take the permits away from different clans from this floor onwards?''. The corners of Jin-Woo''s lips arched up He preferred this arrangement a lot more than hunting monsters endlessly and waiting forever for the permit to randomly drop without notice Jin-Woo rolled the scroll back up and sent it to his Inventory "Hey, is it fine if we get going now?". Jin-Woo urged Esil and turned towards the exit, but then, the waiting knights suddenly blocked the doorway ''¡­ . ?''. Jin-Woo looked back feeling puzzled, only to find Esil grinning brightly back at him So, what was going on now?. The boss quickly walked over and stood before Jin-Woo "We''d never let an important guest of the Radiru Clan go like this . ". A certain overbearing aura came off from the boss''s large frame . However, seeing that there was a smile of a friendly neighbourhood uncle etched on his face, it didn''t look like he was trying to intimidate the other party The boss spoke with a pleading tone of voice "As a celebration of the successful negotiation, would you mind having a feast with us? We also need to prepare my daughter for the long voyage ahead . ". Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to Esil She was cautiously waiting for his answer, although he could easily see that she also wanted this Well, she did keep her side of the bargain . So, wouldn''t it be only right that he too behave in a gentlemanly manner, too?. Besides, he also needed to eat anyway, and he had grown sick and tired of the stale bread and jerky strip combo being sold in the Store by now " Okay, I will . ". Jin-Woo finally consented after a short bout of hesitation, prompting the boss to break out in a big grin "Thank you!". The complexions of Esil and the knights also brightened considerably . Soon, the boss was yelling at his subordinates "What are you all doing? Prepared for a grand feast!". ***. Since he had spent way too much time on the 80th floor, he wasn''t planning on wasting any more on other floors He was worried about whether Esil, coming with him as a guide, could use the floor-transfer magic circles or not, but that worry was put to rest pretty quickly [A Demon Aristocrat has requested to accompany you . ]. [Will you allow it?]. [Once allowed, the companion will be able to use the magic circles, and depending on the rate of contribution, experience points earned will be shared as well . ]. ''¡­ . Wait, I''ll be sharing my experience points with my companion??''. The thing about sharing experience points got on his nerves slightly, but thankfully, there was the clause about ''rate of contribution'' . Which meant that, as long as he didn''t give his companion a chance to fight, the experience points wouldn''t be divided at all So, Jin-Woo made sure to drill this point into Esil "Even if battles break out, you must not interfere . I shall take care of everything . Understood?". " . Y-yes . ". Esil replied rather shyly ''¡­ . ??''. In any case, Jin-Woo agreed to her accompanying him and hurried with his steps . A few steps behind him, Esil did her best to chase after Jin-Woo while carrying luggage several times the size of her actual body The luggage itself wasn''t heavy, but keeping up with Jin-Woo''s walking speed was proving to be somewhat challenging to her . Jin-Woo had no choice but to stop and wait now and then so she could catch up to him "We can see it now over there . ". After arriving on the 81st floor, Esil began checking out the map of this very floor, and then, pointed at the faint outline of a castle far away from them . Jin-Woo nodded his head, having already thought as much "Please wait . ". Esil put down the large luggage, and began rummaging through it . Soon, a ceramic liquor bottle rested in her hands . Jin-Woo had to ask her about that "What are you planning to do with that now?". "This is a bottle of the finest liquor that the Clan Head of the Garuche Clan enjoys . If we go and speak to him with it, the negotiation will be . ". "Negotiation?". Jin-Woo smirked and summoned his Shadow Soldiers out ''Come out . ''. As soon as he called, the soldiers instantly revealed themselves Shururu . ''How can this be ?!''. Esil doubted her own sight, then There were three ''soldiers'' with similar levels to that of an upper Demon Aristocrat . And then, two deadly-looking daggers suddenly appeared out of nowhere to rest in the hands of the very person who summoned these soldiers After being subjected to an aura that was sharp enough to almost slice her flesh simply by standing near him, Esil had to do a double take to make sure that the man in front of her eyes was the same person she had been conversing with until just now "Y-you''re not going to negotiate with them??". Rather than an answer, Jin-Woo asked back, instead "By any chance, is your clan friendly with this Garuche or whatever clan?". "N-no, not at all . We the aristocrats always competed bitterly against each other for a place in the Demon World''s nobility ranking, so Still, they are a group we can hold civilised meetings with . ". Hearing that, Jin-Woo simply grinned "In that case, it''s fine . ". Making one exception was enough . Just as important as finding the Entry Permit, he needed to raise his level, too "You, wait here . ". Jin-Woo told her as so, and while leading his soldiers forward, headed towards the distant castle "P-please, wait!!". Esil stood there in stunned silence for a moment, before she belatedly stared in the direction of Jin-Woo''s travel "Heok!!". In that short amount of time, the castle belonging to the Garuche Clan was burning in flames Rumble A monster as tall as a giant spat out a pillar of flames, and the castle''s gate and walls melted down without offering any resistance whatsoever . Garuche knights rushing out in confusion were cut down by the black soldiers one by one "Oh, my dear lord ''. Esil was so shocked that she spat out something that could either be a gasp or a moan "Kuwaahhhk!!". "Uwaaah!!". The castle of Garuche that looked several times more impregnable than Radiru Clan''s own castle, was powerlessly crumbling down . Esil could only swallow down her nervous saliva ''If father didn''t hand over the permit willingly, then . ''. The Radiru castle might have been burning down to cinders just like the Garuche castle right about now Just imagining it made her dizzy . At the same time, she thought that her clan got a really lucky break after their negotiation went down so well Kaboom!!!. Another tower beyond the castle walls crumbled back down to earth with a loud explosion ''How can anyone fight against a monster like him ?''. Esil wiped the sweat drops trickling down to her chin, and breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that her clan had managed to skirt past a calamity ***. The higher-ups of the Japanese Hunter Association and the ministerial members of the Japanese government had gathered today for an urgent meeting As the heavy, gloomy atmosphere descended on the conference chamber, the Association President quietly opened his mouth "I hear that recently, the mood in South Korea is boisterous due to the entrance of their tenth rank S Hunter . ". The high ranking officials present smirked slightly There were already more than twenty rank S Hunters in Japan . Yet, the Koreans were celebrating their tenth rank S?. Well, that did make some sense considering that, after excluding the two they lost to an accident as well as to emigration, there were only eight rank S Hunters found in Korea, to begin with Whatever the case may be, today''s meeting wasn''t held to ridicule South Korea . If that were the case, then the atmosphere of this place wouldn''t be this grave Sitting in his chair with a deep frown on his face, the ''Boei Daijin'' of Japan ¨C the Minister of Defense ¨C testily opened his mouth "What does that have to do with today''s meeting?". His voice accurately conveyed how deeply troubled he was The island at the southern end of the Korean peninsula, Jeju Island, had been completely overrun by monsters after the Koreans failed to clear a dungeon there On top of that, these weren''t any other regular monsters, but ant-types that boasted a rigid hierarchy system as well as an incredibly rapid reproduction rate If that was all, the Japanese government would simply ridicule their Korean counterpart and laugh at their misfortune, but now, the Japanese mainland was bearing the cost of that mishap as well Only yesterday, an ant they suspected to have flown in from the Jeju Island completely wiped a small village off the Japanese map They could no longer ignore the fallout from that event anymore . Most of all, their urgent priority had to be with calming down the irate Prime Minister and his orders of finding a speedy resolution to this crisis Which meant, the job security of several important people gathered here was hanging in the balance, yet to start such an important meeting off with some useless banter?. It was only natural that the Defense Minister would frown unhappily However, the Association President carried on regardless "People are more prone to making mistakes when they are in an agitated state . ". The snow-white hair and wrinkles filling up the entirety of his face spoke of how old he was already "And I believe this is the best chance for us . ". His declaration managed to gather the eyes of everyone present within this noisy conference chamber . Unlike just now, when he raised his voice in unhappiness, the Minister of Defense was speaking with a lot more nervousness "Do you have a good plan in mind?". "Rather than calling it ''good'', I''d say ''appropriate'' is a more suitable description, instead . ". Everyone present, including the Minister of Defense, as well as various ministers and Association''s own upper management, all focused their attention on the Association President''s words As if he was taking his time for precisely this moment, the President opened his mouth "If you insist that a piece of land is yours when you don''t even have enough strength to defend it, will anyone acknowledge you as the owner?". " . ". A bout of silence fell on the conference room Just what was the Association President trying to say here?. Considering the relationship between South Korea and Japan, that declaration would never be glossed over as a senile old man''s ramblings if the general public got wind of that Not to forget, this old man was none other than the current President of the Japanese Hunter''s Association " . So, what is it that you wish to say?". Minister of State cautiously asked The Association President scanned the men sitting to his left and right side, before confidently declaring out loudly "We shall get rid of the monsters in the Jeju island . ". Noisy, noisy . "And then ". The chamber had gotten noisy for a brief moment, but it was silenced immediately by the Association President''s voice He carried on " We will take Jeju island from them . ". < Chapter 103 > Fin Chapter 104 Taking Jeju Island away? The higher-ups of the Japanese Hunter''s Association remained calm as if they had heard the story from the Association President prior to the meeting . However, the same couldn''t be said about the government officials . "What on earth are you even talking about?!" "Are you suggesting that we should wage a war with the Koreans?" "They have been getting ready for war for the last 60 years!" "Say something that makes sense, will you?!" The voices of the government representatives quickly got heated up . Right now, the proverbial flames from the ant monster incident that fell on their feet were in the process of spreading to their ankles . If they failed to present an acceptable solution to the Prime Minister and to the mass media, just who knows how many sitting here today would lose their posts? That was why they had summoned the Association President for this meeting, so he could suggest a tangible solution, yet what was he saying now? The Jeju Island this and that?! How could they not be incensed when the Association President was yapping on about sheer nonsense in front of these busy people? If it weren''t for the Hunters guarding the sides of the Association President Matsumoto Shigeo, the government officials would''ve already started their expletive-laden tirades . ''How can my expectation be on the money this wonderfully?'' Matsumoto Shigeo looked at the barrage of ugly criticism flying in his way and smirked inwardly . Their furious reactions were well within his calculations . ''Tsk, tsk . '' Matsumoto tutted lightly in his mind, before opening his mouth he''d been keeping close until then . "Obviously, I''m not suggesting that we should wage war with the Koreans . And I''m also not suggesting that we take the land away by force, either . " "What was that?" "Then, just what is it that you''re trying to say?" "Can''t you stop beating around the bush?" A corner of Matsumoto Shigeo''s lips arched up . "We simply make the Korean give us the land on their own volition . " The riled up mood of the conference chamber rapidly cooled down from the cold attitude of Matsumoto Shigeo . Judging from the strength of the tone of his voice, or from his attitude when saying these words, anyone hearing him could tell that the Association President was being dead serious . ''¡­ . . . '' The Vice Prime Minister was famed for his ice-cold demeanour, yet he chose to break his silence precisely at that moment . "Association President Matsumoto . " He was the closest aide to the current Prime Minister, not to mention his spokesperson on this occasion . He was attending this meeting as the proxy of Japan''s current leader, so what he said in this place carried as much weight as the Prime Minister''s own words . "What you said just now . . . . How will you achieve that?" A man who could realistically be called the second most powerful figure in the Japanese government was showing his interest in the Association President Matsumoto Shigeo''s plan . Was it because someone had finally paid attention? Matsumoto Shigeo became sombre as he proceeded with his explanations . "The Koreans currently lack the strength to deal with a rank S Gate . That was the situation four years ago when the ants first appeared, and it''s still the same story even now . " The Vice Prime Minister nodded his head . Jeju Island was a large island that equalled around 2% of South Korea''s total land mass . They had lost that much land to the monsters, yet were utterly unable to do anything about it, so was there any further explanation necessary? After the third subjugation effort ended in failure, the Korean government unofficially gave up on Jeju Island . That was the unofficial story everyone accepted as of now . "Under the current circumstances, how would they react when we make a suggestion of the Japanese rank S Hunters aiding with the subjugation of the ants?" The news of the portion of the mutated ants capable of flight should have reached Korea by now . Meaning, they should''ve also realised that it was only a matter of time before the Korean mainland would be attacked . Unless the decision makers of the Korean government were mad, there was no way they would reject external help if provided . However . . . . "Even if we do lend some aid, do you believe the Koreans would hand over Jeju Island like that?" Just as the Vice Minister alluded to just now, there were certainly a few holes in the Association President''s words . From here and there, several officials began smirking openly as well . Unlike them, though, the Vice Prime Minister carried on in a calm voice, sounding neither ridiculing nor angry . "Just as you said, Mister Association President, the ants might be taken care of if we lend aid to the Koreans . " Out of everyone present today, the person most knowledgable regarding the combined strengths of the Korean and Japanese Hunters was the Association President Matsumoto Shigeo . And he was certain of the total defeat of the ants . There was no disagreement over that . "However, even if that happened, what is there for us to gain?" Even though the Japanese citizens had suffered somewhat, ultimately, the ants of Jeju Island were the Koreans'' problem to solve . There was no way they would sacrifice their own Hunters to help out the Koreans . ''What a nonsensical notion that is . '' The Vice Prime Minister had always been wise to the potential benefits to be gained . And he was inwardly snorting in derision right now . If you concede on something, you were supposed to gain something back in return . That was one of the basics in politics . If they were to lend out their Hunters, then they had to get something suitable back as compensation . ''Receiving Jeju Island would be barely on the acceptable level of compensation . '' The Vice Prime Minister showed some interest because his thoughts had aligned with that of the Association President . However, the reply he got instead sounded like an attempt at catching the floating clouds . Naturally, the interest of the Vice Prime Minister had cooled down faster than anyone else''s . It was then, the Association President formed a mysterious smile . "When did I say we''d be helping the Koreans?" The Vice Prime Minister frowned deeply . ''Is he trying sophistry with me?'' Just as he was about to reprimand the Association President in a dignified way with the words of "Stop wasting our time" . . . . ''Wait . . . . '' The eyes of the Vice Minister widened . The Association President said he''d ''suggest'' lending an aid, but not about actually lending it . "You, perhaps . . . . . ?" "It is as you suspect . " The Association President willingly acknowledged it . As soon as he discovered the utterly shocked expression of the Vice Prime Minister, the Association President knew that man had arrived at the same conclusion as well . "You''re planning to . . . . . shove the Korean Hunters inside that ant hole, aren''t you?" As expected of a seasoned politician . ''So, there was a reason why he''s rumoured to be a rather ''smart'' man . '' The Association President sent a satisfied smile to the Vice Prime Minister and his rather quick-witted way of thinking . "When Korea''s top Hunters enter the ant tunnel to kill the ant queen while placing their faith in our supposed ''aid'', we''ll simply withdraw our Hunters . " The Koreans had suffered three failures already . If that losing streak extended to fourth, who''d suspect the betrayal of the Japanese Hunters had anything to do with it? No, it was fine to be suspect . By then, everything would be finished already, anyway . The voice of the Vice Prime Minister quaked noticeably . "Are you . . . Are you planning to annihilate the top Hunters of South Korea?" "The moment a Gate they couldn''t handle opened up in Jeju Island, their fate has been sealed already . " The Association President once more voiced his own fatalistic world view . "No, they only managed to sustain their pathetic lives somehow, until now . " "But, that is . . . " "Once their top Hunters disappear in that manner, the Koreans will definitely not feel secure anymore . " What would happen when mutated ants capable of flight begin appearing in South Korea one by one, with all of their rank S Hunters dead? Would the Koreans continue playing dumb when that happens? If it were one or two ants, their Guilds might be able to kill the invading monsters somehow . However, just as the statistics showed, the number of mutated ants would only increase exponentially, and eventually, the entirety of South Korea would be shaken up sooner or later . ''When that happens, surely they would request aid from other country''s Hunters . '' However, who would be willing to help the Koreans out by then? China or Russia, with their great number of Hunters, but also with massive land mass they needed to cover, too? Or, the Americans, who refused to help when the rank S Gate opened up back then? Or, the North Koreans, who might invade Seoul by bringing over their own rank S Hunters, instead? ''No, it''d be only us, the Japanese . '' Because, Japan would also be in trouble when the number of mutated ants increases . The Koreans would have no choice but to cling onto Japan, and when that happened, Japan would be able to demand anything from them in return . ''Koreans might really be willing to hand over Jeju Island by then . . . . '' It''d be as exactly as the Association President had said . Suddenly, the Vice Minister felt a chill run down his spine . To think, that man was willing to drive another country''s top Hunters to death just to make his ambition into reality . . . . Wouldn''t a country fall to ruin because of this man if others weren''t being careful? ''He''s a truly terrifying man, this Association President Matsumoto Shigeo . '' The Vice Minister shuddered from the horrifying scheme of the Association President . However, that wasn''t the end . The Association President carried on . "Jeju Island will just be the beginning . " One by one . . . . Whenever the Koreans needed the power of rank S Hunters, they would have no choice but to slowly come under Japan''s influence . It was truly possible to swallow up South Korea without firing a single shot . " . . . . . And those are my thoughts . " Only after the Association President ended his lengthy explanation did the various cabinet members take their deeply held-up breaths . Those who previously dismissed the Association President as a crazy fool were now listening closely, strands of cold sweat trickling down their faces . The Association President quietly inquired . "What is your decision, Mister Vice Prime Minister?" The gazes of everyone present focused on the Vice Prime Minister . " . . . . . . " The Vice Prime Minister swallowed his saliva . Currently, he was speaking for the Prime Minister here . Of course, as long as the Prime Minister trusted him, the decision made in this chamber would not be overturned at a later date . So, carefully, and even more cautiously than before . . . . ''¡­ . . . '' After lengthy deliberation, the Vice Prime Minister raised his head . "How should the government aid you in this venture?" *** [You killed a Demon Knight . ] [You have earned 3,000 experience points . ] [You killed a Demon Knight . ] [You have earned 3,000 experience points . ] [You killed a Demon Aristocrat . ] [You have earned 4,500 experience points . ] Each time the Shadow Soldiers killed a demon found inside the castle, Jin-Woo was inundated with the experience points messages without rest . Preparing for the final showdown on the top floor, Jin-Woo continued to raise his levels diligently . When there were good rewards on offer, the accompanying risk would also be high, as well . ''The Divine Water of Life, bonus Stat points, top-ranked Rune Stones, etc . . . . '' When he thought about the rewards he would get after defeating the king of demons, there was just no way he''d slack off on levelling up himself . [Level up!] As it so happened, almost all the demons in the vicinity had been taken care of, so Jin-Woo summoned his Status Window to confirm his current level . [Level: 87] Before he entered the Demon''s Castle for the second time, his level was 80, but it had already reached 87 . Seeing the increased Stats, a smile automatically formed on his face . ''Nice . '' Jin-Woo tightly clenched his fist . [You killed a Demon Aristocrat . ] [You killed a Demon Aristocrat . ] In the meantime, his Shadow Soldiers killed off the remaining demons . It was a complete victory . With the battle now over, the soldiers gathered before Jin-Woo as usual . Among them, Iron was the fastest to arrive at his side . As if he was expecting to be praised, Iron puffed out his chest and stood at attention . Jin-Woo chuckled slightly while looking at the mountainous physique blocking his view . "You finish with everything?" Iron nodded his head . "Are you sure?" Iron nodded his head even more energetically than before . Jin-Woo smirked and extended out his senses . And then, as he spun around, he also threw the ''Baruka''s Dagger'' behind him . ''Dagger Throw!'' His dagger flew towards a certain empty wall in the blink of an eye . But, then . . . . "Keo-heok!!" The dagger didn''t hit the wall, but instead stabbed deeply into the chest of a demon hiding there quietly while using invisibility . It had been quietly waiting for Jin-Woo to be separated from his soldiers to mount a sneak attack . "Euh-euhk . . . . " The demon could only freak out inwardly at the dagger piercing its left chest . ''How did he find out?!'' If the demon was a human, that''s where the heart would have been . Meaning, that human male had completely seen through the invisibility magic from a high-ranked demon aristocrat . ''How could a measly human . . . . ?'' When the demon raised its shocked gaze away from his wound, Jin-Woo was already standing beside his target . The demon''s eyes quaked violently . "But, how . . . . ?" Jin-Woo pulled out the ''Baruka''s Dagger'' and activated his only close-quarter combat skill . ''Vital Point Targetting!'' Stab! The demon that barely managed to hold on from the damage inflicted by the Dagger Throw, ended up dying in one hit from the maxed-out ''Vital Point Targetting'' skill . [You killed a Demon Aristocrat . ] Jin-Woo returned the ''Baruka''s Dagger'' back to his Inventory, and stood before Iron again . "So, how will you explain this?" ''¡­ . . . '' As if he was feeling sheepish, Iron lowered his gaze and scratched the back of his head . Well, rather than the head, it was the back of his helmet, though . Soon, Igrit also made his return, having killed all the demons hiding in the deeper parts of the castle . Ng?'' However, Jin-Woo sensed something was different about Igrit . ''What''s this?'' Jin-Woo observed the approaching Igrit and tilted his head . Igrit quickly approached Jin-Woo and knelt down, before lowering his head . Up until here, it wasn''t such a strange scene . But, quite unlike from before, Jin-Woo heard the mechanical beep of ''tti-ring'' going off suddenly in his head . ''There''s a System message?'' Jin-Woo swallowed his saliva . < Chapter 104 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 104: Chapter 104 . Taking Jeju Island away?. The higher-ups of the Japanese Hunter''s Association remained calm as if they had heard the story from the Association President prior to the meeting . However, the same couldn''t be said about the government officials "What on earth are you even talking about?!". "Are you suggesting that we should wage a war with the Koreans?". "They have been getting ready for war for the last 60 years!". "Say something that makes sense, will you?!". The voices of the government representatives quickly got heated up Right now, the proverbial flames from the ant monster incident that fell on their feet were in the process of spreading to their ankles . If they failed to present an acceptable solution to the Prime Minister and to the mass media, just who knows how many sitting here today would lose their posts?. That was why they had summoned the Association President for this meeting, so he could suggest a tangible solution, yet what was he saying now?. The Jeju Island this and that?!. How could they not be incensed when the Association President was yapping on about sheer nonsense in front of these busy people?. If it weren''t for the Hunters guarding the sides of the Association President Matsumoto Shigeo, the government officials would''ve already started their expletive-laden tirades ''How can my expectation be on the money this wonderfully?''. Matsumoto Shigeo looked at the barrage of ugly criticism flying in his way and smirked inwardly . Their furious reactions were well within his calculations ''Tsk, tsk . ''. Matsumoto tutted lightly in his mind, before opening his mouth he''d been keeping close until then "Obviously, I''m not suggesting that we should wage war with the Koreans . And I''m also not suggesting that we take the land away by force, either . ". "What was that?". "Then, just what is it that you''re trying to say?". "Can''t you stop beating around the bush?". A corner of Matsumoto Shigeo''s lips arched up "We simply make the Korean give us the land on their own volition . ". The riled up mood of the conference chamber rapidly cooled down from the cold attitude of Matsumoto Shigeo . Judging from the strength of the tone of his voice, or from his attitude when saying these words, anyone hearing him could tell that the Association President was being dead serious ''¡­ . ''. The Vice Prime Minister was famed for his ice-cold demeanour, yet he chose to break his silence precisely at that moment "Association President Matsumoto . ". He was the closest aide to the current Prime Minister, not to mention his spokesperson on this occasion He was attending this meeting as the proxy of Japan''s current leader, so what he said in this place carried as much weight as the Prime Minister''s own words "What you said just now How will you achieve that?". A man who could realistically be called the second most powerful figure in the Japanese government was showing his interest in the Association President Matsumoto Shigeo''s plan Was it because someone had finally paid attention?. Matsumoto Shigeo became sombre as he proceeded with his explanations "The Koreans currently lack the strength to deal with a rank S Gate . That was the situation four years ago when the ants first appeared, and it''s still the same story even now . ". The Vice Prime Minister nodded his head Jeju Island was a large island that equalled around 2% of South Korea''s total land mass . They had lost that much land to the monsters, yet were utterly unable to do anything about it, so was there any further explanation necessary?. After the third subjugation effort ended in failure, the Korean government unofficially gave up on Jeju Island That was the unofficial story everyone accepted as of now "Under the current circumstances, how would they react when we make a suggestion of the Japanese rank S Hunters aiding with the subjugation of the ants?". The news of the portion of the mutated ants capable of flight should have reached Korea by now . Meaning, they should''ve also realised that it was only a matter of time before the Korean mainland would be attacked Unless the decision makers of the Korean government were mad, there was no way they would reject external help if provided However . "Even if we do lend some aid, do you believe the Koreans would hand over Jeju Island like that?". Just as the Vice Minister alluded to just now, there were certainly a few holes in the Association President''s words . From here and there, several officials began smirking openly as well . Unlike them, though, the Vice Prime Minister carried on in a calm voice, sounding neither ridiculing nor angry "Just as you said, Mister Association President, the ants might be taken care of if we lend aid to the Koreans . ". Out of everyone present today, the person most knowledgable regarding the combined strengths of the Korean and Japanese Hunters was the Association President Matsumoto Shigeo . And he was certain of the total defeat of the ants There was no disagreement over that "However, even if that happened, what is there for us to gain?". Even though the Japanese citizens had suffered somewhat, ultimately, the ants of Jeju Island were the Koreans'' problem to solve . There was no way they would sacrifice their own Hunters to help out the Koreans ''What a nonsensical notion that is . ''. The Vice Prime Minister had always been wise to the potential benefits to be gained . And he was inwardly snorting in derision right now . If you concede on something, you were supposed to gain something back in return . That was one of the basics in politics If they were to lend out their Hunters, then they had to get something suitable back as compensation ''Receiving Jeju Island would be barely on the acceptable level of compensation . ''. The Vice Prime Minister showed some interest because his thoughts had aligned with that of the Association President . However, the reply he got instead sounded like an attempt at catching the floating clouds Naturally, the interest of the Vice Prime Minister had cooled down faster than anyone else''s It was then, the Association President formed a mysterious smile "When did I say we''d be helping the Koreans?". The Vice Prime Minister frowned deeply ''Is he trying sophistry with me?''. Just as he was about to reprimand the Association President in a dignified way with the words of "Stop wasting our time" . ''Wait ''. The eyes of the Vice Minister widened The Association President said he''d ''suggest'' lending an aid, but not about actually lending it "You, perhaps . ?". "It is as you suspect . ". The Association President willingly acknowledged it . As soon as he discovered the utterly shocked expression of the Vice Prime Minister, the Association President knew that man had arrived at the same conclusion as well "You''re planning to . shove the Korean Hunters inside that ant hole, aren''t you?". As expected of a seasoned politician ''So, there was a reason why he''s rumoured to be a rather ''smart'' man . ''. The Association President sent a satisfied smile to the Vice Prime Minister and his rather quick-witted way of thinking "When Korea''s top Hunters enter the ant tunnel to kill the ant queen while placing their faith in our supposed ''aid'', we''ll simply withdraw our Hunters . ". The Koreans had suffered three failures already . If that losing streak extended to fourth, who''d suspect the betrayal of the Japanese Hunters had anything to do with it? No, it was fine to be suspect . By then, everything would be finished already, anyway The voice of the Vice Prime Minister quaked noticeably "Are you . Are you planning to annihilate the top Hunters of South Korea?". "The moment a Gate they couldn''t handle opened up in Jeju Island, their fate has been sealed already . ". The Association President once more voiced his own fatalistic world view "No, they only managed to sustain their pathetic lives somehow, until now . ". "But, that is . ". "Once their top Hunters disappear in that manner, the Koreans will definitely not feel secure anymore . ". What would happen when mutated ants capable of flight begin appearing in South Korea one by one, with all of their rank S Hunters dead?. Would the Koreans continue playing dumb when that happens?. If it were one or two ants, their Guilds might be able to kill the invading monsters somehow . However, just as the statistics showed, the number of mutated ants would only increase exponentially, and eventually, the entirety of South Korea would be shaken up sooner or later ''When that happens, surely they would request aid from other country''s Hunters . ''. However, who would be willing to help the Koreans out by then?. China or Russia, with their great number of Hunters, but also with massive land mass they needed to cover, too?. Or, the Americans, who refused to help when the rank S Gate opened up back then?. Or, the North Koreans, who might invade Seoul by bringing over their own rank S Hunters, instead?. ''No, it''d be only us, the Japanese . ''. Because, Japan would also be in trouble when the number of mutated ants increases . The Koreans would have no choice but to cling onto Japan, and when that happened, Japan would be able to demand anything from them in return ''Koreans might really be willing to hand over Jeju Island by then ''. It''d be as exactly as the Association President had said Suddenly, the Vice Minister felt a chill run down his spine . To think, that man was willing to drive another country''s top Hunters to death just to make his ambition into reality . Wouldn''t a country fall to ruin because of this man if others weren''t being careful?. ''He''s a truly terrifying man, this Association President Matsumoto Shigeo . ''. The Vice Minister shuddered from the horrifying scheme of the Association President . However, that wasn''t the end The Association President carried on "Jeju Island will just be the beginning . ". One by one . Whenever the Koreans needed the power of rank S Hunters, they would have no choice but to slowly come under Japan''s influence . It was truly possible to swallow up South Korea without firing a single shot " . And those are my thoughts . ". Only after the Association President ended his lengthy explanation did the various cabinet members take their deeply held-up breaths . Those who previously dismissed the Association President as a crazy fool were now listening closely, strands of cold sweat trickling down their faces The Association President quietly inquired "What is your decision, Mister Vice Prime Minister?". The gazes of everyone present focused on the Vice Prime Minister " ". The Vice Prime Minister swallowed his saliva Currently, he was speaking for the Prime Minister here . Of course, as long as the Prime Minister trusted him, the decision made in this chamber would not be overturned at a later date So, carefully, and even more cautiously than before . ''¡­ . ''. After lengthy deliberation, the Vice Prime Minister raised his head "How should the government aid you in this venture?". ***. [You killed a Demon Knight . ]. [You have earned 3,000 experience points . ]. [You killed a Demon Knight . ]. [You have earned 3,000 experience points . ]. [You killed a Demon Aristocrat . ]. [You have earned 4,500 experience points . ]. Each time the Shadow Soldiers killed a demon found inside the castle, Jin-Woo was inundated with the experience points messages without rest Preparing for the final showdown on the top floor, Jin-Woo continued to raise his levels diligently When there were good rewards on offer, the accompanying risk would also be high, as well ''The Divine Water of Life, bonus Stat points, top-ranked Rune Stones, etc ''. When he thought about the rewards he would get after defeating the king of demons, there was just no way he''d slack off on levelling up himself [Level up!]. As it so happened, almost all the demons in the vicinity had been taken care of, so Jin-Woo summoned his Status Window to confirm his current level [Level: 87]. Before he entered the Demon''s Castle for the second time, his level was 80, but it had already reached 87 . Seeing the increased Stats, a smile automatically formed on his face ''Nice . ''. Jin-Woo tightly clenched his fist [You killed a Demon Aristocrat . ]. [You killed a Demon Aristocrat . ]. In the meantime, his Shadow Soldiers killed off the remaining demons . It was a complete victory With the battle now over, the soldiers gathered before Jin-Woo as usual . Among them, Iron was the fastest to arrive at his side . As if he was expecting to be praised, Iron puffed out his chest and stood at attention Jin-Woo chuckled slightly while looking at the mountainous physique blocking his view "You finish with everything?". Iron nodded his head "Are you sure?". Iron nodded his head even more energetically than before . Jin-Woo smirked and extended out his senses . And then, as he spun around, he also threw the ''Baruka''s Dagger'' behind him ''Dagger Throw!''. His dagger flew towards a certain empty wall in the blink of an eye . But, then . "Keo-heok!!". The dagger didn''t hit the wall, but instead stabbed deeply into the chest of a demon hiding there quietly while using invisibility . It had been quietly waiting for Jin-Woo to be separated from his soldiers to mount a sneak attack "Euh-euhk ". The demon could only freak out inwardly at the dagger piercing its left chest ''How did he find out?!''. If the demon was a human, that''s where the heart would have been . Meaning, that human male had completely seen through the invisibility magic from a high-ranked demon aristocrat ''How could a measly human ?''. When the demon raised its shocked gaze away from his wound, Jin-Woo was already standing beside his target . The demon''s eyes quaked violently "But, how ?". Jin-Woo pulled out the ''Baruka''s Dagger'' and activated his only close-quarter combat skill ''Vital Point Targetting!''. Stab!. The demon that barely managed to hold on from the damage inflicted by the Dagger Throw, ended up dying in one hit from the maxed-out ''Vital Point Targetting'' skill [You killed a Demon Aristocrat . ]. Jin-Woo returned the ''Baruka''s Dagger'' back to his Inventory, and stood before Iron again "So, how will you explain this?". ''¡­ . ''. As if he was feeling sheepish, Iron lowered his gaze and scratched the back of his head . Well, rather than the head, it was the back of his helmet, though . Soon, Igrit also made his return, having killed all the demons hiding in the deeper parts of the castle Ng?''. However, Jin-Woo sensed something was different about Igrit ''What''s this?''. Jin-Woo observed the approaching Igrit and tilted his head Igrit quickly approached Jin-Woo and knelt down, before lowering his head . Up until here, it wasn''t such a strange scene . But, quite unlike from before, Jin-Woo heard the mechanical beep of ''tti-ring'' going off suddenly in his head ''There''s a System message?''. Jin-Woo swallowed his saliva < Chapter 104 > Fin Chapter 105 [Knight ''Igrit'' is requesting your permission to advance his grade . ] [Will you permit the advancement?] ''Permission to advance?'' Surprised by the never-before-seen System message, Jin-Woo quickly confirmed Igrit''s information to make sure . [Igrit Lv . Max] Knight grade . It''s now possible to advance the grade after the level requirement has been met . Will advance to the next grade when the Sovereign gives his permission . ''Igrit''s level . . . . . ??'' The level that previously hovered around the 30 mark had changed to ''Max'' before he had noticed it . It must''ve been the case that, once the Shadow Soldier''s level cap had been met, he''d be given an opportunity to advance to the next grade . ''Is the requirement level for advancement somewhere between the late thirties and early forties?'' When taking into account the potential level-ups happening during a single battle, he suspected that the required level had to be around there somewhere . Considering that the average level of the Shadow Soldiers was still around the early twenties, it sure as heck felt like a cumbersome requirement . ''Besides all that, it also needs my consent, too . '' That must''ve been the reason why Jin-Woo thought there were hints of unknown but earnest yearning in Igrit''s eyes as he ran over here . ''¡­ . . . '' Igrit didn''t raise his lowered head at all . Jin-Woo could even sense a nervous determination emanating from Igrit as he waited for his lord''s decision without budging an inch from his kneeling position . Jin-Woo was even tempted to pat the dude on the shoulder and praise him for the job well done . ''This guy . . . . '' Jin-Woo''s gaze shifted back to the System message . [Will you permit the advancement?] The message was blinking slowly as if to urge him for an answer . Igrit was one of the very first to become his Shadow Soldiers, not to mention one who fought the hardest until now, as well . Was there a reason not to allow the grade advancement here? Without a shred of hesitation, Jin-Woo replied to the System''s message . "I allow it . " [Please designate the command phrase . ] ''I need a command phrase for something like this, too?'' Jin-Woo frowned briefly, but changed his mind just as quick . ''Oh, well . '' Quite a few became Shadow Soldiers at the same time . For today, it was only Igrit, but if more than a few soldiers requested him for the advancement permission at the same time in the near future, then it might become rather tedious and time consuming to answer their call one by one . Especially so, if it happened during the middle of a fight . The command phrase would prove to be useful on those occasions, that''s for sure . After a short deliberation, Jin-Woo spoke up . "Permitted . " He went with the ''Simple is best'' mantra . As soon as the command phrase was set, changes rapidly took place . It began from beneath Igrit''s feet . Wuuuaaahhh-!! Accompanied by screams coming from a distant place, countless black hands emerged from Igrit''s shadow and they grabbed onto every part of him . ''What''s this?'' Jin-Woo observed in great interest the unfolding process of the advancement . At first, he thought that those black hands would drag Igrit back into the shadow, but in reality, the opposite happened, instead . The hands holding onto Igrit turned into black smoke and spun around him quite ferociously, before getting absorbed by him . It was as if Igrit was absorbing the black smoke voluntarily . Psuuuuuaaahhk! Igrit emerged from the dissipating black smoke while emitting a far greater aura than ever before . Tti-ring . The System message informed Jin-Woo of the results . [The current grade of Knight ''Igrit'' has advanced from ''Knight grade'' to ''Elite Knight grade'' . ] ''Niiice!'' Jin-Woo did his best to calm his trembling heart and rechecked Igrit''s information window . [Igrit Lv . 1] Elite Knight grade ''His level has been reset, but his current grade is the same as Fangs now . '' Before joining Jin-Woo''s army of the Shadow Soldiers recently, Fangs used to be the boss monster of a rank A dungeon . Now that Igrit was on the same grade as a creature that powerful, it could only mean that his abilities had grown by that great a deal now . Ba-dump . . . Jin-Woo''s heart beat faster . The theory he came up with back when he became the Shadow Sovereign turned out to be correct . ''It wasn''t just me who can get stronger . '' Jin-Woo''s gaze swept over each of his Shadow Soldiers . ''All these guys are growing stronger alongside me, too . '' After Igrit changed so noticeably through the grade advancement, he was reminded once more of his soldiers'' capability for growth . He was now beset with the desire to urgently raise the levels of other soldiers and have them advance to the next grade as soon as possible . ''Looks like one more thing has been added to my to-do list, huh?'' And so, as he stood there checking out his soldiers while feeling rather satisfied with himself . . . . From afar, he spotted Tank quickly approaching closer with a dead body of a demon that escaped a little while ago in his jaw . ''Uh?'' However, the light shining in Tank''s eyes as he hurriedly ran closer also seemed rather suspicious, too . Those eyes, that aura . . . . Jin-Woo quietly stared, before asking aloud with a disbelieving expression on his face . "Even you?!" Tank finally stopped right in front of Jin-Woo''s nose and quickly discarded the corpse he worked so hard to bring here . He then began prostrating as well, with his front legs gathered together before his head . "Wuuong . " And sure enough, another message popped up in Jin-Woo''s view . Tti-ring . [Elite ''Shadow Beast Soldier'' is requesting for permission to advance his grade . ] [Will you permit the advancement?] ''¡­ . Holy cow . '' Jin-Woo facepalmed in surprise . A quick confirmation of Tank''s information revealed that his level had also reached the cap as well . [Shadow Beast Soldier Lv . Max] Elite grade It''s now possible to advance the grade after the level requirement has been met . Will advance to the next grade when the Sovereign gives his permission . ''Wait a minute . . . . '' Jin-Woo found this rather odd . Unlike the tireless battle machine named Igrit, who started off as a level 7 and maintained his sky-high level until now, Tank was still a far away from meeting the level cap that Jin-Woo suspected to be the advancement requirement . Yet, both Igrit and Tank were about to advance around the same time? The difference in these two guys'' levels wasn''t something that could be bridged by this one battle alone . ''Could it be . . . . the required level is different for each grade?'' If so, then it made sense . He thought that since Tank was an ''Elite'' rank, his level cap would be lower which meant his advancement would be faster; on the other hand, Igrit and his ''Knight'' grade needed more time to advance . If that was the case, then indeed it was possible for the timing of their advancements to match so coincidentally like this . When Jin-Woo''s thoughts reached this point, a certain possibility suddenly entered his mind . ''Wait, if I reach the right level, could I advance in grade, too?'' It was just that the required level was so high that he hadn''t reached it yet . ''¡­ . Eiii, there''s no way . '' Jin-Woo smirked to himself . At the same time, he allowed the advancement to commence . "Permitted . " As soon as his permission left his lips, the same type of process as Igrit took place with Tank as well . Hands emerged from the shadow, changed to smoke, and got absorbed into Tank . Shuuaahhak . . . . And just like Igrit, Tank also became a realm stronger than before . [The current grade of Elite ''Shadow Beast Soldier'' has advanced from ''Elite grade'' to ''Knight grade'' . ] However, there were some differences, too . Tti-ring, tti-ring, tti-ring . The mechanical beep went off continuously and System messages popped up one after another . [You can bestow a name to a soldier with Knight grade or above . ] [The bestowed name will be maintained until the Shadow Soldier is dismissed . ] [Please assign the soldier''s name . ] Tank was a temporary name Jin-Woo came up with on a whim . Since a name couldn''t be assigned unless a soldier was a Knight grade, Tank''s official moniker had been stuck as a ''Shadow Beast Soldier'' . If it weren''t for his twice-as-huge frame compared to other bears, there was no way to differentiate Tank from the others . But now, Jin-Woo could freely assign a name now . A deep smile formed on his face . "Tank . " [Will you assign it as ''Tank''?] "I will . " When Jin-Woo confirmed it, the information on the ''Shadow Beast Soldier'' changed . [Tank Lv . 1] Knight grade . Perhaps he knew that the advancement process had ended, Tank raised his body up . Standing on his hind legs, he was as tall as a regular two-story house now . Jin-Woo wholeheartedly praised him . "You finally have a name now, Tank . " Feeling pleased, Tank raised its head up high and roared out loudly . "You guys all did well . " So, time to take a well-deserved break until the next floor . Jin-Woo recalled his soldiers back into his shadow, and while doing that, he couldn''t help but spot Iron and his drooping shoulders . The poor guy was the only one out of the ''old'' members to not get an advancement today . Shururu . . . . After his soldiers disappeared as shadows, Jin-Woo left the castle . Esil was waiting for him outside with a rather haggard face . "E-excuse me, Sir Jin-Woo?" "I told you, stop calling me a Sir . " "Y-yes . " Esil hesitated somewhat after Jin-Woo curtly replied to her, but eventually, she spoke again . "Excuse me . . . . Uhm, Jin-Woo . . . sir . " The demons were a lot more ''sensitive'' towards one''s seniority than expected, it seemed . " . . . . Fine . What now?" "Do you know . . . . how many clans have ceased to exist by your hands?" Currently, they were on the 89th floor . Esil''s clan was on the 80th, so that would make nine clans? What with her witnessing a clan being killed off every time they climbed up a floor, Esil had finally grown too anxious to remain silent . "Clans of superior aristocrats are managing the floors 90 and above . They are on another level compared to the upper aristocrats you''ve encountered so far . " Jin-Woo didn''t slow down his steps, but still asked her anyway . "Okay, so what?" "How about resolving the matters with dialogue from now on? If you talk to them nicely, they might hand over the Entry Permit like my cla . . . . " Jin-Woo cut her off there . "If I was weaker than your clan, you think your people would''ve tried talking to me at all?" Esil quickly shut her mouth up . A measly little human dared to show up uninvited to a castle full of demons, and not only that, proceeded to demand something from said castle, too? That human wouldn''t have been able to return home alive . "That''s how it is . " Jin-Woo smirked deeply . Whether it was a monster from a regular dungeon, or a monster from instant dungeons, the relationship with humans would go only as far . ''The strong will devour the weak . '' Jin-Woo agreed with that concept . Besides, he was urgently pressed for both the Entry Permits and the level-ups, so he wasn''t planning to give up on either of those . ''¡­ . . . '' Jin-Woo glanced at Esil to his side . He found her continued silence and the expression of dejection strange and asked her about it . "I thought it''d be a good thing for your people if other clans were destroyed?" "Pardon?" "Didn''t you say that demon clans are bitterly contesting with one another on the hierarchy or whatever?" "Ah, that . . . . That is true . However . . . . " From here onwards, they were stepping into the territories of the superior aristocrats . If Jin-Woo failed in his conquest for some reason, then the fury of those superior aristocrats would be directed in full towards her and her own clan . Esil was worried about that . Regardless of her worries, Jin-Woo spoke up confidently . "I''ll make your Radish Clan as the number one on the pecking order . " ''¡­ . But, our clan is Radiru, you know . '' Esil could only complain meekly in her mind . Soon, they would be stepping into the upper floor . Could a lone man manage to destroy the superior aristocrats and their clans with nothing but his own powers? ''¡­ . . Eiii, I don''t care anymore . '' She had taken on the task of being his guide, so all she had to do was to do her job properly . Esil decided to give up on sweating over it . ''Ah, I almost forgot . . . . '' Still, there was this one thing she just had to ask . "Excuse me, Jin-Woo . . . . sir" "Yeah?" Jin-Woo looked back at her . Having witnessed Jin-Woo continuously destroy other demon clans so easily, she found it pretty scary to meet his eyes anymore, so Esil quickly lowered her gaze to her feet and asked . "Why did you spare my clan?" Without a doubt, the Radiru Clan would never be able to oppose this man''s quest . She knew her clan''s military might the best, and now that she had witnessed Jin-Woo''s true power, she was sure of this fact . Even then, her Radiru clan emerged relatively unscathed from this merciless man''s onslaught . Why was that? She was really curious . Jin-Woo entered the floor-transfer magic circle and turned around to face Esil . "Cuz I find you likeable . " Even though she was a monster, she knew when to surrender, she knew when to negotiate, and most importantly, offered up quite a bit of useful information, too . "P-p-pardon me?!" Esil flinched grandly in surprise, and her neck rapidly dyed in a crimson colour . She stood on the spot hesitating as she fidgeted with her fingers in a clear fluster . Their schedule had been affected by her being rooted to the spot like that, so Jin-Woo asked her to get a move on . "Aren''t you coming?" Then, he glanced at the System message asking him which floor he''d like to go . "If you don''t get in now, we''ll go back to the 80th floor, okay?" "I-I''m sorry . " Her face still blushing deeply in red, Esil hurriedly entered the magic circle . ''¡­ . . . '' However, she couldn''t raise her head again even after arriving on the next floor . *** The Incheon International Airport . The representatives from the Japanese Hunter Association arrived in South Korea to discuss the matters of Jeju Island''s ant problem . They already had set up a conference with the Korean counterparts . Along with the Japanese Hunter Association''s President Matsumoto Shigeo, Japan''s number one Hunter, the rank S Goto Ryuji stepped into the airport . (TL note at the end) The atmosphere within the airport seemed a bit chaotic, so Matsumoto Shigeo took a look around to see what was what . "What''s happening here?" " . . . . . There is a very powerful presence nearby . " "Stronger than you?" Goto Ryuji smirked derisively . Seeing the fully-confident face of Goto Ryuji, Matsumoto Shigeo didn''t bother to ask anymore . ''There''s no way South Korea can produce someone like that . '' Not too long after that, an employee from the Korean Hunters Association hurriedly ran forward to greet and received them . "I''m terribly sorry . I was delayed by all the chaos unfolding inside the airport at the moment . " The employee hurriedly lowered his head in apology . Matsumoto Shigeo hid his dissatisfaction expertly and formed a magnanimous smile . "It''s fine . However, is there something going on at the airport?" "Ah, that . . . . It''s nothing serious, sir . It''s just that a Hunter from the United States has arrived just now . " "What brings an American Hunter to South Korea?" "I hear that it''s a personal matter, sir . I''m sure that there''s nothing to worry about . " The employee thought the Association President Matsumoto Shigeo was worried about a possible dungeon break and did his best to assuage the Japanese group''s fears . Unfortunately, Matsumoto Shigeo''s expression remained dark . ''A Hunter from America, is it . . . . I hope this person won''t interfere with our business here . '' Goto Ryuji''s gaze was fixed in the direction of the noisy crowd of people over yonder . Most likely, that''s where the American Hunter was . Meanwhile, Matsumoto Shigeo confirmed the time . If he were to make it to the conference on time, he needed to get going now . Matsumoto Shigeo spoke . "Let''s go . " < Chapter 105 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 105: Chapter 105 . [Knight ''Igrit'' is requesting your permission to advance his grade . ]. [Will you permit the advancement?]. ''Permission to advance?''. Surprised by the never-before-seen System message, Jin-Woo quickly confirmed Igrit''s information to make sure [Igrit Lv . Max]. Knight grade It''s now possible to advance the grade after the level requirement has been met . Will advance to the next grade when the Sovereign gives his permission ''Igrit''s level . ??''. The level that previously hovered around the 30 mark had changed to ''Max'' before he had noticed it . It must''ve been the case that, once the Shadow Soldier''s level cap had been met, he''d be given an opportunity to advance to the next grade ''Is the requirement level for advancement somewhere between the late thirties and early forties?''. When taking into account the potential level-ups happening during a single battle, he suspected that the required level had to be around there somewhere Considering that the average level of the Shadow Soldiers was still around the early twenties, it sure as heck felt like a cumbersome requirement ''Besides all that, it also needs my consent, too . ''. That must''ve been the reason why Jin-Woo thought there were hints of unknown but earnest yearning in Igrit''s eyes as he ran over here ''¡­ . ''. Igrit didn''t raise his lowered head at all Jin-Woo could even sense a nervous determination emanating from Igrit as he waited for his lord''s decision without budging an inch from his kneeling position Jin-Woo was even tempted to pat the dude on the shoulder and praise him for the job well done ''This guy ''. Jin-Woo''s gaze shifted back to the System message [Will you permit the advancement?]. The message was blinking slowly as if to urge him for an answer Igrit was one of the very first to become his Shadow Soldiers, not to mention one who fought the hardest until now, as well . Was there a reason not to allow the grade advancement here?. Without a shred of hesitation, Jin-Woo replied to the System''s message "I allow it . ". [Please designate the command phrase . ]. ''I need a command phrase for something like this, too?''. Jin-Woo frowned briefly, but changed his mind just as quick ''Oh, well . ''. Quite a few became Shadow Soldiers at the same time . For today, it was only Igrit, but if more than a few soldiers requested him for the advancement permission at the same time in the near future, then it might become rather tedious and time consuming to answer their call one by one . Especially so, if it happened during the middle of a fight The command phrase would prove to be useful on those occasions, that''s for sure . After a short deliberation, Jin-Woo spoke up "Permitted . ". He went with the ''Simple is best'' mantra As soon as the command phrase was set, changes rapidly took place . It began from beneath Igrit''s feet Wuuuaaahhh-!!. Accompanied by screams coming from a distant place, countless black hands emerged from Igrit''s shadow and they grabbed onto every part of him ''What''s this?''. Jin-Woo observed in great interest the unfolding process of the advancement . At first, he thought that those black hands would drag Igrit back into the shadow, but in reality, the opposite happened, instead The hands holding onto Igrit turned into black smoke and spun around him quite ferociously, before getting absorbed by him . It was as if Igrit was absorbing the black smoke voluntarily Psuuuuuaaahhk!. Igrit emerged from the dissipating black smoke while emitting a far greater aura than ever before Tti-ring The System message informed Jin-Woo of the results [The current grade of Knight ''Igrit'' has advanced from ''Knight grade'' to ''Elite Knight grade'' . ]. ''Niiice!''. Jin-Woo did his best to calm his trembling heart and rechecked Igrit''s information window [Igrit Lv . 1]. Elite Knight grade. ''His level has been reset, but his current grade is the same as Fangs now . ''. Before joining Jin-Woo''s army of the Shadow Soldiers recently, Fangs used to be the boss monster of a rank A dungeon . Now that Igrit was on the same grade as a creature that powerful, it could only mean that his abilities had grown by that great a deal now Ba-dump Jin-Woo''s heart beat faster . The theory he came up with back when he became the Shadow Sovereign turned out to be correct ''It wasn''t just me who can get stronger . ''. Jin-Woo''s gaze swept over each of his Shadow Soldiers ''All these guys are growing stronger alongside me, too . ''. After Igrit changed so noticeably through the grade advancement, he was reminded once more of his soldiers'' capability for growth . He was now beset with the desire to urgently raise the levels of other soldiers and have them advance to the next grade as soon as possible ''Looks like one more thing has been added to my to-do list, huh?''. And so, as he stood there checking out his soldiers while feeling rather satisfied with himself . From afar, he spotted Tank quickly approaching closer with a dead body of a demon that escaped a little while ago in his jaw ''Uh?''. However, the light shining in Tank''s eyes as he hurriedly ran closer also seemed rather suspicious, too . Those eyes, that aura . Jin-Woo quietly stared, before asking aloud with a disbelieving expression on his face "Even you?!". Tank finally stopped right in front of Jin-Woo''s nose and quickly discarded the corpse he worked so hard to bring here . He then began prostrating as well, with his front legs gathered together before his head "Wuuong . ". And sure enough, another message popped up in Jin-Woo''s view Tti-ring [Elite ''Shadow Beast Soldier'' is requesting for permission to advance his grade . ]. [Will you permit the advancement?]. ''¡­ . Holy cow . ''. Jin-Woo facepalmed in surprise . A quick confirmation of Tank''s information revealed that his level had also reached the cap as well [Shadow Beast Soldier Lv . Max]. Elite grade. It''s now possible to advance the grade after the level requirement has been met . Will advance to the next grade when the Sovereign gives his permission ''Wait a minute ''. Jin-Woo found this rather odd Unlike the tireless battle machine named Igrit, who started off as a level 7 and maintained his sky-high level until now, Tank was still a far away from meeting the level cap that Jin-Woo suspected to be the advancement requirement Yet, both Igrit and Tank were about to advance around the same time?. The difference in these two guys'' levels wasn''t something that could be bridged by this one battle alone ''Could it be the required level is different for each grade?''. If so, then it made sense He thought that since Tank was an ''Elite'' rank, his level cap would be lower which meant his advancement would be faster; on the other hand, Igrit and his ''Knight'' grade needed more time to advance If that was the case, then indeed it was possible for the timing of their advancements to match so coincidentally like this When Jin-Woo''s thoughts reached this point, a certain possibility suddenly entered his mind ''Wait, if I reach the right level, could I advance in grade, too?''. It was just that the required level was so high that he hadn''t reached it yet ''¡­ . Eiii, there''s no way . ''. Jin-Woo smirked to himself . At the same time, he allowed the advancement to commence "Permitted . ". As soon as his permission left his lips, the same type of process as Igrit took place with Tank as well . Hands emerged from the shadow, changed to smoke, and got absorbed into Tank Shuuaahhak . And just like Igrit, Tank also became a realm stronger than before [The current grade of Elite ''Shadow Beast Soldier'' has advanced from ''Elite grade'' to ''Knight grade'' . ]. However, there were some differences, too Tti-ring, tti-ring, tti-ring The mechanical beep went off continuously and System messages popped up one after another [You can bestow a name to a soldier with Knight grade or above . ]. [The bestowed name will be maintained until the Shadow Soldier is dismissed . ]. [Please assign the soldier''s name . ]. Tank was a temporary name Jin-Woo came up with on a whim Since a name couldn''t be assigned unless a soldier was a Knight grade, Tank''s official moniker had been stuck as a ''Shadow Beast Soldier'' . If it weren''t for his twice-as-huge frame compared to other bears, there was no way to differentiate Tank from the others But now, Jin-Woo could freely assign a name now A deep smile formed on his face "Tank . ". [Will you assign it as ''Tank''?]. "I will . ". When Jin-Woo confirmed it, the information on the ''Shadow Beast Soldier'' changed [Tank Lv . 1]. Knight grade Perhaps he knew that the advancement process had ended, Tank raised his body up . Standing on his hind legs, he was as tall as a regular two-story house now . Jin-Woo wholeheartedly praised him "You finally have a name now, Tank . ". Feeling pleased, Tank raised its head up high and roared out loudly "You guys all did well . ". So, time to take a well-deserved break until the next floor Jin-Woo recalled his soldiers back into his shadow, and while doing that, he couldn''t help but spot Iron and his drooping shoulders . The poor guy was the only one out of the ''old'' members to not get an advancement today Shururu . After his soldiers disappeared as shadows, Jin-Woo left the castle . Esil was waiting for him outside with a rather haggard face "E-excuse me, Sir Jin-Woo?". "I told you, stop calling me a Sir . ". "Y-yes . ". Esil hesitated somewhat after Jin-Woo curtly replied to her, but eventually, she spoke again "Excuse me Uhm, Jin-Woo . sir . ". The demons were a lot more ''sensitive'' towards one''s seniority than expected, it seemed " Fine . What now?". "Do you know how many clans have ceased to exist by your hands?". Currently, they were on the 89th floor Esil''s clan was on the 80th, so that would make nine clans?. What with her witnessing a clan being killed off every time they climbed up a floor, Esil had finally grown too anxious to remain silent "Clans of superior aristocrats are managing the floors 90 and above . They are on another level compared to the upper aristocrats you''ve encountered so far . ". Jin-Woo didn''t slow down his steps, but still asked her anyway "Okay, so what?". "How about resolving the matters with dialogue from now on? If you talk to them nicely, they might hand over the Entry Permit like my cla ". Jin-Woo cut her off there "If I was weaker than your clan, you think your people would''ve tried talking to me at all?". Esil quickly shut her mouth up . A measly little human dared to show up uninvited to a castle full of demons, and not only that, proceeded to demand something from said castle, too?. That human wouldn''t have been able to return home alive "That''s how it is . ". Jin-Woo smirked deeply Whether it was a monster from a regular dungeon, or a monster from instant dungeons, the relationship with humans would go only as far ''The strong will devour the weak . ''. Jin-Woo agreed with that concept . Besides, he was urgently pressed for both the Entry Permits and the level-ups, so he wasn''t planning to give up on either of those ''¡­ . ''. Jin-Woo glanced at Esil to his side He found her continued silence and the expression of dejection strange and asked her about it "I thought it''d be a good thing for your people if other clans were destroyed?". "Pardon?". "Didn''t you say that demon clans are bitterly contesting with one another on the hierarchy or whatever?". "Ah, that That is true . However ". From here onwards, they were stepping into the territories of the superior aristocrats If Jin-Woo failed in his conquest for some reason, then the fury of those superior aristocrats would be directed in full towards her and her own clan . Esil was worried about that Regardless of her worries, Jin-Woo spoke up confidently "I''ll make your Radish Clan as the number one on the pecking order . ". ''¡­ . But, our clan is Radiru, you know . ''. Esil could only complain meekly in her mind Soon, they would be stepping into the upper floor . Could a lone man manage to destroy the superior aristocrats and their clans with nothing but his own powers?. ''¡­ Eiii, I don''t care anymore . ''. She had taken on the task of being his guide, so all she had to do was to do her job properly . Esil decided to give up on sweating over it ''Ah, I almost forgot ''. Still, there was this one thing she just had to ask "Excuse me, Jin-Woo sir". "Yeah?". Jin-Woo looked back at her Having witnessed Jin-Woo continuously destroy other demon clans so easily, she found it pretty scary to meet his eyes anymore, so Esil quickly lowered her gaze to her feet and asked "Why did you spare my clan?". Without a doubt, the Radiru Clan would never be able to oppose this man''s quest . She knew her clan''s military might the best, and now that she had witnessed Jin-Woo''s true power, she was sure of this fact Even then, her Radiru clan emerged relatively unscathed from this merciless man''s onslaught . Why was that? She was really curious Jin-Woo entered the floor-transfer magic circle and turned around to face Esil "Cuz I find you likeable . ". Even though she was a monster, she knew when to surrender, she knew when to negotiate, and most importantly, offered up quite a bit of useful information, too "P-p-pardon me?!". Esil flinched grandly in surprise, and her neck rapidly dyed in a crimson colour . She stood on the spot hesitating as she fidgeted with her fingers in a clear fluster . Their schedule had been affected by her being rooted to the spot like that, so Jin-Woo asked her to get a move on "Aren''t you coming?". Then, he glanced at the System message asking him which floor he''d like to go "If you don''t get in now, we''ll go back to the 80th floor, okay?". "I-I''m sorry . ". Her face still blushing deeply in red, Esil hurriedly entered the magic circle ''¡­ . ''. However, she couldn''t raise her head again even after arriving on the next floor ***. The Incheon International Airport The representatives from the Japanese Hunter Association arrived in South Korea to discuss the matters of Jeju Island''s ant problem . They already had set up a conference with the Korean counterparts Along with the Japanese Hunter Association''s President Matsumoto Shigeo, Japan''s number one Hunter, the rank S Goto Ryuji stepped into the airport . (TL note at the end). The atmosphere within the airport seemed a bit chaotic, so Matsumoto Shigeo took a look around to see what was what "What''s happening here?". " . There is a very powerful presence nearby . ". "Stronger than you?". Goto Ryuji smirked derisively Seeing the fully-confident face of Goto Ryuji, Matsumoto Shigeo didn''t bother to ask anymore ''There''s no way South Korea can produce someone like that . ''. Not too long after that, an employee from the Korean Hunters Association hurriedly ran forward to greet and received them "I''m terribly sorry . I was delayed by all the chaos unfolding inside the airport at the moment . ". The employee hurriedly lowered his head in apology . Matsumoto Shigeo hid his dissatisfaction expertly and formed a magnanimous smile "It''s fine . However, is there something going on at the airport?". "Ah, that It''s nothing serious, sir . It''s just that a Hunter from the United States has arrived just now . ". "What brings an American Hunter to South Korea?". "I hear that it''s a personal matter, sir . I''m sure that there''s nothing to worry about . ". The employee thought the Association President Matsumoto Shigeo was worried about a possible dungeon break and did his best to assuage the Japanese group''s fears Unfortunately, Matsumoto Shigeo''s expression remained dark ''A Hunter from America, is it I hope this person won''t interfere with our business here . ''. Goto Ryuji''s gaze was fixed in the direction of the noisy crowd of people over yonder . Most likely, that''s where the American Hunter was Meanwhile, Matsumoto Shigeo confirmed the time If he were to make it to the conference on time, he needed to get going now Matsumoto Shigeo spoke "Let''s go . ". < Chapter 105 > Fin Chapter 106 Two Association Presidents, Goh Gun-Hui and Matsumoto Shigeo, sat down while facing each other . On either side of the two men, representatives from the Japanese Hunter''s Association and their Korean counterparts, as well as higher-ups from various government departments sat in a row . With the subject matter being what it was, the conference was moving at a brisk pace . "How do you feel about forming a united assault team comprising of top-ranked Japanese and Korean Hunters?" This explosive suggestion from Matsumoto Shigeo caused the Koreans present to show much surprise on their faces . They were all under the impression that today''s conference would be to discuss the reparation Japanese would demand for the damage they had suffered . But then, the Japanese were saying they would voluntarily help with taking care of this headache? What kind of jackpot was this? The surprised state of the Korean politicians didn''t last long, though, as it was soon replaced by the brightened complexions, instead . With the sole exception of one man, that was . Only Goh Gun-Hui maintained a sharp glare as he observed Matsumoto Shigeo . "Are you saying that you wish to attack the nest of the ants by forming an alliance?" "That is correct . " "We''re aware that Japan enjoys an abundance of top-ranked Hunters . However, it is still far too dangerous to invade Jeju Island . " Goh Gun-Hui also added that there were several times more of the monsters to be found on the island compared to two years ago, when the last subjugation effort failed . It was here that Matsumoto Shigeo formed a rather suspicious smile . "It''d prove to be dangerous indeed if we rushed into the enemy''s main camp without a proper plan . " One of the Korean politicians, utterly hooked by the suggestion from the Japanese that they would help, asked in an expectant manner . "Do you have a good plan in mind?" "Yes . " Matsumoto Shigeo gathered everyone''s attention to himself with a quick answer, but then, continued on only after taking a bit of time for himself . "Of course, we have one . " With a single command from him, the prepared files matching the exact number of Korean representatives were placed in front of them . "These are all the data compiled from our observation of the ants . " While the Koreans attendees of the conference were perusing through the file, Matsumoto Shigeo began his in-depth explanation . "Each ant may be strong enough to rival a high-rank Hunter, but it also possesses a fatal weakness . And that''s their short lifespan . " Ants could only live for around one year at most . "Which means, if the ant queen is removed from the equation, every ant found on Jeju Island will eventually die out in around one year . " "Indeed . . . . " The Korean attendees nodded their heads as they read the well-researched data . Only the queen needed to be eliminated . That sounded a whole lot more achievable than killing thousands of unrankable monsters that came out of a rank S Gate . However, Goh Gun-Hui''s glare remained icy cold . ''What a nonsensical notion that is . . . . '' He knew the truth already . He knew that the act of killing one queen was no different than actually trying to kill every single one of the thousands of those monsters . "Are you making this suggestion because you don''t know of ants'' instincts to sacrifice themselves in order to protect their queen?" When Goh Gun-Hui pointed this fact out, Matsumoto Shigeo simply smiled and lightly rebutted him . "Of course I know . If we were to kill the queen, we''d most likely have to break through the defensive wall of thousands of ants . " Goh Gun-Hui''s suspicions grew only larger and larger after he saw how relaxed Matsumoto Shigeo''s demeanour was . ''Just what are they thinking?'' The corner of Matsumoto Shigeo''s lips arched up . "However, what if all of the ants abandon the ant tunnel for some reason?" The ant queen lived in the deepest part of the ant tunnel . Why would the ants leave the ant tunnel unguarded, when they were supposed to protect the queen as well as the eggs at all cost? When questioning expressions formed on the faces of all the Korean representatives, Matsumoto Shigeo opened his mouth to answer their confusion . "There have been . A total of three times . " Three times? There had been three times where such an event occurred? But, besides all that ¨C how did Japan know so intimately about such things in the first place? The answer to this question arrived right away . "The ants emptied out of their tunnel to fight, when the Korean Hunters landed on Jeju Island for the subjugation operations three times in the past . " "Keu-euhk . " Goh Gun-Hui tightly clenched his fists resting on his knees . While the Hunters of South Korea risked their lives and fought, the Japanese were covertly spying on them . No one here criticised Japan for not helping South Korea out back then . But regardless, how could they use the misfortune of the neighbouring nation as their research material, and then proudly reveal the results to said neighbour like this? A rank S lost his life during the third failed attempt . And besides him, countless others also died . The Association President Goh Gun-Hui had to watch them die from a very close vantage point back then . His clenched fists were trembling hard now . ''Mm . . . ?'' Sensing that the complexion of Goh Gun-Hui was getting rather suspicious, Japan''s best Hunter, Goto Ryuji unleashed his own magical energy . It was a warning ¨C if the other side tried to do something untoward, then this side would also make a move . Attending the conference as Goh Gun-Hui''s bodyguard, Woo Jin-Cheol quickly approached the Association President''s side . " . . . . Sir?" " . . . . I''m okay now . " Goh Gun-Hui dismissed Woo Jin-Cheol, and the latter quietly stepped back . Regardless of what the Japanese''s attitude was like, this presented a golden opportunity to deal with the ants once and for all if their research data proved to be reliable . ''I can''t afford to let slip such an opportunity because of my personal feelings . '' Goh Gun-Hui could only calm his boiling anger inwardly . Once the threatening tension of the conference room dissipated, Matsumoto Shigeo finally got to the main point . "The Japanese Hunters will take on that role . " Japan''s rank S Hunters would split into several teams and attack Jeju Island from different directions . Ants would rush out to face the intruders, and just like before, the tunnel with ant queen hiding in it would be emptied out . "We wish to ask Korea''s top Hunters with the killing of the queen . " South Korea''s rank S Hunters would sneak into the island using a helicopter, and once they kill off the queen, they escape via a helicopter again . Noisy, noisy . . . . . The plan put forward by the Japanese was rather detailed and sounded quite doable, so the Korean representatives began to get heated up from excitement . "If we follow the Japanese plan, do we get to recover Jeju Island?" "These Japanese b*stards, they have finally showed their hands now that they too have become victims . " "This is a great chance . " "Let''s seize this opportunity and use the Japanese Hunters to reclaim Jeju Island . " Goh Gun-Hui didn''t participate in the heated discussion of the Korean representatives, choosing to quietly mull over Matsumoto Shigeo''s suggested plan, instead . ''Without a doubt, there is a good chance . '' There were 21 rank S Hunters in Japan . In comparison, there were only eight in South Korea . But, by excluding himself who couldn''t move due to health reasons, or the other Hunter who had to retire early, then realistically speaking, there were only six that could participate . ''It''ll be impossible to draw and scatter the attention of thousands of ants with that number . '' In order to do so, they needed Japan and her twenty or so top-ranked Hunters . Even if they were to be split into groups of five, you''d still get four groups, and that would be enough to buy the Koreans time to do their job . But the real problem was, would South Korea''s top Hunters actually be able to kill the boss of a rank S dungeon, the ant queen? ''Is it even possible?'' It was then, Goh Gun-Hui suddenly remembered the name of Seong Jin-Woo . Seong Jin-Woo was strong enough to solo kill the boss of a rank A dungeon, so what if he worked together with other rank S Hunters? Ba-dump, ba-dump . . . . Goh Gun-Hui''s heart began racing now . ''We can''t delay this any longer . '' Currently, ant monsters were evolving at a rapid pace . No one could predict precisely when the entirety of the ant army would become flight-capable . It could be ten years, five, or even, right next year . Before something like that happened, the Koreans had to kill off the dastardly ants, and if they had to resort to borrowing another country''s strength, then so be it . But, before that . . . . "What does Japan want as compensation from this cooperation?" The Association President Goh Gun-Hui didn''t let this important matter slip through . Matsumoto Shigeo did his best to form the most magnanimous smile he could physically perform . "When the rest of ants die in a year, we evenly split the magic crystals left behind on the island . " Only that much? Goh Gun-Hui tilted his head, unconvinced . "Will you really be happy with only that?" Goh Gun-Hui''s question caused the Korean government officials and politicians near him to frown rather deeply . ''If they are willing to do it for a small asking price, he should just gladly accept it, so why is he questioning them like this?'' ''What will he do if the Japanese decide to change their mind all of a sudden . . . ?'' ''Association President Goh Gun-Hui, you''re still too distrusting, what with your background being a man who used to run a corporation . '' Their hot dagger-like glares stabbed deeply into Goh Gun-Hui . He had no choice but to shut his mouth . A short discussion took place between the Korean attendees, but no one raised a voice of objection . In the end, the Japanese''s proposal was approved unanimously . After the conference successfully came to an end, Matsumoto Shigeo approached Goh Gun-Hui with a beaming smile and offered his right hand . "The future of our two nations depends on this cooperation . Let us combine our resources together and do our best . " *** After returning to his hotel room, Matsumoto Shigeo placed a cigarette in between his lips . Goto Ryuji to his side lit it up for him . "You worked hard today, sir . " "Mister Goto, it''s you who worked hard today . " "You''re praising me too much, sir . " "I''m not . Didn''t you see Goh Gun-Hui''s face back then?" Matsumoto Shigeo smirked deeply . The fleeting emotion that flickered in and out momentarily on Goh Gun-Hui''s face back then ¨C it was definitely rage . The reason why Matsumoto Shigeo was able to display so much leisure in front of a rank S Hunter who reputedly possessed the greatest strength in South Korea, was simple ¨C because, he had a powerful ally standing behind him . And that was Goto Ryuji, Japan''s number one melee-type Hunter . And also, the trustworthy right-hand man of the President of the Japanese Hunter Association, Matsumoto Shigeo . Recalling Goh Gun-Hui''s expression, Matsumoto formed a mocking smile . "Borrowing the power of someone whom you don''t even want to talk to . Now that would be quite intolerable from the perspective of the weak . " Goto Ryuji also smirked as well . In the end, the Koreans agreed to work with the Japanese, just as Matsumoto Shigeo had predicted . Everything was moving according to plan . "South Korea is merely the beginning . " Matsumoto Shigeo spoke up . "Hunters are the new power, the new political influence . With this power given to Japan, I shall create a new empire . " His gaze then shifted over to Goto Ryuji . "And you shall become its next emperor . " If Matsumoto Shigeo was to be considered the first ruler of the empire founded on his crafty schemes, then Goto Ryuji would be the second by relying on his powers alone . And this was the reason why Goto Ryuji treated Matsumoto Shigeo as his superior all this time . It was then . "I almost forgot . " Matsumoto Shigeo recalled something and asked Goto Ryuji while killing the cigarette . "Do we still not have any information on South Korea''s newest rank S Hunter?" "Even the South Koreans don''t seem to know much about that man, sir . " " . . . Is that so . " They already knew everything there was to know regarding all of South Korea''s top Hunters . Except for one person . They didn''t have a single reliable piece of information on the Hunter who was registered as a rank S recently . The unknown factor could cause deviations to their plan . Now that his ambition had been revealed in full with the commencement of this operation, Matsumoto Shigeo couldn''t afford any form of deviation whatsoever to his plan . ''Although it is questionable what a single person could achieve on his own, but, still . . . . '' There were five such people in the entire world . They were referred to as Hunters on the rank of ''Special Authority'', which meant that each one of them possessed power equalling that of a country''s military . They all shared one common point; each one of them had cleared at least one rank S Gate in the past . A Hunter with that kind of ability could easily disrupt his plan . ''However, the odds of that are extremely low . '' Taking into account that there were seven billion people on Earth, the odds would be less than a billion to one . If someone of that calibre appeared, then there was no way the South Koreans would keep quiet about him . But judging from the current atmosphere, there didn''t seem to be any cause for concern on that front . ''I can''t ruin everything by being too cautious here . '' Matsumoto Shigeo picked up his phone . Then, he gave his command to the higher-ups of his own Association, who were all anxiously waiting for his call back home . "The Koreans have agreed to work with us, so summon all the rank S Hunters as planned . " *** Goh Gun-Hui was also calling the Korean Hunters at that moment . The first priority was to explain the seriousness of the current situation . He was planning to fine-tune the Association''s schedule accordingly, but . . . . "What did you say??" A completely unexpected piece of news flew out of nowhere and punched him in the face . "You can''t get in touch with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo at all???" For some reason, only Seong Jin-Woo was out of reach . "His phone''s been switched off for several days as well, sir . We can''t even figure out where he could be . " " . . . . " Goh Gun-Hui shut his mouth tightly then, before opening his mouth . He sounded exasperated at that moment . "In that case, summon the other Hunters excluding him as soon as possible . " "Understood, sir . " The agent of the Association bowed and quickly ran out of the President''s office . Goh Gun-Hui''s expression hardened as he fell into deep contemplation . ''Where could he possibly be?'' After hearing the report of Seong Jin-Woo going missing, Goh Gun-Hui suddenly had a foreboding premonition of the future . < Chapter 106 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 106: Chapter 106 . Two Association Presidents, Goh Gun-Hui and Matsumoto Shigeo, sat down while facing each other On either side of the two men, representatives from the Japanese Hunter''s Association and their Korean counterparts, as well as higher-ups from various government departments sat in a row With the subject matter being what it was, the conference was moving at a brisk pace "How do you feel about forming a united assault team comprising of top-ranked Japanese and Korean Hunters?". This explosive suggestion from Matsumoto Shigeo caused the Koreans present to show much surprise on their faces They were all under the impression that today''s conference would be to discuss the reparation Japanese would demand for the damage they had suffered But then, the Japanese were saying they would voluntarily help with taking care of this headache?. What kind of jackpot was this?. The surprised state of the Korean politicians didn''t last long, though, as it was soon replaced by the brightened complexions, instead . With the sole exception of one man, that was Only Goh Gun-Hui maintained a sharp glare as he observed Matsumoto Shigeo "Are you saying that you wish to attack the nest of the ants by forming an alliance?". "That is correct . ". "We''re aware that Japan enjoys an abundance of top-ranked Hunters . However, it is still far too dangerous to invade Jeju Island . ". Goh Gun-Hui also added that there were several times more of the monsters to be found on the island compared to two years ago, when the last subjugation effort failed It was here that Matsumoto Shigeo formed a rather suspicious smile "It''d prove to be dangerous indeed if we rushed into the enemy''s main camp without a proper plan . ". One of the Korean politicians, utterly hooked by the suggestion from the Japanese that they would help, asked in an expectant manner "Do you have a good plan in mind?". "Yes . ". Matsumoto Shigeo gathered everyone''s attention to himself with a quick answer, but then, continued on only after taking a bit of time for himself "Of course, we have one . ". With a single command from him, the prepared files matching the exact number of Korean representatives were placed in front of them "These are all the data compiled from our observation of the ants . ". While the Koreans attendees of the conference were perusing through the file, Matsumoto Shigeo began his in-depth explanation "Each ant may be strong enough to rival a high-rank Hunter, but it also possesses a fatal weakness . And that''s their short lifespan . ". Ants could only live for around one year at most "Which means, if the ant queen is removed from the equation, every ant found on Jeju Island will eventually die out in around one year . ". "Indeed ". The Korean attendees nodded their heads as they read the well-researched data Only the queen needed to be eliminated That sounded a whole lot more achievable than killing thousands of unrankable monsters that came out of a rank S Gate . However, Goh Gun-Hui''s glare remained icy cold ''What a nonsensical notion that is ''. He knew the truth already He knew that the act of killing one queen was no different than actually trying to kill every single one of the thousands of those monsters "Are you making this suggestion because you don''t know of ants'' instincts to sacrifice themselves in order to protect their queen?". When Goh Gun-Hui pointed this fact out, Matsumoto Shigeo simply smiled and lightly rebutted him "Of course I know . If we were to kill the queen, we''d most likely have to break through the defensive wall of thousands of ants . ". Goh Gun-Hui''s suspicions grew only larger and larger after he saw how relaxed Matsumoto Shigeo''s demeanour was ''Just what are they thinking?''. The corner of Matsumoto Shigeo''s lips arched up "However, what if all of the ants abandon the ant tunnel for some reason?". The ant queen lived in the deepest part of the ant tunnel . Why would the ants leave the ant tunnel unguarded, when they were supposed to protect the queen as well as the eggs at all cost?. When questioning expressions formed on the faces of all the Korean representatives, Matsumoto Shigeo opened his mouth to answer their confusion "There have been . A total of three times . ". Three times?. There had been three times where such an event occurred?. But, besides all that ¨C how did Japan know so intimately about such things in the first place?. The answer to this question arrived right away "The ants emptied out of their tunnel to fight, when the Korean Hunters landed on Jeju Island for the subjugation operations three times in the past . ". "Keu-euhk . ". Goh Gun-Hui tightly clenched his fists resting on his knees While the Hunters of South Korea risked their lives and fought, the Japanese were covertly spying on them . No one here criticised Japan for not helping South Korea out back then But regardless, how could they use the misfortune of the neighbouring nation as their research material, and then proudly reveal the results to said neighbour like this?. A rank S lost his life during the third failed attempt . And besides him, countless others also died . The Association President Goh Gun-Hui had to watch them die from a very close vantage point back then His clenched fists were trembling hard now ''Mm . ?''. Sensing that the complexion of Goh Gun-Hui was getting rather suspicious, Japan''s best Hunter, Goto Ryuji unleashed his own magical energy It was a warning ¨C if the other side tried to do something untoward, then this side would also make a move Attending the conference as Goh Gun-Hui''s bodyguard, Woo Jin-Cheol quickly approached the Association President''s side " Sir?". " I''m okay now . ". Goh Gun-Hui dismissed Woo Jin-Cheol, and the latter quietly stepped back Regardless of what the Japanese''s attitude was like, this presented a golden opportunity to deal with the ants once and for all if their research data proved to be reliable ''I can''t afford to let slip such an opportunity because of my personal feelings . ''. Goh Gun-Hui could only calm his boiling anger inwardly Once the threatening tension of the conference room dissipated, Matsumoto Shigeo finally got to the main point "The Japanese Hunters will take on that role . ". Japan''s rank S Hunters would split into several teams and attack Jeju Island from different directions . Ants would rush out to face the intruders, and just like before, the tunnel with ant queen hiding in it would be emptied out "We wish to ask Korea''s top Hunters with the killing of the queen . ". South Korea''s rank S Hunters would sneak into the island using a helicopter, and once they kill off the queen, they escape via a helicopter again Noisy, noisy The plan put forward by the Japanese was rather detailed and sounded quite doable, so the Korean representatives began to get heated up from excitement "If we follow the Japanese plan, do we get to recover Jeju Island?". "These Japanese b*stards, they have finally showed their hands now that they too have become victims . ". "This is a great chance . ". "Let''s seize this opportunity and use the Japanese Hunters to reclaim Jeju Island . ". Goh Gun-Hui didn''t participate in the heated discussion of the Korean representatives, choosing to quietly mull over Matsumoto Shigeo''s suggested plan, instead ''Without a doubt, there is a good chance . ''. There were 21 rank S Hunters in Japan In comparison, there were only eight in South Korea But, by excluding himself who couldn''t move due to health reasons, or the other Hunter who had to retire early, then realistically speaking, there were only six that could participate ''It''ll be impossible to draw and scatter the attention of thousands of ants with that number . ''. In order to do so, they needed Japan and her twenty or so top-ranked Hunters . Even if they were to be split into groups of five, you''d still get four groups, and that would be enough to buy the Koreans time to do their job But the real problem was, would South Korea''s top Hunters actually be able to kill the boss of a rank S dungeon, the ant queen?. ''Is it even possible?''. It was then, Goh Gun-Hui suddenly remembered the name of Seong Jin-Woo Seong Jin-Woo was strong enough to solo kill the boss of a rank A dungeon, so what if he worked together with other rank S Hunters?. Ba-dump, ba-dump . Goh Gun-Hui''s heart began racing now ''We can''t delay this any longer . ''. Currently, ant monsters were evolving at a rapid pace . No one could predict precisely when the entirety of the ant army would become flight-capable . It could be ten years, five, or even, right next year Before something like that happened, the Koreans had to kill off the dastardly ants, and if they had to resort to borrowing another country''s strength, then so be it But, before that . "What does Japan want as compensation from this cooperation?". The Association President Goh Gun-Hui didn''t let this important matter slip through Matsumoto Shigeo did his best to form the most magnanimous smile he could physically perform "When the rest of ants die in a year, we evenly split the magic crystals left behind on the island . ". Only that much?. Goh Gun-Hui tilted his head, unconvinced "Will you really be happy with only that?". Goh Gun-Hui''s question caused the Korean government officials and politicians near him to frown rather deeply ''If they are willing to do it for a small asking price, he should just gladly accept it, so why is he questioning them like this?''. ''What will he do if the Japanese decide to change their mind all of a sudden . ?''. ''Association President Goh Gun-Hui, you''re still too distrusting, what with your background being a man who used to run a corporation . ''. Their hot dagger-like glares stabbed deeply into Goh Gun-Hui . He had no choice but to shut his mouth A short discussion took place between the Korean attendees, but no one raised a voice of objection In the end, the Japanese''s proposal was approved unanimously After the conference successfully came to an end, Matsumoto Shigeo approached Goh Gun-Hui with a beaming smile and offered his right hand "The future of our two nations depends on this cooperation . Let us combine our resources together and do our best . ". ***. After returning to his hotel room, Matsumoto Shigeo placed a cigarette in between his lips . Goto Ryuji to his side lit it up for him "You worked hard today, sir . ". "Mister Goto, it''s you who worked hard today . ". "You''re praising me too much, sir . ". "I''m not . Didn''t you see Goh Gun-Hui''s face back then?". Matsumoto Shigeo smirked deeply The fleeting emotion that flickered in and out momentarily on Goh Gun-Hui''s face back then ¨C it was definitely rage . The reason why Matsumoto Shigeo was able to display so much leisure in front of a rank S Hunter who reputedly possessed the greatest strength in South Korea, was simple ¨C because, he had a powerful ally standing behind him And that was Goto Ryuji, Japan''s number one melee-type Hunter . And also, the trustworthy right-hand man of the President of the Japanese Hunter Association, Matsumoto Shigeo Recalling Goh Gun-Hui''s expression, Matsumoto formed a mocking smile "Borrowing the power of someone whom you don''t even want to talk to . Now that would be quite intolerable from the perspective of the weak . ". Goto Ryuji also smirked as well In the end, the Koreans agreed to work with the Japanese, just as Matsumoto Shigeo had predicted . Everything was moving according to plan "South Korea is merely the beginning . ". Matsumoto Shigeo spoke up "Hunters are the new power, the new political influence . With this power given to Japan, I shall create a new empire . ". His gaze then shifted over to Goto Ryuji "And you shall become its next emperor . ". If Matsumoto Shigeo was to be considered the first ruler of the empire founded on his crafty schemes, then Goto Ryuji would be the second by relying on his powers alone . And this was the reason why Goto Ryuji treated Matsumoto Shigeo as his superior all this time It was then "I almost forgot . ". Matsumoto Shigeo recalled something and asked Goto Ryuji while killing the cigarette "Do we still not have any information on South Korea''s newest rank S Hunter?". "Even the South Koreans don''t seem to know much about that man, sir . ". " . Is that so . ". They already knew everything there was to know regarding all of South Korea''s top Hunters . Except for one person They didn''t have a single reliable piece of information on the Hunter who was registered as a rank S recently . The unknown factor could cause deviations to their plan . Now that his ambition had been revealed in full with the commencement of this operation, Matsumoto Shigeo couldn''t afford any form of deviation whatsoever to his plan ''Although it is questionable what a single person could achieve on his own, but, still ''. There were five such people in the entire world They were referred to as Hunters on the rank of ''Special Authority'', which meant that each one of them possessed power equalling that of a country''s military They all shared one common point; each one of them had cleared at least one rank S Gate in the past . A Hunter with that kind of ability could easily disrupt his plan ''However, the odds of that are extremely low . ''. Taking into account that there were seven billion people on Earth, the odds would be less than a billion to one . If someone of that calibre appeared, then there was no way the South Koreans would keep quiet about him . But judging from the current atmosphere, there didn''t seem to be any cause for concern on that front ''I can''t ruin everything by being too cautious here . ''. Matsumoto Shigeo picked up his phone Then, he gave his command to the higher-ups of his own Association, who were all anxiously waiting for his call back home "The Koreans have agreed to work with us, so summon all the rank S Hunters as planned . ". ***. Goh Gun-Hui was also calling the Korean Hunters at that moment The first priority was to explain the seriousness of the current situation . He was planning to fine-tune the Association''s schedule accordingly, but . "What did you say??". A completely unexpected piece of news flew out of nowhere and punched him in the face "You can''t get in touch with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo at all???". For some reason, only Seong Jin-Woo was out of reach "His phone''s been switched off for several days as well, sir . We can''t even figure out where he could be . ". " ". Goh Gun-Hui shut his mouth tightly then, before opening his mouth . He sounded exasperated at that moment "In that case, summon the other Hunters excluding him as soon as possible . ". "Understood, sir . ". The agent of the Association bowed and quickly ran out of the President''s office . Goh Gun-Hui''s expression hardened as he fell into deep contemplation ''Where could he possibly be?''. After hearing the report of Seong Jin-Woo going missing, Goh Gun-Hui suddenly had a foreboding premonition of the future < Chapter 106 > Fin Chapter 107 Just as Esil had alluded to earlier, the difficulty of the quest rose up steeply from the 90th floor upwards . The levels and the number of monsters guarding each floor''s castle were so much incomparably higher compared to the lower floors . It got so tough that he no longer could enjoy the fruit of his current sky-high Intelligence Stat ¨C his MP used to hover near the max almost all the time, but now, it fluctuated greatly every time there was a battle . That showed just how many of his Shadow Soldiers were destroyed and had to be revived over and over again . It wasn''t some fluke that Jin-Woo managed to clear the 90th floor, however . Just like a hammer shaping the raw iron that had been heated for a long, long time, he had been constantly polishing his skills as he climbed up from the lowest floor to get to where he was now . The clear evidence of that was his current level, which had reached 90 already . The fiercer the resistance of the superior Demon Aristocrats became, the stronger the attacks of Jin-Woo and his Shadow Soldiers got in order to break past their defences . [Level up!] As Jin-Woo exited from the castle carrying the 97th floor''s Entry Permit, haze-like gas was rising up from his body . That steam was from his sweat evaporating in the heat, caused by the friction of him moving beyond the physical limits . That was a clear indication of how much of a life-or-death struggle this battle had been . And accordingly, Jin-Woo''s face was filled with the satisfaction from the victory well earned . Esil had been hiding until then, and when she saw him, quickly ran up to his side . She could see a castle was roaring in flames behind Jin-Woo, and the Entry permit held firmly in his hand . ''Fifth-ranked Ricardo Clan, and now, even the fourth-ranked Faetos Clan, too . . . . '' Esil no longer had any reserve energy to be shocked anymore . If every other intruder boasted strength on this scale, then rather than protecting her land, it''d be difficult to even survive from the initial assault, instead . "Are all the other Humans as powerful as you?" Esil anxiously asked . Jin-Woo combed through his memory for a bit, before making a suitable reply . "Maybe, there are two more, I think . " Goh Gun-Hui and Cha Hae-In were those two . Jin-Woo had no doubt that they were much stronger than other rank S Hunters he came in contact with so far . As for the rest, which were Baek Yun-Ho, Choi Jong-In and Im Tae-Gyu, he didn''t feel that they were that particularly strong . Especially for Choi Jong-In - he seemed to be highly rated by everyone, but to Jin-Woo''s eyes, that seemed to be the case solely due to him being in charge of South Korea''s top-ranked Guild, the ''Hunters'', rather than because his own skills were impressive . ''If I were to judge from their auras alone, Cha Hae-In is several times stronger than Choi Jong-In . '' Without a doubt, one could still find differences in power even among the ranks of ''S'' Hunters . No, maybe the differences found within this rank would be far greater than any other ranks precisely because those who couldn''t be measured by regular means were all lumped in together here . Jin-Woo formed a subtle smirk . ''How would I perceive others after I get out of here?'' Just like how the feelings he got from Baek Yun-Ho differed from their first meeting to the second, would there be a change in how he perceived the Association President Goh Gun-Hui? Jin-Woo''s heart raced faster when he thought about checking out how much he had changed . ''But, before I can do that . . . . '' He had to clear this Demon''s Castle instant dungeon first . There were only four more floors remaining . He''d get to clear this dungeon soon enough . Jin-Woo turned to speak to Esil . "You should go back to your people now . " She had been utterly dejected after hearing that there were two more people like Jin-Woo out there, but then, she was jolted out of her morose state and raised her head . "Excuse me?" "I''ll find my own paths on the floors above this one . " Thanks to Esil guiding the way, he got to quickly locate the Demon Aristocrats and their castles . However, he no longer needed her help from now on . ''Well, my Perception Stat has risen up pretty high so that''s one of the reasons, but also . . . . '' The auras emanating from the superior aristocrats were so strong that he could easily locate them from afar now . She didn''t do much besides showing him the way, so he didn''t want to walk around with one more luggage anymore if he could help it . When he finished explaining himself like that . . . . "A-am I no longer useful to you?" Esil''s complexion had paled completely . ''She''s a funny one until the end, huh . '' Jin-Woo suppressed his laughter as he saw Esil''s reaction that always managed to exceed his expectations . He then walked right up to her nose . ''Heok!'' Esil''s eyes opened wider as he got progressively closer and closer . ''A-am I being eliminated, as well?'' Ba-dump, ba-dump . . . . Her pounding heartbeat sounded like thunderclaps to her ears . She then spotted Jin-Woo raising his hand . Seeing the tip of his hand slowly approach her face, Esil could only squeeze her eyes shut in terror . However . . . . ''¡­ . Uh?'' His hand lightly rested on her shoulder, instead . The warmth spreading from her shoulder prompted her to open her eyes just a little . Jin-Woo''s face was oh-so close to hers . As if he was waiting for her to open her eyes, he began smiling brightly right away . "You really worked hard until now . Thank you . " With that, it was done . Jin-Woo thought that he made a good-enough goodbye just then, and he took large strides to enter the floor-transfer magic circle . Tti-ring . [Floors 1 to 96 have been opened . ] [Which floor would you like to transfer to?] He turned around to look at Esil''s face, and he saw the emotions of surprise and wistful longing forming the perfect two halves of her expression . Terror, anxiety, shock, wistfulness . . . . Those were the range of emotions the monsters with intelligence had shown him . Were they truly residents of another world, just as Esil said, or were they simply figments of the System''s imagination, brought to reality for this dungeon? ''I can''t tell that yet, but . . . . '' If he continued to gather more clues in this manner, eventually he''d get to understand the true identity of the System as well as what it wanted from him . Meanwhile, the hesitant Esil finally mustered up some courage to call out to Jin-Woo . "Uhm, excuse me . . . . " But, almost at the same time, Jin-Woo raised his head and replied to the System message . "97th floor . " *** 97, 98, 99 . . . . Jin-Woo finally acquired the ''key'' to enter the abode of the Demon King . [Item: Entry Permit] Rarity: ?? Type: ?? A permit allowing you to enter the 100th floor of the Demon''s Castle . Can only be used on the 99th floor''s floor-transfer magic circle . Just how much hardship did he have to go through for this thing? Before entering the 100th floor where the Demon King was waiting for his arrival, Jin-Woo checked out his Status first . [Level: 93] His level was already knocking on 100''s doorway . He could sense his increased Stats throughout his entire body . Strength flowed in every corner of his body, and his senses were so much sharper than before . His condition was at its peak . ''Very good . '' Jin-Woo summoned the Store . He topped up his HP and MP with potions bought from there . He even bought some bandages as well . Just like before, he wrapped it around the right hand holding the dagger . It had been a long time since he felt this nervous . Once he was done, he slowly moved his body this way and that . Swish . . . . Slice . . . . ''Hmm, it''s not too bad, I guess?'' His movement gradually picked up speed, his limbs moving accurately according to his commands . Faster! Even faster! Jin-Woo left behind countless after-images in the air but quite suddenly, he stopped moving altogether . Hot steam rose up like a fog from his shoulders . Should he say this was sufficient for a warm-up? Whatever the case might have been, he was finished with his preparations now . "Fuu . . . . " Jin-Woo inhaled and exhaled a big chunk of air, before stepping onto the floor-transfer magic circle . Just like before, the magic circle asked for his destination, and Jin-Woo confidently replied . "100th floor . " By the time he blinked, the surroundings had already changed . Jin-Woo surveyed his new surroundings . ''There are no flames here?'' The horrifying flames that seemingly burned for all eternity on the lower floors were all gone, and he could only see the burnt-out remains . He raised head and spotted snowflakes falling from the sky . ''¡­ . Snow?'' The colour seemed a little off for real snowflakes, so he extended his hand out . The flakes falling on his hand didn''t melt down, weirdly enough . When he took a closer look, he realised that it was actually ash . Ash was falling from the sky like snow . It was then . Tti-ring . He heard the familiar mechanical beep . Jin-Woo''s sharpened glare was directed to the distant skies above . ''So, it''s above me . . . . '' Soon, the System alerted him to the entrance of the enemy via its trusty messages . [The Demon King Baran has discovered the intruder!] A black dot that wandered in the sky . . . . That black dot gradually got closer to the ground, before settling down on a spot pretty far away . It was a winged lizard-like creature . After successfully landing on the ground, the lizard flapped its large wings and screeched out aloud . Kiiiiieeeehhhk!! Just above the head of the lizard, Jin-Woo saw a face of a demon, with a certain blue aura oozing out from it . A male creature kitted out in a flashy set of armour that only royalty might wear, while riding on the back of the large winged lizard . . . . The four words could clearly be seen above the male demon''s head . [The Demon King, Baran] This boss was emitting an extraordinary aura . Cold sweat formed on Jin-Woo''s forehead . As befitting the boss protecting the top floor of a dungeon this massive, the creature was full of magnificent splendour . Jin-Woo''s gaze shifted to the side of the boss, however . ''Mm?'' The lizard this boss was riding on also possessed a name of its own . [The Sky Dragon Kaisellin] ''¡­ . Sky Dragon?'' Judging from its name and its appearance, it didn''t look like a demon at all . ''Wait a minute . . . . If it''s not a demon, then could I . . . . ?'' Even if he worked his butt off to kill demons, he couldn''t extract their shadows . So, he had already given up on acquiring a useful shadow in this place . But, what if it was a non-demon monster that could also fly? ''¡­ . . . . I want it . '' If he could extract its shadow, then definitely he would . This would be the first time he ran into a shadow he so dearly wanted to extract since encountering the leader of the White Phantoms, Baruka . Jin-Woo swallowed his dry saliva . It was then, Baran raised its hand towards the sky . Tti-ring . [The Demon King Baran has activated ''Skill: The Army of Hell'' . ] ''¡­ . The Army of Hell??'' Tti-ring, tti-ring, tti-ring . Several warning bells rang one after the other in Jin-Woo''s ears . [Demon Soldiers have been summoned!] [Demon Knights have been summoned!] [Demon Generals have been summoned!] Along with the messages filling up his view, an army entirely consisting of demons appeared around the Demon King . Even at a casual glance, there must''ve been over a thousand of them . ''So, this must be the beginning . '' Jin-Woo also released all of his hidden magic energy . When Baran arrogantly lowered the hand pointing at the sky in the direction of Jin-Woo, the demonic army rushed at him like a black tide . Rumble-!! The ground vibrated from the forceful march of the demons . Jin-Woo stared at the Demon King''s army as the corner of his lips arched up . ''I also have soldiers too, you know . '' Jin-Woo opened his mouth . "My shadows . . . . " In the blink of an eye, Jin-Woo''s shadow spread out to all the surrounding areas . He had activated the skill, ''Sovereign''s Territory'' . When the Demon King''s army set foot within the darkened land, Jin-Woo finally summoned his Shadow Soldiers . " . . . . Show yourselves . " His shadows stood up all at once to answer his call . ''¡­ . !!!'' Jin-Woo could acutely feel the confusion and panic among the enemies'' ranks . Wuuoooohhh!! Kkkrrroar!! Immediately seizing upon this opening, the two ''physical'' type Knight grade soldiers, Iron and Tank, ran forward with everything they had and crashed into the enemy . Kaboom!! "Kuwaahk!!" "Kehgehk!!" Dozens of demons screamed and were flung away from the absurd strengths of the two Shadow Soldiers . Right behind them, over one hundred soldiers rushed forward like a black tidal wave . And the highlight of this opening salvo obviously belonged to Igrit! He jumped lightly over the head of Iron and landed gently on the ground, before using the swords he held in each hand to cut and slice apart every demon he could find . "Kiieeehhk!!" "Keuhark!!" It was a performance befitting the grade of ''Elite Knight'' . ''By the way, Igrit isn''t the only Elite Knight in my army, you know . '' Jin-Woo''s gaze shifted over to his side . Fangs had finished gigantifying himself by then, and walked forward with large, heavy thuds as if to emphasize that it was his turn to fight . Jin-Woo formed a content expression as he watched Fangs'' large back . Fuu-wuu-wuheup . Fangs took a deep, deep breath . His chest puffed up noticeably . Jin-Woo quickly recalled all the Shadow Soldiers found in front of Fangs, so his giant soldier could attack without holding anything back . The soldiers reverted to shadows, and shifted to the new location Jin-Woo pointed with his finger . And then . . . . . Kuwuuuuuuu . . . . Massive, ferocious pillar of flames spewing out from Fangs'' mouth completely vaporised the demons on the ground . The flames didn''t stop there, though . Kuwuuuuuu . . . . . Fangs moved his head left to right, and utterly incinerated all demons trapped with the arc of the attack . All those poor demons swallowed up by the flames couldn''t even leak out a scream . A few Shadow Soldiers were sucked into the attack in the process as well, but as long as they were under the influence of their Sovereign, it was possible to infinitely revive them . ''Very good!'' Jin-Woo clenched his fists tightly . One hundred-plus Shadow Soldiers were overwhelming the army over ten times their numbers . The demonic soldiers and their ranks crumbled in no time at all . But, it was then . Baran stopped standing back passively, and finally made his move . Countless arcs of blue sparks buzzed and crackled within the wide-open mouth of the boss creature . Gahaaaaahark! Along with that hair-raising yell, a chill-inducing beam of blue light enveloped the Shadow Soldiers . Kwa-bzzzzzzzzzz!! ''¡­ . Lightning?!'' Jin-Woo''s eyes widened from sheer surprise . Soldiers getting swept up in the blue electrical storm disintegrated in an instant, while those that managed to avoid instant death stood still in their spots as if they were frozen solid . ''¡­ . It''s not regular lightning . '' Lightning bolts containing horrifying destructive power, as well as side-effects of stunning their targets, fell all over the place . And of course, one of these blue-coloured electrical storms also headed for Jin-Woo as well . Cra-ckle!! Quite unlike his Shadow Soldiers, he didn''t receive a single lick of damage, however . All burn-related damage was absorbed by the ''Wind Robe'' he currently had on, and . . . . [You have resisted abnormal status with the effects of ''Buff: Immunity'' . ] [You have resisted abnormal status with the effects of ''Buff: Immunity'' . ] [You have resisted abnormal status with the effects of ''Buff: Immunity'' . ] ¡­ . As for the lightning''s stun effect, his abnormal status immunity buff dealt with it . Jin-Woo dashed towards Baran right away . If he didn''t stop the boss''s AOE magic right now, there was a good chance that the flow of battle would shift away from his favour . Baran''s glare landed on Jin-Woo . Gahaaaaahk!! Another ear-screeching yell exploded out from the boss''s wide open mouth, and blue streaks of lightning rained all around Jin-Woo . Crackle, crack, crackle!! However, Baran flinched grandly upon realising that the concentrated lightning attacks had no effect on Jin-Woo . ''¡­ . . !!'' He sensed the boss''s agitation quite clearly . Utilising the skill ''Dash'' that had reached the maximum achievable level, Jin-Woo closed the distance in the blink of an eye and jumped up high in the air . Baran also unsheathed its sword . Jin-Woo''s reverse-gripped ''Baruka''s Dagger'' and the Demon King''s blade, infused with bluish flames, clashed face to face . BOOM!! A huge explosion of noise spread out; Baran was shoved off the Sky Dragon, while Jin-Woo was flung away by the rebound as well . Jin-Woo stopped rolling on the ground and got up at the same time as Baran . They glared at each other only for a brief moment . Both of them dashed towards each other with everything they had almost out of pure instinct . Gaaaaaahk!! Baran spat out more blue sparks from his mouth . Craaaackle!! Crack!! Countless blue-coloured rays of light crashed down on him . Jin-Woo continued to run forward while believing in the defensive properties of the robe, but then, he sensed something was off . ''¡­ . It''s getting hotter?'' When he glanced back, he realised that the end of the robe was on fire . He quickly threw off the robe . ''I guess that''s as far as the robe can protect me . '' In the end, it was an artefact crafted by humans . It had already performed its job quite admirably up to this point, so he felt no regret . From here onwards, Jin-Woo had to take care of things on his own . He swallowed his saliva . Gaaahhhhak!! As if it had sensed that an opportunity had arrived, the intensity of the blue sparks crackling within Baran''s mouth increased by a notch . Jin-Woo heightened his senses as much as he could to get ready . ''I can do this . '' No, he simply had to do this . With time slowing down substantially in his perspective, Jin-Woo calmly evaded each and every single one of the blue arcs of lightning flying right at him . ''¡­ . Why is this happening?'' Craaackle! As Baran''s figure got closer and closer, Jin-Woo began recalling his memories of the Demon''s Castle one by one . Even during that, he still managed to evade the blue lightnings . Craaaackle!! His heart was beating quite gently right now . Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump . . . . Jin-Woo dodged all of Baran''s attacks by a truly paper-thin margin, and eventually, stood before the Demon King . ''¡­ . Ah . '' Only then did he finally realise why he was reminiscing about the events of the Demon''s Castle like this . Because, he was feeling grateful . ''Thanks . '' To grant him this great power to fight evenly against an absurdly strong monster like this . . . . As he climbed up each floor, he was moulded and refined further and further . It was as if he was being trained precisely for this moment . So, how could he not feel grateful right now? Swish-! Baran slashed down diagonally with his sword, and Jin-Woo raised ''Baruka''s Dagger'' in his right hand to block it, before using the ''Knight Killer'' to stab the Demon King''s shoulder . Crack!! The weapon designed specifically to tear through the enemy''s armour dug deeply into Baran''s shoulder . ''¡­ . . . !!'' Jin-Woo momentarily thought that he could hear Baran''s soundless scream just then . He yanked the ''Knight Killer'' out . Flames of rage erupted within Baran''s eyes . The Demon King began panting out rather laboriously . Finally, the boss made his move . Jin-Woo''s two daggers and Baran''s sword swished and swung and clashed against each other countless times, leaving behind several wounds on their bodies . Clang!! Claaaank!! Clang, clunk!! Every time their blades collided, the ground around the two caved in by the shock waves emanating from the collision of the magic energy . A deep frown formed on Jin-Woo''s forehead . ''Even with such a deep wound on his shoulder . . . . '' As befitting the title of the Demon King, Baran''s powers were nothing to scoff at . Jin-Woo felt aching coming from his wrists . He realised that he''d be in a disadvantageous position if things continued on in this fashion . ''I need to break this deadlock . '' Jin-Woo and Baran both had two hands . However, Jin-Woo also possessed a hidden third hand . ''Ruler''s Reach!'' Out of the blue, a powerful impact force pushed Baran down on one knee . Thud! ''¡­ . ??'' Even before Baran could recover from his confusion, Jin-Woo''s fist slammed hard into the Demon King''s face . Ka-boom!! Baran''s uncontrollable tumbling only came to an end after it rolled on the ground for dozens of metres . However, it couldn''t get up . Because, Jin-Woo was already straddling the torso of the Demon King by then . Baran quickly opened its mouth wide towards him . Gah-ark! Too bad, Baran couldn''t fire off another lightning . Jin-Woo''s left fist shoved deep into the Demon King''s mouth ensured that the ''spell'' would remain sealed . ''¡­ . . !!'' Baran''s eyes shook hard . Meanwhile, Jin-Woo raised his fist up high, choosing not to use the dagger wrapped around his hand . Slam!! Boom!! Slam!! Kaboom!! The terrifying physical power from the Strength Stat that had exceeded 200 rapidly shaved away the boss monster''s HP . And finally . . . . Jin-Woo placed almost all of his strength into the raised right fist . Fuu-huup! In an instant, his shoulder and arm muscles expanded greatly, and the air around him became so heavy that it actually sank lower . An enormous amount of magic energy pooling around his right arm forced all sounds away, and instantly, the surroundings became eerily quiet . ''¡­ . . . . . '' Within this brief respite of silence, Jin-Woo looked down at the boss below him and murmured . "Thanks for everything . " Of course, there was no reply . The Demon King only glared at Jin-Woo with hatred deeply burning in its eyes . ''I''m sure you''ll never understand what I''m trying to say here . '' Even then, he wanted to convey this emotion welling up inside his chest . After he gave his honest thanks . . . Jin-Woo landed the final hit against the ''owner'' of this Demon''s Castle . KABOOM!! And then, he was greeted by the sound of ''Tti-ring!'' as well as several messages that made him feel even better . [You killed the Demon King, Baran . ] [You have acquired Baran''s Soul . ] [You have completed ''Quest: Collect the Souls of Demons! (2)'' . ] [Level up!] [Level up!] [Level up!] [Level up!] < Chapter 107 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 107: Chapter 107 . Just as Esil had alluded to earlier, the difficulty of the quest rose up steeply from the 90th floor upwards . The levels and the number of monsters guarding each floor''s castle were so much incomparably higher compared to the lower floors It got so tough that he no longer could enjoy the fruit of his current sky-high Intelligence Stat ¨C his MP used to hover near the max almost all the time, but now, it fluctuated greatly every time there was a battle That showed just how many of his Shadow Soldiers were destroyed and had to be revived over and over again It wasn''t some fluke that Jin-Woo managed to clear the 90th floor, however Just like a hammer shaping the raw iron that had been heated for a long, long time, he had been constantly polishing his skills as he climbed up from the lowest floor to get to where he was now The clear evidence of that was his current level, which had reached 90 already The fiercer the resistance of the superior Demon Aristocrats became, the stronger the attacks of Jin-Woo and his Shadow Soldiers got in order to break past their defences [Level up!]. As Jin-Woo exited from the castle carrying the 97th floor''s Entry Permit, haze-like gas was rising up from his body . That steam was from his sweat evaporating in the heat, caused by the friction of him moving beyond the physical limits That was a clear indication of how much of a life-or-death struggle this battle had been . And accordingly, Jin-Woo''s face was filled with the satisfaction from the victory well earned Esil had been hiding until then, and when she saw him, quickly ran up to his side She could see a castle was roaring in flames behind Jin-Woo, and the Entry permit held firmly in his hand ''Fifth-ranked Ricardo Clan, and now, even the fourth-ranked Faetos Clan, too ''. Esil no longer had any reserve energy to be shocked anymore . If every other intruder boasted strength on this scale, then rather than protecting her land, it''d be difficult to even survive from the initial assault, instead "Are all the other Humans as powerful as you?". Esil anxiously asked Jin-Woo combed through his memory for a bit, before making a suitable reply "Maybe, there are two more, I think . ". Goh Gun-Hui and Cha Hae-In were those two . Jin-Woo had no doubt that they were much stronger than other rank S Hunters he came in contact with so far As for the rest, which were Baek Yun-Ho, Choi Jong-In and Im Tae-Gyu, he didn''t feel that they were that particularly strong Especially for Choi Jong-In - he seemed to be highly rated by everyone, but to Jin-Woo''s eyes, that seemed to be the case solely due to him being in charge of South Korea''s top-ranked Guild, the ''Hunters'', rather than because his own skills were impressive ''If I were to judge from their auras alone, Cha Hae-In is several times stronger than Choi Jong-In . ''. Without a doubt, one could still find differences in power even among the ranks of ''S'' Hunters No, maybe the differences found within this rank would be far greater than any other ranks precisely because those who couldn''t be measured by regular means were all lumped in together here Jin-Woo formed a subtle smirk ''How would I perceive others after I get out of here?''. Just like how the feelings he got from Baek Yun-Ho differed from their first meeting to the second, would there be a change in how he perceived the Association President Goh Gun-Hui?. Jin-Woo''s heart raced faster when he thought about checking out how much he had changed ''But, before I can do that ''. He had to clear this Demon''s Castle instant dungeon first . There were only four more floors remaining . He''d get to clear this dungeon soon enough . Jin-Woo turned to speak to Esil "You should go back to your people now . ". She had been utterly dejected after hearing that there were two more people like Jin-Woo out there, but then, she was jolted out of her morose state and raised her head "Excuse me?". "I''ll find my own paths on the floors above this one . ". Thanks to Esil guiding the way, he got to quickly locate the Demon Aristocrats and their castles . However, he no longer needed her help from now on ''Well, my Perception Stat has risen up pretty high so that''s one of the reasons, but also ''. The auras emanating from the superior aristocrats were so strong that he could easily locate them from afar now . She didn''t do much besides showing him the way, so he didn''t want to walk around with one more luggage anymore if he could help it When he finished explaining himself like that . "A-am I no longer useful to you?". Esil''s complexion had paled completely ''She''s a funny one until the end, huh . ''. Jin-Woo suppressed his laughter as he saw Esil''s reaction that always managed to exceed his expectations . He then walked right up to her nose ''Heok!''. Esil''s eyes opened wider as he got progressively closer and closer ''A-am I being eliminated, as well?''. Ba-dump, ba-dump . Her pounding heartbeat sounded like thunderclaps to her ears She then spotted Jin-Woo raising his hand . Seeing the tip of his hand slowly approach her face, Esil could only squeeze her eyes shut in terror However . ''¡­ . Uh?''. His hand lightly rested on her shoulder, instead . The warmth spreading from her shoulder prompted her to open her eyes just a little . Jin-Woo''s face was oh-so close to hers . As if he was waiting for her to open her eyes, he began smiling brightly right away "You really worked hard until now . Thank you . ". With that, it was done Jin-Woo thought that he made a good-enough goodbye just then, and he took large strides to enter the floor-transfer magic circle Tti-ring [Floors 1 to 96 have been opened . ]. [Which floor would you like to transfer to?]. He turned around to look at Esil''s face, and he saw the emotions of surprise and wistful longing forming the perfect two halves of her expression Terror, anxiety, shock, wistfulness . Those were the range of emotions the monsters with intelligence had shown him Were they truly residents of another world, just as Esil said, or were they simply figments of the System''s imagination, brought to reality for this dungeon?. ''I can''t tell that yet, but ''. If he continued to gather more clues in this manner, eventually he''d get to understand the true identity of the System as well as what it wanted from him Meanwhile, the hesitant Esil finally mustered up some courage to call out to Jin-Woo "Uhm, excuse me ". But, almost at the same time, Jin-Woo raised his head and replied to the System message "97th floor . ". ***. 97, 98, 99 . Jin-Woo finally acquired the ''key'' to enter the abode of the Demon King [Item: Entry Permit]. Rarity: ??. Type: ??. A permit allowing you to enter the 100th floor of the Demon''s Castle . Can only be used on the 99th floor''s floor-transfer magic circle Just how much hardship did he have to go through for this thing? Before entering the 100th floor where the Demon King was waiting for his arrival, Jin-Woo checked out his Status first [Level: 93]. His level was already knocking on 100''s doorway . He could sense his increased Stats throughout his entire body . Strength flowed in every corner of his body, and his senses were so much sharper than before . His condition was at its peak ''Very good . ''. Jin-Woo summoned the Store . He topped up his HP and MP with potions bought from there . He even bought some bandages as well . Just like before, he wrapped it around the right hand holding the dagger . It had been a long time since he felt this nervous Once he was done, he slowly moved his body this way and that Swish . Slice . ''Hmm, it''s not too bad, I guess?''. His movement gradually picked up speed, his limbs moving accurately according to his commands Faster! Even faster!. Jin-Woo left behind countless after-images in the air but quite suddenly, he stopped moving altogether . Hot steam rose up like a fog from his shoulders Should he say this was sufficient for a warm-up?. Whatever the case might have been, he was finished with his preparations now "Fuu ". Jin-Woo inhaled and exhaled a big chunk of air, before stepping onto the floor-transfer magic circle . Just like before, the magic circle asked for his destination, and Jin-Woo confidently replied "100th floor . ". By the time he blinked, the surroundings had already changed . Jin-Woo surveyed his new surroundings ''There are no flames here?''. The horrifying flames that seemingly burned for all eternity on the lower floors were all gone, and he could only see the burnt-out remains . He raised head and spotted snowflakes falling from the sky ''¡­ . Snow?''. The colour seemed a little off for real snowflakes, so he extended his hand out . The flakes falling on his hand didn''t melt down, weirdly enough . When he took a closer look, he realised that it was actually ash Ash was falling from the sky like snow It was then Tti-ring He heard the familiar mechanical beep . Jin-Woo''s sharpened glare was directed to the distant skies above ''So, it''s above me ''. Soon, the System alerted him to the entrance of the enemy via its trusty messages [The Demon King Baran has discovered the intruder!]. A black dot that wandered in the sky . That black dot gradually got closer to the ground, before settling down on a spot pretty far away . It was a winged lizard-like creature After successfully landing on the ground, the lizard flapped its large wings and screeched out aloud Kiiiiieeeehhhk!!. Just above the head of the lizard, Jin-Woo saw a face of a demon, with a certain blue aura oozing out from it . A male creature kitted out in a flashy set of armour that only royalty might wear, while riding on the back of the large winged lizard . The four words could clearly be seen above the male demon''s head [The Demon King, Baran]. This boss was emitting an extraordinary aura Cold sweat formed on Jin-Woo''s forehead . As befitting the boss protecting the top floor of a dungeon this massive, the creature was full of magnificent splendour Jin-Woo''s gaze shifted to the side of the boss, however ''Mm?''. The lizard this boss was riding on also possessed a name of its own [The Sky Dragon Kaisellin]. ''¡­ . Sky Dragon?''. Judging from its name and its appearance, it didn''t look like a demon at all ''Wait a minute If it''s not a demon, then could I ?''. Even if he worked his butt off to kill demons, he couldn''t extract their shadows . So, he had already given up on acquiring a useful shadow in this place . But, what if it was a non-demon monster that could also fly?. ''¡­ I want it . ''. If he could extract its shadow, then definitely he would This would be the first time he ran into a shadow he so dearly wanted to extract since encountering the leader of the White Phantoms, Baruka . Jin-Woo swallowed his dry saliva It was then, Baran raised its hand towards the sky Tti-ring [The Demon King Baran has activated ''Skill: The Army of Hell'' . ]. ''¡­ . The Army of Hell??''. Tti-ring, tti-ring, tti-ring Several warning bells rang one after the other in Jin-Woo''s ears [Demon Soldiers have been summoned!]. [Demon Knights have been summoned!]. [Demon Generals have been summoned!]. Along with the messages filling up his view, an army entirely consisting of demons appeared around the Demon King . Even at a casual glance, there must''ve been over a thousand of them ''So, this must be the beginning . ''. Jin-Woo also released all of his hidden magic energy When Baran arrogantly lowered the hand pointing at the sky in the direction of Jin-Woo, the demonic army rushed at him like a black tide Rumble-!!. The ground vibrated from the forceful march of the demons Jin-Woo stared at the Demon King''s army as the corner of his lips arched up ''I also have soldiers too, you know . ''. Jin-Woo opened his mouth "My shadows ". In the blink of an eye, Jin-Woo''s shadow spread out to all the surrounding areas . He had activated the skill, ''Sovereign''s Territory'' . When the Demon King''s army set foot within the darkened land, Jin-Woo finally summoned his Shadow Soldiers " Show yourselves . ". His shadows stood up all at once to answer his call ''¡­ . !!!''. Jin-Woo could acutely feel the confusion and panic among the enemies'' ranks Wuuoooohhh!!. Kkkrrroar!!. Immediately seizing upon this opening, the two ''physical'' type Knight grade soldiers, Iron and Tank, ran forward with everything they had and crashed into the enemy Kaboom!!. "Kuwaahk!!". "Kehgehk!!". Dozens of demons screamed and were flung away from the absurd strengths of the two Shadow Soldiers . Right behind them, over one hundred soldiers rushed forward like a black tidal wave And the highlight of this opening salvo obviously belonged to Igrit!. He jumped lightly over the head of Iron and landed gently on the ground, before using the swords he held in each hand to cut and slice apart every demon he could find "Kiieeehhk!!". "Keuhark!!". It was a performance befitting the grade of ''Elite Knight'' ''By the way, Igrit isn''t the only Elite Knight in my army, you know . ''. Jin-Woo''s gaze shifted over to his side Fangs had finished gigantifying himself by then, and walked forward with large, heavy thuds as if to emphasize that it was his turn to fight . Jin-Woo formed a content expression as he watched Fangs'' large back Fuu-wuu-wuheup Fangs took a deep, deep breath . His chest puffed up noticeably . Jin-Woo quickly recalled all the Shadow Soldiers found in front of Fangs, so his giant soldier could attack without holding anything back . The soldiers reverted to shadows, and shifted to the new location Jin-Woo pointed with his finger And then Kuwuuuuuuu . Massive, ferocious pillar of flames spewing out from Fangs'' mouth completely vaporised the demons on the ground . The flames didn''t stop there, though Kuwuuuuuu Fangs moved his head left to right, and utterly incinerated all demons trapped with the arc of the attack . All those poor demons swallowed up by the flames couldn''t even leak out a scream A few Shadow Soldiers were sucked into the attack in the process as well, but as long as they were under the influence of their Sovereign, it was possible to infinitely revive them ''Very good!''. Jin-Woo clenched his fists tightly One hundred-plus Shadow Soldiers were overwhelming the army over ten times their numbers . The demonic soldiers and their ranks crumbled in no time at all But, it was then Baran stopped standing back passively, and finally made his move . Countless arcs of blue sparks buzzed and crackled within the wide-open mouth of the boss creature Gahaaaaahark!. Along with that hair-raising yell, a chill-inducing beam of blue light enveloped the Shadow Soldiers Kwa-bzzzzzzzzzz!!. ''¡­ . Lightning?!''. Jin-Woo''s eyes widened from sheer surprise Soldiers getting swept up in the blue electrical storm disintegrated in an instant, while those that managed to avoid instant death stood still in their spots as if they were frozen solid ''¡­ . It''s not regular lightning . ''. Lightning bolts containing horrifying destructive power, as well as side-effects of stunning their targets, fell all over the place . And of course, one of these blue-coloured electrical storms also headed for Jin-Woo as well Cra-ckle!!. Quite unlike his Shadow Soldiers, he didn''t receive a single lick of damage, however All burn-related damage was absorbed by the ''Wind Robe'' he currently had on, and . [You have resisted abnormal status with the effects of ''Buff: Immunity'' . ]. [You have resisted abnormal status with the effects of ''Buff: Immunity'' . ]. [You have resisted abnormal status with the effects of ''Buff: Immunity'' . ]. ¡­ . As for the lightning''s stun effect, his abnormal status immunity buff dealt with it Jin-Woo dashed towards Baran right away . If he didn''t stop the boss''s AOE magic right now, there was a good chance that the flow of battle would shift away from his favour Baran''s glare landed on Jin-Woo Gahaaaaahk!!. Another ear-screeching yell exploded out from the boss''s wide open mouth, and blue streaks of lightning rained all around Jin-Woo Crackle, crack, crackle!!. However, Baran flinched grandly upon realising that the concentrated lightning attacks had no effect on Jin-Woo ''¡­ !!''. He sensed the boss''s agitation quite clearly Utilising the skill ''Dash'' that had reached the maximum achievable level, Jin-Woo closed the distance in the blink of an eye and jumped up high in the air . Baran also unsheathed its sword Jin-Woo''s reverse-gripped ''Baruka''s Dagger'' and the Demon King''s blade, infused with bluish flames, clashed face to face BOOM!!. A huge explosion of noise spread out; Baran was shoved off the Sky Dragon, while Jin-Woo was flung away by the rebound as well Jin-Woo stopped rolling on the ground and got up at the same time as Baran . They glared at each other only for a brief moment Both of them dashed towards each other with everything they had almost out of pure instinct Gaaaaaahk!!. Baran spat out more blue sparks from his mouth Craaaackle!! Crack!!. Countless blue-coloured rays of light crashed down on him . Jin-Woo continued to run forward while believing in the defensive properties of the robe, but then, he sensed something was off ''¡­ . It''s getting hotter?''. When he glanced back, he realised that the end of the robe was on fire . He quickly threw off the robe ''I guess that''s as far as the robe can protect me . ''. In the end, it was an artefact crafted by humans . It had already performed its job quite admirably up to this point, so he felt no regret . From here onwards, Jin-Woo had to take care of things on his own He swallowed his saliva Gaaahhhhak!!. As if it had sensed that an opportunity had arrived, the intensity of the blue sparks crackling within Baran''s mouth increased by a notch . Jin-Woo heightened his senses as much as he could to get ready ''I can do this . ''. No, he simply had to do this With time slowing down substantially in his perspective, Jin-Woo calmly evaded each and every single one of the blue arcs of lightning flying right at him ''¡­ . Why is this happening?''. Craaackle!. As Baran''s figure got closer and closer, Jin-Woo began recalling his memories of the Demon''s Castle one by one . Even during that, he still managed to evade the blue lightnings Craaaackle!!. His heart was beating quite gently right now Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump . Jin-Woo dodged all of Baran''s attacks by a truly paper-thin margin, and eventually, stood before the Demon King ''¡­ . Ah . ''. Only then did he finally realise why he was reminiscing about the events of the Demon''s Castle like this . Because, he was feeling grateful ''Thanks . ''. To grant him this great power to fight evenly against an absurdly strong monster like this . As he climbed up each floor, he was moulded and refined further and further . It was as if he was being trained precisely for this moment So, how could he not feel grateful right now?. Swish-!. Baran slashed down diagonally with his sword, and Jin-Woo raised ''Baruka''s Dagger'' in his right hand to block it, before using the ''Knight Killer'' to stab the Demon King''s shoulder Crack!!. The weapon designed specifically to tear through the enemy''s armour dug deeply into Baran''s shoulder ''¡­ . !!''. Jin-Woo momentarily thought that he could hear Baran''s soundless scream just then . He yanked the ''Knight Killer'' out . Flames of rage erupted within Baran''s eyes . The Demon King began panting out rather laboriously Finally, the boss made his move Jin-Woo''s two daggers and Baran''s sword swished and swung and clashed against each other countless times, leaving behind several wounds on their bodies Clang!! Claaaank!! Clang, clunk!!. Every time their blades collided, the ground around the two caved in by the shock waves emanating from the collision of the magic energy A deep frown formed on Jin-Woo''s forehead ''Even with such a deep wound on his shoulder ''. As befitting the title of the Demon King, Baran''s powers were nothing to scoff at . Jin-Woo felt aching coming from his wrists . He realised that he''d be in a disadvantageous position if things continued on in this fashion ''I need to break this deadlock . ''. Jin-Woo and Baran both had two hands . However, Jin-Woo also possessed a hidden third hand ''Ruler''s Reach!''. Out of the blue, a powerful impact force pushed Baran down on one knee Thud!. ''¡­ . ??''. Even before Baran could recover from his confusion, Jin-Woo''s fist slammed hard into the Demon King''s face Ka-boom!!. Baran''s uncontrollable tumbling only came to an end after it rolled on the ground for dozens of metres . However, it couldn''t get up . Because, Jin-Woo was already straddling the torso of the Demon King by then Baran quickly opened its mouth wide towards him Gah-ark!. Too bad, Baran couldn''t fire off another lightning . Jin-Woo''s left fist shoved deep into the Demon King''s mouth ensured that the ''spell'' would remain sealed ''¡­ !!''. Baran''s eyes shook hard Meanwhile, Jin-Woo raised his fist up high, choosing not to use the dagger wrapped around his hand Slam!!. Boom!!. Slam!!. Kaboom!!. The terrifying physical power from the Strength Stat that had exceeded 200 rapidly shaved away the boss monster''s HP And finally . Jin-Woo placed almost all of his strength into the raised right fist Fuu-huup!. In an instant, his shoulder and arm muscles expanded greatly, and the air around him became so heavy that it actually sank lower . An enormous amount of magic energy pooling around his right arm forced all sounds away, and instantly, the surroundings became eerily quiet ''¡­ . ''. Within this brief respite of silence, Jin-Woo looked down at the boss below him and murmured "Thanks for everything . ". Of course, there was no reply . The Demon King only glared at Jin-Woo with hatred deeply burning in its eyes ''I''m sure you''ll never understand what I''m trying to say here . ''. Even then, he wanted to convey this emotion welling up inside his chest After he gave his honest thanks Jin-Woo landed the final hit against the ''owner'' of this Demon''s Castle KABOOM!!. And then, he was greeted by the sound of ''Tti-ring!'' as well as several messages that made him feel even better [You killed the Demon King, Baran . ]. [You have acquired Baran''s Soul . ]. [You have completed ''Quest: Collect the Souls of Demons! (2)'' . ]. [Level up!]. [Level up!]. [Level up!]. [Level up!]. < Chapter 107 > Fin Chapter 108 "Fuu . . . " Jin-Woo spat out a short sigh of relief . This was the moment his long march that started from the very first floor of the Demon''s Castle dungeon was drawing to a close here on this 100th floor . He closed his eyes for a moment in order to get a grip on his turbulent emotions, only for the image of his mom''s face to pop up . '' . . . '' When he reopened his eyes, the System messages that hadn''t gone away yet entered his view again . Four alerts of him levelling up floated up there . ''I rose up four levels in one go?'' Jin-Woo''s expression brightened up considerably . Thinking back to how his levelling speed had slowed down to a crawl after he broke past level 90, he couldn''t help but revel in happiness . He quickly checked his Status Window . [Level: 97] Indeed, his level had jumped up by four . ''Niiice!!'' Jin-Woo fist-pumped . A dizzying sense of achievement was quickly added on top of the relief he felt from finally clearing this dungeon . However, he quickly put aside this joy to the back of his mind . He still had something far more important than levelling up right now . ''The Purified Blood of the Demon King . '' That was the final puzzle piece to craft the item, ''Divine Water of Life'' . Jin-Woo quickly unwrapped the bandage off his hand and reached out towards the blinking lights on the corpse of the Demon King, Baran . [You have discovered ''Item: Demon Sovereign''s Ring'' . Will you take it?] [You have discovered ''Item: Demon King''s Longsword'' . Will you take it?] [You have discovered ''Item: Demon King''s Shortsword'' . Will you take it?] [You have discovered ''Item: Demon King''s Shortsword'' . Will you take it?] [You have discovered ''Item: Baran''s Two Horns'' . Will you take it?] [You have discovered ''Ingredient Item: Purified Blood of the Demon King'' . Will you take it?] Rather than feeling elated, Jin-Woo felt anxious instead from the list of ''item discovered'' messages that continued to pop up . Because, he couldn''t spot the item he was looking for . However, he cried out in excitement as soon as he spotted the very last item, ''Purified Blood of the Demon King'' . ''It''s here!'' Jin-Woo quickly acquired all the items and lifted up the item that must''ve been the Purified Blood of the Demon King . [Ingredient Item: Purified Blood of the Demon King] Rarity: ?? Type: Ingredient This is the liquid created from purifying the blood of Baran, the Sovereign of the demons . Possesses immense magical energy, but even after going through the purifying process, the blood still retains strong toxins . In order to use the blood as a medical ingredient, both the ''Fragment of the World Tree'' and ''Spring Water from the Forest of Echoes'' are needed to neutralize the toxin . The red liquid sloshed inside a clear glass bottle according to the angle it was held . ''This is the blood of the Demon King . . . . '' He already possessed the other two ingredients, ''Fragment of the World Tree'' and the ''Spring Water from the Forest of Echoes'' . So, what was there to hesitate about? Jin-Woo promptly summoned the Crafting Skill Window . [Crafting Skills] Consumable: Divine Water of Life (3/3) Different from the past, the words ''Divine Water of Life'' was now blinking constantly . When he checked the details, the words ''Crafting possible'' immediately caught his attention . [Divine Water of Life] - Crafting possible - Ingredients: 1 . Purified Blood of the Demon King (1/1) 2 . Fragment of the World Tree (1/1) 3 . Spring Water from the Forest of Echoes (1/1) [Will you start crafting ''Item: Divine Water of Life''?] Jin-Woo was in a hurry to see the finished article, so he didn''t waste any more time and chose to start the crafting process . "Start . " [Crafting process for ''Item: Divine Water of Life'' has commenced . ] [10, 9, 8 . . . . ] Jin-Woo waited for the result with bated breath . [7, 6, 5 . . . . ] [The ''percentage of Crafting success'' and ''number of finished items'' will depend on Crafter''s Intelligence Stat . ] Jin-Woo''s eyes widened . ''Are you telling me only now that the odds of success, as well as the number of completed items, will depend on the Intelligence Stat?!'' If you were stupid, then you couldn''t even craft anything? ¡­ . It did sound somewhat logical, so Jin-Woo could only nod his head . In the meantime, the countdown steadily ticked on . [4, 3, 2 . . . . ] Why did the words ''percentage of Crafting success'' get on his nerves so much? The only solace he could take away right now was the fact that he had at least woke up to the importance of the Intelligence Stat quickly enough to invest a lot of extra Stat points there . [¡­ . 1, 0 . ] [Crating process has been completed!] [Crafting is a success!] [You have acquired ''Item: Divine Water of Life x6'' . ] "That''s what I''m talking about!!" Jin-Woo had been waiting anxiously until then, but as soon as the ''Success!'' message popped up, he raised his hands high up into the sky . ''¡­ . Huh?'' However, he quickly discovered something a bit odd . The bottle containing the blood of the Demon King still remained in his right hand . ''Well, uh, the amount of blood has decreased by a little, but . . . . '' Jin-Woo tilted his head, before summoning the ''Fragment of the World Tree'' and the ''Spring Water from the Forest of Echoes'' from his Inventory . The only thing that appeared on the ground was the slightly-shaved-on-the-edge Fragment of the World Tree, though . He accessed his Inventory and searched, but couldn''t find the Spring Water anywhere . ''Could it be . . . . ?'' Feeling a bit suspicious, he confirmed the Crafting Skill Window, and his suspicion was soon answered in full . -Ingredients: 1 . Purified Blood of the Demon King (1/1) 2 . Fragment of the World Tree (1/1) 3 . Spring Water from the Forest of Echoes (0/1) Out of the three ingredients, only the Spring Water showed ''0'' . ''So, it''s something like, not all the ingredients will be used up, but only the necessary amount ¨C is that it?'' The Crafting process must''ve come to a stop because the Spring Water from the Forest of Echoes had run out, unlike with other two ingredients . From the get-go, he got this feeling that the Crafting process wouldn''t have required a lot of the Demon King''s blood . As for the Fragment of the World Tree, it was a gigantic piece of lumber when he had initially acquired it, to begin with . It was rather obvious that the Spring Water contained within a small bottle would be the first one to run out . Jin-Woo grinned widely in satisfaction . ''Well, it''s not a bad result for me regardless . '' Because, as long as he could find more of that ''Spring Water from the Forest of Echoes'' in the future, he''d get to craft more of this Divine Water of Life . ''Hold on, there''s another problem to consider, isn''t there?'' Jin-Woo was desperate for a bottle of this Divine Water, yet now, there were six wooden bottles waiting for him on the ground, so it was rather difficult for him to calm his wildly beating heart . [Item: Divine Water of Life] Rarity: S Type: Consumable A mysterious liquid medicine that cures any and all illnesses through powerful magic contained within . The effect will only manifest after one whole bottle has been consumed . Would this item truly cure his mother''s illness? ''¡­ . I guess I''ll find out later today . '' His heart palpitated faster . Jin-Woo carefully stored away all six bottles in his Inventory, as well as the remaining ingredients . Even then, he still had lots of other items to go through . ''One ring, one longsword, two shortswords and two japtems . '' Because Baran was the boss of a rank S dungeon, it sure coughed up a lot of loot . This proverbial pile of treasure was a sight for sore eyes, but there was no reason to go through all of them right now . Indeed, his priority lay with getting out of here to see his mother . Jin-Woo simply dumped all the items acquired from the corpse of the Demon King in his trusty Inventory . And then, while lightly dusting his hands, took a look around him . ''I''ve got a pressing matter to attend to, but . . . . '' ¡­ . But, he shouldn''t miss out on other things because of that, no? Wasn''t there an old saying about ''the more of a hurry you are in, you should take the longer of the routes available'' or some such? Jin-Woo looked behind him, and found his Shadow Soldiers standing at attention in rows, having massacred an army ten times their number . Behind his boys, dead demons were strewn about everywhere . ''What about the Sky Dragon?'' Jin-Woo''s wandering gaze hurriedly searched for the monster that the Demon King rode around in . Worryingly enough, all he could spot were the corpses of demons piled up on high, with not a hint of the Sky Dragon anywhere . ''Wait, it couldn''t have flown away during the fight, right?'' Thankfully though, his worries didn''t last for long . Iron was dragging a limp corpse behind him . It was none other than the Sky Dragon, Kaisellin . "Iron, nicely done . " Maybe Iron felt embarrassed by Jin-Woo''s praise, which was a first in a while, because he began scratching the back of his head . Of course, it was still the back of his helmet, though . Jin-Woo lightly patted the shoulder of Iron and stood before the Sky Dragon''s body . ''It''s as I thought . '' Just as he suspected it from the monster''s name and its appearance, he could see the black smoke slowly rising up from the corpse of the Sky Dragon . Which meant, it was possible to extract its shadow . Jin-Woo extended his hand out . "Rise up . " The Shadow Extraction worked without any problems whatsoever, perhaps due to his much higher level . Kiyaaaahhhk-! Accompanied by the death throes of a beast, a creature covered in some type of black gas crawled out of the Sky Dragon''s shadow . The dead Dragon''s shadow immediately recognised his new owner and lowered his head in front of Jin-Woo . [Please assign the name of the Shadow Soldier . ] ''Oh . '' Jin-Woo formed a surprised expression . Since he didn''t get to witness the creature fighting, he only assumed it to be a mount and not much else, but it must''ve been pretty handy in battles, because the Sky Dragon''s shadow started right away as a Knight grade . If he considered the fact that the ace of the Shadow Army, Igrit, was also a Knight grade not too long ago, this was a surprising development . But, then again, it made some sense . There was no way a boss referred to as the ''Demon King'' would ride on a weak, pathetic monster, now was there? Jin-Woo was genuinely satisfied with the grade of his new soldier, and replied to the System message . "Kaisellin . . . . No, wait . " Inexplicably, he thought that name was a bit too long . " . . . Kaisel . " The Sky Dragon, now bestowed with a brand new name, raised his head up high into the sky and spat out a lengthy roar . Kiiieeeehhk!! "Everyone, you all worked hard . " With those words, Jin-Woo stored all of his Shadow Soldiers, including the new addition of Kaisel, back into his shadow . It was almost time to make his exit from the Demon''s Castle . There was one more thing still remaining, however . Jin-Woo opened the inbox, where the quest completion messages were still waiting for him . [You have completed ''Normal Quest: Collect the Souls of Demons! (2) . ] [Completion rewards are now available . ] [Will you confirm the rewards?] (Y/N) ''Yes, obviously . '' As soon as he answered, the list of rewards popped up in his view . Tti-ring . [Following rewards are made available . ] 1 . One highest grade Rune Stone 2 . Bonus Stat points +30 3 . Unknown reward [Will you take them all?] The so-called ''Shadow Exchange'' skill . Just what could it be? As he had been curious about this ''highest-grade'' Rune Stone ever since the beginning of the quest, Jin-Woo chose to take that one first . ''Okay, I choose the first reward for the time being . '' Tti-ring . [''Highest grade Rune Stone: Shadow Exchange'' has been delivered . ] After that message came and gone, he felt a small rock residing within his palm . When he brought the hand closer to his nose and opened it, he found a jet-black Rune Stone resting there . Its colour was completely different from the ''regular'' Rune Stones . Also, its hue came across as so much more mysterious compared to the average black colour . Crumble . Unlike in the past, when he physically had to break the Stone, the item crumbled all on its own the moment he thought about squeezing his hand . The pitch-black aura rising up from the shattered Rune Stone slowly enveloped Jin-Woo, before getting absorbed into his body . He hurriedly checked his Skill Window . [Skill: Shadow Exchange Lv . 1] Class-specific skill . Mana required to activate: None . The summoner can switch locations with the designated Shadow Soldier . Once activated, you must wait three hours of ''cool down'' period before being able to use the skill again . The ''cool down'' period will change according to the Skill''s level . ] ''Heok!!!'' Jin-Woo''s eyes widened as he read the skill''s description . Sure, it might be handicapped by the limitation of the cool down period, but . . . . No, instead, it was an incredible skill that perhaps necessitated that cool down period to make it fair . ''Doesn''t this mean it''s possible to switch locations regardless of where my Shadow Soldier is?'' Depending on how he used it, this was almost on the level of teleportation . Jin-Woo was about to summon a Shadow Soldier and test this new skill out right away, but quickly changed his mind . ''If I''m to test it out, I might as well try it with a soldier that''s really far away . '' Thankfully, he did leave behind a handful of soldiers outside the Demon''s Castle . He hid three of them in his sister''s shadow, while five were patrolling the district as of this moment . ''There''s nothing to think about, is it?'' He didn''t know what kind of an after-effect the skill might have, and also, he couldn''t just haphazardly pop out near his sister''s location, either . And that was after setting aside the possibility of his sister freaking out, too . So, he sought out the ''signal'' emitted from one of the five Shadow Soldiers patrolling around his district and zeroed in on it . " . . . . Shadow Exchange . " As soon as Jin-Woo opened his mouth . . . " . . . . Uh? Eh?" As if gravity was powerfully pulling him down, he was rapidly sucked into his own shadow . < Chapter 108 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 108: Chapter 108 . "Fuu . ". Jin-Woo spat out a short sigh of relief This was the moment his long march that started from the very first floor of the Demon''s Castle dungeon was drawing to a close here on this 100th floor He closed his eyes for a moment in order to get a grip on his turbulent emotions, only for the image of his mom''s face to pop up '' . ''. When he reopened his eyes, the System messages that hadn''t gone away yet entered his view again . Four alerts of him levelling up floated up there ''I rose up four levels in one go?''. Jin-Woo''s expression brightened up considerably . Thinking back to how his levelling speed had slowed down to a crawl after he broke past level 90, he couldn''t help but revel in happiness He quickly checked his Status Window [Level: 97]. Indeed, his level had jumped up by four ''Niiice!!''. Jin-Woo fist-pumped A dizzying sense of achievement was quickly added on top of the relief he felt from finally clearing this dungeon . However, he quickly put aside this joy to the back of his mind He still had something far more important than levelling up right now ''The Purified Blood of the Demon King . ''. That was the final puzzle piece to craft the item, ''Divine Water of Life'' . Jin-Woo quickly unwrapped the bandage off his hand and reached out towards the blinking lights on the corpse of the Demon King, Baran [You have discovered ''Item: Demon Sovereign''s Ring'' . Will you take it?]. [You have discovered ''Item: Demon King''s Longsword'' . Will you take it?]. [You have discovered ''Item: Demon King''s Shortsword'' . Will you take it?]. [You have discovered ''Item: Demon King''s Shortsword'' . Will you take it?]. [You have discovered ''Item: Baran''s Two Horns'' . Will you take it?]. [You have discovered ''Ingredient Item: Purified Blood of the Demon King'' . Will you take it?]. Rather than feeling elated, Jin-Woo felt anxious instead from the list of ''item discovered'' messages that continued to pop up . Because, he couldn''t spot the item he was looking for . However, he cried out in excitement as soon as he spotted the very last item, ''Purified Blood of the Demon King'' ''It''s here!''. Jin-Woo quickly acquired all the items and lifted up the item that must''ve been the Purified Blood of the Demon King [Ingredient Item: Purified Blood of the Demon King]. Rarity: ??. Type: Ingredient. This is the liquid created from purifying the blood of Baran, the Sovereign of the demons Possesses immense magical energy, but even after going through the purifying process, the blood still retains strong toxins . In order to use the blood as a medical ingredient, both the ''Fragment of the World Tree'' and ''Spring Water from the Forest of Echoes'' are needed to neutralize the toxin The red liquid sloshed inside a clear glass bottle according to the angle it was held ''This is the blood of the Demon King ''. He already possessed the other two ingredients, ''Fragment of the World Tree'' and the ''Spring Water from the Forest of Echoes'' . So, what was there to hesitate about?. Jin-Woo promptly summoned the Crafting Skill Window [Crafting Skills]. Consumable: Divine Water of Life (3/3). Different from the past, the words ''Divine Water of Life'' was now blinking constantly . When he checked the details, the words ''Crafting possible'' immediately caught his attention [Divine Water of Life]. - Crafting possible. - Ingredients:. 1 . Purified Blood of the Demon King (1/1). 2 . Fragment of the World Tree (1/1). 3 . Spring Water from the Forest of Echoes (1/1). [Will you start crafting ''Item: Divine Water of Life''?]. Jin-Woo was in a hurry to see the finished article, so he didn''t waste any more time and chose to start the crafting process "Start . ". [Crafting process for ''Item: Divine Water of Life'' has commenced . ]. [10, 9, 8 ]. Jin-Woo waited for the result with bated breath [7, 6, 5 ]. [The ''percentage of Crafting success'' and ''number of finished items'' will depend on Crafter''s Intelligence Stat . ]. Jin-Woo''s eyes widened ''Are you telling me only now that the odds of success, as well as the number of completed items, will depend on the Intelligence Stat?!''. If you were stupid, then you couldn''t even craft anything?. ¡­ . It did sound somewhat logical, so Jin-Woo could only nod his head In the meantime, the countdown steadily ticked on [4, 3, 2 ]. Why did the words ''percentage of Crafting success'' get on his nerves so much? The only solace he could take away right now was the fact that he had at least woke up to the importance of the Intelligence Stat quickly enough to invest a lot of extra Stat points there [¡­ . 1, 0 . ]. [Crating process has been completed!]. [Crafting is a success!]. [You have acquired ''Item: Divine Water of Life x6'' . ]. "That''s what I''m talking about!!". Jin-Woo had been waiting anxiously until then, but as soon as the ''Success!'' message popped up, he raised his hands high up into the sky ''¡­ . Huh?''. However, he quickly discovered something a bit odd . The bottle containing the blood of the Demon King still remained in his right hand ''Well, uh, the amount of blood has decreased by a little, but ''. Jin-Woo tilted his head, before summoning the ''Fragment of the World Tree'' and the ''Spring Water from the Forest of Echoes'' from his Inventory The only thing that appeared on the ground was the slightly-shaved-on-the-edge Fragment of the World Tree, though . He accessed his Inventory and searched, but couldn''t find the Spring Water anywhere ''Could it be ?''. Feeling a bit suspicious, he confirmed the Crafting Skill Window, and his suspicion was soon answered in full -Ingredients:. 1 . Purified Blood of the Demon King (1/1). 2 . Fragment of the World Tree (1/1). 3 . Spring Water from the Forest of Echoes (0/1). Out of the three ingredients, only the Spring Water showed ''0'' ''So, it''s something like, not all the ingredients will be used up, but only the necessary amount ¨C is that it?''. The Crafting process must''ve come to a stop because the Spring Water from the Forest of Echoes had run out, unlike with other two ingredients From the get-go, he got this feeling that the Crafting process wouldn''t have required a lot of the Demon King''s blood . As for the Fragment of the World Tree, it was a gigantic piece of lumber when he had initially acquired it, to begin with It was rather obvious that the Spring Water contained within a small bottle would be the first one to run out Jin-Woo grinned widely in satisfaction ''Well, it''s not a bad result for me regardless . ''. Because, as long as he could find more of that ''Spring Water from the Forest of Echoes'' in the future, he''d get to craft more of this Divine Water of Life ''Hold on, there''s another problem to consider, isn''t there?''. Jin-Woo was desperate for a bottle of this Divine Water, yet now, there were six wooden bottles waiting for him on the ground, so it was rather difficult for him to calm his wildly beating heart [Item: Divine Water of Life]. Rarity: S. Type: Consumable. A mysterious liquid medicine that cures any and all illnesses through powerful magic contained within . The effect will only manifest after one whole bottle has been consumed Would this item truly cure his mother''s illness?. ''¡­ . I guess I''ll find out later today . ''. His heart palpitated faster Jin-Woo carefully stored away all six bottles in his Inventory, as well as the remaining ingredients . Even then, he still had lots of other items to go through ''One ring, one longsword, two shortswords and two japtems . ''. Because Baran was the boss of a rank S dungeon, it sure coughed up a lot of loot . This proverbial pile of treasure was a sight for sore eyes, but there was no reason to go through all of them right now Indeed, his priority lay with getting out of here to see his mother Jin-Woo simply dumped all the items acquired from the corpse of the Demon King in his trusty Inventory . And then, while lightly dusting his hands, took a look around him ''I''ve got a pressing matter to attend to, but ''. ¡­ . But, he shouldn''t miss out on other things because of that, no?. Wasn''t there an old saying about ''the more of a hurry you are in, you should take the longer of the routes available'' or some such?. Jin-Woo looked behind him, and found his Shadow Soldiers standing at attention in rows, having massacred an army ten times their number . Behind his boys, dead demons were strewn about everywhere ''What about the Sky Dragon?''. Jin-Woo''s wandering gaze hurriedly searched for the monster that the Demon King rode around in . Worryingly enough, all he could spot were the corpses of demons piled up on high, with not a hint of the Sky Dragon anywhere ''Wait, it couldn''t have flown away during the fight, right?''. Thankfully though, his worries didn''t last for long . Iron was dragging a limp corpse behind him . It was none other than the Sky Dragon, Kaisellin "Iron, nicely done . ". Maybe Iron felt embarrassed by Jin-Woo''s praise, which was a first in a while, because he began scratching the back of his head . Of course, it was still the back of his helmet, though Jin-Woo lightly patted the shoulder of Iron and stood before the Sky Dragon''s body ''It''s as I thought . ''. Just as he suspected it from the monster''s name and its appearance, he could see the black smoke slowly rising up from the corpse of the Sky Dragon . Which meant, it was possible to extract its shadow Jin-Woo extended his hand out "Rise up . ". The Shadow Extraction worked without any problems whatsoever, perhaps due to his much higher level Kiyaaaahhhk-!. Accompanied by the death throes of a beast, a creature covered in some type of black gas crawled out of the Sky Dragon''s shadow . The dead Dragon''s shadow immediately recognised his new owner and lowered his head in front of Jin-Woo [Please assign the name of the Shadow Soldier . ]. ''Oh . ''. Jin-Woo formed a surprised expression Since he didn''t get to witness the creature fighting, he only assumed it to be a mount and not much else, but it must''ve been pretty handy in battles, because the Sky Dragon''s shadow started right away as a Knight grade If he considered the fact that the ace of the Shadow Army, Igrit, was also a Knight grade not too long ago, this was a surprising development . But, then again, it made some sense . There was no way a boss referred to as the ''Demon King'' would ride on a weak, pathetic monster, now was there?. Jin-Woo was genuinely satisfied with the grade of his new soldier, and replied to the System message "Kaisellin No, wait . ". Inexplicably, he thought that name was a bit too long " . Kaisel . ". The Sky Dragon, now bestowed with a brand new name, raised his head up high into the sky and spat out a lengthy roar Kiiieeeehhk!!. "Everyone, you all worked hard . ". With those words, Jin-Woo stored all of his Shadow Soldiers, including the new addition of Kaisel, back into his shadow . It was almost time to make his exit from the Demon''s Castle . There was one more thing still remaining, however Jin-Woo opened the inbox, where the quest completion messages were still waiting for him [You have completed ''Normal Quest: Collect the Souls of Demons! (2) . ]. [Completion rewards are now available . ]. [Will you confirm the rewards?] (Y/N). ''Yes, obviously . ''. As soon as he answered, the list of rewards popped up in his view Tti-ring [Following rewards are made available . ]. 1 . One highest grade Rune Stone. 2 . Bonus Stat points +30. 3 . Unknown reward. [Will you take them all?]. The so-called ''Shadow Exchange'' skill . Just what could it be?. As he had been curious about this ''highest-grade'' Rune Stone ever since the beginning of the quest, Jin-Woo chose to take that one first ''Okay, I choose the first reward for the time being . ''. Tti-ring [''Highest grade Rune Stone: Shadow Exchange'' has been delivered . ]. After that message came and gone, he felt a small rock residing within his palm . When he brought the hand closer to his nose and opened it, he found a jet-black Rune Stone resting there . Its colour was completely different from the ''regular'' Rune Stones Also, its hue came across as so much more mysterious compared to the average black colour Crumble Unlike in the past, when he physically had to break the Stone, the item crumbled all on its own the moment he thought about squeezing his hand The pitch-black aura rising up from the shattered Rune Stone slowly enveloped Jin-Woo, before getting absorbed into his body He hurriedly checked his Skill Window [Skill: Shadow Exchange Lv . 1]. Class-specific skill Mana required to activate: None The summoner can switch locations with the designated Shadow Soldier Once activated, you must wait three hours of ''cool down'' period before being able to use the skill again . The ''cool down'' period will change according to the Skill''s level . ]. ''Heok!!!''. Jin-Woo''s eyes widened as he read the skill''s description Sure, it might be handicapped by the limitation of the cool down period, but No, instead, it was an incredible skill that perhaps necessitated that cool down period to make it fair ''Doesn''t this mean it''s possible to switch locations regardless of where my Shadow Soldier is?''. Depending on how he used it, this was almost on the level of teleportation Jin-Woo was about to summon a Shadow Soldier and test this new skill out right away, but quickly changed his mind ''If I''m to test it out, I might as well try it with a soldier that''s really far away . ''. Thankfully, he did leave behind a handful of soldiers outside the Demon''s Castle . He hid three of them in his sister''s shadow, while five were patrolling the district as of this moment ''There''s nothing to think about, is it?''. He didn''t know what kind of an after-effect the skill might have, and also, he couldn''t just haphazardly pop out near his sister''s location, either . And that was after setting aside the possibility of his sister freaking out, too So, he sought out the ''signal'' emitted from one of the five Shadow Soldiers patrolling around his district and zeroed in on it " Shadow Exchange . ". As soon as Jin-Woo opened his mouth " Uh? Eh?". As if gravity was powerfully pulling him down, he was rapidly sucked into his own shadow < Chapter 108 > Fin Chapter 109 Just before Jin-Woo was completely swallowed up by his shadow, he heard another message issued by the System . [The dungeon''s interior will revert back to original appearance with the death of . . . . ] The sensation of him falling didn''t last long . Suddenly, the gravity''s direction reversed, and he was now being lifted back up at the same speed as he was being sucked in . His darkened vision reverted back to the original state in no time at all . ''Isn''t this place . . . . ?'' Jin-Woo took a quick look around . Tick, tick . . . . A street light that continued to flicker as if it was broken; a hand-pulled wooden cart leaning precariously against a wall; an electrical pole with a half-torn flier stiller stuck to it . He found himself in a deserted alleyway he often had to walk past when heading back home . ''¡­ . Hey, this is the suburb I live in, isn''t it?!'' Somewhat coincidentally, it was also the exact same spot where he issued the five shadows to start patrolling the district, as well . ''My location really changed . '' Jin-Woo did feel deeply stunned at the moment, but still, he somehow managed to remain calm as he checked the shadow beneath his feet . Just like when he summoned his Shadow Soldiers, he too rose up from the shadow . He cautiously poked his shadow with the tip of his foot . ''¡­ . . . '' Back when he activated the skill, the shadow caved in as if he was stepping on the surface of water, but it was just a regular shadow now . Feeling genuinely impressed, Jin-Woo re-checked the Skill Window . Just as the Skill description had stated, the ''cool down'' period of three hours was in effect . [Skill: Shadow Exchange Lv . 1] Class-specific Skill . . . ¡­ . Can be used again in [02:59:57] . ''¡­ . I''ve struck gold . '' Having witnessed the awesomeness of this skill, Jin-Woo''s heart pounded faster and faster . ''And it was so fast, too . . . . '' He had been maintaining the peak state of concentration the moment he was sucked into the shadow . Considering the fact that the perceived time would greatly slow down when he was concentrating fully, the transfer to this location did really happen in the blink of an eye . His saliva nosily slid down his throat . This skill called Shadow Exchange ¨C it possessed limitless application, depending on how he used it . ''Ah, right . This isn''t the right time . '' Jin-Woo calmed his excitement down and withdrew his magic energy . He had finally managed to get his hands on a medicine that could potentially cure his mother, so he shouldn''t be wasting time here like this . Feeling a lot more urgent now, Jin-Woo switched his Hunter-issue mobile phone and confirmed the current time . ''It''s already this late . . . . ?'' Jin-Woo''s forehead creased up big time . The touchscreen display showed ten in the evening . Although the visitation hours had long passed now, Jin-Woo didn''t hesitate once as he summoned the shadow of the Sky Dragon . ''Kaisel . '' Kiiieeehhk-! Answering the call of his owner, Kaisel yelled out in joy and pushed his head out of the ground . And soon, a huge lizard-like creature the size of a truck with no arms but huge wings revealed itself . When Kaisel spread open its vast wings, the already-narrow alleyway seemed to get filled to the brim in an instant . It was a small mercy that there were no other people nearby, otherwise . . . . . Jin-Woo walked closer, and Kaisel lowered his body to allow ease of mounting . Jin-Woo duly did so . Even though this was his first time, he already felt a sense of familiarity as if he had been riding on Kaisel for a long time . He figured that flying in the air wouldn''t pose any problems since he felt this way . ''It doesn''t matter if someone tries to stop me . '' He wasn''t talking about the hospital staff ¨C even if cops or the military tried to block him, he knew he had the power to break past them . And, at least for this moment, he didn''t want anyone to obstruct his path . ''Let''s go . '' Jin-Woo formed a serious expression and issued a command . Kaisel began beating his huge wings . Kiieeehhhkk!! Kaisel rose up in the air right away and quickly flew in the direction Jin-Woo pointed at . *** A meeting was still taking place within the walls of the Hunters Association, even though the hours were getting late . The Korea-Japan cooperative raid was already around the proverbial corner, and the Association was doing everything in their power to ensure the successful subjugation of Jeju Island''s ant monsters . "Here is the data sent by the Japanese . " The agent of the Association pressed a button on the remote . Soon, the giant screen was filled with the footage of the ant monsters, captured by the magic-power sensing camera attached to a Japanese satellite . These were the records taken during the first, second and the third subjugation attempts . Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes narrowed to a slit . ''Indeed, excluding the ant queen and its guards, every single ant did leave the ant tunnel . '' The ant monsters moved just as the Japanese said they would . Although the existence of the guardian ants was a worrisome variable in the equation, it was also normal to find a few guardian-type monsters protecting their bosses within higher ranked dungeons, as well . Still, it was hard to claim that there was no risk . The top man in the Korean side of the operation, Goh Gun-Hui, quickly thought of one of the worst case situations . "What are the odds of the ants turning around quicker than anticipated after realising their queen is in danger?" The Japanese had already thought about that too, however . "They have said they would use ''interference radio wave'' signal . " "Radio wave signal?" "According to their research, they discovered that the ant monsters use specific radio waves to communicate among themselves . " Indeed, if one wanted to order an army of several thousands as one unit, then a method to send out commands should exist . Goh Gun-Hui nodded his head . "And they can interrupt the communication of ants with radio waves?" "That''s what they said, sir . " "So, they want us to fully concentrate on killing the ant queen, is it . . . . " The subjugation plan itself was quite simple . Even though it was simple, there was a higher chance of succeeding when compared to other plans, as well . Yet, why did Goh Gun-Hui feel so anxious like this? He rested his chin on his hands . ''Could it be that I''m worried about . . . '' It was then . Goh Gun-Hui spun his head towards the outside of the window, his brows shooting up high . Everyone inside the meeting room flinched at the sudden movement of the Association President . Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol, here to guard his boss from the side, rapidly walked in closer . "Did something happen, sir?" "Just now . . . . . " Goh Gun-Hui shifted his gaze over to Woo Jin-Cheol . The latter''s expression remained the same as usual . "Haven''t you felt that?" "Sir? I don''t understand what you mean . . . . " " . . . . " Just now, an astonishing wave of magic power flooded in from a faraway place beyond the windows . Although it only lasted for a brief moment and quickly disappeared from Goh Gun-Hui''s perception, he still had felt the full brunt of that . ''¡­ . . . . . '' As their Association President continued to stare into the distance outside the window, the agents had to stop the meeting and cautiously ask their boss . "Sir . . . . ?" Only then did Goh Gun-Hui shift his gaze away, his head still tilting side to side . He wondered about the possible origin of that powerful burst of magic energy, but for the time being, he had to concentrate on the current meeting . Goh Gun-Hui fell into deep thought, before throwing a question at one of the agents in charge . "Have you succeeded in getting in contact with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?" *** Baek Yun-Ho asked, his head still looking over his shoulder . "Did you sense that?" Min Byung-Gu replied testily . "I may be retired now, but my rank hasn''t dropped, you know . " These two men had been sharing a bottle of cheap liquor for the first time in a long while inside a certain ''pojangmacha'' until then, but now, only the heavy silence flowed between them . (TL note at the end) Baek Yun-Ho eventually shifted his gaze back to his front . "What was that just now?" "Maybe Choi Jong-In and Cha Hae-In started fighting over the shares of the Hunters Guild . Who knows . " Min Byung-Gu had been frozen on the spot with a shot glass in his hand, but suddenly broke out in a fit of giggles before emptying the soju down his throat . Baek Yun-Ho formed a dumbfounded expression . "Don''t tell me you were trying to make me laugh with that . " "But, wasn''t it funny, hyung?" " . . . . Never mind . Forget it . " But, then again - including his sense of humour, Min Byung-Gu could be considered a bit strange in the head . No doubt about that . ''I mean, he''s supposed to be the first rank S Hunter in the world to retire when he''s still all healthy and the like, isn''t he?'' Not only the first in the world, but he was also the only one so far, too . Just how many people out there would willingly give up on the ridiculous amount of wealth a rank S Hunter could earn, simply because he wasn''t interested anymore? Min Byung-Gu wasn''t even from a wealthy stock, to begin with . Sensing Baek Yun-Ho''s questioning gaze, Min Byung-Gu asked back . "Hyung . Are you really going to participate?" " . . . . Yeah . " "But, you saw how Eun-Seok hyung died . " "That''s why I must go back . " Min Byung-Gu looked at his drinking partner with a bit of confusion on his face . Baek Yun-Ho emptied his shot glass and continued on . "If we leave the ants alone, the entirety of South Korea would end up like that place . " "Since when did you become this patriotic . . . . ?" "Well, we''re supposed to do it sooner rather than later, so might as well come up with a nice-sounding excuse while I''m at it . Don''t you agree?" The Guilds could not decline the Association''s summons . The Association would accommodate the needs of the various Guilds, and the Guilds themselves simply had to answer the Association''s call in return . If one didn''t want to, then there was the option of emigrating to somewhere else . How unfortunate, then, that there was no sane-minded nation willing to accept a Hunter running away from a high-difficulty raid . Even if a country did accept such a person, could anyone actually be sure of that said Hunter not pulling the exact same stunt again in the future? ''I don''t want to run away, anyways . '' Baek Yun-Ho smirked to himself . Meanwhile, Min Byung-Gu bluntly replied . "I won''t be participating . I will never go back there . If you asked to see me, hoping to change my mind, you might as well give . . . . . " "That''s not it . " Baek Yun-Ho put the cash down for the alcohol and stood up . The bottle was empty by then . "I came to say goodbye, just in case . I don''t know if we''ll get to sit down for a drink again, after all . " "Hyung . . . . . " Min Byung-Gu gave up on changing Baek Yun-Ho''s mind, as he watched the latter wave his hand while walking away . Baek Yun-Ho already knew full well the dangers of the subjugation plan, perhaps better than anyone else . ''Even then, he''s still going . . . . . '' Baek Yun-Ho''s expression wasn''t of someone being dragged away despite feeling deeply scared . No, rather, he carried the face of someone getting ready to step on and kill as many ants as he could with this opportunity, instead . Indeed, he seemed to be eagerly waiting for the day of the subjugation . Min Byung-Gu could only chew on the snacks with a helpless expression on his face, only for his chopsticks to stop moving shortly thereafter . ''Wait a minute . . . . . I can''t think of that many Hunters who don''t like fighting against monsters, now can I?'' There were a few like that among the Healers, but on the flip side, those folks simply loved to heal others, instead . Min Byung-Gu dazedly stared at the bowl of oden soup, before roughly scratching the side of his head . ''Could it be that only those who like fighting become Awakened?'' Eii, there was no way that could be true . Min Byung-Gu found something to be rather funny, and laughed all by himself while finishing the oden . *** Jin-Woo quickly arrived in the hospital . ''Let''s see . . . . It was room number 305, right?'' He wasn''t planning to enter the hospital through the front door, to begin with . While still riding on Kaisel, he searched for the windows of his mother''s hospital room . ''Ruler''s Reach . '' The curtains covering the windows silently parted sideways . He saw the quietly-sleeping sight of his mother on the bed . She looked exactly the same as the last time he came to visit . Jin-Woo used ''Ruler''s Reach'' one more time to open the window and silently stepped into the hospital room . Kaisel had disappeared into his shadow by then . He soon stood by the side of the bed . His heart was pounding madly now that the time he had been waiting for so long was here . ''If something goes wrong, I won''t be able to do anything . '' His mother had been unconscious for a very long time . There was a chance that she might not even be able to swallow the Divine Water of Life, and even if she did, there was no guarantee that she''d be okay afterwards . ''However . . . '' Jin-Woo got to witness plenty of miracles the System caused so far . If it happened to someone else, he''d never have believed a word of it . One didn''t even have to look far for tangible evidence, either . Wasn''t he the walking proof of those miracles? ''I was a rank E, yet now look at me standing here . '' All of his achievements, they were due to the System''s powers . Jin-Woo wordlessly stared at his two hands, before raising his head . His mother lay right in front of his eyes, looking as if she''d wake up at any moment if he called out to her . He summoned the ''Divine Water of Life'' from the Inventory . Shururu . . . . On top of his hand, a wooden bottle materialised out of the blue . He read the item information over and over again, just in case he might have missed something important . And so, by the time he had thoroughly memorised every word in the item information by repeatedly reading it over and over again, he managed to build up enough courage to pull the cork off of the wooden bottle . Pop . His hands that stayed steady during the life-or-death battle against the Demon King were trembling greatly now . Jin-Woo took a deep, deep breath to calm his mind . ''If I make a mistake here, my mother will bear the cost, instead . '' The moment he told himself there could not be any mistake whatsoever, he was able to regain the usual calmness right away . Even his hands stopped shaking . ''¡­ . I''m fine now . '' Jin-Woo cautiously supported the back of his mother''s, Park Gyung-Hye''s, neck with his left hand . He then brought the mouth of the wooden bottle closer to her lips . Soon, the ''Divine Water of Life'' slowly trickled into her slightly parted lips . Jin-Woo didn''t rush it and made sure to let only a tiny strand enter her mouth . ''This wound . . . . '' He then noticed the burn marks on the side of his mom''s neck . The burns continued down the back of her neck, too . Although he couldn''t see it from this angle, Jin-Woo knew only too well that the burn mark extended from the entirety of the back of her neck and her shoulders to some part of her head . ''She got that because of me, after all . '' Back then, he only wanted to wash his mother''s hair, inside the public bathhouse . He wanted to emulate what his mother did, when she washed the hair of very young Jin-Ah . However, the young Jin-Woo, who never had much of an opportunity to visit public bathhouses before, lacked the ability to tell apart the temperature of the water . Splash, splash . . . . The very hot water, hot enough to bubble up, filled up the plastic wash basin . The young Jin-Woo did his very best not to spill any of the hot water and cautiously walked to the back of his mom . And then . . . . Splash! He poured the water out of the plastic basin . Mom flinched a little, but didn''t move from the spot even when her flesh was visibly cooked red . All because, she feared that the hot water might end up on Jin-Ah''s face . She simply held her daughter tight in her embrace . She didn''t make any noise . The belated screams came from not his mother, but from the mouths of the aunties nearby . "Oh, my god!! Someone, help!" "Jin-Woo''s mom!" Only then did Jin-Woo realise he did something bad . But, all he wanted to do was to help his mother . Jin-Woo dropped the plastic basin and began crying, but his mom tightly grasped his shoulders . And then, asked him . "Jin-Woo? Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" The young Jin-Woo thought that he''d be scolded for sure . He could never forget the events of that day and those words his mother said to him . Not even now . ''And here I am, thinking that I don''t owe anyone anything . . . . '' After their father went missing, it was mom alone who raised the siblings Jin-Woo and Jin-Ah . He hated owing someone, or someone owing him, so he made sure that such a thing never happened, but still . . . . He owed his mother a debt that he could never possibly repay . It was then . The very last drop entered his mother''s mouth . Jin-Woo put the bottle down and carefully laid her on the bed again . He stood quietly to the side as if he was praying to someone while waiting for the result . Thump, thump, thump!! His heart pounded so much that his chest actually ached . Nervous saliva travelled down his throat, too . ''¡­ . . . . '' However, there was no visible change . Just as a drop of blood from Jin-Woo''s tightly clenched fist was about to fall . . . . "Heo-heok!!" Her eyes still closed, mom sucked in a deep breath like a person getting rescued from drowning . ''¡­ . . !!!'' Jin-Woo''s eyes widened . A little bit of colour was returning to mom''s once-slightly pale face . Like colour spreading on the black and white TV screen, a healthy complexion was spreading over his mother''s skin . Every passing second felt like an hour to him . How much time did pass like that? Jin-Woo''s mother slowly opened her eyes . Her gaze wandered around for a moment or two, before stopping at Jin-Woo . "Who . . . . No, wait, could you be . . . Jin-Woo?" Jin-Woo''s heart nearly fell just then, but he managed to nod his head a little . It was obvious that she didn''t recognise him right away . Four years had passed by already, and he had grown by a lot since then, too . Jin-Woo didn''t rush things and quietly waited . Like water slowly filling up an empty bowl, blurry memories of the past filled up the empty hole of the last four years in Jin-Woo''s mother, Park Gyung-Hye''s mind bit by bit . It didn''t take her a long time to realise why she was lying on the hospital bed like this . "How long have I been lying here, son?" "It''s been four years, mom . " He could''ve also added that it was four years and a few days, but he didn''t . His mother currently needed as much calmness, a sense of stability, so he did his best to sound and look normal . But, mom was still taken back by the revelation of four years, and she hurriedly asked him . "What about Jin-Ah?? Is your sister alright??" It was then, Jin-Woo felt something powerful welling up from deep within his heart . She had been teetering on the edge of life and death for the last four years, yet the first thing she asked after waking up was the well-being of her daughter . . . . . If he hadn''t bitten down on his lower lip, he might have broken down right there and then . ''It''s no time to worry about that girl, you know . '' He wanted to say that out loud . But, he suppressed his emotions and formed a thin smile, instead . "Yes, mom . She''s doing okay . " His mother sighed, her expression one of genuine relief . Jin-Woo was inwardly concerned, hoping that his mother would start worrying about herself soon, but at the same time, he began to relax somewhat as his mother seemingly hadn''t changed at all . ''Things will go back to how it''s been, soon . '' Finally recognising that mom''s illness had been cured, his heart palpitated again . But then, he was jolted out of his thoughts . Mom was holding his left hand even before he had noticed it . "Mom?" "Thank you, son . You kept your promise . " Promise? '' . . . Ah, I forgot . '' Then again, he had always thought it was the most obvious thing in the world, so it was possible that he didn''t consciously see it as a promise . The so-called ''Eternal Sleep'' disorder, where you''d fall deeper and deeper into slumber, until you''d never wake up again . . . . It became harder for mom to carry on with her daily life as drowsiness frequently assaulted her without warning with every passing day . Out of the blue, though, she asked Jin-Woo for a favour . - "If mom can''t wake up one day, will you promise me to take good care of your little sister?" She carried a smile of a mother asking her child for a simple errand back then . That was why he had been enduring until now . He didn''t resent her at all . Because all he did was to take over the burden his mother had been carrying until then . However, mom tightly squeezed his hand as if she knew everything . "My son . . . . It must''ve been hard for you . " Jin-Woo tried to smile like he had done before to assuage his mother''s worries . As if nothing of note had happened until then . Unfortunately, he couldn''t do that . All the tears he held back until then travelled down his face, and his lips parted all on their own . "Yeah . " < Chapter 109 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 109: Chapter 109 . Just before Jin-Woo was completely swallowed up by his shadow, he heard another message issued by the System [The dungeon''s interior will revert back to original appearance with the death of ]. The sensation of him falling didn''t last long . Suddenly, the gravity''s direction reversed, and he was now being lifted back up at the same speed as he was being sucked in His darkened vision reverted back to the original state in no time at all ''Isn''t this place ?''. Jin-Woo took a quick look around Tick, tick . A street light that continued to flicker as if it was broken; a hand-pulled wooden cart leaning precariously against a wall; an electrical pole with a half-torn flier stiller stuck to it He found himself in a deserted alleyway he often had to walk past when heading back home ''¡­ . Hey, this is the suburb I live in, isn''t it?!''. Somewhat coincidentally, it was also the exact same spot where he issued the five shadows to start patrolling the district, as well ''My location really changed . ''. Jin-Woo did feel deeply stunned at the moment, but still, he somehow managed to remain calm as he checked the shadow beneath his feet . Just like when he summoned his Shadow Soldiers, he too rose up from the shadow . He cautiously poked his shadow with the tip of his foot ''¡­ . ''. Back when he activated the skill, the shadow caved in as if he was stepping on the surface of water, but it was just a regular shadow now . Feeling genuinely impressed, Jin-Woo re-checked the Skill Window Just as the Skill description had stated, the ''cool down'' period of three hours was in effect [Skill: Shadow Exchange Lv . 1]. Class-specific Skill ¡­ . Can be used again in [02:59:57] ''¡­ . I''ve struck gold . ''. Having witnessed the awesomeness of this skill, Jin-Woo''s heart pounded faster and faster ''And it was so fast, too ''. He had been maintaining the peak state of concentration the moment he was sucked into the shadow . Considering the fact that the perceived time would greatly slow down when he was concentrating fully, the transfer to this location did really happen in the blink of an eye His saliva nosily slid down his throat This skill called Shadow Exchange ¨C it possessed limitless application, depending on how he used it ''Ah, right . This isn''t the right time . ''. Jin-Woo calmed his excitement down and withdrew his magic energy . He had finally managed to get his hands on a medicine that could potentially cure his mother, so he shouldn''t be wasting time here like this Feeling a lot more urgent now, Jin-Woo switched his Hunter-issue mobile phone and confirmed the current time ''It''s already this late ?''. Jin-Woo''s forehead creased up big time The touchscreen display showed ten in the evening . Although the visitation hours had long passed now, Jin-Woo didn''t hesitate once as he summoned the shadow of the Sky Dragon ''Kaisel . ''. Kiiieeehhk-!. Answering the call of his owner, Kaisel yelled out in joy and pushed his head out of the ground . And soon, a huge lizard-like creature the size of a truck with no arms but huge wings revealed itself When Kaisel spread open its vast wings, the already-narrow alleyway seemed to get filled to the brim in an instant . It was a small mercy that there were no other people nearby, otherwise Jin-Woo walked closer, and Kaisel lowered his body to allow ease of mounting . Jin-Woo duly did so Even though this was his first time, he already felt a sense of familiarity as if he had been riding on Kaisel for a long time . He figured that flying in the air wouldn''t pose any problems since he felt this way ''It doesn''t matter if someone tries to stop me . ''. He wasn''t talking about the hospital staff ¨C even if cops or the military tried to block him, he knew he had the power to break past them . And, at least for this moment, he didn''t want anyone to obstruct his path ''Let''s go . ''. Jin-Woo formed a serious expression and issued a command . Kaisel began beating his huge wings Kiieeehhhkk!!. Kaisel rose up in the air right away and quickly flew in the direction Jin-Woo pointed at ***. A meeting was still taking place within the walls of the Hunters Association, even though the hours were getting late The Korea-Japan cooperative raid was already around the proverbial corner, and the Association was doing everything in their power to ensure the successful subjugation of Jeju Island''s ant monsters "Here is the data sent by the Japanese . ". The agent of the Association pressed a button on the remote . Soon, the giant screen was filled with the footage of the ant monsters, captured by the magic-power sensing camera attached to a Japanese satellite These were the records taken during the first, second and the third subjugation attempts . Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes narrowed to a slit ''Indeed, excluding the ant queen and its guards, every single ant did leave the ant tunnel . ''. The ant monsters moved just as the Japanese said they would Although the existence of the guardian ants was a worrisome variable in the equation, it was also normal to find a few guardian-type monsters protecting their bosses within higher ranked dungeons, as well Still, it was hard to claim that there was no risk . The top man in the Korean side of the operation, Goh Gun-Hui, quickly thought of one of the worst case situations "What are the odds of the ants turning around quicker than anticipated after realising their queen is in danger?". The Japanese had already thought about that too, however "They have said they would use ''interference radio wave'' signal . ". "Radio wave signal?". "According to their research, they discovered that the ant monsters use specific radio waves to communicate among themselves . ". Indeed, if one wanted to order an army of several thousands as one unit, then a method to send out commands should exist . Goh Gun-Hui nodded his head "And they can interrupt the communication of ants with radio waves?". "That''s what they said, sir . ". "So, they want us to fully concentrate on killing the ant queen, is it ". The subjugation plan itself was quite simple Even though it was simple, there was a higher chance of succeeding when compared to other plans, as well Yet, why did Goh Gun-Hui feel so anxious like this?. He rested his chin on his hands ''Could it be that I''m worried about . ''. It was then Goh Gun-Hui spun his head towards the outside of the window, his brows shooting up high . Everyone inside the meeting room flinched at the sudden movement of the Association President Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol, here to guard his boss from the side, rapidly walked in closer "Did something happen, sir?". "Just now . ". Goh Gun-Hui shifted his gaze over to Woo Jin-Cheol . The latter''s expression remained the same as usual "Haven''t you felt that?". "Sir? I don''t understand what you mean ". " ". Just now, an astonishing wave of magic power flooded in from a faraway place beyond the windows Although it only lasted for a brief moment and quickly disappeared from Goh Gun-Hui''s perception, he still had felt the full brunt of that ''¡­ . ''. As their Association President continued to stare into the distance outside the window, the agents had to stop the meeting and cautiously ask their boss "Sir ?". Only then did Goh Gun-Hui shift his gaze away, his head still tilting side to side He wondered about the possible origin of that powerful burst of magic energy, but for the time being, he had to concentrate on the current meeting . Goh Gun-Hui fell into deep thought, before throwing a question at one of the agents in charge "Have you succeeded in getting in contact with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?". ***. Baek Yun-Ho asked, his head still looking over his shoulder "Did you sense that?". Min Byung-Gu replied testily "I may be retired now, but my rank hasn''t dropped, you know . ". These two men had been sharing a bottle of cheap liquor for the first time in a long while inside a certain ''pojangmacha'' until then, but now, only the heavy silence flowed between them . (TL note at the end). Baek Yun-Ho eventually shifted his gaze back to his front "What was that just now?". "Maybe Choi Jong-In and Cha Hae-In started fighting over the shares of the Hunters Guild . Who knows . ". Min Byung-Gu had been frozen on the spot with a shot glass in his hand, but suddenly broke out in a fit of giggles before emptying the soju down his throat . Baek Yun-Ho formed a dumbfounded expression "Don''t tell me you were trying to make me laugh with that . ". "But, wasn''t it funny, hyung?". " Never mind . Forget it . ". But, then again - including his sense of humour, Min Byung-Gu could be considered a bit strange in the head . No doubt about that ''I mean, he''s supposed to be the first rank S Hunter in the world to retire when he''s still all healthy and the like, isn''t he?''. Not only the first in the world, but he was also the only one so far, too Just how many people out there would willingly give up on the ridiculous amount of wealth a rank S Hunter could earn, simply because he wasn''t interested anymore?. Min Byung-Gu wasn''t even from a wealthy stock, to begin with Sensing Baek Yun-Ho''s questioning gaze, Min Byung-Gu asked back "Hyung . Are you really going to participate?". " Yeah . ". "But, you saw how Eun-Seok hyung died . ". "That''s why I must go back . ". Min Byung-Gu looked at his drinking partner with a bit of confusion on his face . Baek Yun-Ho emptied his shot glass and continued on "If we leave the ants alone, the entirety of South Korea would end up like that place . ". "Since when did you become this patriotic ?". "Well, we''re supposed to do it sooner rather than later, so might as well come up with a nice-sounding excuse while I''m at it . Don''t you agree?". The Guilds could not decline the Association''s summons . The Association would accommodate the needs of the various Guilds, and the Guilds themselves simply had to answer the Association''s call in return If one didn''t want to, then there was the option of emigrating to somewhere else . How unfortunate, then, that there was no sane-minded nation willing to accept a Hunter running away from a high-difficulty raid Even if a country did accept such a person, could anyone actually be sure of that said Hunter not pulling the exact same stunt again in the future?. ''I don''t want to run away, anyways . ''. Baek Yun-Ho smirked to himself . Meanwhile, Min Byung-Gu bluntly replied "I won''t be participating . I will never go back there . If you asked to see me, hoping to change my mind, you might as well give . ". "That''s not it . ". Baek Yun-Ho put the cash down for the alcohol and stood up . The bottle was empty by then "I came to say goodbye, just in case . I don''t know if we''ll get to sit down for a drink again, after all . ". "Hyung . ". Min Byung-Gu gave up on changing Baek Yun-Ho''s mind, as he watched the latter wave his hand while walking away Baek Yun-Ho already knew full well the dangers of the subjugation plan, perhaps better than anyone else ''Even then, he''s still going . ''. Baek Yun-Ho''s expression wasn''t of someone being dragged away despite feeling deeply scared . No, rather, he carried the face of someone getting ready to step on and kill as many ants as he could with this opportunity, instead . Indeed, he seemed to be eagerly waiting for the day of the subjugation Min Byung-Gu could only chew on the snacks with a helpless expression on his face, only for his chopsticks to stop moving shortly thereafter ''Wait a minute . I can''t think of that many Hunters who don''t like fighting against monsters, now can I?''. There were a few like that among the Healers, but on the flip side, those folks simply loved to heal others, instead Min Byung-Gu dazedly stared at the bowl of oden soup, before roughly scratching the side of his head ''Could it be that only those who like fighting become Awakened?''. Eii, there was no way that could be true Min Byung-Gu found something to be rather funny, and laughed all by himself while finishing the oden ***. Jin-Woo quickly arrived in the hospital ''Let''s see It was room number 305, right?''. He wasn''t planning to enter the hospital through the front door, to begin with . While still riding on Kaisel, he searched for the windows of his mother''s hospital room ''Ruler''s Reach . ''. The curtains covering the windows silently parted sideways . He saw the quietly-sleeping sight of his mother on the bed . She looked exactly the same as the last time he came to visit Jin-Woo used ''Ruler''s Reach'' one more time to open the window and silently stepped into the hospital room . Kaisel had disappeared into his shadow by then He soon stood by the side of the bed . His heart was pounding madly now that the time he had been waiting for so long was here ''If something goes wrong, I won''t be able to do anything . ''. His mother had been unconscious for a very long time . There was a chance that she might not even be able to swallow the Divine Water of Life, and even if she did, there was no guarantee that she''d be okay afterwards ''However . ''. Jin-Woo got to witness plenty of miracles the System caused so far If it happened to someone else, he''d never have believed a word of it . One didn''t even have to look far for tangible evidence, either . Wasn''t he the walking proof of those miracles?. ''I was a rank E, yet now look at me standing here . ''. All of his achievements, they were due to the System''s powers . Jin-Woo wordlessly stared at his two hands, before raising his head His mother lay right in front of his eyes, looking as if she''d wake up at any moment if he called out to her . He summoned the ''Divine Water of Life'' from the Inventory Shururu . On top of his hand, a wooden bottle materialised out of the blue . He read the item information over and over again, just in case he might have missed something important And so, by the time he had thoroughly memorised every word in the item information by repeatedly reading it over and over again, he managed to build up enough courage to pull the cork off of the wooden bottle Pop His hands that stayed steady during the life-or-death battle against the Demon King were trembling greatly now . Jin-Woo took a deep, deep breath to calm his mind ''If I make a mistake here, my mother will bear the cost, instead . ''. The moment he told himself there could not be any mistake whatsoever, he was able to regain the usual calmness right away . Even his hands stopped shaking ''¡­ . I''m fine now . ''. Jin-Woo cautiously supported the back of his mother''s, Park Gyung-Hye''s, neck with his left hand . He then brought the mouth of the wooden bottle closer to her lips Soon, the ''Divine Water of Life'' slowly trickled into her slightly parted lips . Jin-Woo didn''t rush it and made sure to let only a tiny strand enter her mouth ''This wound ''. He then noticed the burn marks on the side of his mom''s neck . The burns continued down the back of her neck, too Although he couldn''t see it from this angle, Jin-Woo knew only too well that the burn mark extended from the entirety of the back of her neck and her shoulders to some part of her head ''She got that because of me, after all . ''. Back then, he only wanted to wash his mother''s hair, inside the public bathhouse . He wanted to emulate what his mother did, when she washed the hair of very young Jin-Ah However, the young Jin-Woo, who never had much of an opportunity to visit public bathhouses before, lacked the ability to tell apart the temperature of the water Splash, splash . The very hot water, hot enough to bubble up, filled up the plastic wash basin . The young Jin-Woo did his very best not to spill any of the hot water and cautiously walked to the back of his mom And then . Splash!. He poured the water out of the plastic basin Mom flinched a little, but didn''t move from the spot even when her flesh was visibly cooked red . All because, she feared that the hot water might end up on Jin-Ah''s face . She simply held her daughter tight in her embrace She didn''t make any noise The belated screams came from not his mother, but from the mouths of the aunties nearby "Oh, my god!! Someone, help!". "Jin-Woo''s mom!". Only then did Jin-Woo realise he did something bad . But, all he wanted to do was to help his mother Jin-Woo dropped the plastic basin and began crying, but his mom tightly grasped his shoulders . And then, asked him "Jin-Woo? Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?". The young Jin-Woo thought that he''d be scolded for sure . He could never forget the events of that day and those words his mother said to him . Not even now ''And here I am, thinking that I don''t owe anyone anything ''. After their father went missing, it was mom alone who raised the siblings Jin-Woo and Jin-Ah He hated owing someone, or someone owing him, so he made sure that such a thing never happened, but still . He owed his mother a debt that he could never possibly repay It was then The very last drop entered his mother''s mouth Jin-Woo put the bottle down and carefully laid her on the bed again . He stood quietly to the side as if he was praying to someone while waiting for the result Thump, thump, thump!!. His heart pounded so much that his chest actually ached . Nervous saliva travelled down his throat, too ''¡­ ''. However, there was no visible change Just as a drop of blood from Jin-Woo''s tightly clenched fist was about to fall . "Heo-heok!!". Her eyes still closed, mom sucked in a deep breath like a person getting rescued from drowning ''¡­ !!!''. Jin-Woo''s eyes widened A little bit of colour was returning to mom''s once-slightly pale face . Like colour spreading on the black and white TV screen, a healthy complexion was spreading over his mother''s skin Every passing second felt like an hour to him How much time did pass like that?. Jin-Woo''s mother slowly opened her eyes . Her gaze wandered around for a moment or two, before stopping at Jin-Woo "Who No, wait, could you be . Jin-Woo?". Jin-Woo''s heart nearly fell just then, but he managed to nod his head a little It was obvious that she didn''t recognise him right away . Four years had passed by already, and he had grown by a lot since then, too Jin-Woo didn''t rush things and quietly waited Like water slowly filling up an empty bowl, blurry memories of the past filled up the empty hole of the last four years in Jin-Woo''s mother, Park Gyung-Hye''s mind bit by bit It didn''t take her a long time to realise why she was lying on the hospital bed like this "How long have I been lying here, son?". "It''s been four years, mom . ". He could''ve also added that it was four years and a few days, but he didn''t . His mother currently needed as much calmness, a sense of stability, so he did his best to sound and look normal But, mom was still taken back by the revelation of four years, and she hurriedly asked him "What about Jin-Ah?? Is your sister alright??". It was then, Jin-Woo felt something powerful welling up from deep within his heart She had been teetering on the edge of life and death for the last four years, yet the first thing she asked after waking up was the well-being of her daughter If he hadn''t bitten down on his lower lip, he might have broken down right there and then ''It''s no time to worry about that girl, you know . ''. He wanted to say that out loud . But, he suppressed his emotions and formed a thin smile, instead "Yes, mom . She''s doing okay . ". His mother sighed, her expression one of genuine relief Jin-Woo was inwardly concerned, hoping that his mother would start worrying about herself soon, but at the same time, he began to relax somewhat as his mother seemingly hadn''t changed at all ''Things will go back to how it''s been, soon . ''. Finally recognising that mom''s illness had been cured, his heart palpitated again . But then, he was jolted out of his thoughts . Mom was holding his left hand even before he had noticed it "Mom?". "Thank you, son . You kept your promise . ". Promise?. '' . Ah, I forgot . ''. Then again, he had always thought it was the most obvious thing in the world, so it was possible that he didn''t consciously see it as a promise The so-called ''Eternal Sleep'' disorder, where you''d fall deeper and deeper into slumber, until you''d never wake up again . It became harder for mom to carry on with her daily life as drowsiness frequently assaulted her without warning with every passing day . Out of the blue, though, she asked Jin-Woo for a favour - "If mom can''t wake up one day, will you promise me to take good care of your little sister?". She carried a smile of a mother asking her child for a simple errand back then That was why he had been enduring until now . He didn''t resent her at all . Because all he did was to take over the burden his mother had been carrying until then However, mom tightly squeezed his hand as if she knew everything "My son It must''ve been hard for you . ". Jin-Woo tried to smile like he had done before to assuage his mother''s worries . As if nothing of note had happened until then Unfortunately, he couldn''t do that All the tears he held back until then travelled down his face, and his lips parted all on their own "Yeah . ". < Chapter 109 > Fin Chapter 110 "What was that??" The director of Seoul-Ilsin Hospital, Doctor Lee Seong-Chul got to hear a rather stunning piece of news . A patient suffering from ''Eternal Sleep'' disorder had woken up from the terminal stage of the illness . "Are you telling me the truth??" "Yes, Director . I''ve confirmed it personally . " As a doctor, his ears would perk up greatly if such an event occurred in someone else''s hospital, yet the patient in question was actually in his own?? ''Who knew such a jackpot would come knocking at my door?'' The exceptional brain of Director Lee Seong-Chul began punching some numbers in his mental calculator . "Isn''t this an unprecedented event in the whole world?" "You''re correct, Director . " The doctor in charge nodded his head . Lee Seong-Chul''s smile was so wide that it actually broke past his ears and threatened to rip his face in half . "Nicely done!! Doctor Choi!!" "I beg your pardon? D-director, I haven''t done . . . . " "Ehheii, my man, don''t be like that now!" Lee Seong-Chul sent a meaningful gaze at the doctor in charge . "It doesn''t matter ''how'' it happened, we can always cook something up later . But, it''s only right and proper that the doctor in charge is praised for the work well done when a patient gets better! Am I wrong?" Not to mention, the hospital that the doctor was working in would be praised, too! "Ah, y-yes . . . . T-thank you very much, director . " The doctor in charge gave in and bowed his head slightly to the director . Even though the doctor''s response was rather lukewarm, the wide smile on Lee Seong-Chul''s face didn''t want to leave him, knowing that he had been blessed with an unexpected boon . ''If we play our cards right, the world''s attention might gather on my Ilsin Hospital!!'' Being constantly talked about by other people because of a good piece of news was, in a word, free publicity . There was nothing to lose here, and everything to gain . If this news got out, reporters from all over the world would descend upon this hospital and absolutely lose their minds trying to uncover any related info, however small or insignificant it was . This was a great opportunity to advertise the hospital''s name without spending a dime . ''What those reporters want to know would be the treatment method, but . . . . '' Well, all he had to do was to keep the patient nearby and find out what happened a step at a time . Indeed, nothing could go wrong here . That''s what Lee Seong-Chul thought . The doctor in charge acted as if something was troubling him and cautiously spoke up . "The patient''s legal guardian requested for immediate discharge . " "What was that?!" No, that definitely could not be allowed! Reporters would only come to the hospital if the patient was still here! No, never mind the reporters, he needed to keep the patient here in order to figure out how the disorder had been cured, to begin with! Lee Seong-Chul''s brows quivered . "What was the status of the patient?" "Everything was normal, director . " "The patient''s been asleep, completely immobile, for the past four years, yet you are telling me that her body was completely fine??" "Couldn''t it be because of the life support machines?" "H-mm . . . . . " Indeed, the performance of the machines being too good could also be a factor here . "Delay the discharge for as long as possible with an excuse that . . . we need to observe the patient for a while longer to make sure she''s fine . " "I said the exact same thing to the guardian, but it didn''t work, Director . " ''We can''t keep a patient here without a valid reason if she wishes to leave, can we . . . . . '' If that was the case, then he had only one option remaining ¨C and that would be to let the world know before the patient left the hospital . "Let''s alert the press while they are still in the premise . " The doctor in charge shook his head . "That will be . . . . difficult, Director . " "How come?" "We can''t expose the identity of the patient . If we handle this poorly, something really bad will happen, Director . " Hearing those unexpected words, Lee Seong-Chul could only form a flustered expression . Seeing the doctor''s own troubled expression, he didn''t seem to be exaggerating things, either . Lee Seong-Chul''s attitude became a lot more serious . "Is the patient such an important person?" "It''s not the patient herself, but the guardian, well . . . . The protection of the private information has been requested by the guardian himself, actually . " Now that Lee Seong-Chul thought about it, Doctor Choi was being super respectful whenever he mentioned the legal guardian . "Just who is this guardian supposed to be that you''re acting like this?" What kind of a person was the guardian that the hospital had to honour the request for the protection of the patient''s information, as well as Doctor Choi being this polite? "Have you heard about Mister Seong Jin-Woo?" "Seong Jin-Woo?" Was he a powerful politician? Or, a CEO of some massive corporation? Lee Seong-Chul thought that he had heard of the name somewhere, but couldn''t quite recall the face, and helplessly tilted his head . As if he expected this to happen, the doctor in charge quickly offered up an explanation . "He''s the Hunter who was evaluated as a rank S recently . " "A rank S!!" Here was the reason why Doctor Choi was being so cautious . Who would have guessed that the patient''s guardian happened to be a rank S Hunter? ''This . . . It''ll be the end for us if we make a rash move and things go sideways as a result . '' The influence a rank S Hunter had over society was extensive, to begin with, but more importantly, if such a Hunter lost his cool and decided to rampage around, then . . . . Lee Seong-Chul nervously swallowed dry saliva when a rather unexpected name was brought up . ''That sure was too close for comfort . . . . '' His hardened expression suddenly softened into a cheery smile . "Begin the discharge procedure right away . " "Indeed, we should do that . " "Yes, we must . " A smile of a good-natured person remained on Lee Seong-Chul''s lips . They should definitely release the patient now . What were they hoping to gain by getting on the bad side of a rank S Hunter? He quickly came with a logical-sounding excuse that contained the rough meaning of what both of them were thinking about . "We surely can''t force a perfectly healthy person to remain cooped up in a hospital, now can we?" "Indeed, Director . " The doctor in charge quickly stood up from his seat . And after he left . . . . "Whew . . . . " Lee Seong-Chul stared at the now-closed door to the director''s office and spat out a sigh of relief . *** As soon as she got the call, Jin-Ah dropped everything and rushed to the hospital . Jin-Woo had been sitting on a chair next to mom''s bed, and when he sensed his fast-approaching sister, quickly stood up . Right then, the door to his mom''s hospital room was flung open . "Mom?? Mom!!" She hadn''t even crossed the doorway yet, but Jin-Ah''s face was already a messy mixture of streaming tears and snot falling from her nose . "Oh, my gosh . My little girl, you''ve grown up so much . " The last time their mom, Park Gyung-Hye, saw her daughter was when she was still in middle school . She gazed at her grown-up daughter with a surprised expression, but shortly afterwards, opened her arms wide to welcome Jin-Ah with a warm smile on her face . When that happened . . . . "Mom!!" Jin-Ah tightly embraced her mother . Jin-Woo hesitated slightly . That wasn''t something she should have done to a patient who regained her consciousness after four years of being in a coma . But, seeing his sister crying her eyes out like that while locked in their mother''s embrace, he couldn''t bring himself to stop her . "Mom, Mom . . . . . " She always acted all grown-up, but in the end, Jin-Ah was still a kid inside . The energetic and brave everyday appearance of Jin-Ah overlapped with the current sobbing one, and that stung Jin-Woo''s nostrils a bit . "That is eno . . . . " Jin-Woo eventually moved in to separate Jin-Ah, but Park Gyung-Hye placed her index finger on her lips and slowly shook her head, her other hand still gently patting her daughter''s back . Jin-Woo sighed softly and took a step back . As he looked on at his sister in his mom''s embrace, as well as his mom''s gentle and warm expression, a satisfied smile automatically formed on his lips . ''My effort wasn''t in vain . '' It felt like he was being fully rewarded for all the hard work he had put in right at this moment . Also, he felt as if something hard and stubborn stuck in the corner of his heart had finally melted down and was now flowing away, out of him . In that case, should he leave the two of them alone for a while? At least, until his little sister found a way to get a hold of her overflowing emotions . Since she was one smart girl, she''d know not to unnecessarily stress out mom . Only that, she needed a bit more time here . Jin-Woo grinned a little and shifted his gaze outside the hospital window . As if to congratulate the reunion of his family, the weather outside was brilliantly sunny today . Feeling a bit awkward from standing there and staring at the weather without saying anything, he decided to pull out his phone . ''¡­ . . . . . '' There was a scary amount of missed calls and text messages left on his phone that he couldn''t even dare to attempt replying to a select few, never mind all of them . Jin-Woo scrolled the list of the missed calls and texts, before giving up and closing the window altogether . ''Well, if it''s something urgent, I''m sure they''ll contact me again . '' He quickly gave up on replying and instead, accessed the internet browser . But then . . . . '' . . . Heok!!'' He clicked on the online news portal without thinking too much, only to perform a grand facepalm . [A flying monster spotted over the skies of Seoul?] [The potential destination of the flying monster?] [Hunters Association fails to respond . What about the safety of citizens?] Photos of Kaisel were plastered all over the various internet news sites . From the vicinity of his house all the way to this hospital, the distance between the two points was rather considerable, but he figured nothing serious would happen because he was travelling at such a high speed . But this . . . . ''¡­ . It was only a short flight, but we got photographed a lot, didn''t we?'' The only fortunate thing here was that the photos didn''t show him riding on the back of Kaisel . He made up his mind to not care about what others thought of him when he summoned Kaisel near his house, but now that he was dominating the headlines, he sure felt conflicted now . ''Oh, well . '' Anyone would have their hearts in their mouths, seeing a monster flying in the sky like that . Jin-Woo scanned the news articles filled with a great deal of anxiety and told himself to be more careful in the future . ''There''s no need to go out of my way to scare the public, anyway . '' Indeed, didn''t he feel a certain aversion towards the Class of Necromancer because he was worried about failing to handle all the pointed stares of the public? ''However, if the frenzy over a winged lizard is this huge, then, uh, the responses to the gigantic Fangs would really be something else, no?'' While he was thinking of this and that . . . . Vrrr . . . . Vrrr . . . . His phone began vibrating . ''Who''s this?'' He didn''t recognise the number; after exiting the hospital room, he answered the call . "Hello?" - "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . " A baritone yet still bright voice of an old man came out . Jin-Woo immediately recalled the owner of that voice . "Association President?" - "Yes, this is the Association President Goh Gun-Hui speaking . " ''Why is he giving me a call?'' What prompted the one-and-only Association President to give him a call like this? Jin-Woo noticed that there were several people walking to and fro within the hospital''s corridor, so he quickly walked towards a more secluded area . He continued to speak in the meantime . "What''s the matter, sir?" - "I''m sure you''ve heard of the news by now . " '' . . . What news?'' Jin-Woo tilted his head a bit, before realising that this wouldn''t do and asked again . "I''m not sure what news you''re talking about . . . . ?" - "Wait, could it be . . . You haven''t seen the news lately?" ''Wow . I guess the speed of news getting around these days is nothing to scoff at . '' Jin-Woo readily admitted to his wrongdoing . "I''m sorry about that . But I''ll make sure to be more careful next time . " - " . . . . Excuse me?" Only after hearing the confused voice of Goh Gun-Hui did Jin-Woo realise that he was deeply mistaken about something here . ''Wait, wasn''t he calling me about Kaisel?'' If not, what else could the news outlets be talking about, instead? The dual dungeon, the Red Gate, clearing the rank A dungeons, the ''Bead of Avarice'', etc . . . . Now that he thought about, there were quite a few potential topics of contention, instead . " . . . . . Can you clarify what happened?" - "Looks like you really haven''t heard anything yet . " "I''ve been spending some time in a location recently where contacting outside was difficult, actually . " He wasn''t lying about that, technically speaking . Goh Gun-Hui''s voice betrayed how surprised he was, but then, it became even graver than before . - "Hunter-nim . " According to Jin-Woo''s experience, this could only mean that the reason for this call should be brought up now . - "I''d like to come and discuss something with you face-to-face . Will that be okay with you?" Jin-Woo''s suspicion grew even larger compared to when he first answered the phone . ''Calling me on the phone isn''t enough, so the Association President wishes to come here and see me personally?'' Just how much of an important matter was this to make someone as busy as him personally move? Even then . . . . Jin-Woo glanced in the direction of mom''s hospital room . ''I can''t ask the Association President to come here . '' He might have to come up with bullsh*t stories related to his mother if that happened . "No, I''ll go over there, instead . " - "Will you do that for us, then?" "Yes, I will . " That was far more simpler for him . Quickly making the arrangement over the phone, and after telling his mom and sister that he had an errand to run and he''d be back a little later, Jin-Woo left the hospital . Having spent way too long inside the Demon''s Castle where there was no sunlight, his eyes were feeling a bit itchy as the warm rays fell on him . Jin-Woo furrowed his brows . ''Man, this is so cumbersome . Should I just summon Kaisel?'' He deliberated for a moment or two, before smirking to himself and walked towards a waiting taxi . < Chapter 110 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 110: Chapter 110 . "What was that??". The director of Seoul-Ilsin Hospital, Doctor Lee Seong-Chul got to hear a rather stunning piece of news . A patient suffering from ''Eternal Sleep'' disorder had woken up from the terminal stage of the illness "Are you telling me the truth??". "Yes, Director . I''ve confirmed it personally . ". As a doctor, his ears would perk up greatly if such an event occurred in someone else''s hospital, yet the patient in question was actually in his own??. ''Who knew such a jackpot would come knocking at my door?''. The exceptional brain of Director Lee Seong-Chul began punching some numbers in his mental calculator "Isn''t this an unprecedented event in the whole world?". "You''re correct, Director . ". The doctor in charge nodded his head Lee Seong-Chul''s smile was so wide that it actually broke past his ears and threatened to rip his face in half "Nicely done!! Doctor Choi!!". "I beg your pardon? D-director, I haven''t done ". "Ehheii, my man, don''t be like that now!". Lee Seong-Chul sent a meaningful gaze at the doctor in charge "It doesn''t matter ''how'' it happened, we can always cook something up later . But, it''s only right and proper that the doctor in charge is praised for the work well done when a patient gets better! Am I wrong?". Not to mention, the hospital that the doctor was working in would be praised, too!. "Ah, y-yes T-thank you very much, director . ". The doctor in charge gave in and bowed his head slightly to the director Even though the doctor''s response was rather lukewarm, the wide smile on Lee Seong-Chul''s face didn''t want to leave him, knowing that he had been blessed with an unexpected boon ''If we play our cards right, the world''s attention might gather on my Ilsin Hospital!!''. Being constantly talked about by other people because of a good piece of news was, in a word, free publicity . There was nothing to lose here, and everything to gain If this news got out, reporters from all over the world would descend upon this hospital and absolutely lose their minds trying to uncover any related info, however small or insignificant it was This was a great opportunity to advertise the hospital''s name without spending a dime ''What those reporters want to know would be the treatment method, but ''. Well, all he had to do was to keep the patient nearby and find out what happened a step at a time . Indeed, nothing could go wrong here . That''s what Lee Seong-Chul thought The doctor in charge acted as if something was troubling him and cautiously spoke up "The patient''s legal guardian requested for immediate discharge . ". "What was that?!". No, that definitely could not be allowed!. Reporters would only come to the hospital if the patient was still here! No, never mind the reporters, he needed to keep the patient here in order to figure out how the disorder had been cured, to begin with!. Lee Seong-Chul''s brows quivered "What was the status of the patient?". "Everything was normal, director . ". "The patient''s been asleep, completely immobile, for the past four years, yet you are telling me that her body was completely fine??". "Couldn''t it be because of the life support machines?". "H-mm . ". Indeed, the performance of the machines being too good could also be a factor here "Delay the discharge for as long as possible with an excuse that . we need to observe the patient for a while longer to make sure she''s fine . ". "I said the exact same thing to the guardian, but it didn''t work, Director . ". ''We can''t keep a patient here without a valid reason if she wishes to leave, can we . ''. If that was the case, then he had only one option remaining ¨C and that would be to let the world know before the patient left the hospital "Let''s alert the press while they are still in the premise . ". The doctor in charge shook his head "That will be difficult, Director . ". "How come?". "We can''t expose the identity of the patient . If we handle this poorly, something really bad will happen, Director . ". Hearing those unexpected words, Lee Seong-Chul could only form a flustered expression . Seeing the doctor''s own troubled expression, he didn''t seem to be exaggerating things, either Lee Seong-Chul''s attitude became a lot more serious "Is the patient such an important person?". "It''s not the patient herself, but the guardian, well The protection of the private information has been requested by the guardian himself, actually . ". Now that Lee Seong-Chul thought about it, Doctor Choi was being super respectful whenever he mentioned the legal guardian "Just who is this guardian supposed to be that you''re acting like this?". What kind of a person was the guardian that the hospital had to honour the request for the protection of the patient''s information, as well as Doctor Choi being this polite?. "Have you heard about Mister Seong Jin-Woo?". "Seong Jin-Woo?". Was he a powerful politician? Or, a CEO of some massive corporation?. Lee Seong-Chul thought that he had heard of the name somewhere, but couldn''t quite recall the face, and helplessly tilted his head . As if he expected this to happen, the doctor in charge quickly offered up an explanation "He''s the Hunter who was evaluated as a rank S recently . ". "A rank S!!". Here was the reason why Doctor Choi was being so cautious . Who would have guessed that the patient''s guardian happened to be a rank S Hunter?. ''This . It''ll be the end for us if we make a rash move and things go sideways as a result . ''. The influence a rank S Hunter had over society was extensive, to begin with, but more importantly, if such a Hunter lost his cool and decided to rampage around, then . Lee Seong-Chul nervously swallowed dry saliva when a rather unexpected name was brought up ''That sure was too close for comfort ''. His hardened expression suddenly softened into a cheery smile "Begin the discharge procedure right away . ". "Indeed, we should do that . ". "Yes, we must . ". A smile of a good-natured person remained on Lee Seong-Chul''s lips They should definitely release the patient now . What were they hoping to gain by getting on the bad side of a rank S Hunter? He quickly came with a logical-sounding excuse that contained the rough meaning of what both of them were thinking about "We surely can''t force a perfectly healthy person to remain cooped up in a hospital, now can we?". "Indeed, Director . ". The doctor in charge quickly stood up from his seat And after he left . "Whew ". Lee Seong-Chul stared at the now-closed door to the director''s office and spat out a sigh of relief ***. As soon as she got the call, Jin-Ah dropped everything and rushed to the hospital Jin-Woo had been sitting on a chair next to mom''s bed, and when he sensed his fast-approaching sister, quickly stood up . Right then, the door to his mom''s hospital room was flung open "Mom?? Mom!!". She hadn''t even crossed the doorway yet, but Jin-Ah''s face was already a messy mixture of streaming tears and snot falling from her nose "Oh, my gosh . My little girl, you''ve grown up so much . ". The last time their mom, Park Gyung-Hye, saw her daughter was when she was still in middle school . She gazed at her grown-up daughter with a surprised expression, but shortly afterwards, opened her arms wide to welcome Jin-Ah with a warm smile on her face When that happened . "Mom!!". Jin-Ah tightly embraced her mother Jin-Woo hesitated slightly . That wasn''t something she should have done to a patient who regained her consciousness after four years of being in a coma . But, seeing his sister crying her eyes out like that while locked in their mother''s embrace, he couldn''t bring himself to stop her "Mom, Mom . ". She always acted all grown-up, but in the end, Jin-Ah was still a kid inside . The energetic and brave everyday appearance of Jin-Ah overlapped with the current sobbing one, and that stung Jin-Woo''s nostrils a bit "That is eno ". Jin-Woo eventually moved in to separate Jin-Ah, but Park Gyung-Hye placed her index finger on her lips and slowly shook her head, her other hand still gently patting her daughter''s back Jin-Woo sighed softly and took a step back As he looked on at his sister in his mom''s embrace, as well as his mom''s gentle and warm expression, a satisfied smile automatically formed on his lips ''My effort wasn''t in vain . ''. It felt like he was being fully rewarded for all the hard work he had put in right at this moment . Also, he felt as if something hard and stubborn stuck in the corner of his heart had finally melted down and was now flowing away, out of him In that case, should he leave the two of them alone for a while? At least, until his little sister found a way to get a hold of her overflowing emotions Since she was one smart girl, she''d know not to unnecessarily stress out mom . Only that, she needed a bit more time here Jin-Woo grinned a little and shifted his gaze outside the hospital window . As if to congratulate the reunion of his family, the weather outside was brilliantly sunny today Feeling a bit awkward from standing there and staring at the weather without saying anything, he decided to pull out his phone ''¡­ . ''. There was a scary amount of missed calls and text messages left on his phone that he couldn''t even dare to attempt replying to a select few, never mind all of them . Jin-Woo scrolled the list of the missed calls and texts, before giving up and closing the window altogether ''Well, if it''s something urgent, I''m sure they''ll contact me again . ''. He quickly gave up on replying and instead, accessed the internet browser But then . '' . Heok!!''. He clicked on the online news portal without thinking too much, only to perform a grand facepalm [A flying monster spotted over the skies of Seoul?]. [The potential destination of the flying monster?]. [Hunters Association fails to respond . What about the safety of citizens?]. Photos of Kaisel were plastered all over the various internet news sites From the vicinity of his house all the way to this hospital, the distance between the two points was rather considerable, but he figured nothing serious would happen because he was travelling at such a high speed . But this . ''¡­ . It was only a short flight, but we got photographed a lot, didn''t we?''. The only fortunate thing here was that the photos didn''t show him riding on the back of Kaisel He made up his mind to not care about what others thought of him when he summoned Kaisel near his house, but now that he was dominating the headlines, he sure felt conflicted now ''Oh, well . ''. Anyone would have their hearts in their mouths, seeing a monster flying in the sky like that . Jin-Woo scanned the news articles filled with a great deal of anxiety and told himself to be more careful in the future ''There''s no need to go out of my way to scare the public, anyway . ''. Indeed, didn''t he feel a certain aversion towards the Class of Necromancer because he was worried about failing to handle all the pointed stares of the public?. ''However, if the frenzy over a winged lizard is this huge, then, uh, the responses to the gigantic Fangs would really be something else, no?''. While he was thinking of this and that . Vrrr Vrrr . His phone began vibrating ''Who''s this?''. He didn''t recognise the number; after exiting the hospital room, he answered the call "Hello?". - "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ". A baritone yet still bright voice of an old man came out . Jin-Woo immediately recalled the owner of that voice "Association President?". - "Yes, this is the Association President Goh Gun-Hui speaking . ". ''Why is he giving me a call?''. What prompted the one-and-only Association President to give him a call like this? Jin-Woo noticed that there were several people walking to and fro within the hospital''s corridor, so he quickly walked towards a more secluded area . He continued to speak in the meantime "What''s the matter, sir?". - "I''m sure you''ve heard of the news by now . ". '' . What news?''. Jin-Woo tilted his head a bit, before realising that this wouldn''t do and asked again "I''m not sure what news you''re talking about ?". - "Wait, could it be . You haven''t seen the news lately?". ''Wow . I guess the speed of news getting around these days is nothing to scoff at . ''. Jin-Woo readily admitted to his wrongdoing "I''m sorry about that . But I''ll make sure to be more careful next time . ". - " Excuse me?". Only after hearing the confused voice of Goh Gun-Hui did Jin-Woo realise that he was deeply mistaken about something here ''Wait, wasn''t he calling me about Kaisel?''. If not, what else could the news outlets be talking about, instead?. The dual dungeon, the Red Gate, clearing the rank A dungeons, the ''Bead of Avarice'', etc . Now that he thought about, there were quite a few potential topics of contention, instead " . Can you clarify what happened?". - "Looks like you really haven''t heard anything yet . ". "I''ve been spending some time in a location recently where contacting outside was difficult, actually . ". He wasn''t lying about that, technically speaking Goh Gun-Hui''s voice betrayed how surprised he was, but then, it became even graver than before - "Hunter-nim . ". According to Jin-Woo''s experience, this could only mean that the reason for this call should be brought up now - "I''d like to come and discuss something with you face-to-face . Will that be okay with you?". Jin-Woo''s suspicion grew even larger compared to when he first answered the phone ''Calling me on the phone isn''t enough, so the Association President wishes to come here and see me personally?''. Just how much of an important matter was this to make someone as busy as him personally move?. Even then . Jin-Woo glanced in the direction of mom''s hospital room ''I can''t ask the Association President to come here . ''. He might have to come up with bullsh*t stories related to his mother if that happened "No, I''ll go over there, instead . ". - "Will you do that for us, then?". "Yes, I will . ". That was far more simpler for him Quickly making the arrangement over the phone, and after telling his mom and sister that he had an errand to run and he''d be back a little later, Jin-Woo left the hospital Having spent way too long inside the Demon''s Castle where there was no sunlight, his eyes were feeling a bit itchy as the warm rays fell on him . Jin-Woo furrowed his brows ''Man, this is so cumbersome . Should I just summon Kaisel?''. He deliberated for a moment or two, before smirking to himself and walked towards a waiting taxi < Chapter 110 > Fin Chapter 111 The footage shown was quite a shocking one . Shot from a CCTV camera placed high up on a stretch of road, the viewer could see how deserted this unknown street was; it was so quiet that, even after the footage had been greatly sped up, only a handful of cars drove by . One might even end up suspecting that the road was located in the sparsely-populated outskirts of a city or even in a rural area . The sped-up footage was slowed down greatly . And then, it happened . A saloon appeared on the edge of the screen . It was moving fast enough that even when the footage had been slowed down, one could still sense its high speed . But then, in the blink of an eye . . . . A black thing suddenly appeared before the speeding car . It was a dark lifeform, standing on two feet like a person . The car couldn''t slow down sufficiently with this sudden development . However, no such thing as the car and the unknown lifeform colliding ever occurred . Just before the collision happened, the car suddenly flew up in the air . The dark lifeform easily flipped the mid-sized saloon speeding towards it with one hand, and then, dragged the unconscious driver out from the wreckage to devour the poor guy from the head . Chomp, chomp . . . . That surely would''ve been the noise most likely to be captured by a mic, had the CCTV camera been equipped with one . The footage came to an end there . Jin-Woo shifted his gaze away from the giant TV screen filling up an entire wall of the Association President''s office, and to Goh Gun-Hui sitting on the other side of the table . The older man slowly put the remote down . "Three hundred people . " Unlike some others, he didn''t speak about the neighbouring nation''s misfortune with an easy-going attitude . "That one ant managed to kill that many people . " "Were the Japanese too slow to respond?" "That''s not correct . " Goh Gun-Hui shook his head . "From what I hear, the Japanese Hunters only took 30 minutes to get to the location . But, in that short period of time, a small village was wiped off the map . " Japan boasted one of the most advanced Hunter systems in all of Asia . And a country like that had to experience such a level of devastation, so what would happen if an ant entered the South Korean border? Goh Gun-Hui had viewed that footage multiple times already, but he still was overcome with a chilling premonition of an impending crisis every time he did . ''Before it''s too late, we need to destroy the ants once and for all . '' The subjugation operation would get underway in four days'' time . The Japanese had been demanding the release of the final list of all Korean Hunters participating in the operation for a few days now . However, using his authority as the leader of the Korean side, Goh Gun-Hui delayed the announcement of the final list . The reason for that was simple . Because no one could get in touch with Jin-Woo until now . And so, after a long wait, the moment of the list being finalised had arrived . Goh Gun-Hui continued on with a trembling heart . "We''ll go to Jeju Island and get rid of the ants found there . " He formed a pleading expression next . "And that is why we need your help, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . " Next up, Goh Gun-Hui''s expression shifted to one of anxiety . If Jin-Woo refused to participate, then there was nothing anyone could do . He was no longer affiliated with the Association, and he was not duty-bound to carry out the demands of the Association, either . In other words, the final decision rested solely on his whim . After lengthy deliberation, he opened his mouth . "I . . . . . " *** After ending the meeting with the Association President, Jin-Woo stood up from the seat to leave, only to sense something and shifted his head in that direction . ''What was that just now?'' In a place not too far from here, he sensed clashes of magical energy . ''Could it be a dungeon break?'' Initially, he suspected a dungeon break happening nearby, but he soon realised that wasn''t the case . He couldn''t sense any presence of monsters, only the magic energy coming from various Hunters, instead . "Did something happen?" Goh Gun-Hui had stood up from his seat first and walked over to the doorway to bid Jin-Woo goodbye, only to turn around and question him when the youth failed to move from the spot . "Well, I don''t think it''s anything serious, but . . . . It seems that Hunters are fighting each other nearby . " "But, that can''t be . " Goh Gun-Hui chuckled loudly . Which foolhardy Hunters would dare to fight each other near the Association''s HQ? There was no way such a thing would happen . ''No, wait . . . . The direction of Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim is looking at . . . . ?'' A possibility formed in Goh Gun-Hui''s mind . "I believe that rank S Hunters are doing some light exercises in the gymnasium . Maybe you''re talking about that?" '' . . . Light exercises, is it?'' If that was the case, then for sure, the continuous yet restrained clashes of magical energy made sense . Jin-Woo nodded his head . "I see . " Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes looking at the youth were filled with undisguised surprise . ''He can sense something like that from this distance?'' The Association''s gymnasium was designed to greatly minimise the amount of magic energy leaking outside . In actual reality, even Goh Gun-Hui himself couldn''t sense anything . But then, not only had Jin-Woo sensed the minuscule amount leaking out from there, he even correctly guessed that different magic energies were clashing with one another, too . ''Just how highly attuned are his senses?'' It was simply impossible to even take a wild guess . " . . . . Ah, right! Would you like to take a look if you''re interested?" Goh Gun-Hui made a quick suggestion . It was a rare event to find all of the rank S Hunters in South Korea gathered in one place . Personally witnessing the abilities of other rank S Hunters from the sideline would do a world of good to Seong Jin-Woo, who had become a rank S himself only recently . "I believe that Mister Goto Ryuji is also present there . " Jin-Woo was thinking of taking a look-see with an open mind, only to stop in his tracks . "If you say Goto Ryuji, do you mean . . . . ?" "Yes, it is him . " If you were a Hunter ¨C no, even if you weren''t a Hunter ¨C you''d have at least heard of that name once, the name that belonged to one of the most powerful Hunters in existence . "It is indeed that Goto Ryuji . He''s currently staying in the country to aid in building a good repertoire and a sense of camaraderie in both the Korean and Japanese participants . Since he''s planning to leave tomorrow, if you don''t meet him today, you might not get another opportunity in the future . " Not only were Korea''s best Hunters gathered in one place, but even Japan''s best was also here too? ''Obviously, I can''t miss this chance . '' Jin-Woo accepted Goh Gun-Hui''s suggestion with a deeply interested expression . *** At the same time, Goto Ryuji was doing his very best to stifle a yawn . ''This is supposed to be the abilities of Korea''s best?'' How laughable . No, they were actually pitiful . The assessment of ''laughable'' was made from an objective point of view, while the ''pitiful'' bit came from him adding a bit of sympathy to that initial assessment . ''Rather than leaving the safety of the country to these people''s hands, wouldn''t it be far better to be under the protection of us, the Japanese, instead?'' Goto Ryuji formed a leery smile and surveyed the Korean rank S Hunters . Out of all the rank S Hunters he met in Korea so far, only one seemed to be somewhat ''useful'' to his eyes . ''Her name''s supposed to be Cha Hae-In, right?'' Even then, her abilities were only around the level of Japan''s upper-rank Hunters . She fell way, way short when compared to the best Hunters Japan could offer . ''But, there''s no helping it, is there?'' South Korea was a small nation, and its population wasn''t that vast, either . Also, the person who had Awakened the greatest ability within the populace just so happened to be an old man who didn''t have that many days to live and couldn''t even fight properly . ''If it''s Goh Gun-Hui, then he might be able to contend with some of our best on a similar level, but . . . . . '' He could say that the Koreans had drawn a short straw on this one . In any case, he was done with assessing the capabilities of the Korean Hunters . He had completed the real reason for his extended stay in Korea . ''They wouldn''t even survive for five minutes if we withdraw during the subjugation . '' Thinking that there was no more reason to stick around, Goto Ryuji turned around to leave, but then, he spotted someone unfamiliar walking closer from the entrance of the gymnasium . ''Mm . . . . ?'' Goto Ryuji''s brows quivered greatly . He hadn''t realised the approach of this unknown man even though they were in close proximity already . He was looking at the man with his own eyes, yet he still couldn''t sense the other person''s presence at all . ''Is he an Assassin-type Hunter?'' Goto Ryuji asked the Association employee tasked with translation next to him . "Who is that man?" The employee fidgeted with his glasses and stared for a long time, before finally recalling who the unknown man was and formed a smile . "Ah . He''s the newly registered rank S Hunter . " "Aha . . . . " So, that man was that Re-Awakened with no known reliable information available? Goto Ryuji was thinking of spending the remaining time in Korea to unearth more about this man, but he now thought that this was actually better for him . He formed a bright smile and asked the Association employee again . "Seems like he''s a pretty excellent Assassin?" "Pardon?" When the employee stared back with a strange expression, Goto Ryuji realised something was off . "Did I make a mistake?" "Oh, no . That''s not it . But, well . . . " The employee pointed at Jin-Woo and spoke . "He''s actually a Mage-type Hunter . Mister Goto . " ''No freaking way?!'' Carrying a disbelieving expression, Goto Ryuji quickly accessed the Korean Hunters Association website and went through the list of rank S Hunters there . The automated translation app allowed him to read the information on the Korean rank S Hunters right away . [Seong Jin-Woo, rank S, Mage-type] There it was . The profile image and the person''s face were a perfect match . ''He''s really a Mage-type??'' Goto Ryuji got inwardly stunned by this and hurriedly raised his shocked face . By then, that man was already standing nearby . *** ''So, this guy is Goto Ryuji, huh . '' Jin-Woo only needed one glance to recognise Japan''s most powerful Hunter . He was a tall man with a sharp sense of fashion . His beard was trimmed neatly, too . At a casual glance, one might mistakenly think that he was a famous Japanese actor . ''But, why does he keep looking at me like that?'' Just as Jin-Woo was beginning to feel a bit unhappy at the continued gaze, the Japanese man performed a simple greeting with his eyes first . Did he stare like that because they had never met before until now? Jin-Woo didn''t think too much about it and reciprocated the light greeting, and took a look around . In the middle of the gymnasium, the shirtless Baek Yun-Ho and a hulking middle-aged man with a huge frame were having a sparring session . Excluding Goto Ryuji, everyone else present was looking on at that with deeply interested expressions . Swish-!! Baek Yun-Ho slapped away the hand of the quickly-approaching man, spun his lower half, and sent out a powerful low kick . Pah! Contrary to expectations, though, the one to frown was Baek Yun-Ho . ''Oho . '' Jin-Woo could tell why . In that briefest of moments, the giant man utilised a body reinforcement-type skill to defend his legs . Judging from that huge body and the skill he used just now, he seemed to be a Tanker type, but his Agility Stat must''ve been rather out of the norm, as well . Should Jin-Woo chalk that one up to that man being a rank S? The giant middle-aged man smirked . "Instructor Baek! It won''t do for a young man like you to be this powerless . " "I''m not an instructor, Mah Instructor-nim . " The giant man referred to as Mah Instructor-nim chuckled genially and grabbed the belt of his dobok . Maybe because a guy with a physique of a Sumo wrestler was wearing a dobok, it kind of felt a bit out of place to Jin-Woo''s eyes . "Well, in that case . " The giant man fixed his attire for a moment before pouncing forward again, and Baek Yun-Ho unleashed his magic power to counter-attack . Both of them were carrying joyous expressions . As Instructor Mah pushed forward, and as Baek Yun-Ho was pushed back, they both looked to be enjoying themselves . It seemed that they were relishing this rare opportunity to unleash some of their powers that had to be restrained most of the time in this gathering of rank S Awakened . "Even then, if Mister Baek Yun-Ho were to fight seriously, Mister Mah Dong-Wook wouldn''t be able to endure it . " Choi Jong-In walked in closer to Jin-Woo and spoke up . The latter turned his head to look, prompting the former to nod his head in a greeting . Jin-Woo reciprocated the greeting, and their conversation continued on from there . "That person wearing dobok is the Shining Star''s Mah Dong-Wook . " ''Ah . '' Jin-Woo was thinking to himself that he had heard of that name before, and it turned out that man was the Master of the Shining Star . He nodded his head and threw a question . "It''s not like he needs to go easy on his opponent, so why is Master Baek hiding most of his powers?" "He finds it a bit troublesome to reveal his powers in front of too many eyes¡­ . Chairman Baek transforms into a real monster when he fights seriously, you see . " Back in front of the Red Gate, Baek Yun-Ho did reveal a pair of beast-like eyes to Jin-Woo . ''So, it''s not just his eyes that can transform, eh . '' Just like Baek Yun-Ho''s ability to transform, one would hear about top Hunters possessing rather unique abilities every now and then . In a way, they were the possessors of monster-like powers . From other people''s perspective, Jin-Woo thought that he''d be seen like that, too . ''A guy who can morph into a monster, and a guy who can summon monsters . . . . '' When he thought about others finding him mystifying, just like how he thought of Baek Yun-Ho''s powers being weird, Jin-Woo couldn''t help but smirk softly to himself . But, that was all . He only found Baek Yun-Ho''s ability to transform strange and nothing else . There was nothing interesting to look at in regards to the sparring between Baek Yun-Ho and Mah Dong-Wook . ''So slow . '' Jin-Woo didn''t even need to concentrate, yet he could clearly read the attacks and counters of both men . It was then . " . . . Uh?" Sensing something was off, Baek Yun-Ho stopped moving . Mah Dong-Wook also stopped at the same time, as well . And their gazes shifted to Jin-Woo simultaneously as if they had made a prior arrangement . Maybe it was because Jin-Woo''s boredom was too easy to see? ''¡­ . . . ?'' But then again, too many people were looking at Jin-Woo the same way for him to think that was the case . However, he got to figure out the reason soon enough . ''It''s not me, but behind me . . . . '' When he looked back, Goto Ryuji was standing there . The light glinting in his eyes was rather suspicious . The interpreter next to the Japanese man spoke on behalf of Goto Ryuji . "Hunter-nim? Mister Goto wishes to speak to you for a moment . " Jin-Woo knew that Goto Ryuji was standing nearby, but because he hadn''t expected to be addressed at all, he could only form a confused expression . ''This guy, I sensed that he didn''t seem right since a while ago, but now . . . . '' Did Jin-Woo''s unhappiness get transmitted? Because Goto Ryuji quietly threw out a rather unexpected question . "Will you have a sparring match with me?" < Chapter 111 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 111: Chapter 111 . The footage shown was quite a shocking one Shot from a CCTV camera placed high up on a stretch of road, the viewer could see how deserted this unknown street was; it was so quiet that, even after the footage had been greatly sped up, only a handful of cars drove by One might even end up suspecting that the road was located in the sparsely-populated outskirts of a city or even in a rural area The sped-up footage was slowed down greatly . And then, it happened A saloon appeared on the edge of the screen . It was moving fast enough that even when the footage had been slowed down, one could still sense its high speed But then, in the blink of an eye . A black thing suddenly appeared before the speeding car . It was a dark lifeform, standing on two feet like a person . The car couldn''t slow down sufficiently with this sudden development . However, no such thing as the car and the unknown lifeform colliding ever occurred Just before the collision happened, the car suddenly flew up in the air The dark lifeform easily flipped the mid-sized saloon speeding towards it with one hand, and then, dragged the unconscious driver out from the wreckage to devour the poor guy from the head Chomp, chomp . That surely would''ve been the noise most likely to be captured by a mic, had the CCTV camera been equipped with one The footage came to an end there Jin-Woo shifted his gaze away from the giant TV screen filling up an entire wall of the Association President''s office, and to Goh Gun-Hui sitting on the other side of the table The older man slowly put the remote down "Three hundred people . ". Unlike some others, he didn''t speak about the neighbouring nation''s misfortune with an easy-going attitude "That one ant managed to kill that many people . ". "Were the Japanese too slow to respond?". "That''s not correct . ". Goh Gun-Hui shook his head "From what I hear, the Japanese Hunters only took 30 minutes to get to the location . But, in that short period of time, a small village was wiped off the map . ". Japan boasted one of the most advanced Hunter systems in all of Asia . And a country like that had to experience such a level of devastation, so what would happen if an ant entered the South Korean border?. Goh Gun-Hui had viewed that footage multiple times already, but he still was overcome with a chilling premonition of an impending crisis every time he did ''Before it''s too late, we need to destroy the ants once and for all . ''. The subjugation operation would get underway in four days'' time . The Japanese had been demanding the release of the final list of all Korean Hunters participating in the operation for a few days now However, using his authority as the leader of the Korean side, Goh Gun-Hui delayed the announcement of the final list . The reason for that was simple Because no one could get in touch with Jin-Woo until now And so, after a long wait, the moment of the list being finalised had arrived . Goh Gun-Hui continued on with a trembling heart "We''ll go to Jeju Island and get rid of the ants found there . ". He formed a pleading expression next "And that is why we need your help, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ". Next up, Goh Gun-Hui''s expression shifted to one of anxiety If Jin-Woo refused to participate, then there was nothing anyone could do . He was no longer affiliated with the Association, and he was not duty-bound to carry out the demands of the Association, either . In other words, the final decision rested solely on his whim After lengthy deliberation, he opened his mouth "I . ". ***. After ending the meeting with the Association President, Jin-Woo stood up from the seat to leave, only to sense something and shifted his head in that direction ''What was that just now?''. In a place not too far from here, he sensed clashes of magical energy ''Could it be a dungeon break?''. Initially, he suspected a dungeon break happening nearby, but he soon realised that wasn''t the case . He couldn''t sense any presence of monsters, only the magic energy coming from various Hunters, instead "Did something happen?". Goh Gun-Hui had stood up from his seat first and walked over to the doorway to bid Jin-Woo goodbye, only to turn around and question him when the youth failed to move from the spot "Well, I don''t think it''s anything serious, but It seems that Hunters are fighting each other nearby . ". "But, that can''t be . ". Goh Gun-Hui chuckled loudly Which foolhardy Hunters would dare to fight each other near the Association''s HQ? There was no way such a thing would happen ''No, wait The direction of Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim is looking at ?''. A possibility formed in Goh Gun-Hui''s mind "I believe that rank S Hunters are doing some light exercises in the gymnasium . Maybe you''re talking about that?". '' . Light exercises, is it?''. If that was the case, then for sure, the continuous yet restrained clashes of magical energy made sense . Jin-Woo nodded his head "I see . ". Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes looking at the youth were filled with undisguised surprise ''He can sense something like that from this distance?''. The Association''s gymnasium was designed to greatly minimise the amount of magic energy leaking outside . In actual reality, even Goh Gun-Hui himself couldn''t sense anything But then, not only had Jin-Woo sensed the minuscule amount leaking out from there, he even correctly guessed that different magic energies were clashing with one another, too ''Just how highly attuned are his senses?''. It was simply impossible to even take a wild guess " Ah, right! Would you like to take a look if you''re interested?". Goh Gun-Hui made a quick suggestion . It was a rare event to find all of the rank S Hunters in South Korea gathered in one place . Personally witnessing the abilities of other rank S Hunters from the sideline would do a world of good to Seong Jin-Woo, who had become a rank S himself only recently "I believe that Mister Goto Ryuji is also present there . ". Jin-Woo was thinking of taking a look-see with an open mind, only to stop in his tracks "If you say Goto Ryuji, do you mean ?". "Yes, it is him . ". If you were a Hunter ¨C no, even if you weren''t a Hunter ¨C you''d have at least heard of that name once, the name that belonged to one of the most powerful Hunters in existence "It is indeed that Goto Ryuji . He''s currently staying in the country to aid in building a good repertoire and a sense of camaraderie in both the Korean and Japanese participants . Since he''s planning to leave tomorrow, if you don''t meet him today, you might not get another opportunity in the future . ". Not only were Korea''s best Hunters gathered in one place, but even Japan''s best was also here too?. ''Obviously, I can''t miss this chance . ''. Jin-Woo accepted Goh Gun-Hui''s suggestion with a deeply interested expression ***. At the same time, Goto Ryuji was doing his very best to stifle a yawn ''This is supposed to be the abilities of Korea''s best?''. How laughable No, they were actually pitiful The assessment of ''laughable'' was made from an objective point of view, while the ''pitiful'' bit came from him adding a bit of sympathy to that initial assessment ''Rather than leaving the safety of the country to these people''s hands, wouldn''t it be far better to be under the protection of us, the Japanese, instead?''. Goto Ryuji formed a leery smile and surveyed the Korean rank S Hunters . Out of all the rank S Hunters he met in Korea so far, only one seemed to be somewhat ''useful'' to his eyes ''Her name''s supposed to be Cha Hae-In, right?''. Even then, her abilities were only around the level of Japan''s upper-rank Hunters . She fell way, way short when compared to the best Hunters Japan could offer ''But, there''s no helping it, is there?''. South Korea was a small nation, and its population wasn''t that vast, either . Also, the person who had Awakened the greatest ability within the populace just so happened to be an old man who didn''t have that many days to live and couldn''t even fight properly ''If it''s Goh Gun-Hui, then he might be able to contend with some of our best on a similar level, but . ''. He could say that the Koreans had drawn a short straw on this one In any case, he was done with assessing the capabilities of the Korean Hunters . He had completed the real reason for his extended stay in Korea ''They wouldn''t even survive for five minutes if we withdraw during the subjugation . ''. Thinking that there was no more reason to stick around, Goto Ryuji turned around to leave, but then, he spotted someone unfamiliar walking closer from the entrance of the gymnasium ''Mm ?''. Goto Ryuji''s brows quivered greatly He hadn''t realised the approach of this unknown man even though they were in close proximity already . He was looking at the man with his own eyes, yet he still couldn''t sense the other person''s presence at all ''Is he an Assassin-type Hunter?''. Goto Ryuji asked the Association employee tasked with translation next to him "Who is that man?". The employee fidgeted with his glasses and stared for a long time, before finally recalling who the unknown man was and formed a smile "Ah . He''s the newly registered rank S Hunter . ". "Aha ". So, that man was that Re-Awakened with no known reliable information available?. Goto Ryuji was thinking of spending the remaining time in Korea to unearth more about this man, but he now thought that this was actually better for him . He formed a bright smile and asked the Association employee again "Seems like he''s a pretty excellent Assassin?". "Pardon?". When the employee stared back with a strange expression, Goto Ryuji realised something was off "Did I make a mistake?". "Oh, no . That''s not it . But, well . ". The employee pointed at Jin-Woo and spoke "He''s actually a Mage-type Hunter . Mister Goto . ". ''No freaking way?!''. Carrying a disbelieving expression, Goto Ryuji quickly accessed the Korean Hunters Association website and went through the list of rank S Hunters there The automated translation app allowed him to read the information on the Korean rank S Hunters right away [Seong Jin-Woo, rank S, Mage-type]. There it was . The profile image and the person''s face were a perfect match ''He''s really a Mage-type??''. Goto Ryuji got inwardly stunned by this and hurriedly raised his shocked face . By then, that man was already standing nearby ***. ''So, this guy is Goto Ryuji, huh . ''. Jin-Woo only needed one glance to recognise Japan''s most powerful Hunter He was a tall man with a sharp sense of fashion . His beard was trimmed neatly, too . At a casual glance, one might mistakenly think that he was a famous Japanese actor ''But, why does he keep looking at me like that?''. Just as Jin-Woo was beginning to feel a bit unhappy at the continued gaze, the Japanese man performed a simple greeting with his eyes first Did he stare like that because they had never met before until now?. Jin-Woo didn''t think too much about it and reciprocated the light greeting, and took a look around In the middle of the gymnasium, the shirtless Baek Yun-Ho and a hulking middle-aged man with a huge frame were having a sparring session . Excluding Goto Ryuji, everyone else present was looking on at that with deeply interested expressions Swish-!!. Baek Yun-Ho slapped away the hand of the quickly-approaching man, spun his lower half, and sent out a powerful low kick Pah!. Contrary to expectations, though, the one to frown was Baek Yun-Ho ''Oho . ''. Jin-Woo could tell why . In that briefest of moments, the giant man utilised a body reinforcement-type skill to defend his legs Judging from that huge body and the skill he used just now, he seemed to be a Tanker type, but his Agility Stat must''ve been rather out of the norm, as well . Should Jin-Woo chalk that one up to that man being a rank S?. The giant middle-aged man smirked "Instructor Baek! It won''t do for a young man like you to be this powerless . ". "I''m not an instructor, Mah Instructor-nim . ". The giant man referred to as Mah Instructor-nim chuckled genially and grabbed the belt of his dobok . Maybe because a guy with a physique of a Sumo wrestler was wearing a dobok, it kind of felt a bit out of place to Jin-Woo''s eyes "Well, in that case . ". The giant man fixed his attire for a moment before pouncing forward again, and Baek Yun-Ho unleashed his magic power to counter-attack . Both of them were carrying joyous expressions As Instructor Mah pushed forward, and as Baek Yun-Ho was pushed back, they both looked to be enjoying themselves It seemed that they were relishing this rare opportunity to unleash some of their powers that had to be restrained most of the time in this gathering of rank S Awakened "Even then, if Mister Baek Yun-Ho were to fight seriously, Mister Mah Dong-Wook wouldn''t be able to endure it . ". Choi Jong-In walked in closer to Jin-Woo and spoke up . The latter turned his head to look, prompting the former to nod his head in a greeting Jin-Woo reciprocated the greeting, and their conversation continued on from there "That person wearing dobok is the Shining Star''s Mah Dong-Wook . ". ''Ah . ''. Jin-Woo was thinking to himself that he had heard of that name before, and it turned out that man was the Master of the Shining Star . He nodded his head and threw a question "It''s not like he needs to go easy on his opponent, so why is Master Baek hiding most of his powers?". "He finds it a bit troublesome to reveal his powers in front of too many eyes¡­ . Chairman Baek transforms into a real monster when he fights seriously, you see . ". Back in front of the Red Gate, Baek Yun-Ho did reveal a pair of beast-like eyes to Jin-Woo ''So, it''s not just his eyes that can transform, eh . ''. Just like Baek Yun-Ho''s ability to transform, one would hear about top Hunters possessing rather unique abilities every now and then In a way, they were the possessors of monster-like powers . From other people''s perspective, Jin-Woo thought that he''d be seen like that, too ''A guy who can morph into a monster, and a guy who can summon monsters ''. When he thought about others finding him mystifying, just like how he thought of Baek Yun-Ho''s powers being weird, Jin-Woo couldn''t help but smirk softly to himself But, that was all He only found Baek Yun-Ho''s ability to transform strange and nothing else . There was nothing interesting to look at in regards to the sparring between Baek Yun-Ho and Mah Dong-Wook ''So slow . ''. Jin-Woo didn''t even need to concentrate, yet he could clearly read the attacks and counters of both men It was then " . Uh?". Sensing something was off, Baek Yun-Ho stopped moving . Mah Dong-Wook also stopped at the same time, as well . And their gazes shifted to Jin-Woo simultaneously as if they had made a prior arrangement Maybe it was because Jin-Woo''s boredom was too easy to see?. ''¡­ . ?''. But then again, too many people were looking at Jin-Woo the same way for him to think that was the case . However, he got to figure out the reason soon enough ''It''s not me, but behind me ''. When he looked back, Goto Ryuji was standing there . The light glinting in his eyes was rather suspicious The interpreter next to the Japanese man spoke on behalf of Goto Ryuji "Hunter-nim? Mister Goto wishes to speak to you for a moment . ". Jin-Woo knew that Goto Ryuji was standing nearby, but because he hadn''t expected to be addressed at all, he could only form a confused expression ''This guy, I sensed that he didn''t seem right since a while ago, but now ''. Did Jin-Woo''s unhappiness get transmitted? Because Goto Ryuji quietly threw out a rather unexpected question "Will you have a sparring match with me?". < Chapter 111 > Fin Chapter 112 There wasn''t any deeper meaning behind his actions . Goto Ryuji came to South Korea to personally confirm the capabilities of the top Korean Hunters with his own eyes . And now, he had developed a bit of curiosity after discovering someone a bit unique out of the lot . That was all . ''I''ll soon find out whether he''s really a Mage or not . '' Goto Ryuji refused to accept that the man standing right in front of his eyes wasn''t a melee-type Hunter . He needed more ''data'' . In order to eliminate any and all form of unexpected variations, he simply had to acquire more data on Seong Jin-Woo . ''Well, half of it is for fun, though . . . . '' Goto Ryuji smirked to himself . The interpreter heard what the Japanese Hunter had to say, jumped up in surprise, before hurriedly asking a question . "M-mister Goto, are you sure about this?" "Please translate what I said to this man ad verbatim . " "B-but, even then . . . . " "Will there be a problem?" Goto Ryuji asked back in a teasing tone . His voice seemed to ask why shouldn''t he participate in the proceedings, when the Korean Hunters were already doing some ''light exercises''? The interpreter continued to sweat buckets, before giving up in the end and replied to him . "I . . . I understand . " He turned his head and met Jin-Woo''s questioning gaze . The interpreter hesitated before opening his mouth . "Mister Goto is asking . . . If you don''t mind ''training'' with him . . . . . " There was no need for an extra explanation on what that training was supposed to be . Jin-Woo''s gaze shifted over to Goto Ryuji . The Japanese man was waiting for an answer with an unreadable smile on his face . ''You want to find out more about my skill level, is that it?'' There was no way that the world-famous Goto Ryuji would do something so eye-catching just to show off his abilities . If that was indeed his aim, he''d have asked either Choi Jong-In or Baek Yun-Ho, the leaders of the number one and two South Korean Guilds respectively, instead . ''I don''t know what you''re planning here, but . . . . '' Judging from the undisguised stare from earlier on, it was more than likely that Goto Ryuji''s interest was on Jin-Woo . Even then, he didn''t feel displeased by the Japanese Hunter''s abrupt suggestion . No, rather than that, he was genuinely intrigued by the prospect of the fight itself . He wanted to test out the strength he got to raise inside the Demon''s Castle, and he was also curious about the abilities of Japan''s top Hunter, too . Indeed, it wasn''t only Goto Ryuji who was curious about his opponent''s strength . ''¡­ . . Mm?'' Goto Ryuji stopped smiling as a thin frown formed on his forehead . ''He''s smiling?'' He expected Jin-Woo to become flustered and then eventually try to back out, but then, the Korean Hunter simply displayed a certain relaxed vibe, instead . Was there something he felt confident of? Or, was he smiling wryly after finding the current situation troublesome to handle? The answer was revealed soon enough . Jin-Woo told something to the interpreter, and the latter jumped up pretty high in shock right away . Next up, the interpreter looked as if he was doing his best to dissuade the youth, while Jin-Woo was all smiles as he tried to calm the former, instead . Since they were talking in Korean, Goto Ryuji couldn''t understand a word being spoken and as a result, a frown grew progressively deeper on his face . ''What are they even talking about . . . ?'' It should''ve only been either ''yes'' or ''no'' . Why was the interpreter sweating buckets like that over a question with only two exceedingly simple available answers? Just as Goto Ryuji''s patience was about to run out, the interpreter spoke up while continuously sneaking glances at Jin-Woo . "Uhm, excuse me, Mister Goto . . . . " If only there were no eyes watching right now, Goto Ryuji would''ve shouted at the man to stop wasting time and hurry up with it . Forcibly maintaining his smile meant that Goto Ryuji''s brows were quivering greatly, as he waited for the interpreter''s next words . "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim agreed to your proposal . However . . . . " "However?" "He says he has a condition . " ''A condition?'' Not only had the opponent failed to lower his tail and cower, but he also accepted the challenge straight away, and even put up an extra condition, as well . It was Goto Ryuji''s turn to feel somewhat flustered now . "And what is this condition?" "Well, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim said that . . . . . " The interpreter took one last look at Jin-Woo, and the latter nodded his head . " . . . . He''ll agree only on the condition that Mister Goto gives his all . " Goto Ryuji''s stare immediately shifted to Seong Jin-Woo . ''Is he being serious??'' Seeing the expression on Jin-Woo''s face, one could tell that he wasn''t kidding around . Goto Ryuji tilted his head . ''Wait . . . Maybe he doesn''t know who I am?'' But, that couldn''t be . Even if he didn''t know before, the interpreter should''ve provided an explanation just now . Even then, for him to not cower and back off ¨C was this the case of arrogance or a mistaken belief in himself? ''¡­ . This might be fun . '' The smile was already wiped clean from Goto Ryuji''s mug . He was thinking of matching the opponent''s pace and ending things after checking out Seong Jin-Woo''s skill, but now, his thoughts had changed . Thankfully, with a rank S Healer nearby, there shouldn''t be any big ''accidents'' either . "Alright, I accept . " "Heok!" The interpreter''s face paled immediately . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had just advanced to rank ''S'', so he might not be able to contain his overflowing passion, but why was Mister Goto, who had experienced all sorts of trials and tribulations, behaving like this? Unfortunately, the atmosphere had already gone past the point of no return . "Who''s that guy next to the Japanese Hunter?" "Isn''t he . . . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?" "What''s this? Are they going to spar or something?" Soon, the rank S Hunters and Association employees within the gymnasium all gathered around the two men glaring at each other . As everyone was immersed in the developing situation, half of them looking on with worry while the other half in anticipation, Cha Hae-In also stood next to the Hunters and looked on at the duo . ''Will he be fine . . . ?'' Jin-Woo''s opponent was a man who managed to stand at the top of Japan, a country with over 20 rank S Hunters . As for Jin-Woo himself, if one excluded the years he spent as a rank E, then he should be considered as a newbie who had been a rank S for only a few days now . It''d be the right thing to stop Hunter Seong Jin-Woo from continuing on any further . From Cha Hae-In''s perspective as someone affiliated with the Hunters Guild, Seong Jin-Woo was a benefactor who saved the lives of an entire team consisting of her Guild''s elite men and women . She wasn''t some honour-less woman who''d do nothing and watch a benefactor get hurt from the sidelines . However, she kept recalling the events of that day whenever she thought about dissuading him . ¡­ . The look Jin-Woo gave her, telling her not to interfere even when he was facing off against over one hundred High Orcs and a boss of a rank A dungeon . When recalling that powerful, determined stare, she felt her chest palpitate, and unexplainable anticipation bubbled up in her heart . That was why she couldn''t readily step forward, only to bite down on her lower lip in nervousness . It was then . "Are you feeling okay today with other Hunters around you?" Before she had time to notice it, Baek Yun-Ho was already next to her to ask that question . They had gone on several raids together, so he knew very well of her strange physical condition . "Well, it''s not like I''ll be able to continue blocking my nose in Jeju Island, so . . . " Hearing her answer, Baek Yun-Ho nodded his head . It was her turn to ask next . "You said before that you''re an acquaintance with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, yes?" "Yes . " Cha Hae-In remembered that the White Tiger Guild also received Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s help in the past, just like her own Guild did . "In that case, shouldn''t you try to stop Mister Seong Jin-Woo?" "I guess that''s the normal way of thinking . " After all, the opponent today was none other than Goto Ryuji . Cha Hae-In tilted her head . "If so, then why . . . . ?" Baek Yun-Ho shifted his gaze and met her eyes before replying to her . "It''s the same reason as yours, Cha Hunter-nim . " Flinch . Cha Hae-In felt as if her inner secrets had been exposed by Baek Yun-Ho just now . Her always-taciturn expression displayed just a hint of change . "I don''t . . . . . " "Don''t you feel this strange anticipation in the air?" ¡­ . She couldn''t deny that . Even now, her heart was racing with a singular thought of ''If it''s Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, then he might . . . . '' filling up her head . "It''s the same story for me . " Baek Yun-Ho replied with a grin and looked back in Jin-Woo and Goto Ryuji''s direction . His expression was filled with barely-checked anticipation . ''If Hunter Seong is really an Awakened who can grow stronger as per my expectation, then . . . . '' This could be the chance to confirm that theory . Goto Ryuji raised his fist first . The interpreter standing nearby hurriedly left their side . Two rank S Hunters were about to have a smackdown . Not only that, one of them happened to be referred to as Japan''s best, as well . A normal person would die simply from being too close in this situation . Making sure that the interpreter had run off to a safe-enough distance, Jin-Woo belatedly put his dukes up as well . No, that''s what he tried to do . But then . . . Swish! Without a moment''s delay, Goto Ryuji''s fist flew past where Jin-Woo''s head had been a blink ago . The Japanese man''s eyes grew wide . ''I missed?'' The attack was meant to floor Jin-Woo in one go and help Goto recover his damaged pride, but now, it was all for nothing . Jin-Woo evaded the punch by tilting his head out of the way, and then, he easily created some distance between them . His reaction speed was surprisingly fast . ''And you still claim to be a Mage after that??'' What a bloody laughable notion that was . Indeed, Goto Ryuji''s eyes weren''t mistaken . He didn''t know the reason for the Korean Association hiding that man''s true abilities, but without a doubt, Seong Jin-Woo was a melee-type Hunter . Not only that, definitely an Assassin, too . His agile movements and his silent steps were all the proof needed . ''You may be able to fool the others, but you can''t hide the truth from me . '' The corner of Goto Ryuji''s lips arched up . ''Allow me to peel off another layer of yours . '' ¡­ . Right until everything you possess is brought up to the surface! For the first time in a long, long while, Goto Ryuji was feeling genuinely pumped up . After taking some distance away from the aggressive Japanese Hunter, Jin-Woo stood still and listened to his heartbeat . Thump, thump, thump . . . . Indeed, his heart was beating faster . He could sense power on another level compared to other Hunters from Goto Ryuji . However, the emotion filling up Jin-Woo''s heart whenever Goto Ryuji''s unbelievable aura touched his skin was this strong sense of belief in himself . ''So, that guy is the best in Japan . . . . '' Only now could he truly recognise how much he had changed while raising his level to 97 . His strong confidence was clearly visible on his face now . On the other hand, Goto Ryuji''s expression was hardening . ''He''s smiling again?'' How dare he, in front of me?? Goto Ryuji spat out a heavy breath . The scarcely-believable amount of magical energy he emitted began to heavily press down the surrounding air . Hunters watching on were jolted by a nasty surprise . ''Shouldn''t we stop them before something happens here?'' ''Goto Ryuji, maybe he''s thinking of really going for it now?'' However, there was a thin smile on Jin-Woo''s face . This was what he wanted, anyways . Goto Ryuji saw that Jin-Woo showed no signs of cowering even after he had unleashed his fearsome level of magic power, and felt something welling up from deep within . His eyes gleamed dangerously just then! Even before other Hunters had the chance to step forward and stop this bout, Goto Ryuji pounced like an angry predator . The distance closed up in an instant; Goto Ryuji reached out with his hand; Jin-Woo leaned back in the nick of time and evaded the attack . ''¡­ . !!'' Goto Ryuji''s eyes trembled imperceptibly . ''He dodged?!'' Was that also a coincidence, or . . . . ? Even though many thoughts fleeted in and out of his head, he didn''t stay his hands and continued to rain down his attacks . Too bad, not one of them could connect to his target; Jin-Woo always managed to dodge by a hair''s breadth or repelled the incoming hits away . ''How could this be . . . ??'' Cold sweat drops formed on Goto Ryuji''s forehead . Goto Ryuji and his brilliantly flashy attacks, and Jin-Woo who managed to dodge everything by the smallest margins imaginable . Other Hunters watched the duo and expressed their genuine admiration . "That''s some fierce attacks, alright . " "Hard to follow those movements with my naked eyes . " "Look, even Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is enduring pretty well, no?" "Right, it''s already pretty remarkable that he can evade the attacks from Japan''s best to that extent . " Cha Hae-In shook her head multiple times inwardly . ''No, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo isn''t enduring anything right now . '' Others could only see that Jin-Woo was being endlessly led around by Goto Ryuji''s continuous stream of attacks, but in reality, it was completely the opposite . Cha Hae-In swallowed her saliva, feeling rather astonished at the moment . ''He''s actually leading Goto in such a way that Goto has no choice but to keep attacking!'' If she was not wrong about this, then . . . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had matched his own pace to the opponent''s, so he could figure out more about who he was facing here . Such a thing was only possible if his own level of abilities was several times greater than that of his opponent''s . ''How can that even make any sense . . . . ??'' But, that nonsensical event was actually unfolding right before her eyes . And now, she couldn''t help but think that the real reason to stop this sparring wasn''t that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo might find himself in danger, but the other way around . . . . Just as Cha Hae-In''s thoughts arrived at this point, she discovered Baek Yun-Ho next to her shuddering non-stop . "C-Chairman Baek . . . ??" She called out to him in a soft voice, but he didn''t respond . His eyes were glued to Jin-Woo and nothing else . She tried to read his expression, only to get stunned by what she saw . ''His eyes . . . . ?'' Baek Yun-Ho''s eyes were gleaming in yellow colour like that of a wild beast . His vertical-slit eyes were trembling softly in shock . She looked on with a worried expression on her face, but he didn''t even notice that someone was looking at him right now . Baek Yun-Ho was seeing everything clearly with his ''Eyes of the Beast'' . ''I . . . . I was right!'' Jin-Woo''s current level of power was incomparably greater than back when they last met in front of the Association building . ''¡­ . A Hunter who can grow stronger!!'' Baek Yun-Ho''s entire body shook from the unbridled shock . It was then . " . . . Ah!" Baek Yun-Ho had been paying his utmost attention to Jin-Woo all this time, and when ''it'' happened, he unconsciously spat out a frightened gasp . Cha Hae-In next to her also sensed this deeply chilling aura and hurriedly shifted her gaze . "Ah!!" A few seconds ago . . . . Goto Ryuji knew better than anyone else here that he had been suckered into Jin-Woo''s pace . He had been always referred to as the ''Strongest'' back home, so it felt like his pride had been shoved down the gutter in its entirety by this development . ''How dare he do this to me . . . . ?!'' The attack that he meticulously aimed at the opening also missed its mark, as Jin-Woo narrowly avoided it at the last possible second . Goto Ryuji grew enraged, and murderous intent began filling up his eyes . ''I''ll kill him!!'' Jin-Woo''s own eyes grew wider . He could acutely sense Goto Ryuji''s killing intent pricking his skin . ''Murderous intent?!'' Jin-Woo''s heart nearly fell to the pit of his stomach, then . If someone formed a murderous intent towards him, the System would float up a message and issue an emergency quest right afterwards . What if he got a quest telling him to kill Goto Ryuji here . . . ?? Tti-ring! A mechanical beep resounded out right at that moment, and Jin-Woo quickly looked up . [Warning! Discovered a subject with murderous intent nearby!] Thankfully, it was still a warning message; there was no emergency quest, like back then with Hwang Dong-Seok or Kahng Tae-Sik . However . . . . Swish-!! Goto Ryuji''s outstretched hand, aimed at Jin-Woo''s eye, narrowly missed and ended up slicing his cheek just a little . If his reflexes that had reached the absolute limit, didn''t react in time and tilt his head out of the way, he might have really lost his eye just now . It was an attack that clearly carried the intent to kill, and it was clearly aimed at a vital spot of the human anatomy . Such a thing would never be accepted during a training match like this . Grit . In the blink of an eye, the atmosphere changed . "Ah . " Baek Yun-Ho unconsciously spat out a frightened gasp . The first person to sense the abrupt shift in the atmosphere was actually Goto Ryuji, however . Unfortunately for him, although his body understood the change, his head could not . The chilly air roused sleeping goosebumps to break out all over his body, and all the hair on the back of his neck stood up . He had never, ever felt like this before . ''This, what is this . . . . ?'' Even before his brain had the time to process anything, Jin-Woo grabbed his wrist, hard . Goto Ryuji tried to yank his arm out with all his might, but it wouldn''t budge . ''What kind of strength is this . . . . ?!'' His gaze briefly lingered on his wrist, before moving on to Jin-Woo''s face . And he found an icy cold glare . But what caught Goto Ryuji''s attention even more than Jin-Woo''s cold eyes were his right shoulder and his raised right arm . Jin-Woo''s arm was cocked back by a lot; a tightly-clenched fist at the end of that arm was taking an aim at Goto Ryuji''s unguarded face . The air sinking lower all around Goto Ryuji pressed down on his shoulders . He suddenly couldn''t breathe anymore . Why? Why did he inexplicably think of the word ''death'' right at this moment? But, then . . . . "S-stop!" Baek Yun-Ho and Cha Hae-In jumped into the fray purely out of instinct and grabbed hold onto Jin-Woo''s right arm . The former was tightly hugging Jin-Woo''s shoulder as if he was trying to pull it down, while the latter was grabbing onto his wrist with everything she had . When Jin-Woo looked back, Baek Yun-Ho hurriedly shook his head . Even Cha Hae-In was looking at him with anxious eyes, fear clearly visible on her face . ''¡­ . . . . '' The desperate dissuasion of these two that didn''t even care about their own safety helped Jin-Woo to cool his agitation down somehow . "Fuu . " Jin-Woo let off a short sigh and released Goto Ryuji''s wrist . The Japanese man rubbed his now-freed wrist and retreated quickly . Meanwhile, the interpreter hurriedly arrived near his side . Baek Yun-Ho quickly spoke to him . "Let''s stop the sparring session here, since the mood seems to have turned for the worse . Please tell the Japanese for us . " The interpreter nodded his head . When Baek Yun-Ho''s words were relayed to him, Goto Ryuji proceeded to glare at Jin-Woo for a long time, before spinning on his heels to exit from the gymnasium without saying single a word . "M-mister Goto!!" The voice of the interpreter as he ran after Goto Ryuji sounded so pitiful . Baek Yun-Ho finally spat out a sigh of relief and lowered his head at Jin-Woo . "Forgive us for butting in . " " . . . " "That man is supposed to lead the Japanese team in the operation a few days from now . I couldn''t just stand by and watch, even though there was a chance that something might go horribly wrong for us . " Baek Yun-Ho cautiously studied Jin-Woo''s expression and asked . "Did I do something unnecessary?" "No, not at all . " Jin-Woo readily admitted to it . Baek Yun-Ho was right . If something happened to Goto Ryuji and that led to an unnecessary snag in the operation, then both countries might end up suffering severe consequences afterwards . So, he never thought of assigning any blame on Baek Yun-Ho or Cha Hae-In after they interfered in the timely fashion . "Wow . . . . " Now that the situation seemed to have calmed down, people absorbed in spectating on the sparring session between Goto Ryuji and Jin-Woo quickly approached him . The way they looked at him went through a noticeable change . The first one to make his approach was the Master of the Shining Star Guild, the massive-framed Mah Dong-Wook . "Huhuh!!" Mah Dong-Wook laughed genially . "To be able to walk away with only a small scratch on your cheek after having a bout with the one and only Goto, you''re truly something else, young man!" Regretfully, no one else seemed to have figured out what happened here besides Cha Hae-In and Baek Yun-Ho . "Ooh!! You have really firm muscles! What an outstanding physique!" Mah Dong-Wook touched Jin-Woo''s shoulders and arms while expressing his genuine admiration . "My Guild is full of Mage-type Hunters, so we''re severely lacking in melee-types at the moment . Instructor Seong, if you haven''t thought of a Guild to join, how about joining mine?" "Excuse me, Mah Instructor-nim?" Having been quietly observing the situation from behind until then, Choi Jong-In stepped forward and raised his voice . "Yes?" When Mah Dong-Wook turned his head, Choi Jong-In spoke up as if he was waiting for this moment . "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is actually a Mage-type Hunter . " A massive earthquake erupted within Mah Dong-Wook''s eyes . "What was that?!" * On the other hand . . . . Goto Ryuji escaped from the confines of the gymnasium and, after quickly distancing himself from the interpreter, he checked his wrist . ''¡­ . . . '' His wrist was bruised black and blue all over . Even though the weather wasn''t all that hot, there were cold sweat drops visible on his forehead . He pulled out his phone and dialled a familiar number . After a couple of rings, he could hear the sound of the phone''s receiver being picked up . Click . - It''s Matsumoto speaking . "Association President . " - "Is it you, Goto? What''s the matter with your voice?" Goto Ryuji did his best to calm his trembling voice . "In South Korea . . . . There''s an incredible Hunter in South Korea . " - "More than you?" "More than likely, sir . " - " . . . . . " "I think there''s a need to modify our plan a little bit, sir . " Matsumoto Shigeo didn''t immediately say anything, but rummaged through something for a while instead, before finally asking a question . - "The name of that Hunter is?" "It''s Seong Jin-Woo . He''s a Re-Awakened, evaluated as a rank S recently . " - "This is strange . Such a name doesn''t exist . " "I beg your pardon?" Such a name didn''t exist?! Did that mean the Hunter Goto Ryuji met just now was a phantom, an illusion? Well, he did kind of feel that he had been bewitched just now, though . However, didn''t he also personally enter the Korean Association''s website to confirm that that man was supposed to be a Mage?? "What do you mean, sir? How can Seong Jin-Woo not exist?" - "Actually, we have received the final list of the Korean Hunters participating in the operation not too long ago . " "Are you saying Seong Jin-Woo isn''t on the list?" But, how could that be? Unless Goh Gun-Hui had gone truly senile, there was just no way that he''d form a raiding party without the strongest member available . Matsumoto Shigeo spoke in a calm manner from across the phone line . - "Choi Jong-In, Mah Dong-Wook, Baek Yun-Ho, Cha Hae-In, Im Tae-Gyu, and Min Byung-Gu . " As if to signify that there was no need to modify their plan at all, Matsumoto Shigeo spoke in a voice filled with conviction . - "These six are the members of the Korean team that will leave for the raid in four days'' time . " *** Baek Yun-Ho took a deep breath . Even after the two men who turned the inside of the gymnasium chaotic had left, his heartbeat didn''t want to slow down at all . ''Was such a thing even possible?'' Having witnessed something that he''d been hypothesizing in his head for real, Baek Yun-Ho had difficulty trying to hide his astonishment . ''An Awakened that can really grow stronger . . . . '' Just what would be that man''s true value? He couldn''t even dare to imagine it . This was his reason for standing back and watching on from the distance at the efforts of Choi Jong-In, Mah Dong-Wook, and Im Tae-Gyu as they tried to scout Jin-Woo . He remembered Choi Jong-In''s confused stare directed at him, as he didn''t even bother to sweet-talk the youth . ''If it was me, I''d probably never even think about joining a Guild with an ability like that . '' Indeed . All the attempts to scout Hunter Seong Jin-Woo were a waste of time . However, there were all sorts of ways to form a good relationship with a brilliant Hunter that didn''t involve scouting him . Time to activate the ''Plan B'', then . It was then . Vrrr . . . . His mobile phone suddenly began vibrating . Seeing that the vibration didn''t last for long, it must''ve been a text message . Without thinking too much, he pulled his phone out and took a look . It was an alert sent out by the Association . And it was the final list of the participants for the ant subjugation raid taking place four days from now . Baek Yun-Ho skipped past the lengthy list of the Japanese Hunters and scanned the list of the Koreans, only for his eyes to widen in surprise . He shot up from his spot in the wooden bench . "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo isn''t on the list?!" < Chapter 112 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 112: Chapter 112 . There wasn''t any deeper meaning behind his actions . Goto Ryuji came to South Korea to personally confirm the capabilities of the top Korean Hunters with his own eyes . And now, he had developed a bit of curiosity after discovering someone a bit unique out of the lot . That was all ''I''ll soon find out whether he''s really a Mage or not . ''. Goto Ryuji refused to accept that the man standing right in front of his eyes wasn''t a melee-type Hunter He needed more ''data'' . In order to eliminate any and all form of unexpected variations, he simply had to acquire more data on Seong Jin-Woo ''Well, half of it is for fun, though ''. Goto Ryuji smirked to himself The interpreter heard what the Japanese Hunter had to say, jumped up in surprise, before hurriedly asking a question "M-mister Goto, are you sure about this?". "Please translate what I said to this man ad verbatim . ". "B-but, even then ". "Will there be a problem?". Goto Ryuji asked back in a teasing tone . His voice seemed to ask why shouldn''t he participate in the proceedings, when the Korean Hunters were already doing some ''light exercises''?. The interpreter continued to sweat buckets, before giving up in the end and replied to him "I . I understand . ". He turned his head and met Jin-Woo''s questioning gaze . The interpreter hesitated before opening his mouth "Mister Goto is asking . If you don''t mind ''training'' with him . ". There was no need for an extra explanation on what that training was supposed to be Jin-Woo''s gaze shifted over to Goto Ryuji . The Japanese man was waiting for an answer with an unreadable smile on his face ''You want to find out more about my skill level, is that it?''. There was no way that the world-famous Goto Ryuji would do something so eye-catching just to show off his abilities . If that was indeed his aim, he''d have asked either Choi Jong-In or Baek Yun-Ho, the leaders of the number one and two South Korean Guilds respectively, instead ''I don''t know what you''re planning here, but ''. Judging from the undisguised stare from earlier on, it was more than likely that Goto Ryuji''s interest was on Jin-Woo Even then, he didn''t feel displeased by the Japanese Hunter''s abrupt suggestion . No, rather than that, he was genuinely intrigued by the prospect of the fight itself He wanted to test out the strength he got to raise inside the Demon''s Castle, and he was also curious about the abilities of Japan''s top Hunter, too . Indeed, it wasn''t only Goto Ryuji who was curious about his opponent''s strength ''¡­ Mm?''. Goto Ryuji stopped smiling as a thin frown formed on his forehead ''He''s smiling?''. He expected Jin-Woo to become flustered and then eventually try to back out, but then, the Korean Hunter simply displayed a certain relaxed vibe, instead Was there something he felt confident of? Or, was he smiling wryly after finding the current situation troublesome to handle?. The answer was revealed soon enough . Jin-Woo told something to the interpreter, and the latter jumped up pretty high in shock right away Next up, the interpreter looked as if he was doing his best to dissuade the youth, while Jin-Woo was all smiles as he tried to calm the former, instead . Since they were talking in Korean, Goto Ryuji couldn''t understand a word being spoken and as a result, a frown grew progressively deeper on his face ''What are they even talking about . ?''. It should''ve only been either ''yes'' or ''no'' Why was the interpreter sweating buckets like that over a question with only two exceedingly simple available answers?. Just as Goto Ryuji''s patience was about to run out, the interpreter spoke up while continuously sneaking glances at Jin-Woo "Uhm, excuse me, Mister Goto ". If only there were no eyes watching right now, Goto Ryuji would''ve shouted at the man to stop wasting time and hurry up with it . Forcibly maintaining his smile meant that Goto Ryuji''s brows were quivering greatly, as he waited for the interpreter''s next words "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim agreed to your proposal . However ". "However?". "He says he has a condition . ". ''A condition?''. Not only had the opponent failed to lower his tail and cower, but he also accepted the challenge straight away, and even put up an extra condition, as well . It was Goto Ryuji''s turn to feel somewhat flustered now "And what is this condition?". "Well, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim said that . ". The interpreter took one last look at Jin-Woo, and the latter nodded his head " He''ll agree only on the condition that Mister Goto gives his all . ". Goto Ryuji''s stare immediately shifted to Seong Jin-Woo ''Is he being serious??''. Seeing the expression on Jin-Woo''s face, one could tell that he wasn''t kidding around . Goto Ryuji tilted his head ''Wait . Maybe he doesn''t know who I am?''. But, that couldn''t be . Even if he didn''t know before, the interpreter should''ve provided an explanation just now . Even then, for him to not cower and back off ¨C was this the case of arrogance or a mistaken belief in himself?. ''¡­ . This might be fun . ''. The smile was already wiped clean from Goto Ryuji''s mug He was thinking of matching the opponent''s pace and ending things after checking out Seong Jin-Woo''s skill, but now, his thoughts had changed . Thankfully, with a rank S Healer nearby, there shouldn''t be any big ''accidents'' either "Alright, I accept . ". "Heok!". The interpreter''s face paled immediately Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had just advanced to rank ''S'', so he might not be able to contain his overflowing passion, but why was Mister Goto, who had experienced all sorts of trials and tribulations, behaving like this?. Unfortunately, the atmosphere had already gone past the point of no return "Who''s that guy next to the Japanese Hunter?". "Isn''t he . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?". "What''s this? Are they going to spar or something?". Soon, the rank S Hunters and Association employees within the gymnasium all gathered around the two men glaring at each other . As everyone was immersed in the developing situation, half of them looking on with worry while the other half in anticipation, Cha Hae-In also stood next to the Hunters and looked on at the duo ''Will he be fine . ?''. Jin-Woo''s opponent was a man who managed to stand at the top of Japan, a country with over 20 rank S Hunters As for Jin-Woo himself, if one excluded the years he spent as a rank E, then he should be considered as a newbie who had been a rank S for only a few days now It''d be the right thing to stop Hunter Seong Jin-Woo from continuing on any further From Cha Hae-In''s perspective as someone affiliated with the Hunters Guild, Seong Jin-Woo was a benefactor who saved the lives of an entire team consisting of her Guild''s elite men and women She wasn''t some honour-less woman who''d do nothing and watch a benefactor get hurt from the sidelines However, she kept recalling the events of that day whenever she thought about dissuading him ¡­ . The look Jin-Woo gave her, telling her not to interfere even when he was facing off against over one hundred High Orcs and a boss of a rank A dungeon When recalling that powerful, determined stare, she felt her chest palpitate, and unexplainable anticipation bubbled up in her heart . That was why she couldn''t readily step forward, only to bite down on her lower lip in nervousness It was then "Are you feeling okay today with other Hunters around you?". Before she had time to notice it, Baek Yun-Ho was already next to her to ask that question . They had gone on several raids together, so he knew very well of her strange physical condition "Well, it''s not like I''ll be able to continue blocking my nose in Jeju Island, so . ". Hearing her answer, Baek Yun-Ho nodded his head . It was her turn to ask next "You said before that you''re an acquaintance with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, yes?". "Yes . ". Cha Hae-In remembered that the White Tiger Guild also received Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s help in the past, just like her own Guild did "In that case, shouldn''t you try to stop Mister Seong Jin-Woo?". "I guess that''s the normal way of thinking . ". After all, the opponent today was none other than Goto Ryuji . Cha Hae-In tilted her head "If so, then why ?". Baek Yun-Ho shifted his gaze and met her eyes before replying to her "It''s the same reason as yours, Cha Hunter-nim . ". Flinch Cha Hae-In felt as if her inner secrets had been exposed by Baek Yun-Ho just now . Her always-taciturn expression displayed just a hint of change "I don''t . ". "Don''t you feel this strange anticipation in the air?". ¡­ . She couldn''t deny that Even now, her heart was racing with a singular thought of ''If it''s Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, then he might '' filling up her head "It''s the same story for me . ". Baek Yun-Ho replied with a grin and looked back in Jin-Woo and Goto Ryuji''s direction . His expression was filled with barely-checked anticipation ''If Hunter Seong is really an Awakened who can grow stronger as per my expectation, then ''. This could be the chance to confirm that theory Goto Ryuji raised his fist first The interpreter standing nearby hurriedly left their side . Two rank S Hunters were about to have a smackdown . Not only that, one of them happened to be referred to as Japan''s best, as well . A normal person would die simply from being too close in this situation Making sure that the interpreter had run off to a safe-enough distance, Jin-Woo belatedly put his dukes up as well . No, that''s what he tried to do But then Swish!. Without a moment''s delay, Goto Ryuji''s fist flew past where Jin-Woo''s head had been a blink ago The Japanese man''s eyes grew wide ''I missed?''. The attack was meant to floor Jin-Woo in one go and help Goto recover his damaged pride, but now, it was all for nothing . Jin-Woo evaded the punch by tilting his head out of the way, and then, he easily created some distance between them His reaction speed was surprisingly fast ''And you still claim to be a Mage after that??''. What a bloody laughable notion that was Indeed, Goto Ryuji''s eyes weren''t mistaken . He didn''t know the reason for the Korean Association hiding that man''s true abilities, but without a doubt, Seong Jin-Woo was a melee-type Hunter . Not only that, definitely an Assassin, too . His agile movements and his silent steps were all the proof needed ''You may be able to fool the others, but you can''t hide the truth from me . ''. The corner of Goto Ryuji''s lips arched up ''Allow me to peel off another layer of yours . ''. ¡­ . Right until everything you possess is brought up to the surface!. For the first time in a long, long while, Goto Ryuji was feeling genuinely pumped up After taking some distance away from the aggressive Japanese Hunter, Jin-Woo stood still and listened to his heartbeat Thump, thump, thump . Indeed, his heart was beating faster . He could sense power on another level compared to other Hunters from Goto Ryuji However, the emotion filling up Jin-Woo''s heart whenever Goto Ryuji''s unbelievable aura touched his skin was this strong sense of belief in himself ''So, that guy is the best in Japan ''. Only now could he truly recognise how much he had changed while raising his level to 97 . His strong confidence was clearly visible on his face now . On the other hand, Goto Ryuji''s expression was hardening ''He''s smiling again?''. How dare he, in front of me??. Goto Ryuji spat out a heavy breath The scarcely-believable amount of magical energy he emitted began to heavily press down the surrounding air . Hunters watching on were jolted by a nasty surprise ''Shouldn''t we stop them before something happens here?''. ''Goto Ryuji, maybe he''s thinking of really going for it now?''. However, there was a thin smile on Jin-Woo''s face . This was what he wanted, anyways Goto Ryuji saw that Jin-Woo showed no signs of cowering even after he had unleashed his fearsome level of magic power, and felt something welling up from deep within His eyes gleamed dangerously just then!. Even before other Hunters had the chance to step forward and stop this bout, Goto Ryuji pounced like an angry predator The distance closed up in an instant; Goto Ryuji reached out with his hand; Jin-Woo leaned back in the nick of time and evaded the attack ''¡­ . !!''. Goto Ryuji''s eyes trembled imperceptibly ''He dodged?!''. Was that also a coincidence, or ?. Even though many thoughts fleeted in and out of his head, he didn''t stay his hands and continued to rain down his attacks . Too bad, not one of them could connect to his target; Jin-Woo always managed to dodge by a hair''s breadth or repelled the incoming hits away ''How could this be . ??''. Cold sweat drops formed on Goto Ryuji''s forehead Goto Ryuji and his brilliantly flashy attacks, and Jin-Woo who managed to dodge everything by the smallest margins imaginable . Other Hunters watched the duo and expressed their genuine admiration "That''s some fierce attacks, alright . ". "Hard to follow those movements with my naked eyes . ". "Look, even Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is enduring pretty well, no?". "Right, it''s already pretty remarkable that he can evade the attacks from Japan''s best to that extent . ". Cha Hae-In shook her head multiple times inwardly ''No, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo isn''t enduring anything right now . ''. Others could only see that Jin-Woo was being endlessly led around by Goto Ryuji''s continuous stream of attacks, but in reality, it was completely the opposite . Cha Hae-In swallowed her saliva, feeling rather astonished at the moment ''He''s actually leading Goto in such a way that Goto has no choice but to keep attacking!''. If she was not wrong about this, then . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had matched his own pace to the opponent''s, so he could figure out more about who he was facing here Such a thing was only possible if his own level of abilities was several times greater than that of his opponent''s ''How can that even make any sense ??''. But, that nonsensical event was actually unfolding right before her eyes . And now, she couldn''t help but think that the real reason to stop this sparring wasn''t that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo might find himself in danger, but the other way around . Just as Cha Hae-In''s thoughts arrived at this point, she discovered Baek Yun-Ho next to her shuddering non-stop "C-Chairman Baek . ??". She called out to him in a soft voice, but he didn''t respond . His eyes were glued to Jin-Woo and nothing else . She tried to read his expression, only to get stunned by what she saw ''His eyes ?''. Baek Yun-Ho''s eyes were gleaming in yellow colour like that of a wild beast . His vertical-slit eyes were trembling softly in shock She looked on with a worried expression on her face, but he didn''t even notice that someone was looking at him right now . Baek Yun-Ho was seeing everything clearly with his ''Eyes of the Beast'' ''I I was right!''. Jin-Woo''s current level of power was incomparably greater than back when they last met in front of the Association building ''¡­ . A Hunter who can grow stronger!!''. Baek Yun-Ho''s entire body shook from the unbridled shock It was then " . Ah!". Baek Yun-Ho had been paying his utmost attention to Jin-Woo all this time, and when ''it'' happened, he unconsciously spat out a frightened gasp . Cha Hae-In next to her also sensed this deeply chilling aura and hurriedly shifted her gaze "Ah!!". A few seconds ago . Goto Ryuji knew better than anyone else here that he had been suckered into Jin-Woo''s pace He had been always referred to as the ''Strongest'' back home, so it felt like his pride had been shoved down the gutter in its entirety by this development ''How dare he do this to me ?!''. The attack that he meticulously aimed at the opening also missed its mark, as Jin-Woo narrowly avoided it at the last possible second . Goto Ryuji grew enraged, and murderous intent began filling up his eyes ''I''ll kill him!!''. Jin-Woo''s own eyes grew wider . He could acutely sense Goto Ryuji''s killing intent pricking his skin ''Murderous intent?!''. Jin-Woo''s heart nearly fell to the pit of his stomach, then If someone formed a murderous intent towards him, the System would float up a message and issue an emergency quest right afterwards . What if he got a quest telling him to kill Goto Ryuji here . ??. Tti-ring!. A mechanical beep resounded out right at that moment, and Jin-Woo quickly looked up [Warning! Discovered a subject with murderous intent nearby!]. Thankfully, it was still a warning message; there was no emergency quest, like back then with Hwang Dong-Seok or Kahng Tae-Sik However . Swish-!!. Goto Ryuji''s outstretched hand, aimed at Jin-Woo''s eye, narrowly missed and ended up slicing his cheek just a little . If his reflexes that had reached the absolute limit, didn''t react in time and tilt his head out of the way, he might have really lost his eye just now It was an attack that clearly carried the intent to kill, and it was clearly aimed at a vital spot of the human anatomy . Such a thing would never be accepted during a training match like this Grit In the blink of an eye, the atmosphere changed "Ah . ". Baek Yun-Ho unconsciously spat out a frightened gasp The first person to sense the abrupt shift in the atmosphere was actually Goto Ryuji, however . Unfortunately for him, although his body understood the change, his head could not The chilly air roused sleeping goosebumps to break out all over his body, and all the hair on the back of his neck stood up . He had never, ever felt like this before ''This, what is this ?''. Even before his brain had the time to process anything, Jin-Woo grabbed his wrist, hard . Goto Ryuji tried to yank his arm out with all his might, but it wouldn''t budge ''What kind of strength is this ?!''. His gaze briefly lingered on his wrist, before moving on to Jin-Woo''s face . And he found an icy cold glare But what caught Goto Ryuji''s attention even more than Jin-Woo''s cold eyes were his right shoulder and his raised right arm . Jin-Woo''s arm was cocked back by a lot; a tightly-clenched fist at the end of that arm was taking an aim at Goto Ryuji''s unguarded face The air sinking lower all around Goto Ryuji pressed down on his shoulders . He suddenly couldn''t breathe anymore Why?. Why did he inexplicably think of the word ''death'' right at this moment?. But, then . "S-stop!". Baek Yun-Ho and Cha Hae-In jumped into the fray purely out of instinct and grabbed hold onto Jin-Woo''s right arm The former was tightly hugging Jin-Woo''s shoulder as if he was trying to pull it down, while the latter was grabbing onto his wrist with everything she had When Jin-Woo looked back, Baek Yun-Ho hurriedly shook his head . Even Cha Hae-In was looking at him with anxious eyes, fear clearly visible on her face ''¡­ ''. The desperate dissuasion of these two that didn''t even care about their own safety helped Jin-Woo to cool his agitation down somehow "Fuu . ". Jin-Woo let off a short sigh and released Goto Ryuji''s wrist The Japanese man rubbed his now-freed wrist and retreated quickly . Meanwhile, the interpreter hurriedly arrived near his side . Baek Yun-Ho quickly spoke to him "Let''s stop the sparring session here, since the mood seems to have turned for the worse . Please tell the Japanese for us . ". The interpreter nodded his head When Baek Yun-Ho''s words were relayed to him, Goto Ryuji proceeded to glare at Jin-Woo for a long time, before spinning on his heels to exit from the gymnasium without saying single a word "M-mister Goto!!". The voice of the interpreter as he ran after Goto Ryuji sounded so pitiful . Baek Yun-Ho finally spat out a sigh of relief and lowered his head at Jin-Woo "Forgive us for butting in . ". " . ". "That man is supposed to lead the Japanese team in the operation a few days from now . I couldn''t just stand by and watch, even though there was a chance that something might go horribly wrong for us . ". Baek Yun-Ho cautiously studied Jin-Woo''s expression and asked "Did I do something unnecessary?". "No, not at all . ". Jin-Woo readily admitted to it Baek Yun-Ho was right . If something happened to Goto Ryuji and that led to an unnecessary snag in the operation, then both countries might end up suffering severe consequences afterwards So, he never thought of assigning any blame on Baek Yun-Ho or Cha Hae-In after they interfered in the timely fashion "Wow ". Now that the situation seemed to have calmed down, people absorbed in spectating on the sparring session between Goto Ryuji and Jin-Woo quickly approached him . The way they looked at him went through a noticeable change The first one to make his approach was the Master of the Shining Star Guild, the massive-framed Mah Dong-Wook "Huhuh!!". Mah Dong-Wook laughed genially "To be able to walk away with only a small scratch on your cheek after having a bout with the one and only Goto, you''re truly something else, young man!". Regretfully, no one else seemed to have figured out what happened here besides Cha Hae-In and Baek Yun-Ho "Ooh!! You have really firm muscles! What an outstanding physique!". Mah Dong-Wook touched Jin-Woo''s shoulders and arms while expressing his genuine admiration "My Guild is full of Mage-type Hunters, so we''re severely lacking in melee-types at the moment . Instructor Seong, if you haven''t thought of a Guild to join, how about joining mine?". "Excuse me, Mah Instructor-nim?". Having been quietly observing the situation from behind until then, Choi Jong-In stepped forward and raised his voice "Yes?". When Mah Dong-Wook turned his head, Choi Jong-In spoke up as if he was waiting for this moment "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is actually a Mage-type Hunter . ". A massive earthquake erupted within Mah Dong-Wook''s eyes "What was that?!". *. On the other hand . Goto Ryuji escaped from the confines of the gymnasium and, after quickly distancing himself from the interpreter, he checked his wrist ''¡­ . ''. His wrist was bruised black and blue all over . Even though the weather wasn''t all that hot, there were cold sweat drops visible on his forehead . He pulled out his phone and dialled a familiar number . After a couple of rings, he could hear the sound of the phone''s receiver being picked up Click - It''s Matsumoto speaking "Association President . ". - "Is it you, Goto? What''s the matter with your voice?". Goto Ryuji did his best to calm his trembling voice "In South Korea There''s an incredible Hunter in South Korea . ". - "More than you?". "More than likely, sir . ". - " . ". "I think there''s a need to modify our plan a little bit, sir . ". Matsumoto Shigeo didn''t immediately say anything, but rummaged through something for a while instead, before finally asking a question - "The name of that Hunter is?". "It''s Seong Jin-Woo . He''s a Re-Awakened, evaluated as a rank S recently . ". - "This is strange . Such a name doesn''t exist . ". "I beg your pardon?". Such a name didn''t exist?!. Did that mean the Hunter Goto Ryuji met just now was a phantom, an illusion? Well, he did kind of feel that he had been bewitched just now, though . However, didn''t he also personally enter the Korean Association''s website to confirm that that man was supposed to be a Mage??. "What do you mean, sir? How can Seong Jin-Woo not exist?". - "Actually, we have received the final list of the Korean Hunters participating in the operation not too long ago . ". "Are you saying Seong Jin-Woo isn''t on the list?". But, how could that be?. Unless Goh Gun-Hui had gone truly senile, there was just no way that he''d form a raiding party without the strongest member available Matsumoto Shigeo spoke in a calm manner from across the phone line - "Choi Jong-In, Mah Dong-Wook, Baek Yun-Ho, Cha Hae-In, Im Tae-Gyu, and Min Byung-Gu . ". As if to signify that there was no need to modify their plan at all, Matsumoto Shigeo spoke in a voice filled with conviction - "These six are the members of the Korean team that will leave for the raid in four days'' time . ". ***. Baek Yun-Ho took a deep breath Even after the two men who turned the inside of the gymnasium chaotic had left, his heartbeat didn''t want to slow down at all ''Was such a thing even possible?''. Having witnessed something that he''d been hypothesizing in his head for real, Baek Yun-Ho had difficulty trying to hide his astonishment ''An Awakened that can really grow stronger ''. Just what would be that man''s true value? He couldn''t even dare to imagine it This was his reason for standing back and watching on from the distance at the efforts of Choi Jong-In, Mah Dong-Wook, and Im Tae-Gyu as they tried to scout Jin-Woo . He remembered Choi Jong-In''s confused stare directed at him, as he didn''t even bother to sweet-talk the youth ''If it was me, I''d probably never even think about joining a Guild with an ability like that . ''. Indeed All the attempts to scout Hunter Seong Jin-Woo were a waste of time . However, there were all sorts of ways to form a good relationship with a brilliant Hunter that didn''t involve scouting him Time to activate the ''Plan B'', then It was then Vrrr . His mobile phone suddenly began vibrating . Seeing that the vibration didn''t last for long, it must''ve been a text message . Without thinking too much, he pulled his phone out and took a look It was an alert sent out by the Association . And it was the final list of the participants for the ant subjugation raid taking place four days from now Baek Yun-Ho skipped past the lengthy list of the Japanese Hunters and scanned the list of the Koreans, only for his eyes to widen in surprise He shot up from his spot in the wooden bench "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo isn''t on the list?!". < Chapter 112 > Fin Chapter 113 The mass media was whipped into a frenzy . - To eradicate the monsters that turned the island of Jeju into a barren wasteland, the nations of South Korea and Japan form a united raid team! Where would you find another story that could stimulate the interests of the country''s citizens even more than this news? TV channels ran news segments related to this upcoming raid all day long, while every front page of newspapers was completely dominated by the topics of the united raid team . However, it was only Korea''s media that kept talking about this matter . Even though the number of Japanese Hunters participating in this operation exceeded the Koreans by three folds, no one thought it was strange that the Japanese media kept quiet over the upcoming event . And when a handful of articles did appear online, the comments that followed said articles were negative in nature, to say the least . ©¸ What did you expect when the Koreans are too weak to close a Gate by themselves? ©¸ Why are you cleaning up the sh*t left behind by the Koreans? ©¸ Are they going to compensate us for the damages those ants caused here or not? ©¸ Useless Japanese Hunter''s Association, and irresponsible Korean Hunters, why dontcha all kick the bucket together on Jeju Island? LOL ''Dong-sahng-yi-mong'' . (TL note at the end) While two parties thought of two different things regarding the same upcoming event, time continued to tick down towards the date of the operation . In the meantime, these past few days proved to be the happiest Jin-Woo had been since his mother was admitted to the hospital . Many things went through a change . First thing first ¨C the Seong family returned to their home with their mom as soon as she was discharged from the hospital . Clank . . . . When he opened the front entrance, the first thing saw was the messy living room of the apartment, all thanks to Jin-Ah being alone while he was kept busy inside the Demon''s Castle . " . . . . " Jin-Woo began pinching his sister''s cheeks, and with gentle laughter, Mom tried to stop him . The very first thing their mother had to do after returning home from four years of coma, was to clean the house . Jin-Woo tried to dissuade her, but in the end, he couldn''t win against her insistence . Eventually, the whole family rolled their sleeves up to clean up their home . Once the house was spotless, the complexions of all three brightened up considerably as well . The apartment that had always felt empty and lonely after Mom''s admittance to the hospital now seemed so full of life . For the first time in a long while, Jin-Woo got to stretch his legs and go to bed without any worries in his mind . And on the next morning, when he got to the living room . . . . He got to truly appreciate the fact that his mother had returned when he saw the breakfast neatly arranged on the dining table . Park Gyung-Hye stopped cutting the spring onions, turned her head towards Jin-Woo, and asked . "Did you sleep well, son?" With still-sleepy eyes, he replied as a smile bloomed on his face . " . . . . Yes, Mom . " *** The so-called expert continued to speak on the TV screen . "The rate of evolution these ant monsters have shown is truly surprising to behold . " A guest sitting next to the expert formed an exaggerated expression of surprise and asked . "Monsters are evolving?! Wasn''t the ant found in Japan, a lone mutated creature?" "You''re correct . When the mutated specimen increase in number and gain control of the whole horde, then we call that evolution . " After that, the prepared video footage began playing . Ants, as they appeared during the first and second subjugation attempts, were displayed on the screen . At first, they were no different from regular ants as they crawled on the ground . Just from their external appearances alone, they looked exactly like oversized super-massive ants . But then, a short while later . . . . "This is the footage taken during the third subjugation attempt . " The ant monsters were now walking on two legs like humans . The once-giant heads had shrunken down in size by a great deal, they were able to move around much more nimbly, and the four limbs acted like arms . Its appearance looked as if half an ant and half a person had been mashed together to form a new creature . In only two years, the distinct characteristics of the ant species had been completely transformed into something else . "And this footage of the ant monster was taken recently as it wreaked havoc in Japan . " "Wow . . . " The audience members in the studio all gasped out in shock at the footage being played . To their horror, the ant was now even closer in appearance to a human, and not only that, it even sported huge wings on its back . The comedian appearing in this show as a guest flinched in great surprise and raised his voice higher . "That thing can now fly?!" "That''s correct . And that would be the decisive factor in the formation of the Korea-Japan united raid team . " ''The Korea-Japan united raid team . '' When that term came out of the TV''s speakers, Jin-Woo wordlessly switched the TV off . In all honesty, he also didn''t want to miss out on this operation . His heart began racing so fast after he thought of all the experience points he''d get to earn when Association President Goh Gun-Hui requested for his participation in the raid . However, his excitement cooled down in no time at all . And he was able to objectively and coldly analyse the situation . ''It hadn''t even been one day since Mom woke up . '' More than that, his mom didn''t know that her son was a Hunter yet . He also recalled the sight of his mother staying up all night for several months after she heard the news of his father going missing inside the Gate all those years ago, too . He couldn''t bring himself to tell mom that he was going to Jeju Island when she was already carrying around such a painful memory, to begin with . His lips didn''t want to part and provide an answer . He wanted to spend some time with his family for a few days, at the least . And he definitely didn''t want to delay the moment he''d been fighting for so long for some other matter . " . . . . I will . . . . " Jin-Woo barely made up his mind and spoke with great difficulty . " . . . . Not take part in the operation . " The one thing far more precious than experience points, the reason why he gritted his teeth and endured everything in order to become stronger . He did not regret making this choice . Except that, now . . . . ©¸ BTW, why is Seong Jin-Woo not on the Korean list? ©¸ Your disposition won''t change just because you''ve become a rank S, you know . Once a rank E, forever a rank E, dude . Prolly ran off to hide, nearly wetting his pants in the process . Kek . ©¸ 21 Jap rank S Hunters + even the retired Hunter is gonna represent for Korea, yet . . . . where is Seong Jin-Woo? ©¸ Why does he want to do that when he''s a rank S? It''s so embarrassing;; Except that, all these anonymous pointing fingers who didn''t even know of his situation were really getting on his nerves now . Or, to be more specific, it was his sister''s stress level that got on his nerves, actually . ''I don''t really give a d*mn about what others think of me, and mom doesn''t really go online, so it''s fine on that front, but . . . . '' ¡­ . But, Jin-Ah liked to search for stuff like this in her spare time . ''Tsk'' . Jin-Woo clicked his tongue and put his phone down . There was no helping it, what with the poor timing and all . Mom had retired early for the day, and it was also still too early for Jin-Ah to come back from her studies . He was thinking of taking a stroll to get some fresh air and change his spoiled mood, but like a devil, his phone began ringing just then . Jin-Woo checked the caller ID and a grin formed on his face . Click . - "Hyung-nim!! It''s me, Yu Jin-Ho!" "Hey, Jin-Ho . " Now that Jin-Woo thought about it, was this kid still staying in that local motel even now? "Where are you staying now? Is it the same motel?" - "Oh, no, hyung-nim . I started renting a room not too long ago . Thankfully, my mom came to my rescue . . . . " Hearing his giggling voice, Jin-Woo felt happy inwardly as well . Yu Jin-Ho briefly updated Jin-Woo regarding the status of his life, before hurriedly continuing on after remembering the reason for the call in the first place . - "Ah, right! Hyung-nim, I found some office space for us, so would you like to come over and take a look?" What office space was he even talking about? "What office?" When Jin-Woo asked with a confused voice, Yu Jin-Ho confidently declared . - "Of course, it''s the office space for our Guild, hyung-nim! If you want to establish a Guild, then you''ll need an office, at the very least . " ''Yu Jin-Ho, this kid . . . . . '' It seemed more than likely that this kid was under the grand delusion of developing the Guild he''d preside over as its Vice Master, and make it as big as the Hunters or the White Tiger in the near future . Jin-Woo slowly scratched his chin . ''If I tell him that the raid team will consist of only me and no one else, he might flip out in shock here . . . . '' He only invited the kid to join him in passing, but now that it was time to explain to Yu Jin-Ho the future of the Guild, Jin-Woo didn''t even know how he should go about it . *** "What do you think, hyung-nim?" Now that he was here, Jin-Woo could understand why Yu Jin-Ho sounded so confident on the phone . He scanned the empty office space and nodded his head . Its location was pretty good . "I specifically chose a place not too far from your place, hyung-nim . " It was also tidy, too . "I deliberately went for the newly-developed office spaces . I believe that the old saying goes something like ''put new wine in a new bottle'' . Don''t you agree, hyung-nim?" Perhaps most importantly, the place was freaking huge . ''¡­ . . . . '' "I''ll do my best to grow this Guild so it''ll surpass the five large Guilds someday, hyung-nim!" Yu Jin-Ho was burning with unbridled passion, figuratively speaking . ''It''s fine for you to burn with passion like that, but please, leave me out of it . . . . '' Jin-Woo pondered seriously about this quandary: Should he tell Yu Jin-Ho to just go back to Yujin Guild now, before it''s too late? Well, he had this gut feeling that the Yujin''s Chairman, a guy who even froze his own son''s bank account, wouldn''t be so keen on taking his son back at this point in time . Seeing that Jin-Woo was in deep contemplation, Yu Jin-Ho formed an expression that cried out "Heok!" "Hyung-nim . . . . You don''t like this place?" " . . . . . No, that''s not it . " "Then, should I sign the lease contract, hyung-nim?" " . . . . Sure, why not . " Judging from the size of the place, the monthly rental must''ve been crazy steep, but when comparing to the potential revenue stream of a Guild, it''d be a chump change at the end of the day . ''I guess it''ll be fine to let him dream a little bit longer . '' For now, Jin-Woo couldn''t tell the kid that it''d be only the two of them sharing this huge office space . "Ah!" Yu Jin-Ho suddenly clapped his hands . "By the way, hyung-nim . Who do you have in mind for the remaining spot?" " . . . . The remaining spot?" Did he make a promise to open up a spot for someone? Since Jin-Woo wasn''t the type to forget his promises, he could only look at Yu Jin-Ho with a confused expression, prompting the latter to excitedly explain the situation . "You need at least three people when creating a Guild, hyung-nim . " The Master, the Vice-Master, and an employee . Indeed, that was the minimum required composition of a Guild''s founding members . The rule of the minimum number for a team raiding the least dangerous Gate out there, a rank E, being three people seemed to be related to this, somehow . ''Well, you will never find a Guild wanting to clear a rank E Gate, though . . . . '' The founding members, was it? Several familiar faces fleeted in and out of Jin-Woo''s head as he considered who could fill up the remaining vacant spot . The only condition being, they had to be Hunters, too . If it was at all possible, someone who didn''t want to work as a Hunter ever again, and only there to make up the numbers . ''Why do I keep picturing women''s faces . . . . ?'' He recalled the faces of the high school girl who decided to give up being a Hunter, as well as a certain female Healer who went back to her family home in the city of Busan, but they disappeared from his thoughts quickly enough . It was then . "Ah, I almost forgot . " Yu Jin-Ho abruptly opened his mouth . Jin-Woo quickly asked him . "Did you suddenly remember someone suitable for the spot, then?" "No, it''s not that, hyung-nim . Actually, there was someone looking for you . " "Me?" "Yes, hyung-nim . " Jin-Woo couldn''t help but get curious . Seeing that this unknown person had indirectly contacted him through Yu Jin-Ho, he or she must''ve done their thorough research . ''Yu Jin-Ho and I aren''t known as associates publicly, after all . '' Indeed, if anything, others should see their relationship simply as one being the previous raid leader while the other being the member of that raid team . ''Even then, calling me through Yu Jin-Ho, is it?'' Jin-Woo''s eyes narrowed to a slit just a little . "Who was it?" "I don''t know, hyung-nim . That person was definitely an English-speaking foreigner . Hold on . " Yu Jin-Ho rummaged through his pockets, pulled out his wallet and extracted a piece of a memo from there . "This person said that he''d be staying in Korea until the 17th, so he''d very much appreciate it if you give him a call, hyung-nim . " Jin-Woo took the memo and found a number for a mobile phone as well as a hotel room number . He took a look at the back of the memo, but nothing was written there . ''17th . . . that''s three days from now . '' An English-speaking foreigner ¨C just who could it be? He couldn''t think of anyone he knew or fit the bill . However, quite suddenly . . . " . . . . Looks like I''ll have to go home first . " Jin-Woo''s expression hardened . "Pardon? You''re going home already, hyung-nim?" Yu Jin-Ho had been thinking of treating his hyung-nim to a delicious meal since it had been a long time they ate together . But now, he looked like a person who had lost his country . Perhaps a bit too callously, though, Jin-Woo didn''t even try to understand his dongsaeng''s feelings at all . "I''m going ahead first . " Yu Jin-Ho quickly hid his disappointed expression and quickly bent down in a polite bow, as usual . "Okay, have a safe trip, hyung . . . . nim?" When he raised his head, Jin-Woo was already long gone . *** It was now that time in the day when the inky-black darkness dwelt on the hidden alleyways . A female college student named Eun Ji-Min was on her way back home; her heart was pounding like crazy at the moment, however . ''There''s no way, right . . . . ?'' Because, there was a man busy following her . She hoped that they were simply walking in the same direction, and that had to be the reason why his footsteps were continuing right behind her like that . ''I saw something like this on a message board . '' In a situation like this one, it wasn''t only the woman, but the man would be feeling rather troubled, as well . A man''s walking speed should be faster or similar to that of a woman; if he tried to walk past her, she''d freak out, but if he tried to simply stay behind her, then he''d come across even more suspicious, instead . On top of that, by going around the corner up ahead, she''d find herself in a secluded street with a broken street lamp, which could potentially make things even more awkward for the parties involved . Eun Ji-Min took a glance behind her . A man with a baseball cap pulled down low and his face staring at the ground was quietly walking on the street . Although it was suspicious, it was not a crime to wear baseball caps like that in public . ''Instead of letting this awkward walk-together thing carry on, maybe I should . . . . '' Eun Ji-Min stopped walking as if she needed to tie her shoelaces, and eventually, the man walked right past her . "Whew . . . . " After confirming that the man was gone from her sight, Eun Ji-Min spat out a sigh of relief . She then gathered her hands in mock prayer and closed her eyes . ''I''m really sorry about that, mister unknown uncle . '' She looked around her vicinity for a bit longer before tidying up her clothes . With a smile on her face, Eun Ji-Min energetically began walking again . She had a mountain of assignments to get through! If she were to prepare for the end-of-term exams, running back home now would still leave her with not enough time . ''How wide was the scope again?'' Thinking about how she''d have to spend the whole night studying, her shoulders slumped dejectedly . But, as Eun Ji-Min went around the corner, her eyes widened . "You make a noise, I''ll kill you . " The man who walked right by her seconds ago was standing in the street corner with a kitchen knife and an insidious smile on his face . "You know that . . . . a few people had died here already, right?" "Ah . . . . . " Eun Ji-Min couldn''t even scream . With a pale complexion, she stood there completely frozen . The man lowered the white surgical mask on his face and grinned . "Follow me . " Tick, tick . . . There was no one around them; only the broken street light flickered listlessly . < Chapter 113 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 113: Chapter 113 . The mass media was whipped into a frenzy - To eradicate the monsters that turned the island of Jeju into a barren wasteland, the nations of South Korea and Japan form a united raid team!. Where would you find another story that could stimulate the interests of the country''s citizens even more than this news?. TV channels ran news segments related to this upcoming raid all day long, while every front page of newspapers was completely dominated by the topics of the united raid team However, it was only Korea''s media that kept talking about this matter . Even though the number of Japanese Hunters participating in this operation exceeded the Koreans by three folds, no one thought it was strange that the Japanese media kept quiet over the upcoming event And when a handful of articles did appear online, the comments that followed said articles were negative in nature, to say the least ©¸ What did you expect when the Koreans are too weak to close a Gate by themselves?. ©¸ Why are you cleaning up the sh*t left behind by the Koreans?. ©¸ Are they going to compensate us for the damages those ants caused here or not?. ©¸ Useless Japanese Hunter''s Association, and irresponsible Korean Hunters, why dontcha all kick the bucket together on Jeju Island? LOL. ''Dong-sahng-yi-mong'' . (TL note at the end). While two parties thought of two different things regarding the same upcoming event, time continued to tick down towards the date of the operation In the meantime, these past few days proved to be the happiest Jin-Woo had been since his mother was admitted to the hospital Many things went through a change . First thing first ¨C the Seong family returned to their home with their mom as soon as she was discharged from the hospital Clank . When he opened the front entrance, the first thing saw was the messy living room of the apartment, all thanks to Jin-Ah being alone while he was kept busy inside the Demon''s Castle " ". Jin-Woo began pinching his sister''s cheeks, and with gentle laughter, Mom tried to stop him The very first thing their mother had to do after returning home from four years of coma, was to clean the house . Jin-Woo tried to dissuade her, but in the end, he couldn''t win against her insistence . Eventually, the whole family rolled their sleeves up to clean up their home Once the house was spotless, the complexions of all three brightened up considerably as well . The apartment that had always felt empty and lonely after Mom''s admittance to the hospital now seemed so full of life For the first time in a long while, Jin-Woo got to stretch his legs and go to bed without any worries in his mind . And on the next morning, when he got to the living room . He got to truly appreciate the fact that his mother had returned when he saw the breakfast neatly arranged on the dining table . Park Gyung-Hye stopped cutting the spring onions, turned her head towards Jin-Woo, and asked "Did you sleep well, son?". With still-sleepy eyes, he replied as a smile bloomed on his face " Yes, Mom . ". ***. The so-called expert continued to speak on the TV screen "The rate of evolution these ant monsters have shown is truly surprising to behold . ". A guest sitting next to the expert formed an exaggerated expression of surprise and asked "Monsters are evolving?! Wasn''t the ant found in Japan, a lone mutated creature?". "You''re correct . When the mutated specimen increase in number and gain control of the whole horde, then we call that evolution . ". After that, the prepared video footage began playing . Ants, as they appeared during the first and second subjugation attempts, were displayed on the screen At first, they were no different from regular ants as they crawled on the ground . Just from their external appearances alone, they looked exactly like oversized super-massive ants But then, a short while later . "This is the footage taken during the third subjugation attempt . ". The ant monsters were now walking on two legs like humans . The once-giant heads had shrunken down in size by a great deal, they were able to move around much more nimbly, and the four limbs acted like arms Its appearance looked as if half an ant and half a person had been mashed together to form a new creature . In only two years, the distinct characteristics of the ant species had been completely transformed into something else "And this footage of the ant monster was taken recently as it wreaked havoc in Japan . ". "Wow . ". The audience members in the studio all gasped out in shock at the footage being played . To their horror, the ant was now even closer in appearance to a human, and not only that, it even sported huge wings on its back The comedian appearing in this show as a guest flinched in great surprise and raised his voice higher "That thing can now fly?!". "That''s correct . And that would be the decisive factor in the formation of the Korea-Japan united raid team . ". ''The Korea-Japan united raid team . ''. When that term came out of the TV''s speakers, Jin-Woo wordlessly switched the TV off . In all honesty, he also didn''t want to miss out on this operation . His heart began racing so fast after he thought of all the experience points he''d get to earn when Association President Goh Gun-Hui requested for his participation in the raid However, his excitement cooled down in no time at all . And he was able to objectively and coldly analyse the situation ''It hadn''t even been one day since Mom woke up . ''. More than that, his mom didn''t know that her son was a Hunter yet . He also recalled the sight of his mother staying up all night for several months after she heard the news of his father going missing inside the Gate all those years ago, too He couldn''t bring himself to tell mom that he was going to Jeju Island when she was already carrying around such a painful memory, to begin with His lips didn''t want to part and provide an answer . He wanted to spend some time with his family for a few days, at the least . And he definitely didn''t want to delay the moment he''d been fighting for so long for some other matter " I will ". Jin-Woo barely made up his mind and spoke with great difficulty " Not take part in the operation . ". The one thing far more precious than experience points, the reason why he gritted his teeth and endured everything in order to become stronger . He did not regret making this choice Except that, now . ©¸ BTW, why is Seong Jin-Woo not on the Korean list?. ©¸ Your disposition won''t change just because you''ve become a rank S, you know . Once a rank E, forever a rank E, dude . Prolly ran off to hide, nearly wetting his pants in the process . Kek ©¸ 21 Jap rank S Hunters + even the retired Hunter is gonna represent for Korea, yet where is Seong Jin-Woo?. ©¸ Why does he want to do that when he''s a rank S? It''s so embarrassing;;. Except that, all these anonymous pointing fingers who didn''t even know of his situation were really getting on his nerves now . Or, to be more specific, it was his sister''s stress level that got on his nerves, actually ''I don''t really give a d*mn about what others think of me, and mom doesn''t really go online, so it''s fine on that front, but ''. ¡­ . But, Jin-Ah liked to search for stuff like this in her spare time ''Tsk'' Jin-Woo clicked his tongue and put his phone down . There was no helping it, what with the poor timing and all Mom had retired early for the day, and it was also still too early for Jin-Ah to come back from her studies . He was thinking of taking a stroll to get some fresh air and change his spoiled mood, but like a devil, his phone began ringing just then Jin-Woo checked the caller ID and a grin formed on his face Click - "Hyung-nim!! It''s me, Yu Jin-Ho!". "Hey, Jin-Ho . ". Now that Jin-Woo thought about it, was this kid still staying in that local motel even now?. "Where are you staying now? Is it the same motel?". - "Oh, no, hyung-nim . I started renting a room not too long ago . Thankfully, my mom came to my rescue ". Hearing his giggling voice, Jin-Woo felt happy inwardly as well Yu Jin-Ho briefly updated Jin-Woo regarding the status of his life, before hurriedly continuing on after remembering the reason for the call in the first place - "Ah, right! Hyung-nim, I found some office space for us, so would you like to come over and take a look?". What office space was he even talking about?. "What office?". When Jin-Woo asked with a confused voice, Yu Jin-Ho confidently declared - "Of course, it''s the office space for our Guild, hyung-nim! If you want to establish a Guild, then you''ll need an office, at the very least . ". ''Yu Jin-Ho, this kid . ''. It seemed more than likely that this kid was under the grand delusion of developing the Guild he''d preside over as its Vice Master, and make it as big as the Hunters or the White Tiger in the near future . Jin-Woo slowly scratched his chin ''If I tell him that the raid team will consist of only me and no one else, he might flip out in shock here ''. He only invited the kid to join him in passing, but now that it was time to explain to Yu Jin-Ho the future of the Guild, Jin-Woo didn''t even know how he should go about it ***. "What do you think, hyung-nim?". Now that he was here, Jin-Woo could understand why Yu Jin-Ho sounded so confident on the phone . He scanned the empty office space and nodded his head Its location was pretty good "I specifically chose a place not too far from your place, hyung-nim . ". It was also tidy, too "I deliberately went for the newly-developed office spaces . I believe that the old saying goes something like ''put new wine in a new bottle'' . Don''t you agree, hyung-nim?". Perhaps most importantly, the place was freaking huge ''¡­ ''. "I''ll do my best to grow this Guild so it''ll surpass the five large Guilds someday, hyung-nim!". Yu Jin-Ho was burning with unbridled passion, figuratively speaking ''It''s fine for you to burn with passion like that, but please, leave me out of it ''. Jin-Woo pondered seriously about this quandary: Should he tell Yu Jin-Ho to just go back to Yujin Guild now, before it''s too late?. Well, he had this gut feeling that the Yujin''s Chairman, a guy who even froze his own son''s bank account, wouldn''t be so keen on taking his son back at this point in time . Seeing that Jin-Woo was in deep contemplation, Yu Jin-Ho formed an expression that cried out "Heok!". "Hyung-nim You don''t like this place?". " . No, that''s not it . ". "Then, should I sign the lease contract, hyung-nim?". " Sure, why not . ". Judging from the size of the place, the monthly rental must''ve been crazy steep, but when comparing to the potential revenue stream of a Guild, it''d be a chump change at the end of the day ''I guess it''ll be fine to let him dream a little bit longer . ''. For now, Jin-Woo couldn''t tell the kid that it''d be only the two of them sharing this huge office space "Ah!". Yu Jin-Ho suddenly clapped his hands "By the way, hyung-nim . Who do you have in mind for the remaining spot?". " The remaining spot?". Did he make a promise to open up a spot for someone?. Since Jin-Woo wasn''t the type to forget his promises, he could only look at Yu Jin-Ho with a confused expression, prompting the latter to excitedly explain the situation "You need at least three people when creating a Guild, hyung-nim . ". The Master, the Vice-Master, and an employee Indeed, that was the minimum required composition of a Guild''s founding members . The rule of the minimum number for a team raiding the least dangerous Gate out there, a rank E, being three people seemed to be related to this, somehow ''Well, you will never find a Guild wanting to clear a rank E Gate, though ''. The founding members, was it?. Several familiar faces fleeted in and out of Jin-Woo''s head as he considered who could fill up the remaining vacant spot . The only condition being, they had to be Hunters, too . If it was at all possible, someone who didn''t want to work as a Hunter ever again, and only there to make up the numbers ''Why do I keep picturing women''s faces ?''. He recalled the faces of the high school girl who decided to give up being a Hunter, as well as a certain female Healer who went back to her family home in the city of Busan, but they disappeared from his thoughts quickly enough . It was then "Ah, I almost forgot . ". Yu Jin-Ho abruptly opened his mouth . Jin-Woo quickly asked him "Did you suddenly remember someone suitable for the spot, then?". "No, it''s not that, hyung-nim . Actually, there was someone looking for you . ". "Me?". "Yes, hyung-nim . ". Jin-Woo couldn''t help but get curious . Seeing that this unknown person had indirectly contacted him through Yu Jin-Ho, he or she must''ve done their thorough research ''Yu Jin-Ho and I aren''t known as associates publicly, after all . ''. Indeed, if anything, others should see their relationship simply as one being the previous raid leader while the other being the member of that raid team ''Even then, calling me through Yu Jin-Ho, is it?''. Jin-Woo''s eyes narrowed to a slit just a little "Who was it?". "I don''t know, hyung-nim . That person was definitely an English-speaking foreigner . Hold on . ". Yu Jin-Ho rummaged through his pockets, pulled out his wallet and extracted a piece of a memo from there "This person said that he''d be staying in Korea until the 17th, so he''d very much appreciate it if you give him a call, hyung-nim . ". Jin-Woo took the memo and found a number for a mobile phone as well as a hotel room number . He took a look at the back of the memo, but nothing was written there ''17th . that''s three days from now . ''. An English-speaking foreigner ¨C just who could it be? He couldn''t think of anyone he knew or fit the bill However, quite suddenly " Looks like I''ll have to go home first . ". Jin-Woo''s expression hardened "Pardon? You''re going home already, hyung-nim?". Yu Jin-Ho had been thinking of treating his hyung-nim to a delicious meal since it had been a long time they ate together . But now, he looked like a person who had lost his country . Perhaps a bit too callously, though, Jin-Woo didn''t even try to understand his dongsaeng''s feelings at all "I''m going ahead first . ". Yu Jin-Ho quickly hid his disappointed expression and quickly bent down in a polite bow, as usual "Okay, have a safe trip, hyung nim?". When he raised his head, Jin-Woo was already long gone ***. It was now that time in the day when the inky-black darkness dwelt on the hidden alleyways A female college student named Eun Ji-Min was on her way back home; her heart was pounding like crazy at the moment, however ''There''s no way, right ?''. Because, there was a man busy following her She hoped that they were simply walking in the same direction, and that had to be the reason why his footsteps were continuing right behind her like that ''I saw something like this on a message board . ''. In a situation like this one, it wasn''t only the woman, but the man would be feeling rather troubled, as well . A man''s walking speed should be faster or similar to that of a woman; if he tried to walk past her, she''d freak out, but if he tried to simply stay behind her, then he''d come across even more suspicious, instead On top of that, by going around the corner up ahead, she''d find herself in a secluded street with a broken street lamp, which could potentially make things even more awkward for the parties involved Eun Ji-Min took a glance behind her A man with a baseball cap pulled down low and his face staring at the ground was quietly walking on the street . Although it was suspicious, it was not a crime to wear baseball caps like that in public ''Instead of letting this awkward walk-together thing carry on, maybe I should ''. Eun Ji-Min stopped walking as if she needed to tie her shoelaces, and eventually, the man walked right past her "Whew ". After confirming that the man was gone from her sight, Eun Ji-Min spat out a sigh of relief . She then gathered her hands in mock prayer and closed her eyes ''I''m really sorry about that, mister unknown uncle . ''. She looked around her vicinity for a bit longer before tidying up her clothes . With a smile on her face, Eun Ji-Min energetically began walking again She had a mountain of assignments to get through! If she were to prepare for the end-of-term exams, running back home now would still leave her with not enough time ''How wide was the scope again?''. Thinking about how she''d have to spend the whole night studying, her shoulders slumped dejectedly . But, as Eun Ji-Min went around the corner, her eyes widened "You make a noise, I''ll kill you . ". The man who walked right by her seconds ago was standing in the street corner with a kitchen knife and an insidious smile on his face "You know that a few people had died here already, right?". "Ah . ". Eun Ji-Min couldn''t even scream . With a pale complexion, she stood there completely frozen The man lowered the white surgical mask on his face and grinned "Follow me . ". Tick, tick There was no one around them; only the broken street light flickered listlessly < Chapter 113 > Fin Chapter 114 "Ah . . . . S-someone, s-save me . . . " Eun Ji-Min somehow managed to squeeze out her dried-up voice and took a couple of steps back . No, that''s what she tried to . However, her feet didn''t want to move . It was as if heavy iron ingots were attached to her ankles . She could only stand there frozen as her tears began streaming down her face . Meanwhile, the man scanned his surroundings . Since the girl didn''t look like she''d be able to move, he was thinking of offing her here, right now . How fortunate that there was nobody around . Also, there wouldn''t be a CCTV camera of the Big Brother installed in a secluded alleyway like this one, as well . ''That''s why I love this neighbourhood, you know . '' The man formed an evil grin and thrust the knife at Eun Ji-Min''s midriff . But then, a hand shot out from the darkness and grabbed the knife . "Uh??" The man raised his head, only to find a strange youth standing there . Because of his hood, only the punk''s chin was visible . But he possessed a pretty d*mn outstanding physique . ''Is he . . . wearing a glove or something?'' Not a drop of blood dripped down from the hand grasping the blade . "Who the hell are you?!" The serial killer tried to yank the knife out several times, but after realising that it wouldn''t budge an inch, he quickly let go of the knife''s grip and turned around . He rapidly escaped from the spot . "What a strange son of a b*tch . . . . " The serial killer took a look behind several times and found that strange youth was following along, constantly scanning the surroundings while he was at it . ''What the hell is up with this b*stard . . . ?'' The serial killer changed his direction and led the youth to a deserted vacant lot, the place he originally wanted to drag that woman to . If that punk was protecting his hand with something, then it''d be fine to attack him elsewhere . When he arrived at the destination, the serial killer slowed down, and gradually shortened his distance to the strange punk that had been keeping pace with him until then . Once their gap closed to around a couple of feet or so . . . . "Hey punk, who the hell do you think you are?" The serial killer spun around and stabbed the youth in the chest with an awl he''d been hiding under his jacket . "Do I look like an easy mark to you?! Huh?" Stab! The hand pushing the awl into the youth''s chest shook, hard . ''¡­ . What the hell could be this hard?!'' A stab-proof vest? Or something else underneath his shirt?? The serial killer quickly threw out a question . "What the f*ck?! You wearing something under your clothes or something?" If this guy was able to sense magical energy, then he wouldn''t have asked such a stupid question . Too bad, the serial killer somehow failed to think of the word ''Hunter'' even though his opponent didn''t try to retaliate after that second sneak attack . Instead, a quiet voice leaked out from under the hood . "I''m curious about something . " The voice naturally belonged to Jin-Woo . He discarded the kitchen knife of the serial killer to the ground . "Why are you doing this?" "What''s the matter? You wish to reform me or something?" "Nope . Just curious if you have a reason or not . That''s all . " The serial killer snorted derisively . He thought that, what with this punk jumping out of nowhere to save that woman, and following him all the way out here, he was looking at some weirdo masquerading as an ally of justice or something . But now . . . ''This kid''s just a bloody idiot, isn''t he?'' Or maybe, this punk was the same type of madman as he was? The serial killer thought that maybe he could get away from here unscathed if he used his gift of gab, so he readily humoured the youth . "A reason, is it? Well, if I were to really think of one . . . because it''s fun?" "Fun?" "For some reason, whenever I see someone weaker than me, I just wanna torment that . . . . . " ¡­ . Person . The serial killer didn''t get to finish what he wanted to say . Instead . . . . "Uwaaaahk?! Uwahk!!" Instead, he fell to the ground clutching his left ankle where his tendon had been sliced apart . When he raised his head, he realised that Jin-Woo was holding the kitchen knife even before he had the time to notice it . ''But, didn''t he throw that away? Just when . . . . ?'' It was right then, Jin-Woo''s shape grew blurry again . "Uwaaahk?!" This time, it was his right ankle . The serial killer rolled around the ground in pain . Meanwhile, Jin-Woo leisurely rummaged through the serial killer''s pockets now that the murdering b*stard wasn''t going anywhere with his tendons cut in half . He soon found the killer''s mobile phone and the wallet . "You, you!! Who the hell are you, you son of a b*tch?!" Jin-Woo ignored the venom-spewing serial killer and calmly dialled 119 to call for an ambulance . He then pulled out the ID card from the wallet to take a look . Next, he placed the phone and the wallet back in the hands of the shivering serial killer and murmured quietly . "Hand yourself over to the police before midnight tomorrow . " "What?!" " . . . . If you wish to keep breathing, that is . " He said all he wanted to say . Jin-Woo got up from the spot and inserted one of his Shadow Soldiers inside the serial killer''s shadow, before leaving a similar sounding order to that soldier . ''Although, I don''t know how patient a High Orc''s shadow can be, but . . . . '' That soldier might not be good with patiently waiting around until the designated time, but well, carrying out the next part of the order should be the speciality of High Orcs . "I''d prefer it if you keep living on . " The killer had to be alive if he were to repent for his sins for the rest of his life . "J-just . . . what the hell are you?" Jin-Woo left the serial killer shivering from pain and fear behind in the vacant lot . He could hear the sirens of an ambulance coming from afar . He walked to a far enough location, and after confirming that there was no one nearby, he pulled his hood back . " . . . . Whew . " Thanks to the signal sent by the Shadow Soldier after discovering the serial killer, Jin-Woo was able to arrive just in time . The ''Shadow Exchange'' . This skill was proving to be exceptionally convenient the more he used it . ''It''s not the highest-ranked Rune Stone for nothing, is it?'' Jin-Woo formed a satisfied smile now that he got to experience the greatness of the Shadow Exchange once more in the last couple of days . He couldn''t even begin to imagine just how much more useful this skill would get, once the skill level rose up high enough to sufficiently decrease the cooldown time . And so, as he continued to walk back home . . . ''Mm?'' He abruptly raised his head to see that the moon was now in the middle of the night sky . ''Now that I think about it . . . it''s already tomorrow . '' The Korea-Japan united assault team''s raid . It was already here . He wasn''t even on the team, yet his heart was pounding this much in anticipation . So, what would the participating members be feeling right now? Jin-Woo recalled the faces of the raid members he was acquainted with, and prayed for their safety as well as their success in the mission . *** Late at night . Goto Ryuji was still in the dojo inside the Japanese Hunter''s Association . In front of him, two men, and at his back, one other . He was surrounded by rank S Hunters, ostensibly the same rank as he was . Goto Ryuji took a deep breath, and just as his eyes flew open . . . . "Ta-ha-aht!!" The Hunters biding their time powerfully pounced on him all at the same time . However . . . . Slam! The ones to fall down were the three attacking Hunters . "That was great!" "As expected of Goto-san!" "No one can measure up to your skills, sir . " The three Hunters lying on the wooden floor of the dojo dusted themselves off and stood back up . This was only possible because Goto Ryuji had held back his power . Without saying anything, he lowered his head slightly to imply that they all did a good job . ''As expected, there''s no problem with my physical condition . '' No, if he were to frankly assess himself, then he was at peak condition right now . Just from imagining how he''d swallow up South Korea, it felt like his condition was getting better and better all by itself . So, how come . . . . ? Goto Ryuji continued to stare at the dojo, now empty that the three Hunters had left, as the memories of that day still lingered on in his mind . Seong Jin-Woo . Just what was he? ''¡­ . . . '' The more he thought back to that day, the more bitter he felt . Soon, though, Goto Ryuji shook his head . ''Well, it doesn''t matter now . '' Regardless of all else, that man Seong Jin-Woo wasn''t taking part in this raid . And the Association President''s plan would unfold without any mishaps . Once South Korea loses almost all of her rank S Hunters, its leadership would naturally fall into Japanese hands . By then, the complaints of the Japanese citizens demanding for the appropriate reparations from the Koreans would have been transformed into rousing cheers of fanfare, instead . When that happened . . . . ''What can Seong Jin-Woo do all by himself?'' Didn''t matter whether Seong Jin-Woo was a genuinely powerful Hunter or he simply came across that way through Goto Ryuji''s momentary delusion, the fact remained that, him not participating in tomorrow''s raid was for the greater benefit of Japan . There was nothing to bother him now . The decisive moment would come tomorrow . Inside this still dojo bathed in the cold moonlight, Goto Ryuji formed a quiet smile to himself . *** "We''ll be in your care!" The managing director of a certain TV station deeply bowed his head to the lone cameraman . Such a thing was completely unheard of . However, the cameraman standing in front of the director was no ordinary man; he was an active Hunter and a proud holder of a rank A licence . "The future of my station depends on this raid . " In order to win the exclusive broadcasting rights, the director had to spend over half of the station''s total annual budget . There had been simply too many competing bids, and that''s why he had to go all in . But, then again, there was a compelling reason why he simply had to make such a brave business decision . Not many rank S Gates opened up around the world . Even when one did open, it was still impossible to take the recording equipment inside to capture the footage of what happened in there . In other words, this would be the one and only opportunity for regular citizens to witness an actual rank S raid in progress . As long as there wasn''t another unfortunate event of a rank S Gate opening up somewhere else, that was . On top of this, this broadcast wouldn''t be a recording, but shown live . Sure, there would be a ten-minute delay to the live feed, but still . Just how high would the audience rating reach? 70 percent? 80? When the managing director thought back to all the potential profit margin to be had from selling the footage to the TV networks in other countries, he no longer felt regret in investing half of the station''s budget in this venture . ''¡­ . As long as the raid doesn''t end in failure!'' Indeed, no sane-minded viewer out there would ever want to watch the top-ranked Hunters get devoured by the monsters during the raid . No, even if there were, he couldn''t let such footage be broadcast to the public, to begin with . So, the director had staked everything he had on the success of the fourth subjugation operation . Considering that, bowing his head several times to the cameraman tasked with capturing the all-too-important footage was indeed, nothing . Heck, if the cameraman wished for it, the director was prepared to prostrate on the floor, even . "Please don''t worry too much, director . " The cameraman did his best to calm the shivering managing director down from his high anxiety level . Even before he became a Hunter, he made his living as a cameraman . And after agreeing to take on this job, he made sure to study and polish his skills of wielding the camera even further . Obviously, he didn''t want to spoil the broadcast that the entire nation would be watching through some stupid mistake on his part . Of course, he''d get paid quite a big reward in return, too . ''He''s going to give me a portion of the profit earned from the broadcast, after all . '' The cameraman had already earned plenty from being a rank A Hunter, but the offered amount was so high that it really excited him to no end . If the operation ends in success, then he''d be able to earn an enormous amount of money and fame, perhaps as much as the rank S Hunters actually participating in the raid . Wouldn''t he become quite possibly the most famous rank A Hunter in South Korea? A smile formed on the cameraman''s face as all sorts of wonderful thoughts of the future bloomed in his head . "By the way, I''m surprised that the Association President Goh Gun-Hui actually gave his permission to film this raid . I mean, that hard-headed man wouldn''t have allowed it simply for the sake of money, so . . . . " The station''s director nodded his head at the cameraman''s puzzled question . "He said that the fee we paid will be split equally among all the Hunters participating today, actually . " "Oh? In that case, why . . . . ?" Why did he permit the filming of the raid? The director cautiously voiced his educated guess . "I think . . . . . I think, perhaps he wishes to console the hearts of the citizens . " The Korean Hunter''s Association had to swallow the bitter pill of defeat three times at the hands of the ant monsters . Because of the continuous failure, the Association had to suffer great losses, which in turn also led to the loss of the public''s trust . Meanwhile, the citizens felt increasingly powerless as the thought of these ant monsters being invincible took root in their hearts . As the atmosphere of the nation festered like that, a chance to reverse this whole thing had suddenly landed on their laps . ''You can tell how the public is responding by taking a quick look at the internet forums . '' The Association President wanted to take a step further than that . He wanted to capture the moment of victory and broadcast it live to the citizens . His grim and perhaps desperate resolution to not fail could be gleamed from this decision . The cameraman nodded his head after hearing the managing director''s explanation . He took a look at his wristwatch before standing up with a determined expression on his face . "It''s time already . I''ll be on my way now, sir . " The managing director once more bowed deeply to the cameraman . "We leave everything to you, Hunter-nim!!" *** Hunters began boarding the helicopter, as the spinning rotors issued deafening noises above their heads . " . . . " " . . . " The constantly-smiling Mah Dong-Wook, the always-confident Choi Jong-In, and even Baek Yun-Ho famed for his positive personality, were all wearing sombre expressions . The cameraman checked his recording equipment for the last time . The camera itself was designed to be fitted around the head so it should not impinge on his movement by much . ''I wouldn''t have agreed to come if the camera was bulky and made it impossible to move . '' The place their helicopter was heading off to was perhaps the most dangerous place in the whole of South Korea ¨C no, maybe, even the world . Thinking about their destination, the cameraman could only swallow his saliva down in nervousness . No matter how hard he tried to stay calm, there was nothing he could do about the nervous tension slowly mushrooming in his heart . It was the same story for the rank S Hunters, as well . In order to dispel the tension in the air, Baek Yun-Ho started talking to his ''dongsaeng'', the one he was closest to . "Hey, Byung-Gu . I really didn''t expect you to show up here today . " Min Byung-Gu grinned in response . "I thought that, without me healing you, hyung would be the first one to get killed today . I mean, you always jump on a monster whenever you see one, you know . " "What the hell . Why do you have talk like that? Since when did I ever ''jump'' on monsters??" Other Hunters began giggling after hearing the two men chat . Min Byung-Gu was the sole rank S Healer in South Korea . All members of the raid team were greatly relieved and happy to hear that he was coming out of retirement especially to participate in this operation . There was a big difference in whether there was a Healer or not in a raid . After all, one would be able to fight harder without worrying about getting hurt when there was one . As the tense atmosphere frozen stiff in nervousness gradually relaxed through Baek Yun-Ho and Min Byung-Gu''s conversation, Cha Hae-In sitting next to the former quietly asked a question . "Chairman Baek . By any chance, have you spoken to Mister Seong Jin-Woo before coming here today?" "Mister Seong Jin-Woo?" "Yes . " Baek Yun-Ho shook his head . "No, I haven''t . But, why do you ask?" "Ah . . . . It''s nothing important, actually . I guess I''ve made a mistake . " It was then . Mah Dong-Wook broke out in genial laughter . "Huhuh . Looks like it''s finally starting . " The gazes of the Hunters present followed the direction he was pointing at . Through the window of the helicopter, they could see the darkened island that had become the land of monsters . < Chapter 114 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 114: Chapter 114 . "Ah S-someone, s-save me . ". Eun Ji-Min somehow managed to squeeze out her dried-up voice and took a couple of steps back No, that''s what she tried to However, her feet didn''t want to move . It was as if heavy iron ingots were attached to her ankles . She could only stand there frozen as her tears began streaming down her face Meanwhile, the man scanned his surroundings Since the girl didn''t look like she''d be able to move, he was thinking of offing her here, right now . How fortunate that there was nobody around . Also, there wouldn''t be a CCTV camera of the Big Brother installed in a secluded alleyway like this one, as well ''That''s why I love this neighbourhood, you know . ''. The man formed an evil grin and thrust the knife at Eun Ji-Min''s midriff But then, a hand shot out from the darkness and grabbed the knife "Uh??". The man raised his head, only to find a strange youth standing there . Because of his hood, only the punk''s chin was visible . But he possessed a pretty d*mn outstanding physique ''Is he . wearing a glove or something?''. Not a drop of blood dripped down from the hand grasping the blade "Who the hell are you?!". The serial killer tried to yank the knife out several times, but after realising that it wouldn''t budge an inch, he quickly let go of the knife''s grip and turned around . He rapidly escaped from the spot "What a strange son of a b*tch ". The serial killer took a look behind several times and found that strange youth was following along, constantly scanning the surroundings while he was at it ''What the hell is up with this b*stard . ?''. The serial killer changed his direction and led the youth to a deserted vacant lot, the place he originally wanted to drag that woman to . If that punk was protecting his hand with something, then it''d be fine to attack him elsewhere When he arrived at the destination, the serial killer slowed down, and gradually shortened his distance to the strange punk that had been keeping pace with him until then . Once their gap closed to around a couple of feet or so . "Hey punk, who the hell do you think you are?". The serial killer spun around and stabbed the youth in the chest with an awl he''d been hiding under his jacket "Do I look like an easy mark to you?! Huh?". Stab!. The hand pushing the awl into the youth''s chest shook, hard ''¡­ . What the hell could be this hard?!''. A stab-proof vest? Or something else underneath his shirt??. The serial killer quickly threw out a question "What the f*ck?! You wearing something under your clothes or something?". If this guy was able to sense magical energy, then he wouldn''t have asked such a stupid question . Too bad, the serial killer somehow failed to think of the word ''Hunter'' even though his opponent didn''t try to retaliate after that second sneak attack . Instead, a quiet voice leaked out from under the hood "I''m curious about something . ". The voice naturally belonged to Jin-Woo . He discarded the kitchen knife of the serial killer to the ground "Why are you doing this?". "What''s the matter? You wish to reform me or something?". "Nope . Just curious if you have a reason or not . That''s all . ". The serial killer snorted derisively . He thought that, what with this punk jumping out of nowhere to save that woman, and following him all the way out here, he was looking at some weirdo masquerading as an ally of justice or something . But now ''This kid''s just a bloody idiot, isn''t he?''. Or maybe, this punk was the same type of madman as he was?. The serial killer thought that maybe he could get away from here unscathed if he used his gift of gab, so he readily humoured the youth "A reason, is it? Well, if I were to really think of one . because it''s fun?". "Fun?". "For some reason, whenever I see someone weaker than me, I just wanna torment that . ". ¡­ . Person The serial killer didn''t get to finish what he wanted to say . Instead . "Uwaaaahk?! Uwahk!!". Instead, he fell to the ground clutching his left ankle where his tendon had been sliced apart . When he raised his head, he realised that Jin-Woo was holding the kitchen knife even before he had the time to notice it ''But, didn''t he throw that away? Just when ?''. It was right then, Jin-Woo''s shape grew blurry again "Uwaaahk?!". This time, it was his right ankle . The serial killer rolled around the ground in pain . Meanwhile, Jin-Woo leisurely rummaged through the serial killer''s pockets now that the murdering b*stard wasn''t going anywhere with his tendons cut in half . He soon found the killer''s mobile phone and the wallet "You, you!! Who the hell are you, you son of a b*tch?!". Jin-Woo ignored the venom-spewing serial killer and calmly dialled 119 to call for an ambulance . He then pulled out the ID card from the wallet to take a look Next, he placed the phone and the wallet back in the hands of the shivering serial killer and murmured quietly "Hand yourself over to the police before midnight tomorrow . ". "What?!". " If you wish to keep breathing, that is . ". He said all he wanted to say Jin-Woo got up from the spot and inserted one of his Shadow Soldiers inside the serial killer''s shadow, before leaving a similar sounding order to that soldier ''Although, I don''t know how patient a High Orc''s shadow can be, but ''. That soldier might not be good with patiently waiting around until the designated time, but well, carrying out the next part of the order should be the speciality of High Orcs "I''d prefer it if you keep living on . ". The killer had to be alive if he were to repent for his sins for the rest of his life "J-just . what the hell are you?". Jin-Woo left the serial killer shivering from pain and fear behind in the vacant lot . He could hear the sirens of an ambulance coming from afar He walked to a far enough location, and after confirming that there was no one nearby, he pulled his hood back " Whew . ". Thanks to the signal sent by the Shadow Soldier after discovering the serial killer, Jin-Woo was able to arrive just in time The ''Shadow Exchange'' This skill was proving to be exceptionally convenient the more he used it ''It''s not the highest-ranked Rune Stone for nothing, is it?''. Jin-Woo formed a satisfied smile now that he got to experience the greatness of the Shadow Exchange once more in the last couple of days . He couldn''t even begin to imagine just how much more useful this skill would get, once the skill level rose up high enough to sufficiently decrease the cooldown time And so, as he continued to walk back home ''Mm?''. He abruptly raised his head to see that the moon was now in the middle of the night sky ''Now that I think about it . it''s already tomorrow . ''. The Korea-Japan united assault team''s raid . It was already here He wasn''t even on the team, yet his heart was pounding this much in anticipation . So, what would the participating members be feeling right now?. Jin-Woo recalled the faces of the raid members he was acquainted with, and prayed for their safety as well as their success in the mission ***. Late at night Goto Ryuji was still in the dojo inside the Japanese Hunter''s Association In front of him, two men, and at his back, one other . He was surrounded by rank S Hunters, ostensibly the same rank as he was . Goto Ryuji took a deep breath, and just as his eyes flew open . "Ta-ha-aht!!". The Hunters biding their time powerfully pounced on him all at the same time . However . Slam!. The ones to fall down were the three attacking Hunters "That was great!". "As expected of Goto-san!". "No one can measure up to your skills, sir . ". The three Hunters lying on the wooden floor of the dojo dusted themselves off and stood back up . This was only possible because Goto Ryuji had held back his power . Without saying anything, he lowered his head slightly to imply that they all did a good job ''As expected, there''s no problem with my physical condition . ''. No, if he were to frankly assess himself, then he was at peak condition right now . Just from imagining how he''d swallow up South Korea, it felt like his condition was getting better and better all by itself So, how come ?. Goto Ryuji continued to stare at the dojo, now empty that the three Hunters had left, as the memories of that day still lingered on in his mind Seong Jin-Woo Just what was he?. ''¡­ . ''. The more he thought back to that day, the more bitter he felt . Soon, though, Goto Ryuji shook his head ''Well, it doesn''t matter now . ''. Regardless of all else, that man Seong Jin-Woo wasn''t taking part in this raid . And the Association President''s plan would unfold without any mishaps Once South Korea loses almost all of her rank S Hunters, its leadership would naturally fall into Japanese hands . By then, the complaints of the Japanese citizens demanding for the appropriate reparations from the Koreans would have been transformed into rousing cheers of fanfare, instead When that happened . ''What can Seong Jin-Woo do all by himself?''. Didn''t matter whether Seong Jin-Woo was a genuinely powerful Hunter or he simply came across that way through Goto Ryuji''s momentary delusion, the fact remained that, him not participating in tomorrow''s raid was for the greater benefit of Japan There was nothing to bother him now . The decisive moment would come tomorrow Inside this still dojo bathed in the cold moonlight, Goto Ryuji formed a quiet smile to himself ***. "We''ll be in your care!". The managing director of a certain TV station deeply bowed his head to the lone cameraman . Such a thing was completely unheard of . However, the cameraman standing in front of the director was no ordinary man; he was an active Hunter and a proud holder of a rank A licence "The future of my station depends on this raid . ". In order to win the exclusive broadcasting rights, the director had to spend over half of the station''s total annual budget . There had been simply too many competing bids, and that''s why he had to go all in But, then again, there was a compelling reason why he simply had to make such a brave business decision Not many rank S Gates opened up around the world . Even when one did open, it was still impossible to take the recording equipment inside to capture the footage of what happened in there In other words, this would be the one and only opportunity for regular citizens to witness an actual rank S raid in progress . As long as there wasn''t another unfortunate event of a rank S Gate opening up somewhere else, that was On top of this, this broadcast wouldn''t be a recording, but shown live . Sure, there would be a ten-minute delay to the live feed, but still Just how high would the audience rating reach?. 70 percent? 80?. When the managing director thought back to all the potential profit margin to be had from selling the footage to the TV networks in other countries, he no longer felt regret in investing half of the station''s budget in this venture ''¡­ . As long as the raid doesn''t end in failure!''. Indeed, no sane-minded viewer out there would ever want to watch the top-ranked Hunters get devoured by the monsters during the raid . No, even if there were, he couldn''t let such footage be broadcast to the public, to begin with So, the director had staked everything he had on the success of the fourth subjugation operation Considering that, bowing his head several times to the cameraman tasked with capturing the all-too-important footage was indeed, nothing Heck, if the cameraman wished for it, the director was prepared to prostrate on the floor, even "Please don''t worry too much, director . ". The cameraman did his best to calm the shivering managing director down from his high anxiety level Even before he became a Hunter, he made his living as a cameraman . And after agreeing to take on this job, he made sure to study and polish his skills of wielding the camera even further Obviously, he didn''t want to spoil the broadcast that the entire nation would be watching through some stupid mistake on his part . Of course, he''d get paid quite a big reward in return, too ''He''s going to give me a portion of the profit earned from the broadcast, after all . ''. The cameraman had already earned plenty from being a rank A Hunter, but the offered amount was so high that it really excited him to no end If the operation ends in success, then he''d be able to earn an enormous amount of money and fame, perhaps as much as the rank S Hunters actually participating in the raid Wouldn''t he become quite possibly the most famous rank A Hunter in South Korea?. A smile formed on the cameraman''s face as all sorts of wonderful thoughts of the future bloomed in his head "By the way, I''m surprised that the Association President Goh Gun-Hui actually gave his permission to film this raid . I mean, that hard-headed man wouldn''t have allowed it simply for the sake of money, so ". The station''s director nodded his head at the cameraman''s puzzled question "He said that the fee we paid will be split equally among all the Hunters participating today, actually . ". "Oh? In that case, why ?". Why did he permit the filming of the raid?. The director cautiously voiced his educated guess "I think . I think, perhaps he wishes to console the hearts of the citizens . ". The Korean Hunter''s Association had to swallow the bitter pill of defeat three times at the hands of the ant monsters . Because of the continuous failure, the Association had to suffer great losses, which in turn also led to the loss of the public''s trust . Meanwhile, the citizens felt increasingly powerless as the thought of these ant monsters being invincible took root in their hearts As the atmosphere of the nation festered like that, a chance to reverse this whole thing had suddenly landed on their laps ''You can tell how the public is responding by taking a quick look at the internet forums . ''. The Association President wanted to take a step further than that . He wanted to capture the moment of victory and broadcast it live to the citizens His grim and perhaps desperate resolution to not fail could be gleamed from this decision The cameraman nodded his head after hearing the managing director''s explanation . He took a look at his wristwatch before standing up with a determined expression on his face "It''s time already . I''ll be on my way now, sir . ". The managing director once more bowed deeply to the cameraman "We leave everything to you, Hunter-nim!!". ***. Hunters began boarding the helicopter, as the spinning rotors issued deafening noises above their heads " . ". " . ". The constantly-smiling Mah Dong-Wook, the always-confident Choi Jong-In, and even Baek Yun-Ho famed for his positive personality, were all wearing sombre expressions The cameraman checked his recording equipment for the last time . The camera itself was designed to be fitted around the head so it should not impinge on his movement by much ''I wouldn''t have agreed to come if the camera was bulky and made it impossible to move . ''. The place their helicopter was heading off to was perhaps the most dangerous place in the whole of South Korea ¨C no, maybe, even the world . Thinking about their destination, the cameraman could only swallow his saliva down in nervousness No matter how hard he tried to stay calm, there was nothing he could do about the nervous tension slowly mushrooming in his heart . It was the same story for the rank S Hunters, as well In order to dispel the tension in the air, Baek Yun-Ho started talking to his ''dongsaeng'', the one he was closest to "Hey, Byung-Gu . I really didn''t expect you to show up here today . ". Min Byung-Gu grinned in response "I thought that, without me healing you, hyung would be the first one to get killed today . I mean, you always jump on a monster whenever you see one, you know . ". "What the hell . Why do you have talk like that? Since when did I ever ''jump'' on monsters??". Other Hunters began giggling after hearing the two men chat Min Byung-Gu was the sole rank S Healer in South Korea . All members of the raid team were greatly relieved and happy to hear that he was coming out of retirement especially to participate in this operation There was a big difference in whether there was a Healer or not in a raid . After all, one would be able to fight harder without worrying about getting hurt when there was one As the tense atmosphere frozen stiff in nervousness gradually relaxed through Baek Yun-Ho and Min Byung-Gu''s conversation, Cha Hae-In sitting next to the former quietly asked a question "Chairman Baek . By any chance, have you spoken to Mister Seong Jin-Woo before coming here today?". "Mister Seong Jin-Woo?". "Yes . ". Baek Yun-Ho shook his head "No, I haven''t . But, why do you ask?". "Ah It''s nothing important, actually . I guess I''ve made a mistake . ". It was then Mah Dong-Wook broke out in genial laughter "Huhuh . Looks like it''s finally starting . ". The gazes of the Hunters present followed the direction he was pointing at . Through the window of the helicopter, they could see the darkened island that had become the land of monsters < Chapter 114 > Fin Chapter 115 The mutated ants discovered the helicopter''s presence in the air and began flying up one by one . Vuuonng . . . . Vuuonnng . . . . . Maybe the number of specimens that could fly was low, because the Hunters could only see seven flying up to meet them . "Let me take care of them . " The sole Mage-type Hunter among the team, Choi Jong-In, stepped forward . His skill, ''Flame Spear'', was called into action . As soon as he was done casting his magic, seven bodies of floating flames drew long lines in the air to resemble burning spears and slammed accurately into the airborne ants . Kwa-kwa-boom!! It was difficult to kill a single ant monster with scattered firepower, but it was more than enough to burn away their wings . Kiiieeehk-!! Kyaahhk-! With their wings burnt off, the ants fell freely back to the earth . Choi Jung-In tightly clenched his fist while witnessing the result of his hard work . However, now wasn''t the time to bask in the glow of his victory . Choi Jong-In turned around and asked Mah Dong-Wook . "What''s happening with the Japanese side?" The ants had noticed their approach and began moving now . Meaning, there was no more time for them to take it easy . Crackle-! Mah Dong-Wook paid attention to the radio receiver stuck in his ear . As a Tanker, he was named as the leader of the Korean side of the raid team . "They say they have landed on the island now . . . . " Ka-boom!! Just as he was done speaking up, there was a loud explosion from afar . Boom!! Kaboom!!! As if that was the signal, several more explosion began ringing up from all parts of the island as thick, choking smoke plumes rose up . The fourth subjugation operation was now officially underway . The Master the Reapers Guild, Im Tae-Gyu, looked out of the helicopter''s window, and at the ground far below, a deep frown forming on his forehead . Thousands of ants were pouring out of the ant tunnel, before splitting up into four smaller swarms to rush towards the four cardinal directions . "That''s some creepy and disgusting thing to look at . Seriously, man . " "Doesn''t it look like most of them have left the tunnel now?" " . . . . It does, doesn''t it?" The once-lengthy lines of ants soon came to an end, leaving behind a massive gaping hole in the ground . That was the entrance to the ant tunnel . The scale of the ant tunnel must''ve been rather incredible, because the entrance itself was as big as the mouth of a tunnel one would see commonly on the national highway . And in the deepest past of the ant tunnel, the ant queen was waiting for their arrival . This raid team only had one goal ¨C to eliminate the ant queen . "Everyone . " Before they set off to invade the ant tunnel, Mah Dong-Wook gestured and gathered the raid team members around him . He even gestured towards the hesitant cameraman, too . Everyone participating in this operation pressed their heads together . "During hundreds of simulation runs, Japanese were only able to buy us one hour, tops . Which means, we need to kill the ant queen within that hour, no matter what . " He didn''t bother to speak about the possibility of ''if we fail'' . Unlike the first three subjugation raids, there was no escape path this time around for them . They would be utterly cut off inside the ant tunnel . Mah Dong-Wook studied the faces of each raid members, and they returned a nod, a look of grim determination clearly etched on each one . ''These are the best individual team members imaginable . '' Unless there was another tragedy similar to Jeju Island happening in the future, one would never come across an opportunity to hunt together with members this capable ever again . Mah Dong-Wook was deeply honoured to be the leader of this team . They soon finished reconfirming their resolve, and then . . . "Let''s go . " From the helicopter, seven people, the six members of the raid team and the lone cameraman, jumped out . *** "How long has it been since the Koreans went inside?" Goto Ryuji threw out a question . "Hold on . " Now originally, it was Goto Ryuji''s job to communicate with the mission control centre . But, as he didn''t enjoy carrying around bothersome things, another Hunter was tasked with doing so . It was precisely this person that provided the answer . "They say it has been less than 10 minutes . " "Ten minutes, is it . . . . " Time to start the escape procedure, then . Before they started withdrawing from Jeju Island, though, Goto Ryuji briefly scanned his vicinity . The corpses of the massacred ants were piled up on high . The role of the Japanese in this raid, on the surface, of course, was to attract the attention of the ants . They didn''t even focus on killing the ants and concentrated on retreating in order to buy as much time as possible, yet they still managed to achieve such a feat . ''The Koreans might find these ants as tough opponents, but they are nothing to us, the Japanese . '' The unbridled confidence caused the corner of Goto Ryuji''s lips to arc up . He kicked away an ant corpse hampering his steps to a far away distance and immediately issued the order to withdraw . Finally, it was time for them to start moving towards the true goal of the Japanese team . However . . . . "Excuse me, Goto-san . " "Mm?" The Hunter in charge of the communication formed a worried expression . "I can''t get in touch with Team 3 from a while ago . " ''Is it equipment malfunction . . . ?'' The instances of equipment, that had gone through multiple meticulous checks, malfunctioning right before an important part of the mission, or during the important part itself, did happen occasionally . The landing point of Team 3 was in the southern part of the island . Goto Ryuji''s Team 1 landed on the western part and they had been constantly moving south, so their distance shouldn''t be that great . "What is the estimated distance between our current position and the last known position of Team 3 before the communication failure?" "With our current speed, we should be able to get there within ten minutes . " As expected, it wasn''t far . At this rate, Team 3 would never get to hear the order to withdraw and get left behind in the island, eventually meeting a very bad end for themselves . ''¡­ . . . '' When he thought about the next subjugation operation that would take place involving only the Japanese personnel, he simply couldn''t afford to have five rank S Hunters as KIAs . Also, because Team 3 was planned to be deployed on the southern part of the island, which was the closest to the ant tunnel, the whole team was made up of the best of the best among Japan''s elite . Losing them here meant that Japan would greatly suffer as well . ''Well, I''m sure nothing bad has happened over there . . . . '' Indeed, it must''ve been a minor error . Nothing to worry about . After a short deliberation, Goto Ryuji decided on the next course of action . "We shall head over there and take a look . " *** The moment Jin-Woo stopped his usual daily run, the familiar mechanical beep rang out in his ear . Tti-ring . [Total distance ran: 10 km . ] [You''ve completed Running, 10 km . ] Completely the opposite to when he started doing the Daily Quests, Jin-Woo wasn''t even out of breath . He had repeated these Daily Quests for so long, it simply felt like the part of his daily routine now . Soon, along with the completion message, his rewards figuratively landed on his lap . ''Stats . '' Out of the three Stat bonus points he gained as a reward, Jin-Woo spent two on his Agility, while the remaining point was spent on his Strength . [Stats] Strength: 219 Endurance: 200 Agility: 230 Intelligence: 250 Perception: 200 (Available points to distribute: 0) Reduction in the physical damage: 46% Seeing that almost all of his Stats were now ending with a ''0'', a satisfied smile crept up on his face . ''If only I had one more point . . . . '' Although it was regretful, he couldn''t manufacture a point out of thin air, so there was no helping it . Still, looking at his Stat value that had risen up evenly like this, a smile automatically bloomed on his lips . ''Nice . '' After he raised Intelligence Stat to 250, he began maintaining a balance of sorts and made sure that not one Stat was left behind . ''All five Stats are indispensable to me . '' That was his final assessment after levelling up and raising his Stats for a long time . Regardless of which Stat it was, with their numerical values continuing to soar higher, he hadn''t been disappointed once so far by their usefulness . ''That''s why . . . . '' He was planning to continue with this Stat balancing act for the foreseeable future ¨C as long as there weren''t any unexpected circumstances forcing him to change, of course . Jin-Woo dismissed the Stat Window with a satisfied grin still etched on his face . He then took a look around him . His neighbourhood had always been on the quieter side, but today, he failed to spot a single soul so far . He could easily guess the reason why, though . Jin-Woo pulled his phone out and confirmed the current time . ''I knew it . '' The Korea-Japan united team''s raid would be in full swing by now . And pretty much every single citizen should be glued to their TV screens, too . Jin-Woo turned around . His Daily Quest was already over, but the steps leading him back home were far more urgent than usual . *** The operation was unfolding smoothly so far . Just as the Japanese had predicted, Mah Dong-Wook''s team didn''t encounter any obstructions as they entered the deeper parts of the ant tunnel . The inside of the tunnel resembled the cave-type dungeons in its layout . However, if there was one clear difference to note, then that would be the lack of illuminating stones . The Hunters had to provide light themselves to see where they were going . ''¡­ . . . . . '' Gulp . The cameraman thought that he had plenty of experience exploring dungeons before, but today, he just had to nervously swallow his saliva . His current position was right at the back of the group . The team maintained a formation of Choi Jong-In standing right at the front to light their way using magic, while the other Hunters were sticking very close to him . The cameraman also had a flashlight attached to his headgear for the purpose of filming . Unfortunately, this darkness was infused with a heavy amount of magical energy . The flashlight didn''t provide as much help as the magic from a rank S Mage, and it could just barely illuminate a bit of space in front of his eyes . "It''s really quiet in here . " Choi Jong-In voiced his opinion without giving it too much thought, and Mah Dong-Wook next to him nodded his head to express his agreement . "Mm . " As a leader and a Tanker, he was duty-bound to protect the Mage, Choi Jong-In, who should originally be stationed at the far back . Was that the reason why? Mah Dong-Wook continued to glare at the surroundings with a pair of sharp, focused eyes . His usual, out-going demeanour was nowhere to be seen now . It was the same story with Baek Yun-Ho, as well . He activated the ''Eyes of the Beast'' even before entering the ant tunnel . He hadn''t spoken a single word and did his absolute hardest to latch on to any slight movement or deviation in the flow of the magic energy . Both Min Byung-Gu and the cameraman also carried deeply tense expressions . Only Cha Hae-In maintained that expressionless face of hers, silently walking forward while her hand rested on the hilt of her sword . It was then . "Look, over there . . . . " He must''ve found something in the distance, because Choi Jong-In raised his voice . " . . . Huh . " "Mm . . . . " The Hunters all gasped out in nasty shock . Countless ant eggs were attached to the walls and the ceiling of this huge chamber with nary an empty space between them . They could see dark-coloured larva wiggling inside the semi-transparent shell of each egg . There could only ever be one emotion they felt when facing this nursery area filled with gloomy, dreary atmosphere and a seriously terrible stench . That would be ''sheer disgust'' . "Don''t you think we should just burn all these away?" Choi Jong-In spoke, his expression crumpling greatly . For the first time since he entered this ant tunnel, Mah Dong-Wook formed a smile . "I''d like nothing more than to do exactly that, but since we don''t have much time, let us not . " Even if all of these creatures hatched, they would only live for no more than one year, at most . As long as they could kill the mother, they didn''t have to worry about these critters anymore . " . . . . Here they come . " Baek Yun-Ho pointed towards the distant darkness and warned the rest of the team . Even before he made his warning, though, Cha Hae-In had unsheathed her sword already . Mah Dong-Wook pulled the shield as large as his body right up to his chin and glared at his front . Shashashasha . . . . A group of around ten ants appeared at the same time . As if they were born on Jeju Island and had gone through some sort of a mutation, all of them didn''t have eyes . "Are they the queen''s guards?" Asked Mah Dong-Wook . Choi Jong-In shook his head . "No, they are not . Looks like they are here to guard the nursery area . " "In that case, this shouldn''t be difficult . " If they were regular monsters, not the guards of the boss creature, then there was just no way these critters could withstand the combined firepower of a raid team consisting entirely of rank S Hunters! Knowing better than anyone else that there wasn''t a lot of time, Mah Dong-Wook jumped into the fray first . "Let''s go!" Hunters followed after him . Right behind them, flames flared out brightly from Choi Jong-In''s hands, and arrows fired by Im Tae-Gyu sliced up the air as they flew to their targets . Just as Mah Dong-Woo predicted, the battle was concluded pretty quickly . Kiiehhk! The head of the last ant fell to the ground . Cha Hae-In wordlessly shook off the bodily fluids clinging onto her sword . Meanwhile, Mah Dong-Wook spoke up . "Since the nursery area is right here, that means . . . . " Choi Jong-In provided the follow-up . " . . . . The queen''s lair is nearby . " As the Hunters began checking their equipment before they rushed into the decisive showdown against the ant queen, the cameraman began looking here and there to capture more footage . But then, he gasped out in pure shock . "Heok!!" The gazes of the Hunters were immediately focused on him . "I-I''m really sorry . " Momentarily forgetting that the camera attached to his head was actually broadcasting to the rest of the nation, the cameraman hurriedly bowed towards the Hunters . Sensing something was afoot, Baek Yun-Ho approached the cameraman . "Did you find something?" "Ah, well, it''s just that . . . . Over there . " The cameraman sheepishly smiled and pointed to the corner of the chamber . "There''s a pile of empty eggshells over there, but like, one of them happens to be really, really big, you see . " '' . ¡­!!'' Baek Yun-Ho''s eyes grew larger . It was as the cameraman said . Most of the eggs containing regular ants were only about the size of a bicycle wheel, yet the one pointed out was as big as a grown man . . . . ''No, wait . '' The lengthy and ovoid shape of the egg was large enough to say that a fully-grown ant specimen must''ve emerged from it . ''That''s also an ant egg??'' " . . . . Just what the hell came out of that egg?" Min Byung-Gu had walked closer before anyone had noticed it; there was a look of huge shock on his face as well . Baek Yun-Ho''s expression was stiff for a brief moment, but he quickly changed it to a grin as he lightly slapped Min Byung-Gu''s back . "We''re here to kill the queen . Let''s not worry about anything else . " " . . . . . Right . " Min Myung-Gu carried an uneasy expression as he turned around to walk over to where the rest of the Hunters were . Before he joined the others, Baek Yun-Ho took one last look at that egg . ''That''s just crazy . . . . '' *** ''This is just crazy . . . . '' Goto Ryuji had to doubt whether his own eyes were working properly or not . "Heok!!" "Mm . . . . . !!" Other Japanese Hunters either convulsed in shock or muttered lowly under their breaths . Goto Ryuji frowned deeply as he scanned his surroundings . The Hunters of Team 3 were found in the exact location where their communication had been cut off . All five of them were here, but without their heads . The sight of their headless colleagues lying on the ground as corpses left a shocking mental imprint on the other Hunters . ''¡­ . . . '' Goto Ryuji wordlessly massaged his temples, before approaching the bodies to check out their wounds . ''This wasn''t done by a blade . '' The necks of the dead Hunters were all roughly bitten off . ''Just how much of a biting force was it for their necks to end up like this?'' While Goto Ryuji was stewing in his astonishment, one of his fellow Hunters walked in closer and angrily spat out . "How dare these d*mn ants . . . . !!" Goto quickly shook his head . "It''s not ''ants'' . " "Pardon?" "Whether this was the handiwork of an ant or not, there was only one enemy . " "B-but, how can that be?!" Goto Ryuji swallowed his saliva . No matter how hard he searched, he couldn''t see any hint of a battle taking place here . If ants pushed on with sheer numbers to annihilate Team 3, then he should''ve found corpses of dead ants or some other traces around this area . However, he couldn''t find anything . Also, the wounds on the dead Hunters ¨C judging from the location of the attack, it was more than likely that they were killed by a single assailant . ''How could a team of the best Hunters from Japan fall to a single monster . . . . ?'' If his guess was correct, then only a rank S dungeon''s boss could do something like this . Goto Ryuji quickly snatched the communication device from the Hunter next to him and spoke up . "It''s Goto . " - "Yes, please speak . " "Where is the ant queen? Did it come out of the tunnel?" - "Let me confirm . " The magic energy detection camera mounted on the spy satellite . Only America, Japan and China possessed such technology in the entire world . In reality, China had to hack the Americans to copy the camera system, so one could argue that only the USA and Japan truly possessed this technology . The location of the ant queen, as monitored by the technology Japan so proudly boasted to the rest of the world, soon came out of the receiver . - "No, Goto-san . The queen is still inside its chamber . Ah, the Korean Hunters are entering the queen''s chamber as we speak . " "What was that?!" Goto Ryuji stood right up . He felt his heart nearly leap out of his mouth just then . ''The queen didn''t do this?!'' His breathing quickened . He realised that something was going terribly wrong here . Goto Ryuji hurriedly issued a new order . "Issue the withdrawal . . . . Tell every single Japanese Hunter to escape from this island immediately . " - "Yes, sir . Understood . " < Chapter 115 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 115: Chapter 115 . The mutated ants discovered the helicopter''s presence in the air and began flying up one by one Vuuonng . Vuuonnng Maybe the number of specimens that could fly was low, because the Hunters could only see seven flying up to meet them "Let me take care of them . ". The sole Mage-type Hunter among the team, Choi Jong-In, stepped forward . His skill, ''Flame Spear'', was called into action As soon as he was done casting his magic, seven bodies of floating flames drew long lines in the air to resemble burning spears and slammed accurately into the airborne ants Kwa-kwa-boom!!. It was difficult to kill a single ant monster with scattered firepower, but it was more than enough to burn away their wings Kiiieeehk-!!. Kyaahhk-!. With their wings burnt off, the ants fell freely back to the earth . Choi Jung-In tightly clenched his fist while witnessing the result of his hard work . However, now wasn''t the time to bask in the glow of his victory Choi Jong-In turned around and asked Mah Dong-Wook "What''s happening with the Japanese side?". The ants had noticed their approach and began moving now . Meaning, there was no more time for them to take it easy Crackle-!. Mah Dong-Wook paid attention to the radio receiver stuck in his ear . As a Tanker, he was named as the leader of the Korean side of the raid team "They say they have landed on the island now ". Ka-boom!!. Just as he was done speaking up, there was a loud explosion from afar Boom!!. Kaboom!!!. As if that was the signal, several more explosion began ringing up from all parts of the island as thick, choking smoke plumes rose up . The fourth subjugation operation was now officially underway The Master the Reapers Guild, Im Tae-Gyu, looked out of the helicopter''s window, and at the ground far below, a deep frown forming on his forehead Thousands of ants were pouring out of the ant tunnel, before splitting up into four smaller swarms to rush towards the four cardinal directions "That''s some creepy and disgusting thing to look at . Seriously, man . ". "Doesn''t it look like most of them have left the tunnel now?". " It does, doesn''t it?". The once-lengthy lines of ants soon came to an end, leaving behind a massive gaping hole in the ground . That was the entrance to the ant tunnel The scale of the ant tunnel must''ve been rather incredible, because the entrance itself was as big as the mouth of a tunnel one would see commonly on the national highway And in the deepest past of the ant tunnel, the ant queen was waiting for their arrival This raid team only had one goal ¨C to eliminate the ant queen "Everyone . ". Before they set off to invade the ant tunnel, Mah Dong-Wook gestured and gathered the raid team members around him . He even gestured towards the hesitant cameraman, too Everyone participating in this operation pressed their heads together "During hundreds of simulation runs, Japanese were only able to buy us one hour, tops . Which means, we need to kill the ant queen within that hour, no matter what . ". He didn''t bother to speak about the possibility of ''if we fail'' . Unlike the first three subjugation raids, there was no escape path this time around for them . They would be utterly cut off inside the ant tunnel Mah Dong-Wook studied the faces of each raid members, and they returned a nod, a look of grim determination clearly etched on each one ''These are the best individual team members imaginable . ''. Unless there was another tragedy similar to Jeju Island happening in the future, one would never come across an opportunity to hunt together with members this capable ever again Mah Dong-Wook was deeply honoured to be the leader of this team They soon finished reconfirming their resolve, and then "Let''s go . ". From the helicopter, seven people, the six members of the raid team and the lone cameraman, jumped out ***. "How long has it been since the Koreans went inside?". Goto Ryuji threw out a question "Hold on . ". Now originally, it was Goto Ryuji''s job to communicate with the mission control centre . But, as he didn''t enjoy carrying around bothersome things, another Hunter was tasked with doing so . It was precisely this person that provided the answer "They say it has been less than 10 minutes . ". "Ten minutes, is it ". Time to start the escape procedure, then Before they started withdrawing from Jeju Island, though, Goto Ryuji briefly scanned his vicinity . The corpses of the massacred ants were piled up on high The role of the Japanese in this raid, on the surface, of course, was to attract the attention of the ants . They didn''t even focus on killing the ants and concentrated on retreating in order to buy as much time as possible, yet they still managed to achieve such a feat ''The Koreans might find these ants as tough opponents, but they are nothing to us, the Japanese . ''. The unbridled confidence caused the corner of Goto Ryuji''s lips to arc up . He kicked away an ant corpse hampering his steps to a far away distance and immediately issued the order to withdraw Finally, it was time for them to start moving towards the true goal of the Japanese team However . "Excuse me, Goto-san . ". "Mm?". The Hunter in charge of the communication formed a worried expression "I can''t get in touch with Team 3 from a while ago . ". ''Is it equipment malfunction . ?''. The instances of equipment, that had gone through multiple meticulous checks, malfunctioning right before an important part of the mission, or during the important part itself, did happen occasionally The landing point of Team 3 was in the southern part of the island . Goto Ryuji''s Team 1 landed on the western part and they had been constantly moving south, so their distance shouldn''t be that great "What is the estimated distance between our current position and the last known position of Team 3 before the communication failure?". "With our current speed, we should be able to get there within ten minutes . ". As expected, it wasn''t far . At this rate, Team 3 would never get to hear the order to withdraw and get left behind in the island, eventually meeting a very bad end for themselves ''¡­ . ''. When he thought about the next subjugation operation that would take place involving only the Japanese personnel, he simply couldn''t afford to have five rank S Hunters as KIAs Also, because Team 3 was planned to be deployed on the southern part of the island, which was the closest to the ant tunnel, the whole team was made up of the best of the best among Japan''s elite Losing them here meant that Japan would greatly suffer as well ''Well, I''m sure nothing bad has happened over there ''. Indeed, it must''ve been a minor error . Nothing to worry about After a short deliberation, Goto Ryuji decided on the next course of action "We shall head over there and take a look . ". ***. The moment Jin-Woo stopped his usual daily run, the familiar mechanical beep rang out in his ear Tti-ring [Total distance ran: 10 km . ]. [You''ve completed Running, 10 km . ]. Completely the opposite to when he started doing the Daily Quests, Jin-Woo wasn''t even out of breath . He had repeated these Daily Quests for so long, it simply felt like the part of his daily routine now Soon, along with the completion message, his rewards figuratively landed on his lap ''Stats . ''. Out of the three Stat bonus points he gained as a reward, Jin-Woo spent two on his Agility, while the remaining point was spent on his Strength [Stats]. Strength: 219. Endurance: 200. Agility: 230. Intelligence: 250. Perception: 200. (Available points to distribute: 0). Reduction in the physical damage: 46%. Seeing that almost all of his Stats were now ending with a ''0'', a satisfied smile crept up on his face ''If only I had one more point ''. Although it was regretful, he couldn''t manufacture a point out of thin air, so there was no helping it . Still, looking at his Stat value that had risen up evenly like this, a smile automatically bloomed on his lips ''Nice . ''. After he raised Intelligence Stat to 250, he began maintaining a balance of sorts and made sure that not one Stat was left behind ''All five Stats are indispensable to me . ''. That was his final assessment after levelling up and raising his Stats for a long time . Regardless of which Stat it was, with their numerical values continuing to soar higher, he hadn''t been disappointed once so far by their usefulness ''That''s why ''. He was planning to continue with this Stat balancing act for the foreseeable future ¨C as long as there weren''t any unexpected circumstances forcing him to change, of course Jin-Woo dismissed the Stat Window with a satisfied grin still etched on his face . He then took a look around him . His neighbourhood had always been on the quieter side, but today, he failed to spot a single soul so far . He could easily guess the reason why, though Jin-Woo pulled his phone out and confirmed the current time ''I knew it . ''. The Korea-Japan united team''s raid would be in full swing by now . And pretty much every single citizen should be glued to their TV screens, too Jin-Woo turned around . His Daily Quest was already over, but the steps leading him back home were far more urgent than usual ***. The operation was unfolding smoothly so far Just as the Japanese had predicted, Mah Dong-Wook''s team didn''t encounter any obstructions as they entered the deeper parts of the ant tunnel The inside of the tunnel resembled the cave-type dungeons in its layout . However, if there was one clear difference to note, then that would be the lack of illuminating stones . The Hunters had to provide light themselves to see where they were going ''¡­ . ''. Gulp The cameraman thought that he had plenty of experience exploring dungeons before, but today, he just had to nervously swallow his saliva His current position was right at the back of the group . The team maintained a formation of Choi Jong-In standing right at the front to light their way using magic, while the other Hunters were sticking very close to him The cameraman also had a flashlight attached to his headgear for the purpose of filming Unfortunately, this darkness was infused with a heavy amount of magical energy . The flashlight didn''t provide as much help as the magic from a rank S Mage, and it could just barely illuminate a bit of space in front of his eyes "It''s really quiet in here . ". Choi Jong-In voiced his opinion without giving it too much thought, and Mah Dong-Wook next to him nodded his head to express his agreement "Mm . ". As a leader and a Tanker, he was duty-bound to protect the Mage, Choi Jong-In, who should originally be stationed at the far back Was that the reason why? Mah Dong-Wook continued to glare at the surroundings with a pair of sharp, focused eyes . His usual, out-going demeanour was nowhere to be seen now It was the same story with Baek Yun-Ho, as well . He activated the ''Eyes of the Beast'' even before entering the ant tunnel . He hadn''t spoken a single word and did his absolute hardest to latch on to any slight movement or deviation in the flow of the magic energy Both Min Byung-Gu and the cameraman also carried deeply tense expressions Only Cha Hae-In maintained that expressionless face of hers, silently walking forward while her hand rested on the hilt of her sword It was then "Look, over there ". He must''ve found something in the distance, because Choi Jong-In raised his voice " . Huh . ". "Mm ". The Hunters all gasped out in nasty shock Countless ant eggs were attached to the walls and the ceiling of this huge chamber with nary an empty space between them They could see dark-coloured larva wiggling inside the semi-transparent shell of each egg . There could only ever be one emotion they felt when facing this nursery area filled with gloomy, dreary atmosphere and a seriously terrible stench That would be ''sheer disgust'' "Don''t you think we should just burn all these away?". Choi Jong-In spoke, his expression crumpling greatly For the first time since he entered this ant tunnel, Mah Dong-Wook formed a smile "I''d like nothing more than to do exactly that, but since we don''t have much time, let us not . ". Even if all of these creatures hatched, they would only live for no more than one year, at most . As long as they could kill the mother, they didn''t have to worry about these critters anymore " Here they come . ". Baek Yun-Ho pointed towards the distant darkness and warned the rest of the team . Even before he made his warning, though, Cha Hae-In had unsheathed her sword already Mah Dong-Wook pulled the shield as large as his body right up to his chin and glared at his front Shashashasha . A group of around ten ants appeared at the same time . As if they were born on Jeju Island and had gone through some sort of a mutation, all of them didn''t have eyes "Are they the queen''s guards?" Asked Mah Dong-Wook Choi Jong-In shook his head "No, they are not . Looks like they are here to guard the nursery area . ". "In that case, this shouldn''t be difficult . ". If they were regular monsters, not the guards of the boss creature, then there was just no way these critters could withstand the combined firepower of a raid team consisting entirely of rank S Hunters!. Knowing better than anyone else that there wasn''t a lot of time, Mah Dong-Wook jumped into the fray first "Let''s go!". Hunters followed after him . Right behind them, flames flared out brightly from Choi Jong-In''s hands, and arrows fired by Im Tae-Gyu sliced up the air as they flew to their targets Just as Mah Dong-Woo predicted, the battle was concluded pretty quickly Kiiehhk!. The head of the last ant fell to the ground . Cha Hae-In wordlessly shook off the bodily fluids clinging onto her sword . Meanwhile, Mah Dong-Wook spoke up "Since the nursery area is right here, that means ". Choi Jong-In provided the follow-up " The queen''s lair is nearby . ". As the Hunters began checking their equipment before they rushed into the decisive showdown against the ant queen, the cameraman began looking here and there to capture more footage . But then, he gasped out in pure shock "Heok!!". The gazes of the Hunters were immediately focused on him "I-I''m really sorry . ". Momentarily forgetting that the camera attached to his head was actually broadcasting to the rest of the nation, the cameraman hurriedly bowed towards the Hunters . Sensing something was afoot, Baek Yun-Ho approached the cameraman "Did you find something?". "Ah, well, it''s just that Over there . ". The cameraman sheepishly smiled and pointed to the corner of the chamber "There''s a pile of empty eggshells over there, but like, one of them happens to be really, really big, you see . ". '' . ¡­!!''. Baek Yun-Ho''s eyes grew larger It was as the cameraman said . Most of the eggs containing regular ants were only about the size of a bicycle wheel, yet the one pointed out was as big as a grown man . ''No, wait . ''. The lengthy and ovoid shape of the egg was large enough to say that a fully-grown ant specimen must''ve emerged from it ''That''s also an ant egg??''. " Just what the hell came out of that egg?". Min Byung-Gu had walked closer before anyone had noticed it; there was a look of huge shock on his face as well . Baek Yun-Ho''s expression was stiff for a brief moment, but he quickly changed it to a grin as he lightly slapped Min Byung-Gu''s back "We''re here to kill the queen . Let''s not worry about anything else . ". " . Right . ". Min Myung-Gu carried an uneasy expression as he turned around to walk over to where the rest of the Hunters were . Before he joined the others, Baek Yun-Ho took one last look at that egg ''That''s just crazy ''. ***. ''This is just crazy ''. Goto Ryuji had to doubt whether his own eyes were working properly or not "Heok!!". "Mm . !!". Other Japanese Hunters either convulsed in shock or muttered lowly under their breaths Goto Ryuji frowned deeply as he scanned his surroundings . The Hunters of Team 3 were found in the exact location where their communication had been cut off . All five of them were here, but without their heads The sight of their headless colleagues lying on the ground as corpses left a shocking mental imprint on the other Hunters ''¡­ . ''. Goto Ryuji wordlessly massaged his temples, before approaching the bodies to check out their wounds ''This wasn''t done by a blade . ''. The necks of the dead Hunters were all roughly bitten off ''Just how much of a biting force was it for their necks to end up like this?''. While Goto Ryuji was stewing in his astonishment, one of his fellow Hunters walked in closer and angrily spat out "How dare these d*mn ants !!". Goto quickly shook his head "It''s not ''ants'' . ". "Pardon?". "Whether this was the handiwork of an ant or not, there was only one enemy . ". "B-but, how can that be?!". Goto Ryuji swallowed his saliva No matter how hard he searched, he couldn''t see any hint of a battle taking place here . If ants pushed on with sheer numbers to annihilate Team 3, then he should''ve found corpses of dead ants or some other traces around this area . However, he couldn''t find anything Also, the wounds on the dead Hunters ¨C judging from the location of the attack, it was more than likely that they were killed by a single assailant ''How could a team of the best Hunters from Japan fall to a single monster ?''. If his guess was correct, then only a rank S dungeon''s boss could do something like this Goto Ryuji quickly snatched the communication device from the Hunter next to him and spoke up "It''s Goto . ". - "Yes, please speak . ". "Where is the ant queen? Did it come out of the tunnel?". - "Let me confirm . ". The magic energy detection camera mounted on the spy satellite . Only America, Japan and China possessed such technology in the entire world In reality, China had to hack the Americans to copy the camera system, so one could argue that only the USA and Japan truly possessed this technology The location of the ant queen, as monitored by the technology Japan so proudly boasted to the rest of the world, soon came out of the receiver - "No, Goto-san . The queen is still inside its chamber . Ah, the Korean Hunters are entering the queen''s chamber as we speak . ". "What was that?!". Goto Ryuji stood right up He felt his heart nearly leap out of his mouth just then ''The queen didn''t do this?!''. His breathing quickened . He realised that something was going terribly wrong here . Goto Ryuji hurriedly issued a new order "Issue the withdrawal Tell every single Japanese Hunter to escape from this island immediately . ". - "Yes, sir . Understood . ". < Chapter 115 > Fin Chapter 116 Goto Ryuji ended the communication there, his expression remaining quite grim . ''Did we miss something?'' In order to successfully achieve what they were aiming for, the Japanese considered all types of possibilities and variables . However, the event of a team featuring five of the very best Japanese Hunters getting annihilated in one go like this - such a thing simply exceeded all their expectations . ''Wait a minute . . . . '' Something popped into his memory just then . There was an odd occurrence about four months ago . The ant queen, being observed for 24 hours straight every single day, suddenly showed a massive decline in its magical energy emission . It was less than half of the usual amount! The research team interpreted that as the lifespan of the queen coming to an end, and submitted several hopelessly optimistic reports . That was only until the ant queen began slowly recovering her magic energy, of course . ''It took about a month, didn''t it?'' It didn''t take too long for the queen to regain its original magic energy output . All those researchers that spoke up about the lifespan or rather had to shut their mouths as this result obviously went against their expectations . "Goto-san . " The voice of one of the team members woke Goto Ryuji up from his reminiscence . " . . . . Mm . " He had been kneeling on one knee in order to check the bodies of Team 3''s dead Hunters . He slowly stood back up . Now wasn''t the time to worry about anything else . ''Did we come in far too deep inland . . . ?'' Shashashashak . . . . Hundreds of ants had appeared behind him by then, and these monsters raised their heads up as if they were smacking their lips in anticipation of a tasty meal . *** On the other hand . . . . The Korean team had entered the boss room, also known as ''the queen''s chamber'' . It took them 15 minutes to get here . ''If we consider the fact that we''ll need roughly the same amount of time to get out of here . . . . '' They still had around 30 minutes of wiggle room . Assuming that they should be able to shorten their return trip because they were already familiar with the path now, the remaining time was on the ''more than enough'' side . ''Very good . '' Having confirmed the time with his wristwatch, Mah Dong-Wook raised his head . Everything was going according to plan . What remained now was how should they go about bookending this operation . Baek Yun-Ho used his ''Eyes of the Beast'' to see through the darkness and accurately assessed the number of enemies present . "The queen is at the rearmost location . There are eight guards in front of the target . " The queen''s guards were incomparably stronger than the regular ants . It''d be too tough for one Tanker to take on the attacks of the queen and its guard monsters . From here onwards, Mah Dong-Wook needed another person to act as a secondary Tanker . He looked to his side . "Hunter Cha . " "Yes . " "Can you take on the guard duty while I tend to the queen?" "Leave it to me . " Cha Hae-In''s reply was short and simple . She served as the main Tanker during the raids of her Guild, the Hunters . So, performing the role of a sub-Tanker was easier than drinking cold soup for her . Mah Dong-Wook shifted his gaze to the rest of the team . Every single member present here was a top specialist in hunting down monsters . Going through detailed explanations was a waste of time for them . "Let''s go . " As soon as Mah Dong-Wook turned towards the ants, Choi Jong-In created a massive ball of light and floated it up to the highest point in the boss room . That brightly illuminated the entirety of the chamber . "Heok . " The cameraman spat out a quiet gasp at the sheer size of the light sphere . He quickly began whispering towards a small mic located near his lips . "As a rank A Hunter, I''ve participated in quite a few raids before, but it''s my first time seeing such a huge ''Light'' magic like that . As expected of Korea''s best Mage-type Hunter!" His voice entered the mic and got transmitted to the viewers throughout the entire country . Not too long ago, he heard that the live broadcast he was filming had shot past the audience rating of 80% . Feeling overly motivated now, the cameraman tried to step forward in order to capture even better footage, but then, Min Byung-Gu standing next to him at the back of the group hurriedly yanked him back by his shoulder . "Keok?!" At this absolute strength, the cameraman couldn''t offer any resistance and spun around to face Min Byung-Gu . His shoulder hurt so much that his mouth bobbed up and down all by itself . ''How can a Healer be this strong . . . . ??'' There was no time to get shocked, though . The cameraman was now facing Min Byung-Gu who carried a completely different expression to when he was busy cracking jokes during the ride in the helicopter . "This here is a boss room of a rank S dungeon . No one here is responsible for your life, except yourself . " Hearing Min Byung-Gu''s anger-infused voice, the cameraman could only continue to nod his head, unable to form an intelligible reply . "If you understand, then stay at the back . The real thing is about to get started . " The overflowing energy of a rank S Hunter ¨C even a Healer, who was supposed to be the physically weakest out of all the Hunter types, still could display an aura that easily overwhelmed a rank A Hunter . That was the difference between a rank S and a rank A . Such monstrous beings were uniting together to start an intense battle, so what could a measly little rank A cameraman even achieve here? The cameraman felt his own powerlessness for the first time since becoming a Hunter, and hurriedly stood behind Min Byung-Gu . Sure enough . . . . "Here they come . " A super-giant ant discovered the Hunters'' presence and shifted its six legs to slowly approach where they were . "So, that''s the queen . . . . " Baek Yun-Ho nervously swallowed his saliva . The taut, nervous tension was also writ large on the faces of other Hunters . The absolutely commanding presence of the ant queen! These men and woman had become the very first humans to witness the outer appearance of the ant queen, having sneaked past the wall of hundreds, thousands of ants to get here . ''Today, we shall end the lifeline of these d*mnable ants for good . '' Baek Yun-Ho''s heart trembled as he thought about bringing that massive creature down . But, if they were to do that, then first of all . . . . Baek Yun-Ho''s glare that had been fixed on the ant queen now shifted lower to the ground . ''We need to . . . . '' Eight ants walking in front of the ant queen ¨C they had to get rid of the guards first . "Ha-ahp!" As if he had read the minds of his fellow raid members, the main Tanker of the team, Mah Dong-Wook, rushed forward to the frontline . A thick vein protruded out of his neck as he shouted out . "You d*mn ants, come and get some!" His impressive roar! The ants'' sights had degenerated now, but in return, their sense of hearing had become even more developed, so they immediately bared their fangs and claws before pouncing on Mah Dong-Wook''s position . He quickly looked behind him . "Hunter Cha! Now!" Cha Hae-In had been running behind Mah Dong-Wook while maintaining a certain distance, and when she heard his call, quickly unsheathed her longsword . Grabbing the hilt in a reverse grip with both hands, she powerfully stabbed the ground . Skill, ''Tremor of Provocation'' - activated! Khwack!! With the sword stabbing the ground serving as the epicentre, magic energy radiated out in circular waves . The ant guards aiming at Mah Dong-Wook suddenly all changed their directions and jumped at Cha Hae-In instead, as if they had been entranced by something powerful . ''There you go!'' Mah Dong-Wook inwardly fist-pumped the air as the monsters ran past him and towards Cha Hae-In . She was successful in attracting the aggro of the ant guards . Next up, it was his turn . Mah Dong-Wook quickly stepped in between Cha Hae-In and the giant ant queen trying to shuffle towards her . "You''re mine . " The ant queen must''ve been displeased by an enemy blocking its way, because it began bellowing out a high-pitched scream . Kiiiieeeehhhk!! Any old Tanker would have been suppressed by the sheer pressure and cover their ears from that horrifying screech, but such a trick wouldn''t work against Korea''s best Tanker, Mah Dong-Wook . "Hap-!!" He instead activated his skill, ''Battle Cry of Provocation'' . Unlike Cha Hae-In, who activated an AOE aggro skill, Mah Dong-Wook activated one that only worked against a single target . The ant queen stopped screeching out and glared at Mah Dong-Wook now . He had successfully attracted its aggro . ''Yes!!'' And now, his role was to endure the boss''s attacks until his colleagues managed to kill off the ant guards and come to his aid . And that would be the role he felt most confident of performing in this world . Mah Dong-Wook lifted up that heavy, large shield right up below his chin, the light of grim determination burning in his eyes . As he always had done, he began praying deep in his heart . ''Please grant me the power to protect myself and my colleagues today . '' Kwa-ka-boom!! Just then, a huge explosion resounded out from behind him, signalling the beginning of the raid of the ant queen, where countless lives were at stake . *** "Grandpa, aren''t you going to watch? Hunters are supposed to show up on screen today . " "Grandma, I don''t care . " "Don''t be like that now . . . . . The folks in TV said just now that they can really smash apart those ants today this time, so let''s watch together . " "Argh . They all say the exact same thing all the bloody time . I told you, I don''t care . " An old grandpa turned away on his chair and concentrated on the newspaper, instead . But then, a sound of him clicking his tongue came out from his slightly hunched back . "Tsk, tsk, tsk . Even this newspaper is talking about those d*mn Hunters and nothing else . How boring . " The old grandma cautiously closed shut the door to their bedroom as the grouchy voice of her husband continued to enter her ears . "Uh-whew . . . . " Only until two years ago, her husband used to hold so much interest towards all the news related to Jeju Island . He was also a big supporter of Hunters, too . Their one and only child was taken from them by the ants of Jeju Island, after all . The despair that felt like their world was collapsing on them soon became deep hatred towards the ant monsters . Her husband donated a sizeable amount of money to the Hunters Association whenever there was a subjugation operation taking place to cheer on the participating Hunters . He failed to fall asleep because of nervousness on the nights leading up to the operation dates, too . However, the bigger the one''s expectation, the greater the one''s disappointment would be . When the third subjugation attempt, where the Hunters promised to spare no effort to succeed, also ended up in failure with heavy losses incurred, her husband couldn''t regain his wits for several days, looking all dazed and the like . After that, her husband stopped talking about Hunters altogether . He stopped expecting, and stopped hoping for a miracle from them . "Whew . . . . " The grandma sighed out once more and picked up the remote of the TV in the living room . When it was switched on, the host of the broadcast was in the middle of making his emotional speech . - Our proud Hunters of South Korea have taken their very first step towards the ant queen raid! The Hunters were getting ready to engage in combat just as she turned the TV on . The grandma gathered her hands in front of her chest and continued to watch on, her heart beating faster and faster in anxiety . When the Hunters were injured, she averted her gaze while feeling sorry for them . When the attacks of the Hunters landed successfully, she clapped her hands in delight . "Aigo! Aigoo!!" - Ah, ah!! finally! They have brought down a monster! That was the beginning . The terrifying-looking ant monsters began falling one by one from the fierce attacks of the Hunters . And whenever that happened, the roars and cheers of people shook and reverberated throughout the apartment building the grandma lived in . "Aigoo! Aigoo!!" - Only four! There are only four more left!! They have managed to defeat half of their numbers! Hearing that announcement, tears suddenly formed in the grandma''s eyes . First of all, she was thankful towards these Hunters who were risking their lives to protect other people . Secondly, she recalled the face of her son as the boy celebrated him getting hired by a large corporation located in Jeju Island . - Only two more guards remain! As long as they can defeat these two, they can start concentrating on the ant queen! It''s not too long now from the successful completion of this raid! It was then . Slam! The bedroom''s door flew open and the grandpa hurriedly ran out, his face burning with emotions . "Dear . . . . " Even though grandma called out to him, grandpa didn''t say anything, his reddened eyes glued to the TV screen and nowhere else . His tightly-clenched fists were trembling hard now . The host held his breath and continued to observe the situation for a while, before . . . . - They have defeated all of those powerful ant guards! The only remaining ant is the queen itself! As soon as they kill the queen, it''ll be the same as the ants being completely decimated!! Our proud Hunters, they are not wasting any time and have begun attacking their final target! The TV screen now displayed the stirring image of five Hunters rushing in at the same time from behind Mah Dong-Wook, who had endured commendably well against the ant queen''s attacks . Thick tears streamed down grandpa''s face as he energetically punched the air almost out of instinct . "Uwaaahhh-!!" *** Inside the TV station . As the phone calls of encouragements and support inundated the station''s phone line, the station''s director yelled out in pure, unadulterated joy . "Sir, the audience rating has gone past 85% just now!!" "We did it!!" The director tightly clenched both of his fists . The audience rating of 85%!! Now that was a record that would never be beaten, even if the South Korean football team reached the final of the World Cup . And when he thought about all the profit coming from overseas, as well as the potential future revenue . . . . . ''A jackpot!!'' He plopped down on his chair and rubbed his face . All the other employees within the station''s ''situation room'' all breathed sighs of relief after seeing the happy face of their boss . On the main screen showing the transmitted footage from the island, the Korean Hunters were busy making mincemeat out of the ant queen . - The USA, China, Russia, and France!! This is the moment that South Korea will join the list of countries that have successfully cleared a rank S Gate! The station''s director took out his handkerchief to pat down his sweat-soaked slick forehead . ''Yes, very good! Very good!!'' The queen was on the brink of death now; all these Hunters had to do now was to finish off the ant monster and safely escape from the ant tunnel . However . . . . Kyahhhhhhhh-!!! "What the hell?!" The director was jolted out of his senses and he quickly took a look behind him . One of the producers hurriedly lowered the volume . The director tilted his head this way and that, before walking closer to where this producer was . "Producer Nah? What was that noise just now?" "Ah, that was . . . . This is the real-time live feed coming from Jeju Island, actually . That screech came from the ant queen . " "The ant queen made that noise?" There was a slight delay between the broadcast being shown to the public and that of the real-time live feed coming in from the island . Since no one knew what would happen during the raid itself, it was decided that the real-time footage couldn''t be shown to the public directly . The station''s director stared at the feed, before issuing an order with a smile on his face . "Well, I think it won''t do for a monster''s terrible screech to come out when we''re about to witness a historic victory . How about you edit that part out, or decrease the audio volume?" "Will do, sir . " This producer named ''Nah'' nodded his head, and the director squeezed his right shoulder as a gesture of encouragement . It was then . One of the station''s employee hurriedly ran up to him with a hardened expression . "Director, Producer Nah!!" The director quickly turned his head around . According to his personal experience, not once did the reports made by his subordinates carrying such expressions turn out to be a good one . Even before the director heard the report, he was beset with this rather ominous hunch . Praying that he was wrong, at least for today, the director cautiously asked the employee . " . . . . What happened?" Unfortunately, one''s ominous hunches had a way of coming true . The employee spoke in a disconcerted voice . "Sir, I just found out that Japanese Hunters are withdrawing from the island right now!" "What was that?!" *** Mah Dong-Wook spurred his teammates on . "We''re almost there!! Let us just push a little bit harder, everyone!" Just as his words implied, the ant queen was truly on its last legs . All they needed was a little more push, and that would be it . There were hundreds of arrows stuck tightly together on the head of the queen fired by Im Tae-Gyu, and the creature resembled a hedgehog as a result . Pi-ooong! Kwa-jeeck! Yet another arrow flew and struck the queen in the face . The creature screeched out as if it was in great pain and shook its head . Kieeehhk!! The queen quickly recovered its bearings and began spewing out poisonous acidic liquid throughout the boss room . Splash-!! It was such a wide-scale attack that several Hunters failed to escape in time . Their skins began burning up into black charcoal, but their wounds were restored in full by Min Byung-Gu''s healing magic . Kiieeehk!! The queen was further enraged by the fact that its acid attack wasn''t effective, and bit down on Mah Dong-Woo in front of the group with its large, saw-like fangs . Kwack!!! However, Mah Dong-Wook activated the ''Advanced Fortification'' skill to defend his entire body and managed to endure the queen''s attack . One side of the ant''s jaw was blocked off by the shield, while the other side, with his left hand . While Mah Dong-Wook was buying more time in this fashion, a huge pillar of flames exploded out from the side of the ant queen . Kwa-ka-ka-boom!! It was Choi Jong-In''s magic doing its thing . Kiiehk!! The queen staggered and failed to balance itself . Baek Yun-Ho in his beast-type monster form, meanwhile, seized upon this chance and jumped up very quickly to rip out the queen''s left fang with his bare hand/paw . Kwajeeck!! Deftly landing back on the ground, Baek Yun-Ho breathed heavily as certainty grew larger in his heart . ''The queen''s finished . '' His extensive hunting experience told him so . This would be the moment when they finally kill the leader of an army of monsters that dyed this land black with the blood of their victims . Just a little bit more, and it''d be done . When he thought like that, a certain powerful emotion welled up from deep inside his heart . but then, the queen suddenly raised its head high up in the air . And . . . . Kyaaaaaaaaahhh-!! A screech that was so loud that it almost ruptured the Hunters'' eardrums reverberated throughout the entire ant tunnel . Baek Yun-Ho''s eyes shook hard . ''What was that?! A roar of anger? Its death throes?'' No, it felt different from those . That screech sounded like a pleading call towards someone, something, which was still far away . ''It''s calling for something?!'' When his thought process reached there, he felt an unexplainable chill run down his spine . "We need to stop that thing!!" Before Baek Yun-Ho could take another step forward, Cha Hae-In jumped up rather gracefully and swung down the sword she held firmly with both hands . Slice! The queen''s head fell down to the ground first before she could land back on her feet . Thud!! The cameraman had been holding his breath as he bore witness to this battle of the rank S creatures . And finally, he was able to raise both of his arms up high in elation as tears formed in his eyes . This was the moment when the curtains closed on the horrifying battle that lasted for 4 years . "Pant, pant . . . . " The heavily-panting Mah Dong-Wook raised his thumb up towards his teammates . Cha Hae-In also sighed out in relief . Choi Jong-In grinned as he adjusted his glasses, while Im Tae-Gyu punched the air . Everyone was expressing their delight over the victory in their own way . Only Baek Yun-Ho among them was shuddering from this ominous and unexplainable chill taking root within the corner of his heart . "Hyung, we just became the seventh raid team in the entire world to successfully clear a rank S Gate, so why do you look like . . . . " "Hold on . " It was then . Mah Dong-Wook, who had been in communication with the command centre, suddenly formed an enraged expression . There was no time for them to relax like this . He quickly called out to his teammates taking a short break nearby . "The Japanese have withdrawn already, and the remaining ants are heading this way! We need to escape from here, right now!" "What?!" "But, don''t we still have some time left?!" "20 rank S Hunters couldn''t even hold out for 30 minutes, never mind one hour?!" When his teammates grew visibly flustered, Mah Dong-Wook spoke in a complicated voice . "I don''t know the details, but . . . . The Association is trying to find out what''s going on, but the Japanese have one-sidedly cut off the communication . " "Those stinking sons of b*tches . . . !" Choi Jong-In spat out some choice words in disgust . If it were the Japanese Hunters down here and not the Koreans, would they have given up this early and withdraw? No matter what, though ¨C one had to be alive first in order to get angry later . To prevent unrest from breaking out among his teammates, Mah Dong-Wook did his best to suppress his own feelings . With a calm face, he hurried with their escape from this place . "Everyone, hurry!" The members of the Korean raid team hurriedly ran towards the exit of the queen''s chamber . However, the one running in the lead, Baek Yun-Ho, stopped in his tracks first . "Ah . . . . . " "Hyung?" Min Byung-Gun running right behind had to stop there, and as a chain reaction, everyone else came to a stop as well . Wordlessly rooted to the spot, Baek Yun-Ho''s gaze was fixed in one direction as his entire body began trembling noticeably . "This, this can''t be . . . . " This couldn''t be happening . No, such a thing shouldn''t even happen in the first place . As he watched a shadow approach them, he recalled the tall, humanoid-shaped eggshell back in the nursery area . ''This . . . you''re telling me that this is the power possessed by a single monster??'' Baek Yun-Ho''s complexion paled instantly . Other Hunters feeling puzzled finally sensed something was wrong and quickly took a step back from the exit . "What''s this?" "Did the ants return here already??" As the Hunters began falling into a confused state . . . . From the far side of the ant tunnel draped in darkness, a single winged ant was slowly walking towards the Korean Hunters . < Chapter 116 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 116: Chapter 116 . Goto Ryuji ended the communication there, his expression remaining quite grim ''Did we miss something?''. In order to successfully achieve what they were aiming for, the Japanese considered all types of possibilities and variables However, the event of a team featuring five of the very best Japanese Hunters getting annihilated in one go like this - such a thing simply exceeded all their expectations ''Wait a minute ''. Something popped into his memory just then . There was an odd occurrence about four months ago The ant queen, being observed for 24 hours straight every single day, suddenly showed a massive decline in its magical energy emission . It was less than half of the usual amount!. The research team interpreted that as the lifespan of the queen coming to an end, and submitted several hopelessly optimistic reports . That was only until the ant queen began slowly recovering her magic energy, of course ''It took about a month, didn''t it?''. It didn''t take too long for the queen to regain its original magic energy output . All those researchers that spoke up about the lifespan or rather had to shut their mouths as this result obviously went against their expectations "Goto-san . ". The voice of one of the team members woke Goto Ryuji up from his reminiscence " Mm . ". He had been kneeling on one knee in order to check the bodies of Team 3''s dead Hunters . He slowly stood back up . Now wasn''t the time to worry about anything else ''Did we come in far too deep inland . ?''. Shashashashak . Hundreds of ants had appeared behind him by then, and these monsters raised their heads up as if they were smacking their lips in anticipation of a tasty meal ***. On the other hand . The Korean team had entered the boss room, also known as ''the queen''s chamber'' . It took them 15 minutes to get here ''If we consider the fact that we''ll need roughly the same amount of time to get out of here ''. They still had around 30 minutes of wiggle room . Assuming that they should be able to shorten their return trip because they were already familiar with the path now, the remaining time was on the ''more than enough'' side ''Very good . ''. Having confirmed the time with his wristwatch, Mah Dong-Wook raised his head . Everything was going according to plan . What remained now was how should they go about bookending this operation Baek Yun-Ho used his ''Eyes of the Beast'' to see through the darkness and accurately assessed the number of enemies present "The queen is at the rearmost location . There are eight guards in front of the target . ". The queen''s guards were incomparably stronger than the regular ants . It''d be too tough for one Tanker to take on the attacks of the queen and its guard monsters . From here onwards, Mah Dong-Wook needed another person to act as a secondary Tanker . He looked to his side "Hunter Cha . ". "Yes . ". "Can you take on the guard duty while I tend to the queen?". "Leave it to me . ". Cha Hae-In''s reply was short and simple She served as the main Tanker during the raids of her Guild, the Hunters . So, performing the role of a sub-Tanker was easier than drinking cold soup for her Mah Dong-Wook shifted his gaze to the rest of the team . Every single member present here was a top specialist in hunting down monsters . Going through detailed explanations was a waste of time for them "Let''s go . ". As soon as Mah Dong-Wook turned towards the ants, Choi Jong-In created a massive ball of light and floated it up to the highest point in the boss room . That brightly illuminated the entirety of the chamber "Heok . ". The cameraman spat out a quiet gasp at the sheer size of the light sphere . He quickly began whispering towards a small mic located near his lips "As a rank A Hunter, I''ve participated in quite a few raids before, but it''s my first time seeing such a huge ''Light'' magic like that . As expected of Korea''s best Mage-type Hunter!". His voice entered the mic and got transmitted to the viewers throughout the entire country Not too long ago, he heard that the live broadcast he was filming had shot past the audience rating of 80% Feeling overly motivated now, the cameraman tried to step forward in order to capture even better footage, but then, Min Byung-Gu standing next to him at the back of the group hurriedly yanked him back by his shoulder "Keok?!". At this absolute strength, the cameraman couldn''t offer any resistance and spun around to face Min Byung-Gu . His shoulder hurt so much that his mouth bobbed up and down all by itself ''How can a Healer be this strong ??''. There was no time to get shocked, though . The cameraman was now facing Min Byung-Gu who carried a completely different expression to when he was busy cracking jokes during the ride in the helicopter "This here is a boss room of a rank S dungeon . No one here is responsible for your life, except yourself . ". Hearing Min Byung-Gu''s anger-infused voice, the cameraman could only continue to nod his head, unable to form an intelligible reply "If you understand, then stay at the back . The real thing is about to get started . ". The overflowing energy of a rank S Hunter ¨C even a Healer, who was supposed to be the physically weakest out of all the Hunter types, still could display an aura that easily overwhelmed a rank A Hunter . That was the difference between a rank S and a rank A Such monstrous beings were uniting together to start an intense battle, so what could a measly little rank A cameraman even achieve here? The cameraman felt his own powerlessness for the first time since becoming a Hunter, and hurriedly stood behind Min Byung-Gu . Sure enough . "Here they come . ". A super-giant ant discovered the Hunters'' presence and shifted its six legs to slowly approach where they were "So, that''s the queen ". Baek Yun-Ho nervously swallowed his saliva The taut, nervous tension was also writ large on the faces of other Hunters The absolutely commanding presence of the ant queen!. These men and woman had become the very first humans to witness the outer appearance of the ant queen, having sneaked past the wall of hundreds, thousands of ants to get here ''Today, we shall end the lifeline of these d*mnable ants for good . ''. Baek Yun-Ho''s heart trembled as he thought about bringing that massive creature down . But, if they were to do that, then first of all . Baek Yun-Ho''s glare that had been fixed on the ant queen now shifted lower to the ground ''We need to ''. Eight ants walking in front of the ant queen ¨C they had to get rid of the guards first "Ha-ahp!". As if he had read the minds of his fellow raid members, the main Tanker of the team, Mah Dong-Wook, rushed forward to the frontline . A thick vein protruded out of his neck as he shouted out "You d*mn ants, come and get some!". His impressive roar!. The ants'' sights had degenerated now, but in return, their sense of hearing had become even more developed, so they immediately bared their fangs and claws before pouncing on Mah Dong-Wook''s position He quickly looked behind him "Hunter Cha! Now!". Cha Hae-In had been running behind Mah Dong-Wook while maintaining a certain distance, and when she heard his call, quickly unsheathed her longsword . Grabbing the hilt in a reverse grip with both hands, she powerfully stabbed the ground Skill, ''Tremor of Provocation'' - activated!. Khwack!!. With the sword stabbing the ground serving as the epicentre, magic energy radiated out in circular waves . The ant guards aiming at Mah Dong-Wook suddenly all changed their directions and jumped at Cha Hae-In instead, as if they had been entranced by something powerful ''There you go!''. Mah Dong-Wook inwardly fist-pumped the air as the monsters ran past him and towards Cha Hae-In . She was successful in attracting the aggro of the ant guards Next up, it was his turn Mah Dong-Wook quickly stepped in between Cha Hae-In and the giant ant queen trying to shuffle towards her "You''re mine . ". The ant queen must''ve been displeased by an enemy blocking its way, because it began bellowing out a high-pitched scream Kiiiieeeehhhk!!. Any old Tanker would have been suppressed by the sheer pressure and cover their ears from that horrifying screech, but such a trick wouldn''t work against Korea''s best Tanker, Mah Dong-Wook "Hap-!!". He instead activated his skill, ''Battle Cry of Provocation'' Unlike Cha Hae-In, who activated an AOE aggro skill, Mah Dong-Wook activated one that only worked against a single target The ant queen stopped screeching out and glared at Mah Dong-Wook now . He had successfully attracted its aggro ''Yes!!''. And now, his role was to endure the boss''s attacks until his colleagues managed to kill off the ant guards and come to his aid . And that would be the role he felt most confident of performing in this world Mah Dong-Wook lifted up that heavy, large shield right up below his chin, the light of grim determination burning in his eyes . As he always had done, he began praying deep in his heart ''Please grant me the power to protect myself and my colleagues today . ''. Kwa-ka-boom!!. Just then, a huge explosion resounded out from behind him, signalling the beginning of the raid of the ant queen, where countless lives were at stake ***. "Grandpa, aren''t you going to watch? Hunters are supposed to show up on screen today . ". "Grandma, I don''t care . ". "Don''t be like that now . The folks in TV said just now that they can really smash apart those ants today this time, so let''s watch together . ". "Argh . They all say the exact same thing all the bloody time . I told you, I don''t care . ". An old grandpa turned away on his chair and concentrated on the newspaper, instead . But then, a sound of him clicking his tongue came out from his slightly hunched back "Tsk, tsk, tsk . Even this newspaper is talking about those d*mn Hunters and nothing else . How boring . ". The old grandma cautiously closed shut the door to their bedroom as the grouchy voice of her husband continued to enter her ears "Uh-whew ". Only until two years ago, her husband used to hold so much interest towards all the news related to Jeju Island . He was also a big supporter of Hunters, too Their one and only child was taken from them by the ants of Jeju Island, after all The despair that felt like their world was collapsing on them soon became deep hatred towards the ant monsters . Her husband donated a sizeable amount of money to the Hunters Association whenever there was a subjugation operation taking place to cheer on the participating Hunters He failed to fall asleep because of nervousness on the nights leading up to the operation dates, too However, the bigger the one''s expectation, the greater the one''s disappointment would be When the third subjugation attempt, where the Hunters promised to spare no effort to succeed, also ended up in failure with heavy losses incurred, her husband couldn''t regain his wits for several days, looking all dazed and the like After that, her husband stopped talking about Hunters altogether . He stopped expecting, and stopped hoping for a miracle from them "Whew ". The grandma sighed out once more and picked up the remote of the TV in the living room . When it was switched on, the host of the broadcast was in the middle of making his emotional speech - Our proud Hunters of South Korea have taken their very first step towards the ant queen raid!. The Hunters were getting ready to engage in combat just as she turned the TV on . The grandma gathered her hands in front of her chest and continued to watch on, her heart beating faster and faster in anxiety When the Hunters were injured, she averted her gaze while feeling sorry for them . When the attacks of the Hunters landed successfully, she clapped her hands in delight "Aigo! Aigoo!!". - Ah, ah!! finally! They have brought down a monster!. That was the beginning . The terrifying-looking ant monsters began falling one by one from the fierce attacks of the Hunters . And whenever that happened, the roars and cheers of people shook and reverberated throughout the apartment building the grandma lived in "Aigoo! Aigoo!!". - Only four! There are only four more left!! They have managed to defeat half of their numbers!. Hearing that announcement, tears suddenly formed in the grandma''s eyes First of all, she was thankful towards these Hunters who were risking their lives to protect other people Secondly, she recalled the face of her son as the boy celebrated him getting hired by a large corporation located in Jeju Island - Only two more guards remain! As long as they can defeat these two, they can start concentrating on the ant queen! It''s not too long now from the successful completion of this raid!. It was then Slam!. The bedroom''s door flew open and the grandpa hurriedly ran out, his face burning with emotions "Dear ". Even though grandma called out to him, grandpa didn''t say anything, his reddened eyes glued to the TV screen and nowhere else . His tightly-clenched fists were trembling hard now The host held his breath and continued to observe the situation for a while, before . - They have defeated all of those powerful ant guards! The only remaining ant is the queen itself! As soon as they kill the queen, it''ll be the same as the ants being completely decimated!! Our proud Hunters, they are not wasting any time and have begun attacking their final target!. The TV screen now displayed the stirring image of five Hunters rushing in at the same time from behind Mah Dong-Wook, who had endured commendably well against the ant queen''s attacks Thick tears streamed down grandpa''s face as he energetically punched the air almost out of instinct "Uwaaahhh-!!". ***. Inside the TV station As the phone calls of encouragements and support inundated the station''s phone line, the station''s director yelled out in pure, unadulterated joy "Sir, the audience rating has gone past 85% just now!!". "We did it!!". The director tightly clenched both of his fists The audience rating of 85%!!. Now that was a record that would never be beaten, even if the South Korean football team reached the final of the World Cup . And when he thought about all the profit coming from overseas, as well as the potential future revenue ''A jackpot!!''. He plopped down on his chair and rubbed his face . All the other employees within the station''s ''situation room'' all breathed sighs of relief after seeing the happy face of their boss On the main screen showing the transmitted footage from the island, the Korean Hunters were busy making mincemeat out of the ant queen - The USA, China, Russia, and France!! This is the moment that South Korea will join the list of countries that have successfully cleared a rank S Gate!. The station''s director took out his handkerchief to pat down his sweat-soaked slick forehead ''Yes, very good! Very good!!''. The queen was on the brink of death now; all these Hunters had to do now was to finish off the ant monster and safely escape from the ant tunnel However . Kyahhhhhhhh-!!!. "What the hell?!". The director was jolted out of his senses and he quickly took a look behind him . One of the producers hurriedly lowered the volume . The director tilted his head this way and that, before walking closer to where this producer was "Producer Nah? What was that noise just now?". "Ah, that was This is the real-time live feed coming from Jeju Island, actually . That screech came from the ant queen . ". "The ant queen made that noise?". There was a slight delay between the broadcast being shown to the public and that of the real-time live feed coming in from the island . Since no one knew what would happen during the raid itself, it was decided that the real-time footage couldn''t be shown to the public directly The station''s director stared at the feed, before issuing an order with a smile on his face "Well, I think it won''t do for a monster''s terrible screech to come out when we''re about to witness a historic victory . How about you edit that part out, or decrease the audio volume?". "Will do, sir . ". This producer named ''Nah'' nodded his head, and the director squeezed his right shoulder as a gesture of encouragement . It was then One of the station''s employee hurriedly ran up to him with a hardened expression "Director, Producer Nah!!". The director quickly turned his head around According to his personal experience, not once did the reports made by his subordinates carrying such expressions turn out to be a good one Even before the director heard the report, he was beset with this rather ominous hunch . Praying that he was wrong, at least for today, the director cautiously asked the employee " What happened?". Unfortunately, one''s ominous hunches had a way of coming true . The employee spoke in a disconcerted voice "Sir, I just found out that Japanese Hunters are withdrawing from the island right now!". "What was that?!". ***. Mah Dong-Wook spurred his teammates on "We''re almost there!! Let us just push a little bit harder, everyone!". Just as his words implied, the ant queen was truly on its last legs . All they needed was a little more push, and that would be it There were hundreds of arrows stuck tightly together on the head of the queen fired by Im Tae-Gyu, and the creature resembled a hedgehog as a result Pi-ooong!. Kwa-jeeck!. Yet another arrow flew and struck the queen in the face . The creature screeched out as if it was in great pain and shook its head Kieeehhk!!. The queen quickly recovered its bearings and began spewing out poisonous acidic liquid throughout the boss room Splash-!!. It was such a wide-scale attack that several Hunters failed to escape in time . Their skins began burning up into black charcoal, but their wounds were restored in full by Min Byung-Gu''s healing magic Kiieeehk!!. The queen was further enraged by the fact that its acid attack wasn''t effective, and bit down on Mah Dong-Woo in front of the group with its large, saw-like fangs Kwack!!!. However, Mah Dong-Wook activated the ''Advanced Fortification'' skill to defend his entire body and managed to endure the queen''s attack One side of the ant''s jaw was blocked off by the shield, while the other side, with his left hand . While Mah Dong-Wook was buying more time in this fashion, a huge pillar of flames exploded out from the side of the ant queen Kwa-ka-ka-boom!!. It was Choi Jong-In''s magic doing its thing Kiiehk!!. The queen staggered and failed to balance itself . Baek Yun-Ho in his beast-type monster form, meanwhile, seized upon this chance and jumped up very quickly to rip out the queen''s left fang with his bare hand/paw Kwajeeck!!. Deftly landing back on the ground, Baek Yun-Ho breathed heavily as certainty grew larger in his heart ''The queen''s finished . ''. His extensive hunting experience told him so . This would be the moment when they finally kill the leader of an army of monsters that dyed this land black with the blood of their victims Just a little bit more, and it''d be done . When he thought like that, a certain powerful emotion welled up from deep inside his heart but then, the queen suddenly raised its head high up in the air . And . Kyaaaaaaaaahhh-!!. A screech that was so loud that it almost ruptured the Hunters'' eardrums reverberated throughout the entire ant tunnel . Baek Yun-Ho''s eyes shook hard ''What was that?! A roar of anger? Its death throes?''. No, it felt different from those . That screech sounded like a pleading call towards someone, something, which was still far away ''It''s calling for something?!''. When his thought process reached there, he felt an unexplainable chill run down his spine "We need to stop that thing!!". Before Baek Yun-Ho could take another step forward, Cha Hae-In jumped up rather gracefully and swung down the sword she held firmly with both hands Slice!. The queen''s head fell down to the ground first before she could land back on her feet Thud!!. The cameraman had been holding his breath as he bore witness to this battle of the rank S creatures . And finally, he was able to raise both of his arms up high in elation as tears formed in his eyes This was the moment when the curtains closed on the horrifying battle that lasted for 4 years "Pant, pant ". The heavily-panting Mah Dong-Wook raised his thumb up towards his teammates Cha Hae-In also sighed out in relief . Choi Jong-In grinned as he adjusted his glasses, while Im Tae-Gyu punched the air . Everyone was expressing their delight over the victory in their own way Only Baek Yun-Ho among them was shuddering from this ominous and unexplainable chill taking root within the corner of his heart "Hyung, we just became the seventh raid team in the entire world to successfully clear a rank S Gate, so why do you look like ". "Hold on . ". It was then . Mah Dong-Wook, who had been in communication with the command centre, suddenly formed an enraged expression There was no time for them to relax like this . He quickly called out to his teammates taking a short break nearby "The Japanese have withdrawn already, and the remaining ants are heading this way! We need to escape from here, right now!". "What?!". "But, don''t we still have some time left?!". "20 rank S Hunters couldn''t even hold out for 30 minutes, never mind one hour?!". When his teammates grew visibly flustered, Mah Dong-Wook spoke in a complicated voice "I don''t know the details, but The Association is trying to find out what''s going on, but the Japanese have one-sidedly cut off the communication . ". "Those stinking sons of b*tches . !". Choi Jong-In spat out some choice words in disgust If it were the Japanese Hunters down here and not the Koreans, would they have given up this early and withdraw? No matter what, though ¨C one had to be alive first in order to get angry later To prevent unrest from breaking out among his teammates, Mah Dong-Wook did his best to suppress his own feelings . With a calm face, he hurried with their escape from this place "Everyone, hurry!". The members of the Korean raid team hurriedly ran towards the exit of the queen''s chamber However, the one running in the lead, Baek Yun-Ho, stopped in his tracks first "Ah . ". "Hyung?". Min Byung-Gun running right behind had to stop there, and as a chain reaction, everyone else came to a stop as well . Wordlessly rooted to the spot, Baek Yun-Ho''s gaze was fixed in one direction as his entire body began trembling noticeably "This, this can''t be ". This couldn''t be happening No, such a thing shouldn''t even happen in the first place As he watched a shadow approach them, he recalled the tall, humanoid-shaped eggshell back in the nursery area ''This . you''re telling me that this is the power possessed by a single monster??''. Baek Yun-Ho''s complexion paled instantly Other Hunters feeling puzzled finally sensed something was wrong and quickly took a step back from the exit "What''s this?". "Did the ants return here already??". As the Hunters began falling into a confused state . From the far side of the ant tunnel draped in darkness, a single winged ant was slowly walking towards the Korean Hunters < Chapter 116 > Fin Chapter 117 Cha Hae-In immediately felt something was very wrong as soon as she saw the ant monster leisurely entering the queen''s chamber . ''There''s . . . no presence?'' It was almost impossible to locate the creature without keeping her eyes locked on it constantly; that''s how difficult it was to sense its presence . There were only two beings out of all the Hunters and the monsters she met until now, that had this sort of effect on Cha Hae-In . One of them was this ant monster right in front of her eyes, and the other one was . . . . ''¡­ . Mister Seong Jin-Woo . '' She inexplicably recalled Seong Jin-Woo, who had finally bared his hidden fangs at Japan''s most powerful Hunter a couple of days ago . What if that man stood in front of her as her enemy? Shudder . She couldn''t breathe anymore as a crippling chill ran down her spine . ''¡­ . . '' Just imagining it alone caused her expression to harden considerably . The entrance of this unknown ant monster was definitely not good news for the Korean Hunters, who were still deeply fatigued from fighting the ant queen . "That thing . . . . " "Something''s wrong with that monster . " "It feels really creepy . " It wasn''t to the extent of Baek Yun-Ho or Cha Hae-In, but other Hunters also felt a certain sense of incongruence here . Gulp . It was just a single monster, yet the atmosphere was shifting rather rapidly . ''What should we do?'' Mah Dong-Wook was inwardly worried . When faced with an unexpected situation, a leader had to make a quick decision . Especially so, when they were pressed for time like this . ''It''s a monster, so we should just kill it, but . . . . '' But . Just why was he feeling this enormous sense of unease right now? While they stood there pondering and hesitating, the ant monster narrowed the distance between them quite quickly . Its movements were so eerily quiet that goosebumps automatically rose up on their skins . ''We don''t have the time to hesitate like this . '' By the time Mah Dong-Wook finally managed to suppress the warning bells rung by his instincts and made the next logical decision . . . . ¡­ . The monster suddenly disappeared from his view . "Where?!" Mah Dong-Wook''s eyes opened super-wide as he hurriedly scanned his vicinity . The reactions of other Hunters weren''t all that different, either . "Behind . . . . " The cameraman anxiously looking around belatedly located the monster and shouted out . "It''s behind us!!" The Hunters were startled by this and quickly turned around . With the speed none of them could see, the ant monster had slipped past the Hunters to stand before the dead corpse of the ant queen . ''It went past us?!'' ''But, how . . . . ??'' Just like that, the Hunters of the Korean raid team finally got to see what Baek Yun-Ho saw earlier with his ''Eyes of the Beast'' . Thump, thump, thump! Their heart rate rapidly picked up and their breathing quickened in no time . ''¡­ . That''s no ordinary monster . '' Cold sweat drops dribbled down Mah Dong-Wook''s forehead . The ant monster quietly stared at the dead queen, not even showing a hint of interest towards the Hunters . But then, it raised its head and . . . . Kiiiiieeeeeeehhhhh . . . . . !!! It began screeching out a beastly howl so terrifying and loud that the entire ant tunnel began shaking from the reverberation . Plop! The cameraman was the first to lose all his strength in his legs . Plop! Plop! The other Hunters couldn''t withstand the sheer pressure as well, and they began kneeling on the ground one by one . Mah Dong-Wook too carried a look of pure disbelief as he tried to support himself off the ground . ''I . . . I''m kneeling because of a howl?'' Eeeehhhhhkkk . . . !!! By the time the seemingly-never-ending howl came to an end, the only one standing still was Cha Hae-In and no one else . However, her two legs were wobbling noticeably too, as if standing upright was all she could do at the moment . Obviously, fighting back was out of the question here . Only then did the ant monster display some interest towards the Hunters . With a clear hostile intent, to boot . ''¡­ . !!'' Cha Hae-In''s eyes grew wider . The creature''s face was hideously twisted as it turned around to face the Hunters, as if it was expressing its anger at the death of the queen . She did her best to calmly move her hand towards the hilt of her sword . However, the ant monster was a step faster than the speed of Cha Hae-In drawing her sword from her waist . Piishuk-! The ant monster literally blinked and reappeared right in front of her nose . Cha Hae-In''s eyes shook hard . She didn''t even have enough time to think about defending herself . SLAM-!! "Ahk!" Being struck in the side of her head, Cha Hae-In flew away in a straight line and slammed into a far wall, before powerlessly falling to the ground . Tumble . . . . Just one hit, and Cha Hae-In was rendered unconscious . All of her teammates couldn''t hide their astonishment after seeing that horrible spectacle . Because . . . their strongest member had been knocked down in one hit, that was why . Unfortunately, they didn''t have any time to stay shocked like that . They had confirmed the ridiculous power level of their new enemy . Through their experiences, these Hunters knew very well that their odds of survival would decline further the longer they remained hesitant as they were now . As the main Tanker, Mah Dong-Wook took a step forward first . "Hup-!!" Mah Dong-Wook powerfully bear-hugged the ant monster from behind and strengthened both his arms . With the strength that could easily uproot a full-grown tree, he squeezed hard at the ant monster''s body . Thick veins popped up all over his arms and his neck . Unfortunately . . . "Uwaaaahk-!!" When the ant monster increased its strength for a bit, both of Mah Dong-Wook''s arms fell off, just like that . He fell down to his knees . "No!!" Baek Yun-Ho pounced forward . If he failed to draw that thing''s attention away now, then Mah Dong-Wook would be killed off in an instant now that he lacked the means to defend himself . Baek Yun-Ho gritted his teeth . White fur began sprouting up all over his body; his claws extended and he transformed into a ferocious beast, before pouncing on the monster . Piishuk-!! The monster disappeared from the spot again . ''Where . . . ?!'' Even Baek Yun-Ho''s ''Eyes of the Beast'' failed to follow the monster''s movements . The scream came from his behind . "Uwaaahkk!!" This time, it was Choi Jong-In, who was getting ready to cast his magic . The ant monster''s long claw left a lengthy, diagonal cut wound on his upper torso, and he fell to the ground with a pained moan . About five paces from where he was, Im Tae-Gyu had been waiting for an opening while hiding his presence . He immediately fired an arrow containing his magic energy . ''I''ll never miss in this distance!!'' His strong self-belief was contained within that shot . Swish-!! Too bad for him, Grab . A powerful tremor rocked Im Tae-Gyu''s eyes . ''Heok?!'' The ant monster snatched the flying arrow and easily snapped it in half . Crack! Im Tae-Gyu hurriedly tried to nock his next arrow, but by the time he did so and raised his bow, the monster was already standing in front of him . " . . . . F*ck . " POW! Im Tae-Gyu was struck in the face and flew away . Baek Yun-Ho attacked when the ant monster''s back was turned away from him, but the back of his head was grabbed by the monster instead, as the creature spun around in an instant . He was planted violently into the ground next . Boom!! Baek Yun-Ho''s body quivered from the impact . Just as the ant monster was getting ready to slam Baek Yun-Ho to the ground again, Mah Dong-Wook dashed forward and shoulder charged the creature away . Kwahng!!! The ant monster rolled on the ground for a little while, before standing back up . Mah Dong-Wook''s arms had been severed for sure only a moment ago, yet he was attacking the creature with all his limbs completely intact . The ant monster defeated Mah Dong-Wook again, and then, proceeded to defeat other Hunters again, too . Yet, the humans that should''ve stayed down with crippling injuries were attacking again, all fully healed in the blink of an eye . Only then did the ant monster begin to recognise the existence of a Healer . The monster scanned the vicinity to find this annoying human . However, Min Byung-Gu stayed calm under the pressure . His lone self-defence skill, ''Camouflage'' . He was able to completely hide himself with this skill that was quite similar to the ''Stealth'' skill, but there was a drawback to it: He couldn''t move from the spot . Even then, that was more than enough for a Healer like him . He simply had to stand still in one spot and continue to heal his teammates, that was all . When the healing skill continued to fly in from an unknown place, the ant monster changed its tactic . It selected Mah Dong-Wook who looked the sturdiest among the Hunters, grabbed his leg, and dangled him upside down in the air . ''What is that thing trying to do now??'' Min Byung-Gu was taken aback with great surprise . The ant monster then proceeded to slowly destroy Mah Dong-Wook . Min Byun-Gu carried on healing him as that happened . He had no choice there . The moment he stopped healing Mah Dong-Wook, that man would be dead in less than a blink, after all . Sweat poured out in buckets as Min Byung-Gu continued on with the healing magic . The ant monster traced the continuously-firing healing magic''s origin, and then, its head swivelled in Min Byung-Gu''s direction . ''It can''t be?!'' His heart skipped a beat; he blinked, and the ant monster was gone from the spot . ''What the hell?'' Where did it disappear to this time? "Byung-Gu!!" Baek Yun-Ho loudly yelled out . It happened, then . Stab! "Keok!" Blood sprayed out of Min Byung-Gu . The pain of being burnt alive came from below, and he took a look down to see a huge hole in his stomach . And the ant monster''s black arm emerging out of that hole . He raised his head in disbelief and met Baek Yun-Ho''s gaze . Min Byung-Gu spoke in a faltering voice . "Hyung . . . . Run . " "B-Byung-Gu!!" Baek Yun-Ho tried to get up, but he couldn''t put any strength to his wounded leg . Kwajeeck! The ant monster tore into Min Byung-Gu''s head . Kwajeeck! Kwajeeck!!! "Uwaaaaahh!!" Baek Yun-Ho staggered unsteadily and ran forward . The ant monster discarded the now-headless body of Min Byung-Gu and grabbed Baek Yun-Ho by his neck . He struggled with all his might, but it was still insufficient to escape from the creature''s incredible grip . Suddenly, the ant monster opened its mouth . "Hyung . . . . Run . . . . Hyung . . . . Run . . . . . " " . . . . . ??" Baek Yun-Ho was freaked out of his skull, his brows shooting up real high in shock and terror . The ant monster was perfectly mimicking the speech pattern of Min Byung-Gu . If one subtracted the off-putting crack in its voice, one might even mistake it as Min Byung-Gu''s, even . "Run . . . . Hyung . " The ant monster repeated the same words for a long time, before looking straight into Baek Yun-Ho''s eyes . "You are all . . . . . weak . " From the mouth of the ant monster, a familiar language flowed out . It sounded inarticulate, but for sure, it was still undeniably Korean . "What the . . . . ?!" Baek Yun-Ho''s eyes widened even further . "This side . . . Queen, dead . . . . . Killing soldiers . . . . . Not enough payment . . . your king, who?" " . . . . King?" The ant monster strengthened its grip on Baek Yun-Ho''s neck . "Keok . " "Your king . . . where?" Baek Yun-Ho''s brain kicked into gear . With the strongest person in the Korean team, Cha Hae-In, still unconscious, he needed to find someone who could buy him and the rest of the group a little bit of time . And he immediately thought of the Japanese team that had abandoned the Koreans . More specifically, the strongest among the Japanese, Goto Ryuji . "Out . . . Outside . . . . " "Outside . . . . " The ant monster raised its head up . It seemed to be searching for something, before speaking again in a satisfied tone of voice . " . . . There . . . . . A strong one . " And then, it discarded Baek Yun-Ho as if he was not even worth wasting time on, and disappeared from his sight in a scarcely believable speed . "Keok, keok . " Baek Yun-Ho lay on the ground and panted out heavily . He quickly took a look around him . This wasn''t the time for this . Before that thing comes back, they needed to get out of here . However . . . Shashashasha . . . . . While they were engaged in the battle against that ridiculously overpowered monster, the swarm of ants had returned to the ant tunnel and were slowly encroaching upon the queen''s chamber now . *** "Hmm . . . . " Goto Ryuji sheathed his sword back in the scabbard . Corpses of ants were piled up like small hills all around him . At a quick glance, there must''ve been over a hundred of these creatures . It was a perfect demonstration of the abilities possessed by Japan''s strongest . "Looks like we''ve taken care of most of them . " "Yes, sir . " His teammates nodded their heads while admiring the sight of the always-trustworthy Goto Ryuji . They thought that, as long as they stuck by his side, they at least would avoid the fate of getting killed off . "Sir, I''ve been told that we''ll be the last to withdraw . " The Hunter receiving the transmission from the operations centre relayed the message . Goto Ryuji nodded his head and turned in the direction of the coast . "This way . . . . " Goto Ryuji didn''t get to finish his sentence . Swish-!! Because an ant monster suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was now standing before his group, that''s why . ''¡­ . . . . " With a single glance, Goto Ryuji figured out the capabilities of the new enemy . ''That isn''t a normal ant at all . '' "Goto-san!" His colleagues tried to step forward to help him, but he held them back . "I''ll handle this . " Against an opponent this strong, his colleagues would only prove to be a hindrance, instead . Going at it solo would be simpler for him . Trusting his judgement, the teammates heeded his order and retreated to a distance while leaving everything on his shoulders . Goto Ryuji unsheathed his sword with a circumspect look on his face . "An ant . . . . You seem to possess a pretty strong aura . " Perhaps the ant monster had also sensed his power, because it wasn''t budging an inch from the spot . But, that was to be expected ¨C if that creature displayed even a hint of movement, Goto Ryuji was planning to slice it up into hundreds of fine little pieces . It was then, the ant monster opened its mouth . "You are . . . the king?" "King?" Goto''s eyes opened wider . An ant just spoke a human language! However, it was already a well-known fact that intelligent monsters conversed in their own languages . So, it wouldn''t be a stretch of his imagination to think that a monster would succeed in imitating human''s languages . A smirk formed on Goto Ryuji''s face . ''A king, is it . . . . ?'' When Association President Matsumoto Shigeo finishes building his empire of Hunters, then indeed, he was the one and only viable candidate to assume the throne, wasn''t he? "That''s right . I''m the king . " Kekek . As soon as the desired answer came out of his mouth, the ant monster fully unleashed its magic energy . Hwa-ahck! Like failing to realise how big an iceberg was from seeing only its tip, Goto Ryuji misjudged the true power of the enemy from the small portion of its magic energy that leaked out . His eyes imperceptibly trembled . ''This, what is this . . . . ?!'' The bone-chilling cold air woke goosebumps up on his skin, and all the hair on the back of his neck stood right up . He had experienced a sensation like this only once before . ''¡­ . . . . . Seong Jin-Woo??'' Slice . Almost at the same time as the ant monster made its move, Goto Ryuji''s head fell to the ground . *** "Uwaaahh!!" The Korean team was currently surrounded by the swarm of ants . Mah Dong-Wook fought; Im Tae-Gyu fought; Choi Jong-In also fought, and even the cameraman had to kill the ants . However, there was seemingly no end to the waves upon waves of ants . "Pant, pant, pant . . . . . " All sounds had stopped and all Baek Yun-Ho could hear was his own heavy breathing . ''Is this the end?'' He quickly wiped the blood trickling down below his eyebrow with the back of his hand . With their lone Healer-type Hunter gone, they had no avenue to deal with these many monsters now . This resistance was a futile one, indeed . Even then, he couldn''t bring himself to give up ¨C because, two of his most precious friends had lost their lives in this d*mn place . He definitely didn''t want to dig his grave where they were buried, too . "Uwaaaah-!!" He destroyed the head of yet another ant . However, countless more replaced the dead one and tried to pounce on him . Kiieechk! Kiiehck!! Baek Yun-Ho powerfully shook off the ants and stood with his back against a wall . Like this, he at least wouldn''t get surrounded from all sides now . "Pant, pant . . . . " He raised his head and searched for other Hunters . His colleagues, who had been fighting alongside him only a moment ago, could no longer be seen, their figures completely buried within the swarm of ants . No way . He wanted to believe that it wasn''t possible . . . . He bit his lower lip, but then, was jolted out of his senses with a sudden presence appearing behind his back . He spun around rapidly and threw a punch, but stopped before he reached his target . Because . . . the one standing behind him wasn''t an ant . ''What . . . . Who is this?'' It was, in fact, a ''soldier'' decked out in black full-body armour . This was his first time seeing one, but then again, he heard plenty of times before about this ''thing'' from Park Hui-Jin who had been involved with the Red Gate incident . ''Isn''t this . . . . ??'' Baek Yun-Ho cried out in surprise . "Why is this thing here?" It was then . From the soldier, a familiar voice came out . - "Exchange . " < Chapter 117 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 117: Chapter 117 . Cha Hae-In immediately felt something was very wrong as soon as she saw the ant monster leisurely entering the queen''s chamber ''There''s . no presence?''. It was almost impossible to locate the creature without keeping her eyes locked on it constantly; that''s how difficult it was to sense its presence There were only two beings out of all the Hunters and the monsters she met until now, that had this sort of effect on Cha Hae-In . One of them was this ant monster right in front of her eyes, and the other one was . ''¡­ . Mister Seong Jin-Woo . ''. She inexplicably recalled Seong Jin-Woo, who had finally bared his hidden fangs at Japan''s most powerful Hunter a couple of days ago What if that man stood in front of her as her enemy?. Shudder She couldn''t breathe anymore as a crippling chill ran down her spine ''¡­ ''. Just imagining it alone caused her expression to harden considerably . The entrance of this unknown ant monster was definitely not good news for the Korean Hunters, who were still deeply fatigued from fighting the ant queen "That thing ". "Something''s wrong with that monster . ". "It feels really creepy . ". It wasn''t to the extent of Baek Yun-Ho or Cha Hae-In, but other Hunters also felt a certain sense of incongruence here Gulp It was just a single monster, yet the atmosphere was shifting rather rapidly ''What should we do?''. Mah Dong-Wook was inwardly worried . When faced with an unexpected situation, a leader had to make a quick decision . Especially so, when they were pressed for time like this ''It''s a monster, so we should just kill it, but ''. But Just why was he feeling this enormous sense of unease right now?. While they stood there pondering and hesitating, the ant monster narrowed the distance between them quite quickly . Its movements were so eerily quiet that goosebumps automatically rose up on their skins ''We don''t have the time to hesitate like this . ''. By the time Mah Dong-Wook finally managed to suppress the warning bells rung by his instincts and made the next logical decision . ¡­ . The monster suddenly disappeared from his view "Where?!". Mah Dong-Wook''s eyes opened super-wide as he hurriedly scanned his vicinity . The reactions of other Hunters weren''t all that different, either "Behind ". The cameraman anxiously looking around belatedly located the monster and shouted out "It''s behind us!!". The Hunters were startled by this and quickly turned around . With the speed none of them could see, the ant monster had slipped past the Hunters to stand before the dead corpse of the ant queen ''It went past us?!''. ''But, how ??''. Just like that, the Hunters of the Korean raid team finally got to see what Baek Yun-Ho saw earlier with his ''Eyes of the Beast'' Thump, thump, thump!. Their heart rate rapidly picked up and their breathing quickened in no time ''¡­ . That''s no ordinary monster . ''. Cold sweat drops dribbled down Mah Dong-Wook''s forehead The ant monster quietly stared at the dead queen, not even showing a hint of interest towards the Hunters . But then, it raised its head and . Kiiiiieeeeeeehhhhh . !!!. It began screeching out a beastly howl so terrifying and loud that the entire ant tunnel began shaking from the reverberation Plop!. The cameraman was the first to lose all his strength in his legs Plop!. Plop!. The other Hunters couldn''t withstand the sheer pressure as well, and they began kneeling on the ground one by one . Mah Dong-Wook too carried a look of pure disbelief as he tried to support himself off the ground ''I . I''m kneeling because of a howl?''. Eeeehhhhhkkk . !!!. By the time the seemingly-never-ending howl came to an end, the only one standing still was Cha Hae-In and no one else . However, her two legs were wobbling noticeably too, as if standing upright was all she could do at the moment . Obviously, fighting back was out of the question here Only then did the ant monster display some interest towards the Hunters . With a clear hostile intent, to boot ''¡­ . !!''. Cha Hae-In''s eyes grew wider The creature''s face was hideously twisted as it turned around to face the Hunters, as if it was expressing its anger at the death of the queen She did her best to calmly move her hand towards the hilt of her sword . However, the ant monster was a step faster than the speed of Cha Hae-In drawing her sword from her waist Piishuk-!. The ant monster literally blinked and reappeared right in front of her nose . Cha Hae-In''s eyes shook hard . She didn''t even have enough time to think about defending herself SLAM-!!. "Ahk!". Being struck in the side of her head, Cha Hae-In flew away in a straight line and slammed into a far wall, before powerlessly falling to the ground Tumble . Just one hit, and Cha Hae-In was rendered unconscious . All of her teammates couldn''t hide their astonishment after seeing that horrible spectacle . Because . their strongest member had been knocked down in one hit, that was why Unfortunately, they didn''t have any time to stay shocked like that They had confirmed the ridiculous power level of their new enemy . Through their experiences, these Hunters knew very well that their odds of survival would decline further the longer they remained hesitant as they were now As the main Tanker, Mah Dong-Wook took a step forward first "Hup-!!". Mah Dong-Wook powerfully bear-hugged the ant monster from behind and strengthened both his arms With the strength that could easily uproot a full-grown tree, he squeezed hard at the ant monster''s body . Thick veins popped up all over his arms and his neck . Unfortunately "Uwaaaahk-!!". When the ant monster increased its strength for a bit, both of Mah Dong-Wook''s arms fell off, just like that . He fell down to his knees "No!!". Baek Yun-Ho pounced forward If he failed to draw that thing''s attention away now, then Mah Dong-Wook would be killed off in an instant now that he lacked the means to defend himself Baek Yun-Ho gritted his teeth . White fur began sprouting up all over his body; his claws extended and he transformed into a ferocious beast, before pouncing on the monster Piishuk-!!. The monster disappeared from the spot again ''Where . ?!''. Even Baek Yun-Ho''s ''Eyes of the Beast'' failed to follow the monster''s movements The scream came from his behind "Uwaaahkk!!". This time, it was Choi Jong-In, who was getting ready to cast his magic . The ant monster''s long claw left a lengthy, diagonal cut wound on his upper torso, and he fell to the ground with a pained moan About five paces from where he was, Im Tae-Gyu had been waiting for an opening while hiding his presence . He immediately fired an arrow containing his magic energy ''I''ll never miss in this distance!!''. His strong self-belief was contained within that shot Swish-!!. Too bad for him,. Grab A powerful tremor rocked Im Tae-Gyu''s eyes ''Heok?!''. The ant monster snatched the flying arrow and easily snapped it in half Crack!. Im Tae-Gyu hurriedly tried to nock his next arrow, but by the time he did so and raised his bow, the monster was already standing in front of him " F*ck . ". POW!. Im Tae-Gyu was struck in the face and flew away Baek Yun-Ho attacked when the ant monster''s back was turned away from him, but the back of his head was grabbed by the monster instead, as the creature spun around in an instant . He was planted violently into the ground next Boom!!. Baek Yun-Ho''s body quivered from the impact Just as the ant monster was getting ready to slam Baek Yun-Ho to the ground again, Mah Dong-Wook dashed forward and shoulder charged the creature away Kwahng!!!. The ant monster rolled on the ground for a little while, before standing back up . Mah Dong-Wook''s arms had been severed for sure only a moment ago, yet he was attacking the creature with all his limbs completely intact The ant monster defeated Mah Dong-Wook again, and then, proceeded to defeat other Hunters again, too . Yet, the humans that should''ve stayed down with crippling injuries were attacking again, all fully healed in the blink of an eye Only then did the ant monster begin to recognise the existence of a Healer . The monster scanned the vicinity to find this annoying human However, Min Byung-Gu stayed calm under the pressure His lone self-defence skill, ''Camouflage'' He was able to completely hide himself with this skill that was quite similar to the ''Stealth'' skill, but there was a drawback to it: He couldn''t move from the spot . Even then, that was more than enough for a Healer like him He simply had to stand still in one spot and continue to heal his teammates, that was all When the healing skill continued to fly in from an unknown place, the ant monster changed its tactic . It selected Mah Dong-Wook who looked the sturdiest among the Hunters, grabbed his leg, and dangled him upside down in the air ''What is that thing trying to do now??''. Min Byung-Gu was taken aback with great surprise The ant monster then proceeded to slowly destroy Mah Dong-Wook . Min Byun-Gu carried on healing him as that happened He had no choice there . The moment he stopped healing Mah Dong-Wook, that man would be dead in less than a blink, after all . Sweat poured out in buckets as Min Byung-Gu continued on with the healing magic The ant monster traced the continuously-firing healing magic''s origin, and then, its head swivelled in Min Byung-Gu''s direction ''It can''t be?!''. His heart skipped a beat; he blinked, and the ant monster was gone from the spot ''What the hell?''. Where did it disappear to this time?. "Byung-Gu!!". Baek Yun-Ho loudly yelled out It happened, then Stab!. "Keok!". Blood sprayed out of Min Byung-Gu The pain of being burnt alive came from below, and he took a look down to see a huge hole in his stomach . And the ant monster''s black arm emerging out of that hole He raised his head in disbelief and met Baek Yun-Ho''s gaze Min Byung-Gu spoke in a faltering voice "Hyung Run . ". "B-Byung-Gu!!". Baek Yun-Ho tried to get up, but he couldn''t put any strength to his wounded leg Kwajeeck!. The ant monster tore into Min Byung-Gu''s head Kwajeeck! Kwajeeck!!!. "Uwaaaaahh!!". Baek Yun-Ho staggered unsteadily and ran forward . The ant monster discarded the now-headless body of Min Byung-Gu and grabbed Baek Yun-Ho by his neck He struggled with all his might, but it was still insufficient to escape from the creature''s incredible grip Suddenly, the ant monster opened its mouth "Hyung Run Hyung Run . ". " . ??". Baek Yun-Ho was freaked out of his skull, his brows shooting up real high in shock and terror The ant monster was perfectly mimicking the speech pattern of Min Byung-Gu . If one subtracted the off-putting crack in its voice, one might even mistake it as Min Byung-Gu''s, even "Run Hyung . ". The ant monster repeated the same words for a long time, before looking straight into Baek Yun-Ho''s eyes "You are all . weak . ". From the mouth of the ant monster, a familiar language flowed out . It sounded inarticulate, but for sure, it was still undeniably Korean "What the ?!". Baek Yun-Ho''s eyes widened even further "This side . Queen, dead . Killing soldiers . Not enough payment . your king, who?". " King?". The ant monster strengthened its grip on Baek Yun-Ho''s neck "Keok . ". "Your king . where?". Baek Yun-Ho''s brain kicked into gear With the strongest person in the Korean team, Cha Hae-In, still unconscious, he needed to find someone who could buy him and the rest of the group a little bit of time And he immediately thought of the Japanese team that had abandoned the Koreans . More specifically, the strongest among the Japanese, Goto Ryuji "Out . Outside ". "Outside ". The ant monster raised its head up . It seemed to be searching for something, before speaking again in a satisfied tone of voice " . There . A strong one . ". And then, it discarded Baek Yun-Ho as if he was not even worth wasting time on, and disappeared from his sight in a scarcely believable speed "Keok, keok . ". Baek Yun-Ho lay on the ground and panted out heavily . He quickly took a look around him This wasn''t the time for this . Before that thing comes back, they needed to get out of here However Shashashasha While they were engaged in the battle against that ridiculously overpowered monster, the swarm of ants had returned to the ant tunnel and were slowly encroaching upon the queen''s chamber now ***. "Hmm ". Goto Ryuji sheathed his sword back in the scabbard . Corpses of ants were piled up like small hills all around him . At a quick glance, there must''ve been over a hundred of these creatures It was a perfect demonstration of the abilities possessed by Japan''s strongest "Looks like we''ve taken care of most of them . ". "Yes, sir . ". His teammates nodded their heads while admiring the sight of the always-trustworthy Goto Ryuji . They thought that, as long as they stuck by his side, they at least would avoid the fate of getting killed off "Sir, I''ve been told that we''ll be the last to withdraw . ". The Hunter receiving the transmission from the operations centre relayed the message . Goto Ryuji nodded his head and turned in the direction of the coast "This way ". Goto Ryuji didn''t get to finish his sentence Swish-!!. Because an ant monster suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was now standing before his group, that''s why ''¡­ ". With a single glance, Goto Ryuji figured out the capabilities of the new enemy ''That isn''t a normal ant at all . ''. "Goto-san!". His colleagues tried to step forward to help him, but he held them back "I''ll handle this . ". Against an opponent this strong, his colleagues would only prove to be a hindrance, instead . Going at it solo would be simpler for him Trusting his judgement, the teammates heeded his order and retreated to a distance while leaving everything on his shoulders . Goto Ryuji unsheathed his sword with a circumspect look on his face "An ant You seem to possess a pretty strong aura . ". Perhaps the ant monster had also sensed his power, because it wasn''t budging an inch from the spot But, that was to be expected ¨C if that creature displayed even a hint of movement, Goto Ryuji was planning to slice it up into hundreds of fine little pieces It was then, the ant monster opened its mouth "You are . the king?". "King?". Goto''s eyes opened wider An ant just spoke a human language!. However, it was already a well-known fact that intelligent monsters conversed in their own languages . So, it wouldn''t be a stretch of his imagination to think that a monster would succeed in imitating human''s languages A smirk formed on Goto Ryuji''s face ''A king, is it ?''. When Association President Matsumoto Shigeo finishes building his empire of Hunters, then indeed, he was the one and only viable candidate to assume the throne, wasn''t he?. "That''s right . I''m the king . ". Kekek As soon as the desired answer came out of his mouth, the ant monster fully unleashed its magic energy Hwa-ahck!. Like failing to realise how big an iceberg was from seeing only its tip, Goto Ryuji misjudged the true power of the enemy from the small portion of its magic energy that leaked out . His eyes imperceptibly trembled ''This, what is this ?!''. The bone-chilling cold air woke goosebumps up on his skin, and all the hair on the back of his neck stood right up . He had experienced a sensation like this only once before ''¡­ . Seong Jin-Woo??''. Slice Almost at the same time as the ant monster made its move, Goto Ryuji''s head fell to the ground ***. "Uwaaahh!!". The Korean team was currently surrounded by the swarm of ants Mah Dong-Wook fought; Im Tae-Gyu fought; Choi Jong-In also fought, and even the cameraman had to kill the ants . However, there was seemingly no end to the waves upon waves of ants "Pant, pant, pant . ". All sounds had stopped and all Baek Yun-Ho could hear was his own heavy breathing ''Is this the end?''. He quickly wiped the blood trickling down below his eyebrow with the back of his hand . With their lone Healer-type Hunter gone, they had no avenue to deal with these many monsters now This resistance was a futile one, indeed Even then, he couldn''t bring himself to give up ¨C because, two of his most precious friends had lost their lives in this d*mn place . He definitely didn''t want to dig his grave where they were buried, too "Uwaaaah-!!". He destroyed the head of yet another ant . However, countless more replaced the dead one and tried to pounce on him Kiieechk!. Kiiehck!!. Baek Yun-Ho powerfully shook off the ants and stood with his back against a wall . Like this, he at least wouldn''t get surrounded from all sides now "Pant, pant ". He raised his head and searched for other Hunters . His colleagues, who had been fighting alongside him only a moment ago, could no longer be seen, their figures completely buried within the swarm of ants No way . He wanted to believe that it wasn''t possible . He bit his lower lip, but then, was jolted out of his senses with a sudden presence appearing behind his back He spun around rapidly and threw a punch, but stopped before he reached his target . Because . the one standing behind him wasn''t an ant ''What Who is this?''. It was, in fact, a ''soldier'' decked out in black full-body armour This was his first time seeing one, but then again, he heard plenty of times before about this ''thing'' from Park Hui-Jin who had been involved with the Red Gate incident ''Isn''t this ??''. Baek Yun-Ho cried out in surprise "Why is this thing here?". It was then From the soldier, a familiar voice came out - "Exchange . ". < Chapter 117 > Fin Chapter 118 One year before the Korea-Japan united raid team came knocking on the island . . . . The ant queen began thinking . - ''We must leave this island . '' Other lifeforms that should''ve served as their food source had all disappeared from the island, and the incidents of its children devouring each other occurred frequently now . There was no source of food on this island to sustain the citizens of the queendom now that its population had swelled up to several thousand strong . - ''This can not continue . '' Abandon the existing nation and seek out a fertile land overflowing with other lifeforms to establish a new one ¨C if the domination of the island was the queen''s first task, then this problem would be its second one . However, the queen remembered . It remembered all the powerful invaders that stepped on the island several times before . The queen''s forces managed to repel them, but the nation had to suffer great losses as well . Far too many of the queen''s children had to be sacrificed . Would its children be able to defeat those beings if they went to another land? - ''Need stronger soldiers . '' It needed a single most powerful soldier to lead the citizens of the nation . And so, the queen decided upon the direction of their evolution . Half a year later . By gathering the magic power it already possessed, as well as all the nutrients it had amply absorbed before, the queen gave birth to a brand new life . It was the greatest combat weapon imaginable, born solely for the sake of dealing with the strong humans . The queen''s determination to create the most powerful soldier there was, combined with the original order of killing all humans it heard in its head, created a horrifying monster that simply exceeded all common sense . The monster was born with the skill, ''Gluttony'' . By consuming its opponents, this new monster could turn their magic energy as well as a portion of their knowledge into its own . - ''I want to become stronger . '' The monster realised what its powers were early on and began devouring its own kin, but the queen left it alone . What this monster wanted was the same as the queen''s desire, after all . The queen was greatly happy as ''he'' grew stronger and stronger day by day . It was happy because ''he'' had already exceeded the power of ''his'' mother now . And without encountering a single hitch, the army ''he'' would lead was getting closer to completion as well . That was why . - ''Just a little more time . . . . '' In the midst of that . . . . The human invaders entered this land once more . Their numbers were lower this time, but they were far stronger than before . However, the queen laughed at them . In preparation of the ants waging war against humanity in another land, this should serve as a great opportunity to test out the powers of ''him'' . The queen, as usual, sent out all of the soldiers guarding its castle along with ''him'' . Just as the queen desired so, ''he'' went out and completed the first mission ''he'' was given . But when ''he'' returned, the queen was already dead . ''He'' was enraged . And thankfully, there were enough strong humans left on this island that would serve as the outlet for ''his'' rage . First of all, the king of the humans was killed . And then, it systematically annihilated all the subordinates next to the dead king . One of the subordinates cried out before he got killed off . He asked just what the hell ''he'' was . After devouring humans through the skill ''Gluttony'', ''he'' now possessed the ability to reason . ''He'' then began thinking to itself . ''What . . . am I?'' Up until that point, ''he'' was a soldier of the queen . But now, with the queen''s death at the hands of the humans, what should ''he'' call itself now? A sole existence that must lead the remaining soldiers of the queendom . ''He'' only knew one word to denote such an existence . ''¡­ . King . '' ''He'' had killed off the enemy king already, so ''he'' had definitely satisfied the requirement to become one now . Grab . The ant king bit onto the head of the remaining human . But, then . . . . Suddenly, the ant king''s head swivelled in the direction of the ant castle . There was an enormous aura rushing out like a fierce storm from where the queen used to live . That level of power couldn''t have come from a common foot soldier . ''¡­ . . A king?'' Immediately sensing that an enemy that could threaten itself had appeared, the ant king slowly rose up towards the ant castle . *** Just what kind of a calamity was this? The TV station''s situation room used to be enveloped in the celebratory mood, but now, everything felt sombre and dreary like a funeral . The ''live'' broadcast showing up on the viewers'' TVs suddenly got cut off with the entrance of a strange, winged ant monster . Understandably, they began flooding the station with phone calls of angry complaints and urgent inquiries . Ringgg . . . ! Ringgg . . . . !! One of the employees walked over to the station''s director and cautiously made his report . "Sir, our communication network is about to collapse from all the calls made by the irate viewers . " The station''s director raised his head . "So what? Are you suggesting that we should broadcast live the scenes of our Hunters getting ripped to shreds by a single ant monster??" "N-no, sir . " The broadcast got cut off just as the Hunters were getting one-sidedly beaten up by that mysterious ant monster . It was understandable that the curiosity of the viewers would skyrocket . However, that didn''t mean they could broadcast the scenes of Hunter Mah Dong-Wook getting tortured, nor the moment that Hunter Min Byung-Gu got devoured . The director buried his face in his hands and let out a helpless moan . "It''s over . . . . It''s all over . " The once-in-a-lifetime gamble where the fate of his station rode on, was now going down the drain because of one d*mn ant monster . "It''s over . . . . . " Heavy, grim silence filled up the situation room . No one person was brave or dumb enough to open their mouths now . Except for one, that was . "Huh??" The producer staring at the real-time feed with an ashen complexion suddenly opened his mouth . "D-Director!!" " . . . . What now?" "Someone just appeared in the location out of nowhere!" The director didn''t bother to raise his head up and grimly replied . "Unless it''s Jesus himself, don''t report to me every little thing that happens over there . Got that?" "However . . . !!" " . . . . It''s all over . " Realising that talking wouldn''t get him anywhere, the producer increased the previously-lowered volume up way higher . Kiieeehck-!! Kiieehck!! The situation room was immediately filled up with the screams of the ant monsters . The director quickly raised his head up out of sheer shock . It wasn''t just him, either . Everyone present within the situation room all rushed to the live feed monitor . And soon, sounds of "Oh, oh!" came out amongst those watching the screen . " . . . " The director sitting there in a daze finally managed to lift his butt off the chair . When he came in closer, the employees stepped aside to let him through . The screen of the live-feed monitor was reflected in the director''s eyes . "Oh, dear lord . . . . . Jesus holy Christ . " The director suddenly began calling out to Jesus, which he didn''t even believe in, to begin with, and hurriedly shouted out to the rest of the employees . "What the hell are you all doing here? Why aren''t getting ready to start broadcasting this?! Are you going to take responsibility if we lose out on the current audience rating?!" The producer hurriedly tried to dissuade his director who didn''t even bother to hide his boiling excitement . "But, sir! If we start broadcasting again, we''ll be showing the live feed, instead! There won''t be any delay in the transmission, and everything will be shown in real time, sir! We won''t be able to do anything if another emergency situation breaks out!" The delayed transmission time of ten minutes between the feed and the broadcast had run out by now . Which left the director with the decision of going with either the real-time feed, or end the broadcast altogether right here . " . . . . It''s all or nothing . " "Pardon me?" "We''ve already stopped broadcasting midway, anyway . Things won''t get any worse than it already has . " "Well . . . . I, I guess so . . . ?" A Hunter''s sudden appearance was caught on the camera . No one could tell whether he was a Korean or a Japanese . Heck, it was unknown if he was a Hunter at all, but with his appearance, the director''s gamble that seemed to be over for good suddenly gained one last shot at the glory . The director issued a new order with a determined expression firmly etched on his face . "Switch it on . Switch it on, now . " He then pulled a chair closer to the producer and settled down there . "Our station''s fate rides on that man, you got that?" *** "Euhhhk!" Even though he was being pushed into the figurative cliff, the cameraman didn''t regret anything . Anyone would''ve dreamed at least once of doing something like this when they were young . . . . To become a hero . If that was impossible, then at least, to become a support to the true hero . During the time he did menial jobs for the TV station and earned his experience that way, he never imagined that he''d be blessed with an opportunity to do so in his lifetime . But then, he Awakened into a rank A Hunter, and by earning experience fitting for his rank, he was able to get to this point in his life . Thanks to that, he got to clearly capture the scene of Hunters proudly representing South Korea successfully raid the boss of a rank S Gate . ''I''m the one who caught that on film . Yes, me . '' And with the footage he captured, many people would come to know the valiant sacrifices these rank S Hunters made for the purpose of the extermination of the ant monsters . That was more than enough for him . He felt like that all of his efforts spent in studying filming techniques and working as a Hunter was finally being paid off here . But, if there was one thing he was a bit regretful about, then that would be . . . . ''Dad . . . '' His father, who looked after the cameraman all alone after they lost his mother to cancer . Thinking that he''d not get to see his father again, he felt a deep pain in his heart . Kwajeeck!! His shoulder was bitten, yet he couldn''t feel a thing . His arm had stopped moving a long time ago . He was originally a Tanker, so he was able to endure somehow, but this really was his limit . Plop . He knelt down on the ground . Even then, his head was filled with the thoughts of his father . ''Why did my last conversation with dad have to be me asking him if he had his breakfast?!'' If he knew this would happen, he might have talked for a lot longer . ''On that day, when dad came for a visit to Seoul, I should''ve cleared up all of my schedule . . . . '' However, time was a ruthless, unrelenting b*stard and regret always arrived one step too late . The cameraman raised his head . The horrifying fangs of the ant monster were nearing his head . He no longer had any magic energy left to activate the ''Fortification'' skill, so he wouldn''t be able to defend against the monster''s attacks now . Tears formed on the edges of his eyes . ''Dad, I''m sorry . '' It was then . Kwajeeck!! Accompanying the noise of the outer shell being crushed, the bodily fluid of an ant got splashed on the cameraman''s face . " . . . . Huh?!" A blade emitting a cold, silvery gleam had cleanly stabbed through the ant''s head . The cameraman raised his head and followed the blade, only to find another ''ant'' with a long red-coloured ''plumage'' stuck to the top of its head standing there . ''Why is an ant attacking another ant?!'' No, that thing wasn''t an ant! The cameraman was mistaken because both were of the same black colour . What he saw was an unknown ''soldier'' decked out in black armour from head to toe pulling his sword out from the head of the dead ant . Plop . The ant monster with a hole in its head powerlessly sagged to the ground . "Just what on earth is . . . . . ?!" When the black ''soldier'' stepped aside, a youthful man with a somewhat familiar face approached the cameraman and shouted at him . "Open your mouth . " "Pardon me?" This man didn''t even give the confused cameraman a chance to start a conversation; he simply grabbed the injured man''s chin and poured down an unknown liquid down the throat . "Keok?! Keok!!" The cameraman nearly coughed his lungs out, but he still managed to swallow all of the liquid . He covered his mouth and asked . "Who, who the hell are you?!" However, the youthful man didn''t even bother to respond and simply turned around to face the ants . ''W-what the heck?!'' The cameraman was flustered greatly, but still, he stood back up . ''¡­ . Wait a d*mn second here . '' His legs were moving again . But, was that all? He belatedly realised it, but his arm was also fine after drinking that strange liquid . ''What happened here? What''s going on??'' Did that man do something to him just now? He couldn''t come up with any other logical explanation besides that one . It was then . Quite out of the blue, the cameraman finally remembered where he saw that youthful man''s face . ''Could he be that guy?!'' *** Jin-Woo calmly scanned his surroundings . ''¡­ . . . . . '' Last time he got to meet the members of the Korean raid team in the Association''s gymnasium, he had inserted one of the Shadow Soldiers in Baek Yun-Ho''s shadow, just in case . What a relief it was that he did that . It seemed that what he''d been watching wasn''t a live broadcast, as the situation here was far worse than the stuff shown on the TV screen before it got cut off . He managed to save the weakest of the lot, the cameraman, first, but the other rank S Hunters were still surrounded by countless ant monsters . ''What should I do now?'' The quickest way to deal with this situation would be to summon Fangs out and sweep these pesky ants away in one go with his trademark pillar of flames . But, if Jin-Woo did that, he couldn''t guarantee the safety of the rank S Hunters . So, he needed another solution here . Jin-Woo quickly made his decision and turned his head towards Iron . "Iron!!" Iron tapped his chest in a manly manner as if to say, "Leave it to me!" He then strode forward, his large frame shaking to and fro, before opening his shoulders wide to roar out at the top of his lungs . Woowuhhhhhh-!!! Tti-ring . [Iron has activated ''Skill: Roar of Provocation'' . ] The effect of that was rather amazing . The ants attacking the Hunters all snapped their heads towards Iron''s direction simultaneously . And soon, they all rushed over . "Nice work . " Jin-Woo lightly tapped Iron on his back and summoned the two shortswords he got as rewards after killing the demon king . ''The Demon King''s Shortsword . '' The pair of shortswords with a blue tinge to their blades gleamed threateningly under the light magic''s glare . Kkiiiieeeehk! Kiiechk! When hundreds of ant monsters screeched out and pounced at the same time, his entire view was dyed jet black in an instant . Jin-Woo began gripping the hilts of the shortswords even harder . And then, he vanished from view . Kiiiechk!! Soon, ants collided with the soldiers in a bloody battle to the finish . In the meantime, Baek Yun-Ho, whose status was still better than everyone else, managed to move the injured Hunters to a safe corner . Thankfully, they were all still alive . The cameraman joined soon afterwards, and helped Baek Yun-Ho out . Because Jin-Woo, or more specifically, Jin-Woo''s summoned creature, attracted the aggro of all the ants present here, he was able to safely finish this task . "Pant, pant, pant . . . . '' Mah Dong-Wook was leaning against the wall, his breathing rough and irregular . He then grabbed the arm of Baek Yun-Ho, who brought him here, and asked . "W-what''s going on? Who''s fighting?" Mah Dong-Wook''s eyes were unfocused . His eyes were injured and he couldn''t see properly . Baek Yun-Ho placed his hand on Mah Dong-Wook''s hand . "Instructor Mah . It''s fine now . Everything will be fine . " " . . . . . " He then shifted his gaze over to Jin-Woo . Other people may not have know it yet, but Baek Yun-Ho had a rough idea already on how powerful Seong Jin-Woo was in reality . Baek Yun-Ho might have been greatly flustered when the black soldier suddenly vanished, only to be replaced by the youth, but he still ended up shouting out loud even before he consciously realised it . He said, ''please, help us . '' And then, after seeing the youth move towards the ants along with his summoned black soldiers, the sense of relief washed over Baek Yun-Ho; so much so that he nearly plopped down to the ground . Sure enough . . . Seong Jin-Woo proceeded to massacre and annihilate the ants that gave him and his teammates so much trouble at a frightening pace, as if those creatures were nothing but broken toys to be played around with . Kiieeehk!! Screams of dying ants exploded out from everywhere and nearly made Baek Yun-Ho dizzy in the head . But, he still sighed out in relief . ''It''ll be fine now . '' He wasn''t saying that to Mah Dong-Wook . No, he was telling that to himself . The hope of survival was rekindled in his heart . The aid from one Seong Jin-Woo was far more reliable and trustworthy than the 20-plus rank S Japanese Hunters combined . ''¡­ . Looks like there''s no need for me to step up here . '' Baek Yun-Ho formed a smile and sat down next to Mah Dong-Wook . All he could do now was to sit down quietly like this and watch Hunter Seong Jin-Woo do his thing . He then drew the cameraman''s attention towards Jin-Woo . "You should keep the camera pointing at him . Because you''re going to witness something amazing pretty soon . " The incident of the Red Gate, and the incident during the raid of the Hunters Guild . This was Baek Yun-Ho''s chance to personally witness the spectacle he had been hearing about all this time . "Y-yes!" The cameraman did his best to maintain his distance so he wouldn''t get in the way and tried to capture Jin-Woo''s actions with his camera . The work of the raid team''s Hunters may have been finished now, but his own work was far from over . Gulp . The cameraman struggled to swallow his saliva . Kiiiehk! At the same time, an ant was split cleanly in half from top to bottom by Jin-Woo''s hands . He then took a look around him . The number of ants had decreased significantly, and there were just over half of them remaining . He killed so many ants that he had lost count now, but his breathing remained even and unperturbed . In all honesty, he found this place far easier to manage when compared to the uppermost floors of the Demon''s Castle . ''Should I increase my speed a bit more?'' Glance . Jin-Woo sneaked a glance at the floor, and he immediately issued an order to the puffs of black smoke rising up from the corpses of the countless ants . "Rise up!!" < Chapter 118 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 118: Chapter 118 . One year before the Korea-Japan united raid team came knocking on the island . The ant queen began thinking - ''We must leave this island . ''. Other lifeforms that should''ve served as their food source had all disappeared from the island, and the incidents of its children devouring each other occurred frequently now . There was no source of food on this island to sustain the citizens of the queendom now that its population had swelled up to several thousand strong - ''This can not continue . ''. Abandon the existing nation and seek out a fertile land overflowing with other lifeforms to establish a new one ¨C if the domination of the island was the queen''s first task, then this problem would be its second one However, the queen remembered . It remembered all the powerful invaders that stepped on the island several times before The queen''s forces managed to repel them, but the nation had to suffer great losses as well . Far too many of the queen''s children had to be sacrificed . Would its children be able to defeat those beings if they went to another land?. - ''Need stronger soldiers . ''. It needed a single most powerful soldier to lead the citizens of the nation . And so, the queen decided upon the direction of their evolution Half a year later By gathering the magic power it already possessed, as well as all the nutrients it had amply absorbed before, the queen gave birth to a brand new life . It was the greatest combat weapon imaginable, born solely for the sake of dealing with the strong humans The queen''s determination to create the most powerful soldier there was, combined with the original order of killing all humans it heard in its head, created a horrifying monster that simply exceeded all common sense The monster was born with the skill, ''Gluttony'' By consuming its opponents, this new monster could turn their magic energy as well as a portion of their knowledge into its own - ''I want to become stronger . ''. The monster realised what its powers were early on and began devouring its own kin, but the queen left it alone . What this monster wanted was the same as the queen''s desire, after all The queen was greatly happy as ''he'' grew stronger and stronger day by day It was happy because ''he'' had already exceeded the power of ''his'' mother now . And without encountering a single hitch, the army ''he'' would lead was getting closer to completion as well . That was why - ''Just a little more time ''. In the midst of that . The human invaders entered this land once more . Their numbers were lower this time, but they were far stronger than before . However, the queen laughed at them In preparation of the ants waging war against humanity in another land, this should serve as a great opportunity to test out the powers of ''him'' The queen, as usual, sent out all of the soldiers guarding its castle along with ''him'' Just as the queen desired so, ''he'' went out and completed the first mission ''he'' was given . But when ''he'' returned, the queen was already dead ''He'' was enraged And thankfully, there were enough strong humans left on this island that would serve as the outlet for ''his'' rage First of all, the king of the humans was killed . And then, it systematically annihilated all the subordinates next to the dead king . One of the subordinates cried out before he got killed off He asked just what the hell ''he'' was After devouring humans through the skill ''Gluttony'', ''he'' now possessed the ability to reason . ''He'' then began thinking to itself ''What . am I?''. Up until that point, ''he'' was a soldier of the queen But now, with the queen''s death at the hands of the humans, what should ''he'' call itself now?. A sole existence that must lead the remaining soldiers of the queendom . ''He'' only knew one word to denote such an existence ''¡­ . King . ''. ''He'' had killed off the enemy king already, so ''he'' had definitely satisfied the requirement to become one now Grab The ant king bit onto the head of the remaining human . But, then . Suddenly, the ant king''s head swivelled in the direction of the ant castle . There was an enormous aura rushing out like a fierce storm from where the queen used to live That level of power couldn''t have come from a common foot soldier ''¡­ A king?''. Immediately sensing that an enemy that could threaten itself had appeared, the ant king slowly rose up towards the ant castle ***. Just what kind of a calamity was this?. The TV station''s situation room used to be enveloped in the celebratory mood, but now, everything felt sombre and dreary like a funeral The ''live'' broadcast showing up on the viewers'' TVs suddenly got cut off with the entrance of a strange, winged ant monster . Understandably, they began flooding the station with phone calls of angry complaints and urgent inquiries Ringgg . !. Ringgg !!. One of the employees walked over to the station''s director and cautiously made his report "Sir, our communication network is about to collapse from all the calls made by the irate viewers . ". The station''s director raised his head "So what? Are you suggesting that we should broadcast live the scenes of our Hunters getting ripped to shreds by a single ant monster??". "N-no, sir . ". The broadcast got cut off just as the Hunters were getting one-sidedly beaten up by that mysterious ant monster . It was understandable that the curiosity of the viewers would skyrocket However, that didn''t mean they could broadcast the scenes of Hunter Mah Dong-Wook getting tortured, nor the moment that Hunter Min Byung-Gu got devoured The director buried his face in his hands and let out a helpless moan "It''s over It''s all over . ". The once-in-a-lifetime gamble where the fate of his station rode on, was now going down the drain because of one d*mn ant monster "It''s over . ". Heavy, grim silence filled up the situation room . No one person was brave or dumb enough to open their mouths now . Except for one, that was "Huh??". The producer staring at the real-time feed with an ashen complexion suddenly opened his mouth "D-Director!!". " What now?". "Someone just appeared in the location out of nowhere!". The director didn''t bother to raise his head up and grimly replied "Unless it''s Jesus himself, don''t report to me every little thing that happens over there . Got that?". "However . !!". " It''s all over . ". Realising that talking wouldn''t get him anywhere, the producer increased the previously-lowered volume up way higher Kiieeehck-!!. Kiieehck!!. The situation room was immediately filled up with the screams of the ant monsters The director quickly raised his head up out of sheer shock . It wasn''t just him, either . Everyone present within the situation room all rushed to the live feed monitor . And soon, sounds of "Oh, oh!" came out amongst those watching the screen " . ". The director sitting there in a daze finally managed to lift his butt off the chair . When he came in closer, the employees stepped aside to let him through The screen of the live-feed monitor was reflected in the director''s eyes "Oh, dear lord . Jesus holy Christ . ". The director suddenly began calling out to Jesus, which he didn''t even believe in, to begin with, and hurriedly shouted out to the rest of the employees "What the hell are you all doing here? Why aren''t getting ready to start broadcasting this?! Are you going to take responsibility if we lose out on the current audience rating?!". The producer hurriedly tried to dissuade his director who didn''t even bother to hide his boiling excitement "But, sir! If we start broadcasting again, we''ll be showing the live feed, instead! There won''t be any delay in the transmission, and everything will be shown in real time, sir! We won''t be able to do anything if another emergency situation breaks out!". The delayed transmission time of ten minutes between the feed and the broadcast had run out by now . Which left the director with the decision of going with either the real-time feed, or end the broadcast altogether right here " It''s all or nothing . ". "Pardon me?". "We''ve already stopped broadcasting midway, anyway . Things won''t get any worse than it already has . ". "Well I, I guess so . ?". A Hunter''s sudden appearance was caught on the camera . No one could tell whether he was a Korean or a Japanese . Heck, it was unknown if he was a Hunter at all, but with his appearance, the director''s gamble that seemed to be over for good suddenly gained one last shot at the glory The director issued a new order with a determined expression firmly etched on his face "Switch it on . Switch it on, now . ". He then pulled a chair closer to the producer and settled down there "Our station''s fate rides on that man, you got that?". ***. "Euhhhk!". Even though he was being pushed into the figurative cliff, the cameraman didn''t regret anything . Anyone would''ve dreamed at least once of doing something like this when they were young . To become a hero If that was impossible, then at least, to become a support to the true hero During the time he did menial jobs for the TV station and earned his experience that way, he never imagined that he''d be blessed with an opportunity to do so in his lifetime But then, he Awakened into a rank A Hunter, and by earning experience fitting for his rank, he was able to get to this point in his life . Thanks to that, he got to clearly capture the scene of Hunters proudly representing South Korea successfully raid the boss of a rank S Gate ''I''m the one who caught that on film . Yes, me . ''. And with the footage he captured, many people would come to know the valiant sacrifices these rank S Hunters made for the purpose of the extermination of the ant monsters . That was more than enough for him He felt like that all of his efforts spent in studying filming techniques and working as a Hunter was finally being paid off here . But, if there was one thing he was a bit regretful about, then that would be . ''Dad . ''. His father, who looked after the cameraman all alone after they lost his mother to cancer . Thinking that he''d not get to see his father again, he felt a deep pain in his heart Kwajeeck!!. His shoulder was bitten, yet he couldn''t feel a thing . His arm had stopped moving a long time ago He was originally a Tanker, so he was able to endure somehow, but this really was his limit Plop He knelt down on the ground . Even then, his head was filled with the thoughts of his father ''Why did my last conversation with dad have to be me asking him if he had his breakfast?!''. If he knew this would happen, he might have talked for a lot longer ''On that day, when dad came for a visit to Seoul, I should''ve cleared up all of my schedule ''. However, time was a ruthless, unrelenting b*stard and regret always arrived one step too late The cameraman raised his head . The horrifying fangs of the ant monster were nearing his head He no longer had any magic energy left to activate the ''Fortification'' skill, so he wouldn''t be able to defend against the monster''s attacks now Tears formed on the edges of his eyes ''Dad, I''m sorry . ''. It was then Kwajeeck!!. Accompanying the noise of the outer shell being crushed, the bodily fluid of an ant got splashed on the cameraman''s face " Huh?!". A blade emitting a cold, silvery gleam had cleanly stabbed through the ant''s head The cameraman raised his head and followed the blade, only to find another ''ant'' with a long red-coloured ''plumage'' stuck to the top of its head standing there ''Why is an ant attacking another ant?!''. No, that thing wasn''t an ant!. The cameraman was mistaken because both were of the same black colour . What he saw was an unknown ''soldier'' decked out in black armour from head to toe pulling his sword out from the head of the dead ant Plop The ant monster with a hole in its head powerlessly sagged to the ground "Just what on earth is . ?!". When the black ''soldier'' stepped aside, a youthful man with a somewhat familiar face approached the cameraman and shouted at him "Open your mouth . ". "Pardon me?". This man didn''t even give the confused cameraman a chance to start a conversation; he simply grabbed the injured man''s chin and poured down an unknown liquid down the throat "Keok?! Keok!!". The cameraman nearly coughed his lungs out, but he still managed to swallow all of the liquid . He covered his mouth and asked "Who, who the hell are you?!". However, the youthful man didn''t even bother to respond and simply turned around to face the ants ''W-what the heck?!''. The cameraman was flustered greatly, but still, he stood back up ''¡­ . Wait a d*mn second here . ''. His legs were moving again . But, was that all?. He belatedly realised it, but his arm was also fine after drinking that strange liquid ''What happened here? What''s going on??''. Did that man do something to him just now?. He couldn''t come up with any other logical explanation besides that one It was then Quite out of the blue, the cameraman finally remembered where he saw that youthful man''s face ''Could he be that guy?!''. ***. Jin-Woo calmly scanned his surroundings ''¡­ . ''. Last time he got to meet the members of the Korean raid team in the Association''s gymnasium, he had inserted one of the Shadow Soldiers in Baek Yun-Ho''s shadow, just in case . What a relief it was that he did that It seemed that what he''d been watching wasn''t a live broadcast, as the situation here was far worse than the stuff shown on the TV screen before it got cut off . He managed to save the weakest of the lot, the cameraman, first, but the other rank S Hunters were still surrounded by countless ant monsters ''What should I do now?''. The quickest way to deal with this situation would be to summon Fangs out and sweep these pesky ants away in one go with his trademark pillar of flames . But, if Jin-Woo did that, he couldn''t guarantee the safety of the rank S Hunters So, he needed another solution here Jin-Woo quickly made his decision and turned his head towards Iron "Iron!!". Iron tapped his chest in a manly manner as if to say, "Leave it to me!". He then strode forward, his large frame shaking to and fro, before opening his shoulders wide to roar out at the top of his lungs Woowuhhhhhh-!!!. Tti-ring [Iron has activated ''Skill: Roar of Provocation'' . ]. The effect of that was rather amazing . The ants attacking the Hunters all snapped their heads towards Iron''s direction simultaneously . And soon, they all rushed over "Nice work . ". Jin-Woo lightly tapped Iron on his back and summoned the two shortswords he got as rewards after killing the demon king ''The Demon King''s Shortsword . ''. The pair of shortswords with a blue tinge to their blades gleamed threateningly under the light magic''s glare Kkiiiieeeehk!. Kiiechk!. When hundreds of ant monsters screeched out and pounced at the same time, his entire view was dyed jet black in an instant . Jin-Woo began gripping the hilts of the shortswords even harder . And then, he vanished from view Kiiiechk!!. Soon, ants collided with the soldiers in a bloody battle to the finish In the meantime, Baek Yun-Ho, whose status was still better than everyone else, managed to move the injured Hunters to a safe corner . Thankfully, they were all still alive . The cameraman joined soon afterwards, and helped Baek Yun-Ho out Because Jin-Woo, or more specifically, Jin-Woo''s summoned creature, attracted the aggro of all the ants present here, he was able to safely finish this task "Pant, pant, pant ''. Mah Dong-Wook was leaning against the wall, his breathing rough and irregular . He then grabbed the arm of Baek Yun-Ho, who brought him here, and asked "W-what''s going on? Who''s fighting?". Mah Dong-Wook''s eyes were unfocused . His eyes were injured and he couldn''t see properly Baek Yun-Ho placed his hand on Mah Dong-Wook''s hand "Instructor Mah . It''s fine now . Everything will be fine . ". " . ". He then shifted his gaze over to Jin-Woo Other people may not have know it yet, but Baek Yun-Ho had a rough idea already on how powerful Seong Jin-Woo was in reality Baek Yun-Ho might have been greatly flustered when the black soldier suddenly vanished, only to be replaced by the youth, but he still ended up shouting out loud even before he consciously realised it He said, ''please, help us . ''. And then, after seeing the youth move towards the ants along with his summoned black soldiers, the sense of relief washed over Baek Yun-Ho; so much so that he nearly plopped down to the ground Sure enough Seong Jin-Woo proceeded to massacre and annihilate the ants that gave him and his teammates so much trouble at a frightening pace, as if those creatures were nothing but broken toys to be played around with Kiieeehk!!. Screams of dying ants exploded out from everywhere and nearly made Baek Yun-Ho dizzy in the head . But, he still sighed out in relief ''It''ll be fine now . ''. He wasn''t saying that to Mah Dong-Wook . No, he was telling that to himself . The hope of survival was rekindled in his heart . The aid from one Seong Jin-Woo was far more reliable and trustworthy than the 20-plus rank S Japanese Hunters combined ''¡­ . Looks like there''s no need for me to step up here . ''. Baek Yun-Ho formed a smile and sat down next to Mah Dong-Wook All he could do now was to sit down quietly like this and watch Hunter Seong Jin-Woo do his thing . He then drew the cameraman''s attention towards Jin-Woo "You should keep the camera pointing at him . Because you''re going to witness something amazing pretty soon . ". The incident of the Red Gate, and the incident during the raid of the Hunters Guild . This was Baek Yun-Ho''s chance to personally witness the spectacle he had been hearing about all this time "Y-yes!". The cameraman did his best to maintain his distance so he wouldn''t get in the way and tried to capture Jin-Woo''s actions with his camera . The work of the raid team''s Hunters may have been finished now, but his own work was far from over Gulp The cameraman struggled to swallow his saliva Kiiiehk!. At the same time, an ant was split cleanly in half from top to bottom by Jin-Woo''s hands . He then took a look around him . The number of ants had decreased significantly, and there were just over half of them remaining He killed so many ants that he had lost count now, but his breathing remained even and unperturbed . In all honesty, he found this place far easier to manage when compared to the uppermost floors of the Demon''s Castle ''Should I increase my speed a bit more?''. Glance Jin-Woo sneaked a glance at the floor, and he immediately issued an order to the puffs of black smoke rising up from the corpses of the countless ants "Rise up!!". < Chapter 118 > Fin Chapter 119 The cameraman felt a creeping chill crawl all over his skin . ''Wha-what''s the meaning of this?'' What was about to happen here? He was deep inside a cave where breezes shouldn''t exist, yet this eerily chilly air inexplicably brushed past his back . ''Now that I think about it . . . '' Just as he began questioning whether the surroundings had become too quiet or not . . . . Kiiiieeeehhhk-!! Thick, heavy screams resounded out within the queen''s chamber and countless black hands began shooting out from the ground . Tuck . Tuck . . . . The hands grabbed the ground, and began pulling themselves out . "Heok!!" The cameraman unwittingly gasped out in pure fright . His eyes were opened wider, and his breathing grew rough and heavy . He was a rank A Hunter yet he could scarcely believe the things taking place, so what would the viewers at home watching be feeling right now? While the cameraman remained stewing in his own astonishment, the owners of the black hands finally emerged out of the ground . ''Ant monsters?!'' At a casual glance, they looked like ant monsters, but then again, endless streams of black smokes were rising from their bodies . It was hard to tell whether these monsters were physical beings or made out of gases . Wouldn''t one potentially get that sort of appearance if one carved out the statue of an ant monster using a block of black-coloured dry ice? Several hundreds of such things rose up from the ground . The cameraman''s heart beat so fast and so loud that he couldn''t even breath now . Seeing that scene, Baek Yun-Ho too gasped out in shock as well . He was comparatively calmer than the cameraman, but that didn''t mean he could close his slack jaw . ''All of those . . . . are his summons???'' Unlike the two speechless men, Jin-Woo was forming a satisfied grin at the new additions to his shadow army . ''Nice . '' Now, the number of his Shadow Soldiers easily overwhelmed the surviving ant monsters . ''With things like this, looks like I won''t have to personally step out now . '' Jin-Woo stored the Demon King''s Shortswords back to his Inventory . And then, issued the very first order to his new soldiers . ''Go . Don''t leave any one of them alive . '' Kiiieeehhk-!! With the same intensity as back when the ant monsters flooded into the queen''s chamber, Jin-Woo''s new soldiers crashed into their enemies like a tsunami wave . The once seemingly-endless swarm of ant monsters was now being swept away by the black tide . *** Woooahhhh!!! A huge cheering roar broke out inside the TV station''s situation room . The director shot up from his seat and clapped his hands in happiness . "Yesss!! He''s doing it!!" Seeing those disgusting ant monsters being swept away like that, it felt like his tight chest was being pried open again . It was as if the ten-year-old indigestion plaguing him had finally been flushed away . If only there were no other eyes watching here, he''d have asked the producer to screen capture that moment and have it sent over to him later ¨C so he could relieve his accumulated stress even if it was several months later . Nay, several years later! It was indeed very regretful to see the death of Hunter Min Byung-Gu . When the director saw the scene of the team''s lone Healer die at the hands of that d*mn monster, he thought that the heavens were crashing down on him . Even then, if the Korean Hunters get out of the ant tunnel safely with the help from that unidentified Hunter? ''That''s all I ask for!'' The Korean team had already achieved its goal by killing the ant queen . With their only method of propagation gone, there was no need to even repeat the simple fact that the ants would eventually die out in the Jeju Island . And then, what about the Japanese? Indeed, what would happen to the Japanese team? Since they abandoned the important mission right in the middle of it all and escaped with their tail between their legs, there was obviously no need to hand over the promised share of the loot . And not only that, the Koreans could even demand reparation from them, instead . And of course, the footage of the raid selling like hot cakes would be the tasty icing on the cake, too . The complexion of the director brightened like a midday sun . ''Just where did this massive ball of fortune fall out from?!'' The director''s expression, as he continued to stare at the face of Jin-Woo in the monitor''s screen, remained somewhat confused . It was then . Another employee hurriedly ran towards him . "Sir!" The director shot up from his seat, nearly freaking out of his skull . "What is it this time?!" The director''s expression hardened in an instant . His heart began quivering, thinking that maybe another mishap occurred somewhere just as he was beginning to soak himself in the sea of happiness . What with the situation arriving at this point in time, the director was quickly growing resentful of this dumb employee . He even wanted to reach out to cover that employee''s mouth and pretend that no bad news was afoot . ''Looks like I''ve finally lost it . . . . '' Completely unaware of what his boss was thinking of at that moment, the employee spoke hurriedly with an excited face . "We discovered that man''s identity!" The director''s eyes opened up super-wide . "What was that?!" *** Inside the office of the Hunter Association''s President . Kwajeek!! Goh Gun-Hui hurriedly lifted his hand off the crushed armrest . His private doctor sitting next to him turned to look at him . " . . . Association President . " " . . . . It seems that I got overexcited just now . " He unconsciously gripped too tight, and this happened . However, how could he not get excited by the scenes he was seeing right now? Indeed, watching Jin-Woo''s performance playing out on the giant screen made his emotions well up without him even realising it . If only his body permitted it, he''d have gone there to fight alongside, too . "Getting overexcited is not good for your body, sir . " Goh Gun-Hui nodded his head . There was only one reason why he, as the Association President, wasn''t present in the mission control centre . Didn''t matter whether this subjugation operation ended as a success or a failure, there was a potential risk that he''d strain his heart simply by being there . Even watching the broadcast like this carried enough risk, so the personal doctor had to set up a camp next to Goh Gun-Hui . ''Maybe, it would''ve been better to not let him watch the broadcast . '' The personal doctor worried about his decision for a brief moment, but after seeing the expression etched on the face of the Association President, he soon shook his head . Ever since the Hunter named Seong Jin-Woo appeared on the scene, that wide smile didn''t want to leave Goh Gun-Hui''s face . ["Hey, that man, that''s Seong Jin-Woo!"] In that critical moment, as the despair quickly transformed into a loud cheer, the words Association President cried out still rung inside the doctor''s ears . Meanwhile, Goh Gun-Hui was beaming widely . ''I can''t believe this is happening . '' He then cautiously placed his hand back on the sofa''s armrest . Unless he was holding onto something, his entire body would itch too much and he''d be unable to endure it . ''But, how did Hunter Seong Jin-Woo get there?'' Initially, he was greatly intrigued by this quandary . The island must be overflowing with the ant monsters, so how did he appear there without anyone else noticing it? But, such a thing wasn''t important right now . No, the truly important thing would be that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was there . And with that, the other Hunters had hope . Those two were the important things . It was then . Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes grew extra large after witnessing the spectacle of Jin-Woo creating even more soldiers by extracting shadows out from the dead ant monsters . ''That friend, he lied to me, didn''t he?'' Who could''ve guessed that there were well more than "only about a hundred" summons? Even at a casual glance, there must''ve been over 300, easy . However, Goh Gun-Hui didn''t look like someone who''d been lied to . No, a smile of contentment was filling up his face, instead . ''He said that he wanted to fight against the monsters, didn''t he?'' Goh Gun-Hui could now understand a bit more of why the youth said those words to him back then . After all, he possessed such incredible power, so no monsters out there should faze him . For sure, Jin-Woo looked like he was enjoying himself as he fought the monsters . It was to the extent that the viewers watching felt a deep stirring within their hearts . However . . . . Why did Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, who so dearly wished to battle monsters that badly, asked to be left out of the Korean raid team? ''He must''ve had an important reason behind that decision . '' Goh Gun-Hui nodded his head . Without such a reason, there was just no way that a man who formed an expression like that during battle would willingly walk away from a raid team . When his thought arrived at that point, Goh Gun-Hui grew very curious about what could possibly be Jin-Woo''s reason . *** Tang, tang! Jin-Ah was studying in her bedroom, but she heard those loud noises and hurriedly came out to the living room . "Mom??" "I, I''m sorry . That was too loud, wasn''t it?" Jin-Ah shook her head . Mom had already lowered the volume of the TV until not much could be heard so she''d not interrupt her daughter''s studies . Jin-Ah didn''t feel like unduly burdening her any more than that . "Besides all that, what''s going on? Is the TV broken?" "Not sure . It just stopped working all of a sudden . " "Where''s oppa?" "He''s right h . . . . " Mom turned around to look, only to gasp out in surprise . "Oh, my?? Where did he go? But, he was here only about a second ago??" Jin-Ah tilted her head and opened Jin-Woo''s bedroom door . "Oppa?" He wasn''t even in the bathroom, either . Jin-Ah proceeded to scour the entirety of the apartment before turning around towards her mom . "What were you watching together just now?" "The Jeju Island raid . " " . . . . . " Suddenly, Jin-Ah was overcome with a certain ominous foreboding . Now that she thought about it, the entire apartment building was bustling with loud noises ever since a little while ago . ''No way . . . . ?'' Jin-Ah hurriedly ran back inside her room and switched on her phone . When she did . . . . . Just as the vigorous, loud cheers exploded out from the floors above and below hers, Jin-Ah''s eyes opened wider as she finally confirmed the scene playing out within her phone''s screen . "Oppa?!" *** After utterly massacring every single ant monster found inside the queen''s chamber, Jin-Woo stored his soldiers back inside his shadow . Even now, ants that had been spread out to the rest of the island were scurrying back to the ant tunnel . He judged that his priority should be placed on guiding the Hunters out of here to somewhere safe before more ants showed up . ''We have the injured here to worry about, too . '' Jin-Woo strode towards the Hunters . Beside Baek Yun-Ho and the cameraman, the rest weren''t in a good shape . Cha Hae-In was still unconscious, and the three others had suffered some serious wounds, as well . Jin-Woo asked while looking around . "What about Min Byung-Gu Hunter-nim?" Baek Yun-Ho shook his head with a hardened expression . " . . . " Not saying anything else, Jin-Woo brought out the potions and began treating the Hunters one by one . Since the potions would become useless once they leave his hands, he had to personally feed each of the Hunters . "M-mm . . . . " After drinking the potions, Hunters began regaining their consciousness . "What''s this?" Im Tae-Gyu quickly raised his upper torso up, touched all over his body, and spat out a gasp of amazement . "What the . . . . ?" Both Choi Jong-In and Mah Dong-Wook recovered from the numerous injuries on their bodies in no time . "Hmm . . . " "Cough, cough . " Choi Jong-In had no clue on what had transpired here, so as soon as he laid his eyes on Jin-Woo, he was taken aback rather greatly . "Mister Seong Jin-Woo? What are you doing here??" "Let''s talk after getting out of this place first . " "Oh . . . . " Choi Jong-In took a look around and nodded his head . They were still stuck inside the deepest part of the ant tunnel . This was no place to idly chat away, indeed . "Instructor Seong!" Having regained his eyesight, Mah Dong-Wook was able to reach out and grab Jin-Woo''s hands . "Were you the one fighting off those ants? Thank you . Thank you so much!!" Jin-Woo replied in the same manner to him as well . "Let us get out of here first . " "Got it . " Finally, Cha Hae-In . Standing before her, a frown formed on Jin-Woo''s face . ''Something''s not right . . . her aura''s far too weak . '' While feeling a sense of foreboding, Jin-Woo raised her head and cautiously poured the potion down her mouth . Sure enough, a message quickly popped up in his view . Tti-ring . [When the remaining HP is less than 10%, it is impossible to recover HP with healing potions . ] Jin-Woo''s expression crumpled . When he slowly pulled out his hand supporting her head, it was soaked in her blood . ''¡­ . . . '' That ant b*stard . That creature inflicted a fatal blow to the strongest person among the Korean Hunters, Cha Hae-In, with nothing but a single blow . The sole reason why these Hunters were still alive wasn''t that they were strong . On the contrary, that b*stard simply toyed with them for a little while, that was all . Jin-Woo''s expression hardened . ''In any case, I gotta . . . . '' Cha Hae-In''s injuries took priority . If her wounds couldn''t be healed by the potions, then she needed to get out of this island as soon as possible and get a Healer-type Hunter to heal her, ASAP . "Let''s hurry . " Jin-Woo carefully picked her up and stood up to leave . Other Hunters also stood up . As they were preparing to leave the ant queen''s chamber, Jin-Woo walking in front of the pack suddenly spat out a long sigh . ''¡­ . . . '' Baek Yun-Ho could guess the reason why . Jin-Woo entrusted Cha Hae-In over to Baek Yun-Ho . Suddenly dumped with the responsibility of carrying her around, Baek Yun-Ho formed a flustered expression, and he hurriedly raised his voice . "I would like to help . " Jin-Woo looked at the Hunters present, including Baek Yun-Ho, and told them all in no uncertain terms . "Do not ever step forward during the fight . It''ll be faster that way . " "But, Mister Seong Jin-Woo, that means . . . . " Choi Jung-Hoon was still oblivious to what had transpired before, so he was about to speak up his opinion, but Mah Dong-Wook stopped him and shook his head . He may not have seen the situation unfold with his own eyes, but through his perception, he was able to detect how Jin-Woo annihilated the swarm of ants from the beginning until the end . Jin-Woo was right about this . However, Baek Yun-Ho still butted in . "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . " Jin-Woo turned his head to look at him . "I understand full well that you''re strong . I can confidently say that no one here knows that better than me . However . . . . . " Baek Yun-Ho spoke with a serious expression on his face . "However, you''ve already summoned far too many creatures by now . " But, why would that be a problem? When Jin-Woo stared at him with a confused expression, Baek Yun-Ho got flustered and quickly added more explanation . "You must''ve had exhausted a lot of your magical energy by now . What would happen if you completely spend them?" ''Ahh . . . so that''s what he was talking about . '' Jin-Woo guessed from Baek Yun-Ho''s words that the other Hunters utilising the summoning magic had to be using a lot of magic energy to summon even a single creature . ''I''m sure there aren''t any real reason to reveal that my Shadow Soldiers don''t need any magic energy, right?'' Even without him saying anything, his soldiers wouldn''t look like ordinary summons to these people''s eyes, anyway . So, Jin-Woo decided to change the story ever so slightly . "My summons don''t require as much magic energy as you think . You don''t need to worry about me . " "Excuse me?" Both Baek Yun-Ho and the cameraman exclaimed out at the same time . He controlled that many summoned creatures all at once, yet he was saying that the magic energy usage wasn''t high? Then, just what was his weak point, then? ''¡­ . . . . . '' Realising that explaining would take up too much time, he simply turned towards the cave up ahead, instead . With excellent timing, the waves of ant monsters were rushing inside the chamber . ''Wow, there are still so many of them . '' Their side had someone in a critical condition . So, he couldn''t afford to waste time here . Jin-Woo activated the Sovereign''s Territory for maximum efficiency . The ground beneath his feet was immediately dyed in black . Just as he was done with preparations to call his soldiers back out again, an ominous, creepy air blew in from the other side of the cave . ''¡­ . . . . . ?'' Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to where that eerie aura was coming from . There was this one individual among the masses of ants . It looked similar to the others, but it was a completely different type of monster compared to the others . ''Ah, so that''s the one . '' Jin-Woo instantly recognised the ''ant king'' . And likewise, the ant king recognised Jin-Woo as well . Taking its time, the ant king slowly walked over to him . "A human . . . you seem to possess a pretty strong aura . " It even imitated Goto Ryuji''s speech pattern . Hunters immediately recalled the nightmare of a few moments ago and flinched grandly as soon as spotting that ant monster . On the other hand, Jin-Woo showed no outward ripples and simply stared at the creature without saying a word . Eventually, the ant king stood before Jin-Woo . "Are you the king of humans?" " . . . . . Huh, an insect that knows how to speak . Well, I''ll be . " When Jin-Woo replied with a less than impressed expression on his face, the ant king''s own expression crumpled unsightly . The power the queen bestowed it with, and the power it gathered through the ''Gluttony'' skill - the moment the ant king unleashed all of its magic energy, its body suddenly ballooned up greatly in size . Its height, which used to be around the same as Jin-Woo''s, grew by at least 1 . 5 times taller . The ant king then screeched out loudly right in front of Jin-Woo''s nose . Kiiiiiieeeeeehhhhhk-!!! Jin-Woo didn''t even blink once, and instead, a smirk formed on his lips . "Yup, now you''re acting properly like an insect . " And then, he himself unleashed his own magical energy . < Chapter 119 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 119: Chapter 119 . The cameraman felt a creeping chill crawl all over his skin ''Wha-what''s the meaning of this?''. What was about to happen here?. He was deep inside a cave where breezes shouldn''t exist, yet this eerily chilly air inexplicably brushed past his back ''Now that I think about it . ''. Just as he began questioning whether the surroundings had become too quiet or not . Kiiiieeeehhhk-!!. Thick, heavy screams resounded out within the queen''s chamber and countless black hands began shooting out from the ground Tuck Tuck . The hands grabbed the ground, and began pulling themselves out "Heok!!". The cameraman unwittingly gasped out in pure fright . His eyes were opened wider, and his breathing grew rough and heavy . He was a rank A Hunter yet he could scarcely believe the things taking place, so what would the viewers at home watching be feeling right now?. While the cameraman remained stewing in his own astonishment, the owners of the black hands finally emerged out of the ground ''Ant monsters?!''. At a casual glance, they looked like ant monsters, but then again, endless streams of black smokes were rising from their bodies . It was hard to tell whether these monsters were physical beings or made out of gases Wouldn''t one potentially get that sort of appearance if one carved out the statue of an ant monster using a block of black-coloured dry ice? Several hundreds of such things rose up from the ground The cameraman''s heart beat so fast and so loud that he couldn''t even breath now Seeing that scene, Baek Yun-Ho too gasped out in shock as well . He was comparatively calmer than the cameraman, but that didn''t mean he could close his slack jaw ''All of those are his summons???''. Unlike the two speechless men, Jin-Woo was forming a satisfied grin at the new additions to his shadow army ''Nice . ''. Now, the number of his Shadow Soldiers easily overwhelmed the surviving ant monsters ''With things like this, looks like I won''t have to personally step out now . ''. Jin-Woo stored the Demon King''s Shortswords back to his Inventory . And then, issued the very first order to his new soldiers ''Go . Don''t leave any one of them alive . ''. Kiiieeehhk-!!. With the same intensity as back when the ant monsters flooded into the queen''s chamber, Jin-Woo''s new soldiers crashed into their enemies like a tsunami wave The once seemingly-endless swarm of ant monsters was now being swept away by the black tide ***. Woooahhhh!!!. A huge cheering roar broke out inside the TV station''s situation room The director shot up from his seat and clapped his hands in happiness "Yesss!! He''s doing it!!". Seeing those disgusting ant monsters being swept away like that, it felt like his tight chest was being pried open again . It was as if the ten-year-old indigestion plaguing him had finally been flushed away If only there were no other eyes watching here, he''d have asked the producer to screen capture that moment and have it sent over to him later ¨C so he could relieve his accumulated stress even if it was several months later . Nay, several years later!. It was indeed very regretful to see the death of Hunter Min Byung-Gu . When the director saw the scene of the team''s lone Healer die at the hands of that d*mn monster, he thought that the heavens were crashing down on him Even then, if the Korean Hunters get out of the ant tunnel safely with the help from that unidentified Hunter?. ''That''s all I ask for!''. The Korean team had already achieved its goal by killing the ant queen . With their only method of propagation gone, there was no need to even repeat the simple fact that the ants would eventually die out in the Jeju Island And then, what about the Japanese?. Indeed, what would happen to the Japanese team?. Since they abandoned the important mission right in the middle of it all and escaped with their tail between their legs, there was obviously no need to hand over the promised share of the loot . And not only that, the Koreans could even demand reparation from them, instead And of course, the footage of the raid selling like hot cakes would be the tasty icing on the cake, too The complexion of the director brightened like a midday sun ''Just where did this massive ball of fortune fall out from?!''. The director''s expression, as he continued to stare at the face of Jin-Woo in the monitor''s screen, remained somewhat confused . It was then Another employee hurriedly ran towards him "Sir!". The director shot up from his seat, nearly freaking out of his skull "What is it this time?!". The director''s expression hardened in an instant His heart began quivering, thinking that maybe another mishap occurred somewhere just as he was beginning to soak himself in the sea of happiness What with the situation arriving at this point in time, the director was quickly growing resentful of this dumb employee . He even wanted to reach out to cover that employee''s mouth and pretend that no bad news was afoot ''Looks like I''ve finally lost it ''. Completely unaware of what his boss was thinking of at that moment, the employee spoke hurriedly with an excited face "We discovered that man''s identity!". The director''s eyes opened up super-wide "What was that?!". ***. Inside the office of the Hunter Association''s President Kwajeek!!. Goh Gun-Hui hurriedly lifted his hand off the crushed armrest . His private doctor sitting next to him turned to look at him " . Association President . ". " It seems that I got overexcited just now . ". He unconsciously gripped too tight, and this happened . However, how could he not get excited by the scenes he was seeing right now?. Indeed, watching Jin-Woo''s performance playing out on the giant screen made his emotions well up without him even realising it . If only his body permitted it, he''d have gone there to fight alongside, too "Getting overexcited is not good for your body, sir . ". Goh Gun-Hui nodded his head There was only one reason why he, as the Association President, wasn''t present in the mission control centre . Didn''t matter whether this subjugation operation ended as a success or a failure, there was a potential risk that he''d strain his heart simply by being there Even watching the broadcast like this carried enough risk, so the personal doctor had to set up a camp next to Goh Gun-Hui ''Maybe, it would''ve been better to not let him watch the broadcast . ''. The personal doctor worried about his decision for a brief moment, but after seeing the expression etched on the face of the Association President, he soon shook his head Ever since the Hunter named Seong Jin-Woo appeared on the scene, that wide smile didn''t want to leave Goh Gun-Hui''s face ["Hey, that man, that''s Seong Jin-Woo!"]. In that critical moment, as the despair quickly transformed into a loud cheer, the words Association President cried out still rung inside the doctor''s ears Meanwhile, Goh Gun-Hui was beaming widely ''I can''t believe this is happening . ''. He then cautiously placed his hand back on the sofa''s armrest . Unless he was holding onto something, his entire body would itch too much and he''d be unable to endure it ''But, how did Hunter Seong Jin-Woo get there?''. Initially, he was greatly intrigued by this quandary . The island must be overflowing with the ant monsters, so how did he appear there without anyone else noticing it?. But, such a thing wasn''t important right now No, the truly important thing would be that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was there . And with that, the other Hunters had hope . Those two were the important things It was then Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes grew extra large after witnessing the spectacle of Jin-Woo creating even more soldiers by extracting shadows out from the dead ant monsters ''That friend, he lied to me, didn''t he?''. Who could''ve guessed that there were well more than "only about a hundred" summons? Even at a casual glance, there must''ve been over 300, easy . However, Goh Gun-Hui didn''t look like someone who''d been lied to No, a smile of contentment was filling up his face, instead ''He said that he wanted to fight against the monsters, didn''t he?''. Goh Gun-Hui could now understand a bit more of why the youth said those words to him back then . After all, he possessed such incredible power, so no monsters out there should faze him For sure, Jin-Woo looked like he was enjoying himself as he fought the monsters . It was to the extent that the viewers watching felt a deep stirring within their hearts However . Why did Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, who so dearly wished to battle monsters that badly, asked to be left out of the Korean raid team?. ''He must''ve had an important reason behind that decision . ''. Goh Gun-Hui nodded his head . Without such a reason, there was just no way that a man who formed an expression like that during battle would willingly walk away from a raid team When his thought arrived at that point, Goh Gun-Hui grew very curious about what could possibly be Jin-Woo''s reason ***. Tang, tang!. Jin-Ah was studying in her bedroom, but she heard those loud noises and hurriedly came out to the living room "Mom??". "I, I''m sorry . That was too loud, wasn''t it?". Jin-Ah shook her head Mom had already lowered the volume of the TV until not much could be heard so she''d not interrupt her daughter''s studies . Jin-Ah didn''t feel like unduly burdening her any more than that "Besides all that, what''s going on? Is the TV broken?". "Not sure . It just stopped working all of a sudden . ". "Where''s oppa?". "He''s right h ". Mom turned around to look, only to gasp out in surprise "Oh, my?? Where did he go? But, he was here only about a second ago??". Jin-Ah tilted her head and opened Jin-Woo''s bedroom door "Oppa?". He wasn''t even in the bathroom, either . Jin-Ah proceeded to scour the entirety of the apartment before turning around towards her mom "What were you watching together just now?". "The Jeju Island raid . ". " . ". Suddenly, Jin-Ah was overcome with a certain ominous foreboding . Now that she thought about it, the entire apartment building was bustling with loud noises ever since a little while ago ''No way ?''. Jin-Ah hurriedly ran back inside her room and switched on her phone . When she did Just as the vigorous, loud cheers exploded out from the floors above and below hers, Jin-Ah''s eyes opened wider as she finally confirmed the scene playing out within her phone''s screen "Oppa?!". ***. After utterly massacring every single ant monster found inside the queen''s chamber, Jin-Woo stored his soldiers back inside his shadow Even now, ants that had been spread out to the rest of the island were scurrying back to the ant tunnel . He judged that his priority should be placed on guiding the Hunters out of here to somewhere safe before more ants showed up ''We have the injured here to worry about, too . ''. Jin-Woo strode towards the Hunters . Beside Baek Yun-Ho and the cameraman, the rest weren''t in a good shape . Cha Hae-In was still unconscious, and the three others had suffered some serious wounds, as well Jin-Woo asked while looking around "What about Min Byung-Gu Hunter-nim?". Baek Yun-Ho shook his head with a hardened expression " . ". Not saying anything else, Jin-Woo brought out the potions and began treating the Hunters one by one . Since the potions would become useless once they leave his hands, he had to personally feed each of the Hunters "M-mm ". After drinking the potions, Hunters began regaining their consciousness "What''s this?". Im Tae-Gyu quickly raised his upper torso up, touched all over his body, and spat out a gasp of amazement "What the ?". Both Choi Jong-In and Mah Dong-Wook recovered from the numerous injuries on their bodies in no time "Hmm . ". "Cough, cough . ". Choi Jong-In had no clue on what had transpired here, so as soon as he laid his eyes on Jin-Woo, he was taken aback rather greatly "Mister Seong Jin-Woo? What are you doing here??". "Let''s talk after getting out of this place first . ". "Oh ". Choi Jong-In took a look around and nodded his head . They were still stuck inside the deepest part of the ant tunnel . This was no place to idly chat away, indeed "Instructor Seong!". Having regained his eyesight, Mah Dong-Wook was able to reach out and grab Jin-Woo''s hands "Were you the one fighting off those ants? Thank you . Thank you so much!!". Jin-Woo replied in the same manner to him as well "Let us get out of here first . ". "Got it . ". Finally, Cha Hae-In Standing before her, a frown formed on Jin-Woo''s face ''Something''s not right . her aura''s far too weak . ''. While feeling a sense of foreboding, Jin-Woo raised her head and cautiously poured the potion down her mouth Sure enough, a message quickly popped up in his view Tti-ring [When the remaining HP is less than 10%, it is impossible to recover HP with healing potions . ]. Jin-Woo''s expression crumpled When he slowly pulled out his hand supporting her head, it was soaked in her blood ''¡­ . ''. That ant b*stard That creature inflicted a fatal blow to the strongest person among the Korean Hunters, Cha Hae-In, with nothing but a single blow The sole reason why these Hunters were still alive wasn''t that they were strong . On the contrary, that b*stard simply toyed with them for a little while, that was all Jin-Woo''s expression hardened ''In any case, I gotta ''. Cha Hae-In''s injuries took priority . If her wounds couldn''t be healed by the potions, then she needed to get out of this island as soon as possible and get a Healer-type Hunter to heal her, ASAP "Let''s hurry . ". Jin-Woo carefully picked her up and stood up to leave . Other Hunters also stood up As they were preparing to leave the ant queen''s chamber, Jin-Woo walking in front of the pack suddenly spat out a long sigh ''¡­ . ''. Baek Yun-Ho could guess the reason why Jin-Woo entrusted Cha Hae-In over to Baek Yun-Ho . Suddenly dumped with the responsibility of carrying her around, Baek Yun-Ho formed a flustered expression, and he hurriedly raised his voice "I would like to help . ". Jin-Woo looked at the Hunters present, including Baek Yun-Ho, and told them all in no uncertain terms "Do not ever step forward during the fight . It''ll be faster that way . ". "But, Mister Seong Jin-Woo, that means ". Choi Jung-Hoon was still oblivious to what had transpired before, so he was about to speak up his opinion, but Mah Dong-Wook stopped him and shook his head He may not have seen the situation unfold with his own eyes, but through his perception, he was able to detect how Jin-Woo annihilated the swarm of ants from the beginning until the end Jin-Woo was right about this However, Baek Yun-Ho still butted in "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ". Jin-Woo turned his head to look at him "I understand full well that you''re strong . I can confidently say that no one here knows that better than me . However . ". Baek Yun-Ho spoke with a serious expression on his face "However, you''ve already summoned far too many creatures by now . ". But, why would that be a problem? When Jin-Woo stared at him with a confused expression, Baek Yun-Ho got flustered and quickly added more explanation "You must''ve had exhausted a lot of your magical energy by now . What would happen if you completely spend them?". ''Ahh . so that''s what he was talking about . ''. Jin-Woo guessed from Baek Yun-Ho''s words that the other Hunters utilising the summoning magic had to be using a lot of magic energy to summon even a single creature ''I''m sure there aren''t any real reason to reveal that my Shadow Soldiers don''t need any magic energy, right?''. Even without him saying anything, his soldiers wouldn''t look like ordinary summons to these people''s eyes, anyway . So, Jin-Woo decided to change the story ever so slightly "My summons don''t require as much magic energy as you think . You don''t need to worry about me . ". "Excuse me?". Both Baek Yun-Ho and the cameraman exclaimed out at the same time He controlled that many summoned creatures all at once, yet he was saying that the magic energy usage wasn''t high? Then, just what was his weak point, then?. ''¡­ . ''. Realising that explaining would take up too much time, he simply turned towards the cave up ahead, instead . With excellent timing, the waves of ant monsters were rushing inside the chamber ''Wow, there are still so many of them . ''. Their side had someone in a critical condition . So, he couldn''t afford to waste time here Jin-Woo activated the Sovereign''s Territory for maximum efficiency . The ground beneath his feet was immediately dyed in black Just as he was done with preparations to call his soldiers back out again, an ominous, creepy air blew in from the other side of the cave ''¡­ . ?''. Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to where that eerie aura was coming from . There was this one individual among the masses of ants . It looked similar to the others, but it was a completely different type of monster compared to the others ''Ah, so that''s the one . ''. Jin-Woo instantly recognised the ''ant king'' . And likewise, the ant king recognised Jin-Woo as well Taking its time, the ant king slowly walked over to him "A human . you seem to possess a pretty strong aura . ". It even imitated Goto Ryuji''s speech pattern Hunters immediately recalled the nightmare of a few moments ago and flinched grandly as soon as spotting that ant monster . On the other hand, Jin-Woo showed no outward ripples and simply stared at the creature without saying a word Eventually, the ant king stood before Jin-Woo "Are you the king of humans?". " . Huh, an insect that knows how to speak . Well, I''ll be . ". When Jin-Woo replied with a less than impressed expression on his face, the ant king''s own expression crumpled unsightly The power the queen bestowed it with, and the power it gathered through the ''Gluttony'' skill - the moment the ant king unleashed all of its magic energy, its body suddenly ballooned up greatly in size . Its height, which used to be around the same as Jin-Woo''s, grew by at least 1 . 5 times taller The ant king then screeched out loudly right in front of Jin-Woo''s nose Kiiiiiieeeeeehhhhhk-!!!. Jin-Woo didn''t even blink once, and instead, a smirk formed on his lips "Yup, now you''re acting properly like an insect . ". And then, he himself unleashed his own magical energy < Chapter 119 > Fin Chapter 120 "All communications with Goto and his team have been cut off?!" The Association President Matsumoto Shigeo''s complexion became ashen . The Association employee next to him presented a receiver and asked politely . "Would you like to hear the last communication, sir?" Matsumoto Shigeo snatched the receiver away from the employee''s hand and put it on his head, before nodding once . Soon, the recorded sound clip began playing . - "An ant . . . . You seem to possess a pretty strong aura . " - "You are . . . the king?" - "That''s right . I''m the king . " - "Goto-san!!!" - "Uwaaahk?! Uwaaahk!!" - "Keok!!" - "Euh, euhhh . . . . " - "You, you!! What, what the hell are youuu?!" Beep . "That''s where the communication ends, sir . " Matsumoto''s face, as he took off the receiver, was as hard as a rock . The creepy noises and the horrible screech the monster made in between the chatter ¨C he couldn''t picture any other situation where those sounds would come out of . ''An ant monster using a human language? And Goto Ryuji was killed by that thing?!'' Such an eventuality was not within his calculations . He and his compatriots had definitely planned everything out, and made preparations for every eventuality, so why . . . . The ends of Matsumoto Shigeo''s fingers trembled almost imperceptibly . " . . . . Sir?" Only after he realised that the gazes of his employees were focused on his trembling fingertips did Matsumoto Shigeo carefully hide his hands . He quickly changed the topic . "Where is the monster that . . . . No, where is the talking monster, right now?" He couldn''t bring himself to say the words ''the monster that killed Goto Ryuji'' . "It''s disappeared, sir . " "What do you mean, disappeared??" It was a creature capable of killing Goto Ryuji . So, how could the satellite equipped with the magic energy detection camera keeping a close eye on Jeju Island not pick up on such a powerful monster? The employee seemed to have figured out what his boss was about to say, and he pointed at the monitor once more . "That spot of light is the magic energy emitted from the monster at that moment . " The magic energy detection camera displayed the emitted magic energy as spots of lights . The bigger the spot of light appearing on the monitor, the more powerful the existence was . Once spots of lights belonging to Goto Ryuji and the Hunters around him disappeared, the larger, brighter light vanished quickly, as well . "Oh, my god . . . . " Matsumoto Shigeo spat out a shocked gasp . The unknown enemy was in perfect control of its magical energy . ''That was why . . . . Because it was such a monster, that . . . . '' That was why the research team failed to notice the creature before . It was, without a doubt, a perfect failure . And as a punishment, Japan just lost ten of her elite Hunters . Among them, the best Hunter in the country . For a result of a single oversight, it was very, very painful price to pay . Even worse, the price most likely hadn''t been fully paid yet, either . ''When that nonsensical monstrosity crosses the ocean and enters the country . . . . '' Even though Matsumoto Shigeo tried to shake them off, the horrifying images continued to fill up his head . It was then . "We found it! The b*stard has reappeared again!" Matsumoto Shigeo''s eyes shot open wider . "Where is the creature?" "It''s inside the ant queen''s chamber, sir . " " . . . . " Only the ants returning to the ant tunnel, as well as the Korean Hunters facing off against them, remained in that place . They must be fighting with everything they had, but unfortunately, their opponent this time easily exceeded everyone''s imaginations . ''In the end, even the Koreans will be finished for good . '' That''s what he believed, but then, Matsumoto Shigeo''s brows shot up instantly . ''¡­ . . ???'' There was another spot of light that suddenly appeared right next to that horrifying monster . "W-what''s the meaning of this?!" Matsumoto Shigeo gasped out in sheer astonishment and quickly looked at his employees . One of the employees, affiliated with the research team, urgently shook his head . "It, it''s also our first time seeing this, sir . " That spot of light was as big and bright as the monster''s . No, maybe it was even bigger than that . What was even more astonishing was the fact that there were hundreds of smaller light spots swirling around that large one . Even the head researcher of Japan''s research team, who had been analysing the spy images for many years now, had never seen such a phenomenon before . ''Ah . . . . !'' Seeing the mesmerising sight of the sea of lights repeatedly separating into tiny pieces before gathering back together, all those present couldn''t help but gasp out in admiration . However, Matsumoto Shigeo didn''t have the time to leisurely stew in his emotions right now . "The Korean team! They must be broadcasting the raid even now, aren''t they??" If the Korean team was still strutting around like that, that could also mean that the broadcast was still ongoing . Matsumoto Shigeo was beset with curiosity and wanted urgently to find out just what was going on here . "The Korean team''s broadcast!! Bring that up to the main monitor!!" When he shouted out, the super-large screen in the middle of the Japanese mission control centre was immediately filled with the image of a certain young man having a stare-down with an ant monster . After seeing that man''s face, Matsumoto Shigeo nervously swallowed his saliva . The lone strand of sweat trickled down his temple and pooled on the bottom of his chin . ''That man . . . . That man is the source of that massive light spot??'' And then, the giant ant monster standing in front of that man . That thing was at least over 1 . 5 times larger than regular ant monsters . They were only looking at the thing through the monitor, yet the sheer pressure emanating from that thing managed to quicken their heartbeats . ''¡­ . . '' Matsumoto Shigeo''s expression hardened even further . It was then . The ant monster made its move . *** The ant king''s fist powerfully slammed into Jin-Woo''s face . SLAM!! Jin-Woo''s back nearly bent backwards, but he stomped down and withstood the hit . ''¡­ . !!'' The ant king had struck with all of its might behind that punch, so it couldn''t help but get taken by surprise . "You can . . . withstand my power?" The ant king struck out with a simple plan to kill this puny human in one hit, but instead of sending him flying away, the whole thing simply ended with his head turning slightly away . Too bad, there was no time to remain surprised, because Jin-Woo''s own fist flew in afterwards . Swish-!! SLAM!! The ant king was smacked right in the middle of its face, and it flew away to crash into the wall on the far side of the cavern . Kaboom! As if a meteor had collided there, the wall caved in deeply . Although it was only for a short while, the impact force was powerful enough to shake the entire ant tunnel . "What kind of an ant talks this much?" *** When the ''live'' broadcast got suddenly cut off, and the static screen showing the message of about the station encountering ''technical difficulty'' appeared on their TV screens, countless viewers were left devastated and stunned by what they saw . "The Hunters . . . . What''s happening to the Hunters??" "What was up with that ant just now?!" "What the hell! How can you cut the broadcast off right there?!" The scenes of an ant monster suddenly appearing without warning, and then, it proceeding to systematically dismantle the Hunters one by one . . . . The viewers celebrating after the death of the ant queen felt like a bucket of cold water was poured down on them by that horrifying scene . Not too long afterwards, the static screen with the ''technical difficulty'' message went away and the emcee appeared there, instead . - "Ah . . . . everyone, this news just came in . " With a sorrowful voice, he relayed the death of Hunter Min Byung-Gu . And he also added that the safety of the Hunters remaining in the ant tunnel couldn''t be guaranteed, either . "God d*mn it!!" "They got the ant queen, so why are they dying now?!" "What about Japan?" "Isn''t it supposed to be a united team or something? Where are the d*mn Japanese?!" Some people raged on, some people worried about their safety, while some others grieved . The news of the Hunters risking their lives potentially meeting with a grisly fate spread out like an uncontrollable wildfire . Weirdly enough, the audience rating actually rose up higher than ever before, even though the raid broadcast had been cut off for a while now . - "Ah!!" The emcee''s expression brightened considerably after receiving an urgent message . - "I just heard the news that an unknown Hunter has appeared on the scene right at this moment! We will immediately recommence with the broadcast right away . " Those words were more than enough to inject much-needed vitality into the fatigued eyes of the viewers staying put in front of their TV screens . Soon, the live feed was restored, and . . . . "What the heck?" "This . . . !!" The viewers were greeted by the black soldiers filling up their TV screens, and they all shot up from their seats . They then saw those black soldiers fighting tooth-and-nail against the waves upon waves of ants flooding into the ant queen''s chamber . The camera moved around to take in the unfolding events, before locking onto a single young man . He was too far away and it was hard to see what he looked like . - "The armoured soldiers are apparently the creatures summoned by that Hunter on your screen . Also, I just heard that most of the Hunters are alive and safe, as well!" The viewers watching on with nervous tension all cried out in elation from that news . And then, they began cheering for that unidentified Hunter . "Yes!! Go and smash them all!!" "You''re doing great!! Push them back!!" "Let''s go!!!" And finally . . . . When that unidentified Hunter summoned an even greater number of soldiers to completely massacre the ants . . . . Woooooaahhhh!!! People punched the sky with their fists and celebrated wildly . Those who had lost their families and friends to the ants and sought revenge shed tears as the cathartic moment played out in their screens . As if he was waiting for the perfect timing, the emcee''s heightened voice came out from the speakers just in the nick of time . - "Ah!! We finally identified the unknown Hunter!" The eyes and ears of every single viewer out there were now turned towards their screens . Just who was that man? Just what was the identity of a man capable of rescuing rank S Hunters from a place crawling with rank S monsters? - "He''s the tenth rank S Hunter of South Korea, Seong Jin-Woo!! He''s a Mage-type Hunter specialising in summoning magic!!" And so, the viewers grew even more cheerful from the fact that a Hunter possessing such an incredible ability was not a Japanese, but a Korean like them . Countless ants were soon taken care of in no time at all . Just as the Hunters were getting ready to escape from the ant tunnel, yet another wave of ants appeared . "Uh?! Uhhh??" "Isn''t that . . . ?" The ant monster that appeared just before the broadcast got cut off the first time was now leisurely walking forward while pushing past the swarm of ants . Since there weren''t that many ants with wings to begin with, and the shape of its face was different from everything else, it wasn''t that hard to tell that monster apart . The viewers were instantly thrown into confusion . "What the hell? I thought that b*stard was already dead?!" "Why is that thing appearing again?!" The winged ant monster stood before Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . Those viewers who understood a bit about the compatibility of different abilities grew deeply anxious when the two stood face to face . "Aigoo! He''s going to get killed here!" "Why would a Mage-type give up on the safety of distance like that??" "It''s not too late, so run away!" That monster was strong enough to blow away Hunter Cha Hae-In, a melee-type Hunter, with a single blow . They thought that it was beyond obvious how things would turn out now . It was already distressing enough to see those two glare at each other in close proximity, but then, the d*mn ant monster suddenly grew larger and larger as well . Every viewer watching their TV screens cried out in shock . And then . . . Pow!! Those with weaker constitutions squeezed their eyes shut at that moment . They thought that the moment the monster''s punch found its target, the Hunter''s head would explode . However, contrary to their expectations, the Hunter was fine . ''Huh??'' ''A Mage withstood a punch strong enough to knock out the Tanker Mah Dong-Wook in one hit?!'' The eyes of the viewers grew wider and wider . And then . . . . SLAM!! The ant monster got shoved deeply into the cave wall . " . . . . . " " . . . . . . . " Most viewers required a little bit of time to process what just transpired . But when the camera zoomed in on the ant king half-buried in the cave wall . . . . . Waaaahhhh!!! Yet another round of loud cheering exploded out . *** "Heok!!" The cameraman''s jaw fell to the floor . When Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was struck by the ant''s fist, he flinched in surprise . Even Cha Hae-In lost her consciousness from that hit . But then, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo blew away the ant monster, instead . The very same monster, that toyed around with six rank S Hunters as if it was nothing . No wonder he''d gasp out a "Heok!" ''Were the rank S Hunters that weak?'' No, of course not . The Korean Hunters bravely fought and managed to defeat the rank S boss, the ant queen . So, the mutated ant monster that made an utter fool out of those Hunters was the weird one . And Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, who blew away that weird mutated ant, was an even weirder one . Gulp . The cameraman suppressed his agitation and swallowed his dry saliva . The reactions of other Hunters weren''t all that different, either . While everyone was staring at Jin-Woo with excited eyes, only Choi Jong-In began looking around in his vicinity . And he could see mountains of ant corpses . He initially thought that those were the result of the Hunters working together while he was out cold . But now, having witnessed Jin-Woo''s power, his thoughts had changed . ''Can it . . . Could it be . . . . Mister Seong Jin-Woo alone was responsible for . . . . ?'' After taking a rough count of the dead ants, Choi Jong-In''s eyes began trembling non-stop . Kiiieeehhhhk!! A beastly screech exploding out without warning caused his head to snap back . The ant king extricated itself out of the wall and displayed its rage . The air within the ant queen''s chamber was quivering noticeably . ''Ho-oh?'' Jin-Woo stared at the ant king with a genuine surprise . The damage he dealt was far less than he thought . ''Is it because . . . of the exoskeleton?'' The black, tough shell covering the entirety of that b*stard ¨C whatever that thing was, it had already exceeded being a normal organic matter . In that case, he''d use brute force to shatter that shell . The thing that could break one''s armour wasn''t a sword or a spear . No, it was a hammer . Jin-Woo''s shoulder and arm muscles expanded, thick veins bulging visibly on his skin . The air grew thicker and heavier as it descended all around him . The ant king stopped screeching and shifted its horrifyingly crumpled expression towards Jin-Woo . "You dare!!" As the two of them walked closer, the distance between them shortened faster and faster . Soon, Jin-Woo and the ant king stood right before each other again . And then, without a hint of hesitation or mercy, they began exchanging countless attacks, each thumping hit carrying all their might . Slam!! Kaboom!! BOOM!! The Hunters watching from the sideline were all stupefied into silence . The shock wave from the collision of magic energy whenever Jin-Woo and the ant king exchanged blows rocked the ant tunnel itself . It was so severe that these top-ranked Hunters, renowned for their mastery over wielding their magic energy, felt their innards tumble . "Woo-wuoop . . . " "Are you alright?" "I, I''m fine . " The cameraman was only a rank A, but he still tried his best to suppress the contents of his stomach from rising up . He was even experiencing vertigo, too . ''Woo-wook . . . . '' Even then ¨C even as his complexion paled greatly, he could still maintain his smile all because . . . . Slam! Slam!! Slam!!! ''How can a lone Hunter do that against such a monster . . . . ?'' ¡­ . Because, he saw a ray of hope . Kwa-boooooom!! Hunter Seong Jin-Woo might be getting wounded from that exchange, but the outer shell of the ant king was definitely being broken as well . < Chapter 120 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 120: Chapter 120 . "All communications with Goto and his team have been cut off?!". The Association President Matsumoto Shigeo''s complexion became ashen . The Association employee next to him presented a receiver and asked politely "Would you like to hear the last communication, sir?". Matsumoto Shigeo snatched the receiver away from the employee''s hand and put it on his head, before nodding once Soon, the recorded sound clip began playing - "An ant You seem to possess a pretty strong aura . ". - "You are . the king?". - "That''s right . I''m the king . ". - "Goto-san!!!". - "Uwaaahk?! Uwaaahk!!". - "Keok!!". - "Euh, euhhh ". - "You, you!! What, what the hell are youuu?!". Beep "That''s where the communication ends, sir . ". Matsumoto''s face, as he took off the receiver, was as hard as a rock . The creepy noises and the horrible screech the monster made in between the chatter ¨C he couldn''t picture any other situation where those sounds would come out of ''An ant monster using a human language? And Goto Ryuji was killed by that thing?!''. Such an eventuality was not within his calculations . He and his compatriots had definitely planned everything out, and made preparations for every eventuality, so why . The ends of Matsumoto Shigeo''s fingers trembled almost imperceptibly " Sir?". Only after he realised that the gazes of his employees were focused on his trembling fingertips did Matsumoto Shigeo carefully hide his hands . He quickly changed the topic "Where is the monster that No, where is the talking monster, right now?". He couldn''t bring himself to say the words ''the monster that killed Goto Ryuji'' "It''s disappeared, sir . ". "What do you mean, disappeared??". It was a creature capable of killing Goto Ryuji . So, how could the satellite equipped with the magic energy detection camera keeping a close eye on Jeju Island not pick up on such a powerful monster?. The employee seemed to have figured out what his boss was about to say, and he pointed at the monitor once more "That spot of light is the magic energy emitted from the monster at that moment . ". The magic energy detection camera displayed the emitted magic energy as spots of lights . The bigger the spot of light appearing on the monitor, the more powerful the existence was Once spots of lights belonging to Goto Ryuji and the Hunters around him disappeared, the larger, brighter light vanished quickly, as well "Oh, my god ". Matsumoto Shigeo spat out a shocked gasp . The unknown enemy was in perfect control of its magical energy ''That was why Because it was such a monster, that ''. That was why the research team failed to notice the creature before It was, without a doubt, a perfect failure . And as a punishment, Japan just lost ten of her elite Hunters . Among them, the best Hunter in the country . For a result of a single oversight, it was very, very painful price to pay . Even worse, the price most likely hadn''t been fully paid yet, either ''When that nonsensical monstrosity crosses the ocean and enters the country ''. Even though Matsumoto Shigeo tried to shake them off, the horrifying images continued to fill up his head . It was then "We found it! The b*stard has reappeared again!". Matsumoto Shigeo''s eyes shot open wider "Where is the creature?". "It''s inside the ant queen''s chamber, sir . ". " ". Only the ants returning to the ant tunnel, as well as the Korean Hunters facing off against them, remained in that place . They must be fighting with everything they had, but unfortunately, their opponent this time easily exceeded everyone''s imaginations ''In the end, even the Koreans will be finished for good . ''. That''s what he believed, but then, Matsumoto Shigeo''s brows shot up instantly ''¡­ ???''. There was another spot of light that suddenly appeared right next to that horrifying monster "W-what''s the meaning of this?!". Matsumoto Shigeo gasped out in sheer astonishment and quickly looked at his employees . One of the employees, affiliated with the research team, urgently shook his head "It, it''s also our first time seeing this, sir . ". That spot of light was as big and bright as the monster''s . No, maybe it was even bigger than that What was even more astonishing was the fact that there were hundreds of smaller light spots swirling around that large one Even the head researcher of Japan''s research team, who had been analysing the spy images for many years now, had never seen such a phenomenon before ''Ah !''. Seeing the mesmerising sight of the sea of lights repeatedly separating into tiny pieces before gathering back together, all those present couldn''t help but gasp out in admiration However, Matsumoto Shigeo didn''t have the time to leisurely stew in his emotions right now "The Korean team! They must be broadcasting the raid even now, aren''t they??". If the Korean team was still strutting around like that, that could also mean that the broadcast was still ongoing . Matsumoto Shigeo was beset with curiosity and wanted urgently to find out just what was going on here "The Korean team''s broadcast!! Bring that up to the main monitor!!". When he shouted out, the super-large screen in the middle of the Japanese mission control centre was immediately filled with the image of a certain young man having a stare-down with an ant monster After seeing that man''s face, Matsumoto Shigeo nervously swallowed his saliva . The lone strand of sweat trickled down his temple and pooled on the bottom of his chin ''That man That man is the source of that massive light spot??''. And then, the giant ant monster standing in front of that man . That thing was at least over 1 . 5 times larger than regular ant monsters . They were only looking at the thing through the monitor, yet the sheer pressure emanating from that thing managed to quicken their heartbeats ''¡­ ''. Matsumoto Shigeo''s expression hardened even further It was then The ant monster made its move ***. The ant king''s fist powerfully slammed into Jin-Woo''s face SLAM!!. Jin-Woo''s back nearly bent backwards, but he stomped down and withstood the hit ''¡­ . !!''. The ant king had struck with all of its might behind that punch, so it couldn''t help but get taken by surprise "You can . withstand my power?". The ant king struck out with a simple plan to kill this puny human in one hit, but instead of sending him flying away, the whole thing simply ended with his head turning slightly away Too bad, there was no time to remain surprised, because Jin-Woo''s own fist flew in afterwards Swish-!!. SLAM!!. The ant king was smacked right in the middle of its face, and it flew away to crash into the wall on the far side of the cavern Kaboom!. As if a meteor had collided there, the wall caved in deeply . Although it was only for a short while, the impact force was powerful enough to shake the entire ant tunnel "What kind of an ant talks this much?". ***. When the ''live'' broadcast got suddenly cut off, and the static screen showing the message of about the station encountering ''technical difficulty'' appeared on their TV screens, countless viewers were left devastated and stunned by what they saw "The Hunters What''s happening to the Hunters??". "What was up with that ant just now?!". "What the hell! How can you cut the broadcast off right there?!". The scenes of an ant monster suddenly appearing without warning, and then, it proceeding to systematically dismantle the Hunters one by one . The viewers celebrating after the death of the ant queen felt like a bucket of cold water was poured down on them by that horrifying scene . Not too long afterwards, the static screen with the ''technical difficulty'' message went away and the emcee appeared there, instead - "Ah everyone, this news just came in . ". With a sorrowful voice, he relayed the death of Hunter Min Byung-Gu . And he also added that the safety of the Hunters remaining in the ant tunnel couldn''t be guaranteed, either "God d*mn it!!". "They got the ant queen, so why are they dying now?!". "What about Japan?". "Isn''t it supposed to be a united team or something? Where are the d*mn Japanese?!". Some people raged on, some people worried about their safety, while some others grieved The news of the Hunters risking their lives potentially meeting with a grisly fate spread out like an uncontrollable wildfire . Weirdly enough, the audience rating actually rose up higher than ever before, even though the raid broadcast had been cut off for a while now - "Ah!!". The emcee''s expression brightened considerably after receiving an urgent message - "I just heard the news that an unknown Hunter has appeared on the scene right at this moment! We will immediately recommence with the broadcast right away . ". Those words were more than enough to inject much-needed vitality into the fatigued eyes of the viewers staying put in front of their TV screens Soon, the live feed was restored, and . "What the heck?". "This . !!". The viewers were greeted by the black soldiers filling up their TV screens, and they all shot up from their seats They then saw those black soldiers fighting tooth-and-nail against the waves upon waves of ants flooding into the ant queen''s chamber . The camera moved around to take in the unfolding events, before locking onto a single young man He was too far away and it was hard to see what he looked like - "The armoured soldiers are apparently the creatures summoned by that Hunter on your screen . Also, I just heard that most of the Hunters are alive and safe, as well!". The viewers watching on with nervous tension all cried out in elation from that news . And then, they began cheering for that unidentified Hunter "Yes!! Go and smash them all!!". "You''re doing great!! Push them back!!". "Let''s go!!!". And finally . When that unidentified Hunter summoned an even greater number of soldiers to completely massacre the ants . Woooooaahhhh!!!. People punched the sky with their fists and celebrated wildly Those who had lost their families and friends to the ants and sought revenge shed tears as the cathartic moment played out in their screens . As if he was waiting for the perfect timing, the emcee''s heightened voice came out from the speakers just in the nick of time - "Ah!! We finally identified the unknown Hunter!". The eyes and ears of every single viewer out there were now turned towards their screens Just who was that man?. Just what was the identity of a man capable of rescuing rank S Hunters from a place crawling with rank S monsters?. - "He''s the tenth rank S Hunter of South Korea, Seong Jin-Woo!! He''s a Mage-type Hunter specialising in summoning magic!!". And so, the viewers grew even more cheerful from the fact that a Hunter possessing such an incredible ability was not a Japanese, but a Korean like them Countless ants were soon taken care of in no time at all Just as the Hunters were getting ready to escape from the ant tunnel, yet another wave of ants appeared "Uh?! Uhhh??". "Isn''t that . ?". The ant monster that appeared just before the broadcast got cut off the first time was now leisurely walking forward while pushing past the swarm of ants . Since there weren''t that many ants with wings to begin with, and the shape of its face was different from everything else, it wasn''t that hard to tell that monster apart The viewers were instantly thrown into confusion "What the hell? I thought that b*stard was already dead?!". "Why is that thing appearing again?!". The winged ant monster stood before Hunter Seong Jin-Woo Those viewers who understood a bit about the compatibility of different abilities grew deeply anxious when the two stood face to face "Aigoo! He''s going to get killed here!". "Why would a Mage-type give up on the safety of distance like that??". "It''s not too late, so run away!". That monster was strong enough to blow away Hunter Cha Hae-In, a melee-type Hunter, with a single blow . They thought that it was beyond obvious how things would turn out now It was already distressing enough to see those two glare at each other in close proximity, but then, the d*mn ant monster suddenly grew larger and larger as well Every viewer watching their TV screens cried out in shock And then Pow!!. Those with weaker constitutions squeezed their eyes shut at that moment . They thought that the moment the monster''s punch found its target, the Hunter''s head would explode However, contrary to their expectations, the Hunter was fine ''Huh??''. ''A Mage withstood a punch strong enough to knock out the Tanker Mah Dong-Wook in one hit?!''. The eyes of the viewers grew wider and wider And then . SLAM!!. The ant monster got shoved deeply into the cave wall " . ". " . ". Most viewers required a little bit of time to process what just transpired But when the camera zoomed in on the ant king half-buried in the cave wall Waaaahhhh!!!. Yet another round of loud cheering exploded out ***. "Heok!!". The cameraman''s jaw fell to the floor When Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was struck by the ant''s fist, he flinched in surprise . Even Cha Hae-In lost her consciousness from that hit But then, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo blew away the ant monster, instead . The very same monster, that toyed around with six rank S Hunters as if it was nothing . No wonder he''d gasp out a "Heok!". ''Were the rank S Hunters that weak?''. No, of course not The Korean Hunters bravely fought and managed to defeat the rank S boss, the ant queen So, the mutated ant monster that made an utter fool out of those Hunters was the weird one . And Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, who blew away that weird mutated ant, was an even weirder one Gulp The cameraman suppressed his agitation and swallowed his dry saliva The reactions of other Hunters weren''t all that different, either While everyone was staring at Jin-Woo with excited eyes, only Choi Jong-In began looking around in his vicinity . And he could see mountains of ant corpses . He initially thought that those were the result of the Hunters working together while he was out cold . But now, having witnessed Jin-Woo''s power, his thoughts had changed ''Can it . Could it be Mister Seong Jin-Woo alone was responsible for ?''. After taking a rough count of the dead ants, Choi Jong-In''s eyes began trembling non-stop Kiiieeehhhhk!!. A beastly screech exploding out without warning caused his head to snap back The ant king extricated itself out of the wall and displayed its rage . The air within the ant queen''s chamber was quivering noticeably ''Ho-oh?''. Jin-Woo stared at the ant king with a genuine surprise . The damage he dealt was far less than he thought ''Is it because . of the exoskeleton?''. The black, tough shell covering the entirety of that b*stard ¨C whatever that thing was, it had already exceeded being a normal organic matter In that case, he''d use brute force to shatter that shell . The thing that could break one''s armour wasn''t a sword or a spear . No, it was a hammer Jin-Woo''s shoulder and arm muscles expanded, thick veins bulging visibly on his skin . The air grew thicker and heavier as it descended all around him The ant king stopped screeching and shifted its horrifyingly crumpled expression towards Jin-Woo "You dare!!". As the two of them walked closer, the distance between them shortened faster and faster . Soon, Jin-Woo and the ant king stood right before each other again . And then, without a hint of hesitation or mercy, they began exchanging countless attacks, each thumping hit carrying all their might Slam!!. Kaboom!!. BOOM!!. The Hunters watching from the sideline were all stupefied into silence The shock wave from the collision of magic energy whenever Jin-Woo and the ant king exchanged blows rocked the ant tunnel itself . It was so severe that these top-ranked Hunters, renowned for their mastery over wielding their magic energy, felt their innards tumble "Woo-wuoop . ". "Are you alright?". "I, I''m fine . ". The cameraman was only a rank A, but he still tried his best to suppress the contents of his stomach from rising up . He was even experiencing vertigo, too ''Woo-wook ''. Even then ¨C even as his complexion paled greatly, he could still maintain his smile all because . Slam! Slam!! Slam!!!. ''How can a lone Hunter do that against such a monster ?''. ¡­ . Because, he saw a ray of hope Kwa-boooooom!!. Hunter Seong Jin-Woo might be getting wounded from that exchange, but the outer shell of the ant king was definitely being broken as well < Chapter 120 > Fin Chapter 121 The ant king quickly sensed the ''changes'' taking place on the body that it felt so proud of . Crack . Crack . . . . Its outer skin, most likely tougher and hardier than any known metal on this planet, began developing cracks all over the place . On the other hand, the enemy was easily withstanding the ant king''s attacks . ''It can''t be . '' An impossible hypothesis quickly entered the ant king''s head . ''I . . . I''m losing out on physical strength?!'' Not only that, to a human less than half its size? But, right at that moment . . . . CRACK . It realised that the fresh wound on its waist from that powerful hit felt ''wrong'' . Even the sound coming from there was not too good to hear . The exoskeleton lacked pain receptors, so the ant king had to divert its attention for the briefest of moments to confirm the status of its shell down there . Sneak . The result was rather shocking to behold . ''¡­ . It''s cracked open!'' The small crack that was no more than just a nick had spread out to everywhere and was growing larger and larger . It was the same thing as a warning sign, telling the creature that there wasn''t a lot of time left . The ant king quickly turned its head around . However, even if it was only for a brief moment, Jin-Woo wasn''t some amateur who''d miss this golden opportunity . Ka-boom!! The king''s face spun to its side . ''¡­ . . ??'' The ant king staggered unsteadily for a second or two from the ridiculous impact force that ignored the ant king''s forged steel-like shell on its face . It managed to regain its balance before it took a step back, but by then, the follow-up punch was already closing in from below . KWAHNG!! The ant king''s chin shot upwards . ''How dare a human, who''s inferior than a bug . . . !!'' While its head still pointing up at the ceiling, the ant king shot a glare full of murderous rage down below . The power this human possessed ¨C it was indeed great . However, unlike this human, who only had his physical strength to fall back on, the ant king possessed a variety of other powerful means at its disposal . Such as . . . . The ant king''s head snapped back down, and at the same time, it fired a poison needle out of its mouth . A tip coated in deadly poison attached to the tongue-like tentacle shot out like a bullet . It was an unavoidable attack aimed at the enemy''s face in this point-blank range . Swish-! The human deftly tilted his head out of the way to dodge the needle, but a smile still crept up on the face of the ant king as the result of its attack became clear . The needle still managed to scratch the human''s cheek and left a small wound there . ''It''s done!'' That alone was more than enough . Once, the ant king devoured a sea snail and somewhat coincidentally, absorbed a skill called ''Paralysis Poison'' . One of the most fatal poisons secreted by the known lifeforms in this world had been transformed into an even more deadly substance within the ant king''s body after it became a concentrated mix that contained the magical energy of the host creature . It was indeed the worst poison imaginable, evolved forcibly by the skill, ''Gluttony'' . ''You''ve really given me so much trouble, you human b*stard . '' Even the slightest scratch would result in complete paralysis in one''s nervous system within seconds; the victims would lose all sensations in their bodies and lose control of themselves . The only thing remaining would be to systematically destroy the resistance-less enemy . "¡­ . ?" As if the poison was doing its thing, the human formed a flustered expression . "This is the power of the true king!" The ant king smiled widely and smacked the human''s face . However . . . . Kwahng!! The human raised his left hand and blocked it . ''¡­ . . ??'' The question of how he was still able to move lasted only for a second . Ka-booooom!! The human''s right fist flew in from the other side and struck the ant king so hard that the monster was shoved down to the ground rather unceremoniously . "Kiiiehk!!" For the first time ever, a pained yelp shot out from the king''s mouth . *** Tti-ring . Jin-Woo confirmed the System message popping up in his view as that familiar mechanical beep rang out . [Detoxification has been completed . ] ''I was wondering why it was celebrating all alone, but huh, is this why?'' Maybe that was the case because, for some reason, he could sense that the ant king showed much more panic when he moved without a problem just now . What a mystifying thing this was . He wasn''t talking about the all-powerful Buff getting rid of the poison, no, but the fact that he could actually sense the insect-like monster''s emotions . Before he had realised it, he could sense what other monsters were feeling about . ''Wait, was it from around the time I fought those High Orcs?'' Back then, he thought that he was able to decipher what those creatures were feeling by looking at their facial expressions and their gestures . However, that ant monster wasn''t even what you''d classify as a humanoid creature . Indeed, that thing had no other facial expressions other than crumpling it in anger . ''Is this because of my Perception?'' Just as his Stat values had all increased by so much lately, his Perception Stat also had increased by a lot, too . It was possible that some other unknown, hidden abilities to his Stats were unlocked when they went past a certain threshold . However . . . . ''¡­ . Now isn''t the time to think about that, is it?'' Indeed, his priority lay with killing this thing and getting out of this place . Jin-Woo sprinted towards the ant king trying to push itself off from the ground . ''¡­ . . !!'' He could definitely feel the ant king''s nervousness on his skin now . His continued pounding resulted in the creature''s exoskeleton almost being cracked open . Just a little bit more now! He thought like so and closed the distance in the blink of an eye, before jumping up slightly in the air . And then, he kicked down . Kwa-boom!! However, the ant king had already vanished from the spot . Only the poor ground caved in from the impact . "Where did it go?!" "It disappeared??" While the other Hunters hurriedly searched for the ant king, Jin-Woo calmly looked above him . The monster was flying in the air using its wings . ''Well, I guess this is convenient . '' Jin-Woo smirked to himself . What with him being able to sense the monster''s fluctuating emotions, searching for its presence had become a step easier now . The emotion of confusion felt had changed to fear, before it changed once more to happiness . The ant king had changed its strategy now . ''If that human''s speciality is his strength, then there''s no need to face him head-on . '' The ant king''s true weapon was its speed . Even that foolish human who lied and said he was the king of humans, couldn''t even react to the ant king''s movements and lost his neck . From the onset, the reason why the creature wanted to use physical strength to suppress the human was a type of desire to show off its kingly powers . But, right now, the ant king had decided to throw away that selfish reasoning and focus all of its being in this battle from now on . Shushushuk . . . . The enlarged body reverted back to its original size, while the claws in its hands grew even longer and sharper, like well-honed blades . ''Its claws . . . . '' Jin-Woo studied the changes taking place in the ant king and realised that the creature would change how it attacked from here onwards . Shururuk . . . . Two shortswords he summoned from the Inventory landed in Jin-Woo''s hands . Swiiiish-!! The airborne ant king shot down towards Jin-Woo . Its speed was incomparable to only a minute ago . ''¡­ . . !!'' Jin-Woo focused his senses . Time slowed down, and every single movement the monster made entered his vision . In all honesty, Jin-Woo felt most confident when it came down to the contest of speed . He easily deflected the ant king''s claw slashing down from above with his shortsword . The follow-up attacks from the ant king landing on the ground, as well as from Jin-Woo spinning around, clashed violently . Clang!! Claaaang!! Clang!! As they exchanged offence and defence countless times, the ant king was now completely beset with unbridled shock . ''How can this be?!'' The enemy was actually matching its speed . No, it wasn''t only that ¨C as the seconds ticked by, his movement speed was actually picking up as if his muscles had finally loosened up sufficiently enough . ''How . . . How can such a . . . . '' The ant king had been pushed back during the contest of raw strength, and now it was also being gradually pushed back in the contest of speed, too . One step, another step . . . . As the number of retreating steps taken increased, so did the wounds appearing on the exoskeleton . The greater the monster''s retreating distance became, the more confident Jin-Woo grew . ''I can finish this . '' The mental shock this monster, this so-called ant king felt right now, it was being transmitted in full to Jin-Woo . Right now, that monster was greatly shaken up . Compared to the Demon King Baran, this monster''s strength, speed, and abilities fell some ways behind . No, maybe, it was on the same level as the dead Demon King, or even exceeded it in some regards . Unfortunately, the current Jin-Woo wasn''t the same as the Jin-Woo of back then . Indeed, he had stepped up into a far higher realm with the rewards he had received after completing the Demon''s Castle dungeon . ''Here''s the fruit of all my labours . '' Jin-Woo got to fully experience just how much his Stats had grown through this particular opponent . Along with the satisfaction derived from knowing that his Stats had been greatly enhanced now, even more stirring emotions welled up from deep inside his chest . When the ant king took another step back, Jin-Woo took two steps forward . And then . . . ''Vital Spot Targetting!'' Jin-Woo''s skill stabbed straight into the ant king''s torso . The ''Vital Points Targetting'' was a skill that inflicted additional damage if he had managed to stab the enemy''s weak spots . With the monster''s exoskeleton broken in several places, it was not an exaggeration to say that the creature''s entire body was now the so-called weak spot . Pa-ba-bak!! Dozens of ''Vital Points Targetting'' landed on the hapless monster . [''Skill: Vital Points Targetting'' will now be upgraded to the ultimate version, ''Skill: Violent Slash'' . ] ''¡­ . Violent Slash?'' Having unlocked a new skill, Jin-Woo promptly used it . It was then, his shortswords immediately sought out all of the ant king''s openings and, literally in the blink of an eye, slashed out dozens of times . Tadadadadada!! "Kiiiieeeehhckkk?!" The ant king screamed out . As the creature writhed around in pain, Jin-Woo swung his shortsword once more and sliced off its arm . Slice . The monster''s long, black-coloured arm fell to the ground with a dull thud . "Kiiehhk!" By now, the ant king lost all semblance of pride or desire for revenge, and hurriedly fled to the air . Its instinctive desire to survive overruled everything . Unfortunately for it, Jin-Woo didn''t allow for one moment of respite . Sensing the approach of another being, the ant king took a look behind . ''A human . . . is flying?!'' Jin-Woo flung himself up using the ''Ruler''s Reach'' skill and proceeded to cut off one of the ant king''s wings . Plop! The ant king crash-landed in an unsightly manner . During that short time of its fall, the ant king constantly thought about a way to escape from this incredibly dangerous predicament, even though confusion and fear threatened to paralyse it . ''I, I need to come up with something to overwhelm the enemy!'' Physical strength, speed, and even its hidden trump card, ''poison'' all failed to work . It couldn''t come up with anything . Did it not possess anything that was better than what that human possessed? Just before the despair set in, the ant king finally arrived at the right answer . It recalled the one thing that it held an advantage in over the enemy . And that would be . . . . the headcount . There was only one enemy . But the ant king possessed thousands of soldiers . Indeed, didn''t it have brave warriors waiting for its orders by the entrance of the chamber right this moment? The ant king staggered back to its feet, before pointing at Jin-Woo with its one remaining arm . "Kiiiieeeehhhkk-!!" As if they were waiting for that rage-filled screech, the waves upon waves of ants began flooding into the chamber . ''Take this, human!!'' "Kiiieeehhk!!" The king continued to screech out . It was to restore its crushed pride, and also to rouse the fighting spirit of its countless soldiers, as well . And so, as it confidently glared at the impudent human . . . . " . . . ?" From that side, a black ''wave'' was rushing out now . ''Go!'' Jin-Woo issued an order to his Shadow Soldiers . The ''Sovereign''s Territory'' he had activated prior to the battle was still active . The Shadow Soldiers, enhanced a step further by this skill, marched towards the ants at a frightening speed . Dududududu . . . . !! The loud footsteps reverberated throughout the ant tunnel . ''And then . . . . You come out, too . '' Finally, Jin-Woo summoned Fangs out, as well . As if it was feeling sheepish for being summoned all alone, Fangs looked around himself and scratched the back of his head . Jin-Woo handed over the Bead of Avarice and warned him in no uncertain terms . "Aim only at the ants . Only at them . If even a single lick of flames land on the humans sitting over there, I will never summon you out ever again . " Fangs enthusiastically nodded his head as if he was confident of doing exactly that . Soon, Fangs grew super-large with the ''Song of the Giant'' and spewed out that enormous pillar of flames . Kuwaaaaaaahhhh-!!! Although he had seen that plenty enough times by now, Jin-Woo couldn''t help but feel impressed by the sight regardless . ''It''s kinda like his flame pillar is getting bigger every day, isn''t it?'' Was it because his level was also rising up? Only Jin-Woo could come up with such a reaction since he had seen this spectacle before, but well, other people were thinking of entirely different things . The Hunters hiding in the far corner holding their breaths while witnessing the battle between Jin-Woo and the ant king could only gasp out in pure astonishment at the emergence of this new ''monster'' . A rather severe reaction also came out from their midst, too . "T-that is his summoned creature?! What?! That''s a summon?!" Im Tae-Gyu pointed at Fangs and raised his voice . As for the other Hunters, no one could respond to him as their jaws were still resting on the ground at that moment . However, everyone was thinking of roughly the same thing . How could that thing be classified as a mere summon?? From the way it looked, or the powers it possessed, that thing no longer looked like a simple summoned creature, but a demon king that had descended to this earth . Whatever the case may have been, that totally nonsensical pillar of flames roasted the swarm of ants like there was no tomorrow . The ant king began shuddering once more . ''These . . . These are that human''s soldiers . . . . ??'' Less than one minute later, hundreds of the ant king''s soldiers were evaporated into ash and dust . It wasn''t some metaphor, either . The ant monsters coming into contact with that strange pillar of flames really did evaporate where they stood . For the first time ever . . . . The ant king felt true terror towards another being for the first time in its life . It also sensed an unscalable wall . The ant king finally learned that there was an enemy that couldn''t be overcome, regardless of what power it tried to use . This was a complete defeat, in every sense of the word . But, how could such a thing be . . . ? ''I was born to fight against the strong humans, so why . . . . '' That was its sole calling . It hurried with its growth for that purpose . It even absorbed human''s powers in order to facilitate that goal . But to think, it still couldn''t win against this one human . . . . The ant king began shivering and turned around to run . It just had to run away far, far away from this human . At least in this very moment, the thoughts of its glorious kingdom and its soldiers had completely disappeared from the ant king''s head . Using the healing skill taken from one of the dead humans, the ant king quickly regenerated its lost wing and took to the air again . ''Even if it''s only a little bit further away . . . . . '' But, it happened then . Khu-woong! Out of the blue, a powerful force pushed it down and planted the ant king flat on the ground . "Kiiieeehk!!" It spat out a mouthful of bodily fluid . Having utilised the skill ''Ruler''s Reach'' like a flyswatter, Jin-Woo quickly walked over to where the downed ant king was . ''I can''t let this guy escape, obviously . '' It was a strong monster . He wanted to turn it into his Shadow Soldier no matter what . But, in order to do that . . . . ''Killing it comes first . '' After discovering Jin-Woo approaching it, the look of sheer terror filled up on the face of the ant king, so much so that the creature looked almost pitiful to the onlookers . "Kii, kiieeehck!!" In the end, the ant king began crawling on the ground to get away from him . That arrogant, dignified appearance it displayed back when it proceeded to toy around with the Korean Hunters ¨C it was now long, long gone . "Now you look like a proper insect . " Jin-Woo closed in quickly, took aim at the back of the ant king, and activated his skill, ''Vital Points Targetting'' ¨C no, ''Violent Slash'' . That brought up the message window . Tti-ring! [You have killed your enemy . ] [Level up!] [Level up!] ''Niiice!'' Jin-Woo clenched his fist . But his celebrations lasted only for a short while . "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!" He quickly turned around after Baek Yun-Ho called out to him, and found the latter''s complexion to be extremely poor . Jin-Woo quickly ran over to him . Other Hunters rejoicing at the defeat of the ant king stopped and shifted their gazes over to Baek Yun-Ho, as well . Meanwhile, Baek Yun-Ho continued to speak to Jin-Woo . "Hunter Cha Hae-In is . . . . " Just as his unfinished sentence implied, Cha Hae-In''s vitality had declined so much that it was hard to even sense it now . The situation had deteriorated even further than before . Jin-Woo''s expression quickly hardened . Time had almost run out . Even if he rode on Kaisel, just when would he arrive in his destination and just how long would he take to find a Healer to heal her? ''I need another way . . . . '' After some brief pondering, Jin-Woo came up with a method to save Cha Hae-In . He finished checking her complexion and stood back up . He then turned towards the cameraman . "Can you switch off the camera for a minute or two?" < Chapter 121 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 121: Chapter 121 . The ant king quickly sensed the ''changes'' taking place on the body that it felt so proud of Crack Crack . Its outer skin, most likely tougher and hardier than any known metal on this planet, began developing cracks all over the place . On the other hand, the enemy was easily withstanding the ant king''s attacks ''It can''t be . ''. An impossible hypothesis quickly entered the ant king''s head ''I . I''m losing out on physical strength?!''. Not only that, to a human less than half its size?. But, right at that moment . CRACK It realised that the fresh wound on its waist from that powerful hit felt ''wrong'' . Even the sound coming from there was not too good to hear The exoskeleton lacked pain receptors, so the ant king had to divert its attention for the briefest of moments to confirm the status of its shell down there Sneak The result was rather shocking to behold ''¡­ . It''s cracked open!''. The small crack that was no more than just a nick had spread out to everywhere and was growing larger and larger . It was the same thing as a warning sign, telling the creature that there wasn''t a lot of time left The ant king quickly turned its head around . However, even if it was only for a brief moment, Jin-Woo wasn''t some amateur who''d miss this golden opportunity Ka-boom!!. The king''s face spun to its side ''¡­ ??''. The ant king staggered unsteadily for a second or two from the ridiculous impact force that ignored the ant king''s forged steel-like shell on its face It managed to regain its balance before it took a step back, but by then, the follow-up punch was already closing in from below KWAHNG!!. The ant king''s chin shot upwards ''How dare a human, who''s inferior than a bug . !!''. While its head still pointing up at the ceiling, the ant king shot a glare full of murderous rage down below The power this human possessed ¨C it was indeed great . However, unlike this human, who only had his physical strength to fall back on, the ant king possessed a variety of other powerful means at its disposal Such as . The ant king''s head snapped back down, and at the same time, it fired a poison needle out of its mouth . A tip coated in deadly poison attached to the tongue-like tentacle shot out like a bullet It was an unavoidable attack aimed at the enemy''s face in this point-blank range Swish-!. The human deftly tilted his head out of the way to dodge the needle, but a smile still crept up on the face of the ant king as the result of its attack became clear . The needle still managed to scratch the human''s cheek and left a small wound there ''It''s done!''. That alone was more than enough Once, the ant king devoured a sea snail and somewhat coincidentally, absorbed a skill called ''Paralysis Poison'' One of the most fatal poisons secreted by the known lifeforms in this world had been transformed into an even more deadly substance within the ant king''s body after it became a concentrated mix that contained the magical energy of the host creature It was indeed the worst poison imaginable, evolved forcibly by the skill, ''Gluttony'' ''You''ve really given me so much trouble, you human b*stard . ''. Even the slightest scratch would result in complete paralysis in one''s nervous system within seconds; the victims would lose all sensations in their bodies and lose control of themselves The only thing remaining would be to systematically destroy the resistance-less enemy "¡­ . ?". As if the poison was doing its thing, the human formed a flustered expression "This is the power of the true king!". The ant king smiled widely and smacked the human''s face . However . Kwahng!!. The human raised his left hand and blocked it ''¡­ ??''. The question of how he was still able to move lasted only for a second Ka-booooom!!. The human''s right fist flew in from the other side and struck the ant king so hard that the monster was shoved down to the ground rather unceremoniously "Kiiiehk!!". For the first time ever, a pained yelp shot out from the king''s mouth ***. Tti-ring Jin-Woo confirmed the System message popping up in his view as that familiar mechanical beep rang out [Detoxification has been completed . ]. ''I was wondering why it was celebrating all alone, but huh, is this why?''. Maybe that was the case because, for some reason, he could sense that the ant king showed much more panic when he moved without a problem just now What a mystifying thing this was He wasn''t talking about the all-powerful Buff getting rid of the poison, no, but the fact that he could actually sense the insect-like monster''s emotions Before he had realised it, he could sense what other monsters were feeling about ''Wait, was it from around the time I fought those High Orcs?''. Back then, he thought that he was able to decipher what those creatures were feeling by looking at their facial expressions and their gestures . However, that ant monster wasn''t even what you''d classify as a humanoid creature Indeed, that thing had no other facial expressions other than crumpling it in anger ''Is this because of my Perception?''. Just as his Stat values had all increased by so much lately, his Perception Stat also had increased by a lot, too . It was possible that some other unknown, hidden abilities to his Stats were unlocked when they went past a certain threshold However . ''¡­ . Now isn''t the time to think about that, is it?''. Indeed, his priority lay with killing this thing and getting out of this place . Jin-Woo sprinted towards the ant king trying to push itself off from the ground ''¡­ !!''. He could definitely feel the ant king''s nervousness on his skin now . His continued pounding resulted in the creature''s exoskeleton almost being cracked open . Just a little bit more now!. He thought like so and closed the distance in the blink of an eye, before jumping up slightly in the air . And then, he kicked down Kwa-boom!!. However, the ant king had already vanished from the spot . Only the poor ground caved in from the impact "Where did it go?!". "It disappeared??". While the other Hunters hurriedly searched for the ant king, Jin-Woo calmly looked above him . The monster was flying in the air using its wings ''Well, I guess this is convenient . ''. Jin-Woo smirked to himself What with him being able to sense the monster''s fluctuating emotions, searching for its presence had become a step easier now . The emotion of confusion felt had changed to fear, before it changed once more to happiness The ant king had changed its strategy now ''If that human''s speciality is his strength, then there''s no need to face him head-on . ''. The ant king''s true weapon was its speed . Even that foolish human who lied and said he was the king of humans, couldn''t even react to the ant king''s movements and lost his neck From the onset, the reason why the creature wanted to use physical strength to suppress the human was a type of desire to show off its kingly powers But, right now, the ant king had decided to throw away that selfish reasoning and focus all of its being in this battle from now on Shushushuk . The enlarged body reverted back to its original size, while the claws in its hands grew even longer and sharper, like well-honed blades ''Its claws ''. Jin-Woo studied the changes taking place in the ant king and realised that the creature would change how it attacked from here onwards Shururuk . Two shortswords he summoned from the Inventory landed in Jin-Woo''s hands Swiiiish-!!. The airborne ant king shot down towards Jin-Woo . Its speed was incomparable to only a minute ago ''¡­ !!''. Jin-Woo focused his senses Time slowed down, and every single movement the monster made entered his vision . In all honesty, Jin-Woo felt most confident when it came down to the contest of speed . He easily deflected the ant king''s claw slashing down from above with his shortsword The follow-up attacks from the ant king landing on the ground, as well as from Jin-Woo spinning around, clashed violently Clang!! Claaaang!! Clang!!. As they exchanged offence and defence countless times, the ant king was now completely beset with unbridled shock ''How can this be?!''. The enemy was actually matching its speed . No, it wasn''t only that ¨C as the seconds ticked by, his movement speed was actually picking up as if his muscles had finally loosened up sufficiently enough ''How . How can such a ''. The ant king had been pushed back during the contest of raw strength, and now it was also being gradually pushed back in the contest of speed, too One step, another step . As the number of retreating steps taken increased, so did the wounds appearing on the exoskeleton . The greater the monster''s retreating distance became, the more confident Jin-Woo grew ''I can finish this . ''. The mental shock this monster, this so-called ant king felt right now, it was being transmitted in full to Jin-Woo . Right now, that monster was greatly shaken up Compared to the Demon King Baran, this monster''s strength, speed, and abilities fell some ways behind . No, maybe, it was on the same level as the dead Demon King, or even exceeded it in some regards Unfortunately, the current Jin-Woo wasn''t the same as the Jin-Woo of back then Indeed, he had stepped up into a far higher realm with the rewards he had received after completing the Demon''s Castle dungeon ''Here''s the fruit of all my labours . ''. Jin-Woo got to fully experience just how much his Stats had grown through this particular opponent . Along with the satisfaction derived from knowing that his Stats had been greatly enhanced now, even more stirring emotions welled up from deep inside his chest When the ant king took another step back, Jin-Woo took two steps forward . And then ''Vital Spot Targetting!''. Jin-Woo''s skill stabbed straight into the ant king''s torso The ''Vital Points Targetting'' was a skill that inflicted additional damage if he had managed to stab the enemy''s weak spots . With the monster''s exoskeleton broken in several places, it was not an exaggeration to say that the creature''s entire body was now the so-called weak spot Pa-ba-bak!!. Dozens of ''Vital Points Targetting'' landed on the hapless monster [''Skill: Vital Points Targetting'' will now be upgraded to the ultimate version, ''Skill: Violent Slash'' . ]. ''¡­ . Violent Slash?''. Having unlocked a new skill, Jin-Woo promptly used it It was then, his shortswords immediately sought out all of the ant king''s openings and, literally in the blink of an eye, slashed out dozens of times Tadadadadada!!. "Kiiiieeeehhckkk?!". The ant king screamed out As the creature writhed around in pain, Jin-Woo swung his shortsword once more and sliced off its arm Slice The monster''s long, black-coloured arm fell to the ground with a dull thud "Kiiehhk!". By now, the ant king lost all semblance of pride or desire for revenge, and hurriedly fled to the air . Its instinctive desire to survive overruled everything . Unfortunately for it, Jin-Woo didn''t allow for one moment of respite Sensing the approach of another being, the ant king took a look behind ''A human . is flying?!''. Jin-Woo flung himself up using the ''Ruler''s Reach'' skill and proceeded to cut off one of the ant king''s wings Plop!. The ant king crash-landed in an unsightly manner . During that short time of its fall, the ant king constantly thought about a way to escape from this incredibly dangerous predicament, even though confusion and fear threatened to paralyse it ''I, I need to come up with something to overwhelm the enemy!''. Physical strength, speed, and even its hidden trump card, ''poison'' all failed to work . It couldn''t come up with anything Did it not possess anything that was better than what that human possessed?. Just before the despair set in, the ant king finally arrived at the right answer . It recalled the one thing that it held an advantage in over the enemy And that would be the headcount There was only one enemy . But the ant king possessed thousands of soldiers . Indeed, didn''t it have brave warriors waiting for its orders by the entrance of the chamber right this moment?. The ant king staggered back to its feet, before pointing at Jin-Woo with its one remaining arm "Kiiiieeeehhhkk-!!". As if they were waiting for that rage-filled screech, the waves upon waves of ants began flooding into the chamber ''Take this, human!!''. "Kiiieeehhk!!". The king continued to screech out . It was to restore its crushed pride, and also to rouse the fighting spirit of its countless soldiers, as well . And so, as it confidently glared at the impudent human . " . ?". From that side, a black ''wave'' was rushing out now ''Go!''. Jin-Woo issued an order to his Shadow Soldiers The ''Sovereign''s Territory'' he had activated prior to the battle was still active . The Shadow Soldiers, enhanced a step further by this skill, marched towards the ants at a frightening speed Dududududu !!. The loud footsteps reverberated throughout the ant tunnel ''And then You come out, too . ''. Finally, Jin-Woo summoned Fangs out, as well As if it was feeling sheepish for being summoned all alone, Fangs looked around himself and scratched the back of his head . Jin-Woo handed over the Bead of Avarice and warned him in no uncertain terms "Aim only at the ants . Only at them . If even a single lick of flames land on the humans sitting over there, I will never summon you out ever again . ". Fangs enthusiastically nodded his head as if he was confident of doing exactly that Soon, Fangs grew super-large with the ''Song of the Giant'' and spewed out that enormous pillar of flames Kuwaaaaaaahhhh-!!!. Although he had seen that plenty enough times by now, Jin-Woo couldn''t help but feel impressed by the sight regardless ''It''s kinda like his flame pillar is getting bigger every day, isn''t it?''. Was it because his level was also rising up?. Only Jin-Woo could come up with such a reaction since he had seen this spectacle before, but well, other people were thinking of entirely different things The Hunters hiding in the far corner holding their breaths while witnessing the battle between Jin-Woo and the ant king could only gasp out in pure astonishment at the emergence of this new ''monster'' A rather severe reaction also came out from their midst, too "T-that is his summoned creature?! What?! That''s a summon?!". Im Tae-Gyu pointed at Fangs and raised his voice As for the other Hunters, no one could respond to him as their jaws were still resting on the ground at that moment . However, everyone was thinking of roughly the same thing How could that thing be classified as a mere summon??. From the way it looked, or the powers it possessed, that thing no longer looked like a simple summoned creature, but a demon king that had descended to this earth Whatever the case may have been, that totally nonsensical pillar of flames roasted the swarm of ants like there was no tomorrow The ant king began shuddering once more ''These . These are that human''s soldiers ??''. Less than one minute later, hundreds of the ant king''s soldiers were evaporated into ash and dust . It wasn''t some metaphor, either . The ant monsters coming into contact with that strange pillar of flames really did evaporate where they stood For the first time ever . The ant king felt true terror towards another being for the first time in its life It also sensed an unscalable wall . The ant king finally learned that there was an enemy that couldn''t be overcome, regardless of what power it tried to use This was a complete defeat, in every sense of the word But, how could such a thing be . ?. ''I was born to fight against the strong humans, so why ''. That was its sole calling . It hurried with its growth for that purpose . It even absorbed human''s powers in order to facilitate that goal But to think, it still couldn''t win against this one human . The ant king began shivering and turned around to run . It just had to run away far, far away from this human . At least in this very moment, the thoughts of its glorious kingdom and its soldiers had completely disappeared from the ant king''s head Using the healing skill taken from one of the dead humans, the ant king quickly regenerated its lost wing and took to the air again ''Even if it''s only a little bit further away . ''. But, it happened then Khu-woong!. Out of the blue, a powerful force pushed it down and planted the ant king flat on the ground "Kiiieeehk!!". It spat out a mouthful of bodily fluid Having utilised the skill ''Ruler''s Reach'' like a flyswatter, Jin-Woo quickly walked over to where the downed ant king was ''I can''t let this guy escape, obviously . ''. It was a strong monster . He wanted to turn it into his Shadow Soldier no matter what . But, in order to do that . ''Killing it comes first . ''. After discovering Jin-Woo approaching it, the look of sheer terror filled up on the face of the ant king, so much so that the creature looked almost pitiful to the onlookers "Kii, kiieeehck!!". In the end, the ant king began crawling on the ground to get away from him . That arrogant, dignified appearance it displayed back when it proceeded to toy around with the Korean Hunters ¨C it was now long, long gone "Now you look like a proper insect . ". Jin-Woo closed in quickly, took aim at the back of the ant king, and activated his skill, ''Vital Points Targetting'' ¨C no, ''Violent Slash'' That brought up the message window Tti-ring!. [You have killed your enemy . ]. [Level up!]. [Level up!]. ''Niiice!''. Jin-Woo clenched his fist . But his celebrations lasted only for a short while "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!". He quickly turned around after Baek Yun-Ho called out to him, and found the latter''s complexion to be extremely poor . Jin-Woo quickly ran over to him Other Hunters rejoicing at the defeat of the ant king stopped and shifted their gazes over to Baek Yun-Ho, as well Meanwhile, Baek Yun-Ho continued to speak to Jin-Woo "Hunter Cha Hae-In is ". Just as his unfinished sentence implied, Cha Hae-In''s vitality had declined so much that it was hard to even sense it now . The situation had deteriorated even further than before Jin-Woo''s expression quickly hardened Time had almost run out Even if he rode on Kaisel, just when would he arrive in his destination and just how long would he take to find a Healer to heal her?. ''I need another way ''. After some brief pondering, Jin-Woo came up with a method to save Cha Hae-In He finished checking her complexion and stood back up . He then turned towards the cameraman "Can you switch off the camera for a minute or two?". < Chapter 121 > Fin Chapter 122 "Excuse me? The camera?" "Yes . " The cameraman looked at Jin-Woo with a flustered expression . But, Jin-Woo''s face was solemn, deeply serious, and unmoving . "But, why the camera, all of a sudden . . . ?" Jin-Woo remained silent at the flustered cameraman''s question . " . . . . " The cameraman couldn''t come to a decision here . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was indeed his saviour . He''d gladly heed that man''s request, especially when he was also saving the lives of others here, too . ''However, to ask me to switch the camera off . . . . '' It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that every South Korean citizen must be watching this broadcast, right now . As a broadcaster, he found it hard to press the ''off'' button on his camera under the current situation . When he began hesitating like that, Jin-Woo chose to not waste any more time, and spoke up . "If you don''t, I''ll just break it . " Hearing Jin-Woo''s icy tone of voice, the cameraman flinched grandly . If Hunter Seong Jin-Woo decided to break the camera, then would the combined efforts of the Hunters present here even be enough to stop him? The ''why'' no longer mattered as he was left with no choice in the matter anymore . "I-I understand . Hold on . " The cameraman removed the head-mounted camera and switched the device off . After confirming the ''power'' light of the camera was gone, Jin-Woo took Cha Hae-In back from Baek Yun-Ho . ''I didn''t want to scare the cameraman, but . . . . '' It couldn''t be helped if he wanted to save Cha Hae-In . While holding her, Jin-Woo quickly scanned his vicinity . He then took a couple of deep breaths and closed his eyes . ''What is he trying to do now?'' The attention of the Hunters were all gathered on him now . Soon, he opened his eyes . Finding the location of what he was searching for, Jin-Woo suddenly turned around and headed deeper into the ant tunnel . His steps were brisk, but he never broke into a full-blown sprint in consideration of Cha Hae-In''s current condition . Others dazedly stared at his back, before quickly recovering their wits to run after him . Finally, Jin-Woo came to a stop and cautiously put Cha Hae-In down . He then began removing the pile of ant corpses from around her . "Heok!!" Discovering something rather unexpected, the cameraman was the first one to gasp out in surprise . "Mm . . . . " Other Hunters also let a stunned gasp to leak out from their mouths . Because, the cold, headless body of Min Byung-Gu was there . It was a gruesome sight to behold, where there was literally nothing above his neck area . Only then did they venture to guess why Hunter Seong Jin-Woo demanded for the camera to be cut off . No one out there would want to witness that horrible scene, after all . "Keuk . " The closest person to Min Byung-Gu out of everyone present here, Baek Yun-Ho, squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away . But then . . . ''Wait a minute . . . '' He suddenly thought of something . ''How did Hunter Seong Jin-Woo find where Byung-Gu was among all these dead monsters?'' The answer arrived soon enough in his mind . Without the aid of a special skill, such a thing wouldn''t have been possible . The magic energy emission coming from humans and monsters were minutely different, but Jin-Woo was able to differentiate between the two and managed to locate Min Byung-Gu''s corpse before the emission from him completely dissipated . If true, then that could only be described as an astonishing sensory perception . Such a task would be impossible even for Baek Yun-Ho''s ''Eyes of the Beast'', which was supposed to be a specialised trait meant for that kind of job . After his thoughts reached up to this point, Baek Yun-Ho shifted his head back in the direction of Jin-Woo . Even at the risk of the final appearance of Byung-Gu being deeply etched in his nightmares, Baek Yun-Ho wanted to witness with his own two eyes just what would happen next . ''Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . . . . Just what are you trying to do?'' Cold sweat drops formed on his forehead as he alternated his gaze between Jin-Woo, Min Byung-Gu, and Cha Hae-In . In the meantime, Jin-Woo took a closer look at the status of Min Byung-Gu . The black smokes were rising up from the corpse . Meaning, it was possible to perform the ''Shadow Extraction'' on it . And, sure enough . . . . Tti-ring . [It is possible to perform Shadow Extraction on the selected target . ] The familiar mechanical beep and the System''s message informed him in such a ''friendly'' way that what he wanted to do was, well, doable . Of course, Jin-Woo was cognisant of the fact that Hunter Min Byung-Gu could be turned into a Shadow Soldier the moment he heard of the latter meeting an unfortunate fate . Only that he didn''t feel like doing it . To turn a blameless guy into an undead and use him as a soldier . . . . Even if the corpse belonged to a rank S Hunter, he''d still reject the idea outright . That was not something a human being should do . However . . . Jin-Woo stared at Cha Hae-In''s gradually paling face . ''¡­ . This is the best way . '' What if, in a situation where every second counted, he could entrust the gravely injured to the best Healer in South Korea? What was there to even think about here? If the decision was left up to Min Byung-Gu himself, he''d have made the same call 100 times out of 100 . Jin-Woo formed a solemn expression and issued an order to the shadow . "Rise up . " However, the end result was different from what he expected . Tti-ring! [The Shadow Extraction has failed . ] Confusion and anxiety began entering Jin-Woo''s expression . Was this because the skill level was too low compared to the target''s Stat values? Or, was it because he wasn''t really feeling it with this particular Shadow Extraction? Jin-Woo quickly shook off all distracting thoughts . And then, spoke up once more, his voice now containing his will . "Rise up . " The desirable changes took place, then . Uaaaaahhhh---! A low, heavy sound that could be described as either a victorious roar or a scream resounded out from the distant somewhere, and an eerie wind suddenly swept past everyone . The eyes of the Hunters were shot open in shock as the creeping chill crawled down their spines . "Oh, my god!!" "That, isn''t that . . . ?!" From Min Byung-Gu''s shadow, a black hand rose up . As if it didn''t want to go back inside the shadow again, the black hand powerfully grabbed the ground . And then, it began pulling itself out from the darkness . ''How, how can this be?!'' Baek Yun-Ho felt as if his heart would explode from what he was seeing right now . Other people might not see it, but his eyes clearly captured everything . Min Byung-Gu''s magic energy rising up from his shadow was slowly solidifying into the shape of a person . More specifically, a soldier decked out in jet-black armour . And soon, the so-called ''summoned'' creature finally revealed itself . " . . . . " The Hunters were rendered utterly speechless and dazedly stared at the new summoned creature of Jin-Woo . And from this creature, they could sense the kind of magical energy that could only be felt from a top-ranked Hunter . ''No, wait a minute . . . ?'' The quick-witted Choi Jong-In flinched grandly in realisation as his brows shot up . As everyone watched with bated breaths, Jin-Woo''s calm eyes were studying the shadow of Min Byung-Gu . When their gazes met, the new Shadow Soldier nodded his head . The moment a shadow was transformed into one of his soldiers, it would immediately form a mental link with Jin-Woo . They would know what their sovereign wanted from them . Without needing any further orders, Min Byung-Gu''s shadow knelt down and began casting healing magic on Cha Hae-In . Wuuoonngg . . . As soon as the warm rays of light escaped from the Shadow Soldier''s hands, Cha Hae-In''s pale complexion began recovering gradually . This was the top level healing magic at work . ''I knew it!!'' Choi Jung-Hoon was properly freaking out now . He was completely sure of his guesses, now that he had seen those lights heal Cha Hae-In . The identity of that black ''soldier'' was none other than Min Byung-Gu! By then, other Hunters were also beginning to realise what was going on here . Mah Dong-Wook hadn''t been able to shut his slack jaw from the moment that black hand rose up from Min Byung-Gu''s shadow, but now, he was able to collect himself enough to finally express his astonishment . "Instructor Seong, you . . . weren''t an ordinary Summoner, I see . " Jin-Woo neither agreed or denied it . However, just what kind of people were they, to begin with? Every single one of them was an excellent Hunter who each represented the largest Guilds in South Korea . They didn''t need to hear a confirmation to understand the gist of it . "By any chance . . . Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, you can utilise the powers of the deceased?" Choi Jong-In asked with a nervous tension writ large on his face . Jin-Woo simply nodded his head, once . Now that he found himself here, there was no more reason to hide his powers, nor did he want to mask it with lies, either . ''Well, it''s not like these folks will fall for some random lies I cook up on the spot, anyway . '' Actually, he felt as if a load was taken off his shoulders now that he had revealed his powers to someone else . Other people might fear it, but to Jin-Woo, he''d feel eternally grateful towards this power for helping him get to where he was . He was proud of the power of the Shadow Sovereign . Seeing that confident look on Jin-Woo''s face, other Hunters began to fear the extent of his powers . ''He can summon creatures using the powers of the deceased??'' ''Wouldn''t he become stronger and stronger as the battle becomes fiercer? What a scary ability this is . . . . '' ''I don''t even know what to say anymore . '' To these Hunters, having bore witness to Jin-Woo''s ability today, this revelation left different types of impressions . However, Baek Yun-Ho was privy to one more piece of secret info that others didn''t know . ''Not only can his own powers continue to grow stronger, but he can also even control his vanquished enemies as his own summoned creatures . Wouldn''t that mean . . . . . '' Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s current level of power had already reached an unfathomable degree . But when Baek Yun-Ho thought about the kind of strength the youth would possess in the future, his entire body began shuddering uncontrollably . Suddenly, the cameraman spoke up as if he remembered something just then . "Ah! Then the reason why you requested the camera to be turned off was because . . . . " This power was capable of making the nation''s top Hunters scared . Anyone could''ve easily guessed the reason why Jin-Woo didn''t want to reveal such a power to the rest of the country . It was around then that Min Byung-Gu''s shadow stood back up . The treatment process must''ve been finished, because there was a hint of crimson colour gently glowing on Hunter Cha Hae-In''s face . ''Whew-woo . . . . '' After confirming her status, Jin-Woo sighed out in relief . Although she was still unconscious, her breathing and her heartbeat had returned to normal . As a matter of fact, her wounds were completely healed now . Jin-Woo patted the shoulder of Min Byung-Gu''s shadow . That was the gesture of appreciation for the job well done . ''¡­ . . . '' Jin-Woo guessed what kind of person Min Byung-Gu must''ve been when he was still alive, from the gentle eyes of the Shadow Soldier looking back at him . Jin-Woo slowly took his hand away from the shoulder, and then . . . ''Extraction cancellation . '' With a slight smile on his lips, he let the shadow return to the abyss . No matter what, he didn''t possess the right to lord over this man as one of his soldiers, when Min Byung-Gu even sacrificed his life to fight against the monster threats . Indeed, he thought that such an act was not fitting for a fallen hero . '' . . . Let''s get out of here . '' Putting aside the slight regret in his heart, Jin-Woo picked up Cha Hae-In from the ground . After losing their two leaders ¨C the queen and the king ¨C the ant monsters scattered and fled to the ends of the island in order to hide from the Shadow Soldiers . The ant tunnel, once filled to the brim with ants, was now completely empty . Jin-Woo took several steps forward before looking behind him to speak to other Hunters . "Let''s get going . " Their bodies and physical fatigue might have been recovered to some extent from the potions they ingested, but their mental fatigue had almost reached a breaking point by now . So, when they heard his suggestion, the expressions of the Hunters brightened up considerably . It was now finally over . Their smile-filled faces perfectly expressed their current emotions . After they safely got out from the ant tunnel, they found a helicopter hovering in the air, having arrived in their location just now with an exquisite sense of timing . "There they are! Hunters are coming out!" "Yes!! Well done!" The helicopter carefully descended and landed on the ground after its occupants discovered the exact location of the Hunters . The tired Hunters entered the vehicle one by one until only two people remained . They were Jin-Woo and Baek Yun-Ho . Jin-Woo was standing closer to the helicopter . He carefully handed Cha Hae-In over to Baek Yun-Ho . "What are you doing, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?" "I still have some unfinished business to take care of on this island . " Hearing that, Baek Yun-Ho could only smirk softly . There were still plenty of ant monsters that had escaped death roaming around on the Jeju Island . If some other people said that they wanted to remain here, then Baek Yun-Ho would''ve questioned their sanity, but the man in front of his eyes was definitely not included in that group . To fight monsters, you needed a monster . Baek Yun-Ho thought that he wouldn''t get surprised anymore regardless of what Jin-Woo was planning to do on this island . "Excuse me . " Before leaving the island, Baek Yun-Ho threw out one last question . "Byung-Gu . . . . No, wait . What will happen to the summoned creature that came out from Byung-Gu? Will he . . . stay as your soldier and continue to fight on?" Jin-Woo shook his head . "I''ve cancelled the summoning . It won''t be possible to see him again . " Baek Yun-Ho nodded his head and formed a content smile . "That''s a relief . " "Pardon?" "That guy, he . . . really hated fighting, you know? I''m sure that he''s thanking you right now, wherever he is . " And so, the six warriors and one cameraman who had bravely fought on finally left the island of Jeju . Their fight was over . However, it was merely another beginning for Jin-Woo . ''I need only one more level up to hit 100 . '' He''d get there no problem, considering the number of remaining monsters on this island . And besides, there were plenty of shadows waiting to be extracted back inside the ant tunnel, as well . So, then ¨C should he get started now? ''First of all, I should take care of the ants that had run away . . . . '' Jin-Woo formed a deep smile and summoned Kaisel out . *** Inside the Japanese Hunter''s Association . The Association President Matsumoto Shigeo switched the giant TV screen off, his expression one of deep sorrow and defeat . A monster strong enough to instantly annihilate ten of the best Hunters from Japan, was killed off by a single Hunter from South Korea . ''How come, why, what is . . . . ?'' Matsumoto Shigeo''s trembling hands began tearing at what little hair remained on the side of his head . A completely illogical event had unfolded in front of his eyes just now . Thanks to that, Japan''s total combat potential had declined by over half, and even his position as the Association President was under threat now . If the Koreans also failed, then he might have tried to come up with some vague excuses to gloss over this whole thing, and then ask the international community for their help, but . . . . Not only had the Koreans managed to kill the ant queen, they even escaped safely from the clutches of the thousands of ant monsters as well as that mutated freak of an ant, too . Seong Jin-Woo . That one Hunter was responsible for smashing everything apart . ''Seong Jin-Woo . . . Seong Jin-Woo . . . . . '' Inexplicably, the contents of the phone call he shared with Goto Ryuji while the latter was still in Korea played back in his mind . ["In South Korea . . . . There''s an incredible Hunter in South Korea . "] ["More than you?"] ["More than likely, sir . "] [" . . . . . "] ["I think there''s a need to modify our plan a little bit, sir . "] If only . If only he paid attention to what Goto Ryuji was saying back then . Wasn''t he the most knowledgeable person when it came to understanding the differences of strength in Hunters? For the first time ever, such a man had assessed a Korean Hunter as "incredible", yet why did he . . . . . ''Why was I so arrogant . . . . ?'' If they had completely analysed the capabilities of Seong Jin-Woo beforehand, they might have cooperated with the Koreans in good faith, and resolved everything without a single problem . No, wait . Even if the Japanese didn''t do anything, the Koreans might have stepped forward themselves to take care of the problem, instead . But then, he ended up digging his own grave just because he resorted to underhanded schemes . "A-Association President? Sir?" Seeing how wane his face had become, the Association employee next to him began asking in a worried voice . However, Matsumoto Shigeo didn''t bother to raise his head and simply waved his hand to dismiss the employee . The employee bowed his head and left the office as if he was running away . Matsumoto Shigeo''s expression crumpled unsightly . ''There can only be one way out of this for me . '' And that would be to raise the Japanese Association back on its feet, and make it stronger than ever before . In order to do so, he needed just one man . ''Seong Jin-Woo . . . . '' No matter what, he must reel that man in . With Goto Ryuji dying in vain like that, there was only one way to revitalise the Japanese Hunter''s Association . The entirety of Korea''s citizens would have witnessed live the grand feats of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo so it would not be easy, but well, there was already precedence of a top Hunter abandoning South Korea, which meant there was still hope . ''What should I do to reel Hunter Seong Jin-Woo over to this side?'' Matsumoto Shigeo''s brain, momentarily frozen from despair, began spinning rapidly again . *** The Eastern United States . Ringgg . . . . Ringgg . . . . Ringgg . . . . The phone rang endlessly off the hook . Unable to endure that racket any longer, David Brennan angrily snatched at the receiver . ''Which insane motherf*cker is calling me at this time of the night?!'' He was the director of the most powerful organisation in the States, the Hunter Bureau . Promising himself to find the son of a b*tch regardless of the method or cost and throw him in a jail cell if this turned out to be a prank call, he answered the call in a testy voice . Click . "Who is this?" - "Director, it''s me . " "Deputy . . . . ?" David Brennan''s sleep flew away the moment he heard that familiar voice and he raised his torso up . "It''s already pretty late . What''s the matter?" - "There''s a video you must see . Right now . " "A video . . . ?" When he checked his mobile phone, there were seven missed calls as well as a video file . It seemed that he missed them all because he had muted the phone before going to bed . "I understand . I''ll give you a call after watching the clip . " - "No need, director . " " . . . . . What do you mean by that?" - "I''m already in front of your house, sir . " "What?" David Brennan jumped up from the bed and took a look at the alarm sitting on the bedside bureau . It said ''04:12 AM'' . He discarded the phone on the bed and ran towards the bedroom window to take a look, and indeed, the deputy director was waiting for him outside the front of the house with his car parked right there . Once their gazes met, the deputy director nodded his greeting . David Brennan stared back somewhat dumbfounded, his head tilting to the side, before turning around . ''What''s going on?'' Sensing that something big must''ve happened, he picked his phone up, the video clip still waiting to be played on the device . < Chapter 122 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 122: Chapter 122 . "Excuse me? The camera?". "Yes . ". The cameraman looked at Jin-Woo with a flustered expression . But, Jin-Woo''s face was solemn, deeply serious, and unmoving "But, why the camera, all of a sudden . ?". Jin-Woo remained silent at the flustered cameraman''s question " ". The cameraman couldn''t come to a decision here . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was indeed his saviour . He''d gladly heed that man''s request, especially when he was also saving the lives of others here, too ''However, to ask me to switch the camera off ''. It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that every South Korean citizen must be watching this broadcast, right now . As a broadcaster, he found it hard to press the ''off'' button on his camera under the current situation When he began hesitating like that, Jin-Woo chose to not waste any more time, and spoke up "If you don''t, I''ll just break it . ". Hearing Jin-Woo''s icy tone of voice, the cameraman flinched grandly . If Hunter Seong Jin-Woo decided to break the camera, then would the combined efforts of the Hunters present here even be enough to stop him?. The ''why'' no longer mattered as he was left with no choice in the matter anymore "I-I understand . Hold on . ". The cameraman removed the head-mounted camera and switched the device off . After confirming the ''power'' light of the camera was gone, Jin-Woo took Cha Hae-In back from Baek Yun-Ho ''I didn''t want to scare the cameraman, but ''. It couldn''t be helped if he wanted to save Cha Hae-In While holding her, Jin-Woo quickly scanned his vicinity . He then took a couple of deep breaths and closed his eyes ''What is he trying to do now?''. The attention of the Hunters were all gathered on him now . Soon, he opened his eyes . Finding the location of what he was searching for, Jin-Woo suddenly turned around and headed deeper into the ant tunnel His steps were brisk, but he never broke into a full-blown sprint in consideration of Cha Hae-In''s current condition . Others dazedly stared at his back, before quickly recovering their wits to run after him Finally, Jin-Woo came to a stop and cautiously put Cha Hae-In down . He then began removing the pile of ant corpses from around her "Heok!!". Discovering something rather unexpected, the cameraman was the first one to gasp out in surprise "Mm ". Other Hunters also let a stunned gasp to leak out from their mouths . Because, the cold, headless body of Min Byung-Gu was there . It was a gruesome sight to behold, where there was literally nothing above his neck area Only then did they venture to guess why Hunter Seong Jin-Woo demanded for the camera to be cut off . No one out there would want to witness that horrible scene, after all "Keuk . ". The closest person to Min Byung-Gu out of everyone present here, Baek Yun-Ho, squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away . But then ''Wait a minute . ''. He suddenly thought of something ''How did Hunter Seong Jin-Woo find where Byung-Gu was among all these dead monsters?''. The answer arrived soon enough in his mind Without the aid of a special skill, such a thing wouldn''t have been possible . The magic energy emission coming from humans and monsters were minutely different, but Jin-Woo was able to differentiate between the two and managed to locate Min Byung-Gu''s corpse before the emission from him completely dissipated If true, then that could only be described as an astonishing sensory perception . Such a task would be impossible even for Baek Yun-Ho''s ''Eyes of the Beast'', which was supposed to be a specialised trait meant for that kind of job After his thoughts reached up to this point, Baek Yun-Ho shifted his head back in the direction of Jin-Woo . Even at the risk of the final appearance of Byung-Gu being deeply etched in his nightmares, Baek Yun-Ho wanted to witness with his own two eyes just what would happen next ''Hunter Seong Jin-Woo Just what are you trying to do?''. Cold sweat drops formed on his forehead as he alternated his gaze between Jin-Woo, Min Byung-Gu, and Cha Hae-In In the meantime, Jin-Woo took a closer look at the status of Min Byung-Gu . The black smokes were rising up from the corpse . Meaning, it was possible to perform the ''Shadow Extraction'' on it And, sure enough . Tti-ring [It is possible to perform Shadow Extraction on the selected target . ]. The familiar mechanical beep and the System''s message informed him in such a ''friendly'' way that what he wanted to do was, well, doable Of course, Jin-Woo was cognisant of the fact that Hunter Min Byung-Gu could be turned into a Shadow Soldier the moment he heard of the latter meeting an unfortunate fate Only that he didn''t feel like doing it To turn a blameless guy into an undead and use him as a soldier Even if the corpse belonged to a rank S Hunter, he''d still reject the idea outright . That was not something a human being should do . However Jin-Woo stared at Cha Hae-In''s gradually paling face ''¡­ . This is the best way . ''. What if, in a situation where every second counted, he could entrust the gravely injured to the best Healer in South Korea? What was there to even think about here?. If the decision was left up to Min Byung-Gu himself, he''d have made the same call 100 times out of 100 . Jin-Woo formed a solemn expression and issued an order to the shadow "Rise up . ". However, the end result was different from what he expected Tti-ring!. [The Shadow Extraction has failed . ]. Confusion and anxiety began entering Jin-Woo''s expression Was this because the skill level was too low compared to the target''s Stat values? Or, was it because he wasn''t really feeling it with this particular Shadow Extraction?. Jin-Woo quickly shook off all distracting thoughts . And then, spoke up once more, his voice now containing his will "Rise up . ". The desirable changes took place, then Uaaaaahhhh---!. A low, heavy sound that could be described as either a victorious roar or a scream resounded out from the distant somewhere, and an eerie wind suddenly swept past everyone . The eyes of the Hunters were shot open in shock as the creeping chill crawled down their spines "Oh, my god!!". "That, isn''t that . ?!". From Min Byung-Gu''s shadow, a black hand rose up . As if it didn''t want to go back inside the shadow again, the black hand powerfully grabbed the ground . And then, it began pulling itself out from the darkness ''How, how can this be?!''. Baek Yun-Ho felt as if his heart would explode from what he was seeing right now . Other people might not see it, but his eyes clearly captured everything Min Byung-Gu''s magic energy rising up from his shadow was slowly solidifying into the shape of a person . More specifically, a soldier decked out in jet-black armour And soon, the so-called ''summoned'' creature finally revealed itself " ". The Hunters were rendered utterly speechless and dazedly stared at the new summoned creature of Jin-Woo . And from this creature, they could sense the kind of magical energy that could only be felt from a top-ranked Hunter ''No, wait a minute . ?''. The quick-witted Choi Jong-In flinched grandly in realisation as his brows shot up As everyone watched with bated breaths, Jin-Woo''s calm eyes were studying the shadow of Min Byung-Gu . When their gazes met, the new Shadow Soldier nodded his head The moment a shadow was transformed into one of his soldiers, it would immediately form a mental link with Jin-Woo . They would know what their sovereign wanted from them . Without needing any further orders, Min Byung-Gu''s shadow knelt down and began casting healing magic on Cha Hae-In Wuuoonngg As soon as the warm rays of light escaped from the Shadow Soldier''s hands, Cha Hae-In''s pale complexion began recovering gradually . This was the top level healing magic at work ''I knew it!!''. Choi Jung-Hoon was properly freaking out now . He was completely sure of his guesses, now that he had seen those lights heal Cha Hae-In . The identity of that black ''soldier'' was none other than Min Byung-Gu!. By then, other Hunters were also beginning to realise what was going on here Mah Dong-Wook hadn''t been able to shut his slack jaw from the moment that black hand rose up from Min Byung-Gu''s shadow, but now, he was able to collect himself enough to finally express his astonishment "Instructor Seong, you . weren''t an ordinary Summoner, I see . ". Jin-Woo neither agreed or denied it However, just what kind of people were they, to begin with? Every single one of them was an excellent Hunter who each represented the largest Guilds in South Korea . They didn''t need to hear a confirmation to understand the gist of it "By any chance . Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, you can utilise the powers of the deceased?". Choi Jong-In asked with a nervous tension writ large on his face Jin-Woo simply nodded his head, once . Now that he found himself here, there was no more reason to hide his powers, nor did he want to mask it with lies, either ''Well, it''s not like these folks will fall for some random lies I cook up on the spot, anyway . ''. Actually, he felt as if a load was taken off his shoulders now that he had revealed his powers to someone else Other people might fear it, but to Jin-Woo, he''d feel eternally grateful towards this power for helping him get to where he was . He was proud of the power of the Shadow Sovereign Seeing that confident look on Jin-Woo''s face, other Hunters began to fear the extent of his powers ''He can summon creatures using the powers of the deceased??''. ''Wouldn''t he become stronger and stronger as the battle becomes fiercer? What a scary ability this is ''. ''I don''t even know what to say anymore . ''. To these Hunters, having bore witness to Jin-Woo''s ability today, this revelation left different types of impressions However, Baek Yun-Ho was privy to one more piece of secret info that others didn''t know ''Not only can his own powers continue to grow stronger, but he can also even control his vanquished enemies as his own summoned creatures . Wouldn''t that mean . ''. Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s current level of power had already reached an unfathomable degree . But when Baek Yun-Ho thought about the kind of strength the youth would possess in the future, his entire body began shuddering uncontrollably Suddenly, the cameraman spoke up as if he remembered something just then "Ah! Then the reason why you requested the camera to be turned off was because ". This power was capable of making the nation''s top Hunters scared . Anyone could''ve easily guessed the reason why Jin-Woo didn''t want to reveal such a power to the rest of the country It was around then that Min Byung-Gu''s shadow stood back up . The treatment process must''ve been finished, because there was a hint of crimson colour gently glowing on Hunter Cha Hae-In''s face ''Whew-woo ''. After confirming her status, Jin-Woo sighed out in relief . Although she was still unconscious, her breathing and her heartbeat had returned to normal . As a matter of fact, her wounds were completely healed now Jin-Woo patted the shoulder of Min Byung-Gu''s shadow . That was the gesture of appreciation for the job well done ''¡­ . ''. Jin-Woo guessed what kind of person Min Byung-Gu must''ve been when he was still alive, from the gentle eyes of the Shadow Soldier looking back at him Jin-Woo slowly took his hand away from the shoulder, and then ''Extraction cancellation . ''. With a slight smile on his lips, he let the shadow return to the abyss No matter what, he didn''t possess the right to lord over this man as one of his soldiers, when Min Byung-Gu even sacrificed his life to fight against the monster threats . Indeed, he thought that such an act was not fitting for a fallen hero '' . Let''s get out of here . ''. Putting aside the slight regret in his heart, Jin-Woo picked up Cha Hae-In from the ground After losing their two leaders ¨C the queen and the king ¨C the ant monsters scattered and fled to the ends of the island in order to hide from the Shadow Soldiers . The ant tunnel, once filled to the brim with ants, was now completely empty Jin-Woo took several steps forward before looking behind him to speak to other Hunters "Let''s get going . ". Their bodies and physical fatigue might have been recovered to some extent from the potions they ingested, but their mental fatigue had almost reached a breaking point by now . So, when they heard his suggestion, the expressions of the Hunters brightened up considerably It was now finally over Their smile-filled faces perfectly expressed their current emotions After they safely got out from the ant tunnel, they found a helicopter hovering in the air, having arrived in their location just now with an exquisite sense of timing "There they are! Hunters are coming out!". "Yes!! Well done!". The helicopter carefully descended and landed on the ground after its occupants discovered the exact location of the Hunters . The tired Hunters entered the vehicle one by one until only two people remained They were Jin-Woo and Baek Yun-Ho Jin-Woo was standing closer to the helicopter . He carefully handed Cha Hae-In over to Baek Yun-Ho "What are you doing, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?". "I still have some unfinished business to take care of on this island . ". Hearing that, Baek Yun-Ho could only smirk softly There were still plenty of ant monsters that had escaped death roaming around on the Jeju Island . If some other people said that they wanted to remain here, then Baek Yun-Ho would''ve questioned their sanity, but the man in front of his eyes was definitely not included in that group To fight monsters, you needed a monster Baek Yun-Ho thought that he wouldn''t get surprised anymore regardless of what Jin-Woo was planning to do on this island "Excuse me . ". Before leaving the island, Baek Yun-Ho threw out one last question "Byung-Gu No, wait . What will happen to the summoned creature that came out from Byung-Gu? Will he . stay as your soldier and continue to fight on?". Jin-Woo shook his head "I''ve cancelled the summoning . It won''t be possible to see him again . ". Baek Yun-Ho nodded his head and formed a content smile "That''s a relief . ". "Pardon?". "That guy, he . really hated fighting, you know? I''m sure that he''s thanking you right now, wherever he is . ". And so, the six warriors and one cameraman who had bravely fought on finally left the island of Jeju Their fight was over . However, it was merely another beginning for Jin-Woo ''I need only one more level up to hit 100 . ''. He''d get there no problem, considering the number of remaining monsters on this island . And besides, there were plenty of shadows waiting to be extracted back inside the ant tunnel, as well So, then ¨C should he get started now?. ''First of all, I should take care of the ants that had run away ''. Jin-Woo formed a deep smile and summoned Kaisel out ***. Inside the Japanese Hunter''s Association The Association President Matsumoto Shigeo switched the giant TV screen off, his expression one of deep sorrow and defeat . A monster strong enough to instantly annihilate ten of the best Hunters from Japan, was killed off by a single Hunter from South Korea ''How come, why, what is ?''. Matsumoto Shigeo''s trembling hands began tearing at what little hair remained on the side of his head A completely illogical event had unfolded in front of his eyes just now Thanks to that, Japan''s total combat potential had declined by over half, and even his position as the Association President was under threat now . If the Koreans also failed, then he might have tried to come up with some vague excuses to gloss over this whole thing, and then ask the international community for their help, but . Not only had the Koreans managed to kill the ant queen, they even escaped safely from the clutches of the thousands of ant monsters as well as that mutated freak of an ant, too Seong Jin-Woo That one Hunter was responsible for smashing everything apart ''Seong Jin-Woo . Seong Jin-Woo . ''. Inexplicably, the contents of the phone call he shared with Goto Ryuji while the latter was still in Korea played back in his mind ["In South Korea There''s an incredible Hunter in South Korea . "]. ["More than you?"]. ["More than likely, sir . "]. [" . "]. ["I think there''s a need to modify our plan a little bit, sir . "]. If only If only he paid attention to what Goto Ryuji was saying back then Wasn''t he the most knowledgeable person when it came to understanding the differences of strength in Hunters? For the first time ever, such a man had assessed a Korean Hunter as "incredible", yet why did he ''Why was I so arrogant ?''. If they had completely analysed the capabilities of Seong Jin-Woo beforehand, they might have cooperated with the Koreans in good faith, and resolved everything without a single problem No, wait . Even if the Japanese didn''t do anything, the Koreans might have stepped forward themselves to take care of the problem, instead But then, he ended up digging his own grave just because he resorted to underhanded schemes "A-Association President? Sir?". Seeing how wane his face had become, the Association employee next to him began asking in a worried voice . However, Matsumoto Shigeo didn''t bother to raise his head and simply waved his hand to dismiss the employee The employee bowed his head and left the office as if he was running away Matsumoto Shigeo''s expression crumpled unsightly ''There can only be one way out of this for me . ''. And that would be to raise the Japanese Association back on its feet, and make it stronger than ever before . In order to do so, he needed just one man ''Seong Jin-Woo ''. No matter what, he must reel that man in . With Goto Ryuji dying in vain like that, there was only one way to revitalise the Japanese Hunter''s Association The entirety of Korea''s citizens would have witnessed live the grand feats of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo so it would not be easy, but well, there was already precedence of a top Hunter abandoning South Korea, which meant there was still hope ''What should I do to reel Hunter Seong Jin-Woo over to this side?''. Matsumoto Shigeo''s brain, momentarily frozen from despair, began spinning rapidly again ***. The Eastern United States Ringgg Ringgg Ringgg . The phone rang endlessly off the hook Unable to endure that racket any longer, David Brennan angrily snatched at the receiver ''Which insane motherf*cker is calling me at this time of the night?!''. He was the director of the most powerful organisation in the States, the Hunter Bureau . Promising himself to find the son of a b*tch regardless of the method or cost and throw him in a jail cell if this turned out to be a prank call, he answered the call in a testy voice Click "Who is this?". - "Director, it''s me . ". "Deputy ?". David Brennan''s sleep flew away the moment he heard that familiar voice and he raised his torso up "It''s already pretty late . What''s the matter?". - "There''s a video you must see . Right now . ". "A video . ?". When he checked his mobile phone, there were seven missed calls as well as a video file . It seemed that he missed them all because he had muted the phone before going to bed "I understand . I''ll give you a call after watching the clip . ". - "No need, director . ". " . What do you mean by that?". - "I''m already in front of your house, sir . ". "What?". David Brennan jumped up from the bed and took a look at the alarm sitting on the bedside bureau . It said ''04:12 AM'' He discarded the phone on the bed and ran towards the bedroom window to take a look, and indeed, the deputy director was waiting for him outside the front of the house with his car parked right there . Once their gazes met, the deputy director nodded his greeting David Brennan stared back somewhat dumbfounded, his head tilting to the side, before turning around ''What''s going on?''. Sensing that something big must''ve happened, he picked his phone up, the video clip still waiting to be played on the device < Chapter 122 > Fin Chapter 123 The video clip finally finished playing on the phone . " . . . . " The footage of a raid taking place in a small nation to the Far East left a pretty hefty mental shock to David Brennan, the director of America''s Hunter Bureau . "What do you think?" The deputy director cautiously asked his boss . And the director was quick with his reply . "Never mind what I think, aren''t you here in these early hours because you already know what I''m about to say? Am I right?" That was indeed true . It was already an uncommon occurrence for the director of the mighty Hunter Bureau and his deputy to have a meeting at four in the morning, but then, their meeting place also happened to be the kitchen of the director''s private residence, as well . A heavy silence descended between two men sitting opposite side of the dining table . Puff, puff . . . . The director replayed the video one more time as he sucked on his cigarette . He was still getting shocked by what he was watching . Especially when he got to the part where the Hunter summoned out black ''soldiers'' to sweep away the swarm of ants, the director''s entire body shuddered noticeably . ''¡­ . . . . '' What could anyone say after viewing this crazy video? And so, as he continued sucking on another cigarette in silence . . . . The director''s wife came down from the upstairs bedroom in search of her missing husband, and called out his name after spotting the light in the kitchen . "Dave? Is everything alright?" When the director wordlessly gestured with his hand, the wife looked at him worriedly for a moment or two before going back to the bedroom . Exactly three cigarettes later, the director quietly opened his mouth . "What a waste of talent to be confined in a small country like South Korea . " "I agree . " "What do we know about him?" The deputy director readily brought out a file containing all the pertinent information related to Seong Jin-Woo . The director scanned the files and formed a satisfied smile . "Very good . " It had been less than an hour since the raid came to an end on the island of Jeju in the country far, far east, yet the related data was already in his hands . Not only that, the file contained everything from that Hunter''s type as well as his close associates and relatives, too . Now, this was the power of the United States, the Hunter ''superpower'' in the world . On the other side of the table, the deputy was smiling inwardly to himself . ''We got lucky on this one . '' Sure, the swiftness of the American intelligence network was one thing, but luck played a big part, as well . To be more precise, the ''Seong Il-Hwan'' incident . An existence that could either be a human or a monster in disguise exited from a dungeon and claimed that he was a Korean Hunter . The data compiled back then still remained in the database of the Hunter Bureau . In the current situation where no other nation even knew what his name was ¨C with the exception of South Korea, of course ¨C the Americans were able to get two steps ahead of everyone else . ''God bless America . '' Indeed, if this wasn''t the heavens helping them out, then what was? However, it wouldn''t do to get all worked up over a minor lucky coincidence like this one . No, it all depended on the abilities of the individuals involved when it came to turning a lucky coincidence into a genuine opportunity . The deputy formed a pretty serious expression . "His father went missing in a Gate, but he still hasn''t received any proper compensation until now . " "H-mm . . . . " "And also, before he went through a Re-Awakening process, he risked death countless times to pay for his mother''s hospital fees . " " . . . . What an inconceivable tale that is . " How could they treat the wife and the son of a hero this badly, when he lost his life fighting against monsters all for the sake of his nation? Such a thing was completely unimaginable in the US . "And well, this isn''t confirmed information, but . . . " The director lifted his gaze off from the files . The deputy took his time to build suspense and finally murmured out . "Apparently, he hasn''t signed up with any Guilds yet . " " . . . . . !!" Now that piece of news managed to perk up the director''s ears even more . He closed the file with a sombre expression on his face . "This is a different matter altogether from Hwang Dong-Su''s case . " When that familiar name was mentioned, the glint in the deputy''s eyes changed . "Taking away two rank S Hunters from a single country . . . . That''d be akin to declaring that we are turning our backs on that particular nation . " South Korea and America had been allied nations for a very long time . What the director was implying here was that the impact of this matter would mushroom into something rather substantial in the near future . However, the deputy replied with a confident tone of voice . "Even still . . . . . Don''t you think he''s a talent worth all that trouble?" " . . . " Of course . The director couldn''t deny that . So, he answered with a question, instead . "Can you do it?" The deputy answered with the exact same words he used back during the Hwang Dong-Su''s case . "I''ll do my best . " Because of those four words, the deputy was able to quickly climb the career ladder to get to where he was now . As for the man that the deputy director had locked his sights on . . . The United States of America already boasted two of the most powerful Hunters in the world, the so-called ''Special Authority-ranks'' in their roster, but even then, the director David Brennan wanted to naturalise that youth as an American citizen . The director placed his fourth cigarette of the morning in his lips and spoke in a grave tone of voice . "Regardless of what conditions he puts forth, you will bring him over to this side . " *** Jin-Woo rode on the back of Kaisel to hunt down and kill every single ant monster his Shadow Soldiers missed the first time around . Kiieeehhk!! Yet another ant fell after getting struck by the skill, Dagger Throw . Jin-Woo didn''t bother to step down from Kaisel and simply used the skill, Ruler''s Reach, to easily retrieve his shortsword . ''I must be pretty close to levelling up now . '' There weren''t that many ants left to be found on the island . Jin-Woo really preferred that he''d get to level up by killing the remaining ants in this place . First of all, just a single level up would take him to level 100 . For Jin-Woo, who loved to see numbers ending in the multiples of five, 100 was such a fantastic level that he simply had to get there as soon as possible . Since he hadn''t booked any Gates, once he leaves Jeju Island he wouldn''t have any other avenues to earn experience points for a while . As long as he didn''t get lucky and another key to an instant dungeon popped out of the random boxes, or a dungeon break occurred near where he lived, of course . ''Wait, it''s not cool to think of a dungeon break as being lucky, is it . '' If a dungeon break occurred, then that meant one or more teams had failed in their raids . So, to him, it was far more preferable to get to level 100 in this place . And, if there was another reason for doing so, then . . . . He ended up recalling a painful memory while trying to extract Hunter Min Byung-Gu''s shadow . The leader of the White Phantoms, Baruka . After failing three times to extract his shadow, Jin-Woo couldn''t convert him into his Shadow Soldier . When he failed in his first attempt earlier in the day, his heart fell to the pit of his stomach, as the thoughts of ''Am I going to have another episode like that'' filled his head . ''Well, I did manage somehow to succeed on my second try, but still . . . '' Wasn''t this the case of ''A burnt child fears fire''? There was no guarantee that the same thing as Baruka wouldn''t happen later when trying to extract the ant king''s shadow . That guy''s Stat values were so high that comparing Hunter Min Byung-Gu to that monster was a time-wasting gesture . Even if it was by a small margin, Jin-Woo wanted to increase his odds of successfully extracting that guy''s shadow by raising his level . He was sure that, although there was only one level difference, it would definitely help out his cause . ''¡­ . Uh?'' After discovering something on the ground, Jin-Woo ordered Kaisel to land . Kiiahhk! Kaisel flapped its wings and lightly landed on the ground . Jin-Woo climbed down from his back and scanned his surroundings . ''It was around here . . . . '' He rummaged through the tall grasses, before discovering the corpses lying there hidden . A deep frown immediately formed on his face . He had discovered the bodies of the Japanese Hunters, lying here and there . There were several with their heads missing, but there was also one that got mangled beyond recognition, as well . Jin-Woo took a closer look at the bodies . ''Pretty strong magic energy . . . . '' Without a doubt, these people were strong . They didn''t look like they would die in this place in such a manner . The fact that they did die so gruesomely could only mean that an extremely powerful ''something'' had paid them a visit . ''Probably the handiwork of that mutated ant . . . . '' He was unconvinced that something else was responsible for this massacre . Well, when he was struck for the first time by the ant king, his jaw stung pretty sharply, didn''t it? If it were any other Hunters, they wouldn''t have been able to endure it even once . Jin-Woo looked around the ground while feeling somewhat bitter, before his steps came to a halt on a certain spot . ''This aura . . . . '' Jin-Woo crouched down and took a closer look at the ground . The soil here was all muddy and sticky from a prodigious amount of blood having soaked the earth . A faint trace of magical energy emanated from the wet ground . He had encountered this magic energy emission once before . ''¡­ . . Goto Ryuji . '' Jin-Woo searched his vicinity again . Goto''s magic energy could still be felt, but his remains were nowhere to be seen . Most likely, he had been completely devoured by the mutated ant monster . "Tsk, tsk . " Jin-Woo could only tut to himself at the ultimately meaningless death of Japan''s strongest Hunter, before standing back up again . With excellent timing, the Shadow Soldiers he dispatched to the all corners of the island reported back to him that the remnants of the ant monsters had been completely exterminated . ''¡­ . In the end, I killed them all, huh . '' Every Korean citizen would 100 times out of 100 cry out in elation from that news, but Jin-Woo could only lick his lower lip in disappointment . Because, his level didn''t go up in the end . Now that there were no more monsters remaining, he figured that the only thing left to do would be to go back inside the ant tunnel to extract the shadows of the mutated ant and the queen . But then . . . . . . . . His steps came to an abrupt halt . ''Wait a second . . . there are still monsters remaining?'' His extended senses picked up the presences of monsters from nearby . Not only that, there were so many, too! A smile quickly bloomed on Jin-Woo''s face to replace the look of disappointment . He lightly jumped back up on Kaisel . "Let''s go!" *** Just as expected . . . . Jin-Woo''s expression brightened greatly as soon as he stepped inside the nursery area . There were countless eggs lining up the floor, pillars, and even the ceiling . Seeing that there were wiggling movements from underneath the semi-transparent shells, these things were definitely monsters, too . ''Not sure how much experience points I will get here, but . . . '' But then again, with this many monsters here, he was sure of making up for the lacking amount of experience points . Jin-Woo summoned out the Shadow Soldiers specialised in wide-range attacks . "Gather around . " Fangs and three Magic Soldiers stood in line, according to their grades . Jin-Woo handed over the Bead of Avarice over to Fangs, and studied each of the four soldiers in turn . "You all understand what you need to do, right?" The Magic Soldiers all nodded their heads in unison . Jin-Woo pointed at the eggs . "Begin . " Right away, Fangs grew to an incredible height and spat out the horrifying flames at the eggs . The other Magic Soldiers finished chanting their magic and began chucking large balls of flames here and there as well . Kuwaaahahhh-! KWABOOM!! Boom!! Eggs had no means of resisting, and in no time at all, began to burn up and explode one by one . Kiieehhhk! Jin-Woo took a closer look at one of the dead ant larvae leaning against the corner of the broken egg . He discovered the corpse of an ant, near adulthood, just below the melted-down shell of the larva . As it turned out, every single one of them he saw sported a pair of wings, without exceptions . ''If these things reached maturity and crossed the ocean with that mutated ant in the lead, then . . . . '' Even though the queen was successfully subjugated, both South Korea and Japan would''ve suffered tremendous losses . What a relief that he was able to stop that from becoming reality . BLAM!! Boom!! Jin-Woo noticed that his boys were breaking out in buckets of sweat, and summoned the Demon King''s Longsword out from the Inventory . ''Should I have a go with this one?'' Every time he moved this cool-looking blue-coloured longsword, arcs of electricity crackled up from the blade itself . He had stored it inside the Inventory after defeating the Demon King Baran back in the Demon''s Castle . There was a reason why he brought this longsword out instead of his main weapons, the daggers/shortswords . ¡­ . Because of the added magic attribute of the longsword . Swish-! When Jin-Woo energetically swung the sword . . . . Bzzzzz-!!! Lightning crackled boisterously all over the place and caused the blue-coloured storm to kick up . ''Ohhh!'' A wide smile formed on Jin-Woo''s face . Although he couldn''t recreate the destructive might or the added ''Stun'' effect as displayed by the Demon King, it was still more than enough to burn these ant eggs, that''s for sure . ''Isn''t it too wasteful to leave inside the Inventory?'' Because he was already far too familiar with the daggers, he would probably never use this sword again in the near future, but still, he felt that this weapon was too good to be left forgotten inside his Inventory . And so . . . . just how long did he spend wrestling with these eggs? Eventually, he got to hear the familiar and very welcoming mechanical beep . Tti-ring . [Level up!] ''Finally!'' Jin-Woo cried out in elation . Inwardly, of course . He immediately returned the Demon King''s Longsword back inside the Inventory and headed straight to the ant queen''s chamber, leaving the mop-up operation to his Shadow Soldiers . He found the mutated ant monster still lying dead on the same spot . Jin-Woo stood next to it . His heart was already pounding hard from his intense desire to turn this mutated ant into his Shadow Soldier . However . . . . He had learned that the power of concentration was critically important during his attempts to extract Hunter Min Byung-Gu''s shadow . ''I gotta calm down . '' Gradually, Jin-Woo''s gaze grew colder, and his breathing regained its usual calmness as well . ''¡­ . . Okay, good . '' His condition was now back to its peak . Jin-Woo''s gaze shifted lower to the ground . Thicker and greatly more ominous black smoke compared to other monsters were oozing out of the mutated ant''s corpse . Was this because the creature was so extraordinarily strong? So strong that Jin-Woo didn''t even know who to compare it to? While thinking like that, he calmly extended his hands out towards the rising black smoke . "Rise up . " < Chapter 123 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 123: Chapter 123 . The video clip finally finished playing on the phone " ". The footage of a raid taking place in a small nation to the Far East left a pretty hefty mental shock to David Brennan, the director of America''s Hunter Bureau "What do you think?". The deputy director cautiously asked his boss . And the director was quick with his reply "Never mind what I think, aren''t you here in these early hours because you already know what I''m about to say? Am I right?". That was indeed true It was already an uncommon occurrence for the director of the mighty Hunter Bureau and his deputy to have a meeting at four in the morning, but then, their meeting place also happened to be the kitchen of the director''s private residence, as well A heavy silence descended between two men sitting opposite side of the dining table Puff, puff . The director replayed the video one more time as he sucked on his cigarette . He was still getting shocked by what he was watching . Especially when he got to the part where the Hunter summoned out black ''soldiers'' to sweep away the swarm of ants, the director''s entire body shuddered noticeably ''¡­ ''. What could anyone say after viewing this crazy video?. And so, as he continued sucking on another cigarette in silence . The director''s wife came down from the upstairs bedroom in search of her missing husband, and called out his name after spotting the light in the kitchen "Dave? Is everything alright?". When the director wordlessly gestured with his hand, the wife looked at him worriedly for a moment or two before going back to the bedroom Exactly three cigarettes later, the director quietly opened his mouth "What a waste of talent to be confined in a small country like South Korea . ". "I agree . ". "What do we know about him?". The deputy director readily brought out a file containing all the pertinent information related to Seong Jin-Woo . The director scanned the files and formed a satisfied smile "Very good . ". It had been less than an hour since the raid came to an end on the island of Jeju in the country far, far east, yet the related data was already in his hands . Not only that, the file contained everything from that Hunter''s type as well as his close associates and relatives, too Now, this was the power of the United States, the Hunter ''superpower'' in the world On the other side of the table, the deputy was smiling inwardly to himself ''We got lucky on this one . ''. Sure, the swiftness of the American intelligence network was one thing, but luck played a big part, as well . To be more precise, the ''Seong Il-Hwan'' incident An existence that could either be a human or a monster in disguise exited from a dungeon and claimed that he was a Korean Hunter . The data compiled back then still remained in the database of the Hunter Bureau In the current situation where no other nation even knew what his name was ¨C with the exception of South Korea, of course ¨C the Americans were able to get two steps ahead of everyone else ''God bless America . ''. Indeed, if this wasn''t the heavens helping them out, then what was?. However, it wouldn''t do to get all worked up over a minor lucky coincidence like this one . No, it all depended on the abilities of the individuals involved when it came to turning a lucky coincidence into a genuine opportunity The deputy formed a pretty serious expression "His father went missing in a Gate, but he still hasn''t received any proper compensation until now . ". "H-mm ". "And also, before he went through a Re-Awakening process, he risked death countless times to pay for his mother''s hospital fees . ". " What an inconceivable tale that is . ". How could they treat the wife and the son of a hero this badly, when he lost his life fighting against monsters all for the sake of his nation? Such a thing was completely unimaginable in the US "And well, this isn''t confirmed information, but . ". The director lifted his gaze off from the files . The deputy took his time to build suspense and finally murmured out "Apparently, he hasn''t signed up with any Guilds yet . ". " . !!". Now that piece of news managed to perk up the director''s ears even more . He closed the file with a sombre expression on his face "This is a different matter altogether from Hwang Dong-Su''s case . ". When that familiar name was mentioned, the glint in the deputy''s eyes changed "Taking away two rank S Hunters from a single country That''d be akin to declaring that we are turning our backs on that particular nation . ". South Korea and America had been allied nations for a very long time . What the director was implying here was that the impact of this matter would mushroom into something rather substantial in the near future However, the deputy replied with a confident tone of voice "Even still . Don''t you think he''s a talent worth all that trouble?". " . ". Of course The director couldn''t deny that . So, he answered with a question, instead "Can you do it?". The deputy answered with the exact same words he used back during the Hwang Dong-Su''s case "I''ll do my best . ". Because of those four words, the deputy was able to quickly climb the career ladder to get to where he was now . As for the man that the deputy director had locked his sights on The United States of America already boasted two of the most powerful Hunters in the world, the so-called ''Special Authority-ranks'' in their roster, but even then, the director David Brennan wanted to naturalise that youth as an American citizen The director placed his fourth cigarette of the morning in his lips and spoke in a grave tone of voice "Regardless of what conditions he puts forth, you will bring him over to this side . ". ***. Jin-Woo rode on the back of Kaisel to hunt down and kill every single ant monster his Shadow Soldiers missed the first time around Kiieeehhk!!. Yet another ant fell after getting struck by the skill, Dagger Throw . Jin-Woo didn''t bother to step down from Kaisel and simply used the skill, Ruler''s Reach, to easily retrieve his shortsword ''I must be pretty close to levelling up now . ''. There weren''t that many ants left to be found on the island . Jin-Woo really preferred that he''d get to level up by killing the remaining ants in this place First of all, just a single level up would take him to level 100 . For Jin-Woo, who loved to see numbers ending in the multiples of five, 100 was such a fantastic level that he simply had to get there as soon as possible Since he hadn''t booked any Gates, once he leaves Jeju Island he wouldn''t have any other avenues to earn experience points for a while . As long as he didn''t get lucky and another key to an instant dungeon popped out of the random boxes, or a dungeon break occurred near where he lived, of course ''Wait, it''s not cool to think of a dungeon break as being lucky, is it . ''. If a dungeon break occurred, then that meant one or more teams had failed in their raids . So, to him, it was far more preferable to get to level 100 in this place And, if there was another reason for doing so, then . He ended up recalling a painful memory while trying to extract Hunter Min Byung-Gu''s shadow The leader of the White Phantoms, Baruka After failing three times to extract his shadow, Jin-Woo couldn''t convert him into his Shadow Soldier When he failed in his first attempt earlier in the day, his heart fell to the pit of his stomach, as the thoughts of ''Am I going to have another episode like that'' filled his head ''Well, I did manage somehow to succeed on my second try, but still . ''. Wasn''t this the case of ''A burnt child fears fire''?. There was no guarantee that the same thing as Baruka wouldn''t happen later when trying to extract the ant king''s shadow . That guy''s Stat values were so high that comparing Hunter Min Byung-Gu to that monster was a time-wasting gesture Even if it was by a small margin, Jin-Woo wanted to increase his odds of successfully extracting that guy''s shadow by raising his level . He was sure that, although there was only one level difference, it would definitely help out his cause ''¡­ . Uh?''. After discovering something on the ground, Jin-Woo ordered Kaisel to land Kiiahhk!. Kaisel flapped its wings and lightly landed on the ground . Jin-Woo climbed down from his back and scanned his surroundings ''It was around here ''. He rummaged through the tall grasses, before discovering the corpses lying there hidden . A deep frown immediately formed on his face . He had discovered the bodies of the Japanese Hunters, lying here and there . There were several with their heads missing, but there was also one that got mangled beyond recognition, as well Jin-Woo took a closer look at the bodies ''Pretty strong magic energy ''. Without a doubt, these people were strong . They didn''t look like they would die in this place in such a manner . The fact that they did die so gruesomely could only mean that an extremely powerful ''something'' had paid them a visit ''Probably the handiwork of that mutated ant ''. He was unconvinced that something else was responsible for this massacre . Well, when he was struck for the first time by the ant king, his jaw stung pretty sharply, didn''t it? If it were any other Hunters, they wouldn''t have been able to endure it even once Jin-Woo looked around the ground while feeling somewhat bitter, before his steps came to a halt on a certain spot ''This aura ''. Jin-Woo crouched down and took a closer look at the ground . The soil here was all muddy and sticky from a prodigious amount of blood having soaked the earth . A faint trace of magical energy emanated from the wet ground . He had encountered this magic energy emission once before ''¡­ Goto Ryuji . ''. Jin-Woo searched his vicinity again . Goto''s magic energy could still be felt, but his remains were nowhere to be seen . Most likely, he had been completely devoured by the mutated ant monster "Tsk, tsk . ". Jin-Woo could only tut to himself at the ultimately meaningless death of Japan''s strongest Hunter, before standing back up again . With excellent timing, the Shadow Soldiers he dispatched to the all corners of the island reported back to him that the remnants of the ant monsters had been completely exterminated ''¡­ . In the end, I killed them all, huh . ''. Every Korean citizen would 100 times out of 100 cry out in elation from that news, but Jin-Woo could only lick his lower lip in disappointment . Because, his level didn''t go up in the end Now that there were no more monsters remaining, he figured that the only thing left to do would be to go back inside the ant tunnel to extract the shadows of the mutated ant and the queen . But then . His steps came to an abrupt halt ''Wait a second . there are still monsters remaining?''. His extended senses picked up the presences of monsters from nearby . Not only that, there were so many, too!. A smile quickly bloomed on Jin-Woo''s face to replace the look of disappointment . He lightly jumped back up on Kaisel "Let''s go!". ***. Just as expected . Jin-Woo''s expression brightened greatly as soon as he stepped inside the nursery area . There were countless eggs lining up the floor, pillars, and even the ceiling Seeing that there were wiggling movements from underneath the semi-transparent shells, these things were definitely monsters, too ''Not sure how much experience points I will get here, but . ''. But then again, with this many monsters here, he was sure of making up for the lacking amount of experience points . Jin-Woo summoned out the Shadow Soldiers specialised in wide-range attacks "Gather around . ". Fangs and three Magic Soldiers stood in line, according to their grades Jin-Woo handed over the Bead of Avarice over to Fangs, and studied each of the four soldiers in turn "You all understand what you need to do, right?". The Magic Soldiers all nodded their heads in unison . Jin-Woo pointed at the eggs "Begin . ". Right away, Fangs grew to an incredible height and spat out the horrifying flames at the eggs . The other Magic Soldiers finished chanting their magic and began chucking large balls of flames here and there as well Kuwaaahahhh-!. KWABOOM!!. Boom!!. Eggs had no means of resisting, and in no time at all, began to burn up and explode one by one Kiieehhhk!. Jin-Woo took a closer look at one of the dead ant larvae leaning against the corner of the broken egg . He discovered the corpse of an ant, near adulthood, just below the melted-down shell of the larva . As it turned out, every single one of them he saw sported a pair of wings, without exceptions ''If these things reached maturity and crossed the ocean with that mutated ant in the lead, then ''. Even though the queen was successfully subjugated, both South Korea and Japan would''ve suffered tremendous losses What a relief that he was able to stop that from becoming reality BLAM!!. Boom!!. Jin-Woo noticed that his boys were breaking out in buckets of sweat, and summoned the Demon King''s Longsword out from the Inventory ''Should I have a go with this one?''. Every time he moved this cool-looking blue-coloured longsword, arcs of electricity crackled up from the blade itself . He had stored it inside the Inventory after defeating the Demon King Baran back in the Demon''s Castle . There was a reason why he brought this longsword out instead of his main weapons, the daggers/shortswords ¡­ . Because of the added magic attribute of the longsword Swish-!. When Jin-Woo energetically swung the sword . Bzzzzz-!!!. Lightning crackled boisterously all over the place and caused the blue-coloured storm to kick up ''Ohhh!''. A wide smile formed on Jin-Woo''s face Although he couldn''t recreate the destructive might or the added ''Stun'' effect as displayed by the Demon King, it was still more than enough to burn these ant eggs, that''s for sure ''Isn''t it too wasteful to leave inside the Inventory?''. Because he was already far too familiar with the daggers, he would probably never use this sword again in the near future, but still, he felt that this weapon was too good to be left forgotten inside his Inventory And so just how long did he spend wrestling with these eggs?. Eventually, he got to hear the familiar and very welcoming mechanical beep Tti-ring [Level up!]. ''Finally!''. Jin-Woo cried out in elation . Inwardly, of course He immediately returned the Demon King''s Longsword back inside the Inventory and headed straight to the ant queen''s chamber, leaving the mop-up operation to his Shadow Soldiers He found the mutated ant monster still lying dead on the same spot . Jin-Woo stood next to it His heart was already pounding hard from his intense desire to turn this mutated ant into his Shadow Soldier However . He had learned that the power of concentration was critically important during his attempts to extract Hunter Min Byung-Gu''s shadow ''I gotta calm down . ''. Gradually, Jin-Woo''s gaze grew colder, and his breathing regained its usual calmness as well ''¡­ Okay, good . ''. His condition was now back to its peak Jin-Woo''s gaze shifted lower to the ground . Thicker and greatly more ominous black smoke compared to other monsters were oozing out of the mutated ant''s corpse Was this because the creature was so extraordinarily strong? So strong that Jin-Woo didn''t even know who to compare it to?. While thinking like that, he calmly extended his hands out towards the rising black smoke "Rise up . ". < Chapter 123 > Fin Chapter 124 Right at that moment . . . . The light within the ant queen''s chamber suddenly dimmed and brightened back up over and over again, as if it was being illuminated by a dying fluorescent light bulb . Jin-Woo raised his head . The large ball of light that Choi Jong-In floated up on the ceiling to help with the ant queen raid was flickering noticeably now . ''Is the magic about to come undone?'' At first, he absentmindedly thought like that . However, it hadn''t even an hour since the Korean Hunters stepped foot inside this chamber . So, how could the spell be dissipating already? Not only that, wasn''t it a spell cast by a rank S Mage so he and his colleagues could safely carry out this potentially deadly raid? There was no way such a thing could be true . In that case . . . . ''¡­ . . Could it be?'' Could the Shadow Extraction he performed on the mutated ant be the cause? Just as this thought entered his mind . . . . Paht-! The surroundings became completely dark . He''d still be able to see around him thanks to his Perception Stat if there had been a sliver, a trace of light coming in from somewhere . But this all-encompassing darkness didn''t even permit that . It must''ve been a second or two later . The darkness lingered on only for a briefest of brief moments before receding away ¨C to reveal the mutated ant standing right in front of his eyes . ''¡­ . . !!'' Jin-Woo flinched grandly and took a step back . If it weren''t for the System message saying "Shadow Extraction was a success" appearing almost at the same time, he might have lashed out while thinking that the ant had come back to life or some such . "Whew . . . . That surprised me . " Jin-Woo spat out a sigh of relief . Now that he calmly took another look at the creature from a step away, it sure did look a bit different from when it was still alive . From its body, streams of black smoke were continuously rising up . ''So, this is that ant monster''s shadow . . . . '' He couldn''t tell just how much of its original Stats had changed, but at least, the ominous aura it gave off seemed to have gone up a few levels . Jin-Woo stood before the ant''s shadow . He could clearly feel its enormous magic energy reserve . The mutated ant becoming his soldier finally felt real to him now that he could stand right before the creature and sense its magical energy like this . ''Hmm . . . . '' He wanted to remain calm, but the corners of his lips continued to curl upwards . Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump! His heart was pounding away madly like a child who got his hands on a toy he so badly wished to own . Soon, the shadow''s information popped up in his view . Jin-Woo''s eyes narrowed to a slit as he read the info floating above the shadow''s head . [?? Lv . 1] Commander grade Jin-Woo began clenching his fists tightly after confirming its grade . A new one just made its appearance . Which could only mean this guy possessed the kind of power that was on another realm compared to his other soldiers . ''Well, that''s obvious when considering its original abilities while it was still alive . . . . '' Just the name of the new grade alone implied that this soldier was not your average, common soldier . This was the fruit of his labour for having worked so hard to own this shadow . It was then . Shu-wook . The shadow knelt down after meeting his gaze with Jin-Woo''s . Without a doubt, the ''absolute loyalty'' that affected all the other Shadow Soldiers also applied to this guy, as well . ''Nice . '' Next stop, the ant queen . Jin-Woo formed a satisfied smile and turned around . But, then . . . . "Oh, my king . . . . " Jin-Woo''s steps came to an abrupt halt after he heard that voice coming from behind him . He never thought that he''d got scared that easily, but at least in this moment, he did feel like his heart had taken a nasty tumble down to the pit of his stomach . ¡­ . Could it have been auditory hallucination? Jin-Woo looked behind him . Even without doing that, he could tell with his acute senses that there was nothing there besides the ant''s shadow . That shadow was still kneeling on the ground, his head deeply bowed . ''¡­ . . . . '' Jin-Woo studied the shadow as he slowly turned around . "Was it you?" The shadow opened its mouth as if he was waiting for this moment . "Please grant me . . . a name . . . . . " Although it sounded a little inarticulate, the ant''s shadow was definitely speaking back to him . *** The helicopter containing the Hunters headed straight back to the city of Seoul . Tatatatatata-! The Association President Goh Gun-Hui had been anxiously waiting for their arrival, so when the helicopter landed on the landing pad located on the Hunters Association, he quickly went over personally and opened the vehicle''s door . "How is Cha Hae-In Hunter-nim''s condition?" The gazes of the Hunters all shifted towards where Cha Hae-In was . She still hadn''t recovered her consciousness yet, and was lying on top of a blanket laid out on the helicopter''s floor . "Hurry! This way!" Two rank A Healers, waiting just outside the landing pad, hurriedly sprinted forward as soon as Goh Gun-Hui issued his order . But, when they began checking out her condition, " . . . ??" " . . . ??" They exchanged puzzled glances with each other . "What''s going on?" When Goh Gun-Hui asked them, they answered almost at the same time, making it hard to tell who was the first to open his mouth . "She''s not injured anywhere . " "She''s perfectly normal . " "Are you saying that there''s no need to treat Hunter Cha now?" The Healers nodded their heads . They also explained themselves a bit further . "Not sure who did it, but truly incredible healing magic was cast on her . Because of that, we don''t need to do anything here, sir . " Goh Gun-Hui was feeling genuinely flustered now . When he last confirmed Cha Hae-In''s condition through the live broadcast, her injuries looked quite severe . And also from a report he received, her condition was so bad that she failed to regain her consciousness until now . That was why he had urgently searched for and found a couple of rank A Healers, and had them on standby here . But now . . . ''There''s no need to heal her?'' Goh Gun-Hui swept his gaze all over the unmoving Cha Hae-In . For sure, her complexion didn''t look so bad . It was almost as if she was fast asleep . Just what transpired after the camera was turned off? Goh Gun-Hui tilted his head in confusion . ''They didn''t have a Healer over there, too . . . . '' After all, their sole Healer, Min Byung-Gu, met with a grisly fate, didn''t he? Goh Gun-Hui asked the team leader, Mah Dong-Wook . "Just what happened back there, Hunter Mah?" "That is . . . . " As Mah Dong-Wook fell into a dilemma, wondering how he should go about explain this situation, one of the Healers hurriedly shouted out . "She''s waking up!" Everyone''s attention was focused on her in an instant . Goh Gun-Hui carefully sat down near her head and asked her . "Cha Hunter-nim, can you hear me?" Cha Hae-In slowly opened her eyes . "Where . . . . ?" "You''re inside the helicopter . Currently, it''s landed on the Hunters Association, and we are planning to escort you to the hospital very soon . " "A hospital . . . . " Cha Hae-In briefly looked around her, before taking a deep breath . The scent of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had permeated throughout her body . She stared at Goh Gun-Hui with unfocused eyes . " . . . . Did Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim show up there?" She was supposed to be unconscious all this time, so when she mentioned Seong Jin-Woo''s name, other Hunters were all inwardly taken by surprise . Instead of a verbal answer, Goh Gun-Hui slowly nodded his head . A thin smile formed on Cha Hae-In''s face . ''I knew it . . . it wasn''t a dream . '' Cha Hae-In had briefly woken up, but she fell back into a deep slumber again . After confirming that her breathing was stable, Goh Gun-Hui ordered his subordinates to take her to the hospital, so she could get some much-needed rest . Only then did he notice that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo wasn''t in the helicopter . He shifted his gaze back to Mah Dong-Wook . "By the way, where is Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?" Having heard that question from the side, Baek Yun-Ho quickly butted in to provide an answer . "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, he . . . chose to stay behind . " "What do you mean, stay behind?" Goh Gun-Hui formed an expression of someone who couldn''t understand . As far as he knew, this helicopter fitted with the magic energy engine flew non-stop from Jeju Island to get to this place . It didn''t make any pitstops in the middle of the trip, so exactly where did that man chose to stay behind? Goh Gun-Hui asked again . "Where did he choose to stay behind?" "He told me that he still had business to take care of on Jeju Island . " " . . . . Are you saying that he didn''t even get on the helicopter in the first place?" While Goh Gun-Hui asked, sounding quite flustered, Baek Yun-Ho smiled sheepishly and nodded his head . "Yes . " *** "How is it that you''re able to talk?" "I just . . . . can . " The ant''s shadow kept answering Jin-Woo''s questions, but regretfully, none of them were much of a help . The ant monster could talk as a shadow because it knew how to talk when it was still alive ¨C could that be it? '' . . . No, wait . '' Jin-Woo shook his head . Before he was turned into the now-trustworthy knight ''Iron'', the former Hunter Kim Cheol not only knew how to speak, but he was actually a human being in the first place . Even then, having a conversation with Iron was still impossible . It was the same story with Min Byung-Gu . He was unable to say a single word before he returned to the void . And then, Fangs also shut his mouth for good after becoming a Shadow Soldier, even though he used to be such a chatty monster while still alive . So, how come . . . How come only this guy could talk? There was only one obvious difference between this guy and those who couldn''t talk . ''Grades . . . . '' Unlike his other soldiers with grades of ''Elite Knight'' or simply ''Knight'', this guy came with a new grade called ''Commander'' . It was possible that one would be able to talk after reaching a certain grade . As he didn''t have any solid proof yet, this was the most plausible explanation he could think of . ''That means, my boys will all start talking as soon as they level up high enough . . . . '' It seemed that yet another reason was added to the list of ''why the levels of soldiers must be raised up higher'' . Jin-Woo thought for a little while, before throwing that one question to the ant''s shadow, the one he always wanted to ask his soldiers before . "I''m the one who killed you . " " . . . " "Yet, you still wish to serve me?" "I . . . . . " A completely unexpected reply came from the ant''s shadow . "I didn''t die, but . . . through the power of my liege . . . I am reborn . " The shadow then raised his head . And while meeting Jin-Woo''s gaze, it continued on . "Within me . . . elation . . . overflows . I shall follow my liege . . . for eternity . " Ba-dump! Why did it happen? Was it because he felt the shadow''s true feelings? Jin-Woo''s heart pounded powerfully right at that moment when the ant''s shadow swore his eternal loyalty . He placed his hand on his chest to somehow calm his wildly beating heart . It quickly regained its usual calmness . It was then, the ant''s shadow lowered his head again and pleaded with Jin-Woo once more . "Oh, my king . . . . . Please, grant me . . . a name . . . . " The talk had reverted back to the beginning . This sure came across as a rather different experience to Jin-Woo, now that he was hearing the plea of the subject directly from itself, rather than from some prompts of the System . A name, a name . . . . . From the get-go, he didn''t pay all that much attention to the naming of his soldiers, but . . . . ''But even then, it''s a bit too much to call it ant this and ant that, right?'' There were already hundreds of similar ants like him now in Jin-Woo''s army, so it wouldn''t do for a Knight Commander to be saddled with a name like ''Ant'', now would it? That was why . . . . . Jin-Woo pondered for a little while, before a smirk formed on his face . " . . . . Beru . " He recalled the name of an author who became famous through the novel called ''Ants'' . (TL note at the end) He readily made up his mind after only thinking about it for a very short time . "You name will now be Beru . " After Jin-Woo granted him the new name, Beru lowered his already lowered head even further to the ground as if he was truly moved by the gesture . "I am grateful . . . my liege . " The information floating above Beru''s head had already been amended by then . [Beru Lv . 1] Commander grade ''It''s done . '' Feeling genuinely pleased with his choice of the name, Jin-Woo turned towards the queen''s corpse . Now, it really was the turn of the queen to get her shadow extracted . Maybe he got a confidence boost from successfully transforming Beru into his Shadow Soldier ¨C because, the queen''s Shadow Extraction turned out to be a rather painless affair . "Rise up . " Kiiaaahhhhk-! Accompanied by the scream that sounded like the death throes, the Beast Soldier resembling the ant queen emerged out from the shadow . "Nice!!" Jin-Woo expressed his delight at the continuous successful extractions, but then, began tilting his head after discovering something rather odd . ''What''s this?'' His connections to the Shadow Soldiers who were originally ant monsters suddenly grew fainter after the queen''s shadow materialised . It almost felt as if a pale grey fog was covering up the threads connecting them . "Beru . " Even before he finished calling it, Beru had already approached Jin-Woo''s side . Step . If it weren''t for his Perception Stat that had climbed past the 200 mark, Jin-Woo would never have followed that movement properly with his naked eyes alone . Such a creature was one of his loyal soldiers now . Jin-Woo felt his confidence soaring up even higher from that realisation . "You know what''s going on here?" Jin-Woo asked while pointing at the queen''s shadow with his chin . Beru knew everything there was to know when it came to the inner workings of the ant army so it made sense to ask him . He politely made his reply . "The ruling of the ant army . . . it''s the queen''s innate ability . " ''Aha . '' So, did that mean the authority to control the army of ant shadows would automatically be handed over to the queen? ''But, that is a bit . . . . '' Even though the queen was subservient to him, he thought that it wasn''t okay to entrust the control of all of his ant soldiers . Because, he''d have to issue orders through the queen every single time . Jin-Woo scratched his chin for a bit, before asking Beru again . "Okay, what about the reason for the decrease in the queen''s magic energy?" "Most of the queen''s magic energy . . . is for propagation . Propagation is impossible . . . . without a body, that is why . . . " Jin-Woo cut him off there . "That''s why it only has half of its original magic power?" "That is correct . . . my liege . " By piecing together what Beru had said, the queen didn''t seem to have much of a use for Jin-Woo . After a short deliberation later, he decided to cancel the summoning altogether . He didn''t have any reason whatsoever to keep around a subordinate who had no use but only continued to drain his limited resources, now did he? Kiiieeehhhk-! The queen''s shadow instantly became smoke and scattered in the air . [Number of stored shadows: 570/570] His shadow was now packed to the brim with soldiers, so . . . . ''¡­ . So, the only things remaining here are the magic crystals . '' Jin-Woo took a look around him . Top grade magic crystals only seen within rank S Gates were rolling on the floor like common pebbles . Since there was no one watching here, and he was the one who killed the majority of them, he could have swept them all up if he wanted to do so . However, Jin-Woo gave up on that idea . He heard that these crystals would be used to compensate the victims, as well as to rebuild the Jeju Island to its former glory . Jin-Woo wasn''t exactly hurting for cash, so he wouldn''t covet after other people''s stuff . ''Still, I''m sure no one will mind me taking this one . '' Jin-Woo took out the magic crystal from Beru''s original body . It was a beautiful pitch-black magic crystal that resembled a gemstone . After pocketing the magic crystal, Jin-Woo summoned out Kaisel . Kiiaaahjk! Kaisel flapped its wings and finished getting ready to fly in an instant . Jin-Woo lightly jumped on his back and took one last look at the queen''s chamber . The place once filled with unbridled chaos was now enveloped in this eerie silence . ''¡­ . . . . '' The Jeju Island expedition was now over . Jin-Woo''s gaze shifted away from the interior of the chamber and towards the exit . "To home . " And then, Kaisel powerfully flew up in the air . < Chapter 124 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 124: Chapter 124 . Right at that moment . The light within the ant queen''s chamber suddenly dimmed and brightened back up over and over again, as if it was being illuminated by a dying fluorescent light bulb Jin-Woo raised his head . The large ball of light that Choi Jong-In floated up on the ceiling to help with the ant queen raid was flickering noticeably now ''Is the magic about to come undone?''. At first, he absentmindedly thought like that However, it hadn''t even an hour since the Korean Hunters stepped foot inside this chamber . So, how could the spell be dissipating already? Not only that, wasn''t it a spell cast by a rank S Mage so he and his colleagues could safely carry out this potentially deadly raid?. There was no way such a thing could be true . In that case . ''¡­ Could it be?''. Could the Shadow Extraction he performed on the mutated ant be the cause? Just as this thought entered his mind . Paht-!. The surroundings became completely dark He''d still be able to see around him thanks to his Perception Stat if there had been a sliver, a trace of light coming in from somewhere . But this all-encompassing darkness didn''t even permit that It must''ve been a second or two later The darkness lingered on only for a briefest of brief moments before receding away ¨C to reveal the mutated ant standing right in front of his eyes ''¡­ !!''. Jin-Woo flinched grandly and took a step back If it weren''t for the System message saying "Shadow Extraction was a success" appearing almost at the same time, he might have lashed out while thinking that the ant had come back to life or some such "Whew That surprised me . ". Jin-Woo spat out a sigh of relief Now that he calmly took another look at the creature from a step away, it sure did look a bit different from when it was still alive . From its body, streams of black smoke were continuously rising up ''So, this is that ant monster''s shadow ''. He couldn''t tell just how much of its original Stats had changed, but at least, the ominous aura it gave off seemed to have gone up a few levels . Jin-Woo stood before the ant''s shadow . He could clearly feel its enormous magic energy reserve The mutated ant becoming his soldier finally felt real to him now that he could stand right before the creature and sense its magical energy like this ''Hmm ''. He wanted to remain calm, but the corners of his lips continued to curl upwards Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump!. His heart was pounding away madly like a child who got his hands on a toy he so badly wished to own Soon, the shadow''s information popped up in his view . Jin-Woo''s eyes narrowed to a slit as he read the info floating above the shadow''s head [?? Lv . 1]. Commander grade. Jin-Woo began clenching his fists tightly after confirming its grade . A new one just made its appearance . Which could only mean this guy possessed the kind of power that was on another realm compared to his other soldiers ''Well, that''s obvious when considering its original abilities while it was still alive ''. Just the name of the new grade alone implied that this soldier was not your average, common soldier . This was the fruit of his labour for having worked so hard to own this shadow . It was then Shu-wook The shadow knelt down after meeting his gaze with Jin-Woo''s . Without a doubt, the ''absolute loyalty'' that affected all the other Shadow Soldiers also applied to this guy, as well ''Nice . ''. Next stop, the ant queen Jin-Woo formed a satisfied smile and turned around . But, then . "Oh, my king ". Jin-Woo''s steps came to an abrupt halt after he heard that voice coming from behind him . He never thought that he''d got scared that easily, but at least in this moment, he did feel like his heart had taken a nasty tumble down to the pit of his stomach ¡­ . Could it have been auditory hallucination?. Jin-Woo looked behind him . Even without doing that, he could tell with his acute senses that there was nothing there besides the ant''s shadow . That shadow was still kneeling on the ground, his head deeply bowed ''¡­ ''. Jin-Woo studied the shadow as he slowly turned around "Was it you?". The shadow opened its mouth as if he was waiting for this moment "Please grant me . a name . ". Although it sounded a little inarticulate, the ant''s shadow was definitely speaking back to him ***. The helicopter containing the Hunters headed straight back to the city of Seoul Tatatatatata-!. The Association President Goh Gun-Hui had been anxiously waiting for their arrival, so when the helicopter landed on the landing pad located on the Hunters Association, he quickly went over personally and opened the vehicle''s door "How is Cha Hae-In Hunter-nim''s condition?". The gazes of the Hunters all shifted towards where Cha Hae-In was . She still hadn''t recovered her consciousness yet, and was lying on top of a blanket laid out on the helicopter''s floor "Hurry! This way!". Two rank A Healers, waiting just outside the landing pad, hurriedly sprinted forward as soon as Goh Gun-Hui issued his order . But, when they began checking out her condition,. " . ??". " . ??". They exchanged puzzled glances with each other "What''s going on?". When Goh Gun-Hui asked them, they answered almost at the same time, making it hard to tell who was the first to open his mouth "She''s not injured anywhere . ". "She''s perfectly normal . ". "Are you saying that there''s no need to treat Hunter Cha now?". The Healers nodded their heads . They also explained themselves a bit further "Not sure who did it, but truly incredible healing magic was cast on her . Because of that, we don''t need to do anything here, sir . ". Goh Gun-Hui was feeling genuinely flustered now When he last confirmed Cha Hae-In''s condition through the live broadcast, her injuries looked quite severe . And also from a report he received, her condition was so bad that she failed to regain her consciousness until now That was why he had urgently searched for and found a couple of rank A Healers, and had them on standby here . But now ''There''s no need to heal her?''. Goh Gun-Hui swept his gaze all over the unmoving Cha Hae-In . For sure, her complexion didn''t look so bad . It was almost as if she was fast asleep Just what transpired after the camera was turned off?. Goh Gun-Hui tilted his head in confusion ''They didn''t have a Healer over there, too ''. After all, their sole Healer, Min Byung-Gu, met with a grisly fate, didn''t he?. Goh Gun-Hui asked the team leader, Mah Dong-Wook "Just what happened back there, Hunter Mah?". "That is ". As Mah Dong-Wook fell into a dilemma, wondering how he should go about explain this situation, one of the Healers hurriedly shouted out "She''s waking up!". Everyone''s attention was focused on her in an instant . Goh Gun-Hui carefully sat down near her head and asked her "Cha Hunter-nim, can you hear me?". Cha Hae-In slowly opened her eyes "Where ?". "You''re inside the helicopter . Currently, it''s landed on the Hunters Association, and we are planning to escort you to the hospital very soon . ". "A hospital ". Cha Hae-In briefly looked around her, before taking a deep breath . The scent of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had permeated throughout her body . She stared at Goh Gun-Hui with unfocused eyes " Did Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim show up there?". She was supposed to be unconscious all this time, so when she mentioned Seong Jin-Woo''s name, other Hunters were all inwardly taken by surprise . Instead of a verbal answer, Goh Gun-Hui slowly nodded his head A thin smile formed on Cha Hae-In''s face ''I knew it . it wasn''t a dream . ''. Cha Hae-In had briefly woken up, but she fell back into a deep slumber again . After confirming that her breathing was stable, Goh Gun-Hui ordered his subordinates to take her to the hospital, so she could get some much-needed rest Only then did he notice that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo wasn''t in the helicopter . He shifted his gaze back to Mah Dong-Wook "By the way, where is Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?". Having heard that question from the side, Baek Yun-Ho quickly butted in to provide an answer "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, he . chose to stay behind . ". "What do you mean, stay behind?". Goh Gun-Hui formed an expression of someone who couldn''t understand . As far as he knew, this helicopter fitted with the magic energy engine flew non-stop from Jeju Island to get to this place It didn''t make any pitstops in the middle of the trip, so exactly where did that man chose to stay behind? Goh Gun-Hui asked again "Where did he choose to stay behind?". "He told me that he still had business to take care of on Jeju Island . ". " Are you saying that he didn''t even get on the helicopter in the first place?". While Goh Gun-Hui asked, sounding quite flustered, Baek Yun-Ho smiled sheepishly and nodded his head "Yes . ". ***. "How is it that you''re able to talk?". "I just can . ". The ant''s shadow kept answering Jin-Woo''s questions, but regretfully, none of them were much of a help The ant monster could talk as a shadow because it knew how to talk when it was still alive ¨C could that be it?. '' . No, wait . ''. Jin-Woo shook his head Before he was turned into the now-trustworthy knight ''Iron'', the former Hunter Kim Cheol not only knew how to speak, but he was actually a human being in the first place . Even then, having a conversation with Iron was still impossible It was the same story with Min Byung-Gu . He was unable to say a single word before he returned to the void . And then, Fangs also shut his mouth for good after becoming a Shadow Soldier, even though he used to be such a chatty monster while still alive So, how come How come only this guy could talk?. There was only one obvious difference between this guy and those who couldn''t talk ''Grades ''. Unlike his other soldiers with grades of ''Elite Knight'' or simply ''Knight'', this guy came with a new grade called ''Commander'' It was possible that one would be able to talk after reaching a certain grade . As he didn''t have any solid proof yet, this was the most plausible explanation he could think of ''That means, my boys will all start talking as soon as they level up high enough ''. It seemed that yet another reason was added to the list of ''why the levels of soldiers must be raised up higher'' . Jin-Woo thought for a little while, before throwing that one question to the ant''s shadow, the one he always wanted to ask his soldiers before "I''m the one who killed you . ". " . ". "Yet, you still wish to serve me?". "I . ". A completely unexpected reply came from the ant''s shadow "I didn''t die, but . through the power of my liege . I am reborn . ". The shadow then raised his head . And while meeting Jin-Woo''s gaze, it continued on "Within me . elation . overflows . I shall follow my liege . for eternity . ". Ba-dump!. Why did it happen? Was it because he felt the shadow''s true feelings?. Jin-Woo''s heart pounded powerfully right at that moment when the ant''s shadow swore his eternal loyalty . He placed his hand on his chest to somehow calm his wildly beating heart . It quickly regained its usual calmness It was then, the ant''s shadow lowered his head again and pleaded with Jin-Woo once more "Oh, my king . Please, grant me . a name ". The talk had reverted back to the beginning This sure came across as a rather different experience to Jin-Woo, now that he was hearing the plea of the subject directly from itself, rather than from some prompts of the System A name, a name From the get-go, he didn''t pay all that much attention to the naming of his soldiers, but . ''But even then, it''s a bit too much to call it ant this and ant that, right?''. There were already hundreds of similar ants like him now in Jin-Woo''s army, so it wouldn''t do for a Knight Commander to be saddled with a name like ''Ant'', now would it?. That was why Jin-Woo pondered for a little while, before a smirk formed on his face " Beru . ". He recalled the name of an author who became famous through the novel called ''Ants'' . (TL note at the end). He readily made up his mind after only thinking about it for a very short time "You name will now be Beru . ". After Jin-Woo granted him the new name, Beru lowered his already lowered head even further to the ground as if he was truly moved by the gesture "I am grateful . my liege . ". The information floating above Beru''s head had already been amended by then [Beru Lv . 1]. Commander grade. ''It''s done . ''. Feeling genuinely pleased with his choice of the name, Jin-Woo turned towards the queen''s corpse . Now, it really was the turn of the queen to get her shadow extracted Maybe he got a confidence boost from successfully transforming Beru into his Shadow Soldier ¨C because, the queen''s Shadow Extraction turned out to be a rather painless affair "Rise up . ". Kiiaaahhhhk-!. Accompanied by the scream that sounded like the death throes, the Beast Soldier resembling the ant queen emerged out from the shadow "Nice!!". Jin-Woo expressed his delight at the continuous successful extractions, but then, began tilting his head after discovering something rather odd ''What''s this?''. His connections to the Shadow Soldiers who were originally ant monsters suddenly grew fainter after the queen''s shadow materialised . It almost felt as if a pale grey fog was covering up the threads connecting them "Beru . ". Even before he finished calling it, Beru had already approached Jin-Woo''s side Step If it weren''t for his Perception Stat that had climbed past the 200 mark, Jin-Woo would never have followed that movement properly with his naked eyes alone . Such a creature was one of his loyal soldiers now . Jin-Woo felt his confidence soaring up even higher from that realisation "You know what''s going on here?". Jin-Woo asked while pointing at the queen''s shadow with his chin . Beru knew everything there was to know when it came to the inner workings of the ant army so it made sense to ask him He politely made his reply "The ruling of the ant army . it''s the queen''s innate ability . ". ''Aha . ''. So, did that mean the authority to control the army of ant shadows would automatically be handed over to the queen?. ''But, that is a bit ''. Even though the queen was subservient to him, he thought that it wasn''t okay to entrust the control of all of his ant soldiers . Because, he''d have to issue orders through the queen every single time Jin-Woo scratched his chin for a bit, before asking Beru again "Okay, what about the reason for the decrease in the queen''s magic energy?". "Most of the queen''s magic energy . is for propagation . Propagation is impossible without a body, that is why . ". Jin-Woo cut him off there "That''s why it only has half of its original magic power?". "That is correct . my liege . ". By piecing together what Beru had said, the queen didn''t seem to have much of a use for Jin-Woo . After a short deliberation later, he decided to cancel the summoning altogether . He didn''t have any reason whatsoever to keep around a subordinate who had no use but only continued to drain his limited resources, now did he?. Kiiieeehhhk-!. The queen''s shadow instantly became smoke and scattered in the air [Number of stored shadows: 570/570]. His shadow was now packed to the brim with soldiers, so . ''¡­ . So, the only things remaining here are the magic crystals . ''. Jin-Woo took a look around him . Top grade magic crystals only seen within rank S Gates were rolling on the floor like common pebbles Since there was no one watching here, and he was the one who killed the majority of them, he could have swept them all up if he wanted to do so . However, Jin-Woo gave up on that idea He heard that these crystals would be used to compensate the victims, as well as to rebuild the Jeju Island to its former glory . Jin-Woo wasn''t exactly hurting for cash, so he wouldn''t covet after other people''s stuff ''Still, I''m sure no one will mind me taking this one . ''. Jin-Woo took out the magic crystal from Beru''s original body . It was a beautiful pitch-black magic crystal that resembled a gemstone . After pocketing the magic crystal, Jin-Woo summoned out Kaisel Kiiaaahjk!. Kaisel flapped its wings and finished getting ready to fly in an instant . Jin-Woo lightly jumped on his back and took one last look at the queen''s chamber The place once filled with unbridled chaos was now enveloped in this eerie silence ''¡­ ''. The Jeju Island expedition was now over Jin-Woo''s gaze shifted away from the interior of the chamber and towards the exit "To home . ". And then, Kaisel powerfully flew up in the air < Chapter 124 > Fin Chapter 125 Kaisel landed in front of the Hunter''s Association building . Kiiaaahk-! Naturally, stunned folks of the Association all came running outside when a massive monster suddenly descended in the middle of Seoul ¨C not only that, right on the front lawn of the Hunter''s Association, no less . Hunters of the Monitoring Division, normally tasked with detecting the approach of all beings possessing magical energy, also ran outside with various weapons in their hands . But, their complexions all lost colour after Jin-Woo hopped off from the back of the creature . ''Return . '' Kaisel heeded Jin-Woo''s order and immediately disappeared into his shadow . Meanwhile, people gathered here began recognising who he was . ''W-was that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s summoned creature?'' ''He can even control a monster like that, too??'' All these people had seen Jin-Woo''s ability through their TV screens . So, it didn''t come as much of a surprise that he could control a monster . Jin-Woo walked over to an Association employee he recognised and addressed him . This person was a Hunter working for the Monitoring Division and was often seen accompanying the Association President . "I''d like to speak to the Association President . " You wouldn''t normally get to meet the President just because you wanted to . Even a government minister had to wait for a whole week for a meeting with Goh Gun-Hui . However, who here was brave enough to tell that to the young man in front of their eyes? A Hunter, who wasn''t originally a member of the raid team, suddenly appeared out of nowhere and easily disposed of the ant monster ¨C a monster so powerful that it toyed around with several rank S Hunters . So, wouldn''t the Association President be dying to speak to this man more than anyone else right now? The Association employee quickly replied . "The Association President is in the hospital at the moment . " "Is he feeling unwell?" Jin-Woo asked while remembering that the Association President''s health wasn''t so good, to begin with . It was possible that he somehow worsened his condition because he watched the raid broadcast . "No, not at all . He went over to observe the situation with Hunter Cha Hae-In . " Jin-Woo nodded his head . Did that mean it''d be hard to meet him today? Just as he was preparing to leave, the employee continued on . "Let me call the President on the phone . If you will, please wait for a little while at the reception room . " "Got it . " Jin-Woo felt relieved . There was something he wanted to tell the President as soon as possible, actually . *** Cha Hae-In was admitted to the largest Association-designated Hunter hospital there was . Goh Gun-Hui quietly waited for the examination results, and soon, his personal doctor approached him with some news . The Association President hurriedly asked . "How does she look?" "We haven''t performed an in-depth examination yet, but . . . she seems to be 100% normal, at least outwardly speaking . She''s resting comfortably at the moment . " "I see . . . . " Goh Gun-Hui nodded his head, thinking ''I thought as much'' to himself . The doctor was alongside Goh Gun-Hui when they watched the raid together . Cha Hae-In''s current condition was as much of a mystery even for him . "Her complexion was really poor from the massive haemorrhaging, so how did her condition improve in such a short period of time?" " . . . " Goh Gun-Hui had already been debriefed by the Korean raid team members, but he chose to keep his mouth shut here . ''Would he even believe me if I tell him?'' ¡­ . The fact that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo ''borrowed'' the power of the dead Hunter Min Byung-Gu to heal Cha Hae-In? Hunter Seong Jin-Woo wanted the camera turned off, because he didn''t want to reveal his powers . The Association President wasn''t stupid enough to reveal that information so carelessly to other people . Other Hunters were thinking along the same line as well . "The rank A Healers I had on standby managed to save her . " "She looked to be in such a precarious position . . . . Well, it''s a relief that the treatment was carried out in time . " Thankfully for Goh Gun-Hui, the doctor seemed to have believed him . "Ah!" The personal doctor opened his mouth again after recalling something just now . "Sir, it''s regarding Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . " Goh Gun-Hui''s ears perked up after Seong Jin-Woo''s name was brought up . "What about Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?" The doctor was quick to continue, having seen the light glinting in Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes change like that . "You know that his mother was a patient in our hospital, yes?" "The Eternal Sleep disorder, right?" "That''s correct . " Goh Gun-Hui did get to read up on Jin-Woo''s family back when the investigation to the youth''s background was still ongoing . He suddenly thought of the worst possible scenario and asked, his expression hardening rapidly . "It can''t be . . . . Did she pass on?" The doctor shook his head . "It''s the exact opposite, actually . " "The exact opposite?" "I heard that she actually woke up from the ''final sleep'' stage and was discharged recently . " "Are you telling me the truth?!" "Those in the know are in a huge uproar over this whole thing, sir . We may not have made any official announcement, but well, it did happen in our hospital, so . . . . " The higher-ups of the hospital naturally saw today''s raid, as well . And that meant they continued to talk about Seong Jin-Woo''s matter, and eventually, even Goh Gun-Hui''s personal doctor got to hear about it . "But, Eternal Sleep was cured? Was that even possible?" "I believe this is the first time ever in the world, sir . " "When did she wake up?" "Most likely . . . . " The doctor confirmed the date in his head . "About five days ago . " " . . . . . " Now it made sense . The day he asked Jin-Woo to join the raid, and the day the youth''s mother woke up, were almost the same . ''Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s father went missing inside a Gate, didn''t he?'' A wife who lost her husband to the Gate . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would''ve found it very hard to leave such a mother behind all alone to participate in the Jeju Island raid . Not to mention, to participate in the subjugation operation that had failed three times in the past as well . Goh Gun-Hui reflected on his carelessness for failing to check upon his situation . ''That''s why he couldn''t participate in this raid . '' Jin-Woo''s situation, and the feats he performed today, combined to wash away the misunderstanding that almost managed to block up his chest . Goh Gun-Hui''s heart began racing once more . He really liked this young man . Such a man was a rare breed, indeed . It was then, an Association employee approached him . "Sir . " "Did something happen?" "We couldn''t get in touch with Hunter Min Byung-Gu''s family . " "You mean . . . His mother?" "Yes, sir . " That was to be expected . She learnt of her son''s passing through a d*mn TV . She then called the Association on the phone, her voice trembling non-stop . The Association had no choice but to be honest with her . "I''ll go and see her personally . " "Sir, you''re planning to go there personally?" "A parent is about to hold a funeral for her child without his body . You really think she''s in any state of mind to pick up a phone?" "B-but, sir . " "I''ll go and speak to her personally and inform her of everything that happened . And I''ll express my condolences as well . " " . . . . Understood, sir . " The employee turned around with a hardened face . But then, his phone began ringing quite noisily and made him stop . He saw that the call came from the Association, so he got permission from the President to answer it . "Mm? There''s someone who wishes to speak to the Association President? What?! It''s him?" Goh Gun-Hui shook his head . "Tell them I''m not meeting anyone today . " The employee covered the phone with his hand and quickly spoke up . "Sir, the person who wishes to speak to you is . . . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . " "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo??" Goh Gun-Hui opened his eyes wide and retracted what he said just now right away . "Tell them I''ll be there shortly . " *** Jin-Woo got to the Association President''s office under the guidance of an employee . He was then asked rather affectionately as soon as he settled down on the couch . "Would you like something to drink?" Jin-Woo was about to decline the offer, only to feel a bit of thirst creeping up on him . Now that he thought about it for a sec, he hadn''t taken a sip of water even though he had fought such an intense battle . "Water will be fine . " "Thank you very much!" " . . . ?" What was he so thankful about? The employee''s face reddened after blurting his words out from sheer nervousness . He placed the bottle of water in front of Jin-Woo and deeply bowed his head . "If you need anything else, please don''t hesitate to call me . " "I will . " Jin-Woo thought the employee''s attitude was far more cautious and sincere than the last time he came here . ''It''s probably because of the raid broadcast . '' He guessed that the attitude of many people, as well as the way they looked at him, would change greatly from now on . Not too long afterwards, Goh Gun-Hui entered the office . "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!" Jin-Woo tried to get up, but the Association President Goh Gun-Hui dissuaded the youth from doing so . Jin-Woo just returned from Jeju Island . And he even fought a mutated ant monster that almost annihilated a team of rank S Hunters . So, the current Jin-Woo was a VIP among all VIPs . Goh Gun-Hui was definitely not planning to treat with disrespect a person who saved the lives of South Korea''s rank S Hunters . Goh Gun-Hui settled down on the couch opposite to Jin-Woo, rather than in his usual spot at the seat of the honour . "I''ve heard what transpired inside the ant tunnel . " "Ah, I see . " In that case, this talk should proceed quite swimmingly, then . Jin-Woo felt that this was for the better . Goh Gun-Hui continued on . "Also, I''ve been informed on how you got here, as well . " Countless witnesses saw Kaisel flying now . There was no way the President of the Hunter''s Association wouldn''t hear about it . "Did you get to Jeju Island while riding on the back of that creature?" Well, Jin-Woo used ''Shadow Exchange'' to reach the island, but was there a reason to reveal all of his cards here? Jin-Woo was rather economical with his words . "Something like that . " This was the same thing as him making a confession that the flying monster appearing in Seoul a few nights ago was his doing . But, this would prove to be more convenient if he were to continue riding on Kaisel from now on . "So, that was the case . " It was as expected . The Association President nodded his head . Jin-Woo was able to utilise the powers of dead monsters . So, it''d not be such a strange thing for him to ride around on the back of a creature if he managed to kill a flying monster somewhere . Goh Gun-Hui''s curiosity had been satisfied now . And it was time to get to the main topic . "You said you wanted to speak to me . . . . ?" "Yes . " "Is something the matter?" "I''ve taken care of all the ants on the island . " "Excuse me??" Goh Gun-Hui jumped up from his seat . "You managed to kill every single one of those ants?!" "Yes . " Jin-Woo confidently replied . "You won''t encounter any problems when entering Jeju Island . " "But, how . . . . " No, Goh Gun-Hui could already guess the ''how'' of it . The TV camera caught the sight of hundreds of Jin-Woo''s summons . If those things combed every inch of Jeju Island, then it wouldn''t be a problem for him to annihilate every single ant in such a short period of time . The important point here was, of course, entry into Jeju Island was possible now . And it also signified that they would be able to retrieve Hunter Min Byung-Gu''s remains resting deep within the ant tunnel, too . Goh Gun-Hui was greatly troubled by the fact that the remains of Hunter Min Byung-Gu had to be left abandoned there until the ant monsters were all gone, but now . . . . The ends of his eyes reddened up with emotions . He then wholehearted thanked Jin-Woo . "Thank you very much, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . " *** Inside a suite of South Korea''s top luxury hotel . Although his presence had been buried under the huge news of the Jeju Island raid recently, it was still an undeniable fact that one of the world''s most powerful Hunters had taken up a temporary residence there . Thomas switched off the monitor still playing the video of the raid . He had already seen that recorded video three times by now . Laura, who stood next to him, asked him . She accompanied him to Korea as his sole subordinate . "What do you think, sir?" "Well¡­ it''s as you can see . " He leaned against the couch and placed his legs on the coffee table . Thomas had fair blonde hair and a high nose . A seemingly never-ending happy smile was deeply etched on his sunglasses-wearing face . "So, are you sure that''s the Hunter Mister Hwang was investigating?" "Yes . " "And he asked you what would happen if he killed someone in Korea?" "Yes . " Thomas ordered the potential connection between Hwang Dong-Su and Seong Jin-Woo to be secretly investigated as soon as Laura made her report . And, as it turned out, there was only one connection between the two . That would be Hwang Dong-Su''s older brother, Hwang Dong-Seok . He and Seong Jin-Woo entered the same dungeon together, but only the latter walked out alive, while the former went missing . No one would question what happened inside a dungeon . That had become common sense throughout the world now . "So, it''s revenge, is it?" "Most likely . " "And here I thought that he had no family . He hid it pretty well . " "I heard that Mister Hwang''s brother was meticulous in hiding the family connection, sir . " "Probably because he was involved in shady stuff, that''s why . " So shady, in fact, it''d greatly affect his own younger brother if the word got out . Laura used her silence to indicate her agreement . And then . . . the Jeju Island raid happened . "I guess it will become far harder to meet Seong Jin-Woo now, what with an incident like that taking place . " "I believe so . " Laura replied confidently . There was only one reason why the Master of Scavenger Guild, as well as one of the most renowned Hunters in the world, Thomas, gave himself some time off and came to this small nation . And that was to meet Seong Jin-Woo . More specifically, he wanted to find out what might happen if Mister Hwang did get to have a go with Seong Jin-Woo for real . He told the management of the Guild that he was coming here to scout yet another rank S South Korean Hunter . "I really wanted to meet him, too . What a shame this is . " Thomas''s voice was thick with the emotion of wistfulness . Laura cautiously asked him from the side . "As I thought . . . It''d be for the best to prevent Mister Hwang from encountering Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, yes?" "Well . . . . . " Thomas slowly scratched his chin, before replying to her with a smirk . "The South Korean government did save Mister Hwang''s life, that''s for sure . " The Korean government immediately blocked Hwang Dong-Seok from entering the country . After all, he did abandon his mother nation to emigrate to the States as soon as he was evaluated to be a rank S, didn''t he? The whole thing could''ve turned into an international incident, but Thomas was able to utilise the time earned that way to come and visit Korea first . Too bad, Mister Hwang wasn''t someone who''d simply give up just because he was refused entry to a country . Especially so, if his purpose was revenge . In all honesty, Thomas didn''t have a stuffy personality . He had no thoughts of stopping Mister Hwang at the risk of being on the end of his hostility when the latter wanted to avenge the death of his family member . But then, that man was an important asset to Scavenger Guild . And that was precisely the reason why Thomas thought of finding out the exact skill level of Seong Jin-Woo, who was also ranked S . Because, it''d prove to be troublesome if Mister Hwang ended up kicking the bucket, instead . However . . . . The impression Thomas got from seeing Seong Jin-Woo was that, the American should be thanking the lucky stars right about now . "No matter what, never let Mister Hwang step a foot inside South Korea . With that, hopefully, these two won''t run into each other . " "Understood . I''ll also withdraw the legal procedures . " "I should be the one to talk to Mister Hwang . That friend''s got a fiery personality, so I guess I''ll have to do my best on this one . " Laura studiously jotted down everything her Guild Master said on a memo pad . But then, a question popped up in her head . "What if . . . even after we did all this, the two of them end up fighting . . . . What will you do then, sir?" "Laura . Don''t you know me?" Thomas grinned deeply . "Mister Hwang is Scavenger Guild''s asset . And Scavenger is my property . " His lips might be smiling, but the eyes hidden beneath the sunglasses certainly weren''t . He always wore a pair of sunglasses to hide his incredibly sharp eyes . He sat back up straight and lowered his voice . "I will never forgive anyone who dares to touch my property . Even if that''s the American government itself . " One person''s power equalled that of an entire country . His name was Thomas Andre . One of only five in the entire world . This was the confidence that only a Special Authority-rank Hunter, an international powerhouse, could possess . < Chapter 125 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 125: Chapter 125 . Kaisel landed in front of the Hunter''s Association building Kiiaaahk-!. Naturally, stunned folks of the Association all came running outside when a massive monster suddenly descended in the middle of Seoul ¨C not only that, right on the front lawn of the Hunter''s Association, no less Hunters of the Monitoring Division, normally tasked with detecting the approach of all beings possessing magical energy, also ran outside with various weapons in their hands But, their complexions all lost colour after Jin-Woo hopped off from the back of the creature ''Return . ''. Kaisel heeded Jin-Woo''s order and immediately disappeared into his shadow Meanwhile, people gathered here began recognising who he was ''W-was that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s summoned creature?''. ''He can even control a monster like that, too??''. All these people had seen Jin-Woo''s ability through their TV screens . So, it didn''t come as much of a surprise that he could control a monster Jin-Woo walked over to an Association employee he recognised and addressed him . This person was a Hunter working for the Monitoring Division and was often seen accompanying the Association President "I''d like to speak to the Association President . ". You wouldn''t normally get to meet the President just because you wanted to . Even a government minister had to wait for a whole week for a meeting with Goh Gun-Hui However, who here was brave enough to tell that to the young man in front of their eyes?. A Hunter, who wasn''t originally a member of the raid team, suddenly appeared out of nowhere and easily disposed of the ant monster ¨C a monster so powerful that it toyed around with several rank S Hunters So, wouldn''t the Association President be dying to speak to this man more than anyone else right now?. The Association employee quickly replied "The Association President is in the hospital at the moment . ". "Is he feeling unwell?". Jin-Woo asked while remembering that the Association President''s health wasn''t so good, to begin with . It was possible that he somehow worsened his condition because he watched the raid broadcast "No, not at all . He went over to observe the situation with Hunter Cha Hae-In . ". Jin-Woo nodded his head . Did that mean it''d be hard to meet him today?. Just as he was preparing to leave, the employee continued on "Let me call the President on the phone . If you will, please wait for a little while at the reception room . ". "Got it . ". Jin-Woo felt relieved . There was something he wanted to tell the President as soon as possible, actually ***. Cha Hae-In was admitted to the largest Association-designated Hunter hospital there was . Goh Gun-Hui quietly waited for the examination results, and soon, his personal doctor approached him with some news The Association President hurriedly asked "How does she look?". "We haven''t performed an in-depth examination yet, but . she seems to be 100% normal, at least outwardly speaking . She''s resting comfortably at the moment . ". "I see ". Goh Gun-Hui nodded his head, thinking ''I thought as much'' to himself The doctor was alongside Goh Gun-Hui when they watched the raid together . Cha Hae-In''s current condition was as much of a mystery even for him "Her complexion was really poor from the massive haemorrhaging, so how did her condition improve in such a short period of time?". " . ". Goh Gun-Hui had already been debriefed by the Korean raid team members, but he chose to keep his mouth shut here ''Would he even believe me if I tell him?''. ¡­ . The fact that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo ''borrowed'' the power of the dead Hunter Min Byung-Gu to heal Cha Hae-In?. Hunter Seong Jin-Woo wanted the camera turned off, because he didn''t want to reveal his powers The Association President wasn''t stupid enough to reveal that information so carelessly to other people . Other Hunters were thinking along the same line as well "The rank A Healers I had on standby managed to save her . ". "She looked to be in such a precarious position Well, it''s a relief that the treatment was carried out in time . ". Thankfully for Goh Gun-Hui, the doctor seemed to have believed him "Ah!". The personal doctor opened his mouth again after recalling something just now "Sir, it''s regarding Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ". Goh Gun-Hui''s ears perked up after Seong Jin-Woo''s name was brought up "What about Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?". The doctor was quick to continue, having seen the light glinting in Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes change like that "You know that his mother was a patient in our hospital, yes?". "The Eternal Sleep disorder, right?". "That''s correct . ". Goh Gun-Hui did get to read up on Jin-Woo''s family back when the investigation to the youth''s background was still ongoing . He suddenly thought of the worst possible scenario and asked, his expression hardening rapidly "It can''t be Did she pass on?". The doctor shook his head "It''s the exact opposite, actually . ". "The exact opposite?". "I heard that she actually woke up from the ''final sleep'' stage and was discharged recently . ". "Are you telling me the truth?!". "Those in the know are in a huge uproar over this whole thing, sir . We may not have made any official announcement, but well, it did happen in our hospital, so ". The higher-ups of the hospital naturally saw today''s raid, as well . And that meant they continued to talk about Seong Jin-Woo''s matter, and eventually, even Goh Gun-Hui''s personal doctor got to hear about it "But, Eternal Sleep was cured? Was that even possible?". "I believe this is the first time ever in the world, sir . ". "When did she wake up?". "Most likely ". The doctor confirmed the date in his head "About five days ago . ". " . ". Now it made sense The day he asked Jin-Woo to join the raid, and the day the youth''s mother woke up, were almost the same ''Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s father went missing inside a Gate, didn''t he?''. A wife who lost her husband to the Gate . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would''ve found it very hard to leave such a mother behind all alone to participate in the Jeju Island raid . Not to mention, to participate in the subjugation operation that had failed three times in the past as well Goh Gun-Hui reflected on his carelessness for failing to check upon his situation ''That''s why he couldn''t participate in this raid . ''. Jin-Woo''s situation, and the feats he performed today, combined to wash away the misunderstanding that almost managed to block up his chest . Goh Gun-Hui''s heart began racing once more He really liked this young man . Such a man was a rare breed, indeed It was then, an Association employee approached him "Sir . ". "Did something happen?". "We couldn''t get in touch with Hunter Min Byung-Gu''s family . ". "You mean . His mother?". "Yes, sir . ". That was to be expected . She learnt of her son''s passing through a d*mn TV . She then called the Association on the phone, her voice trembling non-stop . The Association had no choice but to be honest with her "I''ll go and see her personally . ". "Sir, you''re planning to go there personally?". "A parent is about to hold a funeral for her child without his body . You really think she''s in any state of mind to pick up a phone?". "B-but, sir . ". "I''ll go and speak to her personally and inform her of everything that happened . And I''ll express my condolences as well . ". " Understood, sir . ". The employee turned around with a hardened face . But then, his phone began ringing quite noisily and made him stop He saw that the call came from the Association, so he got permission from the President to answer it "Mm? There''s someone who wishes to speak to the Association President? What?! It''s him?". Goh Gun-Hui shook his head "Tell them I''m not meeting anyone today . ". The employee covered the phone with his hand and quickly spoke up "Sir, the person who wishes to speak to you is . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ". "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo??". Goh Gun-Hui opened his eyes wide and retracted what he said just now right away "Tell them I''ll be there shortly . ". ***. Jin-Woo got to the Association President''s office under the guidance of an employee . He was then asked rather affectionately as soon as he settled down on the couch "Would you like something to drink?". Jin-Woo was about to decline the offer, only to feel a bit of thirst creeping up on him . Now that he thought about it for a sec, he hadn''t taken a sip of water even though he had fought such an intense battle "Water will be fine . ". "Thank you very much!". " . ?". What was he so thankful about?. The employee''s face reddened after blurting his words out from sheer nervousness . He placed the bottle of water in front of Jin-Woo and deeply bowed his head "If you need anything else, please don''t hesitate to call me . ". "I will . ". Jin-Woo thought the employee''s attitude was far more cautious and sincere than the last time he came here ''It''s probably because of the raid broadcast . ''. He guessed that the attitude of many people, as well as the way they looked at him, would change greatly from now on . Not too long afterwards, Goh Gun-Hui entered the office "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!". Jin-Woo tried to get up, but the Association President Goh Gun-Hui dissuaded the youth from doing so Jin-Woo just returned from Jeju Island . And he even fought a mutated ant monster that almost annihilated a team of rank S Hunters So, the current Jin-Woo was a VIP among all VIPs Goh Gun-Hui was definitely not planning to treat with disrespect a person who saved the lives of South Korea''s rank S Hunters Goh Gun-Hui settled down on the couch opposite to Jin-Woo, rather than in his usual spot at the seat of the honour "I''ve heard what transpired inside the ant tunnel . ". "Ah, I see . ". In that case, this talk should proceed quite swimmingly, then . Jin-Woo felt that this was for the better . Goh Gun-Hui continued on "Also, I''ve been informed on how you got here, as well . ". Countless witnesses saw Kaisel flying now . There was no way the President of the Hunter''s Association wouldn''t hear about it "Did you get to Jeju Island while riding on the back of that creature?". Well, Jin-Woo used ''Shadow Exchange'' to reach the island, but was there a reason to reveal all of his cards here?. Jin-Woo was rather economical with his words "Something like that . ". This was the same thing as him making a confession that the flying monster appearing in Seoul a few nights ago was his doing . But, this would prove to be more convenient if he were to continue riding on Kaisel from now on "So, that was the case . ". It was as expected . The Association President nodded his head Jin-Woo was able to utilise the powers of dead monsters . So, it''d not be such a strange thing for him to ride around on the back of a creature if he managed to kill a flying monster somewhere Goh Gun-Hui''s curiosity had been satisfied now . And it was time to get to the main topic "You said you wanted to speak to me ?". "Yes . ". "Is something the matter?". "I''ve taken care of all the ants on the island . ". "Excuse me??". Goh Gun-Hui jumped up from his seat "You managed to kill every single one of those ants?!". "Yes . ". Jin-Woo confidently replied "You won''t encounter any problems when entering Jeju Island . ". "But, how ". No, Goh Gun-Hui could already guess the ''how'' of it The TV camera caught the sight of hundreds of Jin-Woo''s summons . If those things combed every inch of Jeju Island, then it wouldn''t be a problem for him to annihilate every single ant in such a short period of time The important point here was, of course, entry into Jeju Island was possible now And it also signified that they would be able to retrieve Hunter Min Byung-Gu''s remains resting deep within the ant tunnel, too Goh Gun-Hui was greatly troubled by the fact that the remains of Hunter Min Byung-Gu had to be left abandoned there until the ant monsters were all gone, but now . The ends of his eyes reddened up with emotions . He then wholehearted thanked Jin-Woo "Thank you very much, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ". ***. Inside a suite of South Korea''s top luxury hotel Although his presence had been buried under the huge news of the Jeju Island raid recently, it was still an undeniable fact that one of the world''s most powerful Hunters had taken up a temporary residence there Thomas switched off the monitor still playing the video of the raid . He had already seen that recorded video three times by now Laura, who stood next to him, asked him . She accompanied him to Korea as his sole subordinate "What do you think, sir?". "Well¡­ it''s as you can see . ". He leaned against the couch and placed his legs on the coffee table Thomas had fair blonde hair and a high nose . A seemingly never-ending happy smile was deeply etched on his sunglasses-wearing face "So, are you sure that''s the Hunter Mister Hwang was investigating?". "Yes . ". "And he asked you what would happen if he killed someone in Korea?". "Yes . ". Thomas ordered the potential connection between Hwang Dong-Su and Seong Jin-Woo to be secretly investigated as soon as Laura made her report . And, as it turned out, there was only one connection between the two That would be Hwang Dong-Su''s older brother, Hwang Dong-Seok He and Seong Jin-Woo entered the same dungeon together, but only the latter walked out alive, while the former went missing No one would question what happened inside a dungeon . That had become common sense throughout the world now "So, it''s revenge, is it?". "Most likely . ". "And here I thought that he had no family . He hid it pretty well . ". "I heard that Mister Hwang''s brother was meticulous in hiding the family connection, sir . ". "Probably because he was involved in shady stuff, that''s why . ". So shady, in fact, it''d greatly affect his own younger brother if the word got out . Laura used her silence to indicate her agreement And then . the Jeju Island raid happened "I guess it will become far harder to meet Seong Jin-Woo now, what with an incident like that taking place . ". "I believe so . ". Laura replied confidently There was only one reason why the Master of Scavenger Guild, as well as one of the most renowned Hunters in the world, Thomas, gave himself some time off and came to this small nation . And that was to meet Seong Jin-Woo More specifically, he wanted to find out what might happen if Mister Hwang did get to have a go with Seong Jin-Woo for real He told the management of the Guild that he was coming here to scout yet another rank S South Korean Hunter "I really wanted to meet him, too . What a shame this is . ". Thomas''s voice was thick with the emotion of wistfulness Laura cautiously asked him from the side "As I thought . It''d be for the best to prevent Mister Hwang from encountering Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, yes?". "Well . ". Thomas slowly scratched his chin, before replying to her with a smirk "The South Korean government did save Mister Hwang''s life, that''s for sure . ". The Korean government immediately blocked Hwang Dong-Seok from entering the country . After all, he did abandon his mother nation to emigrate to the States as soon as he was evaluated to be a rank S, didn''t he?. The whole thing could''ve turned into an international incident, but Thomas was able to utilise the time earned that way to come and visit Korea first Too bad, Mister Hwang wasn''t someone who''d simply give up just because he was refused entry to a country . Especially so, if his purpose was revenge In all honesty, Thomas didn''t have a stuffy personality . He had no thoughts of stopping Mister Hwang at the risk of being on the end of his hostility when the latter wanted to avenge the death of his family member But then, that man was an important asset to Scavenger Guild . And that was precisely the reason why Thomas thought of finding out the exact skill level of Seong Jin-Woo, who was also ranked S Because, it''d prove to be troublesome if Mister Hwang ended up kicking the bucket, instead However . The impression Thomas got from seeing Seong Jin-Woo was that, the American should be thanking the lucky stars right about now "No matter what, never let Mister Hwang step a foot inside South Korea . With that, hopefully, these two won''t run into each other . ". "Understood . I''ll also withdraw the legal procedures . ". "I should be the one to talk to Mister Hwang . That friend''s got a fiery personality, so I guess I''ll have to do my best on this one . ". Laura studiously jotted down everything her Guild Master said on a memo pad . But then, a question popped up in her head "What if . even after we did all this, the two of them end up fighting What will you do then, sir?". "Laura . Don''t you know me?". Thomas grinned deeply "Mister Hwang is Scavenger Guild''s asset . And Scavenger is my property . ". His lips might be smiling, but the eyes hidden beneath the sunglasses certainly weren''t . He always wore a pair of sunglasses to hide his incredibly sharp eyes He sat back up straight and lowered his voice "I will never forgive anyone who dares to touch my property . Even if that''s the American government itself . ". One person''s power equalled that of an entire country His name was Thomas Andre One of only five in the entire world . This was the confidence that only a Special Authority-rank Hunter, an international powerhouse, could possess < Chapter 125 > Fin Chapter 126 "Let us escort you back home, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . " The Association President Goh Gun-Hui hurriedly made that offer as Jin-Woo stood up to leave . "If you wait for a minute, one of our agents will bring a car around . How about going home with that, instead?" " . . . . " Jin-Woo had fully understood that the Hunter''s Association, and especially its boss man, Goh Gun-Hui, were feeling extremely grateful towards him . However, that didn''t mean he wanted to be treated like royalty even in something as minor as this . It wasn''t as if his home was too far away and he needed to borrow a car, either . If he wanted to save on time, he might as well ride on Kaisel . Or run all the way back home, which would actually be quicker, instead . That''s why Jin-Woo declined the offer . "Thank you, but I''ll be fine . " However, Goh Gun-Hui shook his head and insisted on it . "I believe that . . . it''ll be more convenient for you to get a ride home . " "What do you mean by that . . . . ?" Goh Gun-Hui approached the window and spoke to him . "Could you please come over this way?" Jin-Woo also walked over to the window, and that''s when he saw it . ¡­ . Outside the window . Less than one hour ago, the front entrance of the Association used to be sparsely populated . But now, a huge crowd of people had gathered there and he couldn''t see any openings at all . "All these people came here to see you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . They have heard that you came for a visit in the Association . " Jin-Woo didn''t have to ask how these people knew . ''Well, I did fly on Kaisel to get here, so . . . . '' In this day and age, everyone walked around with a minimum of one camera on their persons . The images of Jin-Woo riding on Kaisel, and disembarking in front of the Association, spread through the medium of SNS like wildfire . And sure enough, online reporters were also among those who heard of the news . Just one headline was all that''s needed . The article itself wasn''t even that long, either . ''Who is the owner of the monster that landed in the Association?''? The article stated that the monster was definitely not what one would call average, and that it was jet-black like a shadow . Finally, the article went on to posit that it was most likely one of Jin-Woo''s summoned creatures, as it looked similar to what millions saw on their TV sets . Those who heard the news and came here to confirm the truth, and those who only wished to meet Jin-Woo in person, combined to create this massive throng of people gathering right on the front lawn of the Association building . A flood of emotions welled up inside Jin-Woo as he stared at all these people . Goh Gun-Hui also stared at the crowd in silence for a while, before he calmly opened his mouth . "I''m sure that you''re aware of it by now . . . Our countrymen had been thirsting for a victory . " South Korea became the sole nation on Earth who lost a part of their land to monsters after a catastrophic dungeon break occurred on Jeju Island four years ago . Many countries outwardly expressed their solidarity but inwardly, they were mocking the Korean Hunters for their uselessness . By the time the third subjugation operation ended in failure, that sentiment reached its peak . Two years of humiliation later . . . . People learned of the news that the fourth subjugation attempt would be a joint operation with the Japanese . There were some sceptical voices mocking the Koreans for their inability to deal with the monsters without the aid of the Japanese . Unfortunately, that was the actual hard truth . But then . . . . The mighty Japanese and their twenty-plus rank S Hunters turned tail and ran away from the raid . Yet, Jin-Woo suddenly made his appearance along with his black soldiers . It was understandable that people would go absolutely crazy about him . Exactly like how one would quench his thirst in an oasis, the citizens witnessed Jin-Woo''s feats and threw away their sense of powerlessness . Many viewers had to pour out onto the streets, unable to contain their unbridled joy . And when they heard of Jin-Woo''s whereabouts, they ended up running over here . "Of course, I''m sure you can also fly away using your monster . " Goh Gun-Hui gently chuckled from the side . "However, I believe that you should go downstairs in consideration of the crowd . Because, the people . . . need a hero, you see . " *** Jin-Woo pushed open the glass door and exited from the Association building . All chaos suddenly died down right away . Everyone gathered here kept their mouths closed and quietly stared at Jin-Woo . " . . . . " " . . . . . " Many areas of Jin-Woo''s clothes still sported traces of battles he fought . There were blotches of ant monster''s bodily liquid, and some part had been torn open at the hands of the mutated ant monster, too . However, not one person here made fun of Jin-Woo''s current appearance . No, the citizens simply stared at him in silence while feeling a certain boiling something well up from deep within their chests . Jin-Woo quietly stared back at them as well . Just as the heavy silence descended between him and the citizens . . . . "Hunter-nim, please . This way . " Woo Jin-Cheol was now tasked with guiding Jin-Woo, and he faithfully carried out his duty . The agents of the Monitoring Division went ahead and created a path forward while asking the crowd for their understanding; citizens moved aside without any complaints whatsoever . However, there was a sole exception . A grandpa walked in front of Jin-Woo when there wasn''t that much distance left to the waiting car . "Hunter-nim . . . . " One of the Monitoring Division''s agents tried to stop the grandpa, but he hesitated somewhat after seeing the tear-soaked face of the old man, before he had to take a step back . Because, Jin-Woo held the agent back, that''s why . The grandpa was finally able to stand before Jin-Woo . Thick tears streamed down his face and he called out to the young Hunter in a choked-up voice . "Hunter-nim . . . . Thanks to you . . . My son, he can close his eyes and rest now . " The grandpa faltered as strength left his legs . Jin-Woo quickly supported him before he fell . The grandpa held on to Jin-Woo''s hands and arms and kept bowing his head over and over again . "Thank you, Hunter-nim . . . . . Truly, I . . . . . " "I only did what had to be done . Please, do try to stand up . " Woo Jin-Cheol helped with assisting the grandpa, and then entrusted the still-crying old man to his subordinate . He leaned in closer and whispered to Jin-Woo . "Hunter-nim . The crowd is getting larger . Perhaps we should get going . . . . " "Alright . " Jin-Woo nodded his head . Woo Jin-Cheol opened the car''s rear door and held it there . Jin-Woo took one last look at the crowd before climbing into the car . It was unknown who started it first . Someone within the crowd quickly lowered his head as soon as meeting Jin-Woo''s gaze as a sign of a thank you, but then, everyone followed suit and did the same . Greetings filled with genuine appreciation came back to him wherever his eyes swept by . " . . . . . Hunter-nim . " Woo Jin-Cheol''s anxious voice woke Jin-Woo up and only then did he fully climb into the car . Woo Jin-Cheol entered the front passenger''s seat while his subordinate settled into the driver''s . Eventually, the car drove slowly away from the Association''s grounds . Without saying a word, Jin-Woo gazed outside the window . The crowd kept looking at the car right up until it could no longer be seen . He leaned back on the seat and placed his hand on his pounding chest . Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump . . . . His heart was beating fast as the wonderful sense of accomplishment filled him up . He initially felt at a loss when the Association President suggested that he should meet with the crowd . But now, he was glad that he didn''t just walk past them . It felt like every single gaze he met were his reward for a job well done . It was then . . . . "Ah!" Woo Jin-Cheol hurriedly looked behind him after Jin-Woo inadvertently cried out . "Did something happen, Hunter-nim??" " . . . . No, it''s nothing important . " Jin-Woo remembered only now that he broke the TV without an explanation, just so he could reduce the shock his mom might feel . He helplessly massaged his forehead . ''Just how am I supposed to explain all this?'' Sure enough . . . . He switched his phone back on to find 13 missed calls from home . *** It was pandemonium in online forums, too . But, that was to be expected . The Jeju Island subjugation raid was the very first time Jin-Woo made his public appearance, ever since getting his rank S licence . It was the same thing as him making his public debut . And during his first public appearance, he overwhelmed the mutated monster ant that freaked out everyone, and then, swept away thousands of ants blocking the escape route with his summoned creatures . Like the excited fans pouring out into the streets after a match, those who witnessed the raid broadcast all logged online to voice their opinions . ©¸ Wow . . . . I''m speechless . . . . ©¸ But, I thought that you can''t call out that many summoned creatures? ©¸ My ten-year-old tumour got cured from watching the assault of Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim''s summoned creatures . ©¸ By the way, mister? That tumour must''ve been a minor one since you had it for only ten years . ©¸ It was so cool . It was the best . ©¸ I lost my parents four years ago on Jeju Island . I know that Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim won''t read this, but . . . . The operation managed to capture the interest of all South Korean citizens . It was no wonder that various online forums were overflowing with the stories related to the raid . And Jin-Woo''s name always cropped up in those discussions . Also, a hot debate regarding how high Jin-Woo''s skills should be rated opened up among the netizens famed for their love of comparisons . ©¸ With his powers, shouldn''t we say that our country now also has a Special Authority-rank in our midst? ©¸ Eiii . With only that? You should limit your intake of Kimchi soup per day . (TL: a Korean idiom, "drinking Kimchi soup" . Means you''re putting the cart before the horse . ) ©¸ But, why not? He almost solo cleared a rank S dungeon, and the gap between him and other rank S Hunters is pretty vast, you know? ©¸ Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s record isn''t extensive enough . If his skills are for real, then people will acknowledge him sooner or later . ©¸ In any case, man, he was so freaking awesome . ©¸ A rank E is only a bit better than a regular person, so how can someone like that become so strong? ©¸ Is Hunter Seong Jin-Woo a Re-Awakened? ©¸ Lots of people don''t seem to know that Seong Jin-Woo is a Re-Awakened . He applied to have his private information protected right away, so . . . . . Of course, there were some people among many who felt mighty uncomfortable about Jin-Woo, as well . ©¸ But, hold up . . . . If Seong Jin-Woo participated in the raid from the get-go, Min Byung-Gu wouldn''t have died, right? ©¸ He wanted to be left out in the beginning, so why did he show up in the middle? ©¸ Looks like guys above mine haven''t seen the article put up by the Association explaining themselves yet . ©¸ What article? Links please . The contents of the article went like this . Even though he was ranked S, Jin-Woo lacked experience in entering high-ranked dungeons . Therefore, the Association chose to keep him in reserve nearby in case of an emergency, instead of making him join the raid team from the beginning . Once the situation became dire, they decided to insert him right away . It was a hastily-cooked up story, but it proved to be enough to convince the masses . ''This is the best I can do for Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . '' Goh Gun-Hui''s quick response was able to stop the sharp arrows of criticism from pointing at Jin-Woo, while also managing to keep the latter''s private affairs out of public limelight . Thanks to that, some people denounced the inability of the Association to properly gauge the capabilities of their own Hunters, but no one pointed the fingers of blame in Jin-Woo''s direction . No, Jin-Woo''s acclaim only rose even further in the eyes of the public . The situation was at its worst point, with the Japanese team tasked with buying time having withdrawn from the island and the Korean team facing certain annihilation . Yet, he didn''t complain once and jumped into the ant tunnel all alone . ©¸ I wouldn''t have been able to go in there, even if someone pushed me from the back, ''cuz I''d get scared sh*tless . Other rank S Hunters were getting massacred in there, so why should I? ©¸ Agreed . ©¸ What did he think about when he entered there? ©¸ Shouldn''t Seong Jin-Woo be the true role model of all the Hunters out there? ©¸ Shouldn''t those idiots slagging off Seong Jin-Woo for not participating beg for his forgiveness right about now? ©¸ LOLOLOL That''s why you shouldn''t yap on like that when you don''t know anything . Jin-Woo was fast becoming the most famous Hunter in South Korea, much to his fluster . Even though he had requested for the protection of his private information early on, his fame continued to soar higher . *** Two days later . Military personnel and Hunters landed on Jeju Island to recover the remains of Hunter Min Byung-Gu . They were from the Yeongnam District''s Guild, the ''Knight Order'' . Although they were one of the five large Guilds representing South Korea, they lacked a rank S Hunter in their midst and therefore, couldn''t participate in the raid . They sensed their reputation diminishing from this event, and volunteered for this mission . Thanks to that, the matters had progressed rather swiftly . Hunters had to take the lead after seeing the specially-trained soldiers hesitating somewhat . "Oii, stop it and come on, already . " "I''m telling you, there isn''t a single detectable magical energy on this island . Argh, you guys are far too distrusting . " Hunters walking forward far up ahead waved at the soldiers . The hesitant soldiers cautiously followed from behind, but they still kept their guards up . From the Hunters'' perspective, that sure was one frustrating sight to see, but there was no helping it . Regular people couldn''t sense magical energy, nor were they able to fight against the monsters . So they could only be overly cautious like that . "Tsk, tsk . " The Guild Master of the Knight Order tutted unhappily, and placed his hands on his waist while scanning his surroundings . ''Huh . . . . '' His jaw dropped all on its own . The closer they got to the vicinity of the ant tunnel, the greater the number of dead ants strewn about on the ground . Nay, they resembled small mountains now, instead . The Vice Guild Master, a close friend and a fellow Hunter who he fought alongside for a long time, helplessly shook his head . "Hyung-nim . . . . Can you believe this? You telling me that a lone Hunter did all of this?" " . . . . . " The Knight Order Guild also took part back during the third subjugation operation along with countless other Hunters . That''s why they knew better than anyone here how scary these creatures could be . "To think that those ants ended up in this sorry state . . . . " "Wow . . . . That kid, Seong Jin-Woo or whatever his name was, he''s no ordinary man, that''s for sure . " The Vice Guild Master continued to look around at his surroundings and spoke while sounding a bit fed up . "How did he even manage to wipe out every single ant on this huge island??" "I wonder about that myself . " The elite members of the Knight Order, pretty well versed in all things monster-related, could only gawk in astonishment at the piles upon piles of dead monsters . Eventually, though, their astonished steps brought them to the entrance of the ant tunnel . "Hyung-nim, I can see it . " "Yup, me too . " Hunters came to a stop in front of the ant tunnel so they could enter it together with the soldiers . The latter group was still a bit of distance away . Since there wasn''t much to do during the wait, the Guild Master lit up a cigarette . The Vice Guild Master also lit one up for himself . But then . . . . The Guild Master furrowed his brows after seeing that lit cigarette powerlessly fall from the Vice''s lips . "Oii . What''s the matter?" "H-hyung-nim!!" The Vice Guild Master urgently slapped the Master''s shoulder as he pointed to the front . The latter finally realised that something was off and quickly turned his head to the front . "Heok!!" A distinct shadow of a man appeared in the entrance of the tunnel . The wide-eyed Guild Master flinched in surprise, before opening his mouth up to speak . "Y-you, who . . . are you?" < Chapter 126 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 126: Chapter 126 . "Let us escort you back home, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ". The Association President Goh Gun-Hui hurriedly made that offer as Jin-Woo stood up to leave "If you wait for a minute, one of our agents will bring a car around . How about going home with that, instead?". " ". Jin-Woo had fully understood that the Hunter''s Association, and especially its boss man, Goh Gun-Hui, were feeling extremely grateful towards him However, that didn''t mean he wanted to be treated like royalty even in something as minor as this It wasn''t as if his home was too far away and he needed to borrow a car, either . If he wanted to save on time, he might as well ride on Kaisel . Or run all the way back home, which would actually be quicker, instead That''s why Jin-Woo declined the offer "Thank you, but I''ll be fine . ". However, Goh Gun-Hui shook his head and insisted on it "I believe that . it''ll be more convenient for you to get a ride home . ". "What do you mean by that ?". Goh Gun-Hui approached the window and spoke to him "Could you please come over this way?". Jin-Woo also walked over to the window, and that''s when he saw it ¡­ . Outside the window Less than one hour ago, the front entrance of the Association used to be sparsely populated . But now, a huge crowd of people had gathered there and he couldn''t see any openings at all "All these people came here to see you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . They have heard that you came for a visit in the Association . ". Jin-Woo didn''t have to ask how these people knew ''Well, I did fly on Kaisel to get here, so ''. In this day and age, everyone walked around with a minimum of one camera on their persons . The images of Jin-Woo riding on Kaisel, and disembarking in front of the Association, spread through the medium of SNS like wildfire . And sure enough, online reporters were also among those who heard of the news Just one headline was all that''s needed . The article itself wasn''t even that long, either ''Who is the owner of the monster that landed in the Association?''?. The article stated that the monster was definitely not what one would call average, and that it was jet-black like a shadow . Finally, the article went on to posit that it was most likely one of Jin-Woo''s summoned creatures, as it looked similar to what millions saw on their TV sets Those who heard the news and came here to confirm the truth, and those who only wished to meet Jin-Woo in person, combined to create this massive throng of people gathering right on the front lawn of the Association building A flood of emotions welled up inside Jin-Woo as he stared at all these people Goh Gun-Hui also stared at the crowd in silence for a while, before he calmly opened his mouth "I''m sure that you''re aware of it by now . Our countrymen had been thirsting for a victory . ". South Korea became the sole nation on Earth who lost a part of their land to monsters after a catastrophic dungeon break occurred on Jeju Island four years ago Many countries outwardly expressed their solidarity but inwardly, they were mocking the Korean Hunters for their uselessness . By the time the third subjugation operation ended in failure, that sentiment reached its peak Two years of humiliation later . People learned of the news that the fourth subjugation attempt would be a joint operation with the Japanese . There were some sceptical voices mocking the Koreans for their inability to deal with the monsters without the aid of the Japanese . Unfortunately, that was the actual hard truth But then . The mighty Japanese and their twenty-plus rank S Hunters turned tail and ran away from the raid . Yet, Jin-Woo suddenly made his appearance along with his black soldiers . It was understandable that people would go absolutely crazy about him Exactly like how one would quench his thirst in an oasis, the citizens witnessed Jin-Woo''s feats and threw away their sense of powerlessness . Many viewers had to pour out onto the streets, unable to contain their unbridled joy . And when they heard of Jin-Woo''s whereabouts, they ended up running over here "Of course, I''m sure you can also fly away using your monster . ". Goh Gun-Hui gently chuckled from the side "However, I believe that you should go downstairs in consideration of the crowd . Because, the people . need a hero, you see . ". ***. Jin-Woo pushed open the glass door and exited from the Association building . All chaos suddenly died down right away Everyone gathered here kept their mouths closed and quietly stared at Jin-Woo " ". " . ". Many areas of Jin-Woo''s clothes still sported traces of battles he fought There were blotches of ant monster''s bodily liquid, and some part had been torn open at the hands of the mutated ant monster, too . However, not one person here made fun of Jin-Woo''s current appearance No, the citizens simply stared at him in silence while feeling a certain boiling something well up from deep within their chests Jin-Woo quietly stared back at them as well . Just as the heavy silence descended between him and the citizens . "Hunter-nim, please . This way . ". Woo Jin-Cheol was now tasked with guiding Jin-Woo, and he faithfully carried out his duty The agents of the Monitoring Division went ahead and created a path forward while asking the crowd for their understanding; citizens moved aside without any complaints whatsoever However, there was a sole exception A grandpa walked in front of Jin-Woo when there wasn''t that much distance left to the waiting car "Hunter-nim ". One of the Monitoring Division''s agents tried to stop the grandpa, but he hesitated somewhat after seeing the tear-soaked face of the old man, before he had to take a step back . Because, Jin-Woo held the agent back, that''s why The grandpa was finally able to stand before Jin-Woo . Thick tears streamed down his face and he called out to the young Hunter in a choked-up voice "Hunter-nim Thanks to you . My son, he can close his eyes and rest now . ". The grandpa faltered as strength left his legs . Jin-Woo quickly supported him before he fell The grandpa held on to Jin-Woo''s hands and arms and kept bowing his head over and over again "Thank you, Hunter-nim . Truly, I . ". "I only did what had to be done . Please, do try to stand up . ". Woo Jin-Cheol helped with assisting the grandpa, and then entrusted the still-crying old man to his subordinate . He leaned in closer and whispered to Jin-Woo "Hunter-nim . The crowd is getting larger . Perhaps we should get going ". "Alright . ". Jin-Woo nodded his head . Woo Jin-Cheol opened the car''s rear door and held it there Jin-Woo took one last look at the crowd before climbing into the car It was unknown who started it first Someone within the crowd quickly lowered his head as soon as meeting Jin-Woo''s gaze as a sign of a thank you, but then, everyone followed suit and did the same . Greetings filled with genuine appreciation came back to him wherever his eyes swept by " . Hunter-nim . ". Woo Jin-Cheol''s anxious voice woke Jin-Woo up and only then did he fully climb into the car Woo Jin-Cheol entered the front passenger''s seat while his subordinate settled into the driver''s . Eventually, the car drove slowly away from the Association''s grounds Without saying a word, Jin-Woo gazed outside the window The crowd kept looking at the car right up until it could no longer be seen He leaned back on the seat and placed his hand on his pounding chest Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump . His heart was beating fast as the wonderful sense of accomplishment filled him up He initially felt at a loss when the Association President suggested that he should meet with the crowd . But now, he was glad that he didn''t just walk past them It felt like every single gaze he met were his reward for a job well done It was then . "Ah!". Woo Jin-Cheol hurriedly looked behind him after Jin-Woo inadvertently cried out "Did something happen, Hunter-nim??". " No, it''s nothing important . ". Jin-Woo remembered only now that he broke the TV without an explanation, just so he could reduce the shock his mom might feel . He helplessly massaged his forehead ''Just how am I supposed to explain all this?''. Sure enough . He switched his phone back on to find 13 missed calls from home ***. It was pandemonium in online forums, too . But, that was to be expected The Jeju Island subjugation raid was the very first time Jin-Woo made his public appearance, ever since getting his rank S licence . It was the same thing as him making his public debut And during his first public appearance, he overwhelmed the mutated monster ant that freaked out everyone, and then, swept away thousands of ants blocking the escape route with his summoned creatures Like the excited fans pouring out into the streets after a match, those who witnessed the raid broadcast all logged online to voice their opinions ©¸ Wow I''m speechless . ©¸ But, I thought that you can''t call out that many summoned creatures?. ©¸ My ten-year-old tumour got cured from watching the assault of Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim''s summoned creatures ©¸ By the way, mister? That tumour must''ve been a minor one since you had it for only ten years ©¸ It was so cool . It was the best ©¸ I lost my parents four years ago on Jeju Island . I know that Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim won''t read this, but . The operation managed to capture the interest of all South Korean citizens . It was no wonder that various online forums were overflowing with the stories related to the raid . And Jin-Woo''s name always cropped up in those discussions Also, a hot debate regarding how high Jin-Woo''s skills should be rated opened up among the netizens famed for their love of comparisons ©¸ With his powers, shouldn''t we say that our country now also has a Special Authority-rank in our midst?. ©¸ Eiii . With only that? You should limit your intake of Kimchi soup per day . (TL: a Korean idiom, "drinking Kimchi soup" . Means you''re putting the cart before the horse . ). ©¸ But, why not? He almost solo cleared a rank S dungeon, and the gap between him and other rank S Hunters is pretty vast, you know?. ©¸ Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s record isn''t extensive enough . If his skills are for real, then people will acknowledge him sooner or later ©¸ In any case, man, he was so freaking awesome ©¸ A rank E is only a bit better than a regular person, so how can someone like that become so strong?. ©¸ Is Hunter Seong Jin-Woo a Re-Awakened?. ©¸ Lots of people don''t seem to know that Seong Jin-Woo is a Re-Awakened . He applied to have his private information protected right away, so Of course, there were some people among many who felt mighty uncomfortable about Jin-Woo, as well ©¸ But, hold up If Seong Jin-Woo participated in the raid from the get-go, Min Byung-Gu wouldn''t have died, right?. ©¸ He wanted to be left out in the beginning, so why did he show up in the middle?. ©¸ Looks like guys above mine haven''t seen the article put up by the Association explaining themselves yet ©¸ What article? Links please The contents of the article went like this Even though he was ranked S, Jin-Woo lacked experience in entering high-ranked dungeons . Therefore, the Association chose to keep him in reserve nearby in case of an emergency, instead of making him join the raid team from the beginning . Once the situation became dire, they decided to insert him right away It was a hastily-cooked up story, but it proved to be enough to convince the masses ''This is the best I can do for Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ''. Goh Gun-Hui''s quick response was able to stop the sharp arrows of criticism from pointing at Jin-Woo, while also managing to keep the latter''s private affairs out of public limelight Thanks to that, some people denounced the inability of the Association to properly gauge the capabilities of their own Hunters, but no one pointed the fingers of blame in Jin-Woo''s direction No, Jin-Woo''s acclaim only rose even further in the eyes of the public The situation was at its worst point, with the Japanese team tasked with buying time having withdrawn from the island and the Korean team facing certain annihilation . Yet, he didn''t complain once and jumped into the ant tunnel all alone ©¸ I wouldn''t have been able to go in there, even if someone pushed me from the back, ''cuz I''d get scared sh*tless . Other rank S Hunters were getting massacred in there, so why should I?. ©¸ Agreed ©¸ What did he think about when he entered there?. ©¸ Shouldn''t Seong Jin-Woo be the true role model of all the Hunters out there?. ©¸ Shouldn''t those idiots slagging off Seong Jin-Woo for not participating beg for his forgiveness right about now?. ©¸ LOLOLOL That''s why you shouldn''t yap on like that when you don''t know anything Jin-Woo was fast becoming the most famous Hunter in South Korea, much to his fluster . Even though he had requested for the protection of his private information early on, his fame continued to soar higher ***. Two days later Military personnel and Hunters landed on Jeju Island to recover the remains of Hunter Min Byung-Gu They were from the Yeongnam District''s Guild, the ''Knight Order'' . Although they were one of the five large Guilds representing South Korea, they lacked a rank S Hunter in their midst and therefore, couldn''t participate in the raid They sensed their reputation diminishing from this event, and volunteered for this mission . Thanks to that, the matters had progressed rather swiftly Hunters had to take the lead after seeing the specially-trained soldiers hesitating somewhat "Oii, stop it and come on, already . ". "I''m telling you, there isn''t a single detectable magical energy on this island . Argh, you guys are far too distrusting . ". Hunters walking forward far up ahead waved at the soldiers . The hesitant soldiers cautiously followed from behind, but they still kept their guards up From the Hunters'' perspective, that sure was one frustrating sight to see, but there was no helping it . Regular people couldn''t sense magical energy, nor were they able to fight against the monsters . So they could only be overly cautious like that "Tsk, tsk . ". The Guild Master of the Knight Order tutted unhappily, and placed his hands on his waist while scanning his surroundings ''Huh ''. His jaw dropped all on its own The closer they got to the vicinity of the ant tunnel, the greater the number of dead ants strewn about on the ground Nay, they resembled small mountains now, instead The Vice Guild Master, a close friend and a fellow Hunter who he fought alongside for a long time, helplessly shook his head "Hyung-nim Can you believe this? You telling me that a lone Hunter did all of this?". " . ". The Knight Order Guild also took part back during the third subjugation operation along with countless other Hunters . That''s why they knew better than anyone here how scary these creatures could be "To think that those ants ended up in this sorry state ". "Wow That kid, Seong Jin-Woo or whatever his name was, he''s no ordinary man, that''s for sure . ". The Vice Guild Master continued to look around at his surroundings and spoke while sounding a bit fed up "How did he even manage to wipe out every single ant on this huge island??". "I wonder about that myself . ". The elite members of the Knight Order, pretty well versed in all things monster-related, could only gawk in astonishment at the piles upon piles of dead monsters Eventually, though, their astonished steps brought them to the entrance of the ant tunnel "Hyung-nim, I can see it . ". "Yup, me too . ". Hunters came to a stop in front of the ant tunnel so they could enter it together with the soldiers . The latter group was still a bit of distance away . Since there wasn''t much to do during the wait, the Guild Master lit up a cigarette . The Vice Guild Master also lit one up for himself But then . The Guild Master furrowed his brows after seeing that lit cigarette powerlessly fall from the Vice''s lips "Oii . What''s the matter?". "H-hyung-nim!!". The Vice Guild Master urgently slapped the Master''s shoulder as he pointed to the front . The latter finally realised that something was off and quickly turned his head to the front "Heok!!". A distinct shadow of a man appeared in the entrance of the tunnel The wide-eyed Guild Master flinched in surprise, before opening his mouth up to speak "Y-you, who . are you?". < Chapter 126 > Fin Chapter 127 The Master of the Knight Order Guild, Park Jong-Su, had to doubt his own eyes . Because, there was a good-looking foreign man leisurely strolling out of the ant tunnel''s entrance at that very moment . But, that was just impossible . ''The ants being completely wiped out should still be a top secret, so how could this be??'' Everything found rolling around on the ground was literally the top-grade magic crystals . So, the Association decided to keep the annihilation of the ants a secret in order to prevent those enterprising souls from taking their chances here, at least until they could come up with a suitable solution to this problem . So, only a few select people knew that there were no monsters left on this island . ''It''s only to the extent of the Association entrusting the mission to us, the military, and then . . . . '' And then, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . However, Park Jong-Su could confidently bet his entire life savings that the man standing in front of the ant tunnel was definitely not Seong Jin-Woo . How could anyone forget that man''s face? Not only was he the most talked-about Hunter in South Korea, but he also occupied the top spot on the Knight Order''s must-scout list . Park Jong-Su asked again . "I asked you who you are! Why are you coming out from there?" It was unknown whether the foreigner didn''t understand a single word coming out of his mouth or wasn''t planning to answer in the first place . No, that man just stood there, smiling brightly . The Knight Order''s Vice Master, Jeong Yun-Tae, got right next to Park Jong-Soo, his suspicious eyes firmly locked on the foreigner . "Hyung-nim . Is that guy even a human?" "I . . . . I''m not sure, myself . " They couldn''t sense any magic energy emission from the mysterious man, so he couldn''t have been a Hunter nor a monster . . . . But, for some reason, he was also emitting this strange aura . Jeong Yun-Tae always had been the ''act first, talk later'' type of a guy . But even he had to take a step back and cautiously observe his surroundings after sensing the ominous aura . Unfortunately, soldiers didn''t possess the Hunter-like sensory perception . They belatedly discovered the foreigner''s presence and hurriedly raised their firearms . Park Jong-Su quickly dissuaded them, fearing that they might end up inadvertently killing someone . "Oii, oii! Don''t shoot! He''s not a monster!" "Is he a human, then?" "Well, that is . . . . Maybe?" Park Jong-Su could only nod his head with a somewhat unconvinced expression . ''You can only be a human being if you''re not a monster . '' Park Jong-Su''s limited scope of knowledge meant that he could only arrive at this faulty conclusion . The military commander briefly nodded his head . "Understood . From here onwards, we''ll handle the affairs of that person . " "Pardon me? I thought you guys came here to take Hunter Min Byung-Gu''s remains back home?" "Our orders were to secure the remains of Hunter Min Byung-Gu, as well as to control the situation on the island itself . " Park Jong-Su stepped back, having understood the gist of it . If they weren''t dealing with monsters or other Hunters then the Knight Order didn''t have to get involved here . Besides, they wouldn''t get mired in unnecessary headaches this way, too . The commander shouted at the mystery man . "You are currently inside a restricted area . Please follow my orders to the letter or you''ll be fired upon . " " . . . " The mystery man continued to smile, not a single hint of nervousness visible on his face . Gulp . Soldiers swallowed their saliva while thinking to themselves, "Are we really going to open fire at him?" This was an expected response from these soldiers who had never pulled the trigger on another human being before . Hunters were also carrying tense expressions now . They began thinking that there was something strange going on with this situation when that mysterious man continued to smile like that . It was then ¨C the man slid his hands inside the trouser pockets . ''That man . . . . Is he really a human being?'' Could anyone stay so nonchalant when these many guns were pointing at them? Park Jong-Su''s expression gradually hardened . Meanwhile, the nervousness of the soldiers reached their peak when they could no longer see the mysterious man''s hands . "Hold your fire!! Hold your fire! Not yet!" A thick vein popped up on the commander''s neck as he shouted at his soldiers . But, then . . . . "Commander, look!" The commander quickly turned his head towards the mysterious man as soon as he heard that urgent call . That man was slowly opening his mouth . " . . . ??" He couldn''t understand the language being spoken here . It wasn''t that he had never heard of it, but more like it didn''t even originate from Earth, to begin with, judging from the way that man sounded and how he enunciated the words . "What?" "What is he saying?" While the soldiers were at a loss from this situation they had never encountered before, Park Jong-Su''s lips were busy flapping open all on their own . "M-monster language??" One could sometimes meet intelligent monsters in higher-ranked dungeons . What that man said sounded almost like the language spoken by those creatures . "Which means, is that . . . . " Before the commander could finish his sentence with " . . . . is that a monster?" the mystery man pulled his hands out from the pockets . Blam-! An ear-splitting boom reverberated throughout the land . When that mysterious man behaved in a suspicious manner, one of the well-trained special forces soldiers ended up reflexively squeezing the trigger . ''Heok!'' The commander''s stunned eyes quickly locked on to the man . The bullet, failing to dig into the man''s smooth forehead, fell to the ground with a light thud . The smile on his face was already gone . "It, it''s a monster!" "It''s not a human!" Their cries lasted only for a brief moment because, as soon as that man''s eyes changed colour to red, everyone here felt an incredible pressure tightly squeezing down on their hearts . "Ah, ah-!!" "Argh . . . . " But, then . . . Snap! Like puppets with their strings cut, the soldiers and Hunters all collapsed to the ground along with the sound of a crisp finger snap . That mysterious man wasn''t responsible for this event . He looked behind him and testily spoke up . "What do you think you''re doing?" There was a short-statured middle-aged man standing behind him now . "There''s no need to make a commotion here . I just put them all to sleep . " The middle-aged man also wasn''t speaking in the language of humans . " . . . . Indeed . " The mysterious man sounded rueful, but still agreed with his new guest nonetheless . The middle-aged man shifted his gaze towards the interior of the ant tunnel and asked . "Did you confirm it?" The mysterious man nodded his head . "It''s definitely ''his'' power . " "How strange . " The middle-aged man''s gaze now shifted over to the collapsed Hunters . "Why is ''he'' helping out these humans?" "Who knows what ''he'' is thinking? If you''re curious, why don''t you go ask ''him'' personally?" " . . . . I''ll decline . " The middle-aged man shook his head before continuing on . "We commence with the hunt as planned . Nothing has changed . " "Got it . " The middle-aged man lightly twirled his hand in the air . A black Gate small enough to let a person through opened up there . "Oh, by the way . " The middle-aged man stopped briefly and looked behind him when the mysterious man called out to him . "I think one of them is here . " "You mean, here in South Korea?" "Since we''re here, how about we take care of that guy, first?" The middle-aged man closed his eyes slightly . Soon, the information the mysterious man was talking about flowed into his head . However, the middle-aged man didn''t look wholly convinced . "If it''s around here . . . . Let''s leave it to his hands . " "You don''t want to get involved, is that it?" "It''s fine to think of it that way . It doesn''t matter . " The middle-aged man and his trailing voice soon disappeared along with the Gate itself . After confirming that the black Gate was closed for good, the mysterious man muttered to himself . "What a coward . . . . " He took a look at all the unmoving humans lying on the ground . They were only knocked out for a little while and should regain their consciousness soon enough . "Hmph . " The man snorted derisively and extended his hand towards the humans . However . . . ''¡­ . . . '' He quietly withdrew it his hand . "Well, there''s no need to raise a commotion . " He also entered a small Gate and disappeared from the spot, as well . *** Late at night . Jin-Woo was sitting on his bedroom floor, busy taking a closer look at his shortsword . Currently, he was holding the ''Demon King''s Shortsword'', a weapon that proved its worth several times over during the battle against the mutated ant monster . [Item: Demon King''s Shortsword] Rarity: S Type: Shortsword Attack: +220 A shortsword taken from the Demon King, Baran . Using two ''Demon King''s Shortswords'' will activate a set effect . Set effect ''Two Becomes One'': Extra attack power equal to the current Strength Stat will be added to each shortsword . His eyes almost bulged out when he first saw that attack power, as well as its additional attribute . In fact, he now forgot how many times he re-read that information . His reaction was justified, though . The ''Baruka''s Dagger'', a rarity A item, only boasted the attack power of 110, after all . He searched through the Store just in case, but not many of the rarity S daggers being sold there exceeded 200 in their attack power . ''Not only that . . . . '' He really liked the fact that, when wielding both Demon King''s Shortswords at once, his Strength Stat would be converted and added to the weapons'' existing attack power . His current Strength Stat had far exceeded the 200 mark, and was fast closing in on 250 . And now, such a high Stat value would be added to the weapon''s attack power as well? If he omitted the last digit and added up the numbers, then he''d still get to a frightening four times the attack power of what ''Baruka''s Dagger'' possessed . ''This is why it felt so good when I swung them around back then . '' Other Hunters would froth in their mouths like madmen and pounce on these shortswords, if they were able to see the item''s information like he could . What about the longsword''s specs, then? [Item: Demon King''s Longsword] Rarity: S Type: Longsword Attack: +350 A longsword containing the power of the Demon King, Baran . Swinging the sword will activate the effect, ''Tempest of White Flames'' . Effect ''Tempest of White Flames'': Summons a persistent thunderstorm within the designated area . A longsword had to be wielded with both of his hands, while he could hold one shortsword each in his individual hands . This meant that, quite obviously, the former would boast better attack damage than the latter . However, the additional effect the longsword had been blessed with was not ''obvious'' at all . ''I can perform an AOE attack just by swinging this thing?'' It was a weapon that would no doubt prove its worth during a fight against multiple opponents . He still felt chills run down his spine whenever he thought back to how Baran''s magic attacks rendered his Shadow Soldiers into a bunch of helpless sitting ducks . Of course, the sword''s effect wasn''t as good as Baran''s magic, but it was still an excellent trump card to hold onto, nonetheless . ''If it weren''t for my dagger skills, I might even consider using this longsword, instead . . . . '' Jin-Woo was about to take a swing with the sword, only to stop himself in time . ''¡­ . . . '' The hours were getting late; but then, you''d still wake up from your sleep in sheer fright when a lightning strikes in the room next to yours, now wouldn''t you? He didn''t want to shock his mother any more than he had already . So, he cautiously put the sword down . ''Well, what a relief it was, at least . '' Indeed, it was a relief that his mother didn''t object to his decision . That day, Jin-Woo explained everything that happened to him to his mother, minus the stuff about the System, of course . He told her that, he coincidentally went through a Re-Awakening and became a rank S Hunter, and that he''d like to continue working as one in the future, too . Mom was worried about him but eventually, decided to support her son all the way . - Mom wants to see you do what you want with your life, my son . The sole condition his mom put forward was that he was forbidden from pushing himself too far . ''But, well, if I''m in a situation where I have to push myself to that extent, then . . . . '' Jin-Woo shook his head since his imagination was about to take him to a pretty dark and horrifying place . It was then, he abruptly remembered something else his mom told him . - Was that why ''he'' showed up? Because ''he'' knew something like this would happen? - Who''s ''he''? - While I was asleep in the hospital, I heard your father''s voice . - What did he say? - Well, he said . . . . . Mom added that she had never heard of someone else''s voice before and after that day, as well . ''I guess Mom still hasn''t gotten over Dad yet . '' Even then, his mother didn''t try to stop her only son from being a Hunter . It was proof that she trusted him . Jin-Woo didn''t plan on betraying that trust any time soon . Survival . That had always been his priority, his end goal . He only got to this place precisely because he didn''t give up and struggled right till the end during one of the most dangerous moments in his life . ''¡­ . Alright . '' Now that his biggest worry, his mom saying no, had been addressed, there was nothing stopping him from entering dungeons now . He''d establish his own Guild, monopolise high-ranked dungeons and quickly raise his levels even higher . Jin-Woo''s heart began beating faster and faster . ''Well, now I have a different reason to raise my levels, don''t I?'' Shururuk . . . . Igrit revealed himself after Jin-Woo called him out . This guy had been with him for the longest time out of all his soldiers . ''Not only that . . . . '' He was also the lone Knight-grade soldier the System gifted him with . In other words, one could say that Igrit was the closest to the System out of all his soldiers currently . "I''m sure you''ll be able to talk once your grade goes up, right?" Jin-Woo had so many things he wanted to ask Igrit . Of course, he couldn''t hear any answers from his trusty knight yet . " . . . " Igrit replied with silence, as usual . If silence could be seen as words, then wouldn''t this guy qualify to be the most talkative soldier in the whole world? Jin-Woo smirked to himself and scratched the side of his head . He then carefully picked up the Demon King''s weapons to store them back in his Inventory . ''Inventory . . . . ?'' But then, Jin-Woo''s eyes caught a flash of light being reflected off an object . ''¡­ . What was that?'' Jin-Woo''s eyes opened wider . An item was gleaming brightly inside his Inventory . < Chapter 127 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 127: Chapter 127 . The Master of the Knight Order Guild, Park Jong-Su, had to doubt his own eyes . Because, there was a good-looking foreign man leisurely strolling out of the ant tunnel''s entrance at that very moment But, that was just impossible ''The ants being completely wiped out should still be a top secret, so how could this be??''. Everything found rolling around on the ground was literally the top-grade magic crystals . So, the Association decided to keep the annihilation of the ants a secret in order to prevent those enterprising souls from taking their chances here, at least until they could come up with a suitable solution to this problem So, only a few select people knew that there were no monsters left on this island ''It''s only to the extent of the Association entrusting the mission to us, the military, and then ''. And then, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo However, Park Jong-Su could confidently bet his entire life savings that the man standing in front of the ant tunnel was definitely not Seong Jin-Woo How could anyone forget that man''s face? Not only was he the most talked-about Hunter in South Korea, but he also occupied the top spot on the Knight Order''s must-scout list Park Jong-Su asked again "I asked you who you are! Why are you coming out from there?". It was unknown whether the foreigner didn''t understand a single word coming out of his mouth or wasn''t planning to answer in the first place . No, that man just stood there, smiling brightly The Knight Order''s Vice Master, Jeong Yun-Tae, got right next to Park Jong-Soo, his suspicious eyes firmly locked on the foreigner "Hyung-nim . Is that guy even a human?". "I I''m not sure, myself . ". They couldn''t sense any magic energy emission from the mysterious man, so he couldn''t have been a Hunter nor a monster But, for some reason, he was also emitting this strange aura Jeong Yun-Tae always had been the ''act first, talk later'' type of a guy . But even he had to take a step back and cautiously observe his surroundings after sensing the ominous aura Unfortunately, soldiers didn''t possess the Hunter-like sensory perception . They belatedly discovered the foreigner''s presence and hurriedly raised their firearms Park Jong-Su quickly dissuaded them, fearing that they might end up inadvertently killing someone "Oii, oii! Don''t shoot! He''s not a monster!". "Is he a human, then?". "Well, that is Maybe?". Park Jong-Su could only nod his head with a somewhat unconvinced expression ''You can only be a human being if you''re not a monster . ''. Park Jong-Su''s limited scope of knowledge meant that he could only arrive at this faulty conclusion The military commander briefly nodded his head "Understood . From here onwards, we''ll handle the affairs of that person . ". "Pardon me? I thought you guys came here to take Hunter Min Byung-Gu''s remains back home?". "Our orders were to secure the remains of Hunter Min Byung-Gu, as well as to control the situation on the island itself . ". Park Jong-Su stepped back, having understood the gist of it If they weren''t dealing with monsters or other Hunters then the Knight Order didn''t have to get involved here . Besides, they wouldn''t get mired in unnecessary headaches this way, too The commander shouted at the mystery man "You are currently inside a restricted area . Please follow my orders to the letter or you''ll be fired upon . ". " . ". The mystery man continued to smile, not a single hint of nervousness visible on his face Gulp Soldiers swallowed their saliva while thinking to themselves, "Are we really going to open fire at him?". This was an expected response from these soldiers who had never pulled the trigger on another human being before Hunters were also carrying tense expressions now . They began thinking that there was something strange going on with this situation when that mysterious man continued to smile like that It was then ¨C the man slid his hands inside the trouser pockets ''That man Is he really a human being?''. Could anyone stay so nonchalant when these many guns were pointing at them?. Park Jong-Su''s expression gradually hardened . Meanwhile, the nervousness of the soldiers reached their peak when they could no longer see the mysterious man''s hands "Hold your fire!! Hold your fire! Not yet!". A thick vein popped up on the commander''s neck as he shouted at his soldiers But, then . "Commander, look!". The commander quickly turned his head towards the mysterious man as soon as he heard that urgent call . That man was slowly opening his mouth " . ??". He couldn''t understand the language being spoken here It wasn''t that he had never heard of it, but more like it didn''t even originate from Earth, to begin with, judging from the way that man sounded and how he enunciated the words "What?". "What is he saying?". While the soldiers were at a loss from this situation they had never encountered before, Park Jong-Su''s lips were busy flapping open all on their own "M-monster language??". One could sometimes meet intelligent monsters in higher-ranked dungeons . What that man said sounded almost like the language spoken by those creatures "Which means, is that ". Before the commander could finish his sentence with " is that a monster?" the mystery man pulled his hands out from the pockets Blam-!. An ear-splitting boom reverberated throughout the land When that mysterious man behaved in a suspicious manner, one of the well-trained special forces soldiers ended up reflexively squeezing the trigger ''Heok!''. The commander''s stunned eyes quickly locked on to the man The bullet, failing to dig into the man''s smooth forehead, fell to the ground with a light thud . The smile on his face was already gone "It, it''s a monster!". "It''s not a human!". Their cries lasted only for a brief moment because, as soon as that man''s eyes changed colour to red, everyone here felt an incredible pressure tightly squeezing down on their hearts "Ah, ah-!!". "Argh ". But, then Snap!. Like puppets with their strings cut, the soldiers and Hunters all collapsed to the ground along with the sound of a crisp finger snap . That mysterious man wasn''t responsible for this event He looked behind him and testily spoke up "What do you think you''re doing?". There was a short-statured middle-aged man standing behind him now "There''s no need to make a commotion here . I just put them all to sleep . ". The middle-aged man also wasn''t speaking in the language of humans " Indeed . ". The mysterious man sounded rueful, but still agreed with his new guest nonetheless . The middle-aged man shifted his gaze towards the interior of the ant tunnel and asked "Did you confirm it?". The mysterious man nodded his head "It''s definitely ''his'' power . ". "How strange . ". The middle-aged man''s gaze now shifted over to the collapsed Hunters "Why is ''he'' helping out these humans?". "Who knows what ''he'' is thinking? If you''re curious, why don''t you go ask ''him'' personally?". " I''ll decline . ". The middle-aged man shook his head before continuing on "We commence with the hunt as planned . Nothing has changed . ". "Got it . ". The middle-aged man lightly twirled his hand in the air . A black Gate small enough to let a person through opened up there "Oh, by the way . ". The middle-aged man stopped briefly and looked behind him when the mysterious man called out to him "I think one of them is here . ". "You mean, here in South Korea?". "Since we''re here, how about we take care of that guy, first?". The middle-aged man closed his eyes slightly . Soon, the information the mysterious man was talking about flowed into his head . However, the middle-aged man didn''t look wholly convinced "If it''s around here Let''s leave it to his hands . ". "You don''t want to get involved, is that it?". "It''s fine to think of it that way . It doesn''t matter . ". The middle-aged man and his trailing voice soon disappeared along with the Gate itself After confirming that the black Gate was closed for good, the mysterious man muttered to himself "What a coward ". He took a look at all the unmoving humans lying on the ground . They were only knocked out for a little while and should regain their consciousness soon enough "Hmph . ". The man snorted derisively and extended his hand towards the humans . However ''¡­ . ''. He quietly withdrew it his hand "Well, there''s no need to raise a commotion . ". He also entered a small Gate and disappeared from the spot, as well ***. Late at night Jin-Woo was sitting on his bedroom floor, busy taking a closer look at his shortsword . Currently, he was holding the ''Demon King''s Shortsword'', a weapon that proved its worth several times over during the battle against the mutated ant monster [Item: Demon King''s Shortsword]. Rarity: S. Type: Shortsword. Attack: +220. A shortsword taken from the Demon King, Baran . Using two ''Demon King''s Shortswords'' will activate a set effect Set effect ''Two Becomes One'': Extra attack power equal to the current Strength Stat will be added to each shortsword His eyes almost bulged out when he first saw that attack power, as well as its additional attribute . In fact, he now forgot how many times he re-read that information His reaction was justified, though . The ''Baruka''s Dagger'', a rarity A item, only boasted the attack power of 110, after all . He searched through the Store just in case, but not many of the rarity S daggers being sold there exceeded 200 in their attack power ''Not only that ''. He really liked the fact that, when wielding both Demon King''s Shortswords at once, his Strength Stat would be converted and added to the weapons'' existing attack power His current Strength Stat had far exceeded the 200 mark, and was fast closing in on 250 . And now, such a high Stat value would be added to the weapon''s attack power as well?. If he omitted the last digit and added up the numbers, then he''d still get to a frightening four times the attack power of what ''Baruka''s Dagger'' possessed ''This is why it felt so good when I swung them around back then . ''. Other Hunters would froth in their mouths like madmen and pounce on these shortswords, if they were able to see the item''s information like he could What about the longsword''s specs, then?. [Item: Demon King''s Longsword]. Rarity: S. Type: Longsword. Attack: +350. A longsword containing the power of the Demon King, Baran . Swinging the sword will activate the effect, ''Tempest of White Flames'' Effect ''Tempest of White Flames'': Summons a persistent thunderstorm within the designated area A longsword had to be wielded with both of his hands, while he could hold one shortsword each in his individual hands . This meant that, quite obviously, the former would boast better attack damage than the latter However, the additional effect the longsword had been blessed with was not ''obvious'' at all ''I can perform an AOE attack just by swinging this thing?''. It was a weapon that would no doubt prove its worth during a fight against multiple opponents He still felt chills run down his spine whenever he thought back to how Baran''s magic attacks rendered his Shadow Soldiers into a bunch of helpless sitting ducks Of course, the sword''s effect wasn''t as good as Baran''s magic, but it was still an excellent trump card to hold onto, nonetheless ''If it weren''t for my dagger skills, I might even consider using this longsword, instead ''. Jin-Woo was about to take a swing with the sword, only to stop himself in time ''¡­ . ''. The hours were getting late; but then, you''d still wake up from your sleep in sheer fright when a lightning strikes in the room next to yours, now wouldn''t you?. He didn''t want to shock his mother any more than he had already . So, he cautiously put the sword down ''Well, what a relief it was, at least . ''. Indeed, it was a relief that his mother didn''t object to his decision That day, Jin-Woo explained everything that happened to him to his mother, minus the stuff about the System, of course He told her that, he coincidentally went through a Re-Awakening and became a rank S Hunter, and that he''d like to continue working as one in the future, too Mom was worried about him but eventually, decided to support her son all the way - Mom wants to see you do what you want with your life, my son The sole condition his mom put forward was that he was forbidden from pushing himself too far ''But, well, if I''m in a situation where I have to push myself to that extent, then ''. Jin-Woo shook his head since his imagination was about to take him to a pretty dark and horrifying place It was then, he abruptly remembered something else his mom told him - Was that why ''he'' showed up? Because ''he'' knew something like this would happen?. - Who''s ''he''?. - While I was asleep in the hospital, I heard your father''s voice - What did he say?. - Well, he said Mom added that she had never heard of someone else''s voice before and after that day, as well ''I guess Mom still hasn''t gotten over Dad yet . ''. Even then, his mother didn''t try to stop her only son from being a Hunter . It was proof that she trusted him . Jin-Woo didn''t plan on betraying that trust any time soon Survival That had always been his priority, his end goal He only got to this place precisely because he didn''t give up and struggled right till the end during one of the most dangerous moments in his life ''¡­ . Alright . ''. Now that his biggest worry, his mom saying no, had been addressed, there was nothing stopping him from entering dungeons now . He''d establish his own Guild, monopolise high-ranked dungeons and quickly raise his levels even higher Jin-Woo''s heart began beating faster and faster ''Well, now I have a different reason to raise my levels, don''t I?''. Shururuk . Igrit revealed himself after Jin-Woo called him out This guy had been with him for the longest time out of all his soldiers ''Not only that ''. He was also the lone Knight-grade soldier the System gifted him with In other words, one could say that Igrit was the closest to the System out of all his soldiers currently "I''m sure you''ll be able to talk once your grade goes up, right?". Jin-Woo had so many things he wanted to ask Igrit . Of course, he couldn''t hear any answers from his trusty knight yet " . ". Igrit replied with silence, as usual If silence could be seen as words, then wouldn''t this guy qualify to be the most talkative soldier in the whole world?. Jin-Woo smirked to himself and scratched the side of his head . He then carefully picked up the Demon King''s weapons to store them back in his Inventory ''Inventory ?''. But then, Jin-Woo''s eyes caught a flash of light being reflected off an object ''¡­ . What was that?''. Jin-Woo''s eyes opened wider An item was gleaming brightly inside his Inventory < Chapter 127 > Fin Chapter 128 The mystery item was a black key . The key he found inside the ''Cursed'' Random Box was shining brightly as if to remind him of where it had been hiding all along . Jin-Woo stared somewhat dazedly at that arresting sight before he cautiously put the weapons in his arms down on the floor again . He then reached into the Inventory and tightly grasped the black key . ''¡­ . . . . '' And, when he opened his hand again . . . . [Item: Key to the Karutenon Temple] Rarity: ?? Type: Key ''You have met the required condition . '' A key allowing you entry into the Karutenon Temple . It can be used at the designated Gate . The location of the designated Gate will be revealed after the predetermined time has been reached . Remaining time: 417:06:52 The item information he couldn''t see before was now filling up his view . ''¡­ . Karutenon Temple?'' Jin-Woo began tilting his head in confusion . What was going on here? He was pretty certain that he had never heard of that name before . So how come it sounded so familiar to him? ''No, hold on . I . . . . have heard of it before . '' He carefully combed through the maze of his memories until he finally recalled what he was searching for, and his brows shot up in response . ''The dual dungeon!!'' More specifically, that name was etched on a stone tablet held by a statue, found in the ancient temple located right at the end of the dual dungeon . The memories of that fateful day were coming back to him one by one . ''Right, definitely . . . . '' The voice of Song Chi-Yeol ahjussi, as he read the first line of that stone tablet, suddenly rang so vividly around in his ears . ["The laws of the Karutenon Temple . "] Indeed, that stone tablet''s texts indicated that the name of the temple filled with those terrifying statues was none other than ''Karutenon'' . It couldn''t have been a simple coincidence that the name carved into that stone tablet, and the name of the temple in the key''s information, was exactly the same . Which could mean . . . . . ''I can go back inside that place with this key?!'' Jin-Woo''s eyes grew wider in stunned silence . The memories of that day, indistinct and hard to recall as if they were enveloped in a veil of fog, suddenly returned to him in their full, gory detail . ''Could it be . . . . ?'' No, this was no longer in the category of ''Could it be'' anymore . The System was definitely summoning him ¨C summoning him back to the place where it all began . The key that emitted the bright light all on its own, perhaps fearing the distinct possibility of him never bothering to read its information; and then, there was the name of the location where this key was supposed to be used, written so clearly that he''d never miss it . No matter how he tried to slice it, there was little doubt that the System was summoning him there . Oddly enough, Jin-Woo was getting curious about something else as well . Why was this happening now, of all times? ''Is it somehow related to the quests I received from the Demon''s Castle?'' This black key, and the ''Cursed'' Random Box it came from, was the ''unknown reward'' he chose to receive at the end of the ''Collect the Souls of Demons! (1)'' quest . Hoping that maybe there was a connection here, he quickly checked the ''unknown reward'' he got from the ''Collect the Souls of Demons! (2)'' quest . ''Title . '' Along with the familiar "Tti-ring!" of the mechanical beep, the information regarding his new Title, the one he got as the reward, rose up to his view . [Title: Demon Hunter] ''You have not satisfied its conditions . '' He hoped that something might have changed, but well, too bad; it was the exact same story as the first time he received that Title . ''Okay, so that one wasn''t it . '' Next up, he began reading the item descriptions of the Demon Sovereign''s Accessory set, which he got to complete after killing the Demon King, Baran . [Item: Demon Sovereign''s Ring] Rarity: S Type: Accessory Perception +20 . Intelligence +20 . When worn together with ''Demon Sovereign''s Earrings'' and ''Demon Sovereign''s Necklace'', set bonuses will be unlocked . Set bonus effect 1 . All Stats +5 Set bonus effect 2 . All Stats +10 He took a closer look at the information provided, wondering if another, hidden, set effect had been unlocked, but that wasn''t it, either . ''In that case . . . . '' There was only one other possibility remaining now, and Jin-Woo shifted his gaze towards the information appearing above his Title column, towards the final suspect . [Name: Seong Jin-Woo] [Level: 100] [Class: Shadow Sovereign] [Title: . . . . . ] Out of all of those, his gaze stopped moving at his level . There it was, his level ''100'', the one he just barely got to reach after massacring every single ant monster, as well as every egg and larva found on the island of Jeju . ''The condition this key''s been talking about has to be this . '' That was the most plausible explanation he could come up with . Because he could take out, or put back, any item inside Inventory with nothing but his thoughts, he''d never really paid much attention to what was inside his storage . Unless he got a new toy he needed to put away, of course . That was most likely why he only got to discover the changes to this key a couple of days after he reached level 100 . Heck, if it wasn''t for him suddenly coming down with an urge to spring clean his Inventory after he took out those weapons from there earlier, he wouldn''t even have discovered the key''s presence, at least not for a long while . Good thing that he discovered it before it was far too late . ''417 hours . . . that''s about 17 days from now . I still have over two weeks left . '' The System hadn''t lied to him once until now . So, the Gate in question would definitely open up in the location as noted in the item''s information . ''I gotta start preparing myself . . . . '' Just as those thoughts raced past in his head, Jin-Woo gasped out in surprise . ''Hold on . . . was I really planning to walk in there again?'' "Ha, haha . . . " A wry chuckle leaked out of his mouth without him realising it . Sure, they were lower ranked Hunters working for the Association, but still, over half of the raid team got killed in there . Not to forget, he himself nearly died several times, too . ''I even lost my leg towards the end, didn''t I?'' What a horrifying memory that was . He used to break out in an uncontrollable shiver just from recalling the emptiness below his knee he saw back then . But now, fighting spirit began burning powerfully in his eyes, instead . ''I''m different now . '' He felt utterly confident of his chances now . Heck, he even felt a certain expectation bubbling up inside him, wondering if he''d be able to turn those stone statues, or even the god statue itself, into his Shadow Soldiers . There was also something else to consider ¨C he might be hit with an unknown penalty if he decided to ignore the System''s summons . Didn''t he already realise the fact that, depending on the choices he makes, the System would either become his ally or an enemy? Didn''t he learn his lesson back when he ignored the first Daily Quest or when he was issued an emergency quest? When his thoughts reached up to that point, his hand holding the key was suddenly became soaked in his sweat . Gulp . . . . He was so tense that his dry saliva scratched his throat as it slid down . Jin-Woo slowly shook his head and closed his eyes . ''¡­ . No, let''s not get too worked up over this . '' He needed to calm down . His pounding heart gradually slowed down as he worked hard to find stability in his emotions . After his chaotic breathing had regained their normalcy, he ever so slightly reopened his eyes . "Alright . " ''If the System has business with me, then it could very well be another opportunity for me . '' Didn''t the ''Cursed'' Random Box''s description say that it would give him what he needed the most? ''Still, it''d be prudent to make some preparations in advance . '' Jin-Woo began thinking about the preparations he''d have to make, just in case . That led him to remember something else he''d been delaying for a little while now . And that would be the establishment of his own Guild . Having a Guild would certainly make it simpler to enter various Gates, and it''d also make his, and his soldiers'' levelling-up process, that much easier, too . He had left the very-motivated Yu Jin-Ho in charge of the initial process of founding a Guild, at least for the time being . ''I wonder, how far along is he now?'' Jin-Woo decided to give Yu Jin-Ho a call, but after checking the time, he sheepishly put the phone down . It was two in the morning . ''It''s already this late . . . . '' Since he had stuff to do on the following day, he figured that it''d be simpler to just go and pay a visit to Yu Jin-Ho at the same time . ''Yeah, I''ll stop by the office tomorrow . '' *** Yu Jin-Ho''s glares became a level sharper . Like the eyes of a hawk locking onto a prey, his glare scanning the computer monitor was filled to the brim with unbridled sharpness . And then, proverbial flames erupted out of his eyes next . ''I shall never forgive those trying to obstruct the path of hyung-nim!!'' Yu Jin-Ho quickly screen-captured the offending online forum post in question, as well as the comments appearing below it, and then, proceeded to write up a formal letter of complaint with lightning speed . He moved so expertly and quickly that he must''ve had more than enough experience doing this thing . And, in the blink of an eye, his work was done . "Whew . " His hand departing from the computer''s keyboard lightly wiped away a single bead of sweat rolling down his forehead . He had done it again . Today, he was indeed successful in rooting out an insidious group trying to slander his hyung-nim . Hyung-nim was the face of their fledgeling Guild, not to mention its guiding light . The b*stards that tried to speak ill of hyung-nim, or even spread false rumours about him, were unforgivable sinners that deserved to be put to death . Of course, he also needed to be even more proactive in taking them down when he thought about the future of the Guild . After all, wasn''t this the Guild where he''d become its Vice Master? That''s why his personal feelings had nothing to do with what he was doing right now . It was all a part of official business he had to perform for the sake of their Guild . Unfortunately, Yu Jin-Ho was reminded of the sad truth that the Guild he''d be the Vice Master of still didn''t have an official name yet . This was a serious problem requiring a speedy resolution . Hyung-nim hadn''t said a word about this problem until now, so Yu Jin-Ho decided that it was his duty as the Guild''s Vice Master to come up with a suitable name . ''Hmm . . . . '' How about putting the ''Seong'' of Seong Jin-Woo and ''Yu'' of Yu Jin-Ho together to name the Guild ''Seong-yu''? He quickly shook his head, though . ''It''s got a nice meaning, but uh, it sounds a bit . . . '' If he were to consider how it sounded, then it was indeed better to flip the two words around to make ''Yu-Seong'', but then again, he''d never be able to accept the fact that his own surname would come before his hyung-nim''s . ''I must discuss this with hyung-nim when he stops by . '' It had been two whole days since they moved into this office . Hyung-nim had become the centre of the world''s attention after his heroic feats during the Jeju Island raid got broadcast live, while Yu Jin-Ho found himself manning this big office all alone a lot more than he''d like to . ''No, hang on a minute . What if I just take the last part of our names and name the Guild Woo-Ho?'' It was then . "Hey, what are you so deeply worried about?" "Heok?!" Yu Jin-Ho jumped up like a scalded cat . He quickly got up from the chair and looked behind him, only to discover Jin-Woo standing there . "H-hyung-nim?!" Jin-Woo shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as if he couldn''t understand why anyone would be that surprised . Meanwhile, Yu Jin-Ho was busy patting his pounding chest down . ''Seriously, if he doesn''t want you to know that he''s here, you wouldn''t even realise it . . . . '' He wasn''t even paying attention to anything particular just now, too . It sure felt like hyung-nim''s penchant for suddenly appearing and then disappearing seemed to have gotten worse with every passing day . Embarrassed by his own over-the-top reaction, Yu Jin-Ho sheepishly scratched the back of his head and asked Jin-Woo . "When did you arrive here, hyung-nim?" "Just now . " After making a simple reply, Jin-Woo leaned in and took a look at the computer monitor that captured Yu Jin-Ho''s attention until then, but before he got a proper look, the latter quickly covered up the screen with his entire body . "Hyung-nim, you don''t have to worry about b*stards like them . I''ll take very good care of them, so you can rest easy, hyung-nim . " Jin-Woo looked at that determined face of Yu Jin-Ho and an expression of dumbfoundedness formed on his . " . . . . So, it was you . " Jin-Woo heard that there was someone out there that pounced on any negative comments or false articles about him online like a wild beast and, while relying on the threat of legal action, demanded them to be taken down immediately . But to think, that person was someone so close by! Yu Jin-Ho''s complexion reddened from embarrassment now that his secret activity had been inadvertently exposed to the open . "Eiii, hyung-nim . . . I''m supposed to do things like this for you, you know . " Yu Jin-Ho''s eyes sparkled like an expectant kid waiting for a praise, and Jin-Woo could only chuckle at that sight . "Right . Thanks . " Mistakenly thinking that the smile on Jin-Woo''s face was one of satisfaction, Yu Jin-Ho secretly made up his mind to become even more hands-on, all for the sake of his hyung-nim . But then . . . . " . . . Uh? Hyung-nim, are you going somewhere today?" Yu Jin-Ho asked Jin-Woo after finally discovering a different set of duds on the latter''s body . Jin-Woo was nonplussed in his answer . "I have some business to attend to today . " "Aha . . . . " Yu Jin-Ho was feeling really amazed at that moment . He had only seen Jin-Woo wear clothes that were easy to move around in, so seeing his hyung-nim kitted out in a black business suit from head to toe like this, he was struck by a sense of unfamiliarity and amazement at the same time . Too bad, Jin-Woo didn''t have enough free time to explain himself . He took another quick look at his watch . ''I''m running way too tight . . . . '' Jin-Woo lifted his head away from the watch and asked Yu Jin-Ho . "Are there any other documents that I must bring with me when getting the Guild Master licence?" "Not at all! When you get to the Association, you''ll be asked to take a simple test . Your licence will be issued right away afterwards, hyung-nim . " "Okay . " So, his hyung-nim was headed off to the Association? ''But, isn''t his attire a bit too much, considering he''s only going to the Association . . . . ?'' Yu Jin-Ho incorrectly guessed Jin-Woo''s destination and began tilting his head, but soon enough, he accepted it as a fact . ''Well, hyung-nim''s a celebrity now, so I guess he''ll have to watch what he wears in public . '' There were good sides to being famous, but on the flip side, there was also a tiresome aspect to it, as well . Yu Jin-Ho thought about the stress and the burden carried around by folks surrounding him from all sides ¨C the famous folks that every Korean citizen would immediately recognise with their names alone ¨C and briefly sympathised with their plight . Not really caring either way, Jin-Woo pointed to the car keys placed on a desk a bit of distance away from him . "I''m going to borrow the van for a while . " "Use it as much as you want, hyung-nim . " Yu Jin-Ho reached out to pick the keys up . However, he was taken greatly by surprise as the keys slipped out of his reach and flew into Jin-Woo''s hands . "H-hyung-nim, what was . . . . ?" Jin-Woo cut him off abruptly . "It''s a skill . " " . . . " Yu Jin-Ho was rendered speechless yet again . Even if hyung-nim declared that he could fly around using another one of his skills, Yu Jin-Ho was confident of not finding that strange at all . ''Is there anything hyung-nim can''t do??'' Hyung-nim was like an onion that had so many layers still left to peel . The more you knew about him, the more he''d surprise you . ''Wait, now isn''t the time for this . '' Yu Jin-Ho abruptly woke up from his daydream, remembering that he still a few things to ask hyung-nim . Since he was in the office, now was the perfect opportunity to do exactly that Jin-Woo stopped walking away after sensing that Yu Jin-Ho had something else to say from the way the kid was looking at him . "Yeah?" "Hyung-nim, it''s only been a day since we started advertising on the online job marketplace . But we''ve been swarmed by the applicants wanting to become our fellow founding members, so I went ahead and compiled a list for you to take a look . " "Oh, that . Let''s talk about it after I come back . " He was running short on time, to begin with . Yu Jin-Ho felt his own urgency kick in, having seen how badly Jin-Woo wanted to be on his way . "Ah, hyung-nim! Have you decided on the name of the Guild?" Indeed, this was the most pressing issue of them all . Because, you''d need a name of the Guild if you wanted to place job postings on the bulletin boards, or even when conducting other official businesses, now wouldn''t it? ''Does he have something in mind for the name of the Guild?'' Yu Jin-Ho''s heart was pounding in anticipation for Jin-Woo''s answer . He was fully prepared to suggest the names he had thought up if hyung-nim was unable to come up with one . ''Seong-Yu, Jin-Jin, Woo-Ho . . . . I hope he finds one of them to his liking . '' Jin-Woo pondered for a bit while Yu Jin-Ho continued to gaze at him with eyes glinting with the light of expectation . A smirk found its way to Jin-Woo''s lips and he finally made his reply . "How about, Solo Play Guild?" (TL: In the raw, it''s "Sol-Ple . " which is "Solo Play" but shortened . ) "Eh?" Yu Jin-Ho blinked his eyes several times . Was he supposed to start laughing here? But, didn''t Jin-Woo''s expression look like he wasn''t joking at all? Jin-Woo didn''t expect to see a reaction anyway, so he quickly turned towards the door to leave . "See you later . " Yu Jin-Ho fell into a train of thought while watching Jin-Woo make his exit from the office . ''¡­ . So, there WAS something hyung-nim couldn''t do, after all . '' As expected, his hyung-nim was a human being, just like everyone else . Although he was afraid that the ''Solo Play'' would get stuck as the Guild''s name, Yu Jin-Ho also felt just a tiny bit more reassured after being reminded of Jin-Woo being a human like him . *** The location of Hunter Min Byung-Gu''s funeral ceremony . Originally, the plan was to hold a small private ceremony with only the close relatives invited to attend the event . However, there were far too many people who wished to pay their respects and so, the funeral had to be changed to a public one . Countless people showed up to the funeral parlour to pay their respects and remember Hunter Min Byung-Gu''s valiant sacrifice . Jin-Woo was among them . ''Uh, uh? Isn''t that . . . . ?'' ''Heok! Isn''t he Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?'' ''It''s really him!'' The funeral goers soon discovered Jin-Woo''s presence and began whispering to each other as their excitement heated up . < Chapter 128 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 128: Chapter 128 . The mystery item was a black key The key he found inside the ''Cursed'' Random Box was shining brightly as if to remind him of where it had been hiding all along Jin-Woo stared somewhat dazedly at that arresting sight before he cautiously put the weapons in his arms down on the floor again . He then reached into the Inventory and tightly grasped the black key ''¡­ ''. And, when he opened his hand again . [Item: Key to the Karutenon Temple]. Rarity: ??. Type: Key. ''You have met the required condition . ''. A key allowing you entry into the Karutenon Temple . It can be used at the designated Gate The location of the designated Gate will be revealed after the predetermined time has been reached Remaining time: 417:06:52. The item information he couldn''t see before was now filling up his view ''¡­ . Karutenon Temple?''. Jin-Woo began tilting his head in confusion What was going on here? He was pretty certain that he had never heard of that name before . So how come it sounded so familiar to him?. ''No, hold on . I have heard of it before . ''. He carefully combed through the maze of his memories until he finally recalled what he was searching for, and his brows shot up in response ''The dual dungeon!!''. More specifically, that name was etched on a stone tablet held by a statue, found in the ancient temple located right at the end of the dual dungeon The memories of that fateful day were coming back to him one by one ''Right, definitely ''. The voice of Song Chi-Yeol ahjussi, as he read the first line of that stone tablet, suddenly rang so vividly around in his ears ["The laws of the Karutenon Temple . "]. Indeed, that stone tablet''s texts indicated that the name of the temple filled with those terrifying statues was none other than ''Karutenon'' It couldn''t have been a simple coincidence that the name carved into that stone tablet, and the name of the temple in the key''s information, was exactly the same Which could mean ''I can go back inside that place with this key?!''. Jin-Woo''s eyes grew wider in stunned silence The memories of that day, indistinct and hard to recall as if they were enveloped in a veil of fog, suddenly returned to him in their full, gory detail ''Could it be ?''. No, this was no longer in the category of ''Could it be'' anymore . The System was definitely summoning him ¨C summoning him back to the place where it all began The key that emitted the bright light all on its own, perhaps fearing the distinct possibility of him never bothering to read its information; and then, there was the name of the location where this key was supposed to be used, written so clearly that he''d never miss it No matter how he tried to slice it, there was little doubt that the System was summoning him there Oddly enough, Jin-Woo was getting curious about something else as well . Why was this happening now, of all times?. ''Is it somehow related to the quests I received from the Demon''s Castle?''. This black key, and the ''Cursed'' Random Box it came from, was the ''unknown reward'' he chose to receive at the end of the ''Collect the Souls of Demons! (1)'' quest Hoping that maybe there was a connection here, he quickly checked the ''unknown reward'' he got from the ''Collect the Souls of Demons! (2)'' quest ''Title . ''. Along with the familiar "Tti-ring!" of the mechanical beep, the information regarding his new Title, the one he got as the reward, rose up to his view [Title: Demon Hunter]. ''You have not satisfied its conditions . ''. He hoped that something might have changed, but well, too bad; it was the exact same story as the first time he received that Title ''Okay, so that one wasn''t it . ''. Next up, he began reading the item descriptions of the Demon Sovereign''s Accessory set, which he got to complete after killing the Demon King, Baran [Item: Demon Sovereign''s Ring]. Rarity: S. Type: Accessory. Perception +20 . Intelligence +20 When worn together with ''Demon Sovereign''s Earrings'' and ''Demon Sovereign''s Necklace'', set bonuses will be unlocked Set bonus effect 1 . All Stats +5. Set bonus effect 2 . All Stats +10. He took a closer look at the information provided, wondering if another, hidden, set effect had been unlocked, but that wasn''t it, either ''In that case ''. There was only one other possibility remaining now, and Jin-Woo shifted his gaze towards the information appearing above his Title column, towards the final suspect [Name: Seong Jin-Woo]. [Level: 100]. [Class: Shadow Sovereign]. [Title: . ]. Out of all of those, his gaze stopped moving at his level There it was, his level ''100'', the one he just barely got to reach after massacring every single ant monster, as well as every egg and larva found on the island of Jeju ''The condition this key''s been talking about has to be this . ''. That was the most plausible explanation he could come up with Because he could take out, or put back, any item inside Inventory with nothing but his thoughts, he''d never really paid much attention to what was inside his storage . Unless he got a new toy he needed to put away, of course That was most likely why he only got to discover the changes to this key a couple of days after he reached level 100 Heck, if it wasn''t for him suddenly coming down with an urge to spring clean his Inventory after he took out those weapons from there earlier, he wouldn''t even have discovered the key''s presence, at least not for a long while Good thing that he discovered it before it was far too late ''417 hours . that''s about 17 days from now . I still have over two weeks left . ''. The System hadn''t lied to him once until now . So, the Gate in question would definitely open up in the location as noted in the item''s information ''I gotta start preparing myself ''. Just as those thoughts raced past in his head, Jin-Woo gasped out in surprise ''Hold on . was I really planning to walk in there again?''. "Ha, haha . ". A wry chuckle leaked out of his mouth without him realising it Sure, they were lower ranked Hunters working for the Association, but still, over half of the raid team got killed in there . Not to forget, he himself nearly died several times, too ''I even lost my leg towards the end, didn''t I?''. What a horrifying memory that was . He used to break out in an uncontrollable shiver just from recalling the emptiness below his knee he saw back then But now, fighting spirit began burning powerfully in his eyes, instead ''I''m different now . ''. He felt utterly confident of his chances now Heck, he even felt a certain expectation bubbling up inside him, wondering if he''d be able to turn those stone statues, or even the god statue itself, into his Shadow Soldiers There was also something else to consider ¨C he might be hit with an unknown penalty if he decided to ignore the System''s summons Didn''t he already realise the fact that, depending on the choices he makes, the System would either become his ally or an enemy? Didn''t he learn his lesson back when he ignored the first Daily Quest or when he was issued an emergency quest?. When his thoughts reached up to that point, his hand holding the key was suddenly became soaked in his sweat Gulp . He was so tense that his dry saliva scratched his throat as it slid down . Jin-Woo slowly shook his head and closed his eyes ''¡­ . No, let''s not get too worked up over this . ''. He needed to calm down His pounding heart gradually slowed down as he worked hard to find stability in his emotions . After his chaotic breathing had regained their normalcy, he ever so slightly reopened his eyes "Alright . ". ''If the System has business with me, then it could very well be another opportunity for me . ''. Didn''t the ''Cursed'' Random Box''s description say that it would give him what he needed the most?. ''Still, it''d be prudent to make some preparations in advance . ''. Jin-Woo began thinking about the preparations he''d have to make, just in case . That led him to remember something else he''d been delaying for a little while now And that would be the establishment of his own Guild Having a Guild would certainly make it simpler to enter various Gates, and it''d also make his, and his soldiers'' levelling-up process, that much easier, too He had left the very-motivated Yu Jin-Ho in charge of the initial process of founding a Guild, at least for the time being ''I wonder, how far along is he now?''. Jin-Woo decided to give Yu Jin-Ho a call, but after checking the time, he sheepishly put the phone down . It was two in the morning ''It''s already this late ''. Since he had stuff to do on the following day, he figured that it''d be simpler to just go and pay a visit to Yu Jin-Ho at the same time ''Yeah, I''ll stop by the office tomorrow . ''. ***. Yu Jin-Ho''s glares became a level sharper Like the eyes of a hawk locking onto a prey, his glare scanning the computer monitor was filled to the brim with unbridled sharpness . And then, proverbial flames erupted out of his eyes next ''I shall never forgive those trying to obstruct the path of hyung-nim!!''. Yu Jin-Ho quickly screen-captured the offending online forum post in question, as well as the comments appearing below it, and then, proceeded to write up a formal letter of complaint with lightning speed . He moved so expertly and quickly that he must''ve had more than enough experience doing this thing And, in the blink of an eye, his work was done "Whew . ". His hand departing from the computer''s keyboard lightly wiped away a single bead of sweat rolling down his forehead He had done it again . Today, he was indeed successful in rooting out an insidious group trying to slander his hyung-nim Hyung-nim was the face of their fledgeling Guild, not to mention its guiding light The b*stards that tried to speak ill of hyung-nim, or even spread false rumours about him, were unforgivable sinners that deserved to be put to death . Of course, he also needed to be even more proactive in taking them down when he thought about the future of the Guild After all, wasn''t this the Guild where he''d become its Vice Master?. That''s why his personal feelings had nothing to do with what he was doing right now . It was all a part of official business he had to perform for the sake of their Guild Unfortunately, Yu Jin-Ho was reminded of the sad truth that the Guild he''d be the Vice Master of still didn''t have an official name yet . This was a serious problem requiring a speedy resolution Hyung-nim hadn''t said a word about this problem until now, so Yu Jin-Ho decided that it was his duty as the Guild''s Vice Master to come up with a suitable name ''Hmm ''. How about putting the ''Seong'' of Seong Jin-Woo and ''Yu'' of Yu Jin-Ho together to name the Guild ''Seong-yu''?. He quickly shook his head, though ''It''s got a nice meaning, but uh, it sounds a bit . ''. If he were to consider how it sounded, then it was indeed better to flip the two words around to make ''Yu-Seong'', but then again, he''d never be able to accept the fact that his own surname would come before his hyung-nim''s ''I must discuss this with hyung-nim when he stops by . ''. It had been two whole days since they moved into this office Hyung-nim had become the centre of the world''s attention after his heroic feats during the Jeju Island raid got broadcast live, while Yu Jin-Ho found himself manning this big office all alone a lot more than he''d like to ''No, hang on a minute . What if I just take the last part of our names and name the Guild Woo-Ho?''. It was then "Hey, what are you so deeply worried about?". "Heok?!". Yu Jin-Ho jumped up like a scalded cat . He quickly got up from the chair and looked behind him, only to discover Jin-Woo standing there "H-hyung-nim?!". Jin-Woo shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as if he couldn''t understand why anyone would be that surprised . Meanwhile, Yu Jin-Ho was busy patting his pounding chest down ''Seriously, if he doesn''t want you to know that he''s here, you wouldn''t even realise it ''. He wasn''t even paying attention to anything particular just now, too . It sure felt like hyung-nim''s penchant for suddenly appearing and then disappearing seemed to have gotten worse with every passing day Embarrassed by his own over-the-top reaction, Yu Jin-Ho sheepishly scratched the back of his head and asked Jin-Woo "When did you arrive here, hyung-nim?". "Just now . ". After making a simple reply, Jin-Woo leaned in and took a look at the computer monitor that captured Yu Jin-Ho''s attention until then, but before he got a proper look, the latter quickly covered up the screen with his entire body "Hyung-nim, you don''t have to worry about b*stards like them . I''ll take very good care of them, so you can rest easy, hyung-nim . ". Jin-Woo looked at that determined face of Yu Jin-Ho and an expression of dumbfoundedness formed on his " So, it was you . ". Jin-Woo heard that there was someone out there that pounced on any negative comments or false articles about him online like a wild beast and, while relying on the threat of legal action, demanded them to be taken down immediately But to think, that person was someone so close by!. Yu Jin-Ho''s complexion reddened from embarrassment now that his secret activity had been inadvertently exposed to the open "Eiii, hyung-nim . I''m supposed to do things like this for you, you know . ". Yu Jin-Ho''s eyes sparkled like an expectant kid waiting for a praise, and Jin-Woo could only chuckle at that sight "Right . Thanks . ". Mistakenly thinking that the smile on Jin-Woo''s face was one of satisfaction, Yu Jin-Ho secretly made up his mind to become even more hands-on, all for the sake of his hyung-nim But then . " . Uh? Hyung-nim, are you going somewhere today?". Yu Jin-Ho asked Jin-Woo after finally discovering a different set of duds on the latter''s body Jin-Woo was nonplussed in his answer "I have some business to attend to today . ". "Aha ". Yu Jin-Ho was feeling really amazed at that moment . He had only seen Jin-Woo wear clothes that were easy to move around in, so seeing his hyung-nim kitted out in a black business suit from head to toe like this, he was struck by a sense of unfamiliarity and amazement at the same time Too bad, Jin-Woo didn''t have enough free time to explain himself . He took another quick look at his watch ''I''m running way too tight ''. Jin-Woo lifted his head away from the watch and asked Yu Jin-Ho "Are there any other documents that I must bring with me when getting the Guild Master licence?". "Not at all! When you get to the Association, you''ll be asked to take a simple test . Your licence will be issued right away afterwards, hyung-nim . ". "Okay . ". So, his hyung-nim was headed off to the Association?. ''But, isn''t his attire a bit too much, considering he''s only going to the Association ?''. Yu Jin-Ho incorrectly guessed Jin-Woo''s destination and began tilting his head, but soon enough, he accepted it as a fact ''Well, hyung-nim''s a celebrity now, so I guess he''ll have to watch what he wears in public . ''. There were good sides to being famous, but on the flip side, there was also a tiresome aspect to it, as well Yu Jin-Ho thought about the stress and the burden carried around by folks surrounding him from all sides ¨C the famous folks that every Korean citizen would immediately recognise with their names alone ¨C and briefly sympathised with their plight Not really caring either way, Jin-Woo pointed to the car keys placed on a desk a bit of distance away from him "I''m going to borrow the van for a while . ". "Use it as much as you want, hyung-nim . ". Yu Jin-Ho reached out to pick the keys up . However, he was taken greatly by surprise as the keys slipped out of his reach and flew into Jin-Woo''s hands "H-hyung-nim, what was ?". Jin-Woo cut him off abruptly "It''s a skill . ". " . ". Yu Jin-Ho was rendered speechless yet again Even if hyung-nim declared that he could fly around using another one of his skills, Yu Jin-Ho was confident of not finding that strange at all ''Is there anything hyung-nim can''t do??''. Hyung-nim was like an onion that had so many layers still left to peel . The more you knew about him, the more he''d surprise you ''Wait, now isn''t the time for this . ''. Yu Jin-Ho abruptly woke up from his daydream, remembering that he still a few things to ask hyung-nim . Since he was in the office, now was the perfect opportunity to do exactly that. Jin-Woo stopped walking away after sensing that Yu Jin-Ho had something else to say from the way the kid was looking at him "Yeah?". "Hyung-nim, it''s only been a day since we started advertising on the online job marketplace . But we''ve been swarmed by the applicants wanting to become our fellow founding members, so I went ahead and compiled a list for you to take a look . ". "Oh, that . Let''s talk about it after I come back . ". He was running short on time, to begin with Yu Jin-Ho felt his own urgency kick in, having seen how badly Jin-Woo wanted to be on his way "Ah, hyung-nim! Have you decided on the name of the Guild?". Indeed, this was the most pressing issue of them all Because, you''d need a name of the Guild if you wanted to place job postings on the bulletin boards, or even when conducting other official businesses, now wouldn''t it?. ''Does he have something in mind for the name of the Guild?''. Yu Jin-Ho''s heart was pounding in anticipation for Jin-Woo''s answer . He was fully prepared to suggest the names he had thought up if hyung-nim was unable to come up with one ''Seong-Yu, Jin-Jin, Woo-Ho I hope he finds one of them to his liking . ''. Jin-Woo pondered for a bit while Yu Jin-Ho continued to gaze at him with eyes glinting with the light of expectation . A smirk found its way to Jin-Woo''s lips and he finally made his reply "How about, Solo Play Guild?" (TL: In the raw, it''s "Sol-Ple . " which is "Solo Play" but shortened . ). "Eh?". Yu Jin-Ho blinked his eyes several times Was he supposed to start laughing here? But, didn''t Jin-Woo''s expression look like he wasn''t joking at all?. Jin-Woo didn''t expect to see a reaction anyway, so he quickly turned towards the door to leave "See you later . ". Yu Jin-Ho fell into a train of thought while watching Jin-Woo make his exit from the office ''¡­ . So, there WAS something hyung-nim couldn''t do, after all . ''. As expected, his hyung-nim was a human being, just like everyone else Although he was afraid that the ''Solo Play'' would get stuck as the Guild''s name, Yu Jin-Ho also felt just a tiny bit more reassured after being reminded of Jin-Woo being a human like him ***. The location of Hunter Min Byung-Gu''s funeral ceremony Originally, the plan was to hold a small private ceremony with only the close relatives invited to attend the event . However, there were far too many people who wished to pay their respects and so, the funeral had to be changed to a public one Countless people showed up to the funeral parlour to pay their respects and remember Hunter Min Byung-Gu''s valiant sacrifice . Jin-Woo was among them ''Uh, uh? Isn''t that ?''. ''Heok! Isn''t he Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?''. ''It''s really him!''. The funeral goers soon discovered Jin-Woo''s presence and began whispering to each other as their excitement heated up < Chapter 128 > Fin Chapter 129 Jin-Woo didn''t particularly mind the gazes of other people, unless he was talking about some special circumstances . As long as no one bothered him, it didn''t matter to him if he got famous, either . That''s why he didn''t really care when the mourners discovered his presence and started whispering among themselves . However . . . . ''At the very least, you all should know that now isn''t the time nor the place . '' Jin-Woo furrowed his brows unhappily . Wasn''t this the place to remember and honour the valiant sacrifice of Hunter Min Byung-Gu? Jin-Woo didn''t want this solemn occasion to fall into some noisy chaos because of him, so he briefly unleashed a portion of his magic energy ¨C no, not even that, but an amount so tiny that it didn''t even qualify to be called a portion . ''¡­ . . !!'' The desired effect took place right away . The air suddenly became incomparably heavier and oppressive silence descended to the place . Even the breathing of the mourners became incredibly cautious . " . . . . " " . . . . " All those people noisily yapping to each other promptly shut their mouths up at once . ''Alright . '' Jin-Woo succeeded in creating an acceptable atmosphere with nothing but a quiet display of power before he started walking forward again . He didn''t get to walk for long, though, as a middle-aged lady, who was too young to be called a granny but too old to be called an auntie, stood before him . She was none other than Hunter Min Byung-Gu''s mother . People began gasping softly as they looked on at the mother and Jin-Woo standing in an apparent face-off like that . ''Uh, uh?'' ''Wait, she isn''t going to scold him and chase him away, right?'' Fortunately, the outcome people were worried about didn''t come to pass . The why of it was simple enough . "You''ve arrived . Thank you for coming . " "Thank you for inviting me, ma''am . " It was actually Hunter Min-Byung-Gu''s mother who pleaded with him to come by here today . "There was something I''d like to speak to you in person and that''s why I had to make that call . I hope I wasn''t troubling you . " "No, not at all, ma''am . " "Hunter-nim, I heard you got rid of all the monsters in that place so that my son could come home . " Min Byung-Gu''s mother stopped there and gazed up at Jin-Woo, perhaps wanting to confirm the story she was told straight from the man himself . ''¡­ . . . '' Jin-Woo had various personal reasons for hunting down the ants of Jeju Island . However, it was also true that a part of him didn''t want to see Hunter Min Byung-Gu rot away forgotten somewhere in the darkness of that ant tunnel . So, Jin-Woo quietly nodded his head . "Yes, ma''am . " "You helped my son so he won''t sleep in that dark, damp place . I . . . . " Min Byung-Gu''s mother finally began shedding the tears she''d been holding and continued on . "I was to able to meet my son for the last time with your help . Thank you very much, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . " There were no words that could console a parent grieving for her lost child . Jin-Woo could only remain silent with an agonised look on his face . In the meantime, the relatives of Min Byung-Gu''s mother came over and carefully escorted her away deeper into the funeral venue . Even then, even as she was getting further away from him, she never stopped bowing to him to express her gratitude . ''¡­ . . . '' For a moment there, the face of Min Byung-Gu''s mother overlapped with that of his own mom''s from ten years ago in Jin-Woo''s eyes, back when she heard the news of his father going missing inside the Gate . A thick lump formed in his throat . ''But . . . . '' Just like how his father sacrificed his life to save a countless number of his colleagues, Hunter Min Byung-Gu''s sacrifice wasn''t in vain . Without his dedicated effort to heal his comrades, it''d have been really difficult for the Korean Hunters to walk out of the ant tunnel alive . Not only that, he used his powers to save the life of one more Hunter even in death . Min Byung-Gu''s shadow actually felt relieved after it confirmed the colour of life gradually seep back into Hunter Cha Hae-In''s complexion . From that alone, Jin-Woo could sense how much the Healer cared for his comrades . Coincidentally, Jin-Woo spotted Cha Hae-In in the distance as he quietly approached the black-and-white portrait of the deceased to lay down the flowers . But when their gazes met, she suddenly flinched and fell into a panicked state . ''Did they come together?'' The members of the Korean team around her sent him a silent greeting with a slight nod of their heads, but Cha Hae-In looked as if she had no clue which expression she was supposed to make right now . ''Huh, so that woman can make a face like that, too?'' He couldn''t recall any other times when she didn''t carry that expressionless face of hers . Indeed, one should get to know somebody for a longer time before passing judgement, that''s for sure . Jin-Woo shifted his gaze away and stood before the portrait . Hunter Min Byung-Gu within the black photo frame was smiling brightly without a care in the world . Jin-Woo placed the flower in front of the portrait and closed his eyes for a brief moment . ''I hope you find yourself in a better place . '' Finishing up with the prayer for the departed, he turned around to see a familiar figure approach him from the distance . "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . " The low, bassy voice naturally belonged to the Association President, Goh Gun-Hui . "Sir . " "I was actually planning to give you a call later, but it''s good that we have run into each other here . " "You wanted to see me?" It was pretty obvious why the Association would look for a Hunter . Thinking that he might find himself with an opportunity to raise his level, Jin-Woo gazed at Goh Gun-Hui with anticipation, but regretfully, the Association President gently laughed and shook his head . "It''s not what you''re thinking about, Hunter-nim . " " . . . . Oh . I see . " How deflating, that . Jin-Woo could only ruefully smack his lips . "In any case, I''d like to speak to you for a moment or two . Will that be fine with you?" Jin-Woo was planning to stop by the Association after leaving here to resolve his Guild Master licence problem anyway, so he said yes immediately . "I have business in the Association, so why don''t we go and speak there?" "You have business in the Association . . . . ? May I inquire what that is?" "Oh, actually, I need a Guild Master licence, you see . " "Pardon?" A question mark floated up above Goh Gun-Hui''s head . "Why do you need the Guild Master licence when you already possess a rank S licence?" "Wait, does that mean a rank S can establish a Guild without a licence?" "Of course . " Goh Gun-Hui formed a good-natured smile and continued on . "If you wish to form your own Guild, all you have to do is to give the Association a call . We''ll take care of the rest . " " . . . . . " The rank ''S'' was a realm he never expected to step into half a year ago . So, it wasn''t surprising to see Jin-Woo greatly underestimate all the cool benefits this rank came with . He was inwardly flustered after learning of something he didn''t know until now, but . . . ''But, this is actually for the better, isn''t it . Let''s find out more about all the benefits a rank S Hunter enjoys while I''m at it . '' Also, seeing that he could directly get in touch with the Association President Goh Gun-Hui, he might be able to establish his Guild right away as long as he met the minimum requirements . Was this the reason why the old saying went on about finding the right backer if you wanted to succeed in life? Most people would never get to meet the President of the Hunter''s Association in their lifetime, yet such a man had already become a dependable backer for Jin-Woo . Goh Gun-Hui continued on . "What I''d like to speak to you about won''t take long, so we don''t have to change the venue . " Jin-Woo nodded his head, leading Goh Gun-Hui to quickly ask him a question . "By any chance, have you cast some kind of a barrier spell over Jeju Island?" "What do you mean?" Where was this barrier magic thingy coming from, all of a sudden? Did something happen in Jeju Island after he killed every ant there and left for home? Goh Gun-Hui calmly explained what had happened . "During the operation to retrieve Hunter Min-Byung-Gu''s remains, there was an incident of the military personnel and the accompanying Hunters losing their consciousness in the same location . Hmm, rather than losing consciousness, it''d be more appropriate to say that they had all fallen asleep, instead . " Everyone within the same location . . . all fell asleep? Jin-Woo could only tilt his head slightly . ''Sounds like an AOE abnormal status magic, doesn''t it?'' ¡­ . It sounded similar to the thunder magic of the Demon King Baran that inflicted ''Stun'' effect to all the Shadow Soldiers caught within the attack range . However, the problem lay with the fact that the folks present during that incident weren''t your average Hunters . "I thought the elite members of the Knight Order were asked to go to Jeju Island?" Jin-Woo''s question elicited a nod from Goh Gun-Hui . "They were either Hunters in the top of the rank A pile, or rank Bs who are very close to rank A in terms of their abilities . " To be able to put not just one, but several dozens of such people to sleep all at once ¨C a regular rank S Mage wouldn''t even dare to try performing a spell of that magnitude . "That''s why I had to ask you about it, just in case . I was hoping that maybe you cast a barrier there but forgot to tell us about it . " Here was the solid proof that both Hunter''s Association and its boss, Goh Gun-Hui, rated Jin-Woo''s abilities incredibly high . Unfortunately for them, Jin-Woo''s speciality didn''t lay in casting debuff or abnormal status magic . And, perhaps more importantly, there was just no way that he''d forget about activating such a magic spell in the first place . Jin-Woo promptly shook his head . "I''m sorry . I haven''t done that . " "I see . . . . I guess so . " Traces of worry slowly entered Goh Gun-Hui''s expression . The most optimistic explanation he could think of turned out to be wide off the mark in the end . "What did the Hunters say, sir?" "That is . . . . " Goh Gun-Hui formed a troubled face of a man finding it hard to explain something, before continuing on his explanations with some difficulty . "Not only the soldiers, but even the Hunters can''t remember anything that happened before they lost their consciousness . " His voice sounded even more dispirited next . "Actually, we can''t even figure out whether they were victims of a magic spell or not in the first place . " " . . . " If it were just the soldiers, who were simply regular people, it''d be possible to knock them out with something like the sleeping gas, but even the rank A Hunters and their exceptional physical abilities fell victim as well . So, it couldn''t have been a conventional weapon of some kind . ''Could it have been a trap left behind by the ants?'' Jin-Woo was really tempted to summon out Beru right now and ask him about it, but . . . . ''¡­ . . '' If he did that, this funeral venue might morph into a blood-splattered battlefield in no time at all . The thing was, Jin-Woo could see a few dozen high-ranked Hunters around here just from a quick headcount . Of course, he wasn''t worried about Beru at all . Nope, he was only concerned about the Hunters rashly trying to pick a fight with the former ant monster . It was then . A young man who must''ve been an Association employee approached them in hurried steps and whispered something to Goh Gun-Hui''s ear . The Association President formed a rueful expression as he spoke to Jin-Woo . "A guest has arrived sooner than expected, and unfortunately, I must be on my way now . Thank you for your time . " "You too, sir . " After sharing brief goodbyes, Goh Gun-Hui hurriedly left the venue and disappeared from the view along with that unnamed employee . Now that he no longer had any reason to go to the Association, Jin-Woo figured that he might as well go home, instead . He too left the venue and began walking towards the location of the parked van . But, then . . . . ''What''s this?'' He seemed to have picked up a somewhat puzzling ''tail'' since from a short while ago . Jin-Woo tilted his head in confusion . ''Aren''t you supposed to do your best not to get discovered when tailing someone?'' Not only that, any ol'' regular folks wouldn''t even dare to dream about tailing a rank S Hunter, too . Step, step . . . . Since he couldn''t hear the roll of a camera, the person following him didn''t seem to be a reporter . Heck, this person wasn''t even trying to mask his presence, either . Getting curious about how long the tail would follow him, as well as what would this person do after catching up to him, Jin-Woo chose to keep walking over to the van without saying a word . And sure enough, the tail diligently followed after him . ''Huh . Well, I''ll be . . . . '' Jin-Woo was getting more and more dumbfounded here . He even realised for the first time that he didn''t want to deal seriously with someone who was this unprofessional at what he was supposed to do . However . . . . Just as Jin-Woo was about to grab the door handle of his van, he heard a voice calling out to him from behind . "Are you Mister Seong Jin-Woo?" Jin-Woo smirked slightly and turned around while thinking to himself, ''Well, you''ve finally revealed your true colours, haven''t you . '' "Yes, I am . " But then, Jin-Woo was momentarily taken aback after confirming the face of his opponent . ''He''s a foreigner?'' That man''s Korean was so perfect that Jin-Woo didn''t expect him to be a Westerner at all . Meanwhile, the young Westerner, sporting a business suit so slick that it bordered on being a fashion statement, formed a smile as bright as his golden hair colour . "This is who I am . " The man pulled out a business card and presented it to Jin-Woo . His name, the organisation he worked for, as well as his contact numbers, were all printed in large, legible letters on the card . [Senior Agent Adam White, Hunter Bureau, the United States of America] ''Hunter Bureau??'' What did an elite agent from the most powerful organisation in the US want from him now? ''No . There''s only one reason why the Hunter Bureau would want to speak to a Hunter . '' Jin-Woo tore his eyes away from the card and looked straight at the agent, prompting the American to introduce himself with a sunny smile . "It''s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . Please call me Adam from now on . " < Chapter 129 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 129: Chapter 129 . Jin-Woo didn''t particularly mind the gazes of other people, unless he was talking about some special circumstances . As long as no one bothered him, it didn''t matter to him if he got famous, either That''s why he didn''t really care when the mourners discovered his presence and started whispering among themselves However . ''At the very least, you all should know that now isn''t the time nor the place . ''. Jin-Woo furrowed his brows unhappily Wasn''t this the place to remember and honour the valiant sacrifice of Hunter Min Byung-Gu?. Jin-Woo didn''t want this solemn occasion to fall into some noisy chaos because of him, so he briefly unleashed a portion of his magic energy ¨C no, not even that, but an amount so tiny that it didn''t even qualify to be called a portion ''¡­ !!''. The desired effect took place right away . The air suddenly became incomparably heavier and oppressive silence descended to the place . Even the breathing of the mourners became incredibly cautious " ". " ". All those people noisily yapping to each other promptly shut their mouths up at once ''Alright . ''. Jin-Woo succeeded in creating an acceptable atmosphere with nothing but a quiet display of power before he started walking forward again . He didn''t get to walk for long, though, as a middle-aged lady, who was too young to be called a granny but too old to be called an auntie, stood before him She was none other than Hunter Min Byung-Gu''s mother People began gasping softly as they looked on at the mother and Jin-Woo standing in an apparent face-off like that ''Uh, uh?''. ''Wait, she isn''t going to scold him and chase him away, right?''. Fortunately, the outcome people were worried about didn''t come to pass . The why of it was simple enough "You''ve arrived . Thank you for coming . ". "Thank you for inviting me, ma''am . ". It was actually Hunter Min-Byung-Gu''s mother who pleaded with him to come by here today "There was something I''d like to speak to you in person and that''s why I had to make that call . I hope I wasn''t troubling you . ". "No, not at all, ma''am . ". "Hunter-nim, I heard you got rid of all the monsters in that place so that my son could come home . ". Min Byung-Gu''s mother stopped there and gazed up at Jin-Woo, perhaps wanting to confirm the story she was told straight from the man himself ''¡­ . ''. Jin-Woo had various personal reasons for hunting down the ants of Jeju Island . However, it was also true that a part of him didn''t want to see Hunter Min Byung-Gu rot away forgotten somewhere in the darkness of that ant tunnel . So, Jin-Woo quietly nodded his head "Yes, ma''am . ". "You helped my son so he won''t sleep in that dark, damp place . I ". Min Byung-Gu''s mother finally began shedding the tears she''d been holding and continued on "I was to able to meet my son for the last time with your help . Thank you very much, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ". There were no words that could console a parent grieving for her lost child . Jin-Woo could only remain silent with an agonised look on his face . In the meantime, the relatives of Min Byung-Gu''s mother came over and carefully escorted her away deeper into the funeral venue Even then, even as she was getting further away from him, she never stopped bowing to him to express her gratitude ''¡­ . ''. For a moment there, the face of Min Byung-Gu''s mother overlapped with that of his own mom''s from ten years ago in Jin-Woo''s eyes, back when she heard the news of his father going missing inside the Gate A thick lump formed in his throat ''But ''. Just like how his father sacrificed his life to save a countless number of his colleagues, Hunter Min Byung-Gu''s sacrifice wasn''t in vain Without his dedicated effort to heal his comrades, it''d have been really difficult for the Korean Hunters to walk out of the ant tunnel alive . Not only that, he used his powers to save the life of one more Hunter even in death Min Byung-Gu''s shadow actually felt relieved after it confirmed the colour of life gradually seep back into Hunter Cha Hae-In''s complexion . From that alone, Jin-Woo could sense how much the Healer cared for his comrades Coincidentally, Jin-Woo spotted Cha Hae-In in the distance as he quietly approached the black-and-white portrait of the deceased to lay down the flowers . But when their gazes met, she suddenly flinched and fell into a panicked state ''Did they come together?''. The members of the Korean team around her sent him a silent greeting with a slight nod of their heads, but Cha Hae-In looked as if she had no clue which expression she was supposed to make right now ''Huh, so that woman can make a face like that, too?''. He couldn''t recall any other times when she didn''t carry that expressionless face of hers . Indeed, one should get to know somebody for a longer time before passing judgement, that''s for sure Jin-Woo shifted his gaze away and stood before the portrait Hunter Min Byung-Gu within the black photo frame was smiling brightly without a care in the world . Jin-Woo placed the flower in front of the portrait and closed his eyes for a brief moment ''I hope you find yourself in a better place . ''. Finishing up with the prayer for the departed, he turned around to see a familiar figure approach him from the distance "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ". The low, bassy voice naturally belonged to the Association President, Goh Gun-Hui "Sir . ". "I was actually planning to give you a call later, but it''s good that we have run into each other here . ". "You wanted to see me?". It was pretty obvious why the Association would look for a Hunter . Thinking that he might find himself with an opportunity to raise his level, Jin-Woo gazed at Goh Gun-Hui with anticipation, but regretfully, the Association President gently laughed and shook his head "It''s not what you''re thinking about, Hunter-nim . ". " Oh . I see . ". How deflating, that Jin-Woo could only ruefully smack his lips "In any case, I''d like to speak to you for a moment or two . Will that be fine with you?". Jin-Woo was planning to stop by the Association after leaving here to resolve his Guild Master licence problem anyway, so he said yes immediately "I have business in the Association, so why don''t we go and speak there?". "You have business in the Association ? May I inquire what that is?". "Oh, actually, I need a Guild Master licence, you see . ". "Pardon?". A question mark floated up above Goh Gun-Hui''s head "Why do you need the Guild Master licence when you already possess a rank S licence?". "Wait, does that mean a rank S can establish a Guild without a licence?". "Of course . ". Goh Gun-Hui formed a good-natured smile and continued on "If you wish to form your own Guild, all you have to do is to give the Association a call . We''ll take care of the rest . ". " . ". The rank ''S'' was a realm he never expected to step into half a year ago . So, it wasn''t surprising to see Jin-Woo greatly underestimate all the cool benefits this rank came with He was inwardly flustered after learning of something he didn''t know until now, but ''But, this is actually for the better, isn''t it . Let''s find out more about all the benefits a rank S Hunter enjoys while I''m at it . ''. Also, seeing that he could directly get in touch with the Association President Goh Gun-Hui, he might be able to establish his Guild right away as long as he met the minimum requirements Was this the reason why the old saying went on about finding the right backer if you wanted to succeed in life?. Most people would never get to meet the President of the Hunter''s Association in their lifetime, yet such a man had already become a dependable backer for Jin-Woo Goh Gun-Hui continued on "What I''d like to speak to you about won''t take long, so we don''t have to change the venue . ". Jin-Woo nodded his head, leading Goh Gun-Hui to quickly ask him a question "By any chance, have you cast some kind of a barrier spell over Jeju Island?". "What do you mean?". Where was this barrier magic thingy coming from, all of a sudden?. Did something happen in Jeju Island after he killed every ant there and left for home?. Goh Gun-Hui calmly explained what had happened "During the operation to retrieve Hunter Min-Byung-Gu''s remains, there was an incident of the military personnel and the accompanying Hunters losing their consciousness in the same location . Hmm, rather than losing consciousness, it''d be more appropriate to say that they had all fallen asleep, instead . ". Everyone within the same location . all fell asleep? Jin-Woo could only tilt his head slightly ''Sounds like an AOE abnormal status magic, doesn''t it?''. ¡­ . It sounded similar to the thunder magic of the Demon King Baran that inflicted ''Stun'' effect to all the Shadow Soldiers caught within the attack range However, the problem lay with the fact that the folks present during that incident weren''t your average Hunters "I thought the elite members of the Knight Order were asked to go to Jeju Island?". Jin-Woo''s question elicited a nod from Goh Gun-Hui "They were either Hunters in the top of the rank A pile, or rank Bs who are very close to rank A in terms of their abilities . ". To be able to put not just one, but several dozens of such people to sleep all at once ¨C a regular rank S Mage wouldn''t even dare to try performing a spell of that magnitude "That''s why I had to ask you about it, just in case . I was hoping that maybe you cast a barrier there but forgot to tell us about it . ". Here was the solid proof that both Hunter''s Association and its boss, Goh Gun-Hui, rated Jin-Woo''s abilities incredibly high Unfortunately for them, Jin-Woo''s speciality didn''t lay in casting debuff or abnormal status magic . And, perhaps more importantly, there was just no way that he''d forget about activating such a magic spell in the first place Jin-Woo promptly shook his head "I''m sorry . I haven''t done that . ". "I see I guess so . ". Traces of worry slowly entered Goh Gun-Hui''s expression . The most optimistic explanation he could think of turned out to be wide off the mark in the end "What did the Hunters say, sir?". "That is ". Goh Gun-Hui formed a troubled face of a man finding it hard to explain something, before continuing on his explanations with some difficulty "Not only the soldiers, but even the Hunters can''t remember anything that happened before they lost their consciousness . ". His voice sounded even more dispirited next "Actually, we can''t even figure out whether they were victims of a magic spell or not in the first place . ". " . ". If it were just the soldiers, who were simply regular people, it''d be possible to knock them out with something like the sleeping gas, but even the rank A Hunters and their exceptional physical abilities fell victim as well . So, it couldn''t have been a conventional weapon of some kind ''Could it have been a trap left behind by the ants?''. Jin-Woo was really tempted to summon out Beru right now and ask him about it, but . ''¡­ ''. If he did that, this funeral venue might morph into a blood-splattered battlefield in no time at all . The thing was, Jin-Woo could see a few dozen high-ranked Hunters around here just from a quick headcount Of course, he wasn''t worried about Beru at all . Nope, he was only concerned about the Hunters rashly trying to pick a fight with the former ant monster It was then A young man who must''ve been an Association employee approached them in hurried steps and whispered something to Goh Gun-Hui''s ear . The Association President formed a rueful expression as he spoke to Jin-Woo "A guest has arrived sooner than expected, and unfortunately, I must be on my way now . Thank you for your time . ". "You too, sir . ". After sharing brief goodbyes, Goh Gun-Hui hurriedly left the venue and disappeared from the view along with that unnamed employee Now that he no longer had any reason to go to the Association, Jin-Woo figured that he might as well go home, instead . He too left the venue and began walking towards the location of the parked van But, then . ''What''s this?''. He seemed to have picked up a somewhat puzzling ''tail'' since from a short while ago . Jin-Woo tilted his head in confusion ''Aren''t you supposed to do your best not to get discovered when tailing someone?''. Not only that, any ol'' regular folks wouldn''t even dare to dream about tailing a rank S Hunter, too Step, step . Since he couldn''t hear the roll of a camera, the person following him didn''t seem to be a reporter . Heck, this person wasn''t even trying to mask his presence, either Getting curious about how long the tail would follow him, as well as what would this person do after catching up to him, Jin-Woo chose to keep walking over to the van without saying a word And sure enough, the tail diligently followed after him ''Huh . Well, I''ll be ''. Jin-Woo was getting more and more dumbfounded here . He even realised for the first time that he didn''t want to deal seriously with someone who was this unprofessional at what he was supposed to do However . Just as Jin-Woo was about to grab the door handle of his van, he heard a voice calling out to him from behind "Are you Mister Seong Jin-Woo?". Jin-Woo smirked slightly and turned around while thinking to himself, ''Well, you''ve finally revealed your true colours, haven''t you . ''. "Yes, I am . ". But then, Jin-Woo was momentarily taken aback after confirming the face of his opponent ''He''s a foreigner?''. That man''s Korean was so perfect that Jin-Woo didn''t expect him to be a Westerner at all . Meanwhile, the young Westerner, sporting a business suit so slick that it bordered on being a fashion statement, formed a smile as bright as his golden hair colour "This is who I am . ". The man pulled out a business card and presented it to Jin-Woo . His name, the organisation he worked for, as well as his contact numbers, were all printed in large, legible letters on the card [Senior Agent Adam White, Hunter Bureau, the United States of America]. ''Hunter Bureau??''. What did an elite agent from the most powerful organisation in the US want from him now?. ''No . There''s only one reason why the Hunter Bureau would want to speak to a Hunter . ''. Jin-Woo tore his eyes away from the card and looked straight at the agent, prompting the American to introduce himself with a sunny smile "It''s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . Please call me Adam from now on . ". < Chapter 129 > Fin Chapter 130 Jin-Woo locked his gaze on the young American man named Adam White, who turned out to be an agent of the Hunter Bureau . ''¡­ . . . . '' Judging from the glint in that man''s eyes, he obviously had no ill intentions towards Jin-Woo whatsoever . The Americans spending an exorbitant sum of money to bring in top Hunters from all over the globe was already a well-known fact . So, Jin-Woo figured that the guy would start extolling the virtues of coming to America soon after making his introduction . However, what Adam White said next went wildly against his expectations . "There is a piece of information we''d like to share with you, Hunter-nim . " "Information, is it . . . . ?" "Yes . And you won''t ever hear about this information from any other existing country or organisation in the world . Except ours, of course . " Jin-Woo tilted his head slightly . What would be their reason for revealing such highly-classified information to a foreign Hunter like him, a complete stranger? "Why are you willing to share such information with me?" Jin-Woo''s probing question only managed to elicit another round of a refreshing smile from Adam White . "We certainly will get something in return by revealing this information to an exclusive group of a specially chosen few . " "Specially chosen few", he said . Which meant that the Americans considered Jin-Woo to be eligible to enter that category now . Sure enough, that roused his curiosity rather greatly . "Okay, let''s hear it . " "That is as far as I''m permitted to tell you, Hunter-nim . As for the rest, you''ll have to hear it from our deputy director . " The deputy director of the mighty Hunter Bureau? A man who possessed more political clout than a minister of some government actually was in South Korea, right now? ''Sounds like it can''t be some run-of-the-mill info, then . '' Adam White must''ve thought that he was successful in stoking the flames of Jin-Woo''s curiosity, because he finally delved into the main topic at hand . "We have a car ready nearby . How about accompanying me to meet up with the deputy director?" Unfortunately for him, though ¨C it was Jin-Woo who had the final say in the matter . ''Information, is it . . . . '' It could only be one of two things . Either it was info that would benefit him in some way after learning of it, or a tip of someone coming after his life . Funnily enough, he didn''t feel all that compelled to get to the bottom of this matter at the moment . For the time being, he wanted to focus on the preparations for the ''black key'', even if this info proved to be beneficial to him . If it was the latter and someone indeed wanted to take him out, then he was pretty confident of emerging victorious from that, too . Also, most importantly . . . . ''It''s not like I can fully trust the information these guys will furnish me with, in the first place . . . . '' This whole thing about sharing information could be just a ruse, too . He wasn''t even sure of the opponent''s hands being useful to him, or for that matter, if the opponent held any useful hands at all . So, was there a reason for him to be lead around by the nose here? He quickly arrived at his decision . "I''ll sleep on it, and give you a call later . " " . . . !!" Adam felt like someone had just punched him in the back of his head as this unexpected turn of the conversation left him reeling in shock . ''What? The deputy director of the Hunter Bureau came all this way to share information, yet he''s ignoring that and wants to go on his way??'' Jin-Woo didn''t look like he was bluffing here, because he was already opening the driver''s door of the van . Cold perspiration immediately coated Adam White''s forehead . If Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was allowed to slip through his fingers now, then who knew when he''d get another chance like this? No, there was even a distinct possibility that this could be the very last time . It was unknown whether the Korean intended for this reaction or not, but without a doubt, the ones ruing the missed opportunity would be them, not him . "Well, have a nice day . " Just as Jin-Woo was about to climb into the van, the restless Adam White urgently cried out . "P-please, hold on!" Jin-Woo shifted his disinterested gaze over to Adam White . Hoping to rouse Jin-Woo''s curiosity further, even if it was only by a fraction, Adam White hurriedly continued on . "Upgrader . . . . " "An Upgrader?" Adam formed an expression of a defeated man and explained the meaning behind the word he just spat out . "Did you know that there is an Awakened who can enhance the abilities of other Awakened?" ''Yup, you should''ve started with that from the beginning . '' Right away, Jin-Woo realised that the stuff being shared by Agent Adam White, no, the deputy director of the Hunter Bureau, was actually of far greater importance than mere ''information'' . ''An Awakened who can enhance other Awakened, is it . . . ?'' Finally, Jin-Woo felt compelled enough now . He pulled the half-entered leg out of the van and closed the door . Adam could sigh a sigh of relief after seeing that . "Whew . . . " When he raised his head, though, Jin-Woo was already standing a couple of inches away from him . "Jesus H . Christ?!" The startled Adam White took a step back in fright, but Jin-Woo didn''t care about that and simply asked the man . "Where am I supposed to go?" *** Screech- The black saloon carrying the two men came to a stop in front of a famous luxury hotel . "We''re here . " Jin-Woo noted that the name of the hotel was the same as the one from the memo Yu Jin-Ho handed over to him not too long ago . ''Wait, that English-speaking foreigner Yu Jin-Ho was talking about, could it have been one of these guys?'' Jin-Woo followed after Adam White and climbed up to the suite where the deputy director was waiting for him . The deputy director of the Hunter Bureau, Michael Connor, failed to disguise his excitement at the sight of a certain Oriental man standing behind his subordinate . ''Very good!'' One of the more difficult aspects of negotiation was bringing the other party to the negotiating table . One could even declare that half the battle was won already by doing so . The deputy director smiled brightly and extended his hand to Jin-Woo for a cordial handshake . "My name is Michael Connor . I''m the deputy director of the Hunter Bureau . " His self-introduction was translated into fluent Korean with the speed of lightning by Adam White . Jin-Woo took the deputy director''s hand and lightly shook it . "I''m Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . " Now that their brief introductions were over, they settled down on the opposing sides of a table . Adam remained standing next to his deputy director . "Before we start, have anyone claiming to be from foreign Hunter-related organisations tried to make contact with you before us?" The deputy director directly fired the opening salvo . "No one, so far . " Once that anticipated answer was given, the deputy director formed a smile of pure satisfaction . ''But, of course . There shouldn''t be anyone else on Earth quicker than the United States of America . '' Only the striker a step ahead of everyone else could score the winning goal, indeed . The deputy director didn''t plan on wasting this golden chance that no one else had the luxury to enjoy yet ¨C especially when his target was someone his superior officer ordered to reel over to their side, no matter the cost or the method . He didn''t even try to beat around the bush and went straight to the topic at hand . "Allow me to be frank with you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . With a solemn, determined face, the deputy director pushed a rather sizeable mountain of files towards Jin-Woo and continued on . "We, at the United States of America, want you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . " "These are . . . . ?" "These are all the documents needed to emigrate to America . Now normally, you''d need at least one or two years for these papers to be processed . However, it''ll be a different story for you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . " The deputy director then raised his index finger . "Just a single second . " He declared in a very confident voice . "If you agree to immigrate, then you''ll become an American citizen in one second . And not as a simple, regular citizen, either ¨C no, you become eligible to receive the equal treatment as the nation''s existing top-ranked Hunters . " " . . . " Everything so far had been what Jin-Woo expected to hear from this man . However, what he wanted to find out about was the information related to this Awakened called ''Upgrader'' . He shifted his gaze over to Adam, causing the American agent to flinch slightly and avert his eyes away . Jin-Woo looked back at the deputy director . "But, I only came here because Adam said something about some ''information'' . " The deputy director let out a burst of genial laughter when he heard that . "That isn''t entirely unrelated to what I was talking about . " "I don''t understand . " "Hunter-nim . If you give us your word that you''ll become the next American Hunter, then we will definitely enhance your abilities to an even higher realm . " The so-called ''Upgrader'' . It seemed that this Awakened could really do what that moniker implied . Still, Jin-Woo was not entirely convinced, even if the deputy director said roughly the same thing as Agent Adam White . ''Could there really be an Awakened possessing such a power?'' That''s why he decided to make d*mn sure . "To enhance one''s abilities ¨C can such a thing be for real?" Jin-Woo''s apparent interest caused the deputy director to become even more excited . "Actually . . . . she''s here with us, right now . " Jin-Woo already knew that there was someone else within the hotel''s suite . From a while ago, he had picked up on the minute amount of magic power leaking out from the gap of the closed door just over there . Because the magic energy emitted didn''t seem all that powerful, he was inwardly thinking that person was too weak to be a bodyguard of someone as important as the Hunter Bureau''s deputy director . And now, his suspicion proved to be correct . The deputy director quickly issued an order . "Please bring Madam Selner here . " Click . Almost immediately, the door was opened and two agents escorted a middle-aged African-American woman out from the room beyond . Jin-Woo''s eyes narrowed slightly after picking up on a strange vibe coming off of her . ''¡­ . . . '' Somehow, she gave off a different aura from other, regular Awakened . The African-American lady stood next to the table, and the agent quickly pulled out a chair for her . She then elegantly settled down on the end of the cushion . She immediately recognised who Jin-Woo was and floated a smile of genuine interest . "So, you are that man from the video . . . . " She was already familiar with all the important information on Jin-Woo and needed no introduction, so the deputy director''s job became a bit easier . "This is Madam Norma Selner . She is the lone Awakened, the only one of her type in the entire world, who can enhance the abilities of other Awakened to even greater heights . " At the end of the introduction, Madam Selner did a simple nod of her head as a greeting to Jin-Woo . He reciprocated the greeting with the nod, as well . "Madam Selner . Please, if you will, briefly explain what you can do to Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . " She formed a teasing smile while staring at the still-unconvinced Jin-Woo''s face . "Everyone has the same look as you, in the beginning, Hunter-nim . However . . . . " She then leaned in closer to Jin-Woo and whispered softly to him . "Once they have a taste, they have no choice but to beg me for more . " "Madam, please . . . . " The deputy director furrowed his brows a little, prompting her to laugh out and wave her hand about . "I know, I know . Don''t worry, Director Connor . I know that he''s a very important man . " Still with an alluring smile, Madam Selner began with her explanation . "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . As you may know already, all Awakened face a limit they can''t breach . No one can overcome it . " That was why the ranks of the Awakened would never change, unless one was lucky enough to go through a Re-Awakening process . This was common knowledge that all living Hunters out there knew all too well . "But, Madam . You can . . . . ?" Even before Jin-Woo could finish his question, Madam Selner formed an expression of a little kid picking up the final piece of strawberry on top of a cake that she''d been saving up for the very last . "You''re correct . " Jin-Woo''s eyes grew progressively wider . "I can increase that limit even higher in three separate stages . I don''t know whether to call it a forced Re-Awakening, or simply waking up the latent potential sleeping within the subject already, but yes, I can do it . " What an incredible ability that was! The things she said just now were explosive enough to shake the very cores of every top-ranked Hunters found throughout the world . Jin-Woo''s gaze shifted over to the deputy director . He nodded his head to reaffirm what she said . "What she said are all true . It''s just that, once she uses her powers once, she needs to take a lengthy break to recover her energy . So, only around three to four lucky Awakened get to enjoy this benefit in a single year . " " . . . . How effective is it?" "It depends on individuals, but once one goes through all three stages, they say that they grew stronger by a minimum of 20 percent, and as much as 30 percent, over their original powers . " Twenty to thirty percent! With the average of his Stat values nearing the 250 mark, if Jin-Woo got that mystery enhancement, that average value would shoot past the 300 mark, instead, Without a doubt, that would be an enormous leap up . ¡­ . As long as these guys weren''t lying to him, of course . ''Is she casting a buff that raises one''s powers? Or, is it more like raising the fixed level cap?'' Regardless of what it was, the ability she possessed would be like a precious treasure for all the Hunters out there . Which also meant that there should be no shortages of people aiming for her, too . "If the knowledge of such an ability is made public, then . . . . " The deputy director nodded his head . "That is why Madam Selner is with us . " She too worried about the exact same thing as Jin-Woo had thought of, and after lengthy deliberation, she joined the Hunter Bureau who''d guarantee her safety while also letting her use her powers as often as she wanted to . "We ensure her absolute safety and reward her accordingly, while she enhances the abilities of those Hunters we deem worthy of joining us . We have been maintaining this symbiotic relationship for a long time now . " And so, that''s where the deputy director bookended the explanation . Now, the time for the fireworks to begin . "Madam Selner''s ability, that is precisely the gift we wish to give to you, Hunter-nim . " "A gift, is it . . . . " Indeed, could there be a gift even more valuable than this one? "If you become a Hunter of the United States of America, you will be the first in line to receive this benefit . Also, we will make sure that you get the best possible terms when negotiating with any Guilds you wish to join . " From the perspective of an ordinary Hunter, these were simply too good of conditions to say no to . Only now could Jin-Woo understand why Hwang Dong-Soo didn''t even hesitate once and emigrated to the States when everyone was criticising him for it . The enormous sum of money the Americans reportedly paid him was most likely a cover-up story to hide the real reason . Regular Hunters would lose their collective sh*t if they ever heard of such a tale . So, if you told a top Hunter that his or her abilities could be enhanced even further? Who in their right minds would say no to that? However . . . . "Can you prove that she really possesses such a power?" Everything they said so far were just words, and there had been no proof to back them up yet . It was her turn to butt in next . "No need to rush . Today, I''m only here to undo the first button, you know . " Jin-Woo finally realised what she meant earlier . ''One taste, and people beg her for more, was it?'' Just as she had alluded to, every Hunter seeing her powers with their own eyes chose to head to America right away, one hundred times out of one hundred . Her sky-high confidence was based off on that . The deputy director quietly asked a question to Jin-Woo . "It is as she says . So, will you let us unlock your ''first stage''?" "Without anything in return?" "Think of it as a ''service'' from us, Hunter-nim . " Madam Selner lightly grasped Jin-Woo''s wrist . When he turned to look at her, she formed a gentle smile and gestured to him to get closer . "Please, look into my eyes . Look deeply into them . That will be your first step . " Was she telling the truth? To confirm if this Madam Selner really did possess the power the Hunter Bureau was swearing by, Jin-Woo decided to follow her instructions for the time being . The deputy director leaned against the back of the chair and crossed his arms . ''It''s done! He''s ours now!'' The game was already over . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had been constantly maintaining that cold, indifferent expression until now, but that was only because he hadn''t yet experienced what this lady''s power had to offer . Once the first lifting of the natural limit was completed, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would call them on his own volition sooner rather than later . No, if he had an impulsive personality, then he might sign the immigration documents right here, right now . The deputy director''s curiosity shifted on to something else now . ''Just how high will his limit be, I wonder?'' The deputy director uncrossed his arms and rubbed his chin, his eyes of anticipation firmly locked on Jin-Woo . But, it was then . "Heok!!" Madam Selner sucked in her breath, as her eyes began to quake quite violently . < Chapter 130 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 130: Chapter 130 . Jin-Woo locked his gaze on the young American man named Adam White, who turned out to be an agent of the Hunter Bureau ''¡­ ''. Judging from the glint in that man''s eyes, he obviously had no ill intentions towards Jin-Woo whatsoever The Americans spending an exorbitant sum of money to bring in top Hunters from all over the globe was already a well-known fact . So, Jin-Woo figured that the guy would start extolling the virtues of coming to America soon after making his introduction However, what Adam White said next went wildly against his expectations "There is a piece of information we''d like to share with you, Hunter-nim . ". "Information, is it ?". "Yes . And you won''t ever hear about this information from any other existing country or organisation in the world . Except ours, of course . ". Jin-Woo tilted his head slightly . What would be their reason for revealing such highly-classified information to a foreign Hunter like him, a complete stranger?. "Why are you willing to share such information with me?". Jin-Woo''s probing question only managed to elicit another round of a refreshing smile from Adam White "We certainly will get something in return by revealing this information to an exclusive group of a specially chosen few . ". "Specially chosen few", he said Which meant that the Americans considered Jin-Woo to be eligible to enter that category now . Sure enough, that roused his curiosity rather greatly "Okay, let''s hear it . ". "That is as far as I''m permitted to tell you, Hunter-nim . As for the rest, you''ll have to hear it from our deputy director . ". The deputy director of the mighty Hunter Bureau? A man who possessed more political clout than a minister of some government actually was in South Korea, right now?. ''Sounds like it can''t be some run-of-the-mill info, then . ''. Adam White must''ve thought that he was successful in stoking the flames of Jin-Woo''s curiosity, because he finally delved into the main topic at hand "We have a car ready nearby . How about accompanying me to meet up with the deputy director?". Unfortunately for him, though ¨C it was Jin-Woo who had the final say in the matter ''Information, is it ''. It could only be one of two things . Either it was info that would benefit him in some way after learning of it, or a tip of someone coming after his life . Funnily enough, he didn''t feel all that compelled to get to the bottom of this matter at the moment For the time being, he wanted to focus on the preparations for the ''black key'', even if this info proved to be beneficial to him . If it was the latter and someone indeed wanted to take him out, then he was pretty confident of emerging victorious from that, too Also, most importantly . ''It''s not like I can fully trust the information these guys will furnish me with, in the first place ''. This whole thing about sharing information could be just a ruse, too He wasn''t even sure of the opponent''s hands being useful to him, or for that matter, if the opponent held any useful hands at all . So, was there a reason for him to be lead around by the nose here?. He quickly arrived at his decision "I''ll sleep on it, and give you a call later . ". " . !!". Adam felt like someone had just punched him in the back of his head as this unexpected turn of the conversation left him reeling in shock ''What? The deputy director of the Hunter Bureau came all this way to share information, yet he''s ignoring that and wants to go on his way??''. Jin-Woo didn''t look like he was bluffing here, because he was already opening the driver''s door of the van . Cold perspiration immediately coated Adam White''s forehead If Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was allowed to slip through his fingers now, then who knew when he''d get another chance like this? No, there was even a distinct possibility that this could be the very last time It was unknown whether the Korean intended for this reaction or not, but without a doubt, the ones ruing the missed opportunity would be them, not him "Well, have a nice day . ". Just as Jin-Woo was about to climb into the van, the restless Adam White urgently cried out "P-please, hold on!". Jin-Woo shifted his disinterested gaze over to Adam White . Hoping to rouse Jin-Woo''s curiosity further, even if it was only by a fraction, Adam White hurriedly continued on "Upgrader ". "An Upgrader?". Adam formed an expression of a defeated man and explained the meaning behind the word he just spat out "Did you know that there is an Awakened who can enhance the abilities of other Awakened?". ''Yup, you should''ve started with that from the beginning . ''. Right away, Jin-Woo realised that the stuff being shared by Agent Adam White, no, the deputy director of the Hunter Bureau, was actually of far greater importance than mere ''information'' ''An Awakened who can enhance other Awakened, is it . ?''. Finally, Jin-Woo felt compelled enough now . He pulled the half-entered leg out of the van and closed the door . Adam could sigh a sigh of relief after seeing that "Whew . ". When he raised his head, though, Jin-Woo was already standing a couple of inches away from him "Jesus H . Christ?!". The startled Adam White took a step back in fright, but Jin-Woo didn''t care about that and simply asked the man "Where am I supposed to go?". ***. Screech-. The black saloon carrying the two men came to a stop in front of a famous luxury hotel "We''re here . ". Jin-Woo noted that the name of the hotel was the same as the one from the memo Yu Jin-Ho handed over to him not too long ago ''Wait, that English-speaking foreigner Yu Jin-Ho was talking about, could it have been one of these guys?''. Jin-Woo followed after Adam White and climbed up to the suite where the deputy director was waiting for him The deputy director of the Hunter Bureau, Michael Connor, failed to disguise his excitement at the sight of a certain Oriental man standing behind his subordinate ''Very good!''. One of the more difficult aspects of negotiation was bringing the other party to the negotiating table . One could even declare that half the battle was won already by doing so The deputy director smiled brightly and extended his hand to Jin-Woo for a cordial handshake "My name is Michael Connor . I''m the deputy director of the Hunter Bureau . ". His self-introduction was translated into fluent Korean with the speed of lightning by Adam White . Jin-Woo took the deputy director''s hand and lightly shook it "I''m Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ". Now that their brief introductions were over, they settled down on the opposing sides of a table . Adam remained standing next to his deputy director "Before we start, have anyone claiming to be from foreign Hunter-related organisations tried to make contact with you before us?". The deputy director directly fired the opening salvo "No one, so far . ". Once that anticipated answer was given, the deputy director formed a smile of pure satisfaction ''But, of course . There shouldn''t be anyone else on Earth quicker than the United States of America . ''. Only the striker a step ahead of everyone else could score the winning goal, indeed The deputy director didn''t plan on wasting this golden chance that no one else had the luxury to enjoy yet ¨C especially when his target was someone his superior officer ordered to reel over to their side, no matter the cost or the method He didn''t even try to beat around the bush and went straight to the topic at hand "Allow me to be frank with you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim With a solemn, determined face, the deputy director pushed a rather sizeable mountain of files towards Jin-Woo and continued on "We, at the United States of America, want you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ". "These are ?". "These are all the documents needed to emigrate to America . Now normally, you''d need at least one or two years for these papers to be processed . However, it''ll be a different story for you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ". The deputy director then raised his index finger "Just a single second . ". He declared in a very confident voice "If you agree to immigrate, then you''ll become an American citizen in one second . And not as a simple, regular citizen, either ¨C no, you become eligible to receive the equal treatment as the nation''s existing top-ranked Hunters . ". " . ". Everything so far had been what Jin-Woo expected to hear from this man . However, what he wanted to find out about was the information related to this Awakened called ''Upgrader'' . He shifted his gaze over to Adam, causing the American agent to flinch slightly and avert his eyes away Jin-Woo looked back at the deputy director "But, I only came here because Adam said something about some ''information'' . ". The deputy director let out a burst of genial laughter when he heard that "That isn''t entirely unrelated to what I was talking about . ". "I don''t understand . ". "Hunter-nim . If you give us your word that you''ll become the next American Hunter, then we will definitely enhance your abilities to an even higher realm . ". The so-called ''Upgrader'' . It seemed that this Awakened could really do what that moniker implied Still, Jin-Woo was not entirely convinced, even if the deputy director said roughly the same thing as Agent Adam White ''Could there really be an Awakened possessing such a power?''. That''s why he decided to make d*mn sure "To enhance one''s abilities ¨C can such a thing be for real?". Jin-Woo''s apparent interest caused the deputy director to become even more excited "Actually she''s here with us, right now . ". Jin-Woo already knew that there was someone else within the hotel''s suite . From a while ago, he had picked up on the minute amount of magic power leaking out from the gap of the closed door just over there Because the magic energy emitted didn''t seem all that powerful, he was inwardly thinking that person was too weak to be a bodyguard of someone as important as the Hunter Bureau''s deputy director . And now, his suspicion proved to be correct The deputy director quickly issued an order "Please bring Madam Selner here . ". Click Almost immediately, the door was opened and two agents escorted a middle-aged African-American woman out from the room beyond . Jin-Woo''s eyes narrowed slightly after picking up on a strange vibe coming off of her ''¡­ . ''. Somehow, she gave off a different aura from other, regular Awakened The African-American lady stood next to the table, and the agent quickly pulled out a chair for her . She then elegantly settled down on the end of the cushion She immediately recognised who Jin-Woo was and floated a smile of genuine interest "So, you are that man from the video ". She was already familiar with all the important information on Jin-Woo and needed no introduction, so the deputy director''s job became a bit easier "This is Madam Norma Selner . She is the lone Awakened, the only one of her type in the entire world, who can enhance the abilities of other Awakened to even greater heights . ". At the end of the introduction, Madam Selner did a simple nod of her head as a greeting to Jin-Woo . He reciprocated the greeting with the nod, as well "Madam Selner . Please, if you will, briefly explain what you can do to Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ". She formed a teasing smile while staring at the still-unconvinced Jin-Woo''s face "Everyone has the same look as you, in the beginning, Hunter-nim . However ". She then leaned in closer to Jin-Woo and whispered softly to him "Once they have a taste, they have no choice but to beg me for more . ". "Madam, please ". The deputy director furrowed his brows a little, prompting her to laugh out and wave her hand about "I know, I know . Don''t worry, Director Connor . I know that he''s a very important man . ". Still with an alluring smile, Madam Selner began with her explanation "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . As you may know already, all Awakened face a limit they can''t breach . No one can overcome it . ". That was why the ranks of the Awakened would never change, unless one was lucky enough to go through a Re-Awakening process . This was common knowledge that all living Hunters out there knew all too well "But, Madam . You can ?". Even before Jin-Woo could finish his question, Madam Selner formed an expression of a little kid picking up the final piece of strawberry on top of a cake that she''d been saving up for the very last "You''re correct . ". Jin-Woo''s eyes grew progressively wider "I can increase that limit even higher in three separate stages . I don''t know whether to call it a forced Re-Awakening, or simply waking up the latent potential sleeping within the subject already, but yes, I can do it . ". What an incredible ability that was!. The things she said just now were explosive enough to shake the very cores of every top-ranked Hunters found throughout the world . Jin-Woo''s gaze shifted over to the deputy director He nodded his head to reaffirm what she said "What she said are all true . It''s just that, once she uses her powers once, she needs to take a lengthy break to recover her energy . So, only around three to four lucky Awakened get to enjoy this benefit in a single year . ". " How effective is it?". "It depends on individuals, but once one goes through all three stages, they say that they grew stronger by a minimum of 20 percent, and as much as 30 percent, over their original powers . ". Twenty to thirty percent!. With the average of his Stat values nearing the 250 mark, if Jin-Woo got that mystery enhancement, that average value would shoot past the 300 mark, instead,. Without a doubt, that would be an enormous leap up ¡­ . As long as these guys weren''t lying to him, of course ''Is she casting a buff that raises one''s powers? Or, is it more like raising the fixed level cap?''. Regardless of what it was, the ability she possessed would be like a precious treasure for all the Hunters out there . Which also meant that there should be no shortages of people aiming for her, too "If the knowledge of such an ability is made public, then ". The deputy director nodded his head "That is why Madam Selner is with us . ". She too worried about the exact same thing as Jin-Woo had thought of, and after lengthy deliberation, she joined the Hunter Bureau who''d guarantee her safety while also letting her use her powers as often as she wanted to "We ensure her absolute safety and reward her accordingly, while she enhances the abilities of those Hunters we deem worthy of joining us . We have been maintaining this symbiotic relationship for a long time now . ". And so, that''s where the deputy director bookended the explanation . Now, the time for the fireworks to begin "Madam Selner''s ability, that is precisely the gift we wish to give to you, Hunter-nim . ". "A gift, is it ". Indeed, could there be a gift even more valuable than this one?. "If you become a Hunter of the United States of America, you will be the first in line to receive this benefit . Also, we will make sure that you get the best possible terms when negotiating with any Guilds you wish to join . ". From the perspective of an ordinary Hunter, these were simply too good of conditions to say no to Only now could Jin-Woo understand why Hwang Dong-Soo didn''t even hesitate once and emigrated to the States when everyone was criticising him for it . The enormous sum of money the Americans reportedly paid him was most likely a cover-up story to hide the real reason Regular Hunters would lose their collective sh*t if they ever heard of such a tale . So, if you told a top Hunter that his or her abilities could be enhanced even further? Who in their right minds would say no to that?. However . "Can you prove that she really possesses such a power?". Everything they said so far were just words, and there had been no proof to back them up yet It was her turn to butt in next "No need to rush . Today, I''m only here to undo the first button, you know . ". Jin-Woo finally realised what she meant earlier ''One taste, and people beg her for more, was it?''. Just as she had alluded to, every Hunter seeing her powers with their own eyes chose to head to America right away, one hundred times out of one hundred . Her sky-high confidence was based off on that The deputy director quietly asked a question to Jin-Woo "It is as she says . So, will you let us unlock your ''first stage''?". "Without anything in return?". "Think of it as a ''service'' from us, Hunter-nim . ". Madam Selner lightly grasped Jin-Woo''s wrist . When he turned to look at her, she formed a gentle smile and gestured to him to get closer "Please, look into my eyes . Look deeply into them . That will be your first step . ". Was she telling the truth?. To confirm if this Madam Selner really did possess the power the Hunter Bureau was swearing by, Jin-Woo decided to follow her instructions for the time being The deputy director leaned against the back of the chair and crossed his arms ''It''s done! He''s ours now!''. The game was already over Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had been constantly maintaining that cold, indifferent expression until now, but that was only because he hadn''t yet experienced what this lady''s power had to offer Once the first lifting of the natural limit was completed, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would call them on his own volition sooner rather than later . No, if he had an impulsive personality, then he might sign the immigration documents right here, right now The deputy director''s curiosity shifted on to something else now ''Just how high will his limit be, I wonder?''. The deputy director uncrossed his arms and rubbed his chin, his eyes of anticipation firmly locked on Jin-Woo . But, it was then "Heok!!". Madam Selner sucked in her breath, as her eyes began to quake quite violently < Chapter 130 > Fin Chapter 131 Her name was Norma Selner . An African-American woman of 46 years of age, and often referred to as Madam Selner or Mrs Selner, the Hunter Bureau offered her a higher degree of protection than the President of the country . Meaning, if both her and the President''s lives were under threat, then the Hunter Bureau would prioritise in rescuing her first and then worry about the President later . But, how could such a thing even be possible? When the previous director of the Hunter Bureau retired from the office and handed over the responsibility to his successor, he described her with the following words . - "Doesn''t matter who becomes our next President, our position as the world''s greatest Hunter nation on Earth will never change . But, if she''s no longer with us, then America will start worrying about the Gates appearing in smaller cities around the remote regions of our country . " That''s how it was . Because she managed to attract the world''s elite rank S Hunters here, the American citizens were able to rest easy every night knowing that they didn''t need to worry about high-ranking Gates opening up somewhere within this massive country of theirs . The top-ranked Hunters who changed their nationality because of her was already 26 . This was already a number far exceeding other so-called Hunter superpower nations and their roster of rank S Hunters . The Hunter Bureau also carefully selected their targets as well, so it went without saying that their Hunters were of far superior quality, as well . So, one could say that Madam Selner was the guardian angel looking after America from behind the scenes . Regardless of how high a rank S Hunter''s position was, or the treatment he or she received, none of them were seen as being as important as Madam Selner at the end of the day . She was the top classified secret that not even the American President could easily approach . Quite obviously, the rank S Hunters allowed to meet her were selected via the most strict, rigorous vetting process . They were the specially chosen few, as coined by Agent Adam White earlier . ["We certainly will get something in return by revealing this information to an exclusive group of a specially chosen few . "] At first, Jin-Woo had no clue what it meant to be included in that exclusive group of the chosen few . Not just him, but most of the rank S Hunters, too . However, they would come to a realisation after Madam Selner broke open their limits ¨C the realisation of who chose them, and what it meant to be chosen! One of the Hunters was so moved by the overflowing power coursing through his body, he even knelt down before her to shed tears of gratitude . On the following day, his nationality changed from Congo to America . ''That always happened, didn''t it?'' And that was why the current serving deputy director of the Hunter Bureau, Michael Conner, didn''t believe that anything would go wrong . He was sure that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would cry out in alternating emotions of elation and shock, maybe even search for his God, just as everyone else before him did . Then, he''d beg for more . Was there any other, more fitting description than that? He confidently thought like that, not even a hint of suspicion within his mind . But, then . . . . The cry of shock actually came out from someone else''s mouth . "Uaaahhk?!" Madam Selner stared deep into Jin-Woo''s eyes for a long time, before she screamed at the top of her lungs as if she had seen something she shouldn''t have . She fell off the chair on to the floor . Almost right away, two agents here to guard her whipped their pistols out and took aim at Jin-Woo . "Stop!! Have you all lost your minds?!" The deputy director witnessed the agents and their recklessness, and cried out in alarm . Loud cussing exploded out of his mouth as he jumped up from his sitting position to push down the pointed pistols of the agents . "Do you not know who this person is? How dare you point at him with such a thing?!" "But, sir, the Madam is . . . . " "You idiots! If you''re that worried about Madam Selner, then check up on her first!!" "M-my apologies . " The agents quickly put their guns away and supported the shivering Madam Selner off from the ground . Her complexion had become so pale that she looked quite pitiful right now . Meanwhile, the deputy director bowed his back 90 degrees to Jin-Woo . "I''m truly sorry, Hunter-nim . My agents committed a grave blunder . " Judging from the previously-relaxed voice of the deputy director tremble like that, he must''ve been frightened out of his wits rather greatly just now . ''They are trained to put the safety of the Madam above all else, but to think, they''d be stupid enough to point a gun at a rank S Hunter!'' If their opponent possessed a fiery temper, then never mind the two foolish agents, even their boss''s neck wouldn''t have remained in its original place . He couldn''t even come up with an excuse to explain away the agents shoving guns in the face of a top-ranked Hunter in a country where carrying firearms was illegal . The deputy director''s heart still loudly pounded in his chest, unable to calm down from the fright he felt when Madam Selner screamed and fell, and also, when the agents pulled their guns out without any warning . Funnily enough, though, Jin-Woo was also deeply flustered by what transpired just now . ''Just what the hell is up with this situation?'' That lady suddenly screamed out and fell down, the Hunter Bureau''s agents pointed guns at him, and finally, their deputy director jumped up and down in a huff before apologising with a deep bow of his head . At first, he was dumbfounded . Next up, he was speechless, and finally . . . . " . . . . It''s fine . No one got hurt, after all . " He didn''t even feel like getting angry here . He kinda figured that angrily threatening the other party was a pretty disgraceful thing to do, especially when the second most powerful man from another country''s top organisation was quick to admit the mistakes of his subordinates and apologised like this . A part of him also didn''t feel much of anything when guns were being pointed at him . Rather than weapons, they looked more like children''s toys to him now . That was how wide the gap between them and Jin-Woo was . "Thank you for your understanding, Hunter-nim . " Only after Jin-Woo let it go did the deputy director raise his head back up again . He then sneaked a glance at Jin-Woo''s face and confirmed that the Korean wasn''t being sarcastic or anything . He felt that he had really dodged a bullet here . ''If something like this happened in front of either Thomas Andre or China''s Liu Zhigeng, then . . . . '' The hearts of those two agents pulling out their guns would have stopped beating long before he had the chance to apologise . What a relief that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was such an understanding gentleman . ''Whew- . '' The deputy director sighed out in relief and wiped the pooled sweat off his nose . He managed to put out the most pressing flames first . Next, it was time to focus on the other matter . The deputy director bowed his head one more time and then, urgently checked up on Madam Selner''s current condition . "Madam? What happened?" "M-Michael . . . . " "Madam? You''re sweating so much . . . are you feeling unwell somewhere?" The deputy director may have shed a few cold sweat drops over the volatile situation just now, but she was completely soaked from head to toe at the moment . ''What''s going on here?'' Worried about her condition, Jin-Woo got up from the chair and cautiously made his approach, but she didn''t want to look him in the eye and began shivering even harder . Seeing her react like this, the deputy director could only chew on his lower lip . ''With her condition, we can''t . . . . '' He had succeeded in bringing Hunter Seong Jin-Woo to the table with much difficulty, but now, the most important negotiating hand was no longer available to him . Madam was in no condition whatsoever to use her ability . The deputy director turned around and while carrying a heavy, distressed expression, spoke to Jin-Woo . "Madam Selner''s condition isn''t very good today . May I give you a call at another time?" *** Around the same time . An important guest was waiting inside the President''s office of the Korean Hunter''s Association . It was none other than the President of the Japanese Association, Matsumoto Shigeo . Two Presidents of the respective organisations settled down on the opposite sides, with no one else except their interpreters accompanying them . Goh Gun-Hui was the first to open his mouth . "I''ve heard about what happened to Mister Goto . " "It''s truly a lamentable thing . " An expression of bitterness briefly flashed past Matsumoto Shigeo, before his complexion recovered . "However, I didn''t come here to discuss what happened in the past, but to talk about the way forward . " Goh Gun-Hui nodded his head . There were a few matters between these two men ¨C no, between the nations of Korea and Japan, that needed to be settled . First of all, splitting up of the magic crystals . The original plan was to divide the loot one year later, when all the ant monsters would''ve have died out on the island . But Jin-Woo had completely exterminated every single one of them before that . Japan did discover his utterly unbelievable actions through their spy satellite and its high-tech camera, so they were aware of this fact, too . - W-what is that man trying to do? - The ants . . . . The ants near Seong Jin-Woo are disappearing one by one?! - The summons he controls have begun hunting down the ant monsters! - His summons are spreading to all corners of the island . - Could he be . . . ?? The old idiom said that uncertainty would kill a man . In the proverbial blink of an eye, all traces of magic energy disappeared from the island of Jeju . With the sole exception of one, that was ¨C the massive bundle of magic energy suspected to be that of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ''Incredible physical strength . Unpredictable movement patterns . And the ruthless streak to hunt down every single monster, even though it''s no longer necessary . . . . '' Where would one find a Hunter more suited to a life in Japan than that man in this wide world? Matsumoto Shigeo smirked to himself after recalling the atmosphere of the mission control room back then . He then pushed forward several documents to Goh Gun-Hui . "And these are?" Goh Gun-Hui asked as he picked them up . "This is the official declaration that Japan will give up on the rights to our share of magic crystals from the Jeju Island . " " . . . . . ?" Feeling not entirely convinced, Goh Gun-Hui browsed through the documents, and eventually, his brows gradually rose up higher . Matsumoto Shigeo was telling the truth . "But, why?" Why was the Japanese Association, who had suffered heavy losses themselves, willing to give up on such a massive revenue source? His answer arrived soon enough . "In return, hand Mister Seong Jin-Woo over to us . " " . . . . Huhuh . " Goh Gun-Hui guffawed out and leaned against the back of the couch . "Regretfully, he''s not affiliated with the Korean Hunter''s Association . " Of course, even if he was, Goh Gun-Hui never planned to ''hand over'' such a Hunter to anyone, to begin with . "We know . " Matsumoto Shigeo replied as if he was waiting for this moment . "However, he has a very close relationship with the Korean Association . And it''s currently impossible to get in contact with him unless it''s through your Association . " It was truly unfortunate, but the Japanese didn''t enjoy the kind of information network the American Hunter Bureau did . Which meant that, if Matsumoto Shigeo wanted to get in touch with Jin-Woo, then he needed to get permission from the Korean Association first . "I didn''t mean to imply that you are being forced to do something . No, just give me an opportunity to negotiate with him, that''s all . " "Are you throwing away this astronomical sum just for that chance?" Nod . Matsumoto Shigeo readily admitted to it . Japan lost ten of her top-ranked Hunters through this incident . In the current situation where Japan needed to import top-ranked Hunters quite urgently, her Association was blessed with ample cash reserve to pay out the compensation meant for the victims of the raid . Indeed, they had so much money that it was practically rotting away in the bank right now . So, if Matsumoto could get his hands on a Hunter of Seong Jin-Woo''s calibre, then he didn''t give a rat''s a*s about those magic crystals anymore . Unfortunately . . . . "I refuse . " The reply Matsumoto Shigeo got was different from what he expected . "What do you mean, you refuse?" The Japanese man was stunned by that answer . He was deeply confident of winning Hunter Seong Jin-Woo over to Japan''s side, but just in case, he told Goh Gun-Hui that he only wanted an opportunity to negotiate with that young man . But, to think, his counterpart would say no to the offer first . "Are you turning down an opportunity like this because you''re afraid of losing Hunter Seong Jin-Woo to Japan?" "Not at all . " Goh Gun-Hui slowly shook his head . "No, I''m saying that, from the beginning, you people have no right to claim even a single magic crystal from us . " The Japanese interpreter quickly looked at Goh Gun-Hui after he made that bombshell of a declaration packed full of hidden implications . "Sir, should I relay that in full?" "Of course . Don''t miss out on a single word and translate them in full . " Matsumoto Shigeo''s complexion reddened considerably the moment he heard the interpreter . "President Goh Gun-Hui! What nonsense are you spewing now?" His voice naturally rose up higher . But then, Japanese unhurriedly flowed out from Goh Gun-Hui''s mouth . "I wish to speak to you without the presence of the interpreters . " Matsumoto flinched and gasped in surprise . "You . . . know how to speak Japanese?" "My father used to run a small company in Japan when I was a young lad . It''s been a long time so it''d be difficult to hold a conversation, but . . . . " The two interpreters left the office soon after Matsumoto agreed to the suggestion . And he fired the opening shot first . "We lost over ten of our rank S Hunters for you people . " Japan''s top Hunter, Goto Ryuji, was also included in that list . "If you do not wish to accept my suggestion, then there''s nothing we can do . Not only will we demand the agreed-upon half of the magic crystal haul, but we will also claim compensation from the Korean government, too . " Goh Gun-Hui simply snorted in derision . "President Matsumoto . . . . Looks like you still mistakenly believe that you hold an upper hand here . " "President Goh!" Matsumoto shot up from his seat, his glare getting fiercer . "Is that something you''re supposed to say to someone who fought for your people?" Unlike the agitated Matsumoto, though, Goh Gun-Hui remained collected throughout . "I couldn''t understand this one thing . " Goh Gun-Hui''s calm demeanour managed to cool Matsumoto''s own rage, and the latter slowly settled back down on his couch . Waiting until he was completely seated . Goh Gun-Hui carried on . "And that would be ¨C why did your people, who enjoyed showing off in front of the world, decide to entrust us with what was arguably the core part of this raid, the hunting of the ant queen . " "That''s obviously because the Koreans lacked the means to buy the necessary time from the ant army . . . . " "If that''s what you were thinking of, then wouldn''t it have been better for you to insert the Koreans as a part of the distraction, like how you had split up yours into four different groups? And then, hunt the ant queen with some of your top elite Hunters, instead?" ''He is as I expected . . . '' The light in Matsumoto''s eyes changed . " . . . . . So, what is it that you want to say to me, President Goh Gun-Hui?" For some reason, he was enunciating Goh Gun-Hui''s name as clearly as he could . "And the timing of your people withdrawing . . . . It looked as if it was your plan all along, regardless of the mutated ant monster or not . " "You have gone crazy . " "It''s you who have gone crazy . Just what were you planning to do after driving the Korean Hunters to death?" Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes narrowed to a slit . It was then, Matsumoto burst into a fit of loud cackles . "Hahahaha!!" He then pulled out a voice recorder from his pocket . He slowly shook his head and continued on . "Everything you said just now, it''s been captured in full . Your sins of insulting the Japanese Hunters without proof, and using that as an excuse to back out of the earlier agreement, everything is here!" An odious smile formed on Matsumoto''s lips . "You shall be judged by the international community . " Just this little sound file containing Goh Gun-Hui''s voice was more than enough to cover up the fact the Japanese Hunters withdrew in the middle of the operation . As for the public opinion, that would come around soon enough . This was clearly a slip-up on Goh Gun-Hui''s part, because he doggedly pursued his conviction and nothing else . What if he lost his cool completely and laid a hand on Matsumoto right now? Now that would be seen as even more irrefutable proof . The sound file was already transmitted to the computers in the Japanese situation room by now . Too bad for him, though . "Proof? Of course, I have it . " Goh Gun-Hui pulled out a black-coloured object the size of a stamp from his inner pocket and left it on the table . " . . . ?" "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo found it on the location . " Sensing something ominous was about to go down, Matsumoto''s attitude had softened a tad . "What . . . is this?" Goh Gun-Hui smirked at the sight of the puzzled Matsumoto Shigeo . "It''s a black box attached to your communication equipment, the one Goto''s team was using . " Right away, the colour of Matsumoto''s complexion changed to ash . Not missing out on this opening, Goh Gun-Hui also brought out an MP3 player and proceeded to play the sound file extracted from this black box . Click . - "How long has it been since the Koreans went inside?" - "Hold on . They say it has been less than 10 minutes . " - "Ten minutes, is it . . . . " - "Time to start the withdrawal process . " The voice of Goto Ryuji, one of the most famous Japanese in the world, could be heard clearly from the recording . Goh Gun-Hui switched the player off and continued on . "Do you know why I didn''t reveal the existence of this file to the rest of the world, President of Japanese Hunter Association, Matsumoto Shigeo?" Matsumoto slowly shook his head . The ashen complexion of his was now getting paler than a sheet of white paper now . "It''s simply because I didn''t want to dampen the joy of my fellow countrymen basking in the glow of a hard-fought victory with this bullsh*t you people managed to cook up . Do you get it now? I''ve only delayed its release for the sake of our people, not you . " The recorder fell from Matsumoto''s hand with a thud . Meanwhile, Goh Gun-Hui relentlessly pressed on . "I''m sure that you get what I''m saying to you, President Matsumoto . " Goh Gun-Hui then crushed the player in his hand to pieces with his physical strength of a rank S Hunter . "Get the f*ck out of this office . Now . " *** After Jin-Woo had left, the deputy director found himself alone with Madam Selner in the hotel''s suite . "Madam . What happened back there?" They had worked with many Hunters before, and this wasn''t Madam Selner''s first rodeo either . Meaning, this would be the first time something like this happened . She suppressed her pounding heart and managed to squeeze out her trembling voice . "He is a ''king'' . A very powerful ''king'' . " The deputy director''s eyes grew wider and wider . Those who knew how her power worked were the director of the Hunter Bureau, the deputy, and of course, Madam Selner herself . Only these three . And she confirmed that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was a ''king'' . Ba-dump, ba-dump . The deputy director sensed his heartbeat pick up pace . "Which means . . . . he''s on the same level as the Special Authority-rank Hunters?" Shake, shake . She shook her head . "No, I don''t . . . . This was my first time experiencing such a phenomenon, so I can''t be sure at all . He is definitely a ''king'', but he''s also different from the other ''kings'' . " "Excuse me? Please, explain it in simpler terms . . . . " "When I looked into him, ''it'' too was looking back at me . " "But, other Hunters also . . . . " "No!! Not Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, but the endless darkness hiding within him was staring back at me!" Madam Selner hysterically cried out . Her complexion paled again and her body shuddered greatly . This was the display of an instinctual fear all living organisms possessed: the fear of death . But, that wasn''t important at the moment . No, the truly important thing was, even though her entire body continued to shiver in terror, she still managed to recall one more thing . "And he . . . . " The deputy director focused on her words again . Her lips parted with so much difficulty . "He doesn''t have any limits . " < Chapter 131 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 131: Chapter 131 . Her name was Norma Selner An African-American woman of 46 years of age, and often referred to as Madam Selner or Mrs Selner, the Hunter Bureau offered her a higher degree of protection than the President of the country Meaning, if both her and the President''s lives were under threat, then the Hunter Bureau would prioritise in rescuing her first and then worry about the President later But, how could such a thing even be possible?. When the previous director of the Hunter Bureau retired from the office and handed over the responsibility to his successor, he described her with the following words - "Doesn''t matter who becomes our next President, our position as the world''s greatest Hunter nation on Earth will never change . But, if she''s no longer with us, then America will start worrying about the Gates appearing in smaller cities around the remote regions of our country . ". That''s how it was Because she managed to attract the world''s elite rank S Hunters here, the American citizens were able to rest easy every night knowing that they didn''t need to worry about high-ranking Gates opening up somewhere within this massive country of theirs The top-ranked Hunters who changed their nationality because of her was already 26 This was already a number far exceeding other so-called Hunter superpower nations and their roster of rank S Hunters . The Hunter Bureau also carefully selected their targets as well, so it went without saying that their Hunters were of far superior quality, as well So, one could say that Madam Selner was the guardian angel looking after America from behind the scenes Regardless of how high a rank S Hunter''s position was, or the treatment he or she received, none of them were seen as being as important as Madam Selner at the end of the day She was the top classified secret that not even the American President could easily approach . Quite obviously, the rank S Hunters allowed to meet her were selected via the most strict, rigorous vetting process They were the specially chosen few, as coined by Agent Adam White earlier ["We certainly will get something in return by revealing this information to an exclusive group of a specially chosen few . "]. At first, Jin-Woo had no clue what it meant to be included in that exclusive group of the chosen few . Not just him, but most of the rank S Hunters, too However, they would come to a realisation after Madam Selner broke open their limits ¨C the realisation of who chose them, and what it meant to be chosen!. One of the Hunters was so moved by the overflowing power coursing through his body, he even knelt down before her to shed tears of gratitude . On the following day, his nationality changed from Congo to America ''That always happened, didn''t it?''. And that was why the current serving deputy director of the Hunter Bureau, Michael Conner, didn''t believe that anything would go wrong He was sure that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would cry out in alternating emotions of elation and shock, maybe even search for his God, just as everyone else before him did Then, he''d beg for more Was there any other, more fitting description than that?. He confidently thought like that, not even a hint of suspicion within his mind . But, then . The cry of shock actually came out from someone else''s mouth "Uaaahhk?!". Madam Selner stared deep into Jin-Woo''s eyes for a long time, before she screamed at the top of her lungs as if she had seen something she shouldn''t have . She fell off the chair on to the floor Almost right away, two agents here to guard her whipped their pistols out and took aim at Jin-Woo "Stop!! Have you all lost your minds?!". The deputy director witnessed the agents and their recklessness, and cried out in alarm . Loud cussing exploded out of his mouth as he jumped up from his sitting position to push down the pointed pistols of the agents "Do you not know who this person is? How dare you point at him with such a thing?!". "But, sir, the Madam is ". "You idiots! If you''re that worried about Madam Selner, then check up on her first!!". "M-my apologies . ". The agents quickly put their guns away and supported the shivering Madam Selner off from the ground . Her complexion had become so pale that she looked quite pitiful right now Meanwhile, the deputy director bowed his back 90 degrees to Jin-Woo "I''m truly sorry, Hunter-nim . My agents committed a grave blunder . ". Judging from the previously-relaxed voice of the deputy director tremble like that, he must''ve been frightened out of his wits rather greatly just now ''They are trained to put the safety of the Madam above all else, but to think, they''d be stupid enough to point a gun at a rank S Hunter!''. If their opponent possessed a fiery temper, then never mind the two foolish agents, even their boss''s neck wouldn''t have remained in its original place He couldn''t even come up with an excuse to explain away the agents shoving guns in the face of a top-ranked Hunter in a country where carrying firearms was illegal The deputy director''s heart still loudly pounded in his chest, unable to calm down from the fright he felt when Madam Selner screamed and fell, and also, when the agents pulled their guns out without any warning Funnily enough, though, Jin-Woo was also deeply flustered by what transpired just now ''Just what the hell is up with this situation?''. That lady suddenly screamed out and fell down, the Hunter Bureau''s agents pointed guns at him, and finally, their deputy director jumped up and down in a huff before apologising with a deep bow of his head At first, he was dumbfounded . Next up, he was speechless, and finally . " It''s fine . No one got hurt, after all . ". He didn''t even feel like getting angry here He kinda figured that angrily threatening the other party was a pretty disgraceful thing to do, especially when the second most powerful man from another country''s top organisation was quick to admit the mistakes of his subordinates and apologised like this A part of him also didn''t feel much of anything when guns were being pointed at him . Rather than weapons, they looked more like children''s toys to him now . That was how wide the gap between them and Jin-Woo was "Thank you for your understanding, Hunter-nim . ". Only after Jin-Woo let it go did the deputy director raise his head back up again . He then sneaked a glance at Jin-Woo''s face and confirmed that the Korean wasn''t being sarcastic or anything . He felt that he had really dodged a bullet here ''If something like this happened in front of either Thomas Andre or China''s Liu Zhigeng, then ''. The hearts of those two agents pulling out their guns would have stopped beating long before he had the chance to apologise . What a relief that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was such an understanding gentleman ''Whew- . ''. The deputy director sighed out in relief and wiped the pooled sweat off his nose . He managed to put out the most pressing flames first . Next, it was time to focus on the other matter The deputy director bowed his head one more time and then, urgently checked up on Madam Selner''s current condition "Madam? What happened?". "M-Michael ". "Madam? You''re sweating so much . are you feeling unwell somewhere?". The deputy director may have shed a few cold sweat drops over the volatile situation just now, but she was completely soaked from head to toe at the moment ''What''s going on here?''. Worried about her condition, Jin-Woo got up from the chair and cautiously made his approach, but she didn''t want to look him in the eye and began shivering even harder . Seeing her react like this, the deputy director could only chew on his lower lip ''With her condition, we can''t ''. He had succeeded in bringing Hunter Seong Jin-Woo to the table with much difficulty, but now, the most important negotiating hand was no longer available to him . Madam was in no condition whatsoever to use her ability The deputy director turned around and while carrying a heavy, distressed expression, spoke to Jin-Woo "Madam Selner''s condition isn''t very good today . May I give you a call at another time?". ***. Around the same time An important guest was waiting inside the President''s office of the Korean Hunter''s Association . It was none other than the President of the Japanese Association, Matsumoto Shigeo Two Presidents of the respective organisations settled down on the opposite sides, with no one else except their interpreters accompanying them Goh Gun-Hui was the first to open his mouth "I''ve heard about what happened to Mister Goto . ". "It''s truly a lamentable thing . ". An expression of bitterness briefly flashed past Matsumoto Shigeo, before his complexion recovered "However, I didn''t come here to discuss what happened in the past, but to talk about the way forward . ". Goh Gun-Hui nodded his head . There were a few matters between these two men ¨C no, between the nations of Korea and Japan, that needed to be settled First of all, splitting up of the magic crystals . The original plan was to divide the loot one year later, when all the ant monsters would''ve have died out on the island . But Jin-Woo had completely exterminated every single one of them before that Japan did discover his utterly unbelievable actions through their spy satellite and its high-tech camera, so they were aware of this fact, too - W-what is that man trying to do?. - The ants The ants near Seong Jin-Woo are disappearing one by one?!. - The summons he controls have begun hunting down the ant monsters!. - His summons are spreading to all corners of the island - Could he be . ??. The old idiom said that uncertainty would kill a man In the proverbial blink of an eye, all traces of magic energy disappeared from the island of Jeju With the sole exception of one, that was ¨C the massive bundle of magic energy suspected to be that of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo ''Incredible physical strength . Unpredictable movement patterns . And the ruthless streak to hunt down every single monster, even though it''s no longer necessary ''. Where would one find a Hunter more suited to a life in Japan than that man in this wide world?. Matsumoto Shigeo smirked to himself after recalling the atmosphere of the mission control room back then . He then pushed forward several documents to Goh Gun-Hui "And these are?". Goh Gun-Hui asked as he picked them up "This is the official declaration that Japan will give up on the rights to our share of magic crystals from the Jeju Island . ". " . ?". Feeling not entirely convinced, Goh Gun-Hui browsed through the documents, and eventually, his brows gradually rose up higher . Matsumoto Shigeo was telling the truth "But, why?". Why was the Japanese Association, who had suffered heavy losses themselves, willing to give up on such a massive revenue source?. His answer arrived soon enough "In return, hand Mister Seong Jin-Woo over to us . ". " Huhuh . ". Goh Gun-Hui guffawed out and leaned against the back of the couch "Regretfully, he''s not affiliated with the Korean Hunter''s Association . ". Of course, even if he was, Goh Gun-Hui never planned to ''hand over'' such a Hunter to anyone, to begin with "We know . ". Matsumoto Shigeo replied as if he was waiting for this moment "However, he has a very close relationship with the Korean Association . And it''s currently impossible to get in contact with him unless it''s through your Association . ". It was truly unfortunate, but the Japanese didn''t enjoy the kind of information network the American Hunter Bureau did . Which meant that, if Matsumoto Shigeo wanted to get in touch with Jin-Woo, then he needed to get permission from the Korean Association first "I didn''t mean to imply that you are being forced to do something . No, just give me an opportunity to negotiate with him, that''s all . ". "Are you throwing away this astronomical sum just for that chance?". Nod Matsumoto Shigeo readily admitted to it Japan lost ten of her top-ranked Hunters through this incident In the current situation where Japan needed to import top-ranked Hunters quite urgently, her Association was blessed with ample cash reserve to pay out the compensation meant for the victims of the raid Indeed, they had so much money that it was practically rotting away in the bank right now . So, if Matsumoto could get his hands on a Hunter of Seong Jin-Woo''s calibre, then he didn''t give a rat''s a*s about those magic crystals anymore Unfortunately . "I refuse . ". The reply Matsumoto Shigeo got was different from what he expected "What do you mean, you refuse?". The Japanese man was stunned by that answer He was deeply confident of winning Hunter Seong Jin-Woo over to Japan''s side, but just in case, he told Goh Gun-Hui that he only wanted an opportunity to negotiate with that young man But, to think, his counterpart would say no to the offer first "Are you turning down an opportunity like this because you''re afraid of losing Hunter Seong Jin-Woo to Japan?". "Not at all . ". Goh Gun-Hui slowly shook his head "No, I''m saying that, from the beginning, you people have no right to claim even a single magic crystal from us . ". The Japanese interpreter quickly looked at Goh Gun-Hui after he made that bombshell of a declaration packed full of hidden implications "Sir, should I relay that in full?". "Of course . Don''t miss out on a single word and translate them in full . ". Matsumoto Shigeo''s complexion reddened considerably the moment he heard the interpreter "President Goh Gun-Hui! What nonsense are you spewing now?". His voice naturally rose up higher . But then, Japanese unhurriedly flowed out from Goh Gun-Hui''s mouth "I wish to speak to you without the presence of the interpreters . ". Matsumoto flinched and gasped in surprise "You . know how to speak Japanese?". "My father used to run a small company in Japan when I was a young lad . It''s been a long time so it''d be difficult to hold a conversation, but ". The two interpreters left the office soon after Matsumoto agreed to the suggestion . And he fired the opening shot first "We lost over ten of our rank S Hunters for you people . ". Japan''s top Hunter, Goto Ryuji, was also included in that list "If you do not wish to accept my suggestion, then there''s nothing we can do . Not only will we demand the agreed-upon half of the magic crystal haul, but we will also claim compensation from the Korean government, too . ". Goh Gun-Hui simply snorted in derision "President Matsumoto Looks like you still mistakenly believe that you hold an upper hand here . ". "President Goh!". Matsumoto shot up from his seat, his glare getting fiercer "Is that something you''re supposed to say to someone who fought for your people?". Unlike the agitated Matsumoto, though, Goh Gun-Hui remained collected throughout "I couldn''t understand this one thing . ". Goh Gun-Hui''s calm demeanour managed to cool Matsumoto''s own rage, and the latter slowly settled back down on his couch . Waiting until he was completely seated . Goh Gun-Hui carried on "And that would be ¨C why did your people, who enjoyed showing off in front of the world, decide to entrust us with what was arguably the core part of this raid, the hunting of the ant queen . ". "That''s obviously because the Koreans lacked the means to buy the necessary time from the ant army ". "If that''s what you were thinking of, then wouldn''t it have been better for you to insert the Koreans as a part of the distraction, like how you had split up yours into four different groups? And then, hunt the ant queen with some of your top elite Hunters, instead?". ''He is as I expected . ''. The light in Matsumoto''s eyes changed " . So, what is it that you want to say to me, President Goh Gun-Hui?". For some reason, he was enunciating Goh Gun-Hui''s name as clearly as he could "And the timing of your people withdrawing It looked as if it was your plan all along, regardless of the mutated ant monster or not . ". "You have gone crazy . ". "It''s you who have gone crazy . Just what were you planning to do after driving the Korean Hunters to death?". Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes narrowed to a slit It was then, Matsumoto burst into a fit of loud cackles "Hahahaha!!". He then pulled out a voice recorder from his pocket . He slowly shook his head and continued on "Everything you said just now, it''s been captured in full . Your sins of insulting the Japanese Hunters without proof, and using that as an excuse to back out of the earlier agreement, everything is here!". An odious smile formed on Matsumoto''s lips "You shall be judged by the international community . ". Just this little sound file containing Goh Gun-Hui''s voice was more than enough to cover up the fact the Japanese Hunters withdrew in the middle of the operation . As for the public opinion, that would come around soon enough This was clearly a slip-up on Goh Gun-Hui''s part, because he doggedly pursued his conviction and nothing else . What if he lost his cool completely and laid a hand on Matsumoto right now?. Now that would be seen as even more irrefutable proof The sound file was already transmitted to the computers in the Japanese situation room by now Too bad for him, though "Proof? Of course, I have it . ". Goh Gun-Hui pulled out a black-coloured object the size of a stamp from his inner pocket and left it on the table " . ?". "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo found it on the location . ". Sensing something ominous was about to go down, Matsumoto''s attitude had softened a tad "What . is this?". Goh Gun-Hui smirked at the sight of the puzzled Matsumoto Shigeo "It''s a black box attached to your communication equipment, the one Goto''s team was using . ". Right away, the colour of Matsumoto''s complexion changed to ash . Not missing out on this opening, Goh Gun-Hui also brought out an MP3 player and proceeded to play the sound file extracted from this black box Click - "How long has it been since the Koreans went inside?". - "Hold on . They say it has been less than 10 minutes . ". - "Ten minutes, is it ". - "Time to start the withdrawal process . ". The voice of Goto Ryuji, one of the most famous Japanese in the world, could be heard clearly from the recording Goh Gun-Hui switched the player off and continued on "Do you know why I didn''t reveal the existence of this file to the rest of the world, President of Japanese Hunter Association, Matsumoto Shigeo?". Matsumoto slowly shook his head . The ashen complexion of his was now getting paler than a sheet of white paper now "It''s simply because I didn''t want to dampen the joy of my fellow countrymen basking in the glow of a hard-fought victory with this bullsh*t you people managed to cook up . Do you get it now? I''ve only delayed its release for the sake of our people, not you . ". The recorder fell from Matsumoto''s hand with a thud . Meanwhile, Goh Gun-Hui relentlessly pressed on "I''m sure that you get what I''m saying to you, President Matsumoto . ". Goh Gun-Hui then crushed the player in his hand to pieces with his physical strength of a rank S Hunter "Get the f*ck out of this office . Now . ". ***. After Jin-Woo had left, the deputy director found himself alone with Madam Selner in the hotel''s suite "Madam . What happened back there?". They had worked with many Hunters before, and this wasn''t Madam Selner''s first rodeo either . Meaning, this would be the first time something like this happened She suppressed her pounding heart and managed to squeeze out her trembling voice "He is a ''king'' . A very powerful ''king'' . ". The deputy director''s eyes grew wider and wider Those who knew how her power worked were the director of the Hunter Bureau, the deputy, and of course, Madam Selner herself . Only these three . And she confirmed that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was a ''king'' Ba-dump, ba-dump The deputy director sensed his heartbeat pick up pace "Which means he''s on the same level as the Special Authority-rank Hunters?". Shake, shake She shook her head "No, I don''t This was my first time experiencing such a phenomenon, so I can''t be sure at all . He is definitely a ''king'', but he''s also different from the other ''kings'' . ". "Excuse me? Please, explain it in simpler terms ". "When I looked into him, ''it'' too was looking back at me . ". "But, other Hunters also ". "No!! Not Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, but the endless darkness hiding within him was staring back at me!". Madam Selner hysterically cried out . Her complexion paled again and her body shuddered greatly . This was the display of an instinctual fear all living organisms possessed: the fear of death But, that wasn''t important at the moment . No, the truly important thing was, even though her entire body continued to shiver in terror, she still managed to recall one more thing "And he ". The deputy director focused on her words again Her lips parted with so much difficulty "He doesn''t have any limits . ". < Chapter 131 > Fin Chapter 132 Plop . Matsumoto Shigeo fell down on his knees . A boss of an organisation ¨C not only that, a man representing the opinions and positions of every Hunter in the country called Japan, was kneeling in front of another person . ''¡­ . . . '' Even in this brief moment, countless thoughts raced through Matsumoto''s brain . However, no matter how hard he wracked his brain, he couldn''t come up with a way to get out of this predicament . This was not the time to worry about his pride or honour . If any of this got out, then its ensuing aftermath wouldn''t end with him just losing his position . "President Goh Gun-Hui¡­ . Please, forgive me . " Unfortunately for him, Goh Gun-Hui''s glare remained icy and unmoving . This man was shouting blue murder when there was no proof of his wrongdoing, but as soon as the situation turned disadvantageous, he obediently lowered his tail . Who''d look at such a man with sympathetic eyes? "Get up . " Goh Gun-Hui''s icy voice advised his Japanese counterpart to stop wasting time with this hollow apology, but Matsumoto didn''t heed that and slammed his forehead on the office floor repeatedly . Thud! Thud!! "Our nation, Japan, has lost half of her top-ranked Hunters and we will soon have to beg the international community for their aid . " No matter how excellent the Hunter system in Japan was, they would eventually see the gaps in their defences opening up sooner or later with half of their rank S Hunters dead . Their remaining combat force would be enough to deal with rank A Gates for the time being, but . . . . But, Japan would have to be on their toes the moment a rank S Gate opens up somewhere in their territory . Even worse, the repeat of the tragedy that occurred on Jeju Island could happen in Japan, too . "If that sound file gets out, then we''ll be completely isolated from the world . I beg of you, President Goh Gun-Hui . Please, think about the innocent Japanese citizens and forgive our transgressions just this once . . . . !" "Think of it as your due punishment . " Goh Gun-Hui ruthlessly cut Matsumoto''s words there . "Think of it as the punishment for the sin you and your Hunters tried to commit and gladly accept it . " Carry around a bomb that might go off at any given moment, and wait for the hour of reckoning ¨C that''s what Goh Gun-Hui was implying here . However, Matsumoto didn''t show any sign of lifting his head off the floor . "President Goh Gun-Hui . . . . Until I appease your anger, I shall not rise up again . I beg of you, please, please! Consider it one more time!" "You leave me with no choice . " With a displeased expression firmly etched on his face, Goh Gun-Hui pulled out his mobile phone . "You have five minutes . " What could he mean by that? Unable to win against his curiosity, Matsumoto raised his head and looked up at Goh Gun-Hui . The Korean man slowly waved his phone around . "If you don''t get out of here in the next five minutes, a message will be sent to the numbers of every reporter saved on this phone . It''ll be a message about the President of the Japanese Association grovelling before me . " If you cling onto me in fear of the bomb going off at any second, then I''ll just let it go off, right now ¨C he wasn''t threatening anymore . No, it was a declaration . "But, that . . . " Matsumoto bit his lower lip . Goh Gun-Hui''s determination wasn''t soft enough to be shaken up by nothing but a pitiful plea for leniency . Matsumoto belatedly realised this fact . And this was also the moment his last-ditch attempt to save this situation at the cost of his pride ending up in total failure . Powerlessly, Matsumoto stood back up . Goh Gun-Hui''s glare remained icy, his phone gradually being lowered . He then spoke to the unsteady Japanese man . "You should thank Mister Seong Jin-Woo . " The light of pure anger flickered dangerously within Goh Gun-Hui''s beast-like eyes . "Not at the hands of that mutated ant, no, but if my Hunters got hurt from the schemes of your people, then you wouldn''t have walked out of this room alive . " Matsumoto''s trembling hands packed up his belongings and without taking a single look back, he escaped from the Korean Association''s building in a hurry . Not one lick of his former pride and confidence he displayed during his last visit here could be seen from his departing back now . "Fuu . . . . " Meanwhile, Goh Gun-Hui was leaning against the back of the couch . It felt like all of his pent-up stress was cleared away in one shot . Of course, he wasn''t planning to end things here . It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that he now held the lifeline of the Japanese Hunter Association . ''If you committed a crime, then you get punished for it . '' From early on in his life, Goh Gun-Hui was taught how to treat his friends and enemies accordingly . It was then, his mobile phone resting on the table suddenly issued a loud racket . ''Mm?'' He tapped on the ''Answer'' icon, and an urgent voice came out from the speaker . Goh Gun-Hui quietly listened to what happened, and his eyes progressively grew wider and wider . "What?! A Gate formed in the middle of a road??" Not only that, it was rated to be a rank B Gate that no regular raid team could do something about, too! "Where is it located?" The best course of action for this problem was to contact a major Guild and have them send over a capable raid team . But, then . . . . ''¡­ . Hold on . '' Having heard the report from the agent on site, Goh Gun-Hui''s expression became a bit strange . ''Didn''t Hunter Seong Jin-Woo get an office for his Guild around there?'' *** The road suddenly became really clogged up . Jin-Woo was in deep contemplation as he found himself stuck in the middle of an unmoving sea of traffic . ''That lady, she definitely saw something . '' That woman called Madam Norma Selner . She must''ve faced countless powerful Hunters, yet she couldn''t even meet his gaze because she felt a crippling fear of him . Just what did she ''see'' in him? Was it the traces of his System? The System would make a few ridiculous demands from him every now and then, sure, but it was certainly not a scary existence . ''Instead of being scary, that thing''s my greatest ally . '' However, how would it look like in other people''s views? The deputy director asked him back then if it was fine to get in touch at a later time . The thing was, though, the woman regaining some calm behind him suddenly got startled again and began shuddering as soon as he asked that question . Even if Jin-Woo wanted to see that woman again, she''d avoid him of her own volition . Her entire body displayed her unwillingness quite clearly . Jin-Woo then came to a realisation . Maybe, that woman''s power didn''t work on him . He was very different from normal Hunters, after all . ''Well, I guess there''s no need to waste more of my time with those folks, then . '' That was why he already told the American deputy director that there wouldn''t be a need and tactfully declined their invite . The frozen-stiff expression of the deputy director was particularly memorable, to say the least . ''Besides all that, what is up with this traffic, man?'' Jin-Woo furrowed his brows at the road ahead utterly mired in congestion as far as his eyes could see . ''This is why taking the subway is so much more convenient . '' Just as he began wondering if there was an accident up ahead or something . . . . Vrrrr . . . . His phone stuck in the car charger vibrated rather noisily . Jin-Woo checked the ID of the caller . '' . . . It''s the Association President?'' They saw each other in the funeral venue only a few hours ago, so what business did he have in calling him so soon? Jin-Woo tapped the ''Answer'' icon . - "Hunter-nim . It''s Goh Gun-Hui speaking . " The Association President explained the situation taking place in the middle of Seoul in a calm voice . "Excuse me? A Gate opened up in the middle of the road?" He was beginning to think that this traffic jam was far too heavy to be normal, but there was a good reason behind it, as it turned out . Hoping to turn the van around, Jin-Woo scanned around the vehicle . Unfortunately, there were simply too many cars tightly packed around him and it was not possible to move an inch . He helplessly shook his head and returned his gaze to the front of the road . It was then . A welcoming piece of news capable of washing away the wave of dissatisfaction rising up from the traffic jam jumped out from his phone . - "Our agents have evaluated it as a rank B Gate . Would you like to take care of it for us, Hunter-nim?" ''Heot!'' Jin-Woo struggled to suppress the giggles of joy this truly excellent news managed to awaken . As a matter of fact, he shouldn''t be pleased about something that was greatly inconveniencing so many citizens like this . Yes . Jin-Woo managed to straighten his voice and cautiously asked . "I don''t have the raid permit, so can I just enter like that, sir?" - "Huhuh . Hunter-nim, who issues the raid permits?" "It''s issued by the Association . " - "And who am I?" Jin-Woo suppressed his laughter again and replied seriously . "You''re the President of the Hunter''s Association . " - "Huhuhuh . That''s why, don''t worry about anything and please take care of it . " "Well, in that case, thank you for the me . . . . No, I mean, thank you for the opportunity . " Jin-Woo clenched his fist . He climbed out of the van and began walking after the trace of the magic energy leaking out from the Gate . Because of the cars packed tightly in all sides, he didn''t even need to park the van somewhere else, too . " . . . . Yes . Everyone, the black hole in the air you see behind me is the Gate that has appeared in the city today . . . . . " " . . . . According to my sources, this Gate has been ranked at B, a high-ranking Gate that requires the participation of a large Guild . . . . " Reporters had already formed a cordon around the Gate by the time he got there, and the Association employees, as well as the members of the local police force, were restricting the access . ''Hmm . . . '' Jin-Woo brushed past the wall of the reporters and approached the Gate, but then, a female Association employee with a by-the-book demeanour abruptly blocked his path . "Please hold it! What do you think you''re doing?!" She pushed at his chest and spoke loudly . "You can''t just barge your way in here like this!" Too bad, no matter how hard she pushed with her small hands, Jin-Woo didn''t show any signs of budging from the spot . Only then she belatedly realised that the guy standing in front of her was a Hunter ¨C and a pretty high-ranking Hunter at that . "Are you . . . a Hunter?" Jin-Woo pulled out his licence and showed it to her . Naturally, her eyes grew super large . ''A r-r-rank S? Seong Jin-Woo???'' Wasn''t he the same guy who killed all those ant monsters on Jeju Island . . . . ? Finally learning of Jin-Woo''s identity, the female Association employee raised her head to take another look . Jin-Woo looked a lot different from when he appeared on TV, so even though she was an Association employee, she ended up failing to recognise a rank S Hunter . However, it was also natural for people with discerning eyes to exist within the large crowd gathered here . "Uh??" "Isn''t he . . . ?" "It''s Seong Jin-Woo!" "I think Seong Jin-Woo came here to deal with the Gate personally!" People feeling fed up from being stuck here began recognising Jin-Woo, and their complexions brightened greatly . Some people among them with appointments to get to even cried out in elation, too . However, the female employee completely disregarded the reactions of the citizens and showed no signs of backing down . She hesitated slightly before asking him . "What . . . What brings you here?" What did she even mean, what brings him here? There would be only one reason why a Hunter chose to stand before a Gate, wouldn''t it? Jin-Woo figured that there was no need to explain, so he simply pointed at the Gate beyond her shoulders . She looked behind her for a second or two, and then, formed an expression of pure determination . Many Hunters ended up losing their lives after placing too much faith in their skills while disregarding the established rules and regulations . ''It should be the same story with a rank S Hunter, right . . . ?'' The Association existed to prevent such accidents ¨C this fact had been drilled into her head over and over again . Hunters and their safety were the top priority of the Association . Especially when the person in question happened to be an exceptional individual ranked ''S'', her duty was to prevent any mishaps from happening to him no matter what . That''s what she thought, and so, she expressed her belief with a plucky attitude . "Even if you''re a rank S Hunter, sir, I will not tolerate any behaviour that ignores proper procedures . " " . . . " Jin-Woo was lost for words and blankly stared at her face . He didn''t expect her to come out like this at all . She thought that she had succeeded in persuading a rank S Hunter, and continued on with her next question . "Did you obtain the raid permit?" Jin-Woo shook his head, which led her to . . . . "No, wait . Even if you did obtain the permit, since you haven''t met the minimum required number of team members, you can''t be allowed in . " The female employee was impressively unyielding . Jin-Woo could tell from the look in her eyes that she wasn''t doing this out of spite . No, she just seemed to be the type to stick as close to the rule book as humanly possible . Jin-Woo scratched the back of his head . Well, there''s no helping it, then . "Hold on for a sec . " Jin-Woo immediately called somebody on the phone . After the call connected to the other side, he pushed the phone to her . "Here . " When the female employee looked at him puzzled, Jin-Woo spoke to her in a clear voice . "Please, take it . The call''s actually for you . " She maintained her puzzled expression while asking him . "W-who is it on the phone?" "Someone else you may not ''tolerate'' as well . " She inadvertently took the phone from him, but when she discovered the name of the call''s receiver appearing on the screen, her brows shot up really high . ''Goh, Goh Gun-Hui?!'' If the person on the line was really . . . "H-hello . . . . ?" The female employee''s nervous voice was greeted by a deep, heavy voice from the phone''s speaker . - "This is the Association President speaking . " Sure enough, it was him . The female employee''s eyes trembled noticeably, before she began nodding her head over and over again . "Yes, yes . No, sir . Yes . Yes . I shall do as you say, sir . " Click . She returned the phone with a crestfallen expression on her face . When Jin-Woo walked past her, he whispered to her in a hushed tone . "Thanks . " "Pardon me?" "For worrying about me . " "Y-you, you knew . . . . ?!" Jin-Woo hurriedly disappeared into the Gate . ''Euh . . . . !'' Greatly annoyed by his antics now, the female employee shuddered from dissatisfaction and she threw . . . not a curse, but more like an unhappy grumble at his departing back . ''Father in heaven! Sprain that guy''s ankle or something inside the dungeon, please!'' However . . . . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was a man who walked away safely from the Jeju Island that was completely overrun with rank S monsters . ''Such a guy won''t have much trouble inside a rank B dungeon, probably?'' But then, it happened at that moment . Screams were rising up from here and there . "Uhhh? What''s going on here??" "Why is it changing to red colour?!" Right after Jin-Woo stepped past the Gate, the eerie colour of blood slowly spread over its black surface . It was a Red Gate!! A terrifying event was unfolding right now . "Ah . . . . . !" The female employee felt utterly devastated after seeing the Red Gate appear . ''Was it because I prayed for him to get that sprained ankle?!'' Of course, that wasn''t it . However, she couldn''t get rid of the voices in her head telling her that it was her fault . She was taught that the Red Gate, a portal to another world, was one of the most dangerous places there was . She also heard that even the high-ranked Hunters weren''t guaranteed to get out of there alive . ''It can''t be . . . . . '' Suddenly, her head was filled with the images of the worst case scenario, and her complexion paled instantly . ''If, if that Hunter-nim gets injured for real, what then . . . . . ?'' Just how many minutes went by like this? She continued to stew in self-guilt, but when she felt a presence near her, the female employee tore her gaze away from the asphalt below to look up . And found Jin-Woo standing before her . "M-mommy?!" She got royally frightened out of her wits as if she saw a real ghost just now . Jin-Woo simply threw a grin at her way and walked right past her . ''¡­ . . . . '' The face of this female employee was in a deeper shade of red than when she was talking to the Association President earlier . Meanwhile, Jin-Woo searched around for something, and eventually, made his way over to a driver of a truck filled with sacks of potatoes . "Excuse me, ahjussi? Can I buy a sack from you?" "Pardon? You wanna buy some potatoes?" Jin-Woo shook his head . "No, just the sack . " *** The Vice-Master of the tentatively-named ''Solo Play'' Guild, as well as its chief recruitment officer, its sole lawyer, and even its accountant, Yu Jin-Ho smiled brightly as he saw Jin-Woo entering the office . "You came back, hyung-nim!" "Nothing happened while I was gone, right?" "Yes, hyung-nim . However, an applicant wanting to become a founding member is . . . . . " "Okay . Show me the list . Let me go through it as well . " Seeing that Yu Jin-Ho was pressing him with the same stuff they''d been talking about in the morning, the kid must''ve been desperate to establish the Guild as soon as possible . Thankfully, Jin-Woo was thinking the same thing . They only needed one more person for the spot of the founding member . The minimum of three people was needed to satisfy the requirements to establish a Guild . ''Even if we''re trying to fill in the headcount, it''s better to pick someone hard-working and trustworthy, I think . It''s not like we''ll be seeing each other only once, after all . '' Jin-Woo nodded his head, convinced by his own thoughts . But now that he took a closer look, Yu Jin-Ho''s complexion seemed a bit cloudy for some reason . "Did something happen?" "The thing is . . . . Hyung-nim . " "Yeah?" "As you may well know, you need a lot of capital in order to establish a Guild . The bidding prices for higher ranked Gates all start at astronomical sums, we gotta pay the signing fees to the newly-joining Hunters, and most importantly, the person applying to become our founding mem . . . . " Jin-Woo cut him off there . "Is this enough capital for now?" Thud . Jin-Woo placed the potato sack he carried into the office on the floor . ''What''s this?'' Yu Jin-Ho''s puzzled gaze peered into the open gap of the sack . And he found it packed full of expensive magic crystals . "H-hyung-nim . . . . ?! W-what are these?" Jin-Woo was nonchalant in his reply . "There was an open Gate on the way to the office, so I made a pit stop . " " . . . . . " He went out only a couple of hours ago, yet during such a short period of time, he found a high-ranking dungeon, cleared it completely, and brought out all the magic crystals found within? "As expected of you, you''re amazing, hyung-nim!!" Yu Jin-Ho stopped thinking about this matter there . It was ultimately a fruitless endeavour to pigeon-hole hyung-nim with common sense . Jin-Woo watched Yu Jin-Ho celebrating the acquisition of their seed money with a content smile, before shifting his gaze over to the conference suite . "By the way, why is she here?" "Pardon? Ahh . I was about to talk to you about her a minute ago . . . . Well, someone applying to become a founding member is waiting for you, hyung-nim . " Jin-Woo''s eyes widened . "An applicant?" "Yes, hyung-nim . " "Who is?" "The person waiting for you in the conference suite, hyung-nim . " "That''s what she said?" "Yes, hyung-nim . " What on earth was this kid even talking about . . . . ? Jin-Woo quickly strode over to the conference suite as soon as Yu Jin-Ho was finished and opened the door wide open . Clunk . And then, inside this mostly-empty conference suite, he found a woman sipping on a can of coffee all alone and in silence turning her head to meet his gaze . Incidentally, Yu Jin-Ho had to quickly dash outside to get that coffee because they hadn''t even bought proper office equipment yet . "What brings you here, Hunter-nim??" Jin-Woo asked his guest with a dumbfounded expression on his face . Then, Cha Hae-In opened her own mouth, still looking up at him from her sitting position . "I came to . . . . join your Guild . " < Chapter 132 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 132: Chapter 132 . Plop Matsumoto Shigeo fell down on his knees A boss of an organisation ¨C not only that, a man representing the opinions and positions of every Hunter in the country called Japan, was kneeling in front of another person ''¡­ . ''. Even in this brief moment, countless thoughts raced through Matsumoto''s brain However, no matter how hard he wracked his brain, he couldn''t come up with a way to get out of this predicament This was not the time to worry about his pride or honour . If any of this got out, then its ensuing aftermath wouldn''t end with him just losing his position "President Goh Gun-Hui¡­ . Please, forgive me . ". Unfortunately for him, Goh Gun-Hui''s glare remained icy and unmoving This man was shouting blue murder when there was no proof of his wrongdoing, but as soon as the situation turned disadvantageous, he obediently lowered his tail Who''d look at such a man with sympathetic eyes?. "Get up . ". Goh Gun-Hui''s icy voice advised his Japanese counterpart to stop wasting time with this hollow apology, but Matsumoto didn''t heed that and slammed his forehead on the office floor repeatedly Thud! Thud!!. "Our nation, Japan, has lost half of her top-ranked Hunters and we will soon have to beg the international community for their aid . ". No matter how excellent the Hunter system in Japan was, they would eventually see the gaps in their defences opening up sooner or later with half of their rank S Hunters dead Their remaining combat force would be enough to deal with rank A Gates for the time being, but . But, Japan would have to be on their toes the moment a rank S Gate opens up somewhere in their territory . Even worse, the repeat of the tragedy that occurred on Jeju Island could happen in Japan, too "If that sound file gets out, then we''ll be completely isolated from the world . I beg of you, President Goh Gun-Hui . Please, think about the innocent Japanese citizens and forgive our transgressions just this once !". "Think of it as your due punishment . ". Goh Gun-Hui ruthlessly cut Matsumoto''s words there "Think of it as the punishment for the sin you and your Hunters tried to commit and gladly accept it . ". Carry around a bomb that might go off at any given moment, and wait for the hour of reckoning ¨C that''s what Goh Gun-Hui was implying here However, Matsumoto didn''t show any sign of lifting his head off the floor "President Goh Gun-Hui Until I appease your anger, I shall not rise up again . I beg of you, please, please! Consider it one more time!". "You leave me with no choice . ". With a displeased expression firmly etched on his face, Goh Gun-Hui pulled out his mobile phone "You have five minutes . ". What could he mean by that?. Unable to win against his curiosity, Matsumoto raised his head and looked up at Goh Gun-Hui . The Korean man slowly waved his phone around "If you don''t get out of here in the next five minutes, a message will be sent to the numbers of every reporter saved on this phone . It''ll be a message about the President of the Japanese Association grovelling before me . ". If you cling onto me in fear of the bomb going off at any second, then I''ll just let it go off, right now ¨C he wasn''t threatening anymore . No, it was a declaration "But, that . ". Matsumoto bit his lower lip Goh Gun-Hui''s determination wasn''t soft enough to be shaken up by nothing but a pitiful plea for leniency . Matsumoto belatedly realised this fact . And this was also the moment his last-ditch attempt to save this situation at the cost of his pride ending up in total failure Powerlessly, Matsumoto stood back up Goh Gun-Hui''s glare remained icy, his phone gradually being lowered . He then spoke to the unsteady Japanese man "You should thank Mister Seong Jin-Woo . ". The light of pure anger flickered dangerously within Goh Gun-Hui''s beast-like eyes "Not at the hands of that mutated ant, no, but if my Hunters got hurt from the schemes of your people, then you wouldn''t have walked out of this room alive . ". Matsumoto''s trembling hands packed up his belongings and without taking a single look back, he escaped from the Korean Association''s building in a hurry . Not one lick of his former pride and confidence he displayed during his last visit here could be seen from his departing back now "Fuu ". Meanwhile, Goh Gun-Hui was leaning against the back of the couch . It felt like all of his pent-up stress was cleared away in one shot . Of course, he wasn''t planning to end things here It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that he now held the lifeline of the Japanese Hunter Association ''If you committed a crime, then you get punished for it . ''. From early on in his life, Goh Gun-Hui was taught how to treat his friends and enemies accordingly It was then, his mobile phone resting on the table suddenly issued a loud racket ''Mm?''. He tapped on the ''Answer'' icon, and an urgent voice came out from the speaker . Goh Gun-Hui quietly listened to what happened, and his eyes progressively grew wider and wider "What?! A Gate formed in the middle of a road??". Not only that, it was rated to be a rank B Gate that no regular raid team could do something about, too!. "Where is it located?". The best course of action for this problem was to contact a major Guild and have them send over a capable raid team . But, then . ''¡­ . Hold on . ''. Having heard the report from the agent on site, Goh Gun-Hui''s expression became a bit strange ''Didn''t Hunter Seong Jin-Woo get an office for his Guild around there?''. ***. The road suddenly became really clogged up Jin-Woo was in deep contemplation as he found himself stuck in the middle of an unmoving sea of traffic ''That lady, she definitely saw something . ''. That woman called Madam Norma Selner . She must''ve faced countless powerful Hunters, yet she couldn''t even meet his gaze because she felt a crippling fear of him Just what did she ''see'' in him?. Was it the traces of his System?. The System would make a few ridiculous demands from him every now and then, sure, but it was certainly not a scary existence ''Instead of being scary, that thing''s my greatest ally . ''. However, how would it look like in other people''s views?. The deputy director asked him back then if it was fine to get in touch at a later time . The thing was, though, the woman regaining some calm behind him suddenly got startled again and began shuddering as soon as he asked that question Even if Jin-Woo wanted to see that woman again, she''d avoid him of her own volition . Her entire body displayed her unwillingness quite clearly . Jin-Woo then came to a realisation Maybe, that woman''s power didn''t work on him . He was very different from normal Hunters, after all ''Well, I guess there''s no need to waste more of my time with those folks, then . ''. That was why he already told the American deputy director that there wouldn''t be a need and tactfully declined their invite . The frozen-stiff expression of the deputy director was particularly memorable, to say the least ''Besides all that, what is up with this traffic, man?''. Jin-Woo furrowed his brows at the road ahead utterly mired in congestion as far as his eyes could see ''This is why taking the subway is so much more convenient . ''. Just as he began wondering if there was an accident up ahead or something . Vrrrr . His phone stuck in the car charger vibrated rather noisily . Jin-Woo checked the ID of the caller '' . It''s the Association President?''. They saw each other in the funeral venue only a few hours ago, so what business did he have in calling him so soon? Jin-Woo tapped the ''Answer'' icon - "Hunter-nim . It''s Goh Gun-Hui speaking . ". The Association President explained the situation taking place in the middle of Seoul in a calm voice "Excuse me? A Gate opened up in the middle of the road?". He was beginning to think that this traffic jam was far too heavy to be normal, but there was a good reason behind it, as it turned out Hoping to turn the van around, Jin-Woo scanned around the vehicle . Unfortunately, there were simply too many cars tightly packed around him and it was not possible to move an inch . He helplessly shook his head and returned his gaze to the front of the road . It was then A welcoming piece of news capable of washing away the wave of dissatisfaction rising up from the traffic jam jumped out from his phone - "Our agents have evaluated it as a rank B Gate . Would you like to take care of it for us, Hunter-nim?". ''Heot!''. Jin-Woo struggled to suppress the giggles of joy this truly excellent news managed to awaken . As a matter of fact, he shouldn''t be pleased about something that was greatly inconveniencing so many citizens like this . Yes Jin-Woo managed to straighten his voice and cautiously asked "I don''t have the raid permit, so can I just enter like that, sir?". - "Huhuh . Hunter-nim, who issues the raid permits?". "It''s issued by the Association . ". - "And who am I?". Jin-Woo suppressed his laughter again and replied seriously "You''re the President of the Hunter''s Association . ". - "Huhuhuh . That''s why, don''t worry about anything and please take care of it . ". "Well, in that case, thank you for the me No, I mean, thank you for the opportunity . ". Jin-Woo clenched his fist He climbed out of the van and began walking after the trace of the magic energy leaking out from the Gate . Because of the cars packed tightly in all sides, he didn''t even need to park the van somewhere else, too " Yes . Everyone, the black hole in the air you see behind me is the Gate that has appeared in the city today . ". " According to my sources, this Gate has been ranked at B, a high-ranking Gate that requires the participation of a large Guild ". Reporters had already formed a cordon around the Gate by the time he got there, and the Association employees, as well as the members of the local police force, were restricting the access ''Hmm . ''. Jin-Woo brushed past the wall of the reporters and approached the Gate, but then, a female Association employee with a by-the-book demeanour abruptly blocked his path "Please hold it! What do you think you''re doing?!". She pushed at his chest and spoke loudly "You can''t just barge your way in here like this!". Too bad, no matter how hard she pushed with her small hands, Jin-Woo didn''t show any signs of budging from the spot . Only then she belatedly realised that the guy standing in front of her was a Hunter ¨C and a pretty high-ranking Hunter at that "Are you . a Hunter?". Jin-Woo pulled out his licence and showed it to her . Naturally, her eyes grew super large ''A r-r-rank S? Seong Jin-Woo???''. Wasn''t he the same guy who killed all those ant monsters on Jeju Island ?. Finally learning of Jin-Woo''s identity, the female Association employee raised her head to take another look Jin-Woo looked a lot different from when he appeared on TV, so even though she was an Association employee, she ended up failing to recognise a rank S Hunter However, it was also natural for people with discerning eyes to exist within the large crowd gathered here "Uh??". "Isn''t he . ?". "It''s Seong Jin-Woo!". "I think Seong Jin-Woo came here to deal with the Gate personally!". People feeling fed up from being stuck here began recognising Jin-Woo, and their complexions brightened greatly . Some people among them with appointments to get to even cried out in elation, too However, the female employee completely disregarded the reactions of the citizens and showed no signs of backing down . She hesitated slightly before asking him "What . What brings you here?". What did she even mean, what brings him here?. There would be only one reason why a Hunter chose to stand before a Gate, wouldn''t it?. Jin-Woo figured that there was no need to explain, so he simply pointed at the Gate beyond her shoulders . She looked behind her for a second or two, and then, formed an expression of pure determination Many Hunters ended up losing their lives after placing too much faith in their skills while disregarding the established rules and regulations ''It should be the same story with a rank S Hunter, right . ?''. The Association existed to prevent such accidents ¨C this fact had been drilled into her head over and over again . Hunters and their safety were the top priority of the Association Especially when the person in question happened to be an exceptional individual ranked ''S'', her duty was to prevent any mishaps from happening to him no matter what . That''s what she thought, and so, she expressed her belief with a plucky attitude "Even if you''re a rank S Hunter, sir, I will not tolerate any behaviour that ignores proper procedures . ". " . ". Jin-Woo was lost for words and blankly stared at her face . He didn''t expect her to come out like this at all She thought that she had succeeded in persuading a rank S Hunter, and continued on with her next question "Did you obtain the raid permit?". Jin-Woo shook his head, which led her to . "No, wait . Even if you did obtain the permit, since you haven''t met the minimum required number of team members, you can''t be allowed in . ". The female employee was impressively unyielding Jin-Woo could tell from the look in her eyes that she wasn''t doing this out of spite . No, she just seemed to be the type to stick as close to the rule book as humanly possible Jin-Woo scratched the back of his head . Well, there''s no helping it, then "Hold on for a sec . ". Jin-Woo immediately called somebody on the phone . After the call connected to the other side, he pushed the phone to her "Here . ". When the female employee looked at him puzzled, Jin-Woo spoke to her in a clear voice "Please, take it . The call''s actually for you . ". She maintained her puzzled expression while asking him "W-who is it on the phone?". "Someone else you may not ''tolerate'' as well . ". She inadvertently took the phone from him, but when she discovered the name of the call''s receiver appearing on the screen, her brows shot up really high ''Goh, Goh Gun-Hui?!''. If the person on the line was really "H-hello ?". The female employee''s nervous voice was greeted by a deep, heavy voice from the phone''s speaker - "This is the Association President speaking . ". Sure enough, it was him The female employee''s eyes trembled noticeably, before she began nodding her head over and over again "Yes, yes . No, sir . Yes . Yes . I shall do as you say, sir . ". Click She returned the phone with a crestfallen expression on her face . When Jin-Woo walked past her, he whispered to her in a hushed tone "Thanks . ". "Pardon me?". "For worrying about me . ". "Y-you, you knew ?!". Jin-Woo hurriedly disappeared into the Gate ''Euh !''. Greatly annoyed by his antics now, the female employee shuddered from dissatisfaction and she threw . not a curse, but more like an unhappy grumble at his departing back ''Father in heaven! Sprain that guy''s ankle or something inside the dungeon, please!''. However . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was a man who walked away safely from the Jeju Island that was completely overrun with rank S monsters ''Such a guy won''t have much trouble inside a rank B dungeon, probably?''. But then, it happened at that moment . Screams were rising up from here and there "Uhhh? What''s going on here??". "Why is it changing to red colour?!". Right after Jin-Woo stepped past the Gate, the eerie colour of blood slowly spread over its black surface . It was a Red Gate!! A terrifying event was unfolding right now "Ah . !". The female employee felt utterly devastated after seeing the Red Gate appear ''Was it because I prayed for him to get that sprained ankle?!''. Of course, that wasn''t it . However, she couldn''t get rid of the voices in her head telling her that it was her fault She was taught that the Red Gate, a portal to another world, was one of the most dangerous places there was . She also heard that even the high-ranked Hunters weren''t guaranteed to get out of there alive ''It can''t be . ''. Suddenly, her head was filled with the images of the worst case scenario, and her complexion paled instantly ''If, if that Hunter-nim gets injured for real, what then . ?''. Just how many minutes went by like this?. She continued to stew in self-guilt, but when she felt a presence near her, the female employee tore her gaze away from the asphalt below to look up . And found Jin-Woo standing before her "M-mommy?!". She got royally frightened out of her wits as if she saw a real ghost just now . Jin-Woo simply threw a grin at her way and walked right past her ''¡­ ''. The face of this female employee was in a deeper shade of red than when she was talking to the Association President earlier Meanwhile, Jin-Woo searched around for something, and eventually, made his way over to a driver of a truck filled with sacks of potatoes "Excuse me, ahjussi? Can I buy a sack from you?". "Pardon? You wanna buy some potatoes?". Jin-Woo shook his head "No, just the sack . ". ***. The Vice-Master of the tentatively-named ''Solo Play'' Guild, as well as its chief recruitment officer, its sole lawyer, and even its accountant, Yu Jin-Ho smiled brightly as he saw Jin-Woo entering the office "You came back, hyung-nim!". "Nothing happened while I was gone, right?". "Yes, hyung-nim . However, an applicant wanting to become a founding member is . ". "Okay . Show me the list . Let me go through it as well . ". Seeing that Yu Jin-Ho was pressing him with the same stuff they''d been talking about in the morning, the kid must''ve been desperate to establish the Guild as soon as possible Thankfully, Jin-Woo was thinking the same thing They only needed one more person for the spot of the founding member . The minimum of three people was needed to satisfy the requirements to establish a Guild ''Even if we''re trying to fill in the headcount, it''s better to pick someone hard-working and trustworthy, I think . It''s not like we''ll be seeing each other only once, after all . ''. Jin-Woo nodded his head, convinced by his own thoughts . But now that he took a closer look, Yu Jin-Ho''s complexion seemed a bit cloudy for some reason "Did something happen?". "The thing is Hyung-nim . ". "Yeah?". "As you may well know, you need a lot of capital in order to establish a Guild . The bidding prices for higher ranked Gates all start at astronomical sums, we gotta pay the signing fees to the newly-joining Hunters, and most importantly, the person applying to become our founding mem ". Jin-Woo cut him off there "Is this enough capital for now?". Thud Jin-Woo placed the potato sack he carried into the office on the floor ''What''s this?''. Yu Jin-Ho''s puzzled gaze peered into the open gap of the sack . And he found it packed full of expensive magic crystals "H-hyung-nim ?! W-what are these?". Jin-Woo was nonchalant in his reply "There was an open Gate on the way to the office, so I made a pit stop . ". " . ". He went out only a couple of hours ago, yet during such a short period of time, he found a high-ranking dungeon, cleared it completely, and brought out all the magic crystals found within?. "As expected of you, you''re amazing, hyung-nim!!". Yu Jin-Ho stopped thinking about this matter there . It was ultimately a fruitless endeavour to pigeon-hole hyung-nim with common sense Jin-Woo watched Yu Jin-Ho celebrating the acquisition of their seed money with a content smile, before shifting his gaze over to the conference suite "By the way, why is she here?". "Pardon? Ahh . I was about to talk to you about her a minute ago Well, someone applying to become a founding member is waiting for you, hyung-nim . ". Jin-Woo''s eyes widened "An applicant?". "Yes, hyung-nim . ". "Who is?". "The person waiting for you in the conference suite, hyung-nim . ". "That''s what she said?". "Yes, hyung-nim . ". What on earth was this kid even talking about ?. Jin-Woo quickly strode over to the conference suite as soon as Yu Jin-Ho was finished and opened the door wide open Clunk And then, inside this mostly-empty conference suite, he found a woman sipping on a can of coffee all alone and in silence turning her head to meet his gaze . Incidentally, Yu Jin-Ho had to quickly dash outside to get that coffee because they hadn''t even bought proper office equipment yet "What brings you here, Hunter-nim??". Jin-Woo asked his guest with a dumbfounded expression on his face Then, Cha Hae-In opened her own mouth, still looking up at him from her sitting position "I came to join your Guild . ". < Chapter 132 > Fin Chapter 133 Did he hear that right? Jin-Woo ended up doubting his own hearing, then . Cha Hae-In was the Vice-Master of South Korea''s top Guild, and her skills were ranked to be among the very best, but she willingly walked into a Guild that hadn''t even taken its first baby step yet? Unless she was being threatened into coming here, how could this situation make any sense? But then again . . . . ''Uh, well, just who''d be brave enough to threaten her?'' Jin-Woo decided to bring up the one person with enough clout to potentially threaten her in South Korea . "Did the Association President order you to do this?" Cha Hae-In formed a confused expression, evidently not understanding why Goh Gun-Hui was being brought up in this discussion . "Why would he . . . . ?" It was Jin-Woo who couldn''t understand what was going on here, so why was she making that face even though she was the reason for all this confusion? ''No, hang on . Let''s calm down . '' It was a situation where most people would''ve been left too stunned or get overexcited, but Jin-Woo was able to stay calm as he pulled out a chair to sit on Cha Hae-In''s opposite side . He then wordlessly stared at her . He only needed to focus for a short while . As the time visibly slowed down in his perception, various bits of information about her flowed into his brain, one at the time . ''She''s restless . '' Her heartbeat, her breathing, even the glow within her eyes . She was doing her best to look composed, but there was no fooling Jin-Woo''s sky-high Perception . So, the question was ¨C why was she forcing herself to this extent and trying to enter the tentatively-named ''Solo Play'' Guild? Jin-Woo had to ask her . "Don''t you still have some time left in the duration of your contract with the Hunters Guild?" Now normally, the Guild would negotiate contracts with Hunters in five-year terms . Cha Hae-In joined the Hunters Guild two years ago when she was evaluated to be a rank S, so at a bare minimum, she should still have three years left in her contract . "I have enough money to pay the penalty for breach of contract . " Cha Hae-In''s collected answer only elicited Jin-Woo''s head-tilting . Most of the time, such a penalty fee would be between two to three times the original signing fee . Thinking about the exorbitant sum the Hunters Guild must''ve forked out in order to sign up a rank S Hunter like her, one didn''t need to be a genius to figure out that the breach of contract penalty fee would be absolutely horrendous, as well . Since he was about to speak to her about harsh reality, Jin-Woo''s attitude became very business-like . "Our ''Solo Play'' Guild simply can''t afford to pay the kind of signing fee your skill set warrants, Cha Hunter-nim . " "T-the name of your Guild is ''Solo Play''??" "You have a problem with the name that the Vice-Master and myself came up with?" " . . . No, not really . " Cha Hae-In let a soft sigh escape from her, and continued on . "It doesn''t matter . It''s fine if you don''t pay me the contract signing fee . " She didn''t mind signing a contract without any payment, even though she''d have to pay an enormous breach of contract fee to the Hunters Guild? ''What is she scheming here?'' Jin-Woo''s eyes narrowed to a slit . When their eyes stayed locked for a while, Cha Hae-In could no longer endure the silent pressure and averted her gaze . Her heart was beating a step faster than before, too . Jin-Woo''s ears perked up . His acute sense of hearing didn''t miss out on a single change taking place inside her . ''Is she hiding something?'' At this point, he simply had to ask her or he''d die of curiosity . "Why are you willing to go through such a wringer just to join our Guild?" " . . . . " As expected, Cha Hae-In couldn''t easily answer him and kept her mouth resolutely shut . And seeing her face redden like that, it became oh-so-obvious that she was hiding something from him, too . ''Wait a minute . . . '' Now that he thought about it, he remembered sensing that something was different about her even back in the funeral venue . He couldn''t tell what she was thinking of, but she could have been planning to do this for quite some time already . Jin-Woo quietly waited for Cha Hae-In''s answer . However, she kept her head lowered and for a long while, didn''t say a single word . ''¡­ . But, how can I even explain myself to him? ¡­ . That I sensed your presence next to me even after I lost my consciousness from the attack of that mutated ant monster? ¡­ . That, I felt safe and warm after picking up on your scent as I sank deeper into an empty and endless dark void?'' There was no word in this world adequate enough to describe what she felt back then . ''Even if I explain it, he''d only say that I''ve gone mad . '' Her heart began beating faster after she learned of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo really being there . She felt so relieved, knowing that she wasn''t imagining things . And also . . . . ''What if . . . . '' She discovered that she wanted Jin-Woo to be by her side in the worst case scenario of her being unable to escape from the cold blade of death . ''¡­ . To think, it''d be like ''please be right by my side until my final moments'' . '' How could she even attempt saying that, when just thinking about it made her blush uncontrollably? That was an impossible task for Cha Hae-In who didn''t know anything about a normal girl''s sensibilities . That was why she finally spoke up an answer she cooked up before coming here . " . . . To be more comfortable . " She raised her head to meet Jin-Woo''s gaze and continue on with the rest . "I wish to be live more comfortably . . . . " Although it wasn''t exactly what she tried to say, it wasn''t a complete lie, either . She couldn''t even lift her head properly from all the horrendous stink when high-ranked Hunters were standing next to her . But, in contrast, she felt her mind getting peaceful in the presence of Jin-Woo . The meaning of Cha Hae-In''s ''comfortable'' was precisely that . Jin-Woo didn''t interpret the meaning that way, but still, he could understand where she was coming from . He slowly nodded his head from her answer . She apparently wanted to leave a big Guild like the Hunters, and spend a more ''comfortable'' time in a far smaller Guild like his . According to Jin-Woo''s knowledge, Cha Hae-In was either twenty-two or twenty-three years old . ''I''m sure the burden that a rank S must carry would be pretty heavy for a woman in her early twenties . '' Especially more so, after she felt the threat of death during the Jeju Island raid . Jin-Woo could easily understand her feelings as he too felt like abandoning everything and running away from it all countless times, back when he still worked for the Association . Unfortunately for her . . . . ''Although her plight is pitiable, but . . . . . '' But, he couldn''t just accept her like that . Why would he have named the Guild ''Solo Play''? That was because he planned to book dungeons using the name of his Guild and clear them all by himself . If the minimum number of team members proved to be a stumbling block, then he''d simply hire temps to fill the headcount, just like how it was back when he cleared those rank C Gates with Yu Jin-Ho . That was the smartest thing to do in his quest to level up higher . However, if Cha Hae-In entered the picture, things would become rather complicated in many ways . Even if they forget about her contract signing fee, wouldn''t she still need money for her daily necessities? By hiring a rank S Hunter with huge salaries, someone he didn''t even need in the first place and wasn''t planning to put to work either, he''d be committing a massive wastage on a national scale . However . . . ''If I reject a rank S Hunter who''s willing to waive the contract signing fee and join my Guild without a proper reason, it''s going to look pretty suspicious . '' That was why Jin-Woo quickly came up with a plan . "Actually, our Guild has an admittance test you need to go through . " "Pardon? But, the job posting didn''t specify anything li . . . . " Jin-Woo quickly cut off Cha Hae-In''s flustered words . "This rule is pretty new, so it''s possible that the Vice-Master may have made a small error . " The glow in Cha Hae-In''s eyes became quite serious at the mention of a test . "What kind of a test is it?" Jin-Woo was inwardly taken by surprise from her reaction . ''This gal, she was really serious?'' Because of her professional pride, he expected her to quit after being told about taking a test . However, Cha Hae-In acted the exact opposite . No, she was actually burning up even hotter with the desire to win . He could sense her fervour hidden behind that expressionless mask of hers . ''Is she the type to face any fight coming her way head on?'' Or, was this the case of misplaced pride? Whatever the case may have been, Jin-Woo couldn''t back off now while staying it was all a misunderstanding . "It''s to win against the summoned creature I pick . " Crack . He swore that he heard the physical sound of a crack forming on her ego . " . . . . " ''Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, is that how low your assessment of me is?'' What a mysterious thing this was . He only looked into her eyes briefly, yet it felt like her voice could be heard so clearly inside his head . However, Cha Hae-In didn''t display any of her thoughts and asked in her usual collected manner . "Which summon will you pick?" "For you, Cha Hunter-nim, I''ll especially have to pick the strongest one . " " . . . . . Alright . " She wasn''t backing down here . Most likely, she wouldn''t have dreamed it in her wildest imaginations, regarding who became the latest addition to Jin-Woo''s summoned creatures ¨C no, his Shadow Army collection . Jin-Woo thought that, since her will to win was so strong, she''d give up on her own after tasting defeat . He immediately agreed to the bout . "Okay, let''s do it . " "When will the test be?" "Right now . " Jin-Woo wanted to establish his Guild as soon as possible, so he didn''t want to waste any more time on Cha Hae-In . Since he came up with this idea, might as well do it now . The location would be the gymnasium of the Hunter''s Association . A rank S Hunter could rent out the gymnasium whenever he felt like it . It was one of the many special privileges afforded to rank S Hunters . "Got it . " Cha Hae-In nodded her head . She too wanted to move things along as quickly as possible . They both stood up at the same time as if they made a promise to do that . ''¡­ . Hold on . '' It was then, a certain thought flashed past his brain . He quickly called out to Cha Hae-In as she was about to turn the door handle . "Cha Hunter-nim, please wait . " "Pardon?" "There''s no need to go that way . " " . . . ?" Cha Hae-In formed a confused expression . There was only one door in the conference suite . He obviously wasn''t suggesting that they should jump out of the window, so . . . . Jin-Woo quickly walked over to her unmoving frame . "I have a quicker way of getting there, actually . " "Excuse me?" "But, I must be touching you if I''m to use this method, so will it be alright with you?" "Oh . . . . . " Cha Hae-In recalled what Baek Yun-Ho told her about the situation back then . He said that, as all the members of the Korean assault team found themselves in a life-or-death situation, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo suddenly popped up behind him . ''Is he trying to show me that skill?'' She quickly swallowed her dry saliva and looked up at Jin-Woo''s face that was now much closer than her initial expectations . "Sorry about this . " Jin-Woo lightly embraced her . He thought that such a light hug wouldn''t mean anything to her since he had carried her unconscious frame around inside the ant tunnel, but Cha Hae-In''s face was rapidly dyeing in a beet-red colour . However, she didn''t struggle or try to get out of his embrace . ''¡­ . His nice scent . '' While her face was getting progressively redder and redder, Jin-Woo cautiously held her to make sure they wouldn''t get separated and finished getting ready . ''Okay, all done . '' There was this thing he wanted to confirm . And he wouldn''t find as good an opportunity as this one in the future . "It might get a little dizzy . " Well, he felt that the first time, so there . Cha Hae-In only then wrapped her arms around Jin-Woo and whispered her reply . "Okay . " Jin-Woo raised his head up to his front and issued a command in his mind . ''Shadow Exchange . '' Shururu . . . . . Two of them soundlessly got sucked into the shadow beneath their feet . It was right at that moment Yu Jin-Ho opened the door and entered the conference suite . He ran out to the local convenience store to buy some refreshments after thinking that the talk might go on for a bit . "Please, drink these while you two ch . . . . " A High Orc Shadow Soldier met Yu Jin-Ho''s gaze, and as if he was feeling a bit sheepish over something, scratched the back of his head . " . . . . " Claaank!! The tray in Yu Jin-Ho''s hand crashed to the floor, and cups of liquid refreshment shattered from the impact . "W-what the hell?!" Yu Jin-Ho freaked out grandly and blinked his eyes, but the High Orc soldier was gone without a trace . ''B-b-but, I definitely . . . . !!'' He rubbed his eyes hard and shook his head to regain his composure . He took another look at his surroundings, but he couldn''t spot a single trace of the monster anywhere . ''¡­ . I guess I''ve been working too hard recently . '' Yup, that must be it, what with seeing a hallucination and all . Yu Jin-Ho tilted his head and scanned the conference suite one more time, before turning around to find a mop to clean up the mess on the floor . But then . . . . A thought entered his mind and stopped his feet from moving again . "Where did hyung-nim and Cha Hae-In Hunter-nim disappear to?" < Chapter 133 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 133: Chapter 133 . Did he hear that right? Jin-Woo ended up doubting his own hearing, then Cha Hae-In was the Vice-Master of South Korea''s top Guild, and her skills were ranked to be among the very best, but she willingly walked into a Guild that hadn''t even taken its first baby step yet?. Unless she was being threatened into coming here, how could this situation make any sense? But then again . ''Uh, well, just who''d be brave enough to threaten her?''. Jin-Woo decided to bring up the one person with enough clout to potentially threaten her in South Korea "Did the Association President order you to do this?". Cha Hae-In formed a confused expression, evidently not understanding why Goh Gun-Hui was being brought up in this discussion "Why would he ?". It was Jin-Woo who couldn''t understand what was going on here, so why was she making that face even though she was the reason for all this confusion?. ''No, hang on . Let''s calm down . ''. It was a situation where most people would''ve been left too stunned or get overexcited, but Jin-Woo was able to stay calm as he pulled out a chair to sit on Cha Hae-In''s opposite side . He then wordlessly stared at her He only needed to focus for a short while . As the time visibly slowed down in his perception, various bits of information about her flowed into his brain, one at the time ''She''s restless . ''. Her heartbeat, her breathing, even the glow within her eyes . She was doing her best to look composed, but there was no fooling Jin-Woo''s sky-high Perception So, the question was ¨C why was she forcing herself to this extent and trying to enter the tentatively-named ''Solo Play'' Guild?. Jin-Woo had to ask her "Don''t you still have some time left in the duration of your contract with the Hunters Guild?". Now normally, the Guild would negotiate contracts with Hunters in five-year terms . Cha Hae-In joined the Hunters Guild two years ago when she was evaluated to be a rank S, so at a bare minimum, she should still have three years left in her contract "I have enough money to pay the penalty for breach of contract . ". Cha Hae-In''s collected answer only elicited Jin-Woo''s head-tilting Most of the time, such a penalty fee would be between two to three times the original signing fee Thinking about the exorbitant sum the Hunters Guild must''ve forked out in order to sign up a rank S Hunter like her, one didn''t need to be a genius to figure out that the breach of contract penalty fee would be absolutely horrendous, as well Since he was about to speak to her about harsh reality, Jin-Woo''s attitude became very business-like "Our ''Solo Play'' Guild simply can''t afford to pay the kind of signing fee your skill set warrants, Cha Hunter-nim . ". "T-the name of your Guild is ''Solo Play''??". "You have a problem with the name that the Vice-Master and myself came up with?". " . No, not really . ". Cha Hae-In let a soft sigh escape from her, and continued on "It doesn''t matter . It''s fine if you don''t pay me the contract signing fee . ". She didn''t mind signing a contract without any payment, even though she''d have to pay an enormous breach of contract fee to the Hunters Guild?. ''What is she scheming here?''. Jin-Woo''s eyes narrowed to a slit When their eyes stayed locked for a while, Cha Hae-In could no longer endure the silent pressure and averted her gaze . Her heart was beating a step faster than before, too Jin-Woo''s ears perked up . His acute sense of hearing didn''t miss out on a single change taking place inside her ''Is she hiding something?''. At this point, he simply had to ask her or he''d die of curiosity "Why are you willing to go through such a wringer just to join our Guild?". " ". As expected, Cha Hae-In couldn''t easily answer him and kept her mouth resolutely shut . And seeing her face redden like that, it became oh-so-obvious that she was hiding something from him, too ''Wait a minute . ''. Now that he thought about it, he remembered sensing that something was different about her even back in the funeral venue . He couldn''t tell what she was thinking of, but she could have been planning to do this for quite some time already Jin-Woo quietly waited for Cha Hae-In''s answer . However, she kept her head lowered and for a long while, didn''t say a single word ''¡­ . But, how can I even explain myself to him?. ¡­ . That I sensed your presence next to me even after I lost my consciousness from the attack of that mutated ant monster?. ¡­ . That, I felt safe and warm after picking up on your scent as I sank deeper into an empty and endless dark void?''. There was no word in this world adequate enough to describe what she felt back then ''Even if I explain it, he''d only say that I''ve gone mad . ''. Her heart began beating faster after she learned of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo really being there . She felt so relieved, knowing that she wasn''t imagining things And also . ''What if ''. She discovered that she wanted Jin-Woo to be by her side in the worst case scenario of her being unable to escape from the cold blade of death ''¡­ . To think, it''d be like ''please be right by my side until my final moments'' . ''. How could she even attempt saying that, when just thinking about it made her blush uncontrollably?. That was an impossible task for Cha Hae-In who didn''t know anything about a normal girl''s sensibilities . That was why she finally spoke up an answer she cooked up before coming here " . To be more comfortable . ". She raised her head to meet Jin-Woo''s gaze and continue on with the rest "I wish to be live more comfortably ". Although it wasn''t exactly what she tried to say, it wasn''t a complete lie, either She couldn''t even lift her head properly from all the horrendous stink when high-ranked Hunters were standing next to her . But, in contrast, she felt her mind getting peaceful in the presence of Jin-Woo The meaning of Cha Hae-In''s ''comfortable'' was precisely that Jin-Woo didn''t interpret the meaning that way, but still, he could understand where she was coming from . He slowly nodded his head from her answer She apparently wanted to leave a big Guild like the Hunters, and spend a more ''comfortable'' time in a far smaller Guild like his According to Jin-Woo''s knowledge, Cha Hae-In was either twenty-two or twenty-three years old ''I''m sure the burden that a rank S must carry would be pretty heavy for a woman in her early twenties . ''. Especially more so, after she felt the threat of death during the Jeju Island raid Jin-Woo could easily understand her feelings as he too felt like abandoning everything and running away from it all countless times, back when he still worked for the Association Unfortunately for her . ''Although her plight is pitiable, but . ''. But, he couldn''t just accept her like that Why would he have named the Guild ''Solo Play''? That was because he planned to book dungeons using the name of his Guild and clear them all by himself If the minimum number of team members proved to be a stumbling block, then he''d simply hire temps to fill the headcount, just like how it was back when he cleared those rank C Gates with Yu Jin-Ho . That was the smartest thing to do in his quest to level up higher However, if Cha Hae-In entered the picture, things would become rather complicated in many ways . Even if they forget about her contract signing fee, wouldn''t she still need money for her daily necessities?. By hiring a rank S Hunter with huge salaries, someone he didn''t even need in the first place and wasn''t planning to put to work either, he''d be committing a massive wastage on a national scale However ''If I reject a rank S Hunter who''s willing to waive the contract signing fee and join my Guild without a proper reason, it''s going to look pretty suspicious . ''. That was why Jin-Woo quickly came up with a plan "Actually, our Guild has an admittance test you need to go through . ". "Pardon? But, the job posting didn''t specify anything li ". Jin-Woo quickly cut off Cha Hae-In''s flustered words "This rule is pretty new, so it''s possible that the Vice-Master may have made a small error . ". The glow in Cha Hae-In''s eyes became quite serious at the mention of a test "What kind of a test is it?". Jin-Woo was inwardly taken by surprise from her reaction ''This gal, she was really serious?''. Because of her professional pride, he expected her to quit after being told about taking a test . However, Cha Hae-In acted the exact opposite . No, she was actually burning up even hotter with the desire to win He could sense her fervour hidden behind that expressionless mask of hers ''Is she the type to face any fight coming her way head on?''. Or, was this the case of misplaced pride?. Whatever the case may have been, Jin-Woo couldn''t back off now while staying it was all a misunderstanding "It''s to win against the summoned creature I pick . ". Crack He swore that he heard the physical sound of a crack forming on her ego " ". ''Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, is that how low your assessment of me is?''. What a mysterious thing this was . He only looked into her eyes briefly, yet it felt like her voice could be heard so clearly inside his head However, Cha Hae-In didn''t display any of her thoughts and asked in her usual collected manner "Which summon will you pick?". "For you, Cha Hunter-nim, I''ll especially have to pick the strongest one . ". " . Alright . ". She wasn''t backing down here Most likely, she wouldn''t have dreamed it in her wildest imaginations, regarding who became the latest addition to Jin-Woo''s summoned creatures ¨C no, his Shadow Army collection Jin-Woo thought that, since her will to win was so strong, she''d give up on her own after tasting defeat . He immediately agreed to the bout "Okay, let''s do it . ". "When will the test be?". "Right now . ". Jin-Woo wanted to establish his Guild as soon as possible, so he didn''t want to waste any more time on Cha Hae-In . Since he came up with this idea, might as well do it now The location would be the gymnasium of the Hunter''s Association A rank S Hunter could rent out the gymnasium whenever he felt like it . It was one of the many special privileges afforded to rank S Hunters "Got it . ". Cha Hae-In nodded her head . She too wanted to move things along as quickly as possible . They both stood up at the same time as if they made a promise to do that ''¡­ . Hold on . ''. It was then, a certain thought flashed past his brain . He quickly called out to Cha Hae-In as she was about to turn the door handle "Cha Hunter-nim, please wait . ". "Pardon?". "There''s no need to go that way . ". " . ?". Cha Hae-In formed a confused expression There was only one door in the conference suite . He obviously wasn''t suggesting that they should jump out of the window, so . Jin-Woo quickly walked over to her unmoving frame "I have a quicker way of getting there, actually . ". "Excuse me?". "But, I must be touching you if I''m to use this method, so will it be alright with you?". "Oh . ". Cha Hae-In recalled what Baek Yun-Ho told her about the situation back then . He said that, as all the members of the Korean assault team found themselves in a life-or-death situation, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo suddenly popped up behind him ''Is he trying to show me that skill?''. She quickly swallowed her dry saliva and looked up at Jin-Woo''s face that was now much closer than her initial expectations "Sorry about this . ". Jin-Woo lightly embraced her He thought that such a light hug wouldn''t mean anything to her since he had carried her unconscious frame around inside the ant tunnel, but Cha Hae-In''s face was rapidly dyeing in a beet-red colour However, she didn''t struggle or try to get out of his embrace ''¡­ . His nice scent . ''. While her face was getting progressively redder and redder, Jin-Woo cautiously held her to make sure they wouldn''t get separated and finished getting ready ''Okay, all done . ''. There was this thing he wanted to confirm . And he wouldn''t find as good an opportunity as this one in the future "It might get a little dizzy . ". Well, he felt that the first time, so there Cha Hae-In only then wrapped her arms around Jin-Woo and whispered her reply "Okay . ". Jin-Woo raised his head up to his front and issued a command in his mind ''Shadow Exchange . ''. Shururu Two of them soundlessly got sucked into the shadow beneath their feet It was right at that moment Yu Jin-Ho opened the door and entered the conference suite . He ran out to the local convenience store to buy some refreshments after thinking that the talk might go on for a bit "Please, drink these while you two ch ". A High Orc Shadow Soldier met Yu Jin-Ho''s gaze, and as if he was feeling a bit sheepish over something, scratched the back of his head " ". Claaank!!. The tray in Yu Jin-Ho''s hand crashed to the floor, and cups of liquid refreshment shattered from the impact "W-what the hell?!". Yu Jin-Ho freaked out grandly and blinked his eyes, but the High Orc soldier was gone without a trace ''B-b-but, I definitely !!''. He rubbed his eyes hard and shook his head to regain his composure . He took another look at his surroundings, but he couldn''t spot a single trace of the monster anywhere ''¡­ . I guess I''ve been working too hard recently . ''. Yup, that must be it, what with seeing a hallucination and all Yu Jin-Ho tilted his head and scanned the conference suite one more time, before turning around to find a mop to clean up the mess on the floor . But then . A thought entered his mind and stopped his feet from moving again "Where did hyung-nim and Cha Hae-In Hunter-nim disappear to?". < Chapter 133 > Fin Chapter 134 The moment the ground disappeared and they got sucked into the shadow, Jin-Woo looked at Cha Hae-In falling together at the same time . ''As I thought . . . . '' His expectation was on the money . He wondered if the skill ''Shadow Exchange'' worked in this manner while using it a few times in the past, and he was right . The identity of the skill ''Shadow Exchange'' was actually a ''Gate'' . That theory was proven correct when Cha Hae-In travelled alongside him through the shadow . ''The entrance is generated below my feet, and the exit is where the determined coordinates are . '' And those coordinates would be the location of a Shadow Soldier . Even though there was a limitation of the three-hour-long cooldown time, he was still able to create a Gate with this skill . If he wanted to, then wouldn''t it be possible for him to move to the other side of the planet every three hours? Jin-Woo unconsciously swallowed his saliva . But, his stunned state lasted only for a brief while longer . His view covered up by the inky darkness reverted back to normal almost right away . And the two of them found themselves inside the Association''s gymnasium . The last time he came here, Jin-Woo left behind a shadow just in case he found himself in an urgent need to visit the Association . Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting! The overhead lighting system sensed the magic energy from them and the bulbs came on one by one, brightly illuminating the gymnasium''s interior . Cha Hae-In opened her eyes after sensing the brightness through her closed eyelids . "But, how . . . . . ?!" Her brows shot up as she failed to hide her astonishment . They were already in a familiar place . She sensed only about one second passing by, yet the surroundings were completely different when she opened her eyes . ''How is this even possible?!'' She had never heard of such a skill existing in the world . Cha Hae-In looked around in utter amazement before shifting her gaze back to Jin-Woo . "You . . . . . " She had so, so many things she wanted to ask, but in the end, she couldn''t open her lips to voice any of them . The first reason for that was because she didn''t even know just where to start her questions, and secondly, their distance was far, far too close for a spot of civilised conversation . "It''s safe now, so . . . . " Jin-Woo lightly grasped her wrists and unwrapped her arms around his waist . " . . . . You don''t have to hold on to me anymore . " Nod, nod . Cha Hae-In lightly rubbed her wrists he had grasped and wordlessly nodded her head . "Okay . Let''s get started . " Jin-Woo walked out of the corner the High Orc Shadow Soldier was probably hiding in, and strode towards the centre of the gymnasium . "Alright . " She too followed behind him only to remember that she left her sword back in her car . Although a weapon was an indispensable tool for her trade, it would be quite rude to visit someone else''s office fully armed, now wouldn''t it? Cha Hae-In quickly spoke to him . "I left my weapon back in my car . . . . . " "Oh, you mean that pickaxe?" "Excuse me?" "You know, the one you were carrying around back in the rank A dungeon with High Orcs in it . " Her face reddened as soon as she remembered a small detail she''d been wanting to forget . "N-no, my weapon is . . . . " She then spotted Jin-Woo giggling to himself, and belatedly realised that he was teasing her just now . " . . . . " Jin-Woo waved his hand after seeing Cha Hae-In''s reddened complexion . "I was just joking with you . " Time to stop kidding around, however . ''Seriously, though . What should I do?'' Even if it was Cha Hae-In, she wouldn''t be able to fight against the soldier he was planning to summon out . Of course, he wanted his soldier to win, but that didn''t mean he wanted to see her get hurt, either . "It''ll be fine . " Cha Hae-In shifted her gaze towards the storage located within the gymnasium . "I''m sure there will be a weapon I can borrow in the storage . " ''Oho . '' A light gleamed within Jin-Woo''s eyes after learning of something new . She walked up to the storage and diagonally swiped her Hunter licence on the electronic lock found on the side of the door . That prompted the storage door to automatically slide open . Rows of not-too-shabby-looking spare weapons were displayed inside the storage . Looking into the interior from a bit of distance away, Jin-Woo was inwardly impressed by the preparedness of the Hunter''s Association . ''So, there was even stuff like this inside the Association . . . . '' He wondered where all those high taxes Hunters had to fork out over the years ended up, but it looked like they were being put to good use . Cha Hae-In scanned the displayed items before picking up a sword similar in length to the one she''d been using and exited from the storage . "I''m ready . " "Will that be fine? It''s not a sword you''ve been using before, so wouldn''t it feel off in your hands?" Cha Hae-In shook her head . "It doesn''t really matter what weapon it is . Monsters don''t care about what weapons Hunters are wielding when they fight us, after all . " Those were some wise words . Jin-Woo carried the same opinion as her, so he didn''t argue with her there . At the very least, he found her straightforwardness rather likeable . ''So, calling out my soldier is next, right?'' As if to prove that she wasn''t joking about being ready, a sharp, focused aura oozed out of her . Against someone like her, any ol'' regular soldier would be sliced up into tiny pieces in no time . That''s why, Jin-Woo called for the best card he could bring out under the current circumstances . ''Come out . '' A small portion separated from Jin-Woo''s shadow and moved away a couple of steps from him . Then a black knight rose up from the unmoving shadow . The jet-black armour and the helm; the red plumage attached to the helm, extending all the way down to his waist . The best sword-wielding Shadow Soldier in his army . It was Igrit . ''I told her that I''d be summoning the most powerful guy out, but . . . '' But, he thought that calling out Beru was a bit too much . Before he was turned into a Shadow Soldier, Beru was the terrifying creature that nearly drowned the entirety of Korean team members in the pit of pure terror . Hell, even Cha Hae-In herself almost died from his attack, too . Jin-Woo couldn''t bring Beru out when considering the potential mental shock she could suffer after seeing him again . As for Fangs, he might end up destroying the gymnasium, so he was excluded . That''s why he chose Igrit . ''Yup, at the end of the day, it can only be you . '' Jin-Woo knew he made the right call when looking at the wide, dependable back of Igrit . But then . . . . . "Mister Seong Jin-Woo . " Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to Cha Hae-In . "What are the conditions for victory and defeat?" When he heard her icy voice that was cold enough to instantly freeze the listener''s heart, his belief began wavering somewhat . Jin-Woo pondered a bit before making his reply . "Either my summon is destroyed, or Cha Hunter-nim admits defeat first . " Nod . Cha Hae-In briefly nodded her head . Then, unsheathed the sword she got from the storage . She was only holding a simple, plain magic sword one could buy pretty much anywhere, but even then, the aura oozing out of her was still quite incredible to behold . ''Yup, she''s definitely strong . '' Jin-Woo could sense it . Her surging aura, after she decided to get serious, was definitely fitting for a woman whose skills were rated as the best even among the rank S Hunters . Igrit also unsheathed his sword . As a matter of fact, he was now holding a longsword each in his hands . Even then, Jin-Woo couldn''t help but think that Igrit would be defeated by her at this rate . But then . . . . . ''Wait a sec . . . . Didn''t she say that it doesn''t really matter what weapon it was, right?'' Jin-Woo recalled what she said just now and a smile floated up on his lips as he asked her for a small favour . "Can you turn around for a second, please?" " . . . . . ?" Cha Hae-In tilted her head for a bit, but didn''t complain and turned around as he asked . Using that gap, Jin-Woo summoned the ''Demon King''s Longsword'' out of his Inventory and handed it over to Igrit . ''Use this . '' By saying that she didn''t mind what weapon she used, it could also be interpreted as she didn''t mind what weapon her opponent was using . Having been bestowed a sword straight from his sovereign, Igrit tried to kneel down to express his profound gratitude, but Jin-Woo quickly stopped him . ''I''m telling you, you don''t have to stand on ceremony all the time, you know?'' If only Iron could learn half of Igrit''s attitude . . . . In any case, the preparation was done, so Jin-Woo called out to Cha Hae-In again . "It''s fine now . " She turned around and spotted Igit now holding a brand new sword that crackled with blue arcs of electricity . Which he clearly wasn''t holding a minute ago . " . . . . . . . . " "Will it be fine if we start now?" Jin-Woo pretended to not notice anything and asked her if she was good to go . " . . . . Yes . " Cha Hae-In, having already agreed to do this, could only say yes again with a begrudging expression . "Okay then, begin . " Soon after Jin-Woo signalled the beginning, Igrit swung the ''Demon King''s Longsword'' to activate its passive ability as his opening attack . Crack! A strand of lightning flew in a straight line at Cha Hae-In . She flinched for the briefest of brief moments . But then, like an agile cat, she bent her upper body back and evaded the lightning . Crackle!! The wall of the gymnasium was scorched jet-black after getting struck by the stray lightning . Shudder . Cha Hae-In righted her torso and sent her sharp glare in Jin-Woo''s direction, but he averted his gaze to stare into the distance, still pretending to not notice a thing . ''¡­ . . . . . '' Without saying anything, Cha Hae-In gripped the sword tighter in her hands . It was right then . Igrit rushed towards her at a frightening pace from her front to heed his Sovereign''s order to bring her down . However, she didn''t even blink once and also flung herself forward towards her opponent . *** The office of the Association President, located on the top floor of the main building . One could clearly see not just other Association buildings but the surrounding scenery when sitting inside this office . ''Mm?'' The Association President was in the middle of going through a report, but then, his gaze abruptly shifted over to the window . There should have been no one inside the gymnasium, but the lights there came on just now . Goh Gun-Hui tilted his head slightly, before picking up his phone to speak to his PA . - "Yes, sir?" "Did someone book out the gymnasium today?" - " . . . . Sir, I confirmed and no one has booked it today . " "Is that so?" Goh Gun-Hui covered the phone''s receiver and organised his thoughts for a bit, before speaking to his subordinate again . "Can you send the CCTV feed from the gymnasium into my office?" - "Yes, sir . Please hold on . " Shortly thereafter, the live feed was displayed on the giant TV occupying the entire wall of his office . And that''s when he got to see Seong Jin-Woo and Cha Hae-In hugging each other inside the gymnasium . " . . . . Keu-hum . " Stunned by what he saw, Goh Gun-Hui hurriedly coughed to clear his throat . He looked over and over again, but it was definitely those two . He then tilted his head again . ''Did those two people have such a relationship?'' But then again, the very first person Hunter Cha Hae-In searched for when she regained consciousness briefly inside the helicopter was none other than Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ''It seems that I was very slow on the uptake, huh . '' A content smile spread on Goh Gun-Hui''s face as he gazed at the two young people on the TV screen . Both of them requested for their private information to be protected as soon as they got their rank S licences . Even then, there was not one person in this country who didn''t know Cha Hae-In, or for that matter, Seong Jin-Woo . So, if two such people wished to spend some quiet time together, there would be no better place than the Association''s gymnasium after the closing time . To think, they''d chose a gymnasium as their date venue, quite unlike the youths of today . What a wonderfully wholesome date this was . Goh Gun-Hui maintained a heartwarming smile and shook his head wryly . ''Yup, being young is indeed wonderful . '' He reached out to the resting phone''s receiver and picked it up once more . "I''m sorry about this, but I want you to switch off all the CCTV feed coming from the gymnasium . " - "Sir? But . . . . " "Just say that today was the maintenance day in the records . " - "I understand, sir . " The giant TV screen in the President''s office showing the CCTV feed switched off as soon as he ended the call . Goh Gun-Hui took one last look at the gymnasium and returned to perusing the report, a grin still etched on his lips . But, it was then . RUMBLE . . . The surface of the water in his cup vibrated softly as he sensed a minute tremor coming from the gymnasium''s direction . "Huhuh . " Goh Gun-Hui didn''t bother to look at the gymnasium and simply carried on smiling . ''Indeed, being young is the best . '' *** ''This is . . . . . '' Jin-Woo massaged his aching forehead . It seemed that he had been greatly underestimating Cha Hae-In''s actual skills up until now . Igrit''s strength had been boosted overall by the ''Demon King''s Longsword'', but in the end, he couldn''t win against her skills . Right after Igrit''s left arm flew away from being cut, Jin-Woo ended this match . "Stop!" Even though they would regenerate back to full, he still couldn''t stand the sight of his soldiers getting destroyed . "Fuu- . " Cha Hae-In reined in her rough breathing and let out a long sigh . Her opponent must''ve been tougher than expected, because she was soaked in sweat from head to toe . Her slender, white fingers wiped the droplets of sweat forming on her forehead . Jin-Woo looked at that with a rueful expression, inwardly accepting his loss today, and called Igrit back . "It''s my loss . " Shururuk . . . . Igrit returned back inside his shadow . However, Cha Hae-In spoke directly to him, her hands not letting go of her sword . "No . Please, this one doesn''t count . " " . . . ?" What did she even mean by that, out of the blue? Didn''t count? Cha Hae-In explained herself . "Didn''t you say that you''d bring out the most powerful summon?" Cha Hae-In walked closer and only stopped when she was one step away from Jin-Woo . "Was that black knight really your strongest summon?" She wasn''t asking him here . No, it sounded as if she was just trying to confirm what she knew already . Jin-Woo quietly shook his head . As if she was waiting for that, Cha Hae-In immediately carried on . "Please call out your strongest summon . We agreed to do from that get-go, didn''t we?" "But, you may get injured . " "It''s fine . I wanted to fight it at least one more time, anyway . " Jin-Woo''s eyes widened from her declaration . "Wait, you knew?" Nod, nod . "I saw the video footage . " Cha Hae-In had watched the raid video starring Jin-Woo several times by now . The giant monster that made its appearance during the clip ¨C she definitely remembered seeing that monster shooting out the pillar of flames from somewhere . "That summoned creature, that was the High Orc Shaman, the boss of that rank A dungeon . Am I correct?" If that was the case, then the mutated ant monster he hunted down this time would also have become his summoned creature, as well . From the word go, she chose to go through the test while thinking of fighting that mutated ant . ''There is no meaning in a victory like this . '' She wanted to defeat the summoned creature that used the powers of the mutated ant monster, and thereby get Jin-Woo to acknowledge her true value . He pondered for a little bit, before nodding his head . ''Beru'' . Right away, a Shadow Soldier enshrouded in jet-black smoke rose up behind Jin-Woo . Cha Hae-In instinctively jumped back and created some distance as soon as she saw Beru''s entrance . Back then or now, that guy carried a truly horrendous aura . Jin-Woo got genuinely worried when all colour drained out of her face and quickly asked her . "Will this really be fine?" Even if Beru had gotten weaker compared to when he was alive, this guy was originally a killing weapon born solely for the purpose of eliminating Hunters . Cha Hae-In''s lips were squeezed shut in a straight line, as she weightily nodded her head . Beru had been staring at her quietly for a while, before lowering his head to whisper a question to Jin-Woo . ''Oh my king . How should I deal with this female?'' Cha Hae-In must''ve been unable to hear what Beru was saying, because she showed no particular reaction at all . ''Defeat her without injuring her . '' ''It shall be done . '' The former king of the ants and the current Shadow Soldier turned towards the deeply tense female warrior . Gulp . Cha Hae-In swallowed her dry saliva . She felt goosebumps break out on her skin from the enormous amount of magic energy emitted by her opponent . ''Mister Seong Jin-Woo fought against a creature like this and won??'' Her eyes that showed no signs of hesitation while fighting against Igrit were now trembling greatly . Beru was done with the necessary preparation to follow his sovereign''s order, and suddenly, spat out a mighty screech . Kiiiaaaahhk!! Blade-like claws began extending out from the ends of Beru''s fingers, so Jin-Woo standing behind him sent over an unhappy glare . ''¡­ . Retract the claws . '' The high-spirited Beru immediately retracted his claws . Jin-Woo drilled one more instruction into his soldier''s head . ''If you injure that woman, it won''t be nice for you, either . Got that?'' ''I shall follow your will . '' Only after hearing that definite answer from Beru did Jin-Woo declare the start of the second bout . "Begin!" < Chapter 134 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 134: Chapter 134 . The moment the ground disappeared and they got sucked into the shadow, Jin-Woo looked at Cha Hae-In falling together at the same time ''As I thought ''. His expectation was on the money He wondered if the skill ''Shadow Exchange'' worked in this manner while using it a few times in the past, and he was right The identity of the skill ''Shadow Exchange'' was actually a ''Gate'' . That theory was proven correct when Cha Hae-In travelled alongside him through the shadow ''The entrance is generated below my feet, and the exit is where the determined coordinates are . ''. And those coordinates would be the location of a Shadow Soldier Even though there was a limitation of the three-hour-long cooldown time, he was still able to create a Gate with this skill . If he wanted to, then wouldn''t it be possible for him to move to the other side of the planet every three hours? Jin-Woo unconsciously swallowed his saliva But, his stunned state lasted only for a brief while longer His view covered up by the inky darkness reverted back to normal almost right away . And the two of them found themselves inside the Association''s gymnasium The last time he came here, Jin-Woo left behind a shadow just in case he found himself in an urgent need to visit the Association Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting!. The overhead lighting system sensed the magic energy from them and the bulbs came on one by one, brightly illuminating the gymnasium''s interior . Cha Hae-In opened her eyes after sensing the brightness through her closed eyelids "But, how . ?!". Her brows shot up as she failed to hide her astonishment . They were already in a familiar place She sensed only about one second passing by, yet the surroundings were completely different when she opened her eyes ''How is this even possible?!''. She had never heard of such a skill existing in the world . Cha Hae-In looked around in utter amazement before shifting her gaze back to Jin-Woo "You . ". She had so, so many things she wanted to ask, but in the end, she couldn''t open her lips to voice any of them The first reason for that was because she didn''t even know just where to start her questions, and secondly, their distance was far, far too close for a spot of civilised conversation "It''s safe now, so ". Jin-Woo lightly grasped her wrists and unwrapped her arms around his waist " You don''t have to hold on to me anymore . ". Nod, nod Cha Hae-In lightly rubbed her wrists he had grasped and wordlessly nodded her head "Okay . Let''s get started . ". Jin-Woo walked out of the corner the High Orc Shadow Soldier was probably hiding in, and strode towards the centre of the gymnasium "Alright . ". She too followed behind him only to remember that she left her sword back in her car . Although a weapon was an indispensable tool for her trade, it would be quite rude to visit someone else''s office fully armed, now wouldn''t it?. Cha Hae-In quickly spoke to him "I left my weapon back in my car . ". "Oh, you mean that pickaxe?". "Excuse me?". "You know, the one you were carrying around back in the rank A dungeon with High Orcs in it . ". Her face reddened as soon as she remembered a small detail she''d been wanting to forget "N-no, my weapon is ". She then spotted Jin-Woo giggling to himself, and belatedly realised that he was teasing her just now " ". Jin-Woo waved his hand after seeing Cha Hae-In''s reddened complexion "I was just joking with you . ". Time to stop kidding around, however ''Seriously, though . What should I do?''. Even if it was Cha Hae-In, she wouldn''t be able to fight against the soldier he was planning to summon out . Of course, he wanted his soldier to win, but that didn''t mean he wanted to see her get hurt, either "It''ll be fine . ". Cha Hae-In shifted her gaze towards the storage located within the gymnasium "I''m sure there will be a weapon I can borrow in the storage . ". ''Oho . ''. A light gleamed within Jin-Woo''s eyes after learning of something new . She walked up to the storage and diagonally swiped her Hunter licence on the electronic lock found on the side of the door That prompted the storage door to automatically slide open Rows of not-too-shabby-looking spare weapons were displayed inside the storage . Looking into the interior from a bit of distance away, Jin-Woo was inwardly impressed by the preparedness of the Hunter''s Association ''So, there was even stuff like this inside the Association ''. He wondered where all those high taxes Hunters had to fork out over the years ended up, but it looked like they were being put to good use . Cha Hae-In scanned the displayed items before picking up a sword similar in length to the one she''d been using and exited from the storage "I''m ready . ". "Will that be fine? It''s not a sword you''ve been using before, so wouldn''t it feel off in your hands?". Cha Hae-In shook her head "It doesn''t really matter what weapon it is . Monsters don''t care about what weapons Hunters are wielding when they fight us, after all . ". Those were some wise words Jin-Woo carried the same opinion as her, so he didn''t argue with her there . At the very least, he found her straightforwardness rather likeable ''So, calling out my soldier is next, right?''. As if to prove that she wasn''t joking about being ready, a sharp, focused aura oozed out of her . Against someone like her, any ol'' regular soldier would be sliced up into tiny pieces in no time That''s why, Jin-Woo called for the best card he could bring out under the current circumstances ''Come out . ''. A small portion separated from Jin-Woo''s shadow and moved away a couple of steps from him . Then a black knight rose up from the unmoving shadow The jet-black armour and the helm; the red plumage attached to the helm, extending all the way down to his waist . The best sword-wielding Shadow Soldier in his army . It was Igrit ''I told her that I''d be summoning the most powerful guy out, but . ''. But, he thought that calling out Beru was a bit too much . Before he was turned into a Shadow Soldier, Beru was the terrifying creature that nearly drowned the entirety of Korean team members in the pit of pure terror . Hell, even Cha Hae-In herself almost died from his attack, too Jin-Woo couldn''t bring Beru out when considering the potential mental shock she could suffer after seeing him again As for Fangs, he might end up destroying the gymnasium, so he was excluded . That''s why he chose Igrit ''Yup, at the end of the day, it can only be you . ''. Jin-Woo knew he made the right call when looking at the wide, dependable back of Igrit . But then "Mister Seong Jin-Woo . ". Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to Cha Hae-In "What are the conditions for victory and defeat?". When he heard her icy voice that was cold enough to instantly freeze the listener''s heart, his belief began wavering somewhat . Jin-Woo pondered a bit before making his reply "Either my summon is destroyed, or Cha Hunter-nim admits defeat first . ". Nod Cha Hae-In briefly nodded her head . Then, unsheathed the sword she got from the storage She was only holding a simple, plain magic sword one could buy pretty much anywhere, but even then, the aura oozing out of her was still quite incredible to behold ''Yup, she''s definitely strong . ''. Jin-Woo could sense it . Her surging aura, after she decided to get serious, was definitely fitting for a woman whose skills were rated as the best even among the rank S Hunters Igrit also unsheathed his sword . As a matter of fact, he was now holding a longsword each in his hands . Even then, Jin-Woo couldn''t help but think that Igrit would be defeated by her at this rate But then ''Wait a sec Didn''t she say that it doesn''t really matter what weapon it was, right?''. Jin-Woo recalled what she said just now and a smile floated up on his lips as he asked her for a small favour "Can you turn around for a second, please?". " . ?". Cha Hae-In tilted her head for a bit, but didn''t complain and turned around as he asked . Using that gap, Jin-Woo summoned the ''Demon King''s Longsword'' out of his Inventory and handed it over to Igrit ''Use this . ''. By saying that she didn''t mind what weapon she used, it could also be interpreted as she didn''t mind what weapon her opponent was using Having been bestowed a sword straight from his sovereign, Igrit tried to kneel down to express his profound gratitude, but Jin-Woo quickly stopped him ''I''m telling you, you don''t have to stand on ceremony all the time, you know?''. If only Iron could learn half of Igrit''s attitude . In any case, the preparation was done, so Jin-Woo called out to Cha Hae-In again "It''s fine now . ". She turned around and spotted Igit now holding a brand new sword that crackled with blue arcs of electricity . Which he clearly wasn''t holding a minute ago " ". "Will it be fine if we start now?". Jin-Woo pretended to not notice anything and asked her if she was good to go " Yes . ". Cha Hae-In, having already agreed to do this, could only say yes again with a begrudging expression "Okay then, begin . ". Soon after Jin-Woo signalled the beginning, Igrit swung the ''Demon King''s Longsword'' to activate its passive ability as his opening attack Crack!. A strand of lightning flew in a straight line at Cha Hae-In . She flinched for the briefest of brief moments . But then, like an agile cat, she bent her upper body back and evaded the lightning Crackle!!. The wall of the gymnasium was scorched jet-black after getting struck by the stray lightning Shudder Cha Hae-In righted her torso and sent her sharp glare in Jin-Woo''s direction, but he averted his gaze to stare into the distance, still pretending to not notice a thing ''¡­ . ''. Without saying anything, Cha Hae-In gripped the sword tighter in her hands It was right then . Igrit rushed towards her at a frightening pace from her front to heed his Sovereign''s order to bring her down . However, she didn''t even blink once and also flung herself forward towards her opponent ***. The office of the Association President, located on the top floor of the main building One could clearly see not just other Association buildings but the surrounding scenery when sitting inside this office ''Mm?''. The Association President was in the middle of going through a report, but then, his gaze abruptly shifted over to the window . There should have been no one inside the gymnasium, but the lights there came on just now Goh Gun-Hui tilted his head slightly, before picking up his phone to speak to his PA - "Yes, sir?". "Did someone book out the gymnasium today?". - " Sir, I confirmed and no one has booked it today . ". "Is that so?". Goh Gun-Hui covered the phone''s receiver and organised his thoughts for a bit, before speaking to his subordinate again "Can you send the CCTV feed from the gymnasium into my office?". - "Yes, sir . Please hold on . ". Shortly thereafter, the live feed was displayed on the giant TV occupying the entire wall of his office . And that''s when he got to see Seong Jin-Woo and Cha Hae-In hugging each other inside the gymnasium " Keu-hum . ". Stunned by what he saw, Goh Gun-Hui hurriedly coughed to clear his throat . He looked over and over again, but it was definitely those two . He then tilted his head again ''Did those two people have such a relationship?''. But then again, the very first person Hunter Cha Hae-In searched for when she regained consciousness briefly inside the helicopter was none other than Hunter Seong Jin-Woo ''It seems that I was very slow on the uptake, huh . ''. A content smile spread on Goh Gun-Hui''s face as he gazed at the two young people on the TV screen Both of them requested for their private information to be protected as soon as they got their rank S licences . Even then, there was not one person in this country who didn''t know Cha Hae-In, or for that matter, Seong Jin-Woo So, if two such people wished to spend some quiet time together, there would be no better place than the Association''s gymnasium after the closing time To think, they''d chose a gymnasium as their date venue, quite unlike the youths of today . What a wonderfully wholesome date this was Goh Gun-Hui maintained a heartwarming smile and shook his head wryly ''Yup, being young is indeed wonderful . ''. He reached out to the resting phone''s receiver and picked it up once more "I''m sorry about this, but I want you to switch off all the CCTV feed coming from the gymnasium . ". - "Sir? But ". "Just say that today was the maintenance day in the records . ". - "I understand, sir . ". The giant TV screen in the President''s office showing the CCTV feed switched off as soon as he ended the call . Goh Gun-Hui took one last look at the gymnasium and returned to perusing the report, a grin still etched on his lips But, it was then RUMBLE The surface of the water in his cup vibrated softly as he sensed a minute tremor coming from the gymnasium''s direction "Huhuh . ". Goh Gun-Hui didn''t bother to look at the gymnasium and simply carried on smiling ''Indeed, being young is the best . ''. ***. ''This is . ''. Jin-Woo massaged his aching forehead It seemed that he had been greatly underestimating Cha Hae-In''s actual skills up until now . Igrit''s strength had been boosted overall by the ''Demon King''s Longsword'', but in the end, he couldn''t win against her skills Right after Igrit''s left arm flew away from being cut, Jin-Woo ended this match "Stop!". Even though they would regenerate back to full, he still couldn''t stand the sight of his soldiers getting destroyed "Fuu- . ". Cha Hae-In reined in her rough breathing and let out a long sigh . Her opponent must''ve been tougher than expected, because she was soaked in sweat from head to toe . Her slender, white fingers wiped the droplets of sweat forming on her forehead Jin-Woo looked at that with a rueful expression, inwardly accepting his loss today, and called Igrit back "It''s my loss . ". Shururuk . Igrit returned back inside his shadow . However, Cha Hae-In spoke directly to him, her hands not letting go of her sword "No . Please, this one doesn''t count . ". " . ?". What did she even mean by that, out of the blue? Didn''t count?. Cha Hae-In explained herself "Didn''t you say that you''d bring out the most powerful summon?". Cha Hae-In walked closer and only stopped when she was one step away from Jin-Woo "Was that black knight really your strongest summon?". She wasn''t asking him here . No, it sounded as if she was just trying to confirm what she knew already Jin-Woo quietly shook his head . As if she was waiting for that, Cha Hae-In immediately carried on "Please call out your strongest summon . We agreed to do from that get-go, didn''t we?". "But, you may get injured . ". "It''s fine . I wanted to fight it at least one more time, anyway . ". Jin-Woo''s eyes widened from her declaration "Wait, you knew?". Nod, nod "I saw the video footage . ". Cha Hae-In had watched the raid video starring Jin-Woo several times by now The giant monster that made its appearance during the clip ¨C she definitely remembered seeing that monster shooting out the pillar of flames from somewhere "That summoned creature, that was the High Orc Shaman, the boss of that rank A dungeon . Am I correct?". If that was the case, then the mutated ant monster he hunted down this time would also have become his summoned creature, as well . From the word go, she chose to go through the test while thinking of fighting that mutated ant ''There is no meaning in a victory like this . ''. She wanted to defeat the summoned creature that used the powers of the mutated ant monster, and thereby get Jin-Woo to acknowledge her true value He pondered for a little bit, before nodding his head ''Beru'' Right away, a Shadow Soldier enshrouded in jet-black smoke rose up behind Jin-Woo . Cha Hae-In instinctively jumped back and created some distance as soon as she saw Beru''s entrance Back then or now, that guy carried a truly horrendous aura Jin-Woo got genuinely worried when all colour drained out of her face and quickly asked her "Will this really be fine?". Even if Beru had gotten weaker compared to when he was alive, this guy was originally a killing weapon born solely for the purpose of eliminating Hunters Cha Hae-In''s lips were squeezed shut in a straight line, as she weightily nodded her head Beru had been staring at her quietly for a while, before lowering his head to whisper a question to Jin-Woo ''Oh my king . How should I deal with this female?''. Cha Hae-In must''ve been unable to hear what Beru was saying, because she showed no particular reaction at all ''Defeat her without injuring her . ''. ''It shall be done . ''. The former king of the ants and the current Shadow Soldier turned towards the deeply tense female warrior Gulp Cha Hae-In swallowed her dry saliva . She felt goosebumps break out on her skin from the enormous amount of magic energy emitted by her opponent ''Mister Seong Jin-Woo fought against a creature like this and won??''. Her eyes that showed no signs of hesitation while fighting against Igrit were now trembling greatly . Beru was done with the necessary preparation to follow his sovereign''s order, and suddenly, spat out a mighty screech Kiiiaaaahhk!!. Blade-like claws began extending out from the ends of Beru''s fingers, so Jin-Woo standing behind him sent over an unhappy glare ''¡­ . Retract the claws . ''. The high-spirited Beru immediately retracted his claws . Jin-Woo drilled one more instruction into his soldier''s head ''If you injure that woman, it won''t be nice for you, either . Got that?''. ''I shall follow your will . ''. Only after hearing that definite answer from Beru did Jin-Woo declare the start of the second bout "Begin!". < Chapter 134 > Fin Chapter 135 Beru was the first to make his move . His Sovereign had given him only one order . ''Defeat the enemy without harming her . '' Beru once stood at the peak of his species, and he knew what the best method to perfectly fulfil that order was . And that would be this: Make the opponent lose her will to fight by imprinting the clear gap in power between them in her mind . Paht! Beru disappeared from Cha Hae-In''s view the moment he moved, before reappearing right in front of her nose even before she had the chance to realise it . " . . . !!" Cha Hae-In''s animal-like instinct kicked in even as the astonishment at Beru''s speed nearly overwhelmed her, and she swung her sword at her opponent . She followed that up with dozens more . However, Beru stood in the spot and evaded all of her attacks without taking a single step . It was a precise movement that eliminated all necessary motion . He was so bloody quick that afterimages were left behind in his wake . This was the display of an unbridgeable gap in their power levels . ''This is impossible!'' Cha Hae-In''s eyes shook hard every time she missed . ''It can dodge all my attacks at such a close distance without moving its legs once?'' Just one more time! She took aim at the neck of her opponent and took a swing, but the creature lightly evaded it by leaning back slightly . No matter where she attacked from, or how she changed her attacks, her opponent easily dodged them all . ''How can this be . . . . ?!'' This thing wasn''t even alive anymore . This thing was a summon borrowing the powers of the dead monster, so how could it still be this strong? And also . . . . ''Mister Seong Jin-Woo, who can freely control such a summon, just what . . . . . '' Cha Hae-In''s movements became a tad dull from the vague fear invading her, and Beru seized upon this opportunity to smack her incoming sword away with the back of his hand . And then, pressed his face closer to hers . Cha Hae-In froze up on the spot as the stench of death blew right into her face . ''This is the end . '' She inadvertently gasped out the moment those huge mandibles filled up her view . "Ah!" However, the creature didn''t crush her head by snapping shut its maws but instead, chose to screech out loudly right in front of her face . "Kiiiieeeeehhhk!!" She was knocked away ungainly from the screech containing his magical energy . "Kyahk!" Jin-Woo grimaced while watching that . Indeed, there was no way he''d start enjoying the sight of someone else getting knocked around one-sidedly like this . However, she stood back up again and fixed the grip on the sword as if to show that she wasn''t giving up at all . Jin-Woo tilted his head . ''What is she trying to do?'' The Cha Hae-In he knew wasn''t a low-class Hunter who didn''t want to accept the difference between her and her opponent even after confirming the truth with her own eyes . ''And she''s definitely not reckless enough to keep attacking when she knows of the gap, too . '' In that case, could she still be in possession of one more card up her sleeve? ''Whatever it is, I hope she''s not making an incorrect call . '' Jin-Woo was mentally linked with Beru, so he could feel how much his soldier was suppressing its killing intent at the moment . On the other hand, Cha Ha-In''s will remained unyielding, even though she found herself in an absolutely disadvantageous position . He was getting a bad premonition here . Jin-Woo''s expression became even more serious as he watched the two of them . ''¡­ . . ?'' On the hand, Beru had failed to understand Cha Ha-In''s decision . He had displayed their overwhelming gap in power several times by now . So, why hadn''t she stop her challenges yet? The former king of ants, a being who lorded over others at the apex of the food chain, was beginning to get displeased by the human female''s stubbornness . The basis of his anger stemmed from the past memory of him being a ruler . ''How dare . . . . . '' The moment Beru made up his mind, he arrived before Cha Hae-In in the blink of an eye . He then pressed his face closer to glare straight into her eyes . Any lifeform still breathing would''ve immediately realised who was the predator and the prey in this situation just from their gazes meeting like this . It would be a warning from one''s primal instinct . Beru planned to awaken that instinct of his opponent and make her lose her will to fight in that manner, but unfortunately, his ploy wasn''t as effective as he thought . Just as Jin-Woo had predicted, Cha Hae-In still held one last trump card to fall back on . The skill, ''Sword Dance'', one she was most proficient in wielding . Her movements sped up as if she was performing a deadly dance, and the tip of her sword drew splendid arcs in the air . Paht! Paht! Paht! Too bad . . . . Beru used his claws to easily defend against all those smoothly flowing attacks that had no interruptions in between . At the end of the barrage, his expression crumpled unsightly . ''No more playing around . '' Beru snatched the sword flying at him with his bare hand and crushed it . Kwajeeck!! She only had half a sword left, but rather than falling into despair, her glare became icy cold, instead . ''I have only one last chance!'' Every single drop of magic energy in her was poured into the broken sword to activate her skill, ''Blade of Light'' . The magic energy expenditure for this skill was far too great and she could only use it as the final hurrah . And for the first time during this fight, she revealed it in its full glory . The blade of light shone brilliantly . Beru had lowered his guard for a moment after breaking her sword, and she used that opening to jump into his front and stabbed the blade of light forward . Jin-Woo''s eyes widened . ''Nooo!'' Of course, he wasn''t worried about Beru . Utterly disregarding his worries, the blade glowing in golden light pierced deeply into Beru''s tummy . "Kiiieehhk-!!" In that brief moment, Beru''s mind spun quickly . ''This woman is an enemy . '' It''d not be a problem for him to die . However, if he fell here, then this woman''s sword would point towards his Sovereign next . It was then . An instinct buried deep within all Shadow Soldiers'' psyche, one designed to activate in times of great distress and override everything else, wiggled back into life . - "Protect the Sovereign!" In that moment, inside of Beru''s head blanked out into a ''reset'' state and the order Jin-Woo gave him, ''defeat the enemy without harming her'' was wiped away completely . Beru transformed into a terrifying monster in order to protect Jin-Woo . His body ballooned up to a giant proportions . His mandibles split wide open as if he was getting ready to chew on steel, and finally, his claws extended out to resemble a group of sharp blades! "Stop!!" Beru finished getting ready to rip apart his owner''s enemy, and swung all ten of his claws and their sharp edges at his target . Swish-!! Just before all ten blades reached Cha Hae-In . . . . Grab! Jin-Woo managed to make it just in time . " . . . . I told you to stop, didn''t I?" Jin-Woo stopped both sets of Beru''s claws with his bare hands and began glaring at his soldier . Beru met that enraged glare and began shuddering . He quickly leapt back and, while not even bothering to pull that sword of light from his midriff, prostrated flat on the ground and begged for forgiveness . "Oh, oh my king . Mercy . . . . . " Jin-Woo knew what this guy was thinking of the moment he was about to act . Hell, the singular thought of ''Protect the Sovereign'' was ringing really loud inside his head, too . ''¡­ . . . . . '' Jin-Woo glared at Beru for a little while, before shifting his gaze away . Plop . Cha Hae-In was completely spent and, unable to stand any longer, plopped down to the ground . She knew that she just came face to face with death again during that brief moment . "Are you alright?" Jin-Woo walked closer . She was trying to push herself back up, but gave up in the end and, while keeping her gaze rooted to the floor, nodded her head . "I am fine . " ''Fine, my foot . '' Jin-Woo supported her up and asked . "Why were you pushing yourself that hard? I mean, you shouldn''t have any reasons to enter my Guild while putting yourself through a wringer like this, right?" " . . . . . " Indeed, this was supposed to be a simple test . More than that, this was a ''test'' he cooked up to reject her tactfully . But, to think, she''d be this obsessed about winning, even to the extent of using such a dangerous skill, too . This couldn''t be chalked up to her desire to win at all costs . That was why . . . . "Could it be . . . . . " ¡­ . Jin-Woo cautiously asked her, so as to not damage her ego . "Are you perhaps interested in me?" "Excuse me??" Cha Hae-In got flustered and formed a dazed expression of someone getting hit in the back of her head . Jin-Woo tilted his head . ''That wasn''t it, either?'' But then, Cha Hae-In carefully reorganised her thoughts and corrected her answer . " . . . . Yes, I think so . " *** Within the United States'' Hunter Bureau . The director was feeling rather unhappy after receiving the news of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s recruitment ending in failure . Instead of getting a report, he summoned the deputy director to the conference chamber . The deputy director brought Madam Selner with him . "Explain what happened back there . " The director asked even before they had the chance to sit down . This was the first time since the founding of the Hunter Bureau that their scouting offer, accompanied by Madam Selner no less, had been rejected by the subject . The deputy stood up with a darkened expression and lowered his head . "I''m truly sorry, sir . " "I didn''t call you here for your apologies, Michael . " The director pressed a certain button, and all the glass walls were covered up and the exit was locked tight . The interior had become perfectly soundproof . In order to prevent the leakage of information, all matters pertaining to Madam Selner were never discussed over the phone or through emails . That was why the director was still unaware of what went down in South Korea until now . "Now, please explain to me what happened . " The deputy director glanced at Madam Selner for a moment or two . She slowly nodded her head, and only then did the deputy open his tightly-shut lips once more . "Madam Selner was able to ''observe'' Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . " "What was the result?" The director knew how her power operated, so the result of her ''observation'' was as important as the result of the ''recruitment'' itself . "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is . . . . " The deputy licked his dried-up lips from tension and continued on . " . . . . Is apparently one of the ''kings'' . " "What?!" The director jumped up from his seat . Of all the powerful Hunters she had met over the years, she described only three people as ''kings'' . And all three of them were powerful enough to shake the world by the scruff of its neck, too . Quite literally, they were the zenith of Hunters! And the man named Seong Jin-Woo had to be included in that list now, as well . The director shifted his gaze over to Madam Selner and asked her . "Does that mean Hunter Seong Jin-Woo possesses the level of power equal to other Special Authority-rank Hunters?" Strangely enough, she promptly shook her head . "Excuse me?" Frowns formed on the director''s forehead . The deputy could amply understand how his boss must be feeling right about now . He, too, had displayed a similar reaction back when he heard the exact same answer, after all . Madam Selner let out a long sigh . "Looks like . . . I''ll have to explain myself a little . " Her talk began from those words . "First of all . . . . I''ll assume that both of you know just what kind of an ability I possess . " The director and his deputy both nodded their heads simultaneously . The former spoke first . "You said that the Awakened are people connected to the powers of the ''other side'' . " By staring into the eyes of the Awakened, Madam Selner could sense the ''passageway'' connecting said Awakened to the other side . However, she said that there were certain Awakened who were receiving so much incredible power from the ''other side'' that it ends up resembling a blinding flood of light, instead . These were precisely the ''kings'' she talked about . "So, what is different about Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, then?" "He doesn''t have a passageway . " Madam shivered in fear again . "When I looked into his eyes, the darkness within him was staring back at me . Oh, my god . He was the darkness itself . " The deputy director refuted this immediately . "But, he has helped out a lot of people during his tenure as a Hunter, and I can''t see him as someone as evil as you describe him to be . . . . " If Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was indeed a vicious, evil individual, he''d have immediately killed the two agents who pointed guns at him where they stood . However, he just let that slide without caring too much about it . Madam shook her head . "I wasn''t talking about whether Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was a good or evil man, deputy director . " The light shining in her eyes was determined . "No, I''m talking about the origin of his power . " The director had been listening to her with his hands pressed below his chin until then, but he finally raised his voice . "There''s no mistaking that he''s a powerful Hunter, yes?" Madam nodded her head . "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, he''s not borrowing someone else''s power . He only relies on the power residing within him, so he''s not restricted by the passageway . Which means . . . . . " "There''s no limit to his power . . . . . " The deputy director muttered absently before breaking into an abrupt shudder . He couldn''t even begin to imagine how absurd the level of power gushing out without any limit could potentially be . The director fell into a deep thought after he heard both of his guests . And a short while later, he nodded his head, evidently having made his mind up over something . "Madam, thank you for your hard work . " After seeing Madam Selner off, the director headed down to the underground floors of the Hunter Bureau with his deputy in tow . "Director, where are we going?" "Ninth basement floor . " "Isn''t that where we store old records?" "We have something else secured there besides the records . " The director watched as the number on the elevator''s display panel steadily decrease and continued on . "If we can''t rely on Madam Selner''s power, then we should use a different method to bring him in . " That man was still so young . And he possessed unfathomable power . If Hunter Seong Jin-Woo indeed possessed incredible power just as Madam Selner had eluded to, then it no longer mattered whether that was the power of light or the power of darkness . A knife you picked up to protect yourself would look like a deadly weapon from someone else''s perspective . And the director wanted to possess the knife called Seong Jin-Woo . They arrived at their destination, and while unlocking a series of electronic door locks, steadily walked deeper into the ninth underground floor . A few Bureau agents greeted them as they walked past, but the director didn''t even spare a single glance . "Do you still recall the very first rank S Gate ever to appear?" "Of course . " How could anyone forget the worst dungeon break in history that destroyed a portion of the Western United States? The American government summoned in the world''s most powerful Hunters with an unbelievably huge amount of reward on offer, and eventually, they succeeded in killing the boss-level monster that emerged from that rank S Gate . However, only five survived that encounter . Meaning, just a single monster managed to kill dozens of the best Hunters out there . Without their sacrifice, the nation of the United States of America might have ceased to exist altogether . That was why the American government bestowed the five remaining saviours the rights equalling that of the country itself, and that''s where the term ''Special Authority-rank'' originated from . The director mouthed the name of the monster that brought upon one of the worst tragedies in the history of mankind . "Kamish the Dragon . . . . " Didn''t the Mage-type Hunters say that ''Kamish'' meant an undying flame? They entered the deepest room on the floor, and the director opened the safe found in there . And that''s when a single Rune Stone, under a heavy guard and being monitored constantly, revealed itself . The deputy director flinched in surprise . "In that case, could that thing be . . . . ?" "Your guess is correct . " The director placed his hand on top of the reinforced glass shielding the Rune Stone and formed a smile . "This Rune Stone came out from that Kamish''s corpse . " Two of the Special Authority-rank Hunters settled down in the US after the end of the Kamish raid . In a way, they were the gifts that Kamish managed to deliver to the US . To avoid another calamity like this, the Americans established the Hunter Bureau and focused all their might on improving the strengths of the Hunters . Around eight years passed by since then . Simply because no Mage-type Hunters were among the surviving Special Authority-rank Hunters, Kamish''s Rune Stone was tucked away in this cold underground storage beneath the Hunter Bureau, waiting for a new owner to come along . The director formed a meaningful smile as he peered into the glass case . "Kamish will present us with yet another invaluable gift to our beautiful country very soon . " < Chapter 135 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 135: Chapter 135 . Beru was the first to make his move . His Sovereign had given him only one order ''Defeat the enemy without harming her . ''. Beru once stood at the peak of his species, and he knew what the best method to perfectly fulfil that order was . And that would be this: Make the opponent lose her will to fight by imprinting the clear gap in power between them in her mind Paht!. Beru disappeared from Cha Hae-In''s view the moment he moved, before reappearing right in front of her nose even before she had the chance to realise it " . !!". Cha Hae-In''s animal-like instinct kicked in even as the astonishment at Beru''s speed nearly overwhelmed her, and she swung her sword at her opponent . She followed that up with dozens more However, Beru stood in the spot and evaded all of her attacks without taking a single step It was a precise movement that eliminated all necessary motion . He was so bloody quick that afterimages were left behind in his wake . This was the display of an unbridgeable gap in their power levels ''This is impossible!''. Cha Hae-In''s eyes shook hard every time she missed ''It can dodge all my attacks at such a close distance without moving its legs once?''. Just one more time!. She took aim at the neck of her opponent and took a swing, but the creature lightly evaded it by leaning back slightly . No matter where she attacked from, or how she changed her attacks, her opponent easily dodged them all ''How can this be ?!''. This thing wasn''t even alive anymore . This thing was a summon borrowing the powers of the dead monster, so how could it still be this strong?. And also . ''Mister Seong Jin-Woo, who can freely control such a summon, just what . ''. Cha Hae-In''s movements became a tad dull from the vague fear invading her, and Beru seized upon this opportunity to smack her incoming sword away with the back of his hand . And then, pressed his face closer to hers Cha Hae-In froze up on the spot as the stench of death blew right into her face ''This is the end . ''. She inadvertently gasped out the moment those huge mandibles filled up her view "Ah!". However, the creature didn''t crush her head by snapping shut its maws but instead, chose to screech out loudly right in front of her face "Kiiiieeeeehhhk!!". She was knocked away ungainly from the screech containing his magical energy "Kyahk!". Jin-Woo grimaced while watching that . Indeed, there was no way he''d start enjoying the sight of someone else getting knocked around one-sidedly like this However, she stood back up again and fixed the grip on the sword as if to show that she wasn''t giving up at all . Jin-Woo tilted his head ''What is she trying to do?''. The Cha Hae-In he knew wasn''t a low-class Hunter who didn''t want to accept the difference between her and her opponent even after confirming the truth with her own eyes ''And she''s definitely not reckless enough to keep attacking when she knows of the gap, too . ''. In that case, could she still be in possession of one more card up her sleeve?. ''Whatever it is, I hope she''s not making an incorrect call . ''. Jin-Woo was mentally linked with Beru, so he could feel how much his soldier was suppressing its killing intent at the moment . On the other hand, Cha Ha-In''s will remained unyielding, even though she found herself in an absolutely disadvantageous position He was getting a bad premonition here . Jin-Woo''s expression became even more serious as he watched the two of them ''¡­ ?''. On the hand, Beru had failed to understand Cha Ha-In''s decision He had displayed their overwhelming gap in power several times by now . So, why hadn''t she stop her challenges yet?. The former king of ants, a being who lorded over others at the apex of the food chain, was beginning to get displeased by the human female''s stubbornness . The basis of his anger stemmed from the past memory of him being a ruler ''How dare . ''. The moment Beru made up his mind, he arrived before Cha Hae-In in the blink of an eye . He then pressed his face closer to glare straight into her eyes Any lifeform still breathing would''ve immediately realised who was the predator and the prey in this situation just from their gazes meeting like this . It would be a warning from one''s primal instinct Beru planned to awaken that instinct of his opponent and make her lose her will to fight in that manner, but unfortunately, his ploy wasn''t as effective as he thought Just as Jin-Woo had predicted, Cha Hae-In still held one last trump card to fall back on The skill, ''Sword Dance'', one she was most proficient in wielding . Her movements sped up as if she was performing a deadly dance, and the tip of her sword drew splendid arcs in the air Paht! Paht! Paht!. Too bad . Beru used his claws to easily defend against all those smoothly flowing attacks that had no interruptions in between . At the end of the barrage, his expression crumpled unsightly ''No more playing around . ''. Beru snatched the sword flying at him with his bare hand and crushed it Kwajeeck!!. She only had half a sword left, but rather than falling into despair, her glare became icy cold, instead ''I have only one last chance!''. Every single drop of magic energy in her was poured into the broken sword to activate her skill, ''Blade of Light'' The magic energy expenditure for this skill was far too great and she could only use it as the final hurrah . And for the first time during this fight, she revealed it in its full glory The blade of light shone brilliantly Beru had lowered his guard for a moment after breaking her sword, and she used that opening to jump into his front and stabbed the blade of light forward Jin-Woo''s eyes widened ''Nooo!''. Of course, he wasn''t worried about Beru . Utterly disregarding his worries, the blade glowing in golden light pierced deeply into Beru''s tummy "Kiiieehhk-!!". In that brief moment, Beru''s mind spun quickly ''This woman is an enemy . ''. It''d not be a problem for him to die . However, if he fell here, then this woman''s sword would point towards his Sovereign next It was then An instinct buried deep within all Shadow Soldiers'' psyche, one designed to activate in times of great distress and override everything else, wiggled back into life - "Protect the Sovereign!". In that moment, inside of Beru''s head blanked out into a ''reset'' state and the order Jin-Woo gave him, ''defeat the enemy without harming her'' was wiped away completely Beru transformed into a terrifying monster in order to protect Jin-Woo . His body ballooned up to a giant proportions . His mandibles split wide open as if he was getting ready to chew on steel, and finally, his claws extended out to resemble a group of sharp blades!. "Stop!!". Beru finished getting ready to rip apart his owner''s enemy, and swung all ten of his claws and their sharp edges at his target Swish-!!. Just before all ten blades reached Cha Hae-In . Grab!. Jin-Woo managed to make it just in time " I told you to stop, didn''t I?". Jin-Woo stopped both sets of Beru''s claws with his bare hands and began glaring at his soldier . Beru met that enraged glare and began shuddering . He quickly leapt back and, while not even bothering to pull that sword of light from his midriff, prostrated flat on the ground and begged for forgiveness "Oh, oh my king . Mercy . ". Jin-Woo knew what this guy was thinking of the moment he was about to act . Hell, the singular thought of ''Protect the Sovereign'' was ringing really loud inside his head, too ''¡­ . ''. Jin-Woo glared at Beru for a little while, before shifting his gaze away Plop Cha Hae-In was completely spent and, unable to stand any longer, plopped down to the ground . She knew that she just came face to face with death again during that brief moment "Are you alright?". Jin-Woo walked closer . She was trying to push herself back up, but gave up in the end and, while keeping her gaze rooted to the floor, nodded her head "I am fine . ". ''Fine, my foot . ''. Jin-Woo supported her up and asked "Why were you pushing yourself that hard? I mean, you shouldn''t have any reasons to enter my Guild while putting yourself through a wringer like this, right?". " . ". Indeed, this was supposed to be a simple test . More than that, this was a ''test'' he cooked up to reject her tactfully . But, to think, she''d be this obsessed about winning, even to the extent of using such a dangerous skill, too This couldn''t be chalked up to her desire to win at all costs . That was why . "Could it be . ". ¡­ . Jin-Woo cautiously asked her, so as to not damage her ego "Are you perhaps interested in me?". "Excuse me??". Cha Hae-In got flustered and formed a dazed expression of someone getting hit in the back of her head . Jin-Woo tilted his head ''That wasn''t it, either?''. But then, Cha Hae-In carefully reorganised her thoughts and corrected her answer " Yes, I think so . ". ***. Within the United States'' Hunter Bureau The director was feeling rather unhappy after receiving the news of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s recruitment ending in failure . Instead of getting a report, he summoned the deputy director to the conference chamber The deputy director brought Madam Selner with him "Explain what happened back there . ". The director asked even before they had the chance to sit down . This was the first time since the founding of the Hunter Bureau that their scouting offer, accompanied by Madam Selner no less, had been rejected by the subject The deputy stood up with a darkened expression and lowered his head "I''m truly sorry, sir . ". "I didn''t call you here for your apologies, Michael . ". The director pressed a certain button, and all the glass walls were covered up and the exit was locked tight . The interior had become perfectly soundproof In order to prevent the leakage of information, all matters pertaining to Madam Selner were never discussed over the phone or through emails . That was why the director was still unaware of what went down in South Korea until now "Now, please explain to me what happened . ". The deputy director glanced at Madam Selner for a moment or two . She slowly nodded her head, and only then did the deputy open his tightly-shut lips once more "Madam Selner was able to ''observe'' Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ". "What was the result?". The director knew how her power operated, so the result of her ''observation'' was as important as the result of the ''recruitment'' itself "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is ". The deputy licked his dried-up lips from tension and continued on " Is apparently one of the ''kings'' . ". "What?!". The director jumped up from his seat Of all the powerful Hunters she had met over the years, she described only three people as ''kings'' . And all three of them were powerful enough to shake the world by the scruff of its neck, too Quite literally, they were the zenith of Hunters! And the man named Seong Jin-Woo had to be included in that list now, as well The director shifted his gaze over to Madam Selner and asked her "Does that mean Hunter Seong Jin-Woo possesses the level of power equal to other Special Authority-rank Hunters?". Strangely enough, she promptly shook her head "Excuse me?". Frowns formed on the director''s forehead The deputy could amply understand how his boss must be feeling right about now . He, too, had displayed a similar reaction back when he heard the exact same answer, after all Madam Selner let out a long sigh "Looks like . I''ll have to explain myself a little . ". Her talk began from those words "First of all I''ll assume that both of you know just what kind of an ability I possess . ". The director and his deputy both nodded their heads simultaneously . The former spoke first "You said that the Awakened are people connected to the powers of the ''other side'' . ". By staring into the eyes of the Awakened, Madam Selner could sense the ''passageway'' connecting said Awakened to the other side However, she said that there were certain Awakened who were receiving so much incredible power from the ''other side'' that it ends up resembling a blinding flood of light, instead These were precisely the ''kings'' she talked about "So, what is different about Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, then?". "He doesn''t have a passageway . ". Madam shivered in fear again "When I looked into his eyes, the darkness within him was staring back at me . Oh, my god . He was the darkness itself . ". The deputy director refuted this immediately "But, he has helped out a lot of people during his tenure as a Hunter, and I can''t see him as someone as evil as you describe him to be ". If Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was indeed a vicious, evil individual, he''d have immediately killed the two agents who pointed guns at him where they stood . However, he just let that slide without caring too much about it Madam shook her head "I wasn''t talking about whether Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was a good or evil man, deputy director . ". The light shining in her eyes was determined "No, I''m talking about the origin of his power . ". The director had been listening to her with his hands pressed below his chin until then, but he finally raised his voice "There''s no mistaking that he''s a powerful Hunter, yes?". Madam nodded her head "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, he''s not borrowing someone else''s power . He only relies on the power residing within him, so he''s not restricted by the passageway . Which means . ". "There''s no limit to his power . ". The deputy director muttered absently before breaking into an abrupt shudder . He couldn''t even begin to imagine how absurd the level of power gushing out without any limit could potentially be The director fell into a deep thought after he heard both of his guests . And a short while later, he nodded his head, evidently having made his mind up over something "Madam, thank you for your hard work . ". After seeing Madam Selner off, the director headed down to the underground floors of the Hunter Bureau with his deputy in tow "Director, where are we going?". "Ninth basement floor . ". "Isn''t that where we store old records?". "We have something else secured there besides the records . ". The director watched as the number on the elevator''s display panel steadily decrease and continued on "If we can''t rely on Madam Selner''s power, then we should use a different method to bring him in . ". That man was still so young . And he possessed unfathomable power If Hunter Seong Jin-Woo indeed possessed incredible power just as Madam Selner had eluded to, then it no longer mattered whether that was the power of light or the power of darkness A knife you picked up to protect yourself would look like a deadly weapon from someone else''s perspective . And the director wanted to possess the knife called Seong Jin-Woo They arrived at their destination, and while unlocking a series of electronic door locks, steadily walked deeper into the ninth underground floor . A few Bureau agents greeted them as they walked past, but the director didn''t even spare a single glance "Do you still recall the very first rank S Gate ever to appear?". "Of course . ". How could anyone forget the worst dungeon break in history that destroyed a portion of the Western United States?. The American government summoned in the world''s most powerful Hunters with an unbelievably huge amount of reward on offer, and eventually, they succeeded in killing the boss-level monster that emerged from that rank S Gate However, only five survived that encounter . Meaning, just a single monster managed to kill dozens of the best Hunters out there . Without their sacrifice, the nation of the United States of America might have ceased to exist altogether That was why the American government bestowed the five remaining saviours the rights equalling that of the country itself, and that''s where the term ''Special Authority-rank'' originated from The director mouthed the name of the monster that brought upon one of the worst tragedies in the history of mankind "Kamish the Dragon ". Didn''t the Mage-type Hunters say that ''Kamish'' meant an undying flame?. They entered the deepest room on the floor, and the director opened the safe found in there . And that''s when a single Rune Stone, under a heavy guard and being monitored constantly, revealed itself The deputy director flinched in surprise "In that case, could that thing be ?". "Your guess is correct . ". The director placed his hand on top of the reinforced glass shielding the Rune Stone and formed a smile "This Rune Stone came out from that Kamish''s corpse . ". Two of the Special Authority-rank Hunters settled down in the US after the end of the Kamish raid . In a way, they were the gifts that Kamish managed to deliver to the US To avoid another calamity like this, the Americans established the Hunter Bureau and focused all their might on improving the strengths of the Hunters . Around eight years passed by since then Simply because no Mage-type Hunters were among the surviving Special Authority-rank Hunters, Kamish''s Rune Stone was tucked away in this cold underground storage beneath the Hunter Bureau, waiting for a new owner to come along The director formed a meaningful smile as he peered into the glass case "Kamish will present us with yet another invaluable gift to our beautiful country very soon . ". < Chapter 135 > Fin Chapter 136 "Hyung-nim, I heard that it might be difficult for us to get the permit for the Gate that appeared yesterday . " The first thing that the chairman of the Knight Order Guild, Park Jong-Su, did after arriving for work was to harden his expression . "What was that?" The Vice-Chair Jeong Yun-Tae hurriedly explained himself . "The result from the Association folks measuring that thing apparently came out higher than they expected . " "What, it''s a rank S?!" "No, not that . They say it''s a rank A, but right at the top of the scale . " "Gimme a freaking break, man . Really now . " If it was a rank S Gate, then they could have given up on it without hesitation . The Knight Order Guild didn''t have a single rank S Hunter in their midst, so it wouldn''t make much sense for them to attempt clearing a rank S Gate, after all . Just like back in the Jeju Island raid, the Association would have to summon every rank S Hunters in the country just to deal with such a Gate . However, the story would change drastically if the magic energy emission measurement came out to be rank ''A'' . The Knight Order Guild would be ridiculed for being unable to deal with a rank A Gate, even though they were supposed to be one of the five major Guilds in South Korea . Their already thinning presence could become even more invisible at this rate . "Hyung-nim, what will you do?" "Not sure yet . " "If we don''t get involved, then the folks from the Shining Star would definitely show up . . . . " The Shining Star Guild from the district of Honam . Fine blood vessels bulged within Park Jong-Su''s eyes when he heard that name . "You want to gift that big Gate hovering right in front of our house to the hands of Mah Dong-Wook?!" "No, I''m just saying, hyung-nim . " "I won''t let that happen, even over my dead body . " "Then, you wanna take it on, hyung-nim?" The previously-agitated Park Jong-Su suddenly closed his mouth shut . His reaction was obvious, though . Just one word from him would decide the fate of not just him, but the rest of the raid team members, as well . Even if he was agitated, he shouldn''t mutter whatever he felt like . A migraine crept into Park Jong-Su''s head . ''The rank A Hunters in my Guild can stand toe to toe with the rank As from other large Guilds . '' No, if one were to consider the number or the overall quality of the rank As in the Knight Order''s roster, then his outfit easily equalled the best Guild in South Korea, the Hunters . The only issue was to do with the lack of rank S Hunters . Because they didn''t have any rank S Hunters in their roster, the Knight Order was in real danger of being kicked out of the so-called five major Guild of South Korea . For the same reason, the elites of Knight Order were more than good enough to deal with regular rank A Gates . However, if it was a Gate measured to be at the top end of the rank A spectrum, then as they didn''t have a rank S Hunter, the Knight Order had to risk the lives of their raid team members when attempting to clear it . Even though it was rated nominally at rank A, the difficulty of clearing such a dungeon would be a lot closer to a rank S in reality . The Hunter''s Association also knew of the dangers, and that was why they hadn''t decided on whether to issue the raid permit or not to the Knight Order . ''¡­ . . . . . '' As Park Jong-Su''s silent deliberation grew lengthier, Jeong Yun-Tae cautiously voiced his opinion to his boss . "Hyung-nim . If that thing turns out to be a Red Gate, then we''ll all die for sure . " "I''m sure we will . " It was already tough trying to deal with the highest-rated rank A Gate, but if it were to morph into a dang Red Gate? Even thinking about that horrified him . If lady luck was on their side, half of the team would survive . If not, the whole of the raid team, including himself, would perish inside the dungeon . ''If I think about it objectively, then I should give up on this one . '' But then again, he should consider the fate of the Knight Order as good as finished if the story of them giving up on a rank A Gate gets around . Just which newbie would want to join a Guild that didn''t have a single rank S Hunter, and couldn''t even deal with a rank A Gate? "In that case, hyung-nim, how about forming an alliance with another Guild?" Park Jong-Su shook his head . "Who''d wanna form an alliance with us when they already know we can''t go at it alone and need help?" Especially when they monopolise everything a rank A Gate could offer if the Knight Order was removed from the picture altogether? And, even if they formed an alliance, it''d prove to be problematic, still . ''It''s the same as us walking around advertising our incompetence . '' Deep frowns of worry drew upon their faces . It was then . "If allying with another Guild is a problem, then how about working with a freelancer?" The two men''s heads snapped in unison towards the direction of the woman''s voice, coming from their side . It was from the rank A Healer charged with mending the elite raid team, Jeong Ye-Rim . A Healer was given a lot of say in the matters of a raid . And if that Healer just so happened to be a rank A possessing various skills, then there was no need to even mention that . However, as the fate of the Knight Order Guild was hanging in the balance here, Park Jong-Su couldn''t easily hide his troubled expression . "We want to go inside the hardest rank A Gate, so how could a single freelancer help . . . " But then, Park Jong-Su stopped his words right there . ''Ah!!'' Because, he just remembered a certain someone in the middle of his own speech . A man capable of sweeping away rank S monsters all alone, never mind rank As! Unable to suppress his excitement anymore, Park Jong-Su shot up from his seat . ''If Mister Seong Jin-Woo joins us, then . . . . !'' That man easily brushed off a monster that the combined might of the Korean rank S Hunters couldn''t do anything about . If he chose to participate, then the safety of the raid team members was as good as 100% guaranteed . And, was that all? They could also avoid the ignominy of having to borrow another Guild''s power to clear a rank A Gate, too . ''On the contrary, the fame of the Knight Order would increase, instead . '' Allying with the best Hunter in the country to complete a raid would not negatively affect the Guild in any shape or form . The guaranteed safety of the team members, as well as a boost to the honour of the Knight Order Guild itself ¨C this was a wonderful way to catch two birds with one stone . Feeling really excited now, Park Jong-Su spoke with an eager voice . "What is Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim doing right now?" Both Jeong Ye-Rim, who originally came up with the idea, and Jeong Yun-Tae quietly listening from the side, shook their heads . "Since he cleared the Gate appearing in the middle of the road not too long ago, he''s gone pretty quiet nowadays . " Jeong Yun-Tae recalled seeing Seong Jin-Woo on one of the TV news broadcasts recently, and pulled his phone out . "Should I find out the contact number for Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, hyung-nim?" "No, don''t bother . Put your phone down . " "Eh?" "Do you think you should try to solve something this important over a phone call? No, we gotta meet up with him and discuss it face to face . " "Aha!" Jeong Yun-Tae agreed with that opinion immediately, and Park Jong-Su continued on with a smile . "Let''s go up north . " *** That evening . Cha Hae-In was lying on her bed with sheets pulled right up over her head . But she was writhing around in great distress at the moment . ''Why did I go and say, I think so?! Just why!!'' Wasn''t that the exact same thing as confessing?! She wildly kicked the sheets away, and finally stopped moving only after a thought popped up into her head out of the blue . ''Then . . . . . '' How was she to decipher Mister Seong Jin-Woo''s reply, then? ["In that case, isn''t there a better way than to join my Guild?"] She wanted to quickly escape from that situation and told him that she''d think about it before leaving in a hurry, but simply from recalling that moment caused such distress that her thought process ground to a complete halt almost immediately . Blush . Her face blushed from the memories she remembered yet again . Back when she looked into the maddened eyes of the enlarged summoned creature, she predicted her unavoidable death . She felt absolute terror . This was the fate of the prey . Cha Hae-In even squeezed her eyes shut as ten claws descended upon her from both sides . But, then . . . . She felt the warmth coming from her back . At the same time, a familiar scent gently wrapped all around her . ''Ah . . . . '' Cha Hae-In cautiously opened her eyes and looked behind her . And she found Jin-Woo standing there, busy glaring with angry eyes at the summoned creature while stopping the claws with his bare hands . It was true that her heart skipped a beat in that moment . But then . . . . ["Are you perhaps interested in me?"] Wasn''t it patently unfair to ask a question like that in that sort of a situation?! ''No, wait . '' Cha Hae-In shook her head hard as if to shake off all the distracting thoughts . Even if he asked her like that, she shouldn''t have answered him truthfully . ''He might start seeing me as a strange person, after all . '' Even though she knew she shouldn''t, her lips parted on their own . Maybe because her mind felt more relaxed when she was around Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, she ended up revealing a side to him that she always kept hidden . It was as if she wasn''t herself anymore . ''¡­ . As if I wasn''t myself?'' Those words sounded rather familiar for some reason . Where could it have been from? She could vaguely remember hearing a similar expression from somewhere . It was then ¨C a piece of memory once erased from her mind brushed past her brain . - ¡­ . Please, pass it on . Cha Hae-In quickly bolted upright . ''¡­ . . !!'' She finally recalled that voice, a voice that seemed to slowly fade away to the other side, just like a waking dream . Even though it couldn''t have been that long ago . - . . . . Please, pass this message on . ''I, I . . . . '' Cha Hae-In did her very best to remember the contents of the voice as well as the owner of it . The full scope of the memory, blurry and indistinct as if a thick veil of fog was covering it, slowly regained its former glory . - ¡­ . Please, pass on the message that he needs to be wary . ''¡­ . I met with Hunter Min Byung-Gu . '' Back when she lost her consciousness and was being dragged into the endless void, Hunter Min Byung-Gu appeared out of nowhere and pulled her back by her wrist . She felt momentarily displeased from her peaceful rest being interrupted back then . She remembered being puzzled by the black armour covering the entirety of Hunter Min Byung-Gu . Only his face was visible outwardly . Even that face seemed quite sad for some reason, which was unlike his usual self . As the memories of those moments slowly crept back into her mind, Cha Hae-In felt a chill run down her spine . Hunter Min Byung-Gu spoke to her, his expression barely holding back his tears . - To Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . . . . ''To Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, what . . . . ?'' - Please pass on the message that he needs to be wary of the power he possesses . *** After ending the shower, Jin-Woo stood before the bathroom window . ''Hmm . . . . '' He sure looked okay from where he was standing, but . . . . But, to think that he was so good looking that a beauty like Cha Hae-In felt enough interest to try switching Guilds! ''Am I really that good looking?'' Jin-Woo peered deeper into the mirror . And a smirk leaked out of his mouth . He wasn''t planning to drown in narcissism even if no one told him to . He was confident of only one thing about himself, and that would be . . . . ¡­ . That would be his taut muscles, getting progressively firmer through repeated daily quest routines, as well as his height that suddenly grew up much higher than before, probably due to the influence of the System . That was about it . Meaning, all he had was his body and not much else . As for his face . . . . Well, minus his sharper than normal eyes, wouldn''t it be on the level of an average man commonly seen on the streets? It was at this point that he noticed something . ''Hold on . '' Jin-Woo''s expression became serious as he stared into the mirror . He leaned his head slightly to the side, and took an even closer look than before . The Jin-Woo of the mirror''s reflection and the Jin-Woo of reality stared at each other for a long while . ''Uh?'' A strange light flickered in Jin-Woo''s eyes . His gaze swept all over his face . And as he thought . . . He really did change . Those small scars, spots and nicks that couldn''t be seen normally and needed to be looked at really close, had all disappeared from his face even before he had time to notice it . ''Is this because of the ''Will to Recover'' buff?'' One of the buff effects he got as the reward for becoming a Player said that ''all his damaged body parts would be recovered back to their original state'' . This buff even managed to regenerate the leg that got cut off by one of the stone statues, too . So, it wouldn''t be so strange for those little skin damages to be healed completely, as well . However, what really came across as mystifying was . . . . ''¡­ . I think I''ve actually grown younger?'' He was originally in the middle of his twenties . But the him in the mirror looked two, three years younger, in his early twenties . Now that was a surprising thing . The magical energy apparently could delay the ageing process of the Awakened to a certain degree, so could this be a similar effect to that? ''Gimme a break . . . . '' Jin-Woo thought that it was a funny notion for a grown man to stare at himself in the mirror like this, so he decided to leave the bathroom . With excellent timing, his younger sister also emerged from her bedroom, and the siblings got to have a brief reunion in the living room . Jin-Woo grinned and called out to Jin-Ah . "Hey, sis?" "Ng?" "How do I look to you?" "What do you mean?" "Like, my appeal as a man . " "Huh??" Jin-Ah furrowed her brows . "And where did you find your baseless confidence from? Because, you''re still the same stay-at-home oppa in my eyes, you know?" "Alright, thanks for that . " Jin-Woo grinned and pinched her cheek lightly, and she too threw a rather sharp kick to his shin as a retaliation . Of course, the one jumping around in pain was Jin-Ah . "You forgot what kind of a person your oppa was? Can you even study properly with that head of yours?" "What was that?" Jin-Ah pouted and narrowed her eyes at him . "I was ranked first place in the mock test in the entire school, I''ll have you know . " Jin-Woo really enjoyed his sister''s reaction and had a hard time swallowing back his laughter . One of the best things about having your family around was that, even if you changed, they still treated you the same with exactly the same attitude as before . Jin-Woo used the towel to rub his wet hair and walked past Jin-Ah . "Work hard . " "You too, oppa . " Just before he slipped into his room, though, he remembered something and looked behind him . "Ah, right . I''m thinking of creating a Guild soon . " "Ohhh!" Jin-Ah''s expression brightly and her eyes sparkled brilliantly as well . "Oppa, are you going to be called a ''chairman'' from now on, too?" "If it all works out . " "What''s the name of the Guild?" "That''s what I wanted to hear your opinion on . " "Oh! What is it? What is it??" Jin-Woo cautiously asked his little sister busy looking at him with eyes full of expectations . "What do you think of ''Solo Play'' Guild?" < Chapter 136 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 136: Chapter 136 . "Hyung-nim, I heard that it might be difficult for us to get the permit for the Gate that appeared yesterday . ". The first thing that the chairman of the Knight Order Guild, Park Jong-Su, did after arriving for work was to harden his expression "What was that?". The Vice-Chair Jeong Yun-Tae hurriedly explained himself "The result from the Association folks measuring that thing apparently came out higher than they expected . ". "What, it''s a rank S?!". "No, not that . They say it''s a rank A, but right at the top of the scale . ". "Gimme a freaking break, man . Really now . ". If it was a rank S Gate, then they could have given up on it without hesitation . The Knight Order Guild didn''t have a single rank S Hunter in their midst, so it wouldn''t make much sense for them to attempt clearing a rank S Gate, after all Just like back in the Jeju Island raid, the Association would have to summon every rank S Hunters in the country just to deal with such a Gate However, the story would change drastically if the magic energy emission measurement came out to be rank ''A'' . The Knight Order Guild would be ridiculed for being unable to deal with a rank A Gate, even though they were supposed to be one of the five major Guilds in South Korea Their already thinning presence could become even more invisible at this rate "Hyung-nim, what will you do?". "Not sure yet . ". "If we don''t get involved, then the folks from the Shining Star would definitely show up ". The Shining Star Guild from the district of Honam . Fine blood vessels bulged within Park Jong-Su''s eyes when he heard that name "You want to gift that big Gate hovering right in front of our house to the hands of Mah Dong-Wook?!". "No, I''m just saying, hyung-nim . ". "I won''t let that happen, even over my dead body . ". "Then, you wanna take it on, hyung-nim?". The previously-agitated Park Jong-Su suddenly closed his mouth shut His reaction was obvious, though . Just one word from him would decide the fate of not just him, but the rest of the raid team members, as well . Even if he was agitated, he shouldn''t mutter whatever he felt like A migraine crept into Park Jong-Su''s head ''The rank A Hunters in my Guild can stand toe to toe with the rank As from other large Guilds . ''. No, if one were to consider the number or the overall quality of the rank As in the Knight Order''s roster, then his outfit easily equalled the best Guild in South Korea, the Hunters The only issue was to do with the lack of rank S Hunters Because they didn''t have any rank S Hunters in their roster, the Knight Order was in real danger of being kicked out of the so-called five major Guild of South Korea For the same reason, the elites of Knight Order were more than good enough to deal with regular rank A Gates . However, if it was a Gate measured to be at the top end of the rank A spectrum, then as they didn''t have a rank S Hunter, the Knight Order had to risk the lives of their raid team members when attempting to clear it Even though it was rated nominally at rank A, the difficulty of clearing such a dungeon would be a lot closer to a rank S in reality . The Hunter''s Association also knew of the dangers, and that was why they hadn''t decided on whether to issue the raid permit or not to the Knight Order ''¡­ . ''. As Park Jong-Su''s silent deliberation grew lengthier, Jeong Yun-Tae cautiously voiced his opinion to his boss "Hyung-nim . If that thing turns out to be a Red Gate, then we''ll all die for sure . ". "I''m sure we will . ". It was already tough trying to deal with the highest-rated rank A Gate, but if it were to morph into a dang Red Gate? Even thinking about that horrified him If lady luck was on their side, half of the team would survive . If not, the whole of the raid team, including himself, would perish inside the dungeon ''If I think about it objectively, then I should give up on this one . ''. But then again, he should consider the fate of the Knight Order as good as finished if the story of them giving up on a rank A Gate gets around . Just which newbie would want to join a Guild that didn''t have a single rank S Hunter, and couldn''t even deal with a rank A Gate?. "In that case, hyung-nim, how about forming an alliance with another Guild?". Park Jong-Su shook his head "Who''d wanna form an alliance with us when they already know we can''t go at it alone and need help?". Especially when they monopolise everything a rank A Gate could offer if the Knight Order was removed from the picture altogether? And, even if they formed an alliance, it''d prove to be problematic, still ''It''s the same as us walking around advertising our incompetence . ''. Deep frowns of worry drew upon their faces . It was then "If allying with another Guild is a problem, then how about working with a freelancer?". The two men''s heads snapped in unison towards the direction of the woman''s voice, coming from their side . It was from the rank A Healer charged with mending the elite raid team, Jeong Ye-Rim A Healer was given a lot of say in the matters of a raid . And if that Healer just so happened to be a rank A possessing various skills, then there was no need to even mention that However, as the fate of the Knight Order Guild was hanging in the balance here, Park Jong-Su couldn''t easily hide his troubled expression "We want to go inside the hardest rank A Gate, so how could a single freelancer help . ". But then, Park Jong-Su stopped his words right there ''Ah!!''. Because, he just remembered a certain someone in the middle of his own speech . A man capable of sweeping away rank S monsters all alone, never mind rank As!. Unable to suppress his excitement anymore, Park Jong-Su shot up from his seat ''If Mister Seong Jin-Woo joins us, then !''. That man easily brushed off a monster that the combined might of the Korean rank S Hunters couldn''t do anything about . If he chose to participate, then the safety of the raid team members was as good as 100% guaranteed . And, was that all?. They could also avoid the ignominy of having to borrow another Guild''s power to clear a rank A Gate, too ''On the contrary, the fame of the Knight Order would increase, instead . ''. Allying with the best Hunter in the country to complete a raid would not negatively affect the Guild in any shape or form The guaranteed safety of the team members, as well as a boost to the honour of the Knight Order Guild itself ¨C this was a wonderful way to catch two birds with one stone Feeling really excited now, Park Jong-Su spoke with an eager voice "What is Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim doing right now?". Both Jeong Ye-Rim, who originally came up with the idea, and Jeong Yun-Tae quietly listening from the side, shook their heads "Since he cleared the Gate appearing in the middle of the road not too long ago, he''s gone pretty quiet nowadays . ". Jeong Yun-Tae recalled seeing Seong Jin-Woo on one of the TV news broadcasts recently, and pulled his phone out "Should I find out the contact number for Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, hyung-nim?". "No, don''t bother . Put your phone down . ". "Eh?". "Do you think you should try to solve something this important over a phone call? No, we gotta meet up with him and discuss it face to face . ". "Aha!". Jeong Yun-Tae agreed with that opinion immediately, and Park Jong-Su continued on with a smile "Let''s go up north . ". ***. That evening Cha Hae-In was lying on her bed with sheets pulled right up over her head . But she was writhing around in great distress at the moment ''Why did I go and say, I think so?! Just why!!''. Wasn''t that the exact same thing as confessing?!. She wildly kicked the sheets away, and finally stopped moving only after a thought popped up into her head out of the blue ''Then . ''. How was she to decipher Mister Seong Jin-Woo''s reply, then?. ["In that case, isn''t there a better way than to join my Guild?"]. She wanted to quickly escape from that situation and told him that she''d think about it before leaving in a hurry, but simply from recalling that moment caused such distress that her thought process ground to a complete halt almost immediately Blush Her face blushed from the memories she remembered yet again Back when she looked into the maddened eyes of the enlarged summoned creature, she predicted her unavoidable death . She felt absolute terror . This was the fate of the prey Cha Hae-In even squeezed her eyes shut as ten claws descended upon her from both sides . But, then . She felt the warmth coming from her back . At the same time, a familiar scent gently wrapped all around her ''Ah ''. Cha Hae-In cautiously opened her eyes and looked behind her . And she found Jin-Woo standing there, busy glaring with angry eyes at the summoned creature while stopping the claws with his bare hands It was true that her heart skipped a beat in that moment But then . ["Are you perhaps interested in me?"]. Wasn''t it patently unfair to ask a question like that in that sort of a situation?!. ''No, wait . ''. Cha Hae-In shook her head hard as if to shake off all the distracting thoughts . Even if he asked her like that, she shouldn''t have answered him truthfully ''He might start seeing me as a strange person, after all . ''. Even though she knew she shouldn''t, her lips parted on their own Maybe because her mind felt more relaxed when she was around Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, she ended up revealing a side to him that she always kept hidden . It was as if she wasn''t herself anymore ''¡­ . As if I wasn''t myself?''. Those words sounded rather familiar for some reason Where could it have been from? She could vaguely remember hearing a similar expression from somewhere It was then ¨C a piece of memory once erased from her mind brushed past her brain - ¡­ . Please, pass it on Cha Hae-In quickly bolted upright ''¡­ !!''. She finally recalled that voice, a voice that seemed to slowly fade away to the other side, just like a waking dream . Even though it couldn''t have been that long ago - Please, pass this message on ''I, I ''. Cha Hae-In did her very best to remember the contents of the voice as well as the owner of it . The full scope of the memory, blurry and indistinct as if a thick veil of fog was covering it, slowly regained its former glory - ¡­ . Please, pass on the message that he needs to be wary ''¡­ . I met with Hunter Min Byung-Gu . ''. Back when she lost her consciousness and was being dragged into the endless void, Hunter Min Byung-Gu appeared out of nowhere and pulled her back by her wrist . She felt momentarily displeased from her peaceful rest being interrupted back then She remembered being puzzled by the black armour covering the entirety of Hunter Min Byung-Gu . Only his face was visible outwardly Even that face seemed quite sad for some reason, which was unlike his usual self As the memories of those moments slowly crept back into her mind, Cha Hae-In felt a chill run down her spine Hunter Min Byung-Gu spoke to her, his expression barely holding back his tears - To Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ''To Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, what ?''. - Please pass on the message that he needs to be wary of the power he possesses ***. After ending the shower, Jin-Woo stood before the bathroom window ''Hmm ''. He sure looked okay from where he was standing, but . But, to think that he was so good looking that a beauty like Cha Hae-In felt enough interest to try switching Guilds!. ''Am I really that good looking?''. Jin-Woo peered deeper into the mirror . And a smirk leaked out of his mouth . He wasn''t planning to drown in narcissism even if no one told him to He was confident of only one thing about himself, and that would be . ¡­ . That would be his taut muscles, getting progressively firmer through repeated daily quest routines, as well as his height that suddenly grew up much higher than before, probably due to the influence of the System . That was about it . Meaning, all he had was his body and not much else As for his face Well, minus his sharper than normal eyes, wouldn''t it be on the level of an average man commonly seen on the streets?. It was at this point that he noticed something ''Hold on . ''. Jin-Woo''s expression became serious as he stared into the mirror . He leaned his head slightly to the side, and took an even closer look than before . The Jin-Woo of the mirror''s reflection and the Jin-Woo of reality stared at each other for a long while ''Uh?''. A strange light flickered in Jin-Woo''s eyes . His gaze swept all over his face . And as he thought He really did change Those small scars, spots and nicks that couldn''t be seen normally and needed to be looked at really close, had all disappeared from his face even before he had time to notice it ''Is this because of the ''Will to Recover'' buff?''. One of the buff effects he got as the reward for becoming a Player said that ''all his damaged body parts would be recovered back to their original state'' This buff even managed to regenerate the leg that got cut off by one of the stone statues, too . So, it wouldn''t be so strange for those little skin damages to be healed completely, as well . However, what really came across as mystifying was . ''¡­ . I think I''ve actually grown younger?''. He was originally in the middle of his twenties . But the him in the mirror looked two, three years younger, in his early twenties . Now that was a surprising thing The magical energy apparently could delay the ageing process of the Awakened to a certain degree, so could this be a similar effect to that?. ''Gimme a break ''. Jin-Woo thought that it was a funny notion for a grown man to stare at himself in the mirror like this, so he decided to leave the bathroom . With excellent timing, his younger sister also emerged from her bedroom, and the siblings got to have a brief reunion in the living room Jin-Woo grinned and called out to Jin-Ah "Hey, sis?". "Ng?". "How do I look to you?". "What do you mean?". "Like, my appeal as a man . ". "Huh??". Jin-Ah furrowed her brows "And where did you find your baseless confidence from? Because, you''re still the same stay-at-home oppa in my eyes, you know?". "Alright, thanks for that . ". Jin-Woo grinned and pinched her cheek lightly, and she too threw a rather sharp kick to his shin as a retaliation . Of course, the one jumping around in pain was Jin-Ah "You forgot what kind of a person your oppa was? Can you even study properly with that head of yours?". "What was that?". Jin-Ah pouted and narrowed her eyes at him "I was ranked first place in the mock test in the entire school, I''ll have you know . ". Jin-Woo really enjoyed his sister''s reaction and had a hard time swallowing back his laughter One of the best things about having your family around was that, even if you changed, they still treated you the same with exactly the same attitude as before Jin-Woo used the towel to rub his wet hair and walked past Jin-Ah "Work hard . ". "You too, oppa . ". Just before he slipped into his room, though, he remembered something and looked behind him "Ah, right . I''m thinking of creating a Guild soon . ". "Ohhh!". Jin-Ah''s expression brightly and her eyes sparkled brilliantly as well "Oppa, are you going to be called a ''chairman'' from now on, too?". "If it all works out . ". "What''s the name of the Guild?". "That''s what I wanted to hear your opinion on . ". "Oh! What is it? What is it??". Jin-Woo cautiously asked his little sister busy looking at him with eyes full of expectations "What do you think of ''Solo Play'' Guild?". < Chapter 136 > Fin Chapter 137 "HUH?" The answer sounded the same but its ''nuance'' was rather a lot different than the one that came before . If she was kidding around just now, then she was dead serious this time . "What''s wrong? You think it''s weird?" " . . . . . Oppa, why are you naming your Guild like that?" "Because I like moving around solo . " "It does sound like you, but still, isn''t it a bit strange to name your Guild like that?" "Why?" "Isn''t your ability summoning out those black-armoured soldiers?" "Yeah . " "So, if you get technical about it, you aren''t fighting alone, right?" Now that he heard her opinion, that made some sense . Jin-Woo nodded his head . ''I may think of it as just another one of my skills but it won''t look that way to other people, is that it?'' Indeed, she had a point there . This Guild might end up accompanying him for the rest of his life, so he wanted to give it a name that best represented who he was . And that''s why he went with ''Solo Play'', but now . . . . ''If the true meaning doesn''t come across all that well, it''ll be useless . '' What could be another term that could describe him the best? Jin-Woo asked his sister''s opinion again . "How about ''Ah-Jin'' Guild?" "Ahjin?" Jin-Ah mouthed the name for a bit, before asking him back with a smile . "I kinda like it, cuz it sounds like my name but flipped around . But, what does it even mean?" "Ah (ÎÒ) means ''myself'' and Jin (ßM) means ''moving forward'' . " Meaning, only he could tread on this road . And it was a name he wanted to give to the Guild that would grow alongside him . "Combine them together, and you get the meaning of ''I shall progress forward'' . That''s Ah-Jin (ÎÒßM) . " "Ohh . . . " Jin-Ah came up with the best praise she could think of . "You know, that doesn''t sound bad at all . " *** Next day . Jin-Woo went to the office armed with the new Guild name . "Hey . It''s about the Guild''s name . . . . " Yu Jin-Ho had been in the office since early morning, working . When he heard the new name from Jin-Woo, a brilliant smile formed on his face . "That is an excellent name, hyung-nim!!" Didn''t they say that a swan floating elegantly on water was kicking furiously under the surface? Yu Jin-Ho had been feeling as desperate as that old saying . ''Whatever it is, everything will be fine as long as it''s not Solo Play . '' He imagined ''it'' so, so many times already . And that would be him introducing himself as ''Hello, I''m Yu Jin-Ho, Vice-Chairman of the Solo Play Guild'' . That seriously tormented him . He couldn''t be sure of why, but a corner of his heart ached every time he imagined himself saying those words . However, how could he dare to rebel against a name that hyung-nim had worked so hard to come up with? He resigned himself to that fate but then, a heaven-sent opportunity came knocking in his way! "Hyung-nim, let''s go with that as our Guild''s name!" Jin-Woo made his decision after receiving his partner''s genuine consent this time . "Okay, so we decided on the Guild''s name, finally . " Yu Jin-Ho began crying out in elation inwardly after hearing Jin-Woo make that declaration . Meanwhile, the latter rubbed his chin and muttered out . "The remaining issue is the last founding member slot, isn''t it?" "Oh, that . Hyung-nim?" "Yeah?" "What happened to Cha Hae-In Hunter-nim yesterday?" "I don''t think it''ll work out with Hunter Cha . She''s not exactly who I''ve been looking for . " ''Keok?!'' Yu Jin-Ho hastily swallowed a shocked gasp . He expected his hyung-nim to hold a high standard, but to think that he''d not be satisfied with a Hunter on Cha Hae-In''s level! Hunter Cha Hae-In was a rank S, she was still very young, her records were excellent, and to top them all off, she was beautiful as well . No matter from which angle, she was pretty much perfect . At least, from the perspective of an ''average'' joe, that was . However, would the word ''average'' even apply to his hyung-nim? ''I mean, he almost swept away all the rank S monsters by himself in the first public raid he participated in as a rank S, after all . '' It''d be oh-so-obvious that ''regular'' rank S Hunters wouldn''t even be able to catch his attention . But, if that was the case then just what kind of a Hunter would satisfy hyung-nim''s strict judging criteria? It felt as if the hundreds of applications this yet-to-be-named Guild had received recently all due to the name of ''Seong Jin-Woo'' were about to be thrown into a trash heap now . ''But, I don''t think anyone will be better than Hunter Cha Hae-In among the rest of the applicants, though . . . . '' Yu Jin-Ho was suddenly beset with worry that the Guild might never get to open its door at this rate, and he cautiously asked Jin-Woo . "Excuse me, hyung-nim . What kind of a person are you looking for, anyway?" "Someone with a Hunter licence who doesn''t care much about the Guild''s activity but we can still place our trust in . " "Uh . . . . ?" Yu Jin-Ho thought up of a person meeting that criteria perfectly right away . ''Isn''t that . . . . . '' It was then . Knock, knock . Someone knocked on the office''s entrance . "Who is it?" Yu Jin-Ho stood up from his seat and opened the door . And he found two unfamiliar men standing there looking somewhat awkward and all . They were none other than Chairman Park Jong-Su and his deputy, Jeong Yun-Tae of the Knight Order Guild, who rushed up to Seoul to have a chat with Jin-Woo . Park Jong-Su recognised Jin-Woo first and formed a bright smile . "Oh! You''re here . " Jin-Woo got up from his seat and asked them . "Who are you?" "Ah, where are my manners?" Park Jong-Su hurriedly walked up closer and extended his hand out for a gentlemanly handshake . "I''m Park Jong-Su, the Master of the Knight Order . " Jin-Woo nodded his head in acceptance . Indeed, he thought he had seen this man''s face from somewhere before . Even if he wasn''t all that interested, he''d still recognise a Master of one of the five major Guilds in South Korea . Such a guy would constantly pop up in news and in television shows, after all . However, the Knight Order was a major Guild based in the city of Busan, so . . . . After that brief introduction, Jin-Woo could only tilt his head in confusion . "By the way, what brings the representatives from the Knight Order to Seoul like this, if I may ask?" "Ahh, the thing is . . . . " Park Jong-Su hesitated slightly before exchanging a couple of glances with Jeong Yun-Tae . With some difficulty, he opened his mouth . "We got assigned a pretty big fish among the rank A Gates, and . . . . " Hesitation disappeared from his eyes almost immediately as he carried on . "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, you won''t regret it from hearing us out, that much I assure you . Would you mind taking some time out of your day and listen to what I have to say?" *** [Citizens cowering in fear at the super-large Gate appearing before the Gwang-An-ri''s coastline . . . . ] [The Hunter''s Association, still deliberating on the raid permit . ] [Will the Knight Order Guild give up on the raid of Gwang-An-ri''s Gate?] [Will the nightmare of Jeju Island repeat itself?] Park Jong-Su picked one out of the many online news articles and then, played the video clip embedded in it . - Hey, look at that . Over there . Are you filming this? - Uh, uh . - Wow, how is that even possible? How can a Gate be that huge? The video footage, obviously taken by a civilian, contained the crowd''s scared voices as its BGM . But, that was understandable ¨C the Gate in the video was just nonsensically too large . It was taller than a ten-story building, even . This particular Gate was so big that it managed to terrify even those citizens who were now pretty much numbed by the smaller Gates popping up almost everywhere without warning these days . "The size of a Gate and its ranking don''t always line up, but . . . . " Park Jong-Su ended the video playback and further explained himself . "As befitting its nonsensical size, it''s also apparently busy dumping out a massive amount of magic energy as well . " Jin-Woo''s eyes began gleaming from this rather interesting piece of news . "Is it a rank S?" "We''ve been told that it hasn''t reached the rank of ''unable to measure'', but just below the threshold, apparently . It''s supposed to be the largest Gate to ever appear in Busan . " Meaning, although it was nominally a rank A, it was far closer to being a rank S, instead . ''If that''s the case, I can expect a fair bit of experience points, can''t I?'' In contrary to Jin-Woo''s heart quietly gearing up to pump even faster, Park Jong-Su''s voice sounded quite bitter as he carried on . "As you can see from those headlines, the Association doesn''t want to issue us the raid permit . " "Is it because it''ll be too dangerous?" "Our Guild lacks a rank S Hunter, as you might have heard . From the perspective of the Hunter''s Association, they can''t trust us to get the job done . " Park Jong-Su stopped talking there and sneaked a glance at Jin-Woo . "If you are still searching for a Guild to join, then how about . . . . . ?" Before Park Jong-Su had the chance to finish his sentence, Jin-Woo pointed at the cover of a file lying on the top of the conference table . One could quite clearly see the title written on the upper half of the cover . [List of applicants for the Guild founding member spot] Park Jong-Su embarrassedly scratched the back of his head and nodded once . "Aha . . . . " And with that, Park Jong-Su''s hope-against-hope attempt at reeling Jin-Woo to the Knight Order Guild went down the drain . In that case, it was time to get to the meat of the story . "The elite Hunters of our Knight Order are in no way inferior compared to those from the Hunters Guild . It''s just that we don''t have a rank S who can lead our rank As . That''s all . " They had done well up until this point, but ''anything'' could happen during this particular raid . In case that worried ''anything'' happens, they definitely needed the presence of the top-ranked Hunter . Just a single rank S Hunter would be enough to reverse any situation . Right now, there was no need to search for one from afar . Because, he was sitting right here . Just as the Hunters of the Korean team were facing complete and utter annihilation, this young man appeared out of nowhere and overturned the situation all by himself . Such a man was sitting right in front of him . More than that, now that he could see Hunter Seong Jin-Woo up close . . . . Even though they were the same Hunters, this man simply instilled trust and confidence in others . ''An autograph . . . . If I ask him, will he give me one?'' Suddenly, Park Jong-Su could understand where the Healer Jeong Ye-Rim was coming from, back when she asked him to get at least an autograph even if Seong Jin-Woo said no to the idea of cooperation . "Is there something on my face?" "Oh, no . Not at all . " Park Jong-Su smiled and waved his hand about before carrying on . "Actually, I believe that we''ll get the raid permit for this Gate if you decide to cooperate with our assault team, Hunter-nim . " Jin-Woo crossed his arms and leaned against the back of his chair . Before his pondering could get any deeper, though, Park Jong-Su hurriedly added on . "Of course, we will definitely make sure not to treat you poorly . " With a smile still etched on his face, he pulled out the prepared contract . "We will hand over 20% of the revenue generated from this dungeon . " He was saying that one of the major Guilds was prepared to submit two-tenths of the potential profit from a Gate to a freelancer . Now that was an unimaginable offer for a regular Hunter . Now typically, a rank S Hunter would only commend around ten percent of the overall revenue when a large Guild raided a dungeon . But the Knight Order was offering up double of that norm . As Park Jong-Su had said, this certainly wasn''t a ''poor'' treatment by any stretch of the imagination . Unfortunately, Jin-Woo''s thoughts were a bit different . "Fifty-fifty split . " Park Jong-Su''s hand flinched momentarily as it was about to pull out a pen that was supposed to help Jin-Woo sign the contract . "If you agree to consider me not as a freelancer but as a Guild, then I shall cooperate with you . " Jin-Woo made sure that declaration was heard loud and clear . An earthquake erupted within Park Jong-Su''s eyes at the suggestion of splitting the revenue in half . ''Keu-heuk . . . !'' However, he didn''t have any means to come out as strongly as Jin-Woo here . It was not an exaggeration to say that the fate of his Knight Order Guild depended on this raid . Meanwhile, Jin-Woo was inwardly clicking his tongue . ''I mean, twenty percent is just not on, don''t you think so?'' He wasn''t trying to exploit the urgent situation the Knight Order Guild found themselves in . But, when calculated from all possible angles, the most sensible ratio of splitting the loot was 50:50 . ''Even if they are the elites of the Knight Order, are they as good as my Shadow Soldiers?'' Either in number or even in quality, they were incomparable . Not only that, his side even included a rank S Hunter, too . If the commission received for all that potential was measly 20%, then that was as good as working for free . Was there a reason why he should give up on what was rightfully his when both sides were making a straightforward deal in the name of mutual benefit? Besides, Jin-Woo also didn''t want to lower his own worth, as well . "In that case, how about 40 to 60 . . . . . " "Apologies, but I''m not trying to negotiate with the Knight Order Guild here . " "Does that mean you won''t accept anything less than 50:50 split?" Instead of a verbal answer, Jin-Woo nodded once as his reply . ''Groan . . . . '' Park Jong-Su fell into deep thought . ''I thought things would work out easily enough because he''s still young and looks friendly, but I see now that he is no pushover . '' But, that made sense . He was someone that not even the combined might of South Korea''s rank S Hunters could defeat . Park Jong-Su was trying to add such a Hunter to his assault team . He suddenly realised that this young man''s demand might not be as outlandish as it sounded initially . ''No, that''s not right . '' Park Jong-Su shook his head . An outlandish demand? If the other party decided to come out hard and unforgiving, then forget about 50:50, he''d have demanded 80% of the loot for himself, instead . Regardless of what, the one in the bind was not Hunter Seong Jin-Woo in this situation . The losses to the Knight Order after giving up on this raid would be too enormous to even properly take a guess . But, what would this young man lose in return? Absolutely nothing at all . Actually, this was the same thing as this young man unwillingly being dragged into the negotiation table by the other party . But then, he was only demanding half of the share, so wasn''t he being quite considerate here? ''Is that all?'' If this deal does go through, then the Knight Order would be taking out the most trustworthy insurance policy in South Korea, otherwise known as Seong Jin-Woo . Inexplicably, Park Jong-Su recalled what Jeong Yun-Tae told him yesterday . ["Hyung-nim . If that thing turns out to be a Red Gate, then we''ll all die for sure . "] However, what if Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was accompanying them? This young man didn''t even bet an eyelid as he faced off against thousands of rank S monsters . And, didn''t Park Jong-Su personally confirm how the ants of Jeju all ended up? ''Right, that happened, didn''t it?'' Only now did he remember that the man responsible for wiping all those ants out was sitting right in front of him . Gulp . Dry saliva painfully slid down Park Jong-Su''s throat . He witnessed with his own two eyes the killing field filled with massacred ants, but here he was, busy yapping on about 20 to 80 split with the man responsible . ''Yup, the rude one was actually me, wasn''t it?'' Park Jong-Su finally admitted to his oversight . And then, he became deeply grateful for Jin-Woo''s gracious counteroffer . However, being grateful would have to wait . The offer from the other side meant that he''d be taking a step back, so in return, he needed to take something away as well if the fairness of the deal was to be reached . So, then . What should he do now? After a lengthy bout of deep deliberation, Park Jong-Su cautiously raised his voice . "Alright, we will accept . In return . . . . " "In return?" "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, can you take on the boss monster by yourself?" < Chapter 137 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 137: Chapter 137 . "HUH?". The answer sounded the same but its ''nuance'' was rather a lot different than the one that came before . If she was kidding around just now, then she was dead serious this time "What''s wrong? You think it''s weird?". " . Oppa, why are you naming your Guild like that?". "Because I like moving around solo . ". "It does sound like you, but still, isn''t it a bit strange to name your Guild like that?". "Why?". "Isn''t your ability summoning out those black-armoured soldiers?". "Yeah . ". "So, if you get technical about it, you aren''t fighting alone, right?". Now that he heard her opinion, that made some sense . Jin-Woo nodded his head ''I may think of it as just another one of my skills but it won''t look that way to other people, is that it?''. Indeed, she had a point there This Guild might end up accompanying him for the rest of his life, so he wanted to give it a name that best represented who he was . And that''s why he went with ''Solo Play'', but now . ''If the true meaning doesn''t come across all that well, it''ll be useless . ''. What could be another term that could describe him the best?. Jin-Woo asked his sister''s opinion again "How about ''Ah-Jin'' Guild?". "Ahjin?". Jin-Ah mouthed the name for a bit, before asking him back with a smile "I kinda like it, cuz it sounds like my name but flipped around . But, what does it even mean?". "Ah (ÎÒ) means ''myself'' and Jin (ßM) means ''moving forward'' . ". Meaning, only he could tread on this road . And it was a name he wanted to give to the Guild that would grow alongside him "Combine them together, and you get the meaning of ''I shall progress forward'' . That''s Ah-Jin (ÎÒßM) . ". "Ohh . ". Jin-Ah came up with the best praise she could think of "You know, that doesn''t sound bad at all . ". ***. Next day Jin-Woo went to the office armed with the new Guild name "Hey . It''s about the Guild''s name ". Yu Jin-Ho had been in the office since early morning, working . When he heard the new name from Jin-Woo, a brilliant smile formed on his face "That is an excellent name, hyung-nim!!". Didn''t they say that a swan floating elegantly on water was kicking furiously under the surface? Yu Jin-Ho had been feeling as desperate as that old saying ''Whatever it is, everything will be fine as long as it''s not Solo Play . ''. He imagined ''it'' so, so many times already . And that would be him introducing himself as ''Hello, I''m Yu Jin-Ho, Vice-Chairman of the Solo Play Guild'' That seriously tormented him He couldn''t be sure of why, but a corner of his heart ached every time he imagined himself saying those words . However, how could he dare to rebel against a name that hyung-nim had worked so hard to come up with?. He resigned himself to that fate but then, a heaven-sent opportunity came knocking in his way!. "Hyung-nim, let''s go with that as our Guild''s name!". Jin-Woo made his decision after receiving his partner''s genuine consent this time "Okay, so we decided on the Guild''s name, finally . ". Yu Jin-Ho began crying out in elation inwardly after hearing Jin-Woo make that declaration . Meanwhile, the latter rubbed his chin and muttered out "The remaining issue is the last founding member slot, isn''t it?". "Oh, that . Hyung-nim?". "Yeah?". "What happened to Cha Hae-In Hunter-nim yesterday?". "I don''t think it''ll work out with Hunter Cha . She''s not exactly who I''ve been looking for . ". ''Keok?!''. Yu Jin-Ho hastily swallowed a shocked gasp . He expected his hyung-nim to hold a high standard, but to think that he''d not be satisfied with a Hunter on Cha Hae-In''s level!. Hunter Cha Hae-In was a rank S, she was still very young, her records were excellent, and to top them all off, she was beautiful as well . No matter from which angle, she was pretty much perfect . At least, from the perspective of an ''average'' joe, that was However, would the word ''average'' even apply to his hyung-nim?. ''I mean, he almost swept away all the rank S monsters by himself in the first public raid he participated in as a rank S, after all . ''. It''d be oh-so-obvious that ''regular'' rank S Hunters wouldn''t even be able to catch his attention . But, if that was the case then just what kind of a Hunter would satisfy hyung-nim''s strict judging criteria?. It felt as if the hundreds of applications this yet-to-be-named Guild had received recently all due to the name of ''Seong Jin-Woo'' were about to be thrown into a trash heap now ''But, I don''t think anyone will be better than Hunter Cha Hae-In among the rest of the applicants, though ''. Yu Jin-Ho was suddenly beset with worry that the Guild might never get to open its door at this rate, and he cautiously asked Jin-Woo "Excuse me, hyung-nim . What kind of a person are you looking for, anyway?". "Someone with a Hunter licence who doesn''t care much about the Guild''s activity but we can still place our trust in . ". "Uh ?". Yu Jin-Ho thought up of a person meeting that criteria perfectly right away ''Isn''t that . ''. It was then Knock, knock Someone knocked on the office''s entrance "Who is it?". Yu Jin-Ho stood up from his seat and opened the door . And he found two unfamiliar men standing there looking somewhat awkward and all They were none other than Chairman Park Jong-Su and his deputy, Jeong Yun-Tae of the Knight Order Guild, who rushed up to Seoul to have a chat with Jin-Woo Park Jong-Su recognised Jin-Woo first and formed a bright smile "Oh! You''re here . ". Jin-Woo got up from his seat and asked them "Who are you?". "Ah, where are my manners?". Park Jong-Su hurriedly walked up closer and extended his hand out for a gentlemanly handshake "I''m Park Jong-Su, the Master of the Knight Order . ". Jin-Woo nodded his head in acceptance . Indeed, he thought he had seen this man''s face from somewhere before . Even if he wasn''t all that interested, he''d still recognise a Master of one of the five major Guilds in South Korea . Such a guy would constantly pop up in news and in television shows, after all However, the Knight Order was a major Guild based in the city of Busan, so . After that brief introduction, Jin-Woo could only tilt his head in confusion "By the way, what brings the representatives from the Knight Order to Seoul like this, if I may ask?". "Ahh, the thing is ". Park Jong-Su hesitated slightly before exchanging a couple of glances with Jeong Yun-Tae . With some difficulty, he opened his mouth "We got assigned a pretty big fish among the rank A Gates, and ". Hesitation disappeared from his eyes almost immediately as he carried on "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, you won''t regret it from hearing us out, that much I assure you . Would you mind taking some time out of your day and listen to what I have to say?". ***. [Citizens cowering in fear at the super-large Gate appearing before the Gwang-An-ri''s coastline ]. [The Hunter''s Association, still deliberating on the raid permit . ]. [Will the Knight Order Guild give up on the raid of Gwang-An-ri''s Gate?]. [Will the nightmare of Jeju Island repeat itself?]. Park Jong-Su picked one out of the many online news articles and then, played the video clip embedded in it - Hey, look at that . Over there . Are you filming this?. - Uh, uh - Wow, how is that even possible? How can a Gate be that huge?. The video footage, obviously taken by a civilian, contained the crowd''s scared voices as its BGM . But, that was understandable ¨C the Gate in the video was just nonsensically too large . It was taller than a ten-story building, even This particular Gate was so big that it managed to terrify even those citizens who were now pretty much numbed by the smaller Gates popping up almost everywhere without warning these days "The size of a Gate and its ranking don''t always line up, but ". Park Jong-Su ended the video playback and further explained himself "As befitting its nonsensical size, it''s also apparently busy dumping out a massive amount of magic energy as well . ". Jin-Woo''s eyes began gleaming from this rather interesting piece of news "Is it a rank S?". "We''ve been told that it hasn''t reached the rank of ''unable to measure'', but just below the threshold, apparently . It''s supposed to be the largest Gate to ever appear in Busan . ". Meaning, although it was nominally a rank A, it was far closer to being a rank S, instead ''If that''s the case, I can expect a fair bit of experience points, can''t I?''. In contrary to Jin-Woo''s heart quietly gearing up to pump even faster, Park Jong-Su''s voice sounded quite bitter as he carried on "As you can see from those headlines, the Association doesn''t want to issue us the raid permit . ". "Is it because it''ll be too dangerous?". "Our Guild lacks a rank S Hunter, as you might have heard . From the perspective of the Hunter''s Association, they can''t trust us to get the job done . ". Park Jong-Su stopped talking there and sneaked a glance at Jin-Woo "If you are still searching for a Guild to join, then how about . ?". Before Park Jong-Su had the chance to finish his sentence, Jin-Woo pointed at the cover of a file lying on the top of the conference table One could quite clearly see the title written on the upper half of the cover [List of applicants for the Guild founding member spot]. Park Jong-Su embarrassedly scratched the back of his head and nodded once "Aha ". And with that, Park Jong-Su''s hope-against-hope attempt at reeling Jin-Woo to the Knight Order Guild went down the drain . In that case, it was time to get to the meat of the story "The elite Hunters of our Knight Order are in no way inferior compared to those from the Hunters Guild . It''s just that we don''t have a rank S who can lead our rank As . That''s all . ". They had done well up until this point, but ''anything'' could happen during this particular raid . In case that worried ''anything'' happens, they definitely needed the presence of the top-ranked Hunter Just a single rank S Hunter would be enough to reverse any situation Right now, there was no need to search for one from afar . Because, he was sitting right here Just as the Hunters of the Korean team were facing complete and utter annihilation, this young man appeared out of nowhere and overturned the situation all by himself . Such a man was sitting right in front of him More than that, now that he could see Hunter Seong Jin-Woo up close Even though they were the same Hunters, this man simply instilled trust and confidence in others ''An autograph If I ask him, will he give me one?''. Suddenly, Park Jong-Su could understand where the Healer Jeong Ye-Rim was coming from, back when she asked him to get at least an autograph even if Seong Jin-Woo said no to the idea of cooperation "Is there something on my face?". "Oh, no . Not at all . ". Park Jong-Su smiled and waved his hand about before carrying on "Actually, I believe that we''ll get the raid permit for this Gate if you decide to cooperate with our assault team, Hunter-nim . ". Jin-Woo crossed his arms and leaned against the back of his chair . Before his pondering could get any deeper, though, Park Jong-Su hurriedly added on "Of course, we will definitely make sure not to treat you poorly . ". With a smile still etched on his face, he pulled out the prepared contract "We will hand over 20% of the revenue generated from this dungeon . ". He was saying that one of the major Guilds was prepared to submit two-tenths of the potential profit from a Gate to a freelancer . Now that was an unimaginable offer for a regular Hunter Now typically, a rank S Hunter would only commend around ten percent of the overall revenue when a large Guild raided a dungeon . But the Knight Order was offering up double of that norm . As Park Jong-Su had said, this certainly wasn''t a ''poor'' treatment by any stretch of the imagination Unfortunately, Jin-Woo''s thoughts were a bit different "Fifty-fifty split . ". Park Jong-Su''s hand flinched momentarily as it was about to pull out a pen that was supposed to help Jin-Woo sign the contract "If you agree to consider me not as a freelancer but as a Guild, then I shall cooperate with you . ". Jin-Woo made sure that declaration was heard loud and clear An earthquake erupted within Park Jong-Su''s eyes at the suggestion of splitting the revenue in half ''Keu-heuk . !''. However, he didn''t have any means to come out as strongly as Jin-Woo here . It was not an exaggeration to say that the fate of his Knight Order Guild depended on this raid Meanwhile, Jin-Woo was inwardly clicking his tongue ''I mean, twenty percent is just not on, don''t you think so?''. He wasn''t trying to exploit the urgent situation the Knight Order Guild found themselves in . But, when calculated from all possible angles, the most sensible ratio of splitting the loot was 50:50 ''Even if they are the elites of the Knight Order, are they as good as my Shadow Soldiers?''. Either in number or even in quality, they were incomparable . Not only that, his side even included a rank S Hunter, too . If the commission received for all that potential was measly 20%, then that was as good as working for free Was there a reason why he should give up on what was rightfully his when both sides were making a straightforward deal in the name of mutual benefit? Besides, Jin-Woo also didn''t want to lower his own worth, as well "In that case, how about 40 to 60 . ". "Apologies, but I''m not trying to negotiate with the Knight Order Guild here . ". "Does that mean you won''t accept anything less than 50:50 split?". Instead of a verbal answer, Jin-Woo nodded once as his reply ''Groan ''. Park Jong-Su fell into deep thought ''I thought things would work out easily enough because he''s still young and looks friendly, but I see now that he is no pushover . ''. But, that made sense . He was someone that not even the combined might of South Korea''s rank S Hunters could defeat Park Jong-Su was trying to add such a Hunter to his assault team . He suddenly realised that this young man''s demand might not be as outlandish as it sounded initially ''No, that''s not right . ''. Park Jong-Su shook his head An outlandish demand?. If the other party decided to come out hard and unforgiving, then forget about 50:50, he''d have demanded 80% of the loot for himself, instead . Regardless of what, the one in the bind was not Hunter Seong Jin-Woo in this situation The losses to the Knight Order after giving up on this raid would be too enormous to even properly take a guess . But, what would this young man lose in return?. Absolutely nothing at all Actually, this was the same thing as this young man unwillingly being dragged into the negotiation table by the other party . But then, he was only demanding half of the share, so wasn''t he being quite considerate here?. ''Is that all?''. If this deal does go through, then the Knight Order would be taking out the most trustworthy insurance policy in South Korea, otherwise known as Seong Jin-Woo Inexplicably, Park Jong-Su recalled what Jeong Yun-Tae told him yesterday ["Hyung-nim . If that thing turns out to be a Red Gate, then we''ll all die for sure . "]. However, what if Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was accompanying them? This young man didn''t even bet an eyelid as he faced off against thousands of rank S monsters And, didn''t Park Jong-Su personally confirm how the ants of Jeju all ended up?. ''Right, that happened, didn''t it?''. Only now did he remember that the man responsible for wiping all those ants out was sitting right in front of him Gulp Dry saliva painfully slid down Park Jong-Su''s throat He witnessed with his own two eyes the killing field filled with massacred ants, but here he was, busy yapping on about 20 to 80 split with the man responsible ''Yup, the rude one was actually me, wasn''t it?''. Park Jong-Su finally admitted to his oversight . And then, he became deeply grateful for Jin-Woo''s gracious counteroffer However, being grateful would have to wait The offer from the other side meant that he''d be taking a step back, so in return, he needed to take something away as well if the fairness of the deal was to be reached So, then . What should he do now?. After a lengthy bout of deep deliberation, Park Jong-Su cautiously raised his voice "Alright, we will accept . In return ". "In return?". "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, can you take on the boss monster by yourself?". < Chapter 137 > Fin Chapter 138 Park Jong-Su''s expression became sombre as he resolved himself to at least get this much out of the negotiation . The boss-level monsters were responsible for the majority of losses suffered in dungeons . And to minimise the potential losses to his raid team, Park Jong-Su made an aggressive move and asked Jin-Woo to deal with the boss monster, instead . ''With the strength Hunter Seong Jin-Woo displayed back inside the ant tunnel, he should be able to deal with the boss monster all by himself . '' Feeling nervous that this offer would be rejected, Park Jong-Su kept his mouth shut and waited for Jin-Woo''s answer . However, in a complete contrast to Park Jong-Su and his gradually-stiffening face as time ticked by . . . . ''Keu-heuph . . . . '' In order to hide a smirk trying to break out of his lips, Jin-Woo lifted the hand previously supporting his chin right up below his nose and covered the entirety of his mouth . Then, formed an impressive frown . He wanted to look as if he was giving it a very serious consideration here . And it worked wonders . Park Jong-Su forgot all about the passage of time and solely concentrated on Jin-Woo''s decision, as his hands were soaked in sweat . After a long while, Jin-Woo let out a soft sigh, and then . . . . "Alright . " ¡­ . Continued on with what he wanted to say . "We''ll do it that way . " Park Jung-Ho''s two hands, hidden under the table, clenched into tight fists . ''Yes! It''s done!'' Just from hearing Jin-Woo''s consent, Park Jong-Su felt that all his worries and burdens weighing down on his shoulders were being washed away . Why did he even waste his time worrying about this problem until now? He should''ve done this from the very beginning . For the first time since leaving Busan, the frozen-stiff face of Park Jong-Su broke out into a bright smile . The only remaining thing now was to contact the Association and get the raid permit . What with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo agreeing to cooperate, there was no point in hesitating anymore . "It''s been some time since the Gate first appeared, so at the latest, we need to start the raid tomorrow . " "Then, I''ll see you tomorrow . " "Ah . " Park Jong-Su stopped packing his stuff and hurriedly made a suggestion . "Instead of that, how about we travel south together in our car?" Since they were going to meet again tomorrow anyway, wouldn''t it be more efficient to move around together, instead of making a promise like this? Park Jong-Su made his suggestion with that in mind . "We''ll guide you to the best hotel in the city, and we will also pay for your lodging . " However, there was no reason for Jin-Woo to travel a long distance inside a cramped car . All he had to do was to insert one of his Shadow Soldiers inside Park Jong-Su''s shadow, and that''d be it . With that, he''d never get lost and would never be late, either . He sneaked a glance at the circular-shaped shadow crawling away on the floor and came up with a suitable excuse . "I already made a prior arrangement for this evening, so it''ll be difficult for me to go with you . " "Aha!" "But, don''t worry . I''ll definitely make it in time . " There was no way a Master of a Guild like himself would be late to a party, after all! It was then . Jeong Yun-Tae, the Vice-Chair of the Knight Order, had to leave the conference suite briefly to take care of some "personal business" earlier on . He was just about to walk back inside, but he stopped and screamed at the top of his lungs . "H-hyung-nim!!" Park Jong-Su panicked and jumped up to take a wild look around him . "What?! What now?!" "The shadow! It just moved! From that side to this side!" Park Jong-Su froze up for a second, before he stood straight back up and glared at Jeong Yun-Tae . "Hey, Yun-Tae . . . . Are you drunk right now?" " . . . . " Sensing the atmosphere had suddenly gotten a bit chilly all of a sudden, Jeong Yun-Tae forgot what he wanted to say and rubbed below his nose with his index finger . "I said, are you drunk right now?" "Uhm, I had a couple of beer as an appetizer back in the motorway service station, hyung-nim . " "Didn''t I say that you gotta be more mindful when we''re trying to conduct official business?" "I''m sorry, hyung-nim . " Jeong Yun-Tae bowed to Park Jong-Su, before bowing to Jin-Woo as well . "I''m sorry, Hunter-nim . " Park Jong-Su proceeded to push the back of Jeong Yun-Tae''s head further down and bowed himself as well . "This guy here, he means well, but he also sometimes spews out nonsense with a couple of drinks in him . I apologise if we ended up making a fuss . " "No, it''s fine . I mean, shadows can move around sometimes . " And so, as the meeting was coming to an end in a friendly atmosphere, Jin-Woo''s phone resting on the conference table suddenly vibrated . Vrrrrr . . . . ''Who''s this?'' He took a look at the caller, but he couldn''t recognise the number . "Excuse me . I''ll have to answer this call . " "Ah, yes . " Jin-Woo asked for his guests'' understanding like a gentleman and made his exit from the conference suite . Both Jeong Yun-Tae, responsible for making a bit of racket just now, and Park Jong-Su with his nervous heart, spat out a long, long sigh of relief . Soon after that, though, Jeong Yun-Tae tilted his head and softly muttered to himself . "Argh, but the shadow really moved . . . . " "Imma just . . . . You!" Jeong Yun-Tae finally shut his mouth up over this matter after being subjected to Park Jong-Su''s fierce glare . After a short silence . . . . Jeong Yun-Tae grew curious about the result of the negotiation and opened his mouth again . "Hyung-nim, so, like, what happened?" "What do you mean, what happened? He agreed to cooperate . " "Now that''s great news!" The previously-tense face of Jeong Yun-Tae brightened up immediately . A wide grin still attached to his face, he asked some more . "By the way, did you ask him about joining our Guild?" "Don''t even bring that up . He shows me this, saying that he''s making a Guild for himself . " Just like what Jin-Woo did earlier, Park Jong-Su picked up the file [List of applicants for the Guild founding member spot] and showed it to his companion . Jeong Yun-Tae cackled to himself . "The Guild situation in Korea has more or less been stabilised by now, so how big would his Guild get by making one at this stage? If he just joined up with ours, he''d be treated like a king, yet he''s willing to go through so much pain for nothing here . " "Yeah, what a shame that is . " Park Jong-Su licked his lips in regret over the missed opportunity and tried to put the file back in its original position, but then, an application form slipped out of there . He got startled and quickly picked it back up only for his expression to freeze up right there . "Huh?" A photo of a rather familiar-looking woman was attached to the application form . "Keok!" Even Jeong Yun-Tae''s expression froze up as well . "H-hyung-nim, isn''t she . . . . . ??" Jeong Yun-Tae couldn''t believe it even though he saw it with his own two eyes . Park Jong-Su nodded his head as a confirmation . "Uh, you''re right . That''s the Vice-Chair of the Hunters Guild . " Jeong Yun-Tae silently observed Cha Hae-In''s photo for a bit, before sneakily checking out Park Jong-Su''s mood . "Hyung-nim . Shouldn''t we also do stuff like mergers and acquisitions?" Right away, Park Jong-Su''s expression crumpled . "You dang idiot . . . . " *** After making his way out of the conference suite, Jin-Woo tapped on the ''Answer'' icon . Then, a familiar voice came out of the phone''s speaker . - "Son?" After confirming who it was, Jin-Woo felt rather relieved but at the same time, felt a bit rueful as well . "Mom, did you buy a new phone?" - "Ng . I wanted to hear your voice as soon as I got it, so I called you abruptly like this . I hope that I didn''t interrupt you while you were doing something important . " Jin-Woo glanced at the conference suite with two people from the Knight Order Guild still inside and smirked slightly . "Nah, it''s fine, Mom . " - "That''s a relief . By the way, I don''t know if I bought the right phone . I''m just not used to this sort of things . " "Did you go to the store alone? Why didn''t you take Jin-Ah along with you?" - "She''s busy with her studies, so I shouldn''t disturb her . " It''d been nice if Mom thought of herself instead of her children every once in a while . Jin-Woo ended the call with his mom and sighed softly under his breath . However, why did he feel a bit disappointed when he found out that the call was from his mom? ''What was I waiting for?'' Jin-Woo smirked to himself and pocketed the phone, before raising his head up . Renewed vigour was gleaming brightly in his eyes . He was about to breathe in the dungeon air again tomorrow, all thanks to the nice guys of the Knight Order coming to visit him like this . ''A rank A Gate that''s close to being a rank S, is it?'' It felt as if he hadn''t cut loose and went all out in a long while now . Hadn''t it been a week already since the end of the Jeju Island raid? Besides entering that rank B Gate, he hadn''t done anything worthy of mention lately . Ba-dump, ba-dump . . . . His heart began pounding away again after a long while of nothing much happening, and Jin-Woo hyped himself up for tomorrow''s raid . *** The cream of the Knight Order''s crop had gathered in one place . They were all in a buzz right now from anticipation and excitement . It couldn''t be helped, though . They would probably have had to take a big gamble with their lives by going on this raid . And if it turned into a Red Gate, then avoiding a complete annihilation would have been impossible . But then, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo agreed to join them on such a raid . "Kyahhk!" The one to come up with this idea, Jeong Ye-Rim, cried out in happiness when she first heard the news of Seong Jin-Woo''s participation . Other Hunters also rejoiced in their own ways at the knowledge that a powerful safety net was about to cast below them . There was only one person among them feeling mighty nervous at the moment . And that would be the Master of the Knight Order Guild, Park Jong-Su . He couldn''t stay still and paced up and down in nervousness as he waited for Jin-Woo to show up . ''Aww . . . . I should''ve just brought him along with us yesterday . '' Park Jong-Su confirmed the time through his watch . It was five minutes before eleven in the morning . According to their schedule, the raid was supposed to get underway in five minutes . It was a little wonder that he was suffocating from anxiety, since the promised person hadn''t shown up yet . Without him, this raid couldn''t even get underway . The Hunter''s Association immediately issued the raid permit as soon as the Knight Order let them know of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s participation . It was as if they were waiting for this chance all along . There was little doubt that Seong Jin-Woo''s name had proven its worth there . But then, to start a raid without him around? ''Even if I put that aside . . . . . '' Park Jong-Su took a look at the faces of the raid team members . Would you look at those eyes filled with anticipation? This raid might not get underway not because of the Association, but because of his own Guild members, instead! ''There are three minutes remaining . . . '' Park Jong-Su pulled his phone out of sheer anxiousness, but he pocketed it again after mustering up a superhuman-level of patience . It''d be a bit rude to call someone who said he''d be here shortly about ten minutes ago, now wouldn''t it? However, he couldn''t sense anyone possessing great aura approaching this location, nor did he receive the call from Jin-Woo saying that he arrived at the vicinity . Park Jong-Su looked for something else to chew on instead of his innards, and eventually settled on a cigarette . ''Just where are you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-niiiim . . . . !'' * Around the same time . . . . Jin-Woo was stepping outside his apartment . He was kitted out in easy-to-move clothing and a pair of sneakers . He looked at his watch, and it said one minute before eleven AM . He raised his head up to see an overcast, gloomy sky . ''I wonder, did Jin-Ah take an umbrella with her in the morning?'' Such thoughts only lasted for a short while . ''Okay, time to make my way there, then . '' Jin-Woo pulled up the hood to hide his face as a smile crept up on his lips . First of all, he activated ''Stealth'', and then . . . . ''Shadow Exchange . '' He immediately swapped his position with the soldier currently in the shadow state . *** Meanwhile, somewhere in Jin-Ah''s high school . . . . Three male students and their faces were currently full of unhappiness at being asked to run an errand for their art teacher . "Isn''t this clearly exploitation of labour force?" "Yeah, I wonder about that myself . " "I mean, why are we doing something that guy was supposed to do it himself in the first place?" The male students continued to complain bitterly as they unlatched the bulky lock of the second art classroom, currently serving as their school''s storage unit . "Argh, look at all this dust . " "Bleurgh~ . " The thick coating of dust befitting a disused, forgotten storage greeted the trio of students . Several worn art supplies, pieces of paintings thrown away by their original owners, and plaster statues once used for sketch exercises lay discarded in this place . "Hey, how many of these plaster statues were we supposed to take with us?" "There are six of them here, so it must be six . " "Argh, come on . . . . That means we have to come back here again . " "Why don''t you carry four of them at the same time, then?" The male students rolled their sleeves up in order to carry the plaster figures away . But then, the student picking up the dusty figure tucked away at the deepest corner ended up discovering ''something'' else . "Uh?" After hearing his surprised-sounding voice, his friends quickly walked over to take a look . "Uh? Isn''t this . . . . ?" There was a large ''hole'' in the wall . It was a Gate about the size of an adult human . The biggest student among the trio smirked after taking a look at the Gate . "And here I was, wondering what was up . " The male student pressed his hand on the surface of the Gate and carried on . "A closed Gate like this one is safe . Only Hunters can go inside, and the things inside can''t come out, either . " It was then . Crack . A crack suddenly formed on the surface of the Gate and at the same time, a ''hand'' shot out to grab the head of the male student . "Huh?" The male student struggled fiercely to get out of the grip, but the hand didn''t even budge an inch . And then . . . Kwajeeck-!! Accompanying the sound of a hard surface of a fruit shattering into pieces, blood splattered all over the dust-filled storage . "Euh, euwaaaahk?!" "Joon-Seok-ah!!" And, as the two blood-soaked male students screamed out, the black ''curtain'' covering up the entrance of the Gate shattered like glass, and the monsters trapped inside began pouring out . < Chapter 138 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 138: Chapter 138 . Park Jong-Su''s expression became sombre as he resolved himself to at least get this much out of the negotiation The boss-level monsters were responsible for the majority of losses suffered in dungeons . And to minimise the potential losses to his raid team, Park Jong-Su made an aggressive move and asked Jin-Woo to deal with the boss monster, instead ''With the strength Hunter Seong Jin-Woo displayed back inside the ant tunnel, he should be able to deal with the boss monster all by himself . ''. Feeling nervous that this offer would be rejected, Park Jong-Su kept his mouth shut and waited for Jin-Woo''s answer . However, in a complete contrast to Park Jong-Su and his gradually-stiffening face as time ticked by . ''Keu-heuph ''. In order to hide a smirk trying to break out of his lips, Jin-Woo lifted the hand previously supporting his chin right up below his nose and covered the entirety of his mouth . Then, formed an impressive frown He wanted to look as if he was giving it a very serious consideration here . And it worked wonders Park Jong-Su forgot all about the passage of time and solely concentrated on Jin-Woo''s decision, as his hands were soaked in sweat After a long while, Jin-Woo let out a soft sigh, and then . "Alright . ". ¡­ . Continued on with what he wanted to say "We''ll do it that way . ". Park Jung-Ho''s two hands, hidden under the table, clenched into tight fists ''Yes! It''s done!''. Just from hearing Jin-Woo''s consent, Park Jong-Su felt that all his worries and burdens weighing down on his shoulders were being washed away Why did he even waste his time worrying about this problem until now? He should''ve done this from the very beginning For the first time since leaving Busan, the frozen-stiff face of Park Jong-Su broke out into a bright smile The only remaining thing now was to contact the Association and get the raid permit . What with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo agreeing to cooperate, there was no point in hesitating anymore "It''s been some time since the Gate first appeared, so at the latest, we need to start the raid tomorrow . ". "Then, I''ll see you tomorrow . ". "Ah . ". Park Jong-Su stopped packing his stuff and hurriedly made a suggestion "Instead of that, how about we travel south together in our car?". Since they were going to meet again tomorrow anyway, wouldn''t it be more efficient to move around together, instead of making a promise like this? Park Jong-Su made his suggestion with that in mind "We''ll guide you to the best hotel in the city, and we will also pay for your lodging . ". However, there was no reason for Jin-Woo to travel a long distance inside a cramped car . All he had to do was to insert one of his Shadow Soldiers inside Park Jong-Su''s shadow, and that''d be it With that, he''d never get lost and would never be late, either He sneaked a glance at the circular-shaped shadow crawling away on the floor and came up with a suitable excuse "I already made a prior arrangement for this evening, so it''ll be difficult for me to go with you . ". "Aha!". "But, don''t worry . I''ll definitely make it in time . ". There was no way a Master of a Guild like himself would be late to a party, after all!. It was then Jeong Yun-Tae, the Vice-Chair of the Knight Order, had to leave the conference suite briefly to take care of some "personal business" earlier on . He was just about to walk back inside, but he stopped and screamed at the top of his lungs "H-hyung-nim!!". Park Jong-Su panicked and jumped up to take a wild look around him "What?! What now?!". "The shadow! It just moved! From that side to this side!". Park Jong-Su froze up for a second, before he stood straight back up and glared at Jeong Yun-Tae "Hey, Yun-Tae Are you drunk right now?". " ". Sensing the atmosphere had suddenly gotten a bit chilly all of a sudden, Jeong Yun-Tae forgot what he wanted to say and rubbed below his nose with his index finger "I said, are you drunk right now?". "Uhm, I had a couple of beer as an appetizer back in the motorway service station, hyung-nim . ". "Didn''t I say that you gotta be more mindful when we''re trying to conduct official business?". "I''m sorry, hyung-nim . ". Jeong Yun-Tae bowed to Park Jong-Su, before bowing to Jin-Woo as well "I''m sorry, Hunter-nim . ". Park Jong-Su proceeded to push the back of Jeong Yun-Tae''s head further down and bowed himself as well "This guy here, he means well, but he also sometimes spews out nonsense with a couple of drinks in him . I apologise if we ended up making a fuss . ". "No, it''s fine . I mean, shadows can move around sometimes . ". And so, as the meeting was coming to an end in a friendly atmosphere, Jin-Woo''s phone resting on the conference table suddenly vibrated Vrrrrr . ''Who''s this?''. He took a look at the caller, but he couldn''t recognise the number "Excuse me . I''ll have to answer this call . ". "Ah, yes . ". Jin-Woo asked for his guests'' understanding like a gentleman and made his exit from the conference suite . Both Jeong Yun-Tae, responsible for making a bit of racket just now, and Park Jong-Su with his nervous heart, spat out a long, long sigh of relief Soon after that, though, Jeong Yun-Tae tilted his head and softly muttered to himself "Argh, but the shadow really moved ". "Imma just You!". Jeong Yun-Tae finally shut his mouth up over this matter after being subjected to Park Jong-Su''s fierce glare After a short silence . Jeong Yun-Tae grew curious about the result of the negotiation and opened his mouth again "Hyung-nim, so, like, what happened?". "What do you mean, what happened? He agreed to cooperate . ". "Now that''s great news!". The previously-tense face of Jeong Yun-Tae brightened up immediately . A wide grin still attached to his face, he asked some more "By the way, did you ask him about joining our Guild?". "Don''t even bring that up . He shows me this, saying that he''s making a Guild for himself . ". Just like what Jin-Woo did earlier, Park Jong-Su picked up the file [List of applicants for the Guild founding member spot] and showed it to his companion Jeong Yun-Tae cackled to himself "The Guild situation in Korea has more or less been stabilised by now, so how big would his Guild get by making one at this stage? If he just joined up with ours, he''d be treated like a king, yet he''s willing to go through so much pain for nothing here . ". "Yeah, what a shame that is . ". Park Jong-Su licked his lips in regret over the missed opportunity and tried to put the file back in its original position, but then, an application form slipped out of there . He got startled and quickly picked it back up only for his expression to freeze up right there "Huh?". A photo of a rather familiar-looking woman was attached to the application form "Keok!". Even Jeong Yun-Tae''s expression froze up as well "H-hyung-nim, isn''t she . ??". Jeong Yun-Tae couldn''t believe it even though he saw it with his own two eyes . Park Jong-Su nodded his head as a confirmation "Uh, you''re right . That''s the Vice-Chair of the Hunters Guild . ". Jeong Yun-Tae silently observed Cha Hae-In''s photo for a bit, before sneakily checking out Park Jong-Su''s mood "Hyung-nim . Shouldn''t we also do stuff like mergers and acquisitions?". Right away, Park Jong-Su''s expression crumpled "You dang idiot ". ***. After making his way out of the conference suite, Jin-Woo tapped on the ''Answer'' icon . Then, a familiar voice came out of the phone''s speaker - "Son?". After confirming who it was, Jin-Woo felt rather relieved but at the same time, felt a bit rueful as well "Mom, did you buy a new phone?". - "Ng . I wanted to hear your voice as soon as I got it, so I called you abruptly like this . I hope that I didn''t interrupt you while you were doing something important . ". Jin-Woo glanced at the conference suite with two people from the Knight Order Guild still inside and smirked slightly "Nah, it''s fine, Mom . ". - "That''s a relief . By the way, I don''t know if I bought the right phone . I''m just not used to this sort of things . ". "Did you go to the store alone? Why didn''t you take Jin-Ah along with you?". - "She''s busy with her studies, so I shouldn''t disturb her . ". It''d been nice if Mom thought of herself instead of her children every once in a while . Jin-Woo ended the call with his mom and sighed softly under his breath However, why did he feel a bit disappointed when he found out that the call was from his mom?. ''What was I waiting for?''. Jin-Woo smirked to himself and pocketed the phone, before raising his head up . Renewed vigour was gleaming brightly in his eyes He was about to breathe in the dungeon air again tomorrow, all thanks to the nice guys of the Knight Order coming to visit him like this ''A rank A Gate that''s close to being a rank S, is it?''. It felt as if he hadn''t cut loose and went all out in a long while now . Hadn''t it been a week already since the end of the Jeju Island raid? Besides entering that rank B Gate, he hadn''t done anything worthy of mention lately Ba-dump, ba-dump . His heart began pounding away again after a long while of nothing much happening, and Jin-Woo hyped himself up for tomorrow''s raid ***. The cream of the Knight Order''s crop had gathered in one place . They were all in a buzz right now from anticipation and excitement . It couldn''t be helped, though They would probably have had to take a big gamble with their lives by going on this raid . And if it turned into a Red Gate, then avoiding a complete annihilation would have been impossible But then, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo agreed to join them on such a raid "Kyahhk!". The one to come up with this idea, Jeong Ye-Rim, cried out in happiness when she first heard the news of Seong Jin-Woo''s participation . Other Hunters also rejoiced in their own ways at the knowledge that a powerful safety net was about to cast below them There was only one person among them feeling mighty nervous at the moment . And that would be the Master of the Knight Order Guild, Park Jong-Su . He couldn''t stay still and paced up and down in nervousness as he waited for Jin-Woo to show up ''Aww I should''ve just brought him along with us yesterday . ''. Park Jong-Su confirmed the time through his watch . It was five minutes before eleven in the morning . According to their schedule, the raid was supposed to get underway in five minutes It was a little wonder that he was suffocating from anxiety, since the promised person hadn''t shown up yet . Without him, this raid couldn''t even get underway The Hunter''s Association immediately issued the raid permit as soon as the Knight Order let them know of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s participation . It was as if they were waiting for this chance all along There was little doubt that Seong Jin-Woo''s name had proven its worth there . But then, to start a raid without him around?. ''Even if I put that aside . ''. Park Jong-Su took a look at the faces of the raid team members . Would you look at those eyes filled with anticipation? This raid might not get underway not because of the Association, but because of his own Guild members, instead!. ''There are three minutes remaining . ''. Park Jong-Su pulled his phone out of sheer anxiousness, but he pocketed it again after mustering up a superhuman-level of patience . It''d be a bit rude to call someone who said he''d be here shortly about ten minutes ago, now wouldn''t it?. However, he couldn''t sense anyone possessing great aura approaching this location, nor did he receive the call from Jin-Woo saying that he arrived at the vicinity Park Jong-Su looked for something else to chew on instead of his innards, and eventually settled on a cigarette ''Just where are you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-niiiim !''. *. Around the same time . Jin-Woo was stepping outside his apartment . He was kitted out in easy-to-move clothing and a pair of sneakers . He looked at his watch, and it said one minute before eleven AM . He raised his head up to see an overcast, gloomy sky ''I wonder, did Jin-Ah take an umbrella with her in the morning?''. Such thoughts only lasted for a short while ''Okay, time to make my way there, then . ''. Jin-Woo pulled up the hood to hide his face as a smile crept up on his lips . First of all, he activated ''Stealth'', and then . ''Shadow Exchange . ''. He immediately swapped his position with the soldier currently in the shadow state ***. Meanwhile, somewhere in Jin-Ah''s high school . Three male students and their faces were currently full of unhappiness at being asked to run an errand for their art teacher "Isn''t this clearly exploitation of labour force?". "Yeah, I wonder about that myself . ". "I mean, why are we doing something that guy was supposed to do it himself in the first place?". The male students continued to complain bitterly as they unlatched the bulky lock of the second art classroom, currently serving as their school''s storage unit "Argh, look at all this dust . ". "Bleurgh~ . ". The thick coating of dust befitting a disused, forgotten storage greeted the trio of students Several worn art supplies, pieces of paintings thrown away by their original owners, and plaster statues once used for sketch exercises lay discarded in this place "Hey, how many of these plaster statues were we supposed to take with us?". "There are six of them here, so it must be six . ". "Argh, come on That means we have to come back here again . ". "Why don''t you carry four of them at the same time, then?". The male students rolled their sleeves up in order to carry the plaster figures away . But then, the student picking up the dusty figure tucked away at the deepest corner ended up discovering ''something'' else "Uh?". After hearing his surprised-sounding voice, his friends quickly walked over to take a look "Uh? Isn''t this ?". There was a large ''hole'' in the wall . It was a Gate about the size of an adult human . The biggest student among the trio smirked after taking a look at the Gate "And here I was, wondering what was up . ". The male student pressed his hand on the surface of the Gate and carried on "A closed Gate like this one is safe . Only Hunters can go inside, and the things inside can''t come out, either . ". It was then Crack A crack suddenly formed on the surface of the Gate and at the same time, a ''hand'' shot out to grab the head of the male student "Huh?". The male student struggled fiercely to get out of the grip, but the hand didn''t even budge an inch And then Kwajeeck-!!. Accompanying the sound of a hard surface of a fruit shattering into pieces, blood splattered all over the dust-filled storage "Euh, euwaaaahk?!". "Joon-Seok-ah!!". And, as the two blood-soaked male students screamed out, the black ''curtain'' covering up the entrance of the Gate shattered like glass, and the monsters trapped inside began pouring out < Chapter 138 > Fin Chapter 139 Orcs were natural-born hunters . Their level of intelligence fell some way short of that of humans, but they easily exceeded humanity when it came to tracking and hunting prey weaker than they were . And now, the doorway had been shattered . The ''wall'' blocking the dungeon from the rest of the world was gone, and these hunters began pouring out from the Gate . "Kururuk . " "Keuk . " The Orcs shoved away the annoying corpses of the high school boys and scanned their surroundings . "Sniff, sniff . " "Kuruk . " These hunters had been trapped inside the dark dungeon for the whole week, quietly waiting for this day . It was rather obvious that they would get excited from all the smell of blood and flesh coming from their surroundings . However, this group was merely advanced scouts . Even if their blood was boiling, they weren''t supposed to act as they pleased . Dozens of their brethren were waiting impatiently for their reports just beyond the roundish doorway . These Orcs looked around and spotted straight walls with many doors and windows . The Orc in charge of the advanced scouts immediately realised that they were standing inside a complicated artificial structure like a castle . "Kururuk . " Its nostrils twitched . There were two choices here to make . One, leave this ''castle'' and kill every prey they could find with utter impunity . Or, kill every human found within this ''castle'' and turn it into a fortress ¨C and then, commence with their hunting in earnest . There was no need to even consider which one was the safer choice . The leader Orc ordered its underling . "Summon our brothers . " And then, it raised its head to glare at the ceiling above . The monster''s ears twitched and caught onto the noises coming down from upper floors . Above, and then, more above that, still; this structure was seemingly filled with prey . Its head was currently ringing painfully with a voice that kept telling the creature to kill every single one of those prey . "Good . " The monster''s maw parted and its yellowing fangs were revealed to the world . "First, we cleanse this place completely . " *** There was a sizeable crowd of people gathered in the coastline of Gwang-An-ri . Even though the weather was overcast and gloomy, there was this one thing that made these people show up here in morbid fascination . And that would be the gigantic Gate floating above the beach . The members of the local police force, whose assistance had been requested, and the employees of the Hunter''s Association, Busan branch, had cordoned off the area and strictly prohibited civilians from approaching the location . But, for some reason, the number of folks gathering around hadn''t lessened at all . "Senior?" A newbie female employee, who enjoyed the misfortune of being knocked around by the waves of people, formed a tearful expression and asked her senior as she sought shelter from the storm of curious humans . "Do we have to repeat this same thing every time a Gate appears?" The senior employee was also feeling flustered over this matter as well . This would be his first time seeing a commotion of this level around a Gate . "Well, I guess it can''t be helped, since this Gate is the biggest one ever to open up in Busan . " He then sneaked a glance behind him . There it was, the ginormous hole, silently floating in the air . Just looking at it made him feel like he was being sucked inside, so he was consciously trying to ignore its presence . But, of course . . . . ''I know that thing can''t harm people unless there''s dungeon break, but still . . . . . '' Even then, he still disliked these Gates just like how some people irrationally feared outer space or the depths of oceans . That was why he always prayed in his mind that Hunters would quickly take care of the ominous hole every time he was dispatched to a Gate''s location . In a way, though, there was this thing that made him feel a lot more reassured about this raid . The newbie must''ve remembered the reason too, because she suddenly began talking to him . "Ahh! Senior, did you hear?" "Hear what?" "A rank S Hunter from Seoul is supposed to come today, right?" Was anyone here who didn''t know that already? Probably, half out of everyone here came solely to see the rank S Hunter with their own eyes while the other half, to spectate on the Gate itself . "You mean, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?" "Yes, him!" "Why are you so happy? You personally know him or something?" "N-no, not really . " The newbie quickly shook her hands around and began writhing her body with a hyped-up expression on her face . "Actually, it''ll be my first time seeing a rank S Hunter, so . . . . . " The senior employee formed a disappointed expression, instead . "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is a newbie, and you''re also a noob, yet how come the two you could be this different??" "S-senior?!" "If you still have this much energy left to fool around, then why don''t you go over that side and lend them some help?" "But, I came here to take a short break, you know? I''ve been standing around since the early morning and my legs are killing me, you know!" The senior agent tutted unhappily . Seeing her narrow her eyes angrily like that, she must''ve felt that he was being unfair to her, but he couldn''t quite trust what she was trying to sell here . Still, it wasn''t as if he couldn''t understand where she was coming from, either . "Well, yeah . I''m also a little bit curious, too . Everyone''s been talking about him lately and all . " "See? Even you too, senior . " "I mean, he solo hunted a boss from the rank S Gate, didn''t he?" Originally, the true boss monster of the rank S Gate appearing on Jeju Island was the queen ant . However, many of those who watched the broadcast thought that the mutated ant monster was the boss instead, all thanks to the visceral visual impact that creature had left behind . Killing the boss-level monster meant that the Gate itself would close up soon . And that young man was a Hunter who could close shut a rank S Gate . It wasn''t for nothing that the noises of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo being a potential ''Special Authority-rank'' were gaining momentum recently . It was only natural that the attention of the public was focused on him . "A rank S Hunter, of all people! I wonder, what will be like seeing one for real?" The senior employee looked at the sparkling eyes of his junior and his thoughts became complicated in an instant . ''This kid, maybe she applied for a job in the Association not because she likes the work, but because she hankers after Hunters or something??'' The newbie employee didn''t care how her senior was looking at her . Her eyes continued to sparkle brightly and her voice remained all giddy from anticipation . "Senior, senior!" "What now?" "I hear that you can''t even look the really strong Hunters in their eyes . Right, I hear you once saw a rank S Hunter in the past? Is that true?" The senior employee recalled his business trip to Gwang-Ju last year . " . . . . Yeah, I have . " "Wow-!" Suddenly, the senior employee felt his shoulders straightening up a bit after seeing his junior display her admiration like that . "So? What was it like, senior? Was it really scary?" "Hey, hey . Don''t even mention it, okay? Last year, I had a chance to meet Hunter Mah Dong-Wook of the Shining Star Guild because of the work from the Association, and . . . . . " " . . . . Excuse me, coming through . " "Ah, sure . " The two Association employees quickly stepped aside to create a path for a young man, and came back together again . But, then . . . . " . . . . Uh?" The senior agent looked behind him at the youth wearing a hoodie . "What''s wrong, senior?" "No, well, I thought that guy kind of looked familiar . " "Uh? Really? That''s so weird . I was thinking the exact same thing . " "Is he also a staff member from the Association?" "H-mm . . . . " "Hold on, where was I with my story?" "That was . . . . Ah, Hunter Mah Dong-Wook from the Shining Star!" "Ahh, right . I had a chance to meet Hunter Mah Dong-Wook in person, and well, that guy was so huge that his shoulders were thiiiis wide . " "Wow-!" These two senior and junior employees sure got along so fabulously well, it seemed . *** "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-niiiim!" Park Jong-Su welcomed Jin-Woo with a tearful voice that certainly didn''t suit his late-thirties age group . That just went to show how much was riding on this particular raid . Jin-Woo quietly confirmed the time even as he was subjected to Park Jong-Su''s passionate reaction . The numbers as indicated on the phone''s screen switched from 10:59 to 11:00 . ''Very good . '' Jin-Woo grinned brightly . In order to avoid raising chaos, he remained in ''Stealth'' and got to somewhere a bit away, before walking back here, but he still managed to make it in time nonetheless . The raid was yet to start, but he was feeling good about it already . And when he raised his head to look . . . . ''¡­ . Looking at it for real now, it kinda looks bigger, doesn''t it?'' He could see the Gate right in front of his eyes that looked way bigger than the one from the video clips . The amount of magic energy leaking out of that thing was as serious as what the Association had told the Knight Order Guild, too . ''What kind of monsters will I find inside?'' A smile unconsciously bloomed on his lips . Besides that nonsensically huge Gate, though ¨C everything else looked the same, more or less . Just like how it''d be with raids being taken on by other Guilds, there were two groups of low-ranked Hunters nearby . ''That''s the retrieval team, and that''s the mining team . '' And the old saying said that you''d see as much as you knew . He could easily tell apart their roles through the attire and their equipment . This was indeed all thanks to ''participating'' in the raids of the Hunters Guild in the past . ''Annnd, back then or now, the Guild''s officials are running around and keeping themselves busy, too . '' He felt more relaxed now compared to back then, when he was still clueless and didn''t know which end was up . Indeed, experience proved to be the best teacher there was . "Huh??" "He really came!" "It''s Mister Seong Jin-Woo?!" The elite Hunters began gathering around after hearing Park Jong-Su''s call sign, and began forming bright expression after they recognised Jin-Woo . He shared simple greetings with them and observed each and everyone present here . 30 high-ranked Hunters had gathered for today''s raid . Like Park Jong-Su''s confident declaration, the numbers and quality alone didn''t lose out to the Hunters Guild at all . ''As expected . . . . '' Should he say, as expected of a Guild representing this part of the country? And they were all kitted out in proper metal armours or special defensive equipment imbued with magical effects, so they certainly fit the bill of ''Knight Order'' rather well . To think, such a Guild would be underestimated solely because they lacked a rank S Hunter . What a regretful thing that was . Jin-Woo could now understand a little bit of the mindset of Park Jong-Su who asked him out of nowhere if he was interested in joining the Knight Order . While he was thinking of this and that, it didn''t take long for the Hunters to gather all around him . "Excuse me . . . . " "Hm . " They sneaked glances at each other before engaging in a competition to see who could start talking first . "Hunter-nim! The Jeju Island raid was really amazing!" "How do you summon those black soldiers? Wait a sec, are they even summons?" "Will you be taking the lead in today''s raid, Mister Seong Jin-Woo??" Just as Jin-Woo was feeling progressively lost from the outpouring of all these questions . . . . "Argh, stop! Will you just stop?!" Healer Jeong He-Rim, responsible for coming up with the idea of bringing Jin-Woo in the first place, pushed aside other Hunters and stepped up to the front . "Why are you trying to trouble Seong Hunter-nim to this degree?? You aren''t some country bumpkins either, so why?" Her eyes glaring at her wayward colleagues were as sharp as a pair of blades . A high-ranked Healer was comparable to one''s own mother in a way; because, she was responsible for the raid team''s overall well-being . The team members had to swallow their dissatisfaction and keep their mouths shut, as if they were being scolded by their mother . ''Fut . '' Jeong Ye-Rim formed a grin . She then airily spun around and extended her hand to Jin-Woo for a handshake . "I''m the main Healer of the Knight Order''s elite assault team, Jeong . Ye . Rim . It''s a pleasure to meet you . " She formed a soft smile with her eyes and continued on . "I don''t know about others, but seeing that you''re about to lead the team, and the fact that I''m the main Healer, we should be at least on the same page before we start, yes?" Jin-Woo avoided meeting her ulterior motive-filled eyes and looked at Park Jong-Su, instead . "You haven''t explained to them already?" "Oh, that . Well . . . . . " Park Jong-Su scratched the back of his head as if he was embarrassed about something . "My schedule had been just too tight, you see . I was so busy with going through all the formalities and summoning these guys out here that I''ve ended up forgetting about it . Sorry about that . " He sheepishly smiled and swept his gaze over the Hunters . Well, it was certainly nice that he didn''t have to repeat himself over and over again, what with the members of the assault team having gathered in one spot already . "I, Park Jong-Su, will take the lead for today''s raid . " Team members began murmuring to themselves after Park Jong-Su declared himself to be the leader of this raid . "Chairman, it''s you again?" "But, we have Hunter Seong Jin-Woo here, so why . . . . ?" "Is it okay to even do that?" Park Jong-Su was a tanker at the very top of the rank A, so it was definitely not a strange occurrence to have him lead a team . Excluding those times that he couldn''t participate due to his condition being less than ideal, the majority of the raids happened under Park Jong-Su''s leadership . However, didn''t they have a rank S Hunter among the team now? The strongest Hunter present taking up the lead ¨C this was one of the commonly-accepted rules in raiding a dungeon . Park Jong-Su quickly offered up an explanation for the sake of his confused teammates . "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim will take up the role of guarding our rear, and will ensure our safety during the raid itself . " Watch the assault team from the back and take care of the safety of the team members ¨C this was Park Jong-Su''s demand . This was for the safety of the team, of course, but also for the sake of the Guild''s honour, as well . It was true that the Hunters with high physical combat abilities stood in the front of the team . The rear of the formation would usually be taken up by the Hunters ill-equipped to deal against ambushes, such as Mage-types, Healers, or support-types . Knight Order was finding it hard to recruit new blood to their roster recently, so the survival of these Hunters was essential to the fate of the Guild itself . And, by placing Hunter Seong Jin-Woo there? The assault team could commit to a speedy raid of the dungeon without worrying about their rear being attacked . No, hold on! If enemies did show up from the rear, now that would be a cause for celebration, instead . Just who was this man standing there for them? It was none other than Seong Jin-Woo, who forcibly broke through thousands of rank S monsters without so much as batting an eyelid once . If enemies kept appearing behind the team all the time, then well, they could even aim to end this raid early and go home . That was Park Jong-Su''s first reason . And, the much-more-important second reason was . . . . Gulp . Park Jong-Su looked at the throng of reporters gathered just beyond the police line and swallowed down his dry saliva with some effort . That was proof that a lot of people were interested in this raid . If he wasn''t careful here, then all those people might end up thinking that the Knight Order Guild was leeching off on Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ''Well . . . that might be true, but¡­ . '' Whatever the case may be, he couldn''t allow others to see the situation that way . To the Knight Order, the true aim of this raid was to let the world know that the Guild was still going strong, that it was still at its peak . That was why Park Jong-Su desperately pleaded with Jin-Woo . And this was the result . "I''ve already discussed the matter with Seong Hunter-nim and agreed to do the raid this way, so if you have any complaints, save it until we finish the raid . " Park Jong-Su finally got to tell the rest of the team members the result of the negotiation . However, this happened then . "Yo, hold up . I really don''t get something here, so I gotta ask . " A rank A Hunter suddenly stepped forward . He was a rookie who hadn''t been working for the Knight Order Guild for long . "Since when did we become such weak Hunters that we need protection from someone else?" That one sentence caused the complexions of the senior Hunters to go utterly pale . ''Keok . . . . . !!'' ''N-no, junior, don''t!'' The young Hunter, who looked to be around the same age as Jin-Woo, formed an expression overflowing with confidence . "Don''t you agree with me? Hyung-nim? Noo-nim?" (TL: Noo-nim ¨C a respectful way to call an older female) Because . . . this rookie just so happened to receive the second-most attention from the potential suitors after ''Kim Cheol'' in this year''s crop of new Hunters . Indeed, he had a reason to be confident of himself . Unfortunately, there was a problem, and that would be the guy he was talking to . "Do the elites of our Knight Order look that weak to your eyes, Mister Seong Jin-Woo?" ''¡­ . . . '' Jin-Woo suppressed the rising fit of laughter to the best of his abilities and silently stared at this newbie rank A Hunter . It was the task of other Hunters to feel their blood all dry up, not him, so it was fine . ''What the hell, with what idiotic confidence is that kid trying to . . . . ?'' ''No, wait . That punk . . . I knew that he''s a country bumpkin from Busan, but could it be that he has never even seen a rank S in action?'' ''Someone, please stop that guy!'' ''But, you can only stop someone who knows when to spew nonsense in the right time and at right place . . . . '' Seeing that his seniors were all rendered speechless, and that Jin-Woo was maintaining his silence, the newbie Hunter''s confidence swelled up even more . "Besides that, Chairman, you went too far, you know!" "What, me?" ''Why is it me this time?!'' Park Jong-Su dumbfoundedly pointed to himself . "Even if the name value of a rank S Hunter is high, how can you agree that easily to the condition of a freelancer taking away a Guild''s worth of the loot?" " . . . . " A migraine had developed in Park Jong-Su''s head by now, and he sent a quick glance to Jin-Woo . ''Seong Hunter-nim . . . I leave our junior in your capable hands . '' Jin-Woo nodded briefly . "Whatever the case may be, I simply can''t understand this nonsensical contra . . . . " It was then . Right in front of the rookie making his passionate speech, Igrit was summoned . ''Heok!'' The rank A newbie flinched from the massive magical energy emanating from the black knight and hastily took a step back . However, he ran into something hard on his back even before he could take a second step . Stunned silly now, he quickly turned around only to find another knight, several heads taller than the one before, looking down on him . It was Iron, of course . "Heok!!" The gasp he tried to hide jumped out of his throat all on its own . And then, ''it'' came from the side . Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and the newbie slowly turned his sweat-soaked face to find a figure draped in black robes standing there this time . "U-uwahhk?!" The newbie lost all of his leg strength from the ominous magic energy oozing out from Fangs, and plopped down on to his butt . ''He looks way too pitiful, so I shouldn''t summon out Beru, no?'' Jin-Woo flicked his hand once and the three knight-grade soldiers surrounding the newbie Hunter quickly returned to their shadow state . Jin-Woo walked over to the pale-faced newbie and reached out with his hand . "You still can''t understand anything yet?" The rank A newbie took his hand and unsteadily stood back up, before nodding at the speed of light . < Chapter 139 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 139: Chapter 139 . Orcs were natural-born hunters Their level of intelligence fell some way short of that of humans, but they easily exceeded humanity when it came to tracking and hunting prey weaker than they were And now, the doorway had been shattered . The ''wall'' blocking the dungeon from the rest of the world was gone, and these hunters began pouring out from the Gate "Kururuk . ". "Keuk . ". The Orcs shoved away the annoying corpses of the high school boys and scanned their surroundings "Sniff, sniff . ". "Kuruk . ". These hunters had been trapped inside the dark dungeon for the whole week, quietly waiting for this day . It was rather obvious that they would get excited from all the smell of blood and flesh coming from their surroundings However, this group was merely advanced scouts . Even if their blood was boiling, they weren''t supposed to act as they pleased . Dozens of their brethren were waiting impatiently for their reports just beyond the roundish doorway These Orcs looked around and spotted straight walls with many doors and windows The Orc in charge of the advanced scouts immediately realised that they were standing inside a complicated artificial structure like a castle "Kururuk . ". Its nostrils twitched There were two choices here to make . One, leave this ''castle'' and kill every prey they could find with utter impunity Or, kill every human found within this ''castle'' and turn it into a fortress ¨C and then, commence with their hunting in earnest . There was no need to even consider which one was the safer choice The leader Orc ordered its underling "Summon our brothers . ". And then, it raised its head to glare at the ceiling above . The monster''s ears twitched and caught onto the noises coming down from upper floors Above, and then, more above that, still; this structure was seemingly filled with prey Its head was currently ringing painfully with a voice that kept telling the creature to kill every single one of those prey "Good . ". The monster''s maw parted and its yellowing fangs were revealed to the world "First, we cleanse this place completely . ". ***. There was a sizeable crowd of people gathered in the coastline of Gwang-An-ri . Even though the weather was overcast and gloomy, there was this one thing that made these people show up here in morbid fascination And that would be the gigantic Gate floating above the beach The members of the local police force, whose assistance had been requested, and the employees of the Hunter''s Association, Busan branch, had cordoned off the area and strictly prohibited civilians from approaching the location But, for some reason, the number of folks gathering around hadn''t lessened at all "Senior?". A newbie female employee, who enjoyed the misfortune of being knocked around by the waves of people, formed a tearful expression and asked her senior as she sought shelter from the storm of curious humans "Do we have to repeat this same thing every time a Gate appears?". The senior employee was also feeling flustered over this matter as well . This would be his first time seeing a commotion of this level around a Gate "Well, I guess it can''t be helped, since this Gate is the biggest one ever to open up in Busan . ". He then sneaked a glance behind him . There it was, the ginormous hole, silently floating in the air Just looking at it made him feel like he was being sucked inside, so he was consciously trying to ignore its presence But, of course . ''I know that thing can''t harm people unless there''s dungeon break, but still . ''. Even then, he still disliked these Gates just like how some people irrationally feared outer space or the depths of oceans That was why he always prayed in his mind that Hunters would quickly take care of the ominous hole every time he was dispatched to a Gate''s location In a way, though, there was this thing that made him feel a lot more reassured about this raid . The newbie must''ve remembered the reason too, because she suddenly began talking to him "Ahh! Senior, did you hear?". "Hear what?". "A rank S Hunter from Seoul is supposed to come today, right?". Was anyone here who didn''t know that already? Probably, half out of everyone here came solely to see the rank S Hunter with their own eyes while the other half, to spectate on the Gate itself "You mean, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?". "Yes, him!". "Why are you so happy? You personally know him or something?". "N-no, not really . ". The newbie quickly shook her hands around and began writhing her body with a hyped-up expression on her face "Actually, it''ll be my first time seeing a rank S Hunter, so . ". The senior employee formed a disappointed expression, instead "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is a newbie, and you''re also a noob, yet how come the two you could be this different??". "S-senior?!". "If you still have this much energy left to fool around, then why don''t you go over that side and lend them some help?". "But, I came here to take a short break, you know? I''ve been standing around since the early morning and my legs are killing me, you know!". The senior agent tutted unhappily Seeing her narrow her eyes angrily like that, she must''ve felt that he was being unfair to her, but he couldn''t quite trust what she was trying to sell here Still, it wasn''t as if he couldn''t understand where she was coming from, either "Well, yeah . I''m also a little bit curious, too . Everyone''s been talking about him lately and all . ". "See? Even you too, senior . ". "I mean, he solo hunted a boss from the rank S Gate, didn''t he?". Originally, the true boss monster of the rank S Gate appearing on Jeju Island was the queen ant . However, many of those who watched the broadcast thought that the mutated ant monster was the boss instead, all thanks to the visceral visual impact that creature had left behind Killing the boss-level monster meant that the Gate itself would close up soon . And that young man was a Hunter who could close shut a rank S Gate It wasn''t for nothing that the noises of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo being a potential ''Special Authority-rank'' were gaining momentum recently . It was only natural that the attention of the public was focused on him "A rank S Hunter, of all people! I wonder, what will be like seeing one for real?". The senior employee looked at the sparkling eyes of his junior and his thoughts became complicated in an instant ''This kid, maybe she applied for a job in the Association not because she likes the work, but because she hankers after Hunters or something??''. The newbie employee didn''t care how her senior was looking at her . Her eyes continued to sparkle brightly and her voice remained all giddy from anticipation "Senior, senior!". "What now?". "I hear that you can''t even look the really strong Hunters in their eyes . Right, I hear you once saw a rank S Hunter in the past? Is that true?". The senior employee recalled his business trip to Gwang-Ju last year " Yeah, I have . ". "Wow-!". Suddenly, the senior employee felt his shoulders straightening up a bit after seeing his junior display her admiration like that "So? What was it like, senior? Was it really scary?". "Hey, hey . Don''t even mention it, okay? Last year, I had a chance to meet Hunter Mah Dong-Wook of the Shining Star Guild because of the work from the Association, and . ". " Excuse me, coming through . ". "Ah, sure . ". The two Association employees quickly stepped aside to create a path for a young man, and came back together again . But, then . " Uh?". The senior agent looked behind him at the youth wearing a hoodie "What''s wrong, senior?". "No, well, I thought that guy kind of looked familiar . ". "Uh? Really? That''s so weird . I was thinking the exact same thing . ". "Is he also a staff member from the Association?". "H-mm ". "Hold on, where was I with my story?". "That was Ah, Hunter Mah Dong-Wook from the Shining Star!". "Ahh, right . I had a chance to meet Hunter Mah Dong-Wook in person, and well, that guy was so huge that his shoulders were thiiiis wide . ". "Wow-!". These two senior and junior employees sure got along so fabulously well, it seemed ***. "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-niiiim!". Park Jong-Su welcomed Jin-Woo with a tearful voice that certainly didn''t suit his late-thirties age group . That just went to show how much was riding on this particular raid Jin-Woo quietly confirmed the time even as he was subjected to Park Jong-Su''s passionate reaction . The numbers as indicated on the phone''s screen switched from 10:59 to 11:00 ''Very good . ''. Jin-Woo grinned brightly In order to avoid raising chaos, he remained in ''Stealth'' and got to somewhere a bit away, before walking back here, but he still managed to make it in time nonetheless The raid was yet to start, but he was feeling good about it already . And when he raised his head to look . ''¡­ . Looking at it for real now, it kinda looks bigger, doesn''t it?''. He could see the Gate right in front of his eyes that looked way bigger than the one from the video clips . The amount of magic energy leaking out of that thing was as serious as what the Association had told the Knight Order Guild, too ''What kind of monsters will I find inside?''. A smile unconsciously bloomed on his lips Besides that nonsensically huge Gate, though ¨C everything else looked the same, more or less . Just like how it''d be with raids being taken on by other Guilds, there were two groups of low-ranked Hunters nearby ''That''s the retrieval team, and that''s the mining team . ''. And the old saying said that you''d see as much as you knew . He could easily tell apart their roles through the attire and their equipment . This was indeed all thanks to ''participating'' in the raids of the Hunters Guild in the past ''Annnd, back then or now, the Guild''s officials are running around and keeping themselves busy, too . ''. He felt more relaxed now compared to back then, when he was still clueless and didn''t know which end was up . Indeed, experience proved to be the best teacher there was "Huh??". "He really came!". "It''s Mister Seong Jin-Woo?!". The elite Hunters began gathering around after hearing Park Jong-Su''s call sign, and began forming bright expression after they recognised Jin-Woo He shared simple greetings with them and observed each and everyone present here 30 high-ranked Hunters had gathered for today''s raid . Like Park Jong-Su''s confident declaration, the numbers and quality alone didn''t lose out to the Hunters Guild at all ''As expected ''. Should he say, as expected of a Guild representing this part of the country?. And they were all kitted out in proper metal armours or special defensive equipment imbued with magical effects, so they certainly fit the bill of ''Knight Order'' rather well To think, such a Guild would be underestimated solely because they lacked a rank S Hunter . What a regretful thing that was Jin-Woo could now understand a little bit of the mindset of Park Jong-Su who asked him out of nowhere if he was interested in joining the Knight Order While he was thinking of this and that, it didn''t take long for the Hunters to gather all around him "Excuse me ". "Hm . ". They sneaked glances at each other before engaging in a competition to see who could start talking first "Hunter-nim! The Jeju Island raid was really amazing!". "How do you summon those black soldiers? Wait a sec, are they even summons?". "Will you be taking the lead in today''s raid, Mister Seong Jin-Woo??". Just as Jin-Woo was feeling progressively lost from the outpouring of all these questions . "Argh, stop! Will you just stop?!". Healer Jeong He-Rim, responsible for coming up with the idea of bringing Jin-Woo in the first place, pushed aside other Hunters and stepped up to the front "Why are you trying to trouble Seong Hunter-nim to this degree?? You aren''t some country bumpkins either, so why?". Her eyes glaring at her wayward colleagues were as sharp as a pair of blades A high-ranked Healer was comparable to one''s own mother in a way; because, she was responsible for the raid team''s overall well-being . The team members had to swallow their dissatisfaction and keep their mouths shut, as if they were being scolded by their mother ''Fut . ''. Jeong Ye-Rim formed a grin . She then airily spun around and extended her hand to Jin-Woo for a handshake "I''m the main Healer of the Knight Order''s elite assault team, Jeong . Ye . Rim . It''s a pleasure to meet you . ". She formed a soft smile with her eyes and continued on "I don''t know about others, but seeing that you''re about to lead the team, and the fact that I''m the main Healer, we should be at least on the same page before we start, yes?". Jin-Woo avoided meeting her ulterior motive-filled eyes and looked at Park Jong-Su, instead "You haven''t explained to them already?". "Oh, that . Well . ". Park Jong-Su scratched the back of his head as if he was embarrassed about something "My schedule had been just too tight, you see . I was so busy with going through all the formalities and summoning these guys out here that I''ve ended up forgetting about it . Sorry about that . ". He sheepishly smiled and swept his gaze over the Hunters Well, it was certainly nice that he didn''t have to repeat himself over and over again, what with the members of the assault team having gathered in one spot already "I, Park Jong-Su, will take the lead for today''s raid . ". Team members began murmuring to themselves after Park Jong-Su declared himself to be the leader of this raid "Chairman, it''s you again?". "But, we have Hunter Seong Jin-Woo here, so why ?". "Is it okay to even do that?". Park Jong-Su was a tanker at the very top of the rank A, so it was definitely not a strange occurrence to have him lead a team . Excluding those times that he couldn''t participate due to his condition being less than ideal, the majority of the raids happened under Park Jong-Su''s leadership However, didn''t they have a rank S Hunter among the team now?. The strongest Hunter present taking up the lead ¨C this was one of the commonly-accepted rules in raiding a dungeon Park Jong-Su quickly offered up an explanation for the sake of his confused teammates "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim will take up the role of guarding our rear, and will ensure our safety during the raid itself . ". Watch the assault team from the back and take care of the safety of the team members ¨C this was Park Jong-Su''s demand . This was for the safety of the team, of course, but also for the sake of the Guild''s honour, as well It was true that the Hunters with high physical combat abilities stood in the front of the team . The rear of the formation would usually be taken up by the Hunters ill-equipped to deal against ambushes, such as Mage-types, Healers, or support-types Knight Order was finding it hard to recruit new blood to their roster recently, so the survival of these Hunters was essential to the fate of the Guild itself . And, by placing Hunter Seong Jin-Woo there?. The assault team could commit to a speedy raid of the dungeon without worrying about their rear being attacked No, hold on!. If enemies did show up from the rear, now that would be a cause for celebration, instead Just who was this man standing there for them?. It was none other than Seong Jin-Woo, who forcibly broke through thousands of rank S monsters without so much as batting an eyelid once . If enemies kept appearing behind the team all the time, then well, they could even aim to end this raid early and go home That was Park Jong-Su''s first reason And, the much-more-important second reason was . Gulp Park Jong-Su looked at the throng of reporters gathered just beyond the police line and swallowed down his dry saliva with some effort That was proof that a lot of people were interested in this raid . If he wasn''t careful here, then all those people might end up thinking that the Knight Order Guild was leeching off on Hunter Seong Jin-Woo ''Well . that might be true, but¡­ . ''. Whatever the case may be, he couldn''t allow others to see the situation that way . To the Knight Order, the true aim of this raid was to let the world know that the Guild was still going strong, that it was still at its peak That was why Park Jong-Su desperately pleaded with Jin-Woo And this was the result "I''ve already discussed the matter with Seong Hunter-nim and agreed to do the raid this way, so if you have any complaints, save it until we finish the raid . ". Park Jong-Su finally got to tell the rest of the team members the result of the negotiation . However, this happened then "Yo, hold up . I really don''t get something here, so I gotta ask . ". A rank A Hunter suddenly stepped forward . He was a rookie who hadn''t been working for the Knight Order Guild for long "Since when did we become such weak Hunters that we need protection from someone else?". That one sentence caused the complexions of the senior Hunters to go utterly pale ''Keok . !!''. ''N-no, junior, don''t!''. The young Hunter, who looked to be around the same age as Jin-Woo, formed an expression overflowing with confidence "Don''t you agree with me? Hyung-nim? Noo-nim?" (TL: Noo-nim ¨C a respectful way to call an older female). Because . this rookie just so happened to receive the second-most attention from the potential suitors after ''Kim Cheol'' in this year''s crop of new Hunters . Indeed, he had a reason to be confident of himself Unfortunately, there was a problem, and that would be the guy he was talking to "Do the elites of our Knight Order look that weak to your eyes, Mister Seong Jin-Woo?". ''¡­ . ''. Jin-Woo suppressed the rising fit of laughter to the best of his abilities and silently stared at this newbie rank A Hunter . It was the task of other Hunters to feel their blood all dry up, not him, so it was fine ''What the hell, with what idiotic confidence is that kid trying to ?''. ''No, wait . That punk . I knew that he''s a country bumpkin from Busan, but could it be that he has never even seen a rank S in action?''. ''Someone, please stop that guy!''. ''But, you can only stop someone who knows when to spew nonsense in the right time and at right place ''. Seeing that his seniors were all rendered speechless, and that Jin-Woo was maintaining his silence, the newbie Hunter''s confidence swelled up even more "Besides that, Chairman, you went too far, you know!". "What, me?". ''Why is it me this time?!''. Park Jong-Su dumbfoundedly pointed to himself "Even if the name value of a rank S Hunter is high, how can you agree that easily to the condition of a freelancer taking away a Guild''s worth of the loot?". " ". A migraine had developed in Park Jong-Su''s head by now, and he sent a quick glance to Jin-Woo ''Seong Hunter-nim . I leave our junior in your capable hands . ''. Jin-Woo nodded briefly "Whatever the case may be, I simply can''t understand this nonsensical contra ". It was then Right in front of the rookie making his passionate speech, Igrit was summoned ''Heok!''. The rank A newbie flinched from the massive magical energy emanating from the black knight and hastily took a step back . However, he ran into something hard on his back even before he could take a second step Stunned silly now, he quickly turned around only to find another knight, several heads taller than the one before, looking down on him . It was Iron, of course "Heok!!". The gasp he tried to hide jumped out of his throat all on its own And then, ''it'' came from the side Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and the newbie slowly turned his sweat-soaked face to find a figure draped in black robes standing there this time "U-uwahhk?!". The newbie lost all of his leg strength from the ominous magic energy oozing out from Fangs, and plopped down on to his butt ''He looks way too pitiful, so I shouldn''t summon out Beru, no?''. Jin-Woo flicked his hand once and the three knight-grade soldiers surrounding the newbie Hunter quickly returned to their shadow state Jin-Woo walked over to the pale-faced newbie and reached out with his hand "You still can''t understand anything yet?". The rank A newbie took his hand and unsteadily stood back up, before nodding at the speed of light < Chapter 139 > Fin Chapter 140 The handling of trivial matters was now over . Along with the members of the Knight Order Guild, Jin-Woo moved to the front of the Gate . Before they were about to enter, though . . . . "Please wait . " Chairman Park Jong-Su and his deputy, Vice-Chair Jeong Yun-Tae, began going through their equipment as well as the conditions of the team members for the last time . Maybe because they were now standing before the entrance, the noisy atmosphere from before was now long gone, replaced by weighty silence . ''¡­ . . . '' He wasn''t sure from when it started, but Jin-Woo began liking this state of tension just before entering a dungeon . It felt as if the inside of his head was settling down . Such a thing would''ve been totally unimaginable back in the past when he avoided answering phone calls out of the fear he felt for the Hunter Association''s periodic call-ups . "Hyung-nim, there are no problems . " "Very good . " Park Jong-Su nodded his head and walked over to Jin-Woo, standing a step away from the rest of the raid team . The latter shifted his gaze to the leader of this raid . "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?" "Yes?" Jin-Woo uncrossed his arms and stared directly into Park Jong-Su''s eyes, and the older man lowered his head right away . "We''ll be in your care from now on . " Although short, those words contained many of Park Jong-Su''s feelings and worries . Jin-Woo used similar words as his reply . "I''ll be in your care, as well . " Park Jong-Su and Jeong Yun-Tae entered the Gate first, and the rest of the Hunters entered one by one after them . And after confirming that the Hunters had all gone inside, the last person still standing outside, Jin-Woo, slowly walked into the Gate as well . *** [You have entered a dungeon . ] As usual, the System message no one else could see beside him welcomed Jin-Woo before anything else could happen . But then . . . . ''Mm?'' Jin-Woo tilted his head . He was greeted by a dungeon with passageways large enough to accommodate giants passing by . He hadn''t entered a lot of high-ranked dungeons before, but he was lucky enough to be inside one this huge . That was why Jin-Woo wasn''t puzzled by the size of the dungeon . No, it had to do with this strange feeling he got from the air of the dungeon itself . ''What''s this . . . . ?'' For some reason, he felt incomparably comfortable inside here . He felt ominous sensations being carried in the air of the dungeons countless times, but this would be his first time feeling like this . However . . . "It''s the Ogre!" Somewhat different from Jin-Woo''s own premonition, the assault team was greeted by huge trouble from the entrance, instead . "It''s the Twin-Head Ogre!!" "Everyone, be careful!!" A monster that would typically appear as a boss in other high-ranked dungeons was standing in the entrance, its bloodshot eyes glaring at the Hunters . "Grooooaaaar!!!" A Twin-Head Ogre was about twice the size of a regular Ogre . But it was difficult to quantify how many times greater the creature''s powers were . If it were any other ''regular'' assault team that had to face off against a Twin-Head Ogre in a dungeon, they would have been utterly frightened out of their senses and have tried to escape right away, but . . . . "Let''s go!" ¡­ . It was a different story with the elites of the Knight Order . Park Jong-Su the tanker raised his shield up and rushed towards the Ogre . Discovering the human approaching it, the monster raised above its two heads a huge club that looked as if it was made from a tree yanked straight out of the ground, roots and all . SLAM!! The impact force actually shook the interior of the dungeon! However, Park Jong-Su activated his skill in time to balloon up his muscle mass and managed to endure against the incredible physical strength of the Twin-Head Ogre without being brought down to his knees . "Hyung-nim!" "I''m fine!" "Then, I''m coming, too!" The sub-tanker, Jeong Yun-Tae, stood next to Park Jong-Su . Succeeding in his mission to get the Ogre''s attention locked firmly onto himself, Park Jong-Su yelled out loudly, veins in his neck standing up . "Attack!!" With that, the counteroffensive of the Knight Order commenced . Arrows, magic spells, swords, and spears rained down on the Twin-Head Ogre . Krrroooaar!! The Twin-Head Ogre became agitated and began rampaging around . However, Park Jong-Su didn''t give the monster a chance to divert its attention elsewhere . Meanwhile, Jeong Yun-Tae quickly ran over and defended the others whenever they were targetted by the Ogre . THUD!! Just now, Jeong Yun-Tae defended against the Ogre''s kick and was shoved back greatly as two lines were gouged on the ground by his feet . Thanks to him, though, other Hunters suffered almost no damage at all . "K-krooar, Kheu-uh-uhrk!" The body of the Ogre was gradually shaved away due to the combined attacks of the damage dealers . It was a spectacular teamwork! From this spectacle alone, Jin-Woo could now understand why the Knight Order Guild managed to lock down on the position of Yeong-Nam district''s number one for such a long time . "Gheo-uh-uhrk!" Eventually, the Ogre fell backwards, bubbles foaming in its mouths . THUD! It was the moment when a boss-level monster fell without injuring a single person . A perfect victory, in other words . "We did it!" The leader of the team, Park Jong-Su, tightly clenched both of his fists . Was it because they had a guest today? Not just him, but even the rest of his teammates were much more motivated than usual . How would they have looked in Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s eyes just now? ''I''d be beyond ecstatic if he got moved by our teamwork and suddenly decides to join our Guild . . . . '' Sneak . . . Park Jong-Su sneaked a glance and immediately encountered Jin-Woo''s gaze . Feeling as if his inner thoughts had been laid bare, Park Jong-Su became a bit sheepish and began wondering what he should do next, before deciding to approach Jin-Woo with a warm smile . "We''ll stay here for a bit longer to recheck our equipment before advancing forward . " "Ah, okay . Please do . " Jin-Woo nodded his head . While he only needed to drink potions to refill his magic energy or stamina, other Hunters clearly suffered from a physical limit to their magical energy reserve or fatigue . It was a must to take a break, even if it was a short one, after fighting against a powerful monster like that . Park Jong-Su was now standing next to Jin-Woo . He stared at the dead body of the Ogre and spoke with an awkward look on his face . "This is going to be big trouble . " " . . . ?" Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to Park Jong-Su . The latter continued on . "It seems likely that this raid won''t be easy, unfortunately . To think, we''d end up running into a Twin-Head Ogre right from the start . " He rubbed his chin before turning to look at Jin-Woo with a grin . "Do you know what the nickname of a Twin-Head Ogre is, by any chance?" Jin-Woo shook his head, and the older man replied as if he expected that answer . "It''s the ''grave keeper'' . " Did that nickname come about because it was such a powerful monster that killed a lot of people? However, Park Jong-Su''s explanation was far off Jin-Woo''s estimations . "The thing is . . . . " The older man cast his gaze deeper into the cavern''s interior . An ominous aura seemed to be oozing out from the other side of the cavern still enshrouded in darkness, at least in his eyes . " . . . . When you meet one as the boss of a dungeon, it''s fine, but when you run into one right at the beginning, then well, you''ll find that this dungeon . . . " Park Jong-Su sounded worried as he finished his sentence . " . . . . This dungeon is full of undead monsters . " *** An urgent call came through to the Hunter''s Association emergency hotline . The caller''s voice belonged to a young teenage girl . - "Is, is this the Association?!" The call centre employee heard the scared sobbing coming from the other side of the line as soon as the call got connected, and realised something was wrong . "Yes, it is . Please speak . " - "This, I''m in, sob, my school, but . . . . . There are, sob, there are monsters outside . " "Outside? Where are you making this call from?" - "I''m hiding, I was with, my f-friend, but my friend, I, sob, I''m in the bathroom . " Her sobbing meant that her words were constantly being cut off and it was hard to carry on a conversation . However, the call centre employee was experienced enough to piece together those stuttering words and figured out what this girl was trying to say . Immediately, an urgent message was sent to the Association''s main building . [Monsters appeared in the local school, one confirmed victim, the informant in hiding . ] Could it be that a dungeon break occurred inside a school? The employee shuddered from the horrifying images taking root in his head and focused all of his being in trying to keep this female student alive . "How many monsters are there? Are they any near you right now?" - "I don''t know, I really don''t know . Ah, ah! I hear screams . Sob, sob . I can hear so many screams . I, am I, sob, am I going to die?" "Please calm down and listen to my voice . " This employee knew very well from his extensive experience about how weak-kneed humans could get when faced with life-threatening situations . He knew he had to be calm and collected in such situations while answering the call . He had to calm the caller down sufficiently enough and then, had to suggest some kind of a plan for the current situation . That was his role . "Right now, Hunters from the Association are headed your way . These Hunters will not give up on you guys . That is why you need to stay calm and rational, okay? Can you hear me?" - "Really? I-in that case, sob, can I, can I survive?" The voice coming from the other side of the line was gradually recovering from the panicked state . That was a good sign . The employee thought that he succeeded in calming the female student down, and then asked the question that could prove to be most important in saving the girl''s life . "By any chance, those monsters . . . do you know what kind of monsters those are?" - "Yes, yes . I know . I know . I saw them . On TV . " "Which monsters are they?" If the monsters possessed weak senses and chased after humans using their eyes, then hiding in a bathroom would work as a suitable solution for the time being . The employee prayed that such monsters had invaded the school, instead . - "They . . . they have human bodies, but, sob, but they have ugly faces . Ah, and their skin is green . " ''Can it be?!'' The eyes of the employee grew wider and wider . "Orcs . . . are they Orcs?" - "Yes, I think it was what they were called . Orcs . " ''N-no, this can''t be!!'' The employee shot up from his seat before he realised it and cried out . "You need to run away from there! Hurry! Orcs can . . . . . " It was then . Despite the employee''s earnest prayer, he could hear the sound of the bathroom door being destroyed, followed soon by a sorrowful scream . - "Kyyaaaahk!" *** The Knight Order''s raid was trucking along quite smoothly . As a matter of fact, things were working out so well that the Hunters felt the whole thing was strangely too easy . For instance, there encountered yet another monster, but . . . . "Kuwaaahk!" A rotting creature the size of a house tried to escape from the assault team, only to get ensnared by the restriction magic spell cast by the Mage-type Hunter, and soon, it too met with a grisly end . And when the exact same thing repeated itself over and over again, the Hunters were getting progressively more puzzled . "Isn''t this weird?" "Why are these monsters running away when they see us?" "Isn''t it like they were being chased away?" Powerful undead creatures, such as Vampires, Lichs, Dread Worms, Red Ghouls, etc . , continued to pop up inside this dungeon . Undeads were difficult opponents to fight against . Not only were they difficult to kill, but even after killing them, Hunters couldn''t let their guards down . Because no one knew when they would regenerate or get revived to start attacking again . However, these creatures couldn''t do much to display their prowess for some reason, and continued to get powerlessly massacred at the assault team''s hands . ''It''s like they are too scared and can''t even think about resisting us . . . . . '' That was Park Jong-Su''s assessment after observing the monsters and their strange behaviour . He even thought that maybe there was no need to bring Hunter Seong Jin-Woo along when things were this easy . ''Seriously, man . You really can''t tell what''s going to happen inside a dungeon . '' Who''d have imagined that they were clearing a highest-difficult rank A dungeon this painlessly? ''Even still . . . . '' Being able to end a raid without a single person getting injured was always a good thing . There might have been an unnecessary loss of profit here, but result-wise, it sure was a big relief . On the other hand, Jin-Woo was inwardly feeling quite disappointed . ''Here I was, really hyped up because this place was supposed to be the hardest rank A dungeon there could be . . . . '' There was still that enormous magic energy leaking out from the deeper part of the dungeon, but would he even be able to earn any experience points if things continued on at this rate? Because of the spirited attacks by the members of the Knight Order Guild, he didn''t even have a single chance to step forward at all . ''¡­ . . . . . '' Jin-Woo inwardly sighed out . But then, he abruptly halted his steps . ''Uh?'' When Jin-Woo looked behind him, Healer Jeong Ye-Rim also came to a stop as well . "What''s the matter, Seong Hunter-nim? Is something following us?" Jin-Woo didn''t answer her . As a matter of fact, his heart was beating so madly that he didn''t even have any leeway to answer her questions . ''Could it be . . . . . ?'' Jin-Woo''s eyes, as they stared towards the outside of this dungeon, began quaking violently . Only then did Jeong Ye-Rim also realise that something was wrong as well . "Seong Hunter-nim??" It was then . Jin-Woo''s expression hardened like stone . *** "Uwaahhk!" "Kyaahhk!" Heartbreaking screams rose up from all corners of the school . Less than half of the students managed to escape from the school alive . As for the rest, either they had all ended up as corpses, or were busy running around inside the school''s premise trying to evade the Orcs . Unfortunately, their futile resistance could only buy them a brief respite . The hunts of the Orcs that started from the lowest floor continued on to higher floors and drove all victims caught in their wake to gruesome deaths . "Uwaaahk!" The students who couldn''t run away in time and remained trapped in their classrooms could only cover their ears as more screams rose up from the lower floors . The classrooms for the third year students were located on the top floor of the school building . Jin-Ah was also among those 3rd-year students who couldn''t run away in time . The doorway shoddily blocked up with junk was the only thing that could defend them against the marauding Orc horde . "Ah . . . . " " . . . . F*ck me . " The male students grabbed onto chairs and mops or whatever that could serve as weapons with their trembling hands . But, none of them helped to instil a sense of confidence in the scared students . No, all they could do was to wait and pray fervently for the Hunters to show up before those Orcs stepped foot inside their classroom . KWANG! The bent classroom door was flung away . "Uwaaahk!" "Kyaaahk!" As the screams of the frightened students resounded out, two Orcs covered in the blood of the countless number of people they had murdered stepped into the classroom . "U-uwaaahk!" A male student holding a mop near the door threw away his make-shift weapon and ran to the back entrance, before yanking it open . However, another Orc was lying in wait there, and it slammed an axe down on the forehead of this fleeing male student . Kwajeeck! The male student fell powerlessly, the light of life leaving his eyes . "Kyaaaahk!" "Uwak!" Both entrances of the classroom were now blocked off by the Orcs . The remaining students screamed out loudly and crowded against the windows, but they all knew that the results would largely end up the same regardless of whether they chose to jump out from a sixth-story window or get caught by the Orcs . ''Oppa, oppa!!'' Finding herself stuck in the middle of the students fleeing towards the corners of the classroom as they tried to get away from the Orcs, Jin-Ah squeezed her eyes shut and called out to Jin-Woo . Her oppa, the rank S Hunter . If she called out to him, it felt as if he''d show up here right away . That was her only hope . "Kurururuk . " "Ku-euk?" The Orcs stopped advancing after they surrounded the students from all corners . They began conversing to each other in their native tongue . "Boss . There is a human with magic energy coming off . " "Kill that one first . " Unlike regular humans, those that knew how to wield magic energy were dangerous opponents . Therefore, these Orcs had to deal with a threat like that first . The Orc, having received the boss''s order, began scanning the students before eventually locking onto Jin-Ah''s location . "Ah!" The Orc grabbed her wrist and dragged her out to the middle of the classroom . "Is this female the one?" "It is, boss . " The underling was right . Although faint, they could sense magic energy coming from somewhere on this girl . Whether that came from this female''s abilities or some sort of a weapon she possessed, it didn''t change the fact that she had to be eliminated first before everyone else . The boss raised its axe up . "Ah, ah . . . . !" Jin-Ah saw the axe rising up high above her head, and eventually squeezed her eyes shut . "Kuruk . " The boss twitched its nose and swung the axe down with a disinterested face . Swiiiish-! ''Oppa!'' But then, this happened . Rumble-! A veil of black smoke suddenly exploded out from Jin-Ah''s shadow and took on a solid shape . Grab . The brows of the advanced scout''s boss shot up high in surprise . Because, it just realised that a High Orc wearing black armour suddenly appeared out of nowhere to grab onto its wrist, that was why . "Kuruk?" Before the puzzled Orc could say something . . . . The High Orc threw a simple punch and shattered the head of the monster like an exploding watermelon . Kwajeeck!! < Chapter 140 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 140: Chapter 140 . The handling of trivial matters was now over . Along with the members of the Knight Order Guild, Jin-Woo moved to the front of the Gate Before they were about to enter, though . "Please wait . ". Chairman Park Jong-Su and his deputy, Vice-Chair Jeong Yun-Tae, began going through their equipment as well as the conditions of the team members for the last time Maybe because they were now standing before the entrance, the noisy atmosphere from before was now long gone, replaced by weighty silence ''¡­ . ''. He wasn''t sure from when it started, but Jin-Woo began liking this state of tension just before entering a dungeon . It felt as if the inside of his head was settling down Such a thing would''ve been totally unimaginable back in the past when he avoided answering phone calls out of the fear he felt for the Hunter Association''s periodic call-ups "Hyung-nim, there are no problems . ". "Very good . ". Park Jong-Su nodded his head and walked over to Jin-Woo, standing a step away from the rest of the raid team . The latter shifted his gaze to the leader of this raid "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?". "Yes?". Jin-Woo uncrossed his arms and stared directly into Park Jong-Su''s eyes, and the older man lowered his head right away "We''ll be in your care from now on . ". Although short, those words contained many of Park Jong-Su''s feelings and worries . Jin-Woo used similar words as his reply "I''ll be in your care, as well . ". Park Jong-Su and Jeong Yun-Tae entered the Gate first, and the rest of the Hunters entered one by one after them . And after confirming that the Hunters had all gone inside, the last person still standing outside, Jin-Woo, slowly walked into the Gate as well ***. [You have entered a dungeon . ]. As usual, the System message no one else could see beside him welcomed Jin-Woo before anything else could happen . But then . ''Mm?''. Jin-Woo tilted his head He was greeted by a dungeon with passageways large enough to accommodate giants passing by He hadn''t entered a lot of high-ranked dungeons before, but he was lucky enough to be inside one this huge . That was why Jin-Woo wasn''t puzzled by the size of the dungeon . No, it had to do with this strange feeling he got from the air of the dungeon itself ''What''s this ?''. For some reason, he felt incomparably comfortable inside here He felt ominous sensations being carried in the air of the dungeons countless times, but this would be his first time feeling like this However "It''s the Ogre!". Somewhat different from Jin-Woo''s own premonition, the assault team was greeted by huge trouble from the entrance, instead "It''s the Twin-Head Ogre!!". "Everyone, be careful!!". A monster that would typically appear as a boss in other high-ranked dungeons was standing in the entrance, its bloodshot eyes glaring at the Hunters "Grooooaaaar!!!". A Twin-Head Ogre was about twice the size of a regular Ogre . But it was difficult to quantify how many times greater the creature''s powers were If it were any other ''regular'' assault team that had to face off against a Twin-Head Ogre in a dungeon, they would have been utterly frightened out of their senses and have tried to escape right away, but . "Let''s go!". ¡­ . It was a different story with the elites of the Knight Order Park Jong-Su the tanker raised his shield up and rushed towards the Ogre Discovering the human approaching it, the monster raised above its two heads a huge club that looked as if it was made from a tree yanked straight out of the ground, roots and all SLAM!!. The impact force actually shook the interior of the dungeon!. However, Park Jong-Su activated his skill in time to balloon up his muscle mass and managed to endure against the incredible physical strength of the Twin-Head Ogre without being brought down to his knees "Hyung-nim!". "I''m fine!". "Then, I''m coming, too!". The sub-tanker, Jeong Yun-Tae, stood next to Park Jong-Su Succeeding in his mission to get the Ogre''s attention locked firmly onto himself, Park Jong-Su yelled out loudly, veins in his neck standing up "Attack!!". With that, the counteroffensive of the Knight Order commenced . Arrows, magic spells, swords, and spears rained down on the Twin-Head Ogre Krrroooaar!!. The Twin-Head Ogre became agitated and began rampaging around . However, Park Jong-Su didn''t give the monster a chance to divert its attention elsewhere Meanwhile, Jeong Yun-Tae quickly ran over and defended the others whenever they were targetted by the Ogre THUD!!. Just now, Jeong Yun-Tae defended against the Ogre''s kick and was shoved back greatly as two lines were gouged on the ground by his feet . Thanks to him, though, other Hunters suffered almost no damage at all "K-krooar, Kheu-uh-uhrk!". The body of the Ogre was gradually shaved away due to the combined attacks of the damage dealers . It was a spectacular teamwork!. From this spectacle alone, Jin-Woo could now understand why the Knight Order Guild managed to lock down on the position of Yeong-Nam district''s number one for such a long time "Gheo-uh-uhrk!". Eventually, the Ogre fell backwards, bubbles foaming in its mouths THUD!. It was the moment when a boss-level monster fell without injuring a single person . A perfect victory, in other words "We did it!". The leader of the team, Park Jong-Su, tightly clenched both of his fists Was it because they had a guest today? Not just him, but even the rest of his teammates were much more motivated than usual How would they have looked in Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s eyes just now?. ''I''d be beyond ecstatic if he got moved by our teamwork and suddenly decides to join our Guild ''. Sneak Park Jong-Su sneaked a glance and immediately encountered Jin-Woo''s gaze Feeling as if his inner thoughts had been laid bare, Park Jong-Su became a bit sheepish and began wondering what he should do next, before deciding to approach Jin-Woo with a warm smile "We''ll stay here for a bit longer to recheck our equipment before advancing forward . ". "Ah, okay . Please do . ". Jin-Woo nodded his head While he only needed to drink potions to refill his magic energy or stamina, other Hunters clearly suffered from a physical limit to their magical energy reserve or fatigue . It was a must to take a break, even if it was a short one, after fighting against a powerful monster like that Park Jong-Su was now standing next to Jin-Woo . He stared at the dead body of the Ogre and spoke with an awkward look on his face "This is going to be big trouble . ". " . ?". Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to Park Jong-Su . The latter continued on "It seems likely that this raid won''t be easy, unfortunately . To think, we''d end up running into a Twin-Head Ogre right from the start . ". He rubbed his chin before turning to look at Jin-Woo with a grin "Do you know what the nickname of a Twin-Head Ogre is, by any chance?". Jin-Woo shook his head, and the older man replied as if he expected that answer "It''s the ''grave keeper'' . ". Did that nickname come about because it was such a powerful monster that killed a lot of people? However, Park Jong-Su''s explanation was far off Jin-Woo''s estimations "The thing is ". The older man cast his gaze deeper into the cavern''s interior . An ominous aura seemed to be oozing out from the other side of the cavern still enshrouded in darkness, at least in his eyes " When you meet one as the boss of a dungeon, it''s fine, but when you run into one right at the beginning, then well, you''ll find that this dungeon . ". Park Jong-Su sounded worried as he finished his sentence " This dungeon is full of undead monsters . ". ***. An urgent call came through to the Hunter''s Association emergency hotline . The caller''s voice belonged to a young teenage girl - "Is, is this the Association?!". The call centre employee heard the scared sobbing coming from the other side of the line as soon as the call got connected, and realised something was wrong "Yes, it is . Please speak . ". - "This, I''m in, sob, my school, but . There are, sob, there are monsters outside . ". "Outside? Where are you making this call from?". - "I''m hiding, I was with, my f-friend, but my friend, I, sob, I''m in the bathroom . ". Her sobbing meant that her words were constantly being cut off and it was hard to carry on a conversation . However, the call centre employee was experienced enough to piece together those stuttering words and figured out what this girl was trying to say Immediately, an urgent message was sent to the Association''s main building [Monsters appeared in the local school, one confirmed victim, the informant in hiding . ]. Could it be that a dungeon break occurred inside a school? The employee shuddered from the horrifying images taking root in his head and focused all of his being in trying to keep this female student alive "How many monsters are there? Are they any near you right now?". - "I don''t know, I really don''t know . Ah, ah! I hear screams . Sob, sob . I can hear so many screams . I, am I, sob, am I going to die?". "Please calm down and listen to my voice . ". This employee knew very well from his extensive experience about how weak-kneed humans could get when faced with life-threatening situations . He knew he had to be calm and collected in such situations while answering the call He had to calm the caller down sufficiently enough and then, had to suggest some kind of a plan for the current situation . That was his role "Right now, Hunters from the Association are headed your way . These Hunters will not give up on you guys . That is why you need to stay calm and rational, okay? Can you hear me?". - "Really? I-in that case, sob, can I, can I survive?". The voice coming from the other side of the line was gradually recovering from the panicked state . That was a good sign The employee thought that he succeeded in calming the female student down, and then asked the question that could prove to be most important in saving the girl''s life "By any chance, those monsters . do you know what kind of monsters those are?". - "Yes, yes . I know . I know . I saw them . On TV . ". "Which monsters are they?". If the monsters possessed weak senses and chased after humans using their eyes, then hiding in a bathroom would work as a suitable solution for the time being . The employee prayed that such monsters had invaded the school, instead - "They . they have human bodies, but, sob, but they have ugly faces . Ah, and their skin is green . ". ''Can it be?!''. The eyes of the employee grew wider and wider "Orcs . are they Orcs?". - "Yes, I think it was what they were called . Orcs . ". ''N-no, this can''t be!!''. The employee shot up from his seat before he realised it and cried out "You need to run away from there! Hurry! Orcs can . ". It was then Despite the employee''s earnest prayer, he could hear the sound of the bathroom door being destroyed, followed soon by a sorrowful scream - "Kyyaaaahk!". ***. The Knight Order''s raid was trucking along quite smoothly As a matter of fact, things were working out so well that the Hunters felt the whole thing was strangely too easy For instance, there encountered yet another monster, but . "Kuwaaahk!". A rotting creature the size of a house tried to escape from the assault team, only to get ensnared by the restriction magic spell cast by the Mage-type Hunter, and soon, it too met with a grisly end And when the exact same thing repeated itself over and over again, the Hunters were getting progressively more puzzled "Isn''t this weird?". "Why are these monsters running away when they see us?". "Isn''t it like they were being chased away?". Powerful undead creatures, such as Vampires, Lichs, Dread Worms, Red Ghouls, etc . , continued to pop up inside this dungeon Undeads were difficult opponents to fight against Not only were they difficult to kill, but even after killing them, Hunters couldn''t let their guards down . Because no one knew when they would regenerate or get revived to start attacking again However, these creatures couldn''t do much to display their prowess for some reason, and continued to get powerlessly massacred at the assault team''s hands ''It''s like they are too scared and can''t even think about resisting us . ''. That was Park Jong-Su''s assessment after observing the monsters and their strange behaviour . He even thought that maybe there was no need to bring Hunter Seong Jin-Woo along when things were this easy ''Seriously, man . You really can''t tell what''s going to happen inside a dungeon . ''. Who''d have imagined that they were clearing a highest-difficult rank A dungeon this painlessly?. ''Even still ''. Being able to end a raid without a single person getting injured was always a good thing . There might have been an unnecessary loss of profit here, but result-wise, it sure was a big relief On the other hand, Jin-Woo was inwardly feeling quite disappointed ''Here I was, really hyped up because this place was supposed to be the hardest rank A dungeon there could be ''. There was still that enormous magic energy leaking out from the deeper part of the dungeon, but would he even be able to earn any experience points if things continued on at this rate?. Because of the spirited attacks by the members of the Knight Order Guild, he didn''t even have a single chance to step forward at all ''¡­ . ''. Jin-Woo inwardly sighed out . But then, he abruptly halted his steps ''Uh?''. When Jin-Woo looked behind him, Healer Jeong Ye-Rim also came to a stop as well "What''s the matter, Seong Hunter-nim? Is something following us?". Jin-Woo didn''t answer her . As a matter of fact, his heart was beating so madly that he didn''t even have any leeway to answer her questions ''Could it be . ?''. Jin-Woo''s eyes, as they stared towards the outside of this dungeon, began quaking violently . Only then did Jeong Ye-Rim also realise that something was wrong as well "Seong Hunter-nim??". It was then Jin-Woo''s expression hardened like stone ***. "Uwaahhk!". "Kyaahhk!". Heartbreaking screams rose up from all corners of the school Less than half of the students managed to escape from the school alive . As for the rest, either they had all ended up as corpses, or were busy running around inside the school''s premise trying to evade the Orcs . Unfortunately, their futile resistance could only buy them a brief respite The hunts of the Orcs that started from the lowest floor continued on to higher floors and drove all victims caught in their wake to gruesome deaths "Uwaaahk!". The students who couldn''t run away in time and remained trapped in their classrooms could only cover their ears as more screams rose up from the lower floors The classrooms for the third year students were located on the top floor of the school building . Jin-Ah was also among those 3rd-year students who couldn''t run away in time . The doorway shoddily blocked up with junk was the only thing that could defend them against the marauding Orc horde "Ah ". " F*ck me . ". The male students grabbed onto chairs and mops or whatever that could serve as weapons with their trembling hands . But, none of them helped to instil a sense of confidence in the scared students No, all they could do was to wait and pray fervently for the Hunters to show up before those Orcs stepped foot inside their classroom KWANG!. The bent classroom door was flung away "Uwaaahk!". "Kyaaahk!". As the screams of the frightened students resounded out, two Orcs covered in the blood of the countless number of people they had murdered stepped into the classroom "U-uwaaahk!". A male student holding a mop near the door threw away his make-shift weapon and ran to the back entrance, before yanking it open However, another Orc was lying in wait there, and it slammed an axe down on the forehead of this fleeing male student Kwajeeck!. The male student fell powerlessly, the light of life leaving his eyes "Kyaaaahk!". "Uwak!". Both entrances of the classroom were now blocked off by the Orcs The remaining students screamed out loudly and crowded against the windows, but they all knew that the results would largely end up the same regardless of whether they chose to jump out from a sixth-story window or get caught by the Orcs ''Oppa, oppa!!''. Finding herself stuck in the middle of the students fleeing towards the corners of the classroom as they tried to get away from the Orcs, Jin-Ah squeezed her eyes shut and called out to Jin-Woo Her oppa, the rank S Hunter . If she called out to him, it felt as if he''d show up here right away . That was her only hope "Kurururuk . ". "Ku-euk?". The Orcs stopped advancing after they surrounded the students from all corners . They began conversing to each other in their native tongue "Boss . There is a human with magic energy coming off . ". "Kill that one first . ". Unlike regular humans, those that knew how to wield magic energy were dangerous opponents . Therefore, these Orcs had to deal with a threat like that first The Orc, having received the boss''s order, began scanning the students before eventually locking onto Jin-Ah''s location "Ah!". The Orc grabbed her wrist and dragged her out to the middle of the classroom "Is this female the one?". "It is, boss . ". The underling was right . Although faint, they could sense magic energy coming from somewhere on this girl . Whether that came from this female''s abilities or some sort of a weapon she possessed, it didn''t change the fact that she had to be eliminated first before everyone else The boss raised its axe up "Ah, ah !". Jin-Ah saw the axe rising up high above her head, and eventually squeezed her eyes shut "Kuruk . ". The boss twitched its nose and swung the axe down with a disinterested face Swiiiish-!. ''Oppa!''. But then, this happened Rumble-!. A veil of black smoke suddenly exploded out from Jin-Ah''s shadow and took on a solid shape Grab The brows of the advanced scout''s boss shot up high in surprise Because, it just realised that a High Orc wearing black armour suddenly appeared out of nowhere to grab onto its wrist, that was why "Kuruk?". Before the puzzled Orc could say something . The High Orc threw a simple punch and shattered the head of the monster like an exploding watermelon Kwajeeck!!. < Chapter 140 > Fin Chapter 141 How should one go about deciphering this situation? The jaws of the students watching this sight fell to the floor . They were about to avert their gazes before the scene of their classmate getting murdered played out, yet these ''soldiers'' decked out in black armour suddenly appeared without a single warning . Soldiers? No, hold on ¨C was it even okay to call those things ''soldiers''? But, these monsters looked more Orc-ish than Orcs themselves, and were at least double the size of an Orc and featured red skin? Really? When standing before the black-armoured Orc, that scary-looking Orc now resembled a boy about to enter his teenage years, instead . But, that was to be expected . The Shadow Soldiers Jin-Woo had left behind in Jin-Ah''s shadow were the High Orcs serving as the guards of the boss monster ''Fangs'' from the high-ranking dungeon . Not only that, these guys were the cream of the warrior crop found there . Regular Orcs dared to have a go against High Orc warriors? What a funny notion that was . As if to demonstrate that clear gap in power, the High Orc threw a powerful punch . Kwajeeck!! An Orc''s head shattered from the impact and the dead monster crashed down to the classroom''s floor . Meanwhile, the students were freaking out properly now . ''Heok!!'' The terrifying monsters threatening their lives up until only a few seconds ago were getting massacred by even more monsterish monsters now . Their current level of shock and fear had gone far past what they could tolerate, and caused the inside of these students'' heads to completely blank out . Except for one person, that was . Only Jin-Ah knew the significance of those black armours and began crying softly . ''Oppa? Did oppa . . . . ?'' Jin-Ah could sense her oppa''s trace from these three High Orcs surrounding her like a trio of bodyguards . "Gururu . . . . " The two High Orcs standing behind her didn''t even need to step forward . The High Orc in front, having destroyed the head of the scout leader Orc, reached out to grasp the scruffs of the two remaining Orcs trying to flee . "Kururuk!!" "Kheuwahahahk!" Now raised up high in the air, two monsters kicked and struggled desperately . But their struggles were ultimately in vain as their heads were violently slammed into one another . KWAHNG! The dead monsters and their shattered foreheads fell in a pair of heaps on the floor . Plop . Plop . . . . In the blink of an eye, the three Orcs invading the classroom were taken care of . That was the end . The High Orcs stopped moving again from their spots and quietly guarded Jin-Ah''s sides . Just how many seconds ticked by like this? The students had regained some semblance of calmness by then; while trying their best to suppress their still-pounding hearts, they silently exchanged glances with one another . ''W-what''s going on here?'' ''Did those monsters save us?'' ''Are we being protected?'' At the bare minimum, they felt sure of these black-armoured Orcs weren''t going to harm them . "W-where is oppa? Is he here?" Jin-Ah tearfully asked for Jin-Woo, but the High Orc soldiers didn''t reply back to her . "Oppa?" Instead, they lightly stopped her when she tried to go somewhere else . " . . . . . ?" When Jin-Ah cautiously looked up at the High Orc, the creature silently shook its head . The top priority for these High Orcs was to secure Jin-Ah''s safety . They couldn''t let her roam around the building when it was packed full of enemies right now . And, sure enough, footsteps climbing up the stairs could be heard coming from outside the classroom . Step, step, step! Step, step, step . High Orc soldiers began pulling out their weapons housed on their backs and waists . The students got tenser and tenser as those footsteps approached closer, but at the same time, hope wormed its way into their hearts as they watched these High Orcs calmly get ready for battle . The hope that they could get out of here alive, and the sense of relief that there were powerful allies protecting them . Among them, though, there were still a few who cried from the jumbled mixture of emotions ¨C from fear, worry, anxiety, sorrow, etc . "Sob . . . . Hic . . . . " Students hugged tightly their sobbing friends and held their breaths . The footsteps were getting closer and closer . Step, step, step . And so ¨C the Orcs spread around the school building all heard the death throes of their brethren and began gathering near the classroom of the third year seniors . *** The signal was coming through loud and clear . The High Orcs tasked with protecting his sister were sending out powerful signals . ''Did something happen near Jin-Ah''s vicinity?'' "Seong Hunter-nim?" Jeong Ye-Rim called out to him again, still sounding anxious . " . . . " With his lips firmly shut, Jin-Woo walked past her . She tilted her head in utter confusion . ''What''s gotten into him?'' The attitude of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, who was practically a paragon of relaxation up until a few seconds ago, suddenly did a complete 180 . She could even say that he had to be someone else just from looking at the expression on his face now . ''Hold on . . . . '' Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was a rank S . Such a man was now looking behind him with a grave expression etched on his face . Could that mean he had discovered something on the path they walked past earlier, something they all failed to notice back then? She suddenly felt her anxiety spiking up . ''Ng?'' Jeong Yun-Tae looked behind after sensing the approach of a person . "Hyung-nim? Seong Hunter-nim is walking over here . " "What?" Park Jong-Su stopped his advancement, which meant that the assault team''s advance also naturally came to a halt, as well . ''Why would Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . . . . ?'' He turned around to look, only to gasp out inadvertently after locking gazes with the approaching Jin-Woo and his eyes . ''Heok!'' Jin-Woo''s atmosphere was completely different from only a few moments ago . ''What''s going on?'' In that brief moment, Park Jong-Su quickly combed through his memories to see if he had done anything stupid to get on Jin-Woo''s nerves . But, regardless of how hard he wracked his brain, he couldn''t come up with an answer . ''If that''s the case . . . . '' If that was the case, then how was he to interpret that young man''s hardened expression and that murderous glare? Park Jong-Su nervously swallowed his saliva after finally realising what it felt like to deal with a stronger being who was clearly not having a good time at the moment . This here was inside of a dungeon . Anything could happen in here and that wouldn''t be seen as strange at all . Park Jong-Su''s attitude became a level more cautious . "Hunter-nim, is there something troubling you?" Jin-Woo was feeling really pressed at the moment, so he didn''t bother to beat around the bush . "Something urgent came up and I must leave now . " ''Heok!'' Park Jong-Su freaked out . This was a far worse situation than his expectations . The raid had been a relatively easy one so far . Indeed, it was chugging along so painlessly that he even wondered if it was a necessity to ask Jin-Woo to accompany them in the first place . However, Park Jong-Su was one of the very first Hunters to appear when this whole started all those years ago . Meaning, he wasn''t some naive rookie who might forget that accidents always happened when one was being too careless . ''Nothing happened until now, so we need to be even more cautious from here onwards . '' In a situation where no one could tell what kind of dangers were hiding up ahead, losing the most powerful combat potential would prove to be a big, painful blow . Park Jong-Su''s complexion darkened . "Without your presence, Seong Hunter-nim, we could find ourselves in great danger . You know this too, don''t you?" Park Jong-Su did his best to dissuade Jin-Woo in the most roundabout way he could think of . He was acutely aware that agitating Jin-Woo was far more dangerous than attempting to clear this dungeon without the young rank S Hunter''s help . That was how badly contorted Jin-Woo''s current expression was . ''¡­ . . . . . '' Park Jong-Su felt as if he was walking on a tightrope suspended at a dizzying height, as he cautiously observed Jin-Woo''s reaction . As his lips dried up from the nervousness . . . . Jin-Woo finally raised his voice . "Then, let me do this . " "Ah, yes . " Park Jong-Su ended up nodding his head even before hearing what Jin-Woo had to say . "Right now, let me call on a friend that you can place your trust in, as much as you''d trust me . From here on, that friend will take care of everything . " Park Jong-Su''s ears perked up . Not just anyone, but another Hunter whose ability was guaranteed by none other than Hunter Seong Jin-Woo himself? ''Who could it be? Choi Jong-In? Or is it Cha Hae-In?'' Now that Park Jong-Su thought about it, didn''t he see a document containing Hunter Cha Hae-In''s profile in Jin-Woo''s office yesterday? ''If its Cha Hunter-nim, then yeah, she''ll be more than enough . '' Although it was regretful that he couldn''t stop Jin-Woo from leaving, but still, Park Jong-Su''s expression got brighter at the prospect of the potential replacement . As long as it wasn''t Mah Dong-Wook from the Shining Star, then he''d welcome anyone . "If you do that, then we will . . . . . " Park Jong-Su''s eyes sparkled brightly now . How powerful would this Hunter be, that he was capable of subbing for Hunter Seong Jin-Woo? Anticipation began filling up the void left behind when anxiety receded in his mind . The rest of the team members also eavesdropped on the conversation and began looking at Jin-Woo with eyes half mixed with anticipation and misgivings . Jin-Woo didn''t waste time hesitating and summoned forth the most powerful soldier in his shadow army . ''Beru . '' The king of ants, its body shrouded in black mist, answered its master''s call . ''Oh, my king . . . . '' Beru emerged from the shadow and politely knelt before Jin-Woo, its head respectfully lowered . "Uh?! Uh-uh!!" "Uh?!" Beru didn''t bother to mask its overwhelmingly evil magic energy and that freaked the Hunters out so much that they had to retreat far away immediately . That absolutely horrendous amount of magic energy, and the exact same outer appearance as ''that'' thing . "C-could that be . . . . ??" "N-no, but how come?!" These Hunters immediately recognised the identity of Beru . Without a doubt, this was the very same mutated ant monster that toyed around with the Korean rank S Hunters back inside Jeju Island''s ant tunnel . Park Jong-Su quickly asked, unable to hide his shock in his voice . "H-Hunter-nim, isn''t that the mutated ant monster from Jeju?" Jin-Woo nodded his head . With these high-ranked Hunters recognising Beru, it became more convenient for him now since he didn''t need to explain himself any further . The whole of the country witnessed Beru''s power, after all . "From here onwards, this guy will sub for me . " "EH??" Park Jong-Su''s eyes grew extra wide . Jin-Woo knew what he was about to say . But he simply didn''t have enough time to answer all of their questions . He ignored the panicking Park Jung-Su and gave a new order to Beru . ''Protect these humans . '' ''I shall follow . '' Beru made a short reply and raised its head . ''In that case, oh my king . What should I do about the existences besides these humans . . . ?'' Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to the deepest part of the dungeon for a second or two, before issuing one more order to Beru . ''Do whatever you wish . '' It was right then . Beru''s repressed desire to kill morphed into an unbridled joy and spread all over its body . Kiiiiieeeehk-!! Beru stood back up and screeched out loudly, the entire cavern reverberating from that horrifying sound . Shiver . Hunters began trembling from that screech, even though it wasn''t even directed at them . ''W-wait . . . we, we need to finish the raid with that, that thing?!'' Cold perspiration trickled down Park Jong-Su''s back . Jin-Woo didn''t even pay any mind to the reactions of the Hunters and simply summoned twenty more ''ant'' Shadow Beast Soldiers to aid Beru''s cause . Kiiiehhk-! Kiiieehk! Having breathed in the ''fresh'' outside air for the first time in a long while, the Beast Soldiers began screeching out loudly as well . And quite obviously, every Hunter bearing witness to this spectacle froze up where they stood . "H-hold on!!" Jeong Ye-Rim quickly turned around and called out to Jin-Woo . "A-are you going to leave just like that? After letting loose this monsters here??" "If you want, I''ll simply undo the summoning . But, when that happens . . . . " Jeong Ye-Rim flinched when Jin-Woo''s cold glare landed on her . " . . . . I''ll no longer care about what happens to the Knight Order Guild . " Jin-Woo made a promise . And that was, he''d protect the members of the Knight Order Guild and ensure that they wouldn''t get harmed . However, if the other side declined his act of goodwill first, then he didn''t see the need to stay responsible for these people, either . " . . . . " Jin-Woo''s unyielding declaration shut up the mouths of not just Jeong Ye-Rim, but the rest of the Knight Order''s Hunters, as well . Jin-Woo spun around . And almost instantly, he could no longer be seen by the Knight Order''s raid team members . ''How long do I have left until the cooldown time ends?'' As his distance from the raid team grew, Jin-Woo summoned up his Skills window to confirm . [Skill: Shadow Exchange Lv . 1] Class specific . . . ¡­ . . [01:02:16] remaining before the skill can be used again . ''D*mn it . . . . . '' Jin-Woo bit his lower lip . He needed to wait over an hour if he were to use the Shadow Exchange skill . The signals from his soldiers were still coming in, even right now . He was getting a really bad premonition here . ''I can''t wait for another hour . '' He needed to exit from this dungeon first . Making up his mind thus, Jin-Woo took another step, but then . . . . Undead monsters that were supposed to be finished off after the assault team went past here began raising their bodies up again . ''¡­ . . . '' Jin-Woo''s eyes burned brilliantly from rage . He was enraged by these worthless monsters trying to block his path . When that happened, ''¡­ . . . . . ??'' Like a lie, the undead monsters all knelt down towards Jin-Woo . Plop . Plop . There was not one exception here . Every single revived undead monster was prostrating before Jin-Woo now . ''But, why?'' Jin-Woo tilted his head . Could the reason for every monster encountered by the assault team being so terrified be all because of him? ''Is it because I possess a higher ranked Class than a Necromancer capable of controlling the undead?'' The current situation was puzzling, but he didn''t have enough time to think about this too deeply . He stored the shortsword back in his Inventory and ran with all his might to exit from the Gate . The attention of the people waiting outside the Gate focused on him in an instant . Why did only Hunter Seong Jin-Woo get out of the Gate? They sent their curiosity-filled gazes in his direction, but Jin-Woo ignored them all . ''Kaisel!'' Suddenly, a Sky Dragon covered in black mist revealed itself . Kiiiaaahhk-!! The spectators immediately recognised the Sky Dragon, which had appeared in the news a couple of times before, and they began crying out while pointing to Jin-Woo . "Waaaahh-!!" "Look! That!!" "That''s Seong Jin-Woo!!" Jin-Woo quickly climbed above Kaisel''s back as the people cheered on, and he issued a command to his mount . ''To where my little sister is! At your fastest speed!'' If something tried to block his way, he''d smash past them regardless of what they were . Kaisel roared out in happiness, knowing that now it could flap its wings without any restrictions whatsoever . Kiiiaahk! Right away, Kaisel unfurled its massive wings and took to the sky . < Chapter 141 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 141: Chapter 141 . How should one go about deciphering this situation?. The jaws of the students watching this sight fell to the floor They were about to avert their gazes before the scene of their classmate getting murdered played out, yet these ''soldiers'' decked out in black armour suddenly appeared without a single warning Soldiers?. No, hold on ¨C was it even okay to call those things ''soldiers''?. But, these monsters looked more Orc-ish than Orcs themselves, and were at least double the size of an Orc and featured red skin? Really?. When standing before the black-armoured Orc, that scary-looking Orc now resembled a boy about to enter his teenage years, instead . But, that was to be expected The Shadow Soldiers Jin-Woo had left behind in Jin-Ah''s shadow were the High Orcs serving as the guards of the boss monster ''Fangs'' from the high-ranking dungeon . Not only that, these guys were the cream of the warrior crop found there Regular Orcs dared to have a go against High Orc warriors? What a funny notion that was As if to demonstrate that clear gap in power, the High Orc threw a powerful punch Kwajeeck!!. An Orc''s head shattered from the impact and the dead monster crashed down to the classroom''s floor . Meanwhile, the students were freaking out properly now ''Heok!!''. The terrifying monsters threatening their lives up until only a few seconds ago were getting massacred by even more monsterish monsters now Their current level of shock and fear had gone far past what they could tolerate, and caused the inside of these students'' heads to completely blank out . Except for one person, that was Only Jin-Ah knew the significance of those black armours and began crying softly ''Oppa? Did oppa ?''. Jin-Ah could sense her oppa''s trace from these three High Orcs surrounding her like a trio of bodyguards "Gururu ". The two High Orcs standing behind her didn''t even need to step forward . The High Orc in front, having destroyed the head of the scout leader Orc, reached out to grasp the scruffs of the two remaining Orcs trying to flee "Kururuk!!". "Kheuwahahahk!". Now raised up high in the air, two monsters kicked and struggled desperately . But their struggles were ultimately in vain as their heads were violently slammed into one another KWAHNG!. The dead monsters and their shattered foreheads fell in a pair of heaps on the floor Plop Plop . In the blink of an eye, the three Orcs invading the classroom were taken care of . That was the end The High Orcs stopped moving again from their spots and quietly guarded Jin-Ah''s sides Just how many seconds ticked by like this?. The students had regained some semblance of calmness by then; while trying their best to suppress their still-pounding hearts, they silently exchanged glances with one another ''W-what''s going on here?''. ''Did those monsters save us?''. ''Are we being protected?''. At the bare minimum, they felt sure of these black-armoured Orcs weren''t going to harm them "W-where is oppa? Is he here?". Jin-Ah tearfully asked for Jin-Woo, but the High Orc soldiers didn''t reply back to her "Oppa?". Instead, they lightly stopped her when she tried to go somewhere else " . ?". When Jin-Ah cautiously looked up at the High Orc, the creature silently shook its head . The top priority for these High Orcs was to secure Jin-Ah''s safety . They couldn''t let her roam around the building when it was packed full of enemies right now And, sure enough, footsteps climbing up the stairs could be heard coming from outside the classroom Step, step, step!. Step, step, step High Orc soldiers began pulling out their weapons housed on their backs and waists The students got tenser and tenser as those footsteps approached closer, but at the same time, hope wormed its way into their hearts as they watched these High Orcs calmly get ready for battle The hope that they could get out of here alive, and the sense of relief that there were powerful allies protecting them Among them, though, there were still a few who cried from the jumbled mixture of emotions ¨C from fear, worry, anxiety, sorrow, etc "Sob Hic ". Students hugged tightly their sobbing friends and held their breaths The footsteps were getting closer and closer Step, step, step And so ¨C the Orcs spread around the school building all heard the death throes of their brethren and began gathering near the classroom of the third year seniors ***. The signal was coming through loud and clear The High Orcs tasked with protecting his sister were sending out powerful signals ''Did something happen near Jin-Ah''s vicinity?''. "Seong Hunter-nim?". Jeong Ye-Rim called out to him again, still sounding anxious " . ". With his lips firmly shut, Jin-Woo walked past her She tilted her head in utter confusion ''What''s gotten into him?''. The attitude of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, who was practically a paragon of relaxation up until a few seconds ago, suddenly did a complete 180 . She could even say that he had to be someone else just from looking at the expression on his face now ''Hold on ''. Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was a rank S . Such a man was now looking behind him with a grave expression etched on his face . Could that mean he had discovered something on the path they walked past earlier, something they all failed to notice back then?. She suddenly felt her anxiety spiking up ''Ng?''. Jeong Yun-Tae looked behind after sensing the approach of a person "Hyung-nim? Seong Hunter-nim is walking over here . ". "What?". Park Jong-Su stopped his advancement, which meant that the assault team''s advance also naturally came to a halt, as well ''Why would Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim ?''. He turned around to look, only to gasp out inadvertently after locking gazes with the approaching Jin-Woo and his eyes ''Heok!''. Jin-Woo''s atmosphere was completely different from only a few moments ago ''What''s going on?''. In that brief moment, Park Jong-Su quickly combed through his memories to see if he had done anything stupid to get on Jin-Woo''s nerves . But, regardless of how hard he wracked his brain, he couldn''t come up with an answer ''If that''s the case ''. If that was the case, then how was he to interpret that young man''s hardened expression and that murderous glare?. Park Jong-Su nervously swallowed his saliva after finally realising what it felt like to deal with a stronger being who was clearly not having a good time at the moment This here was inside of a dungeon . Anything could happen in here and that wouldn''t be seen as strange at all Park Jong-Su''s attitude became a level more cautious "Hunter-nim, is there something troubling you?". Jin-Woo was feeling really pressed at the moment, so he didn''t bother to beat around the bush "Something urgent came up and I must leave now . ". ''Heok!''. Park Jong-Su freaked out . This was a far worse situation than his expectations The raid had been a relatively easy one so far . Indeed, it was chugging along so painlessly that he even wondered if it was a necessity to ask Jin-Woo to accompany them in the first place However, Park Jong-Su was one of the very first Hunters to appear when this whole started all those years ago . Meaning, he wasn''t some naive rookie who might forget that accidents always happened when one was being too careless ''Nothing happened until now, so we need to be even more cautious from here onwards . ''. In a situation where no one could tell what kind of dangers were hiding up ahead, losing the most powerful combat potential would prove to be a big, painful blow Park Jong-Su''s complexion darkened "Without your presence, Seong Hunter-nim, we could find ourselves in great danger . You know this too, don''t you?". Park Jong-Su did his best to dissuade Jin-Woo in the most roundabout way he could think of . He was acutely aware that agitating Jin-Woo was far more dangerous than attempting to clear this dungeon without the young rank S Hunter''s help That was how badly contorted Jin-Woo''s current expression was ''¡­ . ''. Park Jong-Su felt as if he was walking on a tightrope suspended at a dizzying height, as he cautiously observed Jin-Woo''s reaction As his lips dried up from the nervousness . Jin-Woo finally raised his voice "Then, let me do this . ". "Ah, yes . ". Park Jong-Su ended up nodding his head even before hearing what Jin-Woo had to say "Right now, let me call on a friend that you can place your trust in, as much as you''d trust me . From here on, that friend will take care of everything . ". Park Jong-Su''s ears perked up . Not just anyone, but another Hunter whose ability was guaranteed by none other than Hunter Seong Jin-Woo himself?. ''Who could it be? Choi Jong-In? Or is it Cha Hae-In?''. Now that Park Jong-Su thought about it, didn''t he see a document containing Hunter Cha Hae-In''s profile in Jin-Woo''s office yesterday?. ''If its Cha Hunter-nim, then yeah, she''ll be more than enough . ''. Although it was regretful that he couldn''t stop Jin-Woo from leaving, but still, Park Jong-Su''s expression got brighter at the prospect of the potential replacement . As long as it wasn''t Mah Dong-Wook from the Shining Star, then he''d welcome anyone "If you do that, then we will . ". Park Jong-Su''s eyes sparkled brightly now . How powerful would this Hunter be, that he was capable of subbing for Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?. Anticipation began filling up the void left behind when anxiety receded in his mind . The rest of the team members also eavesdropped on the conversation and began looking at Jin-Woo with eyes half mixed with anticipation and misgivings Jin-Woo didn''t waste time hesitating and summoned forth the most powerful soldier in his shadow army ''Beru . ''. The king of ants, its body shrouded in black mist, answered its master''s call ''Oh, my king ''. Beru emerged from the shadow and politely knelt before Jin-Woo, its head respectfully lowered "Uh?! Uh-uh!!". "Uh?!". Beru didn''t bother to mask its overwhelmingly evil magic energy and that freaked the Hunters out so much that they had to retreat far away immediately That absolutely horrendous amount of magic energy, and the exact same outer appearance as ''that'' thing "C-could that be ??". "N-no, but how come?!". These Hunters immediately recognised the identity of Beru Without a doubt, this was the very same mutated ant monster that toyed around with the Korean rank S Hunters back inside Jeju Island''s ant tunnel . Park Jong-Su quickly asked, unable to hide his shock in his voice "H-Hunter-nim, isn''t that the mutated ant monster from Jeju?". Jin-Woo nodded his head . With these high-ranked Hunters recognising Beru, it became more convenient for him now since he didn''t need to explain himself any further The whole of the country witnessed Beru''s power, after all "From here onwards, this guy will sub for me . ". "EH??". Park Jong-Su''s eyes grew extra wide . Jin-Woo knew what he was about to say . But he simply didn''t have enough time to answer all of their questions . He ignored the panicking Park Jung-Su and gave a new order to Beru ''Protect these humans . ''. ''I shall follow . ''. Beru made a short reply and raised its head ''In that case, oh my king . What should I do about the existences besides these humans . ?''. Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to the deepest part of the dungeon for a second or two, before issuing one more order to Beru ''Do whatever you wish . ''. It was right then . Beru''s repressed desire to kill morphed into an unbridled joy and spread all over its body Kiiiiieeeehk-!!. Beru stood back up and screeched out loudly, the entire cavern reverberating from that horrifying sound Shiver Hunters began trembling from that screech, even though it wasn''t even directed at them ''W-wait . we, we need to finish the raid with that, that thing?!''. Cold perspiration trickled down Park Jong-Su''s back Jin-Woo didn''t even pay any mind to the reactions of the Hunters and simply summoned twenty more ''ant'' Shadow Beast Soldiers to aid Beru''s cause Kiiiehhk-!. Kiiieehk!. Having breathed in the ''fresh'' outside air for the first time in a long while, the Beast Soldiers began screeching out loudly as well . And quite obviously, every Hunter bearing witness to this spectacle froze up where they stood "H-hold on!!". Jeong Ye-Rim quickly turned around and called out to Jin-Woo "A-are you going to leave just like that? After letting loose this monsters here??". "If you want, I''ll simply undo the summoning . But, when that happens ". Jeong Ye-Rim flinched when Jin-Woo''s cold glare landed on her " I''ll no longer care about what happens to the Knight Order Guild . ". Jin-Woo made a promise . And that was, he''d protect the members of the Knight Order Guild and ensure that they wouldn''t get harmed However, if the other side declined his act of goodwill first, then he didn''t see the need to stay responsible for these people, either " ". Jin-Woo''s unyielding declaration shut up the mouths of not just Jeong Ye-Rim, but the rest of the Knight Order''s Hunters, as well Jin-Woo spun around . And almost instantly, he could no longer be seen by the Knight Order''s raid team members ''How long do I have left until the cooldown time ends?''. As his distance from the raid team grew, Jin-Woo summoned up his Skills window to confirm [Skill: Shadow Exchange Lv . 1]. Class specific ¡­ [01:02:16] remaining before the skill can be used again ''D*mn it . ''. Jin-Woo bit his lower lip He needed to wait over an hour if he were to use the Shadow Exchange skill . The signals from his soldiers were still coming in, even right now He was getting a really bad premonition here ''I can''t wait for another hour . ''. He needed to exit from this dungeon first . Making up his mind thus, Jin-Woo took another step, but then . Undead monsters that were supposed to be finished off after the assault team went past here began raising their bodies up again ''¡­ . ''. Jin-Woo''s eyes burned brilliantly from rage . He was enraged by these worthless monsters trying to block his path When that happened,. ''¡­ . ??''. Like a lie, the undead monsters all knelt down towards Jin-Woo Plop Plop There was not one exception here . Every single revived undead monster was prostrating before Jin-Woo now ''But, why?''. Jin-Woo tilted his head . Could the reason for every monster encountered by the assault team being so terrified be all because of him?. ''Is it because I possess a higher ranked Class than a Necromancer capable of controlling the undead?''. The current situation was puzzling, but he didn''t have enough time to think about this too deeply . He stored the shortsword back in his Inventory and ran with all his might to exit from the Gate The attention of the people waiting outside the Gate focused on him in an instant Why did only Hunter Seong Jin-Woo get out of the Gate?. They sent their curiosity-filled gazes in his direction, but Jin-Woo ignored them all ''Kaisel!''. Suddenly, a Sky Dragon covered in black mist revealed itself Kiiiaaahhk-!!. The spectators immediately recognised the Sky Dragon, which had appeared in the news a couple of times before, and they began crying out while pointing to Jin-Woo "Waaaahh-!!". "Look! That!!". "That''s Seong Jin-Woo!!". Jin-Woo quickly climbed above Kaisel''s back as the people cheered on, and he issued a command to his mount ''To where my little sister is! At your fastest speed!''. If something tried to block his way, he''d smash past them regardless of what they were Kaisel roared out in happiness, knowing that now it could flap its wings without any restrictions whatsoever Kiiiaahk!. Right away, Kaisel unfurled its massive wings and took to the sky < Chapter 141 > Fin Chapter 142 The last restriction was finally undone . Finally gaining the freedom of movement, the ''owner of the dungeon'' left the boss chamber and strode outside the Gate . It was the Chieftain of the Orcs, ''Guroktaru'' . Its entire body was covered in black tattoos, seemingly not leaving behind even a single patch of empty skin . Tattoos signified victory to Orcs . These were proof of how many battles this creature fought and how many enemies it had slain so far . "Guroktaru!" "Guroktaru!!" The Orcs waiting for the Chieftain in front of the Gate chanted out its name and lowered their heads . On the other hand, Guroktaru raised its head towards the ceiling without saying anything . ''¡­ . . . '' Because, it was getting rather noisy up there . It had been some time since the advanced scouts took away a few of the warriors while declaring that they would conquer this castle of humans . However, they still hadn''t ended their battle yet? A sweating Orc received the furious glare of its Chieftain and hurriedly explained the situation . "High Orc warriors are aiding humans . " "High Orcs?" Indeed, High Orc warriors were strong . Regular Orc warriors wouldn''t be able to fight against them . Meaning, it was now time for the Chieftain to step up . "How many?" "Three . " Even if their opponents were strong, what a shameful notion it was for dozens of great Orc warriors to fail at subduing only three High Orcs . "Pathetic . . . . " Guroktaru''s expression crumpled . The Orcs were scared stiff from the Chieftain''s anger and began trembling like leaves . It was then, the Orc great warriors that had been left behind by Guroktaru''s speed, finally emerged out of the Gate one by one . There were a total of five out-of-breath Orc great warriors . Confirming that all of its guards had escaped from the Gate now, Guroktaru gestured at the Orc making that report with its chin . "Lead the way . " The Orc lowered its head and stood at the front . The Chieftain and its guards strode right behind . Meanwhile, lights of madness were burning furiously within Guroktaru''s eyes . ''Insolent b*stards . . . . '' It was now time to demand appropriate compensation from the High Orcs, who dare to interrupt the hunting of the Orc warriors . *** Suddenly finding himself left behind along with ant monsters, Park Jong-Su was feeling rather dumbstruck at the moment . "Hyung-nim . . . . . " "Leave me for a bit, okay? I need time to think . " Kiiieeehhk- Keeck, keeck . . . Ka-ahahak! Being surrounded by over twenty of these monsters, no, ''summons'', Park Jong-Su was getting this close to abandoning this raid altogether . Not only that . . . . Well, this guy over there . This one guy, with a far bigger physique and with wings on its back . Wasn''t that guy the same mutated ant monster that made an utter mockery out of the rank S Hunters? This guy''s horrifying level of magic energy was making Park Jong-Su''s skin crawl just by being near the dang thing . ''If I think about a creature like this turning on us . . . . . '' He suddenly thought that the rank S Hunters willing to fight against this thing were a rather amazing bunch of folks, instead . And, at the same time . . . ''Hold on a sec . . . . '' . . . And, at the same time, a certain suspicion bloomed in his head . Just what was the identity of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo controlling this mutated ant monster as his summoned creature? ''Didn''t Hunter Seong Jin-Woo solo this guy, too?'' When his thoughts reached that point, his heart began pounding even harder . ''No, wait . I''ve gotten sidetracked . '' Park Jong-Su shook his head to throw away all the distracting thoughts . Indeed, he needed to think about whether to continue on with this raid along with these monsters or not, instead of wasting time on nonsense like how strong Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was or what his true identity could be . ''Okay, so . . . let''s say that we give up on this raid . '' If so, then how should he explain the result of this raid to the reporters waiting outside? Could he say, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had to suddenly leave the assault team and therefore they couldn''t afford to advance forward anymore? Or, they had to give up on the raid because they got too scared of the new ''friends'' Hunter Seong Jin-Woo summoned here for them? ''What kind of an embarrassment would that be . . . . . ?'' Didn''t matter which excuse was used, it''d become a source of ridicule for them, probably for forever . Park Jong-Su clenched his teeth . ''Fine . We go forward . '' Did it really matter if they were scared of these summons? At the end of the day, weren''t they Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s slaves? When Park Jong-Su thought about this, his mind calmed down just a tad . ''I mean, seriously . These guys are Seong Hunter-nim''s summoned creatures, so they won''t do anything weird to us, right?'' Park Jong-Su''s confidence filled eyes shifted over to Beru, and the latter approached the Hunter after sensing his gaze . ''Heok . . . . '' The confidence of a few seconds ago evaporated real fast, and Park Jong-Su could barely squeeze out a trembling voice . "L-let''s get going . " Rather naturally, he began speaking in a super-polite tone . However, Beru showed no reaction even after hearing Park Jong-Su''s voice . No, ''it'' just stood there and simply stared back . Wondering if his manner of speech was still not good enough for this creature''s whims, Park Jong-Su became even more polite in his tone . "Should . . . . Should we get going now?" Even then, Beru showed no sign of budging from the spot . Park Jong-Su''s consciousness was gradually getting fainter as he had to stare longer and longer into the powerful glare of the creature in front of him . It was then, Jeong Yun-Tae approached him from behind . "Hyung-nim, will we be continuing with this raid alongside these guys?" Park Jong-Su was already feeling jittery, so when his deputy began pressing him, he ended up blurting out in anger . "Just keep quiet, will ya?!" The words, ''Or, why dontcha become the leader of this assault team and tell these things we''re going to give up'', almost jumped out of his throat but somehow, he managed to swallow them all back down . Park Jong-Su glared daggers at the poor Jeong Yun-Tae for a bit before shifting his attention back to Beru . Gulp . His dry saliva went down the throat all by itself . Park Jong-Su desperately wanted this awkwardness to go away as soon as possible . But, then suddenly a thought popped up in his head . ''Could it be that this guy can''t understand what I''m saying here and that''s why it''s not moving?'' When Park Jong-Su''s thoughts reached this point, he forced his facial muscle to contort into an ungainly smile . And then, he pointed towards the interior of the dungeon . "In front . Forward . " In that moment . Pii-shook! The mutated ant monster disappeared instantly, along with the sound of a bullet leaving the silenced gun . ''¡­ . Uh?'' Where did it go? Even before Park Jong-Su could scan his vicinity with puzzled eyes, Beru returned to his original position . Taht . Beru then pushed forward something held in his hand towards Park Jong-Su''s face . ''W-what the heck?'' When the flustered Hunter took a closer look, he realised that the mystery object was actually the head of a monster . Not only that, it was the helmet of one of the most powerful undead monsters, Death Knight, with a rotting head still trapped inside . It dangled oh-so innocuously in the hand of the mutated ant monster . "U-uwaaaahk?!" Park Jong-Su freaked out and plopped down his butt, real hard . The other members of the assault team also were jolted into stunned silence and hurriedly gathered around Park Jong-Su . Beru disinterestedly scanned the Hunters now grouped together in one spot, then tossed the Death Knight''s head away somewhere . He loudly screeched out to the rest of the ant monsters . "Kiiiieeehk!!" With that, the ant army began to march forward in perfect order . ''¡­ . . . '' Beru looked down at Park Jong-Su still on the ground for a little while, before he slowly turned around and followed after the marching ants . The Hunters hurriedly checked out Park Jong-Su''s current condition . "Hyung-nim!!" "Chairman, are you alright?!" "Are you okay?" Park Jong-Su replied to them with a stupefied face . "Uh, uh . I''m okay . " His body was fine . But, for some reason, his heart ached, instead . It felt as if he got ridiculed by a summoned creature . ''There''s no way that''s true, surely not . . . . '' Indeed, a summoned creature couldn''t have possessed such a level of intelligence . Whatever the case may be, though ¨C he couldn''t give up on this raid now that he even got humiliated somewhat like this . Park Jong-Su dusted off his butt and got back up . "Let''s go, as well . " The expressions of the Hunters stiffened up . "Eh?" "You want to follow after those things?" "How can we go on a raid with monsters? I won''t do it . " "Yeah, me too . " Park Jong-Su spat out a groan as if he was feeling annoyed now . Was there a need for him to waste his breath convincing these folks with words here? He quickly searched for the head of the Death Knight discarded by the mutated ant monster and picked it up . "Heok!" "H-hey, isn''t that the head of a Death Knight?" "A Death Knight, you say??" The experienced Hunters among the group recognised the helmet of the Death Knight and gasped out in pure shock . Park Jong-Su calmly explained it to them . "You are all aware of how much Magic Crystals coming out of high-ranked monsters sell for, yes?" Gulp . Hunters swallowed their greedy salivas . "All we have to do is to follow them and simply pick those Crystals up . " The expressions of the Hunters, filled with dissatisfaction up until a second ago, gradually brightened up . That was an expected and perhaps, inevitable reaction in this situation . Park Jong-Su used a question to end his speech . "So, anyone still unwilling to continue?" Hunters moved in an even more orderly fashion than the ant army . Those who had already advanced far forward looked back and called out to Park Jong-Su . "Chairman? What are you doing at the far back?" "Please hurry up! We might leave you behind, you know?" "Hyung-nim, how long are you planning to stay there?" Park Jong-Su bitterly smacked his lips . "Well, I''ll be . . . these people . Seriously . " And so, the momentarily-halted raid of the Knight Order Guild recommenced from this point onwards . *** Jin-Woo directed his gaze below him . People, roads, cars, buildings, rivers, trees, mountains, mountains, and even more mountains ¨C the scenery kept changing every time he blinked over and over again . ''So fast . '' Kaisel''s unrestricted speed had reached a truly gobsmacking level . If he was a simple, regular powerless person and not a highest-ranked Hunter out there, then he wouldn''t have been able to withstand the air pressure his body was being subjected to right now . Even then . . . . Despite this amazing turn of speed . . . . Jin-Woo was getting more and more anxious . The signals from his soldiers were still getting to him, but they were gradually getting weaker . Not only that . . . ''Status window . '' [MP: 8,619/8,770] From a short while ago, his MP began declining as well . That definitely was not a good sign . Because it could only mean that the High Orc Shadow Soldiers were repeatedly being destroyed only to get revived again . ''An enemy on the level of destroying my Shadow Soldiers are aiming for Jin-Ah . '' Grit . Jin-Woo''s expression hardened . Even if not a single strand of his little sister''s hair was harmed, he swore to never let this enemy get out of there alive . Murderous rage filled up in Jin-Woo''s eyes . ''Faster . Faster!'' Kyaaahhh-! Kaisel heard Jin-Woo''s order and screeched out again, before increasing its speed even further . *** The High Orc warriors were indeed strong . Unfortunately, they were still no match for the Orc Chieftain, Guroktaru . The Orc''s leader left behind its guards in the corridor and stepped forward to fight all by itself . And then, while easily evading the attacks of the High Orcs, pulled out a scimitar sheathed on its back . "Is this all you have?!" The interior of the classroom was filled with the corpses of the Orcs . Even at a casual count, there were 50 of them here . Over 50 of its underlings were done in by these three High Orcs . "Make me enjoy this more, warriors of the High Orc race!" The Chieftain''s rage was transferred directly into merciless swings of its curved blade . Guroktaru''s scimitar drew elaborate arcs in the air and began shaving away the High Orcs, their armours and all . "Ahh!!" "Kyaaahk!" The screams didn''t come from the High Orcs, naturally, but from the mouths of the humans hiding behind them . Guroktaru''s forehead creased up in displeasure . ''Annoyingly noisy . '' After taking care of these High Orcs, those bugs would be next . Guroktaru sliced off an arm of a High Orc and chopped it up in fine pieces until it got eventually bored of doing that, and spun on its heels to cut off the opponent''s neck clean off . Slice! When that happened, other Orcs who had retreated outside the classroom because of the High Orcs all began raising loud cheers . "Guroktaru!" "Guroktaru-!!" It was then, Guroktaru''s brows quivered . The headless High Orc morphed to black smoke before reverting back to how it was originally, right in front of its eyes . ''Is this shamanism?'' Even after the Orc Chieftain cut and sliced its enemies several more times, the story remained the same . "Kuwahk!" Guroktaru eventually became really frustrated and roared out . It had sliced and hacked these High Orcs numerous times to death, yet they all reverted back to their original shapes again and again . ''It won''t be hard killing them hundreds, thousands times . '' However, there would be no end in sight if that happened . Even right now, that d*mn voice in its head was repeatedly ordering Guroktaru to kill humans . As a matter of fact, the Orc was beginning to suffer from a migraine as the voice continuously rang inside its head . But that didn''t mean it could ignore these High Orcs and try to kill the humans, either . ''¡­ . Time to finish this . '' Guroktaru rolled its brain into gear . If these High Orcs were creations from some kind of sorcery, then without a doubt, there must be a shaman controlling them somewhere . Guroktaru had fought against many different kinds of sorcery in the past battles, and therefore, it subsequently knew how to end this dirty trick once and for all, as well . ''That female!'' That human female, standing far behind these High Orcs and holding her breath! Although faint, she was somehow connected to these High Orcs . Guroktaru''s eyes gleamed dangerously . ''So, is it you?'' The monster''s target for its murderous rage was redirected to her . The moment Jin-Ah met Guroktaru''s gaze, her entire body shuddered uncontrollably . That human female definitely knew something ¨C Guroktaru decided as so, and pointed at Jin-Ah while glancing behind itself . "Kill that human female!" Even before its words were finished, the guards observing the fight from the back rushed forward to carry out Guroktaru''s order . Then, the High Orcs ignored Guroktaru in front of them to desperately block against the advancing guards . ''I thought as much . '' Indeed, the Orc Chieftain''s guess was correct . By seizing the opening created from the High Orcs being held up, Guroktaru stood before Jin-Ah . "So, it was you . " The Orc used the hand not holding the scimitar and grabbed Jin-Ah''s neck, before lifting her up . "Ah . . . . " The female, with her airways squeezed tight, couldn''t even scream properly . This caused Guroktaru to tilt its head . It was such a weak, slender neck that it''d get broken just from the monster squeezing a little harder than usual . But, how could such a weak human manage to complete a high-class sorcery that changed warriors into immortals? There was a simple way to find out . ''Kill her and I''ll see . '' And, just as Guroktaru began squeezing the female''s neck to snap it in half . . . . Kiiiaaahhk-! From afar, the cry of a Sky Dragon resounded out . < Chapter 142 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 142: Chapter 142 . The last restriction was finally undone Finally gaining the freedom of movement, the ''owner of the dungeon'' left the boss chamber and strode outside the Gate . It was the Chieftain of the Orcs, ''Guroktaru'' Its entire body was covered in black tattoos, seemingly not leaving behind even a single patch of empty skin Tattoos signified victory to Orcs . These were proof of how many battles this creature fought and how many enemies it had slain so far "Guroktaru!". "Guroktaru!!". The Orcs waiting for the Chieftain in front of the Gate chanted out its name and lowered their heads On the other hand, Guroktaru raised its head towards the ceiling without saying anything ''¡­ . ''. Because, it was getting rather noisy up there It had been some time since the advanced scouts took away a few of the warriors while declaring that they would conquer this castle of humans However, they still hadn''t ended their battle yet?. A sweating Orc received the furious glare of its Chieftain and hurriedly explained the situation "High Orc warriors are aiding humans . ". "High Orcs?". Indeed, High Orc warriors were strong . Regular Orc warriors wouldn''t be able to fight against them . Meaning, it was now time for the Chieftain to step up "How many?". "Three . ". Even if their opponents were strong, what a shameful notion it was for dozens of great Orc warriors to fail at subduing only three High Orcs "Pathetic ". Guroktaru''s expression crumpled The Orcs were scared stiff from the Chieftain''s anger and began trembling like leaves . It was then, the Orc great warriors that had been left behind by Guroktaru''s speed, finally emerged out of the Gate one by one There were a total of five out-of-breath Orc great warriors Confirming that all of its guards had escaped from the Gate now, Guroktaru gestured at the Orc making that report with its chin "Lead the way . ". The Orc lowered its head and stood at the front . The Chieftain and its guards strode right behind . Meanwhile, lights of madness were burning furiously within Guroktaru''s eyes ''Insolent b*stards ''. It was now time to demand appropriate compensation from the High Orcs, who dare to interrupt the hunting of the Orc warriors ***. Suddenly finding himself left behind along with ant monsters, Park Jong-Su was feeling rather dumbstruck at the moment "Hyung-nim . ". "Leave me for a bit, okay? I need time to think . ". Kiiieeehhk-. Keeck, keeck Ka-ahahak!. Being surrounded by over twenty of these monsters, no, ''summons'', Park Jong-Su was getting this close to abandoning this raid altogether Not only that . Well, this guy over there . This one guy, with a far bigger physique and with wings on its back . Wasn''t that guy the same mutated ant monster that made an utter mockery out of the rank S Hunters?. This guy''s horrifying level of magic energy was making Park Jong-Su''s skin crawl just by being near the dang thing ''If I think about a creature like this turning on us . ''. He suddenly thought that the rank S Hunters willing to fight against this thing were a rather amazing bunch of folks, instead . And, at the same time ''Hold on a sec ''. . And, at the same time, a certain suspicion bloomed in his head Just what was the identity of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo controlling this mutated ant monster as his summoned creature?. ''Didn''t Hunter Seong Jin-Woo solo this guy, too?''. When his thoughts reached that point, his heart began pounding even harder ''No, wait . I''ve gotten sidetracked . ''. Park Jong-Su shook his head to throw away all the distracting thoughts Indeed, he needed to think about whether to continue on with this raid along with these monsters or not, instead of wasting time on nonsense like how strong Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was or what his true identity could be ''Okay, so . let''s say that we give up on this raid . ''. If so, then how should he explain the result of this raid to the reporters waiting outside?. Could he say, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had to suddenly leave the assault team and therefore they couldn''t afford to advance forward anymore?. Or, they had to give up on the raid because they got too scared of the new ''friends'' Hunter Seong Jin-Woo summoned here for them?. ''What kind of an embarrassment would that be . ?''. Didn''t matter which excuse was used, it''d become a source of ridicule for them, probably for forever Park Jong-Su clenched his teeth ''Fine . We go forward . ''. Did it really matter if they were scared of these summons? At the end of the day, weren''t they Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s slaves?. When Park Jong-Su thought about this, his mind calmed down just a tad ''I mean, seriously . These guys are Seong Hunter-nim''s summoned creatures, so they won''t do anything weird to us, right?''. Park Jong-Su''s confidence filled eyes shifted over to Beru, and the latter approached the Hunter after sensing his gaze ''Heok ''. The confidence of a few seconds ago evaporated real fast, and Park Jong-Su could barely squeeze out a trembling voice "L-let''s get going . ". Rather naturally, he began speaking in a super-polite tone . However, Beru showed no reaction even after hearing Park Jong-Su''s voice . No, ''it'' just stood there and simply stared back Wondering if his manner of speech was still not good enough for this creature''s whims, Park Jong-Su became even more polite in his tone "Should Should we get going now?". Even then, Beru showed no sign of budging from the spot Park Jong-Su''s consciousness was gradually getting fainter as he had to stare longer and longer into the powerful glare of the creature in front of him It was then, Jeong Yun-Tae approached him from behind "Hyung-nim, will we be continuing with this raid alongside these guys?". Park Jong-Su was already feeling jittery, so when his deputy began pressing him, he ended up blurting out in anger "Just keep quiet, will ya?!". The words, ''Or, why dontcha become the leader of this assault team and tell these things we''re going to give up'', almost jumped out of his throat but somehow, he managed to swallow them all back down Park Jong-Su glared daggers at the poor Jeong Yun-Tae for a bit before shifting his attention back to Beru Gulp His dry saliva went down the throat all by itself . Park Jong-Su desperately wanted this awkwardness to go away as soon as possible But, then suddenly a thought popped up in his head ''Could it be that this guy can''t understand what I''m saying here and that''s why it''s not moving?''. When Park Jong-Su''s thoughts reached this point, he forced his facial muscle to contort into an ungainly smile . And then, he pointed towards the interior of the dungeon "In front . Forward . ". In that moment Pii-shook!. The mutated ant monster disappeared instantly, along with the sound of a bullet leaving the silenced gun ''¡­ . Uh?''. Where did it go?. Even before Park Jong-Su could scan his vicinity with puzzled eyes, Beru returned to his original position Taht Beru then pushed forward something held in his hand towards Park Jong-Su''s face ''W-what the heck?''. When the flustered Hunter took a closer look, he realised that the mystery object was actually the head of a monster Not only that, it was the helmet of one of the most powerful undead monsters, Death Knight, with a rotting head still trapped inside . It dangled oh-so innocuously in the hand of the mutated ant monster "U-uwaaaahk?!". Park Jong-Su freaked out and plopped down his butt, real hard The other members of the assault team also were jolted into stunned silence and hurriedly gathered around Park Jong-Su Beru disinterestedly scanned the Hunters now grouped together in one spot, then tossed the Death Knight''s head away somewhere . He loudly screeched out to the rest of the ant monsters "Kiiiieeehk!!". With that, the ant army began to march forward in perfect order ''¡­ . ''. Beru looked down at Park Jong-Su still on the ground for a little while, before he slowly turned around and followed after the marching ants . The Hunters hurriedly checked out Park Jong-Su''s current condition "Hyung-nim!!". "Chairman, are you alright?!". "Are you okay?". Park Jong-Su replied to them with a stupefied face "Uh, uh . I''m okay . ". His body was fine . But, for some reason, his heart ached, instead . It felt as if he got ridiculed by a summoned creature ''There''s no way that''s true, surely not ''. Indeed, a summoned creature couldn''t have possessed such a level of intelligence . Whatever the case may be, though ¨C he couldn''t give up on this raid now that he even got humiliated somewhat like this Park Jong-Su dusted off his butt and got back up "Let''s go, as well . ". The expressions of the Hunters stiffened up "Eh?". "You want to follow after those things?". "How can we go on a raid with monsters? I won''t do it . ". "Yeah, me too . ". Park Jong-Su spat out a groan as if he was feeling annoyed now Was there a need for him to waste his breath convincing these folks with words here? He quickly searched for the head of the Death Knight discarded by the mutated ant monster and picked it up "Heok!". "H-hey, isn''t that the head of a Death Knight?". "A Death Knight, you say??". The experienced Hunters among the group recognised the helmet of the Death Knight and gasped out in pure shock Park Jong-Su calmly explained it to them "You are all aware of how much Magic Crystals coming out of high-ranked monsters sell for, yes?". Gulp Hunters swallowed their greedy salivas "All we have to do is to follow them and simply pick those Crystals up . ". The expressions of the Hunters, filled with dissatisfaction up until a second ago, gradually brightened up . That was an expected and perhaps, inevitable reaction in this situation . Park Jong-Su used a question to end his speech "So, anyone still unwilling to continue?". Hunters moved in an even more orderly fashion than the ant army . Those who had already advanced far forward looked back and called out to Park Jong-Su "Chairman? What are you doing at the far back?". "Please hurry up! We might leave you behind, you know?". "Hyung-nim, how long are you planning to stay there?". Park Jong-Su bitterly smacked his lips "Well, I''ll be . these people . Seriously . ". And so, the momentarily-halted raid of the Knight Order Guild recommenced from this point onwards ***. Jin-Woo directed his gaze below him People, roads, cars, buildings, rivers, trees, mountains, mountains, and even more mountains ¨C the scenery kept changing every time he blinked over and over again ''So fast . ''. Kaisel''s unrestricted speed had reached a truly gobsmacking level If he was a simple, regular powerless person and not a highest-ranked Hunter out there, then he wouldn''t have been able to withstand the air pressure his body was being subjected to right now Even then . Despite this amazing turn of speed . Jin-Woo was getting more and more anxious The signals from his soldiers were still getting to him, but they were gradually getting weaker Not only that ''Status window . ''. [MP: 8,619/8,770]. From a short while ago, his MP began declining as well . That definitely was not a good sign . Because it could only mean that the High Orc Shadow Soldiers were repeatedly being destroyed only to get revived again ''An enemy on the level of destroying my Shadow Soldiers are aiming for Jin-Ah . ''. Grit Jin-Woo''s expression hardened Even if not a single strand of his little sister''s hair was harmed, he swore to never let this enemy get out of there alive . Murderous rage filled up in Jin-Woo''s eyes ''Faster . Faster!''. Kyaaahhh-!. Kaisel heard Jin-Woo''s order and screeched out again, before increasing its speed even further ***. The High Orc warriors were indeed strong . Unfortunately, they were still no match for the Orc Chieftain, Guroktaru The Orc''s leader left behind its guards in the corridor and stepped forward to fight all by itself . And then, while easily evading the attacks of the High Orcs, pulled out a scimitar sheathed on its back "Is this all you have?!". The interior of the classroom was filled with the corpses of the Orcs . Even at a casual count, there were 50 of them here Over 50 of its underlings were done in by these three High Orcs "Make me enjoy this more, warriors of the High Orc race!". The Chieftain''s rage was transferred directly into merciless swings of its curved blade Guroktaru''s scimitar drew elaborate arcs in the air and began shaving away the High Orcs, their armours and all "Ahh!!". "Kyaaahk!". The screams didn''t come from the High Orcs, naturally, but from the mouths of the humans hiding behind them . Guroktaru''s forehead creased up in displeasure ''Annoyingly noisy . ''. After taking care of these High Orcs, those bugs would be next Guroktaru sliced off an arm of a High Orc and chopped it up in fine pieces until it got eventually bored of doing that, and spun on its heels to cut off the opponent''s neck clean off Slice!. When that happened, other Orcs who had retreated outside the classroom because of the High Orcs all began raising loud cheers "Guroktaru!". "Guroktaru-!!". It was then, Guroktaru''s brows quivered The headless High Orc morphed to black smoke before reverting back to how it was originally, right in front of its eyes ''Is this shamanism?''. Even after the Orc Chieftain cut and sliced its enemies several more times, the story remained the same "Kuwahk!". Guroktaru eventually became really frustrated and roared out . It had sliced and hacked these High Orcs numerous times to death, yet they all reverted back to their original shapes again and again ''It won''t be hard killing them hundreds, thousands times . ''. However, there would be no end in sight if that happened Even right now, that d*mn voice in its head was repeatedly ordering Guroktaru to kill humans . As a matter of fact, the Orc was beginning to suffer from a migraine as the voice continuously rang inside its head But that didn''t mean it could ignore these High Orcs and try to kill the humans, either ''¡­ . Time to finish this . ''. Guroktaru rolled its brain into gear If these High Orcs were creations from some kind of sorcery, then without a doubt, there must be a shaman controlling them somewhere . Guroktaru had fought against many different kinds of sorcery in the past battles, and therefore, it subsequently knew how to end this dirty trick once and for all, as well ''That female!''. That human female, standing far behind these High Orcs and holding her breath! Although faint, she was somehow connected to these High Orcs Guroktaru''s eyes gleamed dangerously ''So, is it you?''. The monster''s target for its murderous rage was redirected to her . The moment Jin-Ah met Guroktaru''s gaze, her entire body shuddered uncontrollably That human female definitely knew something ¨C Guroktaru decided as so, and pointed at Jin-Ah while glancing behind itself "Kill that human female!". Even before its words were finished, the guards observing the fight from the back rushed forward to carry out Guroktaru''s order Then, the High Orcs ignored Guroktaru in front of them to desperately block against the advancing guards ''I thought as much . ''. Indeed, the Orc Chieftain''s guess was correct By seizing the opening created from the High Orcs being held up, Guroktaru stood before Jin-Ah "So, it was you . ". The Orc used the hand not holding the scimitar and grabbed Jin-Ah''s neck, before lifting her up "Ah ". The female, with her airways squeezed tight, couldn''t even scream properly . This caused Guroktaru to tilt its head It was such a weak, slender neck that it''d get broken just from the monster squeezing a little harder than usual . But, how could such a weak human manage to complete a high-class sorcery that changed warriors into immortals?. There was a simple way to find out ''Kill her and I''ll see . ''. And, just as Guroktaru began squeezing the female''s neck to snap it in half . Kiiiaaahhk-!. From afar, the cry of a Sky Dragon resounded out < Chapter 142 > Fin Chapter 143 Right away, Guroktaru felt every hair on its body stand up . ''What is this?'' As time slowed down from the extreme tension it felt, the Orc Chieftain''s instincts of a warrior, trained to their very limit, sent out countless warning bells . It said that a truly ''terrifying'' being was headed this way . Badump!! The sound of the Orc''s heartbeat rang around painfully in its eardrums, like a series of thunderclaps . If it didn''t get out of here right now, it''d be killed . The sharp instincts of a warrior, honed like a fine blade, would sometimes display powers close to that of the gift of foresight . Just like right now! ''¡­ . . . . !!'' Guroktaru quickly discarded the human female and with the movements akin to a wild animal, fled to the door of the classroom . BOOM!! A mighty, ear-splitting explosion occurred next, the shards of glass flying out like shrapnel . Meanwhile, Orcs manning the doorways began hastily retreating away after the back of their Chieftain suddenly appeared in front of their eyes . ''¡­ . . . '' Guroktaru wordlessly glared forward, its breathing now becoming extremely cautious . It was picking up on an unusual and eerie vibe . It could see a human male it hadn''t seen before standing on the spot where the human female was just now . Guroktaru shifted its gaze ever so slightly to the side . Its opposite corner was where the windows were . Nothing remained of the entirety of that wall as if it had been struck by a powerful siege weapon . ''Did the human enter by breaking through the windows?'' Even with its excellent dynamic visual acuity, the Orc Chieftain still failed to follow that man''s movements . ''¡­ . . . . '' Guroktaru could only swallow its saliva at the sudden entrance of a powerful opponent . A strand of cold sweat trickled down its temple . Kiiiaaahhk-!! Guroktaru''s head snapped upwards after it heard that screech . Past the ceiling, beyond the roof ¨C yet another powerful enemy was circling around above the Orc''s head like a hawk waiting for prey to emerge . ''This might become a difficult fight . '' Guroktaru''s eyes were now dyed in the colour of nervousness, something that didn''t exist only a few moments ago . The new enemy completely ignored the presence of the Orc Chieftain and its underlings, and simply proceeded to confirm the human female''s condition . Guroktaru spoke to its enemy . "I am Guroktaru, from the proud tribe of Red Blade!" That was the warrior''s introduction only granted to an opponent capable of reaping away the Orc''s life . Having completed its introduction, Guroktaru asked the human male . "And who are you?" Jin-Woo raised his head and quietly spoke . "Shut your mouth and quietly wait for your turn over there . " A human just used the language of the Orcs? The Orc''s surprise lasted only for a moment . Perhaps it was because of the power carried in that man''s voice, none of the Orcs, which included Guroktaru itself, could even dare to budge an inch from the spot . *** "Cough, cough . " Jin-Woo gently patted Jin-Ah''s back as she continued to cough and wheeze while he carefully checked to see if she had sustained any injuries . Thankfully, he couldn''t see any . ¡­ . With the sole exception of the handprint clearly visible on her neck, that was . Jin-Woo asked, his expression hard and unforgiving . "Are you alright?" "Oppa!!" Jin-Ah finally stopped coughing and jumped into his embrace, tears streaming from her eyes . Jin-Woo gently stroked her hair as if he was soothing a scared child . '' . . . Oppa?'' ''Jin-Ah''s Oppa . . . that means . . . . ?'' ''Ah!'' The students finally realised who the man in front of their eyes was . He was Seong Jin-Woo, a Hunter ranked S! ''We''re saved!!'' The students confirmed Jin-Woo''s face and began sobbing again . These tears weren''t of despair and fear like the ones from before, but were formed from the mixture of joy and relief they felt . "Sob, sob . . . " "It''s fine now . I''m here, so everything will be okay . " Jin-Woo gently soothed his sobbing sister, while extending his sensory perception to the rest of the school . And, within this large school building, the only presence of humans he could pick up on was . . . . 17 . ''¡­ . . . . '' Jin-Woo''s hardened complexion was now dyed in the darkness of rage . He very cautiously separated his sister from him as she tried hard not to leave his side . He then called out his Shadow Soldiers matching the exact number of the surviving students . "Everyone, follow my summons out of the building . " The students nodded their heads, and the soldiers proceeded to pick up them up in an embrace . As for Jin-Ah, he entrusted her especially to Igrit . "Please wait for me downstairs, okay? I''m going to join you very soon after dealing with this . " Normally, Jin-Ah would try to stop her oppa, telling him that they should go together regardless of whether he was a rank S Hunter or not . No, she''d still say that even if he was something greater . But now . . . . She couldn''t do that . Because, Jin-Woo''s current expression was far, far too scary for her to say those words . So, Jin-Ah could only nod her head . Jin-Woo gave out his signal, and the soldiers carrying the students jumped outside of the destroyed wall one by one . Orcs in the corridor flinched slightly at the sight of the almost-caught prey making their escape . When that happened, Jin-Woo glared at them with his ice-cold eyes . "I told you not to move . " Like some kind of a lie, all Orcs stopped moving altogether . None of them could go against his glare . One of the Orcs, its complexion utterly pale, sneaked its gaze around and cautiously whispered to Guroktaru . "C-chief . . . . " "Shush . " Guroktaru was in agreement with that Orc, though . It was true that right now wasn''t the time to care about those weak prey escaping . No, they should be minding the ''hunter'' right in front of their eyes . A fight between hunters would commence very soon, where who eats who would be determined . ''Even then . . . . We can''t let them get away that easily . '' Guroktaru sent out a sneaky little signal, and two of its guards moved without making any sounds . After confirming that all of the students had left the classroom safely, Jin-Woo turned around to face the Orcs . He didn''t let them leave because he was worried about them getting injured . ''These measly Orcs . . . . '' He was confident of killing them all in the blink of an eye . He simply didn''t want to show his little sister or other kids what was about to happen in here, that was all . And now, there were no more eyes watching . Meaning, there was nothing to restrict his actions now . ''¡­ . . . '' Jin-Woo''s gaze briefly drifted towards the stairs outside the classroom . He sensed two Orcs going downstairs while hiding their presence to the best of their abilities . It seemed that they were going after the kids, but . . . it didn''t matter . He had sent Igrit there, and Kaisel was circling around in the air, too . ''So, the remaining task is to deal with these lot, then . '' Jin-Woo exhaled softly . The exiting air contained a heavy, dense amount of magic energy . Guroktaru asked him again . "Who are you? How can you speak our tongue?" Jin-Woo ignored the Orc''s words and slowly made his way over to them . Realising that the human male had no intentions to answer back, Guroktaru bared its fangs and shouted out . "Attack!" The brave Orc warriors pounced on Jin-Woo all at once after hearing the Chieftain''s order . "Kurururuk!" "Kurarak!" When they did . . . the time froze . Within this freeze-frame of a moment, Jin-Woo leisurely walked in between the Orcs that were moving agonisingly slowly, and proceeded to destroy them one by one . He didn''t even need to take his weapons out . He only needed to use his finger . Every time Jin-Woo''s finger brushed by an Orc, heads, shoulders, wrists, waists and midriffs of the monsters exploded into bits . And after utterly destroying over twenty Orcs in one blink of an eye . . . . Jin-Woo stood before Guroktaru . The Orc Chieftain could only barely keep up with Jin-Woo''s afterimage with its eyes . Its trembling lips parted with much difficulty . "W-what . . . . ?" It didn''t even have a chance to swing its scimitar . Jin-Woo''s left hand grabbed Guroktaru''s mouth and jaw, and the Orc could only whimper pathetically . "Keok!" Jin-Woo walked forward just like that and slammed the Orc''s head against the corridor''s wall . SLAM!! The empty corridor reverberated with the thunderous boom . Jin-Woo''s gaze shifted towards either end of the corridor . It was filled with the remains of the students . It was truly a hard-to-look gruesome sight to behold . However, Jin-Woo didn''t avert his gaze and imprinted the sight of every single one of these kids in his mind, just so he could demand reparations from the guilty one responsible . Jin-Woo shifted his eyes to Guroktaru . "Why?" His voice was incomparably icy . "Why does your kind want to kill humans to this extreme level?" Guroktaru had long lost its desire to resist and could only tremble in fear as it replied . "In, in our heads, telling us . . . . to kill humans . . . . " Jin-Woo became momentarily confused . ''Kill humans?'' He had heard of the exact same thing before . But, back then, he interpreted the word ''humans'' as another term for ''Hunters'' . But it seemed that the word ''human'' really did mean all humans, now that he got to hear this monster''s reply . "Then? What about me?" Jin-Woo asked the Orc again . "Do you not hear the voice telling you to kill me?" He brought his face closer . It was inevitable that Guroktaru would look into Jin-Woo''s eyes . The Orc began shaking its head and shivered hard as if it had discovered something in there . "F, f-forgive . . . . Forgive, me . . . . " Something impossible happened . The brave and mighty great warrior of the Orc race began shedding tears like a little child . Jin-Woo felt the inside of his head suddenly cool off as he watched the terrified monster cowering before him . ''So, that''s how it is . . . . '' He was not being seen as a human even in this guy''s head, was that it? ''¡­ . Well, it doesn''t really matter . '' Jin-Woo wasn''t all that interested in how monsters viewed him . No, he simply killed them because they were out to harm humans . Guroktaru shivered and continued sob as the fear it couldn''t overcome completely enveloped it . "Please . . . . forgive . . . . . " Jin-Woo replied . "I''ll forgive you . " And then, he summoned the ''Demon King''s Shortsword'' . "However, do not think that the process will be a painless one for you . " *** The Knight Order Guild''s assault team could only gasp out in astonishment while spectating on the battles of the monsters . "Heok!" "H-how could it be . . . . " How could anyone call this a raid now? Because, the ants very easily subdued the undead monsters and then, began greedily devouring them . Crunch, crunch . . . . The eyes of the Hunters opened wider and wider from this horrifying spectacle . "B-but, if they eat up everything like that, nothing will be left behind, you know?" "Right . Even the Magic Crystals . . . . " The Hunters could only anxiously look on as the top-class Magic Crystals all ended up in the stomachs of these monsters, no, summoned creatures . Unable to watch from the sidelines any longer, Jeong Ye-Rim hastily ran out . "Don''t you know how expensive that is?!" She tried to wrestle away the corpse of a Vampire, but that only managed to annoy the ant, and the creature swung its arm at her direction . "Ahk!" She cried out and tumbled backwards after the ant''s claw cut into her forearm . Plop . "O-ouch . " Just as she tried to get up while rubbing her butt . . . . "Kururuk-!" By the time she regained her wits, the ant monster that swung its arm was standing before her . The creature had its gigantic maw and its horrifying mandibles wide open as if to swallow her head whole . Jeong Ye-Rim''s expression froze stiff at that moment . "Ah . . . . Ah . . . . " It was then . Beru had come swooping in and turned that ant around . He opened his own maw wide just like how this ant did a moment ago, and then . . . . "Kiiiieeeeehhhk-!!!" . . . And then, he screeched out incredibly loudly . Being subjected to the rage of an existence on another level, the ant creature couldn''t even meet Beru''s gaze and simply shivered in fear . "K-keeiick . . . . " Beru let go of the ant''s shoulder, causing the creature to hurriedly scurry away from there . Jeong Ye-Rim watched this scene play out in a total daze, but Beru approached her and extended his hand out . ''Uh . . . . . ?'' Still stupefied over everything, she grabbed the offered hand and was able to finally stand back up . "I, uh . . . T-tha . . . . " She was about to say something, only for her lips to stop . Because, she saw the gentle blue light circulating around Beru''s fingertips, that was why . " . . . . Healing magic?!" Jeong Ye-Rim''s brows shot up real high in surprise . The wound in her arm healed up immediately the moment that blue light touched her . After confirming that her wound was completely cured, Beru turned towards the ants and shouted out . "Khe-ehck!" That caused the ants to end their mealtime and began moving deeper into the dungeon''s interior . Jeong Ye-Rim watched the back of Beru and murmured to herself . "How can . . . . a summon cast better healing magic than me??" *** The Hunters finally arrived in the school . They followed the direction the needle of the magic compass was pointing to and climbed up the stairs . An incredible magic energy reaction was coming from the sixth floor''s corridor . The man in charge of the Hunters looked behind at his group and spoke . "Be careful . " The Hunters nodded their heads . And when they eventually arrived on the sixth floor, they got to discover two things . "Heok!!" One, an Orc sliced up into so many pieces that it was impossible to count; two, a lone man covered in blood standing still with a shortsword in his hand . ''And that person is . . . . ?'' The leader of the assault team met Jin-Woo''s icy cold eyes and his breath nearly came to a sudden stop . But he recovered somehow and picked up the walkie talkie . "Yes, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is here . " The leader took a look around and made another report . "The situation has been resolved . " < Chapter 143 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 143: Chapter 143 . Right away, Guroktaru felt every hair on its body stand up ''What is this?''. As time slowed down from the extreme tension it felt, the Orc Chieftain''s instincts of a warrior, trained to their very limit, sent out countless warning bells . It said that a truly ''terrifying'' being was headed this way Badump!!. The sound of the Orc''s heartbeat rang around painfully in its eardrums, like a series of thunderclaps If it didn''t get out of here right now, it''d be killed The sharp instincts of a warrior, honed like a fine blade, would sometimes display powers close to that of the gift of foresight . Just like right now!. ''¡­ !!''. Guroktaru quickly discarded the human female and with the movements akin to a wild animal, fled to the door of the classroom BOOM!!. A mighty, ear-splitting explosion occurred next, the shards of glass flying out like shrapnel . Meanwhile, Orcs manning the doorways began hastily retreating away after the back of their Chieftain suddenly appeared in front of their eyes ''¡­ . ''. Guroktaru wordlessly glared forward, its breathing now becoming extremely cautious It was picking up on an unusual and eerie vibe . It could see a human male it hadn''t seen before standing on the spot where the human female was just now Guroktaru shifted its gaze ever so slightly to the side Its opposite corner was where the windows were . Nothing remained of the entirety of that wall as if it had been struck by a powerful siege weapon ''Did the human enter by breaking through the windows?''. Even with its excellent dynamic visual acuity, the Orc Chieftain still failed to follow that man''s movements ''¡­ ''. Guroktaru could only swallow its saliva at the sudden entrance of a powerful opponent . A strand of cold sweat trickled down its temple Kiiiaaahhk-!!. Guroktaru''s head snapped upwards after it heard that screech Past the ceiling, beyond the roof ¨C yet another powerful enemy was circling around above the Orc''s head like a hawk waiting for prey to emerge ''This might become a difficult fight . ''. Guroktaru''s eyes were now dyed in the colour of nervousness, something that didn''t exist only a few moments ago The new enemy completely ignored the presence of the Orc Chieftain and its underlings, and simply proceeded to confirm the human female''s condition Guroktaru spoke to its enemy "I am Guroktaru, from the proud tribe of Red Blade!". That was the warrior''s introduction only granted to an opponent capable of reaping away the Orc''s life . Having completed its introduction, Guroktaru asked the human male "And who are you?". Jin-Woo raised his head and quietly spoke "Shut your mouth and quietly wait for your turn over there . ". A human just used the language of the Orcs?. The Orc''s surprise lasted only for a moment Perhaps it was because of the power carried in that man''s voice, none of the Orcs, which included Guroktaru itself, could even dare to budge an inch from the spot ***. "Cough, cough . ". Jin-Woo gently patted Jin-Ah''s back as she continued to cough and wheeze while he carefully checked to see if she had sustained any injuries . Thankfully, he couldn''t see any ¡­ . With the sole exception of the handprint clearly visible on her neck, that was . Jin-Woo asked, his expression hard and unforgiving "Are you alright?". "Oppa!!". Jin-Ah finally stopped coughing and jumped into his embrace, tears streaming from her eyes Jin-Woo gently stroked her hair as if he was soothing a scared child '' . Oppa?''. ''Jin-Ah''s Oppa . that means ?''. ''Ah!''. The students finally realised who the man in front of their eyes was . He was Seong Jin-Woo, a Hunter ranked S!. ''We''re saved!!''. The students confirmed Jin-Woo''s face and began sobbing again . These tears weren''t of despair and fear like the ones from before, but were formed from the mixture of joy and relief they felt "Sob, sob . ". "It''s fine now . I''m here, so everything will be okay . ". Jin-Woo gently soothed his sobbing sister, while extending his sensory perception to the rest of the school . And, within this large school building, the only presence of humans he could pick up on was 17 ''¡­ ''. Jin-Woo''s hardened complexion was now dyed in the darkness of rage He very cautiously separated his sister from him as she tried hard not to leave his side . He then called out his Shadow Soldiers matching the exact number of the surviving students "Everyone, follow my summons out of the building . ". The students nodded their heads, and the soldiers proceeded to pick up them up in an embrace . As for Jin-Ah, he entrusted her especially to Igrit "Please wait for me downstairs, okay? I''m going to join you very soon after dealing with this . ". Normally, Jin-Ah would try to stop her oppa, telling him that they should go together regardless of whether he was a rank S Hunter or not . No, she''d still say that even if he was something greater But now She couldn''t do that Because, Jin-Woo''s current expression was far, far too scary for her to say those words . So, Jin-Ah could only nod her head Jin-Woo gave out his signal, and the soldiers carrying the students jumped outside of the destroyed wall one by one . Orcs in the corridor flinched slightly at the sight of the almost-caught prey making their escape . When that happened, Jin-Woo glared at them with his ice-cold eyes "I told you not to move . ". Like some kind of a lie, all Orcs stopped moving altogether . None of them could go against his glare One of the Orcs, its complexion utterly pale, sneaked its gaze around and cautiously whispered to Guroktaru "C-chief ". "Shush . ". Guroktaru was in agreement with that Orc, though It was true that right now wasn''t the time to care about those weak prey escaping . No, they should be minding the ''hunter'' right in front of their eyes . A fight between hunters would commence very soon, where who eats who would be determined ''Even then We can''t let them get away that easily . ''. Guroktaru sent out a sneaky little signal, and two of its guards moved without making any sounds After confirming that all of the students had left the classroom safely, Jin-Woo turned around to face the Orcs . He didn''t let them leave because he was worried about them getting injured ''These measly Orcs ''. He was confident of killing them all in the blink of an eye He simply didn''t want to show his little sister or other kids what was about to happen in here, that was all And now, there were no more eyes watching . Meaning, there was nothing to restrict his actions now ''¡­ . ''. Jin-Woo''s gaze briefly drifted towards the stairs outside the classroom . He sensed two Orcs going downstairs while hiding their presence to the best of their abilities . It seemed that they were going after the kids, but . it didn''t matter He had sent Igrit there, and Kaisel was circling around in the air, too ''So, the remaining task is to deal with these lot, then . ''. Jin-Woo exhaled softly . The exiting air contained a heavy, dense amount of magic energy Guroktaru asked him again "Who are you? How can you speak our tongue?". Jin-Woo ignored the Orc''s words and slowly made his way over to them . Realising that the human male had no intentions to answer back, Guroktaru bared its fangs and shouted out "Attack!". The brave Orc warriors pounced on Jin-Woo all at once after hearing the Chieftain''s order "Kurururuk!". "Kurarak!". When they did . the time froze Within this freeze-frame of a moment, Jin-Woo leisurely walked in between the Orcs that were moving agonisingly slowly, and proceeded to destroy them one by one He didn''t even need to take his weapons out . He only needed to use his finger . Every time Jin-Woo''s finger brushed by an Orc, heads, shoulders, wrists, waists and midriffs of the monsters exploded into bits . And after utterly destroying over twenty Orcs in one blink of an eye . Jin-Woo stood before Guroktaru The Orc Chieftain could only barely keep up with Jin-Woo''s afterimage with its eyes . Its trembling lips parted with much difficulty "W-what ?". It didn''t even have a chance to swing its scimitar . Jin-Woo''s left hand grabbed Guroktaru''s mouth and jaw, and the Orc could only whimper pathetically "Keok!". Jin-Woo walked forward just like that and slammed the Orc''s head against the corridor''s wall SLAM!!. The empty corridor reverberated with the thunderous boom Jin-Woo''s gaze shifted towards either end of the corridor . It was filled with the remains of the students . It was truly a hard-to-look gruesome sight to behold However, Jin-Woo didn''t avert his gaze and imprinted the sight of every single one of these kids in his mind, just so he could demand reparations from the guilty one responsible Jin-Woo shifted his eyes to Guroktaru "Why?". His voice was incomparably icy "Why does your kind want to kill humans to this extreme level?". Guroktaru had long lost its desire to resist and could only tremble in fear as it replied "In, in our heads, telling us to kill humans ". Jin-Woo became momentarily confused ''Kill humans?''. He had heard of the exact same thing before . But, back then, he interpreted the word ''humans'' as another term for ''Hunters'' But it seemed that the word ''human'' really did mean all humans, now that he got to hear this monster''s reply "Then? What about me?". Jin-Woo asked the Orc again "Do you not hear the voice telling you to kill me?". He brought his face closer It was inevitable that Guroktaru would look into Jin-Woo''s eyes . The Orc began shaking its head and shivered hard as if it had discovered something in there "F, f-forgive Forgive, me ". Something impossible happened . The brave and mighty great warrior of the Orc race began shedding tears like a little child . Jin-Woo felt the inside of his head suddenly cool off as he watched the terrified monster cowering before him ''So, that''s how it is ''. He was not being seen as a human even in this guy''s head, was that it?. ''¡­ . Well, it doesn''t really matter . ''. Jin-Woo wasn''t all that interested in how monsters viewed him . No, he simply killed them because they were out to harm humans Guroktaru shivered and continued sob as the fear it couldn''t overcome completely enveloped it "Please forgive . ". Jin-Woo replied "I''ll forgive you . ". And then, he summoned the ''Demon King''s Shortsword'' "However, do not think that the process will be a painless one for you . ". ***. The Knight Order Guild''s assault team could only gasp out in astonishment while spectating on the battles of the monsters "Heok!". "H-how could it be ". How could anyone call this a raid now? Because, the ants very easily subdued the undead monsters and then, began greedily devouring them Crunch, crunch . The eyes of the Hunters opened wider and wider from this horrifying spectacle "B-but, if they eat up everything like that, nothing will be left behind, you know?". "Right . Even the Magic Crystals ". The Hunters could only anxiously look on as the top-class Magic Crystals all ended up in the stomachs of these monsters, no, summoned creatures Unable to watch from the sidelines any longer, Jeong Ye-Rim hastily ran out "Don''t you know how expensive that is?!". She tried to wrestle away the corpse of a Vampire, but that only managed to annoy the ant, and the creature swung its arm at her direction "Ahk!". She cried out and tumbled backwards after the ant''s claw cut into her forearm Plop "O-ouch . ". Just as she tried to get up while rubbing her butt . "Kururuk-!". By the time she regained her wits, the ant monster that swung its arm was standing before her . The creature had its gigantic maw and its horrifying mandibles wide open as if to swallow her head whole Jeong Ye-Rim''s expression froze stiff at that moment "Ah Ah ". It was then . Beru had come swooping in and turned that ant around . He opened his own maw wide just like how this ant did a moment ago, and then . "Kiiiieeeeehhhk-!!!". . And then, he screeched out incredibly loudly Being subjected to the rage of an existence on another level, the ant creature couldn''t even meet Beru''s gaze and simply shivered in fear "K-keeiick ". Beru let go of the ant''s shoulder, causing the creature to hurriedly scurry away from there . Jeong Ye-Rim watched this scene play out in a total daze, but Beru approached her and extended his hand out ''Uh . ?''. Still stupefied over everything, she grabbed the offered hand and was able to finally stand back up "I, uh . T-tha ". She was about to say something, only for her lips to stop . Because, she saw the gentle blue light circulating around Beru''s fingertips, that was why " Healing magic?!". Jeong Ye-Rim''s brows shot up real high in surprise The wound in her arm healed up immediately the moment that blue light touched her . After confirming that her wound was completely cured, Beru turned towards the ants and shouted out "Khe-ehck!". That caused the ants to end their mealtime and began moving deeper into the dungeon''s interior Jeong Ye-Rim watched the back of Beru and murmured to herself "How can a summon cast better healing magic than me??". ***. The Hunters finally arrived in the school They followed the direction the needle of the magic compass was pointing to and climbed up the stairs . An incredible magic energy reaction was coming from the sixth floor''s corridor The man in charge of the Hunters looked behind at his group and spoke "Be careful . ". The Hunters nodded their heads And when they eventually arrived on the sixth floor, they got to discover two things "Heok!!". One, an Orc sliced up into so many pieces that it was impossible to count; two, a lone man covered in blood standing still with a shortsword in his hand ''And that person is ?''. The leader of the assault team met Jin-Woo''s icy cold eyes and his breath nearly came to a sudden stop . But he recovered somehow and picked up the walkie talkie "Yes, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is here . ". The leader took a look around and made another report "The situation has been resolved . ". < Chapter 143 > Fin Chapter 144 Because of the nature of the incident itself, a massive crowd of people had rushed towards the school''s perimeters . "My son goes to this school!!" "Get out of the way!" "I need to confirm what happened with my own eyes!!" "Aigo, aigo!!" If it weren''t for the desperate crowd control efforts by the police and the Association''s employees, the scene of the incident would''ve descended into pure pandemonium from the maddened crowd . The reporters had also rushed here as soon as word got out and were now busy snapping away with their cameras . "Uh? It''s Seong Jin-Woo!" "Take his pictures!!" Jin-Woo evaded their gazes and wordlessly walked over to someone that seemed to be a staff member of the Hunter''s Association . This staff member immediately froze up in nervousness after seeing Jin-Woo''s face . That was how scary the Hunter''s complexion looked at that moment . "S-Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . . . . " "Where''s my sister?" "Miss Seong Jin-Ah and other students have been transferred to the Seoul Il-Sin hospital . " " . . . . . " Jin-Woo nodded his head, his expression still remaining grave, and turned around to walk away . The staff member unconsciously swallowed dry saliva while watching his back get further away . Gulp . The first thing those arriving here did was to confirm the status of the student named Seong Jin-Ah, as per the instruction from the Association . Thankfully, she was unhurt . With the exception of abrasions suffered around her neck and wrists, there were no other injuries on her . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was the one who had rescued her, so he should know that fact better than anyone, yet . . . . ''Even then, for him to be that p*ssed off . . . . '' It was a good thing that he arrived on time, otherwise, how would he have reacted if something happened to his sister? The staff member shuddered from the terrifying dizziness he suddenly felt just then . It indeed was a huge relief . Contrary to the relief of the staff member, though, Jin-Woo was feeling quite gloomy at the moment as he pulled out his phone . ''I''m sure Mom''s about to get the news . '' Too many students lost their lives at the hands of the monsters . Rather obviously, his mother would feel like her world was about to crumble after receiving the news . ''Before that happens, I need to tell her that Jin-Ah''s okay . '' He thought as such and was about to tap the "Call" icon, but then, he heard an unexpected voice coming from behind him and stopped . "I''ve already sent some of the Association''s agents over to speak to your mother, Seong Hunter-nim . They should be on their way to the hospital as we speak . " Jin-Woo looked behind him . "Mister Association President . " Goh Gun-Hui stood there, his complexion as dark as Jin-Woo''s . Even though the President himself was not at fault here, as the person representing South Korea''s Hunter''s Association, he was feeling the burden of responsibility for failing to prevent this tragedy . Jin-Woo could only express his gratitude for Goh Gun-Hui looking out for his family even under the current circumstances . That prompted Goh Gun-Hui to shake his head . "No, it''s us that should be thanking you . " Seventeen students survived . It was only because of Jin-Woo''s arrival that those students among the trapped in the school building were able to get out of there alive . "We are constantly in your debt, Hunter-nim . " Jin-Woo could only smile bitterly at that . He could have saved a lot more students if he were able to use the Shadow Exchange and get here right away . Such regret seeped clearly into his expression . Goh Gun-Hui could faintly sense what Jin-Woo was feeling right now from his expression . But the older man shook his head . ''Now isn''t the time to wallow in our emotions . '' Indeed, didn''t he have something important to say to this young man? Goh Gun-Hui raised his head . "Will you be heading to the hospital now?" Jin-Woo thought back to the Gate in Gwang-An-ri, but quickly stopped worrying about it . His MP remained the same as before . Meaning, Beru and his ants were conquering the dungeon without encountering any problem at the moment . ''Well . . . . It''s not just any soldier but Beru, so it''ll be fine . '' There was no need to worry about the progress of the raid right now . "Yes, I am . " "Please, let me give you a ride there . " "No, I''ll be fine . " "Please, allow me . There is something else I wish to talk to you about on the way, as well . " Jin-Woo initially declined thinking that the offer was made out of courtesy, but he nodded his head after seeing the earnest attitude of the Association President . "Alright, I will . " Jin-Woo followed Goh Gun-Hui''s guidance and they both climbed into the back seat of the waiting car . Even though it was a full-size saloon, the back seat felt cramped after Goh Gun-Hui''s huge frame and Jin-Woo''s wide shoulders climbed aboard . Woo Jin-Cheol was sitting in the driver''s seat, and nodded his greeting through the rear-view mirror . Jin-Woo also nodded slightly as his greeting . The car slowly set forward and only then did the Association President stop hesitating and speak up . " . . . In a way, you could say that today''s tragedy has been foretold in advance . " His expression was hard . On the other hand, Jin-Woo was feeling confused . ''Does that mean the Association didn''t do anything about an incident they could have prevented in advance?'' Before his confusion had the chance to transform into anger, the Association President pulled out his phone and showed Jin-Woo its display . It showed a graphical chart . "This shows the increase in the Gate activity around the city of Seoul for the last six months . " The dots drew a gentle curvature but when it got nearer to present, it suddenly spiked up steeply . "And this side shows the stats from around the world . " If the Association President didn''t make that clear, Jin-Woo might have mistaken them for two of the exact same thing . That was how similar-looking the inclines in those two graphs were . "The numbers of Gates appearing has spiked up noticeably throughout the world . " Goh Gun-Hui''s complexion got darker and darker . "However, that isn''t the only strange thing . " He returned the phone back into his inner jacket pocket and carried on . "People wanting to confirm their Awakened rankings are practically lining up in a long queue outside the Association every day now . " The number of Gates where monsters come out was increasing, and at the same time, the number of Hunters who were supposed to block the Gates was also increasing? As if to maintain a balance? Seeing Jin-Woo''s interested expression, the Association President spoke in a complicated tone of voice . "We think that . . . . . " Goh Gun-Hui ended his lengthy explanation while implying that it was only his personal hypothesis . " . . . . Something is changing . " Jin-Woo nodded his head . This was indeed interesting information . Anyone could tell something big was afoot from that data . Unfortunately, that didn''t mean Jin-Woo could do anything about them right now . It was the same story for Goh Gun-Hui, as well . Also, a simple phone call would have sufficed if it was about sharing of information and a hypothesis . Jin-Woo thought that Association President wouldn''t have taken time out of his packed schedule to simply have this conversation . "In that case, what you wish to talk to me about was . . . . . ?" As if he was waiting for that, Goh Gun-Hui picked up a briefcase resting by the footwell and pulled out various documents from there . "Japan, the States, China, Russia, France, Britain, Germany, and even from the Middle East . . . . " All the nations with some international clout were brought up abruptly . "These are all the official documents sent in from those nations that wish to make contact with you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . I''m fairly certain that some of them even have made unofficial contacts with you already . " Jin-Woo briefly recalled the incident involving the American Hunter Bureau''s people, but decided not to mention it . "In all honesty, we at the Hunter''s Association simply don''t have any rights to stop these people . No, we can only protect your personal information according to your request . " Jin-Woo silently listened to the older man''s story . "I know that everything depends on your decision, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, but . . . . But, I fear that our country will not be able to adapt to the incoming changes if you decide to leave us . " Rather than a concrete answer, Jin-Woo shifted his gaze out of the car''s window . As he fell deeper into a myriad of distracting thoughts, one of the biggest hospitals in the country entered his view . It was the very hospital where Jin-Ah had been admitted to . "We will provide you with every convenience we can possibly provide . " Goh Gun-Hui stuffed the documents back inside the briefcase and asked Jin-Woo with a tense expression . "So, would you please remain in South Korea?" *** The Knight Order''s assault team chased after the ants and arrived at the boss chamber''s entrance . Jeong Yun-Tae''s eyes grew extra large after he spotted the ants that began entering the boss chamber . "Hyung-nim, shouldn''t we try to stop them??" " . . . . I don''t think I can . " Indeed, Park Jong-Su was not confident at all of persuading the summoned creatures that they needed to stop the raid for the moment, so they could start retrieving the remains of the dead monsters and the Magic Crystals . He could only spit out a resigned sigh . ''Yup, let''s just forget about it . '' His thoughts just went and did a 180 . They entered this Gate in order to let the world know that the Knight Order Guild was still going strong, didn''t they? It''d be perfectly acceptable to show the world that they could still clear a rank A dungeon, the highest rated one at that, without a single casualty or someone getting injured badly during the raid itself . ''Not only that, without Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s presence, too!'' Wasn''t it the case of no one would know of what happened inside a dungeon? Even if those ants managed to defeat the boss, the folks outside would only remember the name of the Knight Order Guild, not the creatures Hunter Seong Jin-Woo summoned out before leaving in a hurry . Better still, once the boss died and the Gate closed, there would be no way to confirm the truth . Judging from Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s personality, he wasn''t the type to go around blabbing his mouth, either . Park Jong-Su''s thought process arrived at that point and a smile floated up on his lips . ''Well, isn''t this a fortune among misfortunes?'' It was then . The Hunters at the back of the pack suddenly became rather noisy . "Chairman? There are a lot of things coming from our rear!" "Yeah, I can hear them coming, too . " " . . . . Mm?" Park Jong-Su tilted his head and walked to the rear of the team . And for sure, he could hear lots of footsteps as well . ''Wait, did the retrieval team enter the Gate already?'' But, the highly-trained retrieval team of the Knight Order Guild wouldn''t have entered a dungeon without receiving an order first, so how could this be? Just as such thoughts entered his head . . . . " . . . . Heok?!" Park Jong-Su''s brows shot up high . Because, the undead monsters, those the ants didn''t snack on, were busy rushing to where the assault team was, all of them fully revived back to how they were . ''C-could it be . . . . ??'' Did the ants chow up the undead because they knew this might happen? Such a thought only lasted for a moment in his head . Park Jong-Su realised that his team wouldn''t be able to deal with that many monsters, and hurriedly shouted out to his teammates . "Everyone, enter the boss room, now!" Their sole hope for survival was the summoned creatures left behind by Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . The assault team didn''t even have a chance to confirm what was waiting for them inside the boss chamber and hurriedly jumped in . After confirming that every last Hunter had entered, Park Jong-Su shouted out, veins popping up in his throat . "Block the exit!!" Jeong Ye-Rim activated her skill, ''Holy Wall'', and blocked up the entryway connecting the boss room and the passageway before it . Slam-! Boom-!! The Death Knight standing in front of the rushing horde noisily pounded on the invisible barrier . Her forehead soaked in cold sweat now, Jeong Ye-Rim turned her head towards Park Jong-Su . "Chairman! I won''t be able to hold this for more than five minutes, tops!" "I know!" Not only Park Jong-Su, but the rest of the assault team members had finished preparing for a battle in case the wall was breached . But, when they took a good look at the undead monsters pressing forward like a horde of insects on the other side of the wall, they began doubting whether they had any chances of winning here . "All we can do here now is to pray that the summons kill the boss quickly and open up the path for us . " Park Jong-Su looked back at the ants that should be facing off against the boss with a pair of desperate eyes . He prayed that the boss was an easy monster to fight . ''¡­ . Oh, my dear lord . '' His eyes opened even wider than before . The boss monster currently standing in a face-off against the ants was something even Park Jong-Su knew of, after hearing about it many times in the past . A pale-faced ''Mage'' wearing a tattered robe ¨C the Arch Lich . It was the strongest undead-type monster, thought to be the creature at the top of the undead food chain . ''Why did it have to be a d*mn Arch Lich?!'' Park Jong-Su''s complexion darkened considerably . He prayed for the summoned creatures to quickly kill the boss and help them out, but then, the opponent turned out to be a d*mn Arch Lich . It''d be more realistic for the Hunters to get rid of the scores of undead first and help the summoned creatures out next . It was then . Beru took a step forward towards the Arch Lich . The Arch Lich then immediately summoned over a dozen Death Knights around the ants and surrounded them . "Kiiiieeehhhk-!!" Beru bared his fangs and extended its claws out . ''¡­ . . ?'' The Arch Lich recognised the black smoke continuously rising up from Beru''s entire body . It was almost as if the completely-empty eye sockets had widened for a second there . "The Shadow Army??" The language of the monsters came out from the Arch Lich''s mouth . Beru retracted his claws after hearing the boss''s words . The Arch Lich swept its gaze around the ants behind Beru and asked in a puzzled voice . "Why is the king''s personal army attacking us?" Kekeke . Beru leaked out a sound that sounded like a cackle of ridicule, before pointing to himself . "We have been chosen by the king . " And then, he pointed at the Arch Lich . "And you . . . weren''t . " The Arch Lich couldn''t believe it, its voice now containing a trace of anger . "That can''t be! I shall personally report to the king, and . . . . . !" Unfortunately, even before the Arch Lich could finish its sentence, Beru appeared right before its stunned eyes . ''¡­ . !!'' The shoulders of the Arch Lich quivered momentarily . Beru was a high-class monster that the owner of a rank S dungeon sacrificed its own lifeforce to create . Even if its overall Stats had fallen a little ever since becoming a Shadow Soldier, there was just no way that an owner of a measly rank A dungeon, an Arch Lich, could fight against Beru . The former ant king simply thrust its hand into the shocked boss''s chest without hesitation . Stab!! The hand pierced through the chest, along with a pendant hanging on the Arch Lich''s neck . "Keok!!" Beru''s hand exiting from the back of the Arch Lich was grasping the pendant now . That piece of jewellery was basically the heart of the Arch Lich . It wasn''t all that difficult for Beru, once a top monster himself, to detect what was supplying the lifeforce to his enemy . The Arch Lich desperately shook its head . "No . . . . This can''t be . . . . !" However, Beru didn''t pay any attention to the pleading of his enemy and simply crushed the pendant in his hand . Crack . "You talk too much for someone about to die . " Along with Beru''s words, the body of the Arch Lich crumbled to dust . < Chapter 144 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 144: Chapter 144 . Because of the nature of the incident itself, a massive crowd of people had rushed towards the school''s perimeters "My son goes to this school!!". "Get out of the way!". "I need to confirm what happened with my own eyes!!". "Aigo, aigo!!". If it weren''t for the desperate crowd control efforts by the police and the Association''s employees, the scene of the incident would''ve descended into pure pandemonium from the maddened crowd The reporters had also rushed here as soon as word got out and were now busy snapping away with their cameras "Uh? It''s Seong Jin-Woo!". "Take his pictures!!". Jin-Woo evaded their gazes and wordlessly walked over to someone that seemed to be a staff member of the Hunter''s Association . This staff member immediately froze up in nervousness after seeing Jin-Woo''s face . That was how scary the Hunter''s complexion looked at that moment "S-Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim ". "Where''s my sister?". "Miss Seong Jin-Ah and other students have been transferred to the Seoul Il-Sin hospital . ". " . ". Jin-Woo nodded his head, his expression still remaining grave, and turned around to walk away . The staff member unconsciously swallowed dry saliva while watching his back get further away Gulp The first thing those arriving here did was to confirm the status of the student named Seong Jin-Ah, as per the instruction from the Association . Thankfully, she was unhurt . With the exception of abrasions suffered around her neck and wrists, there were no other injuries on her Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was the one who had rescued her, so he should know that fact better than anyone, yet . ''Even then, for him to be that p*ssed off ''. It was a good thing that he arrived on time, otherwise, how would he have reacted if something happened to his sister? The staff member shuddered from the terrifying dizziness he suddenly felt just then It indeed was a huge relief Contrary to the relief of the staff member, though, Jin-Woo was feeling quite gloomy at the moment as he pulled out his phone ''I''m sure Mom''s about to get the news . ''. Too many students lost their lives at the hands of the monsters . Rather obviously, his mother would feel like her world was about to crumble after receiving the news ''Before that happens, I need to tell her that Jin-Ah''s okay . ''. He thought as such and was about to tap the "Call" icon, but then, he heard an unexpected voice coming from behind him and stopped "I''ve already sent some of the Association''s agents over to speak to your mother, Seong Hunter-nim . They should be on their way to the hospital as we speak . ". Jin-Woo looked behind him "Mister Association President . ". Goh Gun-Hui stood there, his complexion as dark as Jin-Woo''s Even though the President himself was not at fault here, as the person representing South Korea''s Hunter''s Association, he was feeling the burden of responsibility for failing to prevent this tragedy . Jin-Woo could only express his gratitude for Goh Gun-Hui looking out for his family even under the current circumstances That prompted Goh Gun-Hui to shake his head "No, it''s us that should be thanking you . ". Seventeen students survived It was only because of Jin-Woo''s arrival that those students among the trapped in the school building were able to get out of there alive "We are constantly in your debt, Hunter-nim . ". Jin-Woo could only smile bitterly at that He could have saved a lot more students if he were able to use the Shadow Exchange and get here right away . Such regret seeped clearly into his expression Goh Gun-Hui could faintly sense what Jin-Woo was feeling right now from his expression . But the older man shook his head ''Now isn''t the time to wallow in our emotions . ''. Indeed, didn''t he have something important to say to this young man? Goh Gun-Hui raised his head "Will you be heading to the hospital now?". Jin-Woo thought back to the Gate in Gwang-An-ri, but quickly stopped worrying about it His MP remained the same as before . Meaning, Beru and his ants were conquering the dungeon without encountering any problem at the moment ''Well It''s not just any soldier but Beru, so it''ll be fine . ''. There was no need to worry about the progress of the raid right now "Yes, I am . ". "Please, let me give you a ride there . ". "No, I''ll be fine . ". "Please, allow me . There is something else I wish to talk to you about on the way, as well . ". Jin-Woo initially declined thinking that the offer was made out of courtesy, but he nodded his head after seeing the earnest attitude of the Association President "Alright, I will . ". Jin-Woo followed Goh Gun-Hui''s guidance and they both climbed into the back seat of the waiting car Even though it was a full-size saloon, the back seat felt cramped after Goh Gun-Hui''s huge frame and Jin-Woo''s wide shoulders climbed aboard . Woo Jin-Cheol was sitting in the driver''s seat, and nodded his greeting through the rear-view mirror Jin-Woo also nodded slightly as his greeting The car slowly set forward and only then did the Association President stop hesitating and speak up " . In a way, you could say that today''s tragedy has been foretold in advance . ". His expression was hard On the other hand, Jin-Woo was feeling confused ''Does that mean the Association didn''t do anything about an incident they could have prevented in advance?''. Before his confusion had the chance to transform into anger, the Association President pulled out his phone and showed Jin-Woo its display . It showed a graphical chart "This shows the increase in the Gate activity around the city of Seoul for the last six months . ". The dots drew a gentle curvature but when it got nearer to present, it suddenly spiked up steeply "And this side shows the stats from around the world . ". If the Association President didn''t make that clear, Jin-Woo might have mistaken them for two of the exact same thing . That was how similar-looking the inclines in those two graphs were "The numbers of Gates appearing has spiked up noticeably throughout the world . ". Goh Gun-Hui''s complexion got darker and darker "However, that isn''t the only strange thing . ". He returned the phone back into his inner jacket pocket and carried on "People wanting to confirm their Awakened rankings are practically lining up in a long queue outside the Association every day now . ". The number of Gates where monsters come out was increasing, and at the same time, the number of Hunters who were supposed to block the Gates was also increasing? As if to maintain a balance?. Seeing Jin-Woo''s interested expression, the Association President spoke in a complicated tone of voice "We think that . ". Goh Gun-Hui ended his lengthy explanation while implying that it was only his personal hypothesis " Something is changing . ". Jin-Woo nodded his head This was indeed interesting information . Anyone could tell something big was afoot from that data . Unfortunately, that didn''t mean Jin-Woo could do anything about them right now . It was the same story for Goh Gun-Hui, as well Also, a simple phone call would have sufficed if it was about sharing of information and a hypothesis . Jin-Woo thought that Association President wouldn''t have taken time out of his packed schedule to simply have this conversation "In that case, what you wish to talk to me about was . ?". As if he was waiting for that, Goh Gun-Hui picked up a briefcase resting by the footwell and pulled out various documents from there "Japan, the States, China, Russia, France, Britain, Germany, and even from the Middle East ". All the nations with some international clout were brought up abruptly "These are all the official documents sent in from those nations that wish to make contact with you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . I''m fairly certain that some of them even have made unofficial contacts with you already . ". Jin-Woo briefly recalled the incident involving the American Hunter Bureau''s people, but decided not to mention it "In all honesty, we at the Hunter''s Association simply don''t have any rights to stop these people . No, we can only protect your personal information according to your request . ". Jin-Woo silently listened to the older man''s story "I know that everything depends on your decision, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, but But, I fear that our country will not be able to adapt to the incoming changes if you decide to leave us . ". Rather than a concrete answer, Jin-Woo shifted his gaze out of the car''s window . As he fell deeper into a myriad of distracting thoughts, one of the biggest hospitals in the country entered his view It was the very hospital where Jin-Ah had been admitted to "We will provide you with every convenience we can possibly provide . ". Goh Gun-Hui stuffed the documents back inside the briefcase and asked Jin-Woo with a tense expression "So, would you please remain in South Korea?". ***. The Knight Order''s assault team chased after the ants and arrived at the boss chamber''s entrance Jeong Yun-Tae''s eyes grew extra large after he spotted the ants that began entering the boss chamber "Hyung-nim, shouldn''t we try to stop them??". " I don''t think I can . ". Indeed, Park Jong-Su was not confident at all of persuading the summoned creatures that they needed to stop the raid for the moment, so they could start retrieving the remains of the dead monsters and the Magic Crystals He could only spit out a resigned sigh ''Yup, let''s just forget about it . ''. His thoughts just went and did a 180 They entered this Gate in order to let the world know that the Knight Order Guild was still going strong, didn''t they? It''d be perfectly acceptable to show the world that they could still clear a rank A dungeon, the highest rated one at that, without a single casualty or someone getting injured badly during the raid itself ''Not only that, without Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s presence, too!''. Wasn''t it the case of no one would know of what happened inside a dungeon?. Even if those ants managed to defeat the boss, the folks outside would only remember the name of the Knight Order Guild, not the creatures Hunter Seong Jin-Woo summoned out before leaving in a hurry Better still, once the boss died and the Gate closed, there would be no way to confirm the truth . Judging from Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s personality, he wasn''t the type to go around blabbing his mouth, either Park Jong-Su''s thought process arrived at that point and a smile floated up on his lips ''Well, isn''t this a fortune among misfortunes?''. It was then . The Hunters at the back of the pack suddenly became rather noisy "Chairman? There are a lot of things coming from our rear!". "Yeah, I can hear them coming, too . ". " Mm?". Park Jong-Su tilted his head and walked to the rear of the team . And for sure, he could hear lots of footsteps as well ''Wait, did the retrieval team enter the Gate already?''. But, the highly-trained retrieval team of the Knight Order Guild wouldn''t have entered a dungeon without receiving an order first, so how could this be?. Just as such thoughts entered his head . " Heok?!". Park Jong-Su''s brows shot up high . Because, the undead monsters, those the ants didn''t snack on, were busy rushing to where the assault team was, all of them fully revived back to how they were ''C-could it be ??''. Did the ants chow up the undead because they knew this might happen?. Such a thought only lasted for a moment in his head . Park Jong-Su realised that his team wouldn''t be able to deal with that many monsters, and hurriedly shouted out to his teammates "Everyone, enter the boss room, now!". Their sole hope for survival was the summoned creatures left behind by Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . The assault team didn''t even have a chance to confirm what was waiting for them inside the boss chamber and hurriedly jumped in After confirming that every last Hunter had entered, Park Jong-Su shouted out, veins popping up in his throat "Block the exit!!". Jeong Ye-Rim activated her skill, ''Holy Wall'', and blocked up the entryway connecting the boss room and the passageway before it Slam-!. Boom-!!. The Death Knight standing in front of the rushing horde noisily pounded on the invisible barrier . Her forehead soaked in cold sweat now, Jeong Ye-Rim turned her head towards Park Jong-Su "Chairman! I won''t be able to hold this for more than five minutes, tops!". "I know!". Not only Park Jong-Su, but the rest of the assault team members had finished preparing for a battle in case the wall was breached But, when they took a good look at the undead monsters pressing forward like a horde of insects on the other side of the wall, they began doubting whether they had any chances of winning here "All we can do here now is to pray that the summons kill the boss quickly and open up the path for us . ". Park Jong-Su looked back at the ants that should be facing off against the boss with a pair of desperate eyes . He prayed that the boss was an easy monster to fight ''¡­ . Oh, my dear lord . ''. His eyes opened even wider than before The boss monster currently standing in a face-off against the ants was something even Park Jong-Su knew of, after hearing about it many times in the past A pale-faced ''Mage'' wearing a tattered robe ¨C the Arch Lich It was the strongest undead-type monster, thought to be the creature at the top of the undead food chain ''Why did it have to be a d*mn Arch Lich?!''. Park Jong-Su''s complexion darkened considerably He prayed for the summoned creatures to quickly kill the boss and help them out, but then, the opponent turned out to be a d*mn Arch Lich . It''d be more realistic for the Hunters to get rid of the scores of undead first and help the summoned creatures out next It was then Beru took a step forward towards the Arch Lich The Arch Lich then immediately summoned over a dozen Death Knights around the ants and surrounded them "Kiiiieeehhhk-!!". Beru bared his fangs and extended its claws out ''¡­ ?''. The Arch Lich recognised the black smoke continuously rising up from Beru''s entire body . It was almost as if the completely-empty eye sockets had widened for a second there "The Shadow Army??". The language of the monsters came out from the Arch Lich''s mouth . Beru retracted his claws after hearing the boss''s words The Arch Lich swept its gaze around the ants behind Beru and asked in a puzzled voice "Why is the king''s personal army attacking us?". Kekeke Beru leaked out a sound that sounded like a cackle of ridicule, before pointing to himself "We have been chosen by the king . ". And then, he pointed at the Arch Lich "And you . weren''t . ". The Arch Lich couldn''t believe it, its voice now containing a trace of anger "That can''t be! I shall personally report to the king, and . !". Unfortunately, even before the Arch Lich could finish its sentence, Beru appeared right before its stunned eyes ''¡­ . !!''. The shoulders of the Arch Lich quivered momentarily Beru was a high-class monster that the owner of a rank S dungeon sacrificed its own lifeforce to create . Even if its overall Stats had fallen a little ever since becoming a Shadow Soldier, there was just no way that an owner of a measly rank A dungeon, an Arch Lich, could fight against Beru The former ant king simply thrust its hand into the shocked boss''s chest without hesitation Stab!!. The hand pierced through the chest, along with a pendant hanging on the Arch Lich''s neck "Keok!!". Beru''s hand exiting from the back of the Arch Lich was grasping the pendant now . That piece of jewellery was basically the heart of the Arch Lich It wasn''t all that difficult for Beru, once a top monster himself, to detect what was supplying the lifeforce to his enemy . The Arch Lich desperately shook its head "No This can''t be !". However, Beru didn''t pay any attention to the pleading of his enemy and simply crushed the pendant in his hand Crack "You talk too much for someone about to die . ". Along with Beru''s words, the body of the Arch Lich crumbled to dust < Chapter 144 > Fin Chapter 145 Park Jong-Su''s jaw dropped to the floor . He was so shocked that he needed some time to process the event his own two eyes had witnessed just now . ''How could it kill the Arch Lich in one hit?!'' There was an event that catapulted the Arch Lich as a pretty infamous creature among the boss-level monsters . And that would be the incident of the Gold Dragon Guild''s annihilation . An entire Guild was completely destroyed by a single Arch Lich . Not just any Guild either, but one that was supposed to be quite powerful even within China, no less . But then again, that might have been an obvious result . The Arch Lich could continuously summon out ''Death Knights'' any time it wanted to . And one Death Knight was a very powerful undead-type monster that required the bitter struggle of multiple rank A Hunters to defeat . If you underestimated the boss monster simply because it didn''t have any guards around it initially, then you''d not be able to escape the fate of total destruction . In the end, a dungeon break occurred from the Gate the Gold Dragon Guild failed to close . China''s own Special Authority-rank Hunter Liu Zhigeng arrived in the nick of time so the incident didn''t turn into a catastrophe, but still, many Hunters got to know the terror an Arch Lich posed through this incident . ''But now . . . . . '' That mutated ant summon killed the Arch Lich in one hit . What an astonishing event that was . Maybe it wasn''t only Park Jong-Su who thought like this, because Jeong Yun-Tae standing next to him also couldn''t seem to close his slack jaw at all . "Oh, my god . . . . . " As if he couldn''t believe his own eyes, he asked Park Jong-Su for another confirmation . "Hyung-nim, wasn''t that an Arch Lich?" "Yeah, it was . The thing that came out of the Gate during that Gold Dragon Guild incident . " "If that''s true, then that ant just one-shotted an Arch Lich . . . . ?" Jeong Yun-Tae now formed a completely disbelieving expression . Other Hunters also heard the conversation taking place between Park Jong-Su and Jeong Yun-Tae, and failed to hide their extreme shock as well . "An Arch Lich?!" "That thing was an Arch Lich??" "And the ant took it down in one hit??" "Whoa . " Just as the entirety of the Knight Order Guild''s assault team was being astonished by Jin-Woo''s ''summon'' that could kill the boss of a rank A dungeon in the blink of an eye . . . . The multi-talented healer Jeong Ye-Rim, currently sweating profusely while trying to hold back the tide of the undead monsters, was dying of curiosity regarding what happened behind her back . "What was that? What happened??" However, her curiosity couldn''t be maintained for long . Something quite surprising started happening right in front of her eyes, that was why . "Uh??" All those undead monsters, rampaging around as if they were only a moment away from breaking past the ''Holy Wall'', suddenly collapsed on the ground like puppets with their strings cut . Plop . Plop . And then, they didn''t stand back up again . "C-Chairman??" Jeong Ye-Rim was startled by this sudden turn of event and hurriedly looked behind her . Park Jong-Su was nodding his head . ''The Arch Lich must''ve had something to do with the defeated undead monsters reviving in full . '' He really did feel utterly dazed and lost at the sight of the crazed horde of the monsters rushing in like a black tidal wave, wondering what would happen to him and his group, but now . . . It felt like he could breathe easy again . "Fuu . . . . " Behind Park Jong-Su busy sighing out in relief, the Hunters standing there failed to hide their elated expressions . They were all excited at the idea of exiting from this dungeon safe and sound . "Hyung-nim, you worked hard . " "What do you mean, I worked hard . . . . . It''s those guys that worked hard, not me . " Park Jong-Su used his chin to point and Jeong Yun-Tae looked behind him . The summons were all standing still unmoving and staring at the human Hunters as if to ask ''Where are we going next?'' ''Well, uh, them standing around like that and not budging makes them look a wee bit cuter . . . . . '' However, one of the ants must''ve felt bored, because, for no apparent reason, it loudly screeched towards the ceiling . "Kkkkiieeeehhhk-!!" Just like that, Jeong Yun-Tae''s expression that contained a hint of favourable impression towards the creatures flew away in an instant . Swish . Jeong Yun-Tae swivelled his head back and asked his boss . "Hyung-nim . Isn''t this the same as Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim solo clearing this dungeon?" "Yup, more or less . " Park Jong-Su also agreed with that assessment . In the deeper parts of the dungeon, where the difficulty was at its highest, the Knight Order Guild''s assault team did nothing but just followed around the ant monsters . And those ants were Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s summoned creatures . In the end, it was the same thing as Jin-Woo clearing the dungeon all by himself, just as Jeong Yun-Tae had alluded to . ''What a scary power . . . . '' They had seen the extent of his power in Jeju Island, but having witnessed it for real, they had to concede the fact that he possessed an incredible ability . The fact that the summoned creatures were capable of displaying levels of combat prowess easily exceeding their imagination, and the fact that Seong Hunter was able to freely control these summons, left a deep mental shock in the Knight Order''s Hunters . "Which means, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim doesn''t even need to enter a Gate and still gets to clear it by just sending these guys in, no?" Jeong Yun-Tae spoke without thinking too much about what he was saying . However, Park Jong-Su felt goosebumps break out all over his skin after he thought about what his deputy just mentioned in passing . ''Hold up . . . . '' The number of summons Hunter Seong brought out back in Jeju Island was at least over two hundred . That was only from those that got caught on camera . So, it was difficult to even estimate how many more he could actually summon out at once . What if he didn''t even need to make a single move, but simply send out his summons to clear out dungeons . . . . ? ''There must be some exhaustion of magic energy when summoning out and controlling these creatures, so he might not be able to use them all at the same time, but . . . . '' Just half of his summons . No, even if that guy could only utilise half of that half, his method would be so much more efficient than what other large Guilds could even come up with . ''Urgh . '' Park Jong-Su suddenly realised that he''d have invested his entire life savings if Hunter Seong''s Guild was a publicly-traded company . "Hyung-nim, let''s not waste more time and push ahead with merging our Guild with Seong Hunter-nim''s Guild . " "This guy, really now . . . . . " Park Jong-Su glared scarily at Jeong Yun-Tae, before his expression became a lot more serious . "Refer to it as ''M&A'', okay? M&A . The new Guild created by the best Hunter, and one of the five major Guilds in the country, the Knight Order, pushing forward for the M&A . How nice sounding is that?" (TL: M&A = mergers and acquisitions) "Keok??" Jeong Yun-Tae flinched grandly . "You really wanna try your luck with that, hyung-nim?!" "Think about it . Combine Seong Hunter-nim''s abilities with our Guild''s know-how ¨C even the likes of the Hunters Guild should be terrified by our potential, man!" Would Vice-Chairwoman Cha Hae-In leave the Hunters Guild and join hands with Hunter Seong for no reason? Of course not . Elation bubbled up in Jeong Yun-Tae''s face as he nodded, but then, he began rubbing his chin and tilted his head . "But then, hyung-nim . You honestly believe that Seong Hunter-nim needs us?" "Tsk, tsk . " Park Jong-Su tutted and explained in detail . "Do you really think that Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim will be able to disregard the law if he wants to work?" "Excuse me?" "Even if it''s possible for his summons to clear dungeons, he still needs to fill up the minimum headcount for the raid team, no?" "Ohh . . . . " Hearing that plausible explanation, Jeong Yun-Tae''s expression brightened up once more . "You''re right, hyung-nim . " As the two men stared at each other with happy smiles on their faces, the ground beneath their feet trembled ever so softly . Rumble . . . . "Aigoo . " Park Jong-Su stopped wasting time . With the death of the boss-level monster, the Gate was starting to close up . "Well, let''s carry on our discussion after we get out of here first . " "Yes, hyung-nim . " Park Jong-Su loudly called out to the rest of the assault team still waiting for his orders . "Everyone, let''s all get out of this place before the Gate closes down!" *** "You''ll provide all the convenience you can?" "Yes, that''s correct . " Jin-Woo''s question was met with Association President Goh Gun-Hui''s assured answer . Officially, there were ten rank S Hunters recorded in the Korean Hunter''s Association''s database . But, they had lost three now . Two died at the hands of monsters, while one abandoned Korea for America . From the perspective of the Hunter''s Association, they could not afford to be hands-off in this matter anymore . They wanted to do everything they could ¨C this wasn''t just the opinion of Association President Goh Gun-Hui, but the rest of the Association as well . ''Unless it''s the other rank S Hunters . . . . . '' They definitely could not afford to let Hunter Seong Jin-Woo slip away . Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes gleamed with the light of determination . As the representative of the Hunter''s Association, he had met countless Hunters over the years . Several of them were those whom you''d qualify as some of the strongest in the world, as well . However, Seong Jin-Woo was the first Hunter ever to make his heart race this madly . Not just as the Association President, but as the citizen of this nation, he definitely wanted Jin-Woo to remain in South Korea . ["We will provide you with every convenience we can possibly provide . "] Those words expressed the Association President Goh Gun-Hui''s strong will to keep Jin-Woo in the country . They also contained how highly the older man thought of the young Hunter, as well . "If that''s the case . . . . " Jin-Woo thought for a little while, before opening his mouth . "Will you let me enter high-ranking Gates all by myself in the future?" "Pardon me?" When he was faced with a completely unexpected demand, Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes opened up wide . "Are you asking me to exclude you from the minimum headcount rule?" Jin-Woo nodded his head . "Huh-uh . . . . " The regulation regarding the number of raid team members was the minimum safety net in place for the Hunters . It was a policy to prevent the incidents of Hunters entering a dungeon without sufficient preparation and losing their lives . However . . . . Did Hunter Seong require such a safety net when his summons could beat down countless rank S monsters? Abruptly recalling a certain scene from the ant tunnel raid, Goh Gun-Hui asked as his expression tensed up . "By any chance . . . . The raid permits your Guild will be issued with, are you planning to clear those Gates all by yourself?" "Yes . " Goh Gun-Hui became speechless from Jin-Woo''s straightforward reply . There was not one trace of worry in his voice . ''Could it be that he made the Guild just for this . . . . . ?'' Did he do that so he could solo-clear high-ranking dungeons? There were many powerful Hunters throughout the world, but none of them planned their raids in this manner . But, when the images of this Jin-Woo confidently chatting away, and the Jin-Woo back in the ant tunnel summoning countless soldiers to sweep away the ant monsters, overlapped in Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes, the older man suddenly began shivering almost uncontrollably . ''A one-man army . . . . '' For Goh Gun-Hui, who had been constantly worried about the unchecked growth of the major Guilds, that proved to be one hell of an attractive concept . Ba-dump, ba-dump!!! His heart began racing again . Goh Gun-Hui placed his hand on the chest that began to hurt a little, and formed a bitter smile after comparing himself to the virile and healthy-looking Jin-Woo . "Will it be difficult?" Jin-Woo asked, but Goh Gun-Hui immediately shook his head . "It''s not going to be impossible . " Indeed, it wouldn''t be impossible, but it''d be quite difficult, nonetheless . That was what Goh Gun-Hui thought . But, just what kind of man was he? He was the President of the Hunter''s Association, a rank S Hunter, and the member of the National Assembly . This was a request from not just anyone, but Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . Even if it was a tough request, there would be nothing holding Goh Gun-Hui back from fulfilling it . And if that was enough to keep Hunter Seong in South Korea, then all the better for it . "Leave it to me . " Jin-Woo grinned brightly after hearing Goh Gun-Hui''s confident reply . ''Nice . '' One of the things that could''ve proved to be a source of headache got resolved just now . "Thank you . " Jin-Woo smiled and expressed his gratitude, and Goh Gun-Hui replied with a smile of his own . "I always bring this up, but well, it should be us thanking you, Hunter-nim . " Screech . The large saloon carrying the two stopped at a bit of distance away from the hospital''s entrance . "Let us speak again soon, Seong Hunter-nim . " "Of course . " After sharing simple goodbyes, Jin-Woo climbed out of the car . The news of the victims being transferred to this hospital must''ve gotten around, because there were a lot of reporters camping by the entrance already . The car stopping a fair distance away from the entrance was all due to Woo Jin-Cheol''s consideration . There was little doubt that another commotion would''ve broken out if the car carrying the Association President came to a stop in front of the hospital and Jin-Woo climbed out from there . ''It''s times like this that being famous can get really annoying . '' Jin-Woo shook his head and used ''Stealth'' to conceal himself . *** Inside the office of the Yujin Construction''s chairman . Chairman Yu Myung-Han, who had been taking a nap on the impossibly-wide desk, slowly raised his slouched torso up . Sunlight entered at an angle through the windows . He felt his eyelids getting impossibly heavier, and it seemed that he eventually had fallen into a bit of slumber . On the couch located in front of the desk, the right-hand man of Yu Myung-Han, Secretary Kim, was sitting upright and looking back at his boss . Yu Myung-Han rubbed his face to chase away the remaining sleepiness and spoke up . "Looks like I have napped for a little while . How long was I asleep for?" Secretary Kim looked at his wristwatch and then raised his head back up again . "Sir, you''ve been asleep for 23 hours and 46 minutes . " ''¡­ . . . . '' Yu Myung-Han''s hand rubbing his face came to a sudden stop . "I''ve been waiting here in order to carry out your order of escorting you to the hospital if you don''t wake up after 24 hours have elapsed, sir . " Was it that illness striking again? Yu Myung-Han''s face, his hand no longer covering it, was frozen stiff . He would sometimes fall into a state of deep sleep without any warning signs, and once asleep, it became harder and harder to wake up . The ''Eternal Sleep'' disorder . Although the process was slow, this disease definitely dragged all of its victims to death''s doorway . Secretary Kim strode quickly forward and stood before Yu Myung-Han . "Sir, there are two things I need to inform you about . " "What are they?" As befitting his nickname of ''Pokerface'', Yu Myung-Han had already wiped off all traces of worry from his face and reverted back to his regular stoic expression . Secretary Kim picked up the newspaper resting at the corner of the large desk and politely placed it before Yu Myung-Han . ''¡­ . ?'' Somewhat puzzled, Yu Myung-Han quickly picked the paper up and browsed through it . The article dominating the front page was about the event of a Gate opening up in a school somewhere in Seoul, causing the devastating losses of hundreds of high school students . "Tsk, tsk . . . . " Yu Myung-Han grimaced after seeing that terrible news . "What a terrible incident this is . Make sure our company donates something to the school and to the victims . " "Yes, sir . But, Chairman, that''s not it . " Yu Myung-Han put the paper down . Secretary Kim bowed slightly and carefully flipped the page of the newspaper, so the next page could be seen . There was a large photo dominating this page . "This is the photograph I wanted to show to you, sir . " The tip of Secretary Kim''s finger stopped by at a certain lady within that photo . "This woman . . . . Do you recall who she is, sir?" The photo was of a hospital where the survivors of that horrible incident had been admitted to . Secretary Kim had singled out a certain woman among the many pictured . She was hurriedly running into the hospital''s entrance . Quite coincidentally, she was someone Chairman Yu Myung-Han still remembered quite clearly . "But, how . . . . . ??" Yu Myung-Han never forgot a person''s face . And he definitely had seen that woman''s photograph before . She was none other than Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s mother . "But, I thought Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s mother suffered from the Eternal Sleep, too?" He had studied Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s profile several times in great detail . A person who, according to Yu Myung-Han''s knowledge, should be confined to a bed and unable to move while completely dependent on the life support machines, was walking around looking completely healthy . The thing Secretary Kim wanted to talk to him about ¨C Chairman Yu Myung-Han finally realised what that was . His hand gripping the newspaper began trembling . "Can you find out for me what happened in detail?" "Understood, sir . " " . . . . . Thank you . " As his response to Yu Myung-Han''s praise, Secretary Kim bowed again for a brief moment, before raising his head again . After putting the newspaper back down again, Yu Myung-Han quietly opened his mouth . "You said there are two things I need to know about . " "Yes, sir . " "What is the second matter, then?" Yu Myung-Han raised his head and met Secretary Kim''s gaze . And the light in the latter''s eyes wasn''t so good . This was one of Kim''s old habits . He always brought up the good news first, then spoke the bad news the last . Secretary Kim displayed some hints of hesitation, before speaking up as if he decided to give up . "The Young Miss has returned home yesterday . " As if waiting for that declaration . . . Clung! The door to the Chairman''s office was flung wide open and an intellectual-type beauty rushed inside . Chairman Yu Myung-Han''s daugther, Yu Jin-Hui, saw how thin her father had become and tears began wetting her eyes . "How long have you been like this, Father?" < Chapter 145 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 145: Chapter 145 . Park Jong-Su''s jaw dropped to the floor . He was so shocked that he needed some time to process the event his own two eyes had witnessed just now ''How could it kill the Arch Lich in one hit?!''. There was an event that catapulted the Arch Lich as a pretty infamous creature among the boss-level monsters . And that would be the incident of the Gold Dragon Guild''s annihilation An entire Guild was completely destroyed by a single Arch Lich . Not just any Guild either, but one that was supposed to be quite powerful even within China, no less . But then again, that might have been an obvious result The Arch Lich could continuously summon out ''Death Knights'' any time it wanted to . And one Death Knight was a very powerful undead-type monster that required the bitter struggle of multiple rank A Hunters to defeat If you underestimated the boss monster simply because it didn''t have any guards around it initially, then you''d not be able to escape the fate of total destruction In the end, a dungeon break occurred from the Gate the Gold Dragon Guild failed to close . China''s own Special Authority-rank Hunter Liu Zhigeng arrived in the nick of time so the incident didn''t turn into a catastrophe, but still, many Hunters got to know the terror an Arch Lich posed through this incident ''But now . ''. That mutated ant summon killed the Arch Lich in one hit . What an astonishing event that was Maybe it wasn''t only Park Jong-Su who thought like this, because Jeong Yun-Tae standing next to him also couldn''t seem to close his slack jaw at all "Oh, my god . ". As if he couldn''t believe his own eyes, he asked Park Jong-Su for another confirmation "Hyung-nim, wasn''t that an Arch Lich?". "Yeah, it was . The thing that came out of the Gate during that Gold Dragon Guild incident . ". "If that''s true, then that ant just one-shotted an Arch Lich ?". Jeong Yun-Tae now formed a completely disbelieving expression . Other Hunters also heard the conversation taking place between Park Jong-Su and Jeong Yun-Tae, and failed to hide their extreme shock as well "An Arch Lich?!". "That thing was an Arch Lich??". "And the ant took it down in one hit??". "Whoa . ". Just as the entirety of the Knight Order Guild''s assault team was being astonished by Jin-Woo''s ''summon'' that could kill the boss of a rank A dungeon in the blink of an eye . The multi-talented healer Jeong Ye-Rim, currently sweating profusely while trying to hold back the tide of the undead monsters, was dying of curiosity regarding what happened behind her back "What was that? What happened??". However, her curiosity couldn''t be maintained for long . Something quite surprising started happening right in front of her eyes, that was why "Uh??". All those undead monsters, rampaging around as if they were only a moment away from breaking past the ''Holy Wall'', suddenly collapsed on the ground like puppets with their strings cut Plop Plop And then, they didn''t stand back up again "C-Chairman??". Jeong Ye-Rim was startled by this sudden turn of event and hurriedly looked behind her . Park Jong-Su was nodding his head ''The Arch Lich must''ve had something to do with the defeated undead monsters reviving in full . ''. He really did feel utterly dazed and lost at the sight of the crazed horde of the monsters rushing in like a black tidal wave, wondering what would happen to him and his group, but now It felt like he could breathe easy again "Fuu ". Behind Park Jong-Su busy sighing out in relief, the Hunters standing there failed to hide their elated expressions . They were all excited at the idea of exiting from this dungeon safe and sound "Hyung-nim, you worked hard . ". "What do you mean, I worked hard . It''s those guys that worked hard, not me . ". Park Jong-Su used his chin to point and Jeong Yun-Tae looked behind him . The summons were all standing still unmoving and staring at the human Hunters as if to ask ''Where are we going next?''. ''Well, uh, them standing around like that and not budging makes them look a wee bit cuter . ''. However, one of the ants must''ve felt bored, because, for no apparent reason, it loudly screeched towards the ceiling "Kkkkiieeeehhhk-!!". Just like that, Jeong Yun-Tae''s expression that contained a hint of favourable impression towards the creatures flew away in an instant Swish Jeong Yun-Tae swivelled his head back and asked his boss "Hyung-nim . Isn''t this the same as Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim solo clearing this dungeon?". "Yup, more or less . ". Park Jong-Su also agreed with that assessment . In the deeper parts of the dungeon, where the difficulty was at its highest, the Knight Order Guild''s assault team did nothing but just followed around the ant monsters And those ants were Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s summoned creatures . In the end, it was the same thing as Jin-Woo clearing the dungeon all by himself, just as Jeong Yun-Tae had alluded to ''What a scary power ''. They had seen the extent of his power in Jeju Island, but having witnessed it for real, they had to concede the fact that he possessed an incredible ability The fact that the summoned creatures were capable of displaying levels of combat prowess easily exceeding their imagination, and the fact that Seong Hunter was able to freely control these summons, left a deep mental shock in the Knight Order''s Hunters "Which means, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim doesn''t even need to enter a Gate and still gets to clear it by just sending these guys in, no?". Jeong Yun-Tae spoke without thinking too much about what he was saying . However, Park Jong-Su felt goosebumps break out all over his skin after he thought about what his deputy just mentioned in passing ''Hold up ''. The number of summons Hunter Seong brought out back in Jeju Island was at least over two hundred . That was only from those that got caught on camera . So, it was difficult to even estimate how many more he could actually summon out at once What if he didn''t even need to make a single move, but simply send out his summons to clear out dungeons ?. ''There must be some exhaustion of magic energy when summoning out and controlling these creatures, so he might not be able to use them all at the same time, but ''. Just half of his summons No, even if that guy could only utilise half of that half, his method would be so much more efficient than what other large Guilds could even come up with ''Urgh . ''. Park Jong-Su suddenly realised that he''d have invested his entire life savings if Hunter Seong''s Guild was a publicly-traded company "Hyung-nim, let''s not waste more time and push ahead with merging our Guild with Seong Hunter-nim''s Guild . ". "This guy, really now . ". Park Jong-Su glared scarily at Jeong Yun-Tae, before his expression became a lot more serious "Refer to it as ''M&A'', okay? M&A . The new Guild created by the best Hunter, and one of the five major Guilds in the country, the Knight Order, pushing forward for the M&A . How nice sounding is that?" (TL: M&A = mergers and acquisitions). "Keok??". Jeong Yun-Tae flinched grandly "You really wanna try your luck with that, hyung-nim?!". "Think about it . Combine Seong Hunter-nim''s abilities with our Guild''s know-how ¨C even the likes of the Hunters Guild should be terrified by our potential, man!". Would Vice-Chairwoman Cha Hae-In leave the Hunters Guild and join hands with Hunter Seong for no reason? Of course not Elation bubbled up in Jeong Yun-Tae''s face as he nodded, but then, he began rubbing his chin and tilted his head "But then, hyung-nim . You honestly believe that Seong Hunter-nim needs us?". "Tsk, tsk . ". Park Jong-Su tutted and explained in detail "Do you really think that Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim will be able to disregard the law if he wants to work?". "Excuse me?". "Even if it''s possible for his summons to clear dungeons, he still needs to fill up the minimum headcount for the raid team, no?". "Ohh ". Hearing that plausible explanation, Jeong Yun-Tae''s expression brightened up once more "You''re right, hyung-nim . ". As the two men stared at each other with happy smiles on their faces, the ground beneath their feet trembled ever so softly Rumble . "Aigoo . ". Park Jong-Su stopped wasting time . With the death of the boss-level monster, the Gate was starting to close up "Well, let''s carry on our discussion after we get out of here first . ". "Yes, hyung-nim . ". Park Jong-Su loudly called out to the rest of the assault team still waiting for his orders "Everyone, let''s all get out of this place before the Gate closes down!". ***. "You''ll provide all the convenience you can?". "Yes, that''s correct . ". Jin-Woo''s question was met with Association President Goh Gun-Hui''s assured answer Officially, there were ten rank S Hunters recorded in the Korean Hunter''s Association''s database . But, they had lost three now . Two died at the hands of monsters, while one abandoned Korea for America From the perspective of the Hunter''s Association, they could not afford to be hands-off in this matter anymore They wanted to do everything they could ¨C this wasn''t just the opinion of Association President Goh Gun-Hui, but the rest of the Association as well ''Unless it''s the other rank S Hunters . ''. They definitely could not afford to let Hunter Seong Jin-Woo slip away Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes gleamed with the light of determination . As the representative of the Hunter''s Association, he had met countless Hunters over the years . Several of them were those whom you''d qualify as some of the strongest in the world, as well However, Seong Jin-Woo was the first Hunter ever to make his heart race this madly . Not just as the Association President, but as the citizen of this nation, he definitely wanted Jin-Woo to remain in South Korea ["We will provide you with every convenience we can possibly provide . "]. Those words expressed the Association President Goh Gun-Hui''s strong will to keep Jin-Woo in the country . They also contained how highly the older man thought of the young Hunter, as well "If that''s the case ". Jin-Woo thought for a little while, before opening his mouth "Will you let me enter high-ranking Gates all by myself in the future?". "Pardon me?". When he was faced with a completely unexpected demand, Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes opened up wide "Are you asking me to exclude you from the minimum headcount rule?". Jin-Woo nodded his head "Huh-uh ". The regulation regarding the number of raid team members was the minimum safety net in place for the Hunters . It was a policy to prevent the incidents of Hunters entering a dungeon without sufficient preparation and losing their lives However . Did Hunter Seong require such a safety net when his summons could beat down countless rank S monsters? Abruptly recalling a certain scene from the ant tunnel raid, Goh Gun-Hui asked as his expression tensed up "By any chance The raid permits your Guild will be issued with, are you planning to clear those Gates all by yourself?". "Yes . ". Goh Gun-Hui became speechless from Jin-Woo''s straightforward reply . There was not one trace of worry in his voice ''Could it be that he made the Guild just for this . ?''. Did he do that so he could solo-clear high-ranking dungeons?. There were many powerful Hunters throughout the world, but none of them planned their raids in this manner But, when the images of this Jin-Woo confidently chatting away, and the Jin-Woo back in the ant tunnel summoning countless soldiers to sweep away the ant monsters, overlapped in Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes, the older man suddenly began shivering almost uncontrollably ''A one-man army ''. For Goh Gun-Hui, who had been constantly worried about the unchecked growth of the major Guilds, that proved to be one hell of an attractive concept Ba-dump, ba-dump!!!. His heart began racing again Goh Gun-Hui placed his hand on the chest that began to hurt a little, and formed a bitter smile after comparing himself to the virile and healthy-looking Jin-Woo "Will it be difficult?". Jin-Woo asked, but Goh Gun-Hui immediately shook his head "It''s not going to be impossible . ". Indeed, it wouldn''t be impossible, but it''d be quite difficult, nonetheless . That was what Goh Gun-Hui thought But, just what kind of man was he? He was the President of the Hunter''s Association, a rank S Hunter, and the member of the National Assembly This was a request from not just anyone, but Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . Even if it was a tough request, there would be nothing holding Goh Gun-Hui back from fulfilling it And if that was enough to keep Hunter Seong in South Korea, then all the better for it "Leave it to me . ". Jin-Woo grinned brightly after hearing Goh Gun-Hui''s confident reply ''Nice . ''. One of the things that could''ve proved to be a source of headache got resolved just now "Thank you . ". Jin-Woo smiled and expressed his gratitude, and Goh Gun-Hui replied with a smile of his own "I always bring this up, but well, it should be us thanking you, Hunter-nim . ". Screech The large saloon carrying the two stopped at a bit of distance away from the hospital''s entrance "Let us speak again soon, Seong Hunter-nim . ". "Of course . ". After sharing simple goodbyes, Jin-Woo climbed out of the car The news of the victims being transferred to this hospital must''ve gotten around, because there were a lot of reporters camping by the entrance already The car stopping a fair distance away from the entrance was all due to Woo Jin-Cheol''s consideration . There was little doubt that another commotion would''ve broken out if the car carrying the Association President came to a stop in front of the hospital and Jin-Woo climbed out from there ''It''s times like this that being famous can get really annoying . ''. Jin-Woo shook his head and used ''Stealth'' to conceal himself ***. Inside the office of the Yujin Construction''s chairman Chairman Yu Myung-Han, who had been taking a nap on the impossibly-wide desk, slowly raised his slouched torso up Sunlight entered at an angle through the windows He felt his eyelids getting impossibly heavier, and it seemed that he eventually had fallen into a bit of slumber On the couch located in front of the desk, the right-hand man of Yu Myung-Han, Secretary Kim, was sitting upright and looking back at his boss Yu Myung-Han rubbed his face to chase away the remaining sleepiness and spoke up "Looks like I have napped for a little while . How long was I asleep for?". Secretary Kim looked at his wristwatch and then raised his head back up again "Sir, you''ve been asleep for 23 hours and 46 minutes . ". ''¡­ ''. Yu Myung-Han''s hand rubbing his face came to a sudden stop "I''ve been waiting here in order to carry out your order of escorting you to the hospital if you don''t wake up after 24 hours have elapsed, sir . ". Was it that illness striking again?. Yu Myung-Han''s face, his hand no longer covering it, was frozen stiff He would sometimes fall into a state of deep sleep without any warning signs, and once asleep, it became harder and harder to wake up The ''Eternal Sleep'' disorder Although the process was slow, this disease definitely dragged all of its victims to death''s doorway Secretary Kim strode quickly forward and stood before Yu Myung-Han "Sir, there are two things I need to inform you about . ". "What are they?". As befitting his nickname of ''Pokerface'', Yu Myung-Han had already wiped off all traces of worry from his face and reverted back to his regular stoic expression Secretary Kim picked up the newspaper resting at the corner of the large desk and politely placed it before Yu Myung-Han ''¡­ . ?''. Somewhat puzzled, Yu Myung-Han quickly picked the paper up and browsed through it . The article dominating the front page was about the event of a Gate opening up in a school somewhere in Seoul, causing the devastating losses of hundreds of high school students "Tsk, tsk ". Yu Myung-Han grimaced after seeing that terrible news "What a terrible incident this is . Make sure our company donates something to the school and to the victims . ". "Yes, sir . But, Chairman, that''s not it . ". Yu Myung-Han put the paper down . Secretary Kim bowed slightly and carefully flipped the page of the newspaper, so the next page could be seen . There was a large photo dominating this page "This is the photograph I wanted to show to you, sir . ". The tip of Secretary Kim''s finger stopped by at a certain lady within that photo "This woman Do you recall who she is, sir?". The photo was of a hospital where the survivors of that horrible incident had been admitted to . Secretary Kim had singled out a certain woman among the many pictured . She was hurriedly running into the hospital''s entrance Quite coincidentally, she was someone Chairman Yu Myung-Han still remembered quite clearly "But, how . ??". Yu Myung-Han never forgot a person''s face . And he definitely had seen that woman''s photograph before She was none other than Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s mother "But, I thought Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s mother suffered from the Eternal Sleep, too?". He had studied Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s profile several times in great detail A person who, according to Yu Myung-Han''s knowledge, should be confined to a bed and unable to move while completely dependent on the life support machines, was walking around looking completely healthy The thing Secretary Kim wanted to talk to him about ¨C Chairman Yu Myung-Han finally realised what that was . His hand gripping the newspaper began trembling "Can you find out for me what happened in detail?". "Understood, sir . ". " . Thank you . ". As his response to Yu Myung-Han''s praise, Secretary Kim bowed again for a brief moment, before raising his head again . After putting the newspaper back down again, Yu Myung-Han quietly opened his mouth "You said there are two things I need to know about . ". "Yes, sir . ". "What is the second matter, then?". Yu Myung-Han raised his head and met Secretary Kim''s gaze . And the light in the latter''s eyes wasn''t so good . This was one of Kim''s old habits . He always brought up the good news first, then spoke the bad news the last Secretary Kim displayed some hints of hesitation, before speaking up as if he decided to give up "The Young Miss has returned home yesterday . ". As if waiting for that declaration Clung!. The door to the Chairman''s office was flung wide open and an intellectual-type beauty rushed inside Chairman Yu Myung-Han''s daugther, Yu Jin-Hui, saw how thin her father had become and tears began wetting her eyes "How long have you been like this, Father?". < Chapter 145 > Fin Chapter 146 Camera flashes went off every few seconds as a slim woman with natural black hair assumed several different poses . "Good, that''s good . " A wide grin didn''t want to leave the face of the photographer as he snapped away with his camera . Click! The final click of the shutter rang out and the photographer raised his head . "This is great . Nicely done . " Cousin/older sister of Yu Jin-Ho, as well as his best friend, Yu Soo-Hyun, smiled brightly and bowed her head to the director . "Thank you for your hard work!" "You too, Miss Soo-Hyun . " All thanks to Yu Soo-Hyun''s rather affable personality, the photo shoots she participated in were always filled with jovial laughter . It was to such an extent that, even those photographers previously unwilling to work with her because of her image as the daughter of a chaebol family, would actively seek her out for more photo shoots after working with her just once . "Thank you . " "Thanks for your work today . " With a bright expression, Yu Soo-Hyun thanked the photographer and other staff members of the shoot, before trotting over to her coordinator who also happened to be her manager as well . "Unni, did Jin-Hui call me back?" (TL: Unni = honorific to denote older female by another female, usually younger) The coordinator shook her head, her expression one of worry . Yu Soo-Hyun had tried to call her cousin four times already . She could only pout unhappily at the fact that her diligence hadn''t been rewarded with a reply so far . ''She''s supposed to be back in the country since yesterday, so how come I can''t get in touch with her?'' Yu Soo-Hyun heard the news of her cousin, studying abroad, briefly making a trip home around yesterday morning . She had been involved in a photo shoot that lasted the whole night and was fast asleep when her cousin''s call came through . Who''d have thought that missing one phone call would lead to such a hassle? There was utterly not a peep from her cousin since then . ''Did something happen to her?'' No, that couldn''t be . Yu Soo-Hyun shook her head . That girl was none other than Yu Jin-Hui, the eldest daughter of Yu Myung-Han ¨C the owner of the biggest corporation in South Korea . The odds of something bad happening to her was about the same as a rank S Hunter entering a dungeon only to meet with a grisly end . "Unni, gimme my phone back for a sec, please . " Yu Soo-Hyun took the phone back, thinking that she''d try her luck again . But then, her phone suddenly began vibrating and a bright expression immediately formed on her face . ''Is this from Jin-Hui?'' However, she began pouting again after confirming who the caller was . - Idiot ''¡­ . . . . . '' Yu Soo-Hyun tapped on the ''Answer'' icon and spoke in an annoyed voice . "Hello?" - "Noona!" (TL: honorific to denote older female by a younger male) It was from Yu Jin-Ho, regrettably . Yu Soo-Hyun was well aware of the fact that this kid would only call her ''noona'' if he wanted something from her . She spat out a grand sigh in her heart and asked him . "Do you know by any chance where Jin-Hui is right now?" - "Noona? What about my noona? Wait, is she in Korea??" " . . . . . " Now that she thought about it for a sec, didn''t this kid get chased out of his own home after rejecting his father''s order of becoming the Yujin Guild''s Master? Indeed, this cousin of hers proved to be of no help whatsoever, even now . "No, never mind . Okay, so what did you call me for?" Surely, he wouldn''t be calling her for another drinking binge like the last time . It was then, Yu Jin-Ho''s rather exhilarated voice came out of the phone . - "Noona, don''t you want to join our Guild?" What on earth was he on about, out of the blue? A thin frown formed for a second there on Yu Soo-Hyun''s fine, smooth forehead . "Your Guild?" She was so dumbfounded that she simply had to ask again . - "Instead of getting dragged to my father''s Guild and acting like its public relations mouthpiece, don''t you think it''ll be a lot better for you to leave your name on our Guild''s employee list and do whatever you want?" ¡­ . And this was the rather remarkable reply she got in return . Yu Soo-Hyun''s voice became quite low as she got more and more suspicious . "And why do you need my name in the first place?" - "We''re still short of one last Guild founding member, you see . " "Wait, are you telling me to join a Guild that''s not even a real thing yet??" - "Yeah!" Yu Jin-Ho answered back oh-so-innocently . Yu Soo-Hyun felt her head slowly develop a pulsing migraine simply from wondering just what this kid believed in to become such an optimistic human being . ''No, besides all that . . . . Just who could be the other person, then?'' Rather than the ''idiot'' asking her to put her name down as one of the Guild''s founding members, she was getting a lot more suspicious of the other person''s reasoning for wanting to make a Guild with this ''idiot'', instead . "You, you aren''t acting like this ''cuz some shady character sweet-talked you into it, right?" Who''d want to create a Guild with a rank D Hunter possessing a negligible amount of hunting experience other than swindlers? However, Yu Jin-Ho''s response was rather different from her expectations . - "Fut . " From the other side of the phone line, the sound of a chuckle formed when the corner of one''s lips arched up came out, followed soon after by a relaxed voice . - "You''ll be shocked if you find out who that ''shady character'' is, you know?" "Okay, who is it?" - "Fut . " "I''m hanging up . " - "Ah! Hold on, waiiiit!" Her hand moving towards the ''End Call'' icon stopped as that desperately pleading voice came out of the speaker . Yu Soo-Hyun smirked and placed the phone back against her ear . "I''m giving you three seconds to tell me . Three, two . . . . " - "Seong Jin-Woo!!" ''¡­ . Seong Jin-Woo?'' Yu Soo-Hyun''s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets after hearing that rather unexpected name . "You mean, that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo??" - "Fut . " "You mean, that rank S Hunter who single-handedly smashed apart Rhee Min-Seong''s press conference before suddenly disappearing from everyone''s view?" - " . . . . . I think you''re being surprised by the wrong thing here, though?" "Are you really telling me that it''s him?" Regardless of what Yu Jin-Ho''s retort was like, Seong Jin-Woo would forever be the rank S Hunter who stepped on the pride of that arrogant jerk-off Rhee Min-Seong in Yu Soo-Hyun''s eyes . Just how refreshed did she feel back then? A lot . - "Fufufu!" If what Yu Jin-Ho said was true, then it was not that difficult to understand that bottomless, sky-high confidence of his . ''Well, Jin-Ho might like to put on airs sometimes, but he''s not the type to lie, so . . . '' Yu Soo-Hyun pondered for a second or two, before asking her cousin again . "Can we meet up and talk?" - "Of course! Why don''t you come to our office? Hyung-nim said he''d be stopping by later, too . " "What''s the address?" Yu Soo-Hyun took a post-it note from nearby and quickly jotted down the address . She did her best to calm her bubbling excitement down and made her reply . "I''m on my way right now . " - "See you later, noona!" Click . That''s where the conversation came to its end . The coordinator, ''accidentally'' overhearing the contents of the call, sent out a probing question . "Do you need to go somewhere? Are you even planning to drop out of the afterparty?" Nod, nod . Yu Soo-Hyun rapidly swapped out of her modelling clothes and packed her belongings as if she didn''t even have the time to explain herself . "There''s someone I wanted to meet, you see . " "Who . . . . ?" "I''ll explain later . " Yu Soo-Hyun tried to brush it aside and was about to leave the shoot location, but the coordinator hurriedly called out and stopped her . "Please tell me who it is! I need to know who it is so I can report back to the Chairman!" Yu Soo-Hyun''s father was the Chairman of the XX Pharmaceuticals . When his daughter told him that she wanted to work in the entertainment industry, he came up with a single condition . And that would be her being accompanied around by a chaperone all the time . Naturally, the coordinator was hired by Yu Soo-Hyun''s father . Meaning, she was Yu Soo-Hyun''s coordinator, her manager, as well as her monitor . Yu Soo-Hyun belatedly remembered that her coordinator unni would get scolded by her father if she left without saying a single word like this . So, she turned around and grinned refreshingly before making her reply . "It''s Mister Seong Jin-Woo!" Yu Soo-Hyun quickly ran off after that . The coordinator''s expression was slowly filling up with worry as she watched the distancing back of her charge . "The Chairman will throw a fit when he learns of his daughter meeting a man without permission . . . . " The coordinator tutted for a little while, before she began recalling what Yu Soo-Hyun had said . ''Wait . . . . . Who did she say she was meeting again?'' Didn''t the coordinator hear that person''s name before somewhere? She carefully combed through her memories only for her brows to shoot up in surprise . She quickly swivelled her head towards the exit Yu Soo-Hyun used only a moment ago . "Who did you say it was again?!" *** ''It''s not here . . . not here, either . . . . '' Yu Jin-Ho stared daggers at the computer screen while chewing on his fingernails . ''Not here . . . . It''s not here, too . . . . . '' From a certain point in time, all thread forums and posts slagging his dear hyung-nim off had vanished from the view . But, then again, such a thing wasn''t that hard to understand why . His hyung-nim rescued rank S Hunters from Jeju Island . He then closed a rank B Gate in double time and cleared up the heavy traffic . And yesterday, he saved the lives of a whole bunch of high school students as well . So, it''d be far stranger to find someone trying to badmouth hyung-nim now . Those persistently annoying anti-hyung-nim idiots had been mostly driven away into oblivion, all due to Yu Jin-Ho''s own concerted efforts as well as everything hyung-nim had done so far . Even those rarer-than-rare negative comments that cropped up on articles concerning hyung-nim couldn''t endure against the concentrated cross-fire of other commenters, and would eventually get deleted . This was excellent news . Indeed, it was a great development . ''But, why am I . . . . ?'' Why was he feeling so empty right now? It felt like the things he could do was decreasing one by one, what with things going like this . Click, click . . . . Yu Jin-Ho formed a saddened expression and operated his mouse . In the meantime, the office''s door quietly opened up . Jin-Woo was entering the premise . Yu Jin-Ho''s complexion brightened up after confirming Jin-Woo''s face, and he quickly stood up to bow his head . "You came, hyung-nim?" "Yeah . " Jin-Woo looked quite fatigued . But, that was rather understandable, really . He had been staying next to Jin-Ah''s side from last night till this morning . He briefly stopped by his home to get a quick wash-up before showing up here . In case a rank A Gate suddenly popped up in the hospital, he even left Beru in her shadow to deal with all the threats coming from there . Yu Jin-Ho asked in an anxious voice . "Hyung-nim, is your sister doing okay?" "Fortunately, yeah . " Jin-Woo kept his answer short . He was trying hard to show that everything was fine, but then, he was still her older brother and couldn''t stop worrying about her . Even the doctor in charge recommended that she needed to be in close observation for the time being, as the mental shock she suffered would have been quite serious . ''I hope she can quickly overcome this . . . . '' After all, she was a bright, energetic kid to begin with . All Jin-Woo could do now was to cheer her on in his heart . It was then . "Oh my gosh!! You were telling the truth!" The surprised voice of a woman came from Jin-Woo''s side . He turned around to find Yu Soo-Hyun exiting from the conference suite with a pair of very large eyes staring back at him . Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to Yu Jin-Ho and silently asked him . ''And she is?'' Yu Jin-Ho replied with a pair of tense eyes . ''It''s her, hyung-nim . '' Before arriving here, Jin-Woo had already heard the gist of the situation from Yu Jin-Ho . ["There is this one person that perfectly fits your criteria, hyung-nim! How about meeting her, at least once?"] Someone who carried around a Hunter licence but couldn''t be bothered about the matters of the Guild, yet worthy of their trust . ''And, she''s even a rank A Hunter, too . . . . '' Her rank wasn''t all that important, though . In any case, the first impression she gave off was not bad at all, perhaps owing to her clear eyes and her bright smile . They shared quick and simple introductions . "Excuse me . " Before they could sign the contract, Jin-Woo decided to ask her about something he was curious about . "If you do this, your relationship with your uncle might get a lot more tricky . Will that be fine with you?" "That''s still better than getting mixed up with Yu Jin-Seong, you know . " "Yu Jin-Seong?" Jin-Woo looked back to Yu Jin-Ho, and the latter embarrassedly scratched the back of his head . "He''s my older brother, hyung-nim . " ''Ahh, that bad-personality older brother he talked about . Right, Yu Jin-Seong was supposed to take over the Guild if Yu Jin-Ho failed to cut the mustard, wasn''t it?'' Jin-Woo quietly nodded his head . This wouldn''t have happened if Yu Jin-Ho did as he was told and took over the Yujin Guild . In a way, Yu Soo-Hyun was another victim of the choice Yu Jin-Ho made . ''Because of this kid, many people are being greatly inconvenienced, aren''t they . . . . ?'' Jin-Woo shifted his slightly narrowed eyes over to Yu Jin-Ho . The latter formed a happy smile, not knowing what was in the former''s mind . ''¡­ . . . . . '' While Jin-Woo was groaning inwardly, Yu Soo-Hyun cautiously walked up to him . "Uhm, excuse me . . . . " "Yes?" She was blushing just a little bit . It seemed like she had something important to say to him, judging from how her eyes were quietly trembling like that . Jin-Woo also formed a serious expression . "Is there something you''d like to ask me?" Yu Soo-Hyun hesitated slightly but after hearing his words, she worked up enough courage to ask him . Her eyes even began sparkling . "Can we take a selfie together? I wish to upload it to my SNS profile . " *** The Chairman''s office of the XX Pharmaceuticals . The younger brother of Yu Myung-Han, Yu Seok-Ho''s expression was far more grave and serious than ever before . "Are you telling me the truth?" "Yes, sir . " The coordinator nodded her head . She looked quite scared at the moment . "My little girl is meeting up with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?" "That''s correct, Mister Chairman . " "Can it be another man with the same name?" "I was also feeling unsure about that, but this . . . . " The coordinator rummaged through her pockets and cautiously pulled out her phone . Yu Soo-Hyun''s SNS profile was displayed on the phone''s screen . Yu Seok-Ho''s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets after he saw the last uploaded image . Wasn''t that really the face of the Hunter that kept showing up in the news lately?! ''This, this is . . . . . !'' Yu Seok-Ho glared daggers until he could almost bore a hole through the photo, but eventually, he began massaging his forehead and spat out a soft groan . " . . . Huh . " "A-are you alright, sir?" " . . . . Please leave me alone for a while . " "P-pardon me?" "Uh-huh! Didn''t I say to leave me alone?" Yu Seok-Ho returned the phone back to the coordinator and almost literally chased her out of his office . And then, having made sure she was gone for good, he quickly switched on his computer to read every article concerning Jin-Woo online . ?[Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, what could be his true worth?]? ?[Propositions flooding in from every country in the world! What will Hunter Seong Jin-Woo choose to do next?] ?[Chairman Park Jong-Su of the Knight Order Guild: "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s abilities are impossible to evaluate . "]? ?[Hunter Seong Jin-Woo: Did the Americans contact him in secret already?]? ?[Experts describe Hunter Seong Jin-Woo as the walking, talking large corporation . . . . ]? Public''s interest in that Hunter had gone through the roof ever since the raid on Jeju Island . The clear indication of that was all these articles found online . As Chairman Yu Seok-Ho continued to read the articles one at the time, the look of admiration formed on his face . "Huh-uh, huh-uh . . . . !" Two hours passed by like that . He leaned back against his chair as his fatigued eyes ached rhythmically . He had been concentrating so hard that his forehead was soaked completely in sweat . He dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief and put a cigarette between his lips . But, before he could light it up, he remembered something . He put the cigarette down and picked up his phone instead . Ring . . . . Ring . . . . . Click . - "Is it you, dear?" A voice of a middle-aged woman came from the phone . - "It''s rare for you to call me at this time of the day . What''s the matter?" "Huhuh, dear . Do you happen to know who our little girl is getting acquainted with lately?" - "Excuse me?" "I''m telling you, my dear . I sure have raised our girl properly, haven''t I?" - "What are you even talking about all of a sudden?" Chairman Yu Seok-Ho was utterly sure of it . Just who was his little girl, Soo-Hyun? Wasn''t she his daughter who did not lack for anything when it came to her looks, her background, and even her academic achievements? Even if he supposed that these two young people were nothing more than just acquaintances now, it was only a matter of time before they developed a far more intimate relationship . - "What''s gotten into you, dear?" The voice of his wife coming out of the phone''s speaker sounded puzzled now . - "You hated the idea of a boy sitting next to our Soo-Hyun, so didn''t you go and speak to her school''s administrators every single year until her graduation to make sure she''d be paired up with only girls . . . . ?" "Huhuhuh . Did I really do that?" - "Just who is she seeing that you''re behaving this way? Stop building up the suspense and please tell me already . " Yu Seok-Ho suddenly guffawed loudly enough to almost shake the chairman''s office . "You''d be just as surprised as me when you find out, ahahahahaha!" < Chapter 146 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 146: Chapter 146 . Camera flashes went off every few seconds as a slim woman with natural black hair assumed several different poses "Good, that''s good . ". A wide grin didn''t want to leave the face of the photographer as he snapped away with his camera Click!. The final click of the shutter rang out and the photographer raised his head "This is great . Nicely done . ". Cousin/older sister of Yu Jin-Ho, as well as his best friend, Yu Soo-Hyun, smiled brightly and bowed her head to the director "Thank you for your hard work!". "You too, Miss Soo-Hyun . ". All thanks to Yu Soo-Hyun''s rather affable personality, the photo shoots she participated in were always filled with jovial laughter It was to such an extent that, even those photographers previously unwilling to work with her because of her image as the daughter of a chaebol family, would actively seek her out for more photo shoots after working with her just once "Thank you . ". "Thanks for your work today . ". With a bright expression, Yu Soo-Hyun thanked the photographer and other staff members of the shoot, before trotting over to her coordinator who also happened to be her manager as well "Unni, did Jin-Hui call me back?" (TL: Unni = honorific to denote older female by another female, usually younger). The coordinator shook her head, her expression one of worry Yu Soo-Hyun had tried to call her cousin four times already . She could only pout unhappily at the fact that her diligence hadn''t been rewarded with a reply so far ''She''s supposed to be back in the country since yesterday, so how come I can''t get in touch with her?''. Yu Soo-Hyun heard the news of her cousin, studying abroad, briefly making a trip home around yesterday morning She had been involved in a photo shoot that lasted the whole night and was fast asleep when her cousin''s call came through . Who''d have thought that missing one phone call would lead to such a hassle?. There was utterly not a peep from her cousin since then ''Did something happen to her?''. No, that couldn''t be . Yu Soo-Hyun shook her head That girl was none other than Yu Jin-Hui, the eldest daughter of Yu Myung-Han ¨C the owner of the biggest corporation in South Korea . The odds of something bad happening to her was about the same as a rank S Hunter entering a dungeon only to meet with a grisly end "Unni, gimme my phone back for a sec, please . ". Yu Soo-Hyun took the phone back, thinking that she''d try her luck again . But then, her phone suddenly began vibrating and a bright expression immediately formed on her face ''Is this from Jin-Hui?''. However, she began pouting again after confirming who the caller was - Idiot. ''¡­ . ''. Yu Soo-Hyun tapped on the ''Answer'' icon and spoke in an annoyed voice "Hello?". - "Noona!" (TL: honorific to denote older female by a younger male). It was from Yu Jin-Ho, regrettably Yu Soo-Hyun was well aware of the fact that this kid would only call her ''noona'' if he wanted something from her . She spat out a grand sigh in her heart and asked him "Do you know by any chance where Jin-Hui is right now?". - "Noona? What about my noona? Wait, is she in Korea??". " . ". Now that she thought about it for a sec, didn''t this kid get chased out of his own home after rejecting his father''s order of becoming the Yujin Guild''s Master? Indeed, this cousin of hers proved to be of no help whatsoever, even now "No, never mind . Okay, so what did you call me for?". Surely, he wouldn''t be calling her for another drinking binge like the last time . It was then, Yu Jin-Ho''s rather exhilarated voice came out of the phone - "Noona, don''t you want to join our Guild?". What on earth was he on about, out of the blue?. A thin frown formed for a second there on Yu Soo-Hyun''s fine, smooth forehead "Your Guild?". She was so dumbfounded that she simply had to ask again - "Instead of getting dragged to my father''s Guild and acting like its public relations mouthpiece, don''t you think it''ll be a lot better for you to leave your name on our Guild''s employee list and do whatever you want?". ¡­ . And this was the rather remarkable reply she got in return Yu Soo-Hyun''s voice became quite low as she got more and more suspicious "And why do you need my name in the first place?". - "We''re still short of one last Guild founding member, you see . ". "Wait, are you telling me to join a Guild that''s not even a real thing yet??". - "Yeah!". Yu Jin-Ho answered back oh-so-innocently Yu Soo-Hyun felt her head slowly develop a pulsing migraine simply from wondering just what this kid believed in to become such an optimistic human being ''No, besides all that Just who could be the other person, then?''. Rather than the ''idiot'' asking her to put her name down as one of the Guild''s founding members, she was getting a lot more suspicious of the other person''s reasoning for wanting to make a Guild with this ''idiot'', instead "You, you aren''t acting like this ''cuz some shady character sweet-talked you into it, right?". Who''d want to create a Guild with a rank D Hunter possessing a negligible amount of hunting experience other than swindlers? However, Yu Jin-Ho''s response was rather different from her expectations - "Fut . ". From the other side of the phone line, the sound of a chuckle formed when the corner of one''s lips arched up came out, followed soon after by a relaxed voice - "You''ll be shocked if you find out who that ''shady character'' is, you know?". "Okay, who is it?". - "Fut . ". "I''m hanging up . ". - "Ah! Hold on, waiiiit!". Her hand moving towards the ''End Call'' icon stopped as that desperately pleading voice came out of the speaker . Yu Soo-Hyun smirked and placed the phone back against her ear "I''m giving you three seconds to tell me . Three, two ". - "Seong Jin-Woo!!". ''¡­ . Seong Jin-Woo?''. Yu Soo-Hyun''s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets after hearing that rather unexpected name "You mean, that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo??". - "Fut . ". "You mean, that rank S Hunter who single-handedly smashed apart Rhee Min-Seong''s press conference before suddenly disappearing from everyone''s view?". - " . I think you''re being surprised by the wrong thing here, though?". "Are you really telling me that it''s him?". Regardless of what Yu Jin-Ho''s retort was like, Seong Jin-Woo would forever be the rank S Hunter who stepped on the pride of that arrogant jerk-off Rhee Min-Seong in Yu Soo-Hyun''s eyes Just how refreshed did she feel back then? A lot - "Fufufu!". If what Yu Jin-Ho said was true, then it was not that difficult to understand that bottomless, sky-high confidence of his ''Well, Jin-Ho might like to put on airs sometimes, but he''s not the type to lie, so . ''. Yu Soo-Hyun pondered for a second or two, before asking her cousin again "Can we meet up and talk?". - "Of course! Why don''t you come to our office? Hyung-nim said he''d be stopping by later, too . ". "What''s the address?". Yu Soo-Hyun took a post-it note from nearby and quickly jotted down the address . She did her best to calm her bubbling excitement down and made her reply "I''m on my way right now . ". - "See you later, noona!". Click That''s where the conversation came to its end . The coordinator, ''accidentally'' overhearing the contents of the call, sent out a probing question "Do you need to go somewhere? Are you even planning to drop out of the afterparty?". Nod, nod Yu Soo-Hyun rapidly swapped out of her modelling clothes and packed her belongings as if she didn''t even have the time to explain herself "There''s someone I wanted to meet, you see . ". "Who ?". "I''ll explain later . ". Yu Soo-Hyun tried to brush it aside and was about to leave the shoot location, but the coordinator hurriedly called out and stopped her "Please tell me who it is! I need to know who it is so I can report back to the Chairman!". Yu Soo-Hyun''s father was the Chairman of the XX Pharmaceuticals . When his daughter told him that she wanted to work in the entertainment industry, he came up with a single condition . And that would be her being accompanied around by a chaperone all the time Naturally, the coordinator was hired by Yu Soo-Hyun''s father . Meaning, she was Yu Soo-Hyun''s coordinator, her manager, as well as her monitor Yu Soo-Hyun belatedly remembered that her coordinator unni would get scolded by her father if she left without saying a single word like this . So, she turned around and grinned refreshingly before making her reply "It''s Mister Seong Jin-Woo!". Yu Soo-Hyun quickly ran off after that . The coordinator''s expression was slowly filling up with worry as she watched the distancing back of her charge "The Chairman will throw a fit when he learns of his daughter meeting a man without permission ". The coordinator tutted for a little while, before she began recalling what Yu Soo-Hyun had said ''Wait . Who did she say she was meeting again?''. Didn''t the coordinator hear that person''s name before somewhere?. She carefully combed through her memories only for her brows to shoot up in surprise . She quickly swivelled her head towards the exit Yu Soo-Hyun used only a moment ago "Who did you say it was again?!". ***. ''It''s not here . not here, either ''. Yu Jin-Ho stared daggers at the computer screen while chewing on his fingernails ''Not here It''s not here, too . ''. From a certain point in time, all thread forums and posts slagging his dear hyung-nim off had vanished from the view . But, then again, such a thing wasn''t that hard to understand why His hyung-nim rescued rank S Hunters from Jeju Island . He then closed a rank B Gate in double time and cleared up the heavy traffic . And yesterday, he saved the lives of a whole bunch of high school students as well So, it''d be far stranger to find someone trying to badmouth hyung-nim now Those persistently annoying anti-hyung-nim idiots had been mostly driven away into oblivion, all due to Yu Jin-Ho''s own concerted efforts as well as everything hyung-nim had done so far Even those rarer-than-rare negative comments that cropped up on articles concerning hyung-nim couldn''t endure against the concentrated cross-fire of other commenters, and would eventually get deleted This was excellent news . Indeed, it was a great development ''But, why am I ?''. Why was he feeling so empty right now?. It felt like the things he could do was decreasing one by one, what with things going like this Click, click . Yu Jin-Ho formed a saddened expression and operated his mouse . In the meantime, the office''s door quietly opened up . Jin-Woo was entering the premise Yu Jin-Ho''s complexion brightened up after confirming Jin-Woo''s face, and he quickly stood up to bow his head "You came, hyung-nim?". "Yeah . ". Jin-Woo looked quite fatigued . But, that was rather understandable, really . He had been staying next to Jin-Ah''s side from last night till this morning . He briefly stopped by his home to get a quick wash-up before showing up here In case a rank A Gate suddenly popped up in the hospital, he even left Beru in her shadow to deal with all the threats coming from there Yu Jin-Ho asked in an anxious voice "Hyung-nim, is your sister doing okay?". "Fortunately, yeah . ". Jin-Woo kept his answer short . He was trying hard to show that everything was fine, but then, he was still her older brother and couldn''t stop worrying about her Even the doctor in charge recommended that she needed to be in close observation for the time being, as the mental shock she suffered would have been quite serious ''I hope she can quickly overcome this ''. After all, she was a bright, energetic kid to begin with . All Jin-Woo could do now was to cheer her on in his heart It was then "Oh my gosh!! You were telling the truth!". The surprised voice of a woman came from Jin-Woo''s side . He turned around to find Yu Soo-Hyun exiting from the conference suite with a pair of very large eyes staring back at him Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to Yu Jin-Ho and silently asked him ''And she is?''. Yu Jin-Ho replied with a pair of tense eyes ''It''s her, hyung-nim . ''. Before arriving here, Jin-Woo had already heard the gist of the situation from Yu Jin-Ho ["There is this one person that perfectly fits your criteria, hyung-nim! How about meeting her, at least once?"]. Someone who carried around a Hunter licence but couldn''t be bothered about the matters of the Guild, yet worthy of their trust ''And, she''s even a rank A Hunter, too ''. Her rank wasn''t all that important, though In any case, the first impression she gave off was not bad at all, perhaps owing to her clear eyes and her bright smile . They shared quick and simple introductions "Excuse me . ". Before they could sign the contract, Jin-Woo decided to ask her about something he was curious about "If you do this, your relationship with your uncle might get a lot more tricky . Will that be fine with you?". "That''s still better than getting mixed up with Yu Jin-Seong, you know . ". "Yu Jin-Seong?". Jin-Woo looked back to Yu Jin-Ho, and the latter embarrassedly scratched the back of his head "He''s my older brother, hyung-nim . ". ''Ahh, that bad-personality older brother he talked about . Right, Yu Jin-Seong was supposed to take over the Guild if Yu Jin-Ho failed to cut the mustard, wasn''t it?''. Jin-Woo quietly nodded his head This wouldn''t have happened if Yu Jin-Ho did as he was told and took over the Yujin Guild . In a way, Yu Soo-Hyun was another victim of the choice Yu Jin-Ho made ''Because of this kid, many people are being greatly inconvenienced, aren''t they ?''. Jin-Woo shifted his slightly narrowed eyes over to Yu Jin-Ho . The latter formed a happy smile, not knowing what was in the former''s mind ''¡­ . ''. While Jin-Woo was groaning inwardly, Yu Soo-Hyun cautiously walked up to him "Uhm, excuse me ". "Yes?". She was blushing just a little bit . It seemed like she had something important to say to him, judging from how her eyes were quietly trembling like that . Jin-Woo also formed a serious expression "Is there something you''d like to ask me?". Yu Soo-Hyun hesitated slightly but after hearing his words, she worked up enough courage to ask him . Her eyes even began sparkling "Can we take a selfie together? I wish to upload it to my SNS profile . ". ***. The Chairman''s office of the XX Pharmaceuticals The younger brother of Yu Myung-Han, Yu Seok-Ho''s expression was far more grave and serious than ever before "Are you telling me the truth?". "Yes, sir . ". The coordinator nodded her head . She looked quite scared at the moment "My little girl is meeting up with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?". "That''s correct, Mister Chairman . ". "Can it be another man with the same name?". "I was also feeling unsure about that, but this ". The coordinator rummaged through her pockets and cautiously pulled out her phone . Yu Soo-Hyun''s SNS profile was displayed on the phone''s screen Yu Seok-Ho''s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets after he saw the last uploaded image . Wasn''t that really the face of the Hunter that kept showing up in the news lately?!. ''This, this is . !''. Yu Seok-Ho glared daggers until he could almost bore a hole through the photo, but eventually, he began massaging his forehead and spat out a soft groan " . Huh . ". "A-are you alright, sir?". " Please leave me alone for a while . ". "P-pardon me?". "Uh-huh! Didn''t I say to leave me alone?". Yu Seok-Ho returned the phone back to the coordinator and almost literally chased her out of his office . And then, having made sure she was gone for good, he quickly switched on his computer to read every article concerning Jin-Woo online ?[Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, what could be his true worth?]?. ?[Propositions flooding in from every country in the world! What will Hunter Seong Jin-Woo choose to do next?]. ?[Chairman Park Jong-Su of the Knight Order Guild: "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s abilities are impossible to evaluate . "]?. ?[Hunter Seong Jin-Woo: Did the Americans contact him in secret already?]?. ?[Experts describe Hunter Seong Jin-Woo as the walking, talking large corporation ]?. Public''s interest in that Hunter had gone through the roof ever since the raid on Jeju Island . The clear indication of that was all these articles found online As Chairman Yu Seok-Ho continued to read the articles one at the time, the look of admiration formed on his face "Huh-uh, huh-uh !". Two hours passed by like that He leaned back against his chair as his fatigued eyes ached rhythmically . He had been concentrating so hard that his forehead was soaked completely in sweat He dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief and put a cigarette between his lips . But, before he could light it up, he remembered something . He put the cigarette down and picked up his phone instead Ring Ring Click - "Is it you, dear?". A voice of a middle-aged woman came from the phone - "It''s rare for you to call me at this time of the day . What''s the matter?". "Huhuh, dear . Do you happen to know who our little girl is getting acquainted with lately?". - "Excuse me?". "I''m telling you, my dear . I sure have raised our girl properly, haven''t I?". - "What are you even talking about all of a sudden?". Chairman Yu Seok-Ho was utterly sure of it Just who was his little girl, Soo-Hyun? Wasn''t she his daughter who did not lack for anything when it came to her looks, her background, and even her academic achievements?. Even if he supposed that these two young people were nothing more than just acquaintances now, it was only a matter of time before they developed a far more intimate relationship - "What''s gotten into you, dear?". The voice of his wife coming out of the phone''s speaker sounded puzzled now - "You hated the idea of a boy sitting next to our Soo-Hyun, so didn''t you go and speak to her school''s administrators every single year until her graduation to make sure she''d be paired up with only girls ?". "Huhuhuh . Did I really do that?". - "Just who is she seeing that you''re behaving this way? Stop building up the suspense and please tell me already . ". Yu Seok-Ho suddenly guffawed loudly enough to almost shake the chairman''s office "You''d be just as surprised as me when you find out, ahahahahaha!". < Chapter 146 > Fin Chapter 147 "You will acknowledge summoned creatures as members of a raid team?! Do you think such a thing even makes sense?" Nam Joon-Wook yelled out at the top of his lungs . Formerly a prosecutor, he now served as a member of the National Assembly . No one in this country came remotely close to this man''s ability to sniff out and latch onto a person''s wrongdoings . The Association President Goh Gun-Hui maintained his silence as he sat on the opposite side of such a man . Nam Joon-Wook was actually smiling inside as he was staring at his current verbal sparring partner . ''Indeed, even if you had ten mouths, you''d not have anything to say . '' The victor had been decided already . No matter who it was, they would say this was Association President Goh Gun-Hui going too far . He must''ve known this too, because he showed absolutely no signs of counterattacking yet . ''However . . . . '' Nam Joon-Wook was not thinking of easing up here . His style was to keep up the pressure when the enemy was on the back foot . He''d push his opponents hard until they were driven to the edge of a cliff . Veins bulged in his neck as he raised his voice high, not at Goh Gun-Hui, but at the entirety of the third conference hall, currently filled to the brim with the interested parties and a cordon of reporters . "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo has barely finished creating his Guild, yet you already wish to pass this nonsensical regulation? If this isn''t the case of preferential treatment, then what is?" The Hunter''s Association, a supposedly-neutral organisation, was actively getting behind Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . There was such a rumour doing the rounds already, yet the so-called new regulation was this nonsensical? It was no wonder serious questions were being raised regarding this matter . Today''s hearing was convened in order to hear the reasonings, but for some reason, Association President Goh Gun-Hui was resolutely keeping his mouth shut . ''Very good . '' Nam Joon-Wook sensed his impending victory . Goh Gun-Hui''s fame had skyrocketed recently due to him pulling off the Jeju Island raid so brilliantly . But now, Nam Joon-Wook got to deal two powerful blows to that man, with the recent high school dungeon break incident, and the controversy surrounding the preferential treatment Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had received . Basically, politics was a turf war of sorts . If he got to bring down Goh Gun-Hui, a man standing at the opposite end of the political battlefield, then Nam Joon-Wook would get to enjoy his share of the benefits sooner rather than later . He imagined himself dominating the front pages of tomorrow''s newspapers and glared at Goh Gun-Hui with an arrogant expression etched on his face . "Please say something, Association President Goh Gun-Hui!" Wuuong . For the first time today, Goh Gun-Hui''s mic was turned on . Tap, tap . Goh Gun-Hui lightly tapped on the end of the mic to confirm that it was working properly, and brought his lips closer to it . "Just what is it that you wish to hear from me?" Nam Joon-Wook''s eyes narrowed to a slit . ''What a thick-faced geezer . . . . '' He expected Goh Gun-Hui to start by offering up an apology . But, could it be that the old man still had some things to say? Nam Joon-Wook raised his voice even higher . "The new regulation you put into place! Is this a preferential treatment for Hunter Seong Jin-Woo or not??" ''So, now ¨C how will you dodge this one?'' Nam Joon-Wook was waiting for a cowardly excuse but then, Goh Gun-Hui went and threw a wet blanket on his parade . "Yes, it is preferential treatment . " His answer was short, but the impact it carried was enormous . Noisy, noisy . . . . Not just the spectators in the gallery, but also the reporters and politicians were busy exchanging knowing or shocked glances with people sitting next to them, which only served to further add fuel to the chaos . Of course, the one most surprised among them was Nam Joon-Wook . ''Did this geezer finally go senile??'' Goh Gun-Hui was supposed to deny everything till the end, or start grovelling for mercy when things went sideways, yet he came out and straightforwardly admitted to his wrongdoing . However, his eyes were far too calm for someone making a confession . Such a calm and audacious demeanour only managed to bring up a sense of an inexplicable nervousness in Nam Joon-Wook . Gulp . Dry saliva painfully slid down his throat . And sure enough, Goh Gun-Hui began speaking again . "There is one thing I''d like to ask everyone that has gathered here today . " He possessed an overwhelming presence . As if everyone had made a prior agreement, they all shut their mouths at once when Goh Gun-Hui spoke up . "An assault team comprising of 20 rank A Hunters, or an assault team comprising of just one person, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . " Goh Gun-Hui slowly stood up and swept his gaze over the faces of every attendee present as he continued on with his speech . "If you were to accompany either one of those teams during a dungeon break, which one will you choose?" No one could offer up an answer . Because, it was pretty much the same thing as the answer already being set in stone . There was no reason to answer back at all . " . . . . . " " . . . . . " Everyone tried to avoid meeting Goh Gun-Hui''s gaze, and soon, the Association President''s head stopped moving in the direction of Nam Joon-Wook . " . . . . " Even Nam Joon-Wook himself couldn''t utter a single thing . Perhaps thinking that he got a satisfying enough reaction from the crowd, a smile floated up on Goh Gun-Hui''s lips . "Do you still believe the preferential treatment given to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is unfair?" A Hunter who could ably execute the role of an elite raid team from a large Guild all by himself ¨C Goh Gun-Hui was now asking the crowd if they should hold back such an individual with a regulation that didn''t even apply to him anymore . Nam Joon-Wook was about to say something . But before he could, Goh Gun-Hui was a step faster and continued on . "A total of 21 countries, including the United States, Japan, China, etc . , have demanded more information on Hunter Seong . " Goh Gun-Hui waved around thick official documents for all to see . "Every single one of them is hell-bent on stealing away Hunter Seong to their countries . " Goh Gun-Hui took some time to look at the cordon of reporters, before shifting his gaze back over to the member of National Assembly, Nam Joon-Wook . "Our current situation is like this, yet are you really telling me that you want Hunter Seong to remain in our country even though you are not willing to do a favour this small for him?" " . . . . . " Nam Joon-Wook''s complexion was getting darker and darker . He could definitely sense that the tide had turned against him now . Unfortunately, Goh Gun-Hui wasn''t thinking of letting his opponent go this easily . He kept his gaze firmly locked on Nam Joon-Wook before throwing another question . "Let me ask you this ¨C do you wish to see a repeat of the incident of Hwang Dong-Su abandoning us for America?" ''Euhk . '' Nam Joon-Wook bit his lower lip . As Goh Gun-Hui put the documents down, he was now overflowing with a certain relaxed air, something he had kept hidden until then . Nam Joon-Wook knew what that look signified . That was the look of the victor he used to make often, just as he was closing in on yet another political victory for himself in situations similar to this one . Nam Joon-Wook gritted his teeth and tried to raise his objection . "However, you still need fairness in . . . . . " "This is why I''m raising this point right now . " Goh Gun-Hui cut Nam Joon-Wook''s words right off . "Honourable member Nam Joon-Wook, didn''t you move house recently to a brand new apartment building located near the Hunters Guild?" Nam Joon-Wook''s face reddened so much that even a casual glance could detect the change . "What was your reason for changing your residence to a location where the cost of the real estate is several times more expensive than the surrounding area?" " . . . . " If only his opponent wasn''t a rank S Hunter ¨C Nam Joon-Wook''s would''ve run over there and punched the old man in the face . His own face was now in the alternating shades of red and blue as seconds ticked on . Too bad, Goh Gun-Hui also knew how to deal with an opponent that was on his back foot, perhaps even better than Nam Joon-Wook himself . "I''d like to urge you to think about this carefully . If and when another rank S Gate appears in our land, just who will step up to protect your life?" And with these following words, Goh Gun-Hui finished the proceedings off . "You will not be able to buy back your life even if you are willing to pay hundreds of times, no, make that thousands of times the price you paid for your new residence . " *** Standing before a rank A Gate for the first time ever in his life, Yu Jin-Ho''s bulging eyes were trying to look up at the top of this enormously tall Gate . "Heok . . . " He needed to look really high up just to barely spot it . Seeing how Yu Jin-Ho couldn''t close his mouth for the last 20 minutes or so, Jin-Woo began thinking that his own reaction of seeing the rank A Gate back then was perhaps too reserved for a first timer . "Hey, Jin-Ho? Your jaw will come loose if you keep doing that . " "Sorry? Ah, yes . My bad, hyung-nim . It''s just that, I''ve never seen a Gate this big before . " How would he even react if he saw the Gwang-an-ri Gate, then? Jin-Woo smirked softly to himself . Yu Jin-Ho scratched his head as if he felt embarrassed for being so shocked by the Gate''s size . "Hyung-nim, will it be really okay to not hire any retrieval teams or mining teams?" "Nah, it''ll be fine . " Jin-Woo summoned 30 of the elite grade Shadow Soldiers that had been with him the longest . "These guys will carry out those jobs . " Yu Jin-Ho flinched just a little after all those Shadow Soldiers suddenly appeared behind Jin-Woo, but eventually, he began nodding his head . "Aha!!" These guys with black armours and their black eyes . They always seemed to be overflowing with dense pressure whenever Yu Jin-Ho looked at them . With excellent timing, the employees dispatched from the Association approached them from afar . One of them happened to be a rather familiar face, as well . "Good day, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . " "Hello, Section Chief Woo . " The Chief of the Monitoring Division, Woo Jin-Cheol received the portable magic energy measuring device shaped like a speed gun from one of his subordinates . "Will it be okay if I go ahead and measure them?" "Please do . " Jin-Woo moved aside and the Shadow Soldiers all uniformly took a step forward . Woo Jin-Cheol began measuring the magic energy emission of each of the soldiers . ''Oh my god . . . . '' His eyes were opening wider and wider as he checked every each one of these so-called soldiers . He thanked his lucky stars that no one got to see the look of sheer shock on his face due to the sunglasses he was currently wearing . ''All of his summons are either rank As or rank Bs . '' Indeed, Jin-Woo had easily exceeded the criteria for earning the raid permit for a rank A Gate such as this one . But then, these weren''t all the summons Hunter Seong Jin-Woo could call out, were they? If the remaining summons all possessed similar levels of magic energy, then . . . The corners of Woo Jin-Cheol''s lips arched up . ''All those people arguing over the preferential treatment or not are simply idiots . '' He smiled and lightly shook his head, before turning around to face Jin-Woo . "I''m finished with the confirmation . There are no issues . " Nod . Jin-Woo nodded his head with a smile, as well . And now, there should be nothing else that would get in his way of starting this raid . That''s what he thought, but then . . . . "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!! Please look this way!" "Please tell us how you feel regarding the very first raid of your Guild, Ah-Jin!" "Was there a special reason for naming your Guild as Ah-Jin?" "What is your relationship with the fellow founding member, Miss Yu Soo-Hyun?" From just beyond the police line, the proverbial torrent of questions from countless reporters were barrelling down on Jin-Woo . This was the first raid Jin-Woo''s Guild was about to embark on . So, countless reporters camped out here since early morning to capture this historic moment with their cameras, and inevitably, there was no more space to even stand around near the Gate''s vicinity . If there was one thing different from other Guilds and their raids, then that would be the employees from the Association holding the reporters back, instead of a Guild''s own personnel doing that job . Jin-Woo pointed to the reporters with his chin . "I thought you were protecting my information?" "Yes, we are indeed protecting your private information, but regretfully, there''s not much we can do about the locations of Gates, Seong Hunter-nim . " Woo Jin-Cheol grinned and made his reply . "We will hold the reporters back, so you can ignore them and simply focus on the raid, Hunter-nim . " " . . . . " Watching the Association employees giving their all to fight off the frenzied reporters, Jin-Woo thought that he could momentarily feel the considerate hands of the Association President patting him on the back . "Please, express my gratitude to the President . " "Yes, I will definitely do so . " Woo Jin-Cheol bowed deeply and turned around to leave . And soon, all those uninvolved had left and the only people remaining in front of the Gate were Jin-Woo and Yu Jin-Ho . The former asked the latter . "Are you really sure about this?" "Yes, hyung-nim . " Yu Jin-Ho gritted his teeth and replied . "Even if it''s the ends of hell itself, I shall follow you wherever you go, hyung-nim . " Yu Jin-Ho sounded so gravely determined that Jin-Woo couldn''t help but let a smirk escape from his lips . "Alright . " Yu Jin-Ho was only a rank D Hunter . It was the same thing as committing suicide for a rank D to step inside a rank A dungeon . Jin-Woo tried very hard to change Yu Jin-Ho''s mind, but the kid insisted that he''d stay as his hyung-nim''s porter . In the end, it was Jin-Woo who gave up first . ''Well, I can definitely protect this one guy, so it''s not a problem . '' He was thinking that the kid would give up on his own volition after having a taste of a rank A dungeon . And also, he figured that it wouldn''t be so bad to have someone to talk to inside the dungeon as well . "Okay, so . Shall we get going, then?" "Yes, hyung-nim . " "Indeed, let''s get going . " The heads of Jin-Woo and Yu Jin-Ho simultaneously swivelled back after hearing that voice coming from behind them . And that''s where they spotted Woo Jin-Cheol, his usual black business suit now replaced by various armours covering from head to toe . "I thought you already left?" Jin-Woo asked, puzzled . "The Association President ordered me to find out if it is really safe during Seong Hunter-nim''s raid . " Goh Gun-Hui was planning to use Woo Jin-Cheol as a witness if the issue with Jin-Woo going on solo raids was raised up again in the future . "Is that why you want to come with us??" Woo Jin-Cheol replied as his face reddened slightly . It was unknown whether that was due to him not being used to the armour or he was embarrassed by the current situation . " . . . . Will it be a problem for me to accompany you?" Well, the guy was just doing his job, so was there reason not to let him tag along? "It''ll be fine as long as you don''t try to hunt monsters . " "My department isn''t called the Monitoring Division for nothing, Hunter-nim . I''ll only monitor the situation quietly from the back . " "That''ll be fine . " Jin-Woo easily agreed to it and Woo Jin-Cheol bowed his head again . "Thank you very much, Hunter-nim . " "Well, in that case . . . let''s get going . " Along with that declaration, Yu Jin-Ho and Woo Jin-Cheol stepped inside the Gate, Jin-Woo following closely behind them . When he did, the System message welcomed him again along with the familiar mechanical beep . Tti-ring . [You have entered a dungeon . ] < Chapter 147 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 147: Chapter 147 . "You will acknowledge summoned creatures as members of a raid team?! Do you think such a thing even makes sense?". Nam Joon-Wook yelled out at the top of his lungs Formerly a prosecutor, he now served as a member of the National Assembly . No one in this country came remotely close to this man''s ability to sniff out and latch onto a person''s wrongdoings The Association President Goh Gun-Hui maintained his silence as he sat on the opposite side of such a man Nam Joon-Wook was actually smiling inside as he was staring at his current verbal sparring partner ''Indeed, even if you had ten mouths, you''d not have anything to say . ''. The victor had been decided already . No matter who it was, they would say this was Association President Goh Gun-Hui going too far . He must''ve known this too, because he showed absolutely no signs of counterattacking yet ''However ''. Nam Joon-Wook was not thinking of easing up here His style was to keep up the pressure when the enemy was on the back foot . He''d push his opponents hard until they were driven to the edge of a cliff Veins bulged in his neck as he raised his voice high, not at Goh Gun-Hui, but at the entirety of the third conference hall, currently filled to the brim with the interested parties and a cordon of reporters "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo has barely finished creating his Guild, yet you already wish to pass this nonsensical regulation? If this isn''t the case of preferential treatment, then what is?". The Hunter''s Association, a supposedly-neutral organisation, was actively getting behind Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . There was such a rumour doing the rounds already, yet the so-called new regulation was this nonsensical? It was no wonder serious questions were being raised regarding this matter Today''s hearing was convened in order to hear the reasonings, but for some reason, Association President Goh Gun-Hui was resolutely keeping his mouth shut ''Very good . ''. Nam Joon-Wook sensed his impending victory Goh Gun-Hui''s fame had skyrocketed recently due to him pulling off the Jeju Island raid so brilliantly . But now, Nam Joon-Wook got to deal two powerful blows to that man, with the recent high school dungeon break incident, and the controversy surrounding the preferential treatment Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had received Basically, politics was a turf war of sorts If he got to bring down Goh Gun-Hui, a man standing at the opposite end of the political battlefield, then Nam Joon-Wook would get to enjoy his share of the benefits sooner rather than later He imagined himself dominating the front pages of tomorrow''s newspapers and glared at Goh Gun-Hui with an arrogant expression etched on his face "Please say something, Association President Goh Gun-Hui!". Wuuong For the first time today, Goh Gun-Hui''s mic was turned on Tap, tap Goh Gun-Hui lightly tapped on the end of the mic to confirm that it was working properly, and brought his lips closer to it "Just what is it that you wish to hear from me?". Nam Joon-Wook''s eyes narrowed to a slit ''What a thick-faced geezer ''. He expected Goh Gun-Hui to start by offering up an apology . But, could it be that the old man still had some things to say?. Nam Joon-Wook raised his voice even higher "The new regulation you put into place! Is this a preferential treatment for Hunter Seong Jin-Woo or not??". ''So, now ¨C how will you dodge this one?''. Nam Joon-Wook was waiting for a cowardly excuse but then, Goh Gun-Hui went and threw a wet blanket on his parade "Yes, it is preferential treatment . ". His answer was short, but the impact it carried was enormous Noisy, noisy . Not just the spectators in the gallery, but also the reporters and politicians were busy exchanging knowing or shocked glances with people sitting next to them, which only served to further add fuel to the chaos Of course, the one most surprised among them was Nam Joon-Wook ''Did this geezer finally go senile??''. Goh Gun-Hui was supposed to deny everything till the end, or start grovelling for mercy when things went sideways, yet he came out and straightforwardly admitted to his wrongdoing . However, his eyes were far too calm for someone making a confession Such a calm and audacious demeanour only managed to bring up a sense of an inexplicable nervousness in Nam Joon-Wook Gulp Dry saliva painfully slid down his throat And sure enough, Goh Gun-Hui began speaking again "There is one thing I''d like to ask everyone that has gathered here today . ". He possessed an overwhelming presence . As if everyone had made a prior agreement, they all shut their mouths at once when Goh Gun-Hui spoke up "An assault team comprising of 20 rank A Hunters, or an assault team comprising of just one person, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ". Goh Gun-Hui slowly stood up and swept his gaze over the faces of every attendee present as he continued on with his speech "If you were to accompany either one of those teams during a dungeon break, which one will you choose?". No one could offer up an answer Because, it was pretty much the same thing as the answer already being set in stone . There was no reason to answer back at all " . ". " . ". Everyone tried to avoid meeting Goh Gun-Hui''s gaze, and soon, the Association President''s head stopped moving in the direction of Nam Joon-Wook " ". Even Nam Joon-Wook himself couldn''t utter a single thing Perhaps thinking that he got a satisfying enough reaction from the crowd, a smile floated up on Goh Gun-Hui''s lips "Do you still believe the preferential treatment given to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is unfair?". A Hunter who could ably execute the role of an elite raid team from a large Guild all by himself ¨C Goh Gun-Hui was now asking the crowd if they should hold back such an individual with a regulation that didn''t even apply to him anymore Nam Joon-Wook was about to say something . But before he could, Goh Gun-Hui was a step faster and continued on "A total of 21 countries, including the United States, Japan, China, etc . , have demanded more information on Hunter Seong . ". Goh Gun-Hui waved around thick official documents for all to see "Every single one of them is hell-bent on stealing away Hunter Seong to their countries . ". Goh Gun-Hui took some time to look at the cordon of reporters, before shifting his gaze back over to the member of National Assembly, Nam Joon-Wook "Our current situation is like this, yet are you really telling me that you want Hunter Seong to remain in our country even though you are not willing to do a favour this small for him?". " . ". Nam Joon-Wook''s complexion was getting darker and darker . He could definitely sense that the tide had turned against him now . Unfortunately, Goh Gun-Hui wasn''t thinking of letting his opponent go this easily . He kept his gaze firmly locked on Nam Joon-Wook before throwing another question "Let me ask you this ¨C do you wish to see a repeat of the incident of Hwang Dong-Su abandoning us for America?". ''Euhk . ''. Nam Joon-Wook bit his lower lip As Goh Gun-Hui put the documents down, he was now overflowing with a certain relaxed air, something he had kept hidden until then Nam Joon-Wook knew what that look signified . That was the look of the victor he used to make often, just as he was closing in on yet another political victory for himself in situations similar to this one Nam Joon-Wook gritted his teeth and tried to raise his objection "However, you still need fairness in . ". "This is why I''m raising this point right now . ". Goh Gun-Hui cut Nam Joon-Wook''s words right off "Honourable member Nam Joon-Wook, didn''t you move house recently to a brand new apartment building located near the Hunters Guild?". Nam Joon-Wook''s face reddened so much that even a casual glance could detect the change "What was your reason for changing your residence to a location where the cost of the real estate is several times more expensive than the surrounding area?". " ". If only his opponent wasn''t a rank S Hunter ¨C Nam Joon-Wook''s would''ve run over there and punched the old man in the face . His own face was now in the alternating shades of red and blue as seconds ticked on Too bad, Goh Gun-Hui also knew how to deal with an opponent that was on his back foot, perhaps even better than Nam Joon-Wook himself "I''d like to urge you to think about this carefully . If and when another rank S Gate appears in our land, just who will step up to protect your life?". And with these following words, Goh Gun-Hui finished the proceedings off "You will not be able to buy back your life even if you are willing to pay hundreds of times, no, make that thousands of times the price you paid for your new residence . ". ***. Standing before a rank A Gate for the first time ever in his life, Yu Jin-Ho''s bulging eyes were trying to look up at the top of this enormously tall Gate "Heok . ". He needed to look really high up just to barely spot it Seeing how Yu Jin-Ho couldn''t close his mouth for the last 20 minutes or so, Jin-Woo began thinking that his own reaction of seeing the rank A Gate back then was perhaps too reserved for a first timer "Hey, Jin-Ho? Your jaw will come loose if you keep doing that . ". "Sorry? Ah, yes . My bad, hyung-nim . It''s just that, I''ve never seen a Gate this big before . ". How would he even react if he saw the Gwang-an-ri Gate, then? Jin-Woo smirked softly to himself Yu Jin-Ho scratched his head as if he felt embarrassed for being so shocked by the Gate''s size "Hyung-nim, will it be really okay to not hire any retrieval teams or mining teams?". "Nah, it''ll be fine . ". Jin-Woo summoned 30 of the elite grade Shadow Soldiers that had been with him the longest "These guys will carry out those jobs . ". Yu Jin-Ho flinched just a little after all those Shadow Soldiers suddenly appeared behind Jin-Woo, but eventually, he began nodding his head "Aha!!". These guys with black armours and their black eyes . They always seemed to be overflowing with dense pressure whenever Yu Jin-Ho looked at them With excellent timing, the employees dispatched from the Association approached them from afar . One of them happened to be a rather familiar face, as well "Good day, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ". "Hello, Section Chief Woo . ". The Chief of the Monitoring Division, Woo Jin-Cheol received the portable magic energy measuring device shaped like a speed gun from one of his subordinates "Will it be okay if I go ahead and measure them?". "Please do . ". Jin-Woo moved aside and the Shadow Soldiers all uniformly took a step forward . Woo Jin-Cheol began measuring the magic energy emission of each of the soldiers ''Oh my god ''. His eyes were opening wider and wider as he checked every each one of these so-called soldiers . He thanked his lucky stars that no one got to see the look of sheer shock on his face due to the sunglasses he was currently wearing ''All of his summons are either rank As or rank Bs . ''. Indeed, Jin-Woo had easily exceeded the criteria for earning the raid permit for a rank A Gate such as this one . But then, these weren''t all the summons Hunter Seong Jin-Woo could call out, were they?. If the remaining summons all possessed similar levels of magic energy, then The corners of Woo Jin-Cheol''s lips arched up ''All those people arguing over the preferential treatment or not are simply idiots . ''. He smiled and lightly shook his head, before turning around to face Jin-Woo "I''m finished with the confirmation . There are no issues . ". Nod Jin-Woo nodded his head with a smile, as well . And now, there should be nothing else that would get in his way of starting this raid . That''s what he thought, but then . "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!! Please look this way!". "Please tell us how you feel regarding the very first raid of your Guild, Ah-Jin!". "Was there a special reason for naming your Guild as Ah-Jin?". "What is your relationship with the fellow founding member, Miss Yu Soo-Hyun?". From just beyond the police line, the proverbial torrent of questions from countless reporters were barrelling down on Jin-Woo This was the first raid Jin-Woo''s Guild was about to embark on . So, countless reporters camped out here since early morning to capture this historic moment with their cameras, and inevitably, there was no more space to even stand around near the Gate''s vicinity If there was one thing different from other Guilds and their raids, then that would be the employees from the Association holding the reporters back, instead of a Guild''s own personnel doing that job Jin-Woo pointed to the reporters with his chin "I thought you were protecting my information?". "Yes, we are indeed protecting your private information, but regretfully, there''s not much we can do about the locations of Gates, Seong Hunter-nim . ". Woo Jin-Cheol grinned and made his reply "We will hold the reporters back, so you can ignore them and simply focus on the raid, Hunter-nim . ". " ". Watching the Association employees giving their all to fight off the frenzied reporters, Jin-Woo thought that he could momentarily feel the considerate hands of the Association President patting him on the back "Please, express my gratitude to the President . ". "Yes, I will definitely do so . ". Woo Jin-Cheol bowed deeply and turned around to leave . And soon, all those uninvolved had left and the only people remaining in front of the Gate were Jin-Woo and Yu Jin-Ho . The former asked the latter "Are you really sure about this?". "Yes, hyung-nim . ". Yu Jin-Ho gritted his teeth and replied "Even if it''s the ends of hell itself, I shall follow you wherever you go, hyung-nim . ". Yu Jin-Ho sounded so gravely determined that Jin-Woo couldn''t help but let a smirk escape from his lips "Alright . ". Yu Jin-Ho was only a rank D Hunter . It was the same thing as committing suicide for a rank D to step inside a rank A dungeon Jin-Woo tried very hard to change Yu Jin-Ho''s mind, but the kid insisted that he''d stay as his hyung-nim''s porter . In the end, it was Jin-Woo who gave up first ''Well, I can definitely protect this one guy, so it''s not a problem . ''. He was thinking that the kid would give up on his own volition after having a taste of a rank A dungeon . And also, he figured that it wouldn''t be so bad to have someone to talk to inside the dungeon as well "Okay, so . Shall we get going, then?". "Yes, hyung-nim . ". "Indeed, let''s get going . ". The heads of Jin-Woo and Yu Jin-Ho simultaneously swivelled back after hearing that voice coming from behind them . And that''s where they spotted Woo Jin-Cheol, his usual black business suit now replaced by various armours covering from head to toe "I thought you already left?". Jin-Woo asked, puzzled "The Association President ordered me to find out if it is really safe during Seong Hunter-nim''s raid . ". Goh Gun-Hui was planning to use Woo Jin-Cheol as a witness if the issue with Jin-Woo going on solo raids was raised up again in the future "Is that why you want to come with us??". Woo Jin-Cheol replied as his face reddened slightly . It was unknown whether that was due to him not being used to the armour or he was embarrassed by the current situation " Will it be a problem for me to accompany you?". Well, the guy was just doing his job, so was there reason not to let him tag along?. "It''ll be fine as long as you don''t try to hunt monsters . ". "My department isn''t called the Monitoring Division for nothing, Hunter-nim . I''ll only monitor the situation quietly from the back . ". "That''ll be fine . ". Jin-Woo easily agreed to it and Woo Jin-Cheol bowed his head again "Thank you very much, Hunter-nim . ". "Well, in that case . let''s get going . ". Along with that declaration, Yu Jin-Ho and Woo Jin-Cheol stepped inside the Gate, Jin-Woo following closely behind them When he did, the System message welcomed him again along with the familiar mechanical beep Tti-ring [You have entered a dungeon . ]. < Chapter 147 > Fin Chapter 148 ''The raid must''ve started by now . '' The Association President Goh Gun-Hui looked at his wristwatch and smiled softly to himself . The raid in question was, of course, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s . If it was at all possible, he wanted to see for himself, but . . . . due to the nature of his job, it was simply not feasible, so all he could do was to send in an Association employee he trusted greatly as a proxy, instead . He was getting all worked up already, thinking about what Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol''s report would entail . ''Ah, right . I shouldn''t be doing this right now . '' Goh Gun-Hui shook his head lightly to get rid of the distracting thoughts . There were mountains of documents sitting on top of his desk right now . They were practically forming the towers of documents at this point . Ever since the dungeon break inside the high school happened, this pile of documents didn''t want to decrease no matter how hard he worked every single day . No, they seemed to get even taller, instead . That was how insanely busy he was, yet his interest in Hunter Seong Jin-Woo didn''t wane one bit . If only his body was healthy ¨C wouldn''t he have cleared some dungeons together with Hunter Seong, too? ''Huh, I''m also being hopeless, aren''t I?'' Goh Gun-Hui shook his head one more time and returned to his work with a smile on his face . And so, just how long did he concentrate on the documents? Knock, knock . He raised his head after hearing the knock on the door, and realised that three hours had flown by . "It''s Woo Jin-Cheol, sir . " The news he was waiting for had finally arrived . Without a single hint of fatigue visible on his countenance, Goh Gun-Hui welcomed Woo Jin-Cheol into the office . "Please, come in . " Creak . Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets after he saw Woo Jin-Cheol''s face as the latter cautiously entered the office . ''What''s this?'' He expected there to be no problems, yet Wool Jin-Cheol looked as if he got dragged through a wringer, instead . ''It''s not just anybody but Hunter Seong Jin-Woo we are talking about here, so how come Chief Woo looks like that . . . . ??'' His confusion only lasted for a short while, though . "May I sit down for a little while, sir?" Woo Jin-Cheol sounded desperate, so Goh Gun-Hui quickly pointed to the couch . "Of course, it''s fine . Do take a seat . " He then got up from the President''s chair behind the desk to settle down in the opposite side to Woo Jin-Cheol . Plop . Woo Jin-Cheol powerlessly sunk deep into the couch . He rubbed his face with his hands, showing how tired he was . Just what happened inside the dungeon? Even before Woo Jin-Cheol could start explaining himself, Goh Gun-Hui couldn''t win against his curiosity and started first . "What happened to you? Why does your face look like . . . . ?" "Pardon? Is there something on my face, sir?" "You look incredibly tired right now . As if you couldn''t sleep a wink for the past few days . " "Ah . . . . . " Nod, nod . Woo Jin-Cheol wordlessly nodded his head a few times as if he could understand everything now . "It''s probably because I''m just too shocked, that''s all . Sir . " "Shocked . . . . ? Please, tell me more in detail . My friend, didn''t you accompany Hunter Seong Jin-Woo to observe his raid?" Woo Jin-Cheol lowered his gaze and slowly shook his head . "That, sir, that wasn''t a raid . It was . . . . . " " . . . . It was?" Woo Jin-Cheol raised his head, shock and fear still writ large in his trembling eyes . "Sir, it was the scene of a massacre . " The charismatic leader of the Monitoring Division, Woo Jin-Cheol, often thought to be possessing an inborn heart of steel, was speaking with a voice that trembled ever so softly . "A massacre, is it . . . . . ?" Goh Gun-Hui swallowed his saliva . Woo Jin-Cheol replied without hesitation, evidently not even thinking of changing or denying his description . "Yes, sir . " Was there any other description that fit what happened in there? It was as the word suggested, a total massacre . Woo Jin-Cheol didn''t hold back on anything and confessed to everything he saw at the behest of the Association President . "The dungeon was a nest of Nagas, sir . " Goh Gun-Hui narrowed his eyes as he combed through his knowledge of various monsters . ''If it''s a Naga . . . . '' Creatures that resembled a hybrid of a human and a sea snake, preferred to live in damp areas, and experts of both melee and magic attacks, capable of giving many experienced Hunters a hard time ¨C those points were the Nagas in a nutshell . They were also known as really tough opponents to contend with as they moved around in large groups, even though they were high-ranked monsters . However . . . . ''But, someone of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s level shouldn''t be having a hard time against a handful of Nagas going around in groups?'' As if he had read Goh Gun-Hui''s inner thoughts, Woo Jin-Cheol clarified himself . " . . . . I even felt sorry for the Nagas at some point, sir . " " . . . . . !!" Woo Jin-Cheol recalled the scenes back then . When a group of 30-strong Nagas suddenly made their appearance, he even momentarily forgot who was next to him and tensed up greatly . Nagas were dangerous enough existences to warrant such a reaction from him . But then . . . . " . . . . The surrounding areas suddenly became ''dark'', sir . " Or, more specifically, he should have said that a massive black shadow suddenly extended out from beneath Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s feet . All the hair on Woo Jin-Cheol''s body stood up after he realised that something big was about to happen . And precisely at that moment, soldiers emerged above ground one by one from the extended shadow . And the battle ¨C no, a massacre, commenced . - Kiiiaahk! - Kiihhaaak! - Kiiaaahhh-!! Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s summoned creatures pounced forward and proceeded to mercilessly rip the Nagas apart into many bloody pieces . "At least, those summons wearing black armours, like the humanoid types and the High Orcs types, were a bit more humane . But then . . . . . " The summons resembling bears and ants were far too feral even for his tolerance level . "Some of the ants even began eating the corpse of the monsters . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo became so incensed that he even physically kicked them . " Woo Jin-Cheol began shuddering after remembering this one ant that tried to sneak a dead Naga''s head into its mouth, only to get discovered by irate Hunter Seong . It got splendidly buried deep into a wall from a powerful kick . Although, he still couldn''t tell whether he was shuddering from the horrifying summons, or from Jin-Woo who could unhesitatingly kick a summon like that into a wall . Seeing the tense look on Woo Jin-Cheol''s eyes, even Goh Gun-Hui became extra tense as well, dry saliva gliding down his throat . "Were his summons strong?" "They were really strong, sir . " There was no need to even mention it . Soldiers resembling humans, Orc-type soldiers, bears and ant type soldiers; not one of them could be called weak by any stretch of the imagination . But, the biggest highlight of them all was . . . . "There was this one summon with a red mane attached to its black helmet . " Woo Jin-Cheol raised his dipped head again and stared straight into Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes . "Would you believe me when I told you that particular summon could shoot lightning out of its sword every time it took a swing, sir?" "Oh my god . . . . . " Goh Gun-Hui was feeling completely astonished now . The lightning magic contained the destructive power of fire-based magic as well as the speedy nature of the light-based magic . Because of that, only a handful of very high-class Mage-type Hunters could cast such magic spells . Even then, firing them consecutively was out of the question . But then, a summon could shoot such magic all the time by swinging its sword around? Goh Gun-Hui could only shake his head in helplessness . He definitely wouldn''t have believed it if it weren''t coming from the subordinate he deeply believed in . But then, the unbelievable story continued on even further . "In my opinion, that particular summon should be above rank A in terms of power, sir . " "Are you serious??" Goh Gun-Hui''s voice rose up higher . How could a single summon possess powers almost at the level of a rank S?! Unfortunately, Woo Jin-Cheol guaranteed it . And he was right at the peak of rank A Hunters too, ability-wise, so he knew what he was talking about . "If I were to fight that summon one on one . . . . Honestly, I''m not confident of winning, sir . " Indeed, if such an evaluation came out from Woo Jin-Cheol''s mouth, someone with strong self-confidence, then it would be no problem to evaluate that summon as a rank S . "Huh-uh . . . " Goh Gun-Hui leaned against the couch''s back . He already had a good idea how capable Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was, but to think, each and every one of his summons would possess such a high level of power, too . What a regretful thing it was, not being there to personally confirm it with his own two eyes . Goh Gun-Hui was getting shocked just from hearing it second-hand, so how would Woo Jin-Cheol have felt as he was actually there? Suddenly, it became rather easier to understand the worn-down appearance of Woo Jin-Cheol . He must''ve been slapped in the face constantly with one surprise after another . "However, sir, there was an even more shocking spectacle, sir . " Woo Jin-Cheol carried on as if that was not even the end of the tale . "The ants . . . . they began ''working'', sir . " Woo Jin-Cheol''s eyes trembled again as he recalled those scenes . Ants received pickaxes from the bag carried by Ah-Jin Guild''s Vice-Master . And then, they proceeded to mine out the Mana Stones from the dungeon walls . Ants were also in charge of carrying away the mined Mana Stones as well as the remains of the dead monsters . Woo Jin-Cheol simply couldn''t tear his eyes away from the perfectly-organised ants and their unbelievably fast working speed . They were basically the incarnations of efficient ''operation'' . Woo Jin-Cheol was deeply astonished back then, and he was feeling admiration now . "What I saw, sir, it wasn''t something as simple as a one-man raid team . Not at all . " No, this one man was capable of clearing a dungeon, retrieving the remains, and also mining out the minerals, too . Woo Jin-Cheol was definitely sure of it . And that would be ¨C calling Hunter Seong a one-man raid team was actually insulting the man . "No, sir . That man, he''s actually an entire Guild rolled into one . " He was not a one-man raid team, but a one-man Guild, instead . Technically speaking, there was that not-that-helpful Vice Master too, but nothing would''ve changed even if he wasn''t present, so Woo Jin-Cheol''s assertion wasn''t wrong at all . Goh Gun-Hui slapped his knee . ''I knew it . My eyes weren''t wrong!'' A broad smile didn''t want to leave his face now . Like how he had been anticipating it since the beginning, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would definitely go on to become the brand-new ballast that keeps the balance neutral in the Korean Hunter community . But now, he began to think that the youth might even go on to change the map of the Hunters worldwide, too . "And then . . . . we finally arrived at the boss chamber, sir . " The story hadn''t ended yet?? Goh Gun-Hui quickly refocused on the tale once more . Woo Jin-Cheol carried on . Normal Nagas would be around two, three times larger than regular human beings . But, he said that the boss Naga found within the boss room was easily four-times larger, and the pressure it emitted was incredible as well . "Did Seong Hunter use his summons to quickly finish off the boss-level monsters?" Woo Jin-Cheol slowly shook his head . "No, sir . He actually cancelled the summoning altogether, except for those ants busy with retrieval and mining operations . " "What? But, why would he??" Goh Gun-Hui gasped out in surprise, and Woo Jin-Cheol could only reply with a stiff face . "I was also curious as to why, so I asked him . I questioned him why he would cancel the summoning when he was about to fight the boss . " Goh Gun-Hui was so invested in the tale that, unbeknownst to him, he had begun leaning forward . "And what did he say?" "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim told me this . . . . " Woo Jin-Cheol took his time a little as if to drag out his unwilling memories to the surface, and cautiously opened his mouth . "If he relied too much on his summons, then his . . . . . " *** " . . . . My instincts would become softer, you see . " Jin-Woo spoke up and took a step forward as the pair of ''Demon King''s Shortsword'' was grasped in his hands . He didn''t even need to call out his soldiers . There was only one boss-level monster and four others guarding said boss creature, after all . Jin-Woo kicked the ground and dashed forward . ''Quicksilver!'' Even before any of the guardian monsters could react, he slipped past them and closed the distance with the giant Naga at the back . ''Violent Slash!!'' Dozens upon dozens of silvery light flickered and descended on the lower body of the boss monster . Slice-slice-slice-slice!! "Keuhaaaakk!!" The boss writhed and screamed, and in the meantime, the guardians tried to pounce on Jin-Woo . But he simply used the head of one of the guards to jump straight upwards . Taht! And when his eyes drew level with the boss''s way up above in the air, he swung his shortsword sideways . SWISH-!! "Kiiiahk!!" The boss''s head was sliced off clean and it flew away . At the same time, a new System message popped into his view . Tti-ring . [You have killed the owner of this dungeon . ] [Level up!] Jin-Woo''s expression brightened at once from that wonderful message . ''Ohh!!'' He landed softly back on the ground and spun around once . That caused all of the guard monsters trying to rush at him to collapse to the ground at the same time . Strangely enough, the System messages didn''t end there . Tti-ring, tti-ring, tti-ring . . . . !! Suddenly, he was inundated with a constant barrage of mechanical beeps . ''What''s this?!'' His fluster could only last for a short while, though . [You have reached level 101 . ] [Levels of all your Class-specific skills have risen . ] [Skill: ''Shadow Extraction'' has levelled up . ] [Skill: ''Shadow Storage'' has levelled up . ] [Skill: ''Sovereign''s Territory'' has levelled up . ] [Skill: ''Shadow Exchange'' has levelled up . ] Jin-Woo''s eyes almost bulged out of their sockets at the rising wall of messages . < Chapter 148 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 148: Chapter 148 . ''The raid must''ve started by now . ''. The Association President Goh Gun-Hui looked at his wristwatch and smiled softly to himself . The raid in question was, of course, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s If it was at all possible, he wanted to see for himself, but due to the nature of his job, it was simply not feasible, so all he could do was to send in an Association employee he trusted greatly as a proxy, instead He was getting all worked up already, thinking about what Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol''s report would entail ''Ah, right . I shouldn''t be doing this right now . ''. Goh Gun-Hui shook his head lightly to get rid of the distracting thoughts . There were mountains of documents sitting on top of his desk right now . They were practically forming the towers of documents at this point Ever since the dungeon break inside the high school happened, this pile of documents didn''t want to decrease no matter how hard he worked every single day . No, they seemed to get even taller, instead . That was how insanely busy he was, yet his interest in Hunter Seong Jin-Woo didn''t wane one bit If only his body was healthy ¨C wouldn''t he have cleared some dungeons together with Hunter Seong, too?. ''Huh, I''m also being hopeless, aren''t I?''. Goh Gun-Hui shook his head one more time and returned to his work with a smile on his face And so, just how long did he concentrate on the documents?. Knock, knock He raised his head after hearing the knock on the door, and realised that three hours had flown by "It''s Woo Jin-Cheol, sir . ". The news he was waiting for had finally arrived . Without a single hint of fatigue visible on his countenance, Goh Gun-Hui welcomed Woo Jin-Cheol into the office "Please, come in . ". Creak Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets after he saw Woo Jin-Cheol''s face as the latter cautiously entered the office ''What''s this?''. He expected there to be no problems, yet Wool Jin-Cheol looked as if he got dragged through a wringer, instead ''It''s not just anybody but Hunter Seong Jin-Woo we are talking about here, so how come Chief Woo looks like that ??''. His confusion only lasted for a short while, though "May I sit down for a little while, sir?". Woo Jin-Cheol sounded desperate, so Goh Gun-Hui quickly pointed to the couch "Of course, it''s fine . Do take a seat . ". He then got up from the President''s chair behind the desk to settle down in the opposite side to Woo Jin-Cheol Plop Woo Jin-Cheol powerlessly sunk deep into the couch . He rubbed his face with his hands, showing how tired he was Just what happened inside the dungeon?. Even before Woo Jin-Cheol could start explaining himself, Goh Gun-Hui couldn''t win against his curiosity and started first "What happened to you? Why does your face look like ?". "Pardon? Is there something on my face, sir?". "You look incredibly tired right now . As if you couldn''t sleep a wink for the past few days . ". "Ah . ". Nod, nod Woo Jin-Cheol wordlessly nodded his head a few times as if he could understand everything now "It''s probably because I''m just too shocked, that''s all . Sir . ". "Shocked ? Please, tell me more in detail . My friend, didn''t you accompany Hunter Seong Jin-Woo to observe his raid?". Woo Jin-Cheol lowered his gaze and slowly shook his head "That, sir, that wasn''t a raid . It was . ". " It was?". Woo Jin-Cheol raised his head, shock and fear still writ large in his trembling eyes "Sir, it was the scene of a massacre . ". The charismatic leader of the Monitoring Division, Woo Jin-Cheol, often thought to be possessing an inborn heart of steel, was speaking with a voice that trembled ever so softly "A massacre, is it . ?". Goh Gun-Hui swallowed his saliva Woo Jin-Cheol replied without hesitation, evidently not even thinking of changing or denying his description "Yes, sir . ". Was there any other description that fit what happened in there? It was as the word suggested, a total massacre . Woo Jin-Cheol didn''t hold back on anything and confessed to everything he saw at the behest of the Association President "The dungeon was a nest of Nagas, sir . ". Goh Gun-Hui narrowed his eyes as he combed through his knowledge of various monsters ''If it''s a Naga ''. Creatures that resembled a hybrid of a human and a sea snake, preferred to live in damp areas, and experts of both melee and magic attacks, capable of giving many experienced Hunters a hard time ¨C those points were the Nagas in a nutshell They were also known as really tough opponents to contend with as they moved around in large groups, even though they were high-ranked monsters However . ''But, someone of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s level shouldn''t be having a hard time against a handful of Nagas going around in groups?''. As if he had read Goh Gun-Hui''s inner thoughts, Woo Jin-Cheol clarified himself " I even felt sorry for the Nagas at some point, sir . ". " . !!". Woo Jin-Cheol recalled the scenes back then . When a group of 30-strong Nagas suddenly made their appearance, he even momentarily forgot who was next to him and tensed up greatly . Nagas were dangerous enough existences to warrant such a reaction from him But then . " The surrounding areas suddenly became ''dark'', sir . ". Or, more specifically, he should have said that a massive black shadow suddenly extended out from beneath Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s feet All the hair on Woo Jin-Cheol''s body stood up after he realised that something big was about to happen . And precisely at that moment, soldiers emerged above ground one by one from the extended shadow And the battle ¨C no, a massacre, commenced - Kiiiaahk!. - Kiihhaaak!. - Kiiaaahhh-!!. Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s summoned creatures pounced forward and proceeded to mercilessly rip the Nagas apart into many bloody pieces "At least, those summons wearing black armours, like the humanoid types and the High Orcs types, were a bit more humane . But then . ". The summons resembling bears and ants were far too feral even for his tolerance level "Some of the ants even began eating the corpse of the monsters . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo became so incensed that he even physically kicked them . ". Woo Jin-Cheol began shuddering after remembering this one ant that tried to sneak a dead Naga''s head into its mouth, only to get discovered by irate Hunter Seong . It got splendidly buried deep into a wall from a powerful kick Although, he still couldn''t tell whether he was shuddering from the horrifying summons, or from Jin-Woo who could unhesitatingly kick a summon like that into a wall Seeing the tense look on Woo Jin-Cheol''s eyes, even Goh Gun-Hui became extra tense as well, dry saliva gliding down his throat "Were his summons strong?". "They were really strong, sir . ". There was no need to even mention it . Soldiers resembling humans, Orc-type soldiers, bears and ant type soldiers; not one of them could be called weak by any stretch of the imagination . But, the biggest highlight of them all was . "There was this one summon with a red mane attached to its black helmet . ". Woo Jin-Cheol raised his dipped head again and stared straight into Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes "Would you believe me when I told you that particular summon could shoot lightning out of its sword every time it took a swing, sir?". "Oh my god . ". Goh Gun-Hui was feeling completely astonished now . The lightning magic contained the destructive power of fire-based magic as well as the speedy nature of the light-based magic Because of that, only a handful of very high-class Mage-type Hunters could cast such magic spells . Even then, firing them consecutively was out of the question But then, a summon could shoot such magic all the time by swinging its sword around?. Goh Gun-Hui could only shake his head in helplessness . He definitely wouldn''t have believed it if it weren''t coming from the subordinate he deeply believed in . But then, the unbelievable story continued on even further "In my opinion, that particular summon should be above rank A in terms of power, sir . ". "Are you serious??". Goh Gun-Hui''s voice rose up higher How could a single summon possess powers almost at the level of a rank S?!. Unfortunately, Woo Jin-Cheol guaranteed it . And he was right at the peak of rank A Hunters too, ability-wise, so he knew what he was talking about "If I were to fight that summon one on one Honestly, I''m not confident of winning, sir . ". Indeed, if such an evaluation came out from Woo Jin-Cheol''s mouth, someone with strong self-confidence, then it would be no problem to evaluate that summon as a rank S "Huh-uh . ". Goh Gun-Hui leaned against the couch''s back He already had a good idea how capable Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was, but to think, each and every one of his summons would possess such a high level of power, too What a regretful thing it was, not being there to personally confirm it with his own two eyes Goh Gun-Hui was getting shocked just from hearing it second-hand, so how would Woo Jin-Cheol have felt as he was actually there? Suddenly, it became rather easier to understand the worn-down appearance of Woo Jin-Cheol . He must''ve been slapped in the face constantly with one surprise after another "However, sir, there was an even more shocking spectacle, sir . ". Woo Jin-Cheol carried on as if that was not even the end of the tale "The ants they began ''working'', sir . ". Woo Jin-Cheol''s eyes trembled again as he recalled those scenes Ants received pickaxes from the bag carried by Ah-Jin Guild''s Vice-Master . And then, they proceeded to mine out the Mana Stones from the dungeon walls Ants were also in charge of carrying away the mined Mana Stones as well as the remains of the dead monsters . Woo Jin-Cheol simply couldn''t tear his eyes away from the perfectly-organised ants and their unbelievably fast working speed . They were basically the incarnations of efficient ''operation'' Woo Jin-Cheol was deeply astonished back then, and he was feeling admiration now "What I saw, sir, it wasn''t something as simple as a one-man raid team . Not at all . ". No, this one man was capable of clearing a dungeon, retrieving the remains, and also mining out the minerals, too Woo Jin-Cheol was definitely sure of it . And that would be ¨C calling Hunter Seong a one-man raid team was actually insulting the man "No, sir . That man, he''s actually an entire Guild rolled into one . ". He was not a one-man raid team, but a one-man Guild, instead . Technically speaking, there was that not-that-helpful Vice Master too, but nothing would''ve changed even if he wasn''t present, so Woo Jin-Cheol''s assertion wasn''t wrong at all Goh Gun-Hui slapped his knee ''I knew it . My eyes weren''t wrong!''. A broad smile didn''t want to leave his face now Like how he had been anticipating it since the beginning, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would definitely go on to become the brand-new ballast that keeps the balance neutral in the Korean Hunter community . But now, he began to think that the youth might even go on to change the map of the Hunters worldwide, too "And then we finally arrived at the boss chamber, sir . ". The story hadn''t ended yet??. Goh Gun-Hui quickly refocused on the tale once more . Woo Jin-Cheol carried on Normal Nagas would be around two, three times larger than regular human beings . But, he said that the boss Naga found within the boss room was easily four-times larger, and the pressure it emitted was incredible as well "Did Seong Hunter use his summons to quickly finish off the boss-level monsters?". Woo Jin-Cheol slowly shook his head "No, sir . He actually cancelled the summoning altogether, except for those ants busy with retrieval and mining operations . ". "What? But, why would he??". Goh Gun-Hui gasped out in surprise, and Woo Jin-Cheol could only reply with a stiff face "I was also curious as to why, so I asked him . I questioned him why he would cancel the summoning when he was about to fight the boss . ". Goh Gun-Hui was so invested in the tale that, unbeknownst to him, he had begun leaning forward "And what did he say?". "Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim told me this ". Woo Jin-Cheol took his time a little as if to drag out his unwilling memories to the surface, and cautiously opened his mouth "If he relied too much on his summons, then his . ". ***. " My instincts would become softer, you see . ". Jin-Woo spoke up and took a step forward as the pair of ''Demon King''s Shortsword'' was grasped in his hands He didn''t even need to call out his soldiers . There was only one boss-level monster and four others guarding said boss creature, after all Jin-Woo kicked the ground and dashed forward ''Quicksilver!''. Even before any of the guardian monsters could react, he slipped past them and closed the distance with the giant Naga at the back ''Violent Slash!!''. Dozens upon dozens of silvery light flickered and descended on the lower body of the boss monster Slice-slice-slice-slice!!. "Keuhaaaakk!!". The boss writhed and screamed, and in the meantime, the guardians tried to pounce on Jin-Woo . But he simply used the head of one of the guards to jump straight upwards Taht!. And when his eyes drew level with the boss''s way up above in the air, he swung his shortsword sideways SWISH-!!. "Kiiiahk!!". The boss''s head was sliced off clean and it flew away . At the same time, a new System message popped into his view Tti-ring [You have killed the owner of this dungeon . ]. [Level up!]. Jin-Woo''s expression brightened at once from that wonderful message ''Ohh!!''. He landed softly back on the ground and spun around once . That caused all of the guard monsters trying to rush at him to collapse to the ground at the same time Strangely enough, the System messages didn''t end there Tti-ring, tti-ring, tti-ring !!. Suddenly, he was inundated with a constant barrage of mechanical beeps ''What''s this?!''. His fluster could only last for a short while, though [You have reached level 101 . ]. [Levels of all your Class-specific skills have risen . ]. [Skill: ''Shadow Extraction'' has levelled up . ]. [Skill: ''Shadow Storage'' has levelled up . ]. [Skill: ''Sovereign''s Territory'' has levelled up . ]. [Skill: ''Shadow Exchange'' has levelled up . ]. Jin-Woo''s eyes almost bulged out of their sockets at the rising wall of messages < Chapter 148 > Fin Chapter 149 ''Huh . . . !'' He had been using his Class-specific skills constantly, but they showed no signs of budging until now . But then, their levels all went up in one go?! Ba-thump, ba-thump!! Jin-Woo''s heart began pounding really hard for the first time in a while . Currently, there were only two other people inside the boss chamber, and that would be Yu Jin-Ho and Woo Jin-Cheol . Since both of them weren''t the type to needlessly complain about small matters, he decided to not to mind their presence and summoned out his Status Window . ''Stat Window . '' Tti-ring . Along with the familiar mechanical bleep, all the information about him, starting from his level to every item he was wearing, and even his current physical status, appeared to fill up his view . Jin-Woo''s gaze stopped at the ''Class-specific Skills'' list . [Class-specific Skills] Active Skills - Shadow Extraction Lv . 2 - Shadow Storage Lv . 2 - Sovereign''s Territory Lv . 2 - Shadow Exchange Lv . 2 ''It''s for real . '' Hearing about the truth and actually seeing it were two different things . Jin-Woo clenched his fist tighter, especially from the fact that the level for ''Shadow Exchange'' had gone up . ''Nice!'' The Shadow Exchange skill possessed such an endless potential but he was feeling frustrated by the limitation posed by its lengthy cooldown time . ''The description said that cooldown will change according to the skill level, right?'' With this, his frustration should go down a little . This was today''s biggest gain for him . He was far more pleased about the skill Shadow Exchange being enhanced rather than his stalled level rising up again . ''Should I see how much of it has changed now?'' Feeling like a kid pulling the wrapping off his new present, Jin-Woo accessed the information on the skill Shadow Exchange . Tti-ring . [Skill: Shadow Exchange Lv . 2] Class-specific . . . . ¡­ . Once activated, you must wait two hours of ''cooldown'' period before being able to use the skill again . The ''cooldown'' period will change according to the Skill''s level . ''¡­ . . !!'' Reduction of one hour!! Just by going up one level, the cooldown time had decreased by one-third . Jin-Woo could barely hide his excitement now . ''One hour''s gone after going up one level . '' A simple calculation told him that there was a high possibility of yet another hour being chopped off from the cooldown time with the next level up of the skill . And, what if he raised the level of this skill one more time after that? ''It means, regardless of where I am, mom and Jin-Ah will never find themselves in trouble . . . . '' Just thinking about that made his entire body shiver . That was the most important thing for Jin-Woo, after all . Maybe his excitement showed up on his face, Yu Jin-Ho asked him a question with a jovial smile . "Hyung-nim? Did something good happen?" "Mm?" Only then did Jin-Woo realise that Yu Jin-Ho had come closer to him . ''I was too focused on the Status Window, wasn''t I . . . . ?'' He also could see Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol walking towards this way behind Yu Jin-Ho as well . Jin-Woo grinned and closed the Status Window . Even if these two men weren''t the types to raise a fuss over every single thing, there was no reason for him to look like a madman to their eyes, either . "Yeah, something like that . " "That''s cool, hyung-nim . " Yu Jin-Ho''s wits had become a lot quicker after following Jin-Woo around for a while, so he didn''t try to dig in anymore . Instead, his attention shifted to the sight right next to them . "Wowsers . " This would be Yu Jin-Ho''s first time ever seeing an actual rank A dungeon''s boss . This monster''s upper torso looked human-ish, but the lower part looked like a sea snake . It looked so nonsensically huge from afar, but now that he got to take a look up close, it seemed even bigger and really disgusting to behold, as well . It was only natural that he couldn''t close his slack jaw after seeing such a humongous monster . ''I know that hyung-nim has entered several other high-ranking dungeons prior to this one, so does that mean . . . . '' Did that mean he killed creatures like this one every time he entered such a Gate? Gulp . Yu Jin-Ho swallowed some dry saliva . For some reason, his hyung-nim looked even more imposing and cool to his eyes today . And he felt incredibly proud of himself, as it was him and not someone else standing beside such an incredible man . "Hyung-nim!!" "Mm?" "I respect you . " "What?" "It''s nothing . " ''Silly kid . '' Jin-Woo stared wordlessly at Yu Jin-Ho, and the latter averted his gaze after realising how embarrassed he was feeling right now . Meanwhile, Woo Jin-Cheol next to them was also stewing in a bottomless shock at the moment . ''I knew Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s skills were amazing, but this . . . . '' To think, he''d be able to easily take care of a boss-level Naga like this . Other raid teams would begin tearing their hair out after seeing this spectacle . Especially when they would need the full participation of tankers, damage dealers, and Healers just to barely bring down a monster of this magnitude . ''¡­ . . . . . '' Woo Jin-Cheol walked up close to the remains of the boss-level Naga and lightly tapped on the monster''s scales . He could definitely sense the steel-like hardness through his fingertips . Scales of Naga boasted amazing hardness and they were often used in the manufacturing of all sorts of defensive items, such as various armours and shields . ''But, such scales were . . . . '' Some part of the scales on the lower torso of the monster were crushed and torn into pieces as if they were made out of paper . That was the aftermath left behind by Jin-Woo''s skill, ''Violent Slash'' . ''Being able to produce such devastating destructive power, while using nothing more than a couple of shortswords . '' Cold sweat formed on Woo Jin-Cheol''s forehead as he observed the monster''s corpse . What a great relief that the youth was their ally and not an enemy . It was then, Jin-Woo''s voice came from behind him . " . . . . Can you step aside for a bit, please?" Woo Jin-Cheol was too deep in his thoughts and couldn''t properly hear that, so he quickly looked behind him in a fluster . "Y-yes?" "I''m trying to create another summoned creature, but Chief Woo, you are too close, you see . " "Ah . " Yu Jin-Ho had already moved to a far enough location and was busy gesturing at Woo Jin-Cheol to come over there . "M-my apologies . " Woo Jin-Cheol offered an appropriate-sounding apology and quickly stepped aside . He kept staring with great anticipation, though . He had seen how the summoned creatures were created during his trip here, but this would be the first time seeing a boss-level monster become a summon . ''Could this huge thing become a summoned creature as how it looks?'' Even Yu Jin-Ho''s eyes were sparkling as he waited for the result . Even though he was subjected to two men''s boiling anticipation, Jin-Woo was utterly relaxed as he activated Shadow Extraction . ''Rise up . '' The shadow of the boss-level monster answered the call of its new owner . Kiiiaahhh-!! A hand emerged out from the shadow and grabbed hold of the ground, before dragging its body out from the darkness . However, the newly summoned creature was way smaller in size than what the audience was expecting to see . As a matter of fact, it was only about the same size as the summoned creatures created out of regular Nagas . Maybe, it was slightly larger, but that was about it . ''Haha . . . . '' Woo Jin-Cheol was so tense that his palms were soaked in sweat, but now, he could let off a wry chuckle . This result was perhaps an inevitable one . How could a summon created from borrowing the dead monster''s powers be similar to the actual thing? That would be just about the right size, whether that criteria being its actual power or the physical size . Woo Jin-Cheol felt relieved for some reason after seeing the summon and its comparatively miniaturised size . ''Maybe, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s powers have a defined and clear ceiling?'' Even if that was the case, Hunter Seong''s own combat abilities easily exceeded one''s imaginations, so one could never see him as an easy opponent at all . Quite different from Woo Jin-Cheol''s thoughts, though, Jin-Woo was shouting out in elation at the unexpected jackpot he just stumbled onto . [The Sovereign''s voice has roused the fighting spirit of the deceased . ] [You have succeeded in strengthening the shadow!] [The shadow''s level will start from 13 . ] ''Nice!!'' Was this because of the Shadow Extraction had levelled up? For the first time since Igrit''s case, the message regarding the strengthening of a shadow popped out . Jin-Woo quickly checked the new soldier''s information . [?? Lv . 13] Elite Knight grade It wasn''t that surprising to see the grade ''Elite Knight'' pop up like Fangs before since this guy used to be the boss of the rank A dungeon . However, its starting level was 13!! Jin-Woo confirmed that level and could barely keep his happy chuckles in check . ''Is it because its level is so high? Its power is not all that different from the original . '' Unlike the soldiers he had extracted so far, he couldn''t sense many discrepancies between this guy''s stats and those of the dead original . He picked up on the massive magic energy hidden deep within its smaller body . He was actually puzzled by its different size, but he could make one hypothesis here . ''Maybe, this is how it looked originally?'' That made sense, seeing that they were all Nagas, to begin with . So, how could the boss be that much bigger than the others? If it used magic like Fangs to balloon up its size, then that made perfect sense . His hypothesis was supported by the fact that this new guy was ably controlling its own magic energy just like how Fangs did, and also from its great reserve of magic energy as well . That reserve wasn''t as huge as Fangs, though . It was then . [Please assign the soldier''s name . ] Just like before, the message urging him to name this new soldier popped up to his view . Jin-Woo didn''t give it much thought and named it ''Jima'' . [Will you name the soldier ''Jima''?] ''That''s right . '' And so, a powerful new mage had been added to his Shadow Army, as well as to his new Naga troops, as well . With the extraction process now over, Jin-Woo absorbed Jima back into his shadow . Right on cue, the dungeon began sending out warning signals now that it no longer had an owner . Rumble . . . . . A faint tremor rose up from the ground . It was the signal that the Gate would close in one hour . Yu Jin-Ho stopped staying back and quickly ran over to his hyung-nim''s side . "It''s time for us to leave this place, hyung-nim . " "Right . " Yu Jin-Ho took one last sweeping look around him and smacked his lips as if he was feeling regretful over something . "But, hyung-nim . This is a bit of a waste . " His gaze was now fixed on the corpse of the boss-level monster . "That thing would''ve fetched a handsome amount on the market, you know?" A Gate would close soon after the dungeon''s boss was killed off . Meaning, one would have to take on a huge risk to bring out the body of the boss monster outside the dungeon . If you made one mistake and got trapped in here, then you''d literally become ''missing in dungeon'' forever, so to speak . Perhaps that was why it was rare to see the corpses of boss monsters outside of the Gates . The first problem being, because they were so much bigger, transporting them itself posed a significant challenge . Of course, their rarity ensured that the price they fetched was quite substantial, as well . Strangely enough, Jin-Woo replied nonchalantly to Yu Jin-Ho and his wistful longing . "What''s the problem? We''ll just take it with us . " "Eh?" Yu Jin-Ho''s eyes opened up wider as he hastily asked a question . "Hyung-nim, isn''t that too big to take with us?" Jin-Woo smirked softly . "It''s fine . " He didn''t know how strong his guy was physically, but well, didn''t he have someone on his side who was way bigger than that corpse? ''Come out . '' When Jin-Woo issued his order, a former High Orc Shaman Shadow Soldier decked out in a black robe made a soundless appearance . Shururuk . . . . Fangs lowered his head as his greetings, and Jin-Woo pointed at the corpse with his chin . ''Go ahead . '' In the blink of an eye, Fangs grew back into a giant . He then began dragging out the boss-level Naga, which wasn''t even half his size, out of the boss chamber . "Heok!!" Woo Jin-Cheol''s eyes shook hard after witnessing such a shocking spectacle . ''Wasn''t that thing . . . . . ??'' Without a doubt, that was the High Orc Shaman from the Hunters Guild raid not too long ago that Jin-Woo killed in one hit . He clearly witnessed it back then . But now, that thing was at least twice the size than when it was still alive . And it wasn''t just its size that had grown bigger, too . The emitted waves of magic energy coming from its body when it grew to that size was far, far scarier compared to back then as well . Woo Jin-Cheol was genuinely astonished by this new development . ''What is this?! Didn''t the monster''s power drop when turning into a summon??'' If that was the case, then how should he go about explaining that summon created out from the High Orc Shaman? Jin-Woo could create summons out of the boss monsters from rank A dungeons, and he could even strengthen them, too? ''How can this make any sort of logical sense . . . . . ??'' Jin-Woo asked a nonplussed question to Woo Jin-Cheol and his slack jaw . "Chief Woo? Aren''t you coming as well?" "Ah . . . . " If one were to lose some of their lifespan through mental shocks, then Woo Jin-Cheol must''ve lost half of his life here today . He had a mountain of questions he''d like to ask . But then, he was actually afraid of the kind of answers he might get, so he felt disinclined to ask them, as well . Woo Jin-Cheol hesitated, but in the end, could only reply with a tired look on his face . " . . . . . Yes, let''s get going . " *** Reporters were thinking of leaving for early lunch but then, their eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets after Jin-Woo leisurely walked out of the Gate . "What the heck? Has he finished already?!" "No way??" He cleared a rank A dungeon in less than three hours?! A big lightbulb got switched on inside the heads of the gathered reporters . ''This is a huge scoop! A jackpot!'' The reporters gripping their cameras tightly began flooding towards the Gate, fearing that they might miss Jin-Woo if they didn''t hurry up . Too bad, the Hunters from the Monitoring Division waiting there quickly blocked their progress . "Argh, let me go! We aren''t going to interview him, you know??" "I just want to snap a photo! What the heck, will you take responsibility if I get fired for failing to take a single picture today??" "It''s just one photo, so why are you all behaving like this??" And just as the desperate scuffle between the reporters and the Monitoring Division''s agents intensified . . . . THUD . The sound of something heavy stepping on the ground resounded out . "Uh . . . " One of the reporters dropped his camera in an utter daze . Crack . He didn''t even realise that his fallen camera was stepped on by other reporters . No, he could only point towards the Gate and stutter out in pure shock . "L-look over there . . . " Or, more specifically, he was pointing at the massive, hulking giant of a monster stepping outside the Gate . "R-run away!! No, no wait! Take its pictures first! Hurry!" "Are you filming this??" "Ah, yes!!" The reporters quickly forgot about the physical confrontation of a second ago and hurriedly began snapping away with their raised cameras . They were inwardly fearful of the monster suddenly attacking them, but at the same time, their fingers continued to move at a blinding pace as if they had been bewitched by something . Clickclickclickclickclickclick-!!! Fangs was diligently dragging the boss-level Naga''s corpse outside the Gate, but when he felt quite a lot of stares landing on his back, he slowly turned around to look . ''¡­ . . ??'' And he found that, not just the reporters, but the police, Association employees, and even the passersby on the street stopped in their treks to look up at him . Fangs was now suddenly overcome with embarrassment and sheepishly scratched the back of his head . < Chapter 149 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 149: Chapter 149 . ''Huh . !''. He had been using his Class-specific skills constantly, but they showed no signs of budging until now . But then, their levels all went up in one go?!. Ba-thump, ba-thump!!. Jin-Woo''s heart began pounding really hard for the first time in a while Currently, there were only two other people inside the boss chamber, and that would be Yu Jin-Ho and Woo Jin-Cheol . Since both of them weren''t the type to needlessly complain about small matters, he decided to not to mind their presence and summoned out his Status Window ''Stat Window . ''. Tti-ring Along with the familiar mechanical bleep, all the information about him, starting from his level to every item he was wearing, and even his current physical status, appeared to fill up his view Jin-Woo''s gaze stopped at the ''Class-specific Skills'' list [Class-specific Skills]. Active Skills. - Shadow Extraction Lv . 2. - Shadow Storage Lv . 2. - Sovereign''s Territory Lv . 2. - Shadow Exchange Lv . 2. ''It''s for real . ''. Hearing about the truth and actually seeing it were two different things . Jin-Woo clenched his fist tighter, especially from the fact that the level for ''Shadow Exchange'' had gone up ''Nice!''. The Shadow Exchange skill possessed such an endless potential but he was feeling frustrated by the limitation posed by its lengthy cooldown time ''The description said that cooldown will change according to the skill level, right?''. With this, his frustration should go down a little This was today''s biggest gain for him . He was far more pleased about the skill Shadow Exchange being enhanced rather than his stalled level rising up again ''Should I see how much of it has changed now?''. Feeling like a kid pulling the wrapping off his new present, Jin-Woo accessed the information on the skill Shadow Exchange Tti-ring [Skill: Shadow Exchange Lv . 2]. Class-specific . ¡­ . Once activated, you must wait two hours of ''cooldown'' period before being able to use the skill again The ''cooldown'' period will change according to the Skill''s level ''¡­ !!''. Reduction of one hour!!. Just by going up one level, the cooldown time had decreased by one-third . Jin-Woo could barely hide his excitement now ''One hour''s gone after going up one level . ''. A simple calculation told him that there was a high possibility of yet another hour being chopped off from the cooldown time with the next level up of the skill . And, what if he raised the level of this skill one more time after that?. ''It means, regardless of where I am, mom and Jin-Ah will never find themselves in trouble ''. Just thinking about that made his entire body shiver . That was the most important thing for Jin-Woo, after all . Maybe his excitement showed up on his face, Yu Jin-Ho asked him a question with a jovial smile "Hyung-nim? Did something good happen?". "Mm?". Only then did Jin-Woo realise that Yu Jin-Ho had come closer to him ''I was too focused on the Status Window, wasn''t I ?''. He also could see Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol walking towards this way behind Yu Jin-Ho as well . Jin-Woo grinned and closed the Status Window . Even if these two men weren''t the types to raise a fuss over every single thing, there was no reason for him to look like a madman to their eyes, either "Yeah, something like that . ". "That''s cool, hyung-nim . ". Yu Jin-Ho''s wits had become a lot quicker after following Jin-Woo around for a while, so he didn''t try to dig in anymore . Instead, his attention shifted to the sight right next to them "Wowsers . ". This would be Yu Jin-Ho''s first time ever seeing an actual rank A dungeon''s boss . This monster''s upper torso looked human-ish, but the lower part looked like a sea snake It looked so nonsensically huge from afar, but now that he got to take a look up close, it seemed even bigger and really disgusting to behold, as well It was only natural that he couldn''t close his slack jaw after seeing such a humongous monster ''I know that hyung-nim has entered several other high-ranking dungeons prior to this one, so does that mean ''. Did that mean he killed creatures like this one every time he entered such a Gate?. Gulp Yu Jin-Ho swallowed some dry saliva . For some reason, his hyung-nim looked even more imposing and cool to his eyes today . And he felt incredibly proud of himself, as it was him and not someone else standing beside such an incredible man "Hyung-nim!!". "Mm?". "I respect you . ". "What?". "It''s nothing . ". ''Silly kid . ''. Jin-Woo stared wordlessly at Yu Jin-Ho, and the latter averted his gaze after realising how embarrassed he was feeling right now . Meanwhile, Woo Jin-Cheol next to them was also stewing in a bottomless shock at the moment ''I knew Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s skills were amazing, but this ''. To think, he''d be able to easily take care of a boss-level Naga like this Other raid teams would begin tearing their hair out after seeing this spectacle . Especially when they would need the full participation of tankers, damage dealers, and Healers just to barely bring down a monster of this magnitude ''¡­ . ''. Woo Jin-Cheol walked up close to the remains of the boss-level Naga and lightly tapped on the monster''s scales . He could definitely sense the steel-like hardness through his fingertips Scales of Naga boasted amazing hardness and they were often used in the manufacturing of all sorts of defensive items, such as various armours and shields ''But, such scales were ''. Some part of the scales on the lower torso of the monster were crushed and torn into pieces as if they were made out of paper . That was the aftermath left behind by Jin-Woo''s skill, ''Violent Slash'' ''Being able to produce such devastating destructive power, while using nothing more than a couple of shortswords . ''. Cold sweat formed on Woo Jin-Cheol''s forehead as he observed the monster''s corpse . What a great relief that the youth was their ally and not an enemy It was then, Jin-Woo''s voice came from behind him " Can you step aside for a bit, please?". Woo Jin-Cheol was too deep in his thoughts and couldn''t properly hear that, so he quickly looked behind him in a fluster "Y-yes?". "I''m trying to create another summoned creature, but Chief Woo, you are too close, you see . ". "Ah . ". Yu Jin-Ho had already moved to a far enough location and was busy gesturing at Woo Jin-Cheol to come over there "M-my apologies . ". Woo Jin-Cheol offered an appropriate-sounding apology and quickly stepped aside . He kept staring with great anticipation, though . He had seen how the summoned creatures were created during his trip here, but this would be the first time seeing a boss-level monster become a summon ''Could this huge thing become a summoned creature as how it looks?''. Even Yu Jin-Ho''s eyes were sparkling as he waited for the result . Even though he was subjected to two men''s boiling anticipation, Jin-Woo was utterly relaxed as he activated Shadow Extraction ''Rise up . ''. The shadow of the boss-level monster answered the call of its new owner Kiiiaahhh-!!. A hand emerged out from the shadow and grabbed hold of the ground, before dragging its body out from the darkness . However, the newly summoned creature was way smaller in size than what the audience was expecting to see As a matter of fact, it was only about the same size as the summoned creatures created out of regular Nagas . Maybe, it was slightly larger, but that was about it ''Haha ''. Woo Jin-Cheol was so tense that his palms were soaked in sweat, but now, he could let off a wry chuckle . This result was perhaps an inevitable one How could a summon created from borrowing the dead monster''s powers be similar to the actual thing? That would be just about the right size, whether that criteria being its actual power or the physical size Woo Jin-Cheol felt relieved for some reason after seeing the summon and its comparatively miniaturised size ''Maybe, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s powers have a defined and clear ceiling?''. Even if that was the case, Hunter Seong''s own combat abilities easily exceeded one''s imaginations, so one could never see him as an easy opponent at all Quite different from Woo Jin-Cheol''s thoughts, though, Jin-Woo was shouting out in elation at the unexpected jackpot he just stumbled onto [The Sovereign''s voice has roused the fighting spirit of the deceased . ]. [You have succeeded in strengthening the shadow!]. [The shadow''s level will start from 13 . ]. ''Nice!!''. Was this because of the Shadow Extraction had levelled up? For the first time since Igrit''s case, the message regarding the strengthening of a shadow popped out . Jin-Woo quickly checked the new soldier''s information [?? Lv . 13]. Elite Knight grade. It wasn''t that surprising to see the grade ''Elite Knight'' pop up like Fangs before since this guy used to be the boss of the rank A dungeon . However, its starting level was 13!!. Jin-Woo confirmed that level and could barely keep his happy chuckles in check ''Is it because its level is so high? Its power is not all that different from the original . ''. Unlike the soldiers he had extracted so far, he couldn''t sense many discrepancies between this guy''s stats and those of the dead original . He picked up on the massive magic energy hidden deep within its smaller body He was actually puzzled by its different size, but he could make one hypothesis here ''Maybe, this is how it looked originally?''. That made sense, seeing that they were all Nagas, to begin with . So, how could the boss be that much bigger than the others? If it used magic like Fangs to balloon up its size, then that made perfect sense His hypothesis was supported by the fact that this new guy was ably controlling its own magic energy just like how Fangs did, and also from its great reserve of magic energy as well . That reserve wasn''t as huge as Fangs, though It was then [Please assign the soldier''s name . ]. Just like before, the message urging him to name this new soldier popped up to his view . Jin-Woo didn''t give it much thought and named it ''Jima'' [Will you name the soldier ''Jima''?]. ''That''s right . ''. And so, a powerful new mage had been added to his Shadow Army, as well as to his new Naga troops, as well . With the extraction process now over, Jin-Woo absorbed Jima back into his shadow Right on cue, the dungeon began sending out warning signals now that it no longer had an owner Rumble A faint tremor rose up from the ground . It was the signal that the Gate would close in one hour . Yu Jin-Ho stopped staying back and quickly ran over to his hyung-nim''s side "It''s time for us to leave this place, hyung-nim . ". "Right . ". Yu Jin-Ho took one last sweeping look around him and smacked his lips as if he was feeling regretful over something "But, hyung-nim . This is a bit of a waste . ". His gaze was now fixed on the corpse of the boss-level monster "That thing would''ve fetched a handsome amount on the market, you know?". A Gate would close soon after the dungeon''s boss was killed off . Meaning, one would have to take on a huge risk to bring out the body of the boss monster outside the dungeon If you made one mistake and got trapped in here, then you''d literally become ''missing in dungeon'' forever, so to speak Perhaps that was why it was rare to see the corpses of boss monsters outside of the Gates . The first problem being, because they were so much bigger, transporting them itself posed a significant challenge Of course, their rarity ensured that the price they fetched was quite substantial, as well . Strangely enough, Jin-Woo replied nonchalantly to Yu Jin-Ho and his wistful longing "What''s the problem? We''ll just take it with us . ". "Eh?". Yu Jin-Ho''s eyes opened up wider as he hastily asked a question "Hyung-nim, isn''t that too big to take with us?". Jin-Woo smirked softly "It''s fine . ". He didn''t know how strong his guy was physically, but well, didn''t he have someone on his side who was way bigger than that corpse?. ''Come out . ''. When Jin-Woo issued his order, a former High Orc Shaman Shadow Soldier decked out in a black robe made a soundless appearance Shururuk . Fangs lowered his head as his greetings, and Jin-Woo pointed at the corpse with his chin ''Go ahead . ''. In the blink of an eye, Fangs grew back into a giant . He then began dragging out the boss-level Naga, which wasn''t even half his size, out of the boss chamber "Heok!!". Woo Jin-Cheol''s eyes shook hard after witnessing such a shocking spectacle ''Wasn''t that thing . ??''. Without a doubt, that was the High Orc Shaman from the Hunters Guild raid not too long ago that Jin-Woo killed in one hit . He clearly witnessed it back then But now, that thing was at least twice the size than when it was still alive . And it wasn''t just its size that had grown bigger, too . The emitted waves of magic energy coming from its body when it grew to that size was far, far scarier compared to back then as well Woo Jin-Cheol was genuinely astonished by this new development ''What is this?! Didn''t the monster''s power drop when turning into a summon??''. If that was the case, then how should he go about explaining that summon created out from the High Orc Shaman?. Jin-Woo could create summons out of the boss monsters from rank A dungeons, and he could even strengthen them, too?. ''How can this make any sort of logical sense . ??''. Jin-Woo asked a nonplussed question to Woo Jin-Cheol and his slack jaw "Chief Woo? Aren''t you coming as well?". "Ah ". If one were to lose some of their lifespan through mental shocks, then Woo Jin-Cheol must''ve lost half of his life here today He had a mountain of questions he''d like to ask . But then, he was actually afraid of the kind of answers he might get, so he felt disinclined to ask them, as well Woo Jin-Cheol hesitated, but in the end, could only reply with a tired look on his face " . Yes, let''s get going . ". ***. Reporters were thinking of leaving for early lunch but then, their eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets after Jin-Woo leisurely walked out of the Gate "What the heck? Has he finished already?!". "No way??". He cleared a rank A dungeon in less than three hours?!. A big lightbulb got switched on inside the heads of the gathered reporters ''This is a huge scoop! A jackpot!''. The reporters gripping their cameras tightly began flooding towards the Gate, fearing that they might miss Jin-Woo if they didn''t hurry up . Too bad, the Hunters from the Monitoring Division waiting there quickly blocked their progress "Argh, let me go! We aren''t going to interview him, you know??". "I just want to snap a photo! What the heck, will you take responsibility if I get fired for failing to take a single picture today??". "It''s just one photo, so why are you all behaving like this??". And just as the desperate scuffle between the reporters and the Monitoring Division''s agents intensified . THUD The sound of something heavy stepping on the ground resounded out "Uh . ". One of the reporters dropped his camera in an utter daze Crack He didn''t even realise that his fallen camera was stepped on by other reporters . No, he could only point towards the Gate and stutter out in pure shock "L-look over there . ". Or, more specifically, he was pointing at the massive, hulking giant of a monster stepping outside the Gate "R-run away!! No, no wait! Take its pictures first! Hurry!". "Are you filming this??". "Ah, yes!!". The reporters quickly forgot about the physical confrontation of a second ago and hurriedly began snapping away with their raised cameras They were inwardly fearful of the monster suddenly attacking them, but at the same time, their fingers continued to move at a blinding pace as if they had been bewitched by something Clickclickclickclickclickclick-!!!. Fangs was diligently dragging the boss-level Naga''s corpse outside the Gate, but when he felt quite a lot of stares landing on his back, he slowly turned around to look ''¡­ ??''. And he found that, not just the reporters, but the police, Association employees, and even the passersby on the street stopped in their treks to look up at him Fangs was now suddenly overcome with embarrassment and sheepishly scratched the back of his head < Chapter 149 > Fin Chapter 150 A certain man was sneaking into a large hospital . There was only one reason why he was making d*mn sure that no one saw him . And that would be because of the jerry can full of petrol he was carrying at the moment . In the past, one couldn''t find any sort of desire or drive within this man''s eyes . But now, they were burning with vigour . ''So, you dare to look down on me, huh?'' He was already resolved to die today . This man wandered about silently for a long while, before finally choosing a suitable location . His steps came to a halt in one of the hospital''s many corridors, although this particular one didn''t seem to enjoy all that much foot traffic . He began cautiously pouring the petrol on the floor . ''You think I''ll die all alone?'' It happened one week ago . He got p*ss drunk and wandered around the streets, before picking a fight with some random passerby . And as a result, he got beaten up black and blue . So, he ended up in this hospital . He regained his consciousness a bit later and declared to the doctor busy treating him . He said, ''I don''t have enough money for the hospital fees, so might as well stop what you''re doing and let me go'' . It happened then . He saw it . He saw the doctor''s eyes, looking down on him as if he was a pathetic fool . That d*mn doctor b*stard . This man couldn''t quite remember the face of that doctor, but even after all this time, he could never forget those eyes . That''s why he made up his mind . ''I''ll get my revenge on you . '' And that was his reason for seeking out the very hospital he once visited as its guest . He wasn''t planning to live any longer, anyway . So, he poured the petrol all over this corner of the hospital, and then, dumped what little remained on himself . "We''ll all go together . " His voice was thickly laden with spiteful rage . Of course, this hospital was pretty d*mn huge, so something like this wouldn''t even be able to burn it down completely . However, he should still be able to take a few with him . It''d be very good if a handful of doctors were included in that ''few'', but if not, there''s not much he could do about that . He already ruined his life through gambling anyway . But, he wasn''t planning to quietly disappear like everyone else . He threw away the empty jerry can, and after rummaging through his pockets for a while, pulled out a lighter . The moment his thumb spins that flint, this f*cked-up life of his would come to an end . " . . . . " He became expressionless and was about to press down with his thumb, but then, an eerie breeze suddenly brushed him by . ''¡­ . There''s a breeze?'' The man felt something was off and scanned his vicinity . This corridor didn''t even have any windows, so where could have that breeze come from? ''What was that?'' He tilted his head while looking around himself, only to abruptly realise that something felt rather empty down there . He lowered his gaze to his hand . The lighter he held in his hand was gone . ''¡­ . !!'' What an incredibly puzzling thing that was . He wondered if he dropped the lighter while he was preoccupied, so he carefully combed over the floor, but that turned out to be a waste of time . ''Just where did it disappear to . . . . ?'' Feeling utterly puzzled now, he raised his head and then spotted a large, black something standing right in front of his eyes . It was an ''insect'' with hands and legs . The man was greatly taken by surprise, his eyes bulging out until they were almost popping out . Before he could scream, though, the ''insect'' reached out and grabbed his mouth . "Euph!!" "Kiikiik . " The ''insect'' raised the index finger of its free hand and pressed it against its mouth . "Shush . " This human shouldn''t raise a commotion like this . The human female his king told him to protect was sleeping in a room nearby, after all . The man struggled bitterly, but he couldn''t even budge a single finger of the monster off his face . "Euph, eupphhh!!" The man''s eyes now saw the ''insect'' ¨C no, Beru''s open mouth slowly growing closer towards him . *** Why did ''it'' happen on level 101? As Jin-Woo drove back, he thought back to how his skills abruptly went up a level earlier in the day . Even though his mind was occupied with something else, his hands holding the steering wheel remained steady and controlled . ''It''s not even level 100, too . '' He thought that, if something about him were to change because of the level ups, then that should happen on level 100 . However, his expectation was a bit off the mark . His Class-specific skills all got an upgrade after he reached level 101 . A few guesses fleeted in and out of his head, but currently, only two of them held the strongest possibilities of being right . The first one was about what the number ''1'' signified . ''1'' meant a new beginning . Could it be that, when his level reached 101, all restrictions on his Class-specific skills were removed and he was now free to upgrade them at will? ''If that''s not it . . . . '' Jin-Woo''s expression hardened when he thought about the second theory . Personally, he''d have much preferred for this one to be wrong, though . ''Could it be because I got my Class at level 51 . . . . . ?'' There was a possibility that the Skill levels rose up because he was exactly 50 levels higher than when he got his Class . Which also kind of implied that he needed to reach level 151 if he wanted to upgrade his Skills again . ''¡­ . . I don''t want that . '' If he thought about his levelling up speed lately, then indeed, he could only dearly pray that this remained nothing more than his hypothesis . Soon, the building with his Guild office came into his view . Jin-Woo drove the van into the underground parking lot . He was the only passenger riding on the trusty steed of the Ah-Jin Guild, ''Bonggo'' . Yu Jin-Ho chose to stay back in the Gate''s location, saying that he''d wrap up the proceedings before going back to the office . The raid might have ended, but there was still one more step of handing over the recovered loot to the brokers to think about . Since it was Yu Jin-Ho who had contacted these brokers, it seemed that he wanted to personally take charge of handling this matter . ["Please, leave everything to me, hyung-nim!"] Jin-Woo thought that he could still hear Yu Jin-Ho''s voice filled with confidence even now . ''I wonder, will he be okay?'' It was all good and well for a Vice-Chair of the Guild to be full of drive and energy, but wouldn''t it be better still to hire dedicated staff members for matters like this? Jin-Woo told himself to search for more employees and walked out of the underground parking lot . But then . . . . ''Mm?'' He spotted a familiar figure walking towards the Guild building from afar . And that familiar person also discovered Jin-Woo staring back at her . "Ah . . . . " Her steps came to an abrupt halt right then and there . Cha Hae-In formed a shocked expression and began to backtrack one step at a time before she turned around completely, and began running away . '' . . . HUH??'' Jin-Woo was utterly dumbstruck by what just happened . The thing was, though ¨C he could gloss over the reason why she suddenly started running away after seeing his face, but he simply couldn''t . . . . ''¡­ . You think you can escape from me because you started running?'' Just who did she think she was dealing with here? Jin-Woo was suddenly overcome with a streak of stubbornness and pounced forward with everything he had after activating his ''Quicksilver'' skill . Time slowed down to a crawl, and only the background images seemed to move at a blinding pace . The distance between him and Cha Hae-In decreased quickly enough, and then he began thinking to himself . ''If I grab her from the back or try to touch her, she might get hurt, so . . . . '' Jin-Woo lightly jumped up in the air, spun around once, and landed in front of Cha Hae-In''s escaping figure . ''¡­ . !!'' Her eyes grew super wide in an instant . Her escape route had been cut off, and before she could do anything else, her shoulders were caught by Jin-Woo''s hands . "Kyahk!" And so, the foot chase between two rank S Hunters came to a very anti-climatic end . Now that she was caught by him, she couldn''t even bring herself to look into his eyes . Jin-Woo continued to stare at her with deeply puzzled eyes, before calmly asking her the important question . "Why did you run away after seeing me?" " . . . " Well, he could concede a bit here and say that it was possible for her to bolt like that . Fine . "If you were going to run, then why did you even bother to come to my office?" If she wanted to avoid him that much, then she shouldn''t even come anywhere near him, no? Jin-Woo''s pointed question elicited Cha Hae-In to reply in a voice that was smaller than a buzzing mosquito . "My car is . . . still in your parking lot . . . . " ''Ah . Right . There was an unfamiliar car parked in the lot for the last couple of days, wasn''t there?'' That day, when Cha Hae-In came to the office, saying that she wanted to join his Guild . . . . After they ''teleported'' directly to the Association''s gymnasium from the Guild office, she forgot to take her car back and left it in the underground parking lot until now . ''Looks like she came sneaking back in to get her car back because our Guild was supposed to be on a raid today . '' Too bad for her, she couldn''t have imagined that he''d only need a little over two hours to complete the raid of a rank A Gate . As a result, these two young people got to meet each other again . She quickly tried to get away from him, but in the end, was apprehended by him instead . ''¡­ . . . . . '' Jin-Woo''s wordless stare continued, and Cha Hae-In''s head drooped lower and lower . He let out a helpless sigh and slowly let her shoulders go . "There''s no need to run away from me, you know . " Jin-Woo spoke as he formed an amiable smile . "A person''s mind can change all the time, am I right?" Indeed, wouldn''t people lose their interest, or suddenly gain interest when there was none, to begin with? Wasn''t that how a person''s heart operated? There was no reason for them to go out of their way to avoid each other like this . " . . . . . " However, Cha Hae-In didn''t even try to refute him, her head still remaining lowered . ''Maybe, she doesn''t even feel like talking to me?'' It was possible that she was unhappy about suddenly being grabbed like that . "Well, then . " Jin-Woo turned around to leave with a little nod as his goodbye . No, he was going to turn around . But before he could, Cha Hae-In hurriedly held on to his sleeve . "Excuse me . . . . . " " . . . . ?" By the time four, five question marks floated over Jin-Woo''s head, she finally stopped hesitating and opened her lips to speak . "Can you free up some time so we can talk for a little while?" Only a minute ago she was fleeing for her dear life, but now, she wanted to speak to him? Perhaps she sensed Jin-Woo''s flustered confusion, Cha Hae-In quickly explained herself . "Actually, Min Byung-Gu Hunter-nim wanted me to pass on a message to you . " Jin-Woo''s expression changed once he heard that unexpected name come out of her mouth . "A message for me?" Nod, nod . Cha Hae-In''s head bobbed up and down . "He said, there was something he wanted to say about your powers, Seong Hunter-nim . " But, how could that be? Jin-Woo didn''t have any point of contact, private or otherwise, with Hunter Min Byung-Gu . And their one and only meeting came around when Jin-Woo revived Min Byung-Gu into a Shadow Soldier for a short while back then . The deceased Hunter carried out his job perfectly and thanks to that, Cha Hae-In was able to survive . It was all due to that man''s efforts that these two young people could talk to each other like this . But then, just when did he have the time to leave a message behind? Jin-Woo didn''t display his power until the Jeju raid, and when he did, Min Byung-Gu was already long dead . Something like that couldn''t have happened . Jin-Woo stared at her with a disbelieving expression . Cha Hae-In cautiously continued on . "Your power, Seong Hunter-nim . . . . " But, when her words reached there, Jin-Woo quickly cut her off . "Hold on, please . " Didn''t matter if what she wanted to say was true or not, this topic didn''t seem well suited to be discussed in the middle of the street . Jin-Woo scanned his vicinity once, and then continued to speak to her . "Let''s continue our discussion somewhere more private, shall we?" *** Chairman Yu Myung-Han received the files containing certain information from his Secretary Kim . "These are?" "They are information gathered from Seoul Il-Sin hospital, sir . " Il-Sin hospital was where Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s mother had been staying until recently . Yu Myung-Han''s eyes sharpened instantly . Without saying anything else, he began reading the documents . ''The nurse entered in the morning and she was already wide awake? And Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was found right next to his mother?'' There was another strange thing mentioned in the file . The hospital staff recommended an in-depth analysis of the patient''s conditions to be carried out as they were concerned about her health, but Hunter Seong strongly demanded for her release, instead . Chairman Yu Myung-Han unconsciously shook his head . ''That doesn''t sound like him . . . . '' That man possessed such a strong filial love that he risked his life and limb by entering dangerous raids in order to earn enough money for her hospital fees . However, such a man one-sidedly demanded his mother''s release, when he couldn''t have been sure of her physical condition? ''No, it''s the exact opposite . '' This could only mean that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had already confirmed his mother''s status by then . But, how did he do that? The longer Yu Myung-Han read the data sent in from the hospital, the deeper the frowns on his forehead became . Everything about Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was shrouded in mystery . ''The dual dungeon incident, his sudden Re-Awakening, his mother''s abrupt recovery, and even his mysterious ability to create countless summoned creatures . . . . . '' Wouldn''t a series of serendipities eventually become inevitability? There was definitely something here . There was absolutely no doubt about that . Yu Myung-Han''s sharply-honed senses were telling him such . His resolution became even firmer than before . "Looks like I''ll have to talk to him face to face . " "I shall send over someone before the end of today, sir . " "No need for that . " Secretary Kim was taken aback from that reply . "Sir, are you planning to go see him personally?" "Secretary Kim . Who do you think the man I''m trying to meet is?" " . . . . " That was enough to shut Secretary Kim''s mouth . It was then . Vrrrr . . . . Secretary Kim''s phone suddenly began vibrating . Chairman Yu Myung-Han returned his gaze back to the files and gave his permission . "It''s fine to answer it . " Secretary Kim bowed his head slightly and quickly checked his phone . It was a text message carrying urgent breaking news . "Chairman, sir . " Yu Myung-Han raised his head again . "There''s breaking news coming from Japan as we speak . Would you like to see it, sir?" Secretary Kim wasn''t someone to get easily agitated over a simple matter . If he was asking you about whether you wanted to see something or not, then that was the same thing as you needing to see that something immediately . Nod . Yu Myung-Han nodded his head, and as if he was waiting for that, Secretary Kim quickly switched on the giant TV hanging on the wall . - Yes, this is foreign correspondent Park Seong-Woo reporting . As you can see behind me . . . . . The real-time live broadcast of Japan''s most bustling downtown area filled up the TV screen as the device flickered into life . *** Shinjuku, located in Tokyo, Japan . A gloomy shadow was being cast on the busiest, liveliest avenue in Tokyo, the one often referred to as the beating heart of Japan . That wasn''t a simple figure of speech, though . Every single car, bicycle, and person ¨C didn''t matter who or what, they were all standing still beneath this massive shade cast over them . People began climbing out from their stopped vehicles one by one . The road was becoming uncontrollably clogged up, but not one honked their horns or yelled out in irritation . It was as if everyone here had been bewitched by an unseen force . Every single gaze was directed to one particular spot . "Oh, my god . . . " "Dear Lord . . . . " There was a Gate so huge that it blocked out the sky to cast an enormous shade onto the ground below . The people below saw this common-sense-shattering Gate that easily matched a regular skyscraper in sheer size, and fell deep into the state of indescribable shock . " . . . . " " . . . . . " The avenue once bustling with overflowing people was now being gripped tighter and tighter by a silence so wretched that it almost induced some of the witnesses to start vomiting . *** The atmosphere in the Japanese Prime Minister''s official residence was rather poor, as well . Slam! The Prime Minister couldn''t hold back his rising tide of anger and threw the remote control hard at the TV busy showing the breaking news . "P-Prime Minister!" His adjutants hurriedly got up, but they shut their mouths and sat back down once the Prime Minister''s dagger-like eyes landed on them . "Why isn''t the Hunter''s Association saying anything?" The President of the Japanese Hunter''s Association, Matsumoto Shigeo, weakly lowered his head . He had become a lot more haggard ever since returning from his trip to South Korea . The Prime Minister''s expression hardened . "God d*mn it . . . . " Something that horrifying had appeared in the middle of Tokyo, yet the Association who should be in charge of such things, were keeping their mouths shut?! "A rank S Gate has appeared right in the heart of Tokyo! But, do you think it makes any sort of sense for the Association to not have a single countermeasure in place? How??" The Prime Minister cried out in anguish . Unfortunately for him, everyone present kept their mouths shut as if they had agreed to do so beforehand . The Prime Minister''s expression crumpled unsightly, like a man carrying the weight of all the suffering found in this world, before he collapsed down onto his chair . "Be honest with me, Association President . " He then pointed at the cracked TV screen . "What will happen if that thing opens up on us?" " . . . . . It''ll be the end, sir . " As he thought ¨C the Prime Minister hugged his head and muttered out helplessly . "So, that''s how it is . . . . . Just one Gate, and the city of Tokyo is finished, is that it?" "That''s not what I''m saying, Prime Minister . " " . . . . ?" The Prime Minister raised his head to look, and Association President Matsumoto Shigeo continued on with an emotionless voice . "I meant to say that the entirety of Japan will be finished, sir . " < Chapter 150 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 150: Chapter 150 . A certain man was sneaking into a large hospital There was only one reason why he was making d*mn sure that no one saw him . And that would be because of the jerry can full of petrol he was carrying at the moment In the past, one couldn''t find any sort of desire or drive within this man''s eyes . But now, they were burning with vigour ''So, you dare to look down on me, huh?''. He was already resolved to die today This man wandered about silently for a long while, before finally choosing a suitable location . His steps came to a halt in one of the hospital''s many corridors, although this particular one didn''t seem to enjoy all that much foot traffic . He began cautiously pouring the petrol on the floor ''You think I''ll die all alone?''. It happened one week ago He got p*ss drunk and wandered around the streets, before picking a fight with some random passerby . And as a result, he got beaten up black and blue . So, he ended up in this hospital He regained his consciousness a bit later and declared to the doctor busy treating him . He said, ''I don''t have enough money for the hospital fees, so might as well stop what you''re doing and let me go'' It happened then He saw it He saw the doctor''s eyes, looking down on him as if he was a pathetic fool That d*mn doctor b*stard . This man couldn''t quite remember the face of that doctor, but even after all this time, he could never forget those eyes That''s why he made up his mind ''I''ll get my revenge on you . ''. And that was his reason for seeking out the very hospital he once visited as its guest He wasn''t planning to live any longer, anyway . So, he poured the petrol all over this corner of the hospital, and then, dumped what little remained on himself "We''ll all go together . ". His voice was thickly laden with spiteful rage Of course, this hospital was pretty d*mn huge, so something like this wouldn''t even be able to burn it down completely . However, he should still be able to take a few with him . It''d be very good if a handful of doctors were included in that ''few'', but if not, there''s not much he could do about that He already ruined his life through gambling anyway . But, he wasn''t planning to quietly disappear like everyone else He threw away the empty jerry can, and after rummaging through his pockets for a while, pulled out a lighter . The moment his thumb spins that flint, this f*cked-up life of his would come to an end " ". He became expressionless and was about to press down with his thumb, but then, an eerie breeze suddenly brushed him by ''¡­ . There''s a breeze?''. The man felt something was off and scanned his vicinity . This corridor didn''t even have any windows, so where could have that breeze come from?. ''What was that?''. He tilted his head while looking around himself, only to abruptly realise that something felt rather empty down there . He lowered his gaze to his hand The lighter he held in his hand was gone ''¡­ . !!''. What an incredibly puzzling thing that was He wondered if he dropped the lighter while he was preoccupied, so he carefully combed over the floor, but that turned out to be a waste of time ''Just where did it disappear to ?''. Feeling utterly puzzled now, he raised his head and then spotted a large, black something standing right in front of his eyes It was an ''insect'' with hands and legs The man was greatly taken by surprise, his eyes bulging out until they were almost popping out . Before he could scream, though, the ''insect'' reached out and grabbed his mouth "Euph!!". "Kiikiik . ". The ''insect'' raised the index finger of its free hand and pressed it against its mouth "Shush . ". This human shouldn''t raise a commotion like this . The human female his king told him to protect was sleeping in a room nearby, after all The man struggled bitterly, but he couldn''t even budge a single finger of the monster off his face "Euph, eupphhh!!". The man''s eyes now saw the ''insect'' ¨C no, Beru''s open mouth slowly growing closer towards him ***. Why did ''it'' happen on level 101?. As Jin-Woo drove back, he thought back to how his skills abruptly went up a level earlier in the day . Even though his mind was occupied with something else, his hands holding the steering wheel remained steady and controlled ''It''s not even level 100, too . ''. He thought that, if something about him were to change because of the level ups, then that should happen on level 100 . However, his expectation was a bit off the mark His Class-specific skills all got an upgrade after he reached level 101 A few guesses fleeted in and out of his head, but currently, only two of them held the strongest possibilities of being right The first one was about what the number ''1'' signified . ''1'' meant a new beginning Could it be that, when his level reached 101, all restrictions on his Class-specific skills were removed and he was now free to upgrade them at will?. ''If that''s not it ''. Jin-Woo''s expression hardened when he thought about the second theory . Personally, he''d have much preferred for this one to be wrong, though ''Could it be because I got my Class at level 51 . ?''. There was a possibility that the Skill levels rose up because he was exactly 50 levels higher than when he got his Class . Which also kind of implied that he needed to reach level 151 if he wanted to upgrade his Skills again ''¡­ I don''t want that . ''. If he thought about his levelling up speed lately, then indeed, he could only dearly pray that this remained nothing more than his hypothesis Soon, the building with his Guild office came into his view . Jin-Woo drove the van into the underground parking lot . He was the only passenger riding on the trusty steed of the Ah-Jin Guild, ''Bonggo'' . Yu Jin-Ho chose to stay back in the Gate''s location, saying that he''d wrap up the proceedings before going back to the office The raid might have ended, but there was still one more step of handing over the recovered loot to the brokers to think about . Since it was Yu Jin-Ho who had contacted these brokers, it seemed that he wanted to personally take charge of handling this matter ["Please, leave everything to me, hyung-nim!"]. Jin-Woo thought that he could still hear Yu Jin-Ho''s voice filled with confidence even now ''I wonder, will he be okay?''. It was all good and well for a Vice-Chair of the Guild to be full of drive and energy, but wouldn''t it be better still to hire dedicated staff members for matters like this? Jin-Woo told himself to search for more employees and walked out of the underground parking lot But then . ''Mm?''. He spotted a familiar figure walking towards the Guild building from afar . And that familiar person also discovered Jin-Woo staring back at her "Ah ". Her steps came to an abrupt halt right then and there Cha Hae-In formed a shocked expression and began to backtrack one step at a time before she turned around completely, and began running away '' . HUH??''. Jin-Woo was utterly dumbstruck by what just happened The thing was, though ¨C he could gloss over the reason why she suddenly started running away after seeing his face, but he simply couldn''t . ''¡­ . You think you can escape from me because you started running?''. Just who did she think she was dealing with here?. Jin-Woo was suddenly overcome with a streak of stubbornness and pounced forward with everything he had after activating his ''Quicksilver'' skill Time slowed down to a crawl, and only the background images seemed to move at a blinding pace . The distance between him and Cha Hae-In decreased quickly enough, and then he began thinking to himself ''If I grab her from the back or try to touch her, she might get hurt, so ''. Jin-Woo lightly jumped up in the air, spun around once, and landed in front of Cha Hae-In''s escaping figure ''¡­ . !!''. Her eyes grew super wide in an instant Her escape route had been cut off, and before she could do anything else, her shoulders were caught by Jin-Woo''s hands "Kyahk!". And so, the foot chase between two rank S Hunters came to a very anti-climatic end . Now that she was caught by him, she couldn''t even bring herself to look into his eyes Jin-Woo continued to stare at her with deeply puzzled eyes, before calmly asking her the important question "Why did you run away after seeing me?". " . ". Well, he could concede a bit here and say that it was possible for her to bolt like that . Fine "If you were going to run, then why did you even bother to come to my office?". If she wanted to avoid him that much, then she shouldn''t even come anywhere near him, no? Jin-Woo''s pointed question elicited Cha Hae-In to reply in a voice that was smaller than a buzzing mosquito "My car is . still in your parking lot ". ''Ah . Right . There was an unfamiliar car parked in the lot for the last couple of days, wasn''t there?''. That day, when Cha Hae-In came to the office, saying that she wanted to join his Guild . After they ''teleported'' directly to the Association''s gymnasium from the Guild office, she forgot to take her car back and left it in the underground parking lot until now ''Looks like she came sneaking back in to get her car back because our Guild was supposed to be on a raid today . ''. Too bad for her, she couldn''t have imagined that he''d only need a little over two hours to complete the raid of a rank A Gate . As a result, these two young people got to meet each other again . She quickly tried to get away from him, but in the end, was apprehended by him instead ''¡­ . ''. Jin-Woo''s wordless stare continued, and Cha Hae-In''s head drooped lower and lower . He let out a helpless sigh and slowly let her shoulders go "There''s no need to run away from me, you know . ". Jin-Woo spoke as he formed an amiable smile "A person''s mind can change all the time, am I right?". Indeed, wouldn''t people lose their interest, or suddenly gain interest when there was none, to begin with? Wasn''t that how a person''s heart operated? There was no reason for them to go out of their way to avoid each other like this " . ". However, Cha Hae-In didn''t even try to refute him, her head still remaining lowered ''Maybe, she doesn''t even feel like talking to me?''. It was possible that she was unhappy about suddenly being grabbed like that "Well, then . ". Jin-Woo turned around to leave with a little nod as his goodbye . No, he was going to turn around . But before he could, Cha Hae-In hurriedly held on to his sleeve "Excuse me . ". " ?". By the time four, five question marks floated over Jin-Woo''s head, she finally stopped hesitating and opened her lips to speak "Can you free up some time so we can talk for a little while?". Only a minute ago she was fleeing for her dear life, but now, she wanted to speak to him?. Perhaps she sensed Jin-Woo''s flustered confusion, Cha Hae-In quickly explained herself "Actually, Min Byung-Gu Hunter-nim wanted me to pass on a message to you . ". Jin-Woo''s expression changed once he heard that unexpected name come out of her mouth "A message for me?". Nod, nod Cha Hae-In''s head bobbed up and down "He said, there was something he wanted to say about your powers, Seong Hunter-nim . ". But, how could that be? Jin-Woo didn''t have any point of contact, private or otherwise, with Hunter Min Byung-Gu . And their one and only meeting came around when Jin-Woo revived Min Byung-Gu into a Shadow Soldier for a short while back then The deceased Hunter carried out his job perfectly and thanks to that, Cha Hae-In was able to survive . It was all due to that man''s efforts that these two young people could talk to each other like this But then, just when did he have the time to leave a message behind?. Jin-Woo didn''t display his power until the Jeju raid, and when he did, Min Byung-Gu was already long dead Something like that couldn''t have happened Jin-Woo stared at her with a disbelieving expression . Cha Hae-In cautiously continued on "Your power, Seong Hunter-nim ". But, when her words reached there, Jin-Woo quickly cut her off "Hold on, please . ". Didn''t matter if what she wanted to say was true or not, this topic didn''t seem well suited to be discussed in the middle of the street Jin-Woo scanned his vicinity once, and then continued to speak to her "Let''s continue our discussion somewhere more private, shall we?". ***. Chairman Yu Myung-Han received the files containing certain information from his Secretary Kim "These are?". "They are information gathered from Seoul Il-Sin hospital, sir . ". Il-Sin hospital was where Hunter Seong Jin-Woo''s mother had been staying until recently . Yu Myung-Han''s eyes sharpened instantly . Without saying anything else, he began reading the documents ''The nurse entered in the morning and she was already wide awake? And Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was found right next to his mother?''. There was another strange thing mentioned in the file The hospital staff recommended an in-depth analysis of the patient''s conditions to be carried out as they were concerned about her health, but Hunter Seong strongly demanded for her release, instead Chairman Yu Myung-Han unconsciously shook his head ''That doesn''t sound like him ''. That man possessed such a strong filial love that he risked his life and limb by entering dangerous raids in order to earn enough money for her hospital fees . However, such a man one-sidedly demanded his mother''s release, when he couldn''t have been sure of her physical condition?. ''No, it''s the exact opposite . ''. This could only mean that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had already confirmed his mother''s status by then But, how did he do that?. The longer Yu Myung-Han read the data sent in from the hospital, the deeper the frowns on his forehead became Everything about Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was shrouded in mystery ''The dual dungeon incident, his sudden Re-Awakening, his mother''s abrupt recovery, and even his mysterious ability to create countless summoned creatures . ''. Wouldn''t a series of serendipities eventually become inevitability?. There was definitely something here . There was absolutely no doubt about that . Yu Myung-Han''s sharply-honed senses were telling him such . His resolution became even firmer than before "Looks like I''ll have to talk to him face to face . ". "I shall send over someone before the end of today, sir . ". "No need for that . ". Secretary Kim was taken aback from that reply "Sir, are you planning to go see him personally?". "Secretary Kim . Who do you think the man I''m trying to meet is?". " ". That was enough to shut Secretary Kim''s mouth It was then Vrrrr . Secretary Kim''s phone suddenly began vibrating . Chairman Yu Myung-Han returned his gaze back to the files and gave his permission "It''s fine to answer it . ". Secretary Kim bowed his head slightly and quickly checked his phone . It was a text message carrying urgent breaking news "Chairman, sir . ". Yu Myung-Han raised his head again "There''s breaking news coming from Japan as we speak . Would you like to see it, sir?". Secretary Kim wasn''t someone to get easily agitated over a simple matter . If he was asking you about whether you wanted to see something or not, then that was the same thing as you needing to see that something immediately Nod Yu Myung-Han nodded his head, and as if he was waiting for that, Secretary Kim quickly switched on the giant TV hanging on the wall - Yes, this is foreign correspondent Park Seong-Woo reporting . As you can see behind me The real-time live broadcast of Japan''s most bustling downtown area filled up the TV screen as the device flickered into life ***. Shinjuku, located in Tokyo, Japan A gloomy shadow was being cast on the busiest, liveliest avenue in Tokyo, the one often referred to as the beating heart of Japan . That wasn''t a simple figure of speech, though Every single car, bicycle, and person ¨C didn''t matter who or what, they were all standing still beneath this massive shade cast over them People began climbing out from their stopped vehicles one by one . The road was becoming uncontrollably clogged up, but not one honked their horns or yelled out in irritation It was as if everyone here had been bewitched by an unseen force Every single gaze was directed to one particular spot "Oh, my god . ". "Dear Lord ". There was a Gate so huge that it blocked out the sky to cast an enormous shade onto the ground below The people below saw this common-sense-shattering Gate that easily matched a regular skyscraper in sheer size, and fell deep into the state of indescribable shock " ". " . ". The avenue once bustling with overflowing people was now being gripped tighter and tighter by a silence so wretched that it almost induced some of the witnesses to start vomiting ***. The atmosphere in the Japanese Prime Minister''s official residence was rather poor, as well Slam!. The Prime Minister couldn''t hold back his rising tide of anger and threw the remote control hard at the TV busy showing the breaking news "P-Prime Minister!". His adjutants hurriedly got up, but they shut their mouths and sat back down once the Prime Minister''s dagger-like eyes landed on them "Why isn''t the Hunter''s Association saying anything?". The President of the Japanese Hunter''s Association, Matsumoto Shigeo, weakly lowered his head . He had become a lot more haggard ever since returning from his trip to South Korea The Prime Minister''s expression hardened "God d*mn it ". Something that horrifying had appeared in the middle of Tokyo, yet the Association who should be in charge of such things, were keeping their mouths shut?!. "A rank S Gate has appeared right in the heart of Tokyo! But, do you think it makes any sort of sense for the Association to not have a single countermeasure in place? How??". The Prime Minister cried out in anguish Unfortunately for him, everyone present kept their mouths shut as if they had agreed to do so beforehand . The Prime Minister''s expression crumpled unsightly, like a man carrying the weight of all the suffering found in this world, before he collapsed down onto his chair "Be honest with me, Association President . ". He then pointed at the cracked TV screen "What will happen if that thing opens up on us?". " . It''ll be the end, sir . ". As he thought ¨C the Prime Minister hugged his head and muttered out helplessly "So, that''s how it is . Just one Gate, and the city of Tokyo is finished, is that it?". "That''s not what I''m saying, Prime Minister . ". " ?". The Prime Minister raised his head to look, and Association President Matsumoto Shigeo continued on with an emotionless voice "I meant to say that the entirety of Japan will be finished, sir . ". < Chapter 150 > Fin Chapter 151 "Somewhere . . . . private??" Embarrassment began dyeing Cha Hae-In''s expression beet red as she took a look around where they were . Jin-Woo''s own expression hardened as well . ''How come all the buildings around here are so . . . . '' Indeed, they were now in a location where everything around them was ill-suited for a pair of young people to casually walk in . Before this awkward situation could get any worse, Jin-Woo quickly came up with a solution . "You need to get your car anyway, so why don''t we go back to our Guild office?" "Ah, yes . " Nod, nod . He briefly thought that her nodding like that with a reddened face was rather adorable to look at . But still, he quickly turned around in the direction of the office . "Shall we?" "Okay . " Jin-Woo began retracing the path he and Cha Hae-In took and was reminded of the fact that she was indeed a rank S Hunter like him . ''Wow, we really did run far, didn''t we?'' Although it felt like only a brief moment for him, they needed ten minutes of regular walking just get back to his office . The Guild office was located on the third floor . Jin-Woo placed his thumb on the electronic lock, and the door clicked open to allow them inside . He was about to head straight into the conference room, but then, he had to stop in his treks and take a look behind him, at Cha Hae-In still standing by the doorway . " . . . . . ?" Jin-Woo stared at her with eyes asking "Aren''t you coming in?" which prompted her to ask back at him, instead . "Isn''t it too dark inside?" " . . . . Ah . " Only then did Jin-Woo realise that the interior of the office was pitch-black . His vision wasn''t hindered by regular levels of darkness, so stuff like this would happen every once in a while . As for Hunter Cha, maybe she wasn''t as good with darkness as he was . Click . He flipped the switch and the interior was brightly lit up . She took a look inside the illuminated interior and cautiously asked him again . "There is no one in the office?" "The Vice-Chair wanted to remain behind in the Gate''s location, you see . " "Could there be only two people in this Gui . . . " Cha Hae-In stopped her words there and quickly shook her head when she saw Jin-Woo and his expression that said, "So, what''s the problem with that?" " . . . . . No, it''s nothing . " Cha Hae-In was very quickly coming to an understanding that the common sense of the world didn''t seem to apply to the man in front of her eyes . ''Hold on . '' Her steps taking her into the Guild office suddenly came to an abrupt halt . ''Doesn''t that mean there are only me and Mister Seong Jin-Woo inside this Guild building??'' The light of tension quickly filled up Cha Hae-In''s eyes . At the same time, she also realised that it''d been a while since she felt this tense as well . ''Maybe, it''s my first time since becoming an Awakened . . . . '' How many men out there in this world were capable of making her feel this tense? Especially when she was acknowledged to be one of the highest levelled among the ranked S Hunters, at that? For some reason, the words of ''somewhere private'' kept repeating in her head and she became even more conscious of herself because of that . Her heart was palpitating faster and faster . She began giggling then, suddenly thinking that she was no longer acting like a rank S Hunter, but like a regular girl now . "Keuk, keuk . " Jin-Woo gazed at Cha Hae-In trying hard to suppress her giggles and tilted his head . ''Is it that funny to have only two employees in a Guild?'' But, then again, she was a part of the top Guild in South Korea, so from her perspective, this arrangement must''ve come across as totally inconceivable . So, Jin-Woo stopped paying any mind to that and entered the conference suite . He made her sit close by and settled down on the opposing chair . He started talking only after the air in the conference suite felt a bit more familiar to both of them . "Please tell me . What happened?" Just those simple words were enough to change the atmosphere within the suite completely . "How is it possible for Hunter Min Byung-Gu to leave you with messages for me?" Jin-Woo''s expression was serious . He didn''t know her all that well, but still, he got the impression that she wasn''t a type to start spewing baseless lies just to get some attention . That was why he became so much more serious now . " . . . " Either she needed some time to recall her sleeping memories, or didn''t know where to begin her tale, because she needed a bit of time before she was ready to open lips . "That day . . . . . " Cha Hae-In finally raised her head and looked deeply into his eyes . Her gentle eyes were now filled to the brim with tears . When Jin-Woo saw her expression, he thought he could more or less tell where she''d start her story . She quietly spoke . "I heard his voice . " *** Cha Hae-In was getting sucked deeper into the unending darkness, but it was none other than the hand of Min Byung-Gu reaching down to stop her falling . "Min Byung-Gu . . . . Hunter-nim?" Min Byung-Gu slowly nodded his head . Cha Hae-In had to confirm that it was him multiple times because he was currently decked out in unfamiliar black armour . If it weren''t for his uncovered face, she''d never have figured out that it was him . Cha Hae-In asked him in confusion . "Where . . . . Where are we?" "I don''t know myself, but I do know what will happen if I let go of the hand holding you . " Cha Hae-In was about to take a look below her, but Min Byung-Gu hurriedly stopped her . "Don''t look!!" "Excuse me??" Cha Hae-In got startled and she quickly looked up at him . Min Byung-Gu explained to her with a sombre look on his face . "If you look down there, you might not be able to come back up again . " As he said those words, she got to read a certain emotion that almost felt like a longing of some kind within his eyes . ''No, it can''t be . . . . '' She began recalling the scene taking place seconds before she lost consciousness . The Jeju Island raid . The ant queen . And then, the sudden appearance of a truly terrifying mutated ant monster . She sensed a scary something approaching her, and then, the darkness came over her . "Did I . . . Am I dead?" Min Byung-Gu shook his head . "No, not yet . " "But then, what about you, Min Byung-Gu Hunter-nim?" He didn''t reply . Instead, Min Byung-Gu stopped her line of questioning there . "We don''t have much time left, so allow me to get to the point . " This was likely his one and only chance . If he missed it, then he''d never be able to get this message across . Min Byung-Gu''s expression became urgent, pleading even, as he spoke to her . "Please pass this message to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . " ''Seong Jin-Woo . . . . ?'' Cha Hae-In could only briefly stew in her confusion arising from that name unexpectedly being mentioned here . Min Byung-Gu carried on . "You must tell him that he needs to be careful with the power he possesses . " "What, what do you mean by that?" "You must''ve noticed it by now, but I''ve already died once . I fell to the bottom of this place, but someone pulled me back up . He pulled me back out of this endless darkness . " "Could it be that man is . . . . ?" "Yes, it was Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . " Cha Hae-In''s eyes began quaking powerfully now . Even if Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was ridiculously overpowered, was he really powerful enough to revive a dead person?? However, Min Byung-Gu continued to recount the experience he had gone through without holding anything back . "Truth is, even though it was indeed I that got revived, that wasn''t really me, either . I possessed my will and my consciousness, but I was also prepared to do anything for him . . . . It felt like I have become an unquestioning, unconditional slave only existing to serve him and nothing else . " There was no reason for Cha Hae-In to ask who this ''he'' was in Min Byung-Gu''s explanations . She swallowed her nervous saliva . "I was scared as well, because the mere idea of serving him made me feel so happy . " Min Byung-Gu formed a bitter expression . "You must let Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim know this . " His expression then hardened into a sombre one . "His powers are absolute, and it was incredibly scary . He needs to know this, as well . " However, what was even more horrifying than that was . . . His expression now shifted to the one of sheer terror as he recalled the memories of only a few moments ago . As he stood up from the ground after becoming the new Shadow Soldier through Hunter Seong''s command, he got to see the welcoming cheers of the countless black-armoured soldiers lining up behind Jin-Woo . Their numbers were in the tens of thousands . No, millions . As if they were faithfully waiting for the commands of their Sovereign, the innumerable number of soldiers were ''hiding'' quietly behind Jin-Woo . And when Min Byung-Gu''s gaze met the eyes of their general standing before them, he lost all his sense of self and Cha Hae-In''s lying body filled up his view, instead . He already knew what he needed to do by then . Not only that, he also understood that there was something else he had to do on top of saving her . And that would be letting Hunter Seong Jin-Woo know of how terrifying the power sleeping within him was . In that brief moment when his mind was connected to Jin-Woo''s, Min Byung-Gu got to see the true identity of that power ¨C as well as the extent of his true army . He sensed that his time was rapidly running out and shouted at her . "You must remember!! The real army of Hunter Seong is . . . . . " It was then . A blinding light came from somewhere above and enveloped Cha Hae-In . Min Byung-Gu''s expression stiffened . "His real army is . . . . !!" Unfortunately, his voice was buried within the empty echoes, and it flickered dimmer and dimmer, eventually sinking deep into the void below . *** " . . . . " That was as far as Cha Hae-In could remember . Her memories had become faint and indistinct like a fading dream, but they somehow managed to return to her not too long ago . Jin-Woo''s expression was understandably heavy after hearing her tale . ''Her consciousness seconds before dying met with that of Hunter Min Byung-Gu''s, who actually did die and became a Shadow Soldier??'' It was a truly hard-to-believe story . Was it possible that her subconscious mind created a false memory with the stuff she picked up from the surroundings, all because she received a heavy mental trauma after facing the imminent threat of death? Jin-Woo raised this point with her, and she replied with these following words . "Yes, I also thought that could be a possibility . " Why wouldn''t Cha Hae-In consider such a possibility? That was why she found herself in a deep dilemma over the last few days, before she finally worked up enough courage to tell him about the message . Jin-Woo nodded his head in understanding . He then pushed forward his phone towards her . "Let me give you my number . In case you remember anything else, please, can you give me a call right away?" Cha Hae-In nodded her head . "Yes . If I do, I''ll contact you immediately . " Her complexion seemed to have brightened just a tad now . *** Japan immediately sent out requests for help to the international community . As they had lost over half of their combat force ranked S, this somewhat rapid decision had an air of inevitability to it . Unfortunately, the international community''s attitude was rather icy, to say the least . Japan wilfully ignored the dangerous situation developing in the neighbouring nation of Korea . But then, the Japanese got all worked up about putting out the fire only after the flames landed on their feet . The international community hadn''t forgotten that . The Japanese were left baffled and lost after the United States, already well known for never, ever letting their rank S Hunters work overseas, as well as the most powerful Hunter nation in Asia, China, abandoned them to their devices . [The USA abandons Japan . ] [Will China do nothing and let the destruction of Japan happen?] [The Tokyo Gate: two days since its appearance . The remaining time is . . . . ] [What will Korea choose to do?] The world''s attention began focusing on Japan; sensational articles were being published every single day . It was at precisely at this point that a lone Hunter extended his hands of salvation towards the Japanese public being overwhelmed by despair and terror . His name was Yuri Orlov, a rank S Hunter of Russian nationality . In order to negotiate the terms with the Japanese government, he invited over the related representatives to his place . The Japanese Hunter''s Association President Matsumoto Shigeo jumped aboard a plane taking him to the Russian Federation at the first chance he got . Yuri Orlov didn''t even bother to greet the Japanese representatives at the airport and instead, received them in the living room of his palace-like mansion . "My name is Matsumoto Shigeo . " A middle-aged blonde Caucasian man arrogantly greeted back . "I''m Yuri Orlov . You should probably know this by now, but I''m called the best Support-type Hunter in the world . " After that brief introduction, the two men settled down on the opposite side . Yuri Orlov had asked for all the related data concerning the Tokyo Gate before this meeting . After getting his hands on those files, he began to leisurely browse them . And so, how much time passed by like this? He kept nodding his head as he calculated the cost, and eventually opened his mouth to name his price . "Ten million US Dollars per day . You pay me the money properly on time, and I will block the Gate for you for as long as you want . " (TL note at the end) Ten million per day?? The Japanese representatives almost flew into rage from that outrageous price, but Matsumoto Shigeo didn''t . He raised his hands and gestured them to calm down, prompting the flinching Japanese Hunters to settle back down in their seats . "Looks like I can hold a civilised conversation with you . " Yuri Orlov grinned, his gold-plated teeth now on full display . "3 . 6 billion in a year . That money will save your nation . It''s not even 36 billion, either . So, how about it? Will you save your country with 10 million per day, or will you give up on your country because you think that''s a waste of money?" Officially, the wealth of the richest man alive was supposed to be just over 100 billion US Dollars . So, 3 . 6 billion per year was definitely not a small sum by any stretch of the imagination . ''But, when compared to the nation of Japan, it truly is a negligible amount . '' Matsumoto Shigeo had come to a decision and opened his mouth . "We are willing to pay you that amount . " "Very good . Then, let''s sign the contract right now, and my signing fee . . . . " "But before we do that," Yuri Orlov was busy ordering his underling to bring along the contract, but he stopped and took a long hard look at Matsumoto Shigeo . " . . . . ?" Even though he was being subjected to that blatantly criticising glare, Matsumoto Shigeo remained collected as he carried on . "Please, can you demonstrate your abilities to us, at least once . " Yuri Orlov heard the translation from the interpreter and began guffawing out right away . "Euhahahahahahat!!" He laughed his head off until tears came out of his eyes . He eventually collected himself enough to speak up . "You think you''re in any position to get picky here? When licking my boots and pleading on your knees might not even be enough?" It was then - two Japanese rank S Hunters tasked with guarding Matsumoto Shigeo during this trip to Russia could no longer endure this insult and shot up from their seats . "Stop, you two!!" Matsumoto hurriedly shouted out, but it was too late; the eyes of the two rank S Hunters were burning in rage and they weren''t backing down . However . . . . Thud! Thud, thud!! The rank S Hunters did try to make their moves but, as if they were stuck behind invisible walls, couldn''t even budge an inch from the spot . They were like rats trapped inside a glass bottle, only being able to exchange shocked glances with each other . Yuri Orlov cackled again while looking at the two men . "Free yourselves if you can, alright? But then, you won''t be able to move a single foot without my permission . " Yuri Orlov was the ''master'' of placing barriers . Not just the two trapped rank S Hunters, but even Matsumoto Shigeo couldn''t hide their shock from this development . The corners of Yuri Orlov''s lips arched up as he made his offer again . "For the price of ten million per day, I''ll block the Gate for you, plus I shall add the lives of these two morons on top, as well . So, how about it? Isn''t this enough to satisfy you now?" His teeth reflected the living room''s light and glittered in gold . He had just demonstrated the power of his restrictions that could tie up two rank S Hunters as if they were nothing much at all . ''Is trusting this man the best option we have at this point . . . . ?'' Matsumoto Shigeo''s head slowly bobbed up and down . "May I use the phone for a little while?" "But, of course . " And on the following day . The name of Yuri Orlov filled up the news broadcasts from all over the world . < Chapter 151 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 151: Chapter 151 . "Somewhere private??". Embarrassment began dyeing Cha Hae-In''s expression beet red as she took a look around where they were . Jin-Woo''s own expression hardened as well ''How come all the buildings around here are so ''. Indeed, they were now in a location where everything around them was ill-suited for a pair of young people to casually walk in Before this awkward situation could get any worse, Jin-Woo quickly came up with a solution "You need to get your car anyway, so why don''t we go back to our Guild office?". "Ah, yes . ". Nod, nod He briefly thought that her nodding like that with a reddened face was rather adorable to look at . But still, he quickly turned around in the direction of the office "Shall we?". "Okay . ". Jin-Woo began retracing the path he and Cha Hae-In took and was reminded of the fact that she was indeed a rank S Hunter like him ''Wow, we really did run far, didn''t we?''. Although it felt like only a brief moment for him, they needed ten minutes of regular walking just get back to his office The Guild office was located on the third floor . Jin-Woo placed his thumb on the electronic lock, and the door clicked open to allow them inside He was about to head straight into the conference room, but then, he had to stop in his treks and take a look behind him, at Cha Hae-In still standing by the doorway " . ?". Jin-Woo stared at her with eyes asking "Aren''t you coming in?" which prompted her to ask back at him, instead "Isn''t it too dark inside?". " Ah . ". Only then did Jin-Woo realise that the interior of the office was pitch-black His vision wasn''t hindered by regular levels of darkness, so stuff like this would happen every once in a while . As for Hunter Cha, maybe she wasn''t as good with darkness as he was Click He flipped the switch and the interior was brightly lit up . She took a look inside the illuminated interior and cautiously asked him again "There is no one in the office?". "The Vice-Chair wanted to remain behind in the Gate''s location, you see . ". "Could there be only two people in this Gui . ". Cha Hae-In stopped her words there and quickly shook her head when she saw Jin-Woo and his expression that said, "So, what''s the problem with that?". " . No, it''s nothing . ". Cha Hae-In was very quickly coming to an understanding that the common sense of the world didn''t seem to apply to the man in front of her eyes ''Hold on . ''. Her steps taking her into the Guild office suddenly came to an abrupt halt ''Doesn''t that mean there are only me and Mister Seong Jin-Woo inside this Guild building??''. The light of tension quickly filled up Cha Hae-In''s eyes . At the same time, she also realised that it''d been a while since she felt this tense as well ''Maybe, it''s my first time since becoming an Awakened ''. How many men out there in this world were capable of making her feel this tense? Especially when she was acknowledged to be one of the highest levelled among the ranked S Hunters, at that?. For some reason, the words of ''somewhere private'' kept repeating in her head and she became even more conscious of herself because of that . Her heart was palpitating faster and faster She began giggling then, suddenly thinking that she was no longer acting like a rank S Hunter, but like a regular girl now "Keuk, keuk . ". Jin-Woo gazed at Cha Hae-In trying hard to suppress her giggles and tilted his head ''Is it that funny to have only two employees in a Guild?''. But, then again, she was a part of the top Guild in South Korea, so from her perspective, this arrangement must''ve come across as totally inconceivable So, Jin-Woo stopped paying any mind to that and entered the conference suite . He made her sit close by and settled down on the opposing chair He started talking only after the air in the conference suite felt a bit more familiar to both of them "Please tell me . What happened?". Just those simple words were enough to change the atmosphere within the suite completely "How is it possible for Hunter Min Byung-Gu to leave you with messages for me?". Jin-Woo''s expression was serious . He didn''t know her all that well, but still, he got the impression that she wasn''t a type to start spewing baseless lies just to get some attention That was why he became so much more serious now " . ". Either she needed some time to recall her sleeping memories, or didn''t know where to begin her tale, because she needed a bit of time before she was ready to open lips "That day . ". Cha Hae-In finally raised her head and looked deeply into his eyes . Her gentle eyes were now filled to the brim with tears . When Jin-Woo saw her expression, he thought he could more or less tell where she''d start her story She quietly spoke "I heard his voice . ". ***. Cha Hae-In was getting sucked deeper into the unending darkness, but it was none other than the hand of Min Byung-Gu reaching down to stop her falling "Min Byung-Gu Hunter-nim?". Min Byung-Gu slowly nodded his head Cha Hae-In had to confirm that it was him multiple times because he was currently decked out in unfamiliar black armour . If it weren''t for his uncovered face, she''d never have figured out that it was him Cha Hae-In asked him in confusion "Where Where are we?". "I don''t know myself, but I do know what will happen if I let go of the hand holding you . ". Cha Hae-In was about to take a look below her, but Min Byung-Gu hurriedly stopped her "Don''t look!!". "Excuse me??". Cha Hae-In got startled and she quickly looked up at him . Min Byung-Gu explained to her with a sombre look on his face "If you look down there, you might not be able to come back up again . ". As he said those words, she got to read a certain emotion that almost felt like a longing of some kind within his eyes ''No, it can''t be ''. She began recalling the scene taking place seconds before she lost consciousness The Jeju Island raid The ant queen And then, the sudden appearance of a truly terrifying mutated ant monster She sensed a scary something approaching her, and then, the darkness came over her "Did I . Am I dead?". Min Byung-Gu shook his head "No, not yet . ". "But then, what about you, Min Byung-Gu Hunter-nim?". He didn''t reply . Instead, Min Byung-Gu stopped her line of questioning there "We don''t have much time left, so allow me to get to the point . ". This was likely his one and only chance . If he missed it, then he''d never be able to get this message across . Min Byung-Gu''s expression became urgent, pleading even, as he spoke to her "Please pass this message to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ". ''Seong Jin-Woo ?''. Cha Hae-In could only briefly stew in her confusion arising from that name unexpectedly being mentioned here . Min Byung-Gu carried on "You must tell him that he needs to be careful with the power he possesses . ". "What, what do you mean by that?". "You must''ve noticed it by now, but I''ve already died once . I fell to the bottom of this place, but someone pulled me back up . He pulled me back out of this endless darkness . ". "Could it be that man is ?". "Yes, it was Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ". Cha Hae-In''s eyes began quaking powerfully now . Even if Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was ridiculously overpowered, was he really powerful enough to revive a dead person??. However, Min Byung-Gu continued to recount the experience he had gone through without holding anything back "Truth is, even though it was indeed I that got revived, that wasn''t really me, either . I possessed my will and my consciousness, but I was also prepared to do anything for him It felt like I have become an unquestioning, unconditional slave only existing to serve him and nothing else . ". There was no reason for Cha Hae-In to ask who this ''he'' was in Min Byung-Gu''s explanations . She swallowed her nervous saliva "I was scared as well, because the mere idea of serving him made me feel so happy . ". Min Byung-Gu formed a bitter expression "You must let Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim know this . ". His expression then hardened into a sombre one "His powers are absolute, and it was incredibly scary . He needs to know this, as well . ". However, what was even more horrifying than that was His expression now shifted to the one of sheer terror as he recalled the memories of only a few moments ago As he stood up from the ground after becoming the new Shadow Soldier through Hunter Seong''s command, he got to see the welcoming cheers of the countless black-armoured soldiers lining up behind Jin-Woo Their numbers were in the tens of thousands . No, millions As if they were faithfully waiting for the commands of their Sovereign, the innumerable number of soldiers were ''hiding'' quietly behind Jin-Woo And when Min Byung-Gu''s gaze met the eyes of their general standing before them, he lost all his sense of self and Cha Hae-In''s lying body filled up his view, instead . He already knew what he needed to do by then Not only that, he also understood that there was something else he had to do on top of saving her . And that would be letting Hunter Seong Jin-Woo know of how terrifying the power sleeping within him was In that brief moment when his mind was connected to Jin-Woo''s, Min Byung-Gu got to see the true identity of that power ¨C as well as the extent of his true army He sensed that his time was rapidly running out and shouted at her "You must remember!! The real army of Hunter Seong is . ". It was then A blinding light came from somewhere above and enveloped Cha Hae-In . Min Byung-Gu''s expression stiffened "His real army is !!". Unfortunately, his voice was buried within the empty echoes, and it flickered dimmer and dimmer, eventually sinking deep into the void below ***. " ". That was as far as Cha Hae-In could remember . Her memories had become faint and indistinct like a fading dream, but they somehow managed to return to her not too long ago Jin-Woo''s expression was understandably heavy after hearing her tale ''Her consciousness seconds before dying met with that of Hunter Min Byung-Gu''s, who actually did die and became a Shadow Soldier??''. It was a truly hard-to-believe story Was it possible that her subconscious mind created a false memory with the stuff she picked up from the surroundings, all because she received a heavy mental trauma after facing the imminent threat of death?. Jin-Woo raised this point with her, and she replied with these following words "Yes, I also thought that could be a possibility . ". Why wouldn''t Cha Hae-In consider such a possibility? That was why she found herself in a deep dilemma over the last few days, before she finally worked up enough courage to tell him about the message Jin-Woo nodded his head in understanding . He then pushed forward his phone towards her "Let me give you my number . In case you remember anything else, please, can you give me a call right away?". Cha Hae-In nodded her head "Yes . If I do, I''ll contact you immediately . ". Her complexion seemed to have brightened just a tad now ***. Japan immediately sent out requests for help to the international community As they had lost over half of their combat force ranked S, this somewhat rapid decision had an air of inevitability to it Unfortunately, the international community''s attitude was rather icy, to say the least Japan wilfully ignored the dangerous situation developing in the neighbouring nation of Korea . But then, the Japanese got all worked up about putting out the fire only after the flames landed on their feet The international community hadn''t forgotten that The Japanese were left baffled and lost after the United States, already well known for never, ever letting their rank S Hunters work overseas, as well as the most powerful Hunter nation in Asia, China, abandoned them to their devices [The USA abandons Japan . ]. [Will China do nothing and let the destruction of Japan happen?]. [The Tokyo Gate: two days since its appearance . The remaining time is ]. [What will Korea choose to do?]. The world''s attention began focusing on Japan; sensational articles were being published every single day It was at precisely at this point that a lone Hunter extended his hands of salvation towards the Japanese public being overwhelmed by despair and terror His name was Yuri Orlov, a rank S Hunter of Russian nationality In order to negotiate the terms with the Japanese government, he invited over the related representatives to his place . The Japanese Hunter''s Association President Matsumoto Shigeo jumped aboard a plane taking him to the Russian Federation at the first chance he got Yuri Orlov didn''t even bother to greet the Japanese representatives at the airport and instead, received them in the living room of his palace-like mansion "My name is Matsumoto Shigeo . ". A middle-aged blonde Caucasian man arrogantly greeted back "I''m Yuri Orlov . You should probably know this by now, but I''m called the best Support-type Hunter in the world . ". After that brief introduction, the two men settled down on the opposite side Yuri Orlov had asked for all the related data concerning the Tokyo Gate before this meeting . After getting his hands on those files, he began to leisurely browse them And so, how much time passed by like this?. He kept nodding his head as he calculated the cost, and eventually opened his mouth to name his price "Ten million US Dollars per day . You pay me the money properly on time, and I will block the Gate for you for as long as you want . " (TL note at the end). Ten million per day??. The Japanese representatives almost flew into rage from that outrageous price, but Matsumoto Shigeo didn''t . He raised his hands and gestured them to calm down, prompting the flinching Japanese Hunters to settle back down in their seats "Looks like I can hold a civilised conversation with you . ". Yuri Orlov grinned, his gold-plated teeth now on full display "3 . 6 billion in a year . That money will save your nation . It''s not even 36 billion, either . So, how about it? Will you save your country with 10 million per day, or will you give up on your country because you think that''s a waste of money?". Officially, the wealth of the richest man alive was supposed to be just over 100 billion US Dollars . So, 3 . 6 billion per year was definitely not a small sum by any stretch of the imagination ''But, when compared to the nation of Japan, it truly is a negligible amount . ''. Matsumoto Shigeo had come to a decision and opened his mouth "We are willing to pay you that amount . ". "Very good . Then, let''s sign the contract right now, and my signing fee ". "But before we do that,". Yuri Orlov was busy ordering his underling to bring along the contract, but he stopped and took a long hard look at Matsumoto Shigeo " ?". Even though he was being subjected to that blatantly criticising glare, Matsumoto Shigeo remained collected as he carried on "Please, can you demonstrate your abilities to us, at least once . ". Yuri Orlov heard the translation from the interpreter and began guffawing out right away "Euhahahahahahat!!". He laughed his head off until tears came out of his eyes . He eventually collected himself enough to speak up "You think you''re in any position to get picky here? When licking my boots and pleading on your knees might not even be enough?". It was then - two Japanese rank S Hunters tasked with guarding Matsumoto Shigeo during this trip to Russia could no longer endure this insult and shot up from their seats "Stop, you two!!". Matsumoto hurriedly shouted out, but it was too late; the eyes of the two rank S Hunters were burning in rage and they weren''t backing down However . Thud!. Thud, thud!!. The rank S Hunters did try to make their moves but, as if they were stuck behind invisible walls, couldn''t even budge an inch from the spot . They were like rats trapped inside a glass bottle, only being able to exchange shocked glances with each other Yuri Orlov cackled again while looking at the two men "Free yourselves if you can, alright? But then, you won''t be able to move a single foot without my permission . ". Yuri Orlov was the ''master'' of placing barriers . Not just the two trapped rank S Hunters, but even Matsumoto Shigeo couldn''t hide their shock from this development . The corners of Yuri Orlov''s lips arched up as he made his offer again "For the price of ten million per day, I''ll block the Gate for you, plus I shall add the lives of these two morons on top, as well . So, how about it? Isn''t this enough to satisfy you now?". His teeth reflected the living room''s light and glittered in gold He had just demonstrated the power of his restrictions that could tie up two rank S Hunters as if they were nothing much at all ''Is trusting this man the best option we have at this point ?''. Matsumoto Shigeo''s head slowly bobbed up and down "May I use the phone for a little while?". "But, of course . ". And on the following day The name of Yuri Orlov filled up the news broadcasts from all over the world < Chapter 151 > Fin Chapter 152 The first thing Jin-Woo did after he got home was to bring up his Status Window . ''Stat Window . '' What he wanted to check out was the newly updated info on his Skills . His gaze scrolled past his current level, his Class and Title, and eventually arrived at the Skill Window . [Skills] Passive Skills - (Unknown) Lv . MAX - Tenacity Lv . 1 - Master of Shortsword Lv . MAX Active Skills - Quicksilver Lv . MAX - Intimidation Lv . 2 - Violent Slash Lv . MAX - Dagger Rush Lv . MAX - Stealth Lv . 2 - Ruler''s Reach Lv . MAX Almost all of his bountiful skills displayed in the Skill Window had reached their level limit and evolved into their ultimate forms, or were about to evolve into one . The level cap for a skill was 3 . And when a skill reached the level cap, the number would change to ''MAX'' and stopped rising any further than that . However, if he continued to increase his proficiency with the skills, they would eventually evolve into their ultimate versions . The gap between the skill''s effectiveness before and after its evolution was noticeably huge . The skill ''Dash'' had evolved into ''Quicksilver'' . The skill ''Vital Points Targetting'' had evolved into ''Violent Slash'' . And ''Dagger Throw'' had morphed into ''Dagger Rush'' . Even the passive skill that aided with handling daggers and shortswords, ''High-Grade Dagger Technique'', had evolved into ''Master of Shortsword'' . The result of that last evolution was something like this . Jin-Woo summoned ''Demon King''s Shortsword'' out and began manipulating it this way and that on his hand . He spun the weapon seamlessly around his index finger before letting it glide up to the palm of his hand . It then smoothly slithered around to the back of his hand . The near-acrobatic silky movements continued on for a little while, before he lightly tossed the weapon over his head and snatched it back in his grip . Jin-Woo slowly smacked his lips afterwards . ''What a pity that there is no one here to appreciate this . '' The shortsword felt like an extension of his own limb, and that was all due to the passive skill, ''Master of Shortsword'' . Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to the Skill Window while repeatedly tossing the shortsword up and down . ''So, ''Intimidation'' and ''Stealth'' are the only two with realistic chances of getting stronger, huh . '' Regretfully, there didn''t seem to be much room for the ''Tenacity'' skill to improve beyond level 1, where it had been stuck ever since he got the skill . But, that was inevitable, really . [Skill: Tenacity Lv . 1] Passive Skill . Mana required to activate: None . You possess untiring tenacity . When your stamina drops below 30%, this skill will automatically activate and reduce all damage received by 50% . ¡­ . Because, ''Tenacity'' was a skill that only activated when his stamina dropped below 30% . Obviously, he wouldn''t endanger his own life just to level up one of his skills, now would he? Also, Jin-Woo had experienced a fair number of close shaves after that passive skill became part of his arsenal . Even then, it hadn''t changed from being level 1, so that could only mean he''d need to go through an extraordinary situation just for a chance to upgrade this skill . Besides, Jin-Woo becoming far too strong also played a factor here . Just how many enemies out there could realistically drive him to a desperate corner now? All things considered, he had no choice but to forget about upgrading ''Tenacity'' altogether . He then decided to increase his proficiency with both ''Stealth'' and ''Intimidation'', the latter of which he hadn''t had a lot of chances to utilise until now and was stuck at level 2 as a result . Unlike ''Intimidation'', which was rather difficult to activate willy-nilly anywhere as he pleased, he could activate ''Stealth'' even when he was going through his daily routines . But, right now, Jin-Woo''s gaze was fixed to a spot up above those skills . ''Just what could this guy be?'' He was looking at the skill simply labelled as ''Unknown'' found within the passive skill list . This skill had been with him ever since he became the ''Player'' . But up until now, not even its basic information had been revealed to him . ''I thought it''d eventually disclose its secrets after a while, but . . . . '' Did this skill also require him to meet some kind of a condition to be unlocked as well? Because it was labelled ''MAX'' from the very beginning, he was really looking forward to finding out just what kind of skill it was, but this . . . . A lot of time had passed since those days, but his curiosity only managed to grow larger and larger in the meantime . ''¡­ . . . . . '' Jin-Woo continued to stare at the ''Unknown'' skill until he almost bore a hole right through it, but in the end, he shook his head in defeat . Besides, what he really wanted to confirm couldn''t be found within the regular Skill Window, anyway . No, they were right below it . Indeed, he wanted to check his Class-specific skills that had all gone up a level earlier in the day . [Class-specific Skills] Active Skill - Shadow Extraction Lv . 2 - Shadow Storage Lv . 2 - Sovereign''s Territory Lv . 2 - Shadow Exchange Lv . 2 ''So, what changed, and by how much?'' Jin-Woo took a closer look at the information on the skills, excluding ''Shadow Exchange'', which he had already taken a gander before . [Skill: Shadow Extraction] Class-specific skill . Required Mana to activate: None Creates a shadow soldier by extracting Mana from the recently deceased lifeform . The odds of extraction failure will rise higher depending on the target''s original Stat values, as well as the length of time since its death . Number of shadows that can be extracted: 590/1,300 Level 2 effect ''Boost'': Increases the odds of enhancing the Stats of the extracted shadow . Perhaps as a reward for such a tough levelling up process, the number of shadows he could extract had shot up to a shocking degree . ''The maximum number of shadows is now 1,300?!'' As long as his surroundings were filled with targets for Shadow Extraction, he''d be able to increase the number of his allies by well over double the current size . Not only that, there was the special added effect to consider as well, which raised the odds of the extracted shadows starting off at higher levels . ''So, that''s what it was . . . . '' The reason for the boss-level Naga ''Jima'' to start from level 13 was most likely due to this ''Boost'' effect . It wasn''t a coincidence at all . ''What would''ve happened if I possessed this Boost effect before I made Beru into a Shadow Soldier?'' Without a doubt, he might have gotten his hands on an even more terrifying monster . ''Heh, and the wise old ''they'' say that a man''s greed knows no bounds, didn''t they?'' Jin-Woo smirked softly to himself and confirmed the details of his other Class-specific skills one by one . The other two skills had also received a lot of enhancements, and a new, never-before-seen effect was added to each of them, as well . A wide grin settled on Jin-Woo''s lips as he read the explanations of his upgraded skills, ''Shadow Storage'' and ''Sovereign''s Territory'' . ''This is great . '' He closed the Skill Windows with a satisfied grin on his face . There was no doubt that his growth had slowed down recently . Even then, he still managed to keep moving forward, and when he thought about the fact that there was still more room for him to grow, his heart began pounding even harder . He wanted to climb even higher and higher . ''I don''t know where the summit is, but . . . . '' Every time he managed to reach and exceed his goals, his heart was filled with this indescribable happiness, a powerful bliss . Ba-thump, ba-thump!! Jin-Woo returned the shortsword back to Inventory and placed his hand quietly on his chest . Ba-thump, ba-thump . His heart issued pleasant noises as it continued to beat steadily . It was then, he abruptly remembered something else that happened earlier in the day . ''¡­ . . She said it was a scary power, didn''t she?'' He recalled the tale he heard from Cha Hae-In a few hours ago . Min Byung-Gu left a warning for him . He said that Jin-Woo was in possession of a scary power, and he needed to be circumspect about it . ''Was he talking about the System?'' Jin-Woo also was scared of the things happening to him initially as well . He felt fearful towards the System capable of creating all these unexplainable phenomena around him . However, his fears didn''t last for long . He adapted to the ways of the System in no time at all . And the System quickly became the single greatest tool he possessed . Sure, there were still far too many mysteries left unanswered, but that was about it, really . ''¡­ . . '' Jin-Woo''s gaze drifted towards the empty air in front of him . "Just what are you?" Of course, he didn''t get an answer in return . "I mean, isn''t it okay to tell me what''s going on already?" He quietly stared into the empty air as if he was expecting an answer to arrive, but rather obviously, nothing came . ''Inventory . '' Jin-Woo opened his storage to extract the black key . [Item: Key to the Karutenon temple] Rarity . . . . ¡­ . has been reached . Remaining time: 249:25:07 Here it was, the invitation sent out by the System . A week''s worth of time had flown by already, and only around 250 hours remained . ''What kind of answers will I find in that place?'' Half of him was filled with expectations . And the other half, deep curiosity . His heart rate that quietened down for a bit began beating faster again . Jin-Woo lifted his hand off his chest . His thoughts of doing everything he could during the remaining time hadn''t changed at all . He picked his phone up and quickly made a call . - "What can I do for you, hyung-nim?" Yu Jin-Ho replied in a cheerful voice over the phone . Jin-Woo wasted no time and got straight into the main topic . "Hey, Jin-Ho?" - "Yes, hyung-nim?" "You think we''ll be able to book every single high-ranking Gate opening up in our area from tomorrow onwards?" - "Just like back when we were booking all those rank C Gates, hyung-nim?" "Yeah, like that . " Yu Jin-Ho thought for a little while, before replying back with a bright-sounding voice . - "Got it, hyung-nim!" *** A huge crowd had gathered in the Japanese airport where the Russian rank S Hunter, Yuri Orlov, made his landing, and there was hardly any space left to even set a foot inside . The corners of Yuri Orlov''s lips arched up as he took in the sight of the massive throng of Japanese people coming to see him . On the other hand, the high-ranking members of the Japanese Hunter''s Association bringing the Russian home walked around with their heads lowered as if they were criminals going on a trial . ''The country lacking enough talented Hunters to stop a calamity by themselves, so they must borrow the strength of Hunters from another nation . '' Those words were what Japan used to ridicule South Korea only a few weeks ago . Yet, the exact same situation was playing itself out within the Japanese border now . The Association President Matsumoto Shigeo, as well as the Association''s representatives, recalled their own past indiscretion and couldn''t even dare to lift their heads up again . ''If only we didn''t lose our Hunters on Jeju Island . . . . '' Matsumoto Shigeo bit his lower lip . "It''s Yuri Orlov!!" "It''s him, Yuri!" The reporters from all corners of the world discovered Yuri Orlov''s triumphant figure and began madly snapping away with their cameras . Click, click, click, click, click, click-!! The Russian Hunter stood before them and formed a wide grin as if to proudly advertise his gold teeth . His entry procedure was taken care of in a flash . The first request Yuri Orlov received from the Japanese government was to assuage the fears of the country''s citizens . And he agreed to do the request easily enough . His nickname was the ''Saviour'' . This moniker came about because he had blocked up countless Gates on the brink of entering the dungeon break stage up until now . As for Yuri Orlov himself, he definitely didn''t shy away from this nickname which held the potential to earn him all the wealth and fame in the world . "Are you ready, Mister Yuri Orlov?" "Of course . " That evening, he was moved to a certain TV station for a live interview . It was quite obvious that the attention of the entire nation of Japan was focused on this broadcast . Once the proceedings got underway, the interviewer asked the Russian . "How will you block the Gate, Mister Yuri?" "In the same way that I''ve been doing until now, obviously . " Yuri Orlov''s expression was overflowing with relaxed, assured confidence . He raised both of his hands in the air and drew a large circle . "I''ll be creating a huge magic circle . Like so, around the Gate itself . " The screen changed for a brief moment to show the Gate in Shinjuku . And then, the 3D diagram of the magic circle was superimposed with the image of that massive Gate . "And then, everything will be finished after I pour my magic energy into it . Whatever is inside that Gate, they won''t be able to come out ever again . " Unfortunately, such a simple explanation wasn''t enough to calm the fears of the Japanese people . The interviewer tilted his head, looking unconvinced . "Pardon me, but . . . is that even possible?" Yuri Orlov''s brows twitched slightly . "What is?" The interviewer cautiously studied the Russian''s mood as he asked again . "Well, the claim of one rank S Hunter being able to block up an entire rank S Gate is . . . . Shall I say that, it''s a bit hard to believe?" Suddenly, Yuri Orlov began smirking derisively . The Russian Hunter was famed for his short fuse . So, the interviewer felt quite relieved inside when Yuri Orlov chuckled instead of flying directly into an enraged state . But at the same time, the Japanese interviewer became even more unnerved then before, wondering if he had inadvertently touched that man''s reverse scale . Fortunately enough, Yuri Orlov kept his smile . "If I were to continue spending my magic energy to maintain that barrier, then sure, even I wouldn''t be able to pull that off . " He wouldn''t be able to do it? Gulp . The interviewer swallowed his dry saliva . With the Japanese rank S Hunters having effectively announced their intentions to give up on the raid, if Yuri Orlov himself also decided to forget about the Gate, then there were no other solutions left for the Japanese people . The Russian took his time and enjoyed the sight of the stiff face of the interviewer before continuing on with his words . "However, the thing with my ability is . . . . The barrier magic circle I use absorbs magic energy from its surroundings to maintain itself . " " . . . . !!!" In an instant, the interviewer''s expression changed . "If that''s the case, then what did you mean when you said your own magic energy was needed . . . . ?" "It''s the same principal as switching on the ignition of a car . Once my barrier gets going, it will start absorbing the magic energy and become an even sturdier and bigger fortress wall . " A certain ray of light descended on the faces of the interviewer as well as the filming crew after they heard that explanation . Yuri Orlov''s leisurely voice was filled to the brim with undeniable self-confidence . And as if that confidence had begun spreading around like an infection, the Japanese TV crew felt their fears slowly melt away . According to his explanation, wouldn''t his barrier grow tougher and stronger when there was a great amount of magic energy present in the surroundings? There was no need to even mention the simple fact that the magic energy being emitted by a rank S Gate was absolutely enormous . So, what would happen when such a barrier was to wrap around a Gate of that magnitude? It''d get all tied up by its own power, that''s what . Where would anyone find a situation that better fit the idea of one falling into the trap it made itself? At this rate, the hardness of that barrier would become the greatest in the recorded history of mankind . Yuri Orlov pointed to the camera . He was probably pointing at the unspecified number of viewers at home with his finger . Thick veins bulged in his neck as he shouted out . "I will save all of you! So, all you have to do is to remember who is saving you!" *** Beep . The giant TV was switched off . The President of Korean Hunter''s Association, Goh Gun-Hui, put the TV remote down, but his expression wasn''t very good at all . Woo Jin-Cheol standing next to him asked . "What do you think, sir?" "I can''t be sure . " Goh Gun-Hui leaned against the couch, his expression now full of worry . He was different from his Japanese counterpart; he definitely wasn''t some low-rent villain who''d deride the misfortune of his neighbouring nation . Although, that didn''t mean he was willing to help them out while taking on the harsh cost his own nation might have to bear . He deliberated for a short while, before opening his mouth again . "I don''t know whether Yuri Orlov will be successful in blocking up that rank S Gate or not, but . . . . " The eyes of the Association President Goh Gun-Hui became a lot sharper . " . . . . But, I am well aware of what will happen if he fails in his task . " " . . . . . It''s such a relief, sir . " " . . . . . ?" Goh Gun-Hui looked up at Woo Jin-Cheol with a surprised face . Only then did the latter realise that his boss had misunderstood his words . Woo Jin-Cheol hurriedly waved around his hands . "I wasn''t referring to the situation in Japan, sir . But . . . . " Woo Jin-Cheol stopped for a second or two before finishing up his explanation . "Unlike how it is with the Japanese, I''m relieved by the fact that we have a Hunter we can wholly place our trust in . That''s what I meant, sir . " Nod, nod . Goh Gun-Hui nodded his head greatly . There was no need for him to specifically ask who that Hunter was, either . That Hunter''s presence alone imparted such a sense of security in him . "Oh, by the way . How goes it with Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim nowadays?" Woo Jin-Cheol wordlessly pushed forward a piece of printed document to his boss . On it, one could find the listed locations of all the high-ranking Gates that had appeared recently around the city of Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi province . "Why are you giving me this, all of a sudden . . . . ?" "Sir, can you see how many of the locations have been circled in red?" "Looks like it''s about half of all the dungeons . " Woo Jin-Cheol quickly wiped the cold sweat streaking down his forehead and replied . "Ah-Jin Guild wants the raid permits of all of the highlighted Gates, sir . " Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets . "These . . . . All of them?!" "Yes, sir . That''s correct . " < Chapter 152 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 152: Chapter 152 . The first thing Jin-Woo did after he got home was to bring up his Status Window ''Stat Window . ''. What he wanted to check out was the newly updated info on his Skills . His gaze scrolled past his current level, his Class and Title, and eventually arrived at the Skill Window [Skills]. Passive Skills. - (Unknown) Lv . MAX. - Tenacity Lv . 1. - Master of Shortsword Lv . MAX. Active Skills. - Quicksilver Lv . MAX. - Intimidation Lv . 2. - Violent Slash Lv . MAX. - Dagger Rush Lv . MAX. - Stealth Lv . 2. - Ruler''s Reach Lv . MAX. Almost all of his bountiful skills displayed in the Skill Window had reached their level limit and evolved into their ultimate forms, or were about to evolve into one The level cap for a skill was 3 . And when a skill reached the level cap, the number would change to ''MAX'' and stopped rising any further than that . However, if he continued to increase his proficiency with the skills, they would eventually evolve into their ultimate versions . The gap between the skill''s effectiveness before and after its evolution was noticeably huge The skill ''Dash'' had evolved into ''Quicksilver'' The skill ''Vital Points Targetting'' had evolved into ''Violent Slash'' And ''Dagger Throw'' had morphed into ''Dagger Rush'' Even the passive skill that aided with handling daggers and shortswords, ''High-Grade Dagger Technique'', had evolved into ''Master of Shortsword'' The result of that last evolution was something like this . Jin-Woo summoned ''Demon King''s Shortsword'' out and began manipulating it this way and that on his hand He spun the weapon seamlessly around his index finger before letting it glide up to the palm of his hand . It then smoothly slithered around to the back of his hand The near-acrobatic silky movements continued on for a little while, before he lightly tossed the weapon over his head and snatched it back in his grip . Jin-Woo slowly smacked his lips afterwards ''What a pity that there is no one here to appreciate this . ''. The shortsword felt like an extension of his own limb, and that was all due to the passive skill, ''Master of Shortsword'' Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to the Skill Window while repeatedly tossing the shortsword up and down ''So, ''Intimidation'' and ''Stealth'' are the only two with realistic chances of getting stronger, huh . ''. Regretfully, there didn''t seem to be much room for the ''Tenacity'' skill to improve beyond level 1, where it had been stuck ever since he got the skill . But, that was inevitable, really [Skill: Tenacity Lv . 1]. Passive Skill Mana required to activate: None You possess untiring tenacity . When your stamina drops below 30%, this skill will automatically activate and reduce all damage received by 50% ¡­ . Because, ''Tenacity'' was a skill that only activated when his stamina dropped below 30% . Obviously, he wouldn''t endanger his own life just to level up one of his skills, now would he?. Also, Jin-Woo had experienced a fair number of close shaves after that passive skill became part of his arsenal . Even then, it hadn''t changed from being level 1, so that could only mean he''d need to go through an extraordinary situation just for a chance to upgrade this skill Besides, Jin-Woo becoming far too strong also played a factor here . Just how many enemies out there could realistically drive him to a desperate corner now?. All things considered, he had no choice but to forget about upgrading ''Tenacity'' altogether He then decided to increase his proficiency with both ''Stealth'' and ''Intimidation'', the latter of which he hadn''t had a lot of chances to utilise until now and was stuck at level 2 as a result Unlike ''Intimidation'', which was rather difficult to activate willy-nilly anywhere as he pleased, he could activate ''Stealth'' even when he was going through his daily routines But, right now, Jin-Woo''s gaze was fixed to a spot up above those skills ''Just what could this guy be?''. He was looking at the skill simply labelled as ''Unknown'' found within the passive skill list This skill had been with him ever since he became the ''Player'' . But up until now, not even its basic information had been revealed to him ''I thought it''d eventually disclose its secrets after a while, but ''. Did this skill also require him to meet some kind of a condition to be unlocked as well? Because it was labelled ''MAX'' from the very beginning, he was really looking forward to finding out just what kind of skill it was, but this . A lot of time had passed since those days, but his curiosity only managed to grow larger and larger in the meantime ''¡­ . ''. Jin-Woo continued to stare at the ''Unknown'' skill until he almost bore a hole right through it, but in the end, he shook his head in defeat . Besides, what he really wanted to confirm couldn''t be found within the regular Skill Window, anyway No, they were right below it Indeed, he wanted to check his Class-specific skills that had all gone up a level earlier in the day [Class-specific Skills]. Active Skill. - Shadow Extraction Lv . 2. - Shadow Storage Lv . 2. - Sovereign''s Territory Lv . 2. - Shadow Exchange Lv . 2. ''So, what changed, and by how much?''. Jin-Woo took a closer look at the information on the skills, excluding ''Shadow Exchange'', which he had already taken a gander before [Skill: Shadow Extraction]. Class-specific skill Required Mana to activate: None. Creates a shadow soldier by extracting Mana from the recently deceased lifeform The odds of extraction failure will rise higher depending on the target''s original Stat values, as well as the length of time since its death Number of shadows that can be extracted: 590/1,300. Level 2 effect ''Boost'': Increases the odds of enhancing the Stats of the extracted shadow Perhaps as a reward for such a tough levelling up process, the number of shadows he could extract had shot up to a shocking degree ''The maximum number of shadows is now 1,300?!''. As long as his surroundings were filled with targets for Shadow Extraction, he''d be able to increase the number of his allies by well over double the current size . Not only that, there was the special added effect to consider as well, which raised the odds of the extracted shadows starting off at higher levels ''So, that''s what it was ''. The reason for the boss-level Naga ''Jima'' to start from level 13 was most likely due to this ''Boost'' effect . It wasn''t a coincidence at all ''What would''ve happened if I possessed this Boost effect before I made Beru into a Shadow Soldier?''. Without a doubt, he might have gotten his hands on an even more terrifying monster ''Heh, and the wise old ''they'' say that a man''s greed knows no bounds, didn''t they?''. Jin-Woo smirked softly to himself and confirmed the details of his other Class-specific skills one by one . The other two skills had also received a lot of enhancements, and a new, never-before-seen effect was added to each of them, as well A wide grin settled on Jin-Woo''s lips as he read the explanations of his upgraded skills, ''Shadow Storage'' and ''Sovereign''s Territory'' ''This is great . ''. He closed the Skill Windows with a satisfied grin on his face There was no doubt that his growth had slowed down recently . Even then, he still managed to keep moving forward, and when he thought about the fact that there was still more room for him to grow, his heart began pounding even harder He wanted to climb even higher and higher ''I don''t know where the summit is, but ''. Every time he managed to reach and exceed his goals, his heart was filled with this indescribable happiness, a powerful bliss Ba-thump, ba-thump!!. Jin-Woo returned the shortsword back to Inventory and placed his hand quietly on his chest Ba-thump, ba-thump His heart issued pleasant noises as it continued to beat steadily It was then, he abruptly remembered something else that happened earlier in the day ''¡­ She said it was a scary power, didn''t she?''. He recalled the tale he heard from Cha Hae-In a few hours ago Min Byung-Gu left a warning for him . He said that Jin-Woo was in possession of a scary power, and he needed to be circumspect about it ''Was he talking about the System?''. Jin-Woo also was scared of the things happening to him initially as well . He felt fearful towards the System capable of creating all these unexplainable phenomena around him However, his fears didn''t last for long He adapted to the ways of the System in no time at all . And the System quickly became the single greatest tool he possessed Sure, there were still far too many mysteries left unanswered, but that was about it, really ''¡­ ''. Jin-Woo''s gaze drifted towards the empty air in front of him "Just what are you?". Of course, he didn''t get an answer in return "I mean, isn''t it okay to tell me what''s going on already?". He quietly stared into the empty air as if he was expecting an answer to arrive, but rather obviously, nothing came ''Inventory . ''. Jin-Woo opened his storage to extract the black key [Item: Key to the Karutenon temple]. Rarity . ¡­ . has been reached Remaining time: 249:25:07. Here it was, the invitation sent out by the System A week''s worth of time had flown by already, and only around 250 hours remained ''What kind of answers will I find in that place?''. Half of him was filled with expectations . And the other half, deep curiosity . His heart rate that quietened down for a bit began beating faster again . Jin-Woo lifted his hand off his chest His thoughts of doing everything he could during the remaining time hadn''t changed at all . He picked his phone up and quickly made a call - "What can I do for you, hyung-nim?". Yu Jin-Ho replied in a cheerful voice over the phone . Jin-Woo wasted no time and got straight into the main topic "Hey, Jin-Ho?". - "Yes, hyung-nim?". "You think we''ll be able to book every single high-ranking Gate opening up in our area from tomorrow onwards?". - "Just like back when we were booking all those rank C Gates, hyung-nim?". "Yeah, like that . ". Yu Jin-Ho thought for a little while, before replying back with a bright-sounding voice - "Got it, hyung-nim!". ***. A huge crowd had gathered in the Japanese airport where the Russian rank S Hunter, Yuri Orlov, made his landing, and there was hardly any space left to even set a foot inside The corners of Yuri Orlov''s lips arched up as he took in the sight of the massive throng of Japanese people coming to see him On the other hand, the high-ranking members of the Japanese Hunter''s Association bringing the Russian home walked around with their heads lowered as if they were criminals going on a trial ''The country lacking enough talented Hunters to stop a calamity by themselves, so they must borrow the strength of Hunters from another nation . ''. Those words were what Japan used to ridicule South Korea only a few weeks ago . Yet, the exact same situation was playing itself out within the Japanese border now The Association President Matsumoto Shigeo, as well as the Association''s representatives, recalled their own past indiscretion and couldn''t even dare to lift their heads up again ''If only we didn''t lose our Hunters on Jeju Island ''. Matsumoto Shigeo bit his lower lip "It''s Yuri Orlov!!". "It''s him, Yuri!". The reporters from all corners of the world discovered Yuri Orlov''s triumphant figure and began madly snapping away with their cameras Click, click, click, click, click, click-!!. The Russian Hunter stood before them and formed a wide grin as if to proudly advertise his gold teeth His entry procedure was taken care of in a flash . The first request Yuri Orlov received from the Japanese government was to assuage the fears of the country''s citizens . And he agreed to do the request easily enough His nickname was the ''Saviour'' . This moniker came about because he had blocked up countless Gates on the brink of entering the dungeon break stage up until now As for Yuri Orlov himself, he definitely didn''t shy away from this nickname which held the potential to earn him all the wealth and fame in the world "Are you ready, Mister Yuri Orlov?". "Of course . ". That evening, he was moved to a certain TV station for a live interview . It was quite obvious that the attention of the entire nation of Japan was focused on this broadcast Once the proceedings got underway, the interviewer asked the Russian "How will you block the Gate, Mister Yuri?". "In the same way that I''ve been doing until now, obviously . ". Yuri Orlov''s expression was overflowing with relaxed, assured confidence . He raised both of his hands in the air and drew a large circle "I''ll be creating a huge magic circle . Like so, around the Gate itself . ". The screen changed for a brief moment to show the Gate in Shinjuku . And then, the 3D diagram of the magic circle was superimposed with the image of that massive Gate "And then, everything will be finished after I pour my magic energy into it . Whatever is inside that Gate, they won''t be able to come out ever again . ". Unfortunately, such a simple explanation wasn''t enough to calm the fears of the Japanese people . The interviewer tilted his head, looking unconvinced "Pardon me, but . is that even possible?". Yuri Orlov''s brows twitched slightly "What is?". The interviewer cautiously studied the Russian''s mood as he asked again "Well, the claim of one rank S Hunter being able to block up an entire rank S Gate is Shall I say that, it''s a bit hard to believe?". Suddenly, Yuri Orlov began smirking derisively The Russian Hunter was famed for his short fuse . So, the interviewer felt quite relieved inside when Yuri Orlov chuckled instead of flying directly into an enraged state . But at the same time, the Japanese interviewer became even more unnerved then before, wondering if he had inadvertently touched that man''s reverse scale Fortunately enough, Yuri Orlov kept his smile "If I were to continue spending my magic energy to maintain that barrier, then sure, even I wouldn''t be able to pull that off . ". He wouldn''t be able to do it?. Gulp The interviewer swallowed his dry saliva With the Japanese rank S Hunters having effectively announced their intentions to give up on the raid, if Yuri Orlov himself also decided to forget about the Gate, then there were no other solutions left for the Japanese people The Russian took his time and enjoyed the sight of the stiff face of the interviewer before continuing on with his words "However, the thing with my ability is The barrier magic circle I use absorbs magic energy from its surroundings to maintain itself . ". " !!!". In an instant, the interviewer''s expression changed "If that''s the case, then what did you mean when you said your own magic energy was needed ?". "It''s the same principal as switching on the ignition of a car . Once my barrier gets going, it will start absorbing the magic energy and become an even sturdier and bigger fortress wall . ". A certain ray of light descended on the faces of the interviewer as well as the filming crew after they heard that explanation Yuri Orlov''s leisurely voice was filled to the brim with undeniable self-confidence . And as if that confidence had begun spreading around like an infection, the Japanese TV crew felt their fears slowly melt away According to his explanation, wouldn''t his barrier grow tougher and stronger when there was a great amount of magic energy present in the surroundings?. There was no need to even mention the simple fact that the magic energy being emitted by a rank S Gate was absolutely enormous . So, what would happen when such a barrier was to wrap around a Gate of that magnitude?. It''d get all tied up by its own power, that''s what . Where would anyone find a situation that better fit the idea of one falling into the trap it made itself?. At this rate, the hardness of that barrier would become the greatest in the recorded history of mankind Yuri Orlov pointed to the camera . He was probably pointing at the unspecified number of viewers at home with his finger . Thick veins bulged in his neck as he shouted out "I will save all of you! So, all you have to do is to remember who is saving you!". ***. Beep The giant TV was switched off The President of Korean Hunter''s Association, Goh Gun-Hui, put the TV remote down, but his expression wasn''t very good at all . Woo Jin-Cheol standing next to him asked "What do you think, sir?". "I can''t be sure . ". Goh Gun-Hui leaned against the couch, his expression now full of worry . He was different from his Japanese counterpart; he definitely wasn''t some low-rent villain who''d deride the misfortune of his neighbouring nation Although, that didn''t mean he was willing to help them out while taking on the harsh cost his own nation might have to bear . He deliberated for a short while, before opening his mouth again "I don''t know whether Yuri Orlov will be successful in blocking up that rank S Gate or not, but ". The eyes of the Association President Goh Gun-Hui became a lot sharper " But, I am well aware of what will happen if he fails in his task . ". " . It''s such a relief, sir . ". " . ?". Goh Gun-Hui looked up at Woo Jin-Cheol with a surprised face . Only then did the latter realise that his boss had misunderstood his words . Woo Jin-Cheol hurriedly waved around his hands "I wasn''t referring to the situation in Japan, sir . But ". Woo Jin-Cheol stopped for a second or two before finishing up his explanation "Unlike how it is with the Japanese, I''m relieved by the fact that we have a Hunter we can wholly place our trust in . That''s what I meant, sir . ". Nod, nod Goh Gun-Hui nodded his head greatly . There was no need for him to specifically ask who that Hunter was, either . That Hunter''s presence alone imparted such a sense of security in him "Oh, by the way . How goes it with Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim nowadays?". Woo Jin-Cheol wordlessly pushed forward a piece of printed document to his boss On it, one could find the listed locations of all the high-ranking Gates that had appeared recently around the city of Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi province "Why are you giving me this, all of a sudden ?". "Sir, can you see how many of the locations have been circled in red?". "Looks like it''s about half of all the dungeons . ". Woo Jin-Cheol quickly wiped the cold sweat streaking down his forehead and replied "Ah-Jin Guild wants the raid permits of all of the highlighted Gates, sir . ". Goh Gun-Hui''s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets "These All of them?!". "Yes, sir . That''s correct . ". < Chapter 152 > Fin Chapter 153 Woo Jin-Cheol was among the very best within the Hunters ranked A, and could be considered the core fighting force of the Monitoring Division . There was no one within the Association, save for Goh Gun-Hui, who could win against him in a fight . He was that strong . However, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was capable of controlling not just one or two summoned creatures, but several hundreds of them at the same time, each one of them strong enough to shock someone of Woo Jin-Cheol''s calibre . In that case, a schedule like this one shouldn''t be seen as strange at all . However, why was he in such a hurry like this? ''H-mm . '' Deep frowns formed on Goh Gun-Hui''s forehead . If it were someone else, a different Hunter, then he''d pack his lunch and follow them around to dissuade them . He was even prepared to whip them until they changed their minds, but now . . . . ''But, I can''t imagine Hunter Seong Jin-Woo getting hurt inside measly rank A and B Gates at all . '' If he were to borrow Woo Jin-Cheol''s description from earlier, than wouldn''t it be ''pitying the monsters'', instead? Goh Gun-Hui smirked softly and nodded his head . "If there isn''t any serious problem, do as he wishes, please . " From the perspective of the Association President, he was thankful for the fact that there was a Hunter taking lead in subjugating monsters all on his own . Especially when that person was a powerful being who''d not get injured during the process, too . However, Woo Jin-Cheol apparently didn''t agree . "Sir, I believe it could lead to problems . " "You mean, his activity will overlap with the jurisdictions of other large Guilds, is that it?" "Yes, sir . " There were three major Guilds operating within the Seoul Capital Area: the White Tiger, the Hunters, and the Reapers . These three Guilds took care of high-ranking Gates that appeared within the districts they were in charge of . But, if Ah-Jin suddenly butted their heads in among them without notice and start expanding rapidly like this, then the three Guilds would obviously grow unhappy rather quickly . It''d be basically the same thing as old nails being driven out by a new one . ''They might end up in a conflict . '' That was Woo Jin-Cheol''s opinion and Goh Gun-Hui certainly agreed with that . Still, a smile floated up on the Association President''s lips . ''I thought President was on Seong Hunter-nim''s side?'' Woo Jin-Cheol formed a puzzled expression as he asked . " . . . . . Did you come up with a good idea, sir?" "No, not that . It''s just that, I can''t stop smiling when I think about how a newly established Guild with only three members and one combatant on their roster, have managed to exceed the major Guilds and are already coveting their territories like this . " "Ah . . . . . " Only then did Woo Jin-Cheol understand . "I agree, sir . " It was Goh Gun-Hui''s turn to ask, that smile still etched on his lips . "Did Ah-Jin provide an explanation on why they want to do this?" "They said that they have a personal reason and wants us to entrust them with the Gates nearby only for the next week or so, sir . " "A week, is it . . . . " During the Jeju Island raid, the Masters of the three major Guilds ended up owing their lives to Hunter Seong . It''d not be hard to get their understandings if it were only for a week . ''If there''s one thing that I''m still puzzled about, then it''d be . . . . '' That would have to be ''why Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was willing to put himself under such a strenuous schedule'' ¨C or, at least, when viewed from someone else''s perspective . ''It can''t be . . . about money . '' If he wanted wealth, then there were other ways . If he negotiated with either the United States or China, he''d have gotten his hands on astronomical sums of wealth . However, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo decided to remain in South Korea, and he didn''t even bother to bargain with any of the Guilds, either . ''Then, just why . . . . ?'' Goh Gun-Hui''s gaze was soon directed to Woo Jin-Cheol guarding his side . The former asked as if it was in passing . "In your opinion, why do you think Hunter Seong is trying to clear this many Gates in such a short time?" Woo Jin-Cheol thought about it for a moment, before answering his boss . "There is one thing I can think of, sir . " Goh Gun-Hui expected an answer along the lines of "I don''t know" or "Can''t be sure", so he couldn''t help but pay more attention to this somewhat surprising reply . "What would that be?" "I remember seeing how delighted he was during the process of hunting down the monsters . " "He was ''happy'' hunting down monsters?" "Yes, sir . " Woo Jin-Cheol dragged out the memories of the recent past to the fore . Even back when Jin-Woo was helping out the Hunters Guild by fighting the High Orcs, he was carrying an expression of delight as he cheerfully moved around . "And he was especially elated when taking down the boss-level monster, sir . " "He feels delight at hunting down powerful monsters, is it . . . . " Goh Gun-Hui remembered listening to Jin-Woo saying something similar in the past . ["I wish to fight against the monsters . "] And ever since he made that declaration, he had been diligently keeping his promise . ''What an interesting fellow he is . '' That man was certainly a lot exceptional than being merely interesting, too . It was then, the office of the Association President was suddenly filled with the noisy ring of the telephone . - "President, sir . " It was a call from one of his adjutants . "What''s going on?" - "There''s a call from the American Hunter Bureau waiting for you, sir . " "From America?" Not only that, from the Hunter Bureau, too? Goh Gun-Hui tilted his head slightly . ''Why would the Hunter Bureau contact me, the President of the Korean Hunter''s Association?'' A country like the United States wouldn''t request South Korea for cooperation, so what could this possibly be about? "Connect me through . " The call was connected right away . It didn''t even take one, maybe two seconds for the voice coming out from the phone''s receiver to change . - "Hello, this is Adam White from the Hunter Bureau speaking . " "Hello . This is Goh Gun-Hui from the Korean Hunter''s Association . " The basic language for any aspiring businessman was English . And unsurprisingly, fluent English flowed out from Goh Gun-Hui''s mouth . He was far more confident of this language then he was with Japanese, the latter of which he only dabbled with when he was much younger . "What business does America''s Hunter Bureau have with us?" Adam White didn''t tarry and got right to the point . - "We''re planning to hold an event early next month and wish to invite some of the most prominent Hunters from throughout the world, Mister Goh . " " . . . . . Okay, so?" - "And we''d like to have Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim as Korea''s representative . " *** Before he got going properly with his raids, Jin-Woo searched for the appropriate Guild first . He needed a Guild that could painlessly handle the disposal of various loot he''d get from the high ranking dungeons . ''I mean, it''s not like I''m planning to clear a raid once every few days here, is it . . . . ?'' It''d be quite tough for a newbie Vice-Chair to get through the tightly-packed raid schedule all alone, after all . Besides, he thought that it''d be far more advantageous to form a partnership with another Guild and work together with them, rather than letting the middlemen deal with the loot every single time . ''The question is, who should I go with?'' He initially thought of the White Tiger, which he had interacted with often in the past, or with the Hunters Guild where Cha Hae-In was a member, but in the end, he settled on the Knight Order, instead . He only had one reason for doing so . And that would be because they had worked together recently . Also, some part of his decision was influenced by the fact that one was located in Seoul while the other one was in Busan, and therefore their activities wouldn''t overlap with each other . Jin-Woo made his call during the early evening that day . Chairman of the Knight Order Guild Park Jong-Su was lying on the couch in his living room, busy giggling away while watching the TV . Vrrr . . . . Vrrr . . . . . He picked up his vibrating phone resting on the couch''s armrest without giving too much thought . ''Mm??'' [Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim] But then, he confirmed who the caller was and his eyes rapidly grew wider . He shot up from his lying-down position and quickly answered his phone . "Hunter-nim? Is that you?" - "Hello, this is Seong Jin-Woo from Ah-Jin speaking . " "Ah, yes . It''s Park Jong-Su from the Knight Order . " - "Do you have time to discuss something important?" "Of course . " Park Jong-Su''s complexion gradually brightened as he heard Jin-Woo''s explanation . To be honest, Park Jin-Su had been feeling dejected lately, after his plans of building a very close relationship with Jin-Woo went down the crapper after the regulation had changed overnight . Combining the know-how of the Knight Order Guild and the strength of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo ¨C what a dang waste of time . . . . Even his trusted Vice-Chair Jeong Yun-Tae looked severely disappointed when the whole thing went sideways pretty quickly . But then, what kind of jackpot was this? A phone call he didn''t even expect came his way all on its own volition? Forming a tie with a strong Guild, nay, a Hunter, was probably one of the most important acts for any Guild out there . "Yes, yes! There will be no problem at all . " A bright smile didn''t want to leave Park Jong-Su''s face as he continued to chat away on the phone . "Leave everything to us . " The matter of processing various loot from a dungeon was not that hard for the Knight Order Guild and their extensive prior experience . Normally, the Guild''s processing team would be doing nothing but sucking on their thumbs when there was no raid in sight . So, how good would it be to utilise them in this situation? The smile grew with wider as Park Jong-Su spoke up . "We''ll see you tomorrow!" *** The lunch box Mom packed was indeed quite delicious . Even if the location for their meal turned out to be in the middle of a dungeon overflowing with monsters . Yu Jin-Ho raised his head and spoke, his mouth still full of chow . "With us being like this, I can''t help but think back to how we were clearing all those rank C dungeons, hyung-nim . " Jin-Woo smirked and replied back . "Hey, finish chewing your food first before talking, alright?" "Ah, my bad, hyung-nim . " It wasn''t as if Jin-Woo couldn''t understand what Yu Jin-Ho was talking about, though . In the past few days, they kept themselves real busy by raiding every single Gate they could book, one after the other, with barely any rest in between . The only thing that had changed since then would be that, rather than rank C dungeons, they were raiding rank B or higher dungeons this time . And, if he were to think of yet another difference, then that would be . . . . ''¡­ . . . . '' Igrit met Jin-Woo''s gaze and bowed slightly in a dignified manner . ''Well, I now have a lookout during the meal times? Is that about it?'' It didn''t matter if he had one or not, though . Because of his Perception Stat, he didn''t have to concentrate hard to sense all the movements within the interior of the dungeons . Meaning, he could deal with any monster daring to approach him, even with his eyes closed . It was just that, he didn''t want to be disturbed during his mealtime, and also, wanted to decrease Yu Jin-Ho''s fears a bit so he had a lookout like this . Jin-Woo shifted his gaze to the other side . ''¡­ . . . '' Iron also met his owner''s gaze and powerfully pounded on his chest as if to say "Leave everything to me!" Thud, thud . Metallic thuds filled the interior of the cavern . Jin-Woo wryly shook his head . ''It''s a problem that this guy''s enthusiasm still gets the better of him . '' Yu Jin-Ho looked in the direction of the noise, before asking Jin-Woo a question out of the blue . "Hyung-nim?" "Yeah?" "Can''t your summons act on their own?" "Well, yeah . More or less . " Hunter Min Byung-Gu did say that, didn''t he? He said that each of the Shadow Soldiers possessed their own ''ego'' . ''Not sure how much of that story I can believe, though . '' Whatever the case may be ¨C Yu Jin-Ho continued on with his question . "Doesn''t that mean it''s fine to let the summons clear the raids by themselves during when we are having a meal, or otherwise can''t move around for some reason, hyung-nim?" "Nope, that I can''t do . " The amount of experience points he''d earn decreased when the distance between himself and the soldiers increased . He couldn''t really explain what the experience points were and all that to Yu Jin-Ho, though, so Jin-Woo simply formed a sombre, serious expression and replied . "These guys, who knows what they will do when I''m not looking?" "Hiiiick?!" Jin-Woo thought that he could hear the noise of Yu Jin-Ho''s falling appetite in real time . That''s how far he was prepared to take that joke, however . ''Okay, should I try ''that'' one more time?'' Jin-Woo finished his meal and quietly put the spoon down . [Skill: Shadow Storage Lv . 2] Class-specific skill . Mana required to activate: None . Stores the shadow soldiers inside the summoner''s shadow . The stored soldiers can be summoned back into the open or absorbed back at any time the summoner chooses to . Number of stored shadow soldiers: 840/840 Level 2 effect ''Sensory Sharing'': You can share your sensory perception with a single designated Shadow Soldier from your storage . The newly added effect to the skill ''Shadow Storage'' was called ''Sensory Sharing'' . It was a rather unique ability that let the summoner, him, feel what a Shadow Soldier was sensing . Since it was possible to choose a Shadow Soldier far away from him and see what was going on around there, he ended up using it rather often in the last couple of days . Such as now . Jin-Woo quietly closed his eyes . ''Sensory Sharing . '' He picked up on the signal sent out by the Shadow Soldiers spread all over outside the dungeon, within the nation of South Korea . ''I sure have spread around quite a few, haven''t I?'' Without worrying about it too much, he selected one of them to see . Quite coincidentally, it just so happened to be a soldier hidden with Hunter Cha''s shadow . And when he connected with that soldier . . . Splash . . . . . ¡­ . He heard the sounds of water falling on the floor . ''It shouldn''t be raining today, so what''s up with all the water noi . . . . . ?!'' His confusion lasted only for a brief second . Jin-Woo''s eyelids shot up open in haste as soon as he saw the pale nude figure enshrouded in the rising steam . Yu Jin-Ho was taken by surprise alongside him . "Hyung-nim?? What happened? Were you taking a nap just now?" " . . . . No, it''s nothing . " Jin-Woo shook his head . He inwardly told himself to buy Hunter Cha a hearty meal as soon as possible as a gesture of apology . "Oh, right . Hyung-nim, have you heard the news?" "Which one?" "About that massive rank S Gate in Japan''s Shinjuku, hyung-nim . I heard that the dungeon break should be happening sometime around tomorrow . " Did the time move along that much already? Jin-Woo slowly nodded his head . ''That means, it''s already been six days since we began clearing these high-ranking Gates . '' During these past six days, Jin-Woo hadn''t been static at all . Although moving at a snail''s pace, his experience points were steadily going up . The result of that being his level having moved to 103 from 101 . That was his reward for focusing on levelling up while forgetting about everything else . Jin-Woo summoned the black key stored within his Inventory . Shururuk . . . The black key materialised on his palm . [Item: Key to the Karutenon temple] Rarity . . . . . ¡­ . has been reached . Remaining time: 26:51:49 ''One more day left . '' Jin-Woo wordlessly grasped the key tightly . His heart began beating faster every time he looked at this thing . " . . . . Hey, don''t make a move . " "Eh?" Yu Jin-Ho had been sneaking glances at both Iron and Igrit more and more while barely managing to eat his meal, after Jin-Woo cracked that joke . However, he nearly jolted upwards after Jin-Woo suddenly issued that order . "I wasn''t talking to you, though . " Actually, Jin-Woo was giving an order to his soldiers . The Shadow Soldiers were about to make a move, but when they heard Jin-Woo''s order, they all stopped at the same time . "Kururururu . . . . " "Kururuk . " From the other side of the cavern, beasts baring their fangs walked out into the view while carrying weapons like sickles and longswords . Jin-Woo slowly stood up from his spot as he kept his gaze locked on these monsters . There was still one more day to go . ''Right, I still have one more day to kill . '' He summoned the ''Demon King''s Shortsword'' from his Inventory and smiled as he gripped the weapon tightly . *** The evening before the dungeon break . A massive magic circle was drawn within Tokyo''s Shinjuku district, according to Yuri Orlov''s instructions . Its scale was truly enormous; completely unprecedented in history . All the residents within the area had been evacuated by now . Yuri Orlov remained in the location to inspect the barrier''s formation right up until the end . The Japanese representatives quietly watched him, not even daring to swallow their saliva . Every single word the Russian said, every little action he took, all of them were under close scrutiny . Yuri Orlov frowned and rubbed his chin over and over again, before finally opening his mouth . " . . . . . This is so weird, you know?" The interpreter''s eyes opened wider . "I beg your pardon? Is there some kind of a problem with the formation?" "No, it''s not that . " The magic circle drawn was perfect . Without a doubt, he was confident of having laid down the greatest masterpiece of his life down here . No, the barrier formation wasn''t the weird one here . "It''s like, there''s someone nearby, watching us . " "Ehh?" If that weren''t the case, why would Yuri Orlov''s heart tremble non-stop like this? The Russian opened his eyes wider and scanned his vicinity, before angrily shouting out at the top of his voice . "Who the hell are you? Where are you??" Too bad, no one replied back to him . No, only the echoes of his voice reverberating within the deserted streets came back to haunt him . " . . . . . " One of the Japanese representatives wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and forced out a smile . "Mister Orlov, the dungeon break is happening tomorrow so there shouldn''t be any foolhardy person waiting around here . Wouldn''t you agree?" Yuri Orlov snorted out derisively . "When did I say it was a person?" "Pardon??" Yuri Orlov looked at the Japanese representative getting paler by the second with disproving eyes, before tilting his head again . "Was I mistaken . . . . ?" Unfortunately for him, there indeed was the figure of a person staring at him from the roof of a tall building far away . ''He''s got a pretty good perception . '' But, then again ¨C when considering where Yuri Orlov drew his powers from, that wouldn''t be such a strange thing . ''More importantly . . . . . '' The mysterious man''s gaze shifted over to the rank S Gate . The silence was so eerie that it induced a certain disgust in all who looked as it circulated around that giant Gate . ''¡­ . . . '' The man slowly pulled back the hood covering his face . It revealed the face of an Oriental man in his late thirties . The unkempt and bushy beard covering most of his face told the man''s identity rather clearly . He was none other than Seong Il-Hwan . He continued to gaze at the massive Gate with a regretful expression, before pulling the hood back up . ''Finally . . . it''s starting . '' Everything was moving according to the schedule . < Chapter 153 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 153: Chapter 153 . Woo Jin-Cheol was among the very best within the Hunters ranked A, and could be considered the core fighting force of the Monitoring Division There was no one within the Association, save for Goh Gun-Hui, who could win against him in a fight . He was that strong However, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was capable of controlling not just one or two summoned creatures, but several hundreds of them at the same time, each one of them strong enough to shock someone of Woo Jin-Cheol''s calibre . In that case, a schedule like this one shouldn''t be seen as strange at all However, why was he in such a hurry like this?. ''H-mm . ''. Deep frowns formed on Goh Gun-Hui''s forehead If it were someone else, a different Hunter, then he''d pack his lunch and follow them around to dissuade them . He was even prepared to whip them until they changed their minds, but now . ''But, I can''t imagine Hunter Seong Jin-Woo getting hurt inside measly rank A and B Gates at all . ''. If he were to borrow Woo Jin-Cheol''s description from earlier, than wouldn''t it be ''pitying the monsters'', instead? Goh Gun-Hui smirked softly and nodded his head "If there isn''t any serious problem, do as he wishes, please . ". From the perspective of the Association President, he was thankful for the fact that there was a Hunter taking lead in subjugating monsters all on his own . Especially when that person was a powerful being who''d not get injured during the process, too However, Woo Jin-Cheol apparently didn''t agree "Sir, I believe it could lead to problems . ". "You mean, his activity will overlap with the jurisdictions of other large Guilds, is that it?". "Yes, sir . ". There were three major Guilds operating within the Seoul Capital Area: the White Tiger, the Hunters, and the Reapers These three Guilds took care of high-ranking Gates that appeared within the districts they were in charge of But, if Ah-Jin suddenly butted their heads in among them without notice and start expanding rapidly like this, then the three Guilds would obviously grow unhappy rather quickly . It''d be basically the same thing as old nails being driven out by a new one ''They might end up in a conflict . ''. That was Woo Jin-Cheol''s opinion and Goh Gun-Hui certainly agreed with that . Still, a smile floated up on the Association President''s lips ''I thought President was on Seong Hunter-nim''s side?''. Woo Jin-Cheol formed a puzzled expression as he asked " . Did you come up with a good idea, sir?". "No, not that . It''s just that, I can''t stop smiling when I think about how a newly established Guild with only three members and one combatant on their roster, have managed to exceed the major Guilds and are already coveting their territories like this . ". "Ah . ". Only then did Woo Jin-Cheol understand "I agree, sir . ". It was Goh Gun-Hui''s turn to ask, that smile still etched on his lips "Did Ah-Jin provide an explanation on why they want to do this?". "They said that they have a personal reason and wants us to entrust them with the Gates nearby only for the next week or so, sir . ". "A week, is it ". During the Jeju Island raid, the Masters of the three major Guilds ended up owing their lives to Hunter Seong . It''d not be hard to get their understandings if it were only for a week ''If there''s one thing that I''m still puzzled about, then it''d be ''. That would have to be ''why Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was willing to put himself under such a strenuous schedule'' ¨C or, at least, when viewed from someone else''s perspective ''It can''t be . about money . ''. If he wanted wealth, then there were other ways . If he negotiated with either the United States or China, he''d have gotten his hands on astronomical sums of wealth However, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo decided to remain in South Korea, and he didn''t even bother to bargain with any of the Guilds, either ''Then, just why ?''. Goh Gun-Hui''s gaze was soon directed to Woo Jin-Cheol guarding his side . The former asked as if it was in passing "In your opinion, why do you think Hunter Seong is trying to clear this many Gates in such a short time?". Woo Jin-Cheol thought about it for a moment, before answering his boss "There is one thing I can think of, sir . ". Goh Gun-Hui expected an answer along the lines of "I don''t know" or "Can''t be sure", so he couldn''t help but pay more attention to this somewhat surprising reply "What would that be?". "I remember seeing how delighted he was during the process of hunting down the monsters . ". "He was ''happy'' hunting down monsters?". "Yes, sir . ". Woo Jin-Cheol dragged out the memories of the recent past to the fore Even back when Jin-Woo was helping out the Hunters Guild by fighting the High Orcs, he was carrying an expression of delight as he cheerfully moved around "And he was especially elated when taking down the boss-level monster, sir . ". "He feels delight at hunting down powerful monsters, is it ". Goh Gun-Hui remembered listening to Jin-Woo saying something similar in the past ["I wish to fight against the monsters . "]. And ever since he made that declaration, he had been diligently keeping his promise ''What an interesting fellow he is . ''. That man was certainly a lot exceptional than being merely interesting, too It was then, the office of the Association President was suddenly filled with the noisy ring of the telephone - "President, sir . ". It was a call from one of his adjutants "What''s going on?". - "There''s a call from the American Hunter Bureau waiting for you, sir . ". "From America?". Not only that, from the Hunter Bureau, too? Goh Gun-Hui tilted his head slightly ''Why would the Hunter Bureau contact me, the President of the Korean Hunter''s Association?''. A country like the United States wouldn''t request South Korea for cooperation, so what could this possibly be about?. "Connect me through . ". The call was connected right away . It didn''t even take one, maybe two seconds for the voice coming out from the phone''s receiver to change - "Hello, this is Adam White from the Hunter Bureau speaking . ". "Hello . This is Goh Gun-Hui from the Korean Hunter''s Association . ". The basic language for any aspiring businessman was English . And unsurprisingly, fluent English flowed out from Goh Gun-Hui''s mouth . He was far more confident of this language then he was with Japanese, the latter of which he only dabbled with when he was much younger "What business does America''s Hunter Bureau have with us?". Adam White didn''t tarry and got right to the point - "We''re planning to hold an event early next month and wish to invite some of the most prominent Hunters from throughout the world, Mister Goh . ". " . Okay, so?". - "And we''d like to have Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim as Korea''s representative . ". ***. Before he got going properly with his raids, Jin-Woo searched for the appropriate Guild first . He needed a Guild that could painlessly handle the disposal of various loot he''d get from the high ranking dungeons ''I mean, it''s not like I''m planning to clear a raid once every few days here, is it ?''. It''d be quite tough for a newbie Vice-Chair to get through the tightly-packed raid schedule all alone, after all . Besides, he thought that it''d be far more advantageous to form a partnership with another Guild and work together with them, rather than letting the middlemen deal with the loot every single time ''The question is, who should I go with?''. He initially thought of the White Tiger, which he had interacted with often in the past, or with the Hunters Guild where Cha Hae-In was a member, but in the end, he settled on the Knight Order, instead He only had one reason for doing so . And that would be because they had worked together recently Also, some part of his decision was influenced by the fact that one was located in Seoul while the other one was in Busan, and therefore their activities wouldn''t overlap with each other Jin-Woo made his call during the early evening that day Chairman of the Knight Order Guild Park Jong-Su was lying on the couch in his living room, busy giggling away while watching the TV Vrrr Vrrr He picked up his vibrating phone resting on the couch''s armrest without giving too much thought ''Mm??''. [Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim]. But then, he confirmed who the caller was and his eyes rapidly grew wider . He shot up from his lying-down position and quickly answered his phone "Hunter-nim? Is that you?". - "Hello, this is Seong Jin-Woo from Ah-Jin speaking . ". "Ah, yes . It''s Park Jong-Su from the Knight Order . ". - "Do you have time to discuss something important?". "Of course . ". Park Jong-Su''s complexion gradually brightened as he heard Jin-Woo''s explanation To be honest, Park Jin-Su had been feeling dejected lately, after his plans of building a very close relationship with Jin-Woo went down the crapper after the regulation had changed overnight Combining the know-how of the Knight Order Guild and the strength of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo ¨C what a dang waste of time . Even his trusted Vice-Chair Jeong Yun-Tae looked severely disappointed when the whole thing went sideways pretty quickly But then, what kind of jackpot was this? A phone call he didn''t even expect came his way all on its own volition?. Forming a tie with a strong Guild, nay, a Hunter, was probably one of the most important acts for any Guild out there "Yes, yes! There will be no problem at all . ". A bright smile didn''t want to leave Park Jong-Su''s face as he continued to chat away on the phone "Leave everything to us . ". The matter of processing various loot from a dungeon was not that hard for the Knight Order Guild and their extensive prior experience Normally, the Guild''s processing team would be doing nothing but sucking on their thumbs when there was no raid in sight . So, how good would it be to utilise them in this situation?. The smile grew with wider as Park Jong-Su spoke up "We''ll see you tomorrow!". ***. The lunch box Mom packed was indeed quite delicious . Even if the location for their meal turned out to be in the middle of a dungeon overflowing with monsters Yu Jin-Ho raised his head and spoke, his mouth still full of chow "With us being like this, I can''t help but think back to how we were clearing all those rank C dungeons, hyung-nim . ". Jin-Woo smirked and replied back "Hey, finish chewing your food first before talking, alright?". "Ah, my bad, hyung-nim . ". It wasn''t as if Jin-Woo couldn''t understand what Yu Jin-Ho was talking about, though In the past few days, they kept themselves real busy by raiding every single Gate they could book, one after the other, with barely any rest in between . The only thing that had changed since then would be that, rather than rank C dungeons, they were raiding rank B or higher dungeons this time And, if he were to think of yet another difference, then that would be . ''¡­ ''. Igrit met Jin-Woo''s gaze and bowed slightly in a dignified manner ''Well, I now have a lookout during the meal times? Is that about it?''. It didn''t matter if he had one or not, though . Because of his Perception Stat, he didn''t have to concentrate hard to sense all the movements within the interior of the dungeons . Meaning, he could deal with any monster daring to approach him, even with his eyes closed It was just that, he didn''t want to be disturbed during his mealtime, and also, wanted to decrease Yu Jin-Ho''s fears a bit so he had a lookout like this Jin-Woo shifted his gaze to the other side ''¡­ . ''. Iron also met his owner''s gaze and powerfully pounded on his chest as if to say "Leave everything to me!". Thud, thud Metallic thuds filled the interior of the cavern . Jin-Woo wryly shook his head ''It''s a problem that this guy''s enthusiasm still gets the better of him . ''. Yu Jin-Ho looked in the direction of the noise, before asking Jin-Woo a question out of the blue "Hyung-nim?". "Yeah?". "Can''t your summons act on their own?". "Well, yeah . More or less . ". Hunter Min Byung-Gu did say that, didn''t he? He said that each of the Shadow Soldiers possessed their own ''ego'' ''Not sure how much of that story I can believe, though . ''. Whatever the case may be ¨C Yu Jin-Ho continued on with his question "Doesn''t that mean it''s fine to let the summons clear the raids by themselves during when we are having a meal, or otherwise can''t move around for some reason, hyung-nim?". "Nope, that I can''t do . ". The amount of experience points he''d earn decreased when the distance between himself and the soldiers increased . He couldn''t really explain what the experience points were and all that to Yu Jin-Ho, though, so Jin-Woo simply formed a sombre, serious expression and replied "These guys, who knows what they will do when I''m not looking?". "Hiiiick?!". Jin-Woo thought that he could hear the noise of Yu Jin-Ho''s falling appetite in real time . That''s how far he was prepared to take that joke, however ''Okay, should I try ''that'' one more time?''. Jin-Woo finished his meal and quietly put the spoon down [Skill: Shadow Storage Lv . 2]. Class-specific skill Mana required to activate: None Stores the shadow soldiers inside the summoner''s shadow The stored soldiers can be summoned back into the open or absorbed back at any time the summoner chooses to Number of stored shadow soldiers: 840/840. Level 2 effect ''Sensory Sharing'': You can share your sensory perception with a single designated Shadow Soldier from your storage The newly added effect to the skill ''Shadow Storage'' was called ''Sensory Sharing'' . It was a rather unique ability that let the summoner, him, feel what a Shadow Soldier was sensing Since it was possible to choose a Shadow Soldier far away from him and see what was going on around there, he ended up using it rather often in the last couple of days . Such as now Jin-Woo quietly closed his eyes ''Sensory Sharing . ''. He picked up on the signal sent out by the Shadow Soldiers spread all over outside the dungeon, within the nation of South Korea ''I sure have spread around quite a few, haven''t I?''. Without worrying about it too much, he selected one of them to see . Quite coincidentally, it just so happened to be a soldier hidden with Hunter Cha''s shadow . And when he connected with that soldier Splash ¡­ . He heard the sounds of water falling on the floor ''It shouldn''t be raining today, so what''s up with all the water noi . ?!''. His confusion lasted only for a brief second Jin-Woo''s eyelids shot up open in haste as soon as he saw the pale nude figure enshrouded in the rising steam Yu Jin-Ho was taken by surprise alongside him "Hyung-nim?? What happened? Were you taking a nap just now?". " No, it''s nothing . ". Jin-Woo shook his head He inwardly told himself to buy Hunter Cha a hearty meal as soon as possible as a gesture of apology "Oh, right . Hyung-nim, have you heard the news?". "Which one?". "About that massive rank S Gate in Japan''s Shinjuku, hyung-nim . I heard that the dungeon break should be happening sometime around tomorrow . ". Did the time move along that much already? Jin-Woo slowly nodded his head ''That means, it''s already been six days since we began clearing these high-ranking Gates . ''. During these past six days, Jin-Woo hadn''t been static at all . Although moving at a snail''s pace, his experience points were steadily going up . The result of that being his level having moved to 103 from 101 That was his reward for focusing on levelling up while forgetting about everything else Jin-Woo summoned the black key stored within his Inventory Shururuk The black key materialised on his palm [Item: Key to the Karutenon temple]. Rarity ¡­ . has been reached Remaining time: 26:51:49. ''One more day left . ''. Jin-Woo wordlessly grasped the key tightly . His heart began beating faster every time he looked at this thing " Hey, don''t make a move . ". "Eh?". Yu Jin-Ho had been sneaking glances at both Iron and Igrit more and more while barely managing to eat his meal, after Jin-Woo cracked that joke . However, he nearly jolted upwards after Jin-Woo suddenly issued that order "I wasn''t talking to you, though . ". Actually, Jin-Woo was giving an order to his soldiers . The Shadow Soldiers were about to make a move, but when they heard Jin-Woo''s order, they all stopped at the same time "Kururururu ". "Kururuk . ". From the other side of the cavern, beasts baring their fangs walked out into the view while carrying weapons like sickles and longswords . Jin-Woo slowly stood up from his spot as he kept his gaze locked on these monsters There was still one more day to go ''Right, I still have one more day to kill . ''. He summoned the ''Demon King''s Shortsword'' from his Inventory and smiled as he gripped the weapon tightly ***. The evening before the dungeon break A massive magic circle was drawn within Tokyo''s Shinjuku district, according to Yuri Orlov''s instructions . Its scale was truly enormous; completely unprecedented in history All the residents within the area had been evacuated by now . Yuri Orlov remained in the location to inspect the barrier''s formation right up until the end The Japanese representatives quietly watched him, not even daring to swallow their saliva . Every single word the Russian said, every little action he took, all of them were under close scrutiny Yuri Orlov frowned and rubbed his chin over and over again, before finally opening his mouth " . This is so weird, you know?". The interpreter''s eyes opened wider "I beg your pardon? Is there some kind of a problem with the formation?". "No, it''s not that . ". The magic circle drawn was perfect . Without a doubt, he was confident of having laid down the greatest masterpiece of his life down here No, the barrier formation wasn''t the weird one here "It''s like, there''s someone nearby, watching us . ". "Ehh?". If that weren''t the case, why would Yuri Orlov''s heart tremble non-stop like this? The Russian opened his eyes wider and scanned his vicinity, before angrily shouting out at the top of his voice "Who the hell are you? Where are you??". Too bad, no one replied back to him . No, only the echoes of his voice reverberating within the deserted streets came back to haunt him " . ". One of the Japanese representatives wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and forced out a smile "Mister Orlov, the dungeon break is happening tomorrow so there shouldn''t be any foolhardy person waiting around here . Wouldn''t you agree?". Yuri Orlov snorted out derisively "When did I say it was a person?". "Pardon??". Yuri Orlov looked at the Japanese representative getting paler by the second with disproving eyes, before tilting his head again "Was I mistaken ?". Unfortunately for him, there indeed was the figure of a person staring at him from the roof of a tall building far away ''He''s got a pretty good perception . ''. But, then again ¨C when considering where Yuri Orlov drew his powers from, that wouldn''t be such a strange thing ''More importantly . ''. The mysterious man''s gaze shifted over to the rank S Gate . The silence was so eerie that it induced a certain disgust in all who looked as it circulated around that giant Gate ''¡­ . ''. The man slowly pulled back the hood covering his face . It revealed the face of an Oriental man in his late thirties . The unkempt and bushy beard covering most of his face told the man''s identity rather clearly He was none other than Seong Il-Hwan He continued to gaze at the massive Gate with a regretful expression, before pulling the hood back up ''Finally . it''s starting . ''. Everything was moving according to the schedule < Chapter 153 > Fin Chapter 154 The reporters from all over the world descended on Japan . If there was one thing in particular about that, then it was that most of those reporters were war correspondents used to covering various conflicts happening across the globe . This was as good a proof as any that the event about to unfold here was as dangerous as an actual war . The security cordon built around the Gate was incredibly heavy . Reporters raised their cameras and pointed towards the building-sized Gate and the barrier formation drawn around it, as well as the army of men and women surrounding them both . The whole location was chock-full with palpable tension only seen just before the outbreak of war . The assistant reporter swallowed his nervous saliva and asked his boss, the famed English war correspondent William Bell . "Modern firearms don''t work against monsters, so why are the army present here?" William Bell replied, while he continued to capture each and every determined face of the soldiers present today with his camera . "To buy us more time . " "Excuse me?!" "Their job is to draw the attention of the monsters so the Hunters can get ready for their counteroffensive . Also, to act as baits, so those higher-ups spectating from over there will find enough time to evacuate from this place, too" Click . The next person''s face to be captured in William Bell''s lens was the President of the Japanese Hunter''s Association Matsumoto Shigeo, currently standing close to the barrier . He was conversing with several staff members, his expression hard and sombre . ''Sure, this is no time for him to crack a smile, isn''t it . '' Click . "Which means . . . . " The assistant reporter, who wasn''t as experienced as William Bell was, spoke with a tense gleam in his eyes . "They are . . . cannon fodder . " "Look, man . You''re putting me in a spot here if you think that''s someone else''s fate . " "Excuse me?" "I mean, if something were about to happen to me, it''s your job to stand before me, right?" "Ehhhh?!" The young assistant reporter got startled and quickly looked back, prompting William Bell to lightly rib the kid with his elbow . "If you remain tense like that, you won''t even get a chance to run away before you are dead, okay? What I''m trying to say here is, loosen up a little . " The assistant reporter realised that it was just a joke from that knowing wink William Bell threw his way and patted his trembling chest down . ''Mister Bell . . . . He can still crack a joke in a situation like this . '' The relaxed air thickly laden with the seasoned reporter''s commanding presence seeped into the younger reporter and that helped to soften the tension he felt . However, the assistant was acutely aware of the truth . Whenever William Bell began smiling like that, that was when you should be most nervous as well . The assistant shifted his gaze back to the Gate standing tall into the sky . "Just what kind of monstrosity would come out from there, I wonder?" William Bell stopped snapping pictures and looked up at the same spot as his assistant . That thing sure as hell was huge . So huge, in fact, one could easily get overwhelmed just from its sheer size . After Gates began appearing in the world, the second battlefield these war correspondents went to had become the locations of various Gates . Meaning, William Bell had come across his fair share of terrifying Gates before . Hell, he even had the misfortune of reporting from the actual location of a dungeon break, too . . . . But then, the Gate floating before his eyes was on another realm altogether . Just looking up at that d*mn thing made him break out in cold sweat . ''This was probably why no advanced scout party got dispatched . '' Not one high-ranked Hunter volunteered to enter the Gate to see what was inside, so currently, no one knew what might jump out of that thing once it breaks open wide . William Bell''s lips, closed shut in a straight line until then, slowly parted ways . "Not sure what''ll come out of there, but . . . . " A bitter smile formed on his lips next . "But, whatever comes out, let''s just pray that Yuri Orlov''s barrier is strong enough to hold them back . " The last place his camera headed to was Yuri Orlov''s direction, busy inspecting the barrier''s formation for one last time . The Russian Hunter was beaming from ear to ear at the moment . "It''s perfect . Very good . " Yuri Orlov was deeply confident of the resulting barrier now . Because, well . . . his barriers had always been exceptional . Besides, that wasn''t the only thing motivating him, either . The Association President Matsumoto Shigeo was worried about the Japanese citizens strongly rebuking them for the deal, so he kept everything hush-hush, on the down low . As a result, the Japanese public was under the assumption that the Russian came here out of the goodness of his heart, and began showering him with lots of donations . And so, he got to earn an even greater amount of wealth that way . Besides that, there was even more! Countless reporters had braved the dangers to come and snap his pictures . Wealth and fame . The two things Yuri Orlov went crazy for had fallen into his lap in one fell swoop . He emphasized himself one last time to the crowd . "It''s perfect!!" After today, he''d go down in history books as the first man ever to block a rank S Gate all by himself . ''I''d much prefer to be remembered as a man clearing a rank S Gate all alone, though . . . . '' Too bad, he couldn''t get too greedy here, since another Hunter better suited for that title had appeared already . What could he do about that, realistically speaking? That guy was a melee-type Hunter, while he was a support-type, after all . One only had to become the best in their chosen fields . That''s all there was to it . ''Right, right!'' Slightly carried away by his own thoughts, Yuri Orlov pulled out a flask the size of his palm from his inner pocket . When he opened the lid, the pungent smell of vodka wafted out . "M-Mister Yuri!! Alcohol . . . ?!" The Association employee in charge of minding the Russian freaked out and tried to stop him, but Yuri Orlov angrily glared at the hapless Japanese, instead . "This is a celebratory toast, get it? A toast! So, let go of your tension, okay? Because I''m going to put on the greatest show on earth very soon . " "E-even then . . . . " "Hey, you want a sip? I''m telling you, your worries and tension just fly away in one shot . " Yuri Orlov wrapped his arm around the employee''s shoulders and began offering up the vodka . The Association President Matsumoto Shigeo frowned deeply as he stared at that spectacle from afar . ''To think, the fate of Japan depends on such a man . . . . '' He silently clicked his tongue and asked one of his entourage next to him . "How many rank S Hunters are on standby?" "It''s a total of three, sir . " "Three, is it . . . . " Out of the ten still surviving rank S Hunters, only three responded to the summons of the Association . The frowns on Matsumoto Shigeo''s face deepened by another level . After the Jeju Island raid landed a calamitous blow to the community of Hunters in Japan, his influence had waned greatly until it hit rock bottom . Some quarters were now loudly claiming that it was Matsumoto Shigeo who drove rank S Hunters to their deaths, having been blinded by his own greed . And, the majority of the remaining rank S Hunters had turned their backs on him . They even left an ultimatum saying that, as long as he remained the Association President, they would not heed the orders of the Association again . ''If only Goto-kun was still here with me . . . . '' Matsumoto Shigeo''s clenched fists trembled hard . Goto Ryuji''s death was far too painful a loss for the Japanese Association President, who used him as his right-hand man . ''But, that is why . . . . '' ¡­ . That was why today was doubly important for him . If the concerted efforts of the Association resulted in the rank S Gate being blocked off, then he''d use that to aim towards the top once more . ''Goh Gun-Hui . . . and then, Seong Jin-Woo . '' Along the way, he might find a chance to pay back all the humiliation, with interest, to those men who had ruined his future . ''I shall, definitely . . . . . '' Definitely, this had to work . The Association President Matsumoto glared at the Gate again, his expression becoming even graver than before . One of his attendants looked at his watch and whispered to him . "Sir, it''s three minutes before the dungeon break . " "I see . " Matsumoto Shigeo nodded his head . Countless thoughts swirled within his gaze now taking in the sight of the massive Gate . Two minutes, one minute, 59 seconds, 58 . . . . . Time, filled with taut tension, ticked down seemingly at the rate of knots . And soon enough, the black ''wall'' covering the giant Gate''s surface began to get blurry . The reporters all cried out in unison . "Uh, uh?!" "Hey, the Gate''s opening up!!" "They . . . they are coming out!" *** "Son?" Jin-Woo was about to sneakily get up, but sat back down quietly again when his mom called out to him . "Yes, Mom?" Mom took her eyes off the TV and looked at Jin-Woo . The TV news had been constantly showing the special broadcast related to the rank S Gate in Japan for a while now . The story currently on was something about the dungeon break that would happen in a few minutes or so . "You weren''t trying to . . . go somewhere, were you?" His mother''s sixth sense could sometimes be even sharper than that of a high-ranking Hunter''s, Jin-Woo mused inwardly . He flinched just a little, but replied as if nothing was amiss . "I have a promise to keep, you see . " "A promise? On a day like this?" "I made that promise a while ago, Mom . I thought that, since that Gate is opening in Japan anyway and it won''t affect us, I didn''t cancel it . " Mom was still staring at him with unconvinced eyes, though . However, he wasn''t lying here, technically speaking . ''In a way, this is a promise I made with the System, isn''t it?'' Mom continued to stare at Jin-Woo for a little while longer, before asking her son again . "I don''t have to worry about you, right?" Jin-Woo replied confidently . "Of course, Mom . " He worked hard to achieve this strength precisely for that purpose . Mom formed a gentle smile only after looking deeply into Jin-Woo''s eyes overflowing with palpable confidence . "Be careful on your way out, Son . " Jin-Woo smiled refreshingly as well . "I''ll be back soon, Mom . " Jin-Woo got up and left the house pretty soon afterwards . His family''s apartment was located on the ninth floor and, for the first time ever, he got to learn today how slow the elevator taking him to the ground floor was . He felt anxiety creeping in as his expectation ballooned, wondering just what kind of a dungeon this black key of his would unlock . Ting . The elevator door to the ground floor slid open . An ahjussi he''d never seen before raised his head without thinking too much, and their gazes locked for a brief while . He must''ve been one of the very few people who didn''t know that a rank S Hunter was living in this building, because as soon as he recognised Jin-Woo''s face, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets . "HUH???" Jin-Woo quickly brushed past him and pulled up the hoodie attached to his top . His steps were quick, perhaps owing to the fact that his mind was also racing really fast, too . Jin-Woo was able to leave the apartment complex in no time at all and while standing on the street, looked all around him . ''¡­ . Is this because of the Gate in Japan?'' For some reason, the streets were oddly deserted . But, thanks to that, Jin-Woo didn''t have to mind the stares of the surroundings as he leisurely confirmed the information on the black key . [Item: Key to the Karutenon temple] Rarity: ?? Type: Key ''You have met the required conditions . '' A key allowing you entry into the Karutenon Temple . It can be used in the designated Gate . The location of the designated Gate will be revealed after the predetermined time has been reached . Remaining time: 00:01:02 Only one minute remained now . ''¡­ . It''s almost here . '' His heart, calmly submerged deep below the cold surface, began to quietly pick up its pace now . Ba-thump, ba-thump!! Jin-Woo stood still and focused his hearing on the pulsing beat of his heart while waiting out the remaining minute . He didn''t even need his watch, either . The biological clock within him, honed to the extreme, was more accurate than any time measuring device known to man in this world . ''¡­ . 3, 2, 1 . '' Exactly one minute later, Jin-Woo opened his closed eyes . Click . [Remaining time: 00:00:00] [The location where the key can be used will now be made available . ] Jin-Woo''s eyes widened greatly . ''Isn''t this place . . . . ?'' The location of the Gate appearing within the System''s message wasn''t too far from here . As a matter of fact, he was rather familiar with that place . Jin-Woo quickly used one of the features his Hunter-only phone possessed to log onto the website of the Hunter''s Association, and checked the information on the Gate in question . Sure enough, its location was exactly where the Association''s warning notice, issued some time ago, said it''d be . He didn''t expect the location this key was supposed to ''unlock'' would be there . As if someone had smacked him in the back of his head, Jin-Woo felt somewhat dizzy . ''I made a mistake . '' In reality, the key''s description wasn''t lying to him . The System said that the information on the Gate would be made available, but said nothing about a Gate appearing somewhere . He got blindsided just now . Jin-Woo''s hands manipulating his phone became a lot busier . He checked the info on the Gate some more, and found out that there was a Guild already busy with clearing it right now . The rank of the Gate in question was ''C'' . ''It''s not a high rank, but . . . . '' The real problem was with not really knowing what was hidden inside . ''It''s a small relief that the location isn''t far . '' It was about ten minutes away with a car . If he ran with everything he had, he''d get there in less than 60 seconds . Jin-Woo hid with ''Stealth'' and began running at full tilt . He even activated the skill ''Quicksilver'' for good measure, too . His new destination was actually the athletics field of Jin-Ah''s former high school . The school remained closed ever since the Orc incident, so there was no danger of unaware civilians getting hurt just in case, but . . . . '' . . . But, it''s the raid team clearing the dungeon in danger, instead . '' Jin-Woo recalled the moments he was visiting that underground temple . He recalled all those close shaves . He clearly remembered several moments he almost got killed on that day . But, what was the reason for this? Without a doubt, those were startlingly terrifying memories in his life, but when he looked back, his heart began racing quicker in excitement . Even now . It probably had something to do with the fact that, inside that temple, Jin-Woo got to feel for the first time what it felt to be alive . Back then, he wasn''t some useless, powerless rank E Hunter, but a challenger going up against impossible odds . In the blink of an eye, he rounded up several streets and the sight of the familiar school was caught in his eyes . He really only needed a few dozens of seconds to arrive at the school . He stepped through the front gate and spotted the Gate floating in the air just above the athletics field to the side . A handful of Association employees and staff members from the Guild doing the raid were standing around the Gate as if to guard its surroundings . They were all carrying on in a quiet atmosphere, perhaps because they hadn''t heard any news of something major happening inside yet . But that quietness was shattered immediately by Jin-Woo''s sudden entrance . Because¡­ he chose to undo his Stealth near the Gate . "Uh, uh??" One of the Guild''s staff members belatedly discovered Jin-Woo''s presence and tried to cut him off . "You''re not allowed in here . " Jin-Woo pulled back his hoodie and revealed himself . And that elicited a loud "Heok!!" from the side . "It''s you!!" The Association employee immediately recognised Jin-Woo and cried out in surprise . It was the same bespectacled female employee he ran into back when he took care of the rank B Gate that popped up in the middle of the road . Jin-Woo figured that it''d be quicker to talk to her instead of this Guild staff blocking his way, so he ignored the guy altogether and spoke directly to her . "You need to stop this raid right now . " "Pardon me??" She got flustered as she tried to make her reply . "B-but, the measurement result came out as only C . . . . " Jin-Woo shook his head and told her in no uncertain terms . "If you don''t stop the raid now, they will all die . " " . . . . . !!" Jin-Woo raised his head and glared at the Gate . Couldn''t these people pick up on that? An eerie aura so sickening that it gave him goosebumps, was slowly oozing out from the Gate . < Chapter 154 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 154: Chapter 154 . The reporters from all over the world descended on Japan If there was one thing in particular about that, then it was that most of those reporters were war correspondents used to covering various conflicts happening across the globe This was as good a proof as any that the event about to unfold here was as dangerous as an actual war The security cordon built around the Gate was incredibly heavy . Reporters raised their cameras and pointed towards the building-sized Gate and the barrier formation drawn around it, as well as the army of men and women surrounding them both The whole location was chock-full with palpable tension only seen just before the outbreak of war The assistant reporter swallowed his nervous saliva and asked his boss, the famed English war correspondent William Bell "Modern firearms don''t work against monsters, so why are the army present here?". William Bell replied, while he continued to capture each and every determined face of the soldiers present today with his camera "To buy us more time . ". "Excuse me?!". "Their job is to draw the attention of the monsters so the Hunters can get ready for their counteroffensive . Also, to act as baits, so those higher-ups spectating from over there will find enough time to evacuate from this place, too". Click The next person''s face to be captured in William Bell''s lens was the President of the Japanese Hunter''s Association Matsumoto Shigeo, currently standing close to the barrier . He was conversing with several staff members, his expression hard and sombre ''Sure, this is no time for him to crack a smile, isn''t it . ''. Click "Which means ". The assistant reporter, who wasn''t as experienced as William Bell was, spoke with a tense gleam in his eyes "They are . cannon fodder . ". "Look, man . You''re putting me in a spot here if you think that''s someone else''s fate . ". "Excuse me?". "I mean, if something were about to happen to me, it''s your job to stand before me, right?". "Ehhhh?!". The young assistant reporter got startled and quickly looked back, prompting William Bell to lightly rib the kid with his elbow "If you remain tense like that, you won''t even get a chance to run away before you are dead, okay? What I''m trying to say here is, loosen up a little . ". The assistant reporter realised that it was just a joke from that knowing wink William Bell threw his way and patted his trembling chest down ''Mister Bell He can still crack a joke in a situation like this . ''. The relaxed air thickly laden with the seasoned reporter''s commanding presence seeped into the younger reporter and that helped to soften the tension he felt However, the assistant was acutely aware of the truth . Whenever William Bell began smiling like that, that was when you should be most nervous as well The assistant shifted his gaze back to the Gate standing tall into the sky "Just what kind of monstrosity would come out from there, I wonder?". William Bell stopped snapping pictures and looked up at the same spot as his assistant That thing sure as hell was huge . So huge, in fact, one could easily get overwhelmed just from its sheer size After Gates began appearing in the world, the second battlefield these war correspondents went to had become the locations of various Gates . Meaning, William Bell had come across his fair share of terrifying Gates before Hell, he even had the misfortune of reporting from the actual location of a dungeon break, too . But then, the Gate floating before his eyes was on another realm altogether . Just looking up at that d*mn thing made him break out in cold sweat ''This was probably why no advanced scout party got dispatched . ''. Not one high-ranked Hunter volunteered to enter the Gate to see what was inside, so currently, no one knew what might jump out of that thing once it breaks open wide William Bell''s lips, closed shut in a straight line until then, slowly parted ways "Not sure what''ll come out of there, but ". A bitter smile formed on his lips next "But, whatever comes out, let''s just pray that Yuri Orlov''s barrier is strong enough to hold them back . ". The last place his camera headed to was Yuri Orlov''s direction, busy inspecting the barrier''s formation for one last time . The Russian Hunter was beaming from ear to ear at the moment "It''s perfect . Very good . ". Yuri Orlov was deeply confident of the resulting barrier now Because, well . his barriers had always been exceptional . Besides, that wasn''t the only thing motivating him, either The Association President Matsumoto Shigeo was worried about the Japanese citizens strongly rebuking them for the deal, so he kept everything hush-hush, on the down low . As a result, the Japanese public was under the assumption that the Russian came here out of the goodness of his heart, and began showering him with lots of donations And so, he got to earn an even greater amount of wealth that way . Besides that, there was even more! Countless reporters had braved the dangers to come and snap his pictures Wealth and fame . The two things Yuri Orlov went crazy for had fallen into his lap in one fell swoop He emphasized himself one last time to the crowd "It''s perfect!!". After today, he''d go down in history books as the first man ever to block a rank S Gate all by himself ''I''d much prefer to be remembered as a man clearing a rank S Gate all alone, though ''. Too bad, he couldn''t get too greedy here, since another Hunter better suited for that title had appeared already . What could he do about that, realistically speaking? That guy was a melee-type Hunter, while he was a support-type, after all One only had to become the best in their chosen fields . That''s all there was to it ''Right, right!''. Slightly carried away by his own thoughts, Yuri Orlov pulled out a flask the size of his palm from his inner pocket . When he opened the lid, the pungent smell of vodka wafted out "M-Mister Yuri!! Alcohol . ?!". The Association employee in charge of minding the Russian freaked out and tried to stop him, but Yuri Orlov angrily glared at the hapless Japanese, instead "This is a celebratory toast, get it? A toast! So, let go of your tension, okay? Because I''m going to put on the greatest show on earth very soon . ". "E-even then ". "Hey, you want a sip? I''m telling you, your worries and tension just fly away in one shot . ". Yuri Orlov wrapped his arm around the employee''s shoulders and began offering up the vodka . The Association President Matsumoto Shigeo frowned deeply as he stared at that spectacle from afar ''To think, the fate of Japan depends on such a man ''. He silently clicked his tongue and asked one of his entourage next to him "How many rank S Hunters are on standby?". "It''s a total of three, sir . ". "Three, is it ". Out of the ten still surviving rank S Hunters, only three responded to the summons of the Association . The frowns on Matsumoto Shigeo''s face deepened by another level After the Jeju Island raid landed a calamitous blow to the community of Hunters in Japan, his influence had waned greatly until it hit rock bottom Some quarters were now loudly claiming that it was Matsumoto Shigeo who drove rank S Hunters to their deaths, having been blinded by his own greed . And, the majority of the remaining rank S Hunters had turned their backs on him They even left an ultimatum saying that, as long as he remained the Association President, they would not heed the orders of the Association again ''If only Goto-kun was still here with me ''. Matsumoto Shigeo''s clenched fists trembled hard . Goto Ryuji''s death was far too painful a loss for the Japanese Association President, who used him as his right-hand man ''But, that is why ''. ¡­ . That was why today was doubly important for him If the concerted efforts of the Association resulted in the rank S Gate being blocked off, then he''d use that to aim towards the top once more ''Goh Gun-Hui . and then, Seong Jin-Woo . ''. Along the way, he might find a chance to pay back all the humiliation, with interest, to those men who had ruined his future ''I shall, definitely . ''. Definitely, this had to work The Association President Matsumoto glared at the Gate again, his expression becoming even graver than before . One of his attendants looked at his watch and whispered to him "Sir, it''s three minutes before the dungeon break . ". "I see . ". Matsumoto Shigeo nodded his head . Countless thoughts swirled within his gaze now taking in the sight of the massive Gate Two minutes, one minute, 59 seconds, 58 Time, filled with taut tension, ticked down seemingly at the rate of knots . And soon enough, the black ''wall'' covering the giant Gate''s surface began to get blurry The reporters all cried out in unison "Uh, uh?!". "Hey, the Gate''s opening up!!". "They . they are coming out!". ***. "Son?". Jin-Woo was about to sneakily get up, but sat back down quietly again when his mom called out to him "Yes, Mom?". Mom took her eyes off the TV and looked at Jin-Woo . The TV news had been constantly showing the special broadcast related to the rank S Gate in Japan for a while now The story currently on was something about the dungeon break that would happen in a few minutes or so "You weren''t trying to . go somewhere, were you?". His mother''s sixth sense could sometimes be even sharper than that of a high-ranking Hunter''s, Jin-Woo mused inwardly . He flinched just a little, but replied as if nothing was amiss "I have a promise to keep, you see . ". "A promise? On a day like this?". "I made that promise a while ago, Mom . I thought that, since that Gate is opening in Japan anyway and it won''t affect us, I didn''t cancel it . ". Mom was still staring at him with unconvinced eyes, though . However, he wasn''t lying here, technically speaking ''In a way, this is a promise I made with the System, isn''t it?''. Mom continued to stare at Jin-Woo for a little while longer, before asking her son again "I don''t have to worry about you, right?". Jin-Woo replied confidently "Of course, Mom . ". He worked hard to achieve this strength precisely for that purpose . Mom formed a gentle smile only after looking deeply into Jin-Woo''s eyes overflowing with palpable confidence "Be careful on your way out, Son . ". Jin-Woo smiled refreshingly as well "I''ll be back soon, Mom . ". Jin-Woo got up and left the house pretty soon afterwards His family''s apartment was located on the ninth floor and, for the first time ever, he got to learn today how slow the elevator taking him to the ground floor was He felt anxiety creeping in as his expectation ballooned, wondering just what kind of a dungeon this black key of his would unlock Ting The elevator door to the ground floor slid open . An ahjussi he''d never seen before raised his head without thinking too much, and their gazes locked for a brief while He must''ve been one of the very few people who didn''t know that a rank S Hunter was living in this building, because as soon as he recognised Jin-Woo''s face, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets "HUH???". Jin-Woo quickly brushed past him and pulled up the hoodie attached to his top . His steps were quick, perhaps owing to the fact that his mind was also racing really fast, too Jin-Woo was able to leave the apartment complex in no time at all and while standing on the street, looked all around him ''¡­ . Is this because of the Gate in Japan?''. For some reason, the streets were oddly deserted . But, thanks to that, Jin-Woo didn''t have to mind the stares of the surroundings as he leisurely confirmed the information on the black key [Item: Key to the Karutenon temple]. Rarity: ??. Type: Key. ''You have met the required conditions . ''. A key allowing you entry into the Karutenon Temple . It can be used in the designated Gate The location of the designated Gate will be revealed after the predetermined time has been reached Remaining time: 00:01:02. Only one minute remained now ''¡­ . It''s almost here . ''. His heart, calmly submerged deep below the cold surface, began to quietly pick up its pace now Ba-thump, ba-thump!!. Jin-Woo stood still and focused his hearing on the pulsing beat of his heart while waiting out the remaining minute . He didn''t even need his watch, either . The biological clock within him, honed to the extreme, was more accurate than any time measuring device known to man in this world ''¡­ . 3, 2, 1 . ''. Exactly one minute later, Jin-Woo opened his closed eyes Click [Remaining time: 00:00:00]. [The location where the key can be used will now be made available . ]. Jin-Woo''s eyes widened greatly ''Isn''t this place ?''. The location of the Gate appearing within the System''s message wasn''t too far from here . As a matter of fact, he was rather familiar with that place Jin-Woo quickly used one of the features his Hunter-only phone possessed to log onto the website of the Hunter''s Association, and checked the information on the Gate in question Sure enough, its location was exactly where the Association''s warning notice, issued some time ago, said it''d be He didn''t expect the location this key was supposed to ''unlock'' would be there . As if someone had smacked him in the back of his head, Jin-Woo felt somewhat dizzy ''I made a mistake . ''. In reality, the key''s description wasn''t lying to him . The System said that the information on the Gate would be made available, but said nothing about a Gate appearing somewhere He got blindsided just now Jin-Woo''s hands manipulating his phone became a lot busier . He checked the info on the Gate some more, and found out that there was a Guild already busy with clearing it right now . The rank of the Gate in question was ''C'' ''It''s not a high rank, but ''. The real problem was with not really knowing what was hidden inside ''It''s a small relief that the location isn''t far . ''. It was about ten minutes away with a car . If he ran with everything he had, he''d get there in less than 60 seconds . Jin-Woo hid with ''Stealth'' and began running at full tilt . He even activated the skill ''Quicksilver'' for good measure, too His new destination was actually the athletics field of Jin-Ah''s former high school . The school remained closed ever since the Orc incident, so there was no danger of unaware civilians getting hurt just in case, but . '' . But, it''s the raid team clearing the dungeon in danger, instead . ''. Jin-Woo recalled the moments he was visiting that underground temple He recalled all those close shaves . He clearly remembered several moments he almost got killed on that day But, what was the reason for this? Without a doubt, those were startlingly terrifying memories in his life, but when he looked back, his heart began racing quicker in excitement . Even now It probably had something to do with the fact that, inside that temple, Jin-Woo got to feel for the first time what it felt to be alive . Back then, he wasn''t some useless, powerless rank E Hunter, but a challenger going up against impossible odds In the blink of an eye, he rounded up several streets and the sight of the familiar school was caught in his eyes . He really only needed a few dozens of seconds to arrive at the school He stepped through the front gate and spotted the Gate floating in the air just above the athletics field to the side . A handful of Association employees and staff members from the Guild doing the raid were standing around the Gate as if to guard its surroundings They were all carrying on in a quiet atmosphere, perhaps because they hadn''t heard any news of something major happening inside yet . But that quietness was shattered immediately by Jin-Woo''s sudden entrance . Because¡­ he chose to undo his Stealth near the Gate "Uh, uh??". One of the Guild''s staff members belatedly discovered Jin-Woo''s presence and tried to cut him off "You''re not allowed in here . ". Jin-Woo pulled back his hoodie and revealed himself . And that elicited a loud "Heok!!" from the side "It''s you!!". The Association employee immediately recognised Jin-Woo and cried out in surprise . It was the same bespectacled female employee he ran into back when he took care of the rank B Gate that popped up in the middle of the road Jin-Woo figured that it''d be quicker to talk to her instead of this Guild staff blocking his way, so he ignored the guy altogether and spoke directly to her "You need to stop this raid right now . ". "Pardon me??". She got flustered as she tried to make her reply "B-but, the measurement result came out as only C ". Jin-Woo shook his head and told her in no uncertain terms "If you don''t stop the raid now, they will all die . ". " . !!". Jin-Woo raised his head and glared at the Gate Couldn''t these people pick up on that?. An eerie aura so sickening that it gave him goosebumps, was slowly oozing out from the Gate < Chapter 154 > Fin Chapter 155 "How long has it been since they went inside?" Jin-Woo urgently asked the female Association employee . The longer it had been the deeper these Hunters would''ve gone inside, and that significantly decreased their odds of returning safely . The female Association employee answered in her bewilderment . "It''s been about two hours . " Two hours, she said . It was one of those in-between time that could neither be called short nor too long . It was then . "Who the hell are you? You from the Association??" The Guild staff member grabbed Jin-Woo by his shoulder and tried to turn him around . It seemed that this guy wasn''t happy with this newcomer''s attitude . After all, this unknown youngster proceeded to not only ignore him, but he even went on to spew out some pretty abhorrent bullsh*t on top as well . The strength gripping his shoulder was nothing to write home about, but Jin-Woo still turned around to face the Guild member, regardless . He figured that, rather than starting a lengthy explanation of containing hundreds of words, simply showing his face once would be far more effective in a situation like this . "You should answer back when people are ta . . . . " The Guild staff member''s words came to an abrupt halt as soon as he locked gazes with Jin-Woo''s eyes . ''Hold up . Haven''t I seen this guy''s face before, like, a lot?'' But, from where? The staff member combed through his memories before finally recalling a certain name . He gasped out in disbelief and stuttered out a question . "H-Hunter S-Seong Jin-Woo?!" Who''d have thunk that he''d run into a rank S Hunter in front of rank C Gate? Not only that, but he also rudely grabbed the shoulder and glared at such a guy, too?? The Guild staff member was frightened out of his skull and reflexively took his hand away before taking two, three quick steps back . "I-I''m truly sorry . " " . . . . " Even now, time continued to tick down . There was no time to waste on this Guild Staff; Jin-Woo shifted his gaze back to the female Association employee . "I''m going inside to bring those people back . " The flustered female employee found herself in a bind now . This very man walked out with a face full of smiles even when the rank B Gate he entered changed into a Red Gate . But such a person was now telling her in an urgent manner that people inside that seemingly-normal rank C Gate were in great danger . "Just what is going on here that makes you say that? If you could just explain what . . . . " "There is no time . " Jin-Woo cut her off . In all honesty, he could''ve just maintained ''Stealth'' and strode right inside the Gate . In fact, there were many ways to distract these people and walk inside the Gate unnoticed . The sole reason why he didn''t do so was because he had no idea what might happen in there . He chose to cover his bases to some degree so he could avoid getting swept up in annoying problems later down the line . The female employee''s lips bobbed up and down several times . She was in a genuine dilemma now . Would it be fine to let a Hunter waltz right into a Gate without any clear evidence, when another Guild had officially been sanctioned to raid it in the first place? Originally, something like that would have been unimaginable . However, seeing the light in Jin-Woo''s eyes, she couldn''t bring herself to say no . " . . . . Please, go in . " "I''ll see you later . " Jin-Woo nodded once to her and ran inside the Gate right away . [You have entered a dungeon . ] He quickly located various corpses of monsters with their magic crystals removed, discarded here and there on the dungeon''s floor . The thing was, there wasn''t that much loot to find in lower ranked dungeons . Which was quite different from higher ranked ones, where the remains of the monsters alone would fetch quite a sum of money . The only real source of income found within low ranked dungeons was the magic crystals . And this scene was a rather familiar sight to him . Jin-Woo closed his eyes and concentrated . For some reason, he couldn''t sense the presence of the raid team . ''Could they already have been . . . . ?'' Jin-Woo quickly shook his head . Even if he was too late, magic energy still leaked out from the bodies of the freshly deceased . But he couldn''t even pick up on that magic energy . Jin-Woo quietly studied the interior of the dungeon, before a certain sense of deja vu hit him . Indeed, this place seemed familiar for some reason . He had seen a dungeon like this one before . ''¡­ . Ah . '' If his memories served him right, then this dungeon was roughly the same in layout as the dual dungeon he got his powers from . ''If that''s that case . . . . '' Jin-Woo quickly made his way over to where the entrance of the dual dungeon was last time . And sure enough, there was another ''entrance'' within the dungeon . ''It''s the same as before . '' Only then did he realise why he couldn''t sense the presence of the raid team''s Hunters . ''This dungeon . . . it was nonsensically huge, wasn''t it?'' That was the case back then . Sure, it was the walking speed of low-ranked Hunters, but still, they needed almost one hour to get to that strange doorway . If this dungeon''s structure was similar to the one he knew, then it''d not be all that surprising for the Hunters to be really far away now . And, it was also almost impossible to sense the presence of the Hunters who possessed only a negligible amount of magic energy individually . Jin-Woo looked deeper into the cavern . There was only one path . And, just like back then, it was enshrouded in total darkness . But he wasn''t worried . His Perception Stat he pushed to the extremes, showed him the path within that inky blackness . Jin-Woo''s eyes glowed in a pale, cold hue like those animals of the night caught on camera . ''I can see it . '' His eyes rapidly got used to the lack of light and he could see one object after the other hidden within the darkness . ''Fuu-woo . . . . '' Jin-Woo took a short but deep breath before shooting forward like a bullet . The background images fell back in an instant, over and over again . It was indeed one long passageway . Even then, his speed was fast and he didn''t need a lot of time to get to his destination . ''And we had to walk for one hour in this place back then . . . . . '' What dramatic progress he made when compared to the first time he walked on this road . Soon enough, he could sense the presence of people up ahead . They were the Hunters of the raiding party . They were also standing around in one spot . Jin-Woo initially thought that they were involved in a battle or were all dead, but thankfully that wasn''t it . When he got close enough, he could hear their voices . "You wanna go back when we came this far??" Taht . When Jin-Woo stopped not too far from them, he heard some words that sounded oddly familiar and let a wry chuckle leak out of his mouth . What a relief it was, though . It seemed that these people hadn''t stepped foot inside yet . If they did, then they wouldn''t even have enough time to waste their breaths on useless banter like this . He heard a woman''s voice next . "So, what do you want to do, then? The door didn''t budge even when we poured magic on it . " "Wouldn''t it be better to go back outside and get the cooperation of a larger Guild?" "Yeah, I think that might be for the better . " These people were busy arguing back and forth in front of the door that would not open regardless of their efforts . Jin-Woo could understand where they were coming from . After discovering that this was actually a dual dungeon, they must''ve been dreaming of getting their hands on an untold amount of wealth . Meaning, they would never choose to go back empty-handed after walking non-stop for nearly one hour . However, here was the surviving witness from that time . Jin-Woo could confidently say the truth out aloud without any reservation . "This is a trap, everyone . " Hunters hadn''t picked up on Jin-Woo''s presence well until he was near their position . Understandably, they were jolted back to their senses from a sudden voice coming out from the darkness behind them . "Oh my gosh!! That surprised me!" "W-what the heck? Who are you?" Jin-Woo pointed at the steel door he had seen before with his chin and replied . "I''m a survivor of a dual dungeon incident . " A survivor of a dual dungeon incident? Hunters exchanged glances and whispered softly among themselves . Because it was so dark inside, they needed a little bit of time to recognise Jin-Woo''s face . " . . . Uh?" "What?" "Isn''t he Hunter Seong Jin-Woo??" "What was that?" The attention of the raid team members descended upon the Hunter who identified Jin-Woo . And the next direction their gazes shifted to was, naturally, Jin-Woo''s face . "N-now that you mention it . . . " "It''s really him??" "But, but, why would a rank S Hunter even come here?" Jin-Woo strode closer towards the doorway . Hunters surrounding the unknown door parted ways to make room for him . He lightly placed his palm on the door and spoke to the Hunters . "I know what''s behind this door . " Jin-Woo was overcome with a reminiscence of the past as he finally got to stand before this very doorway after what felt like a genuinely long, long time . This place was the location the System had invited him to . For the sake of these Hunters, as well as for himself, he couldn''t have any uninvited guest loitering around . Jin-Woo turned around and looked at each of the Hunters present, before speaking up with a heavy voice . "This place is incredibly dangerous . I''ll take care of things from now on, so please, you must return outside . " Noisy, noisy . . . . The surroundings became rather chaotic . If it weren''t for the fact that Jin-Woo was a super-famous rank S Hunter, these people might have exploded in dissatisfaction right away, as the looks on their faces attested to that . Out of all of them, the man who earlier stated that he couldn''t go back empty-handed, just had to step forward to say something . "Excuse me, Seong Hunter-nim . " He just so happened to be the Master of this small-to-medium Guild who had been pushing forward with this raid . "We at the Bravery Guild bought the permit to raid this dungeon fair and square . You simply don''t have any right to tell us to leave . " "T-that''s right! Being a rank S isn''t everything, you know!" Jin-Woo closed his mouth in a straight line as his reply to the opposition coming from these Hunters . ''¡­ . . . . '' They were behaving this way, even though he was doing them a favour and was trying to help them . However, that didn''t mean he was planning to explain the situation to them one by one, either . ''I don''t have the obligation to do that, anyway . '' He had done what he could do for these people . So, Jin-Woo decided to leave it for them to choose for themselves . If he were honest, he wasn''t so keen on that idea either, because he still remembered the terrible cost he and his fellow bottom-dwelling Association Hunters had to pay when they made the same decision as these people were about to make . Jin-Woo wordlessly faced the door and tried to turn the doorknob . Thunk! Jin-Woo pushed down, but even with his Strength Stat, it didn''t want to budge . ''Does it have some kind of restrictive magic?'' Without that, measly steel door like this would''ve moved already by now . It was then ¨C along with that familiar ''Tti-ring!'', a new System message appeared before his eyes . [The door to the Karutenon temple is currently locked . ] [Please use the key provided . ] ''Ah, so that''s why I needed the key . '' Jin-Woo took out the black key . Simply by him slotting it in the keyhole, the door slid open all on its own volition . Clunk . The raid team members of the Bravery Guild had already confirmed how tightly locked the door was before he got here . So, when such a stubbornly-locked door opened easily like that, their collective brows shot up in shock . ''Heok?!'' ''What the heck? How did he open it?'' Jin-Woo ignored their whisperings and spoke to them in a cold voice . "I won''t try to stop you . If you want to follow me inside, then go ahead . " Of course, he didn''t forget to warn them, too . "However, you must remember that it''ll be hard for you to come back out alive if you decide to do so . " That one sentence managed to freeze these Hunters to their spots . This was advice given by a rank S Hunter . Who''d scoff at that and ignore it? However, the Master of the Bravery Guild still stepped forward as if he was trying to act according to the name of his organisation . "I''ll go in . " " . . . . " Jin-Woo didn''t reply to that . It was up to them to make the choice . He was going to let them bear the cost of their decision, as well . The Guild Master looked back to his raid team members while walking towards the doorway, but none of them followed after him, only choosing to sheepishly look at each other''s reactions . The Guild Master glared at his so-called comrades with disproving eyes and eventually stopped before the door . In order to make it easier for him to enter, Jin-Woo opened the door slightly wider . Rumble-! The heavy-looking door moved without too much trouble . There was a look of determination writ large on the Guild Master''s face when Jin-Woo briefly met his gaze . His hesitation lasted only for a few moments; after mustering up enough courage, he took a step inside . It was then . Several messages cascaded up in front of Jin-Woo''s view . Tti-ring, tti-ring, tti-ring!! [An individual not holding the key has entered the temple . ] [This entry has been disapproved . ] [Failure to comply will result in the immediate retaliation from the gatekeepers . ] Several dangerous-sounding, important messages popped up, but as these Hunters were not a ''Player'', their eyes and ears failed to see or hear the warnings . Only Jin-Woo could hear the warnings of the System . The completely-unaware Guild Master took yet another step forward, and then . . . . SWISH-!! ¡­ . A large hammer fell on top of his head . Crash!! The hammer smashed down to the ground and shattered the stone slab into pieces . "Keok!!" If it weren''t for Jin-Woo hurriedly yanking at the scruff of the Guild Master''s shirt and pulling him out, his head would''ve ended up in that state, instead . "Uwa, uwaaahk?!" The Guild Master freaked out as the gatekeepers reached out to him . Jin-Woo grabbed the hapless Hunter and tossed him outside the door before closing it quickly . "Things found inside are all like that . " Jin-Woo turned around to face the other Hunters . "So, you still want to go inside?" The Guild Master on the ground shook his head like a madman . His fellow Guild members quickly helped him up and they escaped from there, double time . Only after confirming that the Hunters had left for good, Jin-Woo made his way back inside . Tti-ring . [The holder of the key has entered . ] Slam . The door closed shut behind him with a loud thud . The massive scale of this chamber; stone statues filling up the walls; and then, the huge statue of a ''god'' located in the deepest recess of this chamber . Everything matched his memories . ''I''ve . . . returned . '' His heart began pounding really fast . However, there was also a clear difference from back then, as well . That would be none other than himself . The current Jin-Woo, different from his past self, could easily decipher the truth of these stone statues now . ''These statues are not monsters, nor are they lifeforms to begin with . '' No, they were just puppets tied to strings, connected to something else . There was only one creature emitting magic energy within this chamber . Even then, it was concealing its magic energy so expertly that, even Jin-Woo found it impossible to directly sense it . He could only trace the ominous and eerie aura, instead . Jin-Woo slowly walked over to that b*stard in question . "So, you were the real one, huh . " Jin-Woo tried to engage it in conversation, but the creature didn''t display any reactions whatsoever . "Oh, so you want to play it like that now, huh?" The corners of Jin-Woo''s lips arched up . He suddenly raised his speed greatly and stabbed the shortsword into the chest of the ''creature'' . But then . . . . Crack! His attack was stopped by the stone tablet the creature was holding . The blade of the shortsword deeply stabbed into the tablet . There was only one stone statue among many in here that held a stone tablet . " . . . . Finally . " The stone statue with six wings on its back looked at Jin-Woo over the stone tablet with a grin etched on its face and spoke . "You''ve arrived . " *** Tokyo, Shinjuku . Monsters began walking out one by one from the Gate, as tall as the high-rise skyscrapers . Thud . Thud . "Heok . . . . " "W-what the hell are those?" These monsters were Giants . Monsters often serving as bosses in many of the highest-difficulty rank A Gates were pouring out like common creatures now . "Giants!!" "It''s the Giants!!" While every observer watching this spectacle was freaking out and was taking hasty steps back, only Yuri Orlov remained calm as he took another swig from his flask . ''There''s no problem if it''s only this much . '' These monsters were scary enough to bring a chill down anyone''s spine . However, Yuri Orlov was deeply confident of the barrier he had created . "Come at me!" And, his prediction proved to be right on the money . Boom! Bang!! Giants began pounding on the invisible ''wall'' surrounding the vicinity of the Gate, but it stood firm and didn''t even budge an inch at all . Boom!! Bang!! They pushed with their shoulders, and even threw their entire bodies against the wall, but Yuri Orlov''s barrier formation proved to be as perfect as he claimed earlier . "Euhahahahaha!!" Yuri Orlov exploded in a fit of laughter while ridiculing the Giants trapped behind the barrier . About 30 minutes passed by like that . The Giants must''ve been tired out after going on a rampage to break the barrier, because they suddenly began walking back into the Gate . People witnessing that scene all cried out in pure shock . "Oh, my god!!" "Monsters coming out of the dungeon break are going back inside the Gate?!" Such a thing was completely inconceivable . Not one person present here ever heard of anything like this before . These reporters with their countless years of experience were now operating their cameras non-stop, as if they were left feeling truly exhilarated by the unfolding spectacle . And when the last Giant walked back inside the Gate, the Association President Matsumoto Shigeo stood up from his seat and hurriedly clapped his hands . Clap, clap, clap, clap! Not too long after that, the lone clapping sounds became many, and it morphed into excited cries, and eventually, transformed into loud cheers of joy . Waaaaaah-!!! Receiving the passionate adulations and cheers of everyone present, Yuri Orlov turned around to face the throng of the reporters . "Only I can do this! I am the one blocking a rank S Gate!" Thick veins bulged on his neck as he made his declaration . "That guy who hunted down a couple of those measly ants, and this great me who shoved those giants back inside the Gate!! You don''t need me to tell you who''s even more amazing, right?" He didn''t even bother to hide his face now getting even redder from the influence of booze, and toothily grinned at the reporters, his gold-plated teeth fully on display for all to see . But then, this happened . THUD! The ground rumbled hard quite suddenly . THUD!!! Even the tanks on standby bounced up and down . ''¡­ . . . ??'' Only then did Yuri Orlov realise that the reporters were no longer looking at him . No, their gazes were unilaterally focused on the Gate . The Russian also slowly looked behind him . And then . . . . the flask he held in his hand slipped out of his grasp . ''Oh, oh my god . . . . . " Yuri Orlov''s eyes grew wider and wider . A truly humongous Giant that made the previous Giants small by comparison, stepped out of the Gate and stood straight up . Indeed, it was standing upright after exiting from the huge rank S Gate . Yuri Orlov blinked his eyes several times, unable to tell whether this scene playing out was real or not . ''How . . . . How could there be a monster so big that it needs to crouch to pass through such a humongous Gate???'' No one needed to explain anything, but everyone intuitively knew that they were now looking at the boss monster . The Giant monster finished standing upright and took a long sweeping look around its surroundings, before slamming into the barrier''s walls . BOOM-!! Far, far heavier noise than before resounded out and the earth itself began quaking rather precariously . BOOM-!! BOOM!! BOOM-!! Yuri Orlov''s eyes could clearly see everything . And that would be the sight of the magic barrier only he could see, gaining spiderweb-like cracks . ''How can this be . . . . . '' His legs began shaking uncontrollably . The Giant monster pushed hard at the wall with its shoulder, before taking several steps back as if it realised that was enough . It sprinted at full tilt and threw its entire body at the barrier . It was then! KA-BOOM-!!! The sound of an explosion filled up the air as the motes of light illuminating the magic circle on the ground dissipated away . "Uwa-uwaaaahhk?!?!" Yuri Orlov started screaming around at the same time . The Giant monster, as soon as it destroyed the invisible wall, reached down and picked up the Russian still trying to send in his magic energy to the barrier . Now caught within the Giant''s hand, Yuri Orlov screamed out as bone-breaking pain wrecked his entire body . He desperately thrashed around . "Uwaaaah!! Uwaaahahhk!!" Gulp . However, his screams could no longer be heard when the Giant monster opened its mouth again . And then . . . . Behind the Giant monster that swallowed Yuri Orlov in one go, all those Giants that returned back to the Gate were pouring out again . < Chapter 155 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 155: Chapter 155 . "How long has it been since they went inside?". Jin-Woo urgently asked the female Association employee . The longer it had been the deeper these Hunters would''ve gone inside, and that significantly decreased their odds of returning safely The female Association employee answered in her bewilderment "It''s been about two hours . ". Two hours, she said . It was one of those in-between time that could neither be called short nor too long . It was then "Who the hell are you? You from the Association??". The Guild staff member grabbed Jin-Woo by his shoulder and tried to turn him around . It seemed that this guy wasn''t happy with this newcomer''s attitude . After all, this unknown youngster proceeded to not only ignore him, but he even went on to spew out some pretty abhorrent bullsh*t on top as well The strength gripping his shoulder was nothing to write home about, but Jin-Woo still turned around to face the Guild member, regardless He figured that, rather than starting a lengthy explanation of containing hundreds of words, simply showing his face once would be far more effective in a situation like this "You should answer back when people are ta ". The Guild staff member''s words came to an abrupt halt as soon as he locked gazes with Jin-Woo''s eyes ''Hold up . Haven''t I seen this guy''s face before, like, a lot?''. But, from where?. The staff member combed through his memories before finally recalling a certain name . He gasped out in disbelief and stuttered out a question "H-Hunter S-Seong Jin-Woo?!". Who''d have thunk that he''d run into a rank S Hunter in front of rank C Gate? Not only that, but he also rudely grabbed the shoulder and glared at such a guy, too??. The Guild staff member was frightened out of his skull and reflexively took his hand away before taking two, three quick steps back "I-I''m truly sorry . ". " ". Even now, time continued to tick down . There was no time to waste on this Guild Staff; Jin-Woo shifted his gaze back to the female Association employee "I''m going inside to bring those people back . ". The flustered female employee found herself in a bind now This very man walked out with a face full of smiles even when the rank B Gate he entered changed into a Red Gate . But such a person was now telling her in an urgent manner that people inside that seemingly-normal rank C Gate were in great danger "Just what is going on here that makes you say that? If you could just explain what ". "There is no time . ". Jin-Woo cut her off In all honesty, he could''ve just maintained ''Stealth'' and strode right inside the Gate . In fact, there were many ways to distract these people and walk inside the Gate unnoticed The sole reason why he didn''t do so was because he had no idea what might happen in there . He chose to cover his bases to some degree so he could avoid getting swept up in annoying problems later down the line The female employee''s lips bobbed up and down several times . She was in a genuine dilemma now Would it be fine to let a Hunter waltz right into a Gate without any clear evidence, when another Guild had officially been sanctioned to raid it in the first place? Originally, something like that would have been unimaginable However, seeing the light in Jin-Woo''s eyes, she couldn''t bring herself to say no " Please, go in . ". "I''ll see you later . ". Jin-Woo nodded once to her and ran inside the Gate right away [You have entered a dungeon . ]. He quickly located various corpses of monsters with their magic crystals removed, discarded here and there on the dungeon''s floor The thing was, there wasn''t that much loot to find in lower ranked dungeons . Which was quite different from higher ranked ones, where the remains of the monsters alone would fetch quite a sum of money The only real source of income found within low ranked dungeons was the magic crystals . And this scene was a rather familiar sight to him Jin-Woo closed his eyes and concentrated . For some reason, he couldn''t sense the presence of the raid team ''Could they already have been ?''. Jin-Woo quickly shook his head . Even if he was too late, magic energy still leaked out from the bodies of the freshly deceased . But he couldn''t even pick up on that magic energy Jin-Woo quietly studied the interior of the dungeon, before a certain sense of deja vu hit him . Indeed, this place seemed familiar for some reason He had seen a dungeon like this one before ''¡­ . Ah . ''. If his memories served him right, then this dungeon was roughly the same in layout as the dual dungeon he got his powers from ''If that''s that case ''. Jin-Woo quickly made his way over to where the entrance of the dual dungeon was last time . And sure enough, there was another ''entrance'' within the dungeon ''It''s the same as before . ''. Only then did he realise why he couldn''t sense the presence of the raid team''s Hunters ''This dungeon . it was nonsensically huge, wasn''t it?''. That was the case back then . Sure, it was the walking speed of low-ranked Hunters, but still, they needed almost one hour to get to that strange doorway If this dungeon''s structure was similar to the one he knew, then it''d not be all that surprising for the Hunters to be really far away now . And, it was also almost impossible to sense the presence of the Hunters who possessed only a negligible amount of magic energy individually Jin-Woo looked deeper into the cavern There was only one path . And, just like back then, it was enshrouded in total darkness But he wasn''t worried . His Perception Stat he pushed to the extremes, showed him the path within that inky blackness . Jin-Woo''s eyes glowed in a pale, cold hue like those animals of the night caught on camera ''I can see it . ''. His eyes rapidly got used to the lack of light and he could see one object after the other hidden within the darkness ''Fuu-woo ''. Jin-Woo took a short but deep breath before shooting forward like a bullet . The background images fell back in an instant, over and over again It was indeed one long passageway . Even then, his speed was fast and he didn''t need a lot of time to get to his destination ''And we had to walk for one hour in this place back then . ''. What dramatic progress he made when compared to the first time he walked on this road Soon enough, he could sense the presence of people up ahead . They were the Hunters of the raiding party . They were also standing around in one spot Jin-Woo initially thought that they were involved in a battle or were all dead, but thankfully that wasn''t it . When he got close enough, he could hear their voices "You wanna go back when we came this far??". Taht When Jin-Woo stopped not too far from them, he heard some words that sounded oddly familiar and let a wry chuckle leak out of his mouth What a relief it was, though . It seemed that these people hadn''t stepped foot inside yet . If they did, then they wouldn''t even have enough time to waste their breaths on useless banter like this He heard a woman''s voice next "So, what do you want to do, then? The door didn''t budge even when we poured magic on it . ". "Wouldn''t it be better to go back outside and get the cooperation of a larger Guild?". "Yeah, I think that might be for the better . ". These people were busy arguing back and forth in front of the door that would not open regardless of their efforts Jin-Woo could understand where they were coming from . After discovering that this was actually a dual dungeon, they must''ve been dreaming of getting their hands on an untold amount of wealth . Meaning, they would never choose to go back empty-handed after walking non-stop for nearly one hour However, here was the surviving witness from that time . Jin-Woo could confidently say the truth out aloud without any reservation "This is a trap, everyone . ". Hunters hadn''t picked up on Jin-Woo''s presence well until he was near their position . Understandably, they were jolted back to their senses from a sudden voice coming out from the darkness behind them "Oh my gosh!! That surprised me!". "W-what the heck? Who are you?". Jin-Woo pointed at the steel door he had seen before with his chin and replied "I''m a survivor of a dual dungeon incident . ". A survivor of a dual dungeon incident?. Hunters exchanged glances and whispered softly among themselves . Because it was so dark inside, they needed a little bit of time to recognise Jin-Woo''s face " . Uh?". "What?". "Isn''t he Hunter Seong Jin-Woo??". "What was that?". The attention of the raid team members descended upon the Hunter who identified Jin-Woo . And the next direction their gazes shifted to was, naturally, Jin-Woo''s face "N-now that you mention it . ". "It''s really him??". "But, but, why would a rank S Hunter even come here?". Jin-Woo strode closer towards the doorway . Hunters surrounding the unknown door parted ways to make room for him . He lightly placed his palm on the door and spoke to the Hunters "I know what''s behind this door . ". Jin-Woo was overcome with a reminiscence of the past as he finally got to stand before this very doorway after what felt like a genuinely long, long time This place was the location the System had invited him to For the sake of these Hunters, as well as for himself, he couldn''t have any uninvited guest loitering around . Jin-Woo turned around and looked at each of the Hunters present, before speaking up with a heavy voice "This place is incredibly dangerous . I''ll take care of things from now on, so please, you must return outside . ". Noisy, noisy . The surroundings became rather chaotic If it weren''t for the fact that Jin-Woo was a super-famous rank S Hunter, these people might have exploded in dissatisfaction right away, as the looks on their faces attested to that Out of all of them, the man who earlier stated that he couldn''t go back empty-handed, just had to step forward to say something "Excuse me, Seong Hunter-nim . ". He just so happened to be the Master of this small-to-medium Guild who had been pushing forward with this raid "We at the Bravery Guild bought the permit to raid this dungeon fair and square . You simply don''t have any right to tell us to leave . ". "T-that''s right! Being a rank S isn''t everything, you know!". Jin-Woo closed his mouth in a straight line as his reply to the opposition coming from these Hunters ''¡­ ''. They were behaving this way, even though he was doing them a favour and was trying to help them . However, that didn''t mean he was planning to explain the situation to them one by one, either ''I don''t have the obligation to do that, anyway . ''. He had done what he could do for these people . So, Jin-Woo decided to leave it for them to choose for themselves If he were honest, he wasn''t so keen on that idea either, because he still remembered the terrible cost he and his fellow bottom-dwelling Association Hunters had to pay when they made the same decision as these people were about to make Jin-Woo wordlessly faced the door and tried to turn the doorknob Thunk!. Jin-Woo pushed down, but even with his Strength Stat, it didn''t want to budge ''Does it have some kind of restrictive magic?''. Without that, measly steel door like this would''ve moved already by now It was then ¨C along with that familiar ''Tti-ring!'', a new System message appeared before his eyes [The door to the Karutenon temple is currently locked . ]. [Please use the key provided . ]. ''Ah, so that''s why I needed the key . ''. Jin-Woo took out the black key . Simply by him slotting it in the keyhole, the door slid open all on its own volition Clunk The raid team members of the Bravery Guild had already confirmed how tightly locked the door was before he got here . So, when such a stubbornly-locked door opened easily like that, their collective brows shot up in shock ''Heok?!''. ''What the heck? How did he open it?''. Jin-Woo ignored their whisperings and spoke to them in a cold voice "I won''t try to stop you . If you want to follow me inside, then go ahead . ". Of course, he didn''t forget to warn them, too "However, you must remember that it''ll be hard for you to come back out alive if you decide to do so . ". That one sentence managed to freeze these Hunters to their spots . This was advice given by a rank S Hunter . Who''d scoff at that and ignore it?. However, the Master of the Bravery Guild still stepped forward as if he was trying to act according to the name of his organisation "I''ll go in . ". " ". Jin-Woo didn''t reply to that It was up to them to make the choice . He was going to let them bear the cost of their decision, as well The Guild Master looked back to his raid team members while walking towards the doorway, but none of them followed after him, only choosing to sheepishly look at each other''s reactions . The Guild Master glared at his so-called comrades with disproving eyes and eventually stopped before the door In order to make it easier for him to enter, Jin-Woo opened the door slightly wider Rumble-!. The heavy-looking door moved without too much trouble There was a look of determination writ large on the Guild Master''s face when Jin-Woo briefly met his gaze . His hesitation lasted only for a few moments; after mustering up enough courage, he took a step inside It was then Several messages cascaded up in front of Jin-Woo''s view Tti-ring, tti-ring, tti-ring!!. [An individual not holding the key has entered the temple . ]. [This entry has been disapproved . ]. [Failure to comply will result in the immediate retaliation from the gatekeepers . ]. Several dangerous-sounding, important messages popped up, but as these Hunters were not a ''Player'', their eyes and ears failed to see or hear the warnings . Only Jin-Woo could hear the warnings of the System The completely-unaware Guild Master took yet another step forward, and then . SWISH-!!. ¡­ . A large hammer fell on top of his head Crash!!. The hammer smashed down to the ground and shattered the stone slab into pieces "Keok!!". If it weren''t for Jin-Woo hurriedly yanking at the scruff of the Guild Master''s shirt and pulling him out, his head would''ve ended up in that state, instead "Uwa, uwaaahk?!". The Guild Master freaked out as the gatekeepers reached out to him . Jin-Woo grabbed the hapless Hunter and tossed him outside the door before closing it quickly "Things found inside are all like that . ". Jin-Woo turned around to face the other Hunters "So, you still want to go inside?". The Guild Master on the ground shook his head like a madman . His fellow Guild members quickly helped him up and they escaped from there, double time Only after confirming that the Hunters had left for good, Jin-Woo made his way back inside Tti-ring [The holder of the key has entered . ]. Slam The door closed shut behind him with a loud thud The massive scale of this chamber; stone statues filling up the walls; and then, the huge statue of a ''god'' located in the deepest recess of this chamber Everything matched his memories ''I''ve . returned . ''. His heart began pounding really fast However, there was also a clear difference from back then, as well . That would be none other than himself . The current Jin-Woo, different from his past self, could easily decipher the truth of these stone statues now ''These statues are not monsters, nor are they lifeforms to begin with . ''. No, they were just puppets tied to strings, connected to something else There was only one creature emitting magic energy within this chamber . Even then, it was concealing its magic energy so expertly that, even Jin-Woo found it impossible to directly sense it . He could only trace the ominous and eerie aura, instead Jin-Woo slowly walked over to that b*stard in question "So, you were the real one, huh . ". Jin-Woo tried to engage it in conversation, but the creature didn''t display any reactions whatsoever "Oh, so you want to play it like that now, huh?". The corners of Jin-Woo''s lips arched up He suddenly raised his speed greatly and stabbed the shortsword into the chest of the ''creature'' But then . Crack!. His attack was stopped by the stone tablet the creature was holding The blade of the shortsword deeply stabbed into the tablet There was only one stone statue among many in here that held a stone tablet " Finally . ". The stone statue with six wings on its back looked at Jin-Woo over the stone tablet with a grin etched on its face and spoke "You''ve arrived . ". ***. Tokyo, Shinjuku Monsters began walking out one by one from the Gate, as tall as the high-rise skyscrapers Thud Thud "Heok ". "W-what the hell are those?". These monsters were Giants . Monsters often serving as bosses in many of the highest-difficulty rank A Gates were pouring out like common creatures now "Giants!!". "It''s the Giants!!". While every observer watching this spectacle was freaking out and was taking hasty steps back, only Yuri Orlov remained calm as he took another swig from his flask ''There''s no problem if it''s only this much . ''. These monsters were scary enough to bring a chill down anyone''s spine . However, Yuri Orlov was deeply confident of the barrier he had created "Come at me!". And, his prediction proved to be right on the money Boom!. Bang!!. Giants began pounding on the invisible ''wall'' surrounding the vicinity of the Gate, but it stood firm and didn''t even budge an inch at all Boom!! Bang!!. They pushed with their shoulders, and even threw their entire bodies against the wall, but Yuri Orlov''s barrier formation proved to be as perfect as he claimed earlier "Euhahahahaha!!". Yuri Orlov exploded in a fit of laughter while ridiculing the Giants trapped behind the barrier . About 30 minutes passed by like that The Giants must''ve been tired out after going on a rampage to break the barrier, because they suddenly began walking back into the Gate . People witnessing that scene all cried out in pure shock "Oh, my god!!". "Monsters coming out of the dungeon break are going back inside the Gate?!". Such a thing was completely inconceivable . Not one person present here ever heard of anything like this before . These reporters with their countless years of experience were now operating their cameras non-stop, as if they were left feeling truly exhilarated by the unfolding spectacle And when the last Giant walked back inside the Gate, the Association President Matsumoto Shigeo stood up from his seat and hurriedly clapped his hands Clap, clap, clap, clap!. Not too long after that, the lone clapping sounds became many, and it morphed into excited cries, and eventually, transformed into loud cheers of joy Waaaaaah-!!!. Receiving the passionate adulations and cheers of everyone present, Yuri Orlov turned around to face the throng of the reporters "Only I can do this! I am the one blocking a rank S Gate!". Thick veins bulged on his neck as he made his declaration "That guy who hunted down a couple of those measly ants, and this great me who shoved those giants back inside the Gate!! You don''t need me to tell you who''s even more amazing, right?". He didn''t even bother to hide his face now getting even redder from the influence of booze, and toothily grinned at the reporters, his gold-plated teeth fully on display for all to see But then, this happened THUD!. The ground rumbled hard quite suddenly THUD!!!. Even the tanks on standby bounced up and down ''¡­ . ??''. Only then did Yuri Orlov realise that the reporters were no longer looking at him . No, their gazes were unilaterally focused on the Gate . The Russian also slowly looked behind him And then the flask he held in his hand slipped out of his grasp ''Oh, oh my god . ". Yuri Orlov''s eyes grew wider and wider A truly humongous Giant that made the previous Giants small by comparison, stepped out of the Gate and stood straight up Indeed, it was standing upright after exiting from the huge rank S Gate Yuri Orlov blinked his eyes several times, unable to tell whether this scene playing out was real or not ''How How could there be a monster so big that it needs to crouch to pass through such a humongous Gate???''. No one needed to explain anything, but everyone intuitively knew that they were now looking at the boss monster The Giant monster finished standing upright and took a long sweeping look around its surroundings, before slamming into the barrier''s walls BOOM-!!. Far, far heavier noise than before resounded out and the earth itself began quaking rather precariously BOOM-!! BOOM!! BOOM-!!. Yuri Orlov''s eyes could clearly see everything . And that would be the sight of the magic barrier only he could see, gaining spiderweb-like cracks ''How can this be . ''. His legs began shaking uncontrollably The Giant monster pushed hard at the wall with its shoulder, before taking several steps back as if it realised that was enough . It sprinted at full tilt and threw its entire body at the barrier It was then!. KA-BOOM-!!!. The sound of an explosion filled up the air as the motes of light illuminating the magic circle on the ground dissipated away "Uwa-uwaaaahhk?!?!". Yuri Orlov started screaming around at the same time The Giant monster, as soon as it destroyed the invisible wall, reached down and picked up the Russian still trying to send in his magic energy to the barrier Now caught within the Giant''s hand, Yuri Orlov screamed out as bone-breaking pain wrecked his entire body . He desperately thrashed around "Uwaaaah!! Uwaaahahhk!!". Gulp However, his screams could no longer be heard when the Giant monster opened its mouth again And then . Behind the Giant monster that swallowed Yuri Orlov in one go, all those Giants that returned back to the Gate were pouring out again < Chapter 155 > Fin Chapter 156 Creak, creak! The stone statue began moving as weird creaking noises came out from its various joints . Jin-Woo glared at this ¡®creature¡¯ . There were several differences between this guy and the other stone statues, but the biggest one had to be the wings attached to its back, which made it look somewhat like an angel . Indeed, this guy was the only one among the statues designed to resemble an angel . Not just any angel either, but one with six wings on its back, too . The angel statue slowly stood up from its sitting position and straightened its bent back . As it turned out, it was over three metres tall . Paht! Jin-Woo quickly retreated and summoned the second shortsword into his other hand, before lowering his stance to get ready . When he made up his mind to fight against that thing, every single strand of sensory receptors on his body awakened in full; every part of himself, from his mind to all corners of his body, had become fully optimised for the upcoming battle . ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ However, the angel statue showed no signs of wiping that smile off its face, even though it must¡¯ve clearly sensed Jin-Woo¡¯s desire to fight . That smile was so disgusting and unnatural that it sent a shiver down his spine . The angel statue took a look at the stone tablet damaged by the shortsword and simply tossed it away, as if it meant nothing to the ¡®creature¡¯ . ¡­ . As if, it was doing the most obvious thing in the world . Crack! The stone tablet clattered on the floor and shattered into countless pieces . The angel statue stiffly laughed as it took in the sight of the now-useless tablet . ¡°¡­ . Hahaha . ¡± Jin-Woo narrowed his eyes . ¡®So, from the very beginning¡­ . . ¡¯ Just then, he realised that there was no meaning behind them from the very beginning . That stone tablet, and the so-called laws written on it, none of them meant anything . ¡®If not, there¡¯s no way that thing would¡¯ve treated it so recklessly . ¡¯ In that case, just what exactly was this place? And what did this thing want from him? ¡®And¡­ . ¡¯ All those quests, levelling up, instant dungeon keys, etc . All those strange events that took place after he left this temple ¨C what did they even signify? Finally, an opportunity to get the answers for all of his burning questions had come . When he thought like that¡­ Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!! His heart began madly pounding away in his chest . Usually, it beat in a regular rhythmic pulse most of the time . But now, right at this moment, it shook and rumbled and revved harder than a race car¡¯s engine . ¡®This thing knows everything . ¡¯ Jin-Woo didn¡¯t lower his vigilance and threw out a question in a low voice . ¡°Were you the one calling me here?¡± Jin-Woo was asking about what the statue¡¯s relationship with his System was through that question . ¡°That¡¯s correct . ¡± The angel statue moved its individual fingers before carrying on . ¡°You have done well to get here . ¡± Next up, its neck . The ¡®creature¡¯ rotated its head from side to side . Creeeak . Creak . The d*mn thing was busy loosening itself . It didn¡¯t take a genius to tell why it was loosening up like that . Now normally, Jin-Woo wouldn¡¯t hesitate to get the first strike in when finding himself in a situation like this one . However, he was making an exception this time . He had far too many questions to ask this angel statue and didn¡¯t want to end the little conversation that he got going here . Jin-Woo threw out another question . ¡°Are you a monster?¡± The waves of magic energy being emitted from the angel statue were certainly different from the ones emitted by the regular monsters . However, meaning behind the term ¡®monster¡¯ was simply created by humans for their own convenience . If that term was used to denote a true monster, then yes, that statue was without a doubt, a real ¡®monster¡¯ . A stone statue that could speak and move around ¨C where would anyone even hope to find a monster more monster-ish than that? So, what Jin-Woo wanted to find out here was whether this thing was in cahoots with the regular monsters or not . Craaack . Creak . The angel statue bent down to loosen up its back before standing straight up again . ¡°That¡¯s the wrong question to ask . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . ?¡± ¡°Rather than asking what I am, you should be asking what you are, instead . ¡± Jin-Woo was frozen for a brief moment there, but he couldn¡¯t stay flustered for long . Clap! The sound of the angel statue clapping its hands wiped all distracting thoughts out of his head . ¡°Well, then . This will be your final test . ¡± The smile was long gone from the angel statue¡¯s face as it finally finished loosening up . ¡°If you still manage to stand on two feet by the end of the test, then everything you wished to know will be revealed to you . That¡­ . ¡± The angel statue snapped its fingers, and almost immediately, a red glow appeared within the eyes of the countless stone statues within the temple . ¡°¡­ . Will be my reward to you . ¡± It was then . Every single head of the stone statues densely packed into this chamber all snapped in Jin-Woo¡¯s direction . Thud . And they all uniformly stepped off their pedestals . Clack! All the statues raised the weapons in their grasp . Jin-Woo swept his gaze around the stone statues . Even if they were puppets, they still seemed quite tough opponents to deal with . He actually almost died several times because of them in the past, too, didn¡¯t he? Jin-Woo remained calm as he summoned out his Shadow Soldiers . ¡®Come out . ¡¯ But, then¡­ . Tti-ring! [For the duration of the final test, all of your Class-specific skills have been sealed . ] [Usage of various potions and the Store¡¯s functions have been prohibited, and status recovery effects from levelling up and quest completion bonuses will be inapplicable during the duration of the test . ] [You can not exit this chamber until the end of the final test . ] ¡®What??¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s forehead creased up as mechanical beeps continued to go ¡®Tti-ring, tti-ring¡¯ in his ears, but even those lasted for only a short while . Because the stone statues had begun sprinting towards him right then . Their movements were eerily silent, yet also incredibly fast as well . This was on a whole new level compared to back when he faced down hundreds of ¡®knights¡¯ during the Class Advancement test . ¡®Oh, so you want to play it like this, is that it?¡¯ All the hidden cards he had come prepared with, just in case ¨C various potions, quest rewards, etc . ¨C had become useless in one fell swoop . The System had been with Jin-Woo ever since the beginning, and knew how he operated the best . ¡®In that case, I shall overcome this with nothing but my own power!¡¯ Jin-Woo firmed up his resolve and gripped his shortswords even tighter . The easiest way to get out of this dangerous situation was to eliminate the main body enabling the stone statues to move . And that would be the angel statue . However, he¡¯d not be able to get what he wanted if the angel statue was killed off . So, that would have to be consigned as the final resort for now . For the time being, he decided to go along with this ¡®test¡¯ thing the statue talked about . ¡®And that is why, I¡­ . ¡¯ ¡­ . That was why he never stopped getting stronger right up until now . He never once stopped polishing his skill levels, just so he could achieve everything he aimed for regardless of what sort of situations tried to hinder him . Fuu-whoop-! Jin-Woo spat out white-hot air from his nostrils and mouth . The things he initially couldn¡¯t see, the stuff he had missed when he first set foot in this place began entering his field of vision . His naked eyes could chase the movements of the stone statues that looked like instant teleportation to him back then . ¡®From my left . ¡¯ His shortsword blocked the spear of the stone statue stabbing forward from his left . CLANG!! ¡®Left, again . ¡¯ Another stone statue launched itself in the air by stepping on the shoulders of the statue with the spear, and slammed down with a war axe . It was inefficient to defend against an attack falling from above head-on, so Jin-Woo tilted his body halfway to the side and let the axe simply brush past him . Kwa-boom!! Broken bits of rock spat up from the floor, now shattered by the force of the axe . Meanwhile, Jin-Woo powerfully kicked the face of the axe-wielding stone statue . Ka-boom!! The moment its head came in contact with his foot, it got crushed into fine powder . However¡­ . Swish-! Jin-Woo bent backwards and dodged an arrow . It flew straight past him and got embedded in the wall on the far side . He didn¡¯t even have time to feel happy about eliminating one enemy ¨C the proper assault was only just beginning now . ¡®Right . ¡¯ This time, it was a sword . Swish-! Clang! Jin-Woo used his physical strength to shove away the blocked sword of the statue and at the same time, drew a diagonal line in the air with the shortsword held in his other hand . Tuk! The stone statue, now missing an arm, fell away while writhing around as if it could feel crippling pain . From his left, right, right, left, front, front, right, and left . ¡®I can do this . ¡¯ The more he concentrated on the battle, the slower the movements of the stone statues became . On the other hand, his own movements got progressively faster and faster . It was then ¨C he sensed a chill right behind his neck . ¡®Behind me!¡¯ Jin-Woo jumped up above the head of the stone statue trying to ambush him from behind and while still in the air, easily sliced its head off . Slice! He let his Perception Stat cover him from the enemies that tried to attack him in his blindspots . Ha-ah! His exhaled breath exploded out . His body, trained to the absolute limit, and every cell within his flesh, were reacting to the movements of these stone statues . Light burned fiercely within his eyes . He began gradually thinning out the horde of the statues while blocking, slapping away or shaking off their persistent, annoying attacks . ¡®As if, for this very moment¡­ . ¡¯ It felt as if the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortswords¡¯ were solely created for this moment . He held them tightly in his hands and easily sliced up the limbs and body parts of the statues made out of solid stone . Jin-Woo sensed his body, his mind, his cells and even his shortswords become a single entity . He endlessly moved, fleeted in and out, and continued to slither around without rest . The angel statue, silently observing Jin-Woo¡¯s remarkable movements with a great deal of interest, began to shudder greatly . ¡®How could he move like that with the physique of a mere human¡­ . . ?¡¯ The smile that was gone momentarily on the angel statue¡¯s face was back in full force now . It knew it had made the right choice . However ¨C it was still far, far too early to end the test . The angel statue looked behind itself . With that, the eyes of the humongous statue of the god sitting on the throne and silently waiting for its turn, began glowing an eerie crimson hue . It gripped the armrests of the throne tightly and slowly lifted up its unimaginably huge frame . Kuuuggguuuuuugung!!!! Because it was so gigantic, simply seeing it stand up sent shivers down one¡¯s spine . THUD . The god statue took its first step, and the vast interior of the temple shook hard from the resulting noise . THUD, THUD, THUD . The god statue¡¯s strides were so enormous that it didn¡¯t need to walk for long before arriving where Jin-Woo was . The rubble of the fallen stone statues was forming small mountains all around him by then . The god statue stopped walking in front of him and raised its right arm . It was also around this time that Jin-Woo, in the midst of a maddened melee among the stone statues, felt something change around him . He realised that the surroundings had become dark for some reason and raised his head . ¡®¡­¡­ . ?¡¯ A giant descending palm was rapidly filling up his entire vision . The god statue slapped down on the ground as if it couldn¡¯t care any less about the well-being of the stone statues surrounding Jin-Woo . RUMBLE-!! He hurriedly flung himself away to get out of the range of that gigantic palm strike . He rolled on the ground several times, before shooting right back up on his two feet . His expression hardened as he glared at the god statue . ¡®Right, there was that guy, too . ¡¯ This was definitely the case of one headache after another . Jin-Woo lowered his gaze to see around a hundred or so still-surviving stone statues busy sprinting towards him right this very moment . These tireless enemies arrived in front of his nose in no time at all . He lightly tipped away the iron mace flying his way at a frightening speed with the end of his shortsword; he then slid forward as if he was skating on ice and sliced off the head of the mace-wielding statue . Thud . As if the head of the statue crashing to the ground was the signal, the rest of the statues following right behind pounced on Jin-Woo like a pack of wild, but well-organised, animals . However, the truly dangerous opponent wasn¡¯t one of these statues . It felt as if every hair on his body was standing up straight . Jin-Woo flinched in nasty shock and hurriedly raised his head . ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯ Sure enough, the bone-chilling red light was coagulating in the two eyes of the god statue . ¡®Dodging it¡­ . it¡¯s too late for that . ¡¯ His brain quickly calculated that his escape routes would be blocked off by the stone statues if he were to make a wrong move now . The odds of him getting melted down to nothing by that laser beam or whatever would be too high for his liking if that happened . ¡®In that case¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo quickly put the shortsword down and immediately extended his now-empty left hand at the stone statues pouncing on him . ¡®Ruler¡¯s Reach!!¡¯ Five of the stone statues got caught in the skill ¡®Ruler¡¯s Reach¡¯ and were stacked up together in the air . Tti-ring!! [Skill: ¡®Ruler¡¯s Reach¡¯ has been upgraded to its ultimate version, Skill: ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ . ] ¡®Nice!¡¯ Too bad, he still didn¡¯t have a single second of leeway to bask in the happiness of his skill getting an upgrade right now . Jin-Woo quickly moved the make-shift shield made from the stone statues into the trajectory of the god statue¡¯s glare . Buzzzzing-!! Just as he expected, red laser beams shot out from the eyes of the god statue . Chiiiiii-jick! It didn¡¯t even take one second for the shield made out of the stone statues to melt away, but Jin-Woo successfully used that brief respite to safely get out of the attack range of that beam . He withdrew the skill ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯, and the smouldering remnants of the statues dropped to the floor . Tumble-! Jin-Woo rapidly revised his battle plan as he confirmed the power of the god statue capable of completely evaporating these stone statues . ¡®As I thought, getting rid of the god statue should be my priority . ¡¯ His next goal had been set now . Before the god statue could fire the second laser beam attack, Jin-Woo kicked the ground hard and dashed forward . ¡®Quicksilver!¡¯ Tadadadadadaht-!!! Jin-Woo¡¯s movement was already fast, but with that skill activated, his speed immediately shot past what the god statue could actually follow with its perception . Jin-Woo arrived at the foot of the god statue in the proverbial blink of an eye and tensed up his leg muscles to the extreme . An unbelievable amount of energy, reserved solely for jumping up, condensed within his crouched position . He had only one shot . Without a doubt, it¡¯d become much harder to dodge the red laser beams flying in at a terrifying speed once he was airborne . It was impossible to move freely in the air, after all . But then again, hadn¡¯t he learned that valuable lesson already? If he weren¡¯t willing to take on some risks, then he¡¯d not be able to find himself with any opportunities . ¡®That is why¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s lips shut tight in a straight line as he powerfully leapt up from the ground . His entire frame flew up like a fired rocket . ¡®¡­ . Just get destroyed already!¡¯ < Chapter 156 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 156: Chapter 156 Creak, creak!. The stone statue began moving as weird creaking noises came out from its various joints . Jin-Woo glared at this ¡®creature¡¯ There were several differences between this guy and the other stone statues, but the biggest one had to be the wings attached to its back, which made it look somewhat like an angel Indeed, this guy was the only one among the statues designed to resemble an angel . Not just any angel either, but one with six wings on its back, too The angel statue slowly stood up from its sitting position and straightened its bent back . As it turned out, it was over three metres tall Paht!. Jin-Woo quickly retreated and summoned the second shortsword into his other hand, before lowering his stance to get ready When he made up his mind to fight against that thing, every single strand of sensory receptors on his body awakened in full; every part of himself, from his mind to all corners of his body, had become fully optimised for the upcoming battle ¡®¡­ ¡¯. However, the angel statue showed no signs of wiping that smile off its face, even though it must¡¯ve clearly sensed Jin-Woo¡¯s desire to fight . That smile was so disgusting and unnatural that it sent a shiver down his spine The angel statue took a look at the stone tablet damaged by the shortsword and simply tossed it away, as if it meant nothing to the ¡®creature¡¯ ¡­ . As if, it was doing the most obvious thing in the world Crack!. The stone tablet clattered on the floor and shattered into countless pieces . The angel statue stiffly laughed as it took in the sight of the now-useless tablet ¡°¡­ . Hahaha . ¡±. Jin-Woo narrowed his eyes ¡®So, from the very beginning¡­ ¡¯. Just then, he realised that there was no meaning behind them from the very beginning . That stone tablet, and the so-called laws written on it, none of them meant anything ¡®If not, there¡¯s no way that thing would¡¯ve treated it so recklessly . ¡¯. In that case, just what exactly was this place? And what did this thing want from him?. ¡®And¡­ . ¡¯. All those quests, levelling up, instant dungeon keys, etc . All those strange events that took place after he left this temple ¨C what did they even signify?. Finally, an opportunity to get the answers for all of his burning questions had come . When he thought like that¡­. Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!!. His heart began madly pounding away in his chest . Usually, it beat in a regular rhythmic pulse most of the time . But now, right at this moment, it shook and rumbled and revved harder than a race car¡¯s engine ¡®This thing knows everything . ¡¯. Jin-Woo didn¡¯t lower his vigilance and threw out a question in a low voice ¡°Were you the one calling me here?¡±. Jin-Woo was asking about what the statue¡¯s relationship with his System was through that question ¡°That¡¯s correct . ¡±. The angel statue moved its individual fingers before carrying on ¡°You have done well to get here . ¡±. Next up, its neck . The ¡®creature¡¯ rotated its head from side to side Creeeak Creak The d*mn thing was busy loosening itself . It didn¡¯t take a genius to tell why it was loosening up like that Now normally, Jin-Woo wouldn¡¯t hesitate to get the first strike in when finding himself in a situation like this one . However, he was making an exception this time He had far too many questions to ask this angel statue and didn¡¯t want to end the little conversation that he got going here Jin-Woo threw out another question ¡°Are you a monster?¡±. The waves of magic energy being emitted from the angel statue were certainly different from the ones emitted by the regular monsters However, meaning behind the term ¡®monster¡¯ was simply created by humans for their own convenience . If that term was used to denote a true monster, then yes, that statue was without a doubt, a real ¡®monster¡¯ A stone statue that could speak and move around ¨C where would anyone even hope to find a monster more monster-ish than that?. So, what Jin-Woo wanted to find out here was whether this thing was in cahoots with the regular monsters or not Craaack Creak The angel statue bent down to loosen up its back before standing straight up again ¡°That¡¯s the wrong question to ask . ¡±. ¡°¡­ ?¡±. ¡°Rather than asking what I am, you should be asking what you are, instead . ¡±. Jin-Woo was frozen for a brief moment there, but he couldn¡¯t stay flustered for long Clap!. The sound of the angel statue clapping its hands wiped all distracting thoughts out of his head ¡°Well, then . This will be your final test . ¡±. The smile was long gone from the angel statue¡¯s face as it finally finished loosening up ¡°If you still manage to stand on two feet by the end of the test, then everything you wished to know will be revealed to you . That¡­ . ¡±. The angel statue snapped its fingers, and almost immediately, a red glow appeared within the eyes of the countless stone statues within the temple ¡°¡­ . Will be my reward to you . ¡±. It was then Every single head of the stone statues densely packed into this chamber all snapped in Jin-Woo¡¯s direction Thud And they all uniformly stepped off their pedestals Clack!. All the statues raised the weapons in their grasp Jin-Woo swept his gaze around the stone statues . Even if they were puppets, they still seemed quite tough opponents to deal with . He actually almost died several times because of them in the past, too, didn¡¯t he?. Jin-Woo remained calm as he summoned out his Shadow Soldiers ¡®Come out . ¡¯. But, then¡­ Tti-ring!. [For the duration of the final test, all of your Class-specific skills have been sealed . ]. [Usage of various potions and the Store¡¯s functions have been prohibited, and status recovery effects from levelling up and quest completion bonuses will be inapplicable during the duration of the test . ]. [You can not exit this chamber until the end of the final test . ]. ¡®What??¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s forehead creased up as mechanical beeps continued to go ¡®Tti-ring, tti-ring¡¯ in his ears, but even those lasted for only a short while . Because the stone statues had begun sprinting towards him right then Their movements were eerily silent, yet also incredibly fast as well . This was on a whole new level compared to back when he faced down hundreds of ¡®knights¡¯ during the Class Advancement test ¡®Oh, so you want to play it like this, is that it?¡¯. All the hidden cards he had come prepared with, just in case ¨C various potions, quest rewards, etc . ¨C had become useless in one fell swoop . The System had been with Jin-Woo ever since the beginning, and knew how he operated the best ¡®In that case, I shall overcome this with nothing but my own power!¡¯. Jin-Woo firmed up his resolve and gripped his shortswords even tighter The easiest way to get out of this dangerous situation was to eliminate the main body enabling the stone statues to move . And that would be the angel statue . However, he¡¯d not be able to get what he wanted if the angel statue was killed off . So, that would have to be consigned as the final resort for now For the time being, he decided to go along with this ¡®test¡¯ thing the statue talked about ¡®And that is why, I¡­ . ¡¯. ¡­ . That was why he never stopped getting stronger right up until now He never once stopped polishing his skill levels, just so he could achieve everything he aimed for regardless of what sort of situations tried to hinder him Fuu-whoop-!. Jin-Woo spat out white-hot air from his nostrils and mouth The things he initially couldn¡¯t see, the stuff he had missed when he first set foot in this place began entering his field of vision . His naked eyes could chase the movements of the stone statues that looked like instant teleportation to him back then ¡®From my left . ¡¯. His shortsword blocked the spear of the stone statue stabbing forward from his left CLANG!!. ¡®Left, again . ¡¯. Another stone statue launched itself in the air by stepping on the shoulders of the statue with the spear, and slammed down with a war axe It was inefficient to defend against an attack falling from above head-on, so Jin-Woo tilted his body halfway to the side and let the axe simply brush past him Kwa-boom!!. Broken bits of rock spat up from the floor, now shattered by the force of the axe . Meanwhile, Jin-Woo powerfully kicked the face of the axe-wielding stone statue Ka-boom!!. The moment its head came in contact with his foot, it got crushed into fine powder . However¡­ Swish-!. Jin-Woo bent backwards and dodged an arrow . It flew straight past him and got embedded in the wall on the far side He didn¡¯t even have time to feel happy about eliminating one enemy ¨C the proper assault was only just beginning now ¡®Right . ¡¯. This time, it was a sword Swish-!. Clang!. Jin-Woo used his physical strength to shove away the blocked sword of the statue and at the same time, drew a diagonal line in the air with the shortsword held in his other hand Tuk!. The stone statue, now missing an arm, fell away while writhing around as if it could feel crippling pain From his left, right, right, left, front, front, right, and left ¡®I can do this . ¡¯. The more he concentrated on the battle, the slower the movements of the stone statues became . On the other hand, his own movements got progressively faster and faster It was then ¨C he sensed a chill right behind his neck ¡®Behind me!¡¯. Jin-Woo jumped up above the head of the stone statue trying to ambush him from behind and while still in the air, easily sliced its head off Slice!. He let his Perception Stat cover him from the enemies that tried to attack him in his blindspots Ha-ah!. His exhaled breath exploded out His body, trained to the absolute limit, and every cell within his flesh, were reacting to the movements of these stone statues . Light burned fiercely within his eyes He began gradually thinning out the horde of the statues while blocking, slapping away or shaking off their persistent, annoying attacks ¡®As if, for this very moment¡­ . ¡¯. It felt as if the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortswords¡¯ were solely created for this moment . He held them tightly in his hands and easily sliced up the limbs and body parts of the statues made out of solid stone Jin-Woo sensed his body, his mind, his cells and even his shortswords become a single entity . He endlessly moved, fleeted in and out, and continued to slither around without rest The angel statue, silently observing Jin-Woo¡¯s remarkable movements with a great deal of interest, began to shudder greatly ¡®How could he move like that with the physique of a mere human¡­ ?¡¯. The smile that was gone momentarily on the angel statue¡¯s face was back in full force now . It knew it had made the right choice However ¨C it was still far, far too early to end the test The angel statue looked behind itself . With that, the eyes of the humongous statue of the god sitting on the throne and silently waiting for its turn, began glowing an eerie crimson hue It gripped the armrests of the throne tightly and slowly lifted up its unimaginably huge frame Kuuuggguuuuuugung!!!!. Because it was so gigantic, simply seeing it stand up sent shivers down one¡¯s spine THUD The god statue took its first step, and the vast interior of the temple shook hard from the resulting noise THUD, THUD, THUD The god statue¡¯s strides were so enormous that it didn¡¯t need to walk for long before arriving where Jin-Woo was . The rubble of the fallen stone statues was forming small mountains all around him by then The god statue stopped walking in front of him and raised its right arm It was also around this time that Jin-Woo, in the midst of a maddened melee among the stone statues, felt something change around him He realised that the surroundings had become dark for some reason and raised his head ¡®¡­¡­ . ?¡¯. A giant descending palm was rapidly filling up his entire vision . The god statue slapped down on the ground as if it couldn¡¯t care any less about the well-being of the stone statues surrounding Jin-Woo RUMBLE-!!. He hurriedly flung himself away to get out of the range of that gigantic palm strike . He rolled on the ground several times, before shooting right back up on his two feet . His expression hardened as he glared at the god statue ¡®Right, there was that guy, too . ¡¯. This was definitely the case of one headache after another Jin-Woo lowered his gaze to see around a hundred or so still-surviving stone statues busy sprinting towards him right this very moment . These tireless enemies arrived in front of his nose in no time at all He lightly tipped away the iron mace flying his way at a frightening speed with the end of his shortsword; he then slid forward as if he was skating on ice and sliced off the head of the mace-wielding statue Thud As if the head of the statue crashing to the ground was the signal, the rest of the statues following right behind pounced on Jin-Woo like a pack of wild, but well-organised, animals . However, the truly dangerous opponent wasn¡¯t one of these statues It felt as if every hair on his body was standing up straight . Jin-Woo flinched in nasty shock and hurriedly raised his head ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯. Sure enough, the bone-chilling red light was coagulating in the two eyes of the god statue ¡®Dodging it¡­ . it¡¯s too late for that . ¡¯. His brain quickly calculated that his escape routes would be blocked off by the stone statues if he were to make a wrong move now . The odds of him getting melted down to nothing by that laser beam or whatever would be too high for his liking if that happened ¡®In that case¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo quickly put the shortsword down and immediately extended his now-empty left hand at the stone statues pouncing on him ¡®Ruler¡¯s Reach!!¡¯. Five of the stone statues got caught in the skill ¡®Ruler¡¯s Reach¡¯ and were stacked up together in the air Tti-ring!!. [Skill: ¡®Ruler¡¯s Reach¡¯ has been upgraded to its ultimate version, Skill: ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ . ]. ¡®Nice!¡¯. Too bad, he still didn¡¯t have a single second of leeway to bask in the happiness of his skill getting an upgrade right now . Jin-Woo quickly moved the make-shift shield made from the stone statues into the trajectory of the god statue¡¯s glare Buzzzzing-!!. Just as he expected, red laser beams shot out from the eyes of the god statue Chiiiiii-jick!. It didn¡¯t even take one second for the shield made out of the stone statues to melt away, but Jin-Woo successfully used that brief respite to safely get out of the attack range of that beam He withdrew the skill ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯, and the smouldering remnants of the statues dropped to the floor Tumble-!. Jin-Woo rapidly revised his battle plan as he confirmed the power of the god statue capable of completely evaporating these stone statues ¡®As I thought, getting rid of the god statue should be my priority . ¡¯. His next goal had been set now . Before the god statue could fire the second laser beam attack, Jin-Woo kicked the ground hard and dashed forward ¡®Quicksilver!¡¯. Tadadadadadaht-!!!. Jin-Woo¡¯s movement was already fast, but with that skill activated, his speed immediately shot past what the god statue could actually follow with its perception Jin-Woo arrived at the foot of the god statue in the proverbial blink of an eye and tensed up his leg muscles to the extreme . An unbelievable amount of energy, reserved solely for jumping up, condensed within his crouched position He had only one shot Without a doubt, it¡¯d become much harder to dodge the red laser beams flying in at a terrifying speed once he was airborne . It was impossible to move freely in the air, after all But then again, hadn¡¯t he learned that valuable lesson already?. If he weren¡¯t willing to take on some risks, then he¡¯d not be able to find himself with any opportunities . ¡®That is why¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s lips shut tight in a straight line as he powerfully leapt up from the ground His entire frame flew up like a fired rocket ¡®¡­ . Just get destroyed already!¡¯. < Chapter 156 > Fin Chapter 157 Jin-Woo arrived at the god statue¡¯s eye level instantly . This was at the highest point of the jump before one¡¯s body would begin its descent due to gravity . It felt as if everything around him had come to a stand-still . The drops of sweat flying off of his body as he jumped sparkled under the light . Although slow, they were definitely getting further away from him . He was in the state of peak concentration right now . The undeniable threat of losing his life from the smallest mistake pushed all of Jin-Woo¡¯s abilities to their absolute limits . ¡®This is the true power of the Agility Stat¡­ . ¡¯ His heart pounded hard and fast as the realisation dawned on him that this was what the peak state of the Agility Stat could produce when pushed to the extreme . However, he obviously did not have the leeway to revel in the fruit of his labour . Even now, the eyes of the god statue were moving towards him, albeit at a crawling speed . Seeing up close the crimson light coagulating within the d*m thing¡¯s eyes sent shivers all over his body . Just getting brushed by that thing would mean his end . Sensing the dizziness of the danger, his mind re-focused on the task at hand . ¡®Stay calm¡­ . . ¡¯ He reached out with his left hand, still not holding any weapon . ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority!¡¯ The upgraded skill based on ¡®Ruler¡¯s Reach¡¯ began pulling at the shoulder of the god statue . He was thinking of reeling himself in, rather than actually dragging the god statue and its incalculable body weight towards him . Wuuoong-!! However, his expectation was somewhat shaken up as the upper body of the god statue actually did creep forward just a little . ¡®¡­ . . !!!¡¯ What an incredible force of attraction that was! The power of the skill must have gone up several notches when it evolved from ¡®Ruler¡¯s Reach¡¯ to ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ . And all thanks to that, Jin-Woo got to land on the god statue¡¯s shoulder far easier than he anticipated . He quickly raised his head to look behind him . Buzzzzing-! The scarlet-red laser beam exploding out accurately pierced past the location in the air he was floating in, only a moment ago . ¡®Nice . ¡¯ For the next few seconds, he was safe from the god statue¡¯s laser beam attacks . Feeling unburdened now, Jin-Woo sprinted on top of the statue¡¯s shoulder with all his might and arrived near its neck . His right hand gripped the hilt of the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword¡¯ tightly . ¡®Violent Slash!!¡¯ Several silver streaks of blade light rained down on the target like the shells of a shotgun . Dududududududu-!! Dozens upon dozens of slashes landed on the statue¡¯s neck . However, there was barely any visible damage . Not one slash managed to inflict a heavy enough wound; they all stopped at simply causing negligible, superficial nicks on the skin . ¡®So, the shortsword doesn¡¯t work, is that it?¡¯ It was that moment that the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword¡¯, previously capable of slicing up the steel-like scales of the boss-level Naga into ragged bits, came across as an insignificant and shabby toy . It was then . Jin-Woo discovered a giant hand busy flying in his general direction . Before it could grasp him, though, he ran on the back of the statue¡¯s neck and changed his position to the other shoulder . He took a quick look down as he ran and saw how dizzyingly high he was right now . He raised his head up and glared at the side of the god statue¡¯s face . This god statue wouldn¡¯t be the first enemy that his blades failed to inflict any damage . As a matter of fact, he had dealt with a countless number of them so far . ¡®If I can¡¯t stab it, then I¡¯ll just pummel it!¡¯ He didn¡¯t invest all those Stat points in his Strength Stat just for fun . Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes gleamed brightly with determination . He lightly jumped up and thrust his left hand at the temple of the god statue¡¯s face . Crack!! All five fingers of his left hand dug deep under the surface . ¡®It¡¯s done!¡¯ Jin-Woo clenched his left hand into a fist . With that, he was firmly secured onto the god statue¡¯s face like a rock climber hanging onto the surface of a cliff with one hand . All this was simply him getting ready . The real thing was starting now . Jin-Woo¡¯s right back, his right shoulder, and then his right arm all began to balloon up to an unnatural size . That was the result of an incredible amount of magic energy enveloping his right arm . As a test, he threw a single punch first . Ka-boom!!! The god statue¡¯s head, that didn¡¯t even budge from the shortsword¡¯s attacks, suddenly and visibly trembled . ¡®¡­ . . !!¡¯ The angel statue observing the unfolding situation was shocked beyond words from that . The enormous amount of magic energy spreading out from high up above managed to shake the air within the entire underground temple . The angel statue continued to look up while not even bothering to hide its extremely excited state at all . To think, that a human would deal with its masterpiece in such a manner . An even greater level of anticipation bubbled up within the gleaming light of the angel statue¡¯s eyes . Ka-bboooom!! Jin-Woo¡¯s fist punched the god statue¡¯s face for the second time . Stagger . For a brief moment there, the god statue lost its balance . The attacks were definitely working . However, the god statue wasn¡¯t planning to stand still and not do anything while getting punched to death by him . Vuwoong-!! As if it was trying to catch a mosquito, the god statue slapped its own face with that giant hand . BOOM-!! Jin-Woo dodged that giant palm strike and safely landed back on the god statue¡¯s shoulder, a mocking grin etched on his face now . That was no different from this thing busily slapping itself . He didn¡¯t wait and sprinted back towards the god statue¡¯s face as soon as its hand went away . And then¡­ . Boom!! Ka-boom!! Kwang! Kwang!! Kwa-boom!!! Terrifying, deafening booms reverberated continuously throughout the large dome-shaped temple . Crack, craaack¡­ . Cracks formed on the face of the god statue and spread all over the surface like a spider¡¯s web . The tottering god statue tried its best to maintain its balance before it began running towards one of the walls in this massive, open space . Thud, thud, thud!! The ¡®creature¡¯s huge legs viciously stomped on the ground . It was trying to crush Jin-Woo still sticking to its face by ramming into the wall . ¡®But, before that happens¡­ . ¡¯ ¡­ . He¡¯d finish this fight! Jin-Woo¡¯s fist began pounding faster, harder, and with even less mercy onto the face of the god statue . Kwang!! Kwang!! Kwang!! Kwaaahng!! Thud! Thud! Thud! The god statue increased its running speed and the gap to the wall was reduced in seconds . Sneak . Jin-Woo confirmed the remaining distance with his eyes and, for the purpose of landing the final blow, sent all of his power to his right arm . Thick veins bulged on his ballooning arm muscles as a horrifying amount of magic energy filled his limb up . ¡®¡­ . Very good . ¡¯ The physical strength of a level 103 . Jin-Woo poured all of that into this single fist of his . Just before he was about to collide against the wall¡­ . KWA-BOOM!! CRACK!!! Along with the loud noise of a ripened watermelon shattering into pieces, half of the god statue¡¯s face was blown away . It eventually faltered and fell down on its knees . RUMBLE-!! The entirety of the empty dome-shaped arena rumbled spectacularly . And then, the gigantic body of the god statue powerlessly tilted over to the ground . RUUUMBLE-!! A thick, choking cloud of dust kicked up into the air as the massive figure collapsed, hard, to the dry ground . Jin-Woo walked out from there while waving away the dust covering up the room like a thick fog . ¡°Fuu-woo . ¡± Jin-Woo let out a soft sigh under his breath . Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump¡­ . Even now, the sound of his wildly beating heart noisily rang around in his ear canals . The god statue that nearly made him wet his pants the first time he stood before it, had fallen face down on the ground, unmoving . No one else did that . He was responsible for this spectacle . ¡®I can definitely do this . ¡¯ ¡­ . Regardless of what that was . He recalled the Hunters who lost their lives inside here and a powerful emotion welled up from deep within his heart . Unfortunately, the remaining stone statues continued to move quickly, as if they didn¡¯t want him to have this quiet moment to himself . They surrounded him in a circle and closed the distance . Just before they were about to pounce on him, though¡­ . Jin-Woo stopped looking at his two hands¡­ and raised his head . ¡°Ruler¡¯s Authority . ¡± BOOM-!! Every single stone statue slammed their heads down on the floor and stopped moving altogether . This was the power of the invisible hand, also known as the skill ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ . Jin-Woo returned his gaze back to his hands . ¡®I¡¯ve become even stronger through today¡¯s battle . ¡¯ He clenched his fists and unfurled them, before repeating his actions again . An incredible power was overflowing out of his fists, no, from his entire body . He could clearly sense this flow of power now . At the same time, his heart showed no signs of slowing down at all . It felt as if something sleeping deep within him had awakened through this life-or-death struggle . It was then . Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap . He heard slow handclaps . Jin-Woo raised his head in the direction of that clapping noise . The angel statue was clapping its hands in an exaggerated manner, that repulsive smile still etched on its face . ¡°Truly excellent . ¡± Quite unlike the words leaving its mouth, though, the light oozing out of its eyes were of rather nefarious origins . Jin-Woo calmly spoke to the statue . ¡°Don¡¯t you have an agreement to uphold, first?¡± The d*mn thing clearly announced that, as long as Jin-Woo managed to stand on his two feet after the end of this final test, all the answers he wanted to know would be provided to him . So, he wanted to hear them right now . Unfortunately, a stiff smile formed on the angel statue as if it had no intentions of letting him know that easily . ¡°Hah, hah . ¡± It took a step closer to him . ¡°Your test isn¡¯t finished yet . ¡± Then, another step closer . ¡°In here¡­ . ¡± Yet another step . The angel statue closed the distance with several large strides and eventually stood before Jin-Woo¡¯s nose . ¡°¡­ . I¡¯m still here, aren¡¯t I?¡± Dududuk, dudududuk!!! The lengthy wings on the back of the angel statue suddenly twisted and writhed around before transforming into arms . Two arms coming out of its shoulders, and six more sprouting from its back ¨C eight hands in total began clenching into tight fists . ¡°I am your final test . ¡± Jin-Woo frowned deeply . Before he could say anything, though ¨C the angel statue cut him off . ¡°There is no need to worry about my ¡®life¡¯ . ¡± Flinch . Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes widened in surprise . This thing knew what he wanted to say in advance . He was about to raise his voice in irritation, telling the creature that its death would result in him not getting any answers in the end . ¡°Are you surprised?¡± The angel statue raised one of its hands and pointed at its own head . ¡°All of your information is in here . ¡¯ ¡®¡­ . Could it be?¡¯ Cold sweat drops rapidly formed on Jin-Woo¡¯s forehead . ¡°As expected of a quick-witted human . Hah, hah . ¡± The angel statue issued out more of that stiff, mechanical laughter . And then, carried on with what it wanted to say . ¡°If you try to control your power to prevent me from dying, that will make it difficult to properly measure your true strength . So, to prevent that¡­¡± Right in that moment ¨C the angel statue¡¯s lips moved at a quick pace . However, the voice of the angel statue didn¡¯t come out from there . It came out from somewhere else . [An ¡®Emergency Quest¡¯ has been issued . ] [If you fail to defeat the enemy within the designated time limit, your heart will stop operating altogether . ] [Remaining time: 10:00] Just as the quest message finished saying its piece, one second ticked down from the remaining time . Tick . [Remaining time: 09:59] Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes began trembling hard as he stared at the angel statue . ¡°That¡¯s right . ¡± [That¡¯s right . ] Whenever the angel statue spoke, he also heard the System¡¯s voice at the same time as well . Jin-Woo¡¯s heart that seemed to have recovered some calmness just now began madly pounding away again . His breathing quickened and his fingertips trembled . The angel statue studied Jin-Woo¡¯s reaction before answering one of the very first questions he asked earlier ¨C ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°I am the architect of the System . ¡± [I am the architect of the System . ] *** ¡°Mister Kim, you¡¯re a reporter . There¡¯s a dungeon break happening in Japan right now, so is it okay for you to be camping out here like this?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol threw that question out as if he was feeling greatly annoyed by something at the moment . The reporter named Kim yawned grandly while scratching the area around his sideburns . ¡°That place is already packed full of other reporters . Nothing will change even if I show up there, wouldn¡¯t you agree? It¡¯ll be better for me to stick with the folks of the Monitoring Division and get myself a scoop or two . ¡± ¡°¡­¡± Woo Jin-Cheol was tempted to advise this reporter that he should either stick to yawning or scratching his face, but gave up and sighed inwardly . This was because Kim was one of a very few reporters that wrote favourable articles regarding the Association when everyone else seemed to be hell-bent on ¡®uncovering¡¯ wrongdoings of the organisation or coming up with provocative gossip pieces on the private lives of various Hunters . ¡®No need to turn an ally into an enemy, now is there¡­ . ?¡¯ That was why Woo Jin-Cheol was keeping this reporter named Kim company as the latter paid a visit to the Monitoring Division¡¯s offices . Kim finally finished his lengthy yawn and threw a question back . ¡°Besides that, Chief Woo . Our whole country is going through a bit of upheaval right now, so is it fine for you to be sitting here and doing nothing in the office like this?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol closed the cover on the file he was working on and spoke in a soft voice that sounded almost like a gentle sigh . ¡°Someone has to stay behind to guard his assigned station, you see . ¡± ¡°Ohhh . ¡± Reporter Kim¡¯s eyes opened up wider in understanding and replied while quickly pulling out a palm-sized memo pad and a pen . ¡°You know, that¡¯s a cool soundbite . I want to make sure not to miss out on a single word, so can you repeat them for me, please?¡± ¡°Mister Kim, you really¡­ . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol was about to raise his voice higher but with excellent timing, his smartphone went off . ¡®¡­Mm?¡¯ It was a call coming from the report centre . If it was a call not coming through the hotline of the Monitoring Division but to his personal phone, then that could only mean the matter at hand wasn¡¯t simple in nature . Woo Jin-Cheol quickly answered the call . ¡°This is Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol speaking, Monitoring Division . ¡± ¨C ¡°Chief, we just received a report, sir . Looks like your presence is required on this one . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s eyes narrowed to a slit . ¡°What happened?¡± ¨C ¡°Do you remember the high school where those Orcs came out?¡± ¡°Did something happen in that place again¡­ . ?¡± ¨C ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like anything major had gone down there yet, but a Gate appearing in that school¡¯s athletic field a few days ago turned out to be a dual dungeon, sir . ¡± ¡®A dual dungeon?¡¯ Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s eyes grew wider . ¨C ¡°But, the thing is¡­ . ¡± It seemed that the employee charged with receiving the reports still had something else to say . Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s voice became more urgent . ¡°Okay, so what else is there?¡± ¨C ¡°I heard that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo has entered the Gate, sir . ¡± < Chapter 157 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 157: Chapter 157 Jin-Woo arrived at the god statue¡¯s eye level instantly This was at the highest point of the jump before one¡¯s body would begin its descent due to gravity . It felt as if everything around him had come to a stand-still The drops of sweat flying off of his body as he jumped sparkled under the light . Although slow, they were definitely getting further away from him He was in the state of peak concentration right now . The undeniable threat of losing his life from the smallest mistake pushed all of Jin-Woo¡¯s abilities to their absolute limits ¡®This is the true power of the Agility Stat¡­ . ¡¯. His heart pounded hard and fast as the realisation dawned on him that this was what the peak state of the Agility Stat could produce when pushed to the extreme . However, he obviously did not have the leeway to revel in the fruit of his labour Even now, the eyes of the god statue were moving towards him, albeit at a crawling speed . Seeing up close the crimson light coagulating within the d*m thing¡¯s eyes sent shivers all over his body Just getting brushed by that thing would mean his end Sensing the dizziness of the danger, his mind re-focused on the task at hand ¡®Stay calm¡­ ¡¯. He reached out with his left hand, still not holding any weapon ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority!¡¯. The upgraded skill based on ¡®Ruler¡¯s Reach¡¯ began pulling at the shoulder of the god statue . He was thinking of reeling himself in, rather than actually dragging the god statue and its incalculable body weight towards him Wuuoong-!!. However, his expectation was somewhat shaken up as the upper body of the god statue actually did creep forward just a little ¡®¡­ !!!¡¯. What an incredible force of attraction that was!. The power of the skill must have gone up several notches when it evolved from ¡®Ruler¡¯s Reach¡¯ to ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ And all thanks to that, Jin-Woo got to land on the god statue¡¯s shoulder far easier than he anticipated . He quickly raised his head to look behind him Buzzzzing-!. The scarlet-red laser beam exploding out accurately pierced past the location in the air he was floating in, only a moment ago ¡®Nice . ¡¯. For the next few seconds, he was safe from the god statue¡¯s laser beam attacks Feeling unburdened now, Jin-Woo sprinted on top of the statue¡¯s shoulder with all his might and arrived near its neck . His right hand gripped the hilt of the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword¡¯ tightly ¡®Violent Slash!!¡¯. Several silver streaks of blade light rained down on the target like the shells of a shotgun Dududududududu-!!. Dozens upon dozens of slashes landed on the statue¡¯s neck . However, there was barely any visible damage Not one slash managed to inflict a heavy enough wound; they all stopped at simply causing negligible, superficial nicks on the skin ¡®So, the shortsword doesn¡¯t work, is that it?¡¯. It was that moment that the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword¡¯, previously capable of slicing up the steel-like scales of the boss-level Naga into ragged bits, came across as an insignificant and shabby toy It was then Jin-Woo discovered a giant hand busy flying in his general direction . Before it could grasp him, though, he ran on the back of the statue¡¯s neck and changed his position to the other shoulder He took a quick look down as he ran and saw how dizzyingly high he was right now He raised his head up and glared at the side of the god statue¡¯s face . This god statue wouldn¡¯t be the first enemy that his blades failed to inflict any damage . As a matter of fact, he had dealt with a countless number of them so far ¡®If I can¡¯t stab it, then I¡¯ll just pummel it!¡¯. He didn¡¯t invest all those Stat points in his Strength Stat just for fun . Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes gleamed brightly with determination . He lightly jumped up and thrust his left hand at the temple of the god statue¡¯s face Crack!!. All five fingers of his left hand dug deep under the surface ¡®It¡¯s done!¡¯. Jin-Woo clenched his left hand into a fist . With that, he was firmly secured onto the god statue¡¯s face like a rock climber hanging onto the surface of a cliff with one hand . All this was simply him getting ready The real thing was starting now Jin-Woo¡¯s right back, his right shoulder, and then his right arm all began to balloon up to an unnatural size . That was the result of an incredible amount of magic energy enveloping his right arm As a test, he threw a single punch first Ka-boom!!!. The god statue¡¯s head, that didn¡¯t even budge from the shortsword¡¯s attacks, suddenly and visibly trembled ¡®¡­ !!¡¯. The angel statue observing the unfolding situation was shocked beyond words from that The enormous amount of magic energy spreading out from high up above managed to shake the air within the entire underground temple . The angel statue continued to look up while not even bothering to hide its extremely excited state at all To think, that a human would deal with its masterpiece in such a manner An even greater level of anticipation bubbled up within the gleaming light of the angel statue¡¯s eyes Ka-bboooom!!. Jin-Woo¡¯s fist punched the god statue¡¯s face for the second time Stagger For a brief moment there, the god statue lost its balance . The attacks were definitely working However, the god statue wasn¡¯t planning to stand still and not do anything while getting punched to death by him Vuwoong-!!. As if it was trying to catch a mosquito, the god statue slapped its own face with that giant hand BOOM-!!. Jin-Woo dodged that giant palm strike and safely landed back on the god statue¡¯s shoulder, a mocking grin etched on his face now . That was no different from this thing busily slapping itself He didn¡¯t wait and sprinted back towards the god statue¡¯s face as soon as its hand went away . And then¡­ Boom!! Ka-boom!! Kwang! Kwang!! Kwa-boom!!!. Terrifying, deafening booms reverberated continuously throughout the large dome-shaped temple Crack, craaack¡­ Cracks formed on the face of the god statue and spread all over the surface like a spider¡¯s web . The tottering god statue tried its best to maintain its balance before it began running towards one of the walls in this massive, open space Thud, thud, thud!!. The ¡®creature¡¯s huge legs viciously stomped on the ground . It was trying to crush Jin-Woo still sticking to its face by ramming into the wall ¡®But, before that happens¡­ . ¡¯. ¡­ . He¡¯d finish this fight!. Jin-Woo¡¯s fist began pounding faster, harder, and with even less mercy onto the face of the god statue Kwang!! Kwang!! Kwang!! Kwaaahng!!. Thud! Thud! Thud!. The god statue increased its running speed and the gap to the wall was reduced in seconds Sneak Jin-Woo confirmed the remaining distance with his eyes and, for the purpose of landing the final blow, sent all of his power to his right arm Thick veins bulged on his ballooning arm muscles as a horrifying amount of magic energy filled his limb up ¡®¡­ . Very good . ¡¯. The physical strength of a level 103 . Jin-Woo poured all of that into this single fist of his . Just before he was about to collide against the wall¡­ KWA-BOOM!!. CRACK!!!. Along with the loud noise of a ripened watermelon shattering into pieces, half of the god statue¡¯s face was blown away . It eventually faltered and fell down on its knees RUMBLE-!!. The entirety of the empty dome-shaped arena rumbled spectacularly . And then, the gigantic body of the god statue powerlessly tilted over to the ground RUUUMBLE-!!. A thick, choking cloud of dust kicked up into the air as the massive figure collapsed, hard, to the dry ground . Jin-Woo walked out from there while waving away the dust covering up the room like a thick fog ¡°Fuu-woo . ¡±. Jin-Woo let out a soft sigh under his breath Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump¡­ Even now, the sound of his wildly beating heart noisily rang around in his ear canals . The god statue that nearly made him wet his pants the first time he stood before it, had fallen face down on the ground, unmoving No one else did that . He was responsible for this spectacle ¡®I can definitely do this . ¡¯. ¡­ . Regardless of what that was He recalled the Hunters who lost their lives inside here and a powerful emotion welled up from deep within his heart . Unfortunately, the remaining stone statues continued to move quickly, as if they didn¡¯t want him to have this quiet moment to himself They surrounded him in a circle and closed the distance . Just before they were about to pounce on him, though¡­ Jin-Woo stopped looking at his two hands¡­ and raised his head ¡°Ruler¡¯s Authority . ¡±. BOOM-!!. Every single stone statue slammed their heads down on the floor and stopped moving altogether . This was the power of the invisible hand, also known as the skill ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ Jin-Woo returned his gaze back to his hands ¡®I¡¯ve become even stronger through today¡¯s battle . ¡¯. He clenched his fists and unfurled them, before repeating his actions again An incredible power was overflowing out of his fists, no, from his entire body . He could clearly sense this flow of power now At the same time, his heart showed no signs of slowing down at all . It felt as if something sleeping deep within him had awakened through this life-or-death struggle It was then Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap He heard slow handclaps . Jin-Woo raised his head in the direction of that clapping noise . The angel statue was clapping its hands in an exaggerated manner, that repulsive smile still etched on its face ¡°Truly excellent . ¡±. Quite unlike the words leaving its mouth, though, the light oozing out of its eyes were of rather nefarious origins . Jin-Woo calmly spoke to the statue ¡°Don¡¯t you have an agreement to uphold, first?¡±. The d*mn thing clearly announced that, as long as Jin-Woo managed to stand on his two feet after the end of this final test, all the answers he wanted to know would be provided to him So, he wanted to hear them right now Unfortunately, a stiff smile formed on the angel statue as if it had no intentions of letting him know that easily ¡°Hah, hah . ¡±. It took a step closer to him ¡°Your test isn¡¯t finished yet . ¡±. Then, another step closer ¡°In here¡­ . ¡±. Yet another step The angel statue closed the distance with several large strides and eventually stood before Jin-Woo¡¯s nose ¡°¡­ . I¡¯m still here, aren¡¯t I?¡±. Dududuk, dudududuk!!!. The lengthy wings on the back of the angel statue suddenly twisted and writhed around before transforming into arms . Two arms coming out of its shoulders, and six more sprouting from its back ¨C eight hands in total began clenching into tight fists ¡°I am your final test . ¡±. Jin-Woo frowned deeply . Before he could say anything, though ¨C the angel statue cut him off ¡°There is no need to worry about my ¡®life¡¯ . ¡±. Flinch Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes widened in surprise . This thing knew what he wanted to say in advance . He was about to raise his voice in irritation, telling the creature that its death would result in him not getting any answers in the end ¡°Are you surprised?¡±. The angel statue raised one of its hands and pointed at its own head ¡°All of your information is in here . ¡¯. ¡®¡­ . Could it be?¡¯. Cold sweat drops rapidly formed on Jin-Woo¡¯s forehead ¡°As expected of a quick-witted human . Hah, hah . ¡±. The angel statue issued out more of that stiff, mechanical laughter . And then, carried on with what it wanted to say ¡°If you try to control your power to prevent me from dying, that will make it difficult to properly measure your true strength . So, to prevent that¡­¡±. Right in that moment ¨C the angel statue¡¯s lips moved at a quick pace However, the voice of the angel statue didn¡¯t come out from there . It came out from somewhere else [An ¡®Emergency Quest¡¯ has been issued . ]. [If you fail to defeat the enemy within the designated time limit, your heart will stop operating altogether . ]. [Remaining time: 10:00]. Just as the quest message finished saying its piece, one second ticked down from the remaining time Tick [Remaining time: 09:59]. Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes began trembling hard as he stared at the angel statue ¡°That¡¯s right . ¡±. [That¡¯s right . ]. Whenever the angel statue spoke, he also heard the System¡¯s voice at the same time as well Jin-Woo¡¯s heart that seemed to have recovered some calmness just now began madly pounding away again . His breathing quickened and his fingertips trembled The angel statue studied Jin-Woo¡¯s reaction before answering one of the very first questions he asked earlier ¨C ¡°What are you?¡±. ¡°I am the architect of the System . ¡±. [I am the architect of the System . ]. ***. ¡°Mister Kim, you¡¯re a reporter . There¡¯s a dungeon break happening in Japan right now, so is it okay for you to be camping out here like this?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol threw that question out as if he was feeling greatly annoyed by something at the moment The reporter named Kim yawned grandly while scratching the area around his sideburns ¡°That place is already packed full of other reporters . Nothing will change even if I show up there, wouldn¡¯t you agree? It¡¯ll be better for me to stick with the folks of the Monitoring Division and get myself a scoop or two . ¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol was tempted to advise this reporter that he should either stick to yawning or scratching his face, but gave up and sighed inwardly This was because Kim was one of a very few reporters that wrote favourable articles regarding the Association when everyone else seemed to be hell-bent on ¡®uncovering¡¯ wrongdoings of the organisation or coming up with provocative gossip pieces on the private lives of various Hunters ¡®No need to turn an ally into an enemy, now is there¡­ . ?¡¯. That was why Woo Jin-Cheol was keeping this reporter named Kim company as the latter paid a visit to the Monitoring Division¡¯s offices Kim finally finished his lengthy yawn and threw a question back ¡°Besides that, Chief Woo . Our whole country is going through a bit of upheaval right now, so is it fine for you to be sitting here and doing nothing in the office like this?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol closed the cover on the file he was working on and spoke in a soft voice that sounded almost like a gentle sigh ¡°Someone has to stay behind to guard his assigned station, you see . ¡±. ¡°Ohhh . ¡±. Reporter Kim¡¯s eyes opened up wider in understanding and replied while quickly pulling out a palm-sized memo pad and a pen ¡°You know, that¡¯s a cool soundbite . I want to make sure not to miss out on a single word, so can you repeat them for me, please?¡±. ¡°Mister Kim, you really¡­ . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol was about to raise his voice higher but with excellent timing, his smartphone went off ¡®¡­Mm?¡¯. It was a call coming from the report centre . If it was a call not coming through the hotline of the Monitoring Division but to his personal phone, then that could only mean the matter at hand wasn¡¯t simple in nature Woo Jin-Cheol quickly answered the call ¡°This is Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol speaking, Monitoring Division . ¡±. ¨C ¡°Chief, we just received a report, sir . Looks like your presence is required on this one . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s eyes narrowed to a slit ¡°What happened?¡±. ¨C ¡°Do you remember the high school where those Orcs came out?¡±. ¡°Did something happen in that place again¡­ . ?¡±. ¨C ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like anything major had gone down there yet, but a Gate appearing in that school¡¯s athletic field a few days ago turned out to be a dual dungeon, sir . ¡±. ¡®A dual dungeon?¡¯. Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s eyes grew wider ¨C ¡°But, the thing is¡­ . ¡±. It seemed that the employee charged with receiving the reports still had something else to say . Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s voice became more urgent ¡°Okay, so what else is there?¡±. ¨C ¡°I heard that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo has entered the Gate, sir . ¡±. < Chapter 157 > Fin Chapter 158 He didn¡¯t even have enough time to get surprised . The angel statue suddenly began its attack . A large, tightly-clenched fist came flying at him like a flash of light . The attack was coming from too close a distance and its speed was also too fast to evade cleanly ¨C that¡¯s what his brain, trained to near-perfection through countless battles, had told him . Jin-Woo urgently raised his arms to block the attack . It was not an incorrect decision to make, but that didn¡¯t mean it was the correct one, either . SLAM-!! The power behind that punch was so incredulous that both his legs momentarily became airborne as he flew to the wall on the far side before ungainly crashing into it . Crack-!! The debris from the broken wall tumbled down to the floor . ¡®¡­Keu-heuk . ¡¯ Jin-Woo swallowed back the pained moan . From that unexpected attack, he ended up receiving an unexpectedly large amount of damage . Unfortunately, the angel statue had already arrived in front of Jin-Woo¡¯s nose, evidently not keen on giving him any time to reorganise himself . Boom!! Jin-Woo tilted his head to the side and evaded the fist of the angel statue . It left a massive hole on the wall behind him, instead . That was just the beginning . Jin-Woo¡¯s back was up against the wall . The angel statue blocked off his route of retreat and then, its eight fists ruthlessly rained down on him . Attacks poured down without a single break in between, each punch powerful enough to kill a high-ranking Hunter in a single hit . Tudududududududu-!! As time wore on, though ¨C the eyes of the angel statue were growing wider and wider, instead . ¡®He¡¯s¡­ blocking my punches?¡¯ The bombardment of attacks from eight separate arms was being blocked, deflected, or was redirected by just two arms . His movements were so fast that he simply looked like a collection of afterimages now . The angel statue was inwardly impressed by this display . From the very beginning, the end result of this battle was already set in stone . No, this was just one of the formalities to go through . And that would be the statue performing a once-over of Jin-Woo for the last time whether he agreed to it or not . Normally, this process itself should have been a rather boring one to go through . But now¡­ . ¡®Isn¡¯t this amusing . ¡¯ To think, it¡¯d start enjoying a fight against a human like this . The angel statue had never once thought that a mere human could ever be an even match in its long, long life . The moment its thoughts reached there, a light suddenly flashed in its vision . No, it wasn¡¯t actually light . It was a punch the human threw at the statue . Boom-!! Jin-Woo jumped up and threw a punch . It hit the face of the angel statue, resulting in it being unceremoniously deposited on to the ground and rolling away in the dirt . It still stood right back up again, though . There were minute cracks developing on its still-smiling face . [Hahah . ] How long had it been since it felt this joyous? The angel statue was so excited that it began to shudder in regret from the shortness of the remaining time . ¡°Fuu-woo¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo managed to land a good-looking hit on the angel statue, but he didn¡¯t bother to celebrate his feat . He instead spat out heavy, laboured breaths . ¡®It¡¯s strong . ¡¯ Indeed, his opponent was way stronger than any enemy he had faced so far . This ¡®thing¡¯ introduced itself as the architect of the System . The questions of why it created the System, why he was chosen as a Player, and just what was going on with this world ¨C the questions he wanted to ask so badly were already forming a small mountain in his head . ¡®If I want to ask them¡­ . ¡¯ He needed to prioritise bringing that thing down first . Jin-Woo clenched his fists tightly . It was then . He felt a warm, sticky liquid sliding down his face . It was his blood . It was trickling out from a tear on his forehead . ¡®I guess I didn¡¯t dodge everything, huh . ¡¯ He thought that he perfectly countered all those attacks, but it seemed that one or two did get through to him . What bad luck it was, his blood seeping into his eye and interfering with his vision . On the other hand, the enemy was completely fine . It¡¯d be very hard to describe this situation as a good one for him, even if he were to exaggerate somewhat . ¡®Fighting up close puts me in a disadvantage . ¡¯ That was a rather obvious assessment to make . The enemy¡¯s physique was several times larger than his, and it also enjoyed the benefit of having six more arms, too . Realistically speaking, it was nigh impossible to evade or defend against speedy attacks coming in from all sorts of angles . The wound on his forehead attested to that fact . ¡®In that case . ¡¯ It was time to change the look of this battle just a tiny bit . The moment he made up his mind as thus, the angel statue flew in like an arrow and swung its big fist at him . Ka-ka-boom!! The punch sliced open the air and crashed into the wall . It collapsed into countless pieces of rubble . The angel statue tilted its head to the side . Jin-Woo had taken some distance away from his enemy even before the statue had the chance to consciously realise it . ¡®I certainly am a match for it in terms of speed . ¡¯ So, if he maintained this distance and damaged it from afar¡­ . Jin-Woo immediately activated ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ towards the angel statue as it turned around to face him . Pow!! The powerful attack pressing down from the sky to the ground! The technique used to swat the king of the ants, Beru, off the air swooped down on the angel statue¡¯s head . However¡­ . ¡®¡­ . ?¡¯ Jin-Woo did a quick double take . The skill that managed to tilt the torso of the massive god statue only managed to tilt the head of the angel ever so slightly . He couldn¡¯t be sure, but the opponent seemed to have activated a skill of its own to defend itself . There was no other explanation he could think of other than that one . ¡®What could it be?¡¯ His confused state couldn¡¯t be maintained for long . [How amusing . So very amusing . ] From some time ago, the angel statue¡¯s low voice and the System¡¯s mechanical female-like voice were overlapping in his ears . That unnatural combination was really getting on his nerves a bit . [This is so very amusing . ] The angel extended all of its eight arms out, and the weapons previously held by the stone statues began vibrating on the ground . ¡®Isn¡¯t that¡­ . ?¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes widened greatly . The weapons of the stone statues soon rose up in the air and flew towards the angel . Eight different weapons were now tightly grasped in the angel¡¯s eight hands all at once . ¡®That¡¯s Ruler¡¯s Reach . ¡¯ Perhaps unsurprisingly, the angel statue also knew how to use the skill ¡®Ruler¡¯s Reach¡¯ . Its power seemed to be below Jin-Woo¡¯s own skill, but whatever the case may have been, he now knew what the angel used to counter the attack earlier on . Indeed, this thing was not an ordinary opponent at all . Tick . Abruptly, Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze shifted up . [Remaining time: 06:19] And now, he only had roughly six minutes left . ¡®I need to finish this quickly . ¡¯ He learned that long distance attacks weren¡¯t going to work . Jin-Woo revised his plan once more and summoned the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword¡¯ again . The other one that he tossed away in a hurry was currently nowhere to be seen . ¡®Fighting against eight weapons with a single shortsword, is it?¡¯ Ba-thump, ba-thump!! The more he was pushed to the corner in a fight, the faster his heart beat . Taht . The angel statue jumped up high as if it wanted to touch the ceiling, before landing back down in front of Jin-Woo . Craaack!! The stone tiles on the floor couldn¡¯t endure against the falling statue¡¯s momentum and spat out bits of debris as it shattered into countless pieces . Jin-Woo pointed forward with his shortsword as he felt the small pebbles pelting him on his ankles . ¡®I can do this . ¡¯ He definitely could do this . Jin-Woo stared into the angel statue¡¯s eyes and calmly drew his breaths in . Immediately, he felt a chill brush run down his back . Sure enough, eight disparate weapons, such as a sword, a spear, a blade, an axe, a war hammer, etc . , flew at his way as if they all possessed individual wills . Fuu¡­ . Jin-Woo spat out heavy, white-hot breaths, his brows shooting up high . Under the glare of the interior that was neither too bright nor too dark, the light in Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes left behind long shimmering trails that chased after his movements . Kwagagwahk-!! Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-gwa-gwahk!! Would blocking countless flying bullets with bullets fired from an opposing gun create a cacophony of noise similar to this? The deafening roars continued on unabated as Jin-Woo and the angel statue exchanged innumerable attacks and counterattacks in an instant . Within the world slowed down to a crawl, only these two writhed and struggled mightily as if to rebel against the flow of time itself . There was no one superior or inferior; just an evenly-matched battle of blades where only one would emerge as the victor . Even then¡­ . ¡®I can feel it . ¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s shoulder moved ever so slightly . The sword wielded by the angel statue brushed past his shoulder with a gap that couldn¡¯t be detected by the naked eyes . He stopped caring about his other eye that couldn¡¯t be used anymore . His sensory perception that had exceeded the extreme limits and stepped into a whole new realm helped him to read the trajectories of every weapon his enemy held . He began dodging every attack the angel statue threw at him by truly paper-thin margins and accurately landed his counters one by one . More and more wounds appeared on the statue . The angel¡¯s speed remained constant, yet Jin-Woo was getting faster and faster . Naturally, the angel statue was deeply astonished by this . ¡°¡­ . . !!¡± If it was only for the purpose of a test, there was no reason to go this far . However, this human had managed to draw out the angel¡¯s full power . Indeed, just as the term implied ¨C it had to fight with everything it had . But then, a human was able to fight evenly against the angel statue going at full tilt? The angel¡¯s puzzled, suspicious eyes began peering deeper into Jin-Woo now . And then, it realised the reason for this . ¡®It¡¯s only by a little, but¡­ it¡¯s mixed in there . ¡¯ Flinch . The shoulders of the angel statue trembled in shock . Was that the reason why he could freely wield the immense power so naturally like this? However, that was also another thing this ¡®creature¡¯ wished for from the beginning, anyway . Just as the look of elation formed on the angel statue¡¯s face, a cleanly sliced off arm flew up into the air . The statue¡¯s head was raised up to look at it . The arm let go of a weapon as it flew away¡­ . it was the angel¡¯s right arm . [Kuuuwaaahhk!!] Even if this statue was not its real body, the pain still got transmitted in full . The angel statue tottered unsteadily and retreated after losing its arm in the blink of an eye . [How dare a measly human!] The colour of the angel statue¡¯s eyes reddened in an instant . Its true nature woke up and it forgot its true purpose, its duty, for being here . [You dare!!] It cried out in anger, and the fallen, destroyed stone statues all stood right back up . BOOM! Even the god statue and its partially-destroyed head began pushing off the ground as well . Jin-Woo could sense all the enemies being reanimated, but he didn¡¯t fall into a panic and simply pounced on the angel statue again . Clang!! The four arms of the angel were used to block a single shortsword, yet it was shoved far, far back from the impact force . Agility, Perception, Strength, and even Stamina ¨C all of Jin-Woo¡¯s Stats had far exceeded the expectation of the angel statue . [Kuwahk!!] The angel statue roared out like a wild beast, and the reanimated stone statues pounced on Jin-Woo . And so, the fight between every single thing within this temple and the lone human commenced . Tick . [03:02] Even in the midst of all this chaos, the timer was still resolutely ticking down to zero . Jin-Woo¡¯s shortsword sliced away yet another of the angel statue¡¯s arms . This time, it was one of the six created out of its wings . [Kuwaaahhk!!] Unfortunately, the resistance of the reanimated stone statues was nothing to scoff at . There were far too many of them surrounding him now and it became too much of a task to dodge every single attack coming his way . He focused on attacking the angel statue and dodged only those attacks that might critically injure him while ignoring the rest . His HP and Stamina were cut down in double time . Stab! A stone statue slammed down with its shield on his left shoulder . ¡®Keuk!¡¯ Jin-Woo diverted his attention towards this particular statue . It was preparing to strike for the second time with its shield . Jin-Woo¡¯s expression crumpled into something unsightly . He didn¡¯t really care about others, but he simply couldn¡¯t forgive this b*stard . Only then did Jin-Woo move slightly away from the angel statue; using the elbow of his left arm not holding a weapon, he stomped the head of the offending statue . CRACK! The elbow drop containing magic energy ensured that the statue¡¯s head exploded into tiny bits and pieces . In the meantime, other statues quickly surrounded him and tried to jump on top of him . However, Jin-Woo simply activated his skill and pushed them all away . ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority!¡¯ BOOM!! A group of stone statues were flung away as if they were thrown off from the centre of an explosion . ¡°Pant, pant¡­ . ¡± Unfortunately, even before Jin-Woo had time to catch his breath, the god statue threw its massive fist down on his head . He lightly leapt to his side and avoided it . Vuuwuong-!! The gigantic fist only managed to sweep away dozens of stone statues from Jin-Woo¡¯s vicinity . He ran in a wide arc to lose the stone statues mindlessly trying to jump on him and approached the angel statue again . And the angel greeted him with a deeply crumpled expression . That was the expression of pure rage . For the second time today, Jin-Woo, the angel statue, and the stone statues all fell into a frenzied melee . His blood and sweat danced in the air and flew everywhere . But, all of that lasted only for a brief moment . Soon, blood and sweat evaporated from the sheer heat generated and red mist rose up from Jin-Woo¡¯s shoulders . The stone statues were forced back, the god statue slammed its fist down, and the arms of the angel statue busily moved about . And in the middle of it all stood Jin-Woo . [Kuwaaahhk!!] Another one of the angel¡¯s arms flew off, and Jin-Woo¡¯s shortsword found itself pressed tightly against the angel statue¡¯s neck . Way above both of them, the god statue was about to pound down with its two hands locked together . Jin-Woo calmly strengthened the arm pressing the blade to the angel statue¡¯s neck to cut it off in one go . At that moment, the angel statue announced its surrender . [I lost . ] Simultaneously, the god statue and the rest of the stone statues all froze up and stopped moving . [Your test has ended . ] Tick . Like a lie, the timer ceaselessly ticking down also froze up along with the angel¡¯s words announcing the end of everything . [Remaining time: 02:11] Red hot steam was rising up in a fine mist from Jin-Woo¡¯s entire body . Only after confirming that the timer had stopped for real, he lowered his head . His glare was locked onto the angel statue . ¡°I have a question . ¡± [You can ask anything . I shall answer if it¡¯s within my knowledge . ] Rather unexpectedly, the now-expressionless angel statue agreed to his demand without offering any resistance . ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ Jin-Woo didn¡¯t say anything and thought to himself . When he asked the angel statue ¡®What are you¡¯, the thing mocked him for asking the wrong question . However, his confusion got more confounded after he heard the identity of this ¡®thing¡¯ from its own mouth, and now, he had more questions than ever before burning a hole in his head . That was why Jin-Woo decided to heed the advice the angel gave him earlier on and ask the right question . ¡°Who am I?¡± < Chapter 158 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 158: Chapter 158 He didn¡¯t even have enough time to get surprised The angel statue suddenly began its attack . A large, tightly-clenched fist came flying at him like a flash of light The attack was coming from too close a distance and its speed was also too fast to evade cleanly ¨C that¡¯s what his brain, trained to near-perfection through countless battles, had told him Jin-Woo urgently raised his arms to block the attack . It was not an incorrect decision to make, but that didn¡¯t mean it was the correct one, either SLAM-!!. The power behind that punch was so incredulous that both his legs momentarily became airborne as he flew to the wall on the far side before ungainly crashing into it Crack-!!. The debris from the broken wall tumbled down to the floor ¡®¡­Keu-heuk . ¡¯. Jin-Woo swallowed back the pained moan . From that unexpected attack, he ended up receiving an unexpectedly large amount of damage . Unfortunately, the angel statue had already arrived in front of Jin-Woo¡¯s nose, evidently not keen on giving him any time to reorganise himself Boom!!. Jin-Woo tilted his head to the side and evaded the fist of the angel statue . It left a massive hole on the wall behind him, instead That was just the beginning Jin-Woo¡¯s back was up against the wall . The angel statue blocked off his route of retreat and then, its eight fists ruthlessly rained down on him Attacks poured down without a single break in between, each punch powerful enough to kill a high-ranking Hunter in a single hit Tudududududududu-!!. As time wore on, though ¨C the eyes of the angel statue were growing wider and wider, instead ¡®He¡¯s¡­ blocking my punches?¡¯. The bombardment of attacks from eight separate arms was being blocked, deflected, or was redirected by just two arms . His movements were so fast that he simply looked like a collection of afterimages now The angel statue was inwardly impressed by this display From the very beginning, the end result of this battle was already set in stone . No, this was just one of the formalities to go through . And that would be the statue performing a once-over of Jin-Woo for the last time whether he agreed to it or not . Normally, this process itself should have been a rather boring one to go through . But now¡­ ¡®Isn¡¯t this amusing . ¡¯. To think, it¡¯d start enjoying a fight against a human like this . The angel statue had never once thought that a mere human could ever be an even match in its long, long life The moment its thoughts reached there, a light suddenly flashed in its vision . No, it wasn¡¯t actually light It was a punch the human threw at the statue Boom-!!. Jin-Woo jumped up and threw a punch . It hit the face of the angel statue, resulting in it being unceremoniously deposited on to the ground and rolling away in the dirt . It still stood right back up again, though There were minute cracks developing on its still-smiling face [Hahah . ]. How long had it been since it felt this joyous?. The angel statue was so excited that it began to shudder in regret from the shortness of the remaining time ¡°Fuu-woo¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo managed to land a good-looking hit on the angel statue, but he didn¡¯t bother to celebrate his feat . He instead spat out heavy, laboured breaths ¡®It¡¯s strong . ¡¯. Indeed, his opponent was way stronger than any enemy he had faced so far This ¡®thing¡¯ introduced itself as the architect of the System The questions of why it created the System, why he was chosen as a Player, and just what was going on with this world ¨C the questions he wanted to ask so badly were already forming a small mountain in his head ¡®If I want to ask them¡­ . ¡¯. He needed to prioritise bringing that thing down first . Jin-Woo clenched his fists tightly . It was then He felt a warm, sticky liquid sliding down his face . It was his blood It was trickling out from a tear on his forehead ¡®I guess I didn¡¯t dodge everything, huh . ¡¯. He thought that he perfectly countered all those attacks, but it seemed that one or two did get through to him . What bad luck it was, his blood seeping into his eye and interfering with his vision On the other hand, the enemy was completely fine . It¡¯d be very hard to describe this situation as a good one for him, even if he were to exaggerate somewhat ¡®Fighting up close puts me in a disadvantage . ¡¯. That was a rather obvious assessment to make . The enemy¡¯s physique was several times larger than his, and it also enjoyed the benefit of having six more arms, too Realistically speaking, it was nigh impossible to evade or defend against speedy attacks coming in from all sorts of angles . The wound on his forehead attested to that fact ¡®In that case . ¡¯. It was time to change the look of this battle just a tiny bit The moment he made up his mind as thus, the angel statue flew in like an arrow and swung its big fist at him Ka-ka-boom!!. The punch sliced open the air and crashed into the wall . It collapsed into countless pieces of rubble . The angel statue tilted its head to the side Jin-Woo had taken some distance away from his enemy even before the statue had the chance to consciously realise it ¡®I certainly am a match for it in terms of speed . ¡¯. So, if he maintained this distance and damaged it from afar¡­ Jin-Woo immediately activated ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ towards the angel statue as it turned around to face him Pow!!. The powerful attack pressing down from the sky to the ground!. The technique used to swat the king of the ants, Beru, off the air swooped down on the angel statue¡¯s head . However¡­ ¡®¡­ . ?¡¯. Jin-Woo did a quick double take The skill that managed to tilt the torso of the massive god statue only managed to tilt the head of the angel ever so slightly . He couldn¡¯t be sure, but the opponent seemed to have activated a skill of its own to defend itself . There was no other explanation he could think of other than that one ¡®What could it be?¡¯. His confused state couldn¡¯t be maintained for long [How amusing . So very amusing . ]. From some time ago, the angel statue¡¯s low voice and the System¡¯s mechanical female-like voice were overlapping in his ears . That unnatural combination was really getting on his nerves a bit [This is so very amusing . ]. The angel extended all of its eight arms out, and the weapons previously held by the stone statues began vibrating on the ground ¡®Isn¡¯t that¡­ . ?¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes widened greatly The weapons of the stone statues soon rose up in the air and flew towards the angel . Eight different weapons were now tightly grasped in the angel¡¯s eight hands all at once ¡®That¡¯s Ruler¡¯s Reach . ¡¯. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the angel statue also knew how to use the skill ¡®Ruler¡¯s Reach¡¯ . Its power seemed to be below Jin-Woo¡¯s own skill, but whatever the case may have been, he now knew what the angel used to counter the attack earlier on Indeed, this thing was not an ordinary opponent at all Tick Abruptly, Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze shifted up [Remaining time: 06:19]. And now, he only had roughly six minutes left ¡®I need to finish this quickly . ¡¯. He learned that long distance attacks weren¡¯t going to work . Jin-Woo revised his plan once more and summoned the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword¡¯ again . The other one that he tossed away in a hurry was currently nowhere to be seen ¡®Fighting against eight weapons with a single shortsword, is it?¡¯. Ba-thump, ba-thump!!. The more he was pushed to the corner in a fight, the faster his heart beat Taht The angel statue jumped up high as if it wanted to touch the ceiling, before landing back down in front of Jin-Woo Craaack!!. The stone tiles on the floor couldn¡¯t endure against the falling statue¡¯s momentum and spat out bits of debris as it shattered into countless pieces Jin-Woo pointed forward with his shortsword as he felt the small pebbles pelting him on his ankles ¡®I can do this . ¡¯. He definitely could do this . Jin-Woo stared into the angel statue¡¯s eyes and calmly drew his breaths in . Immediately, he felt a chill brush run down his back . Sure enough, eight disparate weapons, such as a sword, a spear, a blade, an axe, a war hammer, etc . , flew at his way as if they all possessed individual wills Fuu¡­ Jin-Woo spat out heavy, white-hot breaths, his brows shooting up high Under the glare of the interior that was neither too bright nor too dark, the light in Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes left behind long shimmering trails that chased after his movements Kwagagwahk-!! Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-gwa-gwahk!!. Would blocking countless flying bullets with bullets fired from an opposing gun create a cacophony of noise similar to this?. The deafening roars continued on unabated as Jin-Woo and the angel statue exchanged innumerable attacks and counterattacks in an instant Within the world slowed down to a crawl, only these two writhed and struggled mightily as if to rebel against the flow of time itself There was no one superior or inferior; just an evenly-matched battle of blades where only one would emerge as the victor . Even then¡­ ¡®I can feel it . ¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s shoulder moved ever so slightly . The sword wielded by the angel statue brushed past his shoulder with a gap that couldn¡¯t be detected by the naked eyes He stopped caring about his other eye that couldn¡¯t be used anymore . His sensory perception that had exceeded the extreme limits and stepped into a whole new realm helped him to read the trajectories of every weapon his enemy held He began dodging every attack the angel statue threw at him by truly paper-thin margins and accurately landed his counters one by one More and more wounds appeared on the statue . The angel¡¯s speed remained constant, yet Jin-Woo was getting faster and faster Naturally, the angel statue was deeply astonished by this ¡°¡­ !!¡±. If it was only for the purpose of a test, there was no reason to go this far . However, this human had managed to draw out the angel¡¯s full power Indeed, just as the term implied ¨C it had to fight with everything it had But then, a human was able to fight evenly against the angel statue going at full tilt?. The angel¡¯s puzzled, suspicious eyes began peering deeper into Jin-Woo now . And then, it realised the reason for this ¡®It¡¯s only by a little, but¡­ it¡¯s mixed in there . ¡¯. Flinch The shoulders of the angel statue trembled in shock . Was that the reason why he could freely wield the immense power so naturally like this?. However, that was also another thing this ¡®creature¡¯ wished for from the beginning, anyway Just as the look of elation formed on the angel statue¡¯s face, a cleanly sliced off arm flew up into the air . The statue¡¯s head was raised up to look at it The arm let go of a weapon as it flew away¡­ . it was the angel¡¯s right arm [Kuuuwaaahhk!!]. Even if this statue was not its real body, the pain still got transmitted in full . The angel statue tottered unsteadily and retreated after losing its arm in the blink of an eye [How dare a measly human!]. The colour of the angel statue¡¯s eyes reddened in an instant . Its true nature woke up and it forgot its true purpose, its duty, for being here [You dare!!]. It cried out in anger, and the fallen, destroyed stone statues all stood right back up BOOM!. Even the god statue and its partially-destroyed head began pushing off the ground as well Jin-Woo could sense all the enemies being reanimated, but he didn¡¯t fall into a panic and simply pounced on the angel statue again Clang!!. The four arms of the angel were used to block a single shortsword, yet it was shoved far, far back from the impact force Agility, Perception, Strength, and even Stamina ¨C all of Jin-Woo¡¯s Stats had far exceeded the expectation of the angel statue [Kuwahk!!]. The angel statue roared out like a wild beast, and the reanimated stone statues pounced on Jin-Woo . And so, the fight between every single thing within this temple and the lone human commenced Tick [03:02]. Even in the midst of all this chaos, the timer was still resolutely ticking down to zero Jin-Woo¡¯s shortsword sliced away yet another of the angel statue¡¯s arms . This time, it was one of the six created out of its wings [Kuwaaahhk!!]. Unfortunately, the resistance of the reanimated stone statues was nothing to scoff at There were far too many of them surrounding him now and it became too much of a task to dodge every single attack coming his way . He focused on attacking the angel statue and dodged only those attacks that might critically injure him while ignoring the rest His HP and Stamina were cut down in double time Stab!. A stone statue slammed down with its shield on his left shoulder ¡®Keuk!¡¯. Jin-Woo diverted his attention towards this particular statue It was preparing to strike for the second time with its shield . Jin-Woo¡¯s expression crumpled into something unsightly . He didn¡¯t really care about others, but he simply couldn¡¯t forgive this b*stard Only then did Jin-Woo move slightly away from the angel statue; using the elbow of his left arm not holding a weapon, he stomped the head of the offending statue CRACK!. The elbow drop containing magic energy ensured that the statue¡¯s head exploded into tiny bits and pieces In the meantime, other statues quickly surrounded him and tried to jump on top of him . However, Jin-Woo simply activated his skill and pushed them all away ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority!¡¯. BOOM!!. A group of stone statues were flung away as if they were thrown off from the centre of an explosion ¡°Pant, pant¡­ . ¡±. Unfortunately, even before Jin-Woo had time to catch his breath, the god statue threw its massive fist down on his head . He lightly leapt to his side and avoided it Vuuwuong-!!. The gigantic fist only managed to sweep away dozens of stone statues from Jin-Woo¡¯s vicinity . He ran in a wide arc to lose the stone statues mindlessly trying to jump on him and approached the angel statue again And the angel greeted him with a deeply crumpled expression . That was the expression of pure rage For the second time today, Jin-Woo, the angel statue, and the stone statues all fell into a frenzied melee . His blood and sweat danced in the air and flew everywhere . But, all of that lasted only for a brief moment Soon, blood and sweat evaporated from the sheer heat generated and red mist rose up from Jin-Woo¡¯s shoulders The stone statues were forced back, the god statue slammed its fist down, and the arms of the angel statue busily moved about . And in the middle of it all stood Jin-Woo [Kuwaaahhk!!]. Another one of the angel¡¯s arms flew off, and Jin-Woo¡¯s shortsword found itself pressed tightly against the angel statue¡¯s neck . Way above both of them, the god statue was about to pound down with its two hands locked together Jin-Woo calmly strengthened the arm pressing the blade to the angel statue¡¯s neck to cut it off in one go At that moment, the angel statue announced its surrender [I lost . ]. Simultaneously, the god statue and the rest of the stone statues all froze up and stopped moving [Your test has ended . ]. Tick Like a lie, the timer ceaselessly ticking down also froze up along with the angel¡¯s words announcing the end of everything [Remaining time: 02:11]. Red hot steam was rising up in a fine mist from Jin-Woo¡¯s entire body Only after confirming that the timer had stopped for real, he lowered his head . His glare was locked onto the angel statue ¡°I have a question . ¡±. [You can ask anything . I shall answer if it¡¯s within my knowledge . ]. Rather unexpectedly, the now-expressionless angel statue agreed to his demand without offering any resistance ¡®¡­ ¡¯. Jin-Woo didn¡¯t say anything and thought to himself When he asked the angel statue ¡®What are you¡¯, the thing mocked him for asking the wrong question However, his confusion got more confounded after he heard the identity of this ¡®thing¡¯ from its own mouth, and now, he had more questions than ever before burning a hole in his head That was why Jin-Woo decided to heed the advice the angel gave him earlier on and ask the right question ¡°Who am I?¡±. < Chapter 158 > Fin Chapter 159 The Hunters of the Monitoring Division arrived on site . There were a total of seven high-ranked Hunters . Woo Jin-Cheol had scrounged up the top elites of the Association that could be mobilised on such short notice . However, he knew the truth . He knew that this little fighting power would not be of any help to Hunter Seong . ¡®Even still, for the worst case scenario¡­ . ¡¯ These Hunters from the Monitoring Division would buy enough time so Hunter Seong would be able to escape from the dangers . They came to this location with such a resolve in their hearts . ¡°Is that the one, Chief?¡± ¡°Looks that way . ¡± Hunters from the Monitoring Division stepped out of the minivan and entered the school¡¯s athletics field . They found the Hunters from the Bravery Guild who had made the report earlier waiting for their arrival . Their expressions brightened once they saw the members of the Monitoring Division . ¡°Over here, mister agents!¡± The Master of the Guild came running and greeted the Hunters of the Monitoring Division . However, Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s gaze remained fixed on that Gate in question . He could pick up on an ominous aura coming out of it already . Woo Jin-Cheol looked at his subordinates and issued an order . ¡°Let¡¯s hurry . ¡± ¡°Yes, sir . ¡± Their steps became hurried and they crossed the field to arrive before the Gate in a proverbial heartbeat . But then, Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s steps came to an abrupt halt . ¡°Chief?¡± ¡°Senior?¡± The subordinates behind him naturally came to a stop, as well . Woo Jin-Cheol cautiously took off his sunglasses . His hand holding the accessory was trembling imperceptibly . ¡®This¡­ what the hell is this¡­ . ?¡¯ He picked up on the utterly horrifying maelstrom of magical energy all around the Gate . As a matter of fact, the magical energy leaking out was so savage and brutal that the space around the portal looked as if it was being distorted to his naked eyes . He was startled by what he saw and quickly took a step back . Was this simply an optical illusion, or the sign of an impending ill omen? He thought that, all of a sudden, a dark veil seemed to be enveloping this Gate from above . He had seen this somewhere before . It was the looming shadow of death . All the hair on the back of his neck stood up . Woo Jin-Cheol instinctively knew it . He knew that the fight taking place inside was not something he or his boys could possibly butt in on . The subordinates saw his complexion getting paler and gasped out in surprise . They hurriedly asked him . ¡°Section Chief?? Are you alright?¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± Rather than an answer, Woo Jin-Cheol threw out a question, instead . ¡°Is there a¡­ major Guild with a team ready for a raid nearby?¡± One of his subordinates checked the Association¡¯s database and quickly made his reply . ¡°Yes, sir . The Hunters Guild is getting ready for a raid at the moment . ¡± ¡°What about their two rank S Hunters?¡± ¡°According to the data, both Choi Jong-In and Cha Hae-In Hunter-nims are scheduled to partake in the raid, sir . ¡± Choi Jong-In and Cha Hae-In . If it were those two, then they might be able to do something . Woo Jin-Cheol shifted his gaze back to the Gate . That imperceptible trembling that started from his hand had slowly but steadily spread out to the rest of his body . Gulp . Dry saliva slid down his throat all on its own . Woo Jin-Cheol barely managed to rein his trembling voice and spoke to his subordinate . ¡°Send¡­ the emergency cooperation request to the Hunters Guild . ¡± *** He finally asked it . Just as the angel statue had recommended it, he changed his question from ¡°What are you?¡± to ¡°Who am I?¡± In that short moment, Jin-Woo¡¯s heavy and laboured panting relaxed to his usual rhythmic breathing . The sound of his breaths was so measured and calm that it was hard to believe he was involved in a fierce life-or-death battle just now . Even his panting shoulders had stopped quivering completely . [¡­ . ] The answer from the angel statue seemed to be getting delayed for some reason, and Jin-Woo pressed the shortsword deeper against its skin as a reminder . The blade dug into the neck of the stone statue . If this thing was a human, its skin would¡¯ve been cut open and began bleeding by now . Since it was seemingly made out of stone, it didn¡¯t bleed, but he knew there was no problem with cutting its head off like this . Perhaps the angel statue also knew this truth? It belatedly opened its mouth . [Finally . ] Hearing it from such close proximity, this thing¡¯s voice sounded even more freakish than before . [You have asked a proper question . ] It then formed a smile next . There was not one hint of fear on its face even though several of its arms were sliced off and there was a blade pressed just below its chin . ¡®Maybe, its real body is somewhere else?¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s exceptional sensory perception scanned his surroundings but he couldn¡¯t pick up any other aura . If the real body was indeed somewhere else, then the current him couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine just how incredible the technique being employed here was to conceal the connection this perfectly . The angel statue carried on with what it wanted to say while that smile remained etched on its stony face . [The answer is within you . ] ¡®¡­In me?¡¯ Jin-Woo had been glaring at his query until now, worried that this thing would try another petty trick on him . But when he heard that, his eyes became even sharper than ever before . He spent four years of his life as a lowest-ranked Hunter and had to fight against countless enemies that were stronger than himself and could have killed him instantly . Even though he was classified as a rank E Hunter, and not only that, as the lowest even among the rank Es, Jin-Woo still managed to survive in those four years as he bravely roamed around in various dungeons . That was no mean feat, indeed . It was only possible because of his sixth sense, honed through experiencing several life-or-death moments, helped him to pick the best possible option available during the worst of all the worst situations . And his ultra-sharp sixth sense was warning him of a certain shift in the atmosphere . Sure enough¡­ Tti-ring! The mechanical beep abruptly rang out in his head, accompanied by the usual voice of the System . It was definitely not the angel statue¡¯s voice ¨C he only heard that of a mechanical-sounding female . [Recalling the stored data in the System¡¯s memory . ] [Will you consent to its playback?] (Y/N) It wasn¡¯t just the voice this time, but even the actual message window also popped up, as well . It was asking him ¡®Yes¡¯ or ¡®No¡¯ . The alphabets ¡®Y¡¯ and ¡®N¡¯ lazily blinked in front of his eyes as if they were patiently waiting for his answer . ¡®Just what on earth is this¡­ . ?¡¯ Just what was this d*mn thing trying to pull this time? Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze shifted away from the message and landed on the angel statue . The smile was long gone from the statue¡¯s face . It spoke to him with a completely emotionless face . ¡°The decision is up to you . ¡± Unlike before, its voice was now separated from the System . The machine-like, stiff male voice grated against his eardrums . Jin-Woo shut his mouth tight after seeing that face . ¡®Data saved in the System¡¯s memory, is it¡­ . ¡¯ Just like how it was with various video games, did the System also possess a save file or something similar to that? And, he could view what that save file contained, right now? ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ In this short span of time, all kinds of thoughts raced in and out of his brain . Of course, his answer had already been decided . He finally earned what could be his one and only chance to confirm the truth for himself, so why should he back out of it now? If the System wanted to trick him into a trap, then well, it didn¡¯t have to go through such an elaborate process, either . After all, the System possessed the power to decide when his heart would stop beating, didn¡¯t it? ¡®Just as the angel said, if all these were just the processes of a test, then¡­ . Then, I have earned the right to view this data . ¡¯ He suddenly recalled what the angel statue told him before the battle commenced . [¡°If you still manage to stand on two feet by the end of the test, then everything you wished to know will be revealed to you . That will be my reward to you . ¡±] Most likely, the reward the angel talked about meant his right to view the data . He finally arrived at this conclusion . Jin-Woo made his decision and slowly opened his mouth . ¡°¡­ . Yes . ¡± When he did, darkness immediately enveloped him . Tti-ring . The familiar mechanical beep hit him in the eardrums, and the voice of the System followed right after . [The saved data has been successfully uploaded . ] *** It felt like he crossed an endless tunnel at a speed very close to that of infinity . He flew past the space filled with nothing but darkness; the light seeping into this space from such a long distance away slammed into him in an instant . After the blinding by the light dissipated away¡­ . Jin-Woo was greeted by the immense spectacle laid out before his eyes ¨C no, below him ¨C and spat out a shocked gasp in his mind . ¡®Oh, my god¡­ . ¡¯ An army consisting solely of innumerable monsters stretched far beyond the scope of vision below him . From where he was, all the way to beyond the horizon . Countless monsters completely covered up the ground until there was no uncovered patch left . In all honesty, that was one hell of a terrifying sight to behold . If this many monsters jumped out of a Gate all at once, humanity wouldn¡¯t have a chance in hell at winning against them . Just from seeing this, he felt his innards tighten as if he was having indigestion . ¡®Hold on¡­ Where is this place, anyway?¡¯ It couldn¡¯t have been Earth . He could see thin, tall, and bizarre looking rocky outcroppings jutting out from here and there on this reddish-brown, dried up plains where not even a single blade of grass grew . This was a completely foreign landscape that he had never seen before . His eyes could catch the sight of the reddish-brown ground, those strange rock formations, and then, the great army of monsters standing on top of said ground . Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to these monsters . He spotted weaklings commonly seen in low ranked dungeons, all the way to the powerful monsters that could only be seen in much higher-ranked dungeons, such as High Orcs, White Phantoms, and even Giants . This disparate gathering of monsters that ignored their ranks and species were busy looking up and waiting for something to happen . ¡®What are they all looking at?¡¯ Jin-Woo followed after their gazes and raised his head to the sky above . And then¡­ he discovered it . ¡®¡­ . . !!¡¯ He saw a jet-black lake, quietly floating high up in the sky . No, it was actually not a lake . He mistook it for a lake because of its sheer size . But, it was a Gate so big that he couldn¡¯t even begin to guess its size . And it was silently looking down on the ground . This black ¡®hole¡¯ was blocking up the purple sky beyond it . ¡®Purple sky, is it¡­ . . ?¡¯ Seeing the colour of the sky that should not exist, he became doubly sure that this was not Earth anymore . In a world that was clearly not Earth, something major was about to happen between the monsters and that Gate . He unconsciously swallowed his saliva . Trapped within this eerie silence, his nervousness also increased as the time wore on . Gowooooh¡­ . Just what would come out from that Gate? Jin-Woo began wondering if he¡¯d get to see the weapons of humanity or the armies of humans stepping out of that huge Gate, just like how monsters would step onto Earth through those portals . However¡­ . CRACK! What came out of the cracked-open Gate¡¯s mouth was soldiers decked out in silver armour, with wings attached to their backs . These silver-armoured soldiers poured out of the Gate like agitated bees rushing out of the disturbed beehive . While monsters covered up the entirety of the ground, these soldiers in turn utterly blotted out the sky . It was truly a spectacular sight . Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t stop admiring this incredible view . However, the monsters must¡¯ve thought rather differently . They began howling at the top of their lungs upon seeing the silver-armoured soldiers covering the sky and began bucking around in agitation . He didn¡¯t even have to be a genius to figure out what would happen next . It was war . Swahhh-!! The flying soldiers became silver drops of light and descended to the ground below . As it turned out, there was more than one Gate in the sky . There were several of them, and silver soldiers poured out of them one after the other . Monsters on the ground versus the soldiers of the sky!! Two groups, clearly burning with hostile intentions against each other, soon collided just above the ground . And a battle of an indescribable scale and proportion unfolded next . ROOOAAAR-!! The beastly roars of the monsters shook the land below, and¡­ . Vuuoooo¨C!! ¡­ . And, horns being blown by the silver-armoured soldiers thunderously resounded out . Weapons collided with other weapons; the sounds of armours shattering noisily rang out . The beastly roars soon morphed into screams and pained groans . The ground below was steadily being dyed the colour of blood . The superiority in this battle was established very quickly . The silver-armoured soldiers were very powerful . These guys easily sliced off the necks of the monsters that were strong enough to rip high-ranked Hunters apart with their bare hands . Such powerful beings had formed a massive invading group, so perhaps it was only inevitable that the monsters were being swept away . The balance was tilting noticeably now to their favour . Even then, silver-armoured soldiers continued to pour out from the Gates non-stop . The waves upon waves of the silver soldiers crashing forward like the incoming tide erased all traces of living monsters off the dried plains in no time at all . Kuwaaahk! Kiiiehhk! The war began as a fierce clash between two forces, but now, it descended into a blood-soaked massacre, instead . Just like how Jin-Woo was with his foes, the swords and spears of the silver soldiers knew no mercy . Because of that, the number of monsters decreased quite rapidly . Jin-Woo watched this scene of the horrifying monsters being killed off with little to no resistance and was overcome with a puzzling mixture of emotions . ¡®Am I mourning all those people who lost their lives to these b*stards, or am I feeling rueful for humans not being able to possess powers like that¡­ . ?¡¯ Such trivial thoughts remained in his head for only a short while . The truly extraordinary event only happened afterwards, that was why . With the complete annihilation of the monsters mere moments away¡­ The silver soldiers of the sky that violently pushed their enemies back suddenly stopped moving one at the time . ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Could they possibly have developed a sense of pity for these things now, of all times? But, there was just no way . If they did, then they shouldn¡¯t be gripping their weapons even tighter like that . They were gripping their weapons so hard, in fact, their hands were beginning to tremble noticeably, too . On top of that, the emotions filling up the faces of these silver soldiers were as far from the ones of compassion as you could get . No, they were definitely filled with terror . Their collective gazes were focused in a certain direction . And that was somewhere behind him . Jin-Woo suddenly had a hunch . He felt that something extraordinary was about to happen behind him, one amazing enough to overturn this situation on its head . However, his gaze didn¡¯t immediately look behind him, but instead, to the ground below . On top of this reddish-brown land, a black shadow was spreading out . This shadow rapidly spread beyond the blood dyeing the land red, as well as the mountains of corpses . And when this darkness sped past underneath these corpses, mysterious screams could be heard . Screams that no one could tell where they were coming from . Jin-Woo knew of a skill that was eerily similar to this ¨C no, make that pretty much identical . ¡®Sovereign¡¯s Territory¡­ . ¡¯ A powerful chill ran down his spine immediately . He slowly, agonisingly slowly, turned his head around to take a look . And there he found an impressive knight covered in jet-black armour from his head right down to his toes . From this knight, and the horse he was riding on, black aura-like strands of energy continuously rose up . Why did this happen? No one told him, yet Jin-Woo could think of only one title when looking at that black knight . ¡®¡­ . The Shadow Sovereign . ¡¯ Just by being in front of this being subjected him to an incredible pressure that was heavy enough to strangle him . Whether it was the silver-armoured soldiers from the sky, monsters with intelligence, or even those without it, they all forgot to breathe and simply stared at this Shadow Sovereign . Every single gaze within this battlefield was now looking at only this black knight . [¡­ . . ] The Sovereign glared at the soldiers of the sky, before extending his hand out as if he wanted to grasp something . Flinch . Jin-Woo now could see the sight of the silver-armoured soldiers flinch and start to back away in fear . The intolerable stillness that stifled one¡¯s breaths pressed down on the shoulders of every single being under the heavens . And soon¡­ . The Sovereign¡¯s solemn voice shattered that stillness . [Rise up . ] < Chapter 159 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 159: Chapter 159 The Hunters of the Monitoring Division arrived on site . There were a total of seven high-ranked Hunters . Woo Jin-Cheol had scrounged up the top elites of the Association that could be mobilised on such short notice However, he knew the truth . He knew that this little fighting power would not be of any help to Hunter Seong ¡®Even still, for the worst case scenario¡­ . ¡¯. These Hunters from the Monitoring Division would buy enough time so Hunter Seong would be able to escape from the dangers . They came to this location with such a resolve in their hearts ¡°Is that the one, Chief?¡±. ¡°Looks that way . ¡±. Hunters from the Monitoring Division stepped out of the minivan and entered the school¡¯s athletics field They found the Hunters from the Bravery Guild who had made the report earlier waiting for their arrival . Their expressions brightened once they saw the members of the Monitoring Division ¡°Over here, mister agents!¡±. The Master of the Guild came running and greeted the Hunters of the Monitoring Division . However, Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s gaze remained fixed on that Gate in question He could pick up on an ominous aura coming out of it already . Woo Jin-Cheol looked at his subordinates and issued an order ¡°Let¡¯s hurry . ¡±. ¡°Yes, sir . ¡±. Their steps became hurried and they crossed the field to arrive before the Gate in a proverbial heartbeat But then, Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s steps came to an abrupt halt ¡°Chief?¡±. ¡°Senior?¡±. The subordinates behind him naturally came to a stop, as well . Woo Jin-Cheol cautiously took off his sunglasses . His hand holding the accessory was trembling imperceptibly ¡®This¡­ what the hell is this¡­ . ?¡¯. He picked up on the utterly horrifying maelstrom of magical energy all around the Gate . As a matter of fact, the magical energy leaking out was so savage and brutal that the space around the portal looked as if it was being distorted to his naked eyes He was startled by what he saw and quickly took a step back Was this simply an optical illusion, or the sign of an impending ill omen?. He thought that, all of a sudden, a dark veil seemed to be enveloping this Gate from above . He had seen this somewhere before . It was the looming shadow of death All the hair on the back of his neck stood up Woo Jin-Cheol instinctively knew it He knew that the fight taking place inside was not something he or his boys could possibly butt in on The subordinates saw his complexion getting paler and gasped out in surprise . They hurriedly asked him ¡°Section Chief?? Are you alright?¡±. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. Rather than an answer, Woo Jin-Cheol threw out a question, instead ¡°Is there a¡­ major Guild with a team ready for a raid nearby?¡±. One of his subordinates checked the Association¡¯s database and quickly made his reply ¡°Yes, sir . The Hunters Guild is getting ready for a raid at the moment . ¡±. ¡°What about their two rank S Hunters?¡±. ¡°According to the data, both Choi Jong-In and Cha Hae-In Hunter-nims are scheduled to partake in the raid, sir . ¡±. Choi Jong-In and Cha Hae-In . If it were those two, then they might be able to do something Woo Jin-Cheol shifted his gaze back to the Gate . That imperceptible trembling that started from his hand had slowly but steadily spread out to the rest of his body Gulp Dry saliva slid down his throat all on its own Woo Jin-Cheol barely managed to rein his trembling voice and spoke to his subordinate ¡°Send¡­ the emergency cooperation request to the Hunters Guild . ¡±. ***. He finally asked it Just as the angel statue had recommended it, he changed his question from ¡°What are you?¡± to ¡°Who am I?¡±. In that short moment, Jin-Woo¡¯s heavy and laboured panting relaxed to his usual rhythmic breathing . The sound of his breaths was so measured and calm that it was hard to believe he was involved in a fierce life-or-death battle just now Even his panting shoulders had stopped quivering completely [¡­ . ]. The answer from the angel statue seemed to be getting delayed for some reason, and Jin-Woo pressed the shortsword deeper against its skin as a reminder . The blade dug into the neck of the stone statue If this thing was a human, its skin would¡¯ve been cut open and began bleeding by now . Since it was seemingly made out of stone, it didn¡¯t bleed, but he knew there was no problem with cutting its head off like this Perhaps the angel statue also knew this truth? It belatedly opened its mouth [Finally . ]. Hearing it from such close proximity, this thing¡¯s voice sounded even more freakish than before [You have asked a proper question . ]. It then formed a smile next . There was not one hint of fear on its face even though several of its arms were sliced off and there was a blade pressed just below its chin ¡®Maybe, its real body is somewhere else?¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s exceptional sensory perception scanned his surroundings but he couldn¡¯t pick up any other aura . If the real body was indeed somewhere else, then the current him couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine just how incredible the technique being employed here was to conceal the connection this perfectly The angel statue carried on with what it wanted to say while that smile remained etched on its stony face [The answer is within you . ]. ¡®¡­In me?¡¯. Jin-Woo had been glaring at his query until now, worried that this thing would try another petty trick on him . But when he heard that, his eyes became even sharper than ever before He spent four years of his life as a lowest-ranked Hunter and had to fight against countless enemies that were stronger than himself and could have killed him instantly Even though he was classified as a rank E Hunter, and not only that, as the lowest even among the rank Es, Jin-Woo still managed to survive in those four years as he bravely roamed around in various dungeons . That was no mean feat, indeed It was only possible because of his sixth sense, honed through experiencing several life-or-death moments, helped him to pick the best possible option available during the worst of all the worst situations And his ultra-sharp sixth sense was warning him of a certain shift in the atmosphere . Sure enough¡­. Tti-ring!. The mechanical beep abruptly rang out in his head, accompanied by the usual voice of the System . It was definitely not the angel statue¡¯s voice ¨C he only heard that of a mechanical-sounding female [Recalling the stored data in the System¡¯s memory . ]. [Will you consent to its playback?] (Y/N). It wasn¡¯t just the voice this time, but even the actual message window also popped up, as well . It was asking him ¡®Yes¡¯ or ¡®No¡¯ The alphabets ¡®Y¡¯ and ¡®N¡¯ lazily blinked in front of his eyes as if they were patiently waiting for his answer ¡®Just what on earth is this¡­ . ?¡¯. Just what was this d*mn thing trying to pull this time?. Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze shifted away from the message and landed on the angel statue . The smile was long gone from the statue¡¯s face . It spoke to him with a completely emotionless face ¡°The decision is up to you . ¡±. Unlike before, its voice was now separated from the System . The machine-like, stiff male voice grated against his eardrums . Jin-Woo shut his mouth tight after seeing that face ¡®Data saved in the System¡¯s memory, is it¡­ . ¡¯. Just like how it was with various video games, did the System also possess a save file or something similar to that? And, he could view what that save file contained, right now?. ¡®¡­ ¡¯. In this short span of time, all kinds of thoughts raced in and out of his brain . Of course, his answer had already been decided He finally earned what could be his one and only chance to confirm the truth for himself, so why should he back out of it now?. If the System wanted to trick him into a trap, then well, it didn¡¯t have to go through such an elaborate process, either . After all, the System possessed the power to decide when his heart would stop beating, didn¡¯t it?. ¡®Just as the angel said, if all these were just the processes of a test, then¡­ . Then, I have earned the right to view this data . ¡¯. He suddenly recalled what the angel statue told him before the battle commenced [¡°If you still manage to stand on two feet by the end of the test, then everything you wished to know will be revealed to you . That will be my reward to you . ¡±]. Most likely, the reward the angel talked about meant his right to view the data . He finally arrived at this conclusion Jin-Woo made his decision and slowly opened his mouth ¡°¡­ . Yes . ¡±. When he did, darkness immediately enveloped him Tti-ring The familiar mechanical beep hit him in the eardrums, and the voice of the System followed right after [The saved data has been successfully uploaded . ]. ***. It felt like he crossed an endless tunnel at a speed very close to that of infinity He flew past the space filled with nothing but darkness; the light seeping into this space from such a long distance away slammed into him in an instant After the blinding by the light dissipated away¡­ Jin-Woo was greeted by the immense spectacle laid out before his eyes ¨C no, below him ¨C and spat out a shocked gasp in his mind ¡®Oh, my god¡­ . ¡¯. An army consisting solely of innumerable monsters stretched far beyond the scope of vision below him From where he was, all the way to beyond the horizon . Countless monsters completely covered up the ground until there was no uncovered patch left In all honesty, that was one hell of a terrifying sight to behold . If this many monsters jumped out of a Gate all at once, humanity wouldn¡¯t have a chance in hell at winning against them Just from seeing this, he felt his innards tighten as if he was having indigestion ¡®Hold on¡­ Where is this place, anyway?¡¯. It couldn¡¯t have been Earth . He could see thin, tall, and bizarre looking rocky outcroppings jutting out from here and there on this reddish-brown, dried up plains where not even a single blade of grass grew This was a completely foreign landscape that he had never seen before His eyes could catch the sight of the reddish-brown ground, those strange rock formations, and then, the great army of monsters standing on top of said ground Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to these monsters He spotted weaklings commonly seen in low ranked dungeons, all the way to the powerful monsters that could only be seen in much higher-ranked dungeons, such as High Orcs, White Phantoms, and even Giants This disparate gathering of monsters that ignored their ranks and species were busy looking up and waiting for something to happen ¡®What are they all looking at?¡¯. Jin-Woo followed after their gazes and raised his head to the sky above . And then¡­ he discovered it ¡®¡­ !!¡¯. He saw a jet-black lake, quietly floating high up in the sky No, it was actually not a lake . He mistook it for a lake because of its sheer size . But, it was a Gate so big that he couldn¡¯t even begin to guess its size . And it was silently looking down on the ground This black ¡®hole¡¯ was blocking up the purple sky beyond it ¡®Purple sky, is it¡­ ?¡¯. Seeing the colour of the sky that should not exist, he became doubly sure that this was not Earth anymore In a world that was clearly not Earth, something major was about to happen between the monsters and that Gate He unconsciously swallowed his saliva . Trapped within this eerie silence, his nervousness also increased as the time wore on Gowooooh¡­ Just what would come out from that Gate?. Jin-Woo began wondering if he¡¯d get to see the weapons of humanity or the armies of humans stepping out of that huge Gate, just like how monsters would step onto Earth through those portals However¡­ CRACK!. What came out of the cracked-open Gate¡¯s mouth was soldiers decked out in silver armour, with wings attached to their backs These silver-armoured soldiers poured out of the Gate like agitated bees rushing out of the disturbed beehive While monsters covered up the entirety of the ground, these soldiers in turn utterly blotted out the sky It was truly a spectacular sight . Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t stop admiring this incredible view However, the monsters must¡¯ve thought rather differently . They began howling at the top of their lungs upon seeing the silver-armoured soldiers covering the sky and began bucking around in agitation He didn¡¯t even have to be a genius to figure out what would happen next It was war Swahhh-!!. The flying soldiers became silver drops of light and descended to the ground below . As it turned out, there was more than one Gate in the sky . There were several of them, and silver soldiers poured out of them one after the other Monsters on the ground versus the soldiers of the sky!!. Two groups, clearly burning with hostile intentions against each other, soon collided just above the ground . And a battle of an indescribable scale and proportion unfolded next ROOOAAAR-!!. The beastly roars of the monsters shook the land below, and¡­ Vuuoooo¨C!!. ¡­ . And, horns being blown by the silver-armoured soldiers thunderously resounded out Weapons collided with other weapons; the sounds of armours shattering noisily rang out . The beastly roars soon morphed into screams and pained groans . The ground below was steadily being dyed the colour of blood The superiority in this battle was established very quickly The silver-armoured soldiers were very powerful . These guys easily sliced off the necks of the monsters that were strong enough to rip high-ranked Hunters apart with their bare hands Such powerful beings had formed a massive invading group, so perhaps it was only inevitable that the monsters were being swept away The balance was tilting noticeably now to their favour . Even then, silver-armoured soldiers continued to pour out from the Gates non-stop The waves upon waves of the silver soldiers crashing forward like the incoming tide erased all traces of living monsters off the dried plains in no time at all Kuwaaahk!. Kiiiehhk!. The war began as a fierce clash between two forces, but now, it descended into a blood-soaked massacre, instead Just like how Jin-Woo was with his foes, the swords and spears of the silver soldiers knew no mercy . Because of that, the number of monsters decreased quite rapidly Jin-Woo watched this scene of the horrifying monsters being killed off with little to no resistance and was overcome with a puzzling mixture of emotions ¡®Am I mourning all those people who lost their lives to these b*stards, or am I feeling rueful for humans not being able to possess powers like that¡­ . ?¡¯. Such trivial thoughts remained in his head for only a short while . The truly extraordinary event only happened afterwards, that was why With the complete annihilation of the monsters mere moments away¡­. The silver soldiers of the sky that violently pushed their enemies back suddenly stopped moving one at the time ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯. Could they possibly have developed a sense of pity for these things now, of all times? But, there was just no way . If they did, then they shouldn¡¯t be gripping their weapons even tighter like that They were gripping their weapons so hard, in fact, their hands were beginning to tremble noticeably, too . On top of that, the emotions filling up the faces of these silver soldiers were as far from the ones of compassion as you could get . No, they were definitely filled with terror Their collective gazes were focused in a certain direction . And that was somewhere behind him Jin-Woo suddenly had a hunch . He felt that something extraordinary was about to happen behind him, one amazing enough to overturn this situation on its head However, his gaze didn¡¯t immediately look behind him, but instead, to the ground below On top of this reddish-brown land, a black shadow was spreading out . This shadow rapidly spread beyond the blood dyeing the land red, as well as the mountains of corpses . And when this darkness sped past underneath these corpses, mysterious screams could be heard Screams that no one could tell where they were coming from Jin-Woo knew of a skill that was eerily similar to this ¨C no, make that pretty much identical ¡®Sovereign¡¯s Territory¡­ . ¡¯. A powerful chill ran down his spine immediately He slowly, agonisingly slowly, turned his head around to take a look And there he found an impressive knight covered in jet-black armour from his head right down to his toes . From this knight, and the horse he was riding on, black aura-like strands of energy continuously rose up Why did this happen? No one told him, yet Jin-Woo could think of only one title when looking at that black knight ¡®¡­ . The Shadow Sovereign . ¡¯. Just by being in front of this being subjected him to an incredible pressure that was heavy enough to strangle him Whether it was the silver-armoured soldiers from the sky, monsters with intelligence, or even those without it, they all forgot to breathe and simply stared at this Shadow Sovereign Every single gaze within this battlefield was now looking at only this black knight [¡­ ]. The Sovereign glared at the soldiers of the sky, before extending his hand out as if he wanted to grasp something Flinch Jin-Woo now could see the sight of the silver-armoured soldiers flinch and start to back away in fear . The intolerable stillness that stifled one¡¯s breaths pressed down on the shoulders of every single being under the heavens And soon¡­ The Sovereign¡¯s solemn voice shattered that stillness [Rise up . ]. < Chapter 159 > Fin Chapter 160 Ba-thump . His heart beat louder just then . ¡®Rise up . ¡¯ The ripple generated from those two words spread out at a frightening speed and roused up the shadows . The battlefield dyed in the colours of monsters¡¯ blood roiled and tumbled in black waves . Uwaaaahhh-!! The Shadow Soldiers leaping out of the ground roared out in what could have been either loud cheers or screams of horror . They then shifted their blackened eyes towards their enemies . Those eyes carried not one trace of fear towards their enemies now . For the silver soldiers of the skies supposed to deal with this new army, the scene before them was worthy of sending cold shivers down their spines . Too bad for them, the Sovereign¡¯s powers didn¡¯t stop there . [Wuoooohhhhh-!!] The Sovereign bellowed heavily towards the skies . That powerful roar didn¡¯t attack the eardrums of the listeners, but directly shook their hearts, instead . Hearts, legs, and even the ground shook from his roar . The land began crying as its response . Jin-Woo didn¡¯t need a lot of time to figure out what that roar was meant for . Because¡­ the Shadow Soldiers raised their weapons up high and roared alongside as well . WUUUOOOOHHH-!! Just that single roar alone, and the Shadow Soldiers all transformed into completely different beings in an instant . From this corner of the land, all the way to the other side ¨C the dead monsters were instantly reorganised into Shadow Soldiers . Jin-Woo had been quietly observing this process while holding his breath . A powerful shudder ran through his entire body from the combined roars of the Shadow Soldiers . Ba-thump!! His heart loudly beat again . If this scene was supposed to demonstrate the true pinnacle of the Shadow Sovereign Class, then it certainly succeeded in letting him know just how much further he still had to walk to get there . Eventually, the soldiers of the sky stopped hesitating and began moving again . They gathered into one large mass, and like a gigantic swarm of bees, descended on the black soldiers below . However, the monsters that were reborn as Shadow Soldiers didn¡¯t fall as easily as before . Weapons clashed against weapons . Soldiers collided against soldiers . The silver army and the black army got tangled up on top of this expansive land . Explosions rang out constantly, and the ground quaked over and over again . The battle that should have ended as a one-sided massacre reverted back to full-on warfare . Just the entrance of a single individual had changed everything . Now that was the display of truly shocking power . Jin-Woo didn¡¯t know why this scene was being shown to him, but nevertheless, he found himself unable to tear his eyes away from it . The violent, fierce clash continued on . A desperate and bloody engagement, incomparably fiercer and more violent than the first battle that took place, unfolded before his eyes . Monsters were unable to contend with a single soldier of the sky while they were still alive, but after becoming Shadow Soldiers, they were now able to stand their ground and not get pushed back . But, well, the truly terrifying thing about these Shadow Soldiers weren¡¯t their fighting spirit or their combat potentials . The soldiers of the sky drove the Shadow Soldiers back with their powerful attacks and excellent martial prowess . The ferocity of the Shadow Soldiers that rebelled against death itself wasn¡¯t enough to bridge the gap of strength . The balance of the battle seemed to tilt in favour of the soldiers of the sky once more . However, the Shadow Soldiers regained their original appearances almost right after they were destroyed . Kuwaaahhk! A Shadow Soldier writhed and screamed out as a spear belonging to a soldier of the sky pierced through it . The silver soldier sensed that its victory was near . It let go of its spear and unsheathed the sword on its hips to slice off the head of its enemy, the Shadow Soldier . Slice! However, right after the head flew off¡­ . ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯ The head of the Shadow Soldier falling to the ground and the headless body all transformed into black smoke, before combining back to one form a couple of steps away . As the soldier of the sky flinched, the Shadow Soldier used the sword it held to stab the chest of its silver-clad enemy . Crack!! The blade broke through the chest armour, dug into the internals, broke through the back skin and emerged out in the open again . The silver soldier of the sky powerlessly fell to the ground . Plop . As the light of life within the fallen silver soldier¡¯s eyes faded away, someone¡¯s dignified voice entered its ears and woke it back up . [Rise up . ] In an unknown instant¡­ . The soldier of the sky discovered the black spear being held by its hands . What came to visit this soldier wasn¡¯t death, but a new beginning . Its now-blackened eyes shifted towards other soldiers of the sky who used to be its comrades only a few breaths ago . Flinch . When their gazes met, it saw the trembling shoulders of its former comrades . Even then, the reborn soldier knew what it had to do . ¡°Wuuoooouhhh!!¡± It joyously accepted the brand new fate bestowed upon it . Jin-Woo tore his eyes away from these soldiers and took an overview of the entire battlefield and its situation . The battle taking place between the soldiers of the sky endlessly pouring out from the Gates in the air, and the Shadow Soldiers reborn through the orders of the Shadow Sovereign, was incredibly even . Many poured out of the Gate to match the number of the dead, and just as many stood up from the shadows to match the dead, too . If war broke out in hell, would it resemble something like this? Horrifying warfare that a human¡¯s intuition couldn¡¯t even properly tell what would happen next breathlessly continued on in this vast land . However, the balance between these two opposing sides broke in a single instant . The flow of the war shifted very quickly when the Shadow Sovereign stopped issuing commands to his troops from far back and personally stepped forward to enter the fray . The black horse carrying the Sovereign dashed into the battlefield . Whenever he swung his sword, thousands of enemy troops fell to create a pathway . And the dead enemies, without an exception, became Shadow Soldiers and stood back up . Just one flick of the Sovereign¡¯s hand and all those enemy soldiers flying away to safety had their wings broken and they all crashed back down to earth . ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡­ . . ¡¯ The areas the Sovereign dashed through got utterly swept away as if a storm rampaged past there . For the first time ever since the two opposing camps started clashing their weapons ¨C the soldiers of the sky were being forced back . Hundreds of thousands, no, millions of silver-clad soldiers couldn¡¯t deal with a single enemy and were constantly pushed back . Jin-Woo could only gasp out in admiration at this sheer marvellous spectacle . He thought that the war would come to an end like this . However¡­ Just as the Shadow Soldiers began pushing back the tides of the silver soldiers of the sky, an ominous, eerie wind that was hard to describe in words blew in from somewhere behind him . Auras powerful enough to send a shudder down his spine rushed in . The Sovereign temporarily disregarded the enemies to his front and looked behind him . Two ginormous Gates had been generated in some place far behind the Shadow army . Their sizes didn¡¯t lose out to the ones floating up in the air . And from these two Gates, two disparate groups of monsters poured out in droves . On one side, beast-type creatures being led by a wolf the size of a mountain . And from the other one, knights and soldiers rushed out with countless banners proudly announcing their clans being waved about in their midst . Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes grew wider and wider . ¡®Huh¡­ . ??¡¯ The clan crests embroidered on those banners were all familiar to him . From Ricardo¡¯s, Faestos¡¯s, Rokan¡¯s, Ingreyace¡¯s, and even Radiru¡¯s . ¡®¡­ . Esil . ¡¯ Those crests belonged to the aristocratic clans of demons he ran into as he was climbing up to the top floor of the Demon¡¯s Castle . His confusion regarding why those demons appeared here could only last for a short while . The beasts and the demons began attacking the shadow soldiers together as if they had a prior agreement . The back line of the Shadow Soldiers was immediately torn up into shreds from the combined assault of the two monster armies . That wasn¡¯t the end, however . Their front was occupied by the soldiers of the sky, still alive and ready to battle . These silver-clad beings changed their strategy and began striking back once more . The soldiers of the sky to the front and the armies of monsters at the back surrounded the Shadow Soldiers in a pincer attack and closed in on them . The flow of the battle had changed once more . Ba-thump . Jin-Woo grasped his chest tightly . His heart was aching now . His gaze slowly shifted towards the Sovereign standing next to him . Why was this? Why could he sense the Sovereign¡¯s emotions so clearly like this? Just like when he was reading the thoughts of his Shadow Soldiers, the Sovereign¡¯s emotions were vividly transmitted to him . The emotion welling up thickly from the deepest depths of his heart was none other than indignation . No, it had already exceeded past the level of indignation and into the territory of pure wrath . Now that they were surrounded by enemies from all sides, the Shadow Soldiers had to endlessly repeat the cycle of destruction and regeneration . Although they seemed to have possessed a never-ending power of recovery, Jin-Woo too possessed the same ability and he knew its fatal weakness very well . ¡®It can hold up as long as there¡¯s MP¡­ . ¡¯ When MP ran out, the Soldiers would not be revived again . Meaning, the Sovereign wouldn¡¯t be able to use his army again . He sensed the Sovereign¡¯s magical energy that felt bottomless and vast in the beginning, slowly reaching its limit . The Sovereign changed the direction of his mount away from the army of the sky and towards his rear . His black horse kicked the ground and rushed forward . The ensuing battle was truly intense . Corpses formed mountains . Blood formed oceans . This conflagration called ¡®war¡¯ created by countless soldiers swallowed up every single lifeform still standing on this land and continued on its horrific path of destruction . But, even then ¨C this stubbornly persistent battle that didn¡¯t seem to end was slowly marching towards its inevitable conclusion . Not too many remained standing on the battlefield now . The Sovereign lost his mount during the battle . He wasn¡¯t hindered in the least, however . He cut down two demon knights blocking his path and stood before a certain demon breathlessly panting away as it leaned against a bizarre rock formation . The demon¡¯s face was hidden behind its helm, but the Sovereign seemed to know its identity as he glared down at his feeble prey . [We could have ended the war with them today . ] ¡°¡­¡± [But, why did you betray me?] The demon weakly faltered its head, but it forced himself to look up . It had already suffered grievous wounds and it seemed unlikely it¡¯d be able to survive its injuries . The voice coming out from beneath the helm sounded precariously close to being cut off . ¡°So¡­ . regrettable . We could have ended you for good today, but¡­ . ¡± The Sovereign¡¯s voice became even icier as he asked again . [I said, why did you betray me?] ¡°Keuk, keuk . ¡± The demon¡¯s shoulders trembled as it painfully cackled, before it raised its head up again . And then, it replied . ¡°#$%#^#%#%@$ . ¡± For some reason, Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t properly hear that answer . Did he lose his concentration and miss it somehow? No, that wasn¡¯t it . ¡°@$^$## . ¡± The demon said something else, but he still couldn¡¯t understand a single word of it . However, it must¡¯ve sounded different to the Sovereign¡¯s ears, because as soon as he heard the reply, he extended his hand out and sucked the demon in . The creature spat out a pained moan as its neck was tightly grasped by the Shadow Sovereign . ¡°Keo-heok . ¡± Crumble! The piece of armour protecting the neck crumpled up . Even in the middle of this, the demon continued to say the things it wanted to say . ¡°¡­ . %^&*$@%^& . ¡± Stab . The Sovereign¡¯s thumb plunged into the throat of the demon . Cough! The demon spat out a mouthful of blood . And that was precisely the moment when his gaze met with the demon¡¯s eyes staring back from within that helm . But, how could this be?! Jin-Woo freaked out and let go of the dying demon¡¯s neck . Plop . Its life had ended by then and its body limply crumpled to the ground . ¡®But, that doesn¡¯t make any sense . ¡¯ Those eyes in hidden in the helm ¨C he had seen those eyes before . But, such a thing could not have happened . Ba-thump! His heart began pounding madly now . Jin-Woo shook his head hard and cautiously approached the dead demon to take its helm off . Even in death, the creature was maintaining the same glare it shot him back when it was still alive . How could he ever forget that glare? The removed helm fell out of Jin-Woo¡¯s hands and clattered to the ground . Clang . The wide-open eyes of the demon were still filled with the light of pure rage . It was the exact same light he saw back on the top floor of the Demon¡¯s Castle . ¡®The Demon King¡­ Baran?!¡¯ The moment he realised this fact, he also discovered one more strange thing . He saw his hands decked out in black armour . He then saw his feet, his legs, and his own chest . From a certain point in time, he had been using the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s body as his own . Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!! The pounding beats of his heart grew even heavier and louder, assaulting his eardrums . Jin-Woo placed his hand where his heart was . Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump! His eyes grew wider and wider . ¡®How¡­ How come I haven¡¯t noticed it until now?!¡¯ He had grown more conscious of his own heartbeat after surviving the events of the underground temple . Even then, he had failed to notice it until now . Jin-Woo¡¯s trembling hand moved to the right side of his chest . He sensed the tremor there . One coming from the left, and then another coming from his right . Ba-thump! Two hearts were issuing exact same sounds . His shock-filled eyes were lowered immediately, but then, he discovered four shadows on the ground, slowly growing larger . Some things were approaching him from above . His head hurriedly rose up to the skies . And, right above his head¡­ Four angels with six wings each were slowly descending towards him . The ¡®memory¡¯ lasted only up until then . Tti-ring . Along with that mechanical beep, darkness blinded him again . He heard the clear, concise voice of the System as his consciousness grew further away . [Playback of the saved data has concluded . ] < Chapter 160 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 160: Chapter 160 Ba-thump His heart beat louder just then ¡®Rise up . ¡¯. The ripple generated from those two words spread out at a frightening speed and roused up the shadows . The battlefield dyed in the colours of monsters¡¯ blood roiled and tumbled in black waves Uwaaaahhh-!!. The Shadow Soldiers leaping out of the ground roared out in what could have been either loud cheers or screams of horror . They then shifted their blackened eyes towards their enemies Those eyes carried not one trace of fear towards their enemies now For the silver soldiers of the skies supposed to deal with this new army, the scene before them was worthy of sending cold shivers down their spines . Too bad for them, the Sovereign¡¯s powers didn¡¯t stop there [Wuoooohhhhh-!!]. The Sovereign bellowed heavily towards the skies . That powerful roar didn¡¯t attack the eardrums of the listeners, but directly shook their hearts, instead Hearts, legs, and even the ground shook from his roar The land began crying as its response Jin-Woo didn¡¯t need a lot of time to figure out what that roar was meant for . Because¡­ the Shadow Soldiers raised their weapons up high and roared alongside as well WUUUOOOOHHH-!!. Just that single roar alone, and the Shadow Soldiers all transformed into completely different beings in an instant From this corner of the land, all the way to the other side ¨C the dead monsters were instantly reorganised into Shadow Soldiers Jin-Woo had been quietly observing this process while holding his breath . A powerful shudder ran through his entire body from the combined roars of the Shadow Soldiers Ba-thump!!. His heart loudly beat again If this scene was supposed to demonstrate the true pinnacle of the Shadow Sovereign Class, then it certainly succeeded in letting him know just how much further he still had to walk to get there Eventually, the soldiers of the sky stopped hesitating and began moving again . They gathered into one large mass, and like a gigantic swarm of bees, descended on the black soldiers below However, the monsters that were reborn as Shadow Soldiers didn¡¯t fall as easily as before Weapons clashed against weapons Soldiers collided against soldiers The silver army and the black army got tangled up on top of this expansive land Explosions rang out constantly, and the ground quaked over and over again . The battle that should have ended as a one-sided massacre reverted back to full-on warfare Just the entrance of a single individual had changed everything . Now that was the display of truly shocking power . Jin-Woo didn¡¯t know why this scene was being shown to him, but nevertheless, he found himself unable to tear his eyes away from it The violent, fierce clash continued on A desperate and bloody engagement, incomparably fiercer and more violent than the first battle that took place, unfolded before his eyes Monsters were unable to contend with a single soldier of the sky while they were still alive, but after becoming Shadow Soldiers, they were now able to stand their ground and not get pushed back But, well, the truly terrifying thing about these Shadow Soldiers weren¡¯t their fighting spirit or their combat potentials The soldiers of the sky drove the Shadow Soldiers back with their powerful attacks and excellent martial prowess . The ferocity of the Shadow Soldiers that rebelled against death itself wasn¡¯t enough to bridge the gap of strength The balance of the battle seemed to tilt in favour of the soldiers of the sky once more . However, the Shadow Soldiers regained their original appearances almost right after they were destroyed Kuwaaahhk!. A Shadow Soldier writhed and screamed out as a spear belonging to a soldier of the sky pierced through it The silver soldier sensed that its victory was near . It let go of its spear and unsheathed the sword on its hips to slice off the head of its enemy, the Shadow Soldier Slice!. However, right after the head flew off¡­ ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯. The head of the Shadow Soldier falling to the ground and the headless body all transformed into black smoke, before combining back to one form a couple of steps away As the soldier of the sky flinched, the Shadow Soldier used the sword it held to stab the chest of its silver-clad enemy Crack!!. The blade broke through the chest armour, dug into the internals, broke through the back skin and emerged out in the open again The silver soldier of the sky powerlessly fell to the ground Plop As the light of life within the fallen silver soldier¡¯s eyes faded away, someone¡¯s dignified voice entered its ears and woke it back up [Rise up . ]. In an unknown instant¡­ The soldier of the sky discovered the black spear being held by its hands . What came to visit this soldier wasn¡¯t death, but a new beginning Its now-blackened eyes shifted towards other soldiers of the sky who used to be its comrades only a few breaths ago Flinch When their gazes met, it saw the trembling shoulders of its former comrades . Even then, the reborn soldier knew what it had to do ¡°Wuuoooouhhh!!¡±. It joyously accepted the brand new fate bestowed upon it Jin-Woo tore his eyes away from these soldiers and took an overview of the entire battlefield and its situation The battle taking place between the soldiers of the sky endlessly pouring out from the Gates in the air, and the Shadow Soldiers reborn through the orders of the Shadow Sovereign, was incredibly even Many poured out of the Gate to match the number of the dead, and just as many stood up from the shadows to match the dead, too If war broke out in hell, would it resemble something like this?. Horrifying warfare that a human¡¯s intuition couldn¡¯t even properly tell what would happen next breathlessly continued on in this vast land However, the balance between these two opposing sides broke in a single instant The flow of the war shifted very quickly when the Shadow Sovereign stopped issuing commands to his troops from far back and personally stepped forward to enter the fray The black horse carrying the Sovereign dashed into the battlefield Whenever he swung his sword, thousands of enemy troops fell to create a pathway . And the dead enemies, without an exception, became Shadow Soldiers and stood back up Just one flick of the Sovereign¡¯s hand and all those enemy soldiers flying away to safety had their wings broken and they all crashed back down to earth ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡­ ¡¯. The areas the Sovereign dashed through got utterly swept away as if a storm rampaged past there . For the first time ever since the two opposing camps started clashing their weapons ¨C the soldiers of the sky were being forced back Hundreds of thousands, no, millions of silver-clad soldiers couldn¡¯t deal with a single enemy and were constantly pushed back Jin-Woo could only gasp out in admiration at this sheer marvellous spectacle . He thought that the war would come to an end like this However¡­. Just as the Shadow Soldiers began pushing back the tides of the silver soldiers of the sky, an ominous, eerie wind that was hard to describe in words blew in from somewhere behind him Auras powerful enough to send a shudder down his spine rushed in The Sovereign temporarily disregarded the enemies to his front and looked behind him . Two ginormous Gates had been generated in some place far behind the Shadow army . Their sizes didn¡¯t lose out to the ones floating up in the air And from these two Gates, two disparate groups of monsters poured out in droves . On one side, beast-type creatures being led by a wolf the size of a mountain And from the other one, knights and soldiers rushed out with countless banners proudly announcing their clans being waved about in their midst Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes grew wider and wider ¡®Huh¡­ . ??¡¯. The clan crests embroidered on those banners were all familiar to him . From Ricardo¡¯s, Faestos¡¯s, Rokan¡¯s, Ingreyace¡¯s, and even Radiru¡¯s ¡®¡­ . Esil . ¡¯. Those crests belonged to the aristocratic clans of demons he ran into as he was climbing up to the top floor of the Demon¡¯s Castle His confusion regarding why those demons appeared here could only last for a short while . The beasts and the demons began attacking the shadow soldiers together as if they had a prior agreement The back line of the Shadow Soldiers was immediately torn up into shreds from the combined assault of the two monster armies That wasn¡¯t the end, however Their front was occupied by the soldiers of the sky, still alive and ready to battle . These silver-clad beings changed their strategy and began striking back once more The soldiers of the sky to the front and the armies of monsters at the back surrounded the Shadow Soldiers in a pincer attack and closed in on them . The flow of the battle had changed once more Ba-thump Jin-Woo grasped his chest tightly His heart was aching now His gaze slowly shifted towards the Sovereign standing next to him Why was this? Why could he sense the Sovereign¡¯s emotions so clearly like this?. Just like when he was reading the thoughts of his Shadow Soldiers, the Sovereign¡¯s emotions were vividly transmitted to him . The emotion welling up thickly from the deepest depths of his heart was none other than indignation No, it had already exceeded past the level of indignation and into the territory of pure wrath Now that they were surrounded by enemies from all sides, the Shadow Soldiers had to endlessly repeat the cycle of destruction and regeneration . Although they seemed to have possessed a never-ending power of recovery, Jin-Woo too possessed the same ability and he knew its fatal weakness very well ¡®It can hold up as long as there¡¯s MP¡­ . ¡¯. When MP ran out, the Soldiers would not be revived again . Meaning, the Sovereign wouldn¡¯t be able to use his army again . He sensed the Sovereign¡¯s magical energy that felt bottomless and vast in the beginning, slowly reaching its limit The Sovereign changed the direction of his mount away from the army of the sky and towards his rear . His black horse kicked the ground and rushed forward The ensuing battle was truly intense Corpses formed mountains . Blood formed oceans This conflagration called ¡®war¡¯ created by countless soldiers swallowed up every single lifeform still standing on this land and continued on its horrific path of destruction But, even then ¨C this stubbornly persistent battle that didn¡¯t seem to end was slowly marching towards its inevitable conclusion Not too many remained standing on the battlefield now The Sovereign lost his mount during the battle . He wasn¡¯t hindered in the least, however . He cut down two demon knights blocking his path and stood before a certain demon breathlessly panting away as it leaned against a bizarre rock formation The demon¡¯s face was hidden behind its helm, but the Sovereign seemed to know its identity as he glared down at his feeble prey [We could have ended the war with them today . ]. ¡°¡­¡±. [But, why did you betray me?]. The demon weakly faltered its head, but it forced himself to look up . It had already suffered grievous wounds and it seemed unlikely it¡¯d be able to survive its injuries The voice coming out from beneath the helm sounded precariously close to being cut off ¡°So¡­ . regrettable . We could have ended you for good today, but¡­ . ¡±. The Sovereign¡¯s voice became even icier as he asked again [I said, why did you betray me?]. ¡°Keuk, keuk . ¡±. The demon¡¯s shoulders trembled as it painfully cackled, before it raised its head up again . And then, it replied ¡°#$%#^#%#%@$ . ¡±. For some reason, Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t properly hear that answer . Did he lose his concentration and miss it somehow?. No, that wasn¡¯t it ¡°@$^$## . ¡±. The demon said something else, but he still couldn¡¯t understand a single word of it However, it must¡¯ve sounded different to the Sovereign¡¯s ears, because as soon as he heard the reply, he extended his hand out and sucked the demon in . The creature spat out a pained moan as its neck was tightly grasped by the Shadow Sovereign ¡°Keo-heok . ¡±. Crumble!. The piece of armour protecting the neck crumpled up . Even in the middle of this, the demon continued to say the things it wanted to say ¡°¡­ . %^&*$@%^& . ¡±. Stab The Sovereign¡¯s thumb plunged into the throat of the demon Cough!. The demon spat out a mouthful of blood . And that was precisely the moment when his gaze met with the demon¡¯s eyes staring back from within that helm But, how could this be?!. Jin-Woo freaked out and let go of the dying demon¡¯s neck Plop Its life had ended by then and its body limply crumpled to the ground ¡®But, that doesn¡¯t make any sense . ¡¯. Those eyes in hidden in the helm ¨C he had seen those eyes before . But, such a thing could not have happened Ba-thump!. His heart began pounding madly now Jin-Woo shook his head hard and cautiously approached the dead demon to take its helm off . Even in death, the creature was maintaining the same glare it shot him back when it was still alive How could he ever forget that glare?. The removed helm fell out of Jin-Woo¡¯s hands and clattered to the ground Clang The wide-open eyes of the demon were still filled with the light of pure rage . It was the exact same light he saw back on the top floor of the Demon¡¯s Castle ¡®The Demon King¡­ Baran?!¡¯. The moment he realised this fact, he also discovered one more strange thing He saw his hands decked out in black armour . He then saw his feet, his legs, and his own chest . From a certain point in time, he had been using the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s body as his own Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!!. The pounding beats of his heart grew even heavier and louder, assaulting his eardrums . Jin-Woo placed his hand where his heart was Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!. His eyes grew wider and wider ¡®How¡­ How come I haven¡¯t noticed it until now?!¡¯. He had grown more conscious of his own heartbeat after surviving the events of the underground temple . Even then, he had failed to notice it until now Jin-Woo¡¯s trembling hand moved to the right side of his chest . He sensed the tremor there . One coming from the left, and then another coming from his right Ba-thump!. Two hearts were issuing exact same sounds His shock-filled eyes were lowered immediately, but then, he discovered four shadows on the ground, slowly growing larger . Some things were approaching him from above . His head hurriedly rose up to the skies And, right above his head¡­. Four angels with six wings each were slowly descending towards him The ¡®memory¡¯ lasted only up until then Tti-ring Along with that mechanical beep, darkness blinded him again He heard the clear, concise voice of the System as his consciousness grew further away [Playback of the saved data has concluded . ]. < Chapter 160 > Fin Chapter 161 Telling the Master of a Guild that best represented the Republic of Korea to show up before a rank C Gate? When he got the call from Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol, Choi Jong-In initially wasn¡¯t feeling too pleased by its contents . He even thought about not bothering to go there personally and simply send out an assault team consisting of just a handful of higher ranked Hunters . However, he heard the detailed explanation next, and he had no choice but to personally make the move . ¡®Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had entered the dual dungeon by himself?¡¯ The dual dungeon alone was enough to draw his attention, but now, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was in there, too? How many Guild Masters, no, Hunters out there would remain aloof and unimpressed after hearing those revelations? At Chief Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s urgent request that emphasized time was of the essence, Choi Jong-In immediately delayed the raid they were preparing to go on and summoned the elite Hunters . ¡°We received a request for assistance from the Association . Looks like we will have to get involved on this one . ¡± Hunters began whispering to each other because these people knew very well through experience, that this sort of summons only happened in extraordinary circumstances . And the fact that the Hunters Guild had to be summoned, who were just about to raid a rank A Gate ¨C was there a need to even mention the seriousness of the occasion? On top of this, these Hunters also had to hear about the breaking news coming out from Japan not too long ago, so the commotion within them could only grow larger . ¡°Did something happen?¡± The woman who possessed the second highest authority behind Choi Jong-In as the Vice-Chair of the Guild, asked her boss for clarification . He looked back at Cha Hae-In and replied . ¡°A dual dungeon was found within a rank C Gate . ¡± ¡®A dual dungeon?¡¯ Cha Hae-In tilted her head in confusion . Of course, it was not everyday one gets to hear about a dual dungeon . A dungeon found within another one ¨C there was no way such a thing could happen all the time . However, the Hunters Guild was being summoned because there was another dungeon attached to a measly rank C Gate? It was hard to understand from a common-sense point of view . Choi Jong-In still got ready to move out regardless of her puzzled stare but still spoke to her to dispel her confusion . ¡°It sounds like Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is fighting something inside all by himself . Since it¡¯s none other than that Chief Woo Jin-Cheol from the Association requesting us for assistance, and he sounded rather frightened out of his wits too, so¡­ Hunter Cha? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Choi Jong-In asked her after spotting the abrupt change within her eyes . ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . Well, yeah . It¡¯s Hunter Seong we¡¯re talking about, so nothing serious would happen to him, but still, let¡¯s go take a look anyway . ¡± Nod . Cha Hae-In nodded her head, and other Hunters listening in on their conversation also quickly packed their gear and got ready . Their gear consisted entirely of weapons they were to use within the raid, but that didn¡¯t mean they could be lackadaisical with their preparations . ¡°Uh? Why is there one person mis¡­¡± A Hunter was taking the headcount, but someone lightly tapped on his shoulder . He looked behind to see who it was, and his colleague was pointing at a certain corner with his chin . A man with a devastated face was on his knees there . ¡°¡­Suzuki?¡± ¡°Leave him be . ¡± ¡°Ah¡­ . . ¡± That Hunter immediately understood it . Suzuki was a Hunter who got scouted recently and left Japan for a life here in South Korea . It was only obvious that he couldn¡¯t tear his eyes away from his smartphone that kept issuing breaking news one after the other regarding the dungeon break taking place in his home country . ¡°We gotta do what we gotta do . Let¡¯s get going . ¡± ¡°Ah, yes . ¡± Two Hunters let Suzuki be and climbed aboard the Hunters Guild¡¯s private van . And so, vehicles carrying the elites of the Hunters Guild quickly travelled towards their new destinations . *** ¡°Argh, hot, hot!!¡± A reporter named Kim freaked out and hurriedly discarded the cigarette butt . The ground beneath was sand, but still, his foot stomping on the butt to kill it carried all of his bared emotions . That lasted only for a little while, though . This was no time to waste his attention on some stupid cigarette butt . Reporter Kim¡¯s gaze returned to the parked vans again . He thought that every single person climbing out of those vehicles looked familiar, but when he took a second look, weren¡¯t they the top elites from the Hunters Guild?? He didn¡¯t even notice that his fingers were getting burnt off while he was searching for all the famous aces in that Guild . ¡®Choi Jong-In and Cha Hae-In? Yun Jeong-Ho too? Uh, uh?? Even Sohn Ki-Hoon¡¯s here?¡¯ With these folks here, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that the top faces of the Hunters had all shown up . He chased after Woo Jin-Cheol without a plan to speak of, but to think, he¡¯d stumble into a location filled with such bigshots like this? And, the Gate in question was only a rank C . Reporter Kim swallowed his nervous saliva . He couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine just what was going on inside there right now . Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol would normally let the cat out of the bag pretty easily, but even he shut his mouth tightly while saying that it was top secret . So, Kim didn¡¯t have much of a choice but to suck on one cigarette after another to soothe his anxious mind . Indeed, butts he discarded since a while ago formed a small mound near his feet . Woo Jin-Cheol paid no heed to Reporter Kim¡¯s longing expression and hurriedly approached Choi Jong-In . The latter couldn¡¯t tear his eyes away from that Gate, just like how the former had reacted earlier . ¡°What the f*ck¡­?! D*mn it¡­! What the hell is that thing??¡± Cusses jumped out all on their own from Choi Jong-In¡¯s mouth . That was how ominous the aura emitted from the Gate was . Unlike Woo Jin-Cheol, who possessed exceptionally good senses for a melee-type Hunter, Choi Jong-In was South Korea¡¯s most powerful Mage . After Baek Yun-Ho and his ¡®Eyes of the Beast¡¯, as well as Seong Jin-Woo and his otherworldly level of sensory perception, one could confidently say that Choi Jong-In was the best in the country when it came to sensing the flow of magical energy . ¡°Can you do it?¡± That¡¯s how Woo Jin-Cheol framed his question . Choi Jong-In didn¡¯t miss the subtext of ¡®It was impossible with just us¡¯ in that question . He replied with a bitter expression . ¡°You said that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is inside, yes?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s been confirmed . ¡± Nod, nod . Choi Jong-In nodded his head gravely . But, of course . If it wasn¡¯t him, who¡¯d be capable enough to participate in a fight of this scale? No, who else besides him was capable of defending against an opponent that emitted this much magical energy? ¡°Is he trying to save this planet all by himself or something?¡± He meant to say that in his head but his words still came out of his mouth in the end . Rather than asking for the clarification, though, Woo Jin-Cheol simply nodded his head with a heavy expression . To him, that sounded quite plausible . ¡°Whether we can do it or not, we still need to go inside anyway . We owe a debt to Hunter Seong, after all . ¡± If the monsters inside were something that couldn¡¯t be stopped by the combined might of Hunter Seong and the Hunters Guild, then no one else in South Korea could stop them . Meaning, there would be no second opportunity if they couldn¡¯t kill the monsters by aiding Hunter Seong today . ¡®What was that? Hunter Seong??¡¯ Reporter Kim was standing a little further away and was doing his best to eavesdrop, but after hearing something incredible, his eyes rapidly transformed into a pair of round dots resembling those of a rabbit¡¯s . ¡®Hunter Seong is inside that Gate??¡¯ Kim¡¯s shocked gaze quickly shifted towards the Gate, before scanning the vicinity around it . There were two rank S Hunters here, and as for the number of rank As, he had already lost count . But then, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter was inside that Gate, too?? ¡®My, my¡­ . my memo . Where¡¯s my d*mn memo pad?!¡¯ Reporter Kim¡¯s nose picked up on the trail of a huge scoop and hurriedly sought out his memo pad . From this point onwards, he could not afford to miss a single word muttered nor a single event happening before him . He found himself with a god-sent opportunity to report on a massive scoop involving three rank S Hunters as well as the Association itself when everyone else was too busy with the events taking place in Japan . ¡®That¡¯s why Chief Woo kept his mouth shut, wasn¡¯t it?¡¯ Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s private information was a closely-guarded secret, not to mention he was a super VIP under the special supervision of the Hunter¡¯s Association . Kim now could understand the reason why Woo Jin-Cheol was not willing to talk about what was going on here . While Woo Jin-Cheol and Choi Jong-In were sharing a brief conversation, the elite assault team had finished getting ready . The Tankers picked up their defensive armaments, damage dealers picked up their weapons, and Healers held on to magic tools filled with magical energy . As befitting the top Guild in the country, their preparation was quite fast . Choi Jong-In briefly exchanged glances with Cha Hae-In and nodded his head . Cha Hae-In swept her gaze over the rest of the team once and nodded her head as well . That meant that the preparation and inspection were finished now . The elites of the Monitoring Division had already finished their preparations a while ago . Woo Jin-Cheol received confirmation from his subordinate and turned around to face the others with a heavy expression . ¡°Let¡¯s get going . ¡± *** The passage before them was incredibly long . They moved at the fastest speed they could afford, but they didn¡¯t break into a full-bore running . Even if they were all nominally high-ranked Hunters, their individual running speeds were vastly different, that was why . Among them, Cha Hae-In was especially fast . She was about to run ahead, but Choi Jong-In next to her grasped her wrist in a hurry . ¡°Hunter Cha . What do you think you¡¯ll achieve by going there alone?¡± ¡°¡­¡± He understood that she wanted to go and save Seong Jin-Woo from danger, but if she went ahead, the whole team might end up falling into grave danger, instead . ¡°If we try to keep up with your speed, there¡¯s a good chance that the entire team might become disorganised, instead . ¡± Cha Hae-In¡¯s expression hardened as she stood still, but eventually, she returned to the rear of the team . Woo Jin-Cheol watched her make her way back and whispered softly to himself . ¡°I guess the rumour was true . ¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol mumbled some excuses out when Choi Jong-In questioned him . ¡°Ah¡­ No, it¡¯s nothing important . ¡± Choi Jong-In tilted his head slightly but shifted his gaze back to his front anyway . The ominous magic energy that caused goosebumps to break out on his skin was still flooding out from the deepest part of this dungeon . He had to keep his wits about him here . He also thought that it¡¯d be the same story for Hunter Seong Jin-Woo who had entered in here ahead of everyone else . ¡®I pray we aren¡¯t too late¡­ . ¡¯ For the time being, there was nothing he could do to help other than pray for Hunter Seong¡¯s safety ¨C while moving as quickly as they could without lowering their vigilance, of course . However, it was also true that too much tension would in turn dull one¡¯s body, as well . In order to dispel some of this tension, he engaged Woo Jin-Cheol in a conversation . ¡°How did Hunter Seong come across this place, anyway?¡± ¡°I also don¡¯t know the details . But, by piecing together what the people making the reports said, it seems that Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim knew that this Gate was a dual dungeon even before entering it . ¡± ¡°H-mm . ¡± Choi Jong-In¡¯s expression became circumspect . This time, it was Woo Jin-Cheol who asked the question . ¡°By any chance, can you think of something suspicious?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that, but¡­ . . Just that, this feels quite strange, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Strange as in how?¡± ¡°I did some research on Seong Hunter-nim in the past, you see . ¡± Choi Jong-In was a Master of a huge Guild . It was his duty to build a Guild with highly capable individuals, so it was only obvious that he¡¯d hold an extreme amount of interest towards Jin-Woo . ¡°There was an event similar to this, wasn¡¯t there?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol did personally investigate the event Choi Jong-In was talking about so, he indeed knew a lot about that incident . He quickly figured out what the Master of Hunters Guild was trying to say here . Less than half a year ago, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo experienced going into a dual dungeon . And now, after all this time, he sought after another one and entered it . Those who knew this truth would not see today¡¯s event as a mere coincidence . Just like how Woo Jin-Cheol had predicted, Choi Jong-In¡¯s next words were about that . ¡°Experiencing dual dungeons twice by himself, when it¡¯d be near impossible for anyone to see it once in their lifetime¡­ Not just that, he willingly walked into the second one on his own volition? Don¡¯t you find that strange?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol didn¡¯t immediately make his reply . Just as Choi Jong-In had alluded to, many things about Hunter Seong were shrouded in a veil of mystery . The dual dungeon . The Re-Awakened . And possessing a unique ability . However, there was one indisputable fact, and that would be Seong Jin-Woo being utterly indispensable to the Association, no, the entire nation of South Korea . And that was why Woo Jin-Cheol requested the Hunters Guild for their assistance without waiting for the clearance from the higher-ups when he found out that Hunter Seong had walked right into this Gate . No matter what, they had to secure Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s safety . It¡¯d not be too late to ask him the necessary questions afterwards . Woo Jin-Cheol swam inside his thoughts, before raising his head . ¡®So, over there¡­ . . ¡¯ The distance that would have taken nearly one hour for regular Hunters to cross was bridged in less than ten minutes by the rapid marching of these high-ranked Hunters . They could finally see the end of this cave in the far off distance . ¡°Looks like we¡¯re here . ¡± ¡°Yes, I can sense it . ¡± Indeed, they could sense something horrifyingly massive in there . Choi Jong-In¡¯s face stiffened hard as he replied . The colour of blood was slowing draining out of his complexion right now . The only consolation he could think of right now was the fact that he could also sense Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s presence . ¡®As long as Hunter Seong is fine, it¡¯s okay . ¡¯ Combining his abilities with the support from these elite Hunters, they¡¯d win regardless of what the monsters within this dungeon were like . Choi Jong-In assured himself with that line of thought and called out to the rest of the team . ¡°Let¡¯s hurry!¡± The elite Hunters from the Hunters Guild and the Association rushed past the massive doorway reminiscent of an ancient castle . And then¡­ . The sight waiting for them beyond was a spectacle none of them had ever seen before during their lengthy and illustrious careers as Hunters . ¡°This¡­ What on earth is this¡­ . ?¡± ¡°What the hell is this place?!¡± First, they found innumerable destroyed stone statues strewn about the floor . Their debris was piling up into small hills all over the place . ¡°Look, look!!!¡± One of the Hunters raised his finger high up . And in the direction his finger was pointing at, everyone could see a truly gigantic statue of an unknown god standing frozen still, its hands interlocked in the gesture of slamming down . Its head, with half of its face blown away, especially caught their attention . Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s heart began racing like crazy as he remembered the testimonies of the survivors from the previous dual dungeon incident . ¡®It was all real¡­ the god statue and the stone statues were all real¡­!!¡¯ The survivors all said the same thing ¨C that this place was filled with a monstrous god statue that could melt down a rank C Hunter with nothing but a glare from its eyes, as well as countless stone statues whose movements couldn¡¯t be picked up by the naked eye . This whole open area was pockmarked with clear signs of desperate battle having taken place recently . ¡®Wait a minute . Where is Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?¡¯ It looked as if all the enemies had been eliminated already . Their priority was to confirm the status of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . Choi Jong-In shifted his head this way and that to locate Jin-Woo¡¯s presence, and eventually found him . ¡°He¡¯s over there . ¡± Jin-Woo was quietly lying on his back just below the god statue as if he was asleep . ¡°Seong Hunter-nim!!¡± Hunters were about to run to his side, but this time, it was Cha Hae-In¡¯s turn to raise both of her arms to stop them in their treks . Feeling urgent now, Woo Jin-Cheol turned to look at her . Her rather shapely facial features were soaked completely from cold sweat right now . ¡°Cha¡­ . . Hunter-nim??¡± She bit her lower lip and spoke up . ¡°Over there¡­ there¡¯s something over there . ¡± It was then . A certain stone statue kneeling next to Jin-Woo slowly stood up . The wings on its back were all torn up, and it only had one remaining arm . ¡°I don¡¯t remember inviting you humans in here . ¡± The angel statue stood up completely and swept its gaze over at the Hunters intruding into the temple . The corner of its lips suddenly arched up . < Chapter 161 > Fin . v Sponsored Content Chapter 161: Chapter 161 Telling the Master of a Guild that best represented the Republic of Korea to show up before a rank C Gate?. When he got the call from Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol, Choi Jong-In initially wasn¡¯t feeling too pleased by its contents . He even thought about not bothering to go there personally and simply send out an assault team consisting of just a handful of higher ranked Hunters However, he heard the detailed explanation next, and he had no choice but to personally make the move ¡®Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had entered the dual dungeon by himself?¡¯. The dual dungeon alone was enough to draw his attention, but now, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was in there, too? How many Guild Masters, no, Hunters out there would remain aloof and unimpressed after hearing those revelations?. At Chief Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s urgent request that emphasized time was of the essence, Choi Jong-In immediately delayed the raid they were preparing to go on and summoned the elite Hunters ¡°We received a request for assistance from the Association . Looks like we will have to get involved on this one . ¡±. Hunters began whispering to each other because these people knew very well through experience, that this sort of summons only happened in extraordinary circumstances And the fact that the Hunters Guild had to be summoned, who were just about to raid a rank A Gate ¨C was there a need to even mention the seriousness of the occasion?. On top of this, these Hunters also had to hear about the breaking news coming out from Japan not too long ago, so the commotion within them could only grow larger ¡°Did something happen?¡±. The woman who possessed the second highest authority behind Choi Jong-In as the Vice-Chair of the Guild, asked her boss for clarification . He looked back at Cha Hae-In and replied ¡°A dual dungeon was found within a rank C Gate . ¡±. ¡®A dual dungeon?¡¯. Cha Hae-In tilted her head in confusion Of course, it was not everyday one gets to hear about a dual dungeon . A dungeon found within another one ¨C there was no way such a thing could happen all the time However, the Hunters Guild was being summoned because there was another dungeon attached to a measly rank C Gate? It was hard to understand from a common-sense point of view Choi Jong-In still got ready to move out regardless of her puzzled stare but still spoke to her to dispel her confusion ¡°It sounds like Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is fighting something inside all by himself . Since it¡¯s none other than that Chief Woo Jin-Cheol from the Association requesting us for assistance, and he sounded rather frightened out of his wits too, so¡­ Hunter Cha? What¡¯s the matter?¡±. Choi Jong-In asked her after spotting the abrupt change within her eyes ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing . ¡±. ¡°¡­ Well, yeah . It¡¯s Hunter Seong we¡¯re talking about, so nothing serious would happen to him, but still, let¡¯s go take a look anyway . ¡±. Nod Cha Hae-In nodded her head, and other Hunters listening in on their conversation also quickly packed their gear and got ready . Their gear consisted entirely of weapons they were to use within the raid, but that didn¡¯t mean they could be lackadaisical with their preparations ¡°Uh? Why is there one person mis¡­¡±. A Hunter was taking the headcount, but someone lightly tapped on his shoulder . He looked behind to see who it was, and his colleague was pointing at a certain corner with his chin . A man with a devastated face was on his knees there ¡°¡­Suzuki?¡±. ¡°Leave him be . ¡±. ¡°Ah¡­ ¡±. That Hunter immediately understood it Suzuki was a Hunter who got scouted recently and left Japan for a life here in South Korea . It was only obvious that he couldn¡¯t tear his eyes away from his smartphone that kept issuing breaking news one after the other regarding the dungeon break taking place in his home country ¡°We gotta do what we gotta do . Let¡¯s get going . ¡±. ¡°Ah, yes . ¡±. Two Hunters let Suzuki be and climbed aboard the Hunters Guild¡¯s private van And so, vehicles carrying the elites of the Hunters Guild quickly travelled towards their new destinations ***. ¡°Argh, hot, hot!!¡±. A reporter named Kim freaked out and hurriedly discarded the cigarette butt . The ground beneath was sand, but still, his foot stomping on the butt to kill it carried all of his bared emotions That lasted only for a little while, though . This was no time to waste his attention on some stupid cigarette butt Reporter Kim¡¯s gaze returned to the parked vans again . He thought that every single person climbing out of those vehicles looked familiar, but when he took a second look, weren¡¯t they the top elites from the Hunters Guild??. He didn¡¯t even notice that his fingers were getting burnt off while he was searching for all the famous aces in that Guild ¡®Choi Jong-In and Cha Hae-In? Yun Jeong-Ho too? Uh, uh?? Even Sohn Ki-Hoon¡¯s here?¡¯. With these folks here, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that the top faces of the Hunters had all shown up . He chased after Woo Jin-Cheol without a plan to speak of, but to think, he¡¯d stumble into a location filled with such bigshots like this?. And, the Gate in question was only a rank C Reporter Kim swallowed his nervous saliva . He couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine just what was going on inside there right now Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol would normally let the cat out of the bag pretty easily, but even he shut his mouth tightly while saying that it was top secret . So, Kim didn¡¯t have much of a choice but to suck on one cigarette after another to soothe his anxious mind Indeed, butts he discarded since a while ago formed a small mound near his feet Woo Jin-Cheol paid no heed to Reporter Kim¡¯s longing expression and hurriedly approached Choi Jong-In . The latter couldn¡¯t tear his eyes away from that Gate, just like how the former had reacted earlier ¡°What the f*ck¡­?! D*mn it¡­! What the hell is that thing??¡±. Cusses jumped out all on their own from Choi Jong-In¡¯s mouth . That was how ominous the aura emitted from the Gate was Unlike Woo Jin-Cheol, who possessed exceptionally good senses for a melee-type Hunter, Choi Jong-In was South Korea¡¯s most powerful Mage After Baek Yun-Ho and his ¡®Eyes of the Beast¡¯, as well as Seong Jin-Woo and his otherworldly level of sensory perception, one could confidently say that Choi Jong-In was the best in the country when it came to sensing the flow of magical energy ¡°Can you do it?¡±. That¡¯s how Woo Jin-Cheol framed his question . Choi Jong-In didn¡¯t miss the subtext of ¡®It was impossible with just us¡¯ in that question He replied with a bitter expression ¡°You said that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is inside, yes?¡±. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s been confirmed . ¡±. Nod, nod Choi Jong-In nodded his head gravely But, of course . If it wasn¡¯t him, who¡¯d be capable enough to participate in a fight of this scale? No, who else besides him was capable of defending against an opponent that emitted this much magical energy?. ¡°Is he trying to save this planet all by himself or something?¡±. He meant to say that in his head but his words still came out of his mouth in the end Rather than asking for the clarification, though, Woo Jin-Cheol simply nodded his head with a heavy expression . To him, that sounded quite plausible ¡°Whether we can do it or not, we still need to go inside anyway . We owe a debt to Hunter Seong, after all . ¡±. If the monsters inside were something that couldn¡¯t be stopped by the combined might of Hunter Seong and the Hunters Guild, then no one else in South Korea could stop them . Meaning, there would be no second opportunity if they couldn¡¯t kill the monsters by aiding Hunter Seong today ¡®What was that? Hunter Seong??¡¯. Reporter Kim was standing a little further away and was doing his best to eavesdrop, but after hearing something incredible, his eyes rapidly transformed into a pair of round dots resembling those of a rabbit¡¯s ¡®Hunter Seong is inside that Gate??¡¯. Kim¡¯s shocked gaze quickly shifted towards the Gate, before scanning the vicinity around it There were two rank S Hunters here, and as for the number of rank As, he had already lost count . But then, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter was inside that Gate, too??. ¡®My, my¡­ . my memo . Where¡¯s my d*mn memo pad?!¡¯. Reporter Kim¡¯s nose picked up on the trail of a huge scoop and hurriedly sought out his memo pad From this point onwards, he could not afford to miss a single word muttered nor a single event happening before him . He found himself with a god-sent opportunity to report on a massive scoop involving three rank S Hunters as well as the Association itself when everyone else was too busy with the events taking place in Japan ¡®That¡¯s why Chief Woo kept his mouth shut, wasn¡¯t it?¡¯. Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s private information was a closely-guarded secret, not to mention he was a super VIP under the special supervision of the Hunter¡¯s Association Kim now could understand the reason why Woo Jin-Cheol was not willing to talk about what was going on here While Woo Jin-Cheol and Choi Jong-In were sharing a brief conversation, the elite assault team had finished getting ready . The Tankers picked up their defensive armaments, damage dealers picked up their weapons, and Healers held on to magic tools filled with magical energy As befitting the top Guild in the country, their preparation was quite fast Choi Jong-In briefly exchanged glances with Cha Hae-In and nodded his head . Cha Hae-In swept her gaze over the rest of the team once and nodded her head as well . That meant that the preparation and inspection were finished now The elites of the Monitoring Division had already finished their preparations a while ago . Woo Jin-Cheol received confirmation from his subordinate and turned around to face the others with a heavy expression ¡°Let¡¯s get going . ¡±. ***. The passage before them was incredibly long They moved at the fastest speed they could afford, but they didn¡¯t break into a full-bore running . Even if they were all nominally high-ranked Hunters, their individual running speeds were vastly different, that was why . Among them, Cha Hae-In was especially fast She was about to run ahead, but Choi Jong-In next to her grasped her wrist in a hurry ¡°Hunter Cha . What do you think you¡¯ll achieve by going there alone?¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. He understood that she wanted to go and save Seong Jin-Woo from danger, but if she went ahead, the whole team might end up falling into grave danger, instead ¡°If we try to keep up with your speed, there¡¯s a good chance that the entire team might become disorganised, instead . ¡±. Cha Hae-In¡¯s expression hardened as she stood still, but eventually, she returned to the rear of the team . Woo Jin-Cheol watched her make her way back and whispered softly to himself ¡°I guess the rumour was true . ¡±. ¡°Pardon?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol mumbled some excuses out when Choi Jong-In questioned him ¡°Ah¡­ No, it¡¯s nothing important . ¡±. Choi Jong-In tilted his head slightly but shifted his gaze back to his front anyway . The ominous magic energy that caused goosebumps to break out on his skin was still flooding out from the deepest part of this dungeon He had to keep his wits about him here He also thought that it¡¯d be the same story for Hunter Seong Jin-Woo who had entered in here ahead of everyone else ¡®I pray we aren¡¯t too late¡­ . ¡¯. For the time being, there was nothing he could do to help other than pray for Hunter Seong¡¯s safety ¨C while moving as quickly as they could without lowering their vigilance, of course However, it was also true that too much tension would in turn dull one¡¯s body, as well . In order to dispel some of this tension, he engaged Woo Jin-Cheol in a conversation ¡°How did Hunter Seong come across this place, anyway?¡±. ¡°I also don¡¯t know the details . But, by piecing together what the people making the reports said, it seems that Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim knew that this Gate was a dual dungeon even before entering it . ¡±. ¡°H-mm . ¡±. Choi Jong-In¡¯s expression became circumspect . This time, it was Woo Jin-Cheol who asked the question ¡°By any chance, can you think of something suspicious?¡±. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that, but¡­ Just that, this feels quite strange, doesn¡¯t it?¡±. ¡°Strange as in how?¡±. ¡°I did some research on Seong Hunter-nim in the past, you see . ¡±. Choi Jong-In was a Master of a huge Guild . It was his duty to build a Guild with highly capable individuals, so it was only obvious that he¡¯d hold an extreme amount of interest towards Jin-Woo ¡°There was an event similar to this, wasn¡¯t there?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol did personally investigate the event Choi Jong-In was talking about so, he indeed knew a lot about that incident . He quickly figured out what the Master of Hunters Guild was trying to say here Less than half a year ago, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo experienced going into a dual dungeon . And now, after all this time, he sought after another one and entered it Those who knew this truth would not see today¡¯s event as a mere coincidence . Just like how Woo Jin-Cheol had predicted, Choi Jong-In¡¯s next words were about that ¡°Experiencing dual dungeons twice by himself, when it¡¯d be near impossible for anyone to see it once in their lifetime¡­ Not just that, he willingly walked into the second one on his own volition? Don¡¯t you find that strange?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol didn¡¯t immediately make his reply Just as Choi Jong-In had alluded to, many things about Hunter Seong were shrouded in a veil of mystery . The dual dungeon . The Re-Awakened . And possessing a unique ability However, there was one indisputable fact, and that would be Seong Jin-Woo being utterly indispensable to the Association, no, the entire nation of South Korea And that was why Woo Jin-Cheol requested the Hunters Guild for their assistance without waiting for the clearance from the higher-ups when he found out that Hunter Seong had walked right into this Gate No matter what, they had to secure Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s safety . It¡¯d not be too late to ask him the necessary questions afterwards Woo Jin-Cheol swam inside his thoughts, before raising his head ¡®So, over there¡­ ¡¯. The distance that would have taken nearly one hour for regular Hunters to cross was bridged in less than ten minutes by the rapid marching of these high-ranked Hunters . They could finally see the end of this cave in the far off distance ¡°Looks like we¡¯re here . ¡±. ¡°Yes, I can sense it . ¡±. Indeed, they could sense something horrifyingly massive in there . Choi Jong-In¡¯s face stiffened hard as he replied . The colour of blood was slowing draining out of his complexion right now The only consolation he could think of right now was the fact that he could also sense Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s presence ¡®As long as Hunter Seong is fine, it¡¯s okay . ¡¯. Combining his abilities with the support from these elite Hunters, they¡¯d win regardless of what the monsters within this dungeon were like . Choi Jong-In assured himself with that line of thought and called out to the rest of the team ¡°Let¡¯s hurry!¡±. The elite Hunters from the Hunters Guild and the Association rushed past the massive doorway reminiscent of an ancient castle And then¡­ The sight waiting for them beyond was a spectacle none of them had ever seen before during their lengthy and illustrious careers as Hunters ¡°This¡­ What on earth is this¡­ . ?¡±. ¡°What the hell is this place?!¡±. First, they found innumerable destroyed stone statues strewn about the floor . Their debris was piling up into small hills all over the place ¡°Look, look!!!¡±. One of the Hunters raised his finger high up And in the direction his finger was pointing at, everyone could see a truly gigantic statue of an unknown god standing frozen still, its hands interlocked in the gesture of slamming down . Its head, with half of its face blown away, especially caught their attention Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s heart began racing like crazy as he remembered the testimonies of the survivors from the previous dual dungeon incident ¡®It was all real¡­ the god statue and the stone statues were all real¡­!!¡¯. The survivors all said the same thing ¨C that this place was filled with a monstrous god statue that could melt down a rank C Hunter with nothing but a glare from its eyes, as well as countless stone statues whose movements couldn¡¯t be picked up by the naked eye This whole open area was pockmarked with clear signs of desperate battle having taken place recently ¡®Wait a minute . Where is Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?¡¯. It looked as if all the enemies had been eliminated already . Their priority was to confirm the status of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo Choi Jong-In shifted his head this way and that to locate Jin-Woo¡¯s presence, and eventually found him ¡°He¡¯s over there . ¡±. Jin-Woo was quietly lying on his back just below the god statue as if he was asleep ¡°Seong Hunter-nim!!¡±. Hunters were about to run to his side, but this time, it was Cha Hae-In¡¯s turn to raise both of her arms to stop them in their treks . Feeling urgent now, Woo Jin-Cheol turned to look at her Her rather shapely facial features were soaked completely from cold sweat right now ¡°Cha¡­ Hunter-nim??¡±. She bit her lower lip and spoke up ¡°Over there¡­ there¡¯s something over there . ¡±. It was then . A certain stone statue kneeling next to Jin-Woo slowly stood up . The wings on its back were all torn up, and it only had one remaining arm ¡°I don¡¯t remember inviting you humans in here . ¡±. The angel statue stood up completely and swept its gaze over at the Hunters intruding into the temple . The corner of its lips suddenly arched up < Chapter 161 > Fin . v. Chapter 162 ¡°Ah¡­ . . ¡± They all became utterly speechless . There could not have been a more fitting description than that . Choi Jung-Hoon forgot what he wanted to say . But, he was certain of something . The origin of that ominous energy he sensed before entering this Gate was that living sculpture . The magic energy leaking out of that thing was so great that the space surrounding the d*mn creature seemed to twist around in his view . He was simply staring at it from far away, yet goosebumps were breaking out on his entire body . Glance . His gaze was redirected towards Jin-Woo . It made some sense to see someone as strong as Hunter Seong lying unconscious if he had been in a battle against a ¡®thing¡¯ like that . No, hold on . Fighting against such a ¡®thing¡¯ while also finding enough leeway to destroy all these other enemies ¨C the stone statues ¨C was only possible precisely because it was Hunter Seong Jin-Woo and not someone else . He felt nothing but admiration in his heart . However¡­ . ¡®It¡¯s our turn to fight against such an opponent now . ¡¯ A thick drop of sweat slid down the side of his face and stopped on his chin . The strength of this one monster easily exceeded that of the mutated ant that appeared on Jeju Island . No, it was unknown whether this enemy was really a monster or not, to begin with . Gulp . His dry saliva painfully slid down his throat . Choi Jong-In glanced to his side and found that the complexions of Cha Hae-In and Woo Jin-Cheol were utterly pale from fright as well . These two had also figured out the depths of the enemy¡¯s power and were in the middle of inwardly freaking out . On the other hand, the Hunters behind them were getting surprised by something else entirely . ¡°That thing¡­ did that thing just speak??¡± ¡°Wait, I didn¡¯t hear incorrectly just now, did I?¡± ¡°A monster can speak our language?¡± Hunters exchanged glances with one another, their faces filled with incredulity . Something like this seemed impossible . It was already public knowledge that the monsters with intelligence spoke the language of their own . Back when these Gates began appearing for the first time, some tried to learn the language of the monsters . Of course, their attempts all ended in failure . The sole reason for that was the violent tendencies of the monsters . Monsters captured alive through great difficulties couldn¡¯t seem to endure being around humans the longer they remained in contact . Even if their entire bodies were restrained, they tried to rampage around trying to attack humans ¨C even when under the intense pain of their flesh being ripped apart and their bones snapping in half . In the end, either they were killed off by their human captors, or died naturally after being unable to win against the tides of their rage . ¨C It is impossible for monsters and humans to coexist . It is also impossible to communicate with them . This was the unanimous conclusion reached by the scientists researching monsters from all over the globe, one they were completely certain of . However, the monster in front of their eyes was speaking in Korean as if it was the most natural thing in the world . A monster that could be seen as the find of the century had made its entrance, but for some reason, these Hunters all felt this inexplicable sense of dread in their hearts . That was the warning bell rung by the primal instinct only detectable by the first-class Hunters such as these people . Flinch . The angel statue took one step forward, causing the trembling Hunters to hurriedly back away . The creature slowly shifted its gaze left to right as if to appreciate the sight of these humans and their expressions of fear and terror . ¡°Oh, strong humans . ¡± The statue spoke up as it began looking at the Hunters with the eyes of someone finding a delicious snack . ¡°It seems that there are no shortages for the first sacrifices prepared for the king . ¡± If a snake could smile, would that be as disgusting as the one on this creature? The movements of the Hunters froze stiff from the smile forming on the angel statue¡¯s face . ¡®¡­ . The king?¡¯ Could there have been yet another monster here? Choi Jong-In¡¯s head slanted to the side briefly, but too bad for him, now wasn¡¯t the time to dissect what the monster was saying . The angel statue ripped up the arm of one of the stone statues strewn about on the floor . Crack!! ¡®What is it trying to do?¡¯ Hunters and their confusion didn¡¯t last for long . It placed the torn arm in its right shoulder socket that was already missing a limb, and the two parts suddenly began fusing by themselves . ¡®Heok¡­!¡¯ As the Hunters gasped out in astonishment, the angel statue moved the newly-regenerated arm around this way and that . It was then . Shooph . The statue suddenly appeared before the Hunters . They didn¡¯t even have any time to respond . The angel statue took a swing with its right arm . The face of the Hunter standing in front of the group was crushed inward . Peo-geok!! The Hunter and his crushed face flew backwards and slammed into the wall . Other Hunters nearby threw out urgent counterattacks, but by then, the angel statue was already gone . ¡°Where¡­?!¡± ¡°Over there!!¡± The creature was now standing on the same spot as before as if it never made a move in the first place . As a matter of fact, it was busy fidgeting with its newly-attached right hand and its fingers . It looked like it was testing out whether its new limb was functioning properly or not . ¡°M-Myung-Cheol-ah!!¡± ¡°Euh, uwaaaahh!!¡± Hunters belatedly discovered the casualty among them and began crying out in anguish . He was killed instantly . A rank A Tanker working for South Korea¡¯s best Guild had died in a single hit . Choi Jong-In¡¯s eyes as he stared at the angel statue began shaking unsteadily now . ¡®Hunter Seong Jin-Woo fought against such a thing all by himself¡­?¡¯ Rather than the pain of losing one of his comrades, his mind was overcome with this hopeless sense of vagueness at not knowing how to break out of the current situation . Unfortunately, not everyone was capable of rational thought process like Choi Jong-In . ¡°You son of a b*tch!!¡± One of the female Hunters, the lover of the deceased Hunter, screamed out and dashed forward in anger . A pair of flames were burning brightly in both of her hands as she did so . Just as she was about to launch those flames, someone grabbed her wrists from behind . The female Hunter looked to her side and discovered that Cha Hae-In had approached her before she noticed it . The female Hunter shook her arm and yelled out . ¡°Let me go!¡± ¡°Unni, you must hold it back . ¡± ¡°I said, let go of me, right now!!¡± ¡°Please, you gotta hold it back!¡± The female Hunter glared straight at Cha Hae-In¡¯s face . The latter carried a grave but determined expression as she bit her lower lip . ¡°I¡¯m also holding back, you know¡­ . ¡± Cha Hae-In¡¯s hardened expression caused the female Hunter to stop writhing around in anger . Because¡­ even she knew it was unwise to agitate a monster that no longer showed any interest in their group after making that initial attack . It was just that, she found it nearly impossible to hold herself back . Someone she loved was met with a horrific death, yet she was unable to do anything . The female Hunter began sobbing under her breath . ¡°Heuk¡­ . ¡± Once she stopped displaying hints of making a rash decision, Cha Hae-In shifted her attention over to Jin-Woo lying on the ground far away . The female Hunter wasn¡¯t the only one holding herself back, indeed . For some reason, the monster had stopped attacking the group . And Jin-Woo looked unhurt as he continued to breathe normally . His expression was peaceful, as if he was simply asleep right now . ¡®For now¡­¡¯ ¡­ . She and others had to buy as much time as possible until Jin-Woo woke up . That was the best they could do . It was then . The angel statue moved its body this way and that before laughter abruptly broke out from its lips . ¡°Haha . ¡± The empty interior of the underground temple was suddenly filled up with the echoes of the angel statue¡¯s voice . It kept its laughter short and shifted its gaze over to the Hunters . ¡°Well now, should I get the fun started?¡± The colour of the angel statue¡¯s eyes suddenly reddened up . Was that the beginning of the assault? The Hunters strengthened their grips on their chosen weapons and prepared for battle . If it was only one¡­ if it was only one enemy, couldn¡¯t they be able to do something here? Not only did they have two rank S Hunters present, but there were also dozens of top local Hunters gathered here at the moment, too . As such an optimistic outlook quickly raced past the minds of the Hunters, this happened . Dududududududuk . Suddenly, an earthquake broke out inside this huge, open chamber . ¡°Ah¡­ . No, this can¡¯t be¡­ . ¡± The dark shadow of despair drew upon the faces of the Hunters . The broken stone statues were beginning to stand up one by one, that was why . The b*stards without heads, b*stards with holes in their chests, and even b*stards with limbs missing all began standing up . But the absolute worst among them all was the statue of the unknown god that could only be described as truly gigantic . ¡°¡­ . Oh, my god . ¡± The god statue and the stone statues were standing upright and glaring at the Hunters as if they had never been destroyed in the first place . Their expressionless faces only made the already creepy atmosphere that much more bizarre . Hunters began to backtrack a step at a time, only to run into something solid behind their backs . ¡°Uh¡­ . ?¡± It was the door . Even before they had realised it, the doorway to this once-empty arena was closed shut tightly . It seemed that the angel statue had no thoughts of letting these humans go at all . The angel statue spoke to them . ¡°Those who manage to survive until all of my dolls have fallen will be given the opportunity to witness the glorious rebirth of the king . ¡± The monster kept saying ¡®king¡¯ this and ¡®king¡¯ that for a while now . ¡®Just what is it trying to say here?¡¯ Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s brows creased up . He just couldn¡¯t understand the words the creature was busy spewing out . However, one thing was for certain . He knew that this creature was trying to kill everyone within the chamber . He gritted his teeth . He spent the last four years of his life in the Association . He had faced plenty of hair-raising situations, but still managed to pull through by bitterly struggling till the end . Today would not be any different . He wasn¡¯t planning to die as easily as the monster wanted him to . ¡®Even I can¡¯t make it out of here¡­ . ¡¯ At least, he¡¯d try to save Hunter Seong . His thoughts reached there and he glanced at Jin-Woo . Rather coincidentally, the angel statue also pointed at the youth lying unmoving on the ground . ¡°This person was able to destroy all my puppets in less than five minutes . ¡± The pointed finger of the angel statue was then locked onto the rest of the Hunters . ¡°How many minutes will it take for all of you to die today, then?¡± Just as the words of the angel statue came to an end, Woo Jin-Cheol cried out at the top of his lungs . ¡°Everyone, get down!!¡± Hunters hurriedly bent down to the ground . A red laser beam sliced right past just above their heads with almost no gap to spare . The casualty was zero this time . It was almost a miracle in and of itself . The red energy beam shooting out from the eyes of the god statue slowly dissipated . ¡®Ho-oh . ¡¯ The angel statue stared at the Hunters with eyes of some interest as it took a step back . It seemed that these humans might be able to provide some fun distraction before the king awakens . ¡°Pant, pant, pant . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol panted out heavily . Cold sweat poured out from his pores . If he hadn¡¯t heard about the special trait of the god statue beforehand, would he be able to survive that blast? His entire body shuddered from sheer horror . Still, they managed to somehow live through the first attack . Of course, that wasn¡¯t the end . ¡®No, it¡¯s merely the beginning . ¡¯ Woo Jin-Cheol raised his head . The stone statues were rushing towards them now . They were so quick that only the high-ranked melee-type Hunters would be capable of following their movements . Fortunately, Woo Jin-Cheol was one of the very best within the rank A Hunters . He rose up from his spot in an instant and while rotating his waist, sent out a powerful punch . The specially-constructed glove slammed hard into the face of a stone statue . Boom!! Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets . ¡®¡­ . ??¡¯ He genuinely believed that one punch would be enough . However, the stone statue was unscathed . Because he saw that one of this statue¡¯s shoulders was completely destroyed from an unknown attack, he ended up making a mistake on his enemy¡¯s durability . It was a gaffe he shouldn¡¯t have made when thinking back to just who it was that destroyed all these statues in the first place . The stone statue¡¯s face was pushed back only by a little bit, but it recovered from the impact force almost right away and thrust forward the sword in its hand . ¡®Tsk . ¡¯ Woo Jin-Cheol inwardly clicked his tongue . He threw that punch out without taking into consideration the possible counterattack so he was unable to dodge . Besides, the enemy wasn¡¯t slow enough for him to evade at such a close distance, anyway . But, then . Ka-boom!! A powerful explosion wrapped the statue up and it flew away . Woo Jin-Cheol frowned and shook his head hard to recover from the buzzing sensation in his ears . Only then did he get to hear the voice coming from his side . ¡°Are you alright??¡± It was none other than the ¡®ultimate weapon¡¯, Choi Jong-In . Woo Jin-Cheol nodded once to express his gratitude . They simply didn¡¯t have enough time to leisurely share a conversation . Boom!! Because, the god statue began moving in earnest, and¡­ Dudududu-!! ¡­And, the stone statues had already arrived right before their noses by then . ¡°Chairman Choi!! Aggro skills don¡¯t work against these things!!¡± Tankers loudly cried out . ¡°What was that??¡± Choi Jong-In¡¯s expression hardened considerably . If the aggro skills didn¡¯t work on them, then these creatures would instinctively start targetting the physically weakest Hunters present . If the Healers were killed off first, then their line of defence would collapse in no time at all . It was nigh impossible for them to fight against powerful enemies without some sort of a defensive line to back them up . Not only that¡­ . Right behind these d*mn stone statues, the massive god statue was now raising its equally massive fist as well . ¡®Can we really get out of this place alive?¡¯ Their situation was despairingly critical . However, he still could think of one final method . And that would be waking up the unconscious Hunter Seong . The angel sculpture b*stard said it, didn¡¯t it? ¡®That thing said that Hunter Seong was able to destroy them all by himself . In less than five minutes, too . ¡¯ Their situation could change greatly if his guess was correct and the only reason why Hunter Seong lost to the angel statue was that he became too fatigued from destroying all these stone statues . Indeed, weren¡¯t there dozens of first-class Hunters present here that could aid Hunter Seong right now? That is why¡­ . ¡®I need to wake up Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ¡¯ Flames alighted on Choi Jong-In¡¯s hands . It was not for nothing that he was called the ¡®ultimate weapon¡¯ . Not only his firepower, but even his accuracy didn¡¯t lose out to any of the modern firearms . It was now ¡®sink or swim¡¯ time . Choi Jong-In fired the magic he cast in Jin-Woo¡¯s direction . Hunter Seong might experience some discomfort, but he wasn¡¯t weak enough to get injured greatly by this level of magic . But, if he did wake up from the impact of the explosion, then the human Hunters would stand a good chance of surviving this event . ¡®That is why, please¡­!¡¯ The flames flew towards their target while leaving behind a long trail . However¡­ . Boom! The flames simply exploded on the torso of the angel statue that stepped into the trajectory in the blink of an eye . ¡®¡­ . ??¡¯ Choi Jong-In was greatly taken by surprise from the unexpected interference from the angel statue and hurriedly raised his head . Every muscle on the face of the angel was distorted unsightly until they couldn¡¯t be twisted any further to form a truly terrifying expression . ¡°How dare¡­ . . ¡± For the first time ever, the angel statue stopped smiling and bared its fangs . ¡°How dare you try to interrupt the slumber of the king!?¡± < Chapter 162 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 162: Chapter 162 ¡°Ah¡­ ¡±. They all became utterly speechless . There could not have been a more fitting description than that Choi Jung-Hoon forgot what he wanted to say . But, he was certain of something . The origin of that ominous energy he sensed before entering this Gate was that living sculpture The magic energy leaking out of that thing was so great that the space surrounding the d*mn creature seemed to twist around in his view He was simply staring at it from far away, yet goosebumps were breaking out on his entire body Glance His gaze was redirected towards Jin-Woo It made some sense to see someone as strong as Hunter Seong lying unconscious if he had been in a battle against a ¡®thing¡¯ like that No, hold on Fighting against such a ¡®thing¡¯ while also finding enough leeway to destroy all these other enemies ¨C the stone statues ¨C was only possible precisely because it was Hunter Seong Jin-Woo and not someone else He felt nothing but admiration in his heart . However¡­ ¡®It¡¯s our turn to fight against such an opponent now . ¡¯. A thick drop of sweat slid down the side of his face and stopped on his chin The strength of this one monster easily exceeded that of the mutated ant that appeared on Jeju Island . No, it was unknown whether this enemy was really a monster or not, to begin with Gulp His dry saliva painfully slid down his throat Choi Jong-In glanced to his side and found that the complexions of Cha Hae-In and Woo Jin-Cheol were utterly pale from fright as well . These two had also figured out the depths of the enemy¡¯s power and were in the middle of inwardly freaking out On the other hand, the Hunters behind them were getting surprised by something else entirely ¡°That thing¡­ did that thing just speak??¡±. ¡°Wait, I didn¡¯t hear incorrectly just now, did I?¡±. ¡°A monster can speak our language?¡±. Hunters exchanged glances with one another, their faces filled with incredulity . Something like this seemed impossible It was already public knowledge that the monsters with intelligence spoke the language of their own Back when these Gates began appearing for the first time, some tried to learn the language of the monsters . Of course, their attempts all ended in failure The sole reason for that was the violent tendencies of the monsters . Monsters captured alive through great difficulties couldn¡¯t seem to endure being around humans the longer they remained in contact Even if their entire bodies were restrained, they tried to rampage around trying to attack humans ¨C even when under the intense pain of their flesh being ripped apart and their bones snapping in half . In the end, either they were killed off by their human captors, or died naturally after being unable to win against the tides of their rage ¨C It is impossible for monsters and humans to coexist . It is also impossible to communicate with them This was the unanimous conclusion reached by the scientists researching monsters from all over the globe, one they were completely certain of However, the monster in front of their eyes was speaking in Korean as if it was the most natural thing in the world A monster that could be seen as the find of the century had made its entrance, but for some reason, these Hunters all felt this inexplicable sense of dread in their hearts That was the warning bell rung by the primal instinct only detectable by the first-class Hunters such as these people Flinch The angel statue took one step forward, causing the trembling Hunters to hurriedly back away . The creature slowly shifted its gaze left to right as if to appreciate the sight of these humans and their expressions of fear and terror ¡°Oh, strong humans . ¡±. The statue spoke up as it began looking at the Hunters with the eyes of someone finding a delicious snack ¡°It seems that there are no shortages for the first sacrifices prepared for the king . ¡±. If a snake could smile, would that be as disgusting as the one on this creature? The movements of the Hunters froze stiff from the smile forming on the angel statue¡¯s face ¡®¡­ . The king?¡¯. Could there have been yet another monster here?. Choi Jong-In¡¯s head slanted to the side briefly, but too bad for him, now wasn¡¯t the time to dissect what the monster was saying The angel statue ripped up the arm of one of the stone statues strewn about on the floor Crack!!. ¡®What is it trying to do?¡¯. Hunters and their confusion didn¡¯t last for long . It placed the torn arm in its right shoulder socket that was already missing a limb, and the two parts suddenly began fusing by themselves ¡®Heok¡­!¡¯. As the Hunters gasped out in astonishment, the angel statue moved the newly-regenerated arm around this way and that . It was then Shooph The statue suddenly appeared before the Hunters . They didn¡¯t even have any time to respond . The angel statue took a swing with its right arm . The face of the Hunter standing in front of the group was crushed inward Peo-geok!!. The Hunter and his crushed face flew backwards and slammed into the wall . Other Hunters nearby threw out urgent counterattacks, but by then, the angel statue was already gone ¡°Where¡­?!¡±. ¡°Over there!!¡±. The creature was now standing on the same spot as before as if it never made a move in the first place . As a matter of fact, it was busy fidgeting with its newly-attached right hand and its fingers . It looked like it was testing out whether its new limb was functioning properly or not ¡°M-Myung-Cheol-ah!!¡±. ¡°Euh, uwaaaahh!!¡±. Hunters belatedly discovered the casualty among them and began crying out in anguish . He was killed instantly . A rank A Tanker working for South Korea¡¯s best Guild had died in a single hit Choi Jong-In¡¯s eyes as he stared at the angel statue began shaking unsteadily now ¡®Hunter Seong Jin-Woo fought against such a thing all by himself¡­?¡¯. Rather than the pain of losing one of his comrades, his mind was overcome with this hopeless sense of vagueness at not knowing how to break out of the current situation Unfortunately, not everyone was capable of rational thought process like Choi Jong-In ¡°You son of a b*tch!!¡±. One of the female Hunters, the lover of the deceased Hunter, screamed out and dashed forward in anger . A pair of flames were burning brightly in both of her hands as she did so Just as she was about to launch those flames, someone grabbed her wrists from behind . The female Hunter looked to her side and discovered that Cha Hae-In had approached her before she noticed it . The female Hunter shook her arm and yelled out ¡°Let me go!¡±. ¡°Unni, you must hold it back . ¡±. ¡°I said, let go of me, right now!!¡±. ¡°Please, you gotta hold it back!¡±. The female Hunter glared straight at Cha Hae-In¡¯s face . The latter carried a grave but determined expression as she bit her lower lip ¡°I¡¯m also holding back, you know¡­ . ¡±. Cha Hae-In¡¯s hardened expression caused the female Hunter to stop writhing around in anger . Because¡­ even she knew it was unwise to agitate a monster that no longer showed any interest in their group after making that initial attack It was just that, she found it nearly impossible to hold herself back . Someone she loved was met with a horrific death, yet she was unable to do anything . The female Hunter began sobbing under her breath ¡°Heuk¡­ . ¡±. Once she stopped displaying hints of making a rash decision, Cha Hae-In shifted her attention over to Jin-Woo lying on the ground far away . The female Hunter wasn¡¯t the only one holding herself back, indeed For some reason, the monster had stopped attacking the group . And Jin-Woo looked unhurt as he continued to breathe normally . His expression was peaceful, as if he was simply asleep right now ¡®For now¡­¡¯. ¡­ . She and others had to buy as much time as possible until Jin-Woo woke up . That was the best they could do It was then The angel statue moved its body this way and that before laughter abruptly broke out from its lips ¡°Haha . ¡±. The empty interior of the underground temple was suddenly filled up with the echoes of the angel statue¡¯s voice . It kept its laughter short and shifted its gaze over to the Hunters ¡°Well now, should I get the fun started?¡±. The colour of the angel statue¡¯s eyes suddenly reddened up Was that the beginning of the assault? The Hunters strengthened their grips on their chosen weapons and prepared for battle If it was only one¡­ if it was only one enemy, couldn¡¯t they be able to do something here? Not only did they have two rank S Hunters present, but there were also dozens of top local Hunters gathered here at the moment, too As such an optimistic outlook quickly raced past the minds of the Hunters, this happened Dududududududuk Suddenly, an earthquake broke out inside this huge, open chamber ¡°Ah¡­ . No, this can¡¯t be¡­ . ¡±. The dark shadow of despair drew upon the faces of the Hunters . The broken stone statues were beginning to stand up one by one, that was why The b*stards without heads, b*stards with holes in their chests, and even b*stards with limbs missing all began standing up . But the absolute worst among them all was the statue of the unknown god that could only be described as truly gigantic ¡°¡­ . Oh, my god . ¡±. The god statue and the stone statues were standing upright and glaring at the Hunters as if they had never been destroyed in the first place . Their expressionless faces only made the already creepy atmosphere that much more bizarre Hunters began to backtrack a step at a time, only to run into something solid behind their backs ¡°Uh¡­ . ?¡±. It was the door Even before they had realised it, the doorway to this once-empty arena was closed shut tightly . It seemed that the angel statue had no thoughts of letting these humans go at all The angel statue spoke to them ¡°Those who manage to survive until all of my dolls have fallen will be given the opportunity to witness the glorious rebirth of the king . ¡±. The monster kept saying ¡®king¡¯ this and ¡®king¡¯ that for a while now ¡®Just what is it trying to say here?¡¯. Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s brows creased up He just couldn¡¯t understand the words the creature was busy spewing out . However, one thing was for certain . He knew that this creature was trying to kill everyone within the chamber He gritted his teeth He spent the last four years of his life in the Association He had faced plenty of hair-raising situations, but still managed to pull through by bitterly struggling till the end . Today would not be any different . He wasn¡¯t planning to die as easily as the monster wanted him to ¡®Even I can¡¯t make it out of here¡­ . ¡¯. At least, he¡¯d try to save Hunter Seong His thoughts reached there and he glanced at Jin-Woo . Rather coincidentally, the angel statue also pointed at the youth lying unmoving on the ground ¡°This person was able to destroy all my puppets in less than five minutes . ¡±. The pointed finger of the angel statue was then locked onto the rest of the Hunters ¡°How many minutes will it take for all of you to die today, then?¡±. Just as the words of the angel statue came to an end, Woo Jin-Cheol cried out at the top of his lungs ¡°Everyone, get down!!¡±. Hunters hurriedly bent down to the ground A red laser beam sliced right past just above their heads with almost no gap to spare . The casualty was zero this time . It was almost a miracle in and of itself The red energy beam shooting out from the eyes of the god statue slowly dissipated ¡®Ho-oh . ¡¯. The angel statue stared at the Hunters with eyes of some interest as it took a step back . It seemed that these humans might be able to provide some fun distraction before the king awakens ¡°Pant, pant, pant . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol panted out heavily . Cold sweat poured out from his pores If he hadn¡¯t heard about the special trait of the god statue beforehand, would he be able to survive that blast? His entire body shuddered from sheer horror . Still, they managed to somehow live through the first attack Of course, that wasn¡¯t the end ¡®No, it¡¯s merely the beginning . ¡¯. Woo Jin-Cheol raised his head The stone statues were rushing towards them now . They were so quick that only the high-ranked melee-type Hunters would be capable of following their movements Fortunately, Woo Jin-Cheol was one of the very best within the rank A Hunters . He rose up from his spot in an instant and while rotating his waist, sent out a powerful punch . The specially-constructed glove slammed hard into the face of a stone statue Boom!!. Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets ¡®¡­ . ??¡¯. He genuinely believed that one punch would be enough . However, the stone statue was unscathed Because he saw that one of this statue¡¯s shoulders was completely destroyed from an unknown attack, he ended up making a mistake on his enemy¡¯s durability . It was a gaffe he shouldn¡¯t have made when thinking back to just who it was that destroyed all these statues in the first place The stone statue¡¯s face was pushed back only by a little bit, but it recovered from the impact force almost right away and thrust forward the sword in its hand ¡®Tsk . ¡¯. Woo Jin-Cheol inwardly clicked his tongue He threw that punch out without taking into consideration the possible counterattack so he was unable to dodge . Besides, the enemy wasn¡¯t slow enough for him to evade at such a close distance, anyway But, then Ka-boom!!. A powerful explosion wrapped the statue up and it flew away Woo Jin-Cheol frowned and shook his head hard to recover from the buzzing sensation in his ears . Only then did he get to hear the voice coming from his side ¡°Are you alright??¡±. It was none other than the ¡®ultimate weapon¡¯, Choi Jong-In . Woo Jin-Cheol nodded once to express his gratitude . They simply didn¡¯t have enough time to leisurely share a conversation Boom!!. Because, the god statue began moving in earnest, and¡­. Dudududu-!!. ¡­And, the stone statues had already arrived right before their noses by then ¡°Chairman Choi!! Aggro skills don¡¯t work against these things!!¡±. Tankers loudly cried out ¡°What was that??¡±. Choi Jong-In¡¯s expression hardened considerably . If the aggro skills didn¡¯t work on them, then these creatures would instinctively start targetting the physically weakest Hunters present If the Healers were killed off first, then their line of defence would collapse in no time at all . It was nigh impossible for them to fight against powerful enemies without some sort of a defensive line to back them up Not only that¡­ Right behind these d*mn stone statues, the massive god statue was now raising its equally massive fist as well ¡®Can we really get out of this place alive?¡¯. Their situation was despairingly critical However, he still could think of one final method . And that would be waking up the unconscious Hunter Seong The angel sculpture b*stard said it, didn¡¯t it?. ¡®That thing said that Hunter Seong was able to destroy them all by himself . In less than five minutes, too . ¡¯. Their situation could change greatly if his guess was correct and the only reason why Hunter Seong lost to the angel statue was that he became too fatigued from destroying all these stone statues Indeed, weren¡¯t there dozens of first-class Hunters present here that could aid Hunter Seong right now?. That is why¡­ ¡®I need to wake up Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ¡¯. Flames alighted on Choi Jong-In¡¯s hands . It was not for nothing that he was called the ¡®ultimate weapon¡¯ . Not only his firepower, but even his accuracy didn¡¯t lose out to any of the modern firearms It was now ¡®sink or swim¡¯ time Choi Jong-In fired the magic he cast in Jin-Woo¡¯s direction Hunter Seong might experience some discomfort, but he wasn¡¯t weak enough to get injured greatly by this level of magic . But, if he did wake up from the impact of the explosion, then the human Hunters would stand a good chance of surviving this event ¡®That is why, please¡­!¡¯. The flames flew towards their target while leaving behind a long trail . However¡­ Boom!. The flames simply exploded on the torso of the angel statue that stepped into the trajectory in the blink of an eye ¡®¡­ . ??¡¯. Choi Jong-In was greatly taken by surprise from the unexpected interference from the angel statue and hurriedly raised his head Every muscle on the face of the angel was distorted unsightly until they couldn¡¯t be twisted any further to form a truly terrifying expression ¡°How dare¡­ ¡±. For the first time ever, the angel statue stopped smiling and bared its fangs ¡°How dare you try to interrupt the slumber of the king!?¡±. < Chapter 162 > Fin Chapter 163 The king? Who was? Choi Jong-In couldn¡¯t even begin to figure out heads or tails of what the angel statue was saying and asked back in a daze . ¡°What did you just say¡­ . ?¡± However, the angel statue didn¡¯t reply . Would a human bother to converse with insects? The same principle applied to the angel statue, too . For now, it simply had to assume this form due to some unavoidable circumstances, but it was still a superior creature nonetheless . It had no thoughts of having a Q&A session with this insignificant human being . If an insect proved to be annoying, swat it to death and that would be the end of it . The angel statue raised its fist up in the air and smashed it down like a hammer . It descended at a super-high speed straight towards Choi Jong-In¡¯s head . Swish-!! Choi Jong-In¡¯s heart tumbled down to the pit of his stomach . However, he didn¡¯t turn his head away . Do not give up, right up until the very last moment ¨C that was what he always told his teammates, after all . Before the fist landed on top of his head, though, a flash of light streaked past his eyes . Boom!! He opened his eyes to see the blade made out of pure light wavering in front of his face . Choi Jong-In¡¯s eyes went extra round . ¡°Hunter Cha?!¡± Cha Hae-In was standing there, blocking the angel statue¡¯s fist with the skill ¡®Blade of Light¡¯ . If she was late even by a millisecond, Choi Jong-In¡¯s head would have been splattered into a gooey mess . While he inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, she spoke to him in no uncertain terms . ¡°I¡¯ll take over from here, so please go help out other Hunters, Chairman . ¡± ¡°Got it . ¡± Choi Jong-In went away and began providing support to other Hunters busy battling the stone statues . Meanwhile, the angel statue stared down at Cha Hae-In¡¯s sword, now glowing with light, and its eyes quickly filled up with curiosity . ¡°Haha . ¡± To think, there was yet another human besides Jin-Woo that could block its attack . ¡°You are very amusing . Very amusing, indeed . ¡± The angel statue put more strength into its fist . Cha Hae-In¡¯s knees bent down slightly . She had managed to stop its attacks, but still, she was losing out in terms of raw strength . ¡°Euh-euhk¡­ . ¡± A thin, weak moan leaked out of her finely-shaped lips . Her wrists began trembling imperceptibly, as well . ¡°There, there . ¡± The angel statue smirked derisively and applied more and more power as if it was turning up the heat on the stove . The ground beneath her feet shattered and cracks spread out on the stone surface . Just a single arm, yet it was laden with a nonsensical amount of power already . Cha Hae-In bit her lower lip . ¡®At this rate¡­ I won¡¯t be able to endure it . ¡¯ She determined that she¡¯d not be able to last long at this rate, and focused all of her strength in an instant and forced the angel statue¡¯s fist back . As expected of the explosive strength befitting Cha Hae-In, ranked as one of the very best even among the rank S Hunters! The angel statue smiled again as it was forced to take a step back . ¡°Haha . ¡± It considered her as a simple fun distraction, yet she managed to entertain the statue beyond its initial expectations . It seemed that there was more enjoyment to derive out of this human after all . ¡°Very good, very good . ¡± This time, magic energy began pooling on both hands of the angel statue . Gulp . Cha Hae-In swallowed down her dry saliva . An immense level of power was oozing out from the clenched fists of the angel statue . She wanted to escape from this place if that was at all possible right now . That¡¯s how scared she felt . ¡®However¡­ . ¡¯ With Jin-Woo lying on the ground unconscious, there would be no one capable enough to face off against this monster if she were to turn her back and run . Her glare became even sharper than before . In complete contrast to her, the angel statue grinned carefreely and took a large stride forward to stand before her . The huge enemy nearly three metres tall kept forming that loose grin . And then, the b*stard¡¯s attacks commenced for real . Just like what it did against Jin-Woo, the angel statue punched out indiscriminately with both of its fists . It was somewhat regretful that it now had only two arms, but that was still more than enough for the level of this human . The clenched fists rained down like a barrage of bullets . Dududududu-!! Cha Hae-In¡¯s brows shot high up . ¡®Sword Dance!¡¯ Her movements quickened up significantly as if she was performing a dance, and her sword drew stylish arcs in the air . Unfortunately, the punches of the angel statue were far too quick and, instead of attacking back, she could only defend herself desperately . The flurry of fatal attacks rained down on her constantly, with each one powerful enough to kill her if she made just one mistake . Khang! Ka-gang!! Khang!! Khang! Khang! Khahang! Ka-gang! Khang, kahng! Khang! Ka-gang! Khang! Khang! Khahang! Khang! ¡°That¡¯s right . Right, like that . Haha . ¡± The angel statue was really enjoying itself as it continuously poured out the types of attacks that regular Hunters would never be able to follow with their naked eyes . Cha Hae-In was being pushed back bit by bit, her entire body soaked in sweat . Was that why? Or did she finally reach her limit? Her wet hands slipped and she missed one of the attacks from the angel statue . It was a painful mistake on her part . Her sword failed to deflect the punch, and it hit her on the shoulder before sliding past her altogether . Pah-gahk!! ¡°¡­!!¡± Cha Hae-In quickly retreated while gritting her teeth . Unfortunately, her bones must¡¯ve broke, because she couldn¡¯t feel anything from her shoulder . And so, she lost her left hand in that fashion . She looked at her limp left arm with a dismayed, regretful gaze . ¡°Haha . So, is that all? Is that as far as you can go?¡± The angel statue rapidly closed the distance again . The b*stard didn¡¯t even give her a small break . The attacks that were briefly paused for a moment or two, rained down on her again . Khang! Ka-gang! Khahang!! She had trouble defending against these attacks when both of her arms were still functioning . Therefore, having only one arm was simply not going to be enough . She missed more and more attacks and gradually, her body got destroyed . Puhk! Puh-buck! Puhk! Her bones broke, and her flesh tore away . And then, the deciding blow landed on her . Puhk!! The angel statue¡¯s fist dug deep into her lower belly, and her feet left the ground . She coughed out a mouthful of blood . ¡°Keok!¡± Her bent figure rose up in the air . Obviously, her movements in the air would be restricted, and her preparation to deal with the next attack would be left incomplete . The angel statue had finally lost its interest with the broken toy at this point . To finish the proceedings off, the angel statue approached the woman falling head first to the floor . It straightened its hand into a blade and took aim at her chest . But then¡­ . A wave of blue light suddenly surged out and enveloped Cha Hae-In . She suddenly opened her eyes wide in the midst of powerlessly falling to the floor . She rotated her body once and swung her sword, hard . Flinch . The angel statue quickly came to a stop and leaned its head back, but the tip of the blade still managed to brush past its brow . Slice . A thin line was drawn on the face of the angel statue . Taht! Finally succeeding in landing a single counterattack, Cha Hae-In regained her balance with some difficulty and landed back on the ground . Thanks to that timely healing spell, she was able to somehow get out of that really sticky situation . She got really lucky on that one . However, what was a fortunate event for Cha Hae-In didn¡¯t prove to be as fortunate for everyone else . Swish! The angel statue¡¯s head swivelled in the direction where that healing spell came in from . ¡®D*mn it!¡¯ Cha Hae-In quickly looked at the Healer and cried out . ¡°Get away from there!¡± The main Healer standing behind the Tankers and casting various healing magic spells until then heard her cries and flinched grandly . ¡°Pardon me?¡± But, by the time he looked to where Cha Hae-In was, the angel statue was blocking his line of sight already . ¡°Ah¡­ . ¡± The mouth of the main Healer went slack . The angel statue unhesitatingly did what it wanted to do to Choi Jong-In earlier . BOOM! The Healer¡¯s head was smashed down straight into the ground . His legs quivered and trembled for a short while, before ceasing their movements altogether . ¡°Oh god, no!!¡± The Hunters surrounded the angel statue and pounced at their enemy while not even bothering to hide their rage . Unfortunately, they were going up against an impossible force . Their measly strength couldn¡¯t defeat the angel statue . Pow, pow!! Every time the angel statue threw a punch, rank A Hunters died powerlessly as if they were low ranked Hunters standing before a powerful monster . ¡°This is no fun . This is boring, humans . ¡± Now that the fun time was over, this superior being didn¡¯t feel the need for mercy anymore . Once the number of Hunters standing towards the rear decreased, the line of Tankers dealing with the god statue as well as the stone statues began collapsing in no time at all . It was pure pandemonium . The balance of the engagement broke down in an instant . Boom!! The god statue avoided the Tankers and slammed its huge fist down, resulting in the immediate death of two Hunters on the ground . Afterwards, stone statues carrying weapons surrounded the Hunters with a scary efficiency and began rushing forward . ¡®God d*mn it¡­ . !!¡¯ Cha Hae-In rapidly cut down four of the stone statues persistently sticking close to the Hunters and pounced on the angel statue . No matter what, this b*stard had to be stopped . However, the angel statue lightly blocked her descending sword with its wrist and kicked her unguarded side . SLAM-!! Now that the angel statue decided to get serious, she too could no longer be considered its opponent anymore . Having witnessed Cha Hae-In fly away helplessly like that, Choi Jong-In tightly grasped the shoulder of Woo Jin-Cheol next to him . The latter had just finished pounding one of the stone statues down to the ground and quickly looked behind him in surprise . ¡°I¡¯ll try to gather their attention to myself . Chief Woo, you go and wake up Hunter Seong . That¡¯s the only way . ¡± ¡°Excuse me? But, I thought Seong Hunter-nim is unconscious because he was defeated?¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s not . He¡¯s simply asleep . Both his breathing and the flow of magic energy are stable . The way I see it, he¡¯s not injured, either . ¡± Could it be that he got done in by sleeping magic or some such? Choi Jong-In thought that the reason for the angel statue not allowing any attack to fall on the sleeping Hunter Seong was probably because it didn¡¯t want the youth to wake up . ¡®I don¡¯t know anything about this king¡¯s sleep or that, but¡­ . ¡¯ Choi Jong-In recalled the angel statue desperately moving to ¡®protect¡¯ Hunter Seong . Without a doubt, the youth waking up would prove to be somehow fatal to the monster . ¡°Hurry!¡± Woo Jin-Cheol nodded his head . Meanwhile, Choi Jong-In roused up every ounce of magic energy he possessed . Soon, a giant circular shaped mass of flames formed on top of his hand, and it began spitting out countless sparks to all over the place . Each of these sparks flying in a straight line caused powerful explosions to resound out every time it touched an object . Swish-!! Swish-!!! Boom!! Ka-boom!! Boom!! Kwa-boom!! Naturally, the attention of the stone statues was directed on Choi Jong-In . While he was buying time in this fashion, Woo Jin-Cheol hurriedly ran to where Jin-Woo was . He prayed that Choi Jong-In¡¯s estimation wasn¡¯t off the mark . Just as Choi Jong-In and Woo Jin-Cheol were doing their best to wake Jin-Woo up, the angel statue stood before Cha Hae-In as she lay on the ground while panting heavily non-stop . Every rib bone on one side of her body got broken when she was kicked just now . She still tried to reach out and grasp the sword she had dropped . However, the angel statue stepped on her arm before that happened . Kwajeeck! ¡°Aaaaahk!!¡± Cha Hae-In grabbed her broken arm and screamed out . The angel statue had already killed off all those humans possessing the ability to heal others, and this woman had received a grievous wound that disabled her from fighting anymore . This was the moment that the lone threat among the humans had been eliminated . ¡°Haha . ¡± The angel statue formed a blade with its hand again . ¡°This is the end, then . ¡± The human female glared at the statue, her breathing still rough and heavy . Everything was indeed over, yet she didn¡¯t show one hint of giving up on her struggle here . She certainly resembled that man in this regard . That man named Seong Jin-Woo . When the angel statue met that man for the first time, he too carried around those eyes . Smirk . The corner of the angel statue¡¯s lips arched up, and it thrust its hand at Cha Hae-In¡¯s chest . No, it tried to . It had to stay its hand just before piercing into her heart . The angel statue flinched slightly and took a step back . Because¡­ it only now discovered that there was a lone Shadow Soldier hiding in her shadow . Because of the rule in this chamber, that soldier couldn¡¯t come out of her shadow, but regardless, its existence was not in question . Seeing the surprised face of the angel statue, Cha Hae-In formed a puzzled expression of her own . ¡®¡­ . . ??¡¯ That b*stard could¡¯ve ended her at any time it wanted to, yet now, it looked like it was hesitating somewhat . Indeed, she was correct . The angel statue was really hesitating right now . This was a human that the king had chosen to plant a soldier within her shadow . Did he have a special plan for her? Of course, there was a possibility that the human did this, not the king . However¡­ . ¡®Without a doubt ¨C the king and the human are currently mixed as one, although it is only by a small amount . ¡¯ In that case, how was the statue to know whether this action was from the will of the king or from the will of the human? If the king had a plan and planted the Shadow Soldier in her, then the statue knew it couldn¡¯t carelessly touch her . That was why the angel statue asked the human female . ¡°Why did you come here?¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± Cha Hae-In didn¡¯t reply . When the silence deepened, the angel statue decided to change the question . ¡°What is your relationship with Seong Jin-Woo?¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± There was no reply from her, still . Cha Hae-In knew very well that she had no obligation to answer her enemy¡¯s questions . At this rate, it¡¯d be impossible to make her talk . The angel statue figured as much, thus deciding to change its tactic . Snap . The angel statue snapped its fingers . And that brought about the immediate stop to the screams of the Hunters . As if the god statue and the stone statues had received a command, they stopped fighting all at once and slowly turned around, before walking to one side of the chamber . Then, the angel statue extended its hand . Woo Jin-Cheol, busy approaching Jin-Woo, was pushed down by the ¡®invisible hand¡¯ and got planted on the ground . ¡°Keu-heuk!¡± He tried his best to resist against the power pressing down on him from above, but he couldn¡¯t even move an inch . Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s tightly-clenched fist trembled noticeably as pained moans escaped from his lips . The angel statue pulled its hand back . It didn¡¯t miss a single movement taking place within the chamber . No matter how much these humans struggled, they were all trapped within its palm, anyway . That was the difference between the superior existence and these measly humans . It was almost impossible to bridge that gap . ¡°I shall ask again . ¡± The tip of the angel statue¡¯s finger now pointed at Woo Jin-Cheol . ¡°If you do not answer me this time, I shall kill that man, as well as every single one of your comrades . ¡± ¡°¡­ . Fine . ¡± Cha Hae-In nodded her head . If she could buy more time this way then that alone was already a good result . The angel statue stared at her as she forced her upper torso up, and quietly asked her . ¡°What is your relationship with Seong Jin-Woo?¡± ¡°¡­ . A friend . ¡± ¡°And, why did you come here?¡± She thought for a little while, before making her answer . ¡°To save Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ¡± After hearing that answer, a deep smile formed on the face of the angel statue . Just who was saving who now? The statue was sure of it . These humans had no idea what was going on . It felt embarrassed for even suspecting that the king had a plan for her . No, these humans only knew about the human ¡®Seong Jin-Woo¡¯, and that¡¯s why they came knocking in this place . The angel statue could no longer hold back and began guffawing out loudly . And then, it spoke to her . ¡°I shall bless you with an opportunity . ¡± ¡°¡­ . What opportunity?¡± ¡°Today, in this place, one of the noble Sovereigns shall descend upon this world . I shall bless you with an opportunity to witness this glorious moment in history . ¡± Until the angel statue could confirm the intention of the king, it couldn¡¯t do anything to Cha Hae-In . So, it had to keep her alive . However, she was the sole exception and it didn¡¯t plan on letting other humans live . ¡°But, every other human beside you¡­ . ¡± The smile was gone from the face of the angel statue, and its expression became incredibly murderous . ¡°¡­ . Will die here today . ¡± Indeed, it wouldn¡¯t do for all these uninvited pests to be present in this glorious moment, would it? However, the reply didn¡¯t come from the front but from the back, instead . ¡°Says who?¡± ¡°¡­ . . ?¡± Before the angel statue could even turn around, a fist flew in and punched its face, hard . Ka-boom! The statue flew away and crashed into the far wall . BOOM!! Cracks ran against the surface of the wall from the sheer impact force and rubble tumbled down to the floor . Just before the angel statue could slide down to the ground, Jin-Woo stood before the creature . He tightly grasped its neck and growled at it . ¡°You . ¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s other hand was pressing against his right chest . Indeed, he wasn¡¯t dreaming of it . There was one more heart beating away within the right side of his chest . Jin-Woo clenched the neck of the statue even harder and asked . ¡°What the hell did you do to my body?¡± < Chapter 163 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 163: Chapter 163 The king? Who was?. Choi Jong-In couldn¡¯t even begin to figure out heads or tails of what the angel statue was saying and asked back in a daze ¡°What did you just say¡­ . ?¡±. However, the angel statue didn¡¯t reply Would a human bother to converse with insects? The same principle applied to the angel statue, too For now, it simply had to assume this form due to some unavoidable circumstances, but it was still a superior creature nonetheless . It had no thoughts of having a Q&A session with this insignificant human being If an insect proved to be annoying, swat it to death and that would be the end of it The angel statue raised its fist up in the air and smashed it down like a hammer . It descended at a super-high speed straight towards Choi Jong-In¡¯s head Swish-!!. Choi Jong-In¡¯s heart tumbled down to the pit of his stomach . However, he didn¡¯t turn his head away . Do not give up, right up until the very last moment ¨C that was what he always told his teammates, after all Before the fist landed on top of his head, though, a flash of light streaked past his eyes Boom!!. He opened his eyes to see the blade made out of pure light wavering in front of his face . Choi Jong-In¡¯s eyes went extra round ¡°Hunter Cha?!¡±. Cha Hae-In was standing there, blocking the angel statue¡¯s fist with the skill ¡®Blade of Light¡¯ . If she was late even by a millisecond, Choi Jong-In¡¯s head would have been splattered into a gooey mess While he inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, she spoke to him in no uncertain terms ¡°I¡¯ll take over from here, so please go help out other Hunters, Chairman . ¡±. ¡°Got it . ¡±. Choi Jong-In went away and began providing support to other Hunters busy battling the stone statues . Meanwhile, the angel statue stared down at Cha Hae-In¡¯s sword, now glowing with light, and its eyes quickly filled up with curiosity ¡°Haha . ¡±. To think, there was yet another human besides Jin-Woo that could block its attack ¡°You are very amusing . Very amusing, indeed . ¡±. The angel statue put more strength into its fist . Cha Hae-In¡¯s knees bent down slightly . She had managed to stop its attacks, but still, she was losing out in terms of raw strength ¡°Euh-euhk¡­ . ¡±. A thin, weak moan leaked out of her finely-shaped lips . Her wrists began trembling imperceptibly, as well ¡°There, there . ¡±. The angel statue smirked derisively and applied more and more power as if it was turning up the heat on the stove . The ground beneath her feet shattered and cracks spread out on the stone surface Just a single arm, yet it was laden with a nonsensical amount of power already . Cha Hae-In bit her lower lip ¡®At this rate¡­ I won¡¯t be able to endure it . ¡¯. She determined that she¡¯d not be able to last long at this rate, and focused all of her strength in an instant and forced the angel statue¡¯s fist back As expected of the explosive strength befitting Cha Hae-In, ranked as one of the very best even among the rank S Hunters!. The angel statue smiled again as it was forced to take a step back ¡°Haha . ¡±. It considered her as a simple fun distraction, yet she managed to entertain the statue beyond its initial expectations . It seemed that there was more enjoyment to derive out of this human after all ¡°Very good, very good . ¡±. This time, magic energy began pooling on both hands of the angel statue Gulp Cha Hae-In swallowed down her dry saliva . An immense level of power was oozing out from the clenched fists of the angel statue . She wanted to escape from this place if that was at all possible right now . That¡¯s how scared she felt ¡®However¡­ . ¡¯. With Jin-Woo lying on the ground unconscious, there would be no one capable enough to face off against this monster if she were to turn her back and run Her glare became even sharper than before In complete contrast to her, the angel statue grinned carefreely and took a large stride forward to stand before her . The huge enemy nearly three metres tall kept forming that loose grin . And then, the b*stard¡¯s attacks commenced for real Just like what it did against Jin-Woo, the angel statue punched out indiscriminately with both of its fists . It was somewhat regretful that it now had only two arms, but that was still more than enough for the level of this human The clenched fists rained down like a barrage of bullets Dududududu-!!. Cha Hae-In¡¯s brows shot high up ¡®Sword Dance!¡¯. Her movements quickened up significantly as if she was performing a dance, and her sword drew stylish arcs in the air . Unfortunately, the punches of the angel statue were far too quick and, instead of attacking back, she could only defend herself desperately The flurry of fatal attacks rained down on her constantly, with each one powerful enough to kill her if she made just one mistake Khang! Ka-gang!! Khang!! Khang! Khang! Khahang! Ka-gang! Khang, kahng! Khang! Ka-gang! Khang! Khang! Khahang! Khang!. ¡°That¡¯s right . Right, like that . Haha . ¡±. The angel statue was really enjoying itself as it continuously poured out the types of attacks that regular Hunters would never be able to follow with their naked eyes Cha Hae-In was being pushed back bit by bit, her entire body soaked in sweat Was that why? Or did she finally reach her limit?. Her wet hands slipped and she missed one of the attacks from the angel statue . It was a painful mistake on her part . Her sword failed to deflect the punch, and it hit her on the shoulder before sliding past her altogether Pah-gahk!!. ¡°¡­!!¡±. Cha Hae-In quickly retreated while gritting her teeth . Unfortunately, her bones must¡¯ve broke, because she couldn¡¯t feel anything from her shoulder And so, she lost her left hand in that fashion . She looked at her limp left arm with a dismayed, regretful gaze ¡°Haha . So, is that all? Is that as far as you can go?¡±. The angel statue rapidly closed the distance again . The b*stard didn¡¯t even give her a small break . The attacks that were briefly paused for a moment or two, rained down on her again Khang! Ka-gang! Khahang!!. She had trouble defending against these attacks when both of her arms were still functioning . Therefore, having only one arm was simply not going to be enough . She missed more and more attacks and gradually, her body got destroyed Puhk! Puh-buck! Puhk!. Her bones broke, and her flesh tore away . And then, the deciding blow landed on her Puhk!!. The angel statue¡¯s fist dug deep into her lower belly, and her feet left the ground . She coughed out a mouthful of blood ¡°Keok!¡±. Her bent figure rose up in the air Obviously, her movements in the air would be restricted, and her preparation to deal with the next attack would be left incomplete The angel statue had finally lost its interest with the broken toy at this point To finish the proceedings off, the angel statue approached the woman falling head first to the floor . It straightened its hand into a blade and took aim at her chest But then¡­ A wave of blue light suddenly surged out and enveloped Cha Hae-In She suddenly opened her eyes wide in the midst of powerlessly falling to the floor . She rotated her body once and swung her sword, hard Flinch The angel statue quickly came to a stop and leaned its head back, but the tip of the blade still managed to brush past its brow Slice A thin line was drawn on the face of the angel statue Taht!. Finally succeeding in landing a single counterattack, Cha Hae-In regained her balance with some difficulty and landed back on the ground . Thanks to that timely healing spell, she was able to somehow get out of that really sticky situation She got really lucky on that one However, what was a fortunate event for Cha Hae-In didn¡¯t prove to be as fortunate for everyone else Swish!. The angel statue¡¯s head swivelled in the direction where that healing spell came in from ¡®D*mn it!¡¯. Cha Hae-In quickly looked at the Healer and cried out ¡°Get away from there!¡±. The main Healer standing behind the Tankers and casting various healing magic spells until then heard her cries and flinched grandly ¡°Pardon me?¡±. But, by the time he looked to where Cha Hae-In was, the angel statue was blocking his line of sight already ¡°Ah¡­ . ¡±. The mouth of the main Healer went slack The angel statue unhesitatingly did what it wanted to do to Choi Jong-In earlier BOOM!. The Healer¡¯s head was smashed down straight into the ground . His legs quivered and trembled for a short while, before ceasing their movements altogether ¡°Oh god, no!!¡±. The Hunters surrounded the angel statue and pounced at their enemy while not even bothering to hide their rage . Unfortunately, they were going up against an impossible force . Their measly strength couldn¡¯t defeat the angel statue Pow, pow!!. Every time the angel statue threw a punch, rank A Hunters died powerlessly as if they were low ranked Hunters standing before a powerful monster ¡°This is no fun . This is boring, humans . ¡±. Now that the fun time was over, this superior being didn¡¯t feel the need for mercy anymore Once the number of Hunters standing towards the rear decreased, the line of Tankers dealing with the god statue as well as the stone statues began collapsing in no time at all It was pure pandemonium The balance of the engagement broke down in an instant Boom!!. The god statue avoided the Tankers and slammed its huge fist down, resulting in the immediate death of two Hunters on the ground Afterwards, stone statues carrying weapons surrounded the Hunters with a scary efficiency and began rushing forward ¡®God d*mn it¡­ . !!¡¯. Cha Hae-In rapidly cut down four of the stone statues persistently sticking close to the Hunters and pounced on the angel statue . No matter what, this b*stard had to be stopped However, the angel statue lightly blocked her descending sword with its wrist and kicked her unguarded side SLAM-!!. Now that the angel statue decided to get serious, she too could no longer be considered its opponent anymore Having witnessed Cha Hae-In fly away helplessly like that, Choi Jong-In tightly grasped the shoulder of Woo Jin-Cheol next to him . The latter had just finished pounding one of the stone statues down to the ground and quickly looked behind him in surprise ¡°I¡¯ll try to gather their attention to myself . Chief Woo, you go and wake up Hunter Seong . That¡¯s the only way . ¡±. ¡°Excuse me? But, I thought Seong Hunter-nim is unconscious because he was defeated?¡±. ¡°No, he¡¯s not . He¡¯s simply asleep . Both his breathing and the flow of magic energy are stable . The way I see it, he¡¯s not injured, either . ¡±. Could it be that he got done in by sleeping magic or some such?. Choi Jong-In thought that the reason for the angel statue not allowing any attack to fall on the sleeping Hunter Seong was probably because it didn¡¯t want the youth to wake up ¡®I don¡¯t know anything about this king¡¯s sleep or that, but¡­ . ¡¯. Choi Jong-In recalled the angel statue desperately moving to ¡®protect¡¯ Hunter Seong . Without a doubt, the youth waking up would prove to be somehow fatal to the monster ¡°Hurry!¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol nodded his head Meanwhile, Choi Jong-In roused up every ounce of magic energy he possessed Soon, a giant circular shaped mass of flames formed on top of his hand, and it began spitting out countless sparks to all over the place Each of these sparks flying in a straight line caused powerful explosions to resound out every time it touched an object Swish-!! Swish-!!!. Boom!! Ka-boom!! Boom!! Kwa-boom!!. Naturally, the attention of the stone statues was directed on Choi Jong-In . While he was buying time in this fashion, Woo Jin-Cheol hurriedly ran to where Jin-Woo was He prayed that Choi Jong-In¡¯s estimation wasn¡¯t off the mark Just as Choi Jong-In and Woo Jin-Cheol were doing their best to wake Jin-Woo up, the angel statue stood before Cha Hae-In as she lay on the ground while panting heavily non-stop Every rib bone on one side of her body got broken when she was kicked just now . She still tried to reach out and grasp the sword she had dropped . However, the angel statue stepped on her arm before that happened Kwajeeck!. ¡°Aaaaahk!!¡±. Cha Hae-In grabbed her broken arm and screamed out The angel statue had already killed off all those humans possessing the ability to heal others, and this woman had received a grievous wound that disabled her from fighting anymore This was the moment that the lone threat among the humans had been eliminated ¡°Haha . ¡±. The angel statue formed a blade with its hand again ¡°This is the end, then . ¡±. The human female glared at the statue, her breathing still rough and heavy . Everything was indeed over, yet she didn¡¯t show one hint of giving up on her struggle here She certainly resembled that man in this regard . That man named Seong Jin-Woo . When the angel statue met that man for the first time, he too carried around those eyes Smirk The corner of the angel statue¡¯s lips arched up, and it thrust its hand at Cha Hae-In¡¯s chest . No, it tried to . It had to stay its hand just before piercing into her heart The angel statue flinched slightly and took a step back . Because¡­ it only now discovered that there was a lone Shadow Soldier hiding in her shadow Because of the rule in this chamber, that soldier couldn¡¯t come out of her shadow, but regardless, its existence was not in question Seeing the surprised face of the angel statue, Cha Hae-In formed a puzzled expression of her own ¡®¡­ ??¡¯. That b*stard could¡¯ve ended her at any time it wanted to, yet now, it looked like it was hesitating somewhat Indeed, she was correct . The angel statue was really hesitating right now . This was a human that the king had chosen to plant a soldier within her shadow . Did he have a special plan for her?. Of course, there was a possibility that the human did this, not the king However¡­ ¡®Without a doubt ¨C the king and the human are currently mixed as one, although it is only by a small amount . ¡¯. In that case, how was the statue to know whether this action was from the will of the king or from the will of the human? If the king had a plan and planted the Shadow Soldier in her, then the statue knew it couldn¡¯t carelessly touch her That was why the angel statue asked the human female ¡°Why did you come here?¡±. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. Cha Hae-In didn¡¯t reply . When the silence deepened, the angel statue decided to change the question ¡°What is your relationship with Seong Jin-Woo?¡±. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. There was no reply from her, still Cha Hae-In knew very well that she had no obligation to answer her enemy¡¯s questions At this rate, it¡¯d be impossible to make her talk . The angel statue figured as much, thus deciding to change its tactic Snap The angel statue snapped its fingers . And that brought about the immediate stop to the screams of the Hunters As if the god statue and the stone statues had received a command, they stopped fighting all at once and slowly turned around, before walking to one side of the chamber . Then, the angel statue extended its hand Woo Jin-Cheol, busy approaching Jin-Woo, was pushed down by the ¡®invisible hand¡¯ and got planted on the ground ¡°Keu-heuk!¡±. He tried his best to resist against the power pressing down on him from above, but he couldn¡¯t even move an inch . Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s tightly-clenched fist trembled noticeably as pained moans escaped from his lips The angel statue pulled its hand back It didn¡¯t miss a single movement taking place within the chamber . No matter how much these humans struggled, they were all trapped within its palm, anyway . That was the difference between the superior existence and these measly humans It was almost impossible to bridge that gap ¡°I shall ask again . ¡±. The tip of the angel statue¡¯s finger now pointed at Woo Jin-Cheol ¡°If you do not answer me this time, I shall kill that man, as well as every single one of your comrades . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . Fine . ¡±. Cha Hae-In nodded her head If she could buy more time this way then that alone was already a good result . The angel statue stared at her as she forced her upper torso up, and quietly asked her ¡°What is your relationship with Seong Jin-Woo?¡±. ¡°¡­ . A friend . ¡±. ¡°And, why did you come here?¡±. She thought for a little while, before making her answer ¡°To save Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ¡±. After hearing that answer, a deep smile formed on the face of the angel statue . Just who was saving who now?. The statue was sure of it . These humans had no idea what was going on It felt embarrassed for even suspecting that the king had a plan for her . No, these humans only knew about the human ¡®Seong Jin-Woo¡¯, and that¡¯s why they came knocking in this place The angel statue could no longer hold back and began guffawing out loudly . And then, it spoke to her ¡°I shall bless you with an opportunity . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . What opportunity?¡±. ¡°Today, in this place, one of the noble Sovereigns shall descend upon this world . I shall bless you with an opportunity to witness this glorious moment in history . ¡±. Until the angel statue could confirm the intention of the king, it couldn¡¯t do anything to Cha Hae-In . So, it had to keep her alive . However, she was the sole exception and it didn¡¯t plan on letting other humans live ¡°But, every other human beside you¡­ . ¡±. The smile was gone from the face of the angel statue, and its expression became incredibly murderous ¡°¡­ . Will die here today . ¡±. Indeed, it wouldn¡¯t do for all these uninvited pests to be present in this glorious moment, would it? However, the reply didn¡¯t come from the front but from the back, instead ¡°Says who?¡±. ¡°¡­ ?¡±. Before the angel statue could even turn around, a fist flew in and punched its face, hard Ka-boom!. The statue flew away and crashed into the far wall BOOM!!. Cracks ran against the surface of the wall from the sheer impact force and rubble tumbled down to the floor . Just before the angel statue could slide down to the ground, Jin-Woo stood before the creature . He tightly grasped its neck and growled at it ¡°You . ¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s other hand was pressing against his right chest Indeed, he wasn¡¯t dreaming of it There was one more heart beating away within the right side of his chest . Jin-Woo clenched the neck of the statue even harder and asked ¡°What the hell did you do to my body?¡±. < Chapter 163 > Fin Chapter 164 For a moment then, within the recalled data, Jin-Woo had become THE Shadow Sovereign . And that¡¯s when he realised it . He realised that there was another heart of magical energy beating within his chest . He felt powerful surges of energy ceaselessly flowing out from this new heart . Could he have made a mistake? It was rather easy to confirm the truth, actually . ¡®Status Window . ¡¯ While keeping his hand firmly locked around the angel statue¡¯s neck, he summoned his Status Window . What he wanted to see out of the many listed values in there was his current reserves of magic energy, which the System had designated as ¡®Mana Points¡¯ or ¡®MP¡¯ . [MP: 109,433] Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets . ¡®Over one hundred grand?!¡¯ He confirmed the truth with his own two eyes, yet he still couldn¡¯t believe it . The last time he checked, he definitely only had around nine thousand or so . He confirmed it before arriving here, so he couldn¡¯t have made an error on that one . But now, it was over ten times greater? However, that wasn¡¯t the only surprising thing he discovered . ¡®My Title has changed?¡¯ As if to let him know of a big change that had taken place, the ¡®Title¡¯ column was blinking continuously . He didn¡¯t even change his Title, yet it had been swapped out to something else . And the new Title was ¡®Demon Hunter¡¯ . He had been putting this Title in the background because its information was hidden from him until now . Jin-Woo quickly confirmed its newly unveiled info . [Title: Demon Hunter] ¡®You have satisfied its requirements . ¡¯ You have recovered the memories of defeating the King of Demons, Baran, Sovereign of the White Flames . An immense power has acknowledged the Player as its new owner . Effect ¡®Black Heart¡¯: Additional MP +100,000 ¡®Black Heart!!¡¯ This here was the reason why his MP reserves had shot up to a nonsensical degree . Additional MP of one hundred thousand ¨C that was enough power to regenerate his Shadow Soldiers almost infinitely . Abruptly, Jin-Woo recalled the sight of the Shadow Sovereign from the recalled data . The beings that fought against the silver soldiers blotting out the entire sky were part of the immortal army led by that person . They went through an endless cycle of destruction and revival while managing to gradually overwhelm their enemies . The silver soldiers, strong enough to easily suppress roughly the same amount of monsters, couldn¡¯t endure against the regenerative abilities of the Shadow Soldiers and, in the end, were forced into retreat . If it weren¡¯t for the timely arrival of the reinforcements, those silver soldiers would not have avoided the fate of being annihilated . And that was all due to the bottomless amount of magic energy the Shadow Sovereign from the data had possessed . ¡®If that¡¯s the case¡­ . ¡¯ ¡®¡­ . As long as I have the effect of this ¡®Black Heart¡¯, then my own Shadow Soldiers can become the immortal army, too¡­¡¯ When his thoughts reached that far, Jin-Woo¡¯s entire body shuddered from the shock . ¡°But how¡­ . . can you be¡­ . ??¡± Jin-Woo raised his head . A trembling voice was leaking out of the angel statue¡¯s mouth . For the first time ever, Jin-Woo saw another expression besides that disgusting smile or the one of anger from this statue¡¯s face . The emotion revealed by its new expression was clearly fear . The angel statue looked at Jin-Woo with true fear and spoke as if it couldn¡¯t believe what had happened . ¡°How can you still retain your former ego, even with the Black Heart beating within you?!¡± ¡®What was that??¡¯ Jin-Woo heard the creature¡¯s mutterings and quickly realised two important things . One, the angel statue was definitely not responsible for this ¡®Black Heart¡¯ appearing within his body . Two, the result of it waking up within him shouldn¡¯t have ended well for him . Crack! Jin-Woo strengthened his grip on the angel statue¡¯s neck, and deep cracks formed on its neck . ¡°Keu-heuk!!¡± The face of the angel statue distorted in pain . ¡°What is this ¡®Player¡¯ thing? What were you trying to do to me?¡± Jin-Woo didn¡¯t lower his vigilance, so he could shatter this thing¡¯s neck at any given moment . However, it seemed that the angel statue wasn¡¯t of the right mind to provide an answer . ¡°Could it be¡­ . ?! Y-you, you d*mn Shadow Sovereign, you dare to¡­ against us¡­ . !! You think other Sovereigns will take this lying down?!¡± The angel statue glared at Jin-Woo and kept muttering out some nonsense . Crack!! Jin-Woo¡¯s fingers dug quite deep into the angel statue¡¯s neck . If he simply pulled his fingers back, the creature¡¯s neck would shatter into pieces . The enormous pain was transmitted in full to its real body somewhere . ¡°Keuaaahk!!¡± The angel statue screamed to the high heavens . ¡°Answer my questions . ¡± That was why he went ahead and gained the right to ask for the result of the test . So, it was only right that he demanded the promised rewards be handed over . At that time, red lights flashed from the angel statue¡¯s eyes . ¡°Heok?!¡± ¡°What¡¯s this??¡± Jin-Woo heard the Hunters¡¯ shocked cries and looked behind him . ¡°T-those things!!¡± ¡°They¡¯re coming back!!¡± Red lights were burning within the eyes of the god statue and the stone statues that were moved to one corner of the chamber . And then, they began moving again . ¡°Haha . ¡± The angel statue guffawed out loudly . ¡°If you kill me, no one will be able to stop my dolls . ¡± ¡®So, can you really kill me now?¡¯ The angel statue glared at Jin-Woo with eyes that screamed that question at him . Inferior beings possessed far too many weak points . Since this man was also human, this would be one of his weaknesses, too . Without a doubt, he¡¯d have the so-called friends among those humans . However, quite different from the angel statue¡¯s expectation, Jin-Woo suddenly formed a smile . ¡®He¡¯s¡­ smiling?¡¯ Jin-Woo asked the dazed statue . ¡°So, what will happen if I kill you first, and then destroy those dolls afterwards?¡± The angel statue hurriedly replied in a panic . ¡°If you kill me, the architect of the System¡­ . !¡± ¡°You know, I also thought about that . ¡± Jin-Woo cut the words of the angel statue off . The look in his eyes was rather similar to what the statue had when it was looking at the human Hunters earlier on . ¡°Here¡¯s the thing . Just because the guy who created the System disappears, that doesn¡¯t mean the System will suddenly start breaking down, does it?¡± The bluff was called . This human already knew the truth that the angel statue deliberately failed to mention . This was a serious miscalculation on the angel statue¡¯s part . It had forgotten with what criteria this particular human being had been selected in the first place . This man, even in the past, was capable of seeing through the set rules . ¡®If that¡¯s the case, you¡¯ve forced my hand!¡¯ The angel statue activated the final hand it possessed . Tti-ring! [System has denied the System Administrator¡¯s access . ] [System has denied the System Administrator¡¯s access . ] [System has denied the System Administrator¡¯s access . ] Tti-ring! Tti-ring!! Several more mechanical beeps rang in his head . The exact same Message repeated itself again and again, however . [System has denied the System Administrator¡¯s access . ] The face of the angel statue hardened considerably . It attempted to use the System and do something to Jin-Woo, but unfortunately, even the System itself had turned its back on the creature . Jin-Woo shrugged his shoulders, causing the angel statue to go berserk in rage . ¡°Uwaaaahk!! You b*stard!¡± If this thing wasn¡¯t going to answer, then¡­ . ¡®¡­ . Then, no point in keeping you alive . ¡¯ Jin-Woo let go of the angel statue¡¯s neck, but at the same time, injected magical energy to his left fist and punched out . KABOOM!! The immense impact force broke past the angel statue and left behind a massive crater on the wall behind it . Guooooh¡­ . For a moment there, silence filled the surroundings . An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth . Jin-Woo bestowed an appropriate level of punishment to the angel statue that tried to use him . Not just its head, but the entirety of its upper torso had been obliterated . What remained of the creature slid down against the wall and sunk to the ground . ¡®It¡¯s a bit regretful that I didn¡¯t get to hear any answers, but¡­¡¯ But, this thing was trying to deceive him from the get-go, anyway . Could he be able to believe anything such a creature told him? ¡®With this, it¡¯s done . ¡¯ As if he was shaking off the regret, Jin-Woo lightly shook the dust off his left hand . It was at this moment that he heard the desperate voice calling out to him . ¡°Seong Hunter-nim!!¡± ¡°¡­Ah . ¡± Jin-Woo quickly turned around . He was far too focused on the angel statue and had forgotten about the other stone statues . These things were indiscriminately attacking the Hunters as ordered by the angel statue just before its death . ¡°Hunter Seong!!¡± Choi Jong-In pitifully sought out Jin-Woo as he used his magic to keep the stone statues at bay . Even then, even as he called out, these statues were still descending on them in their droves like a black storm . Pow! Woo Jin-Cheol was struck in the chin by a stone statue and he unsteadily staggered on his feet . He tried to maintain his balance with his faltering legs, his eyes searching to his left and right . He caught the sight of the blood and sweat belonging to his fellow Hunters spraying into the air as they desperately mounted a resistance against the monsters pouncing on them . The inside of his head blanked out . ¡®Wait . What was I doing just now?¡¯ Ah . When he regained his senses, the stone statue was already right in front of his nose . He confirmed just what had struck him on the chin just now . It was actually a d*mn book with a thickness of several encyclopedias stacked together . Of course, it was made out of stone so it was only obvious that his head would spin like that . ¡®No, hang on a minute¡­ can a thick book be considered as a deadly weapon?¡¯ For a brief moment there, Woo Jin-Cheol recalled watching a certain televised criminal law amendment process and smirked to himself . In any case, he no longer possessed any strength to block the book, nor could he avoid it now . He definitely didn¡¯t have any strength left to throw a counter, either . And that¡¯s why he finally gave up with a wry smirk, but then¡­ . Ka-boom!! The stone statue¡¯s head split into two and the monster was flung away as if it got swept up in an explosion . ¡°Huh¡­ . ?¡± His mind abruptly woke up from that . He blinked his eyes and shook his head to clear his mind, and finally spotted a familiar man standing next to him . ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ . . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol could only gasp out at that moment . That familiar man was none other than Seong Jin-Woo . Woo Jin-Cheol kept that look of surprise on his face as he managed to leak out a question . ¡°By any chance, you only used bare hands to¡­ . . ??¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the details later . ¡± Jin-Woo left behind the dazed Chief of the Monitoring Division and dashed away to elsewhere . Even then, he never stopped searching and eventually, he spotted a certain something reflecting the light just over yonder . It was his missing ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword¡¯ . ¡®Found it!!¡¯ Jin-Woo extended his hand out to the weapon . He activated the ¡®invisible hand¡¯ and sucked his shortsword back into his grip . Grab! The sense of grip transmitted through his hand remained top-notch . Boom!! First of all, he kicked away an annoying stone statue blocking his path and began slicing all the statues that had been tangling with human Hunters . Fuu-woop . In the midst of doing that, he took a deep breath . Time slowed down greatly, but only he remained unbound and free . Right afterwards, Jin-Woo seemingly vanished from the spot and, while using the movement that not even the top-ranked Hunters could follow, he began destroying all the stone statues . Slice!! Thud!! Four stone statues fell apart simultaneously . The Hunters who barely made it out alive thanks to Jin-Woo¡¯s timely intervention could only look on dazedly as their jaws dropped to the floor . ¡°Uh¡­ . ?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol eventually made his way next to these Hunters and quietly spoke to them . ¡°That¡¯s all you can think of, am I right?¡± ¡°¡­ . Yes . ¡± Hunters nodded their heads . ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the same as you . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol had seen this spectacle a few times by now, but even then, the only thing coming out of his mouth was a gasp of astonishment . He grinned wryly and placed a cigarette between his lips . A Hunter from the Monitoring Division stood next to him . ¡°Chief, will it be alright for us to step back like this?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Right now, Seong Hunter-nim is still engaging the monsters¡­ . . ¡± The Hunter from the Monitoring Division turned his head towards Jin-Woo, but even his jaw fell . ¡°Huh¡­ . . ?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol placed another cigarette in the slack mouth of this guy and even lit up for his subordinate . ¡°Can you see how should we go about helping him?¡± ¡°No, sir¡­ I can¡¯t . ¡± ¡°So, stay here and quietly smoke that . ¡± ¡°Y-yes, sir . ¡± Hunters gazed at Jin-Woo with eyes of awe but still, didn¡¯t forget to swarm around Woo Jin-Cheol . And as a result, his stash of cigarettes ran out very quickly . But, for some reason, his nose began stinging just a tad . ¡®I can¡¯t even remember how many times I nearly died in this place . ¡¯ He thought those monsters were a wall he could never overcome, no matter what he tried . But now, seeing Jin-Woo single-handedly sweeping those things away, the sense of relief and powerful emotion of delight were flooding into his heart . ¡°Section Chief? Are you crying, sir?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not, you idiot . It¡¯s just this spicy cigarette . Okay?¡± ¡°Right . It¡¯s also too spicy for me . ¡± ¡°Yeah, me too . ¡± ¡°Me three . ¡± Maybe this batch of cigarettes tasted far too spicy for them today since teardrops were clearly visible within the eyes of all these Hunters . SLAM-!! Sohn Ki-Hoon managed to block the punch of the god statue with his shield and gasped out a pained grunt . ¡°Keo-heok!¡± His knees were bucking hard . With no Healer around, he had no choice but to take on the impact force all by himself, but he knew that anything more than this was asking for too much . ¡°S-someone¡­ . Anyone!!¡± He painfully turned his head to the side and spotted a quiet gathering of his fellow Hunters sitting over there . What the hell . He was sh*tting blood trying to block the attacks of the god statue all by himself, yet why wasn¡¯t anyone trying to lend him a helping hand here?? Sohn Ki-Hoon was royally p*ssed off and angrily yelled at them . ¡°What do you all think you¡¯re doing?!¡± When he did, the Hunters all pointed above him . Sohn Ki-Hoon interpreted that as them warning him of another attack, so he flinched greatly and raised his shield up again . However, the expected attack didn¡¯t materialise . ¡®¡­¡­??¡¯ He finally noticed that the surroundings had become eerily quiet for some reason . ¡®What¡¯s going on here?¡¯ He sneakily scanned his surroundings below his shield, and finally noticed that all the stone statues in the vicinity had been destroyed . ¡°What¡¯s this?!¡± He got startled out of his skin and hurriedly lowered the shield . And that allowed him to see what was going on above him . He saw the sight of the god statue, as tall as a skyscraper, and Jin-Woo standing on the d*mn thing¡¯s shoulder . ¡°Huh¡­ . ??¡± Even before Sohn Ki-Hoon was done with his surprise¡­ Ka-boom!! Jin-Woo¡¯s punch blew away the other remaining half of the god statue¡¯s face . With its head gone now, the massive statue began unsteadily tottering around . ¡°¡­ . Uh? Ehhh?¡± Sohn Ki-Hoon sensed something awry was afoot and ran as if his back was on fire . And just as his senses had warned him, the god statue crashed down right where he used to be standing a second ago . Kwa-boooom!! A choking dust cloud kicked up and filled the entire interior of this place . ¡°Cough, cough!¡± Choi Jong-In coughed out repeatedly and while blowing away the dust from himself, he quickly made his way to Cha Hae-In . ¡°Hunter Cha . ¡± ¡°Chairman¡­ . ?¡± ¡°How are you feeling? Can you stand up?¡± She was still lying on the ground, moaning in pain . She shook her head at his question . Not one part of her body was okay right now . Choi Jong-In¡¯s brows furrowed as he felt somewhat helpless at this . ¡°Let me help you . Try to slowly stand up . ¡± Just as he was trying to support Cha Hae-In, Jin-Woo arrived next to him, having finished off all the stone statues in the room . ¡°Will it be fine if I aid Cha Hunter-nim?¡± ¡°Pardon me?¡± Choi Jong-In shifted his gaze towards the direction of that voice . It was then, he thought that for a little bit there, Cha Hae-In was pushing his hand away . He replied in somewhat of a daze . ¡°Oh . Uh, yes . Why not . ¡± Jin-Woo quickly lifted her up in an embrace . Cha Hae-In¡¯s face reddened instantly . ¡°Please, hold on for a little while longer . ¡± Jin-Woo promptly ran over to the exit and kicked the closed door, hard . BOOM!! A locked door such as this only needed a good kick from him . The sturdy door that didn¡¯t even want to budge an inch when these high-ranking Hunters pushed at it got destroyed in an instant . He cautiously laid her down outside the chamber and summoned up his Store . Her current condition was considerably bad . Jin-Woo quickly purchased a superior grade healing potion and carefully emptied the vial in her mouth . Gulp, gulp . Her wounds began recovering at a scarcely-believable rate . ¡°But, how¡­??¡± ¡°Shh . ¡± Jin-Woo raised his index finger and pressed to his lips . Right now was ill-suited to explaining himself, wasn¡¯t it? Hunters emerged from the chamber one by one . Could this be called a silver lining within the sea of misfortune? Their current appearance was truly wretched, but thankfully, none of them required emergency medical assistance . Jin-Woo closed the Store¡¯s interface . Not knowing the existence of the healing potion, Hunters and their eyes could only pop out of their sockets when Cha Hae-In stood back up as if nothing was wrong . ¡°Huh?? But, Cha Hunter-nim, weren¡¯t you¡­ . . ?¡± ¡°Well, I¡­ . ¡± She was about to answer back reflexively, only to sneak a glance at Jin-Woo and quickly diverted the conversation away . ¡°This isn¡¯t the right time to discuss that, so let¡¯s get out of here first . ¡± Hunters all agreed with her . ¡°Are there any more survivors?¡± She asked Jin-Woo, who possessed the best sensory perception among the group . He looked into the interior of the chamber and shook his head . Only seventeen remained standing outside the chamber . Over half of who stepped inside had died . Their joy at surviving this encounter only lasted for a short while and the atmosphere grew gloomy and heavy . ¡°In that case¡­ . ¡± Cha Hae-In turned around with a stiff face, but Jin-Woo reached out and held her wrist . She turned to face him . The reason why the Hunters Guild came here was secondary . He was a lot more curious about something else at the moment . ¡°Excuse me, but¡­ what happened to Japan?¡± Jin-Woo had entered here just before the dungeon break of the rank S Gate occurred and so, he was getting legitimately curious of the news coming out of Japan . Cha Hae-In hesitated slightly, but eventually, came up with a suitable description . ¡°They have been destroyed . ¡± < Chapter 164 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 164: Chapter 164 For a moment then, within the recalled data, Jin-Woo had become THE Shadow Sovereign . And that¡¯s when he realised it He realised that there was another heart of magical energy beating within his chest . He felt powerful surges of energy ceaselessly flowing out from this new heart Could he have made a mistake? It was rather easy to confirm the truth, actually ¡®Status Window . ¡¯. While keeping his hand firmly locked around the angel statue¡¯s neck, he summoned his Status Window . What he wanted to see out of the many listed values in there was his current reserves of magic energy, which the System had designated as ¡®Mana Points¡¯ or ¡®MP¡¯ [MP: 109,433]. Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets ¡®Over one hundred grand?!¡¯. He confirmed the truth with his own two eyes, yet he still couldn¡¯t believe it . The last time he checked, he definitely only had around nine thousand or so . He confirmed it before arriving here, so he couldn¡¯t have made an error on that one But now, it was over ten times greater?. However, that wasn¡¯t the only surprising thing he discovered ¡®My Title has changed?¡¯. As if to let him know of a big change that had taken place, the ¡®Title¡¯ column was blinking continuously . He didn¡¯t even change his Title, yet it had been swapped out to something else And the new Title was ¡®Demon Hunter¡¯ He had been putting this Title in the background because its information was hidden from him until now . Jin-Woo quickly confirmed its newly unveiled info [Title: Demon Hunter]. ¡®You have satisfied its requirements . ¡¯. You have recovered the memories of defeating the King of Demons, Baran, Sovereign of the White Flames . An immense power has acknowledged the Player as its new owner Effect ¡®Black Heart¡¯: Additional MP +100,000. ¡®Black Heart!!¡¯. This here was the reason why his MP reserves had shot up to a nonsensical degree Additional MP of one hundred thousand ¨C that was enough power to regenerate his Shadow Soldiers almost infinitely Abruptly, Jin-Woo recalled the sight of the Shadow Sovereign from the recalled data . The beings that fought against the silver soldiers blotting out the entire sky were part of the immortal army led by that person They went through an endless cycle of destruction and revival while managing to gradually overwhelm their enemies The silver soldiers, strong enough to easily suppress roughly the same amount of monsters, couldn¡¯t endure against the regenerative abilities of the Shadow Soldiers and, in the end, were forced into retreat If it weren¡¯t for the timely arrival of the reinforcements, those silver soldiers would not have avoided the fate of being annihilated . And that was all due to the bottomless amount of magic energy the Shadow Sovereign from the data had possessed ¡®If that¡¯s the case¡­ . ¡¯. ¡®¡­ . As long as I have the effect of this ¡®Black Heart¡¯, then my own Shadow Soldiers can become the immortal army, too¡­¡¯. When his thoughts reached that far, Jin-Woo¡¯s entire body shuddered from the shock ¡°But how¡­ can you be¡­ . ??¡±. Jin-Woo raised his head . A trembling voice was leaking out of the angel statue¡¯s mouth For the first time ever, Jin-Woo saw another expression besides that disgusting smile or the one of anger from this statue¡¯s face . The emotion revealed by its new expression was clearly fear The angel statue looked at Jin-Woo with true fear and spoke as if it couldn¡¯t believe what had happened ¡°How can you still retain your former ego, even with the Black Heart beating within you?!¡±. ¡®What was that??¡¯. Jin-Woo heard the creature¡¯s mutterings and quickly realised two important things One, the angel statue was definitely not responsible for this ¡®Black Heart¡¯ appearing within his body . Two, the result of it waking up within him shouldn¡¯t have ended well for him Crack!. Jin-Woo strengthened his grip on the angel statue¡¯s neck, and deep cracks formed on its neck ¡°Keu-heuk!!¡±. The face of the angel statue distorted in pain ¡°What is this ¡®Player¡¯ thing? What were you trying to do to me?¡±. Jin-Woo didn¡¯t lower his vigilance, so he could shatter this thing¡¯s neck at any given moment . However, it seemed that the angel statue wasn¡¯t of the right mind to provide an answer ¡°Could it be¡­ . ?! Y-you, you d*mn Shadow Sovereign, you dare to¡­ against us¡­ . !! You think other Sovereigns will take this lying down?!¡±. The angel statue glared at Jin-Woo and kept muttering out some nonsense Crack!!. Jin-Woo¡¯s fingers dug quite deep into the angel statue¡¯s neck . If he simply pulled his fingers back, the creature¡¯s neck would shatter into pieces . The enormous pain was transmitted in full to its real body somewhere ¡°Keuaaahk!!¡±. The angel statue screamed to the high heavens ¡°Answer my questions . ¡±. That was why he went ahead and gained the right to ask for the result of the test . So, it was only right that he demanded the promised rewards be handed over At that time, red lights flashed from the angel statue¡¯s eyes ¡°Heok?!¡±. ¡°What¡¯s this??¡±. Jin-Woo heard the Hunters¡¯ shocked cries and looked behind him ¡°T-those things!!¡±. ¡°They¡¯re coming back!!¡±. Red lights were burning within the eyes of the god statue and the stone statues that were moved to one corner of the chamber . And then, they began moving again ¡°Haha . ¡±. The angel statue guffawed out loudly ¡°If you kill me, no one will be able to stop my dolls . ¡±. ¡®So, can you really kill me now?¡¯ The angel statue glared at Jin-Woo with eyes that screamed that question at him Inferior beings possessed far too many weak points . Since this man was also human, this would be one of his weaknesses, too . Without a doubt, he¡¯d have the so-called friends among those humans . However, quite different from the angel statue¡¯s expectation, Jin-Woo suddenly formed a smile ¡®He¡¯s¡­ smiling?¡¯. Jin-Woo asked the dazed statue ¡°So, what will happen if I kill you first, and then destroy those dolls afterwards?¡±. The angel statue hurriedly replied in a panic ¡°If you kill me, the architect of the System¡­ . !¡±. ¡°You know, I also thought about that . ¡±. Jin-Woo cut the words of the angel statue off . The look in his eyes was rather similar to what the statue had when it was looking at the human Hunters earlier on ¡°Here¡¯s the thing . Just because the guy who created the System disappears, that doesn¡¯t mean the System will suddenly start breaking down, does it?¡±. The bluff was called This human already knew the truth that the angel statue deliberately failed to mention This was a serious miscalculation on the angel statue¡¯s part . It had forgotten with what criteria this particular human being had been selected in the first place . This man, even in the past, was capable of seeing through the set rules ¡®If that¡¯s the case, you¡¯ve forced my hand!¡¯. The angel statue activated the final hand it possessed Tti-ring!. [System has denied the System Administrator¡¯s access . ]. [System has denied the System Administrator¡¯s access . ]. [System has denied the System Administrator¡¯s access . ]. Tti-ring! Tti-ring!!. Several more mechanical beeps rang in his head . The exact same Message repeated itself again and again, however [System has denied the System Administrator¡¯s access . ]. The face of the angel statue hardened considerably It attempted to use the System and do something to Jin-Woo, but unfortunately, even the System itself had turned its back on the creature Jin-Woo shrugged his shoulders, causing the angel statue to go berserk in rage ¡°Uwaaaahk!! You b*stard!¡±. If this thing wasn¡¯t going to answer, then¡­ ¡®¡­ . Then, no point in keeping you alive . ¡¯. Jin-Woo let go of the angel statue¡¯s neck, but at the same time, injected magical energy to his left fist and punched out KABOOM!!. The immense impact force broke past the angel statue and left behind a massive crater on the wall behind it Guooooh¡­ For a moment there, silence filled the surroundings An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth Jin-Woo bestowed an appropriate level of punishment to the angel statue that tried to use him Not just its head, but the entirety of its upper torso had been obliterated . What remained of the creature slid down against the wall and sunk to the ground ¡®It¡¯s a bit regretful that I didn¡¯t get to hear any answers, but¡­¡¯. But, this thing was trying to deceive him from the get-go, anyway . Could he be able to believe anything such a creature told him?. ¡®With this, it¡¯s done . ¡¯. As if he was shaking off the regret, Jin-Woo lightly shook the dust off his left hand . It was at this moment that he heard the desperate voice calling out to him ¡°Seong Hunter-nim!!¡±. ¡°¡­Ah . ¡±. Jin-Woo quickly turned around . He was far too focused on the angel statue and had forgotten about the other stone statues . These things were indiscriminately attacking the Hunters as ordered by the angel statue just before its death ¡°Hunter Seong!!¡±. Choi Jong-In pitifully sought out Jin-Woo as he used his magic to keep the stone statues at bay Even then, even as he called out, these statues were still descending on them in their droves like a black storm Pow!. Woo Jin-Cheol was struck in the chin by a stone statue and he unsteadily staggered on his feet . He tried to maintain his balance with his faltering legs, his eyes searching to his left and right He caught the sight of the blood and sweat belonging to his fellow Hunters spraying into the air as they desperately mounted a resistance against the monsters pouncing on them The inside of his head blanked out ¡®Wait . What was I doing just now?¡¯. Ah When he regained his senses, the stone statue was already right in front of his nose He confirmed just what had struck him on the chin just now . It was actually a d*mn book with a thickness of several encyclopedias stacked together . Of course, it was made out of stone so it was only obvious that his head would spin like that ¡®No, hang on a minute¡­ can a thick book be considered as a deadly weapon?¡¯. For a brief moment there, Woo Jin-Cheol recalled watching a certain televised criminal law amendment process and smirked to himself . In any case, he no longer possessed any strength to block the book, nor could he avoid it now . He definitely didn¡¯t have any strength left to throw a counter, either And that¡¯s why he finally gave up with a wry smirk, but then¡­ Ka-boom!!. The stone statue¡¯s head split into two and the monster was flung away as if it got swept up in an explosion ¡°Huh¡­ . ?¡±. His mind abruptly woke up from that . He blinked his eyes and shook his head to clear his mind, and finally spotted a familiar man standing next to him ¡°Are you alright?¡±. ¡°Ah¡­ ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol could only gasp out at that moment . That familiar man was none other than Seong Jin-Woo Woo Jin-Cheol kept that look of surprise on his face as he managed to leak out a question ¡°By any chance, you only used bare hands to¡­ ??¡±. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the details later . ¡±. Jin-Woo left behind the dazed Chief of the Monitoring Division and dashed away to elsewhere . Even then, he never stopped searching and eventually, he spotted a certain something reflecting the light just over yonder It was his missing ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword¡¯ ¡®Found it!!¡¯. Jin-Woo extended his hand out to the weapon . He activated the ¡®invisible hand¡¯ and sucked his shortsword back into his grip Grab!. The sense of grip transmitted through his hand remained top-notch Boom!!. First of all, he kicked away an annoying stone statue blocking his path and began slicing all the statues that had been tangling with human Hunters Fuu-woop In the midst of doing that, he took a deep breath Time slowed down greatly, but only he remained unbound and free . Right afterwards, Jin-Woo seemingly vanished from the spot and, while using the movement that not even the top-ranked Hunters could follow, he began destroying all the stone statues Slice!!. Thud!!. Four stone statues fell apart simultaneously The Hunters who barely made it out alive thanks to Jin-Woo¡¯s timely intervention could only look on dazedly as their jaws dropped to the floor ¡°Uh¡­ . ?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol eventually made his way next to these Hunters and quietly spoke to them ¡°That¡¯s all you can think of, am I right?¡±. ¡°¡­ . Yes . ¡±. Hunters nodded their heads ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the same as you . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol had seen this spectacle a few times by now, but even then, the only thing coming out of his mouth was a gasp of astonishment . He grinned wryly and placed a cigarette between his lips . A Hunter from the Monitoring Division stood next to him ¡°Chief, will it be alright for us to step back like this?¡±. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±. ¡°Right now, Seong Hunter-nim is still engaging the monsters¡­ ¡±. The Hunter from the Monitoring Division turned his head towards Jin-Woo, but even his jaw fell ¡°Huh¡­ ?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol placed another cigarette in the slack mouth of this guy and even lit up for his subordinate ¡°Can you see how should we go about helping him?¡±. ¡°No, sir¡­ I can¡¯t . ¡±. ¡°So, stay here and quietly smoke that . ¡±. ¡°Y-yes, sir . ¡±. Hunters gazed at Jin-Woo with eyes of awe but still, didn¡¯t forget to swarm around Woo Jin-Cheol . And as a result, his stash of cigarettes ran out very quickly But, for some reason, his nose began stinging just a tad ¡®I can¡¯t even remember how many times I nearly died in this place . ¡¯. He thought those monsters were a wall he could never overcome, no matter what he tried . But now, seeing Jin-Woo single-handedly sweeping those things away, the sense of relief and powerful emotion of delight were flooding into his heart ¡°Section Chief? Are you crying, sir?¡±. ¡°No, I¡¯m not, you idiot . It¡¯s just this spicy cigarette . Okay?¡±. ¡°Right . It¡¯s also too spicy for me . ¡±. ¡°Yeah, me too . ¡±. ¡°Me three . ¡±. Maybe this batch of cigarettes tasted far too spicy for them today since teardrops were clearly visible within the eyes of all these Hunters SLAM-!!. Sohn Ki-Hoon managed to block the punch of the god statue with his shield and gasped out a pained grunt ¡°Keo-heok!¡±. His knees were bucking hard . With no Healer around, he had no choice but to take on the impact force all by himself, but he knew that anything more than this was asking for too much ¡°S-someone¡­ . Anyone!!¡±. He painfully turned his head to the side and spotted a quiet gathering of his fellow Hunters sitting over there What the hell He was sh*tting blood trying to block the attacks of the god statue all by himself, yet why wasn¡¯t anyone trying to lend him a helping hand here??. Sohn Ki-Hoon was royally p*ssed off and angrily yelled at them ¡°What do you all think you¡¯re doing?!¡±. When he did, the Hunters all pointed above him . Sohn Ki-Hoon interpreted that as them warning him of another attack, so he flinched greatly and raised his shield up again However, the expected attack didn¡¯t materialise ¡®¡­¡­??¡¯. He finally noticed that the surroundings had become eerily quiet for some reason ¡®What¡¯s going on here?¡¯. He sneakily scanned his surroundings below his shield, and finally noticed that all the stone statues in the vicinity had been destroyed ¡°What¡¯s this?!¡±. He got startled out of his skin and hurriedly lowered the shield . And that allowed him to see what was going on above him . He saw the sight of the god statue, as tall as a skyscraper, and Jin-Woo standing on the d*mn thing¡¯s shoulder ¡°Huh¡­ . ??¡±. Even before Sohn Ki-Hoon was done with his surprise¡­. Ka-boom!!. Jin-Woo¡¯s punch blew away the other remaining half of the god statue¡¯s face . With its head gone now, the massive statue began unsteadily tottering around ¡°¡­ . Uh? Ehhh?¡±. Sohn Ki-Hoon sensed something awry was afoot and ran as if his back was on fire . And just as his senses had warned him, the god statue crashed down right where he used to be standing a second ago Kwa-boooom!!. A choking dust cloud kicked up and filled the entire interior of this place ¡°Cough, cough!¡±. Choi Jong-In coughed out repeatedly and while blowing away the dust from himself, he quickly made his way to Cha Hae-In ¡°Hunter Cha . ¡±. ¡°Chairman¡­ . ?¡±. ¡°How are you feeling? Can you stand up?¡±. She was still lying on the ground, moaning in pain . She shook her head at his question . Not one part of her body was okay right now . Choi Jong-In¡¯s brows furrowed as he felt somewhat helpless at this ¡°Let me help you . Try to slowly stand up . ¡±. Just as he was trying to support Cha Hae-In, Jin-Woo arrived next to him, having finished off all the stone statues in the room ¡°Will it be fine if I aid Cha Hunter-nim?¡±. ¡°Pardon me?¡±. Choi Jong-In shifted his gaze towards the direction of that voice . It was then, he thought that for a little bit there, Cha Hae-In was pushing his hand away . He replied in somewhat of a daze ¡°Oh . Uh, yes . Why not . ¡±. Jin-Woo quickly lifted her up in an embrace . Cha Hae-In¡¯s face reddened instantly ¡°Please, hold on for a little while longer . ¡±. Jin-Woo promptly ran over to the exit and kicked the closed door, hard BOOM!!. A locked door such as this only needed a good kick from him . The sturdy door that didn¡¯t even want to budge an inch when these high-ranking Hunters pushed at it got destroyed in an instant He cautiously laid her down outside the chamber and summoned up his Store . Her current condition was considerably bad . Jin-Woo quickly purchased a superior grade healing potion and carefully emptied the vial in her mouth Gulp, gulp Her wounds began recovering at a scarcely-believable rate ¡°But, how¡­??¡±. ¡°Shh . ¡±. Jin-Woo raised his index finger and pressed to his lips . Right now was ill-suited to explaining himself, wasn¡¯t it?. Hunters emerged from the chamber one by one . Could this be called a silver lining within the sea of misfortune? Their current appearance was truly wretched, but thankfully, none of them required emergency medical assistance Jin-Woo closed the Store¡¯s interface Not knowing the existence of the healing potion, Hunters and their eyes could only pop out of their sockets when Cha Hae-In stood back up as if nothing was wrong ¡°Huh?? But, Cha Hunter-nim, weren¡¯t you¡­ ?¡±. ¡°Well, I¡­ . ¡±. She was about to answer back reflexively, only to sneak a glance at Jin-Woo and quickly diverted the conversation away ¡°This isn¡¯t the right time to discuss that, so let¡¯s get out of here first . ¡±. Hunters all agreed with her ¡°Are there any more survivors?¡±. She asked Jin-Woo, who possessed the best sensory perception among the group . He looked into the interior of the chamber and shook his head Only seventeen remained standing outside the chamber . Over half of who stepped inside had died . Their joy at surviving this encounter only lasted for a short while and the atmosphere grew gloomy and heavy ¡°In that case¡­ . ¡±. Cha Hae-In turned around with a stiff face, but Jin-Woo reached out and held her wrist . She turned to face him The reason why the Hunters Guild came here was secondary . He was a lot more curious about something else at the moment ¡°Excuse me, but¡­ what happened to Japan?¡±. Jin-Woo had entered here just before the dungeon break of the rank S Gate occurred and so, he was getting legitimately curious of the news coming out of Japan Cha Hae-In hesitated slightly, but eventually, came up with a suitable description ¡°They have been destroyed . ¡±. < Chapter 164 > Fin Chapter 165 So, that¡¯s what happened in the end . The plan to block up a Gate sounded quite dangerous from the moment Yuri Orlov came up with the idea . Besides, wasn¡¯t he trying to deal with a rank S Gate? Didn¡¯t matter whether it was a Hunter or Gate, rank S denoted that something was impossible to evaluate . ¡°Impossible to evaluate¡± ¨C meaning, no one knew exactly what would pop out from the Gate, nor what kind of events would happen next . Even then, Yuri Orlov greatly overestimated his strength . And, in the end, his stupidity led to a truly horrifying result . Jin-Woo¡¯s expression became deeply complicated . Association President Goh Gun-Hui had told him about what the Japanese Hunters were trying to do back in Jeju Island . It was unknown what their real goal was, but nevertheless, they commenced with their plan anyway . If Jin-Woo didn¡¯t show up on time, it¡¯d have been extremely difficult for the Korean Hunters to get out of there alive even if the mutated ant monster hadn¡¯t shown up . And, even after trying something underhanded like that, the b*stard of the Japanese Association¡¯s President had the gall to visit South Korea to threaten Goh Gun-Hui . ¡®That man deserves to be punished, no doubt about that . ¡¯ However, that was the story only for the brain trust of the Japanese Association as well as the top-ranked Hunters who took part in the stinking scheme . The innocent Japanese citizens not included in that story certainly didn¡¯t deserve this . There might have been some unresolved historical ¡®feelings¡¯ between the two nations, but that wasn¡¯t a sin so grave that whole masses of people had to die because of it . What¡¯s even worse, this particular dungeon break occurred in the middle of the city . Just because of some Orcs that came out from a Gate within a school, nearly half of all the students there had lost their lives . However, what would happen if a rank S Gate opened up in the middle of a huge city with a population of over 13 million? Obviously, it¡¯d lead to a truly gruesome end result . Not to forget, this result was partially brought upon by themselves, as well . ¡®If Goto Ryuji and the other top Japanese Hunters were still alive, the end result could have been different . ¡¯ Goto Ryuji was strong . He was strong enough to endanger Jin-Woo for a moment back then . Even he felt greatly startled when the Japanese Hunter¡¯s attack barely missed his eye by a hair¡¯s breadth . Would that be all? Every single dead Japanese Hunter he found on Jeju Island was an exceptional individual that surpassed Korea¡¯s own rank S Hunters . He might not have known their fighting styles, but at least, that¡¯s the impression he got after checking out the amount of magic energy still remaining on their corpses . Back then, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t want to turn blameless humans into ¡®undead¡¯ so he gave up on them . But they were such exceptional Hunters that he was greatly tempted to turn them into Shadow Soldiers . ¡®Turning them into Shadow Soldiers would¡¯ve been perfectly fine when I think about what they were trying to do, though!¡¯ Too bad, he only got to learn the truth a long time after the fact, so there was nothing he could do about that . In any case, such powerful Hunters got massacred in one go so it was only obvious that Japan simply lacked enough personnel to deal with a rank S Gate appearing within its borders . In the end, this event wasn¡¯t a calamity engineered by the heavens, but something called upon by the greed of humans, instead . A man-made disaster, in other words . ¡°Seong Hunter-nim?¡± Cha Hae-In worriedly called out to him . Even now, Jin-Woo was still holding her wrist . ¡°I¡¯m sorry . I was thinking of something else just now . ¡± ¡°Ah . ¡± Jin-Woo let go of her arm . The reason why Cha Hae-In called out to him wasn¡¯t because of the wrist, but his complexion had darkened considerably out of the blue, that¡¯s why . Did he have family members or relatives living in Japan? Such a question fleeted in and out of her mind, just then . She still had no idea that the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association had cooked up such a dastardly scheme . So, she thought of the events unfolding in Japan as merely an accident ¨C no, more correctly, a horrifying incident, instead . He got to solve his first question of what had happened to Japan . Jin-Woo asked the second thing he was curious about . ¡°What brought you guys over here, anyway?¡± Currently, there were Cha Hae-In, Woo Jin-Cheol, and then, Sohn Ki-Hoon and his team members, who Jin-Woo met when fighting against Fangs, present here . High-ranking Hunters from the Hunters Guild and the members from the Monitoring Division, the ones that didn¡¯t really seem to have a common reason to form a team, had gathered all around him . Woo Jin-Cheol finished checking up on the injuries of his subordinates and took a step forward to clarify the situation . ¡°Actually, we came here first after receiving a report from this location . But then, we learned that you had entered the Gate, and the magic energy leaking out from the dungeon itself was so great that¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to the Chief of the Monitoring Division . Perhaps the number of casualties had been far too great, Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s expression was really stiff right now . ¡°We thought that our strengths would not be adequate enough so I requested for assistance from the Hunters Guild that had been getting ready for a raid nearby . ¡± The right to request assistance in emergencies . It was the highest form of authority the Association possessed over the Guilds . Even the Hunters Guild wouldn¡¯t have been able to reject the request . Many had come to aid him, and in the process, many unfortunate sacrifices had to be made . Jin-Woo felt his heart begin to ache . As the youth grew quieter in contemplation, Woo Jin-Cheol cautiously raised a question . ¡°May I ask you a question?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°How did you know that you¡¯d find the dual dungeon in this particular Gate, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?¡± That was a very pertinent question to ask . As the Chairperson of the Hunters Guild, which had suffered huge losses today, Choi Jong-In was deeply curious about this, as well . How did Seong Jin-Woo know that there was a dual dungeon hiding within a rank C Gate, and that a monster capable of exceeding everyone¡¯s imagination was waiting for him there? Hunters who had heard of this before coming here were all feeling quite puzzled from this unanswered question . Rumble¡­ . The cavern they were in trembled . The Gate sent them the signal that it¡¯d close not too long from now, yet the attention of these Hunters were solely focused on Jin-Woo¡¯s answer . ¡°The dungeon¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo decided to be as honest as he could be . ¡°¡­It summoned me here . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . Wait, it summoned you here?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol asked back, his expression showing his disbelief . ¡°Yes . I received a message telling me to come here . ¡± ¡°Can we view that message, as well?¡± Jin-Woo shook his head . Then, he pointed to his temple with his finger . ¡°I¡¯m sorry . It was a message that appeared in my head . ¡± The answer nobody expected to hear rendered everyone utterly speechless . Jin-Woo didn¡¯t lie here, though . It was just that he chose to omit a few other unnecessary details and simply delivered the core of the truth, that was all . His straightforward expression of hiding nothing managed to overpower other Hunters . Woo Jin-Cheol could legitimately claim that he knew Jin-Woo the longest out of this group . Even then, he had no choice but throw up the white flag with a shake of his head . ¡®He¡¯s¡­ not someone I can read with my common sense . ¡¯ The dungeon summoned him through his head? Could this youth be some kind of an incarnation of a godly being sent to this world so he could smash apart all the dungeons that appear here? ¡®Why am I even thinking of such nonsense¡­ . ?¡¯ Woo Jin-Cheol inwardly gave a wry chuckle . While he was doing that, Jin-Woo soundlessly brushed past him . He walked past the broken doorway and re-entered the chamber . Cha Hae-In panicked and called out to him in a hurry . ¡°Hunter Seong?? If we don¡¯t leave right now, it could get dangerous!¡± Jin-Woo turned around after hearing her worried voice and made his reply . ¡°I know . ¡± How could he not know of the dangers? Jin-Woo had walked on this lengthy passageway to get here twice already . It was almost an hour¡¯s distance even with the walking speed of Hunters . If they wished to get out of here before the Gate closed, they certainly couldn¡¯t tarry any longer . Not only that, Jin-Woo¡¯s own old man went missing inside a Gate, too . He heard that his dad, despite getting grievously injured, still managed to carry out his comrades from the boss chamber one by one before he himself got left behind as the Gate closed . There was no one out there who understood the dangers of a dungeon better than Jin-Woo . That was why his reply of ¡°I know¡± was filled with his conviction . Even then¡­ . ¡°I can¡¯t leave behind the Hunters who came running for my sake, now can I?¡± Hunters getting anxious to leave all froze up in their spots after hearing his words . Every single one of those who lost their lives inside that chamber was a comrade to them . If possible, they didn¡¯t want to leave anyone behind . However, there simply wasn¡¯t enough time to take all the deceased with them . Not only were these Hunters far too exhausted, but trying to locate the remains buried under the debris of the stone statues would mean they had to search through all corners of the chamber, as well . And that was why they turned around to leave with bitter tears in their eyes, but now¡­ . ¡°I¡¯m taking them back with me . ¡± One sentence from Jin-Woo and the Hunters began shuddering as if a bolt of electricity was travelling within their bodies . No one argued that there was no time, that they had to get out of here . No, they simply watched on in a daze . Choi Jong-In, who had been silently enduring until then, spoke with a powerless voice . ¡°Can we¡­ ask you for this favour?¡± These Guild members were like his family . If it was possible, he didn¡¯t want them to rot away stuck in a cold corner of this d*mnable cave . Jin-Woo nodded his head and turned around . Ba-thump, ba-thump! His hearts were quietly beating away . ¡®I need to sense a little deeper . ¡¯ Basically, his two hearts always beat as one . He needed to concentrate really hard to separate the sound of the Black Heart beating from his regular heart . Jin-Woo gathered the magical energy sent out by this mysterious heart towards his fingertips . ¡®Did he do it like this?¡¯ Jin-Woo tried to mimic the hand gesture of the Shadow Sovereign he saw within the data¡¯s playback . His hand reaching up as if he was grasping something ¨C without a doubt, he could sense enormous magical power going crazy within his hand right now . ¡®I can do this . ¡¯ Jin-Woo felt this powerful self-assurance enter his mind . He immediately located the whereabouts of the deceased Hunters through their magic energy emission . His eyes gleamed brightly . Shortly afterwards, he stopped silently studying the interior of the chamber and spoke up . ¡°Ruler¡¯s Authority . ¡± And when he did¡­ . Dududuk¡­ . All the remains of the Hunters buried under the rubble of the stone statues all uniformly rose up into the air . ¡°Heok!!¡± ¡°But, how?!¡± Hunters watching Jin-Woo with bated breaths all cried out in shock . Never mind the fact that he was able to locate all the dead Hunters in such a short span of time, he even managed to lift them up without touching them? Wasn¡¯t this like one of those telekinetic superpowers often seen in movies? The floating Hunters were carried out of the doorway via invisible hands . ¡®How can this be¡­ . ?¡¯ ¡®How can something like this even be possible?¡¯ Just like how normal people would get surprised by the Hunters, these Hunters were getting even more astonished by Jin-Woo¡¯s feats . Even Choi Jong-In, who could be called very knowledgeable when it came to the manipulation of magical energy, couldn¡¯t quite believe what he just witnessed with his own two eyes . ¡®Just what kind of a skill is that?¡¯ It was certainly a skill he had never even heard of before . After seeing Jin-Woo¡¯s powers personally, Choi Jong-In realised that he had been greatly mistaken about something . When he saw the angel statue for the first time, he thought that such a ¡®thing¡¯ would obviously be able to defeat Jin-Woo . However, his thoughts were wrong . It was a complete miscalculation . Which monster would be able to deal with a Hunter capable of wielding powers like this as if it was nothing to him? Not realising that he was doing it, Choi Jong-In began shaking his head . ¡®Utterly impossible¡­ . ¡¯ In actual fact, the angel statue was eliminated in an instant almost as soon as Jin-Woo opened his eyes . Only sighs of amazement could come out after seeing this young man¡¯s capabilities . Jin-Woo carefully moved the cold, unmoving corpses of the Hunters to one side and summoned out his Shadow Soldiers . The restriction only applied within the temple itself so he could call them out no problem outside the doorway . While the living Hunters couldn¡¯t close shut their slack jaws, the Shadow Soldiers proceeded to pick up the dead Hunters . Everyone forgot what they wanted to say and simply looked at Jin-Woo as he addressed them . ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here . ¡± It was then, the dungeon rumbled one more time as if it was waiting for this moment . The Hunters all nodded their heads . Soon after they set off, the Shadow Soldiers ran right behind them . Jin-Woo remained behind and watched them move, before turning around to face Cha Hae-In who also hadn¡¯t left yet . Although her physical wounds had been healed, her expression showed how fatigued she was . ¡®That is obvious, though . ¡¯ Even he himself needed to put in a lot of effort to defeat that angel statue . She¡¯d definitely be exhausted trying to defend against such a creature all by herself . Jin-Woo walked over to her and asked . ¡°Would you like me to carry you?¡± Cha Hae-In formed a thin smile and shook her head . Grasp . He reached out to grasp her wrist again, and she quietly stared at him . He wanted her to feel at ease, at least by a little bit, so he relaxedly spoke to her . ¡°We should get going, too . ¡± Nod . Cha Hae-In, depressed by the deaths of her comrades, wordlessly nodded her head . *** Hunters began emerging one by one from the Gate . Right up until then, those waiting around outside the Gate had no idea the scale of the event taking place within . However, they all realised that something really bad had happened after seeing the deceased Hunters being carried out by the Shadow Soldiers . ¡°Oh, my god¡­ . ¡± ¡°Are those all¡­ . ?!¡± The members of the Bravery Guild who had reported this matter, and the female Association employee standing by, all saw this procession and their complexions turned ashen in an instant . The number of casualties was just far too great . Weren¡¯t these people the elite Hunters of the country? The Hunters belonging to the Hunters Guild and the Monitoring Division were called some of the very best, yet¡­ . After everyone had emerged, Jin-Woo and Cha Hae-In simultaneously stepped out of the Gate . Enough time had passed on the outside and it was night-time already . Reporter Kim had been staying put until then to keep an eye on the situation, and when he saw the conditions of those two, his eyes grew extraordinarily wide from sheer shock . The heavy traces of intense battle were clearly visible on the bodies of these two rank S Hunters ¨C dried up, caked blood; torn, ripped clothing; their dishevelled hair . Sure, Cha Hae-In still looked quite lovely even then . But Hunter Seong Jin-Woo gave off a feeling that he¡¯d been through a bitter war all by himself . ¡®This is it¡­ . This really is it!¡¯ Reporter Kim raised his camera with his trembling hands . This was the reason why he became a reporter in the first place . And that was to document event such as this one . He wanted to let others know that there were some people who willingly put their lives on the line to fight for the masses in some forgotten corner of their country, even though everyone¡¯s attention was focused on the events taking place in Japan . Almost twenty of the country¡¯s top Hunters had perished here today . If such a Gate had broken open, then the scale of destruction and losses to life would have exceeded imaginations . These people and their sacrifices had prevented a future tragedy . However, if Reporter Kim wasn¡¯t here, would others ever get to know about these folks and their heroic battle today? He had been circling around the Association just so he could stumble into a story like this one day . Click, click!! He was so emotionally moved that tears were forming in his eyes as he busily snapped away photos . Woo Jin-Cheol lost all the strength in his legs right after leaving the Gate and settled down on the ground . Jin-Woo looked for him and walked closer . ¡°¡­ . Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol tried to get up, but Jin-Woo stopped the older man . Instead, the latter pointed at Reporter Kim over yonder . ¡°He¡¯s taking my photos, but is that allowed?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol smirked and made his reply . ¡°It is indeed disallowed to film you in an individual capacity, Seong Hunter-nim . However, just like how it was back in the Jeju Island raid, it¡¯s impossible to block the report on the incident itself . ¡± Jin-Woo nodded his head . Mom would get worried if she saw his messed-up appearance, though . He was sort of worried about that happening, but then again, it didn¡¯t mean he could forcibly stop the reporter from doing his job . Indeed, that reporter was doing what he was supposed to be doing . He also wished for someone to let the world know of the ultimate sacrifices these Hunters made while fighting to ensure that no tragedy would unfold in the near future, as well . A quiet wind seemed to blow by . The sounds of distant sirens from approaching ambulances were carried by the winds . Next morning . Every newspaper carried the front-page headline of the dungeon break happening in Japan, except for one publication . It was the only one that carried the news of the dual dungeon incident . This paper sold the most number of copies that day . < Chapter 165 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 165: Chapter 165 So, that¡¯s what happened in the end The plan to block up a Gate sounded quite dangerous from the moment Yuri Orlov came up with the idea . Besides, wasn¡¯t he trying to deal with a rank S Gate?. Didn¡¯t matter whether it was a Hunter or Gate, rank S denoted that something was impossible to evaluate ¡°Impossible to evaluate¡± ¨C meaning, no one knew exactly what would pop out from the Gate, nor what kind of events would happen next . Even then, Yuri Orlov greatly overestimated his strength . And, in the end, his stupidity led to a truly horrifying result Jin-Woo¡¯s expression became deeply complicated Association President Goh Gun-Hui had told him about what the Japanese Hunters were trying to do back in Jeju Island . It was unknown what their real goal was, but nevertheless, they commenced with their plan anyway If Jin-Woo didn¡¯t show up on time, it¡¯d have been extremely difficult for the Korean Hunters to get out of there alive even if the mutated ant monster hadn¡¯t shown up And, even after trying something underhanded like that, the b*stard of the Japanese Association¡¯s President had the gall to visit South Korea to threaten Goh Gun-Hui ¡®That man deserves to be punished, no doubt about that . ¡¯. However, that was the story only for the brain trust of the Japanese Association as well as the top-ranked Hunters who took part in the stinking scheme The innocent Japanese citizens not included in that story certainly didn¡¯t deserve this There might have been some unresolved historical ¡®feelings¡¯ between the two nations, but that wasn¡¯t a sin so grave that whole masses of people had to die because of it What¡¯s even worse, this particular dungeon break occurred in the middle of the city Just because of some Orcs that came out from a Gate within a school, nearly half of all the students there had lost their lives . However, what would happen if a rank S Gate opened up in the middle of a huge city with a population of over 13 million? Obviously, it¡¯d lead to a truly gruesome end result Not to forget, this result was partially brought upon by themselves, as well ¡®If Goto Ryuji and the other top Japanese Hunters were still alive, the end result could have been different . ¡¯. Goto Ryuji was strong . He was strong enough to endanger Jin-Woo for a moment back then . Even he felt greatly startled when the Japanese Hunter¡¯s attack barely missed his eye by a hair¡¯s breadth Would that be all?. Every single dead Japanese Hunter he found on Jeju Island was an exceptional individual that surpassed Korea¡¯s own rank S Hunters He might not have known their fighting styles, but at least, that¡¯s the impression he got after checking out the amount of magic energy still remaining on their corpses Back then, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t want to turn blameless humans into ¡®undead¡¯ so he gave up on them . But they were such exceptional Hunters that he was greatly tempted to turn them into Shadow Soldiers ¡®Turning them into Shadow Soldiers would¡¯ve been perfectly fine when I think about what they were trying to do, though!¡¯. Too bad, he only got to learn the truth a long time after the fact, so there was nothing he could do about that In any case, such powerful Hunters got massacred in one go so it was only obvious that Japan simply lacked enough personnel to deal with a rank S Gate appearing within its borders In the end, this event wasn¡¯t a calamity engineered by the heavens, but something called upon by the greed of humans, instead . A man-made disaster, in other words ¡°Seong Hunter-nim?¡±. Cha Hae-In worriedly called out to him . Even now, Jin-Woo was still holding her wrist ¡°I¡¯m sorry . I was thinking of something else just now . ¡±. ¡°Ah . ¡±. Jin-Woo let go of her arm The reason why Cha Hae-In called out to him wasn¡¯t because of the wrist, but his complexion had darkened considerably out of the blue, that¡¯s why Did he have family members or relatives living in Japan? Such a question fleeted in and out of her mind, just then She still had no idea that the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association had cooked up such a dastardly scheme . So, she thought of the events unfolding in Japan as merely an accident ¨C no, more correctly, a horrifying incident, instead He got to solve his first question of what had happened to Japan . Jin-Woo asked the second thing he was curious about ¡°What brought you guys over here, anyway?¡±. Currently, there were Cha Hae-In, Woo Jin-Cheol, and then, Sohn Ki-Hoon and his team members, who Jin-Woo met when fighting against Fangs, present here High-ranking Hunters from the Hunters Guild and the members from the Monitoring Division, the ones that didn¡¯t really seem to have a common reason to form a team, had gathered all around him Woo Jin-Cheol finished checking up on the injuries of his subordinates and took a step forward to clarify the situation ¡°Actually, we came here first after receiving a report from this location . But then, we learned that you had entered the Gate, and the magic energy leaking out from the dungeon itself was so great that¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to the Chief of the Monitoring Division . Perhaps the number of casualties had been far too great, Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s expression was really stiff right now ¡°We thought that our strengths would not be adequate enough so I requested for assistance from the Hunters Guild that had been getting ready for a raid nearby . ¡±. The right to request assistance in emergencies . It was the highest form of authority the Association possessed over the Guilds . Even the Hunters Guild wouldn¡¯t have been able to reject the request Many had come to aid him, and in the process, many unfortunate sacrifices had to be made . Jin-Woo felt his heart begin to ache As the youth grew quieter in contemplation, Woo Jin-Cheol cautiously raised a question ¡°May I ask you a question?¡±. ¡°Yes?¡±. ¡°How did you know that you¡¯d find the dual dungeon in this particular Gate, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?¡±. That was a very pertinent question to ask As the Chairperson of the Hunters Guild, which had suffered huge losses today, Choi Jong-In was deeply curious about this, as well How did Seong Jin-Woo know that there was a dual dungeon hiding within a rank C Gate, and that a monster capable of exceeding everyone¡¯s imagination was waiting for him there?. Hunters who had heard of this before coming here were all feeling quite puzzled from this unanswered question Rumble¡­ The cavern they were in trembled . The Gate sent them the signal that it¡¯d close not too long from now, yet the attention of these Hunters were solely focused on Jin-Woo¡¯s answer ¡°The dungeon¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo decided to be as honest as he could be ¡°¡­It summoned me here . ¡±. ¡°¡­ Wait, it summoned you here?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol asked back, his expression showing his disbelief ¡°Yes . I received a message telling me to come here . ¡±. ¡°Can we view that message, as well?¡±. Jin-Woo shook his head . Then, he pointed to his temple with his finger ¡°I¡¯m sorry . It was a message that appeared in my head . ¡±. The answer nobody expected to hear rendered everyone utterly speechless Jin-Woo didn¡¯t lie here, though . It was just that he chose to omit a few other unnecessary details and simply delivered the core of the truth, that was all His straightforward expression of hiding nothing managed to overpower other Hunters Woo Jin-Cheol could legitimately claim that he knew Jin-Woo the longest out of this group . Even then, he had no choice but throw up the white flag with a shake of his head ¡®He¡¯s¡­ not someone I can read with my common sense . ¡¯. The dungeon summoned him through his head?. Could this youth be some kind of an incarnation of a godly being sent to this world so he could smash apart all the dungeons that appear here?. ¡®Why am I even thinking of such nonsense¡­ . ?¡¯. Woo Jin-Cheol inwardly gave a wry chuckle . While he was doing that, Jin-Woo soundlessly brushed past him He walked past the broken doorway and re-entered the chamber . Cha Hae-In panicked and called out to him in a hurry ¡°Hunter Seong?? If we don¡¯t leave right now, it could get dangerous!¡±. Jin-Woo turned around after hearing her worried voice and made his reply ¡°I know . ¡±. How could he not know of the dangers?. Jin-Woo had walked on this lengthy passageway to get here twice already . It was almost an hour¡¯s distance even with the walking speed of Hunters . If they wished to get out of here before the Gate closed, they certainly couldn¡¯t tarry any longer Not only that, Jin-Woo¡¯s own old man went missing inside a Gate, too He heard that his dad, despite getting grievously injured, still managed to carry out his comrades from the boss chamber one by one before he himself got left behind as the Gate closed There was no one out there who understood the dangers of a dungeon better than Jin-Woo . That was why his reply of ¡°I know¡± was filled with his conviction . Even then¡­ ¡°I can¡¯t leave behind the Hunters who came running for my sake, now can I?¡±. Hunters getting anxious to leave all froze up in their spots after hearing his words . Every single one of those who lost their lives inside that chamber was a comrade to them . If possible, they didn¡¯t want to leave anyone behind However, there simply wasn¡¯t enough time to take all the deceased with them . Not only were these Hunters far too exhausted, but trying to locate the remains buried under the debris of the stone statues would mean they had to search through all corners of the chamber, as well And that was why they turned around to leave with bitter tears in their eyes, but now¡­ ¡°I¡¯m taking them back with me . ¡±. One sentence from Jin-Woo and the Hunters began shuddering as if a bolt of electricity was travelling within their bodies No one argued that there was no time, that they had to get out of here . No, they simply watched on in a daze Choi Jong-In, who had been silently enduring until then, spoke with a powerless voice ¡°Can we¡­ ask you for this favour?¡±. These Guild members were like his family . If it was possible, he didn¡¯t want them to rot away stuck in a cold corner of this d*mnable cave Jin-Woo nodded his head and turned around Ba-thump, ba-thump!. His hearts were quietly beating away ¡®I need to sense a little deeper . ¡¯. Basically, his two hearts always beat as one . He needed to concentrate really hard to separate the sound of the Black Heart beating from his regular heart . Jin-Woo gathered the magical energy sent out by this mysterious heart towards his fingertips ¡®Did he do it like this?¡¯. Jin-Woo tried to mimic the hand gesture of the Shadow Sovereign he saw within the data¡¯s playback His hand reaching up as if he was grasping something ¨C without a doubt, he could sense enormous magical power going crazy within his hand right now ¡®I can do this . ¡¯. Jin-Woo felt this powerful self-assurance enter his mind He immediately located the whereabouts of the deceased Hunters through their magic energy emission . His eyes gleamed brightly . Shortly afterwards, he stopped silently studying the interior of the chamber and spoke up ¡°Ruler¡¯s Authority . ¡±. And when he did¡­ Dududuk¡­ All the remains of the Hunters buried under the rubble of the stone statues all uniformly rose up into the air ¡°Heok!!¡±. ¡°But, how?!¡±. Hunters watching Jin-Woo with bated breaths all cried out in shock Never mind the fact that he was able to locate all the dead Hunters in such a short span of time, he even managed to lift them up without touching them? Wasn¡¯t this like one of those telekinetic superpowers often seen in movies?. The floating Hunters were carried out of the doorway via invisible hands ¡®How can this be¡­ . ?¡¯. ¡®How can something like this even be possible?¡¯. Just like how normal people would get surprised by the Hunters, these Hunters were getting even more astonished by Jin-Woo¡¯s feats Even Choi Jong-In, who could be called very knowledgeable when it came to the manipulation of magical energy, couldn¡¯t quite believe what he just witnessed with his own two eyes ¡®Just what kind of a skill is that?¡¯. It was certainly a skill he had never even heard of before After seeing Jin-Woo¡¯s powers personally, Choi Jong-In realised that he had been greatly mistaken about something . When he saw the angel statue for the first time, he thought that such a ¡®thing¡¯ would obviously be able to defeat Jin-Woo However, his thoughts were wrong . It was a complete miscalculation Which monster would be able to deal with a Hunter capable of wielding powers like this as if it was nothing to him? Not realising that he was doing it, Choi Jong-In began shaking his head ¡®Utterly impossible¡­ . ¡¯. In actual fact, the angel statue was eliminated in an instant almost as soon as Jin-Woo opened his eyes . Only sighs of amazement could come out after seeing this young man¡¯s capabilities Jin-Woo carefully moved the cold, unmoving corpses of the Hunters to one side and summoned out his Shadow Soldiers . The restriction only applied within the temple itself so he could call them out no problem outside the doorway While the living Hunters couldn¡¯t close shut their slack jaws, the Shadow Soldiers proceeded to pick up the dead Hunters . Everyone forgot what they wanted to say and simply looked at Jin-Woo as he addressed them ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here . ¡±. It was then, the dungeon rumbled one more time as if it was waiting for this moment . The Hunters all nodded their heads Soon after they set off, the Shadow Soldiers ran right behind them . Jin-Woo remained behind and watched them move, before turning around to face Cha Hae-In who also hadn¡¯t left yet Although her physical wounds had been healed, her expression showed how fatigued she was ¡®That is obvious, though . ¡¯. Even he himself needed to put in a lot of effort to defeat that angel statue . She¡¯d definitely be exhausted trying to defend against such a creature all by herself Jin-Woo walked over to her and asked ¡°Would you like me to carry you?¡±. Cha Hae-In formed a thin smile and shook her head Grasp He reached out to grasp her wrist again, and she quietly stared at him . He wanted her to feel at ease, at least by a little bit, so he relaxedly spoke to her ¡°We should get going, too . ¡±. Nod Cha Hae-In, depressed by the deaths of her comrades, wordlessly nodded her head ***. Hunters began emerging one by one from the Gate Right up until then, those waiting around outside the Gate had no idea the scale of the event taking place within . However, they all realised that something really bad had happened after seeing the deceased Hunters being carried out by the Shadow Soldiers ¡°Oh, my god¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Are those all¡­ . ?!¡±. The members of the Bravery Guild who had reported this matter, and the female Association employee standing by, all saw this procession and their complexions turned ashen in an instant The number of casualties was just far too great Weren¡¯t these people the elite Hunters of the country? The Hunters belonging to the Hunters Guild and the Monitoring Division were called some of the very best, yet¡­ After everyone had emerged, Jin-Woo and Cha Hae-In simultaneously stepped out of the Gate . Enough time had passed on the outside and it was night-time already Reporter Kim had been staying put until then to keep an eye on the situation, and when he saw the conditions of those two, his eyes grew extraordinarily wide from sheer shock The heavy traces of intense battle were clearly visible on the bodies of these two rank S Hunters ¨C dried up, caked blood; torn, ripped clothing; their dishevelled hair Sure, Cha Hae-In still looked quite lovely even then . But Hunter Seong Jin-Woo gave off a feeling that he¡¯d been through a bitter war all by himself ¡®This is it¡­ . This really is it!¡¯. Reporter Kim raised his camera with his trembling hands This was the reason why he became a reporter in the first place . And that was to document event such as this one He wanted to let others know that there were some people who willingly put their lives on the line to fight for the masses in some forgotten corner of their country, even though everyone¡¯s attention was focused on the events taking place in Japan Almost twenty of the country¡¯s top Hunters had perished here today . If such a Gate had broken open, then the scale of destruction and losses to life would have exceeded imaginations . These people and their sacrifices had prevented a future tragedy However, if Reporter Kim wasn¡¯t here, would others ever get to know about these folks and their heroic battle today? He had been circling around the Association just so he could stumble into a story like this one day Click, click!!. He was so emotionally moved that tears were forming in his eyes as he busily snapped away photos Woo Jin-Cheol lost all the strength in his legs right after leaving the Gate and settled down on the ground . Jin-Woo looked for him and walked closer ¡°¡­ . Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol tried to get up, but Jin-Woo stopped the older man . Instead, the latter pointed at Reporter Kim over yonder ¡°He¡¯s taking my photos, but is that allowed?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol smirked and made his reply ¡°It is indeed disallowed to film you in an individual capacity, Seong Hunter-nim . However, just like how it was back in the Jeju Island raid, it¡¯s impossible to block the report on the incident itself . ¡±. Jin-Woo nodded his head Mom would get worried if she saw his messed-up appearance, though . He was sort of worried about that happening, but then again, it didn¡¯t mean he could forcibly stop the reporter from doing his job Indeed, that reporter was doing what he was supposed to be doing He also wished for someone to let the world know of the ultimate sacrifices these Hunters made while fighting to ensure that no tragedy would unfold in the near future, as well A quiet wind seemed to blow by . The sounds of distant sirens from approaching ambulances were carried by the winds Next morning Every newspaper carried the front-page headline of the dungeon break happening in Japan, except for one publication . It was the only one that carried the news of the dual dungeon incident This paper sold the most number of copies that day < Chapter 165 > Fin Chapter 166 The American Hunter Bureau mobilised its agents from the Asian branch office in order to assess the current situation in Japan . A helicopter set off from the safe zone and eventually, entered Tokyo¡¯s airspace . A senior agent from the Hunter Bureau, who had risked his life and volunteered for this trip, looked out of the vehicle¡¯s window and clicked his tongue . ¡°How tragic . ¡± The current status of Tokyo was far worse than he had imagined . The city itself was completely destroyed after the dungeon break occurred . Buildings no longer possessed their former appearances; cars folded and crumpled like bits of paper; street lamps bent at their waists; burning flames, rising smoke, scorched remains, and unidentifiable structures turning into ash . Surely, the word ¡®tragic¡¯ was invented just for a sight as wretched as this one . The agent¡¯s forehead unconsciously creased up . If someone were to ask him in the future if he had seen hell, then yes, he could now say that he indeed have seen one . Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t come here to mourn the now-destroyed city . No, his mission was to assess the current situation . He continued to film and carefully observed the carnage below, before asking the Japanese representative next to him . ¡°Even though the city has been destroyed to such an extent, I don¡¯t see any human remains?¡± The senior agent remembered seeing the images of the rank S Gate opening up on the island of Jeju during his training back in the Hunter Bureau¡¯s HQ . Whether it was from a video clip or a still photo, the streets of the Jeju Island were filled with dead bodies . Ants had killed every single resident who couldn¡¯t escape the island in time . It was one of the worst tragedies ever in history, and the Hunter Bureau kept detailed records of what happened then . But now, even though the city of Tokyo was wiped clean off the face of the planet, it was hard to see any corpses . No, there were no traces of dead people to be found, actually . The Japanese representative spoke up . ¡°That can¡¯t be helped, actually . The Giants have been eating humans, you see . ¡± He was a young man working for the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association . It wasn¡¯t all that hard to figure out what his life had been like recently from his bloodshot eyes and the overgrown beard he couldn¡¯t trim yet . He continued to speak with worries forming deep creases on his face . ¡°Those b*stards are acting as if to erase all traces of Japanese people from Japan itself . They destroy all the buildings, eat humans, and they even pull out trees from the streets, too . ¡± Nod, nod . The Hunter Bureau agent agreed with that . These Giant-type monsters that came out of the rank S Gate displayed a certain difference in behaviour from other monsters . While other monsters concentrated on killing humans, this batch of monsters was actively trying to destroy everything they could see . Only the destroyed remains of the civilisation were left behind in these creature¡¯s wake . No matter where in Tokyo, one couldn¡¯t see a building, no, a single house still standing intact . ¡°But, thanks to that, we were able to buy ourselves a bit of time . ¡± He said, ¡®thanks to that . ¡¯ The Japanese Association employee formed a smile full of self-mockery . Should he be thankful or feel sorrowful for the monsters proceeding to destroy everything in their path, thereby buying enough time for people to escape from their carnage? Such complicated emotions were writ large on the employee¡¯s face . The Hunter Bureau agent looked at this Japanese man and thought to himself . ¡®It¡¯s already something that he¡¯s able to hold on like this . ¡¯ After all, the capital city of his country had fallen into such a wretched state in an instant, had it not? The sense of loss felt from monsters raping one¡¯s country wasn¡¯t a foreign concept to this American agent . The United States also lost a portion of their Western Seaboard about eight years ago from the single monster that came out of the rank S Gate, ¡®Kamish¡¯ . And, was that all? South Korea right next to Japan also had to surrender the biggest island in the country to monsters for nearly four years, only to somehow recover it recently, didn¡¯t they? The American agent got to confirm something while watching the footage of that raid¡¯s ferocious battles . He had no relations with South Korea at all, yet when he saw the lone Korean Hunter sweep away all those ant monsters and even smack that mutated ant a really good one, he jumped up from his seat and let out an elated cry . That wasn¡¯t simply because he worked for the Asian branch of the Hunter Bureau . No, he saw that battle of Jeju not as a fight between a small nation of Korea and monsters, but as a proxy war between humanity and the waves of monsters, instead . And here, on this land called Japan, there were more battles taking place between humanity and monsters . ¡®The result of that is this¡­ . . ¡¯ Tatatatatata-!! The spinning rotors of the helicopter remained an incredible racket, but the situation on the ground was severe enough to steal away the agent¡¯s attention from the noise . He felt angry and frustrated . However, there was nothing he could do here . All he could do was to carry out the mission he was given . The agent continued to operate the camera and asked the Japanese the questions that popped up in his head every now and then . But then, he discovered something that took him by great surprise and he fell hard on his a*s . ¡°Heok!! T-that thing over there!¡± Cold sweat poured out of the American agent as he began calling out to Jesus . The Japanese Association employee helped him to stand back up . ¡°So, you saw it . ¡± ¡°O-over there! There¡¯s a Giant over there!!¡± ¡°Yes . There is one Giant still remaining here . No, rather than calling it ¡®remaining¡¯, should I say that it¡¯s not budging from the spot, instead?¡± The employee¡¯s gaze shifted outside the window . The American agent wiped the cold sweat off his brows and cautiously looked in the same direction as well . A massive monster, bigger and taller than any monster this agent had ever seen, stood proudly in the downtown area of the utterly-devastated city of Tokyo . ¡®That is the Giant-type monster¡­ . ¡¯ The helicopter began flying closer according to the employee¡¯s instructions . The agent hurriedly inquired as his face paled instantly . ¡°W-will it be fine to get this close to that thing?¡± The American definitely heard this before coming on this trip . All Giant monsters had left Tokyo now, which meant that the abandoned city was as safe as it could get under the circumstances . But then, wasn¡¯t this way too different from that declaration? The Japanese Association employee calmly explained the situation with a tone of voice indicating that there was nothing to worry about . ¡°It¡¯ll be fine . As long as we stay in the altitude that the creature¡¯s hands can¡¯t reach and we don¡¯t attack first, we¡¯ll be 100% safe . This has been confirmed through multiple observation efforts so you can rest easy . ¡± Gulp . The American agent swallowed his saliva . ¡®Confirmed through multiple observations, is it?¡¯ ¡®Observation . ¡¯ The Japanese employee spoke of that word as if it didn¡¯t mean much, but just how many people had to be sacrificed at the hands of that Giant monster in order to come to that conclusion? Just thinking about those unlucky few who flew too close to the reach of the Giant sent an eerie shiver down the agent¡¯s spine . In any case, it was highly valuable information for this agent who was tasked with compiling data on the rank S monsters, as well as to report on Japan¡¯s current status back to HQ . His brows gradually rose up as he studied the Giant . Now that he took a closer look, this creature¡¯s face seemed familiar to him . ¡®That¡¯s right¡­ . ¡¯ It was none other than the super-giant b*stard that shattered Yuri Orlov¡¯s magical barrier with its body . Unlike other monsters that had been scattered elsewhere, only this Giant monster, designated as the boss rank by many others, chose to remain here . The Japanese employee spoke with a bitter expression on his face . ¡°Do you also think that the monster is guarding that Gate, too?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ . Well, I¡­ . ¡± ¡°This is my third time seeing that b*stard, but every time I do, I keep thinking of different things . ¡± ¡°What did you thought of just now?¡± ¡°To my eyes, that thing is¡­¡± The Japanese employee took his time before carrying on a beat later . ¡°That thing is waiting for something . That¡¯s what it looks like to me . ¡± ¡°I¡­ see . ¡± The agent shifted his gaze back over to the Giant . Indeed, it certainly looked like that in a way . He thought that it wouldn¡¯t be much of a stretch for this Japanese employee to read the current situation that way . As these two people conversed regarding the boss rank Giant monster, the helicopter had arrived near the absolute limit of the safety . Even though there was a helicopter buzzing above its head, the Giant didn¡¯t even lift a finger . As if it hadn¡¯t even perceived the presence of the man-made contraption, it remained utterly docile . However, according to the employee¡¯s explanations, it wasn¡¯t as if this thing would never attack, either . ¡°The creature will definitely attack whatever enters the fixed range . Whether the targets of its attack are people or machines, nothing can escape from it . ¡± Just how many observation attempts were needed to find that out? The final moments of Yuri Orlov overlapped with that of the employee¡¯s face in the American agent¡¯s eyes as the Japanese calmly explained the situation . The boss monster¡¯s agile movements as it broke past the barrier and rapidly snatched up Yuri Orlov left a huge mental shock with all the viewers watching the broadcast at home . The Russian¡¯s death had been shown live in that manner to the rest of the world . The report on the rank S Hunter compiled by the Bureau described Yuri Orlov as such: ¨C A man who craves after wealth and fame . He may have failed in extracting money from Japan, but well, he had definitely become one of the most famous Hunters in the entire world through this incident . ¡®Not sure if that was the result he¡¯d have liked to see but, oh well . ¡¯ The agent frowned deeply after recalling the final moments of Yuri Orlov . Meanwhile, the Japanese employee spoke up . ¡°This is also from a personal point of view, but¡­ . . ¡± He said it was a personal point of view . But the American agent found this man¡¯s opinions rather interesting, even the one about the Giant monster waiting for someone or something . ¡°Alright, please tell me . ¡± The agent nodded his head, prompting the employee to continue on . ¡°When I look at that thing, I don¡¯t really get the feeling that the creature is truly ¡®alive¡¯, you see? Yes, it¡¯s obviously breathing in and out, and can move around because it¡¯s alive, but well, should I say that it¡¯s like looking at a machine that only acts according to how it was programmed?¡± ¡°A machine, is it¡­ . ?¡± Quite regretfully, the agent couldn¡¯t agree with that assessment . The imposing figure of the Giant monster when looked at from up close was, in a word, overwhelming . When subjected to the chest-tightening pressure emanating from the creature, the agent simply couldn¡¯t think of that thing as a machine at all . It was then . The Giant¡¯s eyes shifted in their direction . ¡°Heok!!¡± Tumble!! The agent fell on his a*s once more . As if he was waiting for that, the Japanese agent supported the American back up . He then spoke as if to calm his charge down . ¡°That thing¡¯s simply looking at us . As long as we maintain this distance, it won¡¯t attack . ¡± The agent nodded his head . He thought his heart just fell out of his chest just now . He belatedly raised his camera up and recorded the creature in great detail . The reason for the viewfinder shaking ever so slightly like that was probably not entirely due to the helicopter busily buzzing around in the air . The agent only spoke up again after he figured he had captured enough data by now . ¡°How many Giants came out from that Gate?¡± ¡°A total of 31 . Excluding the boss rank, the rest have evenly dispersed throughout the countryside . ¡± ¡°¡­ . And how many have been killed so far?¡± ¡°Only two . ¡± ¡°Which means, with the exception of the boss over here, there are 28 Giants destroying Japan as we speak . ¡± ¡°Well, there aren¡¯t any Hunters left to fight against the Giants, you see . Everyone¡¯s been preoccupied with escaping at the moment . ¡± The complexion of the employee was gloomy . On the day the dungeon break happened, Hunters participating in the crucial battle to buy the residents of Tokyo enough time to evacuate were all killed . They were able to kill two monsters in the process, but they had no other methods left to stop the remaining 28 from spreading out to the rest of the country . This here was the reason why the Japanese Association employee said ¡®yes¡¯ without resistance to the request for assistance from the Hunter Bureau when he should have been far, far too busy trying to put out the fire burning on his foot ¨C no, make that on his entire body . Right at that moment . ¡°W-what are you doing?¡± The American agent jumped up and tried to stop him, but the Association employee finally managed to bow his head down . His knees were bent all the way down and his forehead was pressed to the floor . Stuff like pride or dignity no longer mattered . No, if the only cost to pay were his pride or his dignity, then he¡¯d not have hesitated to do something even more drastic . And so, still remaining in the kowtowing position, the employee spoke up . ¡°Please, aid us, the Japanese . ¡± The American agent was about to help his Japanese guide up but stopped in the middle of his actions . He couldn¡¯t say anything back to the grave determination of the employee . The Japanese spoke in fluent English and emphasized his plea . ¡°If America doesn¡¯t help us, then Japan as a nation will be finished . Hasn¡¯t Japan been a trusted ally of the United States all this time? Will you not consider taking on the risk, just this once, for Japan, the allied nation of America?¡± It was unknown whether this was coming from the employee¡¯s own heart or he was being ordered by the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association . However, regardless of where it was coming from, this young man¡¯s desperation could definitely be felt in his voice . The agent chewed on his lower lip and pondered for a bit before replying with some difficulty . ¡°I¡¯ll lodge a request for aid to the HQ . ¡± ¡°Thank you . Truly, thank you very much . ¡± The American agent couldn¡¯t tell the Japanese employee bowing his head several times in a row that he shouldn¡¯t get his hopes up . Would the Americans, after having lost many of its high-ranking Hunters from the ¡®Kamish¡¯ incident, and thus began obsessively managing the well-being of their remaining Hunters, make a move just for the sake of the Japanese? ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure they won¡¯t . ¡¯ However, how could the agent tell this young man lowering his head for the sake of his nation, that his beloved country was already as good as finished? ¡®All you can do is to leave it to the will of heavens¡­ . ¡¯ The agent looked at the sky above . Unfortunately, the heavens simply stared at the world below in disinterest, just like how it had been, like how it was doing right now, and how it would continue to do so in the future . The agent dazedly stared at the heavens before muttering to himself . ¡®Oh, dear God¡­ . Please, don¡¯t forsake us . ¡¯ *** Jin-Woo woke up early in the morning and went to the Guild office while doing a light jog . ¡®Yup, as I suspected . ¡¯ His eyes brimming with happiness looked slightly above from the dead centre of his vision . And he could see the current status of the Daily Quest there, just like how it had been until now . Tti-ring . [The distance run: 10km] [You have completed ¡®Running: 10km . ¡¯] Even though he got rid of the self-proclaimed architect, nothing seemed to have changed from before . The System continued to function as it had so far, and just like before, the Daily Quest arrived as soon as he opened his eyes in the morning . His physical condition was at its peak, too . Ever since this ¡®Black Heart¡¯ took root within his body, vitality was overflowing within him . He deliberately held back his speed, yet each of his steps felt light and airy . However, thanks to the d*mn b*stard getting killed off like that, he was now left with a ton of unanswered questions . ¡®Just what was that recorded footage I saw?¡¯ He kind of figured that watching it was one of the conditions to unlocking this ¡®Black Heart¡¯, but everything else remained a mystery . Just as his thoughts were getting deeper¡­ . ¡°Excuse me!! Hold on!¡± ¡°Mister Yu Jin-Ho!! May I ask you some questions?¡± Jin-Woo raised his head at the noises coming from afar . And that¡¯s when he spotted the big cordon of reporters camping outside the Guild building . Yu Jin-Ho was currently being surrounded by them, unable to do anything to extricate himself . It seemed that he got ensnared by the reporters during his morning commute . The reporters began their barrage of questions . ¡°Mister Yu Jin-Ho, were you aware of the tragedy of the Hunters Guild that happened yesterday?¡± ¡°Please provide us with a statement as the Vice Chairperson of the Ah-Jin Guild . ¡± ¡°What is Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s connection to that incident?¡± ¡°Japan is going through a crisis at the moment, but did Mister Seong Jin-Woo express his thoughts on aiding the Japanese?¡± ¡®Aha . ¡¯ Jin-Woo nodded his head . These reporters couldn¡¯t interview him personally, so they resorted to clinging onto Yu Jin-Ho, who must¡¯ve come across as an easy mark to them . Jin-Woo was about to take a step forward, thinking that he should help the kid out, but then, he discovered something and he stopped moving altogether . ¡®Mm¡­ . ?¡¯ For some reason, Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s expression didn¡¯t seem so bad right now . He outwardly looked to be somewhat troubled, but Jin-Woo¡¯s exceptional eyes definitely caught the kid trying to forcibly suppress his smile every now and then . ¡®Hah, this Jin-Ho . I didn¡¯t know that he enjoyed stuff like this . ¡¯ Jin-Woo was dumbfounded but still formed a soft smirk anyway . It seemed that his help was not strictly necessary here . ¡®So, what should I do instead, then?¡¯ Should he just drag Yu Jin-Ho into the office quietly, or go back the way he came so the kid could enjoy himself a bit more? As Jin-Woo seriously considered his options, a car rolled to a stop right behind Jin-Woo . And its window silently rolled down next . ¡°Are you Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?¡± Jin-Woo heard that unfamiliar voice and turned around to see who it was without thinking too much about it . However¡­ . ¡®Huh?¡¯ His brows rose up slightly after he confirmed who it was . < Chapter 166 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 166: Chapter 166 The American Hunter Bureau mobilised its agents from the Asian branch office in order to assess the current situation in Japan A helicopter set off from the safe zone and eventually, entered Tokyo¡¯s airspace . A senior agent from the Hunter Bureau, who had risked his life and volunteered for this trip, looked out of the vehicle¡¯s window and clicked his tongue ¡°How tragic . ¡±. The current status of Tokyo was far worse than he had imagined . The city itself was completely destroyed after the dungeon break occurred Buildings no longer possessed their former appearances; cars folded and crumpled like bits of paper; street lamps bent at their waists; burning flames, rising smoke, scorched remains, and unidentifiable structures turning into ash Surely, the word ¡®tragic¡¯ was invented just for a sight as wretched as this one The agent¡¯s forehead unconsciously creased up . If someone were to ask him in the future if he had seen hell, then yes, he could now say that he indeed have seen one Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t come here to mourn the now-destroyed city No, his mission was to assess the current situation . He continued to film and carefully observed the carnage below, before asking the Japanese representative next to him ¡°Even though the city has been destroyed to such an extent, I don¡¯t see any human remains?¡±. The senior agent remembered seeing the images of the rank S Gate opening up on the island of Jeju during his training back in the Hunter Bureau¡¯s HQ Whether it was from a video clip or a still photo, the streets of the Jeju Island were filled with dead bodies . Ants had killed every single resident who couldn¡¯t escape the island in time It was one of the worst tragedies ever in history, and the Hunter Bureau kept detailed records of what happened then But now, even though the city of Tokyo was wiped clean off the face of the planet, it was hard to see any corpses . No, there were no traces of dead people to be found, actually The Japanese representative spoke up ¡°That can¡¯t be helped, actually . The Giants have been eating humans, you see . ¡±. He was a young man working for the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association . It wasn¡¯t all that hard to figure out what his life had been like recently from his bloodshot eyes and the overgrown beard he couldn¡¯t trim yet He continued to speak with worries forming deep creases on his face ¡°Those b*stards are acting as if to erase all traces of Japanese people from Japan itself . They destroy all the buildings, eat humans, and they even pull out trees from the streets, too . ¡±. Nod, nod The Hunter Bureau agent agreed with that These Giant-type monsters that came out of the rank S Gate displayed a certain difference in behaviour from other monsters . While other monsters concentrated on killing humans, this batch of monsters was actively trying to destroy everything they could see Only the destroyed remains of the civilisation were left behind in these creature¡¯s wake . No matter where in Tokyo, one couldn¡¯t see a building, no, a single house still standing intact ¡°But, thanks to that, we were able to buy ourselves a bit of time . ¡±. He said, ¡®thanks to that . ¡¯. The Japanese Association employee formed a smile full of self-mockery Should he be thankful or feel sorrowful for the monsters proceeding to destroy everything in their path, thereby buying enough time for people to escape from their carnage?. Such complicated emotions were writ large on the employee¡¯s face The Hunter Bureau agent looked at this Japanese man and thought to himself ¡®It¡¯s already something that he¡¯s able to hold on like this . ¡¯. After all, the capital city of his country had fallen into such a wretched state in an instant, had it not?. The sense of loss felt from monsters raping one¡¯s country wasn¡¯t a foreign concept to this American agent The United States also lost a portion of their Western Seaboard about eight years ago from the single monster that came out of the rank S Gate, ¡®Kamish¡¯ And, was that all? South Korea right next to Japan also had to surrender the biggest island in the country to monsters for nearly four years, only to somehow recover it recently, didn¡¯t they?. The American agent got to confirm something while watching the footage of that raid¡¯s ferocious battles He had no relations with South Korea at all, yet when he saw the lone Korean Hunter sweep away all those ant monsters and even smack that mutated ant a really good one, he jumped up from his seat and let out an elated cry That wasn¡¯t simply because he worked for the Asian branch of the Hunter Bureau . No, he saw that battle of Jeju not as a fight between a small nation of Korea and monsters, but as a proxy war between humanity and the waves of monsters, instead And here, on this land called Japan, there were more battles taking place between humanity and monsters ¡®The result of that is this¡­ ¡¯. Tatatatatata-!!. The spinning rotors of the helicopter remained an incredible racket, but the situation on the ground was severe enough to steal away the agent¡¯s attention from the noise He felt angry and frustrated . However, there was nothing he could do here . All he could do was to carry out the mission he was given . The agent continued to operate the camera and asked the Japanese the questions that popped up in his head every now and then But then, he discovered something that took him by great surprise and he fell hard on his a*s ¡°Heok!! T-that thing over there!¡±. Cold sweat poured out of the American agent as he began calling out to Jesus . The Japanese Association employee helped him to stand back up ¡°So, you saw it . ¡±. ¡°O-over there! There¡¯s a Giant over there!!¡±. ¡°Yes . There is one Giant still remaining here . No, rather than calling it ¡®remaining¡¯, should I say that it¡¯s not budging from the spot, instead?¡±. The employee¡¯s gaze shifted outside the window . The American agent wiped the cold sweat off his brows and cautiously looked in the same direction as well A massive monster, bigger and taller than any monster this agent had ever seen, stood proudly in the downtown area of the utterly-devastated city of Tokyo ¡®That is the Giant-type monster¡­ . ¡¯. The helicopter began flying closer according to the employee¡¯s instructions . The agent hurriedly inquired as his face paled instantly ¡°W-will it be fine to get this close to that thing?¡±. The American definitely heard this before coming on this trip . All Giant monsters had left Tokyo now, which meant that the abandoned city was as safe as it could get under the circumstances But then, wasn¡¯t this way too different from that declaration?. The Japanese Association employee calmly explained the situation with a tone of voice indicating that there was nothing to worry about ¡°It¡¯ll be fine . As long as we stay in the altitude that the creature¡¯s hands can¡¯t reach and we don¡¯t attack first, we¡¯ll be 100% safe . This has been confirmed through multiple observation efforts so you can rest easy . ¡±. Gulp The American agent swallowed his saliva ¡®Confirmed through multiple observations, is it?¡¯. ¡®Observation . ¡¯. The Japanese employee spoke of that word as if it didn¡¯t mean much, but just how many people had to be sacrificed at the hands of that Giant monster in order to come to that conclusion?. Just thinking about those unlucky few who flew too close to the reach of the Giant sent an eerie shiver down the agent¡¯s spine In any case, it was highly valuable information for this agent who was tasked with compiling data on the rank S monsters, as well as to report on Japan¡¯s current status back to HQ His brows gradually rose up as he studied the Giant . Now that he took a closer look, this creature¡¯s face seemed familiar to him ¡®That¡¯s right¡­ . ¡¯. It was none other than the super-giant b*stard that shattered Yuri Orlov¡¯s magical barrier with its body . Unlike other monsters that had been scattered elsewhere, only this Giant monster, designated as the boss rank by many others, chose to remain here The Japanese employee spoke with a bitter expression on his face ¡°Do you also think that the monster is guarding that Gate, too?¡±. ¡°Ah¡­ . Well, I¡­ . ¡±. ¡°This is my third time seeing that b*stard, but every time I do, I keep thinking of different things . ¡±. ¡°What did you thought of just now?¡±. ¡°To my eyes, that thing is¡­¡±. The Japanese employee took his time before carrying on a beat later ¡°That thing is waiting for something . That¡¯s what it looks like to me . ¡±. ¡°I¡­ see . ¡±. The agent shifted his gaze back over to the Giant Indeed, it certainly looked like that in a way . He thought that it wouldn¡¯t be much of a stretch for this Japanese employee to read the current situation that way As these two people conversed regarding the boss rank Giant monster, the helicopter had arrived near the absolute limit of the safety Even though there was a helicopter buzzing above its head, the Giant didn¡¯t even lift a finger . As if it hadn¡¯t even perceived the presence of the man-made contraption, it remained utterly docile However, according to the employee¡¯s explanations, it wasn¡¯t as if this thing would never attack, either ¡°The creature will definitely attack whatever enters the fixed range . Whether the targets of its attack are people or machines, nothing can escape from it . ¡±. Just how many observation attempts were needed to find that out?. The final moments of Yuri Orlov overlapped with that of the employee¡¯s face in the American agent¡¯s eyes as the Japanese calmly explained the situation The boss monster¡¯s agile movements as it broke past the barrier and rapidly snatched up Yuri Orlov left a huge mental shock with all the viewers watching the broadcast at home . The Russian¡¯s death had been shown live in that manner to the rest of the world The report on the rank S Hunter compiled by the Bureau described Yuri Orlov as such:. ¨C A man who craves after wealth and fame He may have failed in extracting money from Japan, but well, he had definitely become one of the most famous Hunters in the entire world through this incident ¡®Not sure if that was the result he¡¯d have liked to see but, oh well . ¡¯. The agent frowned deeply after recalling the final moments of Yuri Orlov . Meanwhile, the Japanese employee spoke up ¡°This is also from a personal point of view, but¡­ ¡±. He said it was a personal point of view . But the American agent found this man¡¯s opinions rather interesting, even the one about the Giant monster waiting for someone or something ¡°Alright, please tell me . ¡±. The agent nodded his head, prompting the employee to continue on ¡°When I look at that thing, I don¡¯t really get the feeling that the creature is truly ¡®alive¡¯, you see? Yes, it¡¯s obviously breathing in and out, and can move around because it¡¯s alive, but well, should I say that it¡¯s like looking at a machine that only acts according to how it was programmed?¡±. ¡°A machine, is it¡­ . ?¡±. Quite regretfully, the agent couldn¡¯t agree with that assessment The imposing figure of the Giant monster when looked at from up close was, in a word, overwhelming . When subjected to the chest-tightening pressure emanating from the creature, the agent simply couldn¡¯t think of that thing as a machine at all It was then The Giant¡¯s eyes shifted in their direction ¡°Heok!!¡±. Tumble!!. The agent fell on his a*s once more . As if he was waiting for that, the Japanese agent supported the American back up . He then spoke as if to calm his charge down ¡°That thing¡¯s simply looking at us . As long as we maintain this distance, it won¡¯t attack . ¡±. The agent nodded his head . He thought his heart just fell out of his chest just now . He belatedly raised his camera up and recorded the creature in great detail . The reason for the viewfinder shaking ever so slightly like that was probably not entirely due to the helicopter busily buzzing around in the air The agent only spoke up again after he figured he had captured enough data by now ¡°How many Giants came out from that Gate?¡±. ¡°A total of 31 . Excluding the boss rank, the rest have evenly dispersed throughout the countryside . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . And how many have been killed so far?¡±. ¡°Only two . ¡±. ¡°Which means, with the exception of the boss over here, there are 28 Giants destroying Japan as we speak . ¡±. ¡°Well, there aren¡¯t any Hunters left to fight against the Giants, you see . Everyone¡¯s been preoccupied with escaping at the moment . ¡±. The complexion of the employee was gloomy On the day the dungeon break happened, Hunters participating in the crucial battle to buy the residents of Tokyo enough time to evacuate were all killed They were able to kill two monsters in the process, but they had no other methods left to stop the remaining 28 from spreading out to the rest of the country This here was the reason why the Japanese Association employee said ¡®yes¡¯ without resistance to the request for assistance from the Hunter Bureau when he should have been far, far too busy trying to put out the fire burning on his foot ¨C no, make that on his entire body Right at that moment ¡°W-what are you doing?¡±. The American agent jumped up and tried to stop him, but the Association employee finally managed to bow his head down . His knees were bent all the way down and his forehead was pressed to the floor Stuff like pride or dignity no longer mattered . No, if the only cost to pay were his pride or his dignity, then he¡¯d not have hesitated to do something even more drastic And so, still remaining in the kowtowing position, the employee spoke up ¡°Please, aid us, the Japanese . ¡±. The American agent was about to help his Japanese guide up but stopped in the middle of his actions . He couldn¡¯t say anything back to the grave determination of the employee The Japanese spoke in fluent English and emphasized his plea ¡°If America doesn¡¯t help us, then Japan as a nation will be finished . Hasn¡¯t Japan been a trusted ally of the United States all this time? Will you not consider taking on the risk, just this once, for Japan, the allied nation of America?¡±. It was unknown whether this was coming from the employee¡¯s own heart or he was being ordered by the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association . However, regardless of where it was coming from, this young man¡¯s desperation could definitely be felt in his voice The agent chewed on his lower lip and pondered for a bit before replying with some difficulty ¡°I¡¯ll lodge a request for aid to the HQ . ¡±. ¡°Thank you . Truly, thank you very much . ¡±. The American agent couldn¡¯t tell the Japanese employee bowing his head several times in a row that he shouldn¡¯t get his hopes up Would the Americans, after having lost many of its high-ranking Hunters from the ¡®Kamish¡¯ incident, and thus began obsessively managing the well-being of their remaining Hunters, make a move just for the sake of the Japanese?. ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure they won¡¯t . ¡¯. However, how could the agent tell this young man lowering his head for the sake of his nation, that his beloved country was already as good as finished?. ¡®All you can do is to leave it to the will of heavens¡­ . ¡¯. The agent looked at the sky above Unfortunately, the heavens simply stared at the world below in disinterest, just like how it had been, like how it was doing right now, and how it would continue to do so in the future The agent dazedly stared at the heavens before muttering to himself ¡®Oh, dear God¡­ . Please, don¡¯t forsake us . ¡¯. ***. Jin-Woo woke up early in the morning and went to the Guild office while doing a light jog ¡®Yup, as I suspected . ¡¯. His eyes brimming with happiness looked slightly above from the dead centre of his vision . And he could see the current status of the Daily Quest there, just like how it had been until now Tti-ring [The distance run: 10km]. [You have completed ¡®Running: 10km . ¡¯]. Even though he got rid of the self-proclaimed architect, nothing seemed to have changed from before . The System continued to function as it had so far, and just like before, the Daily Quest arrived as soon as he opened his eyes in the morning His physical condition was at its peak, too Ever since this ¡®Black Heart¡¯ took root within his body, vitality was overflowing within him . He deliberately held back his speed, yet each of his steps felt light and airy However, thanks to the d*mn b*stard getting killed off like that, he was now left with a ton of unanswered questions ¡®Just what was that recorded footage I saw?¡¯. He kind of figured that watching it was one of the conditions to unlocking this ¡®Black Heart¡¯, but everything else remained a mystery Just as his thoughts were getting deeper¡­ ¡°Excuse me!! Hold on!¡±. ¡°Mister Yu Jin-Ho!! May I ask you some questions?¡±. Jin-Woo raised his head at the noises coming from afar . And that¡¯s when he spotted the big cordon of reporters camping outside the Guild building Yu Jin-Ho was currently being surrounded by them, unable to do anything to extricate himself . It seemed that he got ensnared by the reporters during his morning commute The reporters began their barrage of questions ¡°Mister Yu Jin-Ho, were you aware of the tragedy of the Hunters Guild that happened yesterday?¡±. ¡°Please provide us with a statement as the Vice Chairperson of the Ah-Jin Guild . ¡±. ¡°What is Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s connection to that incident?¡±. ¡°Japan is going through a crisis at the moment, but did Mister Seong Jin-Woo express his thoughts on aiding the Japanese?¡±. ¡®Aha . ¡¯. Jin-Woo nodded his head These reporters couldn¡¯t interview him personally, so they resorted to clinging onto Yu Jin-Ho, who must¡¯ve come across as an easy mark to them Jin-Woo was about to take a step forward, thinking that he should help the kid out, but then, he discovered something and he stopped moving altogether ¡®Mm¡­ . ?¡¯. For some reason, Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s expression didn¡¯t seem so bad right now He outwardly looked to be somewhat troubled, but Jin-Woo¡¯s exceptional eyes definitely caught the kid trying to forcibly suppress his smile every now and then ¡®Hah, this Jin-Ho . I didn¡¯t know that he enjoyed stuff like this . ¡¯. Jin-Woo was dumbfounded but still formed a soft smirk anyway . It seemed that his help was not strictly necessary here ¡®So, what should I do instead, then?¡¯. Should he just drag Yu Jin-Ho into the office quietly, or go back the way he came so the kid could enjoy himself a bit more?. As Jin-Woo seriously considered his options, a car rolled to a stop right behind Jin-Woo . And its window silently rolled down next ¡°Are you Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?¡±. Jin-Woo heard that unfamiliar voice and turned around to see who it was without thinking too much about it However¡­ ¡®Huh?¡¯. His brows rose up slightly after he confirmed who it was < Chapter 166 > Fin Chapter 167 ¡°It is indeed you . ¡± The man sitting in the car confirmed that the person turning around to face him was Jin-Woo, and stepped out of the vehicle right away . As it turned out, he was actually quite a familiar face to Jin-Woo, as well . Heck, he didn¡¯t even need to dig through his memories to recall this man¡¯s name, either . Because this man appeared almost non-stop in South Korea¡¯s financial news segments . Not to mention, he was also ¡®familiar¡¯ to Jin-Woo in another meaning of the word, as well . ¡°I¡¯m Yu Myung-Han from Yujin Construction . It¡¯s a pleasure, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡± Yu Myung-Han¡¯s back remained straight as he lightly lowered his head . It was a greeting neither disrespectful nor lacking in confidence . As if he had learned that this was how to greet someone properly, his action was tidy and disciplined . Jin-Woo was inwardly taken by surprise . It was because he didn¡¯t expect a chairman of a huge corporation to greet a total stranger like himself in such a dignified manner . Since the other party came out so dignified and respectful, Jin-Woo also returned a dignified greeting . ¡°I¡¯m Seong Jin-Woo . It¡¯s also a pleasure . ¡± After their brief introductions were over, Yu Myung-Han got right down to the topic . ¡°I apologise for coming to see you without prior communication, but if it¡¯s alright with you, can we speak in private?¡± A small suspicion brushed past Jin-Woo¡¯s brain just then . ¡®If he wants to see me¡­ . ¡¯ It¡¯d have been more convenient for the Chairman to contact Jin-Woo through his son rather than personally showing up here . Yet, why did Yu Myung-Han choose to come all the way out here at the cost of his valuable time? Jin-Woo swallowed back such suspicions forming in his mind and asked something else . ¡°What can I help you with?¡± Yu Myung-Han replied with an apologetic face implying that he had no choice but to do it this way . ¡°It is regarding a topic that¡¯s difficult to discuss here . ¡± Now that Jin-Woo took a look around, he could see that, although no one recognised him in his current get-up of a comfortable tracksuit with a hood pulled up, several curious stares were rapidly landing on Chairman Yu Myung-Han . There were a fair few passersby on the streets, so indeed, it was not possible to discuss something important in a place like this one . Jin-Woo understood that point very well . The only problem was¡­ . ¡®¡­ . I don¡¯t have any important business to discuss with Chairman Yu Myung-Han . ¡¯ He couldn¡¯t even take a wild guess here . If he were to really, really think about it, then maybe, something to do with the Chairman¡¯s second son and the Vice-Master of the Ah-Jin Guild, Yu Jin-Ho? While Jin-Woo¡¯s reply got delayed, more and more people began looking at Yu Myung-Han now . Some even pulled out their smartphones to take snapshots as well . The Chairman began feeling a bit more urgent compared to before, as more and more eyes were being directed in his way . ¡®If I miss this opportunity, it¡¯ll only become harder to converse with him . ¡¯ He had a very good reason why he needed to speak to Jin-Woo . So, he worked up his courage and asked for this favour . ¡°Seong Hunter-nim . If it¡¯s not too much trouble, would you like to accompany me for a little while? I promise that I¡¯ll never speak about a disrespectful subject . ¡± Jin-Woo took a look behind him first . He spotted Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s happy, no, ¡®troubled¡¯ mug as the kid was surrounded by the extreme levels of interest from the reporters . Jin-Woo hurriedly swallowed back his laughter once more . ¡®Looks like Jin-Ho will be preoccupied for the rest of the day, then . ¡¯ Since he had been monopolising high-ranking Gates lately thanks to the consideration of other major Guilds, he thought that now might be a good time to take a break from going on raids for a while . Jin-Woo nodded his head . ¡°I will . ¡± ¡°Thank you . ¡± Chairman Yu Myung-Han bowed slightly and, as if he was treating a super VIP, he even opened the rear door of the car for Jin-Woo . ¡°Please, get in . ¡± Jin-Woo climbed aboard first, and the Chairman actually went around to the other side to enter the back seat next to him . The car was so big that even with two well-built men sitting on the back seat, there was still plenty of space left . Before the car started, though, Jin-Woo asked first . ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t decided on a destination . Is there a place you¡¯d like to go to, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim¡­ . ?¡± Jin-Woo shook his head, prompting the Chairman to give the signal to his chauffeur . He then looked back at his guest . ¡°I know of a place where we can chat without worrying about the interruptions from other people . Allow me to take you there . ¡± Jin-Woo leaned against the back of the seat . Maybe because this was a really expensive car, the suppleness of the cushions was indescribably amazing . The car glided forward without making any noise and eventually, they arrived in their destination . ¡°We¡¯re here, Hunter-nim . ¡± The chauffeur walked over to open the Chairman¡¯s door, but Yu Myung-Han shook his head, prompting the former to approach Jin-Woo¡¯s door, instead . He then opened it for the youth . Jin-Woo stepped out of the vehicle and looked up at the tall, tall skyscraper in front . ¡®So, this is where we can converse without worrying about others, is it¡­?¡¯ As Jin-Woo stood there utterly speechless, a group of attendants suddenly came rushing out of the building to surround him and bowed their waists 90 degrees . ¡°Welcome back, sir!¡± ¡°Welcome back, sir!!¡± Jin-Woo heard these six people shout out in complete harmony and could only express his admiration inwardly . Just how many times did they have to train together to match each other¡¯s timing this well? ¡°Let us head inside, Hunter-nim . ¡± Chairman Yu Myung-Han displayed not one hint of putting on airs and took the lead, walking straight into the building . The words ¡®Yujin Construction¡¯ were clearly legible on the windows near the top of the building¡¯s roof . ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Soon, Jin-Woo followed after Yu Myung-Han and entered the building . The Chairman had been waiting for the youth to enter and matched the latter¡¯s walking speed . ¡°This way . ¡± Employees bent their backs immediately after discovering their Chairman . Yu Myung-Han maintained an expressionless face but still didn¡¯t forget to reply to all the greetings coming his way with simple nods . A real big shot ¨C the atmosphere Jin-Woo once felt from the President of the Hunter¡¯s Association Goh Gun-Hui could also be felt from Chairman Yu as well . Jin-Woo silently followed after him while gaining a rough understanding of the man named Yu Myung-Han¡¯s character through the gazes of these employees who seemed to wholeheartedly trust him . Meanwhile, the employees bowing their heads to Yu Myung-Han naturally became interested in Jin-Woo walking alongside their boss . ¡®Who is he?¡¯ ¡®Huh? Isn¡¯t he¡­ . ?¡¯ ¡®Could he be¡­ . ?¡¯ The jaw of every employee fell to the floor after they recognised the rank S Hunter, as he had taken the hood off upon entering the building . The top Hunter of the nation and the top businessman of the nation . Two such people had stepped into the headquarters of Yujin Construction, so who would not be surprised by this amazing incident? ¡®Heok!¡¯ The eyes of the employees nearly fell out of their sockets . The hearts of the female employees began palpitating unsteadily, while the male employees nodded their heads in Jin-Woo¡¯s direction . They didn¡¯t know why Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was standing next to their Chairman . However, when the two men who could be considered the best in their respective fields stood tall next to each other, their considerable age gap didn¡¯t seem to matter anymore, and this dazzling imagery now felt perfect and complete to the onlooker¡¯s view . If you were a man, then you¡¯d yearn to be a part of this amazing sight, too . And so, as such adulating gazes fell upon them, the two men climbed aboard the executives-only elevator waiting for them with open doors . The assistance of the attendants lasted until here . As the doors silently slid shut, only Jin-Woo and Chairman Yu remained within the elevator . ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± As Chairman Yu kept his mouth closed, Jin-Woo followed suit and didn¡¯t say anything . The elevator didn¡¯t stop and rose straight up to the top floor, the Chairman¡¯s office . Ting . Secretary Kim, the right-hand man of Chairman Yu, was waiting for their arrival in front of the office . He performed a quick nod of his head to Jin-Woo as his greeting and lowered his waist to his boss . ¡°My apologies, Chairman . There is a guest already waiting for you inside . ¡± ¡°A guest?¡± The expression of Chairman Yu Myung-Han stiffened up . ¡°Didn¡¯t I say to not let anyone in whenever I¡¯m not in the office?¡± Secretary Kim rarely made mistakes, if ever . The reason why Yu Myung-Han¡¯s expression had stiffened wasn¡¯t because the emotion of anger but rather something much closer to surprise, instead . Secretary Kim formed a troubled expression and blurred the ends of his sentence . ¡°Sir, I¡¯ve already spoken to your guest regarding your wishes, but he was so insistent that I¡­ . ¡± ¡°H-mm . ¡± Yu Myung-Han only needed to hear that much to immediately figure out who the guest was . He shook his head helplessly and pointed towards the Chairman¡¯s office to Jin-Woo . ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about, so you don¡¯t have to pay any attention . Please, this way . ¡± Wheeeiiing¡­ The door leading to the Chairman¡¯s office slid open . An older gentleman sitting on the couch, passing the time by browsing through a newspaper, raised his head to look . ¡°Hyung-nim, why was it this hard to get in touch with you? You even cancelled our appointment for today, too . ¡± The man sporting a smooth and reflective balding forehead was none other than the younger brother of Yu Myung-Han, Yu Seok-Ho . As he got up to greet his older brother with a bright face, Yu Myung-Han returned a bit of a frown . ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that I have an important matter to deal with today? I¡¯m currently occupied, so come back later . ¡± ¡°What do you mean? Hyung-nim, I know your schedule back to front, so what important matter could you be¡­ . . ??¡± Yu Seok-Ho¡¯s words came to a stop once he met Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze . ¡°Uh? Uh, uh???¡± Didn¡¯t this young man¡¯s mug look familiar, somehow? Other people would¡¯ve recalled newspapers or images from the TV news broadcasts, but the first thing Yu Seok-Ho recalled was the SNS profile of his daughter, Yu Soo-Hyun, instead . He remembered seeing a photo of two young people looking quite comfy with each other . ¡®Is this really Hunter Seong Jin-Woo??¡¯ In order to confirm the truth, he turned the newspaper in his hands to the front page . He kept blinking his eyes as he compared the front page photo and that of Jin-Woo¡¯s actual face . This situation was weird enough to fluster Jin-Woo somewhat, but for some reason, he didn¡¯t find this unfamiliar half-bald uncle detestable at all . ¡®Is it because his eyes resemble Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s by a lot?¡¯ Could a much older and balding Yu Jin-Ho look like this guy in the future? Chairman Yu Seok Ho didn¡¯t know that he had instantly become the aged Yu Jin-Ho in Jin-Woo¡¯s mind . He didn¡¯t even mind the sharpened glare his older brother was giving him and extended his hand out with a bright smile on his face . ¡°Aigoo! Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!¡± ¡°Oh, hello . ¡± Jin-Woo unwittingly grasped the offered hand and shook it . Yu Seok-Ho energetically shook hands as if he was greeting someone he met again after going through many years of hardship . He then introduced himself . ¡°I¡¯m sure you have heard a lot about me, but well, I¡¯m Yu Seok-Ho from Yu-il Pharmaceuticals . ¡± ¡°¡­ . ??¡± And just where would Jin-Woo have heard a lot about this uncle now? Still, it wasn¡¯t cool to shoot down someone greeting you so happily like this, so Jin-Woo said something suitable as his reply . ¡°Ah, yes . Hello . Nice to meet you . ¡± Yu Myung-Han was worriedly watching on from the side, but he was now forming a surprised expression, instead . Meanwhile, Yu Seok-Ho¡¯s back straightened up in pride as if to show off a little, and he opened his chest up a bit more . ¡®See this? Hyung-nim, my little girl¡¯s standards for men are on this level . ¡¯ Yu Seok-Ho had been feeling a slight case of an inferiority complex over the fact that Yu Myung-Han¡¯s daughter possessed a genius-level talent in music . But now, he thought he could definitely regain his self-esteem with this event . Because, well, there wouldn¡¯t be that many men as amazing as this youth in the whole of South Korea, after all . ¡®¡­ . Seok-Ho¡¯s connections run pretty deep, I see . ¡¯ Yu Myung-Han was planning to raise his voice at his little brother once Jin-Woo had left, but now, after seeing that these two seemed to have ¡®heard¡¯ of each other, his anger had rapidly melted away and disappeared completely . It seemed that the talk could go down favourably because of this . ¡°Oh, my goodness . Where are my manners at?¡± Yu Seok-Ho finally released Jin-Woo¡¯s hand . ¡°Right, you said that you two have something to discuss, didn¡¯t you? Looks like this is where I make my exit, so please, don¡¯t mind me . ¡± He smiled in satisfaction and turned around to leave the office, but stopped next to Jin-Woo . ¡°Ah, and by the way, Seong Hunter-nim?¡± ¡°Ah, yes?¡± ¡°Please, do stop by at my home if you have some time in the near future . I shall eagerly await for you, if it¡¯s you paying us a visit!¡± ¡°¡­ . . ??¡± Stop by if he had time? He¡¯d eagerly await?? ¡°Huhuhuhuht!¡± The good-natured uncle said some mysterious things and left the office like a refreshing breeze passing by . Even though his loud voice and bright expression ensured that he didn¡¯t come across as unlikeable, that uncle still came across as a weird quandary to Jin-Woo . He stood there tilting his head a bit, and Chairman Yu Myung-Han cautiously asked him . ¡°Your relationship with my younger brother is¡­ . ?¡± Since the uncle in question was no longer around, was there a reason to mind his feelings anymore? Jin-Woo¡¯s answer was rather straightforward . ¡°It¡¯s my first time meeting him today . ¡± His reply caused Yu Myung-Han¡¯s expression to harden instantly . ¡®Yu Seok-Ho, you fool¡­ . ¡¯ Just as he suspected it . Unfortunately, there was an important guest present here . As befitting the nickname of ¡®Pokerface¡¯, Yu Myung-Han immediately masked his emotions and suggested that they take a seat . ¡°Please, have a seat . ¡± Yu Myung-Han settled down on the opposite side to Jin-Woo . Secretary Kim entered the office with excellent timing and asked the Chairman . ¡°Sir, would you like some tea?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, so please ask Hunter-nim . ¡± ¡°I¡¯m also fine, thank you . ¡± Jin-Woo shook his head . Yu Myung-Han addressed Kim with a grave tone of voice . ¡°I wish to speak privately with Hunter-nim here, so can you leave us alone for a while?¡± ¡°Understood, sir . ¡± Secretary Kim exited from the office and stood before the door to guard it . He had received the orders to do so earlier on . From here onwards, no one could enter the office, even if it was the President of the nation coming for a visit . That was how heavy the weight of the matter today was . ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Just like how it was back in the elevator, another bout of silence flowed between Jin-Woo and Yu Myung-Han . However, there was a certain difference in the weight of the silence this time . Yu Myung-Han needed some moment to compose himself . This wasn¡¯t going to be a carefree conversation to catch up on old times or some such . That was why Chairman Yu Myung-Han could only open his mouth after such a long time had passed by . Enough that one might start to get slightly bored by it, even . ¡°Seong Hunter-nim . ¡± Jin-Woo had been patiently waiting until then and replied calmly as well . ¡°Yes?¡± Yu Myung-Han pulled out a cheque from his inner pocket, issued under his name by a bank that often had dealings with Yujin Construction . However, this cheque was somewhat different from a normal one . Where there should have been numerical letters denoting the value of money represented by this slip of paper, there were none to be found . ¡°Here . ¡± He pushed such a cheque forward . Jin-Woo looked at this blank cheque for a little while before raising his head back up again . Yu Myung-Han continued on with some difficulty . ¡°I¡¯m not some arrogant fool who thinks he can buy anything with money . Especially even more so, when I¡¯m dealing with a rank S Hunter such as yourself . ¡± His mouth was drying up even further . Compared to when he buried his father and inherited the corporation, back when he was about to give his first speech in front of tens of thousands of his employees, even when he was surrounded by hundreds of reporters and had to suffer from ignoble insults to his name ¨C this moment made him tremble more than any of those times in the past . But, it was obvious why . The importance of this matter greatly outstripped those moments in his past, after all . Because, his desire to live, to see the future of the company he raised up by sacrificing his entire youth, and then, and then, the greed of a father wanting to see the growth of his offsprings for just a little bit longer ¨C all of those were hanging in the balance right now . ¡°That is why¡­ I¡¯d greatly appreciate it if you consider this as nothing more than a small gesture of my sincerity . ¡± Chairman Yu¡¯s eyes were burning in a determined light . Jin-Woo could now guess the reason for him choosing this venue to hold this conversation . The things to be discussed from now on could not be leaked outside of these walls, that was why . ¡®This isn¡¯t about me joining his Guild or something like that . ¡¯ That was why the Chairman had chosen his own territory that he could control 100% per cent unless some kind of a natural disaster was to befall them . Jin-Woo had always been quick on the uptake . That was why he simply asked this question . ¡°Chairman . Just what is it that you wish to buy from me?¡± < Chapter 167 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 167: Chapter 167 ¡°It is indeed you . ¡±. The man sitting in the car confirmed that the person turning around to face him was Jin-Woo, and stepped out of the vehicle right away . As it turned out, he was actually quite a familiar face to Jin-Woo, as well Heck, he didn¡¯t even need to dig through his memories to recall this man¡¯s name, either . Because this man appeared almost non-stop in South Korea¡¯s financial news segments . Not to mention, he was also ¡®familiar¡¯ to Jin-Woo in another meaning of the word, as well ¡°I¡¯m Yu Myung-Han from Yujin Construction . It¡¯s a pleasure, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡±. Yu Myung-Han¡¯s back remained straight as he lightly lowered his head It was a greeting neither disrespectful nor lacking in confidence As if he had learned that this was how to greet someone properly, his action was tidy and disciplined . Jin-Woo was inwardly taken by surprise It was because he didn¡¯t expect a chairman of a huge corporation to greet a total stranger like himself in such a dignified manner Since the other party came out so dignified and respectful, Jin-Woo also returned a dignified greeting ¡°I¡¯m Seong Jin-Woo . It¡¯s also a pleasure . ¡±. After their brief introductions were over, Yu Myung-Han got right down to the topic ¡°I apologise for coming to see you without prior communication, but if it¡¯s alright with you, can we speak in private?¡±. A small suspicion brushed past Jin-Woo¡¯s brain just then ¡®If he wants to see me¡­ . ¡¯. It¡¯d have been more convenient for the Chairman to contact Jin-Woo through his son rather than personally showing up here . Yet, why did Yu Myung-Han choose to come all the way out here at the cost of his valuable time?. Jin-Woo swallowed back such suspicions forming in his mind and asked something else ¡°What can I help you with?¡±. Yu Myung-Han replied with an apologetic face implying that he had no choice but to do it this way ¡°It is regarding a topic that¡¯s difficult to discuss here . ¡±. Now that Jin-Woo took a look around, he could see that, although no one recognised him in his current get-up of a comfortable tracksuit with a hood pulled up, several curious stares were rapidly landing on Chairman Yu Myung-Han There were a fair few passersby on the streets, so indeed, it was not possible to discuss something important in a place like this one . Jin-Woo understood that point very well The only problem was¡­ ¡®¡­ . I don¡¯t have any important business to discuss with Chairman Yu Myung-Han . ¡¯. He couldn¡¯t even take a wild guess here If he were to really, really think about it, then maybe, something to do with the Chairman¡¯s second son and the Vice-Master of the Ah-Jin Guild, Yu Jin-Ho?. While Jin-Woo¡¯s reply got delayed, more and more people began looking at Yu Myung-Han now . Some even pulled out their smartphones to take snapshots as well The Chairman began feeling a bit more urgent compared to before, as more and more eyes were being directed in his way ¡®If I miss this opportunity, it¡¯ll only become harder to converse with him . ¡¯. He had a very good reason why he needed to speak to Jin-Woo . So, he worked up his courage and asked for this favour ¡°Seong Hunter-nim . If it¡¯s not too much trouble, would you like to accompany me for a little while? I promise that I¡¯ll never speak about a disrespectful subject . ¡±. Jin-Woo took a look behind him first He spotted Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s happy, no, ¡®troubled¡¯ mug as the kid was surrounded by the extreme levels of interest from the reporters . Jin-Woo hurriedly swallowed back his laughter once more ¡®Looks like Jin-Ho will be preoccupied for the rest of the day, then . ¡¯. Since he had been monopolising high-ranking Gates lately thanks to the consideration of other major Guilds, he thought that now might be a good time to take a break from going on raids for a while Jin-Woo nodded his head ¡°I will . ¡±. ¡°Thank you . ¡±. Chairman Yu Myung-Han bowed slightly and, as if he was treating a super VIP, he even opened the rear door of the car for Jin-Woo ¡°Please, get in . ¡±. Jin-Woo climbed aboard first, and the Chairman actually went around to the other side to enter the back seat next to him . The car was so big that even with two well-built men sitting on the back seat, there was still plenty of space left Before the car started, though, Jin-Woo asked first ¡°Where are we going?¡±. ¡°We haven¡¯t decided on a destination . Is there a place you¡¯d like to go to, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim¡­ . ?¡±. Jin-Woo shook his head, prompting the Chairman to give the signal to his chauffeur . He then looked back at his guest ¡°I know of a place where we can chat without worrying about the interruptions from other people . Allow me to take you there . ¡±. Jin-Woo leaned against the back of the seat . Maybe because this was a really expensive car, the suppleness of the cushions was indescribably amazing The car glided forward without making any noise and eventually, they arrived in their destination ¡°We¡¯re here, Hunter-nim . ¡±. The chauffeur walked over to open the Chairman¡¯s door, but Yu Myung-Han shook his head, prompting the former to approach Jin-Woo¡¯s door, instead . He then opened it for the youth Jin-Woo stepped out of the vehicle and looked up at the tall, tall skyscraper in front ¡®So, this is where we can converse without worrying about others, is it¡­?¡¯. As Jin-Woo stood there utterly speechless, a group of attendants suddenly came rushing out of the building to surround him and bowed their waists 90 degrees ¡°Welcome back, sir!¡±. ¡°Welcome back, sir!!¡±. Jin-Woo heard these six people shout out in complete harmony and could only express his admiration inwardly . Just how many times did they have to train together to match each other¡¯s timing this well?. ¡°Let us head inside, Hunter-nim . ¡±. Chairman Yu Myung-Han displayed not one hint of putting on airs and took the lead, walking straight into the building . The words ¡®Yujin Construction¡¯ were clearly legible on the windows near the top of the building¡¯s roof ¡®¡­¡­¡¯. Soon, Jin-Woo followed after Yu Myung-Han and entered the building . The Chairman had been waiting for the youth to enter and matched the latter¡¯s walking speed ¡°This way . ¡±. Employees bent their backs immediately after discovering their Chairman Yu Myung-Han maintained an expressionless face but still didn¡¯t forget to reply to all the greetings coming his way with simple nods A real big shot ¨C the atmosphere Jin-Woo once felt from the President of the Hunter¡¯s Association Goh Gun-Hui could also be felt from Chairman Yu as well Jin-Woo silently followed after him while gaining a rough understanding of the man named Yu Myung-Han¡¯s character through the gazes of these employees who seemed to wholeheartedly trust him Meanwhile, the employees bowing their heads to Yu Myung-Han naturally became interested in Jin-Woo walking alongside their boss ¡®Who is he?¡¯. ¡®Huh? Isn¡¯t he¡­ . ?¡¯. ¡®Could he be¡­ . ?¡¯. The jaw of every employee fell to the floor after they recognised the rank S Hunter, as he had taken the hood off upon entering the building The top Hunter of the nation and the top businessman of the nation . Two such people had stepped into the headquarters of Yujin Construction, so who would not be surprised by this amazing incident?. ¡®Heok!¡¯. The eyes of the employees nearly fell out of their sockets The hearts of the female employees began palpitating unsteadily, while the male employees nodded their heads in Jin-Woo¡¯s direction They didn¡¯t know why Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was standing next to their Chairman . However, when the two men who could be considered the best in their respective fields stood tall next to each other, their considerable age gap didn¡¯t seem to matter anymore, and this dazzling imagery now felt perfect and complete to the onlooker¡¯s view If you were a man, then you¡¯d yearn to be a part of this amazing sight, too And so, as such adulating gazes fell upon them, the two men climbed aboard the executives-only elevator waiting for them with open doors . The assistance of the attendants lasted until here As the doors silently slid shut, only Jin-Woo and Chairman Yu remained within the elevator ¡°¡­¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. As Chairman Yu kept his mouth closed, Jin-Woo followed suit and didn¡¯t say anything . The elevator didn¡¯t stop and rose straight up to the top floor, the Chairman¡¯s office Ting Secretary Kim, the right-hand man of Chairman Yu, was waiting for their arrival in front of the office . He performed a quick nod of his head to Jin-Woo as his greeting and lowered his waist to his boss ¡°My apologies, Chairman . There is a guest already waiting for you inside . ¡±. ¡°A guest?¡±. The expression of Chairman Yu Myung-Han stiffened up ¡°Didn¡¯t I say to not let anyone in whenever I¡¯m not in the office?¡±. Secretary Kim rarely made mistakes, if ever . The reason why Yu Myung-Han¡¯s expression had stiffened wasn¡¯t because the emotion of anger but rather something much closer to surprise, instead Secretary Kim formed a troubled expression and blurred the ends of his sentence ¡°Sir, I¡¯ve already spoken to your guest regarding your wishes, but he was so insistent that I¡­ . ¡±. ¡°H-mm . ¡±. Yu Myung-Han only needed to hear that much to immediately figure out who the guest was . He shook his head helplessly and pointed towards the Chairman¡¯s office to Jin-Woo ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about, so you don¡¯t have to pay any attention . Please, this way . ¡±. Wheeeiiing¡­. The door leading to the Chairman¡¯s office slid open An older gentleman sitting on the couch, passing the time by browsing through a newspaper, raised his head to look ¡°Hyung-nim, why was it this hard to get in touch with you? You even cancelled our appointment for today, too . ¡±. The man sporting a smooth and reflective balding forehead was none other than the younger brother of Yu Myung-Han, Yu Seok-Ho As he got up to greet his older brother with a bright face, Yu Myung-Han returned a bit of a frown ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that I have an important matter to deal with today? I¡¯m currently occupied, so come back later . ¡±. ¡°What do you mean? Hyung-nim, I know your schedule back to front, so what important matter could you be¡­ ??¡±. Yu Seok-Ho¡¯s words came to a stop once he met Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze ¡°Uh? Uh, uh???¡±. Didn¡¯t this young man¡¯s mug look familiar, somehow?. Other people would¡¯ve recalled newspapers or images from the TV news broadcasts, but the first thing Yu Seok-Ho recalled was the SNS profile of his daughter, Yu Soo-Hyun, instead . He remembered seeing a photo of two young people looking quite comfy with each other ¡®Is this really Hunter Seong Jin-Woo??¡¯. In order to confirm the truth, he turned the newspaper in his hands to the front page . He kept blinking his eyes as he compared the front page photo and that of Jin-Woo¡¯s actual face This situation was weird enough to fluster Jin-Woo somewhat, but for some reason, he didn¡¯t find this unfamiliar half-bald uncle detestable at all ¡®Is it because his eyes resemble Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s by a lot?¡¯. Could a much older and balding Yu Jin-Ho look like this guy in the future?. Chairman Yu Seok Ho didn¡¯t know that he had instantly become the aged Yu Jin-Ho in Jin-Woo¡¯s mind . He didn¡¯t even mind the sharpened glare his older brother was giving him and extended his hand out with a bright smile on his face ¡°Aigoo! Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!¡±. ¡°Oh, hello . ¡±. Jin-Woo unwittingly grasped the offered hand and shook it Yu Seok-Ho energetically shook hands as if he was greeting someone he met again after going through many years of hardship . He then introduced himself ¡°I¡¯m sure you have heard a lot about me, but well, I¡¯m Yu Seok-Ho from Yu-il Pharmaceuticals . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . ??¡±. And just where would Jin-Woo have heard a lot about this uncle now?. Still, it wasn¡¯t cool to shoot down someone greeting you so happily like this, so Jin-Woo said something suitable as his reply ¡°Ah, yes . Hello . Nice to meet you . ¡±. Yu Myung-Han was worriedly watching on from the side, but he was now forming a surprised expression, instead . Meanwhile, Yu Seok-Ho¡¯s back straightened up in pride as if to show off a little, and he opened his chest up a bit more ¡®See this? Hyung-nim, my little girl¡¯s standards for men are on this level . ¡¯. Yu Seok-Ho had been feeling a slight case of an inferiority complex over the fact that Yu Myung-Han¡¯s daughter possessed a genius-level talent in music . But now, he thought he could definitely regain his self-esteem with this event Because, well, there wouldn¡¯t be that many men as amazing as this youth in the whole of South Korea, after all ¡®¡­ . Seok-Ho¡¯s connections run pretty deep, I see . ¡¯. Yu Myung-Han was planning to raise his voice at his little brother once Jin-Woo had left, but now, after seeing that these two seemed to have ¡®heard¡¯ of each other, his anger had rapidly melted away and disappeared completely It seemed that the talk could go down favourably because of this ¡°Oh, my goodness . Where are my manners at?¡±. Yu Seok-Ho finally released Jin-Woo¡¯s hand ¡°Right, you said that you two have something to discuss, didn¡¯t you? Looks like this is where I make my exit, so please, don¡¯t mind me . ¡±. He smiled in satisfaction and turned around to leave the office, but stopped next to Jin-Woo ¡°Ah, and by the way, Seong Hunter-nim?¡±. ¡°Ah, yes?¡±. ¡°Please, do stop by at my home if you have some time in the near future . I shall eagerly await for you, if it¡¯s you paying us a visit!¡±. ¡°¡­ ??¡±. Stop by if he had time?. He¡¯d eagerly await??. ¡°Huhuhuhuht!¡±. The good-natured uncle said some mysterious things and left the office like a refreshing breeze passing by Even though his loud voice and bright expression ensured that he didn¡¯t come across as unlikeable, that uncle still came across as a weird quandary to Jin-Woo He stood there tilting his head a bit, and Chairman Yu Myung-Han cautiously asked him ¡°Your relationship with my younger brother is¡­ . ?¡±. Since the uncle in question was no longer around, was there a reason to mind his feelings anymore?. Jin-Woo¡¯s answer was rather straightforward ¡°It¡¯s my first time meeting him today . ¡±. His reply caused Yu Myung-Han¡¯s expression to harden instantly ¡®Yu Seok-Ho, you fool¡­ . ¡¯. Just as he suspected it . Unfortunately, there was an important guest present here . As befitting the nickname of ¡®Pokerface¡¯, Yu Myung-Han immediately masked his emotions and suggested that they take a seat ¡°Please, have a seat . ¡±. Yu Myung-Han settled down on the opposite side to Jin-Woo . Secretary Kim entered the office with excellent timing and asked the Chairman ¡°Sir, would you like some tea?¡±. ¡°I¡¯m fine, so please ask Hunter-nim . ¡±. ¡°I¡¯m also fine, thank you . ¡±. Jin-Woo shook his head Yu Myung-Han addressed Kim with a grave tone of voice ¡°I wish to speak privately with Hunter-nim here, so can you leave us alone for a while?¡±. ¡°Understood, sir . ¡±. Secretary Kim exited from the office and stood before the door to guard it . He had received the orders to do so earlier on From here onwards, no one could enter the office, even if it was the President of the nation coming for a visit . That was how heavy the weight of the matter today was ¡°¡­¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. Just like how it was back in the elevator, another bout of silence flowed between Jin-Woo and Yu Myung-Han . However, there was a certain difference in the weight of the silence this time Yu Myung-Han needed some moment to compose himself . This wasn¡¯t going to be a carefree conversation to catch up on old times or some such That was why Chairman Yu Myung-Han could only open his mouth after such a long time had passed by . Enough that one might start to get slightly bored by it, even ¡°Seong Hunter-nim . ¡±. Jin-Woo had been patiently waiting until then and replied calmly as well ¡°Yes?¡±. Yu Myung-Han pulled out a cheque from his inner pocket, issued under his name by a bank that often had dealings with Yujin Construction However, this cheque was somewhat different from a normal one Where there should have been numerical letters denoting the value of money represented by this slip of paper, there were none to be found ¡°Here . ¡±. He pushed such a cheque forward Jin-Woo looked at this blank cheque for a little while before raising his head back up again Yu Myung-Han continued on with some difficulty ¡°I¡¯m not some arrogant fool who thinks he can buy anything with money . Especially even more so, when I¡¯m dealing with a rank S Hunter such as yourself . ¡±. His mouth was drying up even further Compared to when he buried his father and inherited the corporation, back when he was about to give his first speech in front of tens of thousands of his employees, even when he was surrounded by hundreds of reporters and had to suffer from ignoble insults to his name ¨C this moment made him tremble more than any of those times in the past But, it was obvious why . The importance of this matter greatly outstripped those moments in his past, after all Because, his desire to live, to see the future of the company he raised up by sacrificing his entire youth, and then, and then, the greed of a father wanting to see the growth of his offsprings for just a little bit longer ¨C all of those were hanging in the balance right now ¡°That is why¡­ I¡¯d greatly appreciate it if you consider this as nothing more than a small gesture of my sincerity . ¡±. Chairman Yu¡¯s eyes were burning in a determined light Jin-Woo could now guess the reason for him choosing this venue to hold this conversation . The things to be discussed from now on could not be leaked outside of these walls, that was why ¡®This isn¡¯t about me joining his Guild or something like that . ¡¯. That was why the Chairman had chosen his own territory that he could control 100% per cent unless some kind of a natural disaster was to befall them Jin-Woo had always been quick on the uptake That was why he simply asked this question ¡°Chairman . Just what is it that you wish to buy from me?¡±. < Chapter 167 > Fin Chapter 168 Yu Myung-Han spoke frankly about his current situation . ¡°Actually, I also suffer from the exact same illness as your mother, Hunter-nim . ¡± That completely unexpected reply took Jin-Woo by surprise and he froze up momentarily . ¡°¡­ . Does Jin-Ho know?¡± Yu Myung-Han shook his head . ¡°Aside from my personal physician, only three others know of my condition . Myself, my wife, and my secretary . ¡± ¡°And now, it¡¯s four . ¡± ¡°Indeed . ¡± Jin-Woo nodded his head . Only now did he understand why Chairman Yu didn¡¯t bother to go through Yu Jin-Ho and instead contacted him secretly like this . Yu Myung-Han wanted to hide his own illness from the rest of his family . ¡®But then again ¨C his shoulders are carrying the fate of several tens of thousands of employees, aren¡¯t they¡­ . ¡¯ If the rumour of the days that Chairman Yu could freely move about being numbered got out, then it didn¡¯t take a genius to see what might happen to Yujin Construction as well as its subsidiaries in the near future . The reason for hiding the status of his illness even from his family and keeping a tight leash on the information ¨C Chairman Yu simply carried far too much weight on his shoulders to accept his reality as it was . Even then¡­ ¡®He revealed this secret to me . ¡¯ It was probably because he had figured out that he needed to take the risk this time . Yu Myung-Han was a businessman . Not only that, he was someone whose vocabulary didn¡¯t include the word ¡®failure¡¯ . He was, simply put, a general undefeated in all of his battles so far . Such a man would not jump into anything while carrying significant risk if there was nothing to gain from it . Jin-Woo could pretty much guess what Chairman Yu was about to say . Sure enough ¨C the older man spoke up with a determined expression . ¡°I have been scouring the world for a cure, a method, to rid myself of this illness for a while . In the process, I was able to discover that a single patient has gained her freedom from this dastardly illness . ¡± As Jin-Woo expected, the conversation was heading down the path he thought it might . ¡°I don¡¯t think it a coincidence that the sole patient recovering from the illness happens to be your mother, Seong Hunter-nim . ¡± Jin-Woo had left many in sheer shock and astonishment with his never-before-seen mysterious abilities . Could he have somehow cured his mother¡¯s illness with his strange but wonderful abilities? Chairman Yu had used various avenues to investigate Jin-Woo, which meant that him arriving at such a deduction wasn¡¯t so far-fetched at all . ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo didn¡¯t deny nor agree with the claim and quietly stared at Chairman Yu . The latter swallowed his saliva . ¡®I cannot afford to make a mistake here . ¡¯ If the talk so far was nothing more than a practice match, an appetizer, then the real game was about to kick off now . This was the most important moment . Yu Myung-Han let out a deep but short breath and spoke up with some conviction . ¡°What I¡¯d like to earn from you is the truth, Hunter-nim . ¡± He then pushed the cheque forward a little bit more with his hand . ¡°And as your compensation, this is just merely a small part of what I¡¯m willing to provide you with, Seong Hunter-nim . ¡± Not everything, but merely a part, he said . Meaning, he was prepared to hand over something else besides money if that¡¯s what Jin-Woo wanted . ¡°If you help me out on this matter, Hunter-nim, I shall never forget this favour for the rest of my life . ¡± The tiger of the financial world lowered his head and asked for help . If those people who knew Chairman Yu saw this spectacle, they would have cried out in sheer shock just then . However, perhaps surprisingly, Jin-Woo remained calm even though he was on the receiving end of this plea . His collected gaze quietly studied Chairman Yu . ¡®Doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s lying to me . ¡¯ The older man¡¯s raised heart rate, his quickened breathing, and the desperately pleading expression hidden beneath the facade of unflappable calm told Jin-Woo everything he needed to know . Chairman Yu was being truthful here . However, just because someone earnestly wished to get his hands on something, that didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d be successful every single time . After a short deliberation later, Jin-Woo finally opened his tightly-shut mouth . ¡°I¡¯m sorry . ¡± That one short sentence caused Yu Myung-Han¡¯s eyes to tremble quite powerfully . ¡°It is unfortunate, but that¡¯s not something I can help you with . ¡± ¡°I-in that¡­ case . ¡± As his hopes riding on this talk had been far too great, Chairman Yu couldn¡¯t easily accept his defeat here . ¡°¡­How did¡­ your mother become cured, Seong Hunter-nim?¡± ¡°Chairman . ¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s expression became rather serious . The surrounding air began to grow chilly all of a sudden . That was enough to remind Chairman Yu just what kind of a person he was dealing with right now . Jin-Woo continued on . ¡°Hypothetically speaking, if I knew how the illness had been cured and I wished to get rich from that, why would I have kept my mouth shut until now?¡± A handful of possible answers fleeted in and out of Chairman Yu¡¯s mind . Was it because Jin-Woo was scared of becoming a target of someone influential? But, that couldn¡¯t be . Chairman Yu immediately shook his head . Jin-Woo was the currently-active rank S Hunter . Not only that, he was an especially powerful one, too . Just who would dare to think of him as a target, then? Did this mean he wanted something else besides money? Unknown to himself, Chairman Yu¡¯s own head moved from side to side once more . The current Hunter Seong was capable enough to get all the fame and recognition one could desire, if that was what he wanted . But then, he hadn¡¯t done that, either . ¡®¡­ . Ah . ¡¯ Chairman Yu belatedly realised what his mistake was this time ¡¯round . One of the basics in negotiation was finding out what the other party wanted in advance . You¡¯d bring in something the other side wanted and in turn, you got what you wanted from them . That was how a negotiation worked . However, Chairman Yu didn¡¯t know what Jin-Woo wanted . Not even one thing . It was only obvious that the negotiation would fail like this . ¡®So, it must be one of the two possibilities . ¡¯ Either Jin-Woo really didn¡¯t know what cured his mother, or Yu Myung-Han simply didn¡¯t have what he wanted . Whatever the case may have been, it was still a despairing result for Chairman Yu either way . ¡°¡­ . I see . ¡± Chairman Yu no longer clung onto Jin-Woo . ¡°Well, in that case . ¡± The older man saw that Jin-Woo was getting up to leave, so he also got up in haste and summoned Secretary Kim . The latter guarding the door quickly entered the office . ¡°Chair¡­¡± The moment he took his first step inside, he immediately read the frozen atmosphere flowing between Jin-Woo and Chairman Yu . This meeting was the final ray of hope for his boss so even Kim¡¯s complexion darkened rather quickly . ¡°Sir, have you called for me?¡± Chairman Yu powerlessly nodded his head . ¡°Hunter-nim wishes to return . Please take him back to his residence . ¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll be fine . Thank you . ¡± Jin-Woo tactfully declined the offer, and after leaving short goodbyes to both Yu Myung-Han and Secretary Kim, he climbed aboard the elevator all alone . Weeeiing¡­ The lift moved at a frightening pace from the penthouse floor right down to the lobby . He hadn¡¯t noticed it while riding it with someone else, but now that he was alone, he could tell for sure ¨C this elevator was simply far too large and wide for only one person to ride in . Jin-Woo spat out a long sigh, ¡°Fuu¡­ . ¡± He didn¡¯t feel so well after rejecting the request . Wasn¡¯t that man the father of someone he treated like a little brother? He could¡¯ve extended his helping hand while pretending to be defeated by his emotions . However¡­ . ¡®I don¡¯t know him . ¡¯ He didn¡¯t know just what kind of a man Chairman Yu Myung-Han was . He didn¡¯t know whether he was really suffering from the illness, or he was scheming something else . The ¡®Divine Water of Life¡¯ used to cure his mother might possess an otherworldly healing property, but its supply was also limited . And that was why he simply had to be more circumspect with their usages . The terms put forward by Chairman Yu indeed had been incredibly tempting, but in the end, they failed to change Jin-Woo¡¯s mind . This was the end result . Ting . The elevator arrived on the ground floor in no time at all and opened its doors . Jin-Woo pulled his hood up and got out of the lift . Unlike when he was accompanied by Chairman Yu, no one seemed to recognise him now . Even those giving him cursory glances simply carried the looks of ¡®Who could he be that he¡¯s using the executives-only elevator?¡¯ Jin-Woo paid them no mind and walked over to the exit . One of the waiting employees tasked with guiding people spotted Jin-Woo¡¯s approach and opened the door for him to pass through . Jin-Woo continued on and crossed the lobby, but then, his steps came to a halt after he heard a voice coming from somewhere . [This is the latest update coming from Japan . ] Jin-Woo¡¯s head shifted in the direction of that sound . A giant TV in the lobby that had been switched off earlier was now showing the real-time footage of the situation in Japan . It was the breaking news regarding the dungeon break and the massive calamity spreading at an alarming rate . Jin-Woo walked to the front of the TV . The sight of the ruined city captured from the TV station¡¯s helicopter was truly gut-wrenching . The Giant monsters were demolishing the buildings . Those unfortunate citizens failing to evacuate in time were captured and immediately thrown into the mouths of these Giants . What little remained of armed forces poured out all their firepower but that proved to be a useless endeavour . It was still impossible to kill monsters without the powers of Hunters, after all . Although it was impossible to accurately calculate the death toll, the rough estimate had come out to well over a million . In a word, it was an unspeakable tragedy . Jin-Woo¡¯s expression hardened . This would be his first time seeing the current status with his own eyes . But then, that made sense . It was only yesterday that, after emerging from the dual dungeon, he asked Woo Jin-Cheol to take care of the aftermath and went back home to crash into a deep, deep slumber . He half-expected the worst, but the situation in Japan was far graver than his initial expectations . This whole thing reminded him of the nightmare unfolding on Jeju Island four years ago . Maybe one could claim that it was a silver lining among the storm of misfortunes . The dungeon break back then occurred on an island and the uniqueness of landscape meant that Korea was spared of the situation possibly becoming even worse than before . However, it was a different story for Japan . It was far too large to simply be called an island . A whole country was facing total destruction at this rate . Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump! Jin-Woo¡¯s heart quickened as he watched those Giants . He was feeling rather displeased right now . When he thought about how such weaklings were stepping on humans like that, a powerful sense of disgust welled up from deep inside of him . But then¡­ . ¡®Wait a sec¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo quickly broke out of his reverie . What did he mean, such weaklings? He had never fought Giant-type monsters before . And he couldn¡¯t sense its magic energy through a TV screen . So, why did he subconsciously think of the word ¡®weakling¡¯ almost right away when he saw a Giant monster? Was this coming from his self-confidence? Jin-Woo tilted his head this way and that, before shaking it altogether . ¡®Huh . Because my head¡¯s so messy right now, I¡¯m even beginning to think up some weird stuff, too . ¡¯ He turned around to leave . He managed to slip out of the cordon of people watching the broadcast with worried expressions, and quietly left the building . *** The second day of the dungeon break . The attention of the entire world was focused on Japan . What was their plan of action against the dungeon break? Did Japan have any methods left to employ, anyway? If not, would America really step up to help them? And then¡­ Was there a possibility that the Giants, having finished laying waste to Japan, would cross the ocean and start causing destruction in other countries, too? Worried gazes and ones filled with concern descended upon Japan as it continued to crumble . Of course, those nations that held an antagonistic relationship with Japan inwardly thought of different matters altogether, but outwardly at least, they sent over some token words of sympathy . Unfortunately, what the Japanese needed weren¡¯t some words of comfort . No, they needed actual, physical help . They needed comprehensive power to rescue Japan from the monsters . Indeed, they needed the power capable of ¡®saving¡¯ them . As the announcement from the Americans was nowhere to be heard, the grim news of one-tenth of Japan already being destroyed became public . The plight of Japanese refugees filling up the highways continued to travel in the airwaves . They all abandoned their homes in order to survive and travelled to the east and west . However, just as it was the case with every nation on Earth, the landmass of Japan wasn¡¯t infinite, to begin with . In the end, these people would eventually be pushed to a corner . The prophesied end was drawing near for them . And the world began asking more questions as it watched this pitiable sight unfold . ¨C What is South Korea doing? ¨C Why isn¡¯t South Korea helping Japan? ¨C Do they not know what owing someone means? The world remembered seeing the Jeju Island raid that took place only a few weeks ago . Japan had lost over half of their participating rank S Hunters for the sake of the Koreans . So, the world was asking, why were the Koreans only watching on the crisis unfolding in their neighbouring country and not doing anything to help? The scale of destruction and the death toll continued to be revised hourly . People grew outraged and grieved for the losses . As the feelings of sympathy grew larger and larger for the Japanese, the criticisms towards Korea grew harsher and harsher in turn . ¨C Make a move already, South Korea! ¨C Do they not know of the concept of loyalty? ¨C Have the Koreans forgotten about Jeju Island? The mass media of the world was boiling over . And before long, another question rose up ¨C the one about why Japan hadn¡¯t requested South Korea with the subjugation of the monsters . And so, as the fourth day dawned on this tragedy¡­ . The Association President Goh Gun-Hui, having decided that now was the right time, stepped in front of the crowd of reporters . Noisy, noisy¡­ . Goh Gun-Hui swept his gaze over the tightly-packed wall of reporters as well as the cameras pointing at him and quietly opened his mouth to speak . ¡°I express my condolences at the tragedy unfolding in Japan . And also, I¡¯d like to reveal the position of South Korea¡¯s own Hunter¡¯s Association . ¡± And also¡­ . A little earlier in the day, the American Hunter Bureau also released a statement, as well . < Chapter 168 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 168: Chapter 168 Yu Myung-Han spoke frankly about his current situation ¡°Actually, I also suffer from the exact same illness as your mother, Hunter-nim . ¡±. That completely unexpected reply took Jin-Woo by surprise and he froze up momentarily ¡°¡­ . Does Jin-Ho know?¡±. Yu Myung-Han shook his head ¡°Aside from my personal physician, only three others know of my condition . Myself, my wife, and my secretary . ¡±. ¡°And now, it¡¯s four . ¡±. ¡°Indeed . ¡±. Jin-Woo nodded his head Only now did he understand why Chairman Yu didn¡¯t bother to go through Yu Jin-Ho and instead contacted him secretly like this . Yu Myung-Han wanted to hide his own illness from the rest of his family ¡®But then again ¨C his shoulders are carrying the fate of several tens of thousands of employees, aren¡¯t they¡­ . ¡¯. If the rumour of the days that Chairman Yu could freely move about being numbered got out, then it didn¡¯t take a genius to see what might happen to Yujin Construction as well as its subsidiaries in the near future The reason for hiding the status of his illness even from his family and keeping a tight leash on the information ¨C Chairman Yu simply carried far too much weight on his shoulders to accept his reality as it was Even then¡­. ¡®He revealed this secret to me . ¡¯. It was probably because he had figured out that he needed to take the risk this time Yu Myung-Han was a businessman . Not only that, he was someone whose vocabulary didn¡¯t include the word ¡®failure¡¯ . He was, simply put, a general undefeated in all of his battles so far Such a man would not jump into anything while carrying significant risk if there was nothing to gain from it Jin-Woo could pretty much guess what Chairman Yu was about to say Sure enough ¨C the older man spoke up with a determined expression ¡°I have been scouring the world for a cure, a method, to rid myself of this illness for a while . In the process, I was able to discover that a single patient has gained her freedom from this dastardly illness . ¡±. As Jin-Woo expected, the conversation was heading down the path he thought it might ¡°I don¡¯t think it a coincidence that the sole patient recovering from the illness happens to be your mother, Seong Hunter-nim . ¡±. Jin-Woo had left many in sheer shock and astonishment with his never-before-seen mysterious abilities . Could he have somehow cured his mother¡¯s illness with his strange but wonderful abilities?. Chairman Yu had used various avenues to investigate Jin-Woo, which meant that him arriving at such a deduction wasn¡¯t so far-fetched at all ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo didn¡¯t deny nor agree with the claim and quietly stared at Chairman Yu . The latter swallowed his saliva ¡®I cannot afford to make a mistake here . ¡¯. If the talk so far was nothing more than a practice match, an appetizer, then the real game was about to kick off now . This was the most important moment Yu Myung-Han let out a deep but short breath and spoke up with some conviction ¡°What I¡¯d like to earn from you is the truth, Hunter-nim . ¡±. He then pushed the cheque forward a little bit more with his hand ¡°And as your compensation, this is just merely a small part of what I¡¯m willing to provide you with, Seong Hunter-nim . ¡±. Not everything, but merely a part, he said Meaning, he was prepared to hand over something else besides money if that¡¯s what Jin-Woo wanted ¡°If you help me out on this matter, Hunter-nim, I shall never forget this favour for the rest of my life . ¡±. The tiger of the financial world lowered his head and asked for help . If those people who knew Chairman Yu saw this spectacle, they would have cried out in sheer shock just then However, perhaps surprisingly, Jin-Woo remained calm even though he was on the receiving end of this plea . His collected gaze quietly studied Chairman Yu ¡®Doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s lying to me . ¡¯. The older man¡¯s raised heart rate, his quickened breathing, and the desperately pleading expression hidden beneath the facade of unflappable calm told Jin-Woo everything he needed to know Chairman Yu was being truthful here However, just because someone earnestly wished to get his hands on something, that didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d be successful every single time . After a short deliberation later, Jin-Woo finally opened his tightly-shut mouth ¡°I¡¯m sorry . ¡±. That one short sentence caused Yu Myung-Han¡¯s eyes to tremble quite powerfully ¡°It is unfortunate, but that¡¯s not something I can help you with . ¡±. ¡°I-in that¡­ case . ¡±. As his hopes riding on this talk had been far too great, Chairman Yu couldn¡¯t easily accept his defeat here ¡°¡­How did¡­ your mother become cured, Seong Hunter-nim?¡±. ¡°Chairman . ¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s expression became rather serious The surrounding air began to grow chilly all of a sudden . That was enough to remind Chairman Yu just what kind of a person he was dealing with right now Jin-Woo continued on ¡°Hypothetically speaking, if I knew how the illness had been cured and I wished to get rich from that, why would I have kept my mouth shut until now?¡±. A handful of possible answers fleeted in and out of Chairman Yu¡¯s mind . Was it because Jin-Woo was scared of becoming a target of someone influential? But, that couldn¡¯t be Chairman Yu immediately shook his head Jin-Woo was the currently-active rank S Hunter . Not only that, he was an especially powerful one, too . Just who would dare to think of him as a target, then?. Did this mean he wanted something else besides money?. Unknown to himself, Chairman Yu¡¯s own head moved from side to side once more . The current Hunter Seong was capable enough to get all the fame and recognition one could desire, if that was what he wanted . But then, he hadn¡¯t done that, either ¡®¡­ . Ah . ¡¯. Chairman Yu belatedly realised what his mistake was this time ¡¯round One of the basics in negotiation was finding out what the other party wanted in advance . You¡¯d bring in something the other side wanted and in turn, you got what you wanted from them . That was how a negotiation worked However, Chairman Yu didn¡¯t know what Jin-Woo wanted . Not even one thing . It was only obvious that the negotiation would fail like this ¡®So, it must be one of the two possibilities . ¡¯. Either Jin-Woo really didn¡¯t know what cured his mother, or Yu Myung-Han simply didn¡¯t have what he wanted . Whatever the case may have been, it was still a despairing result for Chairman Yu either way ¡°¡­ . I see . ¡±. Chairman Yu no longer clung onto Jin-Woo ¡°Well, in that case . ¡±. The older man saw that Jin-Woo was getting up to leave, so he also got up in haste and summoned Secretary Kim . The latter guarding the door quickly entered the office ¡°Chair¡­¡±. The moment he took his first step inside, he immediately read the frozen atmosphere flowing between Jin-Woo and Chairman Yu . This meeting was the final ray of hope for his boss so even Kim¡¯s complexion darkened rather quickly ¡°Sir, have you called for me?¡±. Chairman Yu powerlessly nodded his head ¡°Hunter-nim wishes to return . Please take him back to his residence . ¡±. ¡°No, I¡¯ll be fine . Thank you . ¡±. Jin-Woo tactfully declined the offer, and after leaving short goodbyes to both Yu Myung-Han and Secretary Kim, he climbed aboard the elevator all alone Weeeiing¡­. The lift moved at a frightening pace from the penthouse floor right down to the lobby He hadn¡¯t noticed it while riding it with someone else, but now that he was alone, he could tell for sure ¨C this elevator was simply far too large and wide for only one person to ride in Jin-Woo spat out a long sigh,. ¡°Fuu¡­ . ¡±. He didn¡¯t feel so well after rejecting the request . Wasn¡¯t that man the father of someone he treated like a little brother? He could¡¯ve extended his helping hand while pretending to be defeated by his emotions However¡­ ¡®I don¡¯t know him . ¡¯. He didn¡¯t know just what kind of a man Chairman Yu Myung-Han was . He didn¡¯t know whether he was really suffering from the illness, or he was scheming something else The ¡®Divine Water of Life¡¯ used to cure his mother might possess an otherworldly healing property, but its supply was also limited . And that was why he simply had to be more circumspect with their usages The terms put forward by Chairman Yu indeed had been incredibly tempting, but in the end, they failed to change Jin-Woo¡¯s mind . This was the end result Ting The elevator arrived on the ground floor in no time at all and opened its doors . Jin-Woo pulled his hood up and got out of the lift . Unlike when he was accompanied by Chairman Yu, no one seemed to recognise him now Even those giving him cursory glances simply carried the looks of ¡®Who could he be that he¡¯s using the executives-only elevator?¡¯. Jin-Woo paid them no mind and walked over to the exit . One of the waiting employees tasked with guiding people spotted Jin-Woo¡¯s approach and opened the door for him to pass through Jin-Woo continued on and crossed the lobby, but then, his steps came to a halt after he heard a voice coming from somewhere [This is the latest update coming from Japan . ]. Jin-Woo¡¯s head shifted in the direction of that sound . A giant TV in the lobby that had been switched off earlier was now showing the real-time footage of the situation in Japan It was the breaking news regarding the dungeon break and the massive calamity spreading at an alarming rate Jin-Woo walked to the front of the TV The sight of the ruined city captured from the TV station¡¯s helicopter was truly gut-wrenching The Giant monsters were demolishing the buildings . Those unfortunate citizens failing to evacuate in time were captured and immediately thrown into the mouths of these Giants . What little remained of armed forces poured out all their firepower but that proved to be a useless endeavour It was still impossible to kill monsters without the powers of Hunters, after all Although it was impossible to accurately calculate the death toll, the rough estimate had come out to well over a million In a word, it was an unspeakable tragedy Jin-Woo¡¯s expression hardened . This would be his first time seeing the current status with his own eyes . But then, that made sense It was only yesterday that, after emerging from the dual dungeon, he asked Woo Jin-Cheol to take care of the aftermath and went back home to crash into a deep, deep slumber He half-expected the worst, but the situation in Japan was far graver than his initial expectations . This whole thing reminded him of the nightmare unfolding on Jeju Island four years ago Maybe one could claim that it was a silver lining among the storm of misfortunes . The dungeon break back then occurred on an island and the uniqueness of landscape meant that Korea was spared of the situation possibly becoming even worse than before However, it was a different story for Japan It was far too large to simply be called an island . A whole country was facing total destruction at this rate Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!. Jin-Woo¡¯s heart quickened as he watched those Giants He was feeling rather displeased right now . When he thought about how such weaklings were stepping on humans like that, a powerful sense of disgust welled up from deep inside of him But then¡­ ¡®Wait a sec¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo quickly broke out of his reverie What did he mean, such weaklings?. He had never fought Giant-type monsters before . And he couldn¡¯t sense its magic energy through a TV screen . So, why did he subconsciously think of the word ¡®weakling¡¯ almost right away when he saw a Giant monster?. Was this coming from his self-confidence?. Jin-Woo tilted his head this way and that, before shaking it altogether ¡®Huh . Because my head¡¯s so messy right now, I¡¯m even beginning to think up some weird stuff, too . ¡¯. He turned around to leave He managed to slip out of the cordon of people watching the broadcast with worried expressions, and quietly left the building ***. The second day of the dungeon break The attention of the entire world was focused on Japan . What was their plan of action against the dungeon break? Did Japan have any methods left to employ, anyway? If not, would America really step up to help them?. And then¡­. Was there a possibility that the Giants, having finished laying waste to Japan, would cross the ocean and start causing destruction in other countries, too?. Worried gazes and ones filled with concern descended upon Japan as it continued to crumble Of course, those nations that held an antagonistic relationship with Japan inwardly thought of different matters altogether, but outwardly at least, they sent over some token words of sympathy Unfortunately, what the Japanese needed weren¡¯t some words of comfort . No, they needed actual, physical help They needed comprehensive power to rescue Japan from the monsters . Indeed, they needed the power capable of ¡®saving¡¯ them As the announcement from the Americans was nowhere to be heard, the grim news of one-tenth of Japan already being destroyed became public . The plight of Japanese refugees filling up the highways continued to travel in the airwaves . They all abandoned their homes in order to survive and travelled to the east and west However, just as it was the case with every nation on Earth, the landmass of Japan wasn¡¯t infinite, to begin with . In the end, these people would eventually be pushed to a corner . The prophesied end was drawing near for them And the world began asking more questions as it watched this pitiable sight unfold ¨C What is South Korea doing?. ¨C Why isn¡¯t South Korea helping Japan?. ¨C Do they not know what owing someone means?. The world remembered seeing the Jeju Island raid that took place only a few weeks ago Japan had lost over half of their participating rank S Hunters for the sake of the Koreans . So, the world was asking, why were the Koreans only watching on the crisis unfolding in their neighbouring country and not doing anything to help?. The scale of destruction and the death toll continued to be revised hourly . People grew outraged and grieved for the losses As the feelings of sympathy grew larger and larger for the Japanese, the criticisms towards Korea grew harsher and harsher in turn ¨C Make a move already, South Korea!. ¨C Do they not know of the concept of loyalty?. ¨C Have the Koreans forgotten about Jeju Island?. The mass media of the world was boiling over And before long, another question rose up ¨C the one about why Japan hadn¡¯t requested South Korea with the subjugation of the monsters And so, as the fourth day dawned on this tragedy¡­ The Association President Goh Gun-Hui, having decided that now was the right time, stepped in front of the crowd of reporters Noisy, noisy¡­ Goh Gun-Hui swept his gaze over the tightly-packed wall of reporters as well as the cameras pointing at him and quietly opened his mouth to speak ¡°I express my condolences at the tragedy unfolding in Japan . And also, I¡¯d like to reveal the position of South Korea¡¯s own Hunter¡¯s Association . ¡±. And also¡­ A little earlier in the day, the American Hunter Bureau also released a statement, as well < Chapter 168 > Fin Chapter 169 In the venue for the press conference held by the American Hunter Bureau . The United States of America had opened her mouth to make her statement . ¡°We¡¯re currently gathering Hunters to one location . ¡± Was America finally revealing her hand in order to save Japan? Reporters had all rushed to attend this press conference after the Hunter Bureau announced that they would clarify their position . They all cried out in elation from this announcement as if this matter concerned them personally . No one alive would wish for tens of millions, no, hundreds of millions of people to die a gruesome death . That was why these reporters were so enthusiastic about this announcement . As the atmosphere within the press conference venue heated up to an astounding degree, the spokesperson ruefully shook his head . ¡°However, it¡¯s not for Japan¡¯s sake . ¡± What was that? The gathered reporters began exchanging glances as hushed murmurs grew louder . It seemed that no one present here had received any prior warning about this as they were all cautiously looking at each other¡¯s reactions right now . The spokesperson pointed to the giant screen behind him . ¡°¡­ . Heok!!¡± ¡°What the hell¡­¡± The mouths of the reporters were clamped shut by the image now shown on that screen . The chaotic atmosphere cooled down in an instant and it was replaced by deathly silence instead . And then, as this weighty silence persisted, shocked gasps could occasionally be heard in between . The prepared footage indeed carried that much of an impact . ¡°This is the image of the Gate discovered earlier today in eastern Maryland . ¡± The size of the Gate was not normal . It was smaller than the one in Japan, but still, its sheer scale was uncommonly massive . The rank of a Gate didn¡¯t always match up to its size . But then again, a Gate with an enormous size never led to a low-ranked dungeon, either . The spokesperson continued on with his explanation . ¡°According to the measurement taken by our investigative team, this Gate is also a rank S, exactly like the one that has appeared in Japan . This nation¡¯s top Hunters will focus all their efforts in closing this Gate, instead . ¡± Some reporters covered their faces, some shook their heads in helplessness, some spat out pained sighs to display the despair each of them felt in that moment . An unprecedented event of two rank S Gates being generated close to one another had taken place . Of course, the United States of America wasn¡¯t worried in the slightest . It was now time for the dozens of rank S Hunters she had reeled in from all over the world to step forward and easily take care of this Gate . The problem was with Japan . ¡®America doesn¡¯t have the spare manpower to aid Japan . ¡¯ When this horrifying piece of news finally made its way over to Japan, the Japanese people desperately praying for the Americans¡¯ aid all cried out in despair . Japan was finished . The Giant-type monsters were advancing south as it destroyed everything in their path . People escaping up north were slowly but surely being forced onto a cliff, as well . In this situation, Korea finally broke her silence over the matter and clarified her position as well . Goh Gun-Hui stood in front of the reporters and spoke up . ¡°We will not get involved in Japan¡¯s matters . ¡± *** A day before the press conference . Just like any other day, the wide-open office space of the Ah-Jin Guild was occupied by only two people ¨C Jin-Woo and Yu Jin-Ho . The latter¡¯s eyes sparkled brightly . ¡°Hyung-nim? A rank B Gate just became available . Should I book it?¡± ¡°Is it within the Hunters Guild¡¯s jurisdiction?¡± ¡°Pardon? Oh, yes it is, hyung-nim . ¡± ¡°In that case, don¡¯t . ¡± ¡°Oh¡­ . okay . I got it, hyung-nim . ¡± Having sacrificed a lot of her elite Hunters, the Hunters Guild would be going through a seriously hectic time now . It¡¯d not look good if Jin-Woo¡¯s Guild swooped in to take advantage of the situation and stole a Gate from under their noses . Yu Jin-Ho scratched the side of his head before shifting his head over to Jin-Woo . ¡°Hyung-nim? What have you been you looking at so intently like that?¡± Jin-Woo tore his eyes away from the computer screen and leaned his back against the chair . ¡°Hey, Jin-Ho?¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim?¡± ¡°Should I go over to Japan for a while?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s expression hardened . Of course, he hadn¡¯t forgotten just who was saying those words . He had seen hyung-nim¡¯s amazing feats closer than anyone else out there . However, common sense simply didn¡¯t apply to rank S Gates . It was impossible to measure, to begin with . Didn¡¯t that imply such a Gate was beyond the scope of what¡¯s considered normal? Just like how there was an unscalable wall even among the rank S Hunters, no one could tell just what kind of dangerous monsters would pop out from a Gate that was impossible to measure . And that was why Yu Jin-Ho simply couldn¡¯t think of Jin-Woo¡¯s words of going to Japan as him simply kidding around . Abruptly, his head shifted over to the computer screen Jin-Woo was looking at . ¡®Ah¡­ . ¡¯ It was filled with the breaking news regarding Japan . ¡®Hyung-nim was worried about them . ¡¯ Unlike Yu Jin-Ho, hyung-nim possessed incredible powers . It was quite obvious that he¡¯d also suffer from the distress that the responsibility of his power level brought along . ¡°Hyung-nim, hold up . ¡± ¡°Mm?¡± Jin-Woo only lightly threw that suggestion out but Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s reactions were rather serious . Yu Jin-Ho vacated his spot and hurriedly extracted a photo album from the file cabinet before bringing it over . When he flipped that thick book open, all sorts of newspaper articles were clipped onto its pages . ¡®What¡¯s this¡­ . ?¡¯ All of them were articles related to Jin-Woo . From the incident of the Red Gate ¨C which the media still didn¡¯t know that Jin-Woo was a part of ¨C to the raid of Jeju Island; when he solved the issue of the traffic jam; and even when he took care of the strange, unidentifiable stone statues alongside the Hunters Guild recently, too . Jin-Woo was dumbfounded by this spectacle and asked Yu Jin-Ho . ¡°You were collecting all of these?¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s face was slightly flushed red . ¡°Okay, fine . But, why are you showing me this all of a sudden?¡± ¡°You know what the common theme among these articles is, hyung-nim?¡± ¡°I wonder¡­ . ?¡± ¡®¡­ . Surely, he¡¯s not trying to say that I¡¯m involved in all these incidents . ¡¯ A short while later, Yu Jin-Ho spoke with a voice softer than the buzzing of a mosquito . ¡°It¡¯s that I¡¯m nowhere to be found in all of them, hyung-nim . ¡± If it weren¡¯t for Jin-Woo¡¯s high Perception reinforcing his hearing, he¡¯d have missed that voice . ¡°What?!¡± Jin-Woo looked back, and Yu Jin-Ho raised his drooped head and stared straight into the former¡¯s eyes . ¡°Hyung-nim . If you¡¯re planning to go to Japan, please take me along with you . ¡± ¡°¡­ . ??¡± Jin-Woo was baffled here . He expected Yu Jin-Ho to either stop him or cheer him on when he said he¡¯d be heading over to Japan, but never did he imagine the kid would say ¡®Take me with you!¡¯ However, Yu Jin-Ho was being dead serious . ¡°Although it is embarrassing to say this out loud, hyung-nim, you¡¯re my pride . You¡¯re the only thing that I can proudly boast about to other people, you know . ¡± ¡°But, you¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo quickly shut his mouth up . Yu Jin-Ho looked outwardly as if he had possessed more than anyone else in the world . According to his own words, however, all of those were shackles that only managed to torment him, and to him, they were nothing to be proud about . But then, it was Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s own decision to stick around Jin-Woo, and then to continue developing the Ah-Jin Guild . All his, and no one else¡¯s . Jin-Woo could more or less understand where Yu Jin-Ho was coming from when he said this was his sole source of pride . ¡°That is why I¡¯d like to be there where you are, hyung-nim . Please, please take me with you, hyung-nim . ¡± ¡°You, you haven¡¯t forgotten where I want to go, right?¡± Even if Yu Jin-Ho was a na?ve, immature kid, he surely would have heard about what was happening in Japan . That place was currently a true hell on earth . Demons called ¡®Giants¡¯ were judging mankind in the most gruesome manner imaginable . Even then, Yu Jin-Ho nodded his head with a determined expression on his face . ¡°As long as you¡¯re unhurt, hyung-nim, I¡¯ll be alright as well . If you get hurt somehow¡­ eiii, I don¡¯t wanna even think about that . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho looked back with a strong light of trust burning in his eyes . The feeling you¡¯d get from someone trusting you to such an extent certainly couldn¡¯t be described as bad in any shape or form . Jin-Woo felt this strange warmth tickling him in his chest and he happily ruffled Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s hair . The latter was flustered but he didn¡¯t withdraw his head . ¡°H-hyung-nim?!¡± ¡°I was only joking, you know? Why would ever I go to Japan when times are like this?¡± Jin-Woo stood up from his spot . ¡°Hey, that¡¯s enough for today . Let¡¯s just go home . You worked hard anyway . ¡± ¡°Uh? You¡¯re going home already, hyung-nim?¡± Jin-Woo stepped outside the office door while waving his hands . Yu Jin-Ho bowed his waist deeply to send him off . ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, hyung-nim!¡± *** Clunk . Jin-Woo stepped into his house . A truly mouth-watering savoury scent of stew tickled his nostrils . He stood on the spot and soaked in the evening¡¯s smell . ¡®This is so good . ¡¯ One of the great things about mom being discharged from the hospital was that now, he had someone to welcome him back home every day . The dark and quiet home of the past no longer existed in his life . Not anymore . ¡°Son, you¡¯re home?¡± He heard his mother¡¯s voice coming from the kitchen . ¡°Yes, Mom . ¡± He took off his shoes and neatly arranged them before walking into the kitchen himself . His mother was looking behind her and he sent her a smile as a greeting . ¡°I¡¯m home . ¡± ¡°Will you eat dinner?¡± ¡°Yes . What about Jin-Ah, though?¡± ¡°She says she¡¯s got no appetite . ¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s hand suddenly stopped before it finished pulling out his chair . ¡°Even now?¡± ¡°She couldn¡¯t get a wink of sleep last night . She only fell asleep not too long ago . ¡± ¡°¡­¡± Jin-Woo hid his presence and cautiously opened the door to his sister¡¯s room . ¡°Mm¡­ Mm¡­ . . ¡± Jin-Ah was rolling around in her bed, struggling to fall into a deeper slumber . She normally maintained such a bright appearance, but it seemed that she hadn¡¯t gotten over her mental trauma yet . ¡®Then again¡­ . She had to go through such an experience, didn¡¯t she . ¡¯ His rage towards monsters boiled over whenever he saw how much his sister was struggling like this . Why were those things endlessly tormenting humanity? It was then, Jin-Woo recalled the sight of those silver-clad winged soldiers pouring out from the Gates in the sky to sweep away the monsters . The army with its unfathomable size, burning with clear animosity against the horde of monsters . If such an army actually existed, then¡­ . ¡®Are they our allies?¡¯ Wasn¡¯t there an old saying about an enemy of an enemy being a friend? Jin-Woo studied his sleeping sister quietly for a little while, before closing the door behind him . * ¡°Thank you for the meal . ¡± After finishing his dinner, Jin-Woo headed off to the Association¡¯s gymnasium to get a little bit of exercise in . It indeed proved to be really convenient to have a Shadow Soldier stationed inside the gymnasium . Sweating a lot was the best cure when one¡¯s head became clogged full of complicated thoughts . And so, he wanted to sweat buckets for the first time in a while . Jin-Woo summoned Beru out . As he began to lightly loosen his body, the former king of the ants politely knelt before him and lowered his head . ¡°Oh, my king¡­¡± Beru was the sole soldier among Jin-Woo¡¯s Shadow Army that could withstand his attacks, at least for a little while . But even he flinched grandly after sensing the extent of Jin-Woo¡¯s change and shuddered where he stood . ¡°I offer my unreserved congratulations, my king . I sense from you a far greater amount of power than ever before . ¡± Beru sensed an electrifying shiver run down his body after sensing that incredible amount of magic energy oozing out of the ¡®Black Heart¡¯ . His head, still lowered to the ground, was trembling noticeably now . Jin-Woo didn¡¯t summon his Shadow Soldier out to boast of his growth, though . He gestured to Beru to stand up . ¡°¡­ . ??¡± The former ant king tilted his head after picking up Jin-Woo¡¯s worried eyes, which would be the first time he had sensed such a thing ever since becoming a part of the Shadow Army . Jin-Woo spoke under his breath . ¡°Attack me with everything you have . ¡± ¡°Oh, my king . How dare I even¡­ . . ¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine . I just want to shed some sweat for a little while . And you know no one else besides you can do that . ¡± ¡°I¡­ I am truly honoured¡­ . ¡± Feeling touched, Beru was about to kneel down again, but then, Jin-Woo glared at him with a pair of very sharp eyes . ¡°Hang on a minute . You know, your vocabulary seems to be increasing every day . You haven¡¯t devoured someone else somewhere, have you?¡± Beru¡¯s shoulders flinched somewhat, but Jin-Woo soon let go of the matter . He clenched his fists and issued his order again, instead . ¡°Remember to hit me with everything you have . ¡± ¡°If my Sovereign¡¯s wills it, then I shall follow¡­ . ¡± Beru raised his head as his claws lengthened . ¡°Kiiiieeehhk-!!¡± There was no burden on Beru as he knew that his claws would never touch his Sovereign . Jin-Woo grinned after seeing that and nodded his head . This was what he wanted, anyway . ¡°Kiiieehhk!¡± Along with the thunderous roar that shook the interior of the gymnasium, Beru pounced on his master . * Boom! Beru slammed down on the floor and was laid out flat on his back . ¡°K-kiiieck¡­ . ¡± 127 times fought, 127 times defeated . Indeed, even though he threw everything he had, he failed to touch even the hair on his master¡¯s body . In the last few days that Beru didn¡¯t see his king, Jin-Woo had become far stronger than ever before . The display of power today only deepened the level of respect and loyalty Beru held towards his king . While the former ant king remained sprawled on the floor unable to move, Jin-Woo settled down next to him . There were a few strands of sweat on his forehead . But this was as far as he could take it . If he moved any harder than this, then this gymnasium would have been demolished in no time at all . Jin-Woo remained seated and stared into the far distance . Beru silently sat back up and knelt down before asking him . ¡°Oh, my king¡­ Is there a matter that¡¯s troubling you?¡± ¡°Troubling me, is it?¡± ¡°A portion of our consciousness and the Sovereign¡¯s are connected as one . The king¡¯s troubles are transmitted as pain to us, the subjects . ¡± ¡°¡­¡± To think, he¡¯d get consoled by a Shadow Soldier . Not only that, from a dude who originally was an insect, too . Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t help but form a wry smirk . Now normally, he¡¯d simply chuckle and put the matter to bed, but this time, things were a little different . ¡°There¡¯s something I want to do, but I¡¯m not sure how I should go about doing that . ¡± The events taking place in Japan were, strictly speaking, someone else¡¯s troubles . Who knew what kind of dangers were in hiding and waiting for him there? Besides, it wasn¡¯t as if he could resolve every single incident that happened in the world, either . And not to forget, there was that resolved emotional baggage between the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association and its Japanese counterpart to consider, as well . All these thoughts only served to make the inside of his head more complicated than ever before . It was then, Beru suddenly raised his head . ¡°Oh, my king!¡± Jin-Woo looked at Beru with surprised eyes . This was the first time this guy expressed his thoughts this strongly ever since becoming a Shadow Soldier . ¡°Nothing must become a hindrance in the path of my king . ¡± Beru¡¯s voice filled with conviction made him sound more like a close aide that stayed by Jin-Woo¡¯s side for a long time rather than a monster that got turned into a Shadow Solder recently . ¡°The one that does what he wants to . That is what it means to be a king . ¡± ¡°Hold on . I keep telling you, I¡¯m not a king . ¡± Indeed, the Class he got coincidentally through the System just so happened to be the Shadow Sovereign . That was all . However, Beru strongly denied Jin-Woo¡¯s assertion . ¡°That is incorrect, my king . My king, you possess the power to achieve anything you desire . ¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes shook around heavily . Ba-thump . For some reason, his heart began pounding away rather violently . ¡°You are, without a doubt, a king . ¡± ¡®That stuff about being a king again . ¡¯ However¡­ . However, his heart that began racing on its own didn¡¯t want to calm down that easily at all . ¡®Anything I desire, is it¡­ . . ¡¯ Jin-Woo shifted his gaze back to the distance, but his eyes were gleaming with a cold light now . *** Next day . The United States of America made her announcement, and the Association President Goh Gun-Hui also clarified the position of the Korean Association . ¡°We will not get involved in Japan¡¯s matters . ¡± Click, click, click, click!! Camera flashes ceaselessly exploded all around him . The Association President then proceeded to reveal every little detail of what the Japanese Hunters were trying to do back then to these reporters . The proofs he presented only solidified the inscrutable truth even further . The CCTV footage of the President of Japanese Association, Matsumoto Shigeo, brazenly yelling at the top of his lungs at his Korean counterpart even after he put into motion such a dastardly scheme left a serious shock to all the reporters watching on . And the Japanese reporters, hoping for South Korea to come to their aid, could only watch the footage with utter devastation . Before long, their hands holding the cameras were pointing down to the floor . Only a short moment ago the Americans said that they couldn¡¯t help Japan . In such a situation, the explosive revelations from the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association were no different from passing a death sentence to the Japanese people . Thick, burning tears began falling from the eyes of the Japanese reporters . ¡°¡­ . . This is everything I wanted to say . ¡± The Association President Goh Gun-Hui finished saying what he came to say . Normally, this would be the time when countless questions started inundating him, but no reporter present here could unshackle their mouths from the nasty shock and astonishment to do so . The poor atmosphere of the press conference was broadcast live to the rest of the country through the various TV cameras . Only then did the viewers watching on realise why the Koreans had maintained their silence over the crisis unfolding in Japan . But then¡­ . ¡°However¡­ . ¡± Goh Gun-Hui looked as if he¡¯d be turning around to leave as the press conference had come to an end but then, he continued to speak on . ¡°This is the decision of the Hunter¡¯s Association, and ours alone . We won¡¯t stop any individual Hunters from doing what they wish to do . ¡± What was he even talking about now? Noisy, noisy¡­ . Like animals lazily waking up from their winter hibernation, the reporters still frozen in shock began slowly exchanging glances with each other again . ¡°There is one such person . There is one Hunter who wishes to go to Japan and get rid of the Giant monsters . ¡± Who could that be? Who wanted to head to Japan under the current situation all by himself? The bottomed-out atmosphere of the press conference venue suddenly began boiling over . Even the Japanese reporters shedding tears raised their cameras with their trembling hands . ¡®Please¡­ Please¡­ . !¡¯ The lone strand of hope was busy hammering away in their hearts now . One of the Korean reporters raised his hand up . The Association President pointed to this man . Perhaps fearing that his turn would be snatched away from him, he quickly asked his question . ¡°Just who is this Hunter?¡± The attention of everyone present in the venue was directed to Goh Gun-Hui . He took his time for a moment or two, before pressing his lips as close to the mic as possible . ¡°It¡¯s Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡± Click, click, click, click, click, click!! That one sentence caused hundreds of cameras to explode in a wall of blinding flashes . < Chapter 169 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 169: Chapter 169 In the venue for the press conference held by the American Hunter Bureau The United States of America had opened her mouth to make her statement ¡°We¡¯re currently gathering Hunters to one location . ¡±. Was America finally revealing her hand in order to save Japan?. Reporters had all rushed to attend this press conference after the Hunter Bureau announced that they would clarify their position . They all cried out in elation from this announcement as if this matter concerned them personally No one alive would wish for tens of millions, no, hundreds of millions of people to die a gruesome death . That was why these reporters were so enthusiastic about this announcement As the atmosphere within the press conference venue heated up to an astounding degree, the spokesperson ruefully shook his head ¡°However, it¡¯s not for Japan¡¯s sake . ¡±. What was that?. The gathered reporters began exchanging glances as hushed murmurs grew louder . It seemed that no one present here had received any prior warning about this as they were all cautiously looking at each other¡¯s reactions right now The spokesperson pointed to the giant screen behind him ¡°¡­ . Heok!!¡±. ¡°What the hell¡­¡±. The mouths of the reporters were clamped shut by the image now shown on that screen The chaotic atmosphere cooled down in an instant and it was replaced by deathly silence instead . And then, as this weighty silence persisted, shocked gasps could occasionally be heard in between The prepared footage indeed carried that much of an impact ¡°This is the image of the Gate discovered earlier today in eastern Maryland . ¡±. The size of the Gate was not normal . It was smaller than the one in Japan, but still, its sheer scale was uncommonly massive The rank of a Gate didn¡¯t always match up to its size . But then again, a Gate with an enormous size never led to a low-ranked dungeon, either The spokesperson continued on with his explanation ¡°According to the measurement taken by our investigative team, this Gate is also a rank S, exactly like the one that has appeared in Japan . This nation¡¯s top Hunters will focus all their efforts in closing this Gate, instead . ¡±. Some reporters covered their faces, some shook their heads in helplessness, some spat out pained sighs to display the despair each of them felt in that moment An unprecedented event of two rank S Gates being generated close to one another had taken place Of course, the United States of America wasn¡¯t worried in the slightest . It was now time for the dozens of rank S Hunters she had reeled in from all over the world to step forward and easily take care of this Gate The problem was with Japan ¡®America doesn¡¯t have the spare manpower to aid Japan . ¡¯. When this horrifying piece of news finally made its way over to Japan, the Japanese people desperately praying for the Americans¡¯ aid all cried out in despair Japan was finished The Giant-type monsters were advancing south as it destroyed everything in their path . People escaping up north were slowly but surely being forced onto a cliff, as well In this situation, Korea finally broke her silence over the matter and clarified her position as well Goh Gun-Hui stood in front of the reporters and spoke up ¡°We will not get involved in Japan¡¯s matters . ¡±. ***. A day before the press conference Just like any other day, the wide-open office space of the Ah-Jin Guild was occupied by only two people ¨C Jin-Woo and Yu Jin-Ho The latter¡¯s eyes sparkled brightly ¡°Hyung-nim? A rank B Gate just became available . Should I book it?¡±. ¡°Is it within the Hunters Guild¡¯s jurisdiction?¡±. ¡°Pardon? Oh, yes it is, hyung-nim . ¡±. ¡°In that case, don¡¯t . ¡±. ¡°Oh¡­ . okay . I got it, hyung-nim . ¡±. Having sacrificed a lot of her elite Hunters, the Hunters Guild would be going through a seriously hectic time now . It¡¯d not look good if Jin-Woo¡¯s Guild swooped in to take advantage of the situation and stole a Gate from under their noses Yu Jin-Ho scratched the side of his head before shifting his head over to Jin-Woo ¡°Hyung-nim? What have you been you looking at so intently like that?¡±. Jin-Woo tore his eyes away from the computer screen and leaned his back against the chair ¡°Hey, Jin-Ho?¡±. ¡°Yes, hyung-nim?¡±. ¡°Should I go over to Japan for a while?¡±. ¡°Excuse me?¡±. Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s expression hardened Of course, he hadn¡¯t forgotten just who was saying those words . He had seen hyung-nim¡¯s amazing feats closer than anyone else out there However, common sense simply didn¡¯t apply to rank S Gates . It was impossible to measure, to begin with . Didn¡¯t that imply such a Gate was beyond the scope of what¡¯s considered normal?. Just like how there was an unscalable wall even among the rank S Hunters, no one could tell just what kind of dangerous monsters would pop out from a Gate that was impossible to measure And that was why Yu Jin-Ho simply couldn¡¯t think of Jin-Woo¡¯s words of going to Japan as him simply kidding around Abruptly, his head shifted over to the computer screen Jin-Woo was looking at ¡®Ah¡­ . ¡¯. It was filled with the breaking news regarding Japan ¡®Hyung-nim was worried about them . ¡¯. Unlike Yu Jin-Ho, hyung-nim possessed incredible powers . It was quite obvious that he¡¯d also suffer from the distress that the responsibility of his power level brought along ¡°Hyung-nim, hold up . ¡±. ¡°Mm?¡±. Jin-Woo only lightly threw that suggestion out but Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s reactions were rather serious Yu Jin-Ho vacated his spot and hurriedly extracted a photo album from the file cabinet before bringing it over . When he flipped that thick book open, all sorts of newspaper articles were clipped onto its pages ¡®What¡¯s this¡­ . ?¡¯. All of them were articles related to Jin-Woo From the incident of the Red Gate ¨C which the media still didn¡¯t know that Jin-Woo was a part of ¨C to the raid of Jeju Island; when he solved the issue of the traffic jam; and even when he took care of the strange, unidentifiable stone statues alongside the Hunters Guild recently, too Jin-Woo was dumbfounded by this spectacle and asked Yu Jin-Ho ¡°You were collecting all of these?¡±. ¡°Yes, hyung-nim . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s face was slightly flushed red ¡°Okay, fine . But, why are you showing me this all of a sudden?¡±. ¡°You know what the common theme among these articles is, hyung-nim?¡±. ¡°I wonder¡­ . ?¡±. ¡®¡­ . Surely, he¡¯s not trying to say that I¡¯m involved in all these incidents . ¡¯. A short while later, Yu Jin-Ho spoke with a voice softer than the buzzing of a mosquito ¡°It¡¯s that I¡¯m nowhere to be found in all of them, hyung-nim . ¡±. If it weren¡¯t for Jin-Woo¡¯s high Perception reinforcing his hearing, he¡¯d have missed that voice ¡°What?!¡±. Jin-Woo looked back, and Yu Jin-Ho raised his drooped head and stared straight into the former¡¯s eyes ¡°Hyung-nim . If you¡¯re planning to go to Japan, please take me along with you . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . ??¡±. Jin-Woo was baffled here He expected Yu Jin-Ho to either stop him or cheer him on when he said he¡¯d be heading over to Japan, but never did he imagine the kid would say ¡®Take me with you!¡¯. However, Yu Jin-Ho was being dead serious ¡°Although it is embarrassing to say this out loud, hyung-nim, you¡¯re my pride . You¡¯re the only thing that I can proudly boast about to other people, you know . ¡±. ¡°But, you¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo quickly shut his mouth up Yu Jin-Ho looked outwardly as if he had possessed more than anyone else in the world . According to his own words, however, all of those were shackles that only managed to torment him, and to him, they were nothing to be proud about But then, it was Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s own decision to stick around Jin-Woo, and then to continue developing the Ah-Jin Guild . All his, and no one else¡¯s Jin-Woo could more or less understand where Yu Jin-Ho was coming from when he said this was his sole source of pride ¡°That is why I¡¯d like to be there where you are, hyung-nim . Please, please take me with you, hyung-nim . ¡±. ¡°You, you haven¡¯t forgotten where I want to go, right?¡±. Even if Yu Jin-Ho was a na?ve, immature kid, he surely would have heard about what was happening in Japan That place was currently a true hell on earth . Demons called ¡®Giants¡¯ were judging mankind in the most gruesome manner imaginable Even then, Yu Jin-Ho nodded his head with a determined expression on his face ¡°As long as you¡¯re unhurt, hyung-nim, I¡¯ll be alright as well . If you get hurt somehow¡­ eiii, I don¡¯t wanna even think about that . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho looked back with a strong light of trust burning in his eyes The feeling you¡¯d get from someone trusting you to such an extent certainly couldn¡¯t be described as bad in any shape or form Jin-Woo felt this strange warmth tickling him in his chest and he happily ruffled Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s hair . The latter was flustered but he didn¡¯t withdraw his head ¡°H-hyung-nim?!¡±. ¡°I was only joking, you know? Why would ever I go to Japan when times are like this?¡±. Jin-Woo stood up from his spot ¡°Hey, that¡¯s enough for today . Let¡¯s just go home . You worked hard anyway . ¡±. ¡°Uh? You¡¯re going home already, hyung-nim?¡±. Jin-Woo stepped outside the office door while waving his hands . Yu Jin-Ho bowed his waist deeply to send him off ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, hyung-nim!¡±. ***. Clunk Jin-Woo stepped into his house A truly mouth-watering savoury scent of stew tickled his nostrils . He stood on the spot and soaked in the evening¡¯s smell ¡®This is so good . ¡¯. One of the great things about mom being discharged from the hospital was that now, he had someone to welcome him back home every day . The dark and quiet home of the past no longer existed in his life . Not anymore ¡°Son, you¡¯re home?¡±. He heard his mother¡¯s voice coming from the kitchen ¡°Yes, Mom . ¡±. He took off his shoes and neatly arranged them before walking into the kitchen himself . His mother was looking behind her and he sent her a smile as a greeting ¡°I¡¯m home . ¡±. ¡°Will you eat dinner?¡±. ¡°Yes . What about Jin-Ah, though?¡±. ¡°She says she¡¯s got no appetite . ¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s hand suddenly stopped before it finished pulling out his chair ¡°Even now?¡±. ¡°She couldn¡¯t get a wink of sleep last night . She only fell asleep not too long ago . ¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. Jin-Woo hid his presence and cautiously opened the door to his sister¡¯s room ¡°Mm¡­ Mm¡­ ¡±. Jin-Ah was rolling around in her bed, struggling to fall into a deeper slumber . She normally maintained such a bright appearance, but it seemed that she hadn¡¯t gotten over her mental trauma yet ¡®Then again¡­ . She had to go through such an experience, didn¡¯t she . ¡¯. His rage towards monsters boiled over whenever he saw how much his sister was struggling like this Why were those things endlessly tormenting humanity?. It was then, Jin-Woo recalled the sight of those silver-clad winged soldiers pouring out from the Gates in the sky to sweep away the monsters . The army with its unfathomable size, burning with clear animosity against the horde of monsters . If such an army actually existed, then¡­ ¡®Are they our allies?¡¯. Wasn¡¯t there an old saying about an enemy of an enemy being a friend?. Jin-Woo studied his sleeping sister quietly for a little while, before closing the door behind him *. ¡°Thank you for the meal . ¡±. After finishing his dinner, Jin-Woo headed off to the Association¡¯s gymnasium to get a little bit of exercise in . It indeed proved to be really convenient to have a Shadow Soldier stationed inside the gymnasium Sweating a lot was the best cure when one¡¯s head became clogged full of complicated thoughts . And so, he wanted to sweat buckets for the first time in a while Jin-Woo summoned Beru out As he began to lightly loosen his body, the former king of the ants politely knelt before him and lowered his head ¡°Oh, my king¡­¡±. Beru was the sole soldier among Jin-Woo¡¯s Shadow Army that could withstand his attacks, at least for a little while . But even he flinched grandly after sensing the extent of Jin-Woo¡¯s change and shuddered where he stood ¡°I offer my unreserved congratulations, my king . I sense from you a far greater amount of power than ever before . ¡±. Beru sensed an electrifying shiver run down his body after sensing that incredible amount of magic energy oozing out of the ¡®Black Heart¡¯ . His head, still lowered to the ground, was trembling noticeably now Jin-Woo didn¡¯t summon his Shadow Soldier out to boast of his growth, though . He gestured to Beru to stand up ¡°¡­ . ??¡±. The former ant king tilted his head after picking up Jin-Woo¡¯s worried eyes, which would be the first time he had sensed such a thing ever since becoming a part of the Shadow Army Jin-Woo spoke under his breath ¡°Attack me with everything you have . ¡±. ¡°Oh, my king . How dare I even¡­ ¡±. ¡°It¡¯s fine . I just want to shed some sweat for a little while . And you know no one else besides you can do that . ¡±. ¡°I¡­ I am truly honoured¡­ . ¡±. Feeling touched, Beru was about to kneel down again, but then, Jin-Woo glared at him with a pair of very sharp eyes ¡°Hang on a minute . You know, your vocabulary seems to be increasing every day . You haven¡¯t devoured someone else somewhere, have you?¡±. Beru¡¯s shoulders flinched somewhat, but Jin-Woo soon let go of the matter . He clenched his fists and issued his order again, instead ¡°Remember to hit me with everything you have . ¡±. ¡°If my Sovereign¡¯s wills it, then I shall follow¡­ . ¡±. Beru raised his head as his claws lengthened ¡°Kiiiieeehhk-!!¡±. There was no burden on Beru as he knew that his claws would never touch his Sovereign . Jin-Woo grinned after seeing that and nodded his head . This was what he wanted, anyway ¡°Kiiieehhk!¡±. Along with the thunderous roar that shook the interior of the gymnasium, Beru pounced on his master *. Boom!. Beru slammed down on the floor and was laid out flat on his back ¡°K-kiiieck¡­ . ¡±. 127 times fought, 127 times defeated Indeed, even though he threw everything he had, he failed to touch even the hair on his master¡¯s body . In the last few days that Beru didn¡¯t see his king, Jin-Woo had become far stronger than ever before The display of power today only deepened the level of respect and loyalty Beru held towards his king While the former ant king remained sprawled on the floor unable to move, Jin-Woo settled down next to him . There were a few strands of sweat on his forehead . But this was as far as he could take it If he moved any harder than this, then this gymnasium would have been demolished in no time at all Jin-Woo remained seated and stared into the far distance Beru silently sat back up and knelt down before asking him ¡°Oh, my king¡­ Is there a matter that¡¯s troubling you?¡±. ¡°Troubling me, is it?¡±. ¡°A portion of our consciousness and the Sovereign¡¯s are connected as one . The king¡¯s troubles are transmitted as pain to us, the subjects . ¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. To think, he¡¯d get consoled by a Shadow Soldier . Not only that, from a dude who originally was an insect, too . Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t help but form a wry smirk Now normally, he¡¯d simply chuckle and put the matter to bed, but this time, things were a little different ¡°There¡¯s something I want to do, but I¡¯m not sure how I should go about doing that . ¡±. The events taking place in Japan were, strictly speaking, someone else¡¯s troubles Who knew what kind of dangers were in hiding and waiting for him there? Besides, it wasn¡¯t as if he could resolve every single incident that happened in the world, either And not to forget, there was that resolved emotional baggage between the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association and its Japanese counterpart to consider, as well All these thoughts only served to make the inside of his head more complicated than ever before It was then, Beru suddenly raised his head ¡°Oh, my king!¡±. Jin-Woo looked at Beru with surprised eyes . This was the first time this guy expressed his thoughts this strongly ever since becoming a Shadow Soldier ¡°Nothing must become a hindrance in the path of my king . ¡±. Beru¡¯s voice filled with conviction made him sound more like a close aide that stayed by Jin-Woo¡¯s side for a long time rather than a monster that got turned into a Shadow Solder recently ¡°The one that does what he wants to . That is what it means to be a king . ¡±. ¡°Hold on . I keep telling you, I¡¯m not a king . ¡±. Indeed, the Class he got coincidentally through the System just so happened to be the Shadow Sovereign . That was all However, Beru strongly denied Jin-Woo¡¯s assertion ¡°That is incorrect, my king . My king, you possess the power to achieve anything you desire . ¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes shook around heavily Ba-thump For some reason, his heart began pounding away rather violently ¡°You are, without a doubt, a king . ¡±. ¡®That stuff about being a king again . ¡¯. However¡­ However, his heart that began racing on its own didn¡¯t want to calm down that easily at all ¡®Anything I desire, is it¡­ ¡¯. Jin-Woo shifted his gaze back to the distance, but his eyes were gleaming with a cold light now ***. Next day The United States of America made her announcement, and the Association President Goh Gun-Hui also clarified the position of the Korean Association ¡°We will not get involved in Japan¡¯s matters . ¡±. Click, click, click, click!!. Camera flashes ceaselessly exploded all around him The Association President then proceeded to reveal every little detail of what the Japanese Hunters were trying to do back then to these reporters . The proofs he presented only solidified the inscrutable truth even further The CCTV footage of the President of Japanese Association, Matsumoto Shigeo, brazenly yelling at the top of his lungs at his Korean counterpart even after he put into motion such a dastardly scheme left a serious shock to all the reporters watching on And the Japanese reporters, hoping for South Korea to come to their aid, could only watch the footage with utter devastation Before long, their hands holding the cameras were pointing down to the floor Only a short moment ago the Americans said that they couldn¡¯t help Japan . In such a situation, the explosive revelations from the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association were no different from passing a death sentence to the Japanese people . Thick, burning tears began falling from the eyes of the Japanese reporters ¡°¡­ This is everything I wanted to say . ¡±. The Association President Goh Gun-Hui finished saying what he came to say Normally, this would be the time when countless questions started inundating him, but no reporter present here could unshackle their mouths from the nasty shock and astonishment to do so The poor atmosphere of the press conference was broadcast live to the rest of the country through the various TV cameras . Only then did the viewers watching on realise why the Koreans had maintained their silence over the crisis unfolding in Japan But then¡­ ¡°However¡­ . ¡±. Goh Gun-Hui looked as if he¡¯d be turning around to leave as the press conference had come to an end but then, he continued to speak on ¡°This is the decision of the Hunter¡¯s Association, and ours alone . We won¡¯t stop any individual Hunters from doing what they wish to do . ¡±. What was he even talking about now?. Noisy, noisy¡­ Like animals lazily waking up from their winter hibernation, the reporters still frozen in shock began slowly exchanging glances with each other again ¡°There is one such person . There is one Hunter who wishes to go to Japan and get rid of the Giant monsters . ¡±. Who could that be?. Who wanted to head to Japan under the current situation all by himself?. The bottomed-out atmosphere of the press conference venue suddenly began boiling over . Even the Japanese reporters shedding tears raised their cameras with their trembling hands ¡®Please¡­ Please¡­ . !¡¯. The lone strand of hope was busy hammering away in their hearts now One of the Korean reporters raised his hand up . The Association President pointed to this man . Perhaps fearing that his turn would be snatched away from him, he quickly asked his question ¡°Just who is this Hunter?¡±. The attention of everyone present in the venue was directed to Goh Gun-Hui . He took his time for a moment or two, before pressing his lips as close to the mic as possible ¡°It¡¯s Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡±. Click, click, click, click, click, click!!. That one sentence caused hundreds of cameras to explode in a wall of blinding flashes < Chapter 169 > Fin Chapter 170 ¡°It¡¯s Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡± Hunters of the world got to hear the voice of the Association President, Goh Gun-Hui . Some through the breaking news coverage, some through being contacted by someone else, and some through video file sharing sites . And their reactions were almost identical . ¨C He wants to go to Japan in such times? ¨C What is he thinking? These Hunters also knew . They knew that it¡¯d be difficult to imagine just how grand the Japanese government¡¯s financial reward be like if they managed to put out the urgent fire burning down their country right now . However, no sane-minded governments out there would want to throw their top-ranked Hunters into a crisis of an unprecedented scale like this one . The lessons learned from subjugating the monster of the rank S Gate, ¡®Kamish¡¯, the creature that managed to decrease the number of top Hunters in the world by a great deal, had made the Hunter communities rather closed and uncooperative in nature . So, the current situation was, no one could go even if they wanted to . But then again, who¡¯d actually want to go even if they were allowed in the first place? ¡°It¡¯s just sheer madness . ¡± Rank S Hunters possessing American citizenship had begun gathering in the most luxurious hotel in the State of Maryland by the time news broke from South Korea and indeed, they all got to hear it . Most of them had received a boost to their abilities through the power of ¡®Upgrader¡¯, Madam Selner . It wouldn¡¯t be much of a stretch of one¡¯s imagination to call this gathering as the world¡¯s greatest armed force . And, it was precisely a gathering of such individuals that they could simply laugh off the story of some nameless Hunter living in a small Asian nation . ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long since his Re-Awakening, and he¡¯s already drunk with his own powers . ¡± ¡°That idiot, maybe he thinks fighting some measly bugs is the same as fighting against Giant monsters?¡± ¡°A Hunter who overestimates his ability will die 100% of the time . Who knew that the fame he got from killing the ants would end up shortening his life . How ironic . ¡± All these people had seen Jin-Woo¡¯s brilliant performance in Jeju Island . The power ¡®Seong Jin-Woo¡¯ possessed was certainly quite strong . However, the race of Giants was a whole different ball game . Ants pushed forward with their overwhelming advantage in numbers, and that was why his ability to summon out countless creatures worked so well against them . Even if he was physically strong, could he be able to fight alone against the Giant monsters, each one of them powerful enough to appear as bosses of the hardest difficulty dungeons found in the rank A Gates? Besides, what about the boss-level Giant that used some truly astonishing agility to snatch up Yuri Orlov? That movement reminded one of a wild beast, not a humanoid creature . Such a huge creature possessing incredible speed and agility ¨C how could a single Hunter kill a monster like that? These American Hunters jokingly began making bets . ¡°I bet my yacht on him getting killed in less than one day . ¡± ¡°I bet my mansion on two days . ¡± ¡°Well then, I¡­ . ¡± It was then . ¡°Will that really happen, I wonder?¡± Thomas Andre, quietly dining all by himself in the corner, lowered his utensils and opened his mouth . He was one of the five Special Authority-rank Hunters in existence . Strong Awakened continued to appear after the ¡®Kamish¡¯ subjugation operation had ended, but none were able to exceed the levels of those Hunters who managed to survive the worst crisis to go down in the history of mankind . When such a man formed a smirk, everyone else ceased their useless banter right away . ¡°I shall bet the Scavenger Guild on him surviving till the end . ¡± He leisurely scanned the other Hunters from beneath his sunglasses and left the restaurant . ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­ . . ¡± Once he left, the uncomfortable silence descended on the crowd . Eventually, though, one of the Hunters frowned in dissatisfaction and broke this stifling quietness . ¡°That man, he just knows how to ruin the atmosphere, doesn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°This ain¡¯t the first time that freak did this, anyway . It¡¯s better to just forget about him, man . ¡± ¡°Right . Even if that Korean Hunter is really strong, it¡¯s almost impossible for him to stop all those rank S Giants alone . ¡± A Hunter listening quietly to the side chimed in just then . ¡°I heard that he¡¯s not alone, though? That another Hunter is going with him?¡± It was as they suspected . Even if that Korean was a madman, surely he¡¯d not think of walking into hell all by himself . Other Hunters nodded their heads, and one of them threw a question . ¡°Which other stupid rank S is following him now?¡± ¡°No, I hear it¡¯s not a rank S . ¡± The three Hunters listening began exchanging strange glances . That Korean was going to fight rank S Giants, yet he was taking along a Hunter who was ranked below S?! ¡°Is he taking a rank A Healer, then?¡± ¡°Nope . A rank D Tanker named Yu Jin-Ho or something . ¡± As if they had made a prior arrangement, the three Hunters all forgot what they wanted to say and kept their mouths shut . This Hunter named Seong Jin-Woo, he must¡¯ve misplaced not just one screw, but several of them in his head . Maybe, these crazies all shared some sort of an understanding? A single thought brushed past the brains of these three Hunters that just maybe, it might not be a coincidence that Thomas Andre happened to support Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s endeavour . *** Incheon International Airport . ¡°Ah, hold on . We¡¯re passing through!¡± Yu Jin-Ho parted the sea of people blocking his path and walked forward in an imposing manner . A huge pair of sunglasses hid his face, and both of his hands were carrying two suitcases packed full of their gear . The determination oozing out of his expression was serious enough to shame the top movie star about to make his grand appearance in the climactic battle scene . ¡°We¡¯re passing through-!!¡± Yu Jin-Ho carved out a path, and Jin-Woo wordlessly followed behind . Click, click, click, click, click!! Reporters continued to click away with their cameras, afraid that they might miss even a second of Jin-Woo . Quite unlike Yu Jin-Ho, who was quite clearly excited about the trip, he remained calm and collected, though . Japan had sent a private plane once they heard the news of Jin-Woo wanting to go there . And of course, all entry procedures had been wavered away, as well . Just before he climbed aboard the plane, Jin-Woo discovered a couple of familiar faces coming to see him off . They belonged to the Association President Goh Gun-Hui as well as Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol . They exchanged simple nods as their greeting and huddled together to converse among themselves . It was rather chaotic inside the airport, but all three of them were top Hunters with highly-attuned senses . So, there was no need for them to raise their voices high . Goh Gun-Hui was first to speak, his expression still one of rueful unwillingness . ¡°Even now, I wish I could change your mind . ¡± Jin-Woo could be seen as the strongest fighting force out of all the Hunters that South Korea currently possessed . Rather obviously, Goh Gun-Hui didn¡¯t want to let such an asset travel somewhere else . Put bluntly, who could tell what might happen in South Korea during his absence? Unfortunately, Jin-Woo had made up his mind already . ¡°I¡¯m sorry . I want to go there . ¡± He wanted to kill those Giants and raise his level, as well as to increase the number of his Shadow Soldiers . This was the reason why he demanded all rights to these monsters be handed over to him, and the Japanese government welcomed that very obvious demand with wide open arms . Goh Gun-Hui let a genial chuckle escape from his mouth . ¡°Is it because of the monsters over there?¡± Jin-Woo grinned as well . ¡°I simply wish to fight against the monsters . ¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what you wish for, then there¡¯s nothing we can do . ¡± Goh Gun-Hui extended his hand out and Jin-Woo firmly shook that hand . As their clenched hands rose and fell, the former bade his earnest goodbye . ¡°I pray that you¡¯ll come back to us safe and sound . ¡± Click, click, click, click, click!! Hundreds of camera lenses captured the sight of these two men shaking their hands in its full glory . *** The news of Jin-Woo coming over became the sole ray of hope in the storm of darkness for the Japanese survivors . Those few still-remaining TV stations continued to play the footage related to Jin-Woo over and over again . People watched his feats and continued to hold on to this renewed thread of hope . They all felt this electrifying jolt course through their bodies whenever the rank S ant monsters were swept away in their TV screens . Many Japanese who didn¡¯t show much interest during the Korea-Japan united raid operation now clung desperately to the rebroadcast of that raid . And as the news that the Giants¡¯ relentless march southward had picked up its pace entered their ears, their desperation also grew heavier and heavier as well . ¡°They said that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo has arrived in Japan!¡± A young boy shouted out as he listened to a radio . The complexions of people around him brightened in an instant . However, not everyone had discovered the ray of hope, unfortunately . Those trapped in locations where electricity and gas supply had been cut off from the attacks of the Giants, they weren¡¯t able to hear about the arrival of the timely help . Instead, their sole ray of hope remained with the arrival of the rescue party . ¡°The JSDF is here!¡± Two soldiers carrying pale faces stepped into a small rural nursing hospital run by an old couple . The aged doctor and his wife let out a sigh of relief after seeing the young soldiers, as they had been praying for the rescue parties to come by . Unfortunately for them, the situation was not as good as they have been hoping for . The soldiers shook their heads helplessly . ¡°We simply don¡¯t have the space to carry every patient you have . At a push, we can only accommodate three, four more . ¡± The old lady addressed the soldiers . ¡°But, that can¡¯t be¡­ . We have over ten patients who suffer from mobility issues . ¡± The old doctor nodded his head in agreement . Regardless, the young soldiers from the JSDF stomped their feet in anxiety . ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time to worry about those people who might die any second, anyway! Giants are heading this way as we speak!¡± The young JSDF soldier, his face caked with sweat, got angry and shouted out . The residents of the surrounding area had been evacuated already . This was the sole place where the scent of humans could be found, so it was only a matter of time before a Giant would show up here . The old doctor looked down at the floor for a moment or two, before raising his head up . ¡°I can¡¯t abandon my patients . My wife and I have promised that we¡¯ll stay by the sides of our patients until the end . ¡± The doctor¡¯s voice carried his strong determination . The two young soldiers glared angrily at the doctor, but in the end, had no choice but to pick up their walkie-talkies . ¡°¡­ . Civilians have refused to be evacuated . We are withdrawing from this location . ¡± They deliberately spoke loudly as if to let others hear them, and urgently left the building once they finished their communication . Soon, the sound of the car¡¯s ignition coming to life could be heard . The old couple sighed at length and quietly consoled each other . But then, one of the soldiers they thought had left suddenly rushed back inside . He was carrying a cocked rifle to boot, as well . ¡°W-what are you doing?¡± The old couple was taken greatly by surprise and held onto each other . The soldier yelled out loudly, veins popping up on his throat . ¡°If you stay here, Giants will rip you to death! Rather than dying such gruesome deaths, it¡¯s better to just die by my hand!¡± The muzzle was pointed at the old doctor before shifting over to his wife next . The old couple flinched every time that happened . ¡°This is your final warning . Will you come with us? Or will you die by my hand?¡± The young soldier stopped talking there and took aim with his gun . The old couple didn¡¯t say anything for a long while . How could they not know that the young man in front of their eyes wanted to take them with him? However, the old couple couldn¡¯t reply that easily . Because, doing that would be akin to turning his back on his belief, the one that led him to serve his community and its people for his entire life . ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Moments that felt like an eternity passed them by . The young soldier¡¯s face was already a mess of dried sweat, but then, another thick strand of fresh sweat rolled down his forehead . It travelled along his brow and entered his eye, blurring his vision and stinging him somewhat in the process . He furrowed his brows just then . Then, this happened . Growl . The young soldier¡¯s stomach let the world know of his hunger . However, he didn¡¯t pay any attention to that and maintained his murderous gaze . But then¡­ . ¡°Excuse me, young man . ¡± The young soldier was taken greatly by surprise by the sudden voice coming from his side and quickly took aim at the sickbed . ¡°W-what do you want?¡± In that darkened corner of the hospital ward, a grandmother was sitting on one of the sickbeds . She quietly pushed forward a tray . There was a couple of ¡®onigiri¡¯ on it . The grandma offered them with a gentle smile . ¡°If you¡¯re hungry, eat these . I just can¡¯t work up an appetite nowadays . ¡± ¡°¡­¡± Only then did the young soldier lower his rifle . ¡°Come . Hurry . ¡± As he received the onigiri, the young soldier¡¯s hands trembled . At that moment, he remembered the reason why he decided to put this uniform on in the first place . Didn¡¯t he choose to become a soldier so he could protect and fight for these kind-hearted citizens? Yet, to think, he was about to ignore them and run away just because some monsters were coming to attack this place . He became so deeply ashamed of his powerlessness . Tears he couldn¡¯t understand began streaming down his face . He quietly picked up his walkie-talkie and sent his comrade away . The old doctor was taken by surprise and hurriedly grasped the young soldier¡¯s shoulder . ¡°What are you planning to do, young man?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stay behind with you . ¡± The young soldier of the JSDF slung the rifle over his shoulder . ¡°I am a soldier, sir . I can¡¯t run away by myself knowing that there are citizens remaining here . ¡± He then somehow managed to chew and swallow down the onigiri, even though his throat was currently choked up with emotion . He deeply bowed towards the grandmother . ¡°Thank you for the meal . It was really delicious, ma¡¯am . ¡± It was then . Thud, thud, thud!! The ground began quaking all on their own . The young soldier formed a resolute expression as he ran out of the nursing hospital . He found a single Giant monster approaching this location at a frightening speed . It was crawling on all fours like an actual wild beast . ¡®Isn¡¯t that¡­ . ??¡¯ As the young soldier took aim, his sights spotted something off . The Giant was currently biting on his comrade that had set off a little earlier . The eyes of the young soldier reddened in an instant . ¡°Uwaaaahhh-!!¡± The soldier fired his rifle at the approaching Giant . Blam, blam, blam, blam, blam!! Unfortunately, the weapons of modern civilisation couldn¡¯t harm these monsters . The Giant easily brushed off the hail of bullets and arrived before the young soldier in the blink of an eye . Click, click¡­ The ammo-less rifle could only spit out empty coughs and nothing else . More tears formed in the eyes of the young soldier . ¡®Oh, dear god, please¡­ . ¡¯ The Giant monster raised its head to swallow the human it was gnawing on, before leaping towards the young soldier . It was right at that moment . A massive Naga slammed into the side of the Giant monster without warning . < Chapter 170 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 170: Chapter 170 ¡°It¡¯s Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡±. Hunters of the world got to hear the voice of the Association President, Goh Gun-Hui . Some through the breaking news coverage, some through being contacted by someone else, and some through video file sharing sites And their reactions were almost identical ¨C He wants to go to Japan in such times?. ¨C What is he thinking?. These Hunters also knew They knew that it¡¯d be difficult to imagine just how grand the Japanese government¡¯s financial reward be like if they managed to put out the urgent fire burning down their country right now However, no sane-minded governments out there would want to throw their top-ranked Hunters into a crisis of an unprecedented scale like this one The lessons learned from subjugating the monster of the rank S Gate, ¡®Kamish¡¯, the creature that managed to decrease the number of top Hunters in the world by a great deal, had made the Hunter communities rather closed and uncooperative in nature So, the current situation was, no one could go even if they wanted to . But then again, who¡¯d actually want to go even if they were allowed in the first place?. ¡°It¡¯s just sheer madness . ¡±. Rank S Hunters possessing American citizenship had begun gathering in the most luxurious hotel in the State of Maryland by the time news broke from South Korea and indeed, they all got to hear it Most of them had received a boost to their abilities through the power of ¡®Upgrader¡¯, Madam Selner It wouldn¡¯t be much of a stretch of one¡¯s imagination to call this gathering as the world¡¯s greatest armed force And, it was precisely a gathering of such individuals that they could simply laugh off the story of some nameless Hunter living in a small Asian nation ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long since his Re-Awakening, and he¡¯s already drunk with his own powers . ¡±. ¡°That idiot, maybe he thinks fighting some measly bugs is the same as fighting against Giant monsters?¡±. ¡°A Hunter who overestimates his ability will die 100% of the time . Who knew that the fame he got from killing the ants would end up shortening his life . How ironic . ¡±. All these people had seen Jin-Woo¡¯s brilliant performance in Jeju Island The power ¡®Seong Jin-Woo¡¯ possessed was certainly quite strong . However, the race of Giants was a whole different ball game Ants pushed forward with their overwhelming advantage in numbers, and that was why his ability to summon out countless creatures worked so well against them Even if he was physically strong, could he be able to fight alone against the Giant monsters, each one of them powerful enough to appear as bosses of the hardest difficulty dungeons found in the rank A Gates?. Besides, what about the boss-level Giant that used some truly astonishing agility to snatch up Yuri Orlov? That movement reminded one of a wild beast, not a humanoid creature Such a huge creature possessing incredible speed and agility ¨C how could a single Hunter kill a monster like that?. These American Hunters jokingly began making bets ¡°I bet my yacht on him getting killed in less than one day . ¡±. ¡°I bet my mansion on two days . ¡±. ¡°Well then, I¡­ . ¡±. It was then ¡°Will that really happen, I wonder?¡±. Thomas Andre, quietly dining all by himself in the corner, lowered his utensils and opened his mouth . He was one of the five Special Authority-rank Hunters in existence Strong Awakened continued to appear after the ¡®Kamish¡¯ subjugation operation had ended, but none were able to exceed the levels of those Hunters who managed to survive the worst crisis to go down in the history of mankind When such a man formed a smirk, everyone else ceased their useless banter right away ¡°I shall bet the Scavenger Guild on him surviving till the end . ¡±. He leisurely scanned the other Hunters from beneath his sunglasses and left the restaurant ¡°¡­¡±. ¡°¡­ ¡±. Once he left, the uncomfortable silence descended on the crowd . Eventually, though, one of the Hunters frowned in dissatisfaction and broke this stifling quietness ¡°That man, he just knows how to ruin the atmosphere, doesn¡¯t he?¡±. ¡°This ain¡¯t the first time that freak did this, anyway . It¡¯s better to just forget about him, man . ¡±. ¡°Right . Even if that Korean Hunter is really strong, it¡¯s almost impossible for him to stop all those rank S Giants alone . ¡±. A Hunter listening quietly to the side chimed in just then ¡°I heard that he¡¯s not alone, though? That another Hunter is going with him?¡±. It was as they suspected . Even if that Korean was a madman, surely he¡¯d not think of walking into hell all by himself . Other Hunters nodded their heads, and one of them threw a question ¡°Which other stupid rank S is following him now?¡±. ¡°No, I hear it¡¯s not a rank S . ¡±. The three Hunters listening began exchanging strange glances That Korean was going to fight rank S Giants, yet he was taking along a Hunter who was ranked below S?!. ¡°Is he taking a rank A Healer, then?¡±. ¡°Nope . A rank D Tanker named Yu Jin-Ho or something . ¡±. As if they had made a prior arrangement, the three Hunters all forgot what they wanted to say and kept their mouths shut This Hunter named Seong Jin-Woo, he must¡¯ve misplaced not just one screw, but several of them in his head . Maybe, these crazies all shared some sort of an understanding?. A single thought brushed past the brains of these three Hunters that just maybe, it might not be a coincidence that Thomas Andre happened to support Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s endeavour ***. Incheon International Airport ¡°Ah, hold on . We¡¯re passing through!¡±. Yu Jin-Ho parted the sea of people blocking his path and walked forward in an imposing manner A huge pair of sunglasses hid his face, and both of his hands were carrying two suitcases packed full of their gear The determination oozing out of his expression was serious enough to shame the top movie star about to make his grand appearance in the climactic battle scene ¡°We¡¯re passing through-!!¡±. Yu Jin-Ho carved out a path, and Jin-Woo wordlessly followed behind Click, click, click, click, click!!. Reporters continued to click away with their cameras, afraid that they might miss even a second of Jin-Woo . Quite unlike Yu Jin-Ho, who was quite clearly excited about the trip, he remained calm and collected, though Japan had sent a private plane once they heard the news of Jin-Woo wanting to go there . And of course, all entry procedures had been wavered away, as well Just before he climbed aboard the plane, Jin-Woo discovered a couple of familiar faces coming to see him off . They belonged to the Association President Goh Gun-Hui as well as Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol They exchanged simple nods as their greeting and huddled together to converse among themselves . It was rather chaotic inside the airport, but all three of them were top Hunters with highly-attuned senses . So, there was no need for them to raise their voices high Goh Gun-Hui was first to speak, his expression still one of rueful unwillingness ¡°Even now, I wish I could change your mind . ¡±. Jin-Woo could be seen as the strongest fighting force out of all the Hunters that South Korea currently possessed . Rather obviously, Goh Gun-Hui didn¡¯t want to let such an asset travel somewhere else Put bluntly, who could tell what might happen in South Korea during his absence? Unfortunately, Jin-Woo had made up his mind already ¡°I¡¯m sorry . I want to go there . ¡±. He wanted to kill those Giants and raise his level, as well as to increase the number of his Shadow Soldiers This was the reason why he demanded all rights to these monsters be handed over to him, and the Japanese government welcomed that very obvious demand with wide open arms Goh Gun-Hui let a genial chuckle escape from his mouth ¡°Is it because of the monsters over there?¡±. Jin-Woo grinned as well ¡°I simply wish to fight against the monsters . ¡±. ¡°If that¡¯s what you wish for, then there¡¯s nothing we can do . ¡±. Goh Gun-Hui extended his hand out and Jin-Woo firmly shook that hand . As their clenched hands rose and fell, the former bade his earnest goodbye ¡°I pray that you¡¯ll come back to us safe and sound . ¡±. Click, click, click, click, click!!. Hundreds of camera lenses captured the sight of these two men shaking their hands in its full glory ***. The news of Jin-Woo coming over became the sole ray of hope in the storm of darkness for the Japanese survivors . Those few still-remaining TV stations continued to play the footage related to Jin-Woo over and over again People watched his feats and continued to hold on to this renewed thread of hope They all felt this electrifying jolt course through their bodies whenever the rank S ant monsters were swept away in their TV screens . Many Japanese who didn¡¯t show much interest during the Korea-Japan united raid operation now clung desperately to the rebroadcast of that raid And as the news that the Giants¡¯ relentless march southward had picked up its pace entered their ears, their desperation also grew heavier and heavier as well ¡°They said that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo has arrived in Japan!¡±. A young boy shouted out as he listened to a radio . The complexions of people around him brightened in an instant However, not everyone had discovered the ray of hope, unfortunately Those trapped in locations where electricity and gas supply had been cut off from the attacks of the Giants, they weren¡¯t able to hear about the arrival of the timely help Instead, their sole ray of hope remained with the arrival of the rescue party ¡°The JSDF is here!¡±. Two soldiers carrying pale faces stepped into a small rural nursing hospital run by an old couple The aged doctor and his wife let out a sigh of relief after seeing the young soldiers, as they had been praying for the rescue parties to come by Unfortunately for them, the situation was not as good as they have been hoping for The soldiers shook their heads helplessly ¡°We simply don¡¯t have the space to carry every patient you have . At a push, we can only accommodate three, four more . ¡±. The old lady addressed the soldiers ¡°But, that can¡¯t be¡­ . We have over ten patients who suffer from mobility issues . ¡±. The old doctor nodded his head in agreement . Regardless, the young soldiers from the JSDF stomped their feet in anxiety ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time to worry about those people who might die any second, anyway! Giants are heading this way as we speak!¡±. The young JSDF soldier, his face caked with sweat, got angry and shouted out The residents of the surrounding area had been evacuated already . This was the sole place where the scent of humans could be found, so it was only a matter of time before a Giant would show up here The old doctor looked down at the floor for a moment or two, before raising his head up ¡°I can¡¯t abandon my patients . My wife and I have promised that we¡¯ll stay by the sides of our patients until the end . ¡±. The doctor¡¯s voice carried his strong determination . The two young soldiers glared angrily at the doctor, but in the end, had no choice but to pick up their walkie-talkies ¡°¡­ . Civilians have refused to be evacuated . We are withdrawing from this location . ¡±. They deliberately spoke loudly as if to let others hear them, and urgently left the building once they finished their communication . Soon, the sound of the car¡¯s ignition coming to life could be heard . The old couple sighed at length and quietly consoled each other But then, one of the soldiers they thought had left suddenly rushed back inside . He was carrying a cocked rifle to boot, as well ¡°W-what are you doing?¡±. The old couple was taken greatly by surprise and held onto each other . The soldier yelled out loudly, veins popping up on his throat ¡°If you stay here, Giants will rip you to death! Rather than dying such gruesome deaths, it¡¯s better to just die by my hand!¡±. The muzzle was pointed at the old doctor before shifting over to his wife next . The old couple flinched every time that happened ¡°This is your final warning . Will you come with us? Or will you die by my hand?¡±. The young soldier stopped talking there and took aim with his gun The old couple didn¡¯t say anything for a long while . How could they not know that the young man in front of their eyes wanted to take them with him?. However, the old couple couldn¡¯t reply that easily . Because, doing that would be akin to turning his back on his belief, the one that led him to serve his community and its people for his entire life ¡°¡­¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. Moments that felt like an eternity passed them by The young soldier¡¯s face was already a mess of dried sweat, but then, another thick strand of fresh sweat rolled down his forehead . It travelled along his brow and entered his eye, blurring his vision and stinging him somewhat in the process He furrowed his brows just then . Then, this happened Growl The young soldier¡¯s stomach let the world know of his hunger . However, he didn¡¯t pay any attention to that and maintained his murderous gaze . But then¡­ ¡°Excuse me, young man . ¡±. The young soldier was taken greatly by surprise by the sudden voice coming from his side and quickly took aim at the sickbed ¡°W-what do you want?¡±. In that darkened corner of the hospital ward, a grandmother was sitting on one of the sickbeds . She quietly pushed forward a tray . There was a couple of ¡®onigiri¡¯ on it The grandma offered them with a gentle smile ¡°If you¡¯re hungry, eat these . I just can¡¯t work up an appetite nowadays . ¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. Only then did the young soldier lower his rifle ¡°Come . Hurry . ¡±. As he received the onigiri, the young soldier¡¯s hands trembled . At that moment, he remembered the reason why he decided to put this uniform on in the first place Didn¡¯t he choose to become a soldier so he could protect and fight for these kind-hearted citizens? Yet, to think, he was about to ignore them and run away just because some monsters were coming to attack this place He became so deeply ashamed of his powerlessness Tears he couldn¡¯t understand began streaming down his face He quietly picked up his walkie-talkie and sent his comrade away . The old doctor was taken by surprise and hurriedly grasped the young soldier¡¯s shoulder ¡°What are you planning to do, young man?¡±. ¡°I¡¯ll stay behind with you . ¡±. The young soldier of the JSDF slung the rifle over his shoulder ¡°I am a soldier, sir . I can¡¯t run away by myself knowing that there are citizens remaining here . ¡±. He then somehow managed to chew and swallow down the onigiri, even though his throat was currently choked up with emotion . He deeply bowed towards the grandmother ¡°Thank you for the meal . It was really delicious, ma¡¯am . ¡±. It was then Thud, thud, thud!!. The ground began quaking all on their own The young soldier formed a resolute expression as he ran out of the nursing hospital . He found a single Giant monster approaching this location at a frightening speed . It was crawling on all fours like an actual wild beast ¡®Isn¡¯t that¡­ . ??¡¯. As the young soldier took aim, his sights spotted something off The Giant was currently biting on his comrade that had set off a little earlier . The eyes of the young soldier reddened in an instant ¡°Uwaaaahhh-!!¡±. The soldier fired his rifle at the approaching Giant Blam, blam, blam, blam, blam!!. Unfortunately, the weapons of modern civilisation couldn¡¯t harm these monsters . The Giant easily brushed off the hail of bullets and arrived before the young soldier in the blink of an eye Click, click¡­. The ammo-less rifle could only spit out empty coughs and nothing else . More tears formed in the eyes of the young soldier ¡®Oh, dear god, please¡­ . ¡¯. The Giant monster raised its head to swallow the human it was gnawing on, before leaping towards the young soldier It was right at that moment A massive Naga slammed into the side of the Giant monster without warning < Chapter 170 > Fin Chapter 171 The Giant monster was flung away and violently rolled on the ground, before bouncing back up again with a spring-like movement that didn¡¯t really suit its large frame . ¡°Gururuk . ¡± The Giant monster didn¡¯t immediately counterattack, instead opting to bare its fangs as it remained prone on the ground . Meanwhile, the giant Naga responsible for flinging it away stood before the growling monster . It was none other than ¡®Jima¡¯, previously the boss-level monster of the Naga species that were inducted into the Shadow Army not too long ago . Jima reached his right hand out next to him . When he did, a black spear slowly rose up from the shadow on the ground . Grab! Jima powerfully grasped the spear and aimed the weapon at his front . One could sense his unbreakable will to not let anything pass by him . ¡°Uh¡­ . ? Uh¡­ . . ??¡± The young soldier from the JSDF couldn¡¯t quite figure out whether the spectacle unfolding before his eyes was a dream or reality . To think, a monster was protecting him from another monster right now . He thought he¡¯d end up inside the Giant monster¡¯s mouth for sure . But, having taken a look at the wide, imposing back of the other monster, he felt several powerful emotions welling up from deep within his heart . ¡°Just what is going on here¡­¡± Could they survive? Could they survive against the Giant monster? Not just the young soldier, but the old couple and the patients, too? The soldier¡¯s thoughts reached this point, and suddenly, all the built-up tension left him and tears rushed up to his eyes . ¡°Use this . ¡± Someone pushed forward a colourful handkerchief towards the young soldier . He turned his head to the side to take a look . A youth who looked to be way younger than the soldier pointed at the handkerchief with his chin and nodded his head afterwards . Since this youth didn¡¯t speak in Japanese, the soldier didn¡¯t understand him, but it wasn¡¯t all that hard to figure out what he wanted to say in the first place . ¡®Is he Korean?¡¯ The young soldier wiped the streaming tears away with the offered handkerchief and asked his questions . ¡°By the way¡­ . just who are you? Wait, why are you even here?¡± The Korean youth silently shook his head before raising his thumb up high . ¡°Good . ¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Very Good . ¡± ¡°T-thank¡­ . you, I guess?¡± While the young soldier dazedly expressed his gratitude, another man who seemed to be the comrade of this Korean youth appeared from behind him . Even though this soldier didn¡¯t know a whole lot about Hunters, he saw all the blood splatters on this man¡¯s clothing and realised that he was now looking at a powerful being who existed on another realm altogether from everyone else . ¡°This might get dangerous . ¡± Jin-Woo had taken a look inside the rural clinic before showing up here, and he told Yu Jin-Ho while pointing behind him . ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll have change locations . We¡¯re too close . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho had witnessed the battle against the Giants a few times by now so he figured out what Jin-Woo was saying almost immediately . ¡°I¡¯ll be on standby over here, hyung-nim . ¡± ¡°Right . ¡± Jin-Woo looked at the young soldier next and saw his scared eyes . He walked past the soldier and lightly patted the scared, tearful Japanese man on the shoulder . The gesture meant to say that the soldier had done excellent work . What he did, standing off against a monster all by himself with just a single rifle, was not something any regular person could even try to imitate . Jin-Woo had entered many dungeons as a rank E himself so he knew better than anyone just how courageous this soldier had been . The young JSDF soldier looked at the back of Jin-Woo walking by and let out a gasp of admiration . ¡°Ah . ¡± That weightiness brushing past his shoulder, and that warmth from his hand . Just a single touch, and the terror he felt forcing him to get ready for his demise completely washed away . A powerful sense of relief rushed out from the deepest part of his heart . It was then, the young soldier recalled the story of two Koreans roaming around in his country while subjugating the Giants . He recalled the name of one of the two . The name of the Hunter who also subjugated rank S monsters almost all by himself in South Korea, was¡­ . . ¡®Seong Jin-Woo¡­ . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡­ . ¡¯ It had to be . That man had to be him . Ba-dump! The soldier¡¯s heart began pounding hard after running into a person he only heard about in passing . He quickly questioned the Korean youth still standing next to him . ¡°Is he that person? The rank S Hunter from South Korea??¡± Yu Jin-Ho nodded his head and provided his answer . ¡°Good . ¡± Meanwhile, Jin-Woo walked over to where the two monsters were in a violent melee . His forehead was creasing up . ¡°Kiiaaaahhk-!!¡± The Giant dug deep into Jima¡¯s front in the blink of an eye and proceeded to powerfully rip into the Naga¡¯s shoulder . He used to be a boss-level monster of a rank A dungeon . Even if his attention had been diverted a bit in order to protect the humans behind him, he should still be a much more powerful being than other, regular Shadow Soldiers . To think, he was being suppressed by a regular monster that wasn¡¯t even on the same ¡®boss-level¡¯ as he used to be . This situation easily demonstrated how strong these Giant-type monsters were . Besides all that, Jin-Woo never enjoyed the sight of his soldiers getting beaten down like this at all . His expression hardened as he bent his knees . An unbelievable amount of strength filled up his thighs and shins . Crack, crack¡­ . The asphalt below that was supporting his legs began splitting as cracks ran underneath his feet . Ka-boom! Jin-Woo exploded up from the ground and shot right towards the Giant¡¯s face in an instant . In that short moment, the monster¡¯s darting eyes discovered him flying straight at it . A glint of understanding filled the flying human¡¯s eyes . ¡®As I thought, these guys aren¡¯t your average monsters at all . ¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s fist slammed into the forehead of the Giant . However, the damage dealt was less than he had expected . The monster pulled its head back just before the hit landed to minimise the impact as much as it could, that was why . The monster possessed a massive frame, as well as surprisingly agile movements . From the perspectives of the Hunters who had to face off against these b*stards, those two aspects alone would have been enough to give them a sense of helplessness . The thing was, though, that only applied to regular Hunters . Jin-Woo immediately summoned a ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword¡¯ in the air . And then, he extended his other free hand not holding anything towards the Giant¡¯s face . ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority!¡¯ An invisible hand yanked at the Giant¡¯s face with irresistible force . The distance between Jin-Woo and the monster rapidly closed up . ¡°Kureuk??¡± The monster didn¡¯t expect the airborne opponent to immediately start attacking again, and it began thrashing about in a panicked frenzy, but in the end, it was all for naught . Jin-Woo flew in front of the Giant¡¯s nose in an instant and activated his skill . ¡°Violent Slash . ¡± Dududududududu!! Rapid-fire attacks so fast that they left behind a series of afterimages turned the Giant¡¯s face into a complete mess . ¡°Kuwaaaak!!¡± Boom!! The monster covered its face and rolled around on the ground . It lost its eyesight from that attack and wildly thrashed about in unbridled pain . Tap . After lightly landing back on the ground, Jin-Woo looked on and sensed that this hunt was drawing to a close . ¡®It¡¯s done . ¡¯ But then, the Giant sensed Jin-Woo¡¯s approach; its shoulders flinched greatly before it began running away in haste, without even bothering to look behind it . ¡®It can also sense the presence of others?¡¯ The more Jin-Woo fought these things, the more surprised he got . He was speaking from his observations, and it said that these Giant-type monsters were like specialised weapon systems that happened to possess large biological bodies . The Giant quickly distanced itself . Of course, he wasn¡¯t planning on letting it go . ¡®Quicksilver . ¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s frame slid forward like a bolt of lightning . The Giant monster ran with all its might on all fours, but rather than the distance increasing, it rapidly shrank, instead . The monster felt terror . It sensed a bone-chilling aura emanating right behind its back . The Giant creature belatedly realised that it could never escape no matter how much it struggled . So, it came to an abrupt stop, spun around, and tried to pounce on its enemy, but¡­ ¡®¡­¡­??¡¯ The presence of the human that had been closing in at a scary velocity suddenly vanished . And then¡­ . ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯ The presence reappeared behind the creature . Even though its eyes were not working anymore, the Giant reflexively turned its head around . That made it easier for him to slice up the monster, however . Jin-Woo jumped up straight and powerfully swung down the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword¡¯ . Swish-!! The blade overflowing with the magical energy oozing out from the ¡®Black Heart¡¯ vertically split the face of the Giant monster in one slice . Slice! ¡°Gu-urk¡­ . ¡± Like a tree that got hacked by an axe, the monster slowly tipped over backwards, not even able to scream out properly . THUD!! With that, the third Giant was successfully hunted down . Jin-Woo cleanly landed back on the ground and let out a light sigh filled with lingering emotions of victory from his lips . ¡°Fuu¡­¡± ¡°Hyung-nim!!¡± Yu Jin-Ho had been standing far, far back while waiting for the battle to finish . Once it was safe, he hurriedly ran over and presented the lid of the thermos containing refreshingly cool tea . Jin-Woo grinned brightly and accepted the lid . ¡°Thank you . ¡± The tea in the lid slid down his throat while issuing the familiar gulping noises . ¡®Mm?¡¯ He sensed a presence and looked behind him, only to find Jima and his slumped shoulders approaching him . The Shadow Soldier was evidently depressed from losing the one on one fight earlier . ¡®You fought well, regardless . Get some rest . ¡¯ Jin-Woo encouraged his underling and had it return . Jima returned to being a shadow and got absorbed back below Jin-Woo¡¯s feet . Yu Jin-Ho stared at that process before raising his voice . ¡°Hyung-nim?¡± Jin-Woo returned the empty lid and replied . ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°You sent out all your other summons on their own, but well, is there a reason why you decided to act alongside your Nagas?¡± Yu Jin-Ho was feeling puzzled by this . Just now, hyung-nim was almost solely responsible for killing this Giant . It seemed as if he didn¡¯t really need the Naga¡¯s help at all . Even then, he always sent out the Naga first, in the beginning of the battle, and only participated after his summon was pushed to its backfoot . Yu Jin-Ho was curious as to what Jin-Woo¡¯s aim could be . The actual reason was simple enough, though . ¡®Because, I just wanted to level these guys up, you know . ¡¯ The Naga Shadow Soldiers had become a part of the Shadow Army relatively recently, and as a result, their levels fell quite behind that of his other soldiers . That was why he figured that, since he would be fighting these Giants anyway, he¡¯d raise the levels of the Nagas in the process as well . However, as it turned out, these Giant-type monsters weren¡¯t easy enough opponents for his new recruits to deal with by themselves . Although it was a bit tedious, this method was still the best one if he wanted to increase the Nagas¡¯ battle experience . ¡®Of course, I can¡¯t really tell Yu Jin-Ho any of this, now can I?¡¯ Jin-Woo formed a smirk . ¡°Well, I feel like I¡¯m still not too familiar with these Nagas, you see? If I keep them around me for a little longer, wouldn¡¯t I become friendlier with them?¡± ¡°Oh . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho nodded his head . What an easy kid to lie to, this guy ¨C thought Jin-Woo . But then, Yu Jin-Ho suddenly fell into deep contemplation, before raising his voice as his eyes sparkled brightly . ¡°You even make sure to look after every single one of your summons, hyung-nim . As expected of you!¡± ¡®¡­¡­ . . ¡¯ And also, Jin-Woo felt really bad for lying to him, as well . ¡°Excuse me¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s head shifted to his side . The young soldier who courageously stood up against the Giant was walking closer while continuously glancing at the dead monster¡¯s mountainous corpse . Jin-Woo could also see the old couple responsible for protecting the hospital behind the soldier¡¯s shoulder, too . He hadn¡¯t spoken to them yet, but he could already tell what they wanted to say simply from their expressions alone . That was all he needed . For now, he didn¡¯t have enough time to receive their gratitude one at a time . Even as he stood around here, these Giants were busy going on a rampage in other locations . Jin-Woo took a long look at the Giant¡¯s corpse . The biggest reason why he came to Japan was lying on the ground right in front of his face . ¡°Stop! Stop!!¡± Yu Jin-Ho quickly stopped the Japanese survivors from approaching the location . Jin-Woo had been feeling it lately, but well, Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s wits seemed to have quickened up considerably since their first meeting . Thanks to that, the job of extracting shadows had become that much easier . He smirked and looked at Yu Jin-Ho for a bit, before shifting his gaze back to the dead Giant . He extended his hands out and quietly murmured to himself . ¡°Rise up . ¡± *** ¡°Dear viewers at home¡­ . It¡¯s hard to believe, but the scene before me is truly happening!¡± Tatatatatatata-!! The reporter riding on the helicopter continuously spat out gasps of astonishment as if he could hardly believe his own eyes . The camera began transmitting the scenes below . Several hundreds of ant monsters were uniformly marching towards a certain direction . And in front of them, there was a mutated ant monster with wings on its back . Of course, it was none other than ¡®Beru¡¯ . He had been advancing up ahead of the marching ant army, but he abruptly raised his head high up in the air . ¡°Kiiiiieeehk-!!¡± The loud explosion of his screech prompted the reporter to hurriedly cover his ears . Meanwhile, the ants marching behind all came to a stop right when they heard Beru¡¯s call . There were three Giants to their front . The differences in size were like looking at an elephant and a mouse . However, Beru displayed not one hint of fear as his claws extended out like lengthy blades, and he dashed forward . ¡°Kiiieeehhhck!!¡± And behind him, the army of ants began covering the land in black . The intense and bloody battle ended not too long afterwards . ¡°Oh my god!! Oh my GOD!!¡± As the reporter cried out in sheer astonishment over and over again, the ants successfully brought the Giants down . They then began chomping down with their sharp mandibles and ate the corpses . Wooduduk!! Kwajeeck!! Of course, under Beru¡¯s orders, they didn¡¯t forget to leave some part of the monsters behind so more Shadow Soldiers could be created later . As for those ants that got too greedy for their own good, swift kicks from Beru flew in to sort out the situation immediately . The reporter was shouting out in a clearly-excited voice now . ¡°The Giants are being devoured right now!! These Giants are being devoured by the insects right now!!!!¡± These Giants that instilled unbridled shock and fear with the actions of devouring humans were in turn, getting devoured by the ants . The Japanese people watching this scene felt a certain sense of inexplicable gratification . That was perhaps the reason why the most amount of interest was focused on the ant army, since Jin-Woo himself refused to be filmed from the get-go . The only problem being¡­ . ¡°Heok!!¡± The reporter and the cameraman flinched in surprise and hurriedly backed away after spotting Beru flying right next to the helicopter . The former ant king didn¡¯t even hesitate and snatched away the camera pointing at him and destroyed it immediately . Kwajeeck!! ¡°Keok!¡± The reporter and the cameraman embraced each other and shuddered pitifully in fear . ¡°¡­ . . ¡± Beru alternated his quiet gaze between the two trembling humans before returning back to the ground below . ¡°Whew¡­ . ¡± ¡°Pant, pant¡­ . ¡± Both men spat out sighs of relief right away . There was a reason why they followed around the monster ant army even as the cameras worth tens of thousands of dollars were being lost every single time . The countless viewers were going absolutely crazy with ardent fervour for these creatures, that was why . The cameraman quickly picked up the spare camera prepared for this eventuality, while the reporter spoke the closing words to the mic as if he was already used to this whole situation . ¡°¡­ . I¡¯m Kitamura, reporting from the location . ¡± *** ¡°Kkyaaahk!¡± She must¡¯ve graduated from elementary school not too long ago . This young girl was running away screaming with a tear-strewn face . ¡°Ah, ah ah!!¡± Right behind her, a Giant gave chase with a disgusting smile on its face . How far could she go when running on her still-short legs? The distance between them closed up in an instant . The Giant must¡¯ve found this game of tag with a certain winner set in stone rather amusing to play, because it continued to form a toothy grin . It reached out with its arm that was at least 1 . 5 times longer than other Giant¡¯s . And, just before such a rough hand got to snatch the young girl up, a cold flash streaked past the monster¡¯s wrist . And the blue-coloured lightning that exploded out afterwards began burning up the cut surface of the now-missing wrist with extreme heat . Crackle!!! ¡°Guwaaaaahahk!!¡± The Giant shot up to its feet and screamed out in pain as it held its wrist . The owner of the blue-coloured blade was none other than ¡®Igrit¡¯ . He spun around and lifted up the pale-faced girl that was on her knees shivering, before quickly evacuating from that place . The Giant angrily glared below . The creature that had cleanly severed its wrist was busy escaping with its prey . The eyes of the enraged Giant were quickly dyed in red . ¡°Gureuk¡­ . ¡± The scene was scary enough for any observers to wet their pants . But even then, someone still stood before such a terrifying monster . It was, of course, ¡®Iron¡¯ . His armour had become even more enhanced after his grade rose up to ¡®Elite Knight¡¯ . Iron stabbed the shield down on the ground and stood proudly with his chest wide open . And then, a truly loud roar exploded out from beneath his helm . Wooooowuuuuuhhh-!! [Iron has activated ¡®Skill: Roar of Provocation¡¯ . ] [The enemy has fallen into a provoked state . ] The glare of the Giant previously aimed at Igrit was instantly switched over to Iron . As if to say ¡®Come if you dare¡¯, Iron pounded on his chest vigorously and raised up high the shield as huge as himself . ¡°Guwuuurk!¡± The fist of the enraged Giant mercilessly punched down on Iron . Ka-boom! However, Iron was not forced back an inch . The effects of his grade rising up had pushed him to a whole new plateau of power . Boom! Slam! Bam! Iron ably defended against dozens of punches and loudly cried out again . ¡°Wuuoouuhh!!¡± When he did, the army of Shadow Soldiers and Ice Bears, the ones that had been with Jin-Woo the longest, attacked at the same time from either side of the Giant . The leader of the Ice Bear troops, Tank, shook its head around and roared out loudly as if he got excited by the prospect of entering the battlefield after a long time of inactivity . ¡°Krrroooarr!!¡± His roar was so loud and explosive that even those far away could feel the faint tremor in the air . The reporter watching this scene unfold from afar with bated breath shouted at the camera next to him . ¡°Can you see this, everyone? These summons, these creatures summoned by Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, are raiding the Giant by themselves!¡± Could this truly be reality? This very reporter didn¡¯t believe Yuri Orlov¡¯s claims from the word go, and quite obviously, he also didn¡¯t hold much hope with Jin-Woo, as well . But then, not just Seong Jin-Woo himself, but even the summoned creatures he ordered to go out on their own were speedily hunting down these Giants, as if they were nothing . Maybe, just maybe¡­ . When the reporter thought that, just maybe, Seong Jin-Woo could possibly save this country all by himself, something warm and powerful gushed up from the deepest part of his chest . It was precisely then . ¡°L-look! Over there!¡± The cameraman pointed at the Giant . The reporter hurriedly shifted his tear-soaked gaze in the general direction of the monster . ¡°How could this be¡­ . . !!¡± The reporter spat out a moan . The Giant¡¯s posture was already crumbling . Countless screaming bolts of lightning, shooting out from the tip of Igrit¡¯s sword, were pounding down on the faltering monster¡¯s head . It was such a mesmerizingly beautiful sight that all those who looked upon it forgot what they wanted to say next . < Chapter 171 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 171: Chapter 171 The Giant monster was flung away and violently rolled on the ground, before bouncing back up again with a spring-like movement that didn¡¯t really suit its large frame ¡°Gururuk . ¡±. . The Giant monster didn¡¯t immediately counterattack, instead opting to bare its fangs as it remained prone on the ground . Meanwhile, the giant Naga responsible for flinging it away stood before the growling monster It was none other than ¡®Jima¡¯, previously the boss-level monster of the Naga species that were inducted into the Shadow Army not too long ago Jima reached his right hand out next to him . When he did, a black spear slowly rose up from the shadow on the ground Grab!. Jima powerfully grasped the spear and aimed the weapon at his front . One could sense his unbreakable will to not let anything pass by him ¡°Uh¡­ . ? Uh¡­ ??¡±. . The young soldier from the JSDF couldn¡¯t quite figure out whether the spectacle unfolding before his eyes was a dream or reality To think, a monster was protecting him from another monster right now He thought he¡¯d end up inside the Giant monster¡¯s mouth for sure . But, having taken a look at the wide, imposing back of the other monster, he felt several powerful emotions welling up from deep within his heart ¡°Just what is going on here¡­¡±. Could they survive?. Could they survive against the Giant monster?. Not just the young soldier, but the old couple and the patients, too?. The soldier¡¯s thoughts reached this point, and suddenly, all the built-up tension left him and tears rushed up to his eyes ¡°Use this . ¡±. Someone pushed forward a colourful handkerchief towards the young soldier . He turned his head to the side to take a look . A youth who looked to be way younger than the soldier pointed at the handkerchief with his chin and nodded his head afterwards Since this youth didn¡¯t speak in Japanese, the soldier didn¡¯t understand him, but it wasn¡¯t all that hard to figure out what he wanted to say in the first place ¡®Is he Korean?¡¯. The young soldier wiped the streaming tears away with the offered handkerchief and asked his questions ¡°By the way¡­ . just who are you? Wait, why are you even here?¡±. The Korean youth silently shook his head before raising his thumb up high ¡°Good . ¡±. ¡°Excuse me?¡±. ¡°Very Good . ¡±. ¡°T-thank¡­ . you, I guess?¡±. While the young soldier dazedly expressed his gratitude, another man who seemed to be the comrade of this Korean youth appeared from behind him Even though this soldier didn¡¯t know a whole lot about Hunters, he saw all the blood splatters on this man¡¯s clothing and realised that he was now looking at a powerful being who existed on another realm altogether from everyone else . ¡°This might get dangerous . ¡±. Jin-Woo had taken a look inside the rural clinic before showing up here, and he told Yu Jin-Ho while pointing behind him ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll have change locations . We¡¯re too close . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho had witnessed the battle against the Giants a few times by now so he figured out what Jin-Woo was saying almost immediately ¡°I¡¯ll be on standby over here, hyung-nim . ¡±. ¡°Right . ¡±. Jin-Woo looked at the young soldier next and saw his scared eyes He walked past the soldier and lightly patted the scared, tearful Japanese man on the shoulder . The gesture meant to say that the soldier had done excellent work What he did, standing off against a monster all by himself with just a single rifle, was not something any regular person could even try to imitate Jin-Woo had entered many dungeons as a rank E himself so he knew better than anyone just how courageous this soldier had been The young JSDF soldier looked at the back of Jin-Woo walking by and let out a gasp of admiration ¡°Ah . ¡±. That weightiness brushing past his shoulder, and that warmth from his hand . Just a single touch, and the terror he felt forcing him to get ready for his demise completely washed away A powerful sense of relief rushed out from the deepest part of his heart . It was then, the young soldier recalled the story of two Koreans roaming around in his country while subjugating the Giants He recalled the name of one of the two . The name of the Hunter who also subjugated rank S monsters almost all by himself in South Korea, was¡­ . ¡®Seong Jin-Woo¡­ . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡­ . ¡¯. It had to be . That man had to be him Ba-dump!. The soldier¡¯s heart began pounding hard after running into a person he only heard about in passing . He quickly questioned the Korean youth still standing next to him ¡°Is he that person? The rank S Hunter from South Korea??¡±. Yu Jin-Ho nodded his head and provided his answer ¡°Good . ¡±. Meanwhile, Jin-Woo walked over to where the two monsters were in a violent melee . His forehead was creasing up ¡°Kiiaaaahhk-!!¡±. The Giant dug deep into Jima¡¯s front in the blink of an eye and proceeded to powerfully rip into the Naga¡¯s shoulder He used to be a boss-level monster of a rank A dungeon . Even if his attention had been diverted a bit in order to protect the humans behind him, he should still be a much more powerful being than other, regular Shadow Soldiers To think, he was being suppressed by a regular monster that wasn¡¯t even on the same ¡®boss-level¡¯ as he used to be . This situation easily demonstrated how strong these Giant-type monsters were Besides all that, Jin-Woo never enjoyed the sight of his soldiers getting beaten down like this at all . His expression hardened as he bent his knees . An unbelievable amount of strength filled up his thighs and shins Crack, crack¡­ The asphalt below that was supporting his legs began splitting as cracks ran underneath his feet Ka-boom!. Jin-Woo exploded up from the ground and shot right towards the Giant¡¯s face in an instant . In that short moment, the monster¡¯s darting eyes discovered him flying straight at it A glint of understanding filled the flying human¡¯s eyes ¡®As I thought, these guys aren¡¯t your average monsters at all . ¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s fist slammed into the forehead of the Giant . However, the damage dealt was less than he had expected . The monster pulled its head back just before the hit landed to minimise the impact as much as it could, that was why The monster possessed a massive frame, as well as surprisingly agile movements . From the perspectives of the Hunters who had to face off against these b*stards, those two aspects alone would have been enough to give them a sense of helplessness The thing was, though, that only applied to regular Hunters Jin-Woo immediately summoned a ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword¡¯ in the air . And then, he extended his other free hand not holding anything towards the Giant¡¯s face ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority!¡¯. An invisible hand yanked at the Giant¡¯s face with irresistible force . The distance between Jin-Woo and the monster rapidly closed up ¡°Kureuk??¡±. The monster didn¡¯t expect the airborne opponent to immediately start attacking again, and it began thrashing about in a panicked frenzy, but in the end, it was all for naught Jin-Woo flew in front of the Giant¡¯s nose in an instant and activated his skill ¡°Violent Slash . ¡±. Dududududududu!!. Rapid-fire attacks so fast that they left behind a series of afterimages turned the Giant¡¯s face into a complete mess ¡°Kuwaaaak!!¡±. Boom!!. The monster covered its face and rolled around on the ground . It lost its eyesight from that attack and wildly thrashed about in unbridled pain Tap After lightly landing back on the ground, Jin-Woo looked on and sensed that this hunt was drawing to a close ¡®It¡¯s done . ¡¯. But then, the Giant sensed Jin-Woo¡¯s approach; its shoulders flinched greatly before it began running away in haste, without even bothering to look behind it ¡®It can also sense the presence of others?¡¯. The more Jin-Woo fought these things, the more surprised he got He was speaking from his observations, and it said that these Giant-type monsters were like specialised weapon systems that happened to possess large biological bodies The Giant quickly distanced itself . Of course, he wasn¡¯t planning on letting it go ¡®Quicksilver . ¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s frame slid forward like a bolt of lightning The Giant monster ran with all its might on all fours, but rather than the distance increasing, it rapidly shrank, instead The monster felt terror . It sensed a bone-chilling aura emanating right behind its back The Giant creature belatedly realised that it could never escape no matter how much it struggled . So, it came to an abrupt stop, spun around, and tried to pounce on its enemy, but¡­. ¡®¡­¡­??¡¯. The presence of the human that had been closing in at a scary velocity suddenly vanished . And then¡­ ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯. The presence reappeared behind the creature Even though its eyes were not working anymore, the Giant reflexively turned its head around That made it easier for him to slice up the monster, however Jin-Woo jumped up straight and powerfully swung down the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword¡¯ Swish-!!. The blade overflowing with the magical energy oozing out from the ¡®Black Heart¡¯ vertically split the face of the Giant monster in one slice Slice!. ¡°Gu-urk¡­ . ¡±. Like a tree that got hacked by an axe, the monster slowly tipped over backwards, not even able to scream out properly THUD!!. With that, the third Giant was successfully hunted down Jin-Woo cleanly landed back on the ground and let out a light sigh filled with lingering emotions of victory from his lips ¡°Fuu¡­¡±. ¡°Hyung-nim!!¡±. Yu Jin-Ho had been standing far, far back while waiting for the battle to finish . Once it was safe, he hurriedly ran over and presented the lid of the thermos containing refreshingly cool tea Jin-Woo grinned brightly and accepted the lid ¡°Thank you . ¡±. The tea in the lid slid down his throat while issuing the familiar gulping noises ¡®Mm?¡¯. He sensed a presence and looked behind him, only to find Jima and his slumped shoulders approaching him . The Shadow Soldier was evidently depressed from losing the one on one fight earlier ¡®You fought well, regardless . Get some rest . ¡¯. Jin-Woo encouraged his underling and had it return . Jima returned to being a shadow and got absorbed back below Jin-Woo¡¯s feet Yu Jin-Ho stared at that process before raising his voice ¡°Hyung-nim?¡±. Jin-Woo returned the empty lid and replied ¡°Yeah?¡±. ¡°You sent out all your other summons on their own, but well, is there a reason why you decided to act alongside your Nagas?¡±. Yu Jin-Ho was feeling puzzled by this Just now, hyung-nim was almost solely responsible for killing this Giant . It seemed as if he didn¡¯t really need the Naga¡¯s help at all Even then, he always sent out the Naga first, in the beginning of the battle, and only participated after his summon was pushed to its backfoot Yu Jin-Ho was curious as to what Jin-Woo¡¯s aim could be . The actual reason was simple enough, though ¡®Because, I just wanted to level these guys up, you know . ¡¯. The Naga Shadow Soldiers had become a part of the Shadow Army relatively recently, and as a result, their levels fell quite behind that of his other soldiers That was why he figured that, since he would be fighting these Giants anyway, he¡¯d raise the levels of the Nagas in the process as well . However, as it turned out, these Giant-type monsters weren¡¯t easy enough opponents for his new recruits to deal with by themselves Although it was a bit tedious, this method was still the best one if he wanted to increase the Nagas¡¯ battle experience ¡®Of course, I can¡¯t really tell Yu Jin-Ho any of this, now can I?¡¯. Jin-Woo formed a smirk ¡°Well, I feel like I¡¯m still not too familiar with these Nagas, you see? If I keep them around me for a little longer, wouldn¡¯t I become friendlier with them?¡±. ¡°Oh . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho nodded his head What an easy kid to lie to, this guy ¨C thought Jin-Woo But then, Yu Jin-Ho suddenly fell into deep contemplation, before raising his voice as his eyes sparkled brightly ¡°You even make sure to look after every single one of your summons, hyung-nim . As expected of you!¡±. ¡®¡­¡­ ¡¯. And also, Jin-Woo felt really bad for lying to him, as well ¡°Excuse me¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s head shifted to his side The young soldier who courageously stood up against the Giant was walking closer while continuously glancing at the dead monster¡¯s mountainous corpse . Jin-Woo could also see the old couple responsible for protecting the hospital behind the soldier¡¯s shoulder, too He hadn¡¯t spoken to them yet, but he could already tell what they wanted to say simply from their expressions alone That was all he needed For now, he didn¡¯t have enough time to receive their gratitude one at a time . Even as he stood around here, these Giants were busy going on a rampage in other locations Jin-Woo took a long look at the Giant¡¯s corpse The biggest reason why he came to Japan was lying on the ground right in front of his face ¡°Stop! Stop!!¡±. Yu Jin-Ho quickly stopped the Japanese survivors from approaching the location Jin-Woo had been feeling it lately, but well, Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s wits seemed to have quickened up considerably since their first meeting . Thanks to that, the job of extracting shadows had become that much easier He smirked and looked at Yu Jin-Ho for a bit, before shifting his gaze back to the dead Giant He extended his hands out and quietly murmured to himself ¡°Rise up . ¡±. ***. ¡°Dear viewers at home¡­ . It¡¯s hard to believe, but the scene before me is truly happening!¡±. Tatatatatatata-!!. The reporter riding on the helicopter continuously spat out gasps of astonishment as if he could hardly believe his own eyes The camera began transmitting the scenes below . Several hundreds of ant monsters were uniformly marching towards a certain direction . And in front of them, there was a mutated ant monster with wings on its back Of course, it was none other than ¡®Beru¡¯ He had been advancing up ahead of the marching ant army, but he abruptly raised his head high up in the air ¡°Kiiiiieeehk-!!¡±. The loud explosion of his screech prompted the reporter to hurriedly cover his ears . Meanwhile, the ants marching behind all came to a stop right when they heard Beru¡¯s call There were three Giants to their front The differences in size were like looking at an elephant and a mouse However, Beru displayed not one hint of fear as his claws extended out like lengthy blades, and he dashed forward ¡°Kiiieeehhhck!!¡±. And behind him, the army of ants began covering the land in black The intense and bloody battle ended not too long afterwards ¡°Oh my god!! Oh my GOD!!¡±. As the reporter cried out in sheer astonishment over and over again, the ants successfully brought the Giants down . They then began chomping down with their sharp mandibles and ate the corpses Wooduduk!!. Kwajeeck!!. Of course, under Beru¡¯s orders, they didn¡¯t forget to leave some part of the monsters behind so more Shadow Soldiers could be created later . As for those ants that got too greedy for their own good, swift kicks from Beru flew in to sort out the situation immediately The reporter was shouting out in a clearly-excited voice now ¡°The Giants are being devoured right now!! These Giants are being devoured by the insects right now!!!!¡±. These Giants that instilled unbridled shock and fear with the actions of devouring humans were in turn, getting devoured by the ants . The Japanese people watching this scene felt a certain sense of inexplicable gratification That was perhaps the reason why the most amount of interest was focused on the ant army, since Jin-Woo himself refused to be filmed from the get-go The only problem being¡­ ¡°Heok!!¡±. The reporter and the cameraman flinched in surprise and hurriedly backed away after spotting Beru flying right next to the helicopter The former ant king didn¡¯t even hesitate and snatched away the camera pointing at him and destroyed it immediately Kwajeeck!!. ¡°Keok!¡±. The reporter and the cameraman embraced each other and shuddered pitifully in fear ¡°¡­ ¡±. Beru alternated his quiet gaze between the two trembling humans before returning back to the ground below ¡°Whew¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Pant, pant¡­ . ¡±. Both men spat out sighs of relief right away There was a reason why they followed around the monster ant army even as the cameras worth tens of thousands of dollars were being lost every single time . The countless viewers were going absolutely crazy with ardent fervour for these creatures, that was why The cameraman quickly picked up the spare camera prepared for this eventuality, while the reporter spoke the closing words to the mic as if he was already used to this whole situation ¡°¡­ . I¡¯m Kitamura, reporting from the location . ¡±. ***. ¡°Kkyaaahk!¡±. She must¡¯ve graduated from elementary school not too long ago . This young girl was running away screaming with a tear-strewn face ¡°Ah, ah ah!!¡±. Right behind her, a Giant gave chase with a disgusting smile on its face How far could she go when running on her still-short legs? The distance between them closed up in an instant The Giant must¡¯ve found this game of tag with a certain winner set in stone rather amusing to play, because it continued to form a toothy grin It reached out with its arm that was at least 1 . 5 times longer than other Giant¡¯s . And, just before such a rough hand got to snatch the young girl up, a cold flash streaked past the monster¡¯s wrist And the blue-coloured lightning that exploded out afterwards began burning up the cut surface of the now-missing wrist with extreme heat Crackle!!!. ¡°Guwaaaaahahk!!¡±. The Giant shot up to its feet and screamed out in pain as it held its wrist The owner of the blue-coloured blade was none other than ¡®Igrit¡¯ He spun around and lifted up the pale-faced girl that was on her knees shivering, before quickly evacuating from that place The Giant angrily glared below . The creature that had cleanly severed its wrist was busy escaping with its prey The eyes of the enraged Giant were quickly dyed in red ¡°Gureuk¡­ . ¡±. The scene was scary enough for any observers to wet their pants . But even then, someone still stood before such a terrifying monster . It was, of course, ¡®Iron¡¯ . His armour had become even more enhanced after his grade rose up to ¡®Elite Knight¡¯ Iron stabbed the shield down on the ground and stood proudly with his chest wide open . And then, a truly loud roar exploded out from beneath his helm Wooooowuuuuuhhh-!!. [Iron has activated ¡®Skill: Roar of Provocation¡¯ . ]. [The enemy has fallen into a provoked state . ]. The glare of the Giant previously aimed at Igrit was instantly switched over to Iron As if to say ¡®Come if you dare¡¯, Iron pounded on his chest vigorously and raised up high the shield as huge as himself ¡°Guwuuurk!¡±. The fist of the enraged Giant mercilessly punched down on Iron Ka-boom!. However, Iron was not forced back an inch . The effects of his grade rising up had pushed him to a whole new plateau of power Boom! Slam! Bam!. Iron ably defended against dozens of punches and loudly cried out again ¡°Wuuoouuhh!!¡±. When he did, the army of Shadow Soldiers and Ice Bears, the ones that had been with Jin-Woo the longest, attacked at the same time from either side of the Giant The leader of the Ice Bear troops, Tank, shook its head around and roared out loudly as if he got excited by the prospect of entering the battlefield after a long time of inactivity ¡°Krrroooarr!!¡±. His roar was so loud and explosive that even those far away could feel the faint tremor in the air The reporter watching this scene unfold from afar with bated breath shouted at the camera next to him ¡°Can you see this, everyone? These summons, these creatures summoned by Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, are raiding the Giant by themselves!¡±. Could this truly be reality?. This very reporter didn¡¯t believe Yuri Orlov¡¯s claims from the word go, and quite obviously, he also didn¡¯t hold much hope with Jin-Woo, as well But then, not just Seong Jin-Woo himself, but even the summoned creatures he ordered to go out on their own were speedily hunting down these Giants, as if they were nothing Maybe, just maybe¡­ When the reporter thought that, just maybe, Seong Jin-Woo could possibly save this country all by himself, something warm and powerful gushed up from the deepest part of his chest It was precisely then ¡°L-look! Over there!¡±. The cameraman pointed at the Giant . The reporter hurriedly shifted his tear-soaked gaze in the general direction of the monster ¡°How could this be¡­ !!¡±. The reporter spat out a moan The Giant¡¯s posture was already crumbling . Countless screaming bolts of lightning, shooting out from the tip of Igrit¡¯s sword, were pounding down on the faltering monster¡¯s head It was such a mesmerizingly beautiful sight that all those who looked upon it forgot what they wanted to say next < Chapter 171 > Fin Chapter 172 It was obvious that the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association HQ used to be located in the central district of Tokyo, commonly seen as the beating heart of Japan . But, that was only until the Giants began pouring out from the Gate, of course . On that fateful day, as Shinjuku¡¯s rank S Gate morphed into a full-on dungeon break, the President of the Japanese Association Matsumoto Shigeo managed to save his life through the sacrifices of the Hunters and soldiers stationed on the frontlines . He hurriedly re-established the HQ of the Association in the city of Osaka¡¯s local government offices . There was only one reason why he chose this city, rather than some others located on the north-west of the country . He figured that, if they failed to protect the city of Osaka and its 2 . 66 million inhabitants, then there was no hope for Japan, either . In other words, this was their last defence line ¨C their Maginot Line . And that was also why Association President Matsumoto experienced the event of his sights darkening from despair when he heard the news of Nagoya, which wasn¡¯t that far away from Osaka, falling at the hands of the Giant-type monsters . The nation¡¯s utter annihilation was practically around the corner, but it became impossible to beg for international help . The dastardly scheme cooked up by the Japanese Association was laid bare in full by the President of the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association, Goh Gun-Hui . No one wanted to lend their aid to Japan because of that . After Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s press conference was over, the Japanese government, temporarily relocated to Kyoto, summoned Matsumoto Shigeo to appear before them . He had to kneel down in front of the government¡¯s higher-ups baying for his blood . ¡°The responsibility for this crisis rests solely on me . However, you need someone to sort out this situation . Please, won¡¯t you delay the handing out of the punishment until then?¡± The Prime Minister of Japan, standing his back to the kneeling Matsumoto Shigeo, made his reply after a short deliberation . ¡°¡­ . Fine . ¡± Without a doubt, the Association President Matsumoto had brought this crisis upon them, but just as he said, someone still had to take care of the mess created by the dungeon break . The punishment could come afterwards . It wouldn¡¯t be too late to make an example out of this man after the flame not just burning on the foot but on the rest of the body was put out first . It was around at this point that Jin-Woo landed on Japanese soil . The very first person to rush out and welcome him while forgetting to even put on his shoes properly was Association President Matsumoto . His fate was already sealed . That didn¡¯t mean he wanted to let his mother nation suffer the same fate as him . That¡¯s what he thought . When he first saw Jin-Woo at the airport, his entire body was overcome with goosebumps of nasty shock . ¡®How could this be¡­??¡¯ This man was strong . Matsumoto had been the Association President for many years, and he got to meet many powerful beings up until now . That was how he could tell from just one glance . He stood next to countless Hunters in his life so far, but hadn¡¯t encountered many situations where the hair on the back of his neck stood up straight from the unbelievable chill he felt . No, actually, this would be his first time . If only he had a chance to meet Jin-Woo just once before the Jeju Island raid took place, he¡¯d have immediately rescinded the plan to drive the Korean Hunters to their demise . The words of Goto Ryuji from back then, when he personally met Jin-Woo, were definitely not wrong . This Korean Hunter right in front of his eyes possessed such a powerful pressure . However, the enemies this time were the Giant-type monsters emerging straight out from a rank S Gate . Matsumoto judged that, no matter how strong Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was, he alone would not be enough to contend with all those monsters . So, he made a desperate plea . ¡°Please, I beg of you to focus on defending us, with Osaka as the centre . ¡± The Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association wanted Jin-Woo to focus solely on defence and buy them enough time so that they could negotiate with either the Americans or with the Russians . Too bad, that plan was immediately thrown out the window with one short sentence from the man in question . ¡°I refuse . ¡± Jin-Woo curtly stated his position . It was only obvious that the Association President Matsumoto Shigeo and all the other Association-related parties would jump up in sheer fluster . Did he suddenly have a change of heart and no longer wanted to kill the monsters? Matsumoto could only ask with a tightening chest . ¡°Then¡­ . Then, what will you do, instead?¡± Instead of a verbal reply, Jin-Woo answered with his actions . He separated his summons into three parties and had them operate on their own, while he too began moving by himself as well . The number of creatures he summoned out was already astonishing enough, but even then, Matsumoto Shigeo was swallowing his worried gasps over something else entirely . ¡®Is he really trying to fight against all of the Giants?¡¯ Every Hunter in the world had all said in one voice that such a feat was impossible . But, was he trying to do precisely that? He had no way of knowing . The best he could do now was to wait while entrusting his, and everyone else¡¯s, fate to the heavens above . He returned to the Hunter¡¯s Association HQ and focused on gathering information on the unfolding situation . Unexpectedly, the answer came back soon enough . ¡°The city of Nagoya, it¡¯s been successfully taken back!!¡± ¡°What was that?!¡± Matsumoto Shigeo shot up from his chair from that shocking news . It hadn¡¯t been all that long since Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had set off, yet the Giant-type monster in Nagoya had been brought down already? Even before the Japanese Association President had a chance to calm his fluttering heart, messages began pouring in from all corners of the country . ¡°A Giant¡¯s corpse has been discovered in the city of Nakatsugawa!¡± ¡°The city of Shizuoka has been successfully reclaimed!!¡± ¡°The cities of Takayama and Nagano both have been¡­ . . ¡± Hunter Seong Jin-Woo and his summoned creatures were eliminating the Giant-type monsters scattered throughout the country of Japan as they closed in towards Tokyo . It was truly an unbelievable speed of advancement . The Association President Matsumoto Shigeo saw the power of the Korean Hunter capable of changing the impossible into the possible and began shivering where he stood . His pounding heart showed no signs of slowing down at all . And finally¡­ . ¡°T-the city of Kofu¡­ . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, he has arrived in Kofu, sir . ¡± He plopped down on his butt after hearing the news of all the Giants being killed off in Kofu, a city only 130 kilometres removed from Tokyo itself . ¡°Association President!!¡± ¡°Sir, President Matsumoto!!¡± His trembling legs didn¡¯t want to listen to him at all . That Korean Hunter was really planning to kill every Giant-type monster found in this nation . A certain thought suddenly entered his mind, then . ¡®What he¡¯s doing right now¡­ . . Isn¡¯t that what I planned to do to South Korea?¡¯ He was planning to destroy Korea¡¯s Hunter system, and by utilising the strengths of the Japanese Hunters, squeeze South Korea as he willed it . But now, the situation had flipped on its head . Japan and its collapsed Hunter system now found itself under the thumb of one single man, Seong Jin-Woo . The plan that Matsumoto himself, the Japanese Association, the top Japanese Hunters, and the government combined their resources together to put into motion, and ultimately failed to carry out, was being ably carried out by just one person . He was being successful in doing so, as well . ¡°¡­¡± He dazedly sat in his chair, and issued a new order to the Association¡¯s staff members standing around and worrying about him . ¡°Can you all leave me for a while? I¡¯d like to be alone for a minute or two . ¡± Soon, his office became emptied . His head slowly drooped real low . A powerful sense of defeat the likes of which he had never tasted before in his life crashed into him like a tidal wave . He had lost . He had completely, utterly lost . However, the emotions rushing in after the sense of defeat finally left him were a brief moment of self-reflection and remorse, and an infinite amount of gratitude . On that day, he silently sobbed . And also on that day, Jin-Woo and his summons starting from Osaka and moving eastward, while killing every Giant they ran into, finally arrived on the doorsteps of the city of Tokyo . *** THUD!! Two more Giant-type monsters fell lifelessly to the ground . [Level up!] It had been so long since he got to level up so freely like this . He could barely remember the last time it happened . Jin-Woo tightly clenched his fists . As he approached closer and closer to where the dungeon break originally started, the city of Tokyo, he alone had hunted down 13 Giant-type monsters . His level rose up by six during this time . Each of these Giant-type monsters was on the level of a boss creature, so the experience points they gave out were rather substantial . Of course, experience points earned by his Shadow Soldiers in other locations also played a pretty large role, as well . Every time that message of [Level up!] popped up in his view during his journey, he felt his enthusiasm soar up even higher and higher . Just like now . [Level up!] ¡®That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!¡¯ Jin-Woo clenched his fists again from that wonderfully-timed message of a level up entering his view . He also heard a familiar voice talking to him in his mind . ¡®Oh, my king . We have killed off yet another enemy . ¡¯ The ones that sent him extra experience points were Beru¡¯s ant army, who also happened to possess the fastest marching speed as well . It was a rather obvious result, though, when considering the fact that Beru was the strongest Shadow Soldier he had, and that the number of ants was also quite large, to begin with . The former ant king always reported back to Jin-Woo every time after killing their enemies . Jin-Woo congratulated the achievements of the ant army . ¡®Nicely done . You all did well . ¡¯ ¡®I thank thee, oh my king . ¡¯ Jin-Woo ended the communication with Beru and used the ¡®Sensory Sharing¡¯ to check up on the status of each of his three armies . Although it wasn¡¯t to the extent of the ant army led by Beru, the army of High Orcs led by Fangs and the army of elite soldiers led by Igrit were also unhindered in their progress as well . Jin-Woo felt really pleased by the levels of his soldiers that had shot up to a noticeable degree . ¡°Hyung-nim, should we set up camp here tonight?¡± Jin-Woo opened his eyes and ended the ¡®Sensory Sharing¡¯ . Yu Jin-Ho was asking a question while holding a tent he took out from the vehicle¡¯s trunk . Jin-Woo raised his head to see that the day was coming to an end, the dusk casting its shadow on the ground below . His ¡®Tiredness¡¯ gauge wasn¡¯t all that high due to the effects of stamina recovery potions he bought from the Store, as well as from levelling up . However, his mental fatigue had certainly piled up recently . ¡®Looks like I should take a break . ¡¯ Jin-Woo nodded his head . Today¡¯s campsite had been decided . They quickly set up the tent and got ready to eat dinner . The heat had cooled off before long and the breeze of the encroaching evening felt chilly . It was already autumn now . Jin-Woo thought to himself that winter was just around the corner as he warmed up the food the Japanese Association had supplied him with . Winter . If he were to split the rise and fall of the human civilisation in terms of seasons, then the appearance of Tokyo¡¯s outer edges certainly gave off the aura of winter in full bloom . For some reason, though, Tokyo that no longer resembled a city came across as a somewhat familiar sight to him . ¡®Where have I seen this before?¡¯ Jin-Woo combed his memories for a little while before finding his answer . ¡®¡­ . The Demon¡¯s Castle . ¡¯ The sight of the ruined, crumbling cities he saw back then resembled Tokyo¡¯s current appearance . The only difference being, there were no flames burning right now . When his thoughts arrived at this point, a dark shadow crept up over his expression . ¡®Could it be¡­ . ?¡¯ From the very first floor of the Demon¡¯s Castle, all the way up to its final floor, every city found within the dungeon was destroyed almost beyond recognition . If that was the System¡¯s way of giving away hints, then what was the so-called architect trying to tell him? Jin-Woo smirked to himself . ¡®Does it really matter now?¡¯ The so-called architect, the manager of the System, was dead and gone inside a dungeon . Seeing that there was no further contact after that, the chances of that guy still being alive were slim, to say the least . ¡®And, even if what I saw back then was the prediction of the coming events¡­ . . ¡¯ ¡®¡­ . I shall stop them . ¡¯ That was why he continued to grow stronger . He chased after greater strength, because he didn¡¯t want to be toyed around with by powers he couldn¡¯t fight against . Raise his level, get his hands on new skills, and raise his level up even higher¡­ . . And eventually, he had arrived at this point in time . Ba-thump . The ¡®Black Heart¡¯ beat loudly once as if to react to his thoughts . Jin-Woo pressed his hand to his chest to feel that as a thin smile spread across his lips . The doctor in the hospital told him that he was completely normal . [¡°We haven¡¯t found any abnormalities with you . Hunter-nim, you¡¯re perfectly healthy . ¡±] The day before his departure, Jin-Woo went to a hospital to get a complete check up on his health . The doctor had him scanned from top to bottom but still failed to discover the second heart or anything similar to that . The ¡®Black Heart¡¯, then, couldn¡¯t have been a physical change taking place within his flesh . It did exist and he could definitely feel its heartbeat, but it also did not exist in reality, too . ¡®What the heck does that even mean?¡¯ Jin-Woo wryly laughed to himself . He was sort of relieved by the fact that his body structure was no different from other people¡¯s, but if that was the case, where was this tremor from his chest coming from? It was then ¨C a light breeze blew in from the city centre of Tokyo . And it carried this sticky and utterly horrifying magical energy that was hard to even fathom how dense it was . ¡°Hyung-nim¡­ . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho formed a worried expression . This was truly an astonishing power level that even someone like him with a lower threshold of perception could sense . Jin-Woo wordlessly nodded his head . He didn¡¯t have to think too hard where this breeze blew in from . It was from that massive Giant guarding the Gate in Shinjuku . This aura was on another realm altogether compared to what he sensed from other Giants so far . He was this far away, yet goosebumps broke out on his arms just for a moment there . However, a smile still formed on Jin-Woo¡¯s face . As if it was responding to that powerful wave of magic energy, the ¡®Black Heart¡¯ began pounding even harder than before . How many levels would he gain after killing that monster? Also, what kind of a soldier would come out from its shadow? Anticipation was bubbling up within him already . < Chapter 172 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 172: Chapter 172 It was obvious that the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association HQ used to be located in the central district of Tokyo, commonly seen as the beating heart of Japan But, that was only until the Giants began pouring out from the Gate, of course On that fateful day, as Shinjuku¡¯s rank S Gate morphed into a full-on dungeon break, the President of the Japanese Association Matsumoto Shigeo managed to save his life through the sacrifices of the Hunters and soldiers stationed on the frontlines . He hurriedly re-established the HQ of the Association in the city of Osaka¡¯s local government offices There was only one reason why he chose this city, rather than some others located on the north-west of the country He figured that, if they failed to protect the city of Osaka and its 2 . 66 million inhabitants, then there was no hope for Japan, either . In other words, this was their last defence line ¨C their Maginot Line And that was also why Association President Matsumoto experienced the event of his sights darkening from despair when he heard the news of Nagoya, which wasn¡¯t that far away from Osaka, falling at the hands of the Giant-type monsters The nation¡¯s utter annihilation was practically around the corner, but it became impossible to beg for international help The dastardly scheme cooked up by the Japanese Association was laid bare in full by the President of the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association, Goh Gun-Hui . No one wanted to lend their aid to Japan because of that After Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s press conference was over, the Japanese government, temporarily relocated to Kyoto, summoned Matsumoto Shigeo to appear before them He had to kneel down in front of the government¡¯s higher-ups baying for his blood ¡°The responsibility for this crisis rests solely on me . However, you need someone to sort out this situation . Please, won¡¯t you delay the handing out of the punishment until then?¡±. The Prime Minister of Japan, standing his back to the kneeling Matsumoto Shigeo, made his reply after a short deliberation ¡°¡­ . Fine . ¡±. Without a doubt, the Association President Matsumoto had brought this crisis upon them, but just as he said, someone still had to take care of the mess created by the dungeon break The punishment could come afterwards It wouldn¡¯t be too late to make an example out of this man after the flame not just burning on the foot but on the rest of the body was put out first It was around at this point that Jin-Woo landed on Japanese soil The very first person to rush out and welcome him while forgetting to even put on his shoes properly was Association President Matsumoto His fate was already sealed . That didn¡¯t mean he wanted to let his mother nation suffer the same fate as him . That¡¯s what he thought When he first saw Jin-Woo at the airport, his entire body was overcome with goosebumps of nasty shock ¡®How could this be¡­??¡¯. This man was strong Matsumoto had been the Association President for many years, and he got to meet many powerful beings up until now . That was how he could tell from just one glance He stood next to countless Hunters in his life so far, but hadn¡¯t encountered many situations where the hair on the back of his neck stood up straight from the unbelievable chill he felt No, actually, this would be his first time If only he had a chance to meet Jin-Woo just once before the Jeju Island raid took place, he¡¯d have immediately rescinded the plan to drive the Korean Hunters to their demise The words of Goto Ryuji from back then, when he personally met Jin-Woo, were definitely not wrong . This Korean Hunter right in front of his eyes possessed such a powerful pressure However, the enemies this time were the Giant-type monsters emerging straight out from a rank S Gate Matsumoto judged that, no matter how strong Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was, he alone would not be enough to contend with all those monsters . So, he made a desperate plea ¡°Please, I beg of you to focus on defending us, with Osaka as the centre . ¡±. The Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association wanted Jin-Woo to focus solely on defence and buy them enough time so that they could negotiate with either the Americans or with the Russians Too bad, that plan was immediately thrown out the window with one short sentence from the man in question ¡°I refuse . ¡±. Jin-Woo curtly stated his position It was only obvious that the Association President Matsumoto Shigeo and all the other Association-related parties would jump up in sheer fluster . Did he suddenly have a change of heart and no longer wanted to kill the monsters?. Matsumoto could only ask with a tightening chest ¡°Then¡­ . Then, what will you do, instead?¡±. Instead of a verbal reply, Jin-Woo answered with his actions He separated his summons into three parties and had them operate on their own, while he too began moving by himself as well The number of creatures he summoned out was already astonishing enough, but even then, Matsumoto Shigeo was swallowing his worried gasps over something else entirely ¡®Is he really trying to fight against all of the Giants?¡¯. Every Hunter in the world had all said in one voice that such a feat was impossible . But, was he trying to do precisely that?. He had no way of knowing . The best he could do now was to wait while entrusting his, and everyone else¡¯s, fate to the heavens above He returned to the Hunter¡¯s Association HQ and focused on gathering information on the unfolding situation Unexpectedly, the answer came back soon enough ¡°The city of Nagoya, it¡¯s been successfully taken back!!¡±. ¡°What was that?!¡±. Matsumoto Shigeo shot up from his chair from that shocking news It hadn¡¯t been all that long since Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had set off, yet the Giant-type monster in Nagoya had been brought down already?. Even before the Japanese Association President had a chance to calm his fluttering heart, messages began pouring in from all corners of the country ¡°A Giant¡¯s corpse has been discovered in the city of Nakatsugawa!¡±. ¡°The city of Shizuoka has been successfully reclaimed!!¡±. ¡°The cities of Takayama and Nagano both have been¡­ ¡±. Hunter Seong Jin-Woo and his summoned creatures were eliminating the Giant-type monsters scattered throughout the country of Japan as they closed in towards Tokyo It was truly an unbelievable speed of advancement The Association President Matsumoto Shigeo saw the power of the Korean Hunter capable of changing the impossible into the possible and began shivering where he stood His pounding heart showed no signs of slowing down at all And finally¡­ ¡°T-the city of Kofu¡­ . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, he has arrived in Kofu, sir . ¡±. He plopped down on his butt after hearing the news of all the Giants being killed off in Kofu, a city only 130 kilometres removed from Tokyo itself ¡°Association President!!¡±. ¡°Sir, President Matsumoto!!¡±. His trembling legs didn¡¯t want to listen to him at all That Korean Hunter was really planning to kill every Giant-type monster found in this nation . A certain thought suddenly entered his mind, then ¡®What he¡¯s doing right now¡­ Isn¡¯t that what I planned to do to South Korea?¡¯. He was planning to destroy Korea¡¯s Hunter system, and by utilising the strengths of the Japanese Hunters, squeeze South Korea as he willed it . But now, the situation had flipped on its head Japan and its collapsed Hunter system now found itself under the thumb of one single man, Seong Jin-Woo The plan that Matsumoto himself, the Japanese Association, the top Japanese Hunters, and the government combined their resources together to put into motion, and ultimately failed to carry out, was being ably carried out by just one person . He was being successful in doing so, as well ¡°¡­¡±. He dazedly sat in his chair, and issued a new order to the Association¡¯s staff members standing around and worrying about him ¡°Can you all leave me for a while? I¡¯d like to be alone for a minute or two . ¡±. Soon, his office became emptied . His head slowly drooped real low A powerful sense of defeat the likes of which he had never tasted before in his life crashed into him like a tidal wave He had lost He had completely, utterly lost However, the emotions rushing in after the sense of defeat finally left him were a brief moment of self-reflection and remorse, and an infinite amount of gratitude On that day, he silently sobbed And also on that day, Jin-Woo and his summons starting from Osaka and moving eastward, while killing every Giant they ran into, finally arrived on the doorsteps of the city of Tokyo ***. THUD!!. Two more Giant-type monsters fell lifelessly to the ground [Level up!]. It had been so long since he got to level up so freely like this . He could barely remember the last time it happened Jin-Woo tightly clenched his fists As he approached closer and closer to where the dungeon break originally started, the city of Tokyo, he alone had hunted down 13 Giant-type monsters . His level rose up by six during this time Each of these Giant-type monsters was on the level of a boss creature, so the experience points they gave out were rather substantial . Of course, experience points earned by his Shadow Soldiers in other locations also played a pretty large role, as well Every time that message of [Level up!] popped up in his view during his journey, he felt his enthusiasm soar up even higher and higher Just like now [Level up!]. ¡®That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!¡¯. Jin-Woo clenched his fists again from that wonderfully-timed message of a level up entering his view . He also heard a familiar voice talking to him in his mind ¡®Oh, my king . We have killed off yet another enemy . ¡¯. The ones that sent him extra experience points were Beru¡¯s ant army, who also happened to possess the fastest marching speed as well It was a rather obvious result, though, when considering the fact that Beru was the strongest Shadow Soldier he had, and that the number of ants was also quite large, to begin with . The former ant king always reported back to Jin-Woo every time after killing their enemies Jin-Woo congratulated the achievements of the ant army ¡®Nicely done . You all did well . ¡¯. ¡®I thank thee, oh my king . ¡¯. Jin-Woo ended the communication with Beru and used the ¡®Sensory Sharing¡¯ to check up on the status of each of his three armies Although it wasn¡¯t to the extent of the ant army led by Beru, the army of High Orcs led by Fangs and the army of elite soldiers led by Igrit were also unhindered in their progress as well Jin-Woo felt really pleased by the levels of his soldiers that had shot up to a noticeable degree ¡°Hyung-nim, should we set up camp here tonight?¡±. Jin-Woo opened his eyes and ended the ¡®Sensory Sharing¡¯ Yu Jin-Ho was asking a question while holding a tent he took out from the vehicle¡¯s trunk . Jin-Woo raised his head to see that the day was coming to an end, the dusk casting its shadow on the ground below His ¡®Tiredness¡¯ gauge wasn¡¯t all that high due to the effects of stamina recovery potions he bought from the Store, as well as from levelling up . However, his mental fatigue had certainly piled up recently ¡®Looks like I should take a break . ¡¯. Jin-Woo nodded his head Today¡¯s campsite had been decided . They quickly set up the tent and got ready to eat dinner The heat had cooled off before long and the breeze of the encroaching evening felt chilly . It was already autumn now Jin-Woo thought to himself that winter was just around the corner as he warmed up the food the Japanese Association had supplied him with Winter If he were to split the rise and fall of the human civilisation in terms of seasons, then the appearance of Tokyo¡¯s outer edges certainly gave off the aura of winter in full bloom For some reason, though, Tokyo that no longer resembled a city came across as a somewhat familiar sight to him ¡®Where have I seen this before?¡¯. Jin-Woo combed his memories for a little while before finding his answer ¡®¡­ . The Demon¡¯s Castle . ¡¯. The sight of the ruined, crumbling cities he saw back then resembled Tokyo¡¯s current appearance . The only difference being, there were no flames burning right now When his thoughts arrived at this point, a dark shadow crept up over his expression ¡®Could it be¡­ . ?¡¯. From the very first floor of the Demon¡¯s Castle, all the way up to its final floor, every city found within the dungeon was destroyed almost beyond recognition If that was the System¡¯s way of giving away hints, then what was the so-called architect trying to tell him?. Jin-Woo smirked to himself ¡®Does it really matter now?¡¯. The so-called architect, the manager of the System, was dead and gone inside a dungeon . Seeing that there was no further contact after that, the chances of that guy still being alive were slim, to say the least ¡®And, even if what I saw back then was the prediction of the coming events¡­ ¡¯. ¡®¡­ . I shall stop them . ¡¯. That was why he continued to grow stronger . He chased after greater strength, because he didn¡¯t want to be toyed around with by powers he couldn¡¯t fight against Raise his level, get his hands on new skills, and raise his level up even higher¡­ . And eventually, he had arrived at this point in time Ba-thump The ¡®Black Heart¡¯ beat loudly once as if to react to his thoughts Jin-Woo pressed his hand to his chest to feel that as a thin smile spread across his lips . The doctor in the hospital told him that he was completely normal [¡°We haven¡¯t found any abnormalities with you . Hunter-nim, you¡¯re perfectly healthy . ¡±]. The day before his departure, Jin-Woo went to a hospital to get a complete check up on his health The doctor had him scanned from top to bottom but still failed to discover the second heart or anything similar to that The ¡®Black Heart¡¯, then, couldn¡¯t have been a physical change taking place within his flesh . It did exist and he could definitely feel its heartbeat, but it also did not exist in reality, too ¡®What the heck does that even mean?¡¯. Jin-Woo wryly laughed to himself He was sort of relieved by the fact that his body structure was no different from other people¡¯s, but if that was the case, where was this tremor from his chest coming from?. It was then ¨C a light breeze blew in from the city centre of Tokyo . And it carried this sticky and utterly horrifying magical energy that was hard to even fathom how dense it was ¡°Hyung-nim¡­ . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho formed a worried expression . This was truly an astonishing power level that even someone like him with a lower threshold of perception could sense Jin-Woo wordlessly nodded his head . He didn¡¯t have to think too hard where this breeze blew in from . It was from that massive Giant guarding the Gate in Shinjuku This aura was on another realm altogether compared to what he sensed from other Giants so far . He was this far away, yet goosebumps broke out on his arms just for a moment there However, a smile still formed on Jin-Woo¡¯s face As if it was responding to that powerful wave of magic energy, the ¡®Black Heart¡¯ began pounding even harder than before How many levels would he gain after killing that monster? Also, what kind of a soldier would come out from its shadow?. Anticipation was bubbling up within him already < Chapter 172 > Fin Chapter 173 Igrit¡¯s elite soldier army was the first to arrive in Tokyo . Fang¡¯s High Orc army was the next to arrive . Igrit discovered the approaching High Orc army and lightly nodded his head as his greeting to their Chieftain . The corners of Fang¡¯s lips, hidden under his black hood, arched up as he too, nodded his head . The elite soldiers army, the division of Ice Bears that acted alongside them, and the High Orc army had now gathered in one spot . And a short while later . Tap, tap, tap . The sounds of marching footsteps uniformly resounded out in the surrounding air . Just beyond the ash-grey fog, a large-sized battalion of Shadow Soldiers approached the location . As befitting of the soldiers that had taken the longest route but also hunted down the most Giants, Beru and his ant army were the last to arrive . The former ant king led the pack and emerged from the settling fog of dust first . Just like before, Igrit sent out a greeting first . ¡°¡­¡± However, Beru didn¡¯t display any hint of acknowledgement and walked right past Igrit, strode up to Jin-Woo¡¯s back before kneeling down on one knee in a dignified manner . ¡°Ah . You all have arrived . ¡± Only then did Jin-Woo tear his eyes away from the distant Giant to take a look behind him . ¡°Everyone, you all did well . ¡± As he welcomed them all, every Shadow Soldier followed after Beru¡¯s example and knelt down on one knee . Ice Bears couldn¡¯t physically kneel down, so they simply prostrated, their noses pressed to the ground below . Everyone, including the elite soldiers, Ice Bears, ants, High Orcs, and Nagas, as well as other types of Shadow Soldiers he had recruited in between ¨C nearly one thousand of his Shadow Soldiers had gathered in one spot . ¡°All of you, stand up . ¡± Jin-Woo gestured them to rise to their feet and his soldiers all stood up straight . It was truly a mesmerising spectacle . Yu Jin-Ho was utterly arrested by this sight and stared dazedly at the Shadow Soldiers . ¡®What a relief that this is just one of hyung-nim¡¯s skills, otherwise if these were real monsters¡­ . ¡¯ Even though he knew no bad things would happen, his body still shuddered as he imagined the scene of these many monsters that also boasted such levels of power moving around as one . It was indeed a relief that these guys were allies . Where would he find anyone more appropriate to attach that description to other than his hyung-nim? Unfortunately, there was an even more shocking scene waiting for him right behind him . Gulp . Yu Jin-Ho just barely managed to swallow his dry saliva and cautiously took a look behind him . There was a lone Giant standing over yonder . The size of this Giant-type monster was on another scale altogether compared to the others he saw during his trip to this place . Simply by staring at the head of a Giant so, so, so far up in the sky, he couldn¡¯t tell whether he was looking at an actual monster or a high-rise building, instead . ¡°Wowsers¡­ . ¡± A gasp of shock leaked out from his mouth . There was just too great a difference between seeing it from a video clip and with his own two eyes like this . Jin-Woo smiled and placed his hand on top of Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s head, as the latter found himself unable to shut his mouth at all . ¡°Hey, dude . Your jaw will fall off at this rate . ¡± ¡°H-hyung-nim . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho finally regained his wits and embarrassedly scratched the back of his head . Jin-Woo withdrew his hand from the kid¡¯s head and wordlessly glared at the boss-level Giant-type monster . ¡®How can a massive being like that even exist?¡¯ That life-form was simply far too large . The horrible magic power oozing out from that thing even made him think about getting away from this place as soon as he could . It was that unpleasant to behold . There were two ways of getting rid of this unpleasantness he felt . Either running as far away as possible from the source of this unpleasantness and forget about everything, or, root out the cause of the problem itself . Which choice he¡¯d go for was set in stone the moment he left Korea ¨C no, the moment Jin-Woo had Awakened, as a matter of fact . Ba-thump, ba-thump¡­ . He closed his eyes and quietly enjoyed the tireless beatings of his heart and before abruptly opening them back again . ¡°Get to a safe distance . ¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho nodded his head with a determined face and quickly ran in between the Shadow Soldiers to get away from there . ¡®Good . ¡¯ Jin-Woo patiently waited for the kid to get to a safe enough distance away, and then summoned up his newly-added family members . ¡°Come out . ¡± Although not as huge as the boss-level Giant, several massive Shadow Soldiers rose up from the ground . From No . 1 up to No . 13 . Jin-Woo named his Giant Shadow Soldiers No . 1 to No . 13, according to the order of who got extracted first . He felt rather pleased from the sight of these massive figures standing in front of his Shadow Army, which made his entire troop seem even more dependable than before . ¡®This should be enough . ¡¯ Jin-Woo figured that this was enough preparation and raised his hand . As his fingertips pointed to the heavens above, all of the Shadow Soldiers got ready to attack . Clang! ¡°My soldiers . ¡± His soldiers, all decked in black armour and enveloped in rising smoke ¨C Jin-Woo scanned his Shadow Soldiers one by one before turning back to face the boss-level Giant . The creature was indifferently staring down at him as if any opponents not entering in its fixed range wouldn¡¯t interest it at all . ¡®And that¡¯s what I don¡¯t like about that guy . ¡¯ Jin-Woo was quite unhappy at the fact that a measly monster was looking down on him from that high up . A vicious grin broke out of his face, then . And the hand pointing to the sky was pointed towards the Giant next . ¡°Advance!¡± (TL note at the end) Beru raised his head up high and screeched loudly . ¡°Kiiiiieeeehhhkkk!!¡± Ants, Ice Bears, Giants ¨C no, almost every single Shadow Soldier gathered there dashed forward all at once towards the boss-level Giant monster . RUMBLE-!! The fierce march of the Shadow Army rocked the ground below . The earth shook and mighty dust storm kicked up . And soon, Jin-Woo¡¯s soldiers entered the territory of the Giant . It happened then . The surrounding air suddenly transformed . ¡°What the hell?!¡± A scream-like cry of shock exploded out from Jin-Woo¡¯s mouth . The boss Giant had disappeared from his view, and when it reappeared, already half of his Shadow Soldiers had been annihilated . ¡®It did a sliding tackle??¡¯ There was no other fitting term to describe the boss Giant sweeping away his soldiers with its stretched leg other than a ¡®sliding tackle¡¯ . It was an unfathomable destructive power . With that single attack, a huge entity that was the Shadow Army got split in half . Of course, his soldiers weren¡¯t simply standing back to get massacred out there, either . Even before the dust kicked up from the Giant¡¯s foot had settled down, Fangs finished gigantifying himself and stood before the monster¡¯s face . Fuu-heuph!! He then sucked in a deep, deep breath as his chest expanded greatly . A nonsensically massive pillar of flames erupted out from his mouth . Kuuuwaaaahhhh-!! This attack from Fangs was capable of even melting down those monsters with innate resistance to fire in a single breath . Unfortunately, the Giant blocked this blazing inferno with the palm of its hand . Jin-Woo could sense Fangs getting astonished by what was happening . While still in the lowered position, the Giant snatched up the ankle of a Giant Shadow Soldier in the vicinity . His Giant soldier, as big as a regular building, resembled a small child after it got caught by the hand of the boss-level monster . And this creature threw the Giant soldier straight at Fangs . He was about to suck in another breath for his second attack, but he was struck down by the flying soldier before he could and got disintegrated . ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes narrowed to a slit like a blade as he witnessed Fangs get scattered away in black smoke . It proceeded from that point on ¨C one thousand against one . The proper battle between his Shadow Soldiers and the boss-level Giant truly began . No ¨C this was a far too one-sided display of violence to be called a battle . ¡°Kkiiieeehk!¡± ¡°Ku-uh-uuhk!¡± Shadow Soldiers were crushed constantly and endlessly by the Giant¡¯s attacks . A punch, a slap, an elbow drop, a knee, the back of the foot, and the bottom of it ¨C one movement from the boss-level Giant, and dozens of soldiers were swept away . Boom!! Boom!!! Boom!!!! The boss-level Giant¡¯s flashy movements easily exceeded that of the highest-ranked melee-type Hunter¡¯s speed . ¡°Kiiehk . ¡± Beru watched the ant army being trampled on and was about to dash forward, but Jin-Woo raised his arm and stopped him . ¡°Not yet . ¡± Beru took a step back . Both Beru and Igrit standing next to Jin-Woo and waiting for his orders displayed visible hints of wanting to join the battle . ¡®However, now isn¡¯t the time yet . ¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s lips were shut tight in a straight line . The soldiers repeatedly went through destruction and revival, resulting in his MP decreasing at an alarming rate . In fact, the rate was so severe that even the massive reserve of MP he possessed now thanks to the ¡®Black Heart¡¯ wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up . However, Jin-Woo remained patient and didn¡¯t move . He calmly observed the Giant from the distance . He sent out his immortal army as bait and searched for the creature¡¯s weaknesses . That was his plan for this raid . BOOM!! The Giant crushed Shadow Soldiers with its knee, and proceeded to punch the ground with its fist . Ka-boom!! The ground shook as if there was an earthquake breaking out and dozens of soldiers disappeared in black smoke . It was a nightmarish battle situation created by the perfect defence and the horrifying destructive power of the monster . However, he did gain something from all of this . Within this desolate wasteland that once used to be the centre of Tokyo, Jin-Woo¡¯s irises were gleaming brightly from his frightening level of concentration . ¡®As I thought¡­ . ¡¯ As expected, no attacks could damage the hardy skin of the Giant as it had worn its enormous magic energy around itself like an impregnable carapace . The creature must¡¯ve been aware of its own defensive capability, because it didn¡¯t even bother to defend itself and continued to pour out one attack after another . However, there was one single exception . There was one moment that the Giant chose defence instead of offence . That would be when Fangs spat out the ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯s Breath¡¯ in the face of the Giant before . Only then did it raise its arm to protect its face . If, by chance, that was not a simple coincidence, then¡­ . . ¡°Kaisel!¡± Jin-Woo summoned out his Sky Dragon . Kaisel emerged out from the shadow at once and spread out its massive wings in a spectacular fashion . Cha-aaahk! ¡°Kiiiiaaahk!!¡± Jin-Woo quickly climbed aboard Kaisel¡¯s back . ¡°Beru, Igrit!¡± Beru¡¯s wings extended out from Jin-Woo¡¯s call, while Igrit climbed up behind his Sovereign . Soon, Kaisel flapped its wings and took off while carrying his two new passengers . Kiiahk!! The ground quickly grew further away . ¡®Let¡¯s go!¡¯ The four of them flew up high in the air and flew in a straight line towards the Giant monster¡¯s head . It was then . Sneak . The eyes of the Giant shifted to its side . Even though it was in the middle of a violent tangle with nearly a thousand Shadow Soldiers, it still had time to discover Kaisel and Beru approaching it at an ultra-high speed . Seeing that, Jin-Woo nodded his head in understanding . That solidified another one of his theories . This monster could definitely split time itself during the battle and use it to its advantage just like Jin-Woo would do with his Agility Stat . And that was why this thing could display such an astonishing level of speed compared to other Giant monsters . The boss twisted its body around . Jin-Woo¡¯s vision caught the sight of the creature¡¯s massive shoulders moving . ¡®Evade it!¡¯ Jin-Woo and Igrit kicked away from the back of Kaisel . A blink of an eye later, the Giant¡¯s fist slammed into Kaisel . Ka-boom! Jin-Woo watched Kaisel explode into black smoke, his brows quivering . It was still a rotten feeling to watch his soldiers get destroyed like that . If there was one saving grace, then that would be the fact that the target for his anger was right in front of his face . Igrit was the first to attack . He jumped high up in the air and swung the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Longsword¡¯ down . Crackle!! A blue streak of lightning crackling into life from the end of the sword rained down on the Giant¡¯s face . The boss rapidly tilted its head back to evade the lightning . ¡®Did it again!¡¯ Once more, it dodged an attack aimed at its face . Jin-Woo was now sure of where its weak point was . He immediately used ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ to reel himself in closer to the Giant¡¯s face . Beru followed closely behind . ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword . ¡¯ Jin-Woo tightly grasped the two shortswords suddenly appearing in his hands . Beru¡¯s claws had been extended to full in no time, as well . The combined assault of Jin-Woo and Beru unfolded in the sky high up above . The Shadow Soldiers on the ground succeeded in fully reviving themselves, took aim at the Giant¡¯s ankles, and pounced on their targets . BOOM!! BANG!! Flames flying away from the hands of the Magic Soldiers crashed into the Giant¡¯s body and continued to explode . Bolts of Lightning crackled and stormed down, pillars of flames erupted forth, and Giants continued to bite and tear . Yu Jin-Ho watched this hallucination-like battle from beginning till end without missing a beat . ¡°¡­ . ¡± He was completely at a loss for words . This was no longer a battle between a Hunter and a monster . No, it was a fight between a monster and another monster . The monster the size of a high-rise building, and hyung-nim commanding nearly one-thousand summons all at once ¨C if someone asked Yu Jin-Ho who was even more monster-like in this picture, he thought that he wouldn¡¯t be able to answer right away . ¡®Truly¡­ . ¡¯ It was truly a lamentable thing that he was the only one witnessing this battle . Yu Jin-Ho did his absolute best to calm his heart, that was ready to explode in his chest, and kept his eyes firmly locked on Jin-Woo¡¯s position . That was also the moment when Jin-Woo¡¯s shortsword stabbed deeply into the eye of the Giant . Stab!! The boss rocked its head violently from side to side and desperately rampaged around . However, Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t flung away from his spot despite all the shaking . ¡®It¡¯s working . ¡¯ He grasped tight the shortsword digging into the eye of the monster and activated a skill with his other hand . ¡®Violent Slash!!¡¯ Dudududududududu!! This particular eye of the Giant was soon torn to shreds . The monster contorted its upper torso and resisted, but still, Jin-Woo remained impossible to shake off . While he tenaciously clung onto the Giant¡¯s eye, he took a look behind him . ¡®Beru!¡¯ ¡®Your wish is my command!¡¯ Beru understood immediately what his Sovereign wanted and flew in at an unbelievable speed to enter the hole in the Giant¡¯s eye . On the outside, Jin-Woo, while from the inside, Beru . The combined attacks from the two began ripping apart the giant face from inside and outside simultaneously . The Giant monster¡¯s mouth shot wide open as it issued a soundless scream . Just as the huge monster stopped attacking for a moment, ants focused their efforts on the creature¡¯s ankle and finally succeeded in their goal . Snap . After losing a tendon in one of the legs, the Giant powerlessly crashed down on one knee . Kwa-boom! The ground couldn¡¯t deal with the massive collapsing weight and quaked quite viciously . Even then, Jin-Woo and Beru¡¯s combined assault continued on . ¡°Violent Slash!!¡± Dudududududu!! ¡°Violent Slash!!¡± Dudududududu!! ¡°Violent Slash!!¡± Dudududududu!! The Giant thrashed about in pure madness, but the more it did, the more intense and crafty Jin-Woo¡¯s attacks became as he clung onto the monster¡¯s face . From a certain point onwards, the Giant¡¯s resistance stopped . Its humongous body slowly began tipping to the side . And finally¡­ KUUU-WUUOONG!! The Giant¡¯s truly huge body came crashing to the ground . It was then, Jin-Woo heard the familiar mechanical beeps going off in his head . Tti-ring . [You have defeated your enemy!] [Level up!] [Level up!] [Level up!] [Level up!] Jin-Woo¡¯s clenched fist gripped even harder . ¡®I did it!¡¯ Jin-Woo lightly landed back on the ground and was about to sigh out in relief, but then, he realised something was amiss and stopped his movements altogether . < Chapter 173 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 173: Chapter 173 Igrit¡¯s elite soldier army was the first to arrive in Tokyo Fang¡¯s High Orc army was the next to arrive Igrit discovered the approaching High Orc army and lightly nodded his head as his greeting to their Chieftain . The corners of Fang¡¯s lips, hidden under his black hood, arched up as he too, nodded his head The elite soldiers army, the division of Ice Bears that acted alongside them, and the High Orc army had now gathered in one spot . And a short while later Tap, tap, tap The sounds of marching footsteps uniformly resounded out in the surrounding air . Just beyond the ash-grey fog, a large-sized battalion of Shadow Soldiers approached the location As befitting of the soldiers that had taken the longest route but also hunted down the most Giants, Beru and his ant army were the last to arrive . The former ant king led the pack and emerged from the settling fog of dust first Just like before, Igrit sent out a greeting first ¡°¡­¡±. However, Beru didn¡¯t display any hint of acknowledgement and walked right past Igrit, strode up to Jin-Woo¡¯s back before kneeling down on one knee in a dignified manner ¡°Ah . You all have arrived . ¡±. Only then did Jin-Woo tear his eyes away from the distant Giant to take a look behind him ¡°Everyone, you all did well . ¡±. As he welcomed them all, every Shadow Soldier followed after Beru¡¯s example and knelt down on one knee . Ice Bears couldn¡¯t physically kneel down, so they simply prostrated, their noses pressed to the ground below Everyone, including the elite soldiers, Ice Bears, ants, High Orcs, and Nagas, as well as other types of Shadow Soldiers he had recruited in between ¨C nearly one thousand of his Shadow Soldiers had gathered in one spot ¡°All of you, stand up . ¡±. Jin-Woo gestured them to rise to their feet and his soldiers all stood up straight . It was truly a mesmerising spectacle Yu Jin-Ho was utterly arrested by this sight and stared dazedly at the Shadow Soldiers ¡®What a relief that this is just one of hyung-nim¡¯s skills, otherwise if these were real monsters¡­ . ¡¯. Even though he knew no bad things would happen, his body still shuddered as he imagined the scene of these many monsters that also boasted such levels of power moving around as one It was indeed a relief that these guys were allies . Where would he find anyone more appropriate to attach that description to other than his hyung-nim?. Unfortunately, there was an even more shocking scene waiting for him right behind him Gulp Yu Jin-Ho just barely managed to swallow his dry saliva and cautiously took a look behind him . There was a lone Giant standing over yonder The size of this Giant-type monster was on another scale altogether compared to the others he saw during his trip to this place Simply by staring at the head of a Giant so, so, so far up in the sky, he couldn¡¯t tell whether he was looking at an actual monster or a high-rise building, instead ¡°Wowsers¡­ . ¡±. A gasp of shock leaked out from his mouth There was just too great a difference between seeing it from a video clip and with his own two eyes like this Jin-Woo smiled and placed his hand on top of Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s head, as the latter found himself unable to shut his mouth at all ¡°Hey, dude . Your jaw will fall off at this rate . ¡±. ¡°H-hyung-nim . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho finally regained his wits and embarrassedly scratched the back of his head . Jin-Woo withdrew his hand from the kid¡¯s head and wordlessly glared at the boss-level Giant-type monster ¡®How can a massive being like that even exist?¡¯. That life-form was simply far too large The horrible magic power oozing out from that thing even made him think about getting away from this place as soon as he could . It was that unpleasant to behold There were two ways of getting rid of this unpleasantness he felt Either running as far away as possible from the source of this unpleasantness and forget about everything, or, root out the cause of the problem itself Which choice he¡¯d go for was set in stone the moment he left Korea ¨C no, the moment Jin-Woo had Awakened, as a matter of fact Ba-thump, ba-thump¡­ He closed his eyes and quietly enjoyed the tireless beatings of his heart and before abruptly opening them back again ¡°Get to a safe distance . ¡±. ¡°Yes, hyung-nim . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho nodded his head with a determined face and quickly ran in between the Shadow Soldiers to get away from there ¡®Good . ¡¯. Jin-Woo patiently waited for the kid to get to a safe enough distance away, and then summoned up his newly-added family members ¡°Come out . ¡±. Although not as huge as the boss-level Giant, several massive Shadow Soldiers rose up from the ground From No . 1 up to No . 13 Jin-Woo named his Giant Shadow Soldiers No . 1 to No . 13, according to the order of who got extracted first He felt rather pleased from the sight of these massive figures standing in front of his Shadow Army, which made his entire troop seem even more dependable than before ¡®This should be enough . ¡¯. Jin-Woo figured that this was enough preparation and raised his hand . As his fingertips pointed to the heavens above, all of the Shadow Soldiers got ready to attack Clang!. ¡°My soldiers . ¡±. His soldiers, all decked in black armour and enveloped in rising smoke ¨C Jin-Woo scanned his Shadow Soldiers one by one before turning back to face the boss-level Giant The creature was indifferently staring down at him as if any opponents not entering in its fixed range wouldn¡¯t interest it at all ¡®And that¡¯s what I don¡¯t like about that guy . ¡¯. Jin-Woo was quite unhappy at the fact that a measly monster was looking down on him from that high up A vicious grin broke out of his face, then . And the hand pointing to the sky was pointed towards the Giant next ¡°Advance!¡± (TL note at the end). Beru raised his head up high and screeched loudly ¡°Kiiiiieeeehhhkkk!!¡±. Ants, Ice Bears, Giants ¨C no, almost every single Shadow Soldier gathered there dashed forward all at once towards the boss-level Giant monster RUMBLE-!!. The fierce march of the Shadow Army rocked the ground below . The earth shook and mighty dust storm kicked up . And soon, Jin-Woo¡¯s soldiers entered the territory of the Giant It happened then The surrounding air suddenly transformed ¡°What the hell?!¡±. A scream-like cry of shock exploded out from Jin-Woo¡¯s mouth The boss Giant had disappeared from his view, and when it reappeared, already half of his Shadow Soldiers had been annihilated ¡®It did a sliding tackle??¡¯. There was no other fitting term to describe the boss Giant sweeping away his soldiers with its stretched leg other than a ¡®sliding tackle¡¯ It was an unfathomable destructive power With that single attack, a huge entity that was the Shadow Army got split in half . Of course, his soldiers weren¡¯t simply standing back to get massacred out there, either Even before the dust kicked up from the Giant¡¯s foot had settled down, Fangs finished gigantifying himself and stood before the monster¡¯s face Fuu-heuph!!. He then sucked in a deep, deep breath as his chest expanded greatly . A nonsensically massive pillar of flames erupted out from his mouth Kuuuwaaaahhhh-!!. This attack from Fangs was capable of even melting down those monsters with innate resistance to fire in a single breath . Unfortunately, the Giant blocked this blazing inferno with the palm of its hand Jin-Woo could sense Fangs getting astonished by what was happening While still in the lowered position, the Giant snatched up the ankle of a Giant Shadow Soldier in the vicinity His Giant soldier, as big as a regular building, resembled a small child after it got caught by the hand of the boss-level monster . And this creature threw the Giant soldier straight at Fangs He was about to suck in another breath for his second attack, but he was struck down by the flying soldier before he could and got disintegrated ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes narrowed to a slit like a blade as he witnessed Fangs get scattered away in black smoke It proceeded from that point on ¨C one thousand against one The proper battle between his Shadow Soldiers and the boss-level Giant truly began . No ¨C this was a far too one-sided display of violence to be called a battle ¡°Kkiiieeehk!¡±. ¡°Ku-uh-uuhk!¡±. Shadow Soldiers were crushed constantly and endlessly by the Giant¡¯s attacks A punch, a slap, an elbow drop, a knee, the back of the foot, and the bottom of it ¨C one movement from the boss-level Giant, and dozens of soldiers were swept away Boom!!. Boom!!!. Boom!!!!. The boss-level Giant¡¯s flashy movements easily exceeded that of the highest-ranked melee-type Hunter¡¯s speed ¡°Kiiehk . ¡±. Beru watched the ant army being trampled on and was about to dash forward, but Jin-Woo raised his arm and stopped him ¡°Not yet . ¡±. Beru took a step back Both Beru and Igrit standing next to Jin-Woo and waiting for his orders displayed visible hints of wanting to join the battle ¡®However, now isn¡¯t the time yet . ¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s lips were shut tight in a straight line The soldiers repeatedly went through destruction and revival, resulting in his MP decreasing at an alarming rate . In fact, the rate was so severe that even the massive reserve of MP he possessed now thanks to the ¡®Black Heart¡¯ wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up However, Jin-Woo remained patient and didn¡¯t move . He calmly observed the Giant from the distance He sent out his immortal army as bait and searched for the creature¡¯s weaknesses . That was his plan for this raid BOOM!!. The Giant crushed Shadow Soldiers with its knee, and proceeded to punch the ground with its fist Ka-boom!!. The ground shook as if there was an earthquake breaking out and dozens of soldiers disappeared in black smoke It was a nightmarish battle situation created by the perfect defence and the horrifying destructive power of the monster However, he did gain something from all of this Within this desolate wasteland that once used to be the centre of Tokyo, Jin-Woo¡¯s irises were gleaming brightly from his frightening level of concentration ¡®As I thought¡­ . ¡¯. As expected, no attacks could damage the hardy skin of the Giant as it had worn its enormous magic energy around itself like an impregnable carapace The creature must¡¯ve been aware of its own defensive capability, because it didn¡¯t even bother to defend itself and continued to pour out one attack after another However, there was one single exception . There was one moment that the Giant chose defence instead of offence . That would be when Fangs spat out the ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯s Breath¡¯ in the face of the Giant before Only then did it raise its arm to protect its face If, by chance, that was not a simple coincidence, then¡­ . ¡°Kaisel!¡±. Jin-Woo summoned out his Sky Dragon Kaisel emerged out from the shadow at once and spread out its massive wings in a spectacular fashion Cha-aaahk!. ¡°Kiiiiaaahk!!¡±. Jin-Woo quickly climbed aboard Kaisel¡¯s back ¡°Beru, Igrit!¡±. Beru¡¯s wings extended out from Jin-Woo¡¯s call, while Igrit climbed up behind his Sovereign . Soon, Kaisel flapped its wings and took off while carrying his two new passengers Kiiahk!!. The ground quickly grew further away ¡®Let¡¯s go!¡¯. The four of them flew up high in the air and flew in a straight line towards the Giant monster¡¯s head . It was then Sneak The eyes of the Giant shifted to its side Even though it was in the middle of a violent tangle with nearly a thousand Shadow Soldiers, it still had time to discover Kaisel and Beru approaching it at an ultra-high speed Seeing that, Jin-Woo nodded his head in understanding . That solidified another one of his theories This monster could definitely split time itself during the battle and use it to its advantage just like Jin-Woo would do with his Agility Stat . And that was why this thing could display such an astonishing level of speed compared to other Giant monsters The boss twisted its body around . Jin-Woo¡¯s vision caught the sight of the creature¡¯s massive shoulders moving ¡®Evade it!¡¯. Jin-Woo and Igrit kicked away from the back of Kaisel A blink of an eye later, the Giant¡¯s fist slammed into Kaisel Ka-boom!. Jin-Woo watched Kaisel explode into black smoke, his brows quivering . It was still a rotten feeling to watch his soldiers get destroyed like that If there was one saving grace, then that would be the fact that the target for his anger was right in front of his face Igrit was the first to attack . He jumped high up in the air and swung the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Longsword¡¯ down Crackle!!. A blue streak of lightning crackling into life from the end of the sword rained down on the Giant¡¯s face . The boss rapidly tilted its head back to evade the lightning ¡®Did it again!¡¯. Once more, it dodged an attack aimed at its face . Jin-Woo was now sure of where its weak point was . He immediately used ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ to reel himself in closer to the Giant¡¯s face Beru followed closely behind ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword . ¡¯. Jin-Woo tightly grasped the two shortswords suddenly appearing in his hands . Beru¡¯s claws had been extended to full in no time, as well The combined assault of Jin-Woo and Beru unfolded in the sky high up above . The Shadow Soldiers on the ground succeeded in fully reviving themselves, took aim at the Giant¡¯s ankles, and pounced on their targets BOOM!!. BANG!!. Flames flying away from the hands of the Magic Soldiers crashed into the Giant¡¯s body and continued to explode . Bolts of Lightning crackled and stormed down, pillars of flames erupted forth, and Giants continued to bite and tear Yu Jin-Ho watched this hallucination-like battle from beginning till end without missing a beat ¡°¡­ . ¡±. He was completely at a loss for words This was no longer a battle between a Hunter and a monster . No, it was a fight between a monster and another monster The monster the size of a high-rise building, and hyung-nim commanding nearly one-thousand summons all at once ¨C if someone asked Yu Jin-Ho who was even more monster-like in this picture, he thought that he wouldn¡¯t be able to answer right away ¡®Truly¡­ . ¡¯. It was truly a lamentable thing that he was the only one witnessing this battle . Yu Jin-Ho did his absolute best to calm his heart, that was ready to explode in his chest, and kept his eyes firmly locked on Jin-Woo¡¯s position That was also the moment when Jin-Woo¡¯s shortsword stabbed deeply into the eye of the Giant Stab!!. The boss rocked its head violently from side to side and desperately rampaged around . However, Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t flung away from his spot despite all the shaking ¡®It¡¯s working . ¡¯. He grasped tight the shortsword digging into the eye of the monster and activated a skill with his other hand ¡®Violent Slash!!¡¯. Dudududududududu!!. This particular eye of the Giant was soon torn to shreds . The monster contorted its upper torso and resisted, but still, Jin-Woo remained impossible to shake off While he tenaciously clung onto the Giant¡¯s eye, he took a look behind him ¡®Beru!¡¯. ¡®Your wish is my command!¡¯. Beru understood immediately what his Sovereign wanted and flew in at an unbelievable speed to enter the hole in the Giant¡¯s eye On the outside, Jin-Woo, while from the inside, Beru . The combined attacks from the two began ripping apart the giant face from inside and outside simultaneously The Giant monster¡¯s mouth shot wide open as it issued a soundless scream Just as the huge monster stopped attacking for a moment, ants focused their efforts on the creature¡¯s ankle and finally succeeded in their goal Snap After losing a tendon in one of the legs, the Giant powerlessly crashed down on one knee Kwa-boom!. The ground couldn¡¯t deal with the massive collapsing weight and quaked quite viciously Even then, Jin-Woo and Beru¡¯s combined assault continued on ¡°Violent Slash!!¡±. Dudududududu!!. ¡°Violent Slash!!¡±. Dudududududu!!. ¡°Violent Slash!!¡±. Dudududududu!!. The Giant thrashed about in pure madness, but the more it did, the more intense and crafty Jin-Woo¡¯s attacks became as he clung onto the monster¡¯s face From a certain point onwards, the Giant¡¯s resistance stopped . Its humongous body slowly began tipping to the side . And finally¡­. KUUU-WUUOONG!!. The Giant¡¯s truly huge body came crashing to the ground It was then, Jin-Woo heard the familiar mechanical beeps going off in his head Tti-ring [You have defeated your enemy!]. [Level up!]. [Level up!]. [Level up!]. [Level up!]. Jin-Woo¡¯s clenched fist gripped even harder ¡®I did it!¡¯. Jin-Woo lightly landed back on the ground and was about to sigh out in relief, but then, he realised something was amiss and stopped his movements altogether < Chapter 173 > Fin Chapter 174 ¡®Hold up . ¡¯ Jin-Woo hurriedly brought the message windows back up . He didn¡¯t even have time to enjoy the notices of his level going up four times in a row, as his eyes were currently fixed to the very first message . ¡®Oh, my god . ¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets . [You have defeated your enemy . ] ¡®This wasn¡¯t the boss monster??¡¯ His shocked gaze shifted over to the Giant sagged on the ground, with no focus to be found within its dull eyes . The incredible power that was on another realm compared to other Giants, and the overwhelming aura that even left Jin-Woo surprised . No matter what, this creature looked, sounded, and smelled like a boss, yet it was apparently not . The System¡¯s message clearly said that this thing was a ¡®regular¡¯ monster . It was then . ¡°Hyung-niiiim-!!¡± He heard the overexcited voice of Yu Jin-Ho coming from a distance . Jin-Woo raised his hand quickly to signal the sparkly-eyed Yu Jin-Ho running over here that he should stop right there . ¡°Heok!!¡± It was unknown whether he was a good listener, or maybe he was just scared easily, but regardless, the kid froze up right in his tracks . Meanwhile, Jin-Woo¡¯s glare became even more serious than before . The message of [You have killed the owner of the dungeon] hadn¡¯t appeared yet . Which could only mean that this raid was far from over . That wasn¡¯t the only suspicious thing here, either; it was impossible to perform ¡®Shadow Extraction¡¯ on this massive monster, as well . He couldn¡¯t see any black smoke rising up from the corpse, a telltale sign of it being a candidate for the extraction . And, just as he suspected¡­ . When he glared hard at the Giant¡¯s corpse as if to bore a hole through it, a mechanical beep went off in his head . Tti-ring . [It¡¯s impossible to perform Shadow Extraction on the target . ] ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s brows furrowed deeply as the situation began exceeding his expectation in more ways than one . But then, he heard the sounds of bones clattering against each other coming from somewhere . The jaw of the Giant was suddenly moving again . The creature¡¯s mouth was pried open and a humanoid-shape of something emerged from there . ¡®¡­ . . !!¡¯ Jin-Woo reflexively got into a battle stance . Flashes of sharp light gleamed off the blades summoned into his hands . Fortunately, the voice coming from the Giant¡¯s mouth turned out to be a familiar one . ¡°Oh, my king¡­ . It is I, Beru . ¡± The former ant king managed to extricate itself and stepped out, before displaying the appropriate courtesy towards Jin-Woo . ¡°¡­ . It¡¯s only you . ¡± Jin-Woo lowered his vigilance . After Beru entered the Giant¡¯s body, his presence got hidden by the huge monster¡¯s near-bottomless magical energy and as a result, it became momentarily impossible to differentiate him . After confirming that it was Beru for real, Jin-Woo returned his shortswords back to his Storage . Beru trudged out forward while covered from head to toe in the Giant¡¯s flesh and blood . It wasn¡¯t that difficult to imagine how hard the former ant king struggled within the monster¡¯s head . Jin-Woo was about to heartily praise his underling with a smile but his expression crumpled in an instant . ¡®What the hell is up with this stink¡­ . . ?¡¯ A truly disgusting odour was getting stronger as Beru got nearer . Perhaps he could also smell it, his expression was also deeply crumpled as well . He eventually stood before Jin-Woo and bowed his head in a dignified fashion . ¡°Well, then¡­ . . ¡± Jin-Woo was about to pat his ant soldier on the shoulder as a gesture of a job well done, but discovered a yellowish liquid of unidentifiable nature there and sneakily withdrew his hand . ¡°You did well, Beru . ¡± ¡°¡­ . I thank thee, oh my king . ¡± Jin-Woo was probably mistaken when he thought that he heard a slightly sullen tone of voice coming from the ant soldier . In any case, what he needed to concentrate on was not the identity of this weird liquid on Beru¡¯s shoulder . If this super-massive Giant-type monster was not the ¡®owner of the dungeon¡¯, then where was the real owner? Just as that thought worked its way into Jin-Woo¡¯s brain, this happened . Wuuuuu¡­ . Suddenly, the air all around him trembled . ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯ Sensing yet another change taking place, Jin-Woo hurriedly raised his guard up . Beru also sensed the danger only a beat slower and quickly increased his overall body size to stand guard before his Sovereign . ¡°Kiiieeehhk!!¡± A powerful gust of wind assaulted them right afterwards . ¡®Keuk . ¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s forehead creased up . The stormy winds violent enough to rip out trees, roots and all, swept all around him, but then, they abruptly slithered off to somewhere else . The commotion died down almost instantly . Beru decided that the situation had been normalised and stepped away from Jin-Woo¡¯s front . Meanwhile, the latter surveyed the surroundings only to gasp out in pure shock . ¡®How could this be?!¡¯ What suddenly ¡®attacked¡¯ him just now weren¡¯t some gusts of wind . No, what he mistakenly thought as storm winds was simply the horrifyingly disgusting and bottomless magic energy the dead Giant possessed . That massive amount of magical energy clawed and swept everything in the vicinity away as it moved entirely elsewhere . ¡®What about Yu Jin-Ho?!¡¯ Jin-Woo hurriedly turned to look behind where Yu Jin-Ho had been . Thankfully, the kid was unscathed due to Igrit shielding him . Jin-Woo sighed in relief . ¡®Fuu . ¡¯ Now that he found more leeway to search his vicinity, Jin-Woo quickly snapped his head in the direction where that vast magic energy had disappeared to . ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ It was deep within the Gate . Every single drop of the magical energy the dead Giant possessed was sucked into the Gate . It was as if the Gate itself had swallowed up that magic energy . The black ¡®barrier¡¯ blocking the Gate had shattered a long time ago during the dungeon break . The interior of the Gate, which was the inside of the dungeon, could be seen clearly from the outside . Guuoooo-¡­ . The air itself seemed to cry out softly . Jin-Woo thought that he had experienced all sorts of trials and tribulations in his life so far, but even he had never seen nor heard of a bizarre event like this one before . ¡®Something else is in there . ¡¯ His Perception Stat was telling him as much . Jin-Woo stared at the interior of the dungeon, his eyes progressively getting narrower and narrower . Whatever was waiting for him in there, the moment that he recognised its presence, the hair on the back of his neck all stood right up . A deathly chill came knocking and goosebumps broke out all over his body . Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump! As if it was resonating with the crying air, his heart began beating faster and faster . ¡°Hyung-nim¡­ . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho had crept up closer and closer until he was standing next to Jin-Woo . He too stared at the gigantic Gate . This might get very dangerous . Jin-Woo looked at Yu Jin-Ho and spoke in a heavy voice . ¡°You stay here and wait for me . ¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho nodded without raising a fuss . His desire to follow was quite strong, but at the same time, he figured that he¡¯d be more of a hindrance than anything else . Jin-Woo left the kid on standby outside, and led his Shadow Soldiers into the mouth of the Gate, entering into the dungeon itself . ¡®This is really¡­ . . ¡¯ While entering a few top-ranked dungeons, he thought that he got pretty used to the idea of things being ¡®massive¡¯ by now . However, his thoughts had to be revised the moment he entered this particular dungeon . ¡®¡­ . . Way too huge . ¡¯ Jin-Woo walked within the passage that seemed so limitlessly tall and wide . It was as if the word ¡®massive¡¯ had been invented just to describe this place, and he continued to swallow back his gasps of astonishment . He still didn¡¯t make any noises inside the dungeon, though . He continued to maintain this habit formed during the time when he was a lowest ranked Hunter and lacked any means to protect himself from the monsters, even though he greatly exceeded the levels of ¡®regular¡¯ rank S Awakened by now . It was never a bad thing to remain cautious of one¡¯s surroundings, after all . Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes glowed softly within the darkness . He didn¡¯t lower his vigilance, not even for a moment, and continued to advance towards the end of the dungeon . The soldiers, having recovered to their perfect state despite being involved in such a fierce battle earlier on, silently followed right after him . And so, just how long did they have to walk? Jin-Woo¡¯s steps eventually came to a stop . Beru, walking right behind him, raised his hand to signal the Shadow Army to stop, as well . Perhaps because he was formerly an ant, the species optimised for life in a large group, he was rather adept in commanding the large army . Chut . The entire Shadow Army came to a perfect halt . Beru scanned the soldiers once, before sticking close to Jin-Woo¡¯s back . ¡°Oh, my king¡­ . ¡± ¡°Shh . ¡± Jin-Woo raised his index finger, and continued on a short while later . ¡°Can you hear it?¡± Beru concentrated on the ambient noises for a little bit, before nodding his head . ¡°¡­ . Yes, I can hear it, my king . ¡± Beru could also hear it now . Just over yonder was the end of the dungeon . From the location where the dungeon¡¯s boss should usually be, laughter came out from there . It was so soft that only the beings on the levels of Jin-Woo or Beru could perceive it . The good-natured laughter of a man continued to resound out as if he was genuinely pleased about something . Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t help but get puzzled here . Even though the darkness of the dungeon had masked them and they couldn¡¯t see each other, the other party must¡¯ve felt Jin-Woo¡¯s approach by now . It¡¯d be the same story for the Shadow Army extending far behind him, too . ¡®Even then, it can still laugh like that?¡¯ Of course, Jin-Woo had already assessed the situation . Incredible magical energy, one so powerful that it even made breathing difficult, was hidden in the darkness just over yonder . The enemy¡¯s aura that gave him a foreboding sensation easily exceeded that of the Giant¡¯s magic energy when it was still alive . However, Jin-Woo himself was no pushover, either . He unleashed all of his cloaked magic power, too . Wuuoongg-¡­ . Ripples spread out to Jin-Woo¡¯s surroundings . The massive wave of magical energy rippled out, one strong enough to knock away all the Shadow Soldiers in the vicinity if it had contained any amount of malice . Even then¡­ . Hahahaha- The opponent didn¡¯t stop laughing, even then . The corners of Jin-Woo¡¯s lips also arched up in response . ¡®Aren¡¯t you an interesting fella . ¡¯ With a smile on his face, he stepped into the boss chamber . He was greeted by an unfathomably huge and open space that should have served as the home for the super-massive Giant monster . Jin-Woo continued to walk towards where the laughter was coming from without a shred of hesitation . His Shadow Soldiers followed after him and marched forward, as well . Chut, chut, chut, chut¡­ . (TL: SFX for metal boots walking on a hard surface . ) The spectacle of so many monsters enveloped in black smoke advancing forward in unison was more than enough to instil fear in the hearts of every enemy watching . However¡­ . ¡°Hahahaha!!¡± However, such a thing wasn¡¯t applicable to a certain man, whose entire body was tied down by chains, with the sole exception of his head . Was it him simply being tied down? No . It wasn¡¯t as simple as that at all . The black chains connected to the walls of the dungeons not only wrapped tightly around this unknown man several times, some of them even pierced straight through his body, the emerging ends seemingly taking root within his flesh . It was such a wretched sight that anyone watching would immediately start wondering, if that was punishment then just how big was the crime committed to warrant such treatment? Jin-Woo furrowed his brows . On the other hand, the man formed a bright smile while looking at Jin-Woo as if he had run into a very close friend . ¡°Oh, how humorous this is! So very humorous!! All of you detestable Ruler b*stards, take a good look at who had come to see me first!¡± Jin-Woo came to a stop, not too far but not too close . The man quickly carried on . ¡°The chains¡­ hurry and undo these chains . I know all the plans of the Rulers . I need to let the other Sovereigns know of the tru¡­ . . ¡± The man¡¯s words suddenly came to a halt, then . His eyes, filled with joy only until a moment ago, had cooled down in an instant as if it had all been a lie . ¡°¡­¡± This unknown man quietly peered into Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes . While that was happening, the latter also carefully studied the former . And it was in that moment he realised that this man¡¯s face and that of the super-massive Giant guarding the Gate were exactly the same . ¡®It¡¯s not¡­ . a human . ¡¯ The ripples of magic energy coming from it were too different from a human¡¯s . Besides, the fact that it was speaking the language of monsters so fluently could only mean this guy was not human, for sure . However, why was a monster being restrained inside a dungeon in this fashion? In the ensuing ten years since the first Gate opened up, all sorts of different monsters made their appearances, but this would be his first time hearing about the appearance of a monster that was all tied down and couldn¡¯t move inside a dungeon . However, if there was one clue given away now, it was the term this being used with such disgust ¨C ¡®Rulers¡¯ . ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± A short bout of silence flowed in between them . Only after a while did the lips of this unknown man part open . ¡°You are¡­ . not the one that I know of . ¡± Jin-Woo had no idea who this guy mistook him for, but he wasn¡¯t planning to deny that, either . Well, he also had never seen the face of this tied-up man before . Excluding the dead Giant outside, of course . Jin-Woo threw a question . ¡°Did those Rulers or whatever make you look like this?¡± ¡°They are trying to use me . As the stepping stone for laying the foundation of the true warfare about to take place . ¡± This was the first time something like this happened . Jin-Woo had tried to initiate conversations with intelligent monsters up until now, but none of them were able to explain their origins at all . But then, the one right in front of his eyes had revealed the reason for its existence for the first time ever . It said, to lay the foundation of the true warfare . Whether those words were truth or lies, Jin-Woo realised that they could become an important clue to unravelling everything . ¡°Just what are these things called Rulers?¡± ¡°Ancient enemies of the Sovereigns . ¡± ¡®Sovereigns¡­ . ¡¯ The angel statue back then began to go berserk as it was being pushed to the corner . It cried out something about other Sovereigns not taking this lying down . For the time being, even if he were to set aside what kind of existence these Sovereigns were¡­ . He kind of realised just where one of them could be right now . ¡°In that case, the reason why those beings tied you up like this is that¡­ . ¡± ¡°That¡¯s right . ¡± The man replied with sorrowful eyes . ¡°I am also a Sovereign . ¡± And then, he explained further with a desperate voice . ¡°It is quite likely that both the Sovereigns and Rulers are aiming for you right now . However, you lack the strength to fight against them . In order to stand a chance against them, you¡¯ll be needing influence, too . ¡± Out of all the hard-to-fathom words being spewed out, Jin-Woo still managed to catch what this man wanted to say the most . ¡°Influence?¡± The man nodded his head . ¡°Release me from my seal . I shall aid you . ¡± < Chapter 174 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 174: Chapter 174 ¡®Hold up . ¡¯. Jin-Woo hurriedly brought the message windows back up He didn¡¯t even have time to enjoy the notices of his level going up four times in a row, as his eyes were currently fixed to the very first message ¡®Oh, my god . ¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets [You have defeated your enemy . ]. ¡®This wasn¡¯t the boss monster??¡¯. His shocked gaze shifted over to the Giant sagged on the ground, with no focus to be found within its dull eyes The incredible power that was on another realm compared to other Giants, and the overwhelming aura that even left Jin-Woo surprised . No matter what, this creature looked, sounded, and smelled like a boss, yet it was apparently not . The System¡¯s message clearly said that this thing was a ¡®regular¡¯ monster It was then ¡°Hyung-niiiim-!!¡±. He heard the overexcited voice of Yu Jin-Ho coming from a distance Jin-Woo raised his hand quickly to signal the sparkly-eyed Yu Jin-Ho running over here that he should stop right there ¡°Heok!!¡±. It was unknown whether he was a good listener, or maybe he was just scared easily, but regardless, the kid froze up right in his tracks Meanwhile, Jin-Woo¡¯s glare became even more serious than before The message of [You have killed the owner of the dungeon] hadn¡¯t appeared yet . Which could only mean that this raid was far from over That wasn¡¯t the only suspicious thing here, either; it was impossible to perform ¡®Shadow Extraction¡¯ on this massive monster, as well . He couldn¡¯t see any black smoke rising up from the corpse, a telltale sign of it being a candidate for the extraction And, just as he suspected¡­ When he glared hard at the Giant¡¯s corpse as if to bore a hole through it, a mechanical beep went off in his head Tti-ring [It¡¯s impossible to perform Shadow Extraction on the target . ]. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s brows furrowed deeply as the situation began exceeding his expectation in more ways than one . But then, he heard the sounds of bones clattering against each other coming from somewhere The jaw of the Giant was suddenly moving again The creature¡¯s mouth was pried open and a humanoid-shape of something emerged from there ¡®¡­ !!¡¯. Jin-Woo reflexively got into a battle stance . Flashes of sharp light gleamed off the blades summoned into his hands . Fortunately, the voice coming from the Giant¡¯s mouth turned out to be a familiar one ¡°Oh, my king¡­ . It is I, Beru . ¡±. The former ant king managed to extricate itself and stepped out, before displaying the appropriate courtesy towards Jin-Woo ¡°¡­ . It¡¯s only you . ¡±. Jin-Woo lowered his vigilance After Beru entered the Giant¡¯s body, his presence got hidden by the huge monster¡¯s near-bottomless magical energy and as a result, it became momentarily impossible to differentiate him After confirming that it was Beru for real, Jin-Woo returned his shortswords back to his Storage Beru trudged out forward while covered from head to toe in the Giant¡¯s flesh and blood . It wasn¡¯t that difficult to imagine how hard the former ant king struggled within the monster¡¯s head Jin-Woo was about to heartily praise his underling with a smile but his expression crumpled in an instant ¡®What the hell is up with this stink¡­ ?¡¯. A truly disgusting odour was getting stronger as Beru got nearer . Perhaps he could also smell it, his expression was also deeply crumpled as well He eventually stood before Jin-Woo and bowed his head in a dignified fashion ¡°Well, then¡­ ¡±. Jin-Woo was about to pat his ant soldier on the shoulder as a gesture of a job well done, but discovered a yellowish liquid of unidentifiable nature there and sneakily withdrew his hand ¡°You did well, Beru . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . I thank thee, oh my king . ¡±. Jin-Woo was probably mistaken when he thought that he heard a slightly sullen tone of voice coming from the ant soldier In any case, what he needed to concentrate on was not the identity of this weird liquid on Beru¡¯s shoulder . If this super-massive Giant-type monster was not the ¡®owner of the dungeon¡¯, then where was the real owner?. Just as that thought worked its way into Jin-Woo¡¯s brain, this happened Wuuuuu¡­ Suddenly, the air all around him trembled ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯. Sensing yet another change taking place, Jin-Woo hurriedly raised his guard up . Beru also sensed the danger only a beat slower and quickly increased his overall body size to stand guard before his Sovereign ¡°Kiiieeehhk!!¡±. A powerful gust of wind assaulted them right afterwards ¡®Keuk . ¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s forehead creased up The stormy winds violent enough to rip out trees, roots and all, swept all around him, but then, they abruptly slithered off to somewhere else The commotion died down almost instantly Beru decided that the situation had been normalised and stepped away from Jin-Woo¡¯s front . Meanwhile, the latter surveyed the surroundings only to gasp out in pure shock ¡®How could this be?!¡¯. What suddenly ¡®attacked¡¯ him just now weren¡¯t some gusts of wind . No, what he mistakenly thought as storm winds was simply the horrifyingly disgusting and bottomless magic energy the dead Giant possessed That massive amount of magical energy clawed and swept everything in the vicinity away as it moved entirely elsewhere ¡®What about Yu Jin-Ho?!¡¯. Jin-Woo hurriedly turned to look behind where Yu Jin-Ho had been . Thankfully, the kid was unscathed due to Igrit shielding him Jin-Woo sighed in relief ¡®Fuu . ¡¯. Now that he found more leeway to search his vicinity, Jin-Woo quickly snapped his head in the direction where that vast magic energy had disappeared to ¡®¡­ ¡¯. It was deep within the Gate Every single drop of the magical energy the dead Giant possessed was sucked into the Gate It was as if the Gate itself had swallowed up that magic energy The black ¡®barrier¡¯ blocking the Gate had shattered a long time ago during the dungeon break . The interior of the Gate, which was the inside of the dungeon, could be seen clearly from the outside Guuoooo-¡­ The air itself seemed to cry out softly Jin-Woo thought that he had experienced all sorts of trials and tribulations in his life so far, but even he had never seen nor heard of a bizarre event like this one before ¡®Something else is in there . ¡¯. His Perception Stat was telling him as much . Jin-Woo stared at the interior of the dungeon, his eyes progressively getting narrower and narrower Whatever was waiting for him in there, the moment that he recognised its presence, the hair on the back of his neck all stood right up . A deathly chill came knocking and goosebumps broke out all over his body Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!. As if it was resonating with the crying air, his heart began beating faster and faster ¡°Hyung-nim¡­ . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho had crept up closer and closer until he was standing next to Jin-Woo . He too stared at the gigantic Gate This might get very dangerous . Jin-Woo looked at Yu Jin-Ho and spoke in a heavy voice ¡°You stay here and wait for me . ¡±. ¡°Yes, hyung-nim . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho nodded without raising a fuss . His desire to follow was quite strong, but at the same time, he figured that he¡¯d be more of a hindrance than anything else Jin-Woo left the kid on standby outside, and led his Shadow Soldiers into the mouth of the Gate, entering into the dungeon itself ¡®This is really¡­ ¡¯. While entering a few top-ranked dungeons, he thought that he got pretty used to the idea of things being ¡®massive¡¯ by now . However, his thoughts had to be revised the moment he entered this particular dungeon ¡®¡­ Way too huge . ¡¯. Jin-Woo walked within the passage that seemed so limitlessly tall and wide . It was as if the word ¡®massive¡¯ had been invented just to describe this place, and he continued to swallow back his gasps of astonishment He still didn¡¯t make any noises inside the dungeon, though He continued to maintain this habit formed during the time when he was a lowest ranked Hunter and lacked any means to protect himself from the monsters, even though he greatly exceeded the levels of ¡®regular¡¯ rank S Awakened by now It was never a bad thing to remain cautious of one¡¯s surroundings, after all Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes glowed softly within the darkness He didn¡¯t lower his vigilance, not even for a moment, and continued to advance towards the end of the dungeon . The soldiers, having recovered to their perfect state despite being involved in such a fierce battle earlier on, silently followed right after him And so, just how long did they have to walk?. Jin-Woo¡¯s steps eventually came to a stop Beru, walking right behind him, raised his hand to signal the Shadow Army to stop, as well . Perhaps because he was formerly an ant, the species optimised for life in a large group, he was rather adept in commanding the large army Chut The entire Shadow Army came to a perfect halt . Beru scanned the soldiers once, before sticking close to Jin-Woo¡¯s back ¡°Oh, my king¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Shh . ¡±. Jin-Woo raised his index finger, and continued on a short while later ¡°Can you hear it?¡±. Beru concentrated on the ambient noises for a little bit, before nodding his head ¡°¡­ . Yes, I can hear it, my king . ¡±. Beru could also hear it now Just over yonder was the end of the dungeon . From the location where the dungeon¡¯s boss should usually be, laughter came out from there . It was so soft that only the beings on the levels of Jin-Woo or Beru could perceive it The good-natured laughter of a man continued to resound out as if he was genuinely pleased about something Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t help but get puzzled here Even though the darkness of the dungeon had masked them and they couldn¡¯t see each other, the other party must¡¯ve felt Jin-Woo¡¯s approach by now . It¡¯d be the same story for the Shadow Army extending far behind him, too ¡®Even then, it can still laugh like that?¡¯. Of course, Jin-Woo had already assessed the situation Incredible magical energy, one so powerful that it even made breathing difficult, was hidden in the darkness just over yonder . The enemy¡¯s aura that gave him a foreboding sensation easily exceeded that of the Giant¡¯s magic energy when it was still alive However, Jin-Woo himself was no pushover, either . He unleashed all of his cloaked magic power, too Wuuoongg-¡­ Ripples spread out to Jin-Woo¡¯s surroundings The massive wave of magical energy rippled out, one strong enough to knock away all the Shadow Soldiers in the vicinity if it had contained any amount of malice Even then¡­ Hahahaha-. The opponent didn¡¯t stop laughing, even then The corners of Jin-Woo¡¯s lips also arched up in response ¡®Aren¡¯t you an interesting fella . ¡¯. With a smile on his face, he stepped into the boss chamber . He was greeted by an unfathomably huge and open space that should have served as the home for the super-massive Giant monster Jin-Woo continued to walk towards where the laughter was coming from without a shred of hesitation His Shadow Soldiers followed after him and marched forward, as well Chut, chut, chut, chut¡­ . (TL: SFX for metal boots walking on a hard surface . ). The spectacle of so many monsters enveloped in black smoke advancing forward in unison was more than enough to instil fear in the hearts of every enemy watching However¡­ ¡°Hahahaha!!¡±. However, such a thing wasn¡¯t applicable to a certain man, whose entire body was tied down by chains, with the sole exception of his head Was it him simply being tied down?. No It wasn¡¯t as simple as that at all The black chains connected to the walls of the dungeons not only wrapped tightly around this unknown man several times, some of them even pierced straight through his body, the emerging ends seemingly taking root within his flesh It was such a wretched sight that anyone watching would immediately start wondering, if that was punishment then just how big was the crime committed to warrant such treatment?. Jin-Woo furrowed his brows On the other hand, the man formed a bright smile while looking at Jin-Woo as if he had run into a very close friend ¡°Oh, how humorous this is! So very humorous!! All of you detestable Ruler b*stards, take a good look at who had come to see me first!¡±. Jin-Woo came to a stop, not too far but not too close The man quickly carried on ¡°The chains¡­ hurry and undo these chains . I know all the plans of the Rulers . I need to let the other Sovereigns know of the tru¡­ ¡±. The man¡¯s words suddenly came to a halt, then . His eyes, filled with joy only until a moment ago, had cooled down in an instant as if it had all been a lie ¡°¡­¡±. This unknown man quietly peered into Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes . While that was happening, the latter also carefully studied the former . And it was in that moment he realised that this man¡¯s face and that of the super-massive Giant guarding the Gate were exactly the same ¡®It¡¯s not¡­ . a human . ¡¯. The ripples of magic energy coming from it were too different from a human¡¯s . Besides, the fact that it was speaking the language of monsters so fluently could only mean this guy was not human, for sure However, why was a monster being restrained inside a dungeon in this fashion?. In the ensuing ten years since the first Gate opened up, all sorts of different monsters made their appearances, but this would be his first time hearing about the appearance of a monster that was all tied down and couldn¡¯t move inside a dungeon However, if there was one clue given away now, it was the term this being used with such disgust ¨C ¡®Rulers¡¯ ¡°¡­¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. A short bout of silence flowed in between them Only after a while did the lips of this unknown man part open ¡°You are¡­ . not the one that I know of . ¡±. Jin-Woo had no idea who this guy mistook him for, but he wasn¡¯t planning to deny that, either . Well, he also had never seen the face of this tied-up man before . Excluding the dead Giant outside, of course Jin-Woo threw a question ¡°Did those Rulers or whatever make you look like this?¡±. ¡°They are trying to use me . As the stepping stone for laying the foundation of the true warfare about to take place . ¡±. This was the first time something like this happened . Jin-Woo had tried to initiate conversations with intelligent monsters up until now, but none of them were able to explain their origins at all But then, the one right in front of his eyes had revealed the reason for its existence for the first time ever It said, to lay the foundation of the true warfare Whether those words were truth or lies, Jin-Woo realised that they could become an important clue to unravelling everything ¡°Just what are these things called Rulers?¡±. ¡°Ancient enemies of the Sovereigns . ¡±. ¡®Sovereigns¡­ . ¡¯. The angel statue back then began to go berserk as it was being pushed to the corner . It cried out something about other Sovereigns not taking this lying down . For the time being, even if he were to set aside what kind of existence these Sovereigns were¡­ He kind of realised just where one of them could be right now ¡°In that case, the reason why those beings tied you up like this is that¡­ . ¡±. ¡°That¡¯s right . ¡±. The man replied with sorrowful eyes ¡°I am also a Sovereign . ¡±. And then, he explained further with a desperate voice ¡°It is quite likely that both the Sovereigns and Rulers are aiming for you right now . However, you lack the strength to fight against them . In order to stand a chance against them, you¡¯ll be needing influence, too . ¡±. Out of all the hard-to-fathom words being spewed out, Jin-Woo still managed to catch what this man wanted to say the most ¡°Influence?¡±. The man nodded his head ¡°Release me from my seal . I shall aid you . ¡±. < Chapter 174 > Fin Chapter 175 Jin-Woo could only doubt his own hearing just then . Who wanted to help who now? A monster helping a human? He was so flabbergasted that he ended up blurting out what was on his mind . ¡°You seriously think I¡¯ll believe you?¡± The unknown man formed a serious expression . ¡°Then, I shall make you believe me . ¡± He began chanting some kind of a spell as his lips moved at an incredible speed that looked like a video playback sped up tens, no, hundreds of times . At that moment, Jin-Woo sensed the magical energy present within this empty, open arena suddenly coagulate around this man . In the blink of an eye, he summoned his shortswords out . If the gathering magic energy carried even a hint of aggression, then the blade of his weapon would have pierced into the man¡¯s forehead already . However, Jin-Woo patiently waited . The amount of magic energy being utilised was very small when compared to the reserves both Jin-Woo and the man possessed . And he couldn¡¯t sense any aggression or hostile intent from the gathered energy, either . ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Jin-Woo readied the ultimate version of the skill ¡®Dagger Throw¡¯, ¡®Dagger Rush¡¯, and waited with bated breaths . The needle-like tension continued to prick him in his skin . Eventually, the strange language flowing out of the man¡¯s mouth came to an end, and a System message popped up in Jin-Woo¡¯s view along with the familiar ¡®tti-ring¡¯ . [King of Giants, the Sovereign of the Beginning, ¡®Reghia¡¯ has activated the ¡®Skill: Pledge of Trust (Negotiable)¡¯ . ] [Once the ¡®Skill: Pledge of Trust (Negotiable)¡¯ has been agreed upon, both the initiator and the acceptor cannot lie to one another . ] [Will you accept the ¡®Skill: Pledge of Trust (Negotiable)¡¯?] (Y/N) What attracted Jin-Woo¡¯s attention, first of all, was not the contents of the man¡¯s suggestion, but the title denoting what the man¡¯s true identity was . ¡®The King of Giants, is it¡­ . . ¡¯ He remembered the Giant-type monsters he hunted down on his way to here . Most likely, there must be some kind of a connection between this revelation and the reason for the face of the super-massive Giant protecting the Gate being the same as this man¡¯s own mug . As Jin-Woo fell into a contemplative silence, the man patiently waited for an answer . ¡®What should I do?¡¯ Jin-Woo looked at the blinking ¡®Y/N¡¯ and pondered his options . Seeing that the System even bothered to give him an alert like this, the effects of this skill or whatever must¡¯ve been for certain . He needed to think about who¡¯d be in more of a disadvantage when unable to lie to the other party here . However, there was no reason to think too deeply about this as the conclusion was already clear in his mind . ¡®Obviously, it¡¯ll be a loss for him . ¡¯ After all, this side was standing on an advantage . In case a question Jin-Woo could never provide an answer for comes around, all he had to was to kill this creature, even if that sounded callous and cold-hearted . This deal was suggested by the other side, to begin with . And Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t na?ve enough to feel guilty for a monster, of all things . ¡®Yes . ¡¯ Tti-ring . A System message appearing simultaneously with the mechanical beep quickly informed him of the successful completion of the negotiation . [¡®Pledge of Trust (Negotiable)¡¯ has been initiated . ] [Through the mutual consent of both the initiator and acceptor, the two parties involved cannot lie to one another until the contract has been terminated . ] The King of Giants urgently repeated what he said before as if he was waiting for Jin-Woo to accept the Pledge . ¡°Please, free me from this seal . I shall help you . ¡± ¡°Euph¡­ . Euph¡­ . ??¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes went extra round from surprise . His voice didn¡¯t want to come out of his mouth as if his throat had been blocked off . A smile crept up on the face of this King of Giants after seeing Jin-Woo¡¯s struggles . ¡°That¡¯s right . That is the power of the Pledge of Trust . ¡± ¡°¡­¡± Indeed, the effect had been confirmed to be real . Half out of curiosity and the other half out of testing purposes, Jin-Woo was about to answer ¡®I shall completely trust you . Let me undo those chains right away¡¯ . But he really couldn¡¯t say any of those words at all . ¡®So, this is the Pledge of Trust at work¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo confirmed the effects of this ¡®skill¡¯ and felt his heart beat faster . With this, he could trust to a certain extent what this King of Giants had to say to him . There was a simple reason why he didn¡¯t trust 100%, though . If they had no choice but to speak only the truth from now on, then it was rather obvious that the other party would withhold information that might prove to be damaging to itself . Jin-Woo¡¯s glare became sharper than when there was no Pledge between the two . ¡°How come it¡¯s possible to converse freely with you, unlike how it is with other monsters?¡± ¡°Monsters?¡± ¡°Creatures emerging out from the Gates . ¡± ¡°¡­Ah, ah . You must be referring to the denizens of the Chaos World . ¡± The King of Giants cracked a mocking grin . ¡°I shall ask you something in return . How could you even think of placing mere denizens of the Chaos World on the same pedestal as a Sovereign who rules over them?¡± He then formed a dignified expression truly fitting for a ¡®King¡¯ . ¡°All the denizens of the Chaos World emerging from the so-called Gates are, without exception, remnants of the defeated army . They have lost the battles against the army of the Rulers and become captives . They had to remain tied to a leash for an uncountable number of years, so it¡¯s only obvious that their ego has been eroded somewhat . However, I am the King . I am different from them . I have patiently waited for the fated day when I can make my escape from their grasp . ¡± The King formed a thin smile next . ¡°And that¡¯s how I got to encounter you . ¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo worked hard to keep his emotions in check and to analyse what this guy was saying as objectively as possible . ¡®If he¡¯s really an existence on a higher realm than other monsters, then¡­ . ¡¯ ¡­ . Then, he might really find himself with some important clues here . Gulp . His saliva travelled down his throat . He had a ton of stuff he wanted to ask right now . But, before he did that, he needed to confirm something else first . ¡°By any chance, when you said the army of the Rulers, were you talking about those wearing silver armour with wings on their backs¡­ . ?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right . Those dogs are the soldiers of the Rulers . ¡± As expected . It felt as if another puzzle piece had clicked into its rightful place . He suddenly thought that the ¡®video playback¡¯ the angel statue showed him was not some make-believe crap, but someone¡¯s real memories of an event that did happen, instead . Just what the hell was going on in this world, then? Jin-Woo asked another question . ¡°Why do those b*stards called Rulers keep sending these monsters to us?¡± The reason for the existences of the Gates . If he could find out the reason why these Gates kept popping up, then couldn¡¯t he be able to do something about it and stop that from happening again? Jin-Woo biggest concern lay with that . ¡°I have told you that already, have I not?¡± The King of the Giants spoke with much more emphasis in his voice . ¡°They are preparing for war . ¡± ¡°War?¡± ¡°They will change this world into a suitable battlefield to engage the Sovereigns in yet another warfare . ¡± ¡°I don¡¯t quite follow you here¡­ Just by sending monsters to Earth, this planet suddenly becomes a warzone?¡± Well, it was true that sometimes, a situation far more horrifying than a warzone could develop from a Gate, but still . Jin-Woo momentarily recalled the event that took place in Jin-Ah¡¯s school . Even then, those were matters that involved humanity . He just couldn¡¯t see how those would serve as preparations for some kind of a war involving non-human races . ¡°It is all to inject magical energy into your world . ¡± THUD! Jin-Woo felt as if he was struck in the back of his head just then . If monsters were calamities emerging from the Gates, then magic energy was the blessing coming from the Gates . Not just the Hunters, but many civilians thought similarly along these lines . Magic crystals, as well as Mana stones . These items containing magic energy were treated as the greatest source of energy in the modern world . But then, that energy was actually nothing more than footholds for the upcoming war? The King of Giants continued on with his explanations . ¡°There is simply no better way to propagate the type of energy that didn¡¯t exist before than by sacrificing the blood of those that possess the necessary energy . So, the Rulers decided to utilise the captives they had in their possession . ¡± There was no need to even mention that the density of the magical energy around the world was gradually getting thicker every day . That was not a naturally occurring phenomenon . No, more than likely that was the fruits from the trees first germinated from the fertile field cultivated from the blood of the monsters . ¡°The magic energy fortifies a world . They plan to fortify your world so it wouldn¡¯t get destroyed from the impacts of the warfare . ¡± ¡°In that case, this warfare is¡­ . ?¡± ¡°Yet another blood-soaked struggle between the Sovereigns and the Rulers . Not too long from now, the world you¡¯re living in will become a true hell . ¡± A battle between the armies of the Rulers, and the monsters ¨C no, creatures before they were unwittingly turned into monsters . Jin-Woo did clearly witness their enormous battle from the ¡®data¡¯ . If Earth had been selected as ground zero for such massive scale warfare, then the assertion of this King of Giants, the one about this planet becoming hell, could not be dismissed as a simple exaggeration . The complexion of the King suddenly darkened . ¡°There isn¡¯t a lot of time left . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . ?¡± ¡°Once the truth about you coming in contact with me gets out, both the Sovereigns and the Rulers will not simply stay back and watch on anymore . It is even likely that the Envoys of the Rulers have begun their schemes already . ¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been implying that those b*stards will be aiming for my life, but¡­ Why is that?¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t know anything, do you?¡± The Kings continued on with his explanations in a tone of voice thickly laden with pity . ¡°The power that you possess actually is not yours . ¡± Nod . Jin-Woo agreed with that . The abilities of the Shadow Sovereign were something he got from the System . He couldn¡¯t deny the notion that this power was not his from the very beginning . ¡°The mere fact of that power now residing within you could only mean that the original owner had betrayed other Sovereigns . ¡± When Jin-Woo heard that, he remembered the angel statue saying something similar in nature . It was likely that the statue was also one of the denizens of the Chaos World that followed the Sovereigns . As the questions in Jin-Woo¡¯s head kept sprouting up one after another, the King of Giants spoke up . ¡°You have become the enemy of both the Sovereigns, as well as the Rulers . However, only I pledge that I shall stand by your side and fight for you . So, will you not help me?¡± The King of Giants had assessed that this much convincing was enough and formed a serious, determined face . Unfortunately for him, Jin-Woo calmly asked a question in return . ¡°If you wish to stand by my side, then wouldn¡¯t it be simpler for me to turn you into a Shadow Soldier, instead?¡± The King of the Giants flinched in surprise . It was only for a second then, but for that briefest of moments, the King saw the actual face of the Shadow Sovereign and this human¡¯s overlap . What the human said was not wrong . To him, there would be bigger merit in having one more absolutely loyal underling than forming a brand new alliance with a complete stranger . The King inwardly admired the fact that this human didn¡¯t miss that crucial point . He spoke up and explained the situation . ¡°We, the Sovereigns, as well as the Rulers, are made up of spiritual bodies . Once such a spiritual body dies, it is destroyed and can¡¯t be turned into one of your Shadow Soldiers . Meaning, I can never become your soldier . ¡± Jin-Woo nodded his head again . ¡®So, that was why . ¡¯ Here was the reason why the King thought Jin-Woo would lend a helping hand when there was clearly a much easier method, to turn him into a Shadow Soldier . As the Pledge of Truth was still active, there was no need to decipher if that was a lie or not, too . Jin-Woo stopped swimming within his thoughts and raised his head . The King of Giants asked again . ¡°Are those enough reasons for you to help me now?¡± Jin-Woo wordlessly stared at the King . This being titled the King of Giants, it was carrying an expression of certainty as if it knew that the restraints tying it down would soon be undone . Of course, Jin-Woo had no such weird tendencies of feeling jealous after seeing someone else being happier than him . Also, this guy said he¡¯d become his ally out of its own volition, so he didn¡¯t have any reason to reject the offer, either . However, why did he keep feeling this uneasiness in his heart? ¡®Something¡­ I¡¯ve definitely overlooked something here . ¡¯ One cold sweat drop after another began forming on his forehead . The King of Giants, meanwhile, made another plea . ¡°Unshackle me, I beseech you . ¡± Jin-Woo took in a deep, deep breath . No matter how hard he pondered his options, he couldn¡¯t think of a reason to reject this King¡¯s plea . The longer he thought about what he had missed, the more he felt as if he was getting sucked into a quagmire . ¡®Am I being too paranoid here¡­ . ?¡¯ Jin-Woo approached the King of Giants while carrying the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword¡¯ . And as he walked right up to its own nose, the King nodded his head . Jin-Woo reciprocated that nod . He swung his shortsword laden with his magic power, and one of the chains powerlessly snapped in half . Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!! His heart was beating louder and louder for some reason . Why did this indecipherable sense of ill omen continue to pull back at his hands, even though he had already made his decision? Slice . The second chain was cut in half, as well . The King of Giants formed a reverential expression that was neither joyous or sorrowful and waited for his restraints to be undone . The third chain . Slice . Jin-Woo leaned towards the back of the King in order to cut the chains taking root within its flesh there . But then¡­ . Ba-thump!! His heart pulsed incredibly powerfully, right then . He felt as if his heart had crashed down to the pit of his stomach . The chain of thoughts on what he had overlooked, and why he was feeling that way, violently crashed into his head, as if it was prying apart the small gap between the tight rock formation . Jin-Woo stayed his hands trying to cut the chain, and looked straight into the King¡¯s eyes . ¡°You have said that you will stand by my side, yes?¡± ¡°Of course I will . If you help me, then I shall help you in return . This is a fair and absolute transaction between two Sovereigns . ¡± He had already heard this reply several times . However, what Jin-Woo wanted to confirm wasn¡¯t that answer . So, he threw out the real question next . ¡°In that case, are you on the side of the humans?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The King suddenly became silent . The ¡®Pledge of Truth¡¯ . The condition of this spell meant that the King of Giants couldn¡¯t say anything . Jin-Woo took a look behind this being¡¯s neck . A jet-black Mana Crystal embedded on the back of his neck coldly reflected the ambient light . As long as that item was stuck in the body, this being would hear the voices of the Rulers in his head, too . ¡­ . Exactly like every other monster . The words of ¡®Kill every human¡¯ . For a brief moment there, a murderous intent flowed in the air . With its now-free right hand, the King of Giants took aim at Jin-Woo¡¯s temple . Too bad, it was still not enough to reach him . He lowered his head and evaded the attack, before stabbing the shortsword into the King¡¯s chest . Stab! As if the chains wrapped around its body didn¡¯t even exist, the sharp blade dug deep into the chest cavity of the captive King . ¡°Keo-heuk!!¡± The King of Giants suddenly vomited out a mouthful of blood . However, that single hit wasn¡¯t enough . Letting this thing live was far too risky . This thing¡­ could become an untold calamity . Jin-Woo analysed the situation as thus and, while evading the right hand of the King constantly attacking him with nothing more than tilting his upper body this way and that, continued to thrust the shortsword into the chest of his enemy . Stab, stab, stab, stab! He stabbed for the sixth time . Only after his blade entered and left the chest cavity for the sixth time did the King of Giants stopped moving his right hand . It was over . Jin-Woo extracted his shortsword for the last time . The King of Giants stared straight into his eyes and formed a meaningful grin . ¡°It is regretful, but this here is the end of the road for me . ¡± ¡°¡­¡± Jin-Woo took a step back and wordlessly shook the blood off his shortsword . In the meantime, the King continued to speak . ¡°As the battles between the residents of your world and the captured denizens of the Chaos World become more and more intense, this world will transform further and further into a battlefield . ¡± Cough! The King coughed out another mouthful of blood and formed the last smile . ¡°I pray¡­ that everything you wish to protect burn into ashes in the all-ending conflagration of the war¡­ . ¡± ¡°That ain¡¯t gonna happen . ¡± Jin-Woo curtly cut off the words of the King, and swung his shortsword hard to cut the being¡¯s head off . Slice! [You have killed the owner of the dungeon . ] The moment the King drew his last breath, the ocean-like magical energy sleeping within the creature exploded into the world outside . The transformation of the world had begun . < Chapter 175 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 175: Chapter 175 Jin-Woo could only doubt his own hearing just then Who wanted to help who now? A monster helping a human?. He was so flabbergasted that he ended up blurting out what was on his mind ¡°You seriously think I¡¯ll believe you?¡±. The unknown man formed a serious expression ¡°Then, I shall make you believe me . ¡±. He began chanting some kind of a spell as his lips moved at an incredible speed that looked like a video playback sped up tens, no, hundreds of times At that moment, Jin-Woo sensed the magical energy present within this empty, open arena suddenly coagulate around this man . In the blink of an eye, he summoned his shortswords out If the gathering magic energy carried even a hint of aggression, then the blade of his weapon would have pierced into the man¡¯s forehead already However, Jin-Woo patiently waited The amount of magic energy being utilised was very small when compared to the reserves both Jin-Woo and the man possessed . And he couldn¡¯t sense any aggression or hostile intent from the gathered energy, either ¡®¡­¡­¡¯. Jin-Woo readied the ultimate version of the skill ¡®Dagger Throw¡¯, ¡®Dagger Rush¡¯, and waited with bated breaths The needle-like tension continued to prick him in his skin Eventually, the strange language flowing out of the man¡¯s mouth came to an end, and a System message popped up in Jin-Woo¡¯s view along with the familiar ¡®tti-ring¡¯ [King of Giants, the Sovereign of the Beginning, ¡®Reghia¡¯ has activated the ¡®Skill: Pledge of Trust (Negotiable)¡¯ . ]. [Once the ¡®Skill: Pledge of Trust (Negotiable)¡¯ has been agreed upon, both the initiator and the acceptor cannot lie to one another . ]. [Will you accept the ¡®Skill: Pledge of Trust (Negotiable)¡¯?] (Y/N). What attracted Jin-Woo¡¯s attention, first of all, was not the contents of the man¡¯s suggestion, but the title denoting what the man¡¯s true identity was ¡®The King of Giants, is it¡­ ¡¯. He remembered the Giant-type monsters he hunted down on his way to here . Most likely, there must be some kind of a connection between this revelation and the reason for the face of the super-massive Giant protecting the Gate being the same as this man¡¯s own mug As Jin-Woo fell into a contemplative silence, the man patiently waited for an answer ¡®What should I do?¡¯. Jin-Woo looked at the blinking ¡®Y/N¡¯ and pondered his options Seeing that the System even bothered to give him an alert like this, the effects of this skill or whatever must¡¯ve been for certain He needed to think about who¡¯d be in more of a disadvantage when unable to lie to the other party here . However, there was no reason to think too deeply about this as the conclusion was already clear in his mind ¡®Obviously, it¡¯ll be a loss for him . ¡¯. After all, this side was standing on an advantage In case a question Jin-Woo could never provide an answer for comes around, all he had to was to kill this creature, even if that sounded callous and cold-hearted This deal was suggested by the other side, to begin with . And Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t na?ve enough to feel guilty for a monster, of all things ¡®Yes . ¡¯. Tti-ring A System message appearing simultaneously with the mechanical beep quickly informed him of the successful completion of the negotiation [¡®Pledge of Trust (Negotiable)¡¯ has been initiated . ]. [Through the mutual consent of both the initiator and acceptor, the two parties involved cannot lie to one another until the contract has been terminated . ]. The King of Giants urgently repeated what he said before as if he was waiting for Jin-Woo to accept the Pledge ¡°Please, free me from this seal . I shall help you . ¡±. ¡°Euph¡­ . Euph¡­ . ??¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes went extra round from surprise . His voice didn¡¯t want to come out of his mouth as if his throat had been blocked off A smile crept up on the face of this King of Giants after seeing Jin-Woo¡¯s struggles ¡°That¡¯s right . That is the power of the Pledge of Trust . ¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. Indeed, the effect had been confirmed to be real Half out of curiosity and the other half out of testing purposes, Jin-Woo was about to answer ¡®I shall completely trust you . Let me undo those chains right away¡¯ . But he really couldn¡¯t say any of those words at all ¡®So, this is the Pledge of Trust at work¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo confirmed the effects of this ¡®skill¡¯ and felt his heart beat faster With this, he could trust to a certain extent what this King of Giants had to say to him . There was a simple reason why he didn¡¯t trust 100%, though If they had no choice but to speak only the truth from now on, then it was rather obvious that the other party would withhold information that might prove to be damaging to itself Jin-Woo¡¯s glare became sharper than when there was no Pledge between the two ¡°How come it¡¯s possible to converse freely with you, unlike how it is with other monsters?¡±. ¡°Monsters?¡±. ¡°Creatures emerging out from the Gates . ¡±. ¡°¡­Ah, ah . You must be referring to the denizens of the Chaos World . ¡±. The King of Giants cracked a mocking grin ¡°I shall ask you something in return . How could you even think of placing mere denizens of the Chaos World on the same pedestal as a Sovereign who rules over them?¡±. He then formed a dignified expression truly fitting for a ¡®King¡¯ ¡°All the denizens of the Chaos World emerging from the so-called Gates are, without exception, remnants of the defeated army . They have lost the battles against the army of the Rulers and become captives . They had to remain tied to a leash for an uncountable number of years, so it¡¯s only obvious that their ego has been eroded somewhat . However, I am the King . I am different from them . I have patiently waited for the fated day when I can make my escape from their grasp . ¡±. The King formed a thin smile next ¡°And that¡¯s how I got to encounter you . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo worked hard to keep his emotions in check and to analyse what this guy was saying as objectively as possible ¡®If he¡¯s really an existence on a higher realm than other monsters, then¡­ . ¡¯. ¡­ . Then, he might really find himself with some important clues here Gulp His saliva travelled down his throat He had a ton of stuff he wanted to ask right now . But, before he did that, he needed to confirm something else first ¡°By any chance, when you said the army of the Rulers, were you talking about those wearing silver armour with wings on their backs¡­ . ?¡±. ¡°That¡¯s right . Those dogs are the soldiers of the Rulers . ¡±. As expected . It felt as if another puzzle piece had clicked into its rightful place He suddenly thought that the ¡®video playback¡¯ the angel statue showed him was not some make-believe crap, but someone¡¯s real memories of an event that did happen, instead Just what the hell was going on in this world, then?. Jin-Woo asked another question ¡°Why do those b*stards called Rulers keep sending these monsters to us?¡±. The reason for the existences of the Gates . If he could find out the reason why these Gates kept popping up, then couldn¡¯t he be able to do something about it and stop that from happening again?. Jin-Woo biggest concern lay with that ¡°I have told you that already, have I not?¡±. The King of the Giants spoke with much more emphasis in his voice ¡°They are preparing for war . ¡±. ¡°War?¡±. ¡°They will change this world into a suitable battlefield to engage the Sovereigns in yet another warfare . ¡±. ¡°I don¡¯t quite follow you here¡­ Just by sending monsters to Earth, this planet suddenly becomes a warzone?¡±. Well, it was true that sometimes, a situation far more horrifying than a warzone could develop from a Gate, but still Jin-Woo momentarily recalled the event that took place in Jin-Ah¡¯s school . Even then, those were matters that involved humanity . He just couldn¡¯t see how those would serve as preparations for some kind of a war involving non-human races ¡°It is all to inject magical energy into your world . ¡±. THUD!. Jin-Woo felt as if he was struck in the back of his head just then If monsters were calamities emerging from the Gates, then magic energy was the blessing coming from the Gates . Not just the Hunters, but many civilians thought similarly along these lines Magic crystals, as well as Mana stones . These items containing magic energy were treated as the greatest source of energy in the modern world But then, that energy was actually nothing more than footholds for the upcoming war?. The King of Giants continued on with his explanations ¡°There is simply no better way to propagate the type of energy that didn¡¯t exist before than by sacrificing the blood of those that possess the necessary energy . So, the Rulers decided to utilise the captives they had in their possession . ¡±. There was no need to even mention that the density of the magical energy around the world was gradually getting thicker every day That was not a naturally occurring phenomenon . No, more than likely that was the fruits from the trees first germinated from the fertile field cultivated from the blood of the monsters ¡°The magic energy fortifies a world . They plan to fortify your world so it wouldn¡¯t get destroyed from the impacts of the warfare . ¡±. ¡°In that case, this warfare is¡­ . ?¡±. ¡°Yet another blood-soaked struggle between the Sovereigns and the Rulers . Not too long from now, the world you¡¯re living in will become a true hell . ¡±. A battle between the armies of the Rulers, and the monsters ¨C no, creatures before they were unwittingly turned into monsters . Jin-Woo did clearly witness their enormous battle from the ¡®data¡¯ If Earth had been selected as ground zero for such massive scale warfare, then the assertion of this King of Giants, the one about this planet becoming hell, could not be dismissed as a simple exaggeration The complexion of the King suddenly darkened ¡°There isn¡¯t a lot of time left . ¡±. ¡°¡­ ?¡±. ¡°Once the truth about you coming in contact with me gets out, both the Sovereigns and the Rulers will not simply stay back and watch on anymore . It is even likely that the Envoys of the Rulers have begun their schemes already . ¡±. ¡°You¡¯ve been implying that those b*stards will be aiming for my life, but¡­ Why is that?¡±. ¡°You really don¡¯t know anything, do you?¡±. The Kings continued on with his explanations in a tone of voice thickly laden with pity ¡°The power that you possess actually is not yours . ¡±. Nod Jin-Woo agreed with that The abilities of the Shadow Sovereign were something he got from the System . He couldn¡¯t deny the notion that this power was not his from the very beginning ¡°The mere fact of that power now residing within you could only mean that the original owner had betrayed other Sovereigns . ¡±. When Jin-Woo heard that, he remembered the angel statue saying something similar in nature . It was likely that the statue was also one of the denizens of the Chaos World that followed the Sovereigns As the questions in Jin-Woo¡¯s head kept sprouting up one after another, the King of Giants spoke up ¡°You have become the enemy of both the Sovereigns, as well as the Rulers . However, only I pledge that I shall stand by your side and fight for you . So, will you not help me?¡±. The King of Giants had assessed that this much convincing was enough and formed a serious, determined face . Unfortunately for him, Jin-Woo calmly asked a question in return ¡°If you wish to stand by my side, then wouldn¡¯t it be simpler for me to turn you into a Shadow Soldier, instead?¡±. The King of the Giants flinched in surprise It was only for a second then, but for that briefest of moments, the King saw the actual face of the Shadow Sovereign and this human¡¯s overlap What the human said was not wrong . To him, there would be bigger merit in having one more absolutely loyal underling than forming a brand new alliance with a complete stranger The King inwardly admired the fact that this human didn¡¯t miss that crucial point . He spoke up and explained the situation ¡°We, the Sovereigns, as well as the Rulers, are made up of spiritual bodies . Once such a spiritual body dies, it is destroyed and can¡¯t be turned into one of your Shadow Soldiers . Meaning, I can never become your soldier . ¡±. Jin-Woo nodded his head again ¡®So, that was why . ¡¯. Here was the reason why the King thought Jin-Woo would lend a helping hand when there was clearly a much easier method, to turn him into a Shadow Soldier . As the Pledge of Truth was still active, there was no need to decipher if that was a lie or not, too Jin-Woo stopped swimming within his thoughts and raised his head The King of Giants asked again ¡°Are those enough reasons for you to help me now?¡±. Jin-Woo wordlessly stared at the King This being titled the King of Giants, it was carrying an expression of certainty as if it knew that the restraints tying it down would soon be undone Of course, Jin-Woo had no such weird tendencies of feeling jealous after seeing someone else being happier than him . Also, this guy said he¡¯d become his ally out of its own volition, so he didn¡¯t have any reason to reject the offer, either However, why did he keep feeling this uneasiness in his heart?. ¡®Something¡­ I¡¯ve definitely overlooked something here . ¡¯. One cold sweat drop after another began forming on his forehead The King of Giants, meanwhile, made another plea ¡°Unshackle me, I beseech you . ¡±. Jin-Woo took in a deep, deep breath No matter how hard he pondered his options, he couldn¡¯t think of a reason to reject this King¡¯s plea . The longer he thought about what he had missed, the more he felt as if he was getting sucked into a quagmire ¡®Am I being too paranoid here¡­ . ?¡¯. Jin-Woo approached the King of Giants while carrying the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword¡¯ And as he walked right up to its own nose, the King nodded his head . Jin-Woo reciprocated that nod He swung his shortsword laden with his magic power, and one of the chains powerlessly snapped in half Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!!. His heart was beating louder and louder for some reason Why did this indecipherable sense of ill omen continue to pull back at his hands, even though he had already made his decision?. Slice The second chain was cut in half, as well The King of Giants formed a reverential expression that was neither joyous or sorrowful and waited for his restraints to be undone The third chain Slice Jin-Woo leaned towards the back of the King in order to cut the chains taking root within its flesh there . But then¡­ Ba-thump!!. His heart pulsed incredibly powerfully, right then He felt as if his heart had crashed down to the pit of his stomach The chain of thoughts on what he had overlooked, and why he was feeling that way, violently crashed into his head, as if it was prying apart the small gap between the tight rock formation Jin-Woo stayed his hands trying to cut the chain, and looked straight into the King¡¯s eyes ¡°You have said that you will stand by my side, yes?¡±. ¡°Of course I will . If you help me, then I shall help you in return . This is a fair and absolute transaction between two Sovereigns . ¡±. He had already heard this reply several times . However, what Jin-Woo wanted to confirm wasn¡¯t that answer . So, he threw out the real question next ¡°In that case, are you on the side of the humans?¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. The King suddenly became silent The ¡®Pledge of Truth¡¯ . The condition of this spell meant that the King of Giants couldn¡¯t say anything Jin-Woo took a look behind this being¡¯s neck . A jet-black Mana Crystal embedded on the back of his neck coldly reflected the ambient light As long as that item was stuck in the body, this being would hear the voices of the Rulers in his head, too ¡­ . Exactly like every other monster The words of ¡®Kill every human¡¯ For a brief moment there, a murderous intent flowed in the air With its now-free right hand, the King of Giants took aim at Jin-Woo¡¯s temple Too bad, it was still not enough to reach him . He lowered his head and evaded the attack, before stabbing the shortsword into the King¡¯s chest Stab!. As if the chains wrapped around its body didn¡¯t even exist, the sharp blade dug deep into the chest cavity of the captive King ¡°Keo-heuk!!¡±. The King of Giants suddenly vomited out a mouthful of blood However, that single hit wasn¡¯t enough . Letting this thing live was far too risky . This thing¡­ could become an untold calamity Jin-Woo analysed the situation as thus and, while evading the right hand of the King constantly attacking him with nothing more than tilting his upper body this way and that, continued to thrust the shortsword into the chest of his enemy Stab, stab, stab, stab!. He stabbed for the sixth time Only after his blade entered and left the chest cavity for the sixth time did the King of Giants stopped moving his right hand It was over Jin-Woo extracted his shortsword for the last time . The King of Giants stared straight into his eyes and formed a meaningful grin ¡°It is regretful, but this here is the end of the road for me . ¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. Jin-Woo took a step back and wordlessly shook the blood off his shortsword . In the meantime, the King continued to speak ¡°As the battles between the residents of your world and the captured denizens of the Chaos World become more and more intense, this world will transform further and further into a battlefield . ¡±. Cough! The King coughed out another mouthful of blood and formed the last smile ¡°I pray¡­ that everything you wish to protect burn into ashes in the all-ending conflagration of the war¡­ . ¡±. ¡°That ain¡¯t gonna happen . ¡±. Jin-Woo curtly cut off the words of the King, and swung his shortsword hard to cut the being¡¯s head off Slice!. [You have killed the owner of the dungeon . ]. The moment the King drew his last breath, the ocean-like magical energy sleeping within the creature exploded into the world outside The transformation of the world had begun < Chapter 175 > Fin Chapter 176 A few days before the death of the King of Giants . A helicopter belonging to America¡¯s Hunter Bureau landed on the lawn of a certain ultra-luxurious mansion . Tatatata¡­ . The owner of this mansion, currently enjoying a belated lunch, stared at that helicopter through his window and stopped cutting into the juicy slab of steak . ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of anyone coming to see me today?¡± ¡°I shall go and confirm who it is . ¡± The steward lowered his head and left with a quick trot . Around the same time, the owner of the mansion spotted two people climbing out of the helicopter and his expression hardened in an instant . ¡°¡­ . This could get troublesome . ¡± The housekeeper carrying away the empty plates heard his muttering by chance and tilted her head . The dignified gentleman sitting at the dining table, the owner of this grand mansion, was one of the only five greatest Hunters alive on this planet . His name was Christopher Reid . He was more commonly known as the ¡®Special Authority-rank Hunter¡¯ rather than by his birth name, though . In any case, who¡¯d dare to trouble such a person? The steward ran past the housekeeper and her curious expression to enter the dining room . ¡°Sir Christopher!¡± ¡°I already know . ¡± Christopher Reid stopped the steward from speaking any further and quietly got up from his chair . With a smile on his face, he then greeted a middle-aged man entering the dining room one step later than his flustered steward . ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Deputy Director . And¡­ . ¡± Christopher Reid¡¯s gaze shifted over to the African-American lady standing behind the Deputy Director of the Hunter Bureau . ¡°¡­ . Madam Selner . ¡± It was already abnormal for someone as important as the deputy director of the Hunter Bureau to pay a personal visit like this . But, this lady making a move personally would be on a whole new scale of seriousness altogether . Sure enough, the deputy director was carrying a deeply tense face as he scanned his surroundings . He spoke while anxiously rubbing his chin . ¡°We have an urgent matter to discuss with you, so can you send everyone else away for the time being?¡± As Christopher Reid had expected ¨C his prediction of being troubled had come true . If his guest was only the deputy director, then he¡¯d have made the latter wait for a few hours as the price for disrupting his peaceful afternoon without a heads-up . However, he couldn¡¯t do something so impolite with Madam Selner present . Christopher Reid quietly pondered for a moment while washing the inside of his mouth with a glass of wine . He beckoned the steward with his finger . Only after his employee got close enough to touch his forehead did the Hunter whisper his next order . ¡°Until my two guests leave, do not let anyone come anywhere remotely close to this room . Understood?¡± ¡°Understood, sir . ¡± The steward bowed his head, and began ushering everyone else, including the housekeeper, out from this room . He then also exited from the room and held the door with both hands, before bowing his head once more . Christopher Reid nodded his head, and the door was silently closed shut . And so, only three people, the owner of the mansion, the Deputy Director Michael Connor, and Madam Selner, remained within this spacious room . Christopher Reid swept his gaze over his two guests and couldn¡¯t help but smirk . It was understandable, really . Wasn¡¯t this the occasion where the worth of the second-in-command of the government¡¯s most powerful organisation had become the least important of the trio present? Christopher Reid himself would be the second as the Special Authority-rank Hunter . And no one could even begin to imagine the potential value of Madam Selner, who could permanently enhance the abilities of a Hunter . ¡®Oopsie daisy, where are my manners . ¡¯ He couldn¡¯t let these important guests stand around like that, now could he? Christopher Reid pulled out two chairs from the dining table and addressed them . ¡°Please, have a seat . ¡± Once he confirmed that the deputy director and Madam had settled down, he too parked his rear on their opposite side . ¡°So, now¡­ . ¡± Christopher Reid alternated his gaze between the two guests and smiled amiably . ¡°What business brings you two to this distant abode of mine?¡± Madam Selner searched for a sign of assurance from the deputy director first . He nodded his head to signal go ahead . But, just before Selner could open her mouth to speak, Christopher Reid raised his hand first . ¡°Before we start . ¡± There were some hints of displeasure evident in his expression . ¡°If you have come here to speak to me about that rank S Gate appearing somewhere out in the east, then let me make myself clear . I¡¯m still not interested in going . ¡± He resolutely stated his case . He made sure to drive the point home so there would be no room for anyone to try changing his mind . ¡°As both of you should know by now, the United States government had promised me the full rights equalling that of an independent nation . Meaning, I possess the right to refuse any request made by the U . S . government . And, as I have stated in my communique sent out earlier, I have decided not to participate in this raid . ¡± He was basically a ¡®different nation¡¯ within a country . Such a thing as civic duty simply didn¡¯t hold any meaning for a ¡®Special Authority-rank Hunter¡¯, who was treated not as a citizen of a country but as a living, breathing nation in itself and was accorded the same treatment as every other nation on Earth . Of course, he could lend a helping hand if he wanted to . However, there was a reason why he decided to refuse the invitation . He figured that there was no need for him to participate in a raid where every rank S Hunter living in the United States was planning to show up . Even if the deputy director showed up here while thinking of using Madam as a proxy, Christopher Reid held not one thought of changing his mind at all . Too bad for him, just as he was firm about where he stood, Madam Selner too drew a clear line on where she stood . ¡°I haven¡¯t come to you because of that Gate, Mister Chris . We have an even bigger problem than that to worry about . ¡± Right now, the country of Japan was being driven to the brink of destruction from a single rank S Gate . However, did she just say that there was an even bigger problem than a rank S Gate getting ready to open up within the U . S . borders? Christopher Reid¡¯s torso leaned in closer towards the Madam . ¡°What is this big problem?¡± Madam Selner hesitated greatly before she forced her lips to open . ¡°Mister Chris¡­ . . In the near future, there is a strong possibility that you¡¯ll get assassinated by an unknown assailant . ¡± At that moment, an awkward silence descended on the room . Christopher Reid had been wondering why the deputy director seemed so unsettled and nervous like that . As a matter of fact, Michael Connor even pulled out a handkerchief to dab away the sweat soaking his forehead right now . ¡°¡­ . Madam Selner . ¡± His voice as he called out to her became heavy, low . ¡°I¡¯ll never forget the favour you did for me for the rest of my life . ¡± Because of her ability, his powers had become stronger than ever before . He had exceeded his limit that felt like a wall he couldn¡¯t overcome no matter what . However, that didn¡¯t mean she was allowed to look down on him like this . ¡°Just who is supposed to assassinate who here?¡± Just who would dare to touch even a single hair on the body of a Special Authority-rank Hunter? A cat could never slay a lion . Only a lion could rip apart another lion to death . However, he was utterly confident of not losing to any of the lions on the same level as him . This was the true reason why he opted to stay out of this raid . How unbecoming was it for a lion to butt in where the stray cats had gathered? Unless you were a low-class lion like Thomas Andre, of course . Madam Selner had clearly sensed the quiet rage burning within Christopher Reid¡¯s mind, but she didn¡¯t stop with her explanation . ¡°Not too long ago, I had a dream related to you . ¡± ¡°A dream?¡± ¡°Yes . ¡± Madam nodded her head . Christopher Reid felt flabbergasted, but Madam continued on regardless . ¡°In my dream, you were surrounded by some men, and they¡­ . . ¡± ¡°Look here, Madam Selner!¡± Christopher Reid couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and yelled out loudly . ¡°Just because of some dream you had, you flew all the way out to this place to tell me this nonsense, Madam?!¡± ¡°This is not nonsense, and I merely wish to¡­ . ¡± ¡°I already know full well what you used to do before becoming an Awakened, okay?¡± Some people believed that, because she used to work as a psychic, Madam Selner came to possess a unique ability that separated her from all the other Awakened out there . However, her former profession still couldn¡¯t excuse this utterly nonsensical drivel . Christopher Reid¡¯s expression crumpled rather unsightly . ¡°I am a Special Authority-rank Hunter . No one can kill me . ¡± ¡°But, in my dream, you definitely¡­ . ¡± ¡°You and your dream again!¡± Christopher Reid spat out a long sigh and then, nodded his head . ¡°Alright, fine . Let¡¯s say I believe you, Madam . Let¡¯s say there are enemies powerful enough to kill me . In that case, if that is all real, who should I go and ask for help, then?¡± Should he call the cops? Or, request protection from the Hunter Bureau? Against an opponent capable enough to supposedly kill a Special Authority-rank Hunter? What a stupid notion that was . Christopher Reid snorted in derision and continued on . ¡°If true, there¡¯s nothing that can be done, is there?¡± ¡°¡­ . . ¡± Madam Selner silently deliberated for a long time before making her reply . ¡°There might be someone who can help you . ¡± ¡°And just who might this someone be?¡± ¡°Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . If it¡¯s him, he might be able to protect you . ¡± Seong Jin-Woo? Christopher Reid was listening without much interest, to begin with, and needed to comb his memories for a moment there . Although the name itself sounded unfamiliar, he was sure of hearing it from somewhere before . But, where could it have been? It must¡¯ve been pretty recent when he heard that name ¡®Seong Jin-Woo¡¯, however . ¡®No, could it be¡­ . ?¡¯ The expression on Christopher Reid¡¯s face crumpled even more . ¡°Wait, are you talking about that Asian Hunter who went off to solve the Japanese dungeon break crisis?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct . He¡¯s Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ¡± Madam Selner definitely saw it back then . She definitely saw the near-infinite power sleeping deep within Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . If it was him, then he might be able to protect a Special Authority-rank Hunter . She had spoken these words out of genuine concern regarding Christopher Reid¡¯s welfare . However, his immense pride heard them as nothing but insults to his dignity . Boom!! He slammed his fist down on the table reflexively and the furniture buckled to the floor . ¡°Get out right now, Madam . Right this instant!¡± Christopher Reid shot up from his seat and pointed towards the door with his finger . ¡°I-if you could just listen a bit more¡­ . ¡± The deputy director tried to persuade Christopher Reid, but then¡­ . ¡°W-we shall be on our way¡­ . ¡± ¡­ . He couldn¡¯t say anything else under the sharp, murderous glare of a Special Authority-rank Hunter . He hurriedly accompanied the clearly-hesitant Madam Selner out of the mansion . The steward on standby outside the room saw the broken table and quickly rushed in . ¡°Did something happen, sir?¡± ¡°¡­ . No, not really . ¡± Christopher Reid slowly shook his head . If it wasn¡¯t Madam Selner who lent a huge helping hand when enhancing his powers ¨C indeed, if it was someone else, then things wouldn¡¯t have ended with that person being chased out of his mansion . He could only swallow back the still-burning rage and took a deep breath . ¡®She wants me to ask for help from some second-rate Asian Hunter?¡¯ There was a limit to how much one was allowed to mock the one and only Christopher Reid . He suddenly swivelled his head towards the steward . The latter flinched a little, but quickly regained his former composure . ¡°Do you have new orders for me, sir?¡± ¡°That¡­ . . That Hunter named Seong Jin-Woo . Do you know when he¡¯s supposed to start his Japanese raid?¡± The story of Japan was one of the hottest talked-about topics in the world . America was no exception . Quite obviously, Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s name had become as famous as the dungeon break that happened in Japan or the Giants that popped out from the Gate . The steward calculated the time difference using his wristwatch and made his reply . ¡°He should be arriving in Japan in one hour¡¯s time, sir . ¡± ¡°One hour, is it¡­ . ¡± ¡­ . He shouldn¡¯t get bored for a little while, then . Christopher Reid consoled himself with that thought and continued to glare at the rising helicopter containing the deputy director and Madam Selner . *** [You have killed the owner of the dungeon . ] Drop . The King of Giants lost its head . Jin-Woo quickly stepped away to evade the fountain of blood gushing out from the severed neck . It was then . Tti-ring! The familiar mechanical beep went off in his head . Initially, he thought it was just one of those normal alerts the System often sent out . However, the message was definitely not normal in nature . [You have killed one of the Nine Sovereigns, the Sovereign of the Beginning, ¡®Reghia¡¯ . ] [Calculating the total earned experience points . ] [Due to the enormous amount of experience points, this process will take some time . ] ¡®What the heck?¡¯ Jin-Woo was flustered for a moment there as he had never come across a situation like this one before . And a little while later¡­ . Tti-ring! Tti-ring! Tti-ring! Tti-ring! Mechanical beeps continuously rang inside his head . And at the same time, Jin-Woo got to spectate on the grand feast of System messages utterly filling up his vision . [Level up!] [Level up!] [Level up!] ¡­ . ¡­¡­ . . [Level up!] [Level up!] [Level up!] ¡®¡­ . !!!¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes opened progressively wider and wider . Six times the message windows went past his eyes, and even then, there had to be two additional mechanical beeps ringing inside his head for the ¡®Level up!¡¯ alerts to come to their end . Jin-Woo hurriedly summoned up his Stat Window . ¡®Status Window!¡¯ < Chapter 176 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 176: Chapter 176 A few days before the death of the King of Giants A helicopter belonging to America¡¯s Hunter Bureau landed on the lawn of a certain ultra-luxurious mansion Tatatata¡­ The owner of this mansion, currently enjoying a belated lunch, stared at that helicopter through his window and stopped cutting into the juicy slab of steak ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of anyone coming to see me today?¡±. ¡°I shall go and confirm who it is . ¡±. The steward lowered his head and left with a quick trot Around the same time, the owner of the mansion spotted two people climbing out of the helicopter and his expression hardened in an instant ¡°¡­ . This could get troublesome . ¡±. The housekeeper carrying away the empty plates heard his muttering by chance and tilted her head . The dignified gentleman sitting at the dining table, the owner of this grand mansion, was one of the only five greatest Hunters alive on this planet His name was Christopher Reid He was more commonly known as the ¡®Special Authority-rank Hunter¡¯ rather than by his birth name, though . In any case, who¡¯d dare to trouble such a person?. The steward ran past the housekeeper and her curious expression to enter the dining room ¡°Sir Christopher!¡±. ¡°I already know . ¡±. Christopher Reid stopped the steward from speaking any further and quietly got up from his chair . With a smile on his face, he then greeted a middle-aged man entering the dining room one step later than his flustered steward ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Deputy Director . And¡­ . ¡±. Christopher Reid¡¯s gaze shifted over to the African-American lady standing behind the Deputy Director of the Hunter Bureau ¡°¡­ . Madam Selner . ¡±. It was already abnormal for someone as important as the deputy director of the Hunter Bureau to pay a personal visit like this . But, this lady making a move personally would be on a whole new scale of seriousness altogether Sure enough, the deputy director was carrying a deeply tense face as he scanned his surroundings . He spoke while anxiously rubbing his chin ¡°We have an urgent matter to discuss with you, so can you send everyone else away for the time being?¡±. As Christopher Reid had expected ¨C his prediction of being troubled had come true If his guest was only the deputy director, then he¡¯d have made the latter wait for a few hours as the price for disrupting his peaceful afternoon without a heads-up However, he couldn¡¯t do something so impolite with Madam Selner present Christopher Reid quietly pondered for a moment while washing the inside of his mouth with a glass of wine . He beckoned the steward with his finger . Only after his employee got close enough to touch his forehead did the Hunter whisper his next order ¡°Until my two guests leave, do not let anyone come anywhere remotely close to this room . Understood?¡±. ¡°Understood, sir . ¡±. The steward bowed his head, and began ushering everyone else, including the housekeeper, out from this room . He then also exited from the room and held the door with both hands, before bowing his head once more Christopher Reid nodded his head, and the door was silently closed shut And so, only three people, the owner of the mansion, the Deputy Director Michael Connor, and Madam Selner, remained within this spacious room Christopher Reid swept his gaze over his two guests and couldn¡¯t help but smirk . It was understandable, really . Wasn¡¯t this the occasion where the worth of the second-in-command of the government¡¯s most powerful organisation had become the least important of the trio present?. Christopher Reid himself would be the second as the Special Authority-rank Hunter . And no one could even begin to imagine the potential value of Madam Selner, who could permanently enhance the abilities of a Hunter ¡®Oopsie daisy, where are my manners . ¡¯. He couldn¡¯t let these important guests stand around like that, now could he?. Christopher Reid pulled out two chairs from the dining table and addressed them ¡°Please, have a seat . ¡±. Once he confirmed that the deputy director and Madam had settled down, he too parked his rear on their opposite side ¡°So, now¡­ . ¡±. Christopher Reid alternated his gaze between the two guests and smiled amiably ¡°What business brings you two to this distant abode of mine?¡±. Madam Selner searched for a sign of assurance from the deputy director first . He nodded his head to signal go ahead . But, just before Selner could open her mouth to speak, Christopher Reid raised his hand first ¡°Before we start . ¡±. There were some hints of displeasure evident in his expression ¡°If you have come here to speak to me about that rank S Gate appearing somewhere out in the east, then let me make myself clear . I¡¯m still not interested in going . ¡±. He resolutely stated his case . He made sure to drive the point home so there would be no room for anyone to try changing his mind ¡°As both of you should know by now, the United States government had promised me the full rights equalling that of an independent nation . Meaning, I possess the right to refuse any request made by the U . S . government . And, as I have stated in my communique sent out earlier, I have decided not to participate in this raid . ¡±. He was basically a ¡®different nation¡¯ within a country Such a thing as civic duty simply didn¡¯t hold any meaning for a ¡®Special Authority-rank Hunter¡¯, who was treated not as a citizen of a country but as a living, breathing nation in itself and was accorded the same treatment as every other nation on Earth Of course, he could lend a helping hand if he wanted to . However, there was a reason why he decided to refuse the invitation He figured that there was no need for him to participate in a raid where every rank S Hunter living in the United States was planning to show up Even if the deputy director showed up here while thinking of using Madam as a proxy, Christopher Reid held not one thought of changing his mind at all Too bad for him, just as he was firm about where he stood, Madam Selner too drew a clear line on where she stood ¡°I haven¡¯t come to you because of that Gate, Mister Chris . We have an even bigger problem than that to worry about . ¡±. Right now, the country of Japan was being driven to the brink of destruction from a single rank S Gate . However, did she just say that there was an even bigger problem than a rank S Gate getting ready to open up within the U . S . borders?. Christopher Reid¡¯s torso leaned in closer towards the Madam ¡°What is this big problem?¡±. Madam Selner hesitated greatly before she forced her lips to open ¡°Mister Chris¡­ In the near future, there is a strong possibility that you¡¯ll get assassinated by an unknown assailant . ¡±. At that moment, an awkward silence descended on the room Christopher Reid had been wondering why the deputy director seemed so unsettled and nervous like that . As a matter of fact, Michael Connor even pulled out a handkerchief to dab away the sweat soaking his forehead right now ¡°¡­ . Madam Selner . ¡±. His voice as he called out to her became heavy, low ¡°I¡¯ll never forget the favour you did for me for the rest of my life . ¡±. Because of her ability, his powers had become stronger than ever before . He had exceeded his limit that felt like a wall he couldn¡¯t overcome no matter what . However, that didn¡¯t mean she was allowed to look down on him like this ¡°Just who is supposed to assassinate who here?¡±. Just who would dare to touch even a single hair on the body of a Special Authority-rank Hunter?. A cat could never slay a lion . Only a lion could rip apart another lion to death . However, he was utterly confident of not losing to any of the lions on the same level as him This was the true reason why he opted to stay out of this raid . How unbecoming was it for a lion to butt in where the stray cats had gathered? Unless you were a low-class lion like Thomas Andre, of course Madam Selner had clearly sensed the quiet rage burning within Christopher Reid¡¯s mind, but she didn¡¯t stop with her explanation ¡°Not too long ago, I had a dream related to you . ¡±. ¡°A dream?¡±. ¡°Yes . ¡±. Madam nodded her head Christopher Reid felt flabbergasted, but Madam continued on regardless ¡°In my dream, you were surrounded by some men, and they¡­ ¡±. ¡°Look here, Madam Selner!¡±. Christopher Reid couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and yelled out loudly ¡°Just because of some dream you had, you flew all the way out to this place to tell me this nonsense, Madam?!¡±. ¡°This is not nonsense, and I merely wish to¡­ . ¡±. ¡°I already know full well what you used to do before becoming an Awakened, okay?¡±. Some people believed that, because she used to work as a psychic, Madam Selner came to possess a unique ability that separated her from all the other Awakened out there However, her former profession still couldn¡¯t excuse this utterly nonsensical drivel . Christopher Reid¡¯s expression crumpled rather unsightly ¡°I am a Special Authority-rank Hunter . No one can kill me . ¡±. ¡°But, in my dream, you definitely¡­ . ¡±. ¡°You and your dream again!¡±. Christopher Reid spat out a long sigh and then, nodded his head ¡°Alright, fine . Let¡¯s say I believe you, Madam . Let¡¯s say there are enemies powerful enough to kill me . In that case, if that is all real, who should I go and ask for help, then?¡±. Should he call the cops? Or, request protection from the Hunter Bureau? Against an opponent capable enough to supposedly kill a Special Authority-rank Hunter?. What a stupid notion that was Christopher Reid snorted in derision and continued on ¡°If true, there¡¯s nothing that can be done, is there?¡±. ¡°¡­ ¡±. Madam Selner silently deliberated for a long time before making her reply ¡°There might be someone who can help you . ¡±. ¡°And just who might this someone be?¡±. ¡°Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . If it¡¯s him, he might be able to protect you . ¡±. Seong Jin-Woo?. Christopher Reid was listening without much interest, to begin with, and needed to comb his memories for a moment there . Although the name itself sounded unfamiliar, he was sure of hearing it from somewhere before But, where could it have been?. It must¡¯ve been pretty recent when he heard that name ¡®Seong Jin-Woo¡¯, however ¡®No, could it be¡­ . ?¡¯. The expression on Christopher Reid¡¯s face crumpled even more ¡°Wait, are you talking about that Asian Hunter who went off to solve the Japanese dungeon break crisis?¡±. ¡°That¡¯s correct . He¡¯s Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ¡±. Madam Selner definitely saw it back then She definitely saw the near-infinite power sleeping deep within Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . If it was him, then he might be able to protect a Special Authority-rank Hunter She had spoken these words out of genuine concern regarding Christopher Reid¡¯s welfare . However, his immense pride heard them as nothing but insults to his dignity Boom!!. He slammed his fist down on the table reflexively and the furniture buckled to the floor ¡°Get out right now, Madam . Right this instant!¡±. Christopher Reid shot up from his seat and pointed towards the door with his finger ¡°I-if you could just listen a bit more¡­ . ¡±. The deputy director tried to persuade Christopher Reid, but then¡­ ¡°W-we shall be on our way¡­ . ¡±. ¡­ . He couldn¡¯t say anything else under the sharp, murderous glare of a Special Authority-rank Hunter He hurriedly accompanied the clearly-hesitant Madam Selner out of the mansion . The steward on standby outside the room saw the broken table and quickly rushed in ¡°Did something happen, sir?¡±. ¡°¡­ . No, not really . ¡±. Christopher Reid slowly shook his head If it wasn¡¯t Madam Selner who lent a huge helping hand when enhancing his powers ¨C indeed, if it was someone else, then things wouldn¡¯t have ended with that person being chased out of his mansion He could only swallow back the still-burning rage and took a deep breath ¡®She wants me to ask for help from some second-rate Asian Hunter?¡¯. There was a limit to how much one was allowed to mock the one and only Christopher Reid He suddenly swivelled his head towards the steward . The latter flinched a little, but quickly regained his former composure ¡°Do you have new orders for me, sir?¡±. ¡°That¡­ That Hunter named Seong Jin-Woo . Do you know when he¡¯s supposed to start his Japanese raid?¡±. The story of Japan was one of the hottest talked-about topics in the world . America was no exception . Quite obviously, Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s name had become as famous as the dungeon break that happened in Japan or the Giants that popped out from the Gate The steward calculated the time difference using his wristwatch and made his reply ¡°He should be arriving in Japan in one hour¡¯s time, sir . ¡±. ¡°One hour, is it¡­ . ¡±. ¡­ . He shouldn¡¯t get bored for a little while, then Christopher Reid consoled himself with that thought and continued to glare at the rising helicopter containing the deputy director and Madam Selner ***. [You have killed the owner of the dungeon . ]. Drop The King of Giants lost its head . Jin-Woo quickly stepped away to evade the fountain of blood gushing out from the severed neck . It was then Tti-ring!. The familiar mechanical beep went off in his head . Initially, he thought it was just one of those normal alerts the System often sent out However, the message was definitely not normal in nature [You have killed one of the Nine Sovereigns, the Sovereign of the Beginning, ¡®Reghia¡¯ . ]. [Calculating the total earned experience points . ]. [Due to the enormous amount of experience points, this process will take some time . ]. ¡®What the heck?¡¯. Jin-Woo was flustered for a moment there as he had never come across a situation like this one before . And a little while later¡­ Tti-ring! Tti-ring! Tti-ring! Tti-ring!. Mechanical beeps continuously rang inside his head And at the same time, Jin-Woo got to spectate on the grand feast of System messages utterly filling up his vision [Level up!]. [Level up!]. [Level up!]. ¡­ ¡­¡­ . [Level up!]. [Level up!]. [Level up!]. ¡®¡­ . !!!¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes opened progressively wider and wider Six times the message windows went past his eyes, and even then, there had to be two additional mechanical beeps ringing inside his head for the ¡®Level up!¡¯ alerts to come to their end Jin-Woo hurriedly summoned up his Stat Window ¡®Status Window!¡¯. < Chapter 176 > Fin Chapter 177 [Level: 122] ¡®Heok!¡¯ Jin-Woo confirmed his new level and swallowed back a huge gasp of shock . His level reached 100 after hunting down all the ants on Jeju Island . However, his level stayed pretty much the same for a little while after that, probably because of the wide gap between him and the monsters he ran into . After asking for other major Guilds¡¯ understandings, he got to sweep clean every single high-ranking dungeon in the vicinity for a week and only then did his level rise up to 103 . But now, his level had jumped past 120? This was all thanks to the Giant-type monsters, each possessing a boss-level worth of experience points, as well as the King of Giants who gifted him with an enormous amount of experience points . Which was as much as eight levels¡¯ worth, no less . ¡®Very nice . ¡¯ Jin-Woo nodded his head . He had made the right call by killing the King . It was definitely not a coincidence that his level shot up by eight in one go . This being was able to emit enough pressure to make breathing difficult for him even though its powers had been sealed away by these special chains . If this thing got freed and was allowed to roam freely in the outside world, then¡­ . Jin-Woo shook his head left to right . He should thank the lucky stars that he got to discover its true nature before that happened . It was then ¨C the King¡¯s corpse suddenly began splitting up like the ground suffering from drought, and soon, changed into sand-like dust and collapsed to the floor . The words the King told him abruptly brushed past Jin-Woo¡¯s mind just then . [¡°Once such a spiritual body dies, it¡¯s destroyed and can¡¯t be turned into one of your Shadow Soldiers . Meaning, I can never become your soldier . ¡±] The death of a ¡®spiritual body¡¯ . For the first time in his life, he got to witness the death of a so-called spiritual body . What the King said was right . Its corpse transformed into sand and no black smokes came up from it, nor did he see a message regarding Shadow Extraction pop up . Jin-Woo dug out the black Magic Crystal from the pile of sand and lightly dusted its surface . ¡®It¡¯s a bit of a loss that I couldn¡¯t get me a new Shadow Soldier, but¡­ I guess I should satisfy myself with this thing, then . ¡¯ Jin-Woo studied this large Magic Crystal . Its mirror-like clear surface reflected his face . As he peered deeply into it, he felt the ends of his fingertips tingle from all the power contained within this thing . ¡®So, it¡¯s those Rulers that keep sending these things over here¡­ . ¡¯ Why did it happen? Back when he first heard the term ¡®Rulers¡¯, a scene automatically began replaying itself in his mind . And it was about four ¡®angels¡¯ descending from the heavens . Even though it hadn¡¯t really happened to him, Jin-Woo felt a chill run down his backside simply from ¡®discovering¡¯ them in the playback . Tumble . He felt as if his heart fell to the pit of his stomach . ¡®Could those things be the Rulers?¡¯ If those things were planning to invade Earth, then he definitely lacked enough power to stop them as he was right now . He gripped the Magic Crystal even tighter . ¡®I need to get much stronger . ¡¯ In that sense, it was an incredibly fortunate thing that he was bestowed with the powers of the Shadow Sovereign . He had gained an unimaginable power, and there was a very good possibility that he¡¯d grow even stronger in the future . What would have happened if he lacked enough points back during the Class quest and was not chosen by the System? Jin-Woo quietly engaged the yet-to-be closed Status Window with a bit of banter . ¡°Oii¡­ Will you say something back already?¡± Too bad, the System still didn¡¯t bother to reply back to him . ¡°¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo told himself that one day, if he was left with no choice but to compile a bucket list then he¡¯d definitely put ¡®have a serious chat with the System¡¯ somewhere in there . He stood up from the ground to leave . But as he turned around, his foot touched something lying on the floor . Tap . ¡®Mm?¡¯ He took a look below and discovered that it was the black chain that used to be wrapped around the King of Giants . Immediately, curiosity filled Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes . And very soon, that curiosity morphed into full-on interest . ¡®Maybe these things¡­ . might come in handy?¡¯ He sneakily reached out and grasped onto one of the chains still attached to the dungeon wall . And, sure enough, he could sense his strength being sucked away . ¡®Ohhh . ¡¯ Indeed, this chain was absorbing his magic energy . Only one wouldn¡¯t be a problem, but if these chains were tightly wrapped around you in several layers, even the holder of an incredible power wouldn¡¯t be able to extricate themselves out any time soon . Jin-Woo confirmed the MP reserve being steadily eaten away and grinned brightly . ¡®Isn¡¯t this an unexpected harvest?¡¯ Feeling rather pleased, he summoned out a ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword¡¯ and cut one of the chains off . However, he couldn¡¯t sense any magical effects taking place from the now-severed chain . ¡°Huh?¡± It wasn¡¯t just this one, either . It was all of them . ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to the dungeon wall . He grasped a chain still connected to the wall, and felt the same sealing effect as before . However, all the severed chains didn¡¯t display that magical effect at all . He could venture a guess on what was going on here . ¡®¡­ . So, that¡¯s how it was . ¡¯ These chains were not some sort of artefacts . No, the sealing effect was simply the power of this dungeon . In other words, these chains were no better than some scrap metal when outside the dungeon . ¡®I can¡¯t use them . ¡¯ Jin-Woo lowered the chains that had become regular items to the floor . Although he couldn¡¯t say for sure that he didn¡¯t feel a bit rueful here, he found some solace in the fact that he still had gained a lot on this trip already . Through this expedition, the shadows of the Giants had been added to his Shadow Army, and his level had shot up to 122 after killing the oversized monsters and their King . All these alone were results that already far exceeded his expectations . Jin-Woo decisively gave up on the chains and turned around with a grin . Beru courteously lowered his head at his Sovereign . He then raised his head back up and pointed to the exit with his finger . The Shadow Soldiers standing in front of Jin-Woo stepped aside at once and created a large pathway . Jin-Woo saw that Beru¡¯s shoulder was all clean from unidentifiable substances and lightly patted him there, before walking over to the exit himself . Beru felt moved by that gesture of his Sovereign and quietly followed after Jin-Woo as well . And right behind them, the near-thousand Shadow Soldiers who had contributed a great deal in the battle against the Giants, maintained the perfect formation and advanced out of the boss chamber . Chut, chut, chut, chut . The interior of the dungeon was soon filled up with the heavy footsteps of the marching Shadow Soldiers . In the distance, the mouth of the dungeon could be seen . Jin-Woo formed a smile as he looked at the sunlight permeating into the entrance . It was the moment that this seemingly endless raid had come to its conclusion . *** The situation room of the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association . The inside of this situation room was draped in a deathly silence; not even a squeaking noise could be heard . It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that the staff members had forgotten to even breath right now . All of their attention had been focused on the giant monitor located in front of the room . Gulp . Gulp¡­ Only the subtle noises of dry saliva being swallowed would sometimes murmur out from here and there . The footage as displayed by the giant screen currently showed the image of Shinjuku, shot from the spy satellite¡¯s magic energy detection camera looking down on Earth from space . This camera displayed the magic energy detected in terms of light spheres . The stronger the magic energy, the brighter the light would be . Weaker magical energy would naturally lead to a smaller light sphere . There was not one person among everyone present in this situation room who didn¡¯t know what that gigantic light sphere making itself at home in the middle of Tokyo represented . Almost a thousand smaller light spheres gathered and stood right before that large ball of light . Every Association staff member watching that enormous number turned pale from sheer fright . ¡°T-those, all of those are Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s summons?!¡± ¡°Oh, my god¡­ . ¡± ¡°Even with a casual headcount, isn¡¯t that over five hundred?¡± The Association President Matsumoto quietly leaned his head closer to the agent from the analysis department sitting next to him . ¡°How many of his summons are there exactly?¡± ¡°Because several lights are overlapping with one another, it¡¯s difficult to tell exactly, but at the least, I believe there are well more than eight hundred creatures, sir . ¡± Eight hundred creatures, he said . Since a member of the analysis department even bothered to mention ¡®well more than¡¯ in his sentence, the offered number should be seen as the absolute minimum value . Even when looked that way, this was already twice the number of summons first seen back in Jeju Island . Matsumoto was inwardly astonished . ¡®It hasn¡¯t even been that long ago, but just when did he double the number of his summons?!¡¯ No, it was already not normal to increase the number of one¡¯s summons, to begin with . His trembling hand wiped the area around his mouth . If this man was considered an enemy, then without a doubt, Matsumoto wouldn¡¯t have been able to see a way out, but knowing that Seong Jin-Woo was an ally, his mind had never felt this comfortable before . What a relief it was that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had graced his mercy on Japan like this . The Association President Matsumoto barely recovered from the mental shock and shifted his gaze back to the large screen . The smaller spots of lights advanced towards the single large light sphere . It was the beginning of the battle between Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s summons and the Giant guarding the Gate . Their palms soaked in sweat, everyone present witnessed the spectacle of spots of lights endlessly tangle and writhe around against each other . And eventually, the flickering large pillar of light¡­ . vanished . ¡°Waaaaaahhh!!!¡± As if waiting for that very moment, cheers loud enough to rock the entire situation room erupted out . The employees embraced each other tearfully and rejoiced in their happiness . Finally, they were greeted by the momentous occasion of the Japanese mainland being freed from the menace of the Giant-type monsters . All these had been the handiwork of a single Korean Hunter . ¡°¡­¡± The Association President Matsumoto kept his mouth resolutely shut and watched the screen before nodding his head to himself . He blamed the heavens for not gifting such a Hunter to Japan but to Korea back when Jin-Woo ended up foiling his scheme . But now, he was thankful that such a Hunter indeed was gifted to South Korea, instead . ¡®If he wasn¡¯t around, then by now, Japan would have been¡­ . ¡¯ The Association President Matsumoto shuddered from the horrifying imagery taking root in his head and picked up the phone in order to carry out the final duty he needed to perform . The call got through quite quickly . ¨C ¡°How did things go?¡± The tense voice of the Japanese Prime Minister came out from the phone¡¯s speaker . The Association President Matsumoto informed him of the results with a voice slightly choked up with emotions . ¡°Japan¡¯s¡­ . Japan¡¯s crisis is over, sir . ¡± Excited, loud yells could be heard from the phone¡¯s speaker next . However, the Prime Minister spoke in a dignified voice, doing his very best to mask his sheer joy felt in his heart . ¨C ¡°You worked hard, Association President Matsumoto . However, this does not mean the weight of the punishment reserved for you will be lessened, understood?¡± ¡°Of course, sir . ¡± He had already made up his mind . It was obvious that the general who failed to kill the enemy¡¯s leader would offer his neck up as compensation . And, what if that enemy¡¯s leader ended up saving your own country, too? Faced with the perfect, utter defeat, Matsumoto Shigeo couldn¡¯t bring himself to mouth any excuses whatsoever . He simply spoke in a soft voice . ¡°I shall gladly accept any punishment, sir . That is¡­ the final duty I must carry out . ¡± *** The news of the Giants all being hunted down quickly spread to the rest of the world . From the closest neighbour of Japan, South Korea, all the way to Brazil in South America, on the other side of the globe . The entire world heard of Jin-Woo¡¯s feats . ¨C A single Hunter rescues an entire nation! Various social media networking sites were in upheaval with suggestions of a brand new ¡®Special Authority-rank¡¯ Hunter making his appearance . The difference this time, compared to the Jeju Island raid, was that such suggestions were being made not only by the Koreans . The state of Maryland, in the eastern half of the United States of America . The American Hunters who had safely concluded the raid of the rank S Gate were supposed to be heading to the celebratory party organised by the U . S . government . However, all these Hunters didn¡¯t enter the party venue and simply stood by the hotel¡¯s lounge watching the TV located there as it continued to transmit the news coming out of Japan . Their collective jaws were falling to the floor . ¡°What the hell??¡± ¡°No freaking way¡­ . This doesn¡¯t make any sense, logically . ¡± They just couldn¡¯t believe it . The most famous Support-type rank S Hunter in the world, Yuri Orlov, couldn¡¯t do anything before he got killed in the blink of an eye . The agile movements of the super-massive Giant captured by the TV cameras ¨C calling that thing a monster was simply not enough when considering such a huge body was able to exhibit such speed . But then, a single rank S Hunter managed to hunt down such a nonsensical creature by himself?! [¡­ . Hunter Jin-Woo Seong, accompanied by another Hunter ranked D, Jin-Ho Yu, arrived in Japan and¡­ . . ] No, it¡¯d actually be better if he had done it alone . But then, to say he killed all the Giant-type monsters with a measly rank D in tow as well? It was simply too unbelievable . Unfortunately, they had no choice but to believe, because the cameras continued to capture the scenes of Japanese citizens continuously shedding tears to express their unbridled joy . And finally, the footage changed to display the corpse of the super-massive Giant, currently lying sprawled powerlessly on the ground . ¡°Keok!!¡± The three rank S Hunters who made bets earlier spat out shocked gasps almost simultaneously, making it hard to tell who did it first . Only now could they truly believe that the monster had been killed for real . It was then . ¡°Ah, everyone . So this was where you were . ¡± The three men¡¯s heads snapped immediately in the direction of where that voice was coming from . And their eyes all widened as well . ¡°T-Thomas¡­ . ¡± Thomas Andre stood before them and with a grin, presented them with a single slip of paper . ¡°W-what is this?¡± ¡°The promissory note stating that all of you will uphold the result of the bet . ¡± ¡°Ehhh?!¡± Thomas Andre didn¡¯t really give a d*mn about the stunned reactions of the three Hunters and began jotting down the items each of them had put forward in the bet . ¡°You said your yacht . You, your mansion . And you¡­ . . ¡± Thomas Andre stared straight at the third Hunter and began scratching the side of his head with the end of his pen . ¡°What did you bet again?¡± The singled-out Hunter gulped down his saliva and hurriedly raised his voice . ¡°I didn¡¯t bet anything, actually . ¡± ¡°Hey, your tie looks pretty cool, no?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ . ¡± ¡°Your tie . ¡± ¡°No, wait, I¡­ . ¡± Thomas Andre lowered his sunglasses just a little and quietly stared at him, causing the Hunter to shut his mouth . ¡­ . Because, this guy had witnessed the power of ¡®Goliath¡¯ capable of ripping rank S monsters apart with nothing but his bare hands . This Hunter had not one bit of desire to go up against Thomas Andre who waltzed around the rank S dungeon as if it was a low-rank dungeon commonly found everywhere . ¡°Your tie . ¡± The Hunter undid his tie with a tearful face . A short while later, Thomas Andre walked into the restaurant of the hotel while whistling to himself before discovering a familiar face there and stopped his leisurely stroll . It was the manager in charge of managing the top Hunters of the Scavenger Guild, Laura . When she approached him, Thomas Andre showed off his new tie to her and asked . ¡°So, what do you think about my new tie?¡± ¡°It looks expensive, but it does not suit your Hawaiian shirt, sir . ¡± ¡°You think so?¡± Thomas Andre undid the tie around his neck and chucked it inside a trash can nearby while replying nonchalantly to her . ¡°Yup, I thought as much . ¡± Laura had seen how Thomas Andre operated from a close vantage point for a very long time now . So, she didn¡¯t display much of a reaction and simply stated the reason why she was here . ¡°We have a problem . ¡± ¡°A problem?¡± Thomas Andre raised his head away from the trash can . His experience told him that this problem couldn¡¯t have been a minor one since Laura didn¡¯t use the phone, but rather showed up here personally to inform him like this . ¡°What kind of a problem are we talking about here?¡± Laura spoke with a worried voice . ¡°The list of Guilds invited by the Hunter Bureau for this year¡¯s International Guild Conference has been published . However, it includes South Korea¡¯s Ah-Jin Guild . ¡± ¡°Ah-Jin¡­ Guild??¡± Suddenly, he was overcome with an ominous feeling . Thomas Andre¡¯s voice sounded heavier as a result . Laura nodded her head . ¡°It¡¯s as you suspect . It¡¯s Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s Guild . ¡± As he thought . Why did all the ill omens he sensed never miss their marks? Thomas Andre frowned deeply and spoke . ¡°So, I guess he¡¯s coming to America, then . ¡± < Chapter 177 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 177: Chapter 177 [Level: 122]. ¡®Heok!¡¯. Jin-Woo confirmed his new level and swallowed back a huge gasp of shock His level reached 100 after hunting down all the ants on Jeju Island . However, his level stayed pretty much the same for a little while after that, probably because of the wide gap between him and the monsters he ran into After asking for other major Guilds¡¯ understandings, he got to sweep clean every single high-ranking dungeon in the vicinity for a week and only then did his level rise up to 103 But now, his level had jumped past 120?. This was all thanks to the Giant-type monsters, each possessing a boss-level worth of experience points, as well as the King of Giants who gifted him with an enormous amount of experience points . Which was as much as eight levels¡¯ worth, no less ¡®Very nice . ¡¯. Jin-Woo nodded his head . He had made the right call by killing the King . It was definitely not a coincidence that his level shot up by eight in one go This being was able to emit enough pressure to make breathing difficult for him even though its powers had been sealed away by these special chains . If this thing got freed and was allowed to roam freely in the outside world, then¡­ Jin-Woo shook his head left to right He should thank the lucky stars that he got to discover its true nature before that happened It was then ¨C the King¡¯s corpse suddenly began splitting up like the ground suffering from drought, and soon, changed into sand-like dust and collapsed to the floor The words the King told him abruptly brushed past Jin-Woo¡¯s mind just then [¡°Once such a spiritual body dies, it¡¯s destroyed and can¡¯t be turned into one of your Shadow Soldiers . Meaning, I can never become your soldier . ¡±]. The death of a ¡®spiritual body¡¯ For the first time in his life, he got to witness the death of a so-called spiritual body What the King said was right . Its corpse transformed into sand and no black smokes came up from it, nor did he see a message regarding Shadow Extraction pop up Jin-Woo dug out the black Magic Crystal from the pile of sand and lightly dusted its surface ¡®It¡¯s a bit of a loss that I couldn¡¯t get me a new Shadow Soldier, but¡­ I guess I should satisfy myself with this thing, then . ¡¯. Jin-Woo studied this large Magic Crystal Its mirror-like clear surface reflected his face . As he peered deeply into it, he felt the ends of his fingertips tingle from all the power contained within this thing ¡®So, it¡¯s those Rulers that keep sending these things over here¡­ . ¡¯. Why did it happen? Back when he first heard the term ¡®Rulers¡¯, a scene automatically began replaying itself in his mind . And it was about four ¡®angels¡¯ descending from the heavens Even though it hadn¡¯t really happened to him, Jin-Woo felt a chill run down his backside simply from ¡®discovering¡¯ them in the playback Tumble He felt as if his heart fell to the pit of his stomach ¡®Could those things be the Rulers?¡¯. If those things were planning to invade Earth, then he definitely lacked enough power to stop them as he was right now . He gripped the Magic Crystal even tighter ¡®I need to get much stronger . ¡¯. In that sense, it was an incredibly fortunate thing that he was bestowed with the powers of the Shadow Sovereign . He had gained an unimaginable power, and there was a very good possibility that he¡¯d grow even stronger in the future What would have happened if he lacked enough points back during the Class quest and was not chosen by the System? Jin-Woo quietly engaged the yet-to-be closed Status Window with a bit of banter ¡°Oii¡­ Will you say something back already?¡±. Too bad, the System still didn¡¯t bother to reply back to him ¡°¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo told himself that one day, if he was left with no choice but to compile a bucket list then he¡¯d definitely put ¡®have a serious chat with the System¡¯ somewhere in there . He stood up from the ground to leave But as he turned around, his foot touched something lying on the floor Tap ¡®Mm?¡¯. He took a look below and discovered that it was the black chain that used to be wrapped around the King of Giants . Immediately, curiosity filled Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes . And very soon, that curiosity morphed into full-on interest ¡®Maybe these things¡­ . might come in handy?¡¯. He sneakily reached out and grasped onto one of the chains still attached to the dungeon wall And, sure enough, he could sense his strength being sucked away ¡®Ohhh . ¡¯. Indeed, this chain was absorbing his magic energy Only one wouldn¡¯t be a problem, but if these chains were tightly wrapped around you in several layers, even the holder of an incredible power wouldn¡¯t be able to extricate themselves out any time soon Jin-Woo confirmed the MP reserve being steadily eaten away and grinned brightly ¡®Isn¡¯t this an unexpected harvest?¡¯. Feeling rather pleased, he summoned out a ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword¡¯ and cut one of the chains off . However, he couldn¡¯t sense any magical effects taking place from the now-severed chain ¡°Huh?¡±. It wasn¡¯t just this one, either . It was all of them ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯. Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to the dungeon wall He grasped a chain still connected to the wall, and felt the same sealing effect as before . However, all the severed chains didn¡¯t display that magical effect at all He could venture a guess on what was going on here ¡®¡­ . So, that¡¯s how it was . ¡¯. These chains were not some sort of artefacts . No, the sealing effect was simply the power of this dungeon . In other words, these chains were no better than some scrap metal when outside the dungeon ¡®I can¡¯t use them . ¡¯. Jin-Woo lowered the chains that had become regular items to the floor Although he couldn¡¯t say for sure that he didn¡¯t feel a bit rueful here, he found some solace in the fact that he still had gained a lot on this trip already Through this expedition, the shadows of the Giants had been added to his Shadow Army, and his level had shot up to 122 after killing the oversized monsters and their King All these alone were results that already far exceeded his expectations Jin-Woo decisively gave up on the chains and turned around with a grin Beru courteously lowered his head at his Sovereign . He then raised his head back up and pointed to the exit with his finger . The Shadow Soldiers standing in front of Jin-Woo stepped aside at once and created a large pathway Jin-Woo saw that Beru¡¯s shoulder was all clean from unidentifiable substances and lightly patted him there, before walking over to the exit himself Beru felt moved by that gesture of his Sovereign and quietly followed after Jin-Woo as well . And right behind them, the near-thousand Shadow Soldiers who had contributed a great deal in the battle against the Giants, maintained the perfect formation and advanced out of the boss chamber Chut, chut, chut, chut The interior of the dungeon was soon filled up with the heavy footsteps of the marching Shadow Soldiers In the distance, the mouth of the dungeon could be seen Jin-Woo formed a smile as he looked at the sunlight permeating into the entrance . It was the moment that this seemingly endless raid had come to its conclusion ***. The situation room of the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association The inside of this situation room was draped in a deathly silence; not even a squeaking noise could be heard . It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that the staff members had forgotten to even breath right now All of their attention had been focused on the giant monitor located in front of the room Gulp Gulp¡­. Only the subtle noises of dry saliva being swallowed would sometimes murmur out from here and there The footage as displayed by the giant screen currently showed the image of Shinjuku, shot from the spy satellite¡¯s magic energy detection camera looking down on Earth from space This camera displayed the magic energy detected in terms of light spheres . The stronger the magic energy, the brighter the light would be . Weaker magical energy would naturally lead to a smaller light sphere There was not one person among everyone present in this situation room who didn¡¯t know what that gigantic light sphere making itself at home in the middle of Tokyo represented Almost a thousand smaller light spheres gathered and stood right before that large ball of light . Every Association staff member watching that enormous number turned pale from sheer fright ¡°T-those, all of those are Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s summons?!¡±. ¡°Oh, my god¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Even with a casual headcount, isn¡¯t that over five hundred?¡±. The Association President Matsumoto quietly leaned his head closer to the agent from the analysis department sitting next to him ¡°How many of his summons are there exactly?¡±. ¡°Because several lights are overlapping with one another, it¡¯s difficult to tell exactly, but at the least, I believe there are well more than eight hundred creatures, sir . ¡±. Eight hundred creatures, he said Since a member of the analysis department even bothered to mention ¡®well more than¡¯ in his sentence, the offered number should be seen as the absolute minimum value Even when looked that way, this was already twice the number of summons first seen back in Jeju Island Matsumoto was inwardly astonished ¡®It hasn¡¯t even been that long ago, but just when did he double the number of his summons?!¡¯. No, it was already not normal to increase the number of one¡¯s summons, to begin with His trembling hand wiped the area around his mouth If this man was considered an enemy, then without a doubt, Matsumoto wouldn¡¯t have been able to see a way out, but knowing that Seong Jin-Woo was an ally, his mind had never felt this comfortable before What a relief it was that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had graced his mercy on Japan like this . The Association President Matsumoto barely recovered from the mental shock and shifted his gaze back to the large screen The smaller spots of lights advanced towards the single large light sphere . It was the beginning of the battle between Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s summons and the Giant guarding the Gate Their palms soaked in sweat, everyone present witnessed the spectacle of spots of lights endlessly tangle and writhe around against each other And eventually, the flickering large pillar of light¡­ . vanished ¡°Waaaaaahhh!!!¡±. As if waiting for that very moment, cheers loud enough to rock the entire situation room erupted out The employees embraced each other tearfully and rejoiced in their happiness . Finally, they were greeted by the momentous occasion of the Japanese mainland being freed from the menace of the Giant-type monsters All these had been the handiwork of a single Korean Hunter ¡°¡­¡±. The Association President Matsumoto kept his mouth resolutely shut and watched the screen before nodding his head to himself He blamed the heavens for not gifting such a Hunter to Japan but to Korea back when Jin-Woo ended up foiling his scheme . But now, he was thankful that such a Hunter indeed was gifted to South Korea, instead ¡®If he wasn¡¯t around, then by now, Japan would have been¡­ . ¡¯. The Association President Matsumoto shuddered from the horrifying imagery taking root in his head and picked up the phone in order to carry out the final duty he needed to perform The call got through quite quickly ¨C ¡°How did things go?¡±. The tense voice of the Japanese Prime Minister came out from the phone¡¯s speaker The Association President Matsumoto informed him of the results with a voice slightly choked up with emotions ¡°Japan¡¯s¡­ . Japan¡¯s crisis is over, sir . ¡±. Excited, loud yells could be heard from the phone¡¯s speaker next However, the Prime Minister spoke in a dignified voice, doing his very best to mask his sheer joy felt in his heart ¨C ¡°You worked hard, Association President Matsumoto . However, this does not mean the weight of the punishment reserved for you will be lessened, understood?¡±. ¡°Of course, sir . ¡±. He had already made up his mind It was obvious that the general who failed to kill the enemy¡¯s leader would offer his neck up as compensation . And, what if that enemy¡¯s leader ended up saving your own country, too?. Faced with the perfect, utter defeat, Matsumoto Shigeo couldn¡¯t bring himself to mouth any excuses whatsoever He simply spoke in a soft voice ¡°I shall gladly accept any punishment, sir . That is¡­ the final duty I must carry out . ¡±. ***. The news of the Giants all being hunted down quickly spread to the rest of the world . From the closest neighbour of Japan, South Korea, all the way to Brazil in South America, on the other side of the globe The entire world heard of Jin-Woo¡¯s feats ¨C A single Hunter rescues an entire nation!. Various social media networking sites were in upheaval with suggestions of a brand new ¡®Special Authority-rank¡¯ Hunter making his appearance . The difference this time, compared to the Jeju Island raid, was that such suggestions were being made not only by the Koreans The state of Maryland, in the eastern half of the United States of America The American Hunters who had safely concluded the raid of the rank S Gate were supposed to be heading to the celebratory party organised by the U . S . government However, all these Hunters didn¡¯t enter the party venue and simply stood by the hotel¡¯s lounge watching the TV located there as it continued to transmit the news coming out of Japan . Their collective jaws were falling to the floor ¡°What the hell??¡±. ¡°No freaking way¡­ . This doesn¡¯t make any sense, logically . ¡±. They just couldn¡¯t believe it The most famous Support-type rank S Hunter in the world, Yuri Orlov, couldn¡¯t do anything before he got killed in the blink of an eye The agile movements of the super-massive Giant captured by the TV cameras ¨C calling that thing a monster was simply not enough when considering such a huge body was able to exhibit such speed But then, a single rank S Hunter managed to hunt down such a nonsensical creature by himself?!. [¡­ . Hunter Jin-Woo Seong, accompanied by another Hunter ranked D, Jin-Ho Yu, arrived in Japan and¡­ ]. No, it¡¯d actually be better if he had done it alone But then, to say he killed all the Giant-type monsters with a measly rank D in tow as well? It was simply too unbelievable Unfortunately, they had no choice but to believe, because the cameras continued to capture the scenes of Japanese citizens continuously shedding tears to express their unbridled joy And finally, the footage changed to display the corpse of the super-massive Giant, currently lying sprawled powerlessly on the ground ¡°Keok!!¡±. The three rank S Hunters who made bets earlier spat out shocked gasps almost simultaneously, making it hard to tell who did it first . Only now could they truly believe that the monster had been killed for real It was then ¡°Ah, everyone . So this was where you were . ¡±. The three men¡¯s heads snapped immediately in the direction of where that voice was coming from . And their eyes all widened as well ¡°T-Thomas¡­ . ¡±. Thomas Andre stood before them and with a grin, presented them with a single slip of paper ¡°W-what is this?¡±. ¡°The promissory note stating that all of you will uphold the result of the bet . ¡±. ¡°Ehhh?!¡±. Thomas Andre didn¡¯t really give a d*mn about the stunned reactions of the three Hunters and began jotting down the items each of them had put forward in the bet ¡°You said your yacht . You, your mansion . And you¡­ ¡±. Thomas Andre stared straight at the third Hunter and began scratching the side of his head with the end of his pen ¡°What did you bet again?¡±. The singled-out Hunter gulped down his saliva and hurriedly raised his voice ¡°I didn¡¯t bet anything, actually . ¡±. ¡°Hey, your tie looks pretty cool, no?¡±. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Your tie . ¡±. ¡°No, wait, I¡­ . ¡±. Thomas Andre lowered his sunglasses just a little and quietly stared at him, causing the Hunter to shut his mouth ¡­ . Because, this guy had witnessed the power of ¡®Goliath¡¯ capable of ripping rank S monsters apart with nothing but his bare hands . This Hunter had not one bit of desire to go up against Thomas Andre who waltzed around the rank S dungeon as if it was a low-rank dungeon commonly found everywhere ¡°Your tie . ¡±. The Hunter undid his tie with a tearful face A short while later, Thomas Andre walked into the restaurant of the hotel while whistling to himself before discovering a familiar face there and stopped his leisurely stroll It was the manager in charge of managing the top Hunters of the Scavenger Guild, Laura . When she approached him, Thomas Andre showed off his new tie to her and asked ¡°So, what do you think about my new tie?¡±. ¡°It looks expensive, but it does not suit your Hawaiian shirt, sir . ¡±. ¡°You think so?¡±. Thomas Andre undid the tie around his neck and chucked it inside a trash can nearby while replying nonchalantly to her ¡°Yup, I thought as much . ¡±. Laura had seen how Thomas Andre operated from a close vantage point for a very long time now . So, she didn¡¯t display much of a reaction and simply stated the reason why she was here ¡°We have a problem . ¡±. ¡°A problem?¡±. Thomas Andre raised his head away from the trash can His experience told him that this problem couldn¡¯t have been a minor one since Laura didn¡¯t use the phone, but rather showed up here personally to inform him like this ¡°What kind of a problem are we talking about here?¡±. Laura spoke with a worried voice ¡°The list of Guilds invited by the Hunter Bureau for this year¡¯s International Guild Conference has been published . However, it includes South Korea¡¯s Ah-Jin Guild . ¡±. ¡°Ah-Jin¡­ Guild??¡±. Suddenly, he was overcome with an ominous feeling . Thomas Andre¡¯s voice sounded heavier as a result Laura nodded her head ¡°It¡¯s as you suspect . It¡¯s Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s Guild . ¡±. As he thought . Why did all the ill omens he sensed never miss their marks?. Thomas Andre frowned deeply and spoke ¡°So, I guess he¡¯s coming to America, then . ¡±. < Chapter 177 > Fin Chapter 178 A certain village located in Ishikawa Prefecture . The entrance of the village had been bustling with so many people since early morning that there wasn''t enough space to walk through . "What''s going on? What is everyone out here for?" One of the villagers, who hadn''t heard of the news yet, looked around and asked his neighbours . They should be quite busy with rebuilding their village right now, but for all these people to come out here like this? For this villager who had been working hard to remove the debris of a collapsed building, he couldn''t help but be flustered by this new development . "You see, the thing is . . . . " A kind auntie was about to explain the matter to this man and parted her lips . However, she spotted a vehicle revealing itself at the far end of the road that led to the village and pointed to it instead . "Oh, my goodness!! There they are! They''re coming!" Noisy, noisy . . . . The villagers discovered the vehicle and began raising a fuss . Seeing the light of excitement gleaming brightly within their eyes, the whole atmosphere of the place came across as if they were here to welcome a long-lost relative living in a faraway land or some such to the confused male villager . ''But then again, there''s no way that this many people would share the same relative, so . . . . '' The man used the towel around his neck to wipe the sweat away and looked on with a puzzled expression . "I''m asking you, just who is coming here today?" An uncle on the side couldn''t endure it any longer and spoke in clear frustration . "The Hunter-nim is coming today . " "Hunter-nim? Which Hunter-nim are you talking about?" "Which Hunter-nim do you think I''m talking about here?" When the vehicle got closer, the villagers raised their hands and welcomed it with all of their hearts . Their expressions all contained genuine happiness and gratitude . ''Could it be . . . . ?'' Only then did this villager realise just who was coming to pay a visit to this village . His head reflexively swivelled behind him . And that was where he saw the wretched state of his village, currently half destroyed at the hands of the Giant monsters . He could also see resting tools and unmoving construction equipment brought on to rebuild the village here and there as well . If no one stepped up to stop those Giant monsters, would any traces of his dear hometown have even survived like this? His home, filled with countless memories of his life, could have been wiped out without a trace . ''The schools I went to, the roads I walked on, and even the place I work for . '' When he thought like that, a certain emotion surged up from the deepest part of his heart . The end of his nose stung, too . ''That person is really coming here?'' Swish-! His head swivelled back to the road . The villagers gathering like this to welcome the Hunter was not something the higher-ups had organised, nor were they putting up a facade for the sake of others to see . No, they were here because their hearts told them to do so . It was the thoughts of gratitude that made their legs move . Before long, the male villager had taken the towel off his neck and swung it around in the air as he yelled out a loud cheer at the approaching vehicle . "Waaaaah-!!" Even though the top-end black van driving on the empty road was definitely brand-new, it looked as if it had gone through hellish terrain from the way it was covered in a thick layer of dust and mud . It now looked like it had been in use for at least ten years or so . The words ''Japanese Hunter''s Association'' written on the number plate instead of the actual numbers were covered in so much mud that they became almost impossible to read . The van''s rough condition seemed to tell the story of the bitter, bloody battles it had witnessed in the last few days, and that in turn warmed and softened the hearts of the villagers . Those overflowing with rich emotions even began shedding tears, as well . A short while later, the van driven with expert skill came to a stop in front of the crowd . Screech . "Waaaah!!" "Hunter-nim!" As he received the adulations of the crowd, the sunglasses-wearing Yu Jin-Ho exited from the driver''s side of the van . Tap . Yu Jin-Ho made sure to wave his hands at each of the villagers rushing in to greet him . It was around then . "Hunter-nim!" An employee of the Japanese Hunter''s Association waiting for Jin-Woo''s group to arrive somehow managed to push through the throngs of people and stood before Yu Jin-Ho . Pant, pant . He bent over and panted heavily to catch his breath before standing upright to ask a question . "Are you Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?" The Association employee was speaking in Japanese, but thankfully, Yu Jin-Ho could recognise a few of the words spoken just now . "No . " He leisurely shook his head, before raising his finger and pointed at the sky . "De-eol . " (TL note at the end) When he did . . . Kiiaaahak! ¡­ . The Sky Dragon Kaisel screeched out a cheerful roar as if responding to his calling . "W-what on earth is that?!" "What? What??" Didn''t the old saying go ''once bitten, twice shy''? The villagers who had been living in fear of the Giant-type monsters saw the large black lifeform flying in the air and their shoulders all flinched greatly . Fortunately for them, Kaisel simply remained circling above their heads and did nothing else . Kiiiaaahhk! The villagers finally recognised that Kaisel didn''t mean any harm . They continued to look up with mystified eyes, although their expressions still displayed how scared they were . It was then ¨C a dark humanoid shape jumped off from the back of Kaisel . Boom! The villagers watched Jin-Woo land lightly on the ground by using his ''Ruler''s Authority'' skill and their collective eyes nearly fell out of their sockets . " . . . . " Especially for the Association employee closest to Jin-Woo ¨C he stood motionless while tightly holding the ends of his glasses, utterly unable to mutter a single thing out right now . So, Yu Jin-Ho spoke to Jin-Woo on his behalf, instead . "Hyung-nim, this gentleman here was looking for you just now . " "Oh, really?" Jin-Woo turned around and stood before the Association employee . The latter belatedly regained his wits after seeing Jin-Woo approach him and quickly shook his head left and right . The higher-ups told him in no uncertain terms that he must never make a ''mistake'' with this Hunter-nim . The employee managed to shake off all distracting thoughts and formed a sombre expression before bowing his head . "It''s an honour, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . My name is Tanaka Hiroshi from the Japanese Hunter''s Association, Kanazawa branch . " He raised his head and explained the purpose of him coming to greet the Korean duo like this . "I am tasked with guiding you, Hunter-nim, during your visit here today . I''ll be in your care . " Of course, every single word he spoke was in Japanese . Jin-Woo glanced at Yu Jin-Ho . The latter stared right back at the former without a word . " . . . " " . . . " Jin-Woo saw the bright, happy-go-lucky smile on Yu Jin-Ho''s face and spat out a long groan . He just realised that the kid had not one thought of wanting to understand a lick of Japanese . Left with little choice, Jin-Woo summoned a Shadow Soldier who could act as a trusty Japanese interpreter . ''Oh, my king . . . . '' Beru emerged out from the shadow and politely bowed his head . He finished greeting his Sovereign and turned around to face the Association employee . ''I shall take care of this man . '' ''No, hang on . When you say that, it almost sounds like you meant something else and that kinda worries me . . . . '' Jin-Woo must not be the only one thinking along that line, because not only the Association employee, even the gathered villagers saw Beru''s imposing figure and their expressions were frozen solid right away . "Human . " Beru walked over to the Association employee and addressed him while opening up his chest wide . "What is it that you wish to convey to my liege?" Gasps of astonishment simultaneously leaked out from the villagers watching on . Even Yu Jin-Ho was taken greatly by surprise as he also had never seen a Shadow Soldier talk before . "Hyung-nim?? That guy could speak all along?!" "Yeah . " Jin-Woo nodded his head . The Japanese he spoke was so fluent that it wouldn''t be a problem to think of Beru as a native speaker . As long as one discounted the monster-like, loud, ringing voice coming from him, that was . ''But, then again . . . . '' Jin-Woo''s head was suddenly filled with a thought that, as far as the number of people Beru had eaten was concerned, he had digested more Japanese than Koreans, so perhaps this should be seen as an inevitable result . For some reason, though, he felt a dull pulsing ache develop in his head and began slowly massaging his forehead . Meanwhile, Beru exchanged a few words with the Association employee and turned around to address Jin-Woo next . "Oh, my king . This human has been tasked with guiding you through this village . He swears to sincerely serve you to the best of his abilities, my liege . " "Okay, fine . By the way, just what did you tell him that the poor guy''s face ended up completely white like that?" "I warned him that, if he dares to resort to any underhanded schemes, I shall devour him in his entirety, from the tip of his toes all the way up to the ends of his hairs, oh, my king . " " . . . . . Oh . I see . " What did it matter, anyway? As long as the intent had been communicated, it was fine . The Association employee fearfully observed Beru now standing behind Jin-Woo and cautiously raised his voice . "This way, please . " Jin-Woo found it rather unfortunate that the employee''s complexion had paled to such a pitiable degree, and nodded his head . "Alright . " Jin-Woo''s group was led to an abandoned storage facility located somewhere within the village with the guidance of the employee . There was no need for an entrance, as one of the walls in the storage facility had been blown cleanly away . The corpse of a Giant-type monster lying on its back could be seen within the ruined structure . "It''s over here . " The employee pointed to the corpse and stepped aside . Jin-Woo walked closer and confirmed the status of the monster''s remains . The corpse was filled with clear signs of the bitter, harsh battle it went through with . . . And there were a countless number of bite marks which resulted in various wounds indicative of the monster having been eaten . ''Your boys . . . . Did they chow down on this thing?'' Jin-Woo looked back at Beru as his glare became a level sharper . The former ant king had bent his waist well before Jin-Woo even started looking back at him, his gaze firmly fixed to the ground . Why was this? Why did Yu Jin-Ho picture a section chief stuck in his job seemingly forever kowtowing and currying favours with his department head when looking at the relationship between his hyung-nim and the ant creature? Jin-Woo shifted his gaze back to the monster''s corpse . In all honesty, as long as some parts of the corpse remained intact, there was no problem with extracting the shadow . ''It''s just that I feel a bit weird, that''s all . '' Now that all living Giants within Japan had been eliminated, Jin-Woo was going around to find those remains of the monsters killed off by his soldiers so he could perform ''Shadow Extraction'' on them . As he immersed himself in this new task, he could easily tell which division had engaged which creature simply from the conditions of the monster corpses . Pretty much all the monsters unlucky enough to run into the ant army couldn''t avoid ending up in this pathetic sight . "Fuu . . . " Jin-Woo stared at the monster that probably had died while getting devoured by hundreds of ants and let a sigh leak out of his mouth . He then rolled his sleeves up . He pointed towards the corpse . A dignified voice soon left Jin-Woo''s lips . "Rise up . " And then, this happened . Didn''t matter who it was, the tightly-packed gathering of villagers following after Jin-Woo gasped out in astonishment almost all at the same time . Whoa-!! Along with the distinctive scream, a Giant soldier, his body having recovered to full, emerged out from the shadow and knelt down on one knee before Jin-Woo . Boom! It was yet another success . As easy as they come . With this, he had gotten himself the 27th Giant soldier . ''I guess there are two left now, right?'' Jin-Woo looked up at the imposing-looking giant soldier and grinned brightly . *** At the same time in South Korea . Goh Gun-Hui was currently sifting through various TV channels with a remote inside his office, located in the Korean Hunter''s Association . No matter which broadcast he changed to, they were pretty much all dominated by the news of Jin-Woo''s feat in Japan . However, this phenomenon wasn''t happening only in Korea . It was the same story even with the international news channels, as well . There was no doubt now that, through this incident, Hunter Seong had branded his name in the psyche of the entire world . "Huhuh . " A bright smile remained etched on the face of the Association President Goh Gun-Hui as if he was the one experiencing this event . What if he managed to dissuade Hunter Seong Jin-Woo that day when the young man declared his intentions of going to Japan . . . . ? Just thinking about that possibility made him shudder uncomfortably . He almost ended up making the biggest mistake so late in his life . The status of the Korean Hunter community had seen such a meteoric rise in fame through this incident that he simply had to thank Hunter Seong for willingly stepping forward like that . All because of the actions of a single person, some are even openly saying that South Korea had become the new global Hunter superpower now . That is why the Association President felt proud and happy at the feats Jin-Woo had achieved so far . However, there was one thing he felt quite worried about, and that would be . . . . "Association President, sir . " With good timing, Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol knocked on the door and stepped into the president''s office . He was a man who, by achieving back-to-back results early in his career, got to wear the title of the youngest-ever Section Chief . He performed a light nod of his head as a greeting and made a report on the current situation . "The monster has changed its course towards China, sir . " "Is that so?" Now that was an unexpected change in the situation . As Jin-Woo busied himself with killing the Giants in Japan, one of them escaped out into the sea . The creature had been heading into the Pacific, but the news of it completely changing course towards China was a bit of fresh shock to the Association President . Goh Gun-Hui quickly asked . "How are the Chinese responding to this situation?" "We heard that Liu Zhigeng will personally step up, sir . " Goh Gun-Hui leaned his back against the couch . "In that case, there should be no problems, then . " The Giant-type monster should be ripped to shreds even before setting a foot on the Chinese mainland now that Liu Zhigeng, one of the five most powerful Hunters in the world, had decided to get involved . It was a big relief that the d*mn monster wasn''t headed to South Korea when Hunter Seong was still absent from the country . Woo Jin-Cheol saw the relief in the Association President''s face and also formed a smile as well, perhaps his own tense mind relaxing a little now . His eyes then caught the TV screen . The scenes of destroyed Japan, painfully sobbing and screaming Japanese people, as well as the ongoing rescue efforts and reconstruction work getting off the ground, were displayed one after the other . "How unfortunate . " Woo Jin-Cheol clicked his tongue . "Indeed, it is unfortunate . . . . . Utterly so . " Goh Gun-Hui agreed with that simple but succinct assessment . South Korea also had suffered similar pain four years ago back on Jeju Island . The wounds inflicted on that day still ran too deep to say that he had forgotten how painful it was . The reconstruction of Jeju Island was ongoing even as they spoke in this office, after all . Goh Gun-Hui raised his voice again . "However, someone''s pain can also become someone else''s ray of hope . " "I beg your pardon?" "Do you know the reason why Japan, completely ruined after losing the war, had recovered to become the second most financially prosperous nation on Earth?" "Wasn''t that because of the Korean War?" "That''s right . Through wartime special procurement . And something similar is about to happen to our nation . " With a wry expression, Association President Goh Gun-Hui placed his hand on top of the thick pile of documents currently resting on the table . "These are all quotation documents sent in by the local corporations wishing to get involved in Japan''s restoration projects . " The Korean companies were quick to make their move . Some of them even sent in these documents as soon as Hunter Seong had left for Japan . All the other corporations should have finished with their preparations by now, as well . ''Someone''s pain can become someone else''s hope, is it . . . . '' No, to be more correct, it''d be someone''s profit, instead . Having accurately understood what the Association President was implying just now, Woo Jin-Cheol also began forming a wry expression to mirror his boss . Before long though, he quickly spoke as if he recalled something else just now . "Ah, by the way, sir . " "Yeah?" "The Japanese Association President Matsumoto has apparently handed himself over to police . " "He did what?" Why would such a shameless man suddenly have a change of heart? Goh Gun-Hui was about to discuss the details of that news, but then heard the ringing of the phone and reached out to it . Ringgg . . . Ringgg . . . He picked up the receiver only to be greeted by a rather urgent voice . - "Association President, sir . It''s me . " The voice belonged to his personal doctor . He should have been beyond busy dealing with patients rushing in at this time of the day, though . Goh Gun-Hui could only tilt his head . "My friend, what made you call me at this time of the day?" - "I thought that the matter at hand was too important, so I was compelled to . . . . " "Too . . . important?" Goh Gun-Hui''s voice also became quite serious . Several likely scenarios fleeted in and out of his head just then . However, his private doctor ended up mentioning a completely unexpected name, instead . - "By any chance, were you aware of the condition Chairman Yu Myung-Han was in?" Chairman Yu Myung-Han was one of the biggest contributors to the Korean Hunter''s Association . He was even a personal acquaintance of Goh Gun-Hui, as well . What had happened to him, then? The Association President pressed for an answer, and the private doctor continued on with his explanation . - "Chairman Yu Myung-Han has been admitted to our hospital earlier today, sir . " Goh Gun-Hui shot up from his seat . "He''s not in any critical danger, is he?" - "It is truly unfortunate, but . . . there is not much we can do for him at this stage . " A heavy silence descended in the office . The private doctor''s voice, keeping silent for a moment or two, quietly continued on . - "Chairman Yu Myung-Han, he has entered the ''final sleep'' state . " < Chapter 178 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 178: Chapter 178 . A certain village located in Ishikawa Prefecture The entrance of the village had been bustling with so many people since early morning that there wasn''t enough space to walk through "What''s going on? What is everyone out here for?". One of the villagers, who hadn''t heard of the news yet, looked around and asked his neighbours They should be quite busy with rebuilding their village right now, but for all these people to come out here like this? For this villager who had been working hard to remove the debris of a collapsed building, he couldn''t help but be flustered by this new development "You see, the thing is ". A kind auntie was about to explain the matter to this man and parted her lips . However, she spotted a vehicle revealing itself at the far end of the road that led to the village and pointed to it instead "Oh, my goodness!! There they are! They''re coming!". Noisy, noisy . The villagers discovered the vehicle and began raising a fuss Seeing the light of excitement gleaming brightly within their eyes, the whole atmosphere of the place came across as if they were here to welcome a long-lost relative living in a faraway land or some such to the confused male villager ''But then again, there''s no way that this many people would share the same relative, so ''. The man used the towel around his neck to wipe the sweat away and looked on with a puzzled expression "I''m asking you, just who is coming here today?". An uncle on the side couldn''t endure it any longer and spoke in clear frustration "The Hunter-nim is coming today . ". "Hunter-nim? Which Hunter-nim are you talking about?". "Which Hunter-nim do you think I''m talking about here?". When the vehicle got closer, the villagers raised their hands and welcomed it with all of their hearts . Their expressions all contained genuine happiness and gratitude ''Could it be ?''. Only then did this villager realise just who was coming to pay a visit to this village . His head reflexively swivelled behind him And that was where he saw the wretched state of his village, currently half destroyed at the hands of the Giant monsters . He could also see resting tools and unmoving construction equipment brought on to rebuild the village here and there as well If no one stepped up to stop those Giant monsters, would any traces of his dear hometown have even survived like this? His home, filled with countless memories of his life, could have been wiped out without a trace ''The schools I went to, the roads I walked on, and even the place I work for . ''. When he thought like that, a certain emotion surged up from the deepest part of his heart . The end of his nose stung, too ''That person is really coming here?''. Swish-!. His head swivelled back to the road The villagers gathering like this to welcome the Hunter was not something the higher-ups had organised, nor were they putting up a facade for the sake of others to see No, they were here because their hearts told them to do so . It was the thoughts of gratitude that made their legs move Before long, the male villager had taken the towel off his neck and swung it around in the air as he yelled out a loud cheer at the approaching vehicle "Waaaaah-!!". Even though the top-end black van driving on the empty road was definitely brand-new, it looked as if it had gone through hellish terrain from the way it was covered in a thick layer of dust and mud . It now looked like it had been in use for at least ten years or so The words ''Japanese Hunter''s Association'' written on the number plate instead of the actual numbers were covered in so much mud that they became almost impossible to read The van''s rough condition seemed to tell the story of the bitter, bloody battles it had witnessed in the last few days, and that in turn warmed and softened the hearts of the villagers . Those overflowing with rich emotions even began shedding tears, as well A short while later, the van driven with expert skill came to a stop in front of the crowd Screech "Waaaah!!". "Hunter-nim!". As he received the adulations of the crowd, the sunglasses-wearing Yu Jin-Ho exited from the driver''s side of the van Tap Yu Jin-Ho made sure to wave his hands at each of the villagers rushing in to greet him . It was around then "Hunter-nim!". An employee of the Japanese Hunter''s Association waiting for Jin-Woo''s group to arrive somehow managed to push through the throngs of people and stood before Yu Jin-Ho Pant, pant He bent over and panted heavily to catch his breath before standing upright to ask a question "Are you Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?". The Association employee was speaking in Japanese, but thankfully, Yu Jin-Ho could recognise a few of the words spoken just now "No . ". He leisurely shook his head, before raising his finger and pointed at the sky "De-eol . " (TL note at the end). When he did Kiiaaahak!. ¡­ . The Sky Dragon Kaisel screeched out a cheerful roar as if responding to his calling "W-what on earth is that?!". "What? What??". Didn''t the old saying go ''once bitten, twice shy''? The villagers who had been living in fear of the Giant-type monsters saw the large black lifeform flying in the air and their shoulders all flinched greatly Fortunately for them, Kaisel simply remained circling above their heads and did nothing else Kiiiaaahhk!. The villagers finally recognised that Kaisel didn''t mean any harm . They continued to look up with mystified eyes, although their expressions still displayed how scared they were It was then ¨C a dark humanoid shape jumped off from the back of Kaisel Boom!. The villagers watched Jin-Woo land lightly on the ground by using his ''Ruler''s Authority'' skill and their collective eyes nearly fell out of their sockets " ". Especially for the Association employee closest to Jin-Woo ¨C he stood motionless while tightly holding the ends of his glasses, utterly unable to mutter a single thing out right now . So, Yu Jin-Ho spoke to Jin-Woo on his behalf, instead "Hyung-nim, this gentleman here was looking for you just now . ". "Oh, really?". Jin-Woo turned around and stood before the Association employee The latter belatedly regained his wits after seeing Jin-Woo approach him and quickly shook his head left and right . The higher-ups told him in no uncertain terms that he must never make a ''mistake'' with this Hunter-nim The employee managed to shake off all distracting thoughts and formed a sombre expression before bowing his head "It''s an honour, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . My name is Tanaka Hiroshi from the Japanese Hunter''s Association, Kanazawa branch . ". He raised his head and explained the purpose of him coming to greet the Korean duo like this "I am tasked with guiding you, Hunter-nim, during your visit here today . I''ll be in your care . ". Of course, every single word he spoke was in Japanese . Jin-Woo glanced at Yu Jin-Ho . The latter stared right back at the former without a word " . ". " . ". Jin-Woo saw the bright, happy-go-lucky smile on Yu Jin-Ho''s face and spat out a long groan . He just realised that the kid had not one thought of wanting to understand a lick of Japanese Left with little choice, Jin-Woo summoned a Shadow Soldier who could act as a trusty Japanese interpreter ''Oh, my king ''. Beru emerged out from the shadow and politely bowed his head . He finished greeting his Sovereign and turned around to face the Association employee ''I shall take care of this man . ''. ''No, hang on . When you say that, it almost sounds like you meant something else and that kinda worries me ''. Jin-Woo must not be the only one thinking along that line, because not only the Association employee, even the gathered villagers saw Beru''s imposing figure and their expressions were frozen solid right away "Human . ". Beru walked over to the Association employee and addressed him while opening up his chest wide "What is it that you wish to convey to my liege?". Gasps of astonishment simultaneously leaked out from the villagers watching on . Even Yu Jin-Ho was taken greatly by surprise as he also had never seen a Shadow Soldier talk before "Hyung-nim?? That guy could speak all along?!". "Yeah . ". Jin-Woo nodded his head The Japanese he spoke was so fluent that it wouldn''t be a problem to think of Beru as a native speaker . As long as one discounted the monster-like, loud, ringing voice coming from him, that was ''But, then again ''. Jin-Woo''s head was suddenly filled with a thought that, as far as the number of people Beru had eaten was concerned, he had digested more Japanese than Koreans, so perhaps this should be seen as an inevitable result . For some reason, though, he felt a dull pulsing ache develop in his head and began slowly massaging his forehead Meanwhile, Beru exchanged a few words with the Association employee and turned around to address Jin-Woo next "Oh, my king . This human has been tasked with guiding you through this village . He swears to sincerely serve you to the best of his abilities, my liege . ". "Okay, fine . By the way, just what did you tell him that the poor guy''s face ended up completely white like that?". "I warned him that, if he dares to resort to any underhanded schemes, I shall devour him in his entirety, from the tip of his toes all the way up to the ends of his hairs, oh, my king . ". " . Oh . I see . ". What did it matter, anyway? As long as the intent had been communicated, it was fine The Association employee fearfully observed Beru now standing behind Jin-Woo and cautiously raised his voice "This way, please . ". Jin-Woo found it rather unfortunate that the employee''s complexion had paled to such a pitiable degree, and nodded his head "Alright . ". Jin-Woo''s group was led to an abandoned storage facility located somewhere within the village with the guidance of the employee There was no need for an entrance, as one of the walls in the storage facility had been blown cleanly away . The corpse of a Giant-type monster lying on its back could be seen within the ruined structure "It''s over here . ". The employee pointed to the corpse and stepped aside Jin-Woo walked closer and confirmed the status of the monster''s remains The corpse was filled with clear signs of the bitter, harsh battle it went through with . And there were a countless number of bite marks which resulted in various wounds indicative of the monster having been eaten ''Your boys Did they chow down on this thing?''. Jin-Woo looked back at Beru as his glare became a level sharper . The former ant king had bent his waist well before Jin-Woo even started looking back at him, his gaze firmly fixed to the ground Why was this? Why did Yu Jin-Ho picture a section chief stuck in his job seemingly forever kowtowing and currying favours with his department head when looking at the relationship between his hyung-nim and the ant creature?. Jin-Woo shifted his gaze back to the monster''s corpse In all honesty, as long as some parts of the corpse remained intact, there was no problem with extracting the shadow ''It''s just that I feel a bit weird, that''s all . ''. Now that all living Giants within Japan had been eliminated, Jin-Woo was going around to find those remains of the monsters killed off by his soldiers so he could perform ''Shadow Extraction'' on them As he immersed himself in this new task, he could easily tell which division had engaged which creature simply from the conditions of the monster corpses Pretty much all the monsters unlucky enough to run into the ant army couldn''t avoid ending up in this pathetic sight "Fuu . ". Jin-Woo stared at the monster that probably had died while getting devoured by hundreds of ants and let a sigh leak out of his mouth . He then rolled his sleeves up He pointed towards the corpse . A dignified voice soon left Jin-Woo''s lips "Rise up . ". And then, this happened Didn''t matter who it was, the tightly-packed gathering of villagers following after Jin-Woo gasped out in astonishment almost all at the same time Whoa-!!. Along with the distinctive scream, a Giant soldier, his body having recovered to full, emerged out from the shadow and knelt down on one knee before Jin-Woo Boom!. It was yet another success . As easy as they come . With this, he had gotten himself the 27th Giant soldier ''I guess there are two left now, right?''. Jin-Woo looked up at the imposing-looking giant soldier and grinned brightly ***. At the same time in South Korea Goh Gun-Hui was currently sifting through various TV channels with a remote inside his office, located in the Korean Hunter''s Association No matter which broadcast he changed to, they were pretty much all dominated by the news of Jin-Woo''s feat in Japan . However, this phenomenon wasn''t happening only in Korea . It was the same story even with the international news channels, as well There was no doubt now that, through this incident, Hunter Seong had branded his name in the psyche of the entire world "Huhuh . ". A bright smile remained etched on the face of the Association President Goh Gun-Hui as if he was the one experiencing this event What if he managed to dissuade Hunter Seong Jin-Woo that day when the young man declared his intentions of going to Japan ? Just thinking about that possibility made him shudder uncomfortably He almost ended up making the biggest mistake so late in his life The status of the Korean Hunter community had seen such a meteoric rise in fame through this incident that he simply had to thank Hunter Seong for willingly stepping forward like that All because of the actions of a single person, some are even openly saying that South Korea had become the new global Hunter superpower now That is why the Association President felt proud and happy at the feats Jin-Woo had achieved so far . However, there was one thing he felt quite worried about, and that would be . "Association President, sir . ". With good timing, Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol knocked on the door and stepped into the president''s office . He was a man who, by achieving back-to-back results early in his career, got to wear the title of the youngest-ever Section Chief He performed a light nod of his head as a greeting and made a report on the current situation "The monster has changed its course towards China, sir . ". "Is that so?". Now that was an unexpected change in the situation As Jin-Woo busied himself with killing the Giants in Japan, one of them escaped out into the sea . The creature had been heading into the Pacific, but the news of it completely changing course towards China was a bit of fresh shock to the Association President Goh Gun-Hui quickly asked "How are the Chinese responding to this situation?". "We heard that Liu Zhigeng will personally step up, sir . ". Goh Gun-Hui leaned his back against the couch "In that case, there should be no problems, then . ". The Giant-type monster should be ripped to shreds even before setting a foot on the Chinese mainland now that Liu Zhigeng, one of the five most powerful Hunters in the world, had decided to get involved It was a big relief that the d*mn monster wasn''t headed to South Korea when Hunter Seong was still absent from the country . Woo Jin-Cheol saw the relief in the Association President''s face and also formed a smile as well, perhaps his own tense mind relaxing a little now His eyes then caught the TV screen The scenes of destroyed Japan, painfully sobbing and screaming Japanese people, as well as the ongoing rescue efforts and reconstruction work getting off the ground, were displayed one after the other "How unfortunate . ". Woo Jin-Cheol clicked his tongue "Indeed, it is unfortunate . Utterly so . ". Goh Gun-Hui agreed with that simple but succinct assessment South Korea also had suffered similar pain four years ago back on Jeju Island . The wounds inflicted on that day still ran too deep to say that he had forgotten how painful it was . The reconstruction of Jeju Island was ongoing even as they spoke in this office, after all Goh Gun-Hui raised his voice again "However, someone''s pain can also become someone else''s ray of hope . ". "I beg your pardon?". "Do you know the reason why Japan, completely ruined after losing the war, had recovered to become the second most financially prosperous nation on Earth?". "Wasn''t that because of the Korean War?". "That''s right . Through wartime special procurement . And something similar is about to happen to our nation . ". With a wry expression, Association President Goh Gun-Hui placed his hand on top of the thick pile of documents currently resting on the table "These are all quotation documents sent in by the local corporations wishing to get involved in Japan''s restoration projects . ". The Korean companies were quick to make their move . Some of them even sent in these documents as soon as Hunter Seong had left for Japan . All the other corporations should have finished with their preparations by now, as well ''Someone''s pain can become someone else''s hope, is it ''. No, to be more correct, it''d be someone''s profit, instead Having accurately understood what the Association President was implying just now, Woo Jin-Cheol also began forming a wry expression to mirror his boss Before long though, he quickly spoke as if he recalled something else just now "Ah, by the way, sir . ". "Yeah?". "The Japanese Association President Matsumoto has apparently handed himself over to police . ". "He did what?". Why would such a shameless man suddenly have a change of heart?. Goh Gun-Hui was about to discuss the details of that news, but then heard the ringing of the phone and reached out to it Ringgg . Ringgg He picked up the receiver only to be greeted by a rather urgent voice - "Association President, sir . It''s me . ". The voice belonged to his personal doctor . He should have been beyond busy dealing with patients rushing in at this time of the day, though Goh Gun-Hui could only tilt his head "My friend, what made you call me at this time of the day?". - "I thought that the matter at hand was too important, so I was compelled to ". "Too . important?". Goh Gun-Hui''s voice also became quite serious Several likely scenarios fleeted in and out of his head just then . However, his private doctor ended up mentioning a completely unexpected name, instead - "By any chance, were you aware of the condition Chairman Yu Myung-Han was in?". Chairman Yu Myung-Han was one of the biggest contributors to the Korean Hunter''s Association . He was even a personal acquaintance of Goh Gun-Hui, as well What had happened to him, then?. The Association President pressed for an answer, and the private doctor continued on with his explanation - "Chairman Yu Myung-Han has been admitted to our hospital earlier today, sir . ". Goh Gun-Hui shot up from his seat "He''s not in any critical danger, is he?". - "It is truly unfortunate, but . there is not much we can do for him at this stage . ". A heavy silence descended in the office The private doctor''s voice, keeping silent for a moment or two, quietly continued on - "Chairman Yu Myung-Han, he has entered the ''final sleep'' state . ". < Chapter 178 > Fin Chapter 179 The explosive flooding of phone calls from various TV stations and newspapers desperate for an interview with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was so severe that it almost completely paralysed the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association . Ringgg¡­ . ringgg¡­ ¡°Hello, this is the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Associa¡­ . ¡± ¨C ¡°Excuse me, hi, I¡¯m the guy who called you just now . How about this? Instead of an interview, just a couple of quick Q&A sessions with the Hunter?¡± ¡°Mister Director, that is the very definition of an interview!¡± ¨C ¡°No, no, no! Hang on! How about, we don¡¯t show the face of the Hunter-nim and just the subtitles¡­ . ¡± ¡°We already stated that the Hunter-nim has refused all filming and interview requests . I¡¯m very sorry . ¡± Click . Ringgg¡­ . ringgg¡­ ¡°Yes, this is the Japanese Hunter¡¯s¡­ . . ¡± ¨C ¡°This is the head of XX TV¡¯s news programming department speaking . I¡¯m calling you about¡­ . ¡± ¡°No means no, sir . ¡± Click . Such types of calls flooded in hundreds of times throughout the day, so it was only obvious that no normal work could get done under the circumstances . The person in charge of the department tasked with answering calls began developing a migraine just from hearing the ringtones of a phone now . However¡­ . ¡®This just goes to show that the interest of the mass media is focused on Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim currently . ¡¯ ¡­ . It wasn¡¯t as if he couldn¡¯t understand their interest, either . Who¡¯d not be interested in the story of one man solving a crisis that had destroyed almost 40% of the Japanese mainland? Even he himself wanted to know more about who this Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was, and was also curious to hear what he had to say, too . Still, that was that, and this was something else . He was burdened with the immense weight of the duty that the title of employee of the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association carried . And currently, his duty was to respect and uphold the desire of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo who didn¡¯t want to do any interviews whatsoever, by shutting out in advance all forms of requests flooding in from the mass media companies . ¡®I can¡¯t let the saviour of my nation feel displeased, now can I?¡¯ The manager nodded his head with a determined expression on his face . In the meantime, a hesitant newbie employee approached him to ask something . ¡°Excuse me¡­ . Manager?¡± Even before the newbie could say something, the man in charge cut him off right away . ¡°Just tell them no . ¡± He didn¡¯t have to hear anything, really . Most likely, this newbie couldn¡¯t endure against the threats thrown around by some higher-ups in a TV station or a newspaper from somewhere and just wanted to get the manager¡¯s confirmation next . Unfortunately, he was a bit off the mark this time . ¡°No, sir . It¡¯s not that, but we just got a call from South Korea . ¡± ¡°From Korea?¡± ¡°Yes, sir . A person calling himself Goh Gun-Hui from the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association wishes to speak to a person in charge . ¡± The manager had been listening to the newbie with some amount of disinterest, but now, an expression of fluster quickly filled up his face . ¡°You sure it¡¯s Goh Gun-Hui?¡± ¡°Yes, sir . ¡± There couldn¡¯t have been two different people with the name ¡®Goh Gun-Hui¡¯ in South Korea¡¯s Hunter¡¯s Association . The whole world knew about the cordial cooperative relationship between Hunter Seong Jin-Woo and the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association . And wasn¡¯t it Goh Gun-Hui who announced Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s expedition to Japan live on TV? The manager¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, before he hurriedly ran back to his desk while shouting at the top of his voice, thick veins now visibly bulging out on his neck . ¡°Let the call through!! Hurry up!¡± ¡°Ah, yes, sir . ¡± ¡°You¡¯re now speaking to the person in charge, Association President Goh Gun-Hui, sir . ¡± The manager picked the receiver up half in doubt, but his expression gradually hardened as he listened to the fluent Japanese coming from the speaker . ¡°Yes, yes . I understand . Yes, I shall get in contact with them right away . ¡± *** He¡¯d never get tired of this sight no matter how many times he saw it . ¡°Hee-ya¡­ . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho was letting out yet another gasp of admiration today . He felt deeply moved whenever he saw the scene of the giant black creature standing up from the Giant¡¯s corpse before kneeling down to swear his allegiance to his hyung-nim . It was like watching a scene from a movie or something . ¡®This is so cool, hyung-nim!¡¯ Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s eyes sparkled in respect and admiration, but then, his ears picked up on the commotion raised by the shocked voices coming from behind . ¡°Whoa-!!¡± ¡°What the heck, how can something like that¡­ . ?!¡± ¡°W-what¡¯s going on? What¡¯s this?¡± Noisy, noisy¡­ . He had seen this sight many times now and still couldn¡¯t get fully used to it, so how would these Japanese villagers seeing hyung-nim¡¯s ability for the first time feel right now? He might not understand what they were talking about, but he could more or less guess the contents of their conversation . Yu Jin-Ho felt deeply flattered as if he was the one being talked about here . ¡°Ehem . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho was standing around with a bit of a swollen ego for some reason, but then, an employee from the Japanese Association searching for the two Koreans approached closer and engaged him in a conversation . ¡°By any chance, are you Hunter-nim?¡± ¡°Ah, if you¡¯re looking for hyung-nim, he¡¯s over¡­ . . ¡± When Yu Jin-Ho heard the word ¡®Hunter¡¯, he immediately pointed to Jin-Woo over yonder, but the employee quickly shook his head and pointed to the younger Korean man, instead . ¡°No, no . You . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho blinked his eyes several times . ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho utilised his meagre English skills to reconfirm that it was indeed him the Japanese wanted, and quickly received a smartphone from the latter . And then¡­ . His expression gradually hardened as he listened to the call . Until the call came to an end, Yu Jin-Ho simply repeated ¡°Yes, yes¡± over and over again . Jin-Woo finished up with storing the giant soldier in his shadow and left the damaged storage facility . Yu Jin-Ho quickly approached him as if waiting for this moment and lowered his head . ¡°I¡¯m sorry, hyung-nim . Looks like I¡¯ll have to go back to Korea right away . ¡± Seeing how serious Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s expression was, Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t help but ask . ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not too sure myself . It¡¯s just that, I¡¯ve been told there¡¯s been an emergency at home and I need to go back immediately . ¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo shut his mouth . He could think of a reason already . ¡®Chairman Yu¡¯s illness¡­ . ¡¯ If his suspicion proved to be correct, then it was understandable why the caller was unable to provide much clarification over the phone to Yu Jin-Ho . How could anyone say to a son in another country that his father had fallen into a comatose state over a phone call? So, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t inquire any further . ¡°Okay, got it . You worked hard until now . ¡± ¡°No, not at all, hyung-nim . I¡¯m sorry about not sticking around until the end of this thing . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho respectfully apologised one more time before climbing aboard the car the Japanese Association had provided . The driver turned the car around and set off towards the airport . ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Jin-Woo wordlessly stared at the back of the departing car . * Yu Jin-Ho did his best to sound assured and relaxed in front of his hyung-nim, but in reality, he could barely keep his worries in check . He could still recall his mom¡¯s voice on the phone . It was the first time that her warm and kind voice sounded so shaken like that . ¡®Just what had happened?¡¯ His heart was pounding away madly right now . Could it be, his father got really angry that his son hadn¡¯t asked for permission and blindly followed his hyung-nim to Japan, seemingly without a plan? Surely, no parent out there would welcome a foolish child willingly walking into a lion¡¯s den, now would there? Yu Jin-Ho dazedly stared outside the car¡¯s window before shaking his head hard as if to clear out all the unnecessary stuff from his mind . ¡®No, I should not think about anything for the time being . ¡¯ He had no idea what was going on, so if he kept worrying about it right now, it¡¯d only make his thoughts more complicated . As a matter of fact, it could be nothing serious, as well . Until he landed back on the Incheon International Airport, he continued to carry such a hopeful thought, however tiny, in his heart . Unfortunately for him¡­ ¡°Yu Jin-Ho-gun . ¡± (TL note at the end) ¡­ . The moment he discovered the swollen eyes of Secretary Kim ahjussi coming to fetch him, he realised immediately that something really bad had happened . ¡°Ahjussi¡­ . ¡± ¡°A car is waiting for you . For the time being, please come with me . ¡± ¡®¡­ . What¡¯s going on¡­ . ¡¯ Yu Jin-Ho so desperately wanted to ask that question . However, he was scared of the potential answer and couldn¡¯t mouth those three words . ¡°Please, hurry . ¡± Secretary Kim pointed at the outside of the airport . ¡°Ah¡­ . ¡± For some reason, though, Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s feet didn¡¯t want to move from the spot . Perhaps understanding what was going through the young man¡¯s head, Secretary Kim placed his hand on Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s shoulder . ¡°Jin-Ho-gun¡­ . You need to stay strong in times like these . I shall explain everything on our way . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s tears welled up from those words . Secretary Kim explained Chairman Yu Myung-Han¡¯s current condition to Yu Jin-Ho as they rode on the car . But, that couldn¡¯t be; Yu Jin-Ho desperately tried to reject Secretary Kim¡¯s explanations . No, he didn¡¯t want to believe it . Unfortunately, after arriving in the hospital ¨C he had no choice but to believe when he saw his sleeping father¡¯s face through the glass wall partition . He remained still as if he was dead . At the same time, it felt like something in his heart had shattered to pieces . Seeing his father, who looked so mighty and imposing, lying there on the hospital bed looking so wane and weak, something hard and powerful welled up from deep within . ¡°Dad!!¡± Yu Jin-Ho tried to rush into the hospital room, but the doctors quickly blocked his way . The approach of a Hunter who couldn¡¯t control his magic energy leakage would only worsen the patient¡¯s condition . Hearing that explanation from the doctors, Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s expression became a person whose soul had abandoned him . ¡°So, that¡¯s how it was¡­ . ¡± He was a son who always disappointed his father . And now, he couldn¡¯t even hold his father¡¯s hand for one last time, too . Faced with such a fitting end for himself, he couldn¡¯t even shed a tear anymore . ¡°I see . I¡¯ve been a completely useless son, even till the end . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho turned on his heels in dejection . But then, Secretary Kim approached him and handed over a black leather-bound case file . ¡°What¡­ is this?¡± Yu Jin-Ho weakly raised his head up after receiving this unknown file . Secretary Kim calmly explained himself . ¡°This is the item the Chairman was working on before he collapsed, actually . I¡¯ve kept it with me in case he searched for it after waking up, but¡­ . But, I thought that you might need it more than I do, Jin-Ho-gun . ¡± ¡°This¡­ . you think so?¡± Yu Jin-Ho alternated his gaze between Secretary Kim and the file . Eventually, he cautiously opened it . It was a scrapbook filled with newspaper clippings . Every single page was packed full of articles from various newspapers containing either his older brother Yu Jin-Seong or his older sister Yu Jin-Hui . ¡®From father to son . ¡¯ Yu Jin-Ho wondered just from where he got this habit of cutting out and keeping the newspaper articles he liked, but it seemed that he got it from his father . ¡®To think, he had this kind of a hobby¡­ . ¡¯ Even when stewing in sorrow, a grin still managed to squeak out as he looked at his brother and sister when they were young kids . Both of them were the pride of his father . In all sorts of academic competitions, talent contests and concours ¨C they were geniuses that made their names known throughout the country in their favourite subjects . It was rather obvious that this scrapbook would be filled with articles related to the two of them . As he flipped through the pages, Yu Jin-Ho grew more and more embarrassed by the fact that not a single photo of him could be found within . However, just as he flipped to the last page, his hands came to an abrupt stop . [The Vice Chair of Ah-Jin Guild: Who is Yu Jin-Ho?] [Two Hunters heading off to Japan . ] [The choice of a rank D Hunter: Is it bravery or foolhardiness?] There were articles containing his name . Even those meaningless gossip pieces didn¡¯t escape his father¡¯s attention and found themselves cut out and pasted carefully within the page . ¡°Uh¡­ . . ¡± No words wanted to come out of Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s mouth . While he stood there like that, a newspaper article that hadn¡¯t been fully cropped out fell to the floor . He hurriedly bent down to the floor and picked it up, only for the tears to stream down from his eyes . It was an article containing the photo of himself beaming brightly to the camera . That was taken when, after Jin-Woo killed the boss-level Giant monster, he refused all filming and interview requests from the countless reporters flooding into the location, so Yu Jin-Ho stepped up as the stand-in, instead . The article was dated today . Secretary Kim squeezed Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s shoulder and spoke . ¡°It¡¯s not true that Chairman Yu never loved you, Jin-Ho-gun . As great as his love for you, he also held equally great expectations of you . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho wordlessly sat there, his shoulders shuddering uncontrollably as he cried . He somehow managed to calm his aching heart and stood back up . ¡°Dad¡­ Is there any way to wake my father up?¡± Secretary Kim shook his head with a darkened complexion . There was no officially known case of patients opening their eyes again after entering the ¡®final sleep¡¯ state . With the sole exception of one person, that was . Secretary Kim¡¯s thoughts arrived there and spoke up with some difficulty . ¡°By any chance¡­ Yu Jin-Ho-gun?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°¡­ . . No, it¡¯s nothing . Don¡¯t mind me . ¡± However, Secretary Kim couldn¡¯t bring himself to say what was on his mind . Planting a seed of hope when things were uncertain could prove to be even crueler in some cases . And now would be such a time . Yu Jin-Ho continued to shed long, hard tears as he looked at his father through the glass wall, while Secretary Kim silently swallowed back what he initially wanted to say . And the conversation they shared was silently listened in on by Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s shadow . < Chapter 179 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 179: Chapter 179 The explosive flooding of phone calls from various TV stations and newspapers desperate for an interview with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was so severe that it almost completely paralysed the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association Ringgg¡­ . ringgg¡­. ¡°Hello, this is the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Associa¡­ . ¡±. ¨C ¡°Excuse me, hi, I¡¯m the guy who called you just now . How about this? Instead of an interview, just a couple of quick Q&A sessions with the Hunter?¡±. ¡°Mister Director, that is the very definition of an interview!¡±. ¨C ¡°No, no, no! Hang on! How about, we don¡¯t show the face of the Hunter-nim and just the subtitles¡­ . ¡±. ¡°We already stated that the Hunter-nim has refused all filming and interview requests . I¡¯m very sorry . ¡±. Click Ringgg¡­ . ringgg¡­. ¡°Yes, this is the Japanese Hunter¡¯s¡­ ¡±. ¨C ¡°This is the head of XX TV¡¯s news programming department speaking . I¡¯m calling you about¡­ . ¡±. ¡°No means no, sir . ¡±. Click Such types of calls flooded in hundreds of times throughout the day, so it was only obvious that no normal work could get done under the circumstances The person in charge of the department tasked with answering calls began developing a migraine just from hearing the ringtones of a phone now However¡­ ¡®This just goes to show that the interest of the mass media is focused on Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim currently . ¡¯. ¡­ . It wasn¡¯t as if he couldn¡¯t understand their interest, either . Who¡¯d not be interested in the story of one man solving a crisis that had destroyed almost 40% of the Japanese mainland?. Even he himself wanted to know more about who this Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was, and was also curious to hear what he had to say, too Still, that was that, and this was something else He was burdened with the immense weight of the duty that the title of employee of the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association carried And currently, his duty was to respect and uphold the desire of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo who didn¡¯t want to do any interviews whatsoever, by shutting out in advance all forms of requests flooding in from the mass media companies ¡®I can¡¯t let the saviour of my nation feel displeased, now can I?¡¯. The manager nodded his head with a determined expression on his face . In the meantime, a hesitant newbie employee approached him to ask something ¡°Excuse me¡­ . Manager?¡±. Even before the newbie could say something, the man in charge cut him off right away ¡°Just tell them no . ¡±. He didn¡¯t have to hear anything, really . Most likely, this newbie couldn¡¯t endure against the threats thrown around by some higher-ups in a TV station or a newspaper from somewhere and just wanted to get the manager¡¯s confirmation next Unfortunately, he was a bit off the mark this time ¡°No, sir . It¡¯s not that, but we just got a call from South Korea . ¡±. ¡°From Korea?¡±. ¡°Yes, sir . A person calling himself Goh Gun-Hui from the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association wishes to speak to a person in charge . ¡±. The manager had been listening to the newbie with some amount of disinterest, but now, an expression of fluster quickly filled up his face ¡°You sure it¡¯s Goh Gun-Hui?¡±. ¡°Yes, sir . ¡±. There couldn¡¯t have been two different people with the name ¡®Goh Gun-Hui¡¯ in South Korea¡¯s Hunter¡¯s Association The whole world knew about the cordial cooperative relationship between Hunter Seong Jin-Woo and the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association . And wasn¡¯t it Goh Gun-Hui who announced Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s expedition to Japan live on TV?. The manager¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, before he hurriedly ran back to his desk while shouting at the top of his voice, thick veins now visibly bulging out on his neck ¡°Let the call through!! Hurry up!¡±. ¡°Ah, yes, sir . ¡±. ¡°You¡¯re now speaking to the person in charge, Association President Goh Gun-Hui, sir . ¡±. The manager picked the receiver up half in doubt, but his expression gradually hardened as he listened to the fluent Japanese coming from the speaker ¡°Yes, yes . I understand . Yes, I shall get in contact with them right away . ¡±. ***. He¡¯d never get tired of this sight no matter how many times he saw it ¡°Hee-ya¡­ . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho was letting out yet another gasp of admiration today He felt deeply moved whenever he saw the scene of the giant black creature standing up from the Giant¡¯s corpse before kneeling down to swear his allegiance to his hyung-nim . It was like watching a scene from a movie or something ¡®This is so cool, hyung-nim!¡¯. Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s eyes sparkled in respect and admiration, but then, his ears picked up on the commotion raised by the shocked voices coming from behind ¡°Whoa-!!¡±. ¡°What the heck, how can something like that¡­ . ?!¡±. ¡°W-what¡¯s going on? What¡¯s this?¡±. Noisy, noisy¡­ He had seen this sight many times now and still couldn¡¯t get fully used to it, so how would these Japanese villagers seeing hyung-nim¡¯s ability for the first time feel right now?. He might not understand what they were talking about, but he could more or less guess the contents of their conversation . Yu Jin-Ho felt deeply flattered as if he was the one being talked about here ¡°Ehem . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho was standing around with a bit of a swollen ego for some reason, but then, an employee from the Japanese Association searching for the two Koreans approached closer and engaged him in a conversation ¡°By any chance, are you Hunter-nim?¡±. ¡°Ah, if you¡¯re looking for hyung-nim, he¡¯s over¡­ ¡±. When Yu Jin-Ho heard the word ¡®Hunter¡¯, he immediately pointed to Jin-Woo over yonder, but the employee quickly shook his head and pointed to the younger Korean man, instead ¡°No, no . You . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho blinked his eyes several times ¡°Me?¡±. ¡°Yes . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho utilised his meagre English skills to reconfirm that it was indeed him the Japanese wanted, and quickly received a smartphone from the latter And then¡­ . His expression gradually hardened as he listened to the call Until the call came to an end, Yu Jin-Ho simply repeated ¡°Yes, yes¡± over and over again Jin-Woo finished up with storing the giant soldier in his shadow and left the damaged storage facility . Yu Jin-Ho quickly approached him as if waiting for this moment and lowered his head ¡°I¡¯m sorry, hyung-nim . Looks like I¡¯ll have to go back to Korea right away . ¡±. Seeing how serious Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s expression was, Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t help but ask ¡°What happened?¡±. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure myself . It¡¯s just that, I¡¯ve been told there¡¯s been an emergency at home and I need to go back immediately . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo shut his mouth . He could think of a reason already ¡®Chairman Yu¡¯s illness¡­ . ¡¯. If his suspicion proved to be correct, then it was understandable why the caller was unable to provide much clarification over the phone to Yu Jin-Ho . How could anyone say to a son in another country that his father had fallen into a comatose state over a phone call?. So, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t inquire any further ¡°Okay, got it . You worked hard until now . ¡±. ¡°No, not at all, hyung-nim . I¡¯m sorry about not sticking around until the end of this thing . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho respectfully apologised one more time before climbing aboard the car the Japanese Association had provided . The driver turned the car around and set off towards the airport ¡®¡­¡­¡¯. Jin-Woo wordlessly stared at the back of the departing car *. Yu Jin-Ho did his best to sound assured and relaxed in front of his hyung-nim, but in reality, he could barely keep his worries in check He could still recall his mom¡¯s voice on the phone . It was the first time that her warm and kind voice sounded so shaken like that ¡®Just what had happened?¡¯. His heart was pounding away madly right now Could it be, his father got really angry that his son hadn¡¯t asked for permission and blindly followed his hyung-nim to Japan, seemingly without a plan? Surely, no parent out there would welcome a foolish child willingly walking into a lion¡¯s den, now would there?. Yu Jin-Ho dazedly stared outside the car¡¯s window before shaking his head hard as if to clear out all the unnecessary stuff from his mind ¡®No, I should not think about anything for the time being . ¡¯. He had no idea what was going on, so if he kept worrying about it right now, it¡¯d only make his thoughts more complicated . As a matter of fact, it could be nothing serious, as well Until he landed back on the Incheon International Airport, he continued to carry such a hopeful thought, however tiny, in his heart Unfortunately for him¡­. ¡°Yu Jin-Ho-gun . ¡± (TL note at the end). ¡­ . The moment he discovered the swollen eyes of Secretary Kim ahjussi coming to fetch him, he realised immediately that something really bad had happened ¡°Ahjussi¡­ . ¡±. ¡°A car is waiting for you . For the time being, please come with me . ¡±. ¡®¡­ . What¡¯s going on¡­ . ¡¯. Yu Jin-Ho so desperately wanted to ask that question . However, he was scared of the potential answer and couldn¡¯t mouth those three words ¡°Please, hurry . ¡±. Secretary Kim pointed at the outside of the airport ¡°Ah¡­ . ¡±. For some reason, though, Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s feet didn¡¯t want to move from the spot . Perhaps understanding what was going through the young man¡¯s head, Secretary Kim placed his hand on Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s shoulder ¡°Jin-Ho-gun¡­ . You need to stay strong in times like these . I shall explain everything on our way . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s tears welled up from those words Secretary Kim explained Chairman Yu Myung-Han¡¯s current condition to Yu Jin-Ho as they rode on the car But, that couldn¡¯t be; Yu Jin-Ho desperately tried to reject Secretary Kim¡¯s explanations No, he didn¡¯t want to believe it Unfortunately, after arriving in the hospital ¨C he had no choice but to believe when he saw his sleeping father¡¯s face through the glass wall partition . He remained still as if he was dead At the same time, it felt like something in his heart had shattered to pieces Seeing his father, who looked so mighty and imposing, lying there on the hospital bed looking so wane and weak, something hard and powerful welled up from deep within ¡°Dad!!¡±. Yu Jin-Ho tried to rush into the hospital room, but the doctors quickly blocked his way The approach of a Hunter who couldn¡¯t control his magic energy leakage would only worsen the patient¡¯s condition . Hearing that explanation from the doctors, Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s expression became a person whose soul had abandoned him ¡°So, that¡¯s how it was¡­ . ¡±. He was a son who always disappointed his father . And now, he couldn¡¯t even hold his father¡¯s hand for one last time, too . Faced with such a fitting end for himself, he couldn¡¯t even shed a tear anymore ¡°I see . I¡¯ve been a completely useless son, even till the end . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho turned on his heels in dejection . But then, Secretary Kim approached him and handed over a black leather-bound case file ¡°What¡­ is this?¡±. Yu Jin-Ho weakly raised his head up after receiving this unknown file . Secretary Kim calmly explained himself ¡°This is the item the Chairman was working on before he collapsed, actually . I¡¯ve kept it with me in case he searched for it after waking up, but¡­ . But, I thought that you might need it more than I do, Jin-Ho-gun . ¡±. ¡°This¡­ . you think so?¡±. Yu Jin-Ho alternated his gaze between Secretary Kim and the file . Eventually, he cautiously opened it It was a scrapbook filled with newspaper clippings Every single page was packed full of articles from various newspapers containing either his older brother Yu Jin-Seong or his older sister Yu Jin-Hui ¡®From father to son . ¡¯. Yu Jin-Ho wondered just from where he got this habit of cutting out and keeping the newspaper articles he liked, but it seemed that he got it from his father ¡®To think, he had this kind of a hobby¡­ . ¡¯. Even when stewing in sorrow, a grin still managed to squeak out as he looked at his brother and sister when they were young kids Both of them were the pride of his father In all sorts of academic competitions, talent contests and concours ¨C they were geniuses that made their names known throughout the country in their favourite subjects It was rather obvious that this scrapbook would be filled with articles related to the two of them . As he flipped through the pages, Yu Jin-Ho grew more and more embarrassed by the fact that not a single photo of him could be found within However, just as he flipped to the last page, his hands came to an abrupt stop [The Vice Chair of Ah-Jin Guild: Who is Yu Jin-Ho?]. [Two Hunters heading off to Japan . ]. [The choice of a rank D Hunter: Is it bravery or foolhardiness?]. There were articles containing his name . Even those meaningless gossip pieces didn¡¯t escape his father¡¯s attention and found themselves cut out and pasted carefully within the page ¡°Uh¡­ ¡±. No words wanted to come out of Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s mouth While he stood there like that, a newspaper article that hadn¡¯t been fully cropped out fell to the floor . He hurriedly bent down to the floor and picked it up, only for the tears to stream down from his eyes It was an article containing the photo of himself beaming brightly to the camera . That was taken when, after Jin-Woo killed the boss-level Giant monster, he refused all filming and interview requests from the countless reporters flooding into the location, so Yu Jin-Ho stepped up as the stand-in, instead The article was dated today Secretary Kim squeezed Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s shoulder and spoke ¡°It¡¯s not true that Chairman Yu never loved you, Jin-Ho-gun . As great as his love for you, he also held equally great expectations of you . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho wordlessly sat there, his shoulders shuddering uncontrollably as he cried . He somehow managed to calm his aching heart and stood back up ¡°Dad¡­ Is there any way to wake my father up?¡±. Secretary Kim shook his head with a darkened complexion There was no officially known case of patients opening their eyes again after entering the ¡®final sleep¡¯ state . With the sole exception of one person, that was Secretary Kim¡¯s thoughts arrived there and spoke up with some difficulty ¡°By any chance¡­ Yu Jin-Ho-gun?¡±. ¡°Yes?¡±. ¡°¡­ No, it¡¯s nothing . Don¡¯t mind me . ¡±. However, Secretary Kim couldn¡¯t bring himself to say what was on his mind Planting a seed of hope when things were uncertain could prove to be even crueler in some cases . And now would be such a time Yu Jin-Ho continued to shed long, hard tears as he looked at his father through the glass wall, while Secretary Kim silently swallowed back what he initially wanted to say And the conversation they shared was silently listened in on by Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s shadow < Chapter 179 > Fin Chapter 180 ¡°For the time being, let me accompany you back to your home . ¡± ¡°¡­Alright . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho left the hospital room of his father, Chairman Yu, with Secretary Kim a little while later . But, just before the door to this special hospital room closed shut, a portion of the shadow beneath Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s feet separated away and slipped inside the room . No one witnessed this strange phenomenon happen . Tak . The door closed shut and the light within the room automatically switched off . And time continued to tick by like this . When the hour became late and no more people came around to visit this room, a ¡®shadow¡¯ sneaked out from underneath Chairman Yu¡¯s bed . Shururuk¡­ Then, an ant soldier emerged from this shadow . He quietly looked around the room and discovered the sleeping Chairman Yu . What sort of delicious open buffet was this? Kiieehk . The ant soldier fixed his gaze on the Chairman Yu and began drooling avariciously, but too bad for him, he got rapidly sucked into the shadow and was replaced by Jin-Woo . That was the effect of the skill ¡®Shadow Exchange¡¯ . Jin-Woo already had cloaked himself with ¡®Stealth¡¯ even before activating the exchange . Now that he was here, he took a careful look around the hospital room . There was no source of light to be found inside and, as a result, it was completely dark in the room, but with his Perception Stat having reached such an extreme peak, he could see just fine as if this was in the middle of the day . Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes gleamed coldly in the darkness as he finished searching for the presence of security cameras in the room . ¡®Looks like it¡¯s clean . ¡¯ The only people nearby were four guards manning the door from the outside . As long as there was no event of Chairman Yu Myung-Han suddenly waking up and start yelling at the top of his lungs, Jin-Woo¡¯s presence wouldn¡¯t be detected at all . Feeling sure of this conclusion, he undid his ¡®Stealth¡¯ . Shuuuk¡­ His once-transparent body revealed its faint outer line before gradually regaining its original colour . There was a reason why Jin-Woo was being doubly, triply cautious like this . Because he should not carelessly reveal the existence of the item called ¡®Divine Water of Life¡¯ to anyone . That¡¯s what he thought . Not too long ago, Chairman Yu presented him with a blank cheque . That was not all . He even promised to fulfil whatever Jin-Woo wished for as long as it was within his powers . Did he offer all those juicy terms because he was a kind-hearted gentleman? Of course not . No way such a thing was true . He was a man who stood at the apex of the cutthroat corporate world where one could only survive by coldly calculating their gains and losses . He was also a naturally-gifted businessman who even managed to turn a small corporation he inherited from his parents into one of the biggest conglomerates in the entire world . He should be fully aware of the true worth of something that ¡®can heal the illness he¡¯s suffering from¡¯ . And that was his reason for offering up everything he could realistically put on the table . However, not everyone in this world was as gentlemanly in conduct as Chairman Yu . Desperation could sometimes become a motive that caused one to make rash decisions . Meaning, it was for the best not to create a potential source of trouble . That was Jin-Woo¡¯s reason for concealing the existence of the ¡®Divine Water of Life¡¯ to the best of his abilities . Even if he was the father of the kid he thought of as his little brother, Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t na?ve enough to risk unknown dangers that may or may not occur in the future for the sake of Chairman Yu, someone whom he didn¡¯t know all that well, to begin with . ¡®Well, there wouldn¡¯t be that many na?ve fools out there who bring out an item like ¡®Divine Water of Life¡¯ just because someone asked them to¡­ . ¡¯ So, he waited quietly for the best timing to make his move, and finally, that moment had arrived . It wasn¡¯t as if Chairman Yu¡¯s life would negatively be affected or he¡¯d suffer from some after-effects just because the treatment came about a little later . If Jin-Woo were to think about those who might be getting a raw deal out of this, then it¡¯d only be the shareholders who quickly got rid of all their shares related with Yujin Corporation after hearing about Chairman Yu¡¯s collapse . ¡®Is this why people say investing in stock markets is pretty much the case of ¡®all or nothing¡¯?¡¯ Jin-Woo smirked to himself and accessed his Inventory to retrieve one of the five remaining bottles of the ¡®Divine Water of Life¡¯ . With the usage of this one bottle, he¡¯d had four more left . He knew exactly what it was like to lose one¡¯s parent through this illness . So, he felt that using this bottle for Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s sake was not a loss to him in the slightest . ¡®That kid, why did have to he go and cry like that? Making me feel all bad and stuff . ¡¯ Jin-Woo carefully raised the upper torso of Chairman Yu Myung-Han, opened his lips, and slowly poured in the ¡®Divine Water of Life¡¯ . Very slowly, and only a small amount at a time . However, Chairman Yu must¡¯ve known that this item was the sole lifeline capable of saving him, because he gulped the Water down rather commendably well . ¡°Cough . ¡± The bottle became empty in no time at all . Jin-Woo lowered Chairman Yu¡¯s upper torso back on the bed and returned the empty bottle to his Inventory . Just like how he remembered with his mother¡¯s case, the colour of vitality returned to Chairman Yu¡¯s complexion very quickly . Even his faint, weakly-beating heart gradually picked up pace, as well . Jin-Woo nodded his head in satisfaction . ¡®It¡¯s done . ¡¯ The medicine was working perfectly . The only remaining thing would be to escape from this room before Chairman Yu Myung-Han wakes up and leave not one trace of himself behind . Jin-Woo reactivated ¡®Stealth¡¯ and stood before the room¡¯s door . Wuiiing¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± The door could only be opened by pressing an electronic button either on the outside or inside, yet it automatically opened up by itself, so the guards quickly fell into a state of panic . ¡°Huh?!?!¡± Before long, though, they spotted Chairman Yu through the glass wall . An event dozens of times ¨C no, make that hundreds and thousands of times ¨C more shocking than the door opening up was unfolding inside the hospital room . The guards all discovered Chairman Yu sitting upright on the bed and their eyes almost popped out of their sockets . ¡°Huh? Uh??¡± ¡°C-Chairman has¡­ woken up?!¡± Guards stood there completely frozen as if they had seen a ghost, before one of them regained his wits and loudly yelled out, veins on his neck visibly bulging in the process . ¡°Doctor!! Where is a doctorrrrr!!¡± Excluding one guard who ran to elsewhere in search of a doctor, the rest quickly rushed inside the hospital room . ¡°Mister Chairman!¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± Yu Myung-Han formed a refreshed expression of someone just waking up from a good, long rest and took a look at the guards . ¡°Why are you people raising such a fuss here? Besides all that, who are you people, anyway?¡± ¡°S-sir, we¡¯re¡­ . ¡± ¡°No, wait . ¡± Yu Myung-Han cut into the guard¡¯s reply, and took a good look around his surroundings first . And he found himself in the VIP hospital room designed to accommodate a victim of the Eternal Sleep . He easily recognised this place, because it was he who had prepared this room soon after learning of his own terminal condition . ¡®Which means, I¡­ . ¡¯ Could he really have? ¡°¡­ . Did I collapse, but somehow woke up again?¡± Wuuiiing¡­ Chairman Yu Myung-Han¡¯s head quickly swivelled in the direction of that sound . He watched through the glass wall the electronic door slowly closing shut by itself . *** Ting! The elevator¡¯s door slid open . Jin-Woo wordlessly stared at the cordon of doctors rushing in from the other end of the corridor as if they were gathering storm clouds before climbing into the empty elevator . Now that he thought about it, wasn¡¯t Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s birthday at the end of this month? ¡®I know it¡¯s a bit early, but well, happy birthday, Jin-Ho . ¡¯ His father¡¯s full recovery ¨C Jin-Woo thought that it might prove to be the best birthday gift for Yu Jin-Ho as he pressed the button for the ground floor . Click . An ahjussi belatedly climbed into the elevator and was about to press the same button as well, but he stopped after seeing the light come on all by itself . ¡°What the¡­? That¡¯s spooky . ¡± Jin-Woo was still cloaked with ¡®Stealth¡¯ so the interior of the elevator looked empty . The ahjussi gruntled out ¡®Urgh, dang it¡¯ after taking a look around and quickly left the elevator altogether . ¡®My bad, ahjussi . ¡¯ Jin-Woo apologised from deep within his heart and pressed the ¡®close door¡¯ button . Clunk¡­ As the elevator began climbing down, he confirmed his skill window . ¡®Skill information . ¡¯ [Skill: Shadow Exchange Lv . 2] Class-specific skill . Mana required to activate: None . The summoner can switch locations with the designated Shadow Soldier . Once activated, you must wait two hours of ¡®cooldown¡¯ time before being able to use the skill again . The ¡®cooldown¡¯ period will change according to the Skill¡¯s level . Remaining cooldown time: 01:54:11 ¡®Still one hour and 54 minutes left¡­ . ¡¯ Even if he disregarded the 11 seconds, he still had roughly two hours left to kill . He hadn¡¯t finished with the task of extracting shadows yet . Meaning, he still needed to go back to Japan one more time if he were to seek out the remaining dead Giants and turn them into Shadow Soldiers . He did leave a shadow on standby there, so the issue of travelling back would be resolved as soon as Shadow Exchange¡¯s cooldown time had elapsed . But his current problem would be with how he¡¯d go about spending the next two hours of waiting . ¡®Going home¡­ . is out of the question . ¡¯ Her son came back home after over a week spent in another country, so what kind of expression would his mom make if he had to leave again only a couple of hours later? He didn¡¯t have to be there to know . Ting! The elevator stopped on the ground floor and opened its door . Even as he stepped out of the Seoul Ilsin Hospital¡¯s front entrance, Jin-Woo continued to agonise over what he should next, but then, a rather nice idea popped up in his head . ¡®Okay, should I search for an ownerless dungeon or something?¡¯ Jin-Woo undid ¡®Stealth¡¯ and greatly extended out his sensory perception . His senses picked up four or five Gates near his location . He pulled out his Hunter-issued smartphone and accessed the Association¡¯s app to confirm the details on those Gates . ¡®¡­ . Found you . ¡¯ Jin-Woo found out that two of those Gates weren¡¯t reported to the Association yet . A meaningful smile formed on Jin-Woo¡¯s face right away . *** ¡°Miss . We¡¯ve arrived . ¡± ¡°Thank you, driver . ¡± Chairman Yu Myung-Han¡¯s eldest daughter, Yu Jin-Hui, was returning to the hospital after escorting her nearly-fainted mother back home . She stepped out from the chauffeur-driven car¡¯s back seat . She felt as if the heavens were crashing down on her the day she learned of her father slowly dying from that illness . Even then, she unreservedly believed her father¡¯s words . [¡°I¡¯m still searching through all avenues for a cure . I seemed to have found a strand of hope, so do not worry about me too much . ¡±] If someone else declared oh-so-proudly that he¡¯d cure this incurable illness, Yu Jin-Hui would flat out not believe that man . However, just who was her father? Was he not the one and only Chairman Yu Myung-Han, the man who could legitimately be called the top dog in South Korea¡¯s financial world? That was why she held on to that slim strand of hope, but in the end, things had become like this . If only she knew things would end up this way . She¡¯d have thrown away all notions of studying abroad and spent more time with her father, instead . She recalled him doing his best to hide his loneliness when she told him about her plans to study abroad and quietly wiped her tears away . It was around then . As she raised her head, her eyes briefly caught the sight of a rather familiar face walking past her . ¡®¡­Uh? This man¡­ . ¡¯ Hadn¡¯t she seen that face often before? As she began wondering where she had seen him, the man also must¡¯ve sensed her gaze, because he pulled the hood down even further and rapidly distanced himself from her . She stared at the man¡¯s back and tilted her head just a little, before resuming her walk . The identity of that man was not an important issue to her, anyway . Yu Jin-Hui anxiously waited for the elevator¡¯s door to open up . But then, her phone suddenly issued out loud ringtones . Ringggg, ringgg¡­ With the hour being so late already, the corridors of the hospital were mostly empty now and the ringtone sounded especially loud to her ears . She didn¡¯t recognise the number shown on the screen . She usually wouldn¡¯t answer a call from an unfamiliar number like this, but now¡­ . ¡®Who could this be¡­ . ?¡¯ Perhaps because she had been experiencing a storm of events for the whole day, she got this feeling that she should answer this call no matter what . Yu Jin-Hui tapped the ¡®Answer¡¯ icon and pressed the phone to her ear . ¡°Hello?¡± ¨C ¡°Yes, hello . I¡¯m calling from Seoul Ilsin Hospital, miss . I couldn¡¯t get in touch with your mother and had no choice but to contact you first . ¡± Her mother had taken a shot of sedative and had fallen asleep at home, so she wouldn¡¯t be able to wake up and answer the phone now . But, why was the hospital calling her like this? Yu Jin-Hui instantly became scared by this call made by the doctor in charge . That was why she was extra cautious when asking back . ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¨C ¡°Actually, Chairman Yu Myung-Han has¡­ . ¡± As she heard the ensuing explanation, her eyes grew as large and round as a rabbit¡¯s . This had to be a lie . ¡®You, you expect me to believe that?!¡¯ Her eyes were getting wetter and wetter but she still managed to ask that one last question . ¡°You¡­ are you telling me the truth??¡± ¨C ¡°We also would not have believed it¡¯s real if it weren¡¯t for confirming the fact with our own eyes . It¡¯s pretty much impossible to find any patient waking up from the ¡®final sleep¡¯ state, you see . In any case, please hurry and come to the hospital, miss . We do not know when the Chairman might fall back asleep again . ¡± ¡°H-hang on! I¡¯m already there!¡± Ting! With excellent timing, the elevator opened its door and Yu Jin-Hui practically threw herself inside . Oh my god . ¡®Really¡­ . Truly??¡¯ These few minutes the elevator took to climb up felt like the longest moments in her entire life so far . Ting . The moment the door opened, she rushed out and entered the hospital room ¨C and was greeted by the sight of her father¡¯s face shifting towards her . From the top of his head right down to the tip of his toes, he was definitely her father and there was no need to even suspect otherwise . ¡°Dad!!¡± Yu Myung-Han, currently surrounded by a cordon of doctors, turned his head towards his little girl . ¡°Jin-Hui¡­ . ?¡± ¡°Dad!¡± She jumped into his embrace and as Yu Myung-Han gently patted her back, he finally realised that he had returned from death¡¯s doorstep somehow . ¡®I¡¯m alive . ¡¯ However, could he really describe this as a coincidence? While the cordon of doctors in charge responded with whispers of ¡°It¡¯s a miracle¡±, and with his daughter sobbing her eyes out as she clung to her dad, Yu Myung-Han began focusing on the sounds of his own beating heart . ¡®B-but¡­ . How could this be??¡¯ Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump!! He was already well past his fifties, yet his heart was pounding away vigorously as if he was still in his twenties, instead . < Chapter 180 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 180: Chapter 180 ¡°For the time being, let me accompany you back to your home . ¡±. ¡°¡­Alright . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho left the hospital room of his father, Chairman Yu, with Secretary Kim a little while later But, just before the door to this special hospital room closed shut, a portion of the shadow beneath Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s feet separated away and slipped inside the room . No one witnessed this strange phenomenon happen Tak The door closed shut and the light within the room automatically switched off . And time continued to tick by like this When the hour became late and no more people came around to visit this room, a ¡®shadow¡¯ sneaked out from underneath Chairman Yu¡¯s bed Shururuk¡­. Then, an ant soldier emerged from this shadow . He quietly looked around the room and discovered the sleeping Chairman Yu What sort of delicious open buffet was this?. Kiieehk The ant soldier fixed his gaze on the Chairman Yu and began drooling avariciously, but too bad for him, he got rapidly sucked into the shadow and was replaced by Jin-Woo That was the effect of the skill ¡®Shadow Exchange¡¯ Jin-Woo already had cloaked himself with ¡®Stealth¡¯ even before activating the exchange . Now that he was here, he took a careful look around the hospital room There was no source of light to be found inside and, as a result, it was completely dark in the room, but with his Perception Stat having reached such an extreme peak, he could see just fine as if this was in the middle of the day Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes gleamed coldly in the darkness as he finished searching for the presence of security cameras in the room ¡®Looks like it¡¯s clean . ¡¯. The only people nearby were four guards manning the door from the outside As long as there was no event of Chairman Yu Myung-Han suddenly waking up and start yelling at the top of his lungs, Jin-Woo¡¯s presence wouldn¡¯t be detected at all Feeling sure of this conclusion, he undid his ¡®Stealth¡¯ Shuuuk¡­. His once-transparent body revealed its faint outer line before gradually regaining its original colour There was a reason why Jin-Woo was being doubly, triply cautious like this . Because he should not carelessly reveal the existence of the item called ¡®Divine Water of Life¡¯ to anyone . That¡¯s what he thought Not too long ago, Chairman Yu presented him with a blank cheque . That was not all . He even promised to fulfil whatever Jin-Woo wished for as long as it was within his powers Did he offer all those juicy terms because he was a kind-hearted gentleman? Of course not No way such a thing was true He was a man who stood at the apex of the cutthroat corporate world where one could only survive by coldly calculating their gains and losses He was also a naturally-gifted businessman who even managed to turn a small corporation he inherited from his parents into one of the biggest conglomerates in the entire world He should be fully aware of the true worth of something that ¡®can heal the illness he¡¯s suffering from¡¯ . And that was his reason for offering up everything he could realistically put on the table However, not everyone in this world was as gentlemanly in conduct as Chairman Yu . Desperation could sometimes become a motive that caused one to make rash decisions Meaning, it was for the best not to create a potential source of trouble That was Jin-Woo¡¯s reason for concealing the existence of the ¡®Divine Water of Life¡¯ to the best of his abilities Even if he was the father of the kid he thought of as his little brother, Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t na?ve enough to risk unknown dangers that may or may not occur in the future for the sake of Chairman Yu, someone whom he didn¡¯t know all that well, to begin with ¡®Well, there wouldn¡¯t be that many na?ve fools out there who bring out an item like ¡®Divine Water of Life¡¯ just because someone asked them to¡­ . ¡¯. So, he waited quietly for the best timing to make his move, and finally, that moment had arrived It wasn¡¯t as if Chairman Yu¡¯s life would negatively be affected or he¡¯d suffer from some after-effects just because the treatment came about a little later If Jin-Woo were to think about those who might be getting a raw deal out of this, then it¡¯d only be the shareholders who quickly got rid of all their shares related with Yujin Corporation after hearing about Chairman Yu¡¯s collapse ¡®Is this why people say investing in stock markets is pretty much the case of ¡®all or nothing¡¯?¡¯. Jin-Woo smirked to himself and accessed his Inventory to retrieve one of the five remaining bottles of the ¡®Divine Water of Life¡¯ With the usage of this one bottle, he¡¯d had four more left He knew exactly what it was like to lose one¡¯s parent through this illness . So, he felt that using this bottle for Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s sake was not a loss to him in the slightest ¡®That kid, why did have to he go and cry like that? Making me feel all bad and stuff . ¡¯. Jin-Woo carefully raised the upper torso of Chairman Yu Myung-Han, opened his lips, and slowly poured in the ¡®Divine Water of Life¡¯ Very slowly, and only a small amount at a time However, Chairman Yu must¡¯ve known that this item was the sole lifeline capable of saving him, because he gulped the Water down rather commendably well ¡°Cough . ¡±. The bottle became empty in no time at all Jin-Woo lowered Chairman Yu¡¯s upper torso back on the bed and returned the empty bottle to his Inventory Just like how he remembered with his mother¡¯s case, the colour of vitality returned to Chairman Yu¡¯s complexion very quickly . Even his faint, weakly-beating heart gradually picked up pace, as well Jin-Woo nodded his head in satisfaction ¡®It¡¯s done . ¡¯. The medicine was working perfectly The only remaining thing would be to escape from this room before Chairman Yu Myung-Han wakes up and leave not one trace of himself behind . Jin-Woo reactivated ¡®Stealth¡¯ and stood before the room¡¯s door Wuiiing¡­. ¡°Huh?¡±. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±. The door could only be opened by pressing an electronic button either on the outside or inside, yet it automatically opened up by itself, so the guards quickly fell into a state of panic ¡°Huh?!?!¡±. Before long, though, they spotted Chairman Yu through the glass wall An event dozens of times ¨C no, make that hundreds and thousands of times ¨C more shocking than the door opening up was unfolding inside the hospital room The guards all discovered Chairman Yu sitting upright on the bed and their eyes almost popped out of their sockets ¡°Huh? Uh??¡±. ¡°C-Chairman has¡­ woken up?!¡±. Guards stood there completely frozen as if they had seen a ghost, before one of them regained his wits and loudly yelled out, veins on his neck visibly bulging in the process ¡°Doctor!! Where is a doctorrrrr!!¡±. Excluding one guard who ran to elsewhere in search of a doctor, the rest quickly rushed inside the hospital room ¡°Mister Chairman!¡±. ¡°Are you alright?¡±. Yu Myung-Han formed a refreshed expression of someone just waking up from a good, long rest and took a look at the guards ¡°Why are you people raising such a fuss here? Besides all that, who are you people, anyway?¡±. ¡°S-sir, we¡¯re¡­ . ¡±. ¡°No, wait . ¡±. Yu Myung-Han cut into the guard¡¯s reply, and took a good look around his surroundings first . And he found himself in the VIP hospital room designed to accommodate a victim of the Eternal Sleep He easily recognised this place, because it was he who had prepared this room soon after learning of his own terminal condition ¡®Which means, I¡­ . ¡¯. Could he really have?. ¡°¡­ . Did I collapse, but somehow woke up again?¡±. Wuuiiing¡­. Chairman Yu Myung-Han¡¯s head quickly swivelled in the direction of that sound . He watched through the glass wall the electronic door slowly closing shut by itself ***. Ting!. The elevator¡¯s door slid open Jin-Woo wordlessly stared at the cordon of doctors rushing in from the other end of the corridor as if they were gathering storm clouds before climbing into the empty elevator Now that he thought about it, wasn¡¯t Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s birthday at the end of this month?. ¡®I know it¡¯s a bit early, but well, happy birthday, Jin-Ho . ¡¯. His father¡¯s full recovery ¨C Jin-Woo thought that it might prove to be the best birthday gift for Yu Jin-Ho as he pressed the button for the ground floor Click An ahjussi belatedly climbed into the elevator and was about to press the same button as well, but he stopped after seeing the light come on all by itself ¡°What the¡­? That¡¯s spooky . ¡±. Jin-Woo was still cloaked with ¡®Stealth¡¯ so the interior of the elevator looked empty . The ahjussi gruntled out ¡®Urgh, dang it¡¯ after taking a look around and quickly left the elevator altogether ¡®My bad, ahjussi . ¡¯. Jin-Woo apologised from deep within his heart and pressed the ¡®close door¡¯ button Clunk¡­. As the elevator began climbing down, he confirmed his skill window ¡®Skill information . ¡¯. [Skill: Shadow Exchange Lv . 2]. Class-specific skill Mana required to activate: None The summoner can switch locations with the designated Shadow Soldier Once activated, you must wait two hours of ¡®cooldown¡¯ time before being able to use the skill again . The ¡®cooldown¡¯ period will change according to the Skill¡¯s level Remaining cooldown time: 01:54:11. ¡®Still one hour and 54 minutes left¡­ . ¡¯. Even if he disregarded the 11 seconds, he still had roughly two hours left to kill He hadn¡¯t finished with the task of extracting shadows yet . Meaning, he still needed to go back to Japan one more time if he were to seek out the remaining dead Giants and turn them into Shadow Soldiers He did leave a shadow on standby there, so the issue of travelling back would be resolved as soon as Shadow Exchange¡¯s cooldown time had elapsed . But his current problem would be with how he¡¯d go about spending the next two hours of waiting ¡®Going home¡­ . is out of the question . ¡¯. Her son came back home after over a week spent in another country, so what kind of expression would his mom make if he had to leave again only a couple of hours later?. He didn¡¯t have to be there to know Ting!. The elevator stopped on the ground floor and opened its door Even as he stepped out of the Seoul Ilsin Hospital¡¯s front entrance, Jin-Woo continued to agonise over what he should next, but then, a rather nice idea popped up in his head ¡®Okay, should I search for an ownerless dungeon or something?¡¯. Jin-Woo undid ¡®Stealth¡¯ and greatly extended out his sensory perception His senses picked up four or five Gates near his location . He pulled out his Hunter-issued smartphone and accessed the Association¡¯s app to confirm the details on those Gates ¡®¡­ . Found you . ¡¯. Jin-Woo found out that two of those Gates weren¡¯t reported to the Association yet . A meaningful smile formed on Jin-Woo¡¯s face right away ***. ¡°Miss . We¡¯ve arrived . ¡±. ¡°Thank you, driver . ¡±. Chairman Yu Myung-Han¡¯s eldest daughter, Yu Jin-Hui, was returning to the hospital after escorting her nearly-fainted mother back home . She stepped out from the chauffeur-driven car¡¯s back seat She felt as if the heavens were crashing down on her the day she learned of her father slowly dying from that illness Even then, she unreservedly believed her father¡¯s words [¡°I¡¯m still searching through all avenues for a cure . I seemed to have found a strand of hope, so do not worry about me too much . ¡±]. If someone else declared oh-so-proudly that he¡¯d cure this incurable illness, Yu Jin-Hui would flat out not believe that man However, just who was her father?. Was he not the one and only Chairman Yu Myung-Han, the man who could legitimately be called the top dog in South Korea¡¯s financial world?. That was why she held on to that slim strand of hope, but in the end, things had become like this . If only she knew things would end up this way . She¡¯d have thrown away all notions of studying abroad and spent more time with her father, instead She recalled him doing his best to hide his loneliness when she told him about her plans to study abroad and quietly wiped her tears away It was around then As she raised her head, her eyes briefly caught the sight of a rather familiar face walking past her ¡®¡­Uh? This man¡­ . ¡¯. Hadn¡¯t she seen that face often before?. As she began wondering where she had seen him, the man also must¡¯ve sensed her gaze, because he pulled the hood down even further and rapidly distanced himself from her She stared at the man¡¯s back and tilted her head just a little, before resuming her walk . The identity of that man was not an important issue to her, anyway Yu Jin-Hui anxiously waited for the elevator¡¯s door to open up . But then, her phone suddenly issued out loud ringtones Ringggg, ringgg¡­. With the hour being so late already, the corridors of the hospital were mostly empty now and the ringtone sounded especially loud to her ears She didn¡¯t recognise the number shown on the screen . She usually wouldn¡¯t answer a call from an unfamiliar number like this, but now¡­ ¡®Who could this be¡­ . ?¡¯. Perhaps because she had been experiencing a storm of events for the whole day, she got this feeling that she should answer this call no matter what Yu Jin-Hui tapped the ¡®Answer¡¯ icon and pressed the phone to her ear ¡°Hello?¡±. ¨C ¡°Yes, hello . I¡¯m calling from Seoul Ilsin Hospital, miss . I couldn¡¯t get in touch with your mother and had no choice but to contact you first . ¡±. Her mother had taken a shot of sedative and had fallen asleep at home, so she wouldn¡¯t be able to wake up and answer the phone now But, why was the hospital calling her like this? Yu Jin-Hui instantly became scared by this call made by the doctor in charge That was why she was extra cautious when asking back ¡°Did something happen?¡±. ¨C ¡°Actually, Chairman Yu Myung-Han has¡­ . ¡±. As she heard the ensuing explanation, her eyes grew as large and round as a rabbit¡¯s This had to be a lie ¡®You, you expect me to believe that?!¡¯. Her eyes were getting wetter and wetter but she still managed to ask that one last question ¡°You¡­ are you telling me the truth??¡±. ¨C ¡°We also would not have believed it¡¯s real if it weren¡¯t for confirming the fact with our own eyes . It¡¯s pretty much impossible to find any patient waking up from the ¡®final sleep¡¯ state, you see . In any case, please hurry and come to the hospital, miss . We do not know when the Chairman might fall back asleep again . ¡±. ¡°H-hang on! I¡¯m already there!¡±. Ting!. With excellent timing, the elevator opened its door and Yu Jin-Hui practically threw herself inside Oh my god ¡®Really¡­ . Truly??¡¯. These few minutes the elevator took to climb up felt like the longest moments in her entire life so far Ting The moment the door opened, she rushed out and entered the hospital room ¨C and was greeted by the sight of her father¡¯s face shifting towards her From the top of his head right down to the tip of his toes, he was definitely her father and there was no need to even suspect otherwise ¡°Dad!!¡±. Yu Myung-Han, currently surrounded by a cordon of doctors, turned his head towards his little girl ¡°Jin-Hui¡­ . ?¡±. ¡°Dad!¡±. She jumped into his embrace and as Yu Myung-Han gently patted her back, he finally realised that he had returned from death¡¯s doorstep somehow ¡®I¡¯m alive . ¡¯. However, could he really describe this as a coincidence?. While the cordon of doctors in charge responded with whispers of ¡°It¡¯s a miracle¡±, and with his daughter sobbing her eyes out as she clung to her dad, Yu Myung-Han began focusing on the sounds of his own beating heart ¡®B-but¡­ . How could this be??¡¯. Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump!!. He was already well past his fifties, yet his heart was pounding away vigorously as if he was still in his twenties, instead < Chapter 180 > Fin Chapter 181 Sure enough¡­ . One of the doctors in charge, who proceeded to check and observe Yu Myung-Han¡¯s condition throughout the night, continued to tilt his head this way and that while staring into the medical chart containing the good Chairman¡¯s test results . ¡°How can any of this make sense¡­ . . ¡± Yu Myung-Han saw the expression on the doctor¡¯s face and cautiously asked . ¡°Are my results that bad?¡± The doctor hurriedly waved his hand around . ¡°Ahh, no, it¡¯s not that, sir . It¡¯s the complete opposite, in fact . ¡± He resumed staring back at the results as if to bore a hole through the paper and carefully asked his question some time later . ¡°Chairman, by any chance, have you taken your high blood pressure medication before taking these tests?¡± Only up until last night, he was hanging precariously on the edge of death . He might be awake now, but that didn¡¯t mean Yu Myung-Han had the spare mental capacity to take his meds on time . ¡°No, I haven¡¯t . ¡± Yu Myung-Han shook his head . The doctor nodded his as if he knew that answer was coming . Then, he formed a troubled expression as he made his reply . ¡°Even without the medication, your blood pressure seems to have completely stabilised to a healthy level . No, wait . With your current level, you could even confidently say that you¡¯re even healthier than a regular person, sir . ¡± Chairman Yu Myung-Han¡¯s eyes grew really large then . ¡®What on earth is he talking about??¡¯ He thought that only death awaited him after entering the ¡®final sleep¡¯ state, but after waking up, even the chronic high blood pressure he¡¯d been suffering from for a long time had all been cured away?? The doctor in charge continued to read the medical chart . ¡°And also, the rest of your bodily functions have reverted back to being perfectly healthy as well . Chairman, if I were to forget about your current age, then I¡¯d have believed that I was looking at a test result from a young man in his early twenties . ¡± How could such a thing even happen? As great was Chairman Yu Myung-Han¡¯s surprise, the doctor¡¯s own astonishment was even greater and he struggled to hide that fact from showing up on his expression . His own two eyes definitely saw the results, yet he could hardly believe them even then . Chairman Yu collapsed for the first time a few weeks ago and was brought to this hospital back then . The results of tests taken on that day were printed on a separate medical chart, and the ink on that thing barely had the chance to dry properly yet . So, how could anyone go about explaining this completely befuddling test result coming out only a few weeks later? Did he drastically change his lifestyle or some such during that time period? Not to forget, he was wasting away from an incurable illness only a night before, too . The doctor in charge confessed what was in his mind without holding back . ¡°I¡¯ve been a doctor for 30 years or so, but this would be my very first time something like this has happened . This¡­ this can only be described as a miracle and nothing else . ¡± A patient woke up from the ¡®final sleep¡¯ state of the Eternal Sleep disorder, and on top of that, his body had become even healthier than when he went to sleep, too . Didn¡¯t the word ¡®miracle¡¯ exist precisely to describe a situation such as this one right here? The doctor couldn¡¯t hide his astonishment anymore and let a soft gasp of admiration escape from his mouth before a bright smile bloomed on his face . ¡°Congratulations, Chairman Yu . Your Eternal Sleep disorder has been cured completely . ¡± He then added that the Chairman was healthy enough to start running the length of a full marathon course right now if he wanted to . However¡­ ¡® . ¡­ . ¡¯ Instead of celebrating, Yu Myung-Han pondered something for a while before raising his head to look at the doctor . ¡°By any chance, are there cameras installed near the hospital room I¡¯ve been staying at?¡± ¡°Pardon? I don¡¯t understand what¡­ . . ¡± ¡°There is something I¡¯d like to confirm first . Are there any cameras installed inside the room or around the entrance itself?¡± ¡°There are none within the room, but there should be one by its entrance . ¡± ¡®Very good . ¡¯ Yu Myung-Han nodded his head . ¡®Something like this can not be a coincidence . ¡¯ Indeed, this matter had gone far beyond treating it as pure coincidence now . There was little doubt that someone possessing an unfathomable ability had intervened in this matter somehow . And he had a fairly good hunch who that someone might be . ¡®I¡¯ve ended up owing him a great deal . ¡¯ Yu Myung-Han had lived without owing anyone in his entire life . And he wasn¡¯t planning to start now . But then again, how was he supposed to go about paying the debt of saving his life? No, more than that . Putting aside the idea of paying or not paying the debt, wouldn¡¯t it be a common sense to at least find out the name of his saviour first? Yu Myung-Han wished to confirm that personally . ¡°I¡¯d like to view the footage from the CCTV cameras taken last night . ¡± *** Quite obviously, the cameras failed to capture anything . ¡°Right here . This is the only odd thing that happened, the doorway malfunctioning this one time . ¡± The guard pointed at the screen and explained what happened back then . The windows were confirmed to be locked from the inside, so the sole exit left in that hospital room was the doorway . However, all four guards manning the door said the same thing . They said that not even a single ant had entered the room during their watch . And since these guys were professionals hired from a dedicated security company, they wouldn¡¯t make mistakes regarding such things . ¡°H-mm¡­ . ¡± Yu Myung-Han couldn¡¯t have imagined that Jin-Woo possessed the skill ¡®Stealth¡¯ and so, his thoughts had become quite complicated as a result . Around this time, Secretary Kim hurriedly entered the security room as well to bring some news . ¡°Chairman . I¡¯ve found out what you asked for . ¡± ¡°Alright . What¡¯s the news?¡± ¡°That is¡­ . ¡± Secretary Kim became extra mindful of the surrounding eyes and ears, leaned in closer and cupped his hand on Yu Myung-Han¡¯s ear to whisper his findings . ¡°I lodged an inquiry to the Association, and they say Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim was in Japan the whole time . He¡¯s only scheduled to return to the country around tomorrow or so . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . ¡± Here he was, thinking that no one else would be capable of making this event happen unless it was Hunter Seong Jin-Woo himself . Yu Myung-Han finally admitted to making a wrong guess . He now realised that it couldn¡¯t have been that young rank S Hunter . ¡®If so, then why¡­ . ¡¯ Even though he had confirmed through all this evidence, why did a certain amount of suspicion remain rooted in the corner of his heart? He just couldn¡¯t understand it at all . However, there was one thing Chairman Yu Myung-Han and Jin-Woo had in common . And that would be ¨C they were rather decisive in moving on when stuck with a quandary they couldn¡¯t solve just yet . ¡°I see . ¡± Yu Myung-Han carried on . ¡°The doctor says I¡¯m healthy enough to even run a marathon right now . I shall return to the company tomorrow so make the appropriate arrangements, please . ¡± One could say that this was more like him . Having realised that the attitude of Yu Myung-Han was still the same as before, Secretary Kim barely held back his laughter and replied . ¡°Sir . Do you know what the mass media is calling you right now?¡± It was obvious that there would be quite a bit of chaos unfolding outside right about now, since a guy who was as good as dead only yesterday had gotten back up on his feet perfectly fine . However, why would such a thing be treated as something big? Yu Myung-Han asked without a single noticeable change in his expression . ¡°What are they calling me this time?¡± ¡°The Invincible, sir . They are calling you the Invincible . ¡± ¡°The Invincible, is it?¡± Yu Myung-Han wouldn¡¯t break out into a smile that easily over anything but even then, the corners of his lips arched up ever so slightly after he heard that nickname . ¡®Invincible¡¯ . Mass media had been calling him with useless labels like ¡®Hand of Midas¡¯ or even ¡®Pokerface¡¯ but rather surprisingly, they managed to cook up a somewhat okay-sounding nickname this time . ¡°Huhuh . ¡± Yu Myung-Han slowly chewed on this new nickname and formed a satisfied smile . ¡°The Invincible, is it . The Invincible¡­ . ¡± Didn¡¯t this nickname suit him perfectly, when he had never bowed down regardless of the obstacle blocking his path and even managed to survive the threat of a deadly illness? Yu Myung-Han gratefully accepted this second chance at life and smiled contentedly . ¡°I really like that one . ¡± *** While Korea was set abuzz with the news of Chairman Yu Myung-Han¡­ Jin-Woo had sneaked back into Japan and eventually, succeeded in gathering all 29 Giant Shadow Soldiers . ¡®Finally¡­ . ¡¯ Feeling legit emotional right now, Jin-Woo made the giant soldiers line up starting from No . 1 to No . 29 . The process of searching for the remains of the giants to extract new soldiers reminded him of a certain video game . But the fruit of his hard labour so far was monumentally tastier than any video game¡¯s quests and he even kind of felt apologetic for thinking of comparing the two in the first place . The Giant Shadow Soldier No . 29 . Looking at the imposing figures of twenty-nine giants with black smokes constantly rising up from their bodies standing tall before him, Jin-Woo felt as if he had gained a whole new army of thousand troops and warhorses . ¡®It¡¯s a bit of a shame that one of them escaped from my grasp, but¡­ . ¡¯ Excluding the one guarding the Gate, the total of the Giant-type monsters emerging from there was thirty . One of them had escaped to the ocean and it was not possible to extract its shadow anymore . Still, the sense of accomplishment welled up from deep within his heart now that he had successfully gathered up all 29 of them . And with them standing tall and proud in a single location like this, the ruined cityscape suddenly felt rather full all of a sudden . Of course, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t summon all of his giant soldiers out just so he could decorate this empty city, nor was he admiring his new Giant soldier collection, either . He scanned the Giant soldiers and addressed them . ¡°Who among you are the strongest?¡± There was a need to find the one soldier among the giants that could serve as the leader to control the others, just like how Beru did with the ant battalion, Igrit with the elite soldier battalion, and Fangs with the High Orc battalion . The Giant soldiers busily looked around at each other and didn¡¯t want to step up . Beru standing by the side couldn¡¯t endure this sight any longer, so he stepped forward and screeched out loudly . Kiiiiiieeeehk-!! The shoulders of the Giants all flinched greatly at that powerful screech seemingly vicious enough to rip the atmosphere in shreds . But then again, there were a few of them who got killed by Beru, and even if others were lucky enough to avoid that fate, they should still sense the clear gap in power between him and them . It was quite understandable why they would be scared of him . Kiieehk! Only after receiving that hot, harsh scolding from Beru did one of the Giant soldiers hesitantly raise his hand . Beru turned around and bowed to his Sovereign . Jin-Woo raised his thumb up high, feeling quite impressed . ¡°Nice work . ¡± But then, this happened . Something both Jin-Woo and Beru didn¡¯t expect unfolded next . Another Giant soldier watched the hand of his compatriot raise up and quickly raised his own, as well . The glint in his eyes even said, ¡°Regardless of what, I¡¯m better than that guy¡± . ¡°Ohhh . ¡± As it turned out, the soldiers weren¡¯t hesitating and waiting for others to make a move first but simply that, they didn¡¯t know who was the strongest among them until now . Jin-Woo smirked a little at this unexpected situation and called those two out to the front . ¡°No . 22 and No . 6, to the front . ¡± No . 6 and his unusually large fists, and No . 22 with an overall sturdier-looking frame strode forward valiantly . Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes narrowed to a slit . ¡®H-mm¡­ . ¡± Just like the assertions of these two soldiers, their individual quantities of magic energy were quite similar to each other . Even Jin-Woo¡¯s excellent sensory perception had a hard time telling them apart . Now that the matter had come to this, there was only one way to solve it . Jin-Woo grinned brightly . ¡°I¡¯m sure both of you are ready, right?¡± No . 6 and No . 22 stood facing each other . Their eyes were practically shooting out flames born from their powerful desires not to yield, no matter what . ¡°Start!¡± As soon as Jin-Woo gave his signal, the two giant soldiers entered into a messy dogfight . Boom! Thud!! Bang!! At the end of a lengthy fight, No . 6 and his big fist managed to beat No . 22 down by a paper-thin margin of victory . ¡°Nice work . From here on, No . 6 will be appointed as the leader of the Giant soldier battalion . ¡± The big-fist Giant raised both of his fists high up in the air, prompting the other Shadow Soldiers watching to cheer on loudly as well . ¡®So, that¡¯s the issue of the Giants¡¯ leader all sorted out . ¡¯ With this, Jin-Woo had finally concluded all the business he had in Japan . He then summoned out his Status Window next . ¡®Stat Window . ¡¯ Along with the familiar mechanical beep of ¡°Tti-ring¡±, walls of texts and numbers rose up to fill his view . Name: Seong Jin-Woo Level: 122 Class: Shadow Sovereign Title: Demon Hunter (extra 2) HP: 65,230 MP: 115,160 Tiredness: 0 [Stat] Strength: 292 Stamina: 281 Agility: 305 Intelligence: 310 Perception: 277 (Available points to distribute: 0) Reduction in physical damage: 65% [Skills] Passive Skills ¨C (Unknown) Lv . MAX ¨C Tenacity Lv . 1 ¨C Master of Shortsword Lv . MAX (TL: Changing this one from ¡°Master of Dagger to Master of Shortsword) Active Skills ¨C Quicksilver Lv . MAX ¨C Intimidation Lv . 2 ¨C Violent Slash Lv . MAX ¨C Dagger Rush Lv . MAX ¨C Stealth Lv . 2 ¨C Ruler¡¯s Authority Lv . MAX [Class-specific Skills] Active Skills ¨C Shadow Extraction Lv . 2 ¨C Shadow Storage Lv . 2 ¨C Sovereign¡¯s Territory Lv . 2 ¨C Shadow Exchange Lv . 2 [Equipped Items] Red Knight¡¯s Helm (S) Demon Sovereign¡¯s Earrings (S) Demon Sovereign¡¯s Necklace (S) Demon Sovereign¡¯s Ring (S) Truth Seeker¡¯s Shirt (A) Truth Seeker¡¯s Gloves (A) Truth Seeker¡¯s Pants (A) Truth Seeker¡¯s Shoes (A) The outcome of his Japanese expedition was all too easy to see . His Stat values that had gone through the roof like crazy were the first things to catch his gaze . Every one of his Stats was now hovering near the 300 mark, while the Intelligence Stat had shot past that number a while ago after receiving his concerted investment for arguably the longest time out of the lot . All these were the results of receiving the rewards from the Daily Quests he always made sure to complete every day, the level-ups he got after hunting down the Giant monsters, as well as from the defensive artefacts he bought from the Store after completely exhausting his stack of Gold . ¡®The Truth Seeker armament set . ¡¯ Up until now, he didn¡¯t care much for any of the available items in the Store . However, he had no clue how strong the other Sovereigns and the Rulers were ¨C the ones the angel statue and the King of Giants mentioned . And he figured that he might need some kind of tools to protect him in case he ran into them somewhere along the line . ¡®The King of Giants, almost half a corpse from his powers being sealed away like that, was already that powerful . So, it¡¯s more than likely others will also possess truly monstrous levels of strength . ¡¯ Jin-Woo recalled those six-winged angels he ¡®met¡¯ inside the memories of the Shadow Sovereign . If he were planning to fight them head-on as well, then he simply had to become much stronger . His gaze shifted up from the list of equipped items back up to where his level was listed . [Level: 122] Just killing one Sovereign resulted in his level jumping up by eight in one go . He couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine just how far he¡¯d get to climb up once he started fighting against these Sovereigns or whatever they were called . Ba-thump! His chest was pounding . It was from fear . And hidden just beneath that fear ¨C he also could pick up on the throbbing of his heart from excitement, too . ¡®I shall level up . ¡¯ And all the power earned through levelling up, it¡¯d become the bedrock, the foundation, and the support in his effort to protect everything he held dear . His heart pulsed powerfully once more . Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump! The symphony of two hearts powerfully beating at the same time was enough to cause a dull aching pain within his ear canals . However, this pain felt pleasant to him, instead . ¡®Good . ¡¯ Jin-Woo sensed someone¡¯s approach and stored all of his Shadow Soldiers back into his shadow . Tatatatatata-!! In a spot not too far from where he was, the Japanese Association helicopter coming to fetch him was making its noisy landing . For the time being, he¡¯d go home first . Feeling genuinely happy now, Jin-Woo climbed aboard the helicopter . < Chapter 181 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 181: Chapter 181 Sure enough¡­ One of the doctors in charge, who proceeded to check and observe Yu Myung-Han¡¯s condition throughout the night, continued to tilt his head this way and that while staring into the medical chart containing the good Chairman¡¯s test results ¡°How can any of this make sense¡­ ¡±. Yu Myung-Han saw the expression on the doctor¡¯s face and cautiously asked ¡°Are my results that bad?¡±. The doctor hurriedly waved his hand around ¡°Ahh, no, it¡¯s not that, sir . It¡¯s the complete opposite, in fact . ¡±. He resumed staring back at the results as if to bore a hole through the paper and carefully asked his question some time later ¡°Chairman, by any chance, have you taken your high blood pressure medication before taking these tests?¡±. Only up until last night, he was hanging precariously on the edge of death . He might be awake now, but that didn¡¯t mean Yu Myung-Han had the spare mental capacity to take his meds on time ¡°No, I haven¡¯t . ¡±. Yu Myung-Han shook his head The doctor nodded his as if he knew that answer was coming . Then, he formed a troubled expression as he made his reply ¡°Even without the medication, your blood pressure seems to have completely stabilised to a healthy level . No, wait . With your current level, you could even confidently say that you¡¯re even healthier than a regular person, sir . ¡±. Chairman Yu Myung-Han¡¯s eyes grew really large then ¡®What on earth is he talking about??¡¯. He thought that only death awaited him after entering the ¡®final sleep¡¯ state, but after waking up, even the chronic high blood pressure he¡¯d been suffering from for a long time had all been cured away??. The doctor in charge continued to read the medical chart ¡°And also, the rest of your bodily functions have reverted back to being perfectly healthy as well . Chairman, if I were to forget about your current age, then I¡¯d have believed that I was looking at a test result from a young man in his early twenties . ¡±. How could such a thing even happen?. As great was Chairman Yu Myung-Han¡¯s surprise, the doctor¡¯s own astonishment was even greater and he struggled to hide that fact from showing up on his expression . His own two eyes definitely saw the results, yet he could hardly believe them even then Chairman Yu collapsed for the first time a few weeks ago and was brought to this hospital back then . The results of tests taken on that day were printed on a separate medical chart, and the ink on that thing barely had the chance to dry properly yet So, how could anyone go about explaining this completely befuddling test result coming out only a few weeks later?. Did he drastically change his lifestyle or some such during that time period? Not to forget, he was wasting away from an incurable illness only a night before, too The doctor in charge confessed what was in his mind without holding back ¡°I¡¯ve been a doctor for 30 years or so, but this would be my very first time something like this has happened . This¡­ this can only be described as a miracle and nothing else . ¡±. A patient woke up from the ¡®final sleep¡¯ state of the Eternal Sleep disorder, and on top of that, his body had become even healthier than when he went to sleep, too Didn¡¯t the word ¡®miracle¡¯ exist precisely to describe a situation such as this one right here?. The doctor couldn¡¯t hide his astonishment anymore and let a soft gasp of admiration escape from his mouth before a bright smile bloomed on his face ¡°Congratulations, Chairman Yu . Your Eternal Sleep disorder has been cured completely . ¡±. He then added that the Chairman was healthy enough to start running the length of a full marathon course right now if he wanted to However¡­. ¡® . ¡­ . ¡¯. Instead of celebrating, Yu Myung-Han pondered something for a while before raising his head to look at the doctor ¡°By any chance, are there cameras installed near the hospital room I¡¯ve been staying at?¡±. ¡°Pardon? I don¡¯t understand what¡­ ¡±. ¡°There is something I¡¯d like to confirm first . Are there any cameras installed inside the room or around the entrance itself?¡±. ¡°There are none within the room, but there should be one by its entrance . ¡±. ¡®Very good . ¡¯. Yu Myung-Han nodded his head ¡®Something like this can not be a coincidence . ¡¯. Indeed, this matter had gone far beyond treating it as pure coincidence now . There was little doubt that someone possessing an unfathomable ability had intervened in this matter somehow And he had a fairly good hunch who that someone might be ¡®I¡¯ve ended up owing him a great deal . ¡¯. Yu Myung-Han had lived without owing anyone in his entire life . And he wasn¡¯t planning to start now . But then again, how was he supposed to go about paying the debt of saving his life?. No, more than that . Putting aside the idea of paying or not paying the debt, wouldn¡¯t it be a common sense to at least find out the name of his saviour first?. Yu Myung-Han wished to confirm that personally ¡°I¡¯d like to view the footage from the CCTV cameras taken last night . ¡±. ***. Quite obviously, the cameras failed to capture anything ¡°Right here . This is the only odd thing that happened, the doorway malfunctioning this one time . ¡±. The guard pointed at the screen and explained what happened back then . The windows were confirmed to be locked from the inside, so the sole exit left in that hospital room was the doorway However, all four guards manning the door said the same thing . They said that not even a single ant had entered the room during their watch . And since these guys were professionals hired from a dedicated security company, they wouldn¡¯t make mistakes regarding such things ¡°H-mm¡­ . ¡±. Yu Myung-Han couldn¡¯t have imagined that Jin-Woo possessed the skill ¡®Stealth¡¯ and so, his thoughts had become quite complicated as a result Around this time, Secretary Kim hurriedly entered the security room as well to bring some news ¡°Chairman . I¡¯ve found out what you asked for . ¡±. ¡°Alright . What¡¯s the news?¡±. ¡°That is¡­ . ¡±. Secretary Kim became extra mindful of the surrounding eyes and ears, leaned in closer and cupped his hand on Yu Myung-Han¡¯s ear to whisper his findings ¡°I lodged an inquiry to the Association, and they say Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim was in Japan the whole time . He¡¯s only scheduled to return to the country around tomorrow or so . ¡±. ¡°¡­ ¡±. Here he was, thinking that no one else would be capable of making this event happen unless it was Hunter Seong Jin-Woo himself Yu Myung-Han finally admitted to making a wrong guess . He now realised that it couldn¡¯t have been that young rank S Hunter ¡®If so, then why¡­ . ¡¯. Even though he had confirmed through all this evidence, why did a certain amount of suspicion remain rooted in the corner of his heart?. He just couldn¡¯t understand it at all However, there was one thing Chairman Yu Myung-Han and Jin-Woo had in common . And that would be ¨C they were rather decisive in moving on when stuck with a quandary they couldn¡¯t solve just yet ¡°I see . ¡±. Yu Myung-Han carried on ¡°The doctor says I¡¯m healthy enough to even run a marathon right now . I shall return to the company tomorrow so make the appropriate arrangements, please . ¡±. One could say that this was more like him Having realised that the attitude of Yu Myung-Han was still the same as before, Secretary Kim barely held back his laughter and replied ¡°Sir . Do you know what the mass media is calling you right now?¡±. It was obvious that there would be quite a bit of chaos unfolding outside right about now, since a guy who was as good as dead only yesterday had gotten back up on his feet perfectly fine However, why would such a thing be treated as something big?. Yu Myung-Han asked without a single noticeable change in his expression ¡°What are they calling me this time?¡±. ¡°The Invincible, sir . They are calling you the Invincible . ¡±. ¡°The Invincible, is it?¡±. Yu Myung-Han wouldn¡¯t break out into a smile that easily over anything but even then, the corners of his lips arched up ever so slightly after he heard that nickname ¡®Invincible¡¯ Mass media had been calling him with useless labels like ¡®Hand of Midas¡¯ or even ¡®Pokerface¡¯ but rather surprisingly, they managed to cook up a somewhat okay-sounding nickname this time ¡°Huhuh . ¡±. Yu Myung-Han slowly chewed on this new nickname and formed a satisfied smile ¡°The Invincible, is it . The Invincible¡­ . ¡±. Didn¡¯t this nickname suit him perfectly, when he had never bowed down regardless of the obstacle blocking his path and even managed to survive the threat of a deadly illness?. Yu Myung-Han gratefully accepted this second chance at life and smiled contentedly ¡°I really like that one . ¡±. ***. While Korea was set abuzz with the news of Chairman Yu Myung-Han¡­. Jin-Woo had sneaked back into Japan and eventually, succeeded in gathering all 29 Giant Shadow Soldiers ¡®Finally¡­ . ¡¯. Feeling legit emotional right now, Jin-Woo made the giant soldiers line up starting from No . 1 to No . 29 The process of searching for the remains of the giants to extract new soldiers reminded him of a certain video game . But the fruit of his hard labour so far was monumentally tastier than any video game¡¯s quests and he even kind of felt apologetic for thinking of comparing the two in the first place The Giant Shadow Soldier No . 29 Looking at the imposing figures of twenty-nine giants with black smokes constantly rising up from their bodies standing tall before him, Jin-Woo felt as if he had gained a whole new army of thousand troops and warhorses ¡®It¡¯s a bit of a shame that one of them escaped from my grasp, but¡­ . ¡¯. Excluding the one guarding the Gate, the total of the Giant-type monsters emerging from there was thirty . One of them had escaped to the ocean and it was not possible to extract its shadow anymore Still, the sense of accomplishment welled up from deep within his heart now that he had successfully gathered up all 29 of them . And with them standing tall and proud in a single location like this, the ruined cityscape suddenly felt rather full all of a sudden Of course, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t summon all of his giant soldiers out just so he could decorate this empty city, nor was he admiring his new Giant soldier collection, either He scanned the Giant soldiers and addressed them ¡°Who among you are the strongest?¡±. There was a need to find the one soldier among the giants that could serve as the leader to control the others, just like how Beru did with the ant battalion, Igrit with the elite soldier battalion, and Fangs with the High Orc battalion The Giant soldiers busily looked around at each other and didn¡¯t want to step up . Beru standing by the side couldn¡¯t endure this sight any longer, so he stepped forward and screeched out loudly Kiiiiiieeeehk-!!. The shoulders of the Giants all flinched greatly at that powerful screech seemingly vicious enough to rip the atmosphere in shreds But then again, there were a few of them who got killed by Beru, and even if others were lucky enough to avoid that fate, they should still sense the clear gap in power between him and them . It was quite understandable why they would be scared of him Kiieehk!. Only after receiving that hot, harsh scolding from Beru did one of the Giant soldiers hesitantly raise his hand Beru turned around and bowed to his Sovereign . Jin-Woo raised his thumb up high, feeling quite impressed ¡°Nice work . ¡±. But then, this happened . Something both Jin-Woo and Beru didn¡¯t expect unfolded next Another Giant soldier watched the hand of his compatriot raise up and quickly raised his own, as well . The glint in his eyes even said, ¡°Regardless of what, I¡¯m better than that guy¡± ¡°Ohhh . ¡±. As it turned out, the soldiers weren¡¯t hesitating and waiting for others to make a move first but simply that, they didn¡¯t know who was the strongest among them until now Jin-Woo smirked a little at this unexpected situation and called those two out to the front ¡°No . 22 and No . 6, to the front . ¡±. No . 6 and his unusually large fists, and No . 22 with an overall sturdier-looking frame strode forward valiantly Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes narrowed to a slit ¡®H-mm¡­ . ¡±. Just like the assertions of these two soldiers, their individual quantities of magic energy were quite similar to each other . Even Jin-Woo¡¯s excellent sensory perception had a hard time telling them apart Now that the matter had come to this, there was only one way to solve it . Jin-Woo grinned brightly ¡°I¡¯m sure both of you are ready, right?¡±. No . 6 and No . 22 stood facing each other . Their eyes were practically shooting out flames born from their powerful desires not to yield, no matter what ¡°Start!¡±. As soon as Jin-Woo gave his signal, the two giant soldiers entered into a messy dogfight Boom! Thud!! Bang!!. At the end of a lengthy fight, No . 6 and his big fist managed to beat No . 22 down by a paper-thin margin of victory ¡°Nice work . From here on, No . 6 will be appointed as the leader of the Giant soldier battalion . ¡±. The big-fist Giant raised both of his fists high up in the air, prompting the other Shadow Soldiers watching to cheer on loudly as well ¡®So, that¡¯s the issue of the Giants¡¯ leader all sorted out . ¡¯. With this, Jin-Woo had finally concluded all the business he had in Japan . He then summoned out his Status Window next ¡®Stat Window . ¡¯. Along with the familiar mechanical beep of ¡°Tti-ring¡±, walls of texts and numbers rose up to fill his view Name: Seong Jin-Woo. Level: 122. Class: Shadow Sovereign. Title: Demon Hunter (extra 2). HP: 65,230. MP: 115,160. Tiredness: 0. [Stat]. Strength: 292. Stamina: 281. Agility: 305. Intelligence: 310. Perception: 277. (Available points to distribute: 0). Reduction in physical damage: 65%. [Skills]. Passive Skills. ¨C (Unknown) Lv . MAX. ¨C Tenacity Lv . 1. ¨C Master of Shortsword Lv . MAX (TL: Changing this one from ¡°Master of Dagger to Master of Shortsword). Active Skills. ¨C Quicksilver Lv . MAX. ¨C Intimidation Lv . 2. ¨C Violent Slash Lv . MAX. ¨C Dagger Rush Lv . MAX. ¨C Stealth Lv . 2. ¨C Ruler¡¯s Authority Lv . MAX. [Class-specific Skills]. Active Skills. ¨C Shadow Extraction Lv . 2. ¨C Shadow Storage Lv . 2. ¨C Sovereign¡¯s Territory Lv . 2. ¨C Shadow Exchange Lv . 2. [Equipped Items]. Red Knight¡¯s Helm (S). Demon Sovereign¡¯s Earrings (S). Demon Sovereign¡¯s Necklace (S). Demon Sovereign¡¯s Ring (S). Truth Seeker¡¯s Shirt (A). Truth Seeker¡¯s Gloves (A). Truth Seeker¡¯s Pants (A). Truth Seeker¡¯s Shoes (A). The outcome of his Japanese expedition was all too easy to see . His Stat values that had gone through the roof like crazy were the first things to catch his gaze Every one of his Stats was now hovering near the 300 mark, while the Intelligence Stat had shot past that number a while ago after receiving his concerted investment for arguably the longest time out of the lot All these were the results of receiving the rewards from the Daily Quests he always made sure to complete every day, the level-ups he got after hunting down the Giant monsters, as well as from the defensive artefacts he bought from the Store after completely exhausting his stack of Gold ¡®The Truth Seeker armament set . ¡¯. Up until now, he didn¡¯t care much for any of the available items in the Store . However, he had no clue how strong the other Sovereigns and the Rulers were ¨C the ones the angel statue and the King of Giants mentioned And he figured that he might need some kind of tools to protect him in case he ran into them somewhere along the line ¡®The King of Giants, almost half a corpse from his powers being sealed away like that, was already that powerful . So, it¡¯s more than likely others will also possess truly monstrous levels of strength . ¡¯. Jin-Woo recalled those six-winged angels he ¡®met¡¯ inside the memories of the Shadow Sovereign . If he were planning to fight them head-on as well, then he simply had to become much stronger His gaze shifted up from the list of equipped items back up to where his level was listed [Level: 122]. Just killing one Sovereign resulted in his level jumping up by eight in one go He couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine just how far he¡¯d get to climb up once he started fighting against these Sovereigns or whatever they were called Ba-thump!. His chest was pounding It was from fear And hidden just beneath that fear ¨C he also could pick up on the throbbing of his heart from excitement, too ¡®I shall level up . ¡¯. And all the power earned through levelling up, it¡¯d become the bedrock, the foundation, and the support in his effort to protect everything he held dear His heart pulsed powerfully once more Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!. The symphony of two hearts powerfully beating at the same time was enough to cause a dull aching pain within his ear canals However, this pain felt pleasant to him, instead ¡®Good . ¡¯. Jin-Woo sensed someone¡¯s approach and stored all of his Shadow Soldiers back into his shadow Tatatatatata-!!. In a spot not too far from where he was, the Japanese Association helicopter coming to fetch him was making its noisy landing For the time being, he¡¯d go home first Feeling genuinely happy now, Jin-Woo climbed aboard the helicopter < Chapter 181 > Fin Chapter 182 The Japanese government offered up a suite in a five-star luxury hotel for Jin-Woo so he could rest in comfort until his departure from the country . He was planning to use ¡®Shadow Exchange¡¯ to go back rather than waste time waiting for a plane, so he was thinking of refusing their gesture of goodwill . But then¡­ ¡°Please, help us to avoid the fate of being labelled as people who had poorly received the saviour of their nation . We beg of you, Hunter-nim . ¡± ¡­ . But then, he ended up changing his mind after hearing the desperate plea of the Japanese government . The very first impression he got after stepping into the hotel suite that reputedly cost over $3,500 per night was, ¡®Is it really okay for me to spend a night alone in such a huge and luxurious room?¡¯ Jin-Woo studied the gleaming furniture that sparkled brightly as if they were purchased only yesterday, before walking over to the window to look outside . This allowed him to take in the sight of the cityscape all at once . He heard from somewhere that the better the view, the higher the real estate price would get . And as expected, the view of the city draped in the darkness of the night was as arresting as the exorbitant price the suite had alluded to . ¡®And to think, such a city was about to go up in flames by a bunch of monsters . ¡¯ Jin-Woo recalled the sight of the ruined city of Tokyo and tutted to himself . In fact, he felt relieved that he got here just in time before things could get even worse for Japan . ¡®¡­ . Let¡¯s just go to sleep . ¡¯ After a few nights spent camping outdoors, this one night spent in the hotel proved to be rather bloody fantastic . *** Next morning . His departure time neared and employees from the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association came to escort him . ¡°Good day to you, Hunter-nim . ¡± The Association employee tasked with guiding Jin-Woo greeted him using fluent Korean . ¡°We have readied the vehicle that will take you to the airport . ¡± What excellent timing it was since he was beginning to feel bored, staying cooped up in the hotel room . Jin-Woo went and picked up his bag that had been discarded in the corner of the suite somewhere and returned to the door . ¡°Let¡¯s get going right away . ¡± ¡°Heok!¡± Just as Jin-Woo was about to leave the suite, the employee saw the state he was in currently and formed a flustered expression . ¡°H-Hunter-nim¡­ . By any chance, don¡¯t you have any other set of clothing with you?¡± It wasn¡¯t as if Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t understand where this reaction of the employee was coming from . Blood and sweat stained both his shirts and pants, serving as clear evidence of the intense battles he had gone through during the last few days . ¡®I was trying to be as careful as possible, though¡­ . ¡¯ From the get-go, it was plainly impossible to evade every single drop of the massive quantity of blood spewing out from bodies of the Giants . Since the rest of his clothes were in a similarly sorry state, all he could do was to helplessly shrug his shoulders as his reply . The employee suddenly broke out in a grin and politely made his inquiry . ¡°If it¡¯s alright with you, may we be permitted to prepare an extra set of clothing for you to wear?¡± That was one of the better suggestions he heard the whole day . There was no reason for him to walk around with blood-stained clothes like this, and also, he hadn¡¯t done anything wrong either so he was disinclined to sneak around like some kind of a criminal, too . The employee figured out Jin-Woo¡¯s answer from his brightened expression and spoke up with a smile . ¡°We¡¯ll have them ready right away . Please wait here for a little while longer . ¡± The extra clothing must¡¯ve been prepared in advance, because it didn¡¯t even take ten minutes after the end of the employee¡¯s phone call for several men to hurriedly rush in to the suite carrying many business suits . ¡®Already?!¡¯ Jin-Woo formed a bit of a suspicious expression, which prompted the employee to answer with a happy smile . ¡°We thought that something like this might happen, so we had them ready in advance . ¡± Jin-Woo watched as the business suits were sorted into different colours and sizes in an instant, and somehow managed to keep the gasps of astonishment to himself . For something that was prepared ¡®just in case¡¯, wasn¡¯t this just all too well organised? ¡°If you need anything else besides your clothes¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo quickly shook his hands around . ¡°Nonono, it¡¯s alright . ¡± The services he received so far had already been amply satisfactory . He could already see that the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association was trying to do their utmost best here . Jin-Woo scanned the displayed business suits before picking the one that seemed to fit his size . After swapping out his duds, he stood before the mirror to take a look . Maybe because all the prepared suits were high-end items, he came across as a completely new person . ¡®Hey, don¡¯t I look pretty cool like this?¡¯ A smile automatically bloomed on his face . He fixed the ends of the suit and turned around . The Association employee who panicked earlier about the lack of other apparels began gasping out in sighs of admiration . ¡°Those look very good on you, Hunter-nim . ¡± ¡°Let¡¯s be on our way now . ¡± ¡°Understood . Our staff members will carry your luggage for you, Hunter-nim . ¡± Two burly Association employees strode in as if they were waiting for this moment and picked up Jin-Woo¡¯s stuff . He could sense the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association¡¯s desire to make sure that he wouldn¡¯t even need to lift a finger from their extremely considerate treatment . He was still treated like royalty even when walking out from the front entrance of the 5-star luxury hotel . And soon, the black sedan carrying Jin-Woo headed off towards the airport . *** When he got near the airport¡¯s vicinity, Jin-Woo began realising why the Japanese Association was so particularly mindful of taking care of his appearance . Because he could see throngs upon throngs of people outside the moving car¡¯s window . And there were even more people beyond them . ¡°¡­¡± Jin-Woo became utterly speechless and silently stared outside, while the Association employee spoke to him in a clearly excited voice . ¡°Everyone gathered here today all wanted to see you at least once before you depart, Hunter-nim . ¡± One couldn¡¯t even argue that this sea of people was forcibly organised either, as there were simply too many of them for that . ¡°Just how many people have shown up here today?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not an exact amount, but we estimate over one hundred thousand, Hunter-nim . ¡± ¡°That many¡­ . ?¡± The vehicle carrying Jin-Woo quietly glided along the road that had been cordoned off tightly . When they went around a corner, there was just as big a crowd of people, no, maybe even bigger than before, waiting to greet Jin-Woo¡¯s car . ¡°Seong Hunter-nim, you¡¯re a hero that saved Japan . ¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± From Jin-Woo¡¯s perspective, he simply did what he was capable of doing . However, what he did was not something anyone else could do . No, only he was capable of doing it . The Japanese people had no choice but to shiver in despair after seeing the Giant-type monsters through TV broadcasts, from social media, or even with their own eyes . No one wanted to help out with the national-level crisis unfolding in Japan . Instead, they all opined in one voice that the country was now doomed . But then, from their neighbouring nation, South Korea ¨C the man who could possibly be more famous than the country¡¯s own president, the leader of the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association, Goh Gun-Hui, made an announcement which reached the ears of the despairing Japanese people . [¡°There is one such person . There is one Hunter who wishes to go to Japan and get rid of the Giant monsters . ¡±] Countless Japanese watching the press conference live held their breaths and focused on their TV screens . [¡°Just who is this Hunter?¡±] After the reporter asked that question, Association President Goh Gun-Hui pressed his lips as close to the microphone and made his reply . [¡°It¡¯s Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡±] It was an already well-known fact that Jin-Woo had killed off every one of the rank S ant monsters occupying Jeju Island all by himself . The three letters of ¡®Seong Jin-Woo¡¯ coming out from Association President Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s lips caused much upheaval within the entirety of Japan . For the Japanese people, Jin-Woo was their sole ray of hope . And a week later . Just as he promised before setting off from Korea, Jin-Woo had completely annihilated the Giant monsters from the Japanese mainland and was about to step on the road back home . Perhaps it was inevitable that the countless Japanese had gathered to see him one last time . The Association employee explained that, if it weren¡¯t for the country going through the chaos of cleaning up the affected areas, even more people would have turned up today . He then added this bit at the end . ¡°Honestly speaking, our Prime Minister also dearly wishes to meet you to express his gratitude as well, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . May we impose on you for that small matter for a little while?¡± The expression of the Association employee was much more serious than ever before . Jin-Woo could easily guess the amount of pressure from the higher-ups this guy must be under . Unfortunately, what he didn¡¯t want to do initially, he still wasn¡¯t interested in doing it, even now . Jin-Woo answered in the same way as he did when he was asked the first time . ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste my time doing something unnecessary . ¡± The Association employee ended up laughing out after witnessing Jin-Woo¡¯s direct attitude and nodded his head in understanding . ¡°Haha¡­ I understand . ¡± As they continued to make small talk over this and that, the vehicle carrying them had eventually arrived at the airport¡¯s entrance . As usual, Jin-Woo calmly exited from the car and stepped on to the pavement . But, in that exact moment, he was showered by the outpouring of passionate hand claps coming from everywhere . Jin-Woo looked around at the gathered crowd . ¡°Hunter-nim!¡± ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!¡± He couldn¡¯t understand anything they were saying to him, but then again, every one of the lights gleaming in their eyes, their voices, and their gestures helped him to overcome the language barrier altogether . Their bottomless gratitude and respect were transmitted in the air and he could sense them all . Beru, watching this spectacle from within his shadow, quickly engaged him in a chat . ¡®Oh, my king . Your loyal subjects are expressing their genuine adulation and awe towards you, my liege . ¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s not like that . ¡¯ ¡®Oh my king, perhaps it is for the best that you wave your hand and acknowledge your subjects¡­ . ¡¯ ¡®Hey . I said it¡¯s not like that . ¡¯ Where did this guy see and learn all this weird stuff from? Jin-Woo was about to ignore Beru¡¯s advice and turn around, but then, he stopped in his treks to ask his ant soldier a question . ¡®By the way, do other ants enjoy it when you, you know, acknowledge them, as you said?¡¯ Beru replied in a very proud voice . As a matter of fact, if he was standing outside the shadow right now, he¡¯d definitely have formed a commanding, imposing expression, too . ¡®But, of course, my king . ¡¯ That was to be expected, though . Beru did possess a skill that raised up the morale of the ant soldiers with nothing but his screech, after all . Jin-Woo nodded his head . All these people came to see him off, so was there a reason not to greet them back, which was something even an ant could do? Jin-Woo stopped and turned around towards the crowd again . He hesitated and awkwardly raised his left hand, before waving it around at the people watching him . The sounds of clapping became even more energetic and they were soon accompanied by the loud cheers, as well . Clap, clap, clap, clap! Only then did he notice that the Association employee tasked with guiding him vigorously clapping hands as well . The edges of the man¡¯s eyes were even reddening up with emotions, too . ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Thank you very much, Hunter-nim!¡± ¡°We¡¯re grateful for everything!¡± The Association employee¡¯s nose had reddened by this point as well, and he addressed Jin-Woo as he wiped the edges of his eyes with the sleeves of his shirt . ¡°Let us get going, Hunter-nim . The plane should be leaving soon . ¡± Jin-Woo slowly lowered his hand . Even then, the sound of clapping didn¡¯t cease . They continued on and on, even as his back disappeared from the view of the gathered crowd . The plane carrying Jin-Woo taxied off amidst the sending-off of over hundred thousand people . Next day . A certain well-known Japanese columnist wrote and published these words . If the top leader of their nation were chosen through nothing but the support from its citizens, then they would have seen their very first non-native Prime Minister elected on that day . *** In the opulent mansion owned by one of the five Special Authority-rank Hunters, Christopher Reid . He suddenly woke up in the middle of the night . The cause? The noises from the surroundings . As one of the very best Hunters acknowledged by the world, he¡¯d not be able to fall asleep even for a single day if he were to mind every little noise he could hear . And that was precisely it . He didn¡¯t wake up because it was too noisy around him . No, it was the exact opposite . ¡®Why is it so quiet around here?¡¯ All sorts of ambient noises he could hear if he concentrated just a little were gone as if they were all a lie, to begin with . He kicked off from his bed and opened the bedroom door . He couldn¡¯t pick up on the presence of several hired help who should¡¯ve been located in various spots of the mansion . As if he had entered an abandoned house, there was this deeply creepy and eerie atmosphere permeating in the air . Christopher Reid wordlessly stared at the empty corridor, before walking over to grab a wine glass left on the table and came back to the doorway . And then, he threw it in the corridor . The wine glass left his hand and drew a gentle arc in the air, before hitting the floor to shatter into bits and pieces . However, there were no sounds still . Not even one . At that moment, a powerful chill crawled up his spine . He realised that something that could not happen had happened . His sharpened senses were sending out warning bells . They were warning him that he was now facing the kind of danger he had never experienced before . His instincts strongly advised him to make a certain action, right now . He quickly moved away from the doorway . He ran to the bedside bureau to pick up his mobile phone resting on top, and at the same time, he yanked open one of its drawers . There was a piece of crumpled paper resting silently within . These words were written on its surface . ¨C If you need help, please call this number . The President of the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association Goh Gun-Hui will connect you to that man . The deputy director of the Hunter Bureau left behind that note with the steward before leaving . Christopher Reid learned of this fact a bit later and flew directly into a rage . He was thinking of disposing of the note right away, but then, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do so after the worried face of Madam Selner kept lingering on in his mind for some reason . ¡®Did the Madam actually predict a moment like this would come?!¡¯ He didn¡¯t know the answer to that . But, if he wanted to find out, he needed to survive first . Christopher Reid quickly flipped the note over . The Association President Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s phone number was written on the back . Apparently, the Korean man was fluent in English . So, there shouldn¡¯t be an issue with the language barrier here . As soon as Christopher Reid made this call, he¡¯d get the help from Mister Seong . ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯ He was rather certain of reading the obituary of that Korean Hunter a couple of days after the fool flew to Japan . After all, it did seem like the boy had overestimated himself a bit there . However, Christopher Reid¡¯s thoughts went through a very quick change after watching the feats of the summoned creatures that guy controlled . The skillset possessed by Mister Seong was indeed all real . Madam Selner did tell him this before . [¡°Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . If it¡¯s him, he might be able to protect you . ¡±] Since she said those words, there could be some substance behind them, too . Christopher Reid quickly dialled the number . No, he tried to . Unfortunately, his fingers had to stop moving once he felt the presence of people behind him . ¡°¡­ . ¡± It was too late now to ask for help or let someone else know of his situation . Christopher Reid put the phone and the note down and quietly stood back up again . The first person he saw after slowly turning around was a blonde man with a bright smile etched on his face . One of this man¡¯s hands was even tucked in his pocket ¨C a display of utter leisure . Such a relaxed demeanour would be rather impossible to find from a normal person invading the residence of a rank S Hunter, and not only that, a Hunter boasting one of the highest levels in the entire world . Christopher Reid asked . ¡°Who are you people?¡± The blondie in front of his eyes, and two more behind this one . There were a total of three intruders . It was already unknown whether he¡¯d be able to fight off just the one in front, and to think, there were two enemies of similar calibre present, too . A drop of cold sweat trickled down Christopher Reid¡¯s forehead . And just as this drop slid past his brow, past his temple, and all the way down his cheek until it reached the point of his chin¡­ . The blondie began speaking up . ¡°If you keep trying to accommodate these humans during your struggles, you won¡¯t be able to save a single thing, oh Fragment of the Brilliant Light . ¡± And worse still, his voice sounded truly bizarre as if it didn¡¯t even belong to this world in the first place . ¡®¡­ . Monster language?!¡¯ Christopher Reid¡¯s brows shot up real high . ¡°Just what the f*ck are you saying here??¡± The blondie watched the agitated Christopher Reid react and raised his finger to press it against his lips . ¡°Shh . I wasn¡¯t talking to you . ¡± The blonde¡¯s fluent English this time caused the eyes of Christopher Reid to grow wider still . A being that could speak both the language of man as well as the language of monsters as freely as he willed it ¨C as far as Christopher Reid knew, no such person existed in this world . The finger leaving the blondie¡¯s lips then pointed to the heavens above . ¡°Up there . I was talking to the dude up there connected to you . ¡± Of course, Christopher Reid couldn¡¯t make heads nor tails of what this blonde man was talking about . But he was sure of one thing . He was sure that this blonde was completely looking down on him right now . Christopher Reid¡¯s angry voice powerfully reverberated outward . ¡°Do I look like a d*mn pushover to you?!¡± Crimson light exploded forth from his eyes and soon, vicious flames began whipping around all over his body . In fact, his figure became crimson in colour as well as he grew larger and larger in size . The furniture caught by his expansion were all knocked and shoved away . Rumble-!! His new appearance as the angry flames enveloped his entire body was that of the God of Fire! Now easily four metres tall, real flames were spitting out from the creature¡¯s eyes . ¡°At the bare minimum, I will take down one of you with me!¡± Christopher Reid¡¯s punch collided with the wall and caused a massive explosion . Ka-boom!! The two men behind the blondie stepped aside to avoid the debris from the exploding wall and revealed themselves in full . ¡°Spiritual Body Manifestation¡­ . ?¡± ¡°A human can manifest a Spiritual Body?¡± They looked on at Christopher Reid¡¯s new appearance with some amount of interest . Meanwhile, the floor Christopher Reid stood on began boiling and melting down . For the first time since the worst calamity ever to befall humanity, the ¡®Kamish raid¡¯, he prepared himself to die today . Rumble-!! The flames wrapped around him became even more violent as if they were about to explode and began swallowing up everything surrounding him . And as the vicinity was being swept away by his vicious flames, he stood in the middle of this storm of destruction and roared out loudly enough to shake the earth itself . ¡°Die, you f*cking monster b*stards-!!¡± < Chapter 182 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 182: Chapter 182 The Japanese government offered up a suite in a five-star luxury hotel for Jin-Woo so he could rest in comfort until his departure from the country He was planning to use ¡®Shadow Exchange¡¯ to go back rather than waste time waiting for a plane, so he was thinking of refusing their gesture of goodwill But then¡­. ¡°Please, help us to avoid the fate of being labelled as people who had poorly received the saviour of their nation . We beg of you, Hunter-nim . ¡±. ¡­ . But then, he ended up changing his mind after hearing the desperate plea of the Japanese government The very first impression he got after stepping into the hotel suite that reputedly cost over $3,500 per night was, ¡®Is it really okay for me to spend a night alone in such a huge and luxurious room?¡¯. Jin-Woo studied the gleaming furniture that sparkled brightly as if they were purchased only yesterday, before walking over to the window to look outside This allowed him to take in the sight of the cityscape all at once He heard from somewhere that the better the view, the higher the real estate price would get . And as expected, the view of the city draped in the darkness of the night was as arresting as the exorbitant price the suite had alluded to ¡®And to think, such a city was about to go up in flames by a bunch of monsters . ¡¯. Jin-Woo recalled the sight of the ruined city of Tokyo and tutted to himself . In fact, he felt relieved that he got here just in time before things could get even worse for Japan ¡®¡­ . Let¡¯s just go to sleep . ¡¯. After a few nights spent camping outdoors, this one night spent in the hotel proved to be rather bloody fantastic ***. Next morning His departure time neared and employees from the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association came to escort him ¡°Good day to you, Hunter-nim . ¡±. The Association employee tasked with guiding Jin-Woo greeted him using fluent Korean ¡°We have readied the vehicle that will take you to the airport . ¡±. What excellent timing it was since he was beginning to feel bored, staying cooped up in the hotel room . Jin-Woo went and picked up his bag that had been discarded in the corner of the suite somewhere and returned to the door ¡°Let¡¯s get going right away . ¡±. ¡°Heok!¡±. Just as Jin-Woo was about to leave the suite, the employee saw the state he was in currently and formed a flustered expression ¡°H-Hunter-nim¡­ . By any chance, don¡¯t you have any other set of clothing with you?¡±. It wasn¡¯t as if Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t understand where this reaction of the employee was coming from . Blood and sweat stained both his shirts and pants, serving as clear evidence of the intense battles he had gone through during the last few days ¡®I was trying to be as careful as possible, though¡­ . ¡¯. From the get-go, it was plainly impossible to evade every single drop of the massive quantity of blood spewing out from bodies of the Giants . Since the rest of his clothes were in a similarly sorry state, all he could do was to helplessly shrug his shoulders as his reply The employee suddenly broke out in a grin and politely made his inquiry ¡°If it¡¯s alright with you, may we be permitted to prepare an extra set of clothing for you to wear?¡±. That was one of the better suggestions he heard the whole day There was no reason for him to walk around with blood-stained clothes like this, and also, he hadn¡¯t done anything wrong either so he was disinclined to sneak around like some kind of a criminal, too The employee figured out Jin-Woo¡¯s answer from his brightened expression and spoke up with a smile ¡°We¡¯ll have them ready right away . Please wait here for a little while longer . ¡±. The extra clothing must¡¯ve been prepared in advance, because it didn¡¯t even take ten minutes after the end of the employee¡¯s phone call for several men to hurriedly rush in to the suite carrying many business suits ¡®Already?!¡¯. Jin-Woo formed a bit of a suspicious expression, which prompted the employee to answer with a happy smile ¡°We thought that something like this might happen, so we had them ready in advance . ¡±. Jin-Woo watched as the business suits were sorted into different colours and sizes in an instant, and somehow managed to keep the gasps of astonishment to himself For something that was prepared ¡®just in case¡¯, wasn¡¯t this just all too well organised?. ¡°If you need anything else besides your clothes¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo quickly shook his hands around ¡°Nonono, it¡¯s alright . ¡±. The services he received so far had already been amply satisfactory . He could already see that the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association was trying to do their utmost best here Jin-Woo scanned the displayed business suits before picking the one that seemed to fit his size . After swapping out his duds, he stood before the mirror to take a look Maybe because all the prepared suits were high-end items, he came across as a completely new person ¡®Hey, don¡¯t I look pretty cool like this?¡¯. A smile automatically bloomed on his face . He fixed the ends of the suit and turned around . The Association employee who panicked earlier about the lack of other apparels began gasping out in sighs of admiration ¡°Those look very good on you, Hunter-nim . ¡±. ¡°Let¡¯s be on our way now . ¡±. ¡°Understood . Our staff members will carry your luggage for you, Hunter-nim . ¡±. Two burly Association employees strode in as if they were waiting for this moment and picked up Jin-Woo¡¯s stuff He could sense the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association¡¯s desire to make sure that he wouldn¡¯t even need to lift a finger from their extremely considerate treatment . He was still treated like royalty even when walking out from the front entrance of the 5-star luxury hotel And soon, the black sedan carrying Jin-Woo headed off towards the airport ***. When he got near the airport¡¯s vicinity, Jin-Woo began realising why the Japanese Association was so particularly mindful of taking care of his appearance Because he could see throngs upon throngs of people outside the moving car¡¯s window . And there were even more people beyond them ¡°¡­¡±. Jin-Woo became utterly speechless and silently stared outside, while the Association employee spoke to him in a clearly excited voice ¡°Everyone gathered here today all wanted to see you at least once before you depart, Hunter-nim . ¡±. One couldn¡¯t even argue that this sea of people was forcibly organised either, as there were simply too many of them for that ¡°Just how many people have shown up here today?¡±. ¡°It¡¯s not an exact amount, but we estimate over one hundred thousand, Hunter-nim . ¡±. ¡°That many¡­ . ?¡±. The vehicle carrying Jin-Woo quietly glided along the road that had been cordoned off tightly . When they went around a corner, there was just as big a crowd of people, no, maybe even bigger than before, waiting to greet Jin-Woo¡¯s car ¡°Seong Hunter-nim, you¡¯re a hero that saved Japan . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. From Jin-Woo¡¯s perspective, he simply did what he was capable of doing . However, what he did was not something anyone else could do . No, only he was capable of doing it The Japanese people had no choice but to shiver in despair after seeing the Giant-type monsters through TV broadcasts, from social media, or even with their own eyes No one wanted to help out with the national-level crisis unfolding in Japan . Instead, they all opined in one voice that the country was now doomed But then, from their neighbouring nation, South Korea ¨C the man who could possibly be more famous than the country¡¯s own president, the leader of the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association, Goh Gun-Hui, made an announcement which reached the ears of the despairing Japanese people [¡°There is one such person . There is one Hunter who wishes to go to Japan and get rid of the Giant monsters . ¡±]. Countless Japanese watching the press conference live held their breaths and focused on their TV screens [¡°Just who is this Hunter?¡±]. After the reporter asked that question, Association President Goh Gun-Hui pressed his lips as close to the microphone and made his reply [¡°It¡¯s Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡±]. It was an already well-known fact that Jin-Woo had killed off every one of the rank S ant monsters occupying Jeju Island all by himself The three letters of ¡®Seong Jin-Woo¡¯ coming out from Association President Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s lips caused much upheaval within the entirety of Japan . For the Japanese people, Jin-Woo was their sole ray of hope And a week later Just as he promised before setting off from Korea, Jin-Woo had completely annihilated the Giant monsters from the Japanese mainland and was about to step on the road back home Perhaps it was inevitable that the countless Japanese had gathered to see him one last time The Association employee explained that, if it weren¡¯t for the country going through the chaos of cleaning up the affected areas, even more people would have turned up today He then added this bit at the end ¡°Honestly speaking, our Prime Minister also dearly wishes to meet you to express his gratitude as well, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . May we impose on you for that small matter for a little while?¡±. The expression of the Association employee was much more serious than ever before . Jin-Woo could easily guess the amount of pressure from the higher-ups this guy must be under Unfortunately, what he didn¡¯t want to do initially, he still wasn¡¯t interested in doing it, even now . Jin-Woo answered in the same way as he did when he was asked the first time ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste my time doing something unnecessary . ¡±. The Association employee ended up laughing out after witnessing Jin-Woo¡¯s direct attitude and nodded his head in understanding ¡°Haha¡­ I understand . ¡±. As they continued to make small talk over this and that, the vehicle carrying them had eventually arrived at the airport¡¯s entrance . As usual, Jin-Woo calmly exited from the car and stepped on to the pavement But, in that exact moment, he was showered by the outpouring of passionate hand claps coming from everywhere Jin-Woo looked around at the gathered crowd ¡°Hunter-nim!¡±. ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!¡±. He couldn¡¯t understand anything they were saying to him, but then again, every one of the lights gleaming in their eyes, their voices, and their gestures helped him to overcome the language barrier altogether Their bottomless gratitude and respect were transmitted in the air and he could sense them all Beru, watching this spectacle from within his shadow, quickly engaged him in a chat ¡®Oh, my king . Your loyal subjects are expressing their genuine adulation and awe towards you, my liege . ¡¯. ¡®It¡¯s not like that . ¡¯. ¡®Oh my king, perhaps it is for the best that you wave your hand and acknowledge your subjects¡­ . ¡¯. ¡®Hey . I said it¡¯s not like that . ¡¯. Where did this guy see and learn all this weird stuff from?. Jin-Woo was about to ignore Beru¡¯s advice and turn around, but then, he stopped in his treks to ask his ant soldier a question ¡®By the way, do other ants enjoy it when you, you know, acknowledge them, as you said?¡¯. Beru replied in a very proud voice . As a matter of fact, if he was standing outside the shadow right now, he¡¯d definitely have formed a commanding, imposing expression, too ¡®But, of course, my king . ¡¯. That was to be expected, though . Beru did possess a skill that raised up the morale of the ant soldiers with nothing but his screech, after all Jin-Woo nodded his head . All these people came to see him off, so was there a reason not to greet them back, which was something even an ant could do?. Jin-Woo stopped and turned around towards the crowd again . He hesitated and awkwardly raised his left hand, before waving it around at the people watching him The sounds of clapping became even more energetic and they were soon accompanied by the loud cheers, as well Clap, clap, clap, clap!. Only then did he notice that the Association employee tasked with guiding him vigorously clapping hands as well . The edges of the man¡¯s eyes were even reddening up with emotions, too ¡°Thank you!¡±. ¡°Thank you very much, Hunter-nim!¡±. ¡°We¡¯re grateful for everything!¡±. The Association employee¡¯s nose had reddened by this point as well, and he addressed Jin-Woo as he wiped the edges of his eyes with the sleeves of his shirt ¡°Let us get going, Hunter-nim . The plane should be leaving soon . ¡±. Jin-Woo slowly lowered his hand Even then, the sound of clapping didn¡¯t cease . They continued on and on, even as his back disappeared from the view of the gathered crowd The plane carrying Jin-Woo taxied off amidst the sending-off of over hundred thousand people Next day A certain well-known Japanese columnist wrote and published these words If the top leader of their nation were chosen through nothing but the support from its citizens, then they would have seen their very first non-native Prime Minister elected on that day ***. In the opulent mansion owned by one of the five Special Authority-rank Hunters, Christopher Reid He suddenly woke up in the middle of the night The cause? The noises from the surroundings As one of the very best Hunters acknowledged by the world, he¡¯d not be able to fall asleep even for a single day if he were to mind every little noise he could hear And that was precisely it . He didn¡¯t wake up because it was too noisy around him . No, it was the exact opposite ¡®Why is it so quiet around here?¡¯. All sorts of ambient noises he could hear if he concentrated just a little were gone as if they were all a lie, to begin with He kicked off from his bed and opened the bedroom door . He couldn¡¯t pick up on the presence of several hired help who should¡¯ve been located in various spots of the mansion As if he had entered an abandoned house, there was this deeply creepy and eerie atmosphere permeating in the air Christopher Reid wordlessly stared at the empty corridor, before walking over to grab a wine glass left on the table and came back to the doorway . And then, he threw it in the corridor The wine glass left his hand and drew a gentle arc in the air, before hitting the floor to shatter into bits and pieces However, there were no sounds still . Not even one At that moment, a powerful chill crawled up his spine . He realised that something that could not happen had happened His sharpened senses were sending out warning bells . They were warning him that he was now facing the kind of danger he had never experienced before . His instincts strongly advised him to make a certain action, right now He quickly moved away from the doorway . He ran to the bedside bureau to pick up his mobile phone resting on top, and at the same time, he yanked open one of its drawers . There was a piece of crumpled paper resting silently within These words were written on its surface ¨C If you need help, please call this number . The President of the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association Goh Gun-Hui will connect you to that man The deputy director of the Hunter Bureau left behind that note with the steward before leaving Christopher Reid learned of this fact a bit later and flew directly into a rage . He was thinking of disposing of the note right away, but then, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do so after the worried face of Madam Selner kept lingering on in his mind for some reason ¡®Did the Madam actually predict a moment like this would come?!¡¯. He didn¡¯t know the answer to that . But, if he wanted to find out, he needed to survive first Christopher Reid quickly flipped the note over . The Association President Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s phone number was written on the back . Apparently, the Korean man was fluent in English . So, there shouldn¡¯t be an issue with the language barrier here As soon as Christopher Reid made this call, he¡¯d get the help from Mister Seong ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯. He was rather certain of reading the obituary of that Korean Hunter a couple of days after the fool flew to Japan . After all, it did seem like the boy had overestimated himself a bit there However, Christopher Reid¡¯s thoughts went through a very quick change after watching the feats of the summoned creatures that guy controlled . The skillset possessed by Mister Seong was indeed all real Madam Selner did tell him this before [¡°Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . If it¡¯s him, he might be able to protect you . ¡±]. Since she said those words, there could be some substance behind them, too Christopher Reid quickly dialled the number No, he tried to Unfortunately, his fingers had to stop moving once he felt the presence of people behind him ¡°¡­ . ¡±. It was too late now to ask for help or let someone else know of his situation . Christopher Reid put the phone and the note down and quietly stood back up again The first person he saw after slowly turning around was a blonde man with a bright smile etched on his face . One of this man¡¯s hands was even tucked in his pocket ¨C a display of utter leisure Such a relaxed demeanour would be rather impossible to find from a normal person invading the residence of a rank S Hunter, and not only that, a Hunter boasting one of the highest levels in the entire world Christopher Reid asked ¡°Who are you people?¡±. The blondie in front of his eyes, and two more behind this one . There were a total of three intruders It was already unknown whether he¡¯d be able to fight off just the one in front, and to think, there were two enemies of similar calibre present, too A drop of cold sweat trickled down Christopher Reid¡¯s forehead . And just as this drop slid past his brow, past his temple, and all the way down his cheek until it reached the point of his chin¡­ The blondie began speaking up ¡°If you keep trying to accommodate these humans during your struggles, you won¡¯t be able to save a single thing, oh Fragment of the Brilliant Light . ¡±. And worse still, his voice sounded truly bizarre as if it didn¡¯t even belong to this world in the first place ¡®¡­ . Monster language?!¡¯. Christopher Reid¡¯s brows shot up real high ¡°Just what the f*ck are you saying here??¡±. The blondie watched the agitated Christopher Reid react and raised his finger to press it against his lips ¡°Shh . I wasn¡¯t talking to you . ¡±. The blonde¡¯s fluent English this time caused the eyes of Christopher Reid to grow wider still A being that could speak both the language of man as well as the language of monsters as freely as he willed it ¨C as far as Christopher Reid knew, no such person existed in this world The finger leaving the blondie¡¯s lips then pointed to the heavens above ¡°Up there . I was talking to the dude up there connected to you . ¡±. Of course, Christopher Reid couldn¡¯t make heads nor tails of what this blonde man was talking about . But he was sure of one thing He was sure that this blonde was completely looking down on him right now . Christopher Reid¡¯s angry voice powerfully reverberated outward ¡°Do I look like a d*mn pushover to you?!¡±. Crimson light exploded forth from his eyes and soon, vicious flames began whipping around all over his body . In fact, his figure became crimson in colour as well as he grew larger and larger in size . The furniture caught by his expansion were all knocked and shoved away Rumble-!!. His new appearance as the angry flames enveloped his entire body was that of the God of Fire! Now easily four metres tall, real flames were spitting out from the creature¡¯s eyes ¡°At the bare minimum, I will take down one of you with me!¡±. Christopher Reid¡¯s punch collided with the wall and caused a massive explosion Ka-boom!!. The two men behind the blondie stepped aside to avoid the debris from the exploding wall and revealed themselves in full ¡°Spiritual Body Manifestation¡­ . ?¡±. ¡°A human can manifest a Spiritual Body?¡±. They looked on at Christopher Reid¡¯s new appearance with some amount of interest . Meanwhile, the floor Christopher Reid stood on began boiling and melting down For the first time since the worst calamity ever to befall humanity, the ¡®Kamish raid¡¯, he prepared himself to die today Rumble-!!. The flames wrapped around him became even more violent as if they were about to explode and began swallowing up everything surrounding him And as the vicinity was being swept away by his vicious flames, he stood in the middle of this storm of destruction and roared out loudly enough to shake the earth itself ¡°Die, you f*cking monster b*stards-!!¡±. < Chapter 182 > Fin Chapter 183 What were the odds of finding a familiar face occupying a seat next to yours after boarding a plane? Jin-Woo was guided to the first class cabin by the stewardess, but before he could take his seat, he could only stare vacantly at his temporary neighbour . He then spoke in a rather exasperated voice . ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t going to blame this one on coincidence . ¡± ¡°I¡¯d be happy, very much so, if you did, but¡­ yes, it does sound like a bit of stretch, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Listening to a blue-eyed foreigner speak such fluent Korean still remained a rather disharmonious experience to Jin-Woo . He didn¡¯t take his eyes off the man as he settled down on his seat . ¡°We meet again, Mister Adam White . ¡± ¡°It¡¯s an honour to speak to you again, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡± The Senior Agent from America¡¯s Hunter Bureau, Adam White, still carried that amiable smile as he bowed his head, just like the first time they met . Jin-Woo scanned the rest of the first-class cabin . ¡®Ah, so that was why¡­ . ¡¯ He was wondering why there were two pretty strong Hunters present in the first-class cabin, but now he could venture a guess and say that they were also affiliated with the Hunter Bureau . Two men kitted out in black business suits met Jin-Woo¡¯s drifting gaze and silently nodded their heads as their greeting . Here was the thing, though ¨C including the people of the Monitoring Division from the Association as well as these two, why did these ¡®agents¡¯ of something or rather all walk around wearing black business suits as if that was their uniform? Were they trying to show off the fact that they were agents of some organisation? Jin-Woo studied those two men with such needless thoughts swirling in his head . In the meantime, though, Adam White was letting out a sigh of admiration . ¡°We¡¯ve only met once briefly, yet you still remember my name . I¡¯m honoured . ¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say that our first meeting had been too memorable not to remember . ¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to offer my apology about that day¡¯s events . We certainly didn¡¯t expect there would be a Hunter Madam Selner¡¯s abilities couldn¡¯t reach¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo lightly waved his hand about . Because, as far as apologies were concerned, he heard plenty from the deputy director himself until he felt almost fed up on that very day . He didn¡¯t feel like bringing that subject back up again . However, he was still curious as to why the agents of the Hunter Bureau, who seemed to have cleanly given up on reeling him in, had appeared before him like this . ¡°I thought our negotiation had broken down completely?¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s voice became lower . It was at that moment the amiable smile disappeared from Adam White¡¯s face . ¡°We¡¯re aware that seeking you out like this without a prior heads-up is quite rude, but an urgent situation had developed and we had no choice but to contact you . ¡± Jin-Woo abruptly recalled the news of a rank S Gate appearing somewhere in the eastern US . ¡°Could it be that you guys also failed to handle that rank S Gate¡­ . ?¡± ¡°Mm? Ah, no . Not that . We took care of that one, no problem . ¡± If this wasn¡¯t about the rank S Gate, then what other problem could there be? Could this matter be somehow related to him killing the King of Giants? When Jin-Woo displayed his clear interest, Adam White didn¡¯t waste any more time and pulled out a notebook PC . A video clip came up on the computer¡¯s screen and it showed thick rising plumes of black smoke as if a wide-scale wildfire had broken out somewhere . Adam handed the laptop over to Jin-Woo so that the latter could watch the clip . He could see that the firefighters were struggling mighty hard to rein in the flames that were clearly getting stronger and stronger . Those flames definitely contained magic energy . ¨C What is up with this fire? We can¡¯t put it out! ¨C They can¡¯t be a normal blaze! ¨C Heeey! Over there! Get away from there! You¡¯ll turn into charcoal if you get brushed by the flames! The firefighters were clearly in a panicked state . They seemed to be trying all sorts of methods but the raging inferno showed no signs of weakening at all . No, it was actually only getting stronger and began to slowly box them in, instead . A scorched tree toppled over, hitting another tree in the process and transferring the flames; it was a chain reaction giving birth to the unending inferno . The billowing flames crashed forward like an angry tidal wave . ¨C Oh, my god!! ¨C Where is our back-up?! ¨C When are they arriving?! It was right then . A helicopter arrived in the nick of time and several Mage-type Hunters disembarked from the vehicle . And they proceeded to pour out water-type magic on the flames . After magical water spray slammed into the fiery forest dozens upon dozens of times, the inferno gradually was brought under control . Jin-Woo carefully studied the video . ¡®All these guys¡­ are top-class Hunters . ¡¯ Judging from the strengths of the magic spells used, there was little doubt that they were top-ranked Hunters for sure . Flames that could only be barely put under control after several top-ranked Hunters had to combine their forces together ¨C this fact confirmed that the cause of the fire itself had to be one hell of a Hunter, as well . ¨C Oh, Mister Hunters! ¨C We, we¡¯re saved¡­ . ¨C Thanks for your help, Hunters! The firefighters continued to express their admiration as they gradually killed off the fire that lost most of its power . If the Hunters had arrived only a second later, there could have been a costly human tragedy unfolding in that location . ¨C Let¡¯s go in deeper! ¨C The fire is dying out! ¨C We¡¯ve done it! We¡¯ve put out the fire! The video clip was nearing its end . Seeing that there wasn¡¯t much time left in the video¡¯s duration, Jin-Woo felt it strange and had to ask . ¡°Why are you showing me this?¡± Sure, it had been an interesting viewing experience, but people coming to see him because of some wildfire in the US didn¡¯t make much sense to him at all . Adam White reached out and skipped forward to the last part of the clip . ¡°Here¡­ please watch the end . ¡± The guy shooting the video broke past the thick black smoke still rising up and continued to venture deeper into the scorched forest until the footage could capture the origin of the inferno . There must have been an incredibly powerful explosion, judging from the radius of things being swept away . And in the centre of that radius¡­ . . A single corpse was lying face down there . There was no need to confirm if the victim was still alive or not . There was a wide hole in his chest and that should have been the exact spot where his heart used to be . ¡°In order to put out the fire this man caused, over 1800 firefighters and 14 Mage-type Hunters had to be mobilised . ¡± Not only that, they were all top-ranked Hunters, too . 14 high-ranking Hunters had to give their all just to put out a fire lingering around after the one activating it had died already? Just from that alone, Jin-Woo was able to make an educated guess at the identity of the corpse lying face down on the ground . ¡°Could it be, is he¡­ . ?¡± As Jin-Woo looked up at him, Adam White replied with a melancholic expression . ¡°As I thought, you have recognised him . Indeed, it was Christopher Reid Hunter-nim . ¡± The previously-unsure Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes widened in shock . But, this didn¡¯t make sense . A Special-Authority Hunter, one of the world¡¯s very best, had been murdered by someone else? ¡°We also don¡¯t want to believe it, but he had definitely been assassinated . ¡± Right at the end of the video playback, one of the firefighters flipped Christopher Reid¡¯s body on its back . With that, one could see the state of the corpse far more clearly . Not just a hole in his chest, no, there were several horrible wounds inflicted all over his body, too . They were definitely traces of an intense battle . ¡°And finally, these are¡­ . ¡± Adam White pulled out several photos from his inner pocket and spoke up . ¡°These are the photos of the being we at the Hunter Bureau strongly suspect to be the culprit in this case . ¡± ¡®¡­ . The being?¡¯ Jin-Woo could only feel confused from the way Adam White said his words, as he didn¡¯t sound like he was talking about a man or a woman ¨C as if he wasn¡¯t talking about a human but a ¡®thing¡¯, instead . Soon, though, the Korean¡¯s gaze lowered down to the photographs . There was no need to even take them for a closer look . Jin-Woo simply stood up from his seat and beckoned with his finger, and that caused Adam White to rise up automatically from his seat, as well . ¡°Uh, uh?!¡± Adam White¡¯s eyes opened up wide in surprise . Jin-Woo used his ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ to drag the American agent in closer and grabbed hold of the latter¡¯s collars . ¡°Keo-heok!¡± Now that they were close enough for their noses to touch, Jin-Woo spoke in a voice a few octaves lower than before . ¡°If this is your way of trying to play some kind of a trick¡­ you, all of you, won¡¯t walk out of here alive . ¡± He was not making an empty threat here, either . Jin-Woo¡¯s cold eyes were gleaming like a wild, ferocious beast as he genuinely emitted a murderous intent . Adam White, although his collars were held tight, still managed to cry out . ¡°Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t do it!¡± Of course, he wasn¡¯t shouting at Jin-Woo . His desperate dissuasion managed to stop just in time the movements of the two high-ranking Hunters about to descend on Jin-Woo . Having successfully stopped the actions akin to pouring oil into the fire, Adam White then pleaded with Jin-Woo next . ¡°That being in the photo walked out from a dungeon! He¡¯s most likely not the person you know!¡± ¡°A dungeon¡­ . ??¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s grip on Adam White¡¯s collars relaxed just a tad . Being able to breathe just a bit easier now, the American hurriedly added more explanation . ¡°The magic energy emission from that guy was a match to that of monsters, and he suddenly began attacking our rank S Hunter, as well . ¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze lowered down to the photos that fell out of Adam White¡¯s hands . The person being photographed by the CCTV cameras was¡­ None other than Jin-Woo¡¯s father . ¡®My dad came out of a dungeon, and started attacking other Hunters?¡¯ As Jin-Woo began falling into confusion, Adam White quickly clarified himself . ¡°Do you still remember the accident that happened a few months ago in the HQ of Hunter Bureau? That explosion?¡± How could Jin-Woo forget? That incident caused quite a bit of clamour around the world, after all . All sorts of wild conspiracy theories were flung about, such as ¨C the explosion being the result of a secret experiment gone wrong, a high-ranking Hunter running amok, or even two rank S Awakened fighting each other, etc . ¡°Are you telling me that was the handiwork of my father?¡± Adam White nodded his head . ¡°He beat down one of our Hunters and vanished into thin air . We at the Hunter Bureau continued to chase him in secrecy, but as if he had disappeared from this world, we couldn¡¯t find any traces of him . ¡°¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo wordlessly listened to Adam White¡¯s explanation . ¡°I understand how you feel, Hunter-nim . However, that person fits the profile best for this particular crime . ¡± For one, he had the precedence of attacking another Hunter, he was strong enough to easily exceed a rank S Awakened, and finally, his whereabouts were a complete mystery . It would not be all that strange to see the Hunter Bureau designate the ¡®being claiming to be Seong Il-Hwan¡¯ as one of the main suspects . However, even if he took what Adam White said as 100% truth¡­ . Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes narrowed down to a slit . ¡°What is your reason for showing me those pictures?¡± ¡°The International Guild Conference . ¡± ¡°¡­??¡± ¡°During the International Guild Conference, where the representatives from the world¡¯s leading Guilds will gather in one spot, the higher-ups of the Hunter Bureau are planning to distribute that person¡¯s pictures . ¡± Meaning, they would no longer keep the investigation a secret . It also meant that the American government had become really enraged by the loss of an invaluable asset called a Special Authority-rank Hunter and they would fully mobilise every resource at their disposal in tracking down and apprehending the party responsible . In that regard, there would be no better timing than the International Guild Conference . The assassination of a Special Authority-rank Hunter ¨C quite obviously, gathered Guilds would pay extra attention to this topic, and the announcement from the Hunter Bureau would certainly intensify their interest . ¡°We at the Hunter Bureau would like to continue maintaining our amicable relationship with you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡± ¡°So, you came to inform me first before the public announcement takes place, is that it?¡± Adam White managed to move his still-restricted head up and down with some difficulty . ¡°I-if you attend the gathering only to be confronted by the images of your father, you¡¯d no doubt become shocked and confused by it, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± Even if it was unknown whether that thing was really his father returning from the dungeon or a fake that simply looked like him . From the death of a Special Authority-rank Hunter, to the existence of a being calling itself Seong Il-Hwan, and finally, even about the warrant itself ¨C these were the Hunter Bureau¡¯s way of showing consideration, as they had rated Jin-Woo¡¯s abilities very highly and didn¡¯t want to become his enemy . ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s silence continued on . He could sense truthfulness from the pleading eyes and voice of Adam White . That came from an emotion borne out of friendly intentions . Jin-Woo was thinking of not holding back the moment he sensed even a minute level of hostility here . However, there was the photographic evidence of the being that resembled his father stepping on the neck of the Korean Hunter with American citizenship, Hwang Dong-Su . He was unable to rebut the assertion of the Hunter Bureau that the person in these photographs couldn¡¯t be a human being at all . ¡°We¡¯d like to ask you for your understanding on why we had no choice but to do this . ¡± Only then did Jin-Woo let go of his collars . The red-faced Adam White coughed and wheezed heavily to the side . Meanwhile, Jin-Woo picked up the photographs from the floor . No matter how hard he looked, the person in these pictures was definitely his father . His heart madly pounded away as he peered deeper . Around at that time, the announcement from the pilots came out of the PA system . [Ladies and gentlemen, the plane will land shortly . ] Even though a commotion broke out in its first-class cabin, the plane still managed to land without any further incident on the runaway of the Incheon International Airport . Using the skill ¡®Stealth¡¯, Jin-Woo escaped from the eyes of all the reporters waiting for him there . The first thing he did after making his getaway was to call up Yu Jin-Ho . ¨C ¡°Ah, hyung-nim! You arrived back in the country!¡± Perhaps because his father had recovered fully, Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s voice sounded even happier than before as he welcomed his hyung-nim back . However, Jin-Woo was in no mood to smile right now . ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to travel to the US next week, after all . ¡± ¨C ¡°Pardon? Are you talking about that International Guild Conference thing? Didn¡¯t you say you weren¡¯t interested in going, hyung-nim?¡± ¡°Situation has changed . ¡± He needed to find more information . He needed to know more . He needed some kind of proof so he could determine whether that being was really his father or something else . In order to meet his goal, he had no choice but to attend this International Guild Conference . ¡°Can you book me the plane ticket, then?¡± When he asked, an unhesitating reply came right back at him . ¨C ¡°In that case, I shall book two return tickets immediately, hyung-nim!¡± *** Adam White couldn¡¯t stand back up again for a long while even after Jin-Woo had left the plane . He tried to get up, only to stagger unsteadily on his feet . The Hunters escorting him quickly asked . ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Yeah, more or less . Just that I¡¯m a bit exhausted right now . ¡± Adam White sounded more like he was trying to console himself, instead . The Hunters helped him to stand up straight again . Because his major was in criminal psychology, he got to interrogate his fair share of rather horrible human beings so far . But still, this would be his first time being terrified of another person to this degree . He could still recall Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s quiet yet cold eyes seemingly tightening around his neck like a noose . Adam White knew full well that the Korean was not going to come back to harm him, yet just from remembering those eyes, he felt his bowels tighten . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo before and after the photos was like two different people altogether . ¡®A person can switch that much, huh . ¡¯ However, the truly shocking thing was something else . Adam White asked the Hunters for the confirmation . ¡°I need to confirm with you both since it happened too quickly for me . Just now, didn¡¯t Hunter Seong Jin-Woo somehow move me without touching me at all, right?¡± The two high-ranking Hunters, who wouldn¡¯t lose out to anyone on the matters of excellent eyesight, nodded their heads as their reply to Adam White¡¯s question . ¡®I thought as much¡­!¡¯ The American agent was now properly freaking out now . He definitely hadn¡¯t seen it incorrectly . That Korean man, he could use psychokinesis . Up until now, he was under the impression that the psychokinesis was the exclusive ability only available to the Special Authority-rank Hunters . However, Hunter Seong had used it without so much as batting an eyelid . Adam White felt goosebumps breaking out all over his skin . Seong Jin-Woo was the first one discovered to possess the psychokinesis skill outside the five Special Authority-rank Hunters . ¡®There is no time to waste . ¡¯ His trembling hand picked up his phone . The ringtone went for a little while before the deputy director answered the call . Adam White did his best to calm his trembling voice . ¡°Deputy director¡­ I just discovered the sixth one . ¡± < Chapter 183 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 183: Chapter 183 What were the odds of finding a familiar face occupying a seat next to yours after boarding a plane?. Jin-Woo was guided to the first class cabin by the stewardess, but before he could take his seat, he could only stare vacantly at his temporary neighbour . He then spoke in a rather exasperated voice ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t going to blame this one on coincidence . ¡±. ¡°I¡¯d be happy, very much so, if you did, but¡­ yes, it does sound like a bit of stretch, doesn¡¯t it?¡±. Listening to a blue-eyed foreigner speak such fluent Korean still remained a rather disharmonious experience to Jin-Woo . He didn¡¯t take his eyes off the man as he settled down on his seat ¡°We meet again, Mister Adam White . ¡±. ¡°It¡¯s an honour to speak to you again, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡±. The Senior Agent from America¡¯s Hunter Bureau, Adam White, still carried that amiable smile as he bowed his head, just like the first time they met Jin-Woo scanned the rest of the first-class cabin ¡®Ah, so that was why¡­ . ¡¯. He was wondering why there were two pretty strong Hunters present in the first-class cabin, but now he could venture a guess and say that they were also affiliated with the Hunter Bureau Two men kitted out in black business suits met Jin-Woo¡¯s drifting gaze and silently nodded their heads as their greeting Here was the thing, though ¨C including the people of the Monitoring Division from the Association as well as these two, why did these ¡®agents¡¯ of something or rather all walk around wearing black business suits as if that was their uniform?. Were they trying to show off the fact that they were agents of some organisation?. Jin-Woo studied those two men with such needless thoughts swirling in his head . In the meantime, though, Adam White was letting out a sigh of admiration ¡°We¡¯ve only met once briefly, yet you still remember my name . I¡¯m honoured . ¡±. ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say that our first meeting had been too memorable not to remember . ¡±. ¡°I¡¯d like to offer my apology about that day¡¯s events . We certainly didn¡¯t expect there would be a Hunter Madam Selner¡¯s abilities couldn¡¯t reach¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo lightly waved his hand about Because, as far as apologies were concerned, he heard plenty from the deputy director himself until he felt almost fed up on that very day . He didn¡¯t feel like bringing that subject back up again However, he was still curious as to why the agents of the Hunter Bureau, who seemed to have cleanly given up on reeling him in, had appeared before him like this ¡°I thought our negotiation had broken down completely?¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s voice became lower . It was at that moment the amiable smile disappeared from Adam White¡¯s face ¡°We¡¯re aware that seeking you out like this without a prior heads-up is quite rude, but an urgent situation had developed and we had no choice but to contact you . ¡±. Jin-Woo abruptly recalled the news of a rank S Gate appearing somewhere in the eastern US ¡°Could it be that you guys also failed to handle that rank S Gate¡­ . ?¡±. ¡°Mm? Ah, no . Not that . We took care of that one, no problem . ¡±. If this wasn¡¯t about the rank S Gate, then what other problem could there be? Could this matter be somehow related to him killing the King of Giants?. When Jin-Woo displayed his clear interest, Adam White didn¡¯t waste any more time and pulled out a notebook PC A video clip came up on the computer¡¯s screen and it showed thick rising plumes of black smoke as if a wide-scale wildfire had broken out somewhere . Adam handed the laptop over to Jin-Woo so that the latter could watch the clip He could see that the firefighters were struggling mighty hard to rein in the flames that were clearly getting stronger and stronger . Those flames definitely contained magic energy ¨C What is up with this fire? We can¡¯t put it out!. ¨C They can¡¯t be a normal blaze!. ¨C Heeey! Over there! Get away from there! You¡¯ll turn into charcoal if you get brushed by the flames!. The firefighters were clearly in a panicked state . They seemed to be trying all sorts of methods but the raging inferno showed no signs of weakening at all No, it was actually only getting stronger and began to slowly box them in, instead A scorched tree toppled over, hitting another tree in the process and transferring the flames; it was a chain reaction giving birth to the unending inferno The billowing flames crashed forward like an angry tidal wave ¨C Oh, my god!!. ¨C Where is our back-up?!. ¨C When are they arriving?!. It was right then . A helicopter arrived in the nick of time and several Mage-type Hunters disembarked from the vehicle . And they proceeded to pour out water-type magic on the flames After magical water spray slammed into the fiery forest dozens upon dozens of times, the inferno gradually was brought under control Jin-Woo carefully studied the video ¡®All these guys¡­ are top-class Hunters . ¡¯. Judging from the strengths of the magic spells used, there was little doubt that they were top-ranked Hunters for sure Flames that could only be barely put under control after several top-ranked Hunters had to combine their forces together ¨C this fact confirmed that the cause of the fire itself had to be one hell of a Hunter, as well ¨C Oh, Mister Hunters!. ¨C We, we¡¯re saved¡­ ¨C Thanks for your help, Hunters!. The firefighters continued to express their admiration as they gradually killed off the fire that lost most of its power . If the Hunters had arrived only a second later, there could have been a costly human tragedy unfolding in that location ¨C Let¡¯s go in deeper!. ¨C The fire is dying out!. ¨C We¡¯ve done it! We¡¯ve put out the fire!. The video clip was nearing its end . Seeing that there wasn¡¯t much time left in the video¡¯s duration, Jin-Woo felt it strange and had to ask ¡°Why are you showing me this?¡±. Sure, it had been an interesting viewing experience, but people coming to see him because of some wildfire in the US didn¡¯t make much sense to him at all Adam White reached out and skipped forward to the last part of the clip ¡°Here¡­ please watch the end . ¡±. The guy shooting the video broke past the thick black smoke still rising up and continued to venture deeper into the scorched forest until the footage could capture the origin of the inferno There must have been an incredibly powerful explosion, judging from the radius of things being swept away And in the centre of that radius¡­ . A single corpse was lying face down there There was no need to confirm if the victim was still alive or not . There was a wide hole in his chest and that should have been the exact spot where his heart used to be ¡°In order to put out the fire this man caused, over 1800 firefighters and 14 Mage-type Hunters had to be mobilised . ¡±. Not only that, they were all top-ranked Hunters, too 14 high-ranking Hunters had to give their all just to put out a fire lingering around after the one activating it had died already? Just from that alone, Jin-Woo was able to make an educated guess at the identity of the corpse lying face down on the ground ¡°Could it be, is he¡­ . ?¡±. As Jin-Woo looked up at him, Adam White replied with a melancholic expression ¡°As I thought, you have recognised him . Indeed, it was Christopher Reid Hunter-nim . ¡±. The previously-unsure Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes widened in shock But, this didn¡¯t make sense . A Special-Authority Hunter, one of the world¡¯s very best, had been murdered by someone else?. ¡°We also don¡¯t want to believe it, but he had definitely been assassinated . ¡±. Right at the end of the video playback, one of the firefighters flipped Christopher Reid¡¯s body on its back . With that, one could see the state of the corpse far more clearly Not just a hole in his chest, no, there were several horrible wounds inflicted all over his body, too . They were definitely traces of an intense battle ¡°And finally, these are¡­ . ¡±. Adam White pulled out several photos from his inner pocket and spoke up ¡°These are the photos of the being we at the Hunter Bureau strongly suspect to be the culprit in this case . ¡±. ¡®¡­ . The being?¡¯. Jin-Woo could only feel confused from the way Adam White said his words, as he didn¡¯t sound like he was talking about a man or a woman ¨C as if he wasn¡¯t talking about a human but a ¡®thing¡¯, instead . Soon, though, the Korean¡¯s gaze lowered down to the photographs There was no need to even take them for a closer look . Jin-Woo simply stood up from his seat and beckoned with his finger, and that caused Adam White to rise up automatically from his seat, as well ¡°Uh, uh?!¡±. Adam White¡¯s eyes opened up wide in surprise Jin-Woo used his ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ to drag the American agent in closer and grabbed hold of the latter¡¯s collars ¡°Keo-heok!¡±. Now that they were close enough for their noses to touch, Jin-Woo spoke in a voice a few octaves lower than before ¡°If this is your way of trying to play some kind of a trick¡­ you, all of you, won¡¯t walk out of here alive . ¡±. He was not making an empty threat here, either Jin-Woo¡¯s cold eyes were gleaming like a wild, ferocious beast as he genuinely emitted a murderous intent Adam White, although his collars were held tight, still managed to cry out ¡°Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t do it!¡±. Of course, he wasn¡¯t shouting at Jin-Woo His desperate dissuasion managed to stop just in time the movements of the two high-ranking Hunters about to descend on Jin-Woo Having successfully stopped the actions akin to pouring oil into the fire, Adam White then pleaded with Jin-Woo next ¡°That being in the photo walked out from a dungeon! He¡¯s most likely not the person you know!¡±. ¡°A dungeon¡­ . ??¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s grip on Adam White¡¯s collars relaxed just a tad . Being able to breathe just a bit easier now, the American hurriedly added more explanation ¡°The magic energy emission from that guy was a match to that of monsters, and he suddenly began attacking our rank S Hunter, as well . ¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze lowered down to the photos that fell out of Adam White¡¯s hands . The person being photographed by the CCTV cameras was¡­. None other than Jin-Woo¡¯s father ¡®My dad came out of a dungeon, and started attacking other Hunters?¡¯. As Jin-Woo began falling into confusion, Adam White quickly clarified himself ¡°Do you still remember the accident that happened a few months ago in the HQ of Hunter Bureau? That explosion?¡±. How could Jin-Woo forget? That incident caused quite a bit of clamour around the world, after all All sorts of wild conspiracy theories were flung about, such as ¨C the explosion being the result of a secret experiment gone wrong, a high-ranking Hunter running amok, or even two rank S Awakened fighting each other, etc ¡°Are you telling me that was the handiwork of my father?¡±. Adam White nodded his head ¡°He beat down one of our Hunters and vanished into thin air . We at the Hunter Bureau continued to chase him in secrecy, but as if he had disappeared from this world, we couldn¡¯t find any traces of him ¡°¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo wordlessly listened to Adam White¡¯s explanation ¡°I understand how you feel, Hunter-nim . However, that person fits the profile best for this particular crime . ¡±. For one, he had the precedence of attacking another Hunter, he was strong enough to easily exceed a rank S Awakened, and finally, his whereabouts were a complete mystery . It would not be all that strange to see the Hunter Bureau designate the ¡®being claiming to be Seong Il-Hwan¡¯ as one of the main suspects However, even if he took what Adam White said as 100% truth¡­ Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes narrowed down to a slit ¡°What is your reason for showing me those pictures?¡±. ¡°The International Guild Conference . ¡±. ¡°¡­??¡±. ¡°During the International Guild Conference, where the representatives from the world¡¯s leading Guilds will gather in one spot, the higher-ups of the Hunter Bureau are planning to distribute that person¡¯s pictures . ¡±. Meaning, they would no longer keep the investigation a secret It also meant that the American government had become really enraged by the loss of an invaluable asset called a Special Authority-rank Hunter and they would fully mobilise every resource at their disposal in tracking down and apprehending the party responsible In that regard, there would be no better timing than the International Guild Conference The assassination of a Special Authority-rank Hunter ¨C quite obviously, gathered Guilds would pay extra attention to this topic, and the announcement from the Hunter Bureau would certainly intensify their interest ¡°We at the Hunter Bureau would like to continue maintaining our amicable relationship with you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡±. ¡°So, you came to inform me first before the public announcement takes place, is that it?¡±. Adam White managed to move his still-restricted head up and down with some difficulty ¡°I-if you attend the gathering only to be confronted by the images of your father, you¡¯d no doubt become shocked and confused by it, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±. Even if it was unknown whether that thing was really his father returning from the dungeon or a fake that simply looked like him From the death of a Special Authority-rank Hunter, to the existence of a being calling itself Seong Il-Hwan, and finally, even about the warrant itself ¨C these were the Hunter Bureau¡¯s way of showing consideration, as they had rated Jin-Woo¡¯s abilities very highly and didn¡¯t want to become his enemy ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s silence continued on He could sense truthfulness from the pleading eyes and voice of Adam White . That came from an emotion borne out of friendly intentions Jin-Woo was thinking of not holding back the moment he sensed even a minute level of hostility here However, there was the photographic evidence of the being that resembled his father stepping on the neck of the Korean Hunter with American citizenship, Hwang Dong-Su He was unable to rebut the assertion of the Hunter Bureau that the person in these photographs couldn¡¯t be a human being at all ¡°We¡¯d like to ask you for your understanding on why we had no choice but to do this . ¡±. Only then did Jin-Woo let go of his collars . The red-faced Adam White coughed and wheezed heavily to the side Meanwhile, Jin-Woo picked up the photographs from the floor . No matter how hard he looked, the person in these pictures was definitely his father . His heart madly pounded away as he peered deeper Around at that time, the announcement from the pilots came out of the PA system [Ladies and gentlemen, the plane will land shortly . ]. Even though a commotion broke out in its first-class cabin, the plane still managed to land without any further incident on the runaway of the Incheon International Airport Using the skill ¡®Stealth¡¯, Jin-Woo escaped from the eyes of all the reporters waiting for him there . The first thing he did after making his getaway was to call up Yu Jin-Ho ¨C ¡°Ah, hyung-nim! You arrived back in the country!¡±. Perhaps because his father had recovered fully, Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s voice sounded even happier than before as he welcomed his hyung-nim back However, Jin-Woo was in no mood to smile right now ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to travel to the US next week, after all . ¡±. ¨C ¡°Pardon? Are you talking about that International Guild Conference thing? Didn¡¯t you say you weren¡¯t interested in going, hyung-nim?¡±. ¡°Situation has changed . ¡±. He needed to find more information He needed to know more He needed some kind of proof so he could determine whether that being was really his father or something else In order to meet his goal, he had no choice but to attend this International Guild Conference ¡°Can you book me the plane ticket, then?¡±. When he asked, an unhesitating reply came right back at him ¨C ¡°In that case, I shall book two return tickets immediately, hyung-nim!¡±. ***. Adam White couldn¡¯t stand back up again for a long while even after Jin-Woo had left the plane . He tried to get up, only to stagger unsteadily on his feet . The Hunters escorting him quickly asked ¡°Are you alright?¡±. ¡°Yeah, more or less . Just that I¡¯m a bit exhausted right now . ¡±. Adam White sounded more like he was trying to console himself, instead . The Hunters helped him to stand up straight again Because his major was in criminal psychology, he got to interrogate his fair share of rather horrible human beings so far . But still, this would be his first time being terrified of another person to this degree He could still recall Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s quiet yet cold eyes seemingly tightening around his neck like a noose Adam White knew full well that the Korean was not going to come back to harm him, yet just from remembering those eyes, he felt his bowels tighten Hunter Seong Jin-Woo before and after the photos was like two different people altogether ¡®A person can switch that much, huh . ¡¯. However, the truly shocking thing was something else . Adam White asked the Hunters for the confirmation ¡°I need to confirm with you both since it happened too quickly for me . Just now, didn¡¯t Hunter Seong Jin-Woo somehow move me without touching me at all, right?¡±. The two high-ranking Hunters, who wouldn¡¯t lose out to anyone on the matters of excellent eyesight, nodded their heads as their reply to Adam White¡¯s question ¡®I thought as much¡­!¡¯. The American agent was now properly freaking out now . He definitely hadn¡¯t seen it incorrectly . That Korean man, he could use psychokinesis Up until now, he was under the impression that the psychokinesis was the exclusive ability only available to the Special Authority-rank Hunters . However, Hunter Seong had used it without so much as batting an eyelid Adam White felt goosebumps breaking out all over his skin Seong Jin-Woo was the first one discovered to possess the psychokinesis skill outside the five Special Authority-rank Hunters ¡®There is no time to waste . ¡¯. His trembling hand picked up his phone . The ringtone went for a little while before the deputy director answered the call Adam White did his best to calm his trembling voice ¡°Deputy director¡­ I just discovered the sixth one . ¡±. < Chapter 183 > Fin Chapter 184 The American Hunter Bureau released the list of the Guilds invited to the conference . [Sicario Guild, Alron Diaz (Mexico)] [Ah-Jin Guild, Seol Jin-Woo (South Korea)] [Ira et Vitae Guild, Fabio Garco (Italy)] ¡­¡­ The International Guild Conference . It was an important event where Guilds representing their nations were invited over to discuss the current trends and future prospects of the Hunter community at large . And ¡®Ah-Jin Guild¡¯ had been chosen to represent South Korea . Its participation in the conference became the hot topic of conversation for both the local and international mass media . The thing was, Jin-Woo was the sole high-ranking Hunter affiliated with that Guild as well as its Master . This invitation was no different from the American Hunter Bureau publicly acknowledging that this single Hunter was in no way inferior to any of the very best Guilds in the world . Guilds that countless high-ranked Hunters worked for . However ¨C no, perhaps unsurprisingly ¨C not one person raised a voice of discontent . Because, was there really a need to discuss whether that lone Hunter was qualified or not in this case? Jin-Woo already possessed the records of solving two massive crises on the level of bringing their respective nations down to their knees in South Korea and Japan . Most importantly, all by himself, too . Quite obviously, no one now dismissed the capabilities of the Ah-Jin Guild, or more precisely, the core of the Guild itself, Jin-Woo, and his abilities . No, even more than that ¨C quite a few people around the world were getting rather hyped up from the prospect of a brand new super-powerful Hunter participating in the gathering, where the strongest Awakened scattered throughout the world would stand on one stage . Whenever the international mass media talked about the Japanese dungeon break incident, they also mentioned Ah-Jin Guild planning to participate in the International Guild Conference in the same breath as if it was the most obvious thing to do . South Korea was no exception . As the local interest in the International Guild Conference heated up, one of the TV stations requested the Master of the Hunters Guild, Choi Jong-In, for an interview . He knew that the station couldn¡¯t ask Jin-Woo for one and had sought him out as an alternative, but still, he readily said yes . And so, the interview being broadcast live to the nation took up the time slot of the eight in the evening, the one seen as the most important hour just before the watershed . ¡°Hello, everyone . My name is Choi Jong-In, and I¡¯m the person in charge of the Hunters Guild . ¡± His handsome visage and the inviting smile made sure to shake up the hearts of many ladies watching the broadcast . Currently, the comments section of the TV station¡¯s website was inundated with complaints from the female viewers at home . They all said that it should¡¯ve been the Hunters Guild getting the invite for the conference, instead . ¡°Thank you for coming, Chairman Choi . ¡± The female interviewer lowered her head as a greeting and began asking the prepared questions . ¡°The news regarding Ah-Jin Guild has attracted a great deal of interest from many people around the country . But, what are your thoughts regarding this issue?¡± Choi Jong-In didn¡¯t even hesitate for a second before he made his reply . ¡°I believe that the American Hunter Bureau made the right choice . ¡± ¡°It¡¯s not ¡®you understand the reason why¡¯, but you believe it was the right choice?¡± ¡°Yes . I definitely believe that¡¯s the case . ¡± ¡°But, it¡¯s not an exaggeration to say that the Ah-Jin Guild is basically a one-man show, is it not?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not forget that that one-man show is currently being run by none other than Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ¡± Choi Jong-In replied with an amiable smile on his face, and the interviewer also broke out in a smile, as well . Before her smile could end, though, Choi Jong-In smoothly continued on . ¡°If you define the Guild staff members as personnel that could be mobilised in a combat situation, then you could say that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo already possesses hundreds of Guild staff members . ¡± ¡°Are you referring to Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim¡¯s summons?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct . I believe that Ah-Jin¡¯s overall combat potential won¡¯t lose out to anyone, even when compared to some of the very best Guilds around the world . ¡± ¡°Just because of Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?¡± ¡°Yes, because of him . ¡± Noisy, noisy¡­ . Choi Jong-In¡¯s firm, unwavering reply caused an outbreak of low murmurings from the audience members in the studio, but the man himself remained calm in his demeanour . He had witnessed Jin-Woo¡¯s feats both directly and indirectly, so he was absolutely certain of this . Even now, his feelings hadn¡¯t changed . Every time he recalled Jin-Woo creating a path in that siege of ant monsters, all the back hair on Choi Jong-In¡¯s neck would stand up and goosebumps quickly enveloped his entire body . ¡®Just who out there would believe that, in the past, he used to be a rank E Hunter?¡¯ Choi Jong-In didn¡¯t hold back and acknowledged the difference in strength between his Guild and that of the Ah-Jin Guild, and that elevated the atmosphere of the TV studio to an even hotter degree than ever before . The interviewer smiled in satisfaction, before cautiously studying Choi Jong-In¡¯s response . ¡°Even still, the Hunters Guild can¡¯t be too happy about this situation . After all, It was your Guild that had been participating in the Conference for the last several years . ¡± ¡°Yes, it indeed hurts a little that our dream American trip had to be cancelled this year . I mean, we have all renewed our passports and been waiting for the invite to arrive in the mail, you see . ¡± Choi Jong-In joked around good-heartedly and that prompted a burst of laughter from the audience members . ¡°However, the pride I feel easily trumps any pain in my gut . ¡± Choi Jong-In¡¯s smile that had been constantly fixed on his face was suddenly replaced by something much more earnest . The laughter from the audience members died out gradually . Meanwhile, the light within the interviewer¡¯s eyes also became earnest, as well . Words spoken from now on would be the main topic of this interview ¨C such atmosphere emanated from the expression Choi Jong-In was making right now . Quite naturally, the gazes of the audience members were directed towards his lips next . Choi Jong-In had appeared in TV shows quite often and knew how to play the crowd . He built up some suspense to get everyone psyched up first before opening his mouth . ¡°Please, think about it . Even if monsters my powers aren¡¯t good enough to deal with appear before us, we now have a Hunter we can completely place our faith in . ¡± His words spoken from the depths of his heart carried a certain weight that no simple description could adequately convey . That weight from one man¡¯s opinion bore down on the studio, leading to the interviewer and the audience members to forget what they wanted to say and simply stare at Choi Jong-In . As silence filled the once-noisy filming venue, he quietly spoke up . ¡°In all honesty, my Guild members and I, not to mention countless other people affiliated with other Guilds, managed to survive all thanks to Hunter Seong coming to lend his aid . ¡± Choi Jong-In scanned the audience members . He wasn¡¯t trying to achieve this effect, but still, the atmosphere had become quite sombre somehow . In order to brighten up the mood, he formed a warm smile and finished what he wanted to say . ¡°I am genuinely proud of the fact that Hunter Seong has been chosen to represent South Korea . ¡± When he did, thunderous clapping exploded out from the audience members . *** Choi Jong-In successfully concluded the interview and was about to leave the TV station when he received a call on his mobile phone . Vrrr¡­ . Vrrr¡­ . ¡®Mm?¡¯ He lifted up his vibrating phone to find the number belonging to his advisor in the Guild, manager Joh Myoung-Ki . ¡°Hello, this is Choi Jong-In . ¡± ¨C ¡°Sir, we got the raid permit for the Gate that appeared this morning in the suburb of Suseo-dong . It¡¯s a rank A, but the actual measurement value apparently isn¡¯t that high, sir . ¡± ¡°That¡¯s good news . ¡± Choi Jong-In formed a smile after hearing that piece of good news before tilting his head a little . ¡°By the way, did Ah-Jin Guild not apply for the raid permit again?¡± ¨C ¡°Yes, sir . Now that you mention it, it¡¯s been spookily quiet from them lately . ¡± It had been four days since Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had returned from Japan . And during that time, four high ranking Gates had opened up . Basically, it was at the rate of one a day . The rate of high-ranked Gates being generated had gone up quite rapidly, yet the Ah-Jin Guild ¨C or, more specifically, the entirety of Ah-Jin Guild itself, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, hadn¡¯t shown any signs of movement at all . But well, the major Guilds located in the Capital had been in a constant state of celebration day after day due to these events . All because the destroyer of the monsters, the god of destroying dungeons who rushed in like crazy whenever a new Gate appeared so he could completely root out all monsters within, had not shown himself for the last few days . However, Choi Jong-In felt a certain strange sense of discord whenever Seong Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t there at the location of a Gate, and that made him feel a bit concerned . ¡®I¡¯m different from Baek Yun-Ho of the White Tiger or Im Tae-Gyu . ¡¯ If you didn¡¯t care about anything else and simply felt happy about an apple suddenly falling from a tree, then what made you any different from a simple-minded ape? Some would begin drooling at the prospect of free apples, while some others would start thinking about the laws of gravity . Choi Jong-In thought that his class hadn¡¯t fallen low enough to simply celebrate this sudden slice of good fortune . It was at that moment he got to hear the bright, innocent-sounding voice of manager Joh Myoung-Ki coming from the phone . ¨C ¡°Nevertheless, our profit has gone up by nearly 40% after not experiencing any competition from Ah-Jin Guild, sir!¡± ¡°Well, here¡¯s an ape¡­ . . ¡± ¨C ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Ahh, never mind . It¡¯s nothing . ¡± Choi Jong-In quickly changed the topic . ¡°Did the Association say they know what¡¯s going on here?¡± ¨C ¡°They believe that he¡¯s at home, resting . The way I hear it, he hasn¡¯t even shown up all that much in the Guild offices, either . ¡± ¡°H-mm¡­ . ¡± ¨C ¡°Sir, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need to overcomplicate this . Couldn¡¯t he be taking a bit of break in preparation for the International Guild Conference?¡± Choi Jong-In shook his head . ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case . ¡± Just what kind of a person was Hunter Seong Jin-Woo? Choi Jong-In spoke up his explanation . ¡°Before his ranking reassignment test, he cleared three to four lower-ranked Gates in a day . And after he became a rank S, he began intruding into the territory of other Guilds, and only a few days ago, he went to Japan and sorted out a rank S dungeon break all by himself . That¡¯s who Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is . ¡± Having heard all heard that, even Joh Myoung-Ki became curious as to why Ah-Jin Guild had suddenly gone quiet recently . Didn¡¯t Hunter Seong always show up in a place crawling with lots of monsters? He couldn¡¯t have been fatigued from the Giant monster raid, right? He now thought that his boss getting puzzled by the Ah-Jin Guild¡¯s lack of activity was not so strange anymore . ¨C ¡°Now that you mention it, sir, it does sound odd . ¡± ¡°Oh, by the way . Wasn¡¯t the Ah-Jin Guild supposed to interview the prospective employees today? But, he still didn¡¯t show up there?¡± ¨C ¡°Yes, sir . Seong Hunter-nim was nowhere to be found in the interview location . It was just that Vice Master, Yu Jin-Ho doing everything by himself . ¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± A short bout of silence flowed between the two men . Choi Jong-In eventually broke the silence first and spoke in a relatively calm voice . ¡°And how do you know that, manger Joh?¡± *** ¨C ¡°I might really die at this rate, hyung-nim . ¡± The moment Jin-Woo answered the phone, Yu Jin-Ho began bitterly complaining . He couldn¡¯t help but grin a little . It must¡¯ve indeed been tough staring at the faces of the applicants the whole day . Although the number of hopefuls had been carefully filtered and trimmed down, didn¡¯t it still shoot past several hundred? The kid might have been young, but he was doing his job as the Vice-Master of a Guild and the proxy of Jin-Woo admirably well . ¡®Is this why the wise elders say you are your father¡¯s child?¡¯ Sure, his ¡®dongsaeng¡¯ might come across as a bit na?ve and dopey, but within Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s body flowed the blood of the natural-born business tycoon Chairman Yu Myung-Han . And thanks to that, Jin-Woo could simply leave the running of the Guild to Yu Jin-Ho and freely pursue what he wanted to do . ¡°Thanks . You worked hard . ¡± ¨C ¡°No, not at all, hyung-nim . By the way, how are things on your side?¡± ¡°Here?¡± Jin-Woo looked behind him . The JSDF soldiers on standby sent him a signal as if the preparations had been completed . Seeing that, a smile floated back up on his lips . ¡°Well, it¡¯s the same old story . I guess things could get delayed a bit here, so close up shop without me . ¡± ¨C ¡°Got it, hyung-nim . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s polite goodbye signalled the end of the phone call . An employee working for the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association hurriedly ran towards Jin-Woo and received the phone as well as his luggage . Having handed over his stuff for safekeeping, he slowly loosened his neck and shoulder muscles . This state of heightened feelings he¡¯d get while lightly stretching his muscles before a raid always served to relax his mind . As if to provide a conversation partner while Jin-Woo was stretching his body, or maybe he was just curious about something, the Japanese Association employee suddenly asked a question . ¡°If you let the world know that you¡¯re busy closing the Gates being generated in the disaster areas, your fame would skyrocket even further, so if I may ask, why are you keeping it a secret?¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s reply to that was pretty simple . He finished his light stretching exercise and grinned brightly . ¡°I like peace and quiet, you see . ¡± Humility was one of the highest praised qualities in Japanese society . Tears began welling up in the eyes of the Association employee as he took Jin-Woo¡¯s ¡°peace and quiet¡± answer as the latter being modest in his actions . ¡°If you need anything, please let me know immediately! I shall absolutely do everything in my power to make it come true, even if that means I must die!!¡± ¡­ . Well, this guy seemed to be clearly mistaken about something, but as long as the end result was good, all¡¯s well . Jin-Woo could only smile awkwardly and lightly patted the Japanese man on the shoulders before walking nearer to the Gate . The JSDF soldiers stepped aside to create a path and saluted Jin-Woo . This Gate was ranked at ¡®A¡¯ . Jin-Woo had been travelling from Korea and Japan every day to monopolise all the high-ranking Gates the Japanese couldn¡¯t handle by themselves . He should thank the Japanese spy satellite that could detect magical energy, as well as his movement skill, ¡®Shadow Exchange¡¯, for this venture . Jin-Woo stood before the Gate and looked up . Indeed, it was a pretty d*mn big thing that totally fit its rank A status . He didn¡¯t need to spend a heap of cash trying to book high-ranking Gates here, and the Japanese government even promised to waiver all related taxes . However, the financial side of the things was not the biggest merit for him ¨C no, it¡¯d be the fact that he got to monopolise every single high-ranked Gates appearing within the breadth of Japan, a large country that had lost the functionality of Guilds after the dungeon break disaster . ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword . ¡¯ Shururuk¡­ . ¡°Heok . ¡± A young soldier witnessed a pair of shortswords suddenly materialising in Jin-Woo¡¯s hands and reflexively gasped out in surprise . And then, as if he got embarrassed by that outburst, he quickly bowed towards Jin-Woo . He simply smirked as a reply and began walking towards the Gate . ¡®Four days left until the International Guild Conference . ¡¯ Jin-Woo told himself that he couldn¡¯t afford to waste a single day and jumped straight into the Gate . Along with the mechanical beep, he was also greeted by the familiar voice in his ears . Tti-ring . [You have entered a dungeon . ] *** ¡°Will this be fine, sir?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol cautiously asked his question . The Association President Goh Gun-Hui showed no signs of agitation as he received a report . ¡°Regarding?¡± ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim¡­ . Recently, he has been frequently visiting Japan . ¡± The Hunter¡¯s Association could use the Hunter-issue smartphones to trace the current whereabouts of individual Hunters . And they had been feeding disinformation to those asking for Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s whereabouts as ordered by the Association President Goh Gun-Hui . ¡°What if Seong Hunter-nim decides to simply stay put in Japan¡­ . ¡± South Korea would be losing the greatest Hunter ever while sucking on their thumbs doing nothing . This would be Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s worry in a nutshell . For some reason, though, President Goh Gun-Hui didn¡¯t seem to be all that concerned regarding this event, even though he probably held the highest evaluation of Jin-Woo out of anyone alive . That appearance certainly caused some amount of frustration in Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s heart . Perhaps finding the anxiety-ridden expression of his younger subordinate a bit pitiable, Goh Gun-Hui chuckled gently and finally spoke up . ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry . ¡± ¡°By any chance, do you know something, sir?¡± ¡°You see, he came to see me before he went over to Japan to hunt down those Giant-type monsters . ¡± That sounded quite logical . After all, it was precisely the Association President Goh Gun-Hui who announced the story of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo planning to hunt those Giants to the world . Goh Gun-Hui recalled the memories of that meeting . ¡°I, of course, tried to dissuade him . I told him that, compared to the risk, he¡¯d be earning far too little from this venture . It wasn¡¯t as if he was promised a huge amount of cash like Yuri Orlov in the first place . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol nodded his head . Jin-Woo demanded the rights to the corpses of the monsters and that was all . For the price of saving an entire country, that was far, far too small . ¡®Of course, that didn¡¯t mean there was enough spare time to negotiate a deal with a country busy losing several cities in a day¡­ . ¡¯ One should say that the matters couldn¡¯t be helped back then . The Association President should be protecting the Hunters of his own nation, so it was already an odd thing for him to let Hunter Seong go this easily . ¡°But then, he told me this . ¡± Goh Gun-Hui recalled the conversation back then and formed a deep grin . Woo Jin-Cheol couldn¡¯t win against his curiosity and asked back first . ¡°What¡­ did he say?¡± Goh Gun-Hui happily replied to that . ¡°He said, he wanted the Ah-Jin Guild¡¯s territory to also include Japan . ¡± ¡°Keo-heok!¡± A shocked gasp jumped out from Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s mouth . Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s initial reaction after hearing that declaration from Jin-Woo himself wasn¡¯t all that different, either . ¡°Japan¡¯s major Guilds lost most of their strength from the losses incurred on Jeju Island, as well as from the attacks of the Giants . He told me straight that his Ah-Jin Guild will fill the void left behind by them . ¡± ¡°Huh-uh¡­ . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol couldn¡¯t shut his slack mouth . Was it the young man¡¯s confidence or simply an excellent head on his shoulders that allowed him to think that far ahead, even before he got to hunt down a single Giant? Regardless of what it was, Jin-Woo still got to achieve his objective . After all, wasn¡¯t this story something the Japanese would welcome with wide open arms? ¡°After hearing that, how could I not permit him going there?¡± While the major Guilds were busy bickering among themselves over the comparatively small territory of Seoul, he¡¯d go and make the entirety of Japan his own . One of the qualifications to become a true Hunter was the talent to choose his own hunting spot . And as he even possessed the necessary power to handle whatever his prey turned out to be, one could definitely call Seong Jin-Woo as someone born to become a Hunter . Goh Gun-Hui let the opinion stewing in his mind, as well as a sigh of admiration, escape from his mouth . ¡°He sure is one incredible fellow . ¡± ¡°¡­ . I agree wholeheartedly, sir . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol definitely agreed with that sentiment . Putting aside the incredible power of travelling between Korea and Japan in an instant without the aid of an aeroplane, the fact that he also possessed enough abilities to make that nonsensical goal into reality, could only bring about a sigh of admiration from both men . With excellent timing, the TV that was left switched on began showing the clip from Choi Jong-In¡¯s interview . [¡°I am genuinely proud of the fact that Hunter Seong has been chosen to represent South Korea . ¡±] The Association President Goh Gun-Hui leaned against the couch as a genuine chuckle left his mouth, and spoke back to Choi Jong-In on the screen . ¡°I also think the same as you . ¡± < Chapter 184 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 184: Chapter 184 The American Hunter Bureau released the list of the Guilds invited to the conference [Sicario Guild, Alron Diaz (Mexico)]. [Ah-Jin Guild, Seol Jin-Woo (South Korea)]. [Ira et Vitae Guild, Fabio Garco (Italy)]. ¡­¡­. The International Guild Conference It was an important event where Guilds representing their nations were invited over to discuss the current trends and future prospects of the Hunter community at large And ¡®Ah-Jin Guild¡¯ had been chosen to represent South Korea . Its participation in the conference became the hot topic of conversation for both the local and international mass media The thing was, Jin-Woo was the sole high-ranking Hunter affiliated with that Guild as well as its Master . This invitation was no different from the American Hunter Bureau publicly acknowledging that this single Hunter was in no way inferior to any of the very best Guilds in the world . Guilds that countless high-ranked Hunters worked for However ¨C no, perhaps unsurprisingly ¨C not one person raised a voice of discontent . Because, was there really a need to discuss whether that lone Hunter was qualified or not in this case?. Jin-Woo already possessed the records of solving two massive crises on the level of bringing their respective nations down to their knees in South Korea and Japan . Most importantly, all by himself, too Quite obviously, no one now dismissed the capabilities of the Ah-Jin Guild, or more precisely, the core of the Guild itself, Jin-Woo, and his abilities No, even more than that ¨C quite a few people around the world were getting rather hyped up from the prospect of a brand new super-powerful Hunter participating in the gathering, where the strongest Awakened scattered throughout the world would stand on one stage Whenever the international mass media talked about the Japanese dungeon break incident, they also mentioned Ah-Jin Guild planning to participate in the International Guild Conference in the same breath as if it was the most obvious thing to do South Korea was no exception As the local interest in the International Guild Conference heated up, one of the TV stations requested the Master of the Hunters Guild, Choi Jong-In, for an interview He knew that the station couldn¡¯t ask Jin-Woo for one and had sought him out as an alternative, but still, he readily said yes And so, the interview being broadcast live to the nation took up the time slot of the eight in the evening, the one seen as the most important hour just before the watershed ¡°Hello, everyone . My name is Choi Jong-In, and I¡¯m the person in charge of the Hunters Guild . ¡±. His handsome visage and the inviting smile made sure to shake up the hearts of many ladies watching the broadcast Currently, the comments section of the TV station¡¯s website was inundated with complaints from the female viewers at home . They all said that it should¡¯ve been the Hunters Guild getting the invite for the conference, instead ¡°Thank you for coming, Chairman Choi . ¡±. The female interviewer lowered her head as a greeting and began asking the prepared questions ¡°The news regarding Ah-Jin Guild has attracted a great deal of interest from many people around the country . But, what are your thoughts regarding this issue?¡±. Choi Jong-In didn¡¯t even hesitate for a second before he made his reply ¡°I believe that the American Hunter Bureau made the right choice . ¡±. ¡°It¡¯s not ¡®you understand the reason why¡¯, but you believe it was the right choice?¡±. ¡°Yes . I definitely believe that¡¯s the case . ¡±. ¡°But, it¡¯s not an exaggeration to say that the Ah-Jin Guild is basically a one-man show, is it not?¡±. ¡°Let¡¯s not forget that that one-man show is currently being run by none other than Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ¡±. Choi Jong-In replied with an amiable smile on his face, and the interviewer also broke out in a smile, as well Before her smile could end, though, Choi Jong-In smoothly continued on ¡°If you define the Guild staff members as personnel that could be mobilised in a combat situation, then you could say that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo already possesses hundreds of Guild staff members . ¡±. ¡°Are you referring to Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim¡¯s summons?¡±. ¡°That¡¯s correct . I believe that Ah-Jin¡¯s overall combat potential won¡¯t lose out to anyone, even when compared to some of the very best Guilds around the world . ¡±. ¡°Just because of Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?¡±. ¡°Yes, because of him . ¡±. Noisy, noisy¡­ Choi Jong-In¡¯s firm, unwavering reply caused an outbreak of low murmurings from the audience members in the studio, but the man himself remained calm in his demeanour He had witnessed Jin-Woo¡¯s feats both directly and indirectly, so he was absolutely certain of this . Even now, his feelings hadn¡¯t changed Every time he recalled Jin-Woo creating a path in that siege of ant monsters, all the back hair on Choi Jong-In¡¯s neck would stand up and goosebumps quickly enveloped his entire body ¡®Just who out there would believe that, in the past, he used to be a rank E Hunter?¡¯. Choi Jong-In didn¡¯t hold back and acknowledged the difference in strength between his Guild and that of the Ah-Jin Guild, and that elevated the atmosphere of the TV studio to an even hotter degree than ever before The interviewer smiled in satisfaction, before cautiously studying Choi Jong-In¡¯s response ¡°Even still, the Hunters Guild can¡¯t be too happy about this situation . After all, It was your Guild that had been participating in the Conference for the last several years . ¡±. ¡°Yes, it indeed hurts a little that our dream American trip had to be cancelled this year . I mean, we have all renewed our passports and been waiting for the invite to arrive in the mail, you see . ¡±. Choi Jong-In joked around good-heartedly and that prompted a burst of laughter from the audience members ¡°However, the pride I feel easily trumps any pain in my gut . ¡±. Choi Jong-In¡¯s smile that had been constantly fixed on his face was suddenly replaced by something much more earnest . The laughter from the audience members died out gradually . Meanwhile, the light within the interviewer¡¯s eyes also became earnest, as well Words spoken from now on would be the main topic of this interview ¨C such atmosphere emanated from the expression Choi Jong-In was making right now . Quite naturally, the gazes of the audience members were directed towards his lips next Choi Jong-In had appeared in TV shows quite often and knew how to play the crowd . He built up some suspense to get everyone psyched up first before opening his mouth ¡°Please, think about it . Even if monsters my powers aren¡¯t good enough to deal with appear before us, we now have a Hunter we can completely place our faith in . ¡±. His words spoken from the depths of his heart carried a certain weight that no simple description could adequately convey . That weight from one man¡¯s opinion bore down on the studio, leading to the interviewer and the audience members to forget what they wanted to say and simply stare at Choi Jong-In As silence filled the once-noisy filming venue, he quietly spoke up ¡°In all honesty, my Guild members and I, not to mention countless other people affiliated with other Guilds, managed to survive all thanks to Hunter Seong coming to lend his aid . ¡±. Choi Jong-In scanned the audience members . He wasn¡¯t trying to achieve this effect, but still, the atmosphere had become quite sombre somehow In order to brighten up the mood, he formed a warm smile and finished what he wanted to say ¡°I am genuinely proud of the fact that Hunter Seong has been chosen to represent South Korea . ¡±. When he did, thunderous clapping exploded out from the audience members ***. Choi Jong-In successfully concluded the interview and was about to leave the TV station when he received a call on his mobile phone Vrrr¡­ . Vrrr¡­ ¡®Mm?¡¯. He lifted up his vibrating phone to find the number belonging to his advisor in the Guild, manager Joh Myoung-Ki ¡°Hello, this is Choi Jong-In . ¡±. ¨C ¡°Sir, we got the raid permit for the Gate that appeared this morning in the suburb of Suseo-dong . It¡¯s a rank A, but the actual measurement value apparently isn¡¯t that high, sir . ¡±. ¡°That¡¯s good news . ¡±. Choi Jong-In formed a smile after hearing that piece of good news before tilting his head a little ¡°By the way, did Ah-Jin Guild not apply for the raid permit again?¡±. ¨C ¡°Yes, sir . Now that you mention it, it¡¯s been spookily quiet from them lately . ¡±. It had been four days since Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had returned from Japan . And during that time, four high ranking Gates had opened up . Basically, it was at the rate of one a day The rate of high-ranked Gates being generated had gone up quite rapidly, yet the Ah-Jin Guild ¨C or, more specifically, the entirety of Ah-Jin Guild itself, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, hadn¡¯t shown any signs of movement at all But well, the major Guilds located in the Capital had been in a constant state of celebration day after day due to these events All because the destroyer of the monsters, the god of destroying dungeons who rushed in like crazy whenever a new Gate appeared so he could completely root out all monsters within, had not shown himself for the last few days However, Choi Jong-In felt a certain strange sense of discord whenever Seong Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t there at the location of a Gate, and that made him feel a bit concerned ¡®I¡¯m different from Baek Yun-Ho of the White Tiger or Im Tae-Gyu . ¡¯. If you didn¡¯t care about anything else and simply felt happy about an apple suddenly falling from a tree, then what made you any different from a simple-minded ape?. Some would begin drooling at the prospect of free apples, while some others would start thinking about the laws of gravity Choi Jong-In thought that his class hadn¡¯t fallen low enough to simply celebrate this sudden slice of good fortune . It was at that moment he got to hear the bright, innocent-sounding voice of manager Joh Myoung-Ki coming from the phone ¨C ¡°Nevertheless, our profit has gone up by nearly 40% after not experiencing any competition from Ah-Jin Guild, sir!¡±. ¡°Well, here¡¯s an ape¡­ ¡±. ¨C ¡°Excuse me?¡±. ¡°Ahh, never mind . It¡¯s nothing . ¡±. Choi Jong-In quickly changed the topic ¡°Did the Association say they know what¡¯s going on here?¡±. ¨C ¡°They believe that he¡¯s at home, resting . The way I hear it, he hasn¡¯t even shown up all that much in the Guild offices, either . ¡±. ¡°H-mm¡­ . ¡±. ¨C ¡°Sir, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need to overcomplicate this . Couldn¡¯t he be taking a bit of break in preparation for the International Guild Conference?¡±. Choi Jong-In shook his head ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case . ¡±. Just what kind of a person was Hunter Seong Jin-Woo? Choi Jong-In spoke up his explanation ¡°Before his ranking reassignment test, he cleared three to four lower-ranked Gates in a day . And after he became a rank S, he began intruding into the territory of other Guilds, and only a few days ago, he went to Japan and sorted out a rank S dungeon break all by himself . That¡¯s who Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is . ¡±. Having heard all heard that, even Joh Myoung-Ki became curious as to why Ah-Jin Guild had suddenly gone quiet recently . Didn¡¯t Hunter Seong always show up in a place crawling with lots of monsters? He couldn¡¯t have been fatigued from the Giant monster raid, right?. He now thought that his boss getting puzzled by the Ah-Jin Guild¡¯s lack of activity was not so strange anymore ¨C ¡°Now that you mention it, sir, it does sound odd . ¡±. ¡°Oh, by the way . Wasn¡¯t the Ah-Jin Guild supposed to interview the prospective employees today? But, he still didn¡¯t show up there?¡±. ¨C ¡°Yes, sir . Seong Hunter-nim was nowhere to be found in the interview location . It was just that Vice Master, Yu Jin-Ho doing everything by himself . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. A short bout of silence flowed between the two men . Choi Jong-In eventually broke the silence first and spoke in a relatively calm voice ¡°And how do you know that, manger Joh?¡±. ***. ¨C ¡°I might really die at this rate, hyung-nim . ¡±. The moment Jin-Woo answered the phone, Yu Jin-Ho began bitterly complaining . He couldn¡¯t help but grin a little It must¡¯ve indeed been tough staring at the faces of the applicants the whole day . Although the number of hopefuls had been carefully filtered and trimmed down, didn¡¯t it still shoot past several hundred?. The kid might have been young, but he was doing his job as the Vice-Master of a Guild and the proxy of Jin-Woo admirably well ¡®Is this why the wise elders say you are your father¡¯s child?¡¯. Sure, his ¡®dongsaeng¡¯ might come across as a bit na?ve and dopey, but within Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s body flowed the blood of the natural-born business tycoon Chairman Yu Myung-Han And thanks to that, Jin-Woo could simply leave the running of the Guild to Yu Jin-Ho and freely pursue what he wanted to do ¡°Thanks . You worked hard . ¡±. ¨C ¡°No, not at all, hyung-nim . By the way, how are things on your side?¡±. ¡°Here?¡±. Jin-Woo looked behind him . The JSDF soldiers on standby sent him a signal as if the preparations had been completed . Seeing that, a smile floated back up on his lips ¡°Well, it¡¯s the same old story . I guess things could get delayed a bit here, so close up shop without me . ¡±. ¨C ¡°Got it, hyung-nim . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s polite goodbye signalled the end of the phone call An employee working for the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association hurriedly ran towards Jin-Woo and received the phone as well as his luggage . Having handed over his stuff for safekeeping, he slowly loosened his neck and shoulder muscles This state of heightened feelings he¡¯d get while lightly stretching his muscles before a raid always served to relax his mind As if to provide a conversation partner while Jin-Woo was stretching his body, or maybe he was just curious about something, the Japanese Association employee suddenly asked a question ¡°If you let the world know that you¡¯re busy closing the Gates being generated in the disaster areas, your fame would skyrocket even further, so if I may ask, why are you keeping it a secret?¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s reply to that was pretty simple . He finished his light stretching exercise and grinned brightly ¡°I like peace and quiet, you see . ¡±. Humility was one of the highest praised qualities in Japanese society Tears began welling up in the eyes of the Association employee as he took Jin-Woo¡¯s ¡°peace and quiet¡± answer as the latter being modest in his actions ¡°If you need anything, please let me know immediately! I shall absolutely do everything in my power to make it come true, even if that means I must die!!¡±. ¡­ . Well, this guy seemed to be clearly mistaken about something, but as long as the end result was good, all¡¯s well . Jin-Woo could only smile awkwardly and lightly patted the Japanese man on the shoulders before walking nearer to the Gate The JSDF soldiers stepped aside to create a path and saluted Jin-Woo This Gate was ranked at ¡®A¡¯ . Jin-Woo had been travelling from Korea and Japan every day to monopolise all the high-ranking Gates the Japanese couldn¡¯t handle by themselves He should thank the Japanese spy satellite that could detect magical energy, as well as his movement skill, ¡®Shadow Exchange¡¯, for this venture Jin-Woo stood before the Gate and looked up . Indeed, it was a pretty d*mn big thing that totally fit its rank A status He didn¡¯t need to spend a heap of cash trying to book high-ranking Gates here, and the Japanese government even promised to waiver all related taxes However, the financial side of the things was not the biggest merit for him ¨C no, it¡¯d be the fact that he got to monopolise every single high-ranked Gates appearing within the breadth of Japan, a large country that had lost the functionality of Guilds after the dungeon break disaster ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword . ¡¯. Shururuk¡­ ¡°Heok . ¡±. A young soldier witnessed a pair of shortswords suddenly materialising in Jin-Woo¡¯s hands and reflexively gasped out in surprise . And then, as if he got embarrassed by that outburst, he quickly bowed towards Jin-Woo He simply smirked as a reply and began walking towards the Gate ¡®Four days left until the International Guild Conference . ¡¯. Jin-Woo told himself that he couldn¡¯t afford to waste a single day and jumped straight into the Gate . Along with the mechanical beep, he was also greeted by the familiar voice in his ears Tti-ring [You have entered a dungeon . ]. ***. ¡°Will this be fine, sir?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol cautiously asked his question . The Association President Goh Gun-Hui showed no signs of agitation as he received a report ¡°Regarding?¡±. ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim¡­ . Recently, he has been frequently visiting Japan . ¡±. The Hunter¡¯s Association could use the Hunter-issue smartphones to trace the current whereabouts of individual Hunters . And they had been feeding disinformation to those asking for Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s whereabouts as ordered by the Association President Goh Gun-Hui ¡°What if Seong Hunter-nim decides to simply stay put in Japan¡­ . ¡±. South Korea would be losing the greatest Hunter ever while sucking on their thumbs doing nothing . This would be Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s worry in a nutshell For some reason, though, President Goh Gun-Hui didn¡¯t seem to be all that concerned regarding this event, even though he probably held the highest evaluation of Jin-Woo out of anyone alive That appearance certainly caused some amount of frustration in Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s heart Perhaps finding the anxiety-ridden expression of his younger subordinate a bit pitiable, Goh Gun-Hui chuckled gently and finally spoke up ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry . ¡±. ¡°By any chance, do you know something, sir?¡±. ¡°You see, he came to see me before he went over to Japan to hunt down those Giant-type monsters . ¡±. That sounded quite logical . After all, it was precisely the Association President Goh Gun-Hui who announced the story of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo planning to hunt those Giants to the world Goh Gun-Hui recalled the memories of that meeting ¡°I, of course, tried to dissuade him . I told him that, compared to the risk, he¡¯d be earning far too little from this venture . It wasn¡¯t as if he was promised a huge amount of cash like Yuri Orlov in the first place . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol nodded his head Jin-Woo demanded the rights to the corpses of the monsters and that was all . For the price of saving an entire country, that was far, far too small ¡®Of course, that didn¡¯t mean there was enough spare time to negotiate a deal with a country busy losing several cities in a day¡­ . ¡¯. One should say that the matters couldn¡¯t be helped back then The Association President should be protecting the Hunters of his own nation, so it was already an odd thing for him to let Hunter Seong go this easily ¡°But then, he told me this . ¡±. Goh Gun-Hui recalled the conversation back then and formed a deep grin . Woo Jin-Cheol couldn¡¯t win against his curiosity and asked back first ¡°What¡­ did he say?¡±. Goh Gun-Hui happily replied to that ¡°He said, he wanted the Ah-Jin Guild¡¯s territory to also include Japan . ¡±. ¡°Keo-heok!¡±. A shocked gasp jumped out from Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s mouth . Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s initial reaction after hearing that declaration from Jin-Woo himself wasn¡¯t all that different, either ¡°Japan¡¯s major Guilds lost most of their strength from the losses incurred on Jeju Island, as well as from the attacks of the Giants . He told me straight that his Ah-Jin Guild will fill the void left behind by them . ¡±. ¡°Huh-uh¡­ . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol couldn¡¯t shut his slack mouth Was it the young man¡¯s confidence or simply an excellent head on his shoulders that allowed him to think that far ahead, even before he got to hunt down a single Giant? Regardless of what it was, Jin-Woo still got to achieve his objective After all, wasn¡¯t this story something the Japanese would welcome with wide open arms?. ¡°After hearing that, how could I not permit him going there?¡±. While the major Guilds were busy bickering among themselves over the comparatively small territory of Seoul, he¡¯d go and make the entirety of Japan his own One of the qualifications to become a true Hunter was the talent to choose his own hunting spot . And as he even possessed the necessary power to handle whatever his prey turned out to be, one could definitely call Seong Jin-Woo as someone born to become a Hunter Goh Gun-Hui let the opinion stewing in his mind, as well as a sigh of admiration, escape from his mouth ¡°He sure is one incredible fellow . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . I agree wholeheartedly, sir . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol definitely agreed with that sentiment Putting aside the incredible power of travelling between Korea and Japan in an instant without the aid of an aeroplane, the fact that he also possessed enough abilities to make that nonsensical goal into reality, could only bring about a sigh of admiration from both men With excellent timing, the TV that was left switched on began showing the clip from Choi Jong-In¡¯s interview [¡°I am genuinely proud of the fact that Hunter Seong has been chosen to represent South Korea . ¡±]. The Association President Goh Gun-Hui leaned against the couch as a genuine chuckle left his mouth, and spoke back to Choi Jong-In on the screen ¡°I also think the same as you . ¡±. < Chapter 184 > Fin Chapter 185 Goh Gun-Hui switched the TV off . As it turned out, it was already nine in the evening, a bit too late to say that now¡¯s a good time to get off work for the day . However, it seemed that Woo Jin-Cheol still had something else to say . ¡°The Chinese have requested for information on Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡± ¡°Information? You mean, his personal information?¡± ¡°No, sir . It¡¯s not that . ¡± ¡°What do they want, then?¡± ¡°The requested information is Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim¡¯s raid records as well as any official reports related to them . ¡± That seemed about right; unless the Chinese were truly dumb, they probably knew they wouldn¡¯t be receiving any personal information of a rank S Hunter ¨C no, someone who may greatly exceed that category altogether . The question was, why were the Chinese showing their interest in Hunter Seong Jin-Woo at this belated stage? After all, they must¡¯ve heard his decision not to entertain any love calls or scouting offers from other countries, which included China . ¡°The one requesting the information wasn¡¯t the Chinese government, sir . ¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually from a single individual . ¡± ¡°An individual?¡± The Hunter¡¯s Association representing a country would never release information to any individual Hunters . But to think, this request was made by a person? Goh Gun-Hui thought it¡¯d be the obvious thing to refuse that request outright, so he was puzzled by the fact that the issue had been brought up at all . Woo Jin-Cheol quickly added some additional explanation . ¡°It seems that China¡¯s Seven Star-ranked Hunter, Liu Zhigeng, has taken interest in Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡± Liu Zhigeng! With the mentioning of that unexpected name, Goh Gun-Hui became somewhat lost for words . China didn¡¯t accept the global standard in ranking Hunters and used its own unique ranking system . The higher the number of ¡®stars¡¯ in front of your ranking, the better Hunter you were . And for them, ¡®Five Star¡¯ was the highest attainable rank . However, only one person was separated from that ranking system . Only Liu Zhigeng was ranked as the Seven Star . And rather obviously, the treatment he received was on another realm compared to the ordinary Five Stars . Of course, not one person was brave enough to raise a fuss regarding the fact that he, a well-known ¡®Special Authority-rank¡¯ Hunter, was receiving preferential treatment . He possessed abilities that deserved such recognition, and China herself respected that fact greatly as well . ¡®That Liu Zhigeng has taken an interest in Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?¡¯ The thirst of Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s curiosity was then quenched by Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s reply . ¡°Sir, didn¡¯t Liu Zhigeng fight the Giant-type monster? I¡¯m quite sure that¡¯s why he¡¯s interested in knowing more about Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, who had hunted down every other Giant . ¡± That sounded logical . Goh Gun-Hui nodded his head . Not too long ago, a single Giant-type monster escaped from Japan and swam towards China . And it had been reported that the creature was ably dealt with by Liu Zhigeng at the Chinese coastline . ¡°The truly strong can recognise another strong being, is that it?¡± Goh Gun-Hui formed a slightly mischievous grin . The American Hunter Bureau that invited the Ah-Jin Guild . And China¡¯s greatest Hunter Liu Zhigeng, beginning to show his interest in Jin-Woo . Both America and China had finally recognised the true worth of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . For someone like Goh Gun-Hui, who knew that man¡¯s true value from the very beginning, this development certainly made him feel rather good about himself . Even then¡­ ¡®Even then, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll hand over any information, just like that . ¡¯ Was there a need to advertise how excellent Korea¡¯s genius was to those craving after other people¡¯s geniuses? Sure, a Special Authority-rank Hunter would get quite annoyed by it, but so what? ¡®We have Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, after all . ¡¯ Goh Gun-Hui made up his mind and let out a genial, hearty chuckle . ¡°That request? Deny it, please . ¡± *** Dungeons had changed . That was Jin-Woo¡¯s overriding impression as he cleared all the high-ranked dungeons being generated throughout Japan . As he scanned the interior of this particular dungeon, his glare became even sharper than before . He could definitely sense the presence of monsters, but his eyes couldn¡¯t detect them . If his sensory perception or experience had been lacking somehow, this situation would¡¯ve been enough to cause some consternation . Fortunately, Jin-Woo lacked neither of those . ¡®Is it up, this time?¡¯ Jin-Woo stopped walking and raised his head up . Sure enough, some type of thick liquid dropped in the spot just a bit up ahead and began melting the ground . Chi-jiiiiek¡­ . . Thick smoke rose up from the ground as it melted down by what was clearly an acidic substance . Perhaps inevitably, the stink was rather atrocious, as well . Naturally, Jin-Woo¡¯s expression crumpled unsightly . When he showed no inclination to come forward anymore, the large blobs of something attached to the ceiling dropped down to the ground, instead . Thud, thud, plop¡­ . These blobs then began assuming humanoid shapes next . He was now confronted by a strange type of monster whose face was covered in a white mask, while the rest of its body was made up of blackish liquid . These bizarre creatures had never been seen before up until now . Twelve of them were blocking his path . Jin-Woo quietly called out the name of his old pal . ¡®Knight Killer . ¡¯ Then, a single dagger suddenly appeared in his hand . In the not too distant past, this guy used to be his main combat weapon alongside ¡®Baruka¡¯s Dagger¡¯, but it had been collecting dust in the corner of the Inventory after he got his hands on the pair of ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortswords¡¯ . However, he found a good place to use it for the first time in a while . Jin-Woo briefly felt nostalgic from the familiar grip, before throwing the ¡®Knight Killer¡¯ at one of the monsters approaching him . ¡®Dagger Rush!¡¯ Swiiiish-! The dagger flew in a straight line while issuing a hair-raising screech and landed directly in the chest of the monster . Unfortunately, it simply flew right through as if to mock his accuracy and stabbed deeply into the wall behind the creature . That wasn¡¯t all, either . The black liquid coated the dagger as it went through the body of the monster and began melting the weapon down . Chiii-eeek- Chiiieeek¡­ . The dagger soon turned soft and malleable in no time, before transforming into an unrecognisable substance and slid down from the wall . ¡®I thought as much . ¡¯ His expectation of regular physical attacks not working against this monster was on the money . It was then . The monsters didn¡¯t even give him enough time to eulogise the passing of his old comrade, ¡®Knight Killer¡¯, and pounced on him at the same time . They were surprisingly nimble, as well . However, Jin-Woo simply greeted them back with ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ . Ka-boom!! The monsters were attacked by the unseen hands and were immediately flung away all at the same time . Tumble! The bodies of the creatures were ripped to shreds as they tumbled back down to the ground, but then, they coagulated back again and returned to their previous state . ¡°Huh . ¡± Jin-Woo chuckled wryly at that gob-smacking level of regeneration . He was almost tempted to summon out his Shadow Soldiers and start a competition of who possessed better regenerative powers, but¡­ . ¡®¡­ . Be patient . ¡¯ Physical damage, whether it be tangible or not, didn¡¯t seem to work . So, then . What should he do next? Jin-Woo relaxedly dodged the outpouring of monsters¡¯ attacks and pondered this quandary for a bit, before realising that a particular creature among them was moving around unnaturally compared to the others . ¡®Mm?¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes narrowed to a slit . Now that he took a closer look, one of that particular creature¡¯s arms wasn¡¯t regenerated, and also, the corner of the white mask covering its face had been cracked to a noticeable degree . It must¡¯ve been broken off when the monster was flung away by the ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ earlier . ¡®Oh, so that was your weak point?¡¯ A smirk floated up on Jin-Woo¡¯s face . As long as he knew how to attack these things, killing them would be a piece of cake . Swish, swish! Jin-Woo continued to easily evade all the punches thrown desperately by the monsters and summoned out his current comrades . ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortswords . ¡¯ Once he got to tightly grasp the shortswords in each of his hands, cold glint flashed in his eyes . Crack! A monster powerlessly crumbled to the ground as the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword¡¯ stabbed its forehead . Plop . That was just the beginning . Jin-Woo moved as if he was performing a slick dance routine and in no time at all, destroyed the white masks of all the monsters present . Crack! Kwahck! And eventually¡­ Crack! The mask of the sole remaining monster was split in half . The creature reverted to being pure liquid and lost its overall shape as it crumbled to the floor . Easily taking care of all twelve of them, Jin-Woo returned the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortswords¡¯ back to his Inventory . If it wasn¡¯t him, but some other people finding themselves in this situation, what would¡¯ve happened? Without a doubt, several of them would¡¯ve met their end before someone finally figured out that regular attacks didn¡¯t work . And then, a few more would have been sacrificed until they figured out the monster¡¯s weakness . Or, even worse ¨C the whole raiding party could have lost their lives before finding out the weakness . Even if that party happened to be made up of elite Hunters . That was how strong, nimble, and dangerous these d*mn things were . Unfortunately, this was not his first time running into creatures this strong . ¡®For sure¡­ . dungeons have changed . ¡¯ On that day, after the King of Giants was killed by his hands, Mana Stones had disappeared from the dungeons appearing throughout the world . The ores that used to suck up most of the magical energy leaking out from the dungeon itself were now all gone and so, that magic energy with nowhere to go had all become part of the monsters, instead . Meaning, even if the ranking of a dungeon remained the same as in the past, the conditions had become far more dangerous . ¡®And on top of that, monsters as dangerous as these ones have begun showing up, too¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s frown grew deeper . If a run-of-the-mill raid party entered a high-ranked dungeon willy-nilly, then they would not be able to avoid running into a serious accident inside . As a matter of fact, he had been hearing some news of several ¡®accidents¡¯ happening from all over the world lately . He already assigned the protection of his family to Beru, as he was feeling anxious about these developments . If it was Beru, then he¡¯d be able to resolve most crises by himself even if a dungeon break happened nearby . ¡®But, then again¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t all necessarily a bad thing for the rate of Gate generation to go up, as well as the monsters in the dungeons to become stronger . At least, for Jin-Woo, that was . Because, it¡¯d be easier to raise his level this way . For instance, this dungeon was still full of monsters he hadn¡¯t disposed of yet . He could feel on his skin a large number of monsters hiding deeper in the dungeon while emitting overwhelming magical energy . A smile now floated up on Jin-Woo¡¯s face . ¡®Well, I¡¯m now familiar with how to deal with these strange monsters . I guess it¡¯s time to start the hunt properly, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ The warm-up exercises were now over . And the proper subjugation was about to begin . ¡°Come out . ¡± Shururuk¡­ . The Shadow Soldiers stopped hiding in Jin-Woo¡¯s shadow and appeared behind him in full force . He told them how to deal with the monsters, so they shouldn¡¯t be experiencing any difficulty in dealing with the enemy . Jin-Woo sent out the signal with his eyes . Igrit was now entrusted with the command of the entire army, since Beru had become the guard dog protecting his home, instead . The black knight issued the order for the troops to advance . Dududududu-!! The entirety of the huge cavern began rocking loudly from the marching footsteps of the Shadow Soldiers . *** The world¡¯s best Hunters began landing on US soil one by one before the International Guild Conference began . Among them were, of course, the Special Authority-rank Hunters . However, Thomas Andre¡¯s interest was solely fixated on one single person . ¡®Tomorrow¡¯s the day Seong Jin-Woo enters the US¡­ . ¡¯ He had confirmed Jin-Woo¡¯s arrival schedule earlier, and on the day before that fateful date, he summoned Hwang Dong-Su into his office . ¡°Did you call for me, sir?¡± Hwang Dong-Su cautiously studied Thomas Andre¡¯s atmosphere . It had been a few years since he started working in the Scavenger Guild, but even now, he found it rather difficult to speak to its Master . Because, that man wielded incredible strength, was cursed with a hard-to-fathom personality, and finally, was even beset with an extreme case of possessiveness, as well . Hwang Dong-Su might be a rank S Hunter, but before Thomas Andre, he became an utterly insignificant being . ¡°Mister Hwang . ¡± Thomas Andre went to the main topic right away . ¡°Do not ever provoke Seong Jin-Woo . ¡± Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s eyes grew larger . He formed an expression that seemed to ask ¡®How did you know¡¯ before his gaze drifted towards Laura, standing behind Thomas Andre . She simply responded with her eyes that said, she only did what she had to do . ¡°Che . ¡± Hwang Dong-Su let a dissatisfied grunt escape from his mouth . Meanwhile, Thomas Andre continued on . ¡°I know about your brother and Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . I¡¯m sure you feel suspicious of some things, and also want to know what happened back then . ¡± Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s older brother, Hwang Dong-Seok had entered a dungeon along with Seong Jin-Woo, only to go ¡®missing¡¯ and never came back out . The eight fixed members of Hwang Dong-Seok¡¯s raid party were all dead, yet the two people who walked out from that dungeon alive had formed a Guild together . So, quite obviously, he had plenty of things to ask Seong Jin-Woo . Naturally, his dissatisfaction seeped into his expression . ¡°But¡­ . ¡± Before he could properly say something, though, Thomas Andre raised his finger up and waved it around . His lips below the sunglasses arched up . He was actually smiling . ¡°I don¡¯t remember giving you permission to speak, Mister Hwang?¡± Keep your mouth shut and just listen ¨C that was the message of a clear threat . There wouldn¡¯t be all that many people capable of issuing a true warning to a top-ranked Hunter in this world . One of them just so happened to be Thomas Andre . Hwang Dong-Su was well aware of the gap between himself and his boss, so he obediently kept his mouth shut . Thomas emphasized his point again . ¡°Do not ever provoke Seong Jin-Woo . During the duration of the Guild Conference, take some time off and relax at the Guild¡¯s getaway villa in the countryside . So, how about it? Are you willing to humour my earnest plea?¡± ¡°¡­ . . ¡± ¡°Mister Hwang?¡± Hwang Dong-Su nodded his head, unable to hold out any longer . ¡°¡­ . . I shall do as you say . ¡± ¡°Good to hear . You can go now . ¡± Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s expression stiffened hard as he quickly made his escape from the Guild Master¡¯s office . Meanwhile, Laura asked her boss in a worried voice . ¡°Will this be enough, sir?¡± Thomas Andre¡¯s own expression had hardened as well as he shook his head . ¡°No . ¡± He definitely read the signs of ill intent flickering within Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s expression just now . That fool still couldn¡¯t let go of this matter, it seemed . ¡°Laura?¡± ¡°Yes, sir . ¡± ¡°Until Seong Jin-Woo leaves US soil, place Mister Hwang under strict surveillance . ¡± ¡°Will he¡­ . take that lying down?¡± Although he had been suppressed by the aura of Thomas Andre, Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s original personality was as stubborn as it could get, as well . However, Thomas wasn¡¯t worried . No, rather, he knew that this matter wasn¡¯t simple enough to sweat over something as minor as Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s disgruntlement . Thomas Andre scratched his chin before making a nonchalant reply . ¡°Well¡­ being frustrated should be better than being dead, right?¡± Sponsored Content Chapter 185: Chapter 185 Goh Gun-Hui switched the TV off . As it turned out, it was already nine in the evening, a bit too late to say that now¡¯s a good time to get off work for the day . However, it seemed that Woo Jin-Cheol still had something else to say ¡°The Chinese have requested for information on Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡±. ¡°Information? You mean, his personal information?¡±. ¡°No, sir . It¡¯s not that . ¡±. ¡°What do they want, then?¡±. ¡°The requested information is Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim¡¯s raid records as well as any official reports related to them . ¡±. That seemed about right; unless the Chinese were truly dumb, they probably knew they wouldn¡¯t be receiving any personal information of a rank S Hunter ¨C no, someone who may greatly exceed that category altogether The question was, why were the Chinese showing their interest in Hunter Seong Jin-Woo at this belated stage? After all, they must¡¯ve heard his decision not to entertain any love calls or scouting offers from other countries, which included China ¡°The one requesting the information wasn¡¯t the Chinese government, sir . ¡±. ¡°Really?¡±. ¡°It¡¯s actually from a single individual . ¡±. ¡°An individual?¡±. The Hunter¡¯s Association representing a country would never release information to any individual Hunters . But to think, this request was made by a person?. Goh Gun-Hui thought it¡¯d be the obvious thing to refuse that request outright, so he was puzzled by the fact that the issue had been brought up at all . Woo Jin-Cheol quickly added some additional explanation ¡°It seems that China¡¯s Seven Star-ranked Hunter, Liu Zhigeng, has taken interest in Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡±. Liu Zhigeng!. With the mentioning of that unexpected name, Goh Gun-Hui became somewhat lost for words China didn¡¯t accept the global standard in ranking Hunters and used its own unique ranking system . The higher the number of ¡®stars¡¯ in front of your ranking, the better Hunter you were . And for them, ¡®Five Star¡¯ was the highest attainable rank However, only one person was separated from that ranking system . Only Liu Zhigeng was ranked as the Seven Star . And rather obviously, the treatment he received was on another realm compared to the ordinary Five Stars Of course, not one person was brave enough to raise a fuss regarding the fact that he, a well-known ¡®Special Authority-rank¡¯ Hunter, was receiving preferential treatment He possessed abilities that deserved such recognition, and China herself respected that fact greatly as well ¡®That Liu Zhigeng has taken an interest in Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?¡¯. The thirst of Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s curiosity was then quenched by Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s reply ¡°Sir, didn¡¯t Liu Zhigeng fight the Giant-type monster? I¡¯m quite sure that¡¯s why he¡¯s interested in knowing more about Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, who had hunted down every other Giant . ¡±. That sounded logical . Goh Gun-Hui nodded his head Not too long ago, a single Giant-type monster escaped from Japan and swam towards China . And it had been reported that the creature was ably dealt with by Liu Zhigeng at the Chinese coastline ¡°The truly strong can recognise another strong being, is that it?¡±. Goh Gun-Hui formed a slightly mischievous grin The American Hunter Bureau that invited the Ah-Jin Guild . And China¡¯s greatest Hunter Liu Zhigeng, beginning to show his interest in Jin-Woo Both America and China had finally recognised the true worth of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . For someone like Goh Gun-Hui, who knew that man¡¯s true value from the very beginning, this development certainly made him feel rather good about himself Even then¡­. ¡®Even then, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll hand over any information, just like that . ¡¯. Was there a need to advertise how excellent Korea¡¯s genius was to those craving after other people¡¯s geniuses?. Sure, a Special Authority-rank Hunter would get quite annoyed by it, but so what?. ¡®We have Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, after all . ¡¯. Goh Gun-Hui made up his mind and let out a genial, hearty chuckle ¡°That request? Deny it, please . ¡±. ***. Dungeons had changed That was Jin-Woo¡¯s overriding impression as he cleared all the high-ranked dungeons being generated throughout Japan As he scanned the interior of this particular dungeon, his glare became even sharper than before . He could definitely sense the presence of monsters, but his eyes couldn¡¯t detect them If his sensory perception or experience had been lacking somehow, this situation would¡¯ve been enough to cause some consternation . Fortunately, Jin-Woo lacked neither of those ¡®Is it up, this time?¡¯. Jin-Woo stopped walking and raised his head up . Sure enough, some type of thick liquid dropped in the spot just a bit up ahead and began melting the ground Chi-jiiiiek¡­ . Thick smoke rose up from the ground as it melted down by what was clearly an acidic substance . Perhaps inevitably, the stink was rather atrocious, as well Naturally, Jin-Woo¡¯s expression crumpled unsightly When he showed no inclination to come forward anymore, the large blobs of something attached to the ceiling dropped down to the ground, instead Thud, thud, plop¡­ These blobs then began assuming humanoid shapes next He was now confronted by a strange type of monster whose face was covered in a white mask, while the rest of its body was made up of blackish liquid . These bizarre creatures had never been seen before up until now Twelve of them were blocking his path . Jin-Woo quietly called out the name of his old pal ¡®Knight Killer . ¡¯. Then, a single dagger suddenly appeared in his hand In the not too distant past, this guy used to be his main combat weapon alongside ¡®Baruka¡¯s Dagger¡¯, but it had been collecting dust in the corner of the Inventory after he got his hands on the pair of ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortswords¡¯ However, he found a good place to use it for the first time in a while . Jin-Woo briefly felt nostalgic from the familiar grip, before throwing the ¡®Knight Killer¡¯ at one of the monsters approaching him ¡®Dagger Rush!¡¯. Swiiiish-!. The dagger flew in a straight line while issuing a hair-raising screech and landed directly in the chest of the monster . Unfortunately, it simply flew right through as if to mock his accuracy and stabbed deeply into the wall behind the creature That wasn¡¯t all, either The black liquid coated the dagger as it went through the body of the monster and began melting the weapon down Chiii-eeek- Chiiieeek¡­ The dagger soon turned soft and malleable in no time, before transforming into an unrecognisable substance and slid down from the wall ¡®I thought as much . ¡¯. His expectation of regular physical attacks not working against this monster was on the money It was then . The monsters didn¡¯t even give him enough time to eulogise the passing of his old comrade, ¡®Knight Killer¡¯, and pounced on him at the same time . They were surprisingly nimble, as well However, Jin-Woo simply greeted them back with ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ Ka-boom!!. The monsters were attacked by the unseen hands and were immediately flung away all at the same time Tumble!. The bodies of the creatures were ripped to shreds as they tumbled back down to the ground, but then, they coagulated back again and returned to their previous state ¡°Huh . ¡±. Jin-Woo chuckled wryly at that gob-smacking level of regeneration . He was almost tempted to summon out his Shadow Soldiers and start a competition of who possessed better regenerative powers, but¡­ ¡®¡­ . Be patient . ¡¯. Physical damage, whether it be tangible or not, didn¡¯t seem to work . So, then . What should he do next?. Jin-Woo relaxedly dodged the outpouring of monsters¡¯ attacks and pondered this quandary for a bit, before realising that a particular creature among them was moving around unnaturally compared to the others ¡®Mm?¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes narrowed to a slit Now that he took a closer look, one of that particular creature¡¯s arms wasn¡¯t regenerated, and also, the corner of the white mask covering its face had been cracked to a noticeable degree . It must¡¯ve been broken off when the monster was flung away by the ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ earlier ¡®Oh, so that was your weak point?¡¯. A smirk floated up on Jin-Woo¡¯s face . As long as he knew how to attack these things, killing them would be a piece of cake Swish, swish!. Jin-Woo continued to easily evade all the punches thrown desperately by the monsters and summoned out his current comrades ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortswords . ¡¯. Once he got to tightly grasp the shortswords in each of his hands, cold glint flashed in his eyes Crack!. A monster powerlessly crumbled to the ground as the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword¡¯ stabbed its forehead Plop That was just the beginning . Jin-Woo moved as if he was performing a slick dance routine and in no time at all, destroyed the white masks of all the monsters present Crack!. Kwahck!. And eventually¡­. Crack!. The mask of the sole remaining monster was split in half . The creature reverted to being pure liquid and lost its overall shape as it crumbled to the floor Easily taking care of all twelve of them, Jin-Woo returned the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortswords¡¯ back to his Inventory If it wasn¡¯t him, but some other people finding themselves in this situation, what would¡¯ve happened?. Without a doubt, several of them would¡¯ve met their end before someone finally figured out that regular attacks didn¡¯t work . And then, a few more would have been sacrificed until they figured out the monster¡¯s weakness Or, even worse ¨C the whole raiding party could have lost their lives before finding out the weakness . Even if that party happened to be made up of elite Hunters That was how strong, nimble, and dangerous these d*mn things were . Unfortunately, this was not his first time running into creatures this strong ¡®For sure¡­ . dungeons have changed . ¡¯. On that day, after the King of Giants was killed by his hands, Mana Stones had disappeared from the dungeons appearing throughout the world The ores that used to suck up most of the magical energy leaking out from the dungeon itself were now all gone and so, that magic energy with nowhere to go had all become part of the monsters, instead Meaning, even if the ranking of a dungeon remained the same as in the past, the conditions had become far more dangerous ¡®And on top of that, monsters as dangerous as these ones have begun showing up, too¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s frown grew deeper If a run-of-the-mill raid party entered a high-ranked dungeon willy-nilly, then they would not be able to avoid running into a serious accident inside As a matter of fact, he had been hearing some news of several ¡®accidents¡¯ happening from all over the world lately . He already assigned the protection of his family to Beru, as he was feeling anxious about these developments If it was Beru, then he¡¯d be able to resolve most crises by himself even if a dungeon break happened nearby ¡®But, then again¡­¡¯. It wasn¡¯t all necessarily a bad thing for the rate of Gate generation to go up, as well as the monsters in the dungeons to become stronger . At least, for Jin-Woo, that was Because, it¡¯d be easier to raise his level this way . For instance, this dungeon was still full of monsters he hadn¡¯t disposed of yet . He could feel on his skin a large number of monsters hiding deeper in the dungeon while emitting overwhelming magical energy A smile now floated up on Jin-Woo¡¯s face ¡®Well, I¡¯m now familiar with how to deal with these strange monsters . I guess it¡¯s time to start the hunt properly, isn¡¯t it?¡¯. The warm-up exercises were now over . And the proper subjugation was about to begin ¡°Come out . ¡±. Shururuk¡­ The Shadow Soldiers stopped hiding in Jin-Woo¡¯s shadow and appeared behind him in full force . He told them how to deal with the monsters, so they shouldn¡¯t be experiencing any difficulty in dealing with the enemy Jin-Woo sent out the signal with his eyes . Igrit was now entrusted with the command of the entire army, since Beru had become the guard dog protecting his home, instead . The black knight issued the order for the troops to advance Dududududu-!!. The entirety of the huge cavern began rocking loudly from the marching footsteps of the Shadow Soldiers ***. The world¡¯s best Hunters began landing on US soil one by one before the International Guild Conference began . Among them were, of course, the Special Authority-rank Hunters However, Thomas Andre¡¯s interest was solely fixated on one single person ¡®Tomorrow¡¯s the day Seong Jin-Woo enters the US¡­ . ¡¯. He had confirmed Jin-Woo¡¯s arrival schedule earlier, and on the day before that fateful date, he summoned Hwang Dong-Su into his office ¡°Did you call for me, sir?¡±. Hwang Dong-Su cautiously studied Thomas Andre¡¯s atmosphere . It had been a few years since he started working in the Scavenger Guild, but even now, he found it rather difficult to speak to its Master Because, that man wielded incredible strength, was cursed with a hard-to-fathom personality, and finally, was even beset with an extreme case of possessiveness, as well Hwang Dong-Su might be a rank S Hunter, but before Thomas Andre, he became an utterly insignificant being ¡°Mister Hwang . ¡±. Thomas Andre went to the main topic right away ¡°Do not ever provoke Seong Jin-Woo . ¡±. Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s eyes grew larger . He formed an expression that seemed to ask ¡®How did you know¡¯ before his gaze drifted towards Laura, standing behind Thomas Andre She simply responded with her eyes that said, she only did what she had to do ¡°Che . ¡±. Hwang Dong-Su let a dissatisfied grunt escape from his mouth . Meanwhile, Thomas Andre continued on ¡°I know about your brother and Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . I¡¯m sure you feel suspicious of some things, and also want to know what happened back then . ¡±. Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s older brother, Hwang Dong-Seok had entered a dungeon along with Seong Jin-Woo, only to go ¡®missing¡¯ and never came back out The eight fixed members of Hwang Dong-Seok¡¯s raid party were all dead, yet the two people who walked out from that dungeon alive had formed a Guild together So, quite obviously, he had plenty of things to ask Seong Jin-Woo . Naturally, his dissatisfaction seeped into his expression ¡°But¡­ . ¡±. Before he could properly say something, though, Thomas Andre raised his finger up and waved it around . His lips below the sunglasses arched up . He was actually smiling ¡°I don¡¯t remember giving you permission to speak, Mister Hwang?¡±. Keep your mouth shut and just listen ¨C that was the message of a clear threat There wouldn¡¯t be all that many people capable of issuing a true warning to a top-ranked Hunter in this world . One of them just so happened to be Thomas Andre Hwang Dong-Su was well aware of the gap between himself and his boss, so he obediently kept his mouth shut Thomas emphasized his point again ¡°Do not ever provoke Seong Jin-Woo . During the duration of the Guild Conference, take some time off and relax at the Guild¡¯s getaway villa in the countryside . So, how about it? Are you willing to humour my earnest plea?¡±. ¡°¡­ ¡±. ¡°Mister Hwang?¡±. Hwang Dong-Su nodded his head, unable to hold out any longer ¡°¡­ I shall do as you say . ¡±. ¡°Good to hear . You can go now . ¡±. Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s expression stiffened hard as he quickly made his escape from the Guild Master¡¯s office . Meanwhile, Laura asked her boss in a worried voice ¡°Will this be enough, sir?¡±. Thomas Andre¡¯s own expression had hardened as well as he shook his head ¡°No . ¡±. He definitely read the signs of ill intent flickering within Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s expression just now . That fool still couldn¡¯t let go of this matter, it seemed ¡°Laura?¡±. ¡°Yes, sir . ¡±. ¡°Until Seong Jin-Woo leaves US soil, place Mister Hwang under strict surveillance . ¡±. ¡°Will he¡­ . take that lying down?¡±. Although he had been suppressed by the aura of Thomas Andre, Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s original personality was as stubborn as it could get, as well However, Thomas wasn¡¯t worried . No, rather, he knew that this matter wasn¡¯t simple enough to sweat over something as minor as Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s disgruntlement Thomas Andre scratched his chin before making a nonchalant reply ¡°Well¡­ being frustrated should be better than being dead, right?¡±. Chapter 186 ¡°Why are there so many reporters here?¡± Germany¡¯s best Hunter, Lennart Niermann, set foot inside the American airport after disembarking from his plane . He immediately let a surprised gasp escape from his mouth from the view greeting him . As befitting the Master of the ¡®Richter¡¯ Guild representing Germany, he got to attend the International Guild Conference every single year, but even then, he had never seen this many reporters camping out in the airport before . As he stood there in shock, the Vice-Master of the Richter Guild tried to solve the riddle for him . ¡°Well, that Korean Hunter everyone¡¯s been talking about is scheduled to arrive today . ¡± ¡°Aha . ¡± Lennart understood it right away . Even if you were a rank S Hunter, it was incredibly difficult to resolve a dungeon break from a rank S Gate . And, what if the creatures popping out from that rank S dungeon just so happened to be Giant-type monsters? The Hunter capable of solo-clearing a dungeon break that no one else wanted any part of, was about to step on the U . S . soil for the first time in his life . So, how could the mass media remain silent on this momentous occasion? Perhaps he too got infected by the enthusiasm from all the reporters here, as even Lennart himself grew interested in this matter now . ¡®So, he¡¯s coming today?¡¯ With excellent timing, the passengers of the plane inbound from South Korea began pouring out into the airport . The Vice-Master pointed to the side over yonder . ¡°Ah! There he is!¡± The Vice-Master was also a rank S Hunter . He may not be as good as Lennart, his boss, but still, his perception was capable enough to easily suss out Jin-Woo¡¯s face among the crowd of people . Lennart Niermann¡¯s eyes gleamed brightly just then . ¡°Should we go and say hi?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got nothing to lose by being acquaintances with a strong Hunter, right?¡± ¡°Well, yes . That¡¯s true . ¡± The Vice-Master agreed with that idea . The personal connections built up in such a manner would prove to be rather beneficial if an event requiring international cooperation or the aid of another Guild happened in the future . This was, in essence, what the whole International Guild Conference was originally conceived for, where the best Hunters from the world were asked to come and exchange pointers, as it were . Especially when it was quite difficult for these Hunters to actually meet one another like this . Lennart tidied his attire and approached Jin-Woo¡¯s travelling group . No, he tried to . However, he came to an abrupt halt after taking only a couple of steps . Even his complexion was gradually paling, too . The Vice-Master ended up walking a step ahead because of his boss¡¯s sudden stop . He turned around and asked in confusion . ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to speak to him?¡± Lennart¡¯s expression hardened instantly as he replied . ¡°That¡­ can¡¯t you see that??¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± It seemed that the Vice-Master could not see it at all . However, Lennart was one of the very best Hunters in the entire world and he could clearly sense it . He muttered to himself in complete disbelief . ¡°Instead of summoning his creatures from some other dimension, he¡¯s been going around with them all this time?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± What was he even talking about? The Vice-Master was taken aback with surprise from Lennart¡¯s reaction and quickly took a look in the direction Jin-Woo was walking in from . But, let alone a single summon, he couldn¡¯t even spot a hair of the summoned creature anywhere near the Korean man . ¡°He¡¯s with his summons?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! So many of them, too!¡± Lennart could pick up on the presence of the Shadow Soldiers hiding within Jin-Woo¡¯s shadow . One hundred . Two hundred . Three¡­ No, could he even finish counting them all? He hurriedly swallowed his saliva . ¡®From that number alone, I¡¯d have believed it if someone told me that man came here to wage war against America . ¡¯ He stood there shivering while thinking that, if he were tasked with the role of inviting people over to his nation, he¡¯d never, ever invite someone like ¡®that¡¯ . There could be one of two reasons . Either the American Hunter Bureau had no clue the true depths of that Korean Hunter¡¯s power, or they were completely sure that such a power would never be used against them . The incredible pressure Jin-Woo emanated grew stronger and stronger as he got nearer the German Hunter . Such a sensation could only be felt from those Hunters labelled Special Authority-rank, such as Thomas Andre or Christopher Reid . ¡®¡­¡­ . . ¡¯ Lennart¡¯s head faltered lower even before he realised it just as Jin-Woo walked right past by him . He simply didn¡¯t have enough courage to meet that man¡¯s eyes at all . His instincts had dictated his actions . After Jin-Woo¡¯s group had completely walked past them, the Vice-Master shot a quizzical look at his boss acting strangely and asked a question of concern . ¡°Master? Are you feeling unwell somehow? Your complexion¡­ . ¡± ¡°N-no¡­ it¡¯s not that . ¡± Lennart Niermann wiped the cold sweat off his brows . You could only see as much as you know; being able to decipher the gap between yourself and the opponent was also a part of one¡¯s abilities . But, at least right in this moment, he felt quite envious of his Vice-Master, or for that matter, the throng of reporters, who weren¡¯t scared off by the presence of a truly, nonsensically powerful Hunter . *** Jin-Woo tilted his head this way and that, prompting Yu Jin-Ho to take a look behind him and ask . ¡°Did you spot someone you know, hyung-nim?¡± ¡°No . It¡¯s just that, some foreigner was looking at me over and over again . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho chuckled as if such a thing was nothing to fret about . ¡°Hyung-nim, your stories have spread out far and wide to the rest of the world, so surely, you must have lots of fans by now . Maybe he wanted your autograph, hyung-nim . ¡± Well, that guy seemed to be too exceptional a Hunter for someone ¡®hunting¡¯ around for autographs, though . Jin-Woo smirked and continued on with his steps . Beside himself and Yu Jin-Ho, two more people were accompanying them during this overseas trip ¨C Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol coming along as the show of support from the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association, as well as a female Association employee tagging along as an interpreter . ¡°Uh! There he is!!¡± ¡°It¡¯s Seong Jin-Woo!¡± The reporters finally discovered Jin-Woo and his gang . Click, click, click, click, click, click, click-!! Bright flashes of light exploded from the cameras wielded by the throng of reporters . Woo Jin-Cheol quickly yanked out his sunglasses from his inner pocket and put them on, before scanning the crowd with a pair of very sharp eyes . Seeing how tense he was, Yu Jin-Ho decided that now would be a good time to ask him . ¡°Now that I think about it some more¡­ . Why are you even here, Chief Woo?¡± Without a doubt, the Chief of a department located in the Seoul branch of the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association was not exactly what you¡¯d call an ordinary job . It was pretty much the same thing as you being responsible for an entire department . Sure, Yu Jin-Ho felt grateful that the Association helped them out with an interpreter situation . His question, though, was with why someone as important as Woo Jin-Cheol would be accompanying them like this . Woo Jin-Cheol briefly studied Jin-Woo¡¯s reactions and replied, his face reddening slightly . ¡°I am tasked with¡­ providing security to Seong Hunter-nim . ¡± He worked up lots of courage to make that reply, but regretfully, his words were drowned out by the noise within the airport itself and couldn¡¯t reach Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s ears . So, the latter cupped his ear and asked again . ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°¡­ . Bodyguard¡­ . of him¡­ . ¡± ¡°Who did you say you¡¯re guarding now?¡± Jin-Woo could see that even Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s ears were getting red now . So, he wrapped his arm around Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s shoulders and put an end to that conversation . ¡°Hyung-nim?¡± Jin-Woo pointed with his chin to a rather familiar face over yonder . ¡°Over there . Looks like they are here to escort us . ¡± Adam White was standing near the entrance of the airport sporting a cool business suit with his blonde hair slicked back, his face full of a bright, welcoming smile . As if to prove that Jin-Woo¡¯s guess was correct, the American agent quickly made his way over to the group . The two burly guys following after him were the same men from the plane back then . These two met Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze and quickly lowered their heads in apparent embarrassment almost simultaneously . It seemed that they ended up remembering the time inside the plane when they tried to protect Adam White by attacking Jin-Woo, having completely forgotten about the differences in their strengths . And well, they were carrying expressions of someone who might really ask for some autographs given half a chance . Jin-Woo hurriedly swallowed back his laughter . He greeted the two burly guys with a simple nod and grasped the extended hand of Adam White . The American agent spoke with a cheery voice . ¡°We were waiting for your arrival, Seong Hunter-nim . ¡± ¡°I seem to remember hearing that you were responsible for the Asia branch of the Bureau . Was I wrong, Mister White?¡± ¡°Ahaha . ¡± Adam White scratched the back of his head and continued on . ¡°I was, until recently . Now, I¡¯m responsible for matters involving you, Seong Hunter-nim . ¡± Adam White used his good-natured smile to greet the others and guided Jin-Woo¡¯s group outside the airport . ¡°Let¡¯s get going, shall we? We have cars waiting for us outside . ¡± There were two vehicles prepared for them . The two Korean Association people were guided to the vehicle in the back, while Yu Jin-Ho naturally headed towards the car in front . However, Adam White blocked his path . ¡°¡­ . ??¡± Jin-Woo and Yu Jin-Ho both were puzzled by this . Adam White spoke in a serious tone of voice . ¡°Excluding Seong Hunter-nim, the remainder of your group will be guided to your hotel . ¡± Adam White then shifted his gaze over to Jin-Woo . ¡°And, do you mind accompanying us to a different location for a little while, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?¡± Was this about his father? Jin-Woo¡¯s glare became icy cold in an instant . Adam White must¡¯ve felt the temperature suddenly drop, because he quickly waved his hand around . ¡°It¡¯s definitely a story that¡¯ll benefit you, Seong Hunter-nim . Haven¡¯t we already clarified what the Hunter Bureau¡¯s opinion regarding you is?¡± They wanted to maintain a good relationship with him . That¡¯s what he said in the past . They did try to help him out, and even now, Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t sense any malice from the other party . If they were thinking of doing something dodgy, then his ultra-sharp Perception Stat would definitely catch onto that . Didn¡¯t he discover the loophole in the proposed alliance with the King of Giants that way? Jin-Woo calmly asked his question . ¡°Are the topics we¡¯ll be discussing a secret?¡± Adam White glanced at Yu Jin-Ho watching and listening to this conversation with bated breath and formed a somewhat awkward smile . ¡°A few topics to be discussed indeed fall under the ¡®top secret¡¯ category, yes . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho heard that and backed off without complaining . ¡°Hyung-nim? I¡¯ll see you later at the hotel . ¡± ¡°Alright . ¡± Jin-Woo confirmed that Yu Jin-Ho had entered the waiting vehicle in the back, and climbed into the car in front along with Adam White . The driver didn¡¯t need any other commands and he got the vehicle moving as soon as Jin-Woo settled down on his seat . As if their destination was not the same, the two vehicles went off on different directions from the word go . Before long, the other car couldn¡¯t even be seen anymore . Deciding that he had been waiting long enough, Jin-Woo began asking his questions . ¡°So, where are we going now?¡± ¡°We¡¯re heading straight to the Hunter Bureau¡¯s HQ . ¡± The Hunter Bureau? Everyone knew that the International Guild Conference would be held at a rented venue near the hotel . So, that could only mean that this car had a different purpose than the Conference itself . Jin-Woo asked again . ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine to tell me already?¡± Adam White pressed a certain button inside the vehicle as if he was waiting for this moment . Click . When he did¡­ . Shuwiik¡­ . A clear pane of window rose up behind the two front seats and proceeded to completely separate the front and rear cabin . And just above the clear window, the English word ¡®Soundproofed¡¯ appeared as a hologram and blinked constantly . The words were actually floating in thin air . When Jin-Woo didn¡¯t display much of a reaction from that hologram message, Adam White felt incredibly awkward and sheepishly asked a question . ¡°This is the latest available technology, but¡­ You aren¡¯t surprised?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been seeing something similar every day, so¡­ . ¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± Adam White must¡¯ve been looking forward to this moment because he instantly began pouting ever-so-slightly in disappointment . Soon, though, his original smile popped back up again on his face . ¡°Please hold on for a second . ¡± Knock, knock . He leaned forward to knock on the divider to confirm before picking up on the conversation where they left off . ¡°In all honesty, we¡¯re currently under serious pressure at the moment . ¡± One of the two American citizenship-carrying Special Authority-rank Hunters had been met with an untimely, grisly death ¨C Christopher Reid . The American Hunter Bureau had been hurting far greater than Jin-Woo could ever imagine . ¡°Christopher Reid Hunter-nim was one of the pillars of the United States¡¯ strongest combat potential . Because of this, the Hunter Bureau has become even more desperate to fill the void in our fighting power . For now, things are calm on the surface because we haven¡¯t publicly announced the murder of Christopher Reid yet . But soon, we¡¯ll start the process of securing other Hunters who can substitute for him . And spare no efforts in doing so . ¡± ¡°Am I one of the candidates you¡¯re thinking of?¡± Adam White nodded his head . Jin-Woo liked the fact the other party was being open and honest here . Of course, that didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d entertain the once-refused offer one more time . He displayed a rather uninterested reaction . ¡°I thought that part of the conversation has concluded for good?¡± ¡°Yes, of course . ¡± However, the light in Adam White¡¯s eyes showed that it was far from over . In fact, he pulled his mobile phone out and began showing Jin-Woo several of the stored images on it . ¡°This is a completely different offer, however . ¡± In the photos, there was¡­ The worst calamity in the history of mankind . The raid that no one wished to remember in history . The Dragon, ¡®Kamish¡¯ . Indeed, these photos documented the process of the raid of the first and the last Dragon ever to appear on this planet . The world¡¯s best Hunters had gathered and fought a battle to their death, and only five managed to survive until the end . Those survivors were now referred to as the Special Authority-rank . Adam White stopped flipping through the photos . The photo he stopped at showed several first-class Mage-type Hunters extracting a Rune Stone from the corpse of Kamish . ¡°As you know, the value of a Rune Stone is proportional to the power of the monster the stone was extracted from . ¡± He tapped on his phone¡¯s screen one more time to bring up the next photo . And it showed a Rune Stone sleeping quietly inside a glass case surrounded by layers upon layers of walls and security . It was none other than Kamish¡¯s Rune Stone . Rather obviously, that was an item where its value couldn¡¯t even be imagined in monetary terms, never mind getting one¡¯s hands on it, regardless of the price one was willing to pay . It might possess possibly the greatest skill ever to exist! ¡°We¡¯re currently searching for a new owner of this Rune Stone . ¡± Magic energy, skills, or even magic ¨C Adam White didn¡¯t possess any of those, yet even he felt his heart palpitate when he saw that Rune Stone . He was already feeling this excited, so how would Hunter Seong Jin-Woo feel when he was a Mage-type, to begin with? Adam White sneaked a glance at Jin-Woo¡¯s direction . Sure enough, the tense expression was clearly visible on Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s face . He was someone who didn¡¯t even blink an eye when the latest technology the American Hunter Bureau possessed was displayed before him, but now¡­ ¡®We did it!¡¯ Adam White clenched his fists tightly . But then, Jin-Woo¡¯s demand proved to be somewhat off his expectation . ¡°The photo¡­ can you go back, please?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I want to see the photos before this one . ¡± Adam White tilted his head slightly, but still, he scrolled back to the previous photos as per Jin-Woo¡¯s request . ¡°Right there . ¡± Adam White¡¯s flipping hands came to a stop over a certain photo . Jin-Woo pointed to the corner of this particular image and spoke in a low, hushed voice . ¡°Where is this?¡± Sponsored Content Chapter 186: Chapter 186 ¡°Why are there so many reporters here?¡±. Germany¡¯s best Hunter, Lennart Niermann, set foot inside the American airport after disembarking from his plane . He immediately let a surprised gasp escape from his mouth from the view greeting him As befitting the Master of the ¡®Richter¡¯ Guild representing Germany, he got to attend the International Guild Conference every single year, but even then, he had never seen this many reporters camping out in the airport before As he stood there in shock, the Vice-Master of the Richter Guild tried to solve the riddle for him ¡°Well, that Korean Hunter everyone¡¯s been talking about is scheduled to arrive today . ¡±. ¡°Aha . ¡±. Lennart understood it right away Even if you were a rank S Hunter, it was incredibly difficult to resolve a dungeon break from a rank S Gate . And, what if the creatures popping out from that rank S dungeon just so happened to be Giant-type monsters?. The Hunter capable of solo-clearing a dungeon break that no one else wanted any part of, was about to step on the U . S . soil for the first time in his life . So, how could the mass media remain silent on this momentous occasion?. Perhaps he too got infected by the enthusiasm from all the reporters here, as even Lennart himself grew interested in this matter now ¡®So, he¡¯s coming today?¡¯. With excellent timing, the passengers of the plane inbound from South Korea began pouring out into the airport . The Vice-Master pointed to the side over yonder ¡°Ah! There he is!¡±. The Vice-Master was also a rank S Hunter . He may not be as good as Lennart, his boss, but still, his perception was capable enough to easily suss out Jin-Woo¡¯s face among the crowd of people Lennart Niermann¡¯s eyes gleamed brightly just then ¡°Should we go and say hi?¡±. ¡°Pardon?¡±. ¡°We¡¯ve got nothing to lose by being acquaintances with a strong Hunter, right?¡±. ¡°Well, yes . That¡¯s true . ¡±. The Vice-Master agreed with that idea The personal connections built up in such a manner would prove to be rather beneficial if an event requiring international cooperation or the aid of another Guild happened in the future This was, in essence, what the whole International Guild Conference was originally conceived for, where the best Hunters from the world were asked to come and exchange pointers, as it were . Especially when it was quite difficult for these Hunters to actually meet one another like this Lennart tidied his attire and approached Jin-Woo¡¯s travelling group . No, he tried to However, he came to an abrupt halt after taking only a couple of steps . Even his complexion was gradually paling, too . The Vice-Master ended up walking a step ahead because of his boss¡¯s sudden stop . He turned around and asked in confusion ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to speak to him?¡±. Lennart¡¯s expression hardened instantly as he replied ¡°That¡­ can¡¯t you see that??¡±. ¡°Excuse me?¡±. It seemed that the Vice-Master could not see it at all . However, Lennart was one of the very best Hunters in the entire world and he could clearly sense it . He muttered to himself in complete disbelief ¡°Instead of summoning his creatures from some other dimension, he¡¯s been going around with them all this time?¡±. ¡°Eh?¡±. What was he even talking about?. The Vice-Master was taken aback with surprise from Lennart¡¯s reaction and quickly took a look in the direction Jin-Woo was walking in from . But, let alone a single summon, he couldn¡¯t even spot a hair of the summoned creature anywhere near the Korean man ¡°He¡¯s with his summons?¡±. ¡°That¡¯s right! So many of them, too!¡±. Lennart could pick up on the presence of the Shadow Soldiers hiding within Jin-Woo¡¯s shadow . One hundred . Two hundred . Three¡­. No, could he even finish counting them all?. He hurriedly swallowed his saliva ¡®From that number alone, I¡¯d have believed it if someone told me that man came here to wage war against America . ¡¯. He stood there shivering while thinking that, if he were tasked with the role of inviting people over to his nation, he¡¯d never, ever invite someone like ¡®that¡¯ There could be one of two reasons . Either the American Hunter Bureau had no clue the true depths of that Korean Hunter¡¯s power, or they were completely sure that such a power would never be used against them The incredible pressure Jin-Woo emanated grew stronger and stronger as he got nearer the German Hunter . Such a sensation could only be felt from those Hunters labelled Special Authority-rank, such as Thomas Andre or Christopher Reid ¡®¡­¡­ ¡¯. Lennart¡¯s head faltered lower even before he realised it just as Jin-Woo walked right past by him . He simply didn¡¯t have enough courage to meet that man¡¯s eyes at all . His instincts had dictated his actions After Jin-Woo¡¯s group had completely walked past them, the Vice-Master shot a quizzical look at his boss acting strangely and asked a question of concern ¡°Master? Are you feeling unwell somehow? Your complexion¡­ . ¡±. ¡°N-no¡­ it¡¯s not that . ¡±. Lennart Niermann wiped the cold sweat off his brows You could only see as much as you know; being able to decipher the gap between yourself and the opponent was also a part of one¡¯s abilities But, at least right in this moment, he felt quite envious of his Vice-Master, or for that matter, the throng of reporters, who weren¡¯t scared off by the presence of a truly, nonsensically powerful Hunter ***. Jin-Woo tilted his head this way and that, prompting Yu Jin-Ho to take a look behind him and ask ¡°Did you spot someone you know, hyung-nim?¡±. ¡°No . It¡¯s just that, some foreigner was looking at me over and over again . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho chuckled as if such a thing was nothing to fret about ¡°Hyung-nim, your stories have spread out far and wide to the rest of the world, so surely, you must have lots of fans by now . Maybe he wanted your autograph, hyung-nim . ¡±. Well, that guy seemed to be too exceptional a Hunter for someone ¡®hunting¡¯ around for autographs, though Jin-Woo smirked and continued on with his steps Beside himself and Yu Jin-Ho, two more people were accompanying them during this overseas trip ¨C Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol coming along as the show of support from the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association, as well as a female Association employee tagging along as an interpreter ¡°Uh! There he is!!¡±. ¡°It¡¯s Seong Jin-Woo!¡±. The reporters finally discovered Jin-Woo and his gang Click, click, click, click, click, click, click-!!. Bright flashes of light exploded from the cameras wielded by the throng of reporters . Woo Jin-Cheol quickly yanked out his sunglasses from his inner pocket and put them on, before scanning the crowd with a pair of very sharp eyes . Seeing how tense he was, Yu Jin-Ho decided that now would be a good time to ask him ¡°Now that I think about it some more¡­ . Why are you even here, Chief Woo?¡±. Without a doubt, the Chief of a department located in the Seoul branch of the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association was not exactly what you¡¯d call an ordinary job It was pretty much the same thing as you being responsible for an entire department Sure, Yu Jin-Ho felt grateful that the Association helped them out with an interpreter situation . His question, though, was with why someone as important as Woo Jin-Cheol would be accompanying them like this Woo Jin-Cheol briefly studied Jin-Woo¡¯s reactions and replied, his face reddening slightly ¡°I am tasked with¡­ providing security to Seong Hunter-nim . ¡±. He worked up lots of courage to make that reply, but regretfully, his words were drowned out by the noise within the airport itself and couldn¡¯t reach Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s ears . So, the latter cupped his ear and asked again ¡°What did you say?¡±. ¡°¡­ . Bodyguard¡­ . of him¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Who did you say you¡¯re guarding now?¡±. Jin-Woo could see that even Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s ears were getting red now . So, he wrapped his arm around Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s shoulders and put an end to that conversation ¡°Hyung-nim?¡±. Jin-Woo pointed with his chin to a rather familiar face over yonder ¡°Over there . Looks like they are here to escort us . ¡±. Adam White was standing near the entrance of the airport sporting a cool business suit with his blonde hair slicked back, his face full of a bright, welcoming smile . As if to prove that Jin-Woo¡¯s guess was correct, the American agent quickly made his way over to the group The two burly guys following after him were the same men from the plane back then . These two met Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze and quickly lowered their heads in apparent embarrassment almost simultaneously It seemed that they ended up remembering the time inside the plane when they tried to protect Adam White by attacking Jin-Woo, having completely forgotten about the differences in their strengths And well, they were carrying expressions of someone who might really ask for some autographs given half a chance . Jin-Woo hurriedly swallowed back his laughter . He greeted the two burly guys with a simple nod and grasped the extended hand of Adam White The American agent spoke with a cheery voice ¡°We were waiting for your arrival, Seong Hunter-nim . ¡±. ¡°I seem to remember hearing that you were responsible for the Asia branch of the Bureau . Was I wrong, Mister White?¡±. ¡°Ahaha . ¡±. Adam White scratched the back of his head and continued on ¡°I was, until recently . Now, I¡¯m responsible for matters involving you, Seong Hunter-nim . ¡±. Adam White used his good-natured smile to greet the others and guided Jin-Woo¡¯s group outside the airport ¡°Let¡¯s get going, shall we? We have cars waiting for us outside . ¡±. There were two vehicles prepared for them . The two Korean Association people were guided to the vehicle in the back, while Yu Jin-Ho naturally headed towards the car in front . However, Adam White blocked his path ¡°¡­ . ??¡±. Jin-Woo and Yu Jin-Ho both were puzzled by this . Adam White spoke in a serious tone of voice ¡°Excluding Seong Hunter-nim, the remainder of your group will be guided to your hotel . ¡±. Adam White then shifted his gaze over to Jin-Woo ¡°And, do you mind accompanying us to a different location for a little while, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?¡±. Was this about his father?. Jin-Woo¡¯s glare became icy cold in an instant . Adam White must¡¯ve felt the temperature suddenly drop, because he quickly waved his hand around ¡°It¡¯s definitely a story that¡¯ll benefit you, Seong Hunter-nim . Haven¡¯t we already clarified what the Hunter Bureau¡¯s opinion regarding you is?¡±. They wanted to maintain a good relationship with him . That¡¯s what he said in the past They did try to help him out, and even now, Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t sense any malice from the other party . If they were thinking of doing something dodgy, then his ultra-sharp Perception Stat would definitely catch onto that Didn¡¯t he discover the loophole in the proposed alliance with the King of Giants that way?. Jin-Woo calmly asked his question ¡°Are the topics we¡¯ll be discussing a secret?¡±. Adam White glanced at Yu Jin-Ho watching and listening to this conversation with bated breath and formed a somewhat awkward smile ¡°A few topics to be discussed indeed fall under the ¡®top secret¡¯ category, yes . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho heard that and backed off without complaining ¡°Hyung-nim? I¡¯ll see you later at the hotel . ¡±. ¡°Alright . ¡±. Jin-Woo confirmed that Yu Jin-Ho had entered the waiting vehicle in the back, and climbed into the car in front along with Adam White . The driver didn¡¯t need any other commands and he got the vehicle moving as soon as Jin-Woo settled down on his seat As if their destination was not the same, the two vehicles went off on different directions from the word go . Before long, the other car couldn¡¯t even be seen anymore . Deciding that he had been waiting long enough, Jin-Woo began asking his questions ¡°So, where are we going now?¡±. ¡°We¡¯re heading straight to the Hunter Bureau¡¯s HQ . ¡±. The Hunter Bureau?. Everyone knew that the International Guild Conference would be held at a rented venue near the hotel . So, that could only mean that this car had a different purpose than the Conference itself Jin-Woo asked again ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine to tell me already?¡±. Adam White pressed a certain button inside the vehicle as if he was waiting for this moment Click When he did¡­ Shuwiik¡­ A clear pane of window rose up behind the two front seats and proceeded to completely separate the front and rear cabin . And just above the clear window, the English word ¡®Soundproofed¡¯ appeared as a hologram and blinked constantly . The words were actually floating in thin air When Jin-Woo didn¡¯t display much of a reaction from that hologram message, Adam White felt incredibly awkward and sheepishly asked a question ¡°This is the latest available technology, but¡­ You aren¡¯t surprised?¡±. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been seeing something similar every day, so¡­ . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. Adam White must¡¯ve been looking forward to this moment because he instantly began pouting ever-so-slightly in disappointment . Soon, though, his original smile popped back up again on his face ¡°Please hold on for a second . ¡±. Knock, knock He leaned forward to knock on the divider to confirm before picking up on the conversation where they left off ¡°In all honesty, we¡¯re currently under serious pressure at the moment . ¡±. One of the two American citizenship-carrying Special Authority-rank Hunters had been met with an untimely, grisly death ¨C Christopher Reid The American Hunter Bureau had been hurting far greater than Jin-Woo could ever imagine ¡°Christopher Reid Hunter-nim was one of the pillars of the United States¡¯ strongest combat potential . Because of this, the Hunter Bureau has become even more desperate to fill the void in our fighting power . For now, things are calm on the surface because we haven¡¯t publicly announced the murder of Christopher Reid yet . But soon, we¡¯ll start the process of securing other Hunters who can substitute for him . And spare no efforts in doing so . ¡±. ¡°Am I one of the candidates you¡¯re thinking of?¡±. Adam White nodded his head Jin-Woo liked the fact the other party was being open and honest here . Of course, that didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d entertain the once-refused offer one more time . He displayed a rather uninterested reaction ¡°I thought that part of the conversation has concluded for good?¡±. ¡°Yes, of course . ¡±. However, the light in Adam White¡¯s eyes showed that it was far from over . In fact, he pulled his mobile phone out and began showing Jin-Woo several of the stored images on it ¡°This is a completely different offer, however . ¡±. In the photos, there was¡­. The worst calamity in the history of mankind The raid that no one wished to remember in history The Dragon, ¡®Kamish¡¯ Indeed, these photos documented the process of the raid of the first and the last Dragon ever to appear on this planet The world¡¯s best Hunters had gathered and fought a battle to their death, and only five managed to survive until the end . Those survivors were now referred to as the Special Authority-rank Adam White stopped flipping through the photos . The photo he stopped at showed several first-class Mage-type Hunters extracting a Rune Stone from the corpse of Kamish ¡°As you know, the value of a Rune Stone is proportional to the power of the monster the stone was extracted from . ¡±. He tapped on his phone¡¯s screen one more time to bring up the next photo . And it showed a Rune Stone sleeping quietly inside a glass case surrounded by layers upon layers of walls and security It was none other than Kamish¡¯s Rune Stone Rather obviously, that was an item where its value couldn¡¯t even be imagined in monetary terms, never mind getting one¡¯s hands on it, regardless of the price one was willing to pay It might possess possibly the greatest skill ever to exist!. ¡°We¡¯re currently searching for a new owner of this Rune Stone . ¡±. Magic energy, skills, or even magic ¨C Adam White didn¡¯t possess any of those, yet even he felt his heart palpitate when he saw that Rune Stone He was already feeling this excited, so how would Hunter Seong Jin-Woo feel when he was a Mage-type, to begin with?. Adam White sneaked a glance at Jin-Woo¡¯s direction Sure enough, the tense expression was clearly visible on Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s face . He was someone who didn¡¯t even blink an eye when the latest technology the American Hunter Bureau possessed was displayed before him, but now¡­. ¡®We did it!¡¯. Adam White clenched his fists tightly . But then, Jin-Woo¡¯s demand proved to be somewhat off his expectation ¡°The photo¡­ can you go back, please?¡±. ¡°Excuse me?¡±. ¡°I want to see the photos before this one . ¡±. Adam White tilted his head slightly, but still, he scrolled back to the previous photos as per Jin-Woo¡¯s request ¡°Right there . ¡±. Adam White¡¯s flipping hands came to a stop over a certain photo . Jin-Woo pointed to the corner of this particular image and spoke in a low, hushed voice ¡°Where is this?¡±. Chapter 187 The ¡®thing¡¯ Jin-Woo pointed to was a pillar of a building . More specifically, several pillars being constructed alongside the body of Kamish . It was evidence as good as any that they were building a structure to house the dead body of the Dragon . His eyes shot open incredibly wide after seeing that . Sure, the monster had died eight years ago . The higher the ranking of a dungeon, the greater the value of the monsters that came out of it . The monster corpses would be dismantled into pieces and be used up where they would be deemed most needed . That was why he didn¡¯t hold any hopes of Kamish¡¯s corpse remaining intact until now . Because, various countries, corporations and/or laboratories willing to buy the Dragon¡¯s corpse would¡¯ve formed a proverbial long-a*s queue around the corner all those years ago, or so he thought to himself . But then, the remains of Kamish, as seen on the photograph, were in an utterly pristine state . There were traces of the intense battle it had been involved in, yes, but the corpse was pretty much free of any artificial, after-the-fact damage . The moment he thought of the possibility that Kamish¡¯s corpse could still be around¡­ ¡­ . Jin-Woo¡¯s heart began madly pounding away . ¡°Could it be that America has been storing Kamish¡¯s intact corpse until now?¡± ¡°W-well, yes . We have, but¡­ . ¡± Adam White couldn¡¯t really understand Jin-Woo¡¯s current reaction at all . They were talking about a Rune Stone that all Hunters alive in this world would drool over non-stop, yet he didn¡¯t show any interest in such a valuable article and began talking about a dead monster, instead . However, Jin-Woo¡¯s attitude was far too serious to steer the topic of this conversation back on the right course . Jin-Woo pointed at the photo again . ¡°Where is this place? Let¡¯s go there right away . ¡± ¡°Pardon me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been willing to humour the requests of the Hunter Bureau until now . I¡¯m pretty sure that I have the right to demand this much from you . ¡± ¡°Ah¡­ . ¡± Adam White didn¡¯t expect the situation to go down in this direction and couldn¡¯t hide his fluster anymore . However, he also realised that strictly speaking, this was not a bad result at all . Between Hunter Seong Jin-Woo and the Hunter Bureau that Adam was working for, anyone could figure out that the party desperately needing the other side¡¯s cooperation was, of course, the latter . The Hunter Bureau was trying to attract Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s interest . That¡¯s why they tried with Madam Selner¡¯s ability initially . And when that fell through, they resorted to using Kamish¡¯s Rune Stone to rouse the young Korean Hunter¡¯s interest . But then, the spark was lit from an unlikely source, instead . This was at once a crisis and an opportunity for Adam White . ¡®¡­ . They said I was free to use any method, didn¡¯t they?¡¯ Adam White quickly recalled what the director and his deputy said after they had gathered the agents working for the Hunter Bureau . They said ¨C ¡®do whatever it takes to get on Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s good side . ¡¯ In order to increase the odds of him moving to the States, even if only by a little . If the Hunter Bureau was in possession of something Jin-Woo wanted, then for the sake of the relationship between them, that thing should be offered up immediately regardless of what it was . ¡­ . So they could get into this young man¡¯s good books . Adam White remembered this incredibly important end goal and cleared his throat so he could speak up . ¡°Actually, even I do not know where Kamish¡¯s corpse is being stored at the moment . The extent of my knowledge is what the higher-ups are prepared to let me know, unfortunately . ¡± Jin-Woo nodded his head . For sure, Adam White seemed a bit too ¡®young¡¯ to know every single secret the organisation he worked for might keep . But, he sounded far more confident as he spoke, which seemed to contradict the contents of his words from a second ago . ¡°However, if it¡¯s you making this demand, then I believe the higher-ups will give the go-ahead pretty easily . I¡¯ll have to make a report anyway, so do you mind waiting for their reply for a little while?¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s expression brightened instantly . The odds of the skill ¡®Shadow Extraction¡¯ failing would increase proportionally to how long the target had been dead for . And Kamish was killed off eight years ago . The odds of failure were just simply too high . The possibility of bothering a lot of people, not to mention wasting their precious time for what could ultimately turn out to be nothing was pretty high, too . However, how should he know without giving it a shot in the first place? Even if the odds were extremely low, even if there was only a chance of ten thousand in one, no, ten million in one, the moment he somehow succeeds in extracting the Dragon¡¯s shadow, he¡¯d end up with possibly the most powerful Shadow Soldier ever in history . Just thinking about it made his heart madly pound away . Even if he failed, the only thing he¡¯d lose would be his time . When compared to what he stood to gain if he succeeded, well, this was one gamble worth taking, that¡¯s for sure . As long as the Americans permitted it in the first place, of course . Jin-Woo quickly asked Adam White . ¡°We¡¯re on our way to the Hunter Bureau, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct . ¡± ¡°Since I¡¯m going to wait anyway, why don¡¯t I go there and wait, instead?¡± ¡°Huh¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s overly passionate interest caused Adam White to form an expression of a man not knowing whether to rejoice or be saddened . *** The Director of the Hunter Bureau also formed a similar expression, as well . He shifted his head to the side just in case, and sure enough, his deputy right next to him was also forming the same sort of an expression . So much so that the director couldn¡¯t help but wonder, if he were to look into a mirror now, wouldn¡¯t his face look like that? ¡°Okay, so . Seong Hunter-nim is in the building with us?¡± The director had to confirm it one last time . Adam White wordlessly nodded his head . ¡°But, what about the Rune Stone? Didn¡¯t he say anything about it?¡± They decided that using up Kamish¡¯s Rune Stone was worth it if it meant they got to reel Seong Jin-Woo into the US of A . Well, a Hunter with an American passport getting stronger was pretty much the same thing as America getting stronger, at the end of the day . But, now¡­ ¡°No, sir . During our trip, he almost never spoke about the Rune Stone once . ¡± ¡°Huh-uh¡­ this is troublesome . ¡± The director could only rub his chin after hearing Adam White¡¯s answer . Both Thomas Andre, as well as Seong Jin-Woo ¨C it always proved to be so difficult to predict how these Hunters standing at the apex would behave next . He even thought that possibly, one¡¯s way of thinking would undergo a drastic change after becoming a top-ranked Hunter in the world . ¡°So, what he really wants is to view the Dragon¡¯s corpse?¡± ¡°Yes, sir . ¡± Adam White nodded his head, his expression full of confidence . He wasn¡¯t feeling bad at all at the moment . From the get-go, his role was to bring Jin-Woo to the negotiating table and have him take part in it . And with Jin-Woo willingly walking into the Hunter Bureau HQ, Adam White had pretty much fulfilled the role he was tasked with . As for the rest, it¡¯d be up to the higher-ups holding the deck full of negotiable items at the ready . The person with the final say in the matter, the director carefully pondered this quandary, before speaking to Adam White . ¡°I wish to discuss this matter with the deputy director first . Please leave the office for a little while . ¡± ¡°Understood, sir . ¡± Adam White stood up to leave from the office; once he left, the director turned around and spoke to his deputy with an awkward expression . ¡°This¡­ What do you think is the reason for that man wanting to see Kamish¡¯s remains?¡± ¡°I wonder¡­ . Well, one thing we can be sure of is that he¡¯s not a tourist . It¡¯s likely that Kamish¡¯s remains possess a greater value than its Rune Stone to him . ¡± The value of a skill was truly unimaginable . Many Hunters at the top flight would not hold back on their cash reserves in order to purchase a Rune Stone they needed . Even if it cost tens of thousands, hundreds, even millions of dollars . It wasn¡¯t as if they had too much money and didn¡¯t know where to spend it, so they were walking around showering their surroundings with cash . No, a skill was basically the strength a Hunter possessed, and that strength was directly linked to said Hunter¡¯s survival . ¡®Even then, seeing that corpse once is much more beneficial than getting his hands on a Rune Stone, is that it¡­ . ?¡¯ The thoughts forming inside the director¡¯s head was then articulated into words by his deputy . ¡°It seems likely that it¡¯s related somehow to Seong Hunter-nim¡¯s ability . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . ¡± The Hunter Bureau proudly boasted the best information-gathering network of any organisation on Earth . So, rather obviously, they had gathered quite a hefty amount of info on Jin-Woo . And that was the reason why they could leverage both Madam Selner¡¯s ability and now, even Kamish¡¯s Rune Stone . That was why they thought that¡­ . ¡°Wasn¡¯t his ability only applicable to monsters he killed himself?¡± After he killed ant monsters, ant soldiers were added to his arsenal, and after he hunted down the Giant-type monsters, Giant soldiers made their appearance next . The more battles he fought, the stronger Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would become . That was precisely the reason why the Hunter Bureau wished to make Jin-Woo an American Hunter at any cost . However ¨C what if he could create summons out of corpses of monsters that had died a long time ago, and more importantly, the ones he didn¡¯t even kill in the first place? ¡°Oh, my god¡­ . ¡± The deputy director¡¯s eyes grew extremely large . ¡°He¡¯s planning to make Kamish into one of his summons!¡± His voice trembled uncontrollably . That man was thinking of turning the worst calamity humanity had faced into his summoned creature . No wonder he couldn¡¯t care any less about a Rune Stone . The director resolutely shook his head . ¡°That cannot be allowed . We simply can¡¯t let one individual wield that much power . ¡± ¡°But, sir, if we refuse to accept his demand this time, it¡¯d become far harder to maintain an amicable relationship with him moving forward . ¡± Jin-Woo being in the Hunter Bureau¡¯s HQ to wait for an answer easily showed how high his expectation was . It was simple logic, really ¨C if one refused the other¡¯s request because one couldn¡¯t trust the other party, then the relationship of trust would break down completely . ¡°H-mm . ¡± The director¡¯s forehead creased up greatly as he fell into deep contemplation . If their guesses were correct and Hunter Seong Jin-Woo did really make Kamish into one of his summons, then his powers would become impossible to control for any one nation or organisation . His summons revived right away even after getting destroyed, didn¡¯t they? What if Kamish possessing the infinite regenerative power appeared as an enemy? Indeed, the associated risk was simply too heavy for a chance to maintain a good relationship with a lone Hunter . The director asked one more question before he could make his decision . ¡°We have Thomas Andre, a Special Authority-rank Hunter, as well as nearly fifty rank S Hunters recruited from various parts of the globe . Is there really a reason why we should continue pursuing Seong Jin-Woo?¡± ¡°Actually, sir¡­¡± The deputy hesitated for a little bit before making up his mind . He had been delaying making a report because its content was not verified yet, but he decided to bring it up anyway . ¡°There is a good chance that Seong Jin-Woo is a brand new Special Authority-rank Hunter . Sir . ¡± ¡°What was that?¡± The director shot up from his seat . ¡°Agent White made a report about a week ago . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo can use psychokinesis . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . !!¡± With the sole exception of the lone Healer-type, four of the five Special Authority-rank Hunters all possessed an ability to exert physical change to objects without actual physical interaction . Many strong people had appeared before and after those five had entered the world stage, but even until now, only four people possessed that power . The Hunter Bureau was the only one to have figured out that similarity among the Special Authority-rank Hunters, and the organisation had even designated that power as the prerequisite for being labelled as one of the Hunters exercising rights equalling a nation . But now, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was discovered to possess that power, too? A certain thought suddenly fleeted in and out of the director¡¯s brain . He wondered if Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was a gift from God to America, now that she had lost one of her strongest weapon, Christopher Reid . ¡®God bless America . ¡¯ God¡¯s blessing always seemed to accompany the United States of America . Soon, the director¡¯s expression changed . ¡°Do you see him as someone worthy of our trust?¡± One¡¯s abilities could be assessed subjectively, but the issue of trust would always be viewed from an objective perspective . The deputy spoke up of his opinion on Jin-Woo, which was formed from what he had witnessed so far . ¡°Can you imagine what would¡¯ve happened if someone pointed a gun at China¡¯s Liu Zhigeng or Thomas Andre?¡± ¡°It¡¯d be horrific . ¡± Both Thomas Andre and Liu Zhigeng showed no mercy towards their perceived enemies . That someone in the hypothetical situation would either die or, at a bare minimum, lose the arm holding the gun if luck was on their side . ¡°However, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t like that . He was someone you could still talk to and defuse a tricky situation without violence . ¡± The director lowered his gaze a little and nodded his head . Meanwhile, the deputy carried on with his explanation . ¡°Also, let¡¯s not forget about the matter of Japan . Didn¡¯t he solve the dungeon break crisis that no one wanted any part of, all by himself, while not making much of a demand from the Japanese?¡± It was a complete contrast to Russian Hunter Yuri Orlov, who demanded an exorbitant sum of ten million dollars a day from the Japanese government . ¡°¡­ . ¡± The director¡¯s decision-making process didn¡¯t last for long . His lips remained tightly shut in a straight line for a bit longer, but he stood up from his seat . ¡°I shall guide him personally . This could be a very good opportunity to witness and observe his ability from up close . ¡± The deputy¡¯s expression brightened up a notch as he also stood up from his seat . ¡°By the way, where exactly is Kamish¡¯s remains stored, Director?¡± Hearing that question, the smirk formed on the director¡¯s lips . ¡°Have you ever wondered why our HQ has twenty underground floors?¡± *** Jin-Woo climbed aboard the special elevator with the guidance of the Bureau¡¯s director . ¡°I wished to speak to you in a more relaxing environment, but¡­ I¡¯m sure this is what you want, yes?¡± Adam White translated the director¡¯s words into Korean almost at the same time . Jin-Woo nodded his head to say yes . The elevator carrying the director, his deputy, Adam White, and finally Jin-Woo himself speedily climbed down to the basement floors . ¡®To think, they¡¯d build the Hunter Bureau¡¯s HQ on the very spot where Kamish had been killed¡­ . ¡¯ Should Jin-Woo chalk this one up to America being, well, America? In any case, he was told that the remains of the Dragon Kamish would be stored intact forever in order to honour and remember the lives of every Hunter who valiantly sacrificed themselves to stop the worst calamity in human history . Ting . The elevator finally opened its door on the 24th basement floor . The staff members waiting for their arrival greeted the four guests to this floor . ¡°Director . ¡± ¡°Sir . ¡± They must¡¯ve been soldiers originally, judging from the dignified manner of their salutes . The director nodded his head to greet them back and continued to guide Jin-Woo further in . ¡°Please, this way . ¡± Jin-Woo inwardly swallowed his saliva . When the door with several layers of strict security finally opened up, a chilling breeze brushed past his cheeks . ¡®No, that wasn¡¯t a cold breeze . ¡¯ Although faint, he could feel magical energy infused in the air . There was no need to even wonder just who this magic energy belonged to . Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump! His heart palpitated hard upon realising that his odds were not zero, after all . Even though it had been eight years, the remains still emitted some amount of magic energy . So, just how incredible would its power be after turning into a Shadow Soldier? Jin-Woo calmed his heart that was racing fast enough to explode and wordlessly followed after the Director . ¡°It¡¯s here . ¡± Eventually, his steps came to a halt in front of the truly massive open dome brightly illuminated by countless spotlights overhead . And there it was, the remains of Kamish . The body was perfectly preserved as it were ¨C exactly as it was from that day it managed to kill several hundreds of elite Hunters before also getting killed off by the five remaining Special Authority-rank Hunters . The Red Dragon! Even Jin-Woo momentarily forgot to breathe at the creature¡¯s truly overwhelming presence . ¡°Actually, all electricity used in the Hunter Bureau¡¯s HQ comes from Kamish¡¯s Magic Crystal . ¡± The director proudly explained where all the energy used to preserve Kamish¡¯s remains came from . However, Jin-Woo¡¯s ears were not picking up on any of his words . His gaze was already firmly fixed on one spot . Seeing that fervent gaze, the Director realised that the moment had come . ¡°¡­ . Hunter-nim . Are you satisfied now?¡± ¡°Everyone, back away . ¡± Jin-Woo spoke to the people behind him, causing the staff members to raise a noisy fuss . ¡°Director, what is that man trying to do?¡± ¡°Kamish¡¯s remains is our country¡¯s national treasure!¡± Too bad for them, though, the director loudly reprimanded them right away . ¡°I already gave my permission!¡± In that instant, all unnecessary noises disappeared . Before they came down here, they had concluded their conversation . Jin-Woo made a promise that nothing would happen to the remains . And just like how the deputy had done, the director decided to trust Jin-Woo¡¯s words, as well . ¡°Let us observe what will happen next . ¡± As Jin-Woo had instructed, the crowd retreated to a far away distance . In the meantime, he extended his hands out towards Kamish . And then, he quietly spoke up . ¡°Rise up . ¡± As if it was waiting for that, a message popped up in his view along with a ¡®Ting!¡¯ [Shadow extraction has failed . ] [Two more attempts remaining . ] Jin-Woo¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change . He calmly moved on and attempted the extraction for the second time . ¡°Rise up . ¡± He wished to take control of the greatest monster there ever was . His voice, now containing his desire, echoed and reverberated throughout the interior of the underground dome . Rise up¡­ When that happened, all the spotlights located on the ceiling suddenly began flickering . And from somewhere unknown, a streak of brilliantly chilling wind blew in . Kuwaaaaaahh-!! Screams of a Dragon roared out from some place that was impossible to locate and caused almost everyone present in the dome to cover their ears in a hurry . The only person who didn¡¯t lose his cool in this chaos was Jin-Woo, and no one else . He quickly spotted Kamish¡¯s shadow spreading wide on the floor . ¡®Did I¡­ . Did I succeed?¡¯ It was then ¨C his eyes opened super-wide . A certain something was slowly rising up from the shadow . The rising shape enveloped in the rising plumes of black smoke was¡­ . undeniably a Dragon . ¡°Uh?! Uh, uh!!¡± ¡°What, what the¡­ What the hell is that?!¡± The staff members freaked out and took several steps back . Even the director and his deputy, who already had a pretty good idea on what Jin-Woo¡¯s ability was like, forgot to breathe in that moment . Kuwaaaah-!! The Dragon loudly roared into the air before discovering the human by its feet and stopped its bellowing . [Were you the one summoning me? Oh, King of the Dead, Shadow Sovereign . ] < Chapter 187 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 187: Chapter 187 The ¡®thing¡¯ Jin-Woo pointed to was a pillar of a building . More specifically, several pillars being constructed alongside the body of Kamish It was evidence as good as any that they were building a structure to house the dead body of the Dragon His eyes shot open incredibly wide after seeing that Sure, the monster had died eight years ago . The higher the ranking of a dungeon, the greater the value of the monsters that came out of it . The monster corpses would be dismantled into pieces and be used up where they would be deemed most needed That was why he didn¡¯t hold any hopes of Kamish¡¯s corpse remaining intact until now . Because, various countries, corporations and/or laboratories willing to buy the Dragon¡¯s corpse would¡¯ve formed a proverbial long-a*s queue around the corner all those years ago, or so he thought to himself But then, the remains of Kamish, as seen on the photograph, were in an utterly pristine state . There were traces of the intense battle it had been involved in, yes, but the corpse was pretty much free of any artificial, after-the-fact damage The moment he thought of the possibility that Kamish¡¯s corpse could still be around¡­. ¡­ . Jin-Woo¡¯s heart began madly pounding away ¡°Could it be that America has been storing Kamish¡¯s intact corpse until now?¡±. ¡°W-well, yes . We have, but¡­ . ¡±. Adam White couldn¡¯t really understand Jin-Woo¡¯s current reaction at all They were talking about a Rune Stone that all Hunters alive in this world would drool over non-stop, yet he didn¡¯t show any interest in such a valuable article and began talking about a dead monster, instead However, Jin-Woo¡¯s attitude was far too serious to steer the topic of this conversation back on the right course Jin-Woo pointed at the photo again ¡°Where is this place? Let¡¯s go there right away . ¡±. ¡°Pardon me?¡±. ¡°I¡¯ve been willing to humour the requests of the Hunter Bureau until now . I¡¯m pretty sure that I have the right to demand this much from you . ¡±. ¡°Ah¡­ . ¡±. Adam White didn¡¯t expect the situation to go down in this direction and couldn¡¯t hide his fluster anymore . However, he also realised that strictly speaking, this was not a bad result at all Between Hunter Seong Jin-Woo and the Hunter Bureau that Adam was working for, anyone could figure out that the party desperately needing the other side¡¯s cooperation was, of course, the latter The Hunter Bureau was trying to attract Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s interest . That¡¯s why they tried with Madam Selner¡¯s ability initially . And when that fell through, they resorted to using Kamish¡¯s Rune Stone to rouse the young Korean Hunter¡¯s interest But then, the spark was lit from an unlikely source, instead . This was at once a crisis and an opportunity for Adam White ¡®¡­ . They said I was free to use any method, didn¡¯t they?¡¯. Adam White quickly recalled what the director and his deputy said after they had gathered the agents working for the Hunter Bureau They said ¨C ¡®do whatever it takes to get on Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s good side . ¡¯. In order to increase the odds of him moving to the States, even if only by a little . If the Hunter Bureau was in possession of something Jin-Woo wanted, then for the sake of the relationship between them, that thing should be offered up immediately regardless of what it was ¡­ . So they could get into this young man¡¯s good books Adam White remembered this incredibly important end goal and cleared his throat so he could speak up ¡°Actually, even I do not know where Kamish¡¯s corpse is being stored at the moment . The extent of my knowledge is what the higher-ups are prepared to let me know, unfortunately . ¡±. Jin-Woo nodded his head For sure, Adam White seemed a bit too ¡®young¡¯ to know every single secret the organisation he worked for might keep . But, he sounded far more confident as he spoke, which seemed to contradict the contents of his words from a second ago ¡°However, if it¡¯s you making this demand, then I believe the higher-ups will give the go-ahead pretty easily . I¡¯ll have to make a report anyway, so do you mind waiting for their reply for a little while?¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s expression brightened instantly The odds of the skill ¡®Shadow Extraction¡¯ failing would increase proportionally to how long the target had been dead for . And Kamish was killed off eight years ago . The odds of failure were just simply too high The possibility of bothering a lot of people, not to mention wasting their precious time for what could ultimately turn out to be nothing was pretty high, too However, how should he know without giving it a shot in the first place?. Even if the odds were extremely low, even if there was only a chance of ten thousand in one, no, ten million in one, the moment he somehow succeeds in extracting the Dragon¡¯s shadow, he¡¯d end up with possibly the most powerful Shadow Soldier ever in history Just thinking about it made his heart madly pound away Even if he failed, the only thing he¡¯d lose would be his time . When compared to what he stood to gain if he succeeded, well, this was one gamble worth taking, that¡¯s for sure As long as the Americans permitted it in the first place, of course Jin-Woo quickly asked Adam White ¡°We¡¯re on our way to the Hunter Bureau, right?¡±. ¡°That¡¯s correct . ¡±. ¡°Since I¡¯m going to wait anyway, why don¡¯t I go there and wait, instead?¡±. ¡°Huh¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s overly passionate interest caused Adam White to form an expression of a man not knowing whether to rejoice or be saddened ***. The Director of the Hunter Bureau also formed a similar expression, as well He shifted his head to the side just in case, and sure enough, his deputy right next to him was also forming the same sort of an expression . So much so that the director couldn¡¯t help but wonder, if he were to look into a mirror now, wouldn¡¯t his face look like that?. ¡°Okay, so . Seong Hunter-nim is in the building with us?¡±. The director had to confirm it one last time . Adam White wordlessly nodded his head ¡°But, what about the Rune Stone? Didn¡¯t he say anything about it?¡±. They decided that using up Kamish¡¯s Rune Stone was worth it if it meant they got to reel Seong Jin-Woo into the US of A Well, a Hunter with an American passport getting stronger was pretty much the same thing as America getting stronger, at the end of the day . But, now¡­. ¡°No, sir . During our trip, he almost never spoke about the Rune Stone once . ¡±. ¡°Huh-uh¡­ this is troublesome . ¡±. The director could only rub his chin after hearing Adam White¡¯s answer Both Thomas Andre, as well as Seong Jin-Woo ¨C it always proved to be so difficult to predict how these Hunters standing at the apex would behave next He even thought that possibly, one¡¯s way of thinking would undergo a drastic change after becoming a top-ranked Hunter in the world ¡°So, what he really wants is to view the Dragon¡¯s corpse?¡±. ¡°Yes, sir . ¡±. Adam White nodded his head, his expression full of confidence He wasn¡¯t feeling bad at all at the moment . From the get-go, his role was to bring Jin-Woo to the negotiating table and have him take part in it And with Jin-Woo willingly walking into the Hunter Bureau HQ, Adam White had pretty much fulfilled the role he was tasked with . As for the rest, it¡¯d be up to the higher-ups holding the deck full of negotiable items at the ready The person with the final say in the matter, the director carefully pondered this quandary, before speaking to Adam White ¡°I wish to discuss this matter with the deputy director first . Please leave the office for a little while . ¡±. ¡°Understood, sir . ¡±. Adam White stood up to leave from the office; once he left, the director turned around and spoke to his deputy with an awkward expression ¡°This¡­ What do you think is the reason for that man wanting to see Kamish¡¯s remains?¡±. ¡°I wonder¡­ . Well, one thing we can be sure of is that he¡¯s not a tourist . It¡¯s likely that Kamish¡¯s remains possess a greater value than its Rune Stone to him . ¡±. The value of a skill was truly unimaginable . Many Hunters at the top flight would not hold back on their cash reserves in order to purchase a Rune Stone they needed Even if it cost tens of thousands, hundreds, even millions of dollars It wasn¡¯t as if they had too much money and didn¡¯t know where to spend it, so they were walking around showering their surroundings with cash No, a skill was basically the strength a Hunter possessed, and that strength was directly linked to said Hunter¡¯s survival ¡®Even then, seeing that corpse once is much more beneficial than getting his hands on a Rune Stone, is that it¡­ . ?¡¯. The thoughts forming inside the director¡¯s head was then articulated into words by his deputy ¡°It seems likely that it¡¯s related somehow to Seong Hunter-nim¡¯s ability . ¡±. ¡°¡­ ¡±. The Hunter Bureau proudly boasted the best information-gathering network of any organisation on Earth . So, rather obviously, they had gathered quite a hefty amount of info on Jin-Woo And that was the reason why they could leverage both Madam Selner¡¯s ability and now, even Kamish¡¯s Rune Stone . That was why they thought that¡­ ¡°Wasn¡¯t his ability only applicable to monsters he killed himself?¡±. After he killed ant monsters, ant soldiers were added to his arsenal, and after he hunted down the Giant-type monsters, Giant soldiers made their appearance next The more battles he fought, the stronger Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would become . That was precisely the reason why the Hunter Bureau wished to make Jin-Woo an American Hunter at any cost However ¨C what if he could create summons out of corpses of monsters that had died a long time ago, and more importantly, the ones he didn¡¯t even kill in the first place?. ¡°Oh, my god¡­ . ¡±. The deputy director¡¯s eyes grew extremely large ¡°He¡¯s planning to make Kamish into one of his summons!¡±. His voice trembled uncontrollably That man was thinking of turning the worst calamity humanity had faced into his summoned creature . No wonder he couldn¡¯t care any less about a Rune Stone The director resolutely shook his head ¡°That cannot be allowed . We simply can¡¯t let one individual wield that much power . ¡±. ¡°But, sir, if we refuse to accept his demand this time, it¡¯d become far harder to maintain an amicable relationship with him moving forward . ¡±. Jin-Woo being in the Hunter Bureau¡¯s HQ to wait for an answer easily showed how high his expectation was It was simple logic, really ¨C if one refused the other¡¯s request because one couldn¡¯t trust the other party, then the relationship of trust would break down completely ¡°H-mm . ¡±. The director¡¯s forehead creased up greatly as he fell into deep contemplation If their guesses were correct and Hunter Seong Jin-Woo did really make Kamish into one of his summons, then his powers would become impossible to control for any one nation or organisation His summons revived right away even after getting destroyed, didn¡¯t they? What if Kamish possessing the infinite regenerative power appeared as an enemy?. Indeed, the associated risk was simply too heavy for a chance to maintain a good relationship with a lone Hunter . The director asked one more question before he could make his decision ¡°We have Thomas Andre, a Special Authority-rank Hunter, as well as nearly fifty rank S Hunters recruited from various parts of the globe . Is there really a reason why we should continue pursuing Seong Jin-Woo?¡±. ¡°Actually, sir¡­¡±. The deputy hesitated for a little bit before making up his mind . He had been delaying making a report because its content was not verified yet, but he decided to bring it up anyway ¡°There is a good chance that Seong Jin-Woo is a brand new Special Authority-rank Hunter . Sir . ¡±. ¡°What was that?¡±. The director shot up from his seat ¡°Agent White made a report about a week ago . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo can use psychokinesis . ¡±. ¡°¡­ !!¡±. With the sole exception of the lone Healer-type, four of the five Special Authority-rank Hunters all possessed an ability to exert physical change to objects without actual physical interaction Many strong people had appeared before and after those five had entered the world stage, but even until now, only four people possessed that power The Hunter Bureau was the only one to have figured out that similarity among the Special Authority-rank Hunters, and the organisation had even designated that power as the prerequisite for being labelled as one of the Hunters exercising rights equalling a nation But now, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was discovered to possess that power, too?. A certain thought suddenly fleeted in and out of the director¡¯s brain . He wondered if Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was a gift from God to America, now that she had lost one of her strongest weapon, Christopher Reid ¡®God bless America . ¡¯. God¡¯s blessing always seemed to accompany the United States of America Soon, the director¡¯s expression changed ¡°Do you see him as someone worthy of our trust?¡±. One¡¯s abilities could be assessed subjectively, but the issue of trust would always be viewed from an objective perspective . The deputy spoke up of his opinion on Jin-Woo, which was formed from what he had witnessed so far ¡°Can you imagine what would¡¯ve happened if someone pointed a gun at China¡¯s Liu Zhigeng or Thomas Andre?¡±. ¡°It¡¯d be horrific . ¡±. Both Thomas Andre and Liu Zhigeng showed no mercy towards their perceived enemies That someone in the hypothetical situation would either die or, at a bare minimum, lose the arm holding the gun if luck was on their side ¡°However, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t like that . He was someone you could still talk to and defuse a tricky situation without violence . ¡±. The director lowered his gaze a little and nodded his head . Meanwhile, the deputy carried on with his explanation ¡°Also, let¡¯s not forget about the matter of Japan . Didn¡¯t he solve the dungeon break crisis that no one wanted any part of, all by himself, while not making much of a demand from the Japanese?¡±. It was a complete contrast to Russian Hunter Yuri Orlov, who demanded an exorbitant sum of ten million dollars a day from the Japanese government ¡°¡­ . ¡±. The director¡¯s decision-making process didn¡¯t last for long His lips remained tightly shut in a straight line for a bit longer, but he stood up from his seat ¡°I shall guide him personally . This could be a very good opportunity to witness and observe his ability from up close . ¡±. The deputy¡¯s expression brightened up a notch as he also stood up from his seat ¡°By the way, where exactly is Kamish¡¯s remains stored, Director?¡±. Hearing that question, the smirk formed on the director¡¯s lips ¡°Have you ever wondered why our HQ has twenty underground floors?¡±. ***. Jin-Woo climbed aboard the special elevator with the guidance of the Bureau¡¯s director ¡°I wished to speak to you in a more relaxing environment, but¡­ I¡¯m sure this is what you want, yes?¡±. Adam White translated the director¡¯s words into Korean almost at the same time . Jin-Woo nodded his head to say yes The elevator carrying the director, his deputy, Adam White, and finally Jin-Woo himself speedily climbed down to the basement floors ¡®To think, they¡¯d build the Hunter Bureau¡¯s HQ on the very spot where Kamish had been killed¡­ . ¡¯. Should Jin-Woo chalk this one up to America being, well, America?. In any case, he was told that the remains of the Dragon Kamish would be stored intact forever in order to honour and remember the lives of every Hunter who valiantly sacrificed themselves to stop the worst calamity in human history Ting The elevator finally opened its door on the 24th basement floor . The staff members waiting for their arrival greeted the four guests to this floor ¡°Director . ¡±. ¡°Sir . ¡±. They must¡¯ve been soldiers originally, judging from the dignified manner of their salutes . The director nodded his head to greet them back and continued to guide Jin-Woo further in ¡°Please, this way . ¡±. Jin-Woo inwardly swallowed his saliva When the door with several layers of strict security finally opened up, a chilling breeze brushed past his cheeks ¡®No, that wasn¡¯t a cold breeze . ¡¯. Although faint, he could feel magical energy infused in the air . There was no need to even wonder just who this magic energy belonged to Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!. His heart palpitated hard upon realising that his odds were not zero, after all Even though it had been eight years, the remains still emitted some amount of magic energy . So, just how incredible would its power be after turning into a Shadow Soldier?. Jin-Woo calmed his heart that was racing fast enough to explode and wordlessly followed after the Director ¡°It¡¯s here . ¡±. Eventually, his steps came to a halt in front of the truly massive open dome brightly illuminated by countless spotlights overhead And there it was, the remains of Kamish The body was perfectly preserved as it were ¨C exactly as it was from that day it managed to kill several hundreds of elite Hunters before also getting killed off by the five remaining Special Authority-rank Hunters The Red Dragon!. Even Jin-Woo momentarily forgot to breathe at the creature¡¯s truly overwhelming presence ¡°Actually, all electricity used in the Hunter Bureau¡¯s HQ comes from Kamish¡¯s Magic Crystal . ¡±. The director proudly explained where all the energy used to preserve Kamish¡¯s remains came from However, Jin-Woo¡¯s ears were not picking up on any of his words . His gaze was already firmly fixed on one spot Seeing that fervent gaze, the Director realised that the moment had come ¡°¡­ . Hunter-nim . Are you satisfied now?¡±. ¡°Everyone, back away . ¡±. Jin-Woo spoke to the people behind him, causing the staff members to raise a noisy fuss ¡°Director, what is that man trying to do?¡±. ¡°Kamish¡¯s remains is our country¡¯s national treasure!¡±. Too bad for them, though, the director loudly reprimanded them right away ¡°I already gave my permission!¡±. In that instant, all unnecessary noises disappeared Before they came down here, they had concluded their conversation . Jin-Woo made a promise that nothing would happen to the remains . And just like how the deputy had done, the director decided to trust Jin-Woo¡¯s words, as well ¡°Let us observe what will happen next . ¡±. As Jin-Woo had instructed, the crowd retreated to a far away distance . In the meantime, he extended his hands out towards Kamish . And then, he quietly spoke up ¡°Rise up . ¡±. As if it was waiting for that, a message popped up in his view along with a ¡®Ting!¡¯. [Shadow extraction has failed . ]. [Two more attempts remaining . ]. Jin-Woo¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change . He calmly moved on and attempted the extraction for the second time ¡°Rise up . ¡±. He wished to take control of the greatest monster there ever was . His voice, now containing his desire, echoed and reverberated throughout the interior of the underground dome Rise up¡­. When that happened, all the spotlights located on the ceiling suddenly began flickering . And from somewhere unknown, a streak of brilliantly chilling wind blew in Kuwaaaaaahh-!!. Screams of a Dragon roared out from some place that was impossible to locate and caused almost everyone present in the dome to cover their ears in a hurry The only person who didn¡¯t lose his cool in this chaos was Jin-Woo, and no one else . He quickly spotted Kamish¡¯s shadow spreading wide on the floor ¡®Did I¡­ . Did I succeed?¡¯. It was then ¨C his eyes opened super-wide A certain something was slowly rising up from the shadow . The rising shape enveloped in the rising plumes of black smoke was¡­ . undeniably a Dragon ¡°Uh?! Uh, uh!!¡±. ¡°What, what the¡­ What the hell is that?!¡±. The staff members freaked out and took several steps back . Even the director and his deputy, who already had a pretty good idea on what Jin-Woo¡¯s ability was like, forgot to breathe in that moment Kuwaaaah-!!. The Dragon loudly roared into the air before discovering the human by its feet and stopped its bellowing [Were you the one summoning me? Oh, King of the Dead, Shadow Sovereign . ]. < Chapter 187 > Fin Chapter 188 The Shadow Sovereign was the sole existence capable of dragging back a soul that had fallen to the pits of the abyss . That was why the Dragon needed only one glance to recognise Jin-Woo¡¯s identity . The King of the Dead, in the body of a human, was staring right back at the creature with dignified eyes . The authority of a Sovereign that he possessed sent a powerful chill through the Dragon¡¯s body . But, that only lasted for a brief moment . The creature¡¯s eyes shifted to a location a bit further away . And that¡¯s when it discovered the stupid-looking humans and their jaws agape as they stared right back at the gigantic creature . ¡®Humans¡­ . Humans?¡¯ It immediately recalled the bottomless malice it held against humanity right up until its death . And that also helped the Dragon to remember the terrible pain it felt as it drew its very last breath . ¡®Humans¡­ must be killed . ¡¯ Snap . That¡¯s where its rationality got cut off . The Dragon raised its body up as crimson light filled its eyes . [Every single one of you¡­ I shall kill all of you . ] The air of the underground storage area began boiling right up . ¡°Oh, my god¡­ . ¡± The Director of the Hunter Bureau spat out a shocked gasp . This dome had been designed to accommodate the Dragon¡¯s sleeping figure . So, the whole space seemed wholly inadequate the moment the creature raised his head high . Crack!! The Dragon¡¯s head pushed against the ceiling and destroyed the concrete there . ¡°W-what the hell?!¡± ¡°No, could it be¡­ . ?¡± They could now see the blood-red light gather within the open maw of the Dragon . A mass of red light ¨C both the director and his deputy had seen the video footage countless times and they knew what that red light cluster was supposed to do . Adam White urgently grabbed the director¡¯s shoulder and shouted out . ¡°Sir! You need to evacuate¡­ . ¡± ¡°That¡¯s Kamish¡¯s Breath! You think we¡¯ll be safe because we escaped somewhere?!¡± It was rather clear that, once the red light exploded out, then forget about the underground storage area, the entire Hunter Bureau building would completely be obliterated in the blink of an eye . There was no place safe from the Dragon¡¯s attack, in other words . Rumble-!! One of the stationed staff members collapsed to the floor as if his legs lost all strength from the fright . The other two, meanwhile, were urgently punching the security code to open the electronic door-lock in order to escape from the dome . The director and his deputy knew full well that was simply a waste of time . They could only alternate their gazes between Jin-Woo and the revived Kamish with dazed expressions etched on their faces . Kuwaaaaah-!! The red glow created out of pure magic energy finally transformed into a sphere of blinding flames . The Dragon was finally finished with its preparation to erase all ¡®humans¡¯ standing before it . Just before it could spit out its ultra-high temperature Breath, though¡­ [Die!] ¡­ . Jin-Woo roared out at the top of his lungs . ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± The director and his entourage all raised their arms reflexively to shield their eyes from the bright, blinding light . However, after hearing Jin-Woo¡¯s call, they all slowly lowered their arms . They thought that everything was over once that light filled up the inside of the dome . As it turned out, they were far too hasty in making that judgement, however . ¡°But, but¡­ . How can this even be possible?¡± The flames within the jaw of the enraged Kamish were dying out gradually . Did the Dragon that melted away the lives of several hundred elite Hunters with a single Breath, stop its attack because of just one command issued by Hunter Seong Jin-Woo? Gulp . The director stared at Jin-Woo with eyes that were clearly still swimming in unbridled shock . And then, those eyes nearly popped out of their sockets from an even more incredulous sight . Jin-Woo actually began talking to Kamish, that was what . ¡°The Magic Crystal embedded in your head has been removed a long time ago . You have no more reason to follow the orders of the Rulers . ¡± The deputy director standing right next to his boss shuddered from a nasty shock and hurriedly asked . ¡°Is, is Hunter Seong Jin-Woo actually speaking in the monster language right now?!¡± ¡°¡­ . Even though I¡¯m looking at it, I can¡¯t figure out how to interpret this situation . ¡± While everyone else was still stuck in their pit of pure astonishment, Jin-Woo was too busy spitting out a sigh of relief in his mind . ¡®Whew-woo¡­ . ¡¯ He was worried about what he needed to do for a brief moment there, but the end result turned out to be rather good . What a relief that was . Even then, Jin-Woo was honestly almost scared out of his wits the moment he felt the unchecked rage gushing out from the Dragon . ¡®What kind of a Shadow Soldier possesses this powerful an ego?!¡¯ It seemed that the thing about higher existences possessing stronger egos, as proclaimed by the King of Giants, could be true after all . Meanwhile, the Dragon was quite surprised by the fact that it willingly obeyed the new Sovereign¡¯s order . [So, this is how it feels to submit to the Shadow Sovereign¡­ . ] The Dragon then lowered its tall posture and paid its respect to Jin-Woo . The humans flinching constantly from each and every movement of the oversized creature finally spat out lengthy sighs of relief . The Dragon lowered its head, as if to kiss the floor, and spoke . [This lowly servant who once used to serve the Dragon Emperor pays respects to the new Sovereign . ] There was a great deal of respect in the creature¡¯s voice that still growled like that of most monsters . Jin-Woo slowly approached the Dragon and placed his hand on the nose of the creature . It silently closed its eyes and enjoyed the warmth of its new lord . The sensation that couldn¡¯t be described in mere words travelled from its nose tip to the rest of its body . Jin-Woo also sensed that the Dragon¡¯s mood was lifting up . He had barely managed to calm his pounding heart by then, but now, it was racing hard again . BA-THUMP, BA-THUMP!! ¡®Kamish¡­ . The Dragon Kamish has really become my Shadow Soldier¡­ . ¡¯ A broad smile automatically floated up on his face . Adam White¡¯s jaw, meanwhile, had been hanging slack from this unbelievable scene right before his eyes . But then, he discovered something even more incredulous and hurriedly confirmed it with the deputy director . ¡°S-sir . Is the Dragon really wagging its tail??¡± ¡®What the heck, the worst calamity in history isn¡¯t some puppy, so what kind of rubbish is he even talking about?¡¯ The deputy director thought such a thing would be completely illogical and shifted his eyes to where Kamish¡¯s tail was, only for a pained groan to escape from his mouth . ¡°Jesus H . Christ¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo lifted his hand away and the Dragon¡¯s tail stopped wagging, as well . It then raised his head up again . The name ¡®Kamish¡¯ was given to the Dragon for the convenience of humans . Jin-Woo was pondering what new name he should give to his latest addition to the ranks of his Shadow Soldiers, before abruptly recalling the words it used to greet him just now . ¡°You said you used to serve the Dragon Emperor, right?¡± [That is indeed correct, oh, my king . ] The Dragon continued using a polite tone of voice . [I served the King of Berserk Dragons, the Sovereign of Destruction . ] ¡®I¡¯m the King of the Dead, the Shadow Sovereign¡­ . ¡¯ And then, there was the King of the Giants, the Sovereign of the Beginning . Jin-Woo realised that the former owner the Dragon served had to be one of the nine Sovereigns the System mentioned before . However, that wasn¡¯t important right now . No, what he wanted to know was the creature¡¯s real name, so he could use that one, too . ¡°Alright, then . What was your original na¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t continue his words, though . His eyes looking up at the creature began quaking rather violently . Like a sand castle being scattered away by a gust of wind, the Dragon¡¯s body was slowly disintegrating right before him . [Regrettably, my king¡­ I must bid you farewell . ] ¡°What?!¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s Perception Stat communicated with the Dragon¡¯s current emotion . And it was one of pure sorrow, not even a hint of falsehood contained within . The Dragon was truly lamenting this moment . [It seems that our meeting came about far too late, my Sovereign . ] Even if it was the power of a Shadow Sovereign, the gap of eight years proved to be far too wide to bridge . The Dragon had been trapped for too long within the bottom of the abyss and as a result, its magical energy had become too weak and began scattering away in the air . ¡°System?! Systeeeem!¡± Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t accept this and desperately cried out to the System, but the d*mn thing remained utterly silent, as always . Just like how he could sense the Dragon¡¯s emotions, the creature could sense his, as well . [I am truly envious of Your Majesty¡¯s soldiers, as they are now tasked with serving you for all eternity . ] It spoke from the depths of its heart . To the king who didn¡¯t want to lose his soldier, the Dragon left behind one final advice . [Oh, my king . There are four humans who have borrowed the powers of the Rulers . Please, you need to be wary of them . ] As the Dragon¡¯s body became completely blurry and indistinct, even its voice grew further and further away . [I was honoured to be in the presence of a new king¡­ . . ] And then, deathly silence descended on the dome . Like a shifting mirage, the Dragon¡¯s shadow disappeared . All the spotlights flickering precariously above all reverted back to working normally again . The director had been holding his breath as he witnessed this spectacle . Once the Dragon was gone, he quickly looked at the corpse of the creature . Absolutely nothing had happened to Kamish¡¯s remains . He felt as if he had been dreaming until now and that left him utterly dazed and confused . But, then again, if what happened was simply a bad dream, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo wouldn¡¯t be standing around making such an empty, despondent expression right now . ¡°¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t rip his gaze away from the spot where the Dragon¡¯s shadow used to stand . Eventually, the System message popped up in his view alongside with the familiar ¡®Tti-ring!¡¯ [Shadow Extraction has failed . ] [Too much time has elapsed since the target¡¯s death and therefore, any further attempt at Extraction holds no meaning . ] [The target¡¯s shadow has returned to the emptiness of the void . ] Mechanical beeps continued to go off in his head . Today would be his first time hating the sounds of continuous ¡®Tti-ring, tti-ring¡¯ going off in his head . Jin-Woo¡¯s tightly clenched fists trembled ever so slightly . Ka-boom! In his rage, he punched the ground hard . For a brief moment there, the entire building shook around just a little . *** Jin-Woo returned to the hotel . Because he was in such a gloomy mood, Adam White was unable to say a single thing during the trip, even though he was tasked with ¡®escorting¡¯ him here . The American agent checked in for Jin-Woo at the front desk and that finally presented him with an opportunity to talk . ¡°I¡¯m in charge of accommodating your needs during your stay in the U . S . , so if you want something, please, don¡¯t hesitate and give me a call . ¡± Adam White spoke with a bright expression, but the reply remained frigid and disinterested . ¡°¡­ . Got it . ¡± The smile on Adam White¡¯s face hardened instantly . ¡®S-scary¡­ . ¡¯ He learned that standing in front of a very upset top-level Hunter could be a quite scary experience for the first time in his life today . The negotiation had been postponed to a later date . Which wasn¡¯t surprising, considering Jin-Woo¡¯s current mood . And well, both the director and his deputy hadn¡¯t regained their lost spirits so even they didn¡¯t show any signs of disappointment, either . Jin-Woo figured that he might as well sleep today¡¯s events off and was about to head towards his assigned room, but then¡­ . ¡°Uh?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol was coming down to the hotel¡¯s lobby just then and discovered Jin-Woo here . The Chief of the Monitoring Division quickly made his way . ¡°Seong Hunter-nim, why couldn¡¯t we get a hold of you?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡­ I was temporarily in a place where no calls could get through . ¡± Outsiders were not permitted to carry their personal phones when inside the HQ of the Hunter Bureau . There was no exception to this rule even if you were an important guest . It was a necessity in order to protect the organisation¡¯s many secrets . If an important person such as Madam Selner got her face photographed, the entire Hunter Bureau would be turned upside down, that was why . Woo Jin-Cheol scratched the side of his head and asked . ¡°Did you get to meet Yu Jin-Ho Hunter-nim, then?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Almost right away, an expression of confusion formed on Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s face . ¡°But, I thought Yu Hunter-nim received a message from you and that¡¯s why he went out? The message said that you were waiting for him at the Hunter Bureau¡¯s building . ¡± ¡°That¡¯s where I¡¯m coming from right now, so what are you even talking about here?¡± Adam White was listening to this conversation from the side and quickly confirmed the fact for them . ¡°There was no Yu Jin-Ho Hunter-nim in the visitor¡¯s log . ¡± ¡°Excuse me? But, how can that be? About two hours ago, a rank S Hunter came here to fetch him personally . ¡± Jin-Woo quickly butted in there . ¡°Which rank S Hunter are you talking about?¡± ¡°It was Hunter Hwang Dong-Su . He actually came to the hotel . ¡± Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t understand why he suddenly felt this ominous sensation the moment he heard the name Hwang Dong-Su, which was in stark contrast to the other two men who didn¡¯t seem to know what was going on here . ¡®Is this because of the Perception Stat?¡¯ Seeing that the light in Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes had become unusually tense, Adam White quickly pulled his phone out again . ¡°I shall call Hwang Dong-Su Hunter-nim¡¯s Guild right now . ¡± Several ringtones later, the manager in charge of Scavenger Guild¡¯s high-ranking Hunters, a woman named Laura answered Adam White¡¯s call . He briefly introduced himself and explained the current situation . Surprisingly, though ¨C the voice coming from the phone¡¯s speaker was calm and collected, which went completely against Adam White¡¯s expectations . He thought that she might be as flustered as he¡¯d be, but no . ¨C ¡°Has Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim learned of this situation yet?¡± Adam White only said that Hunter Hwang Dong-Su had taken Yu Jin-Ho away, yet Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s name suddenly popped out of nowhere . He tilted his head slightly, before sneaking a glance at Jin-Woo . The Korean Hunter shook his head briefly . Adam White nodded his head in acknowledgement and came up with a suitable reply . ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim hasn¡¯t learned of the news yet as he¡¯s still stuck in the Hunter Bureau . However, Yu Jin-Ho Hunter-nim¡¯s travelling party had called us to find out what was going on earlier, you see . ¡± ¨C ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll find out as quickly as possible . ¡± And that¡¯s where the call came to an abrupt end . Jin-Woo listened to the conversation without saying a single word and when the call ended, headed straight to the hotel¡¯s exit . ¡°Seong Hunter-nim?! The Scavenger Guild said they will find out, so we should wait for¡­ . . ¡± Adam White hurriedly chased after Jin-Woo and came out of the hotel¡¯s exit, but the Korean Hunter was long gone by then . ¡°What the hell¡­? Where did he go?¡± Adam White stared at the street with a troubled expression on his face, not knowing what to do next . *** Jin-Woo sought out a deserted back alley away from the crowded main street and undid ¡®Stealth¡¯ . A rank S Hunter using his name showed up and took Yu Jin-Ho away . But then, the Guild this guy worked for didn¡¯t even try to get a detailed explanation of what happened and simply stated that they would find out before one-sidedly ending the call . ¡®Something bad is happening¡­ . ¡¯ And that thing should be related somehow to why that Guild staff member on the phone mentioned his name right away . Jin-Woo¡¯s expression hardened as he issued a new command . If that guy was looking for trouble, then he certainly picked a very bad day for it . ¡®Find him . ¡¯ If his thousand-plus soldiers dispersed throughout the city and searched for Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s magic energy signature, then finding him shouldn¡¯t take that long . Shashashak, shashashashak¡­ A thousand shadows breaking off from below Jin-Woo¡¯s feet quickly scattered in all directions . *** Thomas Andre scanned the interior of the apartment with a hardened face . Inside this luxurious apartment where Hwang Dong-Su should have been staying, the two Hunters assigned to keep an eye on him were lying face down with foam bubbling out of their mouths . ¡°Tsk . ¡± He clicked his tongue and removed his trademark sunglasses . ¡°¡­¡± His deeply crumpled expression was finally revealed for all to see, and the complexions of his subordinates searching through the apartment paled instantly . Thomas Andre gnashed his teeth and issued a new order in a low, growling voice . ¡°Hwang Dong-Su¡­ . . Find him, before Seong Jin-Woo does . No matter what, we must find him first . ¡± < Chapter 188 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 188: Chapter 188 The Shadow Sovereign was the sole existence capable of dragging back a soul that had fallen to the pits of the abyss . That was why the Dragon needed only one glance to recognise Jin-Woo¡¯s identity The King of the Dead, in the body of a human, was staring right back at the creature with dignified eyes . The authority of a Sovereign that he possessed sent a powerful chill through the Dragon¡¯s body But, that only lasted for a brief moment The creature¡¯s eyes shifted to a location a bit further away . And that¡¯s when it discovered the stupid-looking humans and their jaws agape as they stared right back at the gigantic creature ¡®Humans¡­ . Humans?¡¯. It immediately recalled the bottomless malice it held against humanity right up until its death . And that also helped the Dragon to remember the terrible pain it felt as it drew its very last breath ¡®Humans¡­ must be killed . ¡¯. Snap That¡¯s where its rationality got cut off . The Dragon raised its body up as crimson light filled its eyes [Every single one of you¡­ I shall kill all of you . ]. The air of the underground storage area began boiling right up ¡°Oh, my god¡­ . ¡±. The Director of the Hunter Bureau spat out a shocked gasp This dome had been designed to accommodate the Dragon¡¯s sleeping figure . So, the whole space seemed wholly inadequate the moment the creature raised his head high Crack!!. The Dragon¡¯s head pushed against the ceiling and destroyed the concrete there ¡°W-what the hell?!¡±. ¡°No, could it be¡­ . ?¡±. They could now see the blood-red light gather within the open maw of the Dragon A mass of red light ¨C both the director and his deputy had seen the video footage countless times and they knew what that red light cluster was supposed to do Adam White urgently grabbed the director¡¯s shoulder and shouted out ¡°Sir! You need to evacuate¡­ . ¡±. ¡°That¡¯s Kamish¡¯s Breath! You think we¡¯ll be safe because we escaped somewhere?!¡±. It was rather clear that, once the red light exploded out, then forget about the underground storage area, the entire Hunter Bureau building would completely be obliterated in the blink of an eye . There was no place safe from the Dragon¡¯s attack, in other words Rumble-!!. One of the stationed staff members collapsed to the floor as if his legs lost all strength from the fright . The other two, meanwhile, were urgently punching the security code to open the electronic door-lock in order to escape from the dome The director and his deputy knew full well that was simply a waste of time . They could only alternate their gazes between Jin-Woo and the revived Kamish with dazed expressions etched on their faces Kuwaaaaah-!!. The red glow created out of pure magic energy finally transformed into a sphere of blinding flames . The Dragon was finally finished with its preparation to erase all ¡®humans¡¯ standing before it . Just before it could spit out its ultra-high temperature Breath, though¡­. [Die!]. ¡­ . Jin-Woo roared out at the top of his lungs ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡±. The director and his entourage all raised their arms reflexively to shield their eyes from the bright, blinding light . However, after hearing Jin-Woo¡¯s call, they all slowly lowered their arms They thought that everything was over once that light filled up the inside of the dome . As it turned out, they were far too hasty in making that judgement, however ¡°But, but¡­ . How can this even be possible?¡±. The flames within the jaw of the enraged Kamish were dying out gradually Did the Dragon that melted away the lives of several hundred elite Hunters with a single Breath, stop its attack because of just one command issued by Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?. Gulp The director stared at Jin-Woo with eyes that were clearly still swimming in unbridled shock . And then, those eyes nearly popped out of their sockets from an even more incredulous sight Jin-Woo actually began talking to Kamish, that was what ¡°The Magic Crystal embedded in your head has been removed a long time ago . You have no more reason to follow the orders of the Rulers . ¡±. The deputy director standing right next to his boss shuddered from a nasty shock and hurriedly asked ¡°Is, is Hunter Seong Jin-Woo actually speaking in the monster language right now?!¡±. ¡°¡­ . Even though I¡¯m looking at it, I can¡¯t figure out how to interpret this situation . ¡±. While everyone else was still stuck in their pit of pure astonishment, Jin-Woo was too busy spitting out a sigh of relief in his mind ¡®Whew-woo¡­ . ¡¯. He was worried about what he needed to do for a brief moment there, but the end result turned out to be rather good . What a relief that was Even then, Jin-Woo was honestly almost scared out of his wits the moment he felt the unchecked rage gushing out from the Dragon ¡®What kind of a Shadow Soldier possesses this powerful an ego?!¡¯. It seemed that the thing about higher existences possessing stronger egos, as proclaimed by the King of Giants, could be true after all . Meanwhile, the Dragon was quite surprised by the fact that it willingly obeyed the new Sovereign¡¯s order [So, this is how it feels to submit to the Shadow Sovereign¡­ . ]. The Dragon then lowered its tall posture and paid its respect to Jin-Woo . The humans flinching constantly from each and every movement of the oversized creature finally spat out lengthy sighs of relief The Dragon lowered its head, as if to kiss the floor, and spoke [This lowly servant who once used to serve the Dragon Emperor pays respects to the new Sovereign . ]. There was a great deal of respect in the creature¡¯s voice that still growled like that of most monsters . Jin-Woo slowly approached the Dragon and placed his hand on the nose of the creature . It silently closed its eyes and enjoyed the warmth of its new lord The sensation that couldn¡¯t be described in mere words travelled from its nose tip to the rest of its body Jin-Woo also sensed that the Dragon¡¯s mood was lifting up . He had barely managed to calm his pounding heart by then, but now, it was racing hard again BA-THUMP, BA-THUMP!!. ¡®Kamish¡­ . The Dragon Kamish has really become my Shadow Soldier¡­ . ¡¯. A broad smile automatically floated up on his face Adam White¡¯s jaw, meanwhile, had been hanging slack from this unbelievable scene right before his eyes . But then, he discovered something even more incredulous and hurriedly confirmed it with the deputy director ¡°S-sir . Is the Dragon really wagging its tail??¡±. ¡®What the heck, the worst calamity in history isn¡¯t some puppy, so what kind of rubbish is he even talking about?¡¯. The deputy director thought such a thing would be completely illogical and shifted his eyes to where Kamish¡¯s tail was, only for a pained groan to escape from his mouth ¡°Jesus H . Christ¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo lifted his hand away and the Dragon¡¯s tail stopped wagging, as well . It then raised his head up again The name ¡®Kamish¡¯ was given to the Dragon for the convenience of humans . Jin-Woo was pondering what new name he should give to his latest addition to the ranks of his Shadow Soldiers, before abruptly recalling the words it used to greet him just now ¡°You said you used to serve the Dragon Emperor, right?¡±. [That is indeed correct, oh, my king . ]. The Dragon continued using a polite tone of voice [I served the King of Berserk Dragons, the Sovereign of Destruction . ]. ¡®I¡¯m the King of the Dead, the Shadow Sovereign¡­ . ¡¯. And then, there was the King of the Giants, the Sovereign of the Beginning Jin-Woo realised that the former owner the Dragon served had to be one of the nine Sovereigns the System mentioned before However, that wasn¡¯t important right now . No, what he wanted to know was the creature¡¯s real name, so he could use that one, too ¡°Alright, then . What was your original na¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t continue his words, though . His eyes looking up at the creature began quaking rather violently . Like a sand castle being scattered away by a gust of wind, the Dragon¡¯s body was slowly disintegrating right before him [Regrettably, my king¡­ I must bid you farewell . ]. ¡°What?!¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s Perception Stat communicated with the Dragon¡¯s current emotion . And it was one of pure sorrow, not even a hint of falsehood contained within The Dragon was truly lamenting this moment [It seems that our meeting came about far too late, my Sovereign . ]. Even if it was the power of a Shadow Sovereign, the gap of eight years proved to be far too wide to bridge . The Dragon had been trapped for too long within the bottom of the abyss and as a result, its magical energy had become too weak and began scattering away in the air ¡°System?! Systeeeem!¡±. Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t accept this and desperately cried out to the System, but the d*mn thing remained utterly silent, as always Just like how he could sense the Dragon¡¯s emotions, the creature could sense his, as well [I am truly envious of Your Majesty¡¯s soldiers, as they are now tasked with serving you for all eternity . ]. It spoke from the depths of its heart . To the king who didn¡¯t want to lose his soldier, the Dragon left behind one final advice [Oh, my king . There are four humans who have borrowed the powers of the Rulers . Please, you need to be wary of them . ]. As the Dragon¡¯s body became completely blurry and indistinct, even its voice grew further and further away [I was honoured to be in the presence of a new king¡­ ]. And then, deathly silence descended on the dome Like a shifting mirage, the Dragon¡¯s shadow disappeared . All the spotlights flickering precariously above all reverted back to working normally again The director had been holding his breath as he witnessed this spectacle . Once the Dragon was gone, he quickly looked at the corpse of the creature Absolutely nothing had happened to Kamish¡¯s remains He felt as if he had been dreaming until now and that left him utterly dazed and confused But, then again, if what happened was simply a bad dream, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo wouldn¡¯t be standing around making such an empty, despondent expression right now ¡°¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t rip his gaze away from the spot where the Dragon¡¯s shadow used to stand . Eventually, the System message popped up in his view alongside with the familiar ¡®Tti-ring!¡¯. [Shadow Extraction has failed . ]. [Too much time has elapsed since the target¡¯s death and therefore, any further attempt at Extraction holds no meaning . ]. [The target¡¯s shadow has returned to the emptiness of the void . ]. Mechanical beeps continued to go off in his head Today would be his first time hating the sounds of continuous ¡®Tti-ring, tti-ring¡¯ going off in his head . Jin-Woo¡¯s tightly clenched fists trembled ever so slightly Ka-boom!. In his rage, he punched the ground hard . For a brief moment there, the entire building shook around just a little ***. Jin-Woo returned to the hotel Because he was in such a gloomy mood, Adam White was unable to say a single thing during the trip, even though he was tasked with ¡®escorting¡¯ him here The American agent checked in for Jin-Woo at the front desk and that finally presented him with an opportunity to talk ¡°I¡¯m in charge of accommodating your needs during your stay in the U . S . , so if you want something, please, don¡¯t hesitate and give me a call . ¡±. Adam White spoke with a bright expression, but the reply remained frigid and disinterested ¡°¡­ . Got it . ¡±. The smile on Adam White¡¯s face hardened instantly ¡®S-scary¡­ . ¡¯. He learned that standing in front of a very upset top-level Hunter could be a quite scary experience for the first time in his life today The negotiation had been postponed to a later date . Which wasn¡¯t surprising, considering Jin-Woo¡¯s current mood . And well, both the director and his deputy hadn¡¯t regained their lost spirits so even they didn¡¯t show any signs of disappointment, either Jin-Woo figured that he might as well sleep today¡¯s events off and was about to head towards his assigned room, but then¡­ ¡°Uh?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol was coming down to the hotel¡¯s lobby just then and discovered Jin-Woo here . The Chief of the Monitoring Division quickly made his way ¡°Seong Hunter-nim, why couldn¡¯t we get a hold of you?¡±. ¡°Oh, that¡­ I was temporarily in a place where no calls could get through . ¡±. Outsiders were not permitted to carry their personal phones when inside the HQ of the Hunter Bureau . There was no exception to this rule even if you were an important guest . It was a necessity in order to protect the organisation¡¯s many secrets If an important person such as Madam Selner got her face photographed, the entire Hunter Bureau would be turned upside down, that was why Woo Jin-Cheol scratched the side of his head and asked ¡°Did you get to meet Yu Jin-Ho Hunter-nim, then?¡±. ¡°Eh?¡±. Almost right away, an expression of confusion formed on Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s face ¡°But, I thought Yu Hunter-nim received a message from you and that¡¯s why he went out? The message said that you were waiting for him at the Hunter Bureau¡¯s building . ¡±. ¡°That¡¯s where I¡¯m coming from right now, so what are you even talking about here?¡±. Adam White was listening to this conversation from the side and quickly confirmed the fact for them ¡°There was no Yu Jin-Ho Hunter-nim in the visitor¡¯s log . ¡±. ¡°Excuse me? But, how can that be? About two hours ago, a rank S Hunter came here to fetch him personally . ¡±. Jin-Woo quickly butted in there ¡°Which rank S Hunter are you talking about?¡±. ¡°It was Hunter Hwang Dong-Su . He actually came to the hotel . ¡±. Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t understand why he suddenly felt this ominous sensation the moment he heard the name Hwang Dong-Su, which was in stark contrast to the other two men who didn¡¯t seem to know what was going on here ¡®Is this because of the Perception Stat?¡¯. Seeing that the light in Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes had become unusually tense, Adam White quickly pulled his phone out again ¡°I shall call Hwang Dong-Su Hunter-nim¡¯s Guild right now . ¡±. Several ringtones later, the manager in charge of Scavenger Guild¡¯s high-ranking Hunters, a woman named Laura answered Adam White¡¯s call . He briefly introduced himself and explained the current situation Surprisingly, though ¨C the voice coming from the phone¡¯s speaker was calm and collected, which went completely against Adam White¡¯s expectations . He thought that she might be as flustered as he¡¯d be, but no ¨C ¡°Has Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim learned of this situation yet?¡±. Adam White only said that Hunter Hwang Dong-Su had taken Yu Jin-Ho away, yet Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s name suddenly popped out of nowhere . He tilted his head slightly, before sneaking a glance at Jin-Woo The Korean Hunter shook his head briefly . Adam White nodded his head in acknowledgement and came up with a suitable reply ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim hasn¡¯t learned of the news yet as he¡¯s still stuck in the Hunter Bureau . However, Yu Jin-Ho Hunter-nim¡¯s travelling party had called us to find out what was going on earlier, you see . ¡±. ¨C ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll find out as quickly as possible . ¡±. And that¡¯s where the call came to an abrupt end Jin-Woo listened to the conversation without saying a single word and when the call ended, headed straight to the hotel¡¯s exit ¡°Seong Hunter-nim?! The Scavenger Guild said they will find out, so we should wait for¡­ ¡±. Adam White hurriedly chased after Jin-Woo and came out of the hotel¡¯s exit, but the Korean Hunter was long gone by then ¡°What the hell¡­? Where did he go?¡±. Adam White stared at the street with a troubled expression on his face, not knowing what to do next ***. Jin-Woo sought out a deserted back alley away from the crowded main street and undid ¡®Stealth¡¯ A rank S Hunter using his name showed up and took Yu Jin-Ho away . But then, the Guild this guy worked for didn¡¯t even try to get a detailed explanation of what happened and simply stated that they would find out before one-sidedly ending the call ¡®Something bad is happening¡­ . ¡¯. And that thing should be related somehow to why that Guild staff member on the phone mentioned his name right away Jin-Woo¡¯s expression hardened as he issued a new command . If that guy was looking for trouble, then he certainly picked a very bad day for it ¡®Find him . ¡¯. If his thousand-plus soldiers dispersed throughout the city and searched for Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s magic energy signature, then finding him shouldn¡¯t take that long Shashashak, shashashashak¡­. A thousand shadows breaking off from below Jin-Woo¡¯s feet quickly scattered in all directions ***. Thomas Andre scanned the interior of the apartment with a hardened face Inside this luxurious apartment where Hwang Dong-Su should have been staying, the two Hunters assigned to keep an eye on him were lying face down with foam bubbling out of their mouths ¡°Tsk . ¡±. He clicked his tongue and removed his trademark sunglasses ¡°¡­¡±. His deeply crumpled expression was finally revealed for all to see, and the complexions of his subordinates searching through the apartment paled instantly Thomas Andre gnashed his teeth and issued a new order in a low, growling voice ¡°Hwang Dong-Su¡­ Find him, before Seong Jin-Woo does . No matter what, we must find him first . ¡±. < Chapter 188 > Fin Chapter 189 Jin-Woo now stood on top of a skyscraper that afforded him a view of the entire city . His eyesight, enhanced to extreme heights through his Perception Stat, began scanning the city from the streets right below the skyscraper all the way to the residential homes located in the far-off distance . While doing that, his hearing was focused on the noises his Shadow Soldiers picked up . [Hey, Smith! How have you been?] [Dear customer, our store doesn¡¯t accept returns based on a customer¡¯s sudden change of mind¡­ . ] [C¡¯mon, man . Why didn¡¯t you come to the party last night?] Pretty much all of them were useless idle talks . Aside from those, the horns of passing cars, noises from TV speakers, cats meowing, splashes of water from bathrooms, etc . ¨C all sorts of sounds made by a living city entered Jin-Woo¡¯s ears . Sweat drops formed on his forehead as he utilised his five senses, plus the sixth one to detect magic energy, to their fullest extent . ¡®I wouldn¡¯t be going through this much trouble if I just left the Shadow Soldier in Jin-Ho¡¯s shadow¡­ . ¡¯ Didn¡¯t someone say this before? It was already too late the moment you start regretting it . The ant soldier he had inserted in Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s shadow just in case had been used to get to Chairman Yu Myung-Han¡¯s hospital room . Jin-Woo became really busy after that, and since he was planning to accompany the kid during their trip to the US, he had forgotten about inserting a replacement . And the end result from all of that is him working his a*s off like this . ¡®Kamish¡¯s shadow is gone, and Jin-Ho¡¯s whereabouts are unknown¡­ . ¡¯ Veins popped up one at a time on Jin-Woo¡¯s forehead . His already gloomy mood had now hit rock bottom and was about to convert into a storm cloud . His knife-like glare, sharp enough to almost shoot bolts of lightning, darted this way and that as if he didn¡¯t want to miss a single movement happening down below . Unfortunately, never mind Yu Jin-Ho, it proved very difficult to find an Asian youth that resembled him in this city . ¡®Could it be¡­ . they are not in the city at all?¡¯ To Jin-Woo, Yu Jin-Ho might be a cute little brother, but the truth was, the kid was still a melee-type rank D Hunter . Any ol¡¯ group of regular people trying to jump him wouldn¡¯t work at all . If the car supposedly heading for the Hunter Bureau¡¯s HQ suddenly drove out of the city limits, Yu Jin-Ho would have realised something was amiss and started resisting his kidnappers . The sole problem was¡­ ¡®The b*stard kidnapping Jin-Ho was a rank S Hunter . ¡¯ Jin-Woo immediately widened the scope of his shadows¡¯ movements . ¡®His name was Hwang Dong-Su, wasn¡¯t it?¡¯ Jin-Woo didn¡¯t know why that man faked his name and took Yu Jin-Ho away . However, this was about ¡®Give and Take¡¯ . He was determined to ask for suitable compensation for provoking him like this . And, if something untoward happened to Jin-Ho for some reason¡­ A dangerous gleam flashed eerily within Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes . Not too long after, the Shadow Soldiers expanding their search range sent in countless bits of information that encompassed the entirety of the city . *** In the end, Hwang Dong-Su really went for it and caused an incident . An emergency situation descended on the Scavenger Guild once that fact was revealed to its members . Their opponent this time was Seong Jin-Woo . Just one misstep and Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s life could be forfeited . He was one of the top aces within the Scavenger Guild and should be considered as one of the core pillars of its combat force, too . Thomas Andre couldn¡¯t afford to lose someone like that . But all he could do for the time being was to sit in his office and anxiously wait for any news . ¡°Anything new?¡± His subordinate shook his head with a darkened complexion . ¡°No, sir . ¡± The frowns on Thomas Andre¡¯s forehead grew deeper by a level . Tracking Hwang Dong-Su through his phone was impossible since he had switched the device off . The places he frequented had been searched thoroughly by the Guild¡¯s members, but unfortunately, nothing worthy of note had been uncovered so far . It seemed that Mister Hwang had been planning for this day for quite some time . ¡®Isn¡¯t he scared of dying?¡¯ No, Mister Hwang was also a rank S Hunter . He should be aware of the differences in strengths between himself and Seong Jin-Woo, at the bare minimum . Even then, he still went ahead and did something so monumentally stupid . Because he probably had something he could place his bets on . ¡®He knows that I¡¯ll step up on his behalf . ¡¯ Well, that fool wasn¡¯t wrong with his calculation . Regardless of whether that man would cause another incident in the future or not, he¡¯d still remain as Scavenger Guild¡¯s asset until the contract duration expired . The Guild saw potential in Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s skills and had invested a ton of money on him . He bravely started this crap with no care for the aftermath because he knew that Thomas Andre would never willingly give up on his assets . ¡®¡­ . Did I treat my Hunters too nicely until now?¡¯ Thomas Andre repeatedly told himself to strictly discipline his underlings as soon as this issue had been sorted out so they wouldn¡¯t cause another problem like this one in the future . The Guild employees in the near vicinity had to stay extra cautious, even with their breathing, as Thomas Andre¡¯s upset mood continued to stew quietly . It was then, his phone suddenly began ringing . Thomas Andre had been waiting too anxiously for news, regardless of what nature it took, and hurriedly yanked the receiver up . ¨C ¡°We might be able to track down Mister Hwang¡¯s location, sir . ¡± The voice on the line belonged to Laura . Thomas Andre shot up from his chair . ¡°How?¡± She knew what he was feeling right now, so Laura didn¡¯t pause for a second before she quickly carried on with her explanation . ¨C ¡°I asked for assistance from the Hunter Bureau and was able to analyse Mister Hwang¡¯s movement patterns for the last three months . I found out that there were a total of three times when he broke away from his usual area of activity and moved to an unknown location . ¡± ¡®Very good!¡¯ Thomas Andre nodded his head . Rather unexpectedly, they were able to find a clue sooner than he thought . ¡°Send everyone to that location . I¡¯ll be on my way there, as well . ¡± ¨C ¡°Understood, sir . ¡± Thomas Andre was about to end the call there but hesitated slightly, before raising the receiver up again . ¡°By the way¡­ how did you convince the old codgers in the Hunter Bureau, Laura?¡± The Hunter Bureau had a habit of recording the locations and movement patterns of all the Hunters via GPS attached to the Hunter-issue smartphones . Of course, they were not an organisation known for giving away their information willy-nilly . Even if it was the Scavenger Guild making the request, the approval process should take several hours at a bare minimum . But to think, they spat out Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s records, just like that . This didn¡¯t sound logical at all . Thomas Andre couldn¡¯t help but get curious about the methods Laura employed here to convince them . However, her answer was rather simple in nature . ¨C ¡°I only told them that if we don¡¯t locate Hunter Hwang Dong-Su as quickly as possible, then there¡¯s a chance that Mister Seong Jin-Woo and you, Master, might collide against each other . ¡± *** ¡°Every single Guild member has begun moving, sir!¡± Adam White, currently observing the behaviour of the Scavenger Guild, cried out in an urgent voice at his smartphone . The deputy director on the other side of the line quickly asked back . ¨C ¡°All 100 of them?!¡± ¡°I just found out that the raid they were getting ready for has been cancelled as well, sir . All of their Hunters are being mobilised to go somewhere . ¡± ¨C ¡°What on earth¡­ . Just what is going on here?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Adam White couldn¡¯t easily open his mouth here . A rank S Hunter from the Scavenger Guild used Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s name and kidnapped Yu Jin-Ho . And then, both Seong Jin-Woo and the Scavenger Guild had begun mobilising . This couldn¡¯t have been something simple at all . Not to mention, with the entirety of the Scavenger Guild being mobilised like that, it could only mean that Thomas Andre was behind the move . The ominous foreboding crept up on Adam White and he quickly wiped the sweat off his face . Sure enough ¨C Adam froze up on the spot after discovering Thomas Andre walk out of the Guild building¡¯s entrance . ¡®Heok¡­ . ¡¯ The American Hunter took a sweeping look around once before climbing into a waiting car . The vehicle then hurriedly set off to an unknown destination . And it just so happened to be in the same direction where the Hunters of the Scavenger Guild had disappeared to, as well . Adam White did his best to calm his trembling voice and described what he saw to the deputy director . ¡°S-sir¡­ The Goliath¡­ Thomas Andre has made his move as well . Sir . ¡± *** ¡°Is this really alright?¡± A man looked at Yu Jin-Ho lying unconscious on the ground and worriedly asked . Hwang Dong-Su to his side nodded his head . ¡°Look, I¡¯m not gonna do anything bad to him, alright? I just want to ask him about this one thing, that¡¯s all . ¡± The Guild Master Thomas Andre warned him . He said not to provoke Seong Jin-Woo . However, Hwang Dong-Su never planned to provoke that man from the get-go, anyway . Why? Because there was one other person beside Seong Jin-Woo that could answer the question burning a hole in his head . That was why . The question of what happened on that day ¨C the events that took place within the dungeon where his older brother Hwang Dong-Seok, Seong Jin-Woo, and Yu Jin-Ho entered together . Hwang Dong-Su promised Yu Jin-Ho that he¡¯d be freed as soon as he answered that question truthfully . Unfortunately, Yu Jin-Ho didn¡¯t squeak a word out right until he ended up in such a pathetic, wretched state . The longer Yu Jin-Ho kept his mouth shut, the stronger Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s convictions became, though . All he wanted to hear was one thing . [¡°Seong Jin-Woo killed your brother . ¡±] If he could just hear that one sentence, he¡¯d no longer have any business with Yu Jin-Ho . But then, with what balls was a punk with a small physique and a naive-looking face keeping his mouth shut against a rank S Hunter? His courage alone was worth praising him for . ¡®Of course, his foolhardiness won¡¯t get him off the hook here . ¡¯ Hwang Dong-Su lightly kicked the waist of Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s heavily-wounded-all-over body . ¡°Oii . Wake up . ¡± Would this be the fourth time the kid fainted and was woken back up again? Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s irritation grew somewhat at Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s tenacious endurance and his kick became a little more vicious than before . ¡°I said, get the hell up!¡± Pow! ¡°Keo-heok!¡± Yu Jin-Ho curled up on the floor as he spat out the pooled blood in his mouth . The third man of Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s group began cackling out . ¡°Still, this kid¡¯s supposed to be a tanker, wasn¡¯t he? He sure can withstand some punishment, can¡¯t he? A regular person would¡¯ve died by now . ¡± Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s face now reflected no emotion whatsoever as he grabbed the back of Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s head to yank it up . ¡°Listen here . I don¡¯t want to kill you . You see this guy over here laughing his a*s off? Let me tell you, he¡¯s a Healer with some considerable skill . He¡¯ll bring you back just before you are about to die . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s blurry gaze was directed to the cackling man, and the Hunter grinned brightly and wagged his finger around as if to greet the kid . Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s viciously moved his hand . ¡°Keo-heok!¡± Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s head, still grabbed by that hand, also had to viciously swing to the side . He now could see the dust-filled interior of a decrepit building . Hwang Dong-Su continued on . ¡°This here is a factory that closed down over five years ago . You can scream all you want, but no one¡¯s gonna hear you . ¡± After grabbing and fixing Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s head in the place, Hwang Dong-Su brought his own face right up against the kid¡¯s nose . Their locked gazes grew closer and closer . ¡°Which means, you will suffer from intense pain forever . That is, until you tell me what I want to hear . ¡± When they got close enough for their noses to touch, Hwang Dong-Su formed a toothy grin . ¡°So, how about it? Do you feel like talking now?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s busted lips bobbed up and down but his voice was too small and even Hwang Dong-Su couldn¡¯t hear it . ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± Hwang Dong-Su tilted his head slightly in confusion and brought his ear near the kid . When the ear was only a few millimetres away from his lips, Yu Jin-Ho whispered softly . ¡°¡­ . . F*ck off . ¡± Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s expression crumpled instantly . Ka-boom! He slammed the side of Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s head on the ground and panted like an angry bull . ¡°Oii! Did you just kill him?¡± The Healer¡¯s brows shot up and he quickly checked for Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s pulse . ¡°Whew-woo . ¡± After confirming that the kid¡¯s heart was still beating, the Healer spat out a sigh of relief . Still, there was no doubt that this young and weak Hunter¡¯s life would¡¯ve been cut short if Hwang Dong-Su had used a little more of his strength . ¡°Mister Hwang, be more careful, will ya? I don¡¯t want to become an accomplice to a murderer just because of money, alright?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be more careful . ¡± Hwang Dong-Su acknowledged his mistake . Was it because of the precariousness of the situation? The man who couldn¡¯t hide his worries from the get-go decided to persuade Hwang Dong-Su . ¡°Let¡¯s just call it a day and move on . Haven¡¯t you found out all you can by now?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? We¡¯re only getting started . ¡± The corners of Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s lips arched to form a sinister smile . His vicious, cruel nature was pretty much the carbon-copy of his older brother . The man knew he failed to change Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s mind . Still feeling worried and anxious, he continued to scan his surroundings . And it happened at that moment . He discovered something standing over on the other side of the disused factory . What could it be? The man¡¯s eyes narrowed to a slit . And then¡­ ¡°Uh? Huh, uh??¡± He became surprised by his discovery and pointed in that direction . Hwang Dong-Su and the Healer both raised their heads to take a look . There it was, a High Orc kitted out in black armour standing over yonder . ¡°¡­ . An Orc?¡± Hwang Dong-Su stood up . The Healer checking Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s condition also got up from the ground . ¡°Is there a dungeon break happening nearby?¡± Hwang Dong-Su shook his head . If that was the case, their surroundings should¡¯ve become a pandemonium by now . He extended out his sensory perception just in case and searched for other presence in the vicinity, but he couldn¡¯t sense any other monsters at all . This High Orc was all alone . ¡°Now that¡¯s pretty bizarre . ¡± That wasn¡¯t the only bizarre thing, though . The High Orc was actually shivering . As a matter of fact, its facial expression contained terror . It looked as if the creature was barely holding back tears threatening to burst out at any moment . And all four of its limbs were quivering from pure fright, too . ¡°Mister Hwang . I think that thing is terrified of you . ¡± ¡°¡­ . I don¡¯t have time to fool around like this . ¡± White rays of light began coagulating on Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s clenched fist . He didn¡¯t know where this Orc came from, but now that he had discovered it, of course, he wouldn¡¯t let it just walk away . Hwang Dong-Su strode right up to the Orc and raised his fist so he could blow the monster¡¯s head clean off . Before he could do that, though¡­ ¡­ . The heavy voice of a man suddenly called out from somewhere . ¨C ¡°Exchange . ¡± < Chapter 189 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 189: Chapter 189 Jin-Woo now stood on top of a skyscraper that afforded him a view of the entire city . His eyesight, enhanced to extreme heights through his Perception Stat, began scanning the city from the streets right below the skyscraper all the way to the residential homes located in the far-off distance While doing that, his hearing was focused on the noises his Shadow Soldiers picked up [Hey, Smith! How have you been?]. [Dear customer, our store doesn¡¯t accept returns based on a customer¡¯s sudden change of mind¡­ . ]. [C¡¯mon, man . Why didn¡¯t you come to the party last night?]. Pretty much all of them were useless idle talks Aside from those, the horns of passing cars, noises from TV speakers, cats meowing, splashes of water from bathrooms, etc . ¨C all sorts of sounds made by a living city entered Jin-Woo¡¯s ears Sweat drops formed on his forehead as he utilised his five senses, plus the sixth one to detect magic energy, to their fullest extent ¡®I wouldn¡¯t be going through this much trouble if I just left the Shadow Soldier in Jin-Ho¡¯s shadow¡­ . ¡¯. Didn¡¯t someone say this before? It was already too late the moment you start regretting it The ant soldier he had inserted in Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s shadow just in case had been used to get to Chairman Yu Myung-Han¡¯s hospital room . Jin-Woo became really busy after that, and since he was planning to accompany the kid during their trip to the US, he had forgotten about inserting a replacement And the end result from all of that is him working his a*s off like this ¡®Kamish¡¯s shadow is gone, and Jin-Ho¡¯s whereabouts are unknown¡­ . ¡¯. Veins popped up one at a time on Jin-Woo¡¯s forehead . His already gloomy mood had now hit rock bottom and was about to convert into a storm cloud His knife-like glare, sharp enough to almost shoot bolts of lightning, darted this way and that as if he didn¡¯t want to miss a single movement happening down below Unfortunately, never mind Yu Jin-Ho, it proved very difficult to find an Asian youth that resembled him in this city ¡®Could it be¡­ . they are not in the city at all?¡¯. To Jin-Woo, Yu Jin-Ho might be a cute little brother, but the truth was, the kid was still a melee-type rank D Hunter . Any ol¡¯ group of regular people trying to jump him wouldn¡¯t work at all If the car supposedly heading for the Hunter Bureau¡¯s HQ suddenly drove out of the city limits, Yu Jin-Ho would have realised something was amiss and started resisting his kidnappers The sole problem was¡­. ¡®The b*stard kidnapping Jin-Ho was a rank S Hunter . ¡¯. Jin-Woo immediately widened the scope of his shadows¡¯ movements ¡®His name was Hwang Dong-Su, wasn¡¯t it?¡¯. Jin-Woo didn¡¯t know why that man faked his name and took Yu Jin-Ho away . However, this was about ¡®Give and Take¡¯ . He was determined to ask for suitable compensation for provoking him like this And, if something untoward happened to Jin-Ho for some reason¡­. A dangerous gleam flashed eerily within Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes Not too long after, the Shadow Soldiers expanding their search range sent in countless bits of information that encompassed the entirety of the city ***. In the end, Hwang Dong-Su really went for it and caused an incident An emergency situation descended on the Scavenger Guild once that fact was revealed to its members . Their opponent this time was Seong Jin-Woo Just one misstep and Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s life could be forfeited He was one of the top aces within the Scavenger Guild and should be considered as one of the core pillars of its combat force, too Thomas Andre couldn¡¯t afford to lose someone like that . But all he could do for the time being was to sit in his office and anxiously wait for any news ¡°Anything new?¡±. His subordinate shook his head with a darkened complexion ¡°No, sir . ¡±. The frowns on Thomas Andre¡¯s forehead grew deeper by a level Tracking Hwang Dong-Su through his phone was impossible since he had switched the device off . The places he frequented had been searched thoroughly by the Guild¡¯s members, but unfortunately, nothing worthy of note had been uncovered so far . It seemed that Mister Hwang had been planning for this day for quite some time ¡®Isn¡¯t he scared of dying?¡¯. No, Mister Hwang was also a rank S Hunter . He should be aware of the differences in strengths between himself and Seong Jin-Woo, at the bare minimum Even then, he still went ahead and did something so monumentally stupid . Because he probably had something he could place his bets on ¡®He knows that I¡¯ll step up on his behalf . ¡¯. Well, that fool wasn¡¯t wrong with his calculation . Regardless of whether that man would cause another incident in the future or not, he¡¯d still remain as Scavenger Guild¡¯s asset until the contract duration expired The Guild saw potential in Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s skills and had invested a ton of money on him . He bravely started this crap with no care for the aftermath because he knew that Thomas Andre would never willingly give up on his assets ¡®¡­ . Did I treat my Hunters too nicely until now?¡¯. Thomas Andre repeatedly told himself to strictly discipline his underlings as soon as this issue had been sorted out so they wouldn¡¯t cause another problem like this one in the future The Guild employees in the near vicinity had to stay extra cautious, even with their breathing, as Thomas Andre¡¯s upset mood continued to stew quietly It was then, his phone suddenly began ringing . Thomas Andre had been waiting too anxiously for news, regardless of what nature it took, and hurriedly yanked the receiver up ¨C ¡°We might be able to track down Mister Hwang¡¯s location, sir . ¡±. The voice on the line belonged to Laura . Thomas Andre shot up from his chair ¡°How?¡±. She knew what he was feeling right now, so Laura didn¡¯t pause for a second before she quickly carried on with her explanation ¨C ¡°I asked for assistance from the Hunter Bureau and was able to analyse Mister Hwang¡¯s movement patterns for the last three months . I found out that there were a total of three times when he broke away from his usual area of activity and moved to an unknown location . ¡±. ¡®Very good!¡¯. Thomas Andre nodded his head . Rather unexpectedly, they were able to find a clue sooner than he thought ¡°Send everyone to that location . I¡¯ll be on my way there, as well . ¡±. ¨C ¡°Understood, sir . ¡±. Thomas Andre was about to end the call there but hesitated slightly, before raising the receiver up again ¡°By the way¡­ how did you convince the old codgers in the Hunter Bureau, Laura?¡±. The Hunter Bureau had a habit of recording the locations and movement patterns of all the Hunters via GPS attached to the Hunter-issue smartphones Of course, they were not an organisation known for giving away their information willy-nilly . Even if it was the Scavenger Guild making the request, the approval process should take several hours at a bare minimum . But to think, they spat out Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s records, just like that This didn¡¯t sound logical at all . Thomas Andre couldn¡¯t help but get curious about the methods Laura employed here to convince them However, her answer was rather simple in nature ¨C ¡°I only told them that if we don¡¯t locate Hunter Hwang Dong-Su as quickly as possible, then there¡¯s a chance that Mister Seong Jin-Woo and you, Master, might collide against each other . ¡±. ***. ¡°Every single Guild member has begun moving, sir!¡±. Adam White, currently observing the behaviour of the Scavenger Guild, cried out in an urgent voice at his smartphone . The deputy director on the other side of the line quickly asked back ¨C ¡°All 100 of them?!¡±. ¡°I just found out that the raid they were getting ready for has been cancelled as well, sir . All of their Hunters are being mobilised to go somewhere . ¡±. ¨C ¡°What on earth¡­ . Just what is going on here?¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. Adam White couldn¡¯t easily open his mouth here A rank S Hunter from the Scavenger Guild used Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s name and kidnapped Yu Jin-Ho . And then, both Seong Jin-Woo and the Scavenger Guild had begun mobilising This couldn¡¯t have been something simple at all Not to mention, with the entirety of the Scavenger Guild being mobilised like that, it could only mean that Thomas Andre was behind the move . The ominous foreboding crept up on Adam White and he quickly wiped the sweat off his face Sure enough ¨C Adam froze up on the spot after discovering Thomas Andre walk out of the Guild building¡¯s entrance ¡®Heok¡­ . ¡¯. The American Hunter took a sweeping look around once before climbing into a waiting car . The vehicle then hurriedly set off to an unknown destination And it just so happened to be in the same direction where the Hunters of the Scavenger Guild had disappeared to, as well . Adam White did his best to calm his trembling voice and described what he saw to the deputy director ¡°S-sir¡­ The Goliath¡­ Thomas Andre has made his move as well . Sir . ¡±. ***. ¡°Is this really alright?¡±. A man looked at Yu Jin-Ho lying unconscious on the ground and worriedly asked . Hwang Dong-Su to his side nodded his head ¡°Look, I¡¯m not gonna do anything bad to him, alright? I just want to ask him about this one thing, that¡¯s all . ¡±. The Guild Master Thomas Andre warned him . He said not to provoke Seong Jin-Woo However, Hwang Dong-Su never planned to provoke that man from the get-go, anyway . Why? Because there was one other person beside Seong Jin-Woo that could answer the question burning a hole in his head . That was why The question of what happened on that day ¨C the events that took place within the dungeon where his older brother Hwang Dong-Seok, Seong Jin-Woo, and Yu Jin-Ho entered together . Hwang Dong-Su promised Yu Jin-Ho that he¡¯d be freed as soon as he answered that question truthfully Unfortunately, Yu Jin-Ho didn¡¯t squeak a word out right until he ended up in such a pathetic, wretched state . The longer Yu Jin-Ho kept his mouth shut, the stronger Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s convictions became, though All he wanted to hear was one thing [¡°Seong Jin-Woo killed your brother . ¡±]. If he could just hear that one sentence, he¡¯d no longer have any business with Yu Jin-Ho . But then, with what balls was a punk with a small physique and a naive-looking face keeping his mouth shut against a rank S Hunter? His courage alone was worth praising him for ¡®Of course, his foolhardiness won¡¯t get him off the hook here . ¡¯. Hwang Dong-Su lightly kicked the waist of Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s heavily-wounded-all-over body ¡°Oii . Wake up . ¡±. Would this be the fourth time the kid fainted and was woken back up again? Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s irritation grew somewhat at Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s tenacious endurance and his kick became a little more vicious than before ¡°I said, get the hell up!¡±. Pow!. ¡°Keo-heok!¡±. Yu Jin-Ho curled up on the floor as he spat out the pooled blood in his mouth . The third man of Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s group began cackling out ¡°Still, this kid¡¯s supposed to be a tanker, wasn¡¯t he? He sure can withstand some punishment, can¡¯t he? A regular person would¡¯ve died by now . ¡±. Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s face now reflected no emotion whatsoever as he grabbed the back of Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s head to yank it up ¡°Listen here . I don¡¯t want to kill you . You see this guy over here laughing his a*s off? Let me tell you, he¡¯s a Healer with some considerable skill . He¡¯ll bring you back just before you are about to die . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s blurry gaze was directed to the cackling man, and the Hunter grinned brightly and wagged his finger around as if to greet the kid Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s viciously moved his hand ¡°Keo-heok!¡±. Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s head, still grabbed by that hand, also had to viciously swing to the side . He now could see the dust-filled interior of a decrepit building . Hwang Dong-Su continued on ¡°This here is a factory that closed down over five years ago . You can scream all you want, but no one¡¯s gonna hear you . ¡±. After grabbing and fixing Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s head in the place, Hwang Dong-Su brought his own face right up against the kid¡¯s nose . Their locked gazes grew closer and closer ¡°Which means, you will suffer from intense pain forever . That is, until you tell me what I want to hear . ¡±. When they got close enough for their noses to touch, Hwang Dong-Su formed a toothy grin ¡°So, how about it? Do you feel like talking now?¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s busted lips bobbed up and down but his voice was too small and even Hwang Dong-Su couldn¡¯t hear it ¡°What did you say?¡±. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. Hwang Dong-Su tilted his head slightly in confusion and brought his ear near the kid . When the ear was only a few millimetres away from his lips, Yu Jin-Ho whispered softly ¡°¡­ F*ck off . ¡±. Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s expression crumpled instantly Ka-boom!. He slammed the side of Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s head on the ground and panted like an angry bull ¡°Oii! Did you just kill him?¡±. The Healer¡¯s brows shot up and he quickly checked for Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s pulse ¡°Whew-woo . ¡±. After confirming that the kid¡¯s heart was still beating, the Healer spat out a sigh of relief . Still, there was no doubt that this young and weak Hunter¡¯s life would¡¯ve been cut short if Hwang Dong-Su had used a little more of his strength ¡°Mister Hwang, be more careful, will ya? I don¡¯t want to become an accomplice to a murderer just because of money, alright?¡±. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be more careful . ¡±. Hwang Dong-Su acknowledged his mistake Was it because of the precariousness of the situation? The man who couldn¡¯t hide his worries from the get-go decided to persuade Hwang Dong-Su ¡°Let¡¯s just call it a day and move on . Haven¡¯t you found out all you can by now?¡±. ¡°What are you talking about? We¡¯re only getting started . ¡±. The corners of Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s lips arched to form a sinister smile . His vicious, cruel nature was pretty much the carbon-copy of his older brother The man knew he failed to change Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s mind . Still feeling worried and anxious, he continued to scan his surroundings . And it happened at that moment . He discovered something standing over on the other side of the disused factory What could it be?. The man¡¯s eyes narrowed to a slit And then¡­. ¡°Uh? Huh, uh??¡±. He became surprised by his discovery and pointed in that direction . Hwang Dong-Su and the Healer both raised their heads to take a look . There it was, a High Orc kitted out in black armour standing over yonder ¡°¡­ . An Orc?¡±. Hwang Dong-Su stood up . The Healer checking Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s condition also got up from the ground ¡°Is there a dungeon break happening nearby?¡±. Hwang Dong-Su shook his head . If that was the case, their surroundings should¡¯ve become a pandemonium by now He extended out his sensory perception just in case and searched for other presence in the vicinity, but he couldn¡¯t sense any other monsters at all . This High Orc was all alone ¡°Now that¡¯s pretty bizarre . ¡±. That wasn¡¯t the only bizarre thing, though The High Orc was actually shivering As a matter of fact, its facial expression contained terror . It looked as if the creature was barely holding back tears threatening to burst out at any moment . And all four of its limbs were quivering from pure fright, too ¡°Mister Hwang . I think that thing is terrified of you . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . I don¡¯t have time to fool around like this . ¡±. White rays of light began coagulating on Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s clenched fist . He didn¡¯t know where this Orc came from, but now that he had discovered it, of course, he wouldn¡¯t let it just walk away Hwang Dong-Su strode right up to the Orc and raised his fist so he could blow the monster¡¯s head clean off . Before he could do that, though¡­. ¡­ . The heavy voice of a man suddenly called out from somewhere ¨C ¡°Exchange . ¡±. < Chapter 189 > Fin Chapter 190 The TV in the living room was showing the scenes of yet another accident that took place within a dungeon . Those seemed to happen frequently nowadays . Although no events that could be called truly enormous happened so far, the number of Hunters dying during the raids was on the rise lately, according to the news broadcast . ¡°I wonder, will my boy be okay?¡± His mother, watching the news, recalled Jin-Woo and whispered to herself in a worried voice . Didn¡¯t matter how excellent a Hunter her son was, there was no helping with a mother worrying about her child¡¯s safety . Beru, hiding within the shadows to protect this home as per Jin-Woo¡¯s instruction, heard her whispers . ¡®Oh, the mother of my king . If my liege meets with an accident that even he can¡¯t survive, then no one in this world can . ¡¯ Beru did his best to suppress the words trying to jump out of his mouth . Obviously, he couldn¡¯t surprise the mother of his liege needlessly, now could he? As his reward, he¡¯d have to suffer in silent frustration all by himself . He also found the liege¡¯s mother, currently equating his liege against those low-class monsters shown on the TV screen, rather cruel and unkind for doing that . However, he roused up a super-human level of endurance and suppressed his desire to preach the incomparable might of his dear liege to her . [Next up . We bring you the news on the conference organised by America¡¯s Hunter Bureau¡­ . ] The scene shown on TV changed yet again to that of a certain American airport as the news related to the International Guild Conference played out . And then, Jin-Woo appeared on the screen as he stepped foot into the airport . She saw her son walking forward as he was swarmed by the constant explosions of camera flashes . The worried look on her face was soon replaced by a contented smile . ¡°Jin-Ah? Your brother¡¯s on TV . ¡± ¡°Really?¡± Jin-Ah abandoned her studies and quickly trotted out of her room . This wouldn¡¯t be the first time, but regardless, seeing her oppa on the TV screen remained a mystifying and welcoming viewing experience to her, even now . But the thing was ¨C both Jin-Ah and her mom had no idea . They simply had no idea that there was someone very close, cheering on even more passionately then they did while watching the TV screen . ¡®Oh, my king¡­ . !¡¯ Beru¡¯s deeply-moved eyes were firmly fixed on the screen as he watched the clip being played out . But then, a powerful chill began invading his body out of the blue . Literally, without warning, his body hidden in the shadows began trembling non-stop . This sensation, hadn¡¯t he felt something similar to this in the past? When was that? Beru combed through his memories and finally recalled that moment . Back then, right when the king¡¯s gaze filled with killing intent was looking down on him . It was at that moment . A feeling of death that could not be avoided . The warning bells rang out loudly via his instincts after detecting the unmistakable stench of death . The king¡¯s rage he felt for the first time since becoming his Shadow Soldier was so great that Beru¡¯s entire thought process froze up . However, he was still his king¡¯s loyal soldier! He regained his wits quite quickly . ¡®¡­ . My king has been truly enraged . ¡¯ Now that he realised something had happened to his king, he couldn¡¯t just sit around quivering in fear like this . Beru quickly sent a signal to Jin-Woo and tried to engage him conversation . ¡®Oh, my king . Please compose yourself . I shall get to your side immediately . ¡¯ The response arrived immediately . [You¡­ . Don¡¯t make a move . ] Beru heard the king¡¯s voice which sounded like unchecked rage being compressed into a volatile mass . He could only tremble like a leaf against stormy winds . ¡®I shall obey . ¡¯ He could only say that he¡¯d submit to the command, that was all . But at the same time, he became also curious about the moron who managed to earn his king¡¯s wrath . ¡®Why would anyone do something so reckless and ill-advised¡­ . ¡¯ To numb the fear, even if only by a little, Beru hid his still-trembling body ever deeper into the shadow . *** In the city of Busan . The Knight Order Guild was in the middle of preparing for a raid . The Master of the Guild, Park Jong-Su, was confirming the raid party members and their current conditions one last time, as the will to make this raid a success burned fiercely within his heart . ¡°There¡¯s been a lot of accidents happening in dungeons lately . So, everyone ¨C keep your wits about you at all times! Let¡¯s make sure that not a single person gets injured today!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The Guild members had become rather docile after experiencing a raid together with Jin-Woo¡¯s summoned creatures . And now, they even sounded properly disciplined, as well . It was at that moment something strange happened . The Vice-Master of the Guild, Jeong Yun-Tae, was standing behind Park Jong-Su to nod his head and provide suitable reactions to his boss¡¯s words . But, he discovered something and his eyes nearly popped out of his sockets . ¡°Heok?!¡± Park Jong-Su hurriedly looked behind him . ¡°What?! What happened?¡± Jeong Yun-Tae pointed to the ground and alternated his gaze between Park Jong-Su and the shadow beneath his boss¡¯s feet . ¡°H-hyung-nim!! Your, your shadow! The shadow on the ground was vibrating¡­ . ¡± Jeong Yun-Tae discovered that Park Jong-Su was glaring at him with narrowed eyes and stopped talking right there and then . ¡°Hey, Yun-Tae? How many times have I told you not to touch booze before a raid?¡± ¡°N-no, hyung-nim! I haven¡¯t had a drop of the stuff today! But your shadow, it really did vibrate! Like it was alive!¡± Park Jong-Su stared at Jeong Yun-Tae with criticising eyes and spat out a long groan . ¡°This won¡¯t do . Take a day off today . ¡± ¡°Hyung-nim! I¡¯m telling you the truth!¡± ¡°Okay, everyone! Time to go inside . The Knight Order Guild, let¡¯s do our best today, too! Fighting!¡± ¡°Ahh! B-but, hyung-nim¡­!¡± Just as Jeong Yun-Tae¡¯s voice that protested his innocence resounded in the air¡­ Unbelievable sightings of shadows trembling streamed in from all the spots where Jin-Woo had left behind his Shadow Soldiers . Shadows trembled noticeably as if they didn¡¯t care for the presence of witnesses or not . But then again, the Shadow Soldiers had no choice but to shiver from the emotion of pure rage their lord was feeling at that moment . *** ¨C Exchange . The High Orc soldier disappeared, only to be replaced by Jin-Woo . ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯ Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s group froze up like a mouse confronted by a snake the moment this unexpected intruder entered the stage completely unannounced . Especially for Hwang Dong-Su himself, he nearly even forgot to breathe after recognising Jin-Woo¡¯s face . Meanwhile, Jin-Woo simply strode past the stunned rank S Hunter, as if the latter didn¡¯t even exist, and stopped before Yu Jin-Ho . No one said anything, yet the two Americans standing near the unconscious kid quickly stepped back at the same time, as if they agreed to do so beforehand . After summoning out a healing potion, Jin-Woo began easing a little bit of liquid down into Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s mouth . Unfortunately¡­ [When the remaining HP is less than 10%, it is impossible to recover HP with healing potions . ] ¡­ . The message saying it was impossible to heal the kid¡¯s wounds popped up in his view along with the familiar ¡®Tti-ring¡¯ . Crack . The empty vial of healing potion shattered in Jin-Woo¡¯s hand . The ¡®Divine Water of Life¡¯ was meant to heal diseases and illnesses . It couldn¡¯t help in matters of physical injuries like this . It was the same principle of healing magic not being able to cure illnesses . ¡®I need healing magic . ¡¯ Too bad, the only Shadow Soldier capable of using healing magic, Beru, was currently back in Korea house-sitting . Even if Jin-Woo recalled him now, who knows just how long he¡¯d take to get here¡­ ¡­ . It was around this time that Hwang Dong-Su finally regained his wits and tried to engage Jin-Woo in conversation . ¡°You¡­ You, what the hell? That Orc, just now¡­ What the hell did you do?¡± Jin-Woo didn¡¯t respond to that and simply asked the two men before him, instead . ¡°Is either one of you a Healer?¡± Hearing the word ¡®Healer¡¯, the Healer-type Hunter ended up reflexively nodding his head . Jin-Woo pointed to Yu Jin-Ho . ¡°Heal him . Now . ¡± The Healer¡¯s gaze shifted over to Hwang Dong-Su . The latter shook his head . Jin-Woo carefully lowered Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s upper torso back down and stood up . ¡°Final warning . Heal him . ¡± The Healer¡¯s gaze shifted back to Hwang Dong-Su again, but the answer remained the same . So, the Healer stared straight at Jin-Woo and the corners of his lips arched up . ¡°You see, dude, you should talk to the boss first before¡­¡± He didn¡¯t get to finish his sentence . Ka-boom!! Just like how Hwang Dong-Su had done to Yu Jin-Ho, Jin-Woo slammed the Healer¡¯s head on the ground . It happened so fast that no one saw his movements . Hwang Dong-Su might have been a rank S himself, but he simply failed to even sense Jin-Woo¡¯s attack and only belatedly discovered the Healer lying face down on the ground . Jin-Woo shifted his gaze to the second of the Americans . ¡°Are you a Healer?¡± This man finally confirmed the face of Jin-Woo walking closer to him and his jaw began trembling in shock . ¡°S-Seong Jin-Woo?! Hunter Seong Jin-Woo??¡± He back-pedalled in panic and began glaring at Hwang Dong-Su before shouting out . ¡°Mister Hwang Dong-Su! You promised that this matter had nothing to do with Seong Jin-Woo! What the f*ck is this?! Ah?? What is this sh*t?!¡± ¡°I asked you if you are a Healer or not . ¡± ¡°N-no, I, I¡¯m not . I¡¯m just¡­ . ¡± His answer was also abruptly cut off there . Ka-boom! Struck by an unseen hand, the man¡¯s head crashed to the ground like his friend¡¯s before him . In the blink of an eye, two high-ranked Hunters had lost their consciousness . Finally getting to witness Jin-Woo¡¯s real strength with his own two eyes, Hwang Dong-Su felt his heart pounding away like crazy . It was then . ¡°H-hyung-nim¡­¡± Perhaps because the ground rumbled loudly twice in a row? Yu Jin-Ho had regained his consciousness somehow . ¡°Hyung¡­ . nim¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo lowered his body and listened closely to the kid¡¯s voice . ¡°Hey, Jin-Ho . I¡¯m here . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho managed to crack open his swollen eyelids . He barely managed to move the muscles on his bloodied and messed-up face, his words clearly being formed with great difficulty . ¡°Hwang Dong-Su¡­ little brother¡­ Hwang Dong-Seok¡­ . Be careful¡­¡± Jin-Woo looked at Yu Jin-Ho breathing weakly with a helpless expression before stopping the kid¡¯s words . ¡°Shh . It¡¯s fine . Don¡¯t speak anymore . ¡± ¡°Hyung-nim¡­ . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho grabbed Jin-Woo¡¯s hand as tears pooled on the edges of his eyes . Jin-Woo quietly asked . ¡°Can you hold on for a little longer?¡± Nod, nod . It became harder to speak so Yu Jin-Ho made do with a nod to answer the question . Jin-Woo carefully let go of his dongsaeng¡¯s hand and slowly got back up to his feet, before shifting his gaze back over to Hwang Dong-Su . However, Hwang Dong-Su didn¡¯t back down and shot a glare right back . His legs were weakly trembling from the pressure of Jin-Woo¡¯s murderous eyes, but he was not someone who¡¯d cower and run away . In the meantime, Jin-Woo¡¯s coldly-flickering eyes were getting closer and closer . Hwang Dong-Su did his best to look unruffled and raised his voice . ¡°It was you, wasn¡¯t it? You killed my older brother, Hwang Dong-Seok . Am I right?¡± Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s scared face grew closer with every step taken . And then, a certain someone¡¯s face who enjoyed being strong against the weak, but remained weak against someone stronger, overlapped with his face in Jin-Woo¡¯s view . That caused his glare to become even colder . Meanwhile, Hwang Dong-Su cried out . ¡°Answer me!! Seong Jin-Woo, didn¡¯t you murder my brother and his team?!¡± Jin-Woo stopped right in front of Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s nose and replied . ¡°Ask him after you meet him again . ¡± Grit . Hwang Dong-Su punched with his fist wrapped in bright light . He was aiming for Jin-Woo¡¯s face . Unfortunately for him, the latter simply ducked lower to evade that and shoved his own fist deep into the former¡¯s stomach . ¡°Keo-Heok!¡± Just one hit and Hwang Dong-Su vomited out a mouthful of blood . *** ¡°Stop the car!¡± ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°I said, stop the d*mn car!¡± Thomas Andre roared out and the car he was riding in came to a sudden halt . As the vehicle in front carrying their Guild Master came to an abrupt halt, the chasing cars ferrying the Guild members all hurriedly came to a stop as well . Screech, screeech¡­ . Loud noises resounded out from everywhere . Completely disregarding that¡­ Boom! ¡­ . Thomas Andre kicked the car¡¯s door away and climbed out in a hurry so he could glare in a certain direction . His expression crumpled into a vicious scowl . ¡°D*mn it¡­ . ¡± The elites of the Scavenger Guild, often referred to as the world¡¯s best, jumped out from all the halted vehicles . ¡°Master, what is it?¡± ¡°Did something happen?¡± Thomas Andre answered briefly to all the hurried questions from the Guild members . ¡°It has already begun . I¡¯ll go ahead, so hurry and follow after me . ¡± ¡°Sir??¡± What had already begun? Before anyone could ask him for an explanation, though, Thomas Andre bent his knees . The muscles on his legs expanded powerfully and the asphalt on the ground began melting down . Other Hunters naturally took two, three steps away from him . Ka-boom!! Thomas Andre exploded up from the ground and in an instant, disappeared from their view . *** ¡®Something is¡­ . coming . ¡¯ Something strong, that was . Just as Thomas Andre had sensed Jin-Woo¡¯s powers, the latter also sensed the former¡¯s presence . So, he stopped moving his punching hand . His other hand was still grabbing onto the collar of Hwang Dong-Su, who now was suffering from just as many grievous wounds as Yu Jin-Ho . Ka-boom! A part of the disused factory¡¯s ceiling caved in and through the open gap, one of the four remaining Special Authority-rank Hunters in the world, Thomas Andre, flew in and landed on the ground . Since he knew that a guest was arriving anyway, Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t surprised in the slightest as he calmly took a look at the landing zone . Thomas Andre stood up straight and quickly confirmed the situation . He first saw Yu Jin-Ho, then Jin-Woo, and finally, the end of Jin-Woo¡¯s hand . His gaze moved in that order, until stopping at Hwang Dong-Su . Right away, Thomas Andre¡¯s forehead creased up . Jin-Woo¡¯s incredible magical energy emission had completely masked Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s presence and he couldn¡¯t initially sense it . Thomas Andre took off and discarded his sunglasses . ¡°Hwang Dong-Su¡­ Is he still alive?¡± ¡°For now . ¡± Thomas Andre resorted to using simple English and enunciated each word loudly so that Jin-Woo, someone who might be not familiar with the language, could hear him clearly . ¡°Let him go . If you do that, we¡¯ll forget that today¡¯s event had ever happened . I¡¯m asking you for a favour . ¡± Jin-Woo strengthened his grip on Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s collar and asked . ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to?¡± ¡°Then, well . A favour won¡¯t be a favour anymore . ¡± One of the most powerful Hunters in the world bared his fangs . A regular Hunter would start p*ssing their pants right about now . However, Jin-Woo¡¯s own aura didn¡¯t lose out to Thomas Andre¡¯s . ¡°Come, then . ¡± < Chapter 190 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 190: Chapter 190 The TV in the living room was showing the scenes of yet another accident that took place within a dungeon . Those seemed to happen frequently nowadays Although no events that could be called truly enormous happened so far, the number of Hunters dying during the raids was on the rise lately, according to the news broadcast ¡°I wonder, will my boy be okay?¡±. His mother, watching the news, recalled Jin-Woo and whispered to herself in a worried voice Didn¡¯t matter how excellent a Hunter her son was, there was no helping with a mother worrying about her child¡¯s safety Beru, hiding within the shadows to protect this home as per Jin-Woo¡¯s instruction, heard her whispers ¡®Oh, the mother of my king . If my liege meets with an accident that even he can¡¯t survive, then no one in this world can . ¡¯. Beru did his best to suppress the words trying to jump out of his mouth . Obviously, he couldn¡¯t surprise the mother of his liege needlessly, now could he? As his reward, he¡¯d have to suffer in silent frustration all by himself He also found the liege¡¯s mother, currently equating his liege against those low-class monsters shown on the TV screen, rather cruel and unkind for doing that . However, he roused up a super-human level of endurance and suppressed his desire to preach the incomparable might of his dear liege to her [Next up . We bring you the news on the conference organised by America¡¯s Hunter Bureau¡­ . ]. The scene shown on TV changed yet again to that of a certain American airport as the news related to the International Guild Conference played out . And then, Jin-Woo appeared on the screen as he stepped foot into the airport She saw her son walking forward as he was swarmed by the constant explosions of camera flashes . The worried look on her face was soon replaced by a contented smile ¡°Jin-Ah? Your brother¡¯s on TV . ¡±. ¡°Really?¡±. Jin-Ah abandoned her studies and quickly trotted out of her room . This wouldn¡¯t be the first time, but regardless, seeing her oppa on the TV screen remained a mystifying and welcoming viewing experience to her, even now But the thing was ¨C both Jin-Ah and her mom had no idea They simply had no idea that there was someone very close, cheering on even more passionately then they did while watching the TV screen ¡®Oh, my king¡­ . !¡¯. Beru¡¯s deeply-moved eyes were firmly fixed on the screen as he watched the clip being played out But then, a powerful chill began invading his body out of the blue . Literally, without warning, his body hidden in the shadows began trembling non-stop This sensation, hadn¡¯t he felt something similar to this in the past?. When was that?. Beru combed through his memories and finally recalled that moment . Back then, right when the king¡¯s gaze filled with killing intent was looking down on him . It was at that moment A feeling of death that could not be avoided . The warning bells rang out loudly via his instincts after detecting the unmistakable stench of death The king¡¯s rage he felt for the first time since becoming his Shadow Soldier was so great that Beru¡¯s entire thought process froze up . However, he was still his king¡¯s loyal soldier!. He regained his wits quite quickly ¡®¡­ . My king has been truly enraged . ¡¯. Now that he realised something had happened to his king, he couldn¡¯t just sit around quivering in fear like this . Beru quickly sent a signal to Jin-Woo and tried to engage him conversation ¡®Oh, my king . Please compose yourself . I shall get to your side immediately . ¡¯. The response arrived immediately [You¡­ . Don¡¯t make a move . ]. Beru heard the king¡¯s voice which sounded like unchecked rage being compressed into a volatile mass . He could only tremble like a leaf against stormy winds ¡®I shall obey . ¡¯. He could only say that he¡¯d submit to the command, that was all . But at the same time, he became also curious about the moron who managed to earn his king¡¯s wrath ¡®Why would anyone do something so reckless and ill-advised¡­ . ¡¯. To numb the fear, even if only by a little, Beru hid his still-trembling body ever deeper into the shadow ***. In the city of Busan The Knight Order Guild was in the middle of preparing for a raid The Master of the Guild, Park Jong-Su, was confirming the raid party members and their current conditions one last time, as the will to make this raid a success burned fiercely within his heart ¡°There¡¯s been a lot of accidents happening in dungeons lately . So, everyone ¨C keep your wits about you at all times! Let¡¯s make sure that not a single person gets injured today!¡±. ¡°Yes, sir!¡±. The Guild members had become rather docile after experiencing a raid together with Jin-Woo¡¯s summoned creatures . And now, they even sounded properly disciplined, as well It was at that moment something strange happened The Vice-Master of the Guild, Jeong Yun-Tae, was standing behind Park Jong-Su to nod his head and provide suitable reactions to his boss¡¯s words . But, he discovered something and his eyes nearly popped out of his sockets ¡°Heok?!¡±. Park Jong-Su hurriedly looked behind him ¡°What?! What happened?¡±. Jeong Yun-Tae pointed to the ground and alternated his gaze between Park Jong-Su and the shadow beneath his boss¡¯s feet ¡°H-hyung-nim!! Your, your shadow! The shadow on the ground was vibrating¡­ . ¡±. Jeong Yun-Tae discovered that Park Jong-Su was glaring at him with narrowed eyes and stopped talking right there and then ¡°Hey, Yun-Tae? How many times have I told you not to touch booze before a raid?¡±. ¡°N-no, hyung-nim! I haven¡¯t had a drop of the stuff today! But your shadow, it really did vibrate! Like it was alive!¡±. Park Jong-Su stared at Jeong Yun-Tae with criticising eyes and spat out a long groan ¡°This won¡¯t do . Take a day off today . ¡±. ¡°Hyung-nim! I¡¯m telling you the truth!¡±. ¡°Okay, everyone! Time to go inside . The Knight Order Guild, let¡¯s do our best today, too! Fighting!¡±. ¡°Ahh! B-but, hyung-nim¡­!¡±. Just as Jeong Yun-Tae¡¯s voice that protested his innocence resounded in the air¡­. Unbelievable sightings of shadows trembling streamed in from all the spots where Jin-Woo had left behind his Shadow Soldiers . Shadows trembled noticeably as if they didn¡¯t care for the presence of witnesses or not But then again, the Shadow Soldiers had no choice but to shiver from the emotion of pure rage their lord was feeling at that moment ***. ¨C Exchange The High Orc soldier disappeared, only to be replaced by Jin-Woo ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯. Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s group froze up like a mouse confronted by a snake the moment this unexpected intruder entered the stage completely unannounced . Especially for Hwang Dong-Su himself, he nearly even forgot to breathe after recognising Jin-Woo¡¯s face Meanwhile, Jin-Woo simply strode past the stunned rank S Hunter, as if the latter didn¡¯t even exist, and stopped before Yu Jin-Ho . No one said anything, yet the two Americans standing near the unconscious kid quickly stepped back at the same time, as if they agreed to do so beforehand After summoning out a healing potion, Jin-Woo began easing a little bit of liquid down into Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s mouth Unfortunately¡­. [When the remaining HP is less than 10%, it is impossible to recover HP with healing potions . ]. ¡­ . The message saying it was impossible to heal the kid¡¯s wounds popped up in his view along with the familiar ¡®Tti-ring¡¯ Crack The empty vial of healing potion shattered in Jin-Woo¡¯s hand The ¡®Divine Water of Life¡¯ was meant to heal diseases and illnesses . It couldn¡¯t help in matters of physical injuries like this . It was the same principle of healing magic not being able to cure illnesses ¡®I need healing magic . ¡¯. Too bad, the only Shadow Soldier capable of using healing magic, Beru, was currently back in Korea house-sitting . Even if Jin-Woo recalled him now, who knows just how long he¡¯d take to get here¡­. ¡­ . It was around this time that Hwang Dong-Su finally regained his wits and tried to engage Jin-Woo in conversation ¡°You¡­ You, what the hell? That Orc, just now¡­ What the hell did you do?¡±. Jin-Woo didn¡¯t respond to that and simply asked the two men before him, instead ¡°Is either one of you a Healer?¡±. Hearing the word ¡®Healer¡¯, the Healer-type Hunter ended up reflexively nodding his head . Jin-Woo pointed to Yu Jin-Ho ¡°Heal him . Now . ¡±. The Healer¡¯s gaze shifted over to Hwang Dong-Su . The latter shook his head . Jin-Woo carefully lowered Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s upper torso back down and stood up ¡°Final warning . Heal him . ¡±. The Healer¡¯s gaze shifted back to Hwang Dong-Su again, but the answer remained the same . So, the Healer stared straight at Jin-Woo and the corners of his lips arched up ¡°You see, dude, you should talk to the boss first before¡­¡±. He didn¡¯t get to finish his sentence Ka-boom!!. Just like how Hwang Dong-Su had done to Yu Jin-Ho, Jin-Woo slammed the Healer¡¯s head on the ground . It happened so fast that no one saw his movements Hwang Dong-Su might have been a rank S himself, but he simply failed to even sense Jin-Woo¡¯s attack and only belatedly discovered the Healer lying face down on the ground Jin-Woo shifted his gaze to the second of the Americans ¡°Are you a Healer?¡±. This man finally confirmed the face of Jin-Woo walking closer to him and his jaw began trembling in shock ¡°S-Seong Jin-Woo?! Hunter Seong Jin-Woo??¡±. He back-pedalled in panic and began glaring at Hwang Dong-Su before shouting out ¡°Mister Hwang Dong-Su! You promised that this matter had nothing to do with Seong Jin-Woo! What the f*ck is this?! Ah?? What is this sh*t?!¡±. ¡°I asked you if you are a Healer or not . ¡±. ¡°N-no, I, I¡¯m not . I¡¯m just¡­ . ¡±. His answer was also abruptly cut off there Ka-boom!. Struck by an unseen hand, the man¡¯s head crashed to the ground like his friend¡¯s before him . In the blink of an eye, two high-ranked Hunters had lost their consciousness Finally getting to witness Jin-Woo¡¯s real strength with his own two eyes, Hwang Dong-Su felt his heart pounding away like crazy It was then ¡°H-hyung-nim¡­¡±. Perhaps because the ground rumbled loudly twice in a row? Yu Jin-Ho had regained his consciousness somehow ¡°Hyung¡­ . nim¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo lowered his body and listened closely to the kid¡¯s voice ¡°Hey, Jin-Ho . I¡¯m here . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho managed to crack open his swollen eyelids . He barely managed to move the muscles on his bloodied and messed-up face, his words clearly being formed with great difficulty ¡°Hwang Dong-Su¡­ little brother¡­ Hwang Dong-Seok¡­ . Be careful¡­¡±. Jin-Woo looked at Yu Jin-Ho breathing weakly with a helpless expression before stopping the kid¡¯s words ¡°Shh . It¡¯s fine . Don¡¯t speak anymore . ¡±. ¡°Hyung-nim¡­ . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho grabbed Jin-Woo¡¯s hand as tears pooled on the edges of his eyes Jin-Woo quietly asked ¡°Can you hold on for a little longer?¡±. Nod, nod It became harder to speak so Yu Jin-Ho made do with a nod to answer the question Jin-Woo carefully let go of his dongsaeng¡¯s hand and slowly got back up to his feet, before shifting his gaze back over to Hwang Dong-Su However, Hwang Dong-Su didn¡¯t back down and shot a glare right back . His legs were weakly trembling from the pressure of Jin-Woo¡¯s murderous eyes, but he was not someone who¡¯d cower and run away In the meantime, Jin-Woo¡¯s coldly-flickering eyes were getting closer and closer . Hwang Dong-Su did his best to look unruffled and raised his voice ¡°It was you, wasn¡¯t it? You killed my older brother, Hwang Dong-Seok . Am I right?¡±. Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s scared face grew closer with every step taken . And then, a certain someone¡¯s face who enjoyed being strong against the weak, but remained weak against someone stronger, overlapped with his face in Jin-Woo¡¯s view That caused his glare to become even colder Meanwhile, Hwang Dong-Su cried out ¡°Answer me!! Seong Jin-Woo, didn¡¯t you murder my brother and his team?!¡±. Jin-Woo stopped right in front of Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s nose and replied ¡°Ask him after you meet him again . ¡±. Grit Hwang Dong-Su punched with his fist wrapped in bright light . He was aiming for Jin-Woo¡¯s face . Unfortunately for him, the latter simply ducked lower to evade that and shoved his own fist deep into the former¡¯s stomach ¡°Keo-Heok!¡±. Just one hit and Hwang Dong-Su vomited out a mouthful of blood ***. ¡°Stop the car!¡±. ¡°Sir?¡±. ¡°I said, stop the d*mn car!¡±. Thomas Andre roared out and the car he was riding in came to a sudden halt . As the vehicle in front carrying their Guild Master came to an abrupt halt, the chasing cars ferrying the Guild members all hurriedly came to a stop as well Screech, screeech¡­ Loud noises resounded out from everywhere . Completely disregarding that¡­. Boom!. ¡­ . Thomas Andre kicked the car¡¯s door away and climbed out in a hurry so he could glare in a certain direction . His expression crumpled into a vicious scowl ¡°D*mn it¡­ . ¡±. The elites of the Scavenger Guild, often referred to as the world¡¯s best, jumped out from all the halted vehicles ¡°Master, what is it?¡±. ¡°Did something happen?¡±. Thomas Andre answered briefly to all the hurried questions from the Guild members ¡°It has already begun . I¡¯ll go ahead, so hurry and follow after me . ¡±. ¡°Sir??¡±. What had already begun?. Before anyone could ask him for an explanation, though, Thomas Andre bent his knees . The muscles on his legs expanded powerfully and the asphalt on the ground began melting down . Other Hunters naturally took two, three steps away from him Ka-boom!!. Thomas Andre exploded up from the ground and in an instant, disappeared from their view ***. ¡®Something is¡­ . coming . ¡¯. Something strong, that was Just as Thomas Andre had sensed Jin-Woo¡¯s powers, the latter also sensed the former¡¯s presence . So, he stopped moving his punching hand His other hand was still grabbing onto the collar of Hwang Dong-Su, who now was suffering from just as many grievous wounds as Yu Jin-Ho Ka-boom!. A part of the disused factory¡¯s ceiling caved in and through the open gap, one of the four remaining Special Authority-rank Hunters in the world, Thomas Andre, flew in and landed on the ground Since he knew that a guest was arriving anyway, Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t surprised in the slightest as he calmly took a look at the landing zone Thomas Andre stood up straight and quickly confirmed the situation He first saw Yu Jin-Ho, then Jin-Woo, and finally, the end of Jin-Woo¡¯s hand . His gaze moved in that order, until stopping at Hwang Dong-Su Right away, Thomas Andre¡¯s forehead creased up . Jin-Woo¡¯s incredible magical energy emission had completely masked Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s presence and he couldn¡¯t initially sense it Thomas Andre took off and discarded his sunglasses ¡°Hwang Dong-Su¡­ Is he still alive?¡±. ¡°For now . ¡±. Thomas Andre resorted to using simple English and enunciated each word loudly so that Jin-Woo, someone who might be not familiar with the language, could hear him clearly ¡°Let him go . If you do that, we¡¯ll forget that today¡¯s event had ever happened . I¡¯m asking you for a favour . ¡±. Jin-Woo strengthened his grip on Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s collar and asked ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to?¡±. ¡°Then, well . A favour won¡¯t be a favour anymore . ¡±. One of the most powerful Hunters in the world bared his fangs A regular Hunter would start p*ssing their pants right about now . However, Jin-Woo¡¯s own aura didn¡¯t lose out to Thomas Andre¡¯s ¡°Come, then . ¡±. < Chapter 190 > Fin Chapter 191 Thomas Andre¡¯s brows quivered slightly . If some insignificant Hunter said that to him, he¡¯d have ripped that fool into tiny bits and shreds immediately . After all, the United States government wouldn¡¯t be able to prosecute him, a Special Authority-rank Hunter, that easily . He was someone possessing rights equal to that of a country . As the reward for rescuing 300 million American lives from the worst calamity in human history, Thomas Andre got to wield absolute power . This power allowed him to do whatever he pleased . However, even if that was the case, he couldn¡¯t immediately make his move . Because his opponent this time was none other than ¡®Seong Jin-Woo¡¯ . Thomas Andre couldn¡¯t completely suppress his temper and his hands moved for a blink of an eye . He managed to reel himself back in, though . He glared at Hwang Dong-Su and gritted his teeth . ¡®And I told him not to provoke that man¡­ . ¡¯ As expected, Seong Jin-Woo was not an easy opponent to face . Seeing him personally confirmed this fact . If Thomas Andre had to describe this feeling into words, then it was like trying to step into a quagmire . Dark and ominous magical energy oozed out from Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s entire body, and Thomas Andre felt as if he¡¯d not be able to escape once he took a wrong step forward here . Unfortunately, even he could not back away now . An ace Hunter of the Scavenger Guild was currently being manhandled by that man, and most importantly, his pride as a Special Authority-rank Hunter was at stake, too . With his expression viciously crumpled, Thomas Andre threw out a question . ¡°¡­ . You, by any chance, don¡¯t you know who I am?¡± Jin-Woo curtly responded . ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter who you are . ¡± It was then ¨C Hwang Dong-Su somehow regained his consciousness and shouted out after discovering Thomas Andre . ¡°Master! Kill this son of a b*tch! Hurry!¡± Boom! Jin-Woo¡¯s fist struck Hwang Dong-Su, causing the man to black out and go limp again . Meanwhile, veins bulged on Thomas Andre¡¯s forehead . ¡°You dare¡­ . ¡± ¡®¡­ . You know who I am, yet you dare to do something like that in my presence?¡¯ His expression was already crumpled into something unsightly before, but now, it distorted even more to resemble a devil¡¯s face . Through personal experience, his body knew how one should deal with an opponent who didn¡¯t want to submit . ¡®White trash; a low-class white man . ¡¯ Thomas Andre grew up in a poor immigrant family . The school located in the poorest ghetto filled with African youths proved to be a hostile place for a lone white kid who knew no one and had no friends or acquaintances . Everywhere was filled with enemies . Just from meeting eyes did the fights break out . And often, his opponents carried around dangerous weapons, too . The moments when he had to fight off multiple enemies happened frequently, as well . However, the heavens saw fit to bestow a certain gift that could only be described as unprecedented unto this white kid who seemingly possessed nothing . The overwhelming talent for physical power ¨C the power that allowed him to trample on others! Paradoxically, the boy¡¯s surroundings became just about a perfect playground for him to confirm his own talents . Through the endless, continuous fights, the boy got to confirm the heaven-gifted talent he possessed . He clearly witnessed how his powers would change all those holding hostile feeling towards him . And so, he reigned like a king . Power ¨C the authoritative power, financial power, and physical power . He got to learn quite early on that the many types of power existing in this world could turn a man into either a king or a slave . And when a completely different type of ¡®power¡¯ manifested into this world, he grasped the opportunity and ascended to the status of a true king . If an opponent was unwilling to listen, then he¡¯d use power to make them submit . Someone blocking his path would be destroyed without mercy . And he¡¯d make all those looking down on him kneel on the ground, defeated . Physical power was the truth! Thomas Andre stayed true to what he knew, to what he was familiar with . Time seemed to freeze up . Thomas Andre, now full of malice and a destructive desire, pounced forward . The distance between the two men disappeared in an instant . His eyes met Jin-Woo¡¯s, as they closed in enough for their noses to touch . ¡®Blame your own ignorance!¡¯ Thomas Andre reached out with his hand . He was planning to grab Jin-Woo¡¯s head . His incomprehensible gripping power was one of his many hidden talents . Even if his opponent happened to be a top-ranked Hunter, he¡¯d easily shatter that person¡¯s skull . Now that the fool was within his attacking range, victory was as good as his . The corners of Thomas Andre¡¯s lips curled up . Too bad, though¡­ ¡®Wha¡­ . ?!¡¯ In that instant, there was a flash of light before his eyes . *** With fortunate timing, the Hunters of the Scavenger Guild arrived at the location . And they all got to witness something peculiar . They got to witness ¡®something¡¯ breaking past a wall of the disused factory at an alarming speed . Boooom-!! That ¡®something¡¯ destroyed the wall and crash-landed on the ground . Even then, it continued to slide away for a long, long time . Chuwuuuuk¡­ And when that ¡®something¡¯ finally stopped sliding right before their eyes, the Hunters recognised its identity and couldn¡¯t hide their extreme astonishment from exploding out . No one could tell who cried out first . ¡°Thomas Andre?!¡± ¡°Master, are you alright?!¡± Just who managed to blow away the Goliath like this? They simply couldn¡¯t believe it . The force of the impact was so great that hot steam was still rising up from Thomas Andre¡¯s entire body . But then again, the skin on a regular person would¡¯ve been torn to shreds as he slid on the ground like that . No, before that, his body would¡¯ve broken into many pieces after slamming into the wall, instead . However, Thomas Andre was perfectly fine . Should one say, as befitting of a tanker who managed to survive Kamish¡¯s Breath with nothing but his bare body? It was just that the expression he was making as he stood back up was not perfectly fine at all . His face hardened like a surface of a boulder as he stood up . He then took a sweeping look at his Hunters . Even though they were on the same side, these Hunters paled instantly after being subjected to the murderous glare of a Special Authority-rank Hunter . ¡°¡­ . . ¡± Without saying anything else, Thomas Andre walked back into the abandoned factory he flew out from . A dizzying amount of killing intent erupted out from his entire body . Step, step . The Vice-Master staring at that sight in a daze hurriedly regained his wits and urged the Guild¡¯s Hunters . ¡°What are you all doing? Get a move on, now!¡± One hundred or so top-ranked Hunters all rushed into the abandoned factory at once . *** After blowing Thomas Andre away, Jin-Woo clenched his fist tighter . Just a second later, and Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s life would have been in grave danger . It felt like his blood would boil over when he saw Hwang Dong-Su slamming the kid¡¯s head to the floor through the eyes of the High Orc soldier . But, that man wanted what now? He¡¯d pretend that none of this happened if Hwang Dong-Su was released? What a stupid suggestion that was . Jin-Woo pushed himself to the absolute limit and continued to grow further and further so he¡¯d not get pushed around by powerful beings . So, such a dumb demand wasn¡¯t even worth his time to consider . But then, the response from Thomas Andre was an attack filled to the brim with the intent to kill . This battle was far from over . Thomas Andre might have been flung away to a far off distance, but he made his way back with an even stronger intent to kill than before . Jin-Woo discarded the still-unconscious Hwang Dong-Su to a corner of the factory . And then, summoned Kaisel and Igrit out . Shururuk¡­ A black Sky Dragon and a black knight revealed themselves . Jin-Woo carefully lifted up Yu Jin-Ho and handed the kid over to Igrit . ¡°Take Jin-Ho to the nearest hospital . Make sure he gets the necessary treatment . Got it?¡± Igrit bowed to display his understanding and jumped on the back of Kaisel to fly out of the factory . Kii-ahk! Thomas Andre didn¡¯t give a d*mn about the escaping Sky Dragon . No, his glare was firmly locked on Jin-Woo and Jin-Woo alone . Likewise, Jin-Woo¡¯s glare was redirected to the American, as well . And he got to see the crumpled expression of Thomas Andre and top-ranked Hunters rushing inside beyond his shoulders . Their number was around one hundred . It seemed that this guy mobilised and brought along all the elites of the Scavenger Guild, often referred to as the best Guild in the world . The thing was, though¡­ . ¡®¡­If you want to compare the number of soldiers, then I too have more than enough . ¡¯ Jin-Woo immediately called out his Shadow Soldiers hiding within his shadow and waiting for his commands . The darkness slowly spread out from beneath his feet, and one by one, the Shadow Soldiers rose up from the ground . Thomas Andre¡¯s steps came to a halt after he discovered all those soldiers . The number was somewhere near one thousand . The abandoned factory was completely filled up in an instant, but even then, the columns of soldiers extended well beyond to the back as well . Thomas Andre narrowed his eyes . ¡®It¡¯s not just the incredible numbers, either . ¡¯ He even spotted several summoned creatures that were easily on a similar level as rank S Hunters . Such as the knight holding a massive shield, or the Mage wearing a black robe, and even those Giants occupying the backline, too . Their magical energy emission didn¡¯t lose out to some of the highest-ranked Hunters out there . Indeed, these were truly excellent summoned creatures that even the entirety of the Scavenger Guild participating could not guarantee a victory against . Shiver, shiver¡­ . Seeing Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s common sense-breaking summons in the flesh, Thomas Andre felt this powerful shudder run up through his entire body . At the same time, he was feeling genuinely happy . ¡®That¡¯s right . ¡¯ Wouldn¡¯t he truly get to enjoy the fight now that the level of his opponent was this high? A smile broke out on Thomas Andre¡¯s face as he licked his lips . That fool Hwang Dong-Su no longer mattered in this fight . There was only one way to restore his damaged pride . And that would be to¡­ ¡®¡­ . Kill that impudent b*stard¡­ . ¡¯ But, before he did that, Thomas Andre made his final offer of mercy . ¡°If you admit to your mistakes and back off, I promise I¡¯ll spare your life . ¡± Instead of a verbal answer, Jin-Woo simply flipped him a bird . ¡°¡­ . . ¡± Thick veins bulged all over on Thomas Andre¡¯s forehead . ¡°You f*cker, right until the end¡­ . ¡± Riiip! Thomas Andre ripped his shirt off ¨C a shirt made out of top-class material extracted from the monsters was ripped into pieces like a sheet of cheap paper . And then¡­ . Wududuk-! Wuduk! The muscles in his entire torso ballooned up and hardened like armour covering his whole body . Magic energy so vast that it raised goosebumps from the people nearby leaked out from beneath his feet . It was so vast and powerful, in fact, it looked as if gold-coloured steam was slowly rising up from his shoulders . The world¡¯s greatest Tanker had released his full might once more . Jin-Woo wordlessly watched Thomas Andre¡¯s transformation before unleashing his own magical energy as well . Shuwahaahk-!! The magic energy emitted from two monsters occupying wholly different realms forced the surrounding elite Hunters to hold their breaths . ¡®Heok!¡¯ ¡®I was wondering just who it was that blew away the Goliath, but now¡­ . ¡¯ Their gazes were directed to one location ¨C to Seong Jin-Woo . For sure, that feat sounded plausible if it was Seong Jin-Woo, who managed to hunt down all those Giant monsters in Japan . The Hunters of the Scavenger Guild nervously swallowed their saliva as they stared at Jin-Woo . Unlike them and their heightened state of tension, though, Jin-Woo was completely calm and collected . He felt that this was the perfect opportunity to test out his growth up until now . He was now facing an opponent that he could definitely go all out against . Abruptly, Jin-Woo recalled what Kamish the Dragon had told him . ¡®There are four people borrowing the Rulers¡¯ powers, right?¡¯ Could it be that those four were among the five survivors of the Kamish raid ¨C the four of the Special Authority-rank Hunters? If that was true, then the odds of Thomas Andre being a human borrowing the Rulers¡¯ powers were very high . Jin-Woo made the first move . ¡°Advance . ¡± Almost immediately after their Sovereign issued that command, the Shadow Soldiers rushed forward with rather scary vigour . Thomas Andre also cried out loudly . ¡°They are coming!¡± One man versus one Guild; nearly one thousand ¡®summons¡¯ and almost one hundred elite Hunters collided violently on this day . Boom-!! Thomas Andre blew away Iron standing at the front of the pack and quickly searched for Jin-Woo¡¯s whereabouts as a bright glare shot out from his eyes . He spotted someone rushing towards him at an incredible pace . ¡®Over there-!!¡¯ Thomas Andre turned around, but Jin-Woo was faster . The latter dug into the former¡¯s defence in an instant and stabbed at the waist with the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword¡¯ . Unfortunately, the blade failed to break past the hardened skin of Thomas Andre . ¡®¡­ . !¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes widened . Pow! The American blew his opponent away with his elbow as a smirk formed on his face . This was the true power of the Special Authority-rank Hunter . Jin-Woo might possess a pretty decent turn of speed, but there was no way he¡¯d be able to exceed Thomas Andre¡¯s defences . ¡®Feel my power and taste what true despair is like!¡¯ Thomas Andre judged that the advantage was now with him . He didn¡¯t stop his attacks there and reached out with his hand . Wuuonng-! When he did, a powerful pulling force was generated from his hand and quickly reeled back the flung-away Jin-Woo . The ¡®invisible hand¡¯ . This was Thomas Andre¡¯s ability that managed to drag Kamish the Dragon from the air to the ground . Jin-Woo was brought back closer to Thomas Andre at a frightening turn of speed, but then, his eyes shot open again . ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority!¡¯ Koo-woong! Thomas Andre¡¯s shoulders quivered from the unseen force slamming down from above . ¡®What?!¡¯ He was left utterly stunned after confirming with his entire body that his opponent also possessed the power only the Special Authority-rank Hunters possessed . Jin-Woo didn¡¯t miss that opening; his punch slammed into Thomas Andre¡¯s face for the second time today . Ka-boom!! And for the first time ever after becoming a Hunter, the man nicknamed Goliath spat out blood from his mouth . ¡°Keo-heok!!¡± *** The Hunter Bureau wasn¡¯t sitting back sucking on its fingers either . Dozens of vehicles belonging to the Bureau carrying Hunters were on their way to the same destination as the members of the Scavenger Guild . However, the two cars right in front of the pack suddenly came to a halt not too far from their destination . The deeply-anxious Adam White had been watching the passing scenery and was caught unprepared from the sudden stop . ¡°Wha-what is going on?¡± The vehicle¡¯s driver looked back at Adam White . He was the sole rank S Hunter affiliated with the Hunter Bureau . ¡°Agent White . I think it¡¯s time you explained to us what¡¯s going on here . ¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time for me to explain everything in¡­ . ¡± Adam White couldn¡¯t finish his sentence . Because he saw the complexion of the rank S Hunter growing pale rather quickly at that moment . It was the first time seeing such an expression forming on the face of a man who famously possessed a steely heart, formed after experiencing all sorts of close shaves in his life . Realising that something quite serious had happened, Adam White quickly asked . ¡°Did¡­ . something happen up ahead?¡± The rank S Hunter replied with a frozen-stiff face . ¡°If we continue on, all of us will have to risk our lives . ¡± < Chapter 191 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 191: Chapter 191 Thomas Andre¡¯s brows quivered slightly If some insignificant Hunter said that to him, he¡¯d have ripped that fool into tiny bits and shreds immediately After all, the United States government wouldn¡¯t be able to prosecute him, a Special Authority-rank Hunter, that easily . He was someone possessing rights equal to that of a country As the reward for rescuing 300 million American lives from the worst calamity in human history, Thomas Andre got to wield absolute power . This power allowed him to do whatever he pleased However, even if that was the case, he couldn¡¯t immediately make his move . Because his opponent this time was none other than ¡®Seong Jin-Woo¡¯ Thomas Andre couldn¡¯t completely suppress his temper and his hands moved for a blink of an eye . He managed to reel himself back in, though . He glared at Hwang Dong-Su and gritted his teeth ¡®And I told him not to provoke that man¡­ . ¡¯. As expected, Seong Jin-Woo was not an easy opponent to face . Seeing him personally confirmed this fact . If Thomas Andre had to describe this feeling into words, then it was like trying to step into a quagmire Dark and ominous magical energy oozed out from Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s entire body, and Thomas Andre felt as if he¡¯d not be able to escape once he took a wrong step forward here Unfortunately, even he could not back away now . An ace Hunter of the Scavenger Guild was currently being manhandled by that man, and most importantly, his pride as a Special Authority-rank Hunter was at stake, too With his expression viciously crumpled, Thomas Andre threw out a question ¡°¡­ . You, by any chance, don¡¯t you know who I am?¡±. Jin-Woo curtly responded ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter who you are . ¡±. It was then ¨C Hwang Dong-Su somehow regained his consciousness and shouted out after discovering Thomas Andre ¡°Master! Kill this son of a b*tch! Hurry!¡±. Boom!. Jin-Woo¡¯s fist struck Hwang Dong-Su, causing the man to black out and go limp again . Meanwhile, veins bulged on Thomas Andre¡¯s forehead ¡°You dare¡­ . ¡±. ¡®¡­ . You know who I am, yet you dare to do something like that in my presence?¡¯. His expression was already crumpled into something unsightly before, but now, it distorted even more to resemble a devil¡¯s face Through personal experience, his body knew how one should deal with an opponent who didn¡¯t want to submit ¡®White trash; a low-class white man . ¡¯. Thomas Andre grew up in a poor immigrant family The school located in the poorest ghetto filled with African youths proved to be a hostile place for a lone white kid who knew no one and had no friends or acquaintances Everywhere was filled with enemies . Just from meeting eyes did the fights break out . And often, his opponents carried around dangerous weapons, too . The moments when he had to fight off multiple enemies happened frequently, as well However, the heavens saw fit to bestow a certain gift that could only be described as unprecedented unto this white kid who seemingly possessed nothing The overwhelming talent for physical power ¨C the power that allowed him to trample on others!. Paradoxically, the boy¡¯s surroundings became just about a perfect playground for him to confirm his own talents . Through the endless, continuous fights, the boy got to confirm the heaven-gifted talent he possessed He clearly witnessed how his powers would change all those holding hostile feeling towards him . And so, he reigned like a king Power ¨C the authoritative power, financial power, and physical power . He got to learn quite early on that the many types of power existing in this world could turn a man into either a king or a slave And when a completely different type of ¡®power¡¯ manifested into this world, he grasped the opportunity and ascended to the status of a true king If an opponent was unwilling to listen, then he¡¯d use power to make them submit . Someone blocking his path would be destroyed without mercy And he¡¯d make all those looking down on him kneel on the ground, defeated . Physical power was the truth!. Thomas Andre stayed true to what he knew, to what he was familiar with Time seemed to freeze up . Thomas Andre, now full of malice and a destructive desire, pounced forward . The distance between the two men disappeared in an instant His eyes met Jin-Woo¡¯s, as they closed in enough for their noses to touch ¡®Blame your own ignorance!¡¯. Thomas Andre reached out with his hand . He was planning to grab Jin-Woo¡¯s head His incomprehensible gripping power was one of his many hidden talents . Even if his opponent happened to be a top-ranked Hunter, he¡¯d easily shatter that person¡¯s skull Now that the fool was within his attacking range, victory was as good as his . The corners of Thomas Andre¡¯s lips curled up Too bad, though¡­. ¡®Wha¡­ . ?!¡¯. In that instant, there was a flash of light before his eyes ***. With fortunate timing, the Hunters of the Scavenger Guild arrived at the location . And they all got to witness something peculiar . They got to witness ¡®something¡¯ breaking past a wall of the disused factory at an alarming speed Boooom-!!. That ¡®something¡¯ destroyed the wall and crash-landed on the ground . Even then, it continued to slide away for a long, long time Chuwuuuuk¡­. And when that ¡®something¡¯ finally stopped sliding right before their eyes, the Hunters recognised its identity and couldn¡¯t hide their extreme astonishment from exploding out . No one could tell who cried out first ¡°Thomas Andre?!¡±. ¡°Master, are you alright?!¡±. Just who managed to blow away the Goliath like this?. They simply couldn¡¯t believe it The force of the impact was so great that hot steam was still rising up from Thomas Andre¡¯s entire body But then again, the skin on a regular person would¡¯ve been torn to shreds as he slid on the ground like that . No, before that, his body would¡¯ve broken into many pieces after slamming into the wall, instead However, Thomas Andre was perfectly fine . Should one say, as befitting of a tanker who managed to survive Kamish¡¯s Breath with nothing but his bare body?. It was just that the expression he was making as he stood back up was not perfectly fine at all . His face hardened like a surface of a boulder as he stood up . He then took a sweeping look at his Hunters Even though they were on the same side, these Hunters paled instantly after being subjected to the murderous glare of a Special Authority-rank Hunter ¡°¡­ ¡±. Without saying anything else, Thomas Andre walked back into the abandoned factory he flew out from . A dizzying amount of killing intent erupted out from his entire body Step, step The Vice-Master staring at that sight in a daze hurriedly regained his wits and urged the Guild¡¯s Hunters ¡°What are you all doing? Get a move on, now!¡±. One hundred or so top-ranked Hunters all rushed into the abandoned factory at once ***. After blowing Thomas Andre away, Jin-Woo clenched his fist tighter Just a second later, and Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s life would have been in grave danger . It felt like his blood would boil over when he saw Hwang Dong-Su slamming the kid¡¯s head to the floor through the eyes of the High Orc soldier But, that man wanted what now?. He¡¯d pretend that none of this happened if Hwang Dong-Su was released? What a stupid suggestion that was Jin-Woo pushed himself to the absolute limit and continued to grow further and further so he¡¯d not get pushed around by powerful beings . So, such a dumb demand wasn¡¯t even worth his time to consider But then, the response from Thomas Andre was an attack filled to the brim with the intent to kill This battle was far from over Thomas Andre might have been flung away to a far off distance, but he made his way back with an even stronger intent to kill than before . Jin-Woo discarded the still-unconscious Hwang Dong-Su to a corner of the factory . And then, summoned Kaisel and Igrit out Shururuk¡­. A black Sky Dragon and a black knight revealed themselves . Jin-Woo carefully lifted up Yu Jin-Ho and handed the kid over to Igrit ¡°Take Jin-Ho to the nearest hospital . Make sure he gets the necessary treatment . Got it?¡±. Igrit bowed to display his understanding and jumped on the back of Kaisel to fly out of the factory Kii-ahk!. Thomas Andre didn¡¯t give a d*mn about the escaping Sky Dragon . No, his glare was firmly locked on Jin-Woo and Jin-Woo alone . Likewise, Jin-Woo¡¯s glare was redirected to the American, as well And he got to see the crumpled expression of Thomas Andre and top-ranked Hunters rushing inside beyond his shoulders . Their number was around one hundred It seemed that this guy mobilised and brought along all the elites of the Scavenger Guild, often referred to as the best Guild in the world The thing was, though¡­ ¡®¡­If you want to compare the number of soldiers, then I too have more than enough . ¡¯. Jin-Woo immediately called out his Shadow Soldiers hiding within his shadow and waiting for his commands . The darkness slowly spread out from beneath his feet, and one by one, the Shadow Soldiers rose up from the ground Thomas Andre¡¯s steps came to a halt after he discovered all those soldiers . The number was somewhere near one thousand . The abandoned factory was completely filled up in an instant, but even then, the columns of soldiers extended well beyond to the back as well Thomas Andre narrowed his eyes ¡®It¡¯s not just the incredible numbers, either . ¡¯. He even spotted several summoned creatures that were easily on a similar level as rank S Hunters . Such as the knight holding a massive shield, or the Mage wearing a black robe, and even those Giants occupying the backline, too Their magical energy emission didn¡¯t lose out to some of the highest-ranked Hunters out there Indeed, these were truly excellent summoned creatures that even the entirety of the Scavenger Guild participating could not guarantee a victory against Shiver, shiver¡­ Seeing Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s common sense-breaking summons in the flesh, Thomas Andre felt this powerful shudder run up through his entire body . At the same time, he was feeling genuinely happy ¡®That¡¯s right . ¡¯. Wouldn¡¯t he truly get to enjoy the fight now that the level of his opponent was this high?. A smile broke out on Thomas Andre¡¯s face as he licked his lips . That fool Hwang Dong-Su no longer mattered in this fight There was only one way to restore his damaged pride . And that would be to¡­. ¡®¡­ . Kill that impudent b*stard¡­ . ¡¯. But, before he did that, Thomas Andre made his final offer of mercy ¡°If you admit to your mistakes and back off, I promise I¡¯ll spare your life . ¡±. Instead of a verbal answer, Jin-Woo simply flipped him a bird ¡°¡­ ¡±. Thick veins bulged all over on Thomas Andre¡¯s forehead ¡°You f*cker, right until the end¡­ . ¡±. Riiip!. Thomas Andre ripped his shirt off ¨C a shirt made out of top-class material extracted from the monsters was ripped into pieces like a sheet of cheap paper And then¡­ Wududuk-!. Wuduk!. The muscles in his entire torso ballooned up and hardened like armour covering his whole body . Magic energy so vast that it raised goosebumps from the people nearby leaked out from beneath his feet . It was so vast and powerful, in fact, it looked as if gold-coloured steam was slowly rising up from his shoulders The world¡¯s greatest Tanker had released his full might once more Jin-Woo wordlessly watched Thomas Andre¡¯s transformation before unleashing his own magical energy as well Shuwahaahk-!!. The magic energy emitted from two monsters occupying wholly different realms forced the surrounding elite Hunters to hold their breaths ¡®Heok!¡¯. ¡®I was wondering just who it was that blew away the Goliath, but now¡­ . ¡¯. Their gazes were directed to one location ¨C to Seong Jin-Woo For sure, that feat sounded plausible if it was Seong Jin-Woo, who managed to hunt down all those Giant monsters in Japan The Hunters of the Scavenger Guild nervously swallowed their saliva as they stared at Jin-Woo Unlike them and their heightened state of tension, though, Jin-Woo was completely calm and collected . He felt that this was the perfect opportunity to test out his growth up until now . He was now facing an opponent that he could definitely go all out against Abruptly, Jin-Woo recalled what Kamish the Dragon had told him ¡®There are four people borrowing the Rulers¡¯ powers, right?¡¯. Could it be that those four were among the five survivors of the Kamish raid ¨C the four of the Special Authority-rank Hunters?. If that was true, then the odds of Thomas Andre being a human borrowing the Rulers¡¯ powers were very high Jin-Woo made the first move ¡°Advance . ¡±. Almost immediately after their Sovereign issued that command, the Shadow Soldiers rushed forward with rather scary vigour Thomas Andre also cried out loudly ¡°They are coming!¡±. One man versus one Guild; nearly one thousand ¡®summons¡¯ and almost one hundred elite Hunters collided violently on this day Boom-!!. Thomas Andre blew away Iron standing at the front of the pack and quickly searched for Jin-Woo¡¯s whereabouts as a bright glare shot out from his eyes He spotted someone rushing towards him at an incredible pace ¡®Over there-!!¡¯. Thomas Andre turned around, but Jin-Woo was faster . The latter dug into the former¡¯s defence in an instant and stabbed at the waist with the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword¡¯ Unfortunately, the blade failed to break past the hardened skin of Thomas Andre ¡®¡­ . !¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes widened Pow!. The American blew his opponent away with his elbow as a smirk formed on his face This was the true power of the Special Authority-rank Hunter . Jin-Woo might possess a pretty decent turn of speed, but there was no way he¡¯d be able to exceed Thomas Andre¡¯s defences ¡®Feel my power and taste what true despair is like!¡¯. Thomas Andre judged that the advantage was now with him . He didn¡¯t stop his attacks there and reached out with his hand Wuuonng-!. When he did, a powerful pulling force was generated from his hand and quickly reeled back the flung-away Jin-Woo The ¡®invisible hand¡¯ This was Thomas Andre¡¯s ability that managed to drag Kamish the Dragon from the air to the ground Jin-Woo was brought back closer to Thomas Andre at a frightening turn of speed, but then, his eyes shot open again ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority!¡¯. Koo-woong!. Thomas Andre¡¯s shoulders quivered from the unseen force slamming down from above ¡®What?!¡¯. He was left utterly stunned after confirming with his entire body that his opponent also possessed the power only the Special Authority-rank Hunters possessed Jin-Woo didn¡¯t miss that opening; his punch slammed into Thomas Andre¡¯s face for the second time today Ka-boom!!. And for the first time ever after becoming a Hunter, the man nicknamed Goliath spat out blood from his mouth ¡°Keo-heok!!¡±. ***. The Hunter Bureau wasn¡¯t sitting back sucking on its fingers either . Dozens of vehicles belonging to the Bureau carrying Hunters were on their way to the same destination as the members of the Scavenger Guild However, the two cars right in front of the pack suddenly came to a halt not too far from their destination The deeply-anxious Adam White had been watching the passing scenery and was caught unprepared from the sudden stop ¡°Wha-what is going on?¡±. The vehicle¡¯s driver looked back at Adam White . He was the sole rank S Hunter affiliated with the Hunter Bureau ¡°Agent White . I think it¡¯s time you explained to us what¡¯s going on here . ¡±. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for me to explain everything in¡­ . ¡±. Adam White couldn¡¯t finish his sentence Because he saw the complexion of the rank S Hunter growing pale rather quickly at that moment . It was the first time seeing such an expression forming on the face of a man who famously possessed a steely heart, formed after experiencing all sorts of close shaves in his life Realising that something quite serious had happened, Adam White quickly asked ¡°Did¡­ . something happen up ahead?¡±. The rank S Hunter replied with a frozen-stiff face ¡°If we continue on, all of us will have to risk our lives . ¡±. < Chapter 191 > Fin Chapter 192 The corners of his lips bust open from that hit . While being forced away from the impact, Thomas Andre was reeling from the shock of the freakish power that smacked him in the face . ¡®How could¡­ how could such a power be¡­?!¡¯ That punch was heavy enough for his head to shake around . But, that wasn¡¯t all . That man also possessed the ability to apply physical power with nothing but his thoughts . Even then, he didn¡¯t resist against the pulling force and willingly got himself dragged in . Who¡¯d have thought of such a thing? Unexpectedly, not only did he not use his version of the ¡®invisible hand¡¯ to resist the pull, he instead used it as a distraction to divert the attention of his opponent, and then threw the real attack that couldn¡¯t be easily avoided . The acceleration from the pull became the double-edged blade cutting into the one activating the ability and ended up causing even bigger damage . Now that was a shockingly well-tuned instinct for battle . ¡®Just how many fights did he go through to even come up with a tactic like that?¡¯ Thomas Andre had been looking down on Jin-Woo as some random kid even though he willingly acknowledged the Korean¡¯s powers . But now, having been struck twice in the face, his thoughts had gone through a rapid change . Thomas Andre stopped bouncing away and landed back on his feet . Kwa-jeeeek, kwa-jeek!! The friction destroyed the cement floor below and threw up pieces of broken-off pebble and a dust cloud into the air . As expected, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t give the American time to recover and dashed towards him . That was the sight of an experienced hunter . It seemed as if he had aimed for that moment before his target had regained the balance . However, his prey was the quicker of the two to react this time . Thomas Andre discarded all arrogant thoughts from his head . He also realised that he might lose today if he continued to fight while being considerate towards his surroundings . His opponent this time was far, far tougher than his initial expectation . ¡°Reinforcement . ¡± When he muttered out those words, his body, armed with muscles that had transformed into solid armour, suddenly ballooned up explosively . Shu-wahck! His near two-metre-tall physique transformed into a monster over three metres tall in the blink of an eye . ¡°Uwaaaaah-!!¡± Thomas Andre roared out like an angry beast and raised both of his arms, now as thick as a marble pillar, high above his head . All of this happened way too fast! ¡®¡­ . . !¡¯ Jin-Woo, in the middle of his sprint, sensed danger up ahead . ¡®What could it be?¡¯ His brain fell into a dilemma . The thing was, not once did his instincts lie to him in moments of great peril . Jin-Woo hurriedly stopped his forward movement and almost at the same time, jumped backwards . With the difference of a millisecond, Thomas Andre¡¯s massive fists pounded on the ground below . Kwa-kwang!! Everything caught within the radius disintegrated from the horrifying shock wave . His skill, ¡®Demolition¡¯ . That incredible might forced Jin-Woo to take several more steps backwards, even though he had already escaped to a safe zone . Tumble¡­ . Debris flung up into the air fell down like raindrops . As befitting a Hunter who subjugated a Dragon, his sturdiness and destructive power were second to none . But, there was no time to remain stunned . Another loud roar exploded out from Thomas Andre¡¯s mouth . ¡°Capture!¡± A powerful gravitational pulling force with Thomas Andre as the centre began yanking everything within the range towards him . It was as if he had become a black hole . Shadow Soldiers and Hunters all got into a messy tangle and flew towards his position . Jin-Woo might have been one of the targets of this skill, ¡®Capture¡¯, but he used ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ to repel away the pulling force . And when he finally managed to break free from that powerful force and jumped rearward one more time¡­ . ¡­ . Thomas Andre¡¯s ¡®Demolition¡¯ skill burst forth yet again . KWA-JEECK!! Not just the Shadow Soldiers, but even the Hunters of the Scavenger got swept away by the shock wave . ¡°Uwaahk!!¡± ¡°Euh, euh¡­ . ¡± Screams rose up from here and there . The Vice-Master had discovered this horrifying situation rather late and yelled out at the top of his lungs . ¡°Get away from the Master! Now!!¡± Three, four fleet-footed Hunters quickly retrieved their injured colleagues and escaped to the back . Meanwhile, Thomas Andre and his emotionless face viciously dashed towards Jin-Woo¡¯s location . A rank of ¡®Special Authority¡¯ implied one was afforded the same level of rights as an independent nation . That was why he needed to demonstrate what the punishment for disobeying the king was like . Thomas Andre arrived in Jin-Woo¡¯s location in no time at all and threw a powerful punch forward . Vuuoowoong-!! His fist scythed the air . He already knew it all too well . He knew better than anyone that he was too slow to land a punch on this b*stard possessing the nimbleness of a wild beast . Especially so, when he was in his reinforced state . His strength and defence would be enhanced to an unimaginable degree, but at the same time, his speed would drop proportionally . Fortunately enough for Thomas Andre, though, he possessed a skill that could easily cover for that drawback . He extended his hand out to Jin-Woo who was rapidly creating distance between them . ¡®Capture!¡¯ Once more, a powerful, incredibly attractive force activated between the two men . The American knew he¡¯d not miss his prey now . With his body fortified through the ¡®Reinforcement¡¯ skill, his attention wouldn¡¯t be stolen away from some measly diversionary tricks . As expected, Seong Jin-Woo was yanked back in with ease . Leaving his extended left hand as it was, Thomas Andre pulled his right hand back and clenched it into a tight fist . An enormous amount of magical energy, enough to smash the torso of a top-ranked Hunter apart into a gory mess, gathered into his right fist . Skill, ¡®Power Smash¡¯ . Thomas Andre¡¯s fist, carrying a gob-smacking level of destructive power, slowly moved forward . But then, it happened . ¡®¡­ . . ??¡¯ His eyes opened wider . He saw Jin-Woo¡¯s own right arm muscles suddenly expanding greatly in size . ¡®Could he be¡­ thinking of directly confronting me?¡¯ Finding this incredulous, Thomas Andre increased the pulling power . However, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t try to evade it but actually used his ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ to further increase his momentum, instead . The American cried out in shock . ¡°D*mn it!¡± Jin-Woo approached far quicker than Thomas Andre had anticipated and threw a punch a little quicker than his counterpart could . At the same time, he lowered his head and lightly evaded the American¡¯s own belated punch . Kwa-boom!! Thomas Andre saw a flash of light before his eyes and finally realised it . ¡®The first attack he hit me with was¡­ . ¡¯ The attack he failed to see back then was precisely this one . BOOM!! Thomas Andre flew away like a rocket, demolished the wall of the disused factory and rolled around on the dirt for quite some time . The deep and lengthy pit left behind on the ground by his sliding body resembled furrows on a field . ¡°Keu-heuk . ¡± He hurriedly pushed himself off the ground, but Jin-Woo was already standing before him by then . Thomas Andre roared out and threw countless punches . ¡°Uwaaaah!!¡± Every time his fists flew past, the ground exploded and the air was split seemingly into pieces . Each hit was ferocious enough to utterly destroy a person¡¯s body from just a light touch . Unfortunately, none of those could actually touch Jin-Woo . He simply dodged all of Thomas Andre¡¯s fists and accurately landed every one of his counters on the American¡¯s vital spots . Kwang!! Ka-boom!! Kwahng!! Little by little, blood pooled in Thomas Andre¡¯s mouth . ¡°Keo-heok!¡± How could this be¡­ . ? ¡®How can a Mage-type Hunter be this powerful and this fast?¡¯ The more confused he got, the greater the physical damage he suffered . ¡®Am I¡­ Am I losing?¡¯ But, that couldn¡¯t be happening . No, that must not happen . His ability to overwhelm his enemies with pure physical violence was the sole reason for his existence, the only thing proving that he was him and not someone else . Thomas Andre gritted his blood-soaked teeth . His eyes under the arched-up brows emitted a maddened glow . ¡°Uwaaahh-!!¡± He punched with everything he had, but Jin-Woo evaded that again and smacked the American¡¯s chin . Puh-geok! Thomas Andre shook his head hard to get rid of the impact force ringing in his head . But, in that brief gap, Jin-Woo had dug in until he was right below the American¡¯s nose and attacked consecutively and without mercy . Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!! ¡°Keo-heok!!¡± Thomas Andre, who once resembled a towering fortress, now began faltering around . He unsteadily tottered about as he backed away . He somehow managed to regain his balance and cried out venomously . ¡°I am none other than Thomas Andre!! You think you can bring me down with only that much?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I told you before . ¡± Kwa-boom!! Jin-Woo punched Thomas Andre¡¯s chin upwards and spoke . ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who you are . ¡± Thomas Andre¡¯s head was shot up towards the sky, but he stopped it from going any further . Enraged beyond himself now, the Goliath raised his tightly interlocked fists up high above his head . ¡°Demolition!!¡± BOOM!! The ground exploded and quaked violently as he slammed down with all his might . Too bad, Jin-Woo was no longer there . ¡°Where¡­?!¡± Thomas Andre¡¯s glare hurriedly wandered around to find Jin-Woo . It was then . He belatedly realised that a lump of incredible magical energy was falling from above him . He quickly looked up . Jin-Woo had leapt up before the skill ¡®Demolition¡¯ was activated and now, he was descending towards his American target . His elbow powerfully slammed down on Thomas Andre¡¯s face . KWA-BOOM!! *** Dozens of vehicles stopped almost all at once in a location fairly far away from the abandoned factory . It was decided that getting any closer would be dangerous for them . The folks climbing out of the vehicles were elite Hunters affiliated with the Hunter Bureau . Every single one of them was a distinguished, excellent Hunter in their own right . However, despite being with such great Hunters, Adam White couldn¡¯t feel reassured at all right now . But, that was understandable when these people were being compared to Hunters Seong Jin-Woo and Thomas Andre, plus the entirety of the Scavenger Guild¡¯s elites . The rank S Hunter tasked with commanding the Bureau¡¯s own Hunter forces, a man named Brent, could only shake his head with a stiff facial expression . ¡°Oh, my god¡­ . . ¡± Just what kind of monsters were fighting right now to emit this much magical energy? His feet didn¡¯t want to budge from the spot, but Adam White was right behind him, waiting to be guided forward with a pair of pleading eyes . Brent had no choice but to give up and spoke in a resigned voice . ¡°It¡¯s over there . However, it truly is dangerous, so my advice is, you need to be dead sure about this . ¡± Adam White nodded his head . KWA-BOOM!! It was at that moment something shot up high in the air along with a loud, explosive noise, before crashing back down to the ground . ¡°¡­ . ??¡± Adam White looked in the direction of that noise, before quickly shifting his gaze back to Brent . The rank S Hunter couldn¡¯t bring himself to close shut his slack jaw . Adam White urgently asked him . ¡°W-what was that just now?¡± ¡°If, If I haven¡¯t made a mistake, then that was¡­ . . ¡± How could Brent, a rank S Hunter, make a mistake with his identification? Even then, he hesitated greatly before carrying on . ¡°It was Mister Thomas Andre falling from the air . ¡± ¡°What was that?!¡± ¡°Even I can¡¯t be sure¡­ . ¡± Adam White¡¯s eyes grew incredibly large as he hurriedly shouted out . ¡°Hurry! We need to go there right now!¡± Brent watched Adam White run over there and gestured to other Hunters to follow them . The Hunter Bureau¡¯s group soon arrived at the location where two gigantic masses of magic energy were colliding against each other . And then, they all saw it . ¡°Heok . ¡± They saw the scene of the one and only Thomas Andre being pummelled into a rag by a lone Asian Hunter . Pow! Pooow! Powww! Brent freaked out and pointed at that sight . ¡°T-Thomas¡­ Mister Thomas Andre is being beaten up by Hunter Seong Jin-Woo!!¡± ¡°I can also see that!¡± Adam White repeatedly stamped his feet on the ground in pure vexation . Even from this far, he could tell that Thomas Andre¡¯s condition as he was getting beaten to a pulp by Jin-Woo didn¡¯t look so good . Brent hurriedly asked with an expression of someone not knowing what to do . ¡°What should we do now?¡± ¡°We need to stop them! Are you planning to stay back and watch a Special Authority-rank Hunter get beaten to death?!¡± ¡°You want us to stop that?? You mean, stop that man?!¡± Brent stared dumbfoundedly at the Asian Hunter emitting a truly nonsensical amount of magic power ¨C it was so enormous, in fact, he didn¡¯t even want to go anywhere near that maelstrom if he could help it . But, before he had a chance to say those words out loud, Adam White dashed forward . He might be a Hunter Bureau agent, but still, he was a regular person . He could lose his life simply by coming into contact with magical energy being emitted from a top-ranked Hunter . Brent¡¯s expression crumpled as he weighed options, but eventually, he spat out a pained groan and chased after Adam to run towards Jin-Woo . ¡°Agent White!¡± *** Thomas Andre¡¯s face was stomped on by the elbow and he knelt down to the ground . Both of his hands dug deep into the earth below . ¡°Euh, euh¡­ . Uwaaaah!!¡± He somehow managed to raise his upper torso up and continued with his attacks . Unfortunately, he had sustained too much damage to his physical body and his fists couldn¡¯t attack with the same level of destructive force anymore . Jin-Woo saw those now-sluggish punches and re-confirmed the tide of battle turning towards his favour . These powerless flailing arms of Thomas Andre now only contained the losing man¡¯s ultimately meaningless rage and desire to kill Jin-Woo . The Korean Hunter smoothly and easily evaded those punches and counter-attacked once more . Kwang!! Ka-boom!! Unlike Thomas Andre¡¯s attacks, Jin-Woo¡¯s hits constantly raining down aimed precisely at the American¡¯s vital spots and as a result, the poor man couldn¡¯t even regain his wits anymore . ¡°Keo-heok!¡± Every time Thomas Andre¡¯s head snapped in one direction or to the other side, blood spat out from his face . He lost his balance and tottered around unsteadily . Jin-Woo remained merciless as he kicked the American man . Ka-boom!! ¡°Keok!¡± The colliding magic energy exploded and Thomas Andre¡¯s body rocketed up into the sky . ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority . ¡¯ He yanked at the American man flying up endlessly into the air, causing his victim to crash-land back down to Earth with no resistance whatsoever . BOOM-!! ¡°Cough!¡± Thomas Andre lay sprawled on the ground and vomited out a mouthful of blood . Jin-Woo mounted on top of him . And just like when he was fighting against the demon king Baran back in the Demon¡¯s Castle, he grasped Thomas Andre¡¯s neck and slammed down with his other fist . Pow! Slam!! Boom! He could sense Thomas Andre¡¯s resistance weaken gradually . Pow! Boom! Pow! And finally ¨C just as Jin-Woo raised his fist high up to land the finisher, he heard a certain someone¡¯s desperate cry . ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim! Please, stop! I beg you, stay your hand, please!¡± Jin-Woo disinterestedly stared at Adam White running towards him before clenching his fist tightly again . A horrifying amount of magical energy roiled around his greatly-expanded shoulder muscles and his fist . ¡°N-no! Stop!¡± Just before the fist could slam down on the target¡­ As Adam White cried out, his hand reaching out in desperation¡­ ¡­ . Thomas Andre finally opened his mouth . ¡°¡­ . I lost . ¡± Whoosh-! Jin-Woo¡¯s fist stopped millimetres away from the American¡¯s nose . As if he had used up all of his energy just to surrender, Thomas Andre lost his consciousness right afterwards and went limp . Only then did Jin-Woo withdraw his fist and wordlessly got back up . Soon afterwards, Hunters affiliated with the Bureau cautiously filed in around him and Thomas Andre on the ground . *** ¡°What the f*ck¡­ What the hell is this? Did this really happen? Seriously?!¡± A certain reporter was muttering to himself as he continuously snapped one photo after another . Originally, he planned to snap a few shots of the Scavenger Guild Hunters getting ready for a raid . But now¡­ All he did was to simply follow after the Hunters who inexplicably cancelled the raid and began moving to somewhere . So, how on earth could he explain this? The reporter initially thought that there was a dungeon break happening somewhere . But the spectacle unfolding before his eyes easily exceeded his wildest imaginations . He used the zoom function to confirm the face of the man lying sprawled on the ground once more time . That was a rather familiar face, that¡¯s for sure . Without a doubt, that face belonged to the Special Authority-rank Hunter, Thomas Andre . ¡®Oh, my god¡­ . Just who can beat Thomas Andre up like that?!¡¯ The reporter spat out a shocked gasp as he scrolled through the images he had taken so far . And at the same time, his heart trembled in excitement after realising that the photos contained within this little camera would net him a huge wad of cash . < Chapter 192 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 192: Chapter 192 The corners of his lips bust open from that hit While being forced away from the impact, Thomas Andre was reeling from the shock of the freakish power that smacked him in the face ¡®How could¡­ how could such a power be¡­?!¡¯. That punch was heavy enough for his head to shake around . But, that wasn¡¯t all That man also possessed the ability to apply physical power with nothing but his thoughts . Even then, he didn¡¯t resist against the pulling force and willingly got himself dragged in Who¡¯d have thought of such a thing?. Unexpectedly, not only did he not use his version of the ¡®invisible hand¡¯ to resist the pull, he instead used it as a distraction to divert the attention of his opponent, and then threw the real attack that couldn¡¯t be easily avoided The acceleration from the pull became the double-edged blade cutting into the one activating the ability and ended up causing even bigger damage . Now that was a shockingly well-tuned instinct for battle ¡®Just how many fights did he go through to even come up with a tactic like that?¡¯. Thomas Andre had been looking down on Jin-Woo as some random kid even though he willingly acknowledged the Korean¡¯s powers . But now, having been struck twice in the face, his thoughts had gone through a rapid change Thomas Andre stopped bouncing away and landed back on his feet Kwa-jeeeek, kwa-jeek!!. The friction destroyed the cement floor below and threw up pieces of broken-off pebble and a dust cloud into the air As expected, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t give the American time to recover and dashed towards him . That was the sight of an experienced hunter . It seemed as if he had aimed for that moment before his target had regained the balance . However, his prey was the quicker of the two to react this time Thomas Andre discarded all arrogant thoughts from his head . He also realised that he might lose today if he continued to fight while being considerate towards his surroundings His opponent this time was far, far tougher than his initial expectation ¡°Reinforcement . ¡±. When he muttered out those words, his body, armed with muscles that had transformed into solid armour, suddenly ballooned up explosively Shu-wahck!. His near two-metre-tall physique transformed into a monster over three metres tall in the blink of an eye ¡°Uwaaaaah-!!¡±. Thomas Andre roared out like an angry beast and raised both of his arms, now as thick as a marble pillar, high above his head . All of this happened way too fast!. ¡®¡­ !¡¯. Jin-Woo, in the middle of his sprint, sensed danger up ahead ¡®What could it be?¡¯. His brain fell into a dilemma . The thing was, not once did his instincts lie to him in moments of great peril . Jin-Woo hurriedly stopped his forward movement and almost at the same time, jumped backwards With the difference of a millisecond, Thomas Andre¡¯s massive fists pounded on the ground below Kwa-kwang!!. Everything caught within the radius disintegrated from the horrifying shock wave His skill, ¡®Demolition¡¯ That incredible might forced Jin-Woo to take several more steps backwards, even though he had already escaped to a safe zone Tumble¡­ Debris flung up into the air fell down like raindrops As befitting a Hunter who subjugated a Dragon, his sturdiness and destructive power were second to none . But, there was no time to remain stunned . Another loud roar exploded out from Thomas Andre¡¯s mouth ¡°Capture!¡±. A powerful gravitational pulling force with Thomas Andre as the centre began yanking everything within the range towards him . It was as if he had become a black hole . Shadow Soldiers and Hunters all got into a messy tangle and flew towards his position Jin-Woo might have been one of the targets of this skill, ¡®Capture¡¯, but he used ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ to repel away the pulling force And when he finally managed to break free from that powerful force and jumped rearward one more time¡­ ¡­ . Thomas Andre¡¯s ¡®Demolition¡¯ skill burst forth yet again KWA-JEECK!!. Not just the Shadow Soldiers, but even the Hunters of the Scavenger got swept away by the shock wave ¡°Uwaahk!!¡±. ¡°Euh, euh¡­ . ¡±. Screams rose up from here and there The Vice-Master had discovered this horrifying situation rather late and yelled out at the top of his lungs ¡°Get away from the Master! Now!!¡±. Three, four fleet-footed Hunters quickly retrieved their injured colleagues and escaped to the back . Meanwhile, Thomas Andre and his emotionless face viciously dashed towards Jin-Woo¡¯s location A rank of ¡®Special Authority¡¯ implied one was afforded the same level of rights as an independent nation . That was why he needed to demonstrate what the punishment for disobeying the king was like Thomas Andre arrived in Jin-Woo¡¯s location in no time at all and threw a powerful punch forward Vuuoowoong-!!. His fist scythed the air He already knew it all too well He knew better than anyone that he was too slow to land a punch on this b*stard possessing the nimbleness of a wild beast . Especially so, when he was in his reinforced state His strength and defence would be enhanced to an unimaginable degree, but at the same time, his speed would drop proportionally . Fortunately enough for Thomas Andre, though, he possessed a skill that could easily cover for that drawback He extended his hand out to Jin-Woo who was rapidly creating distance between them ¡®Capture!¡¯. Once more, a powerful, incredibly attractive force activated between the two men . The American knew he¡¯d not miss his prey now With his body fortified through the ¡®Reinforcement¡¯ skill, his attention wouldn¡¯t be stolen away from some measly diversionary tricks As expected, Seong Jin-Woo was yanked back in with ease Leaving his extended left hand as it was, Thomas Andre pulled his right hand back and clenched it into a tight fist . An enormous amount of magical energy, enough to smash the torso of a top-ranked Hunter apart into a gory mess, gathered into his right fist Skill, ¡®Power Smash¡¯ Thomas Andre¡¯s fist, carrying a gob-smacking level of destructive power, slowly moved forward . But then, it happened ¡®¡­ ??¡¯. His eyes opened wider . He saw Jin-Woo¡¯s own right arm muscles suddenly expanding greatly in size ¡®Could he be¡­ thinking of directly confronting me?¡¯. Finding this incredulous, Thomas Andre increased the pulling power . However, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t try to evade it but actually used his ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ to further increase his momentum, instead The American cried out in shock ¡°D*mn it!¡±. Jin-Woo approached far quicker than Thomas Andre had anticipated and threw a punch a little quicker than his counterpart could . At the same time, he lowered his head and lightly evaded the American¡¯s own belated punch Kwa-boom!!. Thomas Andre saw a flash of light before his eyes and finally realised it ¡®The first attack he hit me with was¡­ . ¡¯. The attack he failed to see back then was precisely this one BOOM!!. Thomas Andre flew away like a rocket, demolished the wall of the disused factory and rolled around on the dirt for quite some time . The deep and lengthy pit left behind on the ground by his sliding body resembled furrows on a field ¡°Keu-heuk . ¡±. He hurriedly pushed himself off the ground, but Jin-Woo was already standing before him by then . Thomas Andre roared out and threw countless punches ¡°Uwaaaah!!¡±. Every time his fists flew past, the ground exploded and the air was split seemingly into pieces . Each hit was ferocious enough to utterly destroy a person¡¯s body from just a light touch Unfortunately, none of those could actually touch Jin-Woo He simply dodged all of Thomas Andre¡¯s fists and accurately landed every one of his counters on the American¡¯s vital spots Kwang!! Ka-boom!! Kwahng!!. Little by little, blood pooled in Thomas Andre¡¯s mouth ¡°Keo-heok!¡±. How could this be¡­ . ?. ¡®How can a Mage-type Hunter be this powerful and this fast?¡¯. The more confused he got, the greater the physical damage he suffered ¡®Am I¡­ Am I losing?¡¯. But, that couldn¡¯t be happening No, that must not happen His ability to overwhelm his enemies with pure physical violence was the sole reason for his existence, the only thing proving that he was him and not someone else Thomas Andre gritted his blood-soaked teeth . His eyes under the arched-up brows emitted a maddened glow ¡°Uwaaahh-!!¡±. He punched with everything he had, but Jin-Woo evaded that again and smacked the American¡¯s chin Puh-geok!. Thomas Andre shook his head hard to get rid of the impact force ringing in his head . But, in that brief gap, Jin-Woo had dug in until he was right below the American¡¯s nose and attacked consecutively and without mercy Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!. ¡°Keo-heok!!¡±. Thomas Andre, who once resembled a towering fortress, now began faltering around He unsteadily tottered about as he backed away . He somehow managed to regain his balance and cried out venomously ¡°I am none other than Thomas Andre!! You think you can bring me down with only that much?!¡±. ¡°That¡¯s why I told you before . ¡±. Kwa-boom!!. Jin-Woo punched Thomas Andre¡¯s chin upwards and spoke ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who you are . ¡±. Thomas Andre¡¯s head was shot up towards the sky, but he stopped it from going any further . Enraged beyond himself now, the Goliath raised his tightly interlocked fists up high above his head ¡°Demolition!!¡±. BOOM!!. The ground exploded and quaked violently as he slammed down with all his might . Too bad, Jin-Woo was no longer there ¡°Where¡­?!¡±. Thomas Andre¡¯s glare hurriedly wandered around to find Jin-Woo It was then He belatedly realised that a lump of incredible magical energy was falling from above him He quickly looked up Jin-Woo had leapt up before the skill ¡®Demolition¡¯ was activated and now, he was descending towards his American target His elbow powerfully slammed down on Thomas Andre¡¯s face KWA-BOOM!!. ***. Dozens of vehicles stopped almost all at once in a location fairly far away from the abandoned factory . It was decided that getting any closer would be dangerous for them The folks climbing out of the vehicles were elite Hunters affiliated with the Hunter Bureau . Every single one of them was a distinguished, excellent Hunter in their own right However, despite being with such great Hunters, Adam White couldn¡¯t feel reassured at all right now . But, that was understandable when these people were being compared to Hunters Seong Jin-Woo and Thomas Andre, plus the entirety of the Scavenger Guild¡¯s elites The rank S Hunter tasked with commanding the Bureau¡¯s own Hunter forces, a man named Brent, could only shake his head with a stiff facial expression ¡°Oh, my god¡­ ¡±. Just what kind of monsters were fighting right now to emit this much magical energy?. His feet didn¡¯t want to budge from the spot, but Adam White was right behind him, waiting to be guided forward with a pair of pleading eyes . Brent had no choice but to give up and spoke in a resigned voice ¡°It¡¯s over there . However, it truly is dangerous, so my advice is, you need to be dead sure about this . ¡±. Adam White nodded his head KWA-BOOM!!. It was at that moment something shot up high in the air along with a loud, explosive noise, before crashing back down to the ground ¡°¡­ . ??¡±. Adam White looked in the direction of that noise, before quickly shifting his gaze back to Brent . The rank S Hunter couldn¡¯t bring himself to close shut his slack jaw Adam White urgently asked him ¡°W-what was that just now?¡±. ¡°If, If I haven¡¯t made a mistake, then that was¡­ ¡±. How could Brent, a rank S Hunter, make a mistake with his identification? Even then, he hesitated greatly before carrying on ¡°It was Mister Thomas Andre falling from the air . ¡±. ¡°What was that?!¡±. ¡°Even I can¡¯t be sure¡­ . ¡±. Adam White¡¯s eyes grew incredibly large as he hurriedly shouted out ¡°Hurry! We need to go there right now!¡±. Brent watched Adam White run over there and gestured to other Hunters to follow them The Hunter Bureau¡¯s group soon arrived at the location where two gigantic masses of magic energy were colliding against each other . And then, they all saw it ¡°Heok . ¡±. They saw the scene of the one and only Thomas Andre being pummelled into a rag by a lone Asian Hunter Pow! Pooow! Powww!. Brent freaked out and pointed at that sight ¡°T-Thomas¡­ Mister Thomas Andre is being beaten up by Hunter Seong Jin-Woo!!¡±. ¡°I can also see that!¡±. Adam White repeatedly stamped his feet on the ground in pure vexation . Even from this far, he could tell that Thomas Andre¡¯s condition as he was getting beaten to a pulp by Jin-Woo didn¡¯t look so good Brent hurriedly asked with an expression of someone not knowing what to do ¡°What should we do now?¡±. ¡°We need to stop them! Are you planning to stay back and watch a Special Authority-rank Hunter get beaten to death?!¡±. ¡°You want us to stop that?? You mean, stop that man?!¡±. Brent stared dumbfoundedly at the Asian Hunter emitting a truly nonsensical amount of magic power ¨C it was so enormous, in fact, he didn¡¯t even want to go anywhere near that maelstrom if he could help it But, before he had a chance to say those words out loud, Adam White dashed forward He might be a Hunter Bureau agent, but still, he was a regular person . He could lose his life simply by coming into contact with magical energy being emitted from a top-ranked Hunter Brent¡¯s expression crumpled as he weighed options, but eventually, he spat out a pained groan and chased after Adam to run towards Jin-Woo ¡°Agent White!¡±. ***. Thomas Andre¡¯s face was stomped on by the elbow and he knelt down to the ground . Both of his hands dug deep into the earth below ¡°Euh, euh¡­ . Uwaaaah!!¡±. He somehow managed to raise his upper torso up and continued with his attacks . Unfortunately, he had sustained too much damage to his physical body and his fists couldn¡¯t attack with the same level of destructive force anymore Jin-Woo saw those now-sluggish punches and re-confirmed the tide of battle turning towards his favour . These powerless flailing arms of Thomas Andre now only contained the losing man¡¯s ultimately meaningless rage and desire to kill Jin-Woo The Korean Hunter smoothly and easily evaded those punches and counter-attacked once more Kwang!! Ka-boom!!. Unlike Thomas Andre¡¯s attacks, Jin-Woo¡¯s hits constantly raining down aimed precisely at the American¡¯s vital spots and as a result, the poor man couldn¡¯t even regain his wits anymore ¡°Keo-heok!¡±. Every time Thomas Andre¡¯s head snapped in one direction or to the other side, blood spat out from his face . He lost his balance and tottered around unsteadily . Jin-Woo remained merciless as he kicked the American man Ka-boom!!. ¡°Keok!¡±. The colliding magic energy exploded and Thomas Andre¡¯s body rocketed up into the sky ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority . ¡¯. He yanked at the American man flying up endlessly into the air, causing his victim to crash-land back down to Earth with no resistance whatsoever BOOM-!!. ¡°Cough!¡±. Thomas Andre lay sprawled on the ground and vomited out a mouthful of blood . Jin-Woo mounted on top of him And just like when he was fighting against the demon king Baran back in the Demon¡¯s Castle, he grasped Thomas Andre¡¯s neck and slammed down with his other fist Pow! Slam!! Boom!. He could sense Thomas Andre¡¯s resistance weaken gradually Pow! Boom! Pow!. And finally ¨C just as Jin-Woo raised his fist high up to land the finisher, he heard a certain someone¡¯s desperate cry ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim! Please, stop! I beg you, stay your hand, please!¡±. Jin-Woo disinterestedly stared at Adam White running towards him before clenching his fist tightly again . A horrifying amount of magical energy roiled around his greatly-expanded shoulder muscles and his fist ¡°N-no! Stop!¡±. Just before the fist could slam down on the target¡­. As Adam White cried out, his hand reaching out in desperation¡­. ¡­ . Thomas Andre finally opened his mouth ¡°¡­ . I lost . ¡±. Whoosh-!. Jin-Woo¡¯s fist stopped millimetres away from the American¡¯s nose As if he had used up all of his energy just to surrender, Thomas Andre lost his consciousness right afterwards and went limp Only then did Jin-Woo withdraw his fist and wordlessly got back up Soon afterwards, Hunters affiliated with the Bureau cautiously filed in around him and Thomas Andre on the ground ***. ¡°What the f*ck¡­ What the hell is this? Did this really happen? Seriously?!¡±. A certain reporter was muttering to himself as he continuously snapped one photo after another Originally, he planned to snap a few shots of the Scavenger Guild Hunters getting ready for a raid . But now¡­. All he did was to simply follow after the Hunters who inexplicably cancelled the raid and began moving to somewhere . So, how on earth could he explain this?. The reporter initially thought that there was a dungeon break happening somewhere . But the spectacle unfolding before his eyes easily exceeded his wildest imaginations He used the zoom function to confirm the face of the man lying sprawled on the ground once more time That was a rather familiar face, that¡¯s for sure Without a doubt, that face belonged to the Special Authority-rank Hunter, Thomas Andre ¡®Oh, my god¡­ . Just who can beat Thomas Andre up like that?!¡¯. The reporter spat out a shocked gasp as he scrolled through the images he had taken so far And at the same time, his heart trembled in excitement after realising that the photos contained within this little camera would net him a huge wad of cash < Chapter 192 > Fin Chapter 193 Adam White urgently confirmed the signs of life on Thomas Andre . Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump¡­ . He pressed his ear to the chest of the unmoving man and heard the faint beating of the heart . He even brought his hand near Thomas Andre¡¯s nose and felt for his breathing, too . Fortunately enough, he was still alive . However, he was barely hanging on . He might be alive but, he didn¡¯t resemble a living man right now . That¡¯s how bad his condition was . ¡®To think, he¡¯s capable of reducing the one and only Thomas Andre to this state¡­ . ¡¯ Just how many Hunters in the world would be capable of doing this? No, was there anyone even remotely capable of doing that, to begin with? If this news got out, then the entire world would be turned on its head almost instantly . Adam White even felt an emotion similar to awe at Jin-Woo¡¯s strength that had easily exceeded the Hunter Bureau¡¯s expectations . Unfortunately, now wasn¡¯t the time to stand around in awe . ¡°Hurry!¡± Adam White gestured towards the Hunter Bureau¡¯s Healers . One of the top-rated Healers quickly ran over and settled down next to the patient on the ground . After confirming Thomas Andre¡¯s condition before the healing could properly commence, the Healer clicked his tongue and spoke up . ¡°Every bone in his body is broken . Haemorrhaging is quite serious, as well . I alone won¡¯t be able to heal him . It¡¯ll be better for everyone to participate at once . ¡± Following the Healer¡¯s suggestion, more of his colleagues were added to the process of healing Thomas Andre . But then, could anyone fill up a lake with water from a tap? Because of how vast Thomas Andre¡¯s overall health reserve was, one needed to expend a great deal of effort in order to heal him . As the Healers sweated profusely and focused on healing the American Hunter, Adam White stood back up from the ground to survey the landscape . He saw the Hunters from the Bureau keeping themselves busy by pulling out the injured from the abandoned factory . ¡°Euh, euh¡­ . ¡± ¡°My leg, my leg!!¡± The state of the Scavenger¡¯s elite Hunters were wretched, to say the least . It was unknown how they ended up in such a miserable state, but it was not that hard to guess just who was responsible for them looking like that . One man versus one Guild . Just one Hunter managed to utterly destroy one of the top Guilds in the entire world . ¡®Seriously¡­¡¯ Adam White was utterly flabbergasted by the incredibleness of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, and his abilities that played a key role in this display of incredibleness . ¡®¡­Uh?¡¯ Now that he took another look, he couldn¡¯t see Hunter Seong Jin-Woo anywhere . Adam White searched around to locate the Korean Hunter, but before he could locate his query, a rather familiar ¡®song¡¯ entered his ears, instead . It was the ringtone coming from his phone . ¡°This is White . ¡± ¨C ¡°Agent White, we discovered Yu Jin-Ho Hunter-nim¡¯s current whereabouts . ¡± The call came from the Hunter Bureau . Out of all the stories he heard today, this had to be the best one so far . Adam White¡¯s gloomy-looking expression brightened up once more . ¡°Really? Where is he now?¡± The caller informed him that the grievously-injured Hunter Yu Jin-Ho was discovered in front of a major hospital nearby, and his life was no longer in danger after having received a timely emergency medical treatment . ¡°I¡¯ll head there right away as soon as the matters this side are sorted out . ¡± ¨C ¡°Understood . ¡± Adam White ended the call and sighed in relief . ¡°Whew¡­¡± He had no idea how he¡¯d go about dealing with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s wrath if something really bad happened to Yu Jin-Ho . Just thinking about it made him dizzy . Spilt milk couldn¡¯t be saved, anyway . Should he say that the glass holding the milk not breaking was a silver lining among the sea of storm clouds? A small load was taken off his mind and soon, he got to hear yet another piece of good news . ¡°We¡¯re finished . ¡± The Healers tasked with mending Thomas Andre stood up from the ground . Adam White asked them for a status update . ¡°How is he? Is he alright?¡± ¡°For now . ¡± ¡°For now¡­? What does that mean?¡± ¡°His injured body has been healed, but he did suffer many grievous wounds and it will take some time before he regains consciousness . ¡± ¡°Oh . ¡± Magic from the Healers might be able to restore one¡¯s physical wounds, but they were unable to lighten one¡¯s psychological trauma . And since Thomas Andre no doubt suffered a huge mental setback this time ¡¯round, his hospital room would have to be closely monitored . Adam White could only look on at the unconscious face of the Special Authority-rank Hunter with a look of pity . Still, the Healer did find words that provided a bit of comfort and delivered them . ¡°Even then, it was because it was Special Authority-rank Hunter Thomas Andre that he got to survive this long . If it was any other Hunter being on the receiving end of this much punishment, that person would have died ten times over by now . ¡± ¡°What a reli¡­ . ¡± Adam White nodded and was about to say something suitable as a reply, but then, his words came to a stop . Only because it was the Special Authority-rank Hunter Thomas Andre, he could survive this event? If so, what about Hunter Hwang Dong-Su who must¡¯ve been subjected to the one-sided outpouring of Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s rage? Was that man around here, as well? Carrying a hardened expression, Adam White quickly made his way into the abandoned factory as more injured were carted out . Once inside, he took a look around and heard someone call out to him . ¡°Agent White! Over here!¡± That urgent voice quickened Adam White¡¯s thought process . He tried to calm his pounding heart and ran towards where that call came from . One of the Bureau¡¯s Hunters with a serious expression on his face was standing in front of a person lying on the floor . Adam White recognised who it was and whispered out the name of the man like a groan . ¡°Hwang Dong-Su¡­ . ¡± That prompted the Hunter next to him to speak his findings . ¡°This man is not breathing, sir . His heart is not beating anymore . ¡± *** ¡°I hope you ain¡¯t gonna waste my time by telling me some bullsh*t story about you kidding around or making a mistake here . ¡± It was already getting pretty late . The editor of a certain publication had come out to meet a freelance reporter after the latter gave him a call . Understandably, the editor¡¯s glare was icy . Just who was he? He was none other than the editor of the newspaper boasting the highest circulation figures in the eastern United States . Originally, someone like a freelancer wouldn¡¯t be able to summon him out for an impromptu meeting like this . But then, he had no choice but to make this trip after hearing the contents of the phone call . The editor told himself that, if this freelancer was going to waste his time with a fairy tale, then he¡¯d make d*mn sure that this guy ended up in jail with a fake crime he came up with . That was his thought process as he hurriedly put back on the clothes he wore during the day at work for this meeting in the dark . The reporter quickly waved his hands around after being subjected to the editor¡¯s suspicious glare . ¡°It¡¯s d-definitely nothing like that . This thing is 100% real . I thought you only liked stories that are real?¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ . ¡± ¡°So, how much are you willing to offer?¡± ¡°Let me see the photos first . ¡± The reporter looked around his vicinity as if he was scared of something and began pulling out one photograph after another from his bag . The editor took them with an expressionless face and began flipping through them, but then, his hands came to an abrupt halt . And an almighty earthquake erupted in his eyes next . ¡®H-how can this be?!¡¯ The editor¡¯s astonished gaze naturally shifted over to the reporter¡¯s face next . His expression clearly was asking, ¡®Where did you get these pictures?¡¯ and that made the reporter feel like he was on the top of the world . He quickly shrugged his shoulders as his reply . The editor continued to flip through the pictures with trembling hands . They were exactly as the reporter had described over the phone . ¡®Thomas Andre passes out after getting beaten to a pulp a day before the International Guild Conference?¡¯ Not only that ¨C the face of the man leisurely turning around to leave after defeating the American was captured within these pictures . Wasn¡¯t that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?? This was a huge scoop . No, hang on ¨C that word ¡®scoop¡¯ wasn¡¯t adequate enough to fully describe this incredible jackpot . The editor¡¯s breathing became really rough and heavy now . Meanwhile, the reporter peered at the picture the editor was looking at and added some of his explanation . ¡°That¡¯s the man who beat up Thomas Andre . If you can investigate and uncover that guy¡¯s identity in an expose, I think you¡¯re going to create one hell of a firestorm, Mister Editor . ¡± What a moron this guy was! Allegedly, Westerners had a problem telling Asian faces apart . Maybe because of that, the reporter had failed to recognise Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s face . In times like these, the editor felt rather thankful for being an Asian American . And at the same time, he began cooking up the headlines that would dominate the front page of tomorrow¡¯s paper . [The man who brought down the Dragon, bitten & brought back to earth by an Asian dragon . ] [The Hunter of Giants, Seong Jin-Woo ¨C now even hunting down the Goliath?] [The stronghold of a Special Authority-rank Hunter, collapsing under the new rising star of South Korea?] Didn¡¯t matter what headlines he decided to use, this news would attract the attention of the entire world . Most importantly, his paper would have the exclusive . There were dozens of real photographic proof prepared as well, so how could there not be a huge commotion rising up in the world come tomorrow? The actual worth of these pictures could not be estimated at all . The editor felt his heart quiver . Having discovered the trembling light within the editor¡¯s eyes, the reporter quickly snatched the pictures back . The editor could only lick his lips in wistfulness . ¡°Now that you have confirmed the veracity of these pictures, let¡¯s talk about my price . How much are you willing to pay me?¡± ¡°This¡­ . Well, it¡¯s a bit difficult for me to come out with a price for these pictures . ¡± The editor hesitated greatly before asking the reporter as he carefully studied the other party . ¡°Why don¡¯t you quote me a price you think is fair? So, how much do you want for them?¡± The reporter pondered his options for a while, before unfurling all five of his fingers on his hand . The editor nodded his head . ¡°Fifty grand? Good . We¡¯ll go with that . ¡± ¡°No . ¡± The reporter immediately corrected the editor on the price . ¡°It¡¯s five million dollars . ¡± ¡°F-five million?!¡± Five million U . S . Dollars is a huge amount of money equalling as much as 6,000,000,000 Korean Won . Quite obviously, the expression on the editor¡¯s face hardened instantly . ¡°If you think the price isn¡¯t right, then I¡¯ll just go somewhere else . ¡± The reporter shoved the pictures back inside the bag and tried to turn around . However, the editor hurriedly stopped him . ¡°No, hold on!¡± Images of a celebrity couple¡¯s baby would sell for millions of dollars nowadays, so was there a reason not to spend five million on a scoop of this magnitude? Once this news gets out, all the TV stations and other newspapers would be talking about this story non-stop for the next few days . He simply couldn¡¯t let this opportunity slip through his fingers! Having arrived at his decision with some difficulty, the editor opened his mouth . ¡°Fine, you got a deal . However, I want not just the pictures but the originals, too . And you¡¯ll have to swear never to leak this out to anyone else . How about it?¡± With that, the deal was made . The reporter had been working as a freelancer and had to wallow at the bottom of society all this time . He thought about being able to see his parents again for the first time since leaving his hometown . His voice trembled slightly as he made his reply . ¡°¡­ . Let¡¯s do it . ¡± *** The hospital room where Yu Jin-Ho was currently admitted to . He had made it out from death¡¯s doorstep, but he still hadn¡¯t regained his consciousness . Yu Jin-Ho was still breathing out heavily in pain . The pain-suppressing morphine didn¡¯t seem to be all that effective for him . A little bit of time later, after the doctor doing the rounds confirmed Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s current status and left¡­ . ¡­ . A humanoid shape rose up from the blob of shadow sneaking into the hospital room . Shururuk¡­ . It was Beru, who swapped locations with Jin-Woo via ¡®Shadow Exchange¡¯ . He reached out to heal Yu Jin-Ho, as ordered by his liege . From the tip of his hands, gentle blue light slowly spread out in this darkened room . Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s expression, scrunched up from pain and discomfort, softened in no time at all . Beru already possessed powers incomparable to regular rank S Hunters, so it was quite obvious that his healing magic would be unmatched, as well . The former ant king diligently healed his target¡¯s wounds so he could also mend Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s psychological trauma at the same time . Wuuonng¡­ . Yu Jin-Ho stopped tossing around in the bed after sensing the warmth wrap up his entire body, and eventually, creaked open his heavy eyelids . ¡°Uh¡­ . ?¡± The first thing he saw was a giant ant head right in front of his face . On top of that, that giant ant head placed a finger to its mouth and went ¡°Shh . ¡± as if to tell him to keep quiet . ¡°¡­ . Oh, so I¡¯m still dreaming . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho closed his eyes shut and went back to sleep with a happy expression etched on his face . ¡°¡­ . . ¡± In the meantime, Beru wordlessly concentrated on healing the kid . The night wore on . *** Seoul, the capital city of South Korea . There was a 14-hour difference between here and the eastern United States . It may have been in the middle of the night over there, but it was in the morning in Korea . The current location was a deserted children¡¯s playground . A black knight with his head pressed tightly on the ground next to a swing set asked . ¡°Oh, my king . How long should I stay in this position?¡± Jin-Woo, currently sitting quietly on the swing and waiting for Beru¡¯s signal, replied disinterestedly . ¡°I guess¡­ . Until Beru reports back to me that he¡¯s done with Jin-Ho¡¯s treatment?¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± Perhaps the knight recognised his faults in this matter because he kept his mouth shut and maintained the ¡®Wonsan bombing raid¡¯ posture . (TL note at the end) Jin-Woo wordlessly stared at the knight before his gaze abruptly landed on his hands . The back of his hands were all messed up . There were several bruises and he could spot traces of blood as well . That Thomas Andre, he was truly one nonsensically sturdy dude . Just from Jin-Woo beating the living crap out of him, his hands ended up getting bruised to this degree . Of course, such wounds would be gone without a trace after a good night¡¯s rest all thanks to the passive buff, ¡®Good Health and Long Life¡¯, but still . ¡®¡­ . I¡¯m sleepy . ¡¯ He felt a bit of fatigue rush in . A chaotic day was finally drawing to a rather subdued close . The knight, staying quiet for a while, suddenly addressed Jin-Woo again . ¡°Oh, my king¡­ . ¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Please, bestow unto me a new name, my king . ¡± Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to his brand-new Shadow Soldier . [?? Lv . 1] Knight Commander grade ¡®Right, I guess you also need a name, don¡¯t you?¡¯ Jin-Woo pondered this dilemma for a little bit before forming a wry smile as he spoke . ¡°Since you died because of your greed, how about I call you ¡®Greed¡¯?¡± < Chapter 193 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 193: Chapter 193 Adam White urgently confirmed the signs of life on Thomas Andre Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump¡­ He pressed his ear to the chest of the unmoving man and heard the faint beating of the heart . He even brought his hand near Thomas Andre¡¯s nose and felt for his breathing, too . Fortunately enough, he was still alive However, he was barely hanging on . He might be alive but, he didn¡¯t resemble a living man right now . That¡¯s how bad his condition was ¡®To think, he¡¯s capable of reducing the one and only Thomas Andre to this state¡­ . ¡¯. Just how many Hunters in the world would be capable of doing this? No, was there anyone even remotely capable of doing that, to begin with?. If this news got out, then the entire world would be turned on its head almost instantly . Adam White even felt an emotion similar to awe at Jin-Woo¡¯s strength that had easily exceeded the Hunter Bureau¡¯s expectations Unfortunately, now wasn¡¯t the time to stand around in awe ¡°Hurry!¡±. Adam White gestured towards the Hunter Bureau¡¯s Healers One of the top-rated Healers quickly ran over and settled down next to the patient on the ground . After confirming Thomas Andre¡¯s condition before the healing could properly commence, the Healer clicked his tongue and spoke up ¡°Every bone in his body is broken . Haemorrhaging is quite serious, as well . I alone won¡¯t be able to heal him . It¡¯ll be better for everyone to participate at once . ¡±. Following the Healer¡¯s suggestion, more of his colleagues were added to the process of healing Thomas Andre But then, could anyone fill up a lake with water from a tap? Because of how vast Thomas Andre¡¯s overall health reserve was, one needed to expend a great deal of effort in order to heal him As the Healers sweated profusely and focused on healing the American Hunter, Adam White stood back up from the ground to survey the landscape . He saw the Hunters from the Bureau keeping themselves busy by pulling out the injured from the abandoned factory ¡°Euh, euh¡­ . ¡±. ¡°My leg, my leg!!¡±. The state of the Scavenger¡¯s elite Hunters were wretched, to say the least . It was unknown how they ended up in such a miserable state, but it was not that hard to guess just who was responsible for them looking like that One man versus one Guild Just one Hunter managed to utterly destroy one of the top Guilds in the entire world ¡®Seriously¡­¡¯. Adam White was utterly flabbergasted by the incredibleness of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, and his abilities that played a key role in this display of incredibleness ¡®¡­Uh?¡¯. Now that he took another look, he couldn¡¯t see Hunter Seong Jin-Woo anywhere . Adam White searched around to locate the Korean Hunter, but before he could locate his query, a rather familiar ¡®song¡¯ entered his ears, instead It was the ringtone coming from his phone ¡°This is White . ¡±. ¨C ¡°Agent White, we discovered Yu Jin-Ho Hunter-nim¡¯s current whereabouts . ¡±. The call came from the Hunter Bureau . Out of all the stories he heard today, this had to be the best one so far . Adam White¡¯s gloomy-looking expression brightened up once more ¡°Really? Where is he now?¡±. The caller informed him that the grievously-injured Hunter Yu Jin-Ho was discovered in front of a major hospital nearby, and his life was no longer in danger after having received a timely emergency medical treatment ¡°I¡¯ll head there right away as soon as the matters this side are sorted out . ¡±. ¨C ¡°Understood . ¡±. Adam White ended the call and sighed in relief ¡°Whew¡­¡±. He had no idea how he¡¯d go about dealing with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s wrath if something really bad happened to Yu Jin-Ho . Just thinking about it made him dizzy Spilt milk couldn¡¯t be saved, anyway . Should he say that the glass holding the milk not breaking was a silver lining among the sea of storm clouds?. A small load was taken off his mind and soon, he got to hear yet another piece of good news ¡°We¡¯re finished . ¡±. The Healers tasked with mending Thomas Andre stood up from the ground . Adam White asked them for a status update ¡°How is he? Is he alright?¡±. ¡°For now . ¡±. ¡°For now¡­? What does that mean?¡±. ¡°His injured body has been healed, but he did suffer many grievous wounds and it will take some time before he regains consciousness . ¡±. ¡°Oh . ¡±. Magic from the Healers might be able to restore one¡¯s physical wounds, but they were unable to lighten one¡¯s psychological trauma And since Thomas Andre no doubt suffered a huge mental setback this time ¡¯round, his hospital room would have to be closely monitored . Adam White could only look on at the unconscious face of the Special Authority-rank Hunter with a look of pity . Still, the Healer did find words that provided a bit of comfort and delivered them ¡°Even then, it was because it was Special Authority-rank Hunter Thomas Andre that he got to survive this long . If it was any other Hunter being on the receiving end of this much punishment, that person would have died ten times over by now . ¡±. ¡°What a reli¡­ . ¡±. Adam White nodded and was about to say something suitable as a reply, but then, his words came to a stop Only because it was the Special Authority-rank Hunter Thomas Andre, he could survive this event?. If so, what about Hunter Hwang Dong-Su who must¡¯ve been subjected to the one-sided outpouring of Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s rage?. Was that man around here, as well?. Carrying a hardened expression, Adam White quickly made his way into the abandoned factory as more injured were carted out . Once inside, he took a look around and heard someone call out to him ¡°Agent White! Over here!¡±. That urgent voice quickened Adam White¡¯s thought process . He tried to calm his pounding heart and ran towards where that call came from One of the Bureau¡¯s Hunters with a serious expression on his face was standing in front of a person lying on the floor . Adam White recognised who it was and whispered out the name of the man like a groan ¡°Hwang Dong-Su¡­ . ¡±. That prompted the Hunter next to him to speak his findings ¡°This man is not breathing, sir . His heart is not beating anymore . ¡±. ***. ¡°I hope you ain¡¯t gonna waste my time by telling me some bullsh*t story about you kidding around or making a mistake here . ¡±. It was already getting pretty late . The editor of a certain publication had come out to meet a freelance reporter after the latter gave him a call . Understandably, the editor¡¯s glare was icy Just who was he?. He was none other than the editor of the newspaper boasting the highest circulation figures in the eastern United States Originally, someone like a freelancer wouldn¡¯t be able to summon him out for an impromptu meeting like this . But then, he had no choice but to make this trip after hearing the contents of the phone call The editor told himself that, if this freelancer was going to waste his time with a fairy tale, then he¡¯d make d*mn sure that this guy ended up in jail with a fake crime he came up with . That was his thought process as he hurriedly put back on the clothes he wore during the day at work for this meeting in the dark The reporter quickly waved his hands around after being subjected to the editor¡¯s suspicious glare ¡°It¡¯s d-definitely nothing like that . This thing is 100% real . I thought you only liked stories that are real?¡±. ¡°Hmph¡­ . ¡±. ¡°So, how much are you willing to offer?¡±. ¡°Let me see the photos first . ¡±. The reporter looked around his vicinity as if he was scared of something and began pulling out one photograph after another from his bag . The editor took them with an expressionless face and began flipping through them, but then, his hands came to an abrupt halt And an almighty earthquake erupted in his eyes next ¡®H-how can this be?!¡¯. The editor¡¯s astonished gaze naturally shifted over to the reporter¡¯s face next His expression clearly was asking, ¡®Where did you get these pictures?¡¯ and that made the reporter feel like he was on the top of the world . He quickly shrugged his shoulders as his reply The editor continued to flip through the pictures with trembling hands They were exactly as the reporter had described over the phone ¡®Thomas Andre passes out after getting beaten to a pulp a day before the International Guild Conference?¡¯. Not only that ¨C the face of the man leisurely turning around to leave after defeating the American was captured within these pictures Wasn¡¯t that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo??. This was a huge scoop No, hang on ¨C that word ¡®scoop¡¯ wasn¡¯t adequate enough to fully describe this incredible jackpot . The editor¡¯s breathing became really rough and heavy now Meanwhile, the reporter peered at the picture the editor was looking at and added some of his explanation ¡°That¡¯s the man who beat up Thomas Andre . If you can investigate and uncover that guy¡¯s identity in an expose, I think you¡¯re going to create one hell of a firestorm, Mister Editor . ¡±. What a moron this guy was!. Allegedly, Westerners had a problem telling Asian faces apart . Maybe because of that, the reporter had failed to recognise Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s face In times like these, the editor felt rather thankful for being an Asian American . And at the same time, he began cooking up the headlines that would dominate the front page of tomorrow¡¯s paper [The man who brought down the Dragon, bitten & brought back to earth by an Asian dragon . ]. [The Hunter of Giants, Seong Jin-Woo ¨C now even hunting down the Goliath?]. [The stronghold of a Special Authority-rank Hunter, collapsing under the new rising star of South Korea?]. Didn¡¯t matter what headlines he decided to use, this news would attract the attention of the entire world . Most importantly, his paper would have the exclusive There were dozens of real photographic proof prepared as well, so how could there not be a huge commotion rising up in the world come tomorrow?. The actual worth of these pictures could not be estimated at all . The editor felt his heart quiver Having discovered the trembling light within the editor¡¯s eyes, the reporter quickly snatched the pictures back The editor could only lick his lips in wistfulness ¡°Now that you have confirmed the veracity of these pictures, let¡¯s talk about my price . How much are you willing to pay me?¡±. ¡°This¡­ . Well, it¡¯s a bit difficult for me to come out with a price for these pictures . ¡±. The editor hesitated greatly before asking the reporter as he carefully studied the other party ¡°Why don¡¯t you quote me a price you think is fair? So, how much do you want for them?¡±. The reporter pondered his options for a while, before unfurling all five of his fingers on his hand . The editor nodded his head ¡°Fifty grand? Good . We¡¯ll go with that . ¡±. ¡°No . ¡±. The reporter immediately corrected the editor on the price ¡°It¡¯s five million dollars . ¡±. ¡°F-five million?!¡±. Five million U . S . Dollars is a huge amount of money equalling as much as 6,000,000,000 Korean Won Quite obviously, the expression on the editor¡¯s face hardened instantly ¡°If you think the price isn¡¯t right, then I¡¯ll just go somewhere else . ¡±. The reporter shoved the pictures back inside the bag and tried to turn around . However, the editor hurriedly stopped him ¡°No, hold on!¡±. Images of a celebrity couple¡¯s baby would sell for millions of dollars nowadays, so was there a reason not to spend five million on a scoop of this magnitude?. Once this news gets out, all the TV stations and other newspapers would be talking about this story non-stop for the next few days . He simply couldn¡¯t let this opportunity slip through his fingers!. Having arrived at his decision with some difficulty, the editor opened his mouth ¡°Fine, you got a deal . However, I want not just the pictures but the originals, too . And you¡¯ll have to swear never to leak this out to anyone else . How about it?¡±. With that, the deal was made The reporter had been working as a freelancer and had to wallow at the bottom of society all this time . He thought about being able to see his parents again for the first time since leaving his hometown . His voice trembled slightly as he made his reply ¡°¡­ . Let¡¯s do it . ¡±. ***. The hospital room where Yu Jin-Ho was currently admitted to He had made it out from death¡¯s doorstep, but he still hadn¡¯t regained his consciousness Yu Jin-Ho was still breathing out heavily in pain . The pain-suppressing morphine didn¡¯t seem to be all that effective for him A little bit of time later, after the doctor doing the rounds confirmed Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s current status and left¡­ ¡­ . A humanoid shape rose up from the blob of shadow sneaking into the hospital room Shururuk¡­ It was Beru, who swapped locations with Jin-Woo via ¡®Shadow Exchange¡¯ He reached out to heal Yu Jin-Ho, as ordered by his liege . From the tip of his hands, gentle blue light slowly spread out in this darkened room Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s expression, scrunched up from pain and discomfort, softened in no time at all Beru already possessed powers incomparable to regular rank S Hunters, so it was quite obvious that his healing magic would be unmatched, as well . The former ant king diligently healed his target¡¯s wounds so he could also mend Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s psychological trauma at the same time Wuuonng¡­ Yu Jin-Ho stopped tossing around in the bed after sensing the warmth wrap up his entire body, and eventually, creaked open his heavy eyelids ¡°Uh¡­ . ?¡±. The first thing he saw was a giant ant head right in front of his face . On top of that, that giant ant head placed a finger to its mouth and went ¡°Shh . ¡± as if to tell him to keep quiet ¡°¡­ . Oh, so I¡¯m still dreaming . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho closed his eyes shut and went back to sleep with a happy expression etched on his face ¡°¡­ ¡±. In the meantime, Beru wordlessly concentrated on healing the kid The night wore on ***. Seoul, the capital city of South Korea There was a 14-hour difference between here and the eastern United States . It may have been in the middle of the night over there, but it was in the morning in Korea The current location was a deserted children¡¯s playground A black knight with his head pressed tightly on the ground next to a swing set asked ¡°Oh, my king . How long should I stay in this position?¡±. Jin-Woo, currently sitting quietly on the swing and waiting for Beru¡¯s signal, replied disinterestedly ¡°I guess¡­ . Until Beru reports back to me that he¡¯s done with Jin-Ho¡¯s treatment?¡±. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. Perhaps the knight recognised his faults in this matter because he kept his mouth shut and maintained the ¡®Wonsan bombing raid¡¯ posture . (TL note at the end). Jin-Woo wordlessly stared at the knight before his gaze abruptly landed on his hands The back of his hands were all messed up . There were several bruises and he could spot traces of blood as well That Thomas Andre, he was truly one nonsensically sturdy dude . Just from Jin-Woo beating the living crap out of him, his hands ended up getting bruised to this degree Of course, such wounds would be gone without a trace after a good night¡¯s rest all thanks to the passive buff, ¡®Good Health and Long Life¡¯, but still ¡®¡­ . I¡¯m sleepy . ¡¯. He felt a bit of fatigue rush in . A chaotic day was finally drawing to a rather subdued close The knight, staying quiet for a while, suddenly addressed Jin-Woo again ¡°Oh, my king¡­ . ¡±. ¡°What is it?¡±. ¡°Please, bestow unto me a new name, my king . ¡±. Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to his brand-new Shadow Soldier [?? Lv . 1]. Knight Commander grade. ¡®Right, I guess you also need a name, don¡¯t you?¡¯. Jin-Woo pondered this dilemma for a little bit before forming a wry smile as he spoke ¡°Since you died because of your greed, how about I call you ¡®Greed¡¯?¡±. < Chapter 193 > Fin Chapter 194 Next day . Almost every TV station and newspaper under the sun was talking about the Hunters arriving in the United States before the International Guild Conference began . However, only one newspaper from the east of the country dared to carry a rather different sort of headline on its front page . [Thomas Andre loses consciousness!] There was not one American who didn¡¯t know the name of Thomas Andre . So, they couldn¡¯t quite believe that their Special Authority-rank Hunter had lost consciousness . Did he contract some kind of illness? The passersby were immediately drawn in by that simple-yet-attention-grabbing headline . They reached out to grab their copies of the paper and gladly paid the asking price . But then, steps of the curious buyers came to a stuttering halt after they unfurled their papers and read the article within . That rather boring headline didn¡¯t prepare the readers adequately enough for the bombshell hiding within the article itself . It was unknown why the fight happened, but regardless, the article went to detail the event of a lone Hunter clashing against Thomas Andre and his Scavenger Guild the night before . And the aftermath was laid bare for all to see with several pages¡¯ worth of large photographs . They showed bloodied and battered Thomas Andre, as well as many injured Hunters being carried out from a disused factory . If someone who didn¡¯t know any of these people saw the images, that person might have said that they were victims of a terror attack . That¡¯s how severe the scenes depicted were . However, weren¡¯t these people all top-ranked Hunters in this nation? Especially for Thomas Andre ¨C he was the Special Authority-rank Hunter who survived the ¡®Kamish¡¯ raid, referred to as the worst calamity in human history . Every single person reading the article couldn¡¯t hide how shocked they felt . Their breathing became rough and heavy, just like the editor back when he first laid his eyes on these images . And when the identity of the man who drove the Hunters of the Scavenger Guild to this wretched state was revealed, the readers focusing on the article cried out in pure shock and astonishment . ¡°What in the world¡­ . ¡± ¡°Jesus Christ!¡± Why was there an image of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo in this article? Wasn¡¯t he the current darling of the international media after he stopped a massive-scale crisis taking place in Japan not too long ago? The contrast between Thomas Andre lying sprawled on the ground, and Jin-Woo turning around to leave with an emotionless face, was so great that it left the readers with an indescribable level of mental shock . As almost all of the mass media was focused on the International Guild Conference, the ripple caused by the article was even greater than it might have been otherwise . Rather than traditional media outlets breaking the news, though, the story first gained traction in South Korea through social media, instead . [ROFLOL . Thomas Andre beaten to a pulp by Seong Jin-Woo was real? Link to the article . ] [Holy cow, it¡¯s real . LOL Thomas Andre showed up with Guild members and still got ransacked like nobody¡¯s business?] [Bullsh*t . Tsk, tsk, tsk . Makes no sense . One guy wrecked a Special Authority-rank Hunter + super-top-number one Guild?] ©¸ [Go read the linked article . All true . ] ©¸ [Why did they fight, tho?] ©¸ [No one knows . No reason provided . ] [LOLOL Yankee bros yapping on about Special Authority this and that, but now, boom! Maybe, these fools were nothing but hot air?] [It¡¯s not Thomas Andre being useless, it¡¯s Seong Jin-Woo being incredible . ] [Yup, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim is the pride of South Korea . ] ©¸ [Kyah~! Barmaid! Time to get drunk! Bring me a tall glass of patriotism!] Most of the Korean commenters expressed their surprise at this event, but on the other hand, the comments filled with pride quickly appeared on various Japanese social media accounts . [It¡¯s only obvious that even Thomas Andre was no match for Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ] [Maybe the U . S . didn¡¯t help us because they were afraid of exposing the truth behind their Special Authority-ranked Hunters¡­] [We need to be grateful that such a Hunter came to lend us his aid . ] [I¡¯ve been trying to send a thank you gift to Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim for a little while now . Where should I send it so he can receive it?] [You can send it here . The address is¡­ . ] ©¸ [Hey, dude, why U writing your own address?] ©¸ [wwwwww What a crazy b*stard . ] Jin-Woo was already the hero of Japan . The wounded pride of the Japanese people was restored when Jin-Woo, a man who rescued their country from the brink of destruction, defeated the hero of America . Perhaps inevitably, the attention of the world ¨C not just America¡¯s, where the incident took place ¨C was laser-focused on Jin-Woo once more, after a short period of peace since the Giant subjugation . Why did he do it? Why did Hunter Seong Jin-Woo pummel Thomas Andre and his Guild members into near-oblivion? Did something irreconcilable happen between the two men? Public opinion and mass media were burning up from the flames of speculation . Everyone that learnt of this incident could only wait in desperation for some clarity on the situation . *** Jin-Woo woke up in the assigned hotel room . He took a look outside the window and saw the sea of reporters camping outside the hotel¡¯s entrance and clicked his tongue . ¡°Where did all these people show up from?¡± Sure, it wasn¡¯t as if he had no clue why these reporters had gathered outside the hotel . No, he simply got surprised by the fact that the news had spread out this fast, that was all . Even then, he had no plans to shy away from them . Wasn¡¯t this a good opportunity to let the world know what would happen if someone tried to mess him? It was not against the law to shoot down someone aiming a gun at you in America . Especially more so, with laws being amended recently, after the appearance of the Hunters . The issue might have gotten out of hand if he kept attacking the unconscious Thomas Andre . But, he wisely stopped right away the moment his opponent lost the will to fight . It should be a similar story with Hwang Dong-Su, too . Once people learn about what he did to Yu Jin-Ho, not many would point their fingers at Jin-Woo . So, he stayed calm and waited for Agent Adam White to contact him . Sure enough¡­ Knock, knock . He opened the door after hearing the knock to find Agent Adam White standing on the corridor with two other Bureau-affiliated Hunters . Jin-Woo asked with absolutely no nervousness in his voice . ¡°Are you here to arrest me?¡± ¡°No, not at all . ¡± The American agent shook his head and hurriedly continued on . ¡°We¡¯re here to escort you to the Guild Conference venue because we are expecting quite a big fuss to develop during the day . And also¡­ . ¡± Adam White quickly fixed his attire and politely bent his waist 90 degrees forward, totally out of the blue . ¡®¡­ . . ?¡¯ Feeling puzzled by that gesture, Jin-Woo looked on . However, Adam White showed no signs of straightening himself and spoke while maintaining the current posture . ¡°Also, I¡¯d like to express my gratitude, as well . ¡± Jin-Woo combed through his memories briefly just then, but he failed to recall any moments that warranted a thank-you from the Hunter Bureau . All he did yesterday was ¨C he lost Kamish¡¯s shadow, wandered around searching for the kidnapped Yu Jin-Ho, encountered Thomas Andre coincidentally and beat his a*s down to the ground . That was all . ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯ Recalling the events of yesterday managed to sour his mood by a notch . The American agent probably wasn¡¯t expressing his gratitude to Jin-Woo for showing him the process of extracting a shadow . So, why was he saying his thanks for? Fortunately enough, Adam White opened his mouth just in time, right before Jin-Woo¡¯s confusion had the chance to grow any bigger . ¡°If you hadn¡¯t stopped right then, the United States of America would have lost both of her Special Authority-rank Hunters . ¡± ¡®Ahh, so that¡¯s what he was talking about . ¡¯ Jin-Woo nodded his head as he recalled the scene of Adam White crying out and trying to dissuade him the night before . For sure, yesterday¡¯s result might have been entirely different if the American agent didn¡¯t show up and Thomas Andre remained stubborn right until the end . The U . S . had already lost one of her Special Authority-rank Hunters . So, the government would¡¯ve done everything in order to prevent the loss of her second, regardless of the cost . Jin-Woo could more or less understand now where Adam White and his bowed head was coming from . Meanwhile, the American agent carried on . ¡°We at the Hunter Bureau will do our best to ensure that you¡¯re not unduly troubled by this incident, Seong Hunter-nim . ¡± With those words, Adam White stood upright again . He looked dead tired, though . The Hunter Bureau held a night-long emergency meeting on how to deal with this event . Naturally, Adam White had to attend the meeting, seeing that he was in charge of chaperoning Jin-Woo around . The conclusion of that meeting was¡­ . ¨C Do not provoke him . The higher-ups decided to do everything in their power to make Jin-Woo¡¯s stay in the country that much more comfortable . His feat of defeating Thomas Andre only served to improve the Hunter Bureau¡¯s evaluation of him . The organisation definitely didn¡¯t want to see their relationship with Jin-Woo souring because of the Scavenger Guild¡¯s wrongdoings . Most importantly, Thomas Andre wasn¡¯t dead, now was he? Adam White was ordered to carry on as scheduled and so, he came here to escort Jin-Woo . He stared at his charge for a little while before swallowing dry saliva . Gulp . ¡®This man alone managed to defeat the Scavenger Guild¡­ . ¡¯ The normal image of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was a man of power for whom common sense still prevailed . But then, Adam White got to personally witness the kind of spectacle the Korean Hunter¡¯s wrath could bring about . And so, he was genuinely envious of Yu Jin-Ho after realising that such wrath was solely reserved to protect the people close to Jin-Woo . ¡°Oops . It¡¯s already this late . ¡± Adam White confirmed the time and formed a smile . ¡°Well, then¡­ Shall we get going?¡± ¡°Sure . Let¡¯s go . ¡± Jin-Woo was escorted out of the hotel with the guidance of Adam White and his fellow agents . The group broke past the wall of the fervent reporters and climbed aboard the waiting Bureau-supplied vehicle . Click, click, click, click, click-!! Meanwhile, the reporters continuously and tirelessly took photos even as the vehicle carrying their query gradually disappeared from their views . On their way to the conference venue, Adam White explained the current situation . ¡°We have secured the testimonies of Hunter Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s accomplices . The Bureau will soon release a statement containing the full account of what happened . ¡± He then went and strongly emphasized that ¡®Hunter-nim¡¯ would not be inconvenienced in any shape or form . It was a welcome piece of news for Jin-Woo, of course . The reason why he decided to travel to the States had to do with the ¡®monster¡¯ possessing the appearance of his father . He wished to gather information through the International Guild Conference . He asked the newly Shadow Soldier-ified Hwang Dong-Su, but even that guy didn¡¯t know much about this creature who could possibly be his father . According to the former rank S Hunter, that creature came out of a dungeon all alone, and its magic energy emission was identical to other monsters . When the issue with the being¡¯s son was brought up, it became hostile and a fight broke out afterwards . That was all . ¡®Just what was its real identity¡­ . ?¡¯ There was a good chance that it might not be his father, after all . If that thing was really him, then quite obviously, the first thing he¡¯d do was to come and see his family . The more Jin-Woo looked into this matter, the greater his questions became . To confound the matters even further, several more questions were added on top of the already-existing ones . It all started off with the final words of Kamish, just before the Dragon disappeared for good . [Oh, my king . There are four humans who have borrowed the powers of the Rulers . Please, you need to be wary of them . ] Five Hunters survived the Kamish raid . Which meant that the odds of the four among the five Special Authority-rank Hunters borrowing the powers of the Rulers were very high . ¡®But then¡­ one of the Special Authority-rank Hunters was killed by someone recently . ¡¯ That man¡¯s name was Christopher Reid . Just who was he fighting that a Hunter as powerful as he was had to resort to burning down his mansion and the surrounding forest? Could it be possible that the Sovereigns mentioned by the King of Giants were finally making their move? If that wasn¡¯t it, did the sudden changes dungeons went through recently have anything to do with it? As several thoughts fleeted in and out of Jin-Woo¡¯s head, he could see the venue for the conference getting nearer and nearer . *** The moment Jin-Woo stepped into the lobby of the venue, the conversations and welcoming greetings being shared among the crowd all came to a sudden halt . Gazes of curiosity and fear came flying at him from pretty much all directions . He was that Asian Hunter responsible for utterly destroying Thomas Andre, who had been reigning over other Hunters like a king . Noisy, noisy¡­ . Quite a few Hunters kept whispering the stories related to Jin-Woo even now, but none of them dared to approach him . Because they still didn¡¯t know why he went and wrecked the Scavenger Guild to that extent . Seriously now, what if the reason for that unholy mass beat-down turned out to be nothing more than Thomas Andre staring at him for too long? If so, wouldn¡¯t one get marked for death simply by trying to say hello to Jin-Woo? Even though all these people were ace Hunters that subjugated scary monsters for a living, they found it hard to meet Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze right now . After the cordial lunch prepared by the Hunter Bureau came to an end, the participating Hunters began filling up the seats facing the rostrum in the conference venue . Afterwards, the conference got going, and several topics were discussed . Unfortunately, none of those really warranted Jin-Woo¡¯s complete attention nor his sustained interest . Most of the things being talked about were similar in nature to status updates and so on . ¡®If only Jin-Ho was here . I¡¯d not be this bored¡­ . ¡¯ All Jin-Woo could do was to wake up his super-human patience and wait until the topic he might be interested in came around . Quite a while later¡­ Although it was not the information he was waiting for, a topic did manage to grab his attention . ¡°Everyone, you should be aware of the fact that the number of Gates being generated has shot up recently, and the fact that stronger monsters have made their appearances, too . ¡± Initially, it sounded like something everyone knew only too well . Since quite a few scientists had appeared before this man to speak their theories regarding this topic already, the atmosphere in the venue came across as lukewarm at best . ¡°However, there should be almost none of you who have realised that unusual activity has been detected in the skies above us . ¡± The scientist named Belzer emphasized the word ¡®skies¡¯ and the Hunters finally began showing signs of interest . Of course, Jin-Woo was included among those Hunters, as well . ¡°The truth of the magical energy concentration found in the planet¡¯s atmosphere getting greater ¨C we all know of this fact since it has been widely reported . ¡± Now that he was being showered with the interested gazes of the Hunters, the clearly-happy scientist carried on . ¡°I¡¯d like to use a different term to denote the magic energy found in our atmosphere . Until another more suitable word is invented, how about we use the term, ¡®magisphere¡¯?¡± The scientist gestured with his hand, and a huge map was displayed on the screen behind him . It was the atlas of the world that contained all of the continents ¨C no, all of the countries existing on this planet . The scientist used a laser pointer to highlight several spots on the map . ¡°Did you know that the magisphere has begun gathering and concentrating on the skies of several nations at present?¡± Noisy, noisy¡­ . The noise level among the Hunters gradually rose up . The scientist implored his audience to quieten down and listen to him for a little bit longer, before continuing on with his explanations . ¡°There are a total of nine spots in the world where the magisphere has begun gathering into a large mass . My purpose today is to reveal the locations of the nine spots . ¡± Doctor Belzer then calmly read off the names of the nine countries on his list . ¡°¡­ . Province of Alberta, Canada . And finally, this is the spot with the highest magisphere concentration . City of Seoul, South Korea . ¡± The moment those translated words of the scientist came out from the earpiece Jin-Woo wore ¨C for some reason, every single Hunter sitting inside the venue shifted their gazes in his direction all at once . < Chapter 194 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 194: Chapter 194 Next day Almost every TV station and newspaper under the sun was talking about the Hunters arriving in the United States before the International Guild Conference began . However, only one newspaper from the east of the country dared to carry a rather different sort of headline on its front page [Thomas Andre loses consciousness!]. There was not one American who didn¡¯t know the name of Thomas Andre . So, they couldn¡¯t quite believe that their Special Authority-rank Hunter had lost consciousness Did he contract some kind of illness?. The passersby were immediately drawn in by that simple-yet-attention-grabbing headline . They reached out to grab their copies of the paper and gladly paid the asking price But then, steps of the curious buyers came to a stuttering halt after they unfurled their papers and read the article within . That rather boring headline didn¡¯t prepare the readers adequately enough for the bombshell hiding within the article itself It was unknown why the fight happened, but regardless, the article went to detail the event of a lone Hunter clashing against Thomas Andre and his Scavenger Guild the night before And the aftermath was laid bare for all to see with several pages¡¯ worth of large photographs They showed bloodied and battered Thomas Andre, as well as many injured Hunters being carried out from a disused factory If someone who didn¡¯t know any of these people saw the images, that person might have said that they were victims of a terror attack . That¡¯s how severe the scenes depicted were However, weren¡¯t these people all top-ranked Hunters in this nation?. Especially for Thomas Andre ¨C he was the Special Authority-rank Hunter who survived the ¡®Kamish¡¯ raid, referred to as the worst calamity in human history Every single person reading the article couldn¡¯t hide how shocked they felt . Their breathing became rough and heavy, just like the editor back when he first laid his eyes on these images And when the identity of the man who drove the Hunters of the Scavenger Guild to this wretched state was revealed, the readers focusing on the article cried out in pure shock and astonishment ¡°What in the world¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Jesus Christ!¡±. Why was there an image of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo in this article? Wasn¡¯t he the current darling of the international media after he stopped a massive-scale crisis taking place in Japan not too long ago?. The contrast between Thomas Andre lying sprawled on the ground, and Jin-Woo turning around to leave with an emotionless face, was so great that it left the readers with an indescribable level of mental shock As almost all of the mass media was focused on the International Guild Conference, the ripple caused by the article was even greater than it might have been otherwise Rather than traditional media outlets breaking the news, though, the story first gained traction in South Korea through social media, instead [ROFLOL . Thomas Andre beaten to a pulp by Seong Jin-Woo was real? Link to the article . ]. [Holy cow, it¡¯s real . LOL Thomas Andre showed up with Guild members and still got ransacked like nobody¡¯s business?]. [Bullsh*t . Tsk, tsk, tsk . Makes no sense . One guy wrecked a Special Authority-rank Hunter + super-top-number one Guild?]. ©¸ [Go read the linked article . All true . ]. ©¸ [Why did they fight, tho?]. ©¸ [No one knows . No reason provided . ]. [LOLOL Yankee bros yapping on about Special Authority this and that, but now, boom! Maybe, these fools were nothing but hot air?]. [It¡¯s not Thomas Andre being useless, it¡¯s Seong Jin-Woo being incredible . ]. [Yup, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim is the pride of South Korea . ]. ©¸ [Kyah~! Barmaid! Time to get drunk! Bring me a tall glass of patriotism!]. Most of the Korean commenters expressed their surprise at this event, but on the other hand, the comments filled with pride quickly appeared on various Japanese social media accounts [It¡¯s only obvious that even Thomas Andre was no match for Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ]. [Maybe the U . S . didn¡¯t help us because they were afraid of exposing the truth behind their Special Authority-ranked Hunters¡­]. [We need to be grateful that such a Hunter came to lend us his aid . ]. [I¡¯ve been trying to send a thank you gift to Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim for a little while now . Where should I send it so he can receive it?]. [You can send it here . The address is¡­ . ]. ©¸ [Hey, dude, why U writing your own address?]. ©¸ [wwwwww What a crazy b*stard . ]. Jin-Woo was already the hero of Japan The wounded pride of the Japanese people was restored when Jin-Woo, a man who rescued their country from the brink of destruction, defeated the hero of America Perhaps inevitably, the attention of the world ¨C not just America¡¯s, where the incident took place ¨C was laser-focused on Jin-Woo once more, after a short period of peace since the Giant subjugation Why did he do it?. Why did Hunter Seong Jin-Woo pummel Thomas Andre and his Guild members into near-oblivion?. Did something irreconcilable happen between the two men?. Public opinion and mass media were burning up from the flames of speculation . Everyone that learnt of this incident could only wait in desperation for some clarity on the situation ***. Jin-Woo woke up in the assigned hotel room . He took a look outside the window and saw the sea of reporters camping outside the hotel¡¯s entrance and clicked his tongue ¡°Where did all these people show up from?¡±. Sure, it wasn¡¯t as if he had no clue why these reporters had gathered outside the hotel . No, he simply got surprised by the fact that the news had spread out this fast, that was all Even then, he had no plans to shy away from them . Wasn¡¯t this a good opportunity to let the world know what would happen if someone tried to mess him?. It was not against the law to shoot down someone aiming a gun at you in America . Especially more so, with laws being amended recently, after the appearance of the Hunters The issue might have gotten out of hand if he kept attacking the unconscious Thomas Andre . But, he wisely stopped right away the moment his opponent lost the will to fight It should be a similar story with Hwang Dong-Su, too . Once people learn about what he did to Yu Jin-Ho, not many would point their fingers at Jin-Woo So, he stayed calm and waited for Agent Adam White to contact him . Sure enough¡­. Knock, knock He opened the door after hearing the knock to find Agent Adam White standing on the corridor with two other Bureau-affiliated Hunters Jin-Woo asked with absolutely no nervousness in his voice ¡°Are you here to arrest me?¡±. ¡°No, not at all . ¡±. The American agent shook his head and hurriedly continued on ¡°We¡¯re here to escort you to the Guild Conference venue because we are expecting quite a big fuss to develop during the day . And also¡­ . ¡±. Adam White quickly fixed his attire and politely bent his waist 90 degrees forward, totally out of the blue ¡®¡­ ?¡¯. Feeling puzzled by that gesture, Jin-Woo looked on . However, Adam White showed no signs of straightening himself and spoke while maintaining the current posture ¡°Also, I¡¯d like to express my gratitude, as well . ¡±. Jin-Woo combed through his memories briefly just then, but he failed to recall any moments that warranted a thank-you from the Hunter Bureau All he did yesterday was ¨C he lost Kamish¡¯s shadow, wandered around searching for the kidnapped Yu Jin-Ho, encountered Thomas Andre coincidentally and beat his a*s down to the ground . That was all ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯. Recalling the events of yesterday managed to sour his mood by a notch The American agent probably wasn¡¯t expressing his gratitude to Jin-Woo for showing him the process of extracting a shadow . So, why was he saying his thanks for?. Fortunately enough, Adam White opened his mouth just in time, right before Jin-Woo¡¯s confusion had the chance to grow any bigger ¡°If you hadn¡¯t stopped right then, the United States of America would have lost both of her Special Authority-rank Hunters . ¡±. ¡®Ahh, so that¡¯s what he was talking about . ¡¯. Jin-Woo nodded his head as he recalled the scene of Adam White crying out and trying to dissuade him the night before For sure, yesterday¡¯s result might have been entirely different if the American agent didn¡¯t show up and Thomas Andre remained stubborn right until the end The U . S . had already lost one of her Special Authority-rank Hunters . So, the government would¡¯ve done everything in order to prevent the loss of her second, regardless of the cost Jin-Woo could more or less understand now where Adam White and his bowed head was coming from Meanwhile, the American agent carried on ¡°We at the Hunter Bureau will do our best to ensure that you¡¯re not unduly troubled by this incident, Seong Hunter-nim . ¡±. With those words, Adam White stood upright again . He looked dead tired, though The Hunter Bureau held a night-long emergency meeting on how to deal with this event . Naturally, Adam White had to attend the meeting, seeing that he was in charge of chaperoning Jin-Woo around The conclusion of that meeting was¡­ ¨C Do not provoke him The higher-ups decided to do everything in their power to make Jin-Woo¡¯s stay in the country that much more comfortable . His feat of defeating Thomas Andre only served to improve the Hunter Bureau¡¯s evaluation of him The organisation definitely didn¡¯t want to see their relationship with Jin-Woo souring because of the Scavenger Guild¡¯s wrongdoings . Most importantly, Thomas Andre wasn¡¯t dead, now was he?. Adam White was ordered to carry on as scheduled and so, he came here to escort Jin-Woo . He stared at his charge for a little while before swallowing dry saliva Gulp ¡®This man alone managed to defeat the Scavenger Guild¡­ . ¡¯. The normal image of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was a man of power for whom common sense still prevailed But then, Adam White got to personally witness the kind of spectacle the Korean Hunter¡¯s wrath could bring about . And so, he was genuinely envious of Yu Jin-Ho after realising that such wrath was solely reserved to protect the people close to Jin-Woo ¡°Oops . It¡¯s already this late . ¡±. Adam White confirmed the time and formed a smile ¡°Well, then¡­ Shall we get going?¡±. ¡°Sure . Let¡¯s go . ¡±. Jin-Woo was escorted out of the hotel with the guidance of Adam White and his fellow agents . The group broke past the wall of the fervent reporters and climbed aboard the waiting Bureau-supplied vehicle Click, click, click, click, click-!!. Meanwhile, the reporters continuously and tirelessly took photos even as the vehicle carrying their query gradually disappeared from their views On their way to the conference venue, Adam White explained the current situation ¡°We have secured the testimonies of Hunter Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s accomplices . The Bureau will soon release a statement containing the full account of what happened . ¡±. He then went and strongly emphasized that ¡®Hunter-nim¡¯ would not be inconvenienced in any shape or form . It was a welcome piece of news for Jin-Woo, of course The reason why he decided to travel to the States had to do with the ¡®monster¡¯ possessing the appearance of his father . He wished to gather information through the International Guild Conference He asked the newly Shadow Soldier-ified Hwang Dong-Su, but even that guy didn¡¯t know much about this creature who could possibly be his father According to the former rank S Hunter, that creature came out of a dungeon all alone, and its magic energy emission was identical to other monsters . When the issue with the being¡¯s son was brought up, it became hostile and a fight broke out afterwards That was all ¡®Just what was its real identity¡­ . ?¡¯. There was a good chance that it might not be his father, after all . If that thing was really him, then quite obviously, the first thing he¡¯d do was to come and see his family The more Jin-Woo looked into this matter, the greater his questions became . To confound the matters even further, several more questions were added on top of the already-existing ones It all started off with the final words of Kamish, just before the Dragon disappeared for good [Oh, my king . There are four humans who have borrowed the powers of the Rulers . Please, you need to be wary of them . ]. Five Hunters survived the Kamish raid . Which meant that the odds of the four among the five Special Authority-rank Hunters borrowing the powers of the Rulers were very high ¡®But then¡­ one of the Special Authority-rank Hunters was killed by someone recently . ¡¯. That man¡¯s name was Christopher Reid Just who was he fighting that a Hunter as powerful as he was had to resort to burning down his mansion and the surrounding forest?. Could it be possible that the Sovereigns mentioned by the King of Giants were finally making their move?. If that wasn¡¯t it, did the sudden changes dungeons went through recently have anything to do with it?. As several thoughts fleeted in and out of Jin-Woo¡¯s head, he could see the venue for the conference getting nearer and nearer ***. The moment Jin-Woo stepped into the lobby of the venue, the conversations and welcoming greetings being shared among the crowd all came to a sudden halt Gazes of curiosity and fear came flying at him from pretty much all directions He was that Asian Hunter responsible for utterly destroying Thomas Andre, who had been reigning over other Hunters like a king Noisy, noisy¡­ Quite a few Hunters kept whispering the stories related to Jin-Woo even now, but none of them dared to approach him . Because they still didn¡¯t know why he went and wrecked the Scavenger Guild to that extent Seriously now, what if the reason for that unholy mass beat-down turned out to be nothing more than Thomas Andre staring at him for too long? If so, wouldn¡¯t one get marked for death simply by trying to say hello to Jin-Woo?. Even though all these people were ace Hunters that subjugated scary monsters for a living, they found it hard to meet Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze right now After the cordial lunch prepared by the Hunter Bureau came to an end, the participating Hunters began filling up the seats facing the rostrum in the conference venue Afterwards, the conference got going, and several topics were discussed Unfortunately, none of those really warranted Jin-Woo¡¯s complete attention nor his sustained interest . Most of the things being talked about were similar in nature to status updates and so on ¡®If only Jin-Ho was here . I¡¯d not be this bored¡­ . ¡¯. All Jin-Woo could do was to wake up his super-human patience and wait until the topic he might be interested in came around Quite a while later¡­. Although it was not the information he was waiting for, a topic did manage to grab his attention ¡°Everyone, you should be aware of the fact that the number of Gates being generated has shot up recently, and the fact that stronger monsters have made their appearances, too . ¡±. Initially, it sounded like something everyone knew only too well Since quite a few scientists had appeared before this man to speak their theories regarding this topic already, the atmosphere in the venue came across as lukewarm at best ¡°However, there should be almost none of you who have realised that unusual activity has been detected in the skies above us . ¡±. The scientist named Belzer emphasized the word ¡®skies¡¯ and the Hunters finally began showing signs of interest . Of course, Jin-Woo was included among those Hunters, as well ¡°The truth of the magical energy concentration found in the planet¡¯s atmosphere getting greater ¨C we all know of this fact since it has been widely reported . ¡±. Now that he was being showered with the interested gazes of the Hunters, the clearly-happy scientist carried on ¡°I¡¯d like to use a different term to denote the magic energy found in our atmosphere . Until another more suitable word is invented, how about we use the term, ¡®magisphere¡¯?¡±. The scientist gestured with his hand, and a huge map was displayed on the screen behind him . It was the atlas of the world that contained all of the continents ¨C no, all of the countries existing on this planet The scientist used a laser pointer to highlight several spots on the map ¡°Did you know that the magisphere has begun gathering and concentrating on the skies of several nations at present?¡±. Noisy, noisy¡­ The noise level among the Hunters gradually rose up . The scientist implored his audience to quieten down and listen to him for a little bit longer, before continuing on with his explanations ¡°There are a total of nine spots in the world where the magisphere has begun gathering into a large mass . My purpose today is to reveal the locations of the nine spots . ¡±. Doctor Belzer then calmly read off the names of the nine countries on his list ¡°¡­ . Province of Alberta, Canada . And finally, this is the spot with the highest magisphere concentration . City of Seoul, South Korea . ¡±. The moment those translated words of the scientist came out from the earpiece Jin-Woo wore ¨C for some reason, every single Hunter sitting inside the venue shifted their gazes in his direction all at once < Chapter 194 > Fin Chapter 195 Jin-Woo had read the article featuring his feat on his way here . After seeing the gazes of other Hunters locking onto him because of a completely unrelated matter, though, he had to concede that the ripples created from that article were far greater than he anticipated . Jin-Woo scanned the Hunters and they quickly withdrew their gazes . ¡®Come on now . This is just¡­ . ¡¯ He discovered palpable fear within their eyes and could only let out a helpless sigh in his heart . ¡®Looks like these people are really, seriously mistaken about something here . ¡¯ All he could do now was to wait for the Hunter Bureau to release that promised statement . And so ¨C just as the atmosphere within the venue was getting a bit weird, Doctor Belzer looked in Jin-Woo¡¯s direction and cracked a joke . ¡°I¡¯ve also read this morning¡¯s article . But folks, you shouldn¡¯t be looking at Seong Hunter-nim that way . If he was capable of causing all this magisphere in the air like that, then obviously, he¡¯s no longer a Hunter, is he?¡± Hahaha¡­ . Awkward laughter came from here and there . Doctor Belzer smiled refreshingly and carried on with his explanations . ¡°As you might have guessed, we couldn¡¯t discover any tangible similarities between the locations I have mentioned . ¡± Since there were no similarities, it was hard to figure out the cause for this change . And since there was also no precedence, it was equally as hard to tell what might happen next . The scientist then brought up another image on the giant screen . ¡°This here is a shot of the skies above the aforementioned nine spots . ¡± He then added that his team had enhanced the footage with special effects so that the image taken by the magic energy detection camera on the spy satellite could be deciphered far more easily for the audience members . Just as the scientist had explained, large magisphere lumps could be seen gathered above, in the skies of the nine spots, like some kind of storm clouds . Since ¡®special effects¡¯ had been added to the image, the reality might not be as severe, but still, those things didn¡¯t look like natural phenomena, all things considered . ¡°Huh¡­ . ¡± ¡°Mm . ¡± Hunters began leaking out shocked groans after confirming the contents of the giant screen . It was definitely bad news that no one could figure out the reason for this suspicious phenomenon, or what would come out of it . The skies above Seoul looked to be especially bad . Jin-Woo studied the satellite image of Seoul, which seemed to have become the eye of the storm made up entirely of magisphere, and wondered why there were nine spots in the world, to begin with . ¡®Is it related somehow to the number of the Sovereigns? Because there are nine of them?¡¯ To call it a mere coincidence, it just left that vague uncool aftertaste in his mouth . And also, now that the King of Giants was slain by him, that number nine should not hold significance anymore . It was then ¨C Doctor Belzer shot him a very quick and sneaky glance . Their gazes met in the air . Unlike the last time this happened, though, there was not a hint of a smile on the good scientist¡¯s face . ¡°Our current situation is that, since we don¡¯t know the cause, we also don¡¯t know how to respond to this phenomenon . ¡± The scientist¡¯s lengthy presentation was about to come to its conclusion . ¡°However, let me make it clear . The assertion of being unable to respond does not mean there is no need to make plans . It¡¯s eminently possible that our world will experience yet another seismic shift soon . ¡± *** As the conference was drawing to a close, the director of the Hunter Bureau took to the stage . His reason? To make an important announcement . Since this wasn¡¯t in the schedule, Hunters naturally became noisy from his unexpected entrance . Noisy, noisy¡­ . Was the Hunter Bureau about to make an official statement related to the events of the night before? While being showered by the curious, interested gazes of the Hunters, the director politely requested his audience to quieten down before he could proceed . ¡°I have something important I must inform you about, everyone . ¡± Every single Hunter gathered here today were the elites of the elite within their respective nations . The citizens of those nations would recognise who they were just from their names alone . Indeed, these people were not some unruly immature kids or a ragtag bunch of misfit soldiers . ¡°¡­ . ¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± Just one sentence from the director, and in an instant, the venue was enveloped in an eerie silence . This was their superhuman-level ability to focus in full display; the high degree of concentration that no regular human could ever possess was deeply ingrained like instinct within the highest-ranked Hunters present in this venue . The director nodded his head as he found the current atmosphere much to his liking and scanned the faces of the Hunters . Eventually, his gaze met Jin-Woo¡¯s . ¡®Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡­ . ¡¯ The director had been fully informed of everything that transpired yesterday . He sent his acknowledgement in Jin-Woo¡¯s direction with a brief nod . He was expressing his gratitude for letting Thomas Andre live . Unfortunately, other Hunters had no clue on the ins and outs of that situation, so they could only begin murmuring their theories to each other when the director of the Bureau shared that greeting with Jin-Woo . After a short while of unease later, the director finally addressed the crowd . ¡°My heart is heavy as I deliver this unfortunate news to you all . ¡± Finally¡­ . Jin-Woo sensed that the moment he was waiting for had finally arrived . The director spoke in a low, gloomy voice . ¡°About two weeks ago, Hunter Christopher Reid was murdered by unidentified assailants . ¡± *** ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯ The gathered Hunters were all astonished by the revelation . One of the top Hunters in the world was murdered by someone? Their level of shock transcended what Jin-Woo felt when he heard the news first . This issue was well beyond the realm of who won the fight between two powerful Hunters . The director brought up the relevant information on the giant screen behind him . First, the remnants of flames that didn¡¯t want to die out; the ashes of the mansion; and then, Christopher Reid¡¯s dead body with a hole in his chest . Hunters confirmed the death of the Special Authority-rank Awakened via the provided video footage as well as the several still images on the screen, and reacted by gasping out in shocked moans . Not one person present was able to dispute the fact of that man being dead now . As expected, the surprised Hunters began their outpouring of questions, but the director firmly shook his head, instead . ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ll answer your questions only after this presentation comes to an end . ¡± There was a far more important matter still to be carried out instead of answering the questions . The director glanced at Jin-Woo from the corner of his eyes . The young Korean Hunter and his gleaming eyes displayed no reaction as he sat quietly in the corner of the conference venue . His calm attitude managed to rouse up several complicated emotions in the director¡¯s heart . However, there was no more time to hesitate . He pressed a button on the remote controller and the image on the screen behind him changed again . ¡°We strongly suspect this man as the perpetrator of this crime . ¡± A man¡¯s face now filled up the entirety of that giant screen . Almost immediately, the gathered Hunters realised that something was amiss . That Asian man¡¯s face, wasn¡¯t it uncannily similar to someone else sitting inside this conference venue? But then, these Hunters also recalled what happened to Thomas Andre, and none of them could voice the thoughts bubbling up inside their minds . ¡°¡­ . . ¡± Jin-Woo too, closed shut his mouth . The photograph must¡¯ve been taken moments after ¡®he¡¯ had arrived at the Hunter Bureau for identification purposes . That face definitely belonged to his old man from his memories no matter how many times he took a look . Jin-Woo eventually bit his lower lip . ¡®How come it¡¯s my father¡­ . ¡¯ Dungeons were supposedly the territory of the Rulers . He couldn¡¯t tell why they sent a monster with the outer appearance of his father . Regardless of what their intentions were, though ¨C Jin-Woo could still feel the bubbling pit of rage slowly building up its intensity deep within his heart . Too bad, Hunters nearby completely mistook that rage for something else and they did their absolute best to not look at his way . ¡®Do not look back . Do not look back!!¡¯ ¡®They just look similar, that¡¯s all! Just similar, and nothing else!¡¯ ¡®Asians all look alike, right? Right??¡¯ ¡®But still, that is just so¡­ . ¡¯ The director branded ¡®Seong Il-Hwan¡¯ as ¡®Suspect S¡¯ and began explaining who this man was . From where he was discovered, what happened during that discovery, and finally, what transpired afterwards . Hunters were taken by yet another surprise from the revelation that this person actually defeated Hwang Dong-Su during the interrogation to make his escape . Just who was Hwang Dong-Su? The Hunter Bureau acknowledged his powers early on and offered him a sweet deal, prompting him to emigrate to the States right away . Moreover, he was also one of the aces in what many believed to be the best Guild in the world, the Scavenger Guild . The shock these Hunters felt was great, perhaps because the news of his demise hadn¡¯t been publicised yet . They were now thinking that, if multiple assailants possessing similar levels of strength pounced on their target simultaneously, even a Special Authority-rank Hunter wouldn¡¯t be able to hold out for long . They understood the reason for the Hunter Bureau suspecting this mysterious ¡®Suspect S¡¯ for this crime . ¡°Several human-type monsters possessing that level of power escaped from dungeons and attacked Hunter Christopher Reid at the same time ¨C we at the Hunter Bureau feel that this is the likeliest explanation . ¡± As the director continued on, the image of ¡®Suspect S¡¯ pressing down on Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s neck with his foot popped up on the giant screen next . The scene clearly exhibited the extraordinary power of the creature capable of subduing Hwang Dong-Su like some kind of an insect ¨C even though he was a Hunter easily exceeding the regular rank S classification . Hints of pure astonishment flashed past within the eyes of the Hunters watching the footage on-screen . For Jin-Woo, though, that video clip didn¡¯t come across as all that surprising . This ¡®Suspect S¡¯ was an existence the Rulers had created for some unknown purpose . And they possessed unimaginable powers, enough to generate dungeons, didn¡¯t they? ¡®So, obviously, it¡¯s not weird to see Hwang Dong-Su getting defeated by that creature . ¡¯ No, besides that ¨C Jin-Woo was more concerned with what that ¡®Suspect S¡¯ was trying to do . It was engaging Hwang Dong-Su in a conversation . ¡®It¡¯s trying to¡­ talk to him?¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s brows shot up . He concentrated hard, like when he would do during battles, and time slowed down instantly . His sharpened senses began reading the lip movements of the Suspect S . ¨C ¡°¡­ . in the country . This isn¡¯t for my son, but for your sake . Even after death, you¡¯ll not be able to close your eyes . ¡± Ba-thump! Jin-Woo¡¯s heart pulsed powerfully just then . Those last words¡­ . ¡®¡­ . Even in death, not being able to close his eyes?!¡¯ If his lip-reading proved to be correct, then that meant that ¡®Suspect S¡¯ knew about his existence . Thankfully, he knew of a way to easily confirm the contents of that little chat those two had shared . Jin-Woo suppressed his wildly-pounding heart and called out the name of the brand-new addition to his Shadow Army . ¡®Greed!¡¯ Greed already knew what Jin-Woo wanted to know through their shared mental link, so he immediately made his reply . [It is as you suspect, my liege . ] ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯ While the thoughts in Jin-Woo¡¯s head were getting more and more complicated and confused, the lengthy explanation of the director was coming to an end . ¡°We¡¯re planning to ask you, the Guilds of the world, to help us track down and apprehend this ¡®Suspect S¡¯ . If you discover this man¡¯s whereabouts, please, give us a call immediately . That is all . ¡± The end of the director¡¯s words signalled the incoming flood of questions that the Hunters had been holding back until then . They impatiently raised their hands into the air . ¡°Yes, the sir over there . ¡± The director pointed to one of the raised hands, prompting that Hunter to throw his question out, as if he couldn¡¯t wait anymore . ¡°Do you have any proof that this ¡®Suspect S¡¯ isn¡¯t a human?¡± ¡°We have perfectly matched his magic energy emission to that of monsters . Next question . ¡± ¡°That creature insisted that he was someone who went missing inside a dungeon . However, did a Hunter like that really exist?¡± ¡°Yes, that Hunter did really exist . Next . ¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why haven¡¯t you revealed the identity of that Hunter?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ . ¡± The director hesitated greatly, but eventually replied while doing his very best to avoid looking in Jin-Woo¡¯s general direction . ¡°We¡¯ve decided not to reveal that information because the suspect is related to one of the Hunters currently attending this conference . ¡± That brought about a prompt and sudden end to the barrage of questions . The ¡®maybe¡¯ changed into ¡®as expected¡¯ in that instant . The director scanned the suddenly-silent conference venue and decided he¡¯d wrap up things here . ¡°Are there any other questions?¡± It was then ¨C someone sitting at the end of the audience seats at the back raised his hand . Even before the director could call out his name, this guy opened his mouth first . ¡°Even then, don¡¯t you think it¡¯ll be better to release the identity of that person, if you really want to arrest ¡®them¡¯?¡± Hunters didn¡¯t have to turn around to see who asked that question in that weighty voice . It was spoken in Chinese, and it came from a certain middle-aged man . He was none other than China¡¯s Seven Star-rank Hunter, Liu Zhigeng . One of the Special Authority-rank Hunters was looking straight at the director with a sombre expression on his face . Dozens upon dozens of China¡¯s top Hunters, including his own Guild members, sat to his right, left, and front . The director seemed to be at a loss, but Liu Zhigeng continued to press on . ¡°Don¡¯t you agree, Mister Director?¡± Although it had been urgently decided earlier in the day to seal the information on the identity of ¡®Suspect S¡¯, the director realised that he didn¡¯t have much of a choice now and begrudgingly brought up it on the screen behind him . Beep . One press of the remote button and the information on Seong Il-Hwan filled up the giant screen . Soon, surprised gasps came out from several of the audience members . To think, the very first human-shaped monster to appear in dungeons possessed the exact same countenance as Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s missing father! How could there be such a coincidence? The once-quiet interior of the conference venue was buzzing with the hushed voices of the Hunters . Liu Zhigeng quietly stared at the screen before raising his hand again . The director had to point to the Chinese Hunter once more . ¡°¡­ . Hunter Liu . ¡± ¡°This time, I have a question I want to ask Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡± The director shifted his gaze to Jin-Woo . The latter lightly nodded his head at the former and turned around in his seat to stare at Liu Zhigeng in the distance . Shortly thereafter, the Chinese Hunter¡¯s heavy, bassy voice resounded out within the interior . ¡°What will you do if this ¡®Suspect S¡¯ really turned out to be your long-lost father, and the Hunters of the world were trying to hunt him down?¡± Jin-Woo pondered that for a little bit before making his reply . ¡°If that creature is nothing but a monster, then I¡¯ll kill it with my own hands . However, if it¡¯s not a monster, but really is my father, then¡­ . ¡± If it was really his father? The gathered Hunters became intensely curious as to what he might say next and began swallowing their saliva . Disregarding them all, Jin-Woo firmly declared his intentions for all to hear . ¡°I shall protect my family, even if that means every single Hunter in the world becomes my enemy . ¡± < Chapter 195 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 195: Chapter 195 Jin-Woo had read the article featuring his feat on his way here After seeing the gazes of other Hunters locking onto him because of a completely unrelated matter, though, he had to concede that the ripples created from that article were far greater than he anticipated Jin-Woo scanned the Hunters and they quickly withdrew their gazes ¡®Come on now . This is just¡­ . ¡¯. He discovered palpable fear within their eyes and could only let out a helpless sigh in his heart ¡®Looks like these people are really, seriously mistaken about something here . ¡¯. All he could do now was to wait for the Hunter Bureau to release that promised statement And so ¨C just as the atmosphere within the venue was getting a bit weird, Doctor Belzer looked in Jin-Woo¡¯s direction and cracked a joke ¡°I¡¯ve also read this morning¡¯s article . But folks, you shouldn¡¯t be looking at Seong Hunter-nim that way . If he was capable of causing all this magisphere in the air like that, then obviously, he¡¯s no longer a Hunter, is he?¡±. Hahaha¡­ Awkward laughter came from here and there . Doctor Belzer smiled refreshingly and carried on with his explanations ¡°As you might have guessed, we couldn¡¯t discover any tangible similarities between the locations I have mentioned . ¡±. Since there were no similarities, it was hard to figure out the cause for this change . And since there was also no precedence, it was equally as hard to tell what might happen next The scientist then brought up another image on the giant screen ¡°This here is a shot of the skies above the aforementioned nine spots . ¡±. He then added that his team had enhanced the footage with special effects so that the image taken by the magic energy detection camera on the spy satellite could be deciphered far more easily for the audience members Just as the scientist had explained, large magisphere lumps could be seen gathered above, in the skies of the nine spots, like some kind of storm clouds Since ¡®special effects¡¯ had been added to the image, the reality might not be as severe, but still, those things didn¡¯t look like natural phenomena, all things considered ¡°Huh¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Mm . ¡±. Hunters began leaking out shocked groans after confirming the contents of the giant screen . It was definitely bad news that no one could figure out the reason for this suspicious phenomenon, or what would come out of it The skies above Seoul looked to be especially bad Jin-Woo studied the satellite image of Seoul, which seemed to have become the eye of the storm made up entirely of magisphere, and wondered why there were nine spots in the world, to begin with ¡®Is it related somehow to the number of the Sovereigns? Because there are nine of them?¡¯. To call it a mere coincidence, it just left that vague uncool aftertaste in his mouth . And also, now that the King of Giants was slain by him, that number nine should not hold significance anymore It was then ¨C Doctor Belzer shot him a very quick and sneaky glance . Their gazes met in the air . Unlike the last time this happened, though, there was not a hint of a smile on the good scientist¡¯s face ¡°Our current situation is that, since we don¡¯t know the cause, we also don¡¯t know how to respond to this phenomenon . ¡±. The scientist¡¯s lengthy presentation was about to come to its conclusion ¡°However, let me make it clear . The assertion of being unable to respond does not mean there is no need to make plans . It¡¯s eminently possible that our world will experience yet another seismic shift soon . ¡±. ***. As the conference was drawing to a close, the director of the Hunter Bureau took to the stage . His reason? To make an important announcement Since this wasn¡¯t in the schedule, Hunters naturally became noisy from his unexpected entrance Noisy, noisy¡­ Was the Hunter Bureau about to make an official statement related to the events of the night before?. While being showered by the curious, interested gazes of the Hunters, the director politely requested his audience to quieten down before he could proceed ¡°I have something important I must inform you about, everyone . ¡±. Every single Hunter gathered here today were the elites of the elite within their respective nations . The citizens of those nations would recognise who they were just from their names alone Indeed, these people were not some unruly immature kids or a ragtag bunch of misfit soldiers ¡°¡­ . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. Just one sentence from the director, and in an instant, the venue was enveloped in an eerie silence This was their superhuman-level ability to focus in full display; the high degree of concentration that no regular human could ever possess was deeply ingrained like instinct within the highest-ranked Hunters present in this venue The director nodded his head as he found the current atmosphere much to his liking and scanned the faces of the Hunters . Eventually, his gaze met Jin-Woo¡¯s ¡®Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡­ . ¡¯. The director had been fully informed of everything that transpired yesterday . He sent his acknowledgement in Jin-Woo¡¯s direction with a brief nod He was expressing his gratitude for letting Thomas Andre live Unfortunately, other Hunters had no clue on the ins and outs of that situation, so they could only begin murmuring their theories to each other when the director of the Bureau shared that greeting with Jin-Woo After a short while of unease later, the director finally addressed the crowd ¡°My heart is heavy as I deliver this unfortunate news to you all . ¡±. Finally¡­ Jin-Woo sensed that the moment he was waiting for had finally arrived . The director spoke in a low, gloomy voice ¡°About two weeks ago, Hunter Christopher Reid was murdered by unidentified assailants . ¡±. ***. ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯. The gathered Hunters were all astonished by the revelation One of the top Hunters in the world was murdered by someone?. Their level of shock transcended what Jin-Woo felt when he heard the news first . This issue was well beyond the realm of who won the fight between two powerful Hunters The director brought up the relevant information on the giant screen behind him First, the remnants of flames that didn¡¯t want to die out; the ashes of the mansion; and then, Christopher Reid¡¯s dead body with a hole in his chest Hunters confirmed the death of the Special Authority-rank Awakened via the provided video footage as well as the several still images on the screen, and reacted by gasping out in shocked moans Not one person present was able to dispute the fact of that man being dead now As expected, the surprised Hunters began their outpouring of questions, but the director firmly shook his head, instead ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ll answer your questions only after this presentation comes to an end . ¡±. There was a far more important matter still to be carried out instead of answering the questions . The director glanced at Jin-Woo from the corner of his eyes . The young Korean Hunter and his gleaming eyes displayed no reaction as he sat quietly in the corner of the conference venue His calm attitude managed to rouse up several complicated emotions in the director¡¯s heart However, there was no more time to hesitate . He pressed a button on the remote controller and the image on the screen behind him changed again ¡°We strongly suspect this man as the perpetrator of this crime . ¡±. A man¡¯s face now filled up the entirety of that giant screen . Almost immediately, the gathered Hunters realised that something was amiss That Asian man¡¯s face, wasn¡¯t it uncannily similar to someone else sitting inside this conference venue?. But then, these Hunters also recalled what happened to Thomas Andre, and none of them could voice the thoughts bubbling up inside their minds ¡°¡­ ¡±. Jin-Woo too, closed shut his mouth The photograph must¡¯ve been taken moments after ¡®he¡¯ had arrived at the Hunter Bureau for identification purposes . That face definitely belonged to his old man from his memories no matter how many times he took a look Jin-Woo eventually bit his lower lip ¡®How come it¡¯s my father¡­ . ¡¯. Dungeons were supposedly the territory of the Rulers He couldn¡¯t tell why they sent a monster with the outer appearance of his father . Regardless of what their intentions were, though ¨C Jin-Woo could still feel the bubbling pit of rage slowly building up its intensity deep within his heart Too bad, Hunters nearby completely mistook that rage for something else and they did their absolute best to not look at his way ¡®Do not look back . Do not look back!!¡¯. ¡®They just look similar, that¡¯s all! Just similar, and nothing else!¡¯. ¡®Asians all look alike, right? Right??¡¯. ¡®But still, that is just so¡­ . ¡¯. The director branded ¡®Seong Il-Hwan¡¯ as ¡®Suspect S¡¯ and began explaining who this man was . From where he was discovered, what happened during that discovery, and finally, what transpired afterwards Hunters were taken by yet another surprise from the revelation that this person actually defeated Hwang Dong-Su during the interrogation to make his escape Just who was Hwang Dong-Su?. The Hunter Bureau acknowledged his powers early on and offered him a sweet deal, prompting him to emigrate to the States right away . Moreover, he was also one of the aces in what many believed to be the best Guild in the world, the Scavenger Guild The shock these Hunters felt was great, perhaps because the news of his demise hadn¡¯t been publicised yet They were now thinking that, if multiple assailants possessing similar levels of strength pounced on their target simultaneously, even a Special Authority-rank Hunter wouldn¡¯t be able to hold out for long They understood the reason for the Hunter Bureau suspecting this mysterious ¡®Suspect S¡¯ for this crime ¡°Several human-type monsters possessing that level of power escaped from dungeons and attacked Hunter Christopher Reid at the same time ¨C we at the Hunter Bureau feel that this is the likeliest explanation . ¡±. As the director continued on, the image of ¡®Suspect S¡¯ pressing down on Hwang Dong-Su¡¯s neck with his foot popped up on the giant screen next The scene clearly exhibited the extraordinary power of the creature capable of subduing Hwang Dong-Su like some kind of an insect ¨C even though he was a Hunter easily exceeding the regular rank S classification Hints of pure astonishment flashed past within the eyes of the Hunters watching the footage on-screen . For Jin-Woo, though, that video clip didn¡¯t come across as all that surprising This ¡®Suspect S¡¯ was an existence the Rulers had created for some unknown purpose . And they possessed unimaginable powers, enough to generate dungeons, didn¡¯t they?. ¡®So, obviously, it¡¯s not weird to see Hwang Dong-Su getting defeated by that creature . ¡¯. No, besides that ¨C Jin-Woo was more concerned with what that ¡®Suspect S¡¯ was trying to do . It was engaging Hwang Dong-Su in a conversation ¡®It¡¯s trying to¡­ talk to him?¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s brows shot up . He concentrated hard, like when he would do during battles, and time slowed down instantly . His sharpened senses began reading the lip movements of the Suspect S ¨C ¡°¡­ . in the country . This isn¡¯t for my son, but for your sake . Even after death, you¡¯ll not be able to close your eyes . ¡±. Ba-thump!. Jin-Woo¡¯s heart pulsed powerfully just then Those last words¡­ ¡®¡­ . Even in death, not being able to close his eyes?!¡¯. If his lip-reading proved to be correct, then that meant that ¡®Suspect S¡¯ knew about his existence . Thankfully, he knew of a way to easily confirm the contents of that little chat those two had shared Jin-Woo suppressed his wildly-pounding heart and called out the name of the brand-new addition to his Shadow Army ¡®Greed!¡¯. Greed already knew what Jin-Woo wanted to know through their shared mental link, so he immediately made his reply [It is as you suspect, my liege . ]. ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯. While the thoughts in Jin-Woo¡¯s head were getting more and more complicated and confused, the lengthy explanation of the director was coming to an end ¡°We¡¯re planning to ask you, the Guilds of the world, to help us track down and apprehend this ¡®Suspect S¡¯ . If you discover this man¡¯s whereabouts, please, give us a call immediately . That is all . ¡±. The end of the director¡¯s words signalled the incoming flood of questions that the Hunters had been holding back until then . They impatiently raised their hands into the air ¡°Yes, the sir over there . ¡±. The director pointed to one of the raised hands, prompting that Hunter to throw his question out, as if he couldn¡¯t wait anymore ¡°Do you have any proof that this ¡®Suspect S¡¯ isn¡¯t a human?¡±. ¡°We have perfectly matched his magic energy emission to that of monsters . Next question . ¡±. ¡°That creature insisted that he was someone who went missing inside a dungeon . However, did a Hunter like that really exist?¡±. ¡°Yes, that Hunter did really exist . Next . ¡±. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why haven¡¯t you revealed the identity of that Hunter?¡±. ¡°Oh¡­ . ¡±. The director hesitated greatly, but eventually replied while doing his very best to avoid looking in Jin-Woo¡¯s general direction ¡°We¡¯ve decided not to reveal that information because the suspect is related to one of the Hunters currently attending this conference . ¡±. That brought about a prompt and sudden end to the barrage of questions . The ¡®maybe¡¯ changed into ¡®as expected¡¯ in that instant The director scanned the suddenly-silent conference venue and decided he¡¯d wrap up things here ¡°Are there any other questions?¡±. It was then ¨C someone sitting at the end of the audience seats at the back raised his hand . Even before the director could call out his name, this guy opened his mouth first ¡°Even then, don¡¯t you think it¡¯ll be better to release the identity of that person, if you really want to arrest ¡®them¡¯?¡±. Hunters didn¡¯t have to turn around to see who asked that question in that weighty voice . It was spoken in Chinese, and it came from a certain middle-aged man He was none other than China¡¯s Seven Star-rank Hunter, Liu Zhigeng One of the Special Authority-rank Hunters was looking straight at the director with a sombre expression on his face . Dozens upon dozens of China¡¯s top Hunters, including his own Guild members, sat to his right, left, and front The director seemed to be at a loss, but Liu Zhigeng continued to press on ¡°Don¡¯t you agree, Mister Director?¡±. Although it had been urgently decided earlier in the day to seal the information on the identity of ¡®Suspect S¡¯, the director realised that he didn¡¯t have much of a choice now and begrudgingly brought up it on the screen behind him Beep One press of the remote button and the information on Seong Il-Hwan filled up the giant screen . Soon, surprised gasps came out from several of the audience members To think, the very first human-shaped monster to appear in dungeons possessed the exact same countenance as Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s missing father!. How could there be such a coincidence?. The once-quiet interior of the conference venue was buzzing with the hushed voices of the Hunters Liu Zhigeng quietly stared at the screen before raising his hand again . The director had to point to the Chinese Hunter once more ¡°¡­ . Hunter Liu . ¡±. ¡°This time, I have a question I want to ask Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡±. The director shifted his gaze to Jin-Woo . The latter lightly nodded his head at the former and turned around in his seat to stare at Liu Zhigeng in the distance Shortly thereafter, the Chinese Hunter¡¯s heavy, bassy voice resounded out within the interior ¡°What will you do if this ¡®Suspect S¡¯ really turned out to be your long-lost father, and the Hunters of the world were trying to hunt him down?¡±. Jin-Woo pondered that for a little bit before making his reply ¡°If that creature is nothing but a monster, then I¡¯ll kill it with my own hands . However, if it¡¯s not a monster, but really is my father, then¡­ . ¡±. If it was really his father?. The gathered Hunters became intensely curious as to what he might say next and began swallowing their saliva . Disregarding them all, Jin-Woo firmly declared his intentions for all to hear ¡°I shall protect my family, even if that means every single Hunter in the world becomes my enemy . ¡±. < Chapter 195 > Fin Chapter 196 ¡°What you said in there ¨C were you being serious?¡± Adam White, waiting outside the conference hall, threw that question out . Even though Jin-Woo wanted to ask back, ¡°What are you talking about?¡± he said only one thing inside the conference hall, didn¡¯t he? So, he simply grinned as his reply . ¡°Yup . ¡± ¡°Haha¡­ . ¡± Although this was no time to laugh, Adam White ended up chuckling after seeing Jin-Woo¡¯s grin, anyway . Just who were the folks inside the conference hall? They were 500 or so of the top-ranked Hunters from around 120 countries, who were invited by the Hunter Bureau to attend this conference . In other words, they were the top elites humanity had to offer . But then, this man went and said to them, ¡®Even if it means every Hunter in the world becomes my enemy¡¯ . Any ol¡¯ tough guy wouldn¡¯t even dare to imitate what Jin-Woo had done . What¡¯s more surprising was the fact that not one person ridiculed him for making that claim . Even Liu Zhigeng, renowned for his vicious personality, simply kept silent and stared at Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . He made no complaints whatsoever towards the Korean¡¯s declaration . Not just the Hunters inside the conference hall, but even the agents watching the proceedings through various monitors couldn¡¯t shut their agape mouths . Adam White was among those agents, obviously . He sighed in admiration and spoke up . ¡°Most likely, there should be only two people in this whole wide world, including you, who could say something like that in there, Hunter-nim . ¡± Jin-Woo became slightly curious about who the other guy might be . ¡°Who is this other person¡­ . ?¡± ¡°Well, he¡¯s in the hospital right now . ¡± Jin-Woo saw Adam White¡¯s wry smile and immediately realised who that mystery ¡®other guy¡¯ could be . It could only be Thomas Andre . For sure, that guy would do something just as crazy, what with that arrogant personality of his . ¡®But, it¡¯s unknown whether he¡¯ll still behave that way or not . ¡¯ Jin-Woo recalled the last expression Thomas Andre made as he admitted to his defeat, and formed his own wry smile . In the meantime, Adam White quickly explained the itinerary for the rest of the day . ¡°A dinner party has been scheduled to take place this evening . Since we at the Bureau went all out to prepare this grand feast, how about sharing a cordial meal with other Hunters if you don¡¯t have anything urgent to¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo shook his head right away . ¡°I¡¯m planning to stop by at a hospital . ¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Adam White¡¯s brows shot up . Did he get injured somewhere last night? No, hang on . Maybe that was an inevitable result . The Special Authority-rank Hunter Thomas Andre suffered such grievous wounds that he still couldn¡¯t recover properly after receiving concentrated healing from several top-class Healers . That attested to how violent and fierce the fight was . So, even if it was Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, he must have suffered one or two injuries¡­ . ¡°I¡¯m worried about Yu Jin-Ho, you see . ¡± ¡°Oh¡­ . ¡± So, he was talking about ¡®that¡¯ . Having realised that it was unnecessary to worry about Jin-Woo, even for a little bit, Adam White could only reflect on his hastiness in silence . Still, he couldn¡¯t let go and asked one more time, just in case . ¡°Uh, maybe your shoulder or wrists have been aching since last night¡­ . ?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Ah, no . It¡¯s nothing¡­¡± While Adam White was getting more flustered than ever before¡­ ¡­ . Hunters that had been gathered in small groups of two and three to chat among themselves suddenly parted ways and stood to either side of the hallway . Naturally, both Jin-Woo¡¯s and Adam White¡¯s attention shifted over there, as well . And that¡¯s where they spotted Liu Zhigeng . China¡¯s Seven Star-rank Hunter was flanked by the ¡®Liu Zhigeng Squadron¡¯ ¨C made up entirely of his direct subordinates ¨C as he made his way towards Jin-Woo . As if he already had a destination in mind a long time ago, the Chinese Hunter walked in a straight line until he was standing right before Jin-Woo¡¯s nose . ¡®Heok¡­!¡¯ ¡®W-what are those two up to now?¡¯ Hunters all stopped talking right there and then . The taut tension flowing between Jin-Woo and Liu Zhigeng managed to utterly silence the surroundings . The palpable feeling of unease rapidly filled this place up . Hunters hurriedly looked around in anxiety . ¡®Why is Liu Zhigeng behaving that way?¡¯ ¡®Is it because of what Hunter Seong Jin-Woo said back in there?¡¯ ¡®Yup, I was wondering why he was keeping quiet back then¡­ . ¡¯ Without a doubt, what Jin-Woo said could be interpreted as a provocation towards other Hunters . And the person who asked him the question even happened to be none other than Liu Zhigeng . First, it was Thomas Andre . And now, it was the turn of Liu Zhigeng? Hunters paid close attention to the changing expressions of these two men, as even more anxiety clouded their own faces, wondering what would happen next . In the meantime, Adam White found himself stuck between these two titans by sheer bad luck and his own expression paled almost instantly . ¡°E-excuse me, Hunters¡­ . ¡± Before he could finish saying something, Liu Zhigeng took another step forward and opened his mouth first . His weighty voice flowed out next . Jin-Woo listened to him and a sombre expression gradually formed on his face . ¡®¡­¡­ . What on earth is he saying? I can¡¯t understand a single word . ¡¯ He had never even gone anywhere remotely close to China before, so there was no way he¡¯d know a lick of Chinese . Since the other guy was speaking in a serious expression, he too decided to form a similarly serious one, but as it turned out, listening to words he couldn¡¯t understand proved to be a rather uncomfortable and arduous task . Just as he began thinking that the Chinese Hunter probably wasn¡¯t making fun of him with such a grave expression on his face, Adam White whispered something in his ear . ¡°He¡¯s saying that he hunted down the Giant monster you missed during your trip to Japan on the Chinese coast recently, Seong Hunter-nim . ¡± A look of surprise spread all over Jin-Woo¡¯s face . ¡°You even know Chinese?¡± ¡°Well, I was in charge of the Asia branch, after all . I can speak a few Asian languages . Ah, also, I can speak a little bit of Russian, Spanish, Arabic, as well as German¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo very briefly thought that it¡¯d become a whole lot more convenient for him if Agent Adam White became one of his Shadow Soldiers . Of course, he quickly admonished himself for even entertaining such a thought . Maybe he still had lots more things to say? Liu Zhigeng continued on with his words in the meantime . ¡°Please, keep translating for me . ¡± ¡°Alright . ¡± Adam White nodded his head and, with a determined expression, began his temporary role as an interpreter . ¡°He says that he got surprised from how unexpectedly strong the Giant monster was . And he also says that it was a difficult battle as he had to fight the monster on the ocean¡¯s surface . ¡± Jin-Woo remembered being surprised himself by the strength of those Giant monsters, back when he was hunting them down . They had such huge bodies yet they also moved around nimbly like wild beasts, too . Since Liu Zhigeng said he fought the monster over the water, which imposed a greater restriction on one¡¯s movements, his surprise should have been greater when compared to fighting the creature on dry land . As a fellow Hunter, Jin-Woo could pretty much understand where the Chinese man¡¯s fluster stemmed from . The longer Liu Zhigeng¡¯s words got, the brighter Adam White¡¯s expression became . ¡°Ever since that encounter, he says, he¡¯s been meaning to meet you . He has been really curious to learn more about the person capable of easily hunting down all those powerful monsters . That¡¯s what he said . ¡± In the same breath that Adam White finished translating, Liu Zhigeng formed a bright smile and reached his hand out for a shake . It seemed that the previous serious expression came from his nervousness . Jin-Woo looked at that offered hand for a bit, before shaking it with a smile of his own . He had absolutely no reason to refuse a greeting offered up first by one of the best Hunters in the world . Adam White had figured out what was going on here and could finally breathe a sigh of relief . ¡°Whew¡­ . ¡± Forming a bond between fellow Hunters ¨C this encounter certainly stayed true to the original intention of the International Guild Conference . As they shook hands, Liu Zhigeng said some other things with a smile . Jin-Woo looked at Adam White again . ¡°Sounds like he¡¯s making a joke, so what is he saying?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Adam White briefly formed a lost expression, before the corners of his lips arched up . ¡°He says that he¡¯s really happy about you teaching Thomas Andre Hunter-nim a lesson . He doesn¡¯t even have to take a look to know that it was Thomas who instigated the whole thing first¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo grinned at that one . The Chinese Hunter initially came across as an irritable and rude uncle, but he turned out to be a rather interesting person . Now that the greeting was over, their hands parted ways . But then, Liu Zhigeng¡¯s complexion darkened somewhat . Likewise, the smile on Adam White¡¯s face was wiped off as well . He quickly translated what the Chinese Hunter was saying . ¡°That is why he will now pray even harder that ¡®Suspect S¡¯ isn¡¯t actually your family member . He says that he doesn¡¯t want to fight against you, no matter what . ¡± Jin-Woo wordlessly nodded his head . ¡°Both of you are here . ¡± Jin-Woo and Liu Zhigeng shifted their gazes in the direction of that voice . Although they felt this person¡¯s presence, they knew he wasn¡¯t a Hunter since he didn¡¯t emit any magic energy . Sure enough, that voice belonged to the Hunter Bureau¡¯s Director . He alternated his gaze between Jin-Woo and Liu Zhigeng before asking both men . He sounded rather tense as he did so for some reason . ¡°Can both of you clear some time in your schedule, please?¡± Jin-Woo looked at Adam White for confirmation, but the latter man shook his head . Meaning, this wasn¡¯t in their itinerary . What did he want from them, then? Before making his reply, Jin-Woo pushed his Perception Stat to the extreme first and analysed the movements of every single Hunter within the conference venue . ¡®Two people with a huge concentration of magical energy¡­ . ¡¯ Two very powerful Hunters were heading towards the same destination under the guidance of several escorts . Seeing that both he and Liu Zhigeng had been called upon like this, that event couldn¡¯t be chalked up to being a coincidence . ¡®Did something happen somewhere?¡¯ When Jin-Woo looked as if he was hesitating somewhat, Adam White remembered something and quickly answered for him . ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right . Sir, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim said earlier that he¡¯d go visit Yu Jin-Ho Hunter-nim at the hospital¡­ . ¡± However, Jin-Woo placed his hand on the American agent¡¯s shoulder to stop him . When their gazes met, he shook his head before turning around to face the director . ¡°Alright, I will . ¡± The director¡¯s expression brightened immediately and he looked at Liu Zhigeng next . ¡°How about you, Hunter Liu Zhigeng?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in . ¡± ¡°Very good . In that case, please, follow me . ¡± The director¡¯s expression was as bright as a salaryman who managed to pull off a difficult negotiation . He then took the lead and guided the two Hunters away . *** Funnily enough, the destinations for the two were not the same . Liu Zhigeng was guided by other agents and went down the corridor on the left, while Jin-Woo followed the director and continued down their original path . ¡®Isn¡¯t this strange¡­ . ?¡¯ With the addition of Liu Zhigeng to the ranks of those two powerful Hunters he sensed earlier, three beings with rather enormous magic energy had gathered in one spot now . Jin-Woo thought he¡¯d be escorted to that place as well, but seeing that he was being led to a different destination altogether, he began cooking up several likely reasons for this . He gave up in the end, though, and asked the director . ¡°Why am I the only one going to the different room?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ . ¡± The director pondered his answer for a little bit before deciding to delay it altogether . ¡°There is someone waiting for you, actually . She will explain everything to you once we get there . ¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± As a matter of fact, Jin-Woo could sense a certain person¡¯s aura coming from a room located at the end of this corridor . ¡®Uh? Doesn¡¯t this magic energy belong to that¡­ . ?¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes grew wider since the person waiting for him was someone he didn¡¯t expect to see here . As a matter of fact, he never thought they would meet each other again any time soon . ¡°Looks like you have figured out who she is . ¡± He must¡¯ve been feeling really nervous because cold sweat drops were visibly forming on the director¡¯s forehead . ¡°We do our best to not to expose her location if we can help it . But then, this issue being what it is, we didn¡¯t have much of a choice¡­ . ¡± ¡°Does that mean the Hunter Bureau demanded her to come?¡± ¡°No, not at all . It was she that demanded to be here . She specifically wishes to meet you . ¡± Clunk¡­ . The director opened the door to the room and Jin-Woo got to meet the gaze of a certain African-American woman waiting patiently for him there . ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡± ¡°Likewise, Madam Selner . ¡± It was none other than the ¡®Upgrader¡¯, Norma Selner, the Awakened possessing a unique ability . He wondered if she had calmed down now that a bit of time had passed since their last encounter, but unfortunately, the light shining in her eyes was the same as before . She still looked quite terrified of him . He definitely sensed her strong fear of him from the way she stared at him . Despite that, she wanted to meet him for some reason . Just what could make her move in spite of her fears? Jin-Woo¡¯s curiosity had definitely been stoked now . ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to seek me out first, ma¡¯am, so¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo settled down on the seat opposite hers . Adam White, once more assigned as an interpreter, stuck close to Jin-Woo¡¯s side . Madam Selner politely bowed her head . ¡°I¡¯d like to apologise for that day . Back then, my mind wasn¡¯t in the right place to¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo raised his hands and stopped her . He wasn¡¯t planning to talk about back then just so he could hear her apologise . She sneaked a glance at the director, only to see him nod his head with a hardened expression . Madam Selner hesitated greatly before her lips parted with some difficulty . ¡°I¡¯ve been having the exact same dream every day . ¡± Jin-Woo was not confident about reading people¡¯s dreams . And even he could tell that they didn¡¯t ask for him to be here for that purpose, either . Still, he asked her so he could get some clarification on the topic . ¡°What kind of a dream was it?¡± ¡°In my dream, I watch the scenes of top Hunters being hunted down by a group of unknown people . ¡± A group of unknown people hunting down powerful Hunters, she said . Almost immediately, Jin-Woo realised that this matter had to be related to him in some capacity . ¡°And a few days later, that dream becomes reality . ¡± ¡°Could you be talking about¡­ Christopher Reid?¡± Madam Selner nodded her head . The director took over the explanation from there on . ¡°We had warned Mister Reid ahead of time, but he wasn¡¯t interested in hearing us out . The end result was¡­ well, you know what happened already . ¡± Indeed, Jin-Woo had seen and heard enough of Christopher Reid¡¯s fate . Madam Selner continued on with a trembling voice . ¡°Powerful Hunters supporting this world will continue to die . Those hunting the Hunters will not stop what they are doing . ¡± ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo collected his thoughts and cautiously opened his mouth . ¡°¡­ . You also wish to warn me of the dangers¡­ . ?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it . ¡± She resolutely shook her head . If she didn¡¯t want to warn him, what did she want then? Jin-Woo looked at her with a puzzled expression . Madam Selner then spoke with desperately-pleading tone of voice . ¡°Please, I beg of you . Protect these Hunters . ¡± < Chapter 196 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 196: Chapter 196 ¡°What you said in there ¨C were you being serious?¡±. Adam White, waiting outside the conference hall, threw that question out Even though Jin-Woo wanted to ask back, ¡°What are you talking about?¡± he said only one thing inside the conference hall, didn¡¯t he?. So, he simply grinned as his reply ¡°Yup . ¡±. ¡°Haha¡­ . ¡±. Although this was no time to laugh, Adam White ended up chuckling after seeing Jin-Woo¡¯s grin, anyway Just who were the folks inside the conference hall?. They were 500 or so of the top-ranked Hunters from around 120 countries, who were invited by the Hunter Bureau to attend this conference . In other words, they were the top elites humanity had to offer But then, this man went and said to them, ¡®Even if it means every Hunter in the world becomes my enemy¡¯ Any ol¡¯ tough guy wouldn¡¯t even dare to imitate what Jin-Woo had done . What¡¯s more surprising was the fact that not one person ridiculed him for making that claim Even Liu Zhigeng, renowned for his vicious personality, simply kept silent and stared at Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . He made no complaints whatsoever towards the Korean¡¯s declaration Not just the Hunters inside the conference hall, but even the agents watching the proceedings through various monitors couldn¡¯t shut their agape mouths . Adam White was among those agents, obviously He sighed in admiration and spoke up ¡°Most likely, there should be only two people in this whole wide world, including you, who could say something like that in there, Hunter-nim . ¡±. Jin-Woo became slightly curious about who the other guy might be ¡°Who is this other person¡­ . ?¡±. ¡°Well, he¡¯s in the hospital right now . ¡±. Jin-Woo saw Adam White¡¯s wry smile and immediately realised who that mystery ¡®other guy¡¯ could be . It could only be Thomas Andre For sure, that guy would do something just as crazy, what with that arrogant personality of his ¡®But, it¡¯s unknown whether he¡¯ll still behave that way or not . ¡¯. Jin-Woo recalled the last expression Thomas Andre made as he admitted to his defeat, and formed his own wry smile In the meantime, Adam White quickly explained the itinerary for the rest of the day ¡°A dinner party has been scheduled to take place this evening . Since we at the Bureau went all out to prepare this grand feast, how about sharing a cordial meal with other Hunters if you don¡¯t have anything urgent to¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo shook his head right away ¡°I¡¯m planning to stop by at a hospital . ¡±. ¡°Excuse me?¡±. Adam White¡¯s brows shot up Did he get injured somewhere last night? No, hang on . Maybe that was an inevitable result . The Special Authority-rank Hunter Thomas Andre suffered such grievous wounds that he still couldn¡¯t recover properly after receiving concentrated healing from several top-class Healers . That attested to how violent and fierce the fight was So, even if it was Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, he must have suffered one or two injuries¡­ ¡°I¡¯m worried about Yu Jin-Ho, you see . ¡±. ¡°Oh¡­ . ¡±. So, he was talking about ¡®that¡¯ Having realised that it was unnecessary to worry about Jin-Woo, even for a little bit, Adam White could only reflect on his hastiness in silence . Still, he couldn¡¯t let go and asked one more time, just in case ¡°Uh, maybe your shoulder or wrists have been aching since last night¡­ . ?¡±. ¡°Pardon?¡±. ¡°Ah, no . It¡¯s nothing¡­¡±. While Adam White was getting more flustered than ever before¡­. ¡­ . Hunters that had been gathered in small groups of two and three to chat among themselves suddenly parted ways and stood to either side of the hallway . Naturally, both Jin-Woo¡¯s and Adam White¡¯s attention shifted over there, as well And that¡¯s where they spotted Liu Zhigeng China¡¯s Seven Star-rank Hunter was flanked by the ¡®Liu Zhigeng Squadron¡¯ ¨C made up entirely of his direct subordinates ¨C as he made his way towards Jin-Woo As if he already had a destination in mind a long time ago, the Chinese Hunter walked in a straight line until he was standing right before Jin-Woo¡¯s nose ¡®Heok¡­!¡¯. ¡®W-what are those two up to now?¡¯. Hunters all stopped talking right there and then The taut tension flowing between Jin-Woo and Liu Zhigeng managed to utterly silence the surroundings . The palpable feeling of unease rapidly filled this place up Hunters hurriedly looked around in anxiety ¡®Why is Liu Zhigeng behaving that way?¡¯. ¡®Is it because of what Hunter Seong Jin-Woo said back in there?¡¯. ¡®Yup, I was wondering why he was keeping quiet back then¡­ . ¡¯. Without a doubt, what Jin-Woo said could be interpreted as a provocation towards other Hunters . And the person who asked him the question even happened to be none other than Liu Zhigeng First, it was Thomas Andre . And now, it was the turn of Liu Zhigeng?. Hunters paid close attention to the changing expressions of these two men, as even more anxiety clouded their own faces, wondering what would happen next In the meantime, Adam White found himself stuck between these two titans by sheer bad luck and his own expression paled almost instantly ¡°E-excuse me, Hunters¡­ . ¡±. Before he could finish saying something, Liu Zhigeng took another step forward and opened his mouth first . His weighty voice flowed out next . Jin-Woo listened to him and a sombre expression gradually formed on his face ¡®¡­¡­ . What on earth is he saying? I can¡¯t understand a single word . ¡¯. He had never even gone anywhere remotely close to China before, so there was no way he¡¯d know a lick of Chinese Since the other guy was speaking in a serious expression, he too decided to form a similarly serious one, but as it turned out, listening to words he couldn¡¯t understand proved to be a rather uncomfortable and arduous task Just as he began thinking that the Chinese Hunter probably wasn¡¯t making fun of him with such a grave expression on his face, Adam White whispered something in his ear ¡°He¡¯s saying that he hunted down the Giant monster you missed during your trip to Japan on the Chinese coast recently, Seong Hunter-nim . ¡±. A look of surprise spread all over Jin-Woo¡¯s face ¡°You even know Chinese?¡±. ¡°Well, I was in charge of the Asia branch, after all . I can speak a few Asian languages . Ah, also, I can speak a little bit of Russian, Spanish, Arabic, as well as German¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo very briefly thought that it¡¯d become a whole lot more convenient for him if Agent Adam White became one of his Shadow Soldiers . Of course, he quickly admonished himself for even entertaining such a thought Maybe he still had lots more things to say? Liu Zhigeng continued on with his words in the meantime ¡°Please, keep translating for me . ¡±. ¡°Alright . ¡±. Adam White nodded his head and, with a determined expression, began his temporary role as an interpreter ¡°He says that he got surprised from how unexpectedly strong the Giant monster was . And he also says that it was a difficult battle as he had to fight the monster on the ocean¡¯s surface . ¡±. Jin-Woo remembered being surprised himself by the strength of those Giant monsters, back when he was hunting them down . They had such huge bodies yet they also moved around nimbly like wild beasts, too Since Liu Zhigeng said he fought the monster over the water, which imposed a greater restriction on one¡¯s movements, his surprise should have been greater when compared to fighting the creature on dry land As a fellow Hunter, Jin-Woo could pretty much understand where the Chinese man¡¯s fluster stemmed from The longer Liu Zhigeng¡¯s words got, the brighter Adam White¡¯s expression became ¡°Ever since that encounter, he says, he¡¯s been meaning to meet you . He has been really curious to learn more about the person capable of easily hunting down all those powerful monsters . That¡¯s what he said . ¡±. In the same breath that Adam White finished translating, Liu Zhigeng formed a bright smile and reached his hand out for a shake It seemed that the previous serious expression came from his nervousness Jin-Woo looked at that offered hand for a bit, before shaking it with a smile of his own . He had absolutely no reason to refuse a greeting offered up first by one of the best Hunters in the world Adam White had figured out what was going on here and could finally breathe a sigh of relief ¡°Whew¡­ . ¡±. Forming a bond between fellow Hunters ¨C this encounter certainly stayed true to the original intention of the International Guild Conference As they shook hands, Liu Zhigeng said some other things with a smile . Jin-Woo looked at Adam White again ¡°Sounds like he¡¯s making a joke, so what is he saying?¡±. ¡°Ah¡­¡±. Adam White briefly formed a lost expression, before the corners of his lips arched up ¡°He says that he¡¯s really happy about you teaching Thomas Andre Hunter-nim a lesson . He doesn¡¯t even have to take a look to know that it was Thomas who instigated the whole thing first¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo grinned at that one The Chinese Hunter initially came across as an irritable and rude uncle, but he turned out to be a rather interesting person . Now that the greeting was over, their hands parted ways But then, Liu Zhigeng¡¯s complexion darkened somewhat Likewise, the smile on Adam White¡¯s face was wiped off as well . He quickly translated what the Chinese Hunter was saying ¡°That is why he will now pray even harder that ¡®Suspect S¡¯ isn¡¯t actually your family member . He says that he doesn¡¯t want to fight against you, no matter what . ¡±. Jin-Woo wordlessly nodded his head ¡°Both of you are here . ¡±. Jin-Woo and Liu Zhigeng shifted their gazes in the direction of that voice . Although they felt this person¡¯s presence, they knew he wasn¡¯t a Hunter since he didn¡¯t emit any magic energy Sure enough, that voice belonged to the Hunter Bureau¡¯s Director . He alternated his gaze between Jin-Woo and Liu Zhigeng before asking both men . He sounded rather tense as he did so for some reason ¡°Can both of you clear some time in your schedule, please?¡±. Jin-Woo looked at Adam White for confirmation, but the latter man shook his head . Meaning, this wasn¡¯t in their itinerary What did he want from them, then?. Before making his reply, Jin-Woo pushed his Perception Stat to the extreme first and analysed the movements of every single Hunter within the conference venue ¡®Two people with a huge concentration of magical energy¡­ . ¡¯. Two very powerful Hunters were heading towards the same destination under the guidance of several escorts . Seeing that both he and Liu Zhigeng had been called upon like this, that event couldn¡¯t be chalked up to being a coincidence ¡®Did something happen somewhere?¡¯. When Jin-Woo looked as if he was hesitating somewhat, Adam White remembered something and quickly answered for him ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right . Sir, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim said earlier that he¡¯d go visit Yu Jin-Ho Hunter-nim at the hospital¡­ . ¡±. However, Jin-Woo placed his hand on the American agent¡¯s shoulder to stop him . When their gazes met, he shook his head before turning around to face the director ¡°Alright, I will . ¡±. The director¡¯s expression brightened immediately and he looked at Liu Zhigeng next ¡°How about you, Hunter Liu Zhigeng?¡±. ¡°I¡¯m in . ¡±. ¡°Very good . In that case, please, follow me . ¡±. The director¡¯s expression was as bright as a salaryman who managed to pull off a difficult negotiation . He then took the lead and guided the two Hunters away ***. Funnily enough, the destinations for the two were not the same Liu Zhigeng was guided by other agents and went down the corridor on the left, while Jin-Woo followed the director and continued down their original path ¡®Isn¡¯t this strange¡­ . ?¡¯. With the addition of Liu Zhigeng to the ranks of those two powerful Hunters he sensed earlier, three beings with rather enormous magic energy had gathered in one spot now Jin-Woo thought he¡¯d be escorted to that place as well, but seeing that he was being led to a different destination altogether, he began cooking up several likely reasons for this . He gave up in the end, though, and asked the director ¡°Why am I the only one going to the different room?¡±. ¡°Ah¡­ . ¡±. The director pondered his answer for a little bit before deciding to delay it altogether ¡°There is someone waiting for you, actually . She will explain everything to you once we get there . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. As a matter of fact, Jin-Woo could sense a certain person¡¯s aura coming from a room located at the end of this corridor ¡®Uh? Doesn¡¯t this magic energy belong to that¡­ . ?¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes grew wider since the person waiting for him was someone he didn¡¯t expect to see here . As a matter of fact, he never thought they would meet each other again any time soon ¡°Looks like you have figured out who she is . ¡±. He must¡¯ve been feeling really nervous because cold sweat drops were visibly forming on the director¡¯s forehead ¡°We do our best to not to expose her location if we can help it . But then, this issue being what it is, we didn¡¯t have much of a choice¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Does that mean the Hunter Bureau demanded her to come?¡±. ¡°No, not at all . It was she that demanded to be here . She specifically wishes to meet you . ¡±. Clunk¡­ The director opened the door to the room and Jin-Woo got to meet the gaze of a certain African-American woman waiting patiently for him there ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡±. ¡°Likewise, Madam Selner . ¡±. It was none other than the ¡®Upgrader¡¯, Norma Selner, the Awakened possessing a unique ability He wondered if she had calmed down now that a bit of time had passed since their last encounter, but unfortunately, the light shining in her eyes was the same as before . She still looked quite terrified of him He definitely sensed her strong fear of him from the way she stared at him . Despite that, she wanted to meet him for some reason . Just what could make her move in spite of her fears? Jin-Woo¡¯s curiosity had definitely been stoked now ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to seek me out first, ma¡¯am, so¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo settled down on the seat opposite hers . Adam White, once more assigned as an interpreter, stuck close to Jin-Woo¡¯s side Madam Selner politely bowed her head ¡°I¡¯d like to apologise for that day . Back then, my mind wasn¡¯t in the right place to¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo raised his hands and stopped her He wasn¡¯t planning to talk about back then just so he could hear her apologise . She sneaked a glance at the director, only to see him nod his head with a hardened expression Madam Selner hesitated greatly before her lips parted with some difficulty ¡°I¡¯ve been having the exact same dream every day . ¡±. Jin-Woo was not confident about reading people¡¯s dreams . And even he could tell that they didn¡¯t ask for him to be here for that purpose, either . Still, he asked her so he could get some clarification on the topic ¡°What kind of a dream was it?¡±. ¡°In my dream, I watch the scenes of top Hunters being hunted down by a group of unknown people . ¡±. A group of unknown people hunting down powerful Hunters, she said . Almost immediately, Jin-Woo realised that this matter had to be related to him in some capacity ¡°And a few days later, that dream becomes reality . ¡±. ¡°Could you be talking about¡­ Christopher Reid?¡±. Madam Selner nodded her head The director took over the explanation from there on ¡°We had warned Mister Reid ahead of time, but he wasn¡¯t interested in hearing us out . The end result was¡­ well, you know what happened already . ¡±. Indeed, Jin-Woo had seen and heard enough of Christopher Reid¡¯s fate Madam Selner continued on with a trembling voice ¡°Powerful Hunters supporting this world will continue to die . Those hunting the Hunters will not stop what they are doing . ¡±. ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo collected his thoughts and cautiously opened his mouth ¡°¡­ . You also wish to warn me of the dangers¡­ . ?¡±. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it . ¡±. She resolutely shook her head If she didn¡¯t want to warn him, what did she want then? Jin-Woo looked at her with a puzzled expression . Madam Selner then spoke with desperately-pleading tone of voice ¡°Please, I beg of you . Protect these Hunters . ¡±. < Chapter 196 > Fin Chapter 197 ¡®I lost . ¡¯ Thomas Andre slowly opened his eyes as his head kept repeating those two words he never thought he¡¯d say ever again . He found himself inside a hospital room . ¡®When was the last time I stopped by at a hospital?¡¯ Jin-Woo might have frequented hospitals as if they were his second home during his early years as a Hunter . However, Thomas Andre didn¡¯t, and he couldn¡¯t recall a single instance of staying in a hospital even once, ever since becoming a Hunter . Just who would¡¯ve expected to see this kind of a result from a fight between a Hunter who used to be the worst even among the rank Es, and a man who started his career at the very top? Of course, Thomas Andre didn¡¯t care about Jin-Woo¡¯s past . He was still deeply flustered with this result, though . ¡®I really¡­ did lose . ¡¯ Thomas Andre slowly sat up with a dazed face of a man whose soul had abandoned him . Tap, tap¡­ . The sound of someone lightly tapping on a keyboard came to a halt . He shifted his gaze in that direction and found the main manager of the Scavenger Guild, Laura, sitting in a location not too far, but not too close, either . Perhaps she was in the middle of her work because her slender fingers were still hovering above the laptop¡¯s keyboard . ¡°You¡¯ve woken up . ¡± ¡°¡­ . Looks like it . ¡± Thomas Andre withdrew his gaze and rubbed his chin . One could estimate just how much time had passed, with the length of one¡¯s beard . Should he say he felt relieved, then? Because¡­ his beard wasn¡¯t as long as he feared . ¡°About¡­ one day, is it?¡¯ ¡°Yes . ¡± Laura affirmed it for him with a short answer, before continuing on . ¡°The first doctor to examine you suggested that I should prepare for the worst case of you waking up several weeks later . ¡± That was how terrible Thomas Andre¡¯s conditions were last night . But then¡­ . ¡­ . She found it bit difficult to decide whether him waking up after only one day was rather befitting of Thomas Andre¡¯s capabilities, or the fact that he even blacked out in the first place was unbecoming of him, instead . Laura felt this conflict of emotion as she stood next to her boss¡¯s bed . ¡°Should I call for a doctor?¡± ¡°No, not yet . ¡± Thomas Andre massaged his aching temples and shook his head . The impact force he felt when that man punched him in the head still remained vivid even now . What a horrible pain this was . So much so, he no longer wanted to recall yesterday¡¯s event if he could help it . A doctor wouldn¡¯t be able to do much anyway, even if one was summoned here . Besides all that, though ¨C wasn¡¯t there something else he should confirm first? Thomas Andre quickly asked . ¡°What about Mister Hwang?¡± Laura¡¯s lips parted for a moment, but she couldn¡¯t verbalise her answer and simply shook her head . ¡°¡­ . Is that so . ¡± He pondered for a little while longer, before asking a different question with an unconcerned tone of voice . ¡°What about other losses?¡± ¡°We have incurred many injured personnel, but thanks to the timely response from the Hunter Bureau, everyone has fully recovered . ¡± Thomas Andre had been maintaining his calm until then, but he couldn¡¯t stop his voice from going up an octave . ¡°There were no other casualties?¡± ¡°Yes, sir . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . ¡± His shock soon morphed into astonishment . He began gasping out inwardly . Even though the fight had been truly intense, not one person was killed . It could only mean that his opponent went easy on them . This was a clear sign of an overwhelming defeat . When a person tastes such a complete defeat, one would often lose any notion of getting angry at the result . That¡¯s how Thomas Andre felt right about now . He was also awestruck, as well . Jin-Woo had defeated not just Thomas Andre, but all the elite Hunters the American had gathered, all by himself . That made Thomas somewhat fearful of the young Korean Hunter . No, his emotion had gone beyond that and almost into the territory of pure respect . Thomas Andre always told himself that being powerful was justice, so the mental shock he felt right now was rather immense . However¡­ However, why was he being like this? He tasted an ignoble defeat yet he didn¡¯t feel so bad at all . Maybe, he had no regrets because he got to confirm the gap between him and his opponent? He didn¡¯t feel like getting angry at the person who defeated him . Nor was he thinking of avenging his loss, either . ¡®Instead, it¡¯s more like¡­ . ¡¯ As several thoughts began crisscrossing in his head, Laura suddenly presented him with a small but lengthy box . It was a case for glasses . ¡®¡­ . ?¡¯ Thomas Andre accepted this case while sending her a puzzled stare . She solved his curiosity right away . ¡°Your sunglasses were recovered from the location, but they were too damaged to be repaired . ¡± Click . He opened the case to find a new pair of sunglasses with the same design as before that he liked to wear . Thomas Andre broke into a smirk and put them on . ¡°Looks like I keep ending up owing people . ¡± Laura was inwardly worried that her boss would start going off on a rampage the moment he woke up, but his response brought about a sense of relief in her and she sighed inwardly, before forming a gentle smile . ¡°It¡¯s my job, sir . ¡± Thomas Andre wordlessly stared into the distance, before quietly opening his mouth . ¡°Mister Hwang¡­ . Make sure you hold a proper funeral for him . He was still one of our own, after all . ¡± ¡°Understood . ¡± ¡°Oh, and also¡­ . ¡± And also? Laura stopped jotting down Thomas Andre¡¯s orders in her memo pad and raised her head . ¡°Tell Hunter Seong Jin-Woo that the Scavenger Guild will¡­ . No, wait . Scratch that . Send him a message that I, Thomas Andre, will offer an official apology . ¡± *** Protect the Hunters . Why did Madam Selner say something like this? Jin-Woo formed a puzzled expression . ¡°¡­ . Why me?¡± She seemed to be unsure of where to start her story but eventually, opened her mouth rather laboriously . ¡°While the dream kept repeating itself, I tried my best to memorise the faces of those hunting down the Hunters . However, it was all for nought . ¡± She explained that all she could remember after waking up were faces covered in veils of darkness . ¡°And so, I decided to use another method . Even if it was just a dream, I¡¯d use my ability to look into their true nature, their true form . ¡± ¡°Was that why you looked into my eyes last time?¡± ¡°Yes, correct . ¡± Madam Selner readily admitted to how her ability worked . Ba-thump . Jin-Woo¡¯s heart began racing again . Back then, what did Madam Selner discover inside him that made her shiver in fear like that? Unfortunately, her story hadn¡¯t finished yet, so he had to suppress the rising tide of curiosity and concentrated on her voice . ¡°What I found within those people was limitless power . But, when I locked gazes with ¡®that thing¡¯, I had no choice but to wake up from my dream . ¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze momentarily drifted lower and saw her fingertips tremble imperceptibly . ¡°When my eyes looked into it¡­ I can still clearly remember the words and voice of ¡®that thing¡¯ even now . ¡± Jin-Woo slightly raised his head back up again . Both the director listening in, as well as Adam White translating from the side, carried deeply tense expressions . Jin-Woo asked her in a calm voice . ¡°What did that thing say to you?¡± ¡°It said that I should¡­ quietly go back and wait for the war . ¡± Madam Selner began shuddering in horror after finally recalling that memory . The voice she heard in her dream was far more vivid than any other sound she heard in reality . Unlike the frightened woman, though, Jin-Woo was focused on the word ¡®war¡¯, instead . That was his clue . ¡®It¡¯s similar to what the King of Giants told me, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ The battle between the Rulers and the Sovereigns ¨C didn¡¯t the King of Giants say it? That ¡®they¡¯ were gearing up for war? Most likely, the Rulers weren¡¯t the only ones preparing for this upcoming battle . If that was the case, then, just which side did the b*stards hunting the Hunters belong to? Although he felt curious about this, he still hadn¡¯t heard a reply to his original question . So, he asked again . ¡°How does that relate to you asking me to protect other Hunters?¡± ¡°¡­ . Because, I saw the same power sleeping within you . ¡± Her cautiously-mouthed words slapped wide awake Jin-Woo and in the face . The power of the Shadow Sovereign ¨C that¡¯s what she saw on that day, hiding deep inside of him . Since she saw the same type of power from the assassins in her dreams, their identity had to be¡­ . ¡®¡­ . Sovereigns . ¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s expression hardened . Madam Selner detected the rapid shift in Jin-Woo¡¯s expression and quickly added more explanation . ¡°They are existences above the Hunters, and in order to stop them, we need you who possess the power that equals theirs, Hunter-nim . ¡± The director quietly listened up to here and finally entered the conversation . ¡°In all honesty, I wasn¡¯t convinced by the claim that no one can protect the Hunters besides you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, but, well¡­ . ¡± The reason why this meeting had been hastily arranged was¡­ ¡°¡­ . My fight with Thomas Andre yesterday changed the way the Hunter Bureau thinks, am I correct?¡± The director replied awkwardly after the truth was accurately pointed out . ¡°Yes, you¡¯re correct . ¡± Thanks to the matters of the day before, the Hunter Bureau finally learned of the difference between Jin-Woo and other Hunters . That event might have been a big incident, yes, but it also helped the organisation to discover a new ray of hope . Beings capable of murdering Special Authority-rank Hunters, and a lone Hunter possessing powers equal to those beings . The Hunter Bureau was in desperate need of Jin-Woo¡¯s help more than ever . The United States had already lost one of her Special Authority-rank Hunters . And from their perspective, Thomas Andre had to be protected at any cost . ¡°Of course, we don¡¯t expect a Hunter as excellent as you to help us without any suitable compensation . ¡± Anything he wanted, it¡¯d be made available . And that included the greatest treasure Kamish had left behind, its Rune Stone . The new proposal coming from the Hunter Bureau wasn¡¯t about scouting him . Rather than annoy Jin-Woo by pushing forward the already-rejected offer, they¡¯d rather borrow his power to protect America¡¯s greatest combat force . That was the response the Bureau had decided to go with regarding the current events, post-Christopher Reid¡¯s death . ¡°¡­ . . ¡± Jin-Woo shut his mouth and fell into a bit of a dilemma . Madam Selner came clean on what she saw in order to help him make up his mind . ¡°There are Hunters enjoying powerful blessings in this world . They have supported this world with their powers . If they are gone, this world will not be able to hold on for much longer . ¡± Jin-Woo finally replied to them after his lengthy deliberation . ¡°¡­ . I¡¯m sorry . ¡± His firm refusal that didn¡¯t leave any room for reconsideration caused the director¡¯s brows to shoot up high . ¡°I-is it because of some unresolved emotion towards Thomas Andre Hunter-nim¡­ . ??¡± Jin-Woo quickly shook his head before people jumped to wrong conclusions . ¡°No, not at all . ¡± There was only one reason why he made this decision . ¡°It¡¯s only because I don¡¯t know anything about the enemies I¡¯ll be facing . ¡± Even if he had a rough idea about what their identities were, he hadn¡¯t encountered them once yet . It was only obvious that he¡¯d not make any promises on protecting someone else when he had no clue on the enemy¡¯s capabilities . Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t some amateur who¡¯d readily make promises when he wasn¡¯t sure whether he could keep them in the first place . ¡®I¡¯ll observe the situation for the time being . ¡¯ And then, he¡¯d take care of those things he could handle, first . His collected ways of thinking hadn¡¯t changed at all from that day he entered the dual dungeon for the first time all those months ago . Thankfully, Jin-Woo possessed several Shadow Soldiers who¡¯d accurately convey information to him in real time . By leaving behind his boys in the shadows of all the Hunters the Bureau was concerned about, he¡¯d be able to respond to those b*stards in time if they made a move . ¡°Well, then¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo began thinking up a suitable response when the time comes as he stood up from his seat to leave . *** In the president¡¯s office of the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association . The Association President Goh Gun-Hui was spending yet another busy day . Why, of all possible things under the heavens, did Hunter Seong and Thomas Andre have to fight a day before the International Guild Conference? He was worried about things going wrong on the other side so he sent inquiries through all available channels and finally, received a reply from the Hunter Bureau not too long ago . Their investigation had found that the Scavenger Guild was at fault for the incident and that Jin-Woo wouldn¡¯t be unduly inconvenienced in any shape or form moving forward, according to the message from the United States . ¡°Whew¡­ . ¡± Association President Goh Gun-Hui finally could get this load off his shoulders and plopped down on his chair like a man feeling greatly relieved . No one could imagine how worried to death he was as he thought about Hunter Seong getting locked up in an American prison . But then again¡­ ¡®Hang on a minute . ¡¯ ¡­ . Just who would be capable of locking Hunter Seong up? Even Thomas Andre had lost consciousness, didn¡¯t he? Goh Gun-Hui broke into a chuckle after his thoughts finally reached there, long after the dust on the matter had settled down . ¡®In a way¡­ I was worried about something totally unnecessary . ¡¯ ¡°Huhuh¡­ . ¡± Goh Gun-Hui chuckled for a while before feeling a bit of thirst creeping in . He searched for something to drink and found a bottle of water located on top of the coffee table a bit of distance away from the President¡¯s desk . ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ Goh Gun-Hui wordlessly stared at the water bottle before extending his hand out . That prompted the bottle to fly into his hand . Grab . He expertly snatched the bottle up and while unscrewing the cap, formed a thin smile . ¡®Looks like I¡¯ve got yet another story to hear from Chief Woo once he comes back . ¡¯ Huhuh¡­ . Goh Gun-Hui felt quite pleased, knowing that he made the right choice to forcibly send Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol to the U . S . < Chapter 197 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 197: Chapter 197 ¡®I lost . ¡¯. Thomas Andre slowly opened his eyes as his head kept repeating those two words he never thought he¡¯d say ever again He found himself inside a hospital room ¡®When was the last time I stopped by at a hospital?¡¯. Jin-Woo might have frequented hospitals as if they were his second home during his early years as a Hunter . However, Thomas Andre didn¡¯t, and he couldn¡¯t recall a single instance of staying in a hospital even once, ever since becoming a Hunter Just who would¡¯ve expected to see this kind of a result from a fight between a Hunter who used to be the worst even among the rank Es, and a man who started his career at the very top?. Of course, Thomas Andre didn¡¯t care about Jin-Woo¡¯s past . He was still deeply flustered with this result, though ¡®I really¡­ did lose . ¡¯. Thomas Andre slowly sat up with a dazed face of a man whose soul had abandoned him Tap, tap¡­ The sound of someone lightly tapping on a keyboard came to a halt . He shifted his gaze in that direction and found the main manager of the Scavenger Guild, Laura, sitting in a location not too far, but not too close, either Perhaps she was in the middle of her work because her slender fingers were still hovering above the laptop¡¯s keyboard ¡°You¡¯ve woken up . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . Looks like it . ¡±. Thomas Andre withdrew his gaze and rubbed his chin One could estimate just how much time had passed, with the length of one¡¯s beard . Should he say he felt relieved, then? Because¡­ his beard wasn¡¯t as long as he feared ¡°About¡­ one day, is it?¡¯. ¡°Yes . ¡±. Laura affirmed it for him with a short answer, before continuing on ¡°The first doctor to examine you suggested that I should prepare for the worst case of you waking up several weeks later . ¡±. That was how terrible Thomas Andre¡¯s conditions were last night But then¡­ ¡­ . She found it bit difficult to decide whether him waking up after only one day was rather befitting of Thomas Andre¡¯s capabilities, or the fact that he even blacked out in the first place was unbecoming of him, instead Laura felt this conflict of emotion as she stood next to her boss¡¯s bed ¡°Should I call for a doctor?¡±. ¡°No, not yet . ¡±. Thomas Andre massaged his aching temples and shook his head The impact force he felt when that man punched him in the head still remained vivid even now . What a horrible pain this was . So much so, he no longer wanted to recall yesterday¡¯s event if he could help it A doctor wouldn¡¯t be able to do much anyway, even if one was summoned here . Besides all that, though ¨C wasn¡¯t there something else he should confirm first?. Thomas Andre quickly asked ¡°What about Mister Hwang?¡±. Laura¡¯s lips parted for a moment, but she couldn¡¯t verbalise her answer and simply shook her head ¡°¡­ . Is that so . ¡±. He pondered for a little while longer, before asking a different question with an unconcerned tone of voice ¡°What about other losses?¡±. ¡°We have incurred many injured personnel, but thanks to the timely response from the Hunter Bureau, everyone has fully recovered . ¡±. Thomas Andre had been maintaining his calm until then, but he couldn¡¯t stop his voice from going up an octave ¡°There were no other casualties?¡±. ¡°Yes, sir . ¡±. ¡°¡­ ¡±. His shock soon morphed into astonishment . He began gasping out inwardly Even though the fight had been truly intense, not one person was killed . It could only mean that his opponent went easy on them This was a clear sign of an overwhelming defeat When a person tastes such a complete defeat, one would often lose any notion of getting angry at the result . That¡¯s how Thomas Andre felt right about now He was also awestruck, as well . Jin-Woo had defeated not just Thomas Andre, but all the elite Hunters the American had gathered, all by himself . That made Thomas somewhat fearful of the young Korean Hunter . No, his emotion had gone beyond that and almost into the territory of pure respect Thomas Andre always told himself that being powerful was justice, so the mental shock he felt right now was rather immense However¡­. However, why was he being like this?. He tasted an ignoble defeat yet he didn¡¯t feel so bad at all . Maybe, he had no regrets because he got to confirm the gap between him and his opponent?. He didn¡¯t feel like getting angry at the person who defeated him . Nor was he thinking of avenging his loss, either ¡®Instead, it¡¯s more like¡­ . ¡¯. As several thoughts began crisscrossing in his head, Laura suddenly presented him with a small but lengthy box . It was a case for glasses ¡®¡­ . ?¡¯. Thomas Andre accepted this case while sending her a puzzled stare . She solved his curiosity right away ¡°Your sunglasses were recovered from the location, but they were too damaged to be repaired . ¡±. Click He opened the case to find a new pair of sunglasses with the same design as before that he liked to wear . Thomas Andre broke into a smirk and put them on ¡°Looks like I keep ending up owing people . ¡±. Laura was inwardly worried that her boss would start going off on a rampage the moment he woke up, but his response brought about a sense of relief in her and she sighed inwardly, before forming a gentle smile ¡°It¡¯s my job, sir . ¡±. Thomas Andre wordlessly stared into the distance, before quietly opening his mouth ¡°Mister Hwang¡­ . Make sure you hold a proper funeral for him . He was still one of our own, after all . ¡±. ¡°Understood . ¡±. ¡°Oh, and also¡­ . ¡±. And also?. Laura stopped jotting down Thomas Andre¡¯s orders in her memo pad and raised her head ¡°Tell Hunter Seong Jin-Woo that the Scavenger Guild will¡­ . No, wait . Scratch that . Send him a message that I, Thomas Andre, will offer an official apology . ¡±. ***. Protect the Hunters Why did Madam Selner say something like this? Jin-Woo formed a puzzled expression ¡°¡­ . Why me?¡±. She seemed to be unsure of where to start her story but eventually, opened her mouth rather laboriously ¡°While the dream kept repeating itself, I tried my best to memorise the faces of those hunting down the Hunters . However, it was all for nought . ¡±. She explained that all she could remember after waking up were faces covered in veils of darkness ¡°And so, I decided to use another method . Even if it was just a dream, I¡¯d use my ability to look into their true nature, their true form . ¡±. ¡°Was that why you looked into my eyes last time?¡±. ¡°Yes, correct . ¡±. Madam Selner readily admitted to how her ability worked Ba-thump Jin-Woo¡¯s heart began racing again Back then, what did Madam Selner discover inside him that made her shiver in fear like that? Unfortunately, her story hadn¡¯t finished yet, so he had to suppress the rising tide of curiosity and concentrated on her voice ¡°What I found within those people was limitless power . But, when I locked gazes with ¡®that thing¡¯, I had no choice but to wake up from my dream . ¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze momentarily drifted lower and saw her fingertips tremble imperceptibly ¡°When my eyes looked into it¡­ I can still clearly remember the words and voice of ¡®that thing¡¯ even now . ¡±. Jin-Woo slightly raised his head back up again . Both the director listening in, as well as Adam White translating from the side, carried deeply tense expressions Jin-Woo asked her in a calm voice ¡°What did that thing say to you?¡±. ¡°It said that I should¡­ quietly go back and wait for the war . ¡±. Madam Selner began shuddering in horror after finally recalling that memory . The voice she heard in her dream was far more vivid than any other sound she heard in reality Unlike the frightened woman, though, Jin-Woo was focused on the word ¡®war¡¯, instead . That was his clue ¡®It¡¯s similar to what the King of Giants told me, isn¡¯t it?¡¯. The battle between the Rulers and the Sovereigns ¨C didn¡¯t the King of Giants say it? That ¡®they¡¯ were gearing up for war? Most likely, the Rulers weren¡¯t the only ones preparing for this upcoming battle If that was the case, then, just which side did the b*stards hunting the Hunters belong to?. Although he felt curious about this, he still hadn¡¯t heard a reply to his original question . So, he asked again ¡°How does that relate to you asking me to protect other Hunters?¡±. ¡°¡­ . Because, I saw the same power sleeping within you . ¡±. Her cautiously-mouthed words slapped wide awake Jin-Woo and in the face . The power of the Shadow Sovereign ¨C that¡¯s what she saw on that day, hiding deep inside of him Since she saw the same type of power from the assassins in her dreams, their identity had to be¡­ ¡®¡­ . Sovereigns . ¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s expression hardened Madam Selner detected the rapid shift in Jin-Woo¡¯s expression and quickly added more explanation ¡°They are existences above the Hunters, and in order to stop them, we need you who possess the power that equals theirs, Hunter-nim . ¡±. The director quietly listened up to here and finally entered the conversation ¡°In all honesty, I wasn¡¯t convinced by the claim that no one can protect the Hunters besides you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, but, well¡­ . ¡±. The reason why this meeting had been hastily arranged was¡­. ¡°¡­ . My fight with Thomas Andre yesterday changed the way the Hunter Bureau thinks, am I correct?¡±. The director replied awkwardly after the truth was accurately pointed out ¡°Yes, you¡¯re correct . ¡±. Thanks to the matters of the day before, the Hunter Bureau finally learned of the difference between Jin-Woo and other Hunters . That event might have been a big incident, yes, but it also helped the organisation to discover a new ray of hope Beings capable of murdering Special Authority-rank Hunters, and a lone Hunter possessing powers equal to those beings The Hunter Bureau was in desperate need of Jin-Woo¡¯s help more than ever . The United States had already lost one of her Special Authority-rank Hunters . And from their perspective, Thomas Andre had to be protected at any cost ¡°Of course, we don¡¯t expect a Hunter as excellent as you to help us without any suitable compensation . ¡±. Anything he wanted, it¡¯d be made available . And that included the greatest treasure Kamish had left behind, its Rune Stone The new proposal coming from the Hunter Bureau wasn¡¯t about scouting him . Rather than annoy Jin-Woo by pushing forward the already-rejected offer, they¡¯d rather borrow his power to protect America¡¯s greatest combat force . That was the response the Bureau had decided to go with regarding the current events, post-Christopher Reid¡¯s death ¡°¡­ ¡±. Jin-Woo shut his mouth and fell into a bit of a dilemma Madam Selner came clean on what she saw in order to help him make up his mind ¡°There are Hunters enjoying powerful blessings in this world . They have supported this world with their powers . If they are gone, this world will not be able to hold on for much longer . ¡±. Jin-Woo finally replied to them after his lengthy deliberation ¡°¡­ . I¡¯m sorry . ¡±. His firm refusal that didn¡¯t leave any room for reconsideration caused the director¡¯s brows to shoot up high ¡°I-is it because of some unresolved emotion towards Thomas Andre Hunter-nim¡­ . ??¡±. Jin-Woo quickly shook his head before people jumped to wrong conclusions ¡°No, not at all . ¡±. There was only one reason why he made this decision ¡°It¡¯s only because I don¡¯t know anything about the enemies I¡¯ll be facing . ¡±. Even if he had a rough idea about what their identities were, he hadn¡¯t encountered them once yet . It was only obvious that he¡¯d not make any promises on protecting someone else when he had no clue on the enemy¡¯s capabilities Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t some amateur who¡¯d readily make promises when he wasn¡¯t sure whether he could keep them in the first place ¡®I¡¯ll observe the situation for the time being . ¡¯. And then, he¡¯d take care of those things he could handle, first His collected ways of thinking hadn¡¯t changed at all from that day he entered the dual dungeon for the first time all those months ago Thankfully, Jin-Woo possessed several Shadow Soldiers who¡¯d accurately convey information to him in real time . By leaving behind his boys in the shadows of all the Hunters the Bureau was concerned about, he¡¯d be able to respond to those b*stards in time if they made a move ¡°Well, then¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo began thinking up a suitable response when the time comes as he stood up from his seat to leave ***. In the president¡¯s office of the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association The Association President Goh Gun-Hui was spending yet another busy day Why, of all possible things under the heavens, did Hunter Seong and Thomas Andre have to fight a day before the International Guild Conference?. He was worried about things going wrong on the other side so he sent inquiries through all available channels and finally, received a reply from the Hunter Bureau not too long ago Their investigation had found that the Scavenger Guild was at fault for the incident and that Jin-Woo wouldn¡¯t be unduly inconvenienced in any shape or form moving forward, according to the message from the United States ¡°Whew¡­ . ¡±. Association President Goh Gun-Hui finally could get this load off his shoulders and plopped down on his chair like a man feeling greatly relieved . No one could imagine how worried to death he was as he thought about Hunter Seong getting locked up in an American prison But then again¡­. ¡®Hang on a minute . ¡¯. ¡­ . Just who would be capable of locking Hunter Seong up?. Even Thomas Andre had lost consciousness, didn¡¯t he?. Goh Gun-Hui broke into a chuckle after his thoughts finally reached there, long after the dust on the matter had settled down ¡®In a way¡­ I was worried about something totally unnecessary . ¡¯. ¡°Huhuh¡­ . ¡±. Goh Gun-Hui chuckled for a while before feeling a bit of thirst creeping in . He searched for something to drink and found a bottle of water located on top of the coffee table a bit of distance away from the President¡¯s desk ¡®¡­ ¡¯. Goh Gun-Hui wordlessly stared at the water bottle before extending his hand out . That prompted the bottle to fly into his hand Grab He expertly snatched the bottle up and while unscrewing the cap, formed a thin smile ¡®Looks like I¡¯ve got yet another story to hear from Chief Woo once he comes back . ¡¯. Huhuh¡­ Goh Gun-Hui felt quite pleased, knowing that he made the right choice to forcibly send Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol to the U . S < Chapter 197 > Fin Chapter 198 ¡°Hyung-niiiim!¡± Jin-Woo lightly evaded the tearful Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s attempt to bear-hug him . Then, he coolly addressed Woo Jin-Cheol in the same hospital room, who had volunteered to look after the kid during the conference itself . ¡°What¡¯s gotten into him?¡± ¡°Well, I showed him this when he woke up, and now¡­ . ¡± The Chief of the Monitoring Division picked up the newspaper he was reading . The front page of the folded newspaper was plastered with the photographs of Jin-Woo¡¯s beatdown victims, the utterly wrecked Scavenger Guild¡¯s members, and that of the bloodied and unconscious Thomas Andre¡¯s face . It might have been something obvious to him, but the same couldn¡¯t be said about Yu Jin-Ho who now had seen the article in its full glory . Just who in this world would clash head-on against the world¡¯s most powerful Guild in order to rescue him? Not only that, when that Guild¡¯s Master, ¡®Goliath¡¯ Thomas Andre was involved in the shenanigans, too? Yu Jin-Ho was shedding thick tears of heartfelt emotion after reading the article, so when Jin-Woo arrived in the hospital, he began expressing his happiness with his entire being . ¡°Hyung-niiiiim!!¡± Unfortunately¡­ . Jin-Woo¡¯s agility had surpassed far beyond what rank S Hunters were capable of by now . In spite of Yu Jin-Ho concerted efforts, the target for his manly affection kept slipping out of his heartfelt hug . Jin-Woo slipped past yet another attempt of the kid trying to embrace him, and pointed a thumb at the stumbling Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s back . ¡°Are you telling me he read an article written in English?¡± ¡°Oh, that . I figured that it¡¯s really uncool to let our employee get paid without doing a single thing, so I told her to translate the article for him . ¡± ¡°Aha . ¡± The end of Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s nose reddened as if he found Jin-Woo constantly dodging his attempt at skinship rather cold-hearted . ¡°Hyung-nim!¡± ¡°Here . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho took the tissues Jin-Woo handed over and blew his nose on them . Sniffle~ . Of course, Jin-Woo knew how the kid felt . Even then, he couldn¡¯t walk around with a snot stain on the expensive suit he especially picked for the International Conference, now could he? Wiping his tears away seemed to have done the trick and calmed Yu Jin-Ho down . He asked in a more even-sounding voice . ¡°By the way, hyung-nim, since when did you learn to speak English?¡± It seemed that the kid must¡¯ve heard Jin-Woo conversing with Thomas Andre back inside the disused factory, even though his consciousness was wavering in and out . ¡°Well, you have a lot of free time as a low-ranked Hunter, you know . ¡± A Hunter without a raid to go to was basically an unemployed bum . Jin-Woo studied English whenever he had time, trying to prepare for the eventuality of him quitting the life of a Hunter someday . ¡®I didn¡¯t know it¡¯d come in handy in that sort of situation, though . ¡¯ He felt a bit reminiscent of the times back when he was studying the language . Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined that the first time he used the language he self-taught to converse was during the fight against Thomas Andre . ¡°Oh¡­¡± Yu Jin-Ho recalled that Jin-Woo was a low ranked Hunter once upon a time and nodded his head in understanding . When he thought about his hyung-nim¡¯s past in relation to yesterday¡¯s events, he became even more moved by Jin-Woo¡¯s loyalty that propelled him to confront the Scavenger Guild and its entire catalogue of elite Hunters just for his sake . Yu Jin-Ho began tearing up again as he emotionally declared his intentions . ¡°Hyung-nim! I¡¯ll definitely trust you and follow you till the ends of the earth!¡± His eyes reddened again and snot once more drooped out from his nose tip, which was cleaned barely a minute ago . Jin-Woo was grinning outwardly, but too bad¡­ ¡®¡­ . Having a high Perception Stat isn¡¯t always useful, is it?¡¯ Thanks to his supernatural-level of senses that allowed him to read every little minutiae of Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s emotions, even Jin-Woo¡¯s nose began stinging a little bit now . He deliberately avoided meeting the kid¡¯s gaze and shifted his attention over to Woo Jin-Cheol . ¡°Looks like there¡¯s no problem for him to get discharged, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Agreed . As a matter of fact, the doctor in charge was quite surprised that Mister Jin-Ho had completely recovered from his injuries in just one night . ¡± ¡°In that case, let¡¯s just go through with the discharge process and return to the hotel . We even have transportation lent to us by the Hunter Bureau, so might as well . ¡± ¡°Understood . ¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get ready too, hyung-nim . ¡± Jin-Woo quietly stared at the still-swollen-eyed Yu Jin-Ho packing up his stuff to leave and felt grateful for the fact that the kid was safe now . And at the same time, his anger towards the culprit responsible for this whole chaos ballooned up in an instant . ¡®Greed, when we get back to the hotel, you know what you have to do, right?¡¯ [¡­ . I understand, oh, my king . ] As he was leaving the hospital room, Jin-Woo inwardly ¡®comforted¡¯ Greed with an assurance that all the former rank S Hunter would have to do was to plant his head on the floor for around two hours, which was neither too long or too short in his opinion . *** There were two vehicles prepared by the Hunter Bureau . Since Jin-Woo had something private to discuss with Adam White, he got in the car in front where the American agent was waiting for him, while Yu Jin-Ho and the two Korean Association employees climbed into the vehicle at the back . When Jin-Woo opened the rear passenger door with a loud clunk, Adam White flinched awake from his short nap taken while leaning against the window frame and urgently shook his head to chase away the drowsiness . ¡°You¡¯re here, Hunter-nim . ¡± The American¡¯s face was haggard, to say the least . Unmistakable dark circles thickly coated the spots below his eyes . He was utterly exhausted from the breakneck-pace of all the events taking place, as well as the packed itinerary, of the past couple of days . Jin-Woo looked on at him with pitying eyes, but Adam White didn¡¯t even notice that and simply ordered the driver to start the vehicle . Now that they were moving again, Jin-Woo got down to the main topic . ¡°Can you get me the list of the Hunters you people wanted me to protect?¡± Those words seemed to have chased away all traces of sleep from Adam White¡¯s mind because his expression brightened in an instant . ¡°Have you changed your mind?¡± ¡°No, but I¡¯m curious about something else . ¡± ¡°Oh¡­ . ¡± Adam White struggled to hide his disappointment . He got his hopes raised up before being shot down . Still, he didn¡¯t think this was all bad news . Because it indicated that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was still interested in this problem one way or the other . Adam formed a smile and replied back . ¡°I shall draw up a list as soon as I get back to the Bureau . ¡± As soon as he got back, he said . Jin-Woo snuck a glance at the time . It was already nine in the evening . He briefly wondered whether he made a mistake or not when he saw Adam White¡¯s complexion waning just a little bit more after the poor man was asked to perform yet another task . Not surprisingly, the American agent tried hard to keep his sleepy eyes wide open to make sure he¡¯d not drift away to dreamland in front of the Hunter he was supposed to escort . ¡®Tsk, tsk . ¡¯ Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t watch on any longer and reached out toward him . ¡°Uh? Uhh?¡± Adam White¡¯s panicky voice cracked up a little when Jin-Woo¡¯s left hand covered his eyes . ¡°H-Hunter-nim?!¡± Too bad for him, though, just a couple of words from Jin-Woo and he was petrified in the spot . ¡°Will you just stay still?¡± A normal person doing something similar would send creeping chills down the hapless victim¡¯s spine . However, the one doing it right now was Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, arguably the man most far removed from a ¡®normal¡¯ person . He even beat the living crap out of Thomas Andre until the latter was almost dead . Gulp . Suddenly having his vision blocked by the hand of a rank S Hunter, Adam White could only swallow dried up saliva of nervousness . Jin-Woo leaned the American agent¡¯s head back with his left hand and with his right hand, poured the healing potion he just bought from the Store down the now-open mouth . ¡®W-what is this?!¡¯ Adam White was obviously very tense from forcibly swallowing the unidentifiable liquid while his vision had been blocked . But even he was able to feel that, as more and more of this liquid slid down his throat, his stamina seemed to recover more and more . ¡®But, how can something like this¡­ . ?!¡¯ By the time Seong Jin-Woo withdrew his hands, Adam White realised that the deluge of drowsiness plaguing him was completely gone . No, hang on . Was that all? He felt so refreshed and airy as if he had been asleep in a comfy bed the whole night and was roused from his slumber by the gentle warmth of the morning sun . As if his fatigue had been a lie, he couldn¡¯t feel a single trace of it anywhere on his body . ¡°H-Hunter¡­ nim?¡± ¡®¡­ . How did you do that??¡¯ That was the question Adam White¡¯s look seemed to be asking, but Jin-Woo simply shrugged his shoulders as a reply . ¡°It¡¯s a trade secret, so¡­ . ¡± ¡°Oh . I see . ¡± Since it was such a mystifying event, Adam White found it somewhat easier to accept . He moved his body this way and that to confirm and expressed his admiration in a shocked-sounding voice . ¡°You are¡­ well, how should I phrase this¡­ . It feels like, you¡¯d have greatly succeeded regardless of what you chose to do, even if that was unrelated to being a Hunter . ¡± Although this praise seemed a bit excessive when coming from a ¡®special agent¡¯ of the Hunter Bureau, someone so highly educated that he was capable of speaking ten different languages according to himself, Jin-Woo still formed a content smile regardless, after seeing that look of satisfaction on Adam White¡¯s face . With this, it¡¯d be easier to ask for the next part of the favour . Indeed, asking for the list of the Hunters was just the beginning of his plan . ¡°And also, can you organise an opportunity where I can meet the ones found on that list?¡± Now was his chance . Since all the powerful Hunters from around the world had gathered in one place, just by him inserting his Shadow Soldiers in their shadows would allow him to respond quickly to the attacks of the Sovereigns when they happened . However, Adam White began shaking his head, instead . This was what Jin-Woo was worried about . Even if the Hunter Bureau was a powerful, influential organisation, it should still be quite difficult to mobilise that many top-ranked Hunters of the world . Jin-Woo¡¯s expression hardened gradually . ¡°As I thought¡­ I guess it¡¯s too difficult . ¡± ¡°No, not at all . On the contrary, I meant to say that there¡¯s no reason to organise such an occasion in the first place, Hunter-nim . ¡± Adam White grinned refreshingly and explained the itinerary for the final day of the International Guild Conference . ¡°Don¡¯t forget, there is the ¡®Night of the Hunters¡¯ still left . ¡¯ He suddenly spoke of a combination of words that would¡¯ve worked well for a video game¡¯s title . For some reason, he seemed quite hyped up over it, too . ¡°There is a big party organised by the Bureau . All the Hunters attending the Conference are invited . If you wish to meet them, you can most likely do that there, Hunter-nim . ¡± A party, was it? Was there a better occasion to meet the Hunters ¡®naturally¡¯ and attach Shadow Soldiers on them than a party? Jin-Woo clenched his fist tightly . ¡®This is good . ¡¯ Through other Hunters, he¡¯d get to meet these mysterious Sovereigns . And from that encounter, he¡¯d get to learn who his real enemies and allies were, and also, how he should go about fighting them, too . ¡°I will do that, then . ¡± Jin-Woo smiled and leaned against the back seat . The night sky of America was getting darker beyond the window of the speeding vehicle . *** The ¡®Night of the Hunters¡¯ . The world¡¯s top Hunters and related parties began flocking towards a gigantic banquet hall, capable of housing nearly 1,500 people . ¡°Wow¡­ . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets as he soaked in the sight of the legendary gathering of Hunters that he only got to see through TV screens . Funnily enough, though, the gazes of other Hunters staring at Jin-Woo were quite similar in nature to Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s reaction . The moment he stepped into the banquet hall, everyone¡¯s attention was laser-focused on him in an instant . ¡°Look, isn¡¯t that¡­ . ¡± ¡°Yes, I saw . ¡± ¡°He¡¯s right in front of us, but I can¡¯t even feel his presence . ¡± ¡°He¡¯s on a completely different level . ¡± And with all the attention being poured on him, it was only natural that even Yu Jin-Ho would be subjected to their intense scrutiny, as well . ¡°In that case, the Hunter next to him must be¡­ . ¡± ¡°He fought Thomas Andre in order to rescue that young fella?¡± The situation had settled down somewhat by now after the Hunter Bureau had released the public statement . On one hand, every Hunter in here was deeply shocked by the fact that Jin-Woo was willing to clash against the entirety of the Scavenger Guild for the sake of his rank D Hunter comrade . But on the flip side, they were also getting a heavy case of goosebumps, knowing that the declaration he made towards the end of the conference¡¯s first day was not a bluff at all . [¡°I shall protect my family, even if that means every single Hunter in the world becomes my enemy . ¡±] The photographs accompanying the article clearly demonstrated what had happened to the Scavenger Guild . No wonder everyone in this room was dearly praying that what he said wouldn¡¯t come true . In any case ¨C now that the Bureau had cleared up the air, lots of Hunters were beginning to seek out a chance to engage Jin-Woo in a conversation, busy waiting for the right moment to strike . This was the result of his public image going through a revamp of sorts, going from a monster capable of pummelling the freakishly strong Goliath, to that of a monster who¡¯d not hesitate at anything to protect his comrades . The thing was, though ¨C the very first person to pluck up his courage and made his approach was not a Hunter, but a chairman of a very famous global corporation specialising in dealing with monster remains . ¡°It¡¯s my honour to meet you like this, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡± The businessman introduced himself first, and then¡­ ¡°We¡¯d like to purchase the remains of all the Giant-type monsters you have hunted down in Japan . Do you have some time to discuss this matter in greater detail?¡± Giant-type monsters most of the time appeared as bosses in rank A Gates, so it was very rare to find a completely intact corpse of such creatures . This man¡¯s desire and acute business acumen led him to make his move a step faster than anyone else present in the banquet hall . ¡®This is a good opportunity . ¡¯ Jin-Woo grinned affably and introduced Yu Jin-Ho next to him to the businessman . ¡°I¡¯m in charge of the raid aspect of the Guild . I usually leave all the business-related discussions to my trusted Vice-Master over here . ¡± ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± Yu Jin-Ho became far bolder than ever before from Jin-Woo propping him up like that . He straightened his back proudly and extended his hand out . ¡°I¡¯m Yu Jin-Ho, Vice-Chairman of the Ah-Jin Guild . ¡± ¡°Ahh, yes . Hello . It¡¯s a pleasure . ¡± ¡°I don¡¯t usually discuss business-related matters in occasions such as this one, but if it¡¯s you, Mister Chairman¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo watched on as Yu Jin-Ho expertly guided the businessman to somewhere better suited for a conversation like the one they were about to have, and formed a satisfied smile . ¡®This kid . He¡¯s finally acting like a proper Vice Chair now . ¡¯ But, Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes sharpened almost instantly afterwards . Now that the pair of potential obstructions went away, the real thing would begin now . Adam White got close to Jin-Woo . ¡°Here is the list you asked for . ¡± The screen of the tablet PC he handed over displayed the ten names of the Hunters who could all legitimately be called the world¡¯s best in numerical order . ¡°We at the Bureau had taken all the feats each Hunter had achieved and converted them into points so we can assign them numbered rankings . These ten people are the ones with the highest amount of ¡®Hunter points¡¯ in the world . ¡± The ¡®Hunter points¡¯, he said . Jin-Woo was intrigued by the fact that the feats and achievements of a Hunter were represented through a points system . He then realised that his name wasn¡¯t on the list and asked Adam White . ¡°Where am I on this list?¡± ¡°If we were to include your feat in hunting down the Giant-type monsters in the points tally, then¡­ you should be around here . ¡± The American agent pointed in the spot between 3rd and 4th . The names of Liu Zhigeng, Thomas Andre, and Christopher Reid occupied the spots above . The mere fact that he was already located beneath those three when he hadn¡¯t been a rank S Hunter for long attested to all the incredible feats he managed to achieve so far . ¡®The 4th place is¡­ India¡¯s Siddharth Bachchan . And the 5th spot is¡­ . ¡¯ The first five spots naturally belonged to the five surviving Special Authority-rank Hunters . As for the spots below, they were also occupied by some of the most decorated, celebrated Hunters in the world . It was then, Jin-Woo stopped reading the list and raised his head after he heard a bit of commotion rising up . Noisy, noisy¡­ . An unexpected appearance of a certain guest had thrown the party goers into confusion and chaos . Confirming who this guest was, Jin-Woo handed the tablet back to Adam White . ¡°H-Hunter-nim¡­ . ¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry . ¡± As he expected, this guest displayed not one hint of hesitation as he strode straight towards Jin-Woo . He even proceeded to step aside Liu Zhigeng trying to dissuade him in the middle of the way and stopped right in front of the Korean Hunter, before removing his sunglasses . Jin-Woo mouthed the man¡¯s name . ¡°Thomas Andre . ¡± Jin-Woo didn¡¯t lose his relaxed demeanour even when Thomas Andre was standing before him . However, the same couldn¡¯t be said about pretty much all of the onlookers staring at him, and the American with his arm wrapped in bandages . They were getting properly freaked out now . The burly American looked at his Korean counterpart, who was at least a good head shorter than he was . ¡°Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡­ I want to ask you a question . ¡± < Chapter 198 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 198: Chapter 198 ¡°Hyung-niiiim!¡±. Jin-Woo lightly evaded the tearful Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s attempt to bear-hug him . Then, he coolly addressed Woo Jin-Cheol in the same hospital room, who had volunteered to look after the kid during the conference itself ¡°What¡¯s gotten into him?¡±. ¡°Well, I showed him this when he woke up, and now¡­ . ¡±. The Chief of the Monitoring Division picked up the newspaper he was reading The front page of the folded newspaper was plastered with the photographs of Jin-Woo¡¯s beatdown victims, the utterly wrecked Scavenger Guild¡¯s members, and that of the bloodied and unconscious Thomas Andre¡¯s face It might have been something obvious to him, but the same couldn¡¯t be said about Yu Jin-Ho who now had seen the article in its full glory Just who in this world would clash head-on against the world¡¯s most powerful Guild in order to rescue him? Not only that, when that Guild¡¯s Master, ¡®Goliath¡¯ Thomas Andre was involved in the shenanigans, too?. Yu Jin-Ho was shedding thick tears of heartfelt emotion after reading the article, so when Jin-Woo arrived in the hospital, he began expressing his happiness with his entire being ¡°Hyung-niiiiim!!¡±. Unfortunately¡­ Jin-Woo¡¯s agility had surpassed far beyond what rank S Hunters were capable of by now . In spite of Yu Jin-Ho concerted efforts, the target for his manly affection kept slipping out of his heartfelt hug Jin-Woo slipped past yet another attempt of the kid trying to embrace him, and pointed a thumb at the stumbling Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s back ¡°Are you telling me he read an article written in English?¡±. ¡°Oh, that . I figured that it¡¯s really uncool to let our employee get paid without doing a single thing, so I told her to translate the article for him . ¡±. ¡°Aha . ¡±. The end of Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s nose reddened as if he found Jin-Woo constantly dodging his attempt at skinship rather cold-hearted ¡°Hyung-nim!¡±. ¡°Here . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho took the tissues Jin-Woo handed over and blew his nose on them Sniffle~ Of course, Jin-Woo knew how the kid felt . Even then, he couldn¡¯t walk around with a snot stain on the expensive suit he especially picked for the International Conference, now could he?. Wiping his tears away seemed to have done the trick and calmed Yu Jin-Ho down . He asked in a more even-sounding voice ¡°By the way, hyung-nim, since when did you learn to speak English?¡±. It seemed that the kid must¡¯ve heard Jin-Woo conversing with Thomas Andre back inside the disused factory, even though his consciousness was wavering in and out ¡°Well, you have a lot of free time as a low-ranked Hunter, you know . ¡±. A Hunter without a raid to go to was basically an unemployed bum . Jin-Woo studied English whenever he had time, trying to prepare for the eventuality of him quitting the life of a Hunter someday ¡®I didn¡¯t know it¡¯d come in handy in that sort of situation, though . ¡¯. He felt a bit reminiscent of the times back when he was studying the language . Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined that the first time he used the language he self-taught to converse was during the fight against Thomas Andre ¡°Oh¡­¡±. Yu Jin-Ho recalled that Jin-Woo was a low ranked Hunter once upon a time and nodded his head in understanding When he thought about his hyung-nim¡¯s past in relation to yesterday¡¯s events, he became even more moved by Jin-Woo¡¯s loyalty that propelled him to confront the Scavenger Guild and its entire catalogue of elite Hunters just for his sake Yu Jin-Ho began tearing up again as he emotionally declared his intentions ¡°Hyung-nim! I¡¯ll definitely trust you and follow you till the ends of the earth!¡±. His eyes reddened again and snot once more drooped out from his nose tip, which was cleaned barely a minute ago Jin-Woo was grinning outwardly, but too bad¡­. ¡®¡­ . Having a high Perception Stat isn¡¯t always useful, is it?¡¯. Thanks to his supernatural-level of senses that allowed him to read every little minutiae of Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s emotions, even Jin-Woo¡¯s nose began stinging a little bit now . He deliberately avoided meeting the kid¡¯s gaze and shifted his attention over to Woo Jin-Cheol ¡°Looks like there¡¯s no problem for him to get discharged, doesn¡¯t it?¡±. ¡°Agreed . As a matter of fact, the doctor in charge was quite surprised that Mister Jin-Ho had completely recovered from his injuries in just one night . ¡±. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s just go through with the discharge process and return to the hotel . We even have transportation lent to us by the Hunter Bureau, so might as well . ¡±. ¡°Understood . ¡±. ¡°I¡¯ll get ready too, hyung-nim . ¡±. Jin-Woo quietly stared at the still-swollen-eyed Yu Jin-Ho packing up his stuff to leave and felt grateful for the fact that the kid was safe now . And at the same time, his anger towards the culprit responsible for this whole chaos ballooned up in an instant ¡®Greed, when we get back to the hotel, you know what you have to do, right?¡¯. [¡­ . I understand, oh, my king . ]. As he was leaving the hospital room, Jin-Woo inwardly ¡®comforted¡¯ Greed with an assurance that all the former rank S Hunter would have to do was to plant his head on the floor for around two hours, which was neither too long or too short in his opinion ***. There were two vehicles prepared by the Hunter Bureau Since Jin-Woo had something private to discuss with Adam White, he got in the car in front where the American agent was waiting for him, while Yu Jin-Ho and the two Korean Association employees climbed into the vehicle at the back When Jin-Woo opened the rear passenger door with a loud clunk, Adam White flinched awake from his short nap taken while leaning against the window frame and urgently shook his head to chase away the drowsiness ¡°You¡¯re here, Hunter-nim . ¡±. The American¡¯s face was haggard, to say the least Unmistakable dark circles thickly coated the spots below his eyes . He was utterly exhausted from the breakneck-pace of all the events taking place, as well as the packed itinerary, of the past couple of days Jin-Woo looked on at him with pitying eyes, but Adam White didn¡¯t even notice that and simply ordered the driver to start the vehicle Now that they were moving again, Jin-Woo got down to the main topic ¡°Can you get me the list of the Hunters you people wanted me to protect?¡±. Those words seemed to have chased away all traces of sleep from Adam White¡¯s mind because his expression brightened in an instant ¡°Have you changed your mind?¡±. ¡°No, but I¡¯m curious about something else . ¡±. ¡°Oh¡­ . ¡±. Adam White struggled to hide his disappointment He got his hopes raised up before being shot down . Still, he didn¡¯t think this was all bad news . Because it indicated that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was still interested in this problem one way or the other Adam formed a smile and replied back ¡°I shall draw up a list as soon as I get back to the Bureau . ¡±. As soon as he got back, he said . Jin-Woo snuck a glance at the time . It was already nine in the evening He briefly wondered whether he made a mistake or not when he saw Adam White¡¯s complexion waning just a little bit more after the poor man was asked to perform yet another task Not surprisingly, the American agent tried hard to keep his sleepy eyes wide open to make sure he¡¯d not drift away to dreamland in front of the Hunter he was supposed to escort ¡®Tsk, tsk . ¡¯. Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t watch on any longer and reached out toward him ¡°Uh? Uhh?¡±. Adam White¡¯s panicky voice cracked up a little when Jin-Woo¡¯s left hand covered his eyes ¡°H-Hunter-nim?!¡±. Too bad for him, though, just a couple of words from Jin-Woo and he was petrified in the spot ¡°Will you just stay still?¡±. A normal person doing something similar would send creeping chills down the hapless victim¡¯s spine . However, the one doing it right now was Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, arguably the man most far removed from a ¡®normal¡¯ person He even beat the living crap out of Thomas Andre until the latter was almost dead Gulp Suddenly having his vision blocked by the hand of a rank S Hunter, Adam White could only swallow dried up saliva of nervousness Jin-Woo leaned the American agent¡¯s head back with his left hand and with his right hand, poured the healing potion he just bought from the Store down the now-open mouth ¡®W-what is this?!¡¯. Adam White was obviously very tense from forcibly swallowing the unidentifiable liquid while his vision had been blocked . But even he was able to feel that, as more and more of this liquid slid down his throat, his stamina seemed to recover more and more ¡®But, how can something like this¡­ . ?!¡¯. By the time Seong Jin-Woo withdrew his hands, Adam White realised that the deluge of drowsiness plaguing him was completely gone No, hang on . Was that all?. He felt so refreshed and airy as if he had been asleep in a comfy bed the whole night and was roused from his slumber by the gentle warmth of the morning sun As if his fatigue had been a lie, he couldn¡¯t feel a single trace of it anywhere on his body ¡°H-Hunter¡­ nim?¡±. ¡®¡­ . How did you do that??¡¯. That was the question Adam White¡¯s look seemed to be asking, but Jin-Woo simply shrugged his shoulders as a reply ¡°It¡¯s a trade secret, so¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Oh . I see . ¡±. Since it was such a mystifying event, Adam White found it somewhat easier to accept . He moved his body this way and that to confirm and expressed his admiration in a shocked-sounding voice ¡°You are¡­ well, how should I phrase this¡­ . It feels like, you¡¯d have greatly succeeded regardless of what you chose to do, even if that was unrelated to being a Hunter . ¡±. Although this praise seemed a bit excessive when coming from a ¡®special agent¡¯ of the Hunter Bureau, someone so highly educated that he was capable of speaking ten different languages according to himself, Jin-Woo still formed a content smile regardless, after seeing that look of satisfaction on Adam White¡¯s face With this, it¡¯d be easier to ask for the next part of the favour . Indeed, asking for the list of the Hunters was just the beginning of his plan ¡°And also, can you organise an opportunity where I can meet the ones found on that list?¡±. Now was his chance Since all the powerful Hunters from around the world had gathered in one place, just by him inserting his Shadow Soldiers in their shadows would allow him to respond quickly to the attacks of the Sovereigns when they happened However, Adam White began shaking his head, instead This was what Jin-Woo was worried about . Even if the Hunter Bureau was a powerful, influential organisation, it should still be quite difficult to mobilise that many top-ranked Hunters of the world Jin-Woo¡¯s expression hardened gradually ¡°As I thought¡­ I guess it¡¯s too difficult . ¡±. ¡°No, not at all . On the contrary, I meant to say that there¡¯s no reason to organise such an occasion in the first place, Hunter-nim . ¡±. Adam White grinned refreshingly and explained the itinerary for the final day of the International Guild Conference ¡°Don¡¯t forget, there is the ¡®Night of the Hunters¡¯ still left . ¡¯. He suddenly spoke of a combination of words that would¡¯ve worked well for a video game¡¯s title . For some reason, he seemed quite hyped up over it, too ¡°There is a big party organised by the Bureau . All the Hunters attending the Conference are invited . If you wish to meet them, you can most likely do that there, Hunter-nim . ¡±. A party, was it?. Was there a better occasion to meet the Hunters ¡®naturally¡¯ and attach Shadow Soldiers on them than a party? Jin-Woo clenched his fist tightly ¡®This is good . ¡¯. Through other Hunters, he¡¯d get to meet these mysterious Sovereigns . And from that encounter, he¡¯d get to learn who his real enemies and allies were, and also, how he should go about fighting them, too ¡°I will do that, then . ¡±. Jin-Woo smiled and leaned against the back seat The night sky of America was getting darker beyond the window of the speeding vehicle ***. The ¡®Night of the Hunters¡¯ The world¡¯s top Hunters and related parties began flocking towards a gigantic banquet hall, capable of housing nearly 1,500 people ¡°Wow¡­ . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets as he soaked in the sight of the legendary gathering of Hunters that he only got to see through TV screens Funnily enough, though, the gazes of other Hunters staring at Jin-Woo were quite similar in nature to Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s reaction . The moment he stepped into the banquet hall, everyone¡¯s attention was laser-focused on him in an instant ¡°Look, isn¡¯t that¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Yes, I saw . ¡±. ¡°He¡¯s right in front of us, but I can¡¯t even feel his presence . ¡±. ¡°He¡¯s on a completely different level . ¡±. And with all the attention being poured on him, it was only natural that even Yu Jin-Ho would be subjected to their intense scrutiny, as well ¡°In that case, the Hunter next to him must be¡­ . ¡±. ¡°He fought Thomas Andre in order to rescue that young fella?¡±. The situation had settled down somewhat by now after the Hunter Bureau had released the public statement On one hand, every Hunter in here was deeply shocked by the fact that Jin-Woo was willing to clash against the entirety of the Scavenger Guild for the sake of his rank D Hunter comrade . But on the flip side, they were also getting a heavy case of goosebumps, knowing that the declaration he made towards the end of the conference¡¯s first day was not a bluff at all [¡°I shall protect my family, even if that means every single Hunter in the world becomes my enemy . ¡±]. The photographs accompanying the article clearly demonstrated what had happened to the Scavenger Guild . No wonder everyone in this room was dearly praying that what he said wouldn¡¯t come true In any case ¨C now that the Bureau had cleared up the air, lots of Hunters were beginning to seek out a chance to engage Jin-Woo in a conversation, busy waiting for the right moment to strike This was the result of his public image going through a revamp of sorts, going from a monster capable of pummelling the freakishly strong Goliath, to that of a monster who¡¯d not hesitate at anything to protect his comrades The thing was, though ¨C the very first person to pluck up his courage and made his approach was not a Hunter, but a chairman of a very famous global corporation specialising in dealing with monster remains ¡°It¡¯s my honour to meet you like this, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡±. The businessman introduced himself first, and then¡­. ¡°We¡¯d like to purchase the remains of all the Giant-type monsters you have hunted down in Japan . Do you have some time to discuss this matter in greater detail?¡±. Giant-type monsters most of the time appeared as bosses in rank A Gates, so it was very rare to find a completely intact corpse of such creatures This man¡¯s desire and acute business acumen led him to make his move a step faster than anyone else present in the banquet hall ¡®This is a good opportunity . ¡¯. Jin-Woo grinned affably and introduced Yu Jin-Ho next to him to the businessman ¡°I¡¯m in charge of the raid aspect of the Guild . I usually leave all the business-related discussions to my trusted Vice-Master over here . ¡±. ¡°Ah, is that so?¡±. Yu Jin-Ho became far bolder than ever before from Jin-Woo propping him up like that . He straightened his back proudly and extended his hand out ¡°I¡¯m Yu Jin-Ho, Vice-Chairman of the Ah-Jin Guild . ¡±. ¡°Ahh, yes . Hello . It¡¯s a pleasure . ¡±. ¡°I don¡¯t usually discuss business-related matters in occasions such as this one, but if it¡¯s you, Mister Chairman¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo watched on as Yu Jin-Ho expertly guided the businessman to somewhere better suited for a conversation like the one they were about to have, and formed a satisfied smile ¡®This kid . He¡¯s finally acting like a proper Vice Chair now . ¡¯. But, Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes sharpened almost instantly afterwards . Now that the pair of potential obstructions went away, the real thing would begin now Adam White got close to Jin-Woo ¡°Here is the list you asked for . ¡±. The screen of the tablet PC he handed over displayed the ten names of the Hunters who could all legitimately be called the world¡¯s best in numerical order ¡°We at the Bureau had taken all the feats each Hunter had achieved and converted them into points so we can assign them numbered rankings . These ten people are the ones with the highest amount of ¡®Hunter points¡¯ in the world . ¡±. The ¡®Hunter points¡¯, he said Jin-Woo was intrigued by the fact that the feats and achievements of a Hunter were represented through a points system . He then realised that his name wasn¡¯t on the list and asked Adam White ¡°Where am I on this list?¡±. ¡°If we were to include your feat in hunting down the Giant-type monsters in the points tally, then¡­ you should be around here . ¡±. The American agent pointed in the spot between 3rd and 4th . The names of Liu Zhigeng, Thomas Andre, and Christopher Reid occupied the spots above The mere fact that he was already located beneath those three when he hadn¡¯t been a rank S Hunter for long attested to all the incredible feats he managed to achieve so far ¡®The 4th place is¡­ India¡¯s Siddharth Bachchan . And the 5th spot is¡­ . ¡¯. The first five spots naturally belonged to the five surviving Special Authority-rank Hunters . As for the spots below, they were also occupied by some of the most decorated, celebrated Hunters in the world It was then, Jin-Woo stopped reading the list and raised his head after he heard a bit of commotion rising up Noisy, noisy¡­ An unexpected appearance of a certain guest had thrown the party goers into confusion and chaos . Confirming who this guest was, Jin-Woo handed the tablet back to Adam White ¡°H-Hunter-nim¡­ . ¡±. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry . ¡±. As he expected, this guest displayed not one hint of hesitation as he strode straight towards Jin-Woo He even proceeded to step aside Liu Zhigeng trying to dissuade him in the middle of the way and stopped right in front of the Korean Hunter, before removing his sunglasses Jin-Woo mouthed the man¡¯s name ¡°Thomas Andre . ¡±. Jin-Woo didn¡¯t lose his relaxed demeanour even when Thomas Andre was standing before him . However, the same couldn¡¯t be said about pretty much all of the onlookers staring at him, and the American with his arm wrapped in bandages . They were getting properly freaked out now The burly American looked at his Korean counterpart, who was at least a good head shorter than he was ¡°Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡­ I want to ask you a question . ¡±. < Chapter 198 > Fin Chapter 199 He wanted to ask a question? Jin-Woo was puzzled by that, but he didn¡¯t pick up any ill intent within the light gleaming from Thomas Andre¡¯s eyes so he nodded his head to say yes . As soon as the answer was given¡­ ¡°My arm¡­ . ¡± ¡­ . Thomas Andre raised his left arm, currently wrapped tightly in bandages . ¡°I heard that the damage from the magic energy attack left behind on this arm was so great that Healers were unable to fix it . Doctors told me the same thing . They said that, although it¡¯s healing bit by bit, it¡¯ll take a long time before I can use my arm properly again . ¡± He used his left arm to block Jin-Woo¡¯s fist lugging around a considerable amount of magic energy . Right after the fight ended, the bones in the arm disintegrated into a fine powder and there was a chance that he¡¯d never get to use his left arm ever again . Healers and their immediate response, as well as his own excellent regenerative power, had significantly improved his chances, but even then, his condition was still this bad . That attack was truly, nonsensically powerful . Traces of bitter battle left behind all over his body gifted him with all sorts of aches and dull pains . However, the pain also gave him the clarity of mind to think about what happened, and then, think some more . But he failed to arrive at an answer, and having no choice, he decided to seek Jin-Woo out like this . Even though the Korean Hunter was staring back at him with a look that more or less implied, ¡®Is he here to boast about his injuries or something?¡¯ Thomas Andre still asked him the question in his mind . ¡°If it was you, you¡¯d have no problem finishing me off, or any of my Guild members . ¡± The ones who kidnapped the Korean¡¯s comrade in this foreign land, and proceeded to attack him when he came to rescue the captive, were Thomas Andre and his underlings . Just as the statement released by the Hunter Bureau had alluded to, even if Jin-Woo decided to kill every single Scavenger Guild member, he would have escaped any punishment from the U . S . government . ¡®Of course, they wouldn¡¯t have any means to prosecute him in the first place¡­ . ¡¯ However, Seong Jin-Woo took the lives of no one, save for Hwang Dong-Su . What if Thomas Andre found himself in a similar situation? He¡¯d not let anyone walk away alive . He possessed enough power to do so, and he¡¯d even be backed up by a clear pretext, too . So, why did Seong Jin-Woo choose to not kill anyone? For the past two days, this thought occupied a big chunk of space inside Thomas Andre¡¯s mind and didn¡¯t want to leave him alone . ¡°Back then¡­ why did you let us all live?¡± Of course, he knew that he was the one who admitted to his defeat and begged for mercy in his own way . However, Jin-Woo was the one who made the final decision in the end . Not to forget, none of the Guild members had been killed even after being schooled by his summoned creatures . Thomas Andre was really dying to know the ¡®why¡¯ of it all . Too bad for him, Jin-Woo¡¯s answer was so simple that it instantly rendered his deep pondering of the past few days utterly pointless . ¡°Because none of you committed a crime worthy of death . ¡± Jin-Woo found it hard to overlook Thomas Andre¡¯s arrogant attitude, but still, the American only showed up back then to protect one of his own Guild members, Hwang Dong-Su . It was the same story for the rest of the Scavenger Guild members, too . They were in the wrong to start attacking him, but they had fully paid for their indiscretions . That was what Jin-Woo thought as he withdrew the final attack aimed at Thomas Andre¡¯s head that evening . Once the American Hunter heard that answer, though, his eyes quaked greatly for a second there . ¡°¡­ . So, that¡¯s how it was . ¡± Thinking back to the final fate of Hwang Dong-Su who had committed a crime worthy of death as punishment, that answer didn¡¯t seem like a lie . To think, the reason was a pretty simple one all along . Thomas Andre¡¯s thoughts were even more complicated than before he heard the answer, but on the flip side, he felt much more refreshed and could form a relaxed smile now . ¡°I¡¯d like to treat you to a good meal after my arm heals up . Can you leave your contact detail with my manager lady over here, so I can call you later?¡± Thomas Andre sounded cautious as he bade goodbye and turned around to leave . Laura was on standby behind him until then and lightly bowed her head . Her boss didn¡¯t even take a second look behind him and exited from the banquet hall . Every time he took a step forward, the partygoers parted to the side as if he was Moses and they were the Red Sea . Laura watched his distancing back before shifting her gaze over to Jin-Woo . ¡°My Guild Master was expressing his gratitude towards you not killing any of his Guild members just now, Hunter-nim . ¡± Jin-Woo was instantly struck speechless from those words . Just how should he go about interpreting what that man said to arrive at that conclusion?? As if she found Jin-Woo¡¯s confusion not that surprising, Laura quickly added further explanation . ¡°He might look that way, but in reality, he is far shier than you think . ¡± ¡°Oh, uh¡­ I see . ¡± Well, if she said so, that must be it, then . Thanks to the other side showing up like this first, Jin-Woo got to save time on searching for Thomas Andre and sticking one of his soldiers in the guy¡¯s shadow . So, he just nodded his head to say everything was cool . Laura, now that her job of interpreting her boss¡¯s particular way of saying goodbyes was complete, pulled out her memo pad and got ready to jot the information down . ¡°Hunter-nim, if it¡¯s not too much trouble, may I ask you for your contact details? Ah, and also¡­ . ¡± The blonde beauty with her hair tucked up neatly into a bun formed an arresting smile . ¡°Guild Master wishes to express his gratitude with a gift of some kind . If there is anything you need or want, please tell me . ¡± ¡°Oh . Thank you, but I don¡¯t need any . ¡± Jin-Woo politely declined the offer . Laura quickly formed an awkward smile as if she was troubled by that reply and asked him to reconsider his decision . ¡°My Guild Master is¡­ . Well, his desire to emerge on top is quite strong, so if he thinks he¡¯s owing someone, he will probably go crazy before long . It really doesn¡¯t matter at all what the item is, so please, tell me what you¡¯d like to have . ¡± Jin-Woo was about to decline again but stopped resisting after listening to Laura¡¯s recommendation . He figured that, although he didn¡¯t really need anything, it was against etiquette to reject the other side¡¯s show of goodwill again when they were willing to go this far . His sole problem remained the same, though . ¡®¡­ . I can¡¯t think of anything I need right now . ¡¯ Money? He already had a considerable amount of that after the last few successful raids . Besides, the Ah-Jin Guild had made more than what a decently-sized major Guild would make in a year simply by selling off all the remains of the Giant-type monsters . And Jin-Woo was the boss of that Ah-Jin Guild, too . He knew that the financial might of his Guild would be incomparably small next to the Scavenger¡¯s, but he wasn¡¯t cheap enough to ask for a handout from the American, either . ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure there won¡¯t be a moment in the future where I need to ask for help from Thomas Andre or the Scavenger Guild¡­ . ¡¯ He changed his mind again, thinking that he should probably decline this offer . But then, an idea flashed by in his head . ¡®Wait a minute . If it¡¯s the Scavenger¡­ . ¡¯ This Guild was the gathering of the world¡¯s top elites who continued to work tirelessly every single day . It was impossible to count all the dungeons they had cleared so far, and perhaps unsurprisingly, the wealth of artefacts they had recovered from those dungeons should be rather sizeable, too . There was a chance that a useful ¡®item¡¯ might be tucked away within the storage facility of the Scavenger Guild . Jin-Woo forced himself to make his reply . ¡°If it¡¯s a useful shortsword or a dagger¡­ . ¡± He had run into quite a few opponents with incredible defences recently, and the pair of ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortswords¡¯ was proving to be ineffective against them . He thought that it might not be a bad idea to swap his weapons for something else with the aid of the Scavenger Guild . Even if no useful item came out from this deal, he¡¯d have nothing to lose, anyway . ¡°Shortswords or daggers¡­ I see . Thank you, Hunter-nim . ¡± Laura smiled brightly after hearing his reply . She finished jotting down on her memo pad and also left the banquet hall . Adam White was scared sh*tless with worry, wondering whether the Goliath¡¯s unexpected visit might lead to yet another incident or not . But now that everything ended without a problem, he breathed out a long, long sigh of relief and approached Jin-Woo . ¡°Hunter-nim . Are you going to meet the Hunters on the list now?¡± ¡°Yes, I am . ¡± ¡°In that case, allow me to be your guide . Our agents are positioned in several places within the hall, so we should be able to locate them very quickly . ¡± ¡°No need,¡± replied Jin-Woo with a grin . ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that . ¡± He had already instructed his Shadow Soldiers to roam around the party venue . He knew pretty much where all the Hunters were by now . All he had to do was to meet them one by one . Adam White didn¡¯t know what was going on, obviously, and could only stand there with his eyes going round from confusion . ¡°Excuse me?¡± Instead of a reply, Jin-Woo asked him a question . ¡°By the way, there¡¯s one person missing, isn¡¯t there? I don¡¯t see the 6th person on the list in here . ¡± ¡°But, how did you¡­ . ?!¡± Jin-Woo shrugged his shoulders, and Adam White nodded his head as if he understood . ¡®Ah, right . Trade secret, was it¡­¡¯ The American agent continued on . ¡°We lost all contact with that person a few days prior to the conference, unfortunately . The Brazilian government is searching for that person¡¯s whereabouts in secret, but they haven¡¯t found any concrete leads yet . ¡± Jin-Woo nodded his head . He got to attach a shadow on the no . 2 of the list, Thomas Andre, just now . The 3rd place Christopher Reid and the 6th Brazilian Hunter were not around . ¡®Which means there are seven people left . ¡¯ Jin-Woo spoke to Adam White . ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go . ¡± ¡°Alright . ¡± The two of them walked around the banquet hall and greeted the Hunters on the list one by one . He did ask Adam White to organise opportunities to meet them earlier on, because he wanted to learn a bit more about these people he was about to attach the shadows onto . He started off from the first on the list, Liu Zhigeng, and moved on down to the tenth . ¡®Uh??¡¯ ¡®Is Hunter Seong Jin-Woo networking using this occasion?¡¯ ¡®But, aren¡¯t the Hunters he¡¯s talking to¡­ . ?¡¯ The Hunters scanned the faces of those people Jin-Woo approached first to share greetings with, and began hoping that just maybe, he¡¯d also stop by and say hello to them as well . ¡®He¡¯s coming this way¡­ . !¡¯ ¡®I knew it . Of course, I¡¯m the next one he wants to talk to . ¡¯ Hunters waiting anxiously to talk to Jin-Woo would drop their heads in disappointment and wistfulness once he walked right past them . In no time at all, his ¡®operation¡¯ came to an end . Jin-Woo successfully stuck Shadow Soldiers on the Hunters found on the list before leaving the banquet hall along with his entourage . ¡°Ah¡­ . ¡± The tenth Hunter on the list cleared his throat and began talking in a louder voice, his back straightening even more . On the other hand, the 11th and below could only knock back their glasses of booze without saying another word . On that day . The Hunter Bureau, the organiser of the ¡®Night of the Hunters¡¯ banquet, had to work extra hard in order to find out the reason for a sudden, unprecedented spike in the consumption of alcohol during the party . *** ¡°So, tomorrow¡¯s the last day, isn¡¯t it?¡± The deputy director pushed forward a cup of coffee over to Agent Adam White, currently slouched in an office chair . The younger man sat upright immediately and cautiously took the cup . ¡°Thank you, sir . ¡± The deputy director lightly tapped Adam White¡¯s shoulder and settled down next to him . ¡°I thought I¡¯d faint when I heard the news of Goliath clashing against Hunter Seong, but¡­ it¡¯s a relief that you worked hard to avoid a catastrophe . You did excellent work there . ¡± ¡°You¡¯re praising me too much, sir¡­ . ¡± He might be saying something like that, but who on this planet would continue to disagree with his superior officer when he was genuinely being praised? A bright expression formed on Adam White¡¯s face . The deputy director looked on in contentment at his junior officer¡¯s earnest response and took a sip of his coffee, before asking a question . ¡°So . What is your opinion on Hunter Seong, now that you had opportunities to observe him from close by?¡± Adam White thoughts for a little while, before making his reply . ¡°Deputy director . Did you know that Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim still exercises every single day, without rest?¡± ¡°Exercise?¡± ¡°Yes, I confirmed it personally . Every morning, he runs ten kilometres, does 100 push-ups, and also, never forgets to perform sit-ups as well as squats, too . ¡± ¡°Really??¡± The deputy director¡¯s brows arched up . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, who could legitimately be called the world¡¯s most powerful Hunter, was still performing such basic exercise routines every single day? Just what kind of an effect would jogging in the morning have on a physique that had surpassed the limitations of the human body by an unimaginable degree? Adam White saw how confused the deputy director looked and quickly continued on with his thoughts on the matter . ¡°Sir, I think his exercise routine isn¡¯t about improving his physique, but more to do with his mental discipline . ¡± ¡°Training his mind, is it¡­ . ¡± Adam White nodded his head . From his cool-headedness at not being surprised by the technology exceeding what the current level of science could offer, to his diligence of not even missing out on a single day of training ¨C and not to forget, his mysterious ability to recover a fatigued body and mind in an instant . From Adam White¡¯s perspective, Jin-Woo was a walking, talking bundle of surprises . The deputy director listening to those tales with a sombre expression wholeheartedly agreed with that assessment . ¡°Indeed, he¡­ he is truly an amazing fellow . ¡± How wonderful would it have been if such a man was an American Hunter? He was envious of South Korea for having a Hunter like that as one of their own . ¡®Mm? Did coffee taste like this before?¡¯ The coffee the deputy director was drinking alongside his envy and admiration suddenly tasted quite bitter for some reason . In the end, he couldn¡¯t finish it and left behind about half a cup . *** There was a well-known saying in Korea . If you wanted to know where the President¡¯s office was located in the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association building, just look for the very last window with the lights switching off . Even today, Goh Gun-Hui was staying behind in his office till late hours to finish up the remainder of his work . The cases of accidents and incidents were happening more frequently lately as the monsters got stronger, and the number of newbie Awakened increased . From the perspective of the Hunter¡¯s Association charged with managing such situations, it had been a constant parade of one headache after another . ¡°Hmm . ¡± Goh Gun-Hui put the document down on his desk and rubbed his tired eyes . ¡®¡­ . This is strange . ¡¯ For some reason, his heart didn¡¯t want to stop trembling for the last few days . Ba-dump, ba-dump! His problematic heart had been plaguing him for the last couple of years, so he wasn¡¯t too bothered by this, but still, his condition didn¡¯t feel right even compared to the past . ¡®Is this¡­ . the limit?¡¯ His personal physician warned him that, if he didn¡¯t stop working right away, he¡¯d die within the next half-year or so . But, time continued to tick on for another year . Then, the second year came and went, too . And he still found himself in this office after all this time . ¡®If this is as far as I can go, then there¡¯s nothing much I can do about it . It¡¯s already something else that I managed to carry on this far . ¡¯ Goh Gun-Hui formed a thin smile . ¡°Huhuh . ¡± Why did he feel like this, anyway? In the past, he¡¯d try to push himself even further, wanting to endure for a little while longer . But nowadays, he didn¡¯t feel as anxious as back then . ¡®What has changed?¡¯ What was different now compared to the past couple of years? Goh Gun-Hui intently deliberated on this subject matter, before a smirk leaked out of his lips after realising how obvious the answer was . ¡®Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ¡¯ Finally, South Korea possessed the power to combat a rank S calamity . Just his presence alone, and the status of this country transformed for the better . ¡®Right . That¡¯s why my heart¡¯s probably¡­ . ¡¯ Did his body carry on so he could meet that young man? A bitter and lonely chuckle escaped from Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s lips . ¡°Look at me, busy talking about some nonsense¡­ . ¡± The Association President¡¯s lonely muttering echoed around the empty office . ¡®Now that I think about it, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is scheduled to return tomorrow, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ Just thinking about how he¡¯d get to hear the eyewitness account of Hunter Seong¡¯s feats from the mouth of Chief Woo Jin-Cheol, Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s anticipation began shooting up through the roof . It was then . Ringggg¡­ . Ringgg¡­ . His phone suddenly went off unexpectedly . ¡®Who¡¯s calling me at this late hour?¡¯ Hopefully, there hadn¡¯t been yet another big scale incident taking place somewhere . Feeling quite anxious, Goh Gun-Hui quickly picked up his phone . ¨C ¡°Dear, nothing bad happened today, yes?¡± The call was actually from his wife . ¡°¡­ . Oh . Hi, dear . ¡± The wife was calling to find out her husband¡¯s status since he hadn¡¯t come back home yet, even though it was already so late into the night . Her voice managed to gradually soften the stiff face of Goh Gun-Hui . ¡°What do you mean, something bad? I was on my home anywa¡­¡± It was then . Along with a soft ¡®chijeek!¡¯ the phone suddenly lost its signal . ¡°¡­ . Hello? Hello?¡± Obviously, he could no longer hear his wife¡¯s voice . Did something happen? Goh Gun-Hui tilted his head and put the phone down, before shifting his attention to the outside of the window unconsciously . ¡®¡­ . . !!¡¯ He forgot to breathe, then . Everything that should be visible through the window was all gone . Various buildings, the roads, even people ¨C all of them . The only thing remaining was the pitch-black darkness that defied all attempt to decipher how deep it was . Only a blink of an eye later, the scenery outside his window had changed to something else entirely . An event like this couldn¡¯t happen . ¡°But¡­ But, how can this be?¡± The Association President Goh Gun-Hui gasped out in pure shock and was about to get up from his chair, but then¡­ ¡­ . But then, he realised that there was someone else in the office right this moment . Someone he had never even seen before . That man was sitting on the couch as if he had been there for a very long time, too . ¡®A human¡­ . ? No, this isn¡¯t the aura of a human being . ¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just the aura, either . A face as pale as a corpse; long, silvery-white hair; pointy ears, and silver eyes gleaming brightly like a pair of gemstones . It was an Ice Elf . Also known as the White Phantom . Somehow, Goh Gun-Hui had failed to sense its approach, as well as its entrance into the office . He slowly placed the phone¡¯s receiver back into its cradle and quietly threw out a question . ¡°Who¡­ . are you?¡± < Chapter 199 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 199: Chapter 199 . He wanted to ask a question?. Jin-Woo was puzzled by that, but he didn¡¯t pick up any ill intent within the light gleaming from Thomas Andre¡¯s eyes so he nodded his head to say yes As soon as the answer was given¡­. ¡°My arm¡­ . ¡±. ¡­ . Thomas Andre raised his left arm, currently wrapped tightly in bandages ¡°I heard that the damage from the magic energy attack left behind on this arm was so great that Healers were unable to fix it . Doctors told me the same thing . They said that, although it¡¯s healing bit by bit, it¡¯ll take a long time before I can use my arm properly again . ¡±. He used his left arm to block Jin-Woo¡¯s fist lugging around a considerable amount of magic energy . Right after the fight ended, the bones in the arm disintegrated into a fine powder and there was a chance that he¡¯d never get to use his left arm ever again Healers and their immediate response, as well as his own excellent regenerative power, had significantly improved his chances, but even then, his condition was still this bad That attack was truly, nonsensically powerful Traces of bitter battle left behind all over his body gifted him with all sorts of aches and dull pains . However, the pain also gave him the clarity of mind to think about what happened, and then, think some more But he failed to arrive at an answer, and having no choice, he decided to seek Jin-Woo out like this Even though the Korean Hunter was staring back at him with a look that more or less implied, ¡®Is he here to boast about his injuries or something?¡¯ Thomas Andre still asked him the question in his mind ¡°If it was you, you¡¯d have no problem finishing me off, or any of my Guild members . ¡±. The ones who kidnapped the Korean¡¯s comrade in this foreign land, and proceeded to attack him when he came to rescue the captive, were Thomas Andre and his underlings Just as the statement released by the Hunter Bureau had alluded to, even if Jin-Woo decided to kill every single Scavenger Guild member, he would have escaped any punishment from the U . S . government ¡®Of course, they wouldn¡¯t have any means to prosecute him in the first place¡­ . ¡¯. However, Seong Jin-Woo took the lives of no one, save for Hwang Dong-Su What if Thomas Andre found himself in a similar situation? He¡¯d not let anyone walk away alive . He possessed enough power to do so, and he¡¯d even be backed up by a clear pretext, too So, why did Seong Jin-Woo choose to not kill anyone? For the past two days, this thought occupied a big chunk of space inside Thomas Andre¡¯s mind and didn¡¯t want to leave him alone ¡°Back then¡­ why did you let us all live?¡±. Of course, he knew that he was the one who admitted to his defeat and begged for mercy in his own way . However, Jin-Woo was the one who made the final decision in the end Not to forget, none of the Guild members had been killed even after being schooled by his summoned creatures . Thomas Andre was really dying to know the ¡®why¡¯ of it all Too bad for him, Jin-Woo¡¯s answer was so simple that it instantly rendered his deep pondering of the past few days utterly pointless ¡°Because none of you committed a crime worthy of death . ¡±. Jin-Woo found it hard to overlook Thomas Andre¡¯s arrogant attitude, but still, the American only showed up back then to protect one of his own Guild members, Hwang Dong-Su It was the same story for the rest of the Scavenger Guild members, too . They were in the wrong to start attacking him, but they had fully paid for their indiscretions That was what Jin-Woo thought as he withdrew the final attack aimed at Thomas Andre¡¯s head that evening Once the American Hunter heard that answer, though, his eyes quaked greatly for a second there ¡°¡­ . So, that¡¯s how it was . ¡±. Thinking back to the final fate of Hwang Dong-Su who had committed a crime worthy of death as punishment, that answer didn¡¯t seem like a lie To think, the reason was a pretty simple one all along Thomas Andre¡¯s thoughts were even more complicated than before he heard the answer, but on the flip side, he felt much more refreshed and could form a relaxed smile now ¡°I¡¯d like to treat you to a good meal after my arm heals up . Can you leave your contact detail with my manager lady over here, so I can call you later?¡±. Thomas Andre sounded cautious as he bade goodbye and turned around to leave . Laura was on standby behind him until then and lightly bowed her head Her boss didn¡¯t even take a second look behind him and exited from the banquet hall . Every time he took a step forward, the partygoers parted to the side as if he was Moses and they were the Red Sea Laura watched his distancing back before shifting her gaze over to Jin-Woo ¡°My Guild Master was expressing his gratitude towards you not killing any of his Guild members just now, Hunter-nim . ¡±. Jin-Woo was instantly struck speechless from those words . Just how should he go about interpreting what that man said to arrive at that conclusion??. As if she found Jin-Woo¡¯s confusion not that surprising, Laura quickly added further explanation ¡°He might look that way, but in reality, he is far shier than you think . ¡±. ¡°Oh, uh¡­ I see . ¡±. Well, if she said so, that must be it, then Thanks to the other side showing up like this first, Jin-Woo got to save time on searching for Thomas Andre and sticking one of his soldiers in the guy¡¯s shadow . So, he just nodded his head to say everything was cool Laura, now that her job of interpreting her boss¡¯s particular way of saying goodbyes was complete, pulled out her memo pad and got ready to jot the information down ¡°Hunter-nim, if it¡¯s not too much trouble, may I ask you for your contact details? Ah, and also¡­ . ¡±. The blonde beauty with her hair tucked up neatly into a bun formed an arresting smile ¡°Guild Master wishes to express his gratitude with a gift of some kind . If there is anything you need or want, please tell me . ¡±. ¡°Oh . Thank you, but I don¡¯t need any . ¡±. Jin-Woo politely declined the offer Laura quickly formed an awkward smile as if she was troubled by that reply and asked him to reconsider his decision ¡°My Guild Master is¡­ . Well, his desire to emerge on top is quite strong, so if he thinks he¡¯s owing someone, he will probably go crazy before long . It really doesn¡¯t matter at all what the item is, so please, tell me what you¡¯d like to have . ¡±. Jin-Woo was about to decline again but stopped resisting after listening to Laura¡¯s recommendation He figured that, although he didn¡¯t really need anything, it was against etiquette to reject the other side¡¯s show of goodwill again when they were willing to go this far His sole problem remained the same, though ¡®¡­ . I can¡¯t think of anything I need right now . ¡¯. Money? He already had a considerable amount of that after the last few successful raids Besides, the Ah-Jin Guild had made more than what a decently-sized major Guild would make in a year simply by selling off all the remains of the Giant-type monsters . And Jin-Woo was the boss of that Ah-Jin Guild, too He knew that the financial might of his Guild would be incomparably small next to the Scavenger¡¯s, but he wasn¡¯t cheap enough to ask for a handout from the American, either ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure there won¡¯t be a moment in the future where I need to ask for help from Thomas Andre or the Scavenger Guild¡­ . ¡¯. He changed his mind again, thinking that he should probably decline this offer . But then, an idea flashed by in his head ¡®Wait a minute . If it¡¯s the Scavenger¡­ . ¡¯. This Guild was the gathering of the world¡¯s top elites who continued to work tirelessly every single day It was impossible to count all the dungeons they had cleared so far, and perhaps unsurprisingly, the wealth of artefacts they had recovered from those dungeons should be rather sizeable, too There was a chance that a useful ¡®item¡¯ might be tucked away within the storage facility of the Scavenger Guild . Jin-Woo forced himself to make his reply ¡°If it¡¯s a useful shortsword or a dagger¡­ . ¡±. He had run into quite a few opponents with incredible defences recently, and the pair of ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortswords¡¯ was proving to be ineffective against them He thought that it might not be a bad idea to swap his weapons for something else with the aid of the Scavenger Guild . Even if no useful item came out from this deal, he¡¯d have nothing to lose, anyway ¡°Shortswords or daggers¡­ I see . Thank you, Hunter-nim . ¡±. Laura smiled brightly after hearing his reply . She finished jotting down on her memo pad and also left the banquet hall Adam White was scared sh*tless with worry, wondering whether the Goliath¡¯s unexpected visit might lead to yet another incident or not . But now that everything ended without a problem, he breathed out a long, long sigh of relief and approached Jin-Woo ¡°Hunter-nim . Are you going to meet the Hunters on the list now?¡±. ¡°Yes, I am . ¡±. ¡°In that case, allow me to be your guide . Our agents are positioned in several places within the hall, so we should be able to locate them very quickly . ¡±. ¡°No need,¡± replied Jin-Woo with a grin . ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that . ¡±. He had already instructed his Shadow Soldiers to roam around the party venue . He knew pretty much where all the Hunters were by now . All he had to do was to meet them one by one Adam White didn¡¯t know what was going on, obviously, and could only stand there with his eyes going round from confusion ¡°Excuse me?¡±. Instead of a reply, Jin-Woo asked him a question ¡°By the way, there¡¯s one person missing, isn¡¯t there? I don¡¯t see the 6th person on the list in here . ¡±. ¡°But, how did you¡­ . ?!¡±. Jin-Woo shrugged his shoulders, and Adam White nodded his head as if he understood ¡®Ah, right . Trade secret, was it¡­¡¯. The American agent continued on ¡°We lost all contact with that person a few days prior to the conference, unfortunately . The Brazilian government is searching for that person¡¯s whereabouts in secret, but they haven¡¯t found any concrete leads yet . ¡±. Jin-Woo nodded his head He got to attach a shadow on the no . 2 of the list, Thomas Andre, just now . The 3rd place Christopher Reid and the 6th Brazilian Hunter were not around ¡®Which means there are seven people left . ¡¯. Jin-Woo spoke to Adam White ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go . ¡±. ¡°Alright . ¡±. The two of them walked around the banquet hall and greeted the Hunters on the list one by one He did ask Adam White to organise opportunities to meet them earlier on, because he wanted to learn a bit more about these people he was about to attach the shadows onto . He started off from the first on the list, Liu Zhigeng, and moved on down to the tenth ¡®Uh??¡¯. ¡®Is Hunter Seong Jin-Woo networking using this occasion?¡¯. ¡®But, aren¡¯t the Hunters he¡¯s talking to¡­ . ?¡¯. The Hunters scanned the faces of those people Jin-Woo approached first to share greetings with, and began hoping that just maybe, he¡¯d also stop by and say hello to them as well ¡®He¡¯s coming this way¡­ . !¡¯. ¡®I knew it . Of course, I¡¯m the next one he wants to talk to . ¡¯. Hunters waiting anxiously to talk to Jin-Woo would drop their heads in disappointment and wistfulness once he walked right past them In no time at all, his ¡®operation¡¯ came to an end . Jin-Woo successfully stuck Shadow Soldiers on the Hunters found on the list before leaving the banquet hall along with his entourage ¡°Ah¡­ . ¡±. The tenth Hunter on the list cleared his throat and began talking in a louder voice, his back straightening even more . On the other hand, the 11th and below could only knock back their glasses of booze without saying another word On that day The Hunter Bureau, the organiser of the ¡®Night of the Hunters¡¯ banquet, had to work extra hard in order to find out the reason for a sudden, unprecedented spike in the consumption of alcohol during the party ***. ¡°So, tomorrow¡¯s the last day, isn¡¯t it?¡±. The deputy director pushed forward a cup of coffee over to Agent Adam White, currently slouched in an office chair . The younger man sat upright immediately and cautiously took the cup ¡°Thank you, sir . ¡±. The deputy director lightly tapped Adam White¡¯s shoulder and settled down next to him ¡°I thought I¡¯d faint when I heard the news of Goliath clashing against Hunter Seong, but¡­ it¡¯s a relief that you worked hard to avoid a catastrophe . You did excellent work there . ¡±. ¡°You¡¯re praising me too much, sir¡­ . ¡±. He might be saying something like that, but who on this planet would continue to disagree with his superior officer when he was genuinely being praised?. A bright expression formed on Adam White¡¯s face The deputy director looked on in contentment at his junior officer¡¯s earnest response and took a sip of his coffee, before asking a question ¡°So . What is your opinion on Hunter Seong, now that you had opportunities to observe him from close by?¡±. Adam White thoughts for a little while, before making his reply ¡°Deputy director . Did you know that Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim still exercises every single day, without rest?¡±. ¡°Exercise?¡±. ¡°Yes, I confirmed it personally . Every morning, he runs ten kilometres, does 100 push-ups, and also, never forgets to perform sit-ups as well as squats, too . ¡±. ¡°Really??¡±. The deputy director¡¯s brows arched up Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, who could legitimately be called the world¡¯s most powerful Hunter, was still performing such basic exercise routines every single day?. Just what kind of an effect would jogging in the morning have on a physique that had surpassed the limitations of the human body by an unimaginable degree?. Adam White saw how confused the deputy director looked and quickly continued on with his thoughts on the matter ¡°Sir, I think his exercise routine isn¡¯t about improving his physique, but more to do with his mental discipline . ¡±. ¡°Training his mind, is it¡­ . ¡±. Adam White nodded his head From his cool-headedness at not being surprised by the technology exceeding what the current level of science could offer, to his diligence of not even missing out on a single day of training ¨C and not to forget, his mysterious ability to recover a fatigued body and mind in an instant From Adam White¡¯s perspective, Jin-Woo was a walking, talking bundle of surprises The deputy director listening to those tales with a sombre expression wholeheartedly agreed with that assessment ¡°Indeed, he¡­ he is truly an amazing fellow . ¡±. How wonderful would it have been if such a man was an American Hunter? He was envious of South Korea for having a Hunter like that as one of their own ¡®Mm? Did coffee taste like this before?¡¯. The coffee the deputy director was drinking alongside his envy and admiration suddenly tasted quite bitter for some reason . In the end, he couldn¡¯t finish it and left behind about half a cup ***. There was a well-known saying in Korea If you wanted to know where the President¡¯s office was located in the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association building, just look for the very last window with the lights switching off Even today, Goh Gun-Hui was staying behind in his office till late hours to finish up the remainder of his work The cases of accidents and incidents were happening more frequently lately as the monsters got stronger, and the number of newbie Awakened increased From the perspective of the Hunter¡¯s Association charged with managing such situations, it had been a constant parade of one headache after another ¡°Hmm . ¡±. Goh Gun-Hui put the document down on his desk and rubbed his tired eyes ¡®¡­ . This is strange . ¡¯. For some reason, his heart didn¡¯t want to stop trembling for the last few days Ba-dump, ba-dump!. His problematic heart had been plaguing him for the last couple of years, so he wasn¡¯t too bothered by this, but still, his condition didn¡¯t feel right even compared to the past ¡®Is this¡­ . the limit?¡¯. His personal physician warned him that, if he didn¡¯t stop working right away, he¡¯d die within the next half-year or so . But, time continued to tick on for another year . Then, the second year came and went, too And he still found himself in this office after all this time ¡®If this is as far as I can go, then there¡¯s nothing much I can do about it . It¡¯s already something else that I managed to carry on this far . ¡¯. Goh Gun-Hui formed a thin smile ¡°Huhuh . ¡±. Why did he feel like this, anyway? In the past, he¡¯d try to push himself even further, wanting to endure for a little while longer . But nowadays, he didn¡¯t feel as anxious as back then ¡®What has changed?¡¯. What was different now compared to the past couple of years?. Goh Gun-Hui intently deliberated on this subject matter, before a smirk leaked out of his lips after realising how obvious the answer was ¡®Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ¡¯. Finally, South Korea possessed the power to combat a rank S calamity . Just his presence alone, and the status of this country transformed for the better ¡®Right . That¡¯s why my heart¡¯s probably¡­ . ¡¯. Did his body carry on so he could meet that young man? A bitter and lonely chuckle escaped from Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s lips ¡°Look at me, busy talking about some nonsense¡­ . ¡±. The Association President¡¯s lonely muttering echoed around the empty office ¡®Now that I think about it, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is scheduled to return tomorrow, isn¡¯t it?¡¯. Just thinking about how he¡¯d get to hear the eyewitness account of Hunter Seong¡¯s feats from the mouth of Chief Woo Jin-Cheol, Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s anticipation began shooting up through the roof It was then Ringggg¡­ . Ringgg¡­ His phone suddenly went off unexpectedly ¡®Who¡¯s calling me at this late hour?¡¯. Hopefully, there hadn¡¯t been yet another big scale incident taking place somewhere . Feeling quite anxious, Goh Gun-Hui quickly picked up his phone ¨C ¡°Dear, nothing bad happened today, yes?¡±. The call was actually from his wife ¡°¡­ . Oh . Hi, dear . ¡±. The wife was calling to find out her husband¡¯s status since he hadn¡¯t come back home yet, even though it was already so late into the night . Her voice managed to gradually soften the stiff face of Goh Gun-Hui ¡°What do you mean, something bad? I was on my home anywa¡­¡±. It was then Along with a soft ¡®chijeek!¡¯ the phone suddenly lost its signal ¡°¡­ . Hello? Hello?¡±. Obviously, he could no longer hear his wife¡¯s voice Did something happen? Goh Gun-Hui tilted his head and put the phone down, before shifting his attention to the outside of the window unconsciously ¡®¡­ !!¡¯. He forgot to breathe, then Everything that should be visible through the window was all gone . Various buildings, the roads, even people ¨C all of them The only thing remaining was the pitch-black darkness that defied all attempt to decipher how deep it was . Only a blink of an eye later, the scenery outside his window had changed to something else entirely An event like this couldn¡¯t happen ¡°But¡­ But, how can this be?¡±. The Association President Goh Gun-Hui gasped out in pure shock and was about to get up from his chair, but then¡­. ¡­ . But then, he realised that there was someone else in the office right this moment . Someone he had never even seen before That man was sitting on the couch as if he had been there for a very long time, too ¡®A human¡­ . ? No, this isn¡¯t the aura of a human being . ¡¯. It wasn¡¯t just the aura, either A face as pale as a corpse; long, silvery-white hair; pointy ears, and silver eyes gleaming brightly like a pair of gemstones It was an Ice Elf . Also known as the White Phantom Somehow, Goh Gun-Hui had failed to sense its approach, as well as its entrance into the office He slowly placed the phone¡¯s receiver back into its cradle and quietly threw out a question ¡°Who¡­ . are you?¡±. < Chapter 199 > Fin Chapter 200 Would talking to ¡®it¡¯ work? The Association President Goh Gun-Hui quietly observed the uninvited guest . ¡°¡­¡± However, the creature didn¡¯t say anything . Different from other monsters, though, it didn¡¯t immediately bare its fangs . No, it just sat there in silence while ignoring the owner of this office altogether . As this uncomfortable silence persisted for a brief period, Goh Gun-Hui found himself with an opportunity to study his new opponent in detail . ¡®It looks exactly like an Ice Elf . ¡¯ An Ice Elf, often referred to as the White Phantom, was a monster commonly seen within upper-ranked dungeons . The unique appearances of these creatures were well known among the Hunters by now . Strangely enough, although this uninvited guest¡¯s countenance did possess all the general features of an Ice Elf, there were a few clear differences present as well . That made him question whether this creature was actually from the same Ice Elf race or not . ¡®It¡¯s as if¡­ . ¡¯ ¡­ . If the Ice Elves were trees that formed part of a forest, then this silent guest of his was like an aged tree guarding a desiccated forest all by itself . Its skin was cracking up like the bark of a tree; its fingers were bony; a tangled, messy beard on its chin and two deeply-sunken, hollow-looking eyes . If an Ice Elf managed to live for hundreds, no, thousands of years, then it might look like this guy . It was that kind of face . The unusual points didn¡¯t end at the creature¡¯s face, though . Gulp . Goh Gun-Hui swallowed his dry saliva, unbeknownst to even himself . ¡®Its presence¡­ I couldn¡¯t sense its presence at all . ¡¯ An uninvited guest had entered in complete silence and settled down on the couch, yet he had failed to sense its approach until he got to confirm the truth with his own two eyes . His ultra-sharp senses wouldn¡¯t have missed this creature¡¯s arrival if it was nothing but an ordinary monster . ¡®¡­ . This is not an opponent that I can deal with . ¡¯ Goh Gun-Hui quickly assessed his situation, and then, very softly flipped his smartphone up to glance at the screen in order to signal for help . When he did that, the monster shifted its gaze over to him . [All contacts with the outside world have been cut off in this space . ] Flinch . Goh Gun-Hui confirmed that the smartphone had no signal, just as the creature had said, and put the device down . ¡°Am I dreaming a bad dream right now?¡± Not only did a monster intrude into the HQ of Korea¡¯s Hunter¡¯s Association right in the middle of Seoul, it even began speaking in Korean, too . If this wasn¡¯t the very definition of a bad dream, then what else could be? It was then . ¡°Keuk!¡± Goh Gun-Hui felt a sharp pain brush past his left shoulder and quickly grabbed it tight . ¡®Something¡¯ happened the moment this monster pointed at him . He cautiously lifted his hand away to discover a cut wound on the shoulder, as if something sharp had sliced him up . The truly mystifying thing was, even though his flesh had been sliced open, not a drop of blood came from the wound . Instead, the area around the cut had been frozen solid and white frost had settled around it . ¡®Just¡­ how??¡¯ Goh Gun-Hui dazedly stared at his wound before raising his head back up . The monster was still sitting relaxedly on the same spot in the couch . [Do you think that pain is also a part of your dream?] Goh Gun-Hui nodded his head . ¡°I see . So, this is reality . In that case, let me ask you again . Just what are you?¡± [I wanted you to recognise me first, but, in the end, you were just a simple human . ] ¡°Just a human¡­ . ??¡± The monster slowly stood up from the couch . At the same time, couches, the coffee table, and other furniture nearby the creature were shoved violently away and crashed into the walls . Kwa-du-duk!! The furniture froze up in an instant and got stuck on the walls . ¡®Oh, my god¡­ . ¡¯ Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s eyes opened wider . The goosebumps-inducing chill slowly permeated into the office of the Association President . [I don¡¯t have a habit of toying around with a weakling . Reveal yourself, Fragment of the Brilliant Light . ] Just who would dare to label Goh Gun-Hui as a weakling in this world? However, he realised that he couldn¡¯t dispute that claim . The creature before his eyes possessed this Mt . Tai-like authoritative power, and whenever it opened its mouth, its voice reverberated and exploded like a thunderclap . [Hurry up!] This thing was on another realm compared to him . He possessed incomparably excellent senses, so he could instantly figure out the differences between his and his opponent¡¯s power level . Cold perspiration soaked his forehead . [Are you worried about your vessel breaking? Even if it was not you, your vessel¡¯s lifespan is almost over, anyway . ] The monster then added, [But, if you¡¯re hiding away because you¡¯re scared, then¡­] before flipping both of his palms up to face the ceiling . Right away, spine-chilling cold air began condensing there . [¡­ . Then, there is no point in talking to you anymore . ] ¡°¡­??¡± Goh Gun-Hui fell into an extreme case of confusion from the indecipherable utterance of his opponent, but in the meantime, that incredibly cold air flew out from one of the monster¡¯s hands . KWA-BOOM!! A powerful explosion swept away the spot where Goh Gun-Hui had been standing on . White smoke created from the extreme coldness rose up like a veil of fog and covered the surroundings until it was impossible to see anything . But then, a pair of flames emitting pure light began burning brightly within this smoke . Those were a pair of eyes glowing in a golden hue . The monster confirmed the colour of the light oozing out from the screen of whiteness and formed an eerie smile, before throwing the remaining clump of cold air in its other hand . ¡°Hmph!¡± Goh Gun-Hui swung his arm and swiped that cold air away . It was flung away and crashed heavily against the wall . Boom!! The cold air exploded and the entirety of the wall was blown away . Through the gaping opening, one could see a space filled with endless pitch-black darkness . The white smoke obscuring the view slowly dissipated, and the unhurt Association President Goh Gun-Hui was revealed in full . Not just his two eyes, but his whole body was enveloped in this stupendous golden aura that wavered around gently in the air . ¡°You separated the President¡¯s office and hid it in between dimensions . Quite impressive . ¡± A completely different voice than how he normally sounded came out from Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s mouth . The monster began speaking again . [Finally¡­ finally, we get to meet each other . Oh, Fragment of the most Brilliant Light . I¡¯ve wandered around for a long time to locate you . But, who¡¯d have thought that you were confined in a broken vessel and couldn¡¯t even wield your own powers . ] Unlike the tone of voice that sounded emotional, the monster¡¯s expression remained unchanging . With a frozen-stiff face, it continued to speak . [We have already located the whereabouts of your other seven comrades . And we have destroyed two fragments by now . ] This time, it was Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s expression¡¯s turn to harden . Not only him, but the locations of all the Rulers had been exposed, and two had already lost their vessels, as well? Such a counterattack was out of the Rulers¡¯ expectations . [That look on your face . ] The monster formed a creepy smile . [I always wished to see the panic and fluster in that arrogant, haughty expression of yours . And now, I can destroy your vessel with no regret . ] ¡°Do your worst, Sovereign of Frost!!¡± Goh Gun-Hui roared out thunderously! The wavering golden aura surrounding his body intensified by a step, before transforming into a figure emitting this bright light from his entire body . The darkness filling up the space beyond was illuminated brightly in an instant . However, even though it was being subjected to this incredible power, the Sovereign of Frost didn¡¯t bother to wipe that ridiculing smile off its lips . [Are you planning to resist me? How foolish . ] Ice-cold white light oozed out from the Sovereign¡¯s eyes . At the same time, the floor beneath its feet began freezing up . Just like how the bright golden light was enveloping Goh Gun-Hui, the intense and bitterly cold air surrounded the Sovereign¡¯s entire figure . And then, the creature bared its fangs . [You merely borrow a human¡¯s body, while I have taken over mine . Do you believe that you can even touch a hair on my body?] At this moment, when the Sovereign had let down its guard ¨C Goh Gun-Hui instinctively realised that this could be his only chance and dashed forward like an arrow to pounce on the Sovereign . Unfortunately, the opponent¡¯s reaction was definitely not slow, either . KWANG!! The golden light and the cold air got into a messy tangle and caused a series of intense explosions . Boom!! Kwahng! Kwa-Boom!! But, as the battle became protracted, Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s movements visibly dulled . Compared to his enemy, the injuries on his body continued to accumulate . As his actions got harsher and heavier, more and more white steam leaked out from his panting mouth . ¡°Hah-ahk . ¡± The length of time a patient at death¡¯s doorstep could fight while stuck in such coldness was at best, two minutes tops . Just as the Sovereign had alluded to, the result of this fight was already set in stone . His stamina had already reached its limit . Goh Gun-Hui had already expended more than the permitted amount of magical energy his body could handle . His eyes became bloodshot, and blood began leaking out from the corner of his lips . Too bad, all of his efforts were for naught . Stab! A sharp ice spike stabbed directly into his chest and emerged out his back . ¡°Keo-heok!¡± Goh Gun-Hui spat out a mouthful of blood . The Sovereign of Frost inflicted a mortal wound on its opponent with an ice spike shooting out from the tip of its hand . Seeing the status of its victim, the creature clicked its tongue as if to lament this situation . [Is that as far your vessel can go? How pathetic, oh, Fragment of the Brilliant Light . ] Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s head was lowered as he breathed and wheezed painfully . The Sovereign of Frost looked down on him . [How long will you take to find new vessels? One year? Two years? Unfortunately for you, our armies have already arrived in this world . ] Everything in this world would be destroyed and gone well before the arrival of the Rulers¡¯ soldiers . [It was your mistake trying to save the denizens of this world . Did we look like such weak opponents that you thought you could win even when diverting your attention to something else?] The Sovereign of Frost formed a victorious smile . [Well, then¡­ . ] To put the icing on this cake, the Sovereign raised its other hand and got ready . Cold aura began condensing in this raised hand . The final attack to end the life of the human acting as a Ruler¡¯s vessel was taking its shape . But, then¡­ . ¡°Ku-hot . Ahahaha-!!¡± Out of the blue, Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s blood-soaked lips broke out into hoarse laughter . The Sovereign¡¯s hand stopped moving . [¡­ . ?] Goh Gun-Hui panted heavily as he intensely glared at his enemy . ¡°You think I, cough, fought you without a plan?¡± His left hand powerfully and tightly grasped the Sovereign¡¯s wrist just beneath his chest . ¡°Just like how we didn¡¯t expect you to imitate our ways, a huge variable has occurred that exceeds your expectation . ¡± [¡­ . A variable?] The eyes of the Sovereign grew wider as it studied the expression of confidence on Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s face . A bluff? No, it couldn¡¯t be ¨C his expression was too loaded with hidden meanings for that . Just as the Sovereign¡¯s thoughts arrived at that point¡­ ¡­ . The creature had to hurriedly tilt its head to the side . ¡®¡­ . . !!¡¯ Truly by a paper-thin margin, an incredible amount of magical energy shot past the location where its head was only a millisecond ago . The attack was so powerful that it even burnt away Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s right arm after firing it . The magic energy crashed into the opposite wall of the separated space and caused a ginormous explosion . KWA-BOOM!! The entirety of the separated space trembled from the sheer power . If such an attack found its intended target, just what might have happened? ¡®¡­ . That was dangerous . ¡¯ Too bad for the human, the Sovereign had sensed the enemy¡¯s intention in that instant and as a result, was able to dodge it at the very last possible moment . The Sovereign stared at Goh Gun-Hui, who must¡¯ve exhausted all of his remaining energy from that attack, and formed a smile . [Was that your final hidden card?] That smile was clearly one of ridicule . However, Goh Gun-Hui was smiling along, as well . ¡°That¡¯s right . ¡± The Sovereign discovered that smile floating up on the pale, waning face of the human and began feeling this puzzling sense of encroaching ill omen . How come¡­ How come it was being overwhelmed by this creeping chill, even though victory was at hand? Its puzzlement didn¡¯t last for long, though . Crack-! ¡®¡­ . ??¡¯ The Sovereign¡¯s gaze quickly shifted to its rear . The barrier separating this space from the outside was crumbling into pieces after that enormous magical energy slammed into it . ¡®Was this his original intention?¡¯ Even then, didn¡¯t this act ultimately a meaningless resistance? [Nothing would change just because the wall between the dimensions break down . ] It was then, the consciousness of the Ruler dwelling within the old man¡¯s body raised the corner of his lips . ¡°Will it¡­ really be that way?¡± Crash-!! Soon, the barrier shattered completely and the space regained its original appearance . Lights from the other buildings; cars on the streets below those buildings; and the President¡¯s office, too . Everything returned to their original place . Which meant¡­ Goh Gun-Hui summoned up the last of his strength and shouted at the ground beneath him . ¡°Now!¡± From beneath his feet, a blob separated from his shadow and rapidly transformed into that of a certain ant . This creature avoided the Sovereign altogether and, while screeching out loudly, jumped outside the window . Kiiehhk-!! The Sovereign quickly shifted its gaze over to that creature . It couldn¡¯t understand why a denizen of the chaos world suddenly appeared here . However, it was just that, a lone denizen . It was just a weakling of a soldier that submitted to the King of Insects . That was all . Even then ¨C the Sovereign couldn¡¯t rip its eyes away from that ant getting further and further away . ¡®¡­Could it be??¡¯ Eventually, the Sovereign¡¯s brows shot up higher . ¡®Ah, ah!¡¯ It should have realised the truth from the beginning . It should have realised that the reason why the Fragment of the Brilliant Light poured out enough power to shatter the barrier even at the heavy cost to the human¡¯s body, when the Ruler always chose to conserve its strength, worried that the vessel would break sooner if it went all out . Indeed, the b*stard hadn¡¯t been resisting so bitterly in order to escape from the barrier . There was yet another reason behind his actions . ¡®No!¡¯ The Sovereign of Frost belatedly realised the identity of that ant and its eyes grew even wider than before . Pah-bahk! The Sovereign hurriedly discarded Goh Gun-Hui and leapt in the direction where that ant had run off to . Cold air coalesced in its hand and froze up to create an ice sickle . The creature instantly arrived at the ant¡¯s location and slammed down with its ice sickle . But then¡­ Grab! The wrist wielding the sickle was immediately grabbed by someone¡¯s hand . The grasping power was so great that the Sovereign couldn¡¯t retract its arm at all, no matter what . But, even before the creature had any time to be surprised by that power, its neck was grabbed hard, too . [Keok!] The Sovereign of Frost confirmed just who appeared in the spot where the ant had disappeared from and felt its heart tumble to the pit of its stomach . And then, it asked in a disbelieving tone of voice . [But, you¡­ Why?] Meanwhile, Jin-Woo grasped the neck of this Sovereign of Frost tightly so it wouldn¡¯t be able to escape, and shot it a puzzled look . ¡°An Ice Elf?¡± < Chapter 200 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 200: Chapter 200 Would talking to ¡®it¡¯ work?. The Association President Goh Gun-Hui quietly observed the uninvited guest ¡°¡­¡±. However, the creature didn¡¯t say anything Different from other monsters, though, it didn¡¯t immediately bare its fangs . No, it just sat there in silence while ignoring the owner of this office altogether As this uncomfortable silence persisted for a brief period, Goh Gun-Hui found himself with an opportunity to study his new opponent in detail ¡®It looks exactly like an Ice Elf . ¡¯. An Ice Elf, often referred to as the White Phantom, was a monster commonly seen within upper-ranked dungeons . The unique appearances of these creatures were well known among the Hunters by now Strangely enough, although this uninvited guest¡¯s countenance did possess all the general features of an Ice Elf, there were a few clear differences present as well . That made him question whether this creature was actually from the same Ice Elf race or not ¡®It¡¯s as if¡­ . ¡¯. ¡­ . If the Ice Elves were trees that formed part of a forest, then this silent guest of his was like an aged tree guarding a desiccated forest all by itself Its skin was cracking up like the bark of a tree; its fingers were bony; a tangled, messy beard on its chin and two deeply-sunken, hollow-looking eyes If an Ice Elf managed to live for hundreds, no, thousands of years, then it might look like this guy . It was that kind of face The unusual points didn¡¯t end at the creature¡¯s face, though Gulp Goh Gun-Hui swallowed his dry saliva, unbeknownst to even himself ¡®Its presence¡­ I couldn¡¯t sense its presence at all . ¡¯. An uninvited guest had entered in complete silence and settled down on the couch, yet he had failed to sense its approach until he got to confirm the truth with his own two eyes His ultra-sharp senses wouldn¡¯t have missed this creature¡¯s arrival if it was nothing but an ordinary monster ¡®¡­ . This is not an opponent that I can deal with . ¡¯. Goh Gun-Hui quickly assessed his situation, and then, very softly flipped his smartphone up to glance at the screen in order to signal for help When he did that, the monster shifted its gaze over to him [All contacts with the outside world have been cut off in this space . ]. Flinch Goh Gun-Hui confirmed that the smartphone had no signal, just as the creature had said, and put the device down ¡°Am I dreaming a bad dream right now?¡±. Not only did a monster intrude into the HQ of Korea¡¯s Hunter¡¯s Association right in the middle of Seoul, it even began speaking in Korean, too . If this wasn¡¯t the very definition of a bad dream, then what else could be?. It was then ¡°Keuk!¡±. Goh Gun-Hui felt a sharp pain brush past his left shoulder and quickly grabbed it tight ¡®Something¡¯ happened the moment this monster pointed at him . He cautiously lifted his hand away to discover a cut wound on the shoulder, as if something sharp had sliced him up The truly mystifying thing was, even though his flesh had been sliced open, not a drop of blood came from the wound . Instead, the area around the cut had been frozen solid and white frost had settled around it ¡®Just¡­ how??¡¯. Goh Gun-Hui dazedly stared at his wound before raising his head back up . The monster was still sitting relaxedly on the same spot in the couch [Do you think that pain is also a part of your dream?]. Goh Gun-Hui nodded his head ¡°I see . So, this is reality . In that case, let me ask you again . Just what are you?¡±. [I wanted you to recognise me first, but, in the end, you were just a simple human . ]. ¡°Just a human¡­ . ??¡±. The monster slowly stood up from the couch At the same time, couches, the coffee table, and other furniture nearby the creature were shoved violently away and crashed into the walls Kwa-du-duk!!. The furniture froze up in an instant and got stuck on the walls ¡®Oh, my god¡­ . ¡¯. Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s eyes opened wider The goosebumps-inducing chill slowly permeated into the office of the Association President [I don¡¯t have a habit of toying around with a weakling . Reveal yourself, Fragment of the Brilliant Light . ]. Just who would dare to label Goh Gun-Hui as a weakling in this world?. However, he realised that he couldn¡¯t dispute that claim . The creature before his eyes possessed this Mt . Tai-like authoritative power, and whenever it opened its mouth, its voice reverberated and exploded like a thunderclap [Hurry up!]. This thing was on another realm compared to him He possessed incomparably excellent senses, so he could instantly figure out the differences between his and his opponent¡¯s power level Cold perspiration soaked his forehead [Are you worried about your vessel breaking? Even if it was not you, your vessel¡¯s lifespan is almost over, anyway . ]. The monster then added, [But, if you¡¯re hiding away because you¡¯re scared, then¡­] before flipping both of his palms up to face the ceiling . Right away, spine-chilling cold air began condensing there [¡­ . Then, there is no point in talking to you anymore . ]. ¡°¡­??¡±. Goh Gun-Hui fell into an extreme case of confusion from the indecipherable utterance of his opponent, but in the meantime, that incredibly cold air flew out from one of the monster¡¯s hands KWA-BOOM!!. A powerful explosion swept away the spot where Goh Gun-Hui had been standing on White smoke created from the extreme coldness rose up like a veil of fog and covered the surroundings until it was impossible to see anything But then, a pair of flames emitting pure light began burning brightly within this smoke . Those were a pair of eyes glowing in a golden hue The monster confirmed the colour of the light oozing out from the screen of whiteness and formed an eerie smile, before throwing the remaining clump of cold air in its other hand ¡°Hmph!¡±. Goh Gun-Hui swung his arm and swiped that cold air away . It was flung away and crashed heavily against the wall Boom!!. The cold air exploded and the entirety of the wall was blown away . Through the gaping opening, one could see a space filled with endless pitch-black darkness The white smoke obscuring the view slowly dissipated, and the unhurt Association President Goh Gun-Hui was revealed in full . Not just his two eyes, but his whole body was enveloped in this stupendous golden aura that wavered around gently in the air ¡°You separated the President¡¯s office and hid it in between dimensions . Quite impressive . ¡±. A completely different voice than how he normally sounded came out from Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s mouth . The monster began speaking again [Finally¡­ finally, we get to meet each other . Oh, Fragment of the most Brilliant Light . I¡¯ve wandered around for a long time to locate you . But, who¡¯d have thought that you were confined in a broken vessel and couldn¡¯t even wield your own powers . ]. Unlike the tone of voice that sounded emotional, the monster¡¯s expression remained unchanging . With a frozen-stiff face, it continued to speak [We have already located the whereabouts of your other seven comrades . And we have destroyed two fragments by now . ]. This time, it was Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s expression¡¯s turn to harden . Not only him, but the locations of all the Rulers had been exposed, and two had already lost their vessels, as well?. Such a counterattack was out of the Rulers¡¯ expectations [That look on your face . ]. The monster formed a creepy smile [I always wished to see the panic and fluster in that arrogant, haughty expression of yours . And now, I can destroy your vessel with no regret . ]. ¡°Do your worst, Sovereign of Frost!!¡±. Goh Gun-Hui roared out thunderously!. The wavering golden aura surrounding his body intensified by a step, before transforming into a figure emitting this bright light from his entire body . The darkness filling up the space beyond was illuminated brightly in an instant However, even though it was being subjected to this incredible power, the Sovereign of Frost didn¡¯t bother to wipe that ridiculing smile off its lips [Are you planning to resist me? How foolish . ]. Ice-cold white light oozed out from the Sovereign¡¯s eyes . At the same time, the floor beneath its feet began freezing up Just like how the bright golden light was enveloping Goh Gun-Hui, the intense and bitterly cold air surrounded the Sovereign¡¯s entire figure . And then, the creature bared its fangs [You merely borrow a human¡¯s body, while I have taken over mine . Do you believe that you can even touch a hair on my body?]. At this moment, when the Sovereign had let down its guard ¨C Goh Gun-Hui instinctively realised that this could be his only chance and dashed forward like an arrow to pounce on the Sovereign Unfortunately, the opponent¡¯s reaction was definitely not slow, either KWANG!!. The golden light and the cold air got into a messy tangle and caused a series of intense explosions Boom!! Kwahng! Kwa-Boom!!. But, as the battle became protracted, Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s movements visibly dulled . Compared to his enemy, the injuries on his body continued to accumulate . As his actions got harsher and heavier, more and more white steam leaked out from his panting mouth ¡°Hah-ahk . ¡±. The length of time a patient at death¡¯s doorstep could fight while stuck in such coldness was at best, two minutes tops . Just as the Sovereign had alluded to, the result of this fight was already set in stone His stamina had already reached its limit Goh Gun-Hui had already expended more than the permitted amount of magical energy his body could handle . His eyes became bloodshot, and blood began leaking out from the corner of his lips Too bad, all of his efforts were for naught Stab!. A sharp ice spike stabbed directly into his chest and emerged out his back ¡°Keo-heok!¡±. Goh Gun-Hui spat out a mouthful of blood The Sovereign of Frost inflicted a mortal wound on its opponent with an ice spike shooting out from the tip of its hand . Seeing the status of its victim, the creature clicked its tongue as if to lament this situation [Is that as far your vessel can go? How pathetic, oh, Fragment of the Brilliant Light . ]. Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s head was lowered as he breathed and wheezed painfully . The Sovereign of Frost looked down on him [How long will you take to find new vessels? One year? Two years? Unfortunately for you, our armies have already arrived in this world . ]. Everything in this world would be destroyed and gone well before the arrival of the Rulers¡¯ soldiers [It was your mistake trying to save the denizens of this world . Did we look like such weak opponents that you thought you could win even when diverting your attention to something else?]. The Sovereign of Frost formed a victorious smile [Well, then¡­ . ]. To put the icing on this cake, the Sovereign raised its other hand and got ready . Cold aura began condensing in this raised hand The final attack to end the life of the human acting as a Ruler¡¯s vessel was taking its shape . But, then¡­ ¡°Ku-hot . Ahahaha-!!¡±. Out of the blue, Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s blood-soaked lips broke out into hoarse laughter . The Sovereign¡¯s hand stopped moving [¡­ . ?]. Goh Gun-Hui panted heavily as he intensely glared at his enemy ¡°You think I, cough, fought you without a plan?¡±. His left hand powerfully and tightly grasped the Sovereign¡¯s wrist just beneath his chest ¡°Just like how we didn¡¯t expect you to imitate our ways, a huge variable has occurred that exceeds your expectation . ¡±. [¡­ . A variable?]. The eyes of the Sovereign grew wider as it studied the expression of confidence on Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s face A bluff? No, it couldn¡¯t be ¨C his expression was too loaded with hidden meanings for that . Just as the Sovereign¡¯s thoughts arrived at that point¡­. ¡­ . The creature had to hurriedly tilt its head to the side ¡®¡­ !!¡¯. Truly by a paper-thin margin, an incredible amount of magical energy shot past the location where its head was only a millisecond ago . The attack was so powerful that it even burnt away Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s right arm after firing it The magic energy crashed into the opposite wall of the separated space and caused a ginormous explosion KWA-BOOM!!. The entirety of the separated space trembled from the sheer power If such an attack found its intended target, just what might have happened?. ¡®¡­ . That was dangerous . ¡¯. Too bad for the human, the Sovereign had sensed the enemy¡¯s intention in that instant and as a result, was able to dodge it at the very last possible moment . The Sovereign stared at Goh Gun-Hui, who must¡¯ve exhausted all of his remaining energy from that attack, and formed a smile [Was that your final hidden card?]. That smile was clearly one of ridicule . However, Goh Gun-Hui was smiling along, as well ¡°That¡¯s right . ¡±. The Sovereign discovered that smile floating up on the pale, waning face of the human and began feeling this puzzling sense of encroaching ill omen How come¡­. How come it was being overwhelmed by this creeping chill, even though victory was at hand? Its puzzlement didn¡¯t last for long, though Crack-!. ¡®¡­ . ??¡¯. The Sovereign¡¯s gaze quickly shifted to its rear The barrier separating this space from the outside was crumbling into pieces after that enormous magical energy slammed into it ¡®Was this his original intention?¡¯. Even then, didn¡¯t this act ultimately a meaningless resistance?. [Nothing would change just because the wall between the dimensions break down . ]. It was then, the consciousness of the Ruler dwelling within the old man¡¯s body raised the corner of his lips ¡°Will it¡­ really be that way?¡±. Crash-!!. Soon, the barrier shattered completely and the space regained its original appearance Lights from the other buildings; cars on the streets below those buildings; and the President¡¯s office, too . Everything returned to their original place Which meant¡­. Goh Gun-Hui summoned up the last of his strength and shouted at the ground beneath him ¡°Now!¡±. From beneath his feet, a blob separated from his shadow and rapidly transformed into that of a certain ant . This creature avoided the Sovereign altogether and, while screeching out loudly, jumped outside the window Kiiehhk-!!. The Sovereign quickly shifted its gaze over to that creature . It couldn¡¯t understand why a denizen of the chaos world suddenly appeared here However, it was just that, a lone denizen . It was just a weakling of a soldier that submitted to the King of Insects . That was all Even then ¨C the Sovereign couldn¡¯t rip its eyes away from that ant getting further and further away ¡®¡­Could it be??¡¯. Eventually, the Sovereign¡¯s brows shot up higher ¡®Ah, ah!¡¯. It should have realised the truth from the beginning It should have realised that the reason why the Fragment of the Brilliant Light poured out enough power to shatter the barrier even at the heavy cost to the human¡¯s body, when the Ruler always chose to conserve its strength, worried that the vessel would break sooner if it went all out Indeed, the b*stard hadn¡¯t been resisting so bitterly in order to escape from the barrier . There was yet another reason behind his actions ¡®No!¡¯. The Sovereign of Frost belatedly realised the identity of that ant and its eyes grew even wider than before Pah-bahk!. The Sovereign hurriedly discarded Goh Gun-Hui and leapt in the direction where that ant had run off to . Cold air coalesced in its hand and froze up to create an ice sickle The creature instantly arrived at the ant¡¯s location and slammed down with its ice sickle . But then¡­. Grab!. The wrist wielding the sickle was immediately grabbed by someone¡¯s hand . The grasping power was so great that the Sovereign couldn¡¯t retract its arm at all, no matter what But, even before the creature had any time to be surprised by that power, its neck was grabbed hard, too [Keok!]. The Sovereign of Frost confirmed just who appeared in the spot where the ant had disappeared from and felt its heart tumble to the pit of its stomach . And then, it asked in a disbelieving tone of voice [But, you¡­ Why?]. Meanwhile, Jin-Woo grasped the neck of this Sovereign of Frost tightly so it wouldn¡¯t be able to escape, and shot it a puzzled look ¡°An Ice Elf?¡±. < Chapter 200 > Fin Chapter 201 Jin-Woo had a bit of history with the monsters called Ice Elves . Didn¡¯t he encounter these creatures when he stumbled into a Red Gate for the first time in his life? How rueful did he feel back then, after seeing the boss mob ¡®Baruka¡¯ slipping out of his hands while leaving only a dagger behind? Just remembering that event brought back all the bad emotions he felt then after failing to extract that monster¡¯s shadow . ¡®And here I was, having just barely forgotten about it¡­ . ¡¯ Naturally, his strength while gripping this creature¡¯s wrist and neck increased . Wuduk! [Keok!] In any case, why was a high-ranking monster that should have been confined to a dungeon roaming freely around here? Jin-Woo got here by switching his position with his Shadow Soldier . Next up, he used ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ to keep his balance and float in the air about 7 or 8 stories high . While gripping the monster tightly, he asked this mysterious Ice Elf a question . ¡°What the hell are you?¡± Seeing those pointy ears, or the long whitish hair, or even its pair of silvery eyes, this thing seemed to be a White Phantom alright, but then again, he could also sense the trace of an unfathomably lengthy passage of time from this creature, too . Not only that¡­ . [Kuwuaaahk!] The monster gritted its teeth and shook off Jin-Woo¡¯s hands . ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯ What an incredible physical strength! Even before he had the chance to get surprised from the monster slipping out of his grasp, Jin-Woo picked up on this chilling aura coagulating around the creature¡¯s mouth . Inexplicably, the image of Demon King Baran shooting lightning out of its mouth overlapped with this b*stard . By sheer instinct, Jin-Woo tilted his torso away . Kawahh-!! The bitterly cold air shot out from the monster¡¯s mouth, sped past Jin-Woo¡¯s original position, and poured out into the air behind him . After confirming the scary amount of magical energy being poured out by the monster with his two eyes, Jin-Woo quickly retreated an adequate-enough distance away . ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ He lightly dusted the particles of ice clinging onto his shoulder and stared intently at the Ice Elf ¨C no, the Sovereign of Frost . That thing was no ordinary monster . His ultra-sharp senses were warning him that this thing was much stronger than any monster he had faced off against so far . Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t the only one getting surprised, though . [But, how can you¡­ . ??] The Sovereign hurriedly looked at Jin-Woo¡¯s shadow and, after confirming the number of soldiers hiding in there, couldn¡¯t hide the fact that it was feeling deeply surprised right now . [You have managed to amass that many soldiers, so why haven¡¯t you contacted us already?] When Jin-Woo made no effort to reply, the Sovereign began looking into his eyes . And then, a pained gasp leaked out from the creature¡¯s mouth . [So, that¡¯s how it was¡­ . You¡¯re the variable he talked about, aren¡¯t you?] What was this fool talking about? Jin-Woo was getting rather curious about the meaning behind this monster¡¯s constant babbling, but too bad, he didn¡¯t have enough leeway to hold a cordial Q&A session with this creature . Just one moment of carelessness and the enemy¡¯s blade would reach him . And that blade wasn¡¯t dull enough for him to ignore it and hope for the best . As a matter of fact, his shoulder that got frozen for a moment just a few seconds ago was still aching even now . Jin-Woo took a glance at the hurting shoulder and quietly summoned the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortswords¡¯ from his Inventory . Weapons silently appeared in his hands . ¡®Is it a Mage-type creature?¡¯ Judging from how it barely managed to get out of his grasp, its physical strength or defences didn¡¯t seem to be as high as its magical energy reserve suggested . Which was a relief, actually . He knew from his vast experiences in fighting many different types of monsters up until now that the Mage-type enemies were the easiest to deal with since they could be killed in an instant . Just one hit would be enough to determine the winner . If they both possessed a similar level of magical energy reserves, then the one needing to dodge the magic attacks would hold an advantage . His opponent must¡¯ve known that too because it didn¡¯t immediately try to go on the offensive, even though it had clearly sensed Jin-Woo¡¯s hostility . The Sovereign of Frost deliberated on its options very seriously ¨C but, only for a brief time ¨C before deciding on what it would do next . [¡­ . We shall stop here . I didn¡¯t come here today to hold a life-or-death struggle with you . ] ¡°What was that??¡± Jin-Woo frowned deeply . He had no desire to let this guy leave, so just who decided when they would stop fighting? Besides, this creature wielded a massive amount of magic energy . Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine just how many experience points he¡¯d earn if he successfully killed this monster . His level might even jump up by another ten, just like back when he killed the King of Giants . ¡®¡­ . Hang on . ¡¯ When his thoughts arrived there, Jin-Woo finally deduced the identity of the monster . ¡®Could that thing be¡­ . ??¡¯ Meanwhile, the Sovereign pointed towards the broken wall of the Hunter¡¯s Association building . [Did you not come here to save that human?] Technically speaking, he came here because the ant soldier he left behind in the Association President¡¯s shadow sent him an urgent alert, that was all . Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze shifted towards the location the Sovereign¡¯s outstretched finger was pointing at . And he found Goh Gun-Hui lying on the floor there . ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯ The unconscious Association President was covered in blood from head to toe, and even at a casual glance, he could tell that the man¡¯s life was hanging precariously on the edge . It was then . [Now, choose . ] A large, incredibly sharp ice lance suddenly formed on the left hand of the Sovereign . [Choose between fighting me or saving that human . ] The moment the creature¡¯s words came to an end, the lance flew towards Goh Gun-Hui . Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes widened . He pushed his concentration to the absolute max, causing the flow of time to slow down greatly . He watched the lance fly agonisingly slowly, but accurately, towards the unmoving Association President . ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority!¡¯ He tried to use his invisible hand to stop the ice lance, but the magical energy of the one who threw it easily thwarted his attempts . Enraged, Jin-Woo shifted his glare at the Sovereign of Frost . The b*stard was waiting . For Jin-Woo¡¯s answer, that was . He bit his lower lip before dashing towards the spot where the Association President Goh Gun-Hui had collapsed on . Wuuwung-!! The air where Jin-Woo used to be wavered and tumbled about from the explosive power . Just before the lance landed, he arrived by Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s side first with almost no time to spare and dragged the unmoving man away from the weapon¡¯s trajectory . Kwajeeck!! The lance stabbed straight through the floor and the bitter coldness rapidly flooded out to freeze up the surroundings in an instant . Kwa-du-duk, kwa-duk!! In the blink of an eye, the entire floor of the President¡¯s office froze up solid from the extremely low temperature . ¡®D*mn it!¡¯ Jin-Woo picked Goh Gun-Hui up and lightly jumped up in the air to avoid the freeze, and once this incredible biting coldness stopped spreading around, he settled back down on the floor . Further enraged by this cheap tactic, Jin-Woo raised his head to look, but the b*stard was already jumping into a small Gate to escape from this battle . In a rush, he quickly summoned ¡®Baruka¡¯s Dagger¡¯ from the Inventory and threw it . ¡®Dagger Rush!¡¯ Swishhhh-! The dagger flew in a dead-straight line and accurately stabbed into the Sovereign¡¯s shoulder . [Kuwahk!!] The Sovereign of Frost glared at the dagger in its shoulder, then glared at the one who threw it next ¨C at Jin-Woo ¨C and gnashed its teeth . It soon disappeared into the depth of the Gate . Jin-Woo was thinking of chasing after the creature, but seeing the Gate¡¯s gradually shrink in size, he gave up on that idea . Besides, Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s current condition wasn¡¯t good enough for him to focus his attention elsewhere . ¡°Euh-euhk¡­ . ¡± The older man gasped out a pained moan . Jin-Woo¡¯s lips closed shut in a straight line as he watched the Association President Goh Gun-Hui teeter precariously on the edge of life and death . ¡®This can¡¯t be healed with a healing potion . ¡¯ In that case, the best response he could come up with was to¡­ . ¡­ . Jin-Woo yelled out at the top of his lungs . ¡°Beru!¡± Right away, he sensed the familiar aura hurriedly fly out from his apartment from a far away . Kwa-boom!! Beru smashed past several walls after flying in with all his might and entered the President¡¯s office, before kneeling down in front of Jin-Woo . ¡°Have you called for me, oh, my king?¡± Jin-Woo cautiously lowered Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s upper torso on the floor and took a step back . There was so much blood dripping out from the Association President that Jin-Woo¡¯s hands were now painted crimson just from supporting the older man¡¯s torso for a few seconds . Drip, drip¡­ . Jin-Woo¡¯s complexion grew gloomier as he stared at the droplets of blood fall to the floor from his fingertips . Beru did as his master willed it and approached Goh Gun-Hui . He began using up all of his magical energy healing the gravely injured man . Wuuonng¡­ Wuuwuong¡­ Unfortunately, the complexion of the dying man didn¡¯t want to improve at all even with such a concerted healing effort . Beru panicked and opened his mouth . ¡°M-my king¡­ . ¡± Beru¡¯s scared eyes shifted over to Jin-Woo as he spoke . ¡°My healing magic¡­ isn¡¯t working on him . I can¡¯t heal this man . ¡± ¡°What??¡± He didn¡¯t seem to be exaggerating, because Beru¡¯s hands were shuddering as he continued on with his healing magic . Even Jin-Woo could sense the enormous amount of Beru¡¯s magic energy being spent right now . At this rate, even the former ant king would keel over from exhaustion . Jin-Woo halted the healing effort and sat down next to Goh Gun-Hui to take a closer look at the man¡¯s current condition . Despite Beru¡¯s near-selfless efforts, the Association President¡¯s vitality had weakened even further than before . Whatever that attack was, the hole in Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s chest didn¡¯t want to close up even after Jin-Woo poured in a whole bottle of the most expensive healing potion sold in the Store . ¡®D*mn it!¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s breathing became urgent as the critical moment for Goh Gun-Hui approached closer and closer . The man who did his best for Jin-Woo¡¯s sake was slipping away and he couldn¡¯t do anything . Out of sheer desperation, he even summoned out the bottle of ¡®Divine Water of Life¡¯, but before he could use it, someone grasped his wrist . ¡°Please¡­ . stop . ¡± It was Goh Gun-Hui . He managed somehow to force his eyes open . ¡°Association President!¡± His breathing remained heavy as if it was on the brink of cutting out . He still got to confirm the faces of Jin-Woo and Beru next to him, though . ¡°¡­ . You did come for me . Thank you . ¡± A weak smile spread on Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s face . ¡°Please, hold on for a little bit longer . I¡¯ll take you to a hospital right now . ¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s urgent voice only managed to earn a shake of Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s head . ¡°It¡¯s useless¡­ the attack that got me far exceeds the level of being curable with medicine or magic . ¡± ¡°But, sir!¡± Jin-Woo was about to get angry after hearing those words of weakness from the Association President, but he had to stop . Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s trembling hand was grasping his, that was why . ¡°Listen to me!¡± As if he was spurring on the dying embers of life for one last hurrah, Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s brows rose up high, his eyes opening up wide . ¡°I was able to get in touch with the will of the great beings . I saw their plans, who our common enemies are, and the things that we must do¡­ . ¡± The blood pooling in Goh Gun-Hui mouth gurgled and welled up . ¡°What a relief that you¡¯re here with us¡­ to think, you¡¯d possess that kind of power¡­ . Thank you, God¡­ . ¡± Tears began welling up in Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s eyes as he stared at Jin-Woo . He then grasped the young Hunter¡¯s hand with both of his own and spoke with a trembling voice . ¡°Gates and dungeons weren¡¯t for them . In order to protect us, they chose this method, and¡­ . Cough¡­ . ¡± At that moment, Goh Gun-Hui coughed and reddish-black blood spluttered out from his mouth . Jin-Woo hurriedly tried to use the Divine Water, but Goh Gun-Hui shook his head . He knew the condition of his own body better than anyone . ¡°Sometime in the future¡­ there will come a time when you must make a decision . When you do¡­ I pray that you remain on the side of mankind . ¡± Hearing the pained gasping voice of Goh Gun-Hui, Jin-Woo felt as if his heart was being ripped to pieces . But, all he could do right now was to quietly listen to his words . That¡¯s all he could do . ¡°Cough . I always wished I could fight alongside young people like you . But¡­ . This body of mine made sure that would never happen . ¡± For the first time ever, Goh Gun-Hui poured out what was in his heart without holding back . Some people pointed their disapproving fingers at him, accusing him of establishing the Association to rake in more money . Some even insulted him as a senile old fool who was blinded by the allure of power . The thing was, the man they were criticising was feeling angry that, even though he was blessed with this incredible power, he couldn¡¯t even use it properly . He sought out other avenues to use his powers and, after spending every cent to his name, created the Hunter¡¯s Association . And through this organisation, he got to be near other Hunters and fulfilled his calling to its fullest . ¡°Even then, cough, I don¡¯t regret anything . I can now entrust the future to young people like you . That¡¯s all I ask for . ¡± Drop¡­ . Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s hands holding onto Jin-Woo¡¯s powerlessly fell to the floor . And he was no longer staring at the young man, but at the ceiling of his office . Was it because his tears had spread out? The lights hanging on the ceiling, the ones he always thought were a bit too dim for his liking, seemed excessively blinding today . Goh Gun-Hui shielded his eyes to block those lights . ¡°I¡¯m truly relieved¡­ . Thank you, thank you¡­ . ¡± At the end of those words, the Association President Goh Gun-Hui stopped murmuring altogether . Confirming that he was no longer breathing now, Jin-Woo wordlessly closed the deceased man¡¯s unmoving eyes shut . Like his final words of gratitude, the expression on his face was one of peace . Jin-Woo raised his head above to stare outside . Drip, drip¡­ He saw through the destroyed wall the raindrops falling from the cloudy sky . The sky that had been gloomy since the early morning . *** Next day . Several headlines dominated the front pages of countless newspapers . The first news item was about Brazil¡¯s greatest Hunter, ¡®Jonas¡¯ being found on the vicinity of a river ¨C as a corpse . The second one was about the grisly murder of the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association President after his chest was stabbed through by an unidentified assailant . And finally, the news of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo returning to South Korea . < Chapter 201 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 201: Chapter 201 Jin-Woo had a bit of history with the monsters called Ice Elves Didn¡¯t he encounter these creatures when he stumbled into a Red Gate for the first time in his life? How rueful did he feel back then, after seeing the boss mob ¡®Baruka¡¯ slipping out of his hands while leaving only a dagger behind?. Just remembering that event brought back all the bad emotions he felt then after failing to extract that monster¡¯s shadow ¡®And here I was, having just barely forgotten about it¡­ . ¡¯. Naturally, his strength while gripping this creature¡¯s wrist and neck increased Wuduk!. [Keok!]. In any case, why was a high-ranking monster that should have been confined to a dungeon roaming freely around here?. Jin-Woo got here by switching his position with his Shadow Soldier . Next up, he used ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ to keep his balance and float in the air about 7 or 8 stories high . While gripping the monster tightly, he asked this mysterious Ice Elf a question ¡°What the hell are you?¡±. Seeing those pointy ears, or the long whitish hair, or even its pair of silvery eyes, this thing seemed to be a White Phantom alright, but then again, he could also sense the trace of an unfathomably lengthy passage of time from this creature, too Not only that¡­ [Kuwuaaahk!]. The monster gritted its teeth and shook off Jin-Woo¡¯s hands ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯. What an incredible physical strength!. Even before he had the chance to get surprised from the monster slipping out of his grasp, Jin-Woo picked up on this chilling aura coagulating around the creature¡¯s mouth Inexplicably, the image of Demon King Baran shooting lightning out of its mouth overlapped with this b*stard . By sheer instinct, Jin-Woo tilted his torso away Kawahh-!!. The bitterly cold air shot out from the monster¡¯s mouth, sped past Jin-Woo¡¯s original position, and poured out into the air behind him After confirming the scary amount of magical energy being poured out by the monster with his two eyes, Jin-Woo quickly retreated an adequate-enough distance away ¡®¡­ ¡¯. He lightly dusted the particles of ice clinging onto his shoulder and stared intently at the Ice Elf ¨C no, the Sovereign of Frost That thing was no ordinary monster . His ultra-sharp senses were warning him that this thing was much stronger than any monster he had faced off against so far Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t the only one getting surprised, though [But, how can you¡­ . ??]. The Sovereign hurriedly looked at Jin-Woo¡¯s shadow and, after confirming the number of soldiers hiding in there, couldn¡¯t hide the fact that it was feeling deeply surprised right now [You have managed to amass that many soldiers, so why haven¡¯t you contacted us already?]. When Jin-Woo made no effort to reply, the Sovereign began looking into his eyes . And then, a pained gasp leaked out from the creature¡¯s mouth [So, that¡¯s how it was¡­ . You¡¯re the variable he talked about, aren¡¯t you?]. What was this fool talking about?. Jin-Woo was getting rather curious about the meaning behind this monster¡¯s constant babbling, but too bad, he didn¡¯t have enough leeway to hold a cordial Q&A session with this creature Just one moment of carelessness and the enemy¡¯s blade would reach him . And that blade wasn¡¯t dull enough for him to ignore it and hope for the best . As a matter of fact, his shoulder that got frozen for a moment just a few seconds ago was still aching even now Jin-Woo took a glance at the hurting shoulder and quietly summoned the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortswords¡¯ from his Inventory Weapons silently appeared in his hands ¡®Is it a Mage-type creature?¡¯. Judging from how it barely managed to get out of his grasp, its physical strength or defences didn¡¯t seem to be as high as its magical energy reserve suggested Which was a relief, actually He knew from his vast experiences in fighting many different types of monsters up until now that the Mage-type enemies were the easiest to deal with since they could be killed in an instant Just one hit would be enough to determine the winner If they both possessed a similar level of magical energy reserves, then the one needing to dodge the magic attacks would hold an advantage His opponent must¡¯ve known that too because it didn¡¯t immediately try to go on the offensive, even though it had clearly sensed Jin-Woo¡¯s hostility The Sovereign of Frost deliberated on its options very seriously ¨C but, only for a brief time ¨C before deciding on what it would do next [¡­ . We shall stop here . I didn¡¯t come here today to hold a life-or-death struggle with you . ]. ¡°What was that??¡±. Jin-Woo frowned deeply . He had no desire to let this guy leave, so just who decided when they would stop fighting?. Besides, this creature wielded a massive amount of magic energy . Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine just how many experience points he¡¯d earn if he successfully killed this monster . His level might even jump up by another ten, just like back when he killed the King of Giants ¡®¡­ . Hang on . ¡¯. When his thoughts arrived there, Jin-Woo finally deduced the identity of the monster ¡®Could that thing be¡­ . ??¡¯. Meanwhile, the Sovereign pointed towards the broken wall of the Hunter¡¯s Association building [Did you not come here to save that human?]. Technically speaking, he came here because the ant soldier he left behind in the Association President¡¯s shadow sent him an urgent alert, that was all Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze shifted towards the location the Sovereign¡¯s outstretched finger was pointing at . And he found Goh Gun-Hui lying on the floor there ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯. The unconscious Association President was covered in blood from head to toe, and even at a casual glance, he could tell that the man¡¯s life was hanging precariously on the edge It was then [Now, choose . ]. A large, incredibly sharp ice lance suddenly formed on the left hand of the Sovereign [Choose between fighting me or saving that human . ]. The moment the creature¡¯s words came to an end, the lance flew towards Goh Gun-Hui Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes widened . He pushed his concentration to the absolute max, causing the flow of time to slow down greatly . He watched the lance fly agonisingly slowly, but accurately, towards the unmoving Association President ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority!¡¯. He tried to use his invisible hand to stop the ice lance, but the magical energy of the one who threw it easily thwarted his attempts . Enraged, Jin-Woo shifted his glare at the Sovereign of Frost The b*stard was waiting . For Jin-Woo¡¯s answer, that was He bit his lower lip before dashing towards the spot where the Association President Goh Gun-Hui had collapsed on Wuuwung-!!. The air where Jin-Woo used to be wavered and tumbled about from the explosive power . Just before the lance landed, he arrived by Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s side first with almost no time to spare and dragged the unmoving man away from the weapon¡¯s trajectory Kwajeeck!!. The lance stabbed straight through the floor and the bitter coldness rapidly flooded out to freeze up the surroundings in an instant Kwa-du-duk, kwa-duk!!. In the blink of an eye, the entire floor of the President¡¯s office froze up solid from the extremely low temperature ¡®D*mn it!¡¯. Jin-Woo picked Goh Gun-Hui up and lightly jumped up in the air to avoid the freeze, and once this incredible biting coldness stopped spreading around, he settled back down on the floor Further enraged by this cheap tactic, Jin-Woo raised his head to look, but the b*stard was already jumping into a small Gate to escape from this battle In a rush, he quickly summoned ¡®Baruka¡¯s Dagger¡¯ from the Inventory and threw it ¡®Dagger Rush!¡¯. Swishhhh-!. The dagger flew in a dead-straight line and accurately stabbed into the Sovereign¡¯s shoulder [Kuwahk!!]. The Sovereign of Frost glared at the dagger in its shoulder, then glared at the one who threw it next ¨C at Jin-Woo ¨C and gnashed its teeth . It soon disappeared into the depth of the Gate Jin-Woo was thinking of chasing after the creature, but seeing the Gate¡¯s gradually shrink in size, he gave up on that idea . Besides, Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s current condition wasn¡¯t good enough for him to focus his attention elsewhere ¡°Euh-euhk¡­ . ¡±. The older man gasped out a pained moan Jin-Woo¡¯s lips closed shut in a straight line as he watched the Association President Goh Gun-Hui teeter precariously on the edge of life and death ¡®This can¡¯t be healed with a healing potion . ¡¯. In that case, the best response he could come up with was to¡­ ¡­ . Jin-Woo yelled out at the top of his lungs ¡°Beru!¡±. Right away, he sensed the familiar aura hurriedly fly out from his apartment from a far away Kwa-boom!!. Beru smashed past several walls after flying in with all his might and entered the President¡¯s office, before kneeling down in front of Jin-Woo ¡°Have you called for me, oh, my king?¡±. Jin-Woo cautiously lowered Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s upper torso on the floor and took a step back There was so much blood dripping out from the Association President that Jin-Woo¡¯s hands were now painted crimson just from supporting the older man¡¯s torso for a few seconds Drip, drip¡­ Jin-Woo¡¯s complexion grew gloomier as he stared at the droplets of blood fall to the floor from his fingertips Beru did as his master willed it and approached Goh Gun-Hui . He began using up all of his magical energy healing the gravely injured man Wuuonng¡­ Wuuwuong¡­. Unfortunately, the complexion of the dying man didn¡¯t want to improve at all even with such a concerted healing effort . Beru panicked and opened his mouth ¡°M-my king¡­ . ¡±. Beru¡¯s scared eyes shifted over to Jin-Woo as he spoke ¡°My healing magic¡­ isn¡¯t working on him . I can¡¯t heal this man . ¡±. ¡°What??¡±. He didn¡¯t seem to be exaggerating, because Beru¡¯s hands were shuddering as he continued on with his healing magic . Even Jin-Woo could sense the enormous amount of Beru¡¯s magic energy being spent right now . At this rate, even the former ant king would keel over from exhaustion Jin-Woo halted the healing effort and sat down next to Goh Gun-Hui to take a closer look at the man¡¯s current condition . Despite Beru¡¯s near-selfless efforts, the Association President¡¯s vitality had weakened even further than before Whatever that attack was, the hole in Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s chest didn¡¯t want to close up even after Jin-Woo poured in a whole bottle of the most expensive healing potion sold in the Store ¡®D*mn it!¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s breathing became urgent as the critical moment for Goh Gun-Hui approached closer and closer . The man who did his best for Jin-Woo¡¯s sake was slipping away and he couldn¡¯t do anything Out of sheer desperation, he even summoned out the bottle of ¡®Divine Water of Life¡¯, but before he could use it, someone grasped his wrist ¡°Please¡­ . stop . ¡±. It was Goh Gun-Hui . He managed somehow to force his eyes open ¡°Association President!¡±. His breathing remained heavy as if it was on the brink of cutting out . He still got to confirm the faces of Jin-Woo and Beru next to him, though ¡°¡­ . You did come for me . Thank you . ¡±. A weak smile spread on Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s face ¡°Please, hold on for a little bit longer . I¡¯ll take you to a hospital right now . ¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s urgent voice only managed to earn a shake of Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s head ¡°It¡¯s useless¡­ the attack that got me far exceeds the level of being curable with medicine or magic . ¡±. ¡°But, sir!¡±. Jin-Woo was about to get angry after hearing those words of weakness from the Association President, but he had to stop . Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s trembling hand was grasping his, that was why ¡°Listen to me!¡±. As if he was spurring on the dying embers of life for one last hurrah, Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s brows rose up high, his eyes opening up wide ¡°I was able to get in touch with the will of the great beings . I saw their plans, who our common enemies are, and the things that we must do¡­ . ¡±. The blood pooling in Goh Gun-Hui mouth gurgled and welled up ¡°What a relief that you¡¯re here with us¡­ to think, you¡¯d possess that kind of power¡­ . Thank you, God¡­ . ¡±. Tears began welling up in Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s eyes as he stared at Jin-Woo . He then grasped the young Hunter¡¯s hand with both of his own and spoke with a trembling voice ¡°Gates and dungeons weren¡¯t for them . In order to protect us, they chose this method, and¡­ . Cough¡­ . ¡±. At that moment, Goh Gun-Hui coughed and reddish-black blood spluttered out from his mouth Jin-Woo hurriedly tried to use the Divine Water, but Goh Gun-Hui shook his head . He knew the condition of his own body better than anyone ¡°Sometime in the future¡­ there will come a time when you must make a decision . When you do¡­ I pray that you remain on the side of mankind . ¡±. Hearing the pained gasping voice of Goh Gun-Hui, Jin-Woo felt as if his heart was being ripped to pieces . But, all he could do right now was to quietly listen to his words . That¡¯s all he could do ¡°Cough . I always wished I could fight alongside young people like you . But¡­ . This body of mine made sure that would never happen . ¡±. For the first time ever, Goh Gun-Hui poured out what was in his heart without holding back Some people pointed their disapproving fingers at him, accusing him of establishing the Association to rake in more money . Some even insulted him as a senile old fool who was blinded by the allure of power The thing was, the man they were criticising was feeling angry that, even though he was blessed with this incredible power, he couldn¡¯t even use it properly He sought out other avenues to use his powers and, after spending every cent to his name, created the Hunter¡¯s Association . And through this organisation, he got to be near other Hunters and fulfilled his calling to its fullest ¡°Even then, cough, I don¡¯t regret anything . I can now entrust the future to young people like you . That¡¯s all I ask for . ¡±. Drop¡­ Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s hands holding onto Jin-Woo¡¯s powerlessly fell to the floor . And he was no longer staring at the young man, but at the ceiling of his office Was it because his tears had spread out? The lights hanging on the ceiling, the ones he always thought were a bit too dim for his liking, seemed excessively blinding today Goh Gun-Hui shielded his eyes to block those lights ¡°I¡¯m truly relieved¡­ . Thank you, thank you¡­ . ¡±. At the end of those words, the Association President Goh Gun-Hui stopped murmuring altogether Confirming that he was no longer breathing now, Jin-Woo wordlessly closed the deceased man¡¯s unmoving eyes shut . Like his final words of gratitude, the expression on his face was one of peace Jin-Woo raised his head above to stare outside Drip, drip¡­. He saw through the destroyed wall the raindrops falling from the cloudy sky . The sky that had been gloomy since the early morning ***. Next day . Several headlines dominated the front pages of countless newspapers The first news item was about Brazil¡¯s greatest Hunter, ¡®Jonas¡¯ being found on the vicinity of a river ¨C as a corpse . The second one was about the grisly murder of the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association President after his chest was stabbed through by an unidentified assailant And finally, the news of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo returning to South Korea < Chapter 201 > Fin Chapter 202 First, it was Christopher Reid . Next, Brazil¡¯s top Hunter, Jonas . And finally, the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association President, Goh Gun-Hui . The news of these Hunters dying, thought to be some of the world¡¯s best, was revealed to the public one after the other and caused substantial chaos in their wake . If the enemies were capable of murdering the Hunters who stood at the apex when it came to fighting power, then just who would be able to catch them? The world¡¯s mass media continued to talk about nothing else other than the deaths of these three Hunters for several days and nights . America¡¯s own Hunter Bureau even issued an official statement regarding these events, too . And it said that the Bureau had gotten in contact with various Guilds from other nations to focus their resources in tracking down the culprits responsible . Unfortunately, the public¡¯s fears couldn¡¯t be assuaged with a simple statement like that . It was obvious why ¨C the trusty walls that defended them like an impregnable fortress from the dire threats of monsters had been breached, after all . As the Hunter communities and the mass media around the world were going through an upheaval, the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association suddenly released video footage to the public . It contained scenes recorded from Association President Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s office at the time of his death . ¡°Oh, my god!¡± ¡°Heok!¡± Everyone who clapped their eyes on the footage in question couldn¡¯t hide their shocks and astonishments . Two men were shown on the captured footage . One of them was, without a doubt, the Association President Goh Gun-Hui . As for the other ¡®man¡¯ stabbing the former¡¯s chest with something very sharp, he was¡­ no matter how one looked, that thing was not human . It was a monster . ¡®An Ice Elf!!¡¯ The shocking sight of a monster that should¡¯ve been confined in a dungeon murdering a top-ranked Hunter was captured so vividly in the video . The creature¡¯s face in a close-up soon spread out to the rest of the world . The shockwave from that video was massive . People finally realised that, although Hunters existed to hunt down monsters, they too could be hunted down in turn by their supposed prey, just like everyone else . This only served to create yet another layer of terror in the people¡¯s hearts . Regular folks were being protected by the Hunters, but then, who was protecting these Hunters? Things got bad enough to the point where some people began saying that the nation¡¯s best Hunters shouldn¡¯t be let outside their own borders, citing that Jin-Woo was not in Korea at the time of the Association President Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s murder . And so ¨C as the chaotic atmosphere ruled supreme, the focus of the general public quickly shifted over to Jin-Woo . Everyone knew the close-knit relationship he had with the Association President, so people naturally became curious as to what his response would be . However, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t say anything to the media . A few days went by like that . By this time, the investigation into the Association President Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s cause of death was complete . The day before the funeral, Jin-Woo paid an unannounced visit to the Hunter¡¯s Association . *** Woo Jin-Cheol, looking wane and exhausted, came to receive Jin-Woo at the waiting area . ¡°I¡¯m sorry about the wait, Hunter-nim . It¡¯s been really hectic for the last few days¡­ . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol rubbed his scruffy, unkempt beard and apologised . On that day they returned from the United States, he was greeted with this out-of-nowhere news and had to rush straight back to the Hunter¡¯s Association . The meeting of these two men was taking place exactly three days after that . Before they got down to business, though, Jin-Woo asked him a question . ¡°Why did you¡­ hide the rest of the footage taken by the CCTV camera?¡± The Association¡¯s footage went only as far as revealing the face of the Sovereign of Frost . As for Jin-Woo or Beru who entered the Association President¡¯s office afterwards, their footage was not revealed to the public . Woo Jin-Cheol scratched his head and replied with a bitter expression on his face . ¡°We at the Association will always prioritise the safety of our Hunters . We decided that we can¡¯t carelessly reveal one of your hidden abilities to the public . ¡± A Hunter¡¯s skills were like all the hidden trump cards he or she possessed . Publicly revealing a skill would be akin to unveiling one¡¯s hands . Quite obviously, the higher the one¡¯s Awakened rank was, the more likely it was for one to hide one¡¯s skills, as this act could save one¡¯s life in an unexpected situation . Jin-Woo¡¯s skill that allowed him to travel in the blink of an eye from America to the Hunter¡¯s Association building in South Korea ¨C the Association decided that they couldn¡¯t reveal a skill this monumental to the world without the consent of the Hunter in question . ¡°I¡¯m sure that the Association President would have made the exact same decision if he was still with us . ¡± Chief Woo Jin-Cheol respected Goh Gun-Hui greatly and one could even say that he was closer to his late boss than anybody else in this organisation . So, when he mentioned the term ¡®Association President¡¯, his eyes reddened automatically . ¡°Ah, I see . That was why your expression looked so scary and unforgiving before we got on the plane heading back home . ¡± Jin-Woo admitted to Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s guess with a simple nod . The latter felt as if a mystery was solved the moment he watched the footage ¨C the mystery regarding why Jin-Woo¡¯s atmosphere came across as so heavy on the day they were about to depart for South Korea . ¡°Was that monster so strong that you couldn¡¯t stop it, Hunter-nim?¡± Jin-Woo shook his head . ¡°When I got here, it was already¡­ . . ¡± Jin-Woo formed a gloomy expression again and Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s head dropped lower in the end . ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ . I¡¯m sure you¡¯re also feeling really bad right now . I was just frustrated and that ended up troubling you¡­ . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol knew better than anyone that Jin-Woo was not responsible . That was perhaps why the latter¡¯s attempt at trying to console the former only made it worse . ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s gaze remained fixed on the floor as he carried on . ¡°How could he die¡­ . He was urging me the day before to return as soon as possible because he wanted to hear about everything that happened in the U . S¡­ . . ¡± Jin-Woo patiently waited for Woo Jin-Cheol as the latter struggled to finish his sentence . ¡°What did¡­ . What did the Association President say to you? Before he closed his eyes?¡± ¡°He said that he felt relieved . ¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol raised his head, surprised . ¡°He felt relieved that the future could be entrusted to the young Hunters, like myself¡­ . ¡± ¡°Ah . ¡± That¡¯s what he meant . Tears began falling from Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s eyes as his emotions welled up . He felt moved by the generous heart of Association President Goh Gun-Hui, who worried for the future of his fellow men right up until the end . He dabbed around his eyes with the back of his hand and hid the tears away before nodding his head . ¡°Thank you . Thank you for being there for the final moments of the Association President . ¡± The thing about him being relieved couldn¡¯t have been a lie . If it was, how could he have formed such a serene expression as he passed on? Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s gratitude was genuine, it came from the depths of his heart . ¡°¡­¡± Jin-Woo kept his mouth firmly shut, opting to not reply . He felt as if his complicated thoughts had been untangled somewhat by having this conversation with Woo Jin-Cheol . ¡°¡­ . I¡¯ll kill that b*stard . ¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s expression became extremely cold . ¡°The monster that murdered the Association President . I¡¯ll definitely hunt it down . ¡± Not just for the sake of avenging Goh Gun-Hui, but to send the clear message to those b*stards threatening him . Gulp . Woo Jin-Cheol swallowed his dry saliva . He knew that this killing aura wasn¡¯t even directed at him, yet he could hardly breathe right now from the intense pressure . As a matter of fact, this cold and heavy murderous intent was squashing down hard on his shoulders . Jin-Woo spotted Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s complexion becoming pale and quickly withdrew his aura . ¡°You can save your thanks until then . ¡± ¡°Oh¡­ . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol did his best to calm the pounding heart in his chest and nodded his head . ¡°I understand . ¡± Only then did he realise that Jin-Woo still hadn¡¯t told him about the purpose of his visit to the Association . A Hunter on his level wouldn¡¯t have come here to ask about the latter part of the security video footage . So, Woo Jin-Cheol asked politely . ¡°I apologise for my inattentiveness¡­ . I even forgot to ask you why you are paying us a visit, Hunter-nim . ¡± Jin-Woo told him about the decision he had come to after a few days of deliberation . ¡°Can you organise me a press conference?¡± *** Reporters descended on the press conference venue like a flock of vultures . Jin-Woo was being seen as a walking, talking bundle of big news waiting to happen to these reporters for a while now . And such a man had called for a press conference, the first time ever that he did that, so which reporter worth his or her salt wouldn¡¯t be interested in that? Noisy, noisy¡­ . The conference venue became quite noisy, as befitting the large number of the gathered crowd . But, just like a lie, every single one of them shut their mouths as soon as Jin-Woo made his entrance . Right away, the expectant silence filled up the venue . Jin-Woo could feel each of the focused gazes from the reporters landing on his skin as he began addressing them . ¡°A group of monsters possessing a high level of intelligence is currently hunting down humanity¡¯s top-ranked Hunters . They are stronger than any Hunters out there, and they also employ all sorts of means to get to their targets . ¡± A group of monsters? There was more than one monster that murdered the Association President Goh Gun-Hui? The reporters were immediately thrown into confusion . However, Jin-Woo got his information straight from the mouth of the King of Giants, the Sovereign of the Beginning . There were nine Sovereigns, and he said that soon, a battle between them and the so-called ¡®Rulers¡¯ would commence . The Sovereigns were prioritising targetting the Hunters at the top of the pile who were borrowing the powers of the Rulers . Three Hunters had been killed already . And it was unknown how many more victims would arise in the near future . For the time being, he did attach his boys to those Hunters that the Hunter Bureau had pointed out, but realistically speaking, he couldn¡¯t keep his eyes on every single Hunter in the world who was called ¡®strong¡¯ . For instance, there could be another victim from an unexpected quarter like Goh Gun-Hui . Jin-Woo¡¯s sudden press conference was meant to serve as a message of warning to the potential victims who were fighting against monsters in some parts of the world . ¡°These monsters employ special magic that separates the targetted space from the surroundings . That¡¯s how they isolate their targets . ¡± This was incredible information . He could reveal this without hesitation because he had met a Sovereign already . ¡°That is why, if you fear that you might be their next target, please, stay as close as humanly possible to your comrades that could protect you . However, just in case¡­ . . ¡± ¡®Just in case¡¯, he said . Jin-Woo finally revealed the reason why he wanted to hold this press conference in the first place . ¡°If you don¡¯t have a comrade that can fulfil that role, contact the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association . They will put you through to me . ¡± ¡°Oh, oh!¡± Exclamations of admiration came out from the lips of the reporters . Such unwavering confidence! The Hunter responsible for beating Thomas Andre to a pulp was emitting a confidence-inspiring aura as if such monsters were a trifling matter to him . This sure was a surprising announcement capable of blowing away the fog of anxiety from the public¡¯s hearts . The thing was, though ¨C Jin-Woo was actually aiming for something else . ¡®I¡¯ll lay a trap using all the Hunters that might be targetted by those b*stards . ¡¯ With this, he¡¯d be able to trace the movements of the Sovereigns even if they targetted the retired or inactive Hunters like the Association President Goh Gun-Hui . He had no doubt that at least one of them would fall into his trap sooner or later . When Jin-Woo was about to end his announcement, a barrage of questions descended on him almost immediately . ¡°I¡¯m a reporter working for the X Daily! How do you know so much about this group of monsters, Hunter-nim?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve encountered them before . ¡± To be more specific, he had run into them twice already . He met the King of Giants in Japan, while the other one in Korea . Noisy, noisy¡­ . Reporters couldn¡¯t immediately recover from their surprises but still, they didn¡¯t forget to jot down what Jin-Woo had said . ¡°Does that mean you were unscathed even after encountering them, Hunter-nim??¡± Jin-Woo replied concisely, his eyes burning with the flames of confidence . ¡°Yes . ¡± Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was unhurt even after encountering those creatures! Reporters hurriedly operated their cameras as the expected scoop happened yet again . Click, click, click, click-!! It was then, a certain reporter sitting a bit away from the front row raised his hand up high . He was none other than the same reporter who accompanied Chief Woo Jin-Cheol to document the sacrifices the Hunters had made trying to battle the angel statue . Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to him . Reporter Kim slowly lowered his hand and, quite unlike his frenzied peers, voiced his question clearly and concisely . ¡°What will you do when you meet the monster responsible for the murder of the Association President Goh Gun-Hui?¡± Jin-Woo studied the still-furious expression etched on the face of Reporter Kim without saying anything, before switching the mic off . ¡°¡­ . That will be all . ¡± Reporter Kim stared for a long time at Jin-Woo¡¯s departing back as the latter descended from the platform . He thought that, even though there was no verbal answer, he could still hear the young Hunter¡¯s determined voice somehow . *** ¡°Guild Master . ¡± ¡°Master!¡± The two security guards on duty jumped up from their seats in surprise after seeing Thomas Andre walking towards their guard station, but he simply signalled at them, telling them to settle back down . Beep . He pressed his thumb on the fingerprint scanner, and the automated door slid open . He and the top manager of the Guild, Laura, stepped into the underground storage facility located below the Guild¡¯s building . The two guards who got spooked by Thomas Andre¡¯s presence were rank A Hunters in reality . Since he stayed in the building¡¯s penthouse suite and would be informed immediately if something happened, the number of people who could step into this storage facility were extremely few . Thomas Andre didn¡¯t hesitate for a second and headed straight into the deepest part of the underground facility . ¡°Are you really planning to gift him with ¡®those¡¯, sir?¡± Beep . They finally gained access to the chamber housing ¡®those¡¯ after another round of fingerprint scanning . ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you believe this is too much for the price of my Guild members, as well as my life?¡± ¡°No, sir . That¡¯s not it, but¡­ . ¡± ¡°Well, you think he¡¯s not good enough as a Hunter to wield these guys, then?¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± Laura knew that talking to him now was a waste of time . Since she knew retorting to him wouldn¡¯t work anyway, she decided to close her mouth shut for now . Meanwhile, Thomas Andre stood before the items he was searching for . These weapons didn¡¯t even suit him at all, yet he couldn¡¯t help but feel his heart tremble every time he stood before them . ¡°¡­ . No matter how many times I look at them, they still look cool . ¡± Thomas Andre murmured in admiration, and Laura tried to dissuade him one last time, her voice sounding slightly unwilling . ¡°Sir, there are only two of these in the entire world . ¡± ¡°Yup, that¡¯s true . ¡± ¡°And it¡¯ll stay that way . ¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it will . ¡± ¡°Even then, will you still give them away?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m giving them to him . ¡± Thomas Andre formed a smirk . It had been almost eight years since these guys were crafted, but the searing light coming off of them hadn¡¯t diminished by a single bit . ¡°The best Hunter needs the best weapons . Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too much of a waste to let them rot in here?¡± As if to answer him, a pair of shortswords resting within the metal case reflected the spotlight, the glare of the blades remaining sharp and cold . < Chapter 202 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 202: Chapter 202 First, it was Christopher Reid Next, Brazil¡¯s top Hunter, Jonas And finally, the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association President, Goh Gun-Hui The news of these Hunters dying, thought to be some of the world¡¯s best, was revealed to the public one after the other and caused substantial chaos in their wake If the enemies were capable of murdering the Hunters who stood at the apex when it came to fighting power, then just who would be able to catch them?. The world¡¯s mass media continued to talk about nothing else other than the deaths of these three Hunters for several days and nights . America¡¯s own Hunter Bureau even issued an official statement regarding these events, too And it said that the Bureau had gotten in contact with various Guilds from other nations to focus their resources in tracking down the culprits responsible Unfortunately, the public¡¯s fears couldn¡¯t be assuaged with a simple statement like that . It was obvious why ¨C the trusty walls that defended them like an impregnable fortress from the dire threats of monsters had been breached, after all As the Hunter communities and the mass media around the world were going through an upheaval, the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association suddenly released video footage to the public . It contained scenes recorded from Association President Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s office at the time of his death ¡°Oh, my god!¡±. ¡°Heok!¡±. Everyone who clapped their eyes on the footage in question couldn¡¯t hide their shocks and astonishments Two men were shown on the captured footage One of them was, without a doubt, the Association President Goh Gun-Hui . As for the other ¡®man¡¯ stabbing the former¡¯s chest with something very sharp, he was¡­ no matter how one looked, that thing was not human It was a monster ¡®An Ice Elf!!¡¯. The shocking sight of a monster that should¡¯ve been confined in a dungeon murdering a top-ranked Hunter was captured so vividly in the video . The creature¡¯s face in a close-up soon spread out to the rest of the world The shockwave from that video was massive People finally realised that, although Hunters existed to hunt down monsters, they too could be hunted down in turn by their supposed prey, just like everyone else . This only served to create yet another layer of terror in the people¡¯s hearts Regular folks were being protected by the Hunters, but then, who was protecting these Hunters?. Things got bad enough to the point where some people began saying that the nation¡¯s best Hunters shouldn¡¯t be let outside their own borders, citing that Jin-Woo was not in Korea at the time of the Association President Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s murder And so ¨C as the chaotic atmosphere ruled supreme, the focus of the general public quickly shifted over to Jin-Woo . Everyone knew the close-knit relationship he had with the Association President, so people naturally became curious as to what his response would be However, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t say anything to the media A few days went by like that By this time, the investigation into the Association President Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s cause of death was complete . The day before the funeral, Jin-Woo paid an unannounced visit to the Hunter¡¯s Association ***. Woo Jin-Cheol, looking wane and exhausted, came to receive Jin-Woo at the waiting area ¡°I¡¯m sorry about the wait, Hunter-nim . It¡¯s been really hectic for the last few days¡­ . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol rubbed his scruffy, unkempt beard and apologised . On that day they returned from the United States, he was greeted with this out-of-nowhere news and had to rush straight back to the Hunter¡¯s Association The meeting of these two men was taking place exactly three days after that . Before they got down to business, though, Jin-Woo asked him a question ¡°Why did you¡­ hide the rest of the footage taken by the CCTV camera?¡±. The Association¡¯s footage went only as far as revealing the face of the Sovereign of Frost . As for Jin-Woo or Beru who entered the Association President¡¯s office afterwards, their footage was not revealed to the public Woo Jin-Cheol scratched his head and replied with a bitter expression on his face ¡°We at the Association will always prioritise the safety of our Hunters . We decided that we can¡¯t carelessly reveal one of your hidden abilities to the public . ¡±. A Hunter¡¯s skills were like all the hidden trump cards he or she possessed . Publicly revealing a skill would be akin to unveiling one¡¯s hands . Quite obviously, the higher the one¡¯s Awakened rank was, the more likely it was for one to hide one¡¯s skills, as this act could save one¡¯s life in an unexpected situation Jin-Woo¡¯s skill that allowed him to travel in the blink of an eye from America to the Hunter¡¯s Association building in South Korea ¨C the Association decided that they couldn¡¯t reveal a skill this monumental to the world without the consent of the Hunter in question ¡°I¡¯m sure that the Association President would have made the exact same decision if he was still with us . ¡±. Chief Woo Jin-Cheol respected Goh Gun-Hui greatly and one could even say that he was closer to his late boss than anybody else in this organisation . So, when he mentioned the term ¡®Association President¡¯, his eyes reddened automatically ¡°Ah, I see . That was why your expression looked so scary and unforgiving before we got on the plane heading back home . ¡±. Jin-Woo admitted to Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s guess with a simple nod The latter felt as if a mystery was solved the moment he watched the footage ¨C the mystery regarding why Jin-Woo¡¯s atmosphere came across as so heavy on the day they were about to depart for South Korea ¡°Was that monster so strong that you couldn¡¯t stop it, Hunter-nim?¡±. Jin-Woo shook his head ¡°When I got here, it was already¡­ ¡±. Jin-Woo formed a gloomy expression again and Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s head dropped lower in the end ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ . I¡¯m sure you¡¯re also feeling really bad right now . I was just frustrated and that ended up troubling you¡­ . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol knew better than anyone that Jin-Woo was not responsible . That was perhaps why the latter¡¯s attempt at trying to console the former only made it worse ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s gaze remained fixed on the floor as he carried on ¡°How could he die¡­ . He was urging me the day before to return as soon as possible because he wanted to hear about everything that happened in the U . S¡­ ¡±. Jin-Woo patiently waited for Woo Jin-Cheol as the latter struggled to finish his sentence ¡°What did¡­ . What did the Association President say to you? Before he closed his eyes?¡±. ¡°He said that he felt relieved . ¡±. ¡°Pardon?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol raised his head, surprised ¡°He felt relieved that the future could be entrusted to the young Hunters, like myself¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Ah . ¡±. That¡¯s what he meant Tears began falling from Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s eyes as his emotions welled up . He felt moved by the generous heart of Association President Goh Gun-Hui, who worried for the future of his fellow men right up until the end He dabbed around his eyes with the back of his hand and hid the tears away before nodding his head ¡°Thank you . Thank you for being there for the final moments of the Association President . ¡±. The thing about him being relieved couldn¡¯t have been a lie . If it was, how could he have formed such a serene expression as he passed on?. Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s gratitude was genuine, it came from the depths of his heart ¡°¡­¡±. Jin-Woo kept his mouth firmly shut, opting to not reply . He felt as if his complicated thoughts had been untangled somewhat by having this conversation with Woo Jin-Cheol ¡°¡­ . I¡¯ll kill that b*stard . ¡±. ¡°Excuse me?¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s expression became extremely cold ¡°The monster that murdered the Association President . I¡¯ll definitely hunt it down . ¡±. Not just for the sake of avenging Goh Gun-Hui, but to send the clear message to those b*stards threatening him Gulp Woo Jin-Cheol swallowed his dry saliva He knew that this killing aura wasn¡¯t even directed at him, yet he could hardly breathe right now from the intense pressure . As a matter of fact, this cold and heavy murderous intent was squashing down hard on his shoulders Jin-Woo spotted Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s complexion becoming pale and quickly withdrew his aura ¡°You can save your thanks until then . ¡±. ¡°Oh¡­ . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol did his best to calm the pounding heart in his chest and nodded his head ¡°I understand . ¡±. Only then did he realise that Jin-Woo still hadn¡¯t told him about the purpose of his visit to the Association . A Hunter on his level wouldn¡¯t have come here to ask about the latter part of the security video footage So, Woo Jin-Cheol asked politely ¡°I apologise for my inattentiveness¡­ . I even forgot to ask you why you are paying us a visit, Hunter-nim . ¡±. Jin-Woo told him about the decision he had come to after a few days of deliberation ¡°Can you organise me a press conference?¡±. ***. Reporters descended on the press conference venue like a flock of vultures . Jin-Woo was being seen as a walking, talking bundle of big news waiting to happen to these reporters for a while now And such a man had called for a press conference, the first time ever that he did that, so which reporter worth his or her salt wouldn¡¯t be interested in that?. Noisy, noisy¡­ The conference venue became quite noisy, as befitting the large number of the gathered crowd . But, just like a lie, every single one of them shut their mouths as soon as Jin-Woo made his entrance Right away, the expectant silence filled up the venue Jin-Woo could feel each of the focused gazes from the reporters landing on his skin as he began addressing them ¡°A group of monsters possessing a high level of intelligence is currently hunting down humanity¡¯s top-ranked Hunters . They are stronger than any Hunters out there, and they also employ all sorts of means to get to their targets . ¡±. A group of monsters?. There was more than one monster that murdered the Association President Goh Gun-Hui?. The reporters were immediately thrown into confusion However, Jin-Woo got his information straight from the mouth of the King of Giants, the Sovereign of the Beginning . There were nine Sovereigns, and he said that soon, a battle between them and the so-called ¡®Rulers¡¯ would commence The Sovereigns were prioritising targetting the Hunters at the top of the pile who were borrowing the powers of the Rulers . Three Hunters had been killed already . And it was unknown how many more victims would arise in the near future For the time being, he did attach his boys to those Hunters that the Hunter Bureau had pointed out, but realistically speaking, he couldn¡¯t keep his eyes on every single Hunter in the world who was called ¡®strong¡¯ For instance, there could be another victim from an unexpected quarter like Goh Gun-Hui Jin-Woo¡¯s sudden press conference was meant to serve as a message of warning to the potential victims who were fighting against monsters in some parts of the world ¡°These monsters employ special magic that separates the targetted space from the surroundings . That¡¯s how they isolate their targets . ¡±. This was incredible information . He could reveal this without hesitation because he had met a Sovereign already ¡°That is why, if you fear that you might be their next target, please, stay as close as humanly possible to your comrades that could protect you . However, just in case¡­ ¡±. ¡®Just in case¡¯, he said Jin-Woo finally revealed the reason why he wanted to hold this press conference in the first place ¡°If you don¡¯t have a comrade that can fulfil that role, contact the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association . They will put you through to me . ¡±. ¡°Oh, oh!¡±. Exclamations of admiration came out from the lips of the reporters Such unwavering confidence!. The Hunter responsible for beating Thomas Andre to a pulp was emitting a confidence-inspiring aura as if such monsters were a trifling matter to him . This sure was a surprising announcement capable of blowing away the fog of anxiety from the public¡¯s hearts The thing was, though ¨C Jin-Woo was actually aiming for something else ¡®I¡¯ll lay a trap using all the Hunters that might be targetted by those b*stards . ¡¯. With this, he¡¯d be able to trace the movements of the Sovereigns even if they targetted the retired or inactive Hunters like the Association President Goh Gun-Hui . He had no doubt that at least one of them would fall into his trap sooner or later When Jin-Woo was about to end his announcement, a barrage of questions descended on him almost immediately ¡°I¡¯m a reporter working for the X Daily! How do you know so much about this group of monsters, Hunter-nim?¡±. ¡°I¡¯ve encountered them before . ¡±. To be more specific, he had run into them twice already . He met the King of Giants in Japan, while the other one in Korea Noisy, noisy¡­ Reporters couldn¡¯t immediately recover from their surprises but still, they didn¡¯t forget to jot down what Jin-Woo had said ¡°Does that mean you were unscathed even after encountering them, Hunter-nim??¡±. Jin-Woo replied concisely, his eyes burning with the flames of confidence ¡°Yes . ¡±. Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was unhurt even after encountering those creatures! Reporters hurriedly operated their cameras as the expected scoop happened yet again Click, click, click, click-!!. It was then, a certain reporter sitting a bit away from the front row raised his hand up high . He was none other than the same reporter who accompanied Chief Woo Jin-Cheol to document the sacrifices the Hunters had made trying to battle the angel statue . Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to him Reporter Kim slowly lowered his hand and, quite unlike his frenzied peers, voiced his question clearly and concisely ¡°What will you do when you meet the monster responsible for the murder of the Association President Goh Gun-Hui?¡±. Jin-Woo studied the still-furious expression etched on the face of Reporter Kim without saying anything, before switching the mic off ¡°¡­ . That will be all . ¡±. Reporter Kim stared for a long time at Jin-Woo¡¯s departing back as the latter descended from the platform . He thought that, even though there was no verbal answer, he could still hear the young Hunter¡¯s determined voice somehow ***. ¡°Guild Master . ¡±. ¡°Master!¡±. The two security guards on duty jumped up from their seats in surprise after seeing Thomas Andre walking towards their guard station, but he simply signalled at them, telling them to settle back down Beep He pressed his thumb on the fingerprint scanner, and the automated door slid open . He and the top manager of the Guild, Laura, stepped into the underground storage facility located below the Guild¡¯s building The two guards who got spooked by Thomas Andre¡¯s presence were rank A Hunters in reality Since he stayed in the building¡¯s penthouse suite and would be informed immediately if something happened, the number of people who could step into this storage facility were extremely few Thomas Andre didn¡¯t hesitate for a second and headed straight into the deepest part of the underground facility ¡°Are you really planning to gift him with ¡®those¡¯, sir?¡±. Beep They finally gained access to the chamber housing ¡®those¡¯ after another round of fingerprint scanning ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you believe this is too much for the price of my Guild members, as well as my life?¡±. ¡°No, sir . That¡¯s not it, but¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Well, you think he¡¯s not good enough as a Hunter to wield these guys, then?¡±. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. Laura knew that talking to him now was a waste of time . Since she knew retorting to him wouldn¡¯t work anyway, she decided to close her mouth shut for now Meanwhile, Thomas Andre stood before the items he was searching for . These weapons didn¡¯t even suit him at all, yet he couldn¡¯t help but feel his heart tremble every time he stood before them ¡°¡­ . No matter how many times I look at them, they still look cool . ¡±. Thomas Andre murmured in admiration, and Laura tried to dissuade him one last time, her voice sounding slightly unwilling ¡°Sir, there are only two of these in the entire world . ¡±. ¡°Yup, that¡¯s true . ¡±. ¡°And it¡¯ll stay that way . ¡±. ¡°I¡¯m sure it will . ¡±. ¡°Even then, will you still give them away?¡±. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m giving them to him . ¡±. Thomas Andre formed a smirk It had been almost eight years since these guys were crafted, but the searing light coming off of them hadn¡¯t diminished by a single bit ¡°The best Hunter needs the best weapons . Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too much of a waste to let them rot in here?¡±. As if to answer him, a pair of shortswords resting within the metal case reflected the spotlight, the glare of the blades remaining sharp and cold < Chapter 202 > Fin Chapter 203 Streets were filled with the gloomy atmosphere of a funeral . Someone had to perform that role, but no one wanted to step forward to do it ¨C that was the position of the first President of the Hunter¡¯s Association . Goh Gun-Hui . When the nation needed someone to rally the powerful Hunters, he unhesitatingly closed up his own successful business and rolled up his sleeves to get to work . And under the command of its President Goh Gun-Hui, the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association was able to achieve so many things . The organisation controlled and protected various Hunters; at the same time, it took the lead in compensating the victims of the monster attacks, while also silently aiding the families of the deceased Hunters, as well . Many victims who had received Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s aid in the past gathered at his memorial service and cried their hearts out in genuine sorrow . Citizens filled up the venue until there was no room to even stand; the people paying their respects remained until deep into the night, burning their candles and grieving for the life lost . Even the various TV stations interrupted their regular broadcasting schedules to play the video packages summarising the life of the late Association President and his various accomplishments . One of the gigantic electronic advertising boards hung up in the middle of the city played the scene of Goh Gun-Hui taking shots at Assemblyman Nam Joon-Wook during the parliamentary hearing . [¡°I¡¯d like to urge you to think about this carefully . If and when another rank S Gate appears in our land, just who will step up to protect your life? You will not be able to buy back your life even if you are willing to pay hundreds of times, no, make that thousands of times the price you paid for your new residence . ¡±] The pedestrian lights changed colour to green, but no one moved from their spot . They stood still, unable to rip their eyes away from the electronic boards or from their smartphones . Next up was a clip of an interview featuring the longtime personal physician of Goh Gun-Hui . [¡°Back when Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim was fighting against the ant monsters on Jeju Island, I was watching the raid broadcast by the Association President¡¯s side . He turned around to tell me that his biggest wish had now come true, and he had no more regrets left . But to think, he¡¯d really leave us like this¡­ . ¡±] His eyes were red and swollen even before the interview began, and the good doctor eventually broke down and cried . The viewers watching all became lost for words . They began recalling the sight of the Association President Goh Gun-Hui standing before the families of the victims and wordlessly shedding tears after the previous three attempts to take Jeju Island back all ended in failures . Just as the number of people who respected and admired him was great, the number of those who hated him and were jealous of him was quite high, as well . However, even these people paid their respects to him on this day, their hearts all feeling the same sort of emotion . * Late at night . Jin-Woo stood on the rooftop of the 100-stories-tall Daesung Tower . Powerful gusts of wind constantly blew at him as he stood at this dizzying height, but his body didn¡¯t even sway for one second . His eyes were fixated on the cityscape below . He could see the streets of Seoul filled with the palpable air of grief . One of the electronic advertisement boards was playing a documentary detailing the life of the Association President Goh Gun-Hui . ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s sharp glare scanned every corner of the city like a hawk searching for prey . Meanwhile, his Shadow Soldiers were searching through Seoul with greater efficiency than before, perhaps owing to the fact that they felt familiar with the order as it was similar to the one he issued in America . A great deal of information flowed into Jin-Woo¡¯s mind, but none of them was what he wanted to know . No matter how much of the city was searched, no traces of that ancient White Phantom could be detected . ¡®As expected, this method isn¡¯t going to work . ¡¯ Jin-Woo knew all too well that using a method like this to catch a monster who was capable of freely entering and exiting a dimension through Gates was not the answer . Back then, he tried to stick a Shadow Soldier on the b*stard before it made its escape so he could chase after it later . But that ended in failure . Because¡­ that creature didn¡¯t have that one little thing that all existences possessed . It didn¡¯t have a shadow . ¡®It¡¯s supposed to be a spiritual body or some such, right?¡¯ The King of Giants did say that both the Sovereigns and the Rulers were made up of the ¡®spiritual bodies¡¯ so they couldn¡¯t be turned into Shadow Soldiers . If that was the reason why that Sovereign didn¡¯t possess a shadow, then Jin-Woo no longer enjoyed the benefit of having the greatest method of tracking someone down . However¡­ . ¡®¡­ . It doesn¡¯t matter . ¡¯ The King of Giants warned him back then ¨C once Jin-Woo¡¯s existence was known to the remaining Sovereigns, they would not sit back idly and suck on their thumbs . That¡¯s what he said . Meaning, these Sovereigns would come knocking on his doorstep sooner rather than later . Not to target the Association President Goh Gun-Hui, but him, as their sole target . But when that happens, he would¡­ . . The heavy and intense killing intent spread out from Jin-Woo . Ever since he got the System, his reward for surviving the terrors of the first dual dungeon, he had never missed his enemy . The only one to buck this trend was that ¡®Ice Elf¡¯ . Jin-Woo had ensured that his enemies would meet their ends, regardless of whether they were monsters or humans . And he wasn¡¯t planning on letting that thing become the only exception . But then¡­ . ¡®Uh¡­ . ?¡¯ He had to take a pause there . Jin-Woo was going through all the enemies he fought until now and realised that something was a bit odd . Now that he thought about it¡­ ¡®¡­ . Wait, when I was fighting Hwang Dong-Su or Thomas Andre, I didn¡¯t see any messages from the System, did I?¡¯ In the past, the System always warned him with messages if someone nearby directed murderous intent towards him, and soon after that, issued emergency quests . It happened with Hwang Dong-Seok, Kahng Tae-Sik, and finally, with Kim Cheol . There was no exception . Hell, he even received a warning message during that sparring session with Goto Ryuji just because, for the briefest moment, the Japanese Hunter attacked him with the intent to cause real harm . ¡®But then, no messages popped up when Hwang Dong-Su was trying to get revenge for his brother, or when Thomas Andre declared that he¡¯d kill me . Why?¡¯ What a strange development this was . No matter how he dissected it, it didn¡¯t sound right . Jin-Woo pondered this mystery for a second or two, then pulled out his phone in order to confirm a theory of his . Thankfully, he still had the contact number he got from that American¡¯s blonde lady manager . It was 1 AM in Korea, but when thinking about the time difference to the Eastern United States, he shouldn¡¯t be unduly inconveniencing them . Ringgg¡­ . As he expected, the ringtone didn¡¯t last long before the other side answered the call . ¨C ¡°Hey, Mister Seong . I didn¡¯t expect you to give me a call first . ¡± Perhaps puzzled by the phone call, Thomas Andre¡¯s voice sounded a bit surprised . ¡°Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you about . ¡± ¨C ¡°You have a question? Not a problem . I¡¯ll try to answer it as truthfully as I can . ¡± ¡°That day, when we were fighting¡­ . ¡± ¨C ¡°¡­ . When we were fighting?¡± ¡°Did you attack me with the intent to kill?¡± Since Thomas Andre was rather unwilling to recall the events of that day, Jin-Woo quickly explained that he simply wanted to satisfy his curiosity and nothing more . There was no reason to hide anything, though . Thomas Andre took his time before answering as truthfully as he promised earlier . ¨C ¡°Well, when I get angry, I can¡¯t really control myself, so¡­ . Yeah, I was thinking of really killing you that day . ¡± As expected ¨C the murderous intent the American carried was all for real . Even then, the System maintained silence . Something definitely¡­ . ¡®¡­ . Has changed . ¡¯ His hypothesis that started off from suspicion was quickly morphing into a sure thing . ¨C ¡°Mister Seong?¡± Thomas Andre must¡¯ve felt the ensuing silence from his answer a wee bit uncomfortable because he tried to change the topic with an excited voice . ¨C ¡°How about we change the subject from this uninteresting story to the fantastic thing I prepared for you¡­ . . ¡± Ttuk¡­ . Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t really in the mood to share a jokey banter with Thomas Andre right now, so he mumbled a quick goodbye and ended the call right there . That answer confirmed it for him . The System didn¡¯t react to the presence of enemies with hostile intentions against him . This was totally different from before . What a big change this was, considering that in the beginning, it tried to make him protect himself no matter what . ¡®This is not a problem that I can take lightly . ¡¯ When it happened for the first time ¨C when he saw the overtly-threatening quest telling him to kill his enemies or his own heart would stop beating, he began to hold a vague notion on just what the end game of the System could be . It was likely that the System was trying to goad him down a certain path ¨C that¡¯s what he thought . So, now that there were no emergency quests being issued, this could signal a change in the goal of the System . Thanks to this, he now enjoyed the luxury of having more choices, and he also got to spare Thomas Andre even though the American had bared his fangs like that . ¡®If another emergency quest was issued, then well, such a thing wouldn¡¯t have happened . ¡¯ It sure was a welcome piece of news that he now had a wider variety of options available, but still, he couldn¡¯t help but be curious as to what the real reason for this change might be . Did it have something to with the original owner of this power supposedly betraying the other Sovereigns? Or, did the death of the ¡®architect¡¯ of the System throw a wrench in their plan, whatever it was, and everything had gone down the crapper? Jin-Woo continued to dissect each guess and hypothesis that popped up one after the other in his mind before ruefully shaking his head . ¡®I should clear my mind . ¡¯ There was a need to set a clear goal for the time being . And that would be to kill that ancient White Phantom, as well as to get as much information on other Sovereigns from the b*stard while he was at it . If the creature came for him first, that would be good . But, even if it targetted other Hunters instead, he was in the midst of increasing his traps, anyway . As long as that thing fell for it, then he¡¯d be able to catch two birds with one stone . The problem was with time . Since he didn¡¯t know when the Sovereigns might appear again, he needed to adequately prepare himself for the battle against the unknown enemies who were, no doubt, incredibly powerful . Thankfully, he had already got himself a perfect place to keep earning more experience points . That would be none other than Japan . It had not recovered fully from all the destruction caused by the Giants . Several parts of the country were still left abandoned in ruin . While Jin-Woo was in America, countless Gates went on to become full-on dungeon breaks, and monsters emerging from them settled down and began increasing their territories . To the Japanese people, those monsters might be the source of terror, but for Jin-Woo, they were nothing more than juicy prey just waiting to be converted into experience points . One by one¡­ His heart began pounding hard just from imagining his level climbing up by pushing back the monsters occupying the land there . It was then, his phone vibrated for a short moment and alerted him to the incoming message . He looked at the screen to find a text message from Thomas Andre . [Mister Seong? Can you give me another call? There was something I still wanna tell you about¡­ . ] The old saying went along the lines of ¡®the ground will harden after a rainfall¡¯; it seemed that Thomas Andre wanted to form a friendship on the basis of them having fought against each other . Jin-Woo welcomed the idea, obviously . His social skill wasn¡¯t poor enough for him to refuse the hand of friendship the other side was offering first . Still, they could chat at any time they wanted to, no? He liked Thomas Andre and his lack of ulterior motives, but it was a bit too late in the evening to share banter with him, he thought . Jin-Woo quickly typed his reply and sent it on its way . [OK . But later . I¡¯ve got this urgent thing to take care of . ] Beep . A smile spread on Jin-Woo¡¯s face after he tapped ¡®Send¡¯ icon . ¡®Nothing will change . ¡¯ Indeed, he¡¯d continue to raise his level in preparation for the days ahead . It was the same story back then or now . ¡®Good . ¡¯ He felt better than when he was climbing up here . His steps now taking him back down the Daesung Tower were lighter than ever before . *** However, Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t the only one getting ready for a battle . The Sovereign of Frost, after successfully escaping to the hideout, summoned other Sovereigns who had already descended on this planet . Three men and one woman appeared within this frozen cave . The Sovereign of Frost addressed these four ¡®kings¡¯ . [The Shadow Sovereign is in this world . ] And then, it proceeded to explain what it saw and heard to its new guests . [¡­ . . ] [¡­ . . ] The Sovereigns weren¡¯t even bothered in the slightest by the coldness of the cave capable of freezing a person¡¯s flesh and blood, but after hearing the story, their atmosphere became incredibly frosty in mere seconds . [I thought there was no vessel good enough to contain his power?] Also, wasn¡¯t that the reason why the Dragon Emperor couldn¡¯t descend to this world, too? The Sovereign of Frost resolutely shook its head . [I saw it clearly with my own two eyes . That being was real . ] Two of the Sovereigns who had sensed the lingering power of the Shadow Sovereign back in Jeju Island could only agree with their comrade at this point . The atmosphere remained frosty as the Sovereign of Frost continued on . [He will prove to be an even bigger threat to us than the Fragments of the Brilliant Light . I shall dispose of him . Are any of you willing to lend me your aid?] Too bad, the response to its request for aid was indifferent, to say the least . This made some sense . Their opponent this time was seen as one of the most powerful ¡®kings¡¯ among the nine kings that ruled over the Chaos World . A battle against him was the same as killing yourself . It was only obvious that these Sovereigns would become extra hesitant by the prospect . One of the Sovereigns spoke up . [How about we wait for the Dragon Emperor?] The Sovereign of Destruction . If it was ¡®him¡¯, then the betrayer would be dealt with quite swiftly . However, the Sovereign of Frost growled angrily at its comrades . [We might be on the run, but do not forget that we¡¯re kings of our own armies . How long will you cry out for the Dragon Emperor to come and save you?] The dagger that stabbed into its shoulder ¨C the wound inflicted from that encounter was no ordinary physical injury, but one that directly bruised its ego . The Sovereign of Frost had a score to settle with the Shadow Sovereign . [If we wish to remove him from the picture, then now is the chance as he is still a human . Lend me your aid . I shall make sure to send him back to the void . ] Even though its resolution was unwavering, one of the Sovereigns still stepped away . [I shall not partake in this venture . ] Another Sovereign brought up the incident of the King of the Demons, Baran, who unwisely went up against the Shadow Sovereign and disappeared from the spot, as well . [I do not wish to end up like the Sovereign of the White Flames . ] [¡­ . Cowards . ] The Sovereign of Frost clicked its tongue as two of its comrades disappeared from the view . Out of the five kings that had gathered, only three remained . A muscular giant of a figure threw a question at the Sovereign of Frost . [Where¡¯s the proof that he¡¯s still a human being?] As if it was waiting for this chance, the ancient White Phantom showed the dagger that used to be stabbed into its shoulder . Its tip was gleaming in a greenish hue . [Poison has been applied to the blade . ] More precisely, it was the poison of a Manticore . It might not be effective against Sovereigns, but it was still a fatal substance powerful enough to rot away the flesh of the regular denizens of the Chaos World just from simple, innocuous contact . That man had coated his blade with the poison in preparation of the future events . It was indeed a meticulous and smart thing to do, but it was also not the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s original style . This was the clear evidence that the human was in charge of that body . The Sovereign of Frost respectfully asked the two remaining comrades . [Are you with me on this one?] Its powers were about the same compared to the Shadow Sovereign, who was still a mere human . However, if two other Sovereigns supported its cause, then it was sure of subjugating the human Shadow Sovereign . The two remaining ¡®kings¡¯ exchanged glances between each other before nodding their heads . [I shall aid you . ] [We shall kill the Shadow Sovereign . ] The Sovereign of Frost swore in its heart that it¡¯d teach the true meaning of terror to that puny little human responsible for wounding its shoulder with a dagger . The corner of the ancient White Phantom¡¯s lips curled upwards . < Chapter 203 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 203: Chapter 203 Streets were filled with the gloomy atmosphere of a funeral Someone had to perform that role, but no one wanted to step forward to do it ¨C that was the position of the first President of the Hunter¡¯s Association Goh Gun-Hui When the nation needed someone to rally the powerful Hunters, he unhesitatingly closed up his own successful business and rolled up his sleeves to get to work And under the command of its President Goh Gun-Hui, the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association was able to achieve so many things The organisation controlled and protected various Hunters; at the same time, it took the lead in compensating the victims of the monster attacks, while also silently aiding the families of the deceased Hunters, as well Many victims who had received Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s aid in the past gathered at his memorial service and cried their hearts out in genuine sorrow Citizens filled up the venue until there was no room to even stand; the people paying their respects remained until deep into the night, burning their candles and grieving for the life lost Even the various TV stations interrupted their regular broadcasting schedules to play the video packages summarising the life of the late Association President and his various accomplishments One of the gigantic electronic advertising boards hung up in the middle of the city played the scene of Goh Gun-Hui taking shots at Assemblyman Nam Joon-Wook during the parliamentary hearing [¡°I¡¯d like to urge you to think about this carefully . If and when another rank S Gate appears in our land, just who will step up to protect your life? You will not be able to buy back your life even if you are willing to pay hundreds of times, no, make that thousands of times the price you paid for your new residence . ¡±]. The pedestrian lights changed colour to green, but no one moved from their spot . They stood still, unable to rip their eyes away from the electronic boards or from their smartphones Next up was a clip of an interview featuring the longtime personal physician of Goh Gun-Hui [¡°Back when Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim was fighting against the ant monsters on Jeju Island, I was watching the raid broadcast by the Association President¡¯s side . He turned around to tell me that his biggest wish had now come true, and he had no more regrets left . But to think, he¡¯d really leave us like this¡­ . ¡±]. His eyes were red and swollen even before the interview began, and the good doctor eventually broke down and cried The viewers watching all became lost for words . They began recalling the sight of the Association President Goh Gun-Hui standing before the families of the victims and wordlessly shedding tears after the previous three attempts to take Jeju Island back all ended in failures Just as the number of people who respected and admired him was great, the number of those who hated him and were jealous of him was quite high, as well . However, even these people paid their respects to him on this day, their hearts all feeling the same sort of emotion *. Late at night Jin-Woo stood on the rooftop of the 100-stories-tall Daesung Tower . Powerful gusts of wind constantly blew at him as he stood at this dizzying height, but his body didn¡¯t even sway for one second His eyes were fixated on the cityscape below . He could see the streets of Seoul filled with the palpable air of grief One of the electronic advertisement boards was playing a documentary detailing the life of the Association President Goh Gun-Hui ¡®¡­ ¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s sharp glare scanned every corner of the city like a hawk searching for prey Meanwhile, his Shadow Soldiers were searching through Seoul with greater efficiency than before, perhaps owing to the fact that they felt familiar with the order as it was similar to the one he issued in America A great deal of information flowed into Jin-Woo¡¯s mind, but none of them was what he wanted to know . No matter how much of the city was searched, no traces of that ancient White Phantom could be detected ¡®As expected, this method isn¡¯t going to work . ¡¯. Jin-Woo knew all too well that using a method like this to catch a monster who was capable of freely entering and exiting a dimension through Gates was not the answer Back then, he tried to stick a Shadow Soldier on the b*stard before it made its escape so he could chase after it later . But that ended in failure . Because¡­ that creature didn¡¯t have that one little thing that all existences possessed . It didn¡¯t have a shadow ¡®It¡¯s supposed to be a spiritual body or some such, right?¡¯. The King of Giants did say that both the Sovereigns and the Rulers were made up of the ¡®spiritual bodies¡¯ so they couldn¡¯t be turned into Shadow Soldiers If that was the reason why that Sovereign didn¡¯t possess a shadow, then Jin-Woo no longer enjoyed the benefit of having the greatest method of tracking someone down However¡­ ¡®¡­ . It doesn¡¯t matter . ¡¯. The King of Giants warned him back then ¨C once Jin-Woo¡¯s existence was known to the remaining Sovereigns, they would not sit back idly and suck on their thumbs . That¡¯s what he said Meaning, these Sovereigns would come knocking on his doorstep sooner rather than later . Not to target the Association President Goh Gun-Hui, but him, as their sole target But when that happens, he would¡­ . The heavy and intense killing intent spread out from Jin-Woo Ever since he got the System, his reward for surviving the terrors of the first dual dungeon, he had never missed his enemy . The only one to buck this trend was that ¡®Ice Elf¡¯ Jin-Woo had ensured that his enemies would meet their ends, regardless of whether they were monsters or humans . And he wasn¡¯t planning on letting that thing become the only exception But then¡­ ¡®Uh¡­ . ?¡¯. He had to take a pause there Jin-Woo was going through all the enemies he fought until now and realised that something was a bit odd Now that he thought about it¡­. ¡®¡­ . Wait, when I was fighting Hwang Dong-Su or Thomas Andre, I didn¡¯t see any messages from the System, did I?¡¯. In the past, the System always warned him with messages if someone nearby directed murderous intent towards him, and soon after that, issued emergency quests It happened with Hwang Dong-Seok, Kahng Tae-Sik, and finally, with Kim Cheol . There was no exception Hell, he even received a warning message during that sparring session with Goto Ryuji just because, for the briefest moment, the Japanese Hunter attacked him with the intent to cause real harm ¡®But then, no messages popped up when Hwang Dong-Su was trying to get revenge for his brother, or when Thomas Andre declared that he¡¯d kill me . Why?¡¯. What a strange development this was No matter how he dissected it, it didn¡¯t sound right . Jin-Woo pondered this mystery for a second or two, then pulled out his phone in order to confirm a theory of his Thankfully, he still had the contact number he got from that American¡¯s blonde lady manager It was 1 AM in Korea, but when thinking about the time difference to the Eastern United States, he shouldn¡¯t be unduly inconveniencing them Ringgg¡­ As he expected, the ringtone didn¡¯t last long before the other side answered the call ¨C ¡°Hey, Mister Seong . I didn¡¯t expect you to give me a call first . ¡±. Perhaps puzzled by the phone call, Thomas Andre¡¯s voice sounded a bit surprised ¡°Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you about . ¡±. ¨C ¡°You have a question? Not a problem . I¡¯ll try to answer it as truthfully as I can . ¡±. ¡°That day, when we were fighting¡­ . ¡±. ¨C ¡°¡­ . When we were fighting?¡±. ¡°Did you attack me with the intent to kill?¡±. Since Thomas Andre was rather unwilling to recall the events of that day, Jin-Woo quickly explained that he simply wanted to satisfy his curiosity and nothing more There was no reason to hide anything, though . Thomas Andre took his time before answering as truthfully as he promised earlier ¨C ¡°Well, when I get angry, I can¡¯t really control myself, so¡­ . Yeah, I was thinking of really killing you that day . ¡±. As expected ¨C the murderous intent the American carried was all for real . Even then, the System maintained silence Something definitely¡­ ¡®¡­ . Has changed . ¡¯. His hypothesis that started off from suspicion was quickly morphing into a sure thing ¨C ¡°Mister Seong?¡±. Thomas Andre must¡¯ve felt the ensuing silence from his answer a wee bit uncomfortable because he tried to change the topic with an excited voice ¨C ¡°How about we change the subject from this uninteresting story to the fantastic thing I prepared for you¡­ ¡±. Ttuk¡­ Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t really in the mood to share a jokey banter with Thomas Andre right now, so he mumbled a quick goodbye and ended the call right there That answer confirmed it for him . The System didn¡¯t react to the presence of enemies with hostile intentions against him . This was totally different from before . What a big change this was, considering that in the beginning, it tried to make him protect himself no matter what ¡®This is not a problem that I can take lightly . ¡¯. When it happened for the first time ¨C when he saw the overtly-threatening quest telling him to kill his enemies or his own heart would stop beating, he began to hold a vague notion on just what the end game of the System could be It was likely that the System was trying to goad him down a certain path ¨C that¡¯s what he thought So, now that there were no emergency quests being issued, this could signal a change in the goal of the System Thanks to this, he now enjoyed the luxury of having more choices, and he also got to spare Thomas Andre even though the American had bared his fangs like that ¡®If another emergency quest was issued, then well, such a thing wouldn¡¯t have happened . ¡¯. It sure was a welcome piece of news that he now had a wider variety of options available, but still, he couldn¡¯t help but be curious as to what the real reason for this change might be Did it have something to with the original owner of this power supposedly betraying the other Sovereigns? Or, did the death of the ¡®architect¡¯ of the System throw a wrench in their plan, whatever it was, and everything had gone down the crapper?. Jin-Woo continued to dissect each guess and hypothesis that popped up one after the other in his mind before ruefully shaking his head ¡®I should clear my mind . ¡¯. There was a need to set a clear goal for the time being . And that would be to kill that ancient White Phantom, as well as to get as much information on other Sovereigns from the b*stard while he was at it If the creature came for him first, that would be good . But, even if it targetted other Hunters instead, he was in the midst of increasing his traps, anyway As long as that thing fell for it, then he¡¯d be able to catch two birds with one stone The problem was with time Since he didn¡¯t know when the Sovereigns might appear again, he needed to adequately prepare himself for the battle against the unknown enemies who were, no doubt, incredibly powerful Thankfully, he had already got himself a perfect place to keep earning more experience points That would be none other than Japan . It had not recovered fully from all the destruction caused by the Giants . Several parts of the country were still left abandoned in ruin While Jin-Woo was in America, countless Gates went on to become full-on dungeon breaks, and monsters emerging from them settled down and began increasing their territories To the Japanese people, those monsters might be the source of terror, but for Jin-Woo, they were nothing more than juicy prey just waiting to be converted into experience points One by one¡­. His heart began pounding hard just from imagining his level climbing up by pushing back the monsters occupying the land there It was then, his phone vibrated for a short moment and alerted him to the incoming message . He looked at the screen to find a text message from Thomas Andre [Mister Seong? Can you give me another call? There was something I still wanna tell you about¡­ . ]. The old saying went along the lines of ¡®the ground will harden after a rainfall¡¯; it seemed that Thomas Andre wanted to form a friendship on the basis of them having fought against each other Jin-Woo welcomed the idea, obviously . His social skill wasn¡¯t poor enough for him to refuse the hand of friendship the other side was offering first Still, they could chat at any time they wanted to, no? He liked Thomas Andre and his lack of ulterior motives, but it was a bit too late in the evening to share banter with him, he thought Jin-Woo quickly typed his reply and sent it on its way [OK . But later . I¡¯ve got this urgent thing to take care of . ]. Beep A smile spread on Jin-Woo¡¯s face after he tapped ¡®Send¡¯ icon ¡®Nothing will change . ¡¯. Indeed, he¡¯d continue to raise his level in preparation for the days ahead . It was the same story back then or now ¡®Good . ¡¯. He felt better than when he was climbing up here . His steps now taking him back down the Daesung Tower were lighter than ever before ***. However, Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t the only one getting ready for a battle The Sovereign of Frost, after successfully escaping to the hideout, summoned other Sovereigns who had already descended on this planet Three men and one woman appeared within this frozen cave . The Sovereign of Frost addressed these four ¡®kings¡¯ [The Shadow Sovereign is in this world . ]. And then, it proceeded to explain what it saw and heard to its new guests [¡­ ]. [¡­ ]. The Sovereigns weren¡¯t even bothered in the slightest by the coldness of the cave capable of freezing a person¡¯s flesh and blood, but after hearing the story, their atmosphere became incredibly frosty in mere seconds [I thought there was no vessel good enough to contain his power?]. Also, wasn¡¯t that the reason why the Dragon Emperor couldn¡¯t descend to this world, too?. The Sovereign of Frost resolutely shook its head [I saw it clearly with my own two eyes . That being was real . ]. Two of the Sovereigns who had sensed the lingering power of the Shadow Sovereign back in Jeju Island could only agree with their comrade at this point . The atmosphere remained frosty as the Sovereign of Frost continued on [He will prove to be an even bigger threat to us than the Fragments of the Brilliant Light . I shall dispose of him . Are any of you willing to lend me your aid?]. Too bad, the response to its request for aid was indifferent, to say the least . This made some sense . Their opponent this time was seen as one of the most powerful ¡®kings¡¯ among the nine kings that ruled over the Chaos World A battle against him was the same as killing yourself . It was only obvious that these Sovereigns would become extra hesitant by the prospect One of the Sovereigns spoke up [How about we wait for the Dragon Emperor?]. The Sovereign of Destruction . If it was ¡®him¡¯, then the betrayer would be dealt with quite swiftly However, the Sovereign of Frost growled angrily at its comrades [We might be on the run, but do not forget that we¡¯re kings of our own armies . How long will you cry out for the Dragon Emperor to come and save you?]. The dagger that stabbed into its shoulder ¨C the wound inflicted from that encounter was no ordinary physical injury, but one that directly bruised its ego . The Sovereign of Frost had a score to settle with the Shadow Sovereign [If we wish to remove him from the picture, then now is the chance as he is still a human . Lend me your aid . I shall make sure to send him back to the void . ]. Even though its resolution was unwavering, one of the Sovereigns still stepped away [I shall not partake in this venture . ]. Another Sovereign brought up the incident of the King of the Demons, Baran, who unwisely went up against the Shadow Sovereign and disappeared from the spot, as well [I do not wish to end up like the Sovereign of the White Flames . ]. [¡­ . Cowards . ]. The Sovereign of Frost clicked its tongue as two of its comrades disappeared from the view . Out of the five kings that had gathered, only three remained . A muscular giant of a figure threw a question at the Sovereign of Frost [Where¡¯s the proof that he¡¯s still a human being?]. As if it was waiting for this chance, the ancient White Phantom showed the dagger that used to be stabbed into its shoulder . Its tip was gleaming in a greenish hue [Poison has been applied to the blade . ]. More precisely, it was the poison of a Manticore . It might not be effective against Sovereigns, but it was still a fatal substance powerful enough to rot away the flesh of the regular denizens of the Chaos World just from simple, innocuous contact That man had coated his blade with the poison in preparation of the future events . It was indeed a meticulous and smart thing to do, but it was also not the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s original style . This was the clear evidence that the human was in charge of that body The Sovereign of Frost respectfully asked the two remaining comrades [Are you with me on this one?]. Its powers were about the same compared to the Shadow Sovereign, who was still a mere human . However, if two other Sovereigns supported its cause, then it was sure of subjugating the human Shadow Sovereign The two remaining ¡®kings¡¯ exchanged glances between each other before nodding their heads [I shall aid you . ]. [We shall kill the Shadow Sovereign . ]. The Sovereign of Frost swore in its heart that it¡¯d teach the true meaning of terror to that puny little human responsible for wounding its shoulder with a dagger The corner of the ancient White Phantom¡¯s lips curled upwards < Chapter 203 > Fin Chapter 204 To fill the vacant Association President¡¯s position, an executive-level meeting was held among the Vice-President and the chiefs of various departments, as well as directors from the regional branch offices . Over thirty members filled up the large conference room . Even though these people boasted societal authority exceeding the directors and managers of regular parastatal entities or large corporations, all thanks to the Hunter¡¯s Association, the complexions of every single one present today were clouded by deep anxiety . As this heavy atmosphere bubbled on, a couple of unimportant topics were discussed to bring everyone up to speed on what was happening around the globe . ¡°¡­ . Looks like it¡¯s time to decide on who¡¯ll follow in the footsteps of our late President . ¡± Finally, the time had come . Along with that declaration from the Vice-President, nervous tension brushed past the expressions of all the attending staff members . Gulp . Even the sounds of saliva being swallowed could be heard here and there . This moment could decide the fate of the Hunter¡¯s Association, after all . The number of Hunters were increasing, while the Gates appeared more frequently now . All these people forming the core of the Association¡¯s command structure knew full well that the instability of their organisation could lead to the nation itself becoming unstable as well . ¡°Well, then¡­ . ¡± The Vice-President, in charge of leading the proceedings, closed the documents in front of him before the topic could get on the way . This gesture signalled that the words written on these pages were insignificant compared to what was about to be discussed . ¡°After a lengthy, in-depth discussion between the board of directors and myself, we decided to nominate Chief Woo Jin-Cheol as the new Association President . ¡± The person in question, Woo Jin-Cheol, hadn¡¯t been told before the meeting, so rather understandably, he raised his head up in great surprise . He quickly looked at the Vice-President . ¡®But, why me¡­ . ?¡¯ His eyes were silently asking this question, and as a reply, the Vice-President stared straight back while pulling the head of the microphone closer . ¡°Chief Woo has learned what the job entails by serving our late Association President from the closest vantage point . Not to mention, he possesses more than adequate power to make other Hunters acquiesce, as well . ¡± Those were all undeniable facts . The late Association President Goh Gun-Hui deeply appreciated Woo Jin-Cheol, the man who willingly chose to work for the Association despite receiving many scouting offers from major Guilds . And the Chief of the Monitoring Division was rank A, infinitely close to the threshold of ¡®S¡¯ . If only his magic energy evaluation numbers were a bit higher, the Association would¡¯ve been blessed with its second rank S Hunter alongside Goh Gun-Hui . He possessed four years of on-field job experience and also possessed powerful abilities that easily exceeded regular rank A Awakened, too . There were no opposing voices on whether or not he was fit to command countless other Hunters affiliated with the Association . The staff members initially began murmuring to each other after the nomination of Woo Jin-Cheol was made, but soon, they grew calmer from the Vice-President explaining the executives¡¯ decision . Unfortunately, the man in the spotlight still couldn¡¯t really accept this outcome . ¡°I¡¯m lacking in several key areas to take on that role . Not only are there executives holding higher offices than mine, aren¡¯t I too young to hold such an important office?¡± He was only in his mid-thirties . No one here would disregard his four years of experience in the Monitoring Division, but still, he was far, far too young to lead an organisation of this magnitude as its leader . At least, that¡¯s what Woo Jin-Cheol believed . ¡°We have you, the Vice-President . What about the directors of the executive board? Directors from the various regional branch offices?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol looked at the faces of all these powerful men and asked the Vice-President once more . ¡°There are this many excellent candidates present, so why am I being nominated as the replacement for the late Association President, sir?¡± ¡°Fuu¡­ . ¡± The Vice-President turned his head away to his side and sighed out softly under his breath . He did expect to run into this sort of resistance . However, he didn¡¯t count on that resistance to come from Woo Jin-Cheol himself . The Vice-President switched his mic off . The official stance of the board of the directors had been communicated in full by now . So, it was time to get to the meat of the matter, the unofficial stance . The mic being switched off prompted the attending staff members to pay even greater attention . The Vice-President opened his mouth . ¡°No personnel within the Association, including myself, possesses the ability to persuade South Korea¡¯s greatest combat potential . ¡± The greatest combat potential ¡®affiliated¡¯ with the Hunter¡¯s Association ¨C there was no need to mention that person¡¯s name as everyone present could already picture his face . ¡°He has clearly demonstrated the extent of his powers in Korea, Japan, as well in the United States . It¡¯s already happened, but well, without a doubt, the Hunter¡¯s Association would not be able to function properly without his presence . ¡± The ¡®Special Authority-rank¡¯ Hunter, capable of shifting a country with his individual power, had to kneel before Seong Jin-Woo . How could a measly little Association demand anything from someone like that? The only thing they could do was to politely make a request and wait patiently for a reply . That was all . Just like how the Association President Goh Gun-Hui was able to rescue the Jeju Island raid team by borrowing Hunter Seong¡¯s power, the organisation needed someone, a line of communication as it were, to request for his aid once more in the future . And the closest person to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo currently working for the Association was Woo Jin-Cheol . That alone was enough of a qualification . The Vice-President had spoken his opinion on the subject matter to the board of directors, and they, in turn, agreed with his analysis . And now, the staff members sitting inside the conference room were also nodding along as well . ¡°Just like how it is with Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, we can¡¯t force you to make this decision, Chief Woo . ¡± The power was with the Hunters . The Vice-President declared that he wanted to make that distinction crystal clear . ¡°That is why, will you not accept our nomination in good faith and be our leader moving forward?¡± Everyone was now looking at Woo Jin-Cheol . A brief bout of silence later, he finally opened his mouth, still aware of the expectant gazes prickling his skin . ¡°I¡­ . . ¡± *** ¡°Hul¡­ . . ¡± Jin-Woo was unaware that he just muttered out a gasp that his little sister used to make rather often . He was flipping through the articles found online through his phone, and his hand movements became faster . [The new master of the Hunter¡¯s Association, following in the footsteps of the late President Goh Gun-Hui, is President Woo Jin-Cheol!] He was momentarily surprised and worried after seeing that Chief Woo¡¯s name appeared as the number one real-time search result, but now that the confusion was cleared up, his racing heart began to slowly calm down . It was a welcome piece of news, after all . To think that Chief Woo, a personal friend, would climb up to the position of the Association President . Jin-Woo formed a smile and congratulated the man in his mind before shutting the device¡¯s power off and chucked it lightly behind him . An ant Shadow Soldier standing there just barely caught it . Jin-Woo watched the ant stuff the phone in a bag and warned the creature . ¡°Your predecessor was much better at stuff like this than you . You gotta bring your A game from now on, okay?¡± Yu Jin-Ho was too busy performing the role of the Vice-Chairman of the Guild and couldn¡¯t accompany him this time, so this ant Shadow Solder was elected to replace him as the luggage carrier . As if the creature was feeling sheepish about his new role, he continuously bowed while scratching the back of his head . ¡°Okay, good . ¡± Jin-Woo chuckled and lightly tapped the soldier on his shoulder before turning around to leave . He had finished eating lunch, so it was now time to recommence with the hunt . But then¡­ ¡°Hah-ah¡­ . It¡¯s these guys again?¡± Jin-Woo scratched his forehead as he scanned the dense forest of trees dyeing his view a sea of green . Only a short while ago, there used to be a village right here before it got trampled on by the Giants . But to think, it now resembled the Amazon rainforest¡­ . One didn¡¯t even need to be able to sense magical energy to realise that something was very wrong with this sight, indeed . However, it seemed that regular animals weren¡¯t suspicious of this forest, as various traces of them being devoured could be seen here and there . Jin-Woo stared at the bones of the dead animals and the flies buzzing around them before clicking his tongue . He then picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the forest . Swish-!! It was no longer a plain stone, though . No, it was a stone thrown by a rank S Hunter ¨C no, by Jin-Woo of all people . Smack!! The stone accurately struck where the face of the tree-type monster was . The creature¡¯s closed eyes shot wide open . It began frowning angrily and stood up from the spot to run straight at him . ¡°Kiiiieeehk!!¡± It seemed that you¡¯d get p*ssed off after getting hit by a rock whether you were a person or a plant . Jin-Woo summoned out the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortswords¡¯ and rushed forward . The huge tree creature swung its thick branches at the approaching human . ¡®So slow¡­ . ¡¯ This monster was indeed, far too slow . Jin-Woo leisurely slid past the two branches currently being used like fists and took a closer look at the tree¡¯s ¡®face¡¯ . The tree monster was struggling to spot him with its eyes . ¡®Even its reactions are poor . ¡¯ Whenever the branches smashed the ground, the earth was deeply gouged out, but even then, Jin-Woo was still clicking his tongue . ¡®Compared to how big it is, its power is nothing to write home about . ¡¯ The monster looked tough and powerful because of how large it was, but when compared to the Giant-type creatures of similar size, its power simply lagged far behind . But then again, maybe this was the trade-off for it being very sturdy . Jin-Woo gripped the shortswords tightly as the blades sliced and diced past the trunk of the tree monster . ¡°Kiiiechk, kiieeehk!¡± The monster kept screaming in pain but it didn¡¯t want to go down at all . ¡®Violent Slash!¡¯ Sword slashes pouring out at once like a buckshot stabbed and sliced and ripped into the tree monster . Dududududududu!! ¡°Kiiiiieeehk!!¡± The monster actually squeezed its eyes shut at the continuous barrage of attacks and flailed its ¡®fists¡¯ around in a frenzy . Jin-Woo evaded those attacks and approached the body of the monster again before sending his shortswords back into his ¡®Inventory¡¯ . He then clenched his fist tightly . The muscles of his right arm expanded in an instant as magical energy flooded there in a great quantity . And then, he punched out just once . WOO-JEECK!! The tree was folded in half as it got flung away . ¡°Kiiiehck?!?!¡± The creature tumbled around on the ground as a painful scream exploded out from its mouth . Even then, it began dragging its broken body back towards Jin-Woo again . ¡°Huh¡­ . ¡± This thing possessed truly shocking durability, that¡¯s for sure . These tree monsters, spotted for the very first time here in Japan, boasted a frightening level of endurance . Only after Jin-Woo beat the living daylights out of the creature for the umpteenth time did it stop moving altogether . ¡°K-kiechk¡­¡± The dying tree moaned out a short gasp of death and spat out some kind of a liquid possessing an unbearable stink . ¡°Euhk . ¡± Jin-Woo covered his nose up . What irritated him more than the monster¡¯s tenacious vitality was this atrocious stink . While the ¡®Yu Jin-Ho replacement¡¯ ant soldier diligently dug through the monster¡¯s remains to find it¡¯s Magic Crystal, Jin-Woo shifted his glare towards the forest where the same type of monsters were in hiding . ¡®And I¡¯m supposed to repeat the same thing over and over again¡­ . . ¡¯ Just how long ago was it since the dungeon break occurred nearby? A deep frown etched on his forehead as he stared at the monsters that had already formed a dense forest . The thing was, though ¨C humans were intelligent creatures . Jin-Woo had fought against these monsters and now knew what their weaknesses were . So, he came up with a plan . ¡®I knew something like this would happen . Good thing that I had them on standby . ¡¯ Jin-Woo grinned and summoned out a few Shadow Soldiers . ¡°Hey, come out . ¡± As if they were waiting for that summons, Fangs and the three Magic Soldiers emerged from the shadow . As it turned out, Jin-Woo made the correct call to have these guys on standby even though he sent others out on their own expeditions . ¡°Okay, begin!¡± As soon as Jin-Woo issued his order, Fangs quickly grew into his usual massive size and spat out his trademark pillar of flames, while the remaining three Magic Soldiers also began their spectacular fire magic show . Kuwaaaah!! Boom!! Ka-boom! Bang!! Flames rapidly spread out, causing the tree monsters to twist around and scream out in pain . ¡°Kiiieeehk!¡± ¡°Kiiehk!¡± ¡°Kiiiiiaaaahk!¡± These flames were ripe with magical energy and easily burned their targets into ashes, even though these trees weren¡¯t dry, to begin with . Even that liquid with the terrible smell was quickly evaporated by the heat, so Jin-Woo standing at an adequate-enough distance could spectate on this sight in a relaxed manner . Jin-Woo smiled as his plan came together rather perfectly . In the meantime, the System¡¯s messages kept on piling up in his vision . [You have defeated the enemy . ] [You have¡­] [You have¡­] Countless messages climbed up non-stop in his view . The monster¡¯s rapid rate of reproduction might sound like bad news to some, but actually, it was a good thing for him . It meant that his experience points earned would be higher . And sure enough, a cheerier-than-usual mechanical beep went off in his head . Tti-ring . [Level up!] ¡®That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!¡¯ Jin-Woo tightly clenched his fist . To confirm the increases in his Stats, he quickly summoned up his Status Window . ¡®Stat Window . ¡¯ Tti-ring . Name: Seong Jin-Woo Level: 133 Class: Shadow Sovereign Title: Demon Hunter (extra 2) HP: 78,230 MP: 136,160 Tiredness: 3 [Stats] Strength: 308 Endurance: 307 Agility: 316 Intelligence: 321 Perception: 298 (Available points to distribute: 0) His level was now sitting on 133 . Thanks to his soldiers currently doing their things throughout the whole of Japan, the quest to raise his level was progressing rather quickly . All those countless monsters pouring out from the Gates were proving to be a boon for Jin-Woo . Almost all of his Stats had exceeded 300, with the sole exception of Perception, which still required two more points to reach that mark . ¡®I¡¯m going to spend all the points from tomorrow¡¯s Daily Quest on Perception . ¡¯ Jin-Woo grinned brightly as he closed the Stat Window . The war that the King of Giants had spoken of, as well as the scheme ¡®they¡¯ had cooked up as mentioned by the late Association President Goh Gun-Hui ¨C Jin-Woo had no clear idea what any of them could be . However, it didn¡¯t matter, did it? All he had to do was to prepare as much as he could so he¡¯d be ready for any and all eventualities . Meaning, he should focus on diligently raising his levels . But then ¨C Beru was supposed to lead the ant battalion and kill the monsters in a location far from where Jin-Woo was, but he suddenly got in contact with his master . [Oh, my king¡­ . May I be permitted to address you regarding a certain matter?] ¡°Mm?¡± Why was Beru calling him up all of a sudden? Jin-Woo was puzzled by this occurrence and quickly sent Beru a response . ¡®What¡¯s the matter?¡¯ *** [¡°¡­ . Contact the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association . They will put you through to me . ¡±] After Jin-Woo¡¯s press conference was broadcast to the rest of the world, countless requests and inquiries began inundating the Hunter¡¯s Association . Most of them belonged to the top Hunters from other countries . Some of them even came to visit Korea in secret just so they could speak to Jin-Woo and get his advice . Germany¡¯s best Hunter, Lennart Niermann, was one of those . ¡®Even the Special Authority-rank and a top-ranked Hunter got done in by those things . How can I be safe from them, then?¡¯ He possessed an outstanding sensory perception as well as a good deal of modesty . He thought that, rather than shivering away in fear, he¡¯d place his faith in Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s declaration, the one about him possessing a way to defeat the unknown monsters . And that was why he decided to travel to South Korea . Stepping foot into the Incheon International Airport, he breathed in the Korean air that had this different flavour to it compared to that of Germany¡¯s or America¡¯s . ¡®So, this is what Korea smells like¡­ . ¡¯ Feeling somewhat excited by his first trip to Asia, he spoke to the clerk manning the immigration checkpoint in a clearly-eager voice . ¡°Is this Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s country?¡± ¡°Pardon? Ah, y-yes, it is . ¡± The clerk got flustered and nodded his head . Lennart Niermann formed a satisfied smile . He¡¯d soon be able to have a chat with the world¡¯s strongest Hunter . He ended up missing Jin-Woo by a hair¡¯s breadth during the banquet at the end of the International Guild Conference . But to get another opportunity like this! Just thinking about it made his heart flutter in excitement . He took a deep, deep breath to rein in his wildly-racing emotions, but then, a huge, hulking man standing close behind him spoke up in irritation . ¡°Hey, if you¡¯re planning to waste time here, get out of my way . ¡± Thick veins suddenly popped up in Lennart Niermann¡¯s once-peaceful face . Who dares to¡­! How could anyone speak so rudely to him, one of the best Hunters in the entire world?? ¡®I shall fix your attitude for good today!¡¯ The German Hunter took off the sunglasses he wore to hide his identity and turned around . ¡°Look here, friend! What you said just now, you think you can repeat word for word straight to my face?¡± Lennart Niermann stood with a heavy frown etched on his face . The man in front of him, taller than the German by at least a head, took off his own sunglasses and growled menacingly . ¡°Get . The . F*ck . Out . Of . My . Way . ¡± Lennart Niermann immediately recognised who this burly man was and his expression hardened like a rock right there and then . He hesitated before opening his mouth . ¡°P-please, go ahead first . ¡± Thomas Andre used his wide shoulders to brush past the German Hunter and stepped into immigration control . The act of apologising was the job reserved for Laura following him from close behind . That was a bona fide Special Authority-rank Hunter . The airport¡¯s workers felt their breathing becoming much heavier and harder after seeing the actual Thomas Andre, often referred to as the world¡¯s top Hunter . What a giant he was; it was not for nothing that people attached the nickname of ¡®Goliath¡¯ to him . Thomas Andre discovered the face of the immigration officer rapidly turning pale and put the sunglasses back on before forming a genial smile . ¡°Is this Mister Seong¡¯s country?¡± < Chapter 204 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 204: Chapter 204 To fill the vacant Association President¡¯s position, an executive-level meeting was held among the Vice-President and the chiefs of various departments, as well as directors from the regional branch offices Over thirty members filled up the large conference room Even though these people boasted societal authority exceeding the directors and managers of regular parastatal entities or large corporations, all thanks to the Hunter¡¯s Association, the complexions of every single one present today were clouded by deep anxiety As this heavy atmosphere bubbled on, a couple of unimportant topics were discussed to bring everyone up to speed on what was happening around the globe ¡°¡­ . Looks like it¡¯s time to decide on who¡¯ll follow in the footsteps of our late President . ¡±. Finally, the time had come . Along with that declaration from the Vice-President, nervous tension brushed past the expressions of all the attending staff members Gulp Even the sounds of saliva being swallowed could be heard here and there . This moment could decide the fate of the Hunter¡¯s Association, after all The number of Hunters were increasing, while the Gates appeared more frequently now . All these people forming the core of the Association¡¯s command structure knew full well that the instability of their organisation could lead to the nation itself becoming unstable as well ¡°Well, then¡­ . ¡±. The Vice-President, in charge of leading the proceedings, closed the documents in front of him before the topic could get on the way . This gesture signalled that the words written on these pages were insignificant compared to what was about to be discussed ¡°After a lengthy, in-depth discussion between the board of directors and myself, we decided to nominate Chief Woo Jin-Cheol as the new Association President . ¡±. The person in question, Woo Jin-Cheol, hadn¡¯t been told before the meeting, so rather understandably, he raised his head up in great surprise . He quickly looked at the Vice-President ¡®But, why me¡­ . ?¡¯. His eyes were silently asking this question, and as a reply, the Vice-President stared straight back while pulling the head of the microphone closer ¡°Chief Woo has learned what the job entails by serving our late Association President from the closest vantage point . Not to mention, he possesses more than adequate power to make other Hunters acquiesce, as well . ¡±. Those were all undeniable facts The late Association President Goh Gun-Hui deeply appreciated Woo Jin-Cheol, the man who willingly chose to work for the Association despite receiving many scouting offers from major Guilds . And the Chief of the Monitoring Division was rank A, infinitely close to the threshold of ¡®S¡¯ If only his magic energy evaluation numbers were a bit higher, the Association would¡¯ve been blessed with its second rank S Hunter alongside Goh Gun-Hui He possessed four years of on-field job experience and also possessed powerful abilities that easily exceeded regular rank A Awakened, too There were no opposing voices on whether or not he was fit to command countless other Hunters affiliated with the Association The staff members initially began murmuring to each other after the nomination of Woo Jin-Cheol was made, but soon, they grew calmer from the Vice-President explaining the executives¡¯ decision Unfortunately, the man in the spotlight still couldn¡¯t really accept this outcome ¡°I¡¯m lacking in several key areas to take on that role . Not only are there executives holding higher offices than mine, aren¡¯t I too young to hold such an important office?¡±. He was only in his mid-thirties . No one here would disregard his four years of experience in the Monitoring Division, but still, he was far, far too young to lead an organisation of this magnitude as its leader At least, that¡¯s what Woo Jin-Cheol believed ¡°We have you, the Vice-President . What about the directors of the executive board? Directors from the various regional branch offices?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol looked at the faces of all these powerful men and asked the Vice-President once more ¡°There are this many excellent candidates present, so why am I being nominated as the replacement for the late Association President, sir?¡±. ¡°Fuu¡­ . ¡±. The Vice-President turned his head away to his side and sighed out softly under his breath . He did expect to run into this sort of resistance . However, he didn¡¯t count on that resistance to come from Woo Jin-Cheol himself The Vice-President switched his mic off . The official stance of the board of the directors had been communicated in full by now . So, it was time to get to the meat of the matter, the unofficial stance The mic being switched off prompted the attending staff members to pay even greater attention . The Vice-President opened his mouth ¡°No personnel within the Association, including myself, possesses the ability to persuade South Korea¡¯s greatest combat potential . ¡±. The greatest combat potential ¡®affiliated¡¯ with the Hunter¡¯s Association ¨C there was no need to mention that person¡¯s name as everyone present could already picture his face ¡°He has clearly demonstrated the extent of his powers in Korea, Japan, as well in the United States . It¡¯s already happened, but well, without a doubt, the Hunter¡¯s Association would not be able to function properly without his presence . ¡±. The ¡®Special Authority-rank¡¯ Hunter, capable of shifting a country with his individual power, had to kneel before Seong Jin-Woo . How could a measly little Association demand anything from someone like that?. The only thing they could do was to politely make a request and wait patiently for a reply . That was all Just like how the Association President Goh Gun-Hui was able to rescue the Jeju Island raid team by borrowing Hunter Seong¡¯s power, the organisation needed someone, a line of communication as it were, to request for his aid once more in the future And the closest person to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo currently working for the Association was Woo Jin-Cheol . That alone was enough of a qualification The Vice-President had spoken his opinion on the subject matter to the board of directors, and they, in turn, agreed with his analysis . And now, the staff members sitting inside the conference room were also nodding along as well ¡°Just like how it is with Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, we can¡¯t force you to make this decision, Chief Woo . ¡±. The power was with the Hunters . The Vice-President declared that he wanted to make that distinction crystal clear ¡°That is why, will you not accept our nomination in good faith and be our leader moving forward?¡±. Everyone was now looking at Woo Jin-Cheol . A brief bout of silence later, he finally opened his mouth, still aware of the expectant gazes prickling his skin ¡°I¡­ ¡±. ***. ¡°Hul¡­ ¡±. Jin-Woo was unaware that he just muttered out a gasp that his little sister used to make rather often . He was flipping through the articles found online through his phone, and his hand movements became faster [The new master of the Hunter¡¯s Association, following in the footsteps of the late President Goh Gun-Hui, is President Woo Jin-Cheol!]. He was momentarily surprised and worried after seeing that Chief Woo¡¯s name appeared as the number one real-time search result, but now that the confusion was cleared up, his racing heart began to slowly calm down It was a welcome piece of news, after all . To think that Chief Woo, a personal friend, would climb up to the position of the Association President Jin-Woo formed a smile and congratulated the man in his mind before shutting the device¡¯s power off and chucked it lightly behind him . An ant Shadow Soldier standing there just barely caught it Jin-Woo watched the ant stuff the phone in a bag and warned the creature ¡°Your predecessor was much better at stuff like this than you . You gotta bring your A game from now on, okay?¡±. Yu Jin-Ho was too busy performing the role of the Vice-Chairman of the Guild and couldn¡¯t accompany him this time, so this ant Shadow Solder was elected to replace him as the luggage carrier . As if the creature was feeling sheepish about his new role, he continuously bowed while scratching the back of his head ¡°Okay, good . ¡±. Jin-Woo chuckled and lightly tapped the soldier on his shoulder before turning around to leave . He had finished eating lunch, so it was now time to recommence with the hunt But then¡­. ¡°Hah-ah¡­ . It¡¯s these guys again?¡±. Jin-Woo scratched his forehead as he scanned the dense forest of trees dyeing his view a sea of green Only a short while ago, there used to be a village right here before it got trampled on by the Giants . But to think, it now resembled the Amazon rainforest¡­ One didn¡¯t even need to be able to sense magical energy to realise that something was very wrong with this sight, indeed However, it seemed that regular animals weren¡¯t suspicious of this forest, as various traces of them being devoured could be seen here and there . Jin-Woo stared at the bones of the dead animals and the flies buzzing around them before clicking his tongue He then picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the forest Swish-!!. It was no longer a plain stone, though . No, it was a stone thrown by a rank S Hunter ¨C no, by Jin-Woo of all people Smack!!. The stone accurately struck where the face of the tree-type monster was . The creature¡¯s closed eyes shot wide open . It began frowning angrily and stood up from the spot to run straight at him ¡°Kiiiieeehk!!¡±. It seemed that you¡¯d get p*ssed off after getting hit by a rock whether you were a person or a plant Jin-Woo summoned out the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortswords¡¯ and rushed forward . The huge tree creature swung its thick branches at the approaching human ¡®So slow¡­ . ¡¯. This monster was indeed, far too slow . Jin-Woo leisurely slid past the two branches currently being used like fists and took a closer look at the tree¡¯s ¡®face¡¯ The tree monster was struggling to spot him with its eyes ¡®Even its reactions are poor . ¡¯. Whenever the branches smashed the ground, the earth was deeply gouged out, but even then, Jin-Woo was still clicking his tongue ¡®Compared to how big it is, its power is nothing to write home about . ¡¯. The monster looked tough and powerful because of how large it was, but when compared to the Giant-type creatures of similar size, its power simply lagged far behind . But then again, maybe this was the trade-off for it being very sturdy Jin-Woo gripped the shortswords tightly as the blades sliced and diced past the trunk of the tree monster ¡°Kiiiechk, kiieeehk!¡±. The monster kept screaming in pain but it didn¡¯t want to go down at all ¡®Violent Slash!¡¯. Sword slashes pouring out at once like a buckshot stabbed and sliced and ripped into the tree monster Dududududududu!!. ¡°Kiiiiieeehk!!¡±. The monster actually squeezed its eyes shut at the continuous barrage of attacks and flailed its ¡®fists¡¯ around in a frenzy . Jin-Woo evaded those attacks and approached the body of the monster again before sending his shortswords back into his ¡®Inventory¡¯ . He then clenched his fist tightly The muscles of his right arm expanded in an instant as magical energy flooded there in a great quantity . And then, he punched out just once WOO-JEECK!!. The tree was folded in half as it got flung away ¡°Kiiiehck?!?!¡±. The creature tumbled around on the ground as a painful scream exploded out from its mouth . Even then, it began dragging its broken body back towards Jin-Woo again ¡°Huh¡­ . ¡±. This thing possessed truly shocking durability, that¡¯s for sure . These tree monsters, spotted for the very first time here in Japan, boasted a frightening level of endurance . Only after Jin-Woo beat the living daylights out of the creature for the umpteenth time did it stop moving altogether ¡°K-kiechk¡­¡±. The dying tree moaned out a short gasp of death and spat out some kind of a liquid possessing an unbearable stink ¡°Euhk . ¡±. Jin-Woo covered his nose up What irritated him more than the monster¡¯s tenacious vitality was this atrocious stink While the ¡®Yu Jin-Ho replacement¡¯ ant soldier diligently dug through the monster¡¯s remains to find it¡¯s Magic Crystal, Jin-Woo shifted his glare towards the forest where the same type of monsters were in hiding ¡®And I¡¯m supposed to repeat the same thing over and over again¡­ ¡¯. Just how long ago was it since the dungeon break occurred nearby? A deep frown etched on his forehead as he stared at the monsters that had already formed a dense forest The thing was, though ¨C humans were intelligent creatures Jin-Woo had fought against these monsters and now knew what their weaknesses were . So, he came up with a plan ¡®I knew something like this would happen . Good thing that I had them on standby . ¡¯. Jin-Woo grinned and summoned out a few Shadow Soldiers ¡°Hey, come out . ¡±. As if they were waiting for that summons, Fangs and the three Magic Soldiers emerged from the shadow . As it turned out, Jin-Woo made the correct call to have these guys on standby even though he sent others out on their own expeditions ¡°Okay, begin!¡±. As soon as Jin-Woo issued his order, Fangs quickly grew into his usual massive size and spat out his trademark pillar of flames, while the remaining three Magic Soldiers also began their spectacular fire magic show Kuwaaaah!!. Boom!! Ka-boom! Bang!!. Flames rapidly spread out, causing the tree monsters to twist around and scream out in pain ¡°Kiiieeehk!¡±. ¡°Kiiehk!¡±. ¡°Kiiiiiaaaahk!¡±. These flames were ripe with magical energy and easily burned their targets into ashes, even though these trees weren¡¯t dry, to begin with . Even that liquid with the terrible smell was quickly evaporated by the heat, so Jin-Woo standing at an adequate-enough distance could spectate on this sight in a relaxed manner Jin-Woo smiled as his plan came together rather perfectly . In the meantime, the System¡¯s messages kept on piling up in his vision [You have defeated the enemy . ]. [You have¡­]. [You have¡­]. Countless messages climbed up non-stop in his view The monster¡¯s rapid rate of reproduction might sound like bad news to some, but actually, it was a good thing for him . It meant that his experience points earned would be higher And sure enough, a cheerier-than-usual mechanical beep went off in his head Tti-ring [Level up!]. ¡®That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!¡¯. Jin-Woo tightly clenched his fist . To confirm the increases in his Stats, he quickly summoned up his Status Window ¡®Stat Window . ¡¯. Tti-ring Name: Seong Jin-Woo. Level: 133. Class: Shadow Sovereign. Title: Demon Hunter (extra 2). HP: 78,230. MP: 136,160. Tiredness: 3. [Stats]. Strength: 308. Endurance: 307. Agility: 316. Intelligence: 321. Perception: 298. (Available points to distribute: 0). His level was now sitting on 133 Thanks to his soldiers currently doing their things throughout the whole of Japan, the quest to raise his level was progressing rather quickly . All those countless monsters pouring out from the Gates were proving to be a boon for Jin-Woo Almost all of his Stats had exceeded 300, with the sole exception of Perception, which still required two more points to reach that mark ¡®I¡¯m going to spend all the points from tomorrow¡¯s Daily Quest on Perception . ¡¯. Jin-Woo grinned brightly as he closed the Stat Window The war that the King of Giants had spoken of, as well as the scheme ¡®they¡¯ had cooked up as mentioned by the late Association President Goh Gun-Hui ¨C Jin-Woo had no clear idea what any of them could be However, it didn¡¯t matter, did it?. All he had to do was to prepare as much as he could so he¡¯d be ready for any and all eventualities . Meaning, he should focus on diligently raising his levels But then ¨C Beru was supposed to lead the ant battalion and kill the monsters in a location far from where Jin-Woo was, but he suddenly got in contact with his master [Oh, my king¡­ . May I be permitted to address you regarding a certain matter?]. ¡°Mm?¡±. Why was Beru calling him up all of a sudden?. Jin-Woo was puzzled by this occurrence and quickly sent Beru a response ¡®What¡¯s the matter?¡¯. ***. [¡°¡­ . Contact the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association . They will put you through to me . ¡±]. After Jin-Woo¡¯s press conference was broadcast to the rest of the world, countless requests and inquiries began inundating the Hunter¡¯s Association Most of them belonged to the top Hunters from other countries . Some of them even came to visit Korea in secret just so they could speak to Jin-Woo and get his advice Germany¡¯s best Hunter, Lennart Niermann, was one of those ¡®Even the Special Authority-rank and a top-ranked Hunter got done in by those things . How can I be safe from them, then?¡¯. He possessed an outstanding sensory perception as well as a good deal of modesty . He thought that, rather than shivering away in fear, he¡¯d place his faith in Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s declaration, the one about him possessing a way to defeat the unknown monsters And that was why he decided to travel to South Korea Stepping foot into the Incheon International Airport, he breathed in the Korean air that had this different flavour to it compared to that of Germany¡¯s or America¡¯s ¡®So, this is what Korea smells like¡­ . ¡¯. Feeling somewhat excited by his first trip to Asia, he spoke to the clerk manning the immigration checkpoint in a clearly-eager voice ¡°Is this Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s country?¡±. ¡°Pardon? Ah, y-yes, it is . ¡±. The clerk got flustered and nodded his head . Lennart Niermann formed a satisfied smile . He¡¯d soon be able to have a chat with the world¡¯s strongest Hunter He ended up missing Jin-Woo by a hair¡¯s breadth during the banquet at the end of the International Guild Conference . But to get another opportunity like this! Just thinking about it made his heart flutter in excitement He took a deep, deep breath to rein in his wildly-racing emotions, but then, a huge, hulking man standing close behind him spoke up in irritation ¡°Hey, if you¡¯re planning to waste time here, get out of my way . ¡±. Thick veins suddenly popped up in Lennart Niermann¡¯s once-peaceful face Who dares to¡­!. How could anyone speak so rudely to him, one of the best Hunters in the entire world??. ¡®I shall fix your attitude for good today!¡¯. The German Hunter took off the sunglasses he wore to hide his identity and turned around ¡°Look here, friend! What you said just now, you think you can repeat word for word straight to my face?¡±. Lennart Niermann stood with a heavy frown etched on his face . The man in front of him, taller than the German by at least a head, took off his own sunglasses and growled menacingly ¡°Get . The . F*ck . Out . Of . My . Way . ¡±. Lennart Niermann immediately recognised who this burly man was and his expression hardened like a rock right there and then . He hesitated before opening his mouth ¡°P-please, go ahead first . ¡±. Thomas Andre used his wide shoulders to brush past the German Hunter and stepped into immigration control . The act of apologising was the job reserved for Laura following him from close behind That was a bona fide Special Authority-rank Hunter . The airport¡¯s workers felt their breathing becoming much heavier and harder after seeing the actual Thomas Andre, often referred to as the world¡¯s top Hunter What a giant he was; it was not for nothing that people attached the nickname of ¡®Goliath¡¯ to him Thomas Andre discovered the face of the immigration officer rapidly turning pale and put the sunglasses back on before forming a genial smile ¡°Is this Mister Seong¡¯s country?¡±. < Chapter 204 > Fin Chapter 205 [Oh, my king¡­ . May I be permitted to address you regarding a certain matter?] Beru contacted Jin-Woo out of the blue . What did the most powerful Shadow Soldier, tasked with leading the ant battalion to kill monsters far away, want to say to his master? ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Jin-Woo inwardly asked him . Beru then cautiously sought out permission from his master . [May you be gracious enough to drive the prey to this servant¡¯s location?] Drive the prey to his location? The ¡®prey¡¯ Beru was talking about was, of course, monsters that roamed outside of the Gates after the various dungeon breaks took place . It implied that the former ant king wished to take care of all the monsters by himself . Even Greed couldn¡¯t compare to Beru in terms of power, although they were supposed to be in the same Commander-grade . So, it was unlikely that his subordinates started a rebellion or some such and he wanted to do things alone now . Jin-Woo pondered the reason for this request for a bit, but then, a certain possibility quickly entered his head . ¡®Could it be¡­ . ??¡¯ [Every time I defeat a prey, I can feel a sensation similar to ¡®moulting¡¯ throughout my entire body, my king . ] As he thought! His guess turned out to correct . ¡®Moulting¡¯, Beru said . Meaning, he was about to break through to the next stage . Ever since his inclusion into the Shadow Army, Beru stood at the forefront, always, and fought off more enemies than anyone else . And finally, he was being rewarded with an opportunity to advance to a higher grade . When recalling how much stronger high-grade soldiers like Igrit and Iron became after the advancement¡­ . . ¡®¡­ . This is wonderful news . ¡¯ Beru was already strong enough to toy with rank S Hunters even before he became a part of the Shadow Army . His current grade, too, was the highest among all of his existing Shadow Soldiers . ¡®Does this mean I finally get to see the grade above ¡®Commander¡¯?¡¯ Jin-Woo was getting really curious about just what kind of changes Beru would go through after his stats jump up greatly via his advancement . He quickly replied to his ant soldier, no doubt anxiously waiting for his king¡¯s answer . ¡®Alright . Let¡¯s do it . ¡¯ [Oh, I thank thee, my king . I shall send back the ant battalion to your side right away . ] ¡®No, there¡¯s no need . ¡¯ Jin-Woo smirked to himself . Of course, Beru wouldn¡¯t be able to see the expression his Sovereign was making, since they were dozens upon dozens of kilometres away . ¡®Shadow Army . ¡¯ Jin-Woo called out, and his soldiers, almost 1200-strong, responded back to him simultaneously . From Igrit, in charge of leading the knights, Fangs leading the High Orcs, Jima leading the Nagas, No . 6 leading the giants, Tank leading the Ice Bears, and even Greed leading the leftover soldiers . He thought he could hear their loud roars . Every single one of them began focusing all of their attention on Jin-Woo¡¯s summons . He sensed their tension oh-so-clearly, even this far away . While enjoying this feeling of satisfaction, Jin-Woo issued his new command . ¡®Everyone, withdraw . ¡¯ [¡­ . !!] ¡®I want you guys back . ¡¯ The moment his order was given, the entirety of the Shadow Army began moving again . Soldiers all reverted back to their shadow state and rapidly headed in the direction where Jin-Woo was waiting for them . [Oh, my king¡­ . Why have you recalled your loyal soldiers?] Jin-Woo replied with a chuckle at the surprised-sounding Beru . ¡®From here onwards, only you and I will defeat the remaining monsters . ¡¯ This seemed to be the best option available in order to speed up Beru¡¯s advancement . Just like how a high-levelled player helped out the lower-levelled friend in a game, he was planning to fight alongside Beru and greatly speed up their hunting speed, gifting a whole bunch of experience points to his subordinate in the process . He was going to ¡®power level¡¯ Beru, in other words . There were still quite a few areas where dungeon breaks had occurred, so if the two of them went around clearing them, the required level cap would be met pretty soon . Of course, as the ground they had to cover was vast, the efficiency of this method fell far behind the one with sending out his soldiers to sweep the enemies clean, but Beru¡¯s advancement was the priority here . [Oh, my king¡­ . ] Beru couldn¡¯t finish his sentence, his voice overflowing with emotions . ¡®Hah . This guy . ¡¯ Seeing that his emotions had become richer as time went on, there was little doubt that he had been hiding in the shadows watching TV the whole day when he was supposed to protect his mother and Jin-Ah at home . As the recalling of his shadows was just about complete, Jin-Woo asked the question to his soldiers . ¡°Is there anyone else beside Beru who feels that their advancement is just around the corner?¡± Perhaps inevitably, there was no reply . It wasn¡¯t easy to advance to the next grade, after all . And one would need an excellent perception to sense the approaching advancement, too . There was a reason why only Beru could sense his own advancement out of all his Shadow Soldiers . Just as his thoughts arrived at this point¡­ Shururuk¡­ . As Beru stood there, itching to go on the intimate solo hunting with his liege, yet another Shadow Soldier emerged from the ground next to him . While a look of disappointment flashed on Beru¡¯s face, Jin-Woo¡¯s own expression brightened up even more . ¡°Nice . ¡± As he would do normally, Igrit politely knelt down on one knee . Jin-Woo always felt kinda uncomfortable with Igrit¡¯s unyielding dedication to the formalities, but still, seeing the gesture again after a long while made him happy regardless . Igrit¡¯s advancement ¨C that too, was something he had been looking forward to, wasn¡¯t it? ¡°Alright . Let¡¯s get started . ¡± Jin-Woo summoned the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortswords¡¯ and smiled deeply . What an amazing rate of reproduction this was ¨C it hadn¡¯t been that long, yet new sprouts were rising up from the scorched-black remains of the tree monsters . ¡°Kiiieehk!¡± ¡°Kiiehk!¡± There were around 40 or so dungeon break locations left to clear in Japan beside this one . Every second and every minute was precious if these three were to clear them all . *** Within the Ah-Jin Guild office . For Yu Jin-Ho, this office had become far more comfortable than his own place . But right this moment, it felt as if every passing minute was as agonisingly long as an hour . He sneaked a glance at the clock hanging on the wall . It said, ¡¯16:10 PM¡¯ . It had been over two hours since ¡®that man¡¯ had shown up here . Gulp . Worried that his unconscious saliva swallowing had made too much noise, Yu Jin-Ho quickly sneaked a glance at the unannounced guest to the side . Unfortunately, his gaze ended up meeting the guest¡¯s eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses . The big man replied with a refreshing grin . Yu Jin-Ho forced his stiff facial muscles to form a grin of his own, or something that roughly resembled one, and hurriedly averted his gaze elsewhere . Thick sweatdrops formed on his forehead . He then hurriedly pulled out his poor phone and tried to call his dear hyung-nim, but it was a waste of time . Ring¡­ . Ringgg¡­ . It had been two days since the last communication with hyung-nim . For some reason, he wasn¡¯t picking up his phone at all . Even today . ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yu Jin-Ho lowered his phone and closed his mouth real tightly . It was the same story for other employees of the Guild . These talented individuals who chose to work for the Ah-Jin Guild after seeing its potential were all overwhelmed by this awkward atmosphere and, as if they had made a promise to do so, resolutely maintained this heavy silence . Of course, none of this was their fault . No, anyone who found themselves in a similar situation would react in the same manner . Especially so, when the man sitting on a chair by the corner of the office happened to be one of the most powerful Hunters in the entire world, who also was happened to be known as the man with one of the shortest fuse in the world . Not only that, the owner of this office was the very man who beat this Hunter to a pulp and sent him to the hospital . So, how could anyone be able to smile and jovially chat amongst themselves in front of this man? He was, of course, Thomas Andre . The Hunter standing on top of the world had come to visit Ah-Jin Guild to meet Jin-Woo . All thanks to that, the Vice Guild Chairman Yu Jin-Ho and his employees had no choice but to deal with this unannounced guest and consequently, felt like they were dying a little bit with every passing second right now . Yu Jin-Ho began wondering whether he should attempt contacting hyung-nim one more time or not, but then¡­ Shururuk¡­ The automated door to the Guild slid open . The heads of every single employee, including Yu Jin-Ho, instantly snapped in that direction . Right away, his eyes grew wide . Yu Jin-Ho jumped up from his seat in sheer joy and spoke in a voice that contained the desperate pleading hearts of everyone working for this Guild . ¡°Hyung-niiiim!!¡± *** ¡®I was wondering why there were so many reporters camping outside, but this¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo helplessly stared at Thomas Andre grinning back at him . Looking at that expression, the American didn¡¯t seem to be hung up over what happened before, so what brought him all the way out here? Funnily enough, though, it was Yu Jin-Ho who welcomed Jin-Woo way before Thomas Andre could . ¡°Hyung-nim!! Why couldn¡¯t I get a hold of you for so long?!¡± ¡°Well, uh, I was busy . ¡± ¡°Hang on a minute, now that I see your clothes¡­ . . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho faltered and stopped moving . Jin-Woo¡¯s clothing bore countless pieces of evidence of the harsh battles he must¡¯ve gone through . It was like looking at hyung-nim after he concluded his Giant monster hunting trip . ¡®If hyung-nim was fighting non-stop, to the point he couldn¡¯t contact anyone for two days straight, then¡­ . . ¡¯ Just how many monsters were sent back to hell by hyung-nim¡¯s shortswords? Trying to imagine the carnage brought up a nasty case of goosebumps on his skin . It was at this point in time that Thomas Andre stood up leisurely from the chair to walk up to Jin-Woo . Since he was such a big dude, to begin with, he didn¡¯t need to take that many steps to close the distance between him and his target . Soon, the American stood before Jin-Woo . ¡®Heok¡­ . ¡¯ ¡®No, hang on . They aren¡¯t going to fight again in here, right?¡¯ The Guild employees were unaware of these two¡¯s current relationship, so understandably, they were busy swallowing nervous saliva as their eyes locked onto the two men standing before each other . The sounds of their racing hearts were so loud that Jin-Woo¡¯s ears were actually aching right now from the noise assaulting him . ¡°Mister Seong . ¡± Thomas Andre extended his hand first . Jin-Woo grinned and held the offered hand to shake it . The two men shared a brief greeting that way . But then, the smile on Thomas Andre¡¯s face was wiped off in an instant . How¡­ . ¡®How could this be??¡¯ For some reason, the American felt that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was different from before . It was only by a little bit, but this Seong Jin-Woo was different than the one he met back in America . Was it because the impression had changed? For sure, Jin-Woo¡¯s attire back when they first met, or when they were in the banquet, was remarkably different from his current duds, which were in a really sorry state . However, a certain sense of ¡®sturdiness¡¯ unrelated to clothing could be felt from him right now . In a word, it was ¡®strong¡¯ . Back then, he was strong, but now, he came across as even stronger . However¡­ . ¡®Can something like that even happen¡­ . ?¡¯ No, it couldn¡¯t ¨C at least not according to his common sense . Thomas Andre¡¯s ultra-sharp senses allowed him to detect Jin-Woo¡¯s change that came about from levelling up, but he lacked the knowledge to decipher just what he was sensing here . As the American was swimming within his confusion, their handshake came to an end and Jin-Woo asked him the question . ¡°What brings you to Korea?¡± ¡°Oh, that . ¡± Thomas Andre recovered his wits and formed another smile . ¡°Didn¡¯t I promise you before? I told you that I¡¯ll buy a meal once my arm heals up . ¡± He raised his completely-healed left arm and waved it around . ¡°And, also¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo sneaked a glance at the clock on the wall . It was almost half past four in the afternoon . The time was obviously too late for lunch, but it was also a bit too early for supper . ¡°There¡¯s still a lot of time left before dinner time, so¡­ . Hang on . ¡± Jin-Woo asked for Thomas Andre¡¯s understanding and hurriedly walked over to Yu Jin-Ho . Now that he knew the American¡¯s business with him wasn¡¯t as urgent, he decided to prioritise on the matter that required his greater attention first . ¡°Can you find out for me the biggest Gate currently opening up in Seoul?¡± Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s eyes went extra round after hearing Jin-Woo¡¯s request . ¡°Hyung-nim, will it be fine as long as it¡¯s a big one?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine if someone has booked it already, so find one that¡¯s a high-enough rank . ¡± ¡°Got it, hyung-nim . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho typed away on the keyboard at the speed of light and searched for the relevant information before a bright expression formed on his face . ¡°Hyung-nim, I found a particularly dangerous rank A Gate . ¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± ¡°However, the Hunters Guild has called dibs on it already . ¡± Contrary to Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s expectation, though, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t look disappointed at all . ¡°It¡¯s fine . ¡± He didn¡¯t care who had the raid permit or not . As a matter of fact, Jin-Woo thought that explaining himself would be easier now since he knew someone from the Hunters Guild, and that brought about a smile to his face . Jin-Woo prepared to leave the office with cheery, airy steps, before turning around to address Thomas Andre . ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve got an errand to run so I¡¯ll be going out for a little while . As for the promised meal, let¡¯s talk about it after I return . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . ¡± Jin-Woo left the flustered American behind and disappeared from the office like a passing breeze . Thomas Andre dazedly stared at the doorway the Korean Hunter had disappeared through, before loudly bursting out with laughter . ¡°Ahahaha . Isn¡¯t this¡­ . ¡± What else could he do? What Jin-Woo was doing might come across as inconsiderate, but then again, it was Thomas Andre who showed up totally unannounced, to begin with . In fact, he should have expected that a Hunter on the level of Seong Jin-Woo would be even busier than himself . ¡°In that case¡­ . I¡¯ll be staying here . ¡± Thomas Andre left behind the contact details of the hotel he was staying at with Yu Jin-Ho before vacating from the office himself . ¡°Whew¡­ . . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho spat out a sigh of relief as he stared at the empty space once occupied by the American¡¯s hulking figure, but then, nearly jumped in fright after sensing another presence right next to him . ¡°Heok?! You were still here, too??¡± It was rather lamentable that Lennart Niermann, who had arrived in the Guild office long before Thomas Andre did, had no grasp on the Korean language . Even then, he was pretty sure of Ah-Jin Guild¡¯s Vice-Chair completely forgetting about his presence until now . ¡°I even made a prior appointment, too¡­ . . ¡± Realising that even someone like himself, used to being treated like a VVIP back in Germany, could end up being forgotten to this extent, his head slowly drooped towards the floor . Unfortunately, what else can he do now when even the one and only Thomas Andre left the office without any complaints? Whether it be a monster or a Hunter, you only had one life, after all . ¡°¡­¡± Lennart Niermann stood up with no energy whatsoever in his body and jotted down his own contact details on the small corner of the memo Thomas Andre left behind . *** The elite assault team members of the Hunters Guild were in the middle of getting ready for the raid, but Jin-Woo¡¯s sudden entrance stole away their focus and they could only concentrate on him now . Noisy, noisy¡­ . Cha Hae-In was the only one to get a heads-up from him, so she was able to remain collected, at least compared to her colleagues . ¡°You want to borrow our dungeon? Did something happen?¡± ¡°It¡¯s as I said before . I¡¯d like to borrow the dungeon if it¡¯s at all possible . ¡± Having seen another familiar face after what felt like forever, Jin-Woo formed a bright smile of genuine happiness . On the other hand ¨C he hadn¡¯t contacted her for a long time and yet the first thing he said after abruptly appearing before her, was about borrowing a dungeon that her team was about to raid . Cha Hae-In was about to get angry, but seeing how happy Jin-Woo was, she ended up averting her gaze elsewhere, instead . While she stood there in hesitation, unable to think of something to say, Choi Jong-In quickly ran in and addressed Jin-Woo . The Master of the Hunters Guild was waiting for the latter¡¯s arrival, actually . ¡°Seong Hunter-nim!¡± The explanation had been concluded quickly enough . Jin-Woo was proposing to kill every single monster inside the dungeon, barring the boss itself, and he even promised not to touch anything else . There would be no Guild Master worth his salt who¡¯d reject this deal . The thing was, Choi Jong-In had been greatly worried about his people getting injured inside this high-ranking Gate, so he welcomed this offer with both of his arms raised up high . Of course, the members of the raid team themselves were also welcoming this development, although they were careful not to show it outwardly . Jin-Woo immediately headed towards the Gate . Before he could go far, though, someone tugged at his sleeve so he turned around to see who it was . He found Cha Hae-In and her blushing cheeks there, asking him in a hushed voice . ¡°What will you do inside the dungeon?¡± ¡°There¡¯s something I need to test inside . One of my summons has gone through a change, you see . ¡± One of his summons, he said . Cha Hae-In recalled the two summons she fought against in the Association¡¯s gymnasium ¨C Igrit and Beru . They were far too strong to be labelled as mere summons . She was supposed to be a rank S Hunter, yet those two could easily threaten her life . Did something change regarding those two and he wanted to test them out now? Cha Hae-In became really curious and whispered in an even more hushed voice . ¡°In that case¡­ . Can I go inside with you and take a look, too?¡± Jin-Woo heard that question containing just a tiny bit of ulterior motive and resolutely shook his head . ¡°It¡¯ll get far too dangerous . I¡¯m planning to let him run amok, you see . ¡± Jin-Woo cut her off, his expression one of seriousness . Cha Hae-In nodded her head and didn¡¯t press any further . Jin-Woo left behind her longing gaze and jumped into the Gate . [You have entered a dungeon . ] The same message he saw so many times popped up again . Jin-Woo hurriedly summoned Beru, on standby within his shadow . ¡®Come out . ¡¯ < Chapter 205 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 205: Chapter 205 [Oh, my king¡­ . May I be permitted to address you regarding a certain matter?]. Beru contacted Jin-Woo out of the blue What did the most powerful Shadow Soldier, tasked with leading the ant battalion to kill monsters far away, want to say to his master?. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯. Jin-Woo inwardly asked him . Beru then cautiously sought out permission from his master [May you be gracious enough to drive the prey to this servant¡¯s location?]. Drive the prey to his location?. The ¡®prey¡¯ Beru was talking about was, of course, monsters that roamed outside of the Gates after the various dungeon breaks took place . It implied that the former ant king wished to take care of all the monsters by himself Even Greed couldn¡¯t compare to Beru in terms of power, although they were supposed to be in the same Commander-grade . So, it was unlikely that his subordinates started a rebellion or some such and he wanted to do things alone now Jin-Woo pondered the reason for this request for a bit, but then, a certain possibility quickly entered his head ¡®Could it be¡­ . ??¡¯. [Every time I defeat a prey, I can feel a sensation similar to ¡®moulting¡¯ throughout my entire body, my king . ]. As he thought! His guess turned out to correct ¡®Moulting¡¯, Beru said . Meaning, he was about to break through to the next stage Ever since his inclusion into the Shadow Army, Beru stood at the forefront, always, and fought off more enemies than anyone else . And finally, he was being rewarded with an opportunity to advance to a higher grade When recalling how much stronger high-grade soldiers like Igrit and Iron became after the advancement¡­ . ¡®¡­ . This is wonderful news . ¡¯. Beru was already strong enough to toy with rank S Hunters even before he became a part of the Shadow Army . His current grade, too, was the highest among all of his existing Shadow Soldiers ¡®Does this mean I finally get to see the grade above ¡®Commander¡¯?¡¯. Jin-Woo was getting really curious about just what kind of changes Beru would go through after his stats jump up greatly via his advancement . He quickly replied to his ant soldier, no doubt anxiously waiting for his king¡¯s answer ¡®Alright . Let¡¯s do it . ¡¯. [Oh, I thank thee, my king . I shall send back the ant battalion to your side right away . ]. ¡®No, there¡¯s no need . ¡¯. Jin-Woo smirked to himself . Of course, Beru wouldn¡¯t be able to see the expression his Sovereign was making, since they were dozens upon dozens of kilometres away ¡®Shadow Army . ¡¯. Jin-Woo called out, and his soldiers, almost 1200-strong, responded back to him simultaneously From Igrit, in charge of leading the knights, Fangs leading the High Orcs, Jima leading the Nagas, No . 6 leading the giants, Tank leading the Ice Bears, and even Greed leading the leftover soldiers He thought he could hear their loud roars . Every single one of them began focusing all of their attention on Jin-Woo¡¯s summons . He sensed their tension oh-so-clearly, even this far away While enjoying this feeling of satisfaction, Jin-Woo issued his new command ¡®Everyone, withdraw . ¡¯. [¡­ . !!]. ¡®I want you guys back . ¡¯. The moment his order was given, the entirety of the Shadow Army began moving again . Soldiers all reverted back to their shadow state and rapidly headed in the direction where Jin-Woo was waiting for them [Oh, my king¡­ . Why have you recalled your loyal soldiers?]. Jin-Woo replied with a chuckle at the surprised-sounding Beru ¡®From here onwards, only you and I will defeat the remaining monsters . ¡¯. This seemed to be the best option available in order to speed up Beru¡¯s advancement Just like how a high-levelled player helped out the lower-levelled friend in a game, he was planning to fight alongside Beru and greatly speed up their hunting speed, gifting a whole bunch of experience points to his subordinate in the process He was going to ¡®power level¡¯ Beru, in other words There were still quite a few areas where dungeon breaks had occurred, so if the two of them went around clearing them, the required level cap would be met pretty soon Of course, as the ground they had to cover was vast, the efficiency of this method fell far behind the one with sending out his soldiers to sweep the enemies clean, but Beru¡¯s advancement was the priority here [Oh, my king¡­ . ]. Beru couldn¡¯t finish his sentence, his voice overflowing with emotions ¡®Hah . This guy . ¡¯. Seeing that his emotions had become richer as time went on, there was little doubt that he had been hiding in the shadows watching TV the whole day when he was supposed to protect his mother and Jin-Ah at home As the recalling of his shadows was just about complete, Jin-Woo asked the question to his soldiers ¡°Is there anyone else beside Beru who feels that their advancement is just around the corner?¡±. Perhaps inevitably, there was no reply . It wasn¡¯t easy to advance to the next grade, after all . And one would need an excellent perception to sense the approaching advancement, too There was a reason why only Beru could sense his own advancement out of all his Shadow Soldiers Just as his thoughts arrived at this point¡­. Shururuk¡­ As Beru stood there, itching to go on the intimate solo hunting with his liege, yet another Shadow Soldier emerged from the ground next to him While a look of disappointment flashed on Beru¡¯s face, Jin-Woo¡¯s own expression brightened up even more ¡°Nice . ¡±. As he would do normally, Igrit politely knelt down on one knee Jin-Woo always felt kinda uncomfortable with Igrit¡¯s unyielding dedication to the formalities, but still, seeing the gesture again after a long while made him happy regardless Igrit¡¯s advancement ¨C that too, was something he had been looking forward to, wasn¡¯t it?. ¡°Alright . Let¡¯s get started . ¡±. Jin-Woo summoned the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortswords¡¯ and smiled deeply What an amazing rate of reproduction this was ¨C it hadn¡¯t been that long, yet new sprouts were rising up from the scorched-black remains of the tree monsters ¡°Kiiieehk!¡±. ¡°Kiiehk!¡±. There were around 40 or so dungeon break locations left to clear in Japan beside this one Every second and every minute was precious if these three were to clear them all ***. Within the Ah-Jin Guild office For Yu Jin-Ho, this office had become far more comfortable than his own place . But right this moment, it felt as if every passing minute was as agonisingly long as an hour . He sneaked a glance at the clock hanging on the wall It said, ¡¯16:10 PM¡¯ It had been over two hours since ¡®that man¡¯ had shown up here Gulp Worried that his unconscious saliva swallowing had made too much noise, Yu Jin-Ho quickly sneaked a glance at the unannounced guest to the side . Unfortunately, his gaze ended up meeting the guest¡¯s eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses . The big man replied with a refreshing grin Yu Jin-Ho forced his stiff facial muscles to form a grin of his own, or something that roughly resembled one, and hurriedly averted his gaze elsewhere Thick sweatdrops formed on his forehead . He then hurriedly pulled out his poor phone and tried to call his dear hyung-nim, but it was a waste of time Ring¡­ . Ringgg¡­ It had been two days since the last communication with hyung-nim . For some reason, he wasn¡¯t picking up his phone at all . Even today ¡°¡­¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. Yu Jin-Ho lowered his phone and closed his mouth real tightly . It was the same story for other employees of the Guild These talented individuals who chose to work for the Ah-Jin Guild after seeing its potential were all overwhelmed by this awkward atmosphere and, as if they had made a promise to do so, resolutely maintained this heavy silence Of course, none of this was their fault . No, anyone who found themselves in a similar situation would react in the same manner Especially so, when the man sitting on a chair by the corner of the office happened to be one of the most powerful Hunters in the entire world, who also was happened to be known as the man with one of the shortest fuse in the world Not only that, the owner of this office was the very man who beat this Hunter to a pulp and sent him to the hospital . So, how could anyone be able to smile and jovially chat amongst themselves in front of this man?. He was, of course, Thomas Andre The Hunter standing on top of the world had come to visit Ah-Jin Guild to meet Jin-Woo . All thanks to that, the Vice Guild Chairman Yu Jin-Ho and his employees had no choice but to deal with this unannounced guest and consequently, felt like they were dying a little bit with every passing second right now Yu Jin-Ho began wondering whether he should attempt contacting hyung-nim one more time or not, but then¡­. Shururuk¡­. The automated door to the Guild slid open The heads of every single employee, including Yu Jin-Ho, instantly snapped in that direction Right away, his eyes grew wide . Yu Jin-Ho jumped up from his seat in sheer joy and spoke in a voice that contained the desperate pleading hearts of everyone working for this Guild ¡°Hyung-niiiim!!¡±. ***. ¡®I was wondering why there were so many reporters camping outside, but this¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo helplessly stared at Thomas Andre grinning back at him Looking at that expression, the American didn¡¯t seem to be hung up over what happened before, so what brought him all the way out here? Funnily enough, though, it was Yu Jin-Ho who welcomed Jin-Woo way before Thomas Andre could ¡°Hyung-nim!! Why couldn¡¯t I get a hold of you for so long?!¡±. ¡°Well, uh, I was busy . ¡±. ¡°Hang on a minute, now that I see your clothes¡­ ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho faltered and stopped moving . Jin-Woo¡¯s clothing bore countless pieces of evidence of the harsh battles he must¡¯ve gone through . It was like looking at hyung-nim after he concluded his Giant monster hunting trip ¡®If hyung-nim was fighting non-stop, to the point he couldn¡¯t contact anyone for two days straight, then¡­ ¡¯. Just how many monsters were sent back to hell by hyung-nim¡¯s shortswords? Trying to imagine the carnage brought up a nasty case of goosebumps on his skin It was at this point in time that Thomas Andre stood up leisurely from the chair to walk up to Jin-Woo . Since he was such a big dude, to begin with, he didn¡¯t need to take that many steps to close the distance between him and his target Soon, the American stood before Jin-Woo ¡®Heok¡­ . ¡¯. ¡®No, hang on . They aren¡¯t going to fight again in here, right?¡¯. The Guild employees were unaware of these two¡¯s current relationship, so understandably, they were busy swallowing nervous saliva as their eyes locked onto the two men standing before each other The sounds of their racing hearts were so loud that Jin-Woo¡¯s ears were actually aching right now from the noise assaulting him ¡°Mister Seong . ¡±. Thomas Andre extended his hand first . Jin-Woo grinned and held the offered hand to shake it . The two men shared a brief greeting that way But then, the smile on Thomas Andre¡¯s face was wiped off in an instant How¡­ ¡®How could this be??¡¯. For some reason, the American felt that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was different from before . It was only by a little bit, but this Seong Jin-Woo was different than the one he met back in America Was it because the impression had changed?. For sure, Jin-Woo¡¯s attire back when they first met, or when they were in the banquet, was remarkably different from his current duds, which were in a really sorry state However, a certain sense of ¡®sturdiness¡¯ unrelated to clothing could be felt from him right now In a word, it was ¡®strong¡¯ . Back then, he was strong, but now, he came across as even stronger . However¡­ ¡®Can something like that even happen¡­ . ?¡¯. No, it couldn¡¯t ¨C at least not according to his common sense Thomas Andre¡¯s ultra-sharp senses allowed him to detect Jin-Woo¡¯s change that came about from levelling up, but he lacked the knowledge to decipher just what he was sensing here As the American was swimming within his confusion, their handshake came to an end and Jin-Woo asked him the question ¡°What brings you to Korea?¡±. ¡°Oh, that . ¡±. Thomas Andre recovered his wits and formed another smile ¡°Didn¡¯t I promise you before? I told you that I¡¯ll buy a meal once my arm heals up . ¡±. He raised his completely-healed left arm and waved it around ¡°And, also¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo sneaked a glance at the clock on the wall . It was almost half past four in the afternoon . The time was obviously too late for lunch, but it was also a bit too early for supper ¡°There¡¯s still a lot of time left before dinner time, so¡­ . Hang on . ¡±. Jin-Woo asked for Thomas Andre¡¯s understanding and hurriedly walked over to Yu Jin-Ho . Now that he knew the American¡¯s business with him wasn¡¯t as urgent, he decided to prioritise on the matter that required his greater attention first ¡°Can you find out for me the biggest Gate currently opening up in Seoul?¡±. Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s eyes went extra round after hearing Jin-Woo¡¯s request ¡°Hyung-nim, will it be fine as long as it¡¯s a big one?¡±. ¡°It¡¯s fine if someone has booked it already, so find one that¡¯s a high-enough rank . ¡±. ¡°Got it, hyung-nim . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho typed away on the keyboard at the speed of light and searched for the relevant information before a bright expression formed on his face ¡°Hyung-nim, I found a particularly dangerous rank A Gate . ¡±. ¡°Oh, really?¡±. ¡°However, the Hunters Guild has called dibs on it already . ¡±. Contrary to Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s expectation, though, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t look disappointed at all ¡°It¡¯s fine . ¡±. He didn¡¯t care who had the raid permit or not As a matter of fact, Jin-Woo thought that explaining himself would be easier now since he knew someone from the Hunters Guild, and that brought about a smile to his face Jin-Woo prepared to leave the office with cheery, airy steps, before turning around to address Thomas Andre ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve got an errand to run so I¡¯ll be going out for a little while . As for the promised meal, let¡¯s talk about it after I return . ¡±. ¡°¡­ ¡±. Jin-Woo left the flustered American behind and disappeared from the office like a passing breeze . Thomas Andre dazedly stared at the doorway the Korean Hunter had disappeared through, before loudly bursting out with laughter ¡°Ahahaha . Isn¡¯t this¡­ . ¡±. What else could he do?. What Jin-Woo was doing might come across as inconsiderate, but then again, it was Thomas Andre who showed up totally unannounced, to begin with . In fact, he should have expected that a Hunter on the level of Seong Jin-Woo would be even busier than himself ¡°In that case¡­ . I¡¯ll be staying here . ¡±. Thomas Andre left behind the contact details of the hotel he was staying at with Yu Jin-Ho before vacating from the office himself ¡°Whew¡­ ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho spat out a sigh of relief as he stared at the empty space once occupied by the American¡¯s hulking figure, but then, nearly jumped in fright after sensing another presence right next to him ¡°Heok?! You were still here, too??¡±. It was rather lamentable that Lennart Niermann, who had arrived in the Guild office long before Thomas Andre did, had no grasp on the Korean language . Even then, he was pretty sure of Ah-Jin Guild¡¯s Vice-Chair completely forgetting about his presence until now ¡°I even made a prior appointment, too¡­ ¡±. Realising that even someone like himself, used to being treated like a VVIP back in Germany, could end up being forgotten to this extent, his head slowly drooped towards the floor Unfortunately, what else can he do now when even the one and only Thomas Andre left the office without any complaints?. Whether it be a monster or a Hunter, you only had one life, after all ¡°¡­¡±. Lennart Niermann stood up with no energy whatsoever in his body and jotted down his own contact details on the small corner of the memo Thomas Andre left behind ***. The elite assault team members of the Hunters Guild were in the middle of getting ready for the raid, but Jin-Woo¡¯s sudden entrance stole away their focus and they could only concentrate on him now Noisy, noisy¡­ Cha Hae-In was the only one to get a heads-up from him, so she was able to remain collected, at least compared to her colleagues ¡°You want to borrow our dungeon? Did something happen?¡±. ¡°It¡¯s as I said before . I¡¯d like to borrow the dungeon if it¡¯s at all possible . ¡±. Having seen another familiar face after what felt like forever, Jin-Woo formed a bright smile of genuine happiness On the other hand ¨C he hadn¡¯t contacted her for a long time and yet the first thing he said after abruptly appearing before her, was about borrowing a dungeon that her team was about to raid Cha Hae-In was about to get angry, but seeing how happy Jin-Woo was, she ended up averting her gaze elsewhere, instead While she stood there in hesitation, unable to think of something to say, Choi Jong-In quickly ran in and addressed Jin-Woo . The Master of the Hunters Guild was waiting for the latter¡¯s arrival, actually ¡°Seong Hunter-nim!¡±. The explanation had been concluded quickly enough Jin-Woo was proposing to kill every single monster inside the dungeon, barring the boss itself, and he even promised not to touch anything else . There would be no Guild Master worth his salt who¡¯d reject this deal The thing was, Choi Jong-In had been greatly worried about his people getting injured inside this high-ranking Gate, so he welcomed this offer with both of his arms raised up high Of course, the members of the raid team themselves were also welcoming this development, although they were careful not to show it outwardly Jin-Woo immediately headed towards the Gate Before he could go far, though, someone tugged at his sleeve so he turned around to see who it was . He found Cha Hae-In and her blushing cheeks there, asking him in a hushed voice ¡°What will you do inside the dungeon?¡±. ¡°There¡¯s something I need to test inside . One of my summons has gone through a change, you see . ¡±. One of his summons, he said Cha Hae-In recalled the two summons she fought against in the Association¡¯s gymnasium ¨C Igrit and Beru . They were far too strong to be labelled as mere summons . She was supposed to be a rank S Hunter, yet those two could easily threaten her life Did something change regarding those two and he wanted to test them out now? Cha Hae-In became really curious and whispered in an even more hushed voice ¡°In that case¡­ . Can I go inside with you and take a look, too?¡±. Jin-Woo heard that question containing just a tiny bit of ulterior motive and resolutely shook his head ¡°It¡¯ll get far too dangerous . I¡¯m planning to let him run amok, you see . ¡±. Jin-Woo cut her off, his expression one of seriousness . Cha Hae-In nodded her head and didn¡¯t press any further Jin-Woo left behind her longing gaze and jumped into the Gate [You have entered a dungeon . ]. The same message he saw so many times popped up again . Jin-Woo hurriedly summoned Beru, on standby within his shadow ¡®Come out . ¡¯. < Chapter 205 > Fin Chapter 206 After Jin-Woo left, the elite members of the Hunters Guild fought against each other to become the first one to enter the dungeon . ¡°H-hey! Stop pushing me!¡± ¡°This dungeon ain¡¯t gonna run away, so there¡¯s no need for all this craziness!¡± Rumble, tumble-! Just what did the one and only Hunter Seong Jin-Woo want to test out that he even resorted to borrowing a rank A Gate someone else had already booked? Not only that, a Gate with a difficulty that had clearly gone up drastically? Hunters quickly stepped on the dungeon¡¯s floor and scanned every corner with their curious eyes . But soon, their expressions turned into ones of pure shock and astonishment . Literally, they were facing a river of blood! The corpses of monsters, ripped to almost unrecognisable shreds, formed a road of blood . And this ¡®road¡¯ seemed to continue on forever into the darkness on the far side . The Hunters were all rendered speechless and couldn¡¯t even dare to go in any deeper . ¡°Look¡­ . Look over there . ¡± One of the Hunters ribbed the person next to him with his elbow . The victim of the elbowing attempt shifted his dazed gaze towards the location being pointed out and gradually, his jaw almost hit the floor at the unbelievable sight waiting for him there . Just what kind of force could make a monster get embedded in the ceiling of the dungeon in such a grotesque fashion? Considering that the walls of these dungeons were made up of materials incomparably harder than any regular caves, that was one seriously shocking sight to behold, indeed . ¡°That¡¯s all for my dinner plan tonight, I guess¡­ . ¡± Hunters with weaker stomachs saw this scene of utter slaughter and their complexions turned paler than a sheet of paper . What surprised them even more, was the fact that monsters of the dungeon measured to be at the top end of rank A had been killed off in such a state in less than ten minutes . A female Hunter muttered to herself, her expression still one of pure shock . ¡°Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡­ . He didn¡¯t even look like the type, but this is just¡­ . ¡± The deeper the group entered, the clearer and clearer for them to spot the signs of the overwhelming violence; she had been a Hunter for almost five years now, but never once did she witness the walls of a dungeon destroyed to such an extent before . Another male Hunter scanning the interior of the dungeon responded to her muttering . ¡°What do other people call this? Unleashing the inner beast? Or something like that?¡± Cha Hae-In slowly shook her head after hearing that . None of this was the handiwork of Hunter Seong . She had witnessed his fights from up close several times already, so she was pretty certain of this . The Jin-Woo she knew was a Hunter who preferred to end his enemies as cleanly as possible . It was artistic, even . She was enthralled by the beauty in the way he controlled his skills the first time she saw him fight . If that was the case¡­ . ¡®¡­ . The one capable of doing this among Hunter Seong¡¯s summons is¡­¡¯ It was right then ¨C she recalled the head of the ant monster screeching at her with its mandibles wide open, causing a chill to run down her spine . That creature was the peak existence of vicious cruelty! Didn¡¯t Jin-Woo say it? That one of his summons had gone through a change . Just what kind of a change did that ant monster go through, then? Cha Hae-In left behind her colleagues still being shocked by the remaining traces of Beru¡¯s activity found throughout the dungeon, and quickly exited from the Gate . However, Jin-Woo was nowhere to be seen by then, even though he left only a few minutes ago . ¡°Why does he have to be so fast¡­ . ¡± Cha Hae-In scanned her surroundings and murmured with a cheeky pout . And she had so many things to ask him, too¡­ . ¡®I¡¯m sure there will be another chance . ¡¯ She sighed so softly that it wouldn¡¯t even frighten a butterfly settling down in front of her . A subtle smile formed on her face as she slowly turned around to re-enter the Gate . *** Jin-Ah killed her footsteps and sneaked like a crafty little cat to close in her mom busying washing dishes . Clink, clink¡­ . Either mom didn¡¯t hear her daughter¡¯s footsteps, or maybe she did hear them but decided to pretend that she didn¡¯t, she didn¡¯t react to Jin-Ah closing the distance . And then, in the end¡­ Jin-Ah got close enough to hear her mom¡¯s breathing before hugging her tightly . ¡°Mom!¡± Too bad for all of her efforts, though, her mother didn¡¯t seem to be surprised at all . She simply responded with a gentle voice . ¡°Are you feeling bored?¡± ¡°Ng, I am . Oppa doesn¡¯t want to come home, and Mom doesn¡¯t want to play with me~ . ¡± While mom was sleeping in the hospital, Jin-Woo performed the role of the substitute mother to his sister . To help Jin-Ah focus on her studies, he did his best to act as the sole breadwinner and took care of all the chores around the family home . To her, he was her sibling, her parent, and at the same time, her friend . That was why Jin-Ah often missed her oppa¡¯s presence around the family home as he grew busier and busier every day . Every single one of her fellow countrymen knew her oppa¡¯s face and his name by now, but what was the point if she couldn¡¯t really get to see him anymore? And so, here she was, trying to fill the hole Jin-Woo had left behind with her mom and her warm words of encouragements . ¡°Still, it¡¯s great to have you around, Mom . ¡± Jin-Ah buried her face in her mom¡¯s back and formed a happy smile . Although she couldn¡¯t see her back, the mother carried a similar expression as the daughter and continued cleaning the dishes . Jin-Ah clung to her mom¡¯s back like a cicada holding onto a tree for a while before opening her mouth . ¡°Mom? Let¡¯s move house . ¡± Flinch . Mom¡¯s hands momentarily stopped moving before resuming their actions . A smile formed on her lips again . ¡°Do you want to move to somewhere else?¡± ¡°Yeah . ¡± ¡°But, what will we do? Mom really likes this place, you know . ¡± ¡°Why do you like such an old apartment?¡± Jin-Ah lightly rebuked her, but mom simply smiled back and her hands continued to move briskly . Actually, Jin-Ah knew why her mom didn¡¯t want to leave this old apartment . She knew the reason why her mom still persisted in staying here while paying the monthly rent, when her oppa was making the kind of money that regular people would never get to touch in their lifetime . She was still waiting for her missing husband, her children¡¯s father . She was hoping that, maybe one day, he¡¯d stumble back here . Jin-Ah couldn¡¯t remember much about her father now and felt that waiting for him was a waste of time . But, her brother hadn¡¯t mentioned moving house again after he heard mom¡¯s reasoning . ¡°Still, I like this apartment . ¡± Mom gently persuaded her daughter again, prompting Jin-Ah to spin on her heels to leave, her cheeks puffing up unhappily . ¡°Che . ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like¡­ . Ah!¡± Mom quickly turned around and looked at Jin-Ah with a face that said, ¡®I forgot!¡¯; she had just remembered that the weather forecast warned of rainfall later in the evenings . ¡°Sweetie, can you take the washing from the veranda and bring them in?¡± ¡°Mom, you only call me sweetie when you need me to do stuff . ¡± Still, she didn¡¯t mind being called that, as evidenced by her happy humming as she made her way to the veranda . As befitting of Jin-Ah, who was more or less an expert at performing chores like this, she quickly took down the washings and placed them in the basket . But then¡­ . Her rapid hands suddenly stuttered to a halt . She realised that the sky above had darkened even before she noticed it . ¡°¡­Uh?¡± Did the rain clouds arrive already? Naturally, she raised her head up to look above . And her eyes opened incredibly wide next . The basket filled with washed clothes fell out of her hands . ¡°M-Moooom!!¡± *** His hands were soaked with sweat . The Association President Woo Jin-Cheol looked down on his wet palms before hurriedly rubbing them against his blameless pants . How long had it been since he felt this nervous? He¡¯d actually prefer to enter a Gate on the brink of a dungeon break . That would be easier on his stress level . ¡°You don¡¯t have to be that tense, Association President Woo Jin-Cheol . ¡± A certain high-ranking official who had invited Woo Jin-Cheol to the Korean Presidential residence ¨C the Blue House ¨C formed a rather slimy grin . How could a proper conversation be held when the guy supposed to meet the holder of the highest office in the country was this nervous? The official understood full well that climbing up to such a high office at a young age must¡¯ve been quite burdensome, but even then, he prayed that there wouldn¡¯t be any ¡®mistakes¡¯ committed during the meeting itself . ¡°My apologies . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s smile was just a tad stiff but he still nodded his head . As a gesture of encouragement, the official patted his back a couple of times . Soon, the door to the special guest room opened and the president of the country these two men were waiting for strode in while flanked by several of his retinues . ¡°Mister President!¡± ¡°Sir!¡± Woo Jin-Cheol and the government official both stood up from their seats . ¡°Ah, ah . It¡¯s fine . Please, take a seat . I¡¯m okay either way . It¡¯s not like I¡¯m someone that impressive, anyway . ¡± The President of Korea, Kim Myung-Cheol, cracked a light joke to disperse the nervous atmosphere and settled down on his seat . Once the president of the nation found his seat, the government official and Woo Jin-Cheol settled down as well, in that order . The president¡¯s gaze shifted immediately in Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s direction . ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re really busy with the matters of the Association right about now, Mister Association President . ¡± ¡°Well, uh¡­ not as much, sir . ¡± His lips might have denied it, but the dark circles beneath Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s eyes were expanding their territories every single day . He began wondering how did the late Association President Goh Gun-Hui manage to survive all this workload with his unhealthy body . Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s level of respect for him had deepened even further after his passing . But that was probably why he really wanted this uncomfortable get-together to end as quickly as possible . ¡°Excuse me, sir¡­ . Why did you ask me to come by today, sir?¡± ¡°Uh-huh, this guy!¡± The high-ranking government official tried to warn Woo Jin-Cheol as the latter tried to jump straight into the meat of the story, but then, the President stopped him . ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s not right to keep the Association President here for too long when he took time out of his busy schedule to come and see me . ¡± Not beating around the bush, and keeping it simple when it comes to the main topic; President Kim Myung-Cheol didn¡¯t mind the speedy progress of discussions at all . ¡°In that case, allow me to get to the topic right away . The reason why I asked you, the Association President, to come here is because¡­ . ¡± For the briefest time then, Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s senses of a high-ranked Hunter caught on to the fact that the country¡¯s president was trying to read his current mood . This led to him having a certain premonition . No doubt, the other man was getting ready to ask him for a rather troublesome favour . Sure enough ¨C as if he also felt a bit sheepish about this, President Kim smiled awkwardly and began explaining himself . ¡°I heard that you and Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim enjoy a particularly close relationship . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol immediately corrected that faulty rumour . ¡°I am indeed an acquaintance with Seong Hunter-nim, but our relationship is not as close as you think, sir . ¡± ¡°Huhuh, is that so . ¡± ¡°Yes . It was actually the late Association President Goh Gun-Hui who enjoyed a close-knit relationship with Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol nodded by himself, recalling the moment when Goh Gun-Hui expressed his desire to knock back a few cold ones with Hunter Seong . President Kim pondered something in silence for a bit, before carrying on . ¡°Even still, you are in a position to communicate readily with Seong Hunter-nim, yes?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ . Yes, I am . ¡± ¡°In that case, may we ask you for a favour, Association President Woo?¡± As expected¡­ Woo Jin-Cheol inwardly thought, ¡°Here it comes,¡± and replied with a begrudging tone of voice . ¡°What kind of a favour are we talking about, sir?¡± ¡°Because of Seong Hunter-nim¡¯s sky-high acclaim, we were wondering if we could use him as a public relations ambassador for the country . With a slogan similar to, ¡®Hunter Seong Jin-Woo makes the Republic of Korea safe¡¯ . ¡± President Kim ended his words there and grinned brightly . Here was a proudly Korean Hunter strong enough to teach the American Special Authority-rank Hunter a lesson, not to mention important enough to make the Hunter Bureau be at his beck and call, too . There was no way that the financial and the political world wouldn¡¯t take notice of such a person¡¯s actions . Kim Myung-Cheol was planning to use his position as the country¡¯s president to reel Jin-Woo in to his side before anyone else could . In the beginning, as the public relations ambassador of the nation, and then, gradually build up a friendship with him over time . As his fame as the world¡¯s strongest Hunter soared higher, being his ¡®friend¡¯ would prove to be one of the most powerful cards anyone could possess . As for the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol, his role was to become the bridgehead to facilitate that purpose . Of course, Woo Jin-Cheol wasn¡¯t na?ve enough to not realise what the ulterior motive of President Kim was . ¡®You called me here to talk about something like that?¡¯ Woo Jin-Cheol felt all his nervous tension dissipate . And then, he began to get angry, wondering about why he had to get involved in this kind of crap as soon as he occupied the position of the Association President . ¡®¡­ . So, he thinks I¡¯m easier to push around . ¡¯ Indeed, he wasn¡¯t Goh Gun-Hui . The late Association President performed the role of a breakwater of the Association, but with him gone, the figures of the financial and political world were now focusing their attention on him, instead . They were telling him to serve their interests . The funny thing was, though ¨C Woo Jin-Cheol was getting angry, sure, but at the same time, he also felt rather relieved, as well . In the past, the late Association President Goh Gun-Hui often mentioned this ¨C the Hunter¡¯s Association needed to create the right kind of atmosphere for the Hunters to do their jobs . And this incredibly important role wasn¡¯t just for the sake of the Hunters, but for the sake of everyone else, as well . When his thoughts reached up to that point, Woo Jin-Cheol became much more relaxed than before . A natural smile even crept up on his face, too . Unfortunately for President Kim, though, he misinterpreted that smile and began laughing alongside as well . ¡°Huhuhuh . It seems that Association President Woo is quite a sensible man, unlike a certain someone . Very good . I¡¯d be very appreciative if you do us this small favour . This isn¡¯t just for my benefit, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± He said ¡®unlike a certain someone¡¯ . It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out just who the president was talking about . Woo Jin-Cheol soundlessly gritted his teeth and spoke up . ¡°Indeed, the late Association President was an amazing gentleman . ¡± ¡°That¡¯s right . Very true . He was a great gentleman, but also just as stubborn and inflexible, too . ¡± ¡°I¡¯m very different from the late Association President . ¡± ¡°Huhuhuh! Indeed, you are . The Hunter¡¯s Association should change accordingly with the times . It¡¯s no good to be tied to the ideals of the past forever . ¡± A cold grin floated up on Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s lips as he began glaring at President Kim . ¡°How long do you think it¡¯ll take me to kill every single person in this building, including all of your bodyguards?¡± ¡°W-what was that?!¡± The high-ranking official jumped up from his seat, but he was frozen stiff immediately from the dense killing intent emitted by Woo Jin-Cheol . Never mind low ranked Hunters, a rank A Awakened would prove to be an existence even more lethal than any known savage beasts to a normal civilian . Regular people would be utterly powerless when facing against a tiger or a bear out in the wilderness, so how could the same people be able to deal with a rank A Hunter? ¡°A few hours? No . I think it won¡¯t even take a few minutes . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol watched the complexions of the two men listening turn paler and paler with every passing second and calmly addressed them . ¡°In that case, how many men do you think you¡¯ll need to stop me when I start rampaging around? I wonder . If you were to mobilise every single police officer and soldier stationed within Seoul and defend until my magical energy reserve bottoms out, then, well, I think you can somehow save yourselves . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol drawing this incredibly horrifying picture with a calm expression only served to heighten President Kim¡¯s terror even further . ¡°Y-you¡­ . But, but, why¡­ . ¡± The politician wanted to say something, but this dense killing intent constantly weighed down on his lips and he couldn¡¯t utter anything that resembled words . ¡°However, what if it was Hunter Seong going on a rampage, instead of me? How many men do you have to mobilise to defend against him?¡± Was it because of all this murderous intent emitted by Woo Jin-Cheol? President Kim was instantly overcome with a nasty case of goosebumps spreading all over his body after imagining Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, capable of hunting down those Giant monsters alone, suddenly starting to hunt down people, instead . Woo Jin-Cheol figured that this was enough of terrorising the two men and withdrew his killing intent . ¡°Such a thing doesn¡¯t happen, because every Hunter out there focuses solely on what a Hunter must do . ¡± Hunters needed to operate in the sphere of Hunters . Meanwhile, politicians needed to stay within their bubbles . Making the world go around the correct way ¨C that was the creed of the Hunter¡¯s Association, nay, of the late Association President Goh Gun-Hui . Woo Jin-Cheol stared straight into the frightened eyes of President Kim and firmly warned him . ¡°I have no thoughts of sullying the ideals of the Hunter¡¯s Association as established by the late President Goh Gun-Hui, sir . And of course, I expect you to cooperate with us fully . ¡± < Chapter 206 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 206: Chapter 206 After Jin-Woo left, the elite members of the Hunters Guild fought against each other to become the first one to enter the dungeon ¡°H-hey! Stop pushing me!¡±. ¡°This dungeon ain¡¯t gonna run away, so there¡¯s no need for all this craziness!¡±. Rumble, tumble-!. Just what did the one and only Hunter Seong Jin-Woo want to test out that he even resorted to borrowing a rank A Gate someone else had already booked? Not only that, a Gate with a difficulty that had clearly gone up drastically?. Hunters quickly stepped on the dungeon¡¯s floor and scanned every corner with their curious eyes . But soon, their expressions turned into ones of pure shock and astonishment Literally, they were facing a river of blood!. The corpses of monsters, ripped to almost unrecognisable shreds, formed a road of blood . And this ¡®road¡¯ seemed to continue on forever into the darkness on the far side The Hunters were all rendered speechless and couldn¡¯t even dare to go in any deeper ¡°Look¡­ . Look over there . ¡±. One of the Hunters ribbed the person next to him with his elbow The victim of the elbowing attempt shifted his dazed gaze towards the location being pointed out and gradually, his jaw almost hit the floor at the unbelievable sight waiting for him there Just what kind of force could make a monster get embedded in the ceiling of the dungeon in such a grotesque fashion?. Considering that the walls of these dungeons were made up of materials incomparably harder than any regular caves, that was one seriously shocking sight to behold, indeed ¡°That¡¯s all for my dinner plan tonight, I guess¡­ . ¡±. Hunters with weaker stomachs saw this scene of utter slaughter and their complexions turned paler than a sheet of paper . What surprised them even more, was the fact that monsters of the dungeon measured to be at the top end of rank A had been killed off in such a state in less than ten minutes A female Hunter muttered to herself, her expression still one of pure shock ¡°Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡­ . He didn¡¯t even look like the type, but this is just¡­ . ¡±. The deeper the group entered, the clearer and clearer for them to spot the signs of the overwhelming violence; she had been a Hunter for almost five years now, but never once did she witness the walls of a dungeon destroyed to such an extent before Another male Hunter scanning the interior of the dungeon responded to her muttering ¡°What do other people call this? Unleashing the inner beast? Or something like that?¡±. Cha Hae-In slowly shook her head after hearing that . None of this was the handiwork of Hunter Seong . She had witnessed his fights from up close several times already, so she was pretty certain of this The Jin-Woo she knew was a Hunter who preferred to end his enemies as cleanly as possible . It was artistic, even She was enthralled by the beauty in the way he controlled his skills the first time she saw him fight If that was the case¡­ ¡®¡­ . The one capable of doing this among Hunter Seong¡¯s summons is¡­¡¯. It was right then ¨C she recalled the head of the ant monster screeching at her with its mandibles wide open, causing a chill to run down her spine That creature was the peak existence of vicious cruelty!. Didn¡¯t Jin-Woo say it? That one of his summons had gone through a change . Just what kind of a change did that ant monster go through, then?. Cha Hae-In left behind her colleagues still being shocked by the remaining traces of Beru¡¯s activity found throughout the dungeon, and quickly exited from the Gate . However, Jin-Woo was nowhere to be seen by then, even though he left only a few minutes ago ¡°Why does he have to be so fast¡­ . ¡±. Cha Hae-In scanned her surroundings and murmured with a cheeky pout . And she had so many things to ask him, too¡­ ¡®I¡¯m sure there will be another chance . ¡¯. She sighed so softly that it wouldn¡¯t even frighten a butterfly settling down in front of her . A subtle smile formed on her face as she slowly turned around to re-enter the Gate ***. Jin-Ah killed her footsteps and sneaked like a crafty little cat to close in her mom busying washing dishes Clink, clink¡­ Either mom didn¡¯t hear her daughter¡¯s footsteps, or maybe she did hear them but decided to pretend that she didn¡¯t, she didn¡¯t react to Jin-Ah closing the distance . And then, in the end¡­. Jin-Ah got close enough to hear her mom¡¯s breathing before hugging her tightly ¡°Mom!¡±. Too bad for all of her efforts, though, her mother didn¡¯t seem to be surprised at all . She simply responded with a gentle voice ¡°Are you feeling bored?¡±. ¡°Ng, I am . Oppa doesn¡¯t want to come home, and Mom doesn¡¯t want to play with me~ . ¡±. While mom was sleeping in the hospital, Jin-Woo performed the role of the substitute mother to his sister . To help Jin-Ah focus on her studies, he did his best to act as the sole breadwinner and took care of all the chores around the family home To her, he was her sibling, her parent, and at the same time, her friend That was why Jin-Ah often missed her oppa¡¯s presence around the family home as he grew busier and busier every day Every single one of her fellow countrymen knew her oppa¡¯s face and his name by now, but what was the point if she couldn¡¯t really get to see him anymore?. And so, here she was, trying to fill the hole Jin-Woo had left behind with her mom and her warm words of encouragements ¡°Still, it¡¯s great to have you around, Mom . ¡±. Jin-Ah buried her face in her mom¡¯s back and formed a happy smile . Although she couldn¡¯t see her back, the mother carried a similar expression as the daughter and continued cleaning the dishes Jin-Ah clung to her mom¡¯s back like a cicada holding onto a tree for a while before opening her mouth ¡°Mom? Let¡¯s move house . ¡±. Flinch Mom¡¯s hands momentarily stopped moving before resuming their actions . A smile formed on her lips again ¡°Do you want to move to somewhere else?¡±. ¡°Yeah . ¡±. ¡°But, what will we do? Mom really likes this place, you know . ¡±. ¡°Why do you like such an old apartment?¡±. Jin-Ah lightly rebuked her, but mom simply smiled back and her hands continued to move briskly Actually, Jin-Ah knew why her mom didn¡¯t want to leave this old apartment . She knew the reason why her mom still persisted in staying here while paying the monthly rent, when her oppa was making the kind of money that regular people would never get to touch in their lifetime She was still waiting for her missing husband, her children¡¯s father . She was hoping that, maybe one day, he¡¯d stumble back here Jin-Ah couldn¡¯t remember much about her father now and felt that waiting for him was a waste of time . But, her brother hadn¡¯t mentioned moving house again after he heard mom¡¯s reasoning ¡°Still, I like this apartment . ¡±. Mom gently persuaded her daughter again, prompting Jin-Ah to spin on her heels to leave, her cheeks puffing up unhappily ¡°Che . ¡±. ¡°Don¡¯t be like¡­ . Ah!¡±. Mom quickly turned around and looked at Jin-Ah with a face that said, ¡®I forgot!¡¯; she had just remembered that the weather forecast warned of rainfall later in the evenings ¡°Sweetie, can you take the washing from the veranda and bring them in?¡±. ¡°Mom, you only call me sweetie when you need me to do stuff . ¡±. Still, she didn¡¯t mind being called that, as evidenced by her happy humming as she made her way to the veranda As befitting of Jin-Ah, who was more or less an expert at performing chores like this, she quickly took down the washings and placed them in the basket But then¡­ Her rapid hands suddenly stuttered to a halt . She realised that the sky above had darkened even before she noticed it ¡°¡­Uh?¡±. Did the rain clouds arrive already?. Naturally, she raised her head up to look above . And her eyes opened incredibly wide next The basket filled with washed clothes fell out of her hands ¡°M-Moooom!!¡±. ***. His hands were soaked with sweat The Association President Woo Jin-Cheol looked down on his wet palms before hurriedly rubbing them against his blameless pants How long had it been since he felt this nervous? He¡¯d actually prefer to enter a Gate on the brink of a dungeon break . That would be easier on his stress level ¡°You don¡¯t have to be that tense, Association President Woo Jin-Cheol . ¡±. A certain high-ranking official who had invited Woo Jin-Cheol to the Korean Presidential residence ¨C the Blue House ¨C formed a rather slimy grin How could a proper conversation be held when the guy supposed to meet the holder of the highest office in the country was this nervous?. The official understood full well that climbing up to such a high office at a young age must¡¯ve been quite burdensome, but even then, he prayed that there wouldn¡¯t be any ¡®mistakes¡¯ committed during the meeting itself ¡°My apologies . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s smile was just a tad stiff but he still nodded his head . As a gesture of encouragement, the official patted his back a couple of times Soon, the door to the special guest room opened and the president of the country these two men were waiting for strode in while flanked by several of his retinues ¡°Mister President!¡±. ¡°Sir!¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol and the government official both stood up from their seats ¡°Ah, ah . It¡¯s fine . Please, take a seat . I¡¯m okay either way . It¡¯s not like I¡¯m someone that impressive, anyway . ¡±. The President of Korea, Kim Myung-Cheol, cracked a light joke to disperse the nervous atmosphere and settled down on his seat Once the president of the nation found his seat, the government official and Woo Jin-Cheol settled down as well, in that order The president¡¯s gaze shifted immediately in Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s direction ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re really busy with the matters of the Association right about now, Mister Association President . ¡±. ¡°Well, uh¡­ not as much, sir . ¡±. His lips might have denied it, but the dark circles beneath Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s eyes were expanding their territories every single day He began wondering how did the late Association President Goh Gun-Hui manage to survive all this workload with his unhealthy body . Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s level of respect for him had deepened even further after his passing But that was probably why he really wanted this uncomfortable get-together to end as quickly as possible ¡°Excuse me, sir¡­ . Why did you ask me to come by today, sir?¡±. ¡°Uh-huh, this guy!¡±. The high-ranking government official tried to warn Woo Jin-Cheol as the latter tried to jump straight into the meat of the story, but then, the President stopped him ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s not right to keep the Association President here for too long when he took time out of his busy schedule to come and see me . ¡±. Not beating around the bush, and keeping it simple when it comes to the main topic; President Kim Myung-Cheol didn¡¯t mind the speedy progress of discussions at all ¡°In that case, allow me to get to the topic right away . The reason why I asked you, the Association President, to come here is because¡­ . ¡±. For the briefest time then, Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s senses of a high-ranked Hunter caught on to the fact that the country¡¯s president was trying to read his current mood This led to him having a certain premonition . No doubt, the other man was getting ready to ask him for a rather troublesome favour Sure enough ¨C as if he also felt a bit sheepish about this, President Kim smiled awkwardly and began explaining himself ¡°I heard that you and Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim enjoy a particularly close relationship . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol immediately corrected that faulty rumour ¡°I am indeed an acquaintance with Seong Hunter-nim, but our relationship is not as close as you think, sir . ¡±. ¡°Huhuh, is that so . ¡±. ¡°Yes . It was actually the late Association President Goh Gun-Hui who enjoyed a close-knit relationship with Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol nodded by himself, recalling the moment when Goh Gun-Hui expressed his desire to knock back a few cold ones with Hunter Seong President Kim pondered something in silence for a bit, before carrying on ¡°Even still, you are in a position to communicate readily with Seong Hunter-nim, yes?¡±. ¡°Oh¡­ . Yes, I am . ¡±. ¡°In that case, may we ask you for a favour, Association President Woo?¡±. As expected¡­. Woo Jin-Cheol inwardly thought, ¡°Here it comes,¡± and replied with a begrudging tone of voice ¡°What kind of a favour are we talking about, sir?¡±. ¡°Because of Seong Hunter-nim¡¯s sky-high acclaim, we were wondering if we could use him as a public relations ambassador for the country . With a slogan similar to, ¡®Hunter Seong Jin-Woo makes the Republic of Korea safe¡¯ . ¡±. President Kim ended his words there and grinned brightly Here was a proudly Korean Hunter strong enough to teach the American Special Authority-rank Hunter a lesson, not to mention important enough to make the Hunter Bureau be at his beck and call, too There was no way that the financial and the political world wouldn¡¯t take notice of such a person¡¯s actions Kim Myung-Cheol was planning to use his position as the country¡¯s president to reel Jin-Woo in to his side before anyone else could In the beginning, as the public relations ambassador of the nation, and then, gradually build up a friendship with him over time As his fame as the world¡¯s strongest Hunter soared higher, being his ¡®friend¡¯ would prove to be one of the most powerful cards anyone could possess As for the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol, his role was to become the bridgehead to facilitate that purpose Of course, Woo Jin-Cheol wasn¡¯t na?ve enough to not realise what the ulterior motive of President Kim was ¡®You called me here to talk about something like that?¡¯. Woo Jin-Cheol felt all his nervous tension dissipate . And then, he began to get angry, wondering about why he had to get involved in this kind of crap as soon as he occupied the position of the Association President ¡®¡­ . So, he thinks I¡¯m easier to push around . ¡¯. Indeed, he wasn¡¯t Goh Gun-Hui . The late Association President performed the role of a breakwater of the Association, but with him gone, the figures of the financial and political world were now focusing their attention on him, instead They were telling him to serve their interests The funny thing was, though ¨C Woo Jin-Cheol was getting angry, sure, but at the same time, he also felt rather relieved, as well In the past, the late Association President Goh Gun-Hui often mentioned this ¨C the Hunter¡¯s Association needed to create the right kind of atmosphere for the Hunters to do their jobs And this incredibly important role wasn¡¯t just for the sake of the Hunters, but for the sake of everyone else, as well When his thoughts reached up to that point, Woo Jin-Cheol became much more relaxed than before . A natural smile even crept up on his face, too Unfortunately for President Kim, though, he misinterpreted that smile and began laughing alongside as well ¡°Huhuhuh . It seems that Association President Woo is quite a sensible man, unlike a certain someone . Very good . I¡¯d be very appreciative if you do us this small favour . This isn¡¯t just for my benefit, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡±. He said ¡®unlike a certain someone¡¯ . It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out just who the president was talking about . Woo Jin-Cheol soundlessly gritted his teeth and spoke up ¡°Indeed, the late Association President was an amazing gentleman . ¡±. ¡°That¡¯s right . Very true . He was a great gentleman, but also just as stubborn and inflexible, too . ¡±. ¡°I¡¯m very different from the late Association President . ¡±. ¡°Huhuhuh! Indeed, you are . The Hunter¡¯s Association should change accordingly with the times . It¡¯s no good to be tied to the ideals of the past forever . ¡±. A cold grin floated up on Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s lips as he began glaring at President Kim ¡°How long do you think it¡¯ll take me to kill every single person in this building, including all of your bodyguards?¡±. ¡°W-what was that?!¡±. The high-ranking official jumped up from his seat, but he was frozen stiff immediately from the dense killing intent emitted by Woo Jin-Cheol Never mind low ranked Hunters, a rank A Awakened would prove to be an existence even more lethal than any known savage beasts to a normal civilian Regular people would be utterly powerless when facing against a tiger or a bear out in the wilderness, so how could the same people be able to deal with a rank A Hunter?. ¡°A few hours? No . I think it won¡¯t even take a few minutes . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol watched the complexions of the two men listening turn paler and paler with every passing second and calmly addressed them ¡°In that case, how many men do you think you¡¯ll need to stop me when I start rampaging around? I wonder . If you were to mobilise every single police officer and soldier stationed within Seoul and defend until my magical energy reserve bottoms out, then, well, I think you can somehow save yourselves . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol drawing this incredibly horrifying picture with a calm expression only served to heighten President Kim¡¯s terror even further ¡°Y-you¡­ . But, but, why¡­ . ¡±. The politician wanted to say something, but this dense killing intent constantly weighed down on his lips and he couldn¡¯t utter anything that resembled words ¡°However, what if it was Hunter Seong going on a rampage, instead of me? How many men do you have to mobilise to defend against him?¡±. Was it because of all this murderous intent emitted by Woo Jin-Cheol?. President Kim was instantly overcome with a nasty case of goosebumps spreading all over his body after imagining Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, capable of hunting down those Giant monsters alone, suddenly starting to hunt down people, instead Woo Jin-Cheol figured that this was enough of terrorising the two men and withdrew his killing intent ¡°Such a thing doesn¡¯t happen, because every Hunter out there focuses solely on what a Hunter must do . ¡±. Hunters needed to operate in the sphere of Hunters . Meanwhile, politicians needed to stay within their bubbles Making the world go around the correct way ¨C that was the creed of the Hunter¡¯s Association, nay, of the late Association President Goh Gun-Hui Woo Jin-Cheol stared straight into the frightened eyes of President Kim and firmly warned him ¡°I have no thoughts of sullying the ideals of the Hunter¡¯s Association as established by the late President Goh Gun-Hui, sir . And of course, I expect you to cooperate with us fully . ¡±. < Chapter 206 > Fin Chapter 207 Was there any reason to doubt him? President Kim confirmed that Woo Jin-Cheol was being dead serious and hurriedly muttered out an answer, not even giving himself enough time to spin this situation to his advantage . ¡°O-of course . A Hunter needs to do a Hunter¡¯s job . My thoughts were too rash . It was a slip of the tongue on my part . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol watched the pale-faced president nodding his head non-stop, and stood up from his seat to leave . Even after he was long gone, though, both the president and the high-ranking government official couldn¡¯t get up from their seats, their legs having turned to jelly a long time ago . ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Only now did they awake to the reality of how scary the existences called Hunters could be . *** ¡°Did something good happen in there, sir?¡± As the car was about to drive away, the escort driving the vehicle asked Woo Jin-Cheol sitting in the backseat . ¡°Does it look that way to you?¡± ¡°Yes, sir . It does . ¡± His escort was also an agent of the Monitoring Division . Woo Jin-Cheol glanced at the baby-faced newbie, effectively his junior from the same department, and ended up recalling his own newbie days and he let a content smile sneak up on his lips . ¡°Well, it feels like I¡¯ve performed the duty of the Association President for the first time since I got the job, that¡¯s all . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol reclined against the back of the seat that Goh Gun-Hui used to occupy . He then looked back fondly at the late Association President, who would¡¯ve been sitting in places like this, out of everyone¡¯s gazes and earning the ire and hatred of many powerful men in high places, all for the sake of other Hunters . ¡®¡­ . What a relief . ¡¯ Thanks to Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s angry-looking eyes and his large frame, he was used to being hated and feared already . If that was part of being the Association¡¯s President, then he¡¯d gladly accept it . The moment he decided to take over from Goh Gun-Hui, he had prepared himself to a certain extent for this kind of rubbish, anyway . ¡°Where should we go next, sir?¡± ¡°¡­ . To the Association . ¡± He dearly wanted to go home and take a break, but he actually came running here after abandoning his job back in the office . He still had a mountain of work to go through . ¡°Then, we¡¯ll get going, sir . ¡± The escort seemed to understand Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s mind as he stepped on the accelerator . The vehicle carrying the two men easily slipped out of the Blue House¡¯s grounds . How long had passed by like that? Woo Jin-Cheol drifted off to sleep while staring at the passing scenery, only to abruptly wake up again . He could see an endless ocean of cars filling up the road, not going anywhere fast . Even though Seoul was infamous for its clogged roadways, such a traffic jam seemed improbable in the middle of a weekday . ¡®Did another Gate pop up in the middle of the road again?¡¯ Feeling a bit worried now, Woo Jin-Cheol scanned his surroundings . Unfortunately, the overall atmosphere of the road seemed far too suspicious for something as simple as that . In fact, all the drivers had stopped their cars and stepped outside to look up into the sky . It wasn¡¯t just the drivers, either . Even the pedestrians on the sidewalks, people on the zebra crossings, every single one had come to a dead stop and was looking up at the sky above their heads . That included the escort in the driver¡¯s seat, who was also craning his neck forward to look at the sky . ¡®What on earth is going on here¡­ . ?¡¯ Now feeling genuinely alarmed, Woo Jin-Cheol quickly grabbed the escort¡¯s shoulder and shook him around . ¡°Hey . What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°A-Association President¡­¡± The escort spoke with a trembling voice, leaned out of the way and pointed up at the top of the windscreen . ¡°T-there, sir¡­ . ¡± In an instant, Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s expression stiffened . Were his eyes playing tricks on him? No, if that was the case, then everyone shouldn¡¯t be looking at the sky with the exact same expression etched on their faces . He didn¡¯t want to believe what he just saw, but just like with everyone else on the road, he leapt out of the car . His eyes weren¡¯t lying to him . Woo Jin-Cheol dazedly stared at the sky before a look of pure, unadulterated shock took over his face . ¡°How¡­ how can something like that be¡­ . ?!¡± *** The result of the test proved to be very satisfying . Jin-Woo¡¯s steps taking him back home were cheerier than ever before . Beru had become really strong . A lot stronger than his initial expectation, even . It was unfortunate that Igrit couldn¡¯t advance, but Beru¡¯s advancement alone was already an excellent result . Without a doubt, the elites of the Hunters Guild should be unable to shut their slack jaws from the spectacle laid out within that dungeon by now . Jin-Woo imagined Cha Hae-In and her wide-open eyes, and a smirk formed on his lips . It had been a while since they saw each other and he wanted to talk to her for a bit longer, but regrettably, he still had guests waiting for him . Jin-Woo pondered his options between Thomas Andre and Lennart Niermann before giving the American the call first . He could pretty much guess what the German was here for, but he simply couldn¡¯t figure out what the Hunter ranked No . 2 in the world was thinking of by showing up unannounced like this . The call got through in no time at all . ¨C ¡°Mister Seong!¡± Worried that Jin-Woo would cut him off again, Thomas Andre was quick to pour out what he wanted to say . ¨C ¡°I came bearing a fantastic gift for you, Mister Seong . ¡± A gift? ¡°What the heck . If you had something like that, you should¡¯ve told me earlier . ¡± Jin-Woo spoke to the American half-jokingly and half-seriously, but then, he was suddenly faced with silence from the other side of the line . A short while later, Thomas Andre spoke with a kind of voice belonging to someone suppressing his swelling emotions . ¨C ¡°¡­ . I¡¯m really happy to hear that you¡¯re looking forward to my gift . Okay, then . Where will we meet? I want to hand over the gift as soon as possible . ¡± ¡°Wherever it¡¯s convenient for you . ¡± ¨C ¡°Can you come to where I am? These guys are a bit too dangerous to walk around in the open, you see . ¡± Too dangerous? Jin-Woo was left puzzled for a moment then, but still, told Thomas Andre that he¡¯d be there soon and ended the call . ¡®Hang on¡­ It really can¡¯t be a bomb, right?¡¯ Of course, it couldn¡¯t be . It¡¯d be far more effective than an explosive to attack personally if you were a Special Authority-rank Hunter . Jin-Woo began regretting a bit at the fact that he forgot to ask what kind of a gift it was . It was then, Beru suddenly began addressing him . [Oh, my king . ] ¡®Mm?¡¯ [May I be permitted to fight against that foreigner?] ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo pondered that for a little while, before shaking his head as if to get rid of the distracting thoughts . What was he even wondering about here? Sure, he was really curious as to find out just how far Beru¡¯s powers had been enhanced, but there was no way he¡¯d let his Shadow Soldier fight against Thomas Andre . He didn¡¯t want to see either the American get hurt or see Beru get destroyed . Their personalities meant that the fight would definitely not end with someone getting a bit bruised . ¡®Even then¡­ . ¡¯ Still, being able to ponder such a possibility attested to how much Beru had grown compared to before . In fact, the former ant king¡¯s desire to test his own enhanced body could be heard so clearly in his voice . ¡®Beru?¡¯ [Please bestow unto this lowly servant your wisdom, oh, my king . ] ¡®There should come a time when you¡¯ll be free to test your limits as much as you want . So, there¡¯s no need to be rash . ¡¯ [This servant shall take it to heart, my king . ] ¡®And also, you gotta stop watching those historical dramas on TV . Your speech has become really weird lately, you know?¡¯ [This servant shall heed my liege¡¯s¡­ . ] ¡®Just say ¡®Yes, I will¡¯, okay? Say, ¡®Yes¡¯ . Just ¡®Yes¡¯, nothing more . ¡¯ [Yes . ] Very good . Now that he finally told Beru what was on his mind, Jin-Woo happily headed off to the meeting location with Thomas Andre . *** ¡°Oh, Mister Seong! You probably have no idea how long I waited for this moment . ¡± Thomas Andre welcomed Jin-Woo into his hotel suite with open arms . It was true that you¡¯d feel great about receiving gifts, but the joy of giving itself shouldn¡¯t be underestimated, as well . From the time Jin-Woo mentioned that he needed new shortswords to up until now ¨C Thomas Andre had been counting the days he¡¯d get to hand over the greatest weapons ever made, sleeping within his Guild¡¯s storage, to his new friend . He didn¡¯t simply fly all the way to this distant foreign land for no reason at all . How would the guy Thomas Andre personally acknowledged as the world¡¯s best Hunter react when he sees these two bad boys? Along with a big bout of anticipation bubbling in his heart¡­ Snap! ¡­Thomas Andre snapped his fingers, prompting his ¡®bodyguards¡¯ to bring out a large box covered in a sheet of fabric . Even if it was ostensibly a gift, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t really want anything, to begin with, so he stared at the box with disinterest, but then, as the bodyguards got closer and closer, his eyes became equally sharper and sharper as well . ¡®What¡¯s this¡­ . ?¡¯ Wuoong¡­ . Wuuuuong¡­ Something inside that box was resonating with his magical energy . Thomas Andre easily caught the changes in Jin-Woo¡¯s expression and inwardly punched the air . ¡®That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!¡¯ Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would recognise the weapons, while said weapons would recognise their new owner; Thomas Andre predicted that they would naturally recognise each other, and as expected, he was proven right, at this moment . It was possible that these weapons had been hiding inside the Scavenger Guild¡¯s storage unit where not even a strand of outside light entered, biding their time just for this very moment . Tack! The box was placed on the coffee table between Thomas Andre and Jin-Woo . ¡°This here is my repayment for the favour you¡¯ve shown to my Guild members and to myself . ¡± Thomas Andre grasped the corner of the fabric and carefully pulled it away . Shururuk¡­ . The sheet slid off smoothly and revealed what it had been hiding all this time . It was a see-through case underneath . And within it were a pair of shortswords stabbed into a large reptilian scale . No, hang on ¨C could they even be called shortswords? Jin-Woo grew doubtful almost immediately . The blades of these weapons were definitely shorter than a longsword¡¯s, yes, but then again, they were so much longer than a regular shortsword¡¯s, too . However, what caught his attention wasn¡¯t the puzzling length of the shortswords themselves . No, it was actually their ice-white blades . Jin-Woo was familiar with the concept of crafting blades out of non-metallic materials . As a matter of fact, the very first weapon he acquired inside the first instant dungeon was the ¡®Poison Fang of Kasaka¡¯ . Thanks to the memories of that time, Jin-Woo could guess just which monster¡¯s fang was used as raw material to craft this pair of shortswords . Besides, there was only one creature capable of emitting this kind of aura from a part of its remains . ¡°Kamish¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo involuntarily whispered that name out, prompting Thomas Andre to shake his head while clapping his hands, feeling impressed . ¡°To think, you¡¯d correctly guess the base material used for these guys just from one look . ¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s guess was correct . But then, because he was right, he became puzzled about something else . ¡°Hang on, I thought Kamish¡¯s remains were in safekeeping with the Hunter Bureau¡­ . ?¡± ¡°Because the American government wanted the intact corpse, we gave up on that monster completely . We got something else even more valuable than money from that deal, anyway . ¡± Thomas Andre recalled the raid back then and grinned meaningfully . ¡°However, Kamish¡¯s biggest and sharpest fang¡­ . When that thing tried to bite me, I yanked out one such fang, and it was given to me as a souvenir . ¡± The problem was, there were no Awakened capable of crafting weapons out of stripped materials from a d*mn Dragon . ¡­ . Besides one single man, that was . Thomas Andre added that, with the master craftsman responsible for the creation of these two genuine masterpieces having passed away due to old age, there would never be another weapon crafted out of the Dragon corpse in this world again . ¡°The fang¡¯s length wasn¡¯t nearly long enough to make a proper longsword, so they were made into shortswords back then . Who knew that decision would pay off now?¡± Thomas Andre recounted the situation of all those years ago, his expression remaining bright and cheerful . He then leisurely took away the clear case and pushed the scale with the shortswords stabbed into it in Jin-Woo¡¯s direction . ¡°And now, these are yours . ¡± Finally, the best weapons in the world had met the best owner in the world . Thomas Andre did his darnedest to calm his fluttering heart and studied Jin-Woo¡¯s response . The latter pulled one of the shortswords out . Shuwuk . As if the weapon was waiting for it, it came off without any resistance whatsoever . Tti-ring . The mechanical beep went off in Jin-Woo¡¯s head as soon as he grasped the shortsword and he quickly swallowed his saliva . Shortly afterwards, the detailed explanations on the weapon popped up in his view . ¡®WHAT?!¡¯ Jin-Woo doubted his own eyes right away . This couldn¡¯t be real . He was completely taken aback by the nonsensical attack value of this weapon and hurriedly summoned out his current main weapon, the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword¡¯ . [Item: Demon King¡¯s Shortsword] Rarity: S Type: Shortsword Attack: +220 A shortsword taken from the Demon King, Baran . Using two ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortswords¡¯ will activate a set effect . Set effect ¡®Two Becomes One¡¯: Extra attack power equal to the current Strength Stat will be added to each shortsword . This blade¡¯s attack power would shoot way past the 500 mark when his current Strength Stat of over 300 was added on top . He had always thought that such a set effect would make this shortsword plenty useful for his cause . But then, the attack value of the new shortsword in his hand was¡­ . . ?! Jin-Woo compared the stats for both shortswords and began freaking out inwardly . ¡®¡­ . How can this even be possible?!¡¯ < Chapter 207 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 207: Chapter 207 Was there any reason to doubt him?. President Kim confirmed that Woo Jin-Cheol was being dead serious and hurriedly muttered out an answer, not even giving himself enough time to spin this situation to his advantage ¡°O-of course . A Hunter needs to do a Hunter¡¯s job . My thoughts were too rash . It was a slip of the tongue on my part . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol watched the pale-faced president nodding his head non-stop, and stood up from his seat to leave . Even after he was long gone, though, both the president and the high-ranking government official couldn¡¯t get up from their seats, their legs having turned to jelly a long time ago ¡°¡­¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. Only now did they awake to the reality of how scary the existences called Hunters could be ***. ¡°Did something good happen in there, sir?¡±. As the car was about to drive away, the escort driving the vehicle asked Woo Jin-Cheol sitting in the backseat ¡°Does it look that way to you?¡±. ¡°Yes, sir . It does . ¡±. His escort was also an agent of the Monitoring Division Woo Jin-Cheol glanced at the baby-faced newbie, effectively his junior from the same department, and ended up recalling his own newbie days and he let a content smile sneak up on his lips ¡°Well, it feels like I¡¯ve performed the duty of the Association President for the first time since I got the job, that¡¯s all . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol reclined against the back of the seat that Goh Gun-Hui used to occupy . He then looked back fondly at the late Association President, who would¡¯ve been sitting in places like this, out of everyone¡¯s gazes and earning the ire and hatred of many powerful men in high places, all for the sake of other Hunters ¡®¡­ . What a relief . ¡¯. Thanks to Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s angry-looking eyes and his large frame, he was used to being hated and feared already . If that was part of being the Association¡¯s President, then he¡¯d gladly accept it The moment he decided to take over from Goh Gun-Hui, he had prepared himself to a certain extent for this kind of rubbish, anyway ¡°Where should we go next, sir?¡±. ¡°¡­ . To the Association . ¡±. He dearly wanted to go home and take a break, but he actually came running here after abandoning his job back in the office . He still had a mountain of work to go through ¡°Then, we¡¯ll get going, sir . ¡±. The escort seemed to understand Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s mind as he stepped on the accelerator . The vehicle carrying the two men easily slipped out of the Blue House¡¯s grounds How long had passed by like that?. Woo Jin-Cheol drifted off to sleep while staring at the passing scenery, only to abruptly wake up again . He could see an endless ocean of cars filling up the road, not going anywhere fast Even though Seoul was infamous for its clogged roadways, such a traffic jam seemed improbable in the middle of a weekday ¡®Did another Gate pop up in the middle of the road again?¡¯. Feeling a bit worried now, Woo Jin-Cheol scanned his surroundings . Unfortunately, the overall atmosphere of the road seemed far too suspicious for something as simple as that . In fact, all the drivers had stopped their cars and stepped outside to look up into the sky It wasn¡¯t just the drivers, either Even the pedestrians on the sidewalks, people on the zebra crossings, every single one had come to a dead stop and was looking up at the sky above their heads . That included the escort in the driver¡¯s seat, who was also craning his neck forward to look at the sky ¡®What on earth is going on here¡­ . ?¡¯. Now feeling genuinely alarmed, Woo Jin-Cheol quickly grabbed the escort¡¯s shoulder and shook him around ¡°Hey . What¡¯s going on?¡±. ¡°A-Association President¡­¡±. The escort spoke with a trembling voice, leaned out of the way and pointed up at the top of the windscreen ¡°T-there, sir¡­ . ¡±. In an instant, Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s expression stiffened Were his eyes playing tricks on him?. No, if that was the case, then everyone shouldn¡¯t be looking at the sky with the exact same expression etched on their faces . He didn¡¯t want to believe what he just saw, but just like with everyone else on the road, he leapt out of the car His eyes weren¡¯t lying to him Woo Jin-Cheol dazedly stared at the sky before a look of pure, unadulterated shock took over his face ¡°How¡­ how can something like that be¡­ . ?!¡±. ***. The result of the test proved to be very satisfying . Jin-Woo¡¯s steps taking him back home were cheerier than ever before Beru had become really strong . A lot stronger than his initial expectation, even It was unfortunate that Igrit couldn¡¯t advance, but Beru¡¯s advancement alone was already an excellent result . Without a doubt, the elites of the Hunters Guild should be unable to shut their slack jaws from the spectacle laid out within that dungeon by now Jin-Woo imagined Cha Hae-In and her wide-open eyes, and a smirk formed on his lips It had been a while since they saw each other and he wanted to talk to her for a bit longer, but regrettably, he still had guests waiting for him . Jin-Woo pondered his options between Thomas Andre and Lennart Niermann before giving the American the call first He could pretty much guess what the German was here for, but he simply couldn¡¯t figure out what the Hunter ranked No . 2 in the world was thinking of by showing up unannounced like this The call got through in no time at all ¨C ¡°Mister Seong!¡±. Worried that Jin-Woo would cut him off again, Thomas Andre was quick to pour out what he wanted to say ¨C ¡°I came bearing a fantastic gift for you, Mister Seong . ¡±. A gift?. ¡°What the heck . If you had something like that, you should¡¯ve told me earlier . ¡±. Jin-Woo spoke to the American half-jokingly and half-seriously, but then, he was suddenly faced with silence from the other side of the line A short while later, Thomas Andre spoke with a kind of voice belonging to someone suppressing his swelling emotions ¨C ¡°¡­ . I¡¯m really happy to hear that you¡¯re looking forward to my gift . Okay, then . Where will we meet? I want to hand over the gift as soon as possible . ¡±. ¡°Wherever it¡¯s convenient for you . ¡±. ¨C ¡°Can you come to where I am? These guys are a bit too dangerous to walk around in the open, you see . ¡±. Too dangerous?. Jin-Woo was left puzzled for a moment then, but still, told Thomas Andre that he¡¯d be there soon and ended the call ¡®Hang on¡­ It really can¡¯t be a bomb, right?¡¯. Of course, it couldn¡¯t be . It¡¯d be far more effective than an explosive to attack personally if you were a Special Authority-rank Hunter Jin-Woo began regretting a bit at the fact that he forgot to ask what kind of a gift it was . It was then, Beru suddenly began addressing him [Oh, my king . ]. ¡®Mm?¡¯. [May I be permitted to fight against that foreigner?]. ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo pondered that for a little while, before shaking his head as if to get rid of the distracting thoughts What was he even wondering about here?. Sure, he was really curious as to find out just how far Beru¡¯s powers had been enhanced, but there was no way he¡¯d let his Shadow Soldier fight against Thomas Andre He didn¡¯t want to see either the American get hurt or see Beru get destroyed . Their personalities meant that the fight would definitely not end with someone getting a bit bruised ¡®Even then¡­ . ¡¯. Still, being able to ponder such a possibility attested to how much Beru had grown compared to before . In fact, the former ant king¡¯s desire to test his own enhanced body could be heard so clearly in his voice ¡®Beru?¡¯. [Please bestow unto this lowly servant your wisdom, oh, my king . ]. ¡®There should come a time when you¡¯ll be free to test your limits as much as you want . So, there¡¯s no need to be rash . ¡¯. [This servant shall take it to heart, my king . ]. ¡®And also, you gotta stop watching those historical dramas on TV . Your speech has become really weird lately, you know?¡¯. [This servant shall heed my liege¡¯s¡­ . ]. ¡®Just say ¡®Yes, I will¡¯, okay? Say, ¡®Yes¡¯ . Just ¡®Yes¡¯, nothing more . ¡¯. [Yes . ]. Very good Now that he finally told Beru what was on his mind, Jin-Woo happily headed off to the meeting location with Thomas Andre ***. ¡°Oh, Mister Seong! You probably have no idea how long I waited for this moment . ¡±. Thomas Andre welcomed Jin-Woo into his hotel suite with open arms It was true that you¡¯d feel great about receiving gifts, but the joy of giving itself shouldn¡¯t be underestimated, as well From the time Jin-Woo mentioned that he needed new shortswords to up until now ¨C Thomas Andre had been counting the days he¡¯d get to hand over the greatest weapons ever made, sleeping within his Guild¡¯s storage, to his new friend He didn¡¯t simply fly all the way to this distant foreign land for no reason at all How would the guy Thomas Andre personally acknowledged as the world¡¯s best Hunter react when he sees these two bad boys?. Along with a big bout of anticipation bubbling in his heart¡­. Snap!. ¡­Thomas Andre snapped his fingers, prompting his ¡®bodyguards¡¯ to bring out a large box covered in a sheet of fabric Even if it was ostensibly a gift, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t really want anything, to begin with, so he stared at the box with disinterest, but then, as the bodyguards got closer and closer, his eyes became equally sharper and sharper as well ¡®What¡¯s this¡­ . ?¡¯. Wuoong¡­ . Wuuuuong¡­. Something inside that box was resonating with his magical energy Thomas Andre easily caught the changes in Jin-Woo¡¯s expression and inwardly punched the air ¡®That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!¡¯. Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would recognise the weapons, while said weapons would recognise their new owner; Thomas Andre predicted that they would naturally recognise each other, and as expected, he was proven right, at this moment It was possible that these weapons had been hiding inside the Scavenger Guild¡¯s storage unit where not even a strand of outside light entered, biding their time just for this very moment Tack!. The box was placed on the coffee table between Thomas Andre and Jin-Woo ¡°This here is my repayment for the favour you¡¯ve shown to my Guild members and to myself . ¡±. Thomas Andre grasped the corner of the fabric and carefully pulled it away Shururuk¡­ The sheet slid off smoothly and revealed what it had been hiding all this time . It was a see-through case underneath . And within it were a pair of shortswords stabbed into a large reptilian scale No, hang on ¨C could they even be called shortswords?. Jin-Woo grew doubtful almost immediately The blades of these weapons were definitely shorter than a longsword¡¯s, yes, but then again, they were so much longer than a regular shortsword¡¯s, too However, what caught his attention wasn¡¯t the puzzling length of the shortswords themselves . No, it was actually their ice-white blades Jin-Woo was familiar with the concept of crafting blades out of non-metallic materials . As a matter of fact, the very first weapon he acquired inside the first instant dungeon was the ¡®Poison Fang of Kasaka¡¯ Thanks to the memories of that time, Jin-Woo could guess just which monster¡¯s fang was used as raw material to craft this pair of shortswords . Besides, there was only one creature capable of emitting this kind of aura from a part of its remains ¡°Kamish¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo involuntarily whispered that name out, prompting Thomas Andre to shake his head while clapping his hands, feeling impressed ¡°To think, you¡¯d correctly guess the base material used for these guys just from one look . ¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s guess was correct . But then, because he was right, he became puzzled about something else ¡°Hang on, I thought Kamish¡¯s remains were in safekeeping with the Hunter Bureau¡­ . ?¡±. ¡°Because the American government wanted the intact corpse, we gave up on that monster completely . We got something else even more valuable than money from that deal, anyway . ¡±. Thomas Andre recalled the raid back then and grinned meaningfully ¡°However, Kamish¡¯s biggest and sharpest fang¡­ . When that thing tried to bite me, I yanked out one such fang, and it was given to me as a souvenir . ¡±. The problem was, there were no Awakened capable of crafting weapons out of stripped materials from a d*mn Dragon ¡­ . Besides one single man, that was Thomas Andre added that, with the master craftsman responsible for the creation of these two genuine masterpieces having passed away due to old age, there would never be another weapon crafted out of the Dragon corpse in this world again ¡°The fang¡¯s length wasn¡¯t nearly long enough to make a proper longsword, so they were made into shortswords back then . Who knew that decision would pay off now?¡±. Thomas Andre recounted the situation of all those years ago, his expression remaining bright and cheerful . He then leisurely took away the clear case and pushed the scale with the shortswords stabbed into it in Jin-Woo¡¯s direction ¡°And now, these are yours . ¡±. Finally, the best weapons in the world had met the best owner in the world . Thomas Andre did his darnedest to calm his fluttering heart and studied Jin-Woo¡¯s response The latter pulled one of the shortswords out Shuwuk As if the weapon was waiting for it, it came off without any resistance whatsoever Tti-ring The mechanical beep went off in Jin-Woo¡¯s head as soon as he grasped the shortsword and he quickly swallowed his saliva . Shortly afterwards, the detailed explanations on the weapon popped up in his view ¡®WHAT?!¡¯. Jin-Woo doubted his own eyes right away This couldn¡¯t be real He was completely taken aback by the nonsensical attack value of this weapon and hurriedly summoned out his current main weapon, the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortsword¡¯ [Item: Demon King¡¯s Shortsword]. Rarity: S. Type: Shortsword. Attack: +220. A shortsword taken from the Demon King, Baran . Using two ¡®Demon King¡¯s Shortswords¡¯ will activate a set effect Set effect ¡®Two Becomes One¡¯: Extra attack power equal to the current Strength Stat will be added to each shortsword This blade¡¯s attack power would shoot way past the 500 mark when his current Strength Stat of over 300 was added on top . He had always thought that such a set effect would make this shortsword plenty useful for his cause But then, the attack value of the new shortsword in his hand was¡­ ?!. Jin-Woo compared the stats for both shortswords and began freaking out inwardly ¡®¡­ . How can this even be possible?!¡¯. < Chapter 207 > Fin Chapter 208 Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze was fixed to the shortsword crafted out of Kamish¡¯s fang . Its utterly unbelievable attack power could be seen floating above the weapon . [Item: Kamish¡¯s Wrath] Rarity: ?? Type: Shortsword Attack: +1,500 Top quality shortsword fashioned from the sharpest fang among the Dragon¡¯s teeth by the expert¡¯s hands . The blade¡¯s sharpness has no equal in this world; it also boasts excellent sensitivity towards Mana, and can become greatly strengthened depending on the wielder¡¯s capability . The explanation seemed to go on forever . However, nothing besides the attack damage entered his eyes . ¡®1,500?! Just the pure attack damage??¡¯ Never mind any added options, just the base damage dealt was 1,500 . As much as 1,500! After recalling that the higher attack damage would make it easier to slice up the enemy, Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine just how scarily effective this shortsword was going to be . ¡®N-no, hang on . Was there any weapon with 1,500 attack damage in the Store, to begin with?!¡¯ Jin-Woo was so excited by the shortsword¡¯s attack damage, he hurriedly summoned the Store¡¯s interface without paying any mind to all those eyes studying his every move . Obviously, it was quite a bit embarrassing to compare this bad boy to the shortswords being sold there, so he went straight to the section with broadswords, which boasted the highest attacking power among the blade-type weapons . ¡®Huh¡­ . ¡¯ The most expensive broadsword¡¯s attack damage barely cracked past the 1,000 mark . Even if this weapon was sold in the Store, it was still a broadsword boasting 1,000 damage, but a measly little shortsword was 1,500 . ¡®Hang on . Just purely from the perspective of the attack damage, won¡¯t it be the same thing as me wielding two broadswords in each of my hands?¡¯ The weightiness of the shortsword could still be felt through his palm . He raised his head, his desire to cut something up with this thing powerfully stimulating him . That¡¯s when he spotted Thomas Andre forming an awkward smile after having read Jin-Woo¡¯s mind . The American shook his head . ¡°Whoa there, Mister Seong . Even if I activate my reinforcement skill to increase my defence, that blade will still cut me down . I hope you ain¡¯t thinking of killing me with my own gift, right?¡± Of course, Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t thinking of doing that . He replied to Thomas Andre¡¯s OTT exaggeration with a chuckle and focused back on the shortsword . ¡®It¡¯s got excellent sensitivity towards Mana, is it?¡¯ Mana was another name for magical energy . To find out what the ¡®excellent sensitivity towards Mana¡¯ could even mean, Jin-Woo poured a tiny little amount of his magic energy into the blade . And when he did¡­ . ¡°Heok¡­ . ¡± The bodyguards were supposed to refrain from making needless noises, but one of them couldn¡¯t hold back and gasped out in pure astonishment . He quickly covered his mouth, but no matter ¨C no one scolded him, anyway . Because, everyone else¡¯s attention had been stolen away by Jin-Woo¡¯s shortsword to such an extent that they failed to notice his faux pas just now . ¡°Oh, my god¡­ . . ¡± Thomas Andre had experienced all sorts of craziness in his life, but even he couldn¡¯t hold back his shocked gasp from leaking out of his mouth . From Jin-Woo¡¯s hand, from the entirety of the shortsword itself, a blackish aura was slowly rising up, that was why . ¡®This shortsword is¡­ . It¡¯s responding to my magic energy . ¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just the aura rising up from the weapon; that weightiness of the shortsword seemingly filling up his palm had also vanished in an instant . As if it was all a lie from the very start . The weapon had become lighter than a feather . ¡®Holy cow¡­ . ¡¯ This weapon even allowed its wielder to control its weight as he willed it . Wuuong, wuuong¡­ The shortsword ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wrath¡¯ began vibrating as if to greet its new owner . Jin-Woo¡¯s heart began pounding even harder as he grasped its hilt . Ba-thump, ba-thump!! He really wanted to fight with this weapon . He really, really wanted to use it right now . Although, he couldn¡¯t really figure out whether this was the shortsword¡¯s will, or his own desire speaking . Jin-Woo calmed his palpitating heart down and stabbed the shortsword back to where it used to be . Stab . That brought about the end to the blade¡¯s vibration . The black aura had been oppressing Laura and the bodyguards to the extent that they couldn¡¯t even breathe properly, but now that the overwhelming aura was gone, they were able to finally gasp for fresh air . Thomas Andre stopped looking at Jin-Woo and shifted his gaze over to her . ¡®You still think I made a mistake?¡¯ Thomas Andre¡¯s meaningful gaze prompted Laura to shake her head quickly . As long as these shortswords were to be pointed in the direction of the monsters and not other humans, Thomas Andre¡¯s decision should be seen as irrefutable . The weapon would find its rightful owner . Even as a regular person who couldn¡¯t sense any magical energy, Laura understood what was going on here in an instant . Now that his judgement was proven correct, Thomas Andre began grinning quite refreshingly . ¡°So, how do you like my present, Mister Seong?¡± The most extreme of all emotions would always be expressed not in words, but through one¡¯s actions . Jin-Woo quietly lifted his thumb up real high . ¡°Hahaha-!!¡± Thomas Andre felt pleased as punch and leisurely clapped his hands to express his joy . These shortswords were the proof of their friendship . He didn¡¯t feel a shred of regret for using them if he was able to get on Jin-Woo¡¯s good books . Rather, it was Jin-Woo who was feeling burdened by this gift . ¡°Is it really okay for me to receive something like this for free?¡± ¡°What do you mean, for free?¡± Thomas Andre erased that semi-permanent smile off his face and formed a serious expression next . ¡°Actually, I think it¡¯s a cheap price to pay for the lives of my Guild members as well as myself . ¡± This was how Thomas Andre expressed his plea of ¡°Don¡¯t refuse my gift and just say yes . ¡± Since Jin-Woo had already heard the particular way Thomas Andre expressed himself from Laura, he simply chuckled and replied to the American . ¡°In that case, thank you . I¡¯ll gladly accept them . ¡± ¡°If you¡¯re willing to do that, well, I¡¯m happy, too . ¡± As the atmosphere between the two Hunters standing at the very apex of the world grew warmer and more cordial¡­ ¡­ . Jin-Woo and Thomas Andre both stopped moving at the same time . Laura and the bodyguards didn¡¯t even have the chance to panic at the sudden stiffness in the two men¡¯s expression, because Thomas Andre opened his mouth before they could . ¡°Mister Seong, just now, that¡­¡± Jin-Woo briefly nodded his head . That ominous sensation that brushed past his backside ¨C Thomas Andre must¡¯ve felt something quite similar to that . It came from the sky . As if they had a prior agreement, both men shot up from their seats and quickly stood next to the window . ¡°¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo spat out a gasp . Thomas Andre discovered the same thing and his eyes visibly quaked . Just how could a thing like that appear in the middle of the sky?! The American Hunter stared at the massive Gate floating up high in the sky and muttered loudly . ¡°I can hardly believe this . I¡¯ve never seen a Gate that huge before . ¡± Even the Gate that spat out Kamish wasn¡¯t as big as that b*stard up there . The thing was, though, Jin-Woo had seen a Gate with similar dimensions before ¨C within the ¡®data¡¯ the stone angel statue played for him back then . He saw winged soldiers pour out in their droves from a Gate high up in the sky . The massive size of the Gate covering the heavens above the city of Seoul was almost an exact match to the Gate he saw within the data . Just from recalling the sight of all those soldiers painting the sky silver, Jin-Woo felt this shudder, a jolt, buzzing from the back of his neck . ¡®Hang on . Could it be that the identity of the massive amount of magisphere pooling in Seoul¡¯s sky is that thing?¡¯ Jin-Woo became utterly speechless . Even Thomas Andre, even Laura, and even their bodyguards, all of them failed to close their slack jaws . And as a heavy, powerful silence descended on everyone in the room, the gigantic Gate that suddenly manifested itself in the sky continued to gently ripple about, as if to swallow everything that was down below . *** Right below the airborne Gate . The residents of the city formed a literal sea of people below it, knowing that there was no danger of a dungeon break as the Gate had been generated not too long ago . They raised their smartphones and busily snapped shots of the portal dyeing the heavens black . It was the first-ever Gate to form in the middle of the sky . And its gigantic size was unprecedented, too . Although no one knew what would come out from there and should all be terrified as a result, people still couldn¡¯t rein in their curiosity . There were quite a few members of foreign press mixed among the crowd . Their cameras were working at full capacity to capture the scenes of this packed gathering of people [Yes, I¡¯m currently standing right below the giant Gate that has covered the entirety of Seoul¡¯s skies, and¡­ . ] [The Gate you see before you is the biggest one ever recorded since monsters began appearing¡­ . ] [As you can see behind me, the crowd spectating on the Gate itself are carrying bright expressions, but¡­ . ] [¡­ . This is Nick Powell from BBN News . ] Reporters from various nations carried serious, even grave, expressions and spoke their mother tongue towards the camera lenses . Japanese people had been interested in the ongoings of South Korea for a while now, so a certain TV station even scheduled a special program to report extensively on the ¡®Gate above Seoul¡¯s skies¡¯ . As for the expert invited to share his insight on the program, it was none other than Doctor Norman Belzer who had been studying the irregular phenomenon in the sky for a long time . After the brief introduction by the emcee, Doctor Belzer grasped his microphone . ¡°I have been warning the relevant authorities about the unknown mass of energy gathering in the various spots in the atmosphere for a while now . The giant Gate appearing in the skies of Seoul is merely the beginning, I fear . We will be seeing Gates just as horrifying as that one over the skies of many other countries in the future . ¡± The emcee¡¯s shoulders flinched greatly . ¡°Ehhh?! What you¡¯re implying there is, Doctor, there are more than one or two places with such ominous phenomena in the world?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯d like to emphasize today . ¡± The scientist then went on to explain again what he told the Hunters participating in the International Guild Conference . He had a duty to inform the public of the dangers, now that his subject of research had bared its fangs for real . Indeed, Seoul was just the beginning . The magisphere was still being amassed above the skies of the remaining eight spots even now . The scientist proceeded to reveal the nine locations with the help of the satellite images, leading to many gasps of shock and pained moans to leak out from the audience seats . Some felt relieved by the fact that Japan was not among the list, while some were left deeply shocked by the imminent threat the neighbouring nations had to face . The emcee listened to Doctor Belzer¡¯s explanations with a gloomy, heavy expression, before asking the scientist . ¡°Doctor, you have been researching the Gates and monsters for a very long time, am I correct?¡± ¡°You¡¯re correct . ¡± ¡°In that case, can you tell us your opinion on what would be the smartest response we can come up with in this situation?¡± Not just the audience members present, but even all the viewers at home watching their TV sets, leaned forward to pay closer attention to the good scientist¡¯s next words . Unfortunately for them, what he said was something everyone could say, too . ¡°We can only pray . ¡± He shifted his gaze over to the audience members and continued on . ¡°We can only pray that this unprecedented event doesn¡¯t end in tragedy . ¡± Even as the expressions of the audience members became graver, the scientist carried on with his explanation . ¡°However, there is this one thing . One piece of news that can¡¯t be considered bad . ¡± Doctor Belzer¡¯s words, coming in just before the broadcast was about to end, managed to change the emcee¡¯s expression . Hoping to brighten the sorrowful, gloomy mood of the studio even by a little bit, the emcee quickly asked the scientist with an expectant face . ¡°What could that news be, doctor?¡± ¡°It¡¯s rather fortunate that the location of the Gate just so happens to be South Korea . ¡± Did this doctor hold some sort of personal grudge against Korea or something? Noisy, noisy¡­ Doctor Belzer¡¯s shocking declaration left the audience members in noisy confusion . The expression of the Chief Producer of this program hardened in an instant, fearful that one wrong move now and he might end up with a broadcasting accident big enough to cause a serious diplomatic incident . Fortunately enough, the feared event didn¡¯t materialise . The scientist quickly added more explanation before the misunderstanding could get any deeper . ¡°South Korea is the home of one of the greatest Hunters, someone who has already stopped a couple of world-ending calamities all by himself . ¡± Everyone present here definitely knew who that Hunter was . ¡°Yes, I¡¯m talking about Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, who has removed every single ant monster from Jeju Island, and then killed all the Giants in Japan . ¡± The spot where the most amount of magisphere concentration could be found also happened to be where the world¡¯s best Hunter lived . Doctor Belzer felt that this was no simple coincidence . ¡°If he can¡¯t stop that Gate, then no Hunter alive will be able to do so, either . And that is why, when viewed from the world¡¯s perspective, we should be thankful that the first Gate to open up is in South Korea . ¡± Should they feel glad, or console their neighbours, instead? As the Japanese audience members couldn¡¯t decide what to feel, the scientist emphasized his point once more . ¡°What I¡¯m saying might come across as cold-hearted ans callous, especially when Korea is facing a grave crisis, but the truth is, the world doesn¡¯t need to feel pity for the Korean people . ¡± Ah, so the broadcasting accident had finally happened! The Chief Producer began tearing his hair out, but then, as if to mock the poor man, Doctor Norman Belzer formed a deeply meaningful expression and ended his explanations . ¡°If we ever come to the situation where we must pity the Koreans, then that means there will be no humans left on this planet to console each other anymore . ¡± < Chapter 208 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 208: Chapter 208 Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze was fixed to the shortsword crafted out of Kamish¡¯s fang . Its utterly unbelievable attack power could be seen floating above the weapon [Item: Kamish¡¯s Wrath]. Rarity: ??. Type: Shortsword. Attack: +1,500. Top quality shortsword fashioned from the sharpest fang among the Dragon¡¯s teeth by the expert¡¯s hands The blade¡¯s sharpness has no equal in this world; it also boasts excellent sensitivity towards Mana, and can become greatly strengthened depending on the wielder¡¯s capability The explanation seemed to go on forever . However, nothing besides the attack damage entered his eyes ¡®1,500?! Just the pure attack damage??¡¯. Never mind any added options, just the base damage dealt was 1,500 As much as 1,500!. After recalling that the higher attack damage would make it easier to slice up the enemy, Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine just how scarily effective this shortsword was going to be ¡®N-no, hang on . Was there any weapon with 1,500 attack damage in the Store, to begin with?!¡¯. Jin-Woo was so excited by the shortsword¡¯s attack damage, he hurriedly summoned the Store¡¯s interface without paying any mind to all those eyes studying his every move Obviously, it was quite a bit embarrassing to compare this bad boy to the shortswords being sold there, so he went straight to the section with broadswords, which boasted the highest attacking power among the blade-type weapons ¡®Huh¡­ . ¡¯. The most expensive broadsword¡¯s attack damage barely cracked past the 1,000 mark . Even if this weapon was sold in the Store, it was still a broadsword boasting 1,000 damage, but a measly little shortsword was 1,500 ¡®Hang on . Just purely from the perspective of the attack damage, won¡¯t it be the same thing as me wielding two broadswords in each of my hands?¡¯. The weightiness of the shortsword could still be felt through his palm He raised his head, his desire to cut something up with this thing powerfully stimulating him . That¡¯s when he spotted Thomas Andre forming an awkward smile after having read Jin-Woo¡¯s mind . The American shook his head ¡°Whoa there, Mister Seong . Even if I activate my reinforcement skill to increase my defence, that blade will still cut me down . I hope you ain¡¯t thinking of killing me with my own gift, right?¡±. Of course, Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t thinking of doing that . He replied to Thomas Andre¡¯s OTT exaggeration with a chuckle and focused back on the shortsword ¡®It¡¯s got excellent sensitivity towards Mana, is it?¡¯. Mana was another name for magical energy . To find out what the ¡®excellent sensitivity towards Mana¡¯ could even mean, Jin-Woo poured a tiny little amount of his magic energy into the blade And when he did¡­ ¡°Heok¡­ . ¡±. The bodyguards were supposed to refrain from making needless noises, but one of them couldn¡¯t hold back and gasped out in pure astonishment . He quickly covered his mouth, but no matter ¨C no one scolded him, anyway Because, everyone else¡¯s attention had been stolen away by Jin-Woo¡¯s shortsword to such an extent that they failed to notice his faux pas just now ¡°Oh, my god¡­ ¡±. Thomas Andre had experienced all sorts of craziness in his life, but even he couldn¡¯t hold back his shocked gasp from leaking out of his mouth . From Jin-Woo¡¯s hand, from the entirety of the shortsword itself, a blackish aura was slowly rising up, that was why ¡®This shortsword is¡­ . It¡¯s responding to my magic energy . ¡¯. It wasn¡¯t just the aura rising up from the weapon; that weightiness of the shortsword seemingly filling up his palm had also vanished in an instant . As if it was all a lie from the very start The weapon had become lighter than a feather ¡®Holy cow¡­ . ¡¯. This weapon even allowed its wielder to control its weight as he willed it Wuuong, wuuong¡­. The shortsword ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wrath¡¯ began vibrating as if to greet its new owner . Jin-Woo¡¯s heart began pounding even harder as he grasped its hilt Ba-thump, ba-thump!!. He really wanted to fight with this weapon . He really, really wanted to use it right now . Although, he couldn¡¯t really figure out whether this was the shortsword¡¯s will, or his own desire speaking Jin-Woo calmed his palpitating heart down and stabbed the shortsword back to where it used to be Stab That brought about the end to the blade¡¯s vibration The black aura had been oppressing Laura and the bodyguards to the extent that they couldn¡¯t even breathe properly, but now that the overwhelming aura was gone, they were able to finally gasp for fresh air Thomas Andre stopped looking at Jin-Woo and shifted his gaze over to her ¡®You still think I made a mistake?¡¯. Thomas Andre¡¯s meaningful gaze prompted Laura to shake her head quickly . As long as these shortswords were to be pointed in the direction of the monsters and not other humans, Thomas Andre¡¯s decision should be seen as irrefutable The weapon would find its rightful owner . Even as a regular person who couldn¡¯t sense any magical energy, Laura understood what was going on here in an instant Now that his judgement was proven correct, Thomas Andre began grinning quite refreshingly ¡°So, how do you like my present, Mister Seong?¡±. The most extreme of all emotions would always be expressed not in words, but through one¡¯s actions . Jin-Woo quietly lifted his thumb up real high ¡°Hahaha-!!¡±. Thomas Andre felt pleased as punch and leisurely clapped his hands to express his joy These shortswords were the proof of their friendship . He didn¡¯t feel a shred of regret for using them if he was able to get on Jin-Woo¡¯s good books Rather, it was Jin-Woo who was feeling burdened by this gift ¡°Is it really okay for me to receive something like this for free?¡±. ¡°What do you mean, for free?¡±. Thomas Andre erased that semi-permanent smile off his face and formed a serious expression next ¡°Actually, I think it¡¯s a cheap price to pay for the lives of my Guild members as well as myself . ¡±. This was how Thomas Andre expressed his plea of ¡°Don¡¯t refuse my gift and just say yes . ¡±. Since Jin-Woo had already heard the particular way Thomas Andre expressed himself from Laura, he simply chuckled and replied to the American ¡°In that case, thank you . I¡¯ll gladly accept them . ¡±. ¡°If you¡¯re willing to do that, well, I¡¯m happy, too . ¡±. As the atmosphere between the two Hunters standing at the very apex of the world grew warmer and more cordial¡­. ¡­ . Jin-Woo and Thomas Andre both stopped moving at the same time Laura and the bodyguards didn¡¯t even have the chance to panic at the sudden stiffness in the two men¡¯s expression, because Thomas Andre opened his mouth before they could ¡°Mister Seong, just now, that¡­¡±. Jin-Woo briefly nodded his head . That ominous sensation that brushed past his backside ¨C Thomas Andre must¡¯ve felt something quite similar to that It came from the sky . As if they had a prior agreement, both men shot up from their seats and quickly stood next to the window ¡°¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo spat out a gasp . Thomas Andre discovered the same thing and his eyes visibly quaked . Just how could a thing like that appear in the middle of the sky?!. The American Hunter stared at the massive Gate floating up high in the sky and muttered loudly ¡°I can hardly believe this . I¡¯ve never seen a Gate that huge before . ¡±. Even the Gate that spat out Kamish wasn¡¯t as big as that b*stard up there . The thing was, though, Jin-Woo had seen a Gate with similar dimensions before ¨C within the ¡®data¡¯ the stone angel statue played for him back then He saw winged soldiers pour out in their droves from a Gate high up in the sky The massive size of the Gate covering the heavens above the city of Seoul was almost an exact match to the Gate he saw within the data . Just from recalling the sight of all those soldiers painting the sky silver, Jin-Woo felt this shudder, a jolt, buzzing from the back of his neck ¡®Hang on . Could it be that the identity of the massive amount of magisphere pooling in Seoul¡¯s sky is that thing?¡¯. Jin-Woo became utterly speechless . Even Thomas Andre, even Laura, and even their bodyguards, all of them failed to close their slack jaws And as a heavy, powerful silence descended on everyone in the room, the gigantic Gate that suddenly manifested itself in the sky continued to gently ripple about, as if to swallow everything that was down below ***. Right below the airborne Gate The residents of the city formed a literal sea of people below it, knowing that there was no danger of a dungeon break as the Gate had been generated not too long ago . They raised their smartphones and busily snapped shots of the portal dyeing the heavens black It was the first-ever Gate to form in the middle of the sky . And its gigantic size was unprecedented, too Although no one knew what would come out from there and should all be terrified as a result, people still couldn¡¯t rein in their curiosity There were quite a few members of foreign press mixed among the crowd . Their cameras were working at full capacity to capture the scenes of this packed gathering of people. [Yes, I¡¯m currently standing right below the giant Gate that has covered the entirety of Seoul¡¯s skies, and¡­ . ]. [The Gate you see before you is the biggest one ever recorded since monsters began appearing¡­ . ]. [As you can see behind me, the crowd spectating on the Gate itself are carrying bright expressions, but¡­ . ]. [¡­ . This is Nick Powell from BBN News . ]. Reporters from various nations carried serious, even grave, expressions and spoke their mother tongue towards the camera lenses Japanese people had been interested in the ongoings of South Korea for a while now, so a certain TV station even scheduled a special program to report extensively on the ¡®Gate above Seoul¡¯s skies¡¯ As for the expert invited to share his insight on the program, it was none other than Doctor Norman Belzer who had been studying the irregular phenomenon in the sky for a long time After the brief introduction by the emcee, Doctor Belzer grasped his microphone ¡°I have been warning the relevant authorities about the unknown mass of energy gathering in the various spots in the atmosphere for a while now . The giant Gate appearing in the skies of Seoul is merely the beginning, I fear . We will be seeing Gates just as horrifying as that one over the skies of many other countries in the future . ¡±. The emcee¡¯s shoulders flinched greatly ¡°Ehhh?! What you¡¯re implying there is, Doctor, there are more than one or two places with such ominous phenomena in the world?¡±. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯d like to emphasize today . ¡±. The scientist then went on to explain again what he told the Hunters participating in the International Guild Conference . He had a duty to inform the public of the dangers, now that his subject of research had bared its fangs for real Indeed, Seoul was just the beginning The magisphere was still being amassed above the skies of the remaining eight spots even now The scientist proceeded to reveal the nine locations with the help of the satellite images, leading to many gasps of shock and pained moans to leak out from the audience seats Some felt relieved by the fact that Japan was not among the list, while some were left deeply shocked by the imminent threat the neighbouring nations had to face The emcee listened to Doctor Belzer¡¯s explanations with a gloomy, heavy expression, before asking the scientist ¡°Doctor, you have been researching the Gates and monsters for a very long time, am I correct?¡±. ¡°You¡¯re correct . ¡±. ¡°In that case, can you tell us your opinion on what would be the smartest response we can come up with in this situation?¡±. Not just the audience members present, but even all the viewers at home watching their TV sets, leaned forward to pay closer attention to the good scientist¡¯s next words Unfortunately for them, what he said was something everyone could say, too ¡°We can only pray . ¡±. He shifted his gaze over to the audience members and continued on ¡°We can only pray that this unprecedented event doesn¡¯t end in tragedy . ¡±. Even as the expressions of the audience members became graver, the scientist carried on with his explanation ¡°However, there is this one thing . One piece of news that can¡¯t be considered bad . ¡±. Doctor Belzer¡¯s words, coming in just before the broadcast was about to end, managed to change the emcee¡¯s expression . Hoping to brighten the sorrowful, gloomy mood of the studio even by a little bit, the emcee quickly asked the scientist with an expectant face ¡°What could that news be, doctor?¡±. ¡°It¡¯s rather fortunate that the location of the Gate just so happens to be South Korea . ¡±. Did this doctor hold some sort of personal grudge against Korea or something?. Noisy, noisy¡­. Doctor Belzer¡¯s shocking declaration left the audience members in noisy confusion The expression of the Chief Producer of this program hardened in an instant, fearful that one wrong move now and he might end up with a broadcasting accident big enough to cause a serious diplomatic incident Fortunately enough, the feared event didn¡¯t materialise . The scientist quickly added more explanation before the misunderstanding could get any deeper ¡°South Korea is the home of one of the greatest Hunters, someone who has already stopped a couple of world-ending calamities all by himself . ¡±. Everyone present here definitely knew who that Hunter was ¡°Yes, I¡¯m talking about Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, who has removed every single ant monster from Jeju Island, and then killed all the Giants in Japan . ¡±. The spot where the most amount of magisphere concentration could be found also happened to be where the world¡¯s best Hunter lived . Doctor Belzer felt that this was no simple coincidence ¡°If he can¡¯t stop that Gate, then no Hunter alive will be able to do so, either . And that is why, when viewed from the world¡¯s perspective, we should be thankful that the first Gate to open up is in South Korea . ¡±. Should they feel glad, or console their neighbours, instead?. As the Japanese audience members couldn¡¯t decide what to feel, the scientist emphasized his point once more ¡°What I¡¯m saying might come across as cold-hearted ans callous, especially when Korea is facing a grave crisis, but the truth is, the world doesn¡¯t need to feel pity for the Korean people . ¡±. Ah, so the broadcasting accident had finally happened!. The Chief Producer began tearing his hair out, but then, as if to mock the poor man, Doctor Norman Belzer formed a deeply meaningful expression and ended his explanations ¡°If we ever come to the situation where we must pity the Koreans, then that means there will be no humans left on this planet to console each other anymore . ¡±. < Chapter 208 > Fin Chapter 209 The biggest Gate ever to open up on Earth so far had been the one in the United States of America, where Kamish came out of . However, the one in front of everyone¡¯s eyes was easily over ten times that . Was there a need to even measure its rank in such a case? Unfortunately, someone had to do the job and so, the Hunter¡¯s Association had to dispatch a helicopter up there . The aircraft was being populated by employees who were also Hunters . This was done out of fear that the bodies of the regular employees would not be able to endure against the magical energy emitted by the ¡®Super-massive Gate¡¯ and break down if they got too close . Tatatatatata¡­ . Pilot and co-pilot, as well as two Association employees, were riding on the helicopter as it flew ever closer to the Gate . Would being sucked into a black hole feel like this? Within this shaking hunk of metal flying in the sky, one of the employees stared intently at the gigantic black circle drawing ever closer and asked . ¡°Senior, have you ever seen anything like that before?¡± The sun had set already, and they had to rely on the spotlights attached to the helicopter, but the sheer massive scale of this terrifying Gate still entered their sights with no problem . The senior employee shook his head . ¡°No, never . I¡¯m sure no one in this world has seen a Gate this big before . ¡± The entire world was in a great upheaval over this single Gate . Such a thing wouldn¡¯t happen just because this particular one appeared in mid-air . Actually, the world was freaking out by the unbelievable scale of the Gate along with its unique location of being in the air . If only these employees knew that even Thomas Andre had to doubt his own eyes ¨C they wouldn¡¯t even have shared the dumb conversation about anyone seeing a Gate like that before . Gulp . While the two men¡¯s gazes were stolen away by the Gate and dry saliva continued to slide down their throats, the helicopter arrived near the destination and gradually slowed its rate of ascent . The co-pilot informed his passengers . ¡°Getting any nearer than this will endanger the helicopter . ¡± The employees mouthed their understandings and finished getting ready to measure the Gate . Now originally, one would have to stand right next to a Gate in order to measure its rank . However, doing that wasn¡¯t necessary this time around . As soon as the switch was turned on, the measuring device went ¡®Pop!¡¯ and stopped functioning immediately . It was proof that the device couldn¡¯t handle the level of magic energy leaking out from the Gate . It was also an expected result, too . ¡°Senior?¡± The employee trying to manipulate the device looked up at the senior employee . The latter nodded his head to express his agreement . The junior employee opened the communication line in order to report the findings to the Association . It was at that moment that the senior employee staring outside suddenly cried out . ¡°Be careful!¡± The junior employee jumped up in fright and quickly scanned his surroundings . ¡°W-what was that?!¡± ¡°I, I thought I saw something resembling a monster outside¡­ . ¡± ¡°Eh? A monster came out already??¡± A monster emerged from a Gate that had appeared less than a day ago? Such a thing couldn¡¯t happen, but the senior employee witnessing this phenomenon was one of the high-ranked Hunters in the country . Neither the pilots nor the junior employee were in a position to criticise him and ask him if he was sure of what he saw . But then, sure enough¡­ . ¡°Over there!¡± The senior employee accurately pointed out again what he saw earlier . It was also around this time that the urgent voice of the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol came out from the headset the junior employee was wearing . ¨C ¡°What¡¯s going on? What are you saying? Agent Sahng-Won! Hey, Yu Sahng-Won!! Tell me what¡¯s going on up there!¡± ¡°S-sir, it¡¯s a monster! We spotted a large monster near the helicopter!¡± ¨C ¡°What?!¡± ¡°But, uh¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s an ordinary monster, sir . ¡± ¨C ¡°Don¡¯t you know that you¡¯re utterly helpless when encountering a monster in the air? I didn¡¯t send you guys up there to find that out, so get back down here right now!¡± ¡°N-no, sir . The thing is, Association President, uh¡­ There¡¯s a person riding on top of the monster . ¡± ¨C ¡°What are you even talking about?? Hey, how can a person be riding on a mon¡­ . . ¡± It was then, an image of a certain man that really rode around on the back of a monster entered Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s head and his voice got cut off for a moment there . ¨C ¡°Hey, Sahng-Won¡­ . ? Can you see the face of the man riding on the monster?¡± ¡°Hold on, sir . Yes, I can just about make it out . ¡± ¨C ¡°Could he be Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± The junior employee opened his eyes wider and pressed his face tightly against the window to take a closer look at the monster, before crying out in surprise and asking back . ¡°H-how did you know that, sir?¡± *** Kkkiiiieehk-! Jin-Woo riding on the back of the Sky Dragon Kaisel drew closer to the Gate . Once he got near its bottom, the d*mn thing looked more like an endlessly-stretching lake rather than an actual Gate . What a near-overwhelming size it was . A regular Hunter wouldn¡¯t have been able to endure this extraordinary amount of magical energy leaking out from the Gate itself, but Jin-Woo remained unaffected and aloof, starting from the moment he decided to check this thing out personally, all the way up to this point in time . He could see that the Association¡¯s helicopter far below had begun descending to the ground, perhaps assessing that it was too dangerous for them now . Jin-Woo watched the aircraft for a little while before he got even closer to the Gate itself . Above his head, in the distance where his hand could reach, the Gate, with its maws wide open towards the ground below, floated in eerie silence . Of course, the portal¡¯s surface was still blocked off by the black screen so he couldn¡¯t see what its inside looked like . ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ If he reached out to touch it, would he be able to enter it, or would he get sucked in like a Red Gate, or¡­? Jin-Woo cautiously extended his hand out . ¡®I most likely need to enter it and solve the problem before this Gate breaks open and monsters start pouring out . ¡¯ With a little bit of expectation bubbling noisily in his heart, he pressed the tip of his hand against the Gate¡¯s screen . ¡®What the¡­?¡¯ For the first time ever since becoming an Awakened, he encountered a rather strange situation . He couldn¡¯t enter the Gate . His hand couldn¡¯t enter the Gate as it got blocked off by the black screen . It was as hard as a solid wall . ¡®If it was a regular wall, I could¡¯ve broken it down, but¡­ . ¡¯ He pushed with everything he had, but this ¡®wall¡¯ didn¡¯t even budge . Knock, knock¡­ . Jin-Woo knocked on the screen next, and his lips closed shut in a straight line . ¡®It¡¯s different . ¡¯ A Gate where Awakened couldn¡¯t pass through . Indeed, this one was different from all the other Gates that preceded it . If so, would the things waiting inside be different from everything else that had emerged before? ¡®Whatever the case may be¡­ . ¡¯ Whatever came out ¨C his family and friends were below this Gate . He had no plan of letting them easily get past him . ¡®I now possess the Stats I¡¯ve raised up until now and the brave soldiers that will fight alongside me . ¡¯ When his thoughts reached there¡­ Waaaaaah-!! He thought he could hear the uproarious cheers of the soldiers hidden in his shadows echo in his ears . Ba-thump-! Anxiety and anticipation alternated in his heart . Ever since he became the ¡®Player¡¯ and received the powers of the System, Jin-Woo believed that there was a reason, a purpose, for his existence . If that was the case, then could it be that he was meant to stop this calamity? ¡®What rubbish am I even thinking about now¡­ . ?¡¯ Jin-Woo chuckled and brushed aside his needlessly grim determination before pulling his hand back from the Gate . It was then . The Hunter-issue smartphone, which he left on in the vibrate-only mode, suddenly began writhing around inside his pocket . The caller was from the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association . Jin-Woo had asked them for a favour earlier, so he quickly answered the call . ¨C ¡°Hello? Seong Hunter-nim?¡± ¡°Please speak . ¡± ¨C ¡°Ah, my apologies . I can hardly hear your voice . Should I call you some other time?¡± Jin-Woo glanced down at Seoul¡¯s skyscrapers, now small enough to resemble toy building blocks, and grinned to himself . ¡°There¡¯s no need for that . Actually, I¡¯m somewhere pretty high up at the moment . Anyway, have you found out what I asked you about?¡± ¨C ¡°Ah, yes . We scanned the entire territory of Japan with our satellite just now, but¡­ . ¡± Unlike how he usually was, the employee from the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association blurred the ends of his sentence . Could something have happened in Japan on a day like this? The answer from the employee was completely out of Jin-Woo¡¯s expectation, however . ¨C ¡°We couldn¡¯t locate a single Gate, Hunter-nim . There isn¡¯t a single new Gate being generated in the entirity of Japan . ¡± ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯ After he killed off the Giants, he had been spending most of his time raiding dungeons in Japan, so this news came across as a bolt from the blue . ¡°Not one new Gate has appeared?¡± ¨C ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct . We couldn¡¯t be sure if this was a phenomenon unique to us or not, so we contacted Hunter agencies in other countries, but¡­ . ¡± The employee hesitated before continuing on with a voice thickly laden with his own vexation . ¨C ¡°All the new Gates suddenly vanished from the world when the super-massive Gate appeared above the skies of Seoul . ¡± It had been about three hours since this super-massive Gate had appeared in the air . What were the odds of every Gate in the entire world all ¡®coincidentally¡¯ vanishing at the same time? ¡®¡­ . It¡¯s not a coincidence, obviously . ¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s expression hardened . His stiffened face looked up at the Gate again, and in the meantime, the Japanese Association employee asked him again . ¨C ¡°Excuse me¡­ . May I ask why you wished for us to find the locations of the highest-ranking Gates?¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± It was a bit troubling to honestly answer that . Well, he couldn¡¯t really come out and say that he just wanted to test the shortswords boasting 1,500 attack damage he got from Thomas Andre as gifts before this uselessly huge Gate opened up, now could he? In that case¡­ ¡°We don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen tomorrow so someone needs to plant an apple tree, don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¨C ¡°Oh¡­ . an apple tree . I see . It¡¯s a wonderful saying . ¡± Jin-Woo gave out an evasive answer and left the guy on the other side of the line to interpret it in any way he liked, before trying to end the call there . ¨C ¡°Uhm, excuse me, Seong Hunter-nim?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± As if he was feeling embarrassed, the employee hesitated greatly before continuing on . ¨C ¡°Honestly speaking, I¡¯ve never looked at Korea in a favourable light in the past . As you may well know, the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association had been suffering a major headache from the ant monsters on Jeju Island for the last four years . As an employee of the Association, and as a Japanese, I disliked Koreans as a result . ¡± Jin-Woo quietly listened on to his confession . ¨C ¡°However, I had to change my mindset all because of you, Hunter-nim . Korea has become the country of our saviour . I¡¯m truly grateful for your help and I wish to thank Korea, your home country . ¡± As his story got longer and longer, his voice became more and more tearful as well . ¨C ¡°That is why I pray that Korea won¡¯t ever experience the horrors that my country had to endure . ¡± People who got trampled by the Giants . Cities were burned down . Screams echoed around in the air . The despair that couldn¡¯t be forgotten . Those nightmares happened only a few weeks ago . The employee had witnessed the calamity from up close and that was why he knew; he knew that such things should happen to no one . Jin-Woo heard his pleas and confidently replied back . ¡°That will not happen . ¡± He wasn¡¯t making a promise . No, it was much closer to him making a resolution . The reason for him diligently maintaining his growth up until this moment was the same . It was now time to show the results of his hard work . The employee heard Jin-Woo¡¯s reply and quietly laughed . ¨C ¡°Haha . I never guessed that I¡¯d stop hating Korea and feel envious of them instead . I¡¯m really envious of Korea that has you, Seong Hunter-nim . ¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to praise me that much . I don¡¯t have any other hobbies besides hunting down monsters, so I was planning to continue to visit Japan as long as there are monsters still running loose in this world . ¡± ¨C ¡°Ahh, you saw straight through me . As expected, it¡¯s impossible to fool you when you¡¯re a top-ranked Hunter . I really wanted to earn some brownie points with you, too . ¡± The employee thanked Jin-Woo for ably improving the atmosphere that threatened to get untenably heavy, before saying his ¡®heartfelt¡¯ goodbye . ¨C ¡°In that case, please, don¡¯t hesitate to call us ¡®again¡¯ . ¡± ¡°Of course . ¡± Jin-Woo pocketed the Hunter-issue smartphone . He then quietly stared at the Gate that was preternaturally quiet as if this was the calm before the storm . ¡®If this thing¡¯s duration is the same as dungeon breaks from other Gates, then¡­¡¯ There were around six days left . Jin-Woo¡¯s two eyes glowed softly within this darkness . ¡°¡­ . Let¡¯s go down . ¡± Kiiiahk-!! The Sky Dragon carrying Jin-Woo energetically flapped its wings and made its descent . *** About a day later, other people also detected the changes; Gates had disappeared . New Gates stopped being generated right after the super-massive portal appeared in the skies above Seoul! There was no way to tell whether this was a good or a bad thing, but still, those welcoming this change did exist . And that would be the Hunter¡¯s Association, currently being led by Woo Jin-Cheol . With a deeply tense expression, he read the report being handed in and made a decision . ¡°Call every Hunter in our country to Seoul . ¡± ¡°Sir? But, that will be too dangerous . ¡± ¡°If we do that and a Gate we failed to discover goes to become a full-on dungeon break, then¡­¡± ¡°How about we summon only around half of the Hunters and leave the rest to¡­ . . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol heard the incoming rush of objections and angrily slammed down on the conference table . SLAM! The shoulders of the people attending the emergency meeting flinched from this display of a high-ranked Hunter¡¯s anger . Woo Jin-Cheol shouted out loudly . ¡°Do you all believe we have the necessary leeway to worry about unseen dangers right now?¡± With that, everyone inside the conference room stopped talking at once . Woo Jin-Cheol pointed to somewhere beyond the walls of the room . ¡°We¡¯re facing an unprecedented calamity right now . We don¡¯t know whether we can stop that d*mn thing or not even after we pour out everything we have at our disposal!¡± Woo Jin-Cheol roared out and scanned the faces of the attendees . ¡°I shall take full responsibilities if incidents take place in other districts . Even if you tell me to give up my entire wealth, I will . If you tell me to put my life on the line and fight, I¡¯ll gladly do so . ¡± No one could argue against Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s grim determination . In a case where the opinions differed during the life-threatening situations inside dungeons, the leader of the raid team would even resort to killing the insubordinate team member . It was because the incorrect decision made by a few could drag everyone else to their doom . In the outside world, such an action would be seen as a crime, but it was a different story altogether when inside a dungeon . Raids weren¡¯t a kids¡¯ garden tea party, but true warfare where everyone involved had to put their lives on the line to win, And right now, that war was about to spill outside the dungeon and onto the world . Woo Jin-Cheol wasn¡¯t a slack Hunter who would entertain opposing arguments when every second counted . ¡°Summon every Hunter in the country to Seoul immediately, please . As long as they can fight, do not leave anyone behind . ¡± And so, under the direct order of the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol, the Hunters of the Republic of Korea began heading to the city of Seoul . < Chapter 209 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 209: Chapter 209 The biggest Gate ever to open up on Earth so far had been the one in the United States of America, where Kamish came out of . However, the one in front of everyone¡¯s eyes was easily over ten times that Was there a need to even measure its rank in such a case?. Unfortunately, someone had to do the job and so, the Hunter¡¯s Association had to dispatch a helicopter up there The aircraft was being populated by employees who were also Hunters . This was done out of fear that the bodies of the regular employees would not be able to endure against the magical energy emitted by the ¡®Super-massive Gate¡¯ and break down if they got too close Tatatatatata¡­ Pilot and co-pilot, as well as two Association employees, were riding on the helicopter as it flew ever closer to the Gate Would being sucked into a black hole feel like this?. Within this shaking hunk of metal flying in the sky, one of the employees stared intently at the gigantic black circle drawing ever closer and asked ¡°Senior, have you ever seen anything like that before?¡±. The sun had set already, and they had to rely on the spotlights attached to the helicopter, but the sheer massive scale of this terrifying Gate still entered their sights with no problem The senior employee shook his head ¡°No, never . I¡¯m sure no one in this world has seen a Gate this big before . ¡±. The entire world was in a great upheaval over this single Gate . Such a thing wouldn¡¯t happen just because this particular one appeared in mid-air Actually, the world was freaking out by the unbelievable scale of the Gate along with its unique location of being in the air If only these employees knew that even Thomas Andre had to doubt his own eyes ¨C they wouldn¡¯t even have shared the dumb conversation about anyone seeing a Gate like that before Gulp While the two men¡¯s gazes were stolen away by the Gate and dry saliva continued to slide down their throats, the helicopter arrived near the destination and gradually slowed its rate of ascent The co-pilot informed his passengers ¡°Getting any nearer than this will endanger the helicopter . ¡±. The employees mouthed their understandings and finished getting ready to measure the Gate . Now originally, one would have to stand right next to a Gate in order to measure its rank . However, doing that wasn¡¯t necessary this time around As soon as the switch was turned on, the measuring device went ¡®Pop!¡¯ and stopped functioning immediately . It was proof that the device couldn¡¯t handle the level of magic energy leaking out from the Gate It was also an expected result, too ¡°Senior?¡±. The employee trying to manipulate the device looked up at the senior employee . The latter nodded his head to express his agreement . The junior employee opened the communication line in order to report the findings to the Association It was at that moment that the senior employee staring outside suddenly cried out ¡°Be careful!¡±. The junior employee jumped up in fright and quickly scanned his surroundings ¡°W-what was that?!¡±. ¡°I, I thought I saw something resembling a monster outside¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Eh? A monster came out already??¡±. A monster emerged from a Gate that had appeared less than a day ago?. Such a thing couldn¡¯t happen, but the senior employee witnessing this phenomenon was one of the high-ranked Hunters in the country . Neither the pilots nor the junior employee were in a position to criticise him and ask him if he was sure of what he saw But then, sure enough¡­ ¡°Over there!¡±. The senior employee accurately pointed out again what he saw earlier It was also around this time that the urgent voice of the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol came out from the headset the junior employee was wearing ¨C ¡°What¡¯s going on? What are you saying? Agent Sahng-Won! Hey, Yu Sahng-Won!! Tell me what¡¯s going on up there!¡±. ¡°S-sir, it¡¯s a monster! We spotted a large monster near the helicopter!¡±. ¨C ¡°What?!¡±. ¡°But, uh¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s an ordinary monster, sir . ¡±. ¨C ¡°Don¡¯t you know that you¡¯re utterly helpless when encountering a monster in the air? I didn¡¯t send you guys up there to find that out, so get back down here right now!¡±. ¡°N-no, sir . The thing is, Association President, uh¡­ There¡¯s a person riding on top of the monster . ¡±. ¨C ¡°What are you even talking about?? Hey, how can a person be riding on a mon¡­ ¡±. It was then, an image of a certain man that really rode around on the back of a monster entered Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s head and his voice got cut off for a moment there ¨C ¡°Hey, Sahng-Won¡­ . ? Can you see the face of the man riding on the monster?¡±. ¡°Hold on, sir . Yes, I can just about make it out . ¡±. ¨C ¡°Could he be Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?¡±. ¡°Excuse me?¡±. The junior employee opened his eyes wider and pressed his face tightly against the window to take a closer look at the monster, before crying out in surprise and asking back ¡°H-how did you know that, sir?¡±. ***. Kkkiiiieehk-!. Jin-Woo riding on the back of the Sky Dragon Kaisel drew closer to the Gate . Once he got near its bottom, the d*mn thing looked more like an endlessly-stretching lake rather than an actual Gate What a near-overwhelming size it was A regular Hunter wouldn¡¯t have been able to endure this extraordinary amount of magical energy leaking out from the Gate itself, but Jin-Woo remained unaffected and aloof, starting from the moment he decided to check this thing out personally, all the way up to this point in time He could see that the Association¡¯s helicopter far below had begun descending to the ground, perhaps assessing that it was too dangerous for them now Jin-Woo watched the aircraft for a little while before he got even closer to the Gate itself Above his head, in the distance where his hand could reach, the Gate, with its maws wide open towards the ground below, floated in eerie silence Of course, the portal¡¯s surface was still blocked off by the black screen so he couldn¡¯t see what its inside looked like ¡®¡­ ¡¯. If he reached out to touch it, would he be able to enter it, or would he get sucked in like a Red Gate, or¡­?. Jin-Woo cautiously extended his hand out ¡®I most likely need to enter it and solve the problem before this Gate breaks open and monsters start pouring out . ¡¯. With a little bit of expectation bubbling noisily in his heart, he pressed the tip of his hand against the Gate¡¯s screen ¡®What the¡­?¡¯. For the first time ever since becoming an Awakened, he encountered a rather strange situation . He couldn¡¯t enter the Gate His hand couldn¡¯t enter the Gate as it got blocked off by the black screen . It was as hard as a solid wall ¡®If it was a regular wall, I could¡¯ve broken it down, but¡­ . ¡¯. He pushed with everything he had, but this ¡®wall¡¯ didn¡¯t even budge Knock, knock¡­ Jin-Woo knocked on the screen next, and his lips closed shut in a straight line ¡®It¡¯s different . ¡¯. A Gate where Awakened couldn¡¯t pass through . Indeed, this one was different from all the other Gates that preceded it . If so, would the things waiting inside be different from everything else that had emerged before?. ¡®Whatever the case may be¡­ . ¡¯. Whatever came out ¨C his family and friends were below this Gate . He had no plan of letting them easily get past him ¡®I now possess the Stats I¡¯ve raised up until now and the brave soldiers that will fight alongside me . ¡¯. When his thoughts reached there¡­. Waaaaaah-!!. He thought he could hear the uproarious cheers of the soldiers hidden in his shadows echo in his ears Ba-thump-!. Anxiety and anticipation alternated in his heart . Ever since he became the ¡®Player¡¯ and received the powers of the System, Jin-Woo believed that there was a reason, a purpose, for his existence If that was the case, then could it be that he was meant to stop this calamity?. ¡®What rubbish am I even thinking about now¡­ . ?¡¯. Jin-Woo chuckled and brushed aside his needlessly grim determination before pulling his hand back from the Gate It was then . The Hunter-issue smartphone, which he left on in the vibrate-only mode, suddenly began writhing around inside his pocket . The caller was from the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association Jin-Woo had asked them for a favour earlier, so he quickly answered the call ¨C ¡°Hello? Seong Hunter-nim?¡±. ¡°Please speak . ¡±. ¨C ¡°Ah, my apologies . I can hardly hear your voice . Should I call you some other time?¡±. Jin-Woo glanced down at Seoul¡¯s skyscrapers, now small enough to resemble toy building blocks, and grinned to himself ¡°There¡¯s no need for that . Actually, I¡¯m somewhere pretty high up at the moment . Anyway, have you found out what I asked you about?¡±. ¨C ¡°Ah, yes . We scanned the entire territory of Japan with our satellite just now, but¡­ . ¡±. Unlike how he usually was, the employee from the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association blurred the ends of his sentence . Could something have happened in Japan on a day like this?. The answer from the employee was completely out of Jin-Woo¡¯s expectation, however ¨C ¡°We couldn¡¯t locate a single Gate, Hunter-nim . There isn¡¯t a single new Gate being generated in the entirity of Japan . ¡±. ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯. After he killed off the Giants, he had been spending most of his time raiding dungeons in Japan, so this news came across as a bolt from the blue ¡°Not one new Gate has appeared?¡±. ¨C ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct . We couldn¡¯t be sure if this was a phenomenon unique to us or not, so we contacted Hunter agencies in other countries, but¡­ . ¡±. The employee hesitated before continuing on with a voice thickly laden with his own vexation ¨C ¡°All the new Gates suddenly vanished from the world when the super-massive Gate appeared above the skies of Seoul . ¡±. It had been about three hours since this super-massive Gate had appeared in the air . What were the odds of every Gate in the entire world all ¡®coincidentally¡¯ vanishing at the same time?. ¡®¡­ . It¡¯s not a coincidence, obviously . ¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s expression hardened . His stiffened face looked up at the Gate again, and in the meantime, the Japanese Association employee asked him again ¨C ¡°Excuse me¡­ . May I ask why you wished for us to find the locations of the highest-ranking Gates?¡±. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. It was a bit troubling to honestly answer that Well, he couldn¡¯t really come out and say that he just wanted to test the shortswords boasting 1,500 attack damage he got from Thomas Andre as gifts before this uselessly huge Gate opened up, now could he?. In that case¡­. ¡°We don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen tomorrow so someone needs to plant an apple tree, don¡¯t you agree?¡±. ¨C ¡°Oh¡­ . an apple tree . I see . It¡¯s a wonderful saying . ¡±. Jin-Woo gave out an evasive answer and left the guy on the other side of the line to interpret it in any way he liked, before trying to end the call there ¨C ¡°Uhm, excuse me, Seong Hunter-nim?¡±. ¡°Yes?¡±. As if he was feeling embarrassed, the employee hesitated greatly before continuing on ¨C ¡°Honestly speaking, I¡¯ve never looked at Korea in a favourable light in the past . As you may well know, the Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association had been suffering a major headache from the ant monsters on Jeju Island for the last four years . As an employee of the Association, and as a Japanese, I disliked Koreans as a result . ¡±. Jin-Woo quietly listened on to his confession ¨C ¡°However, I had to change my mindset all because of you, Hunter-nim . Korea has become the country of our saviour . I¡¯m truly grateful for your help and I wish to thank Korea, your home country . ¡±. As his story got longer and longer, his voice became more and more tearful as well ¨C ¡°That is why I pray that Korea won¡¯t ever experience the horrors that my country had to endure . ¡±. People who got trampled by the Giants . Cities were burned down . Screams echoed around in the air . The despair that couldn¡¯t be forgotten Those nightmares happened only a few weeks ago The employee had witnessed the calamity from up close and that was why he knew; he knew that such things should happen to no one Jin-Woo heard his pleas and confidently replied back ¡°That will not happen . ¡±. He wasn¡¯t making a promise . No, it was much closer to him making a resolution . The reason for him diligently maintaining his growth up until this moment was the same It was now time to show the results of his hard work The employee heard Jin-Woo¡¯s reply and quietly laughed ¨C ¡°Haha . I never guessed that I¡¯d stop hating Korea and feel envious of them instead . I¡¯m really envious of Korea that has you, Seong Hunter-nim . ¡±. ¡°You don¡¯t have to praise me that much . I don¡¯t have any other hobbies besides hunting down monsters, so I was planning to continue to visit Japan as long as there are monsters still running loose in this world . ¡±. ¨C ¡°Ahh, you saw straight through me . As expected, it¡¯s impossible to fool you when you¡¯re a top-ranked Hunter . I really wanted to earn some brownie points with you, too . ¡±. The employee thanked Jin-Woo for ably improving the atmosphere that threatened to get untenably heavy, before saying his ¡®heartfelt¡¯ goodbye ¨C ¡°In that case, please, don¡¯t hesitate to call us ¡®again¡¯ . ¡±. ¡°Of course . ¡±. Jin-Woo pocketed the Hunter-issue smartphone . He then quietly stared at the Gate that was preternaturally quiet as if this was the calm before the storm ¡®If this thing¡¯s duration is the same as dungeon breaks from other Gates, then¡­¡¯. There were around six days left . Jin-Woo¡¯s two eyes glowed softly within this darkness ¡°¡­ . Let¡¯s go down . ¡±. Kiiiahk-!!. The Sky Dragon carrying Jin-Woo energetically flapped its wings and made its descent ***. About a day later, other people also detected the changes; Gates had disappeared New Gates stopped being generated right after the super-massive portal appeared in the skies above Seoul! There was no way to tell whether this was a good or a bad thing, but still, those welcoming this change did exist And that would be the Hunter¡¯s Association, currently being led by Woo Jin-Cheol With a deeply tense expression, he read the report being handed in and made a decision ¡°Call every Hunter in our country to Seoul . ¡±. ¡°Sir? But, that will be too dangerous . ¡±. ¡°If we do that and a Gate we failed to discover goes to become a full-on dungeon break, then¡­¡±. ¡°How about we summon only around half of the Hunters and leave the rest to¡­ ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol heard the incoming rush of objections and angrily slammed down on the conference table SLAM!. The shoulders of the people attending the emergency meeting flinched from this display of a high-ranked Hunter¡¯s anger Woo Jin-Cheol shouted out loudly ¡°Do you all believe we have the necessary leeway to worry about unseen dangers right now?¡±. With that, everyone inside the conference room stopped talking at once . Woo Jin-Cheol pointed to somewhere beyond the walls of the room ¡°We¡¯re facing an unprecedented calamity right now . We don¡¯t know whether we can stop that d*mn thing or not even after we pour out everything we have at our disposal!¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol roared out and scanned the faces of the attendees ¡°I shall take full responsibilities if incidents take place in other districts . Even if you tell me to give up my entire wealth, I will . If you tell me to put my life on the line and fight, I¡¯ll gladly do so . ¡±. No one could argue against Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s grim determination In a case where the opinions differed during the life-threatening situations inside dungeons, the leader of the raid team would even resort to killing the insubordinate team member It was because the incorrect decision made by a few could drag everyone else to their doom . In the outside world, such an action would be seen as a crime, but it was a different story altogether when inside a dungeon Raids weren¡¯t a kids¡¯ garden tea party, but true warfare where everyone involved had to put their lives on the line to win, And right now, that war was about to spill outside the dungeon and onto the world Woo Jin-Cheol wasn¡¯t a slack Hunter who would entertain opposing arguments when every second counted ¡°Summon every Hunter in the country to Seoul immediately, please . As long as they can fight, do not leave anyone behind . ¡±. And so, under the direct order of the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol, the Hunters of the Republic of Korea began heading to the city of Seoul < Chapter 209 > Fin Chapter 210 An unusual scene was playing out; the roads had become a confused mess as the citizens tried to evacuate from Seoul, while the Hunters were trying to enter the city in order to protect it . People living in the districts directly below the super-massive Gate, the ones predicted to bear the brunt of the damage, heeded the warnings issued by the Hunter¡¯s Association and the government, or even their own logical reasoning, and escaped from the city in droves . Jin-Woo watched the TV news, busy covering the evacuation efforts and spoke to his mom . ¡°Mom, don¡¯t you think it¡¯ll be for the best if you and Jin-Ah go somewhere else?¡± ¡°Our area isn¡¯t even one of the evacuation zones, you know . ¡± Mom had no thoughts of leaving Seoul at all, it seemed . Jin-Woo¡¯s home, the old apartment, was located far, far away from the centre of Seoul . If monsters invaded this place, then that meant the defensive line of the Hunters had crumbled, and that would also signify Jin-Woo¡¯s failure to defend the frontline, too . Mom believed that the flames of danger would never reach here . Jin-Woo also grinned but didn¡¯t say anything else . Unlike him and his mom sitting around a low coffee table located in front of the couch, Jin-Ah was sitting on the couch itself with her knees drawn up . She glanced at her older brother and asked him . ¡°Don¡¯t you have to go, too?¡± She was talking about the nationwide Hunter summons . However, Jin-Woo was a Seoul resident, to begin with . He wasn¡¯t really included in that summons . ¡°The Hunters on TV are from other regions and they are trying to report to the Association that they have arrived in Seoul . ¡± ¡°Ohh . ¡± Jin-Ah nodded her head while receiving a plate of sliced apples from her mom . In reality, Jin-Woo had been feeling frustrated by the fact that he had no choice but to dazedly spend his time at home under the current circumstances . He wanted to raise his level, but there were no monsters to fight . He wanted to enter the instant dungeon, but he hadn¡¯t seen a single special key as his reward ever since the architect of the System died . His family certainly enjoyed him spending more time at home, but Jin-Woo really wanted to strengthen himself even further in order to prepare for any and all eventualities . ¡®Should I not do the daily quests and enter the penalty zone or something?¡¯ It sounded like a good idea, but at the same time, not really . First of all, he had no clue what might come out from that Gate in front of his eyes, yet he was thinking of entering the penalty zone where unknown monsters were lying in wait? ¡®Even if the odds are low¡­ . ¡¯ If there was one in ten thousand, no, one in ten million chance that something could happen to him during the penalty quest, then he wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with what might happen on this side . He had no reason to take on two different types of risks right now . And so, that idea was dismissed . In the end, he¡¯d have to look for another way to test out the ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wrath¡¯ shortswords somehow . What should he do? As Jin-Woo pondered his options, a certain scene fleeted in and out of the TV screen . It was of the Hunter¡¯s Association HQ building, as shot from a flying helicopter . That¡¯s right . ¡®Should I use ¡®that¡¯?¡¯ The corners of Jin-Woo¡¯s lips arched up, his eyes gleaming rather suspiciously . He pulled his smartphone out and tapped one of the saved numbers . Ringgg¡­ . Ringggg¡­ . As usual, the call was promptly answered only after a couple of ringtones . ¨C ¡°Hello, Seong Hunter-nim . It¡¯s Woo Jin-Cheol speaking . ¡± ¡°Looks like I should start referring to you as the Association President from now on, don¡¯t I?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol chuckled sheepishly on the other side of the line before brushing past the issue . ¨C ¡°You can call me with whatever is convenient for you . Even I¡¯m still feeling weirded out by stumbling into a job that I wasn¡¯t ready for . ¡± After sharing simple greetings, Woo Jin-Cheol figured that now would be a good time and his voice instantly became serious . ¨C ¡°Did something happen on your end? I can¡¯t help but get worried with you giving me a call quite unexpectedly like this . ¡± With the current situation being what it was, all of Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s nerves had been sharpened to a noticeable degree . How could he be not tense when the country¡¯s most influential Hunter suddenly gave him a call? ¡°Well, it¡¯s nothing serious, actually¡­ . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol, still very tense, audibly swallowed his saliva . ¡®Even if it¡¯s not a serious matter to Hunter Seong, it might be a grave one for us . No, because he doesn¡¯t sound that concerned, it could very well be incredibly bad news for us . ¡¯ As this short bout of silence drifted in between the two men, Woo Jin-Cheol did his best to calm his frayed nerves and paid closer attention . Jin-Woo nonchalantly asked for a favour, since it really was nothing serious . ¡°Can I borrow the Association¡¯s gymnasium for a little while?¡± *** Even though he was really busy, Woo Jin-Cheol personally came out to greet Jin-Woo . ¡°As you can see¡­ . This is the situation of our gymnasium . ¡± Jin-Woo scratched the side of his head . In his quest to find a quiet place that was also out of people¡¯s prying eyes, he thought that using the Association¡¯s gymnasium would be a good idea, but it was currently housing the Hunters that had gathered in the city . He saw the stuff being carried by their hands and belatedly remembered what was hidden within the storage of the gymnasium . ¡°Are you giving weapons to the Hunters that lack proper equipment?¡± ¡°Yes . The late Association President Goh Gun-Hui had prepared them for a rainy day like this . ¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s head nodded by itself . This was a sight he wanted to show to those detractors who pointed fingers and criticised the Association for storing all this expensive equipment in a dark corner and letting them rot away . These Hunters came across as grimly determined as they equipped their handed-out weapons and armours . It was then . A physically-imposing Hunter struggling to push his arms and legs into a set of armour coated in magic energy raised his head and by chance, met Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze . ¡°Uh?¡± He was taken by surprise after witnessing the presence of the greatest Hunter, a man he only got to see on TV screens until then . ¡°Hunter Seong Jin-Woo??¡± ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Hunter Seong is here?¡± Hunters filling up the gymnasium all simultaneously looked behind them . And sure enough ¨C just like what that big Hunter had said, there he was, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo in his full glory, standing alongside the Association President and studying them without saying anything . The noisy interior was suddenly enveloped in silence . The atmosphere became deeply heavy in no time at all . The overwhelming presence that couldn¡¯t be transmitted through TV screens flooded out from this Hunter at the top of his game . It was only natural that one¡¯s heart would start palpitating when doing nothing but staring at a person who was standing at a realm that one couldn¡¯t even hope to reach . Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump! The expressions of the Hunters facing Jin-Woo all began to glow . Gazes filled with envy and respect flew in from everywhere . Only now did he realise the reason why Woo Jin-Cheol wanted to show him this sight when explaining it over the phone would¡¯ve been sufficient . Everyone gathered here were lower-ranked Hunters who found it hard to prepare their own expensive magic energy-infused equipment . The new Association President was hoping to rally the lower-ranked Hunters, who should have been mentally strained by the sudden summons, by showing them the single greatest ally they had on their side right now . His calculation was proven true since renewed vigour seemed to have seeped into the eyes of these Hunters . Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t help but chuckle softly at Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s smart thinking . Well, the latter had been leading the Monitoring Division for quite a while, after all . Meanwhile, Woo Jin-Cheol had been scratching the back of his neck as if he was embarrassed about his intentions being seen through . He suddenly asked a probing little question . ¡°By the way, Hunter-nim . Why did you want to borrow the gymnasium?¡± Jin-Woo pretended to pull something out from his pocket, when he was actually taking it out from his Inventory . ¡°I want to use this . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol tilted his head in confusion as he looked at the plum-sized seed resting on Jin-Woo¡¯s palm . ¡°This¡­ What is it, exactly?¡± ¡°When you plant this on the ground, a monster resembling a tree will pop up . I wanted to test something with it . ¡± ¡°A monster will pop up?!¡± Jin-Woo looked at Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s wide-open eyes and nodded his head . The tree-type monster would spit out a seed in its death throes . Failing to destroy this little seed meant that a new monster would sprout in the same spot again . He figured that it was inefficient to repeatedly hunt these monsters since their defences and vitality was so tenaciously high, so he proceeded to destroy all the seeds . However, he stored this particular seed from the boss tree monster in his Inventory, thinking that maybe, he¡¯d find a use for it later . Jin-Woo took to calling these monsters ¡®Armoured Tree¡¯, trying to imply that they were as sturdy as if they were wearing metal armour . ¡®If it¡¯s that guy, wouldn¡¯t it be the best target to test out these new blades of mine?¡¯ The problem was¡­ ¡°Under the current atmosphere of unease, many people will freak out from the sight of a moving monster out in the open . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol spoke up in a worried voice . Jin-Woo agreed with him . ¡°That¡¯s why I was looking for a quiet, reinforced location out of people¡¯s eyes, but this¡­ . ¡± Civilians had no access to the Association¡¯s gymnasium, and its hardiness was second to none, but it was impossible to use it now in this situation . Jin-Woo shifted his gaze back over to the Hunters . Even now, many Hunters holding tightly the weapons given to them by the Association and were glancing in his direction while trying to psych themselves up . ¡°Well, what with the situation like this¡­ . ¡± He could go to one of the uninhabited areas in Japan and use the seed there, but then again, the distance he had to fly was quite far, and as for using the skill, ¡®Shadow Exchange¡¯, he thought it¡¯d be a waste . Who could say what might happen in Korea during the two hours of cooldown time? That was why Jin-Woo was about to turn around to leave, but Woo Jin-Cheol had come to a decision by then, so he spoke up with a resolute voice . ¡°Very well . ¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°The afternoon schedule for the gymnasium today will be cleared out for you, Hunter-nim . Compared to everything you¡¯ve done, something like this doesn¡¯t even qualify as a special privilege . ¡± The late Association President Goh Gun-Hui even went as far as to change the related laws for Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . He argued that no one would be able to ask an excellent Hunter to put his life on the line to fight for them when they were unwilling to even do such small favours . And now, as he was the new Association President, how could it make any sort of sense if he couldn¡¯t even lend out a measly gymnasium for a few hours? ¡°Will that really be fine?¡± Jin-Woo worriedly asked, but Woo Jin-Cheol simply grinned . ¡°I may not look it, but I am still the man in charge of this place . I get to decide when to open or close this building, you see . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol clapped his hands and gathered the attention of the Hunters, before speaking out loudly . ¡°Who¡¯s in charge here?¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s me, sir!¡± Jin-Woo watched an Association employee hurriedly run over here from the far end of the gymnasium and thought to himself that, didn¡¯t matter whether a job title sounded awkward or if it suited a person, the job itself needed to be a high enough position at the end of the day first . *** In a certain top luxury hotel in Seol . There was a man wordlessly looking down at the cars trying to escape the city clogging the streets below from his suite¡¯s window . He was Thomas Andre . Laura quietly approached him from behind . Her hands were grabbing onto the travel case filled with her luggage . ¡°Master, will you still not leave with us?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right . ¡± Thomas Andre lightly tapped the window with his finger . He was pointing at the Gate . ¡°How can I leave behind something that big and beautiful and run away?¡± ¡°It is big, but¡­ . beautiful, sir?¡± Thomas Andre¡¯s eccentricity was well-documented by now, but for him to say that horrifyingly huge and ominous Gate was beautiful¡­ . Just as Laura, his manager, was feeling puzzled by his declaration, he turned around to look at her . ¡°Anything that makes your heart palpitate is beautiful . ¡± He placed his hand on his own chest to confirm his heart pulsating there . Ever since he saw the Gate, his heart had been racing non-stop with nary a sign of fatigue . ¡°From the Dragon spitting out flames, that massive Gate, and even the power of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, all of them are beautiful things to me . ¡± He couldn¡¯t be understood by normal logic . Laura shook her head helplessly, but still, couldn¡¯t hide her smile, either . Thomas Andre lowered his hand away from his chest and grinned brightly . ¡°Besides, all Gates have disappeared, so what¡¯s the point of going back now?¡± ¡°However¡­ . the Hunter Bureau is getting worried, sir . ¡± Worried, she said . Thomas Andre began chuckling at the notion of someone being worried about his well-being . ¡°What a funny notion that is, worrying about me . Is there any place safer than right next to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?¡± Even Laura forgot what she wanted to say after hearing Thomas Andre¡¯s words . It was no secret that the Hunter Bureau had asked Seong Jin-Woo to protect the world¡¯s top-ranked Hunters . Thomas Andre smiled back at the clearly-speechless Laura and turned away from her . He stared at the Gate that had exceeded the classification of ¡®huge¡¯ and entered the realm of ¡®super-massive¡¯ . It floated high up in the skies above Seoul, its surface quietly rippling . ¡°If that thing¡¯s not stopped here, then there will be no future for us, anyway . ¡± A calamity that even Seong Jin-Woo may not be able to stop would occur eight more times around the world . Who would be able to stop them? Thomas Andre himself? Or, China¡¯s Liu Zhigeng? Maybe other Special Authority-rank Hunters? What an absurd notion that was . ¡°That¡¯s why I wish to witness everything . ¡± Thomas Andre¡¯s gaze drifted off towards Laura¡¯s reflection on the glass and a smile floated onto his lips again as he spoke . ¡°I wish to witness whether this will be the curtain call of human history, or the beginning of a new chapter . ¡± *** Inside the empty gymnasium . Jin-Woo walked to the middle of this large structure . ¡®Okay, this should be good enough . ¡¯ Jin-Woo put the seed down on the floor and poured some water on it . A seed and water ¨C these two were the only things needed for a monster to sprout even without soil or sunlight . He had confirmed this many times already . Wududuk, Wudududuk¡­ Accompanied by the sounds akin to bones twisting around, the seed rapidly expanded and became a tree . ¡°Huh . ¡± No matter how many times he saw it, this process remained a spectacle, that¡¯s for sure . What an outrageous vitality this was, one so strong that the number of these tree monsters would never decrease even if the surrounding environments were barren and infertile . Jin-Woo leisurely stepped back to the distance he thought was safe . ¡°Kiiieehk! Kiiehk!¡± The ¡®baby¡¯ tree continued to grow larger until it regained its original appearance . Eventually, the seed had transformed into a monster so big that its head nearly touched the gymnasium¡¯s ceiling in less than five minutes . ¡°Kiiieehkk!¡± Jin-Woo didn¡¯t pay any mind to the screech of the monster tree reverberating around within the interior and calmly summoned the newly-upgraded Beru . ¡®Come out . ¡¯ Beru¡¯s figure smoothly emerged from the ground . [Oh, my king!] Beru¡¯s new and improved appearance was indeed eye-catching; rather than the usual insect-like exoskeleton, his entire body was now outfitted with the snug-fitting black armour, which made him look even more ¡®substantial¡¯ than before . Was that all? The black smoke rising up from his body became even more noticeable as well, and now, rather than looking like a haze, it looked like black flames burning up, instead . That overflowing power! Jin-Woo confirmed Beru¡¯s information window one more time . [Beru Lv . MAX] Marshal Grade This grade is equivalent to the head of the army and only one such being can exist . If another Shadow Soldier also reaches this grade, the hierarchy must be decided . ¡®So, the only ones that can potentially challenge the Marshal Grade right now is Greed, who is currently a Commander Grade, and Igrit, who¡¯s only a step away from entering the Commander Grade himself¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo inwardly thought that the competition between the three of them for the grade of ¡®Marshal¡¯ should be quite entertaining, before gesturing at Beru with his chin . ¡°Beru, attack that creature with everything you have . ¡± Everything he had ¨C Beru increased his physical size as per the command given to him by his liege . Kiiiiiiieeehk! Screech of the genuine beast! The armours also naturally transformed to match the enlarged body . Beru soon became twice his original size and began striding forward with loud, thudding footsteps . His steps gradually picked up speed until he broke into a full-on sprint and he pounced on the Armoured Tree . Ka-boom!! Beru¡¯s eyes widened in surprise . The attack he poured in his entire being couldn¡¯t sever the tree monster in half, only managing to dig in as deep as his wrist, instead . For Beru, capable of ripping rank S monsters into pieces as if they were jokes, this was one hell of a fluster-inducing event . But then again, such a sight was befitting of the ¡®Armoured Tree¡¯ specialising in defence against pretty much all physical damage, barring the magic attacks . That was enough of a warm-up . Jin-Woo recalled Beru after achieving a satisfactory result . ¡°Step aside . ¡± Beru quickly moved aside . Meanwhile, Jin-Woo summoned the pair of ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wrath¡¯ from the Inventory . Shuwuk¡­ Two shortswords as long as regular swords appeared in the grips of his hands . ¡®Nice . ¡¯ Kuueehhk! The Armoured Tree was searching for the culprit responsible for the hole in its tummy, before inadvertently discovering Jin-Woo¡¯s presence and began to slowly run towards him . So, so slow¡­ . Seriously speaking, this thing had no other redeeming qualities other than its high defence . Indeed, there was no doubt about its defensive capability . But, how well would these two shortswords work against that stupefying defence? The blackish aura starting to spread out from the ends of his hands instantly enveloped the blades . ¡®What I need is the destructive power, right?¡¯ When his thoughts arrived there, the two weapons suddenly became rather heavy as if there were thousands of weights attached to them . They were so heavy, in fact, veins began bulging on Jin-Woo¡¯s shoulder muscles as he tried to endure against this increase in weight . ¡®The attack damage of 1,500¡­ . Let¡¯s see what it feels like . ¡¯ Jin-Woo made up his mind to fight, and the blades of the two Wraths began to shiver in unison . < Chapter 210 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 210: Chapter 210 An unusual scene was playing out; the roads had become a confused mess as the citizens tried to evacuate from Seoul, while the Hunters were trying to enter the city in order to protect it People living in the districts directly below the super-massive Gate, the ones predicted to bear the brunt of the damage, heeded the warnings issued by the Hunter¡¯s Association and the government, or even their own logical reasoning, and escaped from the city in droves Jin-Woo watched the TV news, busy covering the evacuation efforts and spoke to his mom ¡°Mom, don¡¯t you think it¡¯ll be for the best if you and Jin-Ah go somewhere else?¡±. ¡°Our area isn¡¯t even one of the evacuation zones, you know . ¡±. Mom had no thoughts of leaving Seoul at all, it seemed Jin-Woo¡¯s home, the old apartment, was located far, far away from the centre of Seoul . If monsters invaded this place, then that meant the defensive line of the Hunters had crumbled, and that would also signify Jin-Woo¡¯s failure to defend the frontline, too Mom believed that the flames of danger would never reach here Jin-Woo also grinned but didn¡¯t say anything else Unlike him and his mom sitting around a low coffee table located in front of the couch, Jin-Ah was sitting on the couch itself with her knees drawn up . She glanced at her older brother and asked him ¡°Don¡¯t you have to go, too?¡±. She was talking about the nationwide Hunter summons . However, Jin-Woo was a Seoul resident, to begin with . He wasn¡¯t really included in that summons ¡°The Hunters on TV are from other regions and they are trying to report to the Association that they have arrived in Seoul . ¡±. ¡°Ohh . ¡±. Jin-Ah nodded her head while receiving a plate of sliced apples from her mom In reality, Jin-Woo had been feeling frustrated by the fact that he had no choice but to dazedly spend his time at home under the current circumstances He wanted to raise his level, but there were no monsters to fight . He wanted to enter the instant dungeon, but he hadn¡¯t seen a single special key as his reward ever since the architect of the System died His family certainly enjoyed him spending more time at home, but Jin-Woo really wanted to strengthen himself even further in order to prepare for any and all eventualities ¡®Should I not do the daily quests and enter the penalty zone or something?¡¯. It sounded like a good idea, but at the same time, not really First of all, he had no clue what might come out from that Gate in front of his eyes, yet he was thinking of entering the penalty zone where unknown monsters were lying in wait?. ¡®Even if the odds are low¡­ . ¡¯. If there was one in ten thousand, no, one in ten million chance that something could happen to him during the penalty quest, then he wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with what might happen on this side He had no reason to take on two different types of risks right now . And so, that idea was dismissed In the end, he¡¯d have to look for another way to test out the ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wrath¡¯ shortswords somehow What should he do?. As Jin-Woo pondered his options, a certain scene fleeted in and out of the TV screen . It was of the Hunter¡¯s Association HQ building, as shot from a flying helicopter That¡¯s right ¡®Should I use ¡®that¡¯?¡¯. The corners of Jin-Woo¡¯s lips arched up, his eyes gleaming rather suspiciously . He pulled his smartphone out and tapped one of the saved numbers Ringgg¡­ . Ringggg¡­ As usual, the call was promptly answered only after a couple of ringtones ¨C ¡°Hello, Seong Hunter-nim . It¡¯s Woo Jin-Cheol speaking . ¡±. ¡°Looks like I should start referring to you as the Association President from now on, don¡¯t I?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol chuckled sheepishly on the other side of the line before brushing past the issue ¨C ¡°You can call me with whatever is convenient for you . Even I¡¯m still feeling weirded out by stumbling into a job that I wasn¡¯t ready for . ¡±. After sharing simple greetings, Woo Jin-Cheol figured that now would be a good time and his voice instantly became serious ¨C ¡°Did something happen on your end? I can¡¯t help but get worried with you giving me a call quite unexpectedly like this . ¡±. With the current situation being what it was, all of Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s nerves had been sharpened to a noticeable degree . How could he be not tense when the country¡¯s most influential Hunter suddenly gave him a call?. ¡°Well, it¡¯s nothing serious, actually¡­ . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol, still very tense, audibly swallowed his saliva ¡®Even if it¡¯s not a serious matter to Hunter Seong, it might be a grave one for us . No, because he doesn¡¯t sound that concerned, it could very well be incredibly bad news for us . ¡¯. As this short bout of silence drifted in between the two men, Woo Jin-Cheol did his best to calm his frayed nerves and paid closer attention Jin-Woo nonchalantly asked for a favour, since it really was nothing serious ¡°Can I borrow the Association¡¯s gymnasium for a little while?¡±. ***. Even though he was really busy, Woo Jin-Cheol personally came out to greet Jin-Woo ¡°As you can see¡­ . This is the situation of our gymnasium . ¡±. Jin-Woo scratched the side of his head In his quest to find a quiet place that was also out of people¡¯s prying eyes, he thought that using the Association¡¯s gymnasium would be a good idea, but it was currently housing the Hunters that had gathered in the city He saw the stuff being carried by their hands and belatedly remembered what was hidden within the storage of the gymnasium ¡°Are you giving weapons to the Hunters that lack proper equipment?¡±. ¡°Yes . The late Association President Goh Gun-Hui had prepared them for a rainy day like this . ¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s head nodded by itself This was a sight he wanted to show to those detractors who pointed fingers and criticised the Association for storing all this expensive equipment in a dark corner and letting them rot away These Hunters came across as grimly determined as they equipped their handed-out weapons and armours It was then A physically-imposing Hunter struggling to push his arms and legs into a set of armour coated in magic energy raised his head and by chance, met Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze ¡°Uh?¡±. He was taken by surprise after witnessing the presence of the greatest Hunter, a man he only got to see on TV screens until then ¡°Hunter Seong Jin-Woo??¡±. ¡°What was that?¡±. ¡°Hunter Seong is here?¡±. Hunters filling up the gymnasium all simultaneously looked behind them . And sure enough ¨C just like what that big Hunter had said, there he was, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo in his full glory, standing alongside the Association President and studying them without saying anything The noisy interior was suddenly enveloped in silence . The atmosphere became deeply heavy in no time at all . The overwhelming presence that couldn¡¯t be transmitted through TV screens flooded out from this Hunter at the top of his game It was only natural that one¡¯s heart would start palpitating when doing nothing but staring at a person who was standing at a realm that one couldn¡¯t even hope to reach Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump!. The expressions of the Hunters facing Jin-Woo all began to glow . Gazes filled with envy and respect flew in from everywhere . Only now did he realise the reason why Woo Jin-Cheol wanted to show him this sight when explaining it over the phone would¡¯ve been sufficient Everyone gathered here were lower-ranked Hunters who found it hard to prepare their own expensive magic energy-infused equipment The new Association President was hoping to rally the lower-ranked Hunters, who should have been mentally strained by the sudden summons, by showing them the single greatest ally they had on their side right now His calculation was proven true since renewed vigour seemed to have seeped into the eyes of these Hunters Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t help but chuckle softly at Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s smart thinking . Well, the latter had been leading the Monitoring Division for quite a while, after all Meanwhile, Woo Jin-Cheol had been scratching the back of his neck as if he was embarrassed about his intentions being seen through . He suddenly asked a probing little question ¡°By the way, Hunter-nim . Why did you want to borrow the gymnasium?¡±. Jin-Woo pretended to pull something out from his pocket, when he was actually taking it out from his Inventory ¡°I want to use this . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol tilted his head in confusion as he looked at the plum-sized seed resting on Jin-Woo¡¯s palm ¡°This¡­ What is it, exactly?¡±. ¡°When you plant this on the ground, a monster resembling a tree will pop up . I wanted to test something with it . ¡±. ¡°A monster will pop up?!¡±. Jin-Woo looked at Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s wide-open eyes and nodded his head The tree-type monster would spit out a seed in its death throes . Failing to destroy this little seed meant that a new monster would sprout in the same spot again He figured that it was inefficient to repeatedly hunt these monsters since their defences and vitality was so tenaciously high, so he proceeded to destroy all the seeds . However, he stored this particular seed from the boss tree monster in his Inventory, thinking that maybe, he¡¯d find a use for it later Jin-Woo took to calling these monsters ¡®Armoured Tree¡¯, trying to imply that they were as sturdy as if they were wearing metal armour ¡®If it¡¯s that guy, wouldn¡¯t it be the best target to test out these new blades of mine?¡¯. The problem was¡­. ¡°Under the current atmosphere of unease, many people will freak out from the sight of a moving monster out in the open . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol spoke up in a worried voice . Jin-Woo agreed with him ¡°That¡¯s why I was looking for a quiet, reinforced location out of people¡¯s eyes, but this¡­ . ¡±. Civilians had no access to the Association¡¯s gymnasium, and its hardiness was second to none, but it was impossible to use it now in this situation Jin-Woo shifted his gaze back over to the Hunters Even now, many Hunters holding tightly the weapons given to them by the Association and were glancing in his direction while trying to psych themselves up ¡°Well, what with the situation like this¡­ . ¡±. He could go to one of the uninhabited areas in Japan and use the seed there, but then again, the distance he had to fly was quite far, and as for using the skill, ¡®Shadow Exchange¡¯, he thought it¡¯d be a waste Who could say what might happen in Korea during the two hours of cooldown time? That was why Jin-Woo was about to turn around to leave, but Woo Jin-Cheol had come to a decision by then, so he spoke up with a resolute voice ¡°Very well . ¡±. ¡°Excuse me?¡±. ¡°The afternoon schedule for the gymnasium today will be cleared out for you, Hunter-nim . Compared to everything you¡¯ve done, something like this doesn¡¯t even qualify as a special privilege . ¡±. The late Association President Goh Gun-Hui even went as far as to change the related laws for Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . He argued that no one would be able to ask an excellent Hunter to put his life on the line to fight for them when they were unwilling to even do such small favours And now, as he was the new Association President, how could it make any sort of sense if he couldn¡¯t even lend out a measly gymnasium for a few hours?. ¡°Will that really be fine?¡±. Jin-Woo worriedly asked, but Woo Jin-Cheol simply grinned ¡°I may not look it, but I am still the man in charge of this place . I get to decide when to open or close this building, you see . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol clapped his hands and gathered the attention of the Hunters, before speaking out loudly ¡°Who¡¯s in charge here?¡±. ¡°I-it¡¯s me, sir!¡±. Jin-Woo watched an Association employee hurriedly run over here from the far end of the gymnasium and thought to himself that, didn¡¯t matter whether a job title sounded awkward or if it suited a person, the job itself needed to be a high enough position at the end of the day first ***. In a certain top luxury hotel in Seol There was a man wordlessly looking down at the cars trying to escape the city clogging the streets below from his suite¡¯s window . He was Thomas Andre . Laura quietly approached him from behind Her hands were grabbing onto the travel case filled with her luggage ¡°Master, will you still not leave with us?¡±. ¡°That¡¯s right . ¡±. Thomas Andre lightly tapped the window with his finger . He was pointing at the Gate ¡°How can I leave behind something that big and beautiful and run away?¡±. ¡°It is big, but¡­ . beautiful, sir?¡±. Thomas Andre¡¯s eccentricity was well-documented by now, but for him to say that horrifyingly huge and ominous Gate was beautiful¡­ Just as Laura, his manager, was feeling puzzled by his declaration, he turned around to look at her ¡°Anything that makes your heart palpitate is beautiful . ¡±. He placed his hand on his own chest to confirm his heart pulsating there . Ever since he saw the Gate, his heart had been racing non-stop with nary a sign of fatigue ¡°From the Dragon spitting out flames, that massive Gate, and even the power of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, all of them are beautiful things to me . ¡±. He couldn¡¯t be understood by normal logic . Laura shook her head helplessly, but still, couldn¡¯t hide her smile, either . Thomas Andre lowered his hand away from his chest and grinned brightly ¡°Besides, all Gates have disappeared, so what¡¯s the point of going back now?¡±. ¡°However¡­ . the Hunter Bureau is getting worried, sir . ¡±. Worried, she said Thomas Andre began chuckling at the notion of someone being worried about his well-being ¡°What a funny notion that is, worrying about me . Is there any place safer than right next to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?¡±. Even Laura forgot what she wanted to say after hearing Thomas Andre¡¯s words . It was no secret that the Hunter Bureau had asked Seong Jin-Woo to protect the world¡¯s top-ranked Hunters Thomas Andre smiled back at the clearly-speechless Laura and turned away from her . He stared at the Gate that had exceeded the classification of ¡®huge¡¯ and entered the realm of ¡®super-massive¡¯ . It floated high up in the skies above Seoul, its surface quietly rippling ¡°If that thing¡¯s not stopped here, then there will be no future for us, anyway . ¡±. A calamity that even Seong Jin-Woo may not be able to stop would occur eight more times around the world Who would be able to stop them? Thomas Andre himself? Or, China¡¯s Liu Zhigeng? Maybe other Special Authority-rank Hunters?. What an absurd notion that was ¡°That¡¯s why I wish to witness everything . ¡±. Thomas Andre¡¯s gaze drifted off towards Laura¡¯s reflection on the glass and a smile floated onto his lips again as he spoke ¡°I wish to witness whether this will be the curtain call of human history, or the beginning of a new chapter . ¡±. ***. Inside the empty gymnasium Jin-Woo walked to the middle of this large structure ¡®Okay, this should be good enough . ¡¯. Jin-Woo put the seed down on the floor and poured some water on it A seed and water ¨C these two were the only things needed for a monster to sprout even without soil or sunlight . He had confirmed this many times already Wududuk, Wudududuk¡­. Accompanied by the sounds akin to bones twisting around, the seed rapidly expanded and became a tree ¡°Huh . ¡±. No matter how many times he saw it, this process remained a spectacle, that¡¯s for sure What an outrageous vitality this was, one so strong that the number of these tree monsters would never decrease even if the surrounding environments were barren and infertile Jin-Woo leisurely stepped back to the distance he thought was safe ¡°Kiiieehk! Kiiehk!¡±. The ¡®baby¡¯ tree continued to grow larger until it regained its original appearance . Eventually, the seed had transformed into a monster so big that its head nearly touched the gymnasium¡¯s ceiling in less than five minutes ¡°Kiiieehkk!¡±. Jin-Woo didn¡¯t pay any mind to the screech of the monster tree reverberating around within the interior and calmly summoned the newly-upgraded Beru ¡®Come out . ¡¯. Beru¡¯s figure smoothly emerged from the ground [Oh, my king!]. Beru¡¯s new and improved appearance was indeed eye-catching; rather than the usual insect-like exoskeleton, his entire body was now outfitted with the snug-fitting black armour, which made him look even more ¡®substantial¡¯ than before Was that all?. The black smoke rising up from his body became even more noticeable as well, and now, rather than looking like a haze, it looked like black flames burning up, instead That overflowing power!. Jin-Woo confirmed Beru¡¯s information window one more time [Beru Lv . MAX]. Marshal Grade. This grade is equivalent to the head of the army and only one such being can exist . If another Shadow Soldier also reaches this grade, the hierarchy must be decided ¡®So, the only ones that can potentially challenge the Marshal Grade right now is Greed, who is currently a Commander Grade, and Igrit, who¡¯s only a step away from entering the Commander Grade himself¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo inwardly thought that the competition between the three of them for the grade of ¡®Marshal¡¯ should be quite entertaining, before gesturing at Beru with his chin ¡°Beru, attack that creature with everything you have . ¡±. Everything he had ¨C Beru increased his physical size as per the command given to him by his liege Kiiiiiiieeehk!. Screech of the genuine beast!. The armours also naturally transformed to match the enlarged body . Beru soon became twice his original size and began striding forward with loud, thudding footsteps His steps gradually picked up speed until he broke into a full-on sprint and he pounced on the Armoured Tree Ka-boom!!. Beru¡¯s eyes widened in surprise The attack he poured in his entire being couldn¡¯t sever the tree monster in half, only managing to dig in as deep as his wrist, instead . For Beru, capable of ripping rank S monsters into pieces as if they were jokes, this was one hell of a fluster-inducing event But then again, such a sight was befitting of the ¡®Armoured Tree¡¯ specialising in defence against pretty much all physical damage, barring the magic attacks That was enough of a warm-up . Jin-Woo recalled Beru after achieving a satisfactory result ¡°Step aside . ¡±. Beru quickly moved aside Meanwhile, Jin-Woo summoned the pair of ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wrath¡¯ from the Inventory Shuwuk¡­. Two shortswords as long as regular swords appeared in the grips of his hands ¡®Nice . ¡¯. Kuueehhk!. The Armoured Tree was searching for the culprit responsible for the hole in its tummy, before inadvertently discovering Jin-Woo¡¯s presence and began to slowly run towards him So, so slow¡­ Seriously speaking, this thing had no other redeeming qualities other than its high defence Indeed, there was no doubt about its defensive capability . But, how well would these two shortswords work against that stupefying defence?. The blackish aura starting to spread out from the ends of his hands instantly enveloped the blades ¡®What I need is the destructive power, right?¡¯. When his thoughts arrived there, the two weapons suddenly became rather heavy as if there were thousands of weights attached to them . They were so heavy, in fact, veins began bulging on Jin-Woo¡¯s shoulder muscles as he tried to endure against this increase in weight ¡®The attack damage of 1,500¡­ . Let¡¯s see what it feels like . ¡¯. Jin-Woo made up his mind to fight, and the blades of the two Wraths began to shiver in unison < Chapter 210 > Fin Chapter 211 The Armoured Tree''s ''roots'' zealously shook around as it approached Jin-Woo . He watched the monster as he reverse-gripped the pair of ''Kamish''s Wraths'' . ''For the time being, just a light little nudge . '' The shortsword in his right hand drew a diagonal line upwards . Swish-! Along with a sharp air-splitting noise, something fell to the ground with a thud . " . . . . . M-mm?" The Armoured Tree looked down . One of the thick branches it used as its arm had been severed cleanly and was rolling around on the floor . Then, the monster discovered the cut wounds with tree sap oozing out like blood next . Its ''facial expression'' became tearful and it shrieked out a screech that kind of sounded like a scream . "Kuueeehk!!" The thing was, though, someone''s pain could also be someone else''s enjoyment, too . After slicing off the concrete pillar-like branch/arm of the Armoured Tree in one hit, Jin-Woo''s surprised eyes were now locked onto his shortsword . ''Wowsers . '' He only swung it lightly once, yet the end result was already this amazing . No matter how many times he stabbed with the Demon King''s Shortsword, he couldn''t properly damage the Armoured Trees . But now, he sliced off the ''arm'' of the boss Armoured Tree as if it was made out of tofu? Should he say it felt terrific in his hand just now? Buzzzz . . . . His heart began racing again after sensing the vibration of the ultra-sharp blades, something he hadn''t felt for a long time . [Oh, my king!] Beru, standing and watching quietly from the far back, urgently called out . ''Don''t worry, I know . '' Jin-Woo relaxedly answered before his head shot up . The Armoured Tree''s expression had changed from tearful to hatred in the meantime, its eyes wide open and glaring as it raised its left arm, no, its left branch up high . It was as if the monster wanted to slam down as hard as it could and squash him to death, but unfortunately, its opponent today was a really bad match-up . Jin-Woo quickly swung the ''Kamish''s Wrath'' one more time before the branch moved . Slice! "Ku-uuuhuhk!" Suddenly losing both of its arms, the Armoured Tree looked up into the sky and screeched out . ''Very good . '' Jin-Woo lightly nodded his head . He was now done with confirming the destructive power of the two shortswords when swung lightly . And now, time to confirm what would happen when they were swung with all his power . ''These things supposedly have excellent compatibility to magical energy because they are made out of a Dragon''s bone, right?'' Jin-Woo''s right hand began gripping the hilt of the shortsword even harder . Just a little bit more . A bit more, a bit harder . Jin-Woo''s eyes narrowed down to a slit . When he focused the magical energy in his entire body to his right hand, the blackish aura subtly billowing around the blade became even more violent until it began to almost go out of control . To Beru''s eyes, it looked as if the aura was utterly distorting the surrounding space . ''How could this be!'' The former ant king unconsciously took a step back before catching himself doing that . Even though he knew that the intent to battle wasn''t directed at him, this magical energy was so chill-inducing that it forced him into a retreat . Beru looked down at both of his trembling hands . ''Oh, my liege . . . . '' Beru had never felt any other emotion beside absolute loyalty for his Sovereign until now, but for the first time ever, he felt sorry for the tree-shaped monster . Meanwhile, the Armoured Tree had no idea what was in store for itself and simply screeched out in pure rage . "Kuuuuueeeeeh-!!" The bloodshot eyes of the tree monster were, of course, locked in the direction of Jin-Woo''s face . The Armoured Tree''s maw suddenly widened like an entrance to a building . Just as the b*stard tottered unsteadily and leapt towards Jin-Woo''s location in order to swallow him up, he released his magical energy gathered at the tip of the shortsword held in his right hand . ''Go!'' Just like his command given to Beru, with everything it had! From the tip of his toes, his legs, his waist, his shoulder, and even his wrist ¨C his entire body was used to slash out with all his might . And the end result was . . . . ''¡­ . Uh?!'' The man who swung the shortsword himself realised that something had gone very wrong just then . ''Ehhh?!'' Kagagagagagahk!! The black aura shooting out from the tip of the blade split into several thick strands, and as if a gigantic, terrifying beast took a swipe with its claws, everything in front of him was swept away in one go . Jin-Woo''s dynamic vision that could split a second into dozens, hundreds of smaller units and detect the change within, clearly caught the moments of the aura utterly ripping the Armoured Tree to shreds . ''Oh, my god!'' The destructive power didn''t stop there and continued on forward to leave behind horrifying scars on the wall and the floor of the gymnasium . "Huh-uh . . . . . " Jin-Woo was rendered completely speechless . Tumble, drop . . . . Thud . Bits and pieces of rubble began falling from the gymnasium''s wall, now scarred by what looked like claw marks, and eventually, it couldn''t endure the weight and began crumbling at the same time . Creak, crumble . . . Boom! The gymnasium''s wall, reinforced with magic energy in order to facilitate unhindered activities of Hunters, couldn''t endure against one single attack and ended up crumbling apart . Jin-Woo looked at the piled-up debris of the wall as sheer astonishment filled his heart . "It''s supposed to get stronger depending on the wielder, so this is what it can do?!" The weapon to wield magical energy, crafted from the Dragon''s remains . This claim was for real . "Oh, my king!!" Beru was so moved by the display of his king''s power that he urgently dashed out to kneel in front of Jin-Woo . "This humble and weak servant can''t hide his deep, heartfelt emotions from his liege''s bottomless, limitless power!" " . . . . . " It seemed that Jin-Woo really needed to block the historical drama channel on TV for the time being . It''d be sad news for his mother, who enjoyed watching those dramas, but still . Of course, it wasn''t as if he couldn''t understand the reason for Beru''s overexcitement . Jin-Woo''s own heart was pounding away from this power that exceeded his wildest imagination, after all . The scale of destruction the ''Kamish''s Wrath'' left behind ¨C would a Dragon large enough to cover the sky attacking at full power cause such annihilation? Jin-Woo clicked his tongue while studying the ripped-to-shreds remains of the Armoured Tree, the ghastly pile of debris that was once a wall, as well as the floor with deep gouges in it . ''Do I need to change the name of the shortswords from Kamish''s Wrath to Dragon''s Claws or something?'' Of course, this level of destruction was only possible because it was him wielding the weapon, but still . It was then . Along with the rather pleasant mechanical beep of ''Tti-ring!'' a new System message suddenly popped up . [Will you change the name of ''Item: Kamish''s Wrath'' to ''Item: Dragon''s Claws''?] Jin-Woo was taken greatly by surprise by this unexpected response from the System . ''I can also change the name?'' He hurriedly retracted his command, and only got to breathe a sigh of relief after confirming that the name of the shortswords wasn''t changed . "Whew . . . . " That might have been a big problem! If the original crafter learned that his artefact''s name was swapped from ''Kamish''s Wrath'' to ''Dragon''s Claws'', he''d be spinning his grave non-stop . Just from hearing it, both his hands and feet were curling up from all that cringeyness . Jin-Woo couldn''t help but chuckle at the ever-unchanging unfriendliness of the System . In any case, he was satisfied by the power of the new weapon . Both in terms of sharpness or destructiveness, these shortswords easily exceeded his previous weapons by a great deal . A pleased smile formed on his lips as he alternated his gaze between the two ''Kamish''s Wrath'' shortswords before storing them in his Inventory . ''Well, now that the testing is over . . . . '' ¡­ . It was time to take care of the aftermaths . Jin-Woo had been drunk on the power of his new weapons, but he eventually came back down to earth . And after he saw the crumbled wall of the gymnasium, he felt his own heart crumble to pieces as well . He borrowed this place for a little while, yet he messed it up to such a degree . ¡­ . What was he supposed to do now? Jin-Woo deeply deliberated on his options before contacting the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol on the phone . "Uhm, Association President? Please, I want you to stay calm and listen to what I have to say . You see, I have around three hundred ants that do really fantastic work, and . . . . . " *** Three days since the Gates had disappeared . Jin-Woo, who used to allocate a lot of his time to raiding dungeons, was spending his recent days at home with nothing much to do . While he lay on top of his bed, he continued to spin around ''Kamish''s Wrath'' just above him . Exactly like how a fidgety student would spin around a pen, Jin-Woo had been using ''Ruler''s Authority'' to deal with his boredom . Of course, there would always be a disruptor to any given situation . His little sister was heading to the bathroom, but then, she suddenly swerved in her direction and yanked open the door to his room . Jin-Woo instantly stored his shortsword in the Inventory and pretended that nothing was amiss . "Oppa, you were playing with your knife again, weren''t you?" Technically speaking, he was refining his control over the skill, ''Ruler''s Authority'', but well¡­ . But, to the worried eyes of his sister, it looked like nothing more than a dangerous fooling around of a bored guy . "Nope . " Jin-Woo denied everything as he had already hidden all the evidence away . Jin-Ah''s eyes narrowed down to a slit . She was unconvinced, but there was nothing she could do . If her oppa, the best rank S Hunter there was, decided to really, really hide the evidence, how could she, a powerless regular person, ever find out the truth? She glared at Jin-Woo with suspicious eyes for a very long time, before letting a groan escape from her mouth . "Oppa?" "Yeah?" "If you''re that bored, how about going out for a while? I mean, it''s been such a long time since you''ve been resting at home like this, right?" His little sister suddenly began saying stuff that their mother should be saying, instead . Jin-Woo smirked and closed his eyes as if he wanted to go to sleep . "I don''t have anywhere to go, you know . " "Don''t you have someone to meet? Like, your friends?" Friends, she said . His eyes opened again after hearing those words that vaguely resonated with him . Many faces fleeted in and out of his mind, but only one remained particularly vivid among them . Since all Hunters were forced to take a break, for the time being, her situation wouldn''t be so different from his own, right about now . Besides, didn''t he tell himself to treat her to a hearty meal to atone for his sin? That thing, when he inadvertently took a peek at her naked form after unwisely using ''Sensory Sharing'' through the Shadow Soldier inserted into her shadow? In normal times, not only him, but even she too would''ve been far too busy to meet up, but the story was different now . She might even be twirling around a sword or something out of this sheer boredom seemingly no one could overcome, just like how it was like for him . This would be a good opportunity to get rid of that debt in his mind . "Good thinking, sis . " Jin-Woo suddenly leapt up from the bed and stood before her, prompting Jin-Ah to flinch and take a hasty step back . "W-what the heck?" "Excuse me . " Jin-Woo expertly slid past her and headed straight into the bathroom . Jin-Ah quickly detected that her oppa''s expression was now rather suspicious and quickly asked him as he was about to enter the bathroom to wash himself . "What now? Where are you planning to go?" He grinned brightly and replied back to her . "On a date . " *** "That''s enough for today . " Cha Hae-In''s hands stopped swinging the wooden sword . She had been training so hard that her white ''dobok'' had been soaked through with her sweat and clung onto her figure . She turned around to face her instructor . He was an elderly man wearing an aged dobok . This man, who was missing an arm, gestured to her that she should take a seat . Cha Hae-In wordlessly nodded before politely kneeling down on both knees and placed the wooden sword beside her . This old man was her teacher . As she was a rank S Hunter, there were very few people who could catch up to her physical abilities, but she still needed corresponding techniques that could maximise her physical status . That''s why she chose this out-of-the-way kendo dojo, and whenever she found herself with some free time, she came here to polish her ways with the sword . Her teacher, Song Chi-Yeol, found her drive to never waste a single day quite praiseworthy . He settled down in front of her and spoke . "I can''t help but sense that, lately, Lady Hae-In''s blade contains a trace of hesitation . " Cha Hae-In heard her teacher''s voice and raised her head . Her expression was stiff . As their gazes remain locked in this position, Song Chi-Yeol quietly carried on . "I''m worried that, by chance, you have developed a sense of fear in your heart . " Cha Hae-In couldn''t answer . Song Chi-Yeol was a Hunter like her and, even though he operated a dojo, he still went out to hunt down monsters whenever the Association requested his participation . And so, he could very well understand where her fear was coming from . The Gate that none had seen before . And no one also could tell just what kind of unimaginably terrifying monstrosities would emerge from there . Just because one was strong, that didn''t mean they couldn''t get scared . No, on the contrary . They felt to their bones the kind of fear that normal, powerless people couldn''t feel precisely because they were strong . Song Chi-Yeol closed his eyes as if he was reflecting back on his past and slowly nodded his head . "I''m sure you''re scared . Indeed, why shouldn''t you be? I also felt the same way . Of course, the monsters that I fought can''t be compared to those you have fought, but when I lost my arm . . . . . " It was then . Cha Hae-In''s Hunter-issue smartphone, the one tucked away in the corner of the dojo so it wouldn''t get in the way, began ringing loudly . "A Hunter should answer her phone, yes?" "Forgive me, instructor . " Cha Hae-In briefly bowed her head before running over there to pick up the phone . And then¡­ . Song Chi-Yeol had been waiting for her to end the call so he could continue on with his story, only to see that Cha Hae-In''s expression was getting brighter and brighter with every passing second . ''Mm . . . . ?'' She was definitely trying to hide it, but since she was usually so expressionless in her everyday life, even Song Chi-Yeol could easily spot the changes in her expression . She ended the call and cautiously walked over to his location . "Uhm, instructor-nim, I¡­ . There''s an appointment I need to get to, so I should go . " Her cheeks were flushed warm . Seeing her eyes now filled with vitality, Song Chi-Yeol realised that his thoughts were off the mark . The hesitation evident in her sword wasn''t born from fear . "Indeed, you should . Of course, you need to . " Song Chi-Yeol dazedly nodded his head and gave her his permission . "Well, then . . . . " Cha Hae-In''s goodbye was kept brief and she left the dojo in light, cheery steps . He stared at her departing back and belatedly, a gentle smile floated up on his lips . "Ah, so that''s what it was¡­ . Indeed, that was the reason . " Huhuh¡­ . While wondering who the lucky fella receiving the love of such a wonderful and fine young woman could be, an expression of contentment floated up on Song Chi-Yeol''s face, one that was just as happy as his valued disciple had shown . < Chapter 211 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 211: Chapter 211 . The Armoured Tree''s ''roots'' zealously shook around as it approached Jin-Woo . He watched the monster as he reverse-gripped the pair of ''Kamish''s Wraths'' ''For the time being, just a light little nudge . ''. The shortsword in his right hand drew a diagonal line upwards Swish-!. Along with a sharp air-splitting noise, something fell to the ground with a thud " . M-mm?". The Armoured Tree looked down . One of the thick branches it used as its arm had been severed cleanly and was rolling around on the floor Then, the monster discovered the cut wounds with tree sap oozing out like blood next . Its ''facial expression'' became tearful and it shrieked out a screech that kind of sounded like a scream "Kuueeehk!!". The thing was, though, someone''s pain could also be someone else''s enjoyment, too . After slicing off the concrete pillar-like branch/arm of the Armoured Tree in one hit, Jin-Woo''s surprised eyes were now locked onto his shortsword ''Wowsers . ''. He only swung it lightly once, yet the end result was already this amazing . No matter how many times he stabbed with the Demon King''s Shortsword, he couldn''t properly damage the Armoured Trees . But now, he sliced off the ''arm'' of the boss Armoured Tree as if it was made out of tofu?. Should he say it felt terrific in his hand just now?. Buzzzz . His heart began racing again after sensing the vibration of the ultra-sharp blades, something he hadn''t felt for a long time [Oh, my king!]. Beru, standing and watching quietly from the far back, urgently called out ''Don''t worry, I know . ''. Jin-Woo relaxedly answered before his head shot up The Armoured Tree''s expression had changed from tearful to hatred in the meantime, its eyes wide open and glaring as it raised its left arm, no, its left branch up high It was as if the monster wanted to slam down as hard as it could and squash him to death, but unfortunately, its opponent today was a really bad match-up Jin-Woo quickly swung the ''Kamish''s Wrath'' one more time before the branch moved Slice!. "Ku-uuuhuhk!". Suddenly losing both of its arms, the Armoured Tree looked up into the sky and screeched out ''Very good . ''. Jin-Woo lightly nodded his head He was now done with confirming the destructive power of the two shortswords when swung lightly . And now, time to confirm what would happen when they were swung with all his power ''These things supposedly have excellent compatibility to magical energy because they are made out of a Dragon''s bone, right?''. Jin-Woo''s right hand began gripping the hilt of the shortsword even harder Just a little bit more A bit more, a bit harder Jin-Woo''s eyes narrowed down to a slit . When he focused the magical energy in his entire body to his right hand, the blackish aura subtly billowing around the blade became even more violent until it began to almost go out of control To Beru''s eyes, it looked as if the aura was utterly distorting the surrounding space ''How could this be!''. The former ant king unconsciously took a step back before catching himself doing that . Even though he knew that the intent to battle wasn''t directed at him, this magical energy was so chill-inducing that it forced him into a retreat Beru looked down at both of his trembling hands ''Oh, my liege ''. Beru had never felt any other emotion beside absolute loyalty for his Sovereign until now, but for the first time ever, he felt sorry for the tree-shaped monster Meanwhile, the Armoured Tree had no idea what was in store for itself and simply screeched out in pure rage "Kuuuuueeeeeh-!!". The bloodshot eyes of the tree monster were, of course, locked in the direction of Jin-Woo''s face . The Armoured Tree''s maw suddenly widened like an entrance to a building Just as the b*stard tottered unsteadily and leapt towards Jin-Woo''s location in order to swallow him up, he released his magical energy gathered at the tip of the shortsword held in his right hand ''Go!''. Just like his command given to Beru, with everything it had!. From the tip of his toes, his legs, his waist, his shoulder, and even his wrist ¨C his entire body was used to slash out with all his might And the end result was . ''¡­ . Uh?!''. The man who swung the shortsword himself realised that something had gone very wrong just then ''Ehhh?!''. Kagagagagagahk!!. The black aura shooting out from the tip of the blade split into several thick strands, and as if a gigantic, terrifying beast took a swipe with its claws, everything in front of him was swept away in one go Jin-Woo''s dynamic vision that could split a second into dozens, hundreds of smaller units and detect the change within, clearly caught the moments of the aura utterly ripping the Armoured Tree to shreds ''Oh, my god!''. The destructive power didn''t stop there and continued on forward to leave behind horrifying scars on the wall and the floor of the gymnasium "Huh-uh . ". Jin-Woo was rendered completely speechless Tumble, drop . Thud Bits and pieces of rubble began falling from the gymnasium''s wall, now scarred by what looked like claw marks, and eventually, it couldn''t endure the weight and began crumbling at the same time Creak, crumble Boom!. The gymnasium''s wall, reinforced with magic energy in order to facilitate unhindered activities of Hunters, couldn''t endure against one single attack and ended up crumbling apart Jin-Woo looked at the piled-up debris of the wall as sheer astonishment filled his heart "It''s supposed to get stronger depending on the wielder, so this is what it can do?!". The weapon to wield magical energy, crafted from the Dragon''s remains . This claim was for real "Oh, my king!!". Beru was so moved by the display of his king''s power that he urgently dashed out to kneel in front of Jin-Woo "This humble and weak servant can''t hide his deep, heartfelt emotions from his liege''s bottomless, limitless power!". " . ". It seemed that Jin-Woo really needed to block the historical drama channel on TV for the time being . It''d be sad news for his mother, who enjoyed watching those dramas, but still Of course, it wasn''t as if he couldn''t understand the reason for Beru''s overexcitement . Jin-Woo''s own heart was pounding away from this power that exceeded his wildest imagination, after all The scale of destruction the ''Kamish''s Wrath'' left behind ¨C would a Dragon large enough to cover the sky attacking at full power cause such annihilation?. Jin-Woo clicked his tongue while studying the ripped-to-shreds remains of the Armoured Tree, the ghastly pile of debris that was once a wall, as well as the floor with deep gouges in it ''Do I need to change the name of the shortswords from Kamish''s Wrath to Dragon''s Claws or something?''. Of course, this level of destruction was only possible because it was him wielding the weapon, but still It was then . Along with the rather pleasant mechanical beep of ''Tti-ring!'' a new System message suddenly popped up [Will you change the name of ''Item: Kamish''s Wrath'' to ''Item: Dragon''s Claws''?]. Jin-Woo was taken greatly by surprise by this unexpected response from the System ''I can also change the name?''. He hurriedly retracted his command, and only got to breathe a sigh of relief after confirming that the name of the shortswords wasn''t changed "Whew ". That might have been a big problem!. If the original crafter learned that his artefact''s name was swapped from ''Kamish''s Wrath'' to ''Dragon''s Claws'', he''d be spinning his grave non-stop Just from hearing it, both his hands and feet were curling up from all that cringeyness Jin-Woo couldn''t help but chuckle at the ever-unchanging unfriendliness of the System In any case, he was satisfied by the power of the new weapon . Both in terms of sharpness or destructiveness, these shortswords easily exceeded his previous weapons by a great deal A pleased smile formed on his lips as he alternated his gaze between the two ''Kamish''s Wrath'' shortswords before storing them in his Inventory ''Well, now that the testing is over ''. ¡­ . It was time to take care of the aftermaths Jin-Woo had been drunk on the power of his new weapons, but he eventually came back down to earth . And after he saw the crumbled wall of the gymnasium, he felt his own heart crumble to pieces as well He borrowed this place for a little while, yet he messed it up to such a degree ¡­ . What was he supposed to do now?. Jin-Woo deeply deliberated on his options before contacting the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol on the phone "Uhm, Association President? Please, I want you to stay calm and listen to what I have to say . You see, I have around three hundred ants that do really fantastic work, and . ". ***. Three days since the Gates had disappeared Jin-Woo, who used to allocate a lot of his time to raiding dungeons, was spending his recent days at home with nothing much to do While he lay on top of his bed, he continued to spin around ''Kamish''s Wrath'' just above him Exactly like how a fidgety student would spin around a pen, Jin-Woo had been using ''Ruler''s Authority'' to deal with his boredom Of course, there would always be a disruptor to any given situation . His little sister was heading to the bathroom, but then, she suddenly swerved in her direction and yanked open the door to his room . Jin-Woo instantly stored his shortsword in the Inventory and pretended that nothing was amiss "Oppa, you were playing with your knife again, weren''t you?". Technically speaking, he was refining his control over the skill, ''Ruler''s Authority'', but well¡­ But, to the worried eyes of his sister, it looked like nothing more than a dangerous fooling around of a bored guy "Nope . ". Jin-Woo denied everything as he had already hidden all the evidence away . Jin-Ah''s eyes narrowed down to a slit . She was unconvinced, but there was nothing she could do If her oppa, the best rank S Hunter there was, decided to really, really hide the evidence, how could she, a powerless regular person, ever find out the truth?. She glared at Jin-Woo with suspicious eyes for a very long time, before letting a groan escape from her mouth "Oppa?". "Yeah?". "If you''re that bored, how about going out for a while? I mean, it''s been such a long time since you''ve been resting at home like this, right?". His little sister suddenly began saying stuff that their mother should be saying, instead . Jin-Woo smirked and closed his eyes as if he wanted to go to sleep "I don''t have anywhere to go, you know . ". "Don''t you have someone to meet? Like, your friends?". Friends, she said . His eyes opened again after hearing those words that vaguely resonated with him . Many faces fleeted in and out of his mind, but only one remained particularly vivid among them Since all Hunters were forced to take a break, for the time being, her situation wouldn''t be so different from his own, right about now Besides, didn''t he tell himself to treat her to a hearty meal to atone for his sin? That thing, when he inadvertently took a peek at her naked form after unwisely using ''Sensory Sharing'' through the Shadow Soldier inserted into her shadow?. In normal times, not only him, but even she too would''ve been far too busy to meet up, but the story was different now . She might even be twirling around a sword or something out of this sheer boredom seemingly no one could overcome, just like how it was like for him This would be a good opportunity to get rid of that debt in his mind "Good thinking, sis . ". Jin-Woo suddenly leapt up from the bed and stood before her, prompting Jin-Ah to flinch and take a hasty step back "W-what the heck?". "Excuse me . ". Jin-Woo expertly slid past her and headed straight into the bathroom Jin-Ah quickly detected that her oppa''s expression was now rather suspicious and quickly asked him as he was about to enter the bathroom to wash himself "What now? Where are you planning to go?". He grinned brightly and replied back to her "On a date . ". ***. "That''s enough for today . ". Cha Hae-In''s hands stopped swinging the wooden sword She had been training so hard that her white ''dobok'' had been soaked through with her sweat and clung onto her figure . She turned around to face her instructor He was an elderly man wearing an aged dobok . This man, who was missing an arm, gestured to her that she should take a seat Cha Hae-In wordlessly nodded before politely kneeling down on both knees and placed the wooden sword beside her This old man was her teacher As she was a rank S Hunter, there were very few people who could catch up to her physical abilities, but she still needed corresponding techniques that could maximise her physical status That''s why she chose this out-of-the-way kendo dojo, and whenever she found herself with some free time, she came here to polish her ways with the sword Her teacher, Song Chi-Yeol, found her drive to never waste a single day quite praiseworthy . He settled down in front of her and spoke "I can''t help but sense that, lately, Lady Hae-In''s blade contains a trace of hesitation . ". Cha Hae-In heard her teacher''s voice and raised her head . Her expression was stiff . As their gazes remain locked in this position, Song Chi-Yeol quietly carried on "I''m worried that, by chance, you have developed a sense of fear in your heart . ". Cha Hae-In couldn''t answer Song Chi-Yeol was a Hunter like her and, even though he operated a dojo, he still went out to hunt down monsters whenever the Association requested his participation . And so, he could very well understand where her fear was coming from The Gate that none had seen before . And no one also could tell just what kind of unimaginably terrifying monstrosities would emerge from there Just because one was strong, that didn''t mean they couldn''t get scared No, on the contrary . They felt to their bones the kind of fear that normal, powerless people couldn''t feel precisely because they were strong Song Chi-Yeol closed his eyes as if he was reflecting back on his past and slowly nodded his head "I''m sure you''re scared . Indeed, why shouldn''t you be? I also felt the same way . Of course, the monsters that I fought can''t be compared to those you have fought, but when I lost my arm . ". It was then Cha Hae-In''s Hunter-issue smartphone, the one tucked away in the corner of the dojo so it wouldn''t get in the way, began ringing loudly "A Hunter should answer her phone, yes?". "Forgive me, instructor . ". Cha Hae-In briefly bowed her head before running over there to pick up the phone . And then¡­ Song Chi-Yeol had been waiting for her to end the call so he could continue on with his story, only to see that Cha Hae-In''s expression was getting brighter and brighter with every passing second ''Mm ?''. She was definitely trying to hide it, but since she was usually so expressionless in her everyday life, even Song Chi-Yeol could easily spot the changes in her expression She ended the call and cautiously walked over to his location "Uhm, instructor-nim, I¡­ . There''s an appointment I need to get to, so I should go . ". Her cheeks were flushed warm . Seeing her eyes now filled with vitality, Song Chi-Yeol realised that his thoughts were off the mark . The hesitation evident in her sword wasn''t born from fear "Indeed, you should . Of course, you need to . ". Song Chi-Yeol dazedly nodded his head and gave her his permission "Well, then ". Cha Hae-In''s goodbye was kept brief and she left the dojo in light, cheery steps . He stared at her departing back and belatedly, a gentle smile floated up on his lips "Ah, so that''s what it was¡­ . Indeed, that was the reason . ". Huhuh¡­ While wondering who the lucky fella receiving the love of such a wonderful and fine young woman could be, an expression of contentment floated up on Song Chi-Yeol''s face, one that was just as happy as his valued disciple had shown < Chapter 211 > Fin Chapter 212 ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?¡± ¡°Where? Where??¡± ¡°Hul¡­ . It really is Seong Jin-Woo . ¡± It was the weekend and many people came to visit a certain theme park . They all recognised Jin-Woo¡¯s face among the visitors and stared at him with eyes filled with amazement . ¡°Who¡¯s the lady next to him? Is she his girlfriend?¡± ¡°Hold up¡­ . Isn¡¯t she Hunter Cha Hae-In from the Hunters Guild??¡± ¡°Hul! This is huge!¡± ¡°What the heck? Are the two of them dating now?¡± There was a woman next to Jin-Woo . She was famed for always maintaining a clean short hairstyle to ensure that nothing would hinder her movements . She was Cha Hae-In, of course . She slightly lowered her head as if she couldn¡¯t really get used to all the attention from the people surrounding them, and whispered in a small voice . ¡°Do you enjoy going to places like this theme park?¡± Jin-Woo replied with a grin . ¡°It¡¯s not that I enjoy it, but I wanted to come here at least once in my life, you see . ¡± Cha Hae-In stared at Jin-Woo¡¯s current child-like expression with his previous ice-cold demeanour when slicing up monsters nowhere to be seen . Only then did she realise how fast her heart was racing right now . Too bad for her, the man walking alongside her just so happened to be truly exceptional among the rank S Hunters . Cha Hae-In¡¯s cheeks flushed red by a lot after realising that he must¡¯ve heard her pounding heart as well . She tried to divert Jin-Woo¡¯s attention, even if only by a little, by changing the topic of the conversation . ¡°If you wanted to come here, then why me¡­ . ¡± ¡°Miss Hae-In is the only friend I have . ¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Since when did she become friends with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo? She racked her brain trying to recall the memory she clearly didn¡¯t possess before she unconsciously looked up . That¡¯s when her eyes locked onto Jin-Woo¡¯s rather mischievous grin . ¡°You know, in front of that strange stone statue¡­ . ¡± ¡®Ah, that day . ¡¯ Back on that day when she and her colleagues entered the dual dungeon to rescue Jin-Woo, that angel statue asked her the question, didn¡¯t it? ¨C ¡°What is your relationship with Seong Jin-Woo?¡± ¨C ¡°¡­ . A friend . ¡± It seemed that Jin-Woo remembered that brief exchange . ¡°You were listening back then?¡± ¡°Well, yeah . Somehow, I could hear you . I have better-than-average hearing, you see . ¡± She felt a tiny bit wronged here somehow, but she knew that even back then, she ended up being saved by him rather than saving him, instead . It was then she became conscious once more of just how many times Jin-Woo had saved her life . ¡°By the way¡­ . What was the identity of that strange dungeon?¡± She had been waiting to hear his explanation on this one ever since that day . Unfortunately, he figured that now wasn¡¯t the right time to tell her . ¡°Can I tell you later when I¡¯ve managed to properly sort out my own thoughts first? Even I can¡¯t tell what¡¯s what at the moment . ¡± Cha Hae-In nodded her head to say that she understood . When their conversation entered a bit of a lull, Jin-Woo began taking a look around their surroundings . ¡°Excuse me! Please look over here!¡± ¡°I¡¯m your biggest fan!¡± Just like when a celebrity was walking on a busy street, people crowded around the two like a swarm of bees and were busily snapping away with their smartphones . Jin-Woo¡¯s face was far more well-known to regular people than some superstars nowadays . That was because, regardless of which TV channel they tuned into, they would always play clips containing Jin-Woo¡¯s face ever since that super-massive Gate appeared in the air . If this was any other day, he¡¯d simply smile and let it slide . However, he didn¡¯t feel like having his day off being disrupted like this, especially when he had a company . ¡®Come out . ¡¯ The moment Jin-Woo issued his command, his own retinue of bodyguards willing to work their butts off for absolutely nothing revealed themselves . They were none other than Igrit and the elite knights . Around thirty or so knights emerged from his shadow and surrounded both him and Cha Hae-In in a protective cordon . They walked in perfect synch with their boss¡¯s pace, too . Igrit was especially proactive as he personally went around wherever cameras flashed and wagged his finger to warn the would-be paparazzo . Meanwhile, Cha Hae-In became even more flustered by the fact that they were now being escorted by a cordon of well-armed knights . ¡°Wouldn¡¯t doing this be even more eye-catching?¡± ¡°Well, as long as we aren¡¯t bothered, isn¡¯t it fine?¡± His words carried this inexplicable persuasive power and Cha Hae-In found her head nodding all by itself . Truth be told, she really did feel somewhat better now that all those gazes pouring down on her had disappeared . When she thought about it, she couldn¡¯t remember the last time she went out for fun with a relaxed mindset . It had already been almost two years since she became a Hunter . During this period, not even once did she take a day off to relax . She always remained tense and wasted each hour feeling nervous ¨C on days she wasn¡¯t participating in raids, she¡¯d be worried about her colleagues, and when she was in the raid, then she¡¯d be worried about making mistakes . But for today¡­ . ¡®¡­ . It¡¯s a different story when I¡¯m with him . ¡¯ A man she can depend on . When she was with Jin-Woo, it felt as if she no longer had to meet the expectations of her comrades that depended on her and could go back to being just a regular woman living her life . She took one step closer . Her cheeks blushed a little more as her body grew closer to Jin-Woo even before she had noticed it . ¡®His scent¡­ . I can smell it . ¡¯ Jin-Woo watched her complexion get so much brighter and belatedly reflected on his shortcomings . ¡®I should¡¯ve done this earlier . ¡¯ He scanned the theme park¡¯s various rides, before pointing at the roller coaster falling at a scary speed from a dizzying height and asked her . ¡°Should we get on that one?¡± ¡°Okay . ¡± Since she answered too easily, Jin-Woo felt unconvinced and pointed at another ride . ¡°How about that one?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, too . ¡± ¡°In that case, how about the one next to it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s also okay . ¡± ¡°Everything¡¯s okay??¡± ¡°Yes . They are all okay . ¡± Jin-Woo stared at the excited face she made during her answers and simply chuckled to himself . ¡®What the heck . I guess I wasn¡¯t the only one who wanted to come here . ¡¯ Since she didn¡¯t seem to hate this place, Jin-Woo¡¯s mind could relax even further now . He lightly grasped her wrist and led her to the nearest ride . ¡°Well, then . Why don¡¯t we ride all of them?¡± *** Unfortunately¡­ . It wasn¡¯t as fun as he imagined . ¡°Kyaaahk! Kyahk!¡± ¡°Whoa-!!¡± As luck would have it, Jin-Woo got to sit on the very front of the roller coaster . While the people behind were screaming their heads off, he spectated on the passing scenery without feeling much of an excitement . ¡®Huh? That kid¡¯s gonna drop his ice cream pretty soon . Oopsie, I knew it . Hold on, the food court was over that side? But, it¡¯s still too early to buy dinner, so¡­ . ¡¯ Hmm¡­ . Even though the roller coaster was rushing forward at full tilt, everything seemed to have come to a crawl, like extreme slow motion, to Jin-Woo and he was feeling really bored right now . If he was allowed to, then he thought that he could stand up straight until the ride was over and he¡¯d be unaffected in the slightest . ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ He did his very best to suppress a yawn trying to break out and sneaked a glance behind him . Beyond Igrit and a couple of knights sitting immediately behind him ¨C they wanted to ride on the roller coaster for some reason ¨C he could see the regular people screaming and enjoying themselves . From every single muscle on their faces, he could feel the sensation of thrill and joy they were experiencing right now . He also heard their racing hearts, pounding away hard enough to seemingly explode at any second . On the other hand¡­ Jin-Woo placed his hand on the chest to feel his heart beating as normal and broke into a slight grin . Honestly, it was a lot more exciting to jump up high in the sky with everything he had so he could punch that titanic god statue in the face . ¡®What about back then when I was being chased around by those centipedes in the penalty zone?¡¯ It was hundreds, no, ten thousand times scarier than right now . ¡®Oops . ¡¯ Jin-Woo quickly shook his head in order to get rid of the useless thoughts . ¡®I came here to relax, yet here I am, thinking about monsters . ¡¯ He began wondering if this was an illness or something . Around at the same time, he discovered his companion with a similar sort of expression on her face sitting next to him . Smirk . He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle here . Jin-Woo asked Cha Hae-In as she continued to swim in her dazed thoughts . ¡°Is it not fun playing around here?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ . No, it¡¯s fun . ¡± Since her conversation partner possessed sharp hearing, she found it convenient that she didn¡¯t have to shout at him . ¡°Then, why haven¡¯t you screamed at least once so far?¡± They had already ridden on five different attractions so far . All of them could be described as top thrill rides to normal people, but she hadn¡¯t even muttered out the common ¡°Ah!¡± once yet . She too was a rank S Hunter . Maybe not as extreme as Jin-Woo, but she had also surpassed the realms of normal people by a wide margin as well . Suddenly, he felt rather relieved by the fact that he wasn¡¯t the only one so far removed from the other people here . It was then . He was tempted to show her the world that he saw . Beru sensed Jin-Woo¡¯s desire and hurriedly began dissuading him . [Oh, my king¡­ It might be too dangerous for this woman . ] ¡®It¡¯ll be fine . Besides, I¡¯ll put you in charge of catching her if she falls off . If you fail to do so¡­ . You know already, right?¡¯ [¡­ . Your wish is my command, my liege . ] Now that the voice of dissent had been suppressed, Jin-Woo spoke to Cha Hae-In next . ¡°Instead of this, do you want to ride on something really exciting?¡± ¡°Something¡­ . really exciting?¡± After the roller coaster came to an end, Jin-Woo led the still-puzzled Cha Hae-In out to a large plaza . Whoa-!! The theme park goers saw the cordon of black knights guarding the two of them and gasped out in sheer amazement . But then, their gasps soon turned into shocked screams . ¡°Heok!!¡± ¡°What is that thing?!¡± The crowd was pushed back by the Shadow Soldiers . And on the now-created open space, a large, black monster suddenly rose up from the ground . It flapped its massive wings and screeched loudly towards the sky . Kiiiaaaahhkk-! It was also Cha Hae-In¡¯s first time seeing the Sky Dragon up close, so her response wasn¡¯t all that much different from the regular spectators . ¡°O-oh my god¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo gestured towards Cha Hae-In, her eyes still resembling round dots from sheer amazement . ¡°Hurry, come on up . ¡± She realised that Jin-Woo had already climbed up on the back of the Sky Dragon and became utterly flabbergasted . ¡°You¡­ you want me to ride that creature??¡± ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I?¡± Unable to watch on any longer, Jin-Woo activated the skill ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ to pull her in . ¡°Ah?!¡± She gasped out in shock again as this unseen force dragged her in . However, that reaction wasn¡¯t what Jin-Woo was hoping to see from her . Indeed, this was merely the beginning . Even though her lips hadn¡¯t closed from the shock yet, he made her settle down right behind him and issued a command to Kaisel . ¡°Go up . ¡± Kiiaahk-! As if it was waiting for that, the Sky Dragon flapped its huge wings and began rising up in the air . Cha Hae-In looked down as the crowd below gradually grew distant and swallowed her saliva . For sure, the sense of tension she felt right now was on another dimension when compared to being on those theme park rides . Almost instinctively, her arms went around Jin-Woo¡¯s waist . Once they got high enough that the spectators below couldn¡¯t be seen anymore, her voice grew louder as well . ¡°E-excuse me?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Why is that ant following us?¡± Jin-Woo craned his neck to the side and looked down to spot Beru rising up just below Kaisel¡¯s belly . Seeing how determined the former ant king¡¯s expression was right now, he couldn¡¯t help but break out in a soft chuckle . ¡°He¡¯s the lifeguard!¡± ¡°Eh??¡± ¡°Hold on to me tight . We¡¯re going to fly now . ¡± ¡°Ehhhh??¡± Was there a reason for more explanation now? Because he definitely could feel an incredible amount of pressure being exerted by Cha Hae-In¡¯s arms wrapped around his waist . ¡®What the heck . A regular guy would¡¯ve been folded in half!¡¯ But, this showed how scared she must¡¯ve been feeling right now . Jin-Woo had half succeeded in his mission and spoke loudly with an excited voice . ¡°Kaisel, go faster! Faster!¡± Kiiahk! As Kaisel began flying at its fastest speed, Cha Hae-In¡¯s screams, heard for the very first time today, resounded out right behind him . *** A smaller-scale Dragon was splitting the air as it speedily flew forward . Swish-! Riding on top of Kaisel, Jin-Woo and Cha Hae-In were able to fly into places where one wouldn¡¯t normally survive unless one was a rank S Hunter . They entered the storm clouds where rain and wind wildly lashed out; they flew so close to a mountain range that they could almost touch it; they even flew past the seemingly-endless field of snow . But the most beautiful sight still had to be watching the setting sun on top of the ocean . Kaisel gradually slowed down . Accompanied by the chilly wind brushing past their cheeks, the two of them watched the sun slowly disappear below the distant horizon, the skies being dyed in the amber-orange hue . Just like the coloured sky, Cha Hae-In¡¯s eyes as she took in the spectacular sight also gently glowed in that orange hue . Abruptly, she felt curious and just had to ask him . ¡°Mister Jin-Woo . ¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Even though you can experience stuff like this, why did we go to that theme park first?¡± ¡°That theme park, well¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo fell into reminiscence and slowly told her the reason . ¡°That¡¯s where the Gate my dad went missing opened up . ¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± If his father failed and the dungeon break really happened back then, the theme park would have ceased to exist . Yet, it was full of people today . At first, he resented his old man for leaving behind his family in that manner, but now, he felt as if something warm had filled up the void in his heart after he witnessed all those smiling families having a fun day out in the theme park . That was enough for him . ¡°That¡¯s why I always wanted to go there at least once . ¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s voice sounded lonely for some reason and Cha Hae-In wordlessly hugged him from behind . Her warmth was transmitted through his back . She spoke to him again . ¡°Thank you . ¡± Her sudden thanks prompted him to look behind him, but since she was pressing up close to his back, there was no way he could see the expression on her face . ¡°Pardon me?¡± ¡°I wanted to¡­ . say thank you for everything . You¡¯ve been helping me out all this time, so¡­ . ¡± Through their bodies pressing against each other, through her warm breaths tickling his neck, and from her powerfully beating heart, he sensed from her what she wanted to say . Indeed . This was enough for him . Jin-Woo smiled softly and commanded Kaisel to head in the opposite direction . ¡°Where are we going now?¡± Cha Hae-In sounded somewhat rueful as she asked him . Jin-Woo replied with a smile . ¡°There¡¯s something I want to show you . ¡± *** The destination they got to after a lengthy flight wasn¡¯t Korea, but Japan . More specifically, an area designated as a restricted zone . Which meant that there was not one soul to be found here . Even the wild animals were driven away by the horrible auras oozing off from the monsters and thus no one lived in this area . In this expansive forest where not even the breathing of a small animal could be heard, Kaisel slowly made its descent . Kiiahk-! The Sky Dragon lay flat on the ground and Jin-Woo climbed off first . He turned around to assist Cha Hae-In next . ¡°Be careful¡­ . ¡± Even before he could reach out, though, she jumped lightly and easily landed on the ground, before shrugging her shoulders . Jin-Woo had momentarily forgotten what her job was and could only chuckle again . ¡°Where are we¡­ . ?¡± She had been experiencing some extraordinary sights for almost the whole day today, and so, she expectantly began scanning her new surroundings with curious eyes . However, besides the near-endless sea of trees, she couldn¡¯t see anything particularly interesting out here . Jin-Woo sneakily bought a blanket from the System¡¯s Store and laid it down on the ground before opening his mouth . ¡°There¡¯s no fun if I let you in on the secret already, so why don¡¯t we lie down first?¡± ¡°Ehh?¡± Did she hear him wrong?? Unfortunately, there was no way that a rank S Hunter¡¯s hearing would hear such a clear enunciation of words incorrectly . Besides, Jin-Woo was already getting ready to lay down on the blanket, anyway . ¡°Please, hurry . ¡± Seeing how nonchalant he was in his invitation, Cha Hae-In¡¯s heart began pounding as if it was about to explode . ¡°Are, are you¡­ . being serious?¡± She simply had to confirm his intentions one more time . Too bad for her, perhaps, he didn¡¯t show not one bit of hesitation as he nodded his head in a determined way . It was her turn to hesitate, but in the end, she approached the blanket . Jin-Woo confirmed this and slowly laid down first . Soon, she too lied down next to him, and as if she had made a big decision about something, she straightened her legs . ¡°I¡¯m¡­ ready . ¡± Jin-Woo looked at Cha Hae-In murmuring with tightly closed eyes and replied to her . ¡°In that case, please open your eyes . ¡± When her eyes creaked open just a bit, he wordlessly pointed at the night sky above . ¡­ . Towards the cascading light of the stars . ¡°Ah¡­ . . ¡± Cha Hae-In gasped out inadvertently after looking at the stunning parade of the starlight filling up the heavens . Beautiful . Could she be able to describe this spectacle with any other words besides ¡®beautiful¡¯? Jin-Woo was pleased by her response and smiled in satisfaction . ¡°I arrived here to deal with a dungeon break and ended up looking at the night sky . ¡± Back then, he felt just too fatigued and wanted to lay his weary body down and close his eyes to rest . But, because the surroundings were so bright, he couldn¡¯t go to sleep . He got irritated and opened his eyes and that¡¯s when he got to see this brilliant echo of stars enveloping the sky . Just seeing them made his heart melt down that night . ¡°I thought that it¡¯d be wonderful to share this night sky with someone else, you see . ¡± The only thing filling up this still forest with nary a squeak of sound was the endless river of starlight . Jin-Woo wanted to share this feeling, this moment, with someone else . Fortunately, the result of his desire was this strong sense of relief . He felt relieved by the fact that there was someone close by who could also feel what he had felt then . And his heart, once hardened and lumpy, seemed to soften and become untangled now . But then, this happened . ¡®Uh¡­ . ?¡¯ He felt the warmth of Cha Hae-In¡¯s hand climbing up on top of his own . ¡°Can I¡­ hold your hand?¡± But, she was already holding it, though? Jin-Woo smiled before shifting his hand to interlock his fingers with hers . The cold yet smooth hand of a woman filled his palm up . So still, so quiet¡­ . Countless starlight sparkled and rained down, as the heads of two young people slowly became one . < Chapter 212 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 212: Chapter 212 ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?¡±. ¡°Where? Where??¡±. ¡°Hul¡­ . It really is Seong Jin-Woo . ¡±. It was the weekend and many people came to visit a certain theme park . They all recognised Jin-Woo¡¯s face among the visitors and stared at him with eyes filled with amazement ¡°Who¡¯s the lady next to him? Is she his girlfriend?¡±. ¡°Hold up¡­ . Isn¡¯t she Hunter Cha Hae-In from the Hunters Guild??¡±. ¡°Hul! This is huge!¡±. ¡°What the heck? Are the two of them dating now?¡±. There was a woman next to Jin-Woo . She was famed for always maintaining a clean short hairstyle to ensure that nothing would hinder her movements She was Cha Hae-In, of course . She slightly lowered her head as if she couldn¡¯t really get used to all the attention from the people surrounding them, and whispered in a small voice ¡°Do you enjoy going to places like this theme park?¡±. Jin-Woo replied with a grin ¡°It¡¯s not that I enjoy it, but I wanted to come here at least once in my life, you see . ¡±. Cha Hae-In stared at Jin-Woo¡¯s current child-like expression with his previous ice-cold demeanour when slicing up monsters nowhere to be seen . Only then did she realise how fast her heart was racing right now Too bad for her, the man walking alongside her just so happened to be truly exceptional among the rank S Hunters . Cha Hae-In¡¯s cheeks flushed red by a lot after realising that he must¡¯ve heard her pounding heart as well She tried to divert Jin-Woo¡¯s attention, even if only by a little, by changing the topic of the conversation ¡°If you wanted to come here, then why me¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Miss Hae-In is the only friend I have . ¡±. ¡°Pardon?¡±. Since when did she become friends with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?. She racked her brain trying to recall the memory she clearly didn¡¯t possess before she unconsciously looked up . That¡¯s when her eyes locked onto Jin-Woo¡¯s rather mischievous grin ¡°You know, in front of that strange stone statue¡­ . ¡±. ¡®Ah, that day . ¡¯. Back on that day when she and her colleagues entered the dual dungeon to rescue Jin-Woo, that angel statue asked her the question, didn¡¯t it?. ¨C ¡°What is your relationship with Seong Jin-Woo?¡±. ¨C ¡°¡­ . A friend . ¡±. It seemed that Jin-Woo remembered that brief exchange ¡°You were listening back then?¡±. ¡°Well, yeah . Somehow, I could hear you . I have better-than-average hearing, you see . ¡±. She felt a tiny bit wronged here somehow, but she knew that even back then, she ended up being saved by him rather than saving him, instead It was then she became conscious once more of just how many times Jin-Woo had saved her life ¡°By the way¡­ . What was the identity of that strange dungeon?¡±. She had been waiting to hear his explanation on this one ever since that day . Unfortunately, he figured that now wasn¡¯t the right time to tell her ¡°Can I tell you later when I¡¯ve managed to properly sort out my own thoughts first? Even I can¡¯t tell what¡¯s what at the moment . ¡±. Cha Hae-In nodded her head to say that she understood When their conversation entered a bit of a lull, Jin-Woo began taking a look around their surroundings ¡°Excuse me! Please look over here!¡±. ¡°I¡¯m your biggest fan!¡±. Just like when a celebrity was walking on a busy street, people crowded around the two like a swarm of bees and were busily snapping away with their smartphones Jin-Woo¡¯s face was far more well-known to regular people than some superstars nowadays . That was because, regardless of which TV channel they tuned into, they would always play clips containing Jin-Woo¡¯s face ever since that super-massive Gate appeared in the air If this was any other day, he¡¯d simply smile and let it slide . However, he didn¡¯t feel like having his day off being disrupted like this, especially when he had a company ¡®Come out . ¡¯. The moment Jin-Woo issued his command, his own retinue of bodyguards willing to work their butts off for absolutely nothing revealed themselves They were none other than Igrit and the elite knights Around thirty or so knights emerged from his shadow and surrounded both him and Cha Hae-In in a protective cordon . They walked in perfect synch with their boss¡¯s pace, too Igrit was especially proactive as he personally went around wherever cameras flashed and wagged his finger to warn the would-be paparazzo Meanwhile, Cha Hae-In became even more flustered by the fact that they were now being escorted by a cordon of well-armed knights ¡°Wouldn¡¯t doing this be even more eye-catching?¡±. ¡°Well, as long as we aren¡¯t bothered, isn¡¯t it fine?¡±. His words carried this inexplicable persuasive power and Cha Hae-In found her head nodding all by itself . Truth be told, she really did feel somewhat better now that all those gazes pouring down on her had disappeared When she thought about it, she couldn¡¯t remember the last time she went out for fun with a relaxed mindset It had already been almost two years since she became a Hunter . During this period, not even once did she take a day off to relax She always remained tense and wasted each hour feeling nervous ¨C on days she wasn¡¯t participating in raids, she¡¯d be worried about her colleagues, and when she was in the raid, then she¡¯d be worried about making mistakes But for today¡­ ¡®¡­ . It¡¯s a different story when I¡¯m with him . ¡¯. A man she can depend on When she was with Jin-Woo, it felt as if she no longer had to meet the expectations of her comrades that depended on her and could go back to being just a regular woman living her life She took one step closer . Her cheeks blushed a little more as her body grew closer to Jin-Woo even before she had noticed it ¡®His scent¡­ . I can smell it . ¡¯. Jin-Woo watched her complexion get so much brighter and belatedly reflected on his shortcomings ¡®I should¡¯ve done this earlier . ¡¯. He scanned the theme park¡¯s various rides, before pointing at the roller coaster falling at a scary speed from a dizzying height and asked her ¡°Should we get on that one?¡±. ¡°Okay . ¡±. Since she answered too easily, Jin-Woo felt unconvinced and pointed at another ride ¡°How about that one?¡±. ¡°It¡¯s okay, too . ¡±. ¡°In that case, how about the one next to it?¡±. ¡°That¡¯s also okay . ¡±. ¡°Everything¡¯s okay??¡±. ¡°Yes . They are all okay . ¡±. Jin-Woo stared at the excited face she made during her answers and simply chuckled to himself ¡®What the heck . I guess I wasn¡¯t the only one who wanted to come here . ¡¯. Since she didn¡¯t seem to hate this place, Jin-Woo¡¯s mind could relax even further now . He lightly grasped her wrist and led her to the nearest ride ¡°Well, then . Why don¡¯t we ride all of them?¡±. ***. Unfortunately¡­ It wasn¡¯t as fun as he imagined ¡°Kyaaahk! Kyahk!¡±. ¡°Whoa-!!¡±. As luck would have it, Jin-Woo got to sit on the very front of the roller coaster . While the people behind were screaming their heads off, he spectated on the passing scenery without feeling much of an excitement ¡®Huh? That kid¡¯s gonna drop his ice cream pretty soon . Oopsie, I knew it . Hold on, the food court was over that side? But, it¡¯s still too early to buy dinner, so¡­ . ¡¯. Hmm¡­ Even though the roller coaster was rushing forward at full tilt, everything seemed to have come to a crawl, like extreme slow motion, to Jin-Woo and he was feeling really bored right now If he was allowed to, then he thought that he could stand up straight until the ride was over and he¡¯d be unaffected in the slightest ¡®¡­ ¡¯. He did his very best to suppress a yawn trying to break out and sneaked a glance behind him . Beyond Igrit and a couple of knights sitting immediately behind him ¨C they wanted to ride on the roller coaster for some reason ¨C he could see the regular people screaming and enjoying themselves From every single muscle on their faces, he could feel the sensation of thrill and joy they were experiencing right now . He also heard their racing hearts, pounding away hard enough to seemingly explode at any second On the other hand¡­. Jin-Woo placed his hand on the chest to feel his heart beating as normal and broke into a slight grin Honestly, it was a lot more exciting to jump up high in the sky with everything he had so he could punch that titanic god statue in the face ¡®What about back then when I was being chased around by those centipedes in the penalty zone?¡¯. It was hundreds, no, ten thousand times scarier than right now ¡®Oops . ¡¯. Jin-Woo quickly shook his head in order to get rid of the useless thoughts ¡®I came here to relax, yet here I am, thinking about monsters . ¡¯. He began wondering if this was an illness or something . Around at the same time, he discovered his companion with a similar sort of expression on her face sitting next to him Smirk He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle here . Jin-Woo asked Cha Hae-In as she continued to swim in her dazed thoughts ¡°Is it not fun playing around here?¡±. ¡°Ah¡­ . No, it¡¯s fun . ¡±. Since her conversation partner possessed sharp hearing, she found it convenient that she didn¡¯t have to shout at him ¡°Then, why haven¡¯t you screamed at least once so far?¡±. They had already ridden on five different attractions so far . All of them could be described as top thrill rides to normal people, but she hadn¡¯t even muttered out the common ¡°Ah!¡± once yet She too was a rank S Hunter . Maybe not as extreme as Jin-Woo, but she had also surpassed the realms of normal people by a wide margin as well . Suddenly, he felt rather relieved by the fact that he wasn¡¯t the only one so far removed from the other people here It was then He was tempted to show her the world that he saw Beru sensed Jin-Woo¡¯s desire and hurriedly began dissuading him [Oh, my king¡­ It might be too dangerous for this woman . ]. ¡®It¡¯ll be fine . Besides, I¡¯ll put you in charge of catching her if she falls off . If you fail to do so¡­ . You know already, right?¡¯. [¡­ . Your wish is my command, my liege . ]. Now that the voice of dissent had been suppressed, Jin-Woo spoke to Cha Hae-In next ¡°Instead of this, do you want to ride on something really exciting?¡±. ¡°Something¡­ . really exciting?¡±. After the roller coaster came to an end, Jin-Woo led the still-puzzled Cha Hae-In out to a large plaza Whoa-!!. The theme park goers saw the cordon of black knights guarding the two of them and gasped out in sheer amazement . But then, their gasps soon turned into shocked screams ¡°Heok!!¡±. ¡°What is that thing?!¡±. The crowd was pushed back by the Shadow Soldiers . And on the now-created open space, a large, black monster suddenly rose up from the ground . It flapped its massive wings and screeched loudly towards the sky Kiiiaaaahhkk-!. It was also Cha Hae-In¡¯s first time seeing the Sky Dragon up close, so her response wasn¡¯t all that much different from the regular spectators ¡°O-oh my god¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo gestured towards Cha Hae-In, her eyes still resembling round dots from sheer amazement ¡°Hurry, come on up . ¡±. She realised that Jin-Woo had already climbed up on the back of the Sky Dragon and became utterly flabbergasted ¡°You¡­ you want me to ride that creature??¡±. ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I?¡±. Unable to watch on any longer, Jin-Woo activated the skill ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ to pull her in ¡°Ah?!¡±. She gasped out in shock again as this unseen force dragged her in . However, that reaction wasn¡¯t what Jin-Woo was hoping to see from her . Indeed, this was merely the beginning Even though her lips hadn¡¯t closed from the shock yet, he made her settle down right behind him and issued a command to Kaisel ¡°Go up . ¡±. Kiiaahk-!. As if it was waiting for that, the Sky Dragon flapped its huge wings and began rising up in the air Cha Hae-In looked down as the crowd below gradually grew distant and swallowed her saliva . For sure, the sense of tension she felt right now was on another dimension when compared to being on those theme park rides Almost instinctively, her arms went around Jin-Woo¡¯s waist . Once they got high enough that the spectators below couldn¡¯t be seen anymore, her voice grew louder as well ¡°E-excuse me?¡±. ¡°Yes?¡±. ¡°Why is that ant following us?¡±. Jin-Woo craned his neck to the side and looked down to spot Beru rising up just below Kaisel¡¯s belly . Seeing how determined the former ant king¡¯s expression was right now, he couldn¡¯t help but break out in a soft chuckle ¡°He¡¯s the lifeguard!¡±. ¡°Eh??¡±. ¡°Hold on to me tight . We¡¯re going to fly now . ¡±. ¡°Ehhhh??¡±. Was there a reason for more explanation now? Because he definitely could feel an incredible amount of pressure being exerted by Cha Hae-In¡¯s arms wrapped around his waist ¡®What the heck . A regular guy would¡¯ve been folded in half!¡¯. But, this showed how scared she must¡¯ve been feeling right now . Jin-Woo had half succeeded in his mission and spoke loudly with an excited voice ¡°Kaisel, go faster! Faster!¡±. Kiiahk!. As Kaisel began flying at its fastest speed, Cha Hae-In¡¯s screams, heard for the very first time today, resounded out right behind him ***. A smaller-scale Dragon was splitting the air as it speedily flew forward Swish-!. Riding on top of Kaisel, Jin-Woo and Cha Hae-In were able to fly into places where one wouldn¡¯t normally survive unless one was a rank S Hunter They entered the storm clouds where rain and wind wildly lashed out; they flew so close to a mountain range that they could almost touch it; they even flew past the seemingly-endless field of snow But the most beautiful sight still had to be watching the setting sun on top of the ocean Kaisel gradually slowed down Accompanied by the chilly wind brushing past their cheeks, the two of them watched the sun slowly disappear below the distant horizon, the skies being dyed in the amber-orange hue Just like the coloured sky, Cha Hae-In¡¯s eyes as she took in the spectacular sight also gently glowed in that orange hue . Abruptly, she felt curious and just had to ask him ¡°Mister Jin-Woo . ¡±. ¡°Yes?¡±. ¡°Even though you can experience stuff like this, why did we go to that theme park first?¡±. ¡°That theme park, well¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo fell into reminiscence and slowly told her the reason ¡°That¡¯s where the Gate my dad went missing opened up . ¡±. ¡°Oh¡­¡±. If his father failed and the dungeon break really happened back then, the theme park would have ceased to exist . Yet, it was full of people today At first, he resented his old man for leaving behind his family in that manner, but now, he felt as if something warm had filled up the void in his heart after he witnessed all those smiling families having a fun day out in the theme park That was enough for him ¡°That¡¯s why I always wanted to go there at least once . ¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s voice sounded lonely for some reason and Cha Hae-In wordlessly hugged him from behind . Her warmth was transmitted through his back She spoke to him again ¡°Thank you . ¡±. Her sudden thanks prompted him to look behind him, but since she was pressing up close to his back, there was no way he could see the expression on her face ¡°Pardon me?¡±. ¡°I wanted to¡­ . say thank you for everything . You¡¯ve been helping me out all this time, so¡­ . ¡±. Through their bodies pressing against each other, through her warm breaths tickling his neck, and from her powerfully beating heart, he sensed from her what she wanted to say Indeed This was enough for him Jin-Woo smiled softly and commanded Kaisel to head in the opposite direction ¡°Where are we going now?¡±. Cha Hae-In sounded somewhat rueful as she asked him . Jin-Woo replied with a smile ¡°There¡¯s something I want to show you . ¡±. ***. The destination they got to after a lengthy flight wasn¡¯t Korea, but Japan More specifically, an area designated as a restricted zone . Which meant that there was not one soul to be found here . Even the wild animals were driven away by the horrible auras oozing off from the monsters and thus no one lived in this area In this expansive forest where not even the breathing of a small animal could be heard, Kaisel slowly made its descent Kiiahk-!. The Sky Dragon lay flat on the ground and Jin-Woo climbed off first . He turned around to assist Cha Hae-In next ¡°Be careful¡­ . ¡±. Even before he could reach out, though, she jumped lightly and easily landed on the ground, before shrugging her shoulders . Jin-Woo had momentarily forgotten what her job was and could only chuckle again ¡°Where are we¡­ . ?¡±. She had been experiencing some extraordinary sights for almost the whole day today, and so, she expectantly began scanning her new surroundings with curious eyes However, besides the near-endless sea of trees, she couldn¡¯t see anything particularly interesting out here Jin-Woo sneakily bought a blanket from the System¡¯s Store and laid it down on the ground before opening his mouth ¡°There¡¯s no fun if I let you in on the secret already, so why don¡¯t we lie down first?¡±. ¡°Ehh?¡±. Did she hear him wrong??. Unfortunately, there was no way that a rank S Hunter¡¯s hearing would hear such a clear enunciation of words incorrectly . Besides, Jin-Woo was already getting ready to lay down on the blanket, anyway ¡°Please, hurry . ¡±. Seeing how nonchalant he was in his invitation, Cha Hae-In¡¯s heart began pounding as if it was about to explode ¡°Are, are you¡­ . being serious?¡±. She simply had to confirm his intentions one more time Too bad for her, perhaps, he didn¡¯t show not one bit of hesitation as he nodded his head in a determined way It was her turn to hesitate, but in the end, she approached the blanket . Jin-Woo confirmed this and slowly laid down first . Soon, she too lied down next to him, and as if she had made a big decision about something, she straightened her legs ¡°I¡¯m¡­ ready . ¡±. Jin-Woo looked at Cha Hae-In murmuring with tightly closed eyes and replied to her ¡°In that case, please open your eyes . ¡±. When her eyes creaked open just a bit, he wordlessly pointed at the night sky above ¡­ . Towards the cascading light of the stars ¡°Ah¡­ ¡±. Cha Hae-In gasped out inadvertently after looking at the stunning parade of the starlight filling up the heavens Beautiful Could she be able to describe this spectacle with any other words besides ¡®beautiful¡¯?. Jin-Woo was pleased by her response and smiled in satisfaction ¡°I arrived here to deal with a dungeon break and ended up looking at the night sky . ¡±. Back then, he felt just too fatigued and wanted to lay his weary body down and close his eyes to rest . But, because the surroundings were so bright, he couldn¡¯t go to sleep He got irritated and opened his eyes and that¡¯s when he got to see this brilliant echo of stars enveloping the sky Just seeing them made his heart melt down that night ¡°I thought that it¡¯d be wonderful to share this night sky with someone else, you see . ¡±. The only thing filling up this still forest with nary a squeak of sound was the endless river of starlight Jin-Woo wanted to share this feeling, this moment, with someone else Fortunately, the result of his desire was this strong sense of relief . He felt relieved by the fact that there was someone close by who could also feel what he had felt then And his heart, once hardened and lumpy, seemed to soften and become untangled now But then, this happened ¡®Uh¡­ . ?¡¯. He felt the warmth of Cha Hae-In¡¯s hand climbing up on top of his own ¡°Can I¡­ hold your hand?¡±. But, she was already holding it, though?. Jin-Woo smiled before shifting his hand to interlock his fingers with hers . The cold yet smooth hand of a woman filled his palm up So still, so quiet¡­ Countless starlight sparkled and rained down, as the heads of two young people slowly became one < Chapter 212 > Fin Chapter 213 Next day . The news of various Hunters had taken over the sports newspapers from the likes of actual athletes or celebrities a long time ago . And on this particular day, a rather sensational headline found itself on one such publication¡¯s front page . [Seong Jin-Woo and Cha Hae-In go to a theme park; birth of the strongest couple?] The articles contained many large photos of the two people in question visiting a theme park, taken by various smartphones . The last image was of them riding on a large monster to fly off to elsewhere . The personal affairs of these two Hunters were supposed to be protected and couldn¡¯t be reported to the public, but the boss of this particular newspaper went mad from this massive breaking news and, even under the threat of sanctions, decided to release the article nonetheless . Of course, the response had been tremendous . The ¡®scandal¡¯ concerning two rank S Hunters whose names everyone could recognise brought about renewed vitality to the psyches of everyone who was fatigued by the constant stream of articles related to the super-massive Gate in the sky . The world¡¯s greatest Hunter and Korea¡¯s best female Hunter were dating . Obviously, people would display an incredible amount of interest in this matter . Especially online, where the story of the two Hunters was spreading out with an even more rabid intensity . ¨C Hang on, if Seong Jin-Woo and Cha Hae-In marry and have a kid together, wouldn¡¯t Seong Jin-Woo Junior go around killing every single monster in the entire world? ©¸ Seong Jin-Woo Junior LOL ©¸ It¡¯s not official that they are dating, yet look at all these idiots jumping to conclusions . Tsk, tsk . ©¸ Going by that example, you think we got Seong Jin-Woo because his parents were both super duper top Hunters? You sound like a little kid who don¡¯t know how Hunters awaken their powers . ©¸ Even then, doesn¡¯t those two dating make you feel excited? ©¸ I wish it was true . Them having a marriage argument will be an epic encounter that flattens their surroundings . LOL ¨C I live in the outskirts of Seoul, and when I saw that Gate floating in the sky while travelling near Gangnam, I thought the world was coming to an end . But now that I see the Hunters going on a date like this and enjoying their lives, I feel like there¡¯s hope left for us still and I¡¯m relieved by that . ©¸ This . ?? ©¸ I hope TV stations will stop playing special reports on the Gate now . ©¸ Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, Cha Hae-In Hunter-nim, whether it¡¯s a super-massive Gate or a super-duper-massive Gate, please stop it for us! ¡°Tsk, tsk . ¡± The Chairman of the White Tiger Guild, Baek Yun-Ho, clicked his tongue and folded close the newspaper in his hand . He wondered why Hunter Cha Hae-In¡¯s eyes were gleaming suspiciously whenever she looked at Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, and so, this here was the reason . However, he wasn¡¯t clicking his tongue because the two of them were going on a date . ¡°Look at this headline . It¡¯s complete rubbish . What do they even mean, strongest couple?¡± Section Chief Ahn Sahng-Min, sitting near his boss and his rather displeased expression, asked him while sounding puzzled . ¡°What¡¯s the matter, sir? The way I see it, Hunters Seong Jin-Woo and Cha Hae-In would definitely be worthy of the title of ¡®strongest couple¡¯ . ¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter who Hunter Seong Jin-Woo dates, we¡¯ll still get the ¡®birth of the strongest couple¡¯ anyways, so what¡¯s the point of attaching this sort of a headline?¡± ¡®Eh?¡¯ Now that it was said out loud, that certainly sounded logical . Ahn Sahng-Min began placing all the female Hunters he knew next to Jin-Woo in his mind, and began nodding his head at Baek Yun-Ho¡¯s opinion . Even if Hunter Seong was dating that high school girl Hunter, he just couldn¡¯t think of anyone capable of winning against them . None at all . The female high school Hunter might be not much to write home about, but well, her partner would be too much of a cheat, after all . ¡°You¡¯re completely correct, Chairman . ¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m telling you . ¡± Ahn Sahng-Min nodded his head again and began sipping the coffee he bought from the vending machine not too long ago . He slowly shifted his gaze outside the window . ¡°By the way, this issue with fine dust is really getting serious, sir . I¡¯m actually scared of opening the windows nowadays . ¡± Ahn Sahng-Min frowned and got up to close the half-open window . However, Baek Yun-Ho stopped him from doing so . ¡°Hang on . ¡± ¡°Sir?¡± Baek Yun-Ho stood up from his seat and walked over to Ahn Sahng-Min, before opening the window wide to reach outside . ¡°This¡­ . This isn¡¯t fine dust at all . ¡± The feeling he got at the tips of his fingers was icy cold . This was actually a fog . Not only that, a fog that carried this extreme coldness, bitter enough to make one¡¯s bones shiver . ¡°This is weird . ¡± It was only around the middle of Autumn, but to think, there would be a wintery fog enveloping the entirety of Seoul . At that moment, he felt this creepy chilling sensation brushing past the back of his neck . Baek Yun-Ho¡¯s eyes changed to that of the ¡®Eyes of the Beast¡¯ and he glared outside the window . He muttered to himself, his expression hardening gradually . ¡°Something¡­ something feels really off . ¡± *** Jin-Woo was the first one to open his eyes . Hae-In must¡¯ve been exhausted from yesterday as she hadn¡¯t woken up from her sweet slumber yet . Just how long had it been since he greeted the morning together with someone else? Jin-Woo cautiously got up to make sure not to rouse Hae-In and walked over to the nearby forest . ¡®It was definitely around here¡­ . ¡¯ He found the stream he used the last time he was here and washed up . After he was done, he walked back to where Hae-In was still asleep but then¡­ . He discovered something strange and his steps came to an abrupt halt . ¡®What is this¡­ . ?¡¯ There was this small tree with new buds sprouting up . One might be tempted to say that it was a plant commonly seen anywhere, but the thing was, its leaves were gently shimmering in a silvery colour . It was a tree never before seen on Earth, in other words . And sure enough, this strange tree was emitting a very faint amount of magical energy, something only Jin-Woo¡¯s level of sensory perception could have picked up on . ¡®It¡¯s not from our world . ¡¯ The plant¡¯s magical energy emission was different from that of a monster¡¯s, so it clearly wasn¡¯t one . Jin-Woo observed the tree for a little while longer, before raising his head to discover more of the same silvery leaves here and there . It was such a contrast to the sight of regular surrounding trees all drying up gradually . ¡®Even the ground¡­ is changing . ¡¯ Was this also the part of the Rulers¡¯ plan? Or, was it more like the after-effects of monsters pillaging the land? Jin-Woo scooped a little bit of soil and smelt it, before rubbing his hands together to scatter it away little by little . Even the falling soil contained a minute trace, a scent, of magic energy . Maybe it was only the humans that hadn¡¯t noticed the truth yet . It might be that this world had become deeply mired in the magical energy already . It was at this moment, he sensed Cha Hae-In¡¯s movement from afar as she slowly woke up from her slumber . Jin-Woo dusted his hands and stood back up . It was indeed important to worry about the consequences of the transforming world, but there was something even more important than that right now . And that would be to calm Hae-In down, when she¡¯d no doubt start panicking after realising that he wasn¡¯t there . Jin-Woo deliberately made some noises as he approached her . She quickly discovered him and let out a soft sigh of relief . He smiled and greeted her . ¡°Good morning . Did you rest well?¡± Her complexion reddened for some reason . She replied while averting her gaze away from him . ¡°¡­ . . Yes . ¡± Jin-Woo sent her a puzzled look, prompting her to sneakily raise her head . ¡°Where were you coming from?¡± Hae-In¡¯s question sounded cautious . He used the towel around his neck to rub his still-moist hair and replied . ¡°I was washing myself, actually . ¡± Now that he thought about it, she must¡¯ve wanted to clean herself just as badly, too . Especially with all that ocean breeze ¨C even a little bit of exposure would leave behind plenty of salt on one¡¯s skin . ¡®Still, I can¡¯t let a young lady wash herself in a place like this¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo pondered his options for a bit, before a smile floated up on his lips . Going to ¡®that place¡¯ would solve the issues of both taking a bath and breakfast in one go . ¡°I know a hotel with a killer breakfast nearby, so how about going there for our meal?¡± Although she didn¡¯t verbalise her answer, Hae-In must¡¯ve felt really hungry, because she immediately nodded her head, her lips firmly closed shut . Jin-Woo reached out to her and helped her to stand back up, before summoning Kaisel out again . Kiiiaaahk! Hae-In tilted her head while looking at the Sky Dragon unfurl its wings . ¡°But, didn¡¯t you say it was nearby?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s about a five-minute distance if I run with everything I have, so¡­ . Would you like to run alongside me, then?¡± Five minutes at Jin-Woo¡¯s top speed; Hae-In quickly calculated just how far that would be in her head, and without saying anything, she climbed on the back of Kaisel . ¡®Yup, it¡¯s great that she understands me so quickly . ¡¯ Jin-Woo grinned and took his place in front of her . Kaisel flapped its wings and flew up . The Koreans had seen Kaisel fairly often on TV so their reactions were not as severe, but he wondered how the Japanese staff of the hotel would react after seeing his ride . He prayed that the chef working this morning wouldn¡¯t be too frightened . Meanwhile, Kaisel slowly began heading in the direction of the hotel . *** ¡®It¡¯ suddenly appeared out of nowhere . The first person to discover ¡®it¡¯ was a middle-aged man who got evaluated as a rank B Awakened in the Hunter¡¯s Association only a few moments ago . Thud . The man ended up bumping shoulders with ¡®it¡¯ appearing suddenly before him in the middle of the busy street and stopped walking right then . ¡°What the¡­ . ?¡± The man raised his head while chasing after the silhouette of the shadow . There was a big, hulking man of over two metres tall standing right before him . This dangerous sense of wild beast oozed out from the man wearing some sort of leather clothing . No, rather than just some ¡®sense¡¯, this man was a wild beast personified . Since the man¡¯s huge physique was so eye-catching, the gazes of the passersby quickly focused on this person, and the middle-aged man that had run into him . ¡°What¡¯s this? Are they going to fight?¡± ¡°Wow! Look at that man¡¯s size . He¡¯s no joke . Even Mah Dong-Wook would take a bow, man . ¡± ¡°By the way, that uncle must¡¯ve lost his mind . He might end up in the hospital at this rate . ¡± Even though the street was filled with people, there was this heavy silence descending on it . That¡¯s what the middle-aged man thought after becoming the centre of attention of the passersby . Now normally, he¡¯d have apologised and stepped aside, but he was a different person compared to the past . He¡¯d no longer suffer the ignominy of kowtowing before his superior or be ignored by his junior workers . ¡®I¡¯m a rank B Awakened now . ¡¯ Not only that, among the upper tier of the rank B, too . There was no need to act subservient towards a ¡®regular¡¯ person like this who only relied on his massive frame . The middle-aged man carefully put down the bag of documents on the ground and roared out at the top of his lungs . ¡°Oii! You¡¯re supposed to apologise when running into someone!¡± Once his agitated heart began racing away, he felt his magical energy moving vigorously from within every inch of his body . Cells in his flesh were telling him . That he was alive . That he was ready to start a new life as a Hunter . Perhaps suppressed by his spirit, the beast-like man didn¡¯t say anything while standing rooted in the same spot . The middle-aged man saw this reaction and became even more excited . ¡°You think everything will be over just because you¡¯re standing still looking at me like that? If you made a mistake, you¡¯re supposed to admit to it and start begging for forgiveness to the person you¡¯ve wronged¡­ . Ah?! Ah, aaah!!¡± When the huge man grabbed the middle-aged man by his head and lifted the poor man up, the passersby watching began screaming at the top of their lungs . ¡°Ah!! Ah, aaaaah!!¡± Thick, reddish veins bulged on the head of the middle-aged man as he was being squeezed . A bear . No, a tiger; a lion, a shark, a crocodile, a poisonous snake ¨C which predator existing on this world was capable of frightening a human being to this degree? The fear of the predator ingrained into humanity¡¯s DNA caused the middle-aged man to wet his pants . ¡°Ah¡­ . . Ah¡­ . . ¡± And eventually¡­ CRACK! Accompanied by the sounds of something shattering, blood and brain mass splattered to everywhere . ¡°Kyyyaaaaahhk!!¡± The huge man didn¡¯t stop there; he began to voraciously devour the sagging, lifeless body of the middle-aged man on the ground . ¡°He, he¡¯s eating that man!¡± ¡°U-uwaaaah?!¡± ¡°Wha-what the hell is this?! What¡¯s going on?!¡± The noisy meal time came to an end in an instant . The huge ¡®man¡¯ wiped the corners of his mouth, still dirty with bits of flesh, with his hand while slowly standing back up . A wild beast . Not even a hint of intelligence could be seen behind the eyes of the huge man . They definitely resembled a wild beast¡¯s eyes now . While many people screamed and ran away, there were just as many who had failed to recognise the severity of the situation and continued to spectate on the next actions of this huge man . This ¡®wild beast¡¯ roared out towards the humans around it . [Listen well, you lowly humans! Starting from now, I will hunt all of you down!!] The thunderclap-like roar paralysed all who listened . They stood there on the spot shivering, tears rolling down their cheeks . Before anyone had noticed it, sharp fangs were jutting out gloriously from the huge man¡¯s mouth . [My fangs and claws will mercilessly rip apart the flesh and skin of you weaklings!] It was the King of Beasts . The roar from the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs baring its sharp canines reverberated loudly against the entirety of the streets . [I dare you to come and stop me!] *** The Association President Woo Jin-Cheol finally received the report on the ¡®horrifying being¡¯ that appeared in the middle of the city without any prior warning . ¡°How many victims so far?¡± ¡°At the moment, it¡¯s impossible to tally the number of the dead, sir . ¡± The ¡®thing¡¯ was first spotted in the district of Myeong-dong and while moving in a straight line, the creature proceeded to kill every human it laid its eyes on . ¡°When taken into account the direction this creature has taken, its destination could be¡­¡± ¡°¡­ . . It¡¯s the Hunter¡¯s Association, isn¡¯t it?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol bit his lower lip and clenched his fists . ¡°We¡¯ve got our hands full worrying about the d*mn Gate right now, but just where did such a monster even¡­ . . ¡± Unfortunately, there was no time to stew in his anger right now . No, he had to come up with a solution to stop that thing somehow . ¡°What about Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?¡± ¡°We still can¡¯t contact him . ¡± ¡°God d*mn it¡­¡± He cursed out involuntarily . Only a few minutes ago, he heard the news that a Guild stepped forward to stop this monster only to be annihilated without being able to do anything . The only consolation right now was that the creature moved at a slow pace as if it was waiting for someone to show up . But still, it didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out that, as long as it was not stopped soon, the total number of victims would end up being astronomical . In such a situation, the fact that the country¡¯s most powerful combat force couldn¡¯t be reached was probably the worst news imaginable . ¡®If things go wrong, even the country can¡­ . ¡¯ Woo Jin-Cheol gritted his teeth as he kept his mouth shut, his determination firming up . It was then, a welcome piece of news came at his way . ¡°Association President!¡± Woo Jin-Cheol shot up from his seat as an Association employee burst into his office without permission . ¡°Did you get in touch with Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim??¡± ¡°No, sir . That¡¯s not it . However, I just learned that a world-class Hunter staying nearby is getting ready to stop the monster!¡± ¡°What? Really? Who is it?¡± ¡°That is¡­ . ¡± *** Ranked as the number one in the German Hunter community, Lennart Niermann, could sense the aura of the monster approaching closer as it dyed the streets red with blood . ¡®Will I¡­ be able to win?¡¯ Even though he was doubtful, as a Hunter, there was no way he¡¯d ignore the screams of terror coming from the innocent citizens . And when he took a look at the brightening expressions of the escaping citizens as they recognised him, the Hunter ranked twelfth in the American Hunter Bureau¡¯s ¡®Hunter Point¡¯ list, Lennart Niermann was overcome with this great weight of responsibility bearing down on his shoulders . Yes, it was not a matter of whether he could do it or not . No, he simply had to do it . That was the purpose, the duty, of a Hunter . ¡®Maybe¡­ . ¡¯ The reason why he ended up staying in Seoul was probably the trickery of fate so that he could stop that monstrosity with his own two hands . Lennart Niermann formed a grave but determined expression and undid a couple of buttons on his shirt . Just as he was about to take his step towards the monster that finally revealed itself at the far end of the street¡­ . A heavy voice came from behind him . ¡°Get out of the way . ¡± Sponsored Content Chapter 213: Chapter 213 Next day The news of various Hunters had taken over the sports newspapers from the likes of actual athletes or celebrities a long time ago . And on this particular day, a rather sensational headline found itself on one such publication¡¯s front page [Seong Jin-Woo and Cha Hae-In go to a theme park; birth of the strongest couple?]. The articles contained many large photos of the two people in question visiting a theme park, taken by various smartphones . The last image was of them riding on a large monster to fly off to elsewhere The personal affairs of these two Hunters were supposed to be protected and couldn¡¯t be reported to the public, but the boss of this particular newspaper went mad from this massive breaking news and, even under the threat of sanctions, decided to release the article nonetheless Of course, the response had been tremendous The ¡®scandal¡¯ concerning two rank S Hunters whose names everyone could recognise brought about renewed vitality to the psyches of everyone who was fatigued by the constant stream of articles related to the super-massive Gate in the sky The world¡¯s greatest Hunter and Korea¡¯s best female Hunter were dating . Obviously, people would display an incredible amount of interest in this matter Especially online, where the story of the two Hunters was spreading out with an even more rabid intensity ¨C Hang on, if Seong Jin-Woo and Cha Hae-In marry and have a kid together, wouldn¡¯t Seong Jin-Woo Junior go around killing every single monster in the entire world?. ©¸ Seong Jin-Woo Junior LOL. ©¸ It¡¯s not official that they are dating, yet look at all these idiots jumping to conclusions . Tsk, tsk ©¸ Going by that example, you think we got Seong Jin-Woo because his parents were both super duper top Hunters? You sound like a little kid who don¡¯t know how Hunters awaken their powers ©¸ Even then, doesn¡¯t those two dating make you feel excited?. ©¸ I wish it was true . Them having a marriage argument will be an epic encounter that flattens their surroundings . LOL. ¨C I live in the outskirts of Seoul, and when I saw that Gate floating in the sky while travelling near Gangnam, I thought the world was coming to an end . But now that I see the Hunters going on a date like this and enjoying their lives, I feel like there¡¯s hope left for us still and I¡¯m relieved by that ©¸ This . ??. ©¸ I hope TV stations will stop playing special reports on the Gate now ©¸ Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, Cha Hae-In Hunter-nim, whether it¡¯s a super-massive Gate or a super-duper-massive Gate, please stop it for us!. ¡°Tsk, tsk . ¡±. The Chairman of the White Tiger Guild, Baek Yun-Ho, clicked his tongue and folded close the newspaper in his hand He wondered why Hunter Cha Hae-In¡¯s eyes were gleaming suspiciously whenever she looked at Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, and so, this here was the reason However, he wasn¡¯t clicking his tongue because the two of them were going on a date ¡°Look at this headline . It¡¯s complete rubbish . What do they even mean, strongest couple?¡±. Section Chief Ahn Sahng-Min, sitting near his boss and his rather displeased expression, asked him while sounding puzzled ¡°What¡¯s the matter, sir? The way I see it, Hunters Seong Jin-Woo and Cha Hae-In would definitely be worthy of the title of ¡®strongest couple¡¯ . ¡±. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter who Hunter Seong Jin-Woo dates, we¡¯ll still get the ¡®birth of the strongest couple¡¯ anyways, so what¡¯s the point of attaching this sort of a headline?¡±. ¡®Eh?¡¯. Now that it was said out loud, that certainly sounded logical Ahn Sahng-Min began placing all the female Hunters he knew next to Jin-Woo in his mind, and began nodding his head at Baek Yun-Ho¡¯s opinion Even if Hunter Seong was dating that high school girl Hunter, he just couldn¡¯t think of anyone capable of winning against them . None at all The female high school Hunter might be not much to write home about, but well, her partner would be too much of a cheat, after all ¡°You¡¯re completely correct, Chairman . ¡±. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m telling you . ¡±. Ahn Sahng-Min nodded his head again and began sipping the coffee he bought from the vending machine not too long ago . He slowly shifted his gaze outside the window ¡°By the way, this issue with fine dust is really getting serious, sir . I¡¯m actually scared of opening the windows nowadays . ¡±. Ahn Sahng-Min frowned and got up to close the half-open window . However, Baek Yun-Ho stopped him from doing so ¡°Hang on . ¡±. ¡°Sir?¡±. Baek Yun-Ho stood up from his seat and walked over to Ahn Sahng-Min, before opening the window wide to reach outside ¡°This¡­ . This isn¡¯t fine dust at all . ¡±. The feeling he got at the tips of his fingers was icy cold This was actually a fog . Not only that, a fog that carried this extreme coldness, bitter enough to make one¡¯s bones shiver ¡°This is weird . ¡±. It was only around the middle of Autumn, but to think, there would be a wintery fog enveloping the entirety of Seoul . At that moment, he felt this creepy chilling sensation brushing past the back of his neck Baek Yun-Ho¡¯s eyes changed to that of the ¡®Eyes of the Beast¡¯ and he glared outside the window . He muttered to himself, his expression hardening gradually ¡°Something¡­ something feels really off . ¡±. ***. Jin-Woo was the first one to open his eyes Hae-In must¡¯ve been exhausted from yesterday as she hadn¡¯t woken up from her sweet slumber yet Just how long had it been since he greeted the morning together with someone else?. Jin-Woo cautiously got up to make sure not to rouse Hae-In and walked over to the nearby forest ¡®It was definitely around here¡­ . ¡¯. He found the stream he used the last time he was here and washed up . After he was done, he walked back to where Hae-In was still asleep but then¡­ He discovered something strange and his steps came to an abrupt halt ¡®What is this¡­ . ?¡¯. There was this small tree with new buds sprouting up . One might be tempted to say that it was a plant commonly seen anywhere, but the thing was, its leaves were gently shimmering in a silvery colour It was a tree never before seen on Earth, in other words And sure enough, this strange tree was emitting a very faint amount of magical energy, something only Jin-Woo¡¯s level of sensory perception could have picked up on ¡®It¡¯s not from our world . ¡¯. The plant¡¯s magical energy emission was different from that of a monster¡¯s, so it clearly wasn¡¯t one . Jin-Woo observed the tree for a little while longer, before raising his head to discover more of the same silvery leaves here and there It was such a contrast to the sight of regular surrounding trees all drying up gradually ¡®Even the ground¡­ is changing . ¡¯. Was this also the part of the Rulers¡¯ plan? Or, was it more like the after-effects of monsters pillaging the land?. Jin-Woo scooped a little bit of soil and smelt it, before rubbing his hands together to scatter it away little by little . Even the falling soil contained a minute trace, a scent, of magic energy Maybe it was only the humans that hadn¡¯t noticed the truth yet . It might be that this world had become deeply mired in the magical energy already It was at this moment, he sensed Cha Hae-In¡¯s movement from afar as she slowly woke up from her slumber . Jin-Woo dusted his hands and stood back up It was indeed important to worry about the consequences of the transforming world, but there was something even more important than that right now And that would be to calm Hae-In down, when she¡¯d no doubt start panicking after realising that he wasn¡¯t there . Jin-Woo deliberately made some noises as he approached her . She quickly discovered him and let out a soft sigh of relief He smiled and greeted her ¡°Good morning . Did you rest well?¡±. Her complexion reddened for some reason . She replied while averting her gaze away from him ¡°¡­ Yes . ¡±. Jin-Woo sent her a puzzled look, prompting her to sneakily raise her head ¡°Where were you coming from?¡±. Hae-In¡¯s question sounded cautious . He used the towel around his neck to rub his still-moist hair and replied ¡°I was washing myself, actually . ¡±. Now that he thought about it, she must¡¯ve wanted to clean herself just as badly, too . Especially with all that ocean breeze ¨C even a little bit of exposure would leave behind plenty of salt on one¡¯s skin ¡®Still, I can¡¯t let a young lady wash herself in a place like this¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo pondered his options for a bit, before a smile floated up on his lips . Going to ¡®that place¡¯ would solve the issues of both taking a bath and breakfast in one go ¡°I know a hotel with a killer breakfast nearby, so how about going there for our meal?¡±. Although she didn¡¯t verbalise her answer, Hae-In must¡¯ve felt really hungry, because she immediately nodded her head, her lips firmly closed shut Jin-Woo reached out to her and helped her to stand back up, before summoning Kaisel out again Kiiiaaahk!. Hae-In tilted her head while looking at the Sky Dragon unfurl its wings ¡°But, didn¡¯t you say it was nearby?¡±. ¡°Well, it¡¯s about a five-minute distance if I run with everything I have, so¡­ . Would you like to run alongside me, then?¡±. Five minutes at Jin-Woo¡¯s top speed; Hae-In quickly calculated just how far that would be in her head, and without saying anything, she climbed on the back of Kaisel ¡®Yup, it¡¯s great that she understands me so quickly . ¡¯. Jin-Woo grinned and took his place in front of her . Kaisel flapped its wings and flew up The Koreans had seen Kaisel fairly often on TV so their reactions were not as severe, but he wondered how the Japanese staff of the hotel would react after seeing his ride He prayed that the chef working this morning wouldn¡¯t be too frightened . Meanwhile, Kaisel slowly began heading in the direction of the hotel ***. ¡®It¡¯ suddenly appeared out of nowhere The first person to discover ¡®it¡¯ was a middle-aged man who got evaluated as a rank B Awakened in the Hunter¡¯s Association only a few moments ago Thud The man ended up bumping shoulders with ¡®it¡¯ appearing suddenly before him in the middle of the busy street and stopped walking right then ¡°What the¡­ . ?¡±. The man raised his head while chasing after the silhouette of the shadow . There was a big, hulking man of over two metres tall standing right before him This dangerous sense of wild beast oozed out from the man wearing some sort of leather clothing . No, rather than just some ¡®sense¡¯, this man was a wild beast personified Since the man¡¯s huge physique was so eye-catching, the gazes of the passersby quickly focused on this person, and the middle-aged man that had run into him ¡°What¡¯s this? Are they going to fight?¡±. ¡°Wow! Look at that man¡¯s size . He¡¯s no joke . Even Mah Dong-Wook would take a bow, man . ¡±. ¡°By the way, that uncle must¡¯ve lost his mind . He might end up in the hospital at this rate . ¡±. Even though the street was filled with people, there was this heavy silence descending on it . That¡¯s what the middle-aged man thought after becoming the centre of attention of the passersby Now normally, he¡¯d have apologised and stepped aside, but he was a different person compared to the past He¡¯d no longer suffer the ignominy of kowtowing before his superior or be ignored by his junior workers ¡®I¡¯m a rank B Awakened now . ¡¯. Not only that, among the upper tier of the rank B, too . There was no need to act subservient towards a ¡®regular¡¯ person like this who only relied on his massive frame The middle-aged man carefully put down the bag of documents on the ground and roared out at the top of his lungs ¡°Oii! You¡¯re supposed to apologise when running into someone!¡±. Once his agitated heart began racing away, he felt his magical energy moving vigorously from within every inch of his body Cells in his flesh were telling him That he was alive That he was ready to start a new life as a Hunter Perhaps suppressed by his spirit, the beast-like man didn¡¯t say anything while standing rooted in the same spot . The middle-aged man saw this reaction and became even more excited ¡°You think everything will be over just because you¡¯re standing still looking at me like that? If you made a mistake, you¡¯re supposed to admit to it and start begging for forgiveness to the person you¡¯ve wronged¡­ . Ah?! Ah, aaah!!¡±. When the huge man grabbed the middle-aged man by his head and lifted the poor man up, the passersby watching began screaming at the top of their lungs ¡°Ah!! Ah, aaaaah!!¡±. Thick, reddish veins bulged on the head of the middle-aged man as he was being squeezed A bear . No, a tiger; a lion, a shark, a crocodile, a poisonous snake ¨C which predator existing on this world was capable of frightening a human being to this degree?. The fear of the predator ingrained into humanity¡¯s DNA caused the middle-aged man to wet his pants ¡°Ah¡­ Ah¡­ ¡±. And eventually¡­. CRACK!. Accompanied by the sounds of something shattering, blood and brain mass splattered to everywhere ¡°Kyyyaaaaahhk!!¡±. The huge man didn¡¯t stop there; he began to voraciously devour the sagging, lifeless body of the middle-aged man on the ground ¡°He, he¡¯s eating that man!¡±. ¡°U-uwaaaah?!¡±. ¡°Wha-what the hell is this?! What¡¯s going on?!¡±. The noisy meal time came to an end in an instant . The huge ¡®man¡¯ wiped the corners of his mouth, still dirty with bits of flesh, with his hand while slowly standing back up A wild beast Not even a hint of intelligence could be seen behind the eyes of the huge man . They definitely resembled a wild beast¡¯s eyes now While many people screamed and ran away, there were just as many who had failed to recognise the severity of the situation and continued to spectate on the next actions of this huge man This ¡®wild beast¡¯ roared out towards the humans around it [Listen well, you lowly humans! Starting from now, I will hunt all of you down!!]. The thunderclap-like roar paralysed all who listened . They stood there on the spot shivering, tears rolling down their cheeks Before anyone had noticed it, sharp fangs were jutting out gloriously from the huge man¡¯s mouth [My fangs and claws will mercilessly rip apart the flesh and skin of you weaklings!]. It was the King of Beasts . The roar from the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs baring its sharp canines reverberated loudly against the entirety of the streets [I dare you to come and stop me!]. ***. The Association President Woo Jin-Cheol finally received the report on the ¡®horrifying being¡¯ that appeared in the middle of the city without any prior warning ¡°How many victims so far?¡±. ¡°At the moment, it¡¯s impossible to tally the number of the dead, sir . ¡±. The ¡®thing¡¯ was first spotted in the district of Myeong-dong and while moving in a straight line, the creature proceeded to kill every human it laid its eyes on ¡°When taken into account the direction this creature has taken, its destination could be¡­¡±. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s the Hunter¡¯s Association, isn¡¯t it?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol bit his lower lip and clenched his fists ¡°We¡¯ve got our hands full worrying about the d*mn Gate right now, but just where did such a monster even¡­ ¡±. Unfortunately, there was no time to stew in his anger right now . No, he had to come up with a solution to stop that thing somehow ¡°What about Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?¡±. ¡°We still can¡¯t contact him . ¡±. ¡°God d*mn it¡­¡±. He cursed out involuntarily Only a few minutes ago, he heard the news that a Guild stepped forward to stop this monster only to be annihilated without being able to do anything The only consolation right now was that the creature moved at a slow pace as if it was waiting for someone to show up . But still, it didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out that, as long as it was not stopped soon, the total number of victims would end up being astronomical In such a situation, the fact that the country¡¯s most powerful combat force couldn¡¯t be reached was probably the worst news imaginable ¡®If things go wrong, even the country can¡­ . ¡¯. Woo Jin-Cheol gritted his teeth as he kept his mouth shut, his determination firming up . It was then, a welcome piece of news came at his way ¡°Association President!¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol shot up from his seat as an Association employee burst into his office without permission ¡°Did you get in touch with Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim??¡±. ¡°No, sir . That¡¯s not it . However, I just learned that a world-class Hunter staying nearby is getting ready to stop the monster!¡±. ¡°What? Really? Who is it?¡±. ¡°That is¡­ . ¡±. ***. Ranked as the number one in the German Hunter community, Lennart Niermann, could sense the aura of the monster approaching closer as it dyed the streets red with blood ¡®Will I¡­ be able to win?¡¯. Even though he was doubtful, as a Hunter, there was no way he¡¯d ignore the screams of terror coming from the innocent citizens And when he took a look at the brightening expressions of the escaping citizens as they recognised him, the Hunter ranked twelfth in the American Hunter Bureau¡¯s ¡®Hunter Point¡¯ list, Lennart Niermann was overcome with this great weight of responsibility bearing down on his shoulders Yes, it was not a matter of whether he could do it or not . No, he simply had to do it . That was the purpose, the duty, of a Hunter ¡®Maybe¡­ . ¡¯. The reason why he ended up staying in Seoul was probably the trickery of fate so that he could stop that monstrosity with his own two hands Lennart Niermann formed a grave but determined expression and undid a couple of buttons on his shirt . Just as he was about to take his step towards the monster that finally revealed itself at the far end of the street¡­ A heavy voice came from behind him ¡°Get out of the way . ¡±. Chapter 214 Jin-Woo¡¯s smartphone began ringing off the hook as soon as he entered the reception range . ¡®From the Hunter¡¯s Association?¡¯ His expression hardened when he confirmed who the caller was . Could something bad have happened while he was away for a bit? He quickly answered the call . ¨C ¡°H-Hunter-nim?!¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me, Seong Jin-Woo . ¡± He sensed that something was definitely wrong after hearing the urgency in the Association employee¡¯s voice . Feeling suspicious, he quickly asked . ¡°What happened?¡± ¨C ¡°That, that, the thing is, no, hang on, the Association President will explain it to you . Let me patch you through to him right away . ¡± A problem serious enough to make the leader of the Association personally step up? Jin-Woo realised that the matter at hand couldn¡¯t be a simple one and wordlessly waited for the reply . The distinct connecting signal tone soon ended, and as if he had been desperately waiting for the call, Woo Jin-Cheol hurriedly answered the phone, his anxious voice leaking out from the speaker . ¨C ¡°Seong Hunter-nim!! Why couldn¡¯t we get a hold of you?¡± ¡°I was outside the reception range until a moment ago . ¡± Perhaps because of being contaminated by the frequent dungeon breaks, it was almost impossible to contact outside when within that vast ocean of trees . However, he thought it was more than sufficient enough to leave behind his Shadow Soldiers with those whom he wanted to protect . That¡¯s what he believed . ¡®Could the super-massive Gate have opened up while I was in the forest?¡¯ But, there should have been at least two more days left still? All manners of hypotheses bubbled up in Jin-Woo¡¯s mind and just before he could urge Woo Jin-Cheol to spit out the truth, the latter told him the greatly simplified version of the current crisis . ¨C ¡°A monster has appeared in the middle of Seoul and is going on a rampage!¡± Tumble . Jin-Woo had been feeling energised after enjoying a rare break from the action . But now, he felt as if his heart had fallen to the pit of his stomach . ¡°How big is the size of the monster horde??¡± ¨C ¡°No, there¡¯s no horde . It¡¯s just one creature . ¡± ¡®Just one?¡¯ Currently, all Korean Hunters had gathered in Seoul . They were summoned to the city in order to fight against the potential dungeon break from the super-massive Gate, so they should be on their toes, getting ready to move at a moment¡¯s notice . On top of that, the Association was even supplying weapons to those Hunters lacking in proper equipment, too . ¡®But then, they are getting destroyed by a monster that suddenly appeared out of nowhere?¡¯ As Jin-Woo fell ever deeper into confusion, Woo Jin-Cheol hurriedly continued on with his explanation . ¨C ¡°A Guild that tried to fight the creature was annihilated in an instant . It looks like the monster is no ordinary creature at all . ¡± ¡°What about its current location?¡± ¨C ¡°We believe it¡¯s currently near Seoul Grand Hotel . ¡± Could this be chalked up to being mere coincidence? The moment Woo Jin-Cheol mentioned the name of the ultra-luxurious hotel where Thomas Andre was staying, Jin-Woo felt this sense of creeping unease tickle him in his throat . Sure enough¡­ . The Association President¡¯s voice speaking the American¡¯s name was filled to the brim with anxiety . ¨C ¡°I received a call not too long ago that Thomas Andre Hunter-nim was getting ready to fight the monster . ¡± But, that couldn¡¯t be . Just in case, Jin-Woo had left a Shadow Soldier behind with Thomas Andre . The order issued to the soldier was to ¡®send a signal right away if something strange is sensed in the immediate vicinity¡¯ . But then, the target for protection started fighting alone against a monster capable of wiping out a Guild and yet, there was no signal? ¡®¡­ . Hang on . ¡¯ Only now did Jin-Woo realise something was off . The signals coming from the Shadow Soldiers spread throughout Seoul were extremely weak . As if something was interfering with the transmission . ¡®What is going on?¡¯ An enemy possessing incredible power, a Special Authority-rank Hunter fighting it, and finally, signals being blocked off . Could it be? One distinct possibility popped up in Jin-Woo¡¯s head . He asked in a hurry to confirm . ¡°Association President! Did that monster possess a shadow?¡± ¨C ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Please, confirm if that monster has a shadow!¡± Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s voice seemingly got cut out for a moment, then ¨C before continuing on with greater urgency . ¨C ¡°How can this be¡­ . You¡¯re right, Seong Hunter-nim! I just confirmed with the photos, and the monster does not have a shadow!¡± ¡®Oh, my god . ¡¯ Jin-Woo recalled that the Ice Elf attacking Goh Gun-Hui also didn¡¯t possess a shadow and loudly cried out . ¡°You must never let Thomas Andre fight that monster!¡± There was a good chance that the monster had been aiming for Thomas Andre all along . ¨C ¡°Excuse me? But, they have already¡­ . ¡± Time was of the essence right now . Jin-Woo realised that he had no need to listen to any further explanation and tried to activate ¡®Shadow Exchange¡¯ with the Shadow Soldier attached to Thomas Andre . Tti-ring . Accompanied by a rather ominous-sounding alert noise, a clear holographic message suddenly popped up in his view . [The designated Shadow Soldier cannot be located . ] Jin-Woo tried several times more, but it was the same story . Tti-ring, tti-ring¡­ . [The designated Shadow Soldier cannot be located . ] [The designated Shadow Soldier cannot be located . ] ¡®How could this be!¡¯ Jin-Woo began freaking out, his expression gradually hardening like stone . ¡®My soldier¡­ has disappeared?¡¯ The Shadow Soldier he needed to use as his coordinates for the skill ¡®Shadow Exchange¡¯ had disappeared without a trace, somehow . He couldn¡¯t detect any trace of that particular solder at all . And he could now definitely sense that the connection he shared with the soldier attached to Thomas Andre had been severed, just like when he sent some of the soldiers back to the void . The cancellation of the Shadow Soldier independent of his will?? A confused-sounding voice leaked out of Jin-Woo¡¯s mouth next . ¡°What the hell has happened here?¡± *** Lennart Niermann heard the weighty voice coming from behind him . ¡°Get out of the way . ¡± The German had experienced a similar sort of situation before, but the emotion he felt right now was quite different compared to back then . ¡°Thomas Andre!¡± The giant of a man large enough to block out the sun, that¡¯s Thomas Andre . Lennart Niermann¡¯s expression brightened the moment he discovered the American standing behind him . Thomas Andre wordlessly walked past Lennart and slowly went up ahead . Even those screaming people running away from the scene recognised the Special Authority-rank Hunter and his hulking physique, and their steps all gradually came to a stop . ¡°He, he¡¯s that American Hunter¡­ . . ¡± ¡°T-Thomas Andre??¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Goliath! THE Goliath!!¡± Even the first rate Hunter Lennart Niermann felt his heart pound excitedly when seeing Thomas Andre¡¯s broad back as he walked forward . So, how would the regular people feel, when they were desperately fleeing in terror from the monster¡¯s dense killing intent? ¡°Ah, ah!¡± ¡°Oh, dear lord! Thank you!¡± Some people even began plopping down on the ground from the sense of relief robbing their built-up tension, knowing that one of the world¡¯s best Hunters had come to save them . Meanwhile, Thomas Andre angrily shouted at the other Hunters nearby who were all frozen stiff from the powerful pressure emitted by the unknown monster . ¡°Stop standing around like idiots, and start evacuating these citizens, you b*stards!¡± The roar from the Special Authority-rank Hunter was more than enough to blow away the stifling pressure dulling the thought process of the other Hunters . They understood his intention through that thunderous roar and began grabbing those citizens that had fallen behind to drag them far away from Thomas Andre . Lennart Niermann also cooperated with the evacuation of the powerless citizens along with his Korean counterparts . The American stood tall in the middle of the street as if to protect them . And that ¡®monster¡¯ slowly made its way over in his direction . The Special Authority-rank Hunter took off his sunglasses, his eyes narrowing to a slit . ¡°¡­ . ¡± What he saw was a beast covered in blood . Although it vaguely looked like one, there was simply no way that thing was a human being . Veins bulged on Thomas Andre¡¯s face as he spotted the bits and pieces of the victims strewn messily about behind this ¡®beast¡¯ . ¡°A stinking beast who doesn¡¯t know its place has rampaged around for far too long . ¡± As if to mock Thomas Andre¡¯s rage, the ¡®beast¡¯ bared its fangs covered in bits of flesh in a toothy grin . Putting down a crazed animal was a universal truth, no matter where one was from . Thomas Andre¡¯s eyes became incomparably murderous right away . ¡°Reinforcement . ¡± His muscles transformed like armour and his already-hulking physique grew larger and larger than before . As far as one¡¯s physical size was concerned, he was a step larger than this monster . To find out the gap in the strength, Thomas Andre rushed towards his target . A tank! People watching and sensing the ground tremble every time he took a step forward instinctively pictured a powerful tank . The beast smacked its lips at the appearance of a new prey and made its move as well . Two giants closed their distance in an instant and stood before each other . At first, they exchanged glances studying their new opponent, and soon, they squeezed their muscles laden with massive magical energy while roaring out at the same time . Two monstrous beings and their fists powerful enough to crush concrete like tofu began exploding out like bullets towards one another . Boomboomboomboomboomboom!! This exchange of fists relied solely on brute force with no consideration towards any type of techniques . Hunters watching on were left absolutely awestruck by this spectacle . Just being kissed by one of those fists would result in instant death for these Hunters . But these two were trading such lethal blows without even taking a breather, without even bothering to block them, as if these punches were just light probing jabs . ¡®It¡¯s working . ¡¯ Thomas Andre grew sure of it now . Pow! His punch caused the beast¡¯s head to spin to the side . This heavy sensation of impact got transmitted to his left hand . This attack definitely worked . After losing to Jin-Woo, the Goliath felt his confidence had plummeted somewhat, but through this dogfight, he felt it growing back again . Boomboomboomboomboomboom!! The continuous stream of powerful punches pushed the beast gradually backwards . Grabbing hold of this opening, Thomas Andre¡¯s fearsome full swing of his fist floored the b*stard right into the ground . Kwa-boooom!! Kwa-jeeeeeeeck! The beast was shoved away as the concrete below split apart from the sheer force . The creature smashed into the side of a building and demolished its wall; only then did it finally stop moving . Other Hunters watching on punched the air and celebrated, but the person responsible, Thomas Andre himself, didn¡¯t display any hints of joy . ¡®No, that was wrong . It wasn¡¯t¡­ . as deep as I wanted . ¡¯ The thick dust cloud spread out, obscuring the vision . However, he could still sense the presence of the beast emitting the dense murderous intent from beyond the collapsed debris of the building . Swish-! Swiiish-!! Suddenly, heavy hunks of metal flew out from the dust and at Thomas Andre¡¯s location . He smacked these flying cars away from him and quickly activated the skill, ¡®Capture¡¯, to yank the beast hidden from his sight closer to his position . Wuuwoong! The resisting beast was brought right up to the American¡¯s nose; he immediately activated his strongest skill . ¡°Demolition!!¡± Muscles on both of Thomas Andre¡¯s arms ballooned up until they nearly popped . He slammed down on the ground with everything he had . KWA-BOOM!! The horrifying shockwave arising from the ground pummelled the beast . [Kuuwahhh!!] The beast cried out in agony as it was flung into the air before it came crashing back down . Thomas Andre seized upon this chance and jumped on top of the monster, before proceeding to rain down his fists laden with an unbelievable amount of magic energy . Skill ¡®Power Smash¡¯!! Boomboomboomboomboomboom!! Waaaah!! The citizens watching the battle between the Goliath and the beast from afar with anxious minds all began raising excited cheers . Even the Hunters began breaking out in relieved smiles as well . No matter who saw it, this fight now had a clear victor . It was an overwhelming victory befitting the Special Authority-rank Hunter, often referred to as the world¡¯s best . However¡­ . Thicker and thicker drops of cold sweat began forming on Thomas Andre¡¯s forehead even as he mercilessly pummelled the beast down below . ¡®What is this?¡¯ What was this anxiety, born from this sensation of a noose gradually tightening around his neck the closer he got to his victory? Each and every one of his attacks was landing splendidly, and the beast being floored down below wasn¡¯t showing any signs of resistance . So, why¡­ . ? ¡®Why do I feel this anxious, even though I¡¯m clearly in an advantageous position?¡¯ Fairly quickly, though, Thomas Andre got to discover the source of his anxiety . It was the eyes . From the very beginning of the fight right up until now, the beast had been looking at him with the exact same apathetic eyes, even going so far to completely disregard the indiscriminate outpouring of his attacks . It was as if the thing was mocking him, telling him to try and give his best shot . Grit . The Goliath was thoroughly enraged and raised his interlocked fists up high . His shoulder muscles expanded in an instant, and thick veins bulged on his skin . Horrifying amounts of magic energy flowed into his shoulders, arms, wrists and fists, emitting a bone-chilling aura at the same time . With this, it¡¯d be the end . Could this beast reopen those eyes again after being struck by ¡®Demolition¡¯ right in the epicentre of the skill? With everything he had, Thomas Andre slammed down both of his fists . ¡°Demolition!!!!¡± It was then . He clearly saw it . He saw the beast close its eyes for the briefest of brief moments before opening them to reveal that those eyes, previously resembling that of a human¡¯s, now fully resembling a wild predator¡¯s . Grab . The beast leisurely raised one hand up to easily stop Thomas Andre¡¯s two fists swung down with all his might . ¡°¡­ . . ??¡± The American looked at his hands, now held tight and couldn¡¯t be pulled back at all, and felt a chill run down his back . [Even though you¡¯re a mere puppet of a Fragment, you managed to drag out this much power . ] The sounds similar to a predator growling caused Thomas Andre¡¯s expression to crumble . ¡°What was that?¡± Right at that moment . The black hair of the beast began to grow longer and longer as its colour changed to white . That wasn¡¯t all; the nails resembling awls grew lengthier as well, while its fangs grew sharper, too . Soon, whitish fur covered its entire body . ¡®A Werewolf?!¡¯ Unfortunately, there never had been a single instance of a white Werewolf making its appearance in ten years of humans going on raids . ¡°You¡­ . Just what is your true identity?¡± Thomas Andre threw that question out as he felt this ominous chill from the disgusting, vile magical energy oozing out from the beast¡¯s eyes . Too bad, the creature didn¡¯t bother to answer him and proceeded to shatter the bones in the human¡¯s hands with nothing but sheer physical strength . Wuduk!! ¡°Wuuuuaaahk!!¡± < Chapter 214 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 214: Chapter 214 Jin-Woo¡¯s smartphone began ringing off the hook as soon as he entered the reception range ¡®From the Hunter¡¯s Association?¡¯. His expression hardened when he confirmed who the caller was . Could something bad have happened while he was away for a bit?. He quickly answered the call ¨C ¡°H-Hunter-nim?!¡±. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me, Seong Jin-Woo . ¡±. He sensed that something was definitely wrong after hearing the urgency in the Association employee¡¯s voice . Feeling suspicious, he quickly asked ¡°What happened?¡±. ¨C ¡°That, that, the thing is, no, hang on, the Association President will explain it to you . Let me patch you through to him right away . ¡±. A problem serious enough to make the leader of the Association personally step up?. Jin-Woo realised that the matter at hand couldn¡¯t be a simple one and wordlessly waited for the reply . The distinct connecting signal tone soon ended, and as if he had been desperately waiting for the call, Woo Jin-Cheol hurriedly answered the phone, his anxious voice leaking out from the speaker ¨C ¡°Seong Hunter-nim!! Why couldn¡¯t we get a hold of you?¡±. ¡°I was outside the reception range until a moment ago . ¡±. Perhaps because of being contaminated by the frequent dungeon breaks, it was almost impossible to contact outside when within that vast ocean of trees However, he thought it was more than sufficient enough to leave behind his Shadow Soldiers with those whom he wanted to protect . That¡¯s what he believed ¡®Could the super-massive Gate have opened up while I was in the forest?¡¯. But, there should have been at least two more days left still?. All manners of hypotheses bubbled up in Jin-Woo¡¯s mind and just before he could urge Woo Jin-Cheol to spit out the truth, the latter told him the greatly simplified version of the current crisis ¨C ¡°A monster has appeared in the middle of Seoul and is going on a rampage!¡±. Tumble Jin-Woo had been feeling energised after enjoying a rare break from the action . But now, he felt as if his heart had fallen to the pit of his stomach ¡°How big is the size of the monster horde??¡±. ¨C ¡°No, there¡¯s no horde . It¡¯s just one creature . ¡±. ¡®Just one?¡¯. Currently, all Korean Hunters had gathered in Seoul They were summoned to the city in order to fight against the potential dungeon break from the super-massive Gate, so they should be on their toes, getting ready to move at a moment¡¯s notice On top of that, the Association was even supplying weapons to those Hunters lacking in proper equipment, too ¡®But then, they are getting destroyed by a monster that suddenly appeared out of nowhere?¡¯. As Jin-Woo fell ever deeper into confusion, Woo Jin-Cheol hurriedly continued on with his explanation ¨C ¡°A Guild that tried to fight the creature was annihilated in an instant . It looks like the monster is no ordinary creature at all . ¡±. ¡°What about its current location?¡±. ¨C ¡°We believe it¡¯s currently near Seoul Grand Hotel . ¡±. Could this be chalked up to being mere coincidence?. The moment Woo Jin-Cheol mentioned the name of the ultra-luxurious hotel where Thomas Andre was staying, Jin-Woo felt this sense of creeping unease tickle him in his throat Sure enough¡­ The Association President¡¯s voice speaking the American¡¯s name was filled to the brim with anxiety ¨C ¡°I received a call not too long ago that Thomas Andre Hunter-nim was getting ready to fight the monster . ¡±. But, that couldn¡¯t be Just in case, Jin-Woo had left a Shadow Soldier behind with Thomas Andre . The order issued to the soldier was to ¡®send a signal right away if something strange is sensed in the immediate vicinity¡¯ But then, the target for protection started fighting alone against a monster capable of wiping out a Guild and yet, there was no signal?. ¡®¡­ . Hang on . ¡¯. Only now did Jin-Woo realise something was off The signals coming from the Shadow Soldiers spread throughout Seoul were extremely weak . As if something was interfering with the transmission ¡®What is going on?¡¯. An enemy possessing incredible power, a Special Authority-rank Hunter fighting it, and finally, signals being blocked off Could it be?. One distinct possibility popped up in Jin-Woo¡¯s head . He asked in a hurry to confirm ¡°Association President! Did that monster possess a shadow?¡±. ¨C ¡°Excuse me?¡±. ¡°Please, confirm if that monster has a shadow!¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s voice seemingly got cut out for a moment, then ¨C before continuing on with greater urgency ¨C ¡°How can this be¡­ . You¡¯re right, Seong Hunter-nim! I just confirmed with the photos, and the monster does not have a shadow!¡±. ¡®Oh, my god . ¡¯. Jin-Woo recalled that the Ice Elf attacking Goh Gun-Hui also didn¡¯t possess a shadow and loudly cried out ¡°You must never let Thomas Andre fight that monster!¡±. There was a good chance that the monster had been aiming for Thomas Andre all along ¨C ¡°Excuse me? But, they have already¡­ . ¡±. Time was of the essence right now Jin-Woo realised that he had no need to listen to any further explanation and tried to activate ¡®Shadow Exchange¡¯ with the Shadow Soldier attached to Thomas Andre Tti-ring Accompanied by a rather ominous-sounding alert noise, a clear holographic message suddenly popped up in his view [The designated Shadow Soldier cannot be located . ]. Jin-Woo tried several times more, but it was the same story Tti-ring, tti-ring¡­ [The designated Shadow Soldier cannot be located . ]. [The designated Shadow Soldier cannot be located . ]. ¡®How could this be!¡¯. Jin-Woo began freaking out, his expression gradually hardening like stone ¡®My soldier¡­ has disappeared?¡¯. The Shadow Soldier he needed to use as his coordinates for the skill ¡®Shadow Exchange¡¯ had disappeared without a trace, somehow He couldn¡¯t detect any trace of that particular solder at all And he could now definitely sense that the connection he shared with the soldier attached to Thomas Andre had been severed, just like when he sent some of the soldiers back to the void The cancellation of the Shadow Soldier independent of his will??. A confused-sounding voice leaked out of Jin-Woo¡¯s mouth next ¡°What the hell has happened here?¡±. ***. Lennart Niermann heard the weighty voice coming from behind him ¡°Get out of the way . ¡±. The German had experienced a similar sort of situation before, but the emotion he felt right now was quite different compared to back then ¡°Thomas Andre!¡±. The giant of a man large enough to block out the sun, that¡¯s Thomas Andre . Lennart Niermann¡¯s expression brightened the moment he discovered the American standing behind him Thomas Andre wordlessly walked past Lennart and slowly went up ahead Even those screaming people running away from the scene recognised the Special Authority-rank Hunter and his hulking physique, and their steps all gradually came to a stop ¡°He, he¡¯s that American Hunter¡­ ¡±. ¡°T-Thomas Andre??¡±. ¡°It¡¯s the Goliath! THE Goliath!!¡±. Even the first rate Hunter Lennart Niermann felt his heart pound excitedly when seeing Thomas Andre¡¯s broad back as he walked forward . So, how would the regular people feel, when they were desperately fleeing in terror from the monster¡¯s dense killing intent?. ¡°Ah, ah!¡±. ¡°Oh, dear lord! Thank you!¡±. Some people even began plopping down on the ground from the sense of relief robbing their built-up tension, knowing that one of the world¡¯s best Hunters had come to save them Meanwhile, Thomas Andre angrily shouted at the other Hunters nearby who were all frozen stiff from the powerful pressure emitted by the unknown monster ¡°Stop standing around like idiots, and start evacuating these citizens, you b*stards!¡±. The roar from the Special Authority-rank Hunter was more than enough to blow away the stifling pressure dulling the thought process of the other Hunters They understood his intention through that thunderous roar and began grabbing those citizens that had fallen behind to drag them far away from Thomas Andre . Lennart Niermann also cooperated with the evacuation of the powerless citizens along with his Korean counterparts The American stood tall in the middle of the street as if to protect them . And that ¡®monster¡¯ slowly made its way over in his direction The Special Authority-rank Hunter took off his sunglasses, his eyes narrowing to a slit ¡°¡­ . ¡±. What he saw was a beast covered in blood . Although it vaguely looked like one, there was simply no way that thing was a human being Veins bulged on Thomas Andre¡¯s face as he spotted the bits and pieces of the victims strewn messily about behind this ¡®beast¡¯ ¡°A stinking beast who doesn¡¯t know its place has rampaged around for far too long . ¡±. As if to mock Thomas Andre¡¯s rage, the ¡®beast¡¯ bared its fangs covered in bits of flesh in a toothy grin Putting down a crazed animal was a universal truth, no matter where one was from . Thomas Andre¡¯s eyes became incomparably murderous right away ¡°Reinforcement . ¡±. His muscles transformed like armour and his already-hulking physique grew larger and larger than before . As far as one¡¯s physical size was concerned, he was a step larger than this monster To find out the gap in the strength, Thomas Andre rushed towards his target A tank!. People watching and sensing the ground tremble every time he took a step forward instinctively pictured a powerful tank The beast smacked its lips at the appearance of a new prey and made its move as well Two giants closed their distance in an instant and stood before each other . At first, they exchanged glances studying their new opponent, and soon, they squeezed their muscles laden with massive magical energy while roaring out at the same time Two monstrous beings and their fists powerful enough to crush concrete like tofu began exploding out like bullets towards one another Boomboomboomboomboomboom!!. This exchange of fists relied solely on brute force with no consideration towards any type of techniques . Hunters watching on were left absolutely awestruck by this spectacle Just being kissed by one of those fists would result in instant death for these Hunters . But these two were trading such lethal blows without even taking a breather, without even bothering to block them, as if these punches were just light probing jabs ¡®It¡¯s working . ¡¯. Thomas Andre grew sure of it now Pow!. His punch caused the beast¡¯s head to spin to the side . This heavy sensation of impact got transmitted to his left hand . This attack definitely worked After losing to Jin-Woo, the Goliath felt his confidence had plummeted somewhat, but through this dogfight, he felt it growing back again Boomboomboomboomboomboom!!. The continuous stream of powerful punches pushed the beast gradually backwards . Grabbing hold of this opening, Thomas Andre¡¯s fearsome full swing of his fist floored the b*stard right into the ground Kwa-boooom!!. Kwa-jeeeeeeeck!. The beast was shoved away as the concrete below split apart from the sheer force . The creature smashed into the side of a building and demolished its wall; only then did it finally stop moving Other Hunters watching on punched the air and celebrated, but the person responsible, Thomas Andre himself, didn¡¯t display any hints of joy ¡®No, that was wrong . It wasn¡¯t¡­ . as deep as I wanted . ¡¯. The thick dust cloud spread out, obscuring the vision . However, he could still sense the presence of the beast emitting the dense murderous intent from beyond the collapsed debris of the building Swish-!. Swiiish-!!. Suddenly, heavy hunks of metal flew out from the dust and at Thomas Andre¡¯s location . He smacked these flying cars away from him and quickly activated the skill, ¡®Capture¡¯, to yank the beast hidden from his sight closer to his position Wuuwoong!. The resisting beast was brought right up to the American¡¯s nose; he immediately activated his strongest skill ¡°Demolition!!¡±. Muscles on both of Thomas Andre¡¯s arms ballooned up until they nearly popped . He slammed down on the ground with everything he had KWA-BOOM!!. The horrifying shockwave arising from the ground pummelled the beast [Kuuwahhh!!]. The beast cried out in agony as it was flung into the air before it came crashing back down Thomas Andre seized upon this chance and jumped on top of the monster, before proceeding to rain down his fists laden with an unbelievable amount of magic energy Skill ¡®Power Smash¡¯!!. Boomboomboomboomboomboom!!. Waaaah!!. The citizens watching the battle between the Goliath and the beast from afar with anxious minds all began raising excited cheers . Even the Hunters began breaking out in relieved smiles as well No matter who saw it, this fight now had a clear victor . It was an overwhelming victory befitting the Special Authority-rank Hunter, often referred to as the world¡¯s best However¡­ Thicker and thicker drops of cold sweat began forming on Thomas Andre¡¯s forehead even as he mercilessly pummelled the beast down below ¡®What is this?¡¯. What was this anxiety, born from this sensation of a noose gradually tightening around his neck the closer he got to his victory?. Each and every one of his attacks was landing splendidly, and the beast being floored down below wasn¡¯t showing any signs of resistance So, why¡­ . ?. ¡®Why do I feel this anxious, even though I¡¯m clearly in an advantageous position?¡¯. Fairly quickly, though, Thomas Andre got to discover the source of his anxiety It was the eyes From the very beginning of the fight right up until now, the beast had been looking at him with the exact same apathetic eyes, even going so far to completely disregard the indiscriminate outpouring of his attacks It was as if the thing was mocking him, telling him to try and give his best shot Grit The Goliath was thoroughly enraged and raised his interlocked fists up high His shoulder muscles expanded in an instant, and thick veins bulged on his skin . Horrifying amounts of magic energy flowed into his shoulders, arms, wrists and fists, emitting a bone-chilling aura at the same time With this, it¡¯d be the end Could this beast reopen those eyes again after being struck by ¡®Demolition¡¯ right in the epicentre of the skill?. With everything he had, Thomas Andre slammed down both of his fists ¡°Demolition!!!!¡±. It was then He clearly saw it He saw the beast close its eyes for the briefest of brief moments before opening them to reveal that those eyes, previously resembling that of a human¡¯s, now fully resembling a wild predator¡¯s Grab The beast leisurely raised one hand up to easily stop Thomas Andre¡¯s two fists swung down with all his might ¡°¡­ ??¡±. The American looked at his hands, now held tight and couldn¡¯t be pulled back at all, and felt a chill run down his back [Even though you¡¯re a mere puppet of a Fragment, you managed to drag out this much power . ]. The sounds similar to a predator growling caused Thomas Andre¡¯s expression to crumble ¡°What was that?¡±. Right at that moment The black hair of the beast began to grow longer and longer as its colour changed to white That wasn¡¯t all; the nails resembling awls grew lengthier as well, while its fangs grew sharper, too . Soon, whitish fur covered its entire body ¡®A Werewolf?!¡¯. Unfortunately, there never had been a single instance of a white Werewolf making its appearance in ten years of humans going on raids ¡°You¡­ . Just what is your true identity?¡±. Thomas Andre threw that question out as he felt this ominous chill from the disgusting, vile magical energy oozing out from the beast¡¯s eyes Too bad, the creature didn¡¯t bother to answer him and proceeded to shatter the bones in the human¡¯s hands with nothing but sheer physical strength Wuduk!!. ¡°Wuuuuaaahk!!¡±. < Chapter 214 > Fin Chapter 215 Unbridled astonishment! The strongest Hunter screamed out and everyone else in the vicinity couldn¡¯t hide their shock and astonishment . The helicopter dispatched from the TV station flying in the air filmed in its entirety Thomas Andre suffering in great pain . Right in the middle of Korea¡¯s capital city, Seoul, where the focus of the world had gathered due to the appearance of the super-massive Gate ¨C to think, a Special Authority-rank Hunter trying to stop a monster was screaming out in pain like that? ¡°How can this be¡­ . ??¡± All those watching the two being¡¯s fight, whether in the location itself or through various screens, prayed fervently in their hearts that this wasn¡¯t the end of this battle . Too bad, the ¡®beast¡¯ snatched and then, slammed Thomas Andre¡¯s wrists into the ground as if to mock their prayers . BOOM!! It then climbed on top of Thomas Andre, reversing the previous position . ¡°Keo-heok!¡± Blood spewed out from the Goliath¡¯s mouth as he bitterly resisted even with his broken hands, but now that the beast had fully revealed its true powers, he was unable to endure against his opponent¡¯s physical prowess . The beast stomped on Thomas Andre¡¯s face and roared loudly into the sky . Kuuwaaaaahhh-!! The horrifying howl loud enough to tear out the eardrums of everyone listening reverberated like a thunderclap in the city¡¯s streets . A predator didn¡¯t fight . It simply hunted its prey . The Hunters nearby were overwhelmed by the howl containing an inconceivable amount of magical energy and began kneeling down one by one from the closest position to the furthest back . As for Thomas Andre, the closest one to hear the howling, his eardrums had ruptured and blood leaked out from his ears . The beast smirked derisively . [Are you scared now?] One of the joys a hunter could derive from the process of hunting was seeing the prey shiver in fear . However, Thomas Andre didn¡¯t give up . He clenched his messed-up fist with great difficulty and threw a counterattack . Pow! Quite unlike before, when they exchanged many crippling blows earlier, the beast¡¯s head didn¡¯t even rock once . The wall . He looked into the disinterested eyes of the beast glaring down at him and began picturing an imposing wall stretching endlessly into the sky standing tall to block his path . He had felt something similar to this once before . What a strange thing this was; for a moment there, Thomas Andre thought he saw Jin-Woo within the beast¡¯s glare . ¡®But, how come¡­ . ?¡¯ He didn¡¯t have any chance to sort out his confusion, though, as an attack from the beast rocked his head violently side to side, the ground underneath caving into a crater . BOOM!! ¡°Keok!¡± That was just the start of the onslaught, though . Boomboomboomboomboom!! Just like how he had done, the beast began raining down powerful attacks from above . As if to teach the human what true attacks looked like, the vicious punches continuously slammed down without mercy . Boomboomboomboomboom!! Thomas Andre¡¯s lips continued to issue pained grunts over and over again, unlike back then when the beast simply withstood his punches . ¡°Keo-heok!¡± It was then; the beast, in the midst of enjoying the pain of its prey, discovered something odd just beyond the human . [¡­ . ??] The beast stopped its attacks . What it was glaring at, as if to bore a hole into it, was Thomas Andre¡¯s shadow . [I see that there¡¯s a rat hiding in there . ] Stab! The beast stabbed its hand deep into the shadow and grabbed ¡®something¡¯ within the subspace . Paht! When the creature pulled its hand out, an ant soldier hiding inside the human¡¯s shadow was dragged out along as well . The beast stood upright again . The ant soldier, its neck tightly grabbed by the powerful grip, desperately struggled but the monster didn¡¯t even budge from the spot . ¡°Kiiieehk!¡± This one was a soldier belonging to the Shadow Sovereign . It was impossible to destroy an immortal soldier like this one through regular means . However, the creature holding onto the ant¡¯s neck was no ordinary being, either . The Sovereign of Beastly Fangs was a higher existence . It simply focused the energy inherent within the spiritual body to erase this ant soldier from the very fabric of existence altogether . ¡°Kiiahk!¡± The ant soldier spat out a short death throe and turned into dust, returning to the void beyond . The beast grinned as it watched the grey ash scatter in the air . It was then . Thomas Andre got up and positioned himself behind the beast before anyone had noticed it . He then wrapped his arm around the creature¡¯s neck and secured his grip with the other arm . If he lacked teeth, then he¡¯d bite with his gums, instead! His hands may be broken, but his arms and shoulders were still fine . Thick veins bulged on his arms as he poured in all his might to exert enough pressure to crush a steel beam in one breath . ¡°Pant, pant¡­ . ¡± Thomas Andre continued to gasp out breathlessly and concentrated on this final attack . There would be nothing left after this . His eyes shot wide open in concentration as he clenched his teeth, fully knowing that he¡¯d get killed if he missed this chance . Wududuk, wuduk¡­ . He heard the displeasing noises similar to bones being crushed into powder . If that was the sound of the enemy¡¯s neck breaking, then there was still a chance of victory here . ¡®¡­ . I¡¯ve done it!¡¯ Unfortunately, the incoming rush of pain had been slightly delayed by the adrenaline coursing through his body . Thomas Andre bore the full brunt and screamed out in agony . ¡°Wuaaaaahhhk!!¡± The beast shattered the American¡¯s arms locked onto its neck with nothing but sheer physical hand grip . It then grabbed his head with both hands before proceeding to slam him down on the ground . THUD! Viewers watching this scene through their screens saw the Goliath¡¯s arms dangling around and quickly averted their gazes . It was a scene they simply couldn¡¯t bear to watch with their eyes open . Too bad, the horrifying scene didn¡¯t stop there and continued on . The beast pounced on the sprawled Goliath and began biting him . The predator¡¯s mealtime had begun . Dozens of sharp, knife-like fangs began tearing into Thomas Andre¡¯s skin and made a mess out of his flesh . ¡°Euh-euhk! Wuaahk!!¡± He didn¡¯t give up until the end and continued to desperately struggle, but it was obvious that he had no chance in hell right now . His blood poured out and the bits of his flesh flung into the air . ¡°Wuuuaahk!¡± Seeing this horrendous, sickening sight, the other Hunters supposedly guarding the location began backtracking inadvertently in terror . As for the regular people that had bet their hopes on the Goliath, they had scattered away in fear a long time ago after seeing the incoming end result . However, something unexpected happened then; among the ranks of the hesitating Hunters, one man dashed forward like a bolt of lightning and ran straight towards the beast . Boom-!! The monster had been drunk on the victory and the taste of its loot, so it got caught unaware and was struck cleanly by this unexpected attack, which resulted in it getting flung away . It was none other than Lennart Niermann . Germany¡¯s best Hunter quickly stood next to the grievously wounded Goliath . Thomas Andre recognised Lennart and somehow managed to squeeze out his voice . ¡°Run¡­ away¡­ . ¡± However, Lennart shook his hardened face . ¡°I¡¯m also a Hunter, you know . ¡± ¡®¡­ . Although I¡¯m far weaker than you . ¡¯ Back when he Awakened his powers and made up his mind to become a Hunter, Lennart had promised himself this one thing ¨C that he¡¯d never turn his back on a comrade . Sure, they might not even be in the same team, but from Lennart¡¯s perspective, Thomas Andre was an exemplary comrade who was fighting against a common enemy . Didn¡¯t matter what the American thought of him, because as a Hunter, the German simply couldn¡¯t back away from this situation . ¡®However¡­ . Just staring at that thing face to face is making me break out in cold sweat here . ¡¯ Lennart watched the beast¡¯s expression crumple unsightly after its mealtime had been unceremoniously interrupted, and his own legs began turning to jelly right then . Seeing him shiver like that, Thomas Andre opened his mouth again . ¡°You¡­ will¡­ die¡­ . ¡± He knew that already . Of course, Lennart knew that . He didn¡¯t even have his equipment with him . And his strongest one-hit-kill trump card, the skill ¡®Charge¡¯, only managed to shove the beast away . Germany¡¯s best Hunter? 12th in the world rankings? He knew better than anyone that such things had no meaning in the current situation . Even then¡­ ¡®¡­ . I don¡¯t regret anything . ¡¯ Even if this moment turned out to be his last, he¡¯d still choose exactly the same over and over again . Rather than the life of a coward, he would choose to go out in a blaze of glory! ¡®I¡¯m not wrong . I am not wrong!¡¯ Lennart continued to psyche himself up as he glared at the massive power gradually running faster and faster towards him . ¡®I¡¯m definitely not wrong!¡¯ He locked his eyes on the chill-inducing maw of the beast opening up wide as the monster closed the distance in an instant . Lennart summoned up every ounce of energy and swung his fist . For a very moment there, the life he led up until this moment flashed past him like a revolving lantern . He didn¡¯t even work that hard yet this incredible power was handed to him, allowing him to live an overabundant and perhaps undeserved lifestyle . But, he did live a happy life, didn¡¯t he? That¡¯s right, he did . A grin floated up on Lennart¡¯s lips as he saw the beast¡¯s throat approaching ever closer . Indeed, he was not wrong . Right up until the end, he didn¡¯t live an embarrassing life . Just before the beast¡¯s maw swallowed his head, Lennart quietly closed his eyes, thinking that there would be no more need to open them again . But then! Kwa-boom!! A sudden noise of explosion coming from his front shocked Lennart and he quickly opened his eyes . ¡®What was that?!¡¯ The beast struck by his fist was flying away in a straight line for dozens of metres before rolling ungainly on the ground . The asphalt cracked up into pieces, cars were blown away, and street lights were bent in the middle . ¡°Uh?¡± ¡®Was I this strong?¡¯ Lennart dazedly stared at his fist, only to realise that someone was standing right next to him . ¡°Uh, uh??¡± Confirming that man¡¯s face, Lennart joyfully cried out in a half-tearful voice . ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!¡± *** He was cutting it really close . If he hadn¡¯t attached a Shadow Soldier to Lennart Niermann when the German came to the Guild office, would he be able to make it in time, even? After confirming that the Shadow Soldier attached to Thomas Andre had disappeared, Jin-Woo searched for another one near the location and activated ¡®Shadow Exchange¡¯ . But to think, that Shadow Soldier just so happened to be the one in Lennart Niermann¡¯s shadow . Thanks to that, he got to save the lives of these two men . Jin-Woo hurriedly checked Thomas Andre¡¯s wounds and breathed a sigh of relief . The American¡¯s wounds looked pretty serious, but thankfully, he¡¯d be able to survive . He must¡¯ve had no more energy left to even speak, as Thomas Andre could only quietly look up at Jin-Woo . The latter also remained silent but nodded his head as his reply . He silently thanked the Goliath for his courageous effort in stalling for more time . When he turned around, his ears were filled up with Lennart¡¯s emotional voice . ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!!¡± ¡°Thank you for stopping that b*stard . My apologies, but can you evacuate Thomas to somewhere safe?¡± Jin-Woo politely asked in English, and Lennart nodded his head energetically . Compared to fighting that monstrosity, this job sounded so much easier . ¡°Ah, yes! You don¡¯t have to worry about that one . ¡± The German cautiously lifted Thomas up and hurriedly distanced himself . Meanwhile, Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to the beast raising its body up . Tangible, horrifying, murderous intent oozed from the creature . He sensed power on another realm compared to other monsters from the b*stard . ¡®I knew it¡­ . ¡¯ His guess was on the money . This thing possessed a similar sort of aura to the Ice Elf he met earlier . It was, indeed, one of the Sovereigns that were hunting down the Hunters . However, what was going on here? Unlike with the Ice Elf, this thing showed no signs of panic . No, more than that ¨C even though its fight had been interfered with, it looked composed, nay, relaxed, even . ¡®But, why¡­ . ?¡¯ Did it possess a calm personality, to begin with? Even though it looked half man, half beast? While Jin-Woo was stewing in his confusion, the beast emerged fully from the building¡¯s debris and walked leisurely over in his direction . It was sloshing something in its mouth before spitting whatever it was to the floor . They turned out to be its broken fangs . The beast glared at Jin-Woo who managed to break off several of its fangs with just a single punch and didn¡¯t even bother to disguise its surprise . [So, it was for real . The smell of the Shadow b*stard is mixed in among that human¡¯s scent . ] The beast sniffed the air noisily and asked as if it had discovered something rather amazing . [But then¡­ . how can a human manage to bring out the power of a higher existence to this degree?] ¡®I raised up my levels, that¡¯s how . You dumba*s . ¡¯ Rather than choosing to solve the b*stard¡¯s curiosity, he summoned the pair of ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wrath¡¯, instead . He had a lot of things to ask this Sovereign . But, the Q&A session could only take place after the battle was over and he had grasped the right to decide the creature¡¯s fate . Glance . Jin-Woo glanced at the traces of the victims still visible here and there in the street and an ice-cold murderous rage began overflowing out of his eyes . But, then¡­ . ¡­ . The voice he hadn¡¯t forgotten yet suddenly resounded out right from next to the beast . [It¡¯s possible that the architect has found a way . Well, the business dealings between the Shadow Sovereign and the architect started a long time ago, after all . ] The thin, fog-like smoke suddenly coagulated into a singular mass before morphing into a humanoid shape . ¡®Isn¡¯t that¡­ . ?¡¯ It was the ancient Ice Elf . The Sovereign of Frost, hiding its presence as a fog until now, had finally revealed itself . Jin-Woo realised that the fog wrapped around the city was not a natural phenomenon the moment he came in contact with it . And this time, it was from his behind . [In that case, I can eat the corpse of this human, right?] A weird female voice harsh enough to grate his ears came from behind him, and Jin-Woo quickly looked back . And that¡¯s where he discovered a spectacle that made him doubt his own eyes . Bashushushushu¡­ . A horde of insects poured out from the sewerage and began merging into one to assume the shape of a humanoid female . [I really want to find out what a fellow Sovereign tastes like, you see . ] Jin-Woo¡¯s expression hardened, now that he found himself suddenly surrounded by his enemies . And then, he realised it . They gagged his Shadow Soldiers by confusing the signals not because they were worried about their hunt being disrupted by him . No, they did that in order to hide the fact that there were more than one of them here . In other words, this was a trap . A trap laid out in the entirety of Seoul in order to box Jin-Woo in . Sure enough, the System finally recognised the severity of the situation and urgently sent out warning messages . [The King of Snow Folk, the Sovereign of Frost has designated you as an enemy . ] [The King of Beasts, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs has designated you as an enemy . ] [The Queen of Insects, the Sovereign of Plagues has designated you as an enemy . ] Enemies possessing power on another scale altogether, and three of them to boot, too! His Black Heart, sleeping quietly until now, began to pound away madly at the entrance of these three incredibly powerful foes . Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump! ¡®Isn¡¯t this¡­ . ¡¯ ¡­ . Good? The corners of Jin-Woo¡¯s lips arched up . These things were thinking that they had managed to surround him, but the thing was, he wasn¡¯t alone . In reality, they were the ones surrounded now . Jin-Woo kept his senses ultra-sharp in order to not miss their movements and summoned out his army that¡¯d surround his enemies . ¡®Come out!¡¯ < Chapter 215 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 215: Chapter 215 Unbridled astonishment!. The strongest Hunter screamed out and everyone else in the vicinity couldn¡¯t hide their shock and astonishment The helicopter dispatched from the TV station flying in the air filmed in its entirety Thomas Andre suffering in great pain Right in the middle of Korea¡¯s capital city, Seoul, where the focus of the world had gathered due to the appearance of the super-massive Gate ¨C to think, a Special Authority-rank Hunter trying to stop a monster was screaming out in pain like that?. ¡°How can this be¡­ . ??¡±. All those watching the two being¡¯s fight, whether in the location itself or through various screens, prayed fervently in their hearts that this wasn¡¯t the end of this battle Too bad, the ¡®beast¡¯ snatched and then, slammed Thomas Andre¡¯s wrists into the ground as if to mock their prayers BOOM!!. It then climbed on top of Thomas Andre, reversing the previous position ¡°Keo-heok!¡±. Blood spewed out from the Goliath¡¯s mouth as he bitterly resisted even with his broken hands, but now that the beast had fully revealed its true powers, he was unable to endure against his opponent¡¯s physical prowess The beast stomped on Thomas Andre¡¯s face and roared loudly into the sky Kuuwaaaaahhh-!!. The horrifying howl loud enough to tear out the eardrums of everyone listening reverberated like a thunderclap in the city¡¯s streets A predator didn¡¯t fight . It simply hunted its prey The Hunters nearby were overwhelmed by the howl containing an inconceivable amount of magical energy and began kneeling down one by one from the closest position to the furthest back As for Thomas Andre, the closest one to hear the howling, his eardrums had ruptured and blood leaked out from his ears The beast smirked derisively [Are you scared now?]. One of the joys a hunter could derive from the process of hunting was seeing the prey shiver in fear However, Thomas Andre didn¡¯t give up . He clenched his messed-up fist with great difficulty and threw a counterattack Pow!. Quite unlike before, when they exchanged many crippling blows earlier, the beast¡¯s head didn¡¯t even rock once The wall He looked into the disinterested eyes of the beast glaring down at him and began picturing an imposing wall stretching endlessly into the sky standing tall to block his path He had felt something similar to this once before What a strange thing this was; for a moment there, Thomas Andre thought he saw Jin-Woo within the beast¡¯s glare ¡®But, how come¡­ . ?¡¯. He didn¡¯t have any chance to sort out his confusion, though, as an attack from the beast rocked his head violently side to side, the ground underneath caving into a crater BOOM!!. ¡°Keok!¡±. That was just the start of the onslaught, though Boomboomboomboomboom!!. Just like how he had done, the beast began raining down powerful attacks from above . As if to teach the human what true attacks looked like, the vicious punches continuously slammed down without mercy Boomboomboomboomboom!!. Thomas Andre¡¯s lips continued to issue pained grunts over and over again, unlike back then when the beast simply withstood his punches ¡°Keo-heok!¡±. It was then; the beast, in the midst of enjoying the pain of its prey, discovered something odd just beyond the human [¡­ . ??]. The beast stopped its attacks . What it was glaring at, as if to bore a hole into it, was Thomas Andre¡¯s shadow [I see that there¡¯s a rat hiding in there . ]. Stab!. The beast stabbed its hand deep into the shadow and grabbed ¡®something¡¯ within the subspace Paht!. When the creature pulled its hand out, an ant soldier hiding inside the human¡¯s shadow was dragged out along as well The beast stood upright again . The ant soldier, its neck tightly grabbed by the powerful grip, desperately struggled but the monster didn¡¯t even budge from the spot ¡°Kiiieehk!¡±. This one was a soldier belonging to the Shadow Sovereign It was impossible to destroy an immortal soldier like this one through regular means . However, the creature holding onto the ant¡¯s neck was no ordinary being, either The Sovereign of Beastly Fangs was a higher existence . It simply focused the energy inherent within the spiritual body to erase this ant soldier from the very fabric of existence altogether ¡°Kiiahk!¡±. The ant soldier spat out a short death throe and turned into dust, returning to the void beyond . The beast grinned as it watched the grey ash scatter in the air It was then Thomas Andre got up and positioned himself behind the beast before anyone had noticed it . He then wrapped his arm around the creature¡¯s neck and secured his grip with the other arm If he lacked teeth, then he¡¯d bite with his gums, instead!. His hands may be broken, but his arms and shoulders were still fine . Thick veins bulged on his arms as he poured in all his might to exert enough pressure to crush a steel beam in one breath ¡°Pant, pant¡­ . ¡±. Thomas Andre continued to gasp out breathlessly and concentrated on this final attack There would be nothing left after this . His eyes shot wide open in concentration as he clenched his teeth, fully knowing that he¡¯d get killed if he missed this chance Wududuk, wuduk¡­ He heard the displeasing noises similar to bones being crushed into powder . If that was the sound of the enemy¡¯s neck breaking, then there was still a chance of victory here ¡®¡­ . I¡¯ve done it!¡¯. Unfortunately, the incoming rush of pain had been slightly delayed by the adrenaline coursing through his body . Thomas Andre bore the full brunt and screamed out in agony ¡°Wuaaaaahhhk!!¡±. The beast shattered the American¡¯s arms locked onto its neck with nothing but sheer physical hand grip . It then grabbed his head with both hands before proceeding to slam him down on the ground THUD!. Viewers watching this scene through their screens saw the Goliath¡¯s arms dangling around and quickly averted their gazes . It was a scene they simply couldn¡¯t bear to watch with their eyes open Too bad, the horrifying scene didn¡¯t stop there and continued on . The beast pounced on the sprawled Goliath and began biting him The predator¡¯s mealtime had begun Dozens of sharp, knife-like fangs began tearing into Thomas Andre¡¯s skin and made a mess out of his flesh ¡°Euh-euhk! Wuaahk!!¡±. He didn¡¯t give up until the end and continued to desperately struggle, but it was obvious that he had no chance in hell right now . His blood poured out and the bits of his flesh flung into the air ¡°Wuuuaahk!¡±. Seeing this horrendous, sickening sight, the other Hunters supposedly guarding the location began backtracking inadvertently in terror As for the regular people that had bet their hopes on the Goliath, they had scattered away in fear a long time ago after seeing the incoming end result However, something unexpected happened then; among the ranks of the hesitating Hunters, one man dashed forward like a bolt of lightning and ran straight towards the beast Boom-!!. The monster had been drunk on the victory and the taste of its loot, so it got caught unaware and was struck cleanly by this unexpected attack, which resulted in it getting flung away It was none other than Lennart Niermann . Germany¡¯s best Hunter quickly stood next to the grievously wounded Goliath Thomas Andre recognised Lennart and somehow managed to squeeze out his voice ¡°Run¡­ away¡­ . ¡±. However, Lennart shook his hardened face ¡°I¡¯m also a Hunter, you know . ¡±. ¡®¡­ . Although I¡¯m far weaker than you . ¡¯. Back when he Awakened his powers and made up his mind to become a Hunter, Lennart had promised himself this one thing ¨C that he¡¯d never turn his back on a comrade Sure, they might not even be in the same team, but from Lennart¡¯s perspective, Thomas Andre was an exemplary comrade who was fighting against a common enemy Didn¡¯t matter what the American thought of him, because as a Hunter, the German simply couldn¡¯t back away from this situation ¡®However¡­ . Just staring at that thing face to face is making me break out in cold sweat here . ¡¯. Lennart watched the beast¡¯s expression crumple unsightly after its mealtime had been unceremoniously interrupted, and his own legs began turning to jelly right then Seeing him shiver like that, Thomas Andre opened his mouth again ¡°You¡­ will¡­ die¡­ . ¡±. He knew that already . Of course, Lennart knew that He didn¡¯t even have his equipment with him . And his strongest one-hit-kill trump card, the skill ¡®Charge¡¯, only managed to shove the beast away Germany¡¯s best Hunter?. 12th in the world rankings?. He knew better than anyone that such things had no meaning in the current situation Even then¡­. ¡®¡­ . I don¡¯t regret anything . ¡¯. Even if this moment turned out to be his last, he¡¯d still choose exactly the same over and over again . Rather than the life of a coward, he would choose to go out in a blaze of glory!. ¡®I¡¯m not wrong . I am not wrong!¡¯. Lennart continued to psyche himself up as he glared at the massive power gradually running faster and faster towards him ¡®I¡¯m definitely not wrong!¡¯. He locked his eyes on the chill-inducing maw of the beast opening up wide as the monster closed the distance in an instant . Lennart summoned up every ounce of energy and swung his fist For a very moment there, the life he led up until this moment flashed past him like a revolving lantern . He didn¡¯t even work that hard yet this incredible power was handed to him, allowing him to live an overabundant and perhaps undeserved lifestyle But, he did live a happy life, didn¡¯t he?. That¡¯s right, he did A grin floated up on Lennart¡¯s lips as he saw the beast¡¯s throat approaching ever closer Indeed, he was not wrong . Right up until the end, he didn¡¯t live an embarrassing life Just before the beast¡¯s maw swallowed his head, Lennart quietly closed his eyes, thinking that there would be no more need to open them again But then!. Kwa-boom!!. A sudden noise of explosion coming from his front shocked Lennart and he quickly opened his eyes ¡®What was that?!¡¯. The beast struck by his fist was flying away in a straight line for dozens of metres before rolling ungainly on the ground . The asphalt cracked up into pieces, cars were blown away, and street lights were bent in the middle ¡°Uh?¡±. ¡®Was I this strong?¡¯. Lennart dazedly stared at his fist, only to realise that someone was standing right next to him ¡°Uh, uh??¡±. Confirming that man¡¯s face, Lennart joyfully cried out in a half-tearful voice ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!¡±. ***. He was cutting it really close If he hadn¡¯t attached a Shadow Soldier to Lennart Niermann when the German came to the Guild office, would he be able to make it in time, even?. After confirming that the Shadow Soldier attached to Thomas Andre had disappeared, Jin-Woo searched for another one near the location and activated ¡®Shadow Exchange¡¯ . But to think, that Shadow Soldier just so happened to be the one in Lennart Niermann¡¯s shadow Thanks to that, he got to save the lives of these two men Jin-Woo hurriedly checked Thomas Andre¡¯s wounds and breathed a sigh of relief . The American¡¯s wounds looked pretty serious, but thankfully, he¡¯d be able to survive He must¡¯ve had no more energy left to even speak, as Thomas Andre could only quietly look up at Jin-Woo . The latter also remained silent but nodded his head as his reply He silently thanked the Goliath for his courageous effort in stalling for more time When he turned around, his ears were filled up with Lennart¡¯s emotional voice ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!!¡±. ¡°Thank you for stopping that b*stard . My apologies, but can you evacuate Thomas to somewhere safe?¡±. Jin-Woo politely asked in English, and Lennart nodded his head energetically . Compared to fighting that monstrosity, this job sounded so much easier ¡°Ah, yes! You don¡¯t have to worry about that one . ¡±. The German cautiously lifted Thomas up and hurriedly distanced himself . Meanwhile, Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to the beast raising its body up Tangible, horrifying, murderous intent oozed from the creature . He sensed power on another realm compared to other monsters from the b*stard ¡®I knew it¡­ . ¡¯. His guess was on the money This thing possessed a similar sort of aura to the Ice Elf he met earlier . It was, indeed, one of the Sovereigns that were hunting down the Hunters However, what was going on here? Unlike with the Ice Elf, this thing showed no signs of panic . No, more than that ¨C even though its fight had been interfered with, it looked composed, nay, relaxed, even ¡®But, why¡­ . ?¡¯. Did it possess a calm personality, to begin with? Even though it looked half man, half beast?. While Jin-Woo was stewing in his confusion, the beast emerged fully from the building¡¯s debris and walked leisurely over in his direction It was sloshing something in its mouth before spitting whatever it was to the floor . They turned out to be its broken fangs The beast glared at Jin-Woo who managed to break off several of its fangs with just a single punch and didn¡¯t even bother to disguise its surprise [So, it was for real . The smell of the Shadow b*stard is mixed in among that human¡¯s scent . ]. The beast sniffed the air noisily and asked as if it had discovered something rather amazing [But then¡­ . how can a human manage to bring out the power of a higher existence to this degree?]. ¡®I raised up my levels, that¡¯s how . You dumba*s . ¡¯. Rather than choosing to solve the b*stard¡¯s curiosity, he summoned the pair of ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wrath¡¯, instead He had a lot of things to ask this Sovereign . But, the Q&A session could only take place after the battle was over and he had grasped the right to decide the creature¡¯s fate Glance Jin-Woo glanced at the traces of the victims still visible here and there in the street and an ice-cold murderous rage began overflowing out of his eyes But, then¡­ ¡­ . The voice he hadn¡¯t forgotten yet suddenly resounded out right from next to the beast [It¡¯s possible that the architect has found a way . Well, the business dealings between the Shadow Sovereign and the architect started a long time ago, after all . ]. The thin, fog-like smoke suddenly coagulated into a singular mass before morphing into a humanoid shape ¡®Isn¡¯t that¡­ . ?¡¯. It was the ancient Ice Elf . The Sovereign of Frost, hiding its presence as a fog until now, had finally revealed itself Jin-Woo realised that the fog wrapped around the city was not a natural phenomenon the moment he came in contact with it And this time, it was from his behind [In that case, I can eat the corpse of this human, right?]. A weird female voice harsh enough to grate his ears came from behind him, and Jin-Woo quickly looked back And that¡¯s where he discovered a spectacle that made him doubt his own eyes Bashushushushu¡­ A horde of insects poured out from the sewerage and began merging into one to assume the shape of a humanoid female [I really want to find out what a fellow Sovereign tastes like, you see . ]. Jin-Woo¡¯s expression hardened, now that he found himself suddenly surrounded by his enemies . And then, he realised it They gagged his Shadow Soldiers by confusing the signals not because they were worried about their hunt being disrupted by him . No, they did that in order to hide the fact that there were more than one of them here In other words, this was a trap . A trap laid out in the entirety of Seoul in order to box Jin-Woo in Sure enough, the System finally recognised the severity of the situation and urgently sent out warning messages [The King of Snow Folk, the Sovereign of Frost has designated you as an enemy . ]. [The King of Beasts, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs has designated you as an enemy . ]. [The Queen of Insects, the Sovereign of Plagues has designated you as an enemy . ]. Enemies possessing power on another scale altogether, and three of them to boot, too! His Black Heart, sleeping quietly until now, began to pound away madly at the entrance of these three incredibly powerful foes Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!. ¡®Isn¡¯t this¡­ . ¡¯. ¡­ . Good?. The corners of Jin-Woo¡¯s lips arched up These things were thinking that they had managed to surround him, but the thing was, he wasn¡¯t alone . In reality, they were the ones surrounded now Jin-Woo kept his senses ultra-sharp in order to not miss their movements and summoned out his army that¡¯d surround his enemies ¡®Come out!¡¯. < Chapter 215 > Fin Chapter 216 New York, London, Shanghai, Paris . Besides these cities, others around the world were all experiencing the phenomenon of their streets being draped in eerie silence right now . People had stopped walking and found themselves unable to tear their eyes away from the many electronic screens installed here and there . Those large screens were continuously showing the breaking news regarding the horrifying tragedy unfolding in the capital city of South Korea, Seoul . Because of the super-massive Gate¡¯s presence, the world¡¯s attention had been focused there already, so it was only normal that the news spread around like a wildfire . TV stations in many countries interrupted their regular programming to broadcast live the current situation unfolding in Seoul . Once the sight of a cityscape dripping with blood as filmed by the camera lens from the sky, the viewers around the world recoiled in sheer horror . Seoul was one of the biggest metropolises in the entire world . But with such a city lying in ruins like that, it implied that their safety couldn¡¯t be guaranteed even within their own cities . The tragedy of Seoul didn¡¯t feel like an incident happening in some distant country, but something that was happening to them personally . Was that the reason why they felt relieved when Thomas Andre stepped up to put an end to the monster¡¯s rampage? The obviously-excited foreign correspondents, after their cameras caught the sight of America¡¯s best Hunter, began crying out his name repeatedly as if they wanted to damage their own vocal cords . The viewers gathered their hands in prayer and with one heart, cheered Goliath on . And that was why the streets were filled with elated cries every time Goliath roughed up that beast-like monster . ¡°Yes! More! More!!¡± ¡°Destroy that thing! Goliath, kill that thing dead!!¡± ¡°Send it to hell!!¡± Unfortunately¡­ . The cheering and elated cries filling up the streets soon morphed into shocked silence as Goliath¡¯s fists were shattered, his arms were broken, and his blood and flesh were spilt onto the ground . The viewers¡¯ arms raised up high in the air slowly lowered back to their sides . Some even began wordlessly shedding tears as they watched humanity¡¯s best warrior being horribly destroyed like that . It was as if the time itself had frozen . People rendered utterly speechless by the overwhelming shock couldn¡¯t even hear their own breathing . If this was a dream, then they wanted to wake up right about now . Too bad, though, that the screen kept transmitting the images of Goliath and his pained screaming over and over again . The expression on the viewers¡¯ faces changed to that of even greater despair . It was then . A lone Hunter jumped out from somewhere and blew away the beast . No, there were two of them . A black-haired man appeared without warning right next to the Caucasian Hunter . Not just the viewers, but even the news anchors couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on and failed to hide their confusion . Just what had happened? Who were those two people? It happened far too quickly, and also, the camera was filming from too far and couldn¡¯t capture their faces properly . However¡­ . The anchors saw the black soldiers filling up the streets in the blink of an eye and cried out until their voices turned hoarse . [It¡¯s Hunter Seong Jin-Woo! Hunter Seong Jin-Woo has finally made his entrance!] [We don¡¯t have to see his face! You can block out his name! Even then, we know who it is! Those black soldiers, that¡¯s 100% Hunter Seong Jin-Woo!!] [The Goliath might have fallen, but the baton has been handed over to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo! His summoned creatures have surrounded the monsters!] Waaaaah-!! The viewers all around the world punched the air and cried out in elation once more as they watched the black soldiers completely cover up the streets of Seoul . Especially the Americans, their unified roars were so loud that their cities seemed to rock from the noise itself . It was understandable, since they had lost one of their Special Authority-rank Hunters through tragic circumstances recently, and when even Thomas Andre found himself in danger, they had all fallen into a deep pit of mental shock . Besides, the total number of views online for the Jeju Island raid featuring Jin-Woo had already surpassed 2 billion . Meaning, pretty much everyone knew his name by now . And so, the whole world had begun chanting his name . ¡°Hey, hang on a minute! I know who that other Hunter is! Yeah, I know that guy! He¡¯s Germany¡¯s Lennart Niermann!¡± This guy, who wished to boast about his discerning eyes, couldn¡¯t help but get swept away by the atmosphere and started chanting ¡®Seong Jin-Woo¡¯, his hands raised up high in the air . The focus of the whole world was now on Jin-Woo¡¯s back . *** The Shadow Army surrounded the three Sovereigns in a circle . On top of the streets now darkened by the shadow with the help of the skill, ¡®Sovereign¡¯s Territory¡¯, the army¡¯s morale had hit its highest peak . ¡®So, how about it now?¡¯ Jin-Woo scanned the faces of the three Sovereigns . They carried rather amused expressions . The female giant, created out of insects, took a sweeping look at the streets filled with Shadow Soldiers and chuckled derisively . [So, this is the new Shadow Army, is it?] [The overall number isn¡¯t bad, but even then, they are nothing but a bunch of riffraff . ] Looking unconcerned in the slightest, the Sovereign of Frost took a step forward . Fuu-whoop¡­ It sucked its breath in lightly before spitting out horrifyingly cold air that spread out everywhere in an instant . Kwajeeck! And in just one moment, everything standing on the ground became frozen ice sculptures . Even the Shadow Army was no exception . ¡®How can this be?!¡¯ Jin-Woo confirmed that his soldiers had all frozen up and his expression hardened gradually . The power of the Sovereigns that rendered the soldiers useless in one stroke ¨C he had experienced something like this before, when he was facing off against the Sovereign of White Flames, Baran, back in the Demon¡¯s Castle instant dungeon . If there was one glaring difference between then and now, that would be him having to face three enemies instead of one . The soldiers trapped within the ice couldn¡¯t be freed even with his ability to store them back in his shadow . [Your pitiful soldiers won¡¯t be able to take a single step outside the prison I have manifested . ] The Sovereign of Frost sounded confident of its victory after imprisoning the Shadow Army . However, Jin-Woo¡¯s killing intent didn¡¯t waver for a second even under the current situation . ¡°You . ¡± The tip of the Kamish¡¯s Wrath held in his right hand was pointed at the Sovereign of Frost . ¡°You will definitely die today . ¡± The war potential of the Shadow Army always had been supplementary to his own . It was too bad that he couldn¡¯t rely on his soldiers now, but even then, he wasn¡¯t thinking of letting that Sovereign of Frost leave here alive . After all, he had a score to settle with that b*stard, [¡­ . ] Perhaps the Ice Elf felt the aching from the wound on its shoulder inflicted by Jin-Woo the last time, since its expression crumpled unsightly rather quickly . [You insolent b*stard!] The creature then raised its arms as if to lift something up, and suddenly, Golems made out of ice rose up from the ground . At the same time, the queen of the insects whistled loudly . The corpses of humans lying strewn about all began standing up as well . Kwa-duduk, kwa-dududuk, kwa-duk!! The bones and joints of the corpses repeatedly twisted and shifted around until finally, they resembled monstrous spiders crawling on all four legs . ¡®Undead?¡¯ ¡­ . No, those weren¡¯t undead at all . What moved the corpses were strange little parasites that had bored into the brains of the dead humans . Jin-Woo sensed the minute level of magic energy emitted from the parasites wiggling around inside the heads and he shifted his gaze over to the Queen of Insects . [You think we killed all these humans indiscriminately for no reason?] The Queen had inseminated the eggs of a very special parasite within the corpses of all the humans the beast had murdered . Golems and parasites . Jin-Woo stared at the enemy¡¯s army that couldn¡¯t be turned into Shadow Soldiers upon their deaths and realised how much his opponents had been planning for this day . ¡°Fuu-woo¡­ . ¡± He controlled his breathing . The Golems and the animated corpses waltzed right past the frozen Shadow Soldiers and slowly encircled him . Meanwhile, he focused on the sounds of his heart quietly pounding away . Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump¡­ . On his path to get here, he had encountered countless dangerous situations . At this moment, as he closed his eyes, his extremely-honed senses accurately read and picked up on even the most minute movements his enemies made . He could do this . Just like how it had always been . ¡®¡­ . They¡¯re coming . ¡¯ He opened his eyes only to be greeted by the sight of the spider-humans pouncing on him . As the time slowed down, the pair of ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wraths¡¯ roared out in sheer anguish . Sliiiiiice-!! In an instant, every spider-human leaping in the air was bisected . Boom! Jin-Woo lightly kicked and leapt away from the punch of a Golem pounding down on his original position and searched for his primary elimination target . That would be the Sovereign of Frost, of course . That b*stard was currently shouting at its Golems with an enraged face . However, it was impossible for these slow and lumbering things to catch up to Jin-Woo¡¯s speed . He used ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ to fling himself at the Sovereign of Frost . Like a bullet, he flew forward in a scarcely-believable velocity . He closed the distance in an instant . The Sovereign of Frost was panicking . Jin-Woo swung his shortsword with great power . His aim was the skin on the b*stard¡¯s face that resembled the bark of an aged tree . Unfortunately¡­ . CLANG! Just before the Kamish¡¯s Wrath could split the creature¡¯s face in half, something really hard blocked the trajectory of the blade . The beast, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs, responded to Jin-Woo¡¯s attack with lightning-quick reflexes and blocked the shortsword in time . [You think such a puny metallic toy can wound me in the slightest?] The beast toothily grinned, its disgusting teeth full of blood and flesh now on full display . However, Jin-Woo also replied with a smirk . ¡®The human¡¯s laughing?¡¯ Even before the beast had the time to sense the ominous foreboding, ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wrath¡¯ was suddenly enveloped in the black aura . Slice! The beast¡¯s wrist that rightfully boasted incredible hardness was cleanly severed from its arm . The creature¡¯s eyes opened wide . It barely dodged the tip of the blade by leaning its torso backwards, but still, a lengthy and bloody line was drawn upon its chest . It was then, Jin-Woo picked up on some powerful energy above him and he quickly looked up . ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯ The Queen of Insects had formed a giant fist out of magical energy and was in the midst of slamming it down . Swoooosh-!! As he landed on the ground, Jin-Woo activated the skill ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ to shove away the Queen¡¯s fist . However, the force behind that attack was much greater than he anticipated and he could only barely stop it . Boom!! The invisible shield made out of ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ clashed against the Queen¡¯s fist and created a powerful shockwave that swept away the surrounding spider-humans . Unfortunately, the number of animated corpses that still managed to rush at and pounce on his position far exceeded those who were swept away . Jin-Woo stepped on the head of one spider-human and leapt up in the air . Then, he focused his magic energy in the ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wrath¡¯ . BUZZ-!! The black aura condensed on the vibrating blade began distorting the surrounding space . In that moment¡­ . ¡°Uwaaah-!!¡± Jin-Woo roared out powerfully as he swung the shortsword with all his might . Kagagagagagagack!! The magical energy concentrating on the end of the shortsword split into dozens upon dozens of slashes and swept away all the enemies right below him . The Dragon¡¯s Claw! The ranks of Ice Golems and spider-humans were halved in an instant from that single attack . Unfortunately¡­ . Swish-! Jin-Woo quickly shifted his head to the side to find a large palm already arriving right in front of his nose . It cast a giant, dark shadow on his face . ¡®D*mn it . ¡¯ Realising that the attack was coming in at an unavoidable angle, he decided to raise his guard up, instead . The Queen of Insects swatted Jin-Woo as if it was a human swatting a fly out of the air and slammed him into a building nearby . BOOM!! The impact force from that was so severe that another building across the road shook hard from the vibration . Jin-Woo emerged out from the debris of the fallen building and keeled over to the floor to spit out a heavy gasp . ¡°Keo-heok . ¡± He felt dizzy . Vzzzz¡­ . . Loud buzzing tinnitus assaulted his ears . His breathing quickened and his vision grew just a bit fuzzy . However, he had no time to stay here and catch his breath . As soon as he raised his head, he spotted thousands of ice arrows floating up dozens of metres in the air above his head, all of them being the handiwork of the Sovereign of Frost . Jin-Woo stood back up and stopped breathing for a moment there . And almost right away, the ice arrows filling up the sky shot down accurately to his current position . Faster, faster! Jin-Woo swung his shortswords and deflected away the magic arrows raining down without any break or gap in-between . He was so fast that several afterimages began overlapping on top of one another . ¡®However, just how long will you be able to withstand our combined attacks?¡¯ The Sovereign of Frost continued to fire the arrows endlessly as a sly grin floated up on its lips . When this human b*stard¡¯s movement slows down even for a second¡­ . It was then . Stab! [¡­ . . ??] The Ice Elf¡¯s quaking eyes looked down to confirm the shortsword stabbing deeply into its chest . The liquid staining its hands was its own blood . When it raised its head to look, the insolent human was glaring right back at the Sovereign, having had enough leeway to throw one of his shortswords even in the midst of deflecting all the ice arrows . The burning rage, hot enough to boil all the blood in its body, rushed up to the Ice Elf¡¯s head . [You d*mn human! How dare a measly little human wound a Sovereign like me!!] Pah-ahhck! Jin-Woo rapidly recalled the shortsword out of the creature¡¯s chest . He struck the b*stard in the heart . Such a wound was more than enough to kill any regular humanoid creature, but unfortunately, that didn¡¯t seem to be a mortal wound to the Sovereign . Still, that brought about an end to the rain of ice arrows . He firmly grasped the returning ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wrath¡¯ and grinned toothily at the Sovereign of Frost . ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? You won¡¯t be getting out of here alive . ¡± [Kuwaaaahhh!!] The Sovereign of Frost, thoroughly enraged while controlling its Ice Golems; the spider-humans controlled by the Sovereign of Plagues; and finally, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs that had regenerated its severed wrist . The latter moved its new wrist this way and that to test it out, before summoning out its own sword from the subspace, just like Jin-Woo had done . All of their movements were caught in one go within Jin-Woo¡¯s vision . He grasped both Kamish¡¯s Wraths tightly and calmly collected his breaths as his enemies rushed at him again . It was then . Kwajijijick! Accompanied by the noise of something solid splitting up, he was greeted from behind by a voice that sounded so much more brilliant to his ears today . [My kingggggg!!] < Chapter 216 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 216: Chapter 216 New York, London, Shanghai, Paris Besides these cities, others around the world were all experiencing the phenomenon of their streets being draped in eerie silence right now . People had stopped walking and found themselves unable to tear their eyes away from the many electronic screens installed here and there Those large screens were continuously showing the breaking news regarding the horrifying tragedy unfolding in the capital city of South Korea, Seoul Because of the super-massive Gate¡¯s presence, the world¡¯s attention had been focused there already, so it was only normal that the news spread around like a wildfire TV stations in many countries interrupted their regular programming to broadcast live the current situation unfolding in Seoul Once the sight of a cityscape dripping with blood as filmed by the camera lens from the sky, the viewers around the world recoiled in sheer horror Seoul was one of the biggest metropolises in the entire world . But with such a city lying in ruins like that, it implied that their safety couldn¡¯t be guaranteed even within their own cities The tragedy of Seoul didn¡¯t feel like an incident happening in some distant country, but something that was happening to them personally Was that the reason why they felt relieved when Thomas Andre stepped up to put an end to the monster¡¯s rampage? The obviously-excited foreign correspondents, after their cameras caught the sight of America¡¯s best Hunter, began crying out his name repeatedly as if they wanted to damage their own vocal cords The viewers gathered their hands in prayer and with one heart, cheered Goliath on . And that was why the streets were filled with elated cries every time Goliath roughed up that beast-like monster ¡°Yes! More! More!!¡±. ¡°Destroy that thing! Goliath, kill that thing dead!!¡±. ¡°Send it to hell!!¡±. Unfortunately¡­ The cheering and elated cries filling up the streets soon morphed into shocked silence as Goliath¡¯s fists were shattered, his arms were broken, and his blood and flesh were spilt onto the ground The viewers¡¯ arms raised up high in the air slowly lowered back to their sides . Some even began wordlessly shedding tears as they watched humanity¡¯s best warrior being horribly destroyed like that It was as if the time itself had frozen People rendered utterly speechless by the overwhelming shock couldn¡¯t even hear their own breathing . If this was a dream, then they wanted to wake up right about now Too bad, though, that the screen kept transmitting the images of Goliath and his pained screaming over and over again . The expression on the viewers¡¯ faces changed to that of even greater despair It was then A lone Hunter jumped out from somewhere and blew away the beast No, there were two of them . A black-haired man appeared without warning right next to the Caucasian Hunter Not just the viewers, but even the news anchors couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on and failed to hide their confusion Just what had happened?. Who were those two people?. It happened far too quickly, and also, the camera was filming from too far and couldn¡¯t capture their faces properly However¡­ The anchors saw the black soldiers filling up the streets in the blink of an eye and cried out until their voices turned hoarse [It¡¯s Hunter Seong Jin-Woo! Hunter Seong Jin-Woo has finally made his entrance!]. [We don¡¯t have to see his face! You can block out his name! Even then, we know who it is! Those black soldiers, that¡¯s 100% Hunter Seong Jin-Woo!!]. [The Goliath might have fallen, but the baton has been handed over to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo! His summoned creatures have surrounded the monsters!]. Waaaaah-!!. The viewers all around the world punched the air and cried out in elation once more as they watched the black soldiers completely cover up the streets of Seoul Especially the Americans, their unified roars were so loud that their cities seemed to rock from the noise itself . It was understandable, since they had lost one of their Special Authority-rank Hunters through tragic circumstances recently, and when even Thomas Andre found himself in danger, they had all fallen into a deep pit of mental shock Besides, the total number of views online for the Jeju Island raid featuring Jin-Woo had already surpassed 2 billion . Meaning, pretty much everyone knew his name by now And so, the whole world had begun chanting his name ¡°Hey, hang on a minute! I know who that other Hunter is! Yeah, I know that guy! He¡¯s Germany¡¯s Lennart Niermann!¡±. This guy, who wished to boast about his discerning eyes, couldn¡¯t help but get swept away by the atmosphere and started chanting ¡®Seong Jin-Woo¡¯, his hands raised up high in the air The focus of the whole world was now on Jin-Woo¡¯s back ***. The Shadow Army surrounded the three Sovereigns in a circle On top of the streets now darkened by the shadow with the help of the skill, ¡®Sovereign¡¯s Territory¡¯, the army¡¯s morale had hit its highest peak ¡®So, how about it now?¡¯. Jin-Woo scanned the faces of the three Sovereigns . They carried rather amused expressions The female giant, created out of insects, took a sweeping look at the streets filled with Shadow Soldiers and chuckled derisively [So, this is the new Shadow Army, is it?]. [The overall number isn¡¯t bad, but even then, they are nothing but a bunch of riffraff . ]. Looking unconcerned in the slightest, the Sovereign of Frost took a step forward Fuu-whoop¡­. It sucked its breath in lightly before spitting out horrifyingly cold air that spread out everywhere in an instant Kwajeeck!. And in just one moment, everything standing on the ground became frozen ice sculptures . Even the Shadow Army was no exception ¡®How can this be?!¡¯. Jin-Woo confirmed that his soldiers had all frozen up and his expression hardened gradually The power of the Sovereigns that rendered the soldiers useless in one stroke ¨C he had experienced something like this before, when he was facing off against the Sovereign of White Flames, Baran, back in the Demon¡¯s Castle instant dungeon If there was one glaring difference between then and now, that would be him having to face three enemies instead of one The soldiers trapped within the ice couldn¡¯t be freed even with his ability to store them back in his shadow [Your pitiful soldiers won¡¯t be able to take a single step outside the prison I have manifested . ]. The Sovereign of Frost sounded confident of its victory after imprisoning the Shadow Army However, Jin-Woo¡¯s killing intent didn¡¯t waver for a second even under the current situation ¡°You . ¡±. The tip of the Kamish¡¯s Wrath held in his right hand was pointed at the Sovereign of Frost ¡°You will definitely die today . ¡±. The war potential of the Shadow Army always had been supplementary to his own . It was too bad that he couldn¡¯t rely on his soldiers now, but even then, he wasn¡¯t thinking of letting that Sovereign of Frost leave here alive After all, he had a score to settle with that b*stard,. [¡­ . ]. Perhaps the Ice Elf felt the aching from the wound on its shoulder inflicted by Jin-Woo the last time, since its expression crumpled unsightly rather quickly [You insolent b*stard!]. The creature then raised its arms as if to lift something up, and suddenly, Golems made out of ice rose up from the ground At the same time, the queen of the insects whistled loudly . The corpses of humans lying strewn about all began standing up as well Kwa-duduk, kwa-dududuk, kwa-duk!!. The bones and joints of the corpses repeatedly twisted and shifted around until finally, they resembled monstrous spiders crawling on all four legs ¡®Undead?¡¯. ¡­ . No, those weren¡¯t undead at all What moved the corpses were strange little parasites that had bored into the brains of the dead humans . Jin-Woo sensed the minute level of magic energy emitted from the parasites wiggling around inside the heads and he shifted his gaze over to the Queen of Insects [You think we killed all these humans indiscriminately for no reason?]. The Queen had inseminated the eggs of a very special parasite within the corpses of all the humans the beast had murdered Golems and parasites Jin-Woo stared at the enemy¡¯s army that couldn¡¯t be turned into Shadow Soldiers upon their deaths and realised how much his opponents had been planning for this day ¡°Fuu-woo¡­ . ¡±. He controlled his breathing The Golems and the animated corpses waltzed right past the frozen Shadow Soldiers and slowly encircled him . Meanwhile, he focused on the sounds of his heart quietly pounding away Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump¡­ On his path to get here, he had encountered countless dangerous situations At this moment, as he closed his eyes, his extremely-honed senses accurately read and picked up on even the most minute movements his enemies made He could do this Just like how it had always been ¡®¡­ . They¡¯re coming . ¡¯. He opened his eyes only to be greeted by the sight of the spider-humans pouncing on him . As the time slowed down, the pair of ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wraths¡¯ roared out in sheer anguish Sliiiiiice-!!. In an instant, every spider-human leaping in the air was bisected Boom!. Jin-Woo lightly kicked and leapt away from the punch of a Golem pounding down on his original position and searched for his primary elimination target . That would be the Sovereign of Frost, of course That b*stard was currently shouting at its Golems with an enraged face . However, it was impossible for these slow and lumbering things to catch up to Jin-Woo¡¯s speed He used ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ to fling himself at the Sovereign of Frost . Like a bullet, he flew forward in a scarcely-believable velocity He closed the distance in an instant . The Sovereign of Frost was panicking . Jin-Woo swung his shortsword with great power His aim was the skin on the b*stard¡¯s face that resembled the bark of an aged tree Unfortunately¡­ CLANG!. Just before the Kamish¡¯s Wrath could split the creature¡¯s face in half, something really hard blocked the trajectory of the blade . The beast, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs, responded to Jin-Woo¡¯s attack with lightning-quick reflexes and blocked the shortsword in time [You think such a puny metallic toy can wound me in the slightest?]. The beast toothily grinned, its disgusting teeth full of blood and flesh now on full display . However, Jin-Woo also replied with a smirk ¡®The human¡¯s laughing?¡¯. Even before the beast had the time to sense the ominous foreboding, ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wrath¡¯ was suddenly enveloped in the black aura Slice!. The beast¡¯s wrist that rightfully boasted incredible hardness was cleanly severed from its arm . The creature¡¯s eyes opened wide It barely dodged the tip of the blade by leaning its torso backwards, but still, a lengthy and bloody line was drawn upon its chest It was then, Jin-Woo picked up on some powerful energy above him and he quickly looked up ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯. The Queen of Insects had formed a giant fist out of magical energy and was in the midst of slamming it down Swoooosh-!!. As he landed on the ground, Jin-Woo activated the skill ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ to shove away the Queen¡¯s fist . However, the force behind that attack was much greater than he anticipated and he could only barely stop it Boom!!. The invisible shield made out of ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ clashed against the Queen¡¯s fist and created a powerful shockwave that swept away the surrounding spider-humans Unfortunately, the number of animated corpses that still managed to rush at and pounce on his position far exceeded those who were swept away Jin-Woo stepped on the head of one spider-human and leapt up in the air . Then, he focused his magic energy in the ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wrath¡¯ BUZZ-!!. The black aura condensed on the vibrating blade began distorting the surrounding space In that moment¡­ ¡°Uwaaah-!!¡±. Jin-Woo roared out powerfully as he swung the shortsword with all his might Kagagagagagagack!!. The magical energy concentrating on the end of the shortsword split into dozens upon dozens of slashes and swept away all the enemies right below him The Dragon¡¯s Claw!. The ranks of Ice Golems and spider-humans were halved in an instant from that single attack Unfortunately¡­ Swish-!. Jin-Woo quickly shifted his head to the side to find a large palm already arriving right in front of his nose . It cast a giant, dark shadow on his face ¡®D*mn it . ¡¯. Realising that the attack was coming in at an unavoidable angle, he decided to raise his guard up, instead The Queen of Insects swatted Jin-Woo as if it was a human swatting a fly out of the air and slammed him into a building nearby BOOM!!. The impact force from that was so severe that another building across the road shook hard from the vibration Jin-Woo emerged out from the debris of the fallen building and keeled over to the floor to spit out a heavy gasp ¡°Keo-heok . ¡±. He felt dizzy Vzzzz¡­ . Loud buzzing tinnitus assaulted his ears . His breathing quickened and his vision grew just a bit fuzzy . However, he had no time to stay here and catch his breath As soon as he raised his head, he spotted thousands of ice arrows floating up dozens of metres in the air above his head, all of them being the handiwork of the Sovereign of Frost Jin-Woo stood back up and stopped breathing for a moment there . And almost right away, the ice arrows filling up the sky shot down accurately to his current position Faster, faster!. Jin-Woo swung his shortswords and deflected away the magic arrows raining down without any break or gap in-between He was so fast that several afterimages began overlapping on top of one another ¡®However, just how long will you be able to withstand our combined attacks?¡¯. The Sovereign of Frost continued to fire the arrows endlessly as a sly grin floated up on its lips . When this human b*stard¡¯s movement slows down even for a second¡­ It was then Stab!. [¡­ ??]. The Ice Elf¡¯s quaking eyes looked down to confirm the shortsword stabbing deeply into its chest . The liquid staining its hands was its own blood When it raised its head to look, the insolent human was glaring right back at the Sovereign, having had enough leeway to throw one of his shortswords even in the midst of deflecting all the ice arrows The burning rage, hot enough to boil all the blood in its body, rushed up to the Ice Elf¡¯s head [You d*mn human! How dare a measly little human wound a Sovereign like me!!]. Pah-ahhck!. Jin-Woo rapidly recalled the shortsword out of the creature¡¯s chest He struck the b*stard in the heart . Such a wound was more than enough to kill any regular humanoid creature, but unfortunately, that didn¡¯t seem to be a mortal wound to the Sovereign Still, that brought about an end to the rain of ice arrows . He firmly grasped the returning ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wrath¡¯ and grinned toothily at the Sovereign of Frost ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? You won¡¯t be getting out of here alive . ¡±. [Kuwaaaahhh!!]. The Sovereign of Frost, thoroughly enraged while controlling its Ice Golems; the spider-humans controlled by the Sovereign of Plagues; and finally, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs that had regenerated its severed wrist The latter moved its new wrist this way and that to test it out, before summoning out its own sword from the subspace, just like Jin-Woo had done All of their movements were caught in one go within Jin-Woo¡¯s vision . He grasped both Kamish¡¯s Wraths tightly and calmly collected his breaths as his enemies rushed at him again It was then Kwajijijick!. Accompanied by the noise of something solid splitting up, he was greeted from behind by a voice that sounded so much more brilliant to his ears today [My kingggggg!!]. < Chapter 216 > Fin Chapter 217 Only a few minutes ago . Beru always prided himself as the most loyal subject to his king . But now, after getting trapped within the ice prison of the Sovereign of Frost, he realised what the taste of sheer powerlessness was like . Was I really this weak? Why did I continue to grow stronger? For what purpose was it? Beru felt so pathetic by the fact that he couldn¡¯t do anything while his liege was being besieged by his enemies . However, there was nothing the former ant king could do . The Sovereign of Frost was an existence on another level compared to Beru . And he didn¡¯t possess the requisite power to escape from this magic . All he could do now while trapped in ice was to pray that his liege would be safe . Fortunately, his liege wasn¡¯t pushed back at all, even when facing off against transcendental enemies . ¡®As expected of my liege¡­ . This lowly slave can only be moved by your greatness . ¡¯ Beru was so emotionally moved by his master¡¯s display of power that tears overflowed from his eyes as he continued to watch Jin-Woo¡¯s battle . But then, the disadvantage of numbers gradually tightened around the neck of his liege . The progressively-worsening cycle of attacks and defences of the enemies began pushing Jin-Woo back and Beru desperately struggled against his restraints . ¡®My king!! My king!!!¡¯ And finally, Beru watched as Jin-Woo was sent flying by the Sovereign of Plagues¡¯ large palm and slam into a wall . The king was in danger . The king was in danger . The king was in danger! ¡®I must protect my king . ¡¯ Snap . Something inside Beru¡¯s head snapped loose . The empty void where his reasoning used to be was replaced by the ¡¯emergency mode¡¯ designed to protect his king . ¡°Kiiiiieeeehhk!¡± Beru¡¯s expression crumpled to resemble a frightening devil as he screeched out loudly . Arms, shoulders, neck, chest, thighs, calves, ankles! Every part of his body ballooned up at the same time and began pushing away the block of ice imprisoning him . Crack, craaack! The seemingly-inescapable ice prison began to develop several large cracks . Beru shook his entire body . Kwa-jeeck! The ice prison could no longer contain the power of the ant soldier going crazy inside and its surface cracked even more so . Even in the midst of this, there was only one thing in Beru¡¯s head ¨C the thought of rescuing his king . Kiiieeehk! He poured out all his strength and twisted his body, causing a big crack to run down the ice block . Kwa-jijijik!! He used his sheer physical strength to prise out the gap even further and extricated himself from the ice prison . Beru then disregarded everything else while flying straight towards Jin-Woo¡¯s side . ¡°My kingggggg!!¡± ¡°Beru!¡± Even before he felt happy at his master looking back at him, all those little nicks and scrapes on Jin-Woo¡¯s body entered Beru¡¯s vision first . They were caused by the insect woman when she smacked his liege into the building just now . A mere insect woman dared to lay her hands on his king! She dared to touch his king!!! ¡°Kiiiieeeehhk!!¡± Beru¡¯s anger reached a new height and he flew directly at the Queen of the Insects . The thunderous screech of Beru reverberating throughout the battlefield that used to be city streets rendered the Sovereign of Frost quite surprised . [A measly Shadow Soldier managed to break free of my binding magic?!] Such a thing shouldn¡¯t even happen . It took a closer look at Beru¡¯s power in the ¡¯emergency mode¡¯ for a second there and spat out a gasp of shock next . This power didn¡¯t belong to some ¡®measly¡¯ Shadow Soldier at all . [How did a mere human manage to rear up a Marshal grade being?] Each and every single one of the soldiers with ¡®Marshal¡¯ grade acting as the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s hands and feet could be considered as destruction personified . The Sovereign of Frost couldn¡¯t have imagined that it would see a Marshal grade creature today and failed to hide its astonishment . In the meantime, Beru had arrived right before the Queen of Insects, the target for his unquenchable rage . [I must punish an unruly child that can¡¯t even recognise his own mother!] ¡°Kiiiieehhk, shut up, you crazy wench!¡± [What did you say?!] The resident of the Chaos World and the master of all insects living there, the Sovereign of Plagues got triggered by the former ant king¡¯s statement . Vuuwoong! Beru ably dodged an attack from the Insect Queen and took aim at the centre of the insects swarming together to form a single body before screeching out with his magical energy . ¡°Kyaaahk-!!¡± The former ant king¡¯s thunderous roar forced the insects to fall off from the Queen¡¯s body in an instant, causing the real body of the Sovereign of Plagues hiding within to briefly reveal itself . It was a humanoid female with rotting, distorted skin, and a pair of empty eye sockets filled with wriggling maggots . The Sovereign of Plagues displayed violent rage against the detestable former ant king that dared to bare its fangs at its original owner . ¡°Kiiiaaahhk!!¡± The screech from the Insect Queen resounded out loudly enough to tear asunder the heavens, and Beru was forced back with no way to block the attack . He was pushed far, far back before he managed to regain his balance and floated back down to the ground . ¡°Kiiechk, kyahk, kyaahk . ¡± While Beru was shaking his head left and right, a heavy groan leaking out of his mouth¡­ . The Queen of Insects had managed to recall the bugs back to rebuild its giant body once more . ¡®Okay, that¡¯s good . ¡¯ Jin-Woo nodded his head after watching the exchange between those two . Of course, he knew that Beru wouldn¡¯t last long . The enemy was far too strong for that . However, if he could just steal away the attention of one of these three¡­ . While Beru was fighting against the Queen, Jin-Woo shifted his eyes back to the other two Sovereigns . The tension hidden within their eyes was transmitted in the air, and he could clearly sense it . The amount of time Beru could buy him wasn¡¯t much . So, move faster than anticipated! Jin-Woo dashed towards the Sovereign of Frost with all his power . Kwagagagagagak! The impact force from each and every one of his steps destroyed the ground below . The Sovereign of Frost glared at Jin-Woo making a beeline towards him and created a sharp ice spear between its two hands . But, just before he collided with his target, Jin-Woo abruptly changed his direction and leapt towards the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs, instead . [¡­¡­!!] The Sovereign of Beastly Fangs was getting ready to counter the moment Jin-Woo attacked its fellow Sovereign, but it flinched in nasty surprise at this stunning movement . By a mere whisker, the beast managed to block Jin-Woo¡¯s shortsword by nothing but sheer primal instinct . Its eyes shook hard . Jin-Woo could only click his tongue as their blades remained locked like this . ¡®Che . ¡¯ He was planning to fatally wound this beast-like thing after making it assume that he was aiming for the ancient Ice Elf, instead . The reflexes of the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs were faster than Jin-Woo¡¯s expectation . However, it wasn¡¯t as if it was a total waste of time . He sensed the creature getting flustered just then . ¡®I must push this b*stard back like this . ¡¯ In the blink of an eye, he gripped the Kamish¡¯s Wrath in reverse grip and rained down a barrage of powerful attacks . The horrifying sounds of air tearing up resounded throughout the area as the ultra-sharp blades left behind countless cut marks in the surroundings . Clang!! Khang! Claaang!! Cah-hang!! Clang!! The beast became fully occupied with defending against Jin-Woo¡¯s shortswords . Step by step, the creature was pushed back as it gradually lost out to his speed . The look of panic began clouding its face . But then¡­ Jin-Woo sensed this sharp killing intent right behind him and urgently tilted his torso out of the way . The Sovereign of Frost thrust its ice spear and it slid past the location where his waist had been, barely missing him . The ancient Ice Elf had entered the fray between Jin-Woo and the beast . For the brief moment their eyes met, Jin-Woo discovered this incredibly heavy enmity from the eyes of the Elf b*stard . Grit . The grating noises of grinding teeth leaked out from Jin-Woo¡¯s mouth . He slapped away the ice spear with his shortsword and quickly closed the distance as the Sovereign of Frost¡¯s posture crumbled from the after-effects of the weapon shaking loose in its grip . Swish-! He swung his blade, hoping to slice up the arrogant eyes of the creature, but regrettably, he missed by a hair¡¯s breadth . Instinctively pulling its head back to escape the danger, the expression on the ancient Ice Elf crumpled into something unsightly . ¡®Too bad, but¡­ . ¡¯ What followed after the attack was to defend . Jin-Woo ably blocked the beast¡¯s blade as if he knew it was coming . CLANG! Blocked again by a whisker; however, there was no time to sigh in relief after blocking the attack . The Sovereign of Frost grasped its spear again and commenced with its counterattack . The beast, too, came at him with its own barrage of attacks . At the back, the Sovereign of Frost . From the front, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs . Scary attacks from the two monsters possessing powers on another level rained down on him . However¡­ Clang! Claaang!! Clang, clang, clang!! Claaang!! Claaang! Clang, clang, clank, clang, clank, clang!! Two lengthy shortswords flashed about like bolts of lightning to either block or deflect all attacks coming from the two monsters . Jin-Woo¡¯s movements had now firmly surpassed the limits of one¡¯s vision and they resembled just one long afterimage . It even looked as if he was blending into the already-blurry shapes of the two Sovereigns . It went without saying that he couldn¡¯t possibly have seen every single attack coming in from his front and back, and respond to them in time with nothing but his eyes . However, he could see something else, and that was the flow of each incoming attack . Things like pre-movement, the eyes, breathing, muscles twitching, the direction of magic energy, etc . His sensory perception pushed to the absolute limit didn¡¯t miss out on a single little thing and accurately read each and every one of the enemies¡¯ attacks . ¡®¡­ . I can see it . ¡¯ That was why, just a little bit more! If he could go a little bit faster and surpass these b*stards¡­ ¡®Faster, faster, faster, faster, faster!¡¯ As the countless hits were exchanged, he got faster and faster . The complexions of the two Sovereigns fighting Jin-Woo hardened more and more . ¡®But, how¡­ . how could this¡­ . ?!¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s impossible! This human can¡¯t be fully utilising the power of the Shadow Sovereign!!¡¯ But that wasn¡¯t it . Their enemy had exceeded the limits of humanity and was evolving further and further right before their eyes . That¡¯s when the two Sovereigns remembered it ¨C the fear they held towards the strongest king that ruled the Chaos World . And this happened around the same time . Pah-ahck!! Jin-Woo crossed blades with the weapons of both Sovereigns and then, with nothing but his physical strength, shoved them both far away . [¡­ . !!] [¡­ . !!] Shock and astonishment quickly dyed the expressions of the two Sovereigns . *** Lennart Niermann was sure of it now . He was sure that there was no one else around here that could chase after the battle of those three with their bare eyes except himself, as long as the grievously-wounded Thomas Andre remained lying on the ground while being treated by the Healers surrounding him . Even then, he couldn¡¯t clearly chase after Jin-Woo¡¯s movements with his eyes . ¡°¡­ . ¡± Only sighs of admiration kept leaking out of his mouth . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was not being pushed back by an inch even though he was fighting against the ¡®beast¡¯ that subdued the Special Authority-rank Tanker with brute strength, as well as a monster that froze up the vast ground with a single breath . And soon, Hunter Seong¡¯s shape simply melted into thin air and only the series of unending metallic clangs reverberated around the battlefield . It was as if there was a violent storm whipping about only around where he was . ¡°What¡­ . ¡± Thomas Andre couldn¡¯t win against his curiosity, roused up from all those suspicious explosive noises, and had to ask . ¡°¡­ . What is going on?¡± Lennart murmured with disbelieving voice, unable to tear his gaze away from Jin-Woo . ¡°It¡¯s as if¡­ . ¡± If the monsters capable of destroying the world were engaged in an almighty dogfight, would it create a situation similar to this one? ¡°¡­ . I¡¯m looking at the end of the world . ¡± Lennart spat out his genuine thought stewing in his head, not even bothering to dress it up in fancy words, and shook his head . The sole silver lining in this dark cloud was the fact that one of the three happened to be on the side of humanity . *** It was then . ¡°Kiiiieeeeeehhhk!!¡± Jin-Woo heard Beru¡¯s scream and his head snapped in that direction . The former ant king was being trampled under the Queen of Insect¡¯s foot and was putting up a desperate struggle to escape, but it was proving to be inadequate . At that moment, Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes widened . Magical energy was leaving Beru¡¯s body and his existence was gradually thinning out . ¡®Could that be how the soldier attached to Thomas¡¯s shadow was erased, too?¡¯ Jin-Woo quickly slapped back the attacks of the two Sovereigns and tried to summon Beru back to his shadow . Unfortunately¡­ . [The designated target cannot be called back . ] [The designated target cannot be called back . ] The System repeated the same message over and over again like a dumb little parrot . Jin-Woo¡¯s expression hardened . He couldn¡¯t afford to lose Beru like this . That guy was one of his most precious soldiers and at the same time, the greatest fighting power within the Shadow Army . ¡®If Beru disappears and stops distracting the Queen of Insects, then this precarious balance will break down . ¡¯ This problem was also linked to his current battle as well . Jin-Woo once more shook off the ice spear and the blade heading his way and dashed towards the Queen of Insects . Since the Queen was far too focused on destroying the most powerful Shadow Soldier, it discovered Jin-Woo¡¯s approach a little too late . [Human!!!] Just like what Beru showed him, he concentrated his magical energy in his throat . ¡°Uwaaaah-!!¡± His loud yell, carrying a horrendous amount of magic energy, slammed into the insects wrapped around the Queen and blew them away . After its true visage was revealed once more, the Queen failed to disguise its fluster . [Kyahk!!] It hurriedly spat out a green-coloured liquid onto Jin-Woo¡¯s face, but he simply activated ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ to deflect it away . As for the obvious poison remaining in the air, his passive buff easily neutralised it . [Effects from ¡®Skill: Strong Poison¡¯ have been detected in the surrounding air . ] [Effects of ¡®Buff: Detox¡¯ will now commence . ] [3, 2, 1¡­ . Detoxification has been completed . ] The powers of the Sovereign of Plagues couldn¡¯t threaten Jin-Woo in the slightest, and she was already within his attack radius . In that brief moment, a cold gleam flickered within his eyes . ¡®Just now, the Sovereign of Frost didn¡¯t die when its heart was pierced . ¡¯ There was a good chance it¡¯d be the same story for this Sovereign of Plagues, too . In that case ¨C since he had no idea where this creature¡¯s weakness was, he might as well continue to attack until he found it . Jin-Woo got even closer until he was within touching distance to the Queen of Insects and gripped his shortswords real tight . ¡®Violent Slash!¡¯ Dududududududududu!! The blades rained down like buckshots on the Queen of Insects and turned the creature¡¯s entire body into a torn rag in an instant . [Aaaaaahahk?!!!] However, the maggots wiggled and tangled with each other inside the monster¡¯s body to quickly restore its body . ¡®Regeneration?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a problem, though . If it possessed an ability to regenerate its body, then all he had to do was continuously pour out attacks that surpassed the rate of regeneration . That was all . Jin-Woo chased after the Queen of Insects being knocked back and activated the skill, ¡®Violent Slash¡¯, over and over again . Dududududu!! Dududududu!! [Aaahahahaaahk!!] The ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wraths¡¯, carrying the jet-black aura, fired out without a single break like a gun with infinite ammo . ¡°Uwaaaaah-!!¡± He activated ¡®Violent Slash¡¯ with all his might, repeatedly, until he completely disintegrated every little bit of flesh that the Queen of Insects could potentially regenerate . And eventually¡­ . [You have killed one of the Nine Sovereigns, the Sovereign of Plagues, ¡®Querehsha¡¯ . ] [Level up!] [Level up!] [Level up!] ¡­ ¡­ . . The ecstasy of level-up messages filling up his vision still felt great . ¡®Nice!¡¯ However, when recalling the fact that he still had two more enemies aiming for his neck, he couldn¡¯t lounge around feeling happy for himself . Jin-Woo urgently tried to turn around towards the direction of the intense murderous intent in order to defend himself, but¡­ . ¡­ . His enemy was just a little bit quicker . While he was preoccupied with killing the Sovereign of Plagues, someone rushed towards him and extended its long hand . Five separate strands of sharp wind blew in from behind his back . Stab! Jin-Woo discovered five claws plunging past his chest . ¡®¡­ . ¡¯ The beastly Sovereign had completely transformed itself into a Werewolf and accurately stabbed Jin-Woo¡¯s back with five blade-like claws on its right hand . All five had penetrated through his vital point . Jin-Woo¡¯s body froze up at that moment . Drop . Clang¡­ The pair of ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wraths¡¯ fell from Jin-Woo¡¯s hands . The Sovereign of Frost stood before him . Icy cold air spun and coagulated in the Ice Elf¡¯s hand and created an ice dagger . [This is the end . ] The ice dagger stabbed Jin-Woo in his belly . Stab! Beru had barely regained his consciousness by then and cried out in anguish . ¡°M-my king!!!¡± The ant soldier forced himself to stand back up on his unsteady legs but Jin-Woo simply shook his head at him . Even then, Beru extended his claws and tottered ungainly towards the Sovereign of Frost . ¡°Kiiieeehk!¡± The despair and sorrow Beru felt was being transmitted in full to Jin-Woo as well . And that was why he didn¡¯t want to see his ant soldier get erased at the hands of these Sovereigns . Just before Jin-Woo could issue an order to return, it was now the turn of Beru to shake his head as tears fell from his eyes . However, Jin-Woo still had Beru return to his shadow . Against his will, the former ant king reverted back to the shadow form and quietly merged with his master¡¯s shadow . Completely assured of its victory now, the ancient Ice Elf began moving that tree-bark-like skin to form a contorted grin . [Is this as far as you can go, human?] The b*stard leaned in closer to whisper in Jin-Woo¡¯s ear . [In that case, I guess you won¡¯t be able to see it, then . You will not get to see the moment our armies set foot in this world . When that happens, the corpses of humans will form mountains, and their blood will form endless rivers . ] The Sovereign of Frost distanced itself from Jin-Woo¡¯s ear and stared at his hardened expression before forming an insidious grin . [However, this country you grew up in will be different . I shall personally freeze every single human on this land and make sure they suffer eternal hell, all because you walked among them . I shall ensure that they enjoy an existence neither living nor dead for all eternity . ] The icy coldness spread out from the dagger stabbing into his belly and froze up Jin-Woo¡¯s body . As the icicle reached up to his face, his eyes continued to emit flames of sheer anger . Even then, the Sovereign of Frost was smirking derisively . [Yes, resent me endlessly in your death . That, too, will serve to please me even more . ] The Ice Elf yanked the dagger out and immediately, stabbed it into Jin-Woo¡¯s heart . The icy blade oozing whitish light easily shattered his rib bones and accurately penetrated his heart . Stab! The Sovereign of Frost confirmed that the human¡¯s heart had been destroyed and pulled the dagger out . Jin-Woo powerlessly collapsed to the ground . His head clattered on the hard surface and he felt this crippling vertigo . At the same time, he sensed his two enemies getting further away from him . ¡®Not yet¡­ . I can still¡­ . ¡¯ He tried to move again, but he didn¡¯t possess a single bit of energy left to even lift a finger . Along with the abrupt loss of all senses, his consciousness rapidly dimmed . And everything he could see and hear became submerged within inky darkness . The human¡¯s heart finally stopped operating . When that happened¡­ On top of the unmoving Jin-Woo, several System messages began floating up . [HP of ¡®Player¡¯ has reached ¡®0¡¯ . ] [¡®Player¡¯ has died . ] [¡®Player¡¯ is in possession of the ¡®Black Heart¡¯ . ] [You have met all the requirements for ¡®Passive Skill: (Unknown)¡¯ . ] [¡®Passive Skill: (Unknown)¡¯ has been activated . ] The Skills information window opened up by itself and a small change occurred to one of the Skills within the blinking ¡®Passive¡¯ column . [Skills] Passive Skills ¨C (Unknown) Lv . MAX ¨C Tenacity Lv . 1 ¨C Master of Shortsword Lv . MAX Shururuk¡­ . [Skills] Passive Skills ¨C Evolution Lv . MAX ¨C Tenacity Lv . 1 ¨C Master of Shortsword Lv . MAX < Chapter 217 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 217: Chapter 217 Only a few minutes ago Beru always prided himself as the most loyal subject to his king . But now, after getting trapped within the ice prison of the Sovereign of Frost, he realised what the taste of sheer powerlessness was like Was I really this weak?. Why did I continue to grow stronger? For what purpose was it?. Beru felt so pathetic by the fact that he couldn¡¯t do anything while his liege was being besieged by his enemies . However, there was nothing the former ant king could do The Sovereign of Frost was an existence on another level compared to Beru . And he didn¡¯t possess the requisite power to escape from this magic . All he could do now while trapped in ice was to pray that his liege would be safe Fortunately, his liege wasn¡¯t pushed back at all, even when facing off against transcendental enemies ¡®As expected of my liege¡­ . This lowly slave can only be moved by your greatness . ¡¯. Beru was so emotionally moved by his master¡¯s display of power that tears overflowed from his eyes as he continued to watch Jin-Woo¡¯s battle But then, the disadvantage of numbers gradually tightened around the neck of his liege . The progressively-worsening cycle of attacks and defences of the enemies began pushing Jin-Woo back and Beru desperately struggled against his restraints ¡®My king!! My king!!!¡¯. And finally, Beru watched as Jin-Woo was sent flying by the Sovereign of Plagues¡¯ large palm and slam into a wall The king was in danger . The king was in danger . The king was in danger!. ¡®I must protect my king . ¡¯. Snap Something inside Beru¡¯s head snapped loose . The empty void where his reasoning used to be was replaced by the ¡¯emergency mode¡¯ designed to protect his king ¡°Kiiiiieeeehhk!¡±. Beru¡¯s expression crumpled to resemble a frightening devil as he screeched out loudly Arms, shoulders, neck, chest, thighs, calves, ankles! Every part of his body ballooned up at the same time and began pushing away the block of ice imprisoning him Crack, craaack!. The seemingly-inescapable ice prison began to develop several large cracks . Beru shook his entire body Kwa-jeeck!. The ice prison could no longer contain the power of the ant soldier going crazy inside and its surface cracked even more so . Even in the midst of this, there was only one thing in Beru¡¯s head ¨C the thought of rescuing his king Kiiieeehk!. He poured out all his strength and twisted his body, causing a big crack to run down the ice block Kwa-jijijik!!. He used his sheer physical strength to prise out the gap even further and extricated himself from the ice prison . Beru then disregarded everything else while flying straight towards Jin-Woo¡¯s side ¡°My kingggggg!!¡±. ¡°Beru!¡±. Even before he felt happy at his master looking back at him, all those little nicks and scrapes on Jin-Woo¡¯s body entered Beru¡¯s vision first . They were caused by the insect woman when she smacked his liege into the building just now A mere insect woman dared to lay her hands on his king!. She dared to touch his king!!!. ¡°Kiiiieeeehhk!!¡±. Beru¡¯s anger reached a new height and he flew directly at the Queen of the Insects . The thunderous screech of Beru reverberating throughout the battlefield that used to be city streets rendered the Sovereign of Frost quite surprised [A measly Shadow Soldier managed to break free of my binding magic?!]. Such a thing shouldn¡¯t even happen . It took a closer look at Beru¡¯s power in the ¡¯emergency mode¡¯ for a second there and spat out a gasp of shock next This power didn¡¯t belong to some ¡®measly¡¯ Shadow Soldier at all [How did a mere human manage to rear up a Marshal grade being?]. Each and every single one of the soldiers with ¡®Marshal¡¯ grade acting as the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s hands and feet could be considered as destruction personified The Sovereign of Frost couldn¡¯t have imagined that it would see a Marshal grade creature today and failed to hide its astonishment . In the meantime, Beru had arrived right before the Queen of Insects, the target for his unquenchable rage [I must punish an unruly child that can¡¯t even recognise his own mother!]. ¡°Kiiiieehhk, shut up, you crazy wench!¡±. [What did you say?!]. The resident of the Chaos World and the master of all insects living there, the Sovereign of Plagues got triggered by the former ant king¡¯s statement Vuuwoong!. Beru ably dodged an attack from the Insect Queen and took aim at the centre of the insects swarming together to form a single body before screeching out with his magical energy ¡°Kyaaahk-!!¡±. The former ant king¡¯s thunderous roar forced the insects to fall off from the Queen¡¯s body in an instant, causing the real body of the Sovereign of Plagues hiding within to briefly reveal itself It was a humanoid female with rotting, distorted skin, and a pair of empty eye sockets filled with wriggling maggots The Sovereign of Plagues displayed violent rage against the detestable former ant king that dared to bare its fangs at its original owner ¡°Kiiiaaahhk!!¡±. The screech from the Insect Queen resounded out loudly enough to tear asunder the heavens, and Beru was forced back with no way to block the attack He was pushed far, far back before he managed to regain his balance and floated back down to the ground ¡°Kiiechk, kyahk, kyaahk . ¡±. While Beru was shaking his head left and right, a heavy groan leaking out of his mouth¡­ The Queen of Insects had managed to recall the bugs back to rebuild its giant body once more ¡®Okay, that¡¯s good . ¡¯. Jin-Woo nodded his head after watching the exchange between those two Of course, he knew that Beru wouldn¡¯t last long . The enemy was far too strong for that . However, if he could just steal away the attention of one of these three¡­ While Beru was fighting against the Queen, Jin-Woo shifted his eyes back to the other two Sovereigns . The tension hidden within their eyes was transmitted in the air, and he could clearly sense it The amount of time Beru could buy him wasn¡¯t much So, move faster than anticipated!. Jin-Woo dashed towards the Sovereign of Frost with all his power Kwagagagagagak!. The impact force from each and every one of his steps destroyed the ground below . The Sovereign of Frost glared at Jin-Woo making a beeline towards him and created a sharp ice spear between its two hands But, just before he collided with his target, Jin-Woo abruptly changed his direction and leapt towards the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs, instead [¡­¡­!!]. The Sovereign of Beastly Fangs was getting ready to counter the moment Jin-Woo attacked its fellow Sovereign, but it flinched in nasty surprise at this stunning movement By a mere whisker, the beast managed to block Jin-Woo¡¯s shortsword by nothing but sheer primal instinct . Its eyes shook hard Jin-Woo could only click his tongue as their blades remained locked like this ¡®Che . ¡¯. He was planning to fatally wound this beast-like thing after making it assume that he was aiming for the ancient Ice Elf, instead . The reflexes of the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs were faster than Jin-Woo¡¯s expectation However, it wasn¡¯t as if it was a total waste of time . He sensed the creature getting flustered just then ¡®I must push this b*stard back like this . ¡¯. In the blink of an eye, he gripped the Kamish¡¯s Wrath in reverse grip and rained down a barrage of powerful attacks The horrifying sounds of air tearing up resounded throughout the area as the ultra-sharp blades left behind countless cut marks in the surroundings Clang!! Khang! Claaang!! Cah-hang!! Clang!!. The beast became fully occupied with defending against Jin-Woo¡¯s shortswords . Step by step, the creature was pushed back as it gradually lost out to his speed . The look of panic began clouding its face But then¡­. Jin-Woo sensed this sharp killing intent right behind him and urgently tilted his torso out of the way . The Sovereign of Frost thrust its ice spear and it slid past the location where his waist had been, barely missing him The ancient Ice Elf had entered the fray between Jin-Woo and the beast For the brief moment their eyes met, Jin-Woo discovered this incredibly heavy enmity from the eyes of the Elf b*stard Grit The grating noises of grinding teeth leaked out from Jin-Woo¡¯s mouth He slapped away the ice spear with his shortsword and quickly closed the distance as the Sovereign of Frost¡¯s posture crumbled from the after-effects of the weapon shaking loose in its grip Swish-!. He swung his blade, hoping to slice up the arrogant eyes of the creature, but regrettably, he missed by a hair¡¯s breadth . Instinctively pulling its head back to escape the danger, the expression on the ancient Ice Elf crumpled into something unsightly ¡®Too bad, but¡­ . ¡¯. What followed after the attack was to defend . Jin-Woo ably blocked the beast¡¯s blade as if he knew it was coming CLANG!. Blocked again by a whisker; however, there was no time to sigh in relief after blocking the attack . The Sovereign of Frost grasped its spear again and commenced with its counterattack . The beast, too, came at him with its own barrage of attacks At the back, the Sovereign of Frost From the front, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs Scary attacks from the two monsters possessing powers on another level rained down on him However¡­. Clang! Claaang!! Clang, clang, clang!! Claaang!! Claaang! Clang, clang, clank, clang, clank, clang!!. Two lengthy shortswords flashed about like bolts of lightning to either block or deflect all attacks coming from the two monsters Jin-Woo¡¯s movements had now firmly surpassed the limits of one¡¯s vision and they resembled just one long afterimage . It even looked as if he was blending into the already-blurry shapes of the two Sovereigns It went without saying that he couldn¡¯t possibly have seen every single attack coming in from his front and back, and respond to them in time with nothing but his eyes However, he could see something else, and that was the flow of each incoming attack . Things like pre-movement, the eyes, breathing, muscles twitching, the direction of magic energy, etc His sensory perception pushed to the absolute limit didn¡¯t miss out on a single little thing and accurately read each and every one of the enemies¡¯ attacks ¡®¡­ . I can see it . ¡¯. That was why, just a little bit more! If he could go a little bit faster and surpass these b*stards¡­. ¡®Faster, faster, faster, faster, faster!¡¯. As the countless hits were exchanged, he got faster and faster . The complexions of the two Sovereigns fighting Jin-Woo hardened more and more ¡®But, how¡­ . how could this¡­ . ?!¡¯. ¡®It¡¯s impossible! This human can¡¯t be fully utilising the power of the Shadow Sovereign!!¡¯. But that wasn¡¯t it . Their enemy had exceeded the limits of humanity and was evolving further and further right before their eyes . That¡¯s when the two Sovereigns remembered it ¨C the fear they held towards the strongest king that ruled the Chaos World And this happened around the same time Pah-ahck!!. Jin-Woo crossed blades with the weapons of both Sovereigns and then, with nothing but his physical strength, shoved them both far away [¡­ . !!]. [¡­ . !!]. Shock and astonishment quickly dyed the expressions of the two Sovereigns ***. Lennart Niermann was sure of it now He was sure that there was no one else around here that could chase after the battle of those three with their bare eyes except himself, as long as the grievously-wounded Thomas Andre remained lying on the ground while being treated by the Healers surrounding him Even then, he couldn¡¯t clearly chase after Jin-Woo¡¯s movements with his eyes ¡°¡­ . ¡±. Only sighs of admiration kept leaking out of his mouth Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was not being pushed back by an inch even though he was fighting against the ¡®beast¡¯ that subdued the Special Authority-rank Tanker with brute strength, as well as a monster that froze up the vast ground with a single breath And soon, Hunter Seong¡¯s shape simply melted into thin air and only the series of unending metallic clangs reverberated around the battlefield It was as if there was a violent storm whipping about only around where he was ¡°What¡­ . ¡±. Thomas Andre couldn¡¯t win against his curiosity, roused up from all those suspicious explosive noises, and had to ask ¡°¡­ . What is going on?¡±. Lennart murmured with disbelieving voice, unable to tear his gaze away from Jin-Woo ¡°It¡¯s as if¡­ . ¡±. If the monsters capable of destroying the world were engaged in an almighty dogfight, would it create a situation similar to this one?. ¡°¡­ . I¡¯m looking at the end of the world . ¡±. Lennart spat out his genuine thought stewing in his head, not even bothering to dress it up in fancy words, and shook his head . The sole silver lining in this dark cloud was the fact that one of the three happened to be on the side of humanity ***. It was then ¡°Kiiiieeeeeehhhk!!¡±. Jin-Woo heard Beru¡¯s scream and his head snapped in that direction The former ant king was being trampled under the Queen of Insect¡¯s foot and was putting up a desperate struggle to escape, but it was proving to be inadequate At that moment, Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes widened . Magical energy was leaving Beru¡¯s body and his existence was gradually thinning out ¡®Could that be how the soldier attached to Thomas¡¯s shadow was erased, too?¡¯. Jin-Woo quickly slapped back the attacks of the two Sovereigns and tried to summon Beru back to his shadow Unfortunately¡­ [The designated target cannot be called back . ]. [The designated target cannot be called back . ]. The System repeated the same message over and over again like a dumb little parrot . Jin-Woo¡¯s expression hardened He couldn¡¯t afford to lose Beru like this . That guy was one of his most precious soldiers and at the same time, the greatest fighting power within the Shadow Army ¡®If Beru disappears and stops distracting the Queen of Insects, then this precarious balance will break down . ¡¯. This problem was also linked to his current battle as well . Jin-Woo once more shook off the ice spear and the blade heading his way and dashed towards the Queen of Insects Since the Queen was far too focused on destroying the most powerful Shadow Soldier, it discovered Jin-Woo¡¯s approach a little too late [Human!!!]. Just like what Beru showed him, he concentrated his magical energy in his throat ¡°Uwaaaah-!!¡±. His loud yell, carrying a horrendous amount of magic energy, slammed into the insects wrapped around the Queen and blew them away . After its true visage was revealed once more, the Queen failed to disguise its fluster [Kyahk!!]. It hurriedly spat out a green-coloured liquid onto Jin-Woo¡¯s face, but he simply activated ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ to deflect it away . As for the obvious poison remaining in the air, his passive buff easily neutralised it [Effects from ¡®Skill: Strong Poison¡¯ have been detected in the surrounding air . ]. [Effects of ¡®Buff: Detox¡¯ will now commence . ]. [3, 2, 1¡­ . Detoxification has been completed . ]. The powers of the Sovereign of Plagues couldn¡¯t threaten Jin-Woo in the slightest, and she was already within his attack radius . In that brief moment, a cold gleam flickered within his eyes ¡®Just now, the Sovereign of Frost didn¡¯t die when its heart was pierced . ¡¯. There was a good chance it¡¯d be the same story for this Sovereign of Plagues, too In that case ¨C since he had no idea where this creature¡¯s weakness was, he might as well continue to attack until he found it . Jin-Woo got even closer until he was within touching distance to the Queen of Insects and gripped his shortswords real tight ¡®Violent Slash!¡¯. Dududududududududu!!. The blades rained down like buckshots on the Queen of Insects and turned the creature¡¯s entire body into a torn rag in an instant [Aaaaaahahk?!!!]. However, the maggots wiggled and tangled with each other inside the monster¡¯s body to quickly restore its body ¡®Regeneration?¡¯. It wasn¡¯t a problem, though . If it possessed an ability to regenerate its body, then all he had to do was continuously pour out attacks that surpassed the rate of regeneration . That was all Jin-Woo chased after the Queen of Insects being knocked back and activated the skill, ¡®Violent Slash¡¯, over and over again Dududududu!! Dududududu!!. [Aaahahahaaahk!!]. The ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wraths¡¯, carrying the jet-black aura, fired out without a single break like a gun with infinite ammo ¡°Uwaaaaah-!!¡±. He activated ¡®Violent Slash¡¯ with all his might, repeatedly, until he completely disintegrated every little bit of flesh that the Queen of Insects could potentially regenerate And eventually¡­ [You have killed one of the Nine Sovereigns, the Sovereign of Plagues, ¡®Querehsha¡¯ . ]. [Level up!]. [Level up!]. [Level up!]. ¡­. ¡­ . The ecstasy of level-up messages filling up his vision still felt great ¡®Nice!¡¯. However, when recalling the fact that he still had two more enemies aiming for his neck, he couldn¡¯t lounge around feeling happy for himself Jin-Woo urgently tried to turn around towards the direction of the intense murderous intent in order to defend himself, but¡­ ¡­ . His enemy was just a little bit quicker While he was preoccupied with killing the Sovereign of Plagues, someone rushed towards him and extended its long hand . Five separate strands of sharp wind blew in from behind his back Stab!. Jin-Woo discovered five claws plunging past his chest ¡®¡­ . ¡¯. The beastly Sovereign had completely transformed itself into a Werewolf and accurately stabbed Jin-Woo¡¯s back with five blade-like claws on its right hand . All five had penetrated through his vital point . Jin-Woo¡¯s body froze up at that moment Drop Clang¡­. The pair of ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wraths¡¯ fell from Jin-Woo¡¯s hands The Sovereign of Frost stood before him . Icy cold air spun and coagulated in the Ice Elf¡¯s hand and created an ice dagger [This is the end . ]. The ice dagger stabbed Jin-Woo in his belly Stab!. Beru had barely regained his consciousness by then and cried out in anguish ¡°M-my king!!!¡±. The ant soldier forced himself to stand back up on his unsteady legs but Jin-Woo simply shook his head at him . Even then, Beru extended his claws and tottered ungainly towards the Sovereign of Frost ¡°Kiiieeehk!¡±. The despair and sorrow Beru felt was being transmitted in full to Jin-Woo as well . And that was why he didn¡¯t want to see his ant soldier get erased at the hands of these Sovereigns Just before Jin-Woo could issue an order to return, it was now the turn of Beru to shake his head as tears fell from his eyes However, Jin-Woo still had Beru return to his shadow . Against his will, the former ant king reverted back to the shadow form and quietly merged with his master¡¯s shadow Completely assured of its victory now, the ancient Ice Elf began moving that tree-bark-like skin to form a contorted grin [Is this as far as you can go, human?]. The b*stard leaned in closer to whisper in Jin-Woo¡¯s ear [In that case, I guess you won¡¯t be able to see it, then . You will not get to see the moment our armies set foot in this world . When that happens, the corpses of humans will form mountains, and their blood will form endless rivers . ]. The Sovereign of Frost distanced itself from Jin-Woo¡¯s ear and stared at his hardened expression before forming an insidious grin [However, this country you grew up in will be different . I shall personally freeze every single human on this land and make sure they suffer eternal hell, all because you walked among them . I shall ensure that they enjoy an existence neither living nor dead for all eternity . ]. The icy coldness spread out from the dagger stabbing into his belly and froze up Jin-Woo¡¯s body . As the icicle reached up to his face, his eyes continued to emit flames of sheer anger Even then, the Sovereign of Frost was smirking derisively [Yes, resent me endlessly in your death . That, too, will serve to please me even more . ]. The Ice Elf yanked the dagger out and immediately, stabbed it into Jin-Woo¡¯s heart . The icy blade oozing whitish light easily shattered his rib bones and accurately penetrated his heart Stab!. The Sovereign of Frost confirmed that the human¡¯s heart had been destroyed and pulled the dagger out . Jin-Woo powerlessly collapsed to the ground His head clattered on the hard surface and he felt this crippling vertigo . At the same time, he sensed his two enemies getting further away from him ¡®Not yet¡­ . I can still¡­ . ¡¯. He tried to move again, but he didn¡¯t possess a single bit of energy left to even lift a finger . Along with the abrupt loss of all senses, his consciousness rapidly dimmed And everything he could see and hear became submerged within inky darkness The human¡¯s heart finally stopped operating When that happened¡­. On top of the unmoving Jin-Woo, several System messages began floating up [HP of ¡®Player¡¯ has reached ¡®0¡¯ . ]. [¡®Player¡¯ has died . ]. [¡®Player¡¯ is in possession of the ¡®Black Heart¡¯ . ]. [You have met all the requirements for ¡®Passive Skill: (Unknown)¡¯ . ]. [¡®Passive Skill: (Unknown)¡¯ has been activated . ]. The Skills information window opened up by itself and a small change occurred to one of the Skills within the blinking ¡®Passive¡¯ column [Skills]. Passive Skills. ¨C (Unknown) Lv . MAX. ¨C Tenacity Lv . 1. ¨C Master of Shortsword Lv . MAX. Shururuk¡­ [Skills]. Passive Skills. ¨C Evolution Lv . MAX. ¨C Tenacity Lv . 1. ¨C Master of Shortsword Lv . MAX. < Chapter 217 > Fin Chapter 218 ¡°Are you awake now?¡± After hearing that familiar voice, Jin-Woo quickly opened his eyes . He saw a white ceiling, and the smell of disinfectant stung his nose . Although the sensation of the hard bed kissing his back was different, he could easily tell just where he was . This was a hospital . But, didn¡¯t he definitely feel the sensation of his heart shattering when the ice-cold dagger stabbed into his chest? ¡®Even then¡­ . I¡¯m still alive?¡¯ Jin-Woo raised his upper torso up . He immediately spotted two men standing near his bed, making anxious faces as if they had been waiting for him to regain his consciousness for a long time . One of them was someone Jin-Woo knew very well . ¡°Association President Woo Jin-Cheol! The Sovereigns¡­ . . No, what happened to those monsters? How am I still alive?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol shared confused looks with the fellow agent of the Monitoring Division next to him, took his sunglasses off before addressing Jin-Woo . ¡°There are three things I must tell you . ¡± He pulled a chair close to the bed and settled down . The junior agent quickly stepped behind him . ¡°Firstly, I¡¯m not the Association President, but the Chief of the Monitoring Division . Secondly, we are here to ask you about the animated stone statues . And finally¡­ . ¡± A powerful glare oozed out from Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s scrutinising eyes . ¡°¡­ . How do you know about me? Have we met before, somewhere?¡± ¡°H-hold on, wait! You said something about animated stone statues?!¡± ¡°After we received the report from the survivors and arrived on site with the White Tiger Guild, it was already¡­ . ¡± ¡°No, no . Hang on . That¡¯s not it¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo quickly cut Woo Jin-Cheol off and shook his head in dumbfoundedness . Several emotions, impossible to describe in words, rushed in . Could it be¡­ . ? Jin-Woo raised his head and stared at the ceiling . He was thinking that it was an oddly familiar sight ever since he opened his eyes, but he really was back here . ¡®Makes sense why it¡¯s so familiar¡­ . ¡¯ He spent almost two weeks in this place, after all . This was the VIP patient room provided by the Hunter¡¯s Association . He was back in the hospital room where he opened his eyes for the first time after barely managing to survive the dual dungeon incident . Thinking back to what Woo Jin-Cheol said just now, it didn¡¯t seem like the location wasn¡¯t the only thing here that was the same . ¡®But¡­ how can such a thing even be possible?¡¯ Jin-Woo remained utterly confused and dazed, leading Woo Jin-Cheol to cautiously ask him . ¡°¡­ . Are you feeling alright?¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s head dropped lower and he massaged his temples as a migraine gradually crept in . He didn¡¯t forget to wave around his hand as a gesture to tell the others to not to worry about him . ¡°I¡­ . Can I be left alone to organise my thoughts? Please hurry up with measuring my magical energy so we can end this quickly . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol stared dazedly at Jin-Woo with an expression that roughly said, ¡°How did you know that we have been suspecting you going through a Re-Awakening?¡± before he quickly shook his head as if to get rid of all the distracting thoughts . ¡°We¡¯d like to hear what happened inside there before we proceed . If you have seen something strange before losing your consciousness¡­ . ¡± ¡°Like I told you before, I don¡¯t remember anything . ¡± Did they ever meet and converse with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo before? No, never . Definitely not . As a man of the Monitoring Division, Woo Jin-Cheol never forgot the face of a Hunter he met, even if it was only one time . And his memory definitely didn¡¯t hold information on anyone with the name of ¡®Seong Jin-Woo¡¯ . ¡®Looks like his memories are all jumbled up from going through a serious mental shock . ¡¯ Woo Jin-Cheol decided as thus while looking at Jin-Woo¡¯s current condition . In that case, he figured that he might as well finish what he came here to do and return as soon as possible . He addressed his underling next . ¡°Bring it here . ¡± The junior agent heard the order and brought along the miniature magic energy measuring device . ¡®Hah¡­ . ¡¯ A helpless chuckle leaked out of Jin-Woo¡¯s lips as things played out exactly like his memories . ¡°All you have to do is to place your hand on this magic crystal for a little while . ¡± ¡°Okay . ¡± The measuring process ended quickly thanks to Jin-Woo¡¯s cooperation . However, Woo Jin-Cheol began frowning greatly as he tried to confirm the results . He prodded the device several times before shifting his gaze over to the junior agent . ¡°Why isn¡¯t the device working? Didn¡¯t I tell you to check it before leaving the HQ?¡± ¡°Pardon me?¡± The junior agent couldn¡¯t hide his fluster and hurriedly inspected the device from this angle and that, but obviously, nothing changed by doing that . The device that was operating perfectly up until just now suddenly switched itself off as soon as it touched the hand of the subject . And it didn¡¯t want to work again . ¡®Tsk . ¡¯ Woo Jin-Cheol quietly tutted at the mistake of his junior agent and apologised to Jin-Woo before asking for his understanding . ¡°Looks like there has been some sort of mistake on our part here . Do you mind waiting for a little bit? We should be able to go and fetch a new device very soon . This process must be performed during the investigation of this incident, and we ask for your coopera¡­ . . ¡± Even before his words came to an end, Jin-Woo nodded his head . Woo Jin-Cheol led his junior agent and left the hospital room . However, he only took a few more steps before coming to a stop . He turned around again . ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Jin-Woo raised his head slightly when Woo Jin-Cheol acted a little differently to how he remembered it . The Chief of the Monitoring Division stood before the bed and asked . ¡°By any chance¡­ . Are you aware of the punishment in store for being a fake registrant?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve met my fair share of high-ranking Hunters in my life . However, I¡¯ve never met any Hunter with eyes like yours . If you¡¯re hiding something, now¡¯s the time to¡­ . ¡± ¡°I¡¯ve nothing to hide . ¡± Jin-Woo cut him off again . Woo Jin-Cheol wordlessly studied the man sitting up on the bed before politely bowing his head . ¡°We¡¯ve inconvenienced you . ¡± Jin-Woo watched Woo Jin-Cheol leaving the hospital room¡¯s door and inwardly thought that he definitely better suited the role of the boss of the Monitoring Division rather than that of the Association President . Besides all that, though¡­ . ¡°¡­ . Status Window . ¡± He wasn¡¯t surprised in the least by the message floating in the air and took a look at the Status Window displaying his current level . Name: Seong Jin-Woo Level: 146 Class: Shadow Sovereign Title: Demon Hunter (extra 2) HP: 93,300 MP: 155,720 Tiredness: 0 [Stats] Strength: 324 Endurance: 320 Agility: 340 Intelligence: 340 Perception: 321 (Available points to distribute: 0) Reduction in physical damage: 65% Reduction in magical damage: 44% [Skills] Passive Skills ¨C Tenacity Lv . 1 ¨C Master of Shortsword Lv . MAX Active Skills ¨C Quicksilver Lv . MAX ¨C Intimidation Lv . 2 ¨C Violent Slash Lv . MAX ¨C Dagger Rush Lv . MAX ¨C Stealth Lv . MAX ¨C Ruler¡¯s Authority Lv . MAX [Class-specific Skills] Active Skills ¨C Shadow Extraction Lv . 2 ¨C Shadow Storage Lv . 2 ¨C Sovereign¡¯s Territory Lv . 2 ¨C Shadow Exchange Lv . 2 ¡®My level¡¯s gone up a lot since the last time I took a look at it . Is it because of the experience points I earned after killing the Sovereign of Plagues?¡¯ That wasn¡¯t all, either . Everything he had stored in his Inventory until now was also waiting for him as they always had been . He even spotted the pair of ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wraths¡¯ resting quietly on the very first column of the Inventory and formed a hollow smile . He had somehow returned to the beginning with everything he had achieved so far . ¡®Well, the Shadow Soldiers aren¡¯t here anymore, but¡­ . ¡¯ But, his army could be rebuilt in no time at all . Since he had retained all of his prior abilities and memories, he was confident of doing a better job this time around . However¡­ . ¡­ . Just how did this happen? Why was this thing happening? Although he was given the second go at life here, all sorts of possibilities fleeted in and out of his head and he couldn¡¯t be happy about his current situation at all . Jin-Woo carefully combed over his memories, wondering if he had overlooked something, before his head rose up . ¡®Should be here soon¡­ . ¡¯ As he expected; just like how he remembered it, his little sister pounced into the hospital room with excellent timing . ¡°Oppa!!¡± After she lost almost all of her school friends at the hands of the Orcs, there always had been a shadow cast on her expression even when she was smiling . But, right now, there was no hint of such darkness on her face . Jin-Woo¡¯s heart softened from seeing her expression and he tightly hugged her . ¡°O-Oppa??¡± Jin-Ah was planning to urge her oppa to give up being a Hunter when he regained his consciousness, but now that she lost her initiative to him, she became rather flustered, instead . ¡°What¡¯s going on? What¡¯s gotten into you? Did you hit your head?¡± Eventually, her oppa ended the hug and grinned refreshingly . Seeing him behaving like this, all thoughts of anger dissipated from her mind and she could only tilt her head this way and that with a puzzled look on her face . She couldn¡¯t put her finger on it, but her oppa seemed somewhat different from the normal . Now that she took a closer look, she kind of got the impression that her oppa had grown a lot taller since the last time she saw him a few days ago . While Jin-Ah was falling deeper into confusion, Jin-Woo was able to use this lull to organise his thoughts better . He then began thinking about things he needed to do, step by step . A short while later, he lightly chased his little sister out and changed his clothes before stepping outside the hospital room himself . Since these clothes were his old ones, they didn¡¯t fit his size now, and because he had survived a life or death situation, their condition was at their absolute worst, as well . But what choice did he have? He certainly couldn¡¯t walk around the city in a patient gown now, could he? Jin-Ah watched her brother walk right past her in hurried steps and called out to him . ¡°Oppa?! Where are you going now?¡± ¡°To the Hunter¡¯s Association . ¡± ¡°Why there??¡± ¡°To tell them I¡¯m giving up being a Hunter . ¡± ¡°Really???¡± Jin-Woo looked back at his little sister and her wide open eyes . ¡°I know that you asked permission to leave from your school to come here, so you should go back now . ¡± ¡°Whaaat-?!¡± Jin-Ah watched on with an expression gradually becoming even more confused as her oppa¡¯s back disappeared from view . *** The Association employee confirmed the re-evaluation test results once more and continued to rub his eyes over and over again . It had been two years since Cha Hae-In¡¯s appearance, hadn¡¯t it? The employee looked up at the tenth Hunter to reach the ¡®unable-to-measure¡¯ category in Korea and his complexion paled greatly . Since Jin-Woo¡¯s outward appearance looked so wretched like a pauper, the employee was dismissive about this young man, but to think, he turned out to be a genuine rank S Hunter . ¡°T-the device we have right now can¡¯t measure your magic energy level, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡± ¡°I know . But before we do the re-test, I¡¯d like to speak to the Association President first . Will that be alright with you?¡± ¡°Y-you mean, the Association President??¡± ¡°Yes . ¡± Jin-Woo was already familiar with the re-evaluation procedures . The Association employee became dazed by this request for a meeting with the Association President and picked up the phone to make the call . ¡°Y-yes, yes . That¡¯s correct . He¡¯s definitely ¡®unable-to-measure¡¯ . Understood . Yes . I shall give him the message . ¡± Indeed, the Association President agreed to meet this young man . ¡°I, I shall escort you to the office of the Association President¡­ . ¡± ¡°I know where it is already . Thanks for the offer, but it¡¯s okay . ¡± Jin-Woo bade a short goodbye and walked straight to the elevator . The employee looked at his departing back with an expression of utter loss . ¡®How can an outsider know where the President¡¯s office is?¡¯ Too bad for the employee, the elevator stopped on the correct floor where the Association President¡¯s office was . ¡°Heot¡­ . ¡± The employee watched the floor display of the elevator with a worried expression before gasping out softly in surprise . Ting¡­ . Jin-Woo stepped out of the elevator and immediately discovered a familiar face walking past him in order to enter the lift . He turned around to address this man . ¡°Excuse me . ¡± The man pressed the ¡®door open¡¯ button to stop the elevator when Jin-Woo turned to look at him . ¡°Are you talking to me?¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t disclosed the fact that you possess the ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill . You¡¯re an upper-rank Hunter, but your name wasn¡¯t on the list of those under the Association¡¯s strict management . ¡± The Hunter affiliated with the Monitoring Division, Kahng Tae-Sik¡¯s expression hardened instantly . ¡°But how¡­ . ?¡± ¡°Someone will ask you to avenge his daughter soon . I don¡¯t care what happens to the criminals . However, if the innocent Hunters get hurt in that incident, you will die by my hands . Understand?¡± Jin-Woo emitted just a little bit of his killing intent, causing Kahng Tae-Sik to flinch and reach into his waist . However, it wasn¡¯t there . Kahng Tae-Sik continued to rummage around his waist for a while before finally realising that his knife had disappeared . ¡°You looking for this?¡± Jin-Woo casually tossed a knife up and down before handing it back to him . Kahng Tae-Sik quickly recognised that Jin-Woo was on a completely different level compared to all the other Hunters he had been dealing with so far and wordlessly took the knife back . ¡°You get only one warning . ¡± Knowing that this young man could easily dissect him into tiny little pieces if he wanted to, Kahng Tae-Sik slowly nodded his head while pocketing the knife . And then, he asked a question as Jin-Woo turned around to leave . ¡°Look here, man¡­ . Just who are you? Have we ever met before?¡± Jin-Woo didn¡¯t bother to reply and quietly continued to make his way to the Association President¡¯s office . After this mysterious man went away, Kahng Tae-Sik looked down at his cold sweat-soaked palms and lifted his finger away from the ¡®door open¡¯ button . ¡°¡­ . Feels like I¡¯ve been entranced by a phantom, doesn¡¯t it?¡± *** ¡®Association President¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s steps came to a halt . Goh Gun-Hui, still alive, was sitting behind his desk going through his documents right now . Jin-Woo stood by the doorway and stared at the Association President with eyes filled with nostalgia . Meanwhile, Goh Gun-Hui chuckled good-naturedly . ¡°Although you opened my door with so much confidence, it seems that you¡¯re a bit lacking in spirit there . It¡¯s fine for you to come inside, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡± Goh Gun-Hui stood up from his chair and walked out in front while suggesting that they take a seat on the couch . He settled down on the couch opposite of Jin-Woo and asked the younger man . ¡°Would you like to sit down?¡± Abruptly, the current Goh Gun-Hui overlapped with that of the Goh Gun-Hui he met for the first time and Jin-Woo¡¯s expression stiffened for a brief moment . He stood there with an expressionless face for a second or two, before settling down as well . ¡°Thank you . I will . ¡± Goh Gun-Hui studied the young man before him and spoke up first . ¡°Seeing that you came to see me right away after your re-evaluation test, may I assume that you know about the ¡®normal¡¯ procedures?¡± ¡°Yes, basically . ¡± ¡°In that case, let me not beat around the bush and be direct with you . ¡± ¡°Before that, I¡¯d like to make a deal with you first, Association President . ¡± ¡°A deal?¡± Initially, Goh Gun-Hui felt rather flustered by this young man, who was acting as if he knew he¡¯d be a rank S Hunter from the beginning . However, being spunky was an excellent weapon wielded by the young, was it not? For some reason, Goh Gun-Hui didn¡¯t find this young man in front of his eyes dislikeable at all . Maybe that was why he didn¡¯t bother to hide the smile naturally floating up on his lips and paid attention to Jin-Woo¡¯s words . ¡°What is it that you want from us, Hunter-nim?¡± ¡°Please, change the regulations so that even the summoned creatures called out by the Hunters are counted as raid team members . ¡± ¡°You want me to change the regulation¡­ . That¡¯s a rather difficult request, isn¡¯t it? I expect an attractive offer from you, powerful enough to sway my mind . ¡± Jin-Woo took his time before making his reply . ¡°I will kill all the ants on Jeju Island . ¡± Right now, replenishing his army took precedence over everything . And Jeju Island was practically crawling with the finest quality monsters ready to be turned into Shadow Soldiers . As long as this offer was accepted, not only would he get to solve the issue of filling up the ranks of the Shadow Army, he would also be spared from the headache of not having usable members in the future as well . Before he woke his mother up with the ¡®Divine Water of Life¡¯, he wanted to finish this part of the job first . However, what Jin-Woo said came across as a desire to kill himself to Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s ears . ¡°Don¡¯t say something that nonsensical, young man!¡± Such a reaction was fully expected . Jin-Woo didn¡¯t lose his cool and calmly released all of the magical energy resting within himself for a very brief moment . A bottomless and vast power defying all attempts to estimate its true scope spread out from Jin-Woo¡¯s body . The truly strong could recognise a fellow strong being; the Association President, often called the ¡®sky above the sky¡¯ shook his head in utter disbelief . ¡°How¡­ . Just how¡­ . What on earth¡­ is this?¡± He powerfully shuddered . Never before in his entire life had he felt this amount of magic energy emitted from another human being . A Special Authority-rank Hunter? No, this power had far surpassed their levels . The Association President simply couldn¡¯t bring his slack jaw to a close . ¡°I can take care of all the ants on Jeju Island . ¡± Didn¡¯t Goh Gun-Hui once say that doing so was his life¡¯s wish? The older man was about to chide Jin-Woo for being immature and reckless, but after seeing the resolute expression on Jin-Woo¡¯s face, his own expression quickly changed as well . ¡°Are you¡­ being serious?¡± Jin-Woo nodded his head . ¡°This is something only I can do . Please, leave it to me . ¡± *** Jin-Woo took a long sweeping look at the corpses of ants strewn about from one end of the land all the way to the other side . And he looked below his feet where Beru, no, the ant king¡¯s corpse was resting quietly . It hadn¡¯t been that long since he had seen his loyal soldier, but Jin-Woo yearned to hear Beru¡¯s voice busily calling out to his king again . So, he quickly shouted out towards the ants . ¡°Rise up . ¡± When he did, Shadow Soldiers rose up from the shadows of every single ant he could see . Beru was among them, too . ¡°Oh, my king¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo took in the sight of several thousand ants kneeling all around him and slowly nodded his head . A brand new army was here . The new Shadow Army, starting from the most perfect state imaginable, swore their loyalty to their new master . However¡­ After talking to his new soldiers, he became sure of it . ¡°¡­ . Let¡¯s stop this . ¡± Even though a new Shadow Army had been created, there was this gaping hole in his heart that didn¡¯t want to fill back up . Beru looked up with worry, but Jin-Woo knew that even that expression and emotion were all a lie . And that was why his heart ached even more so as he looked at his soldiers . Thick veins popped up in his throat as he loudly yelled out . ¡°I know all of this is just an illusion! Why don¡¯t you stop this charade and reveal yourself?!¡± This illusion was incredibly life-like . Because of that, there had been some moments that he dearly wished for this thing to be his true reality . However, there was no hiding the emptiness in his heart that seemed to grow larger and larger the longer he spent inside this illusion . That was why¡­ . ¡°Hurry up!!¡± Jin-Woo loudly roared into the empty sky above, before finally realising that a change had taken place ¨C that time had frozen still . The gazes of every single ant soldier and their raised heads were directed towards him . For a moment there, he felt goosebumps break out on his skin from receiving all those mechanical stares . It was then . Below his feet, the Sovereign¡¯s Territory, a jet-black shadow rapidly spread out . Everything touched by that shadow all vanished without exception . Beru, the soldiers, corpses, the ground, the sea, and finally, even the sky itself . Soon, the entire ¡®world¡¯ became submerged in shadow . No, everything simply transformed into darkness, instead . Only then did a weighty, heavy voice come at him from a place within this darkness . [As long as you want, you can live in this world for all eternity . It will be the same as you never waking from the most wonderful dream . ] Jin-Woo searched for the voice coming from an unknown direction and made his reply . ¡°Are you telling me to stay trapped within this illusion you have created?¡± [No . I did not create this world . You are responsible for its creation . ] ¡°I created this world?¡± Jin-Woo was about to reply with ¡°Nonsense!¡± but sensed something approach him . It was his rear . He quickly spun around . Sure enough, someone was walking closer from within the impenetrable darkness . This figure was kitted out in this exquisite black armour that no other Shadow Soldier could even hope to match . And he also emitted an utterly shocking amount of pressure that no other living being Jin-Woo ever met possessed . He found it hard to open his mouth when he came face to face with this figure . This being spoke to him . [This world was created when your desire to fix all the mistakes you¡¯ve made so far was added to my own power . This place is the world of death . Meaning, this is my true territory . ] Jin-Woo finally realised then . He finally realised that this dark world he was standing in had been gently and invitingly embracing him all this time . ¡®So, this is the eternal rest, is it¡­ . ¡¯ Death . If so, the man who claimed this world on the other side of consciousness as his territory had to be¡­ . Jin-Woo wanted to hear the answer straight from the man¡¯s mouth and asked the question . ¡°And you must be¡­ . ?¡± The man in the black armour slowly walked closer to Jin-Woo . [I have been watching you for far longer than you can imagine . You, who had always been striding close to death, yet always had been resisting bitterly against it . ] ¡®You¡¯ve been¡­ . watching me?¡¯ Eventually, the man stood right before Jin-Woo and stared with those black eyes that seemed to suck everything in . [I am the record of your bitter struggle . I am the evidence of your resistance . I am the reward of your pain . I am death, I am eternal rest, and I am also ¡®terror¡¯ . ] Every word he spoke reverberated weightily within Jin-Woo¡¯s soul . All those memories of him struggling hard to survive despite his weakness fleeted in and out of his mind like a revolving lantern, and made his heart palpitate faster . The figure reached down and grabbed Jin-Woo¡¯s hand and placed it on his own armoured chest . That¡¯s when Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes widened in shock . He could definitely feel ¡®it¡¯ beyond the thick metal armour plate . How could he not recognise it? How could he not recognise the vigorous pounding of the heart that he always got to hear by concentrating just a little bit harder? How could he not recognise the sounds of his second heart, the one where he had no clue where it was beating from? It was the Black Heart . The Black Heart was powerfully beating within this armoured figure¡¯s chest . [I am¡­ . ] The figure quietly finished his words . [¡­ . You . ] < Chapter 218 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 218: Chapter 218 ¡°Are you awake now?¡±. After hearing that familiar voice, Jin-Woo quickly opened his eyes . He saw a white ceiling, and the smell of disinfectant stung his nose . Although the sensation of the hard bed kissing his back was different, he could easily tell just where he was This was a hospital But, didn¡¯t he definitely feel the sensation of his heart shattering when the ice-cold dagger stabbed into his chest?. ¡®Even then¡­ . I¡¯m still alive?¡¯. Jin-Woo raised his upper torso up He immediately spotted two men standing near his bed, making anxious faces as if they had been waiting for him to regain his consciousness for a long time . One of them was someone Jin-Woo knew very well ¡°Association President Woo Jin-Cheol! The Sovereigns¡­ No, what happened to those monsters? How am I still alive?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol shared confused looks with the fellow agent of the Monitoring Division next to him, took his sunglasses off before addressing Jin-Woo ¡°There are three things I must tell you . ¡±. He pulled a chair close to the bed and settled down . The junior agent quickly stepped behind him ¡°Firstly, I¡¯m not the Association President, but the Chief of the Monitoring Division . Secondly, we are here to ask you about the animated stone statues . And finally¡­ . ¡±. A powerful glare oozed out from Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s scrutinising eyes ¡°¡­ . How do you know about me? Have we met before, somewhere?¡±. ¡°H-hold on, wait! You said something about animated stone statues?!¡±. ¡°After we received the report from the survivors and arrived on site with the White Tiger Guild, it was already¡­ . ¡±. ¡°No, no . Hang on . That¡¯s not it¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo quickly cut Woo Jin-Cheol off and shook his head in dumbfoundedness . Several emotions, impossible to describe in words, rushed in Could it be¡­ . ?. Jin-Woo raised his head and stared at the ceiling He was thinking that it was an oddly familiar sight ever since he opened his eyes, but he really was back here ¡®Makes sense why it¡¯s so familiar¡­ . ¡¯. He spent almost two weeks in this place, after all . This was the VIP patient room provided by the Hunter¡¯s Association He was back in the hospital room where he opened his eyes for the first time after barely managing to survive the dual dungeon incident . Thinking back to what Woo Jin-Cheol said just now, it didn¡¯t seem like the location wasn¡¯t the only thing here that was the same ¡®But¡­ how can such a thing even be possible?¡¯. Jin-Woo remained utterly confused and dazed, leading Woo Jin-Cheol to cautiously ask him ¡°¡­ . Are you feeling alright?¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s head dropped lower and he massaged his temples as a migraine gradually crept in . He didn¡¯t forget to wave around his hand as a gesture to tell the others to not to worry about him ¡°I¡­ . Can I be left alone to organise my thoughts? Please hurry up with measuring my magical energy so we can end this quickly . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol stared dazedly at Jin-Woo with an expression that roughly said, ¡°How did you know that we have been suspecting you going through a Re-Awakening?¡± before he quickly shook his head as if to get rid of all the distracting thoughts ¡°We¡¯d like to hear what happened inside there before we proceed . If you have seen something strange before losing your consciousness¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Like I told you before, I don¡¯t remember anything . ¡±. Did they ever meet and converse with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo before?. No, never Definitely not As a man of the Monitoring Division, Woo Jin-Cheol never forgot the face of a Hunter he met, even if it was only one time . And his memory definitely didn¡¯t hold information on anyone with the name of ¡®Seong Jin-Woo¡¯ ¡®Looks like his memories are all jumbled up from going through a serious mental shock . ¡¯. Woo Jin-Cheol decided as thus while looking at Jin-Woo¡¯s current condition . In that case, he figured that he might as well finish what he came here to do and return as soon as possible . He addressed his underling next ¡°Bring it here . ¡±. The junior agent heard the order and brought along the miniature magic energy measuring device ¡®Hah¡­ . ¡¯. A helpless chuckle leaked out of Jin-Woo¡¯s lips as things played out exactly like his memories ¡°All you have to do is to place your hand on this magic crystal for a little while . ¡±. ¡°Okay . ¡±. The measuring process ended quickly thanks to Jin-Woo¡¯s cooperation However, Woo Jin-Cheol began frowning greatly as he tried to confirm the results . He prodded the device several times before shifting his gaze over to the junior agent ¡°Why isn¡¯t the device working? Didn¡¯t I tell you to check it before leaving the HQ?¡±. ¡°Pardon me?¡±. The junior agent couldn¡¯t hide his fluster and hurriedly inspected the device from this angle and that, but obviously, nothing changed by doing that The device that was operating perfectly up until just now suddenly switched itself off as soon as it touched the hand of the subject . And it didn¡¯t want to work again ¡®Tsk . ¡¯. Woo Jin-Cheol quietly tutted at the mistake of his junior agent and apologised to Jin-Woo before asking for his understanding ¡°Looks like there has been some sort of mistake on our part here . Do you mind waiting for a little bit? We should be able to go and fetch a new device very soon . This process must be performed during the investigation of this incident, and we ask for your coopera¡­ ¡±. Even before his words came to an end, Jin-Woo nodded his head . Woo Jin-Cheol led his junior agent and left the hospital room . However, he only took a few more steps before coming to a stop . He turned around again ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯. Jin-Woo raised his head slightly when Woo Jin-Cheol acted a little differently to how he remembered it The Chief of the Monitoring Division stood before the bed and asked ¡°By any chance¡­ . Are you aware of the punishment in store for being a fake registrant?¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. ¡°I¡¯ve met my fair share of high-ranking Hunters in my life . However, I¡¯ve never met any Hunter with eyes like yours . If you¡¯re hiding something, now¡¯s the time to¡­ . ¡±. ¡°I¡¯ve nothing to hide . ¡±. Jin-Woo cut him off again . Woo Jin-Cheol wordlessly studied the man sitting up on the bed before politely bowing his head ¡°We¡¯ve inconvenienced you . ¡±. Jin-Woo watched Woo Jin-Cheol leaving the hospital room¡¯s door and inwardly thought that he definitely better suited the role of the boss of the Monitoring Division rather than that of the Association President Besides all that, though¡­ ¡°¡­ . Status Window . ¡±. He wasn¡¯t surprised in the least by the message floating in the air and took a look at the Status Window displaying his current level Name: Seong Jin-Woo. Level: 146. Class: Shadow Sovereign. Title: Demon Hunter (extra 2). HP: 93,300. MP: 155,720. Tiredness: 0. [Stats]. Strength: 324. Endurance: 320. Agility: 340. Intelligence: 340. Perception: 321. (Available points to distribute: 0). Reduction in physical damage: 65%. Reduction in magical damage: 44%. [Skills]. Passive Skills. ¨C Tenacity Lv . 1. ¨C Master of Shortsword Lv . MAX. Active Skills. ¨C Quicksilver Lv . MAX. ¨C Intimidation Lv . 2. ¨C Violent Slash Lv . MAX. ¨C Dagger Rush Lv . MAX. ¨C Stealth Lv . MAX. ¨C Ruler¡¯s Authority Lv . MAX. [Class-specific Skills]. Active Skills. ¨C Shadow Extraction Lv . 2. ¨C Shadow Storage Lv . 2. ¨C Sovereign¡¯s Territory Lv . 2. ¨C Shadow Exchange Lv . 2. ¡®My level¡¯s gone up a lot since the last time I took a look at it . Is it because of the experience points I earned after killing the Sovereign of Plagues?¡¯. That wasn¡¯t all, either Everything he had stored in his Inventory until now was also waiting for him as they always had been . He even spotted the pair of ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wraths¡¯ resting quietly on the very first column of the Inventory and formed a hollow smile He had somehow returned to the beginning with everything he had achieved so far ¡®Well, the Shadow Soldiers aren¡¯t here anymore, but¡­ . ¡¯. But, his army could be rebuilt in no time at all . Since he had retained all of his prior abilities and memories, he was confident of doing a better job this time around However¡­ ¡­ . Just how did this happen?. Why was this thing happening?. Although he was given the second go at life here, all sorts of possibilities fleeted in and out of his head and he couldn¡¯t be happy about his current situation at all Jin-Woo carefully combed over his memories, wondering if he had overlooked something, before his head rose up ¡®Should be here soon¡­ . ¡¯. As he expected; just like how he remembered it, his little sister pounced into the hospital room with excellent timing ¡°Oppa!!¡±. After she lost almost all of her school friends at the hands of the Orcs, there always had been a shadow cast on her expression even when she was smiling . But, right now, there was no hint of such darkness on her face Jin-Woo¡¯s heart softened from seeing her expression and he tightly hugged her ¡°O-Oppa??¡±. Jin-Ah was planning to urge her oppa to give up being a Hunter when he regained his consciousness, but now that she lost her initiative to him, she became rather flustered, instead ¡°What¡¯s going on? What¡¯s gotten into you? Did you hit your head?¡±. Eventually, her oppa ended the hug and grinned refreshingly . Seeing him behaving like this, all thoughts of anger dissipated from her mind and she could only tilt her head this way and that with a puzzled look on her face She couldn¡¯t put her finger on it, but her oppa seemed somewhat different from the normal . Now that she took a closer look, she kind of got the impression that her oppa had grown a lot taller since the last time she saw him a few days ago While Jin-Ah was falling deeper into confusion, Jin-Woo was able to use this lull to organise his thoughts better . He then began thinking about things he needed to do, step by step A short while later, he lightly chased his little sister out and changed his clothes before stepping outside the hospital room himself Since these clothes were his old ones, they didn¡¯t fit his size now, and because he had survived a life or death situation, their condition was at their absolute worst, as well . But what choice did he have?. He certainly couldn¡¯t walk around the city in a patient gown now, could he?. Jin-Ah watched her brother walk right past her in hurried steps and called out to him ¡°Oppa?! Where are you going now?¡±. ¡°To the Hunter¡¯s Association . ¡±. ¡°Why there??¡±. ¡°To tell them I¡¯m giving up being a Hunter . ¡±. ¡°Really???¡±. Jin-Woo looked back at his little sister and her wide open eyes ¡°I know that you asked permission to leave from your school to come here, so you should go back now . ¡±. ¡°Whaaat-?!¡±. Jin-Ah watched on with an expression gradually becoming even more confused as her oppa¡¯s back disappeared from view ***. The Association employee confirmed the re-evaluation test results once more and continued to rub his eyes over and over again It had been two years since Cha Hae-In¡¯s appearance, hadn¡¯t it?. The employee looked up at the tenth Hunter to reach the ¡®unable-to-measure¡¯ category in Korea and his complexion paled greatly . Since Jin-Woo¡¯s outward appearance looked so wretched like a pauper, the employee was dismissive about this young man, but to think, he turned out to be a genuine rank S Hunter ¡°T-the device we have right now can¡¯t measure your magic energy level, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡±. ¡°I know . But before we do the re-test, I¡¯d like to speak to the Association President first . Will that be alright with you?¡±. ¡°Y-you mean, the Association President??¡±. ¡°Yes . ¡±. Jin-Woo was already familiar with the re-evaluation procedures . The Association employee became dazed by this request for a meeting with the Association President and picked up the phone to make the call ¡°Y-yes, yes . That¡¯s correct . He¡¯s definitely ¡®unable-to-measure¡¯ . Understood . Yes . I shall give him the message . ¡±. Indeed, the Association President agreed to meet this young man ¡°I, I shall escort you to the office of the Association President¡­ . ¡±. ¡°I know where it is already . Thanks for the offer, but it¡¯s okay . ¡±. Jin-Woo bade a short goodbye and walked straight to the elevator . The employee looked at his departing back with an expression of utter loss ¡®How can an outsider know where the President¡¯s office is?¡¯. Too bad for the employee, the elevator stopped on the correct floor where the Association President¡¯s office was ¡°Heot¡­ . ¡±. The employee watched the floor display of the elevator with a worried expression before gasping out softly in surprise Ting¡­ Jin-Woo stepped out of the elevator and immediately discovered a familiar face walking past him in order to enter the lift . He turned around to address this man ¡°Excuse me . ¡±. The man pressed the ¡®door open¡¯ button to stop the elevator when Jin-Woo turned to look at him ¡°Are you talking to me?¡±. ¡°You haven¡¯t disclosed the fact that you possess the ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill . You¡¯re an upper-rank Hunter, but your name wasn¡¯t on the list of those under the Association¡¯s strict management . ¡±. The Hunter affiliated with the Monitoring Division, Kahng Tae-Sik¡¯s expression hardened instantly ¡°But how¡­ . ?¡±. ¡°Someone will ask you to avenge his daughter soon . I don¡¯t care what happens to the criminals . However, if the innocent Hunters get hurt in that incident, you will die by my hands . Understand?¡±. Jin-Woo emitted just a little bit of his killing intent, causing Kahng Tae-Sik to flinch and reach into his waist . However, it wasn¡¯t there Kahng Tae-Sik continued to rummage around his waist for a while before finally realising that his knife had disappeared ¡°You looking for this?¡±. Jin-Woo casually tossed a knife up and down before handing it back to him Kahng Tae-Sik quickly recognised that Jin-Woo was on a completely different level compared to all the other Hunters he had been dealing with so far and wordlessly took the knife back ¡°You get only one warning . ¡±. Knowing that this young man could easily dissect him into tiny little pieces if he wanted to, Kahng Tae-Sik slowly nodded his head while pocketing the knife . And then, he asked a question as Jin-Woo turned around to leave ¡°Look here, man¡­ . Just who are you? Have we ever met before?¡±. Jin-Woo didn¡¯t bother to reply and quietly continued to make his way to the Association President¡¯s office . After this mysterious man went away, Kahng Tae-Sik looked down at his cold sweat-soaked palms and lifted his finger away from the ¡®door open¡¯ button ¡°¡­ . Feels like I¡¯ve been entranced by a phantom, doesn¡¯t it?¡±. ***. ¡®Association President¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s steps came to a halt Goh Gun-Hui, still alive, was sitting behind his desk going through his documents right now . Jin-Woo stood by the doorway and stared at the Association President with eyes filled with nostalgia Meanwhile, Goh Gun-Hui chuckled good-naturedly ¡°Although you opened my door with so much confidence, it seems that you¡¯re a bit lacking in spirit there . It¡¯s fine for you to come inside, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡±. Goh Gun-Hui stood up from his chair and walked out in front while suggesting that they take a seat on the couch . He settled down on the couch opposite of Jin-Woo and asked the younger man ¡°Would you like to sit down?¡±. Abruptly, the current Goh Gun-Hui overlapped with that of the Goh Gun-Hui he met for the first time and Jin-Woo¡¯s expression stiffened for a brief moment . He stood there with an expressionless face for a second or two, before settling down as well ¡°Thank you . I will . ¡±. Goh Gun-Hui studied the young man before him and spoke up first ¡°Seeing that you came to see me right away after your re-evaluation test, may I assume that you know about the ¡®normal¡¯ procedures?¡±. ¡°Yes, basically . ¡±. ¡°In that case, let me not beat around the bush and be direct with you . ¡±. ¡°Before that, I¡¯d like to make a deal with you first, Association President . ¡±. ¡°A deal?¡±. Initially, Goh Gun-Hui felt rather flustered by this young man, who was acting as if he knew he¡¯d be a rank S Hunter from the beginning . However, being spunky was an excellent weapon wielded by the young, was it not?. For some reason, Goh Gun-Hui didn¡¯t find this young man in front of his eyes dislikeable at all . Maybe that was why he didn¡¯t bother to hide the smile naturally floating up on his lips and paid attention to Jin-Woo¡¯s words ¡°What is it that you want from us, Hunter-nim?¡±. ¡°Please, change the regulations so that even the summoned creatures called out by the Hunters are counted as raid team members . ¡±. ¡°You want me to change the regulation¡­ . That¡¯s a rather difficult request, isn¡¯t it? I expect an attractive offer from you, powerful enough to sway my mind . ¡±. Jin-Woo took his time before making his reply ¡°I will kill all the ants on Jeju Island . ¡±. Right now, replenishing his army took precedence over everything . And Jeju Island was practically crawling with the finest quality monsters ready to be turned into Shadow Soldiers As long as this offer was accepted, not only would he get to solve the issue of filling up the ranks of the Shadow Army, he would also be spared from the headache of not having usable members in the future as well Before he woke his mother up with the ¡®Divine Water of Life¡¯, he wanted to finish this part of the job first However, what Jin-Woo said came across as a desire to kill himself to Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s ears ¡°Don¡¯t say something that nonsensical, young man!¡±. Such a reaction was fully expected . Jin-Woo didn¡¯t lose his cool and calmly released all of the magical energy resting within himself for a very brief moment A bottomless and vast power defying all attempts to estimate its true scope spread out from Jin-Woo¡¯s body The truly strong could recognise a fellow strong being; the Association President, often called the ¡®sky above the sky¡¯ shook his head in utter disbelief ¡°How¡­ . Just how¡­ . What on earth¡­ is this?¡±. He powerfully shuddered . Never before in his entire life had he felt this amount of magic energy emitted from another human being A Special Authority-rank Hunter? No, this power had far surpassed their levels . The Association President simply couldn¡¯t bring his slack jaw to a close ¡°I can take care of all the ants on Jeju Island . ¡±. Didn¡¯t Goh Gun-Hui once say that doing so was his life¡¯s wish?. The older man was about to chide Jin-Woo for being immature and reckless, but after seeing the resolute expression on Jin-Woo¡¯s face, his own expression quickly changed as well ¡°Are you¡­ being serious?¡±. Jin-Woo nodded his head ¡°This is something only I can do . Please, leave it to me . ¡±. ***. Jin-Woo took a long sweeping look at the corpses of ants strewn about from one end of the land all the way to the other side . And he looked below his feet where Beru, no, the ant king¡¯s corpse was resting quietly It hadn¡¯t been that long since he had seen his loyal soldier, but Jin-Woo yearned to hear Beru¡¯s voice busily calling out to his king again . So, he quickly shouted out towards the ants ¡°Rise up . ¡±. When he did, Shadow Soldiers rose up from the shadows of every single ant he could see . Beru was among them, too ¡°Oh, my king¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo took in the sight of several thousand ants kneeling all around him and slowly nodded his head . A brand new army was here The new Shadow Army, starting from the most perfect state imaginable, swore their loyalty to their new master However¡­. After talking to his new soldiers, he became sure of it ¡°¡­ . Let¡¯s stop this . ¡±. Even though a new Shadow Army had been created, there was this gaping hole in his heart that didn¡¯t want to fill back up Beru looked up with worry, but Jin-Woo knew that even that expression and emotion were all a lie . And that was why his heart ached even more so as he looked at his soldiers Thick veins popped up in his throat as he loudly yelled out ¡°I know all of this is just an illusion! Why don¡¯t you stop this charade and reveal yourself?!¡±. This illusion was incredibly life-like . Because of that, there had been some moments that he dearly wished for this thing to be his true reality . However, there was no hiding the emptiness in his heart that seemed to grow larger and larger the longer he spent inside this illusion That was why¡­ ¡°Hurry up!!¡±. Jin-Woo loudly roared into the empty sky above, before finally realising that a change had taken place ¨C that time had frozen still The gazes of every single ant soldier and their raised heads were directed towards him . For a moment there, he felt goosebumps break out on his skin from receiving all those mechanical stares It was then Below his feet, the Sovereign¡¯s Territory, a jet-black shadow rapidly spread out . Everything touched by that shadow all vanished without exception . Beru, the soldiers, corpses, the ground, the sea, and finally, even the sky itself Soon, the entire ¡®world¡¯ became submerged in shadow . No, everything simply transformed into darkness, instead Only then did a weighty, heavy voice come at him from a place within this darkness [As long as you want, you can live in this world for all eternity . It will be the same as you never waking from the most wonderful dream . ]. Jin-Woo searched for the voice coming from an unknown direction and made his reply ¡°Are you telling me to stay trapped within this illusion you have created?¡±. [No . I did not create this world . You are responsible for its creation . ]. ¡°I created this world?¡±. Jin-Woo was about to reply with ¡°Nonsense!¡± but sensed something approach him . It was his rear He quickly spun around . Sure enough, someone was walking closer from within the impenetrable darkness This figure was kitted out in this exquisite black armour that no other Shadow Soldier could even hope to match . And he also emitted an utterly shocking amount of pressure that no other living being Jin-Woo ever met possessed He found it hard to open his mouth when he came face to face with this figure . This being spoke to him [This world was created when your desire to fix all the mistakes you¡¯ve made so far was added to my own power . This place is the world of death . Meaning, this is my true territory . ]. Jin-Woo finally realised then He finally realised that this dark world he was standing in had been gently and invitingly embracing him all this time ¡®So, this is the eternal rest, is it¡­ . ¡¯. Death If so, the man who claimed this world on the other side of consciousness as his territory had to be¡­ Jin-Woo wanted to hear the answer straight from the man¡¯s mouth and asked the question ¡°And you must be¡­ . ?¡±. The man in the black armour slowly walked closer to Jin-Woo [I have been watching you for far longer than you can imagine . You, who had always been striding close to death, yet always had been resisting bitterly against it . ]. ¡®You¡¯ve been¡­ . watching me?¡¯. Eventually, the man stood right before Jin-Woo and stared with those black eyes that seemed to suck everything in [I am the record of your bitter struggle . I am the evidence of your resistance . I am the reward of your pain . I am death, I am eternal rest, and I am also ¡®terror¡¯ . ]. Every word he spoke reverberated weightily within Jin-Woo¡¯s soul All those memories of him struggling hard to survive despite his weakness fleeted in and out of his mind like a revolving lantern, and made his heart palpitate faster The figure reached down and grabbed Jin-Woo¡¯s hand and placed it on his own armoured chest That¡¯s when Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes widened in shock . He could definitely feel ¡®it¡¯ beyond the thick metal armour plate How could he not recognise it?. How could he not recognise the vigorous pounding of the heart that he always got to hear by concentrating just a little bit harder?. How could he not recognise the sounds of his second heart, the one where he had no clue where it was beating from?. It was the Black Heart The Black Heart was powerfully beating within this armoured figure¡¯s chest [I am¡­ . ]. The figure quietly finished his words [¡­ . You . ]. < Chapter 218 > Fin Chapter 219 The words of ¡®I am you¡¯ . Since he had been exposed to the Black Heart, Jin-Woo could understand the meaning behind those words . He looked to his right . Suddenly, a massive tree the size of several dozen skyscrapers bound together rose up to pierce the heavens above . He looked to the other side next . When his head turned to the left, a maglev train suddenly emerged from the distant darkness and shot past his position in the blink of an eye . These two appeared out of nowhere simply because Jin-Woo wished to see them . In other words, something was created from nothing . [That¡¯s right . ] The Shadow Sovereign addressed him . [Within my territory, you can do anything you want . ] ¡°Because you and I possess the same power?¡± The Shadow Sovereign nodded his head . His gaze shifted over to the giant tree Jin-Woo created . In an instant, the tree¡¯s size decreased and changed to a single little flower commonly seen everywhere . Although this power to create and change worlds was limited to the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s territory, Jin-Woo still ended up letting out a sigh of admiration . This omnipotent power had become his now . Jin-Woo briefly closed his eyes before opening them up, and that prompted a field of flowers to bloom before his feet and spread out in all directions . It was the same type of flower as the one the Shadow Sovereign created by changing the tree . Was this the result of the excellent Perception, or because he was connected to the Shadow Sovereign? Jin-Woo could sense the Sovereign feeling satisfied while looking at the field of flowers . The Sovereign shifted his gaze over to his human counterpart . [I have been looking forward to this moment, this meeting with you, for a very long time . ] The Shadow Sovereign officially introduced himself . [I am the Shadow Sovereign . I am the King of the Dead, ruler of death¡¯s power, and an administrator of the deepest part of the darkness . ] Awesome, dignified presence oozed out from the Sovereign . However, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t feel scared even though true death capable of reducing any living being into a shuddering mess was right before him . This being was him . He felt his emotions soar higher after meeting another version of himself . Finally . Finally, he could ask that one question stuck in his head, not wanting to let him go ever since the System became a part of his life . ¡°Why¡­ . was I chosen?¡± Why did the System choose him as the ¡®Player¡¯? Was it because he managed to survive the dual dungeon that day? No, it couldn¡¯t have been . He believed that there had to be another reason . And this was the moment that his question might get an answer . [I shall show you . ] The Shadow Sovereign slowly extended his hand towards Jin-Woo¡¯s forehead . The moment that forefinger touched him, the entire world changed . [This is our beginning and the end . And also, your beginning . ] *** Would there ever have been a moment in history that so many people in so many countries screamed out at the same time? In that cruel moment when the monster¡¯s dagger penetrated Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s chest, people held their heads or screamed their lungs out . What came to visit them after the screaming was silence as heavy as blocks of steel . Grief-stricken gasps escaped from the lips of everyone watching Hunter Seong Jin-Woo powerlessly crumble to the ground . ¡°Ah¡­¡± First, it was the Special Authority-rank Hunter, Thomas Andre . And now, even Seong Jin-Woo had fallen . If so, who else was left? There was no one . Knowing full well that there was no one else left to stop these monsters, the expressions of people began hardening like stone . And then, a short while later . ¨C Uh? Wha-what¡¯s going on here? Uh? Uhhh?? Shortly after the cameraman cried out in panic, even the transmission got cut off . The super-massive Gate floating above the skies of Seoul, and then, the monsters that appeared out of nowhere to continuously murder the top-ranked Hunters in the world . The viewers around the world couldn¡¯t erase the thoughts of ¡®Are we seeing the advent of the world¡¯s end?¡¯ out of their minds . In the midst of all the shock and panic, people couldn¡¯t move away from the front of their screens even though the transmission had been cut off for a long time now . *** The filming helicopter, now frozen solid and smoke pouring out from the side, crashed back to earth . The Sovereign of Frost withdrew its hand, having successfully destroyed the annoying flying contraption . Its gaze shifted over to Jin-Woo next . The creature¡¯s ice-covered lips bobbed up and down to announce Jin-Woo¡¯s status . [His life has come to an end . ] The eyes and the ears of the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs confirmed the death of his prey . It could not sense any hint of life from the subject at all . They managed to succeed in stopping one of the most powerful kings from turning into an unwelcome variable in their plan . Their eyes were now swimming in the ecstasy of victory . However, this wasn¡¯t the end of their work . Not yet . The two Sovereigns raised their heads and their glares simultaneously locked onto Thomas Andre, currently evacuated a good distance away . Lennart Niermann flinched nastily after sensing their gaze . ¡°D*mn it¡­ . ¡± He had to prepare himself to lose his life just from trying to fend off one beast-like humanoid creature, but now, there was an Ice Elf on a similar level as the beast to contend with, too¡­ . ¡®How did Hunter Seong Jin-Woo manage to fight against them¡­ . ?¡¯ His heart rate got faster and faster . The thing was, he was the only Hunter capable of buying even a second of time against those two monsters . Lennart took a deep breath . ¡°Hey, man¡­ . Hunter Seong¡¯s presence vanished just now . Can¡¯t you tell me what¡¯s going on?¡± Thomas Andre, his wounds not even half-healed yet, threw out a question . Lennart forced his unwilling lips to part . ¡°He¡¯s¡­ . ¡± It was then . The two Sovereigns walking leisurely over in Lennart¡¯s direction simultaneously looked behind them . [¡­ . . !!] [¡­ . . !!] Something impossible happened, just then . From the body of the human whose heart was confirmed to be destroyed, they could hear vigorous, pounding heartbeats . But, how? How could such a thing be possible? The two Sovereigns exchanged disbelieving gazes with each other . And then, the absolute worst possibility entered their heads next . They had been overlooking this crucial fact until now . [Can it be¡­ . ?] These two thought that, by killing the human host, they would also get to extinguish the Shadow Sovereign within, too . Just like how they themselves would die after taking over their hosts . However, their opponent this time was the King of the Dead . There was no guarantee that death, supposed to treat everyone equally regardless of who, would be applied to him in the same manner . The end of one could also become the beginning for someone else . [No¡­! We can¡¯t let this happen!!] They had to stop this at all costs . They had to stop the descent of the true king via this fake death . Their expression turned utterly pale before they reacted almost instinctively . Two Sovereigns instantly closed the distance to Jin-Woo and reached out with their long claws and ice spear . In order to completely destroy the body that¡¯d act as the tool of the King¡¯s descent, they poured in their entire magical energy into their weapons . Unfortunately¡­ . A figure hidden in ¡®Stealth¡¯ lightly landed on the ground before them and his shortswords blocked the claws and the ice spear quite ably . The Shadow Sovereign hadn¡¯t regained his consciousness yet . In that case, who could this being be? [¡­ . . ??] The two Sovereigns couldn¡¯t hide their shock and fluster after their desperate attacks were defended against . The owner of the shortswords undid his Stealth and finally revealed himself . It was a figure cloaked in a hood . A pair of eyes gleaming in pure golden light were glaring at the Sovereigns from below the hood . ¡°From here on, none shall touch this child . ¡± *** In another world . Light and darkness existed in an age where nothing else yet existed . The Absolute Being split the light and created the Emissaries of God . As for the darkness, it was split to create eight Sovereigns . Heeding the command issued during their birth, the Sovereigns born to destroy worlds and the Emissaries born to maintain the worlds began killing each other¡¯s soldiers over and over again . At the end of the lengthy war . Fatigued by the constant and unending war, the most bright Fragment of the Brilliant Light asked the Absolute Being . ¡®Oh, our Absolute Ruler . Why does thee not aid thy most faithful subjects fighting in thy honour? Why does thee ignore thy subjects¡¯ pain? Doth thee really not hear the screams of countless soldiers dying for thy honour? Aid us . Lend us the strength to extinguish our opponents . We shall cut off their heads and offer them as the tribute to thy glory . ¡¯ However, the Absolute Being didn¡¯t reply back to the Fragment . It was at that moment the Fragments came to a realisation . And that would be the truth of the battle between themselves and the Sovereigns being nothing more than a form of entertainment to the Absolute Being . And that their Ruler didn¡¯t wish for the battles to end . Now knowing that the war would never end as long as the Absolute Being continued to exist, the Fragments fell into despair . The despair they felt transformed into rage, and rage soon morphed into hatred . To end this meaningless war, they unsheathed their blades . It was the start of the rebellion . Jin-Woo witnessed the endless march of the soldiers spanning the cosmos itself . ¡°Oh, my god¡­ . ¡± However, a group of soldiers suddenly appeared from the distance and blocked the march . The Shadow Sovereign next to Jin-Woo pointed at the Fragment of the Brilliant Light with six wings, standing in front of the blocking group . [That was the me of the distant past . ] He was the sole Emissary of God who stood up against the rebellion of the other Emissaries . In the end, though, the pitiful number of soldiers he led powerlessly fell before the united armies of the Emissaries . The Fragment of the Brilliant Light never lost his absolute loyalty until the end . He died watching his brave subordinates get swept away by their enemies . He thought that this was the end . But when he reopened his eyes within the embrace of the darkness, he came to realise that the Absolute Being had hidden a certain power inside of him . For that eventuality when everything went wrong, the Absolute Being had hidden a truly fiendish power capable of ending everything, inside its most loyal slave . And so, floating within this endless abyss of darkness, the Sovereign of Death had finally opened his eyes towards his power . He tore off the remaining traces of his wings, all burnt away from the battle, and crafted brand new armour out of the surrounding darkness . [ARISE-!!] Souls sleeping within this abyss heard the call and swore eternal allegiance to their new king . He led his brand new army and made his return . But when he finally came back, everything was already over . The remaining Fragments of Brilliant Light had killed the Absolute Being and called themselves the new gods, thus assuming the position of the ¡®Rulers¡¯ . And using various tools containing the might of the Absolute Being, they hunted down the Sovereigns . When the King of Giants, the Sovereign of the Beginning, Reghia, was captured, the balance between the two sides collapsed and the remaining Sovereigns realised the severity of the situation . It was at that moment that the Shadow Sovereign extended his hands to them . To combat their common enemy, every existing Sovereign combined their forces . And in this manner, the war between seven ¡®Rulers¡¯ and nine ¡®Sovereigns¡¯ continued on, forever . The longer this war continued on, however, the greater the army of the Shadow Sovereign grew . Time was on his side . Thanks to his brilliant achievements, it seemed as if the victors of this long, long war would be the Sovereigns . However, it wasn¡¯t only the Rulers fearing the might of the Shadow Army that had grown, unbeknownst to all, to equal the Army of Destruction led by the King of Berserk Dragons . Two Sovereigns feared the Shadow Sovereign . The Two of them were the Sovereign of White Flames and the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs . They aimed for the back of the former Emissary just as the war was drawing to a close . It was at this point that Jin-Woo got to witness again the scenes he saw within the ¡®saved data¡¯ back in the dual dungeon . The armies of demons and beasts joined hands with the armies of the Rulers and pounced on the Shadow Sovereign and his army . And that resulted in him being driven to near-annihilation . But then, the King of Beasts, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs ran away to save its own life, while forsaking its own soldiers . Meanwhile, the King of Demons, the Sovereign of White Flames, Baran, had to pay the ultimate price . The words Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t understand; when he heard the words of the dying Baran, his eyes shook around really hard back then . And then, above his head ¨C four angels with six wings slowly descended from the sky . That was where the video playback of the ¡®data¡¯ Jin-Woo watched came to an end . The four Rulers soon surrounded the Shadow Sovereign, who no longer possessed enough strength to command his own Shadow Army . The Sovereign must¡¯ve figured out what the inevitable result of this fight would be and discarded his sword to the ground . But, if those Rulers had killed the Shadow Sovereign back then, how could the existence of this Shadow Sovereign even be explained? Jin-Woo swallowed his dry saliva and paid even closer attention, to what could possibly be the end of the Shadow Sovereign . But then¡­ . The Rulers began kneeling before the Shadow Sovereign one by one . And a short while later, the six-winged angel kneeling in front raised his voice . [Please, it¡¯s time that you forgive us, oh, greatest Fragment of Brilliant Light . ] < Chapter 219 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 219: Chapter 219 The words of ¡®I am you¡¯ Since he had been exposed to the Black Heart, Jin-Woo could understand the meaning behind those words He looked to his right Suddenly, a massive tree the size of several dozen skyscrapers bound together rose up to pierce the heavens above He looked to the other side next When his head turned to the left, a maglev train suddenly emerged from the distant darkness and shot past his position in the blink of an eye . These two appeared out of nowhere simply because Jin-Woo wished to see them In other words, something was created from nothing [That¡¯s right . ]. The Shadow Sovereign addressed him [Within my territory, you can do anything you want . ]. ¡°Because you and I possess the same power?¡±. The Shadow Sovereign nodded his head . His gaze shifted over to the giant tree Jin-Woo created . In an instant, the tree¡¯s size decreased and changed to a single little flower commonly seen everywhere Although this power to create and change worlds was limited to the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s territory, Jin-Woo still ended up letting out a sigh of admiration This omnipotent power had become his now . Jin-Woo briefly closed his eyes before opening them up, and that prompted a field of flowers to bloom before his feet and spread out in all directions It was the same type of flower as the one the Shadow Sovereign created by changing the tree Was this the result of the excellent Perception, or because he was connected to the Shadow Sovereign? Jin-Woo could sense the Sovereign feeling satisfied while looking at the field of flowers The Sovereign shifted his gaze over to his human counterpart [I have been looking forward to this moment, this meeting with you, for a very long time . ]. The Shadow Sovereign officially introduced himself [I am the Shadow Sovereign . I am the King of the Dead, ruler of death¡¯s power, and an administrator of the deepest part of the darkness . ]. Awesome, dignified presence oozed out from the Sovereign . However, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t feel scared even though true death capable of reducing any living being into a shuddering mess was right before him This being was him . He felt his emotions soar higher after meeting another version of himself Finally Finally, he could ask that one question stuck in his head, not wanting to let him go ever since the System became a part of his life ¡°Why¡­ . was I chosen?¡±. Why did the System choose him as the ¡®Player¡¯? Was it because he managed to survive the dual dungeon that day?. No, it couldn¡¯t have been . He believed that there had to be another reason . And this was the moment that his question might get an answer [I shall show you . ]. The Shadow Sovereign slowly extended his hand towards Jin-Woo¡¯s forehead . The moment that forefinger touched him, the entire world changed [This is our beginning and the end . And also, your beginning . ]. ***. Would there ever have been a moment in history that so many people in so many countries screamed out at the same time?. In that cruel moment when the monster¡¯s dagger penetrated Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s chest, people held their heads or screamed their lungs out . What came to visit them after the screaming was silence as heavy as blocks of steel Grief-stricken gasps escaped from the lips of everyone watching Hunter Seong Jin-Woo powerlessly crumble to the ground ¡°Ah¡­¡±. First, it was the Special Authority-rank Hunter, Thomas Andre . And now, even Seong Jin-Woo had fallen If so, who else was left?. There was no one Knowing full well that there was no one else left to stop these monsters, the expressions of people began hardening like stone And then, a short while later ¨C Uh? Wha-what¡¯s going on here? Uh? Uhhh??. Shortly after the cameraman cried out in panic, even the transmission got cut off The super-massive Gate floating above the skies of Seoul, and then, the monsters that appeared out of nowhere to continuously murder the top-ranked Hunters in the world . The viewers around the world couldn¡¯t erase the thoughts of ¡®Are we seeing the advent of the world¡¯s end?¡¯ out of their minds In the midst of all the shock and panic, people couldn¡¯t move away from the front of their screens even though the transmission had been cut off for a long time now ***. The filming helicopter, now frozen solid and smoke pouring out from the side, crashed back to earth . The Sovereign of Frost withdrew its hand, having successfully destroyed the annoying flying contraption Its gaze shifted over to Jin-Woo next . The creature¡¯s ice-covered lips bobbed up and down to announce Jin-Woo¡¯s status [His life has come to an end . ]. The eyes and the ears of the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs confirmed the death of his prey . It could not sense any hint of life from the subject at all They managed to succeed in stopping one of the most powerful kings from turning into an unwelcome variable in their plan . Their eyes were now swimming in the ecstasy of victory However, this wasn¡¯t the end of their work . Not yet The two Sovereigns raised their heads and their glares simultaneously locked onto Thomas Andre, currently evacuated a good distance away Lennart Niermann flinched nastily after sensing their gaze ¡°D*mn it¡­ . ¡±. He had to prepare himself to lose his life just from trying to fend off one beast-like humanoid creature, but now, there was an Ice Elf on a similar level as the beast to contend with, too¡­ ¡®How did Hunter Seong Jin-Woo manage to fight against them¡­ . ?¡¯. His heart rate got faster and faster . The thing was, he was the only Hunter capable of buying even a second of time against those two monsters Lennart took a deep breath ¡°Hey, man¡­ . Hunter Seong¡¯s presence vanished just now . Can¡¯t you tell me what¡¯s going on?¡±. Thomas Andre, his wounds not even half-healed yet, threw out a question Lennart forced his unwilling lips to part ¡°He¡¯s¡­ . ¡±. It was then The two Sovereigns walking leisurely over in Lennart¡¯s direction simultaneously looked behind them [¡­ !!]. [¡­ !!]. Something impossible happened, just then . From the body of the human whose heart was confirmed to be destroyed, they could hear vigorous, pounding heartbeats But, how?. How could such a thing be possible?. The two Sovereigns exchanged disbelieving gazes with each other . And then, the absolute worst possibility entered their heads next . They had been overlooking this crucial fact until now [Can it be¡­ . ?]. These two thought that, by killing the human host, they would also get to extinguish the Shadow Sovereign within, too . Just like how they themselves would die after taking over their hosts However, their opponent this time was the King of the Dead . There was no guarantee that death, supposed to treat everyone equally regardless of who, would be applied to him in the same manner The end of one could also become the beginning for someone else [No¡­! We can¡¯t let this happen!!]. They had to stop this at all costs They had to stop the descent of the true king via this fake death Their expression turned utterly pale before they reacted almost instinctively . Two Sovereigns instantly closed the distance to Jin-Woo and reached out with their long claws and ice spear In order to completely destroy the body that¡¯d act as the tool of the King¡¯s descent, they poured in their entire magical energy into their weapons Unfortunately¡­ A figure hidden in ¡®Stealth¡¯ lightly landed on the ground before them and his shortswords blocked the claws and the ice spear quite ably The Shadow Sovereign hadn¡¯t regained his consciousness yet . In that case, who could this being be?. [¡­ ??]. The two Sovereigns couldn¡¯t hide their shock and fluster after their desperate attacks were defended against The owner of the shortswords undid his Stealth and finally revealed himself . It was a figure cloaked in a hood . A pair of eyes gleaming in pure golden light were glaring at the Sovereigns from below the hood ¡°From here on, none shall touch this child . ¡±. ***. In another world Light and darkness existed in an age where nothing else yet existed The Absolute Being split the light and created the Emissaries of God . As for the darkness, it was split to create eight Sovereigns Heeding the command issued during their birth, the Sovereigns born to destroy worlds and the Emissaries born to maintain the worlds began killing each other¡¯s soldiers over and over again At the end of the lengthy war Fatigued by the constant and unending war, the most bright Fragment of the Brilliant Light asked the Absolute Being ¡®Oh, our Absolute Ruler Why does thee not aid thy most faithful subjects fighting in thy honour?. Why does thee ignore thy subjects¡¯ pain?. Doth thee really not hear the screams of countless soldiers dying for thy honour?. Aid us Lend us the strength to extinguish our opponents . We shall cut off their heads and offer them as the tribute to thy glory . ¡¯. However, the Absolute Being didn¡¯t reply back to the Fragment It was at that moment the Fragments came to a realisation . And that would be the truth of the battle between themselves and the Sovereigns being nothing more than a form of entertainment to the Absolute Being . And that their Ruler didn¡¯t wish for the battles to end Now knowing that the war would never end as long as the Absolute Being continued to exist, the Fragments fell into despair . The despair they felt transformed into rage, and rage soon morphed into hatred To end this meaningless war, they unsheathed their blades It was the start of the rebellion Jin-Woo witnessed the endless march of the soldiers spanning the cosmos itself ¡°Oh, my god¡­ . ¡±. However, a group of soldiers suddenly appeared from the distance and blocked the march . The Shadow Sovereign next to Jin-Woo pointed at the Fragment of the Brilliant Light with six wings, standing in front of the blocking group [That was the me of the distant past . ]. He was the sole Emissary of God who stood up against the rebellion of the other Emissaries . In the end, though, the pitiful number of soldiers he led powerlessly fell before the united armies of the Emissaries The Fragment of the Brilliant Light never lost his absolute loyalty until the end . He died watching his brave subordinates get swept away by their enemies He thought that this was the end But when he reopened his eyes within the embrace of the darkness, he came to realise that the Absolute Being had hidden a certain power inside of him For that eventuality when everything went wrong, the Absolute Being had hidden a truly fiendish power capable of ending everything, inside its most loyal slave And so, floating within this endless abyss of darkness, the Sovereign of Death had finally opened his eyes towards his power . He tore off the remaining traces of his wings, all burnt away from the battle, and crafted brand new armour out of the surrounding darkness [ARISE-!!]. Souls sleeping within this abyss heard the call and swore eternal allegiance to their new king He led his brand new army and made his return . But when he finally came back, everything was already over The remaining Fragments of Brilliant Light had killed the Absolute Being and called themselves the new gods, thus assuming the position of the ¡®Rulers¡¯ . And using various tools containing the might of the Absolute Being, they hunted down the Sovereigns When the King of Giants, the Sovereign of the Beginning, Reghia, was captured, the balance between the two sides collapsed and the remaining Sovereigns realised the severity of the situation It was at that moment that the Shadow Sovereign extended his hands to them . To combat their common enemy, every existing Sovereign combined their forces And in this manner, the war between seven ¡®Rulers¡¯ and nine ¡®Sovereigns¡¯ continued on, forever The longer this war continued on, however, the greater the army of the Shadow Sovereign grew . Time was on his side Thanks to his brilliant achievements, it seemed as if the victors of this long, long war would be the Sovereigns However, it wasn¡¯t only the Rulers fearing the might of the Shadow Army that had grown, unbeknownst to all, to equal the Army of Destruction led by the King of Berserk Dragons Two Sovereigns feared the Shadow Sovereign . The Two of them were the Sovereign of White Flames and the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs . They aimed for the back of the former Emissary just as the war was drawing to a close It was at this point that Jin-Woo got to witness again the scenes he saw within the ¡®saved data¡¯ back in the dual dungeon . The armies of demons and beasts joined hands with the armies of the Rulers and pounced on the Shadow Sovereign and his army And that resulted in him being driven to near-annihilation But then, the King of Beasts, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs ran away to save its own life, while forsaking its own soldiers . Meanwhile, the King of Demons, the Sovereign of White Flames, Baran, had to pay the ultimate price The words Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t understand; when he heard the words of the dying Baran, his eyes shook around really hard back then And then, above his head ¨C four angels with six wings slowly descended from the sky . That was where the video playback of the ¡®data¡¯ Jin-Woo watched came to an end The four Rulers soon surrounded the Shadow Sovereign, who no longer possessed enough strength to command his own Shadow Army . The Sovereign must¡¯ve figured out what the inevitable result of this fight would be and discarded his sword to the ground But, if those Rulers had killed the Shadow Sovereign back then, how could the existence of this Shadow Sovereign even be explained?. Jin-Woo swallowed his dry saliva and paid even closer attention, to what could possibly be the end of the Shadow Sovereign But then¡­ The Rulers began kneeling before the Shadow Sovereign one by one . And a short while later, the six-winged angel kneeling in front raised his voice [Please, it¡¯s time that you forgive us, oh, greatest Fragment of Brilliant Light . ]. < Chapter 219 > Fin Chapter 220 The Rulers were asking for forgiveness from the Shadow Sovereign . They occupied an overwhelmingly advantageous position . As long as they willed it, they could have sent the Shadow Sovereign back to the empty void, yet they wished to make up with him, instead . This was their own way of showing their respect towards a comrade, born together at the same time, as well as the greatest warrior who once stood at the forefront with his Army of Brilliant Light, in the war against the powers of the Sovereigns . Although the Shadow Sovereign was never their leader, his comrades nevertheless respected him greatly . And that was why they ignored the command from their leader, the ¡®brightest Fragment of Brilliant Light¡¯, to get rid of the Sovereign and instead chose to kneel before him . [We no longer have any reason to fight each other . ] The enraged voice of the Shadow Sovereign resounded throughout the land next . [What do you mean, there¡¯s no reason??!] The Sovereign reached down and grabbed the collar of the Ruler asking for forgiveness and yanked him up by force . [Have you not harmed my liege with your swords and spears?!] [He was our master as well . ] [That is precisely why your crimes are even more heinous!] The Rulers maintained a courteous attitude, even towards the enraged Shadow Sovereign . [You know better than anyone what we felt in our hearts when we raised our banners of rebellion against our master . ] The Shadow Sovereign raised his head and discovered that the silver-clad winged soldiers had gathered around them before he had noticed it, and they were looking in his direction with worried expressions etched on their faces . These were truly loyal soldiers . How could he not know what they felt, watching their comrades die at the hands of their enemies? It was him who led these soldiers in countless battlefields and shed blood in honour of their master, after all . [We only wished to end this war . That was all . ] The Sovereign¡¯s grip holding onto the Ruler¡¯s collars loosened just a tad . [And finally, we have the opportunity to do so . ] [That¡¯s right . You can finally end this war . ] The Shadow Sovereign let go of the Ruler, picked up his discarded sword, and made the angel grip the weapon¡¯s hilt . [Strike me down with this sword . ] And then, he looked at the other Rulers and shouted out . [Pierce my heart with your spears! That is the end that you so desperately seek! With this act, you shall finally become the victor of this war!] But, the sword powerlessly fell from the Ruler¡¯s grasp and clattered noisily onto the ground . No one else tried to push forward their spears against the Shadow Sovereign . Only the pleading voice came back his way . [Please, find it in your heart to forgive us . ] Unfortunately, their earnest plea struck the Shadow Sovereign more painfully than any weapon known to man . After he lost his subordinates, after he lost his master, and after he himself was trapped within the darkness, the only thing that motivated him to carry on were the thoughts of revenge . The desire for vengeance helped him to endure until now . He had led the army of the dead with the singular thought of making these Rulers pay for their transgressions . But now, how could he continue to hate those asking for his forgiveness in order to save their own soldiers from this endless cycle of warfare? After all, both he, fighting to protect his master, and these Rulers, who fought to keep their subordinates alive, were victims of fate¡¯s cruelty, were they not? The truth, that these kneeling angels weren¡¯t his detestable enemies, but comrades who went through hell together, began tearing at his heart mercilessly now . With that, the sole reason for his existence gone, the Shadow Sovereign cried out towards the others as if he was vomiting blood . [Come! Kill me!] Everything shall end here . He¡¯d rather return to the embrace of the void and rest for eternity while forgetting everything that had happened . [Hurry!] None of the Rulers moved an inch . No, they remained kneeling on the ground, their heads pressed to the floor, just like how it was from the beginning . The Shadow Sovereign raised his head up next . That prompted all the silver-clad soldiers in the air, still remembering the greatest warrior ever to grace the heavens, to place their fists where their hearts were and lower their heads . [¡­¡­ . ] Although they had to fight against him because of the differing ideals, they still hadn¡¯t forgotten about their admiration towards him in their hearts and consequently, they paid their utmost respect . The number of such soldiers utterly dominated the entire sky . And when all of them lowered their heads, the Shadow Sovereign stopped silently watching them and turned around to leave . The Sovereign of Death left the scene just like that, and afterwards, he completely vanished without a trace . Meanwhile, the combined forces of the Sovereigns, now that their own armies had been greatly depleted by the internal conflict of the three Sovereigns, met with a resounding defeat at the hands of the Rulers . The defeated remnants escaped to the crack between dimensions with their remaining forces . Jin-Woo watched the Sovereigns and their defeated army escaping through the enormous Gate and became utterly dumbstruck . ¡®The scale of the defeated remnants were that big¡­ . ?!¡¯ He couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine just how many soldiers from both sides had to be sacrificed for the sake of the Absolute Being¡¯s entertainment . He kind of understood where these Rulers were coming from when they rebelled against their master¡¯s rule . But, it was then . The Shadow Sovereign that secluded himself from the worldly affairs, appeared before the other Sovereigns again . When the Shadow Sovereign and the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs ran into each other, others became extremely tense that another violent clash might take place, but due to the intervention from the Dragon Emperor, the feared event didn¡¯t come to pass . [Now is the time to replenish our depleted forces . I understand the history between you two, but I shan¡¯t allow a fight to take place . ] The Dragon Emperor then accepted the Shadow Sovereign back to their fold once more with open arms . Jin-Woo swallowed his nervous saliva as he watched the Dragon Emperor in humanoid form . He was aware of the fact that the figure before his eyes was nothing more than a fragment of the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s memories, but still¡­ . ¡®So, this guy is the King of Berserk Dragons, the Sovereign of Destruction¡­ . ¡¯ The insane level of power oozing out from nothing more than just a glare even made Jin-Woo¡¯s teeth clatter . Having evacuated to the crack between dimensions, the Sovereigns avoided the Rulers¡¯ detection and searched for a new world where they would nurture their army again . Countless galaxies and planets flew past Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes . And eventually, the footage came to a stop right before a certain planet . He unconsciously let out a gasp . ¡°Ah¡­ . . ¡± It was a beautiful blue planet shining all alone within the darkness of space . It was Earth . Through their concerted efforts over a long period of time, the Sovereigns succeeded in tunnelling a portal from the crack between dimensions, to Earth that existed in another dimension . And thanks to the entrance of unprecedented enemies, mankind couldn¡¯t avoid the fate of being annihilated . Jin-Woo¡¯s expression hardened as he watched the cities get reduced to smouldering rubble, as first seen inside the ¡®Demon¡¯s Castle¡¯ instant dungeon . ¡°Is this what will happen in the future?¡± [No . This is a record of the past . ] Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes quaked powerfully from that unexpected answer . But, his shock could linger around only for a short while . Because the Shadow Sovereign continued on with his explanation . [The Rulers belatedly detected the movements of the Sovereigns and sent their armies, but by then, everything had already come to an end . ] If the purpose of the Sovereigns was to destroy, then the role of the Rulers was to maintain the worlds . Naturally, the Rulers grew angry at the fact that the thugs of the Chaos World they failed to eradicate the last time managed to bring down yet another world . In order to right the wrong, they resorted to activating a certain tool of God that they themselves had prohibited from use . The tool of God was called ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯ ¨C an item they made sure to steal first as their top priority from God¡¯s storage, just before they started their rebellion . It was an incredible item that could reverse time by around ten Earth years . ¡®Ten years?!¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes shot wide open . Could this be pure coincidence that the number of years matched the time when Gates began generating out of thin air, and Hunters appeared to stop them? [It is as you suspect . ] The Rulers did their best to rescue other worlds, but Earth was simply too fragile to host the battles between themselves and the Sovereigns . This planet with no magical energy couldn¡¯t endure against the mass-scale battles . Didn¡¯t matter who won in the end between the Rulers or the Sovereigns, the result waiting for this planet remained the same . After going through several cycles of war and the destruction of the planet, the Rulers came to a drastic decision . If saving everyone was impossible, then make sure that some would still survive and continue the life on this planet . ¡°If so, does that mean¡­ . ?!¡± [Gates are the process to create humans that would survive the collision of two forces . That¡¯s how much the Rulers wanted to guard humanity . ] Only then did Jin-Woo finally realise it . He realised the reason why these Rulers stayed behind the scenes and quietly let the process take place without getting in touch with humanity, even if they knew that there was a calamity coming . ¡®Humans capable of surviving in the changed world are¡­ . . ¡¯ If humanity learned that everyone in the world would die soon with the sole exception of the small number of people referred to as Hunters, would the human societies be able to function properly ever again? No, hang on . Jin-Woo inwardly shook his head . He finally heard the reasons for the Gates and the Hunters after this lengthy tale . However, the one thing he really wanted to hear about, he still hadn¡¯t heard the answer yet . As if he had read Jin-Woo¡¯s mind, the Shadow Sovereign gestured with his hands and the surroundings changed completely again . [The higher existences, such as Rulers and Sovereigns, are able to perceive the change in the flow of time created by the tool of God . ] Even if they couldn¡¯t do anything about it, said the Sovereign afterwards . While the Rulers busily tried to fix their mistakes several times, the Sovereigns also began modifying their plan continuously, as well . ¡­ . Until the tool of God couldn¡¯t be used anymore . ¡°Hold up¡­ . Are you telling me that there¡¯s a limit to this ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯?¡± [There are no such things as infinite power . Just as the Absolute Being capable of creating the universe was eliminated by his own creations, no power lasts forever . ] There was a hint of this tangible bitterness in his voice and that prompted Jin-Woo to turn his head towards the Shadow Sovereign before he had time to even notice it . ¡°I¡¯m asking you because it was brought up first, but, how can creations kill the creator?¡± [It is not too different from you dying at the wiles of the machines you have created . ] That sounded logical . Even if machines were created for the sake of humanity¡¯s convenience, they could still harm humans depending on how they were utilised . It was a similar sort of reason as to why humans feared artificial intelligence they themselves had created . [We were created to fight, and our powers were more than enough to bring down our own master . ] Jin-Woo nodded his head . Soon, the figures of several familiar Sovereigns appeared around Jin-Woo and the Shadow Sovereign . [The Sovereigns had a ¡®light-bulb¡¯ moment from the methods employed by the Rulers . ] And that would be to copy the method of the Rulers, that lent the portions of their powers to various humans and had them kill monsters, in order to spread magic energy throughout the planet . Sovereigns would also ¡®borrow¡¯ the bodies of human hosts to descend on the world and bring their armies far earlier than what the Rulers had been expecting . [They plan to use the magical energy spread around the planet by the Rulers and turn the entirety of Earth into one large trap . ] ¡°To devour the Rulers¡¯ armies coming to aid humanity in one go¡­ . ¡± [That¡¯s right . ] For a Sovereign possessing incredible power to cross over into this world, it needed a host body . Sovereigns searched for and found suitable hosts for themselves one by one . However, only the two, the Sovereign of Destruction and the Shadow Sovereign, the possessors of two indescribably enormous powers, couldn¡¯t find human hosts with a physique that could handle their powers . [It was around that time when the greatest wizard, working under one of the Kings, came to me with an offer . He said that he¡¯d find me a suitable human host . ] The ¡®Architect¡¯ . This wizard, referred to as the Architect by the Sovereigns, promised to aid the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s descent to this world for the price of turning him into a true immortal . Since he was already somewhat interested in the ongoings of the human world, the Shadow Sovereign agreed to this offer . Unfortunately, no human alive could handle the power of ¡®death¡¯ . [The human with high sensitivity towards magic energy . The human with an overwhelmingly superior physical condition . The human with amazing mental faculty . All of them couldn¡¯t handle my power and either became mentally crippled or died . ] No living lifeform could become a vessel for death itself . The contract with a Sovereign ¨C this act possessed a meaning on a whole different realm compared to other types of promises . Obviously, the Architect became rather anxious as time ticked by . While the Architect was sweating buckets trying to locate suitable candidates, the Shadow Sovereign actually went ahead and found himself a potential host first . ¡°¡­¡± Jin-Woo raised his head . As if there were hundreds of monitors displaying all sorts of varied and colourful images of him, his past self doing various things appeared in all directions . [I saw you . You, who always accompanies death so closely yet still desperately escapes from its grasp every time . ] He had been working as a Hunter for four years . Jin-Woo was ranked E . Not only that, at the bottom of the lowest rank, too . Yet, despite experiencing the life-threatening dangers of dungeons every day, he didn¡¯t stop entering them . It was all for the sake of his mother and his little sister . He sacrificed himself for his family and desperately struggled on . The records of the past four years were all preserved in their entirety within the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s memories . [The Architect opposed it, but I still chose you . ] The Shadow Sovereign was now pointing at Jin-Woo, and seeing that unwavering finger, he felt his heart race faster and faster . The Sovereign did say it before, didn¡¯t he? ¨C I am the record of your bitter struggle . I am the evidence of your resistance . I am the reward of your pain . Those words weren¡¯t describing Jin-Woo¡¯s life after he had become a ¡®Player¡¯ . No, it was about his life before he got to enjoy the benefit of the System . Every one of those words rang weightily within his chest once more . [The anxious Architect agreed to carry out my wish, and in the end, he lured you into his grand plan . ] The dual dungeon, the test of his survival, and then, the ¡®Player¡¯ . All of these were part of the plan of the Architect to create a suitable vessel for the Shadow Sovereign . [As your world continued to repeat itself, the Architect got to observe humans closely . And he created a system based on what humans enjoyed playing and were also good at, in order for you to adapt to my great powers . ] What humans enjoyed playing and were also good at, he said . Jin-Woo knew right away what that thing was as soon as he heard the Sovereign . It was none other than video games . Here was the reason why the System designed to manage the ¡®Player¡¯ possessed such a similar layout to a video game . And Jin-Woo was the lone successful case among all the test subjects . [The System the Architect created by borrowing my power slowly changed your physique step-by-step to better suit me . ] ¡°But then, you betrayed the Architect, didn¡¯t you?¡± Jin-Woo recalled the sight of the angel statue jumping up and down in fury while busily crying out that the other Sovereigns had been deceived back inside the second dual dungeon . The puzzling thing was, why did the Shadow Sovereign deceive the one he was in contract with, and choose Jin-Woo, instead? He simply had to ask for clarification here . ¡°But, why?¡± [¡­¡­] For the first time ever, the Shadow Sovereign hesitated . He looked to be agonising over something, and Jin-Woo didn¡¯t press him for an immediate answer . Eventually, the Sovereign opened his mouth again . [Because¡­ I wanted to . ] Compared to how lengthy his deliberation was, that answer was way too simple . Strangely enough, Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t hold back his chuckle, though . [Perhaps, I enjoyed the time I spent with you far too much and didn¡¯t want to lose ¡®you¡¯ . ] Rather than erasing Jin-Woo¡¯s ego and taking over his body, the Shadow Sovereign had chosen to assimilate with him, instead . Meaning, he chose to become a part of him . And the end result was¡­ . The Sovereign slowly raised his hands and grasped the sides of the helm covering his head, lifting it up slowly . And, as the face hidden beneath it was finally revealed, Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes gradually widened . ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯ It was his own face . The Shadow Sovereign possessed the exact same face as him . But, was that all? Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze dropped back down to himself only to discover that the surrounding darkness had wrapped around him to form new armour . The appearance of the armour was exactly the same as that of the Shadow Sovereign . It was as if they were looking at their mirror reflections and they continued to gaze at each other . [I have become you, and you have become me . ] ¡®I am you . ¡¯ That was the undeniable truth, with not an ounce of falsehood within . [It won¡¯t matter who gets to control our body, whether it¡¯s me or you . ] Because¡­ they were the same person now . [And that is why¡­ I shall give you the opportunity . Now, choose . ] The Shadow Sovereign raised his left hand and all those faces Jin-Woo missed seeing appeared one after another . [You can enjoy eternal rest inside this beautiful dream you have created within the territory of death . ] First, it was the face of the gently-laughing Association President Goh Gun-Hui, followed by his young-looking mother well before she collapsed from the illness . And finally, even the scene of his much younger self that existed within the time now long forgotten, drew up in the darkened surroundings . [However, if you don¡¯t want that¡­ . ] The Shadow Sovereign lowered his left hand raised the right one, instead . In an instant, all those faces disappeared, only to be replaced by a humongous Dragon flying in from the darkened sky high above . And then, an army entirely consisting of countless Dragons following after it to incinerate every city they could find . [¡­ . You shall return to reality and fight them . ] Jin-Woo stared at the Army of Destruction led by the Dragon Emperor with a hardened face before making his reply . No, he asked a question, instead . ¡°Why did you run away to another world with the other Sovereigns when you had no desire to fight against the Rulers?¡± [Because¡­ there was no place for me to remain anymore . ] The Shadow Sovereign was a Ruler and at the same time, a Sovereign . And he couldn¡¯t find the place he could call home with either group . That was why he chose to wander in other worlds he was not originally a part of, hoping to find his place . Hearing the Sovereign¡¯s answer, Jin-Woo finally made his decision . ¡°My answer is the same . ¡± An imperceptible smile had already floated up on the Sovereign¡¯s face even before Jin-Woo made his reply . ¡°This is not where I belong . ¡± [¡­ . Very good . ] The Shadow Sovereign nodded, saying, [That¡¯s why I chose you . ] ¡°Does this mean I won¡¯t ever get to see you again?¡± [I shall be taking my eternal rest . And as the new Shadow Sovereign, you shall live an eternal life . Surely, there won¡¯t be a reason why we have to meet again . ] Despite saying those words, there was the look of a relieved man on the Sovereign¡¯s face . Finally, the time of rest had come after an eternity of waiting . Jin-Woo watched the Sovereign genuinely feeling happy for himself and bade his last goodbye . ¡°I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity . ¡± [¡­¡­ . ] For a brief moment there, a look of wistful longing brushed past the Sovereign¡¯s expression before disappearing altogether . [With your death, your powers have become complete . As for how to return, its¡­ . ] Jin-Woo stopped him there . ¡°I know . ¡± Because¡­ I am you . A smile floated up on the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s face as the time of departure drew near . After a long, long journey, he had reached a place he could rest now . The Sovereign addressed Jin-Woo . [This is our farewell . ] He took a step back and wordlessly stared at Jin-Woo nodding his head . Two words that would allow him to be reborn as the perfect Shadow Sovereign left his lips in a low, hushed voice . ¡°Rise up . ¡± < Chapter 220 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 220: Chapter 220 The Rulers were asking for forgiveness from the Shadow Sovereign They occupied an overwhelmingly advantageous position . As long as they willed it, they could have sent the Shadow Sovereign back to the empty void, yet they wished to make up with him, instead This was their own way of showing their respect towards a comrade, born together at the same time, as well as the greatest warrior who once stood at the forefront with his Army of Brilliant Light, in the war against the powers of the Sovereigns Although the Shadow Sovereign was never their leader, his comrades nevertheless respected him greatly And that was why they ignored the command from their leader, the ¡®brightest Fragment of Brilliant Light¡¯, to get rid of the Sovereign and instead chose to kneel before him [We no longer have any reason to fight each other . ]. The enraged voice of the Shadow Sovereign resounded throughout the land next [What do you mean, there¡¯s no reason??!]. The Sovereign reached down and grabbed the collar of the Ruler asking for forgiveness and yanked him up by force [Have you not harmed my liege with your swords and spears?!]. [He was our master as well . ]. [That is precisely why your crimes are even more heinous!]. The Rulers maintained a courteous attitude, even towards the enraged Shadow Sovereign [You know better than anyone what we felt in our hearts when we raised our banners of rebellion against our master . ]. The Shadow Sovereign raised his head and discovered that the silver-clad winged soldiers had gathered around them before he had noticed it, and they were looking in his direction with worried expressions etched on their faces These were truly loyal soldiers How could he not know what they felt, watching their comrades die at the hands of their enemies? It was him who led these soldiers in countless battlefields and shed blood in honour of their master, after all [We only wished to end this war . That was all . ]. The Sovereign¡¯s grip holding onto the Ruler¡¯s collars loosened just a tad [And finally, we have the opportunity to do so . ]. [That¡¯s right . You can finally end this war . ]. The Shadow Sovereign let go of the Ruler, picked up his discarded sword, and made the angel grip the weapon¡¯s hilt [Strike me down with this sword . ]. And then, he looked at the other Rulers and shouted out [Pierce my heart with your spears! That is the end that you so desperately seek! With this act, you shall finally become the victor of this war!]. But, the sword powerlessly fell from the Ruler¡¯s grasp and clattered noisily onto the ground . No one else tried to push forward their spears against the Shadow Sovereign . Only the pleading voice came back his way [Please, find it in your heart to forgive us . ]. Unfortunately, their earnest plea struck the Shadow Sovereign more painfully than any weapon known to man After he lost his subordinates, after he lost his master, and after he himself was trapped within the darkness, the only thing that motivated him to carry on were the thoughts of revenge The desire for vengeance helped him to endure until now He had led the army of the dead with the singular thought of making these Rulers pay for their transgressions But now, how could he continue to hate those asking for his forgiveness in order to save their own soldiers from this endless cycle of warfare?. After all, both he, fighting to protect his master, and these Rulers, who fought to keep their subordinates alive, were victims of fate¡¯s cruelty, were they not?. The truth, that these kneeling angels weren¡¯t his detestable enemies, but comrades who went through hell together, began tearing at his heart mercilessly now With that, the sole reason for his existence gone, the Shadow Sovereign cried out towards the others as if he was vomiting blood [Come! Kill me!]. Everything shall end here He¡¯d rather return to the embrace of the void and rest for eternity while forgetting everything that had happened [Hurry!]. None of the Rulers moved an inch No, they remained kneeling on the ground, their heads pressed to the floor, just like how it was from the beginning The Shadow Sovereign raised his head up next That prompted all the silver-clad soldiers in the air, still remembering the greatest warrior ever to grace the heavens, to place their fists where their hearts were and lower their heads [¡­¡­ . ]. Although they had to fight against him because of the differing ideals, they still hadn¡¯t forgotten about their admiration towards him in their hearts and consequently, they paid their utmost respect The number of such soldiers utterly dominated the entire sky . And when all of them lowered their heads, the Shadow Sovereign stopped silently watching them and turned around to leave The Sovereign of Death left the scene just like that, and afterwards, he completely vanished without a trace . Meanwhile, the combined forces of the Sovereigns, now that their own armies had been greatly depleted by the internal conflict of the three Sovereigns, met with a resounding defeat at the hands of the Rulers The defeated remnants escaped to the crack between dimensions with their remaining forces . Jin-Woo watched the Sovereigns and their defeated army escaping through the enormous Gate and became utterly dumbstruck ¡®The scale of the defeated remnants were that big¡­ . ?!¡¯. He couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine just how many soldiers from both sides had to be sacrificed for the sake of the Absolute Being¡¯s entertainment He kind of understood where these Rulers were coming from when they rebelled against their master¡¯s rule But, it was then The Shadow Sovereign that secluded himself from the worldly affairs, appeared before the other Sovereigns again When the Shadow Sovereign and the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs ran into each other, others became extremely tense that another violent clash might take place, but due to the intervention from the Dragon Emperor, the feared event didn¡¯t come to pass [Now is the time to replenish our depleted forces . I understand the history between you two, but I shan¡¯t allow a fight to take place . ]. The Dragon Emperor then accepted the Shadow Sovereign back to their fold once more with open arms Jin-Woo swallowed his nervous saliva as he watched the Dragon Emperor in humanoid form . He was aware of the fact that the figure before his eyes was nothing more than a fragment of the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s memories, but still¡­ ¡®So, this guy is the King of Berserk Dragons, the Sovereign of Destruction¡­ . ¡¯. The insane level of power oozing out from nothing more than just a glare even made Jin-Woo¡¯s teeth clatter Having evacuated to the crack between dimensions, the Sovereigns avoided the Rulers¡¯ detection and searched for a new world where they would nurture their army again Countless galaxies and planets flew past Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes . And eventually, the footage came to a stop right before a certain planet He unconsciously let out a gasp ¡°Ah¡­ ¡±. It was a beautiful blue planet shining all alone within the darkness of space . It was Earth Through their concerted efforts over a long period of time, the Sovereigns succeeded in tunnelling a portal from the crack between dimensions, to Earth that existed in another dimension And thanks to the entrance of unprecedented enemies, mankind couldn¡¯t avoid the fate of being annihilated Jin-Woo¡¯s expression hardened as he watched the cities get reduced to smouldering rubble, as first seen inside the ¡®Demon¡¯s Castle¡¯ instant dungeon ¡°Is this what will happen in the future?¡±. [No . This is a record of the past . ]. Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes quaked powerfully from that unexpected answer . But, his shock could linger around only for a short while . Because the Shadow Sovereign continued on with his explanation [The Rulers belatedly detected the movements of the Sovereigns and sent their armies, but by then, everything had already come to an end . ]. If the purpose of the Sovereigns was to destroy, then the role of the Rulers was to maintain the worlds Naturally, the Rulers grew angry at the fact that the thugs of the Chaos World they failed to eradicate the last time managed to bring down yet another world In order to right the wrong, they resorted to activating a certain tool of God that they themselves had prohibited from use The tool of God was called ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯ ¨C an item they made sure to steal first as their top priority from God¡¯s storage, just before they started their rebellion . It was an incredible item that could reverse time by around ten Earth years ¡®Ten years?!¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes shot wide open Could this be pure coincidence that the number of years matched the time when Gates began generating out of thin air, and Hunters appeared to stop them?. [It is as you suspect . ]. The Rulers did their best to rescue other worlds, but Earth was simply too fragile to host the battles between themselves and the Sovereigns . This planet with no magical energy couldn¡¯t endure against the mass-scale battles Didn¡¯t matter who won in the end between the Rulers or the Sovereigns, the result waiting for this planet remained the same . After going through several cycles of war and the destruction of the planet, the Rulers came to a drastic decision If saving everyone was impossible, then make sure that some would still survive and continue the life on this planet ¡°If so, does that mean¡­ . ?!¡±. [Gates are the process to create humans that would survive the collision of two forces . That¡¯s how much the Rulers wanted to guard humanity . ]. Only then did Jin-Woo finally realise it He realised the reason why these Rulers stayed behind the scenes and quietly let the process take place without getting in touch with humanity, even if they knew that there was a calamity coming ¡®Humans capable of surviving in the changed world are¡­ ¡¯. If humanity learned that everyone in the world would die soon with the sole exception of the small number of people referred to as Hunters, would the human societies be able to function properly ever again?. No, hang on . Jin-Woo inwardly shook his head He finally heard the reasons for the Gates and the Hunters after this lengthy tale . However, the one thing he really wanted to hear about, he still hadn¡¯t heard the answer yet As if he had read Jin-Woo¡¯s mind, the Shadow Sovereign gestured with his hands and the surroundings changed completely again [The higher existences, such as Rulers and Sovereigns, are able to perceive the change in the flow of time created by the tool of God . ]. Even if they couldn¡¯t do anything about it, said the Sovereign afterwards While the Rulers busily tried to fix their mistakes several times, the Sovereigns also began modifying their plan continuously, as well ¡­ . Until the tool of God couldn¡¯t be used anymore ¡°Hold up¡­ . Are you telling me that there¡¯s a limit to this ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯?¡±. [There are no such things as infinite power . Just as the Absolute Being capable of creating the universe was eliminated by his own creations, no power lasts forever . ]. There was a hint of this tangible bitterness in his voice and that prompted Jin-Woo to turn his head towards the Shadow Sovereign before he had time to even notice it ¡°I¡¯m asking you because it was brought up first, but, how can creations kill the creator?¡±. [It is not too different from you dying at the wiles of the machines you have created . ]. That sounded logical . Even if machines were created for the sake of humanity¡¯s convenience, they could still harm humans depending on how they were utilised . It was a similar sort of reason as to why humans feared artificial intelligence they themselves had created [We were created to fight, and our powers were more than enough to bring down our own master . ]. Jin-Woo nodded his head Soon, the figures of several familiar Sovereigns appeared around Jin-Woo and the Shadow Sovereign [The Sovereigns had a ¡®light-bulb¡¯ moment from the methods employed by the Rulers . ]. And that would be to copy the method of the Rulers, that lent the portions of their powers to various humans and had them kill monsters, in order to spread magic energy throughout the planet . Sovereigns would also ¡®borrow¡¯ the bodies of human hosts to descend on the world and bring their armies far earlier than what the Rulers had been expecting [They plan to use the magical energy spread around the planet by the Rulers and turn the entirety of Earth into one large trap . ]. ¡°To devour the Rulers¡¯ armies coming to aid humanity in one go¡­ . ¡±. [That¡¯s right . ]. For a Sovereign possessing incredible power to cross over into this world, it needed a host body Sovereigns searched for and found suitable hosts for themselves one by one However, only the two, the Sovereign of Destruction and the Shadow Sovereign, the possessors of two indescribably enormous powers, couldn¡¯t find human hosts with a physique that could handle their powers [It was around that time when the greatest wizard, working under one of the Kings, came to me with an offer . He said that he¡¯d find me a suitable human host . ]. The ¡®Architect¡¯ . This wizard, referred to as the Architect by the Sovereigns, promised to aid the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s descent to this world for the price of turning him into a true immortal Since he was already somewhat interested in the ongoings of the human world, the Shadow Sovereign agreed to this offer . Unfortunately, no human alive could handle the power of ¡®death¡¯ [The human with high sensitivity towards magic energy . The human with an overwhelmingly superior physical condition . The human with amazing mental faculty . All of them couldn¡¯t handle my power and either became mentally crippled or died . ]. No living lifeform could become a vessel for death itself The contract with a Sovereign ¨C this act possessed a meaning on a whole different realm compared to other types of promises . Obviously, the Architect became rather anxious as time ticked by While the Architect was sweating buckets trying to locate suitable candidates, the Shadow Sovereign actually went ahead and found himself a potential host first ¡°¡­¡±. Jin-Woo raised his head As if there were hundreds of monitors displaying all sorts of varied and colourful images of him, his past self doing various things appeared in all directions [I saw you . You, who always accompanies death so closely yet still desperately escapes from its grasp every time . ]. He had been working as a Hunter for four years Jin-Woo was ranked E . Not only that, at the bottom of the lowest rank, too . Yet, despite experiencing the life-threatening dangers of dungeons every day, he didn¡¯t stop entering them . It was all for the sake of his mother and his little sister He sacrificed himself for his family and desperately struggled on . The records of the past four years were all preserved in their entirety within the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s memories [The Architect opposed it, but I still chose you . ]. The Shadow Sovereign was now pointing at Jin-Woo, and seeing that unwavering finger, he felt his heart race faster and faster The Sovereign did say it before, didn¡¯t he?. ¨C I am the record of your bitter struggle . I am the evidence of your resistance . I am the reward of your pain Those words weren¡¯t describing Jin-Woo¡¯s life after he had become a ¡®Player¡¯ . No, it was about his life before he got to enjoy the benefit of the System . Every one of those words rang weightily within his chest once more [The anxious Architect agreed to carry out my wish, and in the end, he lured you into his grand plan . ]. The dual dungeon, the test of his survival, and then, the ¡®Player¡¯ All of these were part of the plan of the Architect to create a suitable vessel for the Shadow Sovereign [As your world continued to repeat itself, the Architect got to observe humans closely . And he created a system based on what humans enjoyed playing and were also good at, in order for you to adapt to my great powers . ]. What humans enjoyed playing and were also good at, he said Jin-Woo knew right away what that thing was as soon as he heard the Sovereign . It was none other than video games Here was the reason why the System designed to manage the ¡®Player¡¯ possessed such a similar layout to a video game And Jin-Woo was the lone successful case among all the test subjects [The System the Architect created by borrowing my power slowly changed your physique step-by-step to better suit me . ]. ¡°But then, you betrayed the Architect, didn¡¯t you?¡±. Jin-Woo recalled the sight of the angel statue jumping up and down in fury while busily crying out that the other Sovereigns had been deceived back inside the second dual dungeon The puzzling thing was, why did the Shadow Sovereign deceive the one he was in contract with, and choose Jin-Woo, instead?. He simply had to ask for clarification here ¡°But, why?¡±. [¡­¡­]. For the first time ever, the Shadow Sovereign hesitated . He looked to be agonising over something, and Jin-Woo didn¡¯t press him for an immediate answer Eventually, the Sovereign opened his mouth again [Because¡­ I wanted to . ]. Compared to how lengthy his deliberation was, that answer was way too simple . Strangely enough, Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t hold back his chuckle, though [Perhaps, I enjoyed the time I spent with you far too much and didn¡¯t want to lose ¡®you¡¯ . ]. Rather than erasing Jin-Woo¡¯s ego and taking over his body, the Shadow Sovereign had chosen to assimilate with him, instead . Meaning, he chose to become a part of him And the end result was¡­ The Sovereign slowly raised his hands and grasped the sides of the helm covering his head, lifting it up slowly . And, as the face hidden beneath it was finally revealed, Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes gradually widened ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯. It was his own face The Shadow Sovereign possessed the exact same face as him But, was that all?. Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze dropped back down to himself only to discover that the surrounding darkness had wrapped around him to form new armour The appearance of the armour was exactly the same as that of the Shadow Sovereign . It was as if they were looking at their mirror reflections and they continued to gaze at each other [I have become you, and you have become me . ]. ¡®I am you . ¡¯. That was the undeniable truth, with not an ounce of falsehood within [It won¡¯t matter who gets to control our body, whether it¡¯s me or you . ]. Because¡­ they were the same person now [And that is why¡­ I shall give you the opportunity . Now, choose . ]. The Shadow Sovereign raised his left hand and all those faces Jin-Woo missed seeing appeared one after another [You can enjoy eternal rest inside this beautiful dream you have created within the territory of death . ]. First, it was the face of the gently-laughing Association President Goh Gun-Hui, followed by his young-looking mother well before she collapsed from the illness . And finally, even the scene of his much younger self that existed within the time now long forgotten, drew up in the darkened surroundings [However, if you don¡¯t want that¡­ . ]. The Shadow Sovereign lowered his left hand raised the right one, instead . In an instant, all those faces disappeared, only to be replaced by a humongous Dragon flying in from the darkened sky high above . And then, an army entirely consisting of countless Dragons following after it to incinerate every city they could find [¡­ . You shall return to reality and fight them . ]. Jin-Woo stared at the Army of Destruction led by the Dragon Emperor with a hardened face before making his reply No, he asked a question, instead ¡°Why did you run away to another world with the other Sovereigns when you had no desire to fight against the Rulers?¡±. [Because¡­ there was no place for me to remain anymore . ]. The Shadow Sovereign was a Ruler and at the same time, a Sovereign . And he couldn¡¯t find the place he could call home with either group . That was why he chose to wander in other worlds he was not originally a part of, hoping to find his place Hearing the Sovereign¡¯s answer, Jin-Woo finally made his decision ¡°My answer is the same . ¡±. An imperceptible smile had already floated up on the Sovereign¡¯s face even before Jin-Woo made his reply ¡°This is not where I belong . ¡±. [¡­ . Very good . ]. The Shadow Sovereign nodded, saying, [That¡¯s why I chose you . ]. ¡°Does this mean I won¡¯t ever get to see you again?¡±. [I shall be taking my eternal rest . And as the new Shadow Sovereign, you shall live an eternal life . Surely, there won¡¯t be a reason why we have to meet again . ]. Despite saying those words, there was the look of a relieved man on the Sovereign¡¯s face . Finally, the time of rest had come after an eternity of waiting Jin-Woo watched the Sovereign genuinely feeling happy for himself and bade his last goodbye ¡°I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity . ¡±. [¡­¡­ . ]. For a brief moment there, a look of wistful longing brushed past the Sovereign¡¯s expression before disappearing altogether [With your death, your powers have become complete . As for how to return, its¡­ . ]. Jin-Woo stopped him there ¡°I know . ¡±. Because¡­ I am you A smile floated up on the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s face as the time of departure drew near . After a long, long journey, he had reached a place he could rest now The Sovereign addressed Jin-Woo [This is our farewell . ]. He took a step back and wordlessly stared at Jin-Woo nodding his head Two words that would allow him to be reborn as the perfect Shadow Sovereign left his lips in a low, hushed voice ¡°Rise up . ¡±. < Chapter 220 > Fin Chapter 221 The System¡¯s familiar female voice rang in his head the moment Jin-Woo uttered ¡®Rise up . ¡¯ [¡®Rise up . ¡¯] [¡®Player¡¯ Nurturing System delete code has been entered . ] [The System will now be deleted . ] Jin-Woo was now bestowed with the true power of the Shadow Sovereign, which meant that the System was now rendered irrelevant to him . So, it began deleting itself . He felt as if he was saying goodbye to a nanny that looked after him since his childhood . He then suddenly thought of a question and asked the Shadow Sovereign . ¡°How did you include the female voice in the System?¡± [¡­ . That¡¯s actually the architect¡¯s voice . ] The Sovereign was a bit dumbstruck by Jin-Woo¡¯s sudden question, but eventually, added more explanation . [That creature was from a hermaphrodite race . It¡¯s possible for them to produce both male and female voices . ] ¡°¡­ . . ¡± He often wondered who the owner of that clear and cool voice was every time it accompanied the System messages, but to think, it was the same dude all along . Feeling a bit sheepish, Jin-Woo averted his gaze, prompting the Shadow Sovereign to chuckle under his breath . ¡°Kuk, kuk . ¡± ¡®I also enjoyed watching that part of you, too . ¡¯ This man was indeed worth betraying the architect¡¯s promise, even though trust was one of the most important things for the Sovereign . A small hint of sorrow briefly flashed past his eyes . In the meantime, the System continued on with deleting itself step by step . [All limitations imposed on the power ¡®Player¡¯ possesses has been lifted . ] [With the removal of the limitations, every Shadow Soldier of ¡®Marshal¡¯ grade enjoying the authority of the Sovereign will regain all of their original powers . ] [Marshal grade soldier Igrit¡¯s powers have been restored in full . ] [Marshal grade soldier Beru¡¯s Stats have been enhanced greatly . ] [The former Shadow Sovereign, ¡®Osborne¡¯, is returning to the world of eternal void . ] Jin-Woo silently listened to the messages before raising his head . He found the Shadow Sovereign, despite facing his own end, staring back at him with serene eyes . Jin-Woo was able to understand all the pain and suffering the Sovereign had gone through because of the memories of the distant past shown to him within death¡¯s territory . His goodbyes were, therefore, genuine and heartfelt . ¡®Goodbye, my king . I pray that you find the peaceful rest you dearly wished for so long in the land of eternal sleep . ¡¯ Finally, even the System message signifying farewell popped up . [Will you really delete all System and System-related functions?] Two icons of ¡®YES¡¯ and ¡®NO¡¯ blinked in the empty air . Jin-Woo shifted his gaze, one last time, to the Shadow Sovereign . Even until the end, the former angel hadn¡¯t lost that content smile of his . Because, that would be the lasting image engraved in his heart, after all . That was why Jin-Woo also smiled back . With a smile, he issued his final input to the System . ¡°Yes . ¡± *** RUMBLE!! A powerful wind pressure being generated at the same time with an explosion of light forced back the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs and the Sovereign of Frost . The former regained its posture first, its brows quivering . [A Fragment of the Brilliant Light¡­ . ?] The body of the robe-wearing enemy was now burning in golden flames . That light was the symbol of the Rulers . This b*stard was, without a doubt, a human that borrowed their powers . However, why were the Rulers aiding one of the most powerful Sovereigns out there, the Shadow Sovereign? The Sovereign of Frost cried out . [The worst calamity imaginable is approaching us through the body of the human you¡¯re trying to protect! Are you planning to bring the apocalypse to this world by your own hands??] ¡°¡­ . . ¡± The man wearing the robe didn¡¯t even bother to reply . No, instead of an answer, he simply brought up both of his shortswords near his chin, clearly getting into a stance to fight . That was as good a sign as any of his intent . The Sovereign of Frost¡¯s expression hardened after confirming this man¡¯s decision once more . Its current opponent had borrowed the powers of the Rulers and activated Spiritual Body Manifestation . But, a human¡¯s body couldn¡¯t withstand a god¡¯s power . Unlike with the Sovereigns who had completely taken over the host¡¯s body and ego, the one borrowing the Ruler¡¯s power would soon crumble into dust and disappear . ¡®Even then¡­ . He¡¯ll risk dying just to aid in the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s revival?? Just what are the Ruler b*stards scheming now¡­?!¡¯ The Sovereign of Frost looked at the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs . They exchanged suspicious gazes . There was no time . The beast-like man, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs, nodded its head . Instantly, the two Sovereigns split left and right to approach the robe-wearing man from both sides, before raining down a ceaseless barrage of attacks . The claws of a beast and the spear made of ice tried to tear into the robe-wearing man countless times, but as if he was well versed in combat, he easily countered and repelled all incoming attacks with expert movements . He would let the ice spear slip past him or block against the claws, but never forgot to throw out his counterattacks every now and then, as well . This was the action of a warrior that survived a nonsensical number of battlefields throughout his life . A truly troublesome opponent, in other words . An enemy possessing great strength and technique disregarded his own life to block the advance of the two Sovereigns . BOOM-!! The robe-wearing man blocked the weapons that carried incredible amounts of magical energy belonging to two Sovereigns, and then, shoved them away once more . The Sovereigns landed some distance away, correctly judging that it would be quite difficult to get a desirable result in time, at this rate . Tap, tap . As if the robe-wearing man had no purpose other than protecting the vessel of the Shadow Sovereign, he only stood his ground and didn¡¯t chase after the Sovereigns . [¡­ . Just what is your true identity?!] The Sovereign of Frost was left dismayed and puzzled, but the robe-wearing man remained silent as usual . It was then . The Sovereign of Beastly Fangs suddenly reverted from its Werewolf appearance back to its human form and spoke up . [I¡¯m done with this . ] The sharp fangs peeking out of its lips went back inside, and its long claws also changed back to those of regular person¡¯s nails . As it turned around to leave, the Sovereign of Frost hurriedly cried out to stop its comrade . [We¡¯ve come this far, yet you wish to leave now?! Are you insane!!] [Can¡¯t you sense it?] The Sovereign of Beastly Fangs shook its head . It possessed sensory perception far exceeding the norm and after picking up on the subtly-changing atmosphere, its body shuddered ever so slightly . [The surrounding Mana has begun crying out . Soon, the Shadow Sovereign will arrive . ] The gaze of the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs went up to the sky before shifting back to the Sovereign of Frost . [I¡¯m taking my leave . ] [But, you promised to attack the Shadow Sovereign with me, did you not?!] Veins bulged on the neck of the clearly-agitated ancient Ice Elf . Too bad, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs remained rather collected in its reply . [My promise was only applicable when the vessel remained a human . However, the real thing is about to come, so there¡¯s no more reason for me to stick to our promise . ] [Even then, how can a King of all beasts run away with his tail between his legs?!] The Sovereign of Beastly Fangs was triggered by those words and it angrily grabbed the collars of the ancient Ice Elf . [You can¡¯t understand me because you¡¯ve never tasted the true power of the Shadow Sovereign, oh, Sovereign of Frost!!] Back then, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs got to witness the depths of the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s powers when he faced off and survived against six huge armies consisting of the beast army, demonic army belonging to the White Flames, and lastly, the armies of the four Rulers . Such a monster was about to show up here, so who cared about one¡¯s dignity in such a situation? It was fine if others ridiculed the Sovereign for hiding behind the Dragon Emperor . It¡¯d do anything if it meant surviving until the end . It made the correct call to abandon its former comrade, the King of Demons, the Sovereign of White Flames, and to escape from the battlefield back then . And now, it was not daring to risk encountering the real deal while trying to kill the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s vessel . The Sovereign of Beastly Fangs was the King of Beasts, whose power was founded upon the abundant life force of the surrounding creatures . And the power of death, capable of eating into that life force, was the most fearful and frightening thing in the universe . Indeed, there was no time to waste its breath here . It sensed the terror of death approaching ever closer with every passing second, and quickly released the collars of the ancient Ice Elf to generate its personal Gate . [I shall pray for your fortune . ] With that departing words, the beast quickly stepped into the Gate . The Sovereign of Frost clicked its tongue unhappily as it watched the Gate gradually shrink before completely disappearing from the view . [What a foolish b*stard . ] How could a fool that runs away in fear, even when there was a nearly dead prey right before its eyes, be deserving of the title of the Chaos World¡¯s best hunter? The Sovereign of Frost¡¯s thoughts remained the same as before ¨C the Shadow Sovereign had to die, no matter what . And the prey was as good as tip-toeing on the precipice¡¯s edge . Nothing would change just because a hindrance suddenly showed up . Indeed, there was no reason to borrow the hand of a coward . Deciding such, the Sovereign of Frost activated its own Spiritual Body Manifestation . Although its stamina would greatly be consumed by maintaining this form, as this wasn¡¯t the world it originally belonged to, there was a need to get the result as soon as possible before the Shadow Sovereign really made his appearance . [Taste the terror of the bitter frost, you weakling!] The Sovereign of Frost transformed into a gigantic ice storm that instantly covered up the land . The violently thrashing blizzard slammed into everywhere! After morphing into an actual storm, the Sovereign of Frost coldly glared at the robe-wearing man below and roared out like a thunderclap . [This is my true power!!] Tens of thousands of ice spears created out of crystallised Mana in the air began raining down like falling snow . Each spear carried enough power to kill a person in one shot . That was how extremely terrifying this attack was . Cars still remaining in the roads were swept away like worthless toys and buildings were torn apart by the blade-like winds . However, the robe-wearing man didn¡¯t even budge from his spot and protected Jin-Woo behind him with all his being . Countless wounds began appearing on the man facing off against the endless barrage of ice spear blizzard . The Sovereign of Frost didn¡¯t let up with its attacks, not even for a second . [My soldiers!] From the snow that had piled up to one¡¯s knees, ice humanoids created from the magical energy rose up one by one . And soon, they numbered nearly several thousand! [Attack . ] The ice humanoids heard the command of their Sovereign and pounced simultaneously at the robe-wearing man . He desperately resisted against these humanoids by slicing them and shoving them away . Unfortunately¡­ . Stab! He was struck on the shoulder by an ice spear and wobbled unsteadily on his feet . ¡°¡­ . . ¡± Even in the midst of this, the ice humanoids were still rushing at him relentlessly . The man forcefully strengthened his legs and gritted his teeth . The mysterious man tenaciously hung on, and the Sovereign of Frost decided to once more enter the fray itself . It transformed into a crystallised form of sheer coldness and, while emitting white smoke from its entire body, it gallantly strode over to the man . [Get out of the way!!] Its loud roar prompted the ice humanoids to quickly scatter . The Sovereign of Frost stood before the man and opened its maw real wide . Incredibly cold energy began gathering within its mouth next . The air began freezing up . Ice even formed on the chin of the man visible underneath the hood . At this rate, things would get very dangerous . The robe-wearing man understood this . However, if he tried to evade this attack, it¡¯d hit Jin-Woo still lying on the ground head-on . The man displayed no hints of evading even when facing off against the horrifying murderous intent oozing out from the Sovereign of Frost . The facial expression of the Ice Elf crumpled unsightly . ¡®A measly human simply borrowing the powers of a higher being through sheer luck dares to form such an insolent face at me!¡¯ Finally, the horrifying aura of coldness was fired out from the mouth of one very enraged Sovereign . KUWAAAHH-!! The man crossed his arms in an ¡®X¡¯ to defend against the blast of cold air . Rather obviously, his arms had to bear the brunt of blocking the entire attack and they became frozen in an instant, unable to move again . And then, truly vicious attacks continued on the man now unable to offer any resistance . Pow! Pow!! Pow!!! Pow!!!! Every time the Sovereign of Frost smacked the man, his upper torso visibly staggered . However, he never took a step back, not even once . Blood trickled down his legs and formed a pool beneath his feet, but he continued to endure . [How dare a measly little human¡­ . ?!] The Sovereign of Frost tilted its shoulder and raised up its right arm up very high . In an instant, cold air gathered around the arm and transformed into a gigantic ice block . ¡®Now, let¡¯s see if you can withstand this!¡¯ The Sovereign of Frost was planning to not only crush the man, but the vessel of the Shadow Sovereign lying behind him, too . It roused up its entire magical energy to slam down the block of ice . Vuuu-woong!! The man watched the shadow of the falling ice block grow ever larger and raised both of his frozen arms above . Even if his arms shattered, even if his body was crushed, he must protect Jin-Woo . He dragged out every ounce of power granted to him by the Ruler and his body glowed in the most brilliant golden radiance . And finally¡­ BOOOOM-!! ¡­There was a collision . Strangely enough, although there was a collision, he didn¡¯t feel any impact force from it at all . ¡®What is¡­ . ?¡¯ The man opened his closed eyes and discovered someone else standing before him . ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯ This figure was kitted out in jet-black armour . And then, there was the blood-red mane extending from the top of its helm all the way down to its back . It was none other than the faithful servant of the Shadow Sovereign, Igrit . He defended against the massive block of ice before roughly shoving it away . The Sovereign of Frost had to doubt its own eyes after that attack was perfectly defended against . [Igrit?!] If the Marshal-grade Shadow Soldier made his appearance, then that could only mean¡­ . ! The ancient ice Elf flinched nastily in surprise and hurriedly shifted its gaze to the spot behind the robe-wearing man . Sure enough, the unconscious man who should¡¯ve been lying there could no longer be found anymore . Finally¡­ Finally, the Sovereign of Frost understood what the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs had said before running away . The atmosphere itself was trembling . Mana, the magical energy densely packed in the air, was resonating with the entrance of a transcendent existence . Igrit turned around and politely knelt down and lowered his head . Kiiieeehhk!! Beru, having appeared alongside Igrit, screeched out loudly as if to announce the return of his master, and quickly knelt down while facing the same direction . And between the two, Jin-Woo calmly walked out . He took a sweeping look around the messily destroyed surroundings and threw a question at the Sovereign of Frost . ¡°Did the beast run away?¡± [¡­¡­] Only after facing off against the true Shadow Sovereign did the ancient Ice Elf realise the reason why the King of Beasts made its hasty, scared escape earlier . Even though it was the Sovereign of all things existing within the cold, it was still trembling pitifully before the lord of death standing before it . Jin-Woo continued on . ¡°¡­ . I didn¡¯t permit it . ¡± The Sovereign of Frost couldn¡¯t understand what he meant and reflexively asked back . [What was that??] ¡°I didn¡¯t give my permission for it to run away . ¡± [What are you even on about¡­?] Jin-Woo didn¡¯t even give the ancient Ice Elf enough time to get flustered and simply closed his eyes . He rapidly expanded his sensory perception to his surroundings in search of the unique magic energy signature belonging to the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs . The range of his perception exceeded past the border of South Korea in an instant and enveloped the whole planet . He was deeply confident that, as long as the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs didn¡¯t escape to the gap between dimensions and remained hidden somewhere on Earth, he¡¯d located that b*stard no problem . And his confidence was not proven to be baseless . Jin-Woo smiled refreshingly and opened his eyes after discovering the presence of the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs . ¡°Found you . ¡± Sponsored Content Chapter 221: Chapter 221 The System¡¯s familiar female voice rang in his head the moment Jin-Woo uttered ¡®Rise up . ¡¯. [¡®Rise up . ¡¯]. [¡®Player¡¯ Nurturing System delete code has been entered . ]. [The System will now be deleted . ]. Jin-Woo was now bestowed with the true power of the Shadow Sovereign, which meant that the System was now rendered irrelevant to him . So, it began deleting itself He felt as if he was saying goodbye to a nanny that looked after him since his childhood . He then suddenly thought of a question and asked the Shadow Sovereign ¡°How did you include the female voice in the System?¡±. [¡­ . That¡¯s actually the architect¡¯s voice . ]. The Sovereign was a bit dumbstruck by Jin-Woo¡¯s sudden question, but eventually, added more explanation [That creature was from a hermaphrodite race . It¡¯s possible for them to produce both male and female voices . ]. ¡°¡­ ¡±. He often wondered who the owner of that clear and cool voice was every time it accompanied the System messages, but to think, it was the same dude all along Feeling a bit sheepish, Jin-Woo averted his gaze, prompting the Shadow Sovereign to chuckle under his breath ¡°Kuk, kuk . ¡±. ¡®I also enjoyed watching that part of you, too . ¡¯. This man was indeed worth betraying the architect¡¯s promise, even though trust was one of the most important things for the Sovereign . A small hint of sorrow briefly flashed past his eyes In the meantime, the System continued on with deleting itself step by step [All limitations imposed on the power ¡®Player¡¯ possesses has been lifted . ]. [With the removal of the limitations, every Shadow Soldier of ¡®Marshal¡¯ grade enjoying the authority of the Sovereign will regain all of their original powers . ]. [Marshal grade soldier Igrit¡¯s powers have been restored in full . ]. [Marshal grade soldier Beru¡¯s Stats have been enhanced greatly . ]. [The former Shadow Sovereign, ¡®Osborne¡¯, is returning to the world of eternal void . ]. Jin-Woo silently listened to the messages before raising his head . He found the Shadow Sovereign, despite facing his own end, staring back at him with serene eyes Jin-Woo was able to understand all the pain and suffering the Sovereign had gone through because of the memories of the distant past shown to him within death¡¯s territory . His goodbyes were, therefore, genuine and heartfelt ¡®Goodbye, my king I pray that you find the peaceful rest you dearly wished for so long in the land of eternal sleep . ¡¯. Finally, even the System message signifying farewell popped up [Will you really delete all System and System-related functions?]. Two icons of ¡®YES¡¯ and ¡®NO¡¯ blinked in the empty air Jin-Woo shifted his gaze, one last time, to the Shadow Sovereign . Even until the end, the former angel hadn¡¯t lost that content smile of his Because, that would be the lasting image engraved in his heart, after all That was why Jin-Woo also smiled back With a smile, he issued his final input to the System ¡°Yes . ¡±. ***. RUMBLE!!. A powerful wind pressure being generated at the same time with an explosion of light forced back the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs and the Sovereign of Frost . The former regained its posture first, its brows quivering [A Fragment of the Brilliant Light¡­ . ?]. The body of the robe-wearing enemy was now burning in golden flames . That light was the symbol of the Rulers This b*stard was, without a doubt, a human that borrowed their powers . However, why were the Rulers aiding one of the most powerful Sovereigns out there, the Shadow Sovereign?. The Sovereign of Frost cried out [The worst calamity imaginable is approaching us through the body of the human you¡¯re trying to protect! Are you planning to bring the apocalypse to this world by your own hands??]. ¡°¡­ ¡±. The man wearing the robe didn¡¯t even bother to reply . No, instead of an answer, he simply brought up both of his shortswords near his chin, clearly getting into a stance to fight . That was as good a sign as any of his intent The Sovereign of Frost¡¯s expression hardened after confirming this man¡¯s decision once more Its current opponent had borrowed the powers of the Rulers and activated Spiritual Body Manifestation . But, a human¡¯s body couldn¡¯t withstand a god¡¯s power Unlike with the Sovereigns who had completely taken over the host¡¯s body and ego, the one borrowing the Ruler¡¯s power would soon crumble into dust and disappear ¡®Even then¡­ . He¡¯ll risk dying just to aid in the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s revival?? Just what are the Ruler b*stards scheming now¡­?!¡¯. The Sovereign of Frost looked at the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs . They exchanged suspicious gazes . There was no time . The beast-like man, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs, nodded its head Instantly, the two Sovereigns split left and right to approach the robe-wearing man from both sides, before raining down a ceaseless barrage of attacks The claws of a beast and the spear made of ice tried to tear into the robe-wearing man countless times, but as if he was well versed in combat, he easily countered and repelled all incoming attacks with expert movements He would let the ice spear slip past him or block against the claws, but never forgot to throw out his counterattacks every now and then, as well This was the action of a warrior that survived a nonsensical number of battlefields throughout his life . A truly troublesome opponent, in other words . An enemy possessing great strength and technique disregarded his own life to block the advance of the two Sovereigns BOOM-!!. The robe-wearing man blocked the weapons that carried incredible amounts of magical energy belonging to two Sovereigns, and then, shoved them away once more The Sovereigns landed some distance away, correctly judging that it would be quite difficult to get a desirable result in time, at this rate Tap, tap As if the robe-wearing man had no purpose other than protecting the vessel of the Shadow Sovereign, he only stood his ground and didn¡¯t chase after the Sovereigns [¡­ . Just what is your true identity?!]. The Sovereign of Frost was left dismayed and puzzled, but the robe-wearing man remained silent as usual It was then The Sovereign of Beastly Fangs suddenly reverted from its Werewolf appearance back to its human form and spoke up [I¡¯m done with this . ]. The sharp fangs peeking out of its lips went back inside, and its long claws also changed back to those of regular person¡¯s nails . As it turned around to leave, the Sovereign of Frost hurriedly cried out to stop its comrade [We¡¯ve come this far, yet you wish to leave now?! Are you insane!!]. [Can¡¯t you sense it?]. The Sovereign of Beastly Fangs shook its head It possessed sensory perception far exceeding the norm and after picking up on the subtly-changing atmosphere, its body shuddered ever so slightly [The surrounding Mana has begun crying out . Soon, the Shadow Sovereign will arrive . ]. The gaze of the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs went up to the sky before shifting back to the Sovereign of Frost [I¡¯m taking my leave . ]. [But, you promised to attack the Shadow Sovereign with me, did you not?!]. Veins bulged on the neck of the clearly-agitated ancient Ice Elf . Too bad, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs remained rather collected in its reply [My promise was only applicable when the vessel remained a human . However, the real thing is about to come, so there¡¯s no more reason for me to stick to our promise . ]. [Even then, how can a King of all beasts run away with his tail between his legs?!]. The Sovereign of Beastly Fangs was triggered by those words and it angrily grabbed the collars of the ancient Ice Elf [You can¡¯t understand me because you¡¯ve never tasted the true power of the Shadow Sovereign, oh, Sovereign of Frost!!]. Back then, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs got to witness the depths of the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s powers when he faced off and survived against six huge armies consisting of the beast army, demonic army belonging to the White Flames, and lastly, the armies of the four Rulers Such a monster was about to show up here, so who cared about one¡¯s dignity in such a situation? It was fine if others ridiculed the Sovereign for hiding behind the Dragon Emperor . It¡¯d do anything if it meant surviving until the end It made the correct call to abandon its former comrade, the King of Demons, the Sovereign of White Flames, and to escape from the battlefield back then And now, it was not daring to risk encountering the real deal while trying to kill the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s vessel The Sovereign of Beastly Fangs was the King of Beasts, whose power was founded upon the abundant life force of the surrounding creatures . And the power of death, capable of eating into that life force, was the most fearful and frightening thing in the universe Indeed, there was no time to waste its breath here . It sensed the terror of death approaching ever closer with every passing second, and quickly released the collars of the ancient Ice Elf to generate its personal Gate [I shall pray for your fortune . ]. With that departing words, the beast quickly stepped into the Gate The Sovereign of Frost clicked its tongue unhappily as it watched the Gate gradually shrink before completely disappearing from the view [What a foolish b*stard . ]. How could a fool that runs away in fear, even when there was a nearly dead prey right before its eyes, be deserving of the title of the Chaos World¡¯s best hunter?. The Sovereign of Frost¡¯s thoughts remained the same as before ¨C the Shadow Sovereign had to die, no matter what . And the prey was as good as tip-toeing on the precipice¡¯s edge . Nothing would change just because a hindrance suddenly showed up Indeed, there was no reason to borrow the hand of a coward . Deciding such, the Sovereign of Frost activated its own Spiritual Body Manifestation Although its stamina would greatly be consumed by maintaining this form, as this wasn¡¯t the world it originally belonged to, there was a need to get the result as soon as possible before the Shadow Sovereign really made his appearance [Taste the terror of the bitter frost, you weakling!]. The Sovereign of Frost transformed into a gigantic ice storm that instantly covered up the land . The violently thrashing blizzard slammed into everywhere!. After morphing into an actual storm, the Sovereign of Frost coldly glared at the robe-wearing man below and roared out like a thunderclap [This is my true power!!]. Tens of thousands of ice spears created out of crystallised Mana in the air began raining down like falling snow . Each spear carried enough power to kill a person in one shot . That was how extremely terrifying this attack was Cars still remaining in the roads were swept away like worthless toys and buildings were torn apart by the blade-like winds . However, the robe-wearing man didn¡¯t even budge from his spot and protected Jin-Woo behind him with all his being Countless wounds began appearing on the man facing off against the endless barrage of ice spear blizzard . The Sovereign of Frost didn¡¯t let up with its attacks, not even for a second [My soldiers!]. From the snow that had piled up to one¡¯s knees, ice humanoids created from the magical energy rose up one by one . And soon, they numbered nearly several thousand!. [Attack . ]. The ice humanoids heard the command of their Sovereign and pounced simultaneously at the robe-wearing man . He desperately resisted against these humanoids by slicing them and shoving them away Unfortunately¡­ Stab!. He was struck on the shoulder by an ice spear and wobbled unsteadily on his feet ¡°¡­ ¡±. Even in the midst of this, the ice humanoids were still rushing at him relentlessly . The man forcefully strengthened his legs and gritted his teeth The mysterious man tenaciously hung on, and the Sovereign of Frost decided to once more enter the fray itself . It transformed into a crystallised form of sheer coldness and, while emitting white smoke from its entire body, it gallantly strode over to the man [Get out of the way!!]. Its loud roar prompted the ice humanoids to quickly scatter . The Sovereign of Frost stood before the man and opened its maw real wide Incredibly cold energy began gathering within its mouth next The air began freezing up . Ice even formed on the chin of the man visible underneath the hood At this rate, things would get very dangerous . The robe-wearing man understood this . However, if he tried to evade this attack, it¡¯d hit Jin-Woo still lying on the ground head-on The man displayed no hints of evading even when facing off against the horrifying murderous intent oozing out from the Sovereign of Frost The facial expression of the Ice Elf crumpled unsightly ¡®A measly human simply borrowing the powers of a higher being through sheer luck dares to form such an insolent face at me!¡¯. Finally, the horrifying aura of coldness was fired out from the mouth of one very enraged Sovereign KUWAAAHH-!!. The man crossed his arms in an ¡®X¡¯ to defend against the blast of cold air . Rather obviously, his arms had to bear the brunt of blocking the entire attack and they became frozen in an instant, unable to move again And then, truly vicious attacks continued on the man now unable to offer any resistance Pow! Pow!! Pow!!! Pow!!!!. Every time the Sovereign of Frost smacked the man, his upper torso visibly staggered . However, he never took a step back, not even once . Blood trickled down his legs and formed a pool beneath his feet, but he continued to endure [How dare a measly little human¡­ . ?!]. The Sovereign of Frost tilted its shoulder and raised up its right arm up very high . In an instant, cold air gathered around the arm and transformed into a gigantic ice block ¡®Now, let¡¯s see if you can withstand this!¡¯. The Sovereign of Frost was planning to not only crush the man, but the vessel of the Shadow Sovereign lying behind him, too . It roused up its entire magical energy to slam down the block of ice Vuuu-woong!!. The man watched the shadow of the falling ice block grow ever larger and raised both of his frozen arms above . Even if his arms shattered, even if his body was crushed, he must protect Jin-Woo He dragged out every ounce of power granted to him by the Ruler and his body glowed in the most brilliant golden radiance And finally¡­. BOOOOM-!!. ¡­There was a collision Strangely enough, although there was a collision, he didn¡¯t feel any impact force from it at all ¡®What is¡­ . ?¡¯. The man opened his closed eyes and discovered someone else standing before him ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯. This figure was kitted out in jet-black armour . And then, there was the blood-red mane extending from the top of its helm all the way down to its back It was none other than the faithful servant of the Shadow Sovereign, Igrit . He defended against the massive block of ice before roughly shoving it away The Sovereign of Frost had to doubt its own eyes after that attack was perfectly defended against [Igrit?!]. If the Marshal-grade Shadow Soldier made his appearance, then that could only mean¡­ . !. The ancient ice Elf flinched nastily in surprise and hurriedly shifted its gaze to the spot behind the robe-wearing man . Sure enough, the unconscious man who should¡¯ve been lying there could no longer be found anymore Finally¡­. Finally, the Sovereign of Frost understood what the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs had said before running away The atmosphere itself was trembling . Mana, the magical energy densely packed in the air, was resonating with the entrance of a transcendent existence Igrit turned around and politely knelt down and lowered his head Kiiieeehhk!!. Beru, having appeared alongside Igrit, screeched out loudly as if to announce the return of his master, and quickly knelt down while facing the same direction And between the two, Jin-Woo calmly walked out He took a sweeping look around the messily destroyed surroundings and threw a question at the Sovereign of Frost ¡°Did the beast run away?¡±. [¡­¡­]. Only after facing off against the true Shadow Sovereign did the ancient Ice Elf realise the reason why the King of Beasts made its hasty, scared escape earlier Even though it was the Sovereign of all things existing within the cold, it was still trembling pitifully before the lord of death standing before it Jin-Woo continued on ¡°¡­ . I didn¡¯t permit it . ¡±. The Sovereign of Frost couldn¡¯t understand what he meant and reflexively asked back [What was that??]. ¡°I didn¡¯t give my permission for it to run away . ¡±. [What are you even on about¡­?]. Jin-Woo didn¡¯t even give the ancient Ice Elf enough time to get flustered and simply closed his eyes . He rapidly expanded his sensory perception to his surroundings in search of the unique magic energy signature belonging to the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs The range of his perception exceeded past the border of South Korea in an instant and enveloped the whole planet He was deeply confident that, as long as the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs didn¡¯t escape to the gap between dimensions and remained hidden somewhere on Earth, he¡¯d located that b*stard no problem And his confidence was not proven to be baseless Jin-Woo smiled refreshingly and opened his eyes after discovering the presence of the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs ¡°Found you . ¡±. Chapter 222 While Jin-Woo had his eyes closed to focus all of his attention on searching for the escaped beast, the Sovereign of Frost had intuitively sensed it . It was an opening left by the Shadow Sovereign . Such an opportunity would not come around a second time . Even if there was a huge gap in individual strength, how dare he take his eyes off his enemy? Avoiding death would be impossible if this chance was left ungrasped . It was facing unavoidable death right now . In order to struggle free from the shadow of death taking large strides towards itself, the Sovereign of Frost decided to bet everything on one final move . ¡®I must end everything with this one hit . ¡¯ Its right arm slipped behind its back and Mana began gathering there in a large lump . It then proceeded to create the most powerful spear of ice it had ever created . Every ounce of energy dragged up by the desperation it felt would be contained within this attack! A terrifying amount of magical energy was being forcibly concentrated on the ice spear . The power gathered was so great that the ground beneath the Sovereign wielding the spear froze up in pure white while issuing cracking noises . Just before one would be tempted to wonder whether the Sovereign¡¯s right arm grasping the spear had expanded far too much or not¡­ The spear was fired out with the velocity of a bullet and tore straight through the air . Whoooosh-!! At the same time, the ice humanoids received orders from their master and pounced on Jin-Woo like a nest of enraged fire ants . Whoooosh-! Moments before the spear aiming at his forehead could penetrate into his face¡­ ¡­ . Jin-Woo opened his eyes . ¡°Found you . ¡± Simultaneously, the time flow of the surroundings came to a standstill as if the ¡®pause¡¯ button had been pressed on the playback . No, actually, the time had slowed down to such an extent that it almost looked as if it had come to a standstill . The ice spear¡¯s shaft spinning at a scarcely-believable speed was definitely getting closer, albeit only an inch at a time . And behind that, he could see the Sovereign of Frost¡¯s rather deeply distorted face glaring in his direction . Was that all, though? He even could see the faces of every single ice humanoid surrounding him from all sides pouncing on him . This was the scope of the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s vision once he got ready for battle . His ability to perceive that had reached the realm that no other human being could ever hope to touch upon, and made it as if everything around him had come to a dead stop . Jin-Woo was like an alien invading the world of a paused video and relaxedly scanned his surroundings . This feeling¡­ ¡®Haven¡¯t I felt something similar to this before¡­ . ?¡¯ When could that have been? He slowly combed through his memories and eventually recalled that moment when he was about to die from the assaults of the stone statues . Indeed . Back then, time had come to a standstill as if everything had been paused, too . ¡®Ah, so I had already possessed the power of the Shadow Sovereign in me, even then . ¡¯ Only now that he got to unlock the full powers did he realise once more just how long the Sovereign had been watching him . Jin-Woo continued to check out his vicinity and soon, discovered the backs of his two Marshal grade soldiers . ¡®Ohhh¡­ . ¡¯ Even though the time had seemingly frozen, both Beru and Igrit were moving in to intercept the enemies, albeit very slowly . This was as good evidence as any that their agility had reached an incredible height now . Jin-Woo studied them in happiness before remembering that there was a spear coming his way . ¡®Oopsie . ¡¯ Like an insect studiously crawling forward, the spear was continuously closing the distance bit by bit . To stop the weapon¡¯s advance, Jin-Woo used one of his powers . ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority . ¡¯ This was one of the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s powers, although he trained on using it proficiently while thinking that it was merely a skill . The moment he activated ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯, he got to see the Mana dispersed throughout the surroundings suddenly rush in and wrap about the ice spear . Once caught in the magical energy, the weapon lost all forward momentum and stopped in its treks . He got to see for the first time how the skill ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ worked and he couldn¡¯t help but softly sigh in admiration . ¡®Ah, so it was not an invisible hand or some such . ¡¯ No, it was more like ¡®invisible Mana¡¯ . Simply put, Mana moved according to the will of the skill¡¯s activator . Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes could capture the movement of Mana so clearly now, when it was impossible to do so in the past . ¡®Nice . ¡¯ Now that his sensory perception had reached the peak, he could definitely pick up on the flow of Mana surrounding his vicinity . As he observed its flow, his eyes sparkled brightly . This was the end result of the Rulers trying so hard to fortify this world . A world once devoid of Mana was now overflowing with it . And as the inheritor of the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s powers, he was given the right to freely wield this energy with nothing but his will . Ba-thump, ba-thump . His heart raced faster as he sensed the surrounding Mana breathe . ¡®¡­ . Let¡¯s do this . ¡¯ Jin-Woo broke past the slowly-moving time and approached his two Marshals before resting his hands on their shoulders . ¡°There¡¯s no need for you guys to step up here . ¡± Beru and Igrit heeded their master¡¯s order and immediately stopped moving . Jin-Woo stood before them . He¡¯d now maximise his control of Mana that he trained whenever he had the time through ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ . He took a sweeping look at the ice humanoids and deeply breathed in and out once . The emotion still filling his chest was the gratitude towards the Shadow Sovereign welling up from deep inside his heart . Also, gratitude for teaching him how to control his powers through the System¡¯s guidance . Jin-Woo was done focusing on himself and controlled the Mana in the air at once . In that blink-of-an-eye moment, the space around him tumbled . Wooo-woung-! It truly was for just a moment . In an instant, a powerful wave of Mana, starting from Jin-Woo as its centre, crashed out and swept away the huge masses of ice humanoids trying to pounce on him . The Sovereign of Frost also detected the violent storm of Mana rushing at it . [¡­ . !!] It hurriedly spread out an ice barrier to protect itself . Once the violent winds of Mana went past, the Sovereign quickly undid the barrier and it was greeted by the sight of debris, belonging to the ice humanoids, scattered everywhere . The powerful pulse of Mana had destroyed them all . Even the blizzard storm clouds it had summoned were gone, too . This was the power of Shadow Sovereign . [But¡­ but how!!] The Sovereign of Frost shivered from shock after witnessing the true power of the Shadow Sovereign, formerly the greatest Fragment of the Brilliant Light, as well as one of the most powerful Kings in existence . The wall . The completely insurmountable wall . Didn¡¯t the gap between it and him seem far too great?! Jin-Woo took a look around himself and nodded his head at the rather satisfying result before locking his gaze with the frightened eyes of the ancient Ice Elf . Flinch! He could sense that creature shivering even at a distance away . He still had a score to settle with that thing . Jin-Woo recalled the face of the late Association President Goh Gun-Hui and his expression became colder in an instant . However, he wasn¡¯t the type to expose his emotions that easily . The enemy he wanted to kill the most would be disposed of at the very end . He¡¯d make sure that the opponent would get to enjoy enough time to shiver in terror from the unavoidable death . Jin-Woo raised his voice . ¡°You shall be the last . ¡± Suddenly, Jin-Woo¡¯s figure slowly submerged into the shadow beneath his feet . ¡°Until I go and catch that beast, you stay and quietly wait, okay?¡± *** As soon as the TV¡¯s broadcast got cut off, the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol slammed his fist down on the desk . Bang! The final scene before the live footage got cut off was the one of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo powerlessly crumbling to the ground after getting struck by those two monsters . Watching that scene play out, Woo Jin-Cheol felt as if his whole world had come crashing down . If only this desk wasn¡¯t an item that Goh Gun-Hui had used, he¡¯d completely smash it into pieces with one punch . Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s clenched fist trembled greatly . All the other subordinate employees present within the President¡¯s office and watching the broadcast with him shut their mouths up as well . Heavy silence permeated in the office now . However¡­ . The Association President Woo Jin-Cheol knew better than anyone that he shouldn¡¯t be wasting time here like this . He quickly threw out a question . ¡°How many Guilds are on site now??¡± ¡°All five major Guilds have arrived on site, sir . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol stood up from his seat and urgently issued his new order . ¡°Our Monitoring Division will go, as well . And I¡¯ll accompany them, too . ¡± ¡°But, it¡¯ll be far too dangerous, sir!¡± ¡°You think being dangerous or safe is important in our current situation?!¡± Woo Jin-Cheol shot a scary glare, immediately rendering those employees trying to persuade him not to go utterly speechless . The Republic of Korea had just lost its final line of defence, Seong Jin-Woo . Meaning, there was no more room to retreat . Every Hunter had to cooperate to kill those monsters, otherwise, there would be no future left for anyone anymore . Woo Jin-Cheol hurriedly put on his jacket before raising his head to spot the real-time footage being transmitted from the CCTV camera, currently shown live, right next to the giant TV screen . This camera was pointing to the sky 24 hours a day . It continuously streamed the sight of the super-massive Gate floating above the skies of Seoul . Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s eyes staring at the screen trembled for a moment then . ¡®Perhaps¡­ . ¡¯ Perhaps, the nation of Korea was already doomed . His heart tumbled to the pit of his stomach . Even if they got lucky and were able to kill those monsters, they would suffer grave casualties . Could they be able to deal with that nonsensically humongous Gate with the remaining Hunters, no, more accurately, without the presence of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo? Just from thinking about the monsters in the city centre and then the super-massive Gate in a row, the despair he so desperately tried to deny rushed in like a tidal wave . However, Woo Jin-Cheol forcibly shook his head . Even if tens, hundreds of thousands, no, the entire population of Korea thought the same as he did, someone still had to step up and fight . The powers Hunters possessed were precisely for that purpose . Woo Jin-Cheol gritted his teeth to shake off all unnecessary thoughts from his head . He was about to step outside his office when one of the employees hurriedly called out to him . ¡°Sir!!¡± Woo Jin-Cheol looked behind him . Not at the employee calling out to him, no, but at the large TV screen with the news anchor urgently speaking to the viewers . [Everyone, one of our cameras have finally reached the site!] Maybe the camera was positioned on a rooftop of a high-rise building, because the scene now on screen was being filmed from a great distance away . But, that alone was enough . The blizzard covering up the city was being dispersed by some kind of an unseen force . Feeling rather agitated now, the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol brushed past all the employees that had stood up from their seats and rushed to the front of the giant screen . Once the icy fog was blown away, it became possible to see clearly the figures standing on the street . There were five people . No, make that four people, plus one creature . Among them, the man standing before a certain ant soldier was someone Woo Jin-Cheol was quite familiar with . ¡°It¡¯s Hunter Seong Jin-Woo!!¡± Woo Jin-Cheol shouted out unbeknownst to even himself . Other employees saw the shattered remains of the ice humanoids strewn about around Jin-Woo and roared out in elation . Waaaah-ah!! Not only was Jin-Woo, who looked to be dead for sure, standing upright completely fine, he even seemed to have pushed his enemy into a corner as well, so how could they hold back their cries now? Indeed, tears even threatened to break out of Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s eyes . There was only one enemy now; the sole creature of ice seemed to be terrified out of its skull, because it was completely rooted to its spot, unable to even move an inch . No one could tell just what transpired within that blizzard, but the situation had done a complete 180 now . He didn¡¯t need to hear it, but Woo Jin-Cheol knew that the attention of the entire world was focused on this very same footage being broadcast . Just with what method would Hunter Seong demolish that monster now? The Association President Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s face was quickly filled up with anticipation as he watched Jin-Woo . But then¡­ . Jin-Woo seemed to be saying something to the monster, before he began submerging below his feet and disappearing from the site . ¡®¡­ . ???¡¯ The expressions on the employees hugging each other to celebrate gradually hardened . Eventually¡­ ¡­ . Jin-Woo completely vanished from the battlefield . The cameraman must be panicking as well, as the camera kept moving this way and that in order to locate Jin-Woo . Unfortunately, not even his hair could be seen now . ¡°Huh¡­ . . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol couldn¡¯t hide his fluster and rubbed his mouth . Yet another bout of heavy silence descended on the office of the Association President . *** After returning to the hideout located in a jungle somewhere, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs¡¯ teeth began clattering . That aura of death gradually tightening around its neck . What a regretful thing it was, wasting time arguing with the Sovereign of Frost and delaying its escape from that place . Back when it was out hunting Brazil¡¯s greatest Hunter, Earth was nothing more than a hunting ground filled with weak prey . The beast had been drunk on the feelings of freedom after leaving behind the dreary, boring gap between dimensions where there was practically nothing fun to do . But now¡­ Who¡¯d have thought that the Shadow Sovereign had descended to this world with a malicious plan up his sleeve? Unless they were talking about the human masquerading as the King of the Dead, fine, but the beast definitely didn¡¯t want to fight against the real Shadow Sovereign . If one wanted to stop that guy, then one needed power far exceeding him . One needed the Sovereign of Destruction . ¡®Now that things have turned out this way, I have no choice but to hide here and quietly wait until the Dragon Emperor shows up¡­ . ¡¯ The beast lied down on the bed made out of leaves and branches . When it did, several wild beasts of the Chaos World, referred to as monsters by humans, gathered around and laid down around the Sovereign¡¯s feet . These wild beasts possessing powerful magical energy were none other than the Sovereign¡¯s royal guard . They purred and rubbed their faces when their King began stroking them . But then, the Sovereign sensed something was off and stopped stroking the heads of its pets in his comfy reclined position . ¡®Mm¡­ . ??¡¯ The furs on the pets had all stood upright . The sixth sense possessed by all animals; the inexplicable sensation travelling down the back of its neck caused all sorts of goosebumps to break out on the Sovereign¡¯s body . It wordlessly shifted its gaze over to the same spot where the nervous beasts were glaring at, before its own eyes narrowed down to a slit . The shade of a tree several steps away was wavering noticeably, that was why . The voice thickly laden with despair leaked out from the mouth of the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs after picking up the scent of death quickly permeating into its hideout . ¡°Could it be¡­ . ?¡± < Chapter 222 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 222: Chapter 222 While Jin-Woo had his eyes closed to focus all of his attention on searching for the escaped beast, the Sovereign of Frost had intuitively sensed it . It was an opening left by the Shadow Sovereign Such an opportunity would not come around a second time . Even if there was a huge gap in individual strength, how dare he take his eyes off his enemy?. . Avoiding death would be impossible if this chance was left ungrasped It was facing unavoidable death right now . In order to struggle free from the shadow of death taking large strides towards itself, the Sovereign of Frost decided to bet everything on one final move ¡®I must end everything with this one hit . ¡¯. Its right arm slipped behind its back and Mana began gathering there in a large lump . It then proceeded to create the most powerful spear of ice it had ever created Every ounce of energy dragged up by the desperation it felt would be contained within this attack!. A terrifying amount of magical energy was being forcibly concentrated on the ice spear . The power gathered was so great that the ground beneath the Sovereign wielding the spear froze up in pure white while issuing cracking noises . Just before one would be tempted to wonder whether the Sovereign¡¯s right arm grasping the spear had expanded far too much or not¡­. The spear was fired out with the velocity of a bullet and tore straight through the air Whoooosh-!!. At the same time, the ice humanoids received orders from their master and pounced on Jin-Woo like a nest of enraged fire ants Whoooosh-!. Moments before the spear aiming at his forehead could penetrate into his face¡­. ¡­ . Jin-Woo opened his eyes ¡°Found you . ¡±. . Simultaneously, the time flow of the surroundings came to a standstill as if the ¡®pause¡¯ button had been pressed on the playback . No, actually, the time had slowed down to such an extent that it almost looked as if it had come to a standstill The ice spear¡¯s shaft spinning at a scarcely-believable speed was definitely getting closer, albeit only an inch at a time . And behind that, he could see the Sovereign of Frost¡¯s rather deeply distorted face glaring in his direction Was that all, though?. He even could see the faces of every single ice humanoid surrounding him from all sides pouncing on him This was the scope of the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s vision once he got ready for battle . His ability to perceive that had reached the realm that no other human being could ever hope to touch upon, and made it as if everything around him had come to a dead stop Jin-Woo was like an alien invading the world of a paused video and relaxedly scanned his surroundings This feeling¡­. ¡®Haven¡¯t I felt something similar to this before¡­ . ?¡¯. When could that have been?. He slowly combed through his memories and eventually recalled that moment when he was about to die from the assaults of the stone statues . Indeed Back then, time had come to a standstill as if everything had been paused, too ¡®Ah, so I had already possessed the power of the Shadow Sovereign in me, even then . ¡¯. Only now that he got to unlock the full powers did he realise once more just how long the Sovereign had been watching him . Jin-Woo continued to check out his vicinity and soon, discovered the backs of his two Marshal grade soldiers ¡®Ohhh¡­ . ¡¯. Even though the time had seemingly frozen, both Beru and Igrit were moving in to intercept the enemies, albeit very slowly . This was as good evidence as any that their agility had reached an incredible height now Jin-Woo studied them in happiness before remembering that there was a spear coming his way ¡®Oopsie . ¡¯. Like an insect studiously crawling forward, the spear was continuously closing the distance bit by bit . To stop the weapon¡¯s advance, Jin-Woo used one of his powers ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority . ¡¯. This was one of the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s powers, although he trained on using it proficiently while thinking that it was merely a skill The moment he activated ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯, he got to see the Mana dispersed throughout the surroundings suddenly rush in and wrap about the ice spear . Once caught in the magical energy, the weapon lost all forward momentum and stopped in its treks He got to see for the first time how the skill ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ worked and he couldn¡¯t help but softly sigh in admiration ¡®Ah, so it was not an invisible hand or some such . ¡¯. No, it was more like ¡®invisible Mana¡¯ . Simply put, Mana moved according to the will of the skill¡¯s activator . Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes could capture the movement of Mana so clearly now, when it was impossible to do so in the past ¡®Nice . ¡¯. Now that his sensory perception had reached the peak, he could definitely pick up on the flow of Mana surrounding his vicinity . As he observed its flow, his eyes sparkled brightly This was the end result of the Rulers trying so hard to fortify this world . A world once devoid of Mana was now overflowing with it . And as the inheritor of the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s powers, he was given the right to freely wield this energy with nothing but his will Ba-thump, ba-thump His heart raced faster as he sensed the surrounding Mana breathe ¡®¡­ . Let¡¯s do this . ¡¯. . Jin-Woo broke past the slowly-moving time and approached his two Marshals before resting his hands on their shoulders ¡°There¡¯s no need for you guys to step up here . ¡±. Beru and Igrit heeded their master¡¯s order and immediately stopped moving . Jin-Woo stood before them He¡¯d now maximise his control of Mana that he trained whenever he had the time through ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯ . He took a sweeping look at the ice humanoids and deeply breathed in and out once The emotion still filling his chest was the gratitude towards the Shadow Sovereign welling up from deep inside his heart . Also, gratitude for teaching him how to control his powers through the System¡¯s guidance Jin-Woo was done focusing on himself and controlled the Mana in the air at once . In that blink-of-an-eye moment, the space around him tumbled Wooo-woung-!. It truly was for just a moment In an instant, a powerful wave of Mana, starting from Jin-Woo as its centre, crashed out and swept away the huge masses of ice humanoids trying to pounce on him The Sovereign of Frost also detected the violent storm of Mana rushing at it . [¡­ . !!]. It hurriedly spread out an ice barrier to protect itself Once the violent winds of Mana went past, the Sovereign quickly undid the barrier and it was greeted by the sight of debris, belonging to the ice humanoids, scattered everywhere . The powerful pulse of Mana had destroyed them all . Even the blizzard storm clouds it had summoned were gone, too This was the power of Shadow Sovereign [But¡­ but how!!]. The Sovereign of Frost shivered from shock after witnessing the true power of the Shadow Sovereign, formerly the greatest Fragment of the Brilliant Light, as well as one of the most powerful Kings in existence The wall The completely insurmountable wall Didn¡¯t the gap between it and him seem far too great?!. Jin-Woo took a look around himself and nodded his head at the rather satisfying result before locking his gaze with the frightened eyes of the ancient Ice Elf Flinch!. He could sense that creature shivering even at a distance away . He still had a score to settle with that thing . Jin-Woo recalled the face of the late Association President Goh Gun-Hui and his expression became colder in an instant . However, he wasn¡¯t the type to expose his emotions that easily The enemy he wanted to kill the most would be disposed of at the very end . He¡¯d make sure that the opponent would get to enjoy enough time to shiver in terror from the unavoidable death Jin-Woo raised his voice ¡°You shall be the last . ¡±. Suddenly, Jin-Woo¡¯s figure slowly submerged into the shadow beneath his feet ¡°Until I go and catch that beast, you stay and quietly wait, okay?¡±. ***. As soon as the TV¡¯s broadcast got cut off, the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol slammed his fist down on the desk Bang!. The final scene before the live footage got cut off was the one of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo powerlessly crumbling to the ground after getting struck by those two monsters Watching that scene play out, Woo Jin-Cheol felt as if his whole world had come crashing down . If only this desk wasn¡¯t an item that Goh Gun-Hui had used, he¡¯d completely smash it into pieces with one punch Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s clenched fist trembled greatly All the other subordinate employees present within the President¡¯s office and watching the broadcast with him shut their mouths up as well . Heavy silence permeated in the office now However¡­ The Association President Woo Jin-Cheol knew better than anyone that he shouldn¡¯t be wasting time here like this . He quickly threw out a question ¡°How many Guilds are on site now??¡±. ¡°All five major Guilds have arrived on site, sir . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol stood up from his seat and urgently issued his new order ¡°Our Monitoring Division will go, as well . And I¡¯ll accompany them, too . ¡±. ¡°But, it¡¯ll be far too dangerous, sir!¡±. ¡°You think being dangerous or safe is important in our current situation?!¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol shot a scary glare, immediately rendering those employees trying to persuade him not to go utterly speechless The Republic of Korea had just lost its final line of defence, Seong Jin-Woo . Meaning, there was no more room to retreat . Every Hunter had to cooperate to kill those monsters, otherwise, there would be no future left for anyone anymore Woo Jin-Cheol hurriedly put on his jacket before raising his head to spot the real-time footage being transmitted from the CCTV camera, currently shown live, right next to the giant TV screen This camera was pointing to the sky 24 hours a day . It continuously streamed the sight of the super-massive Gate floating above the skies of Seoul . Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s eyes staring at the screen trembled for a moment then ¡®Perhaps¡­ . ¡¯. Perhaps, the nation of Korea was already doomed His heart tumbled to the pit of his stomach . Even if they got lucky and were able to kill those monsters, they would suffer grave casualties . Could they be able to deal with that nonsensically humongous Gate with the remaining Hunters, no, more accurately, without the presence of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?. Just from thinking about the monsters in the city centre and then the super-massive Gate in a row, the despair he so desperately tried to deny rushed in like a tidal wave However, Woo Jin-Cheol forcibly shook his head Even if tens, hundreds of thousands, no, the entire population of Korea thought the same as he did, someone still had to step up and fight . The powers Hunters possessed were precisely for that purpose Woo Jin-Cheol gritted his teeth to shake off all unnecessary thoughts from his head . He was about to step outside his office when one of the employees hurriedly called out to him ¡°Sir!!¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol looked behind him . Not at the employee calling out to him, no, but at the large TV screen with the news anchor urgently speaking to the viewers [Everyone, one of our cameras have finally reached the site!]. Maybe the camera was positioned on a rooftop of a high-rise building, because the scene now on screen was being filmed from a great distance away . But, that alone was enough The blizzard covering up the city was being dispersed by some kind of an unseen force Feeling rather agitated now, the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol brushed past all the employees that had stood up from their seats and rushed to the front of the giant screen Once the icy fog was blown away, it became possible to see clearly the figures standing on the street There were five people . No, make that four people, plus one creature Among them, the man standing before a certain ant soldier was someone Woo Jin-Cheol was quite familiar with ¡°It¡¯s Hunter Seong Jin-Woo!!¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol shouted out unbeknownst to even himself . Other employees saw the shattered remains of the ice humanoids strewn about around Jin-Woo and roared out in elation Waaaah-ah!!. Not only was Jin-Woo, who looked to be dead for sure, standing upright completely fine, he even seemed to have pushed his enemy into a corner as well, so how could they hold back their cries now?. Indeed, tears even threatened to break out of Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s eyes There was only one enemy now; the sole creature of ice seemed to be terrified out of its skull, because it was completely rooted to its spot, unable to even move an inch No one could tell just what transpired within that blizzard, but the situation had done a complete 180 now He didn¡¯t need to hear it, but Woo Jin-Cheol knew that the attention of the entire world was focused on this very same footage being broadcast Just with what method would Hunter Seong demolish that monster now? The Association President Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s face was quickly filled up with anticipation as he watched Jin-Woo But then¡­ Jin-Woo seemed to be saying something to the monster, before he began submerging below his feet and disappearing from the site ¡®¡­ . ???¡¯. The expressions on the employees hugging each other to celebrate gradually hardened Eventually¡­. ¡­ . Jin-Woo completely vanished from the battlefield The cameraman must be panicking as well, as the camera kept moving this way and that in order to locate Jin-Woo . Unfortunately, not even his hair could be seen now ¡°Huh¡­ ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol couldn¡¯t hide his fluster and rubbed his mouth . Yet another bout of heavy silence descended on the office of the Association President ***. After returning to the hideout located in a jungle somewhere, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs¡¯ teeth began clattering That aura of death gradually tightening around its neck . What a regretful thing it was, wasting time arguing with the Sovereign of Frost and delaying its escape from that place Back when it was out hunting Brazil¡¯s greatest Hunter, Earth was nothing more than a hunting ground filled with weak prey . The beast had been drunk on the feelings of freedom after leaving behind the dreary, boring gap between dimensions where there was practically nothing fun to do But now¡­. Who¡¯d have thought that the Shadow Sovereign had descended to this world with a malicious plan up his sleeve? Unless they were talking about the human masquerading as the King of the Dead, fine, but the beast definitely didn¡¯t want to fight against the real Shadow Sovereign If one wanted to stop that guy, then one needed power far exceeding him . One needed the Sovereign of Destruction ¡®Now that things have turned out this way, I have no choice but to hide here and quietly wait until the Dragon Emperor shows up¡­ . ¡¯. The beast lied down on the bed made out of leaves and branches When it did, several wild beasts of the Chaos World, referred to as monsters by humans, gathered around and laid down around the Sovereign¡¯s feet These wild beasts possessing powerful magical energy were none other than the Sovereign¡¯s royal guard . They purred and rubbed their faces when their King began stroking them But then, the Sovereign sensed something was off and stopped stroking the heads of its pets in his comfy reclined position ¡®Mm¡­ . ??¡¯. The furs on the pets had all stood upright The sixth sense possessed by all animals; the inexplicable sensation travelling down the back of its neck caused all sorts of goosebumps to break out on the Sovereign¡¯s body It wordlessly shifted its gaze over to the same spot where the nervous beasts were glaring at, before its own eyes narrowed down to a slit . The shade of a tree several steps away was wavering noticeably, that was why The voice thickly laden with despair leaked out from the mouth of the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs after picking up the scent of death quickly permeating into its hideout ¡°Could it be¡­ . ?¡±. < Chapter 222 > Fin Chapter 223 Chapter 223: Chapter 223 The beast¡¯s eyes opened wider . ¡®Something¡¯ was slowly rising up from that wavering shade of a tree . ¡®Is that the human¡­?¡¯ Or, was it the real Shadow Sovereign? It couldn¡¯t quite figure out the true identity of its opponent yet . However, the presence of the enemy all five senses of the beast had picked up were identical to that of the man who drove it to the edge of the cliff all those years ago . Didn¡¯t matter what his identity was, this man now possessed the perfect, complete power of the Shadow Sovereign . ¡®He chased after me all the way to here?!¡¯ The terror of death seemingly had invaded deep into the beast¡¯s bone marrows, and as a result, the creature trembled greatly in pure fear . And when Jin-Woo¡¯s entire frame completely emerged back into the world¡­ Growl¡­ . One of the savage beasts bared its fangs to threaten Jin-Woo in order to protect its master before quickly dashing forward . This monster, although outwardly feline in appearance, possessed three red eyes . It was also known to be one of the most vicious creatures even in the Chaos World . Roar!! The monster opened its jaw wide to reveal dozens of knife-like fangs that coldly reflected the light . Jin-Woo disinterestedly stared at the predator dashing towards him . It seemed to possess as much magic energy as a boss from a rank S dungeon . If it was in the past, even he¡¯d have to pay attention, but now, it didn¡¯t pose any threat whatsoever . But before that¡­ Boom! Even before he could decide on what to do next, the savage beast suddenly lost its head and its four limbs sagged down to the ground . The culprit was none other than the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs . It leapt in an instant and destroyed the savage beast¡¯s head . Then, it quickly extracted its fist stuck deeply to the ground . ¡®Why did he kill his own soldier¡­?¡¯ When Jin-Woo stared at it with puzzled eyes, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs got low to the floor and bowed its head . And then, words spoken with a trembling voice leaked out from its mouth now facing the ground . [Oh, Shadow Sovereign, this King of Beasts does not wish to enter into a conflict with you . I pray that you forgive this one¡¯s transgressions and accept me as your ally . ] This was the instinct of an animal in full display . When facing against an opponent that couldn¡¯t be beaten and also, escaping from it was impossible, then one should bow one¡¯s head . The beast¡¯s instincts were quite strongly recommending this course of action . Since the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs possessed the characteristics of a wild animal, it readily discarded its dignity and pride to stay loyal to the demands made by its instincts . [Not too long from now, the Dragon Emperor will lead his army to descend on this land . During that time, my beast army and I shall aid you in your quest . ] The beast had assumed the most subservient posture it could . Whimper¡­ Whimper¡­ . . The savage beasts behind the Sovereign were all frozen stiff in their terror and had sprung a leak, wetting the ground with their p*ss . To these wild, untamed creatures that lived for their own continued survival, the aura of death walking ever closer was the most terrifying thing imaginable . Jin-Woo briefly observed the King of the Beasts and its lowered tail before coming up with a reply . ¡°Fine . ¡± The Sovereign of Beastly Fangs was feeling really nervous, but upon hearing that easy answer, it began smiling inwardly . And that smile soon crept up on its face directed to the floor, as well . What a foolish man! ¡®That b*stard is not the real thing . ¡¯ The real Shadow Sovereign would never forgive the one who had betrayed him once before, and not to forget, someone who tried to eliminate the vessel prepared for his descent to this world . Thanks to this human¡¯s kindness and stupidity, the beast was able to buy some time . How could it obey this man¡¯s words when this human, no, this prey was busy emitting a delectable scent mixed in among that of the real Shadow Sovereign¡¯s? Indeed, all it had to do was to pretend as if it was on the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s side and wait until the Sovereign of Destruction¡¯s arrival . ¡®When the time comes, I shall personally rip your corpse apart and gnaw on your bones . ¡¯ So, how could the beast not break out in smiles right now? With a bright face, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs raised its head again . [I swear my loyalty to¡­ . . ] As it did, it ran straight into the chilling glare, as cold as ice, and leapt back greatly from sheer fright . As a matter of fact, the level of fright it felt was so great that it had leapt back dozens of metres in one go . Jin-Woo coldly addressed the beast and its pale complexion . ¡°Before we do that, though, we should settle our debt first . ¡± The beast squeezed out some words with a hardened expression . [Debt? Could you be talking about the past¡­ . ??] In the past, the Sovereigns of White Flames and Beastly Fangs tried to stab the Shadow Sovereign in the back . Jin-Woo had seen that treachery through the recollection of the former Shadow Sovereign . However, that had no relevance to what Jin-Woo was about to do right now . From the subspace that the System designated as ¡®Inventory¡¯, he extracted one Kamish¡¯s Wrath . Shururuk¡­ . While grasping the blade tightly with one hand, Jin-Woo pointed to five spots in his chest with his thumb on the free hand . ¡°Five wounds where claws have pierced past . ¡± The horrifying pain from that moment was still vivid in Jin-Woo¡¯s mind . ¡°Withstand five attacks from me, and I shall forgive you . ¡± That was the same thing as telling the beast to survive five fatal attacks . It was at this point that the beast finally realised that Jin-Woo never planned to let it go from the beginning . The Sovereign of Beastly Fangs roared out in a final show of its pride . [You dare¡­!! How dare you toy with me, the King of Beasts!!] The Sovereign of Beastly Fangs activated Spiritual Body Manifestation and rapidly transformed into a gigantic wolf . Although, it was incomparably smaller than the one from the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s memories, perhaps owing to the fact that this wasn¡¯t the creature¡¯s original world . Still, the King of Beasts wielded enough power to destroy this world and then some . Now thoroughly enraged, the giant wolf loudly howled at the Shadow Sovereign . [My life will end here today, but you too will not live for long!] Whoosh-! It was right then, a strand of chilling wind brushed past the face of the huge wolf . Searching for the presence of Jin-Woo that had simply vanished from its view, the creature quickly took a look behind . And that¡¯s where he was, having moved there before the wolf had noticed it . He slowly turned around to face the monster . ¡°The first hit . ¡± The wolf then saw it . It saw the horrifying black aura rising up from Jin-Woo¡¯s entire body . This guy, he wasn¡¯t the fake . His movements completely matched that of the Shadow Sovereign . Gulp . Unbeknownst to itself, the wolf swallowed back its dry saliva . But, then¡­ . With an audible ¡®plop¡¯, something fell to the ground . For a moment there, the wolf forgot what kind of a monster was standing before its eyes and lowered its gaze . What fell to the ground was a huge ear . The wolf¡¯s ear, cut off from its head, now lay on the ground next to its own feet like a hideous item of gore . And then, blood exploded out like a fountain . What visited after all of that was intolerably cruel pain . The wolf gritted its teeth and raised its head back up and discovered that Jin-Woo was holding yet another shortsword . One weapon in each of his hands . Jin-Woo held the pair of ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wraths¡¯ oozing out black aura and delivered his final judgement on the giant wolf . ¡°Four more left . ¡± *** Literally, enemies on all sides . After Jin-Woo disappeared from the scene, the Sovereign of Frost was left stuck in a rock and a hard place . It¡¯d be logical to escape if there was no chance of victory . But then, the gaze of the ancient Ice Elf landed on the two Marshal-grade soldiers belonging to the Shadow Sovereign . ¡®Forgetting about the ant b*stard busy treating that human puppet of the Rulers, this¡­ . ¡¯ The remaining one was a huge problem . It was none other than Igrit, also referred to as one of the two wings of the Shadow Army, who was keeping a close eye on the Sovereign right now . This black knight¡¯s nickname was the ¡®Knight of Death¡¯ . He was the greatest knight there ever was, accompanying the Shadow Sovereign to participate in many battlefields and killing countless enemies in the process . One of the opponents that needed to be kept an eye out for was standing right in front of the Ice Elf . ¡®But then again¡­ . ¡¯ The ancient creature was not some measly little soldier, but a Sovereign . If it fought with everything it had, then bringing down two Marshal-grade soldiers wouldn¡¯t be difficult at all . No, the real problem was with these two possessing immortality-like abilities . They would continue to regenerate infinitely until the Shadow Sovereign ran out of his power . This was really bad news, considering that the Sovereign of Frost had to waste a lot of its stamina by activating its Spiritual Body Manifestation . On top of that, if it decided to attack these two soldiers, then their master would be alerted to its actions . All Shadow Soldiers were connected to the Shadow Sovereign . Even if one succeeded in defeating the Marshal-grade soldiers, that would only serve to summon their master over here . That had to be prevented at all cost . ¡®That¡¯s why¡­ . ¡¯ The Sovereign of Frost spun around in order to quickly generate a Gate to facilitate its escape . Swish-! But then, Igrit appeared out of nowhere to block the escape attempt . He slowly shook his head and lightly tapped the hilt of the sword sheathed on his waist . ¡®Don¡¯t do anything foolish . ¡¯ Even without saying anything, his words came across loud and clear . Swish-! The Sovereign of Frost quickly swivelled its head around and discovered the ant standing on the other side, his maw wide open to screech out loudly . ¡°Kiiiieeeehhk-!!¡± The meaning of this particular ant standing here, when he should have been healing the arms of that human¡­ . ¡­ . The gaze of the Sovereign of Frost shifted over to its front and caught the sight of the saboteur, now completely healed, walking in closer . [These b*stards¡­ . !] The Ice Elf shuddered in rage as the enemies surrounded it once more . [Mere b*stards like you dare to¡­ . !!] The angry voice of the furious King rocked the ground . The world began freezing again, and the storm clouds gathered up in the sky . [How long do you think you lot will last against me?!] Igrit unsheathed his sword, Beru¡¯s claws extended in full, while the robe-wearing man held his shortswords tightly . However, the event of these four colliding didn¡¯t happen . The first one to sense the change was, once more, the Sovereign of Frost . [¡­ . !!] When its gaze hurriedly shifted over to a certain direction, others followed suit as if they had a prior agreement . The shadow there was rippling noticeably . The Sovereign of Frost needed just a little bit more time, that was all . It bit its lower lip in vexation . [Shadow Sovereign!!!] In a spot of ground a bit of distance away, Jin-Woo emerged from the shadow . ¡®This is so convenient, not being restricted by the cooldown now that the System is gone . ¡¯ All restrictions on his abilities had been unshackled . That allowed him to return to this spot in an instant . Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to the Sovereign of Frost over yonder . He then lightly threw something in his hand in the direction of the Ice Elf . The Sovereign caught that object drawing an arc in the air, before its eyes trembled greatly from shock . [Isn¡¯t this¡­ . ?!] It was an ear belonging to a giant wolf . The Sovereign only knew of one wolf large enough have an ear this big . [It¡¯s only been a few minutes since you left, yet you already killed the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs?!] The Sovereign of Frost cried out in sheer panic, but Jin-Woo didn¡¯t even bother to make his reply . He simply summoned his two shortswords like how he had done with the beast earlier, instead . On the blades crafted out of the Dragon¡¯s teeth was the still-fresh blood from the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs . The ancient Ice Elf flinched greatly as the hostile intention from a truly powerful individual locked down on it . The two Marshal-grade soldiers and the robe-wearing man confirmed the black aura rising up from Jin-Woo¡¯s shoulders and quickly retreated to the rear . Jin-Woo gripped the hilts of the two weapons tightly . He had already given this creature enough time . And now, he was going to collect the debt . The Sovereign of Plague, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs, and now, the Sovereign of Frost . The deaths of these three would serve as Jin-Woo¡¯s warning to other Sovereigns . The Ice Elf watched as Jin-Woo dashed forward as if he was gliding on a smooth surface and urgently fired out multiple arrows of ice in a last-ditch attempt . [You b*stard!!] Of course, these arrows of magic were still fatal if struck, even though they were created in a hurry . Countless arrows, each one too powerful even for a rank S Hunter to survive, shot towards Jin-Woo in droves . Dudududududududu!!!! The Sovereign of Frost did everything in its power to prevent Jin-Woo from getting any closer . [Uwaaaah-!!] Too bad, Jin-Woo¡¯s hands were quicker than those arrows raining down . He swatted away all the ice arrows aiming at him and yet, his dashing speed hadn¡¯t decreased at all . [Uwaaaaaaaah-!!!!] Dududududududududu!!!! Ice arrows were generated and fired out from the front of the personification of the frost, their numbers too innumerable to count, yet¡­ ¡­ . Yet, Jin-Woo was able to break through their barrage and stand before his target . Stab! Jin-Woo accurately drove the Kamish¡¯s Wrath into the shoulder of the Sovereign of Frost ¨C on the exact same spot where the dagger had struck in the past . He did that to remind the creature about the late Association President Goh Gun-Hui . [Kuwaaahhk-!!] Suffering from the pain on an incomparable scale than the last time, the Sovereign of Frost¡¯s head rose up high as it screamed at the top of its lungs . Before the second shortsword could strike it, though, the Ice Elf hurriedly gathered the cold air in its mouth and fired it out . Jin-Woo reached up and simply covered its mouth . Kuwaaaahh!! Just as the cold blast of air unable to break free of his hand went on a rampage inside the Elf, Jin-Woo reverse gripped his other shortsword and stabbed it deep into his opponent¡¯s chest . CRACK!! He heard the sounds of its ribs breaking and its heart being penetrated cleanly . It was the exact same attack that he suffered not too long ago . [Kuwaaaahahhhk-!!] However, Jin-Woo knew that such an attack wouldn¡¯t be able to kill the Sovereign of Frost, since he had prior experience of killing two other Sovereigns . ¡°The beast died on the fourth attack . ¡± The chilling light shone coldly in Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes . ¡°How long will you be able to endure?¡± Terror filled up the eyes of the Sovereign of Frost as it looked down at Jin-Woo . This man was the Sovereign of Death . Weren¡¯t those eyes the exact same as the merciless warrior that slew all the enemies he came across in an endless battlefield? Only now did the Ice Elf realise just who it offended, and began shuddering from the crippling fear . Shortly afterwards, the shortsword stabbing into the creature¡¯s heart sliced down lower and tore the Sovereign¡¯s body into a rag . [Kuwaahk!!!] Sponsored Content A. Chapter 223: Chapter 223 The beast¡¯s eyes opened wider . ¡®Something¡¯ was slowly rising up from that wavering shade of a tree ¡®Is that the human¡­?¡¯. . Or, was it the real Shadow Sovereign?. It couldn¡¯t quite figure out the true identity of its opponent yet . However, the presence of the enemy all five senses of the beast had picked up were identical to that of the man who drove it to the edge of the cliff all those years ago Didn¡¯t matter what his identity was, this man now possessed the perfect, complete power of the Shadow Sovereign ¡®He chased after me all the way to here?!¡¯. The terror of death seemingly had invaded deep into the beast¡¯s bone marrows, and as a result, the creature trembled greatly in pure fear And when Jin-Woo¡¯s entire frame completely emerged back into the world¡­. . Growl¡­ One of the savage beasts bared its fangs to threaten Jin-Woo in order to protect its master before quickly dashing forward . This monster, although outwardly feline in appearance, possessed three red eyes . It was also known to be one of the most vicious creatures even in the Chaos World Roar!!. The monster opened its jaw wide to reveal dozens of knife-like fangs that coldly reflected the light Jin-Woo disinterestedly stared at the predator dashing towards him . It seemed to possess as much magic energy as a boss from a rank S dungeon . If it was in the past, even he¡¯d have to pay attention, but now, it didn¡¯t pose any threat whatsoever But before that¡­. Boom!. Even before he could decide on what to do next, the savage beast suddenly lost its head and its four limbs sagged down to the ground . The culprit was none other than the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs . It leapt in an instant and destroyed the savage beast¡¯s head . Then, it quickly extracted its fist stuck deeply to the ground ¡®Why did he kill his own soldier¡­?¡¯. When Jin-Woo stared at it with puzzled eyes, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs got low to the floor and bowed its head . And then, words spoken with a trembling voice leaked out from its mouth now facing the ground [Oh, Shadow Sovereign, this King of Beasts does not wish to enter into a conflict with you . I pray that you forgive this one¡¯s transgressions and accept me as your ally . ]. This was the instinct of an animal in full display . When facing against an opponent that couldn¡¯t be beaten and also, escaping from it was impossible, then one should bow one¡¯s head The beast¡¯s instincts were quite strongly recommending this course of action . Since the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs possessed the characteristics of a wild animal, it readily discarded its dignity and pride to stay loyal to the demands made by its instincts [Not too long from now, the Dragon Emperor will lead his army to descend on this land . During that time, my beast army and I shall aid you in your quest . ]. The beast had assumed the most subservient posture it could Whimper¡­ Whimper¡­ . The savage beasts behind the Sovereign were all frozen stiff in their terror and had sprung a leak, wetting the ground with their p*ss . To these wild, untamed creatures that lived for their own continued survival, the aura of death walking ever closer was the most terrifying thing imaginable Jin-Woo briefly observed the King of the Beasts and its lowered tail before coming up with a reply ¡°Fine . ¡±. The Sovereign of Beastly Fangs was feeling really nervous, but upon hearing that easy answer, it began smiling inwardly . And that smile soon crept up on its face directed to the floor, as well What a foolish man!. ¡®That b*stard is not the real thing . ¡¯. The real Shadow Sovereign would never forgive the one who had betrayed him once before, and not to forget, someone who tried to eliminate the vessel prepared for his descent to this world Thanks to this human¡¯s kindness and stupidity, the beast was able to buy some time How could it obey this man¡¯s words when this human, no, this prey was busy emitting a delectable scent mixed in among that of the real Shadow Sovereign¡¯s?. Indeed, all it had to do was to pretend as if it was on the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s side and wait until the Sovereign of Destruction¡¯s arrival ¡®When the time comes, I shall personally rip your corpse apart and gnaw on your bones . ¡¯. So, how could the beast not break out in smiles right now? With a bright face, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs raised its head again . [I swear my loyalty to¡­ ]. As it did, it ran straight into the chilling glare, as cold as ice, and leapt back greatly from sheer fright . As a matter of fact, the level of fright it felt was so great that it had leapt back dozens of metres in one go Jin-Woo coldly addressed the beast and its pale complexion ¡°Before we do that, though, we should settle our debt first . ¡±. The beast squeezed out some words with a hardened expression [Debt? Could you be talking about the past¡­ . ??]. In the past, the Sovereigns of White Flames and Beastly Fangs tried to stab the Shadow Sovereign in the back . Jin-Woo had seen that treachery through the recollection of the former Shadow Sovereign . However, that had no relevance to what Jin-Woo was about to do right now From the subspace that the System designated as ¡®Inventory¡¯, he extracted one Kamish¡¯s Wrath Shururuk¡­ While grasping the blade tightly with one hand, Jin-Woo pointed to five spots in his chest with his thumb on the free hand . ¡°Five wounds where claws have pierced past . ¡±. The horrifying pain from that moment was still vivid in Jin-Woo¡¯s mind ¡°Withstand five attacks from me, and I shall forgive you . ¡±. That was the same thing as telling the beast to survive five fatal attacks It was at this point that the beast finally realised that Jin-Woo never planned to let it go from the beginning . The Sovereign of Beastly Fangs roared out in a final show of its pride [You dare¡­!! How dare you toy with me, the King of Beasts!!]. The Sovereign of Beastly Fangs activated Spiritual Body Manifestation and rapidly transformed into a gigantic wolf . Although, it was incomparably smaller than the one from the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s memories, perhaps owing to the fact that this wasn¡¯t the creature¡¯s original world . Still, the King of Beasts wielded enough power to destroy this world and then some Now thoroughly enraged, the giant wolf loudly howled at the Shadow Sovereign [My life will end here today, but you too will not live for long!]. Whoosh-!. . It was right then, a strand of chilling wind brushed past the face of the huge wolf . Searching for the presence of Jin-Woo that had simply vanished from its view, the creature quickly took a look behind And that¡¯s where he was, having moved there before the wolf had noticed it . He slowly turned around to face the monster ¡°The first hit . ¡±. The wolf then saw it It saw the horrifying black aura rising up from Jin-Woo¡¯s entire body . This guy, he wasn¡¯t the fake . His movements completely matched that of the Shadow Sovereign Gulp Unbeknownst to itself, the wolf swallowed back its dry saliva But, then¡­ With an audible ¡®plop¡¯, something fell to the ground For a moment there, the wolf forgot what kind of a monster was standing before its eyes and lowered its gaze . What fell to the ground was a huge ear The wolf¡¯s ear, cut off from its head, now lay on the ground next to its own feet like a hideous item of gore . And then, blood exploded out like a fountain . What visited after all of that was intolerably cruel pain The wolf gritted its teeth and raised its head back up and discovered that Jin-Woo was holding yet another shortsword . One weapon in each of his hands Jin-Woo held the pair of ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wraths¡¯ oozing out black aura and delivered his final judgement on the giant wolf ¡°Four more left . ¡±. ***. Literally, enemies on all sides After Jin-Woo disappeared from the scene, the Sovereign of Frost was left stuck in a rock and a hard place . It¡¯d be logical to escape if there was no chance of victory . But then, the gaze of the ancient Ice Elf landed on the two Marshal-grade soldiers belonging to the Shadow Sovereign ¡®Forgetting about the ant b*stard busy treating that human puppet of the Rulers, this¡­ . ¡¯. The remaining one was a huge problem It was none other than Igrit, also referred to as one of the two wings of the Shadow Army, who was keeping a close eye on the Sovereign right now This black knight¡¯s nickname was the ¡®Knight of Death¡¯ . He was the greatest knight there ever was, accompanying the Shadow Sovereign to participate in many battlefields and killing countless enemies in the process One of the opponents that needed to be kept an eye out for was standing right in front of the Ice Elf ¡®But then again¡­ . ¡¯. The ancient creature was not some measly little soldier, but a Sovereign . If it fought with everything it had, then bringing down two Marshal-grade soldiers wouldn¡¯t be difficult at all No, the real problem was with these two possessing immortality-like abilities . They would continue to regenerate infinitely until the Shadow Sovereign ran out of his power This was really bad news, considering that the Sovereign of Frost had to waste a lot of its stamina by activating its Spiritual Body Manifestation On top of that, if it decided to attack these two soldiers, then their master would be alerted to its actions . All Shadow Soldiers were connected to the Shadow Sovereign . Even if one succeeded in defeating the Marshal-grade soldiers, that would only serve to summon their master over here That had to be prevented at all cost ¡®That¡¯s why¡­ . ¡¯. The Sovereign of Frost spun around in order to quickly generate a Gate to facilitate its escape Swish-!. But then, Igrit appeared out of nowhere to block the escape attempt . He slowly shook his head and lightly tapped the hilt of the sword sheathed on his waist ¡®Don¡¯t do anything foolish . ¡¯. Even without saying anything, his words came across loud and clear Swish-!. The Sovereign of Frost quickly swivelled its head around and discovered the ant standing on the other side, his maw wide open to screech out loudly ¡°Kiiiieeeehhk-!!¡±. The meaning of this particular ant standing here, when he should have been healing the arms of that human¡­ ¡­ . The gaze of the Sovereign of Frost shifted over to its front and caught the sight of the saboteur, now completely healed, walking in closer [These b*stards¡­ . !]. The Ice Elf shuddered in rage as the enemies surrounded it once more [Mere b*stards like you dare to¡­ . !!]. The angry voice of the furious King rocked the ground . The world began freezing again, and the storm clouds gathered up in the sky [How long do you think you lot will last against me?!]. Igrit unsheathed his sword, Beru¡¯s claws extended in full, while the robe-wearing man held his shortswords tightly However, the event of these four colliding didn¡¯t happen The first one to sense the change was, once more, the Sovereign of Frost [¡­ . !!]. When its gaze hurriedly shifted over to a certain direction, others followed suit as if they had a prior agreement . The shadow there was rippling noticeably The Sovereign of Frost needed just a little bit more time, that was all . It bit its lower lip in vexation [Shadow Sovereign!!!]. In a spot of ground a bit of distance away, Jin-Woo emerged from the shadow ¡®This is so convenient, not being restricted by the cooldown now that the System is gone . ¡¯. All restrictions on his abilities had been unshackled . That allowed him to return to this spot in an instant . Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to the Sovereign of Frost over yonder He then lightly threw something in his hand in the direction of the Ice Elf . The Sovereign caught that object drawing an arc in the air, before its eyes trembled greatly from shock [Isn¡¯t this¡­ . ?!]. It was an ear belonging to a giant wolf The Sovereign only knew of one wolf large enough have an ear this big [It¡¯s only been a few minutes since you left, yet you already killed the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs?!]. The Sovereign of Frost cried out in sheer panic, but Jin-Woo didn¡¯t even bother to make his reply . He simply summoned his two shortswords like how he had done with the beast earlier, instead On the blades crafted out of the Dragon¡¯s teeth was the still-fresh blood from the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs The ancient Ice Elf flinched greatly as the hostile intention from a truly powerful individual locked down on it . The two Marshal-grade soldiers and the robe-wearing man confirmed the black aura rising up from Jin-Woo¡¯s shoulders and quickly retreated to the rear Jin-Woo gripped the hilts of the two weapons tightly . He had already given this creature enough time . And now, he was going to collect the debt The Sovereign of Plague, the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs, and now, the Sovereign of Frost . The deaths of these three would serve as Jin-Woo¡¯s warning to other Sovereigns The Ice Elf watched as Jin-Woo dashed forward as if he was gliding on a smooth surface and urgently fired out multiple arrows of ice in a last-ditch attempt [You b*stard!!]. Of course, these arrows of magic were still fatal if struck, even though they were created in a hurry . Countless arrows, each one too powerful even for a rank S Hunter to survive, shot towards Jin-Woo in droves Dudududududududu!!!!. The Sovereign of Frost did everything in its power to prevent Jin-Woo from getting any closer [Uwaaaah-!!]. Too bad, Jin-Woo¡¯s hands were quicker than those arrows raining down . He swatted away all the ice arrows aiming at him and yet, his dashing speed hadn¡¯t decreased at all [Uwaaaaaaaah-!!!!]. Dududududududududu!!!!. Ice arrows were generated and fired out from the front of the personification of the frost, their numbers too innumerable to count, yet¡­. ¡­ . Yet, Jin-Woo was able to break through their barrage and stand before his target Stab!. Jin-Woo accurately drove the Kamish¡¯s Wrath into the shoulder of the Sovereign of Frost ¨C on the exact same spot where the dagger had struck in the past . He did that to remind the creature about the late Association President Goh Gun-Hui [Kuwaaahhk-!!]. Suffering from the pain on an incomparable scale than the last time, the Sovereign of Frost¡¯s head rose up high as it screamed at the top of its lungs Before the second shortsword could strike it, though, the Ice Elf hurriedly gathered the cold air in its mouth and fired it out . Jin-Woo reached up and simply covered its mouth Kuwaaaahh!!. Just as the cold blast of air unable to break free of his hand went on a rampage inside the Elf, Jin-Woo reverse gripped his other shortsword and stabbed it deep into his opponent¡¯s chest CRACK!!. He heard the sounds of its ribs breaking and its heart being penetrated cleanly . It was the exact same attack that he suffered not too long ago [Kuwaaaahahhhk-!!]. However, Jin-Woo knew that such an attack wouldn¡¯t be able to kill the Sovereign of Frost, since he had prior experience of killing two other Sovereigns ¡°The beast died on the fourth attack . ¡±. The chilling light shone coldly in Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes ¡°How long will you be able to endure?¡±. Terror filled up the eyes of the Sovereign of Frost as it looked down at Jin-Woo This man was the Sovereign of Death Weren¡¯t those eyes the exact same as the merciless warrior that slew all the enemies he came across in an endless battlefield?. Only now did the Ice Elf realise just who it offended, and began shuddering from the crippling fear Shortly afterwards, the shortsword stabbing into the creature¡¯s heart sliced down lower and tore the Sovereign¡¯s body into a rag [Kuwaahk!!!]. Chapter 224 Was there any other time in history that the whole world cheered on with one voice? Jin-Woo vanished and then reappeared again shortly afterwards only to stab his shortsword into the chest of that Sovereign of Frost . It was precisely at that moment that everyone watching punched the air with both of their fists and roared out in elation, as if they all had been waiting for this chance . Waaaaaaah-!! They all despaired in the false knowledge that humanity¡¯s greatest Hunter had died at the hands of monsters, so that spectacle proved to be the best gift imaginable to them . Some passionately chanted Jin-Woo¡¯s name out loudly . Some began shedding tears . Some tried to console those shedding tears . And they watched together as a lone Hunter from Asia took care of the monster that threatened all of mankind . Indeed, all of mankind . The moment the Special Authority-rank Hunter Thomas Andre fell, and one of the top-ranked Hunters in the world, Lennart Niermann, tried to step up in his stead, these monsters had become far greater than the calamity of South Korea . No, the situation had transformed into a grave crisis that directly impacted everyone else¡¯s lives . After all these years, people still hadn¡¯t forgotten about the terror of watching the Dragon ¡®Kamish¡¯ swallowing up American cities, one after another . No one alive wanted a repeat of that horrifying event . And that¡¯s why every viewer, from all corners of the globe, went so wild at Jin-Woo¡¯s victory . It was as if they were trying to wash away the frustration and fear they felt while watching the best Hunters in the world continue to fall . Waaaaaaah-!!! Every time Jin-Woo attacked the Sovereign of Frost, the viewers roared out again and again . And finally . When that monster with seriously tenacious vitality finally toppled over and turned into grey-coloured ash before scattering away, the roaring cheers of the viewers reached their absolute peak . Waaaaaaaahhhh-!!!! Their combined roars rocked their respective cities . Anchors tasked with relaying the breaking news were also shouting out at the top of their lungs, no longer caring whether the cameras were filming or not . ¨C Breaking news, just in!! We have learnt that Hunter Thomas Andre, previously thought to be fatally wounded, is still alive and he¡¯s¡­ . . ¨C Ambulances have arrived on location just in time to take the victims to the nearest hospitals!! ¨C Those monsters that massacred the citizens are no longer moving! They all turned into ash and nothing remains of them now! Breaking news pieces announcing the end of the battle continued to stream out of their TVs, but¡­ . Seong Jin-Woo! Seong Jin-Woo! Seong Jin-Woo!!! ¡­ . But, the excitement and elation of the people showed no signs of dying down at all . And then, there was this one man . There was this one particular man who was perhaps far more elated than anyone else on this planet . And that was none other than the current Association President, Woo Jin-Cheol . His gaze was firmly fixed to the TV screen, even though he was surrounded by his fellow employees of the Association busily bear-hugging each other and cheering out in pure happiness . He had discovered something from the live feed and his eyes trembled greatly . ¡®Could it have been¡­ . ?¡¯ He hurriedly yanked his smartphone out and, with trembling hands, he searched for and played a certain video clip saved on his device . He had watched this footage so, so many times . It was the footage of the late Association President Goh Gun-Hui being murdered, taken by the CCTV cameras inside the President¡¯s office . There was an unknown man captured in the footage . That man appeared and disappeared too quickly within this grainy footage, so Woo Jin-Cheol couldn¡¯t be sure, but now that he took a second look, didn¡¯t this mysterious creature look almost like the monster that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had killed just now? Even the scenes of the frozen floor rapidly melting away were an exact match . ¡®In that case¡­ . !!¡¯ Only then did he realise just what kind of enemies Jin-Woo had been fighting until now . It was the murderer of the late Association President . And then, Woo Jin-Cheol recalled the conversation he shared with Jin-Woo back when the latter came to pay his respects to the late Goh Gun-Hui . A powerful jolt travelled down his entire body . [¡°Thank you . Thank you for being there for the final moments of the Association President . ¡±] [¡°¡­ . I¡¯ll kill that b*stard . ¡±] [¡°Excuse me?¡±] [¡°The monster that murdered the Association President . I¡¯ll definitely hunt it down . You can save your thanks until then . ¡±] Hunter Seong Jin-Woo hadn¡¯t forgotten about that day¡¯s promise . And now, the monster responsible was dead . By his hands . Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s nose became reddened and he raised his eyes, now wet with thick tears, to look at the TV screen . The camera was zooming into Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s face, looking somewhat tired now . Woo Jin-Cheol could more or less understand what that expression signified . From somewhere deep within, a powerful emotion welled up uncontrollably . From here onwards, the late Association President should be able to rest in peace . Woo Jin-Cheol recalled the memories of Goh Gun-Hui, a man he greatly respected, and inwardly muttered his gratitude towards Jin-Woo . ¡®¡­ . . Thank you very much, Hunter-nim . ¡¯ *** The Sovereign of Frost reverted back to humanoid figure after its Spiritual Body Manifestation had been undone . It slowly turned into the grey-coloured ash . The debt of the late Association President Goh Gun-Hui, as well his own, both of them had been settled in full now . Jin-Woo coldly looked at the Sovereign of Frost scattering away before turning around . The two Marshal-grade soldiers waiting in the distance until the end of that foolish Sovereign¡¯s punishment approached Jin-Woo . ¡°¡­ . . ¡± Even though he had now completely regained his original power, Igrit still maintained his reserved personality and he politely paid his courtesy to his master . However, quite unlike him¡­ . ¡°Ohhh, my kiiiinggg!!¡± ¡­ . Beru expressed his unreserved joy of being able to see his master again with his entire being . Jin-Woo lightly tapped the big ant soldier and his two tearful eyes on the shoulder before taking a sweeping a look around his vicinity . There should have been one more person here . That man wearing the tattered robe was nowhere to be seen, though . ¡°Just who was that man, anyway?¡± Beru was far too moved by his own emotions to reply properly, so Igrit answered Jin-Woo¡¯s puzzled inquiry . ¡°While you lost your consciousness, he protected you with all of his being, my liege . ¡± Jin-Woo was taken by great surprise after hearing Igrit¡¯s thick, manly voice for the first time, ever . But that lasted for only a short while . He formed a puzzled expression again . ¡°He protected me?¡± ¡°Yes, that is correct . ¡± Unlike Beru, Igrit was probably not that familiar with human languages, so they were currently conversing in what was referred to as ¡®monster language¡¯, which was actually the common tongue of the Chaos World . However, there was no problem understanding each other at all . In any case ¨C did that mean a man he had never seen before was protecting him? Jin-Woo had been having a Q&A session with Igrit in the common tongue of the Chaos World, as if he was a native there, before abruptly discovering something and walking over to it . It was a certain item that had fallen to the ground . ¡®Isn¡¯t this¡­ . ?!¡¯ As he picked this item up, his eyes trembled rather imperceptibly . *** The robe-wearing man sought shelter behind the exterior wall of a half-destroyed building and plopped down to the ground while pulling his hood back . His hair and beard covering his face were unkempt and messy as if he had never bothered to trim them at all . He was Seong Il-Hwan . And he was leaning against the wall while spitting out heavy, laboured breathing . ¡°Hah-ah, hah-ah . ¡± He then raised his left hand that had lost all feeling now . Sure enough, his hand changed its colour to grey and was slowly disintegrating into dust from the tip of his fingers . This was the inevitable result of accepting the powers of a god with the body of a mere human . However, even though he was experiencing unimaginable pain, he still formed a satisfied expression . ¡°It¡¯s done¡­ . ¡± With this power, he managed to protect Jin-Woo . Now that his son had completely inherited the powers of the Shadow Sovereign, Jin-Woo would prove to be a great asset to humanity . That¡¯s why it was done now . Seol Il-Hwan stopped looking at his gradually-disappearing hand and powerlessly leaned his head against the wall to close his eyes . The Rulers had entrusted their powers to him and asked him to stop the Shadow Sovereign . He had been helplessly trapped within the gap between dimensions after the Gate closed up and thus was left with not much of a choice . As a proxy of the Rulers, and as their emissary, he returned to Earth with an important mission to accomplish . Unfortunately, Seong Il-Hwan couldn¡¯t carry his mission out . Even though he knew that the worst calamity in human history was hiding within that boy¡¯s flesh, how could a parent kill his own child? All he could do was to observe Jin-Woo from a place just out of his detection . And as he continued to delay his mission, the opinions of the Rulers that had been focused on stopping the advent of the Shadow Sovereign gradually began changing . And eventually¡­ . ¡®The Brightest Fragment of Brilliant Light¡¯ sent him a brand new mission . [Protect the Shadow Sovereign . ] The Rulers had finally realised that they needed the Shadow Sovereign possessing his full powers if they were to stop other Sovereigns and their nefarious scheme . There was no one else besides the Shadow Sovereign on Earth that could defend against the Dragon Emperor and its Army of Destruction before the soldiers of heaven could arrive later . It was a huge gamble, considering that no one knew whether the Shadow Sovereign would side with mankind, or with the other Sovereigns . And the result came out pretty quickly . Jin-Woo remained on the side of humanity, and the Shadow Sovereign approved that choice . The newly-reborn Shadow Sovereign was, simply put, Jin-Woo himself . It was worth risking Seong Il-Hwan¡¯s life in order to protect his son, in other words . ¡°¡­ . . ¡± Although it was unfortunate that he couldn¡¯t even say a simple hello to his son he hadn¡¯t seen in ten years, no one alive was qualified to take a child¡¯s parent away twice . Even if that person just so happened to be said parent . So, quietly disappearing like this was in Jin-Woo¡¯s best interest . Seong Il-Hwan looked down at his body slowly disintegrating into ash and consoled himself as such . It was then . He heard the familiar footsteps from nearby . Seol Il-Hwan hurriedly got up and used his still-mobile right hand to pull the hood back and hid his face . A certain someone stood before him, then . He didn¡¯t even have to take a look to know just who it was standing before him like this . It was Jin-Woo . Even though here was the son whose name he so wanted to call out to, he still resolutely brushed past Jin-Woo¡¯s side while hiding his face with the hood . However, Jin-Woo turned towards the departing man and asked . ¡°Did you honestly think I wouldn¡¯t have noticed it if you went away like this?¡± Halt . Seong Il-Hwan¡¯s steps came to a halt . But, how¡­ . ? He turned around towards his son, only to spot a certain item thrown by Jin-Woo slowly flying at in an arc towards him . Grab . What Jin-Woo returned was a shortsword . It was Seong Il-Hwan¡¯s own shortsword that he ended up dropping after his left hand became useless . He stared at the weapon for a moment or two, before raising his head . Jin-Woo was staring back at him with reproachful eyes . Jin-Woo could still remember quite clearly that particular shortsword . When he was a young boy, he got found out while playing around with his father¡¯s shortsword and received a scolding worth remembering . Only now did Jin-Woo consciously realise why his own weapons had been set as shortswords when the previous Shadow Sovereign swept through the battlefields with a longsword, instead . It was all because of the memories he had of his father . Influenced in part by his memories, the dungeons generated by the System ended up presenting Jin-Woo with daggers and shortswords as his main weapons all this time . His hushed voice continued on . ¡°Are you going to leave again without saying anything, Dad?¡± ¡®Dad¡¯ . That one word dug deeply into Seong Il-Hwan¡¯s heart and he had to remove his hood . His right hand was slowly turning into ash as well . His son flinched greatly after realising the state of his hands, but Seong Il-Hwan formed a thin smile as his reply and spoke . ¡°I didn¡¯t want to show you this sight . ¡± Jin-Woo understood that a body turning into ash after exhausting all lifeforce couldn¡¯t be saved no matter what . He hurriedly tried to get closer, but Seong Il-Hwan raised his right hand to stop his son . His left arm had scattered away in dust and only his shoulder remained by then . Jin-Woo hesitated, before remaining in his spot, and asked his father . ¡°Then, what about you, Dad?¡± ¡°¡­ . . ?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to see me again? Dad?¡± Surely, he could still use his right hand for the time being, so how come¡­ Jin-Woo¡¯s question caused Seong Il-Hwan¡¯s raised arm to slowly go back down . ¡°I wanted to see you . Always . ¡± ¡­ . To the extent that, even if you couldn¡¯t see me, I still felt happy from the fact that I could see you from far away . Jin-Woo finally came closer to his father until he stood right before his face . Seong Il-Hwan reached up with his remaining hand to gently touch his son¡¯s face . Thick tears falling from the boy¡¯s eyes wetted the back of his hand . ¡®This foolish father wasn¡¯t able to do anything for you, yet despite that, you have¡­ . ¡¯ ¡°¡­ . Grown up so well . ¡± Jin-Woo opened his mouth . ¡°Is this the Rulers¡¯ doing? Are they throwing you away after using you?¡± A scary amount of rage could be felt in Jin-Woo¡¯s voice now . Seong Il-Hwan shook his head, though . ¡°They only gave me an opportunity to make a choice . I chose to protect you, that is all . And that choice was not wrong . ¡± And now, even his remaining right hand was turning into ash and scattering away . ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have minded talking to you for a little bit longer, but¡­ . ¡± And he wanted to stay here for a little bit longer, too¡­ . He had done something reprehensible . He ended up making a boy say goodbye to his father not once, but twice now . He tried so hard to hold back, but in the end, tears began flooding out from Seong Il-Hwan¡¯s eyes . ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not being a good father to you . ¡± Those were his last words . Shururuk¡­ . Seong Il-Hwan¡¯s body, all his lifeforce exhausted from fighting against the Sovereigns, turned to ash . Jin-Woo hurriedly tried to embrace his father¡¯s body slowly crumbling away, but¡­ . What remained in his palms wasn¡¯t a person, but grey-coloured powder . Eventually . In the spot where Seong Il-Hwan once stood, nothing remained . Something from deep inside angrily welled up in an uncontrollable burst . Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t hold it back anymore and in the end, raised his head towards the sky and roared out loudly . ¡°Uwaaaaaah-!!!¡± When he did, the Mana in the atmosphere reverberated . The sky, the air, the ground ¨C they all cried . And soon, Jin-Woo¡¯s mouth began emitting the heavy, grave voice similar to other Sovereigns . [Hear me, remaining Sovereigns!!!] If all these events were set in motion simply because the Sovereigns decided to settle on Earth, then¡­ . Then, I shall make them pay an unforgettable price for that . I shall definitely make it so . His voice infused with Mana was carried in the airflow and spread out to the rest of the world . [You shall all pay for today¡¯s events, without exception!] The roar of the enraged Shadow Sovereign shook around both the heaven and earth . [Are you listening, Sovereigns?!] On this day, one human who inherited an unparalleled power decided where his abilities should be used on his own accord . This was the moment that the true opening curtains of the war had gone up . < Chapter 224 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 224: Chapter 224 Was there any other time in history that the whole world cheered on with one voice?. Jin-Woo vanished and then reappeared again shortly afterwards only to stab his shortsword into the chest of that Sovereign of Frost . It was precisely at that moment that everyone watching punched the air with both of their fists and roared out in elation, as if they all had been waiting for this chance Waaaaaaah-!!. They all despaired in the false knowledge that humanity¡¯s greatest Hunter had died at the hands of monsters, so that spectacle proved to be the best gift imaginable to them Some passionately chanted Jin-Woo¡¯s name out loudly Some began shedding tears Some tried to console those shedding tears And they watched together as a lone Hunter from Asia took care of the monster that threatened all of mankind Indeed, all of mankind The moment the Special Authority-rank Hunter Thomas Andre fell, and one of the top-ranked Hunters in the world, Lennart Niermann, tried to step up in his stead, these monsters had become far greater than the calamity of South Korea No, the situation had transformed into a grave crisis that directly impacted everyone else¡¯s lives After all these years, people still hadn¡¯t forgotten about the terror of watching the Dragon ¡®Kamish¡¯ swallowing up American cities, one after another No one alive wanted a repeat of that horrifying event . And that¡¯s why every viewer, from all corners of the globe, went so wild at Jin-Woo¡¯s victory It was as if they were trying to wash away the frustration and fear they felt while watching the best Hunters in the world continue to fall Waaaaaaah-!!!. Every time Jin-Woo attacked the Sovereign of Frost, the viewers roared out again and again And finally When that monster with seriously tenacious vitality finally toppled over and turned into grey-coloured ash before scattering away, the roaring cheers of the viewers reached their absolute peak Waaaaaaaahhhh-!!!!. Their combined roars rocked their respective cities Anchors tasked with relaying the breaking news were also shouting out at the top of their lungs, no longer caring whether the cameras were filming or not ¨C Breaking news, just in!! We have learnt that Hunter Thomas Andre, previously thought to be fatally wounded, is still alive and he¡¯s¡­ . ¨C Ambulances have arrived on location just in time to take the victims to the nearest hospitals!!. ¨C Those monsters that massacred the citizens are no longer moving! They all turned into ash and nothing remains of them now!. Breaking news pieces announcing the end of the battle continued to stream out of their TVs, but¡­ Seong Jin-Woo! Seong Jin-Woo! Seong Jin-Woo!!!. ¡­ . But, the excitement and elation of the people showed no signs of dying down at all And then, there was this one man . There was this one particular man who was perhaps far more elated than anyone else on this planet . And that was none other than the current Association President, Woo Jin-Cheol His gaze was firmly fixed to the TV screen, even though he was surrounded by his fellow employees of the Association busily bear-hugging each other and cheering out in pure happiness He had discovered something from the live feed and his eyes trembled greatly ¡®Could it have been¡­ . ?¡¯. He hurriedly yanked his smartphone out and, with trembling hands, he searched for and played a certain video clip saved on his device He had watched this footage so, so many times . It was the footage of the late Association President Goh Gun-Hui being murdered, taken by the CCTV cameras inside the President¡¯s office There was an unknown man captured in the footage That man appeared and disappeared too quickly within this grainy footage, so Woo Jin-Cheol couldn¡¯t be sure, but now that he took a second look, didn¡¯t this mysterious creature look almost like the monster that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had killed just now?. Even the scenes of the frozen floor rapidly melting away were an exact match ¡®In that case¡­ . !!¡¯. Only then did he realise just what kind of enemies Jin-Woo had been fighting until now . It was the murderer of the late Association President And then, Woo Jin-Cheol recalled the conversation he shared with Jin-Woo back when the latter came to pay his respects to the late Goh Gun-Hui . A powerful jolt travelled down his entire body [¡°Thank you . Thank you for being there for the final moments of the Association President . ¡±]. [¡°¡­ . I¡¯ll kill that b*stard . ¡±]. [¡°Excuse me?¡±]. [¡°The monster that murdered the Association President . I¡¯ll definitely hunt it down . You can save your thanks until then . ¡±]. Hunter Seong Jin-Woo hadn¡¯t forgotten about that day¡¯s promise . And now, the monster responsible was dead . By his hands Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s nose became reddened and he raised his eyes, now wet with thick tears, to look at the TV screen . The camera was zooming into Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s face, looking somewhat tired now Woo Jin-Cheol could more or less understand what that expression signified . From somewhere deep within, a powerful emotion welled up uncontrollably . From here onwards, the late Association President should be able to rest in peace Woo Jin-Cheol recalled the memories of Goh Gun-Hui, a man he greatly respected, and inwardly muttered his gratitude towards Jin-Woo ¡®¡­ Thank you very much, Hunter-nim . ¡¯. ***. The Sovereign of Frost reverted back to humanoid figure after its Spiritual Body Manifestation had been undone . It slowly turned into the grey-coloured ash The debt of the late Association President Goh Gun-Hui, as well his own, both of them had been settled in full now . Jin-Woo coldly looked at the Sovereign of Frost scattering away before turning around The two Marshal-grade soldiers waiting in the distance until the end of that foolish Sovereign¡¯s punishment approached Jin-Woo ¡°¡­ ¡±. Even though he had now completely regained his original power, Igrit still maintained his reserved personality and he politely paid his courtesy to his master . However, quite unlike him¡­ ¡°Ohhh, my kiiiinggg!!¡±. ¡­ . Beru expressed his unreserved joy of being able to see his master again with his entire being Jin-Woo lightly tapped the big ant soldier and his two tearful eyes on the shoulder before taking a sweeping a look around his vicinity . There should have been one more person here . That man wearing the tattered robe was nowhere to be seen, though ¡°Just who was that man, anyway?¡±. Beru was far too moved by his own emotions to reply properly, so Igrit answered Jin-Woo¡¯s puzzled inquiry ¡°While you lost your consciousness, he protected you with all of his being, my liege . ¡±. Jin-Woo was taken by great surprise after hearing Igrit¡¯s thick, manly voice for the first time, ever . But that lasted for only a short while . He formed a puzzled expression again ¡°He protected me?¡±. ¡°Yes, that is correct . ¡±. Unlike Beru, Igrit was probably not that familiar with human languages, so they were currently conversing in what was referred to as ¡®monster language¡¯, which was actually the common tongue of the Chaos World However, there was no problem understanding each other at all In any case ¨C did that mean a man he had never seen before was protecting him?. Jin-Woo had been having a Q&A session with Igrit in the common tongue of the Chaos World, as if he was a native there, before abruptly discovering something and walking over to it It was a certain item that had fallen to the ground ¡®Isn¡¯t this¡­ . ?!¡¯. As he picked this item up, his eyes trembled rather imperceptibly ***. The robe-wearing man sought shelter behind the exterior wall of a half-destroyed building and plopped down to the ground while pulling his hood back His hair and beard covering his face were unkempt and messy as if he had never bothered to trim them at all He was Seong Il-Hwan . And he was leaning against the wall while spitting out heavy, laboured breathing ¡°Hah-ah, hah-ah . ¡±. He then raised his left hand that had lost all feeling now Sure enough, his hand changed its colour to grey and was slowly disintegrating into dust from the tip of his fingers . This was the inevitable result of accepting the powers of a god with the body of a mere human However, even though he was experiencing unimaginable pain, he still formed a satisfied expression ¡°It¡¯s done¡­ . ¡±. With this power, he managed to protect Jin-Woo . Now that his son had completely inherited the powers of the Shadow Sovereign, Jin-Woo would prove to be a great asset to humanity That¡¯s why it was done now Seol Il-Hwan stopped looking at his gradually-disappearing hand and powerlessly leaned his head against the wall to close his eyes The Rulers had entrusted their powers to him and asked him to stop the Shadow Sovereign . He had been helplessly trapped within the gap between dimensions after the Gate closed up and thus was left with not much of a choice As a proxy of the Rulers, and as their emissary, he returned to Earth with an important mission to accomplish Unfortunately, Seong Il-Hwan couldn¡¯t carry his mission out Even though he knew that the worst calamity in human history was hiding within that boy¡¯s flesh, how could a parent kill his own child?. All he could do was to observe Jin-Woo from a place just out of his detection And as he continued to delay his mission, the opinions of the Rulers that had been focused on stopping the advent of the Shadow Sovereign gradually began changing And eventually¡­ ¡®The Brightest Fragment of Brilliant Light¡¯ sent him a brand new mission [Protect the Shadow Sovereign . ]. The Rulers had finally realised that they needed the Shadow Sovereign possessing his full powers if they were to stop other Sovereigns and their nefarious scheme There was no one else besides the Shadow Sovereign on Earth that could defend against the Dragon Emperor and its Army of Destruction before the soldiers of heaven could arrive later It was a huge gamble, considering that no one knew whether the Shadow Sovereign would side with mankind, or with the other Sovereigns And the result came out pretty quickly Jin-Woo remained on the side of humanity, and the Shadow Sovereign approved that choice The newly-reborn Shadow Sovereign was, simply put, Jin-Woo himself It was worth risking Seong Il-Hwan¡¯s life in order to protect his son, in other words ¡°¡­ ¡±. Although it was unfortunate that he couldn¡¯t even say a simple hello to his son he hadn¡¯t seen in ten years, no one alive was qualified to take a child¡¯s parent away twice . Even if that person just so happened to be said parent So, quietly disappearing like this was in Jin-Woo¡¯s best interest . Seong Il-Hwan looked down at his body slowly disintegrating into ash and consoled himself as such It was then . He heard the familiar footsteps from nearby Seol Il-Hwan hurriedly got up and used his still-mobile right hand to pull the hood back and hid his face A certain someone stood before him, then He didn¡¯t even have to take a look to know just who it was standing before him like this . It was Jin-Woo Even though here was the son whose name he so wanted to call out to, he still resolutely brushed past Jin-Woo¡¯s side while hiding his face with the hood However, Jin-Woo turned towards the departing man and asked ¡°Did you honestly think I wouldn¡¯t have noticed it if you went away like this?¡±. Halt Seong Il-Hwan¡¯s steps came to a halt But, how¡­ . ?. He turned around towards his son, only to spot a certain item thrown by Jin-Woo slowly flying at in an arc towards him Grab What Jin-Woo returned was a shortsword . It was Seong Il-Hwan¡¯s own shortsword that he ended up dropping after his left hand became useless He stared at the weapon for a moment or two, before raising his head . Jin-Woo was staring back at him with reproachful eyes Jin-Woo could still remember quite clearly that particular shortsword When he was a young boy, he got found out while playing around with his father¡¯s shortsword and received a scolding worth remembering Only now did Jin-Woo consciously realise why his own weapons had been set as shortswords when the previous Shadow Sovereign swept through the battlefields with a longsword, instead It was all because of the memories he had of his father Influenced in part by his memories, the dungeons generated by the System ended up presenting Jin-Woo with daggers and shortswords as his main weapons all this time His hushed voice continued on ¡°Are you going to leave again without saying anything, Dad?¡±. ¡®Dad¡¯ That one word dug deeply into Seong Il-Hwan¡¯s heart and he had to remove his hood His right hand was slowly turning into ash as well His son flinched greatly after realising the state of his hands, but Seong Il-Hwan formed a thin smile as his reply and spoke ¡°I didn¡¯t want to show you this sight . ¡±. Jin-Woo understood that a body turning into ash after exhausting all lifeforce couldn¡¯t be saved no matter what . He hurriedly tried to get closer, but Seong Il-Hwan raised his right hand to stop his son His left arm had scattered away in dust and only his shoulder remained by then Jin-Woo hesitated, before remaining in his spot, and asked his father ¡°Then, what about you, Dad?¡±. ¡°¡­ ?¡±. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to see me again? Dad?¡±. Surely, he could still use his right hand for the time being, so how come¡­. Jin-Woo¡¯s question caused Seong Il-Hwan¡¯s raised arm to slowly go back down ¡°I wanted to see you . Always . ¡±. ¡­ . To the extent that, even if you couldn¡¯t see me, I still felt happy from the fact that I could see you from far away Jin-Woo finally came closer to his father until he stood right before his face . Seong Il-Hwan reached up with his remaining hand to gently touch his son¡¯s face Thick tears falling from the boy¡¯s eyes wetted the back of his hand ¡®This foolish father wasn¡¯t able to do anything for you, yet despite that, you have¡­ . ¡¯. ¡°¡­ . Grown up so well . ¡±. Jin-Woo opened his mouth ¡°Is this the Rulers¡¯ doing? Are they throwing you away after using you?¡±. A scary amount of rage could be felt in Jin-Woo¡¯s voice now Seong Il-Hwan shook his head, though ¡°They only gave me an opportunity to make a choice . I chose to protect you, that is all . And that choice was not wrong . ¡±. And now, even his remaining right hand was turning into ash and scattering away ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have minded talking to you for a little bit longer, but¡­ . ¡±. And he wanted to stay here for a little bit longer, too¡­ He had done something reprehensible He ended up making a boy say goodbye to his father not once, but twice now . He tried so hard to hold back, but in the end, tears began flooding out from Seong Il-Hwan¡¯s eyes ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not being a good father to you . ¡±. Those were his last words Shururuk¡­ Seong Il-Hwan¡¯s body, all his lifeforce exhausted from fighting against the Sovereigns, turned to ash . Jin-Woo hurriedly tried to embrace his father¡¯s body slowly crumbling away, but¡­ What remained in his palms wasn¡¯t a person, but grey-coloured powder Eventually In the spot where Seong Il-Hwan once stood, nothing remained Something from deep inside angrily welled up in an uncontrollable burst . Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t hold it back anymore and in the end, raised his head towards the sky and roared out loudly ¡°Uwaaaaaah-!!!¡±. When he did, the Mana in the atmosphere reverberated The sky, the air, the ground ¨C they all cried And soon, Jin-Woo¡¯s mouth began emitting the heavy, grave voice similar to other Sovereigns [Hear me, remaining Sovereigns!!!]. If all these events were set in motion simply because the Sovereigns decided to settle on Earth, then¡­ Then, I shall make them pay an unforgettable price for that I shall definitely make it so His voice infused with Mana was carried in the airflow and spread out to the rest of the world [You shall all pay for today¡¯s events, without exception!]. The roar of the enraged Shadow Sovereign shook around both the heaven and earth [Are you listening, Sovereigns?!]. On this day, one human who inherited an unparalleled power decided where his abilities should be used on his own accord This was the moment that the true opening curtains of the war had gone up < Chapter 224 > Fin Chapter 225 Should this be called good fortune? Jin-Woo¡¯s voice could be heard all around the world, but he wasn¡¯t speaking in the language of humans . The majority of people thought it was some kind of thunder rumbling in the sky . Theories on why everyone heard the exact same noise were quite varied, though . However, such a matter didn¡¯t pose a single problem, since the world was still celebrating ¨C and felt relieved by ¨C Jin-Woo¡¯s victory . It was the same story in the actual battle location . Hunters had been nervously on standby in a location just a bit away from where the battle took place . When they heard that the monster had been taken care of, they couldn¡¯t hold back and roared out in elation . The two men in charge of the two best local Guilds, Choi Jong-In and Baek Yun-Ho, also spat out sighs of relief and looked at each other with wide grins . ¡°Hey, Chairman Baek . I thought your complexion wasn¡¯t so good a few minutes ago . I wonder if you have settled down now?¡± ¡°Representative Choi, I think you need to wipe your cold sweat first before worrying about someone else . ¡± ¡°I have a spare ¡®cheongsimhwan¡¯ on me, so if your heart is still fluttering badly, you can always ask me for one . ¡± (TL note at the end) ¡°Aigoo~ . You sweated so much . Why don¡¯t you use this handkerchief to wipe your face first?¡± The Masters of two Guilds that competed for the top spot in the local ranking started a rather pointy war of nerves . However, they could joke around in this manner only because the situation had been resolved now . Actually, these two couldn¡¯t even swallow their saliva out of sheer nervousness until only a few minutes ago . But, that was understandable . Weren¡¯t they being thrust into a battle against monsters powerful enough to treat Special Authority-rank Hunter, Thomas Andre, like a toy? Not only their lives, but even those of every single Guild member were at risk . And the two Guild Masters, as well as every Hunter, summoned here under the emergency call-up were all thinking of the exact same thing . That would be: if Hunter Seong Jin-Woo lost here, then it¡¯d be no different than them all dying today . Now freed from the intense pressure, these two men could express their happiness under the banner of waging a war of nerves . The smiling Baek Yun-Ho sharing banter with Choi Jong-In looked beyond the latter¡¯s shoulder and his gaze stopped moving then . ¡°Uh¡­ . . ¡± Choi Jong-In also followed after that line of sight and looked behind him . There was a lone man walking out from the centre of the ruined city . Jin-Woo, having concluded his battle with the Sovereigns, quietly walked towards where everyone was . Other Hunters discovered him one by one . His entrance immediately brought a bout of silence upon this place, once populated by loud cheers and happy yells . The only noise coming from the surroundings were the wails of sirens, from the ambulances hurriedly arriving on the scene . ¡®It¡¯s Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ¡¯ ¡®That man, he¡­ . ¡¯ The mood in this place had become oppressed by the sharp aura oozing out of Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes, even though it was clear that the battle had ended in his favour . Not one person dared to open their mouths after seeing him like that . The battle he fought had to have been incredibly intense because there was a hint of shimmering heat rising up from his shoulders even now . But, why did the following events unfold as they did? When Baek Yun-Ho met Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze, the former sent his greeting with a bow . That was the beginning; as if they were saluting a soldier coming home after a very dangerous mission, Hunters all bowed their heads in Jin-Woo¡¯s direction one by one . Pure respect . How could they not feel a sense of respect for a fellow Hunter capable of fighting on that level? They all expressed their genuine gratitude and paid their respects, not because someone told them to, or because they were mindful of the surroundings . Jin-Woo observed their show of respect, and¡­ . ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ ¡­ . He walked wordlessly past them towards the spot where the familiar-looking van had been parked . Thomas Andre was about to be loaded into an ambulance and Lennart Niermann was guarding his side . Both men watched Jin-Woo¡¯s departing back . Lennart spoke with a worried face . ¡°Hunter Seong Jin-Woo didn¡¯t look so happy . ¡± Thomas had received emergency treatment by the Healers and his condition had improved by a lot, so he could at least nod his head to express agreement . ¡°Yeah, he does look that way . ¡± ¡°But, how come? He managed to beat those powerful monsters and survive . ¡± Only other Hunters would know what a Hunter was going through . That feeling of sucking in the outside air after clearing a high-difficulty dungeon couldn¡¯t adequately be described in mere words . So, why was Hunter Seong¡¯s expression so gloomy like that? Lennart¡¯s question was answered by Thomas, actually . ¡°He probably isn¡¯t happy with how the fight against those b*stards went down . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . !!¡± Lennart was deeply shocked by that reply . Jin-Woo had displayed movements that had far surpassed the limits of a human being, yet he looked gloomy because he wasn¡¯t happy with his performance? How could such a thing even make sense? As if he knew what his German counterpart was thinking of, Thomas Andre nodded his head and continued on . ¡°I also can¡¯t believe it, but¡­ . Most likely, during the fight itself, he must¡¯ve felt disappointed by how many close shaves he had to experience . ¡± ¡®Aah, back then . ¡¯ Lennart recalled the moments when Jin-Woo¡¯s chest was stabbed by the claws of the beast and let a low gasp escape from his mouth . Also, he remembered his own vision darkening in despair the moment when that ancient Ice Elf stabbed Jin-Woo with a dagger, too . However, didn¡¯t that happen because the enemies were simply too powerful? Never mind taking on both of them at the same time, how many people in this world could last as long as he did when fighting just one of them? Lennart¡¯s thoughts reached up to there and he shook his head . ¡®No, that¡¯s not it¡­ . ¡¯ For sure, the thoughts of being defeated because the enemies were tough belonged to regular Hunters, such as himself . Maybe, ¡®winning¡¯ was a matter of course for a bigshot possessing strength like Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, and they probably focused more on how they won their battles, instead . Now that his train of thoughts arrived here, Lennart felt a chill crept down his spine next . As he stood there in shock, Thomas added one last thing . ¡°He¡¯s one really scary dude, that Seong Jin-Woo . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . I completely agree with you on that one . ¡± After Thomas finished his deduction, he got taken to the hospital . During the ride, though¡­ ¡®I made the right decision not to throw a tantrum inside his office back then . ¡¯ ¡­ . Lennart was busy telling himself never to become Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s enemy . Screeeech-!! Ah-Jin Guild¡¯s ¡®Bonggo¡¯ came to a screeching halt, and a young man in the driver¡¯s seat climbed out from the vehicle . Yu Jin-Ho saw Jin-Woo getting beaten up by the monsters on TV and jumped into the van to rush to the battle location without any concrete plan . And even though his sensory perception hadn¡¯t been as enhanced as those of the higher-ranked Awakened, he immediately spotted Jin-Woo among the sea of Hunters populating the location and tearfully ran to his destination . ¡°Hyung-niiiiiiim-!!¡± Jin-Woo watched Yu Jin-Ho running towards him with a flood of tears gushing out of the boy¡¯s eyes, and the murderous anger oozing out of his own eyes softened just a tad . Meanwhile, Yu Jin-Ho used the momentum of the running to tightly hug Jin-Woo . Now, normally, the latter would find dealing with this a bit annoying so he¡¯d step aside like flowing water, but today was different . Jin-Woo simply chose to gently pat Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s back as the boy clung onto him and cried his eyes out . It was as if the warmth he felt from someone genuinely worrying about him managed to slowly melt his frosty heart . Maybe, it wasn¡¯t Yu Jin-Ho who needed consoling, but he himself? A thin smile formed on Jin-Woo¡¯s lips . Yu Jin-Ho finally managed to calm down and lifted his messy tear-and-snot smeared face away to ask a question . ¡°Hyung-nim, are you alright??¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not alright . ¡± ¡°EHH??¡± Yu Jin-Ho jumped up in sheer shock, his eyes opening wider . Jin-Woo then wordlessly pointed to his shirt, now deeply stained by tears and snot . ¡°Heok!!¡± Yu Jin-Ho hurriedly used his sleeves to wipe his eyes and nose before lowering his head . ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, hyung-nim . I was so happy to see you unhurt, so, like¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo chuckled softly . This kid, back then or now, he was one hell of a character, that¡¯s for sure . But then, he was now a true ¡®dongsaeng¡¯ with a quicker wit than anyone when it came to Jin-Woo¡¯s matters . Yu Jin-Ho did his best to suck in his tears and spoke with a bright face . ¡°Hyung-nim, I knew this might happen, so I prepared a new set of clothes you can change into . ¡± ¡°New clothes??¡± Jin-Woo took a look at himself . And he clearly saw the messed-up state of his clothing from top to bottom after going through the intense battle against the Sovereigns . ¡°Well, if you return home looking like that¡­ I¡¯m sure your mother would be very worried, right? That¡¯s why I got you some new clothes to change into . ¡± ¡®Huh . ¡¯ When Jin-Woo looked at him with praising eyes, Yu Jin-Ho wiped the bottom of his nose and tried to hide how happy he was . ¡°Let¡¯s go, hyung-nim . Allow me to drive you back home . ¡± Jin-Woo thought about that for a minute, before nodding his head . ¡®Mom and Jin-Ah must¡¯ve been watching the TV as well, so I should prioritise putting their minds at ease before doing anything else . ¡¯ While Yu Jin-Ho was climbing up into the driver¡¯s side, Jin-Woo turned around and took one last look at the centre of the city, the place where a life-or-death battle had taken place not too long ago . Many people had rushed in there to take control of the situation, and he could see them doing their best to do their jobs . Jin-Woo had gained quite handsomely out of that rubble . ¡®First of all¡­ I guess I should also prioritise finding a device that allows me to communicate even in the middle of that forest . ¡¯ He couldn¡¯t repeat a mistake like this one ever again . The biggest gain for today had to be ¡®these¡¯, though . Jin-Woo looked at the pair of shortswords his father had left behind . It was as if there was a hint of a person¡¯s warmth remaining in their hilts . ¡®Dad¡­ . ¡¯ As Jin-Woo remained still in his spot, he could Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s cautious voice floating towards him . ¡°Hyung-nim?¡± Jin-Woo lightly kissed the hilts of the daggers and stored them in the sub-space before belatedly climbing into the passenger¡¯s seat . ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go . ¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim!!¡± The long, long day was drawing to a close . *** In the end, the Hunter¡¯s Association had to announce the identities of the monsters that appeared in Seoul as ¡®Unknown¡¯ . However, there was no doubt about the scale of devastation those creatures left behind being truly enormous . Countless people either died or were gravely injured; the number of collapsed buildings or destroyed cars were too numerous to count . However, not everything could be seen as a loss . Should one call this case a blessing in disguise? What happened was, they found a way to deal with an unexpected danger . Especially so for Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s incredible power that he displayed to the world during his fight ¨C it managed to change the mindset of the world¡¯s denizens in one breath . And that changed mindset was immediately put to action . The symptom of this change, however, started off from a country that no one quite expected it to happen from . That evening . To discuss the handling of the aftermaths of the monsters appearing in Seoul, as well as the potential responses against the super-massive Gate, the current Association President Woo Jin-Cheol paid a visit to the Blue House . With topic at hand being what it was, President Kim welcomed him rather courteously . After sharing a brief greeting, Woo Jin-Cheol asked his question first . ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be better for you to evacuate to the outskirts of Seoul, sir?¡± The president of the nation hesitated with his answer, his expression looking complicated before he spat out a long sigh . ¡°I admit that I treated you rather badly the last time . I¡¯d like to apologise to you about that . However, I implore you not to look at me as a man who had forgotten what responsibilities he has to shoulder . May I remind you, I am still the president of this nation . ¡± He continued on, although he carried the face of a man experiencing fear, yet at the same time, trying to overcome it . ¡°If I run away without saying anything, how badly will the citizens be shaken up? I do not wish to see my name being recorded as a blemish on our nation¡¯s history . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol thought of President Kim as yet another career politician who was only interested in raking in more votes, but having heard this rather unexpected reply, could only let a wry chuckle out of his mouth . One could accuse that as being a disrespectful gesture but, as he had already committed a transgression against Woo Jin-Cheol, the country¡¯s president didn¡¯t raise any objections . ¡°Alright . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol pulled out the prepared data and got ready to get going with his presentation . But then, an employee working in the Blue House hurriedly entered the office and whispered something into the president¡¯s ear . ¡°What?? Are you being serious?!¡± The president responded by shooting up from his seat with a disbelieving face . The employee replied with a very serious expression . ¡°Yes, sir . Mister President, how should we proceed next?¡± ¡°For now, let the call through . I shall personally speak to him . ¡± The employee promptly presented a smartphone to the president that was already connected to the mystery person on the other end of the line . The leader of South Korea took over the phone, and a voice that pretty much all Koreans were familiar with came out from the device¡¯s speaker . ¨C ¡°I pondered deeply on this matter for a very long time, comrade . And¡­ . And, I¡¯ve come to a decision that it might be for our best interest to aid our cadres in the South . ¡± That voice belonged to the leader of North Korea . The South Korean President couldn¡¯t immediately understand what the other party was talking about and tilted his head this way and that . ¡°What¡­ do you want to aid us with?¡± ¨C ¡°Didn¡¯t a Gate appear in the skies of Seoul? We shall dispatch our Hunters there, too . Let us combine the strengths of both the South and North to deal with this matter . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . !¡± North Korea was the signal flare . The neighbouring nations had only displayed a tepid reaction towards the request for cooperation even with the appearance of Gate boasting an unprecedented size . But now, their attitudes did a complete 180 in an instant . ¨C South Korea, no, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, must not be allowed to fall . This was the conclusion various nations came to after watching the battle between Jin-Woo and the ¡®Unknown¡¯ monsters . The ill fortune of Korea wouldn¡¯t simply end in Korea alone . Which Hunter belonging to a country would be capable of stopping a calamity that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t stop? From the closest nations ¨C North Korea, Japan, China, Russia ¨C and to the far-flung nations such as America, Germany, Britain, and France, their Hunters hurriedly set off for Seoul in order to make it in time . There was only one thought within their minds . ¡®We need to aid Hunter Seong Jin-Woo and block the super-massive Gate, no matter the cost . ¡¯ The notion of Jin-Woo being their final defence line had been instilled within them after witnessing his feats . And now, not just South Korea¡¯s own Hunters, but the entire world¡¯s were gathering in the capital city of this small nation in East Asia . < Chapter 225 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 225: Chapter 225 Should this be called good fortune?. Jin-Woo¡¯s voice could be heard all around the world, but he wasn¡¯t speaking in the language of humans . The majority of people thought it was some kind of thunder rumbling in the sky . Theories on why everyone heard the exact same noise were quite varied, though However, such a matter didn¡¯t pose a single problem, since the world was still celebrating ¨C and felt relieved by ¨C Jin-Woo¡¯s victory It was the same story in the actual battle location Hunters had been nervously on standby in a location just a bit away from where the battle took place . When they heard that the monster had been taken care of, they couldn¡¯t hold back and roared out in elation The two men in charge of the two best local Guilds, Choi Jong-In and Baek Yun-Ho, also spat out sighs of relief and looked at each other with wide grins ¡°Hey, Chairman Baek . I thought your complexion wasn¡¯t so good a few minutes ago . I wonder if you have settled down now?¡±. ¡°Representative Choi, I think you need to wipe your cold sweat first before worrying about someone else . ¡±. ¡°I have a spare ¡®cheongsimhwan¡¯ on me, so if your heart is still fluttering badly, you can always ask me for one . ¡± (TL note at the end). ¡°Aigoo~ . You sweated so much . Why don¡¯t you use this handkerchief to wipe your face first?¡±. The Masters of two Guilds that competed for the top spot in the local ranking started a rather pointy war of nerves . However, they could joke around in this manner only because the situation had been resolved now . Actually, these two couldn¡¯t even swallow their saliva out of sheer nervousness until only a few minutes ago But, that was understandable Weren¡¯t they being thrust into a battle against monsters powerful enough to treat Special Authority-rank Hunter, Thomas Andre, like a toy?. Not only their lives, but even those of every single Guild member were at risk . And the two Guild Masters, as well as every Hunter, summoned here under the emergency call-up were all thinking of the exact same thing That would be: if Hunter Seong Jin-Woo lost here, then it¡¯d be no different than them all dying today Now freed from the intense pressure, these two men could express their happiness under the banner of waging a war of nerves The smiling Baek Yun-Ho sharing banter with Choi Jong-In looked beyond the latter¡¯s shoulder and his gaze stopped moving then ¡°Uh¡­ ¡±. Choi Jong-In also followed after that line of sight and looked behind him . There was a lone man walking out from the centre of the ruined city Jin-Woo, having concluded his battle with the Sovereigns, quietly walked towards where everyone was Other Hunters discovered him one by one . His entrance immediately brought a bout of silence upon this place, once populated by loud cheers and happy yells The only noise coming from the surroundings were the wails of sirens, from the ambulances hurriedly arriving on the scene ¡®It¡¯s Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ¡¯. ¡®That man, he¡­ . ¡¯. The mood in this place had become oppressed by the sharp aura oozing out of Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes, even though it was clear that the battle had ended in his favour . Not one person dared to open their mouths after seeing him like that The battle he fought had to have been incredibly intense because there was a hint of shimmering heat rising up from his shoulders even now But, why did the following events unfold as they did?. When Baek Yun-Ho met Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze, the former sent his greeting with a bow . That was the beginning; as if they were saluting a soldier coming home after a very dangerous mission, Hunters all bowed their heads in Jin-Woo¡¯s direction one by one Pure respect How could they not feel a sense of respect for a fellow Hunter capable of fighting on that level?. They all expressed their genuine gratitude and paid their respects, not because someone told them to, or because they were mindful of the surroundings Jin-Woo observed their show of respect, and¡­ ¡®¡­¡­¡¯. ¡­ . He walked wordlessly past them towards the spot where the familiar-looking van had been parked Thomas Andre was about to be loaded into an ambulance and Lennart Niermann was guarding his side . Both men watched Jin-Woo¡¯s departing back Lennart spoke with a worried face ¡°Hunter Seong Jin-Woo didn¡¯t look so happy . ¡±. Thomas had received emergency treatment by the Healers and his condition had improved by a lot, so he could at least nod his head to express agreement ¡°Yeah, he does look that way . ¡±. ¡°But, how come? He managed to beat those powerful monsters and survive . ¡±. Only other Hunters would know what a Hunter was going through . That feeling of sucking in the outside air after clearing a high-difficulty dungeon couldn¡¯t adequately be described in mere words So, why was Hunter Seong¡¯s expression so gloomy like that?. Lennart¡¯s question was answered by Thomas, actually ¡°He probably isn¡¯t happy with how the fight against those b*stards went down . ¡±. ¡°¡­ !!¡±. Lennart was deeply shocked by that reply Jin-Woo had displayed movements that had far surpassed the limits of a human being, yet he looked gloomy because he wasn¡¯t happy with his performance?. How could such a thing even make sense?. As if he knew what his German counterpart was thinking of, Thomas Andre nodded his head and continued on ¡°I also can¡¯t believe it, but¡­ . Most likely, during the fight itself, he must¡¯ve felt disappointed by how many close shaves he had to experience . ¡±. ¡®Aah, back then . ¡¯. Lennart recalled the moments when Jin-Woo¡¯s chest was stabbed by the claws of the beast and let a low gasp escape from his mouth . Also, he remembered his own vision darkening in despair the moment when that ancient Ice Elf stabbed Jin-Woo with a dagger, too However, didn¡¯t that happen because the enemies were simply too powerful? Never mind taking on both of them at the same time, how many people in this world could last as long as he did when fighting just one of them?. Lennart¡¯s thoughts reached up to there and he shook his head ¡®No, that¡¯s not it¡­ . ¡¯. For sure, the thoughts of being defeated because the enemies were tough belonged to regular Hunters, such as himself Maybe, ¡®winning¡¯ was a matter of course for a bigshot possessing strength like Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, and they probably focused more on how they won their battles, instead Now that his train of thoughts arrived here, Lennart felt a chill crept down his spine next . As he stood there in shock, Thomas added one last thing ¡°He¡¯s one really scary dude, that Seong Jin-Woo . ¡±. ¡°¡­ I completely agree with you on that one . ¡±. After Thomas finished his deduction, he got taken to the hospital . During the ride, though¡­. ¡®I made the right decision not to throw a tantrum inside his office back then . ¡¯. ¡­ . Lennart was busy telling himself never to become Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s enemy Screeeech-!!. Ah-Jin Guild¡¯s ¡®Bonggo¡¯ came to a screeching halt, and a young man in the driver¡¯s seat climbed out from the vehicle Yu Jin-Ho saw Jin-Woo getting beaten up by the monsters on TV and jumped into the van to rush to the battle location without any concrete plan And even though his sensory perception hadn¡¯t been as enhanced as those of the higher-ranked Awakened, he immediately spotted Jin-Woo among the sea of Hunters populating the location and tearfully ran to his destination ¡°Hyung-niiiiiiim-!!¡±. Jin-Woo watched Yu Jin-Ho running towards him with a flood of tears gushing out of the boy¡¯s eyes, and the murderous anger oozing out of his own eyes softened just a tad Meanwhile, Yu Jin-Ho used the momentum of the running to tightly hug Jin-Woo . Now, normally, the latter would find dealing with this a bit annoying so he¡¯d step aside like flowing water, but today was different Jin-Woo simply chose to gently pat Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s back as the boy clung onto him and cried his eyes out . It was as if the warmth he felt from someone genuinely worrying about him managed to slowly melt his frosty heart Maybe, it wasn¡¯t Yu Jin-Ho who needed consoling, but he himself? A thin smile formed on Jin-Woo¡¯s lips Yu Jin-Ho finally managed to calm down and lifted his messy tear-and-snot smeared face away to ask a question ¡°Hyung-nim, are you alright??¡±. ¡°No, I¡¯m not alright . ¡±. ¡°EHH??¡±. Yu Jin-Ho jumped up in sheer shock, his eyes opening wider . Jin-Woo then wordlessly pointed to his shirt, now deeply stained by tears and snot ¡°Heok!!¡±. Yu Jin-Ho hurriedly used his sleeves to wipe his eyes and nose before lowering his head ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, hyung-nim . I was so happy to see you unhurt, so, like¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo chuckled softly This kid, back then or now, he was one hell of a character, that¡¯s for sure . But then, he was now a true ¡®dongsaeng¡¯ with a quicker wit than anyone when it came to Jin-Woo¡¯s matters Yu Jin-Ho did his best to suck in his tears and spoke with a bright face ¡°Hyung-nim, I knew this might happen, so I prepared a new set of clothes you can change into . ¡±. ¡°New clothes??¡±. Jin-Woo took a look at himself . And he clearly saw the messed-up state of his clothing from top to bottom after going through the intense battle against the Sovereigns ¡°Well, if you return home looking like that¡­ I¡¯m sure your mother would be very worried, right? That¡¯s why I got you some new clothes to change into . ¡±. ¡®Huh . ¡¯. When Jin-Woo looked at him with praising eyes, Yu Jin-Ho wiped the bottom of his nose and tried to hide how happy he was ¡°Let¡¯s go, hyung-nim . Allow me to drive you back home . ¡±. Jin-Woo thought about that for a minute, before nodding his head ¡®Mom and Jin-Ah must¡¯ve been watching the TV as well, so I should prioritise putting their minds at ease before doing anything else . ¡¯. While Yu Jin-Ho was climbing up into the driver¡¯s side, Jin-Woo turned around and took one last look at the centre of the city, the place where a life-or-death battle had taken place not too long ago Many people had rushed in there to take control of the situation, and he could see them doing their best to do their jobs Jin-Woo had gained quite handsomely out of that rubble ¡®First of all¡­ I guess I should also prioritise finding a device that allows me to communicate even in the middle of that forest . ¡¯. He couldn¡¯t repeat a mistake like this one ever again The biggest gain for today had to be ¡®these¡¯, though . Jin-Woo looked at the pair of shortswords his father had left behind . It was as if there was a hint of a person¡¯s warmth remaining in their hilts ¡®Dad¡­ . ¡¯. As Jin-Woo remained still in his spot, he could Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s cautious voice floating towards him ¡°Hyung-nim?¡±. Jin-Woo lightly kissed the hilts of the daggers and stored them in the sub-space before belatedly climbing into the passenger¡¯s seat ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go . ¡±. ¡°Yes, hyung-nim!!¡±. The long, long day was drawing to a close ***. In the end, the Hunter¡¯s Association had to announce the identities of the monsters that appeared in Seoul as ¡®Unknown¡¯ However, there was no doubt about the scale of devastation those creatures left behind being truly enormous . Countless people either died or were gravely injured; the number of collapsed buildings or destroyed cars were too numerous to count However, not everything could be seen as a loss Should one call this case a blessing in disguise?. What happened was, they found a way to deal with an unexpected danger Especially so for Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s incredible power that he displayed to the world during his fight ¨C it managed to change the mindset of the world¡¯s denizens in one breath And that changed mindset was immediately put to action . The symptom of this change, however, started off from a country that no one quite expected it to happen from That evening To discuss the handling of the aftermaths of the monsters appearing in Seoul, as well as the potential responses against the super-massive Gate, the current Association President Woo Jin-Cheol paid a visit to the Blue House With topic at hand being what it was, President Kim welcomed him rather courteously . After sharing a brief greeting, Woo Jin-Cheol asked his question first ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be better for you to evacuate to the outskirts of Seoul, sir?¡±. The president of the nation hesitated with his answer, his expression looking complicated before he spat out a long sigh ¡°I admit that I treated you rather badly the last time . I¡¯d like to apologise to you about that . However, I implore you not to look at me as a man who had forgotten what responsibilities he has to shoulder . May I remind you, I am still the president of this nation . ¡±. He continued on, although he carried the face of a man experiencing fear, yet at the same time, trying to overcome it ¡°If I run away without saying anything, how badly will the citizens be shaken up? I do not wish to see my name being recorded as a blemish on our nation¡¯s history . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol thought of President Kim as yet another career politician who was only interested in raking in more votes, but having heard this rather unexpected reply, could only let a wry chuckle out of his mouth One could accuse that as being a disrespectful gesture but, as he had already committed a transgression against Woo Jin-Cheol, the country¡¯s president didn¡¯t raise any objections ¡°Alright . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol pulled out the prepared data and got ready to get going with his presentation . But then, an employee working in the Blue House hurriedly entered the office and whispered something into the president¡¯s ear ¡°What?? Are you being serious?!¡±. The president responded by shooting up from his seat with a disbelieving face . The employee replied with a very serious expression ¡°Yes, sir . Mister President, how should we proceed next?¡±. ¡°For now, let the call through . I shall personally speak to him . ¡±. The employee promptly presented a smartphone to the president that was already connected to the mystery person on the other end of the line . The leader of South Korea took over the phone, and a voice that pretty much all Koreans were familiar with came out from the device¡¯s speaker ¨C ¡°I pondered deeply on this matter for a very long time, comrade . And¡­ . And, I¡¯ve come to a decision that it might be for our best interest to aid our cadres in the South . ¡±. That voice belonged to the leader of North Korea . The South Korean President couldn¡¯t immediately understand what the other party was talking about and tilted his head this way and that ¡°What¡­ do you want to aid us with?¡±. ¨C ¡°Didn¡¯t a Gate appear in the skies of Seoul? We shall dispatch our Hunters there, too . Let us combine the strengths of both the South and North to deal with this matter . ¡±. ¡°¡­ !¡±. North Korea was the signal flare The neighbouring nations had only displayed a tepid reaction towards the request for cooperation even with the appearance of Gate boasting an unprecedented size . But now, their attitudes did a complete 180 in an instant ¨C South Korea, no, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, must not be allowed to fall This was the conclusion various nations came to after watching the battle between Jin-Woo and the ¡®Unknown¡¯ monsters The ill fortune of Korea wouldn¡¯t simply end in Korea alone . Which Hunter belonging to a country would be capable of stopping a calamity that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t stop?. From the closest nations ¨C North Korea, Japan, China, Russia ¨C and to the far-flung nations such as America, Germany, Britain, and France, their Hunters hurriedly set off for Seoul in order to make it in time There was only one thought within their minds ¡®We need to aid Hunter Seong Jin-Woo and block the super-massive Gate, no matter the cost . ¡¯. The notion of Jin-Woo being their final defence line had been instilled within them after witnessing his feats And now, not just South Korea¡¯s own Hunters, but the entire world¡¯s were gathering in the capital city of this small nation in East Asia < Chapter 225 > Fin Chapter 226 Dawn, when everyone was in a deep sleep . Jin-Woo travelled back to the sea of trees located in Japan, still remaining as a no-entry, prohibited area, after experiencing the dungeon break of the Giant-type monsters . He didn¡¯t come here to raise his level or to look at the stars in the sky, though . But then again, it must¡¯ve been the memories of the night before, because when he took a look at the night sky, he naturally remembered Hae-In¡¯s face . Jin-Woo stopped by his family and assured them he was fine and quickly returned to the hotel in Japan . Cha Hae-In had already understood the reason why Jin-Woo had to disappear on her like that, just before they were about to share a meal together . She knew better than anyone what would¡¯ve happened if Jin-Woo didn¡¯t rush back to Seoul . Her expression as she tried to hide her anxiety remained etched in his memory for some reason, though . ¡®¡­ . Let¡¯s get started . ¡¯ Jin-Woo took a look around him . Just like before, the stillness of the forest, with not a single living soul in it, greeted him . There was something he had to do in this place . Jin-Woo sought out a suitable open ground and soon located one . He summoned out a portion of his Shadow Soldiers next . ¡®Come out . ¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s shadow expanded out greatly and his soldiers appeared on the ground . They were none other than the new additions to his army . Jin-Woo tasted a mixed bag of emotions as he studied them . For the first time ever, he ended up breaking his own rule yesterday, one that he religiously adhered to since the very beginning . These new soldiers were, before yesterday, all regular people . No, they were victims who were murdered by the Sovereigns . Hundreds of soldiers, created from the regular people dying unjustly, as well as Hunters who tried to save them, now stood before their new master . He broke his own rule of never using innocent souls as his Shadow Soldiers . And that was why Jin-Woo wanted to ask for their cooperation in this place . ¡®Until this war is over, lend me your strengths, everyone . ¡¯ To protect their families, their lovers, their friends and their homes from those b*stards . ¡®I promise to return you to the eternal rest once the battle is over . ¡¯ Although they were the dead beings forced into expressing their absolute loyalty through the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s ability, they still retained their individual egos . Jin-Woo¡¯s sincere heart and desire were transmitted to every single one of them . Their eyes under the helms, covered by the darkness of the dawn, contained flames of hatred and rage towards the monsters that made them this way . They realised this crucial fact ¨C that they were now given a chance to exact revenge on those creatures with their own hands . And the one that gifted them this opportunity was the Shadow Sovereign standing right before them . ¡®We shall fight alongside our liege! We shall never let those monsters rape and pillage our land and our families!¡¯ Such desires were being engraved in them now . The stronger the Shadow Sovereign became, the greater the enhancement to the abilities of the Shadow Soldiers . Unlike in the past when he was borrowing the powers of the Shadow Sovereign through the System, Jin-Woo now inherited it completely and thus, the Shadow Soldiers created by him could not be underestimated at all . Jin-Woo made one more request to them . ¡®Lend me your strength . ¡¯ Their Sovereign made a request, and the Shadow Soldiers immediately replied back . They raised their fists up high and from their open mouths, the death throe-like horrifying roars exploded out . Wuuuaaaaahhhh-!!! The roaring started from the front row, but gradually shifted to the rear like the receding tides, and eventually, the entirety of the summoned Shadow Soldiers were crying out towards the sky . Aaaaah-!!! Their resentment-laden screams seemed to shake the earth itself . With this, the Army of Death had finished getting ready . Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes as he scanned them, flickered in a cold, murderous glare . Definitely . He¡¯d definitely make the Sovereigns pay . The roars of the soldiers filled with hatred continued to echo out for a long, long time afterwards . *** The day before the dungeon break from the super-massive Gate was to take place . It had been two days since the System disappeared . Jin-Woo was getting acclimatised by the absence of Daily Quests now . Many things had become convenient for him ever since restrictions put in place by the System had gone away, but there was also a few things that made life rather difficult, as well . One such difficulty was the ¡®Store¡¯ . Jin-Woo summoned out a bottle of healing potion originally stored in his ¡®Inventory¡¯ and stared at it as if to bore a hole through the darn thing . ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ As it turned out, every item found in the Store had been created out of the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s powers . It was basically magic, where one would create something with Mana . So, the theory went that, since he had inherited the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s powers, Jin-Woo should be able to create the same types of items as long as he willed it, but¡­ . He quietly closed his eyes and began picturing the healing potion inside his head . When he did, he could pick up the movement of Mana . ¡®Concentrate, concentrate¡­ . ¡¯ Unfortunately, Mana busily moving around failed to gather and coagulate before scattering away in the air . It was a failure . Jin-Woo spat out a sigh and opened his eyes again . It seemed that the threshold of creating something out of magic was still out of reach for him, for now . ¡®I guess I need to practice for a bit longer . ¡¯ It was then . The smartphone resting on top of his desk began vibrating and issued the ¡®du-du-du¡¯ noise . ¨C ¡°Seong Hunter-nim, it¡¯s Woo Jin-Cheol speaking . ¡± ¡°Hello . What can I do for you?¡± Jin-Woo settled down on his bed and answered the call . Woo Jin-Cheol must¡¯ve been working day and night, thanks to the mass-scale incidents that kept happening one after another, because his voice came across as a bit hoarse on the phone . ¨C ¡°Excuse me, Hunter-nim¡­ If it¡¯s not too much trouble, may I ask you to come to the Association today?¡± The estimated time for the dungeon break was literally right around the corner . From the perspective of the Association, they would¡¯ve liked to get some advice from Jin-Woo, arguably the core combat force of the upcoming raid . Since Jin-Woo didn¡¯t have anything on his schedule anyway, he agreed to it without hesitation . ¡°I shall see you there . ¡± Click . He ended the call and got ready to leave, but then, Igrit abruptly addressed him . [My liege . ] ¡®Mm?¡¯ Jin-Woo was yet to get used to Igrit¡¯s voice . Still, he paid attention to the black knight¡¯s trademark heavy and courteous tone . [There is something I¡¯d like to speak to you about . ] *** Next day . Every TV station around the world stopped with their regular programming to broadcast live the unfolding situation in Seoul . Some stations chose to broadcast the situation as it unfolded in the regular news format, while some others invited experts in the field and asked for their opinions . One of the largest broadcasters in the States, ¡®Hunter Channel¡¯ went with the latter route and had invited experts in . The broadcast soon got underway; one of the experts spoke in clear reminiscence as they looked at the live footage of the Hunters completely filling up the Gate¡¯s location . ¡°Do you know how long it has been since that many Hunters from various countries have gathered in one spot?¡± The emcee smiled and replied . ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ . Since Guilds with different nationalities join forces together to go on raids often, I¡¯m guessing that it must¡¯ve been pretty recent . ¡± The expert shook his head . ¡°It¡¯s been over eight years . Eight . And it¡¯s now approaching the ninth year mark now . ¡± Eight years . Everyone watching the broadcast heard those words and immediately recalled the gigantic monster that terrorised humanity back then . The emcee wasn¡¯t an exception, either . ¡°You say eight years¡­ . Are you saying that this spectacle would be the very first time since the ¡®Kamish¡¯ raid?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct . This would be the first time that Hunters from five different nations or more got together, post-Kamish raid . ¡± Back then, the greatest Hunters alive from every corner of the globe stepped up to aid the United States of America, only to be annihilated and out of hundreds of them participating, only five managed to survive . They then became the ¡®Special Authority-rank¡¯ Hunters . To all those countries that had lost their top Hunters, that day¡¯s losses were indeed incredibly difficult to bear . ¡°Ever since that day, every nation refrained from interfering in the problems of other nations . ¡± That would be an obvious result . No one alive would¡¯ve wanted to see the Hunters from their own countries lose their lives for another country . Sure, there had been infrequent occurrences of Guilds from different nations joining hands for their mutual benefits, but this many Hunters gathering together in such a huge scale to aid another country would be a very rare thing to see . ¡°In that case, Doctor, could you possibly be saying that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo from South Korea will bring together the world¡¯s Hunters, torn apart by the entrance of the Dragon Kamish?¡± ¡°That is correct . ¡± Perhaps finding the long-winded explanation rather laborious, the expert took a deep breath first before continuing on afterwards . ¡°It all started with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo solving the calamity of Japan¡¯s dungeon break . ¡± Before that happened, though, Japan stepped up to help out with the problem on Jeju Island, but as everyone knew, the result of that venture was a complete disaster . If the story ended there, then that would only add weight to the opinion that one shouldn¡¯t be interfering with the problems of other countries . However, everything was turned on its head after Jin-Woo stepped up to eliminate the Giants that had made their appearance in Japan . Even though there was the historical baggage between the two countries, as well as the dastardly scheme Japan¡¯s Association had cooked up, a Korean Hunter still willingly rolled up his sleeves to aid his neighbours, didn¡¯t he? ¡°Most likely, all the gratitude and admiration the Japanese citizens feel towards him can¡¯t be put into mere words . ¡± Japan was able to survive the crisis all thanks to Jin-Woo¡¯s aid . With that, the unwritten rule of not interfering with another country¡¯s matter, in order to protect their own Hunters, had been broken for the first time . What he did was to instil the sense of confidence of ¡®I can do this¡¯ into the Hunters . And a few days ago¡­ . ¡°Everyone watching the scenes of Hunter Thomas Andre falling must¡¯ve sensed it then . ¡± Which living Hunter would be able to stop those monsters? ¡°And Hunter Seong Jin-Woo showed them what the answer was . ¡± However, the next problem facing them seemingly featured an even higher difficulty . If Hunter Seong Jin-Woo fell, then who out there would be capable of stopping the calamity? Although there was a thin smile on his face, the emcee couldn¡¯t form an answer to that query . The expert answered for him, instead . ¡°There¡¯s no one . Indeed, there is no one capable . In other words, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is the final line . If he falls, then everything will end . ¡± At that moment, many countries thinking that the super-massive Gate floating in the skies above Seoul was South Korea¡¯s problem only, quickly came to a realisation . If the Koreans couldn¡¯t stop that Gate, then next would be North Korea, then either China or Russia, and eventually, the rest of the world . Now, the super-massive Gate had become the common enemy of the entire world . This was the result achieved by a lone Hunter from Asia . The expert was about to explain that they needed to overcome this upcoming calamity first if that result was to proudly bear its fruit . However, at that moment¡­ ¡°Ahh! Look, just now!¡± The emcee had been listening attentively to what the expert was saying but he saw the urgent prompts from the director and jumped up from his seat . The gazes of the experts quickly shifted over to the live feed, as well . The live footage now displayed the super-massive Gate opening its maws wide . ¡°Oh, my god¡­ . ¡± Everyone present within the studio became utterly speechless from the imagery that easily surpassed their imaginations . *** The air began trembling . Tens of thousands of Hunters surrounding the spot just below the Gate held their breaths and waited . This was a memorable spectacle, this sight of countless Hunters waiting for one single moment to happen . The close-quarter type Hunters quietly waited for their turns, while those capable of attacking at long distances got ready to fling out pre-emptive strikes at a moment¡¯s notice . Arrows laden with magical energy and various spells ready to be cast were aimed at the sky . Taut tension filled up the atmosphere . And then¡­ Whenever the gazes of these Hunters stopped glaring at the Gate above and lowered to the ground, they would all look at one place without fail . That would be Jin-Woo¡¯s back . Standing at the furthest front, Jin-Woo was glaring up at the sky with a sombre expression . With every passing second, the dungeon break was approaching closer and closer . He could sense their aura now . Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump . The Black Heart, replacing his destroyed human heart, powerfully pulsed within his chest to let him know of the current situation . Of course, the hearts of other Hunters were pounding away restlessly, as well . It was all because of the nervousness seemingly oppressing everything . However, the emotion Jin-Woo was feeling at the moment was quite different from theirs . He was doing his best not to lose his composure and waited for the approaching final hour . Hae-In, standing next to him, saw his expression and whispered to him . ¡°I think it¡¯s my first time seeing you so tense like this, Mister Jin-Woo . ¡± ¡°Really?¡± Jin-Woo smirked to let her know that it was nothing . Hae-In also formed a light smile as a reply and looked back at the Gate while unsheathing her blade . She too had sensed that the beginning of the life-or-death battle was here . ¡®Soon¡­ . ¡¯ However, she was mistaken about something . Jin-Woo placed his hand on his chest and silently closed his eyes . He felt the pounding of his heart . The emotion welling up in his chest was neither nervousness nor terror . No, it was excitement . ¡°T-they are coming!¡± ¡°The Gate¡¯s been opened!!¡± Finally, the Gate began opening up . The wall separating this world and the Gate disappeared and certain ¡®things¡¯ staying within finally began pouring out in endless droves . These creatures completely blotted out the sky in no time at all . The Hunters below became completely dumbfounded by the number of descending creatures that seemed to be at least over one hundred thousand . ¡°But, how¡­ how can that many monsters¡­ at the same time?!¡± ¡°There, there are just too many!!!¡± Gasps and screams thick with despair exploded out from here and there . All those ¡®certain things¡¯ must¡¯ve been under the influence of gravity-reduction magic, because they all landed on the ground very slowly . ¡°Attack! Hurry, attack!¡± ¡°Everyone, attack!¡± Before those things land on the ground, they should try to reduce their numbers, at least by a little bit . Hunters sensed that their opportunity was here and began making their moves . Magic spells ready to cast gleamed brightly from their hands and bowstrings aimed at the sky were all pulled taut . Tankers raised their shields up right near their chins to get ready for close-quarters combat with those descending things . But then, before the concentrated firepower from the Hunters could pour out, Jin-Woo loudly yelled out . [Nobody move!] Jin-Woo¡¯s will, carried by Mana, was clearly transmitted to even those Hunters who didn¡¯t know any Korean . And it made everyone stop what they were doing . ¡®But, why?¡¯ ¡®Why did he stop us from attacking?¡¯ Even though tens of thousands of Hunters were staring at him with eyes that screamed, ¡®I don¡¯t understand¡¯, Jin-Woo simply repeated what he said . [Everyone, don¡¯t move . ] Woo Jin-Cheol watching from the distance hurriedly wiped the sweat off his forehead . If they don¡¯t attack now, then those creatures would land safely on the ground . When the battle breaks out in that situation, the Hunters out in front could get sucked into the attacks fired from the back . Meaning, incidents of them worrying about the friendly fire would happen when they were already in a numerical disadvantage . One of the subordinate Hunters working for the Association quickly approached Woo Jin-Cheol and looked at his boss with a worried expression . ¡°Association President¡­ . ¡± It was now time to make his decision . His head screamed at him to send out the word to start attacking, but in the end, Woo Jin-Cheol decided to trust Jin-Woo . ¡°Everyone, do not fire!¡± ¡°Do not fire!!¡± Woo Jin-Cheol was put in charge of commanding the Hunters . So, rather understandably, they became quite dazed and lowered their hands when he began telling them not to attack . ¡®Just what are they thinking now?¡¯ ¡®They want to engage those things on the ground instead of hitting them first with ranged attacks? Against that many monsters???¡¯ As confusion and terror began whipping up around the battlefield¡­ . Eventually, those creatures landed on the ground . The number of black monsters completely filling up the sights of the Hunters were so great that one¡¯s mind would grow faint just from the sheer scale . From the gathered swarm of monsters, one particular being began walking out towards them . Jin-Woo, too, stepped forward . Just what was going to happen from here onwards? Hunters couldn¡¯t even breathe properly and closely watched Jin-Woo . ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Jin-Woo stopped walking, and the ¡®monster¡¯ also stopped walking as well . And then¡­ . The ¡®monster¡¯ looking at Jin-Woo suddenly knelt down on the ground . And at that moment, the soldiers behind it also knelt down at the same time . Chut . The spectacle of a hundred thousand-plus soldiers bowing their heads at the same time carried an incredible, overwhelming shock value . After a short bout of silence passed, the ¡®monster¡¯ kneeling right out in front raised its head and spoke . [Grand-Marshal Bellion, here to humbly greet the Sovereign with his Shadow Army . ] < Chapter 226 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 226 Dawn, when everyone was in a deep sleep Jin-Woo travelled back to the sea of trees located in Japan, still remaining as a no-entry, prohibited area, after experiencing the dungeon break of the Giant-type monsters He didn¡¯t come here to raise his level or to look at the stars in the sky, though . But then again, it must¡¯ve been the memories of the night before, because when he took a look at the night sky, he naturally remembered Hae-In¡¯s face Jin-Woo stopped by his family and assured them he was fine and quickly returned to the hotel in Japan . Cha Hae-In had already understood the reason why Jin-Woo had to disappear on her like that, just before they were about to share a meal together She knew better than anyone what would¡¯ve happened if Jin-Woo didn¡¯t rush back to Seoul . Her expression as she tried to hide her anxiety remained etched in his memory for some reason, though ¡®¡­ . Let¡¯s get started . ¡¯. Jin-Woo took a look around him . Just like before, the stillness of the forest, with not a single living soul in it, greeted him . There was something he had to do in this place Jin-Woo sought out a suitable open ground and soon located one . He summoned out a portion of his Shadow Soldiers next ¡®Come out . ¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s shadow expanded out greatly and his soldiers appeared on the ground . They were none other than the new additions to his army Jin-Woo tasted a mixed bag of emotions as he studied them . For the first time ever, he ended up breaking his own rule yesterday, one that he religiously adhered to since the very beginning These new soldiers were, before yesterday, all regular people . No, they were victims who were murdered by the Sovereigns Hundreds of soldiers, created from the regular people dying unjustly, as well as Hunters who tried to save them, now stood before their new master . He broke his own rule of never using innocent souls as his Shadow Soldiers And that was why Jin-Woo wanted to ask for their cooperation in this place ¡®Until this war is over, lend me your strengths, everyone . ¡¯. To protect their families, their lovers, their friends and their homes from those b*stards ¡®I promise to return you to the eternal rest once the battle is over . ¡¯. Although they were the dead beings forced into expressing their absolute loyalty through the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s ability, they still retained their individual egos Jin-Woo¡¯s sincere heart and desire were transmitted to every single one of them . Their eyes under the helms, covered by the darkness of the dawn, contained flames of hatred and rage towards the monsters that made them this way They realised this crucial fact ¨C that they were now given a chance to exact revenge on those creatures with their own hands . And the one that gifted them this opportunity was the Shadow Sovereign standing right before them ¡®We shall fight alongside our liege!. We shall never let those monsters rape and pillage our land and our families!¡¯. Such desires were being engraved in them now The stronger the Shadow Sovereign became, the greater the enhancement to the abilities of the Shadow Soldiers . Unlike in the past when he was borrowing the powers of the Shadow Sovereign through the System, Jin-Woo now inherited it completely and thus, the Shadow Soldiers created by him could not be underestimated at all Jin-Woo made one more request to them ¡®Lend me your strength . ¡¯. Their Sovereign made a request, and the Shadow Soldiers immediately replied back . They raised their fists up high and from their open mouths, the death throe-like horrifying roars exploded out Wuuuaaaaahhhh-!!!. The roaring started from the front row, but gradually shifted to the rear like the receding tides, and eventually, the entirety of the summoned Shadow Soldiers were crying out towards the sky Aaaaah-!!!. Their resentment-laden screams seemed to shake the earth itself . With this, the Army of Death had finished getting ready Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes as he scanned them, flickered in a cold, murderous glare Definitely He¡¯d definitely make the Sovereigns pay The roars of the soldiers filled with hatred continued to echo out for a long, long time afterwards ***. The day before the dungeon break from the super-massive Gate was to take place It had been two days since the System disappeared . Jin-Woo was getting acclimatised by the absence of Daily Quests now . Many things had become convenient for him ever since restrictions put in place by the System had gone away, but there was also a few things that made life rather difficult, as well One such difficulty was the ¡®Store¡¯ Jin-Woo summoned out a bottle of healing potion originally stored in his ¡®Inventory¡¯ and stared at it as if to bore a hole through the darn thing ¡®¡­¡­¡¯. As it turned out, every item found in the Store had been created out of the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s powers . It was basically magic, where one would create something with Mana So, the theory went that, since he had inherited the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s powers, Jin-Woo should be able to create the same types of items as long as he willed it, but¡­ He quietly closed his eyes and began picturing the healing potion inside his head . When he did, he could pick up the movement of Mana ¡®Concentrate, concentrate¡­ . ¡¯. Unfortunately, Mana busily moving around failed to gather and coagulate before scattering away in the air . It was a failure Jin-Woo spat out a sigh and opened his eyes again . It seemed that the threshold of creating something out of magic was still out of reach for him, for now ¡®I guess I need to practice for a bit longer . ¡¯. It was then The smartphone resting on top of his desk began vibrating and issued the ¡®du-du-du¡¯ noise ¨C ¡°Seong Hunter-nim, it¡¯s Woo Jin-Cheol speaking . ¡±. ¡°Hello . What can I do for you?¡±. Jin-Woo settled down on his bed and answered the call Woo Jin-Cheol must¡¯ve been working day and night, thanks to the mass-scale incidents that kept happening one after another, because his voice came across as a bit hoarse on the phone ¨C ¡°Excuse me, Hunter-nim¡­ If it¡¯s not too much trouble, may I ask you to come to the Association today?¡±. The estimated time for the dungeon break was literally right around the corner . From the perspective of the Association, they would¡¯ve liked to get some advice from Jin-Woo, arguably the core combat force of the upcoming raid Since Jin-Woo didn¡¯t have anything on his schedule anyway, he agreed to it without hesitation ¡°I shall see you there . ¡±. Click He ended the call and got ready to leave, but then, Igrit abruptly addressed him [My liege . ]. ¡®Mm?¡¯. Jin-Woo was yet to get used to Igrit¡¯s voice . Still, he paid attention to the black knight¡¯s trademark heavy and courteous tone [There is something I¡¯d like to speak to you about . ]. ***. Next day Every TV station around the world stopped with their regular programming to broadcast live the unfolding situation in Seoul Some stations chose to broadcast the situation as it unfolded in the regular news format, while some others invited experts in the field and asked for their opinions One of the largest broadcasters in the States, ¡®Hunter Channel¡¯ went with the latter route and had invited experts in The broadcast soon got underway; one of the experts spoke in clear reminiscence as they looked at the live footage of the Hunters completely filling up the Gate¡¯s location ¡°Do you know how long it has been since that many Hunters from various countries have gathered in one spot?¡±. The emcee smiled and replied ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ . Since Guilds with different nationalities join forces together to go on raids often, I¡¯m guessing that it must¡¯ve been pretty recent . ¡±. The expert shook his head ¡°It¡¯s been over eight years . Eight . And it¡¯s now approaching the ninth year mark now . ¡±. Eight years Everyone watching the broadcast heard those words and immediately recalled the gigantic monster that terrorised humanity back then . The emcee wasn¡¯t an exception, either ¡°You say eight years¡­ . Are you saying that this spectacle would be the very first time since the ¡®Kamish¡¯ raid?¡±. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct . This would be the first time that Hunters from five different nations or more got together, post-Kamish raid . ¡±. Back then, the greatest Hunters alive from every corner of the globe stepped up to aid the United States of America, only to be annihilated and out of hundreds of them participating, only five managed to survive . They then became the ¡®Special Authority-rank¡¯ Hunters To all those countries that had lost their top Hunters, that day¡¯s losses were indeed incredibly difficult to bear ¡°Ever since that day, every nation refrained from interfering in the problems of other nations . ¡±. That would be an obvious result . No one alive would¡¯ve wanted to see the Hunters from their own countries lose their lives for another country Sure, there had been infrequent occurrences of Guilds from different nations joining hands for their mutual benefits, but this many Hunters gathering together in such a huge scale to aid another country would be a very rare thing to see ¡°In that case, Doctor, could you possibly be saying that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo from South Korea will bring together the world¡¯s Hunters, torn apart by the entrance of the Dragon Kamish?¡±. ¡°That is correct . ¡±. Perhaps finding the long-winded explanation rather laborious, the expert took a deep breath first before continuing on afterwards ¡°It all started with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo solving the calamity of Japan¡¯s dungeon break . ¡±. Before that happened, though, Japan stepped up to help out with the problem on Jeju Island, but as everyone knew, the result of that venture was a complete disaster If the story ended there, then that would only add weight to the opinion that one shouldn¡¯t be interfering with the problems of other countries . However, everything was turned on its head after Jin-Woo stepped up to eliminate the Giants that had made their appearance in Japan Even though there was the historical baggage between the two countries, as well as the dastardly scheme Japan¡¯s Association had cooked up, a Korean Hunter still willingly rolled up his sleeves to aid his neighbours, didn¡¯t he?. ¡°Most likely, all the gratitude and admiration the Japanese citizens feel towards him can¡¯t be put into mere words . ¡±. Japan was able to survive the crisis all thanks to Jin-Woo¡¯s aid . With that, the unwritten rule of not interfering with another country¡¯s matter, in order to protect their own Hunters, had been broken for the first time What he did was to instil the sense of confidence of ¡®I can do this¡¯ into the Hunters . And a few days ago¡­ ¡°Everyone watching the scenes of Hunter Thomas Andre falling must¡¯ve sensed it then . ¡±. Which living Hunter would be able to stop those monsters?. ¡°And Hunter Seong Jin-Woo showed them what the answer was . ¡±. However, the next problem facing them seemingly featured an even higher difficulty . If Hunter Seong Jin-Woo fell, then who out there would be capable of stopping the calamity?. Although there was a thin smile on his face, the emcee couldn¡¯t form an answer to that query . The expert answered for him, instead ¡°There¡¯s no one . Indeed, there is no one capable . In other words, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is the final line . If he falls, then everything will end . ¡±. At that moment, many countries thinking that the super-massive Gate floating in the skies above Seoul was South Korea¡¯s problem only, quickly came to a realisation If the Koreans couldn¡¯t stop that Gate, then next would be North Korea, then either China or Russia, and eventually, the rest of the world . Now, the super-massive Gate had become the common enemy of the entire world This was the result achieved by a lone Hunter from Asia The expert was about to explain that they needed to overcome this upcoming calamity first if that result was to proudly bear its fruit . However, at that moment¡­. ¡°Ahh! Look, just now!¡±. The emcee had been listening attentively to what the expert was saying but he saw the urgent prompts from the director and jumped up from his seat The gazes of the experts quickly shifted over to the live feed, as well The live footage now displayed the super-massive Gate opening its maws wide ¡°Oh, my god¡­ . ¡±. Everyone present within the studio became utterly speechless from the imagery that easily surpassed their imaginations ***. The air began trembling Tens of thousands of Hunters surrounding the spot just below the Gate held their breaths and waited . This was a memorable spectacle, this sight of countless Hunters waiting for one single moment to happen The close-quarter type Hunters quietly waited for their turns, while those capable of attacking at long distances got ready to fling out pre-emptive strikes at a moment¡¯s notice Arrows laden with magical energy and various spells ready to be cast were aimed at the sky Taut tension filled up the atmosphere And then¡­ Whenever the gazes of these Hunters stopped glaring at the Gate above and lowered to the ground, they would all look at one place without fail . That would be Jin-Woo¡¯s back Standing at the furthest front, Jin-Woo was glaring up at the sky with a sombre expression With every passing second, the dungeon break was approaching closer and closer . He could sense their aura now Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump The Black Heart, replacing his destroyed human heart, powerfully pulsed within his chest to let him know of the current situation Of course, the hearts of other Hunters were pounding away restlessly, as well . It was all because of the nervousness seemingly oppressing everything However, the emotion Jin-Woo was feeling at the moment was quite different from theirs . He was doing his best not to lose his composure and waited for the approaching final hour Hae-In, standing next to him, saw his expression and whispered to him ¡°I think it¡¯s my first time seeing you so tense like this, Mister Jin-Woo . ¡±. ¡°Really?¡±. Jin-Woo smirked to let her know that it was nothing . Hae-In also formed a light smile as a reply and looked back at the Gate while unsheathing her blade . She too had sensed that the beginning of the life-or-death battle was here ¡®Soon¡­ . ¡¯. However, she was mistaken about something Jin-Woo placed his hand on his chest and silently closed his eyes . He felt the pounding of his heart . The emotion welling up in his chest was neither nervousness nor terror . No, it was excitement ¡°T-they are coming!¡±. ¡°The Gate¡¯s been opened!!¡±. Finally, the Gate began opening up The wall separating this world and the Gate disappeared and certain ¡®things¡¯ staying within finally began pouring out in endless droves . These creatures completely blotted out the sky in no time at all The Hunters below became completely dumbfounded by the number of descending creatures that seemed to be at least over one hundred thousand ¡°But, how¡­ how can that many monsters¡­ at the same time?!¡±. ¡°There, there are just too many!!!¡±. Gasps and screams thick with despair exploded out from here and there All those ¡®certain things¡¯ must¡¯ve been under the influence of gravity-reduction magic, because they all landed on the ground very slowly ¡°Attack! Hurry, attack!¡±. ¡°Everyone, attack!¡±. Before those things land on the ground, they should try to reduce their numbers, at least by a little bit . Hunters sensed that their opportunity was here and began making their moves Magic spells ready to cast gleamed brightly from their hands and bowstrings aimed at the sky were all pulled taut . Tankers raised their shields up right near their chins to get ready for close-quarters combat with those descending things But then, before the concentrated firepower from the Hunters could pour out, Jin-Woo loudly yelled out [Nobody move!]. Jin-Woo¡¯s will, carried by Mana, was clearly transmitted to even those Hunters who didn¡¯t know any Korean . And it made everyone stop what they were doing ¡®But, why?¡¯. ¡®Why did he stop us from attacking?¡¯. Even though tens of thousands of Hunters were staring at him with eyes that screamed, ¡®I don¡¯t understand¡¯, Jin-Woo simply repeated what he said [Everyone, don¡¯t move . ]. Woo Jin-Cheol watching from the distance hurriedly wiped the sweat off his forehead If they don¡¯t attack now, then those creatures would land safely on the ground . When the battle breaks out in that situation, the Hunters out in front could get sucked into the attacks fired from the back Meaning, incidents of them worrying about the friendly fire would happen when they were already in a numerical disadvantage One of the subordinate Hunters working for the Association quickly approached Woo Jin-Cheol and looked at his boss with a worried expression ¡°Association President¡­ . ¡±. It was now time to make his decision . His head screamed at him to send out the word to start attacking, but in the end, Woo Jin-Cheol decided to trust Jin-Woo ¡°Everyone, do not fire!¡±. ¡°Do not fire!!¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol was put in charge of commanding the Hunters . So, rather understandably, they became quite dazed and lowered their hands when he began telling them not to attack ¡®Just what are they thinking now?¡¯. ¡®They want to engage those things on the ground instead of hitting them first with ranged attacks? Against that many monsters???¡¯. As confusion and terror began whipping up around the battlefield¡­ Eventually, those creatures landed on the ground The number of black monsters completely filling up the sights of the Hunters were so great that one¡¯s mind would grow faint just from the sheer scale From the gathered swarm of monsters, one particular being began walking out towards them . Jin-Woo, too, stepped forward Just what was going to happen from here onwards?. Hunters couldn¡¯t even breathe properly and closely watched Jin-Woo ¡®¡­¡­¡¯. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯. Jin-Woo stopped walking, and the ¡®monster¡¯ also stopped walking as well And then¡­ The ¡®monster¡¯ looking at Jin-Woo suddenly knelt down on the ground . And at that moment, the soldiers behind it also knelt down at the same time Chut The spectacle of a hundred thousand-plus soldiers bowing their heads at the same time carried an incredible, overwhelming shock value After a short bout of silence passed, the ¡®monster¡¯ kneeling right out in front raised its head and spoke [Grand-Marshal Bellion, here to humbly greet the Sovereign with his Shadow Army . ]. < Chapter 226 > Fin Chapter 227 Fifty thousand or so Hunters from all corners of the globe, here to defend against the super-massive Gate, watched dazedly as the black monsters began kneeling before Jin-Woo . ¡°Jesus¡­ . . ¡± This sea of soldiers wrapped in black armour or black smoke seemed to go on forever . Every single one of these creatures possessed an incredible amount of magical energy, but there was something else that made the gathered Hunters doubt their own eyes even more . ¡°T-that, that, that! Could that be?!¡± ¡°Right at the end there, you see what¡¯s right at the end there, right?¡± ¡°¡­ . . Yeah, I can see it . ¡± Hunters pointed to the back of this army of black soldiers, their complexions paling greatly . More specifically, they were pointing to the three black Dragons at the back of the army who were obediently lowering their heads before their owner, as if they were house-trained pets or some such . The gathered Hunters were now rendered completely speechless after discovering those Dragons being the part of the line-up of these black soldiers . The Dragon that appeared for the first, and last, time in human history had been ¡®Kamish¡¯ . That one creature alone managed to wipe out almost every single elite Hunter alive back then, and the whole world was in danger of being thrust into a horrifying conflagration of destruction . Seriously now, would people begin calling that Dragon with a name carrying the meaning of ¡®undying flames¡¯ for no good reason? And so ¨C only one such creature was enough to threaten the very existence of the human race, yet there were three of them now . It couldn¡¯t be helped that the Hunters gathered here to fight these things felt as if all of their energy was quickly abandoning them . Just what would have happened if they decided to clash against this army? Hunters imagined the potential combat situation against these black monsters currently in bowing positions and felt goosebumps rapidly spread throughout their bodies next . And at the same time, they grew really curious about the real identity of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, standing before them as if it was the most obvious thing in the world . Jin-Woo swept his gaze over the Grand-Marshal Bellion and the seemingly endless number of Shadow Soldiers kneeling behind their leader . ¡®So, this is the real Shadow Army¡­ . ¡¯ What Igrit said was right . His black knight asked for an audience and spoke to Jin-Woo in his usual dignified manner yesterday . [My liege, the Shadow Army has concluded all of their preparations . ] Jin-Woo needed a bit of time to completely digest those words . That¡¯s how surprising it was to him . That was why he was in a dilemma . He knew better than anyone here regarding the matters with the Sovereigns and the Rulers, as well as the truth behind the Gates . But the thing was, he himself wasn¡¯t certain about the overall narrative, so there was no way he¡¯d be able to convincingly explain what was happening here to everyone else . No, it was an impossibly tall order to convince every one of these Hunters coming from all over the world to stop the Gate before it turned into the worst calamity in human history . And also¡­ . In the one-in-ten-thousand case, no, make that one in ten million chance that Igrit¡¯s information was faulty, could he be able to handle the fallout from that? That was why Jin-Woo decided to wait . He decided not to make up his mind until he could confirm the truth with his own eyes first, and waited until the Gate opened up . And the result of that was now kneeling before his eyes . Jin-Woo inwardly swallowed his saliva and scanned his soldiers . Although he was not responsible for raising these soldiers, he could still sense that every single one of them was connected to him . It was a complicated network, connected like a spiderweb . And through this network, the level of sheer joy they felt at reuniting with their master was fully transmitted to him . ¡®This is the inheritance the former Shadow Sovereign had given to me¡­ . ¡¯ These creatures were all swearing their loyalty to their new master . Just like how quickly their hearts were racing, Jin-Woo¡¯s own chest was as well, now filled up with powerful emotions . That¡¯s right . He took a brief look at the Dragons at the back before returning his gaze to the front of the army . The Grand-Marshal Bellion . This guy certainly possessed a suitable amount of dignity and strength, fitting for the title he carried . There was a trace of torn-off wings on the back of his armour, though . ¡®Two pairs of wings¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo recalled that regular silver-clad soldiers possessed a pair of wings, while the Rulers had six wings, and from that fact, he could roughly estimate the level of Bellion¡¯s capability . Jin-Woo focused his sensory perception and the light within his eyes gleamed brightly . With that, he could take a gander at the truly humongous reserve of magical energy the Grand-Marshal chose to hide because of the presence of his liege . ¡®As expected¡­ . ¡¯ Because he possessed this much power, he was indeed qualified to lead a Shadow Army that contained even Dragons . Jin-Woo raised his head . The Shadow Army . The king wishing to go to war had finally regained his soldiers . Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump . Jin-Woo took a long, hard look at his soldiers as his heart raced faster and faster . The thing was, those kneeling before him weren¡¯t the only Shadow Army, now were they? If these guys were the soldiers that belonged to the former Shadow Sovereign ¡®Osborne¡¯, then Jin-Woo too possessed his own loyal soldiers, as well . ¡®Come out . ¡¯ Even more Shadow Soldiers materialised from behind Jin-Woo at his beckoning . Their numbers had already ballooned to near two thousand by now . Beru, Igrit, Greed, No . 6, Fangs, Iron, Jima, Tank, etc . , all filled up the space behind Jin-Woo . And then¡­ . Chut . ¡­ . They too knelt down and lowered their heads, just like the Shadow Soldiers that came out from the massive Gate . Every single Shadow Soldier, surrounding him from both sides, swore their allegiances in silence . Jin-Woo nodded his head . Finally, the separated Shadow Army had become whole . A powerful force capable of standing up against the enemies and their armies had been completed . Things seemed to be unfolding quite smoothly right now . However, Jin-Woo could feel quite a few gazes flying in his direction, stabbing him rather painfully on his neck, and he just had to take a look behind him . ¡®¡­¡­ . . ¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­ . . ¡¯ That¡¯s where he discovered tens of thousands of Hunters standing there staring at him, along with hundreds of reporters risking their lives to record the historic battle that was supposed to take place here . Understandably, all of them were sporting the same sort of expression that screamed, ¡°Just what the hell is going on here??¡± ¡®Okay, so now¡­ . ¡¯ As a sort of reply to their frozen-stiff expressions, Jin-Woo formed an awkward smile . ¡®¡­ . How am I supposed to explain this?¡¯ *** Quite obviously, the whole world was in an uproar . Well, every single monster emerging from the super-massive Gate started kneeling before Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, and this shocking scene was broadcast live to the entire world, so the pandemonium breaking out was rather understandable . Viewers were watching on with anxiety and dread as the Gate opened up, so it was quite hard for them to drag themselves out from the pit of heady mental shock, akin to someone smacking them unexpectedly in the back of their noggins . Pretty much every single online community went into a heated frenzy over this matter . ¨C What the freak? Those black monsters just now, just what the f*ck happened? Is anyone capable of explaining this sh*t? ¨C Don¡¯t tell me, all those monsters are Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s summons???? ©¸ Horsesh*t¡­ . I heard from somewhere that well over a hundred thousand monsters came out from that Gate . ©¸ What the hell . How can summons pop out from a Gate? You should start spewing things that make sense . ©¸ Oh? Why don¡¯t you, good sir, enlighten us, the ignorant masses, then? ©¸ First of all, they all look exactly like Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s summons, don¡¯t they? But still, how can summons come out of a Gate? Many displayed the reactions of disbelief, but there were also a few who viewed the incident in a different light . ¨C Still, isn¡¯t it a relief that those monsters weren¡¯t our enemies? ©¸ For real . ?? . ©¸ If they were, we¡¯d all be dead by now . I saw an interview and they say there were three Dragons in the horde, too . ©¸ Three Dragons LOLOLOL So f*cking crazy . LOLOL ©¸ Kamish comes out, sees them, he be like, ¡°Nope¡±, goes away ROFL ©¸ What are you even talking about? Kamish died almost nine years ago, so how can that thing come out and goes away again? ©¸ The commenter above mine, whoooosh . You must be a delight in dinner parties . ¨C Argh, this sh*t is driving me nuts . Seriously, man¡­ . I wish Hunter Seong Jin-Woo just comes out clean and tells us what happened¡­ . Meanwhile, TV stations continued to repeatedly broadcast the same shocking scenes from back then, and did their best to analyse and come to a suitable conjecture . Unfortunately, there were no experts on this planet capable of convincingly explaining away the event of summoned creatures, not monsters, that belonged to a single person and even contained Dragons, coming out from a Gate boasting an unprecedented size . ¡°Huh-uh¡­ . ¡± ¡°As to figure out how something like that can happen, even I¡­ . ¡± ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± Every single one of them was at a loss and could only shake their heads . They even spat out astonished gasps at the recorded footage of a hundred thousand-plus summoned creatures kneeling before Jin-Woo played over and over again . Anyone could tell that was the sight of those creatures acknowledging who their master was . Some quarters in the world even raised the idea of calling Jin-Woo with a nickname of ¡®Demon King¡¯ because of that memorable scene alone . Indeed, Jin-Woo was emitting the kind of manly aura befitting the title of ¡®Demon King¡¯ as he was being surrounded by all those black soldiers . Soon, experts collectively defined this incident as¡­ . ¡­ . A miracle . ¡°Although this event unfolded in a shocking and unexpected manner, there is little doubt the end result is a fortunate one for all of us . ¡± ¡°It¡¯s fortunate, you say?¡± ¡°Can you see how many monsters, no, summons there are on screen right now?¡± The expert pointed towards the Shadow Army displayed on the screen . Beyond Jin-Woo standing before them, one could see a nearly-infinite number of soldiers busy bowing their heads . The emcee didn¡¯t think too deeply about it as he began counting with his eyes before dry saliva automatically slid down his throat from that outrageous number on display . One didn¡¯t even need to bring up the fact that there were three Dragons included in this army . That was how horrifying the overall number was . ¡°If our Hunters were to fight those things, then it would no longer have been the issue of whether we¡¯d win or lose . No, the remainder of humanity would have been counting the hours until those creatures get to the other side of the planet and completely exterminate us, instead . ¡± The emcee¡¯s head nodded all by itself . ¡°Fortunately, they are summoned creatures of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . And it seems that he can control them just fine . ¡± Regrettably, though ¨C that remained a conjecture at this stage . ¡°Only Hunter Seong Jin-Woo knows the truth . ¡± That was where the expert ended his explanation . With rather excellent timing, the screen now displayed the very last scene from that event, the one responsible for causing everyone to be so astonished like this . ¡°Right here, this moment . ¡± Jin-Woo was taking a sweeping look at the other Hunters before he literally slid into his own shadow and disappeared without a trace . That¡¯s how he vanished from everyone¡¯s sight . The emcee helplessly shook his head before adjusting his glasses and continued on . ¡°The protagonist of this chaos, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo ¨C just where could he be right now?¡± The Korean Hunter¡¯s Association was inundated with telephone inquiries, lodged seemingly by the entire world . Their only reply so far had been, ¡°We don¡¯t know, either . ¡± That, though, was like adding fuel to the already burning flames of interest for the event the world had laser-focused onto . The emcee stared straight into the camera with a still-excited face and addressed the viewers at home . ¡°We can only pray that he returns as soon as possible to clarify all the questions that continue to burn a hole in our heads . ¡± *** Jin-Woo put aside the curiosity of many, many people for the time being and made his way to the sea of trees in Japan . This vast expense of abandoned land was just about the perfect place to observe the movements of the entire Shadow Army . Jin-Woo stood at a far distance, while the 130,000 plus army was split in two and stood on either side of a vast field . ¡®Start . ¡¯ He issued his order inwardly, prompting the two columns of armies to powerfully rush towards each other . Dududududududu-!! The sounds of their feet pounding on the ground seemed to rock the earth . The distance between the two columns of rushing soldiers closed up in an instant, and just before they were about to clash head-on¡­ . ¡­ . Jin-Woo shifted the platoons that fell behind in the rush right behind the other column and had them surround the opponents in this mock battle . Was that all? In a location where there was a shortage of soldiers, he sent reinforcements . When some soldiers were left isolated, he simply unsummoned them and brought them back out in an adequate-enough location . The smoothness of his actions was like a river flowing to the ocean . Deployment and manipulation of soldiers based on the experiences of battles he fought so far also applied to this hundred thousand-strong great army, as well . ¡°That¡¯s enough . ¡± Jin-Woo spoke in a soft voice but that was still enough for the Shadow Soldiers to hear his will . They all came to a standstill in an instant . Chack! Their movements were in perfect synchronisation . After stopping this mock battle, Jin-Woo took a look to his side . ¡°So, what do you think?¡± The Grand-Marshal Bellion spoke in an amazed, admiring tone of voice . ¡°I¡¯ve never thought about mobilising the forces in this manner . I can only express the emotions of awe and shock, my liege . ¡± It seemed that, to Bellion, controlling the combatants in this manner was a fresh concept to mull over, even though he had roamed countless battlefields with the former Shadow Sovereign . Especially the part about utilising the aspect of freely summoning and un-summoning Shadow Soldiers ¨C that part left him with quite a pleasant surprise . Igrit had been with Jin-Woo since the beginning and was perhaps the most familiar with how their master fought, so he proudly opened up his chest just a little bit wider . Jin-Woo smirked softly while watching the black knight and his growing nose for a bit . He had to stop and pick up his phone, though, when the device suddenly went off noisily inside his pocket . Vuwooo¡­ Vuwoooo¡­ . ¨C ¡°Hyung-nim, it¡¯s me, Jin-Ho . ¡± ¡°Hey . What¡¯s up . ¡± According to Yu Jin-Ho, calls inundated not just the Association but the Ah-Jin Guild as well after Jin-Woo went and disappeared on everyone without saying a word, leading to the phone lines temporarily breaking down . ¡°¡­ . My bad . Can you hold on for a bit longer until I properly organise my thoughts first?¡± ¨C ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, hyung-nim . Didn¡¯t we establish this Guild so that you can focus on doing raids without being harassed by stuff like these?¡± After hearing Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s smiling voice coming out of the phone, Jin-Woo also formed a smile . ¨C ¡°Ah, by the way . Have you called your family yet, hyung-nim?¡± ¡°Yeah . I told them I¡¯ll be home after cooling my head a little bit . ¡± ¨C ¡°Well, in that case, they should be less worried about you . That¡¯s a relief, hyung-nim . ¡± Jin-Woo pocketed the phone after ending the call, but a heavy, lengthy sigh slowly escaped from his mouth as he did so . He knew that he shouldn¡¯t be avoiding ¡®it¡¯ like this . However, in order to explain the Gates and his Shadow Soldiers, then naturally, he had to speak about the matters of the Sovereigns and Rulers, as well . Soon, soldiers of the Sovereigns would pour out from the eight remaining Gates . How was he to go about telling others that the entire world would be turned into a fierce, bloody battlefield? In order to give himself some time to think, he simply had to get away from there . He thought that this was for the best . Just a little bit longer . He wanted humanity to enjoy peace even for a little bit longer . ¡®I¡¯m sure I can delay this for a few more days . ¡¯ Jin-Woo kept telling himself this; meanwhile, Beru sneaked closer to him and spoke in a serious voice . He had been rather quiet for some reason lately, though? ¡°Oh, my king¡­ . ¡± ¡°Mm?¡± Jin-Woo turned around to look at Beru kneeling on the ground, his head lowered deeply towards the ground as he opened his mouth . ¡°I beg of thee to bestow unto me an opportunity to compete for the position of the Grand-Marshal . ¡± ¡°The position of the Grand-Marshal, you say?¡± But, didn¡¯t they already have a Grand-Marshal? Jin-Woo felt puzzled by this, before abruptly recalling the System¡¯s information on the highest grade of Shadow Soldiers available . ¡®In that case, could he be¡­ . ?¡¯ Sure enough ¨C Beru raised his head . ¡°As a Marshal of the army, I¡¯d like to challenge the Grand-Marshal Bellion . ¡± < Chapter 227 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 227: Chapter 227 Fifty thousand or so Hunters from all corners of the globe, here to defend against the super-massive Gate, watched dazedly as the black monsters began kneeling before Jin-Woo ¡°Jesus¡­ ¡±. This sea of soldiers wrapped in black armour or black smoke seemed to go on forever . Every single one of these creatures possessed an incredible amount of magical energy, but there was something else that made the gathered Hunters doubt their own eyes even more ¡°T-that, that, that! Could that be?!¡±. ¡°Right at the end there, you see what¡¯s right at the end there, right?¡±. ¡°¡­ Yeah, I can see it . ¡±. Hunters pointed to the back of this army of black soldiers, their complexions paling greatly . More specifically, they were pointing to the three black Dragons at the back of the army who were obediently lowering their heads before their owner, as if they were house-trained pets or some such The gathered Hunters were now rendered completely speechless after discovering those Dragons being the part of the line-up of these black soldiers The Dragon that appeared for the first, and last, time in human history had been ¡®Kamish¡¯ . That one creature alone managed to wipe out almost every single elite Hunter alive back then, and the whole world was in danger of being thrust into a horrifying conflagration of destruction Seriously now, would people begin calling that Dragon with a name carrying the meaning of ¡®undying flames¡¯ for no good reason?. And so ¨C only one such creature was enough to threaten the very existence of the human race, yet there were three of them now . It couldn¡¯t be helped that the Hunters gathered here to fight these things felt as if all of their energy was quickly abandoning them Just what would have happened if they decided to clash against this army? Hunters imagined the potential combat situation against these black monsters currently in bowing positions and felt goosebumps rapidly spread throughout their bodies next And at the same time, they grew really curious about the real identity of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, standing before them as if it was the most obvious thing in the world Jin-Woo swept his gaze over the Grand-Marshal Bellion and the seemingly endless number of Shadow Soldiers kneeling behind their leader ¡®So, this is the real Shadow Army¡­ . ¡¯. What Igrit said was right His black knight asked for an audience and spoke to Jin-Woo in his usual dignified manner yesterday [My liege, the Shadow Army has concluded all of their preparations . ]. Jin-Woo needed a bit of time to completely digest those words . That¡¯s how surprising it was to him That was why he was in a dilemma He knew better than anyone here regarding the matters with the Sovereigns and the Rulers, as well as the truth behind the Gates . But the thing was, he himself wasn¡¯t certain about the overall narrative, so there was no way he¡¯d be able to convincingly explain what was happening here to everyone else No, it was an impossibly tall order to convince every one of these Hunters coming from all over the world to stop the Gate before it turned into the worst calamity in human history And also¡­ In the one-in-ten-thousand case, no, make that one in ten million chance that Igrit¡¯s information was faulty, could he be able to handle the fallout from that?. That was why Jin-Woo decided to wait He decided not to make up his mind until he could confirm the truth with his own eyes first, and waited until the Gate opened up . And the result of that was now kneeling before his eyes Jin-Woo inwardly swallowed his saliva and scanned his soldiers . Although he was not responsible for raising these soldiers, he could still sense that every single one of them was connected to him It was a complicated network, connected like a spiderweb . And through this network, the level of sheer joy they felt at reuniting with their master was fully transmitted to him ¡®This is the inheritance the former Shadow Sovereign had given to me¡­ . ¡¯. These creatures were all swearing their loyalty to their new master . Just like how quickly their hearts were racing, Jin-Woo¡¯s own chest was as well, now filled up with powerful emotions That¡¯s right He took a brief look at the Dragons at the back before returning his gaze to the front of the army The Grand-Marshal Bellion This guy certainly possessed a suitable amount of dignity and strength, fitting for the title he carried . There was a trace of torn-off wings on the back of his armour, though ¡®Two pairs of wings¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo recalled that regular silver-clad soldiers possessed a pair of wings, while the Rulers had six wings, and from that fact, he could roughly estimate the level of Bellion¡¯s capability Jin-Woo focused his sensory perception and the light within his eyes gleamed brightly With that, he could take a gander at the truly humongous reserve of magical energy the Grand-Marshal chose to hide because of the presence of his liege ¡®As expected¡­ . ¡¯. Because he possessed this much power, he was indeed qualified to lead a Shadow Army that contained even Dragons Jin-Woo raised his head The Shadow Army . The king wishing to go to war had finally regained his soldiers Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump Jin-Woo took a long, hard look at his soldiers as his heart raced faster and faster . The thing was, those kneeling before him weren¡¯t the only Shadow Army, now were they?. If these guys were the soldiers that belonged to the former Shadow Sovereign ¡®Osborne¡¯, then Jin-Woo too possessed his own loyal soldiers, as well ¡®Come out . ¡¯. Even more Shadow Soldiers materialised from behind Jin-Woo at his beckoning . Their numbers had already ballooned to near two thousand by now Beru, Igrit, Greed, No . 6, Fangs, Iron, Jima, Tank, etc . , all filled up the space behind Jin-Woo . And then¡­ Chut ¡­ . They too knelt down and lowered their heads, just like the Shadow Soldiers that came out from the massive Gate . Every single Shadow Soldier, surrounding him from both sides, swore their allegiances in silence Jin-Woo nodded his head Finally, the separated Shadow Army had become whole A powerful force capable of standing up against the enemies and their armies had been completed . Things seemed to be unfolding quite smoothly right now However, Jin-Woo could feel quite a few gazes flying in his direction, stabbing him rather painfully on his neck, and he just had to take a look behind him ¡®¡­¡­ ¡¯. ¡®¡­¡­ ¡¯. That¡¯s where he discovered tens of thousands of Hunters standing there staring at him, along with hundreds of reporters risking their lives to record the historic battle that was supposed to take place here Understandably, all of them were sporting the same sort of expression that screamed, ¡°Just what the hell is going on here??¡±. ¡®Okay, so now¡­ . ¡¯. As a sort of reply to their frozen-stiff expressions, Jin-Woo formed an awkward smile ¡®¡­ . How am I supposed to explain this?¡¯. ***. Quite obviously, the whole world was in an uproar Well, every single monster emerging from the super-massive Gate started kneeling before Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, and this shocking scene was broadcast live to the entire world, so the pandemonium breaking out was rather understandable Viewers were watching on with anxiety and dread as the Gate opened up, so it was quite hard for them to drag themselves out from the pit of heady mental shock, akin to someone smacking them unexpectedly in the back of their noggins Pretty much every single online community went into a heated frenzy over this matter ¨C What the freak? Those black monsters just now, just what the f*ck happened? Is anyone capable of explaining this sh*t?. ¨C Don¡¯t tell me, all those monsters are Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s summons????. ©¸ Horsesh*t¡­ . I heard from somewhere that well over a hundred thousand monsters came out from that Gate ©¸ What the hell . How can summons pop out from a Gate? You should start spewing things that make sense ©¸ Oh? Why don¡¯t you, good sir, enlighten us, the ignorant masses, then?. ©¸ First of all, they all look exactly like Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s summons, don¡¯t they? But still, how can summons come out of a Gate?. Many displayed the reactions of disbelief, but there were also a few who viewed the incident in a different light ¨C Still, isn¡¯t it a relief that those monsters weren¡¯t our enemies?. ©¸ For real . ?? ©¸ If they were, we¡¯d all be dead by now . I saw an interview and they say there were three Dragons in the horde, too ©¸ Three Dragons LOLOLOL So f*cking crazy . LOLOL. ©¸ Kamish comes out, sees them, he be like, ¡°Nope¡±, goes away ROFL. ©¸ What are you even talking about? Kamish died almost nine years ago, so how can that thing come out and goes away again?. ©¸ The commenter above mine, whoooosh . You must be a delight in dinner parties ¨C Argh, this sh*t is driving me nuts . Seriously, man¡­ . I wish Hunter Seong Jin-Woo just comes out clean and tells us what happened¡­ Meanwhile, TV stations continued to repeatedly broadcast the same shocking scenes from back then, and did their best to analyse and come to a suitable conjecture Unfortunately, there were no experts on this planet capable of convincingly explaining away the event of summoned creatures, not monsters, that belonged to a single person and even contained Dragons, coming out from a Gate boasting an unprecedented size ¡°Huh-uh¡­ . ¡±. ¡°As to figure out how something like that can happen, even I¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Mhmm¡­¡±. Every single one of them was at a loss and could only shake their heads . They even spat out astonished gasps at the recorded footage of a hundred thousand-plus summoned creatures kneeling before Jin-Woo played over and over again Anyone could tell that was the sight of those creatures acknowledging who their master was . Some quarters in the world even raised the idea of calling Jin-Woo with a nickname of ¡®Demon King¡¯ because of that memorable scene alone Indeed, Jin-Woo was emitting the kind of manly aura befitting the title of ¡®Demon King¡¯ as he was being surrounded by all those black soldiers Soon, experts collectively defined this incident as¡­ ¡­ . A miracle ¡°Although this event unfolded in a shocking and unexpected manner, there is little doubt the end result is a fortunate one for all of us . ¡±. ¡°It¡¯s fortunate, you say?¡±. ¡°Can you see how many monsters, no, summons there are on screen right now?¡±. The expert pointed towards the Shadow Army displayed on the screen . Beyond Jin-Woo standing before them, one could see a nearly-infinite number of soldiers busy bowing their heads The emcee didn¡¯t think too deeply about it as he began counting with his eyes before dry saliva automatically slid down his throat from that outrageous number on display One didn¡¯t even need to bring up the fact that there were three Dragons included in this army . That was how horrifying the overall number was ¡°If our Hunters were to fight those things, then it would no longer have been the issue of whether we¡¯d win or lose . No, the remainder of humanity would have been counting the hours until those creatures get to the other side of the planet and completely exterminate us, instead . ¡±. The emcee¡¯s head nodded all by itself ¡°Fortunately, they are summoned creatures of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . And it seems that he can control them just fine . ¡±. Regrettably, though ¨C that remained a conjecture at this stage ¡°Only Hunter Seong Jin-Woo knows the truth . ¡±. That was where the expert ended his explanation . With rather excellent timing, the screen now displayed the very last scene from that event, the one responsible for causing everyone to be so astonished like this ¡°Right here, this moment . ¡±. Jin-Woo was taking a sweeping look at the other Hunters before he literally slid into his own shadow and disappeared without a trace That¡¯s how he vanished from everyone¡¯s sight The emcee helplessly shook his head before adjusting his glasses and continued on ¡°The protagonist of this chaos, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo ¨C just where could he be right now?¡±. The Korean Hunter¡¯s Association was inundated with telephone inquiries, lodged seemingly by the entire world . Their only reply so far had been, ¡°We don¡¯t know, either . ¡±. That, though, was like adding fuel to the already burning flames of interest for the event the world had laser-focused onto . The emcee stared straight into the camera with a still-excited face and addressed the viewers at home ¡°We can only pray that he returns as soon as possible to clarify all the questions that continue to burn a hole in our heads . ¡±. ***. Jin-Woo put aside the curiosity of many, many people for the time being and made his way to the sea of trees in Japan . This vast expense of abandoned land was just about the perfect place to observe the movements of the entire Shadow Army Jin-Woo stood at a far distance, while the 130,000 plus army was split in two and stood on either side of a vast field ¡®Start . ¡¯. He issued his order inwardly, prompting the two columns of armies to powerfully rush towards each other Dududududududu-!!. The sounds of their feet pounding on the ground seemed to rock the earth . The distance between the two columns of rushing soldiers closed up in an instant, and just before they were about to clash head-on¡­ ¡­ . Jin-Woo shifted the platoons that fell behind in the rush right behind the other column and had them surround the opponents in this mock battle Was that all?. In a location where there was a shortage of soldiers, he sent reinforcements . When some soldiers were left isolated, he simply unsummoned them and brought them back out in an adequate-enough location . The smoothness of his actions was like a river flowing to the ocean Deployment and manipulation of soldiers based on the experiences of battles he fought so far also applied to this hundred thousand-strong great army, as well ¡°That¡¯s enough . ¡±. Jin-Woo spoke in a soft voice but that was still enough for the Shadow Soldiers to hear his will . They all came to a standstill in an instant Chack!. Their movements were in perfect synchronisation . After stopping this mock battle, Jin-Woo took a look to his side ¡°So, what do you think?¡±. The Grand-Marshal Bellion spoke in an amazed, admiring tone of voice ¡°I¡¯ve never thought about mobilising the forces in this manner . I can only express the emotions of awe and shock, my liege . ¡±. It seemed that, to Bellion, controlling the combatants in this manner was a fresh concept to mull over, even though he had roamed countless battlefields with the former Shadow Sovereign Especially the part about utilising the aspect of freely summoning and un-summoning Shadow Soldiers ¨C that part left him with quite a pleasant surprise Igrit had been with Jin-Woo since the beginning and was perhaps the most familiar with how their master fought, so he proudly opened up his chest just a little bit wider Jin-Woo smirked softly while watching the black knight and his growing nose for a bit . He had to stop and pick up his phone, though, when the device suddenly went off noisily inside his pocket Vuwooo¡­ Vuwoooo¡­ ¨C ¡°Hyung-nim, it¡¯s me, Jin-Ho . ¡±. ¡°Hey . What¡¯s up . ¡±. According to Yu Jin-Ho, calls inundated not just the Association but the Ah-Jin Guild as well after Jin-Woo went and disappeared on everyone without saying a word, leading to the phone lines temporarily breaking down ¡°¡­ . My bad . Can you hold on for a bit longer until I properly organise my thoughts first?¡±. ¨C ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, hyung-nim . Didn¡¯t we establish this Guild so that you can focus on doing raids without being harassed by stuff like these?¡±. After hearing Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s smiling voice coming out of the phone, Jin-Woo also formed a smile ¨C ¡°Ah, by the way . Have you called your family yet, hyung-nim?¡±. ¡°Yeah . I told them I¡¯ll be home after cooling my head a little bit . ¡±. ¨C ¡°Well, in that case, they should be less worried about you . That¡¯s a relief, hyung-nim . ¡±. Jin-Woo pocketed the phone after ending the call, but a heavy, lengthy sigh slowly escaped from his mouth as he did so He knew that he shouldn¡¯t be avoiding ¡®it¡¯ like this . However, in order to explain the Gates and his Shadow Soldiers, then naturally, he had to speak about the matters of the Sovereigns and Rulers, as well Soon, soldiers of the Sovereigns would pour out from the eight remaining Gates . How was he to go about telling others that the entire world would be turned into a fierce, bloody battlefield?. In order to give himself some time to think, he simply had to get away from there He thought that this was for the best Just a little bit longer He wanted humanity to enjoy peace even for a little bit longer ¡®I¡¯m sure I can delay this for a few more days . ¡¯. Jin-Woo kept telling himself this; meanwhile, Beru sneaked closer to him and spoke in a serious voice . He had been rather quiet for some reason lately, though?. ¡°Oh, my king¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Mm?¡±. Jin-Woo turned around to look at Beru kneeling on the ground, his head lowered deeply towards the ground as he opened his mouth ¡°I beg of thee to bestow unto me an opportunity to compete for the position of the Grand-Marshal . ¡±. ¡°The position of the Grand-Marshal, you say?¡±. But, didn¡¯t they already have a Grand-Marshal?. Jin-Woo felt puzzled by this, before abruptly recalling the System¡¯s information on the highest grade of Shadow Soldiers available ¡®In that case, could he be¡­ . ?¡¯. Sure enough ¨C Beru raised his head ¡°As a Marshal of the army, I¡¯d like to challenge the Grand-Marshal Bellion . ¡±. < Chapter 227 > Fin Chapter 228 When the System was still around, it did mention something about what Beru was talking about . There could be only one occupying the position of the general of the army . So, Soldiers that recently reached the Marshal grade must establish a hierarchy with the one before it ¨C didn¡¯t the System say something like that? If he were to assume the general of the army was the Grand-Marshal, then indeed, Beru, as the recently-promoted Marshal, possessed the qualification to challenge Bellion . Perhaps befitting an ant-type monster familiar with living in a large community, Beru wanted to establish the proper pecking order between the Marshals, it seemed . ¡®Marshals going at it, huh¡­?¡¯ Just to make sure, Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to his other Marshal, Igrit, but the black knight politely declined the proposition . It seemed that he wasn¡¯t interested in establishing the hierarchy between the Marshals at all . Unsurprisingly, once the black knight quietly took a step back, the other guy to catch Jin-Woo¡¯s attention was Bellion standing next to him . The current leader in charge of the army 130,000-strong was Bellion right now . Only Jin-Woo was above him in terms of hierarchy, as the master of the army itself . After meeting his liege¡¯s gaze, Bellion bowed his head slightly . Since he was in the presence of his master, he had lowered his posture as much as possible, but still, he was a good head taller than Thomas Andre . This giant calmly answered his boss¡¯s querying eyes . ¡°I shall follow your will . ¡± Follow his will, he said . Jin-Woo formed a slight smirk at Bellion¡¯s answer . His voice was, of course, very humble . However, it wasn¡¯t all that difficult to read the underlying message that he¡¯d face the challenger head on, as long his master gives the permission . Jin-Woo sneaked a glance behind him, and Beru standing there had already extended his claws while visibly burning with fighting spirit himself . He must¡¯ve also read the message, too . ¡°Kiieeehk!¡± While Bellion was doing his best to mask his magic energy as much as possible, Beru was the opposite and didn¡¯t hold back any of his horrible magic energy emission . ¡®Hmm¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo pondered for a moment or two before making up his mind . ¡°Alright . ¡± He knew pretty much everything there was to know about Beru, but Bellion was a different story . Knowing the extent of his combat prowess would prove to be an invaluable data in deploying the army correctly in the future . It was also obvious that Jin-Woo¡¯s heart would sway towards allowing the challenge to go through . ¡°However, I shall be the one judging when to end the bout . ¡± After receiving his master¡¯s permission, Beru¡¯s expression was now overflowing with ecstasy . Moved almost to tears, his eyes began sparkling brightly as he cried out . ¡°I am humbled and deeply honoured by your inscrutable¡­ . . ¡± ¡°Stop it . ¡± ¡°¡­ . I thank thee, my king . ¡± On one side, Beru celebrating his opportunity . On the other side, Bellion calmly getting ready for the upcoming challenge . It was as if these two were the plucky challenger going up against the incumbent champion in a sports movie . But before these two could start duking it out for real, there was something Jin-Woo had to confirm first . He summoned out a single ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wrath¡¯ and loaded a bit of black aura on its tip . Then, he lightly swung it towards the forest . Kwa-jajajajajajajak!! The black ¡®howl¡¯ shooting out from the shortsword swept up a portion of the forest . However, the damage wasn¡¯t as severe as he thought . Jin-Woo nodded and stored the weapon away . ¡®With this much¡­ . ¡¯ It seemed that he didn¡¯t need to worry about the surroundings getting destroyed unduly during the battle of the two Marshals . The ground had been hardened sufficiently enough by the condensed Mana and it would survive the upcoming warfare without a doubt . ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo gazed at the earth with a somewhat lonely expression before raising his head . His eyes were already filled back up with anticipation as he looked at his two Marshals . ¡°Well, then¡­ . ¡± Both the Grand-Marshal and the newbie Marshal waiting for their master¡¯s order nodded their heads simultaneously . ¡°We are ready, my liege . ¡± ¡°Give us your order, oh my king!¡± Jin-Woo chuckled and addressed the two . ¡°Get to your positions . ¡± *** Meanwhile, back in the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association . The activities taking place inside the Association¡¯s emergency response conference hall were a lot more bustling than before, even though the so-called emergency situation had come to an end yesterday . ¡°The international media is still hounding us, demanding us to release an official statement already, sir!¡± ¡°The American Hunter Bureau is requesting us to release the information on Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim¡¯s current whereabouts!¡± ¡°The Seoul Metropolitan Fire & Disasters are asking us if it¡¯s okay to bring back the evacuated citizens . ¡± ¡°The Hunter Channel¡¯s famous ¡®The Jimmy Show¡¯ wants to interview Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim¡­ . ¡± ¡°Jimmy or whatever can kiss my a*s!! If he¡¯s able to, tell him to find the guy and try his luck there!¡± The number of calls flooding the Association was inconceivably high . It was a small miracle already that their phone lines hadn¡¯t broken down yet . As for the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol, even though he breathlessly issued one order after another, he also didn¡¯t forget to spit out groans repeatedly as he stared at the stacks of official inquiry documents on his desk . ¡°Fuu-woo¡­ . ¡± The things he had to do was as tall as Mount Tai at this moment . No, hang on ¨C if it was only as tall as that legendary mountain, that would have actually been preferable . The thing was, Mount Tai had actually formed a long-a*s mountain range, and after overcoming one mountain, he¡¯d be facing another one, and another one after that, and yet another one was waiting for him¡­ . His work had piled up to the extent he couldn¡¯t see the end now . It was so serious that even he was feeling dizzy from the craziness of it all when he was supposed to be a rank A Hunter! But then ¨C Woo Jin-Cheol was busy shaking his head to get rid of this drowsiness, until he ended up hearing something spoken by a subordinate that simply could not be overlooked, no matter the circumstances . ¡°Just why did Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s summons have to come out from there¡­ . ¡± This employee¡¯s words were tinged with a certain amount of dissatisfaction . Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s drowsiness was driven away in an instant . He immediately made this employee stand at attention before him . ¡°In that case, do you, Mister Seong-Won, think it would have been better if monsters came out from that super-massive Gate yesterday? Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°Pardon me, sir? Ah, no, that¡¯s not¡­ . ¡± The subordinate couldn¡¯t hide his fluster . Woo Jin-Cheol let his sharp scolding fly, regardless . ¡°If the phone calls you¡¯ve been receiving until now weren¡¯t about TV stations asking for interviews but relatives of the deceased Hunters asking for the news of their loved ones, do you really think you can continue working with just the thoughts of things being too hectic for you?¡± The subordinate employee couldn¡¯t even meet Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s glare . Even if you were nominally an employee of the Hunter¡¯s Association, as long as you hadn¡¯t worked out in the field, you¡¯d never really understand it . They would never understand just what Hunters had to go through during emergency situations . They would never understand just what kind of things unfolded and got buried inside dungeons, enshrouded in the darkness where no one could see you . Going through all the potential scenarios that could¡¯ve gone down during the raid of the super-massive Gate, what happened yesterday was easily the best result one could ever hope for . Over one hundred thousand monsters popped out, but no one got injured . Nothing was destroyed . Not only that, all those monsters were absorbed into Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s fighting force . Just who could¡¯ve imagined it? Indeed, no one could¡¯ve dreamed such a result that far exceeded one¡¯s expectations . That was how Woo Jin-Cheol got to endure, with a smile on his face, all these mountains of work that probably required him to go through a few sleepless nights to finish . But to think, there was an employee of the Hunter¡¯s Association busy complaining about yesterday¡¯s events just because his body became a bit fatigued . How could he even dare to say something so nonsensical? If Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was present nearby, Woo Jin-Cheol would¡¯ve stepped up to slap some sense into this employee well before the young Hunter had a chance to get angry . That was how deeply Woo Jin-Cheol understood what Jin-Woo was going through . The Association President temporarily stopped his employees, and while taking a sweeping look at them, he began speaking with a loud voice . ¡°I know full well how flustered you all are after Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim suddenly vanished on us . ¡± However, there must¡¯ve been a good reason why Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had to disappear on them like that, when he was a man possessing a strong sense of responsibility . ¡°In a way, the person most confused by yesterday¡¯s event could very well be Seong Huner-nim . ¡± Didn¡¯t someone say once that, with great power comes great responsibility? Some line from a movie Woo Jin-Cheol watched a long time ago kept repeating itself in his head . However, that line helped him to imagine the weighty burden now pressing down on Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s shoulders . ¡®I¡¯ve been around Hunter-nim for a while now, but yesterday was the first time seeing him that tense . ¡¯ Indeed, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t seem to know what was about to take place next . It didn¡¯t matter who, anyone in his shoes would¡¯ve thought of quickly getting the heck out of there when the Gate one was ready to die defending against instead suddenly began spewing out his own summons . What¡¯s more, they then began swearing their allegiance out of nowhere . Who could be foolish enough to point the fingers of blame on him? Right now, the Association¡¯s job was to share the load until Hunter Seong Jin-Woo finished sorting out his confusion and returned to explain the current situation . The Association had to perform the role of a sturdy, dependable shield for Hunters, regardless of the time or the circumstances . ¡°If we at the Hunter¡¯s Association can¡¯t even understand what Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim is going through, just who else will??¡± The employees listening to the passionate speech from their President forgot all about their fatigue, the corners of their eyes moistening quickly . As for the employee complaining like a little kid because summoned creatures came out from the Gate, he lowered his head to Woo Jin-Cheol and apologised as his own nose reddened considerably . ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir . I was being thoughtless . I am truly sorry . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol wordlessly patted this guy on the shoulder and had him return to his post before sitting back down . ¡°Fuu-woo¡­ . ¡± He only shouted for a little while, yet there were at least twice as many documents as before piled up on his desk now . ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ He shifted his gaze away from the stacks of paper, his mind still worried about Jin-Woo who¡¯d no doubt be stuck in all sorts of dilemmas even now . ¡®I wonder, what is Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim doing now?¡¯ *** With a bright face, Jin-Woo got to a distance quite far from the two Marshals . Igrit came to stand next to him . Other Shadow Soldiers also spread out into a giant circle and created enough room for the two Marshals to move about unrestricted . Standing on the opposite end of that circle to his opponent, Beru extended his claws until they couldn¡¯t be extended anymore and screeched out loudly . ¡°Kiiiiiieeeeehk-!!¡± Meanwhile, Bellion wordlessly unsheathed the sword mounted on his hips . So far, he seemed to be a type of swordsman similar to Igrit, but then¡­ ¡®Mm¡­?¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze was fixed to Bellion¡¯s sword now . The blade looked rather uniquely-shaped . ¡®Hang on, can I even call that a blade?¡¯ As a matter of fact, the blade resembled the body of a centipede in that it was made up of dozens of connected sections . As if they were done with their preparations, both of them looked at Jin-Woo simultaneously . ¡°Begin!¡± The moment the signal was given, Beru dashed forward immediately . ¡°Kiiiieeehk-!!¡± He closed the distance with a stupendous turn of speed and powerfully swung his claws; Bellion proceeded to block and let the attack slide past him, and then, as Beru¡¯s momentum took him further away, the current Grand-Marshal spun around to face the distancing ant soldier . It was then . ¡®¡­¡­!!¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes widened . Bellion pointed with his sword and it suddenly stretched out like a long snake to fly towards Beru . Shushushushushu-!! Beru urgently spun around and reflexively slapped the blade away . CLANG!! That was just the beginning . Bellion used his sword like a whip and rained down a barrage of incredulous attacks at his target . The flexible body of the blade, carrying an enormous amount of Mana, danced and writhed according to its wielder¡¯s desire to pummel the ground and air surrounding Beru . BOOM!! BANG!! BOOM! BANG!! On the other hand, all Beru could do right now was to concentrate all his being to barely defend against the attacks . ¡°Kiiiieeehk!¡± While watching Bellion¡¯s attacks that had clearly surpassed the limitation imposed by the sword-type weapon, Jin-Woo imagined what would happen if it was him facing that barrage . When he did, everything seemed to slow down to a crawl . Even then, even within this slowed-down time, Bellion¡¯s sword remained dangerously fast . Jin-Woo¡¯s expression became even more serious . His eyes, now emitting cold glare, followed and caught each and every slap and swish of the unpredictable sword dance . Upper left, right side, upper left again, then lower left, and to upper right¡­ . ¡­ . The him of his imagination evaded all the attacks and was standing before Bellion . And then, he cut the soldier down . In Jin-Woo¡¯s imagination, Bellion¡¯s neck rolled to the ground . It only took a blink to get to that point . Bellion momentarily sensed this chill-inducing feeling of his neck being cut off and flinched grandly as he took a look in Jin-Woo¡¯s direction . ¡®Oops¡­¡¯ He ended up being a bit carried away after discovering a rather interesting weapon; meeting Bellion¡¯s rather panicky gaze, Jin-Woo replied with an apologetic expression . But that only lasted for a moment . Beru didn¡¯t miss this opening and viciously slapped the irritatingly-tenacious blade away, before dashing towards Bellion like a bolt of lightning . ¡°Kiiieeeehcck!!¡± STAB-! Unfortunately ¨C against Jin-Woo¡¯s own expectation, the one to stab his weapon in the midriff of his opponent was Bellion . What an unexpectedly fast motor reflex! On top of that, a scary power capable of destroying everything with each attack . This was Bellion, the soldier who wasn¡¯t left wanting for anything as the Grand-Marshal of the Shadow Army . ¡®¡­ . Still, one should never let one¡¯s guard down . ¡¯ It was a wee bit uncool to talk about one of his soldiers in this manner, but well, the truth was, the biggest plus point of an insect was its tenacious vitality . Sure enough, Beru suddenly expanded its body size even with a sword stuck to his belly . He swung his humongous fist down on the head of his opponent . KWA-BOOM!! The power behind that punch was so great that a part of Bellion¡¯s helm broke off and scattered black smoke in the air . ¡°Kiiieeehk!¡± Almost right away, Beru followed up with his second attack . No, he tried to . Beru¡¯s wrist was caught by Bellion¡¯s powerful grip just in time . The ant soldier tried to use his physical strength to yank his arm out, but too bad, the Grand-Marshal didn¡¯t even budge an inch . In the meantime, Bellion cocked his free arm backwards . An enormous amount of Mana quickly gathered in that cocked arm . A moment later . BOOM-!!! Beru¡¯s chest was punched powerfully and he flew backwards in a straight line . The shockwave generated at the same time from his flying figure swept up the forest surrounding him, and the trees were yanked out of the ground from their roots and all, before being flung away to the sides . A long and straight path suddenly got carved out within the sea of trees . ¡°Kiiiieeehck!¡± Beru hurriedly unfurled his wings to stop his body from being flung away endlessly . Unfortunately, just as he somehow managed to steady himself, Bellion had already arrived right before his face . That was followed by a powerful slam towards the ground! KWA-BOOM!! Like a meteor crashing into earth, a huge crater caved in on the ground and Bellion lightly landed inside . In the middle of this crater, Beru was hurriedly getting up to respond to his opponent . Now normally, any ol¡¯ regular enemy would have been torn to bits and shreds by now, but he had managed to withstand several of these attacks already . Swiiiiish-! Bellion used the back of his hand to slap away Beru¡¯s claws and just like that, smacked the ant soldier right on top of his head . BOOM!! That was the beginning of a dogfight . Boom! Bang! Boom! Boooom!! Beru¡¯s attacks were only on the level of briefly disrupting Bellion¡¯s balance, but¡­ BOOM-!! ¡­ . Bellion¡¯s attacks each carried fatal power behind them . Craaaack, crack!! Cracks formed on Beru¡¯s exoskeleton as if they were about to shatter at any given moment . ¡°Kiiieehk!¡± Even then, Beru desperately resisted until the end, not showing any hints of giving up on this fight . He tried to chomp down on Bellion¡¯s shoulder, but the latter simply pushed away the former before grasping Beru¡¯s neck . Kwa-jeeck!! Now rendered immobile, Beru writhed his entire body to free himself, but Bellion remained unmoved . The latter simply concentrated Mana once more on his free arm so he could attack for the last time and end this fight . A horrifying amount of Mana, more than enough to easily shatter the head of a Dragon in one hit, gathered around and distorted the space around his arm . With this, it¡¯d be the end . Bellion¡¯s cocked fist soon flew out towards Beru¡¯s face . But, Jin-Woo reached out and grasped the deadly fist before it did, since he didn¡¯t want to see Beru¡¯s head explode today . Grab! ¡°That¡¯s enough . ¡± Bellion realised that it was his liege stopping his fist and quickly withdrew his attack . ¡°My liege . ¡± The Grand-Marshal hurriedly knelt down and bowed his head . ¡®¡­ . You did well . ¡¯ Jin-Woo praised Bellion with his eyes for not holding back anything and displaying his prowess like that . He then walked over to Beru collapsed on the ground . ¡°Kiieehhk, my king, I, I¡­ kiieehk! I can still¡­ . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . ¡± Jin-Woo studied the faltering, unsteady Beru with pitying eyes before asking him out of genuine curiosity . ¡°Hey, Beru . Why are you so dead-set on the position of the Grand-Marshal?¡± ¡°Kiiehk, I, only, I wish to, become the Grand-Marshal and always stand next to my liege¡­¡± Beru couldn¡¯t continue on due to his grief-stricken mind . Jin-Woo scratched the side of his head and offered up his reply . ¡°The Grand-Marshal can stand to my right, while you can stand to my left, right?¡± ¡°¡­!!!¡± Only then did Beru realise that he could still stand next to his liege without being the Grand-Marshal, and his eyes opened up extra-round . ¡°¡­ . I am honoured by¡­ . ¡± ¡°Stop it . ¡± Leaving behind Beru and his emotion-induced tears filling up his eyes, Jin-Woo stood back up and spat out a helpless sigh . But then¡­ Another Shadow Soldier silently approached him . It was none other than Igrit, who had been listening to the conversation between Jin-Woo and Beru without saying anything . ¡°My liege, may I be granted an opportunity to challenge¡­ . ¡± As Igrit cautiously asked, Jin-Woo quickly replied as if he was expecting this already . ¡°You can stand behind me . ¡± ¡°¡­ . !¡± Igrit couldn¡¯t finish the rest of his sentence due to his liege¡¯s keen insight . *** ¡°Is that so¡­ In the end, the Shadow Sovereign has become our enemy . ¡± The Dragon Emperor, currently in a humanoid form, was receiving the reports from the Sovereigns that had already descended to Earth . Only their voices softly echoed within this eternal darkness . ¡°I see . Fine . I shall deal with him personally . None of you make a move . We must prevent any further losses . ¡± The Dragon Emperor had fully analysed the situation and ended the connection to the Sovereigns . Soon, there was no more sound . This world, the gap between dimensions where nothing existed, was quickly filled up by empty silence . To the Sovereigns, this place was no different from hell itself, as there was nothing here to destroy . That was why¡­ That was why, the Sovereign of Destruction, born from the darkness with a singular purpose of destroying every single existence, did its hardest to escape from this place . And finally, the day it¡¯d taste the fruit of its labour was literally around the corner . The Dragon Emperor turned around and issued its command towards the darkness behind it . ¡°My troops . Ready yourselves for war . ¡± When it did, dozens of Ancient-grade Dragons, hundreds of Dragons, and tens of thousands of Dragonewts hidden within the darkness shot out heated glares from their eyes and roared out in unison . Waaaaaaahhhh-!! < Chapter 228 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 228: Chapter 228 When the System was still around, it did mention something about what Beru was talking about . There could be only one occupying the position of the general of the army So, Soldiers that recently reached the Marshal grade must establish a hierarchy with the one before it ¨C didn¡¯t the System say something like that?. If he were to assume the general of the army was the Grand-Marshal, then indeed, Beru, as the recently-promoted Marshal, possessed the qualification to challenge Bellion Perhaps befitting an ant-type monster familiar with living in a large community, Beru wanted to establish the proper pecking order between the Marshals, it seemed ¡®Marshals going at it, huh¡­?¡¯. Just to make sure, Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to his other Marshal, Igrit, but the black knight politely declined the proposition . It seemed that he wasn¡¯t interested in establishing the hierarchy between the Marshals at all Unsurprisingly, once the black knight quietly took a step back, the other guy to catch Jin-Woo¡¯s attention was Bellion standing next to him The current leader in charge of the army 130,000-strong was Bellion right now . Only Jin-Woo was above him in terms of hierarchy, as the master of the army itself After meeting his liege¡¯s gaze, Bellion bowed his head slightly Since he was in the presence of his master, he had lowered his posture as much as possible, but still, he was a good head taller than Thomas Andre . This giant calmly answered his boss¡¯s querying eyes ¡°I shall follow your will . ¡±. Follow his will, he said Jin-Woo formed a slight smirk at Bellion¡¯s answer His voice was, of course, very humble . However, it wasn¡¯t all that difficult to read the underlying message that he¡¯d face the challenger head on, as long his master gives the permission Jin-Woo sneaked a glance behind him, and Beru standing there had already extended his claws while visibly burning with fighting spirit himself . He must¡¯ve also read the message, too ¡°Kiieeehk!¡±. While Bellion was doing his best to mask his magic energy as much as possible, Beru was the opposite and didn¡¯t hold back any of his horrible magic energy emission ¡®Hmm¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo pondered for a moment or two before making up his mind ¡°Alright . ¡±. He knew pretty much everything there was to know about Beru, but Bellion was a different story . Knowing the extent of his combat prowess would prove to be an invaluable data in deploying the army correctly in the future It was also obvious that Jin-Woo¡¯s heart would sway towards allowing the challenge to go through ¡°However, I shall be the one judging when to end the bout . ¡±. After receiving his master¡¯s permission, Beru¡¯s expression was now overflowing with ecstasy . Moved almost to tears, his eyes began sparkling brightly as he cried out ¡°I am humbled and deeply honoured by your inscrutable¡­ ¡±. ¡°Stop it . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . I thank thee, my king . ¡±. On one side, Beru celebrating his opportunity . On the other side, Bellion calmly getting ready for the upcoming challenge It was as if these two were the plucky challenger going up against the incumbent champion in a sports movie . But before these two could start duking it out for real, there was something Jin-Woo had to confirm first He summoned out a single ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wrath¡¯ and loaded a bit of black aura on its tip . Then, he lightly swung it towards the forest Kwa-jajajajajajajak!!. The black ¡®howl¡¯ shooting out from the shortsword swept up a portion of the forest . However, the damage wasn¡¯t as severe as he thought . Jin-Woo nodded and stored the weapon away ¡®With this much¡­ . ¡¯. It seemed that he didn¡¯t need to worry about the surroundings getting destroyed unduly during the battle of the two Marshals . The ground had been hardened sufficiently enough by the condensed Mana and it would survive the upcoming warfare without a doubt ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo gazed at the earth with a somewhat lonely expression before raising his head . His eyes were already filled back up with anticipation as he looked at his two Marshals ¡°Well, then¡­ . ¡±. Both the Grand-Marshal and the newbie Marshal waiting for their master¡¯s order nodded their heads simultaneously ¡°We are ready, my liege . ¡±. ¡°Give us your order, oh my king!¡±. Jin-Woo chuckled and addressed the two ¡°Get to your positions . ¡±. ***. Meanwhile, back in the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association The activities taking place inside the Association¡¯s emergency response conference hall were a lot more bustling than before, even though the so-called emergency situation had come to an end yesterday ¡°The international media is still hounding us, demanding us to release an official statement already, sir!¡±. ¡°The American Hunter Bureau is requesting us to release the information on Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim¡¯s current whereabouts!¡±. ¡°The Seoul Metropolitan Fire & Disasters are asking us if it¡¯s okay to bring back the evacuated citizens . ¡±. ¡°The Hunter Channel¡¯s famous ¡®The Jimmy Show¡¯ wants to interview Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Jimmy or whatever can kiss my a*s!! If he¡¯s able to, tell him to find the guy and try his luck there!¡±. The number of calls flooding the Association was inconceivably high . It was a small miracle already that their phone lines hadn¡¯t broken down yet As for the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol, even though he breathlessly issued one order after another, he also didn¡¯t forget to spit out groans repeatedly as he stared at the stacks of official inquiry documents on his desk ¡°Fuu-woo¡­ . ¡±. The things he had to do was as tall as Mount Tai at this moment . No, hang on ¨C if it was only as tall as that legendary mountain, that would have actually been preferable The thing was, Mount Tai had actually formed a long-a*s mountain range, and after overcoming one mountain, he¡¯d be facing another one, and another one after that, and yet another one was waiting for him¡­ His work had piled up to the extent he couldn¡¯t see the end now It was so serious that even he was feeling dizzy from the craziness of it all when he was supposed to be a rank A Hunter!. But then ¨C Woo Jin-Cheol was busy shaking his head to get rid of this drowsiness, until he ended up hearing something spoken by a subordinate that simply could not be overlooked, no matter the circumstances ¡°Just why did Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s summons have to come out from there¡­ . ¡±. This employee¡¯s words were tinged with a certain amount of dissatisfaction . Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s drowsiness was driven away in an instant . He immediately made this employee stand at attention before him ¡°In that case, do you, Mister Seong-Won, think it would have been better if monsters came out from that super-massive Gate yesterday? Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡±. ¡°Pardon me, sir? Ah, no, that¡¯s not¡­ . ¡±. The subordinate couldn¡¯t hide his fluster . Woo Jin-Cheol let his sharp scolding fly, regardless ¡°If the phone calls you¡¯ve been receiving until now weren¡¯t about TV stations asking for interviews but relatives of the deceased Hunters asking for the news of their loved ones, do you really think you can continue working with just the thoughts of things being too hectic for you?¡±. The subordinate employee couldn¡¯t even meet Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s glare Even if you were nominally an employee of the Hunter¡¯s Association, as long as you hadn¡¯t worked out in the field, you¡¯d never really understand it They would never understand just what Hunters had to go through during emergency situations They would never understand just what kind of things unfolded and got buried inside dungeons, enshrouded in the darkness where no one could see you Going through all the potential scenarios that could¡¯ve gone down during the raid of the super-massive Gate, what happened yesterday was easily the best result one could ever hope for Over one hundred thousand monsters popped out, but no one got injured . Nothing was destroyed . Not only that, all those monsters were absorbed into Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s fighting force Just who could¡¯ve imagined it?. Indeed, no one could¡¯ve dreamed such a result that far exceeded one¡¯s expectations That was how Woo Jin-Cheol got to endure, with a smile on his face, all these mountains of work that probably required him to go through a few sleepless nights to finish But to think, there was an employee of the Hunter¡¯s Association busy complaining about yesterday¡¯s events just because his body became a bit fatigued How could he even dare to say something so nonsensical?. If Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was present nearby, Woo Jin-Cheol would¡¯ve stepped up to slap some sense into this employee well before the young Hunter had a chance to get angry That was how deeply Woo Jin-Cheol understood what Jin-Woo was going through The Association President temporarily stopped his employees, and while taking a sweeping look at them, he began speaking with a loud voice ¡°I know full well how flustered you all are after Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim suddenly vanished on us . ¡±. However, there must¡¯ve been a good reason why Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had to disappear on them like that, when he was a man possessing a strong sense of responsibility ¡°In a way, the person most confused by yesterday¡¯s event could very well be Seong Huner-nim . ¡±. Didn¡¯t someone say once that, with great power comes great responsibility?. Some line from a movie Woo Jin-Cheol watched a long time ago kept repeating itself in his head . However, that line helped him to imagine the weighty burden now pressing down on Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s shoulders ¡®I¡¯ve been around Hunter-nim for a while now, but yesterday was the first time seeing him that tense . ¡¯. Indeed, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t seem to know what was about to take place next It didn¡¯t matter who, anyone in his shoes would¡¯ve thought of quickly getting the heck out of there when the Gate one was ready to die defending against instead suddenly began spewing out his own summons . What¡¯s more, they then began swearing their allegiance out of nowhere Who could be foolish enough to point the fingers of blame on him?. Right now, the Association¡¯s job was to share the load until Hunter Seong Jin-Woo finished sorting out his confusion and returned to explain the current situation The Association had to perform the role of a sturdy, dependable shield for Hunters, regardless of the time or the circumstances ¡°If we at the Hunter¡¯s Association can¡¯t even understand what Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim is going through, just who else will??¡±. The employees listening to the passionate speech from their President forgot all about their fatigue, the corners of their eyes moistening quickly As for the employee complaining like a little kid because summoned creatures came out from the Gate, he lowered his head to Woo Jin-Cheol and apologised as his own nose reddened considerably ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir . I was being thoughtless . I am truly sorry . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol wordlessly patted this guy on the shoulder and had him return to his post before sitting back down ¡°Fuu-woo¡­ . ¡±. He only shouted for a little while, yet there were at least twice as many documents as before piled up on his desk now ¡®¡­¡­¡¯. He shifted his gaze away from the stacks of paper, his mind still worried about Jin-Woo who¡¯d no doubt be stuck in all sorts of dilemmas even now ¡®I wonder, what is Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim doing now?¡¯. ***. With a bright face, Jin-Woo got to a distance quite far from the two Marshals Igrit came to stand next to him Other Shadow Soldiers also spread out into a giant circle and created enough room for the two Marshals to move about unrestricted . Standing on the opposite end of that circle to his opponent, Beru extended his claws until they couldn¡¯t be extended anymore and screeched out loudly ¡°Kiiiiiieeeeehk-!!¡±. Meanwhile, Bellion wordlessly unsheathed the sword mounted on his hips . So far, he seemed to be a type of swordsman similar to Igrit, but then¡­. ¡®Mm¡­?¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze was fixed to Bellion¡¯s sword now . The blade looked rather uniquely-shaped ¡®Hang on, can I even call that a blade?¡¯. As a matter of fact, the blade resembled the body of a centipede in that it was made up of dozens of connected sections As if they were done with their preparations, both of them looked at Jin-Woo simultaneously ¡°Begin!¡±. The moment the signal was given, Beru dashed forward immediately ¡°Kiiiieeehk-!!¡±. He closed the distance with a stupendous turn of speed and powerfully swung his claws; Bellion proceeded to block and let the attack slide past him, and then, as Beru¡¯s momentum took him further away, the current Grand-Marshal spun around to face the distancing ant soldier It was then ¡®¡­¡­!!¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes widened Bellion pointed with his sword and it suddenly stretched out like a long snake to fly towards Beru Shushushushushu-!!. Beru urgently spun around and reflexively slapped the blade away CLANG!!. That was just the beginning Bellion used his sword like a whip and rained down a barrage of incredulous attacks at his target . The flexible body of the blade, carrying an enormous amount of Mana, danced and writhed according to its wielder¡¯s desire to pummel the ground and air surrounding Beru BOOM!! BANG!! BOOM! BANG!!. On the other hand, all Beru could do right now was to concentrate all his being to barely defend against the attacks ¡°Kiiiieeehk!¡±. While watching Bellion¡¯s attacks that had clearly surpassed the limitation imposed by the sword-type weapon, Jin-Woo imagined what would happen if it was him facing that barrage When he did, everything seemed to slow down to a crawl . Even then, even within this slowed-down time, Bellion¡¯s sword remained dangerously fast Jin-Woo¡¯s expression became even more serious His eyes, now emitting cold glare, followed and caught each and every slap and swish of the unpredictable sword dance . Upper left, right side, upper left again, then lower left, and to upper right¡­ ¡­ . The him of his imagination evaded all the attacks and was standing before Bellion And then, he cut the soldier down . In Jin-Woo¡¯s imagination, Bellion¡¯s neck rolled to the ground . It only took a blink to get to that point Bellion momentarily sensed this chill-inducing feeling of his neck being cut off and flinched grandly as he took a look in Jin-Woo¡¯s direction ¡®Oops¡­¡¯. He ended up being a bit carried away after discovering a rather interesting weapon; meeting Bellion¡¯s rather panicky gaze, Jin-Woo replied with an apologetic expression . But that only lasted for a moment Beru didn¡¯t miss this opening and viciously slapped the irritatingly-tenacious blade away, before dashing towards Bellion like a bolt of lightning ¡°Kiiieeeehcck!!¡±. STAB-!. Unfortunately ¨C against Jin-Woo¡¯s own expectation, the one to stab his weapon in the midriff of his opponent was Bellion What an unexpectedly fast motor reflex!. On top of that, a scary power capable of destroying everything with each attack . This was Bellion, the soldier who wasn¡¯t left wanting for anything as the Grand-Marshal of the Shadow Army ¡®¡­ . Still, one should never let one¡¯s guard down . ¡¯. It was a wee bit uncool to talk about one of his soldiers in this manner, but well, the truth was, the biggest plus point of an insect was its tenacious vitality Sure enough, Beru suddenly expanded its body size even with a sword stuck to his belly . He swung his humongous fist down on the head of his opponent KWA-BOOM!!. The power behind that punch was so great that a part of Bellion¡¯s helm broke off and scattered black smoke in the air ¡°Kiiieeehk!¡±. Almost right away, Beru followed up with his second attack . No, he tried to Beru¡¯s wrist was caught by Bellion¡¯s powerful grip just in time . The ant soldier tried to use his physical strength to yank his arm out, but too bad, the Grand-Marshal didn¡¯t even budge an inch In the meantime, Bellion cocked his free arm backwards . An enormous amount of Mana quickly gathered in that cocked arm A moment later BOOM-!!!. Beru¡¯s chest was punched powerfully and he flew backwards in a straight line . The shockwave generated at the same time from his flying figure swept up the forest surrounding him, and the trees were yanked out of the ground from their roots and all, before being flung away to the sides A long and straight path suddenly got carved out within the sea of trees ¡°Kiiiieeehck!¡±. Beru hurriedly unfurled his wings to stop his body from being flung away endlessly . Unfortunately, just as he somehow managed to steady himself, Bellion had already arrived right before his face That was followed by a powerful slam towards the ground!. KWA-BOOM!!. Like a meteor crashing into earth, a huge crater caved in on the ground and Bellion lightly landed inside In the middle of this crater, Beru was hurriedly getting up to respond to his opponent . Now normally, any ol¡¯ regular enemy would have been torn to bits and shreds by now, but he had managed to withstand several of these attacks already Swiiiiish-!. Bellion used the back of his hand to slap away Beru¡¯s claws and just like that, smacked the ant soldier right on top of his head BOOM!!. That was the beginning of a dogfight Boom! Bang! Boom! Boooom!!. Beru¡¯s attacks were only on the level of briefly disrupting Bellion¡¯s balance, but¡­. BOOM-!!. ¡­ . Bellion¡¯s attacks each carried fatal power behind them Craaaack, crack!!. Cracks formed on Beru¡¯s exoskeleton as if they were about to shatter at any given moment ¡°Kiiieehk!¡±. Even then, Beru desperately resisted until the end, not showing any hints of giving up on this fight . He tried to chomp down on Bellion¡¯s shoulder, but the latter simply pushed away the former before grasping Beru¡¯s neck Kwa-jeeck!!. Now rendered immobile, Beru writhed his entire body to free himself, but Bellion remained unmoved . The latter simply concentrated Mana once more on his free arm so he could attack for the last time and end this fight A horrifying amount of Mana, more than enough to easily shatter the head of a Dragon in one hit, gathered around and distorted the space around his arm With this, it¡¯d be the end Bellion¡¯s cocked fist soon flew out towards Beru¡¯s face But, Jin-Woo reached out and grasped the deadly fist before it did, since he didn¡¯t want to see Beru¡¯s head explode today Grab!. ¡°That¡¯s enough . ¡±. Bellion realised that it was his liege stopping his fist and quickly withdrew his attack ¡°My liege . ¡±. The Grand-Marshal hurriedly knelt down and bowed his head ¡®¡­ . You did well . ¡¯. Jin-Woo praised Bellion with his eyes for not holding back anything and displaying his prowess like that . He then walked over to Beru collapsed on the ground ¡°Kiieehhk, my king, I, I¡­ kiieehk! I can still¡­ . ¡±. ¡°¡­ ¡±. Jin-Woo studied the faltering, unsteady Beru with pitying eyes before asking him out of genuine curiosity ¡°Hey, Beru . Why are you so dead-set on the position of the Grand-Marshal?¡±. ¡°Kiiehk, I, only, I wish to, become the Grand-Marshal and always stand next to my liege¡­¡±. Beru couldn¡¯t continue on due to his grief-stricken mind . Jin-Woo scratched the side of his head and offered up his reply ¡°The Grand-Marshal can stand to my right, while you can stand to my left, right?¡±. ¡°¡­!!!¡±. Only then did Beru realise that he could still stand next to his liege without being the Grand-Marshal, and his eyes opened up extra-round ¡°¡­ . I am honoured by¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Stop it . ¡±. Leaving behind Beru and his emotion-induced tears filling up his eyes, Jin-Woo stood back up and spat out a helpless sigh . But then¡­. Another Shadow Soldier silently approached him . It was none other than Igrit, who had been listening to the conversation between Jin-Woo and Beru without saying anything ¡°My liege, may I be granted an opportunity to challenge¡­ . ¡±. As Igrit cautiously asked, Jin-Woo quickly replied as if he was expecting this already ¡°You can stand behind me . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . !¡±. Igrit couldn¡¯t finish the rest of his sentence due to his liege¡¯s keen insight ***. ¡°Is that so¡­ In the end, the Shadow Sovereign has become our enemy . ¡±. The Dragon Emperor, currently in a humanoid form, was receiving the reports from the Sovereigns that had already descended to Earth . Only their voices softly echoed within this eternal darkness ¡°I see . Fine . I shall deal with him personally . None of you make a move . We must prevent any further losses . ¡±. The Dragon Emperor had fully analysed the situation and ended the connection to the Sovereigns Soon, there was no more sound This world, the gap between dimensions where nothing existed, was quickly filled up by empty silence . To the Sovereigns, this place was no different from hell itself, as there was nothing here to destroy That was why¡­. That was why, the Sovereign of Destruction, born from the darkness with a singular purpose of destroying every single existence, did its hardest to escape from this place And finally, the day it¡¯d taste the fruit of its labour was literally around the corner The Dragon Emperor turned around and issued its command towards the darkness behind it ¡°My troops . Ready yourselves for war . ¡±. When it did, dozens of Ancient-grade Dragons, hundreds of Dragons, and tens of thousands of Dragonewts hidden within the darkness shot out heated glares from their eyes and roared out in unison Waaaaaaahhhh-!!. < Chapter 228 > Fin Chapter 229 Late at night . Jin-Woo climbed up a nameless hill and settled down on its summit . The bright moonlight illuminated the sea of trees below . Under this pale light, he could see the Shadow Soldiers going about their business after he granted them free time to do whatever they wanted . The first thing that caught his attention was Fangs who had already gigantified himself, and the three Dragons . Dragons, carrying serious expressions, conversed in hushed tones with Fangs for a bit, before whispering something else amongst them . And then, the biggest Dragon stepped out of the group . ¡®What are they trying to do now?¡¯ He could see that every other Shadow Soldier in the vicinity of the four giants scatter away in panic and thought that the mood was getting a bit suspicious over there . Soon, though, that big Dragon spat out a long pillar of flames into the sky . Kuwaaaaaaaah-!! Fangs smirked after checking out the thickness of the flames and took a step forward as well . Kuuuuooooooh-!!! An enormous pillar of flames exploded out from his mouth and rose up high to brightly illuminate the dark night sky . While the High Orcs were whistling and cheering on from the distance, the Dragon¡¯s shoulders sagged visibly as he turned around to slink away . It seemed that they decided to bet on who possessed the stronger flame attack . However¡­ . ¡®Isn¡¯t it cheating to use the Bead of Avarice during such a bet?¡¯ Perhaps knowing that he was in the wrong, Fangs was trying to sneak his Bead of Avarice back into his pocket . His gaze met Jin-Woo¡¯s at the last second, though, and he began scratching the back of his head as a sheepish grin formed on his face . Jin-Woo chuckled good-heartedly at Fangs¡¯s thick skin and waved his hand about to signal that there was nothing to worry about . Fangs grinned and bowed his head towards his liege several times . What a peaceful sight this was . Too bad, Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t feeling as content as his outward facial expression implied . ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯ He raised his head towards the sky . He could faintly sense the beings from another world getting ever closer to this planet . He felt their ominous intentions . He also sensed their strengths . Jin-Woo¡¯s perception, now pushed to unfathomable heights, buzzed and stung from the stimulation received ¨C even if it was only on the level of perceiving blurry, indistinct things beyond the thick veil of fog right now . ¡®It¡¯s unknown just when their approach will become distinct enough for me to see . ¡¯ The fact that the battle against them couldn¡¯t be avoided weighed heavily on his mind . Jin-Woo fell into deep thought before raising his head again . Something kept tugging at his mind so he took a closer look, only to find his ant soldiers busy carrying stuff like lumber or stones around . ¡®¡­ . And what are they trying to do now?¡¯ Before he could summon Beru here to ask for clarity, a voice came from behind first . ¡°It seems that they wish to construct a small-scale lodging that my liege can use to rest more comfortably . ¡± This voice, too smooth for a dude with such a huge physique, belonged to the Grand-Marshal Bellion . Jin-Woo didn¡¯t look back and simply nodded his head . ¡°I guess it was Beru¡¯s idea . ¡± The only Marshal in the Shadow Army capable of passionately doing something that no one asked him to was Beru . On the other hand, Igrit did everything asked of him perfectly . As for Bellion¡­ . ¡®¡­ . I wonder . ¡¯ Jin-Woo knew practically next to nothing about Bellion . The sole bond tying him to Jin-Woo was the former Shadow Sovereign . Naturally, he was inclined to learn more about his new Grand-Marshal in depth . Perhaps his thoughts had been transmitted, because Bellion wordlessly approached his master and stood behind him . ¡°My liege . May I inquire as to why you haven¡¯t recalled the soldiers back into your shadow?¡± Jin-Woo replied, his eyes still surveying the soldiers . ¡°I figured that they might be feeling too caged up . I mean, you guys had been stuck inside the place called the gap between dimensions for a long time before arriving here, right?¡± ¡°¡­ . . ¡± Bellion didn¡¯t say anything for a while as if that answer was a bit beyond his expectations . So, Jin-Woo spoke to him first, instead . ¡°Aren¡¯t you saddened by the fact that you won¡¯t be able to meet the former Shadow Sovereign¡­ . Osborne, again?¡± Jin-Woo was painfully reminded of what it felt like to lose someone precious to you only a few days ago while watching his father disappear . Bellion¡¯s emotions should be similar to that . It wasn¡¯t difficult for Jin-Woo to understand the sense of loss the loyal Grand-Marshal must¡¯ve been feeling . ¡°I¡¯ve been protecting the former liege¡¯s side from the moment he decided to stop the Rulers rebelling against the Absolute Being . And after he acquired the power to rule over death, I was the very first one to volunteer to become his loyal soldier . ¡± Bellion explained himself in a calm manner, his voice unwavering . ¡°I have spent almost an eternity acting as his support, but not even once have I ever questioned his decisions . ¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I was asking you about . ¡± Jin-Woo pointed out accurately to his soldier that he was asking about something else . Bellion took a bit of time to ponder his answer before revealing how he felt with a bit of hesitation . ¡°I haven¡¯t yet given any thoughts on how I feel, my liege . ¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m giving you this chance . Come on . Take your time and think about it . ¡± ¡°¡­¡± What ensued was a lengthy, weighty silence . From this silent answer, Jin-Woo could sense Bellion¡¯s true feelings . Although no words had been spoken, he heard enough to know already . Only then did he look behind at Bellion . ¡°I wish to know more about Osborne from your perspective . Would you like to tell me?¡± ¡°But, my liege . It might be a very long story . ¡± ¡°That¡¯s perfect . I was actually in need of a long story to kill some time until I felt sleepy, you see . ¡± Jin-Woo returned his gaze to his front, and Bellion quietly settled down next to his Sovereign . ¡°This event happened back when I was still a fruit of the World Tree . ¡± ¡°A fruit?? You were¡­ a fruit?!¡± ¡°Every single soldier of the heavens is born as a fruit on the branches of the World Tree . It is a truly gigantic tree large enough to blanket the entire sky with its branches alone . ¡± ¡°Huh-uh¡­ . . ¡± As Jin-Woo focused on the story with an incomparably grand opening, the night continued to wear on . *** Just before sunrise . Before the darkness had the chance to completely lift up, Jin-Woo was leisurely jogging within the forest . He had developed the habit of running for ten kilometres every morning since from a long time ago . He knew very well that there was no more Daily Quest available to him, yet his body moved on its own volition regardless . While drinking in the crisp, cool air of the forest draped in the dawn¡¯s light, Jin-Woo finally finished sorting out his thoughts . ¡®¡­ . I should go back . ¡¯ He should inform the world on the existences of the eight massive armies that might arrive on this planet at any time now . He needed to tell them that the real war was just around the corner . Unfortunately, he wouldn¡¯t be able to guarantee the safety of everyone . He also couldn¡¯t promise whether the world would be able to retain its former appearance or not, either . That was how stupendously powerful the Dragon Emperor was, as seen from the memories of the former Shadow Sovereign . The Dragon Emperor and the Army of Destruction led by that guy reduced just about everything before them to piles of ashes . And such creatures set their sights on Earth as their next target to destroy . That was why, not only him, but the entire world needed to prepare themselves . The System didn¡¯t need to inform him but he still stopped his running precisely on the tenth-kilometre mark . This was yet another habit ingrained in his flesh after doing the Daily Quest almost every single day . The truth was, though, habits weren¡¯t the only things ingrained in his body now . He learned so much about fighting, and also, inherited incredible power to boot . The final gift left behind by the Shadow Sovereign, who yearned to return to the eternal rest, had now transformed into ¡®opportunity¡¯ . Jin-Woo turned towards the direction where the rising sun¡¯s rays were pointing at . From the ridge of a distant mountain, the morning sun was greeting yet another day . *** Jin-Woo was now able to use Shadow Exchange freely . The first place he headed to was inside the building where the Ah-Jin Guild was located . He chose not to enter the offices straight away, in consideration of his employees¡¯ hearts tumbling down to their pits in shock, but thanks to his actions, he ended up running into an unfamiliar woman stepping outside the office¡¯s entrance, instead . Although she was unfamiliar to him, it was as if he had seen her somewhere before, too . She must¡¯ve felt the same, because, just as they were about to brush past each other, she abruptly turned around and engaged Jin-Woo in a chat . ¡°Uhm, excuse me . By any chance¡­ . ¡± ¡°¡­?¡± He wordlessly stared at her . She flinched for some reason and while saying ¡°Never mind¡± she hurriedly escaped out of his view . ¡®Well, she was a bit anti-climatic, wasn¡¯t she?¡¯ Jin-Woo entered the Ah-Jin Guild offices next . ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°Eh???¡± Every single employee froze stiff with their eyes wide open as if they had just seen something they shouldn¡¯t have . ¡®Should I have said good morning while walking in or something?¡¯ With things being like this, there was no point in him entering from the outside of the offices, now was there? Even before someone had the chance to scold these wayward employees for making such faces when their boss had stepped into the office¡­ . ¡­ . Yu Jin-Ho finally discovered Jin-Woo and rushed towards him with a bright expression . ¡°Hyung-niiiim!!¡± Before sharing that welcoming greeting, though, Jin-Woo decided to solve his curiosity first . ¡°Who was that lady walking out of the office just now?¡± He was about to add ¡°She seemed way too familiar¡±, but then, Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s reply easily solved the mystery and there was no need to say anything else . ¡°Ah, her? She¡¯s my older sister, hyung-nim . I¡¯ve been avoiding answering my family¡¯s phone calls, and she barged in here as a result . By the way, did she inconvenience you or some such¡­ . ??¡± ¡°No, nothing like that . ¡± That was why she came across so familiar ¨C she was Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s sibling . Jin-Woo glanced back at the office¡¯s exit and nodded his head before asking again . ¡°What brought her here, though?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡­ . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho hesitated for a bit before speaking up while cautiously studying Jin-Woo¡¯s reactions . ¡°Remember, hyung-nim? I was standing next to you just before the super-massive Gate opened up . ¡± ¡°Yeah, you were . ¡± ¡°Looks like that scene was caught on camera, hyung-nim . ¡± Jin-Woo roughly figured out what happened next in his head . ¡°My family wants me to hand in my Hunter licence and quit doing dangerous stuff since I¡¯ve become the Vice-Chair of the Ah-Jin Guild . ¡± As he thought . Since the Guild¡¯s Master, Seong Jin-Woo, was already a Hunter, there was no strict need for its Vice-Master Yu Jin-Ho to stay as a Hunter, as well . There was a point to what the boy¡¯s family said out of a genuine concern for his welfare . However, Jin-Woo already knew what was on Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s mind, so he didn¡¯t even try to convince the kid . ¡®I¡¯m sure he¡¯d say something similar to him wanting to remain as a Hunter and stand next to me . ¡¯ Sure, Jin-Woo was responsible for sorting out most of their troubles, but still, they had gone through many life-or-death struggles together and that made Yu Jin-Ho come across as quite praiseworthy in Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes . He reached out and quickly ruffled up the boy¡¯s hair . ¡°H-hyung-nim?¡± Jin-Woo left behind the flustered Yu Jin-Ho and headed into his office so he could change out of the clothes he¡¯d been wearing for the past few days . ¡°Hey, I¡¯m gonna use the company car for a bit . ¡± ¡°Oh? Should I drive for you, hyung-nim?¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine . I¡¯ll be quick . ¡± ¡°Where are you headed off to, hyung-nim?¡± ¡°The Hunter¡¯s Association . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho urgently tried to stop Jin-Woo as the latter took the keys, but¡­ ¡°Huh? Hyung-nim, there are reporters camping outside¡­ . ¡± ¡®¡­ . So it might get really annoying¡¯ ¨C that¡¯s what he wanted to say, but Jin-Woo had already escaped out of the office by then . And sure enough, reporters sacrificing their sleep and food for that one chance at a scoop were camping outside the building and waiting for Jin-Woo to show up, their faces looking wane and gaunt like a crowd of zombies . Just as their wait had been long, their reaction after discovering him was unbelievably explosive as well . ¡°Hunter Seong!! It¡¯s Hunter Seong!!¡± ¡°Hunter Seong Jin-Woo has shown up!¡± ¡°Is the camera on??¡± However, they couldn¡¯t continue yapping for long . ¡°Uh, uh??¡± ¡°Eh, ehhh??¡± They all looked down at themselves with expressions of someone not understanding what was happening to them, before shifting their gazes this way and that . Only then did they realise what was going on . They realised that, not just themselves, but everyone nearby was floating up in the air about ten centimetres off the ground . ¡°B-but, what the¡­ . ?!¡± Fortunately, this sudden bout of suspicious flight didn¡¯t last long . ¡°Heot!!¡± The reporters were all settled back down on the ground at the same time . Too bad for them, Jin-Woo was long gone by then . They quickly exchanged flustered gazes with each other, before waves of helpless laughter broke out . ¡°Ha, hahah¡­ . ¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be . ¡± A phenomenon that rendered them speechless; they now had one more thing to add to the article about Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . *** Jin-Woo drove ¡®Bonggo¡¯ straight to the Hunter¡¯s Association . He had called Woo Jin-Cheol ahead of setting off, so he wasn¡¯t surprised to see the Association President and the employees waiting for his arrival outside the building . But, then¡­ ¡®¡­ . What¡¯s going on here?¡¯ The look on Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s face was rather suspicious . It was the same story for the employees next to him . While Jin-Woo was climbing out of the van, Woo Jin-Cheol urgently walked over to him and asked with a trembling voice . ¡°Seong Hunter-nim¡­ . By any chance, have you heard of the breaking news yet?¡± < Chapter 229 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 229: Chapter 229 Late at night Jin-Woo climbed up a nameless hill and settled down on its summit . The bright moonlight illuminated the sea of trees below Under this pale light, he could see the Shadow Soldiers going about their business after he granted them free time to do whatever they wanted The first thing that caught his attention was Fangs who had already gigantified himself, and the three Dragons Dragons, carrying serious expressions, conversed in hushed tones with Fangs for a bit, before whispering something else amongst them . And then, the biggest Dragon stepped out of the group ¡®What are they trying to do now?¡¯. He could see that every other Shadow Soldier in the vicinity of the four giants scatter away in panic and thought that the mood was getting a bit suspicious over there Soon, though, that big Dragon spat out a long pillar of flames into the sky Kuwaaaaaaaah-!!. Fangs smirked after checking out the thickness of the flames and took a step forward as well Kuuuuooooooh-!!!. An enormous pillar of flames exploded out from his mouth and rose up high to brightly illuminate the dark night sky . While the High Orcs were whistling and cheering on from the distance, the Dragon¡¯s shoulders sagged visibly as he turned around to slink away It seemed that they decided to bet on who possessed the stronger flame attack However¡­ ¡®Isn¡¯t it cheating to use the Bead of Avarice during such a bet?¡¯. Perhaps knowing that he was in the wrong, Fangs was trying to sneak his Bead of Avarice back into his pocket . His gaze met Jin-Woo¡¯s at the last second, though, and he began scratching the back of his head as a sheepish grin formed on his face Jin-Woo chuckled good-heartedly at Fangs¡¯s thick skin and waved his hand about to signal that there was nothing to worry about Fangs grinned and bowed his head towards his liege several times What a peaceful sight this was Too bad, Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t feeling as content as his outward facial expression implied ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯. He raised his head towards the sky . He could faintly sense the beings from another world getting ever closer to this planet He felt their ominous intentions He also sensed their strengths Jin-Woo¡¯s perception, now pushed to unfathomable heights, buzzed and stung from the stimulation received ¨C even if it was only on the level of perceiving blurry, indistinct things beyond the thick veil of fog right now ¡®It¡¯s unknown just when their approach will become distinct enough for me to see . ¡¯. The fact that the battle against them couldn¡¯t be avoided weighed heavily on his mind . Jin-Woo fell into deep thought before raising his head again Something kept tugging at his mind so he took a closer look, only to find his ant soldiers busy carrying stuff like lumber or stones around ¡®¡­ . And what are they trying to do now?¡¯. Before he could summon Beru here to ask for clarity, a voice came from behind first ¡°It seems that they wish to construct a small-scale lodging that my liege can use to rest more comfortably . ¡±. This voice, too smooth for a dude with such a huge physique, belonged to the Grand-Marshal Bellion . Jin-Woo didn¡¯t look back and simply nodded his head ¡°I guess it was Beru¡¯s idea . ¡±. The only Marshal in the Shadow Army capable of passionately doing something that no one asked him to was Beru . On the other hand, Igrit did everything asked of him perfectly . As for Bellion¡­ ¡®¡­ . I wonder . ¡¯. Jin-Woo knew practically next to nothing about Bellion . The sole bond tying him to Jin-Woo was the former Shadow Sovereign Naturally, he was inclined to learn more about his new Grand-Marshal in depth . Perhaps his thoughts had been transmitted, because Bellion wordlessly approached his master and stood behind him ¡°My liege . May I inquire as to why you haven¡¯t recalled the soldiers back into your shadow?¡±. Jin-Woo replied, his eyes still surveying the soldiers ¡°I figured that they might be feeling too caged up . I mean, you guys had been stuck inside the place called the gap between dimensions for a long time before arriving here, right?¡±. ¡°¡­ ¡±. Bellion didn¡¯t say anything for a while as if that answer was a bit beyond his expectations . So, Jin-Woo spoke to him first, instead ¡°Aren¡¯t you saddened by the fact that you won¡¯t be able to meet the former Shadow Sovereign¡­ . Osborne, again?¡±. Jin-Woo was painfully reminded of what it felt like to lose someone precious to you only a few days ago while watching his father disappear Bellion¡¯s emotions should be similar to that . It wasn¡¯t difficult for Jin-Woo to understand the sense of loss the loyal Grand-Marshal must¡¯ve been feeling ¡°I¡¯ve been protecting the former liege¡¯s side from the moment he decided to stop the Rulers rebelling against the Absolute Being . And after he acquired the power to rule over death, I was the very first one to volunteer to become his loyal soldier . ¡±. Bellion explained himself in a calm manner, his voice unwavering ¡°I have spent almost an eternity acting as his support, but not even once have I ever questioned his decisions . ¡±. ¡°That¡¯s not what I was asking you about . ¡±. Jin-Woo pointed out accurately to his soldier that he was asking about something else . Bellion took a bit of time to ponder his answer before revealing how he felt with a bit of hesitation ¡°I haven¡¯t yet given any thoughts on how I feel, my liege . ¡±. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m giving you this chance . Come on . Take your time and think about it . ¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. What ensued was a lengthy, weighty silence From this silent answer, Jin-Woo could sense Bellion¡¯s true feelings . Although no words had been spoken, he heard enough to know already . Only then did he look behind at Bellion ¡°I wish to know more about Osborne from your perspective . Would you like to tell me?¡±. ¡°But, my liege . It might be a very long story . ¡±. ¡°That¡¯s perfect . I was actually in need of a long story to kill some time until I felt sleepy, you see . ¡±. Jin-Woo returned his gaze to his front, and Bellion quietly settled down next to his Sovereign ¡°This event happened back when I was still a fruit of the World Tree . ¡±. ¡°A fruit?? You were¡­ a fruit?!¡±. ¡°Every single soldier of the heavens is born as a fruit on the branches of the World Tree . It is a truly gigantic tree large enough to blanket the entire sky with its branches alone . ¡±. ¡°Huh-uh¡­ ¡±. As Jin-Woo focused on the story with an incomparably grand opening, the night continued to wear on ***. Just before sunrise Before the darkness had the chance to completely lift up, Jin-Woo was leisurely jogging within the forest . He had developed the habit of running for ten kilometres every morning since from a long time ago He knew very well that there was no more Daily Quest available to him, yet his body moved on its own volition regardless While drinking in the crisp, cool air of the forest draped in the dawn¡¯s light, Jin-Woo finally finished sorting out his thoughts ¡®¡­ . I should go back . ¡¯. He should inform the world on the existences of the eight massive armies that might arrive on this planet at any time now . He needed to tell them that the real war was just around the corner Unfortunately, he wouldn¡¯t be able to guarantee the safety of everyone . He also couldn¡¯t promise whether the world would be able to retain its former appearance or not, either That was how stupendously powerful the Dragon Emperor was, as seen from the memories of the former Shadow Sovereign The Dragon Emperor and the Army of Destruction led by that guy reduced just about everything before them to piles of ashes . And such creatures set their sights on Earth as their next target to destroy That was why, not only him, but the entire world needed to prepare themselves The System didn¡¯t need to inform him but he still stopped his running precisely on the tenth-kilometre mark . This was yet another habit ingrained in his flesh after doing the Daily Quest almost every single day The truth was, though, habits weren¡¯t the only things ingrained in his body now . He learned so much about fighting, and also, inherited incredible power to boot The final gift left behind by the Shadow Sovereign, who yearned to return to the eternal rest, had now transformed into ¡®opportunity¡¯ Jin-Woo turned towards the direction where the rising sun¡¯s rays were pointing at . From the ridge of a distant mountain, the morning sun was greeting yet another day ***. Jin-Woo was now able to use Shadow Exchange freely . The first place he headed to was inside the building where the Ah-Jin Guild was located He chose not to enter the offices straight away, in consideration of his employees¡¯ hearts tumbling down to their pits in shock, but thanks to his actions, he ended up running into an unfamiliar woman stepping outside the office¡¯s entrance, instead Although she was unfamiliar to him, it was as if he had seen her somewhere before, too . She must¡¯ve felt the same, because, just as they were about to brush past each other, she abruptly turned around and engaged Jin-Woo in a chat ¡°Uhm, excuse me . By any chance¡­ . ¡±. ¡°¡­?¡±. He wordlessly stared at her . She flinched for some reason and while saying ¡°Never mind¡± she hurriedly escaped out of his view ¡®Well, she was a bit anti-climatic, wasn¡¯t she?¡¯. Jin-Woo entered the Ah-Jin Guild offices next ¡°Uh?¡±. ¡°Eh???¡±. Every single employee froze stiff with their eyes wide open as if they had just seen something they shouldn¡¯t have ¡®Should I have said good morning while walking in or something?¡¯. With things being like this, there was no point in him entering from the outside of the offices, now was there?. Even before someone had the chance to scold these wayward employees for making such faces when their boss had stepped into the office¡­ ¡­ . Yu Jin-Ho finally discovered Jin-Woo and rushed towards him with a bright expression ¡°Hyung-niiiim!!¡±. Before sharing that welcoming greeting, though, Jin-Woo decided to solve his curiosity first ¡°Who was that lady walking out of the office just now?¡±. He was about to add ¡°She seemed way too familiar¡±, but then, Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s reply easily solved the mystery and there was no need to say anything else ¡°Ah, her? She¡¯s my older sister, hyung-nim . I¡¯ve been avoiding answering my family¡¯s phone calls, and she barged in here as a result . By the way, did she inconvenience you or some such¡­ . ??¡±. ¡°No, nothing like that . ¡±. That was why she came across so familiar ¨C she was Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s sibling . Jin-Woo glanced back at the office¡¯s exit and nodded his head before asking again ¡°What brought her here, though?¡±. ¡°Oh, that¡­ . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho hesitated for a bit before speaking up while cautiously studying Jin-Woo¡¯s reactions ¡°Remember, hyung-nim? I was standing next to you just before the super-massive Gate opened up . ¡±. ¡°Yeah, you were . ¡±. ¡°Looks like that scene was caught on camera, hyung-nim . ¡±. Jin-Woo roughly figured out what happened next in his head ¡°My family wants me to hand in my Hunter licence and quit doing dangerous stuff since I¡¯ve become the Vice-Chair of the Ah-Jin Guild . ¡±. As he thought . Since the Guild¡¯s Master, Seong Jin-Woo, was already a Hunter, there was no strict need for its Vice-Master Yu Jin-Ho to stay as a Hunter, as well There was a point to what the boy¡¯s family said out of a genuine concern for his welfare . However, Jin-Woo already knew what was on Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s mind, so he didn¡¯t even try to convince the kid ¡®I¡¯m sure he¡¯d say something similar to him wanting to remain as a Hunter and stand next to me . ¡¯. Sure, Jin-Woo was responsible for sorting out most of their troubles, but still, they had gone through many life-or-death struggles together and that made Yu Jin-Ho come across as quite praiseworthy in Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes . He reached out and quickly ruffled up the boy¡¯s hair ¡°H-hyung-nim?¡±. Jin-Woo left behind the flustered Yu Jin-Ho and headed into his office so he could change out of the clothes he¡¯d been wearing for the past few days ¡°Hey, I¡¯m gonna use the company car for a bit . ¡±. ¡°Oh? Should I drive for you, hyung-nim?¡±. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine . I¡¯ll be quick . ¡±. ¡°Where are you headed off to, hyung-nim?¡±. ¡°The Hunter¡¯s Association . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho urgently tried to stop Jin-Woo as the latter took the keys, but¡­. ¡°Huh? Hyung-nim, there are reporters camping outside¡­ . ¡±. ¡®¡­ . So it might get really annoying¡¯ ¨C that¡¯s what he wanted to say, but Jin-Woo had already escaped out of the office by then And sure enough, reporters sacrificing their sleep and food for that one chance at a scoop were camping outside the building and waiting for Jin-Woo to show up, their faces looking wane and gaunt like a crowd of zombies Just as their wait had been long, their reaction after discovering him was unbelievably explosive as well ¡°Hunter Seong!! It¡¯s Hunter Seong!!¡±. ¡°Hunter Seong Jin-Woo has shown up!¡±. ¡°Is the camera on??¡±. However, they couldn¡¯t continue yapping for long ¡°Uh, uh??¡±. ¡°Eh, ehhh??¡±. They all looked down at themselves with expressions of someone not understanding what was happening to them, before shifting their gazes this way and that Only then did they realise what was going on . They realised that, not just themselves, but everyone nearby was floating up in the air about ten centimetres off the ground ¡°B-but, what the¡­ . ?!¡±. Fortunately, this sudden bout of suspicious flight didn¡¯t last long ¡°Heot!!¡±. The reporters were all settled back down on the ground at the same time . Too bad for them, Jin-Woo was long gone by then . They quickly exchanged flustered gazes with each other, before waves of helpless laughter broke out ¡°Ha, hahah¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be . ¡±. A phenomenon that rendered them speechless; they now had one more thing to add to the article about Hunter Seong Jin-Woo ***. Jin-Woo drove ¡®Bonggo¡¯ straight to the Hunter¡¯s Association He had called Woo Jin-Cheol ahead of setting off, so he wasn¡¯t surprised to see the Association President and the employees waiting for his arrival outside the building But, then¡­. ¡®¡­ . What¡¯s going on here?¡¯. The look on Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s face was rather suspicious . It was the same story for the employees next to him While Jin-Woo was climbing out of the van, Woo Jin-Cheol urgently walked over to him and asked with a trembling voice ¡°Seong Hunter-nim¡­ . By any chance, have you heard of the breaking news yet?¡±. < Chapter 229 > Fin Chapter 230 ¡®¡­ . This is so strange . ¡¯ Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s older sister, Yu Jin-Hui, was returning home empty-handed due to her little brother¡¯s stubbornness . As she was driving home, though, she suddenly pulled up to the side of the road and cautiously parked her car there . Screech . That man she ran into while exiting the Ah-Jin Guild offices¡­ ¡®¡­ . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ¡¯ There should be no one in South Korea who didn¡¯t know what he looked like . So, even though she had never met him in person until now, it was easy to explain why it felt as if she did . Someone who didn¡¯t sweat over such things would have accepted that explanation and move on . However, she was the eldest daughter of Chairman Yu Myung-Hwan, a man famed for never forgetting a face after meeting a person only once . Although not as sharp as her father, she too didn¡¯t forget a person¡¯s face that easily . The contour of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s face, the one she briefly glimpsed while raising her head as they brushed past each other, came across as distinctly familiar . ¡®Just when would that be¡­ . ?¡¯ She combed through her memories until her eyes inexplicably grew extra large . ¡®Could it have been then?¡¯ Back then, in front of the hospital . There was that time near the entrance of a certain hospital where her father had been admitted to, when a man possessing the same facial contours brushed past her . Why didn¡¯t she recognise him back then? Could it have been because her mind was in a mess after her father had collapsed earlier in the day? ¡®Right, definitely . ¡¯ The man leaving the hospital that day simply had to be Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . And a short while later, she received a phone call telling her that her father, diagnosed to never open his eyes again, had precisely done just that . Was she even allowed to treat this as a mere coincidence? Yu Jin-Hui¡¯s entire body was suddenly overcome with a case of powerful goosebumps . She quickly pulled out her smartphone and began dialling her father¡¯s number . Beep, beep, beep¡­ But, before she could finish dialling his number, her fingers came to a stuttering halt . ¡®What am I even trying to do here¡­ . ?¡¯ Just because she ran into Hunter Seong Jin-Woo in front of the hospital that day, she somehow ended up linking him to her father¡¯s miraculous recovery . What a grand delusion this was . Yu Jin-Hui could only scold her logical reasoning that seemed to have taken a leave of absence for a moment there with a long, long sigh . She was about to start the car again, but then¡­ ¡­ . With excellent timing, her phone went off . [Secretary ahjussi . ] After confirming who it was, a smile floated up on Yu Jin-Hui¡¯s lips . Without a doubt, her dad became curious about the result of her visit to the Ah-Jin Guild and asked the ahjussi to find out from her . ¡®Back then or even now, Father just can¡¯t be honest with the matters of his kids, can he?¡¯ Yu Jin-Hui swallowed back her laughter and answered her phone . ¡°Hello?¡± ¨C ¡°Hello, miss . It¡¯s Secretary Kim . ¡± And so, the conversation proceeded exactly as she imagined it would . But then, just before it was about to end, Yu Jin-Hui thought it¡¯d be a good idea and quickly asked Secretary Kim . ¡°Ah, ahjussi? By any chance, is dad a close acquaintance with Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?¡± ¨C ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± Secretary Kim¡¯s surprised voice came out from the phone¡¯s speaker next . ¨C ¡°May I inquire as to why you¡¯re suddenly asking me that question, miss?¡± At this unexpectedly intense response, Yu Jin-Hui panicked slightly and ended up replying while feeling a bit lost . ¡°It¡¯s nothing in particular, but, I remember seeing Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim exiting from the hospital on that day, you see . I was wondering if he was also there to visit dad while he was admitted there . ¡± ¨C ¡°Are you saying that Seong Hunter-nim was in the hospital the day the Chairman collapsed, miss??¡± ¡°Y-yes . Just before I got the call to inform me that dad had woken up, we brushed past each other in front of the hospital . ¡± ¨C ¡°Are you sure about this, miss? Could it have been someone else, or maybe it was on a different day?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m pretty sure . I couldn¡¯t remember who it was because I wasn¡¯t thinking straight back then but now¡­ . But, why do you sound so agitated like that, ahjussi?¡± ¨C ¡°N-no, miss . It¡¯s nothing to worry about . I shall give you a call again later on . ¡± He didn¡¯t say the usual ¡®goodbye, speak to you soon¡¯, but ¡®will call again later¡¯? ¡®Did I say something wrong?¡¯ Yu Jin-Hui tilted her head in confusion . Before she could put her phone down, though, it rang noisily again . She confirmed who the caller was and her brows rose up just a little . ¡®¡­ . Dad is personally calling me?¡¯ Only after seeing the number for Chairman Yu Myung-Hwan on her phone¡¯s screen did she realise that this matter couldn¡¯t be simple at all . Could it be that her father¡¯s recovery and Hunter Seong Jin-Woo were related in some way, just as she imagined earlier? She cautiously answered the call . ¡°Dad?¡± *** Beijing International Airport . The biggest and busiest airport in the whole of China was now bustling even more than ever before, all thanks to a huge throng of people present today . There was only one reason for this . The best of the best Chinese Hunters that went to lend aid to the Koreans were coming back home today, that was why . It would be the same story in other countries as well, but at least in China, the highly-ranked Hunters were treated as superstars famous enough to summon up a sea of adoring fans wherever they showed up . And it went without saying that the leader of the support team, the Hunter ranked as Seven-Star, Liu Zhigeng¡¯s popularity couldn¡¯t be described with mere words alone . One of the reporters doing her job surveying the atmosphere of the airport spotted Liu Zhigeng and raised her voice . ¡°Ah! There he is! Liu Zhigeng Hunter-nim has entered the airport¡¯s interior!¡± Waaaaah-!! His fans filling up the airport cheered on loudly . While holding his now-trademark pair of longswords in one hand, he waved his other hand lightly towards his adoring fans . Kyaaaah~!! Liu Zhigeng¡¯s dignified atmosphere that simply oozed the charm of an older man caused the much-younger female fans to bounce up and down and even scream in uncontrollable excitement . The special team of Hunters followed after their leader and quickly entered the airport next . Waaaah-!! The gasps and cries of awe emitted by many onlookers, moved by their emotions after witnessing the Hunters they only got to see through TV screens until then, quickly filled up the airport¡¯s vast interior . Meanwhile, the reporter looked into the camera with the green light switched on . ¡°Our proud Hunters are now entering the airport, having returned from their trip to support South Korea . ¡± As her bright expression alluded to, the overall result of this trip was being seen as satisfactory from the Chinese government¡¯s point of view . They got to claim that they didn¡¯t forsake their neighbouring nation¡¯s troubles and also got to save their face when their elite Hunters volunteered to fight against the super-massive Gate in Seoul¡¯s skies . Was that all? With this particular matter resolving in the way it did, not one Hunter from the special team travelling to lend their support got hurt . They saved face, and also earned some practical benefits, too . Two things rolled onto their lap, so to speak . Many Chinese clapped their hands in admiration at Liu Zhigeng who personally persuaded China¡¯s top Hunters and formed this special team . However, there would always be those with dissatisfaction regardless of where it was . There were quite a few who tried to slander Liu Zhigeng or South Korea through the anonymity of the internet . ¨C That Liu Zhigeng b*stard, the Chinese government supported him financially so he can protect China, yet look at him, busy rushing off to Korea instead . ¨C Does anybody know where Liu Zhigeng¡¯s ancestors come from? ¨C Will someone please go through Liu Zhigeng¡¯s bank account? Better make sure that no Koreans paid him off . ¨C Why would a great nation like ours help out a small country that won¡¯t even remember this debt in the future, anyway? We must make sure that an event like this one doesn¡¯t happen ever again . ¨C Good sir, you¡¯re so right! ¨C There¡¯s no need for them to go, but since they did, we gotta get compensated properly . I mean, just what is the value of these Hunters making up the special team? How can them going on a volunteer mission even make sense?? Calculate each Hunter¡¯s daily wages properly and make the Koreans pay! ¨C I hear Seong Jin-Woo made a sh*t ton of money after killing Giants in Japan, so he can pay out of his own pocket, then! Comments that contained rather toxic contents even at a casual glance filled up the live broadcast¡¯s ticker tape being updated in real time at the bottom of the screen . The reporter, subbing for many people and their curiosity, stood before Liu Zhigeng to do her job . ¡°Many people are cheering you on for your brave decision, Liu Hunter-nim . On the other hand, those questioning why we had to aid the Koreans are also quite a few in number as well . By any chance, do you have anything you¡¯d like to say to them, Liu Hunter-nim?¡± Liu Zhigeng took his sunglasses off and glared at the reporter . ¡°Who is walking around spewing something that stupid?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Not paying any heed to the reporter and her wide-open eyes, Liu Zhigeng continued on with what he wanted to say . ¡°Are their heads nothing more than decorations? Can¡¯t they read a map? Don¡¯t they know which country is next if you move your eyeballs up from Korea?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ . ¡± ¡°One Giant monster that wasn¡¯t stopped in Japan crossed the sea and almost made it onto the Chinese mainland . I heard that the audience rating back then rewrote the history books, so surely, they must¡¯ve seen it, too . ¡± Liu Zhigeng glared straight at the camera next . ¡°What I am saying here is that something similar could¡¯ve happened, but on a far, far greater scale . I and my comrades agreed with that notion and we went there to prevent that from happening . ¡± Liu Zhigeng¡¯s torrent of harsh language put an immediate end to the stream of toxic comments . He continued to speak, his voice rising up higher and his glare getting sharper as if he was addressing the toxic commenters directly . ¡°If there are people still spewing crap like that, then tell them this . I, Liu Zhigeng, am not confident of stopping an event that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo also failed to stop . That¡¯s why we went there to help him out, so if you¡¯re unhappy about that, why don¡¯t you try and catch monsters with your own¡­ . ¡± Liu Zhigeng continued with his tirade which made his supporters really happy, but then, he abruptly stopped talking for some reason . Could it be that he finally realised the camera was rolling? Of course not . Liu Zhigeng was probably the only person in the whole of China capable of pouring out insults and swearing on live TV without worrying about repercussions . But then, someone like him had been rendered utterly speechless as he took a look outside the airport . Just what could have happened? The first person to look was the reporter . Next up were the Hunters and their supporting staff behind Liu Zhigeng . And eventually, everyone gathered here in the airport ¨C their gazes all shifted to the outside . And after witnessing the change, their eyeballs began quaking greatly . Liu Zhigeng would never get shocked by any ordinary little thing, but he couldn¡¯t stop a soft gasp of surprise leak out of his mouth . ¡°Oh, my god¡­ . . ¡± Above Beijing¡¯s skies, a massive darkness was slowly descending . *** ¡°Seong Hunter-nim¡­ . By any chance, have you heard of the breaking news yet?¡± Jin-Woo shook his head . After the ¡®raid¡¯ of the super-massive Gate, he headed straight to Japan and made it back to Korea only a little while ago before coming to the Hunter¡¯s Association straight away . He didn¡¯t have any opportunity to check out the news or any mass media coverage, really . Besides that, if something serious happened while he was away, Yu Jin-Ho would¡¯ve informed him the first thing after he entered the office . Seeing how grave the expressions on the faces of the Association employees, even Jin-Woo¡¯s own expression hardened . ¡°Did something happen?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol pulled his phone out and showed him the real-time footage being recorded right at that moment . ¨C ¡°Jesus Christ!! Can you see that??¡± ¨C ¡°Holy cow!!¡± ¨C ¡°Doesn¡¯t that Gate look even bigger than the one generated in Korea?¡± Eight super-massive Gates all revealed themselves in various parts of the world . Half in fear and half feeling mystified by this development, people were filming these Gates and uploading the footage on social media . Breaking news poured in from all parts of the world . Gulp . The sound of Woo Jin-Cheol swallowing his saliva rang out loudly from Jin-Woo¡¯s side . He didn¡¯t mind that and continued to watch each and every one of the video clips . ¡°Hunter-nim¡­ Could these be also¡­ . ?¡± ¡°No, definitely not . ¡± Jin-Woo quickly cut him off . He made sure to drill home the point that these new Gates had no relations to him whatsoever . Woo Jin-Cheol had been secretly hoping that these Gates would also end up as nothing too serious, so his complexion darkened fast enough to be noticed in real time from that grim reply . What if hundreds of thousands of monsters poured out from all those Gates, just like how it had been with Seoul? Isn¡¯t that the same thing as announcing the end of humanity? While Woo Jin-Cheol shuddered from the enormity of it all, Jin-Woo finished watching the footage and spoke to him . ¡°Let¡¯s change our location first . ¡± ¡°Ah, yes . ¡± They quickly got to the Association President¡¯s office and settled down on the couches facing each other . ¡°You said you had something to tell me¡­ . ?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol cautiously spoke, and Jin-Woo replied to him immediately . ¡°Association President . Do you trust me?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol nodded his head . ¡°Yes, of course, I trust you . ¡± ¡°In that case, I hope you will believe everything I¡¯m about to show you . ¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Just like how the former Shadow Sovereign had done, Jin-Woo reached out with his index finger and placed it against Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s forehead . The moment his finger touched, darkness filled up the older man¡¯s eyes, and countless images brushed past within his vision . ¡°Heok!!¡± Jin-Woo showed the necessary amount of information to the Association President and nothing more . That would be ¨C the Rulers and their plans, as well as the Sovereigns . And then, the armies those Sovereigns were summoning to this world, as well . ¡°Pant, pant, pant¡­ . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol had witnessed the powers of these Sovereigns with his own eyes now . Once the images stopped flashing by, he began gasping out breathlessly . ¡°This, this can¡¯t be¡­ . Just how can such a thing¡­ . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol had believed ¡®it¡¯ . He believed that God had gifted special powers to a small number of selected individuals in order to safeguard humanity . He believed that this was precisely the reason why Hunters had to fight against the monsters and protect other people . But, if everything Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had shown him was true, then¡­ . He had been too arrogant . He had made a grave mistake . Hunters, no, the ¡®Awakened¡¯ were simply the process of cultivating a small number of humans that might survive the aftermath of the true war about to take place . This was not a war between humanity and Sovereigns . It was a war between Sovereigns and Rulers, two organisations boasting unimaginable might . Indeed, it was they who were going to fight . However, a huge variable entered into this fray in the form of a certain man . And now, with the armies of the Sovereigns arriving much faster than expected to this planet, mankind had only one being they could place their hopes on ¨C the unexpected variable . ¡°How can this be¡­ . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s fingertips trembled as he raised his tear-filled gaze . ¡°Seong Hunter-nim¡­ . Are you planning to fight these things? All by yourself?¡± Even if the enemy possessed a powerful force, he couldn¡¯t just give up without trying something first now, could he? At least, Jin-Woo had never lived his life in that manner . That was why he quietly nodded his head . ¡°Yes . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol wanted to help him in any shape or form, so he quickly asked . ¡°In that case, what should we¡­ No, what should I do to help you, Hunter-nim?¡± Now that the expected question came out, Jin-Woo calmly replied with the answer he had thought of before arriving here . ¡°Can you gather the representatives of the world in one location, please?¡± < Chapter 230 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 230: Chapter 230 ¡®¡­ . This is so strange . ¡¯. Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s older sister, Yu Jin-Hui, was returning home empty-handed due to her little brother¡¯s stubbornness . As she was driving home, though, she suddenly pulled up to the side of the road and cautiously parked her car there Screech That man she ran into while exiting the Ah-Jin Guild offices¡­. ¡®¡­ . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ¡¯. There should be no one in South Korea who didn¡¯t know what he looked like . So, even though she had never met him in person until now, it was easy to explain why it felt as if she did Someone who didn¡¯t sweat over such things would have accepted that explanation and move on . However, she was the eldest daughter of Chairman Yu Myung-Hwan, a man famed for never forgetting a face after meeting a person only once . Although not as sharp as her father, she too didn¡¯t forget a person¡¯s face that easily The contour of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s face, the one she briefly glimpsed while raising her head as they brushed past each other, came across as distinctly familiar ¡®Just when would that be¡­ . ?¡¯. She combed through her memories until her eyes inexplicably grew extra large ¡®Could it have been then?¡¯. Back then, in front of the hospital There was that time near the entrance of a certain hospital where her father had been admitted to, when a man possessing the same facial contours brushed past her Why didn¡¯t she recognise him back then?. Could it have been because her mind was in a mess after her father had collapsed earlier in the day?. ¡®Right, definitely . ¡¯. The man leaving the hospital that day simply had to be Hunter Seong Jin-Woo And a short while later, she received a phone call telling her that her father, diagnosed to never open his eyes again, had precisely done just that Was she even allowed to treat this as a mere coincidence?. Yu Jin-Hui¡¯s entire body was suddenly overcome with a case of powerful goosebumps . She quickly pulled out her smartphone and began dialling her father¡¯s number Beep, beep, beep¡­. But, before she could finish dialling his number, her fingers came to a stuttering halt ¡®What am I even trying to do here¡­ . ?¡¯. Just because she ran into Hunter Seong Jin-Woo in front of the hospital that day, she somehow ended up linking him to her father¡¯s miraculous recovery What a grand delusion this was Yu Jin-Hui could only scold her logical reasoning that seemed to have taken a leave of absence for a moment there with a long, long sigh . She was about to start the car again, but then¡­. ¡­ . With excellent timing, her phone went off [Secretary ahjussi . ]. After confirming who it was, a smile floated up on Yu Jin-Hui¡¯s lips . Without a doubt, her dad became curious about the result of her visit to the Ah-Jin Guild and asked the ahjussi to find out from her ¡®Back then or even now, Father just can¡¯t be honest with the matters of his kids, can he?¡¯. Yu Jin-Hui swallowed back her laughter and answered her phone ¡°Hello?¡±. ¨C ¡°Hello, miss . It¡¯s Secretary Kim . ¡±. And so, the conversation proceeded exactly as she imagined it would . But then, just before it was about to end, Yu Jin-Hui thought it¡¯d be a good idea and quickly asked Secretary Kim ¡°Ah, ahjussi? By any chance, is dad a close acquaintance with Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?¡±. ¨C ¡°I beg your pardon?¡±. Secretary Kim¡¯s surprised voice came out from the phone¡¯s speaker next ¨C ¡°May I inquire as to why you¡¯re suddenly asking me that question, miss?¡±. At this unexpectedly intense response, Yu Jin-Hui panicked slightly and ended up replying while feeling a bit lost ¡°It¡¯s nothing in particular, but, I remember seeing Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim exiting from the hospital on that day, you see . I was wondering if he was also there to visit dad while he was admitted there . ¡±. ¨C ¡°Are you saying that Seong Hunter-nim was in the hospital the day the Chairman collapsed, miss??¡±. ¡°Y-yes . Just before I got the call to inform me that dad had woken up, we brushed past each other in front of the hospital . ¡±. ¨C ¡°Are you sure about this, miss? Could it have been someone else, or maybe it was on a different day?¡±. ¡°No, I¡¯m pretty sure . I couldn¡¯t remember who it was because I wasn¡¯t thinking straight back then but now¡­ . But, why do you sound so agitated like that, ahjussi?¡±. ¨C ¡°N-no, miss . It¡¯s nothing to worry about . I shall give you a call again later on . ¡±. He didn¡¯t say the usual ¡®goodbye, speak to you soon¡¯, but ¡®will call again later¡¯?. ¡®Did I say something wrong?¡¯. Yu Jin-Hui tilted her head in confusion . Before she could put her phone down, though, it rang noisily again . She confirmed who the caller was and her brows rose up just a little ¡®¡­ . Dad is personally calling me?¡¯. Only after seeing the number for Chairman Yu Myung-Hwan on her phone¡¯s screen did she realise that this matter couldn¡¯t be simple at all Could it be that her father¡¯s recovery and Hunter Seong Jin-Woo were related in some way, just as she imagined earlier?. She cautiously answered the call ¡°Dad?¡±. ***. Beijing International Airport The biggest and busiest airport in the whole of China was now bustling even more than ever before, all thanks to a huge throng of people present today There was only one reason for this . The best of the best Chinese Hunters that went to lend aid to the Koreans were coming back home today, that was why It would be the same story in other countries as well, but at least in China, the highly-ranked Hunters were treated as superstars famous enough to summon up a sea of adoring fans wherever they showed up And it went without saying that the leader of the support team, the Hunter ranked as Seven-Star, Liu Zhigeng¡¯s popularity couldn¡¯t be described with mere words alone One of the reporters doing her job surveying the atmosphere of the airport spotted Liu Zhigeng and raised her voice ¡°Ah! There he is! Liu Zhigeng Hunter-nim has entered the airport¡¯s interior!¡±. Waaaaah-!!. His fans filling up the airport cheered on loudly . While holding his now-trademark pair of longswords in one hand, he waved his other hand lightly towards his adoring fans Kyaaaah~!!. Liu Zhigeng¡¯s dignified atmosphere that simply oozed the charm of an older man caused the much-younger female fans to bounce up and down and even scream in uncontrollable excitement The special team of Hunters followed after their leader and quickly entered the airport next Waaaah-!!. The gasps and cries of awe emitted by many onlookers, moved by their emotions after witnessing the Hunters they only got to see through TV screens until then, quickly filled up the airport¡¯s vast interior Meanwhile, the reporter looked into the camera with the green light switched on ¡°Our proud Hunters are now entering the airport, having returned from their trip to support South Korea . ¡±. As her bright expression alluded to, the overall result of this trip was being seen as satisfactory from the Chinese government¡¯s point of view They got to claim that they didn¡¯t forsake their neighbouring nation¡¯s troubles and also got to save their face when their elite Hunters volunteered to fight against the super-massive Gate in Seoul¡¯s skies Was that all?. With this particular matter resolving in the way it did, not one Hunter from the special team travelling to lend their support got hurt . They saved face, and also earned some practical benefits, too . Two things rolled onto their lap, so to speak Many Chinese clapped their hands in admiration at Liu Zhigeng who personally persuaded China¡¯s top Hunters and formed this special team However, there would always be those with dissatisfaction regardless of where it was . There were quite a few who tried to slander Liu Zhigeng or South Korea through the anonymity of the internet ¨C That Liu Zhigeng b*stard, the Chinese government supported him financially so he can protect China, yet look at him, busy rushing off to Korea instead ¨C Does anybody know where Liu Zhigeng¡¯s ancestors come from?. ¨C Will someone please go through Liu Zhigeng¡¯s bank account? Better make sure that no Koreans paid him off ¨C Why would a great nation like ours help out a small country that won¡¯t even remember this debt in the future, anyway? We must make sure that an event like this one doesn¡¯t happen ever again ¨C Good sir, you¡¯re so right!. ¨C There¡¯s no need for them to go, but since they did, we gotta get compensated properly . I mean, just what is the value of these Hunters making up the special team? How can them going on a volunteer mission even make sense?? Calculate each Hunter¡¯s daily wages properly and make the Koreans pay!. ¨C I hear Seong Jin-Woo made a sh*t ton of money after killing Giants in Japan, so he can pay out of his own pocket, then!. Comments that contained rather toxic contents even at a casual glance filled up the live broadcast¡¯s ticker tape being updated in real time at the bottom of the screen The reporter, subbing for many people and their curiosity, stood before Liu Zhigeng to do her job ¡°Many people are cheering you on for your brave decision, Liu Hunter-nim . On the other hand, those questioning why we had to aid the Koreans are also quite a few in number as well . By any chance, do you have anything you¡¯d like to say to them, Liu Hunter-nim?¡±. Liu Zhigeng took his sunglasses off and glared at the reporter ¡°Who is walking around spewing something that stupid?¡±. ¡°Pardon?¡±. Not paying any heed to the reporter and her wide-open eyes, Liu Zhigeng continued on with what he wanted to say ¡°Are their heads nothing more than decorations? Can¡¯t they read a map? Don¡¯t they know which country is next if you move your eyeballs up from Korea?¡±. ¡°Ah¡­ . ¡±. ¡°One Giant monster that wasn¡¯t stopped in Japan crossed the sea and almost made it onto the Chinese mainland . I heard that the audience rating back then rewrote the history books, so surely, they must¡¯ve seen it, too . ¡±. Liu Zhigeng glared straight at the camera next ¡°What I am saying here is that something similar could¡¯ve happened, but on a far, far greater scale . I and my comrades agreed with that notion and we went there to prevent that from happening . ¡±. Liu Zhigeng¡¯s torrent of harsh language put an immediate end to the stream of toxic comments He continued to speak, his voice rising up higher and his glare getting sharper as if he was addressing the toxic commenters directly ¡°If there are people still spewing crap like that, then tell them this . I, Liu Zhigeng, am not confident of stopping an event that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo also failed to stop . That¡¯s why we went there to help him out, so if you¡¯re unhappy about that, why don¡¯t you try and catch monsters with your own¡­ . ¡±. Liu Zhigeng continued with his tirade which made his supporters really happy, but then, he abruptly stopped talking for some reason . Could it be that he finally realised the camera was rolling?. Of course not Liu Zhigeng was probably the only person in the whole of China capable of pouring out insults and swearing on live TV without worrying about repercussions . But then, someone like him had been rendered utterly speechless as he took a look outside the airport Just what could have happened?. The first person to look was the reporter . Next up were the Hunters and their supporting staff behind Liu Zhigeng . And eventually, everyone gathered here in the airport ¨C their gazes all shifted to the outside And after witnessing the change, their eyeballs began quaking greatly Liu Zhigeng would never get shocked by any ordinary little thing, but he couldn¡¯t stop a soft gasp of surprise leak out of his mouth ¡°Oh, my god¡­ ¡±. Above Beijing¡¯s skies, a massive darkness was slowly descending ***. ¡°Seong Hunter-nim¡­ . By any chance, have you heard of the breaking news yet?¡±. Jin-Woo shook his head After the ¡®raid¡¯ of the super-massive Gate, he headed straight to Japan and made it back to Korea only a little while ago before coming to the Hunter¡¯s Association straight away . He didn¡¯t have any opportunity to check out the news or any mass media coverage, really Besides that, if something serious happened while he was away, Yu Jin-Ho would¡¯ve informed him the first thing after he entered the office Seeing how grave the expressions on the faces of the Association employees, even Jin-Woo¡¯s own expression hardened ¡°Did something happen?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol pulled his phone out and showed him the real-time footage being recorded right at that moment ¨C ¡°Jesus Christ!! Can you see that??¡±. ¨C ¡°Holy cow!!¡±. ¨C ¡°Doesn¡¯t that Gate look even bigger than the one generated in Korea?¡±. Eight super-massive Gates all revealed themselves in various parts of the world . Half in fear and half feeling mystified by this development, people were filming these Gates and uploading the footage on social media . Breaking news poured in from all parts of the world Gulp The sound of Woo Jin-Cheol swallowing his saliva rang out loudly from Jin-Woo¡¯s side . He didn¡¯t mind that and continued to watch each and every one of the video clips ¡°Hunter-nim¡­ Could these be also¡­ . ?¡±. ¡°No, definitely not . ¡±. Jin-Woo quickly cut him off . He made sure to drill home the point that these new Gates had no relations to him whatsoever Woo Jin-Cheol had been secretly hoping that these Gates would also end up as nothing too serious, so his complexion darkened fast enough to be noticed in real time from that grim reply What if hundreds of thousands of monsters poured out from all those Gates, just like how it had been with Seoul?. Isn¡¯t that the same thing as announcing the end of humanity?. While Woo Jin-Cheol shuddered from the enormity of it all, Jin-Woo finished watching the footage and spoke to him ¡°Let¡¯s change our location first . ¡±. ¡°Ah, yes . ¡±. They quickly got to the Association President¡¯s office and settled down on the couches facing each other ¡°You said you had something to tell me¡­ . ?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol cautiously spoke, and Jin-Woo replied to him immediately ¡°Association President . Do you trust me?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol nodded his head ¡°Yes, of course, I trust you . ¡±. ¡°In that case, I hope you will believe everything I¡¯m about to show you . ¡±. ¡°Excuse me?¡±. Just like how the former Shadow Sovereign had done, Jin-Woo reached out with his index finger and placed it against Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s forehead . The moment his finger touched, darkness filled up the older man¡¯s eyes, and countless images brushed past within his vision ¡°Heok!!¡±. Jin-Woo showed the necessary amount of information to the Association President and nothing more . That would be ¨C the Rulers and their plans, as well as the Sovereigns . And then, the armies those Sovereigns were summoning to this world, as well ¡°Pant, pant, pant¡­ . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol had witnessed the powers of these Sovereigns with his own eyes now . Once the images stopped flashing by, he began gasping out breathlessly ¡°This, this can¡¯t be¡­ . Just how can such a thing¡­ . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol had believed ¡®it¡¯ He believed that God had gifted special powers to a small number of selected individuals in order to safeguard humanity . He believed that this was precisely the reason why Hunters had to fight against the monsters and protect other people But, if everything Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had shown him was true, then¡­ He had been too arrogant . He had made a grave mistake Hunters, no, the ¡®Awakened¡¯ were simply the process of cultivating a small number of humans that might survive the aftermath of the true war about to take place This was not a war between humanity and Sovereigns . It was a war between Sovereigns and Rulers, two organisations boasting unimaginable might . Indeed, it was they who were going to fight However, a huge variable entered into this fray in the form of a certain man And now, with the armies of the Sovereigns arriving much faster than expected to this planet, mankind had only one being they could place their hopes on ¨C the unexpected variable ¡°How can this be¡­ . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s fingertips trembled as he raised his tear-filled gaze ¡°Seong Hunter-nim¡­ . Are you planning to fight these things? All by yourself?¡±. Even if the enemy possessed a powerful force, he couldn¡¯t just give up without trying something first now, could he? At least, Jin-Woo had never lived his life in that manner That was why he quietly nodded his head ¡°Yes . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol wanted to help him in any shape or form, so he quickly asked ¡°In that case, what should we¡­ No, what should I do to help you, Hunter-nim?¡±. Now that the expected question came out, Jin-Woo calmly replied with the answer he had thought of before arriving here ¡°Can you gather the representatives of the world in one location, please?¡±. < Chapter 230 > Fin Chapter 231 The Director of America¡¯s Hunter Bureau, David Brennan, was about to go insane with frustration at the moment . ¡°What did the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association say??¡± ¡°They haven¡¯t made any official announcements yet, sir . ¡± ¡°Then, what the hell are you here for?!¡± ¡°¡­ . S-sir?¡± But, didn¡¯t the director summon him into the office? The subordinate could only stand there and blink his eyes . The director¡¯s irritation shot up to the top of his head and he loudly yelled out . ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to get a reply from the Korean Association President, even if you resort to wringing his neck?! Isn¡¯t that your godd*mn job?!¡± ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry, sir!¡± ¡°Get the hell out of here and find out what the f*ck is going on! Right now!!¡± The director chased the Chief of the Intelligence Department out of his office, but, as if his anger hadn¡¯t cooled down at all, he continued to seethe for a long time . The super-massive Gate, judged to be much bigger than the one that appeared in Seoul¡¯s skies, had shown up in Canada, an allied nation that shared a border with the United States of America . It¡¯d not take much time for the flames of destruction spreading from Canada to reach American soil . In the best possible scenario that he could think of, this Gate crisis would also end in a similar fashion to the one in Seoul¡¯s sky . And if the monsters Hunter Seong Jin-Woo commanded fell out from there, then that would be even better . ¡®However, the real problem is¡­ . ¡¯ The one holding all the answers, Hunter Seong himself, as well as the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association, had been keeping mum until now . Three hours passed by since the super-massive Gates appeared in various parts of the world . Meanwhile, the American government was demanding an answer from the Hunter Bureau . ¡®To think, one of the greatest intelligence agencies in America, the Hunter Bureau, has no choice but wait for a reply from the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association¡­ . ¡¯ Just who¡¯d have imagined that such a thing could happen? No wonder the director was anxiously jumping up and down on his spot . Beep . The director continued to spew out one sigh after another before noticing that there was a bleeping light on the phone . He snatched the receiver up and barked at it . ¡°What is it?!¡± ¨C ¡°Sir, Mister President is looking for you . ¡± ¡°Tell him I¡¯m not here . ¡± ¨C ¡°B-but, sir??¡± SLAM! The director slammed the receiver down as if he was throwing it away and dazedly stared at the ceiling . But then, the Chief of the Intelligence Department, the guy he just chased out, breathlessly rushed back inside the office . ¡°Director!¡± ¡°How dare you crawl back into my office already!!¡± The director yanked the receiver up in order to throw it, prompting the chief to quickly raise his arms up . ¡°T-the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association has sent us a communique!¡± Almost instantly, the director¡¯s expression did a 180, with a bright smile now etched on his face . ¡°You see!! All you had to do was just do it!¡± The director put the receiver down and approached the chief . ¡°Okay, so . What did they say?¡± ¡°Ah, well, the thing is¡­ . They said that, if we want to learn more about the super-massive Gates, we should go to Korea right away . ¡± ¡°¡­¡± Both the director and the Chief of the Intelligence Department wordlessly stared at each other . They remained standing face to face like that for a bit . Finally managing to grasp hold of the thin thread of his reasoning, the director muttered out a question . ¡°Who? Who should go there?¡± ¡°They say it doesn¡¯t matter, as long as it¡¯s a representative designated by the government . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . ¡± At that moment¡­ Beeeep . The director noticed yet another light blinking on his phone and picked the receiver up . ¨C ¡°Director, if you keep avoiding Mister President¡¯s call¡­ . ¡± Click . He quickly put the receiver down and addressed the Chief of the Intelligence Department with a determined expression . ¡°Tell them I¡¯ll be there . ¡± ¡°Sir?¡± Since the chief seemed to be confused by something, the director began enunciating every single word so his subordinate could understand him just a bit better . ¡°I . Will . Go . To . Korea . As . America¡¯s . Representative!¡± *** Representatives from every country that received the summons issued by the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association quickly climbed aboard the waiting planes . What an astonishing change this was . Less than two years ago, Korea¡¯s overall Hunter strength was so pathetic that they even lost a newbie rank S Hunter to America . But now, they were summoning the leaders of the world to their doorsteps . No, only a year ago, they couldn¡¯t even take care of the dungeon break on their own territory, Jeju Island, and became a laughing stock in Japan . But then, with the entrance of a Hunter who had far surpassed the classifications of upper, top, elite, or whatever, and stepped into the ranks of transcendence, everything changed . The man who made every monster pouring out from one of the super-massive Gates obey him; if it was that man, then he might be able to explain the identity of these super-massive Gates covering up the skies all over the globe . With that, understanding what happened a few days ago would also come about naturally as well . The keys to everything were held by just one person . The problem here was, they couldn¡¯t use force or concessions to coax the keys out from their opponent this time . Just who would be able to use force to make him talk, for instance? Even if you could do something about his individual combat power that defeated a Special Authority-rank Hunter, there was the small matter of a hundred thousand-plus summons right behind him waiting for their turn . It was an impossible task, in other words . That was why bigshots perfectly suited for representing their countries such as presidents, prime ministers, premiers, ministers, directors of Hunter-related government bodies, as well as leaders of various Hunter¡¯s Associations, were making a move after the Korean Association requested them to come . ¡°Has there been anyone else informing us of their intentions to come?¡± ¡°No, sir . It¡¯s still 152 countries, as reported in the morning¡¯s briefing, sir . ¡± ¡°Okay . ¡± The Association President Woo Jin-Cheol was personally going through every single report detailing the progress of the situation . The emergency response conference hall outfitted for the raid of the super-massive Gate was coming in handy even now . ¡°Sir, the representative from Hungary has just touched down in the airport . ¡± ¡°Who¡¯s coming from Hungary?¡± ¡°Their President, Yadessi Arnor, has personally come, sir . ¡± ¡°D*mn¡­ . ¡± When an important dignitary from overseas came for a visit, a person holding a similar office was supposed to go out to welcome him . That was the established etiquette . Unfortunately, the Hunter¡¯s Association simply lacked the leeway to mind such etiquette every single time at this moment . Association President Woo Jin-Cheol formed a rueful expression for a little while before issuing new orders . ¡°Guide him to a suitable hotel . ¡± ¡°Yes, sir . ¡± The Association employee replied crisply and was about to turn around to leave, but then, it felt as if he was hesitating about something else . So, Woo Jin-Cheol stopped poring over the documents to raise his head again . ¡°Mm? Is there something else?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ . ¡± The employee deliberated for a bit more before he summoned up enough courage . ¡°Sir, what did you hear from Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim yesterday inside the President¡¯s office? I¡¯ve never seen you so pale before, you see . ¡± The thing was, this employee got to realise for the first time that a person¡¯s complexion could pale to that extent after looking at Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s face yesterday . Just what sort of a conversation did they share? The employee simply couldn¡¯t forget that look on his boss¡¯s face for the whole night, so, although he knew he was being impolite, he still had to ask and satisfy his curiosity now . Sure enough, Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s expression hardened like a rock . ¡°S-sir, forgive me . I asked you something unnecessary¡­ . . ¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that . I am not feeling unhappy about you asking me . ¡± It was just that, he ended up recalling the scenes that unfolded from Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s fingertip, that was all . The army of frenzied Dragons rushing out from the other side of darkness . And then, a truly humongous Dragon following after them . It was so huge, in fact, it seemed to move so slowly as if time had come to a standstill, even though it was flying at a similar sort of speed compared to the rest of the Dragon army . It possessed an incredible aura that not even the combined might of every single Hunter in the world attacking together at the same time could even scratch . And then, that overwhelming pressure it emitted, something that might easily burn away everything in the world with merely a single breath . That creature possessed both of those . Simply looking at it made him dizzy . He didn¡¯t want to ever face that thing, regardless of the level of power he could gain, regardless of the promised reward at the end waiting for him . ¡®I can¡¯t do it¡­ . ¡¯ Because of that, he respected Hunter Seong Jin-Woo even more as the latter wasn¡¯t planning to run away but rather, stay and fight, even though he knew that such creatures existed . ¡®Wait, now that I think about it, what is Hunter Seong Jin-Woo doing right now?¡¯ There was still some time left before the representatives of the various nations would arrive . Woo Jin-Cheol suddenly became curious as to how Jin-Woo would spend his downtime, so he called out to the employee turning around to leave his office . ¡°Oh, by the way . Do you know where Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim is at the moment?¡± ¡°Currently, we believe that he¡¯s resting within his family home, sir . ¡± *** ¡°Ta-da!¡± Jin-Woo placed the pot of piping-hot kimchi stew he cooked himself on top of the dining table . Jin-Ah¡¯s expression brightened in an instant . ¡°Wow, smells so good!¡± On the other hand, mom looked rather apologetic for letting her busy son cook her food like this . ¡°I should¡¯ve done this, you know¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo grinned and replied in an unhurried manner . ¡°I just wanted to show you the cooking skills I got to polish in the last couple of years, Mom . ¡± Jin-Woo pleaded and persuaded her, and finally managed to wrestle the control of the kitchen away from his mom . This was his ambitious end result . Swept up by her son¡¯s continuous encouragement that she should have a taste, his mother smiled and picked up her spoon . ¡°Fuu- . ¡± She carefully blew on the hot stew and placed a spoonful inside her mouth . Her eyes opened into a round shape almost right away . Jin-Ah began boisterously yapping on from her side . ¡°Mom, how was it? It¡¯s really good, right?¡± ¡°Oh my goodness . ¡± Seeing how his mom looked surprised, Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t help but strut around a bit . ¡°I also didn¡¯t know that oppa had a talent in cooking, you know? Mom, try this one, too . Oppa is really good at making side dishes . ¡± While his sister was relentlessly praising his cooking skills while even forgetting to wipe the bits of rice off her lips, Jin-Woo noticed that his mother¡¯s expression was slowly changing for some reason and carefully asked her . ¡°Mother?¡± She gently set her spoon aside and asked back . ¡°Jin-Woo¡­ . Isn¡¯t there something I should be worried about?¡± Jin-Woo did his very best to maintain a bright expression and played dumb . ¡°What do you mean by that, Mom?¡± ¡°Your dad, he used to prepare meals for me whenever he was planning to participate in dangerous missions, you see . ¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± Her son had never done something like this, even when he was about to head to Japan in order to deal with those Giant monsters, or even when that gigantic Gate opened up in Seoul . But now that he did, his mom began to get worried all of a sudden . A woman¡¯s intuition ¨C no, it was more to do with a mother¡¯s intuition, instead . ¡®Like father, like son, is it . I even resemble him in things like this, too¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo very briefly spat out his complaint that wasn¡¯t really a complaint in his head and shook his head towards his mother . ¡°There¡¯s no such thing, Mom . ¡± Whether she wanted to remain as a source of strength for her son as he tried to force a smile on his face, or maybe she really bought his excuse, it was hard to tell . But still, she smiled in reply and picked up her spoon again . Jin-Ah had been observing the conversation between her oppa and her mom while lightly biting the end of her spoon, before breaking out into a grin herself and resuming her meal . Around the time the meal was coming to an end¡­ [My liege . ] ¡­ . He heard Bellion¡¯s voice . [As you have commanded, soldiers are now in position . ] ¡®Got it . ¡¯ As if he was waiting for this chance, Beru also raised his voice . [Oh, my king . The lodging specifically prepared for you has been completed as well . ] ¡®¡­ . . Sure thing . Thanks . ¡¯ He didn¡¯t ask it to be built, in the first place, though . Jin-Woo finished receiving the reports from his Marshals and slowly got up from his seat . ¡°Thanks for the meal . ¡± But then, his hands reaching down to pick up the empty plates came to an abrupt halt after sensing the noises coming from the outside . ¡®Footsteps of four people¡­ . ¡¯ He could also hear their hearts racing wildly from excitement, too . Although such categorisation didn¡¯t mean anything to him, all four of them were not Hunters but regular people . ¡®What could this be?¡¯ Surely, there wouldn¡¯t be any insane robber wanting to attack the house of a rank S Hunter, now would there? Also, the entrance of the apartment building was being guarded by the agents from the Monitoring Division due to the consideration from the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol, so no reporters could come up here, either . Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t figure it out, and soon, his ears were greeted by the sounds of the doorbell . Ding-dong . ¡°Let me answer that . ¡± He quickly dissuaded his mother from getting up and headed over to the front door . Clunk . The first thing he saw after opening the door was three well-built young men kitted out in black suits as if they were from some intelligence agency or some such . ¡®Doesn¡¯t look like they are from the Hunter Bureau, though¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo scanned their attire briefly before calmly asking them . ¡°Can I help you with something?¡± When he did, the trio of well-built young men stepped aside and another man standing behind them slowly moved to the front . ¡°Seong Hunter-nim¡­ I apologise for coming to see you unannounced like this . But, can I speak to you in private for a little while?¡± Jin-Woo recognised who it was and his voice rose up a little . ¡°¡­ . . Chairman Yu Myung-Hwan?¡± < Chapter 231 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 231: Chapter 231 The Director of America¡¯s Hunter Bureau, David Brennan, was about to go insane with frustration at the moment ¡°What did the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association say??¡±. ¡°They haven¡¯t made any official announcements yet, sir . ¡±. ¡°Then, what the hell are you here for?!¡±. ¡°¡­ . S-sir?¡±. But, didn¡¯t the director summon him into the office? The subordinate could only stand there and blink his eyes . The director¡¯s irritation shot up to the top of his head and he loudly yelled out ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to get a reply from the Korean Association President, even if you resort to wringing his neck?! Isn¡¯t that your godd*mn job?!¡±. ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry, sir!¡±. ¡°Get the hell out of here and find out what the f*ck is going on! Right now!!¡±. The director chased the Chief of the Intelligence Department out of his office, but, as if his anger hadn¡¯t cooled down at all, he continued to seethe for a long time The super-massive Gate, judged to be much bigger than the one that appeared in Seoul¡¯s skies, had shown up in Canada, an allied nation that shared a border with the United States of America It¡¯d not take much time for the flames of destruction spreading from Canada to reach American soil In the best possible scenario that he could think of, this Gate crisis would also end in a similar fashion to the one in Seoul¡¯s sky . And if the monsters Hunter Seong Jin-Woo commanded fell out from there, then that would be even better ¡®However, the real problem is¡­ . ¡¯. The one holding all the answers, Hunter Seong himself, as well as the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association, had been keeping mum until now Three hours passed by since the super-massive Gates appeared in various parts of the world . Meanwhile, the American government was demanding an answer from the Hunter Bureau ¡®To think, one of the greatest intelligence agencies in America, the Hunter Bureau, has no choice but wait for a reply from the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association¡­ . ¡¯. Just who¡¯d have imagined that such a thing could happen? No wonder the director was anxiously jumping up and down on his spot Beep The director continued to spew out one sigh after another before noticing that there was a bleeping light on the phone . He snatched the receiver up and barked at it ¡°What is it?!¡±. ¨C ¡°Sir, Mister President is looking for you . ¡±. ¡°Tell him I¡¯m not here . ¡±. ¨C ¡°B-but, sir??¡±. SLAM!. The director slammed the receiver down as if he was throwing it away and dazedly stared at the ceiling . But then, the Chief of the Intelligence Department, the guy he just chased out, breathlessly rushed back inside the office ¡°Director!¡±. ¡°How dare you crawl back into my office already!!¡±. The director yanked the receiver up in order to throw it, prompting the chief to quickly raise his arms up ¡°T-the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association has sent us a communique!¡±. Almost instantly, the director¡¯s expression did a 180, with a bright smile now etched on his face ¡°You see!! All you had to do was just do it!¡±. The director put the receiver down and approached the chief ¡°Okay, so . What did they say?¡±. ¡°Ah, well, the thing is¡­ . They said that, if we want to learn more about the super-massive Gates, we should go to Korea right away . ¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. Both the director and the Chief of the Intelligence Department wordlessly stared at each other . They remained standing face to face like that for a bit Finally managing to grasp hold of the thin thread of his reasoning, the director muttered out a question ¡°Who? Who should go there?¡±. ¡°They say it doesn¡¯t matter, as long as it¡¯s a representative designated by the government . ¡±. ¡°¡­ ¡±. At that moment¡­. Beeeep The director noticed yet another light blinking on his phone and picked the receiver up ¨C ¡°Director, if you keep avoiding Mister President¡¯s call¡­ . ¡±. Click He quickly put the receiver down and addressed the Chief of the Intelligence Department with a determined expression ¡°Tell them I¡¯ll be there . ¡±. ¡°Sir?¡±. Since the chief seemed to be confused by something, the director began enunciating every single word so his subordinate could understand him just a bit better ¡°I . Will . Go . To . Korea . As . America¡¯s . Representative!¡±. ***. Representatives from every country that received the summons issued by the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association quickly climbed aboard the waiting planes What an astonishing change this was Less than two years ago, Korea¡¯s overall Hunter strength was so pathetic that they even lost a newbie rank S Hunter to America . But now, they were summoning the leaders of the world to their doorsteps No, only a year ago, they couldn¡¯t even take care of the dungeon break on their own territory, Jeju Island, and became a laughing stock in Japan But then, with the entrance of a Hunter who had far surpassed the classifications of upper, top, elite, or whatever, and stepped into the ranks of transcendence, everything changed The man who made every monster pouring out from one of the super-massive Gates obey him; if it was that man, then he might be able to explain the identity of these super-massive Gates covering up the skies all over the globe With that, understanding what happened a few days ago would also come about naturally as well The keys to everything were held by just one person . The problem here was, they couldn¡¯t use force or concessions to coax the keys out from their opponent this time Just who would be able to use force to make him talk, for instance?. Even if you could do something about his individual combat power that defeated a Special Authority-rank Hunter, there was the small matter of a hundred thousand-plus summons right behind him waiting for their turn It was an impossible task, in other words That was why bigshots perfectly suited for representing their countries such as presidents, prime ministers, premiers, ministers, directors of Hunter-related government bodies, as well as leaders of various Hunter¡¯s Associations, were making a move after the Korean Association requested them to come ¡°Has there been anyone else informing us of their intentions to come?¡±. ¡°No, sir . It¡¯s still 152 countries, as reported in the morning¡¯s briefing, sir . ¡±. ¡°Okay . ¡±. The Association President Woo Jin-Cheol was personally going through every single report detailing the progress of the situation . The emergency response conference hall outfitted for the raid of the super-massive Gate was coming in handy even now ¡°Sir, the representative from Hungary has just touched down in the airport . ¡±. ¡°Who¡¯s coming from Hungary?¡±. ¡°Their President, Yadessi Arnor, has personally come, sir . ¡±. ¡°D*mn¡­ . ¡±. When an important dignitary from overseas came for a visit, a person holding a similar office was supposed to go out to welcome him . That was the established etiquette Unfortunately, the Hunter¡¯s Association simply lacked the leeway to mind such etiquette every single time at this moment . Association President Woo Jin-Cheol formed a rueful expression for a little while before issuing new orders ¡°Guide him to a suitable hotel . ¡±. ¡°Yes, sir . ¡±. The Association employee replied crisply and was about to turn around to leave, but then, it felt as if he was hesitating about something else . So, Woo Jin-Cheol stopped poring over the documents to raise his head again ¡°Mm? Is there something else?¡±. ¡°Uhm¡­ . ¡±. The employee deliberated for a bit more before he summoned up enough courage ¡°Sir, what did you hear from Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim yesterday inside the President¡¯s office? I¡¯ve never seen you so pale before, you see . ¡±. The thing was, this employee got to realise for the first time that a person¡¯s complexion could pale to that extent after looking at Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s face yesterday Just what sort of a conversation did they share? The employee simply couldn¡¯t forget that look on his boss¡¯s face for the whole night, so, although he knew he was being impolite, he still had to ask and satisfy his curiosity now Sure enough, Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s expression hardened like a rock ¡°S-sir, forgive me . I asked you something unnecessary¡­ ¡±. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that . I am not feeling unhappy about you asking me . ¡±. It was just that, he ended up recalling the scenes that unfolded from Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s fingertip, that was all The army of frenzied Dragons rushing out from the other side of darkness . And then, a truly humongous Dragon following after them It was so huge, in fact, it seemed to move so slowly as if time had come to a standstill, even though it was flying at a similar sort of speed compared to the rest of the Dragon army It possessed an incredible aura that not even the combined might of every single Hunter in the world attacking together at the same time could even scratch . And then, that overwhelming pressure it emitted, something that might easily burn away everything in the world with merely a single breath . That creature possessed both of those Simply looking at it made him dizzy He didn¡¯t want to ever face that thing, regardless of the level of power he could gain, regardless of the promised reward at the end waiting for him ¡®I can¡¯t do it¡­ . ¡¯. Because of that, he respected Hunter Seong Jin-Woo even more as the latter wasn¡¯t planning to run away but rather, stay and fight, even though he knew that such creatures existed ¡®Wait, now that I think about it, what is Hunter Seong Jin-Woo doing right now?¡¯. There was still some time left before the representatives of the various nations would arrive Woo Jin-Cheol suddenly became curious as to how Jin-Woo would spend his downtime, so he called out to the employee turning around to leave his office ¡°Oh, by the way . Do you know where Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim is at the moment?¡±. ¡°Currently, we believe that he¡¯s resting within his family home, sir . ¡±. ***. ¡°Ta-da!¡±. Jin-Woo placed the pot of piping-hot kimchi stew he cooked himself on top of the dining table . Jin-Ah¡¯s expression brightened in an instant ¡°Wow, smells so good!¡±. On the other hand, mom looked rather apologetic for letting her busy son cook her food like this ¡°I should¡¯ve done this, you know¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo grinned and replied in an unhurried manner ¡°I just wanted to show you the cooking skills I got to polish in the last couple of years, Mom . ¡±. Jin-Woo pleaded and persuaded her, and finally managed to wrestle the control of the kitchen away from his mom . This was his ambitious end result Swept up by her son¡¯s continuous encouragement that she should have a taste, his mother smiled and picked up her spoon ¡°Fuu- . ¡±. She carefully blew on the hot stew and placed a spoonful inside her mouth . Her eyes opened into a round shape almost right away . Jin-Ah began boisterously yapping on from her side ¡°Mom, how was it? It¡¯s really good, right?¡±. ¡°Oh my goodness . ¡±. Seeing how his mom looked surprised, Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t help but strut around a bit ¡°I also didn¡¯t know that oppa had a talent in cooking, you know? Mom, try this one, too . Oppa is really good at making side dishes . ¡±. While his sister was relentlessly praising his cooking skills while even forgetting to wipe the bits of rice off her lips, Jin-Woo noticed that his mother¡¯s expression was slowly changing for some reason and carefully asked her ¡°Mother?¡±. She gently set her spoon aside and asked back ¡°Jin-Woo¡­ . Isn¡¯t there something I should be worried about?¡±. Jin-Woo did his very best to maintain a bright expression and played dumb ¡°What do you mean by that, Mom?¡±. ¡°Your dad, he used to prepare meals for me whenever he was planning to participate in dangerous missions, you see . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. Her son had never done something like this, even when he was about to head to Japan in order to deal with those Giant monsters, or even when that gigantic Gate opened up in Seoul . But now that he did, his mom began to get worried all of a sudden A woman¡¯s intuition ¨C no, it was more to do with a mother¡¯s intuition, instead ¡®Like father, like son, is it . I even resemble him in things like this, too¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo very briefly spat out his complaint that wasn¡¯t really a complaint in his head and shook his head towards his mother ¡°There¡¯s no such thing, Mom . ¡±. Whether she wanted to remain as a source of strength for her son as he tried to force a smile on his face, or maybe she really bought his excuse, it was hard to tell . But still, she smiled in reply and picked up her spoon again Jin-Ah had been observing the conversation between her oppa and her mom while lightly biting the end of her spoon, before breaking out into a grin herself and resuming her meal Around the time the meal was coming to an end¡­. [My liege . ]. ¡­ . He heard Bellion¡¯s voice [As you have commanded, soldiers are now in position . ]. ¡®Got it . ¡¯. As if he was waiting for this chance, Beru also raised his voice [Oh, my king . The lodging specifically prepared for you has been completed as well . ]. ¡®¡­ Sure thing . Thanks . ¡¯. He didn¡¯t ask it to be built, in the first place, though Jin-Woo finished receiving the reports from his Marshals and slowly got up from his seat ¡°Thanks for the meal . ¡±. But then, his hands reaching down to pick up the empty plates came to an abrupt halt after sensing the noises coming from the outside ¡®Footsteps of four people¡­ . ¡¯. He could also hear their hearts racing wildly from excitement, too . Although such categorisation didn¡¯t mean anything to him, all four of them were not Hunters but regular people ¡®What could this be?¡¯. Surely, there wouldn¡¯t be any insane robber wanting to attack the house of a rank S Hunter, now would there?. Also, the entrance of the apartment building was being guarded by the agents from the Monitoring Division due to the consideration from the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol, so no reporters could come up here, either Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t figure it out, and soon, his ears were greeted by the sounds of the doorbell Ding-dong ¡°Let me answer that . ¡±. He quickly dissuaded his mother from getting up and headed over to the front door Clunk The first thing he saw after opening the door was three well-built young men kitted out in black suits as if they were from some intelligence agency or some such ¡®Doesn¡¯t look like they are from the Hunter Bureau, though¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo scanned their attire briefly before calmly asking them ¡°Can I help you with something?¡±. When he did, the trio of well-built young men stepped aside and another man standing behind them slowly moved to the front ¡°Seong Hunter-nim¡­ I apologise for coming to see you unannounced like this . But, can I speak to you in private for a little while?¡±. Jin-Woo recognised who it was and his voice rose up a little ¡°¡­ Chairman Yu Myung-Hwan?¡±. < Chapter 231 > Fin Chapter 232 His heightened emotion was all-too-clear to see on Chairman Yu¡¯s face . Regardless of what he wanted to say, it shouldn¡¯t be discussed here . Jin-Woo remembered his mom and little sister, and took a quick look towards the dining table, before shifting his gaze back to Chairman Yu . ¡°¡­¡± The older man was anxiously waiting for Jin-Woo¡¯s reply . After a short deliberation, the latter¡¯s lips finally parted open . ¡°If it¡¯s somewhere private to quietly talk, then, well¡­ . ¡± Chairman Yu¡¯s expression brightened and a genuine smile quickly formed on his face . ¡°Allow me to guide you to such a place . Shall we get going, then?¡± Jin-Woo went back inside the apartment and told his mom that he¡¯d be out for a bit, put on his coat, and made his way down to the lobby of the building while being accompanied by Chairman Yu and his entourage . And as expected, the front entrance of the building was occupied by the reporters that had set up a camp there . Most likely, the three well-built young men were Chairman Yu¡¯s bodyguards here to overcome the wall of the reporters . As for those said reporters, they were far too busy shouting out angrily while pushing and shoving against the Monitoring Division¡¯s Hunters protecting the entrance . ¡°What the hell?? How can this make sense? It¡¯s fine for the Chairman of Yujin Construction, but we aren¡¯t allowed to go inside?!¡± ¡°He¡¯s a guest coming to visit Hunter Seong Jin-Woo? Why can¡¯t reporters be guests, too?! We¡¯re also guests from now on!! We¡¯re guests!!¡± ¡°Aaah, is that so? The biggest financial supporter of the Hunter¡¯s Association is okay, but reporters are not, is that it?!¡± The reporters crazily pushed and shoved forwards as if they were planning to stampede past the wall of humans were it not for them being Hunters and not regular people . ¡°Step aside!!¡± Things were so bad that the Hunters of the Monitoring Division looked rather pitiable right now . ¡°Didn¡¯t Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim announce that he won¡¯t do any interviews?!¡± ¡°Hey, over there! Step back!!¡± ¡°If you wish to visit Hunter-nim¡¯s residence, you must go and obtain a permit from the Association first!!¡± Since they were up against regular people, they couldn¡¯t resort to using their real strengths, so the agents from the Monitoring Division could only sweat profusely under the current circumstances . Jin-Woo studied them with sympathetic eyes and eventually, extended his hands out . ¡°Uh, uh-uh??¡± The reporters began floating up into the air . ¡°S-save me!¡± This time, forget about ten centimetres, Jin-Woo lifted the reporters ten metres up in the air . When he stepped outside the entrance, Hunters quickly bowed their heads to welcome him . ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!¡± ¡°Hunter-nim!¡± Compared to these Hunters who didn¡¯t get too surprised by what was happening ¨C as if they were familiar with this whole thing already ¨C the eyes of Chairman Yu and his three bodyguards went extra round from the sheer unbridled shock . ¡°O-oh, my god¡­ . ¡± The businessman¡¯s gaze was fixed to the reporter helplessly flailing in the air . He could see their complexion paling greatly, too . For the first time ever, Chairman Yu felt sorry for these people, even though he often times felt sick and tired of dealing with them in the past . The person in charge of this batch of the Monitoring Division¡¯s agents walked over to Jin-Woo and although there was a troubled expression on his face, his lips began forming a smile, as well . ¡°Hunter-nim¡­ If you keep doing this, it¡¯s going to come and bite us in the rear later . ¡± ¡°Well, they were getting a bit too noisy to be left alone, you see . ¡± ¡°Haha . ¡± The reporters were continuously shouting something out, but even before anyone had noticed it, a barrier made out of magical energy was surrounding them to cut off all sounds made by their mouths . The person in charge looked up at them for a little while, before asking Jin-Woo . ¡°How long will you keep them up there this time?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking about something like five minutes, so that they can cool their heads up there . ¡± The Hunters from the Monitoring Division burst out in laughter after hearing his declaration to rewrite the existing record . Wahahahah-! ¡°Hey! Hush!¡± The person in charge did his best to suppress his own laughter and chided his subordinates before replying politely back to Jin-Woo . ¡°I pray that you make sure no reporters are harmed today . ¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that . ¡± It¡¯s been a while since he had become a master in ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯, or the technique to move Mana to influence an object . Even if he wasn¡¯t here, the Mana would safely lower the reporters at a later time . ¡®Nothing I can do about them feeling a bit sick, though¡­¡¯ However, not only did they try to barge into his home even though his private details were being protected, they even tried to raise a huge ruckus as well, so this level of a warning shouldn¡¯t pose a problem at all . Screech . Soon, the waiting limousine Chairman Yu brought along came to a stop before them, and both him and Jin-Woo climbed into the back seat . The vehicle smoothly glided forward and headed off to Chairman Yu¡¯s private residence . *** Chairman Yu guided Jin-Woo to the drawing room of his mansion, which should probably be the quietest place they could talk in . They settled down on the couches while facing each other . ¡°I¡¯d like not to be interrupted during my chat with Seong Hunter-nim . ¡± ¡°Understood, Chairman . ¡± After he sent away everyone near their vicinity, Jin-Woo broke the ice first . ¡°How did you find out?¡± There shouldn¡¯t have been any evidence of him helping Chairman Yu out . So, where could he have made a mistake? As Jin-Woo stared with a curious gaze, Chairman Yu began telling him the truth of what happened . ¡°My daughter saw you leaving the hospital on that day . ¡± If it was Chairman Yu¡¯s daughter, then¡­ . ¡®Ah . ¡¯ Jin-Woo recalled Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s older sister, the one he ran into in front of his Guild office . He thought that she looked kinda familiar back then . But to think, she was the same person as the one he walked past in front of the hospital that Chairman Yu Myung-Hwan had been admitted to . Realising that the actions he thought were watertight had been undone by a simple coincidence, Jin-Woo could only form a helpless smile . At the same time, Chairman Yu was carefully studying Jin-Woo¡¯s expression, and after seeing that smile, he felt greatly relieved . ¡®What a relief . ¡¯ Even if the deed was done out of goodwill, Jin-Woo tried to hide it so Yu Myung-Hwan was inwardly worried that the young Hunter would get angry at him for exposing the secret like this . He wouldn¡¯t even be able to look the other party in the eye if he somehow ended up displeasing his life¡¯s saviour . Thankfully, contrary to his worries, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t look unhappy at all . Indeed, what a wonderful turn of events this was for Chairman Yu . ¡°As I expected, it was you, Seong Hunter-nim . ¡± ¡°Yes, it was . ¡± Jin-Woo didn¡¯t try to deny it . The moment he heard the answer straight from the person, Chairman Yu¡¯s eyes, locked onto Jin-Woo, shook about greatly . Up until now, he lost count of just how many people had tried to get in his good books because they wanted something from him . Some of them didn¡¯t even bother to put in any effort whatsoever and simply reached out, hoping to get a hand-out somehow . But then, what about this young man before his eyes? He saved a person¡¯s life . No, he saved the life of the top executive of the biggest corporation in the country, yet he wasn¡¯t asking for anything in return . If Chairman Yu¡¯s daughter didn¡¯t see him and simply walked on by, he would never have found out how he recovered from that illness for the rest of his life . Yu Myung-Hwan was famous for being a poker face, but just this once, his expression betrayed how emotionally moved he was . ¡°But, why¡­ . ?¡± He had to say something in order to suppress his overwhelming emotions . ¡°Why did you help me?¡± Back then, even though the demand for a helping hand was made, accompanied by a huge financial incentive, Jin-Woo simply rejected it while saying that he didn¡¯t possess such powers . So, what made him change his mind, then? Yu Myung-Hwan brought Jin-Woo here pretty much to ask that one question, even at the risk of offending him . Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump¡­ . His heart was beating faster and faster as time went by; every passing second felt as long as ten minutes before Jin-Woo chose to make his reply . And that he finally did . ¡°I judged you to be a trustworthy person, that was why . ¡± ¡°¡­ . !!¡± At that rather unexpected answer, Chairman Yu¡¯s brows rose up higher . ¡°But¡­ . What does that mean?¡± ¡°If you were the type of person who did whatever it takes to accomplish your goal, then I wouldn¡¯t even have considered risking it for your sake . ¡± ¡°By that, you mean¡­ . Is it because I never tried to use my son, Jin-Ho?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct . ¡± Jin-Woo nodded his head . As expected of the leader of a global corporation, Chairman Yu instantly figured out what Jin-Woo was trying to say here . It was true that Yu Myung-Hwan did possess the one trump card that could have made Jin-Woo act . And that would be his son, the Vice-Chair of the Ah-Jin Guild ¨C Yu Jin-Ho . However, after his proposal was rejected, he didn¡¯t obsessively cling on and cleanly backed away . Meaning, he believed in Jin-Woo¡¯s words of not possessing the cure . An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth ¨C Jin-Woo religiously adhered to this principle so, to Yu Myung-Hwan who believed in him, he replied in kind as well . Although, it did take a bit of time to figure out whether the businessman was worthy of his trust or not . ¡®Still, I didn¡¯t make a wrong decision . ¡¯ Jin-Woo formed a grin . At the same time¡­ Drip¡­ . A single teardrop trickled down Yu Myung-Hwan¡¯s eye . ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to express my gratitude to you . ¡± He quickly wiped the tear away with the back of his hand and stared at the young Hunter with a determined expression on his face . ¡°Please, allow me to repay this debt, even if it¡¯s only half, no, half of that half . I beg of you . ¡± Only by doing this, the debt of gratitude he felt in his heart would lessen just a tad . Yu Myung-Hwan quickly carried on . ¡°Is there anything you¡¯d like, Hunter-nim?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I want something, but¡­ . ¡± Yu Myung-Hwan¡¯s ears perked up right away . If Hunter Seong Jin-Woo wanted money or something else, he was planning to do everything in his power to make it happen . However, Jin-Woo¡¯s answer was a bit different to what Yu Myung-Hwan had been thinking of . ¡°If something ever happens to me¡­ . Can you look after my mother and my sister?¡± That was his reply after a short bout of hesitation . To prepare for the worst-possible-case scenario that may or may not happen, Jin-Woo asked for the favour of his family being taken good care of . He may have already amassed enough money, but unfortunately, money wouldn¡¯t be able to protect them from certain things . Surely, Chairman Yu Myung-Hwan would prove to be a dependable buffer during those times . ¡°¡­ . Are you really okay with only that, Hunter-nim?¡± ¡°Yes, I am . ¡± It was difficult to imagine something untoward happening to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, but since he decided to say yes to whatever demand the young man would make, Chairman Yu Myung-Hwan didn¡¯t even hesitate and nodded his head right away . ¡°I give you my word . ¡± The lengthy conversation had come to an end here . ¡°Well, then¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo tried to get up to leave . Yu Myung-Hwan watched him and felt rueful about the fact that their conversation had come to an end . He then belatedly realised how much he liked this young man named Jin-Woo . If Hunter Seong Jin-Woo could become a part of his family¡­ . . ? Never once did Yu Myung-Hwan entertain the idea of using his beloved daughter as a tool in an arranged marriage, but he still found himself asking the question anyway . ¡°By any chance, are you dating someone at the moment?¡± If it was this young man, then he¡¯d not feel short-changed by giving away Yu Jin-Hui ¨C for the first time ever, Yu Myung-Hwan had met a young man who made him feel this way . Too bad, though, Jin-Woo grinned brightly as his reply . ¡°Actually, there is someone I like . ¡± ¡°Oh¡­ . ¡± It was then, Yu Myung-Hwan realised that he just asked a really embarrassing question and his face reddened visibly . That was how impressive this young man was . However, Chairman Yu wasn¡¯t someone who¡¯d obsess over things he couldn¡¯t obtain . He soon raised his head back up and with a smile on his face, bade him goodbye . ¡°I shall pray that the promise I made today won¡¯t ever come true in the future . ¡± Jin-Woo smiled in reply and stood up fully from his seat . ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to make sure of that, too . ¡± *** Now that all of his Stat values had reached their maximum attainable limit, the only area left to improve was his ability to command his Shadow Army . Jin-Woo returned to the entry prohibited area in Japan in order to get his final preparation ready . The uninhabited sea of forest stretched on forever in his view . Grand-Marshal Bellion had split the Shadow Army to three separate groups as per Jin-Woo¡¯s instruction and assigned the commands of each to himself, Igrit, and Beru . Jin-Woo nodded his head while looking at the three separate groups of his soldiers below the hill . He guessed from the aura emitted by the soldiers below that a great deal of thought had been given to creating the balance of strengths between the three groups . The Grand-Marshal bowed his head after meeting Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze . It seemed that this guy was also the perfectionist-type like Igrit . On the other hand¡­ . ¡®This guy¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo turned around to take a gander at the so-called ¡®lodging¡¯ built on the summit of the hill . ¡°Beru, get over here . Now . ¡± Whoooosh-!! Beru dashed forward from the bottom of the hill right up to the summit in the blink of an eye and knelt down before Jin-Woo . ¡°Oh, my king!¡± ¡°Head, floor . ¡± Even before those words finished coming out of his king¡¯s mouth, Beru quickly rammed his head on the ground . Right away, Jin-Woo yelled out . ¡°How can you call this a small ¡®shelter¡¯? Am I supposed to take a break inside that?! Setting aside its size, is this even a shelter, to begin with?!¡± ¡°Kiiehhk¡­ . ¡± Beru cowered from Jin-Woo¡¯s loud shouting and replied with the voice of a guy being wrongfully accused . ¡°For a lodging befitting my king, at the bare minimum, it must be¡­ . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . ¡± Jin-Woo slowly massaged his forehead . He had completely overlooked the small fact that ants specialised in building ¡®houses¡¯ . Indeed, he should¡¯ve seen just what the human-sized ants possessing greater physical strength than superhumans might end up creating in the name of a mere ¡®house¡¯ . He slowly raised his lowered face and ended up being overwhelmed by the dignified air of the so-called ¡®small shelter¡¯ once more . A massively-tall fortress built out of white stone ¨C so it could be spotted pretty easily from afar ¨C stretched from this part of the land all the way to over there . It was also dizzyingly tall that, while trying to see where its roof was, his neck actually began aching instead from looking up for too long . Jin-Woo¡¯s head pulsed painfully again after witnessing the fruit of the ants¡¯ unnecessary devotion . He didn¡¯t even order them to do this, yet here they were . He roughly massaged his temples before groaning out and asked another question . ¡°What about that black flag flapping around at the end of this castle¡­ . That, just what were you thinking when putting that up there??¡± It was then, Bellion hurriedly ran to where his master was and suddenly planted his head on the ground alongside Beru . Boom! Jin-Woo was rendered speechless for a while and alternated his dazed gaze between Bellion and Beru . He slowly turned around and shouted out . ¡°My soldiers! Now, commence with the combat drill!¡± With that, the thunderous roars of the Shadow Soldiers powerfully reverberated throughout the land . Waaaaaaaaaaahhhh-!!! < Chapter 232 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 232: Chapter 232 His heightened emotion was all-too-clear to see on Chairman Yu¡¯s face Regardless of what he wanted to say, it shouldn¡¯t be discussed here . Jin-Woo remembered his mom and little sister, and took a quick look towards the dining table, before shifting his gaze back to Chairman Yu ¡°¡­¡±. The older man was anxiously waiting for Jin-Woo¡¯s reply . After a short deliberation, the latter¡¯s lips finally parted open ¡°If it¡¯s somewhere private to quietly talk, then, well¡­ . ¡±. Chairman Yu¡¯s expression brightened and a genuine smile quickly formed on his face ¡°Allow me to guide you to such a place . Shall we get going, then?¡±. Jin-Woo went back inside the apartment and told his mom that he¡¯d be out for a bit, put on his coat, and made his way down to the lobby of the building while being accompanied by Chairman Yu and his entourage And as expected, the front entrance of the building was occupied by the reporters that had set up a camp there . Most likely, the three well-built young men were Chairman Yu¡¯s bodyguards here to overcome the wall of the reporters As for those said reporters, they were far too busy shouting out angrily while pushing and shoving against the Monitoring Division¡¯s Hunters protecting the entrance ¡°What the hell?? How can this make sense? It¡¯s fine for the Chairman of Yujin Construction, but we aren¡¯t allowed to go inside?!¡±. ¡°He¡¯s a guest coming to visit Hunter Seong Jin-Woo? Why can¡¯t reporters be guests, too?! We¡¯re also guests from now on!! We¡¯re guests!!¡±. ¡°Aaah, is that so? The biggest financial supporter of the Hunter¡¯s Association is okay, but reporters are not, is that it?!¡±. The reporters crazily pushed and shoved forwards as if they were planning to stampede past the wall of humans were it not for them being Hunters and not regular people ¡°Step aside!!¡±. Things were so bad that the Hunters of the Monitoring Division looked rather pitiable right now ¡°Didn¡¯t Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim announce that he won¡¯t do any interviews?!¡±. ¡°Hey, over there! Step back!!¡±. ¡°If you wish to visit Hunter-nim¡¯s residence, you must go and obtain a permit from the Association first!!¡±. Since they were up against regular people, they couldn¡¯t resort to using their real strengths, so the agents from the Monitoring Division could only sweat profusely under the current circumstances . Jin-Woo studied them with sympathetic eyes and eventually, extended his hands out ¡°Uh, uh-uh??¡±. The reporters began floating up into the air ¡°S-save me!¡±. This time, forget about ten centimetres, Jin-Woo lifted the reporters ten metres up in the air . When he stepped outside the entrance, Hunters quickly bowed their heads to welcome him ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!¡±. ¡°Hunter-nim!¡±. Compared to these Hunters who didn¡¯t get too surprised by what was happening ¨C as if they were familiar with this whole thing already ¨C the eyes of Chairman Yu and his three bodyguards went extra round from the sheer unbridled shock ¡°O-oh, my god¡­ . ¡±. The businessman¡¯s gaze was fixed to the reporter helplessly flailing in the air . He could see their complexion paling greatly, too . For the first time ever, Chairman Yu felt sorry for these people, even though he often times felt sick and tired of dealing with them in the past The person in charge of this batch of the Monitoring Division¡¯s agents walked over to Jin-Woo and although there was a troubled expression on his face, his lips began forming a smile, as well ¡°Hunter-nim¡­ If you keep doing this, it¡¯s going to come and bite us in the rear later . ¡±. ¡°Well, they were getting a bit too noisy to be left alone, you see . ¡±. ¡°Haha . ¡±. The reporters were continuously shouting something out, but even before anyone had noticed it, a barrier made out of magical energy was surrounding them to cut off all sounds made by their mouths The person in charge looked up at them for a little while, before asking Jin-Woo ¡°How long will you keep them up there this time?¡±. ¡°I¡¯m thinking about something like five minutes, so that they can cool their heads up there . ¡±. The Hunters from the Monitoring Division burst out in laughter after hearing his declaration to rewrite the existing record Wahahahah-!. ¡°Hey! Hush!¡±. The person in charge did his best to suppress his own laughter and chided his subordinates before replying politely back to Jin-Woo ¡°I pray that you make sure no reporters are harmed today . ¡±. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that . ¡±. It¡¯s been a while since he had become a master in ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority¡¯, or the technique to move Mana to influence an object . Even if he wasn¡¯t here, the Mana would safely lower the reporters at a later time ¡®Nothing I can do about them feeling a bit sick, though¡­¡¯. However, not only did they try to barge into his home even though his private details were being protected, they even tried to raise a huge ruckus as well, so this level of a warning shouldn¡¯t pose a problem at all Screech Soon, the waiting limousine Chairman Yu brought along came to a stop before them, and both him and Jin-Woo climbed into the back seat The vehicle smoothly glided forward and headed off to Chairman Yu¡¯s private residence ***. Chairman Yu guided Jin-Woo to the drawing room of his mansion, which should probably be the quietest place they could talk in . They settled down on the couches while facing each other ¡°I¡¯d like not to be interrupted during my chat with Seong Hunter-nim . ¡±. ¡°Understood, Chairman . ¡±. After he sent away everyone near their vicinity, Jin-Woo broke the ice first ¡°How did you find out?¡±. There shouldn¡¯t have been any evidence of him helping Chairman Yu out . So, where could he have made a mistake? As Jin-Woo stared with a curious gaze, Chairman Yu began telling him the truth of what happened ¡°My daughter saw you leaving the hospital on that day . ¡±. If it was Chairman Yu¡¯s daughter, then¡­ ¡®Ah . ¡¯. Jin-Woo recalled Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s older sister, the one he ran into in front of his Guild office . He thought that she looked kinda familiar back then . But to think, she was the same person as the one he walked past in front of the hospital that Chairman Yu Myung-Hwan had been admitted to Realising that the actions he thought were watertight had been undone by a simple coincidence, Jin-Woo could only form a helpless smile At the same time, Chairman Yu was carefully studying Jin-Woo¡¯s expression, and after seeing that smile, he felt greatly relieved ¡®What a relief . ¡¯. Even if the deed was done out of goodwill, Jin-Woo tried to hide it so Yu Myung-Hwan was inwardly worried that the young Hunter would get angry at him for exposing the secret like this . He wouldn¡¯t even be able to look the other party in the eye if he somehow ended up displeasing his life¡¯s saviour Thankfully, contrary to his worries, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t look unhappy at all . Indeed, what a wonderful turn of events this was for Chairman Yu ¡°As I expected, it was you, Seong Hunter-nim . ¡±. ¡°Yes, it was . ¡±. Jin-Woo didn¡¯t try to deny it The moment he heard the answer straight from the person, Chairman Yu¡¯s eyes, locked onto Jin-Woo, shook about greatly Up until now, he lost count of just how many people had tried to get in his good books because they wanted something from him . Some of them didn¡¯t even bother to put in any effort whatsoever and simply reached out, hoping to get a hand-out somehow But then, what about this young man before his eyes?. He saved a person¡¯s life . No, he saved the life of the top executive of the biggest corporation in the country, yet he wasn¡¯t asking for anything in return If Chairman Yu¡¯s daughter didn¡¯t see him and simply walked on by, he would never have found out how he recovered from that illness for the rest of his life Yu Myung-Hwan was famous for being a poker face, but just this once, his expression betrayed how emotionally moved he was ¡°But, why¡­ . ?¡±. He had to say something in order to suppress his overwhelming emotions ¡°Why did you help me?¡±. Back then, even though the demand for a helping hand was made, accompanied by a huge financial incentive, Jin-Woo simply rejected it while saying that he didn¡¯t possess such powers So, what made him change his mind, then?. Yu Myung-Hwan brought Jin-Woo here pretty much to ask that one question, even at the risk of offending him Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump¡­ His heart was beating faster and faster as time went by; every passing second felt as long as ten minutes before Jin-Woo chose to make his reply And that he finally did ¡°I judged you to be a trustworthy person, that was why . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . !!¡±. At that rather unexpected answer, Chairman Yu¡¯s brows rose up higher ¡°But¡­ . What does that mean?¡±. ¡°If you were the type of person who did whatever it takes to accomplish your goal, then I wouldn¡¯t even have considered risking it for your sake . ¡±. ¡°By that, you mean¡­ . Is it because I never tried to use my son, Jin-Ho?¡±. ¡°That¡¯s correct . ¡±. Jin-Woo nodded his head As expected of the leader of a global corporation, Chairman Yu instantly figured out what Jin-Woo was trying to say here It was true that Yu Myung-Hwan did possess the one trump card that could have made Jin-Woo act . And that would be his son, the Vice-Chair of the Ah-Jin Guild ¨C Yu Jin-Ho However, after his proposal was rejected, he didn¡¯t obsessively cling on and cleanly backed away . Meaning, he believed in Jin-Woo¡¯s words of not possessing the cure An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth ¨C Jin-Woo religiously adhered to this principle so, to Yu Myung-Hwan who believed in him, he replied in kind as well Although, it did take a bit of time to figure out whether the businessman was worthy of his trust or not ¡®Still, I didn¡¯t make a wrong decision . ¡¯. Jin-Woo formed a grin At the same time¡­. Drip¡­ A single teardrop trickled down Yu Myung-Hwan¡¯s eye ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to express my gratitude to you . ¡±. He quickly wiped the tear away with the back of his hand and stared at the young Hunter with a determined expression on his face ¡°Please, allow me to repay this debt, even if it¡¯s only half, no, half of that half . I beg of you . ¡±. Only by doing this, the debt of gratitude he felt in his heart would lessen just a tad . Yu Myung-Hwan quickly carried on ¡°Is there anything you¡¯d like, Hunter-nim?¡±. ¡°It¡¯s not that I want something, but¡­ . ¡±. Yu Myung-Hwan¡¯s ears perked up right away . If Hunter Seong Jin-Woo wanted money or something else, he was planning to do everything in his power to make it happen However, Jin-Woo¡¯s answer was a bit different to what Yu Myung-Hwan had been thinking of ¡°If something ever happens to me¡­ . Can you look after my mother and my sister?¡±. That was his reply after a short bout of hesitation To prepare for the worst-possible-case scenario that may or may not happen, Jin-Woo asked for the favour of his family being taken good care of . He may have already amassed enough money, but unfortunately, money wouldn¡¯t be able to protect them from certain things Surely, Chairman Yu Myung-Hwan would prove to be a dependable buffer during those times ¡°¡­ . Are you really okay with only that, Hunter-nim?¡±. ¡°Yes, I am . ¡±. It was difficult to imagine something untoward happening to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, but since he decided to say yes to whatever demand the young man would make, Chairman Yu Myung-Hwan didn¡¯t even hesitate and nodded his head right away ¡°I give you my word . ¡±. The lengthy conversation had come to an end here ¡°Well, then¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo tried to get up to leave Yu Myung-Hwan watched him and felt rueful about the fact that their conversation had come to an end . He then belatedly realised how much he liked this young man named Jin-Woo If Hunter Seong Jin-Woo could become a part of his family¡­ ?. Never once did Yu Myung-Hwan entertain the idea of using his beloved daughter as a tool in an arranged marriage, but he still found himself asking the question anyway ¡°By any chance, are you dating someone at the moment?¡±. If it was this young man, then he¡¯d not feel short-changed by giving away Yu Jin-Hui ¨C for the first time ever, Yu Myung-Hwan had met a young man who made him feel this way Too bad, though, Jin-Woo grinned brightly as his reply ¡°Actually, there is someone I like . ¡±. ¡°Oh¡­ . ¡±. It was then, Yu Myung-Hwan realised that he just asked a really embarrassing question and his face reddened visibly That was how impressive this young man was However, Chairman Yu wasn¡¯t someone who¡¯d obsess over things he couldn¡¯t obtain . He soon raised his head back up and with a smile on his face, bade him goodbye ¡°I shall pray that the promise I made today won¡¯t ever come true in the future . ¡±. Jin-Woo smiled in reply and stood up fully from his seat ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to make sure of that, too . ¡±. ***. Now that all of his Stat values had reached their maximum attainable limit, the only area left to improve was his ability to command his Shadow Army Jin-Woo returned to the entry prohibited area in Japan in order to get his final preparation ready The uninhabited sea of forest stretched on forever in his view Grand-Marshal Bellion had split the Shadow Army to three separate groups as per Jin-Woo¡¯s instruction and assigned the commands of each to himself, Igrit, and Beru Jin-Woo nodded his head while looking at the three separate groups of his soldiers below the hill . He guessed from the aura emitted by the soldiers below that a great deal of thought had been given to creating the balance of strengths between the three groups The Grand-Marshal bowed his head after meeting Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze . It seemed that this guy was also the perfectionist-type like Igrit On the other hand¡­ ¡®This guy¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo turned around to take a gander at the so-called ¡®lodging¡¯ built on the summit of the hill ¡°Beru, get over here . Now . ¡±. Whoooosh-!!. Beru dashed forward from the bottom of the hill right up to the summit in the blink of an eye and knelt down before Jin-Woo ¡°Oh, my king!¡±. ¡°Head, floor . ¡±. Even before those words finished coming out of his king¡¯s mouth, Beru quickly rammed his head on the ground . Right away, Jin-Woo yelled out ¡°How can you call this a small ¡®shelter¡¯? Am I supposed to take a break inside that?! Setting aside its size, is this even a shelter, to begin with?!¡±. ¡°Kiiehhk¡­ . ¡±. Beru cowered from Jin-Woo¡¯s loud shouting and replied with the voice of a guy being wrongfully accused ¡°For a lodging befitting my king, at the bare minimum, it must be¡­ . ¡±. ¡°¡­ ¡±. Jin-Woo slowly massaged his forehead . He had completely overlooked the small fact that ants specialised in building ¡®houses¡¯ Indeed, he should¡¯ve seen just what the human-sized ants possessing greater physical strength than superhumans might end up creating in the name of a mere ¡®house¡¯ He slowly raised his lowered face and ended up being overwhelmed by the dignified air of the so-called ¡®small shelter¡¯ once more A massively-tall fortress built out of white stone ¨C so it could be spotted pretty easily from afar ¨C stretched from this part of the land all the way to over there . It was also dizzyingly tall that, while trying to see where its roof was, his neck actually began aching instead from looking up for too long Jin-Woo¡¯s head pulsed painfully again after witnessing the fruit of the ants¡¯ unnecessary devotion . He didn¡¯t even order them to do this, yet here they were He roughly massaged his temples before groaning out and asked another question ¡°What about that black flag flapping around at the end of this castle¡­ . That, just what were you thinking when putting that up there??¡±. It was then, Bellion hurriedly ran to where his master was and suddenly planted his head on the ground alongside Beru Boom!. Jin-Woo was rendered speechless for a while and alternated his dazed gaze between Bellion and Beru . He slowly turned around and shouted out ¡°My soldiers! Now, commence with the combat drill!¡±. With that, the thunderous roars of the Shadow Soldiers powerfully reverberated throughout the land Waaaaaaaaaaahhhh-!!!. < Chapter 232 > Fin Chapter 233 One day . Two days . And then, three days . It had been three days since the super-massive Gates revealed themselves to the world . Civil unrest quickly broke out in the countries with the Gates and their neighbouring nations, and they grew more violent with each passing day . That was because none of these countries had come up with a viable response yet . The enraged mob of citizens filed out onto the streets and went on violent demonstrations to force their governments to come up with a countermeasure . Meanwhile, news stations emphasized the severity of the situation by continuously showing the alternating images of the demonstrators, growing in number every day, and the giant Gate floating silently high up in the sky . ¨C It has been over 75 hours since the phenomenon now referred to as the super-massive Gates have appeared in the sky . However, the government hasn¡¯t¡­ . ¨C Over there! As you can see, the demonstrators carrying around the pickets that read ¡®Answer us, Governments¡¯ have¡­ . . ¨C The number of demonstrators is increasing with every passing day, and the worries are that this volatile atmosphere is at the breaking point¡­ . This was a completely different spectacle compared to when the super-massive Gate first appeared in South Korea . The experts were quick to figure out why things unfolded differently there . The reason was pretty simple . On one hand, the quick-witted response from the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association had played a part . As soon as the Gate appeared, they summoned every single Hunter in the country to the capital city . The other part had to do with the psychological sense of security felt by the Koreans from the fact that their country possessed the greatest Hunter alive that surpassed all Special Authority-rank Hunters . One of the experts invited to speak in a specially-organised TV show said this in front of the camera . ¡°Hunter Seong Jin-Woo almost single-handedly took care of two rank S dungeon breaks . Ants and Giants ¨C in a span of a single year, he pretty much resolved two of the most infamous incidents in history with his own hands . ¡± There was no need to even bring up the Giant-type monsters of Japan; the world¡¯s attention was already boiling red-hot during the Jeju Island ant raid . What more could be said on that subject when the TV station awarded with the exclusive broadcasting rights had reputedly earned revenue equalling the last three years¡¯ profit in one go? Nod, nod . The emcee¡¯s head nodded all by itself while the expert lightly tapped his temple with his index finger . ¡°And that¡¯s why the Korean citizens naturally believe this in their minds . They believe that, regardless of the danger threatening them, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo will show up and deal with it . ¡± That was precisely the reason why, even after a super-massive Gate appeared on the skies of a capital city with over ten million souls living in it, people were able to remain relatively calm about it . The expert emphasized until his throat was hoarse that the existence of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was an immeasurable blessing to the Republic of Korea and its people . Unfortunately, it was obvious that not every nation on Earth would be blessed with such luck . The number of truly excellent Hunters was very low, and they were not spread out evenly, either . Many nations within the territory of influence of those super-massive Gates possessed pretty lacklustre Hunter systems, so it was only obvious that the unrest would continue to grow larger . It reached the point where people were demanding vociferously that more high-ranked Hunters should be hired at the cost of forking out higher taxes, even if it was just one more combatant being added to their defences . Meanwhile, many governments could barely hide their shock when many wealthy folks, the very same ones that gnashed their teeth come tax collection season, pledged to support them financially . And so, as the sense of impending crisis continued to heighten, the bigshots representing their respective nations gathered in the capital city of Korea, Seoul, to answer the request of the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association . What they wanted from this trip was just one thing . And that would be to find out the information regarding the eight super-massive Gates that appeared simultaneously all around the world . Since the information was to be provided by Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, the man who managed to achieve a rather unbelievable result from the first super-massive Gate, their expectations were understandably huge . ¡°Whew-woo¡­ . ¡± A certain man spat out a hushed sigh . It was none other than the director of the Hunter¡¯s Bureau, David Brennan, who had opted to travel to Korea after being harassed by his own president . He dabbed away the cold sweat soaking his forehead with a handkerchief and took a look at the faces of everyone sitting around him . ¡®¡­ . So many of them came . ¡¯ Presidents, government ministers, Guild Masters, Chairpersons from various Hunter¡¯s Associations¡­ . . The director of the Hunter Bureau knew the faces of most of these people . They indeed were all bigshots that just their names alone would be enough to get them recognised by everyone in their respective nations . While seeing the flashes of nervousness in their faces, the director wiped the sweat pooling at the edge of his chin . ¡®Regardless of who it is, everyone¡¯s feeling the heat, huh . ¡¯ They may all look calm and collected on the surface, but they also knew that inwardly, every single one of them here was anxiously stomping their feet . Well, even the director himself was feeling the same way, after all . How wonderful would it be if Hunter Seong Jin-Woo stepped forward to say that ¡°This Gate crisis should end painlessly and there¡¯s nothing to worry about¡±? If only he could deliver that message to the higher-ups; the POTUS busy pressuring him would instantly back off, then . It would be a wonderful opportunity to restore his damaged pride, in other words . However, if the truth was completely the opposite, then¡­ . The director felt his heart tumble to the pit of his stomach . He swallowed back his dry saliva and confirmed the time . His wristwatch was precisely pointing at 02:55 . Five minutes remained until the announcement time . Tick, tock¡­ . While listening to the ticking of the second hand that sounded unusually loud for some reason today, the director raised his stiff face . *** Around the same time . Having finished inspecting the Shadow Army just now, Jin-Woo asked Bellion next to him . ¡°What happens to the armies with no Sovereigns leading them?¡± ¡°Marshals of those armies will take over the command of the soldiers in place of the dead Sovereigns . ¡± He proceeded to add more explanation that the army of Giants was being led by its Marshal instead, after their king had been captured by the Rulers . Jin-Woo nodded his head in understanding . A total of eight Gates appeared around the world . The phenomenon of Gates for Sovereign-less armies being generated could be explained now if the Marshals were commanding them . It was then, another question abruptly popped up in Jin-Woo¡¯s head . ¡°If I die, do you get to command the Shadow Army as its Grand-Marshal?¡± Bellion shook his head . [Our lives are tied to yours, my liege . If you pass on, we will also return to the void . ] As long as their master¡¯s head was attached to the right place, not one soldier¡¯s life would be extinguished ¨C the strong point of the Shadow Army was the loyalty of its soldiers that moved only for the sake of their master while not even caring about their own lives . But, if one were to flip that around, the moment their master was met with a serious problem, then the Shadow Army would be finished right then and there . ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯ The pros and cons basically worked in the same manner as two sides of a coin . Depending on the situation, the good could become bad, while the weakness could become a strength, instead . Surely, his enemies wouldn¡¯t overlook that point, now would they? Didn¡¯t that mean he could exploit that, too? ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Jin-Woo fell deeper into his thoughts, and a glint briefly flickered in his eyes . A different voice then addressed him from the other side . ¡°My liege . ¡± It was Igrit . ¡°We do not stand a chance in a full-scale war, my liege . ¡± A baritone voice filled with power and conviction, spoken in a low, deep tone . It¡¯d been a while since he started conversing with Igrit, but Jin-Woo still hadn¡¯t really gotten over that voice . Seriously now, he was kitted out in that lightweight, agile-looking armour, so why did he have to possess such a manly voice?? According to Igrit, he was supposed to be the greatest knight ever in the history of humanoid creatures, before he got reborn through the powers of the previous Shadow Sovereign, so it wasn¡¯t all that hard to understand where that ultra-high level of manliness in his voice came from, but still¡­ ¡®What am I supposed to do about this sense of disharmony¡­ . ?¡¯ Whether he knew about Jin-Woo¡¯s predicament or not, Igrit continued to calmly speak of his concern . ¡°Unlike the former Shadow Sovereign, who grew doubtful about the battles against the Rulers and stopped shoring up his army, other Sovereigns didn¡¯t hold back and continuously enhanced and increased the scale of their armies . ¡± ¡°How big do you think is the difference in the combat force?¡± This time, Bellion replied . ¡°We can not be certain, but it could be well over one hundred times larger . ¡± Only Beru had no way of knowing the scale of other armies, so he quietly listened to the conversation of his master and the other Marshals . Jin-Woo¡¯s expression stiffened . Didn¡¯t that mean, in the best-case scenario, his enemies possess over ten million soldiers?! ¡°Hundred times, huh¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo mulled over the numbers before replying in a low voice . ¡°I never was planning for all-out, full-scale warfare, anyway . ¡± What he meant here was that he never entertained the idea of full-scale warfare while discarding the advantage of his army, where one could become ¡®all¡¯, or that ¡®all¡¯ could revert back to being one . Even now, Jin-Woo¡¯s mind was continuously picturing the battles taking place in the future . After a short bout of silence¡­ . Brrr¡­ Brrr¡­ . Jin-Woo pulled out his smartphone vibrating noisily inside his pocket . He answered the call, but even before he could say something, the familiar voice came out from the device¡¯s speaker . ¨C ¡°Hunter-nim? It¡¯s me, Woo Jin-Cheol . ¡± ¡°Ah, yes . Hello . ¡± ¨C ¡°As you have requested, representatives from various nations have gathered in the auditorium . Where are you now, Hunter-nim?¡± Before answering that, Jin-Woo quietly looked behind him . The hints of heavy fighting were everywhere; the ground that was horrifyingly torn up, gouged out, and blown to bits extended as far as his eyes could see . All those trees forming the green forest, the sea of trees, had evaporated without a trace . This was the end product of the Shadow Army fighting a mock battle after splitting up into three groups . The earth fortified by Mana had been completely overturned from horrifying impact forces . The Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association was warned beforehand by Jin-Woo and so, they got to watch the destruction of the entry prohibited area through their spy satellite . All those watching, though, simply couldn¡¯t hide their shock at the collision of enormous amounts of magical energy captured by their satellite . The power they witnessed, that was the true strength of the Shadow Army . And Jin-Woo also got to witness that strength . Through this experience, he got to accurately assess the depths of his army¡¯s combat prowess . The end result was completely satisfactory . Jin-Woo stopped looking behind and shifted his gaze back to his front . Over one hundred thousand soldiers were kneeling on the ground in front of Jin-Woo, waiting for their liege¡¯s next command and not even moving a muscle . When Jin-Woo¡¯s reply didn¡¯t arrive even after a long pause, the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol cautiously inquired over the phone . ¨C ¡°¡­ . Hunter-nim?¡± The corners of Jin-Woo¡¯s lips arched up and he replied as matter-of-factly as he could . ¡°Ah, yes . I¡¯ve just arrived there now . ¡± *** ¡°You¡¯ve arrived? But when¡­ . ?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol had ordered his subordinates to inform him the moment Jin-Woo arrived in the venue, so he had asked back in a puzzled voice while turning around . But at that very moment¡­ . He got to discover Jin-Woo standing right behind him . ¡°Keok!¡± Woo Jin-Cheol unwittingly spat out a surprised gasp and blinked his eyes for a moment there, before a helpless grin formed on his lips . He quietly pocketed his phone away . ¡°¡­ . I guess that question has lost much of its meaning now . You know, asking you where you are . ¡± Jin-Woo reciprocated that smile and shrugged his shoulders once as his reply . Currently, they were standing inside the waiting room of the auditorium . Beyond that door, representatives from various countries filling up every available seat were waiting for Jin-Woo¡¯s entrance with bated breaths . Woo Jin-Cheol confirmed the current time . The clock on his phone¡¯s screen informed him that there were still two minutes left until the announcement time . Meaning, there was a little bit of time left . He felt this unexplainable sense of ease and raised his head . ¡°Hunter-nim, are you really planning to tell the truth to these people?¡± ¡°Yes, I am . ¡± ¡°Once they learn of the truth, there could be huge unrest breaking out everywhere . And more than a few nations won¡¯t be able to deal with such unrest . ¡± ¡°I know that . ¡± That would be an obvious development . Even the Rulers knew that things would unfold this way and hid their intentions right until the end . However, even if everything were to come to an end through the upcoming event, shouldn¡¯t one know what¡¯s happening to them, at least? ¡®I mean, it¡¯s one hell of an unfair thing not knowing what killed you, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ That¡¯s why Jin-Woo decided to tell the truth to everyone . It wouldn¡¯t only be him that might need time to prepare themselves in the heart, after all . Seeing Jin-Woo¡¯s determined expression, the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol could only nod his head . ¡°I see . If that¡¯s what you¡¯ve decided, then¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo walked past Woo Jin-Cheol and approached the door leading to the auditorium, but then, the latter discovered something and hurriedly called out . ¡°Excuse me, Hunter-nim!¡± ¡®¡­ . ??¡¯ Jin-Woo turned around with a confused expression, and Woo Jin-Cheol formed a sheepish expression as his reply and opened his mouth . ¡°There are quite a lot of reporters waiting for you outside . ¡± ¡°¡­ . Oh . ¡± Jin-Woo looked at his current duds . He had been staying in the entry prohibited area for the past few days to control his soldiers, so the state of his clothing was rather wretched at the moment . ¡®What am I to do now¡­ . ?¡¯ The thing was, though, he didn¡¯t want to make a big deal out of a simple matter like changing clothes by moving to another location, etc, etc . But then, he couldn¡¯t buy whatever outfit available in the Store anymore and change into that, as he had done in the past . ¡®¡­ . Hang on a bit . ¡¯ Buy clothes from the Store? With the System gone, he could no longer utilise the services of the Store, but the power that the System used to sustain itself belonged to the Shadow Sovereign, to begin with . In that case, creating clothing and putting it on was, theoretically speaking at least, eminently possible for him . At that moment, Jin-Woo recalled the sole clothing type he should be able to create right now . Shu-ahahk! In the blink of an eye, the waiting room was suddenly filled up by the black smoke, and as if it was alive, it quickly enveloped Jin-Woo¡¯s body . ¡°Heok?!¡± Woo Jin-Cheol jumped up in fright and took several steps back in a hurry . As his brows shot up real high¡­ . The black smoke had transformed into a set of jet-black armour on Jin-Woo . ¡°How about this?¡± Now normally, Hunters always made sure to wear armour in order to protect themselves from the monsters and their preternatural powers . When these extraordinary-looking equipment were added on top of a powerful Hunter like Jin-Woo, an overwhelming pressure seemed to automatically ooze out from him . Woo Jin-Cheol was completely suppressed by this amazing aura and could barely move his lips to make his reply . ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s really something else . ¡± Jin-Woo formed a thin smile . ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment . ¡± Jin-Woo turned back towards the door and slowly entered the auditorium . Almost in an instant, all unimportant noise disappeared within the venue . ¡®Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡­ . !!¡¯ ¡®He¡¯s finally here . ¡¯ The attention of every single one gathered here focused on one man standing on the rostrum, Jin-Woo . He took a sweeping look at their faces and calmly organised several thoughts currently crisscrossing inside his brain . He was here to inform these folks on what was to come ¨C about the arrival of eight great armies desiring the destruction of this world . Also, the fact that each and every one of these armies being made up of soldiers from the Chaos World, ones that humanity would find very difficult to fight against . ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ They were waiting for the official announcement with those anxious expressions etched on their faces . After learning of the truth, though, what would their expressions change to next? The tension tightening around their hearts was transmitted in full to Jin-Woo and his own expression darkened as a result . ¡°¡­¡± Everyone held their breath and listened to his voice . The auditorium might have been quiet before, but now, it was even quieter than ever . A short while later ¨C Jin-Woo didn¡¯t need the aid of a microphone and simply loaded Mana to his vocal cords to speak . ¡°I know that things will become incredibly difficult for everyone . ¡± His voice seemed to softly ripple within the eerily-silent auditorium . Jin-Woo¡¯s ears could pick up on the noises of representatives swallowing their dry saliva along with their violently pounding hearts . Funnily enough, the louder their heartbeats became, the calmer Jin-Woo¡¯s own heart got . The light shining in his eyes became more determined than before . ¡®¡­ . Am I actually feeling calmer than before?¡¯ From a certain moment on, Jin-Woo had completely regained his composure . He calmly addressed his audience with these closing words . ¡°However, no one alive will be able to avoid fighting the upcoming battle . Those creatures will appear before you, and they will try to destroy everything you hold dear . ¡± < Chapter 233 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 233: Chapter 233 One day . Two days . And then, three days It had been three days since the super-massive Gates revealed themselves to the world . Civil unrest quickly broke out in the countries with the Gates and their neighbouring nations, and they grew more violent with each passing day That was because none of these countries had come up with a viable response yet The enraged mob of citizens filed out onto the streets and went on violent demonstrations to force their governments to come up with a countermeasure Meanwhile, news stations emphasized the severity of the situation by continuously showing the alternating images of the demonstrators, growing in number every day, and the giant Gate floating silently high up in the sky ¨C It has been over 75 hours since the phenomenon now referred to as the super-massive Gates have appeared in the sky . However, the government hasn¡¯t¡­ ¨C Over there! As you can see, the demonstrators carrying around the pickets that read ¡®Answer us, Governments¡¯ have¡­ . ¨C The number of demonstrators is increasing with every passing day, and the worries are that this volatile atmosphere is at the breaking point¡­ This was a completely different spectacle compared to when the super-massive Gate first appeared in South Korea . The experts were quick to figure out why things unfolded differently there . The reason was pretty simple On one hand, the quick-witted response from the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association had played a part . As soon as the Gate appeared, they summoned every single Hunter in the country to the capital city The other part had to do with the psychological sense of security felt by the Koreans from the fact that their country possessed the greatest Hunter alive that surpassed all Special Authority-rank Hunters One of the experts invited to speak in a specially-organised TV show said this in front of the camera ¡°Hunter Seong Jin-Woo almost single-handedly took care of two rank S dungeon breaks . Ants and Giants ¨C in a span of a single year, he pretty much resolved two of the most infamous incidents in history with his own hands . ¡±. There was no need to even bring up the Giant-type monsters of Japan; the world¡¯s attention was already boiling red-hot during the Jeju Island ant raid What more could be said on that subject when the TV station awarded with the exclusive broadcasting rights had reputedly earned revenue equalling the last three years¡¯ profit in one go?. Nod, nod The emcee¡¯s head nodded all by itself while the expert lightly tapped his temple with his index finger ¡°And that¡¯s why the Korean citizens naturally believe this in their minds . They believe that, regardless of the danger threatening them, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo will show up and deal with it . ¡±. That was precisely the reason why, even after a super-massive Gate appeared on the skies of a capital city with over ten million souls living in it, people were able to remain relatively calm about it The expert emphasized until his throat was hoarse that the existence of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was an immeasurable blessing to the Republic of Korea and its people Unfortunately, it was obvious that not every nation on Earth would be blessed with such luck . The number of truly excellent Hunters was very low, and they were not spread out evenly, either Many nations within the territory of influence of those super-massive Gates possessed pretty lacklustre Hunter systems, so it was only obvious that the unrest would continue to grow larger It reached the point where people were demanding vociferously that more high-ranked Hunters should be hired at the cost of forking out higher taxes, even if it was just one more combatant being added to their defences Meanwhile, many governments could barely hide their shock when many wealthy folks, the very same ones that gnashed their teeth come tax collection season, pledged to support them financially And so, as the sense of impending crisis continued to heighten, the bigshots representing their respective nations gathered in the capital city of Korea, Seoul, to answer the request of the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association What they wanted from this trip was just one thing . And that would be to find out the information regarding the eight super-massive Gates that appeared simultaneously all around the world Since the information was to be provided by Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, the man who managed to achieve a rather unbelievable result from the first super-massive Gate, their expectations were understandably huge ¡°Whew-woo¡­ . ¡±. A certain man spat out a hushed sigh . It was none other than the director of the Hunter¡¯s Bureau, David Brennan, who had opted to travel to Korea after being harassed by his own president . He dabbed away the cold sweat soaking his forehead with a handkerchief and took a look at the faces of everyone sitting around him ¡®¡­ . So many of them came . ¡¯. Presidents, government ministers, Guild Masters, Chairpersons from various Hunter¡¯s Associations¡­ . The director of the Hunter Bureau knew the faces of most of these people . They indeed were all bigshots that just their names alone would be enough to get them recognised by everyone in their respective nations While seeing the flashes of nervousness in their faces, the director wiped the sweat pooling at the edge of his chin ¡®Regardless of who it is, everyone¡¯s feeling the heat, huh . ¡¯. They may all look calm and collected on the surface, but they also knew that inwardly, every single one of them here was anxiously stomping their feet . Well, even the director himself was feeling the same way, after all How wonderful would it be if Hunter Seong Jin-Woo stepped forward to say that ¡°This Gate crisis should end painlessly and there¡¯s nothing to worry about¡±?. If only he could deliver that message to the higher-ups; the POTUS busy pressuring him would instantly back off, then . It would be a wonderful opportunity to restore his damaged pride, in other words However, if the truth was completely the opposite, then¡­ The director felt his heart tumble to the pit of his stomach . He swallowed back his dry saliva and confirmed the time . His wristwatch was precisely pointing at 02:55 Five minutes remained until the announcement time Tick, tock¡­ While listening to the ticking of the second hand that sounded unusually loud for some reason today, the director raised his stiff face ***. Around the same time Having finished inspecting the Shadow Army just now, Jin-Woo asked Bellion next to him ¡°What happens to the armies with no Sovereigns leading them?¡±. ¡°Marshals of those armies will take over the command of the soldiers in place of the dead Sovereigns . ¡±. He proceeded to add more explanation that the army of Giants was being led by its Marshal instead, after their king had been captured by the Rulers Jin-Woo nodded his head in understanding . A total of eight Gates appeared around the world . The phenomenon of Gates for Sovereign-less armies being generated could be explained now if the Marshals were commanding them It was then, another question abruptly popped up in Jin-Woo¡¯s head ¡°If I die, do you get to command the Shadow Army as its Grand-Marshal?¡±. Bellion shook his head [Our lives are tied to yours, my liege . If you pass on, we will also return to the void . ]. As long as their master¡¯s head was attached to the right place, not one soldier¡¯s life would be extinguished ¨C the strong point of the Shadow Army was the loyalty of its soldiers that moved only for the sake of their master while not even caring about their own lives But, if one were to flip that around, the moment their master was met with a serious problem, then the Shadow Army would be finished right then and there ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯. The pros and cons basically worked in the same manner as two sides of a coin . Depending on the situation, the good could become bad, while the weakness could become a strength, instead Surely, his enemies wouldn¡¯t overlook that point, now would they? Didn¡¯t that mean he could exploit that, too?. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯. Jin-Woo fell deeper into his thoughts, and a glint briefly flickered in his eyes . A different voice then addressed him from the other side ¡°My liege . ¡±. It was Igrit ¡°We do not stand a chance in a full-scale war, my liege . ¡±. A baritone voice filled with power and conviction, spoken in a low, deep tone . It¡¯d been a while since he started conversing with Igrit, but Jin-Woo still hadn¡¯t really gotten over that voice Seriously now, he was kitted out in that lightweight, agile-looking armour, so why did he have to possess such a manly voice??. According to Igrit, he was supposed to be the greatest knight ever in the history of humanoid creatures, before he got reborn through the powers of the previous Shadow Sovereign, so it wasn¡¯t all that hard to understand where that ultra-high level of manliness in his voice came from, but still¡­. ¡®What am I supposed to do about this sense of disharmony¡­ . ?¡¯. Whether he knew about Jin-Woo¡¯s predicament or not, Igrit continued to calmly speak of his concern ¡°Unlike the former Shadow Sovereign, who grew doubtful about the battles against the Rulers and stopped shoring up his army, other Sovereigns didn¡¯t hold back and continuously enhanced and increased the scale of their armies . ¡±. ¡°How big do you think is the difference in the combat force?¡±. This time, Bellion replied ¡°We can not be certain, but it could be well over one hundred times larger . ¡±. Only Beru had no way of knowing the scale of other armies, so he quietly listened to the conversation of his master and the other Marshals Jin-Woo¡¯s expression stiffened Didn¡¯t that mean, in the best-case scenario, his enemies possess over ten million soldiers?!. ¡°Hundred times, huh¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo mulled over the numbers before replying in a low voice ¡°I never was planning for all-out, full-scale warfare, anyway . ¡±. What he meant here was that he never entertained the idea of full-scale warfare while discarding the advantage of his army, where one could become ¡®all¡¯, or that ¡®all¡¯ could revert back to being one Even now, Jin-Woo¡¯s mind was continuously picturing the battles taking place in the future . After a short bout of silence¡­ Brrr¡­ Brrr¡­ Jin-Woo pulled out his smartphone vibrating noisily inside his pocket He answered the call, but even before he could say something, the familiar voice came out from the device¡¯s speaker ¨C ¡°Hunter-nim? It¡¯s me, Woo Jin-Cheol . ¡±. ¡°Ah, yes . Hello . ¡±. ¨C ¡°As you have requested, representatives from various nations have gathered in the auditorium . Where are you now, Hunter-nim?¡±. Before answering that, Jin-Woo quietly looked behind him The hints of heavy fighting were everywhere; the ground that was horrifyingly torn up, gouged out, and blown to bits extended as far as his eyes could see . All those trees forming the green forest, the sea of trees, had evaporated without a trace This was the end product of the Shadow Army fighting a mock battle after splitting up into three groups . The earth fortified by Mana had been completely overturned from horrifying impact forces The Japanese Hunter¡¯s Association was warned beforehand by Jin-Woo and so, they got to watch the destruction of the entry prohibited area through their spy satellite . All those watching, though, simply couldn¡¯t hide their shock at the collision of enormous amounts of magical energy captured by their satellite The power they witnessed, that was the true strength of the Shadow Army . And Jin-Woo also got to witness that strength Through this experience, he got to accurately assess the depths of his army¡¯s combat prowess . The end result was completely satisfactory Jin-Woo stopped looking behind and shifted his gaze back to his front . Over one hundred thousand soldiers were kneeling on the ground in front of Jin-Woo, waiting for their liege¡¯s next command and not even moving a muscle When Jin-Woo¡¯s reply didn¡¯t arrive even after a long pause, the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol cautiously inquired over the phone ¨C ¡°¡­ . Hunter-nim?¡±. The corners of Jin-Woo¡¯s lips arched up and he replied as matter-of-factly as he could ¡°Ah, yes . I¡¯ve just arrived there now . ¡±. ***. ¡°You¡¯ve arrived? But when¡­ . ?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol had ordered his subordinates to inform him the moment Jin-Woo arrived in the venue, so he had asked back in a puzzled voice while turning around . But at that very moment¡­ He got to discover Jin-Woo standing right behind him ¡°Keok!¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol unwittingly spat out a surprised gasp and blinked his eyes for a moment there, before a helpless grin formed on his lips . He quietly pocketed his phone away ¡°¡­ . I guess that question has lost much of its meaning now . You know, asking you where you are . ¡±. Jin-Woo reciprocated that smile and shrugged his shoulders once as his reply Currently, they were standing inside the waiting room of the auditorium . Beyond that door, representatives from various countries filling up every available seat were waiting for Jin-Woo¡¯s entrance with bated breaths Woo Jin-Cheol confirmed the current time . The clock on his phone¡¯s screen informed him that there were still two minutes left until the announcement time . Meaning, there was a little bit of time left He felt this unexplainable sense of ease and raised his head ¡°Hunter-nim, are you really planning to tell the truth to these people?¡±. ¡°Yes, I am . ¡±. ¡°Once they learn of the truth, there could be huge unrest breaking out everywhere . And more than a few nations won¡¯t be able to deal with such unrest . ¡±. ¡°I know that . ¡±. That would be an obvious development . Even the Rulers knew that things would unfold this way and hid their intentions right until the end However, even if everything were to come to an end through the upcoming event, shouldn¡¯t one know what¡¯s happening to them, at least?. ¡®I mean, it¡¯s one hell of an unfair thing not knowing what killed you, isn¡¯t it?¡¯. That¡¯s why Jin-Woo decided to tell the truth to everyone . It wouldn¡¯t only be him that might need time to prepare themselves in the heart, after all Seeing Jin-Woo¡¯s determined expression, the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol could only nod his head ¡°I see . If that¡¯s what you¡¯ve decided, then¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo walked past Woo Jin-Cheol and approached the door leading to the auditorium, but then, the latter discovered something and hurriedly called out ¡°Excuse me, Hunter-nim!¡±. ¡®¡­ . ??¡¯. Jin-Woo turned around with a confused expression, and Woo Jin-Cheol formed a sheepish expression as his reply and opened his mouth ¡°There are quite a lot of reporters waiting for you outside . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . Oh . ¡±. Jin-Woo looked at his current duds He had been staying in the entry prohibited area for the past few days to control his soldiers, so the state of his clothing was rather wretched at the moment ¡®What am I to do now¡­ . ?¡¯. The thing was, though, he didn¡¯t want to make a big deal out of a simple matter like changing clothes by moving to another location, etc, etc But then, he couldn¡¯t buy whatever outfit available in the Store anymore and change into that, as he had done in the past ¡®¡­ . Hang on a bit . ¡¯. Buy clothes from the Store?. With the System gone, he could no longer utilise the services of the Store, but the power that the System used to sustain itself belonged to the Shadow Sovereign, to begin with In that case, creating clothing and putting it on was, theoretically speaking at least, eminently possible for him . At that moment, Jin-Woo recalled the sole clothing type he should be able to create right now Shu-ahahk!. In the blink of an eye, the waiting room was suddenly filled up by the black smoke, and as if it was alive, it quickly enveloped Jin-Woo¡¯s body ¡°Heok?!¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol jumped up in fright and took several steps back in a hurry . As his brows shot up real high¡­ The black smoke had transformed into a set of jet-black armour on Jin-Woo ¡°How about this?¡±. Now normally, Hunters always made sure to wear armour in order to protect themselves from the monsters and their preternatural powers When these extraordinary-looking equipment were added on top of a powerful Hunter like Jin-Woo, an overwhelming pressure seemed to automatically ooze out from him Woo Jin-Cheol was completely suppressed by this amazing aura and could barely move his lips to make his reply ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s really something else . ¡±. Jin-Woo formed a thin smile ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment . ¡±. Jin-Woo turned back towards the door and slowly entered the auditorium . Almost in an instant, all unimportant noise disappeared within the venue ¡®Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡­ . !!¡¯. ¡®He¡¯s finally here . ¡¯. The attention of every single one gathered here focused on one man standing on the rostrum, Jin-Woo . He took a sweeping look at their faces and calmly organised several thoughts currently crisscrossing inside his brain He was here to inform these folks on what was to come ¨C about the arrival of eight great armies desiring the destruction of this world . Also, the fact that each and every one of these armies being made up of soldiers from the Chaos World, ones that humanity would find very difficult to fight against ¡®¡­¡­¡¯. They were waiting for the official announcement with those anxious expressions etched on their faces . After learning of the truth, though, what would their expressions change to next?. The tension tightening around their hearts was transmitted in full to Jin-Woo and his own expression darkened as a result ¡°¡­¡±. Everyone held their breath and listened to his voice . The auditorium might have been quiet before, but now, it was even quieter than ever A short while later ¨C Jin-Woo didn¡¯t need the aid of a microphone and simply loaded Mana to his vocal cords to speak ¡°I know that things will become incredibly difficult for everyone . ¡±. His voice seemed to softly ripple within the eerily-silent auditorium Jin-Woo¡¯s ears could pick up on the noises of representatives swallowing their dry saliva along with their violently pounding hearts Funnily enough, the louder their heartbeats became, the calmer Jin-Woo¡¯s own heart got . The light shining in his eyes became more determined than before ¡®¡­ . Am I actually feeling calmer than before?¡¯. From a certain moment on, Jin-Woo had completely regained his composure . He calmly addressed his audience with these closing words ¡°However, no one alive will be able to avoid fighting the upcoming battle . Those creatures will appear before you, and they will try to destroy everything you hold dear . ¡±. < Chapter 233 > Fin Chapter 234 How were they supposed to take this? Once Jin-Woo¡¯s lengthy explanation came to an end, an uncontrollable fluster floated up on the faces of representatives . Even the carefully-chosen contingent of reporters forgot their jobs and were too busy looking at each other¡¯s reactions . Noisy, noisy¡­ . The auditorium that used to be draped in eerie silence was now filled up with loud chatter in an instant . Eventually, someone unable to beat back his fear-filled curiosity and shouted at Jin-Woo . ¡°Y-you, you expect us to believe that story?!¡± How could anyone believe the story of horrifying creatures capable of destroying everything on this land creeping every closer to this planet? That voice of an elderly man was now filled with a palpable sense of desperation . ¡°Evidence¡­ . Show me the evidence! Without that, I won¡¯t ever believe you!!¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t your claims far too absurd to be believable?!¡± ¡°Out of the blue, you tell us that hundreds of creatures similar to Kamish will show up, but how can that even make sense?!¡± Humans, when facing a reality that they couldn¡¯t deal with, would automatically resort to denying it or get angry as their defence mechanism . These representatives from various nations wilfully forgot about the many miracles Jin-Woo had shown them so far, and directed their furious words of denial towards him standing on the rostrum . Too bad for them, just one swish of his hands was enough to silence them immediately . ¡°Heok!!¡± ¡°¡­ . . !!¡± Dozens of Gates suddenly appeared right behind Jin-Woo . Using the powers of the Sovereign, he generated several tens of Gates, which were basically a doorway connecting different dimensions . ¡®I don¡¯t need to create Gates since travelling through shadows is faster for me, but still¡­ . ¡¯ There should be nothing more efficient for making these people understand than this method . He could generate Gates the size of a person without breaking a sweat . Jin-Woo stopped looking at the Gates and shifted his gaze to his audience . Sure enough, not a single person out of the gathered representatives, reporters, and even the staff members of the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association, who trusted in Jin-Woo¡¯s words implicitly, could close their slack jaws shut, never mind averting their gazes elsewhere . ¡°Those¡­ . Aren¡¯t those all Gates?¡± ¡°B-b-but, how can such a thing even be¡­ . ??¡± ¡®Hunter Seong Jin-Woo can create Gates, and not only that, several of them at the same time in front of all these people?¡¯ The eyes of everyone present began trembling powerfully, as if there was an earthquake happening right now . The director of the Hunter Bureau, David Brennan, continued to rub his eyes in utter disbelief . He was someone who personally witnessed the Dragon ¡®Kamish¡¯ take its first step in this world as the dungeon break unfolded, but even then, he just couldn¡¯t believe this . ¡®As I thought, it¡¯s working . ¡¯ Jin-Woo was satisfied by their reactions after witnessing the powers of the Sovereign and closed the Gates behind him . As if what happened only a second ago had been a hallucination, every single Gate simply vanished without a trace, faster than the witnesses could blink . ¡®Ah, no!!¡¯ At the same time, a reporter was hit with a sensation of his heart tumbling to the pit of his stomach . He quickly asked the other reporters next to him . ¡°H-has anyone taken pictures of those Gates?? Doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s a camera or a phone, did anyone record that phenomenon??¡± ¡°¡­ . Ah!!!¡± Reporters began despairing right there and then, some hugging their heads while some spat out painful groans . It happened too fast, and they were all too stunned out of their minds, so they had momentarily forgotten to take the visual proof of what happened here . As if the unrest unfolding within the ranks of the reporters was the signal flare, voices of shock and fluster exploded out from all corners of the auditorium next . Noisy, noisy¡­ . Loud noises shaking one¡¯s eardrums filled up this huge open interior . But, then¡­ ¡°Hunter Seong Jin-Woo!!!!¡± The British representative suddenly shot up from his seat and managed to attract everyone¡¯s attention via his shrill cry . ¡°Could it be that you¡¯re one of them?! The creatures that appeared from the first super-massive Gate, weren¡¯t they summoned here to kill us all, to begin with?!¡± His utterances caused pretty much everyone here to freeze up instantly . They unwittingly ended up imagining the worst possible situation, that was why . A vague, formless fear of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo being on the enemy¡¯s side began spreading among the hearts of these people like an infection . Well, didn¡¯t he just display the power to create Gates that drove so many humans to their deaths and grips of terror right before their eyes? ¡°¡­ . . ¡± Jin-Woo wordlessly stared at the British representative for a while . Only then did the Briton finally realise the mistake he just made . If Hunter Seong indeed was on humanity¡¯s side, then this man sure made an a*s of himself due to his fear, but if the opposite turned out to be true, then didn¡¯t that mean it¡¯d be really difficult for him to keep his life now? ¡°Ah, uh, well¡­ . Of course, I, uh, unreservedly believe in you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim¡­ . ¡± The complexion of the British representative paled in an instant and the ends of his sentence progressively got smaller and smaller . Jin-Woo spat out a sigh as if he found this whole thing idiotic . ¡°Fuu . ¡± He did what he came here to do . Jin-Woo didn¡¯t particularly feel the need to plead with these people, asking them to believe him . ¡°Whether you believe my words or not, whether you accept my words or not¡­ . That¡¯s your choice . I¡¯ve finished saying my piece, so everyone, make up your own minds now . ¡± Reporters sensed that the announcement had come to an end, and that allowed them to finally free themselves from the stupefaction they were trapped in due to the continuous assault of one shock after another . Soon, camera flashes urgently exploded forth . Click, click, click, click, click!! Jin-Woo took one last sweeping look at the audience members and just as he was about to turn around¡­ . ¡­ . David Brennan, the director of the American Hunter Bureau, finally decided to break the silence he had been maintaining until then and raised his hand up high . Jin-Woo recognised him, of course, since they met each other before . He pointed the American out . ¡°Director Brennan?¡± With a hardened expression on his face, the director slowly stood up from his seat . There was no one present here who didn¡¯t know the name of the leader of the Hunter Bureau, so almost immediately, another bout of silence descended on the auditorium . ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡± He politely bowed his head, and Jin-Woo reciprocated that gesture with a bow of his own . The director continued on from there . ¡°I understand now what will come out those Gates . ¡± The hundred thousand-plus black monsters that poured out from the first super-massive Gate . Thankfully, they turned out to be the subordinates of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo who had ¡®coincidentally¡¯ inherited the powers of a Sovereign . And he immediately had them submit to him . And now, today in this place, the truth about other creatures scheduled to make their entrance not being friends of humanity had been revealed in full . In that case, how was mankind supposed to respond to this? The director tried to calm his shuddering heart and cautiously asked his question . ¡°What should we do next?¡± Jin-Woo quietly studied the director for a little while, before slowly shifting his gaze to take in the faces of every single person present within the auditorium . Through his eyes, he could feel their worries, anxiety, nervousness, fear, shock, confusion, etc . Indeed, his sensory perception that had far surpassed the limits of a human didn¡¯t always prove to be helpful, especially in a situation like this one . A short while later . ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo made up his mind and gave them the best advice he could think of . ¡°I pray that you get as far away from those Gates as humanly possible . As far as you can . I hope that you evacuate to the furthest location you can find, even if it¡¯s only by a little . ¡± *** The ripples caused by the information Jin-Woo provided were enormous . It was none other than Jin-Woo who provided the info . A man who created an unbelievable spectacle with the first super-massive Gate and shocked the entire world, had provided them with this knowledge . People heard the warning about the invasion of huge monster armies that humanity would never be able to fight against, and struck by fear, they began doing whatever they could to distance themselves as far away from the Gates as possible . Every road was clogged up by evacuating vehicles . Every avenue was filled with ear-bleeding honkings of car horns . Didn¡¯t matter which newspaper one clapped their eyes on, Jin-Woo¡¯s visage and the three accompanying words below dominated every single front page . ¨C Evacuate far away! Those words were enough to mobilise the entire world . The thing was, though, when the movement of people become huge in scale, it was only natural that the opposition to that movement would also gain following, as well . It wasn¡¯t as if everyone believed in Jin-Woo¡¯s words . Especially so for someone like this Canadian Hunter named Jay Mills, who confidently declared his objections . Incidentally, Canada¡¯s Gate was observed to be the largest of the eight super-massive Gates . ¡°Tell him that he can take his horsesh*t story and shove it . ¡± Invited to say his piece on a program on ¡®Hunter Channel¡¯, the Canadian Hunter began bad-mouthing Jin-Woo in front of the esteemed panel of experts sitting in the studio . ¡°If I knew Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s personal contact number, I¡¯d have said the exact same thing, eh . If, by any chance, someone who knows him personally is watching this show, I want you to repeat what I just said here . Okay?¡± The emcee quickly assumed the standard broadcaster¡¯s smile in order to cool down the heated atmosphere . ¡°Whoa, there . Let¡¯s all take a breather, first . Even still, Seong Hunter-nim is one of the very best Hunters in the world, isn¡¯t he? Should we really ignore the warning issued by a Hunter of his calibre?¡± Jay Mills¡¯ Hunter ranking was only about 17th on the list . Even when considering the fact that he was a relative newbie who only started his Hunter career three years ago, there was no way he could be compared to Jin-Woo . He himself already had acknowledged that difference of class between them . Regardless¡­ . ¡°Yes, of course, Seong Jin-Woo is an incredible Hunter . He possesses enough power to destroy Thomas Andre, and then, all those summoned creatures, too¡­ . However, just because he¡¯s an incredible man, that doesn¡¯t mean everything he says is credible, am I right?¡± ¡°In that case, do you have any evidence that contradicts what Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim has said?¡± Jay Mills smirked derisively . ¡°Oh? What about Seong Jin-Woo, then? What evidence does he have?¡± While the emcee was left searching for a suitable response, Jay Mills stared straight into the camera and spoke up . ¡°This is what I think . Seong Jin-Woo was standing right in the front of the Seoul Gate, wasn¡¯t he? And that¡¯s why all those scary black things knelt down after seeing him standing there . If it was a different Hunter and not him, who knows if those monsters would have submitted to that person, instead?¡± Veins began bulging on the Canadian Hunter¡¯s neck as he raised his voice ¨C as if he was addressing Jin-Woo who should be at home watching the program . ¡°Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, you may have scared other people away with your bullsh*t, but let me tell you this . You won¡¯t get to monopolise all these Gates . Why? Because, I am not scared by you . Not even by a little bit . ¡± Beep . The Association President Woo Jin-Cheol switched the TV off . He quietly put the remote down and shifted his gaze over to where Jin-Woo currently sat . ¡°Hunters are gathering around Jay Mills in Canada as we speak . It seems that the nations possessing strong Hunter systems, such as India, are preparing for their own raids . ¡± Jin-Woo didn¡¯t say anything and simply nodded his head . The choice was theirs to make, to begin with . As for him, he now needed to focus on the upcoming battle against the rest of the Sovereigns . ¡°The United States government is keeping a close eye on your next move, Hunter-nim . No, hang on . I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not an exaggeration to say under the current circumstances that the entire world is watching your every move . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol got their conversation going like that and cautiously steered the topic to what he wished to talk about . ¡°What will you do now, Hunter-nim?¡± He worked really hard to control his pounding heart while observing for any change in Jin-Woo¡¯s reaction . ¡®I must not become a hindrance in Seong Hunter-nim¡¯s decision-making process . ¡¯ Actually, he had hidden something from Jin-Woo just now . And that would be the fact that SOS requests towards Jin-Woo had been flooding in from all corners of the globe . The truth was, the Association was finding it hard to function properly because of all the incoming calls right now . Amidst of those, the Americans ¨C who shared a border with Canada, which was an unfortunate event in this case ¨C were desperately requesting for Jin-Woo¡¯s aide, so much so that it even made outside observers feel pity for them . The role of the Hunter¡¯s Association was to help with Hunters so they could focus their whole beings in hunting down monsters . Woo Jin-Cheol didn¡¯t say anything so as to not go against the principle the late Association President Goh Gun-Hui always emphasized . He chose to wait for Jin-Woo¡¯s decision, instead . Too bad, Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s consideration as he anxiously waited for an answer had been betrayed somewhat, as Jin-Woo already made up his mind on what to do next a while ago . ¡®It¡¯s simply impossible to fight against all eight armies at once . ¡¯ In that case, he needed to get rid of the one that threatened South Korea first, where his family was staying . As for the remaining Sovereigns, he would deal with them later . Because, the longer the fight dragged on, the better the odds of his victory would get, that was why . ¡®First of all¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo raised his head and spoke to Woo Jin-Cheol . ¡°I¡¯ll be heading off to China . ¡± < Chapter 234 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 234: Chapter 234 How were they supposed to take this?. Once Jin-Woo¡¯s lengthy explanation came to an end, an uncontrollable fluster floated up on the faces of representatives . Even the carefully-chosen contingent of reporters forgot their jobs and were too busy looking at each other¡¯s reactions Noisy, noisy¡­ The auditorium that used to be draped in eerie silence was now filled up with loud chatter in an instant Eventually, someone unable to beat back his fear-filled curiosity and shouted at Jin-Woo ¡°Y-you, you expect us to believe that story?!¡±. How could anyone believe the story of horrifying creatures capable of destroying everything on this land creeping every closer to this planet?. That voice of an elderly man was now filled with a palpable sense of desperation ¡°Evidence¡­ . Show me the evidence! Without that, I won¡¯t ever believe you!!¡±. ¡°T-that¡¯s right!¡±. ¡°Aren¡¯t your claims far too absurd to be believable?!¡±. ¡°Out of the blue, you tell us that hundreds of creatures similar to Kamish will show up, but how can that even make sense?!¡±. Humans, when facing a reality that they couldn¡¯t deal with, would automatically resort to denying it or get angry as their defence mechanism . These representatives from various nations wilfully forgot about the many miracles Jin-Woo had shown them so far, and directed their furious words of denial towards him standing on the rostrum Too bad for them, just one swish of his hands was enough to silence them immediately ¡°Heok!!¡±. ¡°¡­ !!¡±. Dozens of Gates suddenly appeared right behind Jin-Woo Using the powers of the Sovereign, he generated several tens of Gates, which were basically a doorway connecting different dimensions ¡®I don¡¯t need to create Gates since travelling through shadows is faster for me, but still¡­ . ¡¯. There should be nothing more efficient for making these people understand than this method . He could generate Gates the size of a person without breaking a sweat Jin-Woo stopped looking at the Gates and shifted his gaze to his audience Sure enough, not a single person out of the gathered representatives, reporters, and even the staff members of the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association, who trusted in Jin-Woo¡¯s words implicitly, could close their slack jaws shut, never mind averting their gazes elsewhere ¡°Those¡­ . Aren¡¯t those all Gates?¡±. ¡°B-b-but, how can such a thing even be¡­ . ??¡±. ¡®Hunter Seong Jin-Woo can create Gates, and not only that, several of them at the same time in front of all these people?¡¯. The eyes of everyone present began trembling powerfully, as if there was an earthquake happening right now The director of the Hunter Bureau, David Brennan, continued to rub his eyes in utter disbelief . He was someone who personally witnessed the Dragon ¡®Kamish¡¯ take its first step in this world as the dungeon break unfolded, but even then, he just couldn¡¯t believe this ¡®As I thought, it¡¯s working . ¡¯. Jin-Woo was satisfied by their reactions after witnessing the powers of the Sovereign and closed the Gates behind him As if what happened only a second ago had been a hallucination, every single Gate simply vanished without a trace, faster than the witnesses could blink ¡®Ah, no!!¡¯. At the same time, a reporter was hit with a sensation of his heart tumbling to the pit of his stomach . He quickly asked the other reporters next to him ¡°H-has anyone taken pictures of those Gates?? Doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s a camera or a phone, did anyone record that phenomenon??¡±. ¡°¡­ . Ah!!!¡±. Reporters began despairing right there and then, some hugging their heads while some spat out painful groans . It happened too fast, and they were all too stunned out of their minds, so they had momentarily forgotten to take the visual proof of what happened here As if the unrest unfolding within the ranks of the reporters was the signal flare, voices of shock and fluster exploded out from all corners of the auditorium next Noisy, noisy¡­ Loud noises shaking one¡¯s eardrums filled up this huge open interior . But, then¡­. ¡°Hunter Seong Jin-Woo!!!!¡±. The British representative suddenly shot up from his seat and managed to attract everyone¡¯s attention via his shrill cry ¡°Could it be that you¡¯re one of them?! The creatures that appeared from the first super-massive Gate, weren¡¯t they summoned here to kill us all, to begin with?!¡±. His utterances caused pretty much everyone here to freeze up instantly . They unwittingly ended up imagining the worst possible situation, that was why A vague, formless fear of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo being on the enemy¡¯s side began spreading among the hearts of these people like an infection . Well, didn¡¯t he just display the power to create Gates that drove so many humans to their deaths and grips of terror right before their eyes?. ¡°¡­ ¡±. Jin-Woo wordlessly stared at the British representative for a while . Only then did the Briton finally realise the mistake he just made If Hunter Seong indeed was on humanity¡¯s side, then this man sure made an a*s of himself due to his fear, but if the opposite turned out to be true, then didn¡¯t that mean it¡¯d be really difficult for him to keep his life now?. ¡°Ah, uh, well¡­ . Of course, I, uh, unreservedly believe in you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim¡­ . ¡±. The complexion of the British representative paled in an instant and the ends of his sentence progressively got smaller and smaller . Jin-Woo spat out a sigh as if he found this whole thing idiotic ¡°Fuu . ¡±. He did what he came here to do . Jin-Woo didn¡¯t particularly feel the need to plead with these people, asking them to believe him ¡°Whether you believe my words or not, whether you accept my words or not¡­ . That¡¯s your choice . I¡¯ve finished saying my piece, so everyone, make up your own minds now . ¡±. Reporters sensed that the announcement had come to an end, and that allowed them to finally free themselves from the stupefaction they were trapped in due to the continuous assault of one shock after another . Soon, camera flashes urgently exploded forth Click, click, click, click, click!!. Jin-Woo took one last sweeping look at the audience members and just as he was about to turn around¡­ ¡­ . David Brennan, the director of the American Hunter Bureau, finally decided to break the silence he had been maintaining until then and raised his hand up high Jin-Woo recognised him, of course, since they met each other before . He pointed the American out ¡°Director Brennan?¡±. With a hardened expression on his face, the director slowly stood up from his seat . There was no one present here who didn¡¯t know the name of the leader of the Hunter Bureau, so almost immediately, another bout of silence descended on the auditorium ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡±. He politely bowed his head, and Jin-Woo reciprocated that gesture with a bow of his own . The director continued on from there ¡°I understand now what will come out those Gates . ¡±. The hundred thousand-plus black monsters that poured out from the first super-massive Gate . Thankfully, they turned out to be the subordinates of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo who had ¡®coincidentally¡¯ inherited the powers of a Sovereign . And he immediately had them submit to him And now, today in this place, the truth about other creatures scheduled to make their entrance not being friends of humanity had been revealed in full . In that case, how was mankind supposed to respond to this?. The director tried to calm his shuddering heart and cautiously asked his question ¡°What should we do next?¡±. Jin-Woo quietly studied the director for a little while, before slowly shifting his gaze to take in the faces of every single person present within the auditorium Through his eyes, he could feel their worries, anxiety, nervousness, fear, shock, confusion, etc . Indeed, his sensory perception that had far surpassed the limits of a human didn¡¯t always prove to be helpful, especially in a situation like this one A short while later ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo made up his mind and gave them the best advice he could think of ¡°I pray that you get as far away from those Gates as humanly possible . As far as you can . I hope that you evacuate to the furthest location you can find, even if it¡¯s only by a little . ¡±. ***. The ripples caused by the information Jin-Woo provided were enormous It was none other than Jin-Woo who provided the info . A man who created an unbelievable spectacle with the first super-massive Gate and shocked the entire world, had provided them with this knowledge People heard the warning about the invasion of huge monster armies that humanity would never be able to fight against, and struck by fear, they began doing whatever they could to distance themselves as far away from the Gates as possible Every road was clogged up by evacuating vehicles . Every avenue was filled with ear-bleeding honkings of car horns Didn¡¯t matter which newspaper one clapped their eyes on, Jin-Woo¡¯s visage and the three accompanying words below dominated every single front page ¨C Evacuate far away!. Those words were enough to mobilise the entire world The thing was, though, when the movement of people become huge in scale, it was only natural that the opposition to that movement would also gain following, as well It wasn¡¯t as if everyone believed in Jin-Woo¡¯s words . Especially so for someone like this Canadian Hunter named Jay Mills, who confidently declared his objections . Incidentally, Canada¡¯s Gate was observed to be the largest of the eight super-massive Gates ¡°Tell him that he can take his horsesh*t story and shove it . ¡±. Invited to say his piece on a program on ¡®Hunter Channel¡¯, the Canadian Hunter began bad-mouthing Jin-Woo in front of the esteemed panel of experts sitting in the studio ¡°If I knew Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s personal contact number, I¡¯d have said the exact same thing, eh . If, by any chance, someone who knows him personally is watching this show, I want you to repeat what I just said here . Okay?¡±. The emcee quickly assumed the standard broadcaster¡¯s smile in order to cool down the heated atmosphere ¡°Whoa, there . Let¡¯s all take a breather, first . Even still, Seong Hunter-nim is one of the very best Hunters in the world, isn¡¯t he? Should we really ignore the warning issued by a Hunter of his calibre?¡±. Jay Mills¡¯ Hunter ranking was only about 17th on the list . Even when considering the fact that he was a relative newbie who only started his Hunter career three years ago, there was no way he could be compared to Jin-Woo He himself already had acknowledged that difference of class between them . Regardless¡­ ¡°Yes, of course, Seong Jin-Woo is an incredible Hunter . He possesses enough power to destroy Thomas Andre, and then, all those summoned creatures, too¡­ . However, just because he¡¯s an incredible man, that doesn¡¯t mean everything he says is credible, am I right?¡±. ¡°In that case, do you have any evidence that contradicts what Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim has said?¡±. Jay Mills smirked derisively ¡°Oh? What about Seong Jin-Woo, then? What evidence does he have?¡±. While the emcee was left searching for a suitable response, Jay Mills stared straight into the camera and spoke up ¡°This is what I think . Seong Jin-Woo was standing right in the front of the Seoul Gate, wasn¡¯t he? And that¡¯s why all those scary black things knelt down after seeing him standing there . If it was a different Hunter and not him, who knows if those monsters would have submitted to that person, instead?¡±. Veins began bulging on the Canadian Hunter¡¯s neck as he raised his voice ¨C as if he was addressing Jin-Woo who should be at home watching the program ¡°Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, you may have scared other people away with your bullsh*t, but let me tell you this . You won¡¯t get to monopolise all these Gates . Why? Because, I am not scared by you . Not even by a little bit . ¡±. Beep The Association President Woo Jin-Cheol switched the TV off He quietly put the remote down and shifted his gaze over to where Jin-Woo currently sat ¡°Hunters are gathering around Jay Mills in Canada as we speak . It seems that the nations possessing strong Hunter systems, such as India, are preparing for their own raids . ¡±. Jin-Woo didn¡¯t say anything and simply nodded his head The choice was theirs to make, to begin with . As for him, he now needed to focus on the upcoming battle against the rest of the Sovereigns ¡°The United States government is keeping a close eye on your next move, Hunter-nim . No, hang on . I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not an exaggeration to say under the current circumstances that the entire world is watching your every move . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol got their conversation going like that and cautiously steered the topic to what he wished to talk about ¡°What will you do now, Hunter-nim?¡±. He worked really hard to control his pounding heart while observing for any change in Jin-Woo¡¯s reaction ¡®I must not become a hindrance in Seong Hunter-nim¡¯s decision-making process . ¡¯. Actually, he had hidden something from Jin-Woo just now And that would be the fact that SOS requests towards Jin-Woo had been flooding in from all corners of the globe . The truth was, the Association was finding it hard to function properly because of all the incoming calls right now Amidst of those, the Americans ¨C who shared a border with Canada, which was an unfortunate event in this case ¨C were desperately requesting for Jin-Woo¡¯s aide, so much so that it even made outside observers feel pity for them The role of the Hunter¡¯s Association was to help with Hunters so they could focus their whole beings in hunting down monsters Woo Jin-Cheol didn¡¯t say anything so as to not go against the principle the late Association President Goh Gun-Hui always emphasized . He chose to wait for Jin-Woo¡¯s decision, instead Too bad, Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s consideration as he anxiously waited for an answer had been betrayed somewhat, as Jin-Woo already made up his mind on what to do next a while ago ¡®It¡¯s simply impossible to fight against all eight armies at once . ¡¯. In that case, he needed to get rid of the one that threatened South Korea first, where his family was staying . As for the remaining Sovereigns, he would deal with them later Because, the longer the fight dragged on, the better the odds of his victory would get, that was why ¡®First of all¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo raised his head and spoke to Woo Jin-Cheol ¡°I¡¯ll be heading off to China . ¡±. < Chapter 234 > Fin Chapter 235 [Hero of the Republic of Korea, we welcome you to China!] [1 . 5 billion people send their gratitude! Thank you very much, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!] [For the continued and everlasting friendship between Korea and China!] Large placards written in Korean ¨C so Jin-Woo would be able to understand them ¨C were hung up on various places of the airport . Liu Zhigeng, here to welcome Jin-Woo personally, frowned somewhat while glaring at the placards plastered all over the place . There were so many of them here, he could hardly see an empty spot on the building itself . It wasn¡¯t as if he didn¡¯t like the contents of those placards . Oh, no . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo choosing China over other nations with super-massive Gates in their territories was, without a doubt, something to celebrate as far as the Chinese Hunter was concerned . He was tasked with taking the lead in the fight against the monsters that would pour out from that massive Gate in the sky, so he felt a massive amount of gratitude to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo for being here . His problem, though, was with the totally different attitudes his own countrymen showed him back then when he stepped up to aide South Korea . That was what pushed his annoyance level to a dangerous height . Even now, the memories of those times still remained vividly in his head . ¡®Don¡¯t these people understand the concept of shame??¡¯ All those fellow Chinese citizens who pointed at him and berated him for being a traitor, were currently busy praising and cheering Jin-Woo in one voice and one heart . So, it was only obvious that Liu Zhigeng wouldn¡¯t look at those placards plastered all over the airport in a favourable light . ¡®If I hadn¡¯t dragged our Hunters and made the trip down to Korea, would we even have the face to greet Hunter Seong Jin-Woo today¡­ . ?¡¯ Liu Zhigeng inwardly clicked his tongue and turned around towards the aeroplane touching down in the airport just beyond the window . He could already tell . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was riding in that plane . The sole Seven Star-rank Hunter of China, Liu Zhigeng, felt a sensation chilly enough to make all the hair on his body stand up emanating from that plane . There could only be one person in the entire world who could pressure him to this degree . Sure enough ¨C the message of Jin-Woo finally arriving reached the ears of high-ranking government officials as well as executives of the Chinese Hunter¡¯s Association waiting around . They hurriedly rose up from their chairs and began raising an almighty fuss . ¡®This isn¡¯t right¡­ . Doing things this way is wrong . ¡¯ His already-displeased mood due to the placards had become even sourer after watching these people making noise like this . Weren¡¯t they the same idiots who raised their voices and loudly opposed him when he said they needed to help the Koreans? Indeed, these people would¡¯ve done anything to stop him from going to Korea if he wasn¡¯t the Seven Star-rank Hunter ¨C if he wasn¡¯t the one and only Liu Zhigeng . It simply wouldn¡¯t do for these pigs to welcome a warrior risking his life to fight for this land . Liu Zhigeng¡¯s expression hardened, and he spoke to his personal gopher . ¡°Deliver this message to the premier . I¡¯m cancelling this charade of a planned welcoming party, and I shall take full responsibility for greeting and guiding Hunter Seong . ¡± ¡°Sir? B-but, these people are¡­ . ¡± The gopher took a look behind at all the important politicians and executives, his hesitation easy to see . Meanwhile, the folks in question overheard the conversation and began coughing uncomfortably to clear their throats . Smirk . Liu Zhigeng broke out in a smirk and stood before these people . ¡°I¡¯d like you folks to disappear from my sight right this moment . Is there anyone here with a good reason why you can¡¯t do that?¡± These high-ranking politicians and executives from Hunter¡¯s Association knew how crappy Liu Zhigeng¡¯s personality was, so as soon as his words came to an end, not one person chose to remain and hurriedly escaped from the waiting area . Liu Zhigeng scanned the now-empty waiting area in satisfaction and reverted his gaze back to the gopher . ¡°How about now?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Yes! I shall immediately send the word to the premier!¡± While the gopher was hurriedly operating his phone, Liu Zhigeng walked over to the ¡®Arrival¡¯ gates where the travellers were now pouring into the airport . ¡°Over there! Hunter-nim has arrived!¡± ¡°Take his pictures!¡± Click, click, click, click, click, click!! Reporters, waiting the whole day in order to occupy the best position possible to snap their shots, spotted Jin-Woo in the distance and almost immediately, countless camera flashes went off simultaneously . He was looking around his vicinity after feeling puzzled by the atmosphere of the airport which seemed slightly different from what he¡¯d been told before arriving here . ¡®Weird . Didn¡¯t they tell me that close to a hundred government officials were here to greet me¡­ . ?¡¯ Not just him, but the accompanying Korean Hunter¡¯s Association employee was also scratching his head in confusion . They were also getting rather greatly flustered too, since the Chinese Association¡¯s employee that was supposed to guide them around was nowhere to be found, either . But, with great timing, a familiar face walked over from the distance and a happy smile floated up on Jin-Woo¡¯s lips . ¡°Liu Hunter-nim . ¡± ¡°Seong Hunter-nim . ¡± As befitting the warriors getting ready for battle, these two shared short but manly handshake . The first person to ask his question was Jin-Woo . ¡°By the way¡­ . What about the other people?¡± Liu Zhigeng listened as the Association employee tasked with translation passionately did his job, and grinned brightly while replying to Jin-Woo¡¯s inquiry . ¡°Ah, that . You see, Chinese people can be quite impatient at times . They couldn¡¯t wait for that long and decided to go home, so I¡¯m now tasked with guiding you around . ¡± For some reason, Jin-Woo began thinking that quite a hefty chunk of how that situation came about had been omitted here, but as he didn¡¯t dislike Liu Zhigeng as a person, he decided not to pursue this issue anymore . The Chinese Hunter felt relieved that Jin-Woo didn¡¯t display any signs of displeasure, as well . He quickly assumed the role of guiding the group to the airport¡¯s exit . ¡°It¡¯s this way . ¡± They couldn¡¯t take many steps, though, as Jin-Woo came to an abrupt halt first . That meant Liu Zhigeng had to stop, too . A portion of that massive Gate covering the sky could be seen through the clear glass wall of the airport . ¡°So, that thing is¡­ . ¡± ¡­ . The super-massive Gate appeared in China . Jin-Woo stared at the Gate with a hardened expression, and Liu Zhigeng stood next to him with a solemn expression . ¡°I can¡¯t deal with something like that alone . ¡± If it was something impossible for him, then there was no need to even mention other Chinese Hunters . That was why he felt so elated after hearing of the news of Jin-Woo¡¯s decision to come here . He wanted to express his gratitude to his Korean counterpart, even if only by a little bit . He pondered carefully about this issue, before speaking with a voice filled with his heartfelt sincerity . ¡°I can¡¯t speak for the rest of China, but I, Liu Zhigeng, swear to never forget your help in this matter . ¡± *** As the hour of the Gate¡¯s opening approached closer and closer, breaking news from the affected nations around the world continued to fly in . [Hunter Seong Jin-Woo chooses China!] [Both Japan and Russia decide to support Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡­ . ] [Planes carrying Hunters scheduled to depart in the afternoon today¡­ . ] [On the other hand, the white-coloured fortress discovered near Japan¡¯s sea of forest revealed to be unrelated to these Gates¡­ . ] [Finally, five hours before the dungeon break . Will Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s warning come true? Or¡­ . ] Jay Mills began swearing almost right away . ¡°Both Japan and Russia are way too busy flattering Seong Jin-Woo, eh . ¡± Why would those two countries try to help China? It was bleedingly obvious . Weren¡¯t they trying to get some brownie points with Seong Jin-Woo and ask for his help when they find themselves in grave danger later on? How weak . China, Japan, Russia ¨C they were all too weak . How could anyone call those people Hunters when they couldn¡¯t even protect their mother nations with their own powers? ¡®Compared to them, how great are we?¡¯ Canadian Hunters had willingly gathered here in order to protect their land . ¡®We did not waver in our convictions . ¡¯ The crap about getting as far away from the Gates couldn¡¯t make these great Hunters of Canada waver and falter . Jay Mills proudly looked at tens of thousands of Hunters who had voluntarily gathered here to participate in the raid . Waaaah-! Their fighting spirit seemed to pierce into the heavens . Regular people standing quite a bit of distance away were also sharing these Hunter¡¯s sentiments as well . [We shall never give up on Canada!] [Wanna run away? Not us!] [Our Hunters will protect our land and our lives!] Citizens carrying around pickets of all sizes and various colours were cheering on the Hunters . Jay Mills stared up at the super-massive Gate floating high up above his head and became convinced of his victory . ¡®Regardless of which monster shows up from there, we can win this!¡¯ He felt really pumped up and, while turning around towards the other Hunters, he raised both of his fists up high . He was then greeted by a loud, energetic roar . Waaaaaah-!! *** The preparation on the Chinese side had been completed as well . Just like how it had been like back in Seoul, a raid team consisting of several nationalities was surrounding the ground right below the Gate . The biggest portion of that force was made up of, as one would expect, the elite Chinese Hunters which numbered well over one hundred thousand . As befitting a nation boasting the highest number of Hunters in the populace, the upper-ranked Hunters carefully selected for this raid alone numbered over a hundred thousand . Jin-Woo had warned them before that monsters far too difficult for humans to fight against would fall out of the Gate in droves . However, looking at the headcount of over a hundred thousand Hunters gathered here, a certain thought of ¡°Maybe, we might stand a chance here¡± began germinating within their heads . As if to remind them that they were being far too optimistic, Jin-Woo summoned out his Shadow Soldiers . ¡®Come out . ¡¯ The wide-open space behind Jin-Woo deliberately left unoccupied was instantly filled up by the 130,000-strong Shadow Army . Guoooooh¡­ . The nearby Hunters couldn¡¯t even breathe properly from all the spooky aura oozing out from these summons . Cold sweat drops rapidly formed on the foreheads of the humans . ¡®The gap between our strengths¡­ It¡¯s too much . ¡¯ ¡®Things like them are going to fall out from the sky? Right here?!¡¯ ¡®No freaking way¡­ . ¡¯ This was an overwhelming fear . The highly-enhanced sensory perceptions of these upper-ranked Hunters were warning them of the dangers posed by the beings that had appeared before them . Even Liu Zhigeng, who¡¯d hardly get surprised by what life would throw at him by this point, gasped out in shock as well . ¡°All these things¡­ . Are they all your summoned creatures, Seong Hunter-nim?¡± Jin-Woo nodded his head . As their master, he could clearly sense the burning fighting spirit of his Shadow Soldiers finely honed like a sharp blade . ¡®Nice . ¡¯ Jin-Woo looked up at the sky . There were only a few minutes remaining until that Gate opened up . He needed to achieve victory here and convert as many creatures of the Chaos World into his Shadow Soldiers and absorb them into his army . That would be his first step in this war . The noisy, bustling vicinity instantly became dead quiet with the entrance of the Shadow Army . They all could sense it ¨C that the moment of bitter battle was just around the corner . The weighty nervousness began pressing down on the shoulders of the waiting Hunters . Gulp . Jin-Woo swallowed his dry saliva . Out of the eight armies, which one would come out this Gate? It was then . ¡°My liege . ¡± Bellion informed his master that the time had come and Jin-Woo replied in a low voice . ¡°I know . ¡± Liu Zhigeng witnessed Jin-Woo sharing a conversation with his summon as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and opened his eyes real wide in surprise . ¡°Hunter-nim, is it possible to converse with your summons¡­ . ??¡± It was at that point that Beru determined Liu Zhigeng had come, unnecessarily, too close to his liege and in the blink of an eye, blocked the Chinese Hunter¡¯s path . Growl . An overwhelming killing intent leaked out from this ant-shaped soldier . ¡°Heok!!¡± Liu Zhigeng flinched in nasty surprise and hurriedly distanced himself . Jin-Woo watched this scene unfold and unhappily smacked the back of the rather-agitated Beru¡¯s head . ¡°Hey, he¡¯s an ally . ¡± Beru bowed his head non-stop to his master and stepped aside . Jin-Woo apologised for his soldier instead . ¡°Sorry about that . He¡¯s a bit on edge because of the upcoming battle, you see . ¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s fine . ¡± Right there and then, Liu Zhigeng decided to give up on trying to understand Jin-Woo using logic . That was because he got a fairly strong premonition just now that he¡¯d never be able to understand the Korean Hunter with his common sense . It was then . ¡°It, it¡¯s opening up!!¡± Someone shouted out loudly . Everyone¡¯s head snapped up towards the sky . The light shining in Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes transformed . Just as that unknown person had shouted out, the Gate¡¯s gigantic mouth was slowly opening up . The choking tension began tightening the chests of everyone below the Gate . However, even though the Gate was now fully open, nothing happened . The one most surprised among the crowd was Jin-Woo . He focused his perception but discovered that there was not a single presence beyond the Gate itself . Meaning, this particular Gate was empty . ¡®What the hell?!¡¯ A chill suddenly brushed past the back of Jin-Woo¡¯s neck . Could he have¡­ . ? Something he had overlooked until now; one certain possibility he hadn¡¯t yet thought of abruptly entered his head . And the ominous foreboding gradually morphed into a certainty as time continued to tick by . ¡°Huh?¡± Hunters also began realising that something was wrong here . Liu Zhigeng turned to look at a Hunter charged with communication next to him and urgently asked his question . ¡°What about other locations?¡± ¡°It seems to be the same story with other locations . They say nothing has happened so far . ¡± ¡°In that case, are all these Gates empty, to begin with?¡± ¡°That¡­ uhm¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ . ¡± Liu Zhigeng¡¯s head swivelled to the side again . His gaze stopped by at Jin-Woo . Unfortunately, the Korean Hunter¡¯s expression had hardened to such a scary degree that he couldn¡¯t even dare to ask for a clarification anymore . Was he making that face because his prediction turned out to be incorrect? No . That emotion on display wasn¡¯t as simple as that . The one and only Liu Zhigeng couldn¡¯t even dare to get close to Jin-Woo, simply because he felt greatly shaken up by the unrest bubbling within the latter¡¯s emotions . ¡®I¡­ I made a mistake . ¡¯ Realising the error in his judgement, Jin-Woo bit his lower lip . Why¡­ . Just why did he treat the Sovereigns as simple creatures? ¡®They should have anticipated that I¡¯d try to utilise the advantages of my Shadow Army . ¡¯ If his thoughts were correct, then¡­ . Jin-Woo raised his head, quickly walked past Liu Zhigeng, and asked the communication Hunter . ¡°What about Canada??¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Unable to hold back his agitation, Jin-Woo¡¯s voice got louder . ¡°Tell me what¡¯s going on in Canada!!¡± *** Around the same time, the Gate also opened up in Canada as well . Strangely enough, nothing happened here as well, just like with other locations . Hunters rousing up their fighting spirit for the upcoming raid tilted their heads and busy glanced at each other in confusion . ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°But, weren¡¯t the monsters supposed to rain down from there?¡± ¡°Did Seong Jin-Woo really bullsh*t us all?¡± It was then . Jay Mills discovered something strange in the distance and quickly shouted out towards other Hunters . ¡°Silence!¡± Rather fitting for the strongest Hunter present today, his warning that carried a great deal of magical energy managed to shut the mouths of every Hunter here . Now that the surroundings had become silent once more, Jay Mills began glaring at the Gate again . As he suspected, he hadn¡¯t seen it wrong . A certain humanoid figure was leisurely making its descent . That was the only thing that came out of the Gate so far . ¡®No, hang on . It¡¯s not a humanoid figure . It¡¯s just a¡­ . person?¡¯ Jay reconfirmed the appearance of ¡®something¡¯ that lightly made its landing . He stopped other Hunters from rushing past him and he alone walked towards the landing spot . Gulp . He unknowingly swallowed his saliva after sensing this heavy tension in the air . The closer he got, the better he was able to see his opponent . It was a middle-aged man with reddish-black hair and beard . As for his attire, this man was kitted out in the most gorgeous metallic armour that boasted an arresting blend of silvery and reddish colours, extending from just below his neck right down to his toes . Jay finally arrived there and stared at this unknown man . [Are you the king of this place, then?] Even though this mystery man didn¡¯t open his mouth, his voice resounded out within Jay¡¯s head . Naturally, he could understand the meaning of these words as if it was his mother tongue being spoken . Jay¡¯s heart began racing really fast now . ¡°I knew it! Yes! I knew sh*t would go down like this!!¡± Here was the reason why Seong Jin-Woo could turn all those soldiers coming out of the first Gate into his pets . They had been in secret communication like this, that¡¯s how! ¡°That d*mn lying con man, I knew it¡¯d be like this! I bloody knew it!!¡± Now that his prediction had come true, the inside of his head began filling up rapidly with sheer joy . He failed to cool down his excitement and raised his fist up high towards other Hunters . They also raised their fists up and cheered on energetically . Waaaah-!! Jay turned around towards the mystery man again . The latter was quietly waiting for an answer even then . ¡®So, the process is, it asks the first person it sees if he¡¯s a king, and if the answer is yes, it submits to him, is that it?¡¯ It was unknown whether this mysterious man was a human or a monster . Jay Mills studied ¡®him¡¯ as the corners of his lips arched up . ¡°What if I am?¡± Since he was the leader of all the Hunters gathered here, it¡¯d not be an exaggeration to call him a ¡®king¡¯ now, would it? His voice was filled with his strong self-confidence . But then¡­ [It seems that b*stard isn¡¯t here . ] When the mysterious man opened his closed his eyes, the irises of a lizard hungry for blood blinked ominously from within . < Chapter 235 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 235: Chapter 235 [Hero of the Republic of Korea, we welcome you to China!]. [1 . 5 billion people send their gratitude! Thank you very much, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!]. [For the continued and everlasting friendship between Korea and China!]. Large placards written in Korean ¨C so Jin-Woo would be able to understand them ¨C were hung up on various places of the airport Liu Zhigeng, here to welcome Jin-Woo personally, frowned somewhat while glaring at the placards plastered all over the place . There were so many of them here, he could hardly see an empty spot on the building itself It wasn¡¯t as if he didn¡¯t like the contents of those placards . Oh, no Hunter Seong Jin-Woo choosing China over other nations with super-massive Gates in their territories was, without a doubt, something to celebrate as far as the Chinese Hunter was concerned He was tasked with taking the lead in the fight against the monsters that would pour out from that massive Gate in the sky, so he felt a massive amount of gratitude to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo for being here His problem, though, was with the totally different attitudes his own countrymen showed him back then when he stepped up to aide South Korea . That was what pushed his annoyance level to a dangerous height Even now, the memories of those times still remained vividly in his head ¡®Don¡¯t these people understand the concept of shame??¡¯. All those fellow Chinese citizens who pointed at him and berated him for being a traitor, were currently busy praising and cheering Jin-Woo in one voice and one heart So, it was only obvious that Liu Zhigeng wouldn¡¯t look at those placards plastered all over the airport in a favourable light ¡®If I hadn¡¯t dragged our Hunters and made the trip down to Korea, would we even have the face to greet Hunter Seong Jin-Woo today¡­ . ?¡¯. Liu Zhigeng inwardly clicked his tongue and turned around towards the aeroplane touching down in the airport just beyond the window He could already tell . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was riding in that plane The sole Seven Star-rank Hunter of China, Liu Zhigeng, felt a sensation chilly enough to make all the hair on his body stand up emanating from that plane . There could only be one person in the entire world who could pressure him to this degree Sure enough ¨C the message of Jin-Woo finally arriving reached the ears of high-ranking government officials as well as executives of the Chinese Hunter¡¯s Association waiting around . They hurriedly rose up from their chairs and began raising an almighty fuss ¡®This isn¡¯t right¡­ . Doing things this way is wrong . ¡¯. His already-displeased mood due to the placards had become even sourer after watching these people making noise like this . Weren¡¯t they the same idiots who raised their voices and loudly opposed him when he said they needed to help the Koreans?. Indeed, these people would¡¯ve done anything to stop him from going to Korea if he wasn¡¯t the Seven Star-rank Hunter ¨C if he wasn¡¯t the one and only Liu Zhigeng It simply wouldn¡¯t do for these pigs to welcome a warrior risking his life to fight for this land . Liu Zhigeng¡¯s expression hardened, and he spoke to his personal gopher ¡°Deliver this message to the premier . I¡¯m cancelling this charade of a planned welcoming party, and I shall take full responsibility for greeting and guiding Hunter Seong . ¡±. ¡°Sir? B-but, these people are¡­ . ¡±. The gopher took a look behind at all the important politicians and executives, his hesitation easy to see . Meanwhile, the folks in question overheard the conversation and began coughing uncomfortably to clear their throats Smirk Liu Zhigeng broke out in a smirk and stood before these people ¡°I¡¯d like you folks to disappear from my sight right this moment . Is there anyone here with a good reason why you can¡¯t do that?¡±. These high-ranking politicians and executives from Hunter¡¯s Association knew how crappy Liu Zhigeng¡¯s personality was, so as soon as his words came to an end, not one person chose to remain and hurriedly escaped from the waiting area Liu Zhigeng scanned the now-empty waiting area in satisfaction and reverted his gaze back to the gopher ¡°How about now?¡±. ¡°Yes¡­ Yes! I shall immediately send the word to the premier!¡±. While the gopher was hurriedly operating his phone, Liu Zhigeng walked over to the ¡®Arrival¡¯ gates where the travellers were now pouring into the airport ¡°Over there! Hunter-nim has arrived!¡±. ¡°Take his pictures!¡±. Click, click, click, click, click, click!!. Reporters, waiting the whole day in order to occupy the best position possible to snap their shots, spotted Jin-Woo in the distance and almost immediately, countless camera flashes went off simultaneously He was looking around his vicinity after feeling puzzled by the atmosphere of the airport which seemed slightly different from what he¡¯d been told before arriving here ¡®Weird . Didn¡¯t they tell me that close to a hundred government officials were here to greet me¡­ . ?¡¯. Not just him, but the accompanying Korean Hunter¡¯s Association employee was also scratching his head in confusion . They were also getting rather greatly flustered too, since the Chinese Association¡¯s employee that was supposed to guide them around was nowhere to be found, either But, with great timing, a familiar face walked over from the distance and a happy smile floated up on Jin-Woo¡¯s lips ¡°Liu Hunter-nim . ¡±. ¡°Seong Hunter-nim . ¡±. As befitting the warriors getting ready for battle, these two shared short but manly handshake . The first person to ask his question was Jin-Woo ¡°By the way¡­ . What about the other people?¡±. Liu Zhigeng listened as the Association employee tasked with translation passionately did his job, and grinned brightly while replying to Jin-Woo¡¯s inquiry ¡°Ah, that . You see, Chinese people can be quite impatient at times . They couldn¡¯t wait for that long and decided to go home, so I¡¯m now tasked with guiding you around . ¡±. For some reason, Jin-Woo began thinking that quite a hefty chunk of how that situation came about had been omitted here, but as he didn¡¯t dislike Liu Zhigeng as a person, he decided not to pursue this issue anymore The Chinese Hunter felt relieved that Jin-Woo didn¡¯t display any signs of displeasure, as well . He quickly assumed the role of guiding the group to the airport¡¯s exit ¡°It¡¯s this way . ¡±. They couldn¡¯t take many steps, though, as Jin-Woo came to an abrupt halt first . That meant Liu Zhigeng had to stop, too A portion of that massive Gate covering the sky could be seen through the clear glass wall of the airport ¡°So, that thing is¡­ . ¡±. ¡­ . The super-massive Gate appeared in China Jin-Woo stared at the Gate with a hardened expression, and Liu Zhigeng stood next to him with a solemn expression ¡°I can¡¯t deal with something like that alone . ¡±. If it was something impossible for him, then there was no need to even mention other Chinese Hunters . That was why he felt so elated after hearing of the news of Jin-Woo¡¯s decision to come here He wanted to express his gratitude to his Korean counterpart, even if only by a little bit . He pondered carefully about this issue, before speaking with a voice filled with his heartfelt sincerity ¡°I can¡¯t speak for the rest of China, but I, Liu Zhigeng, swear to never forget your help in this matter . ¡±. ***. As the hour of the Gate¡¯s opening approached closer and closer, breaking news from the affected nations around the world continued to fly in [Hunter Seong Jin-Woo chooses China!]. [Both Japan and Russia decide to support Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡­ . ]. [Planes carrying Hunters scheduled to depart in the afternoon today¡­ . ]. [On the other hand, the white-coloured fortress discovered near Japan¡¯s sea of forest revealed to be unrelated to these Gates¡­ . ]. [Finally, five hours before the dungeon break . Will Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s warning come true? Or¡­ . ]. Jay Mills began swearing almost right away ¡°Both Japan and Russia are way too busy flattering Seong Jin-Woo, eh . ¡±. Why would those two countries try to help China? It was bleedingly obvious Weren¡¯t they trying to get some brownie points with Seong Jin-Woo and ask for his help when they find themselves in grave danger later on?. How weak China, Japan, Russia ¨C they were all too weak How could anyone call those people Hunters when they couldn¡¯t even protect their mother nations with their own powers?. ¡®Compared to them, how great are we?¡¯. Canadian Hunters had willingly gathered here in order to protect their land ¡®We did not waver in our convictions . ¡¯. The crap about getting as far away from the Gates couldn¡¯t make these great Hunters of Canada waver and falter . Jay Mills proudly looked at tens of thousands of Hunters who had voluntarily gathered here to participate in the raid Waaaah-!. Their fighting spirit seemed to pierce into the heavens . Regular people standing quite a bit of distance away were also sharing these Hunter¡¯s sentiments as well [We shall never give up on Canada!]. [Wanna run away? Not us!]. [Our Hunters will protect our land and our lives!]. Citizens carrying around pickets of all sizes and various colours were cheering on the Hunters Jay Mills stared up at the super-massive Gate floating high up above his head and became convinced of his victory ¡®Regardless of which monster shows up from there, we can win this!¡¯. He felt really pumped up and, while turning around towards the other Hunters, he raised both of his fists up high . He was then greeted by a loud, energetic roar Waaaaaah-!!. ***. The preparation on the Chinese side had been completed as well Just like how it had been like back in Seoul, a raid team consisting of several nationalities was surrounding the ground right below the Gate . The biggest portion of that force was made up of, as one would expect, the elite Chinese Hunters which numbered well over one hundred thousand As befitting a nation boasting the highest number of Hunters in the populace, the upper-ranked Hunters carefully selected for this raid alone numbered over a hundred thousand Jin-Woo had warned them before that monsters far too difficult for humans to fight against would fall out of the Gate in droves . However, looking at the headcount of over a hundred thousand Hunters gathered here, a certain thought of ¡°Maybe, we might stand a chance here¡± began germinating within their heads As if to remind them that they were being far too optimistic, Jin-Woo summoned out his Shadow Soldiers ¡®Come out . ¡¯. The wide-open space behind Jin-Woo deliberately left unoccupied was instantly filled up by the 130,000-strong Shadow Army Guoooooh¡­ The nearby Hunters couldn¡¯t even breathe properly from all the spooky aura oozing out from these summons . Cold sweat drops rapidly formed on the foreheads of the humans ¡®The gap between our strengths¡­ It¡¯s too much . ¡¯. ¡®Things like them are going to fall out from the sky? Right here?!¡¯. ¡®No freaking way¡­ . ¡¯. This was an overwhelming fear The highly-enhanced sensory perceptions of these upper-ranked Hunters were warning them of the dangers posed by the beings that had appeared before them . Even Liu Zhigeng, who¡¯d hardly get surprised by what life would throw at him by this point, gasped out in shock as well ¡°All these things¡­ . Are they all your summoned creatures, Seong Hunter-nim?¡±. Jin-Woo nodded his head . As their master, he could clearly sense the burning fighting spirit of his Shadow Soldiers finely honed like a sharp blade ¡®Nice . ¡¯. Jin-Woo looked up at the sky . There were only a few minutes remaining until that Gate opened up . He needed to achieve victory here and convert as many creatures of the Chaos World into his Shadow Soldiers and absorb them into his army That would be his first step in this war The noisy, bustling vicinity instantly became dead quiet with the entrance of the Shadow Army . They all could sense it ¨C that the moment of bitter battle was just around the corner . The weighty nervousness began pressing down on the shoulders of the waiting Hunters Gulp Jin-Woo swallowed his dry saliva Out of the eight armies, which one would come out this Gate?. It was then ¡°My liege . ¡±. Bellion informed his master that the time had come and Jin-Woo replied in a low voice ¡°I know . ¡±. Liu Zhigeng witnessed Jin-Woo sharing a conversation with his summon as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and opened his eyes real wide in surprise ¡°Hunter-nim, is it possible to converse with your summons¡­ . ??¡±. It was at that point that Beru determined Liu Zhigeng had come, unnecessarily, too close to his liege and in the blink of an eye, blocked the Chinese Hunter¡¯s path Growl An overwhelming killing intent leaked out from this ant-shaped soldier ¡°Heok!!¡±. Liu Zhigeng flinched in nasty surprise and hurriedly distanced himself . Jin-Woo watched this scene unfold and unhappily smacked the back of the rather-agitated Beru¡¯s head ¡°Hey, he¡¯s an ally . ¡±. Beru bowed his head non-stop to his master and stepped aside . Jin-Woo apologised for his soldier instead ¡°Sorry about that . He¡¯s a bit on edge because of the upcoming battle, you see . ¡±. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s fine . ¡±. Right there and then, Liu Zhigeng decided to give up on trying to understand Jin-Woo using logic That was because he got a fairly strong premonition just now that he¡¯d never be able to understand the Korean Hunter with his common sense It was then ¡°It, it¡¯s opening up!!¡±. Someone shouted out loudly . Everyone¡¯s head snapped up towards the sky The light shining in Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes transformed . Just as that unknown person had shouted out, the Gate¡¯s gigantic mouth was slowly opening up . The choking tension began tightening the chests of everyone below the Gate However, even though the Gate was now fully open, nothing happened The one most surprised among the crowd was Jin-Woo . He focused his perception but discovered that there was not a single presence beyond the Gate itself Meaning, this particular Gate was empty ¡®What the hell?!¡¯. A chill suddenly brushed past the back of Jin-Woo¡¯s neck Could he have¡­ . ?. Something he had overlooked until now; one certain possibility he hadn¡¯t yet thought of abruptly entered his head . And the ominous foreboding gradually morphed into a certainty as time continued to tick by ¡°Huh?¡±. Hunters also began realising that something was wrong here Liu Zhigeng turned to look at a Hunter charged with communication next to him and urgently asked his question ¡°What about other locations?¡±. ¡°It seems to be the same story with other locations . They say nothing has happened so far . ¡±. ¡°In that case, are all these Gates empty, to begin with?¡±. ¡°That¡­ uhm¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ . ¡±. Liu Zhigeng¡¯s head swivelled to the side again . His gaze stopped by at Jin-Woo . Unfortunately, the Korean Hunter¡¯s expression had hardened to such a scary degree that he couldn¡¯t even dare to ask for a clarification anymore Was he making that face because his prediction turned out to be incorrect?. No That emotion on display wasn¡¯t as simple as that The one and only Liu Zhigeng couldn¡¯t even dare to get close to Jin-Woo, simply because he felt greatly shaken up by the unrest bubbling within the latter¡¯s emotions ¡®I¡­ I made a mistake . ¡¯. Realising the error in his judgement, Jin-Woo bit his lower lip Why¡­ Just why did he treat the Sovereigns as simple creatures?. ¡®They should have anticipated that I¡¯d try to utilise the advantages of my Shadow Army . ¡¯. If his thoughts were correct, then¡­ Jin-Woo raised his head, quickly walked past Liu Zhigeng, and asked the communication Hunter ¡°What about Canada??¡±. ¡°Pardon?¡±. Unable to hold back his agitation, Jin-Woo¡¯s voice got louder ¡°Tell me what¡¯s going on in Canada!!¡±. ***. Around the same time, the Gate also opened up in Canada as well Strangely enough, nothing happened here as well, just like with other locations . Hunters rousing up their fighting spirit for the upcoming raid tilted their heads and busy glanced at each other in confusion ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±. ¡°But, weren¡¯t the monsters supposed to rain down from there?¡±. ¡°Did Seong Jin-Woo really bullsh*t us all?¡±. It was then Jay Mills discovered something strange in the distance and quickly shouted out towards other Hunters ¡°Silence!¡±. Rather fitting for the strongest Hunter present today, his warning that carried a great deal of magical energy managed to shut the mouths of every Hunter here Now that the surroundings had become silent once more, Jay Mills began glaring at the Gate again As he suspected, he hadn¡¯t seen it wrong . A certain humanoid figure was leisurely making its descent . That was the only thing that came out of the Gate so far ¡®No, hang on . It¡¯s not a humanoid figure . It¡¯s just a¡­ . person?¡¯. Jay reconfirmed the appearance of ¡®something¡¯ that lightly made its landing . He stopped other Hunters from rushing past him and he alone walked towards the landing spot Gulp He unknowingly swallowed his saliva after sensing this heavy tension in the air The closer he got, the better he was able to see his opponent . It was a middle-aged man with reddish-black hair and beard As for his attire, this man was kitted out in the most gorgeous metallic armour that boasted an arresting blend of silvery and reddish colours, extending from just below his neck right down to his toes Jay finally arrived there and stared at this unknown man [Are you the king of this place, then?]. Even though this mystery man didn¡¯t open his mouth, his voice resounded out within Jay¡¯s head . Naturally, he could understand the meaning of these words as if it was his mother tongue being spoken Jay¡¯s heart began racing really fast now ¡°I knew it! Yes! I knew sh*t would go down like this!!¡±. Here was the reason why Seong Jin-Woo could turn all those soldiers coming out of the first Gate into his pets . They had been in secret communication like this, that¡¯s how!. ¡°That d*mn lying con man, I knew it¡¯d be like this! I bloody knew it!!¡±. Now that his prediction had come true, the inside of his head began filling up rapidly with sheer joy He failed to cool down his excitement and raised his fist up high towards other Hunters . They also raised their fists up and cheered on energetically Waaaah-!!. Jay turned around towards the mystery man again The latter was quietly waiting for an answer even then ¡®So, the process is, it asks the first person it sees if he¡¯s a king, and if the answer is yes, it submits to him, is that it?¡¯. It was unknown whether this mysterious man was a human or a monster . Jay Mills studied ¡®him¡¯ as the corners of his lips arched up ¡°What if I am?¡±. Since he was the leader of all the Hunters gathered here, it¡¯d not be an exaggeration to call him a ¡®king¡¯ now, would it?. His voice was filled with his strong self-confidence But then¡­. [It seems that b*stard isn¡¯t here . ]. When the mysterious man opened his closed his eyes, the irises of a lizard hungry for blood blinked ominously from within < Chapter 235 > Fin Chapter 236 ¡°T-the situation in Canada is still¡­ . ¡± The Hunter in charge of communication stuttered like a broken clock . Jin-Woo, feeling genuinely frustrated now, pulled out his smartphone, instead . There was only one person who could give him the most accurate information as quickly as possible . Jin-Woo searched through his contact list before tapping on the contact number of the Special Agent in charge of the Hunter Bureau¡¯s Asia Branch, ¡®Adam White¡¯ . With the current timing being what it was, he was briefly worried whether his call would get through or not, but then¡­ ¨C ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!¡± A really tense voice came out from the phone¡¯s speaker . There was no time to mouth a proper greeting, so he jumped straight to the main topic . ¡°Adam? Can you tell me what¡¯s happening with the super-massive Gate in Canada¡­ . ¡± It was then ¨C he heard a loud cheering of ¡°Waaaah-!!¡± coming out from the phone¡¯s speaker, as well . Although it was a soft, almost inaudible background noise even his highly-developed hearing could barely catch, that was more than enough for him . Jin-Woo urgently asked over the phone, his expression harder than a stone now . ¡°Where are you right now??¡± ¨C ¡°I¡¯m at the location of Canada¡¯s super-massive Gate to provide support, alongside other agents . ¡± ¡°And why are you even there in the first place?!¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s voice cracked up from agitation, and that caused Adam to reply in a surprised voice, quite obviously failing to hide his fluster . ¨C ¡°We simply couldn¡¯t watch the events in Canada unfold as if it¡¯s unrelated to us¡­ . Not just myself, but many other agents are currently assigned to deal with this matter, and¡­¡± Adam White then added that his current location was quite a distance away from where the Canadian Hunters were, so if something bad were to happen, he should be able to escape relatively easily . Hearing that explanation, Jin-Woo was suddenly overcome with sheer frustration that couldn¡¯t be described in words . ¡®The things I¡¯ve warned everyone of¡­ . ¡¯ None of these people seemed to have understood the scale of the enemy just yet . However, Adam still being unscathed could mean that his prediction was wrong . Jin-Woo collected himself and calmly asked his next question . ¡°What about the Gate¡­? Has there been any changes yet?¡± ¨C ¡°No . It seems that the inside was empty, just like every other Gates . It¡¯s really quiet here in the location, actually . ¡± What a relief that was . Even after taking into consideration the world pointing their fingers of ridicule and blame at him for his warning being false, he could still breathe a sigh of relief . ¡°Fuu¡­¡± His prediction seemed to be wrong . But, then this happened . ¨C ¡°Uh? Please hold . ¡± After hearing Adam¡¯s voice that sounded uneasy for some reason, a creeping dread travelled down Jin-Woo¡¯s spine . Why did his ominous forebodings always have to come true? Adam quickly explained the current situation . ¨C ¡°Right now! Something is making its descent . Uh? Uh, uh? A person¡­ A person is descending from the Gate!¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s heart that regained its calm a few seconds ago began racing faster and faster again . ¡®Just one¡­ person?¡¯ All the hair on the back of his head stood up . Jin-Woo¡¯s voice rose up really high . ¡°The hair colour!¡± Adam said that his current location was quite far away from the Hunters . In that case, it¡¯d be impossible for him to see the creepy eyes of that non-human creature . ¡°What is the hair colour of that person??¡± ¨C ¡°H-hang on¡­ . ¡± Adam¡¯s voice of borrowing special equipment from an agent nearby could be heard for a brief moment then . ¨C ¡°Black and red colours are mixed together¡­ It¡¯s reddish black . ¡± Oh my god . Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes widened . ¡°Adam! Run away from there, now!! Doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s a car, whatever, get on it, and escape from there right now!!¡± ¨C ¡°Pardon me??¡± Before Adam could ask what was going on here¡­ KWA-BOOOOOM-!!!! A loud explosion so horrifying that its brutality could be heard even through the phone¡¯s speaker resounded out next . ¨C ¡°Oh, dear lord!!¡± Adam¡¯s voice had transformed into a scream now . ¡°ADAM!!¡± As if he had regained his wits for a brief moment there from Jin-Woo¡¯s shout, Adam began muttering in a tearful voice . ¨C ¡°H-Hunters¡­ . !! The top-ranked Hunters in the front row all got turned into charcoal in less than a second!! T-the flames burning on their bodies are still raging on!! Oh, my god!!¡± ¡°Adam! Adam, listen to me! It¡¯s going to be alright, so start running now! You gotta escape from there as soon as possible!¡± Jin-Woo tried to calm Adam down, but unfortunately, the American agent seemed half-crazed by then . ¨C ¡°Oh, Jesus¡­ . ¡± Even though he began sobbing softly, he still explained everything he could see and hear to Jin-Woo as if doing that was his final duty . ¨C ¡°Dragons, Dragons from the sky¡­ . Dragons and other monsters are pouring down endlessly from the Gate!! All sorts of monsters mixed in the horde!! Ah, ah, how could something like this even be¡­ . . ¡± The emotions of sorrowful determination could be heard from his voice . Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t just sit back and listen anymore; despite the risk, he connected his senses with the Shadow Soldier inserted into Adam¡¯s shadow . When he did, he got to see the spectacle the American agent got to see, as well . It was as if he was seeing the scenes of the apocalypse . From the wide-open Gate, messengers of death and destruction were pouring out in droves, dyeing the heavens black . The skies and the ground were being rapidly filled up by horrifying monsters . The roars of beasts rocked the world, and the flying creatures and their powerfully-beating wings dominated the sky . Hunters gathered here to fight against them had all been turned into ash even before the creatures landed on Earth from a single flick of the Sovereign of Destruction¡¯s hand, who had arrived before everyone else . The remaining people were trying to run away in pure pandemonium, but unfortunately, their odds of escaping from there seemed pretty dismal at this point . ¡®Even still¡­¡¯ He should be able to save one person¡­ Adam White . The High Orc Shadow Soldier currently being controlled by Jin-Woo reached out and grasped the wrist of the deeply-terrified Adam . ¡°U-uwaahk!¡± He screamed out in fear after seeing that High Orc kitted out in black armour, but he soon saw the shadow of a familiar man within the eyes of this monster . ¡°S-Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim??¡± There was no time to explain the situation . That could be done after he had been safely transported out of there . Still possessing the High Orc, Jin-Woo got ready to drag Adam White into the shadow below his feet, but then¡­ ¡­ . Something approached them before anyone had noticed it and grabbed the shoulder of the High Orc real tightly . Swiiish . The High Orc looked back in a hurry and spotted a middle-aged man with a pair of bizarre reptilian eyes glaring in his direction . [Where do you think you are going, oh, child of Shadow?] The middle-aged man opened his mouth wide . A truly gob-smacking level of power suddenly began gathering inside his mouth, then . Wordlessly, Jin-Woo shifted his gaze back to Adam . At that moment, as if he had realised something just then, Adam White stared deeply at Jin-Woo ¨C no, more correctly, the High Orc Jin-Woo was controlling . ¡°Hunter-nim, I¡­ . ¡± KWWUAAAAHHH-!!! The Breath attack pouring out from the middle-aged man¡¯s mouth erased the Shadow Soldier completely out of existence . ¡°Keu-heuk!!¡± Jin-Woo was beset with the sensation of his entire being set on fire and his body powerfully shuddered from the cruel pain . He was connected to the High Orc with his mind only, so he could escape from there no problem, but it was a different story for Agent Adam White . The American man¡¯s final moments Jin-Woo saw¡­ . . Recalling Adam¡¯s eyes as he turned into scorched ash in the flames, Jin-Woo began gnashing his teeth in pure rage . BOOM!! He slammed his fist on the ground, causing the world to shake like the advent of an earthquake . ¡®God d*mn it¡­ . ¡¯ He should¡¯ve expected it . He should¡¯ve guessed that, once the enemy knew they were going to face off against the Shadow Army ¨C which got stronger the longer the battle wore on ¨C they would then try to decrease the number of the potential battle locations down to an absolute minimum and gather their combat force into one chosen location, instead . The Sovereigns even went so far to generate all eight portals as if they were sticking to their original plan . ¡®They gathered their forces in the Gate that¡¯s the furthest away from me . ¡¯ What a painful oversight on his part this was . His plan of increasing his Shadow Soldiers while other locations were being attacked and then make his counterattack went down the crapper in a spectacular fashion now . Liu Zhigeng realised from Jin-Woo¡¯s expression that something terrible had happened and cautiously approached the latter¡¯s side . ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunte¡­ . ¡± It was then . The Hunter in charge of the communication belatedly received the news and, with a completely pale face, hurriedly ran towards the duo . ¡°H-hunters¡­ . Canada, Canada is¡­ . ¡± The rest of his sentence didn¡¯t need to be heard at this point . When Jin-Woo glared upwards, the Gate covering up the sky was already disappearing from the view as if it had served its purpose now . *** A lone Shadow Soldier and a human standing next to it both evaporated into ash . This was the power of the Breath of Destruction capable of erasing even the soldier of immortality . ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ The Dragon Emperor looked at the results of its actions, the piles upon piles of ash beneath its feet, with a great deal of satisfaction and soon spun on its heels . It now saw the soldiers of the Chaos World, trapped within the gap between dimensions and unable to wield their powers properly for far too long, enjoy their freedom with reckless abandon like fish meeting water . The Dragon Emperor slowly closed its eyes and opened its arms wide to enjoy its own freedom . The pounding heartbeats of all living things¡­ . And their dying screams¡­ . The noises of all creations being destroyed continued to ring out like a wonderful symphony . It was then . RUMBLE-!! Accompanied by Ancient-grade Dragons powerfully landing on the ground, two other Sovereigns gently landed in front of them . Right behind them, there were several Marshals of the invading armies . Every single one of them politely knelt before the strongest Sovereign in existence, the Dragon Emperor . The creature in the appearance of a middle-aged man formed a meaningful smile . The Mana trembling within the atmosphere was finally theirs . Mana let loose in this world in order to fortify it served to also enhance the strengths of those who could wield it . Indeed, their ¡®preparation¡¯ had been completed now, as well . ¡°KUWAHAHAHAHA!!!¡± The Dragon Emperor let out a roar of laughter powerful enough to shake the land and shouted out towards the monsters still pouring out from the Gate . [Destroy everything! That is the one and only glorious mission bestowed upon us!] Hundreds of Dragons flew above its head next, and vicious flames rained down from their maws to burn away every single thing on the ground . Kuwaaaaahhh-!! *** The director of the Hunter Bureau, David Brennan, found himself sitting alone in his office with all lights switched off . While ignoring the endless streams of reports flooding in to his desk as well as the incoming calls from the higher-ups, he slowly sipped a glass of expensive alcohol he¡¯d been saving for his oldest daughter¡¯s wedding day . Inside his darkened office, images inside the muted TV screen flickered and danced . Monsters could be seen briefly in those images . He knew why the TV station covering the breaking news was playing the exact same footage over and over again . ¡®Because they are all dead by now . ¡¯ ¡­ . Just like every single Hunter Bureau agent sent there to support the Canadian Hunters . Not one person would have survived that . Hunters, agents, reporters and cameramen filming the scene . Every one of them, dead . Thankfully, though, a cameraman risked his life and did his job, resulting in short footage that at least helped everyone with understanding the scale of the enemy¡¯s invading force . ¡°It¡¯s all over!!¡± The director suddenly yelled out like a mad man . Hunter Seong Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t exaggerating back then . Dragons alone numbered in the hundreds . Behind those, Giants, beasts, and insect-like things rushed out like tidal waves . They were creatures of calamity that mankind simply could never fight against . He now understood the reason why Hunter Seong Jin-Woo repeatedly told everyone in no uncertain terms to distance themselves as far away from the Gates . This world was now over . But, still¡­ . ¡°What a crazy b*stard!¡± Didn¡¯t Seong Jin-Woo go to China with his summons in order to fight against creatures like that? How could he even think about fighting against them when he knew that such monsters existed? If it was at all possible, David Brennan wouldn¡¯t have minded cracking open the Korean Hunter¡¯s head and take a look at his brain . ¡®Before that, though, I should crack my head open into several pieces first . ¡¯ Huhuh¡­ . Evidently finding something really funny now, the director formed a grin and pulled out a single photograph from his inner jacket . It was a photo of himself, forming a clearly-annoyed expression, as well as his daughter wearing a party hat . ¡®This was when she was around sixteen, wasn¡¯t it?¡¯ If only he knew that she¡¯d become a victim of a dungeon break a year later, then he¡¯d have taken lots more photos like this one, even if that meant giving up on his job . Thinking about there being only one photo containing both him and his daughter, made this father¡¯s chest numb from his belated shock and sorrow . Sip . Yet another glass became empty . After burying his daughter, he never expected to crack open the lid of this booze, but here he was . He smacked his lips in bitterness and shook the bottle around a little . Before he had noticed it, it was almost half-empty now . ¡°Right¡­ . It¡¯s all over . ¡± Almost half of Canada had been wiped off the map the last time he bothered to listen to the reports . That was only a rough estimation, though . No one could know for sure how fast those creatures were marching towards the United States . The director angrily loosened his tie . ¡°I won¡¯t die by your hands . ¡± Back then, he swore on his daughter¡¯s grave that he¡¯d get his revenge against the monsters, that he¡¯d not die at the hands of these d*mnable things . At the bare minimum, he¡¯d go out from this world in his own terms . Such a determination filled his head and he was soon standing next to the window sill where the distant ground below could be seen . The chilly wind was brushing past his sweat-soaked forehead . ¡®¡­ . I hope that my daughter is waiting for me where I¡¯m about to go . ¡¯ He squeezed his tearful eyes shut and was about to leap to the ground, but then¡­ . ¡­ . Someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder . ¡°Heok?!¡± He nearly jumped out of his shoes from sheer fright and quickly looked back with his eyes wide open, only to discover a man with a very familiar face standing there . ¡°H-Hunter S-Seong Jin-Woo???¡± As the director¡¯s face paled like a man seeing a scary ghost, Jin-Woo quietly spoke to him . ¡°I¡¯m looking for something . ¡± < Chapter 236 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 236: Chapter 236 ¡°T-the situation in Canada is still¡­ . ¡±. The Hunter in charge of communication stuttered like a broken clock . Jin-Woo, feeling genuinely frustrated now, pulled out his smartphone, instead There was only one person who could give him the most accurate information as quickly as possible . Jin-Woo searched through his contact list before tapping on the contact number of the Special Agent in charge of the Hunter Bureau¡¯s Asia Branch, ¡®Adam White¡¯ With the current timing being what it was, he was briefly worried whether his call would get through or not, but then¡­. ¨C ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!¡±. A really tense voice came out from the phone¡¯s speaker . There was no time to mouth a proper greeting, so he jumped straight to the main topic ¡°Adam? Can you tell me what¡¯s happening with the super-massive Gate in Canada¡­ . ¡±. It was then ¨C he heard a loud cheering of ¡°Waaaah-!!¡± coming out from the phone¡¯s speaker, as well Although it was a soft, almost inaudible background noise even his highly-developed hearing could barely catch, that was more than enough for him . Jin-Woo urgently asked over the phone, his expression harder than a stone now ¡°Where are you right now??¡±. ¨C ¡°I¡¯m at the location of Canada¡¯s super-massive Gate to provide support, alongside other agents . ¡±. ¡°And why are you even there in the first place?!¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s voice cracked up from agitation, and that caused Adam to reply in a surprised voice, quite obviously failing to hide his fluster ¨C ¡°We simply couldn¡¯t watch the events in Canada unfold as if it¡¯s unrelated to us¡­ . Not just myself, but many other agents are currently assigned to deal with this matter, and¡­¡±. Adam White then added that his current location was quite a distance away from where the Canadian Hunters were, so if something bad were to happen, he should be able to escape relatively easily Hearing that explanation, Jin-Woo was suddenly overcome with sheer frustration that couldn¡¯t be described in words ¡®The things I¡¯ve warned everyone of¡­ . ¡¯. None of these people seemed to have understood the scale of the enemy just yet However, Adam still being unscathed could mean that his prediction was wrong . Jin-Woo collected himself and calmly asked his next question ¡°What about the Gate¡­? Has there been any changes yet?¡±. ¨C ¡°No . It seems that the inside was empty, just like every other Gates . It¡¯s really quiet here in the location, actually . ¡±. What a relief that was Even after taking into consideration the world pointing their fingers of ridicule and blame at him for his warning being false, he could still breathe a sigh of relief ¡°Fuu¡­¡±. His prediction seemed to be wrong But, then this happened ¨C ¡°Uh? Please hold . ¡±. After hearing Adam¡¯s voice that sounded uneasy for some reason, a creeping dread travelled down Jin-Woo¡¯s spine . Why did his ominous forebodings always have to come true?. Adam quickly explained the current situation ¨C ¡°Right now! Something is making its descent . Uh? Uh, uh? A person¡­ A person is descending from the Gate!¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s heart that regained its calm a few seconds ago began racing faster and faster again ¡®Just one¡­ person?¡¯. All the hair on the back of his head stood up . Jin-Woo¡¯s voice rose up really high ¡°The hair colour!¡±. Adam said that his current location was quite far away from the Hunters . In that case, it¡¯d be impossible for him to see the creepy eyes of that non-human creature ¡°What is the hair colour of that person??¡±. ¨C ¡°H-hang on¡­ . ¡±. Adam¡¯s voice of borrowing special equipment from an agent nearby could be heard for a brief moment then ¨C ¡°Black and red colours are mixed together¡­ It¡¯s reddish black . ¡±. Oh my god Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes widened ¡°Adam! Run away from there, now!! Doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s a car, whatever, get on it, and escape from there right now!!¡±. ¨C ¡°Pardon me??¡±. Before Adam could ask what was going on here¡­. KWA-BOOOOOM-!!!!. A loud explosion so horrifying that its brutality could be heard even through the phone¡¯s speaker resounded out next ¨C ¡°Oh, dear lord!!¡±. Adam¡¯s voice had transformed into a scream now ¡°ADAM!!¡±. As if he had regained his wits for a brief moment there from Jin-Woo¡¯s shout, Adam began muttering in a tearful voice ¨C ¡°H-Hunters¡­ . !! The top-ranked Hunters in the front row all got turned into charcoal in less than a second!! T-the flames burning on their bodies are still raging on!! Oh, my god!!¡±. ¡°Adam! Adam, listen to me! It¡¯s going to be alright, so start running now! You gotta escape from there as soon as possible!¡±. Jin-Woo tried to calm Adam down, but unfortunately, the American agent seemed half-crazed by then ¨C ¡°Oh, Jesus¡­ . ¡±. Even though he began sobbing softly, he still explained everything he could see and hear to Jin-Woo as if doing that was his final duty ¨C ¡°Dragons, Dragons from the sky¡­ . Dragons and other monsters are pouring down endlessly from the Gate!! All sorts of monsters mixed in the horde!! Ah, ah, how could something like this even be¡­ ¡±. The emotions of sorrowful determination could be heard from his voice Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t just sit back and listen anymore; despite the risk, he connected his senses with the Shadow Soldier inserted into Adam¡¯s shadow When he did, he got to see the spectacle the American agent got to see, as well It was as if he was seeing the scenes of the apocalypse From the wide-open Gate, messengers of death and destruction were pouring out in droves, dyeing the heavens black . The skies and the ground were being rapidly filled up by horrifying monsters . The roars of beasts rocked the world, and the flying creatures and their powerfully-beating wings dominated the sky Hunters gathered here to fight against them had all been turned into ash even before the creatures landed on Earth from a single flick of the Sovereign of Destruction¡¯s hand, who had arrived before everyone else The remaining people were trying to run away in pure pandemonium, but unfortunately, their odds of escaping from there seemed pretty dismal at this point ¡®Even still¡­¡¯. He should be able to save one person¡­ Adam White The High Orc Shadow Soldier currently being controlled by Jin-Woo reached out and grasped the wrist of the deeply-terrified Adam ¡°U-uwaahk!¡±. He screamed out in fear after seeing that High Orc kitted out in black armour, but he soon saw the shadow of a familiar man within the eyes of this monster ¡°S-Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim??¡±. There was no time to explain the situation . That could be done after he had been safely transported out of there . Still possessing the High Orc, Jin-Woo got ready to drag Adam White into the shadow below his feet, but then¡­. ¡­ . Something approached them before anyone had noticed it and grabbed the shoulder of the High Orc real tightly Swiiish The High Orc looked back in a hurry and spotted a middle-aged man with a pair of bizarre reptilian eyes glaring in his direction [Where do you think you are going, oh, child of Shadow?]. The middle-aged man opened his mouth wide . A truly gob-smacking level of power suddenly began gathering inside his mouth, then Wordlessly, Jin-Woo shifted his gaze back to Adam At that moment, as if he had realised something just then, Adam White stared deeply at Jin-Woo ¨C no, more correctly, the High Orc Jin-Woo was controlling ¡°Hunter-nim, I¡­ . ¡±. KWWUAAAAHHH-!!!. The Breath attack pouring out from the middle-aged man¡¯s mouth erased the Shadow Soldier completely out of existence ¡°Keu-heuk!!¡±. Jin-Woo was beset with the sensation of his entire being set on fire and his body powerfully shuddered from the cruel pain He was connected to the High Orc with his mind only, so he could escape from there no problem, but it was a different story for Agent Adam White The American man¡¯s final moments Jin-Woo saw¡­ . Recalling Adam¡¯s eyes as he turned into scorched ash in the flames, Jin-Woo began gnashing his teeth in pure rage BOOM!!. He slammed his fist on the ground, causing the world to shake like the advent of an earthquake ¡®God d*mn it¡­ . ¡¯. He should¡¯ve expected it He should¡¯ve guessed that, once the enemy knew they were going to face off against the Shadow Army ¨C which got stronger the longer the battle wore on ¨C they would then try to decrease the number of the potential battle locations down to an absolute minimum and gather their combat force into one chosen location, instead The Sovereigns even went so far to generate all eight portals as if they were sticking to their original plan ¡®They gathered their forces in the Gate that¡¯s the furthest away from me . ¡¯. What a painful oversight on his part this was His plan of increasing his Shadow Soldiers while other locations were being attacked and then make his counterattack went down the crapper in a spectacular fashion now Liu Zhigeng realised from Jin-Woo¡¯s expression that something terrible had happened and cautiously approached the latter¡¯s side ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunte¡­ . ¡±. It was then The Hunter in charge of the communication belatedly received the news and, with a completely pale face, hurriedly ran towards the duo ¡°H-hunters¡­ . Canada, Canada is¡­ . ¡±. The rest of his sentence didn¡¯t need to be heard at this point When Jin-Woo glared upwards, the Gate covering up the sky was already disappearing from the view as if it had served its purpose now ***. A lone Shadow Soldier and a human standing next to it both evaporated into ash . This was the power of the Breath of Destruction capable of erasing even the soldier of immortality ¡®¡­¡­¡¯. The Dragon Emperor looked at the results of its actions, the piles upon piles of ash beneath its feet, with a great deal of satisfaction and soon spun on its heels It now saw the soldiers of the Chaos World, trapped within the gap between dimensions and unable to wield their powers properly for far too long, enjoy their freedom with reckless abandon like fish meeting water The Dragon Emperor slowly closed its eyes and opened its arms wide to enjoy its own freedom The pounding heartbeats of all living things¡­ And their dying screams¡­ The noises of all creations being destroyed continued to ring out like a wonderful symphony It was then RUMBLE-!!. Accompanied by Ancient-grade Dragons powerfully landing on the ground, two other Sovereigns gently landed in front of them . Right behind them, there were several Marshals of the invading armies Every single one of them politely knelt before the strongest Sovereign in existence, the Dragon Emperor The creature in the appearance of a middle-aged man formed a meaningful smile . The Mana trembling within the atmosphere was finally theirs . Mana let loose in this world in order to fortify it served to also enhance the strengths of those who could wield it Indeed, their ¡®preparation¡¯ had been completed now, as well ¡°KUWAHAHAHAHA!!!¡±. The Dragon Emperor let out a roar of laughter powerful enough to shake the land and shouted out towards the monsters still pouring out from the Gate [Destroy everything! That is the one and only glorious mission bestowed upon us!]. Hundreds of Dragons flew above its head next, and vicious flames rained down from their maws to burn away every single thing on the ground Kuwaaaaahhh-!!. ***. The director of the Hunter Bureau, David Brennan, found himself sitting alone in his office with all lights switched off While ignoring the endless streams of reports flooding in to his desk as well as the incoming calls from the higher-ups, he slowly sipped a glass of expensive alcohol he¡¯d been saving for his oldest daughter¡¯s wedding day Inside his darkened office, images inside the muted TV screen flickered and danced . Monsters could be seen briefly in those images He knew why the TV station covering the breaking news was playing the exact same footage over and over again ¡®Because they are all dead by now . ¡¯. ¡­ . Just like every single Hunter Bureau agent sent there to support the Canadian Hunters Not one person would have survived that Hunters, agents, reporters and cameramen filming the scene Every one of them, dead Thankfully, though, a cameraman risked his life and did his job, resulting in short footage that at least helped everyone with understanding the scale of the enemy¡¯s invading force ¡°It¡¯s all over!!¡±. The director suddenly yelled out like a mad man Hunter Seong Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t exaggerating back then Dragons alone numbered in the hundreds . Behind those, Giants, beasts, and insect-like things rushed out like tidal waves . They were creatures of calamity that mankind simply could never fight against He now understood the reason why Hunter Seong Jin-Woo repeatedly told everyone in no uncertain terms to distance themselves as far away from the Gates This world was now over But, still¡­ ¡°What a crazy b*stard!¡±. Didn¡¯t Seong Jin-Woo go to China with his summons in order to fight against creatures like that? How could he even think about fighting against them when he knew that such monsters existed?. If it was at all possible, David Brennan wouldn¡¯t have minded cracking open the Korean Hunter¡¯s head and take a look at his brain ¡®Before that, though, I should crack my head open into several pieces first . ¡¯. Huhuh¡­ Evidently finding something really funny now, the director formed a grin and pulled out a single photograph from his inner jacket It was a photo of himself, forming a clearly-annoyed expression, as well as his daughter wearing a party hat ¡®This was when she was around sixteen, wasn¡¯t it?¡¯. If only he knew that she¡¯d become a victim of a dungeon break a year later, then he¡¯d have taken lots more photos like this one, even if that meant giving up on his job Thinking about there being only one photo containing both him and his daughter, made this father¡¯s chest numb from his belated shock and sorrow Sip Yet another glass became empty After burying his daughter, he never expected to crack open the lid of this booze, but here he was . He smacked his lips in bitterness and shook the bottle around a little Before he had noticed it, it was almost half-empty now ¡°Right¡­ . It¡¯s all over . ¡±. Almost half of Canada had been wiped off the map the last time he bothered to listen to the reports . That was only a rough estimation, though No one could know for sure how fast those creatures were marching towards the United States The director angrily loosened his tie ¡°I won¡¯t die by your hands . ¡±. Back then, he swore on his daughter¡¯s grave that he¡¯d get his revenge against the monsters, that he¡¯d not die at the hands of these d*mnable things . At the bare minimum, he¡¯d go out from this world in his own terms Such a determination filled his head and he was soon standing next to the window sill where the distant ground below could be seen The chilly wind was brushing past his sweat-soaked forehead ¡®¡­ . I hope that my daughter is waiting for me where I¡¯m about to go . ¡¯. He squeezed his tearful eyes shut and was about to leap to the ground, but then¡­ ¡­ . Someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder ¡°Heok?!¡±. He nearly jumped out of his shoes from sheer fright and quickly looked back with his eyes wide open, only to discover a man with a very familiar face standing there ¡°H-Hunter S-Seong Jin-Woo???¡±. As the director¡¯s face paled like a man seeing a scary ghost, Jin-Woo quietly spoke to him ¡°I¡¯m looking for something . ¡±. < Chapter 236 > Fin Chapter 237 What could he possibly be looking for when the world was facing certain annihilation? No, besides all that, was the man in front of the director¡¯s eyes the real Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, to begin with? Wondering if he got too drunk and was seeing things, the director roughly shook his head from side to side . But, Jin-Woo¡¯s figure became even clearer and in focus from that action, leading the director to realise that the man in front of him was not a figment of his imagination . His intoxication flew away in an instant and his voice rose up an octave . ¡°W-what are you looking for?¡± ¡°The Rune Stone . ¡± Jin-Woo told the director precisely what he was here for . ¡°The Rune Stone from Kamish, give it to me . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . !!¡± His surprised lasted only for a short while; the director reflexively shook his head . ¡°As you may well know, Hunter-nim, the Kamish¡¯s Rune Stone is the Hunter Bureau¡¯s¡­ . . ¡± That was when his words came to a choking halt . This d*mn work-related habit of his . What about the Hunter Bureau? So what? Never mind the Bureau, the whole of the United States of America was about to go up in flames, so who cared about a measly little Run Stone now? ¡®Looks like I haven¡¯t fully woken up from the booze yet . ¡¯ The director loudly slapped his cheeks with his palms . After his skin reddened up from the stinging impact, he finally felt as if his brain was getting in gear . His once-blurry eyes regained their focus as well . He then arrived at a certain conclusion that to the Hunter Bureau, no, to the entire United States of America, the reason why Jin-Woo wanted the Rune Stone in the first place was far more important than its financial value . A short bout of deliberation later . The director asked cautiously as to not sour Jin-Woo¡¯s moods . ¡°I can definitely give you the Rune Stone, but why do you need it?¡± Without a single shred of hesitation, Jin-Woo replied back . ¡°I¡¯ll use it as a tool for my counter-attack . ¡± *** Through the eyes of the System, Jin-Woo got to confirm the ¡®Skill¡¯ sleeping within the Rune Stone in question pretty early on . It definitely contained a certain power of a Dragon . There was a reason why he showed no interest whatsoever to this Rune Stone until now, though ¨C this Skill had a rather serious drawback . Meaning, it was a power he didn¡¯t need . ¡®However¡­ . The story has changed now . ¡¯ After descending to the ninth underground floor of the Hunter Bureau¡¯s HQ, the director and Jin-Woo now stood before the reinforced glass case that housed the Rune Stone in question . Rather than through the System, Jin-Woo only needed his eyes and senses this time to accurately decipher the Skill contained with that little ¡®stone¡¯ . It was as exactly as he remembered it . A ¡®Skill¡¯ that boasted a truly horrifying power . The seriousness of the current situation should be more than enough to offset the drawback of such a horrifying power . Ba-thump . His heart pulsed softly in approval . The director wordlessly stared at the Rune Stone before asking his question . ¡°Hunter-nim, you once told me that the monsters of the dungeons were sent here by the beings called the Rulers, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes, I did . ¡± ¡°In that case, what are these Rune Stones found inside the bodies of the monsters?¡± ¡°They are gifts from the Rulers to enable humanity to hunt monsters down more efficiently . ¡± What the Rulers wanted was to spread Mana around this world through violent clashes between monsters and mankind . The sacrifices made by humans were simply a side-effect, not their true end goal . Indeed, these Rune Stones ¨C stones inserted into the monsters so, upon their deaths, their powers could be sealed within ¨C were the sign of the Rulers¡¯ consideration towards mankind¡¯s monster hunting . And so, Kamish¡¯s power was stored within this stone . Jin-Woo took hold of the Dragon¡¯s power that would play the crucial role in his fightback . The director tensely observed Jin-Woo grasping the Rune Stone tightly and swallowed his dry saliva . ¡°Truly¡­ . Can you truly stop the monsters with that thing?¡± ¡°Well, I should at least give it a shot . ¡± Even at this very moment, the armies led by the Dragon Emperor were repeating the actions of destroying everything in their paths and advancing forward before stopping to destroy some more . Thanks to the Mana from the Rulers fortifying the planet, the marching speed of the Army of Destruction had been pegged back somewhat, but that would only last for a short while . Soon, every inch of this land would be engulfed in the conflagration of war . He simply couldn¡¯t sit back and watch as the world crumbled, now could he? The powers of the Shadow Sovereign that they feared so much ¨C they tried to cowardly hit him from behind and prevent that power from blossoming, but now, it was time to show them what this power in the hands of a measly little lifeform was capable of achieving . ¡°I¡¯m planning to do everything within my power . ¡± The unwavering will within Jin-Woo¡¯s two eyes left a powerful impact on the director¡¯s heart . Seeing that this young Korean Hunter wasn¡¯t trying to avoid fighting the enemy, even though he knew full well their frightening scale, the older American man realised how pathetic he was behaving not too long ago when his mind was still filled with thoughts of running away and nothing else besides . ¡®I wanted to go to where my daughter was? You stupid son of a b*tch¡­ . ¡¯ He felt so, so ashamed of himself . And also, he wanted to witness this young man¡¯s battle right up until its conclusion, regardless of how everything would play out . ¡°I know I have no right to ask you of this, but¡­ . Please, I beg of you . Please, stop those b*stards, those monsters . ¡± The director bowed his head deeply as tears trickled down his face again . Maybe, what he really wanted to avoid was not his impending doom, which would most likely be at the hands of the monsters . No, the truth was, he simply lacked the courage to witness his countrymen getting killed and pillaged by these abominable monsters when he was supposed to be the leader of the Hunter Bureau, a man whose job was to be at the forefront, leading the Hunters in the battle against humanity¡¯s enemies . Even if it was nothing but a straw, it didn¡¯t matter . Just a single strand was enough at this point . If there was one glimmer of hope, then he¡¯d do anything to grasp it . His emotions had morphed into hot tears as they flooded out of his eyes . Jin-Woo wordlessly grabbed the director¡¯s shoulder . ¡°¡­¡± That single gesture felt a hundred times more reassuring than any words for the director . He belatedly wiped his tears away . ¡°I ended up showing you something pretty disgraceful . My apologies, Hunter-nim . ¡± Jin-Woo waited for a little while until the director regained his calm before opening his mouth . ¡°There is something else as well . I¡¯m looking for a person now . ¡± *** Jin-Woo followed after the director and entered a certain apartment building near the Hunter Bureau¡¯s HQ . ¡°You had her stay so close by?¡± ¡°We at the Hunter Bureau believe that the things we¡¯re supposed to protect should always be within reach, you see . ¡± Perhaps their destination wasn¡¯t high up, the director chose the stairs, instead . Just as his back was getting soaked by the sweat, they stopped at a certain door on the fourth floor . The director turned about to look at Jin-Woo . ¡°We¡¯re here . ¡± Jin-Woo nodded his head . Knock, knock . There must¡¯ve been some sort of a security arrangement, because rather than pressing the doorbell, the director lightly knocked on the door twice, instead . A short bout of silence later . An agent confirmed the face of the director through the peephole and opened the door . ¡°¡­ . . Director??¡± The agent frowned slightly at the strong stench of booze stinging his nose, before belatedly discovering Jin-Woo standing behind his boss and jumped up in surprise . ¡°¡­!!¡± Should one call this a piece of good fortune when the agent didn¡¯t immediately yank out his firearm, just like back when they met him for the first time? The agent instinctively reached down to his waist after spotting the unfamiliar visitor, but perhaps he recalled the events of the past, a flustered expression quickly bloomed on his face, instead . ¡°S-Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?¡± The agent wasn¡¯t even given a chance to think about why the world¡¯s most powerful Hunter showed up here, because the director simply led the visitor straight into the apartment . The other agent waiting on standby greeted the director . ¡°Where is Madam?¡± ¡°She¡¯s waiting for you inside . Heok!¡± Like his partner that opened the door, this agent also jumped up in surprise after seeing Jin-Woo here . ¡°S-sir, this gentleman¡­ . ?¡± ¡°Hunter-nim wishes to speak to the Madam, so I guided him here . Can you inform her that Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim is here to speak to her?¡± ¡°¡­ . Understood, sir . ¡± It was then . ¡°¡­ . I didn¡¯t expect you to pay me a visit during such times . ¡± As if she was waiting for Jin-Woo¡¯s arrival, the door to her room opened up and the Madam slowly walked out . It was none other than Madam Norma Selner . Currently, she was acting as the ¡®Upgrader¡¯, capable of enhancing the strengths of Hunters to their maximum potential, but before she awakened her powers, she used to work as a psychic . Jin-Woo took a step forward and politely bowed his head towards the middle-aged woman . ¡°Please, this way . ¡± She guided him into the room . The director standing behind Jin-Woo also tried to come in, but Madam Selner stopped him with a gentle voice . ¡°I believe that Seong Hunter-nim would want to speak to me in private . Am I wrong?¡± She looked behind her and asked, prompting Jin-Woo to nod his head . It was as she said . The director spat out a couple of fake coughs and began fixing his attire a little as the room¡¯s door closed shut . She closed shut the door completely and slowly turned around to face Jin-Woo, patiently waiting for her at the corner of the room . The moment she took a look at his entire being, she failed to stop the shocked gasp from bursting out of her mouth . ¡°Oh, my gosh!¡± He looked completely different from the last time she saw him . ¡°You are¡­ . You¡¯re not the same person as the one I know . ¡± Her eyes began trembling fearfully . Back then, the darkness had been hiding deep, deep within him somewhere, but now, he had become the perfect darkness itself . She could clearly see the power of ¡®death¡¯ enveloping Jin-Woo . However, he quickly shook his head and corrected her misunderstanding . ¡°I¡¯m still the same person you know, Madam . Except that I¡¯ve become one with the darkness you saw inside me . ¡± ¡°Ah, ah¡­ . ¡± Which words in the known vocabulary would be adequate enough to describe this truly wondrous development? The power of a god, now dwelling inside a human being! She studied just the tail-end of that incredulous power leaking out of Jin-Woo and continued to gasp out in pure admiration . Her slack jaw didn¡¯t want to shut close for a long while, but eventually, she did recover her wits somehow . ¡°Looks like¡­ . I don¡¯t possess the necessary power to help you, Hunter-nim . ¡± No, could there be someone possessing an ability capable of helping this man out in this entire world? Because¡­ he had already transcended the limitation of humanity . The thing was, though, Jin-Woo was thinking of something else . He cautiously approached the still-terrified woman and asked her . ¡°Madam, you said that you can glimpse into the future, yes?¡± ¡°To a certain extent, yes¡­ . ¡± ¡°In that case, can you tell me about my future?¡± Before he was about to enter the battle properly, he wanted to see the end through her eyes first . He thought that, regardless of what she saw, he¡¯d be more relaxed going in . Madam Selner hesitated somewhat before she nodded her head slowly . She reached out and grasped both of Jin-Woo¡¯s hands and closed her eyes . To look deeper into the inner workings of the darkness ¨C she needed a big dollop of courage for that . However, she couldn¡¯t dare to refuse the request of a warrior about to go to war against the foes that required a far greater level of courage than hers . No, the level of courage required would be so great that it defied all attempts to compare it . The time flew past as if it was merely a moment and, when she finally opened her eyes, uncontrollable tears began trickling down her cheeks . ¡°You¡­ Are you really going to carry all that burden by yourself?¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo didn¡¯t answer her . ¡°But, how can it be¡­ . How can just one person carry all those terrible burdens¡­ . Are you going to sacrifice one to save everyone?¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s expression brightened . ¡°Sounds like I can at least get that far . That¡¯s a relief . ¡± ¡°What do you mean, you¡¯re relieved?! No one will be able to remember you . You¡¯ll end up fighting a lonesome battle all by yourself!¡± Jin-Woo let go of her hands as she tried to dissuade him . Back when he made up his mind to fight, he was already prepared to go that far . He took a step back from Madam and bade farewell in a dignified manner . ¡°I¡¯m sorry for coming by unannounced and asking you for something like this . ¡± ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!!¡± Even before her earnestly pleading voice came to an end, Jin-Woo slid into the shadow beneath his feet and disappeared from there . The agents outside were taken surprise by her cries and hurriedly rushed into the room, but he was long gone by then . *** ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Just like back when he was searching for Yu Jin-Ho, Jin-Woo climbed back up on top of the tallest building in the city and expanded his sensory perception as much as he could . At the far, far off distance, towards the far end of the land up north¡­ . ¡­ . He felt the presence of so, so many monster soldiers that couldn¡¯t even be counted anymore, making their march south . There seemed to be almost no presence of life beyond the advancing army . Meaning, they had become prey of the denizens of the Chaos World . Min Byung-Gu, Goh Gun-Hui, Adam White, and even his own dad . Faces of many people who became sacrifices in this war against those creatures fleeted in and out of Jin-Woo¡¯s mind . Pure anger . Anger gradually welling up from the depths of his chest began dyeing the Black Heart . Jin-Woo closed his eyes and began searching for the Dragon Emperor¡¯s aura within that massive army . As it turned out, it wasn¡¯t all that difficult to spot the centre of the mass of ¡®power¡¯ that raged on like a violent storm and swallowing up everything in its wake . ¡®¡­ . Found you . ¡¯ Jin-Woo saw the Dragon Emperor . At that moment, the Sovereign of Destruction also saw Jin-Woo . That sharp sensory perception that swept past it ¨C there could only be one possessing senses like that . The Dragon Emperor abruptly came to a halt and glared in Jin-Woo¡¯s direction . Its demonic snake-like eyes didn¡¯t shy away from the darkness in the distance for a long while . It had finally sensed the presence of the true enemy that could threaten its existence over yonder, that was why . ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ The Shadow Sovereign and the Sovereign of Destruction glared at each other while transcending past the distance itself . The latter bared its fangs first . [I am right here!] Its terrifying roar as loud as hundreds, no, thousands of lightning bolts exploding at the same time resounded throughout the entire planet . [Tens of millions of your kin have died already! So, how long are you planning to hide like this?] Murderous glare flickered for a moment within Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes . ¡®Don¡¯t you worry . I¡¯ll see you soon . ¡¯ And when I do¡­ . Jin-Woo swallowed back the words he wanted to say and submerged quietly into the shadow . < Chapter 237 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 237: Chapter 237 What could he possibly be looking for when the world was facing certain annihilation? No, besides all that, was the man in front of the director¡¯s eyes the real Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, to begin with?. Wondering if he got too drunk and was seeing things, the director roughly shook his head from side to side But, Jin-Woo¡¯s figure became even clearer and in focus from that action, leading the director to realise that the man in front of him was not a figment of his imagination His intoxication flew away in an instant and his voice rose up an octave ¡°W-what are you looking for?¡±. ¡°The Rune Stone . ¡±. Jin-Woo told the director precisely what he was here for ¡°The Rune Stone from Kamish, give it to me . ¡±. ¡°¡­ !!¡±. His surprised lasted only for a short while; the director reflexively shook his head ¡°As you may well know, Hunter-nim, the Kamish¡¯s Rune Stone is the Hunter Bureau¡¯s¡­ ¡±. That was when his words came to a choking halt This d*mn work-related habit of his . What about the Hunter Bureau? So what? Never mind the Bureau, the whole of the United States of America was about to go up in flames, so who cared about a measly little Run Stone now?. ¡®Looks like I haven¡¯t fully woken up from the booze yet . ¡¯. The director loudly slapped his cheeks with his palms . After his skin reddened up from the stinging impact, he finally felt as if his brain was getting in gear His once-blurry eyes regained their focus as well He then arrived at a certain conclusion that to the Hunter Bureau, no, to the entire United States of America, the reason why Jin-Woo wanted the Rune Stone in the first place was far more important than its financial value A short bout of deliberation later . The director asked cautiously as to not sour Jin-Woo¡¯s moods ¡°I can definitely give you the Rune Stone, but why do you need it?¡±. Without a single shred of hesitation, Jin-Woo replied back ¡°I¡¯ll use it as a tool for my counter-attack . ¡±. ***. Through the eyes of the System, Jin-Woo got to confirm the ¡®Skill¡¯ sleeping within the Rune Stone in question pretty early on . It definitely contained a certain power of a Dragon There was a reason why he showed no interest whatsoever to this Rune Stone until now, though ¨C this Skill had a rather serious drawback Meaning, it was a power he didn¡¯t need ¡®However¡­ . The story has changed now . ¡¯. After descending to the ninth underground floor of the Hunter Bureau¡¯s HQ, the director and Jin-Woo now stood before the reinforced glass case that housed the Rune Stone in question Rather than through the System, Jin-Woo only needed his eyes and senses this time to accurately decipher the Skill contained with that little ¡®stone¡¯ . It was as exactly as he remembered it A ¡®Skill¡¯ that boasted a truly horrifying power . The seriousness of the current situation should be more than enough to offset the drawback of such a horrifying power Ba-thump . His heart pulsed softly in approval The director wordlessly stared at the Rune Stone before asking his question ¡°Hunter-nim, you once told me that the monsters of the dungeons were sent here by the beings called the Rulers, didn¡¯t you?¡±. ¡°Yes, I did . ¡±. ¡°In that case, what are these Rune Stones found inside the bodies of the monsters?¡±. ¡°They are gifts from the Rulers to enable humanity to hunt monsters down more efficiently . ¡±. What the Rulers wanted was to spread Mana around this world through violent clashes between monsters and mankind . The sacrifices made by humans were simply a side-effect, not their true end goal Indeed, these Rune Stones ¨C stones inserted into the monsters so, upon their deaths, their powers could be sealed within ¨C were the sign of the Rulers¡¯ consideration towards mankind¡¯s monster hunting And so, Kamish¡¯s power was stored within this stone Jin-Woo took hold of the Dragon¡¯s power that would play the crucial role in his fightback The director tensely observed Jin-Woo grasping the Rune Stone tightly and swallowed his dry saliva ¡°Truly¡­ . Can you truly stop the monsters with that thing?¡±. ¡°Well, I should at least give it a shot . ¡±. Even at this very moment, the armies led by the Dragon Emperor were repeating the actions of destroying everything in their paths and advancing forward before stopping to destroy some more Thanks to the Mana from the Rulers fortifying the planet, the marching speed of the Army of Destruction had been pegged back somewhat, but that would only last for a short while Soon, every inch of this land would be engulfed in the conflagration of war . He simply couldn¡¯t sit back and watch as the world crumbled, now could he?. The powers of the Shadow Sovereign that they feared so much ¨C they tried to cowardly hit him from behind and prevent that power from blossoming, but now, it was time to show them what this power in the hands of a measly little lifeform was capable of achieving ¡°I¡¯m planning to do everything within my power . ¡±. The unwavering will within Jin-Woo¡¯s two eyes left a powerful impact on the director¡¯s heart Seeing that this young Korean Hunter wasn¡¯t trying to avoid fighting the enemy, even though he knew full well their frightening scale, the older American man realised how pathetic he was behaving not too long ago when his mind was still filled with thoughts of running away and nothing else besides ¡®I wanted to go to where my daughter was? You stupid son of a b*tch¡­ . ¡¯. He felt so, so ashamed of himself . And also, he wanted to witness this young man¡¯s battle right up until its conclusion, regardless of how everything would play out ¡°I know I have no right to ask you of this, but¡­ . Please, I beg of you . Please, stop those b*stards, those monsters . ¡±. The director bowed his head deeply as tears trickled down his face again . Maybe, what he really wanted to avoid was not his impending doom, which would most likely be at the hands of the monsters No, the truth was, he simply lacked the courage to witness his countrymen getting killed and pillaged by these abominable monsters when he was supposed to be the leader of the Hunter Bureau, a man whose job was to be at the forefront, leading the Hunters in the battle against humanity¡¯s enemies Even if it was nothing but a straw, it didn¡¯t matter Just a single strand was enough at this point If there was one glimmer of hope, then he¡¯d do anything to grasp it His emotions had morphed into hot tears as they flooded out of his eyes . Jin-Woo wordlessly grabbed the director¡¯s shoulder ¡°¡­¡±. That single gesture felt a hundred times more reassuring than any words for the director . He belatedly wiped his tears away ¡°I ended up showing you something pretty disgraceful . My apologies, Hunter-nim . ¡±. Jin-Woo waited for a little while until the director regained his calm before opening his mouth ¡°There is something else as well . I¡¯m looking for a person now . ¡±. ***. Jin-Woo followed after the director and entered a certain apartment building near the Hunter Bureau¡¯s HQ ¡°You had her stay so close by?¡±. ¡°We at the Hunter Bureau believe that the things we¡¯re supposed to protect should always be within reach, you see . ¡±. Perhaps their destination wasn¡¯t high up, the director chose the stairs, instead . Just as his back was getting soaked by the sweat, they stopped at a certain door on the fourth floor . The director turned about to look at Jin-Woo ¡°We¡¯re here . ¡±. Jin-Woo nodded his head Knock, knock There must¡¯ve been some sort of a security arrangement, because rather than pressing the doorbell, the director lightly knocked on the door twice, instead A short bout of silence later An agent confirmed the face of the director through the peephole and opened the door ¡°¡­ Director??¡±. The agent frowned slightly at the strong stench of booze stinging his nose, before belatedly discovering Jin-Woo standing behind his boss and jumped up in surprise ¡°¡­!!¡±. Should one call this a piece of good fortune when the agent didn¡¯t immediately yank out his firearm, just like back when they met him for the first time?. The agent instinctively reached down to his waist after spotting the unfamiliar visitor, but perhaps he recalled the events of the past, a flustered expression quickly bloomed on his face, instead ¡°S-Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?¡±. The agent wasn¡¯t even given a chance to think about why the world¡¯s most powerful Hunter showed up here, because the director simply led the visitor straight into the apartment The other agent waiting on standby greeted the director ¡°Where is Madam?¡±. ¡°She¡¯s waiting for you inside . Heok!¡±. Like his partner that opened the door, this agent also jumped up in surprise after seeing Jin-Woo here ¡°S-sir, this gentleman¡­ . ?¡±. ¡°Hunter-nim wishes to speak to the Madam, so I guided him here . Can you inform her that Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim is here to speak to her?¡±. ¡°¡­ . Understood, sir . ¡±. It was then ¡°¡­ . I didn¡¯t expect you to pay me a visit during such times . ¡±. As if she was waiting for Jin-Woo¡¯s arrival, the door to her room opened up and the Madam slowly walked out It was none other than Madam Norma Selner Currently, she was acting as the ¡®Upgrader¡¯, capable of enhancing the strengths of Hunters to their maximum potential, but before she awakened her powers, she used to work as a psychic Jin-Woo took a step forward and politely bowed his head towards the middle-aged woman ¡°Please, this way . ¡±. She guided him into the room . The director standing behind Jin-Woo also tried to come in, but Madam Selner stopped him with a gentle voice ¡°I believe that Seong Hunter-nim would want to speak to me in private . Am I wrong?¡±. She looked behind her and asked, prompting Jin-Woo to nod his head . It was as she said . The director spat out a couple of fake coughs and began fixing his attire a little as the room¡¯s door closed shut She closed shut the door completely and slowly turned around to face Jin-Woo, patiently waiting for her at the corner of the room The moment she took a look at his entire being, she failed to stop the shocked gasp from bursting out of her mouth ¡°Oh, my gosh!¡±. He looked completely different from the last time she saw him ¡°You are¡­ . You¡¯re not the same person as the one I know . ¡±. Her eyes began trembling fearfully Back then, the darkness had been hiding deep, deep within him somewhere, but now, he had become the perfect darkness itself . She could clearly see the power of ¡®death¡¯ enveloping Jin-Woo . However, he quickly shook his head and corrected her misunderstanding ¡°I¡¯m still the same person you know, Madam . Except that I¡¯ve become one with the darkness you saw inside me . ¡±. ¡°Ah, ah¡­ . ¡±. Which words in the known vocabulary would be adequate enough to describe this truly wondrous development? The power of a god, now dwelling inside a human being!. She studied just the tail-end of that incredulous power leaking out of Jin-Woo and continued to gasp out in pure admiration . Her slack jaw didn¡¯t want to shut close for a long while, but eventually, she did recover her wits somehow ¡°Looks like¡­ . I don¡¯t possess the necessary power to help you, Hunter-nim . ¡±. No, could there be someone possessing an ability capable of helping this man out in this entire world? Because¡­ he had already transcended the limitation of humanity The thing was, though, Jin-Woo was thinking of something else . He cautiously approached the still-terrified woman and asked her ¡°Madam, you said that you can glimpse into the future, yes?¡±. ¡°To a certain extent, yes¡­ . ¡±. ¡°In that case, can you tell me about my future?¡±. Before he was about to enter the battle properly, he wanted to see the end through her eyes first . He thought that, regardless of what she saw, he¡¯d be more relaxed going in Madam Selner hesitated somewhat before she nodded her head slowly . She reached out and grasped both of Jin-Woo¡¯s hands and closed her eyes To look deeper into the inner workings of the darkness ¨C she needed a big dollop of courage for that However, she couldn¡¯t dare to refuse the request of a warrior about to go to war against the foes that required a far greater level of courage than hers . No, the level of courage required would be so great that it defied all attempts to compare it The time flew past as if it was merely a moment and, when she finally opened her eyes, uncontrollable tears began trickling down her cheeks ¡°You¡­ Are you really going to carry all that burden by yourself?¡±. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo didn¡¯t answer her ¡°But, how can it be¡­ . How can just one person carry all those terrible burdens¡­ . Are you going to sacrifice one to save everyone?¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s expression brightened ¡°Sounds like I can at least get that far . That¡¯s a relief . ¡±. ¡°What do you mean, you¡¯re relieved?! No one will be able to remember you . You¡¯ll end up fighting a lonesome battle all by yourself!¡±. Jin-Woo let go of her hands as she tried to dissuade him . Back when he made up his mind to fight, he was already prepared to go that far . He took a step back from Madam and bade farewell in a dignified manner ¡°I¡¯m sorry for coming by unannounced and asking you for something like this . ¡±. ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!!¡±. Even before her earnestly pleading voice came to an end, Jin-Woo slid into the shadow beneath his feet and disappeared from there The agents outside were taken surprise by her cries and hurriedly rushed into the room, but he was long gone by then ***. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯. Just like back when he was searching for Yu Jin-Ho, Jin-Woo climbed back up on top of the tallest building in the city and expanded his sensory perception as much as he could At the far, far off distance, towards the far end of the land up north¡­ ¡­ . He felt the presence of so, so many monster soldiers that couldn¡¯t even be counted anymore, making their march south . There seemed to be almost no presence of life beyond the advancing army Meaning, they had become prey of the denizens of the Chaos World Min Byung-Gu, Goh Gun-Hui, Adam White, and even his own dad Faces of many people who became sacrifices in this war against those creatures fleeted in and out of Jin-Woo¡¯s mind Pure anger Anger gradually welling up from the depths of his chest began dyeing the Black Heart . Jin-Woo closed his eyes and began searching for the Dragon Emperor¡¯s aura within that massive army As it turned out, it wasn¡¯t all that difficult to spot the centre of the mass of ¡®power¡¯ that raged on like a violent storm and swallowing up everything in its wake ¡®¡­ . Found you . ¡¯. Jin-Woo saw the Dragon Emperor At that moment, the Sovereign of Destruction also saw Jin-Woo That sharp sensory perception that swept past it ¨C there could only be one possessing senses like that . The Dragon Emperor abruptly came to a halt and glared in Jin-Woo¡¯s direction Its demonic snake-like eyes didn¡¯t shy away from the darkness in the distance for a long while . It had finally sensed the presence of the true enemy that could threaten its existence over yonder, that was why ¡®¡­ ¡¯. ¡®¡­ ¡¯. The Shadow Sovereign and the Sovereign of Destruction glared at each other while transcending past the distance itself . The latter bared its fangs first [I am right here!]. Its terrifying roar as loud as hundreds, no, thousands of lightning bolts exploding at the same time resounded throughout the entire planet [Tens of millions of your kin have died already! So, how long are you planning to hide like this?]. Murderous glare flickered for a moment within Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes ¡®Don¡¯t you worry . I¡¯ll see you soon . ¡¯. And when I do¡­ Jin-Woo swallowed back the words he wanted to say and submerged quietly into the shadow < Chapter 237 > Fin Chapter 238 If one were to transplant ¡®Hell¡¯ to Earth, would it resemble something like this? The skies were filled with thick black clouds that showed no signs of abating . The ground below was, in turn, filled with blood, screams, ashes, and acrid stink . Sovereigns were born from the darkness with the sole purpose of destroying everything, and so, they proceeded to systematically erase any semblance of light and life from this world . The Dragon Emperor stood in front of them . It stepped proudly on top of the city now reduced to ash and swept its gaze all over its surroundings . ¡®What is going on with that b*stard, I wonder?¡¯ After that brief stare-down, the Shadow Sovereign went into hiding and didn¡¯t appear again, even until now . When he used his sensory perception to reveal his existence, the Dragon Emperor took that as the sign of the Shadow Sovereign finally declaring war . And that was why, for the first time in an extremely long while, the Dragon Emperor¡¯s heart that went dormant while wandering within the gap between dimensions had begun beating powerfully once again . Finally, one of only a few enemies that could truly threaten its life had bared his fangs at it . The true war was at hand . To the ¡®Sovereign of Destruction¡¯, the sight of the battlefield filled with sheer, uncontrolled madness from all parties involved was pretty much the same thing as a marvellous gift from the heavens . Could anything be compared to the pure joy derived from the battles? Too bad, the event it had been waiting for didn¡¯t materialise . The Shadow Sovereign vanished without a trace and showed no signs of appearing again even after a nation of his kin had been annihilated completely . Of course, it¡¯d be no different than killing himself to fight against the combined army of the Chaos World that easily numbered in the ten-plus millions with just over one hundred thousand of his servants . However, if he was planning to run away from the get-go, he wouldn¡¯t have tried to threaten the Dragon Emperor even at the risk of exposing his current whereabouts . ¡®¡­ . Could he be aiming for something else?¡¯ The Dragon Emperor grew more anxious as time continued to pass by . Now that they had no clue when and where the Shadow Sovereign would begin his assault, the soldiers under the Dragon had no choice but to move at a much more cautious pace . Obviously, their marching speed had slowed down to a crawl as a result . The Dragon Emperor wanted to get rid of all the nuisances bothering them as soon as possible and get ready for the battle against the Rulers, so without a doubt, the current situation was proving to be rather annoying . Could it be¡­ . ? ¡®¡­ . He¡¯s waiting for the annihilation of his kin so he can convert them all into his Shadow Soldiers?¡¯ However, turning humans who didn¡¯t know how to wield Mana into his soldiers wouldn¡¯t be much help against the Army of Destruction . Surely, that b*stard would know of this fact, too . It was then . A voice interrupted the deep deliberation of the Dragon Emperor . ¡°Humans are coming, my liege . ¡± One of the Ancient-class Dragons acting as its bodyguard informed it of the incoming attacks of the humans . But, didn¡¯t all the humans of this nation capable of wielding Mana, ¡®Hunters¡¯, die? If so, what could this be? The Dragon Emperor formed a puzzled expression and raised its head, and with excellent timing, countless missiles rained down from the sky . BOOOOOM-!!! This was the final struggle of the weak creatures, so pathetically meaningless that even the Sovereign of Destruction felt sorry for them . Humans knew that their weapons not imbued with Mana couldn¡¯t even touch a single hair on the Army of Destruction, yet they stubbornly refused to give up . ¡®¡­ . This is getting boring . ¡¯ The brows of the Dragon Emperor quivered slightly . Anxiety morphed into annoyance, and soon, annoyance transformed into anger . [None of you step forward . ] The Dragon Emperor warned its underlings not to make a move and for the first time ever since setting foot in this world, revealed its true appearance . These fighter pilots had flown here while risking their lives in order to buy time, however little it¡¯d be, for the civilians to evacuate . But then, after seeing the truly nonsensical size of the personified calamity approaching them, every single one of these brave men and women became completely speechless . ¡°Mommy¡­ . ¡± The terror and shock of these pilots only lasted for a brief moment . Soon, the breath of pure destruction fired out in a straight line from the jaw of the calamity, swallowing up all of the fighter jets in the air . Kuwaaaaah-! In less than one minute . The lives of these pilots couldn¡¯t even buy one minute and their sacrifice was ultimately in vain . Unfortunately, the Dragon Emperor wasn¡¯t satisfied by these humans¡¯ sacrifices and raised its head to spew out a terrifying roar at the heavens . KUWAAAAAAHHH-!!! That was the Sovereign of Destruction declaring war against the Shadow Sovereign . *** Jin-Woo also heard that roar . His eyes, closed in stillness so that he could organise his thoughts, quietly opened up . ¡®¡­ . It¡¯s time . ¡¯ The moment his eyelids lifted up, the sight of the ¡®lodging¡¯ Beru had constructed immediately entered his view . Darkness and silence seemed to have taken over the dominion of this needlessly humongous room . Was it because the current atmosphere resembled the moments of eternal rest? Jin-Woo didn¡¯t dislike the combination of darkness and silence as experienced within this empty, wide-open space . He felt guilty about scolding Beru initially after clapping his eyes on this white fortress for the first time back then, so he quietly summoned the former ant king to his side . ¡°Hey, Beru . Thanks . ¡± Beru had been silently waiting in Jin-Woo¡¯s shadow until then . He sneaked his head out of the darkness below to speak . ¡°Oh, my king¡­ . ¡± ¡°Yeah, I know . ¡± Jin-Woo cut off Beru¡¯s sentence even before another word could be uttered . This time, Bellion rose up to the surface from the side of the ant king . ¡°It¡¯s far too dangerous, my liege . ¡± Even Igrit emerged from below too, as if he was waiting for this chance . He knelt down and lowered his head, his voice sounding earnest . ¡°I share their opinions, my liege . ¡± All three Marshals were trying to dissuade Jin-Woo from enacting his plan . Wordlessly, their master studied the trio . Shadow Soldiers would never die unless their Sovereign was killed off . Which meant that they would always worry about the safety of their Sovereign first and foremost . However, sometimes one had no choice but to make a move even though he knew of the dangers waiting for him on the other side . For Jin-Woo, this was one such occasion . ¡°Osborne¡­ . The former Shadow Sovereign said that he liked this aspect of me . ¡± That would be the aspect of him willing to tackle the seemingly-dangerous problem head-on first to see what¡¯s what, even though he looked cold and calculating on the outside . Jin-Woo continued on . ¡°If he was in the same situation as I am now, what would he have done?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Bellion recalled the past actions of the former Shadow Sovereign and realised that he couldn¡¯t readily provide an answer . Osborne, the former Shadow Sovereign, was someone who stepped up all by himself to try and stop the rebellion of every other Fragment of the Brilliant Light marching forward to kill their creator, the Absolute Being . If it was him, he¡¯d never give up on his duty regardless of the situation facing him . Once Bellion¡¯s thoughts arrived there, he raised his faltering head up high . Jin-Woo was smiling back at him . ¡®They¡­ resemble each other . ¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s face overlapped with that of Osborne¡¯s in Bellion¡¯s eyes, just then . ¡®As expected . ¡¯ Bellion lowered his head again and made an earnest pledge towards Jin-Woo . ¡°I shall accompany you till the end, my liege . ¡± It seemed that other Marshals shared his sentiment because they no longer bothered to dissuade Jin-Woo . Perfect . ¡°You should¡¯ve come out like that from the beginning, you know . ¡± Jin-Woo grinned refreshingly at them . He felt that there really wasn¡¯t much time remaining, and pulled out his phone from the pocket . This might prove to be his last chance to speak to his family . ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ In the end, though, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to tap the ¡®Call¡¯ icon . He thought that, if he heard the voices of his loved ones now, he¡¯d not be able to take another step forward . That¡¯s the feeling he got . Crack! The crushed phone slowly fell from Jin-Woo¡¯s hand . It¡¯d be perfectly fine to delay listening to their voices until the end of the upcoming battle . Jin-Woo reaffirmed his resolve and summoned the pair of Kamish¡¯s Wrath from the storage within the subspace . And then, he tore the T-shirt he was wearing to create long ropes and wrapped them around his hands holding the shortswords . His weapons shouldn¡¯t slip out of his grasp during the battle, but in reality, he was doing this to rouse his fighting spirit up . The rope made out of his torn T-shirt tightly secured the shortswords in his both of hands . His firm, well-developed torso muscles, fully on display now that his top was gone, quivered and writhed every time he breathed deeply in and out as if they were alive . ¡®Alright, good . ¡¯ The heightened sensation before the battle quietly made its descent on his shoulders . His heart was steadily pounding away, too . Jin-Woo always liked this heightened sensation spreading throughout his entire body just before he was about to step into a dungeon . Both his mind and body were prepared now . Fuu¡­ . He let a soft sigh leave his lips, and chilling light began shining from deep within his eyes . The plan he ran countless simulations of in his head raced past his mind one more time . He could not afford to make any mistake from here on . His expression now reflected the weight of his determination . His Marshals, having read their liege¡¯s will to fight, nodded their heads in unison . Jin-Woo spoke with a determined voice . ¡°Let¡¯s get going . ¡± *** Inside the office of the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association President . Woo Jin-Cheol was busy recalling the sage advice his grandfather had left behind some time ago . If he wanted to figure out the severity of an incident, then he¡¯d have to take a closer look at the expressions of the news anchor . His grandfather had personally experienced and survived the war and various calamities that came to visit Korea in the past, so he knew what he was talking about . After placing a very young Woo Jin-Cheol on his lap, he said these words . ¨C If the expression of the news anchor is on the bright side, then it¡¯s nothing to worry about . If the anchor¡¯s expression is a little gloomy, then you should be a little bit cautious . However¡­ . The moments you should really feel scared would be¡­ . Woo Jin-Cheol was studying the expression of the female news anchor and muttered softly without even consciously realising it . ¡°¡­ . When the anchor is trying to maintain a calm expression . ¡± In cases of truly calamitous events, news readers would try to prevent the unrest and agitation blooming in the hearts of the viewers at home by doing their best to project how calm they were . His grandfather always told him not to miss the moment when such grim determination would be shown on live TV . And sure enough, the lady anchor of the TV news was ably maintaining a calm expression as well as a level voice to report on the events unfolding in North America ¨C exactly as his grandfather had warned . [¡­ . When all contact with the Hunters stepping forward to stop the advance had been cut off, the American government has urgently mobilised all of their military forces to buy enough time for civilians to evacuate¡­ . . ] Woo Jin-Cheol squeezed his eyes shut . He just didn¡¯t feel confident of continuously watching the unfolding tragedy happening on the other side of the planet . Through Jin-Woo¡¯s memory, he had witnessed the grand scale of the enemy¡¯s invading forces . He was being serious here ¨C that was a calamity nothing in this world could defend against . The nation boasting the greatest combat strength, the United States of America, was crumbling helplessly at the hands of those d*mn monsters . And right now, the only thing humanity could do was to pray for a miracle . Unfortunately, just what kind of a miracle would it have to be to stop those creatures? Imagination filled with ominous foreboding and terrible imagery continued to bubble one after the other in his head as if they had formed a long, unbroken chain . Woo Jin-Cheol slowly shook his head, hoping to get rid of those distracting thoughts . A miracle, was it? ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ It had been already over three days since all contact with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had been cut off . Woo Jin-Cheol got to clearly see Jin-Woo¡¯s ability to create dozens of Gates, back when the representatives of the world¡¯s nations had gathered in one place . As long as he wanted to, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would be able to escape to another world . It could very well be that he had already evacuated to somewhere safe by now . But, even if he did that, who here could criticise his decision? It was either fight against ten million soldiers born for the sake of destruction with no one else but himself, or escape to somewhere far away, where their hands didn¡¯t reach . Even if it was Woo Jin-Cheol making this decision, he wasn¡¯t confident of choosing the former over the latter . So, all that remained was to truly pray fervently for a miracle . ¡°Please, I beg of you . Don¡¯t¡­ . ¡± Although there would never be a reply, Woo Jin-Cheol still looked up at the ceiling of his office and whispered softly . ¡°¡­ . . Don¡¯t forsake us . ¡± But, it happened right then . ¡°¡­???¡± Woo Jin-Cheol jumped up in shock and his gaze was locked onto the TV immediately . There was an earthquake erupting within his eyes now . *** ¡°Uwaaaahk!!¡± The best air force in the world, the United States Air Force that proudly boasted the history of zero defeats, didn¡¯t fare any better compared to their Canadian counterparts when subjected to the power of the Army of Destruction . BOOM!! A fighter jet¡¯s engine was destroyed in an instant and its pilot hurriedly attempted to eject from the plane . As this pilot made his rapid descent towards the ground, he began screaming out in despair as he watched his friends and colleagues getting massacred in the blink of an eye . ¡°No!! Nooo!!¡± Boom!! Bang! Ka-boom! Booming exploding noises and flashes of fireballs filled up the sky . The pilot continued to cry out the names of his dying friends even as the disorientating chaos pushed his head into a dizzy spin . The ground approached at the rate of knots . Just before he was about to become a flat pancake, his parachute unfurled itself in time . He messily tumbled and rolled around on the ground several times before coming to a stop . He then emptied the contents of his stomach from the extreme case of dizziness . ¡°Blergh, blergh¡­ . ¡± Were the tears pooling on the edges of his eyes the result of the pain wracking his body, or because of the resentment he felt at his own powerlessness? Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t given a lot of time to consider that dilemma . Even though the surroundings were filled with the acrid stink of blood and stinging fumes of chemicals, monsters still managed to sense the breathing of a lifeform from far away and began rushing towards his location . The pilot hurriedly cut himself loose from the parachute¡¯s straps and yanked out a pistol mounted on his hips . ¡°Die!! Die, you sons of b*tches!!¡± Blam! Blam!! Blam!!! Blam!!!! Several ear-piercing gunshots echoed in the air, but as expected, they were simply inadequate to slow down the monsters by one bit . Click, click, click¡­ . Now that he ran out of bullets, the pilot instantly began regretting his actions . He should have reserved the last shot for his own final moment . His hands powerlessly sagged to the ground . The very first monster to arrive his location as he stood there dazed and numb was a denizen of the Chaos World that resembled a giant cockroach . Shashashashak! After seeing the insect-type monster utterly filling up his view, all strength in the pilot¡¯s legs abandoned him and he sunk down to the floor . A despairing moan leaked out of his mouth . ¡°D*mn it¡­ . ¡± Right at that moment¡­ . kwagagagagahk!! All those insects rushing at him were suddenly torn apart at once as if a claw from a gigantic creature took a swipe at them . ¡°Jesus Christ?!¡± His tearful eyes anxiously sought out the origin of that miracle . And soon, he found a single Asian man gently landing in front of his eyes . Although it was only his back, the pilot found it not too difficult to guess this man¡¯s name by looking at the pair of uniquely-shaped shortswords in his hands . ¡°Seong Jin-Woo¡­ . Hunter Jin-Woo Seong??¡± Jin-Woo took a look at the pilot behind him . There was an incredibly intense scowl on his face that made it hard to tell whether he was an ally or an enemy . But, his eyes definitely said, ¡°Run away, now!¡± Sure enough, a horde of monsters far outnumbering the ones that got killed was rushing towards them from the distance . The pilot¡¯s voice rose up an octave just then . ¡°Even if it¡¯s you, Hunter Seong, you can¡¯t do this alone¡­ . ¡± That was as far as his words could go . KWA-GAGAGAGAHK!! Jin-Woo furiously swung Kamish¡¯s Wraths, resulting in the monsters to get torn apart into bits and pieces like dolls made out of paper . Having successfully bought more time, Jin-Woo looked back at the pilot again . ¡°Go, now!¡± ¡°Ah, y-yes!¡± The pilot finally managed to ungainly push himself off from the ground and he began running away using everything in his power . Jin-Woo briefly watched the back of the departing man, before shifting his gaze back to his front again . He had cut down dozens upon dozens of enemies with those two attacks, but that was like shaving a tiny piece off a massive iceberg . Enemies hundreds of times greater in number seemed to have latched onto the smell of combat that had taken place here . This would be the first steps of the war . His first victims would be with these insect-type monsters . Fuu¡­ . Jin-Woo sucked in a quick but deep breath, and in the direction of the Chaos World¡¯s soldiers rushing towards his location, he spat out the two words that would become the turning point in this war . ¡°Rise up . ¡± < Chapter 238 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 238: Chapter 238 If one were to transplant ¡®Hell¡¯ to Earth, would it resemble something like this?. The skies were filled with thick black clouds that showed no signs of abating . The ground below was, in turn, filled with blood, screams, ashes, and acrid stink Sovereigns were born from the darkness with the sole purpose of destroying everything, and so, they proceeded to systematically erase any semblance of light and life from this world The Dragon Emperor stood in front of them . It stepped proudly on top of the city now reduced to ash and swept its gaze all over its surroundings ¡®What is going on with that b*stard, I wonder?¡¯. After that brief stare-down, the Shadow Sovereign went into hiding and didn¡¯t appear again, even until now When he used his sensory perception to reveal his existence, the Dragon Emperor took that as the sign of the Shadow Sovereign finally declaring war And that was why, for the first time in an extremely long while, the Dragon Emperor¡¯s heart that went dormant while wandering within the gap between dimensions had begun beating powerfully once again Finally, one of only a few enemies that could truly threaten its life had bared his fangs at it . The true war was at hand To the ¡®Sovereign of Destruction¡¯, the sight of the battlefield filled with sheer, uncontrolled madness from all parties involved was pretty much the same thing as a marvellous gift from the heavens Could anything be compared to the pure joy derived from the battles?. Too bad, the event it had been waiting for didn¡¯t materialise The Shadow Sovereign vanished without a trace and showed no signs of appearing again even after a nation of his kin had been annihilated completely Of course, it¡¯d be no different than killing himself to fight against the combined army of the Chaos World that easily numbered in the ten-plus millions with just over one hundred thousand of his servants However, if he was planning to run away from the get-go, he wouldn¡¯t have tried to threaten the Dragon Emperor even at the risk of exposing his current whereabouts ¡®¡­ . Could he be aiming for something else?¡¯. The Dragon Emperor grew more anxious as time continued to pass by Now that they had no clue when and where the Shadow Sovereign would begin his assault, the soldiers under the Dragon had no choice but to move at a much more cautious pace . Obviously, their marching speed had slowed down to a crawl as a result The Dragon Emperor wanted to get rid of all the nuisances bothering them as soon as possible and get ready for the battle against the Rulers, so without a doubt, the current situation was proving to be rather annoying Could it be¡­ . ?. ¡®¡­ . He¡¯s waiting for the annihilation of his kin so he can convert them all into his Shadow Soldiers?¡¯. However, turning humans who didn¡¯t know how to wield Mana into his soldiers wouldn¡¯t be much help against the Army of Destruction . Surely, that b*stard would know of this fact, too It was then A voice interrupted the deep deliberation of the Dragon Emperor ¡°Humans are coming, my liege . ¡±. One of the Ancient-class Dragons acting as its bodyguard informed it of the incoming attacks of the humans . But, didn¡¯t all the humans of this nation capable of wielding Mana, ¡®Hunters¡¯, die? If so, what could this be?. The Dragon Emperor formed a puzzled expression and raised its head, and with excellent timing, countless missiles rained down from the sky BOOOOOM-!!!. This was the final struggle of the weak creatures, so pathetically meaningless that even the Sovereign of Destruction felt sorry for them . Humans knew that their weapons not imbued with Mana couldn¡¯t even touch a single hair on the Army of Destruction, yet they stubbornly refused to give up ¡®¡­ . This is getting boring . ¡¯. The brows of the Dragon Emperor quivered slightly . Anxiety morphed into annoyance, and soon, annoyance transformed into anger [None of you step forward . ]. The Dragon Emperor warned its underlings not to make a move and for the first time ever since setting foot in this world, revealed its true appearance These fighter pilots had flown here while risking their lives in order to buy time, however little it¡¯d be, for the civilians to evacuate . But then, after seeing the truly nonsensical size of the personified calamity approaching them, every single one of these brave men and women became completely speechless ¡°Mommy¡­ . ¡±. The terror and shock of these pilots only lasted for a brief moment . Soon, the breath of pure destruction fired out in a straight line from the jaw of the calamity, swallowing up all of the fighter jets in the air Kuwaaaaah-!. In less than one minute . The lives of these pilots couldn¡¯t even buy one minute and their sacrifice was ultimately in vain Unfortunately, the Dragon Emperor wasn¡¯t satisfied by these humans¡¯ sacrifices and raised its head to spew out a terrifying roar at the heavens KUWAAAAAAHHH-!!!. That was the Sovereign of Destruction declaring war against the Shadow Sovereign ***. Jin-Woo also heard that roar His eyes, closed in stillness so that he could organise his thoughts, quietly opened up ¡®¡­ . It¡¯s time . ¡¯. The moment his eyelids lifted up, the sight of the ¡®lodging¡¯ Beru had constructed immediately entered his view . Darkness and silence seemed to have taken over the dominion of this needlessly humongous room Was it because the current atmosphere resembled the moments of eternal rest? Jin-Woo didn¡¯t dislike the combination of darkness and silence as experienced within this empty, wide-open space He felt guilty about scolding Beru initially after clapping his eyes on this white fortress for the first time back then, so he quietly summoned the former ant king to his side ¡°Hey, Beru . Thanks . ¡±. Beru had been silently waiting in Jin-Woo¡¯s shadow until then . He sneaked his head out of the darkness below to speak ¡°Oh, my king¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Yeah, I know . ¡±. Jin-Woo cut off Beru¡¯s sentence even before another word could be uttered . This time, Bellion rose up to the surface from the side of the ant king ¡°It¡¯s far too dangerous, my liege . ¡±. Even Igrit emerged from below too, as if he was waiting for this chance . He knelt down and lowered his head, his voice sounding earnest ¡°I share their opinions, my liege . ¡±. All three Marshals were trying to dissuade Jin-Woo from enacting his plan . Wordlessly, their master studied the trio Shadow Soldiers would never die unless their Sovereign was killed off . Which meant that they would always worry about the safety of their Sovereign first and foremost However, sometimes one had no choice but to make a move even though he knew of the dangers waiting for him on the other side For Jin-Woo, this was one such occasion ¡°Osborne¡­ . The former Shadow Sovereign said that he liked this aspect of me . ¡±. That would be the aspect of him willing to tackle the seemingly-dangerous problem head-on first to see what¡¯s what, even though he looked cold and calculating on the outside Jin-Woo continued on ¡°If he was in the same situation as I am now, what would he have done?¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. Bellion recalled the past actions of the former Shadow Sovereign and realised that he couldn¡¯t readily provide an answer Osborne, the former Shadow Sovereign, was someone who stepped up all by himself to try and stop the rebellion of every other Fragment of the Brilliant Light marching forward to kill their creator, the Absolute Being If it was him, he¡¯d never give up on his duty regardless of the situation facing him . Once Bellion¡¯s thoughts arrived there, he raised his faltering head up high Jin-Woo was smiling back at him ¡®They¡­ resemble each other . ¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s face overlapped with that of Osborne¡¯s in Bellion¡¯s eyes, just then ¡®As expected . ¡¯. Bellion lowered his head again and made an earnest pledge towards Jin-Woo ¡°I shall accompany you till the end, my liege . ¡±. It seemed that other Marshals shared his sentiment because they no longer bothered to dissuade Jin-Woo Perfect ¡°You should¡¯ve come out like that from the beginning, you know . ¡±. Jin-Woo grinned refreshingly at them He felt that there really wasn¡¯t much time remaining, and pulled out his phone from the pocket . This might prove to be his last chance to speak to his family ¡®¡­¡­¡¯. In the end, though, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to tap the ¡®Call¡¯ icon . He thought that, if he heard the voices of his loved ones now, he¡¯d not be able to take another step forward That¡¯s the feeling he got Crack!. The crushed phone slowly fell from Jin-Woo¡¯s hand It¡¯d be perfectly fine to delay listening to their voices until the end of the upcoming battle . Jin-Woo reaffirmed his resolve and summoned the pair of Kamish¡¯s Wrath from the storage within the subspace And then, he tore the T-shirt he was wearing to create long ropes and wrapped them around his hands holding the shortswords . His weapons shouldn¡¯t slip out of his grasp during the battle, but in reality, he was doing this to rouse his fighting spirit up The rope made out of his torn T-shirt tightly secured the shortswords in his both of hands His firm, well-developed torso muscles, fully on display now that his top was gone, quivered and writhed every time he breathed deeply in and out as if they were alive ¡®Alright, good . ¡¯. The heightened sensation before the battle quietly made its descent on his shoulders . His heart was steadily pounding away, too Jin-Woo always liked this heightened sensation spreading throughout his entire body just before he was about to step into a dungeon Both his mind and body were prepared now Fuu¡­ He let a soft sigh leave his lips, and chilling light began shining from deep within his eyes The plan he ran countless simulations of in his head raced past his mind one more time . He could not afford to make any mistake from here on His expression now reflected the weight of his determination . His Marshals, having read their liege¡¯s will to fight, nodded their heads in unison Jin-Woo spoke with a determined voice ¡°Let¡¯s get going . ¡±. ***. Inside the office of the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association President Woo Jin-Cheol was busy recalling the sage advice his grandfather had left behind some time ago If he wanted to figure out the severity of an incident, then he¡¯d have to take a closer look at the expressions of the news anchor His grandfather had personally experienced and survived the war and various calamities that came to visit Korea in the past, so he knew what he was talking about . After placing a very young Woo Jin-Cheol on his lap, he said these words ¨C If the expression of the news anchor is on the bright side, then it¡¯s nothing to worry about . If the anchor¡¯s expression is a little gloomy, then you should be a little bit cautious . However¡­ . The moments you should really feel scared would be¡­ Woo Jin-Cheol was studying the expression of the female news anchor and muttered softly without even consciously realising it ¡°¡­ . When the anchor is trying to maintain a calm expression . ¡±. In cases of truly calamitous events, news readers would try to prevent the unrest and agitation blooming in the hearts of the viewers at home by doing their best to project how calm they were His grandfather always told him not to miss the moment when such grim determination would be shown on live TV And sure enough, the lady anchor of the TV news was ably maintaining a calm expression as well as a level voice to report on the events unfolding in North America ¨C exactly as his grandfather had warned [¡­ . When all contact with the Hunters stepping forward to stop the advance had been cut off, the American government has urgently mobilised all of their military forces to buy enough time for civilians to evacuate¡­ ]. Woo Jin-Cheol squeezed his eyes shut He just didn¡¯t feel confident of continuously watching the unfolding tragedy happening on the other side of the planet Through Jin-Woo¡¯s memory, he had witnessed the grand scale of the enemy¡¯s invading forces . He was being serious here ¨C that was a calamity nothing in this world could defend against The nation boasting the greatest combat strength, the United States of America, was crumbling helplessly at the hands of those d*mn monsters . And right now, the only thing humanity could do was to pray for a miracle Unfortunately, just what kind of a miracle would it have to be to stop those creatures?. Imagination filled with ominous foreboding and terrible imagery continued to bubble one after the other in his head as if they had formed a long, unbroken chain . Woo Jin-Cheol slowly shook his head, hoping to get rid of those distracting thoughts A miracle, was it?. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯. It had been already over three days since all contact with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had been cut off Woo Jin-Cheol got to clearly see Jin-Woo¡¯s ability to create dozens of Gates, back when the representatives of the world¡¯s nations had gathered in one place . As long as he wanted to, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would be able to escape to another world It could very well be that he had already evacuated to somewhere safe by now . But, even if he did that, who here could criticise his decision?. It was either fight against ten million soldiers born for the sake of destruction with no one else but himself, or escape to somewhere far away, where their hands didn¡¯t reach Even if it was Woo Jin-Cheol making this decision, he wasn¡¯t confident of choosing the former over the latter So, all that remained was to truly pray fervently for a miracle ¡°Please, I beg of you . Don¡¯t¡­ . ¡±. Although there would never be a reply, Woo Jin-Cheol still looked up at the ceiling of his office and whispered softly ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t forsake us . ¡±. But, it happened right then ¡°¡­???¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol jumped up in shock and his gaze was locked onto the TV immediately There was an earthquake erupting within his eyes now ***. ¡°Uwaaaahk!!¡±. The best air force in the world, the United States Air Force that proudly boasted the history of zero defeats, didn¡¯t fare any better compared to their Canadian counterparts when subjected to the power of the Army of Destruction BOOM!!. A fighter jet¡¯s engine was destroyed in an instant and its pilot hurriedly attempted to eject from the plane As this pilot made his rapid descent towards the ground, he began screaming out in despair as he watched his friends and colleagues getting massacred in the blink of an eye ¡°No!! Nooo!!¡±. Boom!! Bang! Ka-boom!. Booming exploding noises and flashes of fireballs filled up the sky The pilot continued to cry out the names of his dying friends even as the disorientating chaos pushed his head into a dizzy spin The ground approached at the rate of knots . Just before he was about to become a flat pancake, his parachute unfurled itself in time He messily tumbled and rolled around on the ground several times before coming to a stop . He then emptied the contents of his stomach from the extreme case of dizziness ¡°Blergh, blergh¡­ . ¡±. Were the tears pooling on the edges of his eyes the result of the pain wracking his body, or because of the resentment he felt at his own powerlessness?. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t given a lot of time to consider that dilemma Even though the surroundings were filled with the acrid stink of blood and stinging fumes of chemicals, monsters still managed to sense the breathing of a lifeform from far away and began rushing towards his location The pilot hurriedly cut himself loose from the parachute¡¯s straps and yanked out a pistol mounted on his hips ¡°Die!! Die, you sons of b*tches!!¡±. Blam! Blam!! Blam!!! Blam!!!!. Several ear-piercing gunshots echoed in the air, but as expected, they were simply inadequate to slow down the monsters by one bit Click, click, click¡­ Now that he ran out of bullets, the pilot instantly began regretting his actions . He should have reserved the last shot for his own final moment His hands powerlessly sagged to the ground The very first monster to arrive his location as he stood there dazed and numb was a denizen of the Chaos World that resembled a giant cockroach Shashashashak!. After seeing the insect-type monster utterly filling up his view, all strength in the pilot¡¯s legs abandoned him and he sunk down to the floor A despairing moan leaked out of his mouth ¡°D*mn it¡­ . ¡±. Right at that moment¡­ kwagagagagahk!!. All those insects rushing at him were suddenly torn apart at once as if a claw from a gigantic creature took a swipe at them ¡°Jesus Christ?!¡±. His tearful eyes anxiously sought out the origin of that miracle . And soon, he found a single Asian man gently landing in front of his eyes Although it was only his back, the pilot found it not too difficult to guess this man¡¯s name by looking at the pair of uniquely-shaped shortswords in his hands ¡°Seong Jin-Woo¡­ . Hunter Jin-Woo Seong??¡±. Jin-Woo took a look at the pilot behind him There was an incredibly intense scowl on his face that made it hard to tell whether he was an ally or an enemy . But, his eyes definitely said, ¡°Run away, now!¡±. Sure enough, a horde of monsters far outnumbering the ones that got killed was rushing towards them from the distance . The pilot¡¯s voice rose up an octave just then ¡°Even if it¡¯s you, Hunter Seong, you can¡¯t do this alone¡­ . ¡±. That was as far as his words could go KWA-GAGAGAGAHK!!. Jin-Woo furiously swung Kamish¡¯s Wraths, resulting in the monsters to get torn apart into bits and pieces like dolls made out of paper . Having successfully bought more time, Jin-Woo looked back at the pilot again ¡°Go, now!¡±. ¡°Ah, y-yes!¡±. The pilot finally managed to ungainly push himself off from the ground and he began running away using everything in his power . Jin-Woo briefly watched the back of the departing man, before shifting his gaze back to his front again He had cut down dozens upon dozens of enemies with those two attacks, but that was like shaving a tiny piece off a massive iceberg Enemies hundreds of times greater in number seemed to have latched onto the smell of combat that had taken place here This would be the first steps of the war . His first victims would be with these insect-type monsters Fuu¡­ Jin-Woo sucked in a quick but deep breath, and in the direction of the Chaos World¡¯s soldiers rushing towards his location, he spat out the two words that would become the turning point in this war ¡°Rise up . ¡±. < Chapter 238 > Fin Chapter 239 ¡°Rise up . ¡± As soon as Jin-Woo issued his command¡­ . Kiiieeehk-!! All those insect monsters that got torn to shreds just now stood back up as new Shadow Soldiers . In the past, he also revived monsters that got killed during the battles and added them to his stock of soldiers, but these new additions were on a different scale altogether compared to those guys . Quite far removed from the recent past when the System suppressed the powers of the Shadow Sovereign and resulted in the creation of Shadow Soldiers that were weaker than their living counterparts, Jin-Woo was now the bonafide King of the Dead, and the restrictions of the System no longer affected him . He could create the perfect Shadow Soldiers at will now . Kiiehk! These soldiers were so much stronger than when they were still alive . Black smoke rose up vigorously like flames from their bodies . It was pretty obvious that the stronger the soldiers of the Chaos World, the stronger his Soldiers extracted from their shadows would be . And so, this would be how the unparalleled power that tried to destroy this world ended up becoming the noose that tightened around his enemies¡¯ necks . Jin-Woo issued his first command to these new soldiers, overflowing with fighting spirit . ¡®Go rampage to your heart¡¯s content . ¡¯ Kiiiiieeeeehkkk-!! The insect-type Shadow Soldiers madly rushed towards the incoming waves of Chaos World¡¯s forces . Jin-Woo also dashed forward, as well . He instantly overtook the insect-type Shadow Soldier at the very front of the pack and leapt into the midst of the Orcs unfortunate enough to be marching at the forefront . Keu-hahk!! The panicking hordes of Orcs, as well as Ogres standing here and there among them, blindly swung their weapons in a hurry, but the odds of those hits landing on him were zero . Jin-Woo evaded every attack pouring in from all sides with consummate ease before swinging his shortswords . Like being sucked into the centre of a whirlpool, the hapless Orcs were swept away in one go without any mercy . Every time he sliced down, the black aura shooting out from his blades utterly tore through not just the Orcs, but the ground they were standing on, too . Simply put, it was a hellish storm . The headcount of Orcs decreased a lot faster than the screams exploding out from their mouths could be heard . It was then . A tall shade was suddenly cast above Jin-Woo¡¯s head . He raised his head to look . Guooo¡­ . A Giant-type monster, so humongous that tilting one¡¯s head to look might actually injure one¡¯s neck, was busy glaring down at him . And it was also in the middle of raising up high a pillar of stone that matched the length of its arms . It must¡¯ve devoured innumerable humans while getting here because the blood of its victims had dyed the vicinity of its mouth dark red . Jin-Woo¡¯s brows creased up . Even before the creature could smash down its stone pillar, he made his move first . In the blink of an eye, he arrived right below the Giant¡¯s groin area and swung his reverse-gripped Kamish¡¯s Wrath with a crap-ton of power . SLICE! The black aura dancing around on the edge of the blade cleanly severed the Giant¡¯s thick ankle . Wuh-uh-uh-uh-uh!! Suddenly losing one of its ankles, the Giant¡¯s body tilted to one side and it cried out in alarm before its balance eventually broke . That humongous body tipped over to its back and soon, gained momentum as it crashed down to the ground . Ka-boom-!!! Countless monsters located behind the Giant couldn¡¯t evade in time and were crushed to death quite unexpectedly by that huge falling body . Next up was the turn of the Shadow Soldiers . As the Giant lay on its back breathing heavily in pain, the insect-type Shadow Soldiers quickly began climbing up on the creature . Shashashashashak-!! The Giant struggled mightily to shake off the insects, but too bad, they reached the panicking creature¡¯s face in no time at all . And soon, their ravenous feeding time began . Uwuuuuhhh-!! The screaming Giant¡¯s convulsion ended pretty quickly . However, that wasn¡¯t the end for this Giant, not by a long shot . Once more, the Shadow Sovereign issued his command . ¡°Rise up . ¡± When he did¡­ . Wu-uh-uhhh¡­ . Next to the corpse of the Giant with its face mostly gone from the insects and their vicious bites, a Shadow with the exact same height slowly rose back up . Not just this guy, but other Shadow Soldiers began crawling out one by one from beneath this gigantic shadow, too . These new Shadow Soldiers created out of the Orc remains were already outfitted with their own weapons . Their hostile eyes were now glaring at their former, still-alive comrades . In no time at all, over one hundred of Chaos World¡¯s forces had been absorbed into the Shadow Army . Wuuuong¡­ . When the Giant soldier made its move, the enemies flinched greatly . Ignoring them for now, it bent all the way down to the ground where the original¡¯s body lay, unfurled the dead monster¡¯s fingers, before yanking back the stone pillar for itself . That was how the massive object had become the new weapon for the Giant soldier . Tumble, duduk¡­ . Clumps of soil clinging onto the stone pillar tumbled and fell to the ground . As if not being able to swing its pillar while still alive was its greatest regret ever, the Giant soldier cocked that enormous weapon behind it and got ready to take an almighty swing . Only then did the soldiers of the Chaos World realise just what kind of authority their enemy possessed . Stagger, stagger¡­ . These monsters used to enjoy fighting in this so-called war, but now, they all began taking retreating steps in fear . Their unchecked terror travelled through the air of the battlefield and got transmitted in full to Jin-Woo . He roared out in the languages of the Sovereigns towards these creatures . [What are you all scared of?] After all, his counterattack had only just begun . It was indeed far, far too early to feel fear from only this much . A murderous, chilly glare flickered within Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes . In that moment¡­ WHOOSH-!! The stone pillar powerfully swung by the Giant soldier brushed past and swept away every single enemy in its path as if they were mere small toys . Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gahk!! *** Immediately after Jin-Woo made his entrance to the battlefield . The Dragon Emperor, having never let its guard down once, finally detected the presence of the Shadow Sovereign . ¡®Towards the eastern front . ¡¯ Right at the eastern end of the gigantic army spreading out with itself as the centre ¨C that was where the Shadow Sovereign decided to make his appearance . Although a bit later than their leader, the Ancient-class Dragons as well as other Sovereigns also eventually detected the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s movements . The King of Demonic Spectres, the Sovereign of Transfiguration, addressed the Dragon Emperor respectfully . [We should lead all of our forces and¡­ . ] However, the latter raised its hand up and abruptly cut off the words of the former . The Emperor¡¯s underlings formed various puzzled expressions . The one who waited for the entrance of the Shadow Sovereign with the greatest anticipation was the Sovereign of Destruction right before their eyes . So, why did it choose not to make a move even after the much-awaited enemy had finally signalled the earnest beginning of this war? Even at this moment, the forces of the Chaos World were rapidly morphing into the Shadow Army¡¯s soldiers . The anxiety felt by the Sovereign of Transfiguration, currently occupying the body of a short-statured middle-aged man, forced it to open its mouth, but before any words could be spoken, the Dragon Emperor voiced his opinion first . [The Shadow Army¡­ . Can you see where the Army of the Dead is?] Even though they were separated by an incredible distance, the Emperor of Dragons didn¡¯t miss the crucial fact that the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s loyal soldiers were not present within his shadow . ¡®But, that can¡¯t be¡­ . ?¡¯ The Sovereign of Transfiguration hurriedly closed its eyes shut . At the Eastern battlefront ¨C a large illusory eyeball created using magic appeared in the air just above the location where the Shadow Sovereign had begun his warfare . This magical eye took a sweeping look at the battlefield . ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯ It was as the Dragon Emperor had said . The Shadow Sovereign was freely roaming through the middle of the battlefield as the storm of blood raged on, but not one single hint of the army that should have been hidden within his shadow could be detected . The Sovereign of Transfiguration opened its eyes and looked at the Dragon Emperor and discovered that the latter¡¯s glare was now half-made up of rage and unanswered questions . ¡®Just what¡­ . ?¡¯ What was the Shadow Sovereign thinking of by stepping into the battlefield without the army to protect him? At a casual glance, this seemed to be the most perfect opportunity to eliminate him for good . However, they simply couldn¡¯t mobilise the entire army when it was unknown what their enemy was scheming right now . In a way, doing precisely that might be the true aim of the enemy, to begin with . Anxiety akin to a veil of fog clogging up one¡¯s vision grabbed hold of the Dragon Emperor and it couldn¡¯t readily make its next move . One of the Ancient-class Dragon worriedly called out to its master . [Oh, my Sovereign¡­ . ] The Dragon Emperor shot a glare at its servant, and all of the Ancient-class Dragons lowered their heads . Having silenced them all with nothing but sheer intense pressure, the Sovereign of Destruction shifted its glare back towards the eastern battlefield, where Jin-Woo was going on a rampage at the moment . The number of the Chaos World¡¯s soldiers were decreasing at a noticeable rate . And at the same time, that b*stard¡¯s own forces were increasing rapidly . The decision needed to be made right now . The quicker the better . Too bad, the Dragon Emperor couldn¡¯t readily make a choice when the battlefield¡¯s direction was unfolding in an unexpected direction through one man¡¯s actions that seemed to defy all attempts to predict what his next moves would be . The Dragon Emperor¡¯s brows creased up . ¡®Shadow Sovereign¡­ . Just what is it that you¡¯re aiming for?¡¯ *** From a certain point onwards, Jin-Woo gave up on consciously cutting down on the vast sea of enemies . There were simply far too many of them for that . The number of his own allies was increasing at a rapid pace, but still, the scale of the enemy forces was just so ridiculous that it almost rendered all of his actions so far inconsequential . ¡®Fuu . ¡¯ After he sucked in a deep breath, Jin-Woo entrusted himself not to his logical reasoning, but to his senses . When he did, reflexive movements that seemed to have transcended the limits of human anatomy began repeating as if he was a machine created solely to murder and destroy . Just one strike from him tore through hundreds of monsters . And then, ¡°Rise up!!¡± Then, hundreds of new Shadow Soldiers joined his army . Like a gigantic tsunami wave crashing and swallowing everything up, the Shadows gradually dyed the battlefield black . Every time Jin-Woo moved, black waves rumbled and rose up from the ground . ¡°Uwahhh-!!¡± A thunderous cry filled with Mana exploded from Jin-Woo and it proceeded to knock down all the monsters standing in the frontline of the battlefield . Their eardrums must¡¯ve blown up because blood was trickling down from their ears; as the creatures gruntled out in pain and failed to orient themselves properly¡­ . ¡­ . Shadow Soldiers pounced on them without mercy . Screams of monsters reverberating from all corners completely filled up the battlefield . And so, just how much time went by in this manner? Jin-Woo finally detected the approach of existences quite different from the forces of the Chaos World that he¡¯d been fighting so far . He raised his head to spot hundreds of Sky Dragons, as well as Dragonewts possessing humanoid appearances riding on top of them, completely blanket the sky above . ¡®Is the Army of Destruction finally making its move?¡¯ However, he still couldn¡¯t sense the presence of the Dragon Emperor yet . Not yet, huh? There was no need to be disappointed, though ¨C because, he had plenty of time on his hands, after all . Besides, if that b*stard was reluctant to make a move, then all he had to do was to give it a good enough reason . Kiiihak! The Dragonewt flying at the front of the pack let out a loud shriek which in turn made every single Sky Dragon change their heading and rush towards Jin-Woo¡¯s location . At that moment, determination filled up his eyes . The reason for the Dragon Emperor to make a move? He¡¯d create that through his overwhelming power that these measly underlings were incapable of dealing with . Jin-Woo reached out with both of his hands towards the Sky Dragons descending towards him . ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority!!¡¯ As if to squeeze dry the heavens itself, he strengthened his grip and dragged ¡®something¡¯ that eyes could not see . Mana in the atmosphere answered the will of the Shadow Sovereign next . Without a single exception, hundreds of Sky Dragons buzzing towards him like a swarm of bees were caught by the invisible hands and were slammed down to the ground . KWA-GAH-GAH-GAH-GAH-GAHNG!!! It was a spectacular sight to behold . The earth rocked violently from the Sky Dragons seemingly endlessly crash landing to their deaths . What a truly absurd level of power this was . Even Jin-Woo himself got stunned by this display of the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s power that was no longer restricted by anything . Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have time to stew in his surprise for long . A Dragon that was previously hidden from his view by the swarm of Sky Dragons revealed itself . And he witnessed a cluster of energy gathering in the flying creature¡¯s jaw . ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯ Sure enough, the horrifying Breath of a Dragon made up purely of flames fell from the sky . Kuwaaaaaaaah-!! Having accurately fired the Breath attack on the target, this Dragon then increased its altitude . The enemy¡¯s presence couldn¡¯t be detected . Could the human have been melted away by its Breath, then? Thinking that it had reached a safe-enough altitude, the Dragon stopped flying up and looked down at the ground to confirm the fate of the Shadow Sovereign . The raging flames died down, and the black smoke dissipated, but¡­ ¡­ . But, not a trace of the Shadow Sovereign could be seen anywhere . ¡®Where is he¡­??¡¯ It was then . A presence could be felt on top of the Dragon¡¯s head . A chill-inducing sensation brushed past the back of this creature¡¯s neck, but by then, it was already too late . ¨C You b*stard!! Even before the Dragon could look up, Jin-Woo standing on its head stabbed down with ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wrath¡¯ . Kwa-jeehck!! Sharp black aura shooting out from the tip of the shortsword penetrated clean through the Dragon¡¯s head and exited from underneath its chin . Rather obviously, the dead flying lizard lost its ability to stay airborne and helplessly fell towards the earth . The ground rapidly closed in, and eventually, collided with the Dragon . BOOM-!! Jin-Woo lightly jumped off from the head of the unmoving, sagging Dragon and while walking towards the approaching enemies, spoke without even bothering to look behind him . ¡°Rise up . ¡± Just like that, the Dragon and hundreds of Dragonewts began rising up again right behind him . *** The Dragon Emperor also felt it . Its own army shouldn¡¯t even be compared to the ragtag bunch calling themselves soldiers that belonged to other Sovereigns . But now, a portion of its proud army had been lost to the Shadow Sovereign . With that, the situation was now beyond the point of wait-and-see in regards to whatever schemes the b*stard had cooked up . The event of the Army of Destruction being swallowed up by the Shadow Sovereign must be prevented at any cost . [We shall strike him down . ] The Dragon Emperor issued a new order to the Ancient-class Dragons waiting for their chance to participate in the war . [All of you shall accompany me . ] And just in case, it issued a different command to the Sovereign of Transfiguration . [You shall remain here and prepare for the possible surprise attack by the Shadow Sovereign . ] [It shall be done . ] Hundreds of Gates connected to the battlefield in the east suddenly materialised in front of the Dragon Emperor and the Ancient-class Dragons . ¡®I shall not let you escape . ¡¯ With that thought in its head, the Dragon Emperor and its eyes burning in the flames of rage disappeared into the Gate . Right behind it, the Ancient-class Dragons also entered their respective Gates . Finally, the Army of Destruction, shrinking back and not doing anything until now, was forced to make their move after the Shadow Sovereign successfully managed to provoke them . *** Quite unlike in the east where the violent storms of power were on a collision course, a comparatively quieter battle was coming to an end on the opposite side, on the western front . The American military that had set up their final defensive line here was tragically being torn apart by the fangs and claws of the monsters . What these soldiers had bet their last hopes on were the weapons used by the Hunters . Unfortunately, there was simply no way that these regular people could effectively use the Hunter-issue weapons that were originally designed for raid situations . And so, the American military rapidly crumbled away in defeat . ¡°Uwaaahk! Uwaahk?!¡± The role of the marauding army¡¯s spearhead for the western front was also given to the insect-type monsters that possessed great agility and sharp senses . Shashashashak¡­ The insect monsters quickly closed in on the human soldiers . Blam, blam, blam, blam, blam!! These creatures completely ignored the barrage of bullets and pounced on the humans to tear them apart . ¡°Uwaahk!!¡± The survivors retreated and continued to fire away with their guns, but as expected, their actions were completely ineffective . However, it was even more unimaginable that they would suddenly start swinging swords around to fight these insect monsters now . While they found themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place¡­ Kiieek . The insects, having finished their feast on the human soldiers, swivelled their heads towards the next wave of prey . It was now the turn of the survivors . The platoon commander¡¯s expression hardened as he took a look at his soldiers to the side . They were nodding their heads back to him . From the moment they learned that this mission was simply a ploy to buy enough time for the civilians to evacuate, they all had prepared themselves for this moment . The platoon commander pulled out a hand grenade . This little modern-day explosive might not be able to kill these enemies, but on the flip side, they couldn¡¯t avoid becoming food for their enemies, either . The platoon commander yanked out the safety pin . The insect-type monsters sensed that the atmosphere had turned weird from the human¡¯s action and while screeching out loudly, they madly pounced on the platoon commander . Kiiiiaaaahhkk-!! His eyes grew wider as he watched the insects swarm towards him . It truly happened in the blink of an eye . These insects arrived right before his nose in less than a breath . Just before their sharp mandibles split open wide to swallow him up¡­ ¡­ . A certain figure stepped before the platoon commander faster than any of the insects could and took the hand grenade away, while blocking the attacks of the monsters with his bare back . The commander could only look up in a total daze at the man blocking his view, who was also at least a good two heads taller than he was . ¡°T-Thomas Andre???¡± Thomas winked and spun around towards the insects before shoving the grenade into the open mouth of one of them . Although there wouldn¡¯t be any tangible damage suffered by the d*mn thing from the grenade, but, it still should get really surprised by a strange object suddenly entering its gut like that . The corners of his lips arched up as a rather humorous situation played out in his head . Meanwhile, he swung his massive fist and easily blew away the head of that insect . Kwa-boooom!! The dead headless insect flew away and landed far away . ¡°Oops¡­ . That thing¡¯s not gonna get surprised now, is it?¡± As Thomas stood there scratching the back of his head, top-ranked Hunters urgently rushing forward from somewhere behind him began their desperate struggle against the insect-type monsters . Kiiieeehk! Kiiaaahk! Painful screeches of dying insects noisily rang around . The surviving soldiers quickly recognised who these people coming to their aid were and bright expressions filled up their faces . ¡°I-it¡¯s the Scavenger!!¡± ¡°They¡¯re Hunters from the Scavenger Guild!¡± ¡°Ah, ahh!! Thank you, Lord!¡± As befitting a Guild consisting of truly exceptional Hunters, the current situation was resolved in no time at all . However, they didn¡¯t have any breathing room whatsoever as yet another wave of monsters was madly rushing towards them . Thomas Andre¡¯s ultra-sharp glare swept across the incoming enemies . Orcs, Ogres, Trolls, Minotaurs, Cyclops, etc¡­ . All of them were monsters commonly seen inside dungeons . No matter how many of them were here, they didn¡¯t pose any challenge to him . ¡®Except¡­ . ¡¯ In the middle of this sea of weaklings, there hid a nonsensically powerful being . Just like how other monsters were scared by Thomas¡¯s presence, he too couldn¡¯t make a move because of that one presence . Eventually, this creature slowly walked to the front of the horde, as if it was done observing the situation . [You¡¯re the human from that time, aren¡¯t you? The weakling vessel of the Rulers, almost driven to death by the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs . ] The King of Monstrous Humanoids formed a sinister grin . The Sovereign of Beastly Fangs did indeed possess powers of a predator, but basically, it was more specialised towards hunting down its prey, instead . However, this particular King was different from its now-dead comrade in that it ruled over Monstrous Humanoids such as Orcs and Ogres, and its speciality was in up-close-and-personal physical confrontations . So, it was quite obvious that it¡¯d find this human acting so flippant when he had only a pathetic little bit of strength to fall back on rather humorous to behold . The King of Monstrous Humanoids, the Sovereign of Iron Body, began unleashing its enormous Mana reserve . Pressuring the opponent¡¯s fighting spirit through aura alone . This was a display of confidence from the Sovereign, implying that it could easily kill off a measly human like Thomas Andre in a heartbeat . But then¡­ . [¡­ . ?] In stark contrast to the Hunters behind him with their rapidly-paling complexions, the vessel of the Rulers didn¡¯t seem to lose his relaxed demeanour at all . The Sovereign began to wonder if this human had some sort of a scheme, a trick up his sleeve, but then¡­ ¡°¡­ . . So, this much should be enough, right?¡± ¡­ . Thomas Andre muttered to himself . When he did, the darkness suddenly spread out from beneath his feet and in the blink of an eye, completely covered up the land . The Sovereign¡¯s brow quivered greatly . ¡®Shadow¡­ . ?¡¯ This was, without a doubt, the skill belonging to the Shadow Sovereign . The odd thing was, though, if he was here, then there was no way that the King of Monstrous Humanoids would have missed the source of that enormous power . At that moment, a familiar voice suddenly rose up from right behind Thomas Andre . [It¡¯s been a long time, oh, King of Monstrous Humanoids . ] The Grand-Marshal Bellion sent his greeting in a polite yet still threatening tone of voice . And right behind him, over 130 thousand Shadow Soldiers, hiding within Thomas Andre¡¯s shadow while patiently biding their time, were rising up above the ground at the same time . < Chapter 239 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 239: Chapter 239 ¡°Rise up . ¡±. As soon as Jin-Woo issued his command¡­ Kiiieeehk-!!. All those insect monsters that got torn to shreds just now stood back up as new Shadow Soldiers In the past, he also revived monsters that got killed during the battles and added them to his stock of soldiers, but these new additions were on a different scale altogether compared to those guys Quite far removed from the recent past when the System suppressed the powers of the Shadow Sovereign and resulted in the creation of Shadow Soldiers that were weaker than their living counterparts, Jin-Woo was now the bonafide King of the Dead, and the restrictions of the System no longer affected him . He could create the perfect Shadow Soldiers at will now Kiiehk!. These soldiers were so much stronger than when they were still alive . Black smoke rose up vigorously like flames from their bodies . It was pretty obvious that the stronger the soldiers of the Chaos World, the stronger his Soldiers extracted from their shadows would be And so, this would be how the unparalleled power that tried to destroy this world ended up becoming the noose that tightened around his enemies¡¯ necks Jin-Woo issued his first command to these new soldiers, overflowing with fighting spirit ¡®Go rampage to your heart¡¯s content . ¡¯. Kiiiiieeeeehkkk-!!. The insect-type Shadow Soldiers madly rushed towards the incoming waves of Chaos World¡¯s forces . Jin-Woo also dashed forward, as well He instantly overtook the insect-type Shadow Soldier at the very front of the pack and leapt into the midst of the Orcs unfortunate enough to be marching at the forefront Keu-hahk!!. The panicking hordes of Orcs, as well as Ogres standing here and there among them, blindly swung their weapons in a hurry, but the odds of those hits landing on him were zero Jin-Woo evaded every attack pouring in from all sides with consummate ease before swinging his shortswords . Like being sucked into the centre of a whirlpool, the hapless Orcs were swept away in one go without any mercy Every time he sliced down, the black aura shooting out from his blades utterly tore through not just the Orcs, but the ground they were standing on, too Simply put, it was a hellish storm The headcount of Orcs decreased a lot faster than the screams exploding out from their mouths could be heard It was then . A tall shade was suddenly cast above Jin-Woo¡¯s head . He raised his head to look Guooo¡­ A Giant-type monster, so humongous that tilting one¡¯s head to look might actually injure one¡¯s neck, was busy glaring down at him . And it was also in the middle of raising up high a pillar of stone that matched the length of its arms It must¡¯ve devoured innumerable humans while getting here because the blood of its victims had dyed the vicinity of its mouth dark red Jin-Woo¡¯s brows creased up . Even before the creature could smash down its stone pillar, he made his move first . In the blink of an eye, he arrived right below the Giant¡¯s groin area and swung his reverse-gripped Kamish¡¯s Wrath with a crap-ton of power SLICE!. The black aura dancing around on the edge of the blade cleanly severed the Giant¡¯s thick ankle Wuh-uh-uh-uh-uh!!. Suddenly losing one of its ankles, the Giant¡¯s body tilted to one side and it cried out in alarm before its balance eventually broke . That humongous body tipped over to its back and soon, gained momentum as it crashed down to the ground Ka-boom-!!!. Countless monsters located behind the Giant couldn¡¯t evade in time and were crushed to death quite unexpectedly by that huge falling body Next up was the turn of the Shadow Soldiers As the Giant lay on its back breathing heavily in pain, the insect-type Shadow Soldiers quickly began climbing up on the creature Shashashashashak-!!. The Giant struggled mightily to shake off the insects, but too bad, they reached the panicking creature¡¯s face in no time at all . And soon, their ravenous feeding time began Uwuuuuhhh-!!. The screaming Giant¡¯s convulsion ended pretty quickly . However, that wasn¡¯t the end for this Giant, not by a long shot . Once more, the Shadow Sovereign issued his command ¡°Rise up . ¡±. When he did¡­ Wu-uh-uhhh¡­ Next to the corpse of the Giant with its face mostly gone from the insects and their vicious bites, a Shadow with the exact same height slowly rose back up . Not just this guy, but other Shadow Soldiers began crawling out one by one from beneath this gigantic shadow, too These new Shadow Soldiers created out of the Orc remains were already outfitted with their own weapons . Their hostile eyes were now glaring at their former, still-alive comrades In no time at all, over one hundred of Chaos World¡¯s forces had been absorbed into the Shadow Army Wuuuong¡­ When the Giant soldier made its move, the enemies flinched greatly . Ignoring them for now, it bent all the way down to the ground where the original¡¯s body lay, unfurled the dead monster¡¯s fingers, before yanking back the stone pillar for itself That was how the massive object had become the new weapon for the Giant soldier Tumble, duduk¡­ Clumps of soil clinging onto the stone pillar tumbled and fell to the ground As if not being able to swing its pillar while still alive was its greatest regret ever, the Giant soldier cocked that enormous weapon behind it and got ready to take an almighty swing Only then did the soldiers of the Chaos World realise just what kind of authority their enemy possessed Stagger, stagger¡­ These monsters used to enjoy fighting in this so-called war, but now, they all began taking retreating steps in fear . Their unchecked terror travelled through the air of the battlefield and got transmitted in full to Jin-Woo He roared out in the languages of the Sovereigns towards these creatures [What are you all scared of?]. After all, his counterattack had only just begun . It was indeed far, far too early to feel fear from only this much . A murderous, chilly glare flickered within Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes In that moment¡­. WHOOSH-!!. The stone pillar powerfully swung by the Giant soldier brushed past and swept away every single enemy in its path as if they were mere small toys Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gahk!!. ***. Immediately after Jin-Woo made his entrance to the battlefield The Dragon Emperor, having never let its guard down once, finally detected the presence of the Shadow Sovereign ¡®Towards the eastern front . ¡¯. Right at the eastern end of the gigantic army spreading out with itself as the centre ¨C that was where the Shadow Sovereign decided to make his appearance Although a bit later than their leader, the Ancient-class Dragons as well as other Sovereigns also eventually detected the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s movements The King of Demonic Spectres, the Sovereign of Transfiguration, addressed the Dragon Emperor respectfully [We should lead all of our forces and¡­ . ]. However, the latter raised its hand up and abruptly cut off the words of the former The Emperor¡¯s underlings formed various puzzled expressions The one who waited for the entrance of the Shadow Sovereign with the greatest anticipation was the Sovereign of Destruction right before their eyes . So, why did it choose not to make a move even after the much-awaited enemy had finally signalled the earnest beginning of this war?. Even at this moment, the forces of the Chaos World were rapidly morphing into the Shadow Army¡¯s soldiers The anxiety felt by the Sovereign of Transfiguration, currently occupying the body of a short-statured middle-aged man, forced it to open its mouth, but before any words could be spoken, the Dragon Emperor voiced his opinion first [The Shadow Army¡­ . Can you see where the Army of the Dead is?]. Even though they were separated by an incredible distance, the Emperor of Dragons didn¡¯t miss the crucial fact that the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s loyal soldiers were not present within his shadow ¡®But, that can¡¯t be¡­ . ?¡¯. The Sovereign of Transfiguration hurriedly closed its eyes shut At the Eastern battlefront ¨C a large illusory eyeball created using magic appeared in the air just above the location where the Shadow Sovereign had begun his warfare This magical eye took a sweeping look at the battlefield ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯. It was as the Dragon Emperor had said The Shadow Sovereign was freely roaming through the middle of the battlefield as the storm of blood raged on, but not one single hint of the army that should have been hidden within his shadow could be detected The Sovereign of Transfiguration opened its eyes and looked at the Dragon Emperor and discovered that the latter¡¯s glare was now half-made up of rage and unanswered questions ¡®Just what¡­ . ?¡¯. What was the Shadow Sovereign thinking of by stepping into the battlefield without the army to protect him?. At a casual glance, this seemed to be the most perfect opportunity to eliminate him for good . However, they simply couldn¡¯t mobilise the entire army when it was unknown what their enemy was scheming right now . In a way, doing precisely that might be the true aim of the enemy, to begin with Anxiety akin to a veil of fog clogging up one¡¯s vision grabbed hold of the Dragon Emperor and it couldn¡¯t readily make its next move . One of the Ancient-class Dragon worriedly called out to its master [Oh, my Sovereign¡­ . ]. The Dragon Emperor shot a glare at its servant, and all of the Ancient-class Dragons lowered their heads Having silenced them all with nothing but sheer intense pressure, the Sovereign of Destruction shifted its glare back towards the eastern battlefield, where Jin-Woo was going on a rampage at the moment The number of the Chaos World¡¯s soldiers were decreasing at a noticeable rate . And at the same time, that b*stard¡¯s own forces were increasing rapidly The decision needed to be made right now . The quicker the better Too bad, the Dragon Emperor couldn¡¯t readily make a choice when the battlefield¡¯s direction was unfolding in an unexpected direction through one man¡¯s actions that seemed to defy all attempts to predict what his next moves would be The Dragon Emperor¡¯s brows creased up ¡®Shadow Sovereign¡­ . Just what is it that you¡¯re aiming for?¡¯. ***. From a certain point onwards, Jin-Woo gave up on consciously cutting down on the vast sea of enemies . There were simply far too many of them for that The number of his own allies was increasing at a rapid pace, but still, the scale of the enemy forces was just so ridiculous that it almost rendered all of his actions so far inconsequential ¡®Fuu . ¡¯. After he sucked in a deep breath, Jin-Woo entrusted himself not to his logical reasoning, but to his senses . When he did, reflexive movements that seemed to have transcended the limits of human anatomy began repeating as if he was a machine created solely to murder and destroy Just one strike from him tore through hundreds of monsters . And then,. ¡°Rise up!!¡±. Then, hundreds of new Shadow Soldiers joined his army . Like a gigantic tsunami wave crashing and swallowing everything up, the Shadows gradually dyed the battlefield black Every time Jin-Woo moved, black waves rumbled and rose up from the ground ¡°Uwahhh-!!¡±. A thunderous cry filled with Mana exploded from Jin-Woo and it proceeded to knock down all the monsters standing in the frontline of the battlefield Their eardrums must¡¯ve blown up because blood was trickling down from their ears; as the creatures gruntled out in pain and failed to orient themselves properly¡­ ¡­ . Shadow Soldiers pounced on them without mercy Screams of monsters reverberating from all corners completely filled up the battlefield And so, just how much time went by in this manner?. Jin-Woo finally detected the approach of existences quite different from the forces of the Chaos World that he¡¯d been fighting so far He raised his head to spot hundreds of Sky Dragons, as well as Dragonewts possessing humanoid appearances riding on top of them, completely blanket the sky above ¡®Is the Army of Destruction finally making its move?¡¯. However, he still couldn¡¯t sense the presence of the Dragon Emperor yet Not yet, huh?. There was no need to be disappointed, though ¨C because, he had plenty of time on his hands, after all . Besides, if that b*stard was reluctant to make a move, then all he had to do was to give it a good enough reason Kiiihak!. The Dragonewt flying at the front of the pack let out a loud shriek which in turn made every single Sky Dragon change their heading and rush towards Jin-Woo¡¯s location At that moment, determination filled up his eyes The reason for the Dragon Emperor to make a move? He¡¯d create that through his overwhelming power that these measly underlings were incapable of dealing with Jin-Woo reached out with both of his hands towards the Sky Dragons descending towards him ¡®Ruler¡¯s Authority!!¡¯. As if to squeeze dry the heavens itself, he strengthened his grip and dragged ¡®something¡¯ that eyes could not see . Mana in the atmosphere answered the will of the Shadow Sovereign next Without a single exception, hundreds of Sky Dragons buzzing towards him like a swarm of bees were caught by the invisible hands and were slammed down to the ground KWA-GAH-GAH-GAH-GAH-GAHNG!!!. It was a spectacular sight to behold The earth rocked violently from the Sky Dragons seemingly endlessly crash landing to their deaths What a truly absurd level of power this was . Even Jin-Woo himself got stunned by this display of the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s power that was no longer restricted by anything Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have time to stew in his surprise for long A Dragon that was previously hidden from his view by the swarm of Sky Dragons revealed itself . And he witnessed a cluster of energy gathering in the flying creature¡¯s jaw ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯. Sure enough, the horrifying Breath of a Dragon made up purely of flames fell from the sky Kuwaaaaaaaah-!!. Having accurately fired the Breath attack on the target, this Dragon then increased its altitude The enemy¡¯s presence couldn¡¯t be detected . Could the human have been melted away by its Breath, then? Thinking that it had reached a safe-enough altitude, the Dragon stopped flying up and looked down at the ground to confirm the fate of the Shadow Sovereign The raging flames died down, and the black smoke dissipated, but¡­. ¡­ . But, not a trace of the Shadow Sovereign could be seen anywhere ¡®Where is he¡­??¡¯. It was then A presence could be felt on top of the Dragon¡¯s head . A chill-inducing sensation brushed past the back of this creature¡¯s neck, but by then, it was already too late ¨C You b*stard!!. Even before the Dragon could look up, Jin-Woo standing on its head stabbed down with ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wrath¡¯ Kwa-jeehck!!. Sharp black aura shooting out from the tip of the shortsword penetrated clean through the Dragon¡¯s head and exited from underneath its chin Rather obviously, the dead flying lizard lost its ability to stay airborne and helplessly fell towards the earth The ground rapidly closed in, and eventually, collided with the Dragon BOOM-!!. Jin-Woo lightly jumped off from the head of the unmoving, sagging Dragon and while walking towards the approaching enemies, spoke without even bothering to look behind him ¡°Rise up . ¡±. Just like that, the Dragon and hundreds of Dragonewts began rising up again right behind him ***. The Dragon Emperor also felt it Its own army shouldn¡¯t even be compared to the ragtag bunch calling themselves soldiers that belonged to other Sovereigns . But now, a portion of its proud army had been lost to the Shadow Sovereign With that, the situation was now beyond the point of wait-and-see in regards to whatever schemes the b*stard had cooked up . The event of the Army of Destruction being swallowed up by the Shadow Sovereign must be prevented at any cost [We shall strike him down . ]. The Dragon Emperor issued a new order to the Ancient-class Dragons waiting for their chance to participate in the war [All of you shall accompany me . ]. And just in case, it issued a different command to the Sovereign of Transfiguration [You shall remain here and prepare for the possible surprise attack by the Shadow Sovereign . ]. [It shall be done . ]. Hundreds of Gates connected to the battlefield in the east suddenly materialised in front of the Dragon Emperor and the Ancient-class Dragons ¡®I shall not let you escape . ¡¯. With that thought in its head, the Dragon Emperor and its eyes burning in the flames of rage disappeared into the Gate . Right behind it, the Ancient-class Dragons also entered their respective Gates Finally, the Army of Destruction, shrinking back and not doing anything until now, was forced to make their move after the Shadow Sovereign successfully managed to provoke them ***. Quite unlike in the east where the violent storms of power were on a collision course, a comparatively quieter battle was coming to an end on the opposite side, on the western front The American military that had set up their final defensive line here was tragically being torn apart by the fangs and claws of the monsters What these soldiers had bet their last hopes on were the weapons used by the Hunters . Unfortunately, there was simply no way that these regular people could effectively use the Hunter-issue weapons that were originally designed for raid situations And so, the American military rapidly crumbled away in defeat ¡°Uwaaahk! Uwaahk?!¡±. The role of the marauding army¡¯s spearhead for the western front was also given to the insect-type monsters that possessed great agility and sharp senses Shashashashak¡­. The insect monsters quickly closed in on the human soldiers Blam, blam, blam, blam, blam!!. These creatures completely ignored the barrage of bullets and pounced on the humans to tear them apart ¡°Uwaahk!!¡±. The survivors retreated and continued to fire away with their guns, but as expected, their actions were completely ineffective . However, it was even more unimaginable that they would suddenly start swinging swords around to fight these insect monsters now While they found themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place¡­. Kiieek The insects, having finished their feast on the human soldiers, swivelled their heads towards the next wave of prey . It was now the turn of the survivors The platoon commander¡¯s expression hardened as he took a look at his soldiers to the side . They were nodding their heads back to him From the moment they learned that this mission was simply a ploy to buy enough time for the civilians to evacuate, they all had prepared themselves for this moment The platoon commander pulled out a hand grenade . This little modern-day explosive might not be able to kill these enemies, but on the flip side, they couldn¡¯t avoid becoming food for their enemies, either The platoon commander yanked out the safety pin The insect-type monsters sensed that the atmosphere had turned weird from the human¡¯s action and while screeching out loudly, they madly pounced on the platoon commander Kiiiiaaaahhkk-!!. His eyes grew wider as he watched the insects swarm towards him . It truly happened in the blink of an eye These insects arrived right before his nose in less than a breath . Just before their sharp mandibles split open wide to swallow him up¡­. ¡­ . A certain figure stepped before the platoon commander faster than any of the insects could and took the hand grenade away, while blocking the attacks of the monsters with his bare back The commander could only look up in a total daze at the man blocking his view, who was also at least a good two heads taller than he was ¡°T-Thomas Andre???¡±. Thomas winked and spun around towards the insects before shoving the grenade into the open mouth of one of them Although there wouldn¡¯t be any tangible damage suffered by the d*mn thing from the grenade, but, it still should get really surprised by a strange object suddenly entering its gut like that The corners of his lips arched up as a rather humorous situation played out in his head . Meanwhile, he swung his massive fist and easily blew away the head of that insect Kwa-boooom!!. The dead headless insect flew away and landed far away ¡°Oops¡­ . That thing¡¯s not gonna get surprised now, is it?¡±. As Thomas stood there scratching the back of his head, top-ranked Hunters urgently rushing forward from somewhere behind him began their desperate struggle against the insect-type monsters Kiiieeehk!. Kiiaaahk!. Painful screeches of dying insects noisily rang around . The surviving soldiers quickly recognised who these people coming to their aid were and bright expressions filled up their faces ¡°I-it¡¯s the Scavenger!!¡±. ¡°They¡¯re Hunters from the Scavenger Guild!¡±. ¡°Ah, ahh!! Thank you, Lord!¡±. As befitting a Guild consisting of truly exceptional Hunters, the current situation was resolved in no time at all . However, they didn¡¯t have any breathing room whatsoever as yet another wave of monsters was madly rushing towards them Thomas Andre¡¯s ultra-sharp glare swept across the incoming enemies Orcs, Ogres, Trolls, Minotaurs, Cyclops, etc¡­ All of them were monsters commonly seen inside dungeons . No matter how many of them were here, they didn¡¯t pose any challenge to him ¡®Except¡­ . ¡¯. In the middle of this sea of weaklings, there hid a nonsensically powerful being . Just like how other monsters were scared by Thomas¡¯s presence, he too couldn¡¯t make a move because of that one presence Eventually, this creature slowly walked to the front of the horde, as if it was done observing the situation [You¡¯re the human from that time, aren¡¯t you? The weakling vessel of the Rulers, almost driven to death by the Sovereign of Beastly Fangs . ]. The King of Monstrous Humanoids formed a sinister grin The Sovereign of Beastly Fangs did indeed possess powers of a predator, but basically, it was more specialised towards hunting down its prey, instead . However, this particular King was different from its now-dead comrade in that it ruled over Monstrous Humanoids such as Orcs and Ogres, and its speciality was in up-close-and-personal physical confrontations So, it was quite obvious that it¡¯d find this human acting so flippant when he had only a pathetic little bit of strength to fall back on rather humorous to behold The King of Monstrous Humanoids, the Sovereign of Iron Body, began unleashing its enormous Mana reserve Pressuring the opponent¡¯s fighting spirit through aura alone . This was a display of confidence from the Sovereign, implying that it could easily kill off a measly human like Thomas Andre in a heartbeat But then¡­ [¡­ . ?]. In stark contrast to the Hunters behind him with their rapidly-paling complexions, the vessel of the Rulers didn¡¯t seem to lose his relaxed demeanour at all The Sovereign began to wonder if this human had some sort of a scheme, a trick up his sleeve, but then¡­. ¡°¡­ So, this much should be enough, right?¡±. ¡­ . Thomas Andre muttered to himself When he did, the darkness suddenly spread out from beneath his feet and in the blink of an eye, completely covered up the land The Sovereign¡¯s brow quivered greatly ¡®Shadow¡­ . ?¡¯. This was, without a doubt, the skill belonging to the Shadow Sovereign The odd thing was, though, if he was here, then there was no way that the King of Monstrous Humanoids would have missed the source of that enormous power At that moment, a familiar voice suddenly rose up from right behind Thomas Andre [It¡¯s been a long time, oh, King of Monstrous Humanoids . ]. The Grand-Marshal Bellion sent his greeting in a polite yet still threatening tone of voice . And right behind him, over 130 thousand Shadow Soldiers, hiding within Thomas Andre¡¯s shadow while patiently biding their time, were rising up above the ground at the same time < Chapter 239 > Fin Chapter 240 The elite Shadow Soldiers numbering over 130 thousand that managed to survive the last war under the guidance of their Sovereign erased their presence as much as possible and hid within the human''s shadow . It was a trap . Now suddenly finding itself coming face-to-face with the Shadow Army, the Sovereign of Iron Body felt this dizzying sensation of being sucked into a quagmire . ''They got me . '' Currently, the army manning the western battlefront didn''t possess enough power to face off against the Shadow Army . Not only that, the ones leading this Army of the Dead were Bellion and Igrit, so the Sovereign in charge now had to worry about its own neck, instead . Most likely, the Shadow Army ¨C no, the Shadow Sovereign, was aiming for this result . ''¡­ . I need to let them know . '' The Sovereign of Iron Body urgently tried to communicate with the Dragon Emperor . However, some kind of ''power'' was blocking its attempts to send the word out . ''Could it be . . . . ??'' Did the Shadow Sovereign plan this far ahead? The Sovereign of Iron Body hurriedly activated its sensory perception to locate the source of the ''power'' interrupting the contact with the other side . When it did, it discovered a certain High Orc Shaman standing next to Igrit, diligently murmuring out some kind of an incantation while holding onto something small in his hand . ''¡­ . !!'' That d*mn creature''s spell was disrupting all forms of communication with the other Sovereigns . The spell from the Commander-grade Fangs, now that he had experienced a rebirth as a true Shadow Soldier, as well as borrowing the power of the Bead of Avarice, was more than strong enough to perform that role . Grin . Fangs blushed slightly when his gaze met that of the king he used to serve . Even then, he didn''t try to stop casting his spell . The King of Monstrous Humanoids, the Sovereign of Iron Body felt as if it was being made fun of after looking at Fangs'' smile . An uncontrollable rage welled up from deep within . [You pathetic insects dare to . . . !!] No, hang on ¨C this tactic was not something the Shadow Sovereign would have cooked up, never mind his Shadow Soldiers . Indeed, this was not how the Shadow Army conducted its business; this army used to proudly announce the approach of unavoidable death right in front of their enemies every single time . This was¡­ . ''¡­ . A human''s way of thinking . '' The current Shadow Sovereign, the human, had perverted how the war was supposed to be fought . Didn''t he possess any pride as a Sovereign?! Now thoroughly enraged, the Sovereign of Iron Body expanded its muscles . As his body ballooned up to a near-bursting size, thick veins bulged up on its various muscles . The Sovereign of Iron Body roared out . [That b*stard is not qualified to be called a Sovereign!] It then arrived right in front of Fangs in less than a blink of an eye, but its path was suddenly blocked off by Beru . Boom-!! The former ant king grabbed both hands of the Sovereign and began a contest of pure physical strength . He glared at the enemy and growled in the language of the monsters . [What you said just now¡­ . Retract it . Or else, you shall pay a heavy price for the sin of insulting my liege . ] As a reply, the Sovereign of Iron Body exerted enough power to twist and yank off Beru''s arms while shouting out even louder than before . [How dare a measly little soldier try to stop a Sovereign!!] And when that happened¡­ . Kiiieeeehhhk-!!! An ear-splitting screech exploded out from Beru''s mouth as his entire body quickly expanded to double his previous size . *** The Dragon Emperor saw it . It saw the corpses of countless soldiers of the Chaos World that died during its brief period of hesitation, as well as the number of Shadow Soldiers that matched those that had fallen . Figurative flames erupted out from the Dragon Emperor''s eyes as it strode outside the Gate . The end of its glare was locked onto Jin-Woo, currently swallowing whole a portion of the Chaos World''s army after becoming a literal giant storm in their midst . The man . . . ''That b*stard must die!!'' The Dragon Emperor didn''t even have the necessary time to transform back to its original appearance, so it hurriedly fired the Breath of Destruction, instead . Kuwaaah-!! A flash of light flared brightly in the distance and Jin-Woo, even though he was in a trance-like state while butchering the forces of the Chaos World, didn''t miss that blink-and-miss-it moment . ''It''s him!'' Jin-Woo''s figure vanished from the spot . Right afterwards, all the soldiers of the Chaos World as well as the new Shadow Soldiers were exposed to the Breath and got incinerated without a trace . Kuwaaaaaahhhh-!!! Jin-Woo made his timely escape and settled down on a location not too far away . Ending its Breath attack, the Dragon Emperor glared right at him . Countless Gates opened up behind it and through them, Ancient-class Dragons and Dragonewts revealed themselves . And so, the King of Berserk Dragons, the Sovereign of Destruction, had entered the fray . What appeared now alongside it was the main portion of the Army of Destruction . Forces capable of destroying this planet in one day had been mobilised in their entirety just to deal with the lone Shadow Sovereign . And in front of them stood the King of Kings, the Sovereign that lorded over other Sovereigns ¨C the Dragon Emperor . ''¡­ . '' Jin-Woo had to quickly swallow back his saliva after sensing the truly vast, seemingly-limitless sea of power from the Dragon Emperor . At once, every single Shadow Soldier still fighting against the forces of the Chaos World stopped and retreated according to his new command . Just like the army of Dragons choosing to stand behind the Dragon Emperor, the Shadow Soldiers also stood right behind Jin-Woo . The leader of the Army of Destruction formed a mocking grin . [Are those pathetic soldiers everything you possess?] There were several thousand Shadow Soldiers hurriedly ''recruited'' to his cause after killing the enemy forces . However, he was facing off against nearly ten million soldiers, hundreds of Dragons, and most importantly, the truly dangerous existence called the Dragon Emperor . Of course, Jin-Woo knew full well the differences in the size of their armies . That was why he chose to enact this plan from the get-go . "Advance!" Jin-Woo had his Shadow Soldiers, initially brought to one location, march forward again . An expression of confusion floated up on the Dragon Emperor''s face . ''He saw my soldiers, yet he wishes to confront me head-on?'' Those were the actions of an insane fool! As if to mock the Dragon Emperor''s suspicion, the Shadow Soldiers simply rushed forward towards their enemies . Dragons immediately fired powerful, vicious flames at them . Huwaaaa-aahk!! With that, Shadow Soldiers were enveloped in flames before disappearing away like expendables, with nary a hint of regeneration happening among them . Almost instantly, the Dragon Emperor realised that these were simply decoys to buy time . ''Where is he . . . . ?!'' It quickly expanded its sensory perception . The Shadow Sovereign was using his shadow to escape to somewhere . Seeing this shameful sight, the Dragon Emperor formed a mocking grin . It seemed that the human b*stard was planning to slowly shave down the forces of the Chaos World by repeating the tactics of hit-and-run, but he had made one crucial oversight, something he had failed to consider . And that would be the fact the leader of the enemy''s forces could chase after him no problem . The Dragon Emperor easily traced Jin-Woo''s shadow now being connected to the western front . ''There you are!'' It''d never let him get away . The Dragon Emperor quickly generated a Gate connected to the exact spot where Jin-Woo had fled to and jumped in without hesitation . Just as it took the first step out of the Gate¡­ . ''¡­ . . . '' ¡­ . It was greeted by the sight of the 130,000-strong great army surrounding it . That wasn''t all . Jin-Woo had been waiting for the Dragon Emperor''s arrival and spoke in a calm voice when it did show up . " . . . . Rise up . " Just one command and every single creature belonging to the Western portion of the Chaos army that were killed at the hands of the true Shadow Army rose up as new Shadow Soldiers . The Dragon Emperor took a sweeping look at the Shadow Soldiers that now numbered well past two hundred thousand and spoke . [Is this what you were aiming for?] Draw your enemy to the battlefield of your choosing and establish the upper hand ¨C since the Shadow Army was facing an overwhelmingly disadvantageous number of enemies, the current tactic could be seen as a must, but still, a mocking grin didn''t want to leave the face of the Dragon Emperor . [How laughable . ] It finally understood what the scheme of the Shadow Sovereign was . Although the process of uncovering the plot resulted in the loss of the western portion of the Chaos World''s army, that was not a large cost to bare as long as the Shadow Sovereign could be killed here today . ''Even losing half of all the soldiers would not be a loss . '' ''Fear'' would bloom in one''s heart when one couldn''t predict the events of the future . But its opponent had been laid bare here . [Oh, Shadow Sovereign . ] The Dragon Emperor chuckled and looked back at Jin-Woo . [You must''ve thought that only I was capable of chasing you down, but . . . . ] ''You are wrong . '' In reality, there stood a certain Sovereign that could be seen as the greatest sorcerer in the Chaos World waiting right behind the Dragon Emperor . Not too long afterwards, the Sovereign of Transfiguration waiting for the surprise attack from the Shadow Army created countless Gates that connected two battlefields . Before long, a seemingly-endless number of soldiers from the Chaos World poured out before the measly two hundred thousand or so Shadow Army . ''So, how do you feel now?'' With this, your plan has been smashed to bits . Your miscalculation will result in your death today . The Dragon Emperor stared at Jin-Woo with a triumphant expression on its face . [This is your defeat . ] However, Jin-Woo grinned as his reply . He actually smiled right back at the Dragon Emperor and his satisfied expression . ''He got suckered in . '' Indeed, the Dragon Emperor had acted exactly according to his will . The King of Berserk Dragons, of course, didn''t miss that brief flash of a smile on the human''s face . ''¡­ . He smiled?'' Sure enough ¨C the summoning of the Shadow Soldiers was cancelled in an instant, and they all got sucked into the dark shade below the Shadow Sovereign''s feet . Just what was this human thinking? Withdrawing his soldiers now was no different from trying to kill himself . If he had no soldiers to buy him time, then he''d not even be able to escape to somewhere else, either . Even if he didn''t want to lose his precious Shadow Soldiers, no one would''ve taken him for a fool who would expose his back to his mortal enemies while hurriedly scurrying away! Before Jin-Woo could do something else, the Dragon Emperor closed the distance first . At the same time, the entirety of the forces of the Chaos World also pounced towards Jin-Woo''s direction . The gazes of tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of soldiers still breathlessly emerging from the Gates were locked on Jin-Woo and Jin-Woo alone . It was then ¨C just as the Dragon Emperor arrived right before Jin-Woo''s nose and reached out towards him . . . ¡­ . At that moment, Jin-Woo''s eyes changed to resemble a Dragon''s . Only then did the Dragon Emperor realise that something had gone terribly awry . [You . . . . !!] A moment of stillness came and went . ''¡­ . . '' From Jin-Woo''s mouth, a loud and vicious roar exploded out . It was the cry from the soul that pushed every single being near him, every single being weaker than him, into a state of pure despair! [Kuwaaaaaaahhh-] It was the Dragon''s Fear . The vilest and cruellest Skill of Dragons he learned from Kamish''s Rune Stone . He hadn''t been interested in it since its powers didn''t differentiate allies from enemies, but now . . . ''But now, it''s different!'' The skill that drove hundreds of elite Hunters gathered to hunt down a Dragon to the pits of hell had now been used against the Dragons, instead . [-Aaaaaaaahhh-!!!] Just like how Kamish had done to the human Hunters all those years ago, the Shadow Sovereign froze up all the soldiers of the Dragon Emperor, too . There was no being alive that could break from the effects of Fear produced by the near-bottomless supply of Mana belonging to the Shadow Sovereign, save for one lone individual, and that would be the Dragon Emperor . After making every single one of the enemy forces freeze up in an instant, Jin-Woo reached out and grabbed the Dragon Emperor''s arm next . [You b*stard . . . !!] The brows of the King of Berserk Dragons crumpled . Jin-Woo gripped the arm tighter as a grin suffused on his lips . "You, come with me for a sec . " < Chapter 240 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 240: Chapter 240 . The elite Shadow Soldiers numbering over 130 thousand that managed to survive the last war under the guidance of their Sovereign erased their presence as much as possible and hid within the human''s shadow It was a trap Now suddenly finding itself coming face-to-face with the Shadow Army, the Sovereign of Iron Body felt this dizzying sensation of being sucked into a quagmire ''They got me . ''. Currently, the army manning the western battlefront didn''t possess enough power to face off against the Shadow Army . Not only that, the ones leading this Army of the Dead were Bellion and Igrit, so the Sovereign in charge now had to worry about its own neck, instead Most likely, the Shadow Army ¨C no, the Shadow Sovereign, was aiming for this result ''¡­ . I need to let them know . ''. The Sovereign of Iron Body urgently tried to communicate with the Dragon Emperor . However, some kind of ''power'' was blocking its attempts to send the word out ''Could it be ??''. Did the Shadow Sovereign plan this far ahead?. The Sovereign of Iron Body hurriedly activated its sensory perception to locate the source of the ''power'' interrupting the contact with the other side . When it did, it discovered a certain High Orc Shaman standing next to Igrit, diligently murmuring out some kind of an incantation while holding onto something small in his hand ''¡­ . !!''. That d*mn creature''s spell was disrupting all forms of communication with the other Sovereigns The spell from the Commander-grade Fangs, now that he had experienced a rebirth as a true Shadow Soldier, as well as borrowing the power of the Bead of Avarice, was more than strong enough to perform that role Grin Fangs blushed slightly when his gaze met that of the king he used to serve . Even then, he didn''t try to stop casting his spell The King of Monstrous Humanoids, the Sovereign of Iron Body felt as if it was being made fun of after looking at Fangs'' smile . An uncontrollable rage welled up from deep within [You pathetic insects dare to . !!]. No, hang on ¨C this tactic was not something the Shadow Sovereign would have cooked up, never mind his Shadow Soldiers . Indeed, this was not how the Shadow Army conducted its business; this army used to proudly announce the approach of unavoidable death right in front of their enemies every single time This was¡­ ''¡­ . A human''s way of thinking . ''. The current Shadow Sovereign, the human, had perverted how the war was supposed to be fought . Didn''t he possess any pride as a Sovereign?!. Now thoroughly enraged, the Sovereign of Iron Body expanded its muscles . As his body ballooned up to a near-bursting size, thick veins bulged up on its various muscles The Sovereign of Iron Body roared out [That b*stard is not qualified to be called a Sovereign!]. It then arrived right in front of Fangs in less than a blink of an eye, but its path was suddenly blocked off by Beru Boom-!!. The former ant king grabbed both hands of the Sovereign and began a contest of pure physical strength . He glared at the enemy and growled in the language of the monsters [What you said just now¡­ . Retract it . Or else, you shall pay a heavy price for the sin of insulting my liege . ]. As a reply, the Sovereign of Iron Body exerted enough power to twist and yank off Beru''s arms while shouting out even louder than before [How dare a measly little soldier try to stop a Sovereign!!]. And when that happened¡­ Kiiieeeehhhk-!!!. An ear-splitting screech exploded out from Beru''s mouth as his entire body quickly expanded to double his previous size ***. The Dragon Emperor saw it It saw the corpses of countless soldiers of the Chaos World that died during its brief period of hesitation, as well as the number of Shadow Soldiers that matched those that had fallen Figurative flames erupted out from the Dragon Emperor''s eyes as it strode outside the Gate . The end of its glare was locked onto Jin-Woo, currently swallowing whole a portion of the Chaos World''s army after becoming a literal giant storm in their midst The man ''That b*stard must die!!''. The Dragon Emperor didn''t even have the necessary time to transform back to its original appearance, so it hurriedly fired the Breath of Destruction, instead Kuwaaah-!!. A flash of light flared brightly in the distance and Jin-Woo, even though he was in a trance-like state while butchering the forces of the Chaos World, didn''t miss that blink-and-miss-it moment ''It''s him!''. Jin-Woo''s figure vanished from the spot . Right afterwards, all the soldiers of the Chaos World as well as the new Shadow Soldiers were exposed to the Breath and got incinerated without a trace Kuwaaaaaahhhh-!!!. Jin-Woo made his timely escape and settled down on a location not too far away Ending its Breath attack, the Dragon Emperor glared right at him . Countless Gates opened up behind it and through them, Ancient-class Dragons and Dragonewts revealed themselves And so, the King of Berserk Dragons, the Sovereign of Destruction, had entered the fray . What appeared now alongside it was the main portion of the Army of Destruction Forces capable of destroying this planet in one day had been mobilised in their entirety just to deal with the lone Shadow Sovereign . And in front of them stood the King of Kings, the Sovereign that lorded over other Sovereigns ¨C the Dragon Emperor ''¡­ . ''. Jin-Woo had to quickly swallow back his saliva after sensing the truly vast, seemingly-limitless sea of power from the Dragon Emperor At once, every single Shadow Soldier still fighting against the forces of the Chaos World stopped and retreated according to his new command . Just like the army of Dragons choosing to stand behind the Dragon Emperor, the Shadow Soldiers also stood right behind Jin-Woo The leader of the Army of Destruction formed a mocking grin [Are those pathetic soldiers everything you possess?]. There were several thousand Shadow Soldiers hurriedly ''recruited'' to his cause after killing the enemy forces . However, he was facing off against nearly ten million soldiers, hundreds of Dragons, and most importantly, the truly dangerous existence called the Dragon Emperor Of course, Jin-Woo knew full well the differences in the size of their armies . That was why he chose to enact this plan from the get-go "Advance!". Jin-Woo had his Shadow Soldiers, initially brought to one location, march forward again . An expression of confusion floated up on the Dragon Emperor''s face ''He saw my soldiers, yet he wishes to confront me head-on?''. Those were the actions of an insane fool!. As if to mock the Dragon Emperor''s suspicion, the Shadow Soldiers simply rushed forward towards their enemies . Dragons immediately fired powerful, vicious flames at them Huwaaaa-aahk!!. With that, Shadow Soldiers were enveloped in flames before disappearing away like expendables, with nary a hint of regeneration happening among them Almost instantly, the Dragon Emperor realised that these were simply decoys to buy time ''Where is he ?!''. It quickly expanded its sensory perception . The Shadow Sovereign was using his shadow to escape to somewhere Seeing this shameful sight, the Dragon Emperor formed a mocking grin . It seemed that the human b*stard was planning to slowly shave down the forces of the Chaos World by repeating the tactics of hit-and-run, but he had made one crucial oversight, something he had failed to consider And that would be the fact the leader of the enemy''s forces could chase after him no problem . The Dragon Emperor easily traced Jin-Woo''s shadow now being connected to the western front ''There you are!''. It''d never let him get away The Dragon Emperor quickly generated a Gate connected to the exact spot where Jin-Woo had fled to and jumped in without hesitation Just as it took the first step out of the Gate¡­ ''¡­ . ''. ¡­ . It was greeted by the sight of the 130,000-strong great army surrounding it That wasn''t all Jin-Woo had been waiting for the Dragon Emperor''s arrival and spoke in a calm voice when it did show up " Rise up . ". Just one command and every single creature belonging to the Western portion of the Chaos army that were killed at the hands of the true Shadow Army rose up as new Shadow Soldiers The Dragon Emperor took a sweeping look at the Shadow Soldiers that now numbered well past two hundred thousand and spoke [Is this what you were aiming for?]. Draw your enemy to the battlefield of your choosing and establish the upper hand ¨C since the Shadow Army was facing an overwhelmingly disadvantageous number of enemies, the current tactic could be seen as a must, but still, a mocking grin didn''t want to leave the face of the Dragon Emperor [How laughable . ]. It finally understood what the scheme of the Shadow Sovereign was . Although the process of uncovering the plot resulted in the loss of the western portion of the Chaos World''s army, that was not a large cost to bare as long as the Shadow Sovereign could be killed here today ''Even losing half of all the soldiers would not be a loss . ''. ''Fear'' would bloom in one''s heart when one couldn''t predict the events of the future . But its opponent had been laid bare here [Oh, Shadow Sovereign . ]. The Dragon Emperor chuckled and looked back at Jin-Woo [You must''ve thought that only I was capable of chasing you down, but ]. ''You are wrong . ''. In reality, there stood a certain Sovereign that could be seen as the greatest sorcerer in the Chaos World waiting right behind the Dragon Emperor Not too long afterwards, the Sovereign of Transfiguration waiting for the surprise attack from the Shadow Army created countless Gates that connected two battlefields Before long, a seemingly-endless number of soldiers from the Chaos World poured out before the measly two hundred thousand or so Shadow Army ''So, how do you feel now?''. With this, your plan has been smashed to bits Your miscalculation will result in your death today The Dragon Emperor stared at Jin-Woo with a triumphant expression on its face [This is your defeat . ]. However, Jin-Woo grinned as his reply He actually smiled right back at the Dragon Emperor and his satisfied expression ''He got suckered in . ''. Indeed, the Dragon Emperor had acted exactly according to his will The King of Berserk Dragons, of course, didn''t miss that brief flash of a smile on the human''s face ''¡­ . He smiled?''. Sure enough ¨C the summoning of the Shadow Soldiers was cancelled in an instant, and they all got sucked into the dark shade below the Shadow Sovereign''s feet Just what was this human thinking?. Withdrawing his soldiers now was no different from trying to kill himself . If he had no soldiers to buy him time, then he''d not even be able to escape to somewhere else, either Even if he didn''t want to lose his precious Shadow Soldiers, no one would''ve taken him for a fool who would expose his back to his mortal enemies while hurriedly scurrying away!. Before Jin-Woo could do something else, the Dragon Emperor closed the distance first . At the same time, the entirety of the forces of the Chaos World also pounced towards Jin-Woo''s direction The gazes of tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of soldiers still breathlessly emerging from the Gates were locked on Jin-Woo and Jin-Woo alone It was then ¨C just as the Dragon Emperor arrived right before Jin-Woo''s nose and reached out towards him ¡­ . At that moment, Jin-Woo''s eyes changed to resemble a Dragon''s Only then did the Dragon Emperor realise that something had gone terribly awry [You !!]. A moment of stillness came and went ''¡­ ''. From Jin-Woo''s mouth, a loud and vicious roar exploded out . It was the cry from the soul that pushed every single being near him, every single being weaker than him, into a state of pure despair!. [Kuwaaaaaaahhh-]. It was the Dragon''s Fear . The vilest and cruellest Skill of Dragons he learned from Kamish''s Rune Stone . He hadn''t been interested in it since its powers didn''t differentiate allies from enemies, but now ''But now, it''s different!''. The skill that drove hundreds of elite Hunters gathered to hunt down a Dragon to the pits of hell had now been used against the Dragons, instead [-Aaaaaaaahhh-!!!]. Just like how Kamish had done to the human Hunters all those years ago, the Shadow Sovereign froze up all the soldiers of the Dragon Emperor, too There was no being alive that could break from the effects of Fear produced by the near-bottomless supply of Mana belonging to the Shadow Sovereign, save for one lone individual, and that would be the Dragon Emperor After making every single one of the enemy forces freeze up in an instant, Jin-Woo reached out and grabbed the Dragon Emperor''s arm next [You b*stard . !!]. The brows of the King of Berserk Dragons crumpled Jin-Woo gripped the arm tighter as a grin suffused on his lips "You, come with me for a sec . ". < Chapter 240 > Fin Chapter 241 The circular shadow spreading out from beneath Jin-Woo¡¯s feet rapidly grew large enough to swallow up the Dragon Emperor . The creature¡¯s expression hardened . ¡®From the beginning, had he been aiming for this¡­ . ?¡¯ From the moment he appeared in the battlefield all alone, directing the Shadow Army behind everyone¡¯s back and mopping up the western front, and finally, even drawing the Dragon Emperor to here ¨C were all of those just for the sake of this moment? Although this human was its enemy, the King of all Dragons couldn¡¯t help but admire the meticulousness of the Shadow Sovereign . At first, he created a situation where it simply had to make a move, and through what looked to be a pretty obvious tactic to lower its guard, then finally, by relying on an unexpected hidden card, he eventually got what he was aiming for . ¡®¡­ . To think, he¡¯d actually use Dragon Fear here . ¡¯ The Dragon Emperor formed an expression of someone suffering from a sucker punch . Jin-Woo¡¯s grip on the creature¡¯s arm tightened after witnessing that unmistakable expression . ¡®I did it . ¡¯ There had been no mistakes so far . A couple more steps, and then¡­ Soon, the shadow swallowed up both Jin-Woo and the Dragon Emperor . The darkness blinding them quickly rescinded and they re-emerged at the pre-selected destination . Having succeeded in his endeavour of inviting the Dragon Emperor to the true battlefield of his own choosing, Jin-Woo quickly distanced himself away from his opponent . And now, finding itself in a location very far away from its underlings, the creature began scanning the surrounding scenery with mystified eyes . [And this is¡­ . ?] ¡°A place on the opposite side of the world from where your army is . ¡± Truthfully, it was a bit incorrect to call it the exact opposite side, but regardless, that¡¯s how far they were now . They were in Japan, a land where an enormous amount of Mana had densely permeated into its every pore after the King of Giants died . The land and atmosphere fortified by Mana should be able to withstand much of the potential impact forces resulting from his battle against the Sovereign of Destruction . Once a massive sea of forest, this location now resembled a barren wasteland stretching endlessly beyond the horizon, all thanks to the concerted efforts of his Shadow Soldiers cutting down the trees present here . What particularly drew one¡¯s attention was this huge white-coloured fortress built up on the top of a hill . The Dragon Emperor pointed at it with a black flag flapping in the wind on top . [Is that your castle?] ¡°¡­ . Something like that . ¡± [For a castle of the Shadow Sovereign, its size is fairly lousy, isn¡¯t it . ] Why did Jin-Woo briefly feel apologetic to Beru all of a sudden? Of course, there was no reason to get suckered into his enemy¡¯s pace now, was there? Jin-Woo threw out a genuine warning at the Dragon Emperor, currently looking rather relaxed despite the situation ¨C it was unknown whether that was because of its sky-high confidence, or it was simply trying to bluff him . ¡°Well, I think that building¡¯s just about the perfect size to commemorate your death today . ¡± Only then did the gaze of the Dragon Emperor fix on Jin-Woo . He didn¡¯t try to avoid meeting that glare . [¡­ . ] The King of Berserk Dragons stopped looking at the human and closed its eyes for a moment while trying to communicate with its underlings . Sure enough, not a hint of their signal could be captured . Some creature borrowing the power of the Shadow Sovereign was using a spell to interfere with all forms of communication . The Dragon Emperor grew conscious of the fact that his human enemy had prepared everything from the beginning in order to perfectly isolate it . It slowly opened its eyes again and found the entirety of the Shadow Army surrounding it from all sides . A battle that should have been ten million against one was suddenly turned on its head to become two hundred thousand against one, with the ¡®one¡¯ being a completely different person . The Dragon Emperor had been surrounded . [So, this is it¡­ . A battle where either I survive or fall, until my soldiers pinpoint my current location . ] However, its expression was not as gloomy as one would hope for in the current situation . The thing was, although it didn¡¯t mind the types of battles where it¡¯d use the overwhelming numbers to completely massacre its enemies, it also found the exact opposite of that situation quite enjoyable too, where it¡¯d get to overwhelm the enemies alone . In short, it was an existence born solely for warfare . It was the incarnation of destruction, one who would not mind its own demise if it was all for the sake of blood, screams, madness, and destruction swirling in a dizzying storm of warfare . That was why the Dragon Emperor could smile brightly . [Allow me to show you the real thing . ] At the end of those words, that smile vanished from the creature¡¯s face . Jin-Woo also sensed something at the same time . His senses that had far surpassed the limits of a normal human continuously rang loud warning bells . Shiver . Along with a chill running down his spine, goosebumps broke all over his skin . It was then . Like a scene from an unrealistic movie, a truly frightening roar scary enough to stop one¡¯s heart just from hearing it exploded out of the Dragon Emperor¡¯s mouth . Khayaaaaaaaah-!! This was the Dragon Emperor¡¯s Fear, the ruler of all Dragons . The level of terror previously never experienced before slammed into the Shadow Army like a massive shockwave . AAAAAH-!! A seemingly endless chain of ripples began shaking the atmosphere . Even the ground quaked violently . As the shaking akin to an earthquake rocked the world, Jin-Woo detected an extreme amount of terror, pain, and confusion from his soldiers and he urgently brought them back inside his shadow . AAAAAH-!!! During that process, vicious dizziness assaulted him and he wobbled unsteadily for a moment there . The Dragon Emperor finally ended its roar . The corner of its lips curled up after seeing how pale Jin-Woo¡¯s complexion was . [That was the real thing . ] The true Dragon¡¯s Fear . Jin-Woo roughly shook his head in order to get rid of that attack¡¯s horrifying impact . Meanwhile, the Dragon Emperor addressed him in a calm manner . [When you grabbed my arm, I could¡¯ve easily shaken you loose . ] However, there was a reason why it didn¡¯t . It continued on . [It¡¯s only because you impressed me with your efforts to trap me . ] Jin-Woo stared at the Dragon Emperor praising him with a suspicious glare . However, there was not a single hint of ridicule within that serious light shining from its eyes . [That made me want to speak to you in a quiet place as two Sovereigns on equal ground . ] Jin-Woo¡¯s breathing, disrupted by the Dragon Fear just now, finally reverted back to being normal . He quickly righted his posture, his vigilance remaining high . The Dragon Emperor continued to address Jin-Woo and his tightly-shut mouth . [If you have inherited the previous Shadow Sovereign¡¯s memories, then you should know this by now¡­ . Our real enemy is not this land, but well beyond the sky up there . ] It was referring to the armies of the Rulers . The first and the last ultimate command given to them was to annihilate all Sovereigns born from the darkness . Quite obviously, the Shadow Sovereign wouldn¡¯t be an exception . [I originally thought of disposing of you first and then get ready to fight them . However, I changed my mind after seeing how you conduct your battles . You possess a different set of skills compared to Osborne . And from your skill set, I foresaw our glorious victory . ] The Dragon Emperor extended its hand out towards Jin-Woo . [If you take this hand, then I shall do as you want . ] His gaze slowly lowered towards the extended hand . [If you wish to save your family, so it shall be . If you wish to save your nation, then that shall be done . If you wish for me to leave this land, fine . My soldiers and I shall quietly withdraw from this world . ] Jin-Woo gaze briefly lingering on the hand gradually rose up again until it stopped at the Dragon Emperor¡¯s face . The creature was carrying an expression full of compassion . [You shall become the master of this world . Become a master of this whole planet, not just that small castle on the hill . You amply possess the qualification to do so . All you have to do¡­ . ] A gentle smile formed on the Dragon Emperor¡¯s lips now . [¡­ . Is to take my hand . ] Once we cooperate and defeat the forces of the Rulers, not only you and your family, even your country ¨C no, even more than that, everyone living on this land will gain peace and freedom . That was the promise the Dragon Emperor was making here . [So, how about it? Shadow Sovereign?] Did he get enticed by the offer? A thin smile slowly spread on the face of the Shadow Sovereign as he quietly listened to the tempting words . The King of Dragons also formed a smile of its own . [Will you join me?] Too bad, Jin-Woo¡¯s reply was rather curt in nature . ¡°Don¡¯t make me laugh . ¡± The Dragon Emperor¡¯s expression hardened after hearing that pointed retort . ¡°You want me to trust a b*stard with the eyes of someone that can barely hide its desire to kill me?¡± [Haha¡­ . Euh-hahahahaha!!] The King of all Dragons grasped its forehead and guffawed for a long time . Its laughter must¡¯ve contained Mana, because every single wave of sound emitted by the creature caused a powerful reverberation within Jin-Woo¡¯s heart . When it finally took its hand away from its forehead, both of its wide-open eyes had changed to that of a reptile¡¯s . [I just can¡¯t seem to hide these eyes of mine . ] Appeasement attempt had ended in failure . If conning the other party didn¡¯t work, then the remaining way was to destroy him with everything it possessed . The Dragon Emperor finally revealed its true self . A hostile aura that couldn¡¯t be concealed anymore flooded out from its body . [Bet everything you have and attack me, oh, Child of Shadow!!] Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes widened in shock . In an instant, choking heat rushed into his face . He quickly retreated to a far-off distance, his gaze still locked onto the unbelievable event unfolding right him . A mountain of raging inferno suddenly materialised in front of his eyes . If a sea of boiling lava gained sentience and willingly morphed into the shape of a Dragon, would it look like that? Jin-Woo watched this appearance of a Dragon made up of endlessly-burning flames and immediately recalled the outer shell of the Demon¡¯s Castle instant dungeon that was also burning in perpetual flames . A battle between a living ¡®castle¡¯ and a man . It wouldn¡¯t be too surprising for anyone to get scared by this incomparable pressure, but Jin-Woo calmly grasped the pair of Kamish¡¯s Wraths . BOOM-!! When the Dragon Emperor took one step, the world rocked viciously . ¡®It¡¯s coming!¡¯ The massive Dragon was trying to stomp him to death, so Jin-Woo quickly evaded that and ran to create some distance before summoning up the Sky Dragon ¡®Kaisel¡¯ . Kiiaaahk! His mount was already getting ready to take off, so as soon as it emerged from the shadow, it flew up into the air . Jin-Woo quickly climbed up on its back . Kaisel rose up as fast as it could; Jin-Woo then had his ride change directions and descend towards the Dragon Emperor¡¯s location . As if it was waiting precisely for that, the Dragon made up of flames fired a Breath of Destruction . ¡°Go down!!¡± Almost at the same time as the blinding flash of light exploded forth from the Dragon Emperor¡¯s jaw, Kaisel descended at the rate of knots . The flames capable of erasing everything ¨C the chill-inducing white beam of light brushed past right above Jin-Woo¡¯s head . Kuwaaaaah-!! Kaisel followed after its master¡¯s instruction to descend closer to the Dragon Emperor while barely managing to side-step the Breath continuously pouring out towards it . Fuuuwoo¡­ . Once the Breath attack came to an end, Kaisel was already near the head of the gigantic flame Dragon . Jin-Woo gathered every drop of his Mana while riding on the back of his mount . ¡®You did well, Kaisel!¡¯ The gathered Mana flowed into the Kamish¡¯s Wrath held in his right hand . The black aura danced and tumbled about as if to signal that it was ready for that final strike . With everything in his power ¨C Jin-Woo swung his sword containing all of his might towards the Dragon Emperor . SWIIIISH-!! The black aura that looked capable enough to tear through anything in a single breath split up like the claws of a predator and took a powerful swipe at the head of the flaming Dragon . Kwa-gah-gah-gah-gah-gah-gahk!! However¡­ ¡®¡­ . How can this be?!¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s brows shot up high . There wasn¡¯t even a scratch on the creature¡¯s flaming scales; instead, the unscathed Dragon Emperor began raising its head towards him . Jin-Woo¡¯s expression crumpled . ¡®Is it Breath again?¡¯ He got ready to quickly descend again in case another round of Breath of Destruction came at his way, but he was greeted by an ear-splitting roar, instead . Kuwaaaaaah-!! Dragon Fear!! Jin-Woo had developed some amount of immunity after experiencing it the last time, but it was a different story for his Sky Dragon . It couldn¡¯t withstand the roar from the Dragon Emperor and froze up in mid-air . Not even giving him any time to un-summon Kaisel, in came the ruthless beam of light signalling true destruction spat out by the King of all Dragons . RUMBLE-!! Even though they were in a free fall, Kaisel still twisted its body to push Jin-Woo away to a safer location, and collided head-on against the Breath of Destruction with its body . ¡°NOOO!!¡± Jin-Woo cried out as he watched Kaisel disintegrate in an instant, not even leaving behind ash in the process . Utterly disregarding his wishes, the Sky Dragon was erased from existence without a single trace . Grit . Jin-Woo bit his lower lip and fired Mana out from behind to fly into the chest area of the Dragon Emperor in an instant . And to make sure he wouldn¡¯t fall off, he grasped tight the scale of this nonsensically humongous creature . Chiieeiik! His palm was instantly scorched by the ultra-high temperature . ¡°Euh-euhk!!¡± Jin-Woo gritted his teeth and raised up the Kamish¡¯s Wrath held in his other hand up high above his head . The shortsword held in reverse grip was enveloped in the dancing black aura . Crack!! The blade stabbing down with all his might managed to break past the scale . But that was all it could do . Crack! Crack! Crack!! No matter how many times he lashed out, all he could do was to leave behind small, inconsequential nicks on the Dragon¡¯s flesh just below its scales . It was then . Sensing this ominous chill creep up behind his neck, Jin-Woo hurriedly took a look behind him . ¡®¡­ . . !!¡¯ The giant arm of the Dragon Emperor was swinging closer to his location . To dodge that, he unhesitatingly jumped down . He didn¡¯t suffer any impact damage when landing on the ground due to his Mana, but then, without giving him a break, yet another round of the Breath of Destruction poured out from above . Kuwaaaaahhh-!!! Somehow managing to evade that merciless attack once more, Jin-Woo breathlessly panted hard . ¡°Hah-ah, hah-ah, hah-ah¡­ . ¡± He rained down so many attacks, yet the Dragon Emperor remained standing, imperious like the legendary Mt . Tai . It possessed the level of defence and attack power that not even Giants could match up to . He realised that he couldn¡¯t subjugate this Dragon by relying on the same tactics . ¡®I need stronger power¡­ . ¡¯ Indeed, he needed an even stronger power ¨C the power that might bring down a giant covered in thick armour with nothing but bare hands . Just like how an insect small enough not to be noticed by one¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t do much about a human being, one needed to become a mountain if a mountain was blocking his path . It was then . ¡®Hang on¡­ . Armour, is it?¡¯ A certain possibility flashed by like a bolt of lightning in Jin-Woo¡¯s head . If he could manipulate the power of darkness to create regular-sized armours, then couldn¡¯t he also be able to create something much larger and thicker than that, too? When his thoughts reached that far¡­ ¡­ . The shadow beneath Jin-Woo¡¯s feet suddenly began growing much larger . [¡­ . ??] Even the Dragon Emperor noticed this change . The blackish liquid bubbled and rose up from that shadow to wrap around the Shadow Sovereign, layer upon layer, his size abruptly increasing at an alarming rate . ¡®What is this human b*stard trying to do now?!¡¯ The thing was, answering its instincts took priority before satisfying its curiosity . Just before the Dragon Emperor got ready to fire yet another round of Breath of Destruction towards that unidentifiable black mass, it felt the sensation of something poking softly at its back . ¡®¡­ . ??¡¯ It quickly took a look behind . Fangs had been hiding in a distant corner to perform the communication-disrupting spell but to aid his Sovereign, he had grown into a giant to fire his own pillar of flames at the back of the Dragon Emperor . Once their gazes met, the Bead of Avarice powerlessly fell from Fangs¡¯ grip . Tumble, roll¡­ . The massive Dragon¡¯s murderous rage was now redirected to the scared and trembling Fangs . [How dare a measly b*stard like you¡­ . !] The Dragon Emperor shifted the direction of its head . And naturally, the aim of the Breath was shifted towards Fangs, as well . Just before the attack capable of erasing everything could be fired from the Dragon¡¯s maw¡­ . A humongous black shadow that had risen up high into the sky, before anyone had noticed it, viciously punched the head of the Dragon Emperor . KA-BOOOM!!!! < Chapter 241 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 241: Chapter 241 The circular shadow spreading out from beneath Jin-Woo¡¯s feet rapidly grew large enough to swallow up the Dragon Emperor . The creature¡¯s expression hardened ¡®From the beginning, had he been aiming for this¡­ . ?¡¯. From the moment he appeared in the battlefield all alone, directing the Shadow Army behind everyone¡¯s back and mopping up the western front, and finally, even drawing the Dragon Emperor to here ¨C were all of those just for the sake of this moment?. Although this human was its enemy, the King of all Dragons couldn¡¯t help but admire the meticulousness of the Shadow Sovereign At first, he created a situation where it simply had to make a move, and through what looked to be a pretty obvious tactic to lower its guard, then finally, by relying on an unexpected hidden card, he eventually got what he was aiming for ¡®¡­ . To think, he¡¯d actually use Dragon Fear here . ¡¯. The Dragon Emperor formed an expression of someone suffering from a sucker punch . Jin-Woo¡¯s grip on the creature¡¯s arm tightened after witnessing that unmistakable expression ¡®I did it . ¡¯. There had been no mistakes so far . A couple more steps, and then¡­. Soon, the shadow swallowed up both Jin-Woo and the Dragon Emperor The darkness blinding them quickly rescinded and they re-emerged at the pre-selected destination Having succeeded in his endeavour of inviting the Dragon Emperor to the true battlefield of his own choosing, Jin-Woo quickly distanced himself away from his opponent And now, finding itself in a location very far away from its underlings, the creature began scanning the surrounding scenery with mystified eyes [And this is¡­ . ?]. ¡°A place on the opposite side of the world from where your army is . ¡±. Truthfully, it was a bit incorrect to call it the exact opposite side, but regardless, that¡¯s how far they were now They were in Japan, a land where an enormous amount of Mana had densely permeated into its every pore after the King of Giants died The land and atmosphere fortified by Mana should be able to withstand much of the potential impact forces resulting from his battle against the Sovereign of Destruction Once a massive sea of forest, this location now resembled a barren wasteland stretching endlessly beyond the horizon, all thanks to the concerted efforts of his Shadow Soldiers cutting down the trees present here What particularly drew one¡¯s attention was this huge white-coloured fortress built up on the top of a hill . The Dragon Emperor pointed at it with a black flag flapping in the wind on top [Is that your castle?]. ¡°¡­ . Something like that . ¡±. [For a castle of the Shadow Sovereign, its size is fairly lousy, isn¡¯t it . ]. Why did Jin-Woo briefly feel apologetic to Beru all of a sudden? Of course, there was no reason to get suckered into his enemy¡¯s pace now, was there?. Jin-Woo threw out a genuine warning at the Dragon Emperor, currently looking rather relaxed despite the situation ¨C it was unknown whether that was because of its sky-high confidence, or it was simply trying to bluff him ¡°Well, I think that building¡¯s just about the perfect size to commemorate your death today . ¡±. Only then did the gaze of the Dragon Emperor fix on Jin-Woo . He didn¡¯t try to avoid meeting that glare [¡­ . ]. The King of Berserk Dragons stopped looking at the human and closed its eyes for a moment while trying to communicate with its underlings Sure enough, not a hint of their signal could be captured . Some creature borrowing the power of the Shadow Sovereign was using a spell to interfere with all forms of communication The Dragon Emperor grew conscious of the fact that his human enemy had prepared everything from the beginning in order to perfectly isolate it It slowly opened its eyes again and found the entirety of the Shadow Army surrounding it from all sides A battle that should have been ten million against one was suddenly turned on its head to become two hundred thousand against one, with the ¡®one¡¯ being a completely different person The Dragon Emperor had been surrounded [So, this is it¡­ . A battle where either I survive or fall, until my soldiers pinpoint my current location . ]. However, its expression was not as gloomy as one would hope for in the current situation The thing was, although it didn¡¯t mind the types of battles where it¡¯d use the overwhelming numbers to completely massacre its enemies, it also found the exact opposite of that situation quite enjoyable too, where it¡¯d get to overwhelm the enemies alone In short, it was an existence born solely for warfare It was the incarnation of destruction, one who would not mind its own demise if it was all for the sake of blood, screams, madness, and destruction swirling in a dizzying storm of warfare That was why the Dragon Emperor could smile brightly [Allow me to show you the real thing . ]. At the end of those words, that smile vanished from the creature¡¯s face Jin-Woo also sensed something at the same time . His senses that had far surpassed the limits of a normal human continuously rang loud warning bells Shiver Along with a chill running down his spine, goosebumps broke all over his skin It was then . Like a scene from an unrealistic movie, a truly frightening roar scary enough to stop one¡¯s heart just from hearing it exploded out of the Dragon Emperor¡¯s mouth Khayaaaaaaaah-!!. This was the Dragon Emperor¡¯s Fear, the ruler of all Dragons . The level of terror previously never experienced before slammed into the Shadow Army like a massive shockwave AAAAAH-!!. A seemingly endless chain of ripples began shaking the atmosphere . Even the ground quaked violently As the shaking akin to an earthquake rocked the world, Jin-Woo detected an extreme amount of terror, pain, and confusion from his soldiers and he urgently brought them back inside his shadow AAAAAH-!!!. During that process, vicious dizziness assaulted him and he wobbled unsteadily for a moment there The Dragon Emperor finally ended its roar . The corner of its lips curled up after seeing how pale Jin-Woo¡¯s complexion was [That was the real thing . ]. The true Dragon¡¯s Fear Jin-Woo roughly shook his head in order to get rid of that attack¡¯s horrifying impact . Meanwhile, the Dragon Emperor addressed him in a calm manner [When you grabbed my arm, I could¡¯ve easily shaken you loose . ]. However, there was a reason why it didn¡¯t . It continued on [It¡¯s only because you impressed me with your efforts to trap me . ]. Jin-Woo stared at the Dragon Emperor praising him with a suspicious glare . However, there was not a single hint of ridicule within that serious light shining from its eyes [That made me want to speak to you in a quiet place as two Sovereigns on equal ground . ]. Jin-Woo¡¯s breathing, disrupted by the Dragon Fear just now, finally reverted back to being normal . He quickly righted his posture, his vigilance remaining high The Dragon Emperor continued to address Jin-Woo and his tightly-shut mouth [If you have inherited the previous Shadow Sovereign¡¯s memories, then you should know this by now¡­ . Our real enemy is not this land, but well beyond the sky up there . ]. It was referring to the armies of the Rulers . The first and the last ultimate command given to them was to annihilate all Sovereigns born from the darkness Quite obviously, the Shadow Sovereign wouldn¡¯t be an exception [I originally thought of disposing of you first and then get ready to fight them . However, I changed my mind after seeing how you conduct your battles . You possess a different set of skills compared to Osborne . And from your skill set, I foresaw our glorious victory . ]. The Dragon Emperor extended its hand out towards Jin-Woo [If you take this hand, then I shall do as you want . ]. His gaze slowly lowered towards the extended hand [If you wish to save your family, so it shall be . If you wish to save your nation, then that shall be done . If you wish for me to leave this land, fine . My soldiers and I shall quietly withdraw from this world . ]. Jin-Woo gaze briefly lingering on the hand gradually rose up again until it stopped at the Dragon Emperor¡¯s face . The creature was carrying an expression full of compassion [You shall become the master of this world . Become a master of this whole planet, not just that small castle on the hill . You amply possess the qualification to do so . All you have to do¡­ . ]. A gentle smile formed on the Dragon Emperor¡¯s lips now [¡­ . Is to take my hand . ]. Once we cooperate and defeat the forces of the Rulers, not only you and your family, even your country ¨C no, even more than that, everyone living on this land will gain peace and freedom That was the promise the Dragon Emperor was making here [So, how about it? Shadow Sovereign?]. Did he get enticed by the offer? A thin smile slowly spread on the face of the Shadow Sovereign as he quietly listened to the tempting words The King of Dragons also formed a smile of its own [Will you join me?]. Too bad, Jin-Woo¡¯s reply was rather curt in nature ¡°Don¡¯t make me laugh . ¡±. The Dragon Emperor¡¯s expression hardened after hearing that pointed retort ¡°You want me to trust a b*stard with the eyes of someone that can barely hide its desire to kill me?¡±. [Haha¡­ . Euh-hahahahaha!!]. The King of all Dragons grasped its forehead and guffawed for a long time . Its laughter must¡¯ve contained Mana, because every single wave of sound emitted by the creature caused a powerful reverberation within Jin-Woo¡¯s heart When it finally took its hand away from its forehead, both of its wide-open eyes had changed to that of a reptile¡¯s [I just can¡¯t seem to hide these eyes of mine . ]. Appeasement attempt had ended in failure . If conning the other party didn¡¯t work, then the remaining way was to destroy him with everything it possessed The Dragon Emperor finally revealed its true self . A hostile aura that couldn¡¯t be concealed anymore flooded out from its body [Bet everything you have and attack me, oh, Child of Shadow!!]. Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes widened in shock In an instant, choking heat rushed into his face . He quickly retreated to a far-off distance, his gaze still locked onto the unbelievable event unfolding right him A mountain of raging inferno suddenly materialised in front of his eyes If a sea of boiling lava gained sentience and willingly morphed into the shape of a Dragon, would it look like that?. Jin-Woo watched this appearance of a Dragon made up of endlessly-burning flames and immediately recalled the outer shell of the Demon¡¯s Castle instant dungeon that was also burning in perpetual flames A battle between a living ¡®castle¡¯ and a man It wouldn¡¯t be too surprising for anyone to get scared by this incomparable pressure, but Jin-Woo calmly grasped the pair of Kamish¡¯s Wraths BOOM-!!. When the Dragon Emperor took one step, the world rocked viciously ¡®It¡¯s coming!¡¯. The massive Dragon was trying to stomp him to death, so Jin-Woo quickly evaded that and ran to create some distance before summoning up the Sky Dragon ¡®Kaisel¡¯ Kiiaaahk!. His mount was already getting ready to take off, so as soon as it emerged from the shadow, it flew up into the air . Jin-Woo quickly climbed up on its back Kaisel rose up as fast as it could; Jin-Woo then had his ride change directions and descend towards the Dragon Emperor¡¯s location . As if it was waiting precisely for that, the Dragon made up of flames fired a Breath of Destruction ¡°Go down!!¡±. Almost at the same time as the blinding flash of light exploded forth from the Dragon Emperor¡¯s jaw, Kaisel descended at the rate of knots . The flames capable of erasing everything ¨C the chill-inducing white beam of light brushed past right above Jin-Woo¡¯s head Kuwaaaaah-!!. Kaisel followed after its master¡¯s instruction to descend closer to the Dragon Emperor while barely managing to side-step the Breath continuously pouring out towards it Fuuuwoo¡­ Once the Breath attack came to an end, Kaisel was already near the head of the gigantic flame Dragon . Jin-Woo gathered every drop of his Mana while riding on the back of his mount ¡®You did well, Kaisel!¡¯. The gathered Mana flowed into the Kamish¡¯s Wrath held in his right hand . The black aura danced and tumbled about as if to signal that it was ready for that final strike With everything in his power ¨C Jin-Woo swung his sword containing all of his might towards the Dragon Emperor SWIIIISH-!!. The black aura that looked capable enough to tear through anything in a single breath split up like the claws of a predator and took a powerful swipe at the head of the flaming Dragon Kwa-gah-gah-gah-gah-gah-gahk!!. However¡­. ¡®¡­ . How can this be?!¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s brows shot up high There wasn¡¯t even a scratch on the creature¡¯s flaming scales; instead, the unscathed Dragon Emperor began raising its head towards him Jin-Woo¡¯s expression crumpled ¡®Is it Breath again?¡¯. He got ready to quickly descend again in case another round of Breath of Destruction came at his way, but he was greeted by an ear-splitting roar, instead Kuwaaaaaah-!!. Dragon Fear!!. Jin-Woo had developed some amount of immunity after experiencing it the last time, but it was a different story for his Sky Dragon . It couldn¡¯t withstand the roar from the Dragon Emperor and froze up in mid-air Not even giving him any time to un-summon Kaisel, in came the ruthless beam of light signalling true destruction spat out by the King of all Dragons RUMBLE-!!. Even though they were in a free fall, Kaisel still twisted its body to push Jin-Woo away to a safer location, and collided head-on against the Breath of Destruction with its body ¡°NOOO!!¡±. Jin-Woo cried out as he watched Kaisel disintegrate in an instant, not even leaving behind ash in the process . Utterly disregarding his wishes, the Sky Dragon was erased from existence without a single trace Grit Jin-Woo bit his lower lip and fired Mana out from behind to fly into the chest area of the Dragon Emperor in an instant . And to make sure he wouldn¡¯t fall off, he grasped tight the scale of this nonsensically humongous creature Chiieeiik!. His palm was instantly scorched by the ultra-high temperature ¡°Euh-euhk!!¡±. Jin-Woo gritted his teeth and raised up the Kamish¡¯s Wrath held in his other hand up high above his head . The shortsword held in reverse grip was enveloped in the dancing black aura Crack!!. The blade stabbing down with all his might managed to break past the scale . But that was all it could do Crack! Crack! Crack!!. No matter how many times he lashed out, all he could do was to leave behind small, inconsequential nicks on the Dragon¡¯s flesh just below its scales It was then . Sensing this ominous chill creep up behind his neck, Jin-Woo hurriedly took a look behind him ¡®¡­ !!¡¯. The giant arm of the Dragon Emperor was swinging closer to his location . To dodge that, he unhesitatingly jumped down He didn¡¯t suffer any impact damage when landing on the ground due to his Mana, but then, without giving him a break, yet another round of the Breath of Destruction poured out from above Kuwaaaaahhh-!!!. Somehow managing to evade that merciless attack once more, Jin-Woo breathlessly panted hard ¡°Hah-ah, hah-ah, hah-ah¡­ . ¡±. He rained down so many attacks, yet the Dragon Emperor remained standing, imperious like the legendary Mt . Tai . It possessed the level of defence and attack power that not even Giants could match up to He realised that he couldn¡¯t subjugate this Dragon by relying on the same tactics ¡®I need stronger power¡­ . ¡¯. Indeed, he needed an even stronger power ¨C the power that might bring down a giant covered in thick armour with nothing but bare hands Just like how an insect small enough not to be noticed by one¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t do much about a human being, one needed to become a mountain if a mountain was blocking his path It was then ¡®Hang on¡­ . Armour, is it?¡¯. A certain possibility flashed by like a bolt of lightning in Jin-Woo¡¯s head If he could manipulate the power of darkness to create regular-sized armours, then couldn¡¯t he also be able to create something much larger and thicker than that, too?. When his thoughts reached that far¡­. ¡­ . The shadow beneath Jin-Woo¡¯s feet suddenly began growing much larger [¡­ . ??]. Even the Dragon Emperor noticed this change The blackish liquid bubbled and rose up from that shadow to wrap around the Shadow Sovereign, layer upon layer, his size abruptly increasing at an alarming rate ¡®What is this human b*stard trying to do now?!¡¯. The thing was, answering its instincts took priority before satisfying its curiosity Just before the Dragon Emperor got ready to fire yet another round of Breath of Destruction towards that unidentifiable black mass, it felt the sensation of something poking softly at its back ¡®¡­ . ??¡¯. It quickly took a look behind Fangs had been hiding in a distant corner to perform the communication-disrupting spell but to aid his Sovereign, he had grown into a giant to fire his own pillar of flames at the back of the Dragon Emperor Once their gazes met, the Bead of Avarice powerlessly fell from Fangs¡¯ grip Tumble, roll¡­ The massive Dragon¡¯s murderous rage was now redirected to the scared and trembling Fangs [How dare a measly b*stard like you¡­ . !]. The Dragon Emperor shifted the direction of its head And naturally, the aim of the Breath was shifted towards Fangs, as well Just before the attack capable of erasing everything could be fired from the Dragon¡¯s maw¡­ A humongous black shadow that had risen up high into the sky, before anyone had noticed it, viciously punched the head of the Dragon Emperor KA-BOOOM!!!!. < Chapter 241 > Fin Chapter 242 As it was being shoved away by the enormous impact force coming from the side, the Dragon Emperor saw it . It clearly saw a gigantic shadow tall enough to touch the skies standing there proudly . And perhaps trying to reject an existence that shouldn¡¯t even exist in the first place, thousands, no, tens of thousands of black lightning bolts could also be seen violently roiling and crackling beyond the shoulders of this black shadow . ¡®¡­ . Spiritual Body Manifestation?¡¯ No, that couldn¡¯t be right . The Shadow Sovereign used to be one of the Fragments of Brilliant Light . He didn¡¯t have any other ¡®hidden¡¯ form to activate, and how he appeared was how he looked . However, how could the current Shadow Sovereign assume such a massive form right this moment? Kwa-gah-gahk!! The Dragon Emperor pushed down hard with its legs, causing a thin layer from the ground to peel off like the skin of an apple, as its gigantic body came to a stop . ¡®Could it be¡­ . ?¡¯ When a certain theory brushed through its head, the eyes of the Dragon quaked in sheer surprise . ¡®The b*stard¡­ . Could he be summoning the power of death to the surface world?¡¯ But, how could that be? How could a man who used to be a normal human not too long ago control the power of death to such an astonishing degree? [So, that¡¯s how it was . ] Another sigh of admiration left the mouth of the Dragon Emperor . [You have spent a lot of time on the border between life and death, haven¡¯t you?] There was a reason why the previous Shadow Sovereign, Osborne, chose to hand all of his power over to a measly little human being . This particular human had been continuously fighting a bitter battle against himself right up until he inherited this power . All for the sake of his life . The Dragon Emperor had been looking down on the current Shadow Sovereign just a tad in comparison to his predecessor but now, he felt renewed respect for its human opponent . [¡­ . ] And then, it reflected on itself for even thinking of manipulating the weakness of humans to pit him against the Rulers earlier . ¡®Without a doubt¡­ . This human must die . As expected, he¡¯s far too dangerous . ¡¯ While the Dragon silently glared at its opponent, the giant Shadow Sovereign was also doing the same thing in silence . Having become this gigantic Shadow Sovereign, Jin-Woo shifted his surprised gaze lower to his hands that had also grown into a size easily exceeding his own imagination . ¡®This¡­ . Is this really me?¡¯ He tried to move his fingers . The ginormous body that had become the darkness itself began moving according to his will . It wasn¡¯t just his body that had grown huge, though . From deep within his gigantic frame, the kind of dizzying power that defied all attempts to estimate how big it was gushed out infinitely . He had truly become a mountain in order to bring down another mountain . Jin-Woo raised his head back up again . And there it was ¨C the personification of Destruction rushing towards him . BOOM-!! Violent flames and black lightning bolts scattered in all directions . Jin-Woo propped his body with his legs extended to his rear and stopped the charge of the Dragon Emperor . Their physical strength was about evenly matched! An even contest of strength briefly played out before the Dragon suddenly bit Jin-Woo on his shoulder . Crimson-red flames danced around the bitten part . Jin-Woo didn¡¯t panic, though, and proceeded to grab and yank at the Dragon¡¯s horn to pull the creature¡¯s head away . And then, one more punch to its face-! Ka-boom!! This time, though, the Dragon Emperor wasn¡¯t pushed back . Kuwaaah-!! Almost as soon as it was shoved back, the Dragon pounced towards him again, before opening its huge maw wide to take a big bite of Jin-Woo¡¯s side . ¡°Keuh-eeeeuhk!¡± For the first time since he began fighting against the Dragon Emperor, Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t hold back and spat out a pained cry . Boom! Boom!! Boom!!! He used his elbow to smack down on the Dragon¡¯s head several times, but the creature still lifted him up in the air and began shaking him around without mercy . An incredible pain akin to his waist being snapped in half rushed up from below . ¡°Kuwaahk!! Keuh-eeeeuhk!!¡± Deciding that enough damage had been inflicted on its enemy, the Dragon Emperor threw Jin-Woo to the ground . THUD!! That was followed by another round of Breath of Destruction pouncing on him . When the conflagration-like Breath swept by, one of Jin-Woo¡¯s arms had vanished . However, he didn¡¯t scream in pain . He just gritted his teeth . He instantly closed the distance and shoved his remaining hand deep into the Dragon Emperor¡¯s jaw . Rip, riiiip!! Along with the thick leather being torn apart, the Dragon Emperor¡¯s huge tongue was ripped out of his throat . [Kuwaaaaahk!!] Rather than blood, crimson lava exploded out from the torn wound of the creature¡¯s tongue . The Dragon writhed in pure agony . Jin-Woo took this opportunity to punch the head of the creature . The lengthy maw was spun to the side as lava spilt in all directions . The Dragon Emperor glared at Jin-Woo with its vertical-slit eyes and rammed into him with its horns . The battle¡¯s flow see-sawed between the two over and over again . BOOM-!! Whenever the two collided, the ground quaked and the heavens screamed . Every plot of land being showered by the falling flames was scorched black; every square inch being struck by the black lightning bolts was ripped apart without mercy . A desperate battle ensued . From the sideline, Fangs witnessed the battle between two Sovereigns with dazed eyes . At this grandiose yet frightening spectacle unfolding right before his eyes, the High Orc Shaman was left completely flabbergasted, unable to turn his head away nor close shut his slack jaw . What if¡­ ¡­ . The Absolute Being created these beings in order to witness a fight of this magnitude? If that was the case, the High Orc Shadow Soldier thought that he might sort of understand the reasoning behind that decision . Indeed, the battle between these two was no doubt a world-ending calamity but, at the same time, it was a spectacular once-in-a-lifetime event as well . Tears slowly fell from the eyes of Fangs as he continued to take in the sight of two god-like beings colliding with everything they had . The power of Destruction and the power of Death smashed into each other, writhed around, and shook the world to its very core . Jin-Woo clenched his fist even harder . Boom-!! It was working . It¡¯s working, it¡¯s working, it¡¯s definitely working!! Each of his punches, issuing shock waves that tore apart the air every time he threw one, landed on their targets with scary accuracy . Boom!! Bang!! Thud!! Kwahng!! The Dragon Emperor struck out with its sharp claws, brushing past him and hitting the empty air . WHOOOOSH-!! Jin-Woo took a step back to evade the attack before pushing forward on his tiptoes to slam his shoulder against the Dragon and shoved it to the ground . KA-BOOOOM!!!! He then quickly mounted the toppled Dragon Emperor . What followed next was the continuous stream of vicious punches . BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!! Brutal attacks rained down from above, without a single break in-between . BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!!! Lightning bolts, sparks of flames, and the screams of air being torn endlessly reverberated throughout the land . Unfortunately, it was clear to see that just one hand was not enough to land that one fatal blow . He concentrated all of his Mana to the remaining hand, but as if he was stuck inside a dream, his strength continued to seep out of him the longer he continued on . ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s expression hardened gradually . Not too long afterwards, the Dragon Emperor also noticed the change taking place in Jin-Woo . Its clawed hand shot up to grab his fist . Grab! It happened too suddenly . Jin-Woo got flustered as he couldn¡¯t pull his fist back . Meanwhile, the Dragon Emperor addressed him . [This is the difference between our experience level!] Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes widened considerably . ¡°Uwaaaahk!!¡± The Dragon pierced into Jin-Woo¡¯s side with the claws on its remaining free hand and spat out its mocking words filled with laughter . [Didn¡¯t you know that maintaining a large body wastes an unimaginable amount of stamina?] After completely immobilising Jin-Woo, another round of horrifying energy began gathering and swirling inside the Dragon¡¯s maw . The Breath of Destruction was being readied to put an end to this battle . ¡®This is the end¡­ . !¡¯ The Dragon Emperor was sure of its victory now . However¡­ . Just before the Breath was ready to fire, a new arm suddenly sprouted out from Jin-Woo¡¯s shoulder missing a limb . ¡®He still had that much energy left?!¡¯ The Dragon was stunned but knew that it was still impossible for a different victor to emerge from this situation . Soon, a blinding light formed inside the maw of the Dragon Emperor . It was then ¨C Jin-Woo shoved his newly-generated arm inside that maw . ¡°Uwaaaaah-!!¡± And then, he scrounged up every ounce of energy and concentrated it to his hand . Wuuong-!! Accompanying an incredible impact force, powerful blinding light blanketed the surroundings . Eventually, the light receded and silence descended on the land . * Jin-Woo reverted back to his human form from the giant shadow . He lay sprawled on the ground and panted heavily . ¡°Pant, pant, pant¡­ . ¡± His entire body was burning up as if flames had scorched him . He was covered in wounds from head to toe . His current status was an utter mess . He did his absolute best to control his heavy breathing while sucking in a lot of air . A short while later, he forced his fatigued body to slowly stand back up . Just beyond the veil of thick fog kicked up from the explosion, someone was making its approach towards him . Jin-Woo could only marvel wryly as the Dragon Emperor, in its human form, revealed itself . ¡®What a monster¡­ . ¡¯ The Dragon b*stard was not okay either, but compared to Jin-Woo¡¯s own condition, it was noticeably better off . [You are a very tenacious b*stard, aren¡¯t you?] ¡®That¡¯s my line . ¡¯ Too bad, Jin-Woo wanted to save the energy required to make that retort so he had to swallow back his opinion . Instead, he wordlessly summoned the pair of ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wraths¡¯ and held them tightly . The Dragon Emperor also unsheathed its sword as well . Shurung-! Even though it no longer possessed enough strength to maintain its Spiritual Body Manifestation, the King of all Dragons still scrounged up every little bit of remaining energy in order to kill the human for good . Jin-Woo, too, held his rough breathing back and gritted his teeth . The Dragon Emperor arrived before him in just one step and swung its longsword at him . The pair of shortswords and one longsword clashed and clanged chaotically . Every time sparks flew off from their clashing blades, sweat and blood sliding off their wielders¡¯ bodies rained down on the surroundings . It was then . Crack! One of the Kamish¡¯s Wrath shattered after its edges had been badly damaged from attacking the Dragon Emperor¡¯s toughened steel-like scales earlier . ¡®¡­ . . !!¡¯ He managed to tilt his body in time to let the longsword cutting down diagonally brush past him, but that resulted in him losing balance for a brief moment . The Dragon Emperor didn¡¯t miss that opening . It thrust forward its weapon in the blink of an eye and penetrated Jin-Woo¡¯s midriff . Stab!! Even in the midst of the torrent of terrible pain, he gritted his teeth and swung the shortsword held in his other hand towards the neck of the Dragon . Too bad, just before his blade could reach the Adam¡¯s apple belonging to the Dragon Emperor, the creature grabbed the weapon with its bare hand . The black aura wavering around the blade was blocked by the reddish-black aura of the Dragon . A mocking grin floated up on the creature¡¯s face . [Did you truly believe that the shortsword fashioned out of a Dragon¡¯s tooth can actually hurt this body of mine, the Dragon Emperor¡¯s?] After declaring confidently as so, it pushed the hilt of the longsword with even more power . The weapon sunk deeper into Jin-Woo¡¯s midriff and he vomited out a mouthful of blood . ¡°Keo-heok-!!¡± The Dragon Emperor pushed Jin-Woo off with its foot and pulled the longsword back . Jin-Woo ungainly rolled along the ground and barely managed to stop himself . Just before he could force his body up, the Dragon Emperor arrived right in front of him and pointed the tip of its blade at his throat . ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ His actions came to an abrupt halt at the weapon that was uncomfortably close to his vital point . The Dragon Emperor chuckled as it addressed him . [Don¡¯t you find it funny?] Not even once doubting that it¡¯d end up as the victory, the Dragon in human form looked down at the face of its helplessly cornered enemy . [A battle between the flame born from the darkness and the darkness born from the light . However, this battle is finally drawing to its conclusion . ] Jin-Woo readily agreed with the Dragon Emperor¡¯s assessment . ¡°You¡¯re right . Its conclusion is around the corner . ¡± [Oh-hoh . ] The Dragon formed a half-puzzled and half-satisfied expression and scanned Jin-Woo¡¯s grievously-wounded body, before asking him a question . [Have you decided to give up on the meaningless resistance now?] It was then . He seemed energyless and defeated, pretty much ready to give up, but in an instant, the light gleaming within Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes changed . [¡­ . !!] The Dragon Emperor urgently thrust the blade forward . To its great surprise, however, Jin-Woo unexpectedly pushed himself forward instead of dodging backwards . The longsword brushed past his artery with barely a hair¡¯s width . The skin on his neck sliced off and blood spluttered out like a fountain, but it wasn¡¯t a fatal wound . ¡®I can do this . ¡¯ By paying the price of a grievous wound, Jin-Woo got near the Dragon Emperor¡¯s vicinity . He then summoned his father¡¯s shortsword stored in his ¡®Inventory¡¯ . The Dragon¡¯s eyes widened . Even before the creature could decipher this new turn of events, Jin-Woo¡¯s shortsword stabbed deeply into his enemy¡¯s chest . KWA-JEECK!! The blade penetrated past the chest armour and stabbed the Dragon¡¯s heart . [Kuwaaaaaah-!!!] Not yet . Not over yet! Jin-Woo knew all too well that this much of an attack wasn¡¯t enough to kill a Sovereign . Even he himself was continuously fighting on with the types of injuries that would have killed any normal human being, after all . Jin-Woo yanked the shortsword out and activated the skill ¡®Violent Slash¡¯ . Dududududududududu-!!! Countless attacks stabbed deeply into the Dragon Emperor¡¯s body . One more time!! Dudududududududu!!! [You¡­ you b*stard¡­ . !!] Shockingly enough, even though it was being subjected under the barrage of countless attacks, the Dragon Emperor still raised its sword up . An earthquake erupted within Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes after seeing that . The Dragon, inflicted with heavy injuries on its chest where various holes could be seen, began deflecting Jin-Woo¡¯s shortsword . The longer his skill was deployed, the faster the Dragon Emperor¡¯s speed became, as well . This was the display of the might possessed by the strongest creature borne out of darkness for the sole purpose of destruction . Cold sweat drops formed on Jin-Woo¡¯s forehead as he was gradually pushed back in the one area he felt most confident in ¨C his speed . [Khayahk!!] The Dragon Emperor spat out a beastly howl and shoved Jin-Woo away . The force was so strong that he thought his wrist broke just now . ¡®Keu-heuk!¡¯ By the time Jin-Woo regained his balance, the Dragon was already right before his eyes . Unlike before, though, the creature didn¡¯t repeat the same mistake of staying its sword . The weapon penetrated past his Black Heart . ¡°Keok!!¡± Jin-Woo felt the burning pain shooting up from his chest . His breathing tightened and he couldn¡¯t even voice his pain anymore . All strength abandoned his legs and automatically, he knelt down on the ground . Plop . As if its anger hadn¡¯t been cooled down, the Dragon Emperor viciously roared out towards the sky . Kuwaaaaaaaahhh-!!! It transformed into a Dragonewt-like form that was halfway between a human and a Dragon¡¯s appearance before anyone noticed it, and extended its claws out in order to attack for one last time . A growling-like voice leaked out of the Dragon¡¯s mouth . [You b*stard, I shall rip you apart piece by piece and feed you to my Sky Dragons!] If trying to show courtesy and give the Shadow Sovereign a death fitting for a king was a mistake on its part, then the Dragon Emperor would bestow a cruel and miserable death that would make up for that mistake many times over . ¡®I shall show you what happens to the one daring to obstruct me, the King of all Dragons, at the end!¡¯ The Dragon Emperor raged on with such thoughts filling up its head . It bared its lengthy fangs and continued to roar on . But then¡­ ¡­ . Out of the blue, a loud chorus of vigorous warcry exploded forth from the heavens . Waaaahhhh-!! The Dragon Emperor raised his head . It was greeted by an unbelievable spectacle just then . The army of the Rulers, the soldiers of the heavens were endlessly pouring out from a gigantic Gate that wasn¡¯t there before . Their flapping wings began filling up the gloomy, clouded sky with the colours of whitish silver . ¡®Impossible¡­!!¡¯ The Dragon Emperor inwardly freaked out . Without a doubt, there was no Gate when it arrived here . So, just from where did that Gate come from, and how could the soldiers of heaven enter this world so quickly? One would need an incalculable amount of energy to open up a portal connecting this world to the other side . So how¡­ . When its thoughts reached that far, the Dragon Emperor looked down with its trembling eyes at Jin-Woo on the ground, currently panting heavily on his knees . [You b*stard¡­ . The reason why you attacked me with everything you had from the beginning was to¡­ . ?!] It wasn¡¯t the difference in experience levels, but he had been working towards this end result from the very beginning? To call the allies from the other side by tearing the space up with the collision of two great sources of power? Up until now, the Dragon Emperor had been guessing what Jin-Woo¡¯s scheme might be through its own world view . The reason for attracting the attention of the army of the Chaos World, the reason for bringing it to this desolate location¡­ The Dragon took that as the human not wanting their battle to be interrupted by outside factors . But as it turned out, the Shadow Sovereign had a different goal altogether . Even then¡­ [Even then¡­ . You couldn¡¯t have any other way to communicate with the Rulers¡­ . ?] The Dragon Emperor couldn¡¯t finish its sentence . There was a way ¨C the vessels of the Rulers . Weren¡¯t there still a few vessels, connected to the Rulers through the lending of their powers, left on this planet? And that was how the Fragments of Brilliant Light were able to prepare a Gate in this location . [¡­ . . ] The Dragon Emperor glared at Jin-Woo . Just for that one-in-ten-thousand chance, he had chosen the method where even if he lost the fight, he¡¯d still win the war before starting this battle . It was a complete defeat for the Dragon, who only focused on the fight in front of its eyes and nothing else . Jin-Woo, barely managing to hold back the dizzying pain from all of his wounds, formed an energyless smile . ¡°It was you, wasn¡¯t it?¡± [¡­ . . ?] ¡°It was you who told the Sovereigns of White Flames and Beastly Fangs to ambush the Shadow Sovereign from behind . ¡± [¡­ . Did the Sovereign of White Flames run its mouth off?] Rather than answering right away, Jin-Woo looked up at the sky filled with innumerable winged soldiers . He lowered his gaze back down to the Dragon Emperor a little later and formed a grin . ¡°Osborne wanted me to pass along this message . ¡± Jin-Woo slowly unfurled his middle finger . The Dragon Emperor exploded in pure rage just then . [You b*stard!!] The deadly-sharp claws rushed towards defenceless Jin-Woo kneeling down on the ground . Too bad, those claws couldn¡¯t reach him, instead getting blocked off by six beautiful wings gently embracing Jin-Woo¡¯s figure . The Dragon Emperor stopped its actions and withdrew its claws . It looked at the figure that blocked its attack and spat out a pained grunt . [The most Brilliant Light¡­ . ] The Dragon raised its head next . From above, six angels, each with three pairs of wings, slowly descended all around the creature . Indeed, the conclusion of this battle had been around the corner . The Dragon Emperor recalled that brief conversation he shared with Jin-Woo, and began forming a self-mocking smile . [¡­ . This is the end . ] Soon, the spears belonging to the Rulers penetrated the Dragon Emperor from all directions . < Chapter 242 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 242: Chapter 242 As it was being shoved away by the enormous impact force coming from the side, the Dragon Emperor saw it It clearly saw a gigantic shadow tall enough to touch the skies standing there proudly . And perhaps trying to reject an existence that shouldn¡¯t even exist in the first place, thousands, no, tens of thousands of black lightning bolts could also be seen violently roiling and crackling beyond the shoulders of this black shadow ¡®¡­ . Spiritual Body Manifestation?¡¯. No, that couldn¡¯t be right The Shadow Sovereign used to be one of the Fragments of Brilliant Light . He didn¡¯t have any other ¡®hidden¡¯ form to activate, and how he appeared was how he looked However, how could the current Shadow Sovereign assume such a massive form right this moment?. Kwa-gah-gahk!!. The Dragon Emperor pushed down hard with its legs, causing a thin layer from the ground to peel off like the skin of an apple, as its gigantic body came to a stop ¡®Could it be¡­ . ?¡¯. When a certain theory brushed through its head, the eyes of the Dragon quaked in sheer surprise ¡®The b*stard¡­ . Could he be summoning the power of death to the surface world?¡¯. But, how could that be?. How could a man who used to be a normal human not too long ago control the power of death to such an astonishing degree?. [So, that¡¯s how it was . ]. Another sigh of admiration left the mouth of the Dragon Emperor [You have spent a lot of time on the border between life and death, haven¡¯t you?]. There was a reason why the previous Shadow Sovereign, Osborne, chose to hand all of his power over to a measly little human being . This particular human had been continuously fighting a bitter battle against himself right up until he inherited this power All for the sake of his life The Dragon Emperor had been looking down on the current Shadow Sovereign just a tad in comparison to his predecessor but now, he felt renewed respect for its human opponent [¡­ . ]. And then, it reflected on itself for even thinking of manipulating the weakness of humans to pit him against the Rulers earlier ¡®Without a doubt¡­ . This human must die . As expected, he¡¯s far too dangerous . ¡¯. While the Dragon silently glared at its opponent, the giant Shadow Sovereign was also doing the same thing in silence Having become this gigantic Shadow Sovereign, Jin-Woo shifted his surprised gaze lower to his hands that had also grown into a size easily exceeding his own imagination ¡®This¡­ . Is this really me?¡¯. He tried to move his fingers . The ginormous body that had become the darkness itself began moving according to his will . It wasn¡¯t just his body that had grown huge, though From deep within his gigantic frame, the kind of dizzying power that defied all attempts to estimate how big it was gushed out infinitely . He had truly become a mountain in order to bring down another mountain Jin-Woo raised his head back up again . And there it was ¨C the personification of Destruction rushing towards him BOOM-!!. Violent flames and black lightning bolts scattered in all directions Jin-Woo propped his body with his legs extended to his rear and stopped the charge of the Dragon Emperor Their physical strength was about evenly matched!. An even contest of strength briefly played out before the Dragon suddenly bit Jin-Woo on his shoulder . Crimson-red flames danced around the bitten part . Jin-Woo didn¡¯t panic, though, and proceeded to grab and yank at the Dragon¡¯s horn to pull the creature¡¯s head away And then, one more punch to its face-!. Ka-boom!!. This time, though, the Dragon Emperor wasn¡¯t pushed back Kuwaaah-!!. Almost as soon as it was shoved back, the Dragon pounced towards him again, before opening its huge maw wide to take a big bite of Jin-Woo¡¯s side ¡°Keuh-eeeeuhk!¡±. For the first time since he began fighting against the Dragon Emperor, Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t hold back and spat out a pained cry Boom! Boom!! Boom!!!. He used his elbow to smack down on the Dragon¡¯s head several times, but the creature still lifted him up in the air and began shaking him around without mercy An incredible pain akin to his waist being snapped in half rushed up from below ¡°Kuwaahk!! Keuh-eeeeuhk!!¡±. Deciding that enough damage had been inflicted on its enemy, the Dragon Emperor threw Jin-Woo to the ground THUD!!. That was followed by another round of Breath of Destruction pouncing on him . When the conflagration-like Breath swept by, one of Jin-Woo¡¯s arms had vanished However, he didn¡¯t scream in pain . He just gritted his teeth . He instantly closed the distance and shoved his remaining hand deep into the Dragon Emperor¡¯s jaw Rip, riiiip!!. Along with the thick leather being torn apart, the Dragon Emperor¡¯s huge tongue was ripped out of his throat [Kuwaaaaahk!!]. Rather than blood, crimson lava exploded out from the torn wound of the creature¡¯s tongue The Dragon writhed in pure agony . Jin-Woo took this opportunity to punch the head of the creature . The lengthy maw was spun to the side as lava spilt in all directions The Dragon Emperor glared at Jin-Woo with its vertical-slit eyes and rammed into him with its horns The battle¡¯s flow see-sawed between the two over and over again BOOM-!!. Whenever the two collided, the ground quaked and the heavens screamed . Every plot of land being showered by the falling flames was scorched black; every square inch being struck by the black lightning bolts was ripped apart without mercy A desperate battle ensued From the sideline, Fangs witnessed the battle between two Sovereigns with dazed eyes At this grandiose yet frightening spectacle unfolding right before his eyes, the High Orc Shaman was left completely flabbergasted, unable to turn his head away nor close shut his slack jaw What if¡­. ¡­ . The Absolute Being created these beings in order to witness a fight of this magnitude? If that was the case, the High Orc Shadow Soldier thought that he might sort of understand the reasoning behind that decision Indeed, the battle between these two was no doubt a world-ending calamity but, at the same time, it was a spectacular once-in-a-lifetime event as well Tears slowly fell from the eyes of Fangs as he continued to take in the sight of two god-like beings colliding with everything they had The power of Destruction and the power of Death smashed into each other, writhed around, and shook the world to its very core Jin-Woo clenched his fist even harder Boom-!!. It was working It¡¯s working, it¡¯s working, it¡¯s definitely working!!. Each of his punches, issuing shock waves that tore apart the air every time he threw one, landed on their targets with scary accuracy Boom!! Bang!! Thud!! Kwahng!!. The Dragon Emperor struck out with its sharp claws, brushing past him and hitting the empty air WHOOOOSH-!!. Jin-Woo took a step back to evade the attack before pushing forward on his tiptoes to slam his shoulder against the Dragon and shoved it to the ground KA-BOOOOM!!!!. He then quickly mounted the toppled Dragon Emperor . What followed next was the continuous stream of vicious punches BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!!. Brutal attacks rained down from above, without a single break in-between BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!!!. Lightning bolts, sparks of flames, and the screams of air being torn endlessly reverberated throughout the land Unfortunately, it was clear to see that just one hand was not enough to land that one fatal blow He concentrated all of his Mana to the remaining hand, but as if he was stuck inside a dream, his strength continued to seep out of him the longer he continued on ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s expression hardened gradually Not too long afterwards, the Dragon Emperor also noticed the change taking place in Jin-Woo . Its clawed hand shot up to grab his fist Grab!. It happened too suddenly . Jin-Woo got flustered as he couldn¡¯t pull his fist back . Meanwhile, the Dragon Emperor addressed him [This is the difference between our experience level!]. Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes widened considerably ¡°Uwaaaahk!!¡±. The Dragon pierced into Jin-Woo¡¯s side with the claws on its remaining free hand and spat out its mocking words filled with laughter [Didn¡¯t you know that maintaining a large body wastes an unimaginable amount of stamina?]. After completely immobilising Jin-Woo, another round of horrifying energy began gathering and swirling inside the Dragon¡¯s maw . The Breath of Destruction was being readied to put an end to this battle ¡®This is the end¡­ . !¡¯. The Dragon Emperor was sure of its victory now However¡­ Just before the Breath was ready to fire, a new arm suddenly sprouted out from Jin-Woo¡¯s shoulder missing a limb ¡®He still had that much energy left?!¡¯. The Dragon was stunned but knew that it was still impossible for a different victor to emerge from this situation Soon, a blinding light formed inside the maw of the Dragon Emperor . It was then ¨C Jin-Woo shoved his newly-generated arm inside that maw ¡°Uwaaaaah-!!¡±. And then, he scrounged up every ounce of energy and concentrated it to his hand Wuuong-!!. Accompanying an incredible impact force, powerful blinding light blanketed the surroundings Eventually, the light receded and silence descended on the land *. Jin-Woo reverted back to his human form from the giant shadow . He lay sprawled on the ground and panted heavily ¡°Pant, pant, pant¡­ . ¡±. His entire body was burning up as if flames had scorched him . He was covered in wounds from head to toe . His current status was an utter mess He did his absolute best to control his heavy breathing while sucking in a lot of air . A short while later, he forced his fatigued body to slowly stand back up Just beyond the veil of thick fog kicked up from the explosion, someone was making its approach towards him . Jin-Woo could only marvel wryly as the Dragon Emperor, in its human form, revealed itself ¡®What a monster¡­ . ¡¯. The Dragon b*stard was not okay either, but compared to Jin-Woo¡¯s own condition, it was noticeably better off [You are a very tenacious b*stard, aren¡¯t you?]. ¡®That¡¯s my line . ¡¯. Too bad, Jin-Woo wanted to save the energy required to make that retort so he had to swallow back his opinion . Instead, he wordlessly summoned the pair of ¡®Kamish¡¯s Wraths¡¯ and held them tightly The Dragon Emperor also unsheathed its sword as well Shurung-!. Even though it no longer possessed enough strength to maintain its Spiritual Body Manifestation, the King of all Dragons still scrounged up every little bit of remaining energy in order to kill the human for good Jin-Woo, too, held his rough breathing back and gritted his teeth The Dragon Emperor arrived before him in just one step and swung its longsword at him . The pair of shortswords and one longsword clashed and clanged chaotically Every time sparks flew off from their clashing blades, sweat and blood sliding off their wielders¡¯ bodies rained down on the surroundings It was then Crack!. One of the Kamish¡¯s Wrath shattered after its edges had been badly damaged from attacking the Dragon Emperor¡¯s toughened steel-like scales earlier ¡®¡­ !!¡¯. He managed to tilt his body in time to let the longsword cutting down diagonally brush past him, but that resulted in him losing balance for a brief moment The Dragon Emperor didn¡¯t miss that opening . It thrust forward its weapon in the blink of an eye and penetrated Jin-Woo¡¯s midriff Stab!!. Even in the midst of the torrent of terrible pain, he gritted his teeth and swung the shortsword held in his other hand towards the neck of the Dragon Too bad, just before his blade could reach the Adam¡¯s apple belonging to the Dragon Emperor, the creature grabbed the weapon with its bare hand . The black aura wavering around the blade was blocked by the reddish-black aura of the Dragon A mocking grin floated up on the creature¡¯s face [Did you truly believe that the shortsword fashioned out of a Dragon¡¯s tooth can actually hurt this body of mine, the Dragon Emperor¡¯s?]. After declaring confidently as so, it pushed the hilt of the longsword with even more power . The weapon sunk deeper into Jin-Woo¡¯s midriff and he vomited out a mouthful of blood ¡°Keo-heok-!!¡±. The Dragon Emperor pushed Jin-Woo off with its foot and pulled the longsword back Jin-Woo ungainly rolled along the ground and barely managed to stop himself . Just before he could force his body up, the Dragon Emperor arrived right in front of him and pointed the tip of its blade at his throat ¡®¡­ ¡¯. His actions came to an abrupt halt at the weapon that was uncomfortably close to his vital point . The Dragon Emperor chuckled as it addressed him [Don¡¯t you find it funny?]. Not even once doubting that it¡¯d end up as the victory, the Dragon in human form looked down at the face of its helplessly cornered enemy [A battle between the flame born from the darkness and the darkness born from the light . However, this battle is finally drawing to its conclusion . ]. Jin-Woo readily agreed with the Dragon Emperor¡¯s assessment ¡°You¡¯re right . Its conclusion is around the corner . ¡±. [Oh-hoh . ]. The Dragon formed a half-puzzled and half-satisfied expression and scanned Jin-Woo¡¯s grievously-wounded body, before asking him a question [Have you decided to give up on the meaningless resistance now?]. It was then He seemed energyless and defeated, pretty much ready to give up, but in an instant, the light gleaming within Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes changed [¡­ . !!]. The Dragon Emperor urgently thrust the blade forward . To its great surprise, however, Jin-Woo unexpectedly pushed himself forward instead of dodging backwards The longsword brushed past his artery with barely a hair¡¯s width . The skin on his neck sliced off and blood spluttered out like a fountain, but it wasn¡¯t a fatal wound ¡®I can do this . ¡¯. By paying the price of a grievous wound, Jin-Woo got near the Dragon Emperor¡¯s vicinity . He then summoned his father¡¯s shortsword stored in his ¡®Inventory¡¯ The Dragon¡¯s eyes widened Even before the creature could decipher this new turn of events, Jin-Woo¡¯s shortsword stabbed deeply into his enemy¡¯s chest KWA-JEECK!!. The blade penetrated past the chest armour and stabbed the Dragon¡¯s heart [Kuwaaaaaah-!!!]. Not yet Not over yet!. Jin-Woo knew all too well that this much of an attack wasn¡¯t enough to kill a Sovereign . Even he himself was continuously fighting on with the types of injuries that would have killed any normal human being, after all Jin-Woo yanked the shortsword out and activated the skill ¡®Violent Slash¡¯ Dududududududududu-!!!. Countless attacks stabbed deeply into the Dragon Emperor¡¯s body One more time!!. Dudududududududu!!!. [You¡­ you b*stard¡­ . !!]. Shockingly enough, even though it was being subjected under the barrage of countless attacks, the Dragon Emperor still raised its sword up An earthquake erupted within Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes after seeing that The Dragon, inflicted with heavy injuries on its chest where various holes could be seen, began deflecting Jin-Woo¡¯s shortsword . The longer his skill was deployed, the faster the Dragon Emperor¡¯s speed became, as well This was the display of the might possessed by the strongest creature borne out of darkness for the sole purpose of destruction . Cold sweat drops formed on Jin-Woo¡¯s forehead as he was gradually pushed back in the one area he felt most confident in ¨C his speed [Khayahk!!]. The Dragon Emperor spat out a beastly howl and shoved Jin-Woo away . The force was so strong that he thought his wrist broke just now ¡®Keu-heuk!¡¯. By the time Jin-Woo regained his balance, the Dragon was already right before his eyes . Unlike before, though, the creature didn¡¯t repeat the same mistake of staying its sword The weapon penetrated past his Black Heart ¡°Keok!!¡±. Jin-Woo felt the burning pain shooting up from his chest . His breathing tightened and he couldn¡¯t even voice his pain anymore . All strength abandoned his legs and automatically, he knelt down on the ground Plop As if its anger hadn¡¯t been cooled down, the Dragon Emperor viciously roared out towards the sky Kuwaaaaaaaahhh-!!!. It transformed into a Dragonewt-like form that was halfway between a human and a Dragon¡¯s appearance before anyone noticed it, and extended its claws out in order to attack for one last time A growling-like voice leaked out of the Dragon¡¯s mouth [You b*stard, I shall rip you apart piece by piece and feed you to my Sky Dragons!]. If trying to show courtesy and give the Shadow Sovereign a death fitting for a king was a mistake on its part, then the Dragon Emperor would bestow a cruel and miserable death that would make up for that mistake many times over ¡®I shall show you what happens to the one daring to obstruct me, the King of all Dragons, at the end!¡¯. The Dragon Emperor raged on with such thoughts filling up its head . It bared its lengthy fangs and continued to roar on . But then¡­. ¡­ . Out of the blue, a loud chorus of vigorous warcry exploded forth from the heavens Waaaahhhh-!!. The Dragon Emperor raised his head . It was greeted by an unbelievable spectacle just then The army of the Rulers, the soldiers of the heavens were endlessly pouring out from a gigantic Gate that wasn¡¯t there before . Their flapping wings began filling up the gloomy, clouded sky with the colours of whitish silver ¡®Impossible¡­!!¡¯. The Dragon Emperor inwardly freaked out Without a doubt, there was no Gate when it arrived here . So, just from where did that Gate come from, and how could the soldiers of heaven enter this world so quickly?. One would need an incalculable amount of energy to open up a portal connecting this world to the other side . So how¡­ When its thoughts reached that far, the Dragon Emperor looked down with its trembling eyes at Jin-Woo on the ground, currently panting heavily on his knees [You b*stard¡­ . The reason why you attacked me with everything you had from the beginning was to¡­ . ?!]. It wasn¡¯t the difference in experience levels, but he had been working towards this end result from the very beginning? To call the allies from the other side by tearing the space up with the collision of two great sources of power?. Up until now, the Dragon Emperor had been guessing what Jin-Woo¡¯s scheme might be through its own world view . The reason for attracting the attention of the army of the Chaos World, the reason for bringing it to this desolate location¡­. The Dragon took that as the human not wanting their battle to be interrupted by outside factors . But as it turned out, the Shadow Sovereign had a different goal altogether Even then¡­. [Even then¡­ . You couldn¡¯t have any other way to communicate with the Rulers¡­ . ?]. The Dragon Emperor couldn¡¯t finish its sentence There was a way ¨C the vessels of the Rulers Weren¡¯t there still a few vessels, connected to the Rulers through the lending of their powers, left on this planet? And that was how the Fragments of Brilliant Light were able to prepare a Gate in this location [¡­ ]. The Dragon Emperor glared at Jin-Woo Just for that one-in-ten-thousand chance, he had chosen the method where even if he lost the fight, he¡¯d still win the war before starting this battle It was a complete defeat for the Dragon, who only focused on the fight in front of its eyes and nothing else Jin-Woo, barely managing to hold back the dizzying pain from all of his wounds, formed an energyless smile ¡°It was you, wasn¡¯t it?¡±. [¡­ ?]. ¡°It was you who told the Sovereigns of White Flames and Beastly Fangs to ambush the Shadow Sovereign from behind . ¡±. [¡­ . Did the Sovereign of White Flames run its mouth off?]. Rather than answering right away, Jin-Woo looked up at the sky filled with innumerable winged soldiers . He lowered his gaze back down to the Dragon Emperor a little later and formed a grin ¡°Osborne wanted me to pass along this message . ¡±. Jin-Woo slowly unfurled his middle finger . The Dragon Emperor exploded in pure rage just then [You b*stard!!]. The deadly-sharp claws rushed towards defenceless Jin-Woo kneeling down on the ground Too bad, those claws couldn¡¯t reach him, instead getting blocked off by six beautiful wings gently embracing Jin-Woo¡¯s figure The Dragon Emperor stopped its actions and withdrew its claws . It looked at the figure that blocked its attack and spat out a pained grunt [The most Brilliant Light¡­ . ]. The Dragon raised its head next From above, six angels, each with three pairs of wings, slowly descended all around the creature Indeed, the conclusion of this battle had been around the corner . The Dragon Emperor recalled that brief conversation he shared with Jin-Woo, and began forming a self-mocking smile [¡­ . This is the end . ]. Soon, the spears belonging to the Rulers penetrated the Dragon Emperor from all directions < Chapter 242 > Fin Chapter 243 The desperate and gruelling battle between the two Sovereigns also left its mark up in the sky, as well . Ash, scattered into the heavens from the aftermath of the fight, quietly fell like snowflakes . Jin-Woo watched the grey ash settling down on his shoulders one by one and lifted his head up . From the distance far away, somewhere above him ¨C the soldiers of the Rulers utterly blanketing the sky were moving to another location via countless Gates . The spectacle of tens of millions of soldiers all marching in unison according to their Rulers¡¯ bidding was truly an overwhelming spectacle to behold . Their aim was to completely eliminate the remaining forces of the Sovereigns . Now that not just the Dragon Emperor, but several other Sovereigns, had died, there was no chance in hell that the Army of the Chaos World would be able to survive . That was why the soldiers of the heavens were marching forward to announce the end of this war that had been going on for far too long . Jin-Woo felt his chest become numb for some reason while watching their deployment . While he was stewing in his emotions, the ¡®most Brilliant Light¡¯ finished giving commands to its soldiers and returned to where he was . A truly beautiful lifeform that no known expression in human language could adequately describe folded its proudly-unfurled six wings at once, after landing in front of Jin-Woo . Other Rulers also landed behind the ¡®most Brilliant Light¡¯ one by one . It studied Jin-Woo¡¯s current condition . At a casual glance, he seemed to be any other regular human being . ¡®However, this lone human managed to bring an end to the war between us and the Sovereigns . ¡¯ Who could have imagined such a thing? Who could have thought that the curtains on the eternal war, with seemingly no end in sight, as designed by the Absolute Being, would be closed by a weak existence in a world so far away? At the least, this angel had never imagined it . And that was why its initial surprise had morphed into pure respect for Jin-Woo¡¯s accomplishments . [You have ended our war . I do not know how to even properly express my gratitude . ] ¡°¡­¡± Jin-Woo wordlessly looked at the ash falling from the sky before shifting his gaze to look at the Brilliant Light . ¡°There¡¯s a favour I want to ask you, although it might come across as a bit too big for a gesture of saying thanks . ¡± [A favour¡­?] The Brilliant Light formed a slightly puzzled expression . The power of the Shadow Sovereign could very well be on the same level, no, maybe even greater than its own . However, such a being was asking for a favour? As if to lessen the confusion within the head of the Brilliant Light, Jin-Woo answered first before the obvious question could be asked . ¡°It¡¯s something only you can do . ¡± The angel with six wings nodded its head . [If it¡¯s within my power to make it happen, I pledge to aid you to my fullest . ] The Shadow Sovereign played an important role in killing the Dragon Emperor and the Rulers now owed him a large debt of gratitude that couldn¡¯t easily be repaid . There certainly was no excuse not to do fulfil his favour . However, a rather difficult favour came out from Jin-Woo¡¯s mouth . ¡°One more time¡­ . Can you use the ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯ one more time?¡± The Brilliant Light felt a shock akin to someone hitting it at the back of its head . Even the other Rulers standing behind it couldn¡¯t hide their astonishment . As their leader, the Brilliant Light simply had to confirm it again . [Did you ask me for the usage of the ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯, and to reverse time once more?] ¡°That¡¯s right . ¡± Jin-Woo nodded his head and explained himself . ¡°And after reversing the time flow, I¡¯d like you to not send anything to Earth . I shall kill the Sovereigns, and their armies, in the gap between the dimensions . ¡± The Brilliant Light was left flabbergasted by what Jin-Woo wanted to do after the time reversal and couldn¡¯t immediately say the words stuck in his mouth . ¡®Alone¡­ He wishes to fight this war all by himself?¡¯ Jin-Woo had heard the explanation on the ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯ from the former Shadow Sovereign . Even if the tool of God was used and time was reversed, the higher-beings such as Rulers and Sovereigns would keep their memories . In that case, since he had inherited the power of the Shadow Sovereign through becoming one with Osborne¡¯s ego, his current abilities wouldn¡¯t disappear . Jin-Woo was planning to take this power, as well as his memories, and willingly enter the gap between dimensions . [You wish to fight them all by yourself?!] The Brilliant Light spoke in a disbelieving voice . [But, why do you want to do that? We have used the ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯ many times before, but never did we achieve a result better than this . ] ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ Jin-Woo looked down at his father¡¯s shortsword and calmly made his reply . ¡°Far too many lives were lost during this battle . I just wish to bring them back, that¡¯s all . ¡± If it meant he could bring them back by reversing time itself, then Jin-Woo was fully prepared to fight the Sovereigns one more time . The Brilliant Light closed its eyes to give itself some time to think, and suddenly realised that it did empathise with Jin-Woo¡¯s answer . Regardless of what, though, reversing time remained a very dangerous action to take . [The ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯ is nearing its limit . In case you fail in your objective, it is likely that we won¡¯t be able to reverse the time itself . ] Those words implied that a future far more cruel and horrible might be in store for this world . Meaning, the current development might be the best end result for everyone . [If you wish for it, you could remain in the memories of everyone, forever, as a hero who has single-handedly stopped the invasion of the Sovereigns . But, instead¡­ . ] An all-too-easy to see sorrow suffused on the expression of the Brilliant Light . [The battle you wish to start will be remembered by none except yourself . If you are defeated, annihilation awaits . And even when you emerge victorious, no one will celebrate your accomplishments . ] The six-winged angel confirmed Jin-Woo decision for the last time . [Even then, do you still wish to turn back the time?] Before he answered, Jin-Woo quietly closed his eyes and thought of the important people in his life . The eyes of the Shadow Soldiers inserted into their shadows allowed him to see them in real time . His mom and young sister were holding each other¡¯s hands with worried faces, anxiously watching the news coming from Japan on their TV . Cha Hae-In had her eyes deeply closed as if she was ardently praying to someone . Meanwhile, the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol was also watching the news broadcast with tearful eyes . Jin-Woo felt their heartfelt emotions and a certain corner of his chest warmed up gradually . And when he opened his eyes, his mind was already made up . ¡°I¡¯m going back . ¡± ¡­ . To those people who still remained, and even to those who were no longer here . The faces of Association President Goh Gun-Hui, Adam White, and his father all brushed past his mind . Lots more people besides them were sacrificed in this war . Jin-Woo swore that no one else would be lost ever again . The Brilliant Light clearly saw his unwavering determination . [¡­ . . ] The reason why the Rulers went as far as to use the ¡®tool of God that should never be used¡¯ and save this world was because this planet was originally unrelated to their ongoing war . However, a denizen of this world and a hero who saved it came to a decision . He said that he¡¯d save not just a portion, but the entire world with his own powers . And that he¡¯d bear that burden all by himself . For a moment there, the angel thought the face of the former Shadow Sovereign had overlapped with that of Jin-Woo¡¯s just now . It was the face of its stubborn comrade that refused to step aside even though the soldiers of heavens completely blanketing the skies threatened him so he could protect its master, the Absolute Being . He might have been a scary enemy, but at the same time, the angel greatly respected him . ¡®¡­ . They resemble each other . ¡¯ A thin smile formed on the lips of the Brilliant Light after recalling Osborne¡¯s face . [I understand . I shall pray for your success . ] ¡°Hold on . ¡± Jin-Woo quickly asked a question . ¡°What will happen to my Shadow Soldiers that didn¡¯t exist in the past?¡± For instance, soldiers like Beru . Osborne¡¯s original soldiers would still remain within his shadow, sure, but what about others like Greed who was a human named ¡®Hwang Dong-Su¡¯ back ten years ago, or Beru, who didn¡¯t even exist back then? The Brilliant Light explained according to what it knew . [Those that ends up being overlapped with the time flow of the past will be erased, while those that don¡¯t will remain as they are . ] That meant that Beru would continue to exist, while Greed would disappear . He could now hear the soldiers crying out in sorrow from inside his shadow . Jin-Woo bade his goodbyes in his mind to those soldiers about to part ways with him and raised his head up with a smile . ¡°I¡¯m ready . ¡± The Brilliant Light summoned out the ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯ from subspace and nodded its head . [I pray that your courage will save your world one more time . ] * The blinding light enveloped the entire world . A small, easy-to-miss article about a middle school student who went missing after leaving behind a letter with the words ¡®I¡¯ve something to do¡¯ appeared on the corner of a certain local newspaper . And about two years later . The world became noisy for a brief moment after the middle school student who went missing suddenly came back home completely fine, as if everything had been a dream . But everything soon returned to its usual calmness, as it should . And then, time marched on, quietly . No incidents of Gates, monsters, or Hunters stepping forward to hunt those monsters ever happened again . *** Yu Jin-Ho found himself in the middle of a freshman welcoming party but his expression remained quite stiff . The enticing odour of pork belly strips sizzling on the grill coming from here and there tickled his nose, but thanks to how tense he felt, he just couldn¡¯t work up his appetite at all . But, how could this be? Although he was hiding his family background, for the time being, he still lived a life fitting for the last born son of a wealthy ¡®Chaebol¡¯ . For some reason, though, this diner specialising in the frozen pork belly didn¡¯t feel unfamiliar to him . ¡®But, how come?¡¯ Yu Jin-Ho tilted his head this way and that, leading one of his university seniors to lightly tap him on the shoulder . ¡°Hey, Jin-Ho? C¡¯mon, man . Loosen up, dude . Someone might think you¡¯re being led into a slaughterhouse or something . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho got flustered and his voice naturally rose higher . ¡°N-no, that¡¯s not it, Senior!¡± ¡°What I¡¯m saying here is, stop doing that for the time being, alright?¡± The senior guffawed mischievously but then, sneakily withdrew his laughter . ¡°Ahh, right . I think, you know, it¡¯ll be prudent to behave yourself in front of ¡®that¡¯ senior, just in case . We have this really scary senior in our faculty, you see . ¡± ¡°Heok . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s expression stiffened a lot worse now . ¡°You know, that kind of a guy? He doesn¡¯t just punish or discipline the juniors for no reason, but just by standing next to him, his incredible charisma is so¡­ . . ¡± If one were to talk about such a person, Yu Jin-Ho also knew someone like that pretty close by, too . He briefly recalled his father¡¯s face, often referred to as the CEO of Iron Blood, before roughly shaking his head in order to get rid of the distracting thoughts . Perhaps he was getting properly drunk now, the senior began talking enthusiastically about this mysterious and scary ¡®senior¡¯ all of a sudden . ¡°Hey, you know that athlete named Cha Hae-In?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ . Are you talking about Cha Hae-In who became really famous not too long ago as the idol of the athletics world?¡± ¡°Right, right . Her . That Cha Hae-In is the GF of our scary senior, you see? Aigoo, here he comes . ¡± The senior jumped up from his seat after seeing a certain man enter the diner and hurriedly bowed his waist . ¡°Senior-nim, thank you for coming!¡± ¡°Senior-nim!!¡± ¡°Senior-nim!¡± After seeing the polite, disciplined greetings of his seniors, Yu Jin-Ho realised that the drunk senior hadn¡¯t been exaggerating a thing until now . With the entrance of one single man, the atmosphere of the noisy, boisterous freshman welcoming party changed instantly . The useless nervousness he felt right now was good for nothing other than to make his dry saliva slide down his throat quite painfully . Gulp . The thing was, though ¨C an unlucky man would supposedly break his nose even when falling on his butt . Yu Jin-Ho couldn¡¯t even raise his head from all the fear he felt, but for some reason, that scary senior in question settled down on the spot right next to him . ¡®Ah¡­ . . Dear senior-nim, why did you have to choose the spot next to mine when there are so many available elsewhere?!¡¯ Yu Jin-Ho spat out a sigh deep inside his heart, his head still lowered in dejection, but then, that scary senior suddenly presented him with a glass filled with a clear liquid . ¡°Take a cup from me . ¡± To think, a glass of booze given to a freshman was not one of those tiny little soju cups but an actual glass cup?? Yu Jin-Ho thought that this action was as expected of a hardcore senior and cautiously took the offered cup, hoping to not make any mistakes here . ¡®I¡¯m actually not that good with alcohol, though¡­ . ¡¯ He squeezed his eyes shut real tightly and forced the liquid down his throat . But then, his eyes shot open wide in surprise and he ended up asking a question at this unexpected development . ¡°S-senior? Isn¡¯t this soda?¡± ¡°It is . ¡± That supposedly-scary senior was making an expression that was definitely not scary at all as he shook around a soda bottle . ¡°Why don¡¯t you and I drink this, instead?¡± For an unknown reason, the senior was forming the face of a person running into someone he really wanted to see after a long, long time of separation . ¡°Oh, and Jin-Ho? I¡¯m gonna feel really bad about myself if you keep calling me senior this and senior that, okay?¡± The senior filled the empty glass up with soda and spoke in a friendly tone of voice . ¡°From now on, call me ¡®hyung¡¯ . ¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°What, you don¡¯t want to?¡± The once-affectionate eyes of the scary senior suddenly changed to something far more serious . Yu Jin-Ho instinctively straightened his back and energetically shouted out his reply . ¡°N-no, I shall, hyung-nim!!¡± ¡®¡­Huh?¡¯ After involuntarily spitting out the words ¡®hyung-nim¡¯, Yu Jin-Ho suddenly grew puzzled by how they felt so familiar to his tongue . ¡®Besides¡­ Hang on, have I ever told the senior what my name is before?¡¯ He continued to tilt his head this way and that, and in the meantime, the senior lightly clinked their glasses . ¡°Cheers . ¡± For some reason, Yu Jin-Ho realised that grin on the senior¡¯s face was not unfamiliar at all; the corners of his eyes grew reddened with moisture as he energetically clinked his own cup with the senior¡¯s once more . ¡°Yes, cheers!!¡± *** Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s somewhat dissatisfied voice came out from the phone¡¯s speaker . ¨C ¡°Ah, hyung-nim? Why haven¡¯t you come to the faculty classroom yet?¡± Jin-Woo replied with a grin . ¡°I¡¯ve got a small errand to run today, you see . Ah, that¡¯s right . Hey, Jin-Ho?¡± ¨C ¡°Yes, hyung-nim?¡± ¡°There¡¯s this really important matter I gotta take care of first, so can you sub for me during the afternoon class? Thanks . ¡± ¨C ¡°Eh? Hyung-nim? Hyung-nim!!¡± Jin-Woo distanced his ear away from the voice desperately calling out to him and ended the call . Click . Jin-Woo raised his head and caught the name of the hospital written in large font right before his face . ¡®Seoul Il-Sin General Hospital . ¡¯ There was someone he had to meet staying in this place . He stopped walking for a bit to fix his attire . Then, just as he took a step towards the hospital, a rather familiar face brushed past him . He didn¡¯t mean to get noticed, but perhaps because his gaze had lingered on for a moment too long on her, she stopped and turned around to face him . ¡°¡­?¡± It was Ju-Hui . The rank B Healer who got scared often but still entered the Association and did her best so that the power given to her wouldn¡¯t be wasted . She used to be like that, but now, she was staring at Jin-Woo with the appearance of a regular university student . He ended up forming a gentle smile after realising just how well not being a Hunter suited her . Ju-Hui intensely studied Jin-Woo for a long time before she opened her mouth in a hesitant manner . ¡°Uhm, excuse me¡­? Have we met somewhere before?¡± The words of happy greeting rushed up all the way to the tip of his tongue . However, he chose to shake his head, instead . ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so . ¡± And then, turned around to leave without looking back . For a little while there, Ju-Hui tilted her head this way and that as she looked at Jin-Woo¡¯s departing back before she too continued on her path . He heard her distancing footsteps and formed a satisfied expression . He had protected her . He had protected the peaceful everyday lives . Whenever he ran into the evidence of peace created from his sacrifice, it felt as if he had reaped the benefits of all his hard work . That was why¡­ . ¡®That¡¯s enough for me . ¡¯ ¡­ . That was enough for him . Jin-Woo stood before the entrance of the hospital and took a look at his left palm with untreatable burned skin . He then slowly stepped inside the building . If someone asked him about this wound, he¡¯d always reply like this: That he got this injury while saving the world . *** When the doctor in charge walked into a hospital room, a certain patient lying on the bed gestured at him to come closer . ¡°Can you¡­ help me sit up, please?¡± The doctor hurriedly ran up to the bed and cautiously helped the upper torso of the patient lying on his back to sit up . ¡°Thank you . ¡± It was then, the doctor spotted a wooden bottle he had never seen before on top of a table next to the patient¡¯s bed . ¡°What is this, Chairman?¡± The gaunt patient, as thin as a desiccated tree, painfully coughed and wheezed before making his reply . ¡°A young man gave it to me just now . ¡± The doctor formed a flustered expression . This was a VIP patient¡¯s room in the hospital, which meant that there were two guards constantly manning the front entrance . No one could enter without express permission from the doctor himself . But just who managed to sneak in here to leave behind that bottle? ¡°It is a truly strange thing, indeed¡­ . However, what that young man told me was even more incredible . ¡± That young man told the tale of a time now long overwritten, when the patient used to battle ¡®monsters¡¯ alongside him . The young man continued on and said that he came to visit him with this gift as a thank you for everything that happened back then . ¡°And then, he just simply vanished . As if he was a mirage, as if he was never here, to begin with . ¡± If it weren¡¯t for the physical evidence, even the doctor in charge wouldn¡¯t have believed it . But there it was, the gift supposedly left behind by that young man . While the doctor stood there wondering how should he respond in a situation like this, the patient¡¯s trembling finger was now pointing at the wooden bottle . ¡°Give it¡­ to me . ¡± The doctor picked the bottle up and placed it in the patient¡¯s hand . The old man sitting up in the bed studied the bottle and chuckled . ¡°He said that, as long as I drink what¡¯s inside this thing, my disease will be completely cured as if being washed away . Huh-huh . ¡± ¡°C-Chairman . You can¡¯t possibly be believing in the words of a¡­ . . ¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired . ¡± The Chairman cut the doctor off . ¡°Let me ask you this one thing . Even if I don¡¯t drink this, how long do I have left anyway?¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± The doctor couldn¡¯t make his reply . Even now, the absolute best that modern medicine had to offer only barely managed to keep the patient breathing, that was all . At this point, one could even claim it a miracle that he was still alive . The ¡®Chairman¡¯ lightly tutted as the doctor was unable to say anything . ¡°If I drink this and things go wrong¡­ . I want you to write this down on my gravestone . Chairman Goh Gun-Hui, buried in this place, having never given up, and fought against his illness right until the end . ¡± ¡°Mister Chairman¡­ . ¡± As a doctor, he knew it was his duty to stop this, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do so when Chairman Goh Gun-Hui formed a determined expression on his face while opening the lid of the bottle . He then began drinking the liquid inside with some difficulty . Gulp, gulp . After making sure that every drop had entered his throat, Goh Gun-Hui began recalling the face of that young man who left this bottle behind . He recalled those eyes, specifically . Goh Gun-Hui felt that it was definitely worth it to trust a man with such a powerful pair of eyes . And then¡­ Once he finished drinking every drop of this medicine¡­ Ba-dump . Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump . His dying heart began pounding healthily once more . His heart¡­ was beating again . [Only I Level Up ¨C Fin . ] << Author¡¯s afterword >> Hello, everyone . It¡¯s Chugong speaking . Actually, after I wrote ¡®hello everyone¡¯, I¡¯ve been stuck deliberating on what to write next for almost ten minutes now . But, it¡¯s as expected . If the afterword at the novel¡¯s completion is a letter from the author, then as I thought, there can only be one thing I should say . Thank you . Thank you very much . I¡¯d like to thank you from the depths of my heart for following these lacking words of an untalented wordsmith, for liking and following them, and for waiting patiently as much as you liked them . We¡¯re at the end now . A few of you have expressed your worries that the end has come too abruptly, but honestly speaking, this conclusion had been planned from the very beginning . Things like Jin-Woo reversing time, Ju-Hui that made her appearance at the beginning of the novel appearing again at the end, or even him healing Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s illness, all of these . Although, I did add the reunion with Yu Jin-Ho a bit later on after writing the diner scene between Jin-Woo and him, thinking that it¡¯d be fun . And so, at the end of the almost-250-episode-long march, [Only I Level Up] has come to an end in this fashion . When I asked other authors on what they felt after ending their novels, they all said that it was a mixture of relief and sorrow, but why do I not feel any relief, just sadness? Even as I write this afterword, tears threaten to break out my eyes . I can¡¯t even act my age, it seems . I might be feeling sad for some reason, but truth be told, I¡¯m thinking of taking about a week off before coming to visit you again with a series of side stories . I pray that you will all remain unscathed until then! And since I¡¯m writing this afterword, I might as well burn some page real estate and take this opportunity to express my gratitude towards those who helped me to make [Only I Level Up] a success: my greatest partner, Goh Dong-Nahm Deputy Manager-nim, Lee Seok-Won Associate Editor-nim, who helped me in various ways, as well as Author Leltree, the rising star of our Unique Team . In all honesty, I thought it¡¯d be awkward to thank just two people so I added Author Lel as well, but after I did that, I was reminded of me whining to him over the phone whenever I got stuck in the writer¡¯s block and now I feel really apologetic about almost forgetting him . I¡¯m really sorry, Leltree! And so, I¡¯d like to announce once more the end of [Only I Level Up] created out of 10% whining, 39% hard work, and 50% love from all of you, dear readers . One more time, I¡¯d like to thank you from the bottom of my heart . Although it was quite tough during the writing of this novel, I still found the journey very enjoyable because of you, my readers, who chose to accompany me on this ride . I shall prepare even more thoroughly and come back to you better than ever before next time . Everyone, stay healthy, and farewell! ¨C Author Chugong, signing off . Sponsored Content Chapter 243: Chapter 243 The desperate and gruelling battle between the two Sovereigns also left its mark up in the sky, as well . Ash, scattered into the heavens from the aftermath of the fight, quietly fell like snowflakes Jin-Woo watched the grey ash settling down on his shoulders one by one and lifted his head up From the distance far away, somewhere above him ¨C the soldiers of the Rulers utterly blanketing the sky were moving to another location via countless Gates The spectacle of tens of millions of soldiers all marching in unison according to their Rulers¡¯ bidding was truly an overwhelming spectacle to behold Their aim was to completely eliminate the remaining forces of the Sovereigns . Now that not just the Dragon Emperor, but several other Sovereigns, had died, there was no chance in hell that the Army of the Chaos World would be able to survive That was why the soldiers of the heavens were marching forward to announce the end of this war that had been going on for far too long Jin-Woo felt his chest become numb for some reason while watching their deployment . While he was stewing in his emotions, the ¡®most Brilliant Light¡¯ finished giving commands to its soldiers and returned to where he was A truly beautiful lifeform that no known expression in human language could adequately describe folded its proudly-unfurled six wings at once, after landing in front of Jin-Woo . Other Rulers also landed behind the ¡®most Brilliant Light¡¯ one by one It studied Jin-Woo¡¯s current condition . At a casual glance, he seemed to be any other regular human being ¡®However, this lone human managed to bring an end to the war between us and the Sovereigns . ¡¯. Who could have imagined such a thing?. Who could have thought that the curtains on the eternal war, with seemingly no end in sight, as designed by the Absolute Being, would be closed by a weak existence in a world so far away?. At the least, this angel had never imagined it And that was why its initial surprise had morphed into pure respect for Jin-Woo¡¯s accomplishments [You have ended our war . I do not know how to even properly express my gratitude . ]. ¡°¡­¡±. Jin-Woo wordlessly looked at the ash falling from the sky before shifting his gaze to look at the Brilliant Light ¡°There¡¯s a favour I want to ask you, although it might come across as a bit too big for a gesture of saying thanks . ¡±. [A favour¡­?]. The Brilliant Light formed a slightly puzzled expression The power of the Shadow Sovereign could very well be on the same level, no, maybe even greater than its own . However, such a being was asking for a favour?. As if to lessen the confusion within the head of the Brilliant Light, Jin-Woo answered first before the obvious question could be asked ¡°It¡¯s something only you can do . ¡±. The angel with six wings nodded its head [If it¡¯s within my power to make it happen, I pledge to aid you to my fullest . ]. The Shadow Sovereign played an important role in killing the Dragon Emperor and the Rulers now owed him a large debt of gratitude that couldn¡¯t easily be repaid . There certainly was no excuse not to do fulfil his favour However, a rather difficult favour came out from Jin-Woo¡¯s mouth ¡°One more time¡­ . Can you use the ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯ one more time?¡±. The Brilliant Light felt a shock akin to someone hitting it at the back of its head . Even the other Rulers standing behind it couldn¡¯t hide their astonishment As their leader, the Brilliant Light simply had to confirm it again [Did you ask me for the usage of the ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯, and to reverse time once more?]. ¡°That¡¯s right . ¡±. Jin-Woo nodded his head and explained himself ¡°And after reversing the time flow, I¡¯d like you to not send anything to Earth . I shall kill the Sovereigns, and their armies, in the gap between the dimensions . ¡±. The Brilliant Light was left flabbergasted by what Jin-Woo wanted to do after the time reversal and couldn¡¯t immediately say the words stuck in his mouth ¡®Alone¡­ He wishes to fight this war all by himself?¡¯. Jin-Woo had heard the explanation on the ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯ from the former Shadow Sovereign Even if the tool of God was used and time was reversed, the higher-beings such as Rulers and Sovereigns would keep their memories . In that case, since he had inherited the power of the Shadow Sovereign through becoming one with Osborne¡¯s ego, his current abilities wouldn¡¯t disappear Jin-Woo was planning to take this power, as well as his memories, and willingly enter the gap between dimensions [You wish to fight them all by yourself?!]. The Brilliant Light spoke in a disbelieving voice [But, why do you want to do that? We have used the ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯ many times before, but never did we achieve a result better than this . ]. ¡®¡­ ¡¯. Jin-Woo looked down at his father¡¯s shortsword and calmly made his reply ¡°Far too many lives were lost during this battle . I just wish to bring them back, that¡¯s all . ¡±. If it meant he could bring them back by reversing time itself, then Jin-Woo was fully prepared to fight the Sovereigns one more time The Brilliant Light closed its eyes to give itself some time to think, and suddenly realised that it did empathise with Jin-Woo¡¯s answer . Regardless of what, though, reversing time remained a very dangerous action to take [The ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯ is nearing its limit . In case you fail in your objective, it is likely that we won¡¯t be able to reverse the time itself . ]. Those words implied that a future far more cruel and horrible might be in store for this world . Meaning, the current development might be the best end result for everyone [If you wish for it, you could remain in the memories of everyone, forever, as a hero who has single-handedly stopped the invasion of the Sovereigns . But, instead¡­ . ]. An all-too-easy to see sorrow suffused on the expression of the Brilliant Light [The battle you wish to start will be remembered by none except yourself . If you are defeated, annihilation awaits . And even when you emerge victorious, no one will celebrate your accomplishments . ]. The six-winged angel confirmed Jin-Woo decision for the last time [Even then, do you still wish to turn back the time?]. Before he answered, Jin-Woo quietly closed his eyes and thought of the important people in his life . The eyes of the Shadow Soldiers inserted into their shadows allowed him to see them in real time His mom and young sister were holding each other¡¯s hands with worried faces, anxiously watching the news coming from Japan on their TV Cha Hae-In had her eyes deeply closed as if she was ardently praying to someone . Meanwhile, the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol was also watching the news broadcast with tearful eyes Jin-Woo felt their heartfelt emotions and a certain corner of his chest warmed up gradually . And when he opened his eyes, his mind was already made up ¡°I¡¯m going back . ¡±. ¡­ . To those people who still remained, and even to those who were no longer here The faces of Association President Goh Gun-Hui, Adam White, and his father all brushed past his mind . Lots more people besides them were sacrificed in this war . Jin-Woo swore that no one else would be lost ever again The Brilliant Light clearly saw his unwavering determination [¡­ ]. The reason why the Rulers went as far as to use the ¡®tool of God that should never be used¡¯ and save this world was because this planet was originally unrelated to their ongoing war However, a denizen of this world and a hero who saved it came to a decision . He said that he¡¯d save not just a portion, but the entire world with his own powers And that he¡¯d bear that burden all by himself For a moment there, the angel thought the face of the former Shadow Sovereign had overlapped with that of Jin-Woo¡¯s just now It was the face of its stubborn comrade that refused to step aside even though the soldiers of heavens completely blanketing the skies threatened him so he could protect its master, the Absolute Being He might have been a scary enemy, but at the same time, the angel greatly respected him ¡®¡­ . They resemble each other . ¡¯. A thin smile formed on the lips of the Brilliant Light after recalling Osborne¡¯s face [I understand . I shall pray for your success . ]. ¡°Hold on . ¡±. Jin-Woo quickly asked a question ¡°What will happen to my Shadow Soldiers that didn¡¯t exist in the past?¡±. For instance, soldiers like Beru Osborne¡¯s original soldiers would still remain within his shadow, sure, but what about others like Greed who was a human named ¡®Hwang Dong-Su¡¯ back ten years ago, or Beru, who didn¡¯t even exist back then?. The Brilliant Light explained according to what it knew [Those that ends up being overlapped with the time flow of the past will be erased, while those that don¡¯t will remain as they are . ]. That meant that Beru would continue to exist, while Greed would disappear . He could now hear the soldiers crying out in sorrow from inside his shadow Jin-Woo bade his goodbyes in his mind to those soldiers about to part ways with him and raised his head up with a smile ¡°I¡¯m ready . ¡±. The Brilliant Light summoned out the ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯ from subspace and nodded its head [I pray that your courage will save your world one more time . ]. *. The blinding light enveloped the entire world A small, easy-to-miss article about a middle school student who went missing after leaving behind a letter with the words ¡®I¡¯ve something to do¡¯ appeared on the corner of a certain local newspaper And about two years later The world became noisy for a brief moment after the middle school student who went missing suddenly came back home completely fine, as if everything had been a dream . But everything soon returned to its usual calmness, as it should And then, time marched on, quietly No incidents of Gates, monsters, or Hunters stepping forward to hunt those monsters ever happened again ***. Yu Jin-Ho found himself in the middle of a freshman welcoming party but his expression remained quite stiff The enticing odour of pork belly strips sizzling on the grill coming from here and there tickled his nose, but thanks to how tense he felt, he just couldn¡¯t work up his appetite at all But, how could this be?. Although he was hiding his family background, for the time being, he still lived a life fitting for the last born son of a wealthy ¡®Chaebol¡¯ . For some reason, though, this diner specialising in the frozen pork belly didn¡¯t feel unfamiliar to him ¡®But, how come?¡¯. Yu Jin-Ho tilted his head this way and that, leading one of his university seniors to lightly tap him on the shoulder ¡°Hey, Jin-Ho? C¡¯mon, man . Loosen up, dude . Someone might think you¡¯re being led into a slaughterhouse or something . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho got flustered and his voice naturally rose higher ¡°N-no, that¡¯s not it, Senior!¡±. ¡°What I¡¯m saying here is, stop doing that for the time being, alright?¡±. The senior guffawed mischievously but then, sneakily withdrew his laughter ¡°Ahh, right . I think, you know, it¡¯ll be prudent to behave yourself in front of ¡®that¡¯ senior, just in case . We have this really scary senior in our faculty, you see . ¡±. ¡°Heok . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s expression stiffened a lot worse now ¡°You know, that kind of a guy? He doesn¡¯t just punish or discipline the juniors for no reason, but just by standing next to him, his incredible charisma is so¡­ ¡±. If one were to talk about such a person, Yu Jin-Ho also knew someone like that pretty close by, too He briefly recalled his father¡¯s face, often referred to as the CEO of Iron Blood, before roughly shaking his head in order to get rid of the distracting thoughts Perhaps he was getting properly drunk now, the senior began talking enthusiastically about this mysterious and scary ¡®senior¡¯ all of a sudden ¡°Hey, you know that athlete named Cha Hae-In?¡±. ¡°Uhm¡­ . Are you talking about Cha Hae-In who became really famous not too long ago as the idol of the athletics world?¡±. ¡°Right, right . Her . That Cha Hae-In is the GF of our scary senior, you see? Aigoo, here he comes . ¡±. The senior jumped up from his seat after seeing a certain man enter the diner and hurriedly bowed his waist ¡°Senior-nim, thank you for coming!¡±. ¡°Senior-nim!!¡±. ¡°Senior-nim!¡±. After seeing the polite, disciplined greetings of his seniors, Yu Jin-Ho realised that the drunk senior hadn¡¯t been exaggerating a thing until now . With the entrance of one single man, the atmosphere of the noisy, boisterous freshman welcoming party changed instantly The useless nervousness he felt right now was good for nothing other than to make his dry saliva slide down his throat quite painfully Gulp The thing was, though ¨C an unlucky man would supposedly break his nose even when falling on his butt . Yu Jin-Ho couldn¡¯t even raise his head from all the fear he felt, but for some reason, that scary senior in question settled down on the spot right next to him ¡®Ah¡­ Dear senior-nim, why did you have to choose the spot next to mine when there are so many available elsewhere?!¡¯. Yu Jin-Ho spat out a sigh deep inside his heart, his head still lowered in dejection, but then, that scary senior suddenly presented him with a glass filled with a clear liquid ¡°Take a cup from me . ¡±. To think, a glass of booze given to a freshman was not one of those tiny little soju cups but an actual glass cup??. Yu Jin-Ho thought that this action was as expected of a hardcore senior and cautiously took the offered cup, hoping to not make any mistakes here ¡®I¡¯m actually not that good with alcohol, though¡­ . ¡¯. He squeezed his eyes shut real tightly and forced the liquid down his throat . But then, his eyes shot open wide in surprise and he ended up asking a question at this unexpected development ¡°S-senior? Isn¡¯t this soda?¡±. ¡°It is . ¡±. That supposedly-scary senior was making an expression that was definitely not scary at all as he shook around a soda bottle ¡°Why don¡¯t you and I drink this, instead?¡±. For an unknown reason, the senior was forming the face of a person running into someone he really wanted to see after a long, long time of separation ¡°Oh, and Jin-Ho? I¡¯m gonna feel really bad about myself if you keep calling me senior this and senior that, okay?¡±. The senior filled the empty glass up with soda and spoke in a friendly tone of voice ¡°From now on, call me ¡®hyung¡¯ . ¡±. ¡°Eh?¡±. ¡°What, you don¡¯t want to?¡±. The once-affectionate eyes of the scary senior suddenly changed to something far more serious . Yu Jin-Ho instinctively straightened his back and energetically shouted out his reply ¡°N-no, I shall, hyung-nim!!¡±. ¡®¡­Huh?¡¯. After involuntarily spitting out the words ¡®hyung-nim¡¯, Yu Jin-Ho suddenly grew puzzled by how they felt so familiar to his tongue ¡®Besides¡­ Hang on, have I ever told the senior what my name is before?¡¯. He continued to tilt his head this way and that, and in the meantime, the senior lightly clinked their glasses ¡°Cheers . ¡±. For some reason, Yu Jin-Ho realised that grin on the senior¡¯s face was not unfamiliar at all; the corners of his eyes grew reddened with moisture as he energetically clinked his own cup with the senior¡¯s once more ¡°Yes, cheers!!¡±. ***. Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s somewhat dissatisfied voice came out from the phone¡¯s speaker ¨C ¡°Ah, hyung-nim? Why haven¡¯t you come to the faculty classroom yet?¡±. Jin-Woo replied with a grin ¡°I¡¯ve got a small errand to run today, you see . Ah, that¡¯s right . Hey, Jin-Ho?¡±. ¨C ¡°Yes, hyung-nim?¡±. ¡°There¡¯s this really important matter I gotta take care of first, so can you sub for me during the afternoon class? Thanks . ¡±. ¨C ¡°Eh? Hyung-nim? Hyung-nim!!¡±. Jin-Woo distanced his ear away from the voice desperately calling out to him and ended the call Click Jin-Woo raised his head and caught the name of the hospital written in large font right before his face ¡®Seoul Il-Sin General Hospital . ¡¯. There was someone he had to meet staying in this place He stopped walking for a bit to fix his attire . Then, just as he took a step towards the hospital, a rather familiar face brushed past him He didn¡¯t mean to get noticed, but perhaps because his gaze had lingered on for a moment too long on her, she stopped and turned around to face him ¡°¡­?¡±. It was Ju-Hui The rank B Healer who got scared often but still entered the Association and did her best so that the power given to her wouldn¡¯t be wasted She used to be like that, but now, she was staring at Jin-Woo with the appearance of a regular university student . He ended up forming a gentle smile after realising just how well not being a Hunter suited her Ju-Hui intensely studied Jin-Woo for a long time before she opened her mouth in a hesitant manner ¡°Uhm, excuse me¡­? Have we met somewhere before?¡±. The words of happy greeting rushed up all the way to the tip of his tongue . However, he chose to shake his head, instead ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so . ¡±. And then, turned around to leave without looking back For a little while there, Ju-Hui tilted her head this way and that as she looked at Jin-Woo¡¯s departing back before she too continued on her path . He heard her distancing footsteps and formed a satisfied expression He had protected her He had protected the peaceful everyday lives Whenever he ran into the evidence of peace created from his sacrifice, it felt as if he had reaped the benefits of all his hard work That was why¡­ ¡®That¡¯s enough for me . ¡¯. ¡­ . That was enough for him Jin-Woo stood before the entrance of the hospital and took a look at his left palm with untreatable burned skin . He then slowly stepped inside the building If someone asked him about this wound, he¡¯d always reply like this:. That he got this injury while saving the world ***. When the doctor in charge walked into a hospital room, a certain patient lying on the bed gestured at him to come closer ¡°Can you¡­ help me sit up, please?¡±. The doctor hurriedly ran up to the bed and cautiously helped the upper torso of the patient lying on his back to sit up ¡°Thank you . ¡±. It was then, the doctor spotted a wooden bottle he had never seen before on top of a table next to the patient¡¯s bed ¡°What is this, Chairman?¡±. The gaunt patient, as thin as a desiccated tree, painfully coughed and wheezed before making his reply ¡°A young man gave it to me just now . ¡±. The doctor formed a flustered expression This was a VIP patient¡¯s room in the hospital, which meant that there were two guards constantly manning the front entrance . No one could enter without express permission from the doctor himself But just who managed to sneak in here to leave behind that bottle?. ¡°It is a truly strange thing, indeed¡­ . However, what that young man told me was even more incredible . ¡±. That young man told the tale of a time now long overwritten, when the patient used to battle ¡®monsters¡¯ alongside him . The young man continued on and said that he came to visit him with this gift as a thank you for everything that happened back then ¡°And then, he just simply vanished . As if he was a mirage, as if he was never here, to begin with . ¡±. If it weren¡¯t for the physical evidence, even the doctor in charge wouldn¡¯t have believed it . But there it was, the gift supposedly left behind by that young man While the doctor stood there wondering how should he respond in a situation like this, the patient¡¯s trembling finger was now pointing at the wooden bottle ¡°Give it¡­ to me . ¡±. The doctor picked the bottle up and placed it in the patient¡¯s hand . The old man sitting up in the bed studied the bottle and chuckled ¡°He said that, as long as I drink what¡¯s inside this thing, my disease will be completely cured as if being washed away . Huh-huh . ¡±. ¡°C-Chairman . You can¡¯t possibly be believing in the words of a¡­ ¡±. ¡°I¡¯m tired . ¡±. The Chairman cut the doctor off ¡°Let me ask you this one thing . Even if I don¡¯t drink this, how long do I have left anyway?¡±. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. The doctor couldn¡¯t make his reply Even now, the absolute best that modern medicine had to offer only barely managed to keep the patient breathing, that was all At this point, one could even claim it a miracle that he was still alive The ¡®Chairman¡¯ lightly tutted as the doctor was unable to say anything ¡°If I drink this and things go wrong¡­ . I want you to write this down on my gravestone . Chairman Goh Gun-Hui, buried in this place, having never given up, and fought against his illness right until the end . ¡±. ¡°Mister Chairman¡­ . ¡±. As a doctor, he knew it was his duty to stop this, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do so when Chairman Goh Gun-Hui formed a determined expression on his face while opening the lid of the bottle He then began drinking the liquid inside with some difficulty Gulp, gulp After making sure that every drop had entered his throat, Goh Gun-Hui began recalling the face of that young man who left this bottle behind . He recalled those eyes, specifically Goh Gun-Hui felt that it was definitely worth it to trust a man with such a powerful pair of eyes And then¡­. Once he finished drinking every drop of this medicine¡­. Ba-dump Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump His dying heart began pounding healthily once more His heart¡­ was beating again [Only I Level Up ¨C Fin . ]. << Author¡¯s afterword >>. Hello, everyone . It¡¯s Chugong speaking Actually, after I wrote ¡®hello everyone¡¯, I¡¯ve been stuck deliberating on what to write next for almost ten minutes now . But, it¡¯s as expected If the afterword at the novel¡¯s completion is a letter from the author, then as I thought, there can only be one thing I should say Thank you Thank you very much I¡¯d like to thank you from the depths of my heart for following these lacking words of an untalented wordsmith, for liking and following them, and for waiting patiently as much as you liked them We¡¯re at the end now A few of you have expressed your worries that the end has come too abruptly, but honestly speaking, this conclusion had been planned from the very beginning Things like Jin-Woo reversing time, Ju-Hui that made her appearance at the beginning of the novel appearing again at the end, or even him healing Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s illness, all of these Although, I did add the reunion with Yu Jin-Ho a bit later on after writing the diner scene between Jin-Woo and him, thinking that it¡¯d be fun And so, at the end of the almost-250-episode-long march, [Only I Level Up] has come to an end in this fashion When I asked other authors on what they felt after ending their novels, they all said that it was a mixture of relief and sorrow, but why do I not feel any relief, just sadness?. Even as I write this afterword, tears threaten to break out my eyes I can¡¯t even act my age, it seems I might be feeling sad for some reason, but truth be told, I¡¯m thinking of taking about a week off before coming to visit you again with a series of side stories I pray that you will all remain unscathed until then!. And since I¡¯m writing this afterword, I might as well burn some page real estate and take this opportunity to express my gratitude towards those who helped me to make [Only I Level Up] a success: my greatest partner, Goh Dong-Nahm Deputy Manager-nim, Lee Seok-Won Associate Editor-nim, who helped me in various ways, as well as Author Leltree, the rising star of our Unique Team In all honesty, I thought it¡¯d be awkward to thank just two people so I added Author Lel as well, but after I did that, I was reminded of me whining to him over the phone whenever I got stuck in the writer¡¯s block and now I feel really apologetic about almost forgetting him I¡¯m really sorry, Leltree!. And so, I¡¯d like to announce once more the end of [Only I Level Up] created out of 10% whining, 39% hard work, and 50% love from all of you, dear readers One more time, I¡¯d like to thank you from the bottom of my heart Although it was quite tough during the writing of this novel, I still found the journey very enjoyable because of you, my readers, who chose to accompany me on this ride I shall prepare even more thoroughly and come back to you better than ever before next time Everyone, stay healthy, and farewell!. ¨C Author Chugong, signing off Chapter 244 Side Story 1 1 . I am an employee of the Hunter¡¯s Association . When you¡¯re taking a stroll on a street, ask this question to any student you run into . Ask them what kind of job they would like to have in the future . A hundred times out of a hundred, you¡¯d get one of these three answers . One, a famous Hunter; two, a staff member of a major Guild; and three, an employee of the Hunter¡¯s Association . If a kid you talked to was a bit slow in the head, he or she would end up wasting each day wishing to become a famous Hunter . A kid smarter than the above example would want to get a job in a major Guild that paid you according to one¡¯s abilities . The smartest cookies of the lot would choose to become an employee of the Hunter¡¯s Association, where one would still get paid as much as the large Guilds while being treated as a quasi-government official which lessened the danger of getting unceremoniously fired from the job . Me? I was a smart cookie . A very smart one, to boot . And perhaps that was why when I announced my intentions to join the Hunter¡¯s Association, both Mom and Dad were saddened somewhat, which was a bit different than how other parents would have reacted . Dad wanted me to become a prosecutor, and Mom preferred to see me become a doctor . Of course, as the only son in the family, it wasn¡¯t as if I didn¡¯t know my parents¡¯ wishes of seeing me follow after their career choices . However, I too had my own dream . And that dream played a big part in me choosing to become an employee of the Hunter¡¯s Association . ¨C Why do you wish to become a member of the Hunter¡¯s Association? Those words were thrown my way by none other than the Chairman of the Association, Goh Gun-Hui, as I sat in the interview room with a stiff-as-rock face . I was busy scolding myself for messing up almost all of the questions asked by the interviewers because of how nervous I had been . But, when I heard that question piercing into my brain and waking me up in an instant¡­ . The light shining in my eyes changed . At least, I remembered replying to that question with a determined look flashing up on my face . ¨C Even now, Hunter-nims are risking their lives to protect innocent civilians in many parts of our nation . In that case¡­ . Where are those people who risk their lives for the sake of Hunter-nims? My voice rose up while saying that I wanted to become a member of the Association and stand on the side of those people that protected Hunters . Was I mistaken back then when the still-nervous me heard the soft gasps of ¡°Wow¡± coming from my side and to my front? But, one thing¡¯s for sure ¨C I distinctly remembered seeing a nearly-imperceptible smile on the face of Association Chairman Goh Gun-Hui as the corners of his lips arched up slightly . That was how I became an employee of the Hunter¡¯s Association, a job that others would certainly die for . Putting my parents¡¯ slightly lonely farewells behind me, I set off from the hometown that I grew to love and came to Seoul, where the HQ of South Korea¡¯s Association was located . I felt totally over-the-moon because I¡¯d successfully taken my first step in fulfilling my dream of becoming a member of the Association that protected Hunters . I even had this vague expectation clouding my mind, wondering if everything was going the way I wanted them to . Unfortunately for me, though, my beautiful image regarding the Association was shattered into a million little pieces on the first day of work . My thoughts of something still remaining that only I could do for the sake of Hunters was completely wrong . It had already been over nine years since the Awakened, Gates, and monsters began appearing in this world . The society had already entered a period of stability after experiencing many failures as well as countless trials and errors . And as a newbie member of the Association who had taken his first baby-steps in said society, there was not a snowball¡¯s chance in hell that I could have my say in it . Since my initial goal was to help Hunters out, I was assigned to the ¡®Support¡¯ department accordingly, but what waited for me there were all sorts of unrewarding miscellaneous tasks . And that was me being kind here . In reality, it was no different than taking care of the mess left behind by the Hunters affiliated with the Association . ¨C What¡¯s this? I heard that Hunters in the area next to ours get a cup of coffee or snacks before going on raids, so how come we don¡¯t get any? ¨C There¡¯s this thing I urgently need to take care of, so can you give me an advance on this month¡¯s wages? ¨C If I participate in today¡¯s raid, there¡¯s no one to bring my child home, so can you do me this favour for me, please? Indeed, it was always something like this . Even if it was low-ranked Gates worth not much money, someone still had to deal with it . But, the number of Hunters were limited, so their needs and wants had to be met no matter what . In an unlucky chance that someone lodged a claim against Hunters, a pretty awful day would wait for me, but if the Hunter with a claim against him suddenly decided to leave the Association, then¡­ . As I ran around all over the place trying to put out all these fires, I grew disillusioned at the reality that was just too different from my imagination, and as I become more and more fatigued, I also became used to my situation, as well . And so¡­ on a certain day . As I was listlessly spending time, a phone call came at my way . Ringggg¡­ . Ringggg¡­ . I spat out a long, long sigh while looking at the phone ringing off the hook, and wondered just which dear Hunter-nim was calling me this diligently to lay out his or her complaints . I reached out and picked up the receiver . As soon as the plastic touched my ear, a seriously agitated voice exploded forth from the speaker . ¨C ¡°I told you people never to send Mister Seong to my location, yet why didn¡¯t you listen to my requests?!¡± I had no idea what this guy was talking about, but first things first ¨C which was to apologise . ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry, Hunter-nim . There must¡¯ve been an error during the formation of the raid team . Can you please tell me what happened in detail?¡± ¨C ¡°What the heck, my man . Forget about details or whatnot . I told you my team don¡¯t want to be responsible for a corpse, you know? You keep pushing this weak guy who gets injured from falling over on our team claiming that he¡¯s still a Hunter . How do you expect us to take care of the aftermath if something happens?! You guys do this again, and I¡¯m just gonna quit right there and then, got that?!¡± The call was one-sidedly cut off there . I put the receiver down while repeatedly recalling the spelling of the word ¡®patience¡¯ in my head, and then, began collecting data on the Hunter the person on the phone spoke about before any sort of claims could be lodged . Just like how varied the reasons were for demanding one¡¯s raid party member to be changed ¨C such as disagreement over the leader¡¯s decision, they didn¡¯t like each other, or didn¡¯t fight as well as one hoped, etc ¨C such requests were made quite often so I never really paid much attention to the specifics until now . But then¡­ ¡®Mister Seong¡­ . Mister Seong¡­ . His name is Jin-Woo, right?¡¯ I saw the record of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo and soon realised that something had gone really wrong here . ¡®Huh¡­ . ??¡¯ His rank was only ¡®E¡¯ . As for the amount of magical energy he possessed, it was right at the bottom of the rank E, too . ¡®Hey, his magic energy emission is no different from a regular person¡¯s, isn¡¯t it??¡¯ As expected, his record was full of all the instances where he ended up getting injured . ¡°Oh, my god . ¡± I closed his file in stunned amazement, my heart wildly pounding away . This¡­ This was definitely wrong . If I pretended that I didn¡¯t see his story and move on here, he¡¯d really die not too long from now . It was at this point when I recalled the declaration I made back in the interview room . Hunters risked their lives for the regular citizens, but who risked their lives for the sake of these Hunters? My head nodded all by itself . For the first time ever since I started working for the Hunter¡¯s Association during this past year or so, I finally found what I needed to do . *** The first thing I did was to seek out a senior officer . Unfortunately, neither my immediate superior officer, or the officer above him, or even the person above that guy, wanted to get involved in a matter that could potentially prove to be too much trouble for what it¡¯s worth . Eventually, I had to seek out the Chief of the ¡®Support¡¯ Department . ¡°Sir, this is a matter concerning a person¡¯s life . It¡¯s not going to get solved by itself when we continue avoiding reality like this . ¡± Chief was forming an expression of a deeply concerned man after seeing the junior agent suddenly transform from a well-behaved kid who worked hard without complaints to the current me . However, I didn¡¯t stop voicing the things that needed to be said out loud . ¡°What if that Hunter dies during a raid, sir? What will we say to his surviving family members then?¡± ¡°Uh-huh, you shouldn¡¯t say anything so unlucky¡­ . ¡± ¡°That¡¯s how much Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s life is in danger, sir . Please, take a look . This is his hospital admittance record . It¡¯s already a miracle that he managed to survive until now . ¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± For a while there, Chief wordlessly scanned the data I brought along before raising his head . ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that we need to do something as the Association and stop Mister Seong Jin-Woo acting as a Hunter, is that it?¡± ¡°Yes sir, that¡¯s correct . ¡± Because he¡¯d definitely die in the end if he continued to act as a Hunter . ¡°Fella, I hope you¡¯re aware of this Hunter¡¯s backstory while telling me all this . ¡± I nodded my head . His mother was currently admitted to the intensive care unit . I knew that she¡¯d not survive for another day without the aid of the life-support machines . And I also knew that he worked for the Association in order to receive financial support for the hospital fees . ¡°But, sir . Patients struck with the Eternal Sleep Disorder will never wake up . Surely, we can¡¯t let a living person march to his grave for the sake of a dead person, don¡¯t you agree?¡± Even now, countless people were dying because of the illness, the Eternal Sleep Disorder . It was indeed a regretful thing, but we just couldn¡¯t continue to drive him into death traps over and over again for his mother¡¯s life . We needed to save him, at the least . Even though Chief did his best to dissuade me and change my mind, I didn¡¯t back down from my decision . In the end, Chief had to nod his head . ¡°Alright, fine . ¡± My expression brightened quickly, only for the Chief to add a stipulation first . ¡°Except that you will personally be responsible for changing Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s mind . If he willingly decides to stop, then we shall do so . ¡± I had already made up my mind about that . Indeed, I¡¯ve never even entertained the idea of forcibly kicking him away without his consent, to begin with . Even though I was facing perhaps the most difficult hurdle¡­ ¡°I understand . ¡± ¡­ . I still nodded head at the Chief, my expression full of determination . *** Seriously now, have I ever been so committed to something to this degree in my life before? I was preparing so much data that I ended up asking myself that question . This wasn¡¯t to make a grand announcement in front of higher-ups nor to pass a difficult examination . No, it was just to persuade one single Hunter named Seong Jin-Woo . ¡®He¡¯s twenty-three years old¡­ he¡¯s younger than me by six years . ¡¯ Thanks to my meticulous preparation, I felt reasonably confident of my chances today . Well, I had in possession plenty of evidence and records of him driving himself towards the jaws of death, more than enough to chide him for his reckless actions . I was planning to go through each and every one of these records to argue my case why he should stop being a Hunter . I was even prepared to lecture him that one needed to value one¡¯s life as much as one valued the life of his mother . Clink . The door of this cafe opened and a face that I only saw through the file photos stepped into the establishment . When I saw him in person, though, I froze up solid on the spot . He scanned the cafe¡¯s interior before spotting me . He cautiously settled down on the seat opposite mine . ¡°H-hello, there . ¡± He greeted me first . I couldn¡¯t say a single thing I¡¯ve been preparing in my head, though . *** ¡°It¡¯s not as if we haven¡¯t tried to do the same thing . ¡± Chief pushed forward a shot glass filled with soju and I swallowed it one go, my expression scrounging up afterwards . Whether it was because of the bitter taste of the booze, or maybe my heart felt heavy, I didn¡¯t know why my expression refused to loosen up . ¡°Even then¡­ . Sir, still, this isn¡¯t right, you know? That was just wrong, sir . He¡¯s a young kid, only 23 years old, so his eyes shouldn¡¯t look like that . ¡± I honestly thought that, at the very least, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would show up to the meeting place with an expression filled with unfounded confidence, believing that he¡¯d always survive no matter what, or with a look of a scared person searching for someone, anyone, to help stop him . And I felt confident of persuading him regardless of where his mental state was in . However, Seong Jin-Woo was different . He seemed to have completely acknowledged the predicament he was stuck in . There was this thin smile on his face implying that, although he was shivering away in fear, he somehow barely managed to overcome it . So, how could I push someone¡¯s back towards a corner, to the precipice of a cliff, when that person had barely managed to overcome his fear? I just couldn¡¯t do that . And also, I came to realise that I shouldn¡¯t bad-mouth my superior officers just because they failed to do something that I, too, had failed to do . Chief didn¡¯t say anything while filling up the shot glass, but then he quietly asked me a question . ¡°Fella . Why did you join the Hunter¡¯s Association?¡± ¡°I¡­ . ¡± That moment when I began thinking about helping Hunters out for the first time ¨C my head dropped a little and recalled the events of that fateful day . ¡°When I was young, I saw a certain news broadcast, sir . It was about a Hunter who ended up being trapped inside a Gate while trying to save his comrades from getting stuck like him . ¡± I recalled seeing the grounds of a theme park, a place where people were supposed to smile and have a good time, now filled with Hunters soaked in blood from head to toe as they lay there helplessly while moaning in pain . Back then, I became really curious . ¨C Those folks saved other people while bleeding heavily like that, but who is saving them now? My parents couldn¡¯t answer my question, and that was when I made up mind . If no one could help them, then I shall be the one to do so . I shall do everything in my power to make sure that Hunters don¡¯t get injured or die . ¡°But now, even I became the same as the rest, sir . ¡± I failed to become that source of support, strength, to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo who was facing a deadly crisis in his life . There was nothing I could do for him . I scolded my uselessness with such thoughts . Meanwhile, Chief studied me for a moment or two before putting down his shot glass . ¡°What if you still have something you can do?¡± ¡°Pardon me?¡± I raised my head up . Chief reached into his bag and pulled out a file containing information on a high-ranking Awakened . He then placed it before me . ¡°You see, there are people who Awakened as a high rank but due to not being interested in monetary gains, they chose not to become Hunters . ¡± ¡°¡­ . ??¡± ¡°How about helping the Hunters affiliated with the Association by persuading these folks to join us?¡± My mind snapped awake from that and I looked down at the file . ¡°Rank B Healer Hunter Yi Ju-Hui¡­ . ¡± An upper-rank Healer! If someone like her joined the Association, then surely, she¡¯d be able to save people from dying or suffering from heavy injuries . Even a weak Hunter should be able to fight to his heart¡¯s content without being worried about his safety . For a moment there, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s face I saw earlier brushed past my mind . My eyes were sparkling brightly, causing the Chief to gently chuckle and speak up . ¡°So, how about it? Are you interested?¡± I stopped staring at the file and nodded my head energetically . ¡°Yes, sir . I am!!¡± < Chapter 244 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 244: Chapter 244 Side Story 1. 1 . I am an employee of the Hunter¡¯s Association When you¡¯re taking a stroll on a street, ask this question to any student you run into . Ask them what kind of job they would like to have in the future A hundred times out of a hundred, you¡¯d get one of these three answers One, a famous Hunter; two, a staff member of a major Guild; and three, an employee of the Hunter¡¯s Association If a kid you talked to was a bit slow in the head, he or she would end up wasting each day wishing to become a famous Hunter A kid smarter than the above example would want to get a job in a major Guild that paid you according to one¡¯s abilities The smartest cookies of the lot would choose to become an employee of the Hunter¡¯s Association, where one would still get paid as much as the large Guilds while being treated as a quasi-government official which lessened the danger of getting unceremoniously fired from the job Me? I was a smart cookie A very smart one, to boot And perhaps that was why when I announced my intentions to join the Hunter¡¯s Association, both Mom and Dad were saddened somewhat, which was a bit different than how other parents would have reacted Dad wanted me to become a prosecutor, and Mom preferred to see me become a doctor . Of course, as the only son in the family, it wasn¡¯t as if I didn¡¯t know my parents¡¯ wishes of seeing me follow after their career choices However, I too had my own dream . And that dream played a big part in me choosing to become an employee of the Hunter¡¯s Association ¨C Why do you wish to become a member of the Hunter¡¯s Association?. Those words were thrown my way by none other than the Chairman of the Association, Goh Gun-Hui, as I sat in the interview room with a stiff-as-rock face I was busy scolding myself for messing up almost all of the questions asked by the interviewers because of how nervous I had been . But, when I heard that question piercing into my brain and waking me up in an instant¡­ The light shining in my eyes changed At least, I remembered replying to that question with a determined look flashing up on my face ¨C Even now, Hunter-nims are risking their lives to protect innocent civilians in many parts of our nation . In that case¡­ . Where are those people who risk their lives for the sake of Hunter-nims?. My voice rose up while saying that I wanted to become a member of the Association and stand on the side of those people that protected Hunters Was I mistaken back then when the still-nervous me heard the soft gasps of ¡°Wow¡± coming from my side and to my front?. But, one thing¡¯s for sure ¨C I distinctly remembered seeing a nearly-imperceptible smile on the face of Association Chairman Goh Gun-Hui as the corners of his lips arched up slightly That was how I became an employee of the Hunter¡¯s Association, a job that others would certainly die for . Putting my parents¡¯ slightly lonely farewells behind me, I set off from the hometown that I grew to love and came to Seoul, where the HQ of South Korea¡¯s Association was located I felt totally over-the-moon because I¡¯d successfully taken my first step in fulfilling my dream of becoming a member of the Association that protected Hunters I even had this vague expectation clouding my mind, wondering if everything was going the way I wanted them to Unfortunately for me, though, my beautiful image regarding the Association was shattered into a million little pieces on the first day of work . My thoughts of something still remaining that only I could do for the sake of Hunters was completely wrong It had already been over nine years since the Awakened, Gates, and monsters began appearing in this world The society had already entered a period of stability after experiencing many failures as well as countless trials and errors . And as a newbie member of the Association who had taken his first baby-steps in said society, there was not a snowball¡¯s chance in hell that I could have my say in it Since my initial goal was to help Hunters out, I was assigned to the ¡®Support¡¯ department accordingly, but what waited for me there were all sorts of unrewarding miscellaneous tasks And that was me being kind here . In reality, it was no different than taking care of the mess left behind by the Hunters affiliated with the Association ¨C What¡¯s this? I heard that Hunters in the area next to ours get a cup of coffee or snacks before going on raids, so how come we don¡¯t get any?. ¨C There¡¯s this thing I urgently need to take care of, so can you give me an advance on this month¡¯s wages?. ¨C If I participate in today¡¯s raid, there¡¯s no one to bring my child home, so can you do me this favour for me, please?. Indeed, it was always something like this Even if it was low-ranked Gates worth not much money, someone still had to deal with it . But, the number of Hunters were limited, so their needs and wants had to be met no matter what In an unlucky chance that someone lodged a claim against Hunters, a pretty awful day would wait for me, but if the Hunter with a claim against him suddenly decided to leave the Association, then¡­ As I ran around all over the place trying to put out all these fires, I grew disillusioned at the reality that was just too different from my imagination, and as I become more and more fatigued, I also became used to my situation, as well And so¡­ on a certain day As I was listlessly spending time, a phone call came at my way Ringggg¡­ . Ringggg¡­ I spat out a long, long sigh while looking at the phone ringing off the hook, and wondered just which dear Hunter-nim was calling me this diligently to lay out his or her complaints . I reached out and picked up the receiver As soon as the plastic touched my ear, a seriously agitated voice exploded forth from the speaker ¨C ¡°I told you people never to send Mister Seong to my location, yet why didn¡¯t you listen to my requests?!¡±. I had no idea what this guy was talking about, but first things first ¨C which was to apologise ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry, Hunter-nim . There must¡¯ve been an error during the formation of the raid team . Can you please tell me what happened in detail?¡±. ¨C ¡°What the heck, my man . Forget about details or whatnot . I told you my team don¡¯t want to be responsible for a corpse, you know? You keep pushing this weak guy who gets injured from falling over on our team claiming that he¡¯s still a Hunter . How do you expect us to take care of the aftermath if something happens?! You guys do this again, and I¡¯m just gonna quit right there and then, got that?!¡±. The call was one-sidedly cut off there I put the receiver down while repeatedly recalling the spelling of the word ¡®patience¡¯ in my head, and then, began collecting data on the Hunter the person on the phone spoke about before any sort of claims could be lodged Just like how varied the reasons were for demanding one¡¯s raid party member to be changed ¨C such as disagreement over the leader¡¯s decision, they didn¡¯t like each other, or didn¡¯t fight as well as one hoped, etc ¨C such requests were made quite often so I never really paid much attention to the specifics until now But then¡­. ¡®Mister Seong¡­ . Mister Seong¡­ . His name is Jin-Woo, right?¡¯. I saw the record of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo and soon realised that something had gone really wrong here ¡®Huh¡­ . ??¡¯. His rank was only ¡®E¡¯ . As for the amount of magical energy he possessed, it was right at the bottom of the rank E, too ¡®Hey, his magic energy emission is no different from a regular person¡¯s, isn¡¯t it??¡¯. As expected, his record was full of all the instances where he ended up getting injured ¡°Oh, my god . ¡±. I closed his file in stunned amazement, my heart wildly pounding away This¡­ This was definitely wrong If I pretended that I didn¡¯t see his story and move on here, he¡¯d really die not too long from now It was at this point when I recalled the declaration I made back in the interview room Hunters risked their lives for the regular citizens, but who risked their lives for the sake of these Hunters?. My head nodded all by itself For the first time ever since I started working for the Hunter¡¯s Association during this past year or so, I finally found what I needed to do ***. The first thing I did was to seek out a senior officer Unfortunately, neither my immediate superior officer, or the officer above him, or even the person above that guy, wanted to get involved in a matter that could potentially prove to be too much trouble for what it¡¯s worth Eventually, I had to seek out the Chief of the ¡®Support¡¯ Department ¡°Sir, this is a matter concerning a person¡¯s life . It¡¯s not going to get solved by itself when we continue avoiding reality like this . ¡±. Chief was forming an expression of a deeply concerned man after seeing the junior agent suddenly transform from a well-behaved kid who worked hard without complaints to the current me However, I didn¡¯t stop voicing the things that needed to be said out loud ¡°What if that Hunter dies during a raid, sir? What will we say to his surviving family members then?¡±. ¡°Uh-huh, you shouldn¡¯t say anything so unlucky¡­ . ¡±. ¡°That¡¯s how much Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s life is in danger, sir . Please, take a look . This is his hospital admittance record . It¡¯s already a miracle that he managed to survive until now . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. For a while there, Chief wordlessly scanned the data I brought along before raising his head ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that we need to do something as the Association and stop Mister Seong Jin-Woo acting as a Hunter, is that it?¡±. ¡°Yes sir, that¡¯s correct . ¡±. Because he¡¯d definitely die in the end if he continued to act as a Hunter ¡°Fella, I hope you¡¯re aware of this Hunter¡¯s backstory while telling me all this . ¡±. I nodded my head His mother was currently admitted to the intensive care unit . I knew that she¡¯d not survive for another day without the aid of the life-support machines And I also knew that he worked for the Association in order to receive financial support for the hospital fees ¡°But, sir . Patients struck with the Eternal Sleep Disorder will never wake up . Surely, we can¡¯t let a living person march to his grave for the sake of a dead person, don¡¯t you agree?¡±. Even now, countless people were dying because of the illness, the Eternal Sleep Disorder It was indeed a regretful thing, but we just couldn¡¯t continue to drive him into death traps over and over again for his mother¡¯s life . We needed to save him, at the least Even though Chief did his best to dissuade me and change my mind, I didn¡¯t back down from my decision In the end, Chief had to nod his head ¡°Alright, fine . ¡±. My expression brightened quickly, only for the Chief to add a stipulation first ¡°Except that you will personally be responsible for changing Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s mind . If he willingly decides to stop, then we shall do so . ¡±. I had already made up my mind about that . Indeed, I¡¯ve never even entertained the idea of forcibly kicking him away without his consent, to begin with Even though I was facing perhaps the most difficult hurdle¡­. ¡°I understand . ¡±. ¡­ . I still nodded head at the Chief, my expression full of determination ***. Seriously now, have I ever been so committed to something to this degree in my life before? I was preparing so much data that I ended up asking myself that question This wasn¡¯t to make a grand announcement in front of higher-ups nor to pass a difficult examination . No, it was just to persuade one single Hunter named Seong Jin-Woo ¡®He¡¯s twenty-three years old¡­ he¡¯s younger than me by six years . ¡¯. Thanks to my meticulous preparation, I felt reasonably confident of my chances today . Well, I had in possession plenty of evidence and records of him driving himself towards the jaws of death, more than enough to chide him for his reckless actions I was planning to go through each and every one of these records to argue my case why he should stop being a Hunter . I was even prepared to lecture him that one needed to value one¡¯s life as much as one valued the life of his mother Clink The door of this cafe opened and a face that I only saw through the file photos stepped into the establishment . When I saw him in person, though, I froze up solid on the spot He scanned the cafe¡¯s interior before spotting me . He cautiously settled down on the seat opposite mine ¡°H-hello, there . ¡±. He greeted me first . I couldn¡¯t say a single thing I¡¯ve been preparing in my head, though ***. ¡°It¡¯s not as if we haven¡¯t tried to do the same thing . ¡±. Chief pushed forward a shot glass filled with soju and I swallowed it one go, my expression scrounging up afterwards Whether it was because of the bitter taste of the booze, or maybe my heart felt heavy, I didn¡¯t know why my expression refused to loosen up ¡°Even then¡­ . Sir, still, this isn¡¯t right, you know? That was just wrong, sir . He¡¯s a young kid, only 23 years old, so his eyes shouldn¡¯t look like that . ¡±. I honestly thought that, at the very least, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would show up to the meeting place with an expression filled with unfounded confidence, believing that he¡¯d always survive no matter what, or with a look of a scared person searching for someone, anyone, to help stop him And I felt confident of persuading him regardless of where his mental state was in However, Seong Jin-Woo was different . He seemed to have completely acknowledged the predicament he was stuck in There was this thin smile on his face implying that, although he was shivering away in fear, he somehow barely managed to overcome it So, how could I push someone¡¯s back towards a corner, to the precipice of a cliff, when that person had barely managed to overcome his fear?. I just couldn¡¯t do that And also, I came to realise that I shouldn¡¯t bad-mouth my superior officers just because they failed to do something that I, too, had failed to do Chief didn¡¯t say anything while filling up the shot glass, but then he quietly asked me a question ¡°Fella . Why did you join the Hunter¡¯s Association?¡±. ¡°I¡­ . ¡±. That moment when I began thinking about helping Hunters out for the first time ¨C my head dropped a little and recalled the events of that fateful day ¡°When I was young, I saw a certain news broadcast, sir . It was about a Hunter who ended up being trapped inside a Gate while trying to save his comrades from getting stuck like him . ¡±. I recalled seeing the grounds of a theme park, a place where people were supposed to smile and have a good time, now filled with Hunters soaked in blood from head to toe as they lay there helplessly while moaning in pain Back then, I became really curious ¨C Those folks saved other people while bleeding heavily like that, but who is saving them now?. My parents couldn¡¯t answer my question, and that was when I made up mind . If no one could help them, then I shall be the one to do so I shall do everything in my power to make sure that Hunters don¡¯t get injured or die ¡°But now, even I became the same as the rest, sir . ¡±. I failed to become that source of support, strength, to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo who was facing a deadly crisis in his life There was nothing I could do for him I scolded my uselessness with such thoughts . Meanwhile, Chief studied me for a moment or two before putting down his shot glass ¡°What if you still have something you can do?¡±. ¡°Pardon me?¡±. I raised my head up Chief reached into his bag and pulled out a file containing information on a high-ranking Awakened . He then placed it before me ¡°You see, there are people who Awakened as a high rank but due to not being interested in monetary gains, they chose not to become Hunters . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . ??¡±. ¡°How about helping the Hunters affiliated with the Association by persuading these folks to join us?¡±. My mind snapped awake from that and I looked down at the file ¡°Rank B Healer Hunter Yi Ju-Hui¡­ . ¡±. An upper-rank Healer!. If someone like her joined the Association, then surely, she¡¯d be able to save people from dying or suffering from heavy injuries . Even a weak Hunter should be able to fight to his heart¡¯s content without being worried about his safety For a moment there, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡¯s face I saw earlier brushed past my mind . My eyes were sparkling brightly, causing the Chief to gently chuckle and speak up ¡°So, how about it? Are you interested?¡±. I stopped staring at the file and nodded my head energetically ¡°Yes, sir . I am!!¡±. < Chapter 244 > Fin Chapter 245 Side Story 2 2 . Reunion (1) Ash continued to fall from the sky like snowflakes . Jin-Woo bade farewell to his Shadow Soldiers as their time to part drew near, and without a shred of hesitation, turned around to face the leader of the Rulers . ¡°I¡¯m ready . ¡± The ¡®Brightest Fragment of Brilliant Light¡¯ summoned out a stunningly beautiful chalice, its expression slightly sorrowful . Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes shone with interest when he saw that artefact . ¡®So, that¡¯s the Tool of God that can turn back time, the Chalice of Rebirth¡­ . ¡¯ Gulp . Dry saliva slid down his throat all by itself right after he realised that the moment when everything was over and would begin anew had arrived . Jin-Woo¡¯s face was filled with tension . Seeing him like this, the Fragment of Brilliant Light asked him one more time . [Truly¡­ will you not regret this decision?] It had spent aeons fighting against Sovereigns and knew better than anyone how heavy the burden a war of this magnitude imposed on one¡¯s soul was . Meaning, it understood full well the weight of that burden this Shadow Sovereign was about to bear all by himself . The second Shadow Sovereign, Jin-Woo, nodded his head . He won the first battle . The second battle should be that much easier . He had to ensure that would be the case . He formed an expression half-filled with grim determination and confidence . The Brilliant Light also nodded its head . This man¡¯s drive to save all those lost in this war ¨C how could this angel not know his determination when it too raised a flag of rebellion against its master, the Absolute Being, all for the sake of countless subordinates that died during the course of this everlasting war? [I pray that your courage will save your world one more time . ] The Fragment of Brilliant Light made a heartfelt prayer and flipped the Chalice of Rebirth around . When it did, light filling up the Chalice poured down onto the ground, gently and gradually soaking it . The most blinding veil of light slowly began enveloping the whole world . Everyone ¨C injured soldiers waiting in the battlefields, their families learning of their fate through TV, those praying for the safety of their loved ones, those with pale complexions after hearing ominous news broadcasts, those dropping their heads lower in despair¡­ . In their houses, inside their cars, inside hospitals, inside schools, inside their workplaces¡­ . Everyone saw the blinding light gently permeating through their windows . Eventually, the whole planet became awash with pure light . And then, the light silently blanketing the whole world, quietly dissipated and disappeared without a trace, just like when it first appeared . *** Morning . Past the closed eyelids, the rays of morning sun signalling the start of yet another day could be felt . Jin-Woo kept his eyes closed for the time being and while lying on his back, stroked the familiar material of the bed sheet . Although he wasn¡¯t fully awake yet, his perception that had far surpassed the boundaries of a human being could pick up on the unfolding situation of his immediate vicinity with ease . ¡®Jin-Ah is coming out of the bathroom after washing up, the smell of the boiling stew, sounds coming from the cutting board, and then, the air in my room with this familiar smell¡­ . ¡¯ This was his home . He had returned back home . Jin-Woo¡¯s heartbeat began quickening bit by bit from the realisation . He then heard his mom¡¯s voice through the closed door . ¡°Jin-Ah? Can you go and wake your brother up?¡± That¡¯s right . His little sister Jin-Ah really liked sleeping, as befitting a growing girl of her age, but oddly enough, she always woke up early in the morning . And almost always, Mom would ask her to go and wake her oppa up every day like this . ¡°Okay!¡± After realising that the memories of the childhood he dreamed of reliving were now playing out so vividly in front of his eyes, a wide grin quickly floated up on Jin-Woo¡¯s face . Clunk . ¡°Oppaaaa¡­¡± Before his sister could fully open the door, he slowly pushed himself up from the bed . ¡°Uhh? When did you wake up?¡± She stared at his already-awake figure with wide-open eyes, and Jin-Woo formed a deep smile as his reply . In front of his eyes stood Jin-Ah, who hadn¡¯t lost her friends to the monsters yet . Jin-Woo stood up from the bed and walked past his sister to enter the living room . ¡°Son? You¡¯re up?¡± Mom stopped preparing breakfast and looked behind her after hearing his footsteps . From today onwards, he¡¯d never get to see the sight of her trying her hardest to escape from the clutches of the Eternal Sleep that no one could wake up from . But, the most welcoming scene that he really wanted to see again was¡­ Jin-Woo heard the sounds of a newspaper page turning and quickly shifted his gaze towards the dining table . His father, waiting for breakfast to arrive by quietly reading the newspaper, felt his gaze and raised his head . The moment their gazes met, Jin-Woo felt this rush of breathless emotion . ¡°Father¡­ . ¡± He muttered the word ¡®father¡¯ out unbeknownst even to himself . Seong Il-Hwan formed a puzzled expression after hearing his son use a rather grown-up word when the boy always used the term ¡®Dad¡¯ up until now . Did his boy wake up after experiencing a scary dream? The young Jin-Woo now looked to be struggling to suppress his tears, so the alarmed Seong Il-Hwan quickly got up from his chair and approached his son . ¡°Son? What¡¯s the matter?¡± The voice of his dad, now coming from right in front of Jin-Woo¡¯s nose . He could still vividly remember that feeling of his father scattering away like dust from his grasp, so this moment came across like a dream come true . However, this was not a dream . No, it¡¯s THE reality that he needed to protect, no matter what . Tears of happiness briefly welled up in his eyes, but soon enough, they were replaced by the gritty determination, instead . Both his mom and dad were studying him with worried expressions on their faces . Jin-Woo forcibly changed his own expression and formed a grin . ¡°¡­ . I must¡¯ve had a nightmare . ¡± Indeed . His nightmare was over . The nightmare was over, and his young sister, his healthy mother, and his father, who hadn¡¯t vanished, were all here . He was given one last chance to make everything right . And he swore never to let this chance slip through his fingers . He¡¯d rewrite the future with his own two hands . His eyes gleamed brightly as his resolve firmed up even further . *** It felt like only a couple of days ago when he told himself that, but¡­ ¡­ . A week flew by already . Jin-Woo failed to grasp the right timing to enter the gap between dimensions until now . He rested his chin on his hand and dazedly stared outside his classroom¡¯s window . Beru began talking to him from his shadow . [Oh, my king¡­ . ] ¡®Yeah, I know . ¡¯ Indeed, he knew . He knew that the Sovereigns desiring after this land were getting ready to deploy a gigantic Gate just beyond the blue sky above his head . However, these last few days had been like a holiday for him, someone who had ended a big fight not too long ago . For a little while longer¡­ . Wouldn¡¯t it be fine for him to fully enjoy these peaceful times for a little bit longer? Especially as a reward for his hard work so far . ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ As he spent his time worrying about this and that, the much-welcomed sound rang around the classroom . Ding-dong¡­ . Ding-dong¡­ . The bells signalling the end of school noisily resounded out from the speakers . Kids all looked to be slowly wasting away until then, but renewed vitality suddenly seeped into their expressions . Going with the flow, Jin-Woo formed a bright expression as well . Even if the inside was a young man aged twenty-four, no, twenty-five, his outer appearance was that of a child only fourteen years old or so . The after-class goodbyes with the homeroom teacher came to a quick end in a heightened, noisy, and boisterous atmosphere . Soon, though, schoolboys sporting buzz cut hairstyles quickly crowded around Jin-Woo . ¡°Hey, Jin-Woo!¡± ¡°You¡¯re stopping by at the internet cafe today, right?¡± Jin-Woo checked out the excited faces of the kids and grinned softly before nodding his head . ¡°Oww yeah!¡± ¡°Hey, hey! Jin-Woo¡¯s playing for our team today!¡± ¡°What? What¡¯re you on about?! He played for your team yesterday already . ¡± ¡°But, we also took in Jong-Shik too, you know . And he¡¯s the worst player here . ¡± ¡°Ah, ah, fine . We¡¯ll take Jong-Shik and Min-Pyo too, so Jin-Woo is on our team . ¡± ¡°Let¡¯s decide with rock-paper-scissors!¡± ¡°Deal!¡± Around this time period in the classrooms of the nation¡¯s middle schools saw the boom in the RTS video game genre . Jin-Woo¡¯s stunning reflexes and perception were more than enough to show these kids a whole new world out there . For the middle school boys, top skills in a video game meant that you were the most popular kid in school . Just about every kid out there competed hard to be in the same team as Jin-Woo . The matches of rock-paper-scissors were supposed to be decided on the best out of three but soon morphed into best out of five . Meanwhile, middle school girls, clearly not interested in the matters of video games, stared at the boys intensely competing in the warfare to steal Jin-Woo away with eyes reserved for looking at helpless idiots and left the classroom . Also, right by the rear door of the classroom, there was this kid who kept stealing glances in the direction of the crowd while he belatedly packed his school bag . He liked playing the video game like everyone else, but was no good in making friends . Such kids could only look on with envy at the rest of their classmates going around in groups like that . Smirk . Jin-Woo quietly smirked to himself . He began noticing things that he wasn¡¯t conscious of before as a kid one by one . Was it because he was an adult now? Or, because of his perception that had exceeded the norms of humanity? Even in this cramped space of the classroom, so, so many emotions swirled around and collided against one another to form a small world of its own . In the meantime¡­ ¡°Wow-!¡± Kids who finally found themselves in Jin-Woo¡¯s team exclaimed out loudly without a shred of embarrassment . Jin-Woo inwardly clicked his tongue . ¡®This is why girls are looking at you like that¡­ . ¡¯ The victors of the rock-paper-scissors battlefield left behind the dejected kids and hurriedly crowded around Jin-Woo once more . ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go, Jin-Woo!¡± Before he did that, though, he pointed to the back of the classroom . ¡°Hey, I want to form a team with him . ¡± ¡°Uh?¡± In the direction the boys turned their heads to, there was only that lone kid packing up his bag in silence . He flinched from surprise after realising that everyone was looking at him, his eyes growing larger in panic . ¡°Uh¡­ . ? Me?¡± Jin-Woo replied back . ¡°Yup, you . ¡± At that moment, he found countless traces of agonising dilemma flit in and out of the boy¡¯s expression . He just smirked again and asked . ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You don¡¯t wanna?¡± ¡°N-no¡­ . . ¡± The boy was now forming a shy but happy smile . Seeing that he was successful in his mission, Jin-Woo picked up his bag and spoke up . ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go . ¡± The boy quickly picked up his bag and nodded his head . ¡°Y-yeah!¡± Jin-Woo grinned brightly again . For a little bit longer . This feeling ¨C just for a little bit longer . ¡®If these moments that I¡¯m living my life aren¡¯t harming anyone, let me enjoy them at least for another day . Let me stay for a bit longer¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s steps taking him outside the classroom alongside his friends were cheery and light, but at the same time, also incomparably heavy as well . The sun leaning against the mountain behind the school was already dyeing the sky amber . Jin-Woo came to a stop for a moment there and looked up at the heavens above, prompting his friends to call out to him . ¡°Hey, Jin-Woo? What are you doing?¡± ¡°Our spots in the internet cafe will get taken over at this rate!¡± ¡®These guys, trying to hurry me and all¡­ . ¡¯ ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯m coming . ¡± Jin-Woo caught up to the rest of his friends walking a step ahead . They were noisily chatting about their famous victories soon to be written in history with voices full of anticipation . Jin-Woo didn¡¯t really need to enter the conversations to sense their excitement and hear their throbbing heartbeats . And so¡­ . Under the skies dyeing in the colours of vivid copper, Jin-Woo walked on these streets with friends he met again after what felt like an eternity . He walked with a wide smile still etched on his face . < Chapter 245 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 245: Chapter 245 Side Story 2. 2 . Reunion (1). Ash continued to fall from the sky like snowflakes Jin-Woo bade farewell to his Shadow Soldiers as their time to part drew near, and without a shred of hesitation, turned around to face the leader of the Rulers ¡°I¡¯m ready . ¡±. The ¡®Brightest Fragment of Brilliant Light¡¯ summoned out a stunningly beautiful chalice, its expression slightly sorrowful . Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes shone with interest when he saw that artefact ¡®So, that¡¯s the Tool of God that can turn back time, the Chalice of Rebirth¡­ . ¡¯. Gulp Dry saliva slid down his throat all by itself right after he realised that the moment when everything was over and would begin anew had arrived . Jin-Woo¡¯s face was filled with tension . Seeing him like this, the Fragment of Brilliant Light asked him one more time [Truly¡­ will you not regret this decision?]. It had spent aeons fighting against Sovereigns and knew better than anyone how heavy the burden a war of this magnitude imposed on one¡¯s soul was . Meaning, it understood full well the weight of that burden this Shadow Sovereign was about to bear all by himself The second Shadow Sovereign, Jin-Woo, nodded his head He won the first battle . The second battle should be that much easier . He had to ensure that would be the case He formed an expression half-filled with grim determination and confidence . The Brilliant Light also nodded its head This man¡¯s drive to save all those lost in this war ¨C how could this angel not know his determination when it too raised a flag of rebellion against its master, the Absolute Being, all for the sake of countless subordinates that died during the course of this everlasting war?. [I pray that your courage will save your world one more time . ]. The Fragment of Brilliant Light made a heartfelt prayer and flipped the Chalice of Rebirth around . When it did, light filling up the Chalice poured down onto the ground, gently and gradually soaking it The most blinding veil of light slowly began enveloping the whole world Everyone ¨C injured soldiers waiting in the battlefields, their families learning of their fate through TV, those praying for the safety of their loved ones, those with pale complexions after hearing ominous news broadcasts, those dropping their heads lower in despair¡­ In their houses, inside their cars, inside hospitals, inside schools, inside their workplaces¡­ Everyone saw the blinding light gently permeating through their windows Eventually, the whole planet became awash with pure light And then, the light silently blanketing the whole world, quietly dissipated and disappeared without a trace, just like when it first appeared ***. Morning Past the closed eyelids, the rays of morning sun signalling the start of yet another day could be felt . Jin-Woo kept his eyes closed for the time being and while lying on his back, stroked the familiar material of the bed sheet Although he wasn¡¯t fully awake yet, his perception that had far surpassed the boundaries of a human being could pick up on the unfolding situation of his immediate vicinity with ease ¡®Jin-Ah is coming out of the bathroom after washing up, the smell of the boiling stew, sounds coming from the cutting board, and then, the air in my room with this familiar smell¡­ . ¡¯. This was his home He had returned back home Jin-Woo¡¯s heartbeat began quickening bit by bit from the realisation . He then heard his mom¡¯s voice through the closed door ¡°Jin-Ah? Can you go and wake your brother up?¡±. That¡¯s right His little sister Jin-Ah really liked sleeping, as befitting a growing girl of her age, but oddly enough, she always woke up early in the morning . And almost always, Mom would ask her to go and wake her oppa up every day like this ¡°Okay!¡±. After realising that the memories of the childhood he dreamed of reliving were now playing out so vividly in front of his eyes, a wide grin quickly floated up on Jin-Woo¡¯s face Clunk ¡°Oppaaaa¡­¡±. Before his sister could fully open the door, he slowly pushed himself up from the bed ¡°Uhh? When did you wake up?¡±. She stared at his already-awake figure with wide-open eyes, and Jin-Woo formed a deep smile as his reply . In front of his eyes stood Jin-Ah, who hadn¡¯t lost her friends to the monsters yet Jin-Woo stood up from the bed and walked past his sister to enter the living room ¡°Son? You¡¯re up?¡±. Mom stopped preparing breakfast and looked behind her after hearing his footsteps . From today onwards, he¡¯d never get to see the sight of her trying her hardest to escape from the clutches of the Eternal Sleep that no one could wake up from But, the most welcoming scene that he really wanted to see again was¡­. Jin-Woo heard the sounds of a newspaper page turning and quickly shifted his gaze towards the dining table . His father, waiting for breakfast to arrive by quietly reading the newspaper, felt his gaze and raised his head The moment their gazes met, Jin-Woo felt this rush of breathless emotion ¡°Father¡­ . ¡±. He muttered the word ¡®father¡¯ out unbeknownst even to himself Seong Il-Hwan formed a puzzled expression after hearing his son use a rather grown-up word when the boy always used the term ¡®Dad¡¯ up until now Did his boy wake up after experiencing a scary dream?. The young Jin-Woo now looked to be struggling to suppress his tears, so the alarmed Seong Il-Hwan quickly got up from his chair and approached his son ¡°Son? What¡¯s the matter?¡±. The voice of his dad, now coming from right in front of Jin-Woo¡¯s nose . He could still vividly remember that feeling of his father scattering away like dust from his grasp, so this moment came across like a dream come true However, this was not a dream . No, it¡¯s THE reality that he needed to protect, no matter what . Tears of happiness briefly welled up in his eyes, but soon enough, they were replaced by the gritty determination, instead Both his mom and dad were studying him with worried expressions on their faces . Jin-Woo forcibly changed his own expression and formed a grin ¡°¡­ . I must¡¯ve had a nightmare . ¡±. Indeed His nightmare was over The nightmare was over, and his young sister, his healthy mother, and his father, who hadn¡¯t vanished, were all here He was given one last chance to make everything right . And he swore never to let this chance slip through his fingers . He¡¯d rewrite the future with his own two hands His eyes gleamed brightly as his resolve firmed up even further ***. It felt like only a couple of days ago when he told himself that, but¡­. ¡­ . A week flew by already Jin-Woo failed to grasp the right timing to enter the gap between dimensions until now . He rested his chin on his hand and dazedly stared outside his classroom¡¯s window . Beru began talking to him from his shadow [Oh, my king¡­ . ]. ¡®Yeah, I know . ¡¯. Indeed, he knew He knew that the Sovereigns desiring after this land were getting ready to deploy a gigantic Gate just beyond the blue sky above his head However, these last few days had been like a holiday for him, someone who had ended a big fight not too long ago . For a little while longer¡­ . Wouldn¡¯t it be fine for him to fully enjoy these peaceful times for a little bit longer? Especially as a reward for his hard work so far ¡®¡­ ¡¯. As he spent his time worrying about this and that, the much-welcomed sound rang around the classroom Ding-dong¡­ . Ding-dong¡­ The bells signalling the end of school noisily resounded out from the speakers Kids all looked to be slowly wasting away until then, but renewed vitality suddenly seeped into their expressions . Going with the flow, Jin-Woo formed a bright expression as well Even if the inside was a young man aged twenty-four, no, twenty-five, his outer appearance was that of a child only fourteen years old or so The after-class goodbyes with the homeroom teacher came to a quick end in a heightened, noisy, and boisterous atmosphere . Soon, though, schoolboys sporting buzz cut hairstyles quickly crowded around Jin-Woo ¡°Hey, Jin-Woo!¡±. ¡°You¡¯re stopping by at the internet cafe today, right?¡±. Jin-Woo checked out the excited faces of the kids and grinned softly before nodding his head ¡°Oww yeah!¡±. ¡°Hey, hey! Jin-Woo¡¯s playing for our team today!¡±. ¡°What? What¡¯re you on about?! He played for your team yesterday already . ¡±. ¡°But, we also took in Jong-Shik too, you know . And he¡¯s the worst player here . ¡±. ¡°Ah, ah, fine . We¡¯ll take Jong-Shik and Min-Pyo too, so Jin-Woo is on our team . ¡±. ¡°Let¡¯s decide with rock-paper-scissors!¡±. ¡°Deal!¡±. Around this time period in the classrooms of the nation¡¯s middle schools saw the boom in the RTS video game genre . Jin-Woo¡¯s stunning reflexes and perception were more than enough to show these kids a whole new world out there For the middle school boys, top skills in a video game meant that you were the most popular kid in school . Just about every kid out there competed hard to be in the same team as Jin-Woo The matches of rock-paper-scissors were supposed to be decided on the best out of three but soon morphed into best out of five Meanwhile, middle school girls, clearly not interested in the matters of video games, stared at the boys intensely competing in the warfare to steal Jin-Woo away with eyes reserved for looking at helpless idiots and left the classroom Also, right by the rear door of the classroom, there was this kid who kept stealing glances in the direction of the crowd while he belatedly packed his school bag He liked playing the video game like everyone else, but was no good in making friends . Such kids could only look on with envy at the rest of their classmates going around in groups like that Smirk Jin-Woo quietly smirked to himself He began noticing things that he wasn¡¯t conscious of before as a kid one by one . Was it because he was an adult now? Or, because of his perception that had exceeded the norms of humanity?. Even in this cramped space of the classroom, so, so many emotions swirled around and collided against one another to form a small world of its own In the meantime¡­. ¡°Wow-!¡±. Kids who finally found themselves in Jin-Woo¡¯s team exclaimed out loudly without a shred of embarrassment Jin-Woo inwardly clicked his tongue ¡®This is why girls are looking at you like that¡­ . ¡¯. The victors of the rock-paper-scissors battlefield left behind the dejected kids and hurriedly crowded around Jin-Woo once more ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go, Jin-Woo!¡±. Before he did that, though, he pointed to the back of the classroom ¡°Hey, I want to form a team with him . ¡±. ¡°Uh?¡±. In the direction the boys turned their heads to, there was only that lone kid packing up his bag in silence . He flinched from surprise after realising that everyone was looking at him, his eyes growing larger in panic ¡°Uh¡­ . ? Me?¡±. Jin-Woo replied back ¡°Yup, you . ¡±. At that moment, he found countless traces of agonising dilemma flit in and out of the boy¡¯s expression . He just smirked again and asked ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You don¡¯t wanna?¡±. ¡°N-no¡­ ¡±. The boy was now forming a shy but happy smile . Seeing that he was successful in his mission, Jin-Woo picked up his bag and spoke up ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go . ¡±. The boy quickly picked up his bag and nodded his head ¡°Y-yeah!¡±. Jin-Woo grinned brightly again For a little bit longer This feeling ¨C just for a little bit longer ¡®If these moments that I¡¯m living my life aren¡¯t harming anyone, let me enjoy them at least for another day Let me stay for a bit longer¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s steps taking him outside the classroom alongside his friends were cheery and light, but at the same time, also incomparably heavy as well The sun leaning against the mountain behind the school was already dyeing the sky amber . Jin-Woo came to a stop for a moment there and looked up at the heavens above, prompting his friends to call out to him ¡°Hey, Jin-Woo? What are you doing?¡±. ¡°Our spots in the internet cafe will get taken over at this rate!¡±. ¡®These guys, trying to hurry me and all¡­ . ¡¯. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯m coming . ¡±. Jin-Woo caught up to the rest of his friends walking a step ahead . They were noisily chatting about their famous victories soon to be written in history with voices full of anticipation Jin-Woo didn¡¯t really need to enter the conversations to sense their excitement and hear their throbbing heartbeats And so¡­ Under the skies dyeing in the colours of vivid copper, Jin-Woo walked on these streets with friends he met again after what felt like an eternity He walked with a wide smile still etched on his face < Chapter 245 > Fin Chapter 246 Side Story 3 2 . Reunion (2) After entering the gap between dimensions, Jin-Woo developed a habit he never had before . And that would be jotting down things he saw and experienced on that day on a notebook . He wasn¡¯t doing it with some lofty purpose of leaving behind the records of his bitter life-or-death struggle against the Sovereigns . The gap between dimension was a perfectly ¡¯empty¡¯ space, pretty similar to the land of eternal rest . Without battles against his enemies, this world of nothingness where only the eternal darkness existed would have been incredibly dreary and lonesome ¨C he¡¯d have difficult time trying to keep his sanity as a result . However, his reason wasn¡¯t as simple as there being nothing to do in here . Jin-Woo now possessed the experience of living the same timeline twice and because of that, realised something crucial ¨C the perspective on an event would shift depending on when you were looking at it . Meaning, after some time had passed, he might see some things he previously failed to notice . And that was why he became rather curious as to how he¡¯d feel after going through these records again when his memories started to fade away and grew indistinct in the distant future . Would he become embarrassed that he left behind written records? Or would he feel regret, thinking that he could¡¯ve done it better? Or, maybe even miss this war, although he felt almost completely fed up with it right now? That was his reason for writing a diary whenever he had a chance . Jot, jot¡­ Within this endlessly deep darkness, only the sounds of a pen softly scratching on the surface of a paper quietly rang out . As he continued to jot down the records of the day¡¯s events, a smirk suddenly formed on his lips . ¡®¡­ . Even still, I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ll never miss the stuff that happened here in the future . ¡¯ Jin-Woo raised his head and caught the sight of the monster corpses too numerous to even count strewn about in the darkness . Yet again, Jin-Woo tasted victory in the battle against the Sovereigns, and through this particular engagement, killed the ¡®Sovereign of Transfiguration¡¯ ¨C the one that gave him the most headache so far . It had already been 27 years since he entered the gap between dimensions . Finally, the closing curtains of this long, dangerous, and monotone warfare was in sight . The only remaining enemies were the Dragon Emperor and its direct subordinates, the ¡®Army of Destruction¡¯ . His heart briefly beat faster from knowing that he¡¯d go home soon . ¡®What a relief that the time flow in here and outside is different . ¡¯ Only around two years should have gone by on the outside . Coming home after two years of absence, was it? How much would Jin-Ah have changed? What about Dad? Mom? Were they holding up well? Should he have explained a bit better before coming here? All sorts of worries briefly fleeted in and out of his head . ¡®No, hang on . ¡¯ Jin-Woo shook his head as if to get rid of all distracting thoughts . Now wasn¡¯t the time to focus his attention on how to decorate the last pages of his ¡®diary¡¯ . With excellent timing, Bellion walked closer and bowed his head . [My liege, the surroundings have been tidied up . There are no living enemies left . ] Jin-Woo took a look around him . The Shadow Soldiers had finished sweeping up the battlefield and massacred all the still-breathing enemies, and now, they stood in near-infinite columns as far as his eyes could see, silently waiting for his next command . Guooooh¡­ . He had already given up counting the number of his current soldiers quite a while ago . With a chuckle, Jin-Woo closed the diary . ¡°Alright . ¡± He stored both the notebook and the pen within the subspace and descended from the top of a hill made out of the monster corpses . It was now the time ¨C time to meet his greatest enemy . The one he so badly wanted to meet . It was time to go and greet the ¡®one¡¯ who handed him his first defeat ever since becoming the Shadow Sovereign . The Rulers intervened and the end result was flipped on its head, but without a doubt, Jin-Woo did lose to the Dragon Emperor in that battle . ¡®¡­ . I won¡¯t lose again . ¡¯ A cold gleam dangerously flickered within Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes . His heart beat only softly when he thought about going home soon, yet now his eardrums were hurting from its vigorous, thunderous pounding . Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!! What if¡­ Jin-Woo focused on the sounds of his beating heart, only to begin wondering if there would come a day in the distant future when he¡¯d really start missing this war . He then wordlessly turned in the direction where the aura of the Dragon Emperor could be felt . And, along with the soldiers that would participate in the final battle¡­ . ¡°Rise up . ¡± From next to the countless dead monsters strewn about everywhere, an equal number of shadows rose up after hearing the command of the Shadow Sovereign . Right behind Jin-Woo, his three Marshals, Bellion, Beru, and Igrit, plus many commanders, stood in an orderly fashion . And behind them, the enormous army, more than large enough to cover an entire continent, quietly waited on standby for his next command . ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯ Although this world lacked the flow of air, it still felt like a wind signalling the end of the war was faintly blowing around . Jin-Woo quietly closed his eyes and took a deep breath . And when he opened his eyes, he uttered out the words that ushered in the end of this lengthy war . ¡°We march forward to attack the Dragon Emperor . ¡± *** The Dragon Emperor also felt it . It felt that a truly gigantic horde with a scale that couldn¡¯t even be estimated heading in its direction . Since when did it start? When was it that the Shadow Sovereign, initially starting off with the repeated tactic of hit-and-run to shave away the massive Army of the Chaos World, began to openly hit his enemies with the full might of his army, instead? The position of the army chasing him down had suddenly reversed and now, they were being chased down by him . Out of all the armies that had been scattered around on their own, only the Army of Destruction remained . So, it wasn¡¯t all that difficult to guess where the attention of the Shadow Sovereign would land next . The final, deciding battle . Although the Dragon Emperor never imagined that the seemingly-everlasting war would end not with a grand battle against the Rulers but as a conflict between Sovereigns, it still believed that the upcoming battle would be a perfect finale nevertheless . Indeed, didn¡¯t its blood boil from just remembering the battle against the Shadow Sovereign that took place decades ago? ¡®¡­ . ¡¯ The Dragon Emperor quietly stood still and glared in one particular spot . In the meantime, one of its subordinates cautiously approached it . [Oh, my Emperor¡­ . ] The Dragon Emperor standing there with its arms crossed quickly replied . [Yugumunt has died . ] After hearing the news of the Sovereign of Transfiguration dying, the subordinate formed a stunned expression before bowing its head again . [That is why¡­ perhaps it is advisable to move to somewhere more distant¡­ . ] [No . ] The Dragon Emperor bared its fangs as murderous aura rose up from its body in a red mist . [I¡¯m already sick and tired of running away . We shall fight the b*stard right here . ] That man had spent over twenty years to hunt and whittle down the armies of the Sovereigns . So, he¡¯d not even give his enemies sufficient time to regroup and reform their army . If it was impossible to escape from his siege, then the Dragon Emperor would fight back head-on and decide everything . Now that would be a choice befitting of the King of Berserk Dragons . [Get ready for battle!] One command from their Sovereign and the Army of Destruction got ready to fight in an instant . Kuwaaaah-!! The Ancient-grade Dragons, Dragonewts, and the Sky Dragons they were riding on, all raised their heads up high and roared out . ¡®He¡¯s coming!¡¯ The Dragon Emperor¡¯s head snapped in the direction where it just detected the movement of a gigantic power . There was a clear reason why the Army of the Chaos World was defeated by the lone Shadow Sovereign . ¡®¡­ . Outstanding mobility . ¡¯ No one could even come remotely close to the mobility of the Shadow Army that could be summoned freely by their Sovereign whenever he felt like it . No matter how close one was, the distance would grow in an instant, and no matter how far away they were, they could close the distance in the blink of an eye, too . And right this moment, the Dragon Emperor was looking at the reason why the Sovereigns¡¯ armies had been so thoroughly defeated . The Shadow Sovereign slowly rose up from the darkness . And at the same time, millions upon millions of black soldiers lined up behind him . The Shadow Sovereign!! The fighting spirit emitted from the entirety of the Shadow Army standing behind him was so great that it even made the Dragon Emperor shudder from this slight sense of disgust for a moment there . Two decades of war later, he had finally got himself the greatest army imaginable . [Kuhahahaha!!] The Dragon Emperor roared out with boisterous laughter after coming face-to-face with this incredible army . [Amazing . Truly amazing, oh, King of Shadows . ] Fight the smaller number with overwhelming numbers ¨C the situation back then when he first faced off against his enemies had now completely turned on its head . [I never imagined that you alone would be capable of completely shaking up the entire army . Who would have thought that we¡¯d arrive here?] The Shadow Sovereign, currently outfitted in jet-black armour, wordlessly stared at the king of all Dragons . The previous immaturity of the Shadow Sovereign had been replaced by this still weightiness and he emitted a much stronger aura than ever before . Flinch, flinch¡­ . The Dragon Emperor¡¯s body shuddered from excitement, as a truly powerful enemy stood before it . It so desperately wanted to rip him into pieces . It so badly wanted to rip him into several pieces and devour him . The nature of a berserk Dragon began wiggling madly from within the Dragon Emperor . However, it was still too early to confirm whether this encounter was a celebration or a punishment . It wanted to enjoy this moment as it trembled from the anticipation for a little bit longer . [I want to ask you one thing . ] Also, there was this thing it was quite curious about as well, which was rather convenient . [Why did the Rulers use the ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯? Why did they revive all the dead Sovereigns and their soldiers?] There was no doubt that on that day, the Dragon Emperor¡¯s life came to an end at the hands of the Rulers . The pain from the spears that pierced into its body was still vividly etched in its memory . The grand army of the Chaos World would have crumbled pretty quickly after their leadership was lost through the Dragon Emperor¡¯s death . And with that, the lengthy war between the Sovereigns and Rulers would have come to its natural end . With the Rulers as the final victors . It¡¯d have been a perfect defeat for the Sovereigns, with not even a bit of room for any excuses whatsoever . However, they went ahead and revived every Sovereign for some unknown reason, by reversing the time through the ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯ . Ever since that day, it tried to decipher the intentions of the Rulers over and over again, but failed to even come close to guessing the reason . That was why it simply had to ask the Shadow Sovereign, who was with them at the time . And then¡­ [Because I wanted it . ] ¡­ . That completely unexpected answer caused the brows of the Dragon Emperor to shoot up . [What did you say¡­?] Jin-Woo slowly spoke again, enunciating every word clearly so his opponent could understand him . [I wanted to kill you lot with my own hands again so I asked them for the favour of using the ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯ . ] Crazy son of a b*tch! The Dragon Emperor somehow managed to suppress a torrent of swearing that rushed up to the tip of its tongue . To attack an army of over ten million-strong soldiers with just one hundred thousand combatants, he resorted to using a Tool of God to reverse time?! Although it was a truly nonsensical declaration, but at least, it did resolve one of the questions burning up inside the Dragon Emperor¡¯s head . The reason for the Rulers using the Chalice of Rebirth, and the Shadow Sovereign suddenly going on a rampage ¨C these two matters were actually related, as it turned out . [Haha¡­ . Ahahahaha!!] As if it found the whole thing too absurd, the Dragon Emperor shook its head helplessly and roared out in a burst of loud laughter . The Shadow Sovereign wanted to fight the massive army of the Chaos World again on his own volition, and just as he wished, managed to succeed in driving his enemies to a corner . This feat demanded a level of respect that transcended all types of respect . The Dragon Emperor had no other way to express its opinion on the Shadow Sovereign who had managed to almost succeed in a challenge that seemed utterly impossible to accomplish in the face of it . And he was now staring down on one final hurdle of that challenge . Whether to devour, or be devoured . For the first time ever, the Dragon Emperor became curious about the name of its opponent, the one that would either devour it, or end up getting devoured by it, instead . [My name is Antares . ] The name bestowed unto it by the Absolute Being, but revealed to no one until now ¨C the Dragon Emperor readily revealed its name to the Shadow Sovereign . [That is my name . Remember it well . ] It did so, in order to learn the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s name . With a sombre, serious expression on its face, the King of Dragons asked its question . [What is your name?] The Shadow Sovereign, Jin-Woo, decided to answer what could very well be the last-ever question of the Dragon Emperor . [It¡¯s Seong Jin-Woo . ] And then, he spoke up in a tone of voice implying that there wouldn¡¯t be any further Q&A session after this . [Is there anything else you want to say?] The power of death in a pitch-black aura ominously quivered and rose up above Jin-Woo¡¯s shoulders . The gap between dimensions was very similar to the world of eternal rest and it was rather easy to summon out the power of death in this place . The Shadow Soldiers that were resonating as one with their Sovereign¡¯s power also raised up their fighting spirit higher . Uwaaaaahh-!!! The entirety of the Shadow Army seethed and writhed . The corners of the Dragon Emperor¡¯s lips curled up as it witnessed this spectacle . ¡®Anything else I¡¯d like to say, is it?¡¯ Would there be a need for any further discussion when there was this grand feast laid out before its eyes? [¡­ . I don¡¯t have any . ] The Dragon Emperor transformed into a burning Dragon and stood before Jin-Woo, who also transformed into a humongous black giant as well . A mountain against another mountain . The two gigantic existences glared at each other just before the final battle . But, that lull only lasted for a moment . Kuwaaaaaah-!!! The Dragon Emperor roared out loudly as if to shake the dimensions themselves, and the entirety of the Army of Destruction charged forward . Jin-Woo was far quieter than his opponent as he simply pointed to his forward . Right away, near-ten million soldiers made their move . At the same time, he too dashed forward towards the Dragon Emperor with everything he had . The end of the lengthy war was here . He had been waiting with bated breaths this reunion with the Dragon Emperor just so he could witness the end . A chilling ray of light began gathering within the Dragon Emperor¡¯s maw . It was now Jin-Woo¡¯s chance to display the amount of growth he had gone through due to the experiences he earned before reversing time, as well as things he learned during this long war . The flow of time slowed down to a crawl and only him and the Dragon Emperor remained within Jin-Woo¡¯s vision . Just as the light of destruction exploded out slowly from the maw of a burning Dragon, Jin-Woo¡¯s fist enveloped in jet-black aura was thrust forward . And so, light and darkness clashed once more inside the gap between dimensions . < Chapter 246 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 246: Chapter 246 Side Story 3. 2 . Reunion (2). After entering the gap between dimensions, Jin-Woo developed a habit he never had before . And that would be jotting down things he saw and experienced on that day on a notebook He wasn¡¯t doing it with some lofty purpose of leaving behind the records of his bitter life-or-death struggle against the Sovereigns The gap between dimension was a perfectly ¡¯empty¡¯ space, pretty similar to the land of eternal rest . Without battles against his enemies, this world of nothingness where only the eternal darkness existed would have been incredibly dreary and lonesome ¨C he¡¯d have difficult time trying to keep his sanity as a result However, his reason wasn¡¯t as simple as there being nothing to do in here Jin-Woo now possessed the experience of living the same timeline twice and because of that, realised something crucial ¨C the perspective on an event would shift depending on when you were looking at it Meaning, after some time had passed, he might see some things he previously failed to notice And that was why he became rather curious as to how he¡¯d feel after going through these records again when his memories started to fade away and grew indistinct in the distant future Would he become embarrassed that he left behind written records? Or would he feel regret, thinking that he could¡¯ve done it better? Or, maybe even miss this war, although he felt almost completely fed up with it right now?. That was his reason for writing a diary whenever he had a chance Jot, jot¡­. Within this endlessly deep darkness, only the sounds of a pen softly scratching on the surface of a paper quietly rang out . As he continued to jot down the records of the day¡¯s events, a smirk suddenly formed on his lips ¡®¡­ . Even still, I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ll never miss the stuff that happened here in the future . ¡¯. Jin-Woo raised his head and caught the sight of the monster corpses too numerous to even count strewn about in the darkness Yet again, Jin-Woo tasted victory in the battle against the Sovereigns, and through this particular engagement, killed the ¡®Sovereign of Transfiguration¡¯ ¨C the one that gave him the most headache so far It had already been 27 years since he entered the gap between dimensions . Finally, the closing curtains of this long, dangerous, and monotone warfare was in sight The only remaining enemies were the Dragon Emperor and its direct subordinates, the ¡®Army of Destruction¡¯ . His heart briefly beat faster from knowing that he¡¯d go home soon ¡®What a relief that the time flow in here and outside is different . ¡¯. Only around two years should have gone by on the outside Coming home after two years of absence, was it?. How much would Jin-Ah have changed? What about Dad? Mom? Were they holding up well? Should he have explained a bit better before coming here?. All sorts of worries briefly fleeted in and out of his head ¡®No, hang on . ¡¯. Jin-Woo shook his head as if to get rid of all distracting thoughts . Now wasn¡¯t the time to focus his attention on how to decorate the last pages of his ¡®diary¡¯ With excellent timing, Bellion walked closer and bowed his head [My liege, the surroundings have been tidied up . There are no living enemies left . ]. Jin-Woo took a look around him The Shadow Soldiers had finished sweeping up the battlefield and massacred all the still-breathing enemies, and now, they stood in near-infinite columns as far as his eyes could see, silently waiting for his next command Guooooh¡­ He had already given up counting the number of his current soldiers quite a while ago . With a chuckle, Jin-Woo closed the diary ¡°Alright . ¡±. He stored both the notebook and the pen within the subspace and descended from the top of a hill made out of the monster corpses It was now the time ¨C time to meet his greatest enemy . The one he so badly wanted to meet It was time to go and greet the ¡®one¡¯ who handed him his first defeat ever since becoming the Shadow Sovereign . The Rulers intervened and the end result was flipped on its head, but without a doubt, Jin-Woo did lose to the Dragon Emperor in that battle ¡®¡­ . I won¡¯t lose again . ¡¯. A cold gleam dangerously flickered within Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes His heart beat only softly when he thought about going home soon, yet now his eardrums were hurting from its vigorous, thunderous pounding Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!!. What if¡­. Jin-Woo focused on the sounds of his beating heart, only to begin wondering if there would come a day in the distant future when he¡¯d really start missing this war He then wordlessly turned in the direction where the aura of the Dragon Emperor could be felt . And, along with the soldiers that would participate in the final battle¡­ ¡°Rise up . ¡±. From next to the countless dead monsters strewn about everywhere, an equal number of shadows rose up after hearing the command of the Shadow Sovereign Right behind Jin-Woo, his three Marshals, Bellion, Beru, and Igrit, plus many commanders, stood in an orderly fashion And behind them, the enormous army, more than large enough to cover an entire continent, quietly waited on standby for his next command ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯. Although this world lacked the flow of air, it still felt like a wind signalling the end of the war was faintly blowing around Jin-Woo quietly closed his eyes and took a deep breath . And when he opened his eyes, he uttered out the words that ushered in the end of this lengthy war ¡°We march forward to attack the Dragon Emperor . ¡±. ***. The Dragon Emperor also felt it It felt that a truly gigantic horde with a scale that couldn¡¯t even be estimated heading in its direction Since when did it start?. When was it that the Shadow Sovereign, initially starting off with the repeated tactic of hit-and-run to shave away the massive Army of the Chaos World, began to openly hit his enemies with the full might of his army, instead?. The position of the army chasing him down had suddenly reversed and now, they were being chased down by him Out of all the armies that had been scattered around on their own, only the Army of Destruction remained . So, it wasn¡¯t all that difficult to guess where the attention of the Shadow Sovereign would land next The final, deciding battle Although the Dragon Emperor never imagined that the seemingly-everlasting war would end not with a grand battle against the Rulers but as a conflict between Sovereigns, it still believed that the upcoming battle would be a perfect finale nevertheless Indeed, didn¡¯t its blood boil from just remembering the battle against the Shadow Sovereign that took place decades ago?. ¡®¡­ . ¡¯. The Dragon Emperor quietly stood still and glared in one particular spot . In the meantime, one of its subordinates cautiously approached it [Oh, my Emperor¡­ . ]. The Dragon Emperor standing there with its arms crossed quickly replied [Yugumunt has died . ]. After hearing the news of the Sovereign of Transfiguration dying, the subordinate formed a stunned expression before bowing its head again [That is why¡­ perhaps it is advisable to move to somewhere more distant¡­ . ]. [No . ]. The Dragon Emperor bared its fangs as murderous aura rose up from its body in a red mist [I¡¯m already sick and tired of running away . We shall fight the b*stard right here . ]. That man had spent over twenty years to hunt and whittle down the armies of the Sovereigns . So, he¡¯d not even give his enemies sufficient time to regroup and reform their army If it was impossible to escape from his siege, then the Dragon Emperor would fight back head-on and decide everything . Now that would be a choice befitting of the King of Berserk Dragons [Get ready for battle!]. One command from their Sovereign and the Army of Destruction got ready to fight in an instant Kuwaaaah-!!. The Ancient-grade Dragons, Dragonewts, and the Sky Dragons they were riding on, all raised their heads up high and roared out ¡®He¡¯s coming!¡¯. The Dragon Emperor¡¯s head snapped in the direction where it just detected the movement of a gigantic power There was a clear reason why the Army of the Chaos World was defeated by the lone Shadow Sovereign ¡®¡­ . Outstanding mobility . ¡¯. No one could even come remotely close to the mobility of the Shadow Army that could be summoned freely by their Sovereign whenever he felt like it No matter how close one was, the distance would grow in an instant, and no matter how far away they were, they could close the distance in the blink of an eye, too And right this moment, the Dragon Emperor was looking at the reason why the Sovereigns¡¯ armies had been so thoroughly defeated . The Shadow Sovereign slowly rose up from the darkness . And at the same time, millions upon millions of black soldiers lined up behind him The Shadow Sovereign!!. The fighting spirit emitted from the entirety of the Shadow Army standing behind him was so great that it even made the Dragon Emperor shudder from this slight sense of disgust for a moment there Two decades of war later, he had finally got himself the greatest army imaginable [Kuhahahaha!!]. The Dragon Emperor roared out with boisterous laughter after coming face-to-face with this incredible army [Amazing . Truly amazing, oh, King of Shadows . ]. Fight the smaller number with overwhelming numbers ¨C the situation back then when he first faced off against his enemies had now completely turned on its head [I never imagined that you alone would be capable of completely shaking up the entire army . Who would have thought that we¡¯d arrive here?]. The Shadow Sovereign, currently outfitted in jet-black armour, wordlessly stared at the king of all Dragons The previous immaturity of the Shadow Sovereign had been replaced by this still weightiness and he emitted a much stronger aura than ever before Flinch, flinch¡­ The Dragon Emperor¡¯s body shuddered from excitement, as a truly powerful enemy stood before it It so desperately wanted to rip him into pieces It so badly wanted to rip him into several pieces and devour him The nature of a berserk Dragon began wiggling madly from within the Dragon Emperor . However, it was still too early to confirm whether this encounter was a celebration or a punishment . It wanted to enjoy this moment as it trembled from the anticipation for a little bit longer [I want to ask you one thing . ]. Also, there was this thing it was quite curious about as well, which was rather convenient [Why did the Rulers use the ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯? Why did they revive all the dead Sovereigns and their soldiers?]. There was no doubt that on that day, the Dragon Emperor¡¯s life came to an end at the hands of the Rulers . The pain from the spears that pierced into its body was still vividly etched in its memory The grand army of the Chaos World would have crumbled pretty quickly after their leadership was lost through the Dragon Emperor¡¯s death . And with that, the lengthy war between the Sovereigns and Rulers would have come to its natural end . With the Rulers as the final victors It¡¯d have been a perfect defeat for the Sovereigns, with not even a bit of room for any excuses whatsoever However, they went ahead and revived every Sovereign for some unknown reason, by reversing the time through the ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯ Ever since that day, it tried to decipher the intentions of the Rulers over and over again, but failed to even come close to guessing the reason . That was why it simply had to ask the Shadow Sovereign, who was with them at the time And then¡­. [Because I wanted it . ]. ¡­ . That completely unexpected answer caused the brows of the Dragon Emperor to shoot up [What did you say¡­?]. Jin-Woo slowly spoke again, enunciating every word clearly so his opponent could understand him [I wanted to kill you lot with my own hands again so I asked them for the favour of using the ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯ . ]. Crazy son of a b*tch!. The Dragon Emperor somehow managed to suppress a torrent of swearing that rushed up to the tip of its tongue . To attack an army of over ten million-strong soldiers with just one hundred thousand combatants, he resorted to using a Tool of God to reverse time?!. Although it was a truly nonsensical declaration, but at least, it did resolve one of the questions burning up inside the Dragon Emperor¡¯s head The reason for the Rulers using the Chalice of Rebirth, and the Shadow Sovereign suddenly going on a rampage ¨C these two matters were actually related, as it turned out [Haha¡­ . Ahahahaha!!]. As if it found the whole thing too absurd, the Dragon Emperor shook its head helplessly and roared out in a burst of loud laughter The Shadow Sovereign wanted to fight the massive army of the Chaos World again on his own volition, and just as he wished, managed to succeed in driving his enemies to a corner This feat demanded a level of respect that transcended all types of respect . The Dragon Emperor had no other way to express its opinion on the Shadow Sovereign who had managed to almost succeed in a challenge that seemed utterly impossible to accomplish in the face of it And he was now staring down on one final hurdle of that challenge Whether to devour, or be devoured For the first time ever, the Dragon Emperor became curious about the name of its opponent, the one that would either devour it, or end up getting devoured by it, instead [My name is Antares . ]. The name bestowed unto it by the Absolute Being, but revealed to no one until now ¨C the Dragon Emperor readily revealed its name to the Shadow Sovereign [That is my name . Remember it well . ]. It did so, in order to learn the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s name With a sombre, serious expression on its face, the King of Dragons asked its question [What is your name?]. The Shadow Sovereign, Jin-Woo, decided to answer what could very well be the last-ever question of the Dragon Emperor [It¡¯s Seong Jin-Woo . ]. And then, he spoke up in a tone of voice implying that there wouldn¡¯t be any further Q&A session after this [Is there anything else you want to say?]. The power of death in a pitch-black aura ominously quivered and rose up above Jin-Woo¡¯s shoulders The gap between dimensions was very similar to the world of eternal rest and it was rather easy to summon out the power of death in this place . The Shadow Soldiers that were resonating as one with their Sovereign¡¯s power also raised up their fighting spirit higher Uwaaaaahh-!!!. The entirety of the Shadow Army seethed and writhed . The corners of the Dragon Emperor¡¯s lips curled up as it witnessed this spectacle ¡®Anything else I¡¯d like to say, is it?¡¯. Would there be a need for any further discussion when there was this grand feast laid out before its eyes?. [¡­ . I don¡¯t have any . ]. The Dragon Emperor transformed into a burning Dragon and stood before Jin-Woo, who also transformed into a humongous black giant as well A mountain against another mountain The two gigantic existences glared at each other just before the final battle . But, that lull only lasted for a moment Kuwaaaaaah-!!!. The Dragon Emperor roared out loudly as if to shake the dimensions themselves, and the entirety of the Army of Destruction charged forward Jin-Woo was far quieter than his opponent as he simply pointed to his forward . Right away, near-ten million soldiers made their move At the same time, he too dashed forward towards the Dragon Emperor with everything he had The end of the lengthy war was here . He had been waiting with bated breaths this reunion with the Dragon Emperor just so he could witness the end A chilling ray of light began gathering within the Dragon Emperor¡¯s maw It was now Jin-Woo¡¯s chance to display the amount of growth he had gone through due to the experiences he earned before reversing time, as well as things he learned during this long war The flow of time slowed down to a crawl and only him and the Dragon Emperor remained within Jin-Woo¡¯s vision Just as the light of destruction exploded out slowly from the maw of a burning Dragon, Jin-Woo¡¯s fist enveloped in jet-black aura was thrust forward And so, light and darkness clashed once more inside the gap between dimensions < Chapter 246 > Fin Chapter 247 Side Story 4 3 . Return The entirety of the United States of America became rather noisy when a certain fortune-teller made an announcement . ¡°Not too long from now, the God of Death will descend on this land!¡± Now normally, a prophecy like this, one better suited for a spot on a comic book cover, wouldn¡¯t have garnered any attention from the public . However, the big issue here was that this prophecy had been made by none other than Madam ¡®Norma Selner¡¯ . Just who was this woman? After abruptly opening her ¡®Heavenly Eye¡¯ around two years ago, she accurately predicted the death of North Korea¡¯s leader, terrorists kidnapping an aeroplane full of passengers, the stock market crash brought about by the sudden collapse of the housing markets, etc . , and she had been the centre of many controversies for a while now . And such a person made an announcement that implied the end of the world was coming, so it¡¯d only be obvious that everyone would start freaking out . Madam Norma Selner was also known as the ¡®prophet who is never wrong¡¯ . The mass media that saddled her with that label went into full-on panic mode and tripped over themselves to get an interview with her . Too bad for them, though, she refused to speak to every reporter save for one person, who just so happened to be a personal friend of hers . It became known later that she had invited him privately and gave him a message . ¨C The God of Death will descend on our land accompanied by countless soldiers of death . Just as we can¡¯t escape from the grip of death, we cannot run away from the God of Death, either . And the very next day . A gigantic black hole suddenly opened up in the skies of Seoul, one large enough to almost completely cover up the capital city . And Madam¡¯s prophecy dominated the headlines of every newspaper in the world . *** Meanwhile, inside said Gate¡­ . Jin-Woo could only let out a gasp of surprise after spotting the humongous sea of people, as if the humans of the entire world had gathered in one spot, right below him . ¡°Huh-uh¡­ . ¡± How wonderfully moving would it have been if all those people were here to welcome him back? Unfortunately, Jin-Woo knew better than anyone that would not be the case and could only form a wry smile . Soon, this Gate would open up . To all those watching on from the ground, this portal might be a source of sheer terror, but to him, it was an important doorway back home . Home . Jin-Woo¡¯s heart was rapidly filling up with warm emotions from the knowledge that the pathway to his home that he missed so much would soon open up . ¡®Now that I think about it, isn¡¯t this my first time looking at the outside from the inside of a Gate?¡¯ The outside world was in full display from inside the Gate . That was how Jin-Woo got to spectate on the sea of people below his feet . He placed his hand on the ¡®wall¡¯ of the Gate that separated the two spaces . In the past, he needed to give it his all in the battle against the Dragon Emperor in order to break this wall down, but now¡­ ¡®Now, I¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo lightly pressed down, causing minute cracks to form on the wall with sharp noises . If he pushed a bit harder, then this wall would surely break down without much resistance . For a short moment there, Jin-Woo pondered whether he should do that and make his descent now or not, but eventually, he shook his head with a gentle smile on his face . ¡®¡­ . No, I shouldn¡¯t . ¡¯ People on the ground were scared already, so there was no need to alarm them even further . Besides, he¡¯d been waiting for this moment for almost 30 years, so it was not a problem to wait for a few more days . Jin-Woo carefully withdrew his hand, only to discover something else . ¡®Hold up . Just who would think that this is the hand of a third-year middle school student??¡¯ Indeed, he just realised that his hand was simply too big now . Having spent 27 years in the gap between dimensions, Jin-Woo had naturally become a middle-aged man . His physical age had already surpassed his own father¡¯s now . However, he¡¯d been missing for only two years on the outside . He needed to adjust his physical age to that of the outside one so that he could avoid the situation of people who knew him freaking out after seeing how much he had changed . Although, he wasn¡¯t that keen on looking young to other people¡­ . Hang on, maybe he was? ¡­In any case . ¡°I guess there¡¯s no helping it . ¡± Jin-Woo grinned and looked down at his body before activating his powers . With him being able to perfectly control the powers of the Shadow Sovereign, the biological clock of his physical body posed no problem at all . Soon enough, Jin-Woo¡¯s figure shrunk back down to that of a middle school student . Shururuk¡­ . The bearded face of a middle-aged man became that of a fresh-faced teenage boy with a bright complexion in no time at all . The black smoke enveloped him for a brief moment and when it receded away, even the clothing had changed to the school uniform he wore on the day he went ¡®missing¡¯ . ¡®This should be enough, right?¡¯ Jin-Woo formed a satisfied smile after confirming his new look, which was definitely that of a student no matter who took a gander at him . Both his mind and body were now ready to go home and meet his family . The only thing remaining was to wait . ¡®Two more days left¡­ . ¡¯ Even the wait until the Gate opened up proved to be something to enjoy to Jin-Woo, who was nearing the end of one hell of a long journey . *** ¡°Uh¡­ Uh?? H-hey, it¡¯s opening up!!¡± ¡°The hole is opening up!!¡± The crowd of people screamed and pointed at the Gate now beginning to open up . Aaaah-!! Kyahhack! However, only the interior of the Gate connected to some other place was revealed to the waiting eyes outside . No feared events of scary things jumping out from there happened . ¡°¡­ . ??¡± ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s over, just like that?¡± The folks from all corners of the globe, here to spectate on the giant Gate, began murmuring in uncertainty as they watched the mysterious portal slowly dissipate . In the meantime, Jin-Woo blended in with the completely-unawares crowd and upon arriving at a quiet, deserted street, undid his Stealth . Since pretty much everyone was focusing on the disappearing Gate, none of them paid much attention to a middle school student that popped up out of seemingly nowhere . Jin-Woo briefly observed the crowd of onlookers for a bit, before turning around to head towards his home . It was precisely at that moment he discovered a young man holding an expensive-looking bouquet of flowers standing before him . This man smiled brightly and addressed Jin-Woo . ¡°Welcome back home safe and sound, Mister Seong Jin-Woo . Or, should I address you as the Shadow Sovereign, instead?¡± He had never met this guy before . However, he didn¡¯t sense any malice from this unknown dude, either . So, he decided to lower his vigilance . ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you address me as . ¡± Jin-Woo received the bouquet of flowers from the man and smirked softly . ¡°Having at least one person welcome me back isn¡¯t so bad, I guess . ¡± He leaned in and took a sniff at the flowers before raising his head up again . The man spoke as if he was genuinely surprised . ¡°Honestly¡­ . I¡¯ve never imagined that you would successfully finish your mission and return home like this . By the way, I see that your steps carry the weight of ten million soldiers . ¡± The ¡®Army¡¯ was defeated, and without a single exception, the denizens of the Chaos World that made up its fighting force came under the influence of the Shadow Sovereign . Jin-Woo now wielded the biggest fighting force when both the Sovereigns and Rulers were taken into account . He lowered the bouquet and asked the stranger . ¡°I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t come here to hand me this bundle of flowers, so¡­ What does the emissary of the Rulers want with me?¡± Quite different from the tone of his voice that could¡¯ve come across as overbearing, his expression was filled with a relaxed composure . A lion would never fear a lamb, after all . His overwhelming strength, honed even further through the lengthy war, was more than enough to make this unknown man shudder slightly in fear, even though the latter already knew who he was dealing with today . Indeed, it was the role of the lamb to fear the opponent, not the other way around . Now faced with the dignified air of the Sovereign that was not too dissimilar to a king of all predators, the unknown man chose to politely lower his head first . ¡°The Rulers have sent you a message, Shadow Sovereign . Our conversation might take a while, so may I inquire if it¡¯s fine with you for us to go elsewhere?¡± ¡°Fine . ¡± Jin-Woo walked past the smiling man and took the lead . ¡°I just remembered a place I wanted to stop by, anyway . ¡± *** ¡°¡­ . ¡± The unknown man wordlessly stared at the bowl of ice cream presented before him for a bit and raised his head . ¡°The place you wanted to stop by was an ice cream parlour?¡± Sure, just because he became younger-looking, that didn¡¯t mean his tastes had changed, as well . It was just that¡­ ¡°Well, staying in a distant ¡®place¡¯ for a long time does make you hanker for something sweet, you see . ¡± Jin-Woo replied with a grin and began scooping the delicious ice cream into his mouth . This wonderful, refreshing coldness transmitted from his tongue . And then, followed by this thrilling sweetness . Only now did it strike home that he had returned for real . The unknown man tried to get to the main topic several times but Jin-Woo stopped him again and again . Only after he cleaned out the ice cream bowl did he open his mouth to speak . ¡°So, what did the Rulers say?¡± The unknown man had been dazedly watching the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s snack time until then . He hurriedly regained his wits and spoke up . ¡°Oh . First of all, they wish to express their genuine gratitude¡­ . ¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we skip the perfunctory greetings and move on?¡± The Rulers should not have any further business with this world, yet they still sent an envoy to speak to him like this . Jin-Woo deduced that the matter at hand must be something extraordinary, so he wanted to skip the opening remarks . ¡°Did a new problem pop up from somewhere?¡± ¡°No, not at all . It¡¯s nothing like that . Rather, I¡¯m here to speak to you because all the problems had been resolved, instead . ¡± Came to speak to him because all problems had been solved, he said . The light in Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes became even more serious . The unknown man greeted that sombre look and gulped down his dry saliva out of sheer nervousness . Still, one shouldn¡¯t forget to perform one¡¯s duty just because the other party happened to be quite a scary person . The man opened his mouth with some difficulty . ¡°The Rulers, they¡­ . They are worried about the potential side effects your powers might have on this world, Sovereign-nim . As you may well know, the powers you possess are not something this world can cope with . ¡± ¡°¡­ . Okay, so?¡± ¡°Without the presence of Mana, this world is just too fragile . If it¡¯s okay with you, we¡¯d like to transfer you to a world that can take on your powers, Sovereign-nim . ¡± ¡°Or, they can just go ahead and seal me up instead of transferring me around, saving us from potential headaches . ¡± ¡°Of course, that is an option¡­ . ¡± Bang! Jin-Woo lightly slapped the table, causing the unknown man to flinch and stop his attempt to reply, his bright complexion frozen solid mid-speech . The heavy voice of the Shadow Sovereign slowly came out of Jin-Woo¡¯s mouth . ¡°So, they wish to get rid of me since I¡¯m no longer useful, is that it? Because they fear the power that I possess?¡± Jin-Woo maintained a smile, but the glare in his eyes was incomparable colder than before . The unknown man nearly jumped up in fright and quickly waved his hands around . ¡°N-no, that¡¯s not true! I swear, it¡¯s not like that!¡± He then presented Jin-Woo with a certain newspaper he had prepared earlier . Jin-Woo took the paper and read the article dominating the front page . That¡¯s when he spotted a rather familiar face there . The article was about a prophecy made by one Madam Norma Selner, who used to work as the ¡®Upgrader¡¯ in the previous timeline . ¨C Not too long from now, the God of Death will descend on this land! Jin-Woo¡¯s brows quivered a little at the words ¡®God of Death¡¯ . ¡°She wasn¡¯t originally an exceptional soothsayer even back in the erased timeline . However, coming into contact with our world has changed her life a great deal . ¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze stopped at a certain part of the article, the part about when she had abruptly opened up the so-called ¡®Heavenly Eye¡¯ . It was around two years ago . Her ¡®awakening¡¯ matching up with the exact point in time he found himself after the timeline had been reset using the Tool of God couldn¡¯t be chalked down to simple coincidence . ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is, my existence can potentially cause other changes like this one?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct, Sovereign-nim . ¡± Once Jin-Woo showed signs of calming down, the unknown man spat out a sigh of relief . ¡°The Rulers¡¯ thoughts are to present you with a suitable location where you can stay, if that¡¯s what you decide, with their intentions being to prevent the potential adverse change taking place in this world . ¡± ¡°¡­¡± Jin-Woo leaned against the chair . He still couldn¡¯t sense any malice from this unknown man . The Rulers connected to this man were making this offer out of good-will and other similar emotions . However¡­ To think, he¡¯d have to hear such news on the first day of his return . Jin-Woo had been in a state of anticipation from the thoughts of going home, so he found it hard to hide how disappointed he was . He definitely didn¡¯t want to discuss stuff like this right now . And he didn¡¯t bother to hide his thoughts on that matter . ¡°Can you come back some other time?¡± ¡°¡­ . I shall do so, oh, great Sovereign . ¡± The unknown man performed a smart, courteous bow towards the greatest hero who brought to an end the war between Sovereigns and Rulers . The only thing remaining after the man had left was a black-on-both-sides business card . Most likely, that signified the unknown man requesting him to call the number on the card when Jin-Woo had made up his mind . He studied the face and the back of this card before stuffing it in the inner pocket of his school uniform, a bitter smile slowly spreading on his face . The bubbles of anticipation and excitement from coming home had burst for good now . Many thoughts swirled in his head, almost making him dizzy . ¡®If all living creatures have a clear goal, a purpose in their lives¡­ . ¡¯ He was certain of one thing . As the Shadow Sovereign, he had fulfilled his purpose after stopping the invasion of the Sovereigns, as well as making sure that no weird phenomena occurred on Earth . Meaning, he had accomplished his goal . So, the enormous power that served its purpose would only become a headache that was hard to dispose of, just like the nuclear waste at the end of its life cycle . In that case ¨C a question suddenly popped up in his head . ¡®In the end, have I become an existence surplus to this world?¡¯ When the chain of his thoughts reached there, he spotted a certain familiar face jogging past the ice cream shop . As if he was entranced, Jin-Woo got up, pushed open the front door, and stepped outside . Without a doubt that moving forward, there would come many occasions in the future where he¡¯d have to ponder whether remaining in this world was a good idea or not . However¡­ . ¡®As long as there is a reason for me to stay, even if it¡¯s just one, then¡­ . ¡¯ A teenage girl kitted out in an athletics uniform stopped jogging and turned around to look behind her . At the place where the scent she really liked was coming from, she discovered an unfamiliar teenage boy standing in front of the wide-open exit of an ice cream parlour . ¡®What¡¯s going on? Did ice cream smell this good before?¡¯ The teenage girl tilted her head this way and that while glancing behind her, but in the end, she failed to solve her confusion and continued with her jogging . Seeing her departing back, a brief smile formed on Jin-Woo¡¯s face . ¡®There are still people that I love in this world . And also, those who love me, and those who used to love me exist in this place, too . That is more than enough reason for me to stay here . ¡¯ Jin-Woo smiled and inwardly told himself to find other reasons to stay in this world . < Chapter 247 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 247: Chapter 247 Side Story 4. 3 . Return. The entirety of the United States of America became rather noisy when a certain fortune-teller made an announcement ¡°Not too long from now, the God of Death will descend on this land!¡±. Now normally, a prophecy like this, one better suited for a spot on a comic book cover, wouldn¡¯t have garnered any attention from the public . However, the big issue here was that this prophecy had been made by none other than Madam ¡®Norma Selner¡¯ Just who was this woman?. After abruptly opening her ¡®Heavenly Eye¡¯ around two years ago, she accurately predicted the death of North Korea¡¯s leader, terrorists kidnapping an aeroplane full of passengers, the stock market crash brought about by the sudden collapse of the housing markets, etc . , and she had been the centre of many controversies for a while now And such a person made an announcement that implied the end of the world was coming, so it¡¯d only be obvious that everyone would start freaking out Madam Norma Selner was also known as the ¡®prophet who is never wrong¡¯ . The mass media that saddled her with that label went into full-on panic mode and tripped over themselves to get an interview with her Too bad for them, though, she refused to speak to every reporter save for one person, who just so happened to be a personal friend of hers . It became known later that she had invited him privately and gave him a message ¨C The God of Death will descend on our land accompanied by countless soldiers of death . Just as we can¡¯t escape from the grip of death, we cannot run away from the God of Death, either And the very next day A gigantic black hole suddenly opened up in the skies of Seoul, one large enough to almost completely cover up the capital city . And Madam¡¯s prophecy dominated the headlines of every newspaper in the world ***. Meanwhile, inside said Gate¡­ Jin-Woo could only let out a gasp of surprise after spotting the humongous sea of people, as if the humans of the entire world had gathered in one spot, right below him ¡°Huh-uh¡­ . ¡±. How wonderfully moving would it have been if all those people were here to welcome him back? Unfortunately, Jin-Woo knew better than anyone that would not be the case and could only form a wry smile Soon, this Gate would open up . To all those watching on from the ground, this portal might be a source of sheer terror, but to him, it was an important doorway back home Home Jin-Woo¡¯s heart was rapidly filling up with warm emotions from the knowledge that the pathway to his home that he missed so much would soon open up ¡®Now that I think about it, isn¡¯t this my first time looking at the outside from the inside of a Gate?¡¯. The outside world was in full display from inside the Gate . That was how Jin-Woo got to spectate on the sea of people below his feet . He placed his hand on the ¡®wall¡¯ of the Gate that separated the two spaces In the past, he needed to give it his all in the battle against the Dragon Emperor in order to break this wall down, but now¡­. ¡®Now, I¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo lightly pressed down, causing minute cracks to form on the wall with sharp noises . If he pushed a bit harder, then this wall would surely break down without much resistance For a short moment there, Jin-Woo pondered whether he should do that and make his descent now or not, but eventually, he shook his head with a gentle smile on his face ¡®¡­ . No, I shouldn¡¯t . ¡¯. People on the ground were scared already, so there was no need to alarm them even further . Besides, he¡¯d been waiting for this moment for almost 30 years, so it was not a problem to wait for a few more days Jin-Woo carefully withdrew his hand, only to discover something else ¡®Hold up . Just who would think that this is the hand of a third-year middle school student??¡¯. Indeed, he just realised that his hand was simply too big now . Having spent 27 years in the gap between dimensions, Jin-Woo had naturally become a middle-aged man His physical age had already surpassed his own father¡¯s now . However, he¡¯d been missing for only two years on the outside He needed to adjust his physical age to that of the outside one so that he could avoid the situation of people who knew him freaking out after seeing how much he had changed Although, he wasn¡¯t that keen on looking young to other people¡­ . Hang on, maybe he was?. ¡­In any case ¡°I guess there¡¯s no helping it . ¡±. Jin-Woo grinned and looked down at his body before activating his powers . With him being able to perfectly control the powers of the Shadow Sovereign, the biological clock of his physical body posed no problem at all Soon enough, Jin-Woo¡¯s figure shrunk back down to that of a middle school student Shururuk¡­ The bearded face of a middle-aged man became that of a fresh-faced teenage boy with a bright complexion in no time at all The black smoke enveloped him for a brief moment and when it receded away, even the clothing had changed to the school uniform he wore on the day he went ¡®missing¡¯ ¡®This should be enough, right?¡¯. Jin-Woo formed a satisfied smile after confirming his new look, which was definitely that of a student no matter who took a gander at him Both his mind and body were now ready to go home and meet his family The only thing remaining was to wait ¡®Two more days left¡­ . ¡¯. Even the wait until the Gate opened up proved to be something to enjoy to Jin-Woo, who was nearing the end of one hell of a long journey ***. ¡°Uh¡­ Uh?? H-hey, it¡¯s opening up!!¡±. ¡°The hole is opening up!!¡±. The crowd of people screamed and pointed at the Gate now beginning to open up Aaaah-!!. Kyahhack!. However, only the interior of the Gate connected to some other place was revealed to the waiting eyes outside . No feared events of scary things jumping out from there happened ¡°¡­ . ??¡±. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±. ¡°It¡¯s over, just like that?¡±. The folks from all corners of the globe, here to spectate on the giant Gate, began murmuring in uncertainty as they watched the mysterious portal slowly dissipate In the meantime, Jin-Woo blended in with the completely-unawares crowd and upon arriving at a quiet, deserted street, undid his Stealth Since pretty much everyone was focusing on the disappearing Gate, none of them paid much attention to a middle school student that popped up out of seemingly nowhere Jin-Woo briefly observed the crowd of onlookers for a bit, before turning around to head towards his home It was precisely at that moment he discovered a young man holding an expensive-looking bouquet of flowers standing before him This man smiled brightly and addressed Jin-Woo ¡°Welcome back home safe and sound, Mister Seong Jin-Woo . Or, should I address you as the Shadow Sovereign, instead?¡±. He had never met this guy before . However, he didn¡¯t sense any malice from this unknown dude, either . So, he decided to lower his vigilance ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you address me as . ¡±. Jin-Woo received the bouquet of flowers from the man and smirked softly ¡°Having at least one person welcome me back isn¡¯t so bad, I guess . ¡±. He leaned in and took a sniff at the flowers before raising his head up again . The man spoke as if he was genuinely surprised ¡°Honestly¡­ . I¡¯ve never imagined that you would successfully finish your mission and return home like this . By the way, I see that your steps carry the weight of ten million soldiers . ¡±. The ¡®Army¡¯ was defeated, and without a single exception, the denizens of the Chaos World that made up its fighting force came under the influence of the Shadow Sovereign Jin-Woo now wielded the biggest fighting force when both the Sovereigns and Rulers were taken into account . He lowered the bouquet and asked the stranger ¡°I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t come here to hand me this bundle of flowers, so¡­ What does the emissary of the Rulers want with me?¡±. Quite different from the tone of his voice that could¡¯ve come across as overbearing, his expression was filled with a relaxed composure A lion would never fear a lamb, after all His overwhelming strength, honed even further through the lengthy war, was more than enough to make this unknown man shudder slightly in fear, even though the latter already knew who he was dealing with today Indeed, it was the role of the lamb to fear the opponent, not the other way around Now faced with the dignified air of the Sovereign that was not too dissimilar to a king of all predators, the unknown man chose to politely lower his head first ¡°The Rulers have sent you a message, Shadow Sovereign . Our conversation might take a while, so may I inquire if it¡¯s fine with you for us to go elsewhere?¡±. ¡°Fine . ¡±. Jin-Woo walked past the smiling man and took the lead ¡°I just remembered a place I wanted to stop by, anyway . ¡±. ***. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. The unknown man wordlessly stared at the bowl of ice cream presented before him for a bit and raised his head ¡°The place you wanted to stop by was an ice cream parlour?¡±. Sure, just because he became younger-looking, that didn¡¯t mean his tastes had changed, as well It was just that¡­. ¡°Well, staying in a distant ¡®place¡¯ for a long time does make you hanker for something sweet, you see . ¡±. Jin-Woo replied with a grin and began scooping the delicious ice cream into his mouth This wonderful, refreshing coldness transmitted from his tongue . And then, followed by this thrilling sweetness Only now did it strike home that he had returned for real The unknown man tried to get to the main topic several times but Jin-Woo stopped him again and again . Only after he cleaned out the ice cream bowl did he open his mouth to speak ¡°So, what did the Rulers say?¡±. The unknown man had been dazedly watching the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s snack time until then . He hurriedly regained his wits and spoke up ¡°Oh . First of all, they wish to express their genuine gratitude¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Why don¡¯t we skip the perfunctory greetings and move on?¡±. The Rulers should not have any further business with this world, yet they still sent an envoy to speak to him like this . Jin-Woo deduced that the matter at hand must be something extraordinary, so he wanted to skip the opening remarks ¡°Did a new problem pop up from somewhere?¡±. ¡°No, not at all . It¡¯s nothing like that . Rather, I¡¯m here to speak to you because all the problems had been resolved, instead . ¡±. Came to speak to him because all problems had been solved, he said The light in Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes became even more serious . The unknown man greeted that sombre look and gulped down his dry saliva out of sheer nervousness . Still, one shouldn¡¯t forget to perform one¡¯s duty just because the other party happened to be quite a scary person The man opened his mouth with some difficulty ¡°The Rulers, they¡­ . They are worried about the potential side effects your powers might have on this world, Sovereign-nim . As you may well know, the powers you possess are not something this world can cope with . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . Okay, so?¡±. ¡°Without the presence of Mana, this world is just too fragile . If it¡¯s okay with you, we¡¯d like to transfer you to a world that can take on your powers, Sovereign-nim . ¡±. ¡°Or, they can just go ahead and seal me up instead of transferring me around, saving us from potential headaches . ¡±. ¡°Of course, that is an option¡­ . ¡±. Bang!. Jin-Woo lightly slapped the table, causing the unknown man to flinch and stop his attempt to reply, his bright complexion frozen solid mid-speech The heavy voice of the Shadow Sovereign slowly came out of Jin-Woo¡¯s mouth ¡°So, they wish to get rid of me since I¡¯m no longer useful, is that it? Because they fear the power that I possess?¡±. Jin-Woo maintained a smile, but the glare in his eyes was incomparable colder than before . The unknown man nearly jumped up in fright and quickly waved his hands around ¡°N-no, that¡¯s not true! I swear, it¡¯s not like that!¡±. He then presented Jin-Woo with a certain newspaper he had prepared earlier . Jin-Woo took the paper and read the article dominating the front page That¡¯s when he spotted a rather familiar face there The article was about a prophecy made by one Madam Norma Selner, who used to work as the ¡®Upgrader¡¯ in the previous timeline ¨C Not too long from now, the God of Death will descend on this land!. Jin-Woo¡¯s brows quivered a little at the words ¡®God of Death¡¯ ¡°She wasn¡¯t originally an exceptional soothsayer even back in the erased timeline . However, coming into contact with our world has changed her life a great deal . ¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze stopped at a certain part of the article, the part about when she had abruptly opened up the so-called ¡®Heavenly Eye¡¯ . It was around two years ago Her ¡®awakening¡¯ matching up with the exact point in time he found himself after the timeline had been reset using the Tool of God couldn¡¯t be chalked down to simple coincidence ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is, my existence can potentially cause other changes like this one?¡±. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct, Sovereign-nim . ¡±. Once Jin-Woo showed signs of calming down, the unknown man spat out a sigh of relief ¡°The Rulers¡¯ thoughts are to present you with a suitable location where you can stay, if that¡¯s what you decide, with their intentions being to prevent the potential adverse change taking place in this world . ¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. Jin-Woo leaned against the chair He still couldn¡¯t sense any malice from this unknown man . The Rulers connected to this man were making this offer out of good-will and other similar emotions However¡­. To think, he¡¯d have to hear such news on the first day of his return Jin-Woo had been in a state of anticipation from the thoughts of going home, so he found it hard to hide how disappointed he was He definitely didn¡¯t want to discuss stuff like this right now . And he didn¡¯t bother to hide his thoughts on that matter ¡°Can you come back some other time?¡±. ¡°¡­ . I shall do so, oh, great Sovereign . ¡±. The unknown man performed a smart, courteous bow towards the greatest hero who brought to an end the war between Sovereigns and Rulers . The only thing remaining after the man had left was a black-on-both-sides business card Most likely, that signified the unknown man requesting him to call the number on the card when Jin-Woo had made up his mind He studied the face and the back of this card before stuffing it in the inner pocket of his school uniform, a bitter smile slowly spreading on his face The bubbles of anticipation and excitement from coming home had burst for good now . Many thoughts swirled in his head, almost making him dizzy ¡®If all living creatures have a clear goal, a purpose in their lives¡­ . ¡¯. He was certain of one thing As the Shadow Sovereign, he had fulfilled his purpose after stopping the invasion of the Sovereigns, as well as making sure that no weird phenomena occurred on Earth Meaning, he had accomplished his goal So, the enormous power that served its purpose would only become a headache that was hard to dispose of, just like the nuclear waste at the end of its life cycle In that case ¨C a question suddenly popped up in his head ¡®In the end, have I become an existence surplus to this world?¡¯. When the chain of his thoughts reached there, he spotted a certain familiar face jogging past the ice cream shop . As if he was entranced, Jin-Woo got up, pushed open the front door, and stepped outside Without a doubt that moving forward, there would come many occasions in the future where he¡¯d have to ponder whether remaining in this world was a good idea or not However¡­ ¡®As long as there is a reason for me to stay, even if it¡¯s just one, then¡­ . ¡¯. A teenage girl kitted out in an athletics uniform stopped jogging and turned around to look behind her At the place where the scent she really liked was coming from, she discovered an unfamiliar teenage boy standing in front of the wide-open exit of an ice cream parlour ¡®What¡¯s going on? Did ice cream smell this good before?¡¯. The teenage girl tilted her head this way and that while glancing behind her, but in the end, she failed to solve her confusion and continued with her jogging Seeing her departing back, a brief smile formed on Jin-Woo¡¯s face ¡®There are still people that I love in this world And also, those who love me, and those who used to love me exist in this place, too That is more than enough reason for me to stay here . ¡¯. Jin-Woo smiled and inwardly told himself to find other reasons to stay in this world < Chapter 247 > Fin Chapter 248 Side Story 5 4 . Igrit¡¯s memories The first time I met ¡®him¡¯ was inside the irregular space created out of my liege¡¯s power . My mission was to test the human about to enter this place . Although my liege said that he wished to find out if this human was fit to become his vessel, I knew the truth, somehow . I knew that this order might be the last one my liege would ever give me . My liege had lost all interest in warfare after forgiving the Rulers . From that point alone, I knew that he had harboured a deeper meaning in why he was so focused on this rather unremarkable human being . I began guessing that I¡¯d soon bid farewell to my liege . However, the command issued by my liege was still absolute . I had no thoughts of questioning his motives or changing his mind . All I could do was to comply with his command . That was all I could do . And so, after most of my powers were sealed away, I was made to stand all alone in the space where the testing of that human would take place . ¡®Humans of this world call spaces such as this one dungeons, don¡¯t they?¡¯ At the far end of this imaginary dungeon shaped to resemble an audience chamber of a king¡¯s castle, I saw a large throne . I combed through my fading memories of the time when I was still human and studied this place . ¡®As expected¡­ . You have certainly created quite a detailed stage with my liege¡¯s power, haven¡¯t you?¡¯ I continued to touch and feel each large pillar lined up from the entrance to the plinth where the throne was and expressed my admiration towards the abilities of the architect, who had created all these . As the fruit of this meticulous planning, that human¡¯s body would continuously be modified to accept my liege¡¯s power . It was then . I sensed the presence of someone approaching this place . ¡®He¡¯s here already¡­ . ?¡¯ I panicked at this unexpectedly fast arrival of the test subject and ended up sitting down on the throne . However¡­ . ¡°¡­ . . ¡± After I settled down on the throne, I began wondering if me sitting here would be seen as a bit ¡®insolent¡¯ . The consciousness of my liege had already taken root within the human I was supposed to test, so I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if me sitting on a throne like this, in front of my master, would be seen as me being disrespectful . ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ In the end, I judged that I should refrain from displaying any uncouth sight and hurriedly climbed off the throne to hide behind the nearest pillar . Geuh-gugugugu-!! With a truly gobsmacking timing, the massive entrance opened up, but thanks to the surroundings being too dark, that human failed to discover me panicking grandly like that . What a relief that was . It¡¯d be no good to make this serious test my liege had planned out into a farce with my mistakes, now would it? I inwardly spat out a sigh of relief and when the human was about ten steps away from me, I slowly walked out from behind the pillar to block his path . ¡®¡­ . !¡¯ Through the still air, I sensed his nervousness . He was a young man . Obviously, my gaze lingering on him couldn¡¯t be described as favourable . ¡®So, he¡¯s the one my liege has chosen¡­¡¯ Even if this mission wasn¡¯t the final order bestowed unto me, I never planned to go easy during this fight . If I believed that he wasn¡¯t qualified, I¡¯d kill him with my own hands . And so, as I stood there, igniting my fighting spirit¡­ ¡­ . This young man suddenly clenched his fists tightly and put his dukes up . ¡®¡­ . . ??¡¯ Wait, could he be thinking of using his bare fists to defeat me? I briefly thought about how praiseworthy his bravery was, for a human being . To fight him in equal conditions, I took off my cape and removed my weapons one by one . ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯ Why was he getting so surprised by every single thing I did, anyway? Sure, his eyes filled with drive were rather likeable, but did he possess the same level of abilities to match those eyes, I wonder? So, time to check it out¡­ ¡­ . And the results came out pretty quickly . ¡°Keo-heok!¡± Plop . Even though I was forbidden from bringing out my full power, he was already kneeling before me . What a disappointment that was . However, just as I felt disappointed, I also felt an equal amount of relief . Because, if the one supposed to inherit the power of my liege turned out to be not qualified, then that meant my liege would remain as he was for a little while longer . For the first time ever, and also for the last time, too, I felt relieved by my liege¡¯s failure . And then, I decided to bestow a fitting end matching the level of bravery this man had shown me even though he was a mere human being . I used the ¡®authority¡¯ briefly granted to me by my liege and dragged along the sword discarded to a distant location . Cutting his head off in one go and sending him off on his way with minimal pain was what I planned to do . I figured that such a gesture would be the best form of mercy I could show this human . Perhaps he had read my mind, he even presented his neck before me . ¡®You made the right decision . Wisdom matching your bravery¡­ . Although your loss is lamentable, there is no way other than this to change my liege¡¯s mind . ¡¯ For the sake of the man choosing an honourable death, I performed the beheading . But then ¨C he seemed to have accepted his fate without a struggle, but the light in his eyes changed abruptly at that moment . Clang!! My sword was blocked off by his hand, and instead, his dagger stabbed deeply into my face next . Stab!! Kuwaaaaah-!! I was stunned . Not by the fact that he managed to block my blade, no, but from the fact that he never gave up on his life right up until the end, even under the current circumstances . Also, although it was for a brief moment, I saw the light coldly gleaming in his eyes and belatedly realised that it was uncannily similar to the light within my liege¡¯s eyes . ¡®Ah, ah¡­ That was why my liege has¡­¡¯ I completely lost all of my desire to fight, and was unable to respond to any of the continuous streams of attacks landing on me . I was slammed into the wall, and¡­ Ku-waahng!! ¡­ . And, I was stabbed repeatedly . Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Eventually, the metal protector surrounding my neck couldn¡¯t endure and broke off . Crack!! The strength he possessed, and then, the one I possessed ¨C since this was a test to confirm whether he possessed enough of a qualification, I should possess higher stats than he did . However, I still lost . And quite obviously, too . Was this the result of me underestimating him after seeing him as just another human being, or a miracle brought on about by his tenacious nature that didn¡¯t know the meaning of giving up? As my consciousness blurred, I caught the sight of him raising both his hands up high to celebrate . ¡°Uwahh-!!¡± Well, now . Since I began chuckling while watching him be like that, it could only mean that I wasn¡¯t right of mind, no? My consciousness blurred even further as my gaze drifted up towards the ceiling . It was too dark up there, and I couldn¡¯t tell what these endlessly-stretching pillars were connected to . However, I was just a bit saddened by the thought that the distant darkness above seemed to signify my own growing distance away from my liege . ¡®Am I supposed to feel happy that my liege¡¯s choice turned out to be correct, or feel sad that I couldn¡¯t manage to change his decision¡­ . ?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t decide, and that¡¯s how I lost my consciousness . That was¡­ until that man came closer and shouted out ¡®Rise up¡¯ in my direction . *** He really cherished me . Was it because I was his very first soldier ¨C no, technically speaking, not his first but someone very close to being one? There were many occasions where I thanked him for the kindness I felt from him . And there were many things that remained etched in my memories, such as¡­ . Indeed, that one time . On a certain day, he said this to me . ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to talk once your grade goes up, right?¡± How was I supposed to describe the state of my mind that nearly overloaded with emotions when I saw his bright smile? I wasn¡¯t sure of what he thought of me, but at least to me, he was my master, my friend, and my ally . He and I overcame many battles together . At times, against denizens of the Chaos World, sometimes against monsters of the instant dungeons, and sometimes, even against other Hunters . When he was happy, I too was happy, and when he was struggling, I too struggled . And when he was sad, I also felt sad, as well . I knew that the deeper my loyalty to him became, the longing towards my former master would get fainter and fainter . Despite that, though, I gradually grew to accept my new liege . Of course, it was not always smooth sailing, either . There were moments that I was actually sweating buckets . ¡°Use this . ¡± Such as, when I fought against a much stronger female Hunter while still being under several restrictions, with only a sword that could shoot out some lightning bolts . ¡°Was the black knight you brought out really your strongest summon?¡± ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ I was even subjected to such insults, too . And then, I even became a ¡®roommate¡¯ with a Shadow Soldier who possessed an abnormal fighting strength rather unexpectedly, as well . Kiiiieeehhhk-!! ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Now I found myself saddled with a ¡®roommate¡¯ who, although very loyal by nature, his nature also happened to be quite vicious . You have no idea how badly I missed my dignified comrades from the past . That¡¯s how I felt when I met Bellion again . And if I were being honest¡­ . when he taught Beru a lesson, I felt just a tiny bit refreshed . Just a bit . Too bad, my joy at reuniting with my old comrade didn¡¯t last long . Because, not much time passed by before Bellion became influenced by Beru¡¯s antics, too! [Look, Igrit . This black flag¡­ if we plant it on top of this castle, don¡¯t you think our liege will become happy?] [¡­ . Are you being serious?] [I don¡¯t possess any skills to craft things like ants do, but if it is to make my liege happy, I¡¯m prepared to do anything . ] [N-no, that¡¯s not what I meant¡­ . ] [Kiieehk-hehehet, is that the flag for our liege?] [¡­ . . I give up . ] Of course, there was no need to even mention the reaction of our new master . In any case, our boss¡¯s powers became even greater after absorbing the original Shadow Army that had been patiently waiting for his summons from the gap between dimensions . Contrary to my worries, he didn¡¯t treat the ¡®soldiers from the previous liege¡¯ any differently from his own, and after uniting under one banner, we were now fully prepared to sacrifice our lives regardless of what battle it was, all for his sake . Our training time came and went way too quickly, and¡­ ¡­ . And, our determination was fully put to the test in the war against the Sovereigns . We fought with everything we had for his sake and successfully ended the war against the Sovereigns in our decisive victory . When he was fighting against the Dragon Emperor, we watched with bated breath, this incredible life-or-death battle, from inside the shadow . The brilliant face-off of the two Sovereigns was so beautiful that I was almost overcome with emotions . [Kiiehhk? What¡¯s this? Igrit, are you crying?] [¡­ . Shut up . ] The entirety of the Shadow Army was up in arms inside our liege¡¯s shadow, thinking that a seriously dangerous moment was upon their master, but then, the armies of the Rulers opened up the doorway in the sky and decided to crash the party . Waaaahhh-!! We all cried out in elation after seeing the reinforcements blotting out the sky . [You lazy bums, couldn¡¯t you have come a bit earlier?!] [Wait, could they have deliberately waited until now to make us anxious as heck before making their entrance??] [If I was standing outside, I¡¯d have kicked their a*ses already!!] We were pouring out our complaints and dissatisfactions, but inwardly, we were celebrating our master¡¯s victory with great relish . Unfortunately, we didn¡¯t get to sing our songs of celebration for long . Because¡­ our liege spoke . ¡°One more time¡­ . Can you use the ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯ one more time?¡± He said that he wanted to reverse the time and completely erase any signs of Sovereigns and Rulers from this world he was living in . Back when I was still a human being, I too had people that I wanted to protect, so I could easily sympathise with his emotions . Maybe, I¡¯d have chosen the same path if I was allowed to make the same decision . I completely respected his choice . Myself and my comrades were fully prepared to clash against any opponents once more, whether they be the armies of the Sovereigns or not, as long as it was for our master¡¯s sake . Regrettably, though, not everyone was invited to this battle . When we learned that some of us would disappear when the time was reversed, those soldiers that fell under that condition all plopped down and began to sorrowfully cry out . All I could do was to console Iron who had been with us for a long time, Greed who got on the liege¡¯s bad books from the get-go and ended up going through a lot of hardships, as well as other wailing soldiers . And so, the moment of farewells came to an end like that . We returned to the past and were gifted with a brand-new battlefield . Our master became more and more adept at warfare, and following after our master¡¯s growth, we too, became stronger in turn, as well . We faced several dangerous crises, both big and small . However, he grew even stronger every time he overcame them, to a point that it was getting harder to keep up with him . That¡¯s how almost 30 years flew by . All of our enemies were defeated, bar the ¡®Army of Destruction¡¯ . The desperate clash of our liege against the Dragon Emperor . While our master was fighting against the leader of the enemy forces, we faced off against the Ancient-grade Dragons . One of them named Granodeh decided to engage me in a chat as I was mercilessly and crazily cutting down the army of Dragons . [IGRIT!!! You were supposed to be one of the twin wings of the Shadow Army, yet you follow the orders of a Sovereign who is a measly human?! Are you not ashamed of yourself??] Not even possessing enough energy to maintain its Dragonic form anymore, the b*stard had reverted back to a humanoid appearance, panting laboriously as it clutched the sword sticking out its chest . I ended up staring at the dying creature with dazed eyes for a long time after hearing its final words . Indeed, I had forgotten it . The moments spent with my new master had been so glorious that I had completely forgotten about the previous liege . Since when did this happen? Since when did the previous liege completely disappear from my mind? Granodeh¡¯s breathing came to a stop a long time ago, and fierce skirmishes continued to break out all around me, but I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to leave this spot for a while . I thought that my master was everything to me ¨C but, in reality, he meant so little to me? Such feelings of doubt caused the inside of my mind to blank out . But then, this happened . I heard a loud yell coming from somewhere that woke me up real fast . ¡°Igrit!!¡± It was the voice of my liege . I urgently raised my head to look . In the direction my gaze landed in next, I was greeted by a ray of blinding light . ¡®Breath of Destruction!!¡¯ The Dragon Emperor had spent most of its energy after battling my liege and reverted back to its humanoid figure as well . But, for some reason, it was firing a Breath in my direction . No, wait . That b*stard wasn¡¯t aiming at me . It just so happened that I was standing in the path of the Breath, that was all . Indeed, I was rather unlucky . The truth was, most of the accidents happened because of some bad luck, and the victim at the end would lose his life . And it was my turn to become that victim . Khuwaaaahh-!! I realised that it was too late to do anything after seeing the ray of blinding light about to swallow me up . I couldn¡¯t even do anything and just stood there, frozen . I resigned myself to my fate . While facing the light enveloping my entire vision, I began thinking to myself . Maybe this was¡­ a punishment for completely forgetting about my pledge of allegiance to the previous liege? ¡®If so, then I shall gladly accept it . ¡¯ After all, I was a sinner, wasn¡¯t I? And so, as I quietly waited for my final moments approaching me at the speed of light¡­ ¡­In that blink of a moment, someone stood before me and extended his hand out to block the ¡®Breath of Destruction¡¯ . Kuwaaaaahhhhh-!!! His left hand was burning away from the horrifying attack of the Dragon Emperor, but he showed no signs of pulling away . I watched him defending against the flames capable of burning away everything in the universe for my sake and even before I had realised it, I was calling out in desperation . [My liege!!] Once the Breath of Destruction came to its end, my liege turned to look at me with rebuking eyes . ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯ Just like back when he loudly yelled out my name, I woke up again with a start just now . My liege scanned my condition for a moment or two, before dashing towards the Dragon Emperor again . I too, raised up my sword in order to cut down the Dragonewts trying to surround me . Clang!! Blades clashed with blades once more to create flying sparks, and the Dragonewts being cut down by my sword screamed out in anguish . ¡®That¡¯s right . ¡¯ I had never forgotten about my previous liege . My loyalty to that person simply had been extended to my current liege, that was all . How could me staying loyal with all my being to the inheritor the previous liege had personally chosen, be seen as a bad thing, a sin? ¡®I am a knight . ¡¯ I was a sword of my liege . I was one of the twin wings that led the Shadow Army . If a one in ten thousand chance occurred¡­ if I were to face the moment where I had to part ways with the current liege, then I¡¯d add the words of farewell I didn¡¯t get to say to the previous liege as well . Every day I fought under my liege had been honour and privilege to me . [Uwaaaahhhh-!!!] I roared out viciously and pounced on the Dragons dashing towards my direction . *** The lengthy war ended safely, and we all returned to the liege¡¯s homeworld . Jot, jot¡­ . My liege was focused on studying until late at night . Hidden inside his shadow and sharing his vision, I decided to offer my advice . [My liege, the answer to the 14th question was not the first one, but the second option . ] ¡°Ah, really? Thanks . ¡± Thanks to not being able to meet the minimum required number of school attendance days, my liege was unfairly expelled from this institution called ¡®middle school¡¯ and now found himself stepping into a brand-new battlefield, called ¡®GED¡¯ . Although he maintained near-perfect score in every mock test he participated in, there were still a few problems that did slip through the cracks of inattention every now and then . But, whenever something like that happened, just who was qualified to lend the liege his aid? Grand-Marshal Bellion, who only had his huge physique and nothing else? Or Marshal Beru, who could legitimately claim to be pretty smart but ultimately, still a lousy insect at heart? In the end, it fell upon myself to counsel our liege, as I had graduated the knight training school with top marks when I was still a human being . ¡°Hey, by the way, here, it says that the answer to the 14th question is¡­ the first one? Igrit, can you really stake your life on the second one?¡± My liege opened up the answer sheet and pointed out my flaw with razor-sharp accuracy . So, as befitting a knight, I owned up to it . [It seems that my training is still quite lacking, my liege . I shall devote myself even further to my liege¡¯s cause . ] ¡®¡­¡­ . . ¡¯ I am my liege¡¯s knight . My liege¡¯s sword . The battlefield of my liege is my battlefield; now that he had stepped into a new war, it seemed that my glorious days would continue on for a little while longer . < Chapter 248 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 248: Chapter 248 Side Story 5. 4 . Igrit¡¯s memories. The first time I met ¡®him¡¯ was inside the irregular space created out of my liege¡¯s power . My mission was to test the human about to enter this place Although my liege said that he wished to find out if this human was fit to become his vessel, I knew the truth, somehow I knew that this order might be the last one my liege would ever give me . My liege had lost all interest in warfare after forgiving the Rulers . From that point alone, I knew that he had harboured a deeper meaning in why he was so focused on this rather unremarkable human being I began guessing that I¡¯d soon bid farewell to my liege . However, the command issued by my liege was still absolute . I had no thoughts of questioning his motives or changing his mind . All I could do was to comply with his command That was all I could do And so, after most of my powers were sealed away, I was made to stand all alone in the space where the testing of that human would take place ¡®Humans of this world call spaces such as this one dungeons, don¡¯t they?¡¯. At the far end of this imaginary dungeon shaped to resemble an audience chamber of a king¡¯s castle, I saw a large throne . I combed through my fading memories of the time when I was still human and studied this place ¡®As expected¡­ . You have certainly created quite a detailed stage with my liege¡¯s power, haven¡¯t you?¡¯. I continued to touch and feel each large pillar lined up from the entrance to the plinth where the throne was and expressed my admiration towards the abilities of the architect, who had created all these As the fruit of this meticulous planning, that human¡¯s body would continuously be modified to accept my liege¡¯s power It was then I sensed the presence of someone approaching this place ¡®He¡¯s here already¡­ . ?¡¯. I panicked at this unexpectedly fast arrival of the test subject and ended up sitting down on the throne However¡­ ¡°¡­ ¡±. After I settled down on the throne, I began wondering if me sitting here would be seen as a bit ¡®insolent¡¯ The consciousness of my liege had already taken root within the human I was supposed to test, so I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if me sitting on a throne like this, in front of my master, would be seen as me being disrespectful ¡®¡­ ¡¯. In the end, I judged that I should refrain from displaying any uncouth sight and hurriedly climbed off the throne to hide behind the nearest pillar Geuh-gugugugu-!!. With a truly gobsmacking timing, the massive entrance opened up, but thanks to the surroundings being too dark, that human failed to discover me panicking grandly like that What a relief that was It¡¯d be no good to make this serious test my liege had planned out into a farce with my mistakes, now would it?. I inwardly spat out a sigh of relief and when the human was about ten steps away from me, I slowly walked out from behind the pillar to block his path ¡®¡­ . !¡¯. Through the still air, I sensed his nervousness He was a young man Obviously, my gaze lingering on him couldn¡¯t be described as favourable ¡®So, he¡¯s the one my liege has chosen¡­¡¯. Even if this mission wasn¡¯t the final order bestowed unto me, I never planned to go easy during this fight . If I believed that he wasn¡¯t qualified, I¡¯d kill him with my own hands And so, as I stood there, igniting my fighting spirit¡­. ¡­ . This young man suddenly clenched his fists tightly and put his dukes up ¡®¡­ ??¡¯. Wait, could he be thinking of using his bare fists to defeat me?. I briefly thought about how praiseworthy his bravery was, for a human being . To fight him in equal conditions, I took off my cape and removed my weapons one by one ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯. Why was he getting so surprised by every single thing I did, anyway? Sure, his eyes filled with drive were rather likeable, but did he possess the same level of abilities to match those eyes, I wonder?. So, time to check it out¡­. ¡­ . And the results came out pretty quickly ¡°Keo-heok!¡±. Plop Even though I was forbidden from bringing out my full power, he was already kneeling before me . What a disappointment that was However, just as I felt disappointed, I also felt an equal amount of relief . Because, if the one supposed to inherit the power of my liege turned out to be not qualified, then that meant my liege would remain as he was for a little while longer For the first time ever, and also for the last time, too, I felt relieved by my liege¡¯s failure And then, I decided to bestow a fitting end matching the level of bravery this man had shown me even though he was a mere human being . I used the ¡®authority¡¯ briefly granted to me by my liege and dragged along the sword discarded to a distant location Cutting his head off in one go and sending him off on his way with minimal pain was what I planned to do . I figured that such a gesture would be the best form of mercy I could show this human Perhaps he had read my mind, he even presented his neck before me ¡®You made the right decision . Wisdom matching your bravery¡­ . Although your loss is lamentable, there is no way other than this to change my liege¡¯s mind . ¡¯. For the sake of the man choosing an honourable death, I performed the beheading . But then ¨C he seemed to have accepted his fate without a struggle, but the light in his eyes changed abruptly at that moment Clang!!. My sword was blocked off by his hand, and instead, his dagger stabbed deeply into my face next Stab!!. Kuwaaaaah-!!. I was stunned Not by the fact that he managed to block my blade, no, but from the fact that he never gave up on his life right up until the end, even under the current circumstances Also, although it was for a brief moment, I saw the light coldly gleaming in his eyes and belatedly realised that it was uncannily similar to the light within my liege¡¯s eyes ¡®Ah, ah¡­ That was why my liege has¡­¡¯. I completely lost all of my desire to fight, and was unable to respond to any of the continuous streams of attacks landing on me I was slammed into the wall, and¡­. Ku-waahng!!. ¡­ . And, I was stabbed repeatedly Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!. Eventually, the metal protector surrounding my neck couldn¡¯t endure and broke off Crack!!. The strength he possessed, and then, the one I possessed ¨C since this was a test to confirm whether he possessed enough of a qualification, I should possess higher stats than he did However, I still lost And quite obviously, too Was this the result of me underestimating him after seeing him as just another human being, or a miracle brought on about by his tenacious nature that didn¡¯t know the meaning of giving up?. As my consciousness blurred, I caught the sight of him raising both his hands up high to celebrate ¡°Uwahh-!!¡±. Well, now . Since I began chuckling while watching him be like that, it could only mean that I wasn¡¯t right of mind, no?. My consciousness blurred even further as my gaze drifted up towards the ceiling It was too dark up there, and I couldn¡¯t tell what these endlessly-stretching pillars were connected to . However, I was just a bit saddened by the thought that the distant darkness above seemed to signify my own growing distance away from my liege ¡®Am I supposed to feel happy that my liege¡¯s choice turned out to be correct, or feel sad that I couldn¡¯t manage to change his decision¡­ . ?¡¯. I couldn¡¯t decide, and that¡¯s how I lost my consciousness That was¡­ until that man came closer and shouted out ¡®Rise up¡¯ in my direction ***. He really cherished me Was it because I was his very first soldier ¨C no, technically speaking, not his first but someone very close to being one?. There were many occasions where I thanked him for the kindness I felt from him . And there were many things that remained etched in my memories, such as¡­ . Indeed, that one time On a certain day, he said this to me ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to talk once your grade goes up, right?¡±. How was I supposed to describe the state of my mind that nearly overloaded with emotions when I saw his bright smile? I wasn¡¯t sure of what he thought of me, but at least to me, he was my master, my friend, and my ally He and I overcame many battles together At times, against denizens of the Chaos World, sometimes against monsters of the instant dungeons, and sometimes, even against other Hunters When he was happy, I too was happy, and when he was struggling, I too struggled . And when he was sad, I also felt sad, as well I knew that the deeper my loyalty to him became, the longing towards my former master would get fainter and fainter . Despite that, though, I gradually grew to accept my new liege Of course, it was not always smooth sailing, either . There were moments that I was actually sweating buckets ¡°Use this . ¡±. Such as, when I fought against a much stronger female Hunter while still being under several restrictions, with only a sword that could shoot out some lightning bolts ¡°Was the black knight you brought out really your strongest summon?¡±. ¡®¡­ ¡¯. I was even subjected to such insults, too And then, I even became a ¡®roommate¡¯ with a Shadow Soldier who possessed an abnormal fighting strength rather unexpectedly, as well Kiiiieeehhhk-!!. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯. Now I found myself saddled with a ¡®roommate¡¯ who, although very loyal by nature, his nature also happened to be quite vicious . You have no idea how badly I missed my dignified comrades from the past That¡¯s how I felt when I met Bellion again . And if I were being honest¡­ . when he taught Beru a lesson, I felt just a tiny bit refreshed Just a bit Too bad, my joy at reuniting with my old comrade didn¡¯t last long Because, not much time passed by before Bellion became influenced by Beru¡¯s antics, too!. [Look, Igrit . This black flag¡­ if we plant it on top of this castle, don¡¯t you think our liege will become happy?]. [¡­ . Are you being serious?]. [I don¡¯t possess any skills to craft things like ants do, but if it is to make my liege happy, I¡¯m prepared to do anything . ]. [N-no, that¡¯s not what I meant¡­ . ]. [Kiieehk-hehehet, is that the flag for our liege?]. [¡­ I give up . ]. Of course, there was no need to even mention the reaction of our new master In any case, our boss¡¯s powers became even greater after absorbing the original Shadow Army that had been patiently waiting for his summons from the gap between dimensions Contrary to my worries, he didn¡¯t treat the ¡®soldiers from the previous liege¡¯ any differently from his own, and after uniting under one banner, we were now fully prepared to sacrifice our lives regardless of what battle it was, all for his sake Our training time came and went way too quickly, and¡­. ¡­ . And, our determination was fully put to the test in the war against the Sovereigns We fought with everything we had for his sake and successfully ended the war against the Sovereigns in our decisive victory When he was fighting against the Dragon Emperor, we watched with bated breath, this incredible life-or-death battle, from inside the shadow . The brilliant face-off of the two Sovereigns was so beautiful that I was almost overcome with emotions [Kiiehhk? What¡¯s this? Igrit, are you crying?]. [¡­ . Shut up . ]. The entirety of the Shadow Army was up in arms inside our liege¡¯s shadow, thinking that a seriously dangerous moment was upon their master, but then, the armies of the Rulers opened up the doorway in the sky and decided to crash the party Waaaahhh-!!. We all cried out in elation after seeing the reinforcements blotting out the sky [You lazy bums, couldn¡¯t you have come a bit earlier?!]. [Wait, could they have deliberately waited until now to make us anxious as heck before making their entrance??]. [If I was standing outside, I¡¯d have kicked their a*ses already!!]. We were pouring out our complaints and dissatisfactions, but inwardly, we were celebrating our master¡¯s victory with great relish Unfortunately, we didn¡¯t get to sing our songs of celebration for long Because¡­ our liege spoke ¡°One more time¡­ . Can you use the ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯ one more time?¡±. He said that he wanted to reverse the time and completely erase any signs of Sovereigns and Rulers from this world he was living in Back when I was still a human being, I too had people that I wanted to protect, so I could easily sympathise with his emotions . Maybe, I¡¯d have chosen the same path if I was allowed to make the same decision I completely respected his choice Myself and my comrades were fully prepared to clash against any opponents once more, whether they be the armies of the Sovereigns or not, as long as it was for our master¡¯s sake Regrettably, though, not everyone was invited to this battle When we learned that some of us would disappear when the time was reversed, those soldiers that fell under that condition all plopped down and began to sorrowfully cry out All I could do was to console Iron who had been with us for a long time, Greed who got on the liege¡¯s bad books from the get-go and ended up going through a lot of hardships, as well as other wailing soldiers And so, the moment of farewells came to an end like that . We returned to the past and were gifted with a brand-new battlefield Our master became more and more adept at warfare, and following after our master¡¯s growth, we too, became stronger in turn, as well We faced several dangerous crises, both big and small . However, he grew even stronger every time he overcame them, to a point that it was getting harder to keep up with him That¡¯s how almost 30 years flew by All of our enemies were defeated, bar the ¡®Army of Destruction¡¯ The desperate clash of our liege against the Dragon Emperor While our master was fighting against the leader of the enemy forces, we faced off against the Ancient-grade Dragons One of them named Granodeh decided to engage me in a chat as I was mercilessly and crazily cutting down the army of Dragons [IGRIT!!! You were supposed to be one of the twin wings of the Shadow Army, yet you follow the orders of a Sovereign who is a measly human?! Are you not ashamed of yourself??]. Not even possessing enough energy to maintain its Dragonic form anymore, the b*stard had reverted back to a humanoid appearance, panting laboriously as it clutched the sword sticking out its chest . I ended up staring at the dying creature with dazed eyes for a long time after hearing its final words Indeed, I had forgotten it The moments spent with my new master had been so glorious that I had completely forgotten about the previous liege Since when did this happen?. Since when did the previous liege completely disappear from my mind?. Granodeh¡¯s breathing came to a stop a long time ago, and fierce skirmishes continued to break out all around me, but I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to leave this spot for a while I thought that my master was everything to me ¨C but, in reality, he meant so little to me?. Such feelings of doubt caused the inside of my mind to blank out But then, this happened I heard a loud yell coming from somewhere that woke me up real fast ¡°Igrit!!¡±. It was the voice of my liege I urgently raised my head to look . In the direction my gaze landed in next, I was greeted by a ray of blinding light ¡®Breath of Destruction!!¡¯. The Dragon Emperor had spent most of its energy after battling my liege and reverted back to its humanoid figure as well . But, for some reason, it was firing a Breath in my direction No, wait That b*stard wasn¡¯t aiming at me . It just so happened that I was standing in the path of the Breath, that was all Indeed, I was rather unlucky . The truth was, most of the accidents happened because of some bad luck, and the victim at the end would lose his life . And it was my turn to become that victim Khuwaaaahh-!!. I realised that it was too late to do anything after seeing the ray of blinding light about to swallow me up . I couldn¡¯t even do anything and just stood there, frozen I resigned myself to my fate While facing the light enveloping my entire vision, I began thinking to myself . Maybe this was¡­ a punishment for completely forgetting about my pledge of allegiance to the previous liege?. ¡®If so, then I shall gladly accept it . ¡¯. After all, I was a sinner, wasn¡¯t I?. And so, as I quietly waited for my final moments approaching me at the speed of light¡­. ¡­In that blink of a moment, someone stood before me and extended his hand out to block the ¡®Breath of Destruction¡¯ Kuwaaaaahhhhh-!!!. His left hand was burning away from the horrifying attack of the Dragon Emperor, but he showed no signs of pulling away I watched him defending against the flames capable of burning away everything in the universe for my sake and even before I had realised it, I was calling out in desperation [My liege!!]. Once the Breath of Destruction came to its end, my liege turned to look at me with rebuking eyes ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯. Just like back when he loudly yelled out my name, I woke up again with a start just now . My liege scanned my condition for a moment or two, before dashing towards the Dragon Emperor again I too, raised up my sword in order to cut down the Dragonewts trying to surround me Clang!!. Blades clashed with blades once more to create flying sparks, and the Dragonewts being cut down by my sword screamed out in anguish ¡®That¡¯s right . ¡¯. I had never forgotten about my previous liege . My loyalty to that person simply had been extended to my current liege, that was all How could me staying loyal with all my being to the inheritor the previous liege had personally chosen, be seen as a bad thing, a sin?. ¡®I am a knight . ¡¯. I was a sword of my liege I was one of the twin wings that led the Shadow Army If a one in ten thousand chance occurred¡­ if I were to face the moment where I had to part ways with the current liege, then I¡¯d add the words of farewell I didn¡¯t get to say to the previous liege as well Every day I fought under my liege had been honour and privilege to me [Uwaaaahhhh-!!!]. I roared out viciously and pounced on the Dragons dashing towards my direction ***. The lengthy war ended safely, and we all returned to the liege¡¯s homeworld Jot, jot¡­ My liege was focused on studying until late at night . Hidden inside his shadow and sharing his vision, I decided to offer my advice [My liege, the answer to the 14th question was not the first one, but the second option . ]. ¡°Ah, really? Thanks . ¡±. Thanks to not being able to meet the minimum required number of school attendance days, my liege was unfairly expelled from this institution called ¡®middle school¡¯ and now found himself stepping into a brand-new battlefield, called ¡®GED¡¯ Although he maintained near-perfect score in every mock test he participated in, there were still a few problems that did slip through the cracks of inattention every now and then But, whenever something like that happened, just who was qualified to lend the liege his aid?. Grand-Marshal Bellion, who only had his huge physique and nothing else? Or Marshal Beru, who could legitimately claim to be pretty smart but ultimately, still a lousy insect at heart?. In the end, it fell upon myself to counsel our liege, as I had graduated the knight training school with top marks when I was still a human being ¡°Hey, by the way, here, it says that the answer to the 14th question is¡­ the first one? Igrit, can you really stake your life on the second one?¡±. My liege opened up the answer sheet and pointed out my flaw with razor-sharp accuracy . So, as befitting a knight, I owned up to it [It seems that my training is still quite lacking, my liege . I shall devote myself even further to my liege¡¯s cause . ]. ¡®¡­¡­ ¡¯. I am my liege¡¯s knight My liege¡¯s sword The battlefield of my liege is my battlefield; now that he had stepped into a new war, it seemed that my glorious days would continue on for a little while longer < Chapter 248 > Fin Chapter 249 Side Story 6 5 . Your daily routine (1) Every once in a while, Woo Jin-Cheol felt this inexplicable sense of loss in his heart . One heck of a weird thing this was, as if he had forgotten something really important to him . However, no matter how hard he combed through his memories, he knew that he had definitely not forgotten anything . Only, the emptiness in his heart would grow larger and larger the more he thought about it, that was all . "Hey, senior . What are you thinking about so deeply like that?" The youngest detective in the unit asked him while handing over a cup of warm coffee taken from a vending machine . Woo Jin-Cheol shrugged his shoulders to say that it was nothing important and received the coffee . "Thank you . " Once this aromatic smell of coffee entered his nostrils, it felt as if the emptiness in his heart was filling up just a little bit . His name was Woo Jin-Cheol, a fourth-year detective in the National Police Agency''s Violent Crimes Investigation Unit . It wasn''t as if he lived a soft life where his mind would sway gently from the warm breezes of the incoming spring, but still, this sense of loss started chasing after him out of the blue, about three years ago . When he mentioned this to his acquaintances, they all promptly reminded him with the cruel fact that he had no family to call his own, even though he was already at a ripe old age, and that must''ve been the reason for his restlessness . Just like the bitter aftertaste of the coffee, Woo Jin-Cheol formed a bitter smile, too, and emptied out the paper cup in no time at all . ''¡­ . That''s right . '' Didn''t someone say that a busy bee had no time to feel sad, or something like that? The best medicine to heal this trivial depression of his was, traditionally speaking, more work . With excellent timing, Woo Jin-Cheol''s sharp gaze landed on the backs of some men sitting in a line as soon as he stepped into the offices of the Violent Crimes Unit . He crushed the empty paper cup with his hand and pointed at these three men with his chin . "What''s their story?" "Ah . . . those b*stards? Well, uh . . . . " Woo Jin-Cheol heard the youngest detective''s somewhat hesitant voice and walked over quickly to stand before them . Sure enough . . . . These men''s facial complexions were whiter than snow as if they had seen something they shouldn''t have . They couldn''t even meet his gaze and continued to shiver like a lone leaf in the wind . Seeing their faces, Woo Jin-Cheol began muttering to himself . "It''s the Shadow Monster again . . . ?" *** It wasn''t all that rare to see criminals turning themselves in and confessing to their wrongdoings out of the sheer weight of guilt, or out of fear of getting caught . However, it was a completely different story to see a bunch of hardened career criminals, scared sh*tless, begging the cops to throw them into jail cells as quickly as possible . And for the last several months, the so-called ''not rare at all'' spectacle repeated itself over and over again . "S-Shadows¡­ . The . . . the, the shadow stood up from the ground . . . and spoke to me . If, if I don''t turn myself in during the next 24 hours, I''ll end up regretting that I''m even alive¡­ . D-detective, I''m a bad guy, so please, please! Throw me inside the slammer! I beg you!!" They all generally retold the same story . When similar situations kept repeating itself, the higher-ups got fed up and had ordered their underlings to get to the bottom of this matter right away . Woo Jin-Cheol''s voice rose up higher . "So, what you''re saying is, you all saw the Shadow Monster?" "T-that''s right!! Right!" Woo Jin-Cheol began writing up his report with the testimonies of these criminals, and when he got to the part called ''the reason for turning oneself in'', he spat out a long, long sigh . ''How am I supposed to write a report about this, again?!'' His head began developing a migraine just from thinking about writing yet another report on the unbelievable story of the ''Shadow Monster'' cursing people . It was then . Tap, tap . Someone tapped him on the shoulder so he took a glance back, and that''s when he spotted a senior detective standing behind him . "Hey, Jin-Cheol-ah? Let the junior here take over writing up the report . Can you come to the conference room for a sec?" ''The conference room?'' What with the blindingly wonderful antics of the Shadow Monster reducing the number of violent crimes recently, there shouldn''t be a need to use the conference room anymore, but he was being summoned there without a prior heads-up, regardless? What was going on? The senior detective left behind the puzzled gaze of the younger officer and headed straight to the conference room; Woo Jin-Cheol tilted his head a bit before standing up from his seat as well . "Senior, I''ll take care of this . " "Good luck . " Woo Jin-Cheol encouraged the junior, now charged with finishing up the miscellaneous work, and headed towards the conference room along with other detectives . *** "Pardon? You want to release the suspects back on the street?!" "Uh-huh! Lower your voice, Detective Woo! Someone might hear us from the outside and get the wrong idea . " Woo Jin-Cheol asked again in a disbelieving voice . "What do you mean by releasing the suspects back on the street, sir??" "It''s not ''releasing'', but we just let one of them outside for 24 hours and observe what happens afterwards . " After listening to the opinion of the senior detective, one of Woo Jin-Cheol''s colleagues formed a deep frown before voicing his own . "Senior, I''m telling you, these b*stards are talking bullsh*t after getting themselves high on drugs . This crap about monsters and whatnot, it''s definitely them having a new type of bad trip from the sh*t they''ve been taking . " "But, their drug test came back negative, didn''t it? I personally went to Forensics to confirm it myself, didn''t I?" "Well, that . . . " "Besides, just because of some nasty side effect of a drug, these b*stards without any connection between them saw the exact same thing and decided to turn themselves in?" " . . . " In the end, the colleague shut his mouth as if he had nothing else to say . The meeting of the detectives continued on . "The brass told us to get to the bottom of this a while ago, but look at us, we haven''t even gotten anywhere . What choice do we have? We gotta do something this drastic so that, at least, we can find us some clues . " The detectives, initially unmoved and hesitant, began sneaking glances at each other and nodded their heads . Since every single one of them saw the exact same type of hallucination, then there had to be some kind of a clue from the rubbish they were all spewing at the same time . "So, like¡­ . What I''m saying here is, let''s create an opportunity for them to continue spewing rubbish . " Woo Jin-Cheol, quietly listening on until then, opened his mouth . "But, what if something really does happen?" " . . . . ??" " . . . . ?" The gazes of every detective seriously contemplating their next actions all shifted in Woo Jin-Cheol''s direction at once . Smirk, smirk¡­ . The corners of their lips began curling up next . "Detective Woo, you believed in ghosts and stuff?" "I didn''t take you for someone like that, but I guess our Woo Jin-Cheol has an unexpectedly sensitive side, doesn''t he?" "Hahaha . . . " Of course, Woo Jin-Cheol wasn''t foolishly believing them, taking some nonsense story about monsters at face value . However ¨C if everyone was seeing the same hallucination, then there should be a reasonable explanation for that, no? For some reason, he felt this ominous foreboding that, through the testimonies of the suspects, he was now meeting some kind of a gaze that was staring straight at him from beyond the darkness . He got this feeling that he shouldn''t poke his nose in this matter . The squad captain must''ve interpreted Woo Jin-Cheol''s concerns in a different manner, since he said the following words while lightly tapping on the shoulder of his detective forming a worried expression . "There shouldn''t be any accidents, Detective Woo . We''ll just take one suspect, place him inside a quiet storage facility somewhere and see if anything pops out . I mean, several burly and healthy officers will be watching him like hawks, so with what miracle will he escape from us?" The squad captain looked at him with eyes that said ''You can''t possibly be believing in this supernatural hocus pocus, can you?'' and Woo Jin-Cheol could only nod his head in defeat . That elicited a burst of manly laughter from the captain . "Right . Let''s say that 24-hour time limit elapses, and a monster does appear to do something to the b*stard . If that''s the case, isn''t that something we can also feel thankful for, in a way?" These criminals were serious, vicious offenders who specifically targetted the homes of senior citizens to rob and even ended up beating a couple of pensioners to death just because the victims dared to resist . The captain then spoke half-jokingly, but also half-seriously, that, rather than such b*stards staying in the slammer getting fed three times a day, it was only right that they got ripped to shreds by a monster . "So, now we need volunteers . . . . " The captain shifted his gaze over to Woo Jin-Cheol and formed a rather sly grin . "Detective Woo, you can sit this one out if you''re still hesitant about it . " " . . . . . " Anyone who had lived in society for a while should already know this ¨C those words definitely meant "Don''t sit this one out" . Woo Jin-Cheol still felt unconvinced so he had to deliberate on this for a little bit, before eventually making his reply . "No, sir . I shall come along as well . " *** "D-Detective-nims!! N-no! You can''t! You seriously can''t! I''ll die!" "Just be still . I told you, we have stuff to confirm . " "I will die!!" "Hey, man . Just who''s going to die here? Can''t you see us protecting you? Detective Kim? How long do we have until the 24-hour mark comes to an end?" "Let me see¡­ . I think roughly 30 minutes?" "Is it? Uh-whew, it''s pretty cold tonight . " The air of spring remained frigid and white steam rose up from the lips of the waiting detectives . They were currently inside a quiet storage building, the time being in the middle of dawn . To observe the ''change'' that might take place with their suspect, detectives were waiting around with nothing much to keep them company . Only one among them ¨C Woo Jin-Cheol ¨C kept a close watch on his surroundings, his glare remaining sharp . ''Something''s different . . . . '' For some reason, the surrounding air felt different from the norm . It even vaguely felt like something he should never be near was approaching this location . He prayed inwardly that this feeling would prove to be nothing but a simple fuss¡­ . Woo Jin-Cheol sucked in the cold air repeatedly in order to calm his breathing that tried to get faster and faster . And so ¨C the hour warned by the existence called the ''Shadow Monster'' slowly encroached upon them . "Uhm¡­ . It''s time now, everyone . " "Really?" One of the detectives took a look at his watch and stood up from his chair . Tick, tock . The 24-hour mark the suspect was strongly emphasizing earlier on had come and gone now . " . . . . " " . . . . " Should one say that this turn of events was entirely not unexpected? Nothing had happened, and there was no sign of anything about to happen, either . "What the heck?" The detective with a short fuse began glaring at the suspect, prompting the criminal to stop shivering in fear and peek his head out before forming a dumbfounded expression himself . "Uh . . . . ?" Since there was no one watching anyway, the detectives surrounding the criminal began mercilessly shouting at him . "Hey, you little sh*t! You as*holes probably got high as a d*mn group, didn''t you?!" "Stop wasting our time and just be clean with it, will ya? Why don''t you make all of our lives easier, ah?" The suspect shifted his head this way and that while blinking non-stop, but when nothing happened even after a long time passed by, he began sheepishly scratching the back of his head . "No, hang on, the thing was¡­ . We definitely saw it, you see? Actually, there were four of . . . . . " When his words arrived there . . . Woo Jin-Cheol, who always stayed a couple of steps away from the group and watched the surroundings, quickly turned around towards his fellow detectives and urgently cried out . "Get away!! Get away from there!!" What was he trying to say now? The faces of the detectives seemed to be asking that question as they looked at Woo Jin-Cheol, but then, they were all blown away on their backsides without warning . "Uwahk!!" "Keok!!" Detectives rolled along the ground and, as if they had lost their consciousness just like that, remained dead-still in their sleep after coming to a stop . Woo Jin-Cheol tried to run towards his colleagues, but after discovering something, his steps came to an abrupt halt . His irises were engraved with the images of ''monsters'' slowly rising up from the shadow on the ground . "Ah . . . . . " He couldn''t say anything . His breathing suddenly felt stifled, choked up . These¡­ . No, hang on, these things were definitely not human . They were ''insects'' that just so happened to possess the arms and legs of a human being; above their necks sat the head of an ant, rather than that of a human . Woo Jin-Cheol''s eyes quaked in fear . ''There are three such monsters?!'' These suspects definitely didn''t see any hallucinations, nor were they suffering from adverse side effects of some strange narcotics, either . Their testimony had contained not one shred of falsehood, as it turned out . "U-uwaaaaaahhhk!!" Now completely surrounded by these ant monsters, the suspect began screaming at the top of his head . It was the most desperate, frightened, and sorrowful scream a human could emit . It was unmistakably the death throes of a dying man . The ant monsters ripped the suspect apart without hesitation and began devouring him . "Uwaaahk!!" His scream didn''t last for long . Only some splotches of blood and bits of flesh remained on the spot where the feast of ants took place . Woo Jin-Cheol dazedly stared at that spectacle . And then, two of the ant monsters also discovered the dazed detective after ending their meal . Kiiehk . And their gazes were now fixed on him . Woo Jin-Cheol thought of turning around in a hurry to escape, but his feet didn''t want to move . His legs had frozen up solid and he couldn''t lift them up at all . "P-please . . . . " It was then . The biggest ant monster with wings, situated behind the two other ants, stopped his comrades (?) from going any further . The winged ant grabbed their shoulders and turned them away, and for some reason, he formed the kind of expression that said, "Hey, nice to see you again" . Heck, he even formed a grin, too . " . . . . ??" An ant . . . was smiling? No, hang on a minute . ''Never mind the fact that an ant is smiling ¨C how the heck can I even tell that it''s making a delighted expression?'' It was so, so strange . Even though he now found himself in this deeply horrifying, frightening situation, Woo Jin-Cheol was suddenly overcome with this sense of longing . As if, there once had been a time that he was quite familiar with situations such as this one . ''But¡­ . How?'' Woo Jin-Cheol fell into a state of confusion and panic, only to realise that the ants were disappearing into the shadow . "H-hey!! Hold on!! Wait!" Too bad, despite how desperately he called out, the ant monsters were gone without a trace, in the blink of an eye . By the time he ran over and stood above the shadow itself, there was not a single trace of them left anywhere . He felt this sense of loss assaulting him again and bent down to slowly rub the shadow that the ants had disappeared into . Just how long passed by like that? "M-mm . . . . " Woo Jin-Cheol belatedly regained his wits after listening to his colleagues toss and turn behind him . "H-hey, are you alright?" He checked out their current conditions and quickly called the emergency services . Even after he did that, though ¨C even when ambulances arrived on the scene to take his colleagues away to the hospital, his gaze remained fixed to the shadow . *** "Brilliant!! Absolutely f*cking brilliant!!!" The squad captain was, understandably, up in arms . But, that was to be expected . The suspect had completely vanished without a trace, while the detectives supposed to watch over the man were struck unconscious by something and couldn''t remember a thing . The captain looked at the two detectives covered in bandages here and there with their heads hanging low in embarrassment, and spat out a long sigh . He then shifted his gaze over to Woo Jin-Cheol . "Detective Woo? What about you?" " . . . " "You called the ambulance, didn''t you? Can''t you remember anything?" "My apologies, captain . When I came to, I saw my colleagues unconscious, so I just . . . . " "God d*mn it!!" Captain pounded on his chest as if the frustration was about to kill him and sighed out again . "Thankfully, this matter hasn''t been reported to the higher-ups yet, so all of you, keep your mouths shut, okay? And you two, you got hurt by mistake while trying to investigate the gangs in the Guro-gu district . Got it?" "Yes, sir . " "Yes, captain . " Along with the energyless replies from the two detectives, this incident had come to its conclusion ¨C for the time being . The Violent Crimes Unit became rather quiet for a while afterwards . "Senior? You know, you look a lot better nowadays . Did something good happen to you lately?" The youngest detective in the squad asked while handing over a cup of steaming coffee taken from the vending machine to Woo Jin-Cheol . "Well, I wonder . " Woo Jin-Cheol shrugged his shoulders as if to say there was nothing to see here and received the cup . The thing was, though ¨C the youngest detective''s words of something good happening weren''t entirely off the mark . After that day, after meeting those ant monsters, it felt as if that emptiness in his heart had been filled by a little, for some unfathomable reason . ''There''s definitely something here . '' Without a doubt! The instincts of a veteran detective, no, the instincts of a human being named Woo Jin-Cheol, were telling him that there was definitely something there . The youngest detective stole a glance over Woo In-Cheol''s shoulder to see what was on the pages of a small memo pad the latter was concentrating so hard on . "Uh? Uhh? Senior? You''re still investigating that missing suspect incident? But, didn''t the captain say . . . . . " "I know, I know . It''s something I''m looking into in my spare time . " Woo Jin-Cheol made sure that his junior wouldn''t run his mouth off and finished off his share of coffee . However, unlike in the past, the junior didn''t shut his mouth up immediately . "Wowsers¡­ . There are quite a lot of suspects turning themselves in because of the Shadow Monster beside our precinct, isn''t it?" " . . . . " He couldn''t simply treat this young detective badly when the number of hopeful officers applying to join the Violent Crimes Unit was in decline lately . Although he was slightly annoyed by this unnecessary attention, Woo Jin-Cheol still did his best not to show it and replied calmly . "That''s what I heard . " "Mm . . . . " The junior stared hard at the contents of the memo pad, before asking another question . "Huh? Wait, why did the number of suspects turning themselves in suddenly decrease by a lot between the end of February and the beginning of March?" After hearing that astute observation made by the junior, the veteran''s eyes gleamed brightly . "Hey, can you think of something?" "Ah, well, it''s actually nothing much, but¡­ . My aunt used to run a small book rental shop, you see . " " . . . . Okay, so?" "I just remembered that she used to whine about business going downhill during the end of February and the beginning of March, because the new school semester started around then, senior . Haha, it really was nothing much, wasn''t it?" Perhaps he felt a bit sheepish, the junior scratched the back of his head with a smile . But then, he gasped out in sheer surprise when he saw Woo Jin-Cheol carefully jot down what was said on the memo pad . "S-Senior??" "Well, you never know . " School opening, students, semester . Those four simple words with no adjectives or modifiers attached were quietly added into Woo Jin-Cheol''s memo pad . *** Meanwhile, in XX High School . A day before the entrance ceremony for the new students, the headmaster of the school secretly summoned the teacher serving as the director of the students'' affairs department to his office . "We''ll be welcoming a problem child in our school tomorrow . " "Pardon me, sir?" The headmaster pushed forward a set of prepared documents . The director of the students'' affairs scanned the profile of a certain student written on the document and tilted his head . "His father is a firefighter, his mom is a regular housewife . His academic records aren''t too shabby, and I failed to see anything major with this child, sir . " "Uh-huh . This fella . Look at the bottom . Look at the details on his expulsion . " " . . . . . !!" The student had run away from home for two years when he was only a first-year middle school student . Rather obviously, he was expelled from his previous school . But then, he ''completed'' the middle school diploma through GED and applied to enter their high school . ''Not even as a high school freshman, but a child who just graduated from the elementary school ran away from home for two years?'' The director sensed the entrance of a powerful adversary and his eyes began quaking ever so imperceptibly . Meanwhile, the headmaster spoke in a hushed voice . "What do you think? This student, do you think you can handle him?" The director of the students'' affairs took a deep, deep breath and closed the file of this problem child . Tap . "Sir, you know very well already why I''m called the ''Venomous Snake'' . No matter what kind of a problem child he is, just leave him to me . I shall make sure to discipline him correctly so he won''t go around causing trouble . " His eyes were now shining with a sense of duty and unbridled confidence . The headmaster nodded his head in approval . "Very good, then . I shall trust your judgement in this case, Teacher Park . " The expression on the headmaster softened after hearing the assurance straight from the mouth of the director . A thin smile crept up on the latter''s lips . The fated encounter would take place the next day . His heart was racing already from his determination to suppress the troublemaker in one fell swoop during the welcoming ceremony before the kid had a chance to start anything . * < Extra Spin-off > Beru''s Memories Kiiiieeehhhk-!! Kiiahk! Kiiieeehk, kiiiieeehk, kiiehk, kkiiieehhk . Khaahk, kiiieeehh, kiiek . Kkiiieehk! Kiehhehehehehehet~! Kkieeehhk! Kiiaaahk! Kaahrurururururuk-! Kihak . < Chapter 249 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 249: Chapter 249 . Side Story 6. 5 . Your daily routine (1). Every once in a while, Woo Jin-Cheol felt this inexplicable sense of loss in his heart . One heck of a weird thing this was, as if he had forgotten something really important to him However, no matter how hard he combed through his memories, he knew that he had definitely not forgotten anything . Only, the emptiness in his heart would grow larger and larger the more he thought about it, that was all "Hey, senior . What are you thinking about so deeply like that?". The youngest detective in the unit asked him while handing over a cup of warm coffee taken from a vending machine . Woo Jin-Cheol shrugged his shoulders to say that it was nothing important and received the coffee "Thank you . ". Once this aromatic smell of coffee entered his nostrils, it felt as if the emptiness in his heart was filling up just a little bit His name was Woo Jin-Cheol, a fourth-year detective in the National Police Agency''s Violent Crimes Investigation Unit It wasn''t as if he lived a soft life where his mind would sway gently from the warm breezes of the incoming spring, but still, this sense of loss started chasing after him out of the blue, about three years ago When he mentioned this to his acquaintances, they all promptly reminded him with the cruel fact that he had no family to call his own, even though he was already at a ripe old age, and that must''ve been the reason for his restlessness Just like the bitter aftertaste of the coffee, Woo Jin-Cheol formed a bitter smile, too, and emptied out the paper cup in no time at all ''¡­ . That''s right . ''. Didn''t someone say that a busy bee had no time to feel sad, or something like that? The best medicine to heal this trivial depression of his was, traditionally speaking, more work With excellent timing, Woo Jin-Cheol''s sharp gaze landed on the backs of some men sitting in a line as soon as he stepped into the offices of the Violent Crimes Unit He crushed the empty paper cup with his hand and pointed at these three men with his chin "What''s their story?". "Ah . those b*stards? Well, uh ". Woo Jin-Cheol heard the youngest detective''s somewhat hesitant voice and walked over quickly to stand before them Sure enough . These men''s facial complexions were whiter than snow as if they had seen something they shouldn''t have . They couldn''t even meet his gaze and continued to shiver like a lone leaf in the wind Seeing their faces, Woo Jin-Cheol began muttering to himself "It''s the Shadow Monster again . ?". ***. It wasn''t all that rare to see criminals turning themselves in and confessing to their wrongdoings out of the sheer weight of guilt, or out of fear of getting caught However, it was a completely different story to see a bunch of hardened career criminals, scared sh*tless, begging the cops to throw them into jail cells as quickly as possible And for the last several months, the so-called ''not rare at all'' spectacle repeated itself over and over again "S-Shadows¡­ . The . the, the shadow stood up from the ground . and spoke to me . If, if I don''t turn myself in during the next 24 hours, I''ll end up regretting that I''m even alive¡­ . D-detective, I''m a bad guy, so please, please! Throw me inside the slammer! I beg you!!". They all generally retold the same story When similar situations kept repeating itself, the higher-ups got fed up and had ordered their underlings to get to the bottom of this matter right away Woo Jin-Cheol''s voice rose up higher "So, what you''re saying is, you all saw the Shadow Monster?". "T-that''s right!! Right!". Woo Jin-Cheol began writing up his report with the testimonies of these criminals, and when he got to the part called ''the reason for turning oneself in'', he spat out a long, long sigh ''How am I supposed to write a report about this, again?!''. His head began developing a migraine just from thinking about writing yet another report on the unbelievable story of the ''Shadow Monster'' cursing people It was then Tap, tap Someone tapped him on the shoulder so he took a glance back, and that''s when he spotted a senior detective standing behind him "Hey, Jin-Cheol-ah? Let the junior here take over writing up the report . Can you come to the conference room for a sec?". ''The conference room?''. What with the blindingly wonderful antics of the Shadow Monster reducing the number of violent crimes recently, there shouldn''t be a need to use the conference room anymore, but he was being summoned there without a prior heads-up, regardless? What was going on?. The senior detective left behind the puzzled gaze of the younger officer and headed straight to the conference room; Woo Jin-Cheol tilted his head a bit before standing up from his seat as well "Senior, I''ll take care of this . ". "Good luck . ". Woo Jin-Cheol encouraged the junior, now charged with finishing up the miscellaneous work, and headed towards the conference room along with other detectives ***. "Pardon? You want to release the suspects back on the street?!". "Uh-huh! Lower your voice, Detective Woo! Someone might hear us from the outside and get the wrong idea . ". Woo Jin-Cheol asked again in a disbelieving voice "What do you mean by releasing the suspects back on the street, sir??". "It''s not ''releasing'', but we just let one of them outside for 24 hours and observe what happens afterwards . ". After listening to the opinion of the senior detective, one of Woo Jin-Cheol''s colleagues formed a deep frown before voicing his own "Senior, I''m telling you, these b*stards are talking bullsh*t after getting themselves high on drugs . This crap about monsters and whatnot, it''s definitely them having a new type of bad trip from the sh*t they''ve been taking . ". "But, their drug test came back negative, didn''t it? I personally went to Forensics to confirm it myself, didn''t I?". "Well, that . ". "Besides, just because of some nasty side effect of a drug, these b*stards without any connection between them saw the exact same thing and decided to turn themselves in?". " . ". In the end, the colleague shut his mouth as if he had nothing else to say . The meeting of the detectives continued on "The brass told us to get to the bottom of this a while ago, but look at us, we haven''t even gotten anywhere . What choice do we have? We gotta do something this drastic so that, at least, we can find us some clues . ". The detectives, initially unmoved and hesitant, began sneaking glances at each other and nodded their heads Since every single one of them saw the exact same type of hallucination, then there had to be some kind of a clue from the rubbish they were all spewing at the same time "So, like¡­ . What I''m saying here is, let''s create an opportunity for them to continue spewing rubbish . ". Woo Jin-Cheol, quietly listening on until then, opened his mouth "But, what if something really does happen?". " ??". " ?". The gazes of every detective seriously contemplating their next actions all shifted in Woo Jin-Cheol''s direction at once Smirk, smirk¡­ The corners of their lips began curling up next "Detective Woo, you believed in ghosts and stuff?". "I didn''t take you for someone like that, but I guess our Woo Jin-Cheol has an unexpectedly sensitive side, doesn''t he?". "Hahaha . ". Of course, Woo Jin-Cheol wasn''t foolishly believing them, taking some nonsense story about monsters at face value . However ¨C if everyone was seeing the same hallucination, then there should be a reasonable explanation for that, no?. For some reason, he felt this ominous foreboding that, through the testimonies of the suspects, he was now meeting some kind of a gaze that was staring straight at him from beyond the darkness He got this feeling that he shouldn''t poke his nose in this matter The squad captain must''ve interpreted Woo Jin-Cheol''s concerns in a different manner, since he said the following words while lightly tapping on the shoulder of his detective forming a worried expression "There shouldn''t be any accidents, Detective Woo . We''ll just take one suspect, place him inside a quiet storage facility somewhere and see if anything pops out . I mean, several burly and healthy officers will be watching him like hawks, so with what miracle will he escape from us?". The squad captain looked at him with eyes that said ''You can''t possibly be believing in this supernatural hocus pocus, can you?'' and Woo Jin-Cheol could only nod his head in defeat That elicited a burst of manly laughter from the captain "Right . Let''s say that 24-hour time limit elapses, and a monster does appear to do something to the b*stard . If that''s the case, isn''t that something we can also feel thankful for, in a way?". These criminals were serious, vicious offenders who specifically targetted the homes of senior citizens to rob and even ended up beating a couple of pensioners to death just because the victims dared to resist The captain then spoke half-jokingly, but also half-seriously, that, rather than such b*stards staying in the slammer getting fed three times a day, it was only right that they got ripped to shreds by a monster "So, now we need volunteers ". The captain shifted his gaze over to Woo Jin-Cheol and formed a rather sly grin "Detective Woo, you can sit this one out if you''re still hesitant about it . ". " . ". Anyone who had lived in society for a while should already know this ¨C those words definitely meant "Don''t sit this one out" Woo Jin-Cheol still felt unconvinced so he had to deliberate on this for a little bit, before eventually making his reply "No, sir . I shall come along as well . ". ***. "D-Detective-nims!! N-no! You can''t! You seriously can''t! I''ll die!". "Just be still . I told you, we have stuff to confirm . ". "I will die!!". "Hey, man . Just who''s going to die here? Can''t you see us protecting you? Detective Kim? How long do we have until the 24-hour mark comes to an end?". "Let me see¡­ . I think roughly 30 minutes?". "Is it? Uh-whew, it''s pretty cold tonight . ". The air of spring remained frigid and white steam rose up from the lips of the waiting detectives They were currently inside a quiet storage building, the time being in the middle of dawn . To observe the ''change'' that might take place with their suspect, detectives were waiting around with nothing much to keep them company Only one among them ¨C Woo Jin-Cheol ¨C kept a close watch on his surroundings, his glare remaining sharp ''Something''s different ''. For some reason, the surrounding air felt different from the norm . It even vaguely felt like something he should never be near was approaching this location He prayed inwardly that this feeling would prove to be nothing but a simple fuss¡­ Woo Jin-Cheol sucked in the cold air repeatedly in order to calm his breathing that tried to get faster and faster And so ¨C the hour warned by the existence called the ''Shadow Monster'' slowly encroached upon them "Uhm¡­ . It''s time now, everyone . ". "Really?". One of the detectives took a look at his watch and stood up from his chair Tick, tock The 24-hour mark the suspect was strongly emphasizing earlier on had come and gone now " ". " ". Should one say that this turn of events was entirely not unexpected? Nothing had happened, and there was no sign of anything about to happen, either "What the heck?". The detective with a short fuse began glaring at the suspect, prompting the criminal to stop shivering in fear and peek his head out before forming a dumbfounded expression himself "Uh ?". Since there was no one watching anyway, the detectives surrounding the criminal began mercilessly shouting at him "Hey, you little sh*t! You as*holes probably got high as a d*mn group, didn''t you?!". "Stop wasting our time and just be clean with it, will ya? Why don''t you make all of our lives easier, ah?". The suspect shifted his head this way and that while blinking non-stop, but when nothing happened even after a long time passed by, he began sheepishly scratching the back of his head "No, hang on, the thing was¡­ . We definitely saw it, you see? Actually, there were four of . ". When his words arrived there Woo Jin-Cheol, who always stayed a couple of steps away from the group and watched the surroundings, quickly turned around towards his fellow detectives and urgently cried out "Get away!! Get away from there!!". What was he trying to say now?. The faces of the detectives seemed to be asking that question as they looked at Woo Jin-Cheol, but then, they were all blown away on their backsides without warning "Uwahk!!". "Keok!!". Detectives rolled along the ground and, as if they had lost their consciousness just like that, remained dead-still in their sleep after coming to a stop Woo Jin-Cheol tried to run towards his colleagues, but after discovering something, his steps came to an abrupt halt . His irises were engraved with the images of ''monsters'' slowly rising up from the shadow on the ground "Ah . ". He couldn''t say anything His breathing suddenly felt stifled, choked up These¡­ . No, hang on, these things were definitely not human They were ''insects'' that just so happened to possess the arms and legs of a human being; above their necks sat the head of an ant, rather than that of a human Woo Jin-Cheol''s eyes quaked in fear ''There are three such monsters?!''. These suspects definitely didn''t see any hallucinations, nor were they suffering from adverse side effects of some strange narcotics, either . Their testimony had contained not one shred of falsehood, as it turned out "U-uwaaaaaahhhk!!". Now completely surrounded by these ant monsters, the suspect began screaming at the top of his head It was the most desperate, frightened, and sorrowful scream a human could emit . It was unmistakably the death throes of a dying man The ant monsters ripped the suspect apart without hesitation and began devouring him "Uwaaahk!!". His scream didn''t last for long Only some splotches of blood and bits of flesh remained on the spot where the feast of ants took place Woo Jin-Cheol dazedly stared at that spectacle . And then, two of the ant monsters also discovered the dazed detective after ending their meal Kiiehk And their gazes were now fixed on him Woo Jin-Cheol thought of turning around in a hurry to escape, but his feet didn''t want to move . His legs had frozen up solid and he couldn''t lift them up at all "P-please ". It was then The biggest ant monster with wings, situated behind the two other ants, stopped his comrades (?) from going any further The winged ant grabbed their shoulders and turned them away, and for some reason, he formed the kind of expression that said, "Hey, nice to see you again" . Heck, he even formed a grin, too " ??". An ant . was smiling?. No, hang on a minute ''Never mind the fact that an ant is smiling ¨C how the heck can I even tell that it''s making a delighted expression?''. It was so, so strange Even though he now found himself in this deeply horrifying, frightening situation, Woo Jin-Cheol was suddenly overcome with this sense of longing As if, there once had been a time that he was quite familiar with situations such as this one ''But¡­ . How?''. Woo Jin-Cheol fell into a state of confusion and panic, only to realise that the ants were disappearing into the shadow "H-hey!! Hold on!! Wait!". Too bad, despite how desperately he called out, the ant monsters were gone without a trace, in the blink of an eye By the time he ran over and stood above the shadow itself, there was not a single trace of them left anywhere He felt this sense of loss assaulting him again and bent down to slowly rub the shadow that the ants had disappeared into Just how long passed by like that?. "M-mm ". Woo Jin-Cheol belatedly regained his wits after listening to his colleagues toss and turn behind him "H-hey, are you alright?". He checked out their current conditions and quickly called the emergency services . Even after he did that, though ¨C even when ambulances arrived on the scene to take his colleagues away to the hospital, his gaze remained fixed to the shadow ***. "Brilliant!! Absolutely f*cking brilliant!!!". The squad captain was, understandably, up in arms But, that was to be expected The suspect had completely vanished without a trace, while the detectives supposed to watch over the man were struck unconscious by something and couldn''t remember a thing The captain looked at the two detectives covered in bandages here and there with their heads hanging low in embarrassment, and spat out a long sigh . He then shifted his gaze over to Woo Jin-Cheol "Detective Woo? What about you?". " . ". "You called the ambulance, didn''t you? Can''t you remember anything?". "My apologies, captain . When I came to, I saw my colleagues unconscious, so I just ". "God d*mn it!!". Captain pounded on his chest as if the frustration was about to kill him and sighed out again "Thankfully, this matter hasn''t been reported to the higher-ups yet, so all of you, keep your mouths shut, okay? And you two, you got hurt by mistake while trying to investigate the gangs in the Guro-gu district . Got it?". "Yes, sir . ". "Yes, captain . ". Along with the energyless replies from the two detectives, this incident had come to its conclusion ¨C for the time being The Violent Crimes Unit became rather quiet for a while afterwards "Senior? You know, you look a lot better nowadays . Did something good happen to you lately?". The youngest detective in the squad asked while handing over a cup of steaming coffee taken from the vending machine to Woo Jin-Cheol "Well, I wonder . ". Woo Jin-Cheol shrugged his shoulders as if to say there was nothing to see here and received the cup The thing was, though ¨C the youngest detective''s words of something good happening weren''t entirely off the mark After that day, after meeting those ant monsters, it felt as if that emptiness in his heart had been filled by a little, for some unfathomable reason ''There''s definitely something here . ''. Without a doubt!. The instincts of a veteran detective, no, the instincts of a human being named Woo Jin-Cheol, were telling him that there was definitely something there The youngest detective stole a glance over Woo In-Cheol''s shoulder to see what was on the pages of a small memo pad the latter was concentrating so hard on "Uh? Uhh? Senior? You''re still investigating that missing suspect incident? But, didn''t the captain say . ". "I know, I know . It''s something I''m looking into in my spare time . ". Woo Jin-Cheol made sure that his junior wouldn''t run his mouth off and finished off his share of coffee . However, unlike in the past, the junior didn''t shut his mouth up immediately "Wowsers¡­ . There are quite a lot of suspects turning themselves in because of the Shadow Monster beside our precinct, isn''t it?". " ". He couldn''t simply treat this young detective badly when the number of hopeful officers applying to join the Violent Crimes Unit was in decline lately Although he was slightly annoyed by this unnecessary attention, Woo Jin-Cheol still did his best not to show it and replied calmly "That''s what I heard . ". "Mm ". The junior stared hard at the contents of the memo pad, before asking another question "Huh? Wait, why did the number of suspects turning themselves in suddenly decrease by a lot between the end of February and the beginning of March?". After hearing that astute observation made by the junior, the veteran''s eyes gleamed brightly "Hey, can you think of something?". "Ah, well, it''s actually nothing much, but¡­ . My aunt used to run a small book rental shop, you see . ". " Okay, so?". "I just remembered that she used to whine about business going downhill during the end of February and the beginning of March, because the new school semester started around then, senior . Haha, it really was nothing much, wasn''t it?". Perhaps he felt a bit sheepish, the junior scratched the back of his head with a smile . But then, he gasped out in sheer surprise when he saw Woo Jin-Cheol carefully jot down what was said on the memo pad "S-Senior??". "Well, you never know . ". School opening, students, semester Those four simple words with no adjectives or modifiers attached were quietly added into Woo Jin-Cheol''s memo pad ***. Meanwhile, in XX High School A day before the entrance ceremony for the new students, the headmaster of the school secretly summoned the teacher serving as the director of the students'' affairs department to his office "We''ll be welcoming a problem child in our school tomorrow . ". "Pardon me, sir?". The headmaster pushed forward a set of prepared documents . The director of the students'' affairs scanned the profile of a certain student written on the document and tilted his head "His father is a firefighter, his mom is a regular housewife . His academic records aren''t too shabby, and I failed to see anything major with this child, sir . ". "Uh-huh . This fella . Look at the bottom . Look at the details on his expulsion . ". " . !!". The student had run away from home for two years when he was only a first-year middle school student . Rather obviously, he was expelled from his previous school But then, he ''completed'' the middle school diploma through GED and applied to enter their high school ''Not even as a high school freshman, but a child who just graduated from the elementary school ran away from home for two years?''. The director sensed the entrance of a powerful adversary and his eyes began quaking ever so imperceptibly . Meanwhile, the headmaster spoke in a hushed voice "What do you think? This student, do you think you can handle him?". The director of the students'' affairs took a deep, deep breath and closed the file of this problem child Tap "Sir, you know very well already why I''m called the ''Venomous Snake'' . No matter what kind of a problem child he is, just leave him to me . I shall make sure to discipline him correctly so he won''t go around causing trouble . ". His eyes were now shining with a sense of duty and unbridled confidence . The headmaster nodded his head in approval "Very good, then . I shall trust your judgement in this case, Teacher Park . ". The expression on the headmaster softened after hearing the assurance straight from the mouth of the director . A thin smile crept up on the latter''s lips The fated encounter would take place the next day His heart was racing already from his determination to suppress the troublemaker in one fell swoop during the welcoming ceremony before the kid had a chance to start anything *. < Extra Spin-off > Beru''s Memories. Kiiiieeehhhk-!!. Kiiahk!. Kiiieeehk, kiiiieeehk, kiiehk, kkiiieehhk Khaahk, kiiieeehh, kiiek Kkiiieehk!. Kiehhehehehehehet~!. Kkieeehhk! Kiiaaahk!. Kaahrurururururuk-!. Kihak < Chapter 249 > Fin Chapter 250 Side Story 7 5 . Your daily routine (2) The high school freshmen were gathered in the school¡¯s athletics field for the entrance ceremony . Noisy, noisy¡­ . The new students used the gap created by the still-lax surveillance of the teachers to form small groups comprising of the graduates from the same middle schools and noisily chatted away . It was then . ¡°Silence!!¡± Like a lone shark scything its way into a school of sardines, the ¡®Venomous Snake¡¯, Teacher Park Gi-Sool, made his sudden entrance and shot a scary glare, prompting the new students to hurriedly shut their mouths up at once . ¡°Who dares to make a noise? Who??¡± Rather unfitting for his name, Teacher Park Gi-Sool was in charge of the physical training . But, fitting for a man who competed in amateur wrestling in his youth, he was blessed with cauliflower ears, a thick neck, broad shoulders, as well as muscular thighs . Everywhere Teacher Park Gi-Sool¡¯s glare landed, kids quickly dropped their heads lower . The war of aura ¨C nerves ¨C at the beginning of school life wasn¡¯t exclusively fought between the students, oh no . If one took into consideration the potential atmosphere for the rest of the academic year, or even the classroom itself, then the war of nerves between the teacher and students would be far more important than the one taking place between the headstrong students . And as far as his track record for this kind of war was concerned, ¡®Venomous Snake¡¯ Teacher Park Gi-Sool had never tasted defeat before . Starting from ten years ago, when he took his first step into the teaching profession, last year, and the year before that too, never had he failed his mission . He was planning to extend the streak to this year, as well . The school of sardines in front of the shark, no, the new students in front of Teacher Park Gi-Sool couldn¡¯t withstand his fierce glare and quickly lowered their gazes . All the noisy kids shut their mouths for good wherever he walked past . Meanwhile, his colleagues watching on from the sidelines could only look on with eyes of pure respect . ¡°As expected of Park Teacher-nim¡­ . ¡± ¡°Looks like we can rely on the director of students¡¯ affairs for another trouble-free year, as well . ¡± Park Gi-Sool scanned the new students and their broken fighting spirit while forming a content smile on his face . ¡®Right, that¡¯s how it should be . ¡¯ However, he couldn¡¯t be satisfied with this much of ¡®victory¡¯ yet . Not today . Didn¡¯t he already have a real target in mind for today, the one the headmaster personally entrusted him with? As long as he didn¡¯t break that problem child¡¯s fighting spirit, then it¡¯d be rather difficult to claim that he had performed his duty of guiding these students properly today . Park Gi-Sool continued to scan the faces of the new students and eventually located the problem kid in question . ¡®There he is . ¡¯ The moment he located his target, that content smile was wiped off from his face immediately . Even at a casual glance from far away, one could tell that the boy was no ordinary challenge, what with his height far taller than his peers, the hints of firm muscles all over his figure, as well as powerful vitality that could be gleaned from his eyes . ¡®So, that kid is Seong Jin-Woo¡­ . ¡¯ The thing was, an expert would be able to recognise other experts . No matter how wild they were as a student, they all would become a well-behaved sheep in front of him before long . And in case the boy decided to show off with inadvisable bravado, then Teacher Park simply had to reveal just a wee bit of what was in store for unruly children . There hadn¡¯t been a single problem kid that ¡®Venomous Snake¡¯ Park Gi-Sool failed to discipline properly . His confidence oozed out from every pore of his body like an actual aura . ¡®Alright¡­ . ¡¯ ¡­ . Time to get started . Before that, though, Park Gi-Sool¡¯s snake-like eyes quickly scanned the problem kid from top to bottom . And then, his eyes gleamed brightly . ¡®That¡¯s it!¡¯ There was a black glove on one of the problem kid¡¯s hands . A teacher in the student affairs department couldn¡¯t possibly ignore the problem kid violating the dress code, such as wearing hats or gloves, while standing in the middle of the athletics field, now could he? Of course, it wasn¡¯t as if he had forgotten about the small fact that the boy¡¯s left hand had a serious scar and needed to wear a glove all the time . Such a thing was already written within the student¡¯s records, after all . However, Park Gi-Sool needed a pretext, however small, to butt in and start his operation of breaking that problem kid¡¯s fighting spirit . Indeed, what could be a better pretext to scold a student than the violation of the school¡¯s dress code? Having discovered a suitable gap to dig in, Park Gi-Sool¡¯s eyes gleamed sharply like a real venomous snake, and he quickly made his way over to the problem kid in question . It seemed that the boy hadn¡¯t sensed his approach yet, which was good . A surprise attack was very effective in breaking the enemy¡¯s fighting spirit, after all . Once he got close enough distance where a whispered name could be heard by the other party, Teacher Park Gi-Sool¡¯s brows shot up as he got ready . ¡°Hey, you fool! Where do you think you are to wear a glo¡­ . ¡± The loud, energetic roar coming from Teacher Park Gi-Sool prompted Jin-Woo to turn his head around . And then, his eyes met Park Gi-Sool¡¯s . In that moment¡­ . ¡°Uh, uhhh¡­ . ??¡± ¡­ . Teacher Park Gi-Sool saw ¡®it¡¯ . He saw the countless black monsters, standing seemingly endlessly behind this ¡®problem kid¡¯ . The entirety of the athletics field, filled with students, disappeared in darkness from Park Gi-Sool¡¯s view, only to be replaced by the sight of a massive army of ten million soldiers standing in columns that stretched endlessly towards the distant horizon . ¡°Heok!!¡± Teacher Park Gi-Sool was instantly shoved away by the absolutely overwhelming pressure and tumbled on his backside while loudly screaming out . ¡°Teacher-nim?!¡± ¡°Park Teacher-nim! Are you alright??¡± Other teachers in the vicinity hurriedly rushed over there and supported Park Gi-Sool . His complexion was as white as a sheet of paper . He took another look at Jin-Woo, but by then, his view had reverted back to normal . ¡°B-but, how¡­ . ??¡± He roughly shook his head and blinked his eyes several times while the attention of the surrounding students began falling on him . Noisy, noisy¡­ . ¡°Everyone, keep quiet!¡± ¡°Park Teacher-nim, maybe you¡¯re feeling unwell somewhere?¡± Now being on the receiving end of the worried gazes of his colleagues, as well as unsettled looks from the students, Park Gi-Sool¡¯s face reddened up considerably from embarrassment . ¡°I, I¡¯m fine . ¡± He shook off the support from his colleagues and quickly made his escape from the area . Bellion hiding in his master¡¯s shadow quietly whispered to Jin-Woo while watching the departing man¡¯s back grow further away . [My liege, that man must¡¯ve¡­] ¡®Yeah . It seems that he has seen you guys . ¡¯ Jin-Woo nodded his head . There were some people who possessed far keener senses than other regular folks, although there weren¡¯t that many . Such people would sometimes ¨C not very often, mind you ¨C discover that Jin-Woo was a bit different from everybody else . Just like now . ¡®¡­ . Could this be one of the adverse influences I have on this world, too?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t tell for sure . Jin-Woo recalled the pale, frightened face of the urgently-escaping teacher and tutted softly to himself . It was then . The speakers located in the athletics field issued ear-piercing static before commencing with the campus broadcast in earnest . ¨C The Headmaster-nim will now address the new students and welcome them to the school . Jin-Woo stopped looking in the direction where Park Gi-Sool had disappeared to and shifted his gaze forward, just as the broadcast ordered everyone to do so . It was a brilliantly sunny spring day . Under the warm rays of the sun gently beating down on Earth, the headmaster¡¯s smooth forehead blindingly reflected the excitement these new students were feeling right now . *** For a reason only known to him, Jin-Woo deliberately applied to a high school that was some distance away from his house . And naturally, he recognised no one in the new class . ¡®Well¡­ . Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡¯ He scanned the faces of other kids without feeling bummed out about it, a smirk slowly creeping up on his face . He was already well past the age where his heart would start beating nervously from the burden of sharing a classroom with kids he didn¡¯t know . If it was him in the past, he¡¯d start greeting others even while under the vicious assault of awkwardness, but now? It just felt too annoying, so he didn¡¯t even bother . While other kids were busy scanning their classmates to see what was what, Jin-Woo simply took out a book he brought from home and opened it up . Maybe spending such a long time in the gap between dimensions, where there was not a sound to be heard, had changed him somehow, because he gained a renewed appreciation for reading a book in quiet stillness . Besides, even though they were ostensibly his classmates, there was the age difference of several decades to consider here, so what could he possibly say to these kids, anyway? Indeed, it¡¯d be more preferable to share a wordless conversation with a good book, instead . But then, just as he got ready to spend some quiet time with himself, someone actually approached him to engage in conversation . ¡°Uh-uhm¡­ . Could you be¡­?¡± The voice sounded a bit powerless . Jin-Woo raised his head towards where that voice came from . The owner of the voice flinched a bit when their gazes met, but when he confirmed Jin-Woo¡¯s face, he seemed to have gained a boost to his courage . ¡°Y-you are Jin-Woo from XX Middle School¡­ Seong Jin-Woo, right?¡± Who could this kid be? Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly . ¡®Huh . He does look kinda familiar¡­ . ¡¯ However, they must not have been all that close, because he couldn¡¯t immediately recall this boy¡¯s name or things they did together . He tried to dig deeper into his memories, but then¡­ . ¡°Uhm, I¡­ . ¡± As if this sort of situation was a common occurrence for him, the boy with a rather faint sense of existence re-introduced himself without minding it at all . ¡°I¡¯m Oh Young-Gil¡­ . We belonged to the same class during freshmen year in middle school . ¡± ¡°¡­Ah-!¡± Hearing the name helped Jin-Woo to remember . He was none other than the boy that kept glancing at the group of kids getting ready to go to the internet cafe with envious eyes . The boy with the buzz cut hairstyle had grown up to become a high schooler now . His facial expression now half made up of amazement and delight, Jin-Woo extended his hand for a shake . ¡°Hey, good to see you, Young-Gil-ah . ¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ . . ¡± It seemed that shaking hands was a gesture still too foreign for a boy just entering high school life, because Oh Young-Gil was hesitating somewhat on what to do next, but eventually, he cautiously grasped the offered hand with a sheepish expression . ¡°Y-yeah, me too¡­ . ¡± As they shook hands, Jin-Woo felt this great sense of relief coming from the boy . Indeed, one would certainly feel relieved after finding a familiar face, a friend even, when entering a new school and a new class . Jin-Woo formed a warm smile so the friend he met after a long time could feel relaxed now . It must¡¯ve been pretty effective, because Young-Gil grew just a bit chattier than before . ¡°You live around here? My family moved house to the area nearby . ¡± But, just as the boy¡¯s words reached there, Jin-Woo had no choice but to stop him for a bit, slightly peeved by the fact that he was unable to enjoy this unlikely reunion with a friend to its fullest . ¡°Hang on . ¡± Jin-Woo turned his head to the side, and that was when four kids who didn¡¯t look to be a nice sort, even at a casual glance, surrounded him and Young-Gil . ¡°Hee~ya, hey man . You must be somebody important, right? You even have a glove?¡± The hooligans pointed at Jin-Woo¡¯s left hand and cackled among themselves . Meanwhile, Young-Gil¡¯s complexion grew gloomier at the rather obvious approach of these fools . ¡®He¡¯s supposed to be a man, but he¡¯s just too timid¡­¡¯ Jin-Woo found it rather unfortunate that his friend¡¯s expression was hardening like that and he shifted his gaze over to these four hooligans surrounding him . The kind of faces and glare in eyes best described as worthless were the only things he saw . These four might not have graduated from the same middle school, but they had been acting as local hoodlums for a bit and had become acquaintances as a result . After finding themselves in the same class, they took a look at the faces of their classmates and arrived at a consensus that there was only one hindrance to their plan of taking over this class . And so, they were here to prod this potential hindrance a little and see what would happen . Other kids in the class were scared and couldn¡¯t even meet these four¡¯s glare, but in Jin-Woo¡¯s view, who had been fighting non-stop for almost thirty years, these four were¡­ . ¡­ . Quite adorable, actually . The quartet, oblivious of how they were being judged, continued their mission to provoke Jin-Woo who had grown silent now . ¡°Hey, hey . Why don¡¯t you take off that glove? I wanna try it on, too . ¡± ¡°By the way, why did you put a glove on only one hand? Maybe, you have a Dark Flame Dragon on your arm, too?¡± ¡°Euh, euh, euh-! My hand! My right hand¡¯s Dark Flame is roaring out!¡± Ahahaha! They must¡¯ve found something really funny, because all four of them burst out into boisterous laughter . Seeing them react like that, Jin-Woo formed a derisive smirk at them . When he did, the glare in the four hooligans¡¯ eyes changed . ¡°Oh, you think this is funny?¡± ¡°Seriously, did this b*stard plug his ears with crap or something? We told him to take the d*mn glove off, yet he ignores us?¡± ¡°What? What gives? You have a tattoo there or something?¡± It was then . From his shadow, Jin-Woo heard the extremely agitated voice of Beru crying out . [Oh, my king!!! Grant me the permission so that I can tear the heads and limbs off of these fools and make sure they can never ever disparage you in this manner!!] ¡®I ain¡¯t giving you permission . ¡¯ [H-however!] ¡®Stop it . ¡¯ Jin-Woo reprimanded Beru, and before the ant soldier¡¯s rage could be fuelled even further, he took his glove off and showed the hooligans his hand . When he did that, a hideous burn scar starting from his palm to his wrist was revealed for all to see . ¡°¡­ . ¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± The quartet of troublemakers became speechless from the scar that implied a pretty serious tale even at a casual glance, before they began mouthing some vague excuses . ¡°T-this guy, we were just fooling around, so why are you getting serious?¡± ¡°H-hey, dude . Put your glove back on . I might have nightmares about it now . ¡± ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Perhaps realising that this should be enough, the quartet withdrew from there . Jin-Woo didn¡¯t say anything and put his glove back on, before powerfully stomping on a certain blotch of shadow on the floor sneaking towards the departing quartet . ¡®What were you planning to do after catching up to them?!¡¯ [K-kkiieehk-!] Beru was really incensed by those kids that dared to insult his liege, but Jin-Woo was ultimately successful in holding back the irate ant soldier . He raised his head again afterwards . Wasn¡¯t this good? He had already killed all the enemies that bared their fangs at him back in the gap between dimensions . Enemies that threatened him inside dungeons also lost their lives, too . However, this place was Seoul, the Republic of Korea, where there were no Gates and no monsters to worry about . This was a place filled with peaceful, everyday normal stuff . Jin-Woo was enjoying to the fullest this peace he achieved with his own two hands, so such a little provocation was nothing more than minor stuff to simply chuckle over and forget about it . And that was why¡­ ¡®I¡¯m sure this much is fine . ¡¯ Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze shifted over to the back of the quartet . When he did ¨C the hooligans making their way to the rear of the classroom got tripped by the ¡®invisible something¡¯ and fell on their faces as a group . Tumble, crash!! Beru, currently being pushed down by Jin-Woo¡¯s foot, watched the boys tumble ungainly like that and shifted his dumbfounded gaze back to his liege . [Uhm¡­ Oh, my king¡­ . ?] ¡®I did that for a laugh . You know, so I can laugh . ¡¯ Since that was humorous, everything was fine now . Jin-Woo smirked softly and settled down on his seat again after seeing the flustered expression of the female teacher, who just so happened to enter the classroom at that exact moment to discover that four of her students had fallen face-first on the floor . With that, his high school life began for the second time . < Chapter 250 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 250: Chapter 250 Side Story 7. 5 . Your daily routine (2). The high school freshmen were gathered in the school¡¯s athletics field for the entrance ceremony Noisy, noisy¡­ The new students used the gap created by the still-lax surveillance of the teachers to form small groups comprising of the graduates from the same middle schools and noisily chatted away It was then ¡°Silence!!¡±. Like a lone shark scything its way into a school of sardines, the ¡®Venomous Snake¡¯, Teacher Park Gi-Sool, made his sudden entrance and shot a scary glare, prompting the new students to hurriedly shut their mouths up at once ¡°Who dares to make a noise? Who??¡±. Rather unfitting for his name, Teacher Park Gi-Sool was in charge of the physical training . But, fitting for a man who competed in amateur wrestling in his youth, he was blessed with cauliflower ears, a thick neck, broad shoulders, as well as muscular thighs Everywhere Teacher Park Gi-Sool¡¯s glare landed, kids quickly dropped their heads lower . The war of aura ¨C nerves ¨C at the beginning of school life wasn¡¯t exclusively fought between the students, oh no If one took into consideration the potential atmosphere for the rest of the academic year, or even the classroom itself, then the war of nerves between the teacher and students would be far more important than the one taking place between the headstrong students And as far as his track record for this kind of war was concerned, ¡®Venomous Snake¡¯ Teacher Park Gi-Sool had never tasted defeat before Starting from ten years ago, when he took his first step into the teaching profession, last year, and the year before that too, never had he failed his mission . He was planning to extend the streak to this year, as well The school of sardines in front of the shark, no, the new students in front of Teacher Park Gi-Sool couldn¡¯t withstand his fierce glare and quickly lowered their gazes All the noisy kids shut their mouths for good wherever he walked past . Meanwhile, his colleagues watching on from the sidelines could only look on with eyes of pure respect ¡°As expected of Park Teacher-nim¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Looks like we can rely on the director of students¡¯ affairs for another trouble-free year, as well . ¡±. Park Gi-Sool scanned the new students and their broken fighting spirit while forming a content smile on his face ¡®Right, that¡¯s how it should be . ¡¯. However, he couldn¡¯t be satisfied with this much of ¡®victory¡¯ yet . Not today . Didn¡¯t he already have a real target in mind for today, the one the headmaster personally entrusted him with?. As long as he didn¡¯t break that problem child¡¯s fighting spirit, then it¡¯d be rather difficult to claim that he had performed his duty of guiding these students properly today Park Gi-Sool continued to scan the faces of the new students and eventually located the problem kid in question ¡®There he is . ¡¯. The moment he located his target, that content smile was wiped off from his face immediately Even at a casual glance from far away, one could tell that the boy was no ordinary challenge, what with his height far taller than his peers, the hints of firm muscles all over his figure, as well as powerful vitality that could be gleaned from his eyes ¡®So, that kid is Seong Jin-Woo¡­ . ¡¯. The thing was, an expert would be able to recognise other experts No matter how wild they were as a student, they all would become a well-behaved sheep in front of him before long . And in case the boy decided to show off with inadvisable bravado, then Teacher Park simply had to reveal just a wee bit of what was in store for unruly children There hadn¡¯t been a single problem kid that ¡®Venomous Snake¡¯ Park Gi-Sool failed to discipline properly . His confidence oozed out from every pore of his body like an actual aura ¡®Alright¡­ . ¡¯. ¡­ . Time to get started Before that, though, Park Gi-Sool¡¯s snake-like eyes quickly scanned the problem kid from top to bottom . And then, his eyes gleamed brightly ¡®That¡¯s it!¡¯. There was a black glove on one of the problem kid¡¯s hands A teacher in the student affairs department couldn¡¯t possibly ignore the problem kid violating the dress code, such as wearing hats or gloves, while standing in the middle of the athletics field, now could he?. Of course, it wasn¡¯t as if he had forgotten about the small fact that the boy¡¯s left hand had a serious scar and needed to wear a glove all the time Such a thing was already written within the student¡¯s records, after all However, Park Gi-Sool needed a pretext, however small, to butt in and start his operation of breaking that problem kid¡¯s fighting spirit Indeed, what could be a better pretext to scold a student than the violation of the school¡¯s dress code?. Having discovered a suitable gap to dig in, Park Gi-Sool¡¯s eyes gleamed sharply like a real venomous snake, and he quickly made his way over to the problem kid in question It seemed that the boy hadn¡¯t sensed his approach yet, which was good . A surprise attack was very effective in breaking the enemy¡¯s fighting spirit, after all Once he got close enough distance where a whispered name could be heard by the other party, Teacher Park Gi-Sool¡¯s brows shot up as he got ready ¡°Hey, you fool! Where do you think you are to wear a glo¡­ . ¡±. The loud, energetic roar coming from Teacher Park Gi-Sool prompted Jin-Woo to turn his head around . And then, his eyes met Park Gi-Sool¡¯s In that moment¡­ ¡°Uh, uhhh¡­ . ??¡±. ¡­ . Teacher Park Gi-Sool saw ¡®it¡¯ He saw the countless black monsters, standing seemingly endlessly behind this ¡®problem kid¡¯ The entirety of the athletics field, filled with students, disappeared in darkness from Park Gi-Sool¡¯s view, only to be replaced by the sight of a massive army of ten million soldiers standing in columns that stretched endlessly towards the distant horizon ¡°Heok!!¡±. Teacher Park Gi-Sool was instantly shoved away by the absolutely overwhelming pressure and tumbled on his backside while loudly screaming out ¡°Teacher-nim?!¡±. ¡°Park Teacher-nim! Are you alright??¡±. Other teachers in the vicinity hurriedly rushed over there and supported Park Gi-Sool . His complexion was as white as a sheet of paper . He took another look at Jin-Woo, but by then, his view had reverted back to normal ¡°B-but, how¡­ . ??¡±. He roughly shook his head and blinked his eyes several times while the attention of the surrounding students began falling on him Noisy, noisy¡­ ¡°Everyone, keep quiet!¡±. ¡°Park Teacher-nim, maybe you¡¯re feeling unwell somewhere?¡±. Now being on the receiving end of the worried gazes of his colleagues, as well as unsettled looks from the students, Park Gi-Sool¡¯s face reddened up considerably from embarrassment ¡°I, I¡¯m fine . ¡±. He shook off the support from his colleagues and quickly made his escape from the area Bellion hiding in his master¡¯s shadow quietly whispered to Jin-Woo while watching the departing man¡¯s back grow further away [My liege, that man must¡¯ve¡­]. ¡®Yeah . It seems that he has seen you guys . ¡¯. Jin-Woo nodded his head There were some people who possessed far keener senses than other regular folks, although there weren¡¯t that many . Such people would sometimes ¨C not very often, mind you ¨C discover that Jin-Woo was a bit different from everybody else Just like now ¡®¡­ . Could this be one of the adverse influences I have on this world, too?¡¯. He couldn¡¯t tell for sure . Jin-Woo recalled the pale, frightened face of the urgently-escaping teacher and tutted softly to himself It was then The speakers located in the athletics field issued ear-piercing static before commencing with the campus broadcast in earnest ¨C The Headmaster-nim will now address the new students and welcome them to the school Jin-Woo stopped looking in the direction where Park Gi-Sool had disappeared to and shifted his gaze forward, just as the broadcast ordered everyone to do so It was a brilliantly sunny spring day Under the warm rays of the sun gently beating down on Earth, the headmaster¡¯s smooth forehead blindingly reflected the excitement these new students were feeling right now ***. For a reason only known to him, Jin-Woo deliberately applied to a high school that was some distance away from his house . And naturally, he recognised no one in the new class ¡®Well¡­ . Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡¯. He scanned the faces of other kids without feeling bummed out about it, a smirk slowly creeping up on his face He was already well past the age where his heart would start beating nervously from the burden of sharing a classroom with kids he didn¡¯t know If it was him in the past, he¡¯d start greeting others even while under the vicious assault of awkwardness, but now? It just felt too annoying, so he didn¡¯t even bother While other kids were busy scanning their classmates to see what was what, Jin-Woo simply took out a book he brought from home and opened it up Maybe spending such a long time in the gap between dimensions, where there was not a sound to be heard, had changed him somehow, because he gained a renewed appreciation for reading a book in quiet stillness Besides, even though they were ostensibly his classmates, there was the age difference of several decades to consider here, so what could he possibly say to these kids, anyway?. Indeed, it¡¯d be more preferable to share a wordless conversation with a good book, instead But then, just as he got ready to spend some quiet time with himself, someone actually approached him to engage in conversation ¡°Uh-uhm¡­ . Could you be¡­?¡±. The voice sounded a bit powerless . Jin-Woo raised his head towards where that voice came from The owner of the voice flinched a bit when their gazes met, but when he confirmed Jin-Woo¡¯s face, he seemed to have gained a boost to his courage ¡°Y-you are Jin-Woo from XX Middle School¡­ Seong Jin-Woo, right?¡±. Who could this kid be? Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly ¡®Huh . He does look kinda familiar¡­ . ¡¯. However, they must not have been all that close, because he couldn¡¯t immediately recall this boy¡¯s name or things they did together . He tried to dig deeper into his memories, but then¡­ ¡°Uhm, I¡­ . ¡±. As if this sort of situation was a common occurrence for him, the boy with a rather faint sense of existence re-introduced himself without minding it at all ¡°I¡¯m Oh Young-Gil¡­ . We belonged to the same class during freshmen year in middle school . ¡±. ¡°¡­Ah-!¡±. Hearing the name helped Jin-Woo to remember He was none other than the boy that kept glancing at the group of kids getting ready to go to the internet cafe with envious eyes . The boy with the buzz cut hairstyle had grown up to become a high schooler now His facial expression now half made up of amazement and delight, Jin-Woo extended his hand for a shake ¡°Hey, good to see you, Young-Gil-ah . ¡±. ¡°Uhm¡­ ¡±. It seemed that shaking hands was a gesture still too foreign for a boy just entering high school life, because Oh Young-Gil was hesitating somewhat on what to do next, but eventually, he cautiously grasped the offered hand with a sheepish expression ¡°Y-yeah, me too¡­ . ¡±. As they shook hands, Jin-Woo felt this great sense of relief coming from the boy . Indeed, one would certainly feel relieved after finding a familiar face, a friend even, when entering a new school and a new class Jin-Woo formed a warm smile so the friend he met after a long time could feel relaxed now . It must¡¯ve been pretty effective, because Young-Gil grew just a bit chattier than before ¡°You live around here? My family moved house to the area nearby . ¡±. But, just as the boy¡¯s words reached there, Jin-Woo had no choice but to stop him for a bit, slightly peeved by the fact that he was unable to enjoy this unlikely reunion with a friend to its fullest ¡°Hang on . ¡±. Jin-Woo turned his head to the side, and that was when four kids who didn¡¯t look to be a nice sort, even at a casual glance, surrounded him and Young-Gil ¡°Hee~ya, hey man . You must be somebody important, right? You even have a glove?¡±. The hooligans pointed at Jin-Woo¡¯s left hand and cackled among themselves . Meanwhile, Young-Gil¡¯s complexion grew gloomier at the rather obvious approach of these fools ¡®He¡¯s supposed to be a man, but he¡¯s just too timid¡­¡¯. Jin-Woo found it rather unfortunate that his friend¡¯s expression was hardening like that and he shifted his gaze over to these four hooligans surrounding him The kind of faces and glare in eyes best described as worthless were the only things he saw These four might not have graduated from the same middle school, but they had been acting as local hoodlums for a bit and had become acquaintances as a result . After finding themselves in the same class, they took a look at the faces of their classmates and arrived at a consensus that there was only one hindrance to their plan of taking over this class And so, they were here to prod this potential hindrance a little and see what would happen . Other kids in the class were scared and couldn¡¯t even meet these four¡¯s glare, but in Jin-Woo¡¯s view, who had been fighting non-stop for almost thirty years, these four were¡­ ¡­ . Quite adorable, actually The quartet, oblivious of how they were being judged, continued their mission to provoke Jin-Woo who had grown silent now ¡°Hey, hey . Why don¡¯t you take off that glove? I wanna try it on, too . ¡±. ¡°By the way, why did you put a glove on only one hand? Maybe, you have a Dark Flame Dragon on your arm, too?¡±. ¡°Euh, euh, euh-! My hand! My right hand¡¯s Dark Flame is roaring out!¡±. Ahahaha!. They must¡¯ve found something really funny, because all four of them burst out into boisterous laughter . Seeing them react like that, Jin-Woo formed a derisive smirk at them When he did, the glare in the four hooligans¡¯ eyes changed ¡°Oh, you think this is funny?¡±. ¡°Seriously, did this b*stard plug his ears with crap or something? We told him to take the d*mn glove off, yet he ignores us?¡±. ¡°What? What gives? You have a tattoo there or something?¡±. It was then From his shadow, Jin-Woo heard the extremely agitated voice of Beru crying out [Oh, my king!!! Grant me the permission so that I can tear the heads and limbs off of these fools and make sure they can never ever disparage you in this manner!!]. ¡®I ain¡¯t giving you permission . ¡¯. [H-however!]. ¡®Stop it . ¡¯. Jin-Woo reprimanded Beru, and before the ant soldier¡¯s rage could be fuelled even further, he took his glove off and showed the hooligans his hand . When he did that, a hideous burn scar starting from his palm to his wrist was revealed for all to see ¡°¡­ . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. The quartet of troublemakers became speechless from the scar that implied a pretty serious tale even at a casual glance, before they began mouthing some vague excuses ¡°T-this guy, we were just fooling around, so why are you getting serious?¡±. ¡°H-hey, dude . Put your glove back on . I might have nightmares about it now . ¡±. ¡°Whoa¡­¡±. Perhaps realising that this should be enough, the quartet withdrew from there . Jin-Woo didn¡¯t say anything and put his glove back on, before powerfully stomping on a certain blotch of shadow on the floor sneaking towards the departing quartet ¡®What were you planning to do after catching up to them?!¡¯. [K-kkiieehk-!]. Beru was really incensed by those kids that dared to insult his liege, but Jin-Woo was ultimately successful in holding back the irate ant soldier . He raised his head again afterwards Wasn¡¯t this good?. He had already killed all the enemies that bared their fangs at him back in the gap between dimensions . Enemies that threatened him inside dungeons also lost their lives, too However, this place was Seoul, the Republic of Korea, where there were no Gates and no monsters to worry about . This was a place filled with peaceful, everyday normal stuff Jin-Woo was enjoying to the fullest this peace he achieved with his own two hands, so such a little provocation was nothing more than minor stuff to simply chuckle over and forget about it And that was why¡­. ¡®I¡¯m sure this much is fine . ¡¯. Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze shifted over to the back of the quartet When he did ¨C the hooligans making their way to the rear of the classroom got tripped by the ¡®invisible something¡¯ and fell on their faces as a group Tumble, crash!!. Beru, currently being pushed down by Jin-Woo¡¯s foot, watched the boys tumble ungainly like that and shifted his dumbfounded gaze back to his liege [Uhm¡­ Oh, my king¡­ . ?]. ¡®I did that for a laugh . You know, so I can laugh . ¡¯. Since that was humorous, everything was fine now Jin-Woo smirked softly and settled down on his seat again after seeing the flustered expression of the female teacher, who just so happened to enter the classroom at that exact moment to discover that four of her students had fallen face-first on the floor With that, his high school life began for the second time < Chapter 250 > Fin Chapter 251 Side Story 8 5 . Your daily routine (3) Ding, dong . Ding, dong¡­ . From the elementary school kids who¡¯d find the embrace of their mothers more comfortable than their respective classrooms, right up to those teachers with greying hair and only a little bit left on their clock until retirement¡­ ¡­ . The sound of the end-of-school bell, capable of re-energising pretty much everyone who heard it, rang around noisily throughout the school . Most of the kids in the classroom formed expressions of ecstasy as if they were about to fly away . Meanwhile, Jin-Woo, sitting among them, carried a carefree face as he greeted the end to his school day in this place . ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t go home late because you want to hang out with new friends you made today, okay! Understand?¡± Yeees-! After the token replies, half consisting of mischievous voices of the male students and the other half high-pitched tones of the girls were made, the classroom became empty in no time at all now that the day¡¯s schedule had come to its end . Jin-Woo deliberately took his time packing up his bag, before he spotted Young-Gil hesitantly and slowly approaching him like a full-bellied tortoise . ¡®¡­ . ?¡¯ Jin-Woo stopped packing his bag when Young-Gil cautiously asked him a question . ¡°Uhm¡­ I¡¯m heading off in the direction of the ¡®Gigamart¡¯, but what about you?¡± ¡®Ah, I guess he wants to get close to me . ¡¯ An easy-to-read relaxed smile formed on Jin-Woo¡¯s face . ¡®A minor favour shown when young can also become the start of a relationship later on like this, huh?¡¯ Jin-Woo smiled for a little while, before shaking his head . ¡°Well, yeah, it¡¯s in the same direction, but there¡¯s something I gotta do first . ¡± ¡°Oh¡­ . ¡± As Young-Gil stood there in disappointment, Jin-Woo lightly tapped the boy on the shoulder and grinned brightly . ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡± Not too long afterwards, both of them exited from the school building . ¡°What? Track and field club??¡± Young-Gil asked with a surprised voice, while Jin-Woo nodded calmly as his reply . ¡°Yup . ¡± The reason why Jin-Woo chose this school, far from his home, instead of those nearby was because it was only this particular one that happened to have a track and field athletics department . Young-Gil could only tilt his head when Jin-Woo replied that he¡¯d join the track and field team from today . ¡®Was Jin-Woo good at track in the past?¡¯ He remembered hanging around Jin-Woo for only about a month or so . The memories of him playing that game really well were the only thing that came to the boy¡¯s head, but he just couldn¡¯t recall Jin-Woo doing anything particularly outstanding during physical training or club activities . No, Young-Gil simply remembered Jin-Woo doing pretty much everything at his pace ¨C which was leisurely . ¡®A high school track and field club should be operated by only the talented students, though¡­ . ?¡¯ The boy suddenly felt worried about Jin-Woo and found himself unconsciously chasing after his friend . Meanwhile, Jin-Woo crossed the athletics field and approached the group of athletes loosening themselves up in the corner of the field . ¡°Mm¡­?¡± Their attention soon shifted towards the incoming duo of freshmen . They initially expected the two to walk past them or change their heading, but their expectation turned out to be off the mark . The senior with the biggest physique took a step forward and ¡®greeted¡¯ the duo . ¡°What do you two want now?¡± Jin-Woo briefly scanned the atmosphere of the team members and replied with a smile . ¡°I¡¯d like to join the athletics club . ¡± The senior with big physique, the captain of the track and field team Choi Tae-Woong, alternated his gaze between Jin-Woo and a shorter kid with a rather unhealthy complexion . ¡°You wanna join the club?¡± ¡°Yes . ¡± ¡°Both of you?¡± Jin-Woo looked behind, and Young-Gil hurriedly shook his head . ¡°¡­No, just me . ¡± After seeing Jin-Woo¡¯s continuously-smiling mug, the seniors grew interested and gathered around the freshmen . ¡°Ohh, what¡¯s this? We have an applicant wanting to join us?¡± ¡°This is my first time seeing a freshman barging in here and wanting to join the team, though . ¡± ¡°He¡¯s not playing around, is he?¡± Choi Tae-Woong scratched the top of his head and scanned Jin-Woo from top to bottom before asking another question . ¡°You a student-athlete?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not . ¡± ¡°Okay, you have experience running track in middle school?¡± Although Jin-Woo was rather experienced in running all over the gap between dimensions to kill Sovereigns, that wasn¡¯t something he could refer to as his middle school days, or running track competitively, so he could only shake his head with a wry smile . ¡°No, I don¡¯t . ¡± The seniors in the athletics club were ready to welcome this enthusiastic newcomer right up until that answer . But now, their complexions were hardening drastically . A freshman who hadn¡¯t even run track competitively wanted to enter the athletics club comprised only of student-athletes? Wasn¡¯t this kid taking high school track & field way too lightly? One of the seniors blessed with a short fuse suddenly jumped into the conversation from the side . ¡°You haven¡¯t run track before, so why do you want to enter the team?¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s reply was rather simple . ¡°There¡¯s someone I¡¯d like to meet during the athletic meet, you see . ¡± She was still in the middle school division, but without a doubt, she possessed enough talent to participate in the regional competition . Well, she used to be an excellent athlete before she had to give up on that dream after becoming a high-ranked Hunter, didn¡¯t she? If it was an athletic meet featuring participants from both middle and high schools, then wouldn¡¯t he be able to naturally run into her there? Jin-Woo judged that, rather than forcibly get close to her and insert himself into her life that way, this might be a far better approach for both of them . However, judging from the expressions of the seniors, it seemed that they didn¡¯t share his thought process . ¡°Athletic meet¡­ . ??¡± The expression of the senior with the short fuse, Jeong Gu-Shik, hardened like stone . Even if one was to look down on running track, there was a line one shouldn¡¯t cross . Jeong Gu-Shik¡¯s anger shot up to the top of his head and he was about to roar out some choice words to chase away the freshmen, but then, captain Choi Tae-Woong formed a grin and gave his permission . ¡°Fine . ¡± Jeong Gu-Shik looked back at his captain with an expression of a man failing to comprehend the situation . ¡°What?!¡± ¡°However, there is a condition . ¡± Choi Tae-Woong used an expression that said ¡®Be quiet¡¯ to defeat Jeong Gu-Shik, and pointed at a glasses-wearing student busy stretching his muscles over yonder . ¡°You see that friend over there?¡± Jin-Woo followed after the pointing finger and nodded his head . ¡°Yes . ¡± ¡°That friend is the worst runner in our team, a reserve from the second year . Meaning, you gotta at least beat that friend to earn the right to enter our team . ¡± That was a bold-faced lie . Even before he heard the explanation, Jin-Woo had already analysed that particular second-year student¡¯s abilities, and as a result, he began chuckling inwardly . ¡®At first glance, that student¡¯s thighs and calves look lean and thin, but they are actually hard and well trained . And confidence simply oozes from the rest of his body¡­ . ¡¯ Spying from the student¡¯s steady, relaxed breathing or his upright posture, Jin-Woo knew immediately that he was looking at no ordinary athlete here . Meaning, the third year seniors were trying to make fun of him . How could Jin-Woo not laugh when their intentions were so easy to read like this? Jeong Gu-Shik also belatedly realised what Choi Tae-Woong was trying to do and quickly changed his expression . ¡°Ahh, right! You said that you¡¯re aiming to enter the athletic meet, right? Well, in that case, a simple little admittance test like this is no problem for you, right?¡± Jin-Woo didn¡¯t like the way this guy was grinning slyly like that, but still, asked back in a calm manner nonetheless . ¡°That senior¡­ . Is he really a reserve?¡± ¡°I guarantee it . ¡± Choi Tae-Woong replied in a confident voice, and the rest of the athletic team members had to try their best to hold back their laughter . ¡®He¡¯s a reserve, alright . Well, the truth is, he did finish third place in last year¡¯s regional meet, but he sprained his ankle during winter training so he¡¯s been demoted to a reserve spot, for the time being . ¡¯ If he were to get technical here, then Choi Tae-Woong wasn¡¯t really, really lying by saying that the glasses-wearing guy was the worst ¡®runner¡¯ here due to the lengthy unscheduled lay-off, and that he was in the reserve spot because of the injury . Jin-Woo then replied in an easy-going manner to captain Choi Tae-Woong and his insidious smile . ¡°Very well, I understand . Let me try . ¡± This b*stard, he fell for it!! Not just Jeong Gu-Shik, but everyone in the athletics club shouted out ¡°Hooray!¡± in their heads . ¡®A guy who can¡¯t even recognise the third-place finisher from the regionals last year wants to join the track and field team? Gimme a break . ¡¯ Choi Tae-Woong, standing in front of the group to deal with Jin-Woo, did his utmost best to hide his laughter threatening to break through his lips . ¡°Very good . However, just running the track like that wouldn¡¯t be any fun, so¡­ . How about this? If you win, you get to join the team, but if you lose, you do the team¡¯s laundry and cleaning for one month, free of charge . ¡± ¡°Sounds good . ¡± ¡°J-Jin-Woo¡­ . ¡± Young-Gil tried to stop him, but Jin-Woo simply formed a smile that said: ¡°It¡¯s fine . ¡± ¡®Let¡¯s see how long you can keep that relaxed face of yours . ¡¯ Choi Tae-Woong looked towards the ¡®reserve¡¯ student and shouted out loudly . ¡°Hey, Sahng-In-ah! Looks like you¡¯ll have to take to the track for this one . ¡± The ace of the team, Woo Sahng-In finished his stretching exercise and raised his body up . ¡°It¡¯s not a problem . ¡± He took off his glasses and entrusted it to another member of the club, suspiciously ominous aura shooting out from his eyes . Jin-Woo held the senior¡¯s fierce gaze while handing over his school bag and his jacket to Young-Gil next to him . While the members of the track and field club were thinking that here was a chance to let a freshman taste the bitterness of life, Jin-Woo was deeply pondering inwardly just how seriously he should run so that the sheer mental shock his seniors no doubt feel wouldn¡¯t be as high . ¡°Hey, freshman, are you ready?¡± ¡°Yes, I am . ¡± ¡°Sahng-In, what about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready . ¡± Jin-Woo and Woo Sahng-Min stood side by side on the starting line . The former assumed a posture that best optimised one¡¯s ability to rapidly change directions and enter a battle at any time, while the latter assumed a posture solely designed for track competition . This time, the team members didn¡¯t bother to hide their ridiculing laughter at Jin-Woo¡¯s weird posture . ¡°What the hell is up with this idiot?¡± ¡°And he still wants to join the athletics club? But, isn¡¯t he a d*mn beginner who doesn¡¯t even know anything about running track?¡± Jin-Woo didn¡¯t pay any attention to their mocking words and controlled his breathing . ¡°Ready?¡± Soon, Choi Tae-Woong¡¯s baritone voice signalling the start could be heard . ¡°Start!¡± *** ¡°Teacher-nim? How are you feeling now?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ . yes, well¡­ . ¡± ¡®Venomous Snake¡¯ Teacher Park Gi-Sool replied half-heartedly at his colleague¡¯s question after they ran into each other on the corridor, and with hurried steps, he quickly walked past the confused-looking fellow teacher . Park Gi-Sool¡¯s crumpled expression easily spoke of his current mood . ¡®I ended up making a fool of myself in front of all the gathered students today¡­ . ¡¯ He definitely must have made a mistake . Without a doubt, his strange hallucination was the fault of not eating a proper breakfast earlier today . It felt as if every student was laughing at his expense . He quickly evaded their gazes and slipped into the teacher¡¯s lounge, before spitting out a sigh rushing out from the deepest part of his chest . ¡°Fuu-woo¡­ . ¡± ¡®Should I smoke to take the edge off?¡¯ Since almost every teacher was a smoker, smoking in the lounge was permitted, which meant that this place was like a safe haven for the current Park Gi-Sool . He stuffed a cigarette between his lips and stood next to the windows while lighting it up . Just as he mindlessly shifted his gaze down to the athletics field¡­ . . ¡­ . His eyes grew extra large and he hurriedly lowered himself below the windows while spinning around . ¡®W-what the hell?! Why is that kid running around the track with the rest of the athletics club members??¡¯ It was then, the director of the track and field team entered the lounge and discovered crouching Park Gi-Sool . ¡°Ah, Park Teacher-nim!¡± Wondering if the dizzy spell from the morning had come back again, the director hurriedly ran over to Park Gi-Sool and helped him up . ¡°Are you alright? You sure you don¡¯t need to stop by at a hospital?¡± ¡°I, I¡¯m fine, thank you . Just feeling a bit dizzy, that¡¯s all¡­ . ¡± Park Gi-Sool made an evasive answer before asking back . ¡°B-by the way¡­ . Why is the student named Seong Jin-Woo running together with the kids from the athletics team?¡± ¡°Ahhh¡­ . That? So, that student¡¯s name is Seong Jin-Woo?¡± The director took a look outside the window over Park Gi-Sool¡¯s shoulder and formed a wry chuckle as if he still couldn¡¯t believe it . ¡°It seems that a freshman just showed up and said that he wanted to join the team . Kids tested him out, and as it turned out, he has a talent, so they just couldn¡¯t chase him away . Apparently, what they are doing now is to test his stamina . ¡± ¡°H-his stamina, you say??¡± ¡°Yes . That¡¯s his 20th lap already . Just watching him going around is exhausting, so I quit first and came up here . ¡± Sports, and sports clubs . There was no better alternative to get rid of one¡¯s overflowing hot-bloodedness of youth than sports . Several thoughts crisscrossed within Teacher Park Gi-Sool¡¯s mind, then . Student Seong Jin-Woo, the one he pre-judged to be a troublemaker, seemed to be trying his best to discipline himself by joining a sports club . ¡®It¡¯s possible that¡­ . That I have been holding the wrong idea about him¡­ . ¡¯ Now that he thought about it closely, there was simply no way that a boy walking around with monsters would exist in reality . Student Seong Jin-Woo was just another exceedingly normal learner still searching for a place to call home within the fields of academia and sports, after a lengthy spell of aimlessly wandering around in his life . But here was a teacher busy going on about seeing monsters and phantoms and whatnot from a regular student like that¡­ . The reputation of the ¡®Venomous Snake¡¯ had been thoroughly stained with this matter, indeed . Park Gi-Sool chuckled meekly, stopped hiding, and stood back up . ¡®That¡¯s right¡­ . I should look at him without judging him first . I¡¯m sure that will help resolve all the misunderstanding . ¡¯ Seeing Park Gi-Sool form a serious expression before breaking into a chuckle, the director looked at him with a concerned face . ¡°Park Teacher-nim¡­ . ?¡± ¡°Ah, no . It¡¯s fine now . I don¡¯t feel dizzy anymore . ¡± ¡°Oh¡­ In that case, that¡¯s a relief . ¡± Park Gi-Sool successfully made the director withdraw and slowly turned around to look behind him . He could now see a boy, covered in sweat and running diligently around the track while being showered by the bright, warm spring sunlight . How could anyone point fingers at such a boy? He focused his gaze on Jin-Woo, currently running steadily and unflustered even after lapping the panting and breathless members of the track and field team several times already . ¡®Indeed, this morning was¡­ . ¡¯ Too bad, even before he could celebrate himself¡­ ¡­ . Without any warning whatsoever, Park Gi-Sool¡¯s entire field of vision was dyed in black and the spectacular sight of the Shadow Army stretching on endlessly entered his eyes . He nearly toppled over from fright, but he forced his legs to steady himself and gritted his teeth . ¡®This, this is a hallucination . This isn¡¯t real!!¡¯ It was then . A certain ant monster standing in the front-most row of the soldiers kitted out in black armour, gazed straight at him and opened its maw wide . [Khak!!] ¡°U-uwaahk?!¡± In the end, Teacher Park Go-Sool did fall on his butt and lost consciousness . [¡­ . ] Within the subspace in Jin-Woo¡¯s shadow, Igrit watched Beru¡¯s action and used his elbow to rib the former ant king in the side . [I told you to stop that, didn¡¯t I?] [Kiieehh¡­ . That human can really see us, can¡¯t he?] Beru lightly scratched the side of his head and before his liege could order him to, planted his head firmly on the ground first . *** Late at night . Detective Woo Jin-Cheol and the youngest detective in the squad stopped by a diner that served ¡®gopchang¡¯ . Once enough alcohol entered their bloodstreams, stories they found hard to talk about during the day came out ¨C mostly from the youngest¡¯s mouth, actually . ¡°Excuse me, Senior Woo¡­ . ?¡± ¡°Mm?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been investigating that missing prisoner case until now, yes?¡± What was this guy trying to say here? Woo Jin-Cheol tipped his glass filled with booze, his head beginning to develop an ache already . Unfortunately, completely oblivious of his senior¡¯s wishes, the youngest detective continued with his questioning time . ¡°That day¡­ you really did see something, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What day?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol played dumb deliberately, but the youngest simply grinned and replied . ¡°Eii, senior, you¡­ You already know, don¡¯t you? I¡¯m talking about that day when the suspect went missing . Didn¡¯t you really see something that day?¡± This kid, he had this habit of catching people off-guard when they least expected it . ¡®Well, that¡¯s a good talent to have as a detective . ¡¯ Woo Jin-Cheol recalled his own newbie days and formed a slight chuckle as he replied . ¡°What if I did?¡± ¡°Really?¡± The youngest looked to be adequately drunk until then, but his eyes suddenly began sparkling and his ears even physically perked up . That wasn¡¯t so surprising, considering that the youngest was closer in age to being a student than a full-fledged member of society, anyway . That was probably why he applied to the Violent Crimes Investigation Unit of the National Police Agency, reputed to be the worst paid but with the highest amount of workload . Maybe the power of the booze circulating in him was to blame, or maybe, he just wanted to use this opportunity to get some stuff off his chest ¨C Woo Jin-Cheol began speaking of things that he¡¯d never even think about uttering in normal times . ¡°An ant¡­ . Ant monsters . ¡± Gulp . The noise of saliva sliding down the throat of the youngest detective could be heard from where he was sitting . ¡°Even I can¡¯t tell for sure what I saw back then . In any case, those things looked like ants . ¡± ¡°Ant monsters, is it? Are you saying that giant insects like ants came out?¡± ¡°No, not that . Well, they were ants, but¡­ . ¡± It was right then . Just as Woo Jin-Cheol spoke up to there, a certain man unsteadily tottering about, as if he had one too many to drink, stopped walking past the duo and addressed them . ¡°T-those ant monsters, are they monsters with the heads of ants, but bodies that look like humans??¡± The heads of the two detectives, Woo Jin-Cheol and his junior, raised up towards the owner of the voice . < Chapter 251 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 251: Chapter 251 Side Story 8. 5 . Your daily routine (3). Ding, dong . Ding, dong¡­ From the elementary school kids who¡¯d find the embrace of their mothers more comfortable than their respective classrooms, right up to those teachers with greying hair and only a little bit left on their clock until retirement¡­. ¡­ . The sound of the end-of-school bell, capable of re-energising pretty much everyone who heard it, rang around noisily throughout the school Most of the kids in the classroom formed expressions of ecstasy as if they were about to fly away . Meanwhile, Jin-Woo, sitting among them, carried a carefree face as he greeted the end to his school day in this place ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t go home late because you want to hang out with new friends you made today, okay! Understand?¡±. Yeees-!. After the token replies, half consisting of mischievous voices of the male students and the other half high-pitched tones of the girls were made, the classroom became empty in no time at all now that the day¡¯s schedule had come to its end Jin-Woo deliberately took his time packing up his bag, before he spotted Young-Gil hesitantly and slowly approaching him like a full-bellied tortoise ¡®¡­ . ?¡¯. Jin-Woo stopped packing his bag when Young-Gil cautiously asked him a question ¡°Uhm¡­ I¡¯m heading off in the direction of the ¡®Gigamart¡¯, but what about you?¡±. ¡®Ah, I guess he wants to get close to me . ¡¯. An easy-to-read relaxed smile formed on Jin-Woo¡¯s face ¡®A minor favour shown when young can also become the start of a relationship later on like this, huh?¡¯. Jin-Woo smiled for a little while, before shaking his head ¡°Well, yeah, it¡¯s in the same direction, but there¡¯s something I gotta do first . ¡±. ¡°Oh¡­ . ¡±. As Young-Gil stood there in disappointment, Jin-Woo lightly tapped the boy on the shoulder and grinned brightly ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡±. Not too long afterwards, both of them exited from the school building ¡°What? Track and field club??¡±. Young-Gil asked with a surprised voice, while Jin-Woo nodded calmly as his reply ¡°Yup . ¡±. The reason why Jin-Woo chose this school, far from his home, instead of those nearby was because it was only this particular one that happened to have a track and field athletics department Young-Gil could only tilt his head when Jin-Woo replied that he¡¯d join the track and field team from today ¡®Was Jin-Woo good at track in the past?¡¯. He remembered hanging around Jin-Woo for only about a month or so . The memories of him playing that game really well were the only thing that came to the boy¡¯s head, but he just couldn¡¯t recall Jin-Woo doing anything particularly outstanding during physical training or club activities No, Young-Gil simply remembered Jin-Woo doing pretty much everything at his pace ¨C which was leisurely ¡®A high school track and field club should be operated by only the talented students, though¡­ . ?¡¯. The boy suddenly felt worried about Jin-Woo and found himself unconsciously chasing after his friend . Meanwhile, Jin-Woo crossed the athletics field and approached the group of athletes loosening themselves up in the corner of the field ¡°Mm¡­?¡±. Their attention soon shifted towards the incoming duo of freshmen . They initially expected the two to walk past them or change their heading, but their expectation turned out to be off the mark . The senior with the biggest physique took a step forward and ¡®greeted¡¯ the duo ¡°What do you two want now?¡±. Jin-Woo briefly scanned the atmosphere of the team members and replied with a smile ¡°I¡¯d like to join the athletics club . ¡±. The senior with big physique, the captain of the track and field team Choi Tae-Woong, alternated his gaze between Jin-Woo and a shorter kid with a rather unhealthy complexion ¡°You wanna join the club?¡±. ¡°Yes . ¡±. ¡°Both of you?¡±. Jin-Woo looked behind, and Young-Gil hurriedly shook his head ¡°¡­No, just me . ¡±. After seeing Jin-Woo¡¯s continuously-smiling mug, the seniors grew interested and gathered around the freshmen ¡°Ohh, what¡¯s this? We have an applicant wanting to join us?¡±. ¡°This is my first time seeing a freshman barging in here and wanting to join the team, though . ¡±. ¡°He¡¯s not playing around, is he?¡±. Choi Tae-Woong scratched the top of his head and scanned Jin-Woo from top to bottom before asking another question ¡°You a student-athlete?¡±. ¡°No, I¡¯m not . ¡±. ¡°Okay, you have experience running track in middle school?¡±. Although Jin-Woo was rather experienced in running all over the gap between dimensions to kill Sovereigns, that wasn¡¯t something he could refer to as his middle school days, or running track competitively, so he could only shake his head with a wry smile ¡°No, I don¡¯t . ¡±. The seniors in the athletics club were ready to welcome this enthusiastic newcomer right up until that answer . But now, their complexions were hardening drastically A freshman who hadn¡¯t even run track competitively wanted to enter the athletics club comprised only of student-athletes?. Wasn¡¯t this kid taking high school track & field way too lightly?. One of the seniors blessed with a short fuse suddenly jumped into the conversation from the side ¡°You haven¡¯t run track before, so why do you want to enter the team?¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s reply was rather simple ¡°There¡¯s someone I¡¯d like to meet during the athletic meet, you see . ¡±. She was still in the middle school division, but without a doubt, she possessed enough talent to participate in the regional competition Well, she used to be an excellent athlete before she had to give up on that dream after becoming a high-ranked Hunter, didn¡¯t she?. If it was an athletic meet featuring participants from both middle and high schools, then wouldn¡¯t he be able to naturally run into her there?. Jin-Woo judged that, rather than forcibly get close to her and insert himself into her life that way, this might be a far better approach for both of them However, judging from the expressions of the seniors, it seemed that they didn¡¯t share his thought process ¡°Athletic meet¡­ . ??¡±. The expression of the senior with the short fuse, Jeong Gu-Shik, hardened like stone . Even if one was to look down on running track, there was a line one shouldn¡¯t cross Jeong Gu-Shik¡¯s anger shot up to the top of his head and he was about to roar out some choice words to chase away the freshmen, but then, captain Choi Tae-Woong formed a grin and gave his permission ¡°Fine . ¡±. Jeong Gu-Shik looked back at his captain with an expression of a man failing to comprehend the situation ¡°What?!¡±. ¡°However, there is a condition . ¡±. Choi Tae-Woong used an expression that said ¡®Be quiet¡¯ to defeat Jeong Gu-Shik, and pointed at a glasses-wearing student busy stretching his muscles over yonder ¡°You see that friend over there?¡±. Jin-Woo followed after the pointing finger and nodded his head ¡°Yes . ¡±. ¡°That friend is the worst runner in our team, a reserve from the second year . Meaning, you gotta at least beat that friend to earn the right to enter our team . ¡±. That was a bold-faced lie Even before he heard the explanation, Jin-Woo had already analysed that particular second-year student¡¯s abilities, and as a result, he began chuckling inwardly ¡®At first glance, that student¡¯s thighs and calves look lean and thin, but they are actually hard and well trained . And confidence simply oozes from the rest of his body¡­ . ¡¯. Spying from the student¡¯s steady, relaxed breathing or his upright posture, Jin-Woo knew immediately that he was looking at no ordinary athlete here Meaning, the third year seniors were trying to make fun of him . How could Jin-Woo not laugh when their intentions were so easy to read like this?. Jeong Gu-Shik also belatedly realised what Choi Tae-Woong was trying to do and quickly changed his expression ¡°Ahh, right! You said that you¡¯re aiming to enter the athletic meet, right? Well, in that case, a simple little admittance test like this is no problem for you, right?¡±. Jin-Woo didn¡¯t like the way this guy was grinning slyly like that, but still, asked back in a calm manner nonetheless ¡°That senior¡­ . Is he really a reserve?¡±. ¡°I guarantee it . ¡±. Choi Tae-Woong replied in a confident voice, and the rest of the athletic team members had to try their best to hold back their laughter ¡®He¡¯s a reserve, alright . Well, the truth is, he did finish third place in last year¡¯s regional meet, but he sprained his ankle during winter training so he¡¯s been demoted to a reserve spot, for the time being . ¡¯. If he were to get technical here, then Choi Tae-Woong wasn¡¯t really, really lying by saying that the glasses-wearing guy was the worst ¡®runner¡¯ here due to the lengthy unscheduled lay-off, and that he was in the reserve spot because of the injury Jin-Woo then replied in an easy-going manner to captain Choi Tae-Woong and his insidious smile ¡°Very well, I understand . Let me try . ¡±. This b*stard, he fell for it!!. Not just Jeong Gu-Shik, but everyone in the athletics club shouted out ¡°Hooray!¡± in their heads ¡®A guy who can¡¯t even recognise the third-place finisher from the regionals last year wants to join the track and field team? Gimme a break . ¡¯. Choi Tae-Woong, standing in front of the group to deal with Jin-Woo, did his utmost best to hide his laughter threatening to break through his lips ¡°Very good . However, just running the track like that wouldn¡¯t be any fun, so¡­ . How about this? If you win, you get to join the team, but if you lose, you do the team¡¯s laundry and cleaning for one month, free of charge . ¡±. ¡°Sounds good . ¡±. ¡°J-Jin-Woo¡­ . ¡±. Young-Gil tried to stop him, but Jin-Woo simply formed a smile that said: ¡°It¡¯s fine . ¡±. ¡®Let¡¯s see how long you can keep that relaxed face of yours . ¡¯. Choi Tae-Woong looked towards the ¡®reserve¡¯ student and shouted out loudly ¡°Hey, Sahng-In-ah! Looks like you¡¯ll have to take to the track for this one . ¡±. The ace of the team, Woo Sahng-In finished his stretching exercise and raised his body up ¡°It¡¯s not a problem . ¡±. He took off his glasses and entrusted it to another member of the club, suspiciously ominous aura shooting out from his eyes . Jin-Woo held the senior¡¯s fierce gaze while handing over his school bag and his jacket to Young-Gil next to him While the members of the track and field club were thinking that here was a chance to let a freshman taste the bitterness of life, Jin-Woo was deeply pondering inwardly just how seriously he should run so that the sheer mental shock his seniors no doubt feel wouldn¡¯t be as high ¡°Hey, freshman, are you ready?¡±. ¡°Yes, I am . ¡±. ¡°Sahng-In, what about you?¡±. ¡°I¡¯m ready . ¡±. Jin-Woo and Woo Sahng-Min stood side by side on the starting line The former assumed a posture that best optimised one¡¯s ability to rapidly change directions and enter a battle at any time, while the latter assumed a posture solely designed for track competition This time, the team members didn¡¯t bother to hide their ridiculing laughter at Jin-Woo¡¯s weird posture ¡°What the hell is up with this idiot?¡±. ¡°And he still wants to join the athletics club? But, isn¡¯t he a d*mn beginner who doesn¡¯t even know anything about running track?¡±. Jin-Woo didn¡¯t pay any attention to their mocking words and controlled his breathing ¡°Ready?¡±. Soon, Choi Tae-Woong¡¯s baritone voice signalling the start could be heard ¡°Start!¡±. ***. ¡°Teacher-nim? How are you feeling now?¡±. ¡°Ah¡­ . yes, well¡­ . ¡±. ¡®Venomous Snake¡¯ Teacher Park Gi-Sool replied half-heartedly at his colleague¡¯s question after they ran into each other on the corridor, and with hurried steps, he quickly walked past the confused-looking fellow teacher Park Gi-Sool¡¯s crumpled expression easily spoke of his current mood ¡®I ended up making a fool of myself in front of all the gathered students today¡­ . ¡¯. He definitely must have made a mistake . Without a doubt, his strange hallucination was the fault of not eating a proper breakfast earlier today It felt as if every student was laughing at his expense . He quickly evaded their gazes and slipped into the teacher¡¯s lounge, before spitting out a sigh rushing out from the deepest part of his chest ¡°Fuu-woo¡­ . ¡±. ¡®Should I smoke to take the edge off?¡¯. Since almost every teacher was a smoker, smoking in the lounge was permitted, which meant that this place was like a safe haven for the current Park Gi-Sool He stuffed a cigarette between his lips and stood next to the windows while lighting it up . Just as he mindlessly shifted his gaze down to the athletics field¡­ . ¡­ . His eyes grew extra large and he hurriedly lowered himself below the windows while spinning around ¡®W-what the hell?! Why is that kid running around the track with the rest of the athletics club members??¡¯. It was then, the director of the track and field team entered the lounge and discovered crouching Park Gi-Sool ¡°Ah, Park Teacher-nim!¡±. Wondering if the dizzy spell from the morning had come back again, the director hurriedly ran over to Park Gi-Sool and helped him up ¡°Are you alright? You sure you don¡¯t need to stop by at a hospital?¡±. ¡°I, I¡¯m fine, thank you . Just feeling a bit dizzy, that¡¯s all¡­ . ¡±. Park Gi-Sool made an evasive answer before asking back ¡°B-by the way¡­ . Why is the student named Seong Jin-Woo running together with the kids from the athletics team?¡±. ¡°Ahhh¡­ . That? So, that student¡¯s name is Seong Jin-Woo?¡±. The director took a look outside the window over Park Gi-Sool¡¯s shoulder and formed a wry chuckle as if he still couldn¡¯t believe it ¡°It seems that a freshman just showed up and said that he wanted to join the team . Kids tested him out, and as it turned out, he has a talent, so they just couldn¡¯t chase him away . Apparently, what they are doing now is to test his stamina . ¡±. ¡°H-his stamina, you say??¡±. ¡°Yes . That¡¯s his 20th lap already . Just watching him going around is exhausting, so I quit first and came up here . ¡±. Sports, and sports clubs There was no better alternative to get rid of one¡¯s overflowing hot-bloodedness of youth than sports Several thoughts crisscrossed within Teacher Park Gi-Sool¡¯s mind, then . Student Seong Jin-Woo, the one he pre-judged to be a troublemaker, seemed to be trying his best to discipline himself by joining a sports club ¡®It¡¯s possible that¡­ . That I have been holding the wrong idea about him¡­ . ¡¯. Now that he thought about it closely, there was simply no way that a boy walking around with monsters would exist in reality Student Seong Jin-Woo was just another exceedingly normal learner still searching for a place to call home within the fields of academia and sports, after a lengthy spell of aimlessly wandering around in his life But here was a teacher busy going on about seeing monsters and phantoms and whatnot from a regular student like that¡­ . The reputation of the ¡®Venomous Snake¡¯ had been thoroughly stained with this matter, indeed Park Gi-Sool chuckled meekly, stopped hiding, and stood back up ¡®That¡¯s right¡­ . I should look at him without judging him first . I¡¯m sure that will help resolve all the misunderstanding . ¡¯. Seeing Park Gi-Sool form a serious expression before breaking into a chuckle, the director looked at him with a concerned face ¡°Park Teacher-nim¡­ . ?¡±. ¡°Ah, no . It¡¯s fine now . I don¡¯t feel dizzy anymore . ¡±. ¡°Oh¡­ In that case, that¡¯s a relief . ¡±. Park Gi-Sool successfully made the director withdraw and slowly turned around to look behind him . He could now see a boy, covered in sweat and running diligently around the track while being showered by the bright, warm spring sunlight How could anyone point fingers at such a boy?. He focused his gaze on Jin-Woo, currently running steadily and unflustered even after lapping the panting and breathless members of the track and field team several times already ¡®Indeed, this morning was¡­ . ¡¯. Too bad, even before he could celebrate himself¡­. ¡­ . Without any warning whatsoever, Park Gi-Sool¡¯s entire field of vision was dyed in black and the spectacular sight of the Shadow Army stretching on endlessly entered his eyes He nearly toppled over from fright, but he forced his legs to steady himself and gritted his teeth ¡®This, this is a hallucination . This isn¡¯t real!!¡¯. It was then A certain ant monster standing in the front-most row of the soldiers kitted out in black armour, gazed straight at him and opened its maw wide [Khak!!]. ¡°U-uwaahk?!¡±. In the end, Teacher Park Go-Sool did fall on his butt and lost consciousness [¡­ . ]. Within the subspace in Jin-Woo¡¯s shadow, Igrit watched Beru¡¯s action and used his elbow to rib the former ant king in the side [I told you to stop that, didn¡¯t I?]. [Kiieehh¡­ . That human can really see us, can¡¯t he?]. Beru lightly scratched the side of his head and before his liege could order him to, planted his head firmly on the ground first ***. Late at night Detective Woo Jin-Cheol and the youngest detective in the squad stopped by a diner that served ¡®gopchang¡¯ Once enough alcohol entered their bloodstreams, stories they found hard to talk about during the day came out ¨C mostly from the youngest¡¯s mouth, actually ¡°Excuse me, Senior Woo¡­ . ?¡±. ¡°Mm?¡±. ¡°You¡¯ve been investigating that missing prisoner case until now, yes?¡±. What was this guy trying to say here?. Woo Jin-Cheol tipped his glass filled with booze, his head beginning to develop an ache already Unfortunately, completely oblivious of his senior¡¯s wishes, the youngest detective continued with his questioning time ¡°That day¡­ you really did see something, didn¡¯t you?¡±. ¡°What day?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol played dumb deliberately, but the youngest simply grinned and replied ¡°Eii, senior, you¡­ You already know, don¡¯t you? I¡¯m talking about that day when the suspect went missing . Didn¡¯t you really see something that day?¡±. This kid, he had this habit of catching people off-guard when they least expected it ¡®Well, that¡¯s a good talent to have as a detective . ¡¯. Woo Jin-Cheol recalled his own newbie days and formed a slight chuckle as he replied ¡°What if I did?¡±. ¡°Really?¡±. The youngest looked to be adequately drunk until then, but his eyes suddenly began sparkling and his ears even physically perked up . That wasn¡¯t so surprising, considering that the youngest was closer in age to being a student than a full-fledged member of society, anyway That was probably why he applied to the Violent Crimes Investigation Unit of the National Police Agency, reputed to be the worst paid but with the highest amount of workload Maybe the power of the booze circulating in him was to blame, or maybe, he just wanted to use this opportunity to get some stuff off his chest ¨C Woo Jin-Cheol began speaking of things that he¡¯d never even think about uttering in normal times ¡°An ant¡­ . Ant monsters . ¡±. Gulp The noise of saliva sliding down the throat of the youngest detective could be heard from where he was sitting ¡°Even I can¡¯t tell for sure what I saw back then . In any case, those things looked like ants . ¡±. ¡°Ant monsters, is it? Are you saying that giant insects like ants came out?¡±. ¡°No, not that . Well, they were ants, but¡­ . ¡±. It was right then Just as Woo Jin-Cheol spoke up to there, a certain man unsteadily tottering about, as if he had one too many to drink, stopped walking past the duo and addressed them ¡°T-those ant monsters, are they monsters with the heads of ants, but bodies that look like humans??¡±. The heads of the two detectives, Woo Jin-Cheol and his junior, raised up towards the owner of the voice < Chapter 251 > Fin Chapter 252 Side Story 9 5 . Your daily routine (4) Didn¡¯t someone say that the ground would harden after the rain had fallen? Now normally, people would grow much closer when they made up after a big fight . But then, the bond between young boys created through sweat and drive to succeed was far hotter and stickier then any old saying could intimate . ¡°One, two! One, two!¡± As the early dawn¡¯s fog thickly covered the school¡¯s athletics field, every member of the track team was energetically roaring out their rallying cries . ¡°Hey, Jin-Woo! How about it? Isn¡¯t this doable?¡± Before anyone had noticed it, Jin-Woo was now permitted to run alongside the captain of the team, Choi Tae-Woong . The former replied in a refreshing manner . ¡°Yes, it is doable!¡± ¡°Very goooood! One, two! One, two!¡± Choi Tae-Woong raised his speed just a bit higher and shouted out . ¡°Our goal is to conquer the whole country!¡± ¡°Our goal is to¡­ . . ??¡± The members almost subconsciously chanted after their captain¡¯s words, but they quickly caught onto the fact that their warcry had changed and began questioning their leader . ¡°Hey, captain! I thought our goal was the overall win in the regionals?¡± ¡°Uh-huh!! You¡¯re aiming far too low in front of our new ace! Again! Our goal is to conquer the whole country!¡± ¡°Conquer the whole country!!¡± ¡°The whole country!!!¡± Glance . The captain glanced at Woo Sahng-In, currently running behind him . ¡°Hey, Sahng-In-ah, are you crying right now?¡± ¡°N-no, captain!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give up yet, ace of the second year! Although the ace of the team has changed, how can we conquer the nation without your aid?!¡± ¡°I¡­ I shall do my best, captain!!¡± ¡°Very goooood-!! Conquer the whole country!!¡± ¡°The whole country!! The country!¡± ¡°Conquer the country! The whole country!!¡± While the members of the team lapped around the athletics field, positively buzzing with a heightened fighting spirit, only Oh Young-Gil¡¯s complexion was turning blue amongst all the runners present . The poor kid ended up following after Jin-Woo and inadvertently entered the team as well . ¡°Pant, paaant, paaant¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo, running out in front, heard Young-Gil¡¯s heavy, rough breathing and tutted inwardly . He wanted to improve the boy¡¯s rather feeble constitution, so he said yes to the idea of one-plus-one admittance to the athletics club, but this¡­ . ¡­ . It was only a matter of time before someone keeled over at the rate things were going . But then again, it¡¯d not be an easy task to let Young-Gil escape in this atmosphere when the fighting spirit of the seniors had reached a brand new height that they had never seen before . Left with no choice, Jin-Woo loaded just a little bit of Mana and sent it behind him . Like dandelion seeds being carried in the wind, the lump of Mana gently floated in the air and entered Young-Gil¡¯s nose and mouth . ¡°¡­ . . ??¡± The effects of Jin-Woo¡¯s Mana were an immediate stamina recovery, as well as a temporary boost to one¡¯s muscular endurance, reaction times, flexibility, and to one¡¯s rate of stamina recovery, etc¡­ . Basically, it was a comprehensive buff gift set, filled with his desire to help out a friend . Since it was a gift set straight from the Shadow Sovereign who reigned over in another world as basically a god, the effects of the buffs were rather incredible . ¡°Eh? Uh? Uhhh????¡± Young-Gil¡¯s eyes opened wider and wider as soon as he inhaled the comprehensive buff set . ¡®Wha-what¡¯s going on?! My body, it¡­ It¡¯s getting hotter?!¡¯ Thick veins rose up on the boy¡¯s legs as they powerfully kicked the ground away . Paht, paht, paht!! One by one, seniors running ahead of Young-Gil were left behind, and then¡­ . ¡°Ohh, ohh!!¡± Then, Young-Gil¡¯s solo sprint began in earnest . ¡®N-no, hang on a minute¡­?¡¯ Choi Tae-Woong was instantly impressed by Young-Gil who managed to shoot past ahead of everyone . The captain loudly shouted out in excitement . ¡°Look at our newbie¡¯s fighting spirit burning up like that! How can us folks calling ourselves his seniors remain lukewarm when things are like this??¡± ¡°No, we can¡¯t!!¡± ¡°Definitely not!¡± ¡°We chase after the newbie with everything we¡¯ve got! Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!!¡± Jin-Woo was inwardly worried whether he had given Young-Gil too much energy or not, but that only lasted for a brief moment . The bright flames of the athletics team swept across the track today, as well . *** While performing his duties of guiding incoming students from next to the school¡¯s gate, ¡®Venomous Snake¡¯ Teacher Park Gi-Sool was keeping tabs on the track and field team diligently going through their morning training regime at a distance . Contrary to his initial worries, it seemed that Student Seong Jin-Woo was getting used to the life in the track team without any problems whatsoever . Heck, the headmaster even thanked Park Gi-Sool out of nowhere, too . ¨C I heard from the director of the track team that you, Park Teacher-nim, is always watching over Student Seong Jin-Woo . ¨C Ah, that¡­ . Yes, more or less¡­ . ¨C Isn¡¯t the problem child behaving himself so well a fruit of your hard labour? With you around, Park Teacher-nim, I can truly rest easy . ¨C Oh, uh¡­ . . The only thing Park Gi-Sool had done so far was to watch Student Seong Jin-Woo until he fell or lost consciousness . He became so embarrassed that he¡¯d rather become a potted plant that the headmaster was watering at that moment . That happened earlier in the morning . Park Gi-Sool tasted this bitterness deep within his core whenever he thought about the headmaster¡¯s high expectation of him versus his own pathetic situation where he couldn¡¯t even look Student Seong Jin-Woo straight in the eye . And that was why¡­ Because of his circumstances, he ended up getting p*ss drunk and unloaded all the useless stuff off his chest to a couple of people he¡¯d never even seen before in his entire life . ¡®Now why did I have to go and do something like that¡­ . ?¡¯ Just from recalling that night¡¯s events, Park Gi-Sool felt like tearing out all of his hair . A few days ago, in a certain diner he stopped by out of sheer frustration¡­ . ¡°T-those ant monsters, are they monsters with the heads of ants, but bodies that look like humans??¡± With their conversation being interrupted rather rudely like this, the two men shifted their curious gazes at the same time towards Park Gi-Sool, and that helped the school teacher to sober up real fast . ¡°Ah¡­ . What on Earth am I saying¡­ I¡¯m very sorry . Looks like I must be really drunk . Both of you, please don¡¯t mind me and carry on . ¡± Park Gi-Sool politely bowed his head and turned around to head back to his own spot, but then, Woo Jin-Cheol actually called out and stopped him in his tracks . ¡°Excuse me . ¡± The school teacher turned his alcohol-reddened face behind him and saw that Woo Jin-Cheol had gotten up from his seat to pull a chair closer to his own table . ¡°That tale of the ant monster¡­ . Can you tell me more about it?¡± Just where would anyone be able to safely tell the story of a teacher seeing strange things when looking at a student? After being admitted to a mental hospital? Now, which parents would entrust their kids to a teacher who frequented the mental health institution¡¯s hallways? Park Gi-Sool had been silently suffering all by himself, unable to tell a soul what he saw, but now that he was given a chance, he came completely clean as teardrops formed at the corners of his eyes . ¡°You see, I am someone who teaches his students with his charisma . Charisma, you know? So, where can I possibly go and speak of these things?¡± Still, he felt a bit more refreshed, a load off his shoulders, now that he got to say the things he wanted to say . With that, he was given enough leeway to take a gander at his surroundings . Even though what he said sounded like a lame joke, the two detectives next to him were listening to his tale with serious expressions on their faces . It was at this point that Park Gi-Sool grew quite curious as to what these people¡¯s story might be . ¡°By the way¡­ . Why were two police detectives like yourselves discussing stuff like monsters in a place like this diner?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol exchanged glances with the junior detective before explaining their circumstances ¨C minus the bit about him actually witnessing the real monsters, of course . ¡°¡­ . And so, the brass ordered us to look into this matter, but well, it¡¯s really difficult to even find a single clue, you see . Right now, I wouldn¡¯t mind grasping at straws if that will help us . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol pulled out his business card and handed it over to Park Gi-Sool as he continued on . ¡°That¡¯s why, I¡¯d like to stop by at the school sometime later on, but will that be fine with you?¡± ¡°Ahh, of course . Of course, we must help with the police¡¯s investigation . You can come and visit us at any time . ¡± And so, the booze-shared diner experience came to a rather friendly end in that manner, but now¡­ Some time had passed since then, and after thinking about it for a little while, Park Gi-Sool couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he had unnecessarily made the situation even worse than what it was . ¡®How can a student have anything to do with the case of missing suspects¡­?¡¯ Especially a boy who was wholeheartedly focusing on the club activities since early dawn? Fearful that he might see another weird thing again, Park Gi-Sool couldn¡¯t stare for too long in Jin-Woo¡¯s direction, so he could only afford to sneak quick glances at the boy, instead . Eventually, he shook his head in resignation . Then, he spoke to another teacher manning the school gate alongside him . ¡°Teacher Yun, my apologies, but I had a bit too much to drink last night and my innards are¡­ . ¡± ¡°Ahaha, come on now, Park Teacher-nim . No need to apologise for that . Please, go back inside and take a break . I¡¯ll cover for you and keep an eye out here . ¡± ¡°Mm, thank you . ¡± Before he went away, Park Gi-Sool took another quick glance at Jin-Woo and slunk off into the school building . Only then did Jin-Woo shift his gaze towards the departing teacher, even though he hadn¡¯t shown any signs of noticing the glances right up until then . ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ Recently, a teacher was staring at him in a rather open manner . He couldn¡¯t just gloss over what was happening here . From inside the darkness of his shadow, Grand-Marshal Bellion¡¯s quiet voice entered his ears . [My liege¡­ . Wouldn¡¯t it be better to erase that human¡¯s memories and take away his abilities?] Back when he returned home from the gap between dimensions, after ending the war ¨C as Jin-Woo stepped onto the ground of his home, feeling rightly emotional about his return, a proxy of the Rulers showed up and left behind some advice of sorts . He said that, even if it was only a tiny bit of the Sovereign¡¯s powers, it¡¯d end up causing a humongous change to this world . And that was why Jin-Woo had been avoiding interfering directly unless it was something utterly necessary . ¡®For now¡­ . Let¡¯s just observe him for a little while longer . ¡¯ [I understand, my liege . ] Jin-Woo wordlessly stared at the entrance Teacher Park Gi-Sool had disappeared to, before turning around to leave himself . The members of the athletics club who were heading off to the club room before him were waving their hands towards him . *** Woo Jin-Cheol found himself hesitating several times in front of the school gate . It had been a week already since he was gifted an unthinkable piece of a lead in a gopchang diner . Starting from then, right up until now, all sorts of thoughts crisscrossed in his head . He could have treated that testimony as a crazed teacher rambling on about some incoherent nonsense . However, every now and then, a link would suddenly be established between two seemingly unrelated cases and that would lead to an untangling of a dark web that seemed impossible to unravel initially . ¡®The suspects that encountered monsters, and the monsters of a student that only one teacher can see¡­ . ¡¯ Woo Jin-Cheol found a vague link between these two disparate incidents . This was from the instincts of a detective, something that couldn¡¯t be explained by logic . However, there was a problem ¨C there was a massive hurdle to overcome here . If there was indeed a link, then what should he say exactly to the student in question? He couldn¡¯t just bet everything on that drunken teacher¡¯s words and start questioning this student named Seong Jin-Woo about monsters and stuff, now could he? As for asking a question in a roundabout way, the nature of the question itself was too broad for that, too . ¨C By any chance, do you know anything about these Shadow Monsters? What about ants that stand up and walk around like people? No matter how hard he practised it in his head, he just couldn¡¯t picture the interview going down well at all . Woo Jin-Cheol pored at the memo pad containing detailed records of the investigation so far and spat out a long, long sigh . ¡®It¡¯d be a miracle not to be labelled as a madman while asking around these sorts of questions¡­ . ¡¯ At the end of a long, long dilemma, Woo Jin-Cheol turned around to leave . He might come back later after thinking up another pretext, but for now, it didn¡¯t seem like the time was right . And so, as Woo Jin-Cheol took steps to get out of there, he lowered his gaze to the ground without thinking much about his actions . Shuk . If it wasn¡¯t him, famed even among the fellow detectives for possessing a pretty keen pair of eyes, but someone else not as sharp, they would have missed a faint movement on the ground . Without a shred of doubt, he noticed a blob of shadow move from the shade of a tree towards the school¡¯s wall . He definitely saw it . Goosebumps broke out all over his body and he hurriedly spun his head back towards the school . ¡®There is¡­ there is definitely something here!!¡¯ Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s determination firmed up, then . He no longer cared if people pointed at him, calling him insane . As long as he could find out the reason for this sense of loss that continued to plague him every now and then; as long as he could find out the exact cause why he felt his mind relax for a little while after encountering those ant monsters, then he¡¯d not hesitate to pay any price . With a hardened expression, Woo Jin-Cheol began walking towards the grounds of this high school . *** At the same time . Jin-Woo was spinning a pen with his fingers as he listened to the droning sounds of the geography lesson while the heads of many kids were dozing off all around him . ¡®Did he see the sentry I posted there?¡¯ As expected of Woo Jin-Cheol, the former President of the Hunter¡¯s Association . He should no longer have any memory of his previous life, yet his sharp eyes must¡¯ve remained intact . Jin-Woo closed his eyes and recalled the very last image he had of Woo Jin-Cheol . The image of him tearing up when Jin-Woo revealed his plans of waging war against the Sovereigns all by himself remained vividly etched in his brain . Back when the late President Goh Gun-Hui died, the voice requesting for revenge also remained, unforgotten, in Jin-Woo¡¯s mind, as well . Was that why? Even though this ¡®visit¡¯ would prove to be rather troublesome in his efforts to maintain his current lifestyle of pretending to be a normal person, the smile etched on Jin-Woo¡¯s lips didn¡¯t want to leave him all that easily . Soon enough, the knocking on the classroom¡¯s door resounded out, followed by the surprised voice of the geography teacher . ¡°A d-detective?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a big issue, actually . It¡¯s just that, I have some questions to ask a student named Seong Jin-Woo . ¡± Ohhh-!! At the announcement that a detective had shown up, kids let out gasps of amazement and shifted their gazes to Jin-Woo . The thing that was coming had come . Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes remained closed throughout, but then, with that grin getting deeper, they opened calmly again . At that moment, Woo Jin-Cheol was entering the classroom¡¯s door and his gaze met with a certain student¡¯s . Even though the geography teacher didn¡¯t specifically point the boy out, the seasoned detective knew that student was Seong Jin-Woo with just one look . Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump¡­ . Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s heart began pounding away, as if it wanted to explode . < Chapter 252 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 252: Chapter 252 Side Story 9. 5 . Your daily routine (4). Didn¡¯t someone say that the ground would harden after the rain had fallen?. Now normally, people would grow much closer when they made up after a big fight . But then, the bond between young boys created through sweat and drive to succeed was far hotter and stickier then any old saying could intimate ¡°One, two! One, two!¡±. As the early dawn¡¯s fog thickly covered the school¡¯s athletics field, every member of the track team was energetically roaring out their rallying cries ¡°Hey, Jin-Woo! How about it? Isn¡¯t this doable?¡±. Before anyone had noticed it, Jin-Woo was now permitted to run alongside the captain of the team, Choi Tae-Woong . The former replied in a refreshing manner ¡°Yes, it is doable!¡±. ¡°Very goooood! One, two! One, two!¡±. Choi Tae-Woong raised his speed just a bit higher and shouted out ¡°Our goal is to conquer the whole country!¡±. ¡°Our goal is to¡­ ??¡±. The members almost subconsciously chanted after their captain¡¯s words, but they quickly caught onto the fact that their warcry had changed and began questioning their leader ¡°Hey, captain! I thought our goal was the overall win in the regionals?¡±. ¡°Uh-huh!! You¡¯re aiming far too low in front of our new ace! Again! Our goal is to conquer the whole country!¡±. ¡°Conquer the whole country!!¡±. ¡°The whole country!!!¡±. Glance The captain glanced at Woo Sahng-In, currently running behind him ¡°Hey, Sahng-In-ah, are you crying right now?¡±. ¡°N-no, captain!¡±. ¡°Don¡¯t give up yet, ace of the second year! Although the ace of the team has changed, how can we conquer the nation without your aid?!¡±. ¡°I¡­ I shall do my best, captain!!¡±. ¡°Very goooood-!! Conquer the whole country!!¡±. ¡°The whole country!! The country!¡±. ¡°Conquer the country! The whole country!!¡±. While the members of the team lapped around the athletics field, positively buzzing with a heightened fighting spirit, only Oh Young-Gil¡¯s complexion was turning blue amongst all the runners present . The poor kid ended up following after Jin-Woo and inadvertently entered the team as well ¡°Pant, paaant, paaant¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo, running out in front, heard Young-Gil¡¯s heavy, rough breathing and tutted inwardly He wanted to improve the boy¡¯s rather feeble constitution, so he said yes to the idea of one-plus-one admittance to the athletics club, but this¡­ ¡­ . It was only a matter of time before someone keeled over at the rate things were going But then again, it¡¯d not be an easy task to let Young-Gil escape in this atmosphere when the fighting spirit of the seniors had reached a brand new height that they had never seen before Left with no choice, Jin-Woo loaded just a little bit of Mana and sent it behind him . Like dandelion seeds being carried in the wind, the lump of Mana gently floated in the air and entered Young-Gil¡¯s nose and mouth ¡°¡­ ??¡±. The effects of Jin-Woo¡¯s Mana were an immediate stamina recovery, as well as a temporary boost to one¡¯s muscular endurance, reaction times, flexibility, and to one¡¯s rate of stamina recovery, etc¡­ Basically, it was a comprehensive buff gift set, filled with his desire to help out a friend Since it was a gift set straight from the Shadow Sovereign who reigned over in another world as basically a god, the effects of the buffs were rather incredible ¡°Eh? Uh? Uhhh????¡±. Young-Gil¡¯s eyes opened wider and wider as soon as he inhaled the comprehensive buff set ¡®Wha-what¡¯s going on?! My body, it¡­ It¡¯s getting hotter?!¡¯. Thick veins rose up on the boy¡¯s legs as they powerfully kicked the ground away Paht, paht, paht!!. One by one, seniors running ahead of Young-Gil were left behind, and then¡­ ¡°Ohh, ohh!!¡±. Then, Young-Gil¡¯s solo sprint began in earnest ¡®N-no, hang on a minute¡­?¡¯. Choi Tae-Woong was instantly impressed by Young-Gil who managed to shoot past ahead of everyone . The captain loudly shouted out in excitement ¡°Look at our newbie¡¯s fighting spirit burning up like that! How can us folks calling ourselves his seniors remain lukewarm when things are like this??¡±. ¡°No, we can¡¯t!!¡±. ¡°Definitely not!¡±. ¡°We chase after the newbie with everything we¡¯ve got! Let¡¯s go!¡±. ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡±. ¡°Let¡¯s go!!¡±. Jin-Woo was inwardly worried whether he had given Young-Gil too much energy or not, but that only lasted for a brief moment The bright flames of the athletics team swept across the track today, as well ***. While performing his duties of guiding incoming students from next to the school¡¯s gate, ¡®Venomous Snake¡¯ Teacher Park Gi-Sool was keeping tabs on the track and field team diligently going through their morning training regime at a distance Contrary to his initial worries, it seemed that Student Seong Jin-Woo was getting used to the life in the track team without any problems whatsoever Heck, the headmaster even thanked Park Gi-Sool out of nowhere, too ¨C I heard from the director of the track team that you, Park Teacher-nim, is always watching over Student Seong Jin-Woo ¨C Ah, that¡­ . Yes, more or less¡­ ¨C Isn¡¯t the problem child behaving himself so well a fruit of your hard labour? With you around, Park Teacher-nim, I can truly rest easy ¨C Oh, uh¡­ . The only thing Park Gi-Sool had done so far was to watch Student Seong Jin-Woo until he fell or lost consciousness . He became so embarrassed that he¡¯d rather become a potted plant that the headmaster was watering at that moment That happened earlier in the morning Park Gi-Sool tasted this bitterness deep within his core whenever he thought about the headmaster¡¯s high expectation of him versus his own pathetic situation where he couldn¡¯t even look Student Seong Jin-Woo straight in the eye And that was why¡­ Because of his circumstances, he ended up getting p*ss drunk and unloaded all the useless stuff off his chest to a couple of people he¡¯d never even seen before in his entire life ¡®Now why did I have to go and do something like that¡­ . ?¡¯. Just from recalling that night¡¯s events, Park Gi-Sool felt like tearing out all of his hair A few days ago, in a certain diner he stopped by out of sheer frustration¡­ ¡°T-those ant monsters, are they monsters with the heads of ants, but bodies that look like humans??¡±. With their conversation being interrupted rather rudely like this, the two men shifted their curious gazes at the same time towards Park Gi-Sool, and that helped the school teacher to sober up real fast ¡°Ah¡­ . What on Earth am I saying¡­ I¡¯m very sorry . Looks like I must be really drunk . Both of you, please don¡¯t mind me and carry on . ¡±. Park Gi-Sool politely bowed his head and turned around to head back to his own spot, but then, Woo Jin-Cheol actually called out and stopped him in his tracks ¡°Excuse me . ¡±. The school teacher turned his alcohol-reddened face behind him and saw that Woo Jin-Cheol had gotten up from his seat to pull a chair closer to his own table ¡°That tale of the ant monster¡­ . Can you tell me more about it?¡±. Just where would anyone be able to safely tell the story of a teacher seeing strange things when looking at a student?. After being admitted to a mental hospital? Now, which parents would entrust their kids to a teacher who frequented the mental health institution¡¯s hallways?. Park Gi-Sool had been silently suffering all by himself, unable to tell a soul what he saw, but now that he was given a chance, he came completely clean as teardrops formed at the corners of his eyes ¡°You see, I am someone who teaches his students with his charisma . Charisma, you know? So, where can I possibly go and speak of these things?¡±. Still, he felt a bit more refreshed, a load off his shoulders, now that he got to say the things he wanted to say . With that, he was given enough leeway to take a gander at his surroundings Even though what he said sounded like a lame joke, the two detectives next to him were listening to his tale with serious expressions on their faces . It was at this point that Park Gi-Sool grew quite curious as to what these people¡¯s story might be ¡°By the way¡­ . Why were two police detectives like yourselves discussing stuff like monsters in a place like this diner?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol exchanged glances with the junior detective before explaining their circumstances ¨C minus the bit about him actually witnessing the real monsters, of course ¡°¡­ . And so, the brass ordered us to look into this matter, but well, it¡¯s really difficult to even find a single clue, you see . Right now, I wouldn¡¯t mind grasping at straws if that will help us . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol pulled out his business card and handed it over to Park Gi-Sool as he continued on ¡°That¡¯s why, I¡¯d like to stop by at the school sometime later on, but will that be fine with you?¡±. ¡°Ahh, of course . Of course, we must help with the police¡¯s investigation . You can come and visit us at any time . ¡±. And so, the booze-shared diner experience came to a rather friendly end in that manner, but now¡­. Some time had passed since then, and after thinking about it for a little while, Park Gi-Sool couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he had unnecessarily made the situation even worse than what it was ¡®How can a student have anything to do with the case of missing suspects¡­?¡¯. Especially a boy who was wholeheartedly focusing on the club activities since early dawn?. Fearful that he might see another weird thing again, Park Gi-Sool couldn¡¯t stare for too long in Jin-Woo¡¯s direction, so he could only afford to sneak quick glances at the boy, instead . Eventually, he shook his head in resignation Then, he spoke to another teacher manning the school gate alongside him ¡°Teacher Yun, my apologies, but I had a bit too much to drink last night and my innards are¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Ahaha, come on now, Park Teacher-nim . No need to apologise for that . Please, go back inside and take a break . I¡¯ll cover for you and keep an eye out here . ¡±. ¡°Mm, thank you . ¡±. Before he went away, Park Gi-Sool took another quick glance at Jin-Woo and slunk off into the school building Only then did Jin-Woo shift his gaze towards the departing teacher, even though he hadn¡¯t shown any signs of noticing the glances right up until then ¡®¡­ ¡¯. Recently, a teacher was staring at him in a rather open manner . He couldn¡¯t just gloss over what was happening here . From inside the darkness of his shadow, Grand-Marshal Bellion¡¯s quiet voice entered his ears [My liege¡­ . Wouldn¡¯t it be better to erase that human¡¯s memories and take away his abilities?]. Back when he returned home from the gap between dimensions, after ending the war ¨C as Jin-Woo stepped onto the ground of his home, feeling rightly emotional about his return, a proxy of the Rulers showed up and left behind some advice of sorts He said that, even if it was only a tiny bit of the Sovereign¡¯s powers, it¡¯d end up causing a humongous change to this world . And that was why Jin-Woo had been avoiding interfering directly unless it was something utterly necessary ¡®For now¡­ . Let¡¯s just observe him for a little while longer . ¡¯. [I understand, my liege . ]. Jin-Woo wordlessly stared at the entrance Teacher Park Gi-Sool had disappeared to, before turning around to leave himself The members of the athletics club who were heading off to the club room before him were waving their hands towards him ***. Woo Jin-Cheol found himself hesitating several times in front of the school gate It had been a week already since he was gifted an unthinkable piece of a lead in a gopchang diner . Starting from then, right up until now, all sorts of thoughts crisscrossed in his head He could have treated that testimony as a crazed teacher rambling on about some incoherent nonsense . However, every now and then, a link would suddenly be established between two seemingly unrelated cases and that would lead to an untangling of a dark web that seemed impossible to unravel initially ¡®The suspects that encountered monsters, and the monsters of a student that only one teacher can see¡­ . ¡¯. Woo Jin-Cheol found a vague link between these two disparate incidents . This was from the instincts of a detective, something that couldn¡¯t be explained by logic However, there was a problem ¨C there was a massive hurdle to overcome here . If there was indeed a link, then what should he say exactly to the student in question?. He couldn¡¯t just bet everything on that drunken teacher¡¯s words and start questioning this student named Seong Jin-Woo about monsters and stuff, now could he?. As for asking a question in a roundabout way, the nature of the question itself was too broad for that, too ¨C By any chance, do you know anything about these Shadow Monsters? What about ants that stand up and walk around like people?. No matter how hard he practised it in his head, he just couldn¡¯t picture the interview going down well at all . Woo Jin-Cheol pored at the memo pad containing detailed records of the investigation so far and spat out a long, long sigh ¡®It¡¯d be a miracle not to be labelled as a madman while asking around these sorts of questions¡­ . ¡¯. At the end of a long, long dilemma, Woo Jin-Cheol turned around to leave . He might come back later after thinking up another pretext, but for now, it didn¡¯t seem like the time was right And so, as Woo Jin-Cheol took steps to get out of there, he lowered his gaze to the ground without thinking much about his actions Shuk If it wasn¡¯t him, famed even among the fellow detectives for possessing a pretty keen pair of eyes, but someone else not as sharp, they would have missed a faint movement on the ground Without a shred of doubt, he noticed a blob of shadow move from the shade of a tree towards the school¡¯s wall He definitely saw it Goosebumps broke out all over his body and he hurriedly spun his head back towards the school ¡®There is¡­ there is definitely something here!!¡¯. Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s determination firmed up, then . He no longer cared if people pointed at him, calling him insane As long as he could find out the reason for this sense of loss that continued to plague him every now and then; as long as he could find out the exact cause why he felt his mind relax for a little while after encountering those ant monsters, then he¡¯d not hesitate to pay any price With a hardened expression, Woo Jin-Cheol began walking towards the grounds of this high school ***. At the same time Jin-Woo was spinning a pen with his fingers as he listened to the droning sounds of the geography lesson while the heads of many kids were dozing off all around him ¡®Did he see the sentry I posted there?¡¯. As expected of Woo Jin-Cheol, the former President of the Hunter¡¯s Association . He should no longer have any memory of his previous life, yet his sharp eyes must¡¯ve remained intact Jin-Woo closed his eyes and recalled the very last image he had of Woo Jin-Cheol The image of him tearing up when Jin-Woo revealed his plans of waging war against the Sovereigns all by himself remained vividly etched in his brain Back when the late President Goh Gun-Hui died, the voice requesting for revenge also remained, unforgotten, in Jin-Woo¡¯s mind, as well Was that why?. Even though this ¡®visit¡¯ would prove to be rather troublesome in his efforts to maintain his current lifestyle of pretending to be a normal person, the smile etched on Jin-Woo¡¯s lips didn¡¯t want to leave him all that easily Soon enough, the knocking on the classroom¡¯s door resounded out, followed by the surprised voice of the geography teacher ¡°A d-detective?¡±. ¡°It¡¯s not a big issue, actually . It¡¯s just that, I have some questions to ask a student named Seong Jin-Woo . ¡±. Ohhh-!!. At the announcement that a detective had shown up, kids let out gasps of amazement and shifted their gazes to Jin-Woo The thing that was coming had come Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes remained closed throughout, but then, with that grin getting deeper, they opened calmly again At that moment, Woo Jin-Cheol was entering the classroom¡¯s door and his gaze met with a certain student¡¯s . Even though the geography teacher didn¡¯t specifically point the boy out, the seasoned detective knew that student was Seong Jin-Woo with just one look Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump¡­ Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s heart began pounding away, as if it wanted to explode < Chapter 252 > Fin Chapter 253 Side Story 10 5 . Your daily routine (5) Woo Jin-Cheol led Jin-Woo to the end of the school corridor . He only stopped walking once they got to a distance far away from the classroom where their conversation wouldn¡¯t be overheard by someone else . Jin-Woo, quietly following behind the detective, also came to a stop as a result . He sneaked a glance towards the classroom . For some reason, this sense of distance he felt by being a student that was looking into the classroom from the outside seemed rather large . Perhaps Woo Jin-Cheol was conscious of that too, because the first thing he did was to apologise to Jin-Woo who was still looking back at the class . ¡°Sorry about dragging you out in the middle of class like this . ¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine . ¡± Jin-Woo held back the words of ¡®I wanted to escape from there anyway because it was so boring¡¯, in consideration of the teacher doing his best to teach the classroom full of kids . Rather than say anything, Jin-Woo looked up at Woo Jin-Cheol, instead . The detective was young . Since Jin-Woo had changed his physique to match that of a high school freshman, Woo Jin-Cheol was now actually a good head taller than he was, with much broader shoulders, as well . ¡®A guy who looked like he¡¯d give a gangster a run for his money was actually working as a detective . ¡¯ A smile abruptly bloomed on his face after seeing a friend¡¯s face in what felt like aeons . It had been years ¨C no, decades actually, if he added the time spent wandering around the gap between dimensions ¨C since he last saw the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol . Even though Jin-Woo didn¡¯t want to show anything outwardly, there was not much he could do about his expression betraying him with a hint of happiness . ¡®¡­¡­?¡¯ However, Woo Jin-Cheol was immediately beset with confusion after discovering the smile on the student¡¯s face . There would be only a handful of people alive who¡¯d remain unflustered after suddenly being visited by a cop, and not only that, a detective with such a threatening face like his . More than that, was there a reason to say anything else when the person in question was just a high school student? However, this kid in front of his eyes was actually smiling . ¡®This boy¡­ . Something¡¯s different about him . ¡¯ Woo Jin-Cheol felt it the moment he stepped into that classroom ¨C this kid was different . Thanks to his job being what it was, he had run into his fair share of murderers who killed many people, or gangsters that lorded over the backstreets with iron fists . However, not even once had he meet anyone with a pair of eyes as calm as this boy . ¡®How can a student possess eyes like that?¡¯ Gulp . Unbeknownst to him, Woo Jin-Cheol swallowed back dry saliva from all this tension in the air . Starting from the moment he saw the boy, his heart was still violently pounding away for reasons unknown to him . To dissolve the many questions swirling and circling inside his head, Woo Jin-Cheol pulled out his memo pad and began looking into it . ¡°By any chance, Shadow¡­ no, wait . Ants¡­ . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol was looking at the contents of his memo pad, but no matter what he did, he just couldn¡¯t form any coherent sentences . So, he pulled out a pen from his inner pocket, instead . Jot, jot¡­ . While Jin-Woo watched on with an interested gaze, Woo Jin-Cheol quickly drew something on the page of the pad and presented the resulting artwork . ¡°¡­ . . ¡± Jin-Woo inwardly praised the detective¡¯s effort . ¡®This dude, he¡¯s actually a lot more talented in art than I thought . ¡¯ What Woo Jin-Cheol sketched just now was the general appearance of Beru . Although it couldn¡¯t be called exact description, still, he got right the head of an ant, human-like hands and feet, the sharp claws, as well as the ant¡¯s wings on the back, etc, etc . Anyone who knew what Beru looked like, they would recognise him from this drawing in an instant . Woo Jin-Cheol asked his question then . ¡°By any chance, can you think of something when you look at this image?¡± Jin-Woo looked at the drawing for a bit before raising his head and spotted Woo Jin-Cheol and his slightly-blushing face . Even he should be aware of how ridiculous this whole thing must¡¯ve looked . But regardless of all that, he seemed to be desperate to recover the memories of things that happened to him, but were later taken away, even if that meant he¡¯d have to resort to doing something like this . Containing all of his desperation¡­ . ¡°¡­ . Do you know what this is?¡± ¡­ . Woo Jin-Cheol asked one more time . Before the hints of embarrassment, as evident in the detective¡¯s voice, could grow larger, Jin-Woo quickly answered him . ¡°Yes . ¡± Ba-dump . Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s heart powerfully rocked and pounded on his chest . ¡°Y-you know what this is??¡± The detective¡¯s voice grew louder . But, Jin-Woo¡¯s expression was utterly calm in his demeanour, a complete contrast to Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s . ¡°Yes . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s eyes trembled violently . Finally . He finally found it . His breathing quickened considerably, and his voice picked up just as the greatly urgent questions flew out of his mouth . ¡°What is this ant monster? And what is your real identity?¡± Jin-Woo took a step back in order to avoid the agitated Woo Jin-Cheol . The latter realised that he made a mistake and quickly calmed himself down . ¡°Ah, I got too carried away there for a second . I¡¯ve been chasing after this case for a while, you see . ¡± One by one ¨C he would dig into what this student knew, step by step . Didn¡¯t he have to go through so much hardship to find this clue already? So, there was no need to be too hasty now . Woo Jin-Cheol managed to tide over his pulsing heart with those thoughts and spoke up with a much more calm voice . ¡°Alright . So, you know something about the creature in this image?¡± ¡°Yes . ¡± Jin-Woo replied briefly with a nod of his head, before an ¡®innocent¡¯ expression formed on his face . ¡°Isn¡¯t that a monster that pops out from one of those special effects dramas that kids like to watch? Like, Kamen Rider?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Woo Jin-Cheol was immediately overcome with this sense of despondency, akin to watching a sand castle he built all day long get washed away by a single incoming wave . A small but heartbroken sigh leaked out of his mouth . Since his expectation had been great, the ensuing disappointment was just as great, too . His hand holding the memo pad naturally dropped lower . He looked so fatigued right now, so tired that he couldn¡¯t even hold that little pad up anymore . For a brief moment there, he grew angry at this boy for needlessly stringing him along with his vague answers . But, well, what crime did this student commit exactly, when he spoke only of the things he knew about? Woo Jin-Cheol forced a smile on his face . ¡°Thank you for your cooperation . ¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°Yes . I spoke to your teacher, so there shouldn¡¯t be any issues when you go back . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol spoke up to here and was about to pocket the memo pad, but then, Jin-Woo quickly addressed him . ¡°That image of a monster, can I have it as a souvenir?¡± The detective looked at the student¡¯s bright expression, and a genuine smile floated up on his face . He opened his memo pad and stared at the sketch for a little while, before tearing the page out cleanly and handing it over to Jin-Woo . ¡°Here . ¡± ¡°Thank you . ¡± As if he didn¡¯t want to get arrested by any lingering emotions, Woo Jin-Cheol spun on his heels and jogged down the steps as soon as the student bade him goodbye . ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Jin-Woo remained in his spot and listened to the detective¡¯s footsteps echoing down the staircase . In the meantime, his shadow sneakily expanded to the side like spilt water and Igrit quietly emerged from there . [My liege . ] ¡°Mm?¡± [Why¡­ didn¡¯t you tell that person the truth?] Igrit retained his memories from back when he was still a human, and thanks to that, he knew better than anyone just how sad and difficult it was for a person to be forgotten from the minds of those he cared about . And that was why he thought of the Detective Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s entrance as perhaps the most ideal opportunity that came knocking so far . Even if it was just one individual, wouldn¡¯t it be a good thing for the Sovereign to let someone know how he had saved this world? There was this distinct hint of rueful longing in Igrit¡¯s voice . Still, Jin-Woo shook his head . ¡°Being able to forget is supposed to be a god¡¯s gift to humans, you know . ¡± Even if that was an artificially created result after using a Tool of God; Jin-Woo thought that he didn¡¯t possess the qualifications to choose which memories to erase and which ones to keep . Only a god should do something like that . That was why he decided to let the former Association President Woo Jin-Cheol go in this manner . [Are you sure about this, my liege?] ¡°Yeah . ¡± It was then, Jin-Woo abruptly looked down on his left hand . There it was, the evidence of the Dragon Emperor¡¯s powerful attack . The burn scar on this left hand, earned from blocking the ¡®Breath of Destruction¡¯ head-on, couldn¡¯t be healed no matter what he tried . An unpleasant memory that couldn¡¯t be forgotten was rather similar to this scar ¨C a wound that couldn¡¯t be healed . Even if the person in question wanted it, was there really a need to deliberately bring those painful memories back? Right now, not a trace of pain and misery that was suffered at the hands of the monsters and Sovereigns remained in the memories of people living on this planet . And that was why Jin-Woo didn¡¯t want to let the memories of the past remain in the mind of the former Association President Woo Jin-Cheol . [I understand, my liege . ] Igrit silently submerged back into the shadow, as if he accepted the explanation . Jin-Woo remained standing on the spot looking down at the bottom of the stairs before turning around to enter the classroom . *** Once the break came, the boiling interests of the kids finally focused on Jin-Woo . Seriously now, just when would these kids get to experience a TV drama-like situation of a police detective suddenly barging into their classroom? It was only obvious that their unbridled attention would be focused on the protagonist of that tale . Even the girls who were interested in Jin-Woo before but couldn¡¯t say it outright hurriedly rushed towards him and soon, a rather sizeable horde of people formed around his desk . ¡°What happened just now?¡± ¡°Hey, Jin-Woo? Why did a detective-nim come to school??¡± Jin-Woo grinned softly at the burning curiosity of his classmates and spoke of the fresh excuse he just cooked up on the spot . ¡°Well, he¡¯s someone that I know, and he just stopped by to ask me about something, that¡¯s all . ¡± ¡°Wowsers, that¡¯s awesome . ¡± ¡°You¡¯re an acquaintance with an actual detective?¡± ¡°Jin-Woo, I¡¯m so envious, you know?¡± Jin-Woo found it hard to keep his laughter in check as the kids¡¯ interest began heading down a slightly unexpected direction . ¡®Young-Gil-ah, why are your eyes sparkling like that now?¡¯ Still, thanks to the detective-nim¡¯s unannounced visit, it felt as if the invisible wall these kids felt around Jin-Woo had crumbled just a little . Girls took this opportunity to ask about those things they were dying to know . ¡°I heard from other boys that you got a killer body?¡± ¡°Really? Are you an athlete or something?¡± ¡°Ahh! I saw Jin-Woo running on the track with the seniors from the school¡¯s track team the day before yesterday . ¡± ¡°Wahh, look how broad his shoulders are . ¡± Kyahk, kyahk¡­ . As the girls surrounded him from all sides, Jin-Woo began pondering how he should go about making them quietly return to their seats, but then¡­ The quartet of the hooligans found one person hogging all the attention quite displeasing and decided to interrupt the fun . ¡°Hey, you . Aren¡¯t you getting really popular now? Even a cop came to see you and all . ¡± Once this quartet entered the scene, the boys quickly retreated to their seats, while the girls began to quietly back away . A boy named Nam Joon-Shik, the one with the highest position within the quartet, began slapping Jin-Woo¡¯s shoulder that played host to the curious touches of high school girls not too long ago . The corners of his eyes began curling up . ¡°Does me being mischievous like this count as school bullying? Are you going to report me to the detective-nim now?¡± ¡®¡­ . It¡¯s your hand that¡¯s gonna hurt if you keep hitting me like that, though . ¡¯ Jin-Woo stared at the dumb kid with apathetic eyes, and sure enough, Nam Joon-Shik¡¯s complexion began reddening gradually when he realised that his hand hurt like hell, but despite his efforts, his target¡¯s reaction seemed way too lukewarm . ¡°Argh, just why the hell are this punk¡¯s eyes so sh*tty, man?¡± Nam Joon-Shik then swiped everything away on Jin-Woo¡¯s desk . Textbooks, notebooks, and his pencil case, plus a couple of other things tumbled to the floor . Ten million-strong Shadow Army hiding in Jin-Woo¡¯s shadow all roared out in anger after they witness this show of force from the teenaged fool . The teen hooligan didn¡¯t stop there and reached out to grab the collars of Jin-Woo, whose complexion had hardened just then . ¡°What? You wanna have a go? You better loosen up while I¡¯m still being civil, got it?¡± It was then . A massive arm suddenly pounced from above and wrapped tightly around Nam Joon-Shik¡¯s throat . ¡°Keok!!¡± The hooligan grabbed at the thick arm as he began choking pathetically, and in the meantime, a familiar face revealed itself above the pale-faced kid . ¡°You have business with our beloved ace of the track and field club, boy?¡± That face belonged to none other than the captain of the club, the third year senior Choi Tae-Woong, and he was being accompanied by another third year, the senior with a short fuse, Jeong Gu-Shik . All four members of the quartet found themselves trapped in armlocks and headlocks of their seniors, their complexions paling gradually from the lack of oxygen . Jin-Woo wordlessly got up from his seat and picked up the pencil case . Jin-Ah bought this case as a gift to commemorate his successful admittance to the high school, so these four hooligans wouldn¡¯t have gotten away scot-free if anything had happened to it . He dusted the case and placed it back on the desk before asking his question . ¡°Seniors, what brings you all here?¡± ¡°We showed up to dissuade our ace from beating the living crap out of four idiots . ¡± ¡°No, please . Be serious . ¡± ¡°Ahahahat-!¡± Choi Tae-Woong¡¯s large framed quaked as he roared out in a peal of loud laughter before he continued on . ¡°I forgot to tell you guys that we were planning to hold a welcoming party for our new members later today, you see . You and Young-Gil both have free time today, right?¡± Jin-Woo glanced at Young-Gil and the latter nodded his head . ¡°Yes, we do . ¡± ¡°In that case, see you both after school . ¡± Still smiling, the seniors began leaving one by one, but then, Jin-Woo called out to them to stop their march out of the classroom . ¡°Seniors? Where are you taking those four still stuck under your arms?¡± ¡°Ahaha, these idiots?¡± Choi Tae-Woong exchanged some knowing glances with Jeong Gu-Shik . ¡°Well, what should we do with them?¡± ¡°How about we do an easy lap around the track, captain?¡± ¡°Sounds gooood!¡± Soon afterwards, the loud shouts of ¡°Conquer the whole country!¡± slowly got further away from the classroom¡¯s interior . *** Ding, dong . Ding, dong . Several end-of-school bells rang around, and then, quite a few more bells later . Jin-Woo stepped out of the school¡¯s gate along with the rest of the track and field club members . Young-Gil had now grown to appreciate the joys of sweating after getting used to the training regime of the club, although he did receive a few timely boosts from Jin-Woo every now and then . While Young-Gil was listening to the advice of the seniors as he walked among them, Jin-Woo remained a step behind and eavesdropped on the unfolding conversations . It was, without a doubt, a peaceful sight of a normal day . Jeong Gu-Shik walking up ahead and turned his head towards Jin-Woo and asked . ¡°Ah, right . Hey, Jin-Woo? What was up with those idiots earlier in the day? Should we the seniors speak to them ¡®nicely¡¯ so they won¡¯t start anything stupid later on?¡± Jin-Woo replied with an unconcerned expression . ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine . ¡± ¡°I¡¯m not doing this because I¡¯m worried about you . No, I just don¡¯t want to see problems suddenly crop up and prevent you from participating in the regional meet because of those idiots . ¡± Jin-Woo grinned refreshingly . ¡°Don¡¯t worry . I won¡¯t let that happen . ¡± It was then . Someone suddenly popped out from behind the shadow of the gate¡¯s wall and called out to Jin-Woo . ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡± It was as if time itself had come to a standstill, just then . Jin-Woo froze up on the spot, and slowly shifted his head in the direction of that voice . Detective Woo Jin-Cheol had been waiting for Jin-Woo until now . The latter¡¯s voice trembled slightly . ¡°But, how¡­?¡± Having finally gotten his confirmation from Jin-Woo¡¯s reply, Detective Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s eyes began tearing up . ¡°As I thought¡­ you are him . ¡± < Chapter 253 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 253: Chapter 253 Side Story 10. 5 . Your daily routine (5). Woo Jin-Cheol led Jin-Woo to the end of the school corridor . He only stopped walking once they got to a distance far away from the classroom where their conversation wouldn¡¯t be overheard by someone else Jin-Woo, quietly following behind the detective, also came to a stop as a result . He sneaked a glance towards the classroom For some reason, this sense of distance he felt by being a student that was looking into the classroom from the outside seemed rather large Perhaps Woo Jin-Cheol was conscious of that too, because the first thing he did was to apologise to Jin-Woo who was still looking back at the class ¡°Sorry about dragging you out in the middle of class like this . ¡±. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine . ¡±. Jin-Woo held back the words of ¡®I wanted to escape from there anyway because it was so boring¡¯, in consideration of the teacher doing his best to teach the classroom full of kids Rather than say anything, Jin-Woo looked up at Woo Jin-Cheol, instead The detective was young Since Jin-Woo had changed his physique to match that of a high school freshman, Woo Jin-Cheol was now actually a good head taller than he was, with much broader shoulders, as well ¡®A guy who looked like he¡¯d give a gangster a run for his money was actually working as a detective . ¡¯. A smile abruptly bloomed on his face after seeing a friend¡¯s face in what felt like aeons It had been years ¨C no, decades actually, if he added the time spent wandering around the gap between dimensions ¨C since he last saw the Association President Woo Jin-Cheol Even though Jin-Woo didn¡¯t want to show anything outwardly, there was not much he could do about his expression betraying him with a hint of happiness ¡®¡­¡­?¡¯. However, Woo Jin-Cheol was immediately beset with confusion after discovering the smile on the student¡¯s face There would be only a handful of people alive who¡¯d remain unflustered after suddenly being visited by a cop, and not only that, a detective with such a threatening face like his More than that, was there a reason to say anything else when the person in question was just a high school student?. However, this kid in front of his eyes was actually smiling ¡®This boy¡­ . Something¡¯s different about him . ¡¯. Woo Jin-Cheol felt it the moment he stepped into that classroom ¨C this kid was different Thanks to his job being what it was, he had run into his fair share of murderers who killed many people, or gangsters that lorded over the backstreets with iron fists However, not even once had he meet anyone with a pair of eyes as calm as this boy ¡®How can a student possess eyes like that?¡¯. Gulp Unbeknownst to him, Woo Jin-Cheol swallowed back dry saliva from all this tension in the air . Starting from the moment he saw the boy, his heart was still violently pounding away for reasons unknown to him To dissolve the many questions swirling and circling inside his head, Woo Jin-Cheol pulled out his memo pad and began looking into it ¡°By any chance, Shadow¡­ no, wait . Ants¡­ . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol was looking at the contents of his memo pad, but no matter what he did, he just couldn¡¯t form any coherent sentences . So, he pulled out a pen from his inner pocket, instead Jot, jot¡­ While Jin-Woo watched on with an interested gaze, Woo Jin-Cheol quickly drew something on the page of the pad and presented the resulting artwork ¡°¡­ ¡±. Jin-Woo inwardly praised the detective¡¯s effort ¡®This dude, he¡¯s actually a lot more talented in art than I thought . ¡¯. What Woo Jin-Cheol sketched just now was the general appearance of Beru Although it couldn¡¯t be called exact description, still, he got right the head of an ant, human-like hands and feet, the sharp claws, as well as the ant¡¯s wings on the back, etc, etc Anyone who knew what Beru looked like, they would recognise him from this drawing in an instant . Woo Jin-Cheol asked his question then ¡°By any chance, can you think of something when you look at this image?¡±. Jin-Woo looked at the drawing for a bit before raising his head and spotted Woo Jin-Cheol and his slightly-blushing face . Even he should be aware of how ridiculous this whole thing must¡¯ve looked But regardless of all that, he seemed to be desperate to recover the memories of things that happened to him, but were later taken away, even if that meant he¡¯d have to resort to doing something like this Containing all of his desperation¡­ ¡°¡­ . Do you know what this is?¡±. ¡­ . Woo Jin-Cheol asked one more time Before the hints of embarrassment, as evident in the detective¡¯s voice, could grow larger, Jin-Woo quickly answered him ¡°Yes . ¡±. Ba-dump Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s heart powerfully rocked and pounded on his chest ¡°Y-you know what this is??¡±. The detective¡¯s voice grew louder . But, Jin-Woo¡¯s expression was utterly calm in his demeanour, a complete contrast to Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s ¡°Yes . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s eyes trembled violently Finally He finally found it His breathing quickened considerably, and his voice picked up just as the greatly urgent questions flew out of his mouth ¡°What is this ant monster? And what is your real identity?¡±. Jin-Woo took a step back in order to avoid the agitated Woo Jin-Cheol . The latter realised that he made a mistake and quickly calmed himself down ¡°Ah, I got too carried away there for a second . I¡¯ve been chasing after this case for a while, you see . ¡±. One by one ¨C he would dig into what this student knew, step by step . Didn¡¯t he have to go through so much hardship to find this clue already? So, there was no need to be too hasty now Woo Jin-Cheol managed to tide over his pulsing heart with those thoughts and spoke up with a much more calm voice ¡°Alright . So, you know something about the creature in this image?¡±. ¡°Yes . ¡±. Jin-Woo replied briefly with a nod of his head, before an ¡®innocent¡¯ expression formed on his face ¡°Isn¡¯t that a monster that pops out from one of those special effects dramas that kids like to watch? Like, Kamen Rider?¡±. ¡°Ah¡­¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol was immediately overcome with this sense of despondency, akin to watching a sand castle he built all day long get washed away by a single incoming wave . A small but heartbroken sigh leaked out of his mouth Since his expectation had been great, the ensuing disappointment was just as great, too . His hand holding the memo pad naturally dropped lower He looked so fatigued right now, so tired that he couldn¡¯t even hold that little pad up anymore For a brief moment there, he grew angry at this boy for needlessly stringing him along with his vague answers . But, well, what crime did this student commit exactly, when he spoke only of the things he knew about?. Woo Jin-Cheol forced a smile on his face ¡°Thank you for your cooperation . ¡±. ¡°Is that all?¡±. ¡°Yes . I spoke to your teacher, so there shouldn¡¯t be any issues when you go back . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol spoke up to here and was about to pocket the memo pad, but then, Jin-Woo quickly addressed him ¡°That image of a monster, can I have it as a souvenir?¡±. The detective looked at the student¡¯s bright expression, and a genuine smile floated up on his face . He opened his memo pad and stared at the sketch for a little while, before tearing the page out cleanly and handing it over to Jin-Woo ¡°Here . ¡±. ¡°Thank you . ¡±. As if he didn¡¯t want to get arrested by any lingering emotions, Woo Jin-Cheol spun on his heels and jogged down the steps as soon as the student bade him goodbye ¡®¡­¡­¡¯. Jin-Woo remained in his spot and listened to the detective¡¯s footsteps echoing down the staircase . In the meantime, his shadow sneakily expanded to the side like spilt water and Igrit quietly emerged from there [My liege . ]. ¡°Mm?¡±. [Why¡­ didn¡¯t you tell that person the truth?]. Igrit retained his memories from back when he was still a human, and thanks to that, he knew better than anyone just how sad and difficult it was for a person to be forgotten from the minds of those he cared about And that was why he thought of the Detective Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s entrance as perhaps the most ideal opportunity that came knocking so far . Even if it was just one individual, wouldn¡¯t it be a good thing for the Sovereign to let someone know how he had saved this world?. There was this distinct hint of rueful longing in Igrit¡¯s voice Still, Jin-Woo shook his head ¡°Being able to forget is supposed to be a god¡¯s gift to humans, you know . ¡±. Even if that was an artificially created result after using a Tool of God; Jin-Woo thought that he didn¡¯t possess the qualifications to choose which memories to erase and which ones to keep Only a god should do something like that . That was why he decided to let the former Association President Woo Jin-Cheol go in this manner [Are you sure about this, my liege?]. ¡°Yeah . ¡±. It was then, Jin-Woo abruptly looked down on his left hand There it was, the evidence of the Dragon Emperor¡¯s powerful attack The burn scar on this left hand, earned from blocking the ¡®Breath of Destruction¡¯ head-on, couldn¡¯t be healed no matter what he tried . An unpleasant memory that couldn¡¯t be forgotten was rather similar to this scar ¨C a wound that couldn¡¯t be healed Even if the person in question wanted it, was there really a need to deliberately bring those painful memories back?. Right now, not a trace of pain and misery that was suffered at the hands of the monsters and Sovereigns remained in the memories of people living on this planet And that was why Jin-Woo didn¡¯t want to let the memories of the past remain in the mind of the former Association President Woo Jin-Cheol [I understand, my liege . ]. Igrit silently submerged back into the shadow, as if he accepted the explanation Jin-Woo remained standing on the spot looking down at the bottom of the stairs before turning around to enter the classroom ***. Once the break came, the boiling interests of the kids finally focused on Jin-Woo Seriously now, just when would these kids get to experience a TV drama-like situation of a police detective suddenly barging into their classroom? It was only obvious that their unbridled attention would be focused on the protagonist of that tale Even the girls who were interested in Jin-Woo before but couldn¡¯t say it outright hurriedly rushed towards him and soon, a rather sizeable horde of people formed around his desk ¡°What happened just now?¡±. ¡°Hey, Jin-Woo? Why did a detective-nim come to school??¡±. Jin-Woo grinned softly at the burning curiosity of his classmates and spoke of the fresh excuse he just cooked up on the spot ¡°Well, he¡¯s someone that I know, and he just stopped by to ask me about something, that¡¯s all . ¡±. ¡°Wowsers, that¡¯s awesome . ¡±. ¡°You¡¯re an acquaintance with an actual detective?¡±. ¡°Jin-Woo, I¡¯m so envious, you know?¡±. Jin-Woo found it hard to keep his laughter in check as the kids¡¯ interest began heading down a slightly unexpected direction ¡®Young-Gil-ah, why are your eyes sparkling like that now?¡¯. Still, thanks to the detective-nim¡¯s unannounced visit, it felt as if the invisible wall these kids felt around Jin-Woo had crumbled just a little . Girls took this opportunity to ask about those things they were dying to know ¡°I heard from other boys that you got a killer body?¡±. ¡°Really? Are you an athlete or something?¡±. ¡°Ahh! I saw Jin-Woo running on the track with the seniors from the school¡¯s track team the day before yesterday . ¡±. ¡°Wahh, look how broad his shoulders are . ¡±. Kyahk, kyahk¡­ As the girls surrounded him from all sides, Jin-Woo began pondering how he should go about making them quietly return to their seats, but then¡­. The quartet of the hooligans found one person hogging all the attention quite displeasing and decided to interrupt the fun ¡°Hey, you . Aren¡¯t you getting really popular now? Even a cop came to see you and all . ¡±. Once this quartet entered the scene, the boys quickly retreated to their seats, while the girls began to quietly back away A boy named Nam Joon-Shik, the one with the highest position within the quartet, began slapping Jin-Woo¡¯s shoulder that played host to the curious touches of high school girls not too long ago . The corners of his eyes began curling up ¡°Does me being mischievous like this count as school bullying? Are you going to report me to the detective-nim now?¡±. ¡®¡­ . It¡¯s your hand that¡¯s gonna hurt if you keep hitting me like that, though . ¡¯. Jin-Woo stared at the dumb kid with apathetic eyes, and sure enough, Nam Joon-Shik¡¯s complexion began reddening gradually when he realised that his hand hurt like hell, but despite his efforts, his target¡¯s reaction seemed way too lukewarm ¡°Argh, just why the hell are this punk¡¯s eyes so sh*tty, man?¡±. Nam Joon-Shik then swiped everything away on Jin-Woo¡¯s desk . Textbooks, notebooks, and his pencil case, plus a couple of other things tumbled to the floor Ten million-strong Shadow Army hiding in Jin-Woo¡¯s shadow all roared out in anger after they witness this show of force from the teenaged fool The teen hooligan didn¡¯t stop there and reached out to grab the collars of Jin-Woo, whose complexion had hardened just then ¡°What? You wanna have a go? You better loosen up while I¡¯m still being civil, got it?¡±. It was then A massive arm suddenly pounced from above and wrapped tightly around Nam Joon-Shik¡¯s throat ¡°Keok!!¡±. The hooligan grabbed at the thick arm as he began choking pathetically, and in the meantime, a familiar face revealed itself above the pale-faced kid ¡°You have business with our beloved ace of the track and field club, boy?¡±. That face belonged to none other than the captain of the club, the third year senior Choi Tae-Woong, and he was being accompanied by another third year, the senior with a short fuse, Jeong Gu-Shik All four members of the quartet found themselves trapped in armlocks and headlocks of their seniors, their complexions paling gradually from the lack of oxygen Jin-Woo wordlessly got up from his seat and picked up the pencil case . Jin-Ah bought this case as a gift to commemorate his successful admittance to the high school, so these four hooligans wouldn¡¯t have gotten away scot-free if anything had happened to it He dusted the case and placed it back on the desk before asking his question ¡°Seniors, what brings you all here?¡±. ¡°We showed up to dissuade our ace from beating the living crap out of four idiots . ¡±. ¡°No, please . Be serious . ¡±. ¡°Ahahahat-!¡±. Choi Tae-Woong¡¯s large framed quaked as he roared out in a peal of loud laughter before he continued on ¡°I forgot to tell you guys that we were planning to hold a welcoming party for our new members later today, you see . You and Young-Gil both have free time today, right?¡±. Jin-Woo glanced at Young-Gil and the latter nodded his head ¡°Yes, we do . ¡±. ¡°In that case, see you both after school . ¡±. Still smiling, the seniors began leaving one by one, but then, Jin-Woo called out to them to stop their march out of the classroom ¡°Seniors? Where are you taking those four still stuck under your arms?¡±. ¡°Ahaha, these idiots?¡±. Choi Tae-Woong exchanged some knowing glances with Jeong Gu-Shik ¡°Well, what should we do with them?¡±. ¡°How about we do an easy lap around the track, captain?¡±. ¡°Sounds gooood!¡±. Soon afterwards, the loud shouts of ¡°Conquer the whole country!¡± slowly got further away from the classroom¡¯s interior ***. Ding, dong . Ding, dong Several end-of-school bells rang around, and then, quite a few more bells later Jin-Woo stepped out of the school¡¯s gate along with the rest of the track and field club members Young-Gil had now grown to appreciate the joys of sweating after getting used to the training regime of the club, although he did receive a few timely boosts from Jin-Woo every now and then While Young-Gil was listening to the advice of the seniors as he walked among them, Jin-Woo remained a step behind and eavesdropped on the unfolding conversations It was, without a doubt, a peaceful sight of a normal day Jeong Gu-Shik walking up ahead and turned his head towards Jin-Woo and asked ¡°Ah, right . Hey, Jin-Woo? What was up with those idiots earlier in the day? Should we the seniors speak to them ¡®nicely¡¯ so they won¡¯t start anything stupid later on?¡±. Jin-Woo replied with an unconcerned expression ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine . ¡±. ¡°I¡¯m not doing this because I¡¯m worried about you . No, I just don¡¯t want to see problems suddenly crop up and prevent you from participating in the regional meet because of those idiots . ¡±. Jin-Woo grinned refreshingly ¡°Don¡¯t worry . I won¡¯t let that happen . ¡±. It was then Someone suddenly popped out from behind the shadow of the gate¡¯s wall and called out to Jin-Woo ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡±. It was as if time itself had come to a standstill, just then . Jin-Woo froze up on the spot, and slowly shifted his head in the direction of that voice Detective Woo Jin-Cheol had been waiting for Jin-Woo until now The latter¡¯s voice trembled slightly ¡°But, how¡­?¡±. Having finally gotten his confirmation from Jin-Woo¡¯s reply, Detective Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s eyes began tearing up ¡°As I thought¡­ you are him . ¡±. < Chapter 253 > Fin Chapter 254 Side Story 11 5 . Your daily routine (6) ¡°That image of a monster, can I have it as a souvenir?¡± A few hours ago . As a souvenir for his reunion with Woo Jin-Cheol, Jin-Woo wanted the sketch of Beru the detective had drawn up on the spot . ¡®Well, it does kind of resemble Beru, so I want it because of that¡­ . ¡¯ Of course, a certain someone hiding in his shadow didn¡¯t think the same as his liege, though . [Oh, my kinggggg!! I beg thee not to fall for that shoddy and crude doodling of a plebeian!!] Beru desperately pleaded with his liege that he was nowhere near that ugly in the sketch, but Jin-Woo simply let that whining enter one ear and go out the other . In the meantime, Woo Jin-Cheol stared at his own drawing for a bit as if to let go of all his lingering attachments . Soon, though¡­ Riiip¡­ ¡­ . He cleanly tore the page off the memo pad . Woo Jin-Cheol extended his hand holding the drawing to Jin-Woo . ¡°Here . ¡± ¡°Thank you . ¡± Jin-Woo gladly accepted the sketch . And during that process, the detective¡¯s hand briefly touched the tip of Jin-Woo¡¯s finger . It was surely nothing important in the grand scheme of things . However, massive events that left their mark in history books sometimes began with seemingly insignificant little things . Woo Jin-Cheol turned around and hurriedly descended the staircase . ¡®I knew it, this whole thing was a dumb mistake . ¡¯ Regret was rapidly filling him up . Because he got too hyped up from the prospect of finding a clue, he ended up doing something that he¡¯d be unable to explain even to the youngest detective in the squad with a straight face . The sense of embarrassment and regret rushed in like the incoming tides, now that this was all he had to show for his efforts . ¡®Stairs always feel so d*mn long only on days like today, don¡¯t they?¡¯ Detective Woo Jin-Cheol bitterly muttered to himself as he climbed down the staircase, but then, his steps had to come to an abrupt halt . ¡®Mm¡­ . ?¡¯ He suddenly heard a voice from somewhere, that was why . ¨C Association President . Do you trust me? ¡®¡­ . . ??¡¯ Woo Jin-Cheol froze up when a chill-inducing feeling crept up on his spine and he quickly scanned up and down where he was . He saw not one person coming down from the stairs or climbing up from below . Classes were still ongoing, so the steps of the school were quite literally, quiet and still . Woo Jin-Cheol tilted his head this way and that, before he tried to climb down the remaining few steps to the ground floor only to hear another voice again . ¨C Yes, of course, I trust you . This time, it was his own voice . ¡®W-what the heck is this?!¡¯ A person with an easily-scared personality would squat down or start screaming from fear by now . However, Woo Jin-Cheol wasn¡¯t one . He simply remained calm while he scanned his surroundings once more, before pulling out a memo pad and a pen as a sombre expression formed on his face . ¡®I¡¯m suddenly hearing auditory hallucinations . Could it be that the sense of loss I feel or the ant monster I witnessed were evidence of something wrong with my brain?¡¯ The end of a brief observation was signed off with a question mark scribbled on with his pen . Woo Jin-Cheol felt rather weirded out now . He stuffed the memo pad inside his inner pocket and hurriedly descended the rest of the steps . And with a speed far quicker than that, he escaped from the school building . But then¡­ . ¡­ . Yet another auditory hallucination rocked the inside of his head . ¨C In that case, I hope you will believe everything I¡¯m about to show you . ¡°Euhk!!¡± Woo Jin-Cheol gritted his teeth and covered both of his ears . The voice he had never heard before and his own words that he never uttered before as well, began making a mess out of his mind . An intense bout of confusion crashed into him like an unstoppable tide . ¡°W-what the hell is this?!¡± And then, out of all those voices swirling in his head, there was this one phrase that kept ringing so clearly in his head . ¨C Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¨C Hunter-nim . ¨C In that case, what should we¡­ . No, what should I do to help you, Hunter-nim? ¨C Hunter-nim! ¨C Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!! A name that didn¡¯t want to leave his head alone . The name of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . ¡®If it¡¯s Seong Jin-Woo, then¡­ . Isn¡¯t that the name of the student I just met?¡¯ He heard that patients suffering from mental disorders often came up with crazy stories that featured people from their lives . Could such a thing be happening inside his head now? Woo Jin-Cheol walked forward as his body swayed unsteadily . He kept frowning in pain as a migraine viciously pounded away at his temples . Even then, even if the inside of his head had become so complicated and messy to the point that he didn¡¯t know how to unravel all the tangled thoughts in there ¨C every time he recalled the name ¡®Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim¡¯, it felt like the big hole in his heart was slowly filling back up for some weird reason . Woo Jin-Cheol crashed down on a park bench and began murmuring repeatedly the name that continued to swim inside his mind . ¡®Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡­ That name holds the clue . I definitely know that name, Seong Jin-Woo . I must remember it . I must drag it out into the open . I must find all the memories of him, and the reason why those memories are erased from my mind . ¡¯ ¡°Euh-euhk!!¡± While still under an extreme case of a migraine, Woo Jin-Cheol fought hard to recall his memories and eventually, a certain scene popped up in his head . ¡°Association President . Do you trust me?¡± ¡°Yes, of course, I trust you . ¡± ¡°In that case, I hope you will believe everything I¡¯m about to show you . ¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± The tip of a finger belonging to someone approached his forehead . The moment it touched his skin, darkness dyed his view for a short while but during that time, a countless number of images flashed past his eyes . Those were the memories that connected the past, the present, and the future . And they contained the stories of Gates, monsters, Hunters, Rulers, and Sovereigns . ¡°This, this can¡¯t be¡­ . Just how can such a thing be¡­ . ?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol couldn¡¯t finish what he wanted to say, and Jin-Woo, now the Shadow Sovereign, replied with a lonesome expression . ¡°Well, a higher being¡¯s memories aren¡¯t affected by the flow of time, you see . ¡± Indeed, a Sovereign¡¯s memories easily transcended the boundaries of time itself . ¡°Pant, pant¡­ . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol panted heavily and with great difficulty after emerging from the flashback of the ¡®past¡¯ . For a short moment in time that no longer existed, his consciousness was connected to Jin-Woo, who was a higher existence . And it happened then; memories sealed tightly away somewhere within his soul had been unlocked through yet another contact with Jin-Woo, and were brought back up to the territory of his consciousness . ¡°Oh, my god¡­ . ¡± The sense of emptiness that felt as if there was a hole in the corner of his heart slowly filled back up, and warm tears began trickling down from Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s eyes . He then remembered the question he asked Jin-Woo after learning of what the latter was planning to do . ¨C Seong Hunter-nim¡­ . Are you planning to fight these things? All by yourself? The answer to that question, it was right in front of his eyes now . A young man whose name was unknown, walking past the park bench while listening to music through a pair of earphones; a pair of lovers brushing past him while whispering their undying love to each other¡­ . An old man out to walk his dog, and people loosening their muscles near the exercise equipment in the park¡­ . In this world, in this place, there were no Gates . No monsters . No battles . Woo Jin-Cheol now bore witness to the miracle that man had created through his hands, this incredible peace, and thicker, hotter tears began flooding out from his eyes . ¡°Seong Hunter-nim, you¡­ did it . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol recalled the screams of so many people meeting their ends at the monsters and continued to weep for a long, long time . ¡®¡­ . No, hang on . I, I shouldn¡¯t be doing this . ¡¯ The veteran detective¡¯s rough, calloused hands busily moved about to wipe away the tears . Even if the entire world had forgotten about the truth, Woo Jin-Cheol had to go and tell Seong Jin-Woo that at least there was one person who knew the latter had battled for the sake of the world itself . Such a sense of duty began welling up in his heart, but at the same time, a sense of uncertainty also entered him, wondering if what he was about to do was for the sake of that man . ¡®He¡¯s spending his time as a regular student now, having willfully forgotten about his past as a Hunter . ¡¯ If he wanted to remind Woo Jin-Cheol of the past, then there were ample chances to do so . Jin-Woo could¡¯ve answered his questions, or just like before, transmit a whole section of memories through nothing but a fingertip . However, the youth didn¡¯t show any reactions when a detective showed up in this place through a series of coincidences, before quietly letting him be on his way . Could it be that¡­ he didn¡¯t want his peaceful everyday life to be interrupted? If that was the case, then wouldn¡¯t them going back to their regular lives, while pretending to be none the wiser, be for the better for Hunter Seong Jin-Woo in the end? Woo Jin-Cheol fell into a dilemma . His dilemma grew heavier and harder to resolve and he remained stuck with it right up until students began leaving the school for the day . However, watching them cross the park one by one did help Woo Jin-Cheol with coming to a rather tough conclusion . ¡®¡­ . Right . Rather than me deciding this, let¡¯s leave it to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo . I¡¯ll call out to him, and if he pretends to not understand me, then I shall respect his choice . However . Even if there is a small reaction, then I¡­ . ¡¯ Woo Jin-Cheol hurriedly returned to Jin-Woo¡¯s high school . And then, he didn¡¯t leave the side of the school gate even when no more students walked past him . He was currently acting on this groundless assumption that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo hadn¡¯t left the school yet . And so, as he stood there for several dozen more minutes, while anxiously sucking on one poor cigarette after another¡­ . ¡°¡­ . I just don¡¯t want to see problems suddenly crop up and prevent you from participating in the regional meet because of those idiots . ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry . I won¡¯t let that happen . ¡± ¡­ . He finally got to discover Jin-Woo walking out of the school gates . Feeling genuinely happy now, he took a large stride forward and called out the youth¡¯s name . ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡± Ba-dump . Just how much courage did he require to mutter out those simple words? Woo Jin-Cheol felt his heart madly pound away and waited for Jin-Woo¡¯s reaction . Sure enough, the youth turned around to look, his entire body now completely frozen stiff . There was an expression of genuine surprise etched on his face . ¡°But, how¡­ . ?¡± The light in Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes told everything there was to know . Having finally gotten his confirmation from Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes, Detective Woo Jin-Cheol began tearing up once more . ¡°As I thought¡­ . you are him . ¡± *** The two of them moved to the park in the vicinity of the school, the very location where Woo Jin-Cheol recovered his memories . Sunlight reflected on the gently undulating surface of a small pond located in the middle of the park, creating ripples of ripe gold . Woo Jin-Cheol stopped walking around there and opened his mouth first . ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t cause a problem between you and your club seniors . ¡± Jin-Woo formed a thin smile and shook his head . ¡°They are good seniors . Sure, their competitive streak can be a bit much at times, but¡­ . . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol asked Jin-Woo if they could speak for a while, and the latter had to ask his seniors for their understanding on this one . Since there was a prior engagement, the older kids could¡¯ve easily gotten unhappy at this situation, but¡­ . ¡°Don¡¯t be too late!¡± ¡°Until you show up to the welcoming party, we¡¯re holding Young-Gil as our hostage, okay?¡± ¡°S-senior?!¡± The seniors from the track and field team didn¡¯t sweat it and left for the party venue ahead . Jin-Woo recalled Young-Gil¡¯s tearful face as he got dragged away by the seniors and smirked softly to himself . ¡°Still, the life of my friend is hanging in the balance here, so I can¡¯t stay for too long . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol broke into a gentle chuckle after seeing the youth¡¯s expression that showed how much he was enjoying his current life . ¡°In that case, I understand . Let me get to the main topic, then . ¡± The smile was gone in an instant from the detective¡¯s face after he finished those words . ¡°How long¡­ how long have you been fighting against those creatures in the gap between dimensions?¡± According to the records, Jin-Woo was missing for around two years . However, Woo Jin-Cheol had seen the overall combat force of the Sovereigns through the memories of the Shadow Sovereign, and he knew that the two years were simply not enough to defeat them all . Jin-Woo cautiously replied . ¡°27 years¡­ . ¡± The moment he heard that reply, Woo Jin-Cheol sucked in his breath . To think, he had to fight against over ten million enemies for nearly 30 years in the gap between the walls of different dimensions, where not a single thing could exist¡­ . Woo Jin-Cheol couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how difficult and arduous the battles must¡¯ve been . For a long while there, he failed to come up with something to say, but eventually, forced his lips to part just a little . ¡°¡­ . . You don¡¯t regret anything?¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s reply this time was instantaneous . ¡°No, I don¡¯t . ¡± He could say this with absolute confidence . ¡°If I were to be given the same opportunity over and over again, I will make the same decision every single time . ¡± Everything that happened ¨C from when he and his father went to a baseball game while holding hands during the latter¡¯s off day; the doenjang stew mom cooked with so much care and love; his little sister¡¯s smile, bright and unclouded by the fear of the monsters¡­ . ¡­ . All of these were precious things that couldn¡¯t be measured with any financial value . If the price he had to pay for all of these things was to carry the weighty burden by himself, then he¡¯d not hesitate to carry it over and over again . ¡°I don¡¯t regret anything . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol heard Jin-Woo¡¯s composed voice and in that instant, felt his nose sting once more . ¡®Thank you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡¯ He barely managed to swallow back those words that almost came out of his mouth . He knew that these simple words of gratitude could never convey his true feelings to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, that¡¯s why . He took a quick look at his wristwatch while thinking about the ¡®life¡¯ of the hostage and raised his head . ¡°It looks like you¡¯re living a wonderful life now . ¡± Jin-Woo smirked softly . ¡°It is satisfactory, yes . Well, other than my body not ageing anymore so I need to constantly modify my body shape, that is . ¡± ¡®Eternal youth and immortality . ¡¯ Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had now possessed god-like powers after becoming the Shadow Sovereign . However, even though he possessed such powers, he chose to live the life of a simple, normal person . If that was his decision, then¡­ . ¡°May I ask whether you thought about what you¡¯d like to do in the future?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t thought that far ahead yet, unfortunately . ¡± ¡°In that case¡­ . How about, you know, joining this side?¡± Woo Jin-Cheol displayed the police identification card inside his wallet . ¡°You mean¡­ the National Police?¡± ¡°Recently, many hardened criminals visiting our offices are all whining about the exact same thing . They say that it¡¯s hard to make a living with Shadow Monsters around . ¡± Jin-Woo studied the identification card for a while and returned the wallet with a grin on his face . ¡°But, if I become a police officer, other cops won¡¯t have anything to do anymore, you know?¡± ¡°That¡¯s precisely why we¡¯re working very hard, you see ¨C to create a world like that . ¡± He hadn¡¯t changed . From when he was the Chief of the Association¡¯s Monitoring Division, and when he was the President of the Hunter¡¯s Association itself, the expressions Woo Jin-Cheol had shown back then remained as he continued his life as a police detective now . ¡°I¡¯ll think about it . ¡± Jin-Woo replied so and turned around to leave as he began to worry slightly about his friend¡¯s safety . Woo Jin-Cheol quickly bade him goodbye . ¡°I shall wait for your favourable reply . ¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t . I heard that there¡¯s a crap ton of work but the pay is pretty bad . ¡± Jin-Woo waved his hand as he walked away, and Woo Jin-Cheol smiled gently as his silent reply . ¡®Lots of work, but rubbish pay, is it?¡¯ A wry chuckle leaked out automatically from his mouth after hearing that wonderfully succinct assessment that left no room for a rebuttal . At the same time, he recalled the face of the youngest detective who actually volunteered to join such a squad out of his own free will . ¡®Isn¡¯t he off today, that kid?¡¯ Well, so what if it was the junior¡¯s off day? While thinking that he¡¯d just call out the youngest and treat the kid to a hearty meal, Woo Jin-Cheol politely bowed his head towards Jin-Woo¡¯s departing back, now a faint silhouette in the distance . As the only man who knew of that youth¡¯s sacrifice, he stood for everyone in this world and expressed his gratitude, perhaps for the first and the last time . < Chapter 254 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 254: Chapter 254 Side Story 11. 5 . Your daily routine (6). ¡°That image of a monster, can I have it as a souvenir?¡±. A few hours ago As a souvenir for his reunion with Woo Jin-Cheol, Jin-Woo wanted the sketch of Beru the detective had drawn up on the spot ¡®Well, it does kind of resemble Beru, so I want it because of that¡­ . ¡¯. Of course, a certain someone hiding in his shadow didn¡¯t think the same as his liege, though [Oh, my kinggggg!! I beg thee not to fall for that shoddy and crude doodling of a plebeian!!]. Beru desperately pleaded with his liege that he was nowhere near that ugly in the sketch, but Jin-Woo simply let that whining enter one ear and go out the other In the meantime, Woo Jin-Cheol stared at his own drawing for a bit as if to let go of all his lingering attachments Soon, though¡­. Riiip¡­. ¡­ . He cleanly tore the page off the memo pad . Woo Jin-Cheol extended his hand holding the drawing to Jin-Woo ¡°Here . ¡±. ¡°Thank you . ¡±. Jin-Woo gladly accepted the sketch And during that process, the detective¡¯s hand briefly touched the tip of Jin-Woo¡¯s finger It was surely nothing important in the grand scheme of things . However, massive events that left their mark in history books sometimes began with seemingly insignificant little things Woo Jin-Cheol turned around and hurriedly descended the staircase ¡®I knew it, this whole thing was a dumb mistake . ¡¯. Regret was rapidly filling him up Because he got too hyped up from the prospect of finding a clue, he ended up doing something that he¡¯d be unable to explain even to the youngest detective in the squad with a straight face The sense of embarrassment and regret rushed in like the incoming tides, now that this was all he had to show for his efforts ¡®Stairs always feel so d*mn long only on days like today, don¡¯t they?¡¯. Detective Woo Jin-Cheol bitterly muttered to himself as he climbed down the staircase, but then, his steps had to come to an abrupt halt ¡®Mm¡­ . ?¡¯. He suddenly heard a voice from somewhere, that was why ¨C Association President . Do you trust me?. ¡®¡­ ??¡¯. Woo Jin-Cheol froze up when a chill-inducing feeling crept up on his spine and he quickly scanned up and down where he was . He saw not one person coming down from the stairs or climbing up from below Classes were still ongoing, so the steps of the school were quite literally, quiet and still Woo Jin-Cheol tilted his head this way and that, before he tried to climb down the remaining few steps to the ground floor only to hear another voice again ¨C Yes, of course, I trust you This time, it was his own voice ¡®W-what the heck is this?!¡¯. A person with an easily-scared personality would squat down or start screaming from fear by now . However, Woo Jin-Cheol wasn¡¯t one . He simply remained calm while he scanned his surroundings once more, before pulling out a memo pad and a pen as a sombre expression formed on his face ¡®I¡¯m suddenly hearing auditory hallucinations . Could it be that the sense of loss I feel or the ant monster I witnessed were evidence of something wrong with my brain?¡¯. The end of a brief observation was signed off with a question mark scribbled on with his pen Woo Jin-Cheol felt rather weirded out now . He stuffed the memo pad inside his inner pocket and hurriedly descended the rest of the steps . And with a speed far quicker than that, he escaped from the school building But then¡­ ¡­ . Yet another auditory hallucination rocked the inside of his head ¨C In that case, I hope you will believe everything I¡¯m about to show you ¡°Euhk!!¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol gritted his teeth and covered both of his ears The voice he had never heard before and his own words that he never uttered before as well, began making a mess out of his mind . An intense bout of confusion crashed into him like an unstoppable tide ¡°W-what the hell is this?!¡±. And then, out of all those voices swirling in his head, there was this one phrase that kept ringing so clearly in his head ¨C Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim ¨C Hunter-nim ¨C In that case, what should we¡­ . No, what should I do to help you, Hunter-nim?. ¨C Hunter-nim!. ¨C Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!!. A name that didn¡¯t want to leave his head alone . The name of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo ¡®If it¡¯s Seong Jin-Woo, then¡­ . Isn¡¯t that the name of the student I just met?¡¯. He heard that patients suffering from mental disorders often came up with crazy stories that featured people from their lives . Could such a thing be happening inside his head now?. Woo Jin-Cheol walked forward as his body swayed unsteadily . He kept frowning in pain as a migraine viciously pounded away at his temples Even then, even if the inside of his head had become so complicated and messy to the point that he didn¡¯t know how to unravel all the tangled thoughts in there ¨C every time he recalled the name ¡®Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim¡¯, it felt like the big hole in his heart was slowly filling back up for some weird reason Woo Jin-Cheol crashed down on a park bench and began murmuring repeatedly the name that continued to swim inside his mind ¡®Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo¡­. That name holds the clue I definitely know that name, Seong Jin-Woo I must remember it I must drag it out into the open I must find all the memories of him, and the reason why those memories are erased from my mind . ¡¯. ¡°Euh-euhk!!¡±. While still under an extreme case of a migraine, Woo Jin-Cheol fought hard to recall his memories and eventually, a certain scene popped up in his head ¡°Association President . Do you trust me?¡±. ¡°Yes, of course, I trust you . ¡±. ¡°In that case, I hope you will believe everything I¡¯m about to show you . ¡±. ¡°Excuse me?¡±. The tip of a finger belonging to someone approached his forehead . The moment it touched his skin, darkness dyed his view for a short while but during that time, a countless number of images flashed past his eyes Those were the memories that connected the past, the present, and the future . And they contained the stories of Gates, monsters, Hunters, Rulers, and Sovereigns ¡°This, this can¡¯t be¡­ . Just how can such a thing be¡­ . ?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol couldn¡¯t finish what he wanted to say, and Jin-Woo, now the Shadow Sovereign, replied with a lonesome expression ¡°Well, a higher being¡¯s memories aren¡¯t affected by the flow of time, you see . ¡±. Indeed, a Sovereign¡¯s memories easily transcended the boundaries of time itself ¡°Pant, pant¡­ . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol panted heavily and with great difficulty after emerging from the flashback of the ¡®past¡¯ . For a short moment in time that no longer existed, his consciousness was connected to Jin-Woo, who was a higher existence And it happened then; memories sealed tightly away somewhere within his soul had been unlocked through yet another contact with Jin-Woo, and were brought back up to the territory of his consciousness ¡°Oh, my god¡­ . ¡±. The sense of emptiness that felt as if there was a hole in the corner of his heart slowly filled back up, and warm tears began trickling down from Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s eyes He then remembered the question he asked Jin-Woo after learning of what the latter was planning to do ¨C Seong Hunter-nim¡­ . Are you planning to fight these things? All by yourself?. The answer to that question, it was right in front of his eyes now A young man whose name was unknown, walking past the park bench while listening to music through a pair of earphones; a pair of lovers brushing past him while whispering their undying love to each other¡­ An old man out to walk his dog, and people loosening their muscles near the exercise equipment in the park¡­ In this world, in this place, there were no Gates . No monsters . No battles Woo Jin-Cheol now bore witness to the miracle that man had created through his hands, this incredible peace, and thicker, hotter tears began flooding out from his eyes ¡°Seong Hunter-nim, you¡­ did it . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol recalled the screams of so many people meeting their ends at the monsters and continued to weep for a long, long time ¡®¡­ . No, hang on . I, I shouldn¡¯t be doing this . ¡¯. The veteran detective¡¯s rough, calloused hands busily moved about to wipe away the tears Even if the entire world had forgotten about the truth, Woo Jin-Cheol had to go and tell Seong Jin-Woo that at least there was one person who knew the latter had battled for the sake of the world itself Such a sense of duty began welling up in his heart, but at the same time, a sense of uncertainty also entered him, wondering if what he was about to do was for the sake of that man ¡®He¡¯s spending his time as a regular student now, having willfully forgotten about his past as a Hunter . ¡¯. If he wanted to remind Woo Jin-Cheol of the past, then there were ample chances to do so . Jin-Woo could¡¯ve answered his questions, or just like before, transmit a whole section of memories through nothing but a fingertip However, the youth didn¡¯t show any reactions when a detective showed up in this place through a series of coincidences, before quietly letting him be on his way Could it be that¡­ he didn¡¯t want his peaceful everyday life to be interrupted?. If that was the case, then wouldn¡¯t them going back to their regular lives, while pretending to be none the wiser, be for the better for Hunter Seong Jin-Woo in the end?. Woo Jin-Cheol fell into a dilemma His dilemma grew heavier and harder to resolve and he remained stuck with it right up until students began leaving the school for the day . However, watching them cross the park one by one did help Woo Jin-Cheol with coming to a rather tough conclusion ¡®¡­ . Right Rather than me deciding this, let¡¯s leave it to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo I¡¯ll call out to him, and if he pretends to not understand me, then I shall respect his choice However Even if there is a small reaction, then I¡­ . ¡¯. Woo Jin-Cheol hurriedly returned to Jin-Woo¡¯s high school . And then, he didn¡¯t leave the side of the school gate even when no more students walked past him He was currently acting on this groundless assumption that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo hadn¡¯t left the school yet And so, as he stood there for several dozen more minutes, while anxiously sucking on one poor cigarette after another¡­ ¡°¡­ . I just don¡¯t want to see problems suddenly crop up and prevent you from participating in the regional meet because of those idiots . ¡±. ¡°Don¡¯t worry . I won¡¯t let that happen . ¡±. ¡­ . He finally got to discover Jin-Woo walking out of the school gates . Feeling genuinely happy now, he took a large stride forward and called out the youth¡¯s name ¡°Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡±. Ba-dump Just how much courage did he require to mutter out those simple words? Woo Jin-Cheol felt his heart madly pound away and waited for Jin-Woo¡¯s reaction Sure enough, the youth turned around to look, his entire body now completely frozen stiff . There was an expression of genuine surprise etched on his face ¡°But, how¡­ . ?¡±. The light in Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes told everything there was to know Having finally gotten his confirmation from Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes, Detective Woo Jin-Cheol began tearing up once more ¡°As I thought¡­ . you are him . ¡±. ***. The two of them moved to the park in the vicinity of the school, the very location where Woo Jin-Cheol recovered his memories Sunlight reflected on the gently undulating surface of a small pond located in the middle of the park, creating ripples of ripe gold Woo Jin-Cheol stopped walking around there and opened his mouth first ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t cause a problem between you and your club seniors . ¡±. Jin-Woo formed a thin smile and shook his head ¡°They are good seniors . Sure, their competitive streak can be a bit much at times, but¡­ ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol asked Jin-Woo if they could speak for a while, and the latter had to ask his seniors for their understanding on this one . Since there was a prior engagement, the older kids could¡¯ve easily gotten unhappy at this situation, but¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t be too late!¡±. ¡°Until you show up to the welcoming party, we¡¯re holding Young-Gil as our hostage, okay?¡±. ¡°S-senior?!¡±. The seniors from the track and field team didn¡¯t sweat it and left for the party venue ahead . Jin-Woo recalled Young-Gil¡¯s tearful face as he got dragged away by the seniors and smirked softly to himself ¡°Still, the life of my friend is hanging in the balance here, so I can¡¯t stay for too long . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol broke into a gentle chuckle after seeing the youth¡¯s expression that showed how much he was enjoying his current life ¡°In that case, I understand . Let me get to the main topic, then . ¡±. The smile was gone in an instant from the detective¡¯s face after he finished those words ¡°How long¡­ how long have you been fighting against those creatures in the gap between dimensions?¡±. According to the records, Jin-Woo was missing for around two years However, Woo Jin-Cheol had seen the overall combat force of the Sovereigns through the memories of the Shadow Sovereign, and he knew that the two years were simply not enough to defeat them all Jin-Woo cautiously replied ¡°27 years¡­ . ¡±. The moment he heard that reply, Woo Jin-Cheol sucked in his breath To think, he had to fight against over ten million enemies for nearly 30 years in the gap between the walls of different dimensions, where not a single thing could exist¡­ Woo Jin-Cheol couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how difficult and arduous the battles must¡¯ve been . For a long while there, he failed to come up with something to say, but eventually, forced his lips to part just a little ¡°¡­ You don¡¯t regret anything?¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s reply this time was instantaneous ¡°No, I don¡¯t . ¡±. He could say this with absolute confidence ¡°If I were to be given the same opportunity over and over again, I will make the same decision every single time . ¡±. Everything that happened ¨C from when he and his father went to a baseball game while holding hands during the latter¡¯s off day; the doenjang stew mom cooked with so much care and love; his little sister¡¯s smile, bright and unclouded by the fear of the monsters¡­ ¡­ . All of these were precious things that couldn¡¯t be measured with any financial value If the price he had to pay for all of these things was to carry the weighty burden by himself, then he¡¯d not hesitate to carry it over and over again ¡°I don¡¯t regret anything . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol heard Jin-Woo¡¯s composed voice and in that instant, felt his nose sting once more ¡®Thank you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim . ¡¯. He barely managed to swallow back those words that almost came out of his mouth . He knew that these simple words of gratitude could never convey his true feelings to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, that¡¯s why He took a quick look at his wristwatch while thinking about the ¡®life¡¯ of the hostage and raised his head ¡°It looks like you¡¯re living a wonderful life now . ¡±. Jin-Woo smirked softly ¡°It is satisfactory, yes . Well, other than my body not ageing anymore so I need to constantly modify my body shape, that is . ¡±. ¡®Eternal youth and immortality . ¡¯. Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had now possessed god-like powers after becoming the Shadow Sovereign . However, even though he possessed such powers, he chose to live the life of a simple, normal person . If that was his decision, then¡­ ¡°May I ask whether you thought about what you¡¯d like to do in the future?¡±. ¡°I haven¡¯t thought that far ahead yet, unfortunately . ¡±. ¡°In that case¡­ . How about, you know, joining this side?¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol displayed the police identification card inside his wallet ¡°You mean¡­ the National Police?¡±. ¡°Recently, many hardened criminals visiting our offices are all whining about the exact same thing . They say that it¡¯s hard to make a living with Shadow Monsters around . ¡±. Jin-Woo studied the identification card for a while and returned the wallet with a grin on his face ¡°But, if I become a police officer, other cops won¡¯t have anything to do anymore, you know?¡±. ¡°That¡¯s precisely why we¡¯re working very hard, you see ¨C to create a world like that . ¡±. He hadn¡¯t changed From when he was the Chief of the Association¡¯s Monitoring Division, and when he was the President of the Hunter¡¯s Association itself, the expressions Woo Jin-Cheol had shown back then remained as he continued his life as a police detective now ¡°I¡¯ll think about it . ¡±. Jin-Woo replied so and turned around to leave as he began to worry slightly about his friend¡¯s safety . Woo Jin-Cheol quickly bade him goodbye ¡°I shall wait for your favourable reply . ¡±. ¡°Please don¡¯t . I heard that there¡¯s a crap ton of work but the pay is pretty bad . ¡±. Jin-Woo waved his hand as he walked away, and Woo Jin-Cheol smiled gently as his silent reply ¡®Lots of work, but rubbish pay, is it?¡¯. A wry chuckle leaked out automatically from his mouth after hearing that wonderfully succinct assessment that left no room for a rebuttal . At the same time, he recalled the face of the youngest detective who actually volunteered to join such a squad out of his own free will ¡®Isn¡¯t he off today, that kid?¡¯. Well, so what if it was the junior¡¯s off day?. While thinking that he¡¯d just call out the youngest and treat the kid to a hearty meal, Woo Jin-Cheol politely bowed his head towards Jin-Woo¡¯s departing back, now a faint silhouette in the distance As the only man who knew of that youth¡¯s sacrifice, he stood for everyone in this world and expressed his gratitude, perhaps for the first and the last time < Chapter 254 > Fin Chapter 255 Side Story 12 6 . Decision ¡®That¡¯ suddenly appeared without any warning . On a certain day in April, only a stone¡¯s throw away from May¡¯s doorstep, an American emergency call centre was blessed with a strange phone call . ¨C ¡°Hello . I¡¯m a tourist currently travelling through the desert . ¡± It was not uncommon to hear about tourists getting lost . Since that was the case, the call centre operator figured that this call was from yet another poor stranded soul searching for a way out from the middle of the vast desert . ¡°Did you run into an accident, sir?¡± ¨C ¡°No, it¡¯s not actually that . ¡± ¡°In that case, did something else happen to you, sir?¡± ¨C ¡°No, no . I¡¯m not calling you because I ran into a problem, but I¡¯m calling to report something that I¡¯m seeing right now . ¡± The call centre agent got ready to connect the call to the emergency dispatch service while replying in a calm voice to make sure that the caller wouldn¡¯t start panicking over the phone . ¡°Is it something urgent? Should I dispatch the emergency personnel to your location?¡± ¨C ¡°Urgent¡­ is it? Honestly, I also don¡¯t know how to explain the current situation to you . ¡± The caller¡¯s voice indicated that he was feeling really hesitant over something here, so just in case, the agent decided to confirm the caller¡¯s identity first . As it turned out, the caller was actually a college professor, and judging from his family circumstances, or the past records of lodging emergency calls, he didn¡¯t seem to be the sort to make prank calls for fun . ¡°Sir, you need to describe the situation so we can dispatch the right kind of response personnel to the scene . ¡± ¨C ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Can you explain to me in detail what you see?¡± It was at that point that the agent heard the caller take deep breaths over the phone¡¯s speaker . ¨C ¡°Something is about to shatter . There are lots of cracks . ¡± There was a building in a desert about to topple over? The agent tilted his head this way and that before asking again . ¡°Where are these cracks exactly, sir?¡± ¨C ¡°Well, that¡¯s the darnedest thing¡­ . ¡± The voice of the caller hesitated for a long time again as if he still couldn¡¯t believe what he saw, but eventually it did come out of the phone . ¨C ¡°The sky¡­ the sky is breaking up!¡± *** April . This was the time when pretty much all students would find themselves with barely any free time, but for Jin-Woo facing mid-term exams and the track competition literally around the corner, it proved to be a great deal more hectic than usual . As he was studying deep into the night, his little sister, Jin-Ah, entered his room while carrying a tray of sliced Korean melon . ¡°Oppa, Mom says you should eat these while studying . ¡± Jin-Woo was concentrating on the textbooks below the desk lamp¡¯s light, and raised his head to greet her . ¡°What about Dad?¡± ¡°Dad is on night shift duty from this week again . ¡± Jin-Woo received the plate with melon slices neatly arranged on top and nodded his head . But then, he reached out to snatch his sister¡¯s ponytail just as she was about to sneak out of his room . ¡°Stop right there . ¡± ¡°Heok!¡± Jin-Ah turned around to face him with wide-open eyes and he sternly asked her . ¡°Why are all these slices missing the soft middle sections?¡± ¡°I, uh, I don¡¯t know¡­ . ¡± ¡°You should say that while getting rid of those pips stuck near your lips . ¡± ¡°Ahh-iinng¡­¡± Jin-Ah formed an unhappy expression at the fact that she got busted, but he found her way too adorable when she acted like this and couldn¡¯t hold back his own laughter . He used his thumb to remove the pips from the ends of his sister¡¯s lips and out of pure mischievousness, formed another stern expression . ¡°If you eat only the softer part of the melon again, I¡¯m gonna make you eat nothing but the hard part for a whole day as punishment, okay?¡± ¡°Hiii-eeeng¡­ . . Okay . ¡± Jin-Ah turned around to leave with a tearful expression and he lightly patted her on the head . Currently, she was in her sixth year in elementary school . Jin-Woo had seen her grow up once before already, and pretty much anything she did came across as adorable to him . Crunch . He began chewing on the sliced melon piece and focused his concentration back on the questionnaire on the desk . When he did, though, Igrit began to offer his counsel once more, as he was still worried about his liege¡¯s academic success . [My liege, the 24th question should not be tackled in this manner, but¡­] ¡®I¡¯m going to check the answer sheet, then?¡¯ [¡­ . Allow me to ponder this query for a little while longer, my liege . ] ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯ It was rather commendable that he was so concerned about his master, but this¡­ . ¡®Oh, well . At least, I¡¯m not bored during studying, so there¡¯s that¡­ . ¡¯ Crunch . As the number of questions remaining on the questionnaire decreased, so did the number of sliced melon pieces on the plate . Tick, tock¡­ . And so, just how long had it been? Abruptly, Jin-Woo sensed this chill and raised his head . ¡®What was that? Where?¡¯ He shot up from his chair and shifted his head in the direction of where he detected that strange phenomenon . He closed his eyes and focused his perception . ¡­ . He definitely hadn¡¯t made a mistake just then . Right away, he imagined the worst possible scenario and his expression hardened as a result . ¡®Where is that business card¡­ . ?¡¯ He quickly dug through the pockets of his school uniform and pulled out a certain business card . It was none other than the one left behind by the envoy of the Rulers . Jin-Woo quickly dialled the number and tapped on the ¡®Call¡¯ icon on his smartphone . The call itself got through really quickly . ¨C ¡°It has been a while, Shadow Sovereign-nim . ¡± The envoy tried to greet him with a warm, welcoming voice, but Jin-Woo simply spoke up certain coordinates without any hints of emotion . And then, he added one more thing at the end . ¡°Is this your people¡¯s doing?¡± The envoy was stunned by his serious attitude and replied quickly . ¨C ¡°I don¡¯t understand what¡­ . Hold on . Allow me to confirm . ¡± ¡°¡­¡± The brief silence was soon shattered by the panicky voice from the other side of the line . ¨C ¡°This, this is definitely not us . We are also finding out about this matter through your call, Sovereign-nim . I¡¯m sure you already know, but this method of crossing dimensions is different from ours . ¡± As expected ¨C it wasn¡¯t the absolute worst possibility, much to his relief . Still, it didn¡¯t mean that the situation itself had become any better, though . ¡®To Earth¡­ . Someone, or something, is coming . ¡¯ Whether they held good or bad intentions, there was no way to tell for the time being . So, he should start preparing for either case right away . Jin-Woo fell into deep thought as he stood there, still holding the phone, before he spoke to the envoy . ¡°Can you come and see me?¡± He added that there was also something else he¡¯d like to talk about and that prompted the envoy to reply as if it had been waiting for that all this time . ¨C ¡°I shall come and speak to you tomorrow . ¡± *** The meeting place was the cafe where Jin-Woo met Yu Jin-Ho for the first time outside the dungeon . He got there just in time and found the envoy already waiting for him by the corner of the cafe, having arrived a while ago . After entering, Jin-Woo wordlessly settled down on the opposite side of the Ruler¡¯s proxy . The latter only discovered the former¡¯s presence after he appeared right in front of its eyes . The envoy performed a polite bow of the head . With the situation being what it was, Jin-Woo went straight to the meat of the discussion . ¡°The things trying to get here¡­ . Do you have any clues on who they are?¡± ¡°They are the ¡®Outsiders¡¯ that tried to step into my world not too long ago . They were beaten back by the Army of the Heavens and it seems that they have now set their sights on this world, instead . ¡± ¡°Why are they trying to come here?¡± ¡°They are a race of giants that consumes the rocks found on a planet that can support lifeforms . They are referred to as a race of ¡®Titans¡¯ and are known for their evil nature even back in their own world . Their reason for coming to Earth should be rather obvious at this point . ¡± Jin-Woo leaned against the chair¡¯s back and nodded his head . ¡°¡­ . So, they are not friends . ¡± ¡°Yes, they are most certainly not . ¡± Now that he knew what their purpose was, the nature of his response had been decided, as well . However, there was something he still felt curious about . ¡°This didn¡¯t happen before the Chalice of Rebirth was used, so what gives?¡± Jin-Woo could only remember the Gates and monsters, but nothing about the attack of an alien race capable of ¡®eating¡¯ a planet . The envoy hesitated slightly with his answer before willingly admitting to it . ¡°Yes, you¡¯re indeed correct . Actually, when I told you about them invading our world not too long ago, I was referring to the timeline that has been overwritten . ¡± ¡°Meaning, the creatures that should have been aiming for your world changed their heading towards Earth, instead?¡± ¡°Yes . ¡± The envoy replied as thus, carefully observing any changes in Jin-Woo¡¯s mood . Of course, he immediately figured out the reason for this change . ¡°I¡¯m the cause . ¡± ¡°Those creatures chased after the traces of Sovereign-nim, who possesses incredible power¡­ . At least, that¡¯s what the exalted Rulers believe happened in this event . ¡± Just like how one would rely on the light from the lighthouse illuminating the lone pathway to navigate the treacherous nighttime waters when you couldn¡¯t see an inch in front of your nose, the race of ¡®Titans¡¯ had been led towards this small planet by the enormous power being emitted by the Shadow Sovereign . The potential influence Jin-Woo¡¯s powers would have on this world, the one that shouldn¡¯t exist and shouldn¡¯t remain ¨C the part the Rulers were worried about had finally become reality . Still, the Rulers felt that they owed Jin-Woo big time and thus, they weren¡¯t planning to sit back and watch another crisis unfold on Earth . The agent made sure to drive this point home . ¡°The exalted Rulers have already deployed the Army of the Heavens . ¡± Jin-Woo slowly shook his head . ¡°No, it¡¯ll be too late . ¡± Even if they started creating a tunnel connecting from that side to here right now, at a bare minimum they would still need a good few years to get here . By then, everything would be over . In that case¡­ . ¡°I shall take care of it . ¡± ¡®¡­ . My soldiers and I will stop those b*stards . ¡¯ Jin-Woo was fully confident of defeating these new enemies if they were on the level of being driven back by the Army of the Heavens . The voice of the Shadow Sovereign seemed to heavily press down on the envoy¡¯s shoulders and he nervously swallowed his dry saliva . Regardless which forces they were, none of them would prefer to have this man as their enemy . The Ruler¡¯s agent suddenly felt pity for this race of ¡®Titans¡¯ now . By the way, if this meeting wasn¡¯t to ask for reinforcements, then why were they even here? Jin-Woo replied as if he had seen through the agent¡¯s thoughts . ¡°What you asked me back then¡­ . I thought it¡¯s about time that I tell you my answer . ¡± ¡°Ah, ah . I see . You were talking about that matter . ¡± The Rulers made an offer to make available a location that the enormous power of the Shadow Sovereign wouldn¡¯t cause an issue . It seemed that he was able to come to a decision due to this crisis . The envoy nodded his head after seeing Jin-Woo¡¯s determination-filled expression . ¡°I understand what you¡¯re trying to say . As soon as this crisis is resolved, we¡­ . ¡± ¡°I¡¯m remaining on Earth . ¡± ¡°¡­ . Pardon?¡± The envoy¡¯s brows rose up after hearing that unexpected reply . However, Jin-Woo¡¯s voice remained composed, with just a hint of a grin etched on his lips . ¡°You know, I still want to live here . ¡± He wanted to spend his time in this world populated by his family, friends, as well as others that he¡¯d like to meet and talk to . After he ran into Association President Woo Jin-Cheol, no, Detective Woo now, he had finally realised what he wanted to do . ¡®Well, it¡¯s a bit cumbersome that he keeps calling me up so he can buy me food, but still . ¡¯ In any case, Woo Jin-Cheol was a good man . And that was precisely why that young detective being dragged around by him could carry a happy expression like that . ¡®I¡¯d like to be with those people . ¡¯ Jin-Woo thought that he¡¯d like to be by their sides and be able to laugh along with them . The envoy spied on Jin-Woo¡¯s smile and replied with a sheepish smile of his own . ¡°Actually, I¡­ . I was getting really bored with staying in this world, you see . What a relief this is . Now I can finally return to my world as well . ¡± One year since that day . If one said it was short, then it was, but if one said it was too long, then it could be, as well . The envoy¡¯s mission of remaining in this world to wait for the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s decision had finally come to an end . And seeing his expression, it was rather clear that the odds of him changing his mind were absolutely none . ¡°Well, then¡­ . ¡± While looking as if a load had been taken off his shoulders, the envoy stood up from his seat . He then bowed his waist towards Jin-Woo, no, the greatest hero who brought the war of two worlds to an end . ¡°I entrust this world to your capable hands . ¡± *** Jin-Woo stopped digging through his closet and scratched his head . ¡®This isn¡¯t good¡­ . ¡¯ He couldn¡¯t see a single piece of garment that could hide his face . But then again, he bought a hoodie and a baseball cap to hide his face riddled with scars he earned while working as a low ranked Hunter, so it was only obvious that they wouldn¡¯t remain anymore in the new timeline . Left with no choice, Jin-Woo decided to create the clothing he wanted . The black smoke quickly enveloped him and became thick like actual liquid, before transforming into a hoodie that he used to wear so much in the past . He pulled the hood up and stood before the mirror in his room . ¡®How long has it been, me in this look¡­ . . ?¡¯ He experienced renewed reminiscence of the time erased, as the reflection was like looking at his past self . His lips exposed below the hoodie curled up into a grin . ¡°Nice . ¡± With this, his preparation was over . And his figure slowly submerged into the shadow beneath his feet . *** Somewhere in the desert, west of the United States of America . The American government sealed tight the surrounding area and invited every expert they could get their hands on to this place, but in the end, every single one of them failed to come up with a meaningful hypothesis . ¡°I wonder . Well, this could be¡­ . ¡± ¡°I¡¯ve researched many strange weather phenomena across the globe for over 30 years, but this is my first time seeing something like that . ¡± From the get-go, how could any expert, regardless of the numbers gathered, be able to explain the phenomenon of cracks developing in the atmosphere? Crack, split¡­ Even as they dithered about, the empty sky was slowly but surely breaking apart bit by bit . Understandably, the American defence forces surrounding this area just in case something bad happened were very tense right now . If one were to exaggerate the scale a bit, more than enough combat forces had been gathered here to literally blow away a foreign nation . The commander confidently spoke to the President of the U . S . A . ¡°Even if something pops out of there, Mister President, we shall take care of them . Yes, yes, sir . The scale of the crack has grown much larger since its initial discovery¡­ . ¡± While chatting on the comm device, the commander shifted his gaze over to the ranks of the soldiers without thinking too much and discovered a certain man walking closer to his position . A man whose face was obscured by the pulled-up hoodie was walking straight towards the commander¡¯s location . ¡°Who the hell is that guy? How the f*ck did he even enter here?¡± ¨C ¡°Is there a problem, commander?¡± ¡°No, sir . Let me call you back a bit later, sir . ¡± The commander hurriedly ended the call and, along with his adjutants, quickly ran towards this unknown man . ¡°Excuse me! Who are you?¡± This was a restricted zone secured by a water-tight cordon of soldiers, yet how could a normal-looking civilian waltz right in completely unhindered? Signs of irritation floated up on the commander¡¯s face as an annoying situation suddenly came to visit him . However, the man didn¡¯t show any signs of fear, even though he was surrounded by heavily-armed soldiers . The uninvited guest coming to speak to the commander was, of course, Jin-Woo . And he certainly had something to say . ¡°Please, withdraw your troops from here . This place is dangerous . ¡± His English didn¡¯t sound natural . ¡®Is he a foreigner?¡¯ The commander formed a deep frown and in order to put the fear of God in this uninvited guest, he shouted out at the top of his lungs . ¡°Do you have a death wish?! Do you seriously not know who is in real danger here?¡± ¡®What do you mean by that, mister? It¡¯s you, obviously . ¡¯ Jin-Woo knew that convincing these people with words would be impossible, so he released just a tiny bit of his power . When he did, the commander, his adjutants, as well as all the soldiers watching Jin-Woo floated up in the air at once . ¡°Uh, uhhh?!¡± The commander became flustered and he quickly took a look around him . There was only one person with both of his feet firmly planted on the ground . Not only that, the vehicles, various machinery and equipment, and even heavy tanks were floating over a metre in the air . Having witnessed something that couldn¡¯t scientifically happen, the eyes of the commander began trembling hard . ¡°B-but, how?!¡± Deciding that this much was enough, Jin-Woo brought them back down to the ground . However, the first thing the commander did upon landing was to yank out his sidearm . His highly-agitated voice rang around loudly in the desert sky . ¡°What the hell are you?!¡± Jin-Woo raised both of his hands up to his shoulders to clearly indicate that he didn¡¯t want to fight and calmly continued on with his explanation . ¡°Soon, enemies possessing similar powers as what you saw will emerge from that spot in the sky . And¡­ . ¡± He used Mana to take away the commander¡¯s sidearm and had it float over to near his head . When the pistol suddenly began moving towards Jin-Woo seemingly on its own, the nervous soldiers quickly cocked their rifles and got ready to fire, but the commander was equally as quick to raise his hand to stop them from doing anything . ¡°Hold your fire!¡± While he was busy calming his subordinates down, Jin-Woo used the ¡®invisible hand¡¯ to pull the trigger of the pistol now aimed at his face . Blam! Blam! Blam!! Bullets that failed to even touch Jin-Woo¡¯s body fell powerlessly to the ground . The gazes of the soldiers relying on their firearms until then were rapidly filling up with sheer astonishments and panic . Jin-Woo could sense their hearts freezing up, too . He swept his gaze around and took in their eyes of shock and panic, before calmly continuing on with his explanation . ¡°Your weapons will not work against the incoming enemies . ¡± Soon after that, his gaze landed on the commander, still rooted firmly in his spot . ¡°Are you willing to watch the meaningless deaths of your subordinates?¡± ¡°What should¡­ . What am I supposed to do, then?¡± ¡°Withdraw your troops from here as far as possible . I shall be the only one to remain here . ¡± ¡°You alone¡­? Are you planning to fight against the enemies by yourself?¡± Him alone, was it¡­ . Jin-Woo didn¡¯t particularly feel the need to explain himself any further, so he just nodded his head . ¡°¡­¡± The commander shut his mouth and began weighing his options, but then suddenly, he yanked out his spare sidearm tucked neatly in the back of his pants and fired several shots at Jin-Woo . Blam! Blam!! Blam!!! Blam!!!! Every single bullet fired from the commander all tumbled to the ground powerlessly as soon as they reached Jin-Woo¡¯s vicinity . This man was a ¡®monster¡¯ . No, at this point, wasn¡¯t he more like a character from some mythical legend, rather than a simple monster? The commander bore witness to the miracle that kept repeating itself and eventually lowered his weapon . He then spun towards his soldiers and shouted out loudly so that they could hear him . ¡°All personnel, pull-out!! We withdraw from here, as quickly and efficiently as possible!!¡± The adjutants quickly relayed the commander¡¯s new order to the rest of the defence force . ¡°Pull out, now!!¡± ¡°Pulling out!¡± This well-trained army quickly distanced themselves away from the potential combat zone . Jin-Woo observed their withdrawal process before shifting his gaze over to the large fissure rapidly developing in the sky . He could sense it now . He could sense the intense greed of the enemies wanting to devour this land . He could even sense their heavy breathing as if they were close by . For the first time in a while, his Black Heart began pounding hard again to notify him of the entrance of new enemies . A grin formed on Jin-Woo¡¯s face as he summoned his shortswords from subspace . Soon, they would¡­ . Craaak Split, crack!! The atmosphere rocked from an intense impact force and the dimension finally split open . With that, giants seemingly made out of rocks stepped onto this land . They belatedly discovered a small lifeform below their feet while emitting a thick amount of hostility towards them and began snorting in derision . [What¡¯s this? Just you alone wish to stop us?] This feeling ¨C Jin-Woo closed his eyes to enjoy this stillness before the battle and slowly opened them back again . Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump! His heart was beating loudly . He finally unleashed all of his powers and spoke up . ¡°Does it look like I¡¯m alone to you?¡± With that, his shadow extended in the blink of an eye to encompass the vast land behind him, and the Shadow Army of ten million rose up at once . < Chapter 255 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 255: Chapter 255 Side Story 12. 6 . Decision. ¡®That¡¯ suddenly appeared without any warning On a certain day in April, only a stone¡¯s throw away from May¡¯s doorstep, an American emergency call centre was blessed with a strange phone call ¨C ¡°Hello . I¡¯m a tourist currently travelling through the desert . ¡±. It was not uncommon to hear about tourists getting lost . Since that was the case, the call centre operator figured that this call was from yet another poor stranded soul searching for a way out from the middle of the vast desert ¡°Did you run into an accident, sir?¡±. ¨C ¡°No, it¡¯s not actually that . ¡±. ¡°In that case, did something else happen to you, sir?¡±. ¨C ¡°No, no . I¡¯m not calling you because I ran into a problem, but I¡¯m calling to report something that I¡¯m seeing right now . ¡±. The call centre agent got ready to connect the call to the emergency dispatch service while replying in a calm voice to make sure that the caller wouldn¡¯t start panicking over the phone ¡°Is it something urgent? Should I dispatch the emergency personnel to your location?¡±. ¨C ¡°Urgent¡­ is it? Honestly, I also don¡¯t know how to explain the current situation to you . ¡±. The caller¡¯s voice indicated that he was feeling really hesitant over something here, so just in case, the agent decided to confirm the caller¡¯s identity first As it turned out, the caller was actually a college professor, and judging from his family circumstances, or the past records of lodging emergency calls, he didn¡¯t seem to be the sort to make prank calls for fun ¡°Sir, you need to describe the situation so we can dispatch the right kind of response personnel to the scene . ¡±. ¨C ¡°¡­¡±. ¡°Can you explain to me in detail what you see?¡±. It was at that point that the agent heard the caller take deep breaths over the phone¡¯s speaker ¨C ¡°Something is about to shatter . There are lots of cracks . ¡±. There was a building in a desert about to topple over? The agent tilted his head this way and that before asking again ¡°Where are these cracks exactly, sir?¡±. ¨C ¡°Well, that¡¯s the darnedest thing¡­ . ¡±. The voice of the caller hesitated for a long time again as if he still couldn¡¯t believe what he saw, but eventually it did come out of the phone ¨C ¡°The sky¡­ the sky is breaking up!¡±. ***. April This was the time when pretty much all students would find themselves with barely any free time, but for Jin-Woo facing mid-term exams and the track competition literally around the corner, it proved to be a great deal more hectic than usual As he was studying deep into the night, his little sister, Jin-Ah, entered his room while carrying a tray of sliced Korean melon ¡°Oppa, Mom says you should eat these while studying . ¡±. Jin-Woo was concentrating on the textbooks below the desk lamp¡¯s light, and raised his head to greet her ¡°What about Dad?¡±. ¡°Dad is on night shift duty from this week again . ¡±. Jin-Woo received the plate with melon slices neatly arranged on top and nodded his head . But then, he reached out to snatch his sister¡¯s ponytail just as she was about to sneak out of his room ¡°Stop right there . ¡±. ¡°Heok!¡±. Jin-Ah turned around to face him with wide-open eyes and he sternly asked her ¡°Why are all these slices missing the soft middle sections?¡±. ¡°I, uh, I don¡¯t know¡­ . ¡±. ¡°You should say that while getting rid of those pips stuck near your lips . ¡±. ¡°Ahh-iinng¡­¡±. Jin-Ah formed an unhappy expression at the fact that she got busted, but he found her way too adorable when she acted like this and couldn¡¯t hold back his own laughter He used his thumb to remove the pips from the ends of his sister¡¯s lips and out of pure mischievousness, formed another stern expression ¡°If you eat only the softer part of the melon again, I¡¯m gonna make you eat nothing but the hard part for a whole day as punishment, okay?¡±. ¡°Hiii-eeeng¡­ Okay . ¡±. Jin-Ah turned around to leave with a tearful expression and he lightly patted her on the head Currently, she was in her sixth year in elementary school . Jin-Woo had seen her grow up once before already, and pretty much anything she did came across as adorable to him Crunch He began chewing on the sliced melon piece and focused his concentration back on the questionnaire on the desk . When he did, though, Igrit began to offer his counsel once more, as he was still worried about his liege¡¯s academic success [My liege, the 24th question should not be tackled in this manner, but¡­]. ¡®I¡¯m going to check the answer sheet, then?¡¯. [¡­ . Allow me to ponder this query for a little while longer, my liege . ]. ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯. It was rather commendable that he was so concerned about his master, but this¡­ ¡®Oh, well . At least, I¡¯m not bored during studying, so there¡¯s that¡­ . ¡¯. Crunch As the number of questions remaining on the questionnaire decreased, so did the number of sliced melon pieces on the plate Tick, tock¡­ And so, just how long had it been?. Abruptly, Jin-Woo sensed this chill and raised his head ¡®What was that? Where?¡¯. He shot up from his chair and shifted his head in the direction of where he detected that strange phenomenon . He closed his eyes and focused his perception ¡­ . He definitely hadn¡¯t made a mistake just then . Right away, he imagined the worst possible scenario and his expression hardened as a result ¡®Where is that business card¡­ . ?¡¯. He quickly dug through the pockets of his school uniform and pulled out a certain business card . It was none other than the one left behind by the envoy of the Rulers Jin-Woo quickly dialled the number and tapped on the ¡®Call¡¯ icon on his smartphone . The call itself got through really quickly ¨C ¡°It has been a while, Shadow Sovereign-nim . ¡±. The envoy tried to greet him with a warm, welcoming voice, but Jin-Woo simply spoke up certain coordinates without any hints of emotion . And then, he added one more thing at the end ¡°Is this your people¡¯s doing?¡±. The envoy was stunned by his serious attitude and replied quickly ¨C ¡°I don¡¯t understand what¡­ . Hold on . Allow me to confirm . ¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. The brief silence was soon shattered by the panicky voice from the other side of the line ¨C ¡°This, this is definitely not us . We are also finding out about this matter through your call, Sovereign-nim . I¡¯m sure you already know, but this method of crossing dimensions is different from ours . ¡±. As expected ¨C it wasn¡¯t the absolute worst possibility, much to his relief . Still, it didn¡¯t mean that the situation itself had become any better, though ¡®To Earth¡­ . Someone, or something, is coming . ¡¯. Whether they held good or bad intentions, there was no way to tell for the time being . So, he should start preparing for either case right away Jin-Woo fell into deep thought as he stood there, still holding the phone, before he spoke to the envoy ¡°Can you come and see me?¡±. He added that there was also something else he¡¯d like to talk about and that prompted the envoy to reply as if it had been waiting for that all this time ¨C ¡°I shall come and speak to you tomorrow . ¡±. ***. The meeting place was the cafe where Jin-Woo met Yu Jin-Ho for the first time outside the dungeon . He got there just in time and found the envoy already waiting for him by the corner of the cafe, having arrived a while ago After entering, Jin-Woo wordlessly settled down on the opposite side of the Ruler¡¯s proxy . The latter only discovered the former¡¯s presence after he appeared right in front of its eyes . The envoy performed a polite bow of the head With the situation being what it was, Jin-Woo went straight to the meat of the discussion ¡°The things trying to get here¡­ . Do you have any clues on who they are?¡±. ¡°They are the ¡®Outsiders¡¯ that tried to step into my world not too long ago . They were beaten back by the Army of the Heavens and it seems that they have now set their sights on this world, instead . ¡±. ¡°Why are they trying to come here?¡±. ¡°They are a race of giants that consumes the rocks found on a planet that can support lifeforms . They are referred to as a race of ¡®Titans¡¯ and are known for their evil nature even back in their own world . Their reason for coming to Earth should be rather obvious at this point . ¡±. Jin-Woo leaned against the chair¡¯s back and nodded his head ¡°¡­ . So, they are not friends . ¡±. ¡°Yes, they are most certainly not . ¡±. Now that he knew what their purpose was, the nature of his response had been decided, as well . However, there was something he still felt curious about ¡°This didn¡¯t happen before the Chalice of Rebirth was used, so what gives?¡±. Jin-Woo could only remember the Gates and monsters, but nothing about the attack of an alien race capable of ¡®eating¡¯ a planet . The envoy hesitated slightly with his answer before willingly admitting to it ¡°Yes, you¡¯re indeed correct . Actually, when I told you about them invading our world not too long ago, I was referring to the timeline that has been overwritten . ¡±. ¡°Meaning, the creatures that should have been aiming for your world changed their heading towards Earth, instead?¡±. ¡°Yes . ¡±. The envoy replied as thus, carefully observing any changes in Jin-Woo¡¯s mood . Of course, he immediately figured out the reason for this change ¡°I¡¯m the cause . ¡±. ¡°Those creatures chased after the traces of Sovereign-nim, who possesses incredible power¡­ . At least, that¡¯s what the exalted Rulers believe happened in this event . ¡±. Just like how one would rely on the light from the lighthouse illuminating the lone pathway to navigate the treacherous nighttime waters when you couldn¡¯t see an inch in front of your nose, the race of ¡®Titans¡¯ had been led towards this small planet by the enormous power being emitted by the Shadow Sovereign The potential influence Jin-Woo¡¯s powers would have on this world, the one that shouldn¡¯t exist and shouldn¡¯t remain ¨C the part the Rulers were worried about had finally become reality Still, the Rulers felt that they owed Jin-Woo big time and thus, they weren¡¯t planning to sit back and watch another crisis unfold on Earth . The agent made sure to drive this point home ¡°The exalted Rulers have already deployed the Army of the Heavens . ¡±. Jin-Woo slowly shook his head ¡°No, it¡¯ll be too late . ¡±. Even if they started creating a tunnel connecting from that side to here right now, at a bare minimum they would still need a good few years to get here . By then, everything would be over In that case¡­ ¡°I shall take care of it . ¡±. ¡®¡­ . My soldiers and I will stop those b*stards . ¡¯. Jin-Woo was fully confident of defeating these new enemies if they were on the level of being driven back by the Army of the Heavens The voice of the Shadow Sovereign seemed to heavily press down on the envoy¡¯s shoulders and he nervously swallowed his dry saliva . Regardless which forces they were, none of them would prefer to have this man as their enemy . The Ruler¡¯s agent suddenly felt pity for this race of ¡®Titans¡¯ now By the way, if this meeting wasn¡¯t to ask for reinforcements, then why were they even here?. Jin-Woo replied as if he had seen through the agent¡¯s thoughts ¡°What you asked me back then¡­ . I thought it¡¯s about time that I tell you my answer . ¡±. ¡°Ah, ah . I see . You were talking about that matter . ¡±. The Rulers made an offer to make available a location that the enormous power of the Shadow Sovereign wouldn¡¯t cause an issue . It seemed that he was able to come to a decision due to this crisis . The envoy nodded his head after seeing Jin-Woo¡¯s determination-filled expression ¡°I understand what you¡¯re trying to say . As soon as this crisis is resolved, we¡­ . ¡±. ¡°I¡¯m remaining on Earth . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . Pardon?¡±. The envoy¡¯s brows rose up after hearing that unexpected reply . However, Jin-Woo¡¯s voice remained composed, with just a hint of a grin etched on his lips ¡°You know, I still want to live here . ¡±. He wanted to spend his time in this world populated by his family, friends, as well as others that he¡¯d like to meet and talk to . After he ran into Association President Woo Jin-Cheol, no, Detective Woo now, he had finally realised what he wanted to do ¡®Well, it¡¯s a bit cumbersome that he keeps calling me up so he can buy me food, but still . ¡¯. In any case, Woo Jin-Cheol was a good man . And that was precisely why that young detective being dragged around by him could carry a happy expression like that ¡®I¡¯d like to be with those people . ¡¯. Jin-Woo thought that he¡¯d like to be by their sides and be able to laugh along with them . The envoy spied on Jin-Woo¡¯s smile and replied with a sheepish smile of his own ¡°Actually, I¡­ . I was getting really bored with staying in this world, you see . What a relief this is . Now I can finally return to my world as well . ¡±. One year since that day . If one said it was short, then it was, but if one said it was too long, then it could be, as well The envoy¡¯s mission of remaining in this world to wait for the Shadow Sovereign¡¯s decision had finally come to an end . And seeing his expression, it was rather clear that the odds of him changing his mind were absolutely none ¡°Well, then¡­ . ¡±. While looking as if a load had been taken off his shoulders, the envoy stood up from his seat . He then bowed his waist towards Jin-Woo, no, the greatest hero who brought the war of two worlds to an end ¡°I entrust this world to your capable hands . ¡±. ***. Jin-Woo stopped digging through his closet and scratched his head ¡®This isn¡¯t good¡­ . ¡¯. He couldn¡¯t see a single piece of garment that could hide his face . But then again, he bought a hoodie and a baseball cap to hide his face riddled with scars he earned while working as a low ranked Hunter, so it was only obvious that they wouldn¡¯t remain anymore in the new timeline Left with no choice, Jin-Woo decided to create the clothing he wanted The black smoke quickly enveloped him and became thick like actual liquid, before transforming into a hoodie that he used to wear so much in the past . He pulled the hood up and stood before the mirror in his room ¡®How long has it been, me in this look¡­ ?¡¯. He experienced renewed reminiscence of the time erased, as the reflection was like looking at his past self . His lips exposed below the hoodie curled up into a grin ¡°Nice . ¡±. With this, his preparation was over . And his figure slowly submerged into the shadow beneath his feet ***. Somewhere in the desert, west of the United States of America The American government sealed tight the surrounding area and invited every expert they could get their hands on to this place, but in the end, every single one of them failed to come up with a meaningful hypothesis ¡°I wonder . Well, this could be¡­ . ¡±. ¡°I¡¯ve researched many strange weather phenomena across the globe for over 30 years, but this is my first time seeing something like that . ¡±. From the get-go, how could any expert, regardless of the numbers gathered, be able to explain the phenomenon of cracks developing in the atmosphere?. Crack, split¡­. Even as they dithered about, the empty sky was slowly but surely breaking apart bit by bit . Understandably, the American defence forces surrounding this area just in case something bad happened were very tense right now . If one were to exaggerate the scale a bit, more than enough combat forces had been gathered here to literally blow away a foreign nation The commander confidently spoke to the President of the U . S . A ¡°Even if something pops out of there, Mister President, we shall take care of them . Yes, yes, sir . The scale of the crack has grown much larger since its initial discovery¡­ . ¡±. While chatting on the comm device, the commander shifted his gaze over to the ranks of the soldiers without thinking too much and discovered a certain man walking closer to his position A man whose face was obscured by the pulled-up hoodie was walking straight towards the commander¡¯s location ¡°Who the hell is that guy? How the f*ck did he even enter here?¡±. ¨C ¡°Is there a problem, commander?¡±. ¡°No, sir . Let me call you back a bit later, sir . ¡±. The commander hurriedly ended the call and, along with his adjutants, quickly ran towards this unknown man ¡°Excuse me! Who are you?¡±. This was a restricted zone secured by a water-tight cordon of soldiers, yet how could a normal-looking civilian waltz right in completely unhindered? Signs of irritation floated up on the commander¡¯s face as an annoying situation suddenly came to visit him However, the man didn¡¯t show any signs of fear, even though he was surrounded by heavily-armed soldiers . The uninvited guest coming to speak to the commander was, of course, Jin-Woo . And he certainly had something to say ¡°Please, withdraw your troops from here . This place is dangerous . ¡±. His English didn¡¯t sound natural ¡®Is he a foreigner?¡¯. The commander formed a deep frown and in order to put the fear of God in this uninvited guest, he shouted out at the top of his lungs ¡°Do you have a death wish?! Do you seriously not know who is in real danger here?¡±. ¡®What do you mean by that, mister? It¡¯s you, obviously . ¡¯. Jin-Woo knew that convincing these people with words would be impossible, so he released just a tiny bit of his power . When he did, the commander, his adjutants, as well as all the soldiers watching Jin-Woo floated up in the air at once ¡°Uh, uhhh?!¡±. The commander became flustered and he quickly took a look around him . There was only one person with both of his feet firmly planted on the ground . Not only that, the vehicles, various machinery and equipment, and even heavy tanks were floating over a metre in the air Having witnessed something that couldn¡¯t scientifically happen, the eyes of the commander began trembling hard ¡°B-but, how?!¡±. Deciding that this much was enough, Jin-Woo brought them back down to the ground However, the first thing the commander did upon landing was to yank out his sidearm . His highly-agitated voice rang around loudly in the desert sky ¡°What the hell are you?!¡±. Jin-Woo raised both of his hands up to his shoulders to clearly indicate that he didn¡¯t want to fight and calmly continued on with his explanation ¡°Soon, enemies possessing similar powers as what you saw will emerge from that spot in the sky . And¡­ . ¡±. He used Mana to take away the commander¡¯s sidearm and had it float over to near his head When the pistol suddenly began moving towards Jin-Woo seemingly on its own, the nervous soldiers quickly cocked their rifles and got ready to fire, but the commander was equally as quick to raise his hand to stop them from doing anything ¡°Hold your fire!¡±. While he was busy calming his subordinates down, Jin-Woo used the ¡®invisible hand¡¯ to pull the trigger of the pistol now aimed at his face Blam! Blam! Blam!!. Bullets that failed to even touch Jin-Woo¡¯s body fell powerlessly to the ground . The gazes of the soldiers relying on their firearms until then were rapidly filling up with sheer astonishments and panic Jin-Woo could sense their hearts freezing up, too . He swept his gaze around and took in their eyes of shock and panic, before calmly continuing on with his explanation ¡°Your weapons will not work against the incoming enemies . ¡±. Soon after that, his gaze landed on the commander, still rooted firmly in his spot ¡°Are you willing to watch the meaningless deaths of your subordinates?¡±. ¡°What should¡­ . What am I supposed to do, then?¡±. ¡°Withdraw your troops from here as far as possible . I shall be the only one to remain here . ¡±. ¡°You alone¡­? Are you planning to fight against the enemies by yourself?¡±. Him alone, was it¡­ Jin-Woo didn¡¯t particularly feel the need to explain himself any further, so he just nodded his head ¡°¡­¡±. The commander shut his mouth and began weighing his options, but then suddenly, he yanked out his spare sidearm tucked neatly in the back of his pants and fired several shots at Jin-Woo Blam! Blam!! Blam!!! Blam!!!!. Every single bullet fired from the commander all tumbled to the ground powerlessly as soon as they reached Jin-Woo¡¯s vicinity This man was a ¡®monster¡¯ . No, at this point, wasn¡¯t he more like a character from some mythical legend, rather than a simple monster?. The commander bore witness to the miracle that kept repeating itself and eventually lowered his weapon . He then spun towards his soldiers and shouted out loudly so that they could hear him ¡°All personnel, pull-out!! We withdraw from here, as quickly and efficiently as possible!!¡±. The adjutants quickly relayed the commander¡¯s new order to the rest of the defence force ¡°Pull out, now!!¡±. ¡°Pulling out!¡±. This well-trained army quickly distanced themselves away from the potential combat zone . Jin-Woo observed their withdrawal process before shifting his gaze over to the large fissure rapidly developing in the sky He could sense it now He could sense the intense greed of the enemies wanting to devour this land He could even sense their heavy breathing as if they were close by For the first time in a while, his Black Heart began pounding hard again to notify him of the entrance of new enemies . A grin formed on Jin-Woo¡¯s face as he summoned his shortswords from subspace Soon, they would¡­ Craaak. Split, crack!!. The atmosphere rocked from an intense impact force and the dimension finally split open . With that, giants seemingly made out of rocks stepped onto this land They belatedly discovered a small lifeform below their feet while emitting a thick amount of hostility towards them and began snorting in derision [What¡¯s this? Just you alone wish to stop us?]. This feeling ¨C Jin-Woo closed his eyes to enjoy this stillness before the battle and slowly opened them back again Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!. His heart was beating loudly He finally unleashed all of his powers and spoke up ¡°Does it look like I¡¯m alone to you?¡±. With that, his shadow extended in the blink of an eye to encompass the vast land behind him, and the Shadow Army of ten million rose up at once < Chapter 255 > Fin Chapter 256 Side Story 13 7 . A day in Fangs¡¯ life Gooood morning!! ¡­ . Was what I¡¯d like to say, but there was no distinction between day and night in the world of shadows . So, I simply stretched my limbs without saying anything after waking up from my nap . Yawn-!! The sleep one could get inside this place, the ¡®territory of eternal rest¡¯, was absolutely the best, no two ways about it . Honestly speaking, the majority of the Shadow Army¡¯s soldiers would spend most of their downtime sleeping until our liege summons us . I should be seen on the side of those who enjoyed napping, but today was a very important day and I just had to rouse myself up . Soldiers stretching their muscles to get ready for the day discovered me and began bowing their heads to greet me . ¡°Oh, hello, Fangs-nim . ¡± ¡°Sure, sure . ¡± ¡°Good day to you, Commander Fangs . ¡± ¡°Right, right . ¡± I didn¡¯t want to show it, but heck, I couldn¡¯t help but feel good when this happened . I came under my liege¡¯s wings relatively early compared to some other soldiers and after my various accomplishments were recognised, I now found myself in the position to command all the magic-wielding soldiers in the army . The hierarchy within the Shadow Army was determined by how trusted one was by our liege, and that was why Ancient-grade Dragons were paying their respects to a mere High Orc Shaman like myself! My Sovereign-nim, hooray!! My exalted and great Shadow Sovereign-nim, hooray!! ¡®Tsk, tsk¡­ . ¡¯ I ended up shouting out three cheers towards my liege again today due to the overwhelming gratitude I felt . While feeling happy and content, I headed towards the portion of the army comprising of ant soldiers . Quite unlike other Shadow Soldiers, these ants didn¡¯t seem to enjoy napping and were always doing something or rather to keep themselves busy . After finding me visiting their territory, they began bowing their heads in greetings . ¡°Huh-huhuh¡­ . ¡± I half-heartedly accepted their greetings and quickened my walking pace . If I were to be honest, I felt a wee bit scared by these ant soldiers, even though we were on the same side . Because, well, not only were they the most vicious and cruel of all the Shadow Soldiers, but they were also scarily diligent with their given tasks, too . Kkiieek! Kkiiiahk! Whenever these ants screeched out those sounds containing meanings that were lost on me, I couldn¡¯t help but flinch my shoulders just a little . ¡®If it isn¡¯t Beru Marshal-nim, just who would be capable of commanding this lot¡­ . ?¡¯ Thankfully, Beru Marshal-nim in question must¡¯ve read my mind, because I didn¡¯t have to walk far to meet him, who had graciously come out to greet me as well . When our gazes met, though, his shoulders began quivering ominously . ¡°Kiieehehehehehet . ¡± ¡°Ehehehehe . ¡± ¡°Kii-hahahahahat!¡± ¡°Ehehehehehet!!¡± We stood face to face while laughing to our hearts¡¯ content . Judging from the expression on Beru-nim¡¯s face, a very satisfactory item must¡¯ve been created . So, it was only obvious that a big smile would form on my own face too, as it was me who entrusted the creation of that item to him in the first place . Beru-nim quickly approached me and then, showed me the ¡®item¡¯ hidden behind his back . ¡°So, what do you think?¡± I was so moved by my emotions that I ended up exclaiming out loudly . ¡°Hoh!!¡± The item that I requested Beru-nim who possessed excellent crafting skills, with its creation even at the risk of inconveniencing him! A robe with a hood attached that resembled what our liege wore not too long ago had been completed and was waiting for me . ¡°Kii-hehehehet!¡± ¡°Ehehehehet!¡± I threw off the robe on my body right away and put on the brand new one Beru-nim handed over . The best!! Was there a need for any other description than these two words? I couldn¡¯t control my overflowing, heightened emotions and addressed Beru-nim with an abashed voice . ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine how should I go about repaying you for this, Marshal-nim¡­¡± ¡°Keh-hehehet . How can I turn a blind eye to your wish to become more like our liege? As long as you¡¯re happy, it¡¯s all good . ¡± ¡°Yes, I am truly happy . So much so that I¡¯m almost tempted to make it a duty of every Magic Soldier to wear this robe, Marshal-nim . ¡± ¡°Kii-hahahahahat!¡± ¡°Uwehehehehet!¡± Beru-nim couldn¡¯t control his laughter for a long time, but then, he fixed his gaze on me as if he had discovered something else . ¡°That thing¡­ . Wouldn¡¯t it be better to turn that item into a staff rather than walking around with it in your hand?¡± What Beru-nim was pointing at was the ¡®Bead of Avarice¡¯ I carried in my right hand most of the time . ¡°Heuh¡­ . Does that mean I can entrust you for this one as well¡­ . ?¡± I was sheepish, but still, I presented the Bead, but Beru-nim raised his hand to stop me . ¡°I can¡¯t help you with magical artefacts . Unless you bring me a living kin of the bearded Dwarves, then the story might change . ¡± ¡°Ah¡­ . I see . ¡± ¡°Since we¡¯re talking about it, how about entrusting the job with the bearded Dwarves? They might be pretty terrible at warfare, but they are still talented artisans, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°¡­ . . ¡± I rubbed my chin and pondered this dilemma, and eventually, nodded my head . ¡°That is a good idea, Marshal-nim . ¡± ¡°Kii-hehehehet!¡± I bowed my waist 90 degrees to express my gratitude towards Beru-nim and his excellent work, before quickly making my way out of the ant¡¯s area . This time, my steps took me to the area populated by my friends, the Dragons . We grew quite close after comparing our firepower, you see . I explained to them my circumstances, and they willingly stepped forward to lend me aid . I chose the smallest of my friends and climbed up on his back . There was only one reason why I chose this guy . Well, I was cursed with short legs so if I mounted a friend with a bigger body, I might have to suffer through the terrible pain of my groin being torn in half, that¡¯s why . Soon, my Dragon friend flapped its wings and flew up in the air . I pointed in the direction where the bearded Dwarves were residing . We were currently inside the world of eternal rest . It was wide enough to be called infinite, and on top of that, there were ten million soldiers residing here, so some places could only be accessed after borrowing the abilities of my friends like this . Flap, flap¡­ . As the Dragon friend flew rapidly to our destination, I sneaked a glance below us and oh boy, there sure were lots of soldiers below us . ¡®There is¡­ Grand-Marshal-nim . ¡¯ Slap, slap!! ¡°Stand up straight, Titans!!¡± Currently, Bellion Grand-Marshal-nim was using his long sword that could be manipulated by one¡¯s mind like a whip to properly re-educate the newest additions to the army . The newbies must¡¯ve been fairly renowned back in their own world and that resulted in them still being influenced by their old habits, which meant that Grand-Marshal-nim would have to strictly discipline them for a little while longer . ¡°¡­ . Ah!¡± Bellion-nim discovered me and my Dragon friend in the air and waved his hand at us, necessitating me to hurriedly bow my head to him as well . After we flew past the location of the newbie training area, I spotted Igrit-nim . He was so immersed in studying that he failed to notice a Dragon flying above his head . We couldn¡¯t disturb Igrit Marshal-nim when he was being like this, so we did our best to get out of there as quietly as possible . Kii-ahhk! Once we put the areas with Marshal-nims behind us, my Dragon friend unfurled its wings even wider and increased his speed . A truly wonderful scenery greeted us! Countless Shadow Soldiers, now no bigger than ants in our eyes, went past in a blur below us . Soldiers that were asleep; soldiers that were in the middle of training; soldiers noisily chatting away; soldiers playing cards to while away time; and even those soldiers busy grabbing at each other¡¯s collars, their voices getting louder still¡­ . What a colourful bunch they were . Indeed, soldiers of all varieties could be seen below my feet . It wasn¡¯t originally like this, however . We were psychically connected to our liege¡¯s mind, and as his powers grew stronger and stronger, we began to grow closer in personality to him, as well . Meaning, we who only knew and desired wanton destruction were gradually learning more about our liege¡¯s human side . The process of many new and different emotions of a human filling up our once-empty chests was quite a refreshing experience, that¡¯s for sure . When our liege¡¯s heart begins to pound, even our hearts would go on a riot alongside it . I liked my liege very much . I could only express my gratitude to my liege who had shown me a new world that I never ever imagined experiencing before . My Sovereign-nim, hooray!! My exalted and great Shadow Sovereign-nim¡­ . ¡®Eh?¡¯ While I was unconsciously exalting my liege after being moved by my emotions once more, we had already arrived at the area populated by the kins of the bearded Dwarves . Perhaps fitting for our comrades that enjoyed crafting things, they had managed to construct a proper village, what with houses and smithies, as well as other buildings dotting the landscape . Flap, flap . After my Dragon friend landed on the ground, I cautiously stepped down, my toes wiggling and searching for solid footing . ¡°F-Fangs Commander-nim!¡± ¡°Commander-nim?¡± The bearded Dwarves discovered my sudden, unannounced visit and quickly gathered around before politely bowing their heads . I was pretty sure that they were flustered by my presence, since it would be very rare for a Commander to come visit this far-flung ¡®frontier¡¯ area . I politely explained what my situation was to these very courteous folks . When I was finished, their Elder replied with a bright expression . ¡°Ah, I see¡­ . Please, leave it to us . As a matter of fact, we were troubled by the fact that we couldn¡¯t find a good place to use the divine timber our liege had bestowed upon us . ¡± ¡°Hoh-oh!¡± It seemed that the right material had been prepared already . While I was being treated to a cup of warm tea at the residence of the Elder, other artisans gathered together to craft my new weapon . ¡°What do you think, Commander-nim?¡± The Elder confidently presented a cool-looking staff and I cried out as another bout of emotions overwhelmed me . ¡°Hoh-ohhhhh!!¡± I had no choice but to carry around the Bead of Avarice in my hand, but that beautiful thing glowing in bright crimson hue was now decorating the end of this great staff . ¡°Very good! It¡¯s wonderful!¡± My mood lifted up so much that I almost flew away from there . And as I took hold of the staff and assumed several different poses, the corners of the Elder¡¯s lips curled up . ¡°The word wonderful would better suit the robe you¡¯re wearing right now instead of the staff, Commander-nim!¡± ¡°Uwehehehehehet! I see that you too have a great sense of fashion!¡± I was able to leave the residential area of the kins of bearded Dwarves in utter satisfaction . I watched them wave their hands to bade me goodbye and raised my thumb up real high as my reply . If, in the distant future, my liege asked me about the coolness of this staff, then I swore in my heart to mention their hard work in crafting this item . I went back the way I came and returned to the area of the Magic Soldiers . The first thing I did was to summon all the Magic Soldiers under my command and showed off my new robe and weapon combo . ¡°It¡¯s really cool, Fangs-nim!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the best!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t stop my tears from gushing out, Fangs Commander-nim!¡± Rather obviously, praises kept pouring in from everywhere . It was the romance of all Magic Soldiers to wear cool-looking robes and hold cool-looking staffs, after all! ¡°Uwuhuhuhuhut!!¡± I magnanimously shared my joy with the rest of the Magic Soldiers, and then, gifted the highest-quality robe I used to wear until recently to this one particular soldier busy clapping his hands who said a moment or two ago that he couldn¡¯t stop crying . ¡°Thank you, thank you, Commander-nim!!¡± ¡°Uwuhuhuhuhut!!¡± He was expressing his joy with his entire body and I lightly patted his shoulders . But it was at this point that my eyes caught the sight of a few big guys that I hadn¡¯t seen before . ¡°And who you guys might be?¡± The giants made out of rocks scratched the backs of their heads, and one of them spoke to me in an awkward voice . ¡°Bellion-nim ordered us to come to this place . ¡± ¡®Ah, ah . I see . ¡¯ It seemed that there were a few Magic Soldiers among the ranks of the new additions to the army . But then again, wouldn¡¯t such a big guy shooting magic spells around be a waste of his hulking¡­ . No, hang on a minute, that wasn¡¯t something I could say with a straight face, now was it? In any case . There was this one process that all newbie Magic Soldiers had to go through if they were to be put under my command . ¡°There, there . Other Magic Soldiers, you¡¯re dismissed for the time being . The newbies, settle down there for a second . ¡± The rocky giants were so well disciplined that they politely knelt down on the spot and quietly waited for me . ¡°From now on, I shall describe in detail what I¡¯ve accomplished during the first battle our liege fought against the horrifying enemy called the Dragon Emperor, and then, every achievement I earned during the ensuing battle within the gap between dimensions . Listen well, and then¡­ . . ¡± After I finished telling them the lengthy tale of my unforgettable history, I had the newbies still stewing in admiration towards me return to their respective posts . It was then that I realised my day had come to an end . I sensed the encroaching embrace of Lady Sleep, so I unfurled the bedding, lied down on it, and let out an almighty yawn . ¡°Yawn-!!¡± I liked wonderful clothes, cool weapons, or telling stirring heroic tales, but what I liked the most at the end of the day was to fall asleep . Especially for sleep that closed out a day like today, which was hectic, to say the least . I pulled the duvet right up until my neck and slowly drifted into my slumber while being embraced in this wonderful warmth . But then, just as the sleepiness sneaked its way closer and carried me off to the land of dreams, someone suddenly began shaking my shoulders! How dare he?! How dare anyone try to disrupt the sweet slumber of Commander Fangs?! My eyes shot wide open as I got ready to rip the idiot apart . ¡°¡­?¡± Igrit Marshal-nim was quietly looking at me from near my head . ¡°I love you, Marshal-nim . ¡± ¡°¡­ . I am also grateful for your sincere loyalty . ¡± ¡°By the way¡­ . What brings you here, Marshal-nim?¡± I pushed my upper torso up and Igrit Marshal-nim pointed to the distant sky above . ¡°It¡¯s about to begin . Didn¡¯t we, the Commander-grade soldiers that serve our liege from close by, agree to cheer him on when the time came?¡± ¡°Heok!!¡± I kicked the duvet off and hurriedly jumped up before raising my head towards the sky . Like a gigantic movie theatre, the sky morphed into a screen to share what our liege was viewing to the rest of us . ¡°Finally, is our liege about to meet Lady Hae-In?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct . ¡± ¡°Uwohohohot!!¡± So moved by the fact that I was allowed to share this historical moment together with my liege, I ended up crying out loudly . The rest of the Shadow Soldiers cheering on our liege then also raised their arms high up and roared out as well . Waaaahhhh-!!! When our liege¡¯s heart pounded away, ours would pound away as well . I too raised my arms up high and joined in the chorus of soldiers¡¯ roars . Waaaah-!! My heart was beating really loud now . < Chapter 256 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 256: Chapter 256 Side Story 13. 7 . A day in Fangs¡¯ life. Gooood morning!!. ¡­ . Was what I¡¯d like to say, but there was no distinction between day and night in the world of shadows . So, I simply stretched my limbs without saying anything after waking up from my nap Yawn-!!. The sleep one could get inside this place, the ¡®territory of eternal rest¡¯, was absolutely the best, no two ways about it . Honestly speaking, the majority of the Shadow Army¡¯s soldiers would spend most of their downtime sleeping until our liege summons us I should be seen on the side of those who enjoyed napping, but today was a very important day and I just had to rouse myself up . Soldiers stretching their muscles to get ready for the day discovered me and began bowing their heads to greet me ¡°Oh, hello, Fangs-nim . ¡±. ¡°Sure, sure . ¡±. ¡°Good day to you, Commander Fangs . ¡±. ¡°Right, right . ¡±. I didn¡¯t want to show it, but heck, I couldn¡¯t help but feel good when this happened I came under my liege¡¯s wings relatively early compared to some other soldiers and after my various accomplishments were recognised, I now found myself in the position to command all the magic-wielding soldiers in the army The hierarchy within the Shadow Army was determined by how trusted one was by our liege, and that was why Ancient-grade Dragons were paying their respects to a mere High Orc Shaman like myself!. My Sovereign-nim, hooray!!. My exalted and great Shadow Sovereign-nim, hooray!!. ¡®Tsk, tsk¡­ . ¡¯. I ended up shouting out three cheers towards my liege again today due to the overwhelming gratitude I felt . While feeling happy and content, I headed towards the portion of the army comprising of ant soldiers Quite unlike other Shadow Soldiers, these ants didn¡¯t seem to enjoy napping and were always doing something or rather to keep themselves busy . After finding me visiting their territory, they began bowing their heads in greetings ¡°Huh-huhuh¡­ . ¡±. I half-heartedly accepted their greetings and quickened my walking pace . If I were to be honest, I felt a wee bit scared by these ant soldiers, even though we were on the same side Because, well, not only were they the most vicious and cruel of all the Shadow Soldiers, but they were also scarily diligent with their given tasks, too Kkiieek!. Kkiiiahk!. Whenever these ants screeched out those sounds containing meanings that were lost on me, I couldn¡¯t help but flinch my shoulders just a little ¡®If it isn¡¯t Beru Marshal-nim, just who would be capable of commanding this lot¡­ . ?¡¯. Thankfully, Beru Marshal-nim in question must¡¯ve read my mind, because I didn¡¯t have to walk far to meet him, who had graciously come out to greet me as well When our gazes met, though, his shoulders began quivering ominously ¡°Kiieehehehehehet . ¡±. ¡°Ehehehehe . ¡±. ¡°Kii-hahahahahat!¡±. ¡°Ehehehehehet!!¡±. We stood face to face while laughing to our hearts¡¯ content Judging from the expression on Beru-nim¡¯s face, a very satisfactory item must¡¯ve been created . So, it was only obvious that a big smile would form on my own face too, as it was me who entrusted the creation of that item to him in the first place Beru-nim quickly approached me and then, showed me the ¡®item¡¯ hidden behind his back ¡°So, what do you think?¡±. I was so moved by my emotions that I ended up exclaiming out loudly ¡°Hoh!!¡±. The item that I requested Beru-nim who possessed excellent crafting skills, with its creation even at the risk of inconveniencing him! A robe with a hood attached that resembled what our liege wore not too long ago had been completed and was waiting for me ¡°Kii-hehehehet!¡±. ¡°Ehehehehet!¡±. I threw off the robe on my body right away and put on the brand new one Beru-nim handed over The best!!. Was there a need for any other description than these two words?. I couldn¡¯t control my overflowing, heightened emotions and addressed Beru-nim with an abashed voice ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine how should I go about repaying you for this, Marshal-nim¡­¡±. ¡°Keh-hehehet . How can I turn a blind eye to your wish to become more like our liege? As long as you¡¯re happy, it¡¯s all good . ¡±. ¡°Yes, I am truly happy . So much so that I¡¯m almost tempted to make it a duty of every Magic Soldier to wear this robe, Marshal-nim . ¡±. ¡°Kii-hahahahahat!¡±. ¡°Uwehehehehet!¡±. Beru-nim couldn¡¯t control his laughter for a long time, but then, he fixed his gaze on me as if he had discovered something else ¡°That thing¡­ . Wouldn¡¯t it be better to turn that item into a staff rather than walking around with it in your hand?¡±. What Beru-nim was pointing at was the ¡®Bead of Avarice¡¯ I carried in my right hand most of the time ¡°Heuh¡­ . Does that mean I can entrust you for this one as well¡­ . ?¡±. I was sheepish, but still, I presented the Bead, but Beru-nim raised his hand to stop me ¡°I can¡¯t help you with magical artefacts . Unless you bring me a living kin of the bearded Dwarves, then the story might change . ¡±. ¡°Ah¡­ . I see . ¡±. ¡°Since we¡¯re talking about it, how about entrusting the job with the bearded Dwarves? They might be pretty terrible at warfare, but they are still talented artisans, aren¡¯t they?¡±. ¡°¡­ ¡±. I rubbed my chin and pondered this dilemma, and eventually, nodded my head ¡°That is a good idea, Marshal-nim . ¡±. ¡°Kii-hehehehet!¡±. I bowed my waist 90 degrees to express my gratitude towards Beru-nim and his excellent work, before quickly making my way out of the ant¡¯s area . This time, my steps took me to the area populated by my friends, the Dragons We grew quite close after comparing our firepower, you see . I explained to them my circumstances, and they willingly stepped forward to lend me aid . I chose the smallest of my friends and climbed up on his back There was only one reason why I chose this guy . Well, I was cursed with short legs so if I mounted a friend with a bigger body, I might have to suffer through the terrible pain of my groin being torn in half, that¡¯s why Soon, my Dragon friend flapped its wings and flew up in the air . I pointed in the direction where the bearded Dwarves were residing We were currently inside the world of eternal rest . It was wide enough to be called infinite, and on top of that, there were ten million soldiers residing here, so some places could only be accessed after borrowing the abilities of my friends like this Flap, flap¡­ As the Dragon friend flew rapidly to our destination, I sneaked a glance below us and oh boy, there sure were lots of soldiers below us ¡®There is¡­ Grand-Marshal-nim . ¡¯. Slap, slap!!. ¡°Stand up straight, Titans!!¡±. Currently, Bellion Grand-Marshal-nim was using his long sword that could be manipulated by one¡¯s mind like a whip to properly re-educate the newest additions to the army The newbies must¡¯ve been fairly renowned back in their own world and that resulted in them still being influenced by their old habits, which meant that Grand-Marshal-nim would have to strictly discipline them for a little while longer ¡°¡­ . Ah!¡±. Bellion-nim discovered me and my Dragon friend in the air and waved his hand at us, necessitating me to hurriedly bow my head to him as well After we flew past the location of the newbie training area, I spotted Igrit-nim . He was so immersed in studying that he failed to notice a Dragon flying above his head . We couldn¡¯t disturb Igrit Marshal-nim when he was being like this, so we did our best to get out of there as quietly as possible Kii-ahhk!. Once we put the areas with Marshal-nims behind us, my Dragon friend unfurled its wings even wider and increased his speed A truly wonderful scenery greeted us!. Countless Shadow Soldiers, now no bigger than ants in our eyes, went past in a blur below us Soldiers that were asleep; soldiers that were in the middle of training; soldiers noisily chatting away; soldiers playing cards to while away time; and even those soldiers busy grabbing at each other¡¯s collars, their voices getting louder still¡­ What a colourful bunch they were Indeed, soldiers of all varieties could be seen below my feet . It wasn¡¯t originally like this, however We were psychically connected to our liege¡¯s mind, and as his powers grew stronger and stronger, we began to grow closer in personality to him, as well . Meaning, we who only knew and desired wanton destruction were gradually learning more about our liege¡¯s human side The process of many new and different emotions of a human filling up our once-empty chests was quite a refreshing experience, that¡¯s for sure When our liege¡¯s heart begins to pound, even our hearts would go on a riot alongside it I liked my liege very much I could only express my gratitude to my liege who had shown me a new world that I never ever imagined experiencing before My Sovereign-nim, hooray!!. My exalted and great Shadow Sovereign-nim¡­ ¡®Eh?¡¯. While I was unconsciously exalting my liege after being moved by my emotions once more, we had already arrived at the area populated by the kins of the bearded Dwarves Perhaps fitting for our comrades that enjoyed crafting things, they had managed to construct a proper village, what with houses and smithies, as well as other buildings dotting the landscape Flap, flap After my Dragon friend landed on the ground, I cautiously stepped down, my toes wiggling and searching for solid footing ¡°F-Fangs Commander-nim!¡±. ¡°Commander-nim?¡±. The bearded Dwarves discovered my sudden, unannounced visit and quickly gathered around before politely bowing their heads . I was pretty sure that they were flustered by my presence, since it would be very rare for a Commander to come visit this far-flung ¡®frontier¡¯ area I politely explained what my situation was to these very courteous folks . When I was finished, their Elder replied with a bright expression ¡°Ah, I see¡­ . Please, leave it to us . As a matter of fact, we were troubled by the fact that we couldn¡¯t find a good place to use the divine timber our liege had bestowed upon us . ¡±. ¡°Hoh-oh!¡±. It seemed that the right material had been prepared already While I was being treated to a cup of warm tea at the residence of the Elder, other artisans gathered together to craft my new weapon ¡°What do you think, Commander-nim?¡±. The Elder confidently presented a cool-looking staff and I cried out as another bout of emotions overwhelmed me ¡°Hoh-ohhhhh!!¡±. I had no choice but to carry around the Bead of Avarice in my hand, but that beautiful thing glowing in bright crimson hue was now decorating the end of this great staff ¡°Very good! It¡¯s wonderful!¡±. My mood lifted up so much that I almost flew away from there . And as I took hold of the staff and assumed several different poses, the corners of the Elder¡¯s lips curled up ¡°The word wonderful would better suit the robe you¡¯re wearing right now instead of the staff, Commander-nim!¡±. ¡°Uwehehehehehet! I see that you too have a great sense of fashion!¡±. I was able to leave the residential area of the kins of bearded Dwarves in utter satisfaction . I watched them wave their hands to bade me goodbye and raised my thumb up real high as my reply If, in the distant future, my liege asked me about the coolness of this staff, then I swore in my heart to mention their hard work in crafting this item I went back the way I came and returned to the area of the Magic Soldiers . The first thing I did was to summon all the Magic Soldiers under my command and showed off my new robe and weapon combo ¡°It¡¯s really cool, Fangs-nim!¡±. ¡°It¡¯s the best!¡±. ¡°I can¡¯t stop my tears from gushing out, Fangs Commander-nim!¡±. Rather obviously, praises kept pouring in from everywhere . It was the romance of all Magic Soldiers to wear cool-looking robes and hold cool-looking staffs, after all!. ¡°Uwuhuhuhuhut!!¡±. I magnanimously shared my joy with the rest of the Magic Soldiers, and then, gifted the highest-quality robe I used to wear until recently to this one particular soldier busy clapping his hands who said a moment or two ago that he couldn¡¯t stop crying ¡°Thank you, thank you, Commander-nim!!¡±. ¡°Uwuhuhuhuhut!!¡±. He was expressing his joy with his entire body and I lightly patted his shoulders . But it was at this point that my eyes caught the sight of a few big guys that I hadn¡¯t seen before ¡°And who you guys might be?¡±. The giants made out of rocks scratched the backs of their heads, and one of them spoke to me in an awkward voice ¡°Bellion-nim ordered us to come to this place . ¡±. ¡®Ah, ah . I see . ¡¯. It seemed that there were a few Magic Soldiers among the ranks of the new additions to the army . But then again, wouldn¡¯t such a big guy shooting magic spells around be a waste of his hulking¡­ . No, hang on a minute, that wasn¡¯t something I could say with a straight face, now was it?. In any case There was this one process that all newbie Magic Soldiers had to go through if they were to be put under my command ¡°There, there . Other Magic Soldiers, you¡¯re dismissed for the time being . The newbies, settle down there for a second . ¡±. The rocky giants were so well disciplined that they politely knelt down on the spot and quietly waited for me ¡°From now on, I shall describe in detail what I¡¯ve accomplished during the first battle our liege fought against the horrifying enemy called the Dragon Emperor, and then, every achievement I earned during the ensuing battle within the gap between dimensions . Listen well, and then¡­ ¡±. After I finished telling them the lengthy tale of my unforgettable history, I had the newbies still stewing in admiration towards me return to their respective posts . It was then that I realised my day had come to an end I sensed the encroaching embrace of Lady Sleep, so I unfurled the bedding, lied down on it, and let out an almighty yawn ¡°Yawn-!!¡±. I liked wonderful clothes, cool weapons, or telling stirring heroic tales, but what I liked the most at the end of the day was to fall asleep . Especially for sleep that closed out a day like today, which was hectic, to say the least I pulled the duvet right up until my neck and slowly drifted into my slumber while being embraced in this wonderful warmth . But then, just as the sleepiness sneaked its way closer and carried me off to the land of dreams, someone suddenly began shaking my shoulders!. How dare he?!. How dare anyone try to disrupt the sweet slumber of Commander Fangs?! My eyes shot wide open as I got ready to rip the idiot apart ¡°¡­?¡±. Igrit Marshal-nim was quietly looking at me from near my head ¡°I love you, Marshal-nim . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . I am also grateful for your sincere loyalty . ¡±. ¡°By the way¡­ . What brings you here, Marshal-nim?¡±. I pushed my upper torso up and Igrit Marshal-nim pointed to the distant sky above ¡°It¡¯s about to begin . Didn¡¯t we, the Commander-grade soldiers that serve our liege from close by, agree to cheer him on when the time came?¡±. ¡°Heok!!¡±. I kicked the duvet off and hurriedly jumped up before raising my head towards the sky . Like a gigantic movie theatre, the sky morphed into a screen to share what our liege was viewing to the rest of us ¡°Finally, is our liege about to meet Lady Hae-In?¡±. ¡°That¡¯s correct . ¡±. ¡°Uwohohohot!!¡±. So moved by the fact that I was allowed to share this historical moment together with my liege, I ended up crying out loudly . The rest of the Shadow Soldiers cheering on our liege then also raised their arms high up and roared out as well Waaaahhhh-!!!. When our liege¡¯s heart pounded away, ours would pound away as well . I too raised my arms up high and joined in the chorus of soldiers¡¯ roars Waaaah-!!. My heart was beating really loud now < Chapter 256 > Fin Chapter 257 Side Story 14 8 . Only I¡¯m Max Level Antares was my name . I was the ¡®First Sovereign¡¯ born from the darkness, as well as the ¡®Strongest Sovereign¡¯ . I was the king that lorded over all Dragon-kind, an existence that signified terror and destruction . That¡¯s right . All those who knew me referred to me as the ¡®Dragon Emperor¡¯ as a sign of respect and awe . However, something strange happened . On a certain day, as I was getting ready to invade the planet called ¡®Earth¡¯ alongside the ten million-strong soldiers within our hideout inside the gap between dimensions¡­ . ¡­ . I opened my eyes to discover that I was now occupying the body of a human being . ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯ And rather inexplicably, I seemed to have retained all the memories of this human, as well . I quickly found a mirror in the corner of the room and took a look at myself, only to emit a shocked gasp . ¡®What¡¯s this? Why does this human¡¯s face look so feeble?¡¯ Hah-ah, how pitifully pathetic this man was . The name of this human was Seong Jin-Woo, a young man acting as a rank E Hunter in a nation called the Republic of Korea . It seemed that this human never gave up on being a Hunter, even though his pathetic level of abilities drove him to the moments of near death quite often . ¡®His reason is¡­ . his mother¡¯s illness?¡¯ Just as I began thinking to myself that such a measly little illness would be healed in an instant with my magic, the human¡¯s mobile phone suddenly began vibrating loudly . Vrrr¡­ . Vrrr¡­ . I discovered the miniature electronic device angrily vibrating on top of a desk and picked it up . When I did, I was greeted by an urgent female voice coming from the other side of the phone line . ¨C ¡°Seong Hunter-nim, where are you? It¡¯s almost the raid time, yet you still haven¡¯t arrived yet¡­ . ¡± I tried to match this voice to the memories of my human body and soon, came across a result of ¡®Hunter¡¯s Association Employee¡¯ . ¡®Hmph . ¡¯ I was thinking of ending this call which was answered purely out of this body¡¯s habitual reaction, but then, what this female said towards the end got on my nerves somewhat . ¨C ¡°Are you going to be late again?¡± ¡®¡­ . . !!!¡¯ Being ¡®late¡¯ . The action of failing to meet the promised deadline because one lacked the ability to arrive on time . Meaning, this female just dared to ask me, the mighty ¡®Dragon Emperor¡¯ and the personification of omnipotent powers, that I¡¯d do something which was the very symbol of incompetence . Since this was completely unacceptable, rage quickly filled up my eyes . ¡°You¡­ . Where are you right now?¡± ¨C ¡°What do you mean, where? We are right in front of the Gate, you know . And why did you suddenly stop using the polite speech all of a sudden, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?¡± I concentrated for a bit to find the exact location where this insolent female was speaking from . My sensory perception spread out to envelop the entire city and soon enough, I found her coordinates . ¡°Found you . ¡± ¨C ¡°Pardon? What do you mean by you foun¡­ . ¡± Click . The location was about 11 kilometres away in the human distance measuring system, and since it wasn¡¯t too far, I ran with all my might and arrived there in only a couple of seconds . And then, I stopped right in front of that female Association employee as she began lowering the phone away from her ear, now that the call had been disconnected . ¡°Now, am I still late, woman?¡± ¡°H-Hunter-nim?!¡± Perhaps she had sensed just a tiny fraction of my limitless power, because she began backpedalling with a deeply frightened expression etched on her face . I reached out and grabbed her shoulders as to make sure she¡¯d not get away and asked her again . ¡°Tell me . Am I being tardy now?¡± ¡°N-no, not at all . ¡± ¡°Very good . ¡± I released her as a look of satisfaction floated up on my face . I then swept my gaze around the surroundings to find a group of Hunters raising a bit of fuss . Rather than focusing on these unremarkable individuals and their forgettable faces, I focused on the distinct aroma rising up from the paper cups they were holding at the moment . ¡°Coffee¡­ . I also want to drink coffee . ¡± I turned around to look at the female employee with her rapidly-paling complexion, and she bowed her waist with all of her heart . ¡°I-I¡¯m truly sorry, Hunter-nim . We ran out of coffee just now¡­ . . ¡± ¡°It¡¯s not an issue . ¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Even before she had the chance to raise her bowed heard, I walked over to the closest human and snatched his paper cup away . ¡°W-what are you doing?!¡± Gulp, gulp . I swallowed the sweet liquid in one go and formed a crumpled expression, causing the flustered man who lost his coffee to me to jump up in fright and quickly flee from there . ¡°Hahah!!¡± The one possessing great powers would take away what the weak possessed, that was the way of the Sovereigns . It seemed that such logic also applied to humans and that certainly made me feel rather refreshed . ¡°Mister Seong¡­ . Isn¡¯t he acting a little bit weird today?¡± ¡°Yes, his eyes today are a bit¡­ . ¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been getting this really creepy, eerie feeling from him since he showed up here . ¡± Other Hunters were murmuring amongst themselves behind my back, but there was no reason to pay heed to the opinions of these lowly humans anyway, so I outright ignored them . ¡°There, there . Since everyone is here, let¡¯s get started . ¡± While the Hunters began stretching their muscles to get ready for the raid, I shifted my gaze towards the ¡®Gate¡¯ that these people were scheduled to enter . ¡®¡­ . ¡¯ That place, it¡­ was quite suspicious . The Gates that appeared on Earth were, without a doubt, the ploy of the Rulers, yet¡­ . Why was I picking up the aura of a Sovereign from there? There was a need to investigate this . I glared at the Gate with eyes as sharp as a hawk and stood behind the Hunters getting ready to enter . ¡°I¡¯m coming along . ¡± ¡°O-of course, you do need to come with us, Hunter Seong . ¡± Perhaps they too had detected the eerie, chilling atmosphere oozing out from the interior of the Gate, because the Hunters were forming flustered expressions as well . I accompanied them and stepped past the portal . *** Pow, bang, boom, thud!! As I began pummelling the fake monsters placed here to hide the real purpose of this dungeon into oblivion, other Hunters began showing me their respect . ¡°Isn¡¯t Mister Seong acting seriously weird today??¡± ¡°No, well¡­ . Maybe the monsters of this dungeon are just too weak¡­?¡± ¡°But, I can¡¯t see his movements . My eyes can¡¯t follow Mister Seong at all¡­ . ¡± I took care of all the monsters in an instant and finally discovered a suspicious entrance . ¡°We go through here . ¡± ¡°Hold on, we need to take a vote to decide on such issues¡­¡± This man didn¡¯t get to finish his sentence . Because he lost his consciousness from a single hit from me . Plop . I looked down at the collapsed old man before scanning the rest of the Hunters . ¡°Anyone else want to take a vote?¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± The decision to enter the passage was unanimous . We walked the seemingly-infinite corridor and finally arrived at the giant door at the end . ¡°But, how can there be a door at the end of the cave?¡± ¡°Has there ever been a boss room with a doorway before?¡± ¡°No, this is a first¡­ . ¡± ¡°This¡­ wouldn¡¯t this be too dangerous?¡± Noisy, noisy¡­ . The Hunters didn¡¯t bother to hide their high level of anxiety . I too had detected the truly scary aura leaking out from the interior and agreed with their opinion that things could get dangerous . That was why as soon as I opened the door, I grabbed the collar of a Hunter standing at the front of the pack and lightly tossed him inside . ¡°U-uwahk?!¡± The thrown idiot flailed about unsightly on the floor, but contrary to initial worries, nothing happened . Only after confirming that it was safe to enter, I strode right in . The vast open interior waiting for me was decorated like an ancient temple . ¡°W-what is this place??¡± Other Hunters belatedly entered behind me and began searching around, but they were wasting their time doing that . I closed my eyes for a brief moment and focused my senses; soon, I discovered the b*stard that was basically the true puppeteer of this place . ¡°It¡¯s that one over there . ¡± Hunters quickly gathered in front of an angel statue holding a stone tablet that I pointed at . ¡°Looks like something is written on the tablet?¡± ¡°Uh, uh? It¡¯s the Rune letters!¡± It seemed that a Hunter capable of reading the Rune letters were not present among us, so I read it out loud for them, instead . ¡°The Laws of the Karutenon Temple . ¡± When I did, though, someone suddenly pulled at my arm . I looked behind me only to find a young girl with a completely pale complexion standing there . ¡°T-the god statue over there, it¡­ . ¡± ¡°Unhand me . ¡± I shook off the girl¡¯s hands and continued to read down the stone tablet . ¡°One, worship the god . Two, exalt the god . Three, prove your piety . Those who do not keep to these laws shall not leave this place alive . ¡± It was at that exact moment two beams of crimson light shot out from the eyes of the gigantic god statue sitting in a corner over there . Zzzziiinnng-!! I didn¡¯t even bother to dodge or block those beams and simply stood up proudly to clash face-to-face with the attack . ¡°You dare to belittle this Emperor with so little power?!¡± I ridiculed the destructive power of the beams that didn¡¯t even come anywhere remotely close to that of the Breath fired by an Ancient-grade Dragon, before stepping forward to display what true destruction looked like . Kwahaaaaaaahhh-!! The ¡®Breath of Destruction¡¯ fired out in a straight line from my mouth completely blew away the head of the god statue . ¡°Now that is true power . ¡± That served as the starting signal . The statues lining up the walls of the temple like some decorations began rushing towards me while ignoring other Hunters . ¡°Keuh-hahahahaha!!¡± What a bunch of arrogant dolls! With nothing but my bare hands, I began smashing apart the heads of the statues pouncing at me one by one . Boom! Bang! Boom! Kwa-jeeck! Ka-boom!! ¡°Too slow!! So slow!¡± Hunters quickly lowered themselves to the floor in order to dodge the debris flying all over the place . Some of them even began crying out, too . ¡°Why! Why does it feel like there was another way?!¡± ¡°What was up with those laws or whatever just now?!¡± Even before their desperate cries could come to an end, most of the statues were turned into nothing more than shattered rubble by my hands . It was only obvious, but well, they didn¡¯t even serve their role as a proper warm-up for me . ¡°Is that all you have??¡± The angel statue with the stone tablet suddenly rose up from its seat and loudly shouted out, perhaps incensed by the fact that all of its careful preparation had been rendered useless by my power . [Y-you b*stard, just what is your iden¡­ . . ] ¡°Silence!¡± I yanked the spear loose from the grip of a broken statue and threw it straight at the angel . In less than a blink, the spear penetrated through the neck of the b*stard and it collapsed down to the floor . I didn¡¯t come here to converse with a fake . What I wanted to bring out was the true figure hidden behind the scenes! ¡°Reveal yourself, you coward!¡± I got rid of all the hindrances and roared out loudly, and that prompted the headless god statue to quietly raise itself up off its throne . Indeed, that¡¯s better . The corners of my lips curled up as the sensation of boiling blood coursed throughout this body . The god statue strode closer and stopped right before me to look down . [The Sovereign of Destruction, our paths were fated to cross like this . Here, in this place, I shall put an end to our ill-fated relationship!] ¡°Ha-ha!! Now that is an excellent idea!¡± The god statue was rapidly enveloped in a jet-black aura and transformed into a gigantic shadow, and I unleashed all of my strength in order to contend with that massive hunk of power . An ecstatic jolt coursed from the tip of my toes right up to the ends of my hair . ¡°Come!¡± Our battle would not end that easily! *** ¡°Heok?!¡± Jin-Woo hurriedly raised his upper torso from the bed . He spotted the familiar bed, familiar wallpapers, familiar ceiling, and his old computer . He quickly took a look around and finally realised that the place he woke up was in his own room . ¡®It was a dream?¡¯ It was a truly rubbish dream where he had become the Dragon Emperor . No, should he say that the Dragon Emperor became him, instead? ¡®Hold up¡­ . ¡¯ He hurriedly confirmed the current time with his smartphone and sighed in relief afterwards . There was still some time left before the beginning of the exams . ¡®Now that I think about it¡­ It¡¯s been four years already since I got rid of the Dragon Emperor . ¡¯ Time flew by in the blink of an eye, and here he was, scheduled to take the College Scholastic Ability Test later today . Him having a crap dream like this was good evidence of how tense he felt right now . Smirk . Jin-Woo chuckled helplessly for a moment there before getting up from the bed . Today, he¡¯d get to confirm the fruit of his hard work and determination of the past four years . He had already decided on which university he wanted to go to . Because this one person he just had to meet would attend that institution later on . ¡®What a relief that you aren¡¯t so good with studying, Jin-Ho . ¡¯ Yu Jin-Ho . Jin-Woo reminded himself of the name of the guy he dearly missed and pulled open the curtains covering up the windows to the side . The dusky aura of the dawn was gradually fading away outside . ¡®I shall go there first and wait for you . ¡¯ Jin-Woo breathed in the winds of the early morning entering through the open gap of his window while thinking about the reunion that¡¯d take place in the near future . It was at that moment when the door to his room was pushed open, accompanied by the loud, hurried footsteps . ¡°S-son, you know that today is the CSAT day, right?¡± ¡°Son, as your father, I can take you there, you know?¡± His parents couldn¡¯t catch a wink during the night, worried that their son might end up missing out on this all-important exam because he woke up a bit late today . Jin-Woo looked at their haggard faces and gently smiled while nodding his head . ¡°I¡¯m ready . ¡± [Let¡¯s go, my liege . ] Jin-Woo soon stepped out of his home as Igrit, sounding tense for some reason, spoke words of encouragement . What a refreshing morning this was . < Chapter 257 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 257: Chapter 257 Side Story 14. 8 . Only I¡¯m Max Level. Antares was my name I was the ¡®First Sovereign¡¯ born from the darkness, as well as the ¡®Strongest Sovereign¡¯ . I was the king that lorded over all Dragon-kind, an existence that signified terror and destruction That¡¯s right All those who knew me referred to me as the ¡®Dragon Emperor¡¯ as a sign of respect and awe However, something strange happened On a certain day, as I was getting ready to invade the planet called ¡®Earth¡¯ alongside the ten million-strong soldiers within our hideout inside the gap between dimensions¡­ ¡­ . I opened my eyes to discover that I was now occupying the body of a human being ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯. And rather inexplicably, I seemed to have retained all the memories of this human, as well . I quickly found a mirror in the corner of the room and took a look at myself, only to emit a shocked gasp ¡®What¡¯s this? Why does this human¡¯s face look so feeble?¡¯. Hah-ah, how pitifully pathetic this man was The name of this human was Seong Jin-Woo, a young man acting as a rank E Hunter in a nation called the Republic of Korea . It seemed that this human never gave up on being a Hunter, even though his pathetic level of abilities drove him to the moments of near death quite often ¡®His reason is¡­ . his mother¡¯s illness?¡¯. Just as I began thinking to myself that such a measly little illness would be healed in an instant with my magic, the human¡¯s mobile phone suddenly began vibrating loudly Vrrr¡­ . Vrrr¡­ I discovered the miniature electronic device angrily vibrating on top of a desk and picked it up . When I did, I was greeted by an urgent female voice coming from the other side of the phone line ¨C ¡°Seong Hunter-nim, where are you? It¡¯s almost the raid time, yet you still haven¡¯t arrived yet¡­ . ¡±. I tried to match this voice to the memories of my human body and soon, came across a result of ¡®Hunter¡¯s Association Employee¡¯ ¡®Hmph . ¡¯. I was thinking of ending this call which was answered purely out of this body¡¯s habitual reaction, but then, what this female said towards the end got on my nerves somewhat ¨C ¡°Are you going to be late again?¡±. ¡®¡­ !!!¡¯. Being ¡®late¡¯ The action of failing to meet the promised deadline because one lacked the ability to arrive on time . Meaning, this female just dared to ask me, the mighty ¡®Dragon Emperor¡¯ and the personification of omnipotent powers, that I¡¯d do something which was the very symbol of incompetence Since this was completely unacceptable, rage quickly filled up my eyes ¡°You¡­ . Where are you right now?¡±. ¨C ¡°What do you mean, where? We are right in front of the Gate, you know . And why did you suddenly stop using the polite speech all of a sudden, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?¡±. I concentrated for a bit to find the exact location where this insolent female was speaking from . My sensory perception spread out to envelop the entire city and soon enough, I found her coordinates ¡°Found you . ¡±. ¨C ¡°Pardon? What do you mean by you foun¡­ . ¡±. Click The location was about 11 kilometres away in the human distance measuring system, and since it wasn¡¯t too far, I ran with all my might and arrived there in only a couple of seconds And then, I stopped right in front of that female Association employee as she began lowering the phone away from her ear, now that the call had been disconnected ¡°Now, am I still late, woman?¡±. ¡°H-Hunter-nim?!¡±. Perhaps she had sensed just a tiny fraction of my limitless power, because she began backpedalling with a deeply frightened expression etched on her face I reached out and grabbed her shoulders as to make sure she¡¯d not get away and asked her again ¡°Tell me . Am I being tardy now?¡±. ¡°N-no, not at all . ¡±. ¡°Very good . ¡±. I released her as a look of satisfaction floated up on my face . I then swept my gaze around the surroundings to find a group of Hunters raising a bit of fuss Rather than focusing on these unremarkable individuals and their forgettable faces, I focused on the distinct aroma rising up from the paper cups they were holding at the moment ¡°Coffee¡­ . I also want to drink coffee . ¡±. I turned around to look at the female employee with her rapidly-paling complexion, and she bowed her waist with all of her heart ¡°I-I¡¯m truly sorry, Hunter-nim . We ran out of coffee just now¡­ ¡±. ¡°It¡¯s not an issue . ¡±. ¡°Pardon?¡±. Even before she had the chance to raise her bowed heard, I walked over to the closest human and snatched his paper cup away ¡°W-what are you doing?!¡±. Gulp, gulp I swallowed the sweet liquid in one go and formed a crumpled expression, causing the flustered man who lost his coffee to me to jump up in fright and quickly flee from there ¡°Hahah!!¡±. The one possessing great powers would take away what the weak possessed, that was the way of the Sovereigns . It seemed that such logic also applied to humans and that certainly made me feel rather refreshed ¡°Mister Seong¡­ . Isn¡¯t he acting a little bit weird today?¡±. ¡°Yes, his eyes today are a bit¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been getting this really creepy, eerie feeling from him since he showed up here . ¡±. Other Hunters were murmuring amongst themselves behind my back, but there was no reason to pay heed to the opinions of these lowly humans anyway, so I outright ignored them ¡°There, there . Since everyone is here, let¡¯s get started . ¡±. While the Hunters began stretching their muscles to get ready for the raid, I shifted my gaze towards the ¡®Gate¡¯ that these people were scheduled to enter ¡®¡­ . ¡¯. That place, it¡­ was quite suspicious The Gates that appeared on Earth were, without a doubt, the ploy of the Rulers, yet¡­ . Why was I picking up the aura of a Sovereign from there?. There was a need to investigate this . I glared at the Gate with eyes as sharp as a hawk and stood behind the Hunters getting ready to enter ¡°I¡¯m coming along . ¡±. ¡°O-of course, you do need to come with us, Hunter Seong . ¡±. Perhaps they too had detected the eerie, chilling atmosphere oozing out from the interior of the Gate, because the Hunters were forming flustered expressions as well . I accompanied them and stepped past the portal ***. Pow, bang, boom, thud!!. As I began pummelling the fake monsters placed here to hide the real purpose of this dungeon into oblivion, other Hunters began showing me their respect ¡°Isn¡¯t Mister Seong acting seriously weird today??¡±. ¡°No, well¡­ . Maybe the monsters of this dungeon are just too weak¡­?¡±. ¡°But, I can¡¯t see his movements . My eyes can¡¯t follow Mister Seong at all¡­ . ¡±. I took care of all the monsters in an instant and finally discovered a suspicious entrance ¡°We go through here . ¡±. ¡°Hold on, we need to take a vote to decide on such issues¡­¡±. This man didn¡¯t get to finish his sentence . Because he lost his consciousness from a single hit from me Plop I looked down at the collapsed old man before scanning the rest of the Hunters ¡°Anyone else want to take a vote?¡±. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. The decision to enter the passage was unanimous . We walked the seemingly-infinite corridor and finally arrived at the giant door at the end ¡°But, how can there be a door at the end of the cave?¡±. ¡°Has there ever been a boss room with a doorway before?¡±. ¡°No, this is a first¡­ . ¡±. ¡°This¡­ wouldn¡¯t this be too dangerous?¡±. Noisy, noisy¡­ The Hunters didn¡¯t bother to hide their high level of anxiety . I too had detected the truly scary aura leaking out from the interior and agreed with their opinion that things could get dangerous That was why as soon as I opened the door, I grabbed the collar of a Hunter standing at the front of the pack and lightly tossed him inside ¡°U-uwahk?!¡±. The thrown idiot flailed about unsightly on the floor, but contrary to initial worries, nothing happened . Only after confirming that it was safe to enter, I strode right in . The vast open interior waiting for me was decorated like an ancient temple ¡°W-what is this place??¡±. Other Hunters belatedly entered behind me and began searching around, but they were wasting their time doing that I closed my eyes for a brief moment and focused my senses; soon, I discovered the b*stard that was basically the true puppeteer of this place ¡°It¡¯s that one over there . ¡±. Hunters quickly gathered in front of an angel statue holding a stone tablet that I pointed at ¡°Looks like something is written on the tablet?¡±. ¡°Uh, uh? It¡¯s the Rune letters!¡±. It seemed that a Hunter capable of reading the Rune letters were not present among us, so I read it out loud for them, instead ¡°The Laws of the Karutenon Temple . ¡±. When I did, though, someone suddenly pulled at my arm . I looked behind me only to find a young girl with a completely pale complexion standing there ¡°T-the god statue over there, it¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Unhand me . ¡±. I shook off the girl¡¯s hands and continued to read down the stone tablet ¡°One, worship the god . Two, exalt the god . Three, prove your piety . Those who do not keep to these laws shall not leave this place alive . ¡±. It was at that exact moment two beams of crimson light shot out from the eyes of the gigantic god statue sitting in a corner over there Zzzziiinnng-!!. I didn¡¯t even bother to dodge or block those beams and simply stood up proudly to clash face-to-face with the attack ¡°You dare to belittle this Emperor with so little power?!¡±. I ridiculed the destructive power of the beams that didn¡¯t even come anywhere remotely close to that of the Breath fired by an Ancient-grade Dragon, before stepping forward to display what true destruction looked like Kwahaaaaaaahhh-!!. The ¡®Breath of Destruction¡¯ fired out in a straight line from my mouth completely blew away the head of the god statue ¡°Now that is true power . ¡±. That served as the starting signal . The statues lining up the walls of the temple like some decorations began rushing towards me while ignoring other Hunters ¡°Keuh-hahahahaha!!¡±. What a bunch of arrogant dolls!. With nothing but my bare hands, I began smashing apart the heads of the statues pouncing at me one by one Boom! Bang! Boom! Kwa-jeeck! Ka-boom!!. ¡°Too slow!! So slow!¡±. Hunters quickly lowered themselves to the floor in order to dodge the debris flying all over the place . Some of them even began crying out, too ¡°Why! Why does it feel like there was another way?!¡±. ¡°What was up with those laws or whatever just now?!¡±. Even before their desperate cries could come to an end, most of the statues were turned into nothing more than shattered rubble by my hands . It was only obvious, but well, they didn¡¯t even serve their role as a proper warm-up for me ¡°Is that all you have??¡±. The angel statue with the stone tablet suddenly rose up from its seat and loudly shouted out, perhaps incensed by the fact that all of its careful preparation had been rendered useless by my power [Y-you b*stard, just what is your iden¡­ ]. ¡°Silence!¡±. I yanked the spear loose from the grip of a broken statue and threw it straight at the angel . In less than a blink, the spear penetrated through the neck of the b*stard and it collapsed down to the floor I didn¡¯t come here to converse with a fake . What I wanted to bring out was the true figure hidden behind the scenes!. ¡°Reveal yourself, you coward!¡±. I got rid of all the hindrances and roared out loudly, and that prompted the headless god statue to quietly raise itself up off its throne Indeed, that¡¯s better The corners of my lips curled up as the sensation of boiling blood coursed throughout this body . The god statue strode closer and stopped right before me to look down [The Sovereign of Destruction, our paths were fated to cross like this . Here, in this place, I shall put an end to our ill-fated relationship!]. ¡°Ha-ha!! Now that is an excellent idea!¡±. The god statue was rapidly enveloped in a jet-black aura and transformed into a gigantic shadow, and I unleashed all of my strength in order to contend with that massive hunk of power An ecstatic jolt coursed from the tip of my toes right up to the ends of my hair ¡°Come!¡±. Our battle would not end that easily!. ***. ¡°Heok?!¡±. Jin-Woo hurriedly raised his upper torso from the bed He spotted the familiar bed, familiar wallpapers, familiar ceiling, and his old computer . He quickly took a look around and finally realised that the place he woke up was in his own room ¡®It was a dream?¡¯. It was a truly rubbish dream where he had become the Dragon Emperor . No, should he say that the Dragon Emperor became him, instead?. ¡®Hold up¡­ . ¡¯. He hurriedly confirmed the current time with his smartphone and sighed in relief afterwards . There was still some time left before the beginning of the exams ¡®Now that I think about it¡­ It¡¯s been four years already since I got rid of the Dragon Emperor . ¡¯. Time flew by in the blink of an eye, and here he was, scheduled to take the College Scholastic Ability Test later today . Him having a crap dream like this was good evidence of how tense he felt right now Smirk Jin-Woo chuckled helplessly for a moment there before getting up from the bed . Today, he¡¯d get to confirm the fruit of his hard work and determination of the past four years He had already decided on which university he wanted to go to . Because this one person he just had to meet would attend that institution later on ¡®What a relief that you aren¡¯t so good with studying, Jin-Ho . ¡¯. Yu Jin-Ho Jin-Woo reminded himself of the name of the guy he dearly missed and pulled open the curtains covering up the windows to the side . The dusky aura of the dawn was gradually fading away outside ¡®I shall go there first and wait for you . ¡¯. Jin-Woo breathed in the winds of the early morning entering through the open gap of his window while thinking about the reunion that¡¯d take place in the near future . It was at that moment when the door to his room was pushed open, accompanied by the loud, hurried footsteps ¡°S-son, you know that today is the CSAT day, right?¡±. ¡°Son, as your father, I can take you there, you know?¡±. His parents couldn¡¯t catch a wink during the night, worried that their son might end up missing out on this all-important exam because he woke up a bit late today . Jin-Woo looked at their haggard faces and gently smiled while nodding his head ¡°I¡¯m ready . ¡±. [Let¡¯s go, my liege . ]. Jin-Woo soon stepped out of his home as Igrit, sounding tense for some reason, spoke words of encouragement What a refreshing morning this was < Chapter 257 > Fin Chapter 258 Side Story 15 9 . I''m going there to meet you right now (1) The United States of America, inside the official residence of the nation''s president ¨C the White House . Several bigshots gathered in this iconic white building created for the President of the U . S . of A to live and work . " . . . . " Every single one of these important government officials occupying a spot inside the briefing room all carried tense expressions . Among them, one person carried the gloomiest expression . The American President continued to rub his face, wondering over and over again if he had made the right call . ''Rifts formed on an empty sky, and unidentified objects began appearing from there . '' It was an unprecedented historical event . But, was it the right thing to handle this incredible event without saying a word to the public at large? No, before that, did they even possess the capability to deal with ''the objects that came out'' from there? All he could do was anxiously wait for the arrival of the commander in charge of the operation . And, when the entrance to the conference room opened up and General Chester Harrison entered, the President quickly got up from his seat to welcome the military man . "Harrison, just what the hell happened back there?" The final report sent in from the location of the event was . . . - The situation has been normalised . I repeat, the situation this side has been normalised . ¡­ . That report, sadly enough, lacked the most important ''how'' of that normalisation process . That was why so many bigshots, including the POTUS himself, were nervously waiting for the arrival of the military man inside this conference room . Chester mouthed a brief greeting to his boss and scanned the room for a short while, and stood in front of the room . "Rather than me trying to describe the situation to you, it''ll be far quicker to play the video contained in here . " What he was holding was a small USB stick . The President grew curious about its contents in an instant and hurriedly nodded his head . Not just him, though, but everyone present within the room was staring at the tense-faced general''s hand . He slotted the USB stick in the terminal and video footage began playing on the giant screen installed on the wall of the conference room . "This is the footage captured by the surveillance drones and robots . " Chester Harrison spoke those short introductory words and stood beside the screen while swallowing down his own nervous saliva . He couldn''t even begin to imagine how these folks would react to the footage about to be played . Well, he''d seen it several times before coming here, and he was still unsure how to take it, even now . However, what was really important here was that it did happen . The evidence of that was contained within this USB drive, and as the commander in charge of this operation, it was his duty to reveal it to this gathering of higher-ups . The beginning of the footage started off with the ''cracks'' in the sky . "Keu-heum . . . . " "Huh-uh!" Several gasps of shocks came from here and there as giants seemingly made out of rocks emerged from the rift reminiscent of dimension itself shattering away . If it weren''t for the heads-up they received in regards to the existence of those bizarre creatures, the inside of the conference room would''ve descended into pure chaos by now . But the truly shocking scene happened after that . In front of terrifying giants, ones so scary that you''d forget to even breathe while looking at them, stood the lone figure of a person . ''Judging from his body size . . . . a boy?'' ''An East Asian, maybe?'' The Secretary of Defense couldn''t hold it back anymore and pointed at the screen while asking his questions . "That man!! Who is that man?? Where were our troops, Harrison? And why was there a civilian standing in the middle of those creatures?!" It was as he said; this footage wasn''t a record that everyone in this room was expecting to see in which the mightiest army on Earth ¨C the American military ¨C smashed apart and drove back the creatures of another world . No, this video was all about a lone, nameless man whose face they couldn''t even see . With excellent timing, the screen now showed pitch-black ''soldiers'' suddenly rising up from the ground behind that lone man . General Chester Harrison, his gaze fixed to the screen until then, spoke as if he was letting out a pained moan . " . . . . I''d like to know that myself as well . " *** "Does it look like I''m alone to you?" When those words came to an end, nearly ten million Shadow Soldiers simultaneously lined up right behind Jin-Woo . The number of Titans that emerged from the rift in the sky was around several hundred . So, it was ten million versus a few hundred . In any other normal circumstances, the ''ten million'' should''ve easily overwhelmed the opposition with this number . The problem today, however, was the fact that each Titan possessed powers equal to that of higher existences . Ba-thump, ba-thump!! Facing a battle for the first time in a long while, Jin-Woo''s heart began pounding away quite loudly . He sent a mental communication to Fangs, currently in charge of commanding all the Magic Soldiers . - How are your preparations going so far? [There is no problem on this side, my liege . ] Not just Fangs, but all of the Magic Soldiers were entrusted with performing and maintaining magic spells to minimise the shock waves that no doubt would be generated by this battle . He had no choice but to do this, since this world had no Mana, and it was simply far too fragile as it currently was . Also, the uninvited guests came here with the purpose of literally devouring this planet, so they wouldn''t go about flinging around unnecessarily powerful magic spells, either . Inevitably, the battle about to take place would be a confrontation involving physical powers between allies and enemy forces . A contest of pure raw strength, in other words . - Good . Thankfully, he didn''t dislike such a type of fighting, to begin with . A smirk formed on Jin-Woo''s lips . One of the Titans completely misinterpreted the meaning behind that smirk and in the blink of an eye, smashed its fist down in pure rage . BOOM-!! Too bad, the target ¨C Jin-Woo ¨C had already risen up in the air . He had lightly jumped up like a pole vaulter and settled down gently on top of the Titan''s fist like a falling feather . ''¡­ . . . ?'' This Titan''s expression hardened and a sense of ominous foreboding crept up along its backside after seeing that smile etched on the human''s face as he stood upright on top of its fist . Sure enough, the human began dashing forward on top of the arm next . Pah-bababaht! His legs were moving so fast that even the Titans, possessing as much power as higher beings, couldn''t react in time . And when they did, Jin-Woo was already well past this particular Titan''s shoulder, heading straight to the back of its neck . Soon, the shortsword held in his hand penetrated straight into the Titan''s rocky neck . [Kuwaaahk!!!] It was almost like scratching the paint of a car with a coin . While gripping tight the shortsword still buried in the neck of the gigantic creature, Jin-Woo ran towards the other shoulder, leaving behind a long, long line on the poor thing''s skin . Kwa-gahgahgahgahgahk!! The black aura loaded on the blade cleanly separated the head of the Titan from the rest of its body . Riiip! Jin-Woo stood tall on the shoulder as the huge head rolled off its body, and he provocatively glared at the other Titans . He could sense rage, fluster, and fear creeping up on their expressions . One at a time¡­ . Memories, as well as the feelings he had while hunting down the Army of the Chaos World in the gap between dimensions, floated back up in his head one by one . He knew he had succeeded in breaking the fighting spirit of these creatures . His original goal was the complete annihilation of the race of Titans . And so, he finally had his Shadow Army break out of its standby mode and enter the fray . ''All personnel, advance!!'' The will to fight from the enormous army beginning to make its move could be felt from below . Waaaaaaahh-!!! ''It''s no good that their leader stops moving here, right?'' At least, that was not his style, the style of the current Shadow Sovereign . Jin-Woo''s sharp glare began searching for his next prey . Flinch . One of the Titans that met Jin-Woo''s glare flinched its shoulders . The enemy that lost itself to fear would be the first one to be devoured . He pounced in that direction while swinging his shortsword, packed full of black aura . This blade might not have been the ''Kamish''s Wrath'', but Jin-Woo had been roaming the battlefield for 27 years already, and the control he could exert on the black aura was no longer dependent on the weapons he wielded . The black aura spreading out from the end of the shortsword stretched out towards his front and completely sliced up the face of the frozen Titan . Kwa-gah-gahk!! The giant that got terrified by the overwhelming power of this small lifeform lost its life so easily like that . However, as it turned out, not all Titans were cowards like this guy . Jin-Woo''s brows shot up in surprise . Right behind the falling body of the dead Titan with its torn-off head, he could now see other Titans throwing everything they had in order to kill him . He used his ability to fly to dodge beneath the huge fist approaching him from the front, while another one sharply digging in from his back was avoided by him flying up . The skill, ''Ruler''s Authority'', had now been fully ingrained within his body and he could manipulate it without any restriction whatsoever . The thing was, though, the enemies and their abilities also surpassed his expectations, as well . The fist of a Titan slammed down like a hammer, and Jin-Woo kicked it away, only to be greeted by the back of a hand flying in from the side . He quickly gathered his arms and got ready for the impact while crouching, to minimise the surface area of his body . BOOM-!! In order to ensure that he wasn''t flung away, Jin-Woo yanked at the back of the Titan''s hand that smacked him with Mana . In an instant, that huge hand was pulled towards him and his shortsword, swung without mercy, sliced off the creature''s wrist in one go . Slice-!! The Titan grabbed its now-severed wrist and roared loudly to the sky . [Kuwaaah-!!] Jin-Woo rapidly approached its neck and stabbed his weapon deep into where the creature''s Adam''s apple should be . Kwa-jeeck! One razor-sharp killing move later, and another massive physique came crashing on its backside . Jin-Woo kicked the chest of the toppling Titan and jumped up high, before slicing and dicing the hands of the Titans relentlessly reaching out towards him . To his side! He dodged the edge of the Titan''s hand, swung with all of the creature''s might, by flying up, which in turn helped him to find enough leeway to take stock of the current situation . In that briefest of moments, Titans keeping close to his position crashed into him with their shoulders from both sides . BOOM-!! " . . . !!" Trapped between the two humongous shoulders, Jin-Woo extended his hands to stop himself from being squashed and then, shoved both of the Titans away with his raw physical strength . Like an unbelievable lie, those two huge figures were pushed away from him . [Keu-heum!] [How could he, with such a small body of his?!] While there were Titans freaking out over the fact that they lost out in the contest of strength, there was also another Titan who was smashing down with its arm as if it was waiting for this precise moment . While the palm swung downwards viciously as if to crush a bug to death¡­ . "UWAHHH-!!" ¡­ . Jin-Woo spat out Mana with a terrifying roar to deflect it away . The Titan got flustered by the invisible hand suddenly shoving its arm away, only to belatedly realise something . ''¡­ . ??'' It realised that there was a massive black fist flying straight in its face . KWA-BOOM!! The black aura concentrated on Jin-Woo''s right hand morphed into the arm of a giant before cleanly blowing away the head of the Titan . Soon, he transformed into a giant himself by enveloping his body with the black aura and proceeded to mercilessly destroy the Titans around him . Like a group of starving wild beasts, the giant shadow and the Titans made out of rocks went on a crazed melee of pure chaos and confusion . The end result came out pretty quickly . Right in the midst of the Titans kneeling and collapsing to the ground, the black shadow giant standing tall was busy crushing an arm made out of rock with his pure physical strength after ripping it off from one of its victims . Wu-duduk!! Maybe they finally had enough of Jin-Woo''s fighting spirit, the Titans surrounding him began backing away one step at a time . ''¡­ . ?'' Jin-Woo scanned his enemies with puzzled eyes, but then, a Titan even bigger and sturdier-looking than all the rest confidently strode out from among them . Strangely enough, though¡­ . [Hoh-oh . ] The one to actually speak was a rather small lifeform standing on the shoulder of this particular Titan, instead . [I now see that even a small planet on the outskirts of the universe can contain a pretty useful talent . ] It was a humanoid made out of rocks that looked like a miniaturised version of the Titans . It threw a rather insidious grin in Jin-Woo''s direction . [However, the mere fact that you need to increase the size of your body in order to enhance your power is a sure sign of how primitive your species is . On the contrary, we, the Titans, decrease in size when we need to fight with everything we have . ] The talkative creature had both its hands reach out before pointing back at itself as a wide grin formed on its face . [Fu-hut . Of course, such a thing is only possible for the greatest warriors of the Titan race . . . . . ] It was then . Jin-Woo was forming an expression of ridicule as he listened to the fool talk, but then, his head quickly snapped to the side . Flash!! With excellent timing, a streak of crimson light flew in from behind Jin-Woo and utterly erased the so-called greatest warrior of the Titans from existence . It was fired by an Ancient-grade Dragon, which was currently being ridden on by Bellion . The Grand-Marshal asked his boss in a bit of fluster . [My liege, were you perchance conversing with that creature?] Jin-Woo shook his hand to show that it was all good and shifted his gaze towards Bellion . "You know, these guys seem to be way too arrogant for their own good, so it looks like you''ll have to pay them extra special attention later on . " [Please leave it to me, my liege . ] The trusty Grand-Marshal bowed his waist politely before flying away to somewhere else, and Jin-Woo took a sweeping look at the remaining Titans . Most of the invading rock giants'' higher-levelled combatants had been destroyed by Jin-Woo, and as for the remaining ones, they were being overwhelmed by the black tidal waves created by his Shadow Soldiers . [Kuwaaaahhk-!!] [Kuwahk!!] Loud screams spat out by the giants made out of rocks completely filled up this nameless stretch of the desert . *** " . . . " " . . . . . " Utter silence . Could there be any other words that could better describe the current atmosphere pervading within the conference room? As if someone doused the entire room in icy cold water, it was eerily quiet in there . The POTUS had become completely speechless after watching the footage . However, he did eventually regain his voice, albeit with great difficulty . "That man . . . . Have you uncovered his identity yet?" The general shook his head in silence . The true monster capable of toying with those scary-looking monsters ended up saving the United States of America without anyone even realising it . ''No, maybe the entire world . . . . '' Unfortunately . . . if you flip the notion of a power capable of saving the world on its head, it also implied that the same power could destroy this world, as well . The President realised that uncovering the identity of that mystery man, at the very least, should be their top priority and asked the bigshots present within the conference room . "Is there any way to uncover and confirm the identity of that man from the footage? Anyone?" They began offering up their opinions here and there, but they all agreed that it was realistically impossible to do so . But then¡­ . "Indeed, it may realistically be impossible . When we are talking about ''realistic'' means, that is, sir . " The director of America''s Central Intelligence Agency, David Brennan, raised his voice . The President quickly looked at him . " . . . . . Is there something you''d like to tell us, Director?" Director Brennan cautiously spoke up . "If a realistic approach is impossible, how about we employ ''unrealistic'' means, instead?" The bigshots around him tilted their heads, but Director Brennan simply formed a grin . "We do have a way . A certain person who can inform us of the truths that no one would have known, through fantastical means . " Could he be talking about . . . ?! Pretty much everyone living in the United States of America would''ve heard of her name by now . It was an open secret within the world of politics that she had been maintaining a special relationship with the CIA . The President recalled her name and his brows shot up . "What you''re saying is . . . . ?" The Director replied confidently . "That''s right, sir . It''s Madam Norma Selner . Just like before, she will help us with the right answer this time as well . " < Chapter 258 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 258: Chapter 258 . Side Story 15. 9 . I''m going there to meet you right now (1). . . The United States of America, inside the official residence of the nation''s president ¨C the White House Several bigshots gathered in this iconic white building created for the President of the U . S . of A to live and work " ". Every single one of these important government officials occupying a spot inside the briefing room all carried tense expressions . Among them, one person carried the gloomiest expression The American President continued to rub his face, wondering over and over again if he had made the right call ''Rifts formed on an empty sky, and unidentified objects began appearing from there . ''. It was an unprecedented historical event . But, was it the right thing to handle this incredible event without saying a word to the public at large?. No, before that, did they even possess the capability to deal with ''the objects that came out'' from there?. All he could do was anxiously wait for the arrival of the commander in charge of the operation . And, when the entrance to the conference room opened up and General Chester Harrison entered, the President quickly got up from his seat to welcome the military man "Harrison, just what the hell happened back there?". The final report sent in from the location of the event was . - The situation has been normalised . I repeat, the situation this side has been normalised . ¡­ . That report, sadly enough, lacked the most important ''how'' of that normalisation process That was why so many bigshots, including the POTUS himself, were nervously waiting for the arrival of the military man inside this conference room Chester mouthed a brief greeting to his boss and scanned the room for a short while, and stood in front of the room "Rather than me trying to describe the situation to you, it''ll be far quicker to play the video contained in here . ". What he was holding was a small USB stick . The President grew curious about its contents in an instant and hurriedly nodded his head Not just him, though, but everyone present within the room was staring at the tense-faced general''s hand . He slotted the USB stick in the terminal and video footage began playing on the giant screen installed on the wall of the conference room "This is the footage captured by the surveillance drones and robots . ". Chester Harrison spoke those short introductory words and stood beside the screen while swallowing down his own nervous saliva He couldn''t even begin to imagine how these folks would react to the footage about to be played . Well, he''d seen it several times before coming here, and he was still unsure how to take it, even now However, what was really important here was that it did happen The evidence of that was contained within this USB drive, and as the commander in charge of this operation, it was his duty to reveal it to this gathering of higher-ups The beginning of the footage started off with the ''cracks'' in the sky "Keu-heum ". "Huh-uh!". Several gasps of shocks came from here and there as giants seemingly made out of rocks emerged from the rift reminiscent of dimension itself shattering away If it weren''t for the heads-up they received in regards to the existence of those bizarre creatures, the inside of the conference room would''ve descended into pure chaos by now But the truly shocking scene happened after that . In front of terrifying giants, ones so scary that you''d forget to even breathe while looking at them, stood the lone figure of a person ''Judging from his body size a boy?''. ''An East Asian, maybe?''. The Secretary of Defense couldn''t hold it back anymore and pointed at the screen while asking his questions "That man!! Who is that man?? Where were our troops, Harrison? And why was there a civilian standing in the middle of those creatures?!". It was as he said; this footage wasn''t a record that everyone in this room was expecting to see in which the mightiest army on Earth ¨C the American military ¨C smashed apart and drove back the creatures of another world No, this video was all about a lone, nameless man whose face they couldn''t even see With excellent timing, the screen now showed pitch-black ''soldiers'' suddenly rising up from the ground behind that lone man . General Chester Harrison, his gaze fixed to the screen until then, spoke as if he was letting out a pained moan " I''d like to know that myself as well . ". . ***. . "Does it look like I''m alone to you?". When those words came to an end, nearly ten million Shadow Soldiers simultaneously lined up right behind Jin-Woo The number of Titans that emerged from the rift in the sky was around several hundred . So, it was ten million versus a few hundred . In any other normal circumstances, the ''ten million'' should''ve easily overwhelmed the opposition with this number The problem today, however, was the fact that each Titan possessed powers equal to that of higher existences Ba-thump, ba-thump!!. Facing a battle for the first time in a long while, Jin-Woo''s heart began pounding away quite loudly . He sent a mental communication to Fangs, currently in charge of commanding all the Magic Soldiers - How are your preparations going so far?. [There is no problem on this side, my liege . ]. Not just Fangs, but all of the Magic Soldiers were entrusted with performing and maintaining magic spells to minimise the shock waves that no doubt would be generated by this battle He had no choice but to do this, since this world had no Mana, and it was simply far too fragile as it currently was Also, the uninvited guests came here with the purpose of literally devouring this planet, so they wouldn''t go about flinging around unnecessarily powerful magic spells, either . Inevitably, the battle about to take place would be a confrontation involving physical powers between allies and enemy forces A contest of pure raw strength, in other words - Good Thankfully, he didn''t dislike such a type of fighting, to begin with . A smirk formed on Jin-Woo''s lips One of the Titans completely misinterpreted the meaning behind that smirk and in the blink of an eye, smashed its fist down in pure rage BOOM-!!. Too bad, the target ¨C Jin-Woo ¨C had already risen up in the air . He had lightly jumped up like a pole vaulter and settled down gently on top of the Titan''s fist like a falling feather ''¡­ . ?''. This Titan''s expression hardened and a sense of ominous foreboding crept up along its backside after seeing that smile etched on the human''s face as he stood upright on top of its fist Sure enough, the human began dashing forward on top of the arm next Pah-bababaht!. His legs were moving so fast that even the Titans, possessing as much power as higher beings, couldn''t react in time . And when they did, Jin-Woo was already well past this particular Titan''s shoulder, heading straight to the back of its neck Soon, the shortsword held in his hand penetrated straight into the Titan''s rocky neck [Kuwaaahk!!!]. It was almost like scratching the paint of a car with a coin . While gripping tight the shortsword still buried in the neck of the gigantic creature, Jin-Woo ran towards the other shoulder, leaving behind a long, long line on the poor thing''s skin Kwa-gahgahgahgahgahk!!. The black aura loaded on the blade cleanly separated the head of the Titan from the rest of its body Riiip!. Jin-Woo stood tall on the shoulder as the huge head rolled off its body, and he provocatively glared at the other Titans . He could sense rage, fluster, and fear creeping up on their expressions One at a time¡­ Memories, as well as the feelings he had while hunting down the Army of the Chaos World in the gap between dimensions, floated back up in his head one by one He knew he had succeeded in breaking the fighting spirit of these creatures His original goal was the complete annihilation of the race of Titans . And so, he finally had his Shadow Army break out of its standby mode and enter the fray ''All personnel, advance!!''. The will to fight from the enormous army beginning to make its move could be felt from below Waaaaaaahh-!!!. ''It''s no good that their leader stops moving here, right?''. At least, that was not his style, the style of the current Shadow Sovereign . Jin-Woo''s sharp glare began searching for his next prey Flinch One of the Titans that met Jin-Woo''s glare flinched its shoulders The enemy that lost itself to fear would be the first one to be devoured . He pounced in that direction while swinging his shortsword, packed full of black aura This blade might not have been the ''Kamish''s Wrath'', but Jin-Woo had been roaming the battlefield for 27 years already, and the control he could exert on the black aura was no longer dependent on the weapons he wielded The black aura spreading out from the end of the shortsword stretched out towards his front and completely sliced up the face of the frozen Titan Kwa-gah-gahk!!. The giant that got terrified by the overwhelming power of this small lifeform lost its life so easily like that . However, as it turned out, not all Titans were cowards like this guy Jin-Woo''s brows shot up in surprise . Right behind the falling body of the dead Titan with its torn-off head, he could now see other Titans throwing everything they had in order to kill him He used his ability to fly to dodge beneath the huge fist approaching him from the front, while another one sharply digging in from his back was avoided by him flying up The skill, ''Ruler''s Authority'', had now been fully ingrained within his body and he could manipulate it without any restriction whatsoever . The thing was, though, the enemies and their abilities also surpassed his expectations, as well The fist of a Titan slammed down like a hammer, and Jin-Woo kicked it away, only to be greeted by the back of a hand flying in from the side . He quickly gathered his arms and got ready for the impact while crouching, to minimise the surface area of his body BOOM-!!. In order to ensure that he wasn''t flung away, Jin-Woo yanked at the back of the Titan''s hand that smacked him with Mana . In an instant, that huge hand was pulled towards him and his shortsword, swung without mercy, sliced off the creature''s wrist in one go Slice-!!. The Titan grabbed its now-severed wrist and roared loudly to the sky [Kuwaaah-!!]. Jin-Woo rapidly approached its neck and stabbed his weapon deep into where the creature''s Adam''s apple should be Kwa-jeeck!. One razor-sharp killing move later, and another massive physique came crashing on its backside . Jin-Woo kicked the chest of the toppling Titan and jumped up high, before slicing and dicing the hands of the Titans relentlessly reaching out towards him To his side!. He dodged the edge of the Titan''s hand, swung with all of the creature''s might, by flying up, which in turn helped him to find enough leeway to take stock of the current situation In that briefest of moments, Titans keeping close to his position crashed into him with their shoulders from both sides BOOM-!!. " . !!". Trapped between the two humongous shoulders, Jin-Woo extended his hands to stop himself from being squashed and then, shoved both of the Titans away with his raw physical strength . Like an unbelievable lie, those two huge figures were pushed away from him [Keu-heum!]. [How could he, with such a small body of his?!]. While there were Titans freaking out over the fact that they lost out in the contest of strength, there was also another Titan who was smashing down with its arm as if it was waiting for this precise moment While the palm swung downwards viciously as if to crush a bug to death¡­ "UWAHHH-!!". ¡­ . Jin-Woo spat out Mana with a terrifying roar to deflect it away The Titan got flustered by the invisible hand suddenly shoving its arm away, only to belatedly realise something ''¡­ . ??''. It realised that there was a massive black fist flying straight in its face KWA-BOOM!!. The black aura concentrated on Jin-Woo''s right hand morphed into the arm of a giant before cleanly blowing away the head of the Titan . Soon, he transformed into a giant himself by enveloping his body with the black aura and proceeded to mercilessly destroy the Titans around him Like a group of starving wild beasts, the giant shadow and the Titans made out of rocks went on a crazed melee of pure chaos and confusion The end result came out pretty quickly Right in the midst of the Titans kneeling and collapsing to the ground, the black shadow giant standing tall was busy crushing an arm made out of rock with his pure physical strength after ripping it off from one of its victims Wu-duduk!!. Maybe they finally had enough of Jin-Woo''s fighting spirit, the Titans surrounding him began backing away one step at a time ''¡­ . ?''. Jin-Woo scanned his enemies with puzzled eyes, but then, a Titan even bigger and sturdier-looking than all the rest confidently strode out from among them Strangely enough, though¡­ [Hoh-oh . ]. The one to actually speak was a rather small lifeform standing on the shoulder of this particular Titan, instead [I now see that even a small planet on the outskirts of the universe can contain a pretty useful talent . ]. It was a humanoid made out of rocks that looked like a miniaturised version of the Titans . It threw a rather insidious grin in Jin-Woo''s direction [However, the mere fact that you need to increase the size of your body in order to enhance your power is a sure sign of how primitive your species is . On the contrary, we, the Titans, decrease in size when we need to fight with everything we have . ]. The talkative creature had both its hands reach out before pointing back at itself as a wide grin formed on its face [Fu-hut . Of course, such a thing is only possible for the greatest warriors of the Titan race . ]. It was then Jin-Woo was forming an expression of ridicule as he listened to the fool talk, but then, his head quickly snapped to the side Flash!!. With excellent timing, a streak of crimson light flew in from behind Jin-Woo and utterly erased the so-called greatest warrior of the Titans from existence It was fired by an Ancient-grade Dragon, which was currently being ridden on by Bellion . The Grand-Marshal asked his boss in a bit of fluster [My liege, were you perchance conversing with that creature?]. Jin-Woo shook his hand to show that it was all good and shifted his gaze towards Bellion "You know, these guys seem to be way too arrogant for their own good, so it looks like you''ll have to pay them extra special attention later on . ". [Please leave it to me, my liege . ]. The trusty Grand-Marshal bowed his waist politely before flying away to somewhere else, and Jin-Woo took a sweeping look at the remaining Titans Most of the invading rock giants'' higher-levelled combatants had been destroyed by Jin-Woo, and as for the remaining ones, they were being overwhelmed by the black tidal waves created by his Shadow Soldiers [Kuwaaaahhk-!!]. [Kuwahk!!]. Loud screams spat out by the giants made out of rocks completely filled up this nameless stretch of the desert . ***. . " . ". " . ". Utter silence Could there be any other words that could better describe the current atmosphere pervading within the conference room?. As if someone doused the entire room in icy cold water, it was eerily quiet in there The POTUS had become completely speechless after watching the footage . However, he did eventually regain his voice, albeit with great difficulty "That man Have you uncovered his identity yet?". The general shook his head in silence The true monster capable of toying with those scary-looking monsters ended up saving the United States of America without anyone even realising it ''No, maybe the entire world ''. Unfortunately . if you flip the notion of a power capable of saving the world on its head, it also implied that the same power could destroy this world, as well The President realised that uncovering the identity of that mystery man, at the very least, should be their top priority and asked the bigshots present within the conference room "Is there any way to uncover and confirm the identity of that man from the footage? Anyone?". They began offering up their opinions here and there, but they all agreed that it was realistically impossible to do so . But then¡­ "Indeed, it may realistically be impossible . When we are talking about ''realistic'' means, that is, sir . ". The director of America''s Central Intelligence Agency, David Brennan, raised his voice . The President quickly looked at him " . Is there something you''d like to tell us, Director?". Director Brennan cautiously spoke up "If a realistic approach is impossible, how about we employ ''unrealistic'' means, instead?". The bigshots around him tilted their heads, but Director Brennan simply formed a grin "We do have a way . A certain person who can inform us of the truths that no one would have known, through fantastical means . ". Could he be talking about . ?!. Pretty much everyone living in the United States of America would''ve heard of her name by now . It was an open secret within the world of politics that she had been maintaining a special relationship with the CIA The President recalled her name and his brows shot up "What you''re saying is ?". The Director replied confidently "That''s right, sir . It''s Madam Norma Selner . Just like before, she will help us with the right answer this time as well . ". . . < Chapter 258 > Fin Chapter 259 Side Story 16 9 . I¡¯m going there to meet you right now (2) Once more in the United States of America, somewhere in the quiet suburbs on the outskirts of a city . A black saloon car gliding smoothly on a certain road finally arrived at its destination ¨C a small, but cosy and inviting house, with a red roof . Tap, tap, tap . The ones climbing out of the vehicle was the Director of the CIA, David Brennan, and his two bodyguards . The director studied the red-roofed residence for a little while before issuing a new order to his underlings . ¡°You two, wait for me here . ¡± ¡°But, sir¡­¡± Since these two agents were charged with protecting him, that order was a rather difficult one to accept, but the director¡¯s attitude remained unchanging . ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine . ¡± He waved his hand dismissively towards his underlings trying to dissuade him . ¡°Madam doesn¡¯t enjoy noisy visits like this, anyway . ¡± Leaving behind his entourage by the car, the director walked alone towards the front door and began fixing his attire . Once he felt satisfied by his grooming attempt, he cautiously knocked on the door . ¡°Madam? It¡¯s me, Dav¡­ . ¡± Even before he could finish introducing himself, the door opened up and a young African-American child peeked his head out . The director recognised Madam Selner¡¯s grandson and crouched lower to match the boy¡¯s eye level before patting the kid on the head . ¡°Is your grandma home?¡± ¡°She¡¯s been waiting for you, bearded uncle, for a while now . ¡± David Brennan looked at the child pointing at him and couldn¡¯t help but chuckle gently . But, of course . Just who was the woman he came here to speak to? The psychic, the prophet, the real ¡®Esper¡¯ . Didn¡¯t matter which title was used, none of them would sound ill-fitting to Madam Selner, the world¡¯s pre-eminent soothsayer . That¡¯s who he came here to see today . Of course, it wasn¡¯t as if he trusted her words in the beginning . But then, she began solving serious problems that even the CIA, an organisation at the peak of the cut-throat intelligence world, had given up on with preternatural abilities, and the director had no choice but to stop suspecting her gift there and then . She was the real deal . ¡®A true superhuman¡­¡¯ So, predicting his unannounced arrival for someone like her would be easier than, say, changing the channel on TV with a remote . Guided by the grandchild, the director was led into the sitting room where the Madam was waiting for him with a cup of warm tea on top of a coffee table . He politely greeted her . ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Madam . ¡± ¡°Good to see you, Dave . ¡± The director raised his head . The last time he stepped in here was about a year ago; he took a look around at the interior decoration of the sitting room that hadn¡¯t changed since his last visit before carefully parking his butt on one of the couches . ¡°Madam, you probably can¡¯t imagine how difficult our work has become ever since you announced your retirement . ¡± One could say that the information on the past was of no value compared to the information on the future . The CIA reaped a great deal of harvest by cooperating with Madam Selner, so the sense of loss the agency felt after she retired was indeed well above one¡¯s imagination . The director might have spoken with a smile as if he was cracking a joke, but his genuine belief, hidden beneath the surface, could be heard if one paid closer attention . Too bad, the Madam spoke composedly as if she was tiding a young child throwing a tantrum for more cookies . ¡°Dave, I¡¯ve already told you this, haven¡¯t I? I can no longer see the future after that person arrived . ¡± ¡°Ah¡­ . ¡± Was she talking about that story of the ¡®God of Death¡¯ again? The director could only smack his lips wryly at the exact same answer she gave every time he asked her . It was the story about how her powers became useless after an existence powerful enough to twist destiny as he saw fit had descended to this world . The director forgot what he wanted to say next after remembering her reason for retiring, one that defied one¡¯s attempt to understand through logic . ¡°¡­ . ¡± And so, silence weighed down between these two people . David Brennan wondered how he should go about breaking this awkward atmosphere before his nose picked up on the enticing aroma of food . ¡°Madam, were you in the middle of a meal?¡± She slowly shook her head . ¡°Actually, I have been entertaining another guest . ¡± ¡°Ah¡­ . I see . ¡± She didn¡¯t enjoy meeting with people, yet she was with another visitor? The director tilted his head slightly, but soon enough, made up his mind to stop beating around the bush . The smile on his face vanished next . ¡°In that case, I shall get right to the point and get out of your hair as soon as possible . ¡± When he said that, though, the Madam replied as if she was waiting for him . ¡°The answer to the first question is a ¡®yes¡¯, and for the second one, a ¡®no¡¯ . ¡± ¡°H-hang on¡­ . ¡± The director could only form a flustered expression when his questions were answered even before he had a chance to say them out loud . She grinned refreshingly . ¡°You wish to ask me how I knew about your questions if I can¡¯t see the future anymore, am I wrong?¡± ¡°¡­ . Well, no . ¡± ¡°Dave . The answers you seek from me are actually the matters of the past . I simply took a glimpse at a portion of the past and provided you with a suitable answer . ¡± ¡°Oh . Ohh¡­¡± The director nodded his head, a soft moan leaving his lips . She carefully continued on . ¡°Well, then . Shall I provide you with proper answers to your questions?¡± David Brennan pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed the sweat on his forehead . ¡°Of course . Please go ahead, Madam . ¡± She then began with her explanations . ¡°That¡¯s right, Dave . I know just who it is that you wish to find out about . ¡± Her answer to the first question was ¡®yes¡¯ . However, her answer to the follow-up question was ¡®no¡¯ . ¡°Unfortunately, I will not divulge any information on that person to anyone . ¡± ¡°But, Madam!¡± The director¡¯s voice suddenly grew louder . He wasn¡¯t trying to threaten her or anything like that . It was just that his agitation got the better of him and he ended up shouting out . ¡°If it¡¯s you, Madam, then you should already know what he has done! We can¡¯t just let someone like that run around without a respo¡­ . . ¡± It was at that moment that the Madam herself shouted out as if she couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore . ¡°I¡¯m choosing not to say anything precisely because I know!¡± This must¡¯ve been the very first time seeing her like this . The director didn¡¯t know what kind of expression he should form now after being confronted by the Madam¡¯s angry expression for the first time ever . Too bad for him, though, her angry voice didn¡¯t stop there . ¡°Director, are your eyes just for decorations??¡± ¡°Madam!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you see the footage contained in that USB drive, then??¡± ¡°¡­¡± Indeed, he did see it . He saw the sight of a single human being not even taking a step back while standing up to those frightening giant monsters . The power that man possessed was scary and incredible, but it did rescue humanity back then . ¡°Would you believe me if I told you¡­that event wasn¡¯t the first time?¡± The Madam formed a serious, nay, a grave expression, and the director¡¯s own expression froze up instantly . ¡°¡­ . ¡± There was another incident like that in the past?? The moment the director thought of humanity facing extinction-level threats multiple times in the past without him knowing about them, his entire body began shuddering uncontrollably . But when he pondered it some more, he realised that such a case wasn¡¯t so surprising anymore; even this event had been classified as a top-top secret by the U . S . government and, besides an extremely small number of people related to the matter, no one else knew just what happened or who did what on that particular day . If that was the case, could he really come out and say with full confidence that no similar things happened in other countries as well? ¡®Perhaps, just like what Madam has said, that man really¡­ . . ¡¯ The director rested his chin on his hand and began pondering something else before raising his head . ¡°No, I trust you, Madam . ¡± He only knew her for around three years, but for some reason, he¡¯d sometimes get this feeling that he¡¯d known her for a far longer time than that . That was perhaps the reason why he felt this sense of trust in her . One based on absolutely nothing but his gut feeling, really . The Madam nodded her head in reply . The director cautiously asked her another question . ¡°That man from the footage¡­ . Can you assure me that he¡¯s not a dangerous individual?¡± She answered him without a moment of hesitation . ¡°Yes, I can . ¡± He nodded his head again, alone this time, and as if he finally came to a conclusion, raised his head . ¡°In that case, I understand . I shall pretend that I never heard you talking about that man . ¡± The director rose up from his spot while forming a rueful but relieved face . ¡°Well, then . ¡± He bade her a short goodbye and turned around to leave, but her warm voice stopped his feet from taking another step . ¡°Dave, I¡¯ve baked some cookies . Would you like some?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ . ¡± He spotted a bag of cookies in her hand, but could only decline the offer with a smile of his own . ¡°No, I¡¯m fine . Thank you for your offer . ¡± Now that his official visit was over, his expression reverted to that of a regular, normal uncle . The Madam bade him goodbye with a gentle smile and called for her grandson to guide him to the car . The child really liked this ¡®bearded uncle¡¯ for some reason, so he quickly rushed to the bearded David Brennan and hung on to the older man¡¯s hand . ¡°I shall come again sometime later, Madam . ¡± ¡°Be careful on your way, Dave . ¡± The director, his hand still being held tightly by her grandchild, finally left the residence, prompting the other guest hiding on the other side of the sitting room to emerge into the open . ¡°Huh . I don¡¯t like that old man . Hey, grandma, should I go teach him a lesson for you?¡± He was a giant of a man with slicked-back blonde hair . He took a handful of cookies out from the bag in Madam¡¯s hand and shoved them inside his mouth . ¡°Thomas, I thought your competition licence will be revoked if you caused another incident outside the ring?¡± Thomas grinned sheepishly and chewed on the cookies that filled up his mouth . Crunch, crunch¡­ . ¡°Well, that is¡­¡± This man was none other than Thomas Andre . Not many people knew that the current Heavyweight champion of the UFC was one of her very few friends that she chose to keep . If the reporters learned of this fact, they would jump up and down in sheer madness while clicking the shutters of their cameras non-stop . He emptied out the bag of cookies in the blink but that didn¡¯t seem to fill him up at all, so he took the bag itself and tossed the cookie crumbs down his gullet next . When he was finally done, he opened his mouth to speak . ¡°Hey, grandma . Can I ask you a question?¡± She grinned refreshingly and nodded her head . Thomas rolled the empty bag into a ball as he spoke . ¡°I¡¯m sure lots of people die through accidents, not just someone like me . ¡± Especially with car crashes, where innumerable people would die almost every single day . However, almost none of them would receive a phone call from the Madam before that happened . On that much-awaited off day, Thomas was climbing inside his treasured sports car so he could go for a crazy-fast drive through the back roads . And then, he became one of the very lucky few that did get that fateful phone call . After answering her call, he hurriedly checked out the tyres of his beloved ride only to find a small nail stuck in one . Thankfully, he avoided getting into an accident, but if he started the car and drove away, then he¡¯d have lost his life, just as how Madam had warned him . Which meant that Madam Norma Selner was the saviour of his life . Afterwards, Thomas grew close enough to her to share meals like this, yet what happened on that day still remained a mystery to him . ¡°Why did you save me on that day?¡± Well, she couldn¡¯t possibly have been a fan of the UFC and that prompted her to quickly pick up the phone, so¡­ . Thomas Andre always felt curious about why she went out of her way to help him . ¡°¡­ . . ¡± Madam Selner looked at him without saying anything after hearing his rather sudden question, before providing a belated answer to her friend, one of the top sports stars in the country . ¡°Because¡­ you did many good things in your past life . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . I did?¡± Thomas Andre, known as the ¡®Bad Boy¡¯ of the UFC, no, Devil of the Octagon, did what now? He briefly wondered if this grandma ate something she shouldn¡¯t have, but then, he decided not to say what popped up in his head after remembering that he owed her big time . ¡°Hohoh . ¡± Madam chuckled softly and shifted her gaze outside the sitting room window to stare at the black saloon driving away with the CIA¡¯s director inside . Her grandson was waving his hand at the ¡®bearded uncle¡¯ until the car couldn¡¯t be seen anymore . The ¡®relationships¡¯ . Seeing that relationships of the past were being formed anew either consciously or subconsciously by the parties involved, perhaps this ¡®fate¡¯ was a real thing after all . That¡¯s how she felt right now . After confirming that the director was gone for sure, Thomas plopped down on the very spot on the couch where the leader of the CIA once sat . ¡°Alright, then . Just what did the man in the video do that an uncle like him came to see you?¡± Madam replied in a tone of voice belonging to someone busy putting up still-wet clothes on the washing line . ¡°He saved the world . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . ¡± Sometimes, it was hard to tell whether this old lady was joking or was being dead serious . ¡®Well, that¡¯s why it¡¯s so fun being around her, anyway . ¡¯ Thomas put on the pair of sunglasses he liked to wear all the time, and shifted his now-darkened gaze towards Madam Selner . ¡°In that case¡­ . What would Mister Hero who saved the world be doing right about now?¡± Madam kept her gaze on her grandchild walking back inside the house, a quiet smile forming on her lips . ¡°Hmm, I wonder¡­ . Maybe he¡¯s enjoying his youth to the fullest somewhere?¡± *** Waaahhh-!! In the location of the qualifying rounds of the track and field competition filled with the heated cheerings of the spectators, featuring schools from all over South Korea . When the captains of the two rival high school track teams came together on the field, perhaps unsurprisingly, proverbial flames began erupting from the eyes of both men . ¡°Oiii, Choi Tae-Woong! Looks like you¡¯ve lost your way, doesn¡¯t it!! You even let a freshman enter every type of competition, didn¡¯t you!¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s school track team was now facing off against the pointed ridicule belonging to the captain of their long-time rival from Hwaseong Tech High, Joh Gi-Seok . ¡°I heard that your former ace, Woo Sahng-In, got injured and took a break for a few months . Did that result in your prowess falling so much that you don¡¯t have a choice but to make a freshman your new ace??¡± Joh Gi-Seok continued on with his provocation, but Choi Tae-Woong simply smirked brightly and grasped Jin-Woo¡¯s shoulder . ¡°Soon enough, you lot won¡¯t be able to close your mouths at the talents of this first year . ¡± ¡°Heee~yah, rather than you guys breaking more records, you got better at cracking jokes, instead!¡± Figurative sparks flew in all directions after these two¡¯s war of nerves grew to an intense level . Meanwhile, Jin-Woo was scratching the side of his head with his index finger . ¡®With things like this, it¡¯s going to be difficult to stick to my plan of holding back so that I won¡¯t get noticed¡­ . ¡¯ While Jin-Woo stood there showing just a tiny hint of how troubled he was, Joh Gi-Seok scanned him from top to bottom and received a great boost of confidence from his expression . The corners of the Hwaseong Tech High Captain¡¯s lips curled upwards . ¡°Here¡¯s the thing, though . What a funny coincidence this is, you know?¡± Joh Gi-Seok turned around and gestured towards his team members; when he did, a big dude standing behind them strode forward with an expression filled pure, unbridled confidence . ¡°You see, we also got ourselves a freaky freshman, too . ¡± It was at that point that Jin-Woo ended up blurting out a surprised cry after seeing the face of this so-called freaky freshman . ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°Looks like your own freshman can sense it already, no?¡± Joh Gi-Seok increased the volume of his voice while placing his hand on the shoulder of the newbie team member who possessed a physique that far surpassed the level of a regular high schooler . ¡°This kid here, he¡¯s Hwaseong Tech High¡¯s secret weapon, Kim Cheol from the first year . ¡± < Chapter 259 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 259: Chapter 259 Side Story 16. 9 . I¡¯m going there to meet you right now (2). Once more in the United States of America, somewhere in the quiet suburbs on the outskirts of a city . A black saloon car gliding smoothly on a certain road finally arrived at its destination ¨C a small, but cosy and inviting house, with a red roof Tap, tap, tap The ones climbing out of the vehicle was the Director of the CIA, David Brennan, and his two bodyguards . The director studied the red-roofed residence for a little while before issuing a new order to his underlings ¡°You two, wait for me here . ¡±. ¡°But, sir¡­¡±. Since these two agents were charged with protecting him, that order was a rather difficult one to accept, but the director¡¯s attitude remained unchanging ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine . ¡±. He waved his hand dismissively towards his underlings trying to dissuade him ¡°Madam doesn¡¯t enjoy noisy visits like this, anyway . ¡±. Leaving behind his entourage by the car, the director walked alone towards the front door and began fixing his attire . Once he felt satisfied by his grooming attempt, he cautiously knocked on the door ¡°Madam? It¡¯s me, Dav¡­ . ¡±. Even before he could finish introducing himself, the door opened up and a young African-American child peeked his head out . The director recognised Madam Selner¡¯s grandson and crouched lower to match the boy¡¯s eye level before patting the kid on the head ¡°Is your grandma home?¡±. ¡°She¡¯s been waiting for you, bearded uncle, for a while now . ¡±. David Brennan looked at the child pointing at him and couldn¡¯t help but chuckle gently But, of course . Just who was the woman he came here to speak to?. The psychic, the prophet, the real ¡®Esper¡¯ Didn¡¯t matter which title was used, none of them would sound ill-fitting to Madam Selner, the world¡¯s pre-eminent soothsayer . That¡¯s who he came here to see today Of course, it wasn¡¯t as if he trusted her words in the beginning But then, she began solving serious problems that even the CIA, an organisation at the peak of the cut-throat intelligence world, had given up on with preternatural abilities, and the director had no choice but to stop suspecting her gift there and then She was the real deal ¡®A true superhuman¡­¡¯. So, predicting his unannounced arrival for someone like her would be easier than, say, changing the channel on TV with a remote Guided by the grandchild, the director was led into the sitting room where the Madam was waiting for him with a cup of warm tea on top of a coffee table . He politely greeted her ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Madam . ¡±. ¡°Good to see you, Dave . ¡±. The director raised his head The last time he stepped in here was about a year ago; he took a look around at the interior decoration of the sitting room that hadn¡¯t changed since his last visit before carefully parking his butt on one of the couches ¡°Madam, you probably can¡¯t imagine how difficult our work has become ever since you announced your retirement . ¡±. One could say that the information on the past was of no value compared to the information on the future The CIA reaped a great deal of harvest by cooperating with Madam Selner, so the sense of loss the agency felt after she retired was indeed well above one¡¯s imagination The director might have spoken with a smile as if he was cracking a joke, but his genuine belief, hidden beneath the surface, could be heard if one paid closer attention Too bad, the Madam spoke composedly as if she was tiding a young child throwing a tantrum for more cookies ¡°Dave, I¡¯ve already told you this, haven¡¯t I? I can no longer see the future after that person arrived . ¡±. ¡°Ah¡­ . ¡±. Was she talking about that story of the ¡®God of Death¡¯ again?. The director could only smack his lips wryly at the exact same answer she gave every time he asked her It was the story about how her powers became useless after an existence powerful enough to twist destiny as he saw fit had descended to this world The director forgot what he wanted to say next after remembering her reason for retiring, one that defied one¡¯s attempt to understand through logic ¡°¡­ . ¡±. And so, silence weighed down between these two people David Brennan wondered how he should go about breaking this awkward atmosphere before his nose picked up on the enticing aroma of food ¡°Madam, were you in the middle of a meal?¡±. She slowly shook her head ¡°Actually, I have been entertaining another guest . ¡±. ¡°Ah¡­ . I see . ¡±. She didn¡¯t enjoy meeting with people, yet she was with another visitor?. The director tilted his head slightly, but soon enough, made up his mind to stop beating around the bush . The smile on his face vanished next ¡°In that case, I shall get right to the point and get out of your hair as soon as possible . ¡±. When he said that, though, the Madam replied as if she was waiting for him ¡°The answer to the first question is a ¡®yes¡¯, and for the second one, a ¡®no¡¯ . ¡±. ¡°H-hang on¡­ . ¡±. The director could only form a flustered expression when his questions were answered even before he had a chance to say them out loud . She grinned refreshingly ¡°You wish to ask me how I knew about your questions if I can¡¯t see the future anymore, am I wrong?¡±. ¡°¡­ . Well, no . ¡±. ¡°Dave . The answers you seek from me are actually the matters of the past . I simply took a glimpse at a portion of the past and provided you with a suitable answer . ¡±. ¡°Oh . Ohh¡­¡±. The director nodded his head, a soft moan leaving his lips . She carefully continued on ¡°Well, then . Shall I provide you with proper answers to your questions?¡±. David Brennan pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed the sweat on his forehead ¡°Of course . Please go ahead, Madam . ¡±. She then began with her explanations ¡°That¡¯s right, Dave . I know just who it is that you wish to find out about . ¡±. Her answer to the first question was ¡®yes¡¯ . However, her answer to the follow-up question was ¡®no¡¯ ¡°Unfortunately, I will not divulge any information on that person to anyone . ¡±. ¡°But, Madam!¡±. The director¡¯s voice suddenly grew louder . He wasn¡¯t trying to threaten her or anything like that . It was just that his agitation got the better of him and he ended up shouting out ¡°If it¡¯s you, Madam, then you should already know what he has done! We can¡¯t just let someone like that run around without a respo¡­ ¡±. It was at that moment that the Madam herself shouted out as if she couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore ¡°I¡¯m choosing not to say anything precisely because I know!¡±. This must¡¯ve been the very first time seeing her like this The director didn¡¯t know what kind of expression he should form now after being confronted by the Madam¡¯s angry expression for the first time ever . Too bad for him, though, her angry voice didn¡¯t stop there ¡°Director, are your eyes just for decorations??¡±. ¡°Madam!¡±. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see the footage contained in that USB drive, then??¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. Indeed, he did see it He saw the sight of a single human being not even taking a step back while standing up to those frightening giant monsters . The power that man possessed was scary and incredible, but it did rescue humanity back then ¡°Would you believe me if I told you¡­that event wasn¡¯t the first time?¡±. The Madam formed a serious, nay, a grave expression, and the director¡¯s own expression froze up instantly ¡°¡­ . ¡±. There was another incident like that in the past??. The moment the director thought of humanity facing extinction-level threats multiple times in the past without him knowing about them, his entire body began shuddering uncontrollably But when he pondered it some more, he realised that such a case wasn¡¯t so surprising anymore; even this event had been classified as a top-top secret by the U . S . government and, besides an extremely small number of people related to the matter, no one else knew just what happened or who did what on that particular day If that was the case, could he really come out and say with full confidence that no similar things happened in other countries as well?. ¡®Perhaps, just like what Madam has said, that man really¡­ ¡¯. The director rested his chin on his hand and began pondering something else before raising his head ¡°No, I trust you, Madam . ¡±. He only knew her for around three years, but for some reason, he¡¯d sometimes get this feeling that he¡¯d known her for a far longer time than that . That was perhaps the reason why he felt this sense of trust in her . One based on absolutely nothing but his gut feeling, really The Madam nodded her head in reply . The director cautiously asked her another question ¡°That man from the footage¡­ . Can you assure me that he¡¯s not a dangerous individual?¡±. She answered him without a moment of hesitation ¡°Yes, I can . ¡±. He nodded his head again, alone this time, and as if he finally came to a conclusion, raised his head ¡°In that case, I understand . I shall pretend that I never heard you talking about that man . ¡±. The director rose up from his spot while forming a rueful but relieved face ¡°Well, then . ¡±. He bade her a short goodbye and turned around to leave, but her warm voice stopped his feet from taking another step ¡°Dave, I¡¯ve baked some cookies . Would you like some?¡±. ¡°Oh¡­ . ¡±. He spotted a bag of cookies in her hand, but could only decline the offer with a smile of his own ¡°No, I¡¯m fine . Thank you for your offer . ¡±. Now that his official visit was over, his expression reverted to that of a regular, normal uncle . The Madam bade him goodbye with a gentle smile and called for her grandson to guide him to the car The child really liked this ¡®bearded uncle¡¯ for some reason, so he quickly rushed to the bearded David Brennan and hung on to the older man¡¯s hand ¡°I shall come again sometime later, Madam . ¡±. ¡°Be careful on your way, Dave . ¡±. The director, his hand still being held tightly by her grandchild, finally left the residence, prompting the other guest hiding on the other side of the sitting room to emerge into the open ¡°Huh . I don¡¯t like that old man . Hey, grandma, should I go teach him a lesson for you?¡±. He was a giant of a man with slicked-back blonde hair . He took a handful of cookies out from the bag in Madam¡¯s hand and shoved them inside his mouth ¡°Thomas, I thought your competition licence will be revoked if you caused another incident outside the ring?¡±. Thomas grinned sheepishly and chewed on the cookies that filled up his mouth Crunch, crunch¡­ ¡°Well, that is¡­¡±. This man was none other than Thomas Andre Not many people knew that the current Heavyweight champion of the UFC was one of her very few friends that she chose to keep . If the reporters learned of this fact, they would jump up and down in sheer madness while clicking the shutters of their cameras non-stop He emptied out the bag of cookies in the blink but that didn¡¯t seem to fill him up at all, so he took the bag itself and tossed the cookie crumbs down his gullet next . When he was finally done, he opened his mouth to speak ¡°Hey, grandma . Can I ask you a question?¡±. She grinned refreshingly and nodded her head . Thomas rolled the empty bag into a ball as he spoke ¡°I¡¯m sure lots of people die through accidents, not just someone like me . ¡±. Especially with car crashes, where innumerable people would die almost every single day . However, almost none of them would receive a phone call from the Madam before that happened On that much-awaited off day, Thomas was climbing inside his treasured sports car so he could go for a crazy-fast drive through the back roads . And then, he became one of the very lucky few that did get that fateful phone call After answering her call, he hurriedly checked out the tyres of his beloved ride only to find a small nail stuck in one . Thankfully, he avoided getting into an accident, but if he started the car and drove away, then he¡¯d have lost his life, just as how Madam had warned him Which meant that Madam Norma Selner was the saviour of his life Afterwards, Thomas grew close enough to her to share meals like this, yet what happened on that day still remained a mystery to him ¡°Why did you save me on that day?¡±. Well, she couldn¡¯t possibly have been a fan of the UFC and that prompted her to quickly pick up the phone, so¡­ Thomas Andre always felt curious about why she went out of her way to help him ¡°¡­ ¡±. Madam Selner looked at him without saying anything after hearing his rather sudden question, before providing a belated answer to her friend, one of the top sports stars in the country ¡°Because¡­ you did many good things in your past life . ¡±. ¡°¡­ I did?¡±. Thomas Andre, known as the ¡®Bad Boy¡¯ of the UFC, no, Devil of the Octagon, did what now?. He briefly wondered if this grandma ate something she shouldn¡¯t have, but then, he decided not to say what popped up in his head after remembering that he owed her big time ¡°Hohoh . ¡±. Madam chuckled softly and shifted her gaze outside the sitting room window to stare at the black saloon driving away with the CIA¡¯s director inside . Her grandson was waving his hand at the ¡®bearded uncle¡¯ until the car couldn¡¯t be seen anymore The ¡®relationships¡¯ Seeing that relationships of the past were being formed anew either consciously or subconsciously by the parties involved, perhaps this ¡®fate¡¯ was a real thing after all That¡¯s how she felt right now After confirming that the director was gone for sure, Thomas plopped down on the very spot on the couch where the leader of the CIA once sat ¡°Alright, then . Just what did the man in the video do that an uncle like him came to see you?¡±. Madam replied in a tone of voice belonging to someone busy putting up still-wet clothes on the washing line ¡°He saved the world . ¡±. ¡°¡­ ¡±. Sometimes, it was hard to tell whether this old lady was joking or was being dead serious ¡®Well, that¡¯s why it¡¯s so fun being around her, anyway . ¡¯. Thomas put on the pair of sunglasses he liked to wear all the time, and shifted his now-darkened gaze towards Madam Selner ¡°In that case¡­ . What would Mister Hero who saved the world be doing right about now?¡±. Madam kept her gaze on her grandchild walking back inside the house, a quiet smile forming on her lips ¡°Hmm, I wonder¡­ . Maybe he¡¯s enjoying his youth to the fullest somewhere?¡±. ***. Waaahhh-!!. In the location of the qualifying rounds of the track and field competition filled with the heated cheerings of the spectators, featuring schools from all over South Korea When the captains of the two rival high school track teams came together on the field, perhaps unsurprisingly, proverbial flames began erupting from the eyes of both men ¡°Oiii, Choi Tae-Woong! Looks like you¡¯ve lost your way, doesn¡¯t it!! You even let a freshman enter every type of competition, didn¡¯t you!¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s school track team was now facing off against the pointed ridicule belonging to the captain of their long-time rival from Hwaseong Tech High, Joh Gi-Seok ¡°I heard that your former ace, Woo Sahng-In, got injured and took a break for a few months . Did that result in your prowess falling so much that you don¡¯t have a choice but to make a freshman your new ace??¡±. Joh Gi-Seok continued on with his provocation, but Choi Tae-Woong simply smirked brightly and grasped Jin-Woo¡¯s shoulder ¡°Soon enough, you lot won¡¯t be able to close your mouths at the talents of this first year . ¡±. ¡°Heee~yah, rather than you guys breaking more records, you got better at cracking jokes, instead!¡±. Figurative sparks flew in all directions after these two¡¯s war of nerves grew to an intense level . Meanwhile, Jin-Woo was scratching the side of his head with his index finger ¡®With things like this, it¡¯s going to be difficult to stick to my plan of holding back so that I won¡¯t get noticed¡­ . ¡¯. While Jin-Woo stood there showing just a tiny hint of how troubled he was, Joh Gi-Seok scanned him from top to bottom and received a great boost of confidence from his expression . The corners of the Hwaseong Tech High Captain¡¯s lips curled upwards ¡°Here¡¯s the thing, though . What a funny coincidence this is, you know?¡±. Joh Gi-Seok turned around and gestured towards his team members; when he did, a big dude standing behind them strode forward with an expression filled pure, unbridled confidence ¡°You see, we also got ourselves a freaky freshman, too . ¡±. It was at that point that Jin-Woo ended up blurting out a surprised cry after seeing the face of this so-called freaky freshman ¡°Uh?¡±. ¡°Looks like your own freshman can sense it already, no?¡±. Joh Gi-Seok increased the volume of his voice while placing his hand on the shoulder of the newbie team member who possessed a physique that far surpassed the level of a regular high schooler ¡°This kid here, he¡¯s Hwaseong Tech High¡¯s secret weapon, Kim Cheol from the first year . ¡±. < Chapter 259 > Fin Chapter 260 Side Story 17 9 . I¡¯m going there to meet you right now (3) The ¡®impulse¡¯ . An overwhelming impulse, that¡¯s what Kim Cheol felt; this powerful impulse, strong enough to nearly blow his reasoning away, almost completely swallowed him up . ¡®But¡­ . . But how come I¡­ . . ¡¯ Why did he want to kneel down in front of a kid that he¡¯d never seen before, a student from the same year, but from another school? In that brief moment, if he didn¡¯t force his ankles and calves to be still with all his might, then he would¡¯ve shown a pretty disgraceful sight to everyone . Way too close for comfort, indeed . Kim Cheol couldn¡¯t describe this situation in any other way . Still, he managed to overcome it somehow and wiped the cold sweat pooling on his forehead with the back of his hand . It was at that moment that a really plausible theory popped up in his head . ¡®Could it be that¡­ . I¡¯m scared by a dude from the same year as me?¡¯ If it was not that, then how else could he explain away this current situation where his breathing quickened up suddenly and he wanted to avert his gaze while all strength drained out of his legs, as soon he met his opponent¡¯s eyes? Too bad, Kim Cheol simply couldn¡¯t accept reality as it was . ¡®Don¡¯t make me laugh!!¡¯ By relying on his superior physique surpassing that of high schoolers, as well as physical strength that matched his size, Kim Cheol enjoyed incredible prominence during his middle school days . Yet here he was, getting scared by another kid in the same age bracket? Such a thing was not possible . No, more than that, such a thing could not be allowed to happen . ¡°H-hey, Cheol-ah? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°You feeling okay, my man?¡± The seniors began showing concern for his well-being, and as his reply, veins bulged in Kim Cheol¡¯s throat as he roared out . ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong, seniors!!¡± ¡®That¡¯s right, there¡¯s nothing wrong with me!¡¯ Kim Cheol convinced himself of this fact and powerfully nodded his head . ¡®Right, I was suffering from a simple dizzy spell because I didn¡¯t have a fulfilling breakfast . That must be it . ¡¯ In order to prove right the theory that he just cooked up on the spot, Kim Cheol slowly raised his head and stared straight at the freshman of the opposing school . Although possessing a pretty well-trained physique, the first-year high school kid standing there was like a stalk of straw compared to himself . Finally regaining some sort of leeway now, a grin floated up on Kim Cheol¡¯s lips . Smirk . ¡®¡­ . I knew it . ¡¯ Getting scared by a kid that might get knocked out in one punch from him? What an absurd thing that was . Kim Cheol straightened his slightly hunched figure as the unbridled confidence from earlier on returned to his face . The members of the Hwaseong Tech High¡¯s track team were feeling worried from the sudden changes Kim Cheol was going through, but they regained their smiles after confirming that their ace had returned to how he was . ¡°Dayum, you surprised me there . ¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, our ace freshman really knows how to command attention . ¡± The seniors patted his shoulder to encourage him, and Kim Cheol replied with a confident smile before fixing his gaze back on Jin-Woo . ¡®What a disgrace, why did a dizzy spell have to happen at the same time as looking into that guy¡¯s eyes¡­?¡¯ Kim Cheol began thinking that he needed to return this ill-timed disgrace he suffered back to his opponent tenfold somehow . The best method to overturn an embarrassing situation was to suppress the other¡¯s spirit . ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯ Only now did he notice that, even though he was glaring at the kid, this fellow first-year was being insolent by standing upright and shooting a glare right back . Not once did Kim Cheol let a moron like that walk away in one piece until now . ¡°Hey, you . ¡± He lowered his voice and pointed to the rear of the athletic field with his chin . ¡°I¡¯ve got something to say to you, so follow me to over there for a sec . ¡± Oh, ohh-! While the members of the Hwaseong Tech High¡¯s track team whistled in excitement at their junior¡¯s spirited display, Jin-Woo¡¯s seniors were hurriedly blocking him from disinterestedly following after Kim Cheol . ¡°Jin-Woo! Listen to me, you mustn¡¯t commit murder!¡± ¡°You ain¡¯t thinking of spilling someone¡¯s blood on the day of the competition, right?? You gotta hold it in . ¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, let¡¯s just think of it as saving a poor soul today and let that kid be . ¡± Jin-Woo chuckled and gently shook off the hands of his seniors . ¡°Don¡¯t worry, seniors . I¡¯m sure nothing will happen over there . ¡± The seniors tried to confirm the safety of his ¡®opponent¡¯ once more . ¡°Really? There really won¡¯t be anything bad happening to that kid, right?¡± ¡°We¡¯re choosing to believe you . ¡± ¡°That friend over there, he¡¯s definitely walking back here on his own two feet, right?¡± Jin-Woo smiled brightly in order to put the worries of his seniors to rest and quickly walked over in the direction Kim Cheol had disappeared to . ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ The captain of Hwaseong¡¯s track team, Joh Gi-Seok, watched all of this unfold from the side and formed a disbelieving expression before walking up closer to his rivals . ¡°You guys¡­ . You all being serious right now?¡± Choi Tae-Woong sneaked a glimpse at Joh Gi-Seok¡¯s face before shifting his gaze back in the direction where Jin-Woo had gone off to and spoke up in a worried tone of voice . ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me, man . I¡¯m feeling really conflicted right now . ¡± Choi Tae-Woong had been watching Jin-Woo¡¯s monster-like motor reflexes from a close vantage point, so all he could do now was to fervently pray for that fella named Kim Cheol to not try anything funny for his sake . *** While walking after Kim Cheol, Jin-Woo¡¯s anticipation grew just a tiny bit . Could it be that this kid also regained the memories of the past, too? If that was the case, how would human ¡®Kim Cheol¡¯, and not the Shadow Soldier ¡®Iron¡¯, react to the memories of those days? Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t look like Kim Cheol had called him over here to discuss their past, judging from the light in the kid¡¯s eyes as he turned around . ¡°Hey, you . ¡± The high school kid¡¯s murderous eyes were now looking down on Jin-Woo . ¡°What, just because I¡¯m wearing a school uniform while standing on the same field as you, you think I¡¯m a pushover?¡± Kim Cheol was getting riled up here, but well, the sight of him being agitated like this reminded Jin-Woo of him losing his crap back inside the Red Gate, which caused an unplanned smirk to break out in response . Sure, he did get annoyed back then, but now, weren¡¯t they all his cherished memories? Too bad, though, Kim Cheol didn¡¯t remember a single thing from those days, and Jin-Woo¡¯s smile didn¡¯t go down all that well with him . ¡°You son of a b*tch!¡± Kim Cheol¡¯s rough hands reached out and grabbed Jin-Woo¡¯s collars in an instant . When that happened, there was a chorus of ¡®Waaaah-!!¡¯ breaking out from his shadow, made by the Shadow Soldiers cheering out loudly . [Yes, Iron is returning to us!] [Welcome back, Iron!] [My liege, entrust this lost sheep to me . I, Bellion, swear to re-educate him properly and ensure an event like this will never happen again¡­ . ] ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ It seemed that there was a real need to teach his Shadow Soldiers about the ways of the modern world . Jin-Woo inwardly tutted and stared deeply into Kim Cheol¡¯s eyes . Without a doubt, someone was challenging him right now, but maybe because the fond memories of the days when this kid was a loyal Shadow Soldier, Jin-Woo just couldn¡¯t bring himself to despise him . No, rather than that, he grew real curious about whether Kim Cheol would regain all the lost memories if they came in physical contact here . ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ The burly high school kid sensed something strange from Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes and inadvertently swallowed dry saliva . ¡®What¡¯s going on¡­ . ?¡¯ If this was in the past, he¡¯d not give a d*mn about being disqualified from the track competition and have thrown a punch by now, since the other guy was seemingly making fun of him . But, rather than emotions of anger or even the desire to settle the score, a different kind of feeling, thicker and purer than anything else, began to wiggle violently from the deepest part of his chest . And as Kim Cheol stood there conflicted on what to do next, Jin-Woo slowly and cautiously grasped the boy¡¯s wrist right then . The ends of his fingers touched Kim Cheol¡¯s skin . When that happened¡­ . ¡°Uh¡­ . ??¡± Tears began flooding out from the boy¡¯s eyes . He didn¡¯t know why he was crying all of a sudden, yet the tears didn¡¯t want to stop falling down . Soon, all strength abandoned his legs and he plopped down to the ground . ¡°B-but, why¡­ . ?¡± Kim Cheol looked up at Jin-Woo . He was searching for an answer, but all he got in return was a rueful smile from the mysterious boy, instead . ¡®If the Sovereign¡¯s memories weren¡¯t shared in the past, then the memories won¡¯t come back even if we make physical contact, huh?¡¯ Unless¡­ he restored the memories forcibly, that was . Jin-Woo recalled the faces of people he shared his memories with, in the now-erased past . ¡®Association President Woo Jin-Cheol, and¡­ . ¡¯ ¡­ . And, Madam Norma Selner . He thought about the distinct possibility that she might have also regained the memories from the erased timeline, and while wondering about that, he turned around to leave . He no longer had any business with ¡®Iron¡¯, no, ¡®Kim Cheol¡¯ . Because¡­ the kid was living as a ¡®human¡¯, and not as a Shadow Soldier, now . But then, the boy on his knees called out to Jin-Woo and stopped him in his tracks . ¡°H-hang on¡­ . . Wait . ¡± Kim Cheol wiped his eyes with his hands and hurriedly stood back up . His tears might have stopped, but his nose was still beet-red, but not caring about that, he squarely met Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze shifting back at him so he could speak, his voice choked up with thick emotion . ¡°This, is this¡­ . what they call love?¡± He was being swept up by the sudden torrent of powerful emotions that he had never experienced before . Although he was deeply mistaken about what his feelings were, he was dead serious right now as he had ever been in his life . ¡°¡­¡± Jin-Woo stared at the boy for a long while in an utter daze, feeling like he¡¯s been struck hard in the back of his head . Eventually, a lengthy groan escaped from his mouth . ¡°¡­ . This won¡¯t do . ¡± Indeed, he couldn¡¯t let some poor kid live the rest of his life confused about his sexual orientation like this, now could he? When Jin-Woo walked closer, Kim Cheol¡¯s cheeks blushed beet red like a maiden in love . Unfortunately¡­ Snap! All signs of cognition and emotion were wiped from the boy¡¯s face along with the sound of fingers snapping . Kim Cheol¡¯s eyes lost focus and became blurry . Jin-Woo stood in front of him and began inserting new memories to replace the old one . ¡°Okay, so¡­ . You tried to provoke me, but then found out, coincidentally, that I was the son of your father¡¯s friend¡¯s friend¡¯s friend and that¡¯s how we got to resolve our differences . ¡± Kim Cheol dazedly nodded his head . ¡°Oh, and also¡­ . ¡± For a brief moment there, Jin-Woo recalled back to when the kid was still ¡®Iron¡¯ and was crying his eyes out as they were about to say goodbye, right before the Chalice of Rebirth was to be used . A thin smile floated up on his lips and he continued on . ¡°From here onwards, you gotta stop behaving like a bad person, alright? You were one of the guys who fought to protect this world, so be proud of yourself, man . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . Yes, sir . ¡± After hearing a hushed, soft reply leaking out of Kim Cheol¡¯s lips, Jin-Woo finally undid the hypnosis and let the boy be . Snap . ¡°Uh¡­ . Eh?¡± Kim Cheol regained his consciousness and stayed rooted in his spot for a little while, utterly confused, only to belatedly discover Jin-Woo¡¯s distancing back over yonder . As if he was separating again from a friend he met after a long time, Jin-Woo waved his hand in a genial manner . ¡°Hey, see you again next time!¡± ¡°Uh¡­ . O-okay . ¡± Feeling bewildered by this situation, Kim Cheol waved his hand and smiled along awkwardly as well . ¡®Nice . ¡¯ Jin-Woo turned away from the kid¡¯s direction, a happy grin forming on his face now . The unexpected encounter with an old comrade had come to a successful conclusion, but it was now time to search for that girl in earnest . With excellent timing, he heard the announcement reverberating throughout the athletics field . ¨C The preliminaries for the middle school participants will begin shortly . All athletes, please report to the competitor¡¯s area . *** Somewhere at the far back of the athletics field, which was quiet and sparsely populated . A young girl managed to get to the shade of a tree with some difficulty and plopped down on her butt there . Her shaking hands reached down to take off one of her shoes and her sock . Her swollen ankle testified as to what her current situation was . She lightly bit her lower lips and glared at her ankle, before squeezing her eyes shut and leaning against the tree¡¯s sturdy trunk . What a blunder it was . Her shoulder was shoved away by another runner right next to her and that caused her to stumble ungainly during the race . She somehow managed to pass the first round of preliminaries even with this fairly heavy injury, but now¡­ . Now, it was clearly asking for too much to compete again with her leg being like this . ¡®I¡¯m furious¡­ . ¡¯ Indeed, she was . This might be the last time she competed as a middle schooler, and so, she didn¡¯t want to end the day with an injury . That was why¡­ . ¡®That¡¯s why¡­ I should just carry on . ¡¯ This was a line of thought that could only be cooked up by the head of an immature middle schooler, who still hadn¡¯t shed the mindset of a child yet . And it was the role of the adults to stop such a child from going down the wrong path since the dawn of time itself . ¡°You want to hide your injury?¡± The girl flinched grandly after hearing the voice of a male student, walking out from behind the tree, that she failed to detect earlier . This mysterious male student didn¡¯t look at her, but instead, stared into the distance . ¡°Even though a certain someone competed in that condition, hurt her ankle even more and had to spend over a year to recuperate, but still ended up as a third-rate athlete and could only regret the decision she made today?¡± The male student shifted his gaze back to the girl with her wide-open eyes and formed a refreshing grin . ¡°I was talking about a person that I know, actually . ¡± Here was a strange guy telling her a strange tale . But the girl, Cha Hae-In, didn¡¯t immediately run away from here and instead, chose to observe the boy for a bit longer . ¡®Isn¡¯t he an athlete¡­ . ? A high schooler, right?¡¯ She could detect a hint of this nice scent coming from the male student for some reason . As for the identity of that scent, the ¡®smell¡¯ of the purest Mana leaking out of Jin-Woo, as well as her possessing a unique constitution that allowed her to sniff out Mana, she¡¯d get to learn about them much, much later on . As Hae-In grew more flustered by the second, Jin-Woo crouched near her and carefully placed his hand on her swollen ankle . ¡°Ah¡­ . ¡± She flinched again for a moment there but didn¡¯t resist him all that much, either . And when his hand left her skin, her ankle was completely healed . She raised up her shocked eyes and stared at Jin-Woo . ¡°Run without any regrets . You only have one shot, right?¡± She shone so brightly as a rank S Hunter fighting against monster threats, but today, her sweating figure under the bright sunlight would shine just as wonderfully . Jin-Woo smiled and tried to stand back up, only for his wrist to be grasped in a hurry by Hae-In . ¡°W-wait a minute . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . ?¡± Could it be that a change occurred with the contact they made just now? Now facing off against Jin-Woo¡¯s curiosity-laden gaze, Hae-In¡¯s face flushed just a little . ¡°Excuse me, we¡­ . Have we met somewhere before?¡± She had to work up so much of her courage just to ask that simple-enough question that even her neck had turned beet-red by the time she was done asking it . ¡°Let¡¯s run . ¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Hae-In visibly grew confused, but Jin-Woo maintained his grin . ¡°If you run against me and ever win, then I¡¯ll tell you everything . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . I saw you compete, oppa . I saw you coming in at first place in every preliminary race you entered . ¡± Jin-Woo smirked and stood back up . ¡°I¡¯ll take that answer as you giving up . ¡± But then¡­ ¡°I-if that¡¯s the case!¡± Cha Hae-In worked up her courage once more and made a suggestion . ¡°The record for the preliminaries about to take place in a bit¡­ . How about you telling me the truth when I break that? Even if it¡¯s not right now?¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s head lowered and did his best to suppress his chuckles . ¡®Whether she¡¯s younger or older, she¡¯s still so pure . ¡¯ While briefly entertaining the idea of breaking the world record for the under-18 track event today, he nodded his head, a warm smile filling up his face . ¡°Alright, deal . ¡± Having successfully changed the condition of the bet, Hae-In formed a sunny smile as well . ¡®Well, you ain¡¯t going to be smiling later, though . ¡¯ Jin-Woo turned around and left her side for the athletics field while continuing to suppress his chuckles from breaking out . On that day . Under the bright spring sunlight, the world record for high school male athletes was shattered in what was supposed to be yet another ordinary preliminary race meet . And the track team Jin-Woo was a part of defeated their rival Hwaseong Tech High on their way to achieving their goal of an overall first place finish . < Chapter 260 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 260: Chapter 260 Side Story 17. 9 . I¡¯m going there to meet you right now (3). The ¡®impulse¡¯ An overwhelming impulse, that¡¯s what Kim Cheol felt; this powerful impulse, strong enough to nearly blow his reasoning away, almost completely swallowed him up ¡®But¡­ But how come I¡­ ¡¯. Why did he want to kneel down in front of a kid that he¡¯d never seen before, a student from the same year, but from another school?. In that brief moment, if he didn¡¯t force his ankles and calves to be still with all his might, then he would¡¯ve shown a pretty disgraceful sight to everyone Way too close for comfort, indeed Kim Cheol couldn¡¯t describe this situation in any other way . Still, he managed to overcome it somehow and wiped the cold sweat pooling on his forehead with the back of his hand It was at that moment that a really plausible theory popped up in his head ¡®Could it be that¡­ . I¡¯m scared by a dude from the same year as me?¡¯. If it was not that, then how else could he explain away this current situation where his breathing quickened up suddenly and he wanted to avert his gaze while all strength drained out of his legs, as soon he met his opponent¡¯s eyes?. Too bad, Kim Cheol simply couldn¡¯t accept reality as it was ¡®Don¡¯t make me laugh!!¡¯. By relying on his superior physique surpassing that of high schoolers, as well as physical strength that matched his size, Kim Cheol enjoyed incredible prominence during his middle school days . Yet here he was, getting scared by another kid in the same age bracket?. Such a thing was not possible . No, more than that, such a thing could not be allowed to happen ¡°H-hey, Cheol-ah? What¡¯s wrong?¡±. ¡°You feeling okay, my man?¡±. The seniors began showing concern for his well-being, and as his reply, veins bulged in Kim Cheol¡¯s throat as he roared out ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong, seniors!!¡±. ¡®That¡¯s right, there¡¯s nothing wrong with me!¡¯. Kim Cheol convinced himself of this fact and powerfully nodded his head ¡®Right, I was suffering from a simple dizzy spell because I didn¡¯t have a fulfilling breakfast . That must be it . ¡¯. In order to prove right the theory that he just cooked up on the spot, Kim Cheol slowly raised his head and stared straight at the freshman of the opposing school Although possessing a pretty well-trained physique, the first-year high school kid standing there was like a stalk of straw compared to himself . Finally regaining some sort of leeway now, a grin floated up on Kim Cheol¡¯s lips Smirk ¡®¡­ . I knew it . ¡¯. Getting scared by a kid that might get knocked out in one punch from him? What an absurd thing that was Kim Cheol straightened his slightly hunched figure as the unbridled confidence from earlier on returned to his face The members of the Hwaseong Tech High¡¯s track team were feeling worried from the sudden changes Kim Cheol was going through, but they regained their smiles after confirming that their ace had returned to how he was ¡°Dayum, you surprised me there . ¡±. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, our ace freshman really knows how to command attention . ¡±. The seniors patted his shoulder to encourage him, and Kim Cheol replied with a confident smile before fixing his gaze back on Jin-Woo ¡®What a disgrace, why did a dizzy spell have to happen at the same time as looking into that guy¡¯s eyes¡­?¡¯. Kim Cheol began thinking that he needed to return this ill-timed disgrace he suffered back to his opponent tenfold somehow . The best method to overturn an embarrassing situation was to suppress the other¡¯s spirit ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯. Only now did he notice that, even though he was glaring at the kid, this fellow first-year was being insolent by standing upright and shooting a glare right back Not once did Kim Cheol let a moron like that walk away in one piece until now ¡°Hey, you . ¡±. He lowered his voice and pointed to the rear of the athletic field with his chin ¡°I¡¯ve got something to say to you, so follow me to over there for a sec . ¡±. Oh, ohh-!. While the members of the Hwaseong Tech High¡¯s track team whistled in excitement at their junior¡¯s spirited display, Jin-Woo¡¯s seniors were hurriedly blocking him from disinterestedly following after Kim Cheol ¡°Jin-Woo! Listen to me, you mustn¡¯t commit murder!¡±. ¡°You ain¡¯t thinking of spilling someone¡¯s blood on the day of the competition, right?? You gotta hold it in . ¡±. ¡°That¡¯s right, let¡¯s just think of it as saving a poor soul today and let that kid be . ¡±. Jin-Woo chuckled and gently shook off the hands of his seniors ¡°Don¡¯t worry, seniors . I¡¯m sure nothing will happen over there . ¡±. The seniors tried to confirm the safety of his ¡®opponent¡¯ once more ¡°Really? There really won¡¯t be anything bad happening to that kid, right?¡±. ¡°We¡¯re choosing to believe you . ¡±. ¡°That friend over there, he¡¯s definitely walking back here on his own two feet, right?¡±. Jin-Woo smiled brightly in order to put the worries of his seniors to rest and quickly walked over in the direction Kim Cheol had disappeared to ¡®¡­ ¡¯. The captain of Hwaseong¡¯s track team, Joh Gi-Seok, watched all of this unfold from the side and formed a disbelieving expression before walking up closer to his rivals ¡°You guys¡­ . You all being serious right now?¡±. Choi Tae-Woong sneaked a glimpse at Joh Gi-Seok¡¯s face before shifting his gaze back in the direction where Jin-Woo had gone off to and spoke up in a worried tone of voice ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me, man . I¡¯m feeling really conflicted right now . ¡±. Choi Tae-Woong had been watching Jin-Woo¡¯s monster-like motor reflexes from a close vantage point, so all he could do now was to fervently pray for that fella named Kim Cheol to not try anything funny for his sake ***. While walking after Kim Cheol, Jin-Woo¡¯s anticipation grew just a tiny bit . Could it be that this kid also regained the memories of the past, too?. If that was the case, how would human ¡®Kim Cheol¡¯, and not the Shadow Soldier ¡®Iron¡¯, react to the memories of those days?. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t look like Kim Cheol had called him over here to discuss their past, judging from the light in the kid¡¯s eyes as he turned around ¡°Hey, you . ¡±. The high school kid¡¯s murderous eyes were now looking down on Jin-Woo ¡°What, just because I¡¯m wearing a school uniform while standing on the same field as you, you think I¡¯m a pushover?¡±. Kim Cheol was getting riled up here, but well, the sight of him being agitated like this reminded Jin-Woo of him losing his crap back inside the Red Gate, which caused an unplanned smirk to break out in response Sure, he did get annoyed back then, but now, weren¡¯t they all his cherished memories? Too bad, though, Kim Cheol didn¡¯t remember a single thing from those days, and Jin-Woo¡¯s smile didn¡¯t go down all that well with him ¡°You son of a b*tch!¡±. Kim Cheol¡¯s rough hands reached out and grabbed Jin-Woo¡¯s collars in an instant . When that happened, there was a chorus of ¡®Waaaah-!!¡¯ breaking out from his shadow, made by the Shadow Soldiers cheering out loudly [Yes, Iron is returning to us!]. [Welcome back, Iron!]. [My liege, entrust this lost sheep to me . I, Bellion, swear to re-educate him properly and ensure an event like this will never happen again¡­ . ]. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯. It seemed that there was a real need to teach his Shadow Soldiers about the ways of the modern world . Jin-Woo inwardly tutted and stared deeply into Kim Cheol¡¯s eyes Without a doubt, someone was challenging him right now, but maybe because the fond memories of the days when this kid was a loyal Shadow Soldier, Jin-Woo just couldn¡¯t bring himself to despise him No, rather than that, he grew real curious about whether Kim Cheol would regain all the lost memories if they came in physical contact here ¡®¡­ ¡¯. The burly high school kid sensed something strange from Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes and inadvertently swallowed dry saliva ¡®What¡¯s going on¡­ . ?¡¯. If this was in the past, he¡¯d not give a d*mn about being disqualified from the track competition and have thrown a punch by now, since the other guy was seemingly making fun of him But, rather than emotions of anger or even the desire to settle the score, a different kind of feeling, thicker and purer than anything else, began to wiggle violently from the deepest part of his chest And as Kim Cheol stood there conflicted on what to do next, Jin-Woo slowly and cautiously grasped the boy¡¯s wrist right then The ends of his fingers touched Kim Cheol¡¯s skin When that happened¡­ ¡°Uh¡­ . ??¡±. Tears began flooding out from the boy¡¯s eyes He didn¡¯t know why he was crying all of a sudden, yet the tears didn¡¯t want to stop falling down . Soon, all strength abandoned his legs and he plopped down to the ground ¡°B-but, why¡­ . ?¡±. Kim Cheol looked up at Jin-Woo He was searching for an answer, but all he got in return was a rueful smile from the mysterious boy, instead ¡®If the Sovereign¡¯s memories weren¡¯t shared in the past, then the memories won¡¯t come back even if we make physical contact, huh?¡¯. Unless¡­ he restored the memories forcibly, that was Jin-Woo recalled the faces of people he shared his memories with, in the now-erased past ¡®Association President Woo Jin-Cheol, and¡­ . ¡¯. ¡­ . And, Madam Norma Selner He thought about the distinct possibility that she might have also regained the memories from the erased timeline, and while wondering about that, he turned around to leave He no longer had any business with ¡®Iron¡¯, no, ¡®Kim Cheol¡¯ . Because¡­ the kid was living as a ¡®human¡¯, and not as a Shadow Soldier, now But then, the boy on his knees called out to Jin-Woo and stopped him in his tracks ¡°H-hang on¡­ Wait . ¡±. Kim Cheol wiped his eyes with his hands and hurriedly stood back up . His tears might have stopped, but his nose was still beet-red, but not caring about that, he squarely met Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze shifting back at him so he could speak, his voice choked up with thick emotion ¡°This, is this¡­ . what they call love?¡±. He was being swept up by the sudden torrent of powerful emotions that he had never experienced before . Although he was deeply mistaken about what his feelings were, he was dead serious right now as he had ever been in his life ¡°¡­¡±. Jin-Woo stared at the boy for a long while in an utter daze, feeling like he¡¯s been struck hard in the back of his head . Eventually, a lengthy groan escaped from his mouth ¡°¡­ . This won¡¯t do . ¡±. Indeed, he couldn¡¯t let some poor kid live the rest of his life confused about his sexual orientation like this, now could he? When Jin-Woo walked closer, Kim Cheol¡¯s cheeks blushed beet red like a maiden in love Unfortunately¡­. Snap!. All signs of cognition and emotion were wiped from the boy¡¯s face along with the sound of fingers snapping . Kim Cheol¡¯s eyes lost focus and became blurry . Jin-Woo stood in front of him and began inserting new memories to replace the old one ¡°Okay, so¡­ . You tried to provoke me, but then found out, coincidentally, that I was the son of your father¡¯s friend¡¯s friend¡¯s friend and that¡¯s how we got to resolve our differences . ¡±. Kim Cheol dazedly nodded his head ¡°Oh, and also¡­ . ¡±. For a brief moment there, Jin-Woo recalled back to when the kid was still ¡®Iron¡¯ and was crying his eyes out as they were about to say goodbye, right before the Chalice of Rebirth was to be used . A thin smile floated up on his lips and he continued on ¡°From here onwards, you gotta stop behaving like a bad person, alright? You were one of the guys who fought to protect this world, so be proud of yourself, man . ¡±. ¡°¡­ Yes, sir . ¡±. After hearing a hushed, soft reply leaking out of Kim Cheol¡¯s lips, Jin-Woo finally undid the hypnosis and let the boy be Snap ¡°Uh¡­ . Eh?¡±. Kim Cheol regained his consciousness and stayed rooted in his spot for a little while, utterly confused, only to belatedly discover Jin-Woo¡¯s distancing back over yonder As if he was separating again from a friend he met after a long time, Jin-Woo waved his hand in a genial manner ¡°Hey, see you again next time!¡±. ¡°Uh¡­ . O-okay . ¡±. Feeling bewildered by this situation, Kim Cheol waved his hand and smiled along awkwardly as well ¡®Nice . ¡¯. Jin-Woo turned away from the kid¡¯s direction, a happy grin forming on his face now . The unexpected encounter with an old comrade had come to a successful conclusion, but it was now time to search for that girl in earnest With excellent timing, he heard the announcement reverberating throughout the athletics field ¨C The preliminaries for the middle school participants will begin shortly . All athletes, please report to the competitor¡¯s area ***. Somewhere at the far back of the athletics field, which was quiet and sparsely populated A young girl managed to get to the shade of a tree with some difficulty and plopped down on her butt there . Her shaking hands reached down to take off one of her shoes and her sock . Her swollen ankle testified as to what her current situation was She lightly bit her lower lips and glared at her ankle, before squeezing her eyes shut and leaning against the tree¡¯s sturdy trunk What a blunder it was Her shoulder was shoved away by another runner right next to her and that caused her to stumble ungainly during the race . She somehow managed to pass the first round of preliminaries even with this fairly heavy injury, but now¡­ Now, it was clearly asking for too much to compete again with her leg being like this ¡®I¡¯m furious¡­ . ¡¯. Indeed, she was This might be the last time she competed as a middle schooler, and so, she didn¡¯t want to end the day with an injury That was why¡­ ¡®That¡¯s why¡­ I should just carry on . ¡¯. This was a line of thought that could only be cooked up by the head of an immature middle schooler, who still hadn¡¯t shed the mindset of a child yet And it was the role of the adults to stop such a child from going down the wrong path since the dawn of time itself ¡°You want to hide your injury?¡±. The girl flinched grandly after hearing the voice of a male student, walking out from behind the tree, that she failed to detect earlier . This mysterious male student didn¡¯t look at her, but instead, stared into the distance ¡°Even though a certain someone competed in that condition, hurt her ankle even more and had to spend over a year to recuperate, but still ended up as a third-rate athlete and could only regret the decision she made today?¡±. The male student shifted his gaze back to the girl with her wide-open eyes and formed a refreshing grin ¡°I was talking about a person that I know, actually . ¡±. Here was a strange guy telling her a strange tale . But the girl, Cha Hae-In, didn¡¯t immediately run away from here and instead, chose to observe the boy for a bit longer ¡®Isn¡¯t he an athlete¡­ . ? A high schooler, right?¡¯. She could detect a hint of this nice scent coming from the male student for some reason As for the identity of that scent, the ¡®smell¡¯ of the purest Mana leaking out of Jin-Woo, as well as her possessing a unique constitution that allowed her to sniff out Mana, she¡¯d get to learn about them much, much later on As Hae-In grew more flustered by the second, Jin-Woo crouched near her and carefully placed his hand on her swollen ankle ¡°Ah¡­ . ¡±. She flinched again for a moment there but didn¡¯t resist him all that much, either . And when his hand left her skin, her ankle was completely healed She raised up her shocked eyes and stared at Jin-Woo ¡°Run without any regrets . You only have one shot, right?¡±. She shone so brightly as a rank S Hunter fighting against monster threats, but today, her sweating figure under the bright sunlight would shine just as wonderfully Jin-Woo smiled and tried to stand back up, only for his wrist to be grasped in a hurry by Hae-In ¡°W-wait a minute . ¡±. ¡°¡­ ?¡±. Could it be that a change occurred with the contact they made just now? Now facing off against Jin-Woo¡¯s curiosity-laden gaze, Hae-In¡¯s face flushed just a little ¡°Excuse me, we¡­ . Have we met somewhere before?¡±. She had to work up so much of her courage just to ask that simple-enough question that even her neck had turned beet-red by the time she was done asking it ¡°Let¡¯s run . ¡±. ¡°Eh?¡±. Hae-In visibly grew confused, but Jin-Woo maintained his grin ¡°If you run against me and ever win, then I¡¯ll tell you everything . ¡±. ¡°¡­ I saw you compete, oppa . I saw you coming in at first place in every preliminary race you entered . ¡±. Jin-Woo smirked and stood back up ¡°I¡¯ll take that answer as you giving up . ¡±. But then¡­. ¡°I-if that¡¯s the case!¡±. Cha Hae-In worked up her courage once more and made a suggestion ¡°The record for the preliminaries about to take place in a bit¡­ . How about you telling me the truth when I break that? Even if it¡¯s not right now?¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s head lowered and did his best to suppress his chuckles ¡®Whether she¡¯s younger or older, she¡¯s still so pure . ¡¯. While briefly entertaining the idea of breaking the world record for the under-18 track event today, he nodded his head, a warm smile filling up his face ¡°Alright, deal . ¡±. Having successfully changed the condition of the bet, Hae-In formed a sunny smile as well ¡®Well, you ain¡¯t going to be smiling later, though . ¡¯. Jin-Woo turned around and left her side for the athletics field while continuing to suppress his chuckles from breaking out On that day Under the bright spring sunlight, the world record for high school male athletes was shattered in what was supposed to be yet another ordinary preliminary race meet And the track team Jin-Woo was a part of defeated their rival Hwaseong Tech High on their way to achieving their goal of an overall first place finish < Chapter 260 > Fin Chapter 261 Side Story 18 Since he didn¡¯t share his memories with them, Jin-Woo had not thought of the possibility of it happening, but the truth was, there were a few other people who were still connected to the higher beings on Earth . And, out of them all, one person was quite lucky enough to have physical contact with Jin-Woo, who was a higher being himself . A certain early morning . ¡°Son? What¡¯s the matter?¡± His son emerging from the room having just woken up looked like he was about to break down and cry, so Seong Il-Hwan reached out and gently grasped the boy¡¯s shoulders, only to be greeted by the spectacle of a different past playing right before his eyes . It happened in the briefest of the brief moments that didn¡¯t even last a blink, but that was more than enough to tell the tale spanning several years that felt as long as eternity itself . ¨C I wanted to see you . Always . ¨C I wouldn¡¯t have minded talking to you for a little bit longer, but¡­ . ¨C I¡¯m sorry for not being a good father to you . Tumble . His final moments that caused his heart to tumble to the pit of his stomach flashed past his eyes . Then, the time wound back and the memories of how the present came to be played out in a panorama being played backwards . The one and only tool of God that could cause a phenomenon like this, the ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯ . Seong Il-Hwan knew of the artefact¡¯s existence through the memories of the Rulers, and after looking at the boy¡¯s current facial expression, he instantly realised that his son must¡¯ve had reached some kind of a deal with the higher beings . Indeed, Jin-Woo had decided to carry the weight, the cost, of the deal all by himself, regardless of how heavy it was . Seong Il-Hwan had to bite down on his lower lip in order to suppress his emotions and prevent them from bursting forth right then . His efforts must¡¯ve not been in vain, because Jin-Woo wiped away the tears threatening to break out and formed a smile . ¡°¡­ . I must¡¯ve had a nightmare . ¡± At that moment, Seong Il-Hwan saw the powerful determination flicker for a blink of an eye on his son¡¯s face . But even then, no, even when Jin-Woo left behind a single note and disappeared from this world, he couldn¡¯t even guess just what kind of ¡®promise¡¯ his son had made with the Rulers . *** ¡°¡­ . I¡¯d never imagined that promise was to defeat the entirety of the Army of the Chaos World all by himself . ¡± Seol Il-Hwan recalled that very day and let out a helpless chuckle . What if he got to find out about his son¡¯s deal before the boy jumped into the gap between dimensions and disappeared? Would he have stopped Jin-Woo, or for the sake of the world, let the kid leave? ¡°Still, hasn¡¯t he beautifully taken care of it?¡± The envoy of the Rulers sitting on the opposite side of him smiled refreshingly . Seong Il-Hwan had his lips firmly shut now, but he nodded his head regardless . Thanks to Jin-Woo¡¯s sacrifice, this world was spared from the horrifying war that was supposed to tear through this planet . But, when he thought about the terrible suffering his son must¡¯ve gone through during those years, Seong Il-Hwan just couldn¡¯t bring himself to smile anymore . It had been almost one year since Jin-Woo returned from the gap between dimensions . ¡°My son¡­ . ¡± His hesitating voice was drowned out by the gently-flowing background music of the cafe they were in . The Ruler¡¯s envoy sipped the half-remaining coffee with his straw as he unhurriedly waited for Seong Il-Hwan to continue on . ¡°What was my son¡¯s decision?¡± ¡°The Shadow Sovereign has¡­ . ¡± The envoy discovered the traces of nervousness flit past Seong Il-Hwan¡¯s face and formed a thin smile . ¡°¡­ . Chosen to stay in this world . He said that every minute and every second spent in this world is precious to him . ¡± Seong Il-Hwan inwardly spat out a lengthy sigh of relief . The envoy emptied out his cup and silently placed it back on the table . He had to remain in this world until Jin-Woo made up his mind, but that role came to an end yesterday . Which meant that it was time to leave . Seong Il-Hwan would be the very last guest he¡¯d entertain before leaving this world for good . Maybe that was the reason? Although he wasn¡¯t really the talkative type, he wanted to converse for just a bit longer today . ¡°Are you planning to continue deceiving Shadow Sovereign-nim¡­ . no, your son?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what he wants, no one remembering the past . So, yes . ¡± If what Jin-Woo wanted was the normal, regular family life, then as his father, Seong Il-Hwan was fully committed to continuing the charade until the end of time itself . ¡°I see . Like father, like son . ¡± The envoy smirked and nodded his head before raising his gaze a little higher . ¡°Once I leave, the Rulers will no longer interfere with this world . ¡± ¡°I know . ¡± ¡°Which means, this really is the end . With this world¡­ . ¡± The envoy scanned the interior of the cafe and spoke with an emotional voice . ¡°It has been fun . Truly . To be honest, right up until the Shadow Sovereign-nim made his triumphant return, I had been waiting with bated breath on what destiny had in store for us . ¡± The envoy held back slightly and didn¡¯t mention that even the Rulers didn¡¯t expect to see Jin-Woo succeed in his quest . Well, there was no reason to pour a bucket of cold water on this emotional farewell, was there? Just before he bade his farewell and stood up to leave, the envoy addressed his guest once more . ¡°The Rulers express their unreserved gratitude towards not just Shadow Sovereign, but to you as well, Seong Il-Hwan-nim . ¡± It was unknown whether a result like this would¡¯ve been achieved without his help . He fought for the sake of the Rulers, and he even suggested that the higher beings cooperate with the Shadow Sovereign, too . Indeed, his role had been great . The Rulers had decided as thus, and they prepared a small gift for him in return . ¡°By any chance, is there something we can help you with?¡± When considering that the Rulers possessed incredible powers as well as various ¡®tools of God¡¯, this was akin to them saying, ¡°We will grant any wish you have . ¡± However, Seong Il-Hwan shook his head almost immediately . ¡°I have none¡­ . . ¡± But, that made sense . The envoy could understand where he was coming from . There was an existence on the level of a god living as family right next to him, so what was the point of voicing his wishes here? ¡°Well, then . ¡± The envoy bowed his head slightly and got ready to stand up, but then, Seong Il-Hwan belatedly said something else . ¡°Hang on . ¡± The envoy stopped and settled back down on the chair again . ¡°Is there something else¡­ . ?¡± Seong Il-Hwan pondered for a bit and spoke up with some difficulty . ¡°My memories¡­ . Is it possible for you to erase my memories of the previous timeline?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s possible, but why would you choose to do so¡­ . ?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s unimaginably hard to keep pretending in front of a son with an amazing perception, you see . ¡± Seong Il-Hwan smirked once he was done . Again, like father, like son ¨C his grinning face was almost a dead-ringer for Jin-Woo¡¯s . ¡°And, also¡­ . ¡± Seong Il-Hwan lowered his gaze and fell into thought for a bit again, before continuing on with his words slowly . ¡°I also wish to become a regular dad who worries about his son¡¯s welfare . ¡± He wanted to return to being just a simple father who felt anxious about his son possibly coming back home injured in some way, and a father who sighed in disappointment at his son¡¯s exam results ¨C a man who worried about his ¡®regular¡¯ son, in other words . ¡°To me, Jin-Woo isn¡¯t the Shadow Sovereign, but a precious son, you see . ¡± That was Seong Il-Hwan¡¯s small wish . ¡°I understand . ¡± If that was his reasoning, then it¡¯d be no problem . The envoy smiled gently and granted Seong Il-Hwan¡¯s wish . ¡°Once you exit from this cafe, all memories of the previous timeline will completely be erased from your mind . ¡± As the envoy began performing the magic spell on Seong Il-Hwan, he whispered a goodbye so small that no one could hear it properly . ¡°You won¡¯t remember this, but still¡­ I pray that you get to live a fulfilling life . ¡± * Time continued to tick by . On a certain cold winter morning . The alarm set for six in the morning went off without a hitch and Seong Il-Hwan shot up from his ¡®sleep¡¯ . His wife woke up at the same time, too, and stared straight at him . ¡°What about Jin-Woo?¡± ¡°Yes, what happened to him?¡± The couple quickly checked the time and breathed a collective sigh of relief after realising that it was still only six in the morning . ¡°Dear, what should we do? Should we go and wake Jin-Woo up?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s still some time left until the beginning of the CSAT, so I think it should be fine to let him rest for a little while longer . ¡± ¡°You¡¯re right . I can always drive him to the exam location with my car, anyway . ¡± ¡°At seven¡­ . Let¡¯s wake him up around seven, Dear . ¡± Seong Il-Hwan nodded his head at his wife¡¯s suggestion . The couple anxiously waited for the needles of the clock to hit seven and when the fated time came, they rushed out of their bedroom to slam the door to Jin-Woo¡¯s room wide open . ¡°S-son, you know that today is the CSAT day, right?¡± ¡°Son, as your father, I can take you there, you know?¡± Their son seemed to have woken up not too long ago . He replied with a chuckle . ¡°I¡¯ll get ready to leave now . ¡± After confirming that Jin-Woo left his room, Seong Il-Hwan hurriedly threw on his clothes and reached out to grab the car keys, only for his gaze to be stolen by the key ring ¨C a gift from his son . When he looked at this seemingly-handmade keyring shaped like a white-coloured castle with a black flag on top, a wide grin formed on his lips . The weather was beautifully clear and crisp; it was a refreshing morning as the early rays of the sun gently seeped into the world . *** The evening of the 24th of December . Jin-Woo was walking on a street filled with the festive atmosphere of Christmas . He could easily spot the smiling faces of movie stars or top athletes proudly on display on the electronic advertising boards hung here and there . ¡®The streets have changed a lot . ¡¯ Whenever Jin-Woo recalled the time when the streets used to be dominated by the faces of top-ranked Hunters, he still felt a bit awkward and disjointed . But then, he spotted an advertising poster for a certain sports drink and broke out into a gentle chuckle . A rather familiar face was on it, that was why . Just how many people lost their hair to stress while trying to take that one photo of her making a natural-looking expression? ¡®The idol of the athletic world, is it¡­ . ?¡¯ Indeed, Cha Hae-In¡¯s smile on the poster was good enough to be called on the level of an idol . She drew attention with her stunning achievements on the track, and eventually, the mass media caught onto her shining star as well . In a bid to boost the popularity of the track sports, the athletics organisation pleaded with her and this was the end result . ¡®She never stepped in front of a camera even when she was a rank S Hunter, but now, she must perform the role of one of the most popular sportswomen in the country¡­ . ¡¯ This future wouldn¡¯t have come about if he hadn¡¯t healed her ankle back then; a satisfied grin formed on Jin-Woo¡¯s face . She might be having a bit of a hard time trying to get used to the cameras, but it¡¯d only get better with time . Still smiling, Jin-Woo resumed his walk towards the meeting area . He took a look around himself without thinking too much about it and discovered many young couples and their colourful clothing filling up the streets . ¡®Yup, I definitely am an examinee who recently finished his CSAT . Look how plainly dressed I am . ¡¯ Jin-Woo lightly tutted at his rather plain-looking clothes and sought out the nearest clothing store . With the time being what it was, the shops were all closed, but from the get-go, he wasn¡¯t planning to buy something, anyway . Jin-Woo stopped walking in front of a mannequin kitted out in the coolest outfit inside the shop window . Sha-ah-ahk¡­ . The pitch-black smoke enveloped Jin-Woo¡¯s figure for a brief moment and his outfit had changed to the exact same thing as that mannequin¡¯s . He examined his new look through the reflection on the shop¡¯s window before asking his Shadow Soldiers . ¡°What do you think?¡± Fangs, having developed an intense interest in all things fashion-related from some time ago, hurriedly replied first, maybe fearing that someone else might steal his limelight . [You look amazing, my liege . ] ¡°Alright . ¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s steps became a touch cheerier than before and they helped him arrive at the place of his appointment in the proverbial blink of an eye . Surrounding a massive Christmas tree installed in the middle of a plaza were many people searching and waiting for their companions to arrive . Even though many of them were nervously glancing at their watches, the looks of happiness still could be gleaned from their expressions regardless, perhaps because today was Christmas Eve . Unlike them, though, Jin-Woo was staring into the heavens above since he had more than enough leeway compared to them . There were all sorts of ambient noises made by people walking on the streets, but Jin-Woo still could accurately distinguish the footsteps that mattered to him . ¡®¡­ . . 3, 2, 1 . ¡¯ Just as that ¡®kid¡¯ arrived near his back, he turned around to greet her . ¡°Hey . You came . ¡± Hae-In was planning to take Jin-Woo by surprise, but could only sneakily lower her arms, looking a bit disappointed . ¡°Oppa, it¡¯s like you¡¯ve got eyes behind your back, you know?¡± She seemed just a bit despondent, which was rather adorable as well, so he broke out into a soft grin . Hae-In pulled up the hood on her top to avoid the attention of the passersby, like how Jin-Woo used to do . ¡°Should we take a walk for a while?¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s suggestion was met by Hae-In¡¯s brightly smiling face . She even nodded her head to emphasize her agreement, too . As the two of them walked, they chose the less populated path whenever they came across a crossroad . Meanwhile, Hae-In¡¯s eyes were growing really large after listening to Jin-Woo¡¯s CSAT result . ¡°You got such a great score, yet you wanna go to that university? But, why?¡± ¡°Well, the fees are completely paid for by the scholarship, plus they are adding on the opportunity for me to study abroad, as well . Besides, there is this person I just have to meet in that place, you see . ¡± It was at that point that her ears perked up . ¡°Wait, that person isn¡¯t a woman, is it?¡± Her eyes narrowed to a slit, but Jin-Woo found her expression really adorable so he decided to string her along for a bit . ¡°Mmm, who knows . ¡± Her cheeks immediately puffed up . To Jin-Woo, seeing her express her emotions so freely like this ¨C something she didn¡¯t do back when both of them were adults ¨C proved to be a different but still wonderfully joyous occasion to behold . Around then¡­ . Tap . Something fell gently from the sky and landed on the tip of his nose, followed soon after by wet coldness melting on his skin . It was a snowflake . He raised his head up to look and white specks began falling gently from the blackened sky . A White Christmas was coming, it seemed . He silently stared at the falling snow only to recall the sight of settling grey ash after he defeated the Dragon Emperor . Ash as white as snow ¨C no, snowflakes as light as ash silently descended on the land . ¡°Oppa? What are you thinking about?¡± Jin-Woo smiled softly and tried to gloss over it . ¡°Nothing much . ¡± Well, it wasn¡¯t as if he could tell her that, while he was looking at the snow falling from the evening sky a day before Christmas, he was busy recalling probably the most dangerous enemy he had to fight in his entire life, now could he? Hae-In formed a broad grin after listening to Jin-Woo¡¯s reply, then she brought up something out of the blue . ¡°Oppa, do you remember our promise?¡± ¡°What promise?¡± ¡°The one about you promising to answer everything when I win in a race . ¡± ¡°Yeah, I do . ¡± Hae-In promptly pointed towards one of the trees lining up along the street . ¡°Well, why don¡¯t we make a bet, then? Let¡¯s see who will arrive there first . ¡± Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t help but chuckle after hearing her sudden challenge and asked her a question . ¡°What is it that you¡¯d like to ask me?¡± ¡°Everything . ¡± ¡°Everything??¡± ¡°What you¡¯re thinking about sometimes, whether it¡¯s a girl or a guy you want to meet in that university, and also¡­ . ¡± ¡°Also?¡± ¡°¡­ . Also, about the time we met before that athletic preliminaries took place . ¡± ¡°¡­ . Alright . ¡± Jin-Woo readily agreed to it and took his hands out from his pockets . The end result wouldn¡¯t be affected just because he kept his hands there, but still, he wanted to show her that he was taking this challenge quite seriously . But then¡­ . Hae-In had been staying a step away from his position until then, but suddenly walked in very close to wrap her scarf around his neck before asking him for a small favour in a whisper . ¡°Oppa, if you like me, don¡¯t move from this spot . ¡± ¡°Wha?¡± While he was getting flustered by this development, Hae-In began walking slowly towards the tree in question while looking straight at him . As for Jin-Woo himself, he couldn¡¯t hold back his laughter after realising that his defeat had been set in stone from the get-go . ¡°Hah¡­ . ¡± In the end, Hae-In succeeded in touching the tree first, and she lightly jumped in the air to announce her victory . Meanwhile, his Shadow Soldiers watching the two lovers¡¯ competition with a great deal of anticipation and excitement began jumping up and down themselves in happiness as well . [Heee-ya~, our liege has lost!] [Wow, there are times when our liege will lose a challenge with so much at stake, too!] [My liege, you did it wrong!] [Kkiiieehhk-!! Oh, my kinggg! It¡¯s not too late, so please get going now!!] Jin-Woo was left stupefied and chuckled again while scratching the side of his head . He took a glance around the street and approached the tree as well . Thankfully, he couldn¡¯t spot a single soul on this particular stretch of road, all due to the fact that they sought out only those paths with little foot traffic . ¡°Well, I won, right?¡± Hae-In was waiting for his reply with an excited expression clearly etched on her face . Jin-Woo stopped before her smile and issued a dignified order to his Shadow Soldiers . ¡®Shadows? Every one of you, close your eyes . ¡¯ [¡­¡­] [¡­¡­] While the soldiers were rightly feeling frustrated¡­ . ¡­ . Jin-Woo slowly brought his lips closer and gently locked them with Hae-In¡¯s . The white snowflakes continued to fall silently from the sky . < Chapter 261 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 261: Chapter 261 Side Story 18. Since he didn¡¯t share his memories with them, Jin-Woo had not thought of the possibility of it happening, but the truth was, there were a few other people who were still connected to the higher beings on Earth And, out of them all, one person was quite lucky enough to have physical contact with Jin-Woo, who was a higher being himself A certain early morning ¡°Son? What¡¯s the matter?¡±. His son emerging from the room having just woken up looked like he was about to break down and cry, so Seong Il-Hwan reached out and gently grasped the boy¡¯s shoulders, only to be greeted by the spectacle of a different past playing right before his eyes It happened in the briefest of the brief moments that didn¡¯t even last a blink, but that was more than enough to tell the tale spanning several years that felt as long as eternity itself ¨C I wanted to see you . Always ¨C I wouldn¡¯t have minded talking to you for a little bit longer, but¡­ ¨C I¡¯m sorry for not being a good father to you Tumble His final moments that caused his heart to tumble to the pit of his stomach flashed past his eyes . Then, the time wound back and the memories of how the present came to be played out in a panorama being played backwards The one and only tool of God that could cause a phenomenon like this, the ¡®Chalice of Rebirth¡¯ . Seong Il-Hwan knew of the artefact¡¯s existence through the memories of the Rulers, and after looking at the boy¡¯s current facial expression, he instantly realised that his son must¡¯ve had reached some kind of a deal with the higher beings Indeed, Jin-Woo had decided to carry the weight, the cost, of the deal all by himself, regardless of how heavy it was . Seong Il-Hwan had to bite down on his lower lip in order to suppress his emotions and prevent them from bursting forth right then His efforts must¡¯ve not been in vain, because Jin-Woo wiped away the tears threatening to break out and formed a smile ¡°¡­ . I must¡¯ve had a nightmare . ¡±. At that moment, Seong Il-Hwan saw the powerful determination flicker for a blink of an eye on his son¡¯s face But even then, no, even when Jin-Woo left behind a single note and disappeared from this world, he couldn¡¯t even guess just what kind of ¡®promise¡¯ his son had made with the Rulers ***. ¡°¡­ . I¡¯d never imagined that promise was to defeat the entirety of the Army of the Chaos World all by himself . ¡±. Seol Il-Hwan recalled that very day and let out a helpless chuckle What if he got to find out about his son¡¯s deal before the boy jumped into the gap between dimensions and disappeared? Would he have stopped Jin-Woo, or for the sake of the world, let the kid leave?. ¡°Still, hasn¡¯t he beautifully taken care of it?¡±. The envoy of the Rulers sitting on the opposite side of him smiled refreshingly Seong Il-Hwan had his lips firmly shut now, but he nodded his head regardless . Thanks to Jin-Woo¡¯s sacrifice, this world was spared from the horrifying war that was supposed to tear through this planet But, when he thought about the terrible suffering his son must¡¯ve gone through during those years, Seong Il-Hwan just couldn¡¯t bring himself to smile anymore It had been almost one year since Jin-Woo returned from the gap between dimensions ¡°My son¡­ . ¡±. His hesitating voice was drowned out by the gently-flowing background music of the cafe they were in . The Ruler¡¯s envoy sipped the half-remaining coffee with his straw as he unhurriedly waited for Seong Il-Hwan to continue on ¡°What was my son¡¯s decision?¡±. ¡°The Shadow Sovereign has¡­ . ¡±. The envoy discovered the traces of nervousness flit past Seong Il-Hwan¡¯s face and formed a thin smile ¡°¡­ . Chosen to stay in this world . He said that every minute and every second spent in this world is precious to him . ¡±. Seong Il-Hwan inwardly spat out a lengthy sigh of relief The envoy emptied out his cup and silently placed it back on the table . He had to remain in this world until Jin-Woo made up his mind, but that role came to an end yesterday Which meant that it was time to leave . Seong Il-Hwan would be the very last guest he¡¯d entertain before leaving this world for good Maybe that was the reason? Although he wasn¡¯t really the talkative type, he wanted to converse for just a bit longer today ¡°Are you planning to continue deceiving Shadow Sovereign-nim¡­ . no, your son?¡±. ¡°That¡¯s what he wants, no one remembering the past . So, yes . ¡±. If what Jin-Woo wanted was the normal, regular family life, then as his father, Seong Il-Hwan was fully committed to continuing the charade until the end of time itself ¡°I see . Like father, like son . ¡±. The envoy smirked and nodded his head before raising his gaze a little higher ¡°Once I leave, the Rulers will no longer interfere with this world . ¡±. ¡°I know . ¡±. ¡°Which means, this really is the end . With this world¡­ . ¡±. The envoy scanned the interior of the cafe and spoke with an emotional voice ¡°It has been fun . Truly . To be honest, right up until the Shadow Sovereign-nim made his triumphant return, I had been waiting with bated breath on what destiny had in store for us . ¡±. The envoy held back slightly and didn¡¯t mention that even the Rulers didn¡¯t expect to see Jin-Woo succeed in his quest . Well, there was no reason to pour a bucket of cold water on this emotional farewell, was there?. Just before he bade his farewell and stood up to leave, the envoy addressed his guest once more ¡°The Rulers express their unreserved gratitude towards not just Shadow Sovereign, but to you as well, Seong Il-Hwan-nim . ¡±. It was unknown whether a result like this would¡¯ve been achieved without his help . He fought for the sake of the Rulers, and he even suggested that the higher beings cooperate with the Shadow Sovereign, too . Indeed, his role had been great The Rulers had decided as thus, and they prepared a small gift for him in return ¡°By any chance, is there something we can help you with?¡±. When considering that the Rulers possessed incredible powers as well as various ¡®tools of God¡¯, this was akin to them saying, ¡°We will grant any wish you have . ¡±. However, Seong Il-Hwan shook his head almost immediately ¡°I have none¡­ ¡±. But, that made sense . The envoy could understand where he was coming from . There was an existence on the level of a god living as family right next to him, so what was the point of voicing his wishes here?. ¡°Well, then . ¡±. The envoy bowed his head slightly and got ready to stand up, but then, Seong Il-Hwan belatedly said something else ¡°Hang on . ¡±. The envoy stopped and settled back down on the chair again ¡°Is there something else¡­ . ?¡±. Seong Il-Hwan pondered for a bit and spoke up with some difficulty ¡°My memories¡­ . Is it possible for you to erase my memories of the previous timeline?¡±. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s possible, but why would you choose to do so¡­ . ?¡±. ¡°Well, it¡¯s unimaginably hard to keep pretending in front of a son with an amazing perception, you see . ¡±. Seong Il-Hwan smirked once he was done . Again, like father, like son ¨C his grinning face was almost a dead-ringer for Jin-Woo¡¯s ¡°And, also¡­ . ¡±. Seong Il-Hwan lowered his gaze and fell into thought for a bit again, before continuing on with his words slowly ¡°I also wish to become a regular dad who worries about his son¡¯s welfare . ¡±. He wanted to return to being just a simple father who felt anxious about his son possibly coming back home injured in some way, and a father who sighed in disappointment at his son¡¯s exam results ¨C a man who worried about his ¡®regular¡¯ son, in other words ¡°To me, Jin-Woo isn¡¯t the Shadow Sovereign, but a precious son, you see . ¡±. That was Seong Il-Hwan¡¯s small wish ¡°I understand . ¡±. If that was his reasoning, then it¡¯d be no problem . The envoy smiled gently and granted Seong Il-Hwan¡¯s wish ¡°Once you exit from this cafe, all memories of the previous timeline will completely be erased from your mind . ¡±. As the envoy began performing the magic spell on Seong Il-Hwan, he whispered a goodbye so small that no one could hear it properly ¡°You won¡¯t remember this, but still¡­ I pray that you get to live a fulfilling life . ¡±. *. Time continued to tick by On a certain cold winter morning The alarm set for six in the morning went off without a hitch and Seong Il-Hwan shot up from his ¡®sleep¡¯ . His wife woke up at the same time, too, and stared straight at him ¡°What about Jin-Woo?¡±. ¡°Yes, what happened to him?¡±. The couple quickly checked the time and breathed a collective sigh of relief after realising that it was still only six in the morning ¡°Dear, what should we do? Should we go and wake Jin-Woo up?¡±. ¡°No, there¡¯s still some time left until the beginning of the CSAT, so I think it should be fine to let him rest for a little while longer . ¡±. ¡°You¡¯re right . I can always drive him to the exam location with my car, anyway . ¡±. ¡°At seven¡­ . Let¡¯s wake him up around seven, Dear . ¡±. Seong Il-Hwan nodded his head at his wife¡¯s suggestion The couple anxiously waited for the needles of the clock to hit seven and when the fated time came, they rushed out of their bedroom to slam the door to Jin-Woo¡¯s room wide open ¡°S-son, you know that today is the CSAT day, right?¡±. ¡°Son, as your father, I can take you there, you know?¡±. Their son seemed to have woken up not too long ago . He replied with a chuckle ¡°I¡¯ll get ready to leave now . ¡±. After confirming that Jin-Woo left his room, Seong Il-Hwan hurriedly threw on his clothes and reached out to grab the car keys, only for his gaze to be stolen by the key ring ¨C a gift from his son When he looked at this seemingly-handmade keyring shaped like a white-coloured castle with a black flag on top, a wide grin formed on his lips The weather was beautifully clear and crisp; it was a refreshing morning as the early rays of the sun gently seeped into the world ***. The evening of the 24th of December Jin-Woo was walking on a street filled with the festive atmosphere of Christmas . He could easily spot the smiling faces of movie stars or top athletes proudly on display on the electronic advertising boards hung here and there ¡®The streets have changed a lot . ¡¯. Whenever Jin-Woo recalled the time when the streets used to be dominated by the faces of top-ranked Hunters, he still felt a bit awkward and disjointed But then, he spotted an advertising poster for a certain sports drink and broke out into a gentle chuckle . A rather familiar face was on it, that was why Just how many people lost their hair to stress while trying to take that one photo of her making a natural-looking expression?. ¡®The idol of the athletic world, is it¡­ . ?¡¯. Indeed, Cha Hae-In¡¯s smile on the poster was good enough to be called on the level of an idol She drew attention with her stunning achievements on the track, and eventually, the mass media caught onto her shining star as well . In a bid to boost the popularity of the track sports, the athletics organisation pleaded with her and this was the end result ¡®She never stepped in front of a camera even when she was a rank S Hunter, but now, she must perform the role of one of the most popular sportswomen in the country¡­ . ¡¯. This future wouldn¡¯t have come about if he hadn¡¯t healed her ankle back then; a satisfied grin formed on Jin-Woo¡¯s face . She might be having a bit of a hard time trying to get used to the cameras, but it¡¯d only get better with time Still smiling, Jin-Woo resumed his walk towards the meeting area He took a look around himself without thinking too much about it and discovered many young couples and their colourful clothing filling up the streets ¡®Yup, I definitely am an examinee who recently finished his CSAT . Look how plainly dressed I am . ¡¯. Jin-Woo lightly tutted at his rather plain-looking clothes and sought out the nearest clothing store . With the time being what it was, the shops were all closed, but from the get-go, he wasn¡¯t planning to buy something, anyway Jin-Woo stopped walking in front of a mannequin kitted out in the coolest outfit inside the shop window Sha-ah-ahk¡­ The pitch-black smoke enveloped Jin-Woo¡¯s figure for a brief moment and his outfit had changed to the exact same thing as that mannequin¡¯s . He examined his new look through the reflection on the shop¡¯s window before asking his Shadow Soldiers ¡°What do you think?¡±. Fangs, having developed an intense interest in all things fashion-related from some time ago, hurriedly replied first, maybe fearing that someone else might steal his limelight [You look amazing, my liege . ]. ¡°Alright . ¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s steps became a touch cheerier than before and they helped him arrive at the place of his appointment in the proverbial blink of an eye Surrounding a massive Christmas tree installed in the middle of a plaza were many people searching and waiting for their companions to arrive Even though many of them were nervously glancing at their watches, the looks of happiness still could be gleaned from their expressions regardless, perhaps because today was Christmas Eve Unlike them, though, Jin-Woo was staring into the heavens above since he had more than enough leeway compared to them There were all sorts of ambient noises made by people walking on the streets, but Jin-Woo still could accurately distinguish the footsteps that mattered to him ¡®¡­ 3, 2, 1 . ¡¯. Just as that ¡®kid¡¯ arrived near his back, he turned around to greet her ¡°Hey . You came . ¡±. Hae-In was planning to take Jin-Woo by surprise, but could only sneakily lower her arms, looking a bit disappointed ¡°Oppa, it¡¯s like you¡¯ve got eyes behind your back, you know?¡±. She seemed just a bit despondent, which was rather adorable as well, so he broke out into a soft grin . Hae-In pulled up the hood on her top to avoid the attention of the passersby, like how Jin-Woo used to do ¡°Should we take a walk for a while?¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s suggestion was met by Hae-In¡¯s brightly smiling face . She even nodded her head to emphasize her agreement, too As the two of them walked, they chose the less populated path whenever they came across a crossroad . Meanwhile, Hae-In¡¯s eyes were growing really large after listening to Jin-Woo¡¯s CSAT result ¡°You got such a great score, yet you wanna go to that university? But, why?¡±. ¡°Well, the fees are completely paid for by the scholarship, plus they are adding on the opportunity for me to study abroad, as well . Besides, there is this person I just have to meet in that place, you see . ¡±. It was at that point that her ears perked up ¡°Wait, that person isn¡¯t a woman, is it?¡±. Her eyes narrowed to a slit, but Jin-Woo found her expression really adorable so he decided to string her along for a bit ¡°Mmm, who knows . ¡±. Her cheeks immediately puffed up To Jin-Woo, seeing her express her emotions so freely like this ¨C something she didn¡¯t do back when both of them were adults ¨C proved to be a different but still wonderfully joyous occasion to behold Around then¡­ Tap Something fell gently from the sky and landed on the tip of his nose, followed soon after by wet coldness melting on his skin It was a snowflake He raised his head up to look and white specks began falling gently from the blackened sky . A White Christmas was coming, it seemed He silently stared at the falling snow only to recall the sight of settling grey ash after he defeated the Dragon Emperor . Ash as white as snow ¨C no, snowflakes as light as ash silently descended on the land ¡°Oppa? What are you thinking about?¡±. Jin-Woo smiled softly and tried to gloss over it ¡°Nothing much . ¡±. Well, it wasn¡¯t as if he could tell her that, while he was looking at the snow falling from the evening sky a day before Christmas, he was busy recalling probably the most dangerous enemy he had to fight in his entire life, now could he?. Hae-In formed a broad grin after listening to Jin-Woo¡¯s reply, then she brought up something out of the blue ¡°Oppa, do you remember our promise?¡±. ¡°What promise?¡±. ¡°The one about you promising to answer everything when I win in a race . ¡±. ¡°Yeah, I do . ¡±. Hae-In promptly pointed towards one of the trees lining up along the street ¡°Well, why don¡¯t we make a bet, then? Let¡¯s see who will arrive there first . ¡±. Jin-Woo couldn¡¯t help but chuckle after hearing her sudden challenge and asked her a question ¡°What is it that you¡¯d like to ask me?¡±. ¡°Everything . ¡±. ¡°Everything??¡±. ¡°What you¡¯re thinking about sometimes, whether it¡¯s a girl or a guy you want to meet in that university, and also¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Also?¡±. ¡°¡­ . Also, about the time we met before that athletic preliminaries took place . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . Alright . ¡±. Jin-Woo readily agreed to it and took his hands out from his pockets . The end result wouldn¡¯t be affected just because he kept his hands there, but still, he wanted to show her that he was taking this challenge quite seriously But then¡­ Hae-In had been staying a step away from his position until then, but suddenly walked in very close to wrap her scarf around his neck before asking him for a small favour in a whisper ¡°Oppa, if you like me, don¡¯t move from this spot . ¡±. ¡°Wha?¡±. While he was getting flustered by this development, Hae-In began walking slowly towards the tree in question while looking straight at him . As for Jin-Woo himself, he couldn¡¯t hold back his laughter after realising that his defeat had been set in stone from the get-go ¡°Hah¡­ . ¡±. In the end, Hae-In succeeded in touching the tree first, and she lightly jumped in the air to announce her victory Meanwhile, his Shadow Soldiers watching the two lovers¡¯ competition with a great deal of anticipation and excitement began jumping up and down themselves in happiness as well [Heee-ya~, our liege has lost!]. [Wow, there are times when our liege will lose a challenge with so much at stake, too!]. [My liege, you did it wrong!]. [Kkiiieehhk-!! Oh, my kinggg! It¡¯s not too late, so please get going now!!]. Jin-Woo was left stupefied and chuckled again while scratching the side of his head . He took a glance around the street and approached the tree as well Thankfully, he couldn¡¯t spot a single soul on this particular stretch of road, all due to the fact that they sought out only those paths with little foot traffic ¡°Well, I won, right?¡±. Hae-In was waiting for his reply with an excited expression clearly etched on her face . Jin-Woo stopped before her smile and issued a dignified order to his Shadow Soldiers ¡®Shadows? Every one of you, close your eyes . ¡¯. [¡­¡­]. [¡­¡­]. While the soldiers were rightly feeling frustrated¡­ ¡­ . Jin-Woo slowly brought his lips closer and gently locked them with Hae-In¡¯s The white snowflakes continued to fall silently from the sky < Chapter 261 > Fin Chapter 262 Side Story 19 The last side story: Twelve years later (1) Within the ranks of the Central Region Precinct¡¯s Violent Crimes Unit, there was this one detective nicknamed the ¡®Phantom¡¯ . The newbie detective joining the squad this year after passing the promotion exam, Lee Seh-Hwan, often heard this rumour while he was walking the beat as a patrolman . The arrest rate of 200 percent! The rumour went that, in front of this ¡®Phantom¡¯ capable of solving not just the cases in his own docket, but even the cold cases of the past, every single violent criminal or bloodthirsty thug would become a very well-behaved sheep in an instant . To the officers patrolling these streets, this detective remained an object of pure respect, a real bonafide legendary figure . Seriously now, the rumour even went on to say that, although he was eligible for a promotion, he wished to devote himself fully to fieldwork and refused to move up the career ladder . How hardcore was that? ¡®Anyone with some sense in them would definitely never refuse a promotion, obviously . ¡¯ In any case ¨C even if only half of the rumours making the rounds turned out to be true, then the mystery cop was sure to be one hell of an investigator . His fellow patrol officers were deeply envious of Lee Seh-Hwan joining the Violent Crimes Unit . Little did they know, he was currently swallowing back his nervous saliva while scanning the squad¡¯s office, wondering who this legendary detective from the rumours could be . As befitting a group of detectives that clashed against seasoned criminals every day, they all carried manly, no-nonsense countenances . They began shooting sharp, probing glares in the direction of an unknown visitor to their ranks . It¡¯d not be all that awkward to call any one of these fine officers ¡®Phantom¡¯, indeed . ¡®The light in their eyes are so¡­ . ¡¯ Lee Seh-Hwan gradually shrunk back from the powerful glares of the veterans and began inwardly worrying about whether he¡¯d survive for long in this place or not . ¡°Ehh¡­ . Are you that newbie joining us from today onwards?¡± A voice came from behind without any prior warning whatsoever and Lee Seh-Hwan jumped up in fright . He hurriedly turned around and performed an excellent salute . ¡°Loyalty!¡± ¡°Ah, ah¡­ no need to be that tense . We¡¯re all one family now, right?¡± The voice belonged to a middle-aged man carrying two paper cups filled with coffee standing right behind Lee Seh-Hwan . He kindly offered one of the cups to the still-nervous rookie . ¡°Here, it¡¯s on me . ¡± ¡°T-thank you very much!!¡± Lee Seh-Hwan bowed deeply and received the coffee . Instantly, he was greeted by the reassuring warmth that was kind of like a phone call from his family he dearly wished to see again after living alone for a long time . Maybe that small first mouthful of the hot coffee helped him to relax? Lee Seh-Hwan continued to sip on the hot beverage while cautiously studying the overall atmosphere of the surroundings, before asking the Senior who gifted him the drink . ¡°Excuse me¡­ I went to speak to the Squad Captain, and he informed me that I¡¯d be working together with Seong Detective-nim from here on, I was wondering¡­¡± ¡°Ahh, that ¡®Phantom¡¯ is your partner?¡± ¡°FUU-HEUP!!!¡± It took almost everything Lee Seh-Hwan had to stop the coffee from spraying out of his mouth and nostrils . ¡°Well, we came up with that nickname for the guy because he¡¯s supernaturally quick, you see? Dunno when it happened, but that name got stuck somehow and even the folks in other units began calling him that . I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of him too, right?¡± ¡°Y-yes, I have¡­ . ¡± Lee Seh-Hwan hurriedly nodded his head several times . A meaningful smirk suddenly crept up on the senior¡¯s face . ¡°The thing is, that coffee I gave you? It¡¯s meant for him . ¡± The senior detective turned around to escape to the corridor, but then he stopped and pointed to the far end with his chin, a grin now firmly etched on his face . ¡°Speak of the devil . There he comes . ¡± Unable to suppress his curiosity, Lee Seh-Hwan also quickly came out to the corridor himself and shifted his gaze in the direction where the senior was staring at . That was when he discovered a certain man unhurriedly strolling towards his direction from the end of the corridor . ¡®That man is the legendary¡­ . ¡¯ Without a doubt, that man didn¡¯t seem to be in a hurry, yet he was already standing before Lee Seh-Hwan even before the rookie could fully regain his wits . What an overwhelmingly intense pressure he emitted . Lee Seh-Hwan was about average in height for a Korean male, but he had to physically look up at his new partner, the senior detective nicknamed ¡®Phantom¡¯, who was at least a head taller than himself . Almost instantly, the poor newbie felt stifled and it became hard to breathe from this inexplicable pressure emitted by the man in front of him . ¡®The Phantom of the Central Region¡­ . ¡¯ The reason why this detective was saddled with such a nickname wasn¡¯t simply because of his preternatural swiftness, oh no . Lee Seh-Hwan was sure of this fact after finally encountering the person in question . ¡°Senior . ¡± ¡°Ohh, hey man . Going out on a call?¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s nothing much, really . By the way, is he our new recruit?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, he is . His name is Lee Seh-Hwan . ¡± Jin-Woo bowed his head slightly to greet the senior detective standing next to Lee Seh-Hwan . He then spun the newbie around to face the other direction and placed his hand on the completely-frozen junior¡¯s shoulder . ¡°Then, I shall go ahead and train the rookie . ¡± The senior detective with the face of a good-natured uncle continued to grin as if he found something quite amusing . He nodded his head to say yes . ¡°Sure, sure . Go ahead . Have a good day . ¡± Almost as soon as the greeting with the senior was over, Jin-Woo dragged the rookie cop he was now entrusted with to outside of the building . ¡®H-he can¡¯t be p*ssed off about me having drunk his coffee, right?¡¯ When that line of thought popped up in his head, Lee Seh-Hwan ended up hurriedly asking a question . ¡°S-senior-nim?! W-where are we going?¡± Rather than an answer, though, he got a question as a reply, instead . ¡°Why did you become a police officer?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡­ . I¡­ . ¡± Lee Seh-Hwan hesitated for a bit before remembering his original dream, the goal, that he had forgotten about while working as a beat cop wrestling with drunkards and other idiots for the past few years . ¡°I wanted to catch the bad guys¡­ . ¡± ¡°That¡¯s right . ¡± Even though they were exchanging questions and answers, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t slow down his steps that continued to lead the rookie to their unknown destination . And he finally let go of the flustered newbie once they reached the end goal . ¡°We are going to a place where we can do exactly that . ¡± Lee Seh-Hwan raised his head, and Jin-Woo formed his now-trademark smile . Grin . It was a smile that eased the minds of all those who saw it . Jin-Woo looked at the shorter rookie with such a smile on his face before continuing on . ¡°That¡¯s why I became a cop too, you see . ¡± Just those words alone, and Lee Seh-Hwan¡¯s heart began pounding quite violently . Ba-dump . How could one¡¯s heart not throb in moments like this as long as one was a police officer worth his or her salt? ¡°You coming?¡± Lee Seh-Hwan heard the question with only one possible answer and replied with an excited face . ¡°Of course, Senior-nim!!¡± *** Completely pooped out from chasing after criminals the whole day, Lee Seh-Hwan collapsed on top of his new desk and fell asleep . Jin-Woo was planning to dump the write-up of the testimonies of all the suspects they apprehended today to the rookie, but now¡­ . Tap, tap¡­ He stopped jotting down on the report paper and quietly studied Lee Seh-Hwan, utterly lost to the distant lands of sweet slumber . ¡®He said he had the experience of catching an armed robber bare-handed, didn¡¯t he? Yup, it is fun training a rookie like this guy . ¡¯ A smile naturally crept up on his face now that a rather excellent seedling had joined his Unit . ¡°Hehehe . ¡± After seeing a smile blooming on Jin-Woo¡¯s face, the suspect sitting on the opposite side of the desk mistakenly believed that the atmosphere had become rather friendly and formed a sly smile of his own . That only elicited a hardened scowl from Jin-Woo, though . ¡°¡­ . And why the hell are you smiling?¡± ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry . ¡± ¡°Okay, then . Next up is¡­ . ¡± Just as Jin-Woo¡¯s fingers touched the keyboard once more¡­ . [My liege, may I suggest that such miscellaneous tasks be left to us, your loyal soldiers¡­ . ] ¡­ . He heard the voice of Igrit coming from his shadow . Indeed, it¡¯d be convenient to utilise his soldiers . Forget about training the rookies to arrest the suspects, he could just unleash his near-ten million soldiers and have them catch the bad guys . That would clean up the entirety of the Republic of Korea in no time at all . However, what was he supposed to do about the extreme unrest and the fear from the public at large that would no doubt follow soon afterwards? A suitable balance needed to be kept, regardless of what the job was . That was why Jin-Woo did his best to control his powers, so as to minimise the impact against the society at large . And so, as the administrative work on these petty criminals was coming to an end¡­ . ¡­ . Although, the rookie still hadn¡¯t been able to extricate himself from the land of dreams yet . Jin-Woo heard the voices coming from the corner of the office and ended up paying attention to the contents of the conversation . ¡°Detective-nim, please listen to me . Jin-Yi isn¡¯t a girl who¡¯d willingly take her own life . ¡± ¡°Look, miss . I understand how you feel . But, I already explained to you in detail, didn¡¯t I? All the evidence points to¡­ . ¡± ¡°Please, please take a look at these texts messages! Do they look like something sent by a person planning to commit suicide three hours later??¡± ¡°Hah-ah¡­ . . ¡± Maybe it was because of the fact that the deceased¡¯s name sounded similar to his own sister¡¯s? For a while now, Jin-Woo¡¯s mind kept wandering towards the conversation between those two people that didn¡¯t seem to be going anywhere fast . The detective, now fed up by this ¡®heckling¡¯ ended up responding in an ill-tempered manner . ¡°Look here, miss! From the get-go, most suicides aren¡¯t planned out in advance but are done in the spur of the momen¡­ . ¡± ¡°Do you mind if I take a look at the case?¡± The detective flinched nastily when Jin-Woo approached him without any presence whatsoever . Detectives were supposed to be able to suss out whether a person was guilty of a crime or not just by locking gazes with a suspect in the blink of an eye . Such detectives couldn¡¯t detect his approach, so it was a small wonder that Jin-Woo was saddled with the nickname of ¡®Phantom¡¯ . ¡°Uhm, Detective Seong¡­ . ?¡± The detective formed a troubled expression while looking at Jin-Woo, before shifting his gaze forward, only to spot the expression on the deceased¡¯s friend now gaining a ray of hope . ¡®Ah¡­ . ¡¯ The detective instantly realised that things might get a bit complicated for himself, so he quietly asked Jin-Woo to step outside the office for a moment . He handed over the related case files and pulled out a cigarette after they got there . ¡°Detective Seong¡­ . I hope you aren¡¯t going to put me under the spot here . ¡± ¡°¡­¡± Jin-Woo didn¡¯t pay any attention to the plea of his Senior and scanned through the files, only for his expression to harden to a scary degree . The detective was about to light his cigarette up, but after sensing the aura oozing out from Jin-Woo, ended up taking a step back in surprise . ¡®He¡¯s like a different person when he¡¯s concentrating like this . ¡¯ The senior detective deeply sucked in the smoke puffed out from the lit cigarette as if to calm his trembling nerves . The female victim was found inside her bathtub, having died of massive blood loss from a large cut wound on her wrist . The knife used to cut her wrist was recovered inside the bathroom, and perhaps unsurprisingly, only her fingerprints were found on the weapon, no one else¡¯s . The file also said that, even though the deceased displayed a bright personality outwardly, she actually suffered from depression . Not many other investigators would come up with a different hypothesis after looking at all the facts available in this case . Jin-Woo returned the case file back to the detective assigned to the case . ¡°I don¡¯t see anything amiss . ¡± ¡°R-right . You think so, too?¡± The detective received the files back with a somewhat happy-looking expression . ¡°However . ¡± ¡°H-however¡­ . ??¡± With a hardened face, the senior asked back while thinking, ¡®Could he be¡­?¡¯ ¡°I shall confirm it myself, just in case . ¡± ¡°Ah¡­ . . ¡± The Phantom had sniffed a trail, it seemed . While looking at Jin-Woo¡¯s back as he walked over to the friend of the deceased waiting anxiously over there, the Senior detective roughly scratched the back of his head and complained in his head . ¡®Doesn¡¯t that guy ever get tired or something?¡¯ The friend of the deceased, her gaze currently fixed to the ground, quickly raised her head after hearing Jin-Woo¡¯s voice . ¡°I¡¯m Detective Seong Jin-Woo . Can we talk for a moment?¡± The friend nodded her head, her current grim expression seemingly a blend of new-found hope and sorrow . ¡°Yes!¡± *** Inside a quiet, empty and owner-less home, a black shadow suddenly rose up . It was Jin-Woo . He found himself in an apartment which was slightly too large for a woman to live alone . Her warmth from the time she was still alive could be felt from several corners of this apartment unit . The current time was late at night . The surroundings were pitch-black, but there was no need to turn on the lights because this was the same as broad daylight to Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes . He entered the bathroom, the place where she met her final moments . The thick smell of blood yet to be cleaned stung his nose . Jin-Woo stood before the bathtub and silently studied the very spot where the deceased prepared herself to die . Seeing all the spilt blood, it was as if he could sense the pain of the woman . However, he could only imagine what that pain was like, not actually feel the pain itself . What the deceased was feeling when she chose death, how painful it was as she lay here dying¡­ . Those left behind would never know them . Generally speaking, that was . Jin-Woo crouched slightly and studied the blood splatters before recalling the last text message she sent to her friend . It was filled with her anticipation about the upcoming meeting with her friend . Just like what the friend had said, that message didn¡¯t seem to be sent by someone getting ready to take her own life . Most likely, the friend wanted to believe that she¡¯d not choose to die without saying a single goodbye to her closest friend . For sure, the ones left behind would never know what the dead wanted to say to them . Ordinarily, that would be true . Ordinarily . However, Jin-Woo possessed a way to hear the voice of the dead . ¡®I needed the actual remains in the past, but now¡­ . ¡¯ Jin-Woo issued his command, and the blackened, coagulated blood reverted back to a crimson liquid and began trickling again . The blood splatter that remained as nothing more than grisly reminders gathered together to form a deep pit of boiling blood . As if it was alive, the mass of blood continued to seethe and tumble as it grew larger and larger . The Shadow Sovereign, the King of the Dead, then issued the absolute order that couldn¡¯t be refused at the remains of the deceased . ¡°Rise up . ¡± < Chapter 262 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 262: Chapter 262 Side Story 19. The last side story: Twelve years later (1). Within the ranks of the Central Region Precinct¡¯s Violent Crimes Unit, there was this one detective nicknamed the ¡®Phantom¡¯ The newbie detective joining the squad this year after passing the promotion exam, Lee Seh-Hwan, often heard this rumour while he was walking the beat as a patrolman The arrest rate of 200 percent!. The rumour went that, in front of this ¡®Phantom¡¯ capable of solving not just the cases in his own docket, but even the cold cases of the past, every single violent criminal or bloodthirsty thug would become a very well-behaved sheep in an instant To the officers patrolling these streets, this detective remained an object of pure respect, a real bonafide legendary figure Seriously now, the rumour even went on to say that, although he was eligible for a promotion, he wished to devote himself fully to fieldwork and refused to move up the career ladder . How hardcore was that?. ¡®Anyone with some sense in them would definitely never refuse a promotion, obviously . ¡¯. In any case ¨C even if only half of the rumours making the rounds turned out to be true, then the mystery cop was sure to be one hell of an investigator His fellow patrol officers were deeply envious of Lee Seh-Hwan joining the Violent Crimes Unit . Little did they know, he was currently swallowing back his nervous saliva while scanning the squad¡¯s office, wondering who this legendary detective from the rumours could be As befitting a group of detectives that clashed against seasoned criminals every day, they all carried manly, no-nonsense countenances . They began shooting sharp, probing glares in the direction of an unknown visitor to their ranks It¡¯d not be all that awkward to call any one of these fine officers ¡®Phantom¡¯, indeed ¡®The light in their eyes are so¡­ . ¡¯. Lee Seh-Hwan gradually shrunk back from the powerful glares of the veterans and began inwardly worrying about whether he¡¯d survive for long in this place or not ¡°Ehh¡­ . Are you that newbie joining us from today onwards?¡±. A voice came from behind without any prior warning whatsoever and Lee Seh-Hwan jumped up in fright . He hurriedly turned around and performed an excellent salute ¡°Loyalty!¡±. ¡°Ah, ah¡­ no need to be that tense . We¡¯re all one family now, right?¡±. The voice belonged to a middle-aged man carrying two paper cups filled with coffee standing right behind Lee Seh-Hwan . He kindly offered one of the cups to the still-nervous rookie ¡°Here, it¡¯s on me . ¡±. ¡°T-thank you very much!!¡±. Lee Seh-Hwan bowed deeply and received the coffee Instantly, he was greeted by the reassuring warmth that was kind of like a phone call from his family he dearly wished to see again after living alone for a long time Maybe that small first mouthful of the hot coffee helped him to relax?. Lee Seh-Hwan continued to sip on the hot beverage while cautiously studying the overall atmosphere of the surroundings, before asking the Senior who gifted him the drink ¡°Excuse me¡­ I went to speak to the Squad Captain, and he informed me that I¡¯d be working together with Seong Detective-nim from here on, I was wondering¡­¡±. ¡°Ahh, that ¡®Phantom¡¯ is your partner?¡±. ¡°FUU-HEUP!!!¡±. It took almost everything Lee Seh-Hwan had to stop the coffee from spraying out of his mouth and nostrils ¡°Well, we came up with that nickname for the guy because he¡¯s supernaturally quick, you see? Dunno when it happened, but that name got stuck somehow and even the folks in other units began calling him that . I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of him too, right?¡±. ¡°Y-yes, I have¡­ . ¡±. Lee Seh-Hwan hurriedly nodded his head several times . A meaningful smirk suddenly crept up on the senior¡¯s face ¡°The thing is, that coffee I gave you? It¡¯s meant for him . ¡±. The senior detective turned around to escape to the corridor, but then he stopped and pointed to the far end with his chin, a grin now firmly etched on his face ¡°Speak of the devil . There he comes . ¡±. Unable to suppress his curiosity, Lee Seh-Hwan also quickly came out to the corridor himself and shifted his gaze in the direction where the senior was staring at That was when he discovered a certain man unhurriedly strolling towards his direction from the end of the corridor ¡®That man is the legendary¡­ . ¡¯. Without a doubt, that man didn¡¯t seem to be in a hurry, yet he was already standing before Lee Seh-Hwan even before the rookie could fully regain his wits What an overwhelmingly intense pressure he emitted Lee Seh-Hwan was about average in height for a Korean male, but he had to physically look up at his new partner, the senior detective nicknamed ¡®Phantom¡¯, who was at least a head taller than himself . Almost instantly, the poor newbie felt stifled and it became hard to breathe from this inexplicable pressure emitted by the man in front of him ¡®The Phantom of the Central Region¡­ . ¡¯. The reason why this detective was saddled with such a nickname wasn¡¯t simply because of his preternatural swiftness, oh no . Lee Seh-Hwan was sure of this fact after finally encountering the person in question ¡°Senior . ¡±. ¡°Ohh, hey man . Going out on a call?¡±. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s nothing much, really . By the way, is he our new recruit?¡±. ¡°That¡¯s right, he is . His name is Lee Seh-Hwan . ¡±. Jin-Woo bowed his head slightly to greet the senior detective standing next to Lee Seh-Hwan . He then spun the newbie around to face the other direction and placed his hand on the completely-frozen junior¡¯s shoulder ¡°Then, I shall go ahead and train the rookie . ¡±. The senior detective with the face of a good-natured uncle continued to grin as if he found something quite amusing . He nodded his head to say yes ¡°Sure, sure . Go ahead . Have a good day . ¡±. Almost as soon as the greeting with the senior was over, Jin-Woo dragged the rookie cop he was now entrusted with to outside of the building ¡®H-he can¡¯t be p*ssed off about me having drunk his coffee, right?¡¯. When that line of thought popped up in his head, Lee Seh-Hwan ended up hurriedly asking a question ¡°S-senior-nim?! W-where are we going?¡±. Rather than an answer, though, he got a question as a reply, instead ¡°Why did you become a police officer?¡±. ¡°Oh, that¡­ . I¡­ . ¡±. Lee Seh-Hwan hesitated for a bit before remembering his original dream, the goal, that he had forgotten about while working as a beat cop wrestling with drunkards and other idiots for the past few years ¡°I wanted to catch the bad guys¡­ . ¡±. ¡°That¡¯s right . ¡±. Even though they were exchanging questions and answers, Jin-Woo didn¡¯t slow down his steps that continued to lead the rookie to their unknown destination . And he finally let go of the flustered newbie once they reached the end goal ¡°We are going to a place where we can do exactly that . ¡±. Lee Seh-Hwan raised his head, and Jin-Woo formed his now-trademark smile Grin It was a smile that eased the minds of all those who saw it . Jin-Woo looked at the shorter rookie with such a smile on his face before continuing on ¡°That¡¯s why I became a cop too, you see . ¡±. Just those words alone, and Lee Seh-Hwan¡¯s heart began pounding quite violently Ba-dump How could one¡¯s heart not throb in moments like this as long as one was a police officer worth his or her salt?. ¡°You coming?¡±. Lee Seh-Hwan heard the question with only one possible answer and replied with an excited face ¡°Of course, Senior-nim!!¡±. ***. Completely pooped out from chasing after criminals the whole day, Lee Seh-Hwan collapsed on top of his new desk and fell asleep . Jin-Woo was planning to dump the write-up of the testimonies of all the suspects they apprehended today to the rookie, but now¡­ Tap, tap¡­. He stopped jotting down on the report paper and quietly studied Lee Seh-Hwan, utterly lost to the distant lands of sweet slumber ¡®He said he had the experience of catching an armed robber bare-handed, didn¡¯t he? Yup, it is fun training a rookie like this guy . ¡¯. A smile naturally crept up on his face now that a rather excellent seedling had joined his Unit ¡°Hehehe . ¡±. After seeing a smile blooming on Jin-Woo¡¯s face, the suspect sitting on the opposite side of the desk mistakenly believed that the atmosphere had become rather friendly and formed a sly smile of his own That only elicited a hardened scowl from Jin-Woo, though ¡°¡­ . And why the hell are you smiling?¡±. ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry . ¡±. ¡°Okay, then . Next up is¡­ . ¡±. Just as Jin-Woo¡¯s fingers touched the keyboard once more¡­ [My liege, may I suggest that such miscellaneous tasks be left to us, your loyal soldiers¡­ . ]. ¡­ . He heard the voice of Igrit coming from his shadow Indeed, it¡¯d be convenient to utilise his soldiers Forget about training the rookies to arrest the suspects, he could just unleash his near-ten million soldiers and have them catch the bad guys . That would clean up the entirety of the Republic of Korea in no time at all However, what was he supposed to do about the extreme unrest and the fear from the public at large that would no doubt follow soon afterwards?. A suitable balance needed to be kept, regardless of what the job was That was why Jin-Woo did his best to control his powers, so as to minimise the impact against the society at large . And so, as the administrative work on these petty criminals was coming to an end¡­ ¡­ . Although, the rookie still hadn¡¯t been able to extricate himself from the land of dreams yet Jin-Woo heard the voices coming from the corner of the office and ended up paying attention to the contents of the conversation ¡°Detective-nim, please listen to me . Jin-Yi isn¡¯t a girl who¡¯d willingly take her own life . ¡±. ¡°Look, miss . I understand how you feel . But, I already explained to you in detail, didn¡¯t I? All the evidence points to¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Please, please take a look at these texts messages! Do they look like something sent by a person planning to commit suicide three hours later??¡±. ¡°Hah-ah¡­ ¡±. Maybe it was because of the fact that the deceased¡¯s name sounded similar to his own sister¡¯s?. For a while now, Jin-Woo¡¯s mind kept wandering towards the conversation between those two people that didn¡¯t seem to be going anywhere fast The detective, now fed up by this ¡®heckling¡¯ ended up responding in an ill-tempered manner ¡°Look here, miss! From the get-go, most suicides aren¡¯t planned out in advance but are done in the spur of the momen¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Do you mind if I take a look at the case?¡±. The detective flinched nastily when Jin-Woo approached him without any presence whatsoever Detectives were supposed to be able to suss out whether a person was guilty of a crime or not just by locking gazes with a suspect in the blink of an eye Such detectives couldn¡¯t detect his approach, so it was a small wonder that Jin-Woo was saddled with the nickname of ¡®Phantom¡¯ ¡°Uhm, Detective Seong¡­ . ?¡±. The detective formed a troubled expression while looking at Jin-Woo, before shifting his gaze forward, only to spot the expression on the deceased¡¯s friend now gaining a ray of hope ¡®Ah¡­ . ¡¯. The detective instantly realised that things might get a bit complicated for himself, so he quietly asked Jin-Woo to step outside the office for a moment He handed over the related case files and pulled out a cigarette after they got there ¡°Detective Seong¡­ . I hope you aren¡¯t going to put me under the spot here . ¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. Jin-Woo didn¡¯t pay any attention to the plea of his Senior and scanned through the files, only for his expression to harden to a scary degree The detective was about to light his cigarette up, but after sensing the aura oozing out from Jin-Woo, ended up taking a step back in surprise ¡®He¡¯s like a different person when he¡¯s concentrating like this . ¡¯. The senior detective deeply sucked in the smoke puffed out from the lit cigarette as if to calm his trembling nerves The female victim was found inside her bathtub, having died of massive blood loss from a large cut wound on her wrist . The knife used to cut her wrist was recovered inside the bathroom, and perhaps unsurprisingly, only her fingerprints were found on the weapon, no one else¡¯s The file also said that, even though the deceased displayed a bright personality outwardly, she actually suffered from depression Not many other investigators would come up with a different hypothesis after looking at all the facts available in this case Jin-Woo returned the case file back to the detective assigned to the case ¡°I don¡¯t see anything amiss . ¡±. ¡°R-right . You think so, too?¡±. The detective received the files back with a somewhat happy-looking expression ¡°However . ¡±. ¡°H-however¡­ . ??¡±. With a hardened face, the senior asked back while thinking, ¡®Could he be¡­?¡¯. ¡°I shall confirm it myself, just in case . ¡±. ¡°Ah¡­ ¡±. The Phantom had sniffed a trail, it seemed While looking at Jin-Woo¡¯s back as he walked over to the friend of the deceased waiting anxiously over there, the Senior detective roughly scratched the back of his head and complained in his head ¡®Doesn¡¯t that guy ever get tired or something?¡¯. The friend of the deceased, her gaze currently fixed to the ground, quickly raised her head after hearing Jin-Woo¡¯s voice ¡°I¡¯m Detective Seong Jin-Woo . Can we talk for a moment?¡±. The friend nodded her head, her current grim expression seemingly a blend of new-found hope and sorrow ¡°Yes!¡±. ***. Inside a quiet, empty and owner-less home, a black shadow suddenly rose up . It was Jin-Woo He found himself in an apartment which was slightly too large for a woman to live alone . Her warmth from the time she was still alive could be felt from several corners of this apartment unit The current time was late at night The surroundings were pitch-black, but there was no need to turn on the lights because this was the same as broad daylight to Jin-Woo¡¯s eyes He entered the bathroom, the place where she met her final moments . The thick smell of blood yet to be cleaned stung his nose . Jin-Woo stood before the bathtub and silently studied the very spot where the deceased prepared herself to die Seeing all the spilt blood, it was as if he could sense the pain of the woman However, he could only imagine what that pain was like, not actually feel the pain itself . What the deceased was feeling when she chose death, how painful it was as she lay here dying¡­ Those left behind would never know them Generally speaking, that was Jin-Woo crouched slightly and studied the blood splatters before recalling the last text message she sent to her friend . It was filled with her anticipation about the upcoming meeting with her friend Just like what the friend had said, that message didn¡¯t seem to be sent by someone getting ready to take her own life Most likely, the friend wanted to believe that she¡¯d not choose to die without saying a single goodbye to her closest friend For sure, the ones left behind would never know what the dead wanted to say to them . Ordinarily, that would be true . Ordinarily However, Jin-Woo possessed a way to hear the voice of the dead ¡®I needed the actual remains in the past, but now¡­ . ¡¯. Jin-Woo issued his command, and the blackened, coagulated blood reverted back to a crimson liquid and began trickling again . The blood splatter that remained as nothing more than grisly reminders gathered together to form a deep pit of boiling blood As if it was alive, the mass of blood continued to seethe and tumble as it grew larger and larger The Shadow Sovereign, the King of the Dead, then issued the absolute order that couldn¡¯t be refused at the remains of the deceased ¡°Rise up . ¡±. < Chapter 262 > Fin Chapter 263 Side Story 20 The last side story: Twelve years later (2) A shadow of a woman, yet to shed the hints of her teen years, vigorously rose up from the thickly-coagulated clump of blood on the floor . Chwa-ahck!! Droplets of blood dripped from the ends of her hair as she took a look around her, her expression one of sheer confusion regarding her current situation . Eventually, though, she spat out pained moans . [Ah¡­ . Ah¡­ . !] Indeed, it¡¯d be quite painful for her since she retained the memories of her dying moments . Jin-Woo used the authority of the Shadow Sovereign and calmed the shadow for the time being . ¡°Don¡¯t be frightened . The you of now has become an existence untethered from the boundaries of life and pain . ¡± The king¡¯s calming, warm voice helped the woman to compose herself gradually . Jin-Woo then created a new set to clothing for her sake and wrapped them around her figure since she appeared how she died ¨C nude . [Ah¡­ . ] She cautiously pulled the clothing on her shoulders tighter . Her name used to be Seo Jin-Yi . He named the newly-revived shadow woman the same as back when she was still alive, and began asking his questions . ¡°Did you¡­ willingly take your own life?¡± The shadow woman, no, Seo Jin-Yi, nodded her head . Jin-Woo placed one of his knees lower to the ground so he could match her eye level . He studied her expression and quietly asked her . ¡°Your reason?¡± And when he did, her lips, frozen shut like a block of ice, cautiously parted ways . [I¡­ . ] *** Ding-dong . The doorbell resounded out rather late at night; a middle-aged man put a photo frame containing a picture of his daughter down on its original spot and looked away . ¡®Who could it be at this late hour?¡¯ He tilted his head this way and that while standing up from his seat, and walked over to the intercom . The monitor on the device showing the scene outside the front door now displayed a man kitted out in a smart business suit standing there . The middle-aged man didn¡¯t think too much about it and pressed the ¡®Speak¡¯ button . Beep . The man outside the door pulled out his ID badge and showed it to the camera . ¨C ¡°I¡¯m Detective Seong Jin-Woo from Central Region¡¯s Violent Crimes Unit . I have questions to ask you regarding your daughter¡¯s death, so can we speak for a little while, please?¡± The photo in the ID badge matched the face on the monitor . The middle-aged man forgot that it was far too late in the day for a guest to show up like this when he heard the word ¡®Detective¡¯ and hurriedly flung the door open . ¡°Did the investigation¡¯s result come out? How did my little girl die?!¡± Jin-Woo quietly studied the face of Seo Jin-Yi¡¯s father, Seo Gyu-Nam, before shaking his head . ¡°Nothing is certain yet, sir . However, I do have several follow-up questions I¡¯d like to ask you regarding your daughter . ¡± The father of the deceased formed a somewhat disappointed expression when he heard there was nothing to report yet . Jin-Woo made a quiet demand towards the man . ¡°Can you come with me?¡± Seo Gyu-Nam seemed to be in a dilemma, but soon enough, formed a grimly determined expression . ¡°Of course . If I can help in any shape or form in uncovering the truth of my daughter¡¯s death, then I shall cooperate fully . ¡± He came outside and locked the door before turning around to face Jin-Woo . ¡°Let¡¯s get going, Detective . ¡± Jin-Woo nodded his head once and turned towards a certain direction . ¡°This way . ¡± *** Seo Guy-Nam initially thought that they would go to the police station, but instead, they ended up in a cafe near his place . He asked the detective why they had to come here and only got a vague answer in the form of ¡°We need a place to chat quietly¡± instead . And so, Jin-Woo and Seo Gyu-Nam sat on the opposite side of the table . The former then began his questioning as the latter formed a heavy expression . ¡°What kind of a student was Miss Seo Jin-Yi usually?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°By any chance, was there anyone who might have been resentful towards¡­ . ¡± Seo Gyu-Nam belatedly realised the implication behind the question and hurriedly shook his hand around . ¡°No, no . Never . She was definitely not a child who¡¯d go around doing things to make others hate her . She was really kind and pure and¡­¡± Seo Gyu-Nam replied up to there before his head faltered and sounds of sobbing escaped from him . How long did it go by like this? The sobbing man¡¯s shoulder¡¯s stopped trembling eventually and he raised his head slowly . ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry, Detective . I still can¡¯t believe that my little girl left me in that manner¡­ . . ¡± ¡°You must¡¯ve cherished your daughter a lot . ¡± ¡°Of course . I¡¯m sure you know this already, but Jin-Yi wasn¡¯t my biological child . That was why I cherished and loved her as much as I would¡¯ve with my real child, no, maybe even more than that . ¡± His gaze lowered as he struggled to swallow back his sadness . He continued on . ¡°If only she told me when she was hurting, when it was getting too much for her¡­ . ¡± Although Seo Gyu-Nam was displaying an intense emotional state, Jin-Woo was quite different in his attitude and kept an icy-cold gleam in his eyes from the beginning right until the end . He then pulled out his own smartphone from his inner pocket . ¡°While we were sifting through your daughter¡¯s personal effects, we uncovered a certain sound file . ¡± ¡°¡­ . Pardon?¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s listen to it first . ¡± Jin-Woo tapped on the play icon and let the voice of the shadow play out . ¨C [I¡­ . ] It was the testimony straight from her mouth about the tale of the horrifying abuse she suffered at the hands of her adoptive father, ever since she was a young child . And as the testimony continued on¡­ Seo Gyu-Nam finally stopped acting like a sorrowful father who lost his daughter, his eyes constantly shaking from shock . The girl deliberately chose to go to a university far away from home, believing that she was finally freed from the torment of her adoptive father, but then, when the b*stard got in contact with her again some time ago, starting with the text message saying ¡®I want to see you again¡¯, she chose to end her life, instead . She might have taken her own life, but the culprit that drove her to that decision was someone else . Tap . Once the sound file ended its playback, Seo Gyu-Nam raised his head, his expression frozen-stiff now . ¡°Why¡­ why did you play that in front of me?¡± This middle-aged man could legitimately claim that he possessed quicker wits than most other people . If the real goal of this meeting was to arrest him, then this detective would¡¯ve shown up with a couple of other officers, slap the cuffs on him and be done with the whole thing just like that . However, this cop didn¡¯t take him to the police station, but to a local cafe, saying that they needed to have a quiet chat . That was why Seo Gyu-Nam had a hunch that the detective in front of his eyes had a somewhat different purpose in coming to see him . As if to reply positively to that hunch, the expressionless detective finally revealed a toothy grin . ¡°You now have two options available to you . ¡± Options were available! Seo Gyu-Nam clenched his fists tightly after hearing those words that sounded like the heavens extending a lifeline, just as a precariously dangerous situation was about to befall on him . ¡®Yes!!¡¯ Meanwhile, the detective carried on . ¡°First¡­ . You admit to your wrongdoing, go to the station with me, and confess everything . ¡± ¡°And¡­ the other option is?¡± ¡°Rather than admit to your crime, you pay an appropriate price, instead . ¡± Seo Gyu-Nam had to grit his teeth in order to suppress this powerful wave of jovial laughter gushing out from somewhere deep inside his chest . ¡®Oh my goodness me . ¡¯ And the wise old ¡®they¡¯ said that, even if the heavens collapsed, there would always be a way out, didn¡¯t they? Who would¡¯ve thought that the detective who uncovered his ugly sins just so happened to be such an individual? Seo Gyu-Nam had lived a pretty great life as a medical doctor . So, regardless of how much this pathetic policeman wanted, he knew he had the financial wherewithal to satisfy that demand . Seo Gyu-Nam did his utmost best to stop the ends of his lips from curling up and asked back . ¡°How much are you asking for?¡± ¡°That is already enough . ¡± Jin-Woo formed a hollow chuckle and securely pocketed the phone . He knew better than anyone just how many people regretted with their whole being the choice they¡¯ve made just now . This middle-aged man trying his best to hide his laughter came across as utterly disgusting and ridiculous . In an instance, Jin-Woo¡¯s expression changed . ¡°Now, listen well . ¡± With the smile gone from his face, an aura so ominous and bleak oozed out from him, instead . ¡°In reality, this place you¡¯re in isn¡¯t the world you were living in . No, it¡¯s a different world I simply mocked up to resemble the outside scenery . ¡± The land of the dead that no living soul could enter without the express permission of its master ¨C the territory of the eternal rest . Jin-Woo calmly added that that was the name of the prison about to seal Seo Gyu-Nam away . Of course, the middle-aged man became flustered at the suddenly-changed Jin-Woo¡¯s attitude as well as at this strange, hard-to-understand explanation . ¡°E-excuse me, Detective-nim . I, I don¡¯t underst¡­ . ¡± ¡°Think about it carefully . ¡± Seo Gyu-Nam felt his breathing choke up from Jin-Woo¡¯s murderous glare . ¡°Can you remember how you got here?¡± Now that he thought about it¡­ . As the chill ran down on his spine, Seo Gyu-Nam finally realised the oddness of his situation . ¡®B-but, how¡­ . ?¡¯ Within this brightly-lit cafe, how was it possible that there was not a single soul around other than himself and this mysterious detective? Even if you forget about other patrons, no, maybe even the actual owner of the place, shouldn¡¯t there at least be one waiter or a clerk somewhere?? However, whether it was inside the building or outside of the glass wall, there was not a single trace of other people at all . ¡°Ah¡­ . ¡± Just as he finally recognised that something unexplainable had happened to him, everything vanished, just like that, leaving only the darkness . The only items left within this inky-black darkness were the table, plus the two chairs . And of course, himself and the detective sitting on those chairs . ¡°U-uwaaaaahhk?!¡± Seo Gyu-Nam shot up from the chair and hurriedly stepped back as his complexion paled instantly . ¡°W-who the hell are you?! Is this a dream? It¡¯s a nightmare, isn¡¯t it??¡± The middle-aged man pointed at Jin-Woo in a confused mixture of anger and desperation . Unfortunately for him, his retreating steps couldn¡¯t go too far . Thud . Because he ran into something as hard as a wall, that was why . An inexplicable chill swept him up and his head slowly shifted towards his back . That¡¯s when the ¡®wall¡¯ began moving . No, it wasn¡¯t an actual wall, just a giant ¡®ant¡¯ standing stiffly like one, and it was moving now . This ant creature shoved its head closer to Seo Gyu-Nam¡¯s face and quietly placed its unfurled index finger against its ¡®lips¡¯ . [Shh¡­ . ] In that moment¡­ ¡°Euph! Eu-euph¡­!!!¡± Dozens upon dozens of ant arms reached out from the darkness and grabbed onto him, before dragging him deeper into the unknown . He would now be subjected to horrifying torture from here onwards where he¡¯d eventually beg for death, but too bad, he¡¯d not be able to die that easily . See, the thing was, the Shadow now tasked with his punishment was one of the greatest soldiers in the ranks, and at the same time, the greatest ¡®Healer¡¯ there ever was, too . [Kkiiehk!] Beru bowed his waist to perform a smart greeting towards his liege, before melting back into the darkness . ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Jin-Woo wordlessly stared in the direction where Seo Gyu-Nam had disappeared to, and slowly stood up from his chair . This time, not from his front but from behind, another figure watching the proceedings unfold while hiding stepped out of the darkness . It was Jin-Yi . Jin-Woo was well aware that, no matter how badly the guilty suffered, the victim¡¯s pain would never fully disappear . However, if such a thing could console the heart of the deceased just a tiny bit¡­ . He walked over to her and placed his fingertip on her forehead to erase all memories of her adoptive father . [Thank you . Thank you so much, Sovereign-nim . ] The Shadow bowed her head many times to Jin-Woo afterwards . Now that she was reborn as a Shadow, she instinctively understood what kind of a special existence he was, but well, Jin-Woo never planned to convert her into his Shadow Soldier, to begin with . So, it was now time to return her to the void . Just before their goodbyes, Jin-Woo asked her in a gentle voice . ¡°Is there anything else you¡¯d like to say?¡± The Shadow lightly shook her head, before going, ¡°Ah!¡± [By any chance¡­ . If it¡¯s not too much trouble, can I ask you for a small favour?] *** Next day . Jin-Yi¡¯s friend came to the station in the early morning to find out about any new development in the case . Jin-Woo found her first and took her to the corridor outside the office . ¡°By all appearances, the chances of the case being treated as murder is extremely low at this point . The investigation itself will close soon, as well . ¡± The friend looked at Jin-Woo with a disbelieving expression, before speaking up with the voice of a person clutching at a straw . ¡°T-truly¡­ . There isn¡¯t even one percent of any other possibilities??¡± Rather than a verbal reply, Jin-Woo quietly nodded his head up and down . The friend¡¯s head dropped towards the ground next . She seemed to have a million things to say in her mind, but couldn¡¯t say any one of them out aloud ¨C her expression sorrowful but unwilling, she hesitantly spoke . ¡°That means, Jin-Yi, she¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo studied her for a moment or two, before presenting her with a small gift box covered in a cute wrapper . ¡°This is?¡± ¡°The name written on the gift card is yours, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°¡­ . . It is . ¡± It was none other than a gift the deceased carefully handpicked and prepared for the friend¡¯s birthday . The gift that would¡¯ve never entered its intended owner¡¯s hands finally found its way to its rightful home . ¡°Jin-Yi prepared this¡­ . ?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct . I thought that Miss Jin-Yi would¡¯ve wanted this gift to find its intended owner . ¡± ¡°Ah¡­ . Thank you¡­ . ¡± The friend thanked Jin-Woo wholeheartedly, her eyes tearing up uncontrollably . If only the adoptive father¡¯s insidious text message didn¡¯t arrive at the victim¡¯s phone one hour before she cut her own wrist, wouldn¡¯t these two friends get to enjoy the birthday party as planned? Jin-Woo felt complicated in his heart as several thoughts intersected within his mind and his gaze drifted away to the distance, only for him to feel the familiar vibration coming from within his pocket . ¡°Excuse me for a moment . ¡± He asked for an understanding from the sobbing friend of the victim, turned around, and answered his phone . ¨C ¡°Hyung-niiim!!¡± A voice he felt relieved to hear came out of the phone¡¯s speaker . ¨C ¡°It¡¯s me, Yu Jin-Ho!¡± < Chapter 263 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 263: Chapter 263 Side Story 20. The last side story: Twelve years later (2). A shadow of a woman, yet to shed the hints of her teen years, vigorously rose up from the thickly-coagulated clump of blood on the floor Chwa-ahck!!. Droplets of blood dripped from the ends of her hair as she took a look around her, her expression one of sheer confusion regarding her current situation . Eventually, though, she spat out pained moans [Ah¡­ . Ah¡­ . !]. Indeed, it¡¯d be quite painful for her since she retained the memories of her dying moments . Jin-Woo used the authority of the Shadow Sovereign and calmed the shadow for the time being ¡°Don¡¯t be frightened The you of now has become an existence untethered from the boundaries of life and pain . ¡±. The king¡¯s calming, warm voice helped the woman to compose herself gradually . Jin-Woo then created a new set to clothing for her sake and wrapped them around her figure since she appeared how she died ¨C nude [Ah¡­ . ]. She cautiously pulled the clothing on her shoulders tighter Her name used to be Seo Jin-Yi . He named the newly-revived shadow woman the same as back when she was still alive, and began asking his questions ¡°Did you¡­ willingly take your own life?¡±. The shadow woman, no, Seo Jin-Yi, nodded her head Jin-Woo placed one of his knees lower to the ground so he could match her eye level . He studied her expression and quietly asked her ¡°Your reason?¡±. And when he did, her lips, frozen shut like a block of ice, cautiously parted ways [I¡­ . ]. ***. Ding-dong The doorbell resounded out rather late at night; a middle-aged man put a photo frame containing a picture of his daughter down on its original spot and looked away ¡®Who could it be at this late hour?¡¯. He tilted his head this way and that while standing up from his seat, and walked over to the intercom The monitor on the device showing the scene outside the front door now displayed a man kitted out in a smart business suit standing there . The middle-aged man didn¡¯t think too much about it and pressed the ¡®Speak¡¯ button Beep The man outside the door pulled out his ID badge and showed it to the camera ¨C ¡°I¡¯m Detective Seong Jin-Woo from Central Region¡¯s Violent Crimes Unit . I have questions to ask you regarding your daughter¡¯s death, so can we speak for a little while, please?¡±. The photo in the ID badge matched the face on the monitor The middle-aged man forgot that it was far too late in the day for a guest to show up like this when he heard the word ¡®Detective¡¯ and hurriedly flung the door open ¡°Did the investigation¡¯s result come out? How did my little girl die?!¡±. Jin-Woo quietly studied the face of Seo Jin-Yi¡¯s father, Seo Gyu-Nam, before shaking his head ¡°Nothing is certain yet, sir . However, I do have several follow-up questions I¡¯d like to ask you regarding your daughter . ¡±. The father of the deceased formed a somewhat disappointed expression when he heard there was nothing to report yet . Jin-Woo made a quiet demand towards the man ¡°Can you come with me?¡±. Seo Gyu-Nam seemed to be in a dilemma, but soon enough, formed a grimly determined expression ¡°Of course . If I can help in any shape or form in uncovering the truth of my daughter¡¯s death, then I shall cooperate fully . ¡±. He came outside and locked the door before turning around to face Jin-Woo ¡°Let¡¯s get going, Detective . ¡±. Jin-Woo nodded his head once and turned towards a certain direction ¡°This way . ¡±. ***. Seo Guy-Nam initially thought that they would go to the police station, but instead, they ended up in a cafe near his place . He asked the detective why they had to come here and only got a vague answer in the form of ¡°We need a place to chat quietly¡± instead And so, Jin-Woo and Seo Gyu-Nam sat on the opposite side of the table . The former then began his questioning as the latter formed a heavy expression ¡°What kind of a student was Miss Seo Jin-Yi usually?¡±. ¡°Excuse me?¡±. ¡°By any chance, was there anyone who might have been resentful towards¡­ . ¡±. Seo Gyu-Nam belatedly realised the implication behind the question and hurriedly shook his hand around ¡°No, no . Never . She was definitely not a child who¡¯d go around doing things to make others hate her . She was really kind and pure and¡­¡±. Seo Gyu-Nam replied up to there before his head faltered and sounds of sobbing escaped from him How long did it go by like this?. The sobbing man¡¯s shoulder¡¯s stopped trembling eventually and he raised his head slowly ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry, Detective . I still can¡¯t believe that my little girl left me in that manner¡­ ¡±. ¡°You must¡¯ve cherished your daughter a lot . ¡±. ¡°Of course . I¡¯m sure you know this already, but Jin-Yi wasn¡¯t my biological child . That was why I cherished and loved her as much as I would¡¯ve with my real child, no, maybe even more than that . ¡±. His gaze lowered as he struggled to swallow back his sadness . He continued on ¡°If only she told me when she was hurting, when it was getting too much for her¡­ . ¡±. Although Seo Gyu-Nam was displaying an intense emotional state, Jin-Woo was quite different in his attitude and kept an icy-cold gleam in his eyes from the beginning right until the end . He then pulled out his own smartphone from his inner pocket ¡°While we were sifting through your daughter¡¯s personal effects, we uncovered a certain sound file . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . Pardon?¡±. ¡°Well, let¡¯s listen to it first . ¡±. Jin-Woo tapped on the play icon and let the voice of the shadow play out ¨C [I¡­ . ]. It was the testimony straight from her mouth about the tale of the horrifying abuse she suffered at the hands of her adoptive father, ever since she was a young child And as the testimony continued on¡­. Seo Gyu-Nam finally stopped acting like a sorrowful father who lost his daughter, his eyes constantly shaking from shock The girl deliberately chose to go to a university far away from home, believing that she was finally freed from the torment of her adoptive father, but then, when the b*stard got in contact with her again some time ago, starting with the text message saying ¡®I want to see you again¡¯, she chose to end her life, instead She might have taken her own life, but the culprit that drove her to that decision was someone else Tap Once the sound file ended its playback, Seo Gyu-Nam raised his head, his expression frozen-stiff now ¡°Why¡­ why did you play that in front of me?¡±. This middle-aged man could legitimately claim that he possessed quicker wits than most other people If the real goal of this meeting was to arrest him, then this detective would¡¯ve shown up with a couple of other officers, slap the cuffs on him and be done with the whole thing just like that However, this cop didn¡¯t take him to the police station, but to a local cafe, saying that they needed to have a quiet chat That was why Seo Gyu-Nam had a hunch that the detective in front of his eyes had a somewhat different purpose in coming to see him . As if to reply positively to that hunch, the expressionless detective finally revealed a toothy grin ¡°You now have two options available to you . ¡±. Options were available!. Seo Gyu-Nam clenched his fists tightly after hearing those words that sounded like the heavens extending a lifeline, just as a precariously dangerous situation was about to befall on him ¡®Yes!!¡¯. Meanwhile, the detective carried on ¡°First¡­ . You admit to your wrongdoing, go to the station with me, and confess everything . ¡±. ¡°And¡­ the other option is?¡±. ¡°Rather than admit to your crime, you pay an appropriate price, instead . ¡±. Seo Gyu-Nam had to grit his teeth in order to suppress this powerful wave of jovial laughter gushing out from somewhere deep inside his chest ¡®Oh my goodness me . ¡¯. And the wise old ¡®they¡¯ said that, even if the heavens collapsed, there would always be a way out, didn¡¯t they? Who would¡¯ve thought that the detective who uncovered his ugly sins just so happened to be such an individual?. Seo Gyu-Nam had lived a pretty great life as a medical doctor . So, regardless of how much this pathetic policeman wanted, he knew he had the financial wherewithal to satisfy that demand Seo Gyu-Nam did his utmost best to stop the ends of his lips from curling up and asked back ¡°How much are you asking for?¡±. ¡°That is already enough . ¡±. Jin-Woo formed a hollow chuckle and securely pocketed the phone He knew better than anyone just how many people regretted with their whole being the choice they¡¯ve made just now . This middle-aged man trying his best to hide his laughter came across as utterly disgusting and ridiculous In an instance, Jin-Woo¡¯s expression changed ¡°Now, listen well . ¡±. With the smile gone from his face, an aura so ominous and bleak oozed out from him, instead ¡°In reality, this place you¡¯re in isn¡¯t the world you were living in . No, it¡¯s a different world I simply mocked up to resemble the outside scenery . ¡±. The land of the dead that no living soul could enter without the express permission of its master ¨C the territory of the eternal rest . Jin-Woo calmly added that that was the name of the prison about to seal Seo Gyu-Nam away Of course, the middle-aged man became flustered at the suddenly-changed Jin-Woo¡¯s attitude as well as at this strange, hard-to-understand explanation ¡°E-excuse me, Detective-nim . I, I don¡¯t underst¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Think about it carefully . ¡±. Seo Gyu-Nam felt his breathing choke up from Jin-Woo¡¯s murderous glare ¡°Can you remember how you got here?¡±. Now that he thought about it¡­ As the chill ran down on his spine, Seo Gyu-Nam finally realised the oddness of his situation ¡®B-but, how¡­ . ?¡¯. Within this brightly-lit cafe, how was it possible that there was not a single soul around other than himself and this mysterious detective?. Even if you forget about other patrons, no, maybe even the actual owner of the place, shouldn¡¯t there at least be one waiter or a clerk somewhere??. However, whether it was inside the building or outside of the glass wall, there was not a single trace of other people at all ¡°Ah¡­ . ¡±. Just as he finally recognised that something unexplainable had happened to him, everything vanished, just like that, leaving only the darkness The only items left within this inky-black darkness were the table, plus the two chairs . And of course, himself and the detective sitting on those chairs ¡°U-uwaaaaahhk?!¡±. Seo Gyu-Nam shot up from the chair and hurriedly stepped back as his complexion paled instantly ¡°W-who the hell are you?! Is this a dream? It¡¯s a nightmare, isn¡¯t it??¡±. The middle-aged man pointed at Jin-Woo in a confused mixture of anger and desperation . Unfortunately for him, his retreating steps couldn¡¯t go too far Thud Because he ran into something as hard as a wall, that was why . An inexplicable chill swept him up and his head slowly shifted towards his back That¡¯s when the ¡®wall¡¯ began moving No, it wasn¡¯t an actual wall, just a giant ¡®ant¡¯ standing stiffly like one, and it was moving now This ant creature shoved its head closer to Seo Gyu-Nam¡¯s face and quietly placed its unfurled index finger against its ¡®lips¡¯ [Shh¡­ . ]. In that moment¡­. ¡°Euph! Eu-euph¡­!!!¡±. Dozens upon dozens of ant arms reached out from the darkness and grabbed onto him, before dragging him deeper into the unknown He would now be subjected to horrifying torture from here onwards where he¡¯d eventually beg for death, but too bad, he¡¯d not be able to die that easily See, the thing was, the Shadow now tasked with his punishment was one of the greatest soldiers in the ranks, and at the same time, the greatest ¡®Healer¡¯ there ever was, too [Kkiiehk!]. Beru bowed his waist to perform a smart greeting towards his liege, before melting back into the darkness ¡®¡­¡­¡¯. Jin-Woo wordlessly stared in the direction where Seo Gyu-Nam had disappeared to, and slowly stood up from his chair . This time, not from his front but from behind, another figure watching the proceedings unfold while hiding stepped out of the darkness It was Jin-Yi Jin-Woo was well aware that, no matter how badly the guilty suffered, the victim¡¯s pain would never fully disappear . However, if such a thing could console the heart of the deceased just a tiny bit¡­ He walked over to her and placed his fingertip on her forehead to erase all memories of her adoptive father [Thank you . Thank you so much, Sovereign-nim . ]. The Shadow bowed her head many times to Jin-Woo afterwards Now that she was reborn as a Shadow, she instinctively understood what kind of a special existence he was, but well, Jin-Woo never planned to convert her into his Shadow Soldier, to begin with So, it was now time to return her to the void Just before their goodbyes, Jin-Woo asked her in a gentle voice ¡°Is there anything else you¡¯d like to say?¡±. The Shadow lightly shook her head, before going, ¡°Ah!¡±. [By any chance¡­ . If it¡¯s not too much trouble, can I ask you for a small favour?]. ***. Next day Jin-Yi¡¯s friend came to the station in the early morning to find out about any new development in the case . Jin-Woo found her first and took her to the corridor outside the office ¡°By all appearances, the chances of the case being treated as murder is extremely low at this point . The investigation itself will close soon, as well . ¡±. The friend looked at Jin-Woo with a disbelieving expression, before speaking up with the voice of a person clutching at a straw ¡°T-truly¡­ . There isn¡¯t even one percent of any other possibilities??¡±. Rather than a verbal reply, Jin-Woo quietly nodded his head up and down . The friend¡¯s head dropped towards the ground next She seemed to have a million things to say in her mind, but couldn¡¯t say any one of them out aloud ¨C her expression sorrowful but unwilling, she hesitantly spoke ¡°That means, Jin-Yi, she¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo studied her for a moment or two, before presenting her with a small gift box covered in a cute wrapper ¡°This is?¡±. ¡°The name written on the gift card is yours, isn¡¯t it?¡±. ¡°¡­ It is . ¡±. It was none other than a gift the deceased carefully handpicked and prepared for the friend¡¯s birthday . The gift that would¡¯ve never entered its intended owner¡¯s hands finally found its way to its rightful home ¡°Jin-Yi prepared this¡­ . ?¡±. ¡°That¡¯s correct . I thought that Miss Jin-Yi would¡¯ve wanted this gift to find its intended owner . ¡±. ¡°Ah¡­ . Thank you¡­ . ¡±. The friend thanked Jin-Woo wholeheartedly, her eyes tearing up uncontrollably If only the adoptive father¡¯s insidious text message didn¡¯t arrive at the victim¡¯s phone one hour before she cut her own wrist, wouldn¡¯t these two friends get to enjoy the birthday party as planned?. Jin-Woo felt complicated in his heart as several thoughts intersected within his mind and his gaze drifted away to the distance, only for him to feel the familiar vibration coming from within his pocket ¡°Excuse me for a moment . ¡±. He asked for an understanding from the sobbing friend of the victim, turned around, and answered his phone ¨C ¡°Hyung-niiim!!¡±. A voice he felt relieved to hear came out of the phone¡¯s speaker ¨C ¡°It¡¯s me, Yu Jin-Ho!¡±. < Chapter 263 > Fin Chapter 264 Side Story 21 The last side story: Twelve years later (Fin) Later that evening . Jin-Woo headed to the local diner that he frequented with Yu Jin-Ho when they were much younger . Still did, as a matter of fact . ¨C ¡°Hyung-nim! I have something important I must discuss with you . ¡± He felt the hints of determination, different from the kid¡¯s usual self, emanating from Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s voice on the phone . When Jin-Woo stepped into the diner, Yu Jin-Ho sitting anxiously by the table, easily visible from the entrance, quickly raised his hand up high . ¡°Hyung-nim!!¡± After graduating from the university, Yu Jin-Ho continued to train in the art of running a business empire under Chairman Yu Myung-Hwan, which transformed his body and spirit into a proper man now . However, he still came across as a little kid brother to Jin-Woo, even now . ¡°Hey, man . ¡± He greeted back with a chuckle and settled on the other side of Yu Jin-Ho . His gaze then scanned the soju shot glass in Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s hand, as well as the half-empty soju bottle for a brief moment . ¡®This guy, he knows he can¡¯t handle alcohol, so why¡­ . ¡¯ It was unknown just what he was psyching himself up for like this, but without a doubt, Yu Jin-Ho needed a massive boost to his courage to do it, it seemed . So, Jin-Woo asked . ¡°What¡¯s going on with you? You didn¡¯t even tell me anything yet . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho greatly hesitated with his reply, before pulling out a small box from his inner pocket and opened it up . A rather expensive-looking ring was stored in there . ¡°Hyung-niiim!!¡± ¡°What now?¡± ¡°This time, I¡¯m gonna propose to Miss Jin-Ah for sure!¡± Aaah . ¡®That¡¯s what this was all about . ¡¯ Jin-Woo was guessing that the kid got scolded by his little sister or some such and wanted to complain to someone trustworthy, but now that he knew the score, a smile automatically floated up on his face . Yu Jin-Ho completely misinterpreted that smile, though, and a fierce glare of determination lit up within his eyes . ¡°Hyung-nim! I¡¯m really serious this time! I¡¯ll confess to her tonight! B-but, the thing is¡­ . You think she¡¯s going to like this ring?¡± When Jin-Woo thought about how Jin-Ah always complained at home, wondering aloud just when the blockhead that was her boyfriend would come around to confess his feelings for her, he could picture her jumping up and down in happiness already, but well¡­ . Jin-Woo deliberately left his words vague so the after-confession swelling of emotions could be even tastier for the couple . ¡°I wonder¡­ I¡¯m not very good with this sort of things, so¡­ . ¡± ¡°Keuh-heuk . ¡± As if he felt tormented, Yu Jin-Ho dropped his head lower in agony before raising it back up again . ¡°I-it¡¯s still fine, hyung-nim . Actually, I don¡¯t know what she¡¯d like to have anyway, so I prepared lots of presents in advance . ¡± And then, he began pulling out a large paper envelope out of the blue . What that contained was a blueprint of a building . ¡°Actually, there¡¯s this new building about to be constructed in our company¡¯s premises, so as soon as Miss Jin-Ah is done with her medical degree, we could build a hospit¡­ . ¡± ¡°Hold up . ¡± Jin-Woo felt as if he had seen this blueprint lots of times from somewhere and quickly cut Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s word off . ¡°By any chance, this building¡­ . The estimated pricing is around 30 billion Won, isn¡¯t it?¡± (TL: Around $25 million USD) Yu Jin-Ho was taken by surprise and his eyes opened up wider . ¡°What the¡­ . Hyung-nim, how can you know that¡­ . ?¡± Well, it was obvious how ¨C because it was the exact same thing . ¡­The same as the blueprint of the building offered as the compensation for making Yu Jin-Ho the new Guild Master back in the erased timeline, that was . Jin-Woo worked hard to keep his laughter in check . Yu Jin-Ho saw that expression and his complexion reddened considerably as he tried to come up with a suitable excuse . ¡°Hyung-nim, this is the best I can do for Miss Jin-Ah at the moment because I¡¯m still learning about this trade from my father, but I¡­ . ¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it . ¡± To stop Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s misunderstanding from getting any deeper, Jin-Woo wiped the grin off his face and spoke in a far more earnest tone of voice . ¡°Listen to me, Jin-Ho . ¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim . ¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to give her lots of presents to prove yourself so hard like this . Because¡­ you are a good man . All you have to do is be you . Just you . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . ¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s opinion rendered Yu Jin-Ho completely speechless, but he began tearing up greatly . ¡°Hyung-nim¡­ . ¡± It was at this point that Jin-Woo belatedly remembered how this kid behaved when drunk and felt this ominous foreboding creep up on him . And like clockwork, Yu Jin-Ho spoke in a tearful voice . ¡°Can I hug you just this one time, hyung-nim?¡± ¡°Nope . ¡± ¡°Hyung-niiim!!¡± Yu Jin-Ho failed to rein his emotions in the end, and pounced on Jin-Woo to embrace him, but the latter extended his hand and rather deftly stopped the former from getting too close . Yu Jin-Ho struggled for a long time before finally regaining control over his emotions and settled back down on his spot . ¡°Sob, sob, sobbbb¡­¡± He continued to sob away, though, and Jin-Woo could only smirk at this sight . Sure, this kid did have a bit of a moronic streak in him, but Jin-Woo knew the truth very well from what the kid had shown him during the moments of great life-or-death peril . Back when they entered the rank C dungeon along with a bunch of con-men and were forced into making a decision, or when he was being tortured for information by a rank S Hunter blinded by thoughts of revenge, Yu Jin-Ho always chose loyalty over his safety . He was a good kid, indeed . That was Jin-Woo¡¯s honest impression of Yu Jin-Ho after observing him from a close vantage point after all this time . Jin-Woo poured soju into his own empty shot glass . ¡°Why don¡¯t we pray for your success with this toast?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Yu Jin-Ho raised his head to find Jin-Woo pushing forward his shot glass . ¡°If your proposal is successful, then we will really become family, you know . So, how about we share a toast while praying for your success?¡± ¡°A real family with hyung-nim¡­ . . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s expression was soon overcome with a great swell of emotions once more and he lifted his own cup up, only for his gaze to stop by at Jin-Woo¡¯s left hand . He knew very well what was hidden behind that black glove, of course . ¡°Excuse me¡­ . Hyung-nim?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°If I¡¯m not overstepping here, can I ask you about something?¡± ¡°Sure, go ahead . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho sneaked a couple of glances at Jin-Woo¡¯s left hand before working up his courage once more . ¡°The scars on that hand¡­ . What actually did happen to you, to get such serious scars?¡± Those scars were so horrendous that just a casual glance would make people recall heart-wrenching pain in an instant . It must¡¯ve been a rather serious accident for such a clear burn scar to be left behind like that . Although Yu Jin-Ho found it pretty hard to ask this question up until now, he borrowed the powers of the booze to ask this rather difficult question . ¡°Oh, you mean this?¡± Jin-Woo glanced at his left hand for a little while, before a smirk floated up on his lips . ¡°I got it while saving the world . ¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze had reverted back to Yu Jin-Ho by then . His reply was spoken as if it was nothing much to worry about, so the latter chuckled back lightly, too . ¡°Hyung-nim, you and your sense of humour¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo also chuckled along as well . Yu Jin-Ho belatedly realised that the shot glass had been stuck waiting for a while inside his hyung-nim¡¯s hand and quickly raised his own higher . ¡°For the successful proposal!¡± Jin-Woo brought his cup closer and prayed for the kid¡¯s fortune as well . ¡°Yeah, for your successful proposal . ¡± Clink . They clinked their shot glasses and emptied them in one go . Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s face went into a scowl at the bitter taste of soju, but unlike him, Jin-Woo could only form a wry grin as he put the empty glass down . ¡®I¡¯d love to get just a little bit drunk on a day like today, though¡­¡¯ It was then . ¡°Ah, I almost forgot . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho must¡¯ve recalled Jin-Woo¡¯s family life after hearing the word ¡®family¡¯ since he suddenly began discussing precisely that . ¡°Is sister-in-law doing well?¡± ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s well . ¡± ¡°What about Soo-Hoh, though? I should really stop by soon to see how the boy¡¯s doing nowadays . Has he started walking yet?¡± Jin-Woo chuckled and shook his head . ¡°No, not yet . He¡¯s only six months old, so crawling is all he can do for now . ¡± ¡°That¡¯s weird . I thought that a kid sharing your and your wife¡¯s genes would start running around the moment he was born, you know?¡± ¡°What the hell . Is that how you think of me and her?¡± ¡°Ahaha . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho scratched the back of his head in a playful manner and Jin-Woo also chuckled as well . But then, Yu Jin-Ho went ¡°Oops!¡± and hurriedly spoke in a worried voice as he heard that the post-natal care was rather arduous for the newborn¡¯s parents . ¡°Well, in that case, shouldn¡¯t you go home as soon as possible?¡± ¡°Mm¡­ Maybe I should?¡± With good timing, Jin-Woo was also beginning to miss Hae-In and his son Soo-Hoh waiting for him back home after the word ¡®family¡¯ had been mentioned earlier . *** A certain residence located in the outskirts of the city . Arriving back home safe and sound, Jin-Woo parked his car in the vicinity . Screech . Although the house was unimaginably huge for a detective to afford with his government salary, no one suspected a thing since the person sharing the residence alongside him just so happened to be the idol of the sporting world that pretty much every South Korean had heard of before in the past . However, only he and Hae-In knew the secret of this house not being built by the hands of humans . When Jin-Woo stepped into the house, the first thing that greeted him was the sight of his two Marshals in the middle of a war of nerves . Bellion and Igrit were glaring at each other without backing down an inch, apparently not ready to give up on their ground . Soon, Hae-In came out to the living room while carrying their son, Soo-Hoh . ¡°Dear¡­ . ¡± With a smile, Jin-Woo took over Soo-Hoh from Hae-In, and gently held him up . When he did¡­ ¡°Ppa-!!¡± Soo-Hoh broke out into boisterous laughter and extended his small hands towards him . The boy wanted to be hugged by his father, so Jin-Woo helped with that by embracing the baby against his chest, and then, pointed to his two Marshals with his chin . ¡°What¡¯s up with those two?¡± ¡°Well, the thing is¡­ . ¡± Hae-In was fighting back to keep her own laughter from breaking out while hesitating with her answer, but Jin-Woo didn¡¯t need long to figure out what was up with this situation . Bellion shot back at Igrit with a harsh glare . [What do you mean by we mustn¡¯t teach our Lord Soo-Hoh the ways of the sword? Do you really think your suggestion makes any sense whatsoever, Igrit?!] However, Igrit¡¯s own fighting spirit didn¡¯t lose out an inch, other . [High academic success is the barometer of one¡¯s capability in this world, Bellion . ] No one knew when or who ordered them online, but well, Igrit was holding home-schooling material for toddlers as he argued his case . Jin-Woo watched the tightly-contested war of nerves between these two proud Soldiers and became utterly speechless . He stared at them with a dumbfounded face for a while, before he took a step closer to address them . ¡°You guys¡­ . ¡± The Marshals finally realised that their liege was right in front of their noses, hurriedly turned around to face him, and knelt down on the floor . [My liege!] [My liege!] Jin-Woo tutted audibly at the two Marshals far too obsessed in the matters of the post-natal care and spoke to them . ¡°It¡¯s fine whether you want to teach my son swords or maths, but let¡¯s worry about that only after the boy learns to walk first, shall we?¡± Bellion and Igrit stared at each other for a little while before bowing their heads down to Jin-Woo . [That is a reasonable approach, my liege . ] [You are correct, my liege . ] ¡°Alright . ¡± Jin-Woo grinned brightly while holding his son in his arms, and just like that, Soo-Hoh also grinned brightly in return, as well . ¡°Kkyah . ¡± Nobody would doubt that they were a father and son; Hae-In watched the two¡¯s smiles that seemed like a carbon copy of one another and chuckled softly herself . *** Around the time Lee Seh-Hwan, joining the Unit as someone¡¯s potential successor, had gotten more or less used to the life as a detective, Jin-Woo was summoned by the Station Commander for a private chat . The senior detective leaving the commander¡¯s office before him carried a rather suspicious glint in his eyes, so it was unlikely that this chat would be about a pleasant topic, thought Jin-Woo . He entered the commander¡¯s office after the senior detective left and walked over to his superior¡¯s desk . ¡°Did you call for me, sir?¡± The commander was looking out of his office window at the time; he didn¡¯t turn around and addressed Jin-Woo in a quiet voice . ¡°I heard that you¡¯re still interfering in other detectives¡¯ investigations¡­ . ¡± As expected ¨C the senior of earlier carried that look of ¡®I told you so¡¯ as he was leaving, didn¡¯t he? Jin-Woo inwardly swallowed his fake cough . The commander turned around towards Jin-Woo and formed a refreshing grin . ¡°Please, I beg you to not go overboard and make other detectives resent you, Seong Hunter-nim . ¡± The commander¡¯s face was someone quite familiar to him . It belonged to none other than Woo Jin-Cheol, the youngest Station Commander in Korean history . Of course, that feat was built upon the hidden fact that Jin-Woo played a key role in solving many of Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s cases . Jin-Woo smiled and corrected his current boss¡¯s words . ¡°I¡¯m not a Hunter anymore, Commander . ¡± ¡°Even still, it¡¯s a lot more convenient for me to refer to you as a Hunter-nim . ¡± While saying those things, Woo Jin-Cheol scanned the documents on top of his desk . ¡°Did you know that the legal guardian of the suicide victim, her father, suddenly went missing a few days ago?¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Rather coincidentally, every CCTV camera around the missing man¡¯s residence stopped working at the same time . ¡± ¡°Oh my goodness . How can such a thing even happen?¡± Jin-Woo¡¯s feigned innocence brought about a helpless chuckle from Woo Jin-Cheol . He then threw the documents into the nearby trash can . ¡°Whatever you decide to do, I shall continue to believe in you, Seong Hunter-nim . ¡± Jin-Woo heard Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s declaration of unreserved faith in him and as a gesture of thanks, bowed his head just a little . Afterwards¡­ . ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t ask you to come and stop by because of that¡­ . ¡± Woo Jin-Cheol pushed forward a piece of memo paper that had been hidden in the corner of the desk until then . A name of a hospital, as well as a patient¡¯s room number, was written on it . ¡°¡­ . I thought that you¡¯d like to know . ¡± ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Jin-Woo asked back and Woo Jin-Cheol replied as if he was waiting for that . ¡°The Association President, no, Chairman Goh Gun-Hui is apparently in critical condition . ¡± *** This would be Jin-Woo¡¯s second time coming to visit Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s hospital room . About ten years ago, he saved the older man¡¯s life by using the ¡®Divine Water of Life¡¯ that he also used to save his mother¡¯s life in the erased timeline . And now, he was facing the gaunt Goh Gun-Hui once more as the latter found himself at the death¡¯s doorstep . Since this was his second visit, the dying man didn¡¯t get surprised by Jin-Woo¡¯s unexpected appearance . No, he simply nodded his head in the direction of the unfamiliar young man with a hood pulled up . He then tapped on the oxygen mask blocking his mouth . Jin-Woo reached out and cautiously removed the apparatus, allowing Goh Gun-Hui to speak even though he wheezed heavily and laboriously in between each word . ¡°Young¡­ man, you came back again¡­ . Actually, I¡­ . I¡¯ve been searching for you¡­ all this time . ¡± Jin-Woo looked on at this sight with sorrowful eyes before raising his voice . ¡°If Chairman wants this illness to be cured, then¡­ . ¡± Even before he could finish saying that he could cure the illness one more time, Goh Gun-Hui shook his head first . ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ lived for a long time now . I did what I had to do during the ten years you gave me . That is enough for me . ¡± Back in the erased timeline, Goh Gun-Hui sold off his company and became the first President of the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association . But in this timeline, he had been acting as the role model to all the other corporate leaders by taking the lead in various charity work . And he no longer wished for his life to be extended anymore . What he really wanted, though, was not what everyone would¡¯ve expected . ¡°Actually¡­ . I have a favour to ask you . ¡± Jin-Woo nodded his head . And that¡¯s when he was met with Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s pleading eyes . ¡°You told me that there was a world where we fought side by side, didn¡¯t you?¡± Jin-Woo nodded his head again without saying anything . ¡°Can you tell me more about that world? I¡¯d like to know more . What I looked like, what you looked like back then¡­ . ¡± ¡°Those might not be the memories you¡¯d like to recall, sir . ¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be alright . I only wish to regain the memories now lost, that is all . ¡± Jin-Woo confirmed the earnest desperation on Chairman Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s expression and gently grasped the dying man¡¯s hand . When he did¡­ . ¡­ . The memories of the time now erased rushed into Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s mind like a tidal wave . ¡°Ah, ah¡­ . ¡± Tears began flooding out from the older man¡¯s eyes . Meanwhile, Jin-Woo slowly pulled the hood back and revealed his face to the Association President Goh Gun-Hui . He tightly grasped the younger man¡¯s hands and confirmed the face now looking back as even thicker tears fell from his eyes . ¡°Hunter-nim, you have¡­ . Again¡­ . ¡± Jin-Woo gently held the Association President¡¯s hand as the latter¡¯s breathing became harsher and noticeably more laborious . Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s gaze shifted back towards the ceiling . ¡°I¡­ I really¡­ Along with young heroes like you¡­ . ¡± His voice now contained traces of his satisfaction . Goh Gun-Hui was overcome with the genuine happiness gushing out from the deepest part of his heart, and as his tears continued to flow, he quietly breathed his last . Jin-Woo also stood there with tears in his eyes, before reaching down to gently close the older man¡¯s eyes . Soon after, the life-support machines informed everyone involved of the passing of their patient . Beeeep-!! By the time shocked doctors rushed into the room, the suspicious, uninvited guest had already left without a trace . * As Jin-Woo wordlessly walked the streets, electronic advertising boards installed here and there continued to display the breaking news of Chairman Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s passing . Emotions of sadness could be spied on the expressions of many watching the breaking news . Back then, or even now¡­ . Chairman Goh Gun-Hui was loved by many, and even more paid their respects after his death . ¡®Be well¡­ . You were also a hero who sacrificed so much of yourself for the sake of the others . ¡¯ Jin-Woo stepped away from the populated streets and made his way towards those avenues with little to no foot traffic . Every time the wind blew, leaves that lost their colours from the influence of the encroaching autumn fell in droves from the trees lining up the streets . Soon, winter would arrive . ¡®And then, spring will come again, too . ¡¯ Jin-Woo fell into a deep train of thoughts while looking at the scattering leaves, before belatedly realising that his phone was ringing off the hook inside his pocket . The call was from Hae-In . ¡°Dear?¡± As soon as he answered the phone, he was greeted by her incredibly urgent voice . ¨C ¡°D-dear!! Soo-Hoh, he¡­ Our son is¡­ . !!¡± Could something have happened in their home, even though two Marshals were guarding it?? Jin-Woo¡¯s own voice rose up higher at what seemed to be an unbelievable situation currently unfolding there . ¡°What¡¯s the matter with Soo-Hoh?!¡± When he did, Hae-In cried out as if she too couldn¡¯t believe that it was happening, either . ¨C ¡°He¡¯s flying!!!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¨C ¡°Our son is flying around the house, right now!!¡± It was right at that moment that Jin-Woo recalled what Yu Jin-Ho said a few days ago . ¨C That¡¯s weird . I thought that a kid sharing your and your wife¡¯s genes would start running around the moment he was born, you know? He became completely speechless after recalling those words and stood dead still on the spot . ¨C ¡°W-what should I do?¡± For some reason, laughter tried to break out of his mouth after hearing his wife¡¯s panicky voice over the phone . For the time being, he decided that calming his wife down would be his first priority . ¡°It¡¯ll be fine . Don¡¯t worry too much about it . ¡± ¨C ¡°What do you mean?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll teach Soo-Hoh how to fly step by step, soon . ¡± ¨C ¡°Babe, you¡­ . know how to fly?!¡± ¡®¡­ . Oops . ¡¯ Didn¡¯t I tell her that before? When he was dating Hae-In back in the now-erased timeline, he wasn¡¯t all that adept at flying around so they used his Sky Dragon ¡®Kaisel¡¯ to travel, instead . Jin-Woo finally couldn¡¯t hold back and guffawed out . The autumn leaves shook around in the wind and fell to Earth once more . After autumn, winter would come, and afterwards, spring would greet the world . Everything had a beginning and an end, and a new beginning would follow after the end . However¡­ ¨C ¡°Oh, no! Soo-Hoh, you mustn¡¯t!!¡± Clank, smash!! ¡­ . It seemed that the winter of his household was still a long way away . [Only I Level Up, Side Stories Fin . ] Sponsored Content Chapter 264: Chapter 264 Side Story 21. The last side story: Twelve years later (Fin). Later that evening Jin-Woo headed to the local diner that he frequented with Yu Jin-Ho when they were much younger . Still did, as a matter of fact ¨C ¡°Hyung-nim! I have something important I must discuss with you . ¡±. He felt the hints of determination, different from the kid¡¯s usual self, emanating from Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s voice on the phone . When Jin-Woo stepped into the diner, Yu Jin-Ho sitting anxiously by the table, easily visible from the entrance, quickly raised his hand up high ¡°Hyung-nim!!¡±. After graduating from the university, Yu Jin-Ho continued to train in the art of running a business empire under Chairman Yu Myung-Hwan, which transformed his body and spirit into a proper man now However, he still came across as a little kid brother to Jin-Woo, even now ¡°Hey, man . ¡±. He greeted back with a chuckle and settled on the other side of Yu Jin-Ho . His gaze then scanned the soju shot glass in Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s hand, as well as the half-empty soju bottle for a brief moment ¡®This guy, he knows he can¡¯t handle alcohol, so why¡­ . ¡¯. It was unknown just what he was psyching himself up for like this, but without a doubt, Yu Jin-Ho needed a massive boost to his courage to do it, it seemed So, Jin-Woo asked ¡°What¡¯s going on with you? You didn¡¯t even tell me anything yet . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho greatly hesitated with his reply, before pulling out a small box from his inner pocket and opened it up . A rather expensive-looking ring was stored in there ¡°Hyung-niiim!!¡±. ¡°What now?¡±. ¡°This time, I¡¯m gonna propose to Miss Jin-Ah for sure!¡±. Aaah ¡®That¡¯s what this was all about . ¡¯. Jin-Woo was guessing that the kid got scolded by his little sister or some such and wanted to complain to someone trustworthy, but now that he knew the score, a smile automatically floated up on his face Yu Jin-Ho completely misinterpreted that smile, though, and a fierce glare of determination lit up within his eyes ¡°Hyung-nim! I¡¯m really serious this time! I¡¯ll confess to her tonight! B-but, the thing is¡­ . You think she¡¯s going to like this ring?¡±. When Jin-Woo thought about how Jin-Ah always complained at home, wondering aloud just when the blockhead that was her boyfriend would come around to confess his feelings for her, he could picture her jumping up and down in happiness already, but well¡­ Jin-Woo deliberately left his words vague so the after-confession swelling of emotions could be even tastier for the couple ¡°I wonder¡­ I¡¯m not very good with this sort of things, so¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Keuh-heuk . ¡±. As if he felt tormented, Yu Jin-Ho dropped his head lower in agony before raising it back up again ¡°I-it¡¯s still fine, hyung-nim . Actually, I don¡¯t know what she¡¯d like to have anyway, so I prepared lots of presents in advance . ¡±. And then, he began pulling out a large paper envelope out of the blue . What that contained was a blueprint of a building ¡°Actually, there¡¯s this new building about to be constructed in our company¡¯s premises, so as soon as Miss Jin-Ah is done with her medical degree, we could build a hospit¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Hold up . ¡±. Jin-Woo felt as if he had seen this blueprint lots of times from somewhere and quickly cut Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s word off ¡°By any chance, this building¡­ . The estimated pricing is around 30 billion Won, isn¡¯t it?¡± (TL: Around $25 million USD). Yu Jin-Ho was taken by surprise and his eyes opened up wider ¡°What the¡­ . Hyung-nim, how can you know that¡­ . ?¡±. Well, it was obvious how ¨C because it was the exact same thing ¡­The same as the blueprint of the building offered as the compensation for making Yu Jin-Ho the new Guild Master back in the erased timeline, that was Jin-Woo worked hard to keep his laughter in check . Yu Jin-Ho saw that expression and his complexion reddened considerably as he tried to come up with a suitable excuse ¡°Hyung-nim, this is the best I can do for Miss Jin-Ah at the moment because I¡¯m still learning about this trade from my father, but I¡­ . ¡±. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it . ¡±. To stop Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s misunderstanding from getting any deeper, Jin-Woo wiped the grin off his face and spoke in a far more earnest tone of voice ¡°Listen to me, Jin-Ho . ¡±. ¡°Yes, hyung-nim . ¡±. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to give her lots of presents to prove yourself so hard like this . Because¡­ you are a good man . All you have to do is be you . Just you . ¡±. ¡°¡­ ¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s opinion rendered Yu Jin-Ho completely speechless, but he began tearing up greatly ¡°Hyung-nim¡­ . ¡±. It was at this point that Jin-Woo belatedly remembered how this kid behaved when drunk and felt this ominous foreboding creep up on him And like clockwork, Yu Jin-Ho spoke in a tearful voice ¡°Can I hug you just this one time, hyung-nim?¡±. ¡°Nope . ¡±. ¡°Hyung-niiim!!¡±. Yu Jin-Ho failed to rein his emotions in the end, and pounced on Jin-Woo to embrace him, but the latter extended his hand and rather deftly stopped the former from getting too close Yu Jin-Ho struggled for a long time before finally regaining control over his emotions and settled back down on his spot ¡°Sob, sob, sobbbb¡­¡±. He continued to sob away, though, and Jin-Woo could only smirk at this sight . Sure, this kid did have a bit of a moronic streak in him, but Jin-Woo knew the truth very well from what the kid had shown him during the moments of great life-or-death peril Back when they entered the rank C dungeon along with a bunch of con-men and were forced into making a decision, or when he was being tortured for information by a rank S Hunter blinded by thoughts of revenge, Yu Jin-Ho always chose loyalty over his safety He was a good kid, indeed . That was Jin-Woo¡¯s honest impression of Yu Jin-Ho after observing him from a close vantage point after all this time Jin-Woo poured soju into his own empty shot glass ¡°Why don¡¯t we pray for your success with this toast?¡±. ¡°Eh?¡±. Yu Jin-Ho raised his head to find Jin-Woo pushing forward his shot glass ¡°If your proposal is successful, then we will really become family, you know . So, how about we share a toast while praying for your success?¡±. ¡°A real family with hyung-nim¡­ ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s expression was soon overcome with a great swell of emotions once more and he lifted his own cup up, only for his gaze to stop by at Jin-Woo¡¯s left hand He knew very well what was hidden behind that black glove, of course ¡°Excuse me¡­ . Hyung-nim?¡±. ¡°Yeah?¡±. ¡°If I¡¯m not overstepping here, can I ask you about something?¡±. ¡°Sure, go ahead . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho sneaked a couple of glances at Jin-Woo¡¯s left hand before working up his courage once more ¡°The scars on that hand¡­ . What actually did happen to you, to get such serious scars?¡±. Those scars were so horrendous that just a casual glance would make people recall heart-wrenching pain in an instant . It must¡¯ve been a rather serious accident for such a clear burn scar to be left behind like that Although Yu Jin-Ho found it pretty hard to ask this question up until now, he borrowed the powers of the booze to ask this rather difficult question ¡°Oh, you mean this?¡±. Jin-Woo glanced at his left hand for a little while, before a smirk floated up on his lips ¡°I got it while saving the world . ¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze had reverted back to Yu Jin-Ho by then . His reply was spoken as if it was nothing much to worry about, so the latter chuckled back lightly, too ¡°Hyung-nim, you and your sense of humour¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo also chuckled along as well Yu Jin-Ho belatedly realised that the shot glass had been stuck waiting for a while inside his hyung-nim¡¯s hand and quickly raised his own higher ¡°For the successful proposal!¡±. Jin-Woo brought his cup closer and prayed for the kid¡¯s fortune as well ¡°Yeah, for your successful proposal . ¡±. Clink They clinked their shot glasses and emptied them in one go Yu Jin-Ho¡¯s face went into a scowl at the bitter taste of soju, but unlike him, Jin-Woo could only form a wry grin as he put the empty glass down ¡®I¡¯d love to get just a little bit drunk on a day like today, though¡­¡¯. It was then ¡°Ah, I almost forgot . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho must¡¯ve recalled Jin-Woo¡¯s family life after hearing the word ¡®family¡¯ since he suddenly began discussing precisely that ¡°Is sister-in-law doing well?¡±. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s well . ¡±. ¡°What about Soo-Hoh, though? I should really stop by soon to see how the boy¡¯s doing nowadays . Has he started walking yet?¡±. Jin-Woo chuckled and shook his head ¡°No, not yet . He¡¯s only six months old, so crawling is all he can do for now . ¡±. ¡°That¡¯s weird . I thought that a kid sharing your and your wife¡¯s genes would start running around the moment he was born, you know?¡±. ¡°What the hell . Is that how you think of me and her?¡±. ¡°Ahaha . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho scratched the back of his head in a playful manner and Jin-Woo also chuckled as well But then, Yu Jin-Ho went ¡°Oops!¡± and hurriedly spoke in a worried voice as he heard that the post-natal care was rather arduous for the newborn¡¯s parents ¡°Well, in that case, shouldn¡¯t you go home as soon as possible?¡±. ¡°Mm¡­ Maybe I should?¡±. With good timing, Jin-Woo was also beginning to miss Hae-In and his son Soo-Hoh waiting for him back home after the word ¡®family¡¯ had been mentioned earlier ***. A certain residence located in the outskirts of the city Arriving back home safe and sound, Jin-Woo parked his car in the vicinity Screech Although the house was unimaginably huge for a detective to afford with his government salary, no one suspected a thing since the person sharing the residence alongside him just so happened to be the idol of the sporting world that pretty much every South Korean had heard of before in the past However, only he and Hae-In knew the secret of this house not being built by the hands of humans When Jin-Woo stepped into the house, the first thing that greeted him was the sight of his two Marshals in the middle of a war of nerves Bellion and Igrit were glaring at each other without backing down an inch, apparently not ready to give up on their ground . Soon, Hae-In came out to the living room while carrying their son, Soo-Hoh ¡°Dear¡­ . ¡±. With a smile, Jin-Woo took over Soo-Hoh from Hae-In, and gently held him up . When he did¡­. ¡°Ppa-!!¡±. Soo-Hoh broke out into boisterous laughter and extended his small hands towards him . The boy wanted to be hugged by his father, so Jin-Woo helped with that by embracing the baby against his chest, and then, pointed to his two Marshals with his chin ¡°What¡¯s up with those two?¡±. ¡°Well, the thing is¡­ . ¡±. Hae-In was fighting back to keep her own laughter from breaking out while hesitating with her answer, but Jin-Woo didn¡¯t need long to figure out what was up with this situation Bellion shot back at Igrit with a harsh glare [What do you mean by we mustn¡¯t teach our Lord Soo-Hoh the ways of the sword? Do you really think your suggestion makes any sense whatsoever, Igrit?!]. However, Igrit¡¯s own fighting spirit didn¡¯t lose out an inch, other [High academic success is the barometer of one¡¯s capability in this world, Bellion . ]. No one knew when or who ordered them online, but well, Igrit was holding home-schooling material for toddlers as he argued his case Jin-Woo watched the tightly-contested war of nerves between these two proud Soldiers and became utterly speechless . He stared at them with a dumbfounded face for a while, before he took a step closer to address them ¡°You guys¡­ . ¡±. The Marshals finally realised that their liege was right in front of their noses, hurriedly turned around to face him, and knelt down on the floor [My liege!]. [My liege!]. Jin-Woo tutted audibly at the two Marshals far too obsessed in the matters of the post-natal care and spoke to them ¡°It¡¯s fine whether you want to teach my son swords or maths, but let¡¯s worry about that only after the boy learns to walk first, shall we?¡±. Bellion and Igrit stared at each other for a little while before bowing their heads down to Jin-Woo [That is a reasonable approach, my liege . ]. [You are correct, my liege . ]. ¡°Alright . ¡±. Jin-Woo grinned brightly while holding his son in his arms, and just like that, Soo-Hoh also grinned brightly in return, as well ¡°Kkyah . ¡±. Nobody would doubt that they were a father and son; Hae-In watched the two¡¯s smiles that seemed like a carbon copy of one another and chuckled softly herself ***. Around the time Lee Seh-Hwan, joining the Unit as someone¡¯s potential successor, had gotten more or less used to the life as a detective, Jin-Woo was summoned by the Station Commander for a private chat The senior detective leaving the commander¡¯s office before him carried a rather suspicious glint in his eyes, so it was unlikely that this chat would be about a pleasant topic, thought Jin-Woo . He entered the commander¡¯s office after the senior detective left and walked over to his superior¡¯s desk ¡°Did you call for me, sir?¡±. The commander was looking out of his office window at the time; he didn¡¯t turn around and addressed Jin-Woo in a quiet voice ¡°I heard that you¡¯re still interfering in other detectives¡¯ investigations¡­ . ¡±. As expected ¨C the senior of earlier carried that look of ¡®I told you so¡¯ as he was leaving, didn¡¯t he? Jin-Woo inwardly swallowed his fake cough The commander turned around towards Jin-Woo and formed a refreshing grin ¡°Please, I beg you to not go overboard and make other detectives resent you, Seong Hunter-nim . ¡±. The commander¡¯s face was someone quite familiar to him . It belonged to none other than Woo Jin-Cheol, the youngest Station Commander in Korean history Of course, that feat was built upon the hidden fact that Jin-Woo played a key role in solving many of Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s cases Jin-Woo smiled and corrected his current boss¡¯s words ¡°I¡¯m not a Hunter anymore, Commander . ¡±. ¡°Even still, it¡¯s a lot more convenient for me to refer to you as a Hunter-nim . ¡±. While saying those things, Woo Jin-Cheol scanned the documents on top of his desk ¡°Did you know that the legal guardian of the suicide victim, her father, suddenly went missing a few days ago?¡±. ¡°Really?¡±. ¡°Rather coincidentally, every CCTV camera around the missing man¡¯s residence stopped working at the same time . ¡±. ¡°Oh my goodness . How can such a thing even happen?¡±. Jin-Woo¡¯s feigned innocence brought about a helpless chuckle from Woo Jin-Cheol . He then threw the documents into the nearby trash can ¡°Whatever you decide to do, I shall continue to believe in you, Seong Hunter-nim . ¡±. Jin-Woo heard Woo Jin-Cheol¡¯s declaration of unreserved faith in him and as a gesture of thanks, bowed his head just a little Afterwards¡­ ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t ask you to come and stop by because of that¡­ . ¡±. Woo Jin-Cheol pushed forward a piece of memo paper that had been hidden in the corner of the desk until then . A name of a hospital, as well as a patient¡¯s room number, was written on it ¡°¡­ . I thought that you¡¯d like to know . ¡±. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±. Jin-Woo asked back and Woo Jin-Cheol replied as if he was waiting for that ¡°The Association President, no, Chairman Goh Gun-Hui is apparently in critical condition . ¡±. ***. This would be Jin-Woo¡¯s second time coming to visit Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s hospital room About ten years ago, he saved the older man¡¯s life by using the ¡®Divine Water of Life¡¯ that he also used to save his mother¡¯s life in the erased timeline And now, he was facing the gaunt Goh Gun-Hui once more as the latter found himself at the death¡¯s doorstep . Since this was his second visit, the dying man didn¡¯t get surprised by Jin-Woo¡¯s unexpected appearance No, he simply nodded his head in the direction of the unfamiliar young man with a hood pulled up . He then tapped on the oxygen mask blocking his mouth Jin-Woo reached out and cautiously removed the apparatus, allowing Goh Gun-Hui to speak even though he wheezed heavily and laboriously in between each word ¡°Young¡­ man, you came back again¡­ . Actually, I¡­ . I¡¯ve been searching for you¡­ all this time . ¡±. Jin-Woo looked on at this sight with sorrowful eyes before raising his voice ¡°If Chairman wants this illness to be cured, then¡­ . ¡±. Even before he could finish saying that he could cure the illness one more time, Goh Gun-Hui shook his head first ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ lived for a long time now . I did what I had to do during the ten years you gave me . That is enough for me . ¡±. Back in the erased timeline, Goh Gun-Hui sold off his company and became the first President of the Korean Hunter¡¯s Association . But in this timeline, he had been acting as the role model to all the other corporate leaders by taking the lead in various charity work . And he no longer wished for his life to be extended anymore What he really wanted, though, was not what everyone would¡¯ve expected ¡°Actually¡­ . I have a favour to ask you . ¡±. Jin-Woo nodded his head . And that¡¯s when he was met with Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s pleading eyes ¡°You told me that there was a world where we fought side by side, didn¡¯t you?¡±. Jin-Woo nodded his head again without saying anything ¡°Can you tell me more about that world? I¡¯d like to know more . What I looked like, what you looked like back then¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Those might not be the memories you¡¯d like to recall, sir . ¡±. ¡°It¡¯ll be alright . I only wish to regain the memories now lost, that is all . ¡±. Jin-Woo confirmed the earnest desperation on Chairman Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s expression and gently grasped the dying man¡¯s hand When he did¡­ ¡­ . The memories of the time now erased rushed into Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s mind like a tidal wave ¡°Ah, ah¡­ . ¡±. Tears began flooding out from the older man¡¯s eyes Meanwhile, Jin-Woo slowly pulled the hood back and revealed his face to the Association President Goh Gun-Hui . He tightly grasped the younger man¡¯s hands and confirmed the face now looking back as even thicker tears fell from his eyes ¡°Hunter-nim, you have¡­ . Again¡­ . ¡±. Jin-Woo gently held the Association President¡¯s hand as the latter¡¯s breathing became harsher and noticeably more laborious Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s gaze shifted back towards the ceiling ¡°I¡­ I really¡­ Along with young heroes like you¡­ . ¡±. His voice now contained traces of his satisfaction Goh Gun-Hui was overcome with the genuine happiness gushing out from the deepest part of his heart, and as his tears continued to flow, he quietly breathed his last Jin-Woo also stood there with tears in his eyes, before reaching down to gently close the older man¡¯s eyes . Soon after, the life-support machines informed everyone involved of the passing of their patient Beeeep-!!. By the time shocked doctors rushed into the room, the suspicious, uninvited guest had already left without a trace *. As Jin-Woo wordlessly walked the streets, electronic advertising boards installed here and there continued to display the breaking news of Chairman Goh Gun-Hui¡¯s passing Emotions of sadness could be spied on the expressions of many watching the breaking news Back then, or even now¡­ Chairman Goh Gun-Hui was loved by many, and even more paid their respects after his death ¡®Be well¡­ . You were also a hero who sacrificed so much of yourself for the sake of the others . ¡¯. Jin-Woo stepped away from the populated streets and made his way towards those avenues with little to no foot traffic Every time the wind blew, leaves that lost their colours from the influence of the encroaching autumn fell in droves from the trees lining up the streets Soon, winter would arrive ¡®And then, spring will come again, too . ¡¯. Jin-Woo fell into a deep train of thoughts while looking at the scattering leaves, before belatedly realising that his phone was ringing off the hook inside his pocket The call was from Hae-In ¡°Dear?¡±. As soon as he answered the phone, he was greeted by her incredibly urgent voice ¨C ¡°D-dear!! Soo-Hoh, he¡­ Our son is¡­ . !!¡±. Could something have happened in their home, even though two Marshals were guarding it?? Jin-Woo¡¯s own voice rose up higher at what seemed to be an unbelievable situation currently unfolding there ¡°What¡¯s the matter with Soo-Hoh?!¡±. When he did, Hae-In cried out as if she too couldn¡¯t believe that it was happening, either ¨C ¡°He¡¯s flying!!!¡±. ¡°Eh?¡±. ¨C ¡°Our son is flying around the house, right now!!¡±. It was right at that moment that Jin-Woo recalled what Yu Jin-Ho said a few days ago ¨C That¡¯s weird . I thought that a kid sharing your and your wife¡¯s genes would start running around the moment he was born, you know?. He became completely speechless after recalling those words and stood dead still on the spot ¨C ¡°W-what should I do?¡±. For some reason, laughter tried to break out of his mouth after hearing his wife¡¯s panicky voice over the phone . For the time being, he decided that calming his wife down would be his first priority ¡°It¡¯ll be fine . Don¡¯t worry too much about it . ¡±. ¨C ¡°What do you mean?!¡±. ¡°I¡¯ll teach Soo-Hoh how to fly step by step, soon . ¡±. ¨C ¡°Babe, you¡­ . know how to fly?!¡±. ¡®¡­ . Oops . ¡¯. Didn¡¯t I tell her that before?. When he was dating Hae-In back in the now-erased timeline, he wasn¡¯t all that adept at flying around so they used his Sky Dragon ¡®Kaisel¡¯ to travel, instead Jin-Woo finally couldn¡¯t hold back and guffawed out The autumn leaves shook around in the wind and fell to Earth once more After autumn, winter would come, and afterwards, spring would greet the world . Everything had a beginning and an end, and a new beginning would follow after the end However¡­. ¨C ¡°Oh, no! Soo-Hoh, you mustn¡¯t!!¡±. Clank, smash!!. ¡­ . It seemed that the winter of his household was still a long way away [Only I Level Up, Side Stories Fin . ]. Chapter 265 Only I Level Up Recollections/After Stories Part 1: Beru¡¯s memories Inside a certain egg¡­ . Before he was ready to hatch, Beru heard the voice of the Queen through the thick shell of his egg . [For the sake of the kingdom . ] ¡®For the sake¡­ of the kingdom . ¡¯ [Make all the enemies blocking our path shiver in terror . ] ¡®Make all the enemies blocking our path shiver in terror¡­ . ¡¯ He needed to become strong . He simply had to be strong . That was the very first duty bestowed upon Beru, still sleeping in an embryonic state . And then, the obsession of the Ant Queen wishing to build a prosperous kingdom resulted in the birth of a horrifying monster . [Kkkieeeehhk!!] The young soldier ant shattered the eggshell, emerged from the confines, and screeched out loudly . The ominous and terrifying murderous intent oozing out from its two eyes didn¡¯t permit any comparison to other ant monsters in existence . The Queen shuddered . It felt a powerful surge of emotions by this creature born from its efforts . ¡®If it¡¯s this child, then certainly, those humans wielding strange powers will be¡­ . ¡¯ The Queen¡¯s eyes sparkled in anticipation, but even before it could issue a new order to the greatest ant soldier that triumphantly emerged from the egg, Beru felt hungry, so he did what he wanted to do . Grab . The wrist of one of the worker ants aiding with the hatching process got grabbed by Beru . ¡®¡­ . . ?¡¯ Even before the worker ant could understand what was going on, Beru simply began swallowing and chewing on the hapless monster from its head . Crunch, crunch¡­ . [¡­ . !!] The Queen was greatly taken by surprise at Beru¡¯s unexpected behaviour, but it was suppressed by the powerful aura of the future king of the ants and couldn¡¯t even dare to stop him . Beru managed to erase all traces of its kin from this world in the blink of an eye and stood proudly before his queen . The bodily fluid dripping from his mouth looked rather grotesque . ¡®The terror of our enemies¡­ . ¡¯ The thing was, the subject of powerful fear would also have the same effect on his own allies, as well . The Queen belatedly realised this fact and took a look around itself . The brave soldiers of the ant kingdom were shivering in fear . The emotions they felt were transmitted in full to their Queen, the only one capable of exercising absolute control over them . The newborn soldier definitely passed the test . As expected of the greatest soldier the Queen had produced ¨C he was truly a masterpiece . [Become even stronger . ] The Queen issued the next order to Beru, with an eye towards a full-scale invasion of the human¡¯s lands . [Stronger, until none can stand in your way . ] *** Beru proceeded to devour everything on the island . When there was a shortage of food, he didn¡¯t even hesitate to devour his own kin . From tiny lifeforms on the ground like worms and larvae, all the way to large fish and aquatic mammals of the nearby ocean¡­ . As Beru voraciously devoured every single life in front of his eyes, a new realisation dawned on him . Whether it be lifeforms possessing fatal poison or creatures with huge bodies, they all quaked in fear upon running into him . ¡®Survival¡¯ was the most basic, as well as the ultimate, goal of all living creatures . But, in front of an absolute being that could easily rip apart that goal into millions of pieces, the looks carried in the eyes of other lifeforms were all roughly the same . ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Beru got to confirm over and over again that he was indeed at the top of the food chain, and soon, arrived at a certain conclusion . ¡®I am¡­ . ¡¯ I am created to be the greatest predator from the very beginning . In that case¡­ . Beru, submerged deep within the seawater, pushed his head out of the surface . He could see the land at the far end of the undulating ocean waves . A world different from the sea was waiting for him there . ¡®Just how powerful will those humans be, those that mother is greatly wary of?¡¯ He grew quite curious ¨C curious about if there really were powerful beings that necessitated even a top predator like him to keep a low profile, curious about if his powers would work against them . He shifted his gaze towards the mainland several times, but¡­ [It is still too early . ] The Queen was capable of monitoring Beru¡¯s thoughts and its resolute voice would always stop him from acting out on his curiosity without fail . Left with no choice, he vacantly stared at the distant land before slipping beneath the surface of the ocean again . Indeed, he¡¯d get to know when the time was right . ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Beru heeded the Queen¡¯s orders and waited for the right time to come with bated breath . And eventually, ¡®they¡¯ stepped onto his land . For the first time ever, Beru was given a chance to test out his true capabilities . And it¡­ . ¡°What, what the hell are you?!¡± ¡°Uwaaaahk!!¡± ¡­ . Wasn¡¯t even a fight . No, it was nothing more than one-sided hunting . What a familiar sight it was to him . Beru discovered ¡®fear¡¯ in the eyes of the dying Hunters and couldn¡¯t hide his utter disappointment . ¡®To fight against these weaklings, I¡­¡¯ I had to wait for such a long time? There was this smell of fear oozing out from the entire bodies of the prey . Beru got to reconfirm through these human Hunters that he still occupied the top rung in the food chain . It was a letdown . And so, as the lifeform standing at the apex of the ecosystem was about to define what he thought of the human race as a whole in his head¡­ For the first time ever, a human that didn¡¯t fear him even when standing face-to-face appeared out of the blue . Beru¡¯s heart began viciously pounding away after encountering a situation he had never experienced before . ¡®This human¡­ . He¡¯s not scared of me?¡¯ He felt it¡¯d be somewhat of a loss to kill this human right away, so Beru tried to start a conversation . ¡°Are you the king of humans?¡± When he did, the human replied back . ¡°¡­ . . Huh, an insect that knows how to speak . Well, I¡¯ll be . ¡± *** Maybe this would be the first time since then that a living creature looked at Beru with eyes that were filled with something other than fear . Sparkle, sparkle¡­ . ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ Beru began shedding cold sweat drops as the young Lord Soo-Hoh, the son of his Sovereign, stared at him with rather hotly-burning eyes . So, he tried to escape from this uncomfortable atmosphere, but then¡­ . ¡°Anty, antyyy!¡± He couldn¡¯t endure it and flew up in the air, but then¡­ . ¡°Anty, antyyy!!¡± The young lord would already be right behind him when Beru took a look behind to make sure . ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯ Of course, as long as Beru wanted to, escaping from a toddler would not be an issue, but¡­ . Well, the problem here was that the toddler in question was his king¡¯s child . What if he tried too hard to escape and that ended up harming the young lord somehow? How could Beru even take care of the aftermath, then? ¡°Antyyy!¡± In the end, the responsibilities of looking after young Soo-Hoh alongside the child¡¯s mother, Hae-In, fell on Beru¡¯s shoulders, not the other Marshals . ¡°¡­ . ¡± After making sure that Soo-Hoh was asleep, Beru quietly returned to the ¡®territory of eternal rest¡¯ . He slid silently into the shadow, and the world of infinite darkness spread out right before his eyes . Some people might call this place scary, but for Beru, this world under his liege¡¯s authority was a rather comfortable place to be . While he made his way over to where the ant army resided, Beru fell into a deep pool of thoughts . ¡®Why does our young lord continuously seek me out?¡¯ ¡­ . He just couldn¡¯t figure this one out . He had always been the object of fear, and he felt that that fact hadn¡¯t changed even now . This question suddenly invading his head proved quite difficult to resolve, so Beru changed his destination . What could be more helpful in understanding the mindset of a human than a human¡¯s opinion on the matter? His liege didn¡¯t like using humans as Shadow Soldiers, so there were almost no soldiers who started off as humans, but¡­ But, rather fortunately, there was one soldier Beru knew that started his life as a human . It was none other than Marshal Igrit . ¡°There is no way that our young lord will hate you . ¡± [¡­ . . ??] Igrit nodded his head and rapidly added further explanations . ¡°Here is an ant walking around that¡¯s much bigger than a person . It can fly and it can even talk, too . Just which child wouldn¡¯t like that?¡± [¡­¡­ . ] Well, that was a fresh take on the matter, which he didn¡¯t consider before . Beru headed back to the area occupied by the ant army while carefully digesting what Igrit had told him . ¡®The young lord likes me because I¡¯m bigger than a person, I can fly, and I can even speak . ¡¯ If a person could like something with such simplistic reasons, then wouldn¡¯t that person also easily fall out of love with something with equally simplistic reasons, too? Well, he certainly hadn¡¯t heard of humans liking bugs after entering their adulthood . When his thoughts reached that far, his mood seemed to sink just a little bit . He was familiar with others looking at him with gazes of revulsion, but when thinking about how the young lord would also one day carry such a gaze, Beru grew just a little bit sad . ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ Beru flying silently changed his heading once more . His new destination this time was the location of a certain construction project . The bearded Dwarves and ant soldiers were ordered by Beru to construct a gigantic stone statue of their liege within this place, the ¡®territory of eternal rest¡¯ . When they saw the former ant king land near their vicinity, they all bowed their heads in unison . The Dwarven Elder in charge of directing the project hurriedly ran over to welcome Beru . ¡°Marshal-nim, welcome back . ¡± Nod, nod . Beru observed the progress on the construction for a bit before asking the Elder . [I wish to change the plan just a little bit . ] ¡°Ehhht?!¡± Maybe he felt all the hard work his men had put in would go to waste, the Elder hurriedly tried to dissuade Beru despite feeling rather scared of the former ant king . ¡°B-but, Marshal-nim, you planned to commemorate Sovereign-nim¡¯s upcoming 32nd birthday with this ¡®Divine Liege¡¯ statue, so from a few months ago¡­ . . ¡± [No, no, no . I¡¯m not saying I want to cancel the plan itself . I just want to change this part like so¡­ . ] The Elder quietly listened to Beru¡¯s explanation before nodding his head right away . ¡°Of course that is feasible . I think we will get a far grander result with this new plan, Marshal-nim . ¡± [Khe-khek, very good . ] The atmosphere that seemed to be frozen for a bit had warmed up considerably now . ¡°Well, in that case, I should¡­ . ¡± Just as the excited Elder tried to continue on, Beru raised his index finger and placed it against his lips . [I shall return after taking care of business first . ] *** ¡°Hyung-nim, are we really doing this?¡± ¡°You fool¡­ . What is it? You scared now that we came this far?¡± ¡°N-no, that¡¯s not it, hyung-nim . ¡± A thug glared angrily at his underling sitting on the front passenger seat of the car, and shifted his gaze back to a certain residence over yonder . It was a two-story private home standing all by itself in a rather deserted suburb, as if the owners wanted to avoid crowded areas . That place belonged to Detective Seong Jin-Woo . The thug had it confirmed it multiple times before coming here, so he was sure of it . ¡°Because of that son of a b*tch Seong Jin-Woo, our organisation got obliterated into thin air . We got hurt real bad by the b*stard, so isn¡¯t it only fair that we leave an everlasting mark on him to balance the books??¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, hyung-nim . ¡± The three underlings replied in a unanimous voice . Very good . ¡°Listen well . We are a quartet of common house robbers now . As for the wife and the son of that detective, they got killed by the robbers breaking into their home in the middle of the day . Do you get my drift?¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim . ¡± A sinister grin formed on the lips of the man they all referred to as ¡®hyung-nim¡¯ . To think, such a massive house didn¡¯t have a single security system ¨C wasn¡¯t that exactly like declaring to the world ¡®Come and swallow us up¡¯ while washing their necks? Indeed, it was a miracle that the house hadn¡¯t been burgled yet . ¡°Stop shaking in your boots and don¡¯t make any mistakes . ¡± The thug scanned his underlings and they nodded their heads . ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡± Tap, tap, tap, tap . The four males exited the car and cautiously closed the doors . They scanned their vicinity and approached the residence before hurriedly clambering over the walls . They had rehearsed what they had to several times before, so such a wall didn¡¯t pose any problems for these folks . But then¡­ ¡­Step! Only four legs landed back on the ground . ¡®¡­ . Where are the other two?!¡¯ The thug hurriedly looked at the only remaining underling next to him . The latter shook his head . Four jumped over the wall, yet only two landed back on the ground? What a bizarrely weird thing this was! The thug quickly studied all around his surroundings, but when he looked to his side again, the remaining underling was gone without a trace, too . ¡®These sons of b*tches, seriously now¡­!!¡¯ The enraged thug briefly forgot where he was right now, and was about to roar out at the top of his lungs . But right before that, a hand approached him without being noticed and covered his mouth, hard . [Shh¡­ . ] Right now was the young lord¡¯s nap time . It must not be disrupted by a bunch of uninvited guests, no matter what! Thankfully, Beru¡¯s hearing could pick up on the calm, rhythmic breathing of the young lord in the nursery . With a pair of satisfied eyes, he looked diagonally down to his side . The thug caught in his arms was trembling like a lone leaf in the wind . ¡°Euph¡­ . euph, euphhhh!!¡± There it was, that familiar light in the eyes . The familiar emotion . Beru certainly enjoyed the unreserved faith his liege had in him, or the young lord¡¯s favourable feelings towards him, but this¡­ This, as expected, felt just as good to him . The expressions of the weak prey caught before the glare of a predator would always be like this . [Kiiik, kiiik . ] Beru didn¡¯t hold back and revelled in the intense fear displayed in the thug¡¯s eyes, before dragging the hapless victim away and disappearing from view . The screaming vanished very soon after from this world . *** ¡°What do you think?¡± The Elder proudly presented the ¡®Divine Liege¡¯ statue . This stone statue with their liege¡¯s countenance boasted such a humongous scale that, in order to look at its top, one¡¯s neck might develop a sprain if one carelessly tilted their head back . Just to complete this masterpiece before the deadline, not only had every single bearded Dwarf pitched in, but all the ant soldiers also lent their aid . [Kiikiik . ] Beru studied the statue of his liege with a very satisfied expression before confirming the last-minute change that had been added to it . ¡°Just as you commanded, Marshal-nim . There it is, on the left shoulder¡­ . ¡± Just like the Elder¡¯s explanation, the left shoulder of the liege¡¯s statue now played home to the figure of their young lord, sitting there with a bright expression . The father and his son . There was no doubt in Beru¡¯s heart that his liege would be greatly pleased after seeing this grand and beautiful statue . And also, this statue would prove to be a deeply-meaningful present to the young lord if he ever gets to enter this world in the distant future . Such certainty prompted Beru to roar out in laughter . [Kkiiihehehehehet~!!] Following after the rejoicing Beru, the bearded Dwarves and ant soldiers also burst out into loud peals of laughter . Wah-hahahahaha!! ¡°Kkyah-hah!¡± He suddenly heard a cheerful cry of a toddler mixed among the raucous laughter . [¡­ . ?!] Beru got stunned out of his shell and hurriedly looked back, only to discover a certain baby sticking close to his back . ¡°Annty!!¡± Ah, ah¡­ . . Should he say, like father, like son? Seeing the baby Soo-Hoh who could now freely enter the ¡®territory of eternal rest¡¯ before anyone had the chance to notice it, the Marshal in charge of childcare, Beru, could only hold his head in agony . [Khi-hahk!] < Chapter 265 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 265: Chapter 265 Only I Level Up Recollections/After Stories. Part 1: Beru¡¯s memories. Inside a certain egg¡­ Before he was ready to hatch, Beru heard the voice of the Queen through the thick shell of his egg [For the sake of the kingdom . ]. ¡®For the sake¡­ of the kingdom . ¡¯. [Make all the enemies blocking our path shiver in terror . ]. ¡®Make all the enemies blocking our path shiver in terror¡­ . ¡¯. He needed to become strong He simply had to be strong That was the very first duty bestowed upon Beru, still sleeping in an embryonic state . And then, the obsession of the Ant Queen wishing to build a prosperous kingdom resulted in the birth of a horrifying monster [Kkkieeeehhk!!]. The young soldier ant shattered the eggshell, emerged from the confines, and screeched out loudly . The ominous and terrifying murderous intent oozing out from its two eyes didn¡¯t permit any comparison to other ant monsters in existence The Queen shuddered . It felt a powerful surge of emotions by this creature born from its efforts ¡®If it¡¯s this child, then certainly, those humans wielding strange powers will be¡­ . ¡¯. The Queen¡¯s eyes sparkled in anticipation, but even before it could issue a new order to the greatest ant soldier that triumphantly emerged from the egg, Beru felt hungry, so he did what he wanted to do Grab The wrist of one of the worker ants aiding with the hatching process got grabbed by Beru ¡®¡­ ?¡¯. Even before the worker ant could understand what was going on, Beru simply began swallowing and chewing on the hapless monster from its head Crunch, crunch¡­ [¡­ . !!]. The Queen was greatly taken by surprise at Beru¡¯s unexpected behaviour, but it was suppressed by the powerful aura of the future king of the ants and couldn¡¯t even dare to stop him Beru managed to erase all traces of its kin from this world in the blink of an eye and stood proudly before his queen . The bodily fluid dripping from his mouth looked rather grotesque ¡®The terror of our enemies¡­ . ¡¯. The thing was, the subject of powerful fear would also have the same effect on his own allies, as well . The Queen belatedly realised this fact and took a look around itself . The brave soldiers of the ant kingdom were shivering in fear The emotions they felt were transmitted in full to their Queen, the only one capable of exercising absolute control over them The newborn soldier definitely passed the test . As expected of the greatest soldier the Queen had produced ¨C he was truly a masterpiece [Become even stronger . ]. The Queen issued the next order to Beru, with an eye towards a full-scale invasion of the human¡¯s lands [Stronger, until none can stand in your way . ]. ***. Beru proceeded to devour everything on the island . When there was a shortage of food, he didn¡¯t even hesitate to devour his own kin . From tiny lifeforms on the ground like worms and larvae, all the way to large fish and aquatic mammals of the nearby ocean¡­ As Beru voraciously devoured every single life in front of his eyes, a new realisation dawned on him . Whether it be lifeforms possessing fatal poison or creatures with huge bodies, they all quaked in fear upon running into him ¡®Survival¡¯ was the most basic, as well as the ultimate, goal of all living creatures . But, in front of an absolute being that could easily rip apart that goal into millions of pieces, the looks carried in the eyes of other lifeforms were all roughly the same ¡®¡­¡­¡¯. Beru got to confirm over and over again that he was indeed at the top of the food chain, and soon, arrived at a certain conclusion ¡®I am¡­ . ¡¯. I am created to be the greatest predator from the very beginning In that case¡­ Beru, submerged deep within the seawater, pushed his head out of the surface . He could see the land at the far end of the undulating ocean waves . A world different from the sea was waiting for him there ¡®Just how powerful will those humans be, those that mother is greatly wary of?¡¯. He grew quite curious ¨C curious about if there really were powerful beings that necessitated even a top predator like him to keep a low profile, curious about if his powers would work against them He shifted his gaze towards the mainland several times, but¡­. [It is still too early . ]. The Queen was capable of monitoring Beru¡¯s thoughts and its resolute voice would always stop him from acting out on his curiosity without fail Left with no choice, he vacantly stared at the distant land before slipping beneath the surface of the ocean again Indeed, he¡¯d get to know when the time was right ¡®¡­¡­¡¯. Beru heeded the Queen¡¯s orders and waited for the right time to come with bated breath . And eventually, ¡®they¡¯ stepped onto his land For the first time ever, Beru was given a chance to test out his true capabilities And it¡­ ¡°What, what the hell are you?!¡±. ¡°Uwaaaahk!!¡±. ¡­ . Wasn¡¯t even a fight No, it was nothing more than one-sided hunting What a familiar sight it was to him Beru discovered ¡®fear¡¯ in the eyes of the dying Hunters and couldn¡¯t hide his utter disappointment ¡®To fight against these weaklings, I¡­¡¯. I had to wait for such a long time?. There was this smell of fear oozing out from the entire bodies of the prey . Beru got to reconfirm through these human Hunters that he still occupied the top rung in the food chain It was a letdown And so, as the lifeform standing at the apex of the ecosystem was about to define what he thought of the human race as a whole in his head¡­. For the first time ever, a human that didn¡¯t fear him even when standing face-to-face appeared out of the blue . Beru¡¯s heart began viciously pounding away after encountering a situation he had never experienced before ¡®This human¡­ . He¡¯s not scared of me?¡¯. He felt it¡¯d be somewhat of a loss to kill this human right away, so Beru tried to start a conversation ¡°Are you the king of humans?¡±. When he did, the human replied back ¡°¡­ Huh, an insect that knows how to speak . Well, I¡¯ll be . ¡±. ***. Maybe this would be the first time since then that a living creature looked at Beru with eyes that were filled with something other than fear Sparkle, sparkle¡­ ¡®¡­ ¡¯. Beru began shedding cold sweat drops as the young Lord Soo-Hoh, the son of his Sovereign, stared at him with rather hotly-burning eyes . So, he tried to escape from this uncomfortable atmosphere, but then¡­ ¡°Anty, antyyy!¡±. He couldn¡¯t endure it and flew up in the air, but then¡­ ¡°Anty, antyyy!!¡±. The young lord would already be right behind him when Beru took a look behind to make sure ¡®¡­¡­ . ¡¯. Of course, as long as Beru wanted to, escaping from a toddler would not be an issue, but¡­ . Well, the problem here was that the toddler in question was his king¡¯s child What if he tried too hard to escape and that ended up harming the young lord somehow? How could Beru even take care of the aftermath, then?. ¡°Antyyy!¡±. In the end, the responsibilities of looking after young Soo-Hoh alongside the child¡¯s mother, Hae-In, fell on Beru¡¯s shoulders, not the other Marshals ¡°¡­ . ¡±. After making sure that Soo-Hoh was asleep, Beru quietly returned to the ¡®territory of eternal rest¡¯ He slid silently into the shadow, and the world of infinite darkness spread out right before his eyes . Some people might call this place scary, but for Beru, this world under his liege¡¯s authority was a rather comfortable place to be While he made his way over to where the ant army resided, Beru fell into a deep pool of thoughts ¡®Why does our young lord continuously seek me out?¡¯. ¡­ . He just couldn¡¯t figure this one out He had always been the object of fear, and he felt that that fact hadn¡¯t changed even now . This question suddenly invading his head proved quite difficult to resolve, so Beru changed his destination . What could be more helpful in understanding the mindset of a human than a human¡¯s opinion on the matter?. His liege didn¡¯t like using humans as Shadow Soldiers, so there were almost no soldiers who started off as humans, but¡­. But, rather fortunately, there was one soldier Beru knew that started his life as a human . It was none other than Marshal Igrit ¡°There is no way that our young lord will hate you . ¡±. [¡­ ??]. Igrit nodded his head and rapidly added further explanations ¡°Here is an ant walking around that¡¯s much bigger than a person . It can fly and it can even talk, too . Just which child wouldn¡¯t like that?¡±. [¡­¡­ . ]. Well, that was a fresh take on the matter, which he didn¡¯t consider before Beru headed back to the area occupied by the ant army while carefully digesting what Igrit had told him ¡®The young lord likes me because I¡¯m bigger than a person, I can fly, and I can even speak . ¡¯. If a person could like something with such simplistic reasons, then wouldn¡¯t that person also easily fall out of love with something with equally simplistic reasons, too?. Well, he certainly hadn¡¯t heard of humans liking bugs after entering their adulthood . When his thoughts reached that far, his mood seemed to sink just a little bit He was familiar with others looking at him with gazes of revulsion, but when thinking about how the young lord would also one day carry such a gaze, Beru grew just a little bit sad ¡®¡­ ¡¯. Beru flying silently changed his heading once more . His new destination this time was the location of a certain construction project The bearded Dwarves and ant soldiers were ordered by Beru to construct a gigantic stone statue of their liege within this place, the ¡®territory of eternal rest¡¯ . When they saw the former ant king land near their vicinity, they all bowed their heads in unison The Dwarven Elder in charge of directing the project hurriedly ran over to welcome Beru ¡°Marshal-nim, welcome back . ¡±. Nod, nod Beru observed the progress on the construction for a bit before asking the Elder [I wish to change the plan just a little bit . ]. ¡°Ehhht?!¡±. Maybe he felt all the hard work his men had put in would go to waste, the Elder hurriedly tried to dissuade Beru despite feeling rather scared of the former ant king ¡°B-but, Marshal-nim, you planned to commemorate Sovereign-nim¡¯s upcoming 32nd birthday with this ¡®Divine Liege¡¯ statue, so from a few months ago¡­ ¡±. [No, no, no . I¡¯m not saying I want to cancel the plan itself . I just want to change this part like so¡­ . ]. The Elder quietly listened to Beru¡¯s explanation before nodding his head right away ¡°Of course that is feasible . I think we will get a far grander result with this new plan, Marshal-nim . ¡±. [Khe-khek, very good . ]. The atmosphere that seemed to be frozen for a bit had warmed up considerably now ¡°Well, in that case, I should¡­ . ¡±. Just as the excited Elder tried to continue on, Beru raised his index finger and placed it against his lips [I shall return after taking care of business first . ]. ***. ¡°Hyung-nim, are we really doing this?¡±. ¡°You fool¡­ . What is it? You scared now that we came this far?¡±. ¡°N-no, that¡¯s not it, hyung-nim . ¡±. A thug glared angrily at his underling sitting on the front passenger seat of the car, and shifted his gaze back to a certain residence over yonder It was a two-story private home standing all by itself in a rather deserted suburb, as if the owners wanted to avoid crowded areas That place belonged to Detective Seong Jin-Woo The thug had it confirmed it multiple times before coming here, so he was sure of it ¡°Because of that son of a b*tch Seong Jin-Woo, our organisation got obliterated into thin air . We got hurt real bad by the b*stard, so isn¡¯t it only fair that we leave an everlasting mark on him to balance the books??¡±. ¡°You¡¯re right, hyung-nim . ¡±. The three underlings replied in a unanimous voice Very good ¡°Listen well . We are a quartet of common house robbers now . As for the wife and the son of that detective, they got killed by the robbers breaking into their home in the middle of the day . Do you get my drift?¡±. ¡°Yes, hyung-nim . ¡±. A sinister grin formed on the lips of the man they all referred to as ¡®hyung-nim¡¯ To think, such a massive house didn¡¯t have a single security system ¨C wasn¡¯t that exactly like declaring to the world ¡®Come and swallow us up¡¯ while washing their necks?. Indeed, it was a miracle that the house hadn¡¯t been burgled yet ¡°Stop shaking in your boots and don¡¯t make any mistakes . ¡±. The thug scanned his underlings and they nodded their heads ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡±. Tap, tap, tap, tap The four males exited the car and cautiously closed the doors . They scanned their vicinity and approached the residence before hurriedly clambering over the walls They had rehearsed what they had to several times before, so such a wall didn¡¯t pose any problems for these folks But then¡­. ¡­Step!. Only four legs landed back on the ground ¡®¡­ . Where are the other two?!¡¯. The thug hurriedly looked at the only remaining underling next to him . The latter shook his head Four jumped over the wall, yet only two landed back on the ground? What a bizarrely weird thing this was!. The thug quickly studied all around his surroundings, but when he looked to his side again, the remaining underling was gone without a trace, too ¡®These sons of b*tches, seriously now¡­!!¡¯. The enraged thug briefly forgot where he was right now, and was about to roar out at the top of his lungs . But right before that, a hand approached him without being noticed and covered his mouth, hard [Shh¡­ . ]. Right now was the young lord¡¯s nap time . It must not be disrupted by a bunch of uninvited guests, no matter what!. Thankfully, Beru¡¯s hearing could pick up on the calm, rhythmic breathing of the young lord in the nursery . With a pair of satisfied eyes, he looked diagonally down to his side . The thug caught in his arms was trembling like a lone leaf in the wind ¡°Euph¡­ . euph, euphhhh!!¡±. There it was, that familiar light in the eyes The familiar emotion Beru certainly enjoyed the unreserved faith his liege had in him, or the young lord¡¯s favourable feelings towards him, but this¡­ This, as expected, felt just as good to him . The expressions of the weak prey caught before the glare of a predator would always be like this [Kiiik, kiiik . ]. Beru didn¡¯t hold back and revelled in the intense fear displayed in the thug¡¯s eyes, before dragging the hapless victim away and disappearing from view . The screaming vanished very soon after from this world ***. ¡°What do you think?¡±. The Elder proudly presented the ¡®Divine Liege¡¯ statue This stone statue with their liege¡¯s countenance boasted such a humongous scale that, in order to look at its top, one¡¯s neck might develop a sprain if one carelessly tilted their head back Just to complete this masterpiece before the deadline, not only had every single bearded Dwarf pitched in, but all the ant soldiers also lent their aid [Kiikiik . ]. Beru studied the statue of his liege with a very satisfied expression before confirming the last-minute change that had been added to it ¡°Just as you commanded, Marshal-nim . There it is, on the left shoulder¡­ . ¡±. Just like the Elder¡¯s explanation, the left shoulder of the liege¡¯s statue now played home to the figure of their young lord, sitting there with a bright expression The father and his son There was no doubt in Beru¡¯s heart that his liege would be greatly pleased after seeing this grand and beautiful statue . And also, this statue would prove to be a deeply-meaningful present to the young lord if he ever gets to enter this world in the distant future Such certainty prompted Beru to roar out in laughter [Kkiiihehehehehet~!!]. Following after the rejoicing Beru, the bearded Dwarves and ant soldiers also burst out into loud peals of laughter Wah-hahahahaha!!. ¡°Kkyah-hah!¡±. He suddenly heard a cheerful cry of a toddler mixed among the raucous laughter [¡­ . ?!]. Beru got stunned out of his shell and hurriedly looked back, only to discover a certain baby sticking close to his back ¡°Annty!!¡±. Ah, ah¡­ . Should he say, like father, like son?. Seeing the baby Soo-Hoh who could now freely enter the ¡®territory of eternal rest¡¯ before anyone had the chance to notice it, the Marshal in charge of childcare, Beru, could only hold his head in agony [Khi-hahk!]. < Chapter 265 > Fin Chapter 266 Only I Level Up Recollections/After Stories Part 2: Until we meet again ¡°Thank you for coming in, Miss Cha . ¡± ¡°Ah, yes . Hello . ¡± Hae-In stepped across the doorway of the kindergarten headmistress¡¯s office with a tense expression on her face . Soo-Hoh hadn¡¯t had any contact with kids of his own age until he turned five years old . And today was exactly a week after the worried parents decided to send their son to the nearest kindergarten . The preschool educational institution suddenly called her up, asking her to come for a meeting today . Hae-In was really worried that maybe something happened to Soo-Hoh, or her son did something wrong . The headmistress guided her to the couch on the opposite side and Hae-In settled down on the cushion as her complexion became even gloomier than before . The middle-aged headmistress could fully understand what Hae-In was going through right now . That was why she worked hard to find the gentlest voice she could come up with in order to not worsen the other party¡¯s anxiety . ¡°It¡¯s not something to be that anxious over, Miss Cha . It¡¯s just that¡­ . We have a few questions we¡¯d like to ask you . ¡± ¡°Ah, yes . Please . ¡± Hae-In nodded her head repeatedly with a hardened expression . The headmistress cautiously pushed forward a sketchbook . ¡°Here¡­ . Would you take a look at this, please?¡± Hae-In picked the book up as the headmistress continued on . ¡°It contains drawings by your son, Soo-Hoh . ¡± The white paper within said book featured a rather-cute looking ¡®ant¡¯ as drawn by a little child¡¯s hands . But, why was she being shown this? Hae-In couldn¡¯t immediately understand where this conversation was going and asked back with a puzzled expression . ¡°What¡¯s the matter with this drawing¡­ . ?¡± The headmistress hesitated slightly before letting a soft sigh escape from her lips . She then began explaining herself . ¡°The class teacher-nim asked the children to draw their close ¡®friends¡¯, you see . ¡± ¡°¡­ . Ah . ¡± Now that she looked at the drawing again, the ¡®ant¡¯ was standing on two feet . Only then did Hae-In realise that this was not a drawing of an ordinary ant, but Marshal Beru, instead . ¡°There are others after that page . When the class teacher-nim asked Soo-Hoh if he had any other friends, he drew those next . ¡± Hae-In flipped one more page . There was a drawing of a humanoid figure with a strip of red plumage attached to his head while holding what was clearly a sword, no matter who saw it . ¡®Igrit¡­ . ¡¯ Hae-In instantly recognised the protagonist of the drawing and slowly held her forehead with one hand . He might look like a trustworthy knight to those who knew him, but how would this situation look like in the eyes of strangers? Her head began aching just from thinking about that . After that page came the drawings of Bellion and his extending magic sword, as well as Fangs, busily putting on a magic show . Inevitably, Hae-In¡¯s head began developing a stronger migraine . ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ The headmistress interpreted Hae-In¡¯s speechless expression the wrong way and spoke in a worried voice . ¡°The next drawing is what Soo-Hoh drew as his family portrait . ¡± Flip . The page of the sketchbook flipped again . What greeted her next was a drawing of herself, a man that seemed to be her husband, Jin-Woo, and innumerable black figures standing behind them . Soo-Hoh grew up from his toddler days surrounded by the Shadow Soldiers and he must¡¯ve thought of them as his extended family now . ¡®This is how we look like in Soo-Hoh¡¯s eyes . ¡¯ Hae-In thought that this drawing contained her son¡¯s innocent but warm gaze, and her nose stung with emotions . The class teachers couldn¡¯t understand the meaning behind these drawings and fell into a rather considerable amount of panic and came to the conclusion that there must¡¯ve been some sort of a problem with Soo-Hoh . And of course, that included the headmistress herself, the person responsible for asking Hae-In to stop by at the kindergarten today . The middle-aged lady formed a pretty grave expression as she spoke . ¡°The final page contains Soo-Hoh¡¯s drawing of his ¡®home¡¯ . And the reason why I requested you for today¡¯s meeting, as well . ¡± What kind of a drawing would it be this time? With a pair of nervous eyes, Cha Hae-In flipped to the last page . There was a cosy little house . A normal-looking house was standing erect in the middle of some land . The problem with this depiction was that the ground below was completely painted black . Over 70 percent of the sketchbook¡¯s real estate was dominated by the black colour . ¡°We¡¯ve been caring for many children over the years, but never have we encountered such depictions of friends and family by a child until now . ¡± The headmistress pointed to the black portion of the drawing and spoke in a calm voice . ¡°The homeroom teacher-nim asked Soo-Hoh why he drew the lower half of the house like this, and the boy replied that that¡¯s where his friends, his family, as well as his giant father, are staying . ¡± ¡®¡­ . . Giant father?¡¯ That explanation was puzzling enough to make Hae-In tilt her head this way and that, but still, she could more or less guess how this drawing came about . However¡­ . ¡°By any chance, do you know why Soo-Hoh is drawing these sorts of images?¡± ¡­ . It was really unfortunate that Hae-In couldn¡¯t reveal what she knew to other people . She could only shake her head . ¡°¡­ . As I feared . ¡± The headmistress nodded her head as if she understood the situation . Initially, the kindergarten was fearful that Soo-Hoh was being mistreated at home, but they couldn¡¯t find any evidence of abuse from the boy¡¯s jovial, good-natured behaviour he displayed every day . Although rare, things like this did happen occasionally ¨C young kids drawing the world as they see it through their eyes . ¡°Maybe¡­ It¡¯s possible that Soo-Hoh possesses a great talent for art . ¡± The headmistress convinced herself with this and smiled gently . Hae-In stopped forming a gloomy expression, now that she knew the source of today¡¯s ¡®trouble¡¯, and smiled awkwardly, as well . ¡°Ah, yes . Yes . ¡± What a relief that it was not a huge matter . She could finally relax a bit . However, these drawings weren¡¯t the end of the headmistress¡¯s business today . She again deliberated on whether she should speak of this or not, before coming to a difficult decision and raised her head . The look in her eyes was far graver than when she presented those drawings . ¡°Miss Cha, actually¡­ . There is something else I¡¯d like to speak to you about . ¡± *** In the Central Region¡¯s Violent Crimes Unit . After the results of the promotion examination had been announced, excited voices began resounding out and filled up the Unit¡¯s office . ¡°Senior-nim, congratulations on your promotion!¡± ¡°Congratulations!¡± ¡°You should buy us all a round, don¡¯t you agree, Senior-nim? No, hang on, Seong Superintendent-nim?¡± Jin-Woo had to spend quite some time being surrounded by the rest of the Unit¡¯s detectives, and was only able to extricate himself after his partner, Lee Seh-Hwan, finally showed up . ¡°Hyung-nim, shall we get going?¡± ¡°Yeah . ¡± Leaving behind the congratulatory words coming from here and there, Jin-Woo and his beaming smile escaped from the office . Enough time had passed and Lee Seh-Hwan himself was a veteran detective now . He quickly congratulated his much-respected senior . ¡°Hyung-nim, congrats . ¡± Jin-Woo used a wordless smile to sub for his reply . He and Lee Seh-Hwan shared jovial banter as they walked side by side, but then, the younger detective cautiously scanned his surroundings before sticking real close to his senior . ¡°By the way, hyung-nim¡­ . Why did you accept the promotion this time? I mean, whenever the brass pleaded with you to move up the career ladder, you always refused them, so why now?¡± Jin-Woo looked at Seh-Hwan from the corners of his eyes with a look that said, ¡°What¡¯s so important about that?¡± before breaking out into a smirk as he replied . ¡°I ran out of excuses for my refusal, you see . ¡± Seh-Hwan laughed out loud at that rather remarkable answer . ¡°You¡¯re truly amazing, hyung-nim . I¡¯m telling you . ¡± Although what he said sounded like a joke, Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t joking here . Of course, Seh-Hwan knew that, too . As it was the case with pretty much every profession out there, a detective would grow further and further away from field work the higher his rank became . Jin-Woo wished to remain close to where the action was, and the higher-ups, especially Commander Woo Jin-Cheol, respected that . Unfortunately, that couldn¡¯t go on forever . Now that all excuses that could stop a detective with a stunning arrest record from advancing in his career had been exhausted, even Jin-Woo was left with no choice but to accept the examination result . ¡°Hyung-nim, don¡¯t you have any goals or wants? I mean, like, better position or making lots of money, that sort of things . ¡± Money, was it? If Jin-Woo said that once upon a time, he made more than enough moolah to b*tch-slap a huge law firm and their deep pockets in the face all by himself at a younger age than his junior partner, would the kid even believe him? Too bad, Jin-Woo could only recall the days when he operated the Ah-Jin Guild alongside Yu Jin-Ho and swallow back the words dancing on the tip of his tongue . ¡®Well, they¡¯ve really become distant memories now, haven¡¯t they¡­¡¯ He could swim in the reminiscence of the past for only a short while, though . As he was about to climb into the car with Seh-Hwan, his phone began ringing loudly, so he pulled it out to take a look . ¡®Mm?¡¯ The call was from Hae-in . *** After talking on the phone, Jin-Woo returned home earlier than usual, and after checking out Soo-Hoh¡¯s drawings, could only chuckle softly . ¡°I had no idea that our son had such a wonderful talent in art . ¡± Amongst them, the drawing of Beru especially caught his eyes . There should be no other five-year-old child that can draw an ant this wonderfully in the world . Jin-Woo looked at the drawing in happiness, only to be pricked harshly by Hae-In¡¯s sharp glare and quickly withdrew his smile . ¡°Hm, hmm . ¡± After seeing her husband changing his attitude really quickly like that, Hae-In just couldn¡¯t hold back her smirk from breaking out anymore . She then spoke to Jin-Woo as if she was trying to convince herself . ¡°It¡¯s not a laughing matter, you know? Take a look at the very last page . ¡± ¡°The last page?¡± The last page in question contained Soo-Hoh¡¯s final piece, named ¡®My home¡¯ . ¡°Soo-Hoh said that the black ground is where his giant father is, so can you think of¡­ . Why are you smiling?¡± ¡°N-no, well, it¡¯s just that I remembered something funny . That¡¯s all . ¡± Jin-Woo recalled the ¡®Divine Liege¡¯ statue standing in the middle of the ¡®territory of eternal rest¡¯ and couldn¡¯t hold back his laughter anymore . Tears even began sneaking out of his eyes, so he quickly wiped them off and closed the sketchbook . Wouldn¡¯t it be fine to let this slide with a simple chuckle? Expressions containing such thoughts flitted in and out of Jin-Woo¡¯s face . Hae-In let a soft sigh out and relayed what the headmistress had told her earlier in the day . ¡°Other kids are apparently scared of Soo-Hoh . ¡± ¡°¡­ . ??¡± A little bit of the smile on Jin-Woo¡¯s face went away, then . ¡°Other kids?¡± Hae-In nodded her head with a worried expression before continuing on with her explanation . ¡°Their complexions change badly whenever Soo-Hoh tries to get close to them . Even when he has never bullied or shouted at them, but still . ¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± Now that was not something he could gloss over . Jin-Woo¡¯s expression hardened . The previous smile was long gone now . The thing he was worried about had really happened . ¡®Children are¡­ . ¡¯ Young children were incomparably purer than adults . And he wasn¡¯t simply talking about their immature way of looking at things . No, it was about the ¡®purity¡¯ of their senses . Unlike with adults who, through logical reasoning and studying, got to overcome the primal instincts they were born with, children could feel the fear of death far more vividly . The reason why other kids avoided Soo-Hoh was because they must¡¯ve felt the shadow of death hovering above him . ¡®The power of the Shadow Sovereign¡­ . ¡¯ It became Jin-Woo¡¯s, and that fact prevented it from becoming a full-blown calamity, but that was about it . In reality, this power was a horrifying weapon that the ¡®God of another realm¡¯ hid inside its most loyal soldier in order to destroy everything it had created . If the powers of the Shadow Sovereign he didn¡¯t mean to give to his son continued to grow within Soo-Hoh, then¡­ . ¡®¡­ . It¡¯ll be impossible to carry on with a normal life . ¡¯ At the very least, there was a need to seal that power away until Soo-Hoh reached an age where he could exert perfect control over it . Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze shifted over to all the photos hanging on the living room¡¯s wall . The biggest one was the marriage of Jin-Woo and Hae-In; surrounding it were many images of their son . And most of those photos were shot alongside Shadow Soldiers . Soo-Hoh and his bright smile, as he rode on Beru¡¯s shoulders and energetically yanking on the ant king¡¯s two antennae . Soo-Hoh busy escaping from Igrit who volunteered to become the boy¡¯s home-school tutor, and then, Soo-Hoh busy performing a mock duel with Bellion using his toy sword . There were so many others . Jin-Woo quietly began storing them away in the subspace, one by one . ¡°Dear¡­ . ?¡± ¡°Until Soo-Hoh can live among other people without any issues, I¡­ I¡¯m planning to temporarily seal away Soo-Hoh¡¯s powers and his memories of the Shadow Soldiers . ¡± Soo-Hoh had to learn it . He needed to learn how to coexist among regular people like a normal person, rather than with Shadow Soldiers . Until then¡­ . Just as the final remaining photo entered the storage within the subspace, Beru emerged from the ground after learning of Jin-Woo¡¯s decision . [Oh, my king¡­ . ] The heart of the Shadow Soldier, the one who looked after and loved Soo-Hoh like his own child, was transmitted in full to Jin-Woo . However, the Sovereign¡¯s decision was resolute . Realising that there was no way to change his liege¡¯s mind, Beru¡¯s head drooped to the ground . As the former ant king¡¯s gaze fell, a drawing suddenly entered his view . It was Soo-Hoh¡¯s sketchbook pushed forward by Jin-Woo . [This is¡­?] ¡®It¡¯s you, drawn by Soo-Hoh . ¡¯ Easily the best depiction of Beru he¡¯d ever seen was drawn upon this white page . Thick teardrops formed on Beru¡¯s large eyes almost right away . [My liege¡­ . May I be permitted to say goodbye to the young Lord?] Nod . After receiving Jin-Woo¡¯s permission, Beru cautiously entered Soo-Hoh¡¯s room . Creak¡­ . The soft, rhythmic breathing of the deeply-asleep Soo-Hoh was like the sweetest and most soothing music to the former ant king¡¯s ears . He knelt down cautiously next to the bed, so as to not rouse the sleeping child from his nap . [My Lord¡­ . On behalf of all the Shadow Soldiers, I shall bid you farewell . ] His voice gently reverberated as if it was spoken within the dreams . In his sleep, Soo-Hoh shifted his body towards the location of the voice and mumbled softly . ¡°Boss ant¡­ . boss ant¡­ . ¡± With an expression showing how proud he was of Soo-Hoh now being able to pronounce ¡®ant¡¯ more concisely compared to when the child was still chasing after him a couple of years ago, Beru bade his goodbye . [It has been my honour to serve you, my Lord . Until we meet again next time, I pray for your good health¡­ . ] Beru lightly kissed the back of Soo-Hoh¡¯s hand perched at the end of the bed and stood back up . All the soldiers hidden within the former ant king¡¯s shadow also said their goodbyes . [My Lord, even without me, I pray that you strictly adhere to your study schedules¡­] [Please be healthy, my Lord . ] [Sobbbb, sniff, waaaail, waaah¡­ . ] With the goodbyes now over, Beru looked behind him . Jin-Woo was there, nodding his head . He wordlessly walked over to his son and carefully pulled the blanket up to the boy¡¯s chest, tucking him in . Then, he placed his palm on the sleeping child¡¯s forehead . Powerful magical energy very briefly hovered near his fingertips before leaving him behind . When Soo-Hoh opens his eyes again, all of his extraordinary power and memories would be gone . ¡®Have a good dream, son¡­¡¯ Jin-Woo lightly kissed his son slumbering away like a baby angel and left the room, quietly closing the door behind him . That night, Soo-Hoh dreamed of ants and knights and Orcs dancing happily together with him . < Chapter 266 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 266: Chapter 266 Only I Level Up Recollections/After Stories. Part 2: Until we meet again. ¡°Thank you for coming in, Miss Cha . ¡±. ¡°Ah, yes . Hello . ¡±. Hae-In stepped across the doorway of the kindergarten headmistress¡¯s office with a tense expression on her face Soo-Hoh hadn¡¯t had any contact with kids of his own age until he turned five years old . And today was exactly a week after the worried parents decided to send their son to the nearest kindergarten The preschool educational institution suddenly called her up, asking her to come for a meeting today . Hae-In was really worried that maybe something happened to Soo-Hoh, or her son did something wrong The headmistress guided her to the couch on the opposite side and Hae-In settled down on the cushion as her complexion became even gloomier than before The middle-aged headmistress could fully understand what Hae-In was going through right now . That was why she worked hard to find the gentlest voice she could come up with in order to not worsen the other party¡¯s anxiety ¡°It¡¯s not something to be that anxious over, Miss Cha . It¡¯s just that¡­ . We have a few questions we¡¯d like to ask you . ¡±. ¡°Ah, yes . Please . ¡±. Hae-In nodded her head repeatedly with a hardened expression . The headmistress cautiously pushed forward a sketchbook ¡°Here¡­ . Would you take a look at this, please?¡±. Hae-In picked the book up as the headmistress continued on ¡°It contains drawings by your son, Soo-Hoh . ¡±. The white paper within said book featured a rather-cute looking ¡®ant¡¯ as drawn by a little child¡¯s hands But, why was she being shown this? Hae-In couldn¡¯t immediately understand where this conversation was going and asked back with a puzzled expression ¡°What¡¯s the matter with this drawing¡­ . ?¡±. The headmistress hesitated slightly before letting a soft sigh escape from her lips . She then began explaining herself ¡°The class teacher-nim asked the children to draw their close ¡®friends¡¯, you see . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . Ah . ¡±. Now that she looked at the drawing again, the ¡®ant¡¯ was standing on two feet . Only then did Hae-In realise that this was not a drawing of an ordinary ant, but Marshal Beru, instead ¡°There are others after that page . When the class teacher-nim asked Soo-Hoh if he had any other friends, he drew those next . ¡±. Hae-In flipped one more page There was a drawing of a humanoid figure with a strip of red plumage attached to his head while holding what was clearly a sword, no matter who saw it ¡®Igrit¡­ . ¡¯. Hae-In instantly recognised the protagonist of the drawing and slowly held her forehead with one hand . He might look like a trustworthy knight to those who knew him, but how would this situation look like in the eyes of strangers?. Her head began aching just from thinking about that After that page came the drawings of Bellion and his extending magic sword, as well as Fangs, busily putting on a magic show . Inevitably, Hae-In¡¯s head began developing a stronger migraine ¡®¡­ ¡¯. The headmistress interpreted Hae-In¡¯s speechless expression the wrong way and spoke in a worried voice ¡°The next drawing is what Soo-Hoh drew as his family portrait . ¡±. Flip The page of the sketchbook flipped again . What greeted her next was a drawing of herself, a man that seemed to be her husband, Jin-Woo, and innumerable black figures standing behind them Soo-Hoh grew up from his toddler days surrounded by the Shadow Soldiers and he must¡¯ve thought of them as his extended family now ¡®This is how we look like in Soo-Hoh¡¯s eyes . ¡¯. Hae-In thought that this drawing contained her son¡¯s innocent but warm gaze, and her nose stung with emotions The class teachers couldn¡¯t understand the meaning behind these drawings and fell into a rather considerable amount of panic and came to the conclusion that there must¡¯ve been some sort of a problem with Soo-Hoh And of course, that included the headmistress herself, the person responsible for asking Hae-In to stop by at the kindergarten today The middle-aged lady formed a pretty grave expression as she spoke ¡°The final page contains Soo-Hoh¡¯s drawing of his ¡®home¡¯ . And the reason why I requested you for today¡¯s meeting, as well . ¡±. What kind of a drawing would it be this time? With a pair of nervous eyes, Cha Hae-In flipped to the last page There was a cosy little house A normal-looking house was standing erect in the middle of some land The problem with this depiction was that the ground below was completely painted black Over 70 percent of the sketchbook¡¯s real estate was dominated by the black colour ¡°We¡¯ve been caring for many children over the years, but never have we encountered such depictions of friends and family by a child until now . ¡±. The headmistress pointed to the black portion of the drawing and spoke in a calm voice ¡°The homeroom teacher-nim asked Soo-Hoh why he drew the lower half of the house like this, and the boy replied that that¡¯s where his friends, his family, as well as his giant father, are staying . ¡±. ¡®¡­ Giant father?¡¯. That explanation was puzzling enough to make Hae-In tilt her head this way and that, but still, she could more or less guess how this drawing came about However¡­ ¡°By any chance, do you know why Soo-Hoh is drawing these sorts of images?¡±. ¡­ . It was really unfortunate that Hae-In couldn¡¯t reveal what she knew to other people . She could only shake her head ¡°¡­ . As I feared . ¡±. The headmistress nodded her head as if she understood the situation Initially, the kindergarten was fearful that Soo-Hoh was being mistreated at home, but they couldn¡¯t find any evidence of abuse from the boy¡¯s jovial, good-natured behaviour he displayed every day Although rare, things like this did happen occasionally ¨C young kids drawing the world as they see it through their eyes ¡°Maybe¡­ It¡¯s possible that Soo-Hoh possesses a great talent for art . ¡±. The headmistress convinced herself with this and smiled gently Hae-In stopped forming a gloomy expression, now that she knew the source of today¡¯s ¡®trouble¡¯, and smiled awkwardly, as well ¡°Ah, yes . Yes . ¡±. What a relief that it was not a huge matter . She could finally relax a bit However, these drawings weren¡¯t the end of the headmistress¡¯s business today . She again deliberated on whether she should speak of this or not, before coming to a difficult decision and raised her head The look in her eyes was far graver than when she presented those drawings ¡°Miss Cha, actually¡­ . There is something else I¡¯d like to speak to you about . ¡±. ***. In the Central Region¡¯s Violent Crimes Unit After the results of the promotion examination had been announced, excited voices began resounding out and filled up the Unit¡¯s office ¡°Senior-nim, congratulations on your promotion!¡±. ¡°Congratulations!¡±. ¡°You should buy us all a round, don¡¯t you agree, Senior-nim? No, hang on, Seong Superintendent-nim?¡±. Jin-Woo had to spend quite some time being surrounded by the rest of the Unit¡¯s detectives, and was only able to extricate himself after his partner, Lee Seh-Hwan, finally showed up ¡°Hyung-nim, shall we get going?¡±. ¡°Yeah . ¡±. Leaving behind the congratulatory words coming from here and there, Jin-Woo and his beaming smile escaped from the office Enough time had passed and Lee Seh-Hwan himself was a veteran detective now . He quickly congratulated his much-respected senior ¡°Hyung-nim, congrats . ¡±. Jin-Woo used a wordless smile to sub for his reply He and Lee Seh-Hwan shared jovial banter as they walked side by side, but then, the younger detective cautiously scanned his surroundings before sticking real close to his senior ¡°By the way, hyung-nim¡­ . Why did you accept the promotion this time? I mean, whenever the brass pleaded with you to move up the career ladder, you always refused them, so why now?¡±. Jin-Woo looked at Seh-Hwan from the corners of his eyes with a look that said, ¡°What¡¯s so important about that?¡± before breaking out into a smirk as he replied ¡°I ran out of excuses for my refusal, you see . ¡±. Seh-Hwan laughed out loud at that rather remarkable answer ¡°You¡¯re truly amazing, hyung-nim . I¡¯m telling you . ¡±. Although what he said sounded like a joke, Jin-Woo wasn¡¯t joking here . Of course, Seh-Hwan knew that, too As it was the case with pretty much every profession out there, a detective would grow further and further away from field work the higher his rank became Jin-Woo wished to remain close to where the action was, and the higher-ups, especially Commander Woo Jin-Cheol, respected that . Unfortunately, that couldn¡¯t go on forever Now that all excuses that could stop a detective with a stunning arrest record from advancing in his career had been exhausted, even Jin-Woo was left with no choice but to accept the examination result ¡°Hyung-nim, don¡¯t you have any goals or wants? I mean, like, better position or making lots of money, that sort of things . ¡±. Money, was it?. If Jin-Woo said that once upon a time, he made more than enough moolah to b*tch-slap a huge law firm and their deep pockets in the face all by himself at a younger age than his junior partner, would the kid even believe him?. Too bad, Jin-Woo could only recall the days when he operated the Ah-Jin Guild alongside Yu Jin-Ho and swallow back the words dancing on the tip of his tongue ¡®Well, they¡¯ve really become distant memories now, haven¡¯t they¡­¡¯. He could swim in the reminiscence of the past for only a short while, though . As he was about to climb into the car with Seh-Hwan, his phone began ringing loudly, so he pulled it out to take a look ¡®Mm?¡¯. The call was from Hae-in ***. After talking on the phone, Jin-Woo returned home earlier than usual, and after checking out Soo-Hoh¡¯s drawings, could only chuckle softly ¡°I had no idea that our son had such a wonderful talent in art . ¡±. Amongst them, the drawing of Beru especially caught his eyes . There should be no other five-year-old child that can draw an ant this wonderfully in the world Jin-Woo looked at the drawing in happiness, only to be pricked harshly by Hae-In¡¯s sharp glare and quickly withdrew his smile ¡°Hm, hmm . ¡±. After seeing her husband changing his attitude really quickly like that, Hae-In just couldn¡¯t hold back her smirk from breaking out anymore . She then spoke to Jin-Woo as if she was trying to convince herself ¡°It¡¯s not a laughing matter, you know? Take a look at the very last page . ¡±. ¡°The last page?¡±. The last page in question contained Soo-Hoh¡¯s final piece, named ¡®My home¡¯ ¡°Soo-Hoh said that the black ground is where his giant father is, so can you think of¡­ . Why are you smiling?¡±. ¡°N-no, well, it¡¯s just that I remembered something funny . That¡¯s all . ¡±. Jin-Woo recalled the ¡®Divine Liege¡¯ statue standing in the middle of the ¡®territory of eternal rest¡¯ and couldn¡¯t hold back his laughter anymore . Tears even began sneaking out of his eyes, so he quickly wiped them off and closed the sketchbook Wouldn¡¯t it be fine to let this slide with a simple chuckle? Expressions containing such thoughts flitted in and out of Jin-Woo¡¯s face . Hae-In let a soft sigh out and relayed what the headmistress had told her earlier in the day ¡°Other kids are apparently scared of Soo-Hoh . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . ??¡±. A little bit of the smile on Jin-Woo¡¯s face went away, then ¡°Other kids?¡±. Hae-In nodded her head with a worried expression before continuing on with her explanation ¡°Their complexions change badly whenever Soo-Hoh tries to get close to them . Even when he has never bullied or shouted at them, but still . ¡±. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. Now that was not something he could gloss over . Jin-Woo¡¯s expression hardened . The previous smile was long gone now . The thing he was worried about had really happened ¡®Children are¡­ . ¡¯. Young children were incomparably purer than adults . And he wasn¡¯t simply talking about their immature way of looking at things No, it was about the ¡®purity¡¯ of their senses Unlike with adults who, through logical reasoning and studying, got to overcome the primal instincts they were born with, children could feel the fear of death far more vividly The reason why other kids avoided Soo-Hoh was because they must¡¯ve felt the shadow of death hovering above him ¡®The power of the Shadow Sovereign¡­ . ¡¯. It became Jin-Woo¡¯s, and that fact prevented it from becoming a full-blown calamity, but that was about it In reality, this power was a horrifying weapon that the ¡®God of another realm¡¯ hid inside its most loyal soldier in order to destroy everything it had created If the powers of the Shadow Sovereign he didn¡¯t mean to give to his son continued to grow within Soo-Hoh, then¡­ ¡®¡­ . It¡¯ll be impossible to carry on with a normal life . ¡¯. At the very least, there was a need to seal that power away until Soo-Hoh reached an age where he could exert perfect control over it Jin-Woo¡¯s gaze shifted over to all the photos hanging on the living room¡¯s wall . The biggest one was the marriage of Jin-Woo and Hae-In; surrounding it were many images of their son And most of those photos were shot alongside Shadow Soldiers Soo-Hoh and his bright smile, as he rode on Beru¡¯s shoulders and energetically yanking on the ant king¡¯s two antennae Soo-Hoh busy escaping from Igrit who volunteered to become the boy¡¯s home-school tutor, and then, Soo-Hoh busy performing a mock duel with Bellion using his toy sword There were so many others Jin-Woo quietly began storing them away in the subspace, one by one ¡°Dear¡­ . ?¡±. ¡°Until Soo-Hoh can live among other people without any issues, I¡­ I¡¯m planning to temporarily seal away Soo-Hoh¡¯s powers and his memories of the Shadow Soldiers . ¡±. Soo-Hoh had to learn it He needed to learn how to coexist among regular people like a normal person, rather than with Shadow Soldiers Until then¡­ Just as the final remaining photo entered the storage within the subspace, Beru emerged from the ground after learning of Jin-Woo¡¯s decision [Oh, my king¡­ . ]. The heart of the Shadow Soldier, the one who looked after and loved Soo-Hoh like his own child, was transmitted in full to Jin-Woo However, the Sovereign¡¯s decision was resolute . Realising that there was no way to change his liege¡¯s mind, Beru¡¯s head drooped to the ground As the former ant king¡¯s gaze fell, a drawing suddenly entered his view . It was Soo-Hoh¡¯s sketchbook pushed forward by Jin-Woo [This is¡­?]. ¡®It¡¯s you, drawn by Soo-Hoh . ¡¯. Easily the best depiction of Beru he¡¯d ever seen was drawn upon this white page . Thick teardrops formed on Beru¡¯s large eyes almost right away [My liege¡­ . May I be permitted to say goodbye to the young Lord?]. Nod After receiving Jin-Woo¡¯s permission, Beru cautiously entered Soo-Hoh¡¯s room Creak¡­ The soft, rhythmic breathing of the deeply-asleep Soo-Hoh was like the sweetest and most soothing music to the former ant king¡¯s ears . He knelt down cautiously next to the bed, so as to not rouse the sleeping child from his nap [My Lord¡­ . On behalf of all the Shadow Soldiers, I shall bid you farewell . ]. His voice gently reverberated as if it was spoken within the dreams . In his sleep, Soo-Hoh shifted his body towards the location of the voice and mumbled softly ¡°Boss ant¡­ . boss ant¡­ . ¡±. With an expression showing how proud he was of Soo-Hoh now being able to pronounce ¡®ant¡¯ more concisely compared to when the child was still chasing after him a couple of years ago, Beru bade his goodbye [It has been my honour to serve you, my Lord . Until we meet again next time, I pray for your good health¡­ . ]. Beru lightly kissed the back of Soo-Hoh¡¯s hand perched at the end of the bed and stood back up . All the soldiers hidden within the former ant king¡¯s shadow also said their goodbyes [My Lord, even without me, I pray that you strictly adhere to your study schedules¡­]. [Please be healthy, my Lord . ]. [Sobbbb, sniff, waaaail, waaah¡­ . ]. With the goodbyes now over, Beru looked behind him . Jin-Woo was there, nodding his head He wordlessly walked over to his son and carefully pulled the blanket up to the boy¡¯s chest, tucking him in . Then, he placed his palm on the sleeping child¡¯s forehead . Powerful magical energy very briefly hovered near his fingertips before leaving him behind When Soo-Hoh opens his eyes again, all of his extraordinary power and memories would be gone ¡®Have a good dream, son¡­¡¯. Jin-Woo lightly kissed his son slumbering away like a baby angel and left the room, quietly closing the door behind him That night, Soo-Hoh dreamed of ants and knights and Orcs dancing happily together with him < Chapter 266 > Fin Chapter 267 Only I Level Up Recollections/After Stories Part 3: Approach Spin, spin¡­ . The radar of a boy named Lee Eun-Cheol, a recent addition to the ranks of high school students, began spinning around . A brand new school, a new classroom, and new classmates . The eyes of Lee Eun-Cheol, sitting right at the back of the class, as he scanned the atmosphere of the place remained harsh, predatory . With just one glance, he quickly judged who was beneath him, and who was qualified to be his friend . The laws of the jungle reigned supreme in this world called the classroom . Even back in his middle school days, Lee Eun-Cheol ruled the roost with his fists . To his eyes, the majority of his classmates looked like a bunch of easy prey . Almost without exception, those that met his glare all quickly averted their gazes . ¡®¡­ . How lame . ¡¯ However, there was a dude that walked closer to him with a grin on his face, instead . ¡®That¡¯s Jo Seong-Ho . ¡¯ He was one of those ¡®friends¡¯ who did his thing in the neighbouring district . Also, they ran into each other every now and then while sharing casual booze with his other friends, too . ¡°You were also here?¡± ¡°Yeah . ¡± They greeted each other and shared news on their particular circle of acquaintances while measuring each other up, but that only lasted for a short while . Jo Seong-Ho had heard the infamy of Lee Eun-Cheol plenty of times before, so he lowered his head first and got under the latter¡¯s wings . ¡°Take care of me from now on, alright?¡± Lee Eun-Cheol smirked deeply and grasped Jo Seong-Ho¡¯s extended hand . They might be in the process of establishing their hierarchical positioning at the moment, but a guy like this would be classified as a ¡®friend¡¯ . And so, as he was about halfway done with establishing the hierarchical relationship with the rest of the class, there was this one guy who kept getting on Lee Eun-Cheol¡¯s nerves for some reason . He wasn¡¯t some model student who sat right in front of the class, nor was he a punk trying to show off while sitting at the back, either . It was a strange kid who sat in the middle and didn¡¯t even bother to avert his gaze away when their gazes collided . There would always be one like this guy in every class ¨C a dimwit who didn¡¯t know his place and needed an ¡®incident¡¯ to figure who was on top and who was at the bottom . That punk was looking behind him, right at Lee Eun-Cheol, before sighing out, as if he found this whole thing ridiculous, and reverted his gaze back to his front . Obviously, the high school thug couldn¡¯t take that lying down anymore and stood up from his seat . Dururuk¡­ The noise of the chair dragging against the ground loudly rang around the classroom . Of course, the gazes of the whole class were instantly focused on Lee Eun-Cheol . The boy enjoyed all the attention and, while feeling pretty good about himself, strode right over to the dimwit who didn¡¯t know his place . ¡°Oii . ¡± Just as Lee Eun-Cheol reached out to grab the punk¡¯s shoulder and turn him around, a tackle came in from a rather unexpected quarter . ¡°Hold up . ¡± After confirming that it was Jo Seong-Ho that grabbed hold of his wrist, Lee Eun-Cheol opened his mouth . ¡°What now?¡± There were distinct signs of displeasure thickly melted into the voice, and that caused Jo Seong-Ho to nervously swallow his dry saliva . ¡°We went to the same middle school . If you can help it, you shouldn¡¯t bother him . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . Same school?¡± Just because they went to the same school, he was trying to protect the punk? There could be two potential reasons for that . One, a reason that couldn¡¯t be brought up but still forbade anyone from touching this punk . Or, they were looking down on Lee Eun-Cheol . The high school thug¡¯s expression hardened instantly and he began lightly kicking the chair of the ¡®punk¡¯ that didn¡¯t even bother to turn around in the middle of this commotion . ¡°Hey, hey? Who the hell are you? Why don¡¯t you say something? Don¡¯t you have a mouth?¡± Jo Seong-Ho¡¯s complexion paled really quickly and tried to jump in front to stop this . Lee Eun-Cheol¡¯s patience ran out then and he slapped the latter¡¯s hand away while shooting a fierce glare . ¡°You, come with me . ¡± As Lee Eun-Cheol left the classroom, two of his underlings that graduated from the same middle school followed after him, too . He stopped right at the doorway and looked back . His eyes caught Jo Seong-Ho sweating buckets, while the ¡®punk¡¯ didn¡¯t seem to care one jot either way . Grit . A chilling murderous aura filled up Lee Eun-Cheol¡¯s eyes . *** ¡°Keo-heok!¡± Jo Seong-Ho and his messed-up face were tottering unsteadily on his feet . Maybe that didn¡¯t satisfy him yet, Lee Eun-Cheol¡¯s glare remained frigid and murderous . He shoved Jo Seong-Ho against the wall before asking his question . ¡°Who the hell is that punk? Just who is he that you¡¯re trying to protect him?!¡± The wounded boy breathed heavily and painfully before spitting out saliva mixed with traces of blood to the ground . He then raised his head, his expression one of fatigue . ¡°He was the strongest in our middle school . ¡± ¡°¡­??¡± Lee Eun-Cheol¡¯s head tilted to the side . This kid, did he lose his mind after getting smacked around for a bit? It was a well-known story that Jo Seong-Ho and his gang had completely conquered his middle school . However, he shook his head and emphasized his point . ¡°We couldn¡¯t even lay a hand on that guy . I stepped forward today, cuz I was scared that something might go wrong here, too . ¡± Initially, Lee Eun-Cheol wondered what kind of horse crap this was, but Jo Seong-Ho¡¯s eyes were far too serious for something like that . ¡®This son of a b*tch¡­ He¡¯s being serious?¡¯ But, that couldn¡¯t be . If there was a scary b*stard like that, then there was just no way that a rumour wouldn¡¯t have gotten around . The name of the punk in question was Seong Soo-Hoh . Lee Eun-Cheol lived in this neck of the woods since his elementary school days, but he had never heard of that name before . Besides, what could a nerd like that do to him, anyway? Lee Eun-Cheol¡¯s rage shot up right to the top of his head after realising that Jo Seong-Ho dared to make him look bad in front of others just because of a punk like that . Smaaaack! Lee Eun-Cheol¡¯s full-blooded swing caused Jo Seong-Ho¡¯s head to spin to the side . The smacked cheek swelled up in red colour . The high school thug had apparently learned boxing since from a young age, and perhaps because of that, his arm strength couldn¡¯t be treated as a joke . However, what Jo Seong-Ho truly feared was something else . It was around the time when he was silently enduring against the barrage of violent attacks from Lee Eun-Cheol . He discovered ¡®that¡¯ . ¡®¡­ . . !!!¡¯ The thug stopped throwing punches only after spotting that Jo Seong-Ho¡¯s eyes had grown super-large from surprise . He turned around to look behind him . From the distance, that nerd was leisurely strolling towards here . Jo Seong-Ho dropped his head lower as if he didn¡¯t want to meet the gaze of the one walking closer and spoke in a quiet murmur . ¡°Just¡­ apologise to him . That¡¯s my serious advice to you . ¡± ¡°This stupid son of a b*tch¡­!¡± Lee Eun-Cheol grabbed the back of Jo Seong-Ho¡¯s hair to shake the boy¡¯s head around, but the latter simply kept his mouth shut . Just as the former was about to spit out another round of abusive words¡­ The source of the problem itself, Soo-Hoh, finally stood before them . Maybe it was because of Jo Seong-Ho¡¯s prior warning? Even Lee Eun-Cheol, who would attack first and ask questions later quickly took a couple of steps back and warily glared at Soo-Hoh . Although not short, when compared to either himself or Jo Seong-Hoh, this nerd wasn¡¯t all that tall . His physique also seemed exceedingly ordinary . His neck and wrists revealed outside of the school uniform looked a bit firm, but it didn¡¯t seem like the boy had trained professionally or something . The more he looked, the less Lee Eun-Cheol believed Jo Seong-Ho¡¯s words . Utterly ignoring the bullies, Soo-Hoh stepped closer to Jo Seong-Ho and studied the latter¡¯s messed-up face . ¡°Tsk, tsk . ¡± The sounds of tutting automatically leaked out from his mouth as if he felt rather rueful about this matter . Soo-Hoh then addressed the boy . ¡°Hey, Seong-Ho . ¡± ¡°¡­ . . Yeah . ¡± ¡°Let¡¯s pretend that you also did this . I mean, this much is already enough for self-defence, right?¡± Jo Seong-Ho unhesitatingly nodded his head . ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do that . ¡± What were they trying to pretend here? Lee Eun-Cheol listened to this exchange with a puzzled expression etched on his face, but that soon morphed into an angry scowl . ¡°Oii . ¡± As he reached out to grab Soo-Hoh¡¯s shoulder to turn the nerd around, a sudden flash of light blinked right in front of Lee Eun-Cheol¡¯s eyes . Thud! The unconscious Lee Eun-Cheol fell hard to the ground . Almost at the same time, the two underlings guarding the leader¡¯s back also blacked out, as well . Thud, thud!! ¡®What a scary b*stard¡­ . ¡¯ Jo Seong-Ho could only watch on in utter disbelief . If it weren¡¯t for his excellent dynamic vision honed through exercises and training, then he¡¯d not have seen those stunning movements . One hit in the face of Lee Eun-Cheol, and one hit each in the vitals of the two underlings ¨C those attacks were machine-like in their accuracy, yet savage in their nature, like a wild predator . Back when he ¡®mistakenly¡¯ tried to get Seong Soo-Hoh riled up, he ended up wondering whether such power could actually belong to a human being or not . But after that, his middle school life became quite stress-free, contrary to his initial expectations . While looking at the collapsed and unmoving Lee Eun-Cheol and his gang, Jo Seong-Ho scratched the back of his head . ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ The high school thug¡¯s nose was broken, while the two underlings had their bones broken . The rumours should spread around quickly; the rumours of the one and only XX middle school¡¯s Lee Eun-Cheol getting beaten up by YY middle school¡¯s Jo Seong-Ho, that was . Even the thug himself would keep his mouth shut over this matter, since that rumour would be far more preferable than to let the world know that he got taken out by some no-name regular student . ¡®Well, then¡­ . ¡¯ Once more, another notch had been added to his records of victories . Since this was a win someone handed over to him, Jo Seong-Ho felt rather embarrassed about this whole thing . As he remained swimming in several complicated thoughts, Soo-Hoh walked up closer and extended his hand out . ¡°Now that things have come to this¡­ . Well, I¡¯ll be in your care in this place too, alright?¡± Jo Seong-Ho sheepishly scratched his cheek before wordlessly shaking the offered hand . Well¡­ It wasn¡¯t such a bad trade, this . *** ¡°Wow, Jo Seong-Ho took on those three?¡± ¡°I thought his aura was really something else when I first saw him, so it¡¯s no surprise . ¡± ¡°I heard that he learned judo since young and was pretty famous in his neighbourhood . ¡± Thanks to the news of Lee Eun-Cheol and his goons getting shipped off to a hospital, the atmosphere of the entire classroom had become rather heated real fast . More than that, Jo Seong-Ho was now being treated as a hero even, after it emerged that he was trying to protect another kid who graduated from the same middle school as him . Although it was the start of a new school year and the kids all felt a bit awkward and unsure of each other, this topic worked wonders and broke the ice nicely . Even then, Soo-Hoh was dazedly staring out at the sky outside all by himself . The end of the school day wasn¡¯t that far away, and the blue heavens above were gradually dyeing in the hues of rich amber . For some reason, yawns kept threatening to break out so he was having a hard time suppressing them . ¡®¡­ . I¡¯m bored . ¡¯ Indeed, he felt bored, restless . Recently, he often yawned for no discernible reason and felt bored more frequently than ever before . And there was this vague, distant feeling that he used to know ¡®things¡¯ that made his heart race and surprised him at every turn . Whenever he was beset with such feelings, it became harder to endure against this sense of boredom . Dururuk¡­ The door to the classroom slid open . The gazes of the kids all shifted over to the rear door . Jo Seong-Ho didn¡¯t display much of a reaction and returned to his assigned seat . Ohhh-! Kids were looking at his wound-filled face with gazes of envy and respect . Without a doubt, the top dog of this classroom had changed from Lee Eun-Cheol to Jo Seong-Ho . ¡°Hey, hey . ¡± Soo-Hoh remained disinterested as he continued to stare outside the window, only for his attention to be brought back to reality by someone poking him on his back . He looked behind him to find a female student with a neat appearance there trying to talk to him . ¡°The friend saving you came back looking like that, so aren¡¯t you going to go and say hello, at the least?¡± ¡°¡­ . . I already did . ¡± ¡°Oh . Okay . ¡± The girl heard his curt reply and as if she got embarrassed by this exchange, hurriedly opened her textbook to hide her face . Meanwhile, he reverted his gaze back to the skies outside . ¡®So bored¡­ . ¡¯ The sun was creeping closer to the horizon . *** The school day was finally over . While everyone was hurriedly trying to escape from this institution of learning, only Soo-Hoh remained standing by the window to look at the athletics field outside . Other students were filing out of the school¡¯s front gate . He didn¡¯t like the melee of confusion like that . His mom always laughed and said that he was exactly like his father in that regard . He read the book he borrowed from the library before raising his head back up, thinking that maybe he should start heading back home now . There was no one else besides him in the classroom . Soo-Hoh leisurely packed his bag and slung it over his shoulder . It was fine to be relaxed and laid back, but if he were to waste any more time than this, he¡¯d definitely arrive home late for dinner, and that would mean he¡¯d have to face the wrath of his mother . It¡¯d be a relief if the story ended there . If the news of his mom getting angry reached his father¡¯s ears¡­ . . ¡®Euk, d*mn it . I imagined what would happen to me . ¡¯ Soo-Hoh was overcome with a nasty case of goosebumps and hurriedly shook his head . Just how old would his father have to be before he wasn¡¯t so scary anymore? Seriously now, he got this sneaking suspicion that, even if his father ended up becoming an old man, Soo-Ho would still never win against him . He shuddered once more and quickly headed to the rear door of the classroom . But, when he tried to open it¡­ . ¡®The door¡­ . doesn¡¯t want to open?¡¯ If it was locked, then there was no way this thing wouldn¡¯t budge like this, since it was none other than himself tugging at it . The door showed no signs of moving, as if it was a wall, to begin with . ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Soo-Hoh¡¯s eyes grew rounder and this time, he ran to the front door and grabbed its handle . But it was the same story here, too . Now thoroughly shocked, he quickly ran to the window and took a look outside . That was when a truly unbelievable spectacle manifested itself before his eyes . Every single student leaving through the school gates; students exercising on the field, cars passing on the road, pedestrians walking on the pavement, and even the kicked ball flying in the air¡­ . . ¡­ . Everything had come to a dead stop . ¡®But, how can something like this be¡­ . ?!¡¯ Soo-Hoh clenched both of his fists real tight and slammed at the window with all of his might . Boom! Too bad, the window not only didn¡¯t shatter from the impact, but his fists also bounced away from it as if he was hitting a rubber wall . ¡®¡­ . !!!¡¯ It happened then . Soo-Hoh retreated from the windows and while taking hurried steps backwards, he tried very hard to figure out what was going on in his head . And that¡¯s when ¡®it¡¯ appeared . Soo-Hoh¡¯s head snapped towards the black circular ¡®hole¡¯ that appeared out of nowhere at the back of the classroom . It was no bigger than the size of a volleyball, but it rapidly grew larger and larger until it was big enough for a single person to walk through . It was basically a doorway of darkness, so dark that it felt like he was being sucked in . Regular kids might have been scared out of their wits by this development, but¡­ Rather than crying out or screaming, Soo-Hoh placed his hand on his chest, instead . Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump . His agitated heart was pounding away in exhilaration . Maybe . Just maybe, it was possible that he was waiting for something like this for a long, long time . ¡®Mom said that I resemble my dad all the time, doesn¡¯t she?¡¯ If it was his father, then¡­ What would he have done? The answer was pretty obvious, though . Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump¡­ . Because his pounding heart was already making his legs move . Soo-Hoh stood before the ¡®Gate¡¯ and touched its surface . Bzzz¡­ . Bzz¡­ Although there were some sparks of electricity, he didn¡¯t feel any pain . No, he felt so much better instead, as if he was returning to his hometown that he had to leave behind a long time ago . There was this strange, vague sense of deja vu as if he had already entered a place like this one before . Soo-Hoh slowly but carefully regulated his breathing . His wildly-beating heart finally regained some calmness and the inside of his head seemed to clear up . ¡®Good . ¡¯ A brief flash of a grin formed on his face . And then, he jumped inside the ¡®Gate¡¯ without a moment¡¯s hesitation . < Chapter 267 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 267: Chapter 267 Only I Level Up Recollections/After Stories. Part 3: Approach. Spin, spin¡­ The radar of a boy named Lee Eun-Cheol, a recent addition to the ranks of high school students, began spinning around A brand new school, a new classroom, and new classmates The eyes of Lee Eun-Cheol, sitting right at the back of the class, as he scanned the atmosphere of the place remained harsh, predatory . With just one glance, he quickly judged who was beneath him, and who was qualified to be his friend The laws of the jungle reigned supreme in this world called the classroom Even back in his middle school days, Lee Eun-Cheol ruled the roost with his fists . To his eyes, the majority of his classmates looked like a bunch of easy prey . Almost without exception, those that met his glare all quickly averted their gazes ¡®¡­ . How lame . ¡¯. However, there was a dude that walked closer to him with a grin on his face, instead ¡®That¡¯s Jo Seong-Ho . ¡¯. He was one of those ¡®friends¡¯ who did his thing in the neighbouring district . Also, they ran into each other every now and then while sharing casual booze with his other friends, too ¡°You were also here?¡±. ¡°Yeah . ¡±. They greeted each other and shared news on their particular circle of acquaintances while measuring each other up, but that only lasted for a short while Jo Seong-Ho had heard the infamy of Lee Eun-Cheol plenty of times before, so he lowered his head first and got under the latter¡¯s wings ¡°Take care of me from now on, alright?¡±. Lee Eun-Cheol smirked deeply and grasped Jo Seong-Ho¡¯s extended hand . They might be in the process of establishing their hierarchical positioning at the moment, but a guy like this would be classified as a ¡®friend¡¯ And so, as he was about halfway done with establishing the hierarchical relationship with the rest of the class, there was this one guy who kept getting on Lee Eun-Cheol¡¯s nerves for some reason He wasn¡¯t some model student who sat right in front of the class, nor was he a punk trying to show off while sitting at the back, either It was a strange kid who sat in the middle and didn¡¯t even bother to avert his gaze away when their gazes collided There would always be one like this guy in every class ¨C a dimwit who didn¡¯t know his place and needed an ¡®incident¡¯ to figure who was on top and who was at the bottom That punk was looking behind him, right at Lee Eun-Cheol, before sighing out, as if he found this whole thing ridiculous, and reverted his gaze back to his front . Obviously, the high school thug couldn¡¯t take that lying down anymore and stood up from his seat Dururuk¡­. The noise of the chair dragging against the ground loudly rang around the classroom . Of course, the gazes of the whole class were instantly focused on Lee Eun-Cheol The boy enjoyed all the attention and, while feeling pretty good about himself, strode right over to the dimwit who didn¡¯t know his place ¡°Oii . ¡±. Just as Lee Eun-Cheol reached out to grab the punk¡¯s shoulder and turn him around, a tackle came in from a rather unexpected quarter ¡°Hold up . ¡±. After confirming that it was Jo Seong-Ho that grabbed hold of his wrist, Lee Eun-Cheol opened his mouth ¡°What now?¡±. There were distinct signs of displeasure thickly melted into the voice, and that caused Jo Seong-Ho to nervously swallow his dry saliva ¡°We went to the same middle school . If you can help it, you shouldn¡¯t bother him . ¡±. ¡°¡­ Same school?¡±. Just because they went to the same school, he was trying to protect the punk?. There could be two potential reasons for that . One, a reason that couldn¡¯t be brought up but still forbade anyone from touching this punk Or, they were looking down on Lee Eun-Cheol The high school thug¡¯s expression hardened instantly and he began lightly kicking the chair of the ¡®punk¡¯ that didn¡¯t even bother to turn around in the middle of this commotion ¡°Hey, hey? Who the hell are you? Why don¡¯t you say something? Don¡¯t you have a mouth?¡±. Jo Seong-Ho¡¯s complexion paled really quickly and tried to jump in front to stop this . Lee Eun-Cheol¡¯s patience ran out then and he slapped the latter¡¯s hand away while shooting a fierce glare ¡°You, come with me . ¡±. As Lee Eun-Cheol left the classroom, two of his underlings that graduated from the same middle school followed after him, too . He stopped right at the doorway and looked back . His eyes caught Jo Seong-Ho sweating buckets, while the ¡®punk¡¯ didn¡¯t seem to care one jot either way Grit A chilling murderous aura filled up Lee Eun-Cheol¡¯s eyes ***. ¡°Keo-heok!¡±. Jo Seong-Ho and his messed-up face were tottering unsteadily on his feet . Maybe that didn¡¯t satisfy him yet, Lee Eun-Cheol¡¯s glare remained frigid and murderous He shoved Jo Seong-Ho against the wall before asking his question ¡°Who the hell is that punk? Just who is he that you¡¯re trying to protect him?!¡±. The wounded boy breathed heavily and painfully before spitting out saliva mixed with traces of blood to the ground . He then raised his head, his expression one of fatigue ¡°He was the strongest in our middle school . ¡±. ¡°¡­??¡±. Lee Eun-Cheol¡¯s head tilted to the side This kid, did he lose his mind after getting smacked around for a bit?. It was a well-known story that Jo Seong-Ho and his gang had completely conquered his middle school . However, he shook his head and emphasized his point ¡°We couldn¡¯t even lay a hand on that guy . I stepped forward today, cuz I was scared that something might go wrong here, too . ¡±. Initially, Lee Eun-Cheol wondered what kind of horse crap this was, but Jo Seong-Ho¡¯s eyes were far too serious for something like that ¡®This son of a b*tch¡­ He¡¯s being serious?¡¯. But, that couldn¡¯t be If there was a scary b*stard like that, then there was just no way that a rumour wouldn¡¯t have gotten around The name of the punk in question was Seong Soo-Hoh Lee Eun-Cheol lived in this neck of the woods since his elementary school days, but he had never heard of that name before . Besides, what could a nerd like that do to him, anyway?. Lee Eun-Cheol¡¯s rage shot up right to the top of his head after realising that Jo Seong-Ho dared to make him look bad in front of others just because of a punk like that Smaaaack!. Lee Eun-Cheol¡¯s full-blooded swing caused Jo Seong-Ho¡¯s head to spin to the side . The smacked cheek swelled up in red colour The high school thug had apparently learned boxing since from a young age, and perhaps because of that, his arm strength couldn¡¯t be treated as a joke However, what Jo Seong-Ho truly feared was something else It was around the time when he was silently enduring against the barrage of violent attacks from Lee Eun-Cheol . He discovered ¡®that¡¯ ¡®¡­ !!!¡¯. The thug stopped throwing punches only after spotting that Jo Seong-Ho¡¯s eyes had grown super-large from surprise . He turned around to look behind him From the distance, that nerd was leisurely strolling towards here Jo Seong-Ho dropped his head lower as if he didn¡¯t want to meet the gaze of the one walking closer and spoke in a quiet murmur ¡°Just¡­ apologise to him . That¡¯s my serious advice to you . ¡±. ¡°This stupid son of a b*tch¡­!¡±. Lee Eun-Cheol grabbed the back of Jo Seong-Ho¡¯s hair to shake the boy¡¯s head around, but the latter simply kept his mouth shut . Just as the former was about to spit out another round of abusive words¡­. The source of the problem itself, Soo-Hoh, finally stood before them Maybe it was because of Jo Seong-Ho¡¯s prior warning? Even Lee Eun-Cheol, who would attack first and ask questions later quickly took a couple of steps back and warily glared at Soo-Hoh Although not short, when compared to either himself or Jo Seong-Hoh, this nerd wasn¡¯t all that tall . His physique also seemed exceedingly ordinary His neck and wrists revealed outside of the school uniform looked a bit firm, but it didn¡¯t seem like the boy had trained professionally or something The more he looked, the less Lee Eun-Cheol believed Jo Seong-Ho¡¯s words Utterly ignoring the bullies, Soo-Hoh stepped closer to Jo Seong-Ho and studied the latter¡¯s messed-up face ¡°Tsk, tsk . ¡±. The sounds of tutting automatically leaked out from his mouth as if he felt rather rueful about this matter . Soo-Hoh then addressed the boy ¡°Hey, Seong-Ho . ¡±. ¡°¡­ Yeah . ¡±. ¡°Let¡¯s pretend that you also did this . I mean, this much is already enough for self-defence, right?¡±. Jo Seong-Ho unhesitatingly nodded his head ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do that . ¡±. What were they trying to pretend here?. Lee Eun-Cheol listened to this exchange with a puzzled expression etched on his face, but that soon morphed into an angry scowl ¡°Oii . ¡±. As he reached out to grab Soo-Hoh¡¯s shoulder to turn the nerd around, a sudden flash of light blinked right in front of Lee Eun-Cheol¡¯s eyes Thud!. The unconscious Lee Eun-Cheol fell hard to the ground . Almost at the same time, the two underlings guarding the leader¡¯s back also blacked out, as well Thud, thud!!. ¡®What a scary b*stard¡­ . ¡¯. Jo Seong-Ho could only watch on in utter disbelief . If it weren¡¯t for his excellent dynamic vision honed through exercises and training, then he¡¯d not have seen those stunning movements One hit in the face of Lee Eun-Cheol, and one hit each in the vitals of the two underlings ¨C those attacks were machine-like in their accuracy, yet savage in their nature, like a wild predator Back when he ¡®mistakenly¡¯ tried to get Seong Soo-Hoh riled up, he ended up wondering whether such power could actually belong to a human being or not But after that, his middle school life became quite stress-free, contrary to his initial expectations While looking at the collapsed and unmoving Lee Eun-Cheol and his gang, Jo Seong-Ho scratched the back of his head ¡®¡­¡­¡¯. The high school thug¡¯s nose was broken, while the two underlings had their bones broken The rumours should spread around quickly; the rumours of the one and only XX middle school¡¯s Lee Eun-Cheol getting beaten up by YY middle school¡¯s Jo Seong-Ho, that was Even the thug himself would keep his mouth shut over this matter, since that rumour would be far more preferable than to let the world know that he got taken out by some no-name regular student ¡®Well, then¡­ . ¡¯. Once more, another notch had been added to his records of victories Since this was a win someone handed over to him, Jo Seong-Ho felt rather embarrassed about this whole thing . As he remained swimming in several complicated thoughts, Soo-Hoh walked up closer and extended his hand out ¡°Now that things have come to this¡­ . Well, I¡¯ll be in your care in this place too, alright?¡±. Jo Seong-Ho sheepishly scratched his cheek before wordlessly shaking the offered hand Well¡­ It wasn¡¯t such a bad trade, this ***. ¡°Wow, Jo Seong-Ho took on those three?¡±. ¡°I thought his aura was really something else when I first saw him, so it¡¯s no surprise . ¡±. ¡°I heard that he learned judo since young and was pretty famous in his neighbourhood . ¡±. Thanks to the news of Lee Eun-Cheol and his goons getting shipped off to a hospital, the atmosphere of the entire classroom had become rather heated real fast More than that, Jo Seong-Ho was now being treated as a hero even, after it emerged that he was trying to protect another kid who graduated from the same middle school as him Although it was the start of a new school year and the kids all felt a bit awkward and unsure of each other, this topic worked wonders and broke the ice nicely . Even then, Soo-Hoh was dazedly staring out at the sky outside all by himself The end of the school day wasn¡¯t that far away, and the blue heavens above were gradually dyeing in the hues of rich amber For some reason, yawns kept threatening to break out so he was having a hard time suppressing them ¡®¡­ . I¡¯m bored . ¡¯. Indeed, he felt bored, restless Recently, he often yawned for no discernible reason and felt bored more frequently than ever before And there was this vague, distant feeling that he used to know ¡®things¡¯ that made his heart race and surprised him at every turn . Whenever he was beset with such feelings, it became harder to endure against this sense of boredom Dururuk¡­. The door to the classroom slid open . The gazes of the kids all shifted over to the rear door . Jo Seong-Ho didn¡¯t display much of a reaction and returned to his assigned seat Ohhh-!. Kids were looking at his wound-filled face with gazes of envy and respect . Without a doubt, the top dog of this classroom had changed from Lee Eun-Cheol to Jo Seong-Ho ¡°Hey, hey . ¡±. Soo-Hoh remained disinterested as he continued to stare outside the window, only for his attention to be brought back to reality by someone poking him on his back . He looked behind him to find a female student with a neat appearance there trying to talk to him ¡°The friend saving you came back looking like that, so aren¡¯t you going to go and say hello, at the least?¡±. ¡°¡­ I already did . ¡±. ¡°Oh . Okay . ¡±. The girl heard his curt reply and as if she got embarrassed by this exchange, hurriedly opened her textbook to hide her face . Meanwhile, he reverted his gaze back to the skies outside ¡®So bored¡­ . ¡¯. The sun was creeping closer to the horizon ***. The school day was finally over While everyone was hurriedly trying to escape from this institution of learning, only Soo-Hoh remained standing by the window to look at the athletics field outside Other students were filing out of the school¡¯s front gate . He didn¡¯t like the melee of confusion like that . His mom always laughed and said that he was exactly like his father in that regard He read the book he borrowed from the library before raising his head back up, thinking that maybe he should start heading back home now . There was no one else besides him in the classroom Soo-Hoh leisurely packed his bag and slung it over his shoulder It was fine to be relaxed and laid back, but if he were to waste any more time than this, he¡¯d definitely arrive home late for dinner, and that would mean he¡¯d have to face the wrath of his mother It¡¯d be a relief if the story ended there . If the news of his mom getting angry reached his father¡¯s ears¡­ . ¡®Euk, d*mn it . I imagined what would happen to me . ¡¯. Soo-Hoh was overcome with a nasty case of goosebumps and hurriedly shook his head . Just how old would his father have to be before he wasn¡¯t so scary anymore?. Seriously now, he got this sneaking suspicion that, even if his father ended up becoming an old man, Soo-Ho would still never win against him He shuddered once more and quickly headed to the rear door of the classroom . But, when he tried to open it¡­ ¡®The door¡­ . doesn¡¯t want to open?¡¯. If it was locked, then there was no way this thing wouldn¡¯t budge like this, since it was none other than himself tugging at it . The door showed no signs of moving, as if it was a wall, to begin with ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯. Soo-Hoh¡¯s eyes grew rounder and this time, he ran to the front door and grabbed its handle . But it was the same story here, too Now thoroughly shocked, he quickly ran to the window and took a look outside . That was when a truly unbelievable spectacle manifested itself before his eyes Every single student leaving through the school gates; students exercising on the field, cars passing on the road, pedestrians walking on the pavement, and even the kicked ball flying in the air¡­ . ¡­ . Everything had come to a dead stop ¡®But, how can something like this be¡­ . ?!¡¯. Soo-Hoh clenched both of his fists real tight and slammed at the window with all of his might Boom!. Too bad, the window not only didn¡¯t shatter from the impact, but his fists also bounced away from it as if he was hitting a rubber wall ¡®¡­ . !!!¡¯. It happened then Soo-Hoh retreated from the windows and while taking hurried steps backwards, he tried very hard to figure out what was going on in his head And that¡¯s when ¡®it¡¯ appeared Soo-Hoh¡¯s head snapped towards the black circular ¡®hole¡¯ that appeared out of nowhere at the back of the classroom . It was no bigger than the size of a volleyball, but it rapidly grew larger and larger until it was big enough for a single person to walk through It was basically a doorway of darkness, so dark that it felt like he was being sucked in Regular kids might have been scared out of their wits by this development, but¡­ Rather than crying out or screaming, Soo-Hoh placed his hand on his chest, instead Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump His agitated heart was pounding away in exhilaration Maybe Just maybe, it was possible that he was waiting for something like this for a long, long time ¡®Mom said that I resemble my dad all the time, doesn¡¯t she?¡¯. If it was his father, then¡­ What would he have done?. The answer was pretty obvious, though Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump¡­ Because his pounding heart was already making his legs move Soo-Hoh stood before the ¡®Gate¡¯ and touched its surface Bzzz¡­ . Bzz¡­. Although there were some sparks of electricity, he didn¡¯t feel any pain . No, he felt so much better instead, as if he was returning to his hometown that he had to leave behind a long time ago There was this strange, vague sense of deja vu as if he had already entered a place like this one before Soo-Hoh slowly but carefully regulated his breathing . His wildly-beating heart finally regained some calmness and the inside of his head seemed to clear up ¡®Good . ¡¯. A brief flash of a grin formed on his face And then, he jumped inside the ¡®Gate¡¯ without a moment¡¯s hesitation < Chapter 267 > Fin Chapter 268 Only I Level Up Recollections/After Stories Part 4: Forward! Forward! Soo-Hoh walked through the tunnel-like darkness and after emerging from it, took a look around himself . He was now in a passageway of an ancient-looking structure . The only source of light illuminating this place was a lit torch on one of the walls . ¡®What is this place¡­ . ?¡¯ Because of the low lighting conditions, his eyes narrowed to a slit so that he could get a better look at his vicinity . The way back¡­ was blocked off . Soo-Hoh felt around the solid wall blocking his rear and shook his head eventually . He couldn¡¯t sense any sort of empty spaces behind this wall . ¡®So, there is no other way besides forward, huh?¡¯ The flames of the torch wavered around . He took it off the wall and illuminated his front . When he did¡­ . ¡°Wow . ¡± He was greeted by the sight of weapons arranged neatly on display on either side of the passageway . A longsword, shortswords, a bow, a spear, a mace, etc¡­ . A truly vast array of weapons were endlessly stacked against the walls in this still darkness, as if to wait for their rightful owner to come and pick them up . Soo-Hoh dazedly looked at them before swallowing back his saliva . What could possibly be the reason for these weapons to be here? Well, it was rather obvious, wasn¡¯t it? ¡®I need to choose¡­ . ¡¯ His gaze became far more circumspect than ever before . He didn¡¯t know why he was transferred to this place, but if his guess was right and the exit was at the end of this passage, then the weapon he chose right now would serve as a trustworthy companion on his journey . But, something felt weird . Why did it feel like his senses were being enhanced? His heart that didn¡¯t beat too fast while hanging out with his friends or checking out a game they suggested he should play, was now pounding away like crazy . As he observed each weapon on display, Soo-Hoh¡¯s eyes shone from the light of excitement . ¡®Alright¡­ . ¡¯ He took a close look at all the weapons lined up right till the end, and then, returned to the beginning to study them for a bit more . A few interesting hopefuls caught his eye, but in the end, there was nothing better than ¡®it¡¯, or so he decided . After putting the torch back up on the wall behind him, he cautiously put ¡®them¡¯ on both of his hands . Clank, clank . They were a pair of steel gauntlets that fit him snugly as if they had been crafted with him in mind . Unlike other weapons that required some amount of familiarity in order to effectively use them, his two fists were without a doubt, the most familiar and most powerful weapon he possessed . ¡®This is it . ¡¯ As if he found the gauntlets greatly to his liking, he began folding his outstretched fingers one by one again and again . When he was done fooling around¡­ Rumble-!! Torches lining up the walls in front of him and all around him lit up all at once . A long, long passageway now greeted him . A corridor resembling a secret pathway of an ancient castle seemed to stretch on forever and ever towards the other end . Something was about to begin here . Soo-Hoh did his best to calm his wildly-pounding heart, before his eyes spotted a pair of shortswords resting next to where he found his gauntlets . But, his gaze lingered on only for a brief moment . ¡®¡­ . Who¡¯d use weapons that look so weak?¡¯ For some reason, that pair of shortswords looked saddened somehow as Soo-Hoh¡¯s cautious steps left them behind in the darkness . *** Soo-Hoh carefully tread through the corridor . ¡°Is anyone here?¡± He raised his voice and called out, but there was no reply whatsoever . No, he couldn¡¯t even sense any presence of living people at all . And so, just how long did he walk like this? It wouldn¡¯t be too surprising to get worn out by being continuously vigilant like this, but Soo-Hoh still kept his senses ultra-sharp and didn¡¯t let up his wary observation of the surroundings . He could see the lit torches and sparks of flames dancing on top of them hanging on the walls . He could also see the old-fashioned architecture of this place, as well as metallic suits of armour lining up on the side of the wall with nary a gap between them . ¡®Am I in some kind of a basement of a medieval castle or something?¡¯ His curiosity on where he was and why he was summoned here grew greater and greater the longer he advanced forward . But then¡­ . ¡®Hold up . ¡¯ Soo-Hoh felt this ominous chill creep down his spine and he quickly went back the way he came to stand before a certain suit of armour . For some reason, the positioning of this armour seemed a wee bit different from when he walked past it a few seconds ago . ¡®This¡­ . Wait, did it really have its sword raised up in the air like this before?¡¯ He was pretty sure that its weapon was pointing down to the ground the last time . Soo-Hoh tilted his head and took a step forward, only for the sword of the armour to slice down in a straight line . Clang! If he hadn¡¯t raised the gauntlet and urgently block the blade in the nick of time, his head might have been split in half just now . ¡°What the hell??¡± The suit of armour didn¡¯t even give Soo-Hoh any chance to feel stunned by this development; it dropped its sword and pounced forward to strangle him with its bare hands . Boom!! Bang! Kwang!! His gauntlets soon issued several urgent, thunderous booms, and not too long afterwards, the suit of armour with its helmet destroyed stopped moving altogether . ¡°Pant, pant, pant¡­ . . ¡± While pushing away the collapsed suit of armour with his foot, Soo-Hoh breathed roughly and quickly . Thankfully, he didn¡¯t suffer any damage from this encounter, but his heart was pounding away so hard that it felt as if it¡¯d explode at any time . ¡®Hold up!¡¯ What if this wasn¡¯t the only suit of armour that could move? And what if every single one of them wanted to harm him? All those inanimate armours he walked past earlier without thinking too much brushed past his mind . That wasn¡¯t the end of his troubles, though . There were already so many of them in front of him, and there were even lining up along the length of this corridor, too . And sure enough¡­ Clank, clink! Accompanied by the chorus of metallic joints creaking and groaning, the suits of armour began descending from the platforms one by one . The various weapons held in their hands seemed to glow in chilling grey under the light . ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡­ . Maybe I should¡¯ve selected that mace? Soo-Hoh swallowed back the small waves of regret rushing in and clenched his fists tightly . It was around that time that the suits of armour rushed his position . *** BOOM! When he brought down the very last suit of armour, he got to hear that announcement again . [Level up!] [Current level: 19 . ] ¡°Fuu¡­ . ¡± Soo-Hoh bent down and exhaled a large gulping of air before raising his body up again . Every time he heard that message, all of his fatigue seemed to get washed away in full . That wasn¡¯t the only change, though . After regaining control over his breathing, he threw a straight jab in the empty air . Shuuuck-!! His fist flew out like a bullet . Not only that, his entire body was overflowing with this unexplainable power . ¡°I get it now . ¡± It was simpler than he thought . If he defeated these living suits of armour, then his level would go up, and the higher his level got, the stronger he¡¯d get, too . And quite obviously, he¡¯d be able to bring these monsters down much more easily as a result . Simple, yet a powerful perpetual cycle, indeed . Soo-Hoh looked behind at the corridor he¡¯d been waking until now . Large piles of armours broken beyond repair or recognition were strewn about here and there . He licked his lips a bit . ¡®This sucks¡­ . ¡¯ It¡¯d been so much nicer if he could raise his level just a bit higher here . He wanted to get stronger just a bit more . Unfortunately, every road had an end . Soo-Hoh looked at the giant doorway now blocking his path . His senses had matured greatly as his level rose up and they helped him to detect the presence of a powerful figure behind the door . That was why he felt rueful about levelling up even more . He closed eyes and took a deep breath just like how his father had taught him and reached out towards the door to push it open with both hands . Creak¡­ . The heavy-looking door opened up . The sight of a huge room resembling a castle¡¯s audience chamber greeted him next . As he followed along the rows of pillars set at a close interval on either side of him, he soon arrived at the deepest part of this chamber where a tall throne stood proudly above a raised plinth . Soo-Hoh was frozen stiff with nervousness in an instant . Because there was another monster suit of armour sitting on the throne . But he felt a strength on another dimension altogether from this b*stard compared to other monsters he encountered so far . ¡®That¡¯s it¡­ . ¡¯ The existence that emitted a goosebumps-inducing aura he felt outside the door, it was precisely this guy . The ¡®monster¡¯ slowly got up and took one step at a time to descend the stairs below the throne . It was a black knight . The knight boasting a strand of red plumage attached to its helm finally made its way down to the ground . Just the faint aura emitted from that creature made his skin tingle and shiver from nervousness . However, Soo-Hoh began smiling for some reason . An electrifying sensation thrilling enough to make all the hair on his body stand up wrapped around his entire being . Shurung¡­ . The knight began unsheathing his sword . ¡®I¡¯ll attack first before that sword is fully drawn out . ¡¯ But, just as he got ready to dash forward, the black knight was already standing right before his nose . A brilliant flash of light shone from the sword swung by the creature just then . ¡°¡­ . Uh??¡± That bright, blinding light filled up his view . *** ¡°Heok!!¡± Soo-Hoh hurriedly raised his body up . Still incredibly tense, he scanned his surroundings but he failed to see the black knight anywhere . No, he wasn¡¯t even in the same chamber where that monster was . Somehow, he was teleported back to the starting point . ¡®What the heck was that?!¡¯ He lost all strength on his legs and plopped down on the ground . ¡®I thought I was really going to die . ¡¯ He felt deeply spooked when recalling the moments of the black knight unsheathing its sword . He really, really thought that was the end for him . ¡°Besides all that, do I need to cross this corridor again?¡± Feeling quite unhappy now, Soo-Hoh got up from his spot only to realise that something had changed from his first attempt . And that would be the lit torches on the starting point . Rumble-! Out of those, there were three with blue flames burning on them, but now he realised that one of them had gone out . Could that be a coincidence? No, it wasn¡¯t . Weapons by the starting point, his level that rose up after killing monsters, his body that grew stronger as his level rose up . Not one of them could be called a coincidence . Soo-Hoh had a moment of epiphany just then . ¡®It¡¯s not that I was going to die, but¡­¡¯ There was no such concept as either pain or death inside this strange place, but those blue flames substituted for his remaining opportunities . If all three flames went out, then¡­ . For now, it was hard for him to imagine what kind of a result waited for him . ¡®In that case¡­ . ¡¯ ¡­ . I gotta be more meticulous . The glare in Soo-Hoh¡¯s eyes grew even more vigilant compared to the first attempt . One more time . But he¡¯d not mess up his chance this time around . Boom! He made up his mind as he blew away the monster suit of armour busy pouncing on him . *** ¡°Uwaaaah-!! Uwaah!!¡± Finding himself forcibly returned to the starting point once more, Soo-Hoh rolled around on the ground while clutching his head . Of course, he wasn¡¯t doing that because of an injury or crippling physical pain . He was just p*ssed off by the fact that he ended up throwing away yet another chance . He pounded on the ground as tears formed on his eyes . That¡¯s how deeply he felt hurt right now . After he somehow calmed the raging firestorm in his heart, he raised his head a bit to look, and to no one¡¯s surprise, the number of lit blue torches had decreased by one . Now, there was only one remaining . ¡®That black knight, he¡¯s just too powerful!!¡¯ There simply was far too great a gap between him and that creature, and it was more than enough to call it a cheat, that the ¡®balance¡¯ of this trial was definitely broken . With things like this, he¡¯d never be able to defeat that b*stard . ¡°Uwaaaah!!¡± Soo-Hoh rolled around on the ground once more . He did that for a while . Eventually, he grew tired of doing that, so he stopped and leaned his back against the wall before shifting his gaze over to the corridor . It was unknown just from where those suits were being summoned, but well, they had returned again and were manning their stations once more . ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys sick and tired of this already?¡± Soo-Hoh even felt happy to see those monster armours after seeing them for the third time like this . ¡°Hah-ah¡­ . ¡± He spat out a lengthy groan one after other, but then¡­ ¡°¡­ . Uh?¡± ¡­ . A lightbulb went on in his head . He raised his head and looked at the armours once more . ¡®When did those things reappear again?¡¯ Initially, he figured that the monsters reappeared simply because he was sent back to the starting point . However, what if that was wrong and they regenerated after a certain period of time? Ba-thump . Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump¡­ . A new ray of hope seemed to be within his reach . ¡®Okay, let¡¯s try it out . ¡¯ Soo-Hoh beat up the monster armours near the entrance and destroyed them before returning to the starting point . He sat down with his back leaning against the wall and observed for any potential changes to the monsters . After some time had passed by¡­ Plop, plop . The ¡®dead¡¯ monster armours suddenly turned into sand one by one and got absorbed into the ground . And then, Soo-Hoh¡¯s eyes grew wide after he saw what happened next . ¡®¡­ . . !¡¯ The sand suddenly gathered above the platforms the monsters used to stand and transformed back into the suits of armour . ¡°Yeees!¡± Soo-Hoh clenched his fists real tightly . Finally, he found the right answer . The only existences that could aid him with his levelling up thankfully respawned after a fixed period of time . Didn¡¯t that mean he should crazily level up by smashing these monsters apart until he could actually follow the movements of that horrifying black knight? A grin floated up on Soo-Hoh¡¯s face as he stood back up . Funnily enough, the monster armours flinched ever so slightly after they saw the figurative sparks of flame burning within his eyes . *** Level 70 . No matter how many times he hunted these monsters down, his level didn¡¯t want to rise beyond that . However, this should be more than enough . Blackish aura was slowly rising up Soo-Hoh¡¯s shoulders . He didn¡¯t know what these strands of black smoke might be, but he could tell one thing for sure . And that would be the fact that his body was currently overflowing with this incredible energy he found hard to fully control yet . He unhesitatingly pushed open the door to the chamber where the black knight was waiting for . Unlike the first two fights, the monster kindly came to greet him by the door¡¯s vicinity . Soo-Hoh grinned deeply . ¡°Were you waiting for long?¡± Rather than a verbal answer, the black knight unsheathed his sword, instead . For some reason, it felt as if this knight was smiling . Feeling confident after managing to push his level all the way up to 70 somehow, Soo-Hoh unleashed all of the magical energy gathered within his body without holding back . The ground trembled and pieces of rubble began floating in the air . ¡°Now, it¡¯s my turn . ¡± < Chapter 268 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 268: Chapter 268 Only I Level Up Recollections/After Stories. Part 4: Forward! Forward!. Soo-Hoh walked through the tunnel-like darkness and after emerging from it, took a look around himself . He was now in a passageway of an ancient-looking structure The only source of light illuminating this place was a lit torch on one of the walls ¡®What is this place¡­ . ?¡¯. Because of the low lighting conditions, his eyes narrowed to a slit so that he could get a better look at his vicinity The way back¡­ was blocked off Soo-Hoh felt around the solid wall blocking his rear and shook his head eventually . He couldn¡¯t sense any sort of empty spaces behind this wall ¡®So, there is no other way besides forward, huh?¡¯. The flames of the torch wavered around . He took it off the wall and illuminated his front When he did¡­ ¡°Wow . ¡±. He was greeted by the sight of weapons arranged neatly on display on either side of the passageway A longsword, shortswords, a bow, a spear, a mace, etc¡­ A truly vast array of weapons were endlessly stacked against the walls in this still darkness, as if to wait for their rightful owner to come and pick them up Soo-Hoh dazedly looked at them before swallowing back his saliva What could possibly be the reason for these weapons to be here? Well, it was rather obvious, wasn¡¯t it?. ¡®I need to choose¡­ . ¡¯. His gaze became far more circumspect than ever before He didn¡¯t know why he was transferred to this place, but if his guess was right and the exit was at the end of this passage, then the weapon he chose right now would serve as a trustworthy companion on his journey But, something felt weird Why did it feel like his senses were being enhanced?. His heart that didn¡¯t beat too fast while hanging out with his friends or checking out a game they suggested he should play, was now pounding away like crazy As he observed each weapon on display, Soo-Hoh¡¯s eyes shone from the light of excitement ¡®Alright¡­ . ¡¯. He took a close look at all the weapons lined up right till the end, and then, returned to the beginning to study them for a bit more . A few interesting hopefuls caught his eye, but in the end, there was nothing better than ¡®it¡¯, or so he decided After putting the torch back up on the wall behind him, he cautiously put ¡®them¡¯ on both of his hands Clank, clank They were a pair of steel gauntlets that fit him snugly as if they had been crafted with him in mind . Unlike other weapons that required some amount of familiarity in order to effectively use them, his two fists were without a doubt, the most familiar and most powerful weapon he possessed ¡®This is it . ¡¯. As if he found the gauntlets greatly to his liking, he began folding his outstretched fingers one by one again and again When he was done fooling around¡­. Rumble-!!. Torches lining up the walls in front of him and all around him lit up all at once . A long, long passageway now greeted him A corridor resembling a secret pathway of an ancient castle seemed to stretch on forever and ever towards the other end Something was about to begin here . Soo-Hoh did his best to calm his wildly-pounding heart, before his eyes spotted a pair of shortswords resting next to where he found his gauntlets But, his gaze lingered on only for a brief moment ¡®¡­ . Who¡¯d use weapons that look so weak?¡¯. For some reason, that pair of shortswords looked saddened somehow as Soo-Hoh¡¯s cautious steps left them behind in the darkness ***. Soo-Hoh carefully tread through the corridor ¡°Is anyone here?¡±. He raised his voice and called out, but there was no reply whatsoever . No, he couldn¡¯t even sense any presence of living people at all And so, just how long did he walk like this?. It wouldn¡¯t be too surprising to get worn out by being continuously vigilant like this, but Soo-Hoh still kept his senses ultra-sharp and didn¡¯t let up his wary observation of the surroundings He could see the lit torches and sparks of flames dancing on top of them hanging on the walls . He could also see the old-fashioned architecture of this place, as well as metallic suits of armour lining up on the side of the wall with nary a gap between them ¡®Am I in some kind of a basement of a medieval castle or something?¡¯. His curiosity on where he was and why he was summoned here grew greater and greater the longer he advanced forward But then¡­ ¡®Hold up . ¡¯. Soo-Hoh felt this ominous chill creep down his spine and he quickly went back the way he came to stand before a certain suit of armour . For some reason, the positioning of this armour seemed a wee bit different from when he walked past it a few seconds ago ¡®This¡­ . Wait, did it really have its sword raised up in the air like this before?¡¯. He was pretty sure that its weapon was pointing down to the ground the last time . Soo-Hoh tilted his head and took a step forward, only for the sword of the armour to slice down in a straight line Clang!. If he hadn¡¯t raised the gauntlet and urgently block the blade in the nick of time, his head might have been split in half just now ¡°What the hell??¡±. The suit of armour didn¡¯t even give Soo-Hoh any chance to feel stunned by this development; it dropped its sword and pounced forward to strangle him with its bare hands Boom!! Bang! Kwang!!. His gauntlets soon issued several urgent, thunderous booms, and not too long afterwards, the suit of armour with its helmet destroyed stopped moving altogether ¡°Pant, pant, pant¡­ ¡±. While pushing away the collapsed suit of armour with his foot, Soo-Hoh breathed roughly and quickly . Thankfully, he didn¡¯t suffer any damage from this encounter, but his heart was pounding away so hard that it felt as if it¡¯d explode at any time ¡®Hold up!¡¯. What if this wasn¡¯t the only suit of armour that could move? And what if every single one of them wanted to harm him? All those inanimate armours he walked past earlier without thinking too much brushed past his mind That wasn¡¯t the end of his troubles, though . There were already so many of them in front of him, and there were even lining up along the length of this corridor, too And sure enough¡­. Clank, clink!. Accompanied by the chorus of metallic joints creaking and groaning, the suits of armour began descending from the platforms one by one . The various weapons held in their hands seemed to glow in chilling grey under the light ¡°Ah¡­¡±. ¡­ . Maybe I should¡¯ve selected that mace?. Soo-Hoh swallowed back the small waves of regret rushing in and clenched his fists tightly . It was around that time that the suits of armour rushed his position ***. BOOM!. When he brought down the very last suit of armour, he got to hear that announcement again [Level up!]. [Current level: 19 . ]. ¡°Fuu¡­ . ¡±. Soo-Hoh bent down and exhaled a large gulping of air before raising his body up again . Every time he heard that message, all of his fatigue seemed to get washed away in full . That wasn¡¯t the only change, though After regaining control over his breathing, he threw a straight jab in the empty air Shuuuck-!!. His fist flew out like a bullet . Not only that, his entire body was overflowing with this unexplainable power ¡°I get it now . ¡±. It was simpler than he thought If he defeated these living suits of armour, then his level would go up, and the higher his level got, the stronger he¡¯d get, too . And quite obviously, he¡¯d be able to bring these monsters down much more easily as a result Simple, yet a powerful perpetual cycle, indeed Soo-Hoh looked behind at the corridor he¡¯d been waking until now . Large piles of armours broken beyond repair or recognition were strewn about here and there . He licked his lips a bit ¡®This sucks¡­ . ¡¯. It¡¯d been so much nicer if he could raise his level just a bit higher here . He wanted to get stronger just a bit more Unfortunately, every road had an end Soo-Hoh looked at the giant doorway now blocking his path . His senses had matured greatly as his level rose up and they helped him to detect the presence of a powerful figure behind the door That was why he felt rueful about levelling up even more He closed eyes and took a deep breath just like how his father had taught him and reached out towards the door to push it open with both hands Creak¡­ The heavy-looking door opened up The sight of a huge room resembling a castle¡¯s audience chamber greeted him next As he followed along the rows of pillars set at a close interval on either side of him, he soon arrived at the deepest part of this chamber where a tall throne stood proudly above a raised plinth Soo-Hoh was frozen stiff with nervousness in an instant Because there was another monster suit of armour sitting on the throne . But he felt a strength on another dimension altogether from this b*stard compared to other monsters he encountered so far ¡®That¡¯s it¡­ . ¡¯. The existence that emitted a goosebumps-inducing aura he felt outside the door, it was precisely this guy . The ¡®monster¡¯ slowly got up and took one step at a time to descend the stairs below the throne It was a black knight The knight boasting a strand of red plumage attached to its helm finally made its way down to the ground . Just the faint aura emitted from that creature made his skin tingle and shiver from nervousness However, Soo-Hoh began smiling for some reason . An electrifying sensation thrilling enough to make all the hair on his body stand up wrapped around his entire being Shurung¡­ The knight began unsheathing his sword ¡®I¡¯ll attack first before that sword is fully drawn out . ¡¯. But, just as he got ready to dash forward, the black knight was already standing right before his nose . A brilliant flash of light shone from the sword swung by the creature just then ¡°¡­ . Uh??¡±. That bright, blinding light filled up his view ***. ¡°Heok!!¡±. Soo-Hoh hurriedly raised his body up Still incredibly tense, he scanned his surroundings but he failed to see the black knight anywhere . No, he wasn¡¯t even in the same chamber where that monster was Somehow, he was teleported back to the starting point ¡®What the heck was that?!¡¯. He lost all strength on his legs and plopped down on the ground ¡®I thought I was really going to die . ¡¯. He felt deeply spooked when recalling the moments of the black knight unsheathing its sword . He really, really thought that was the end for him ¡°Besides all that, do I need to cross this corridor again?¡±. Feeling quite unhappy now, Soo-Hoh got up from his spot only to realise that something had changed from his first attempt . And that would be the lit torches on the starting point Rumble-!. Out of those, there were three with blue flames burning on them, but now he realised that one of them had gone out Could that be a coincidence?. No, it wasn¡¯t Weapons by the starting point, his level that rose up after killing monsters, his body that grew stronger as his level rose up Not one of them could be called a coincidence Soo-Hoh had a moment of epiphany just then ¡®It¡¯s not that I was going to die, but¡­¡¯. There was no such concept as either pain or death inside this strange place, but those blue flames substituted for his remaining opportunities If all three flames went out, then¡­ . For now, it was hard for him to imagine what kind of a result waited for him ¡®In that case¡­ . ¡¯. ¡­ . I gotta be more meticulous The glare in Soo-Hoh¡¯s eyes grew even more vigilant compared to the first attempt One more time . But he¡¯d not mess up his chance this time around Boom!. He made up his mind as he blew away the monster suit of armour busy pouncing on him ***. ¡°Uwaaaah-!! Uwaah!!¡±. Finding himself forcibly returned to the starting point once more, Soo-Hoh rolled around on the ground while clutching his head . Of course, he wasn¡¯t doing that because of an injury or crippling physical pain He was just p*ssed off by the fact that he ended up throwing away yet another chance . He pounded on the ground as tears formed on his eyes . That¡¯s how deeply he felt hurt right now After he somehow calmed the raging firestorm in his heart, he raised his head a bit to look, and to no one¡¯s surprise, the number of lit blue torches had decreased by one . Now, there was only one remaining ¡®That black knight, he¡¯s just too powerful!!¡¯. There simply was far too great a gap between him and that creature, and it was more than enough to call it a cheat, that the ¡®balance¡¯ of this trial was definitely broken . With things like this, he¡¯d never be able to defeat that b*stard ¡°Uwaaaah!!¡±. Soo-Hoh rolled around on the ground once more He did that for a while . Eventually, he grew tired of doing that, so he stopped and leaned his back against the wall before shifting his gaze over to the corridor It was unknown just from where those suits were being summoned, but well, they had returned again and were manning their stations once more ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys sick and tired of this already?¡±. Soo-Hoh even felt happy to see those monster armours after seeing them for the third time like this ¡°Hah-ah¡­ . ¡±. He spat out a lengthy groan one after other, but then¡­. ¡°¡­ . Uh?¡±. ¡­ . A lightbulb went on in his head He raised his head and looked at the armours once more ¡®When did those things reappear again?¡¯. Initially, he figured that the monsters reappeared simply because he was sent back to the starting point . However, what if that was wrong and they regenerated after a certain period of time?. Ba-thump Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump¡­ A new ray of hope seemed to be within his reach ¡®Okay, let¡¯s try it out . ¡¯. Soo-Hoh beat up the monster armours near the entrance and destroyed them before returning to the starting point . He sat down with his back leaning against the wall and observed for any potential changes to the monsters After some time had passed by¡­. Plop, plop The ¡®dead¡¯ monster armours suddenly turned into sand one by one and got absorbed into the ground . And then, Soo-Hoh¡¯s eyes grew wide after he saw what happened next ¡®¡­ !¡¯. The sand suddenly gathered above the platforms the monsters used to stand and transformed back into the suits of armour ¡°Yeees!¡±. Soo-Hoh clenched his fists real tightly Finally, he found the right answer The only existences that could aid him with his levelling up thankfully respawned after a fixed period of time Didn¡¯t that mean he should crazily level up by smashing these monsters apart until he could actually follow the movements of that horrifying black knight?. A grin floated up on Soo-Hoh¡¯s face as he stood back up Funnily enough, the monster armours flinched ever so slightly after they saw the figurative sparks of flame burning within his eyes ***. Level 70 No matter how many times he hunted these monsters down, his level didn¡¯t want to rise beyond that . However, this should be more than enough Blackish aura was slowly rising up Soo-Hoh¡¯s shoulders . He didn¡¯t know what these strands of black smoke might be, but he could tell one thing for sure And that would be the fact that his body was currently overflowing with this incredible energy he found hard to fully control yet He unhesitatingly pushed open the door to the chamber where the black knight was waiting for . Unlike the first two fights, the monster kindly came to greet him by the door¡¯s vicinity Soo-Hoh grinned deeply ¡°Were you waiting for long?¡±. Rather than a verbal answer, the black knight unsheathed his sword, instead . For some reason, it felt as if this knight was smiling Feeling confident after managing to push his level all the way up to 70 somehow, Soo-Hoh unleashed all of the magical energy gathered within his body without holding back The ground trembled and pieces of rubble began floating in the air ¡°Now, it¡¯s my turn . ¡±. < Chapter 268 > Fin Chapter 269 Only I Level Up Recollections/After Stories Part 5: Conclusion (TL: One more chapter to go!) There were around 30 metres between him and the b*stard . ¡®¡­ . Let¡¯s do this . ¡¯ Soo-Hoh concentrated and in an instant, the flow of time around him seemed to slow down to a crawl, allowing him to see and discover all those little things he hadn¡¯t noticed before . For instance, the sword swung by the black knight . And then, that blue-coloured arc of lightning from the tip of that sword flying towards him in a straight line with a ¡®flash¡¯ . ¡®So, that¡¯s what it was!!¡¯ Finally, he got to see what the powerful attack that ended the fight was, even before he could do anything the last two times . His agility and perception, raised up much higher than before through levelling up, were pushed to their absolute limits . He dodged the streak of light flying right into his face and took a step forward . Taht! Just one leap, and in that one moment, the distance between him and his target decreased in half by roughly around 15 metres . Flash!! The second lightning brushed past the top of his head by a hair¡¯s width . The black knight had quickly changed his posture after sending out the first attack to follow up with his second . Soo-Hoh felt amazed at his opponent¡¯s quick reaction as he took another step forward . Taht! The distance between them disappeared in the next instance . Kwa-du-duk! Soo-Hoh clenched his gauntlet-covered fist tightly . ¡®Now you are in my range . ¡¯ Flinch . It looked as if the black knight tensed up greatly just then, and his emotions travelled through the chilly air to cling to Soo-Hoh¡¯s two cheeks . While inwardly thanking the level up system that pushed his abilities to such an incredible height, Soo-Hoh punched forward, hard . Shhhwiiiii-eeek! His fist had broken past the level of a bullet and was more like a cannon shell now, as it crashed into the face of the black knight . Kwa-boom!! The knight urgently raised his sword to block the incoming gauntlet but in the end, he was powerfully shoved away with both of his feet briefly leaving the ground . Kwa-jijijijik!! The ends of the black knight¡¯s boots broke the stone tiles on the floor and left behind two lengthy gouges as he got shoved back . By the time he finally managed to stop his seemingly-endless travel rearwards¡­ ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯ He realised belatedly that there was a stone pillar behind him . ¡®D*mn it!¡¯ The black knight became flustered and quickly shifted his gaze back to his front . But then, Soo-Hoh was already there, blocking the view . ¡®Could he have¡­ . that attack was meant to force me into this very area?¡¯ The black knight was left greatly stunned by his opponent¡¯s smart thinking, but still, reflexively moved his sword in the meantime . The aura oozing off the blade as reflected in Soo-Hoh¡¯s eyes emitted a chilling blue light . The boy held his breath for a moment there and smacked the knight¡¯s blade slicing down diagonally with the back of his hand, currently safely protected by the metal gauntlet . He then took a powerful step forward . Soo-Hoh managed to reduce the distance between him and his opponent to zero before swinging his fist one more time . This attack landed squarely on the black knight¡¯s chest . Kwa-boom!!! Now normally, the knight should¡¯ve been flung away by the force, but he crashed into the pillar behind him instead, and the structure¡¯s surface cracked up grandly . What a shocking destructive power that was . However, what was even more shocking was the fact that an attack carrying such destructive power didn¡¯t end with just one hit . Soon after, Soo-Hoh¡¯s barrage of fists rained down on his target . Dududududududu-!! The black knight, no, Igrit continued to sigh in admiration inwardly as he blocked and deflected Soo-Hoh¡¯s non-stop barrage of attacks, which kind of reminded him of his liege¡¯s skill . ¡®So, this is the power of the young lord, even if he¡¯s not 100% yet?¡¯ His father, becoming one with a godly being, while his mother, a rank S Hunter once upon a time in a now-forgotten timeline . Born from these two people, the sleeping potential within Soo-Hoh easily exceeded Igrit¡¯s imagination . Kwa-jeeck! The sturdy armour began breaking and falling off bit by bit under the barrage of merciless attacks . Igrit pushed his speed to the limit, but it was still not enough to defend against every single attack raining down on him . And eventually¡­ Clang!! The sword barely withstanding against Soo-Hoh¡¯s blunt attacks finally broke while issuing a loud noise . That was the end . Igrit watched the shattered remnants of steel fly away and instinctively sensed that this battle was now over . But then, this defeat also quickened his pulse to a great deal compared to before, just like back when he fought against Jin-Woo all those years ago in a place similar to this one . Meanwhile, Soo-Hoh loaded his fist with his magical energy for that final shot . Wuuoong-!! The surrounding Mana in the air rippled like waves on the lake¡¯s surface and spread out visibly . And then¡­ . KA-BOOM!! The fist fired forward like a cannon shell left behind a large, empty hole where the black knight¡¯s abdomen was . The knight collided with the pillar again and slowly slid down . And then, he stopped moving altogether . ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ Soo-Hoh cautiously poked the slumped black knight before finally releasing his tightly-held breath . ¡°Hah-ah!!¡± He won . He fought and won against a powerful enemy that he thought he could never win against in the beginning . Joy began welling up from the deepest part of his chest like a tidal wave . However, rather different from his expectations, there wasn¡¯t all that much of a change . ¡®Maybe¡­ this isn¡¯t the end?¡¯ He slowly looked around his surroundings and belatedly discovered that, in the distance, a brand new Gate had been generated by the foot of the stairs leading up to the tall throne . His eyes grew super-large . It was the exit! He didn¡¯t know why he ended up in this place, but still, he couldn¡¯t help but smile brightly after realising that this bizarre adventure was about to come to its conclusion . Soo-Hoh hurriedly ran towards the black hole in happiness and threw himself inside . Just like back when he was entering this place, he passed through a long tunnel of darkness, and after opening his eyes¡­ . . ¡°Kkkiiieeehk!¡± ¡°Khhiigegegek!¡± ¡°¡­ . . ¡± ¡­ . He found human-sized ant humanoid monsters busy screeching out here and there . *** ¡°Pant, pant, what kind of ants are this crazy?!¡± Soo-Hoh looked down in utter disbelief at the unmoving corpses of ant monsters he managed to defeat just now . For some reason, he liked ants from a young age so he always cautiously avoided lines of worker ants if he happened to come across one so that he wouldn¡¯t step on them by mistake . But now, he felt rather remorseful of his past actions . That was how powerful and obstinate these ant monsters were . Those armour monsters couldn¡¯t even be compared to these guys at all . ¡®Still, if I were to look for the silver lining in all of this, then¡­ . ¡¯ His level that seemed to have gotten stuck began climbing up quickly again after he hunted these ant monsters down . Sha-shak, sha-shak¡­ He could hear the shuffling footsteps of the ant monsters coming from somewhere . Soo-Hoh was successful in regaining control over his heavy breathing by then . He tightly clenched his fists and got ready . Kwa-du-duk! ¡°Khiieck!¡± ¡°Kahk!¡± Remembering the lessons learned during his battle against the black knight, Soo-Hoh made sure to focus on raising his level higher by clearing out every single nook and cranny of this cavern . And so, screams of ant monsters continued to resound out from all corners of this complicated cavern system with a maze-like layout . How long did he roam around this cavern in this fashion? ¡®Alright¡­ . ¡¯ When he reached the point where his level didn¡¯t want to rise up even after defeating the ant monsters, Soo-Hoh headed towards the last chamber in this cavern and entered it . As it turned out, it was a giant, open chamber . An empty space, in other words . There was not one strand of light inside the boss chamber, but Soo-Hoh¡¯s senses had already far exceeded that of a regular human and he had no problem maintaining his vision . ¡®Just how big is the master of this place that it has to be this large?¡¯ Just as he began to get worried ever so slightly¡­ . He finally discovered a humanoid ant monster with its back turned towards him . Unlike the others he fought so far, though, this particular guy sported insect-like wings . ¡®Is that guy the only thing in this chamber?¡¯ The overall atmosphere of this open space was rather similar to the one found in the chamber with the black knight . However, Soo-Hoh couldn¡¯t sense any sorts of power from that ant creature, which was quite different from the knight boss of before . Was it powerful, or a weakling? Soo-Hoh tilted his head this way and that and while being as sneaky as possible, he cautiously approached the creature . When he got close enough to think that he was in range now, the ant monster suddenly turned around to face Soo-Hoh without any prior warning . ¡®Heok!¡¯ Soo-Hoh flinched and quickly took a step back . It wasn¡¯t because he got scared, though . No, he just got surprised by the unfolding situation, that was all . But, it couldn¡¯t be helped, really . The thing was, the ant monster turning around was crying non-stop . It was sobbing so sorrowfully that, even though he knew the creature was a monster that he couldn¡¯t converse with, Soo-Hoh just couldn¡¯t bring himself to attack first . But, why did this happen? It¡¯d only be normal to feel rather weirded out when looking at an insectoid creature the size of a grown man standing on two feet while thick teardrops fell from its eyes . But, Soo-Hoh wanted to console this ant monster instead, for some inexplicable reason . That¡¯s what he felt then . Too bad, such a compassionate thought could only last for a brief moment . Soo-Hoh sensed an incredible aura from the creature bursting forth and hurriedly leapt a good distance away . ¡®¡­ . ??¡¯ As if it was trying to get a hold of its emotions, the ant monster wiped the tears away with the backs of its hands . ¡®Oh my god¡­ . ¡¯ Meanwhile, Soo-Hoh was stunned by the incredible power oozing out from his new opponent and inadvertently sneaked a look down at the hair on his arms standing up . This ant, it was on another scale altogether compared to other ants or that black knight he fought so far . His entire body began shuddering . ¡®Uh¡­ . ?¡¯ Suddenly, a huge shadow drew upon him and he raised his head up to look, only to find that the ant monster had closed the distance and was standing right in front of his nose . Its body had ballooned up to over double that of its previous size and then, it screeched out a horrifying cry next . [Kiiiiiieeeeehhhk!] *** What a relief it was . Indeed, there was no other way to say it than what a relief . While lying on the ground completely exhausted, Soo-Hoh continued to think that way . The winged ant monster was a truly frightening opponent, for sure . But, for some reason, the ant couldn¡¯t attack him whenever they were locked in critical moments, apparently feeling conflicted about something . But, thanks to that, he was able to bring down the ant somehow, even though the task proved to be really arduous in the end . ¡°Euh, euh¡­ . ¡± While goading and twisting his aching body, Soo-Hoh pushed himself up . As his reward for bringing down a powerful enemy, a new Gate had been generated over yonder . Before leaving, he confirmed his current level . [Level: 99] His level stopped climbing at 99 . Now, normally, most games would treat ¡¯99¡¯ as the max level attainable . ¡®I¡¯m sure I can go home for real now . ¡¯ Soo-Hoh¡¯s heart pounded away noisily as his expectations grew . He then gladly jumped into the awaiting Gate . And when he opened his eyes¡­ . ¡°Mm? Mmmm??¡± ¡°Growl¡­ . . ¡± ¡­ . He got to discover giants and dragons filling up his view, as far as his eyes could see . ¡°Hah¡­¡± *** It was the case of ¡®one mountain after another¡¯ . While making figurative mountains out of the corpses of giants and dragons, Soo-Hoh continued down the path laid out on this seemingly-endless plains . His level remained stuck in 99 . Although his stats didn¡¯t rise higher, he was now able to control his powers far more smoothly and expertly after going through countless battles . His incredible strength, and technique to control them, gave Soo-Hoh a rather healthy boost to his confidence . A short while later, he discovered yet another black knight guarding the end of the path . ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ Unlike the previous black knight with a red plumage attached to its helm, this new guy boasted a much bigger physique, and there were traces of broken wings on its back, as well . It was incredibly powerful . So much so that, it must¡¯ve been far stronger than the winged ant monster he fought earlier . However¡­ . ¡®¡­ . That guy isn¡¯t my real opponent . ¡¯ Soo-Hoh was sure of this . Why? Because, a certain existence that made him think that it was the real deal was flying silently in the air above his head, that was why . Soo-Hoh picked up on that figure¡¯s enormous presence and raised his head high . When he did¡­ [Kkiiaahk-!!] The Sky Dragon flying in the air roared out loudly . The scene of a lone figure jumping off from its back happened right afterwards . The figure of a person fell for what felt like an eternity before lightly landing on the ground, causing the earth below to cave into a big crater while kicking up an almighty dust storm in the process . BOOM!! Soo-Hoh swallowed nervously . ¡®That guy¡¯s the real deal¡­ . ¡¯ The unknown figure, his face hidden behind the hoodie pulled down low, emitted this intense pressure that even made breathing difficult . When he made his descent, the black knight stopped unsheathing his sword and took several steps back as if to say that he¡¯d not participate in the upcoming fight anymore . ¡®I knew it, the real enemy is this guy . ¡¯ Soo-Hoh tried to stop his legs from shaking anymore from this choking pressure . This was the first time an actual person and not a monster had appeared in here so he simply had to say something . ¡°Excuse me!¡± He tried to engage the mysterious figure in conversation, but the lips visible below the hoodie only maintained a simple grin, choosing not to return any verbal replies . ¡°Argh, seriously man¡­ . ¡± Soo-Hoh gave up on talking to the figure, but then, his eyes went extra-round after discovering something else besides . ¡®Isn¡¯t that¡­ . ?¡¯ For the first time during this journey, the Gate had been generated even before he defeated his enemy . Its location was behind the man wearing the hoodie . ¡®Which means¡­ . ¡¯ This could very well be the final hurdle . As long as he could defeat that man, he¡¯d be able to go home . When that conclusion popped up in his head, Soo-Hoh¡¯s body moved instinctively . It moved under the influence of his overall stats that had reached their absolute limit, as well as the combat abilities that had evolved to allow him full control over those stats . Ba-thump, ba-thump!! While feeling the explosive beatings of his heart¡­ Taht! Taht! Taht!! Soo-Hoh broke past the speed of sound and rushed to the front of the man in the blink of an eye . His enemy was literally right in front of his nose . Within this distance that none could possibly dodge an attack, a fist that couldn¡¯t be withstood even if blocked flew straight into the mystery man¡¯s face . Too bad, the man only had to lean his head back slightly and easily let the attack slide by him . It happened then . Inside this world of slowed-down time, Soo-Hoh got to see the uncovered face of the man, revealed for a brief moment under the hood . ¡°¡­ . Dad?!¡± The mystery man smirked gently . ¡°Still too early . ¡± Soo-Hoh¡¯s eyes grew wider as they caught the sight of the man¡¯s palm closing in on his face faster than the speed of light . The boy squeezed his eyes shut . And soon, the light completely blinded him . *** ¡°Heok!!¡± Soo-Hoh shot up from his chair and hurriedly took a look around him . He was back inside his classroom . The empty, still air of the after-school hours had permeated into this now-familiar place . He wiped the cold sweat pooled on his forehead . ¡®What a weird-a*s dream that was . ¡¯ Did I play way too many games or something? After wandering around lost inside a strange dungeon, he ended up running into his own father as its final boss¡­ . What an embarrassing crappy dream that he wouldn¡¯t dare to tell anyone for, like, ever . He was greatly relieved that it was nothing but just a dream . He spat out a sigh of relief and turned around, only to find a female student frozen stiff like a block of ice behind him . She got surprised out of her skull after the sleeping Soo-Hoh suddenly shot up from his spot, actually . He wanted to break this awkward atmosphere somehow, so he started talking to her first . ¡°Uhm, weren¡¯t you supposed to go home?¡± Now that he took another look, it was the same girl sitting behind his spot that poked him in the back earlier in the day . ¡°I¡¯m supposed to do the classroom duty this week, so¡­ I gotta lock the doors first before leaving¡­ . ¡± The female student stuttered and took pauses between her words, but Soo-Hoh replied as if it was nothing to sweat over . ¡°Want me to help?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± The girl got flustered for a moment there at the unexpected offer, but eventually, shyly nodded her head . ¡°¡­ . Thanks . ¡± *** Around the same time . Jin-Woo stood on the rooftop of the same school building alongside Beru and Igrit . Igrit was the first to speak . [My liege¡­ . Isn¡¯t it fine to restore the young lord¡¯s powers now?] They had performed the same test a few times before, but today was the first time the young lord reached as far as the Sovereign¡¯s footsteps . Igrit wished to give Soo-Hoh full passing marks after the boy displayed wonderful progress during the examination . Jin-Woo replied with a grin on his lips . ¡°What would¡¯ve happened if I tried to fight the Dragon Emperor from the get-go while believing in the powers that I possessed at that time?¡± Igrit shook his head . What Jin-Woo wanted to teach Soo-Hoh was precisely this . No matter how powerful one was, one should consider escaping when facing a situation where the victory wasn¡¯t a certainty . It was not a sign of bravery to jump in head-long against a powerful enemy without a plan . ¡®Indeed, it¡¯s just a reckless, foolish bravado . ¡¯ Even when knowing that he couldn¡¯t win, Soo-Hoh still challenged Jin-Woo, regardless . His courage might be laudable, but from the perspective of his father, that was a rather worrisome result . ¡®Too early . Right, it¡¯s still too early for him . However, Soo-Hoh is a smart kid, so he¡¯ll soon figure it out . He¡¯ll learn that he needs to adjust his powers according to the situation at hand . ¡¯ [Young Lord¡­ . ] Beru looked at a sheet of an old paper with him drawn on it, the edges of his eyes reddening up with tears once more . Drop, drop¡­ . Jin-Woo lightly patted the shoulders of despondent Beru before walking closer to the guardrail to take a look at the school grounds below . He could see the back of his son leaving the school gate along with a female student from his class . Jin-Woo rested his chin on his hands and watched Soo-Hoh walk further away, before a grin floated up on his face . ¡°It¡¯s been a while, so should I take my family out for dinner later today?¡± < Chapter 269 > Fin . Sponsored Content Chapter 269: Chapter 269 Only I Level Up Recollections/After Stories. Part 5: Conclusion. (TL: One more chapter to go!). There were around 30 metres between him and the b*stard ¡®¡­ . Let¡¯s do this . ¡¯. Soo-Hoh concentrated and in an instant, the flow of time around him seemed to slow down to a crawl, allowing him to see and discover all those little things he hadn¡¯t noticed before For instance, the sword swung by the black knight . And then, that blue-coloured arc of lightning from the tip of that sword flying towards him in a straight line with a ¡®flash¡¯ ¡®So, that¡¯s what it was!!¡¯. Finally, he got to see what the powerful attack that ended the fight was, even before he could do anything the last two times . His agility and perception, raised up much higher than before through levelling up, were pushed to their absolute limits He dodged the streak of light flying right into his face and took a step forward Taht!. Just one leap, and in that one moment, the distance between him and his target decreased in half by roughly around 15 metres Flash!!. The second lightning brushed past the top of his head by a hair¡¯s width The black knight had quickly changed his posture after sending out the first attack to follow up with his second . Soo-Hoh felt amazed at his opponent¡¯s quick reaction as he took another step forward Taht!. The distance between them disappeared in the next instance Kwa-du-duk!. Soo-Hoh clenched his gauntlet-covered fist tightly ¡®Now you are in my range . ¡¯. Flinch It looked as if the black knight tensed up greatly just then, and his emotions travelled through the chilly air to cling to Soo-Hoh¡¯s two cheeks While inwardly thanking the level up system that pushed his abilities to such an incredible height, Soo-Hoh punched forward, hard Shhhwiiiii-eeek!. His fist had broken past the level of a bullet and was more like a cannon shell now, as it crashed into the face of the black knight Kwa-boom!!. The knight urgently raised his sword to block the incoming gauntlet but in the end, he was powerfully shoved away with both of his feet briefly leaving the ground Kwa-jijijijik!!. The ends of the black knight¡¯s boots broke the stone tiles on the floor and left behind two lengthy gouges as he got shoved back . By the time he finally managed to stop his seemingly-endless travel rearwards¡­. ¡®¡­ . !!¡¯. He realised belatedly that there was a stone pillar behind him ¡®D*mn it!¡¯. The black knight became flustered and quickly shifted his gaze back to his front . But then, Soo-Hoh was already there, blocking the view ¡®Could he have¡­ . that attack was meant to force me into this very area?¡¯. The black knight was left greatly stunned by his opponent¡¯s smart thinking, but still, reflexively moved his sword in the meantime . The aura oozing off the blade as reflected in Soo-Hoh¡¯s eyes emitted a chilling blue light The boy held his breath for a moment there and smacked the knight¡¯s blade slicing down diagonally with the back of his hand, currently safely protected by the metal gauntlet He then took a powerful step forward Soo-Hoh managed to reduce the distance between him and his opponent to zero before swinging his fist one more time . This attack landed squarely on the black knight¡¯s chest Kwa-boom!!!. Now normally, the knight should¡¯ve been flung away by the force, but he crashed into the pillar behind him instead, and the structure¡¯s surface cracked up grandly What a shocking destructive power that was However, what was even more shocking was the fact that an attack carrying such destructive power didn¡¯t end with just one hit . Soon after, Soo-Hoh¡¯s barrage of fists rained down on his target Dududududududu-!!. The black knight, no, Igrit continued to sigh in admiration inwardly as he blocked and deflected Soo-Hoh¡¯s non-stop barrage of attacks, which kind of reminded him of his liege¡¯s skill ¡®So, this is the power of the young lord, even if he¡¯s not 100% yet?¡¯. His father, becoming one with a godly being, while his mother, a rank S Hunter once upon a time in a now-forgotten timeline . Born from these two people, the sleeping potential within Soo-Hoh easily exceeded Igrit¡¯s imagination Kwa-jeeck!. The sturdy armour began breaking and falling off bit by bit under the barrage of merciless attacks . Igrit pushed his speed to the limit, but it was still not enough to defend against every single attack raining down on him And eventually¡­. Clang!!. The sword barely withstanding against Soo-Hoh¡¯s blunt attacks finally broke while issuing a loud noise That was the end Igrit watched the shattered remnants of steel fly away and instinctively sensed that this battle was now over But then, this defeat also quickened his pulse to a great deal compared to before, just like back when he fought against Jin-Woo all those years ago in a place similar to this one Meanwhile, Soo-Hoh loaded his fist with his magical energy for that final shot Wuuoong-!!. The surrounding Mana in the air rippled like waves on the lake¡¯s surface and spread out visibly . And then¡­ KA-BOOM!!. The fist fired forward like a cannon shell left behind a large, empty hole where the black knight¡¯s abdomen was . The knight collided with the pillar again and slowly slid down . And then, he stopped moving altogether ¡®¡­ ¡¯. Soo-Hoh cautiously poked the slumped black knight before finally releasing his tightly-held breath ¡°Hah-ah!!¡±. He won He fought and won against a powerful enemy that he thought he could never win against in the beginning . Joy began welling up from the deepest part of his chest like a tidal wave However, rather different from his expectations, there wasn¡¯t all that much of a change ¡®Maybe¡­ this isn¡¯t the end?¡¯. He slowly looked around his surroundings and belatedly discovered that, in the distance, a brand new Gate had been generated by the foot of the stairs leading up to the tall throne His eyes grew super-large It was the exit!. He didn¡¯t know why he ended up in this place, but still, he couldn¡¯t help but smile brightly after realising that this bizarre adventure was about to come to its conclusion Soo-Hoh hurriedly ran towards the black hole in happiness and threw himself inside . Just like back when he was entering this place, he passed through a long tunnel of darkness, and after opening his eyes¡­ . ¡°Kkkiiieeehk!¡±. ¡°Khhiigegegek!¡±. ¡°¡­ ¡±. ¡­ . He found human-sized ant humanoid monsters busy screeching out here and there ***. ¡°Pant, pant, what kind of ants are this crazy?!¡±. Soo-Hoh looked down in utter disbelief at the unmoving corpses of ant monsters he managed to defeat just now For some reason, he liked ants from a young age so he always cautiously avoided lines of worker ants if he happened to come across one so that he wouldn¡¯t step on them by mistake . But now, he felt rather remorseful of his past actions That was how powerful and obstinate these ant monsters were . Those armour monsters couldn¡¯t even be compared to these guys at all ¡®Still, if I were to look for the silver lining in all of this, then¡­ . ¡¯. His level that seemed to have gotten stuck began climbing up quickly again after he hunted these ant monsters down Sha-shak, sha-shak¡­. He could hear the shuffling footsteps of the ant monsters coming from somewhere . Soo-Hoh was successful in regaining control over his heavy breathing by then . He tightly clenched his fists and got ready Kwa-du-duk!. ¡°Khiieck!¡±. ¡°Kahk!¡±. Remembering the lessons learned during his battle against the black knight, Soo-Hoh made sure to focus on raising his level higher by clearing out every single nook and cranny of this cavern And so, screams of ant monsters continued to resound out from all corners of this complicated cavern system with a maze-like layout How long did he roam around this cavern in this fashion?. ¡®Alright¡­ . ¡¯. When he reached the point where his level didn¡¯t want to rise up even after defeating the ant monsters, Soo-Hoh headed towards the last chamber in this cavern and entered it As it turned out, it was a giant, open chamber . An empty space, in other words There was not one strand of light inside the boss chamber, but Soo-Hoh¡¯s senses had already far exceeded that of a regular human and he had no problem maintaining his vision ¡®Just how big is the master of this place that it has to be this large?¡¯. Just as he began to get worried ever so slightly¡­ He finally discovered a humanoid ant monster with its back turned towards him . Unlike the others he fought so far, though, this particular guy sported insect-like wings ¡®Is that guy the only thing in this chamber?¡¯. The overall atmosphere of this open space was rather similar to the one found in the chamber with the black knight . However, Soo-Hoh couldn¡¯t sense any sorts of power from that ant creature, which was quite different from the knight boss of before Was it powerful, or a weakling?. Soo-Hoh tilted his head this way and that and while being as sneaky as possible, he cautiously approached the creature When he got close enough to think that he was in range now, the ant monster suddenly turned around to face Soo-Hoh without any prior warning ¡®Heok!¡¯. Soo-Hoh flinched and quickly took a step back It wasn¡¯t because he got scared, though . No, he just got surprised by the unfolding situation, that was all . But, it couldn¡¯t be helped, really . The thing was, the ant monster turning around was crying non-stop It was sobbing so sorrowfully that, even though he knew the creature was a monster that he couldn¡¯t converse with, Soo-Hoh just couldn¡¯t bring himself to attack first But, why did this happen?. It¡¯d only be normal to feel rather weirded out when looking at an insectoid creature the size of a grown man standing on two feet while thick teardrops fell from its eyes But, Soo-Hoh wanted to console this ant monster instead, for some inexplicable reason . That¡¯s what he felt then Too bad, such a compassionate thought could only last for a brief moment . Soo-Hoh sensed an incredible aura from the creature bursting forth and hurriedly leapt a good distance away ¡®¡­ . ??¡¯. As if it was trying to get a hold of its emotions, the ant monster wiped the tears away with the backs of its hands ¡®Oh my god¡­ . ¡¯. Meanwhile, Soo-Hoh was stunned by the incredible power oozing out from his new opponent and inadvertently sneaked a look down at the hair on his arms standing up This ant, it was on another scale altogether compared to other ants or that black knight he fought so far . His entire body began shuddering ¡®Uh¡­ . ?¡¯. Suddenly, a huge shadow drew upon him and he raised his head up to look, only to find that the ant monster had closed the distance and was standing right in front of his nose Its body had ballooned up to over double that of its previous size and then, it screeched out a horrifying cry next [Kiiiiiieeeeehhhk!]. ***. What a relief it was Indeed, there was no other way to say it than what a relief While lying on the ground completely exhausted, Soo-Hoh continued to think that way The winged ant monster was a truly frightening opponent, for sure . But, for some reason, the ant couldn¡¯t attack him whenever they were locked in critical moments, apparently feeling conflicted about something But, thanks to that, he was able to bring down the ant somehow, even though the task proved to be really arduous in the end ¡°Euh, euh¡­ . ¡±. While goading and twisting his aching body, Soo-Hoh pushed himself up . As his reward for bringing down a powerful enemy, a new Gate had been generated over yonder Before leaving, he confirmed his current level [Level: 99]. His level stopped climbing at 99 . Now, normally, most games would treat ¡¯99¡¯ as the max level attainable ¡®I¡¯m sure I can go home for real now . ¡¯. Soo-Hoh¡¯s heart pounded away noisily as his expectations grew . He then gladly jumped into the awaiting Gate . And when he opened his eyes¡­ ¡°Mm? Mmmm??¡±. ¡°Growl¡­ ¡±. ¡­ . He got to discover giants and dragons filling up his view, as far as his eyes could see ¡°Hah¡­¡±. ***. It was the case of ¡®one mountain after another¡¯ While making figurative mountains out of the corpses of giants and dragons, Soo-Hoh continued down the path laid out on this seemingly-endless plains His level remained stuck in 99 Although his stats didn¡¯t rise higher, he was now able to control his powers far more smoothly and expertly after going through countless battles . His incredible strength, and technique to control them, gave Soo-Hoh a rather healthy boost to his confidence A short while later, he discovered yet another black knight guarding the end of the path ¡®¡­ ¡¯. Unlike the previous black knight with a red plumage attached to its helm, this new guy boasted a much bigger physique, and there were traces of broken wings on its back, as well It was incredibly powerful . So much so that, it must¡¯ve been far stronger than the winged ant monster he fought earlier . However¡­ ¡®¡­ . That guy isn¡¯t my real opponent . ¡¯. Soo-Hoh was sure of this Why? Because, a certain existence that made him think that it was the real deal was flying silently in the air above his head, that was why Soo-Hoh picked up on that figure¡¯s enormous presence and raised his head high . When he did¡­. [Kkiiaahk-!!]. The Sky Dragon flying in the air roared out loudly . The scene of a lone figure jumping off from its back happened right afterwards The figure of a person fell for what felt like an eternity before lightly landing on the ground, causing the earth below to cave into a big crater while kicking up an almighty dust storm in the process BOOM!!. Soo-Hoh swallowed nervously ¡®That guy¡¯s the real deal¡­ . ¡¯. The unknown figure, his face hidden behind the hoodie pulled down low, emitted this intense pressure that even made breathing difficult When he made his descent, the black knight stopped unsheathing his sword and took several steps back as if to say that he¡¯d not participate in the upcoming fight anymore ¡®I knew it, the real enemy is this guy . ¡¯. Soo-Hoh tried to stop his legs from shaking anymore from this choking pressure . This was the first time an actual person and not a monster had appeared in here so he simply had to say something ¡°Excuse me!¡±. He tried to engage the mysterious figure in conversation, but the lips visible below the hoodie only maintained a simple grin, choosing not to return any verbal replies ¡°Argh, seriously man¡­ . ¡±. Soo-Hoh gave up on talking to the figure, but then, his eyes went extra-round after discovering something else besides ¡®Isn¡¯t that¡­ . ?¡¯. For the first time during this journey, the Gate had been generated even before he defeated his enemy . Its location was behind the man wearing the hoodie ¡®Which means¡­ . ¡¯. This could very well be the final hurdle As long as he could defeat that man, he¡¯d be able to go home When that conclusion popped up in his head, Soo-Hoh¡¯s body moved instinctively It moved under the influence of his overall stats that had reached their absolute limit, as well as the combat abilities that had evolved to allow him full control over those stats Ba-thump, ba-thump!!. While feeling the explosive beatings of his heart¡­. Taht! Taht! Taht!!. Soo-Hoh broke past the speed of sound and rushed to the front of the man in the blink of an eye . His enemy was literally right in front of his nose Within this distance that none could possibly dodge an attack, a fist that couldn¡¯t be withstood even if blocked flew straight into the mystery man¡¯s face Too bad, the man only had to lean his head back slightly and easily let the attack slide by him It happened then Inside this world of slowed-down time, Soo-Hoh got to see the uncovered face of the man, revealed for a brief moment under the hood ¡°¡­ . Dad?!¡±. The mystery man smirked gently ¡°Still too early . ¡±. Soo-Hoh¡¯s eyes grew wider as they caught the sight of the man¡¯s palm closing in on his face faster than the speed of light The boy squeezed his eyes shut And soon, the light completely blinded him ***. ¡°Heok!!¡±. Soo-Hoh shot up from his chair and hurriedly took a look around him He was back inside his classroom . The empty, still air of the after-school hours had permeated into this now-familiar place He wiped the cold sweat pooled on his forehead ¡®What a weird-a*s dream that was . ¡¯. Did I play way too many games or something?. After wandering around lost inside a strange dungeon, he ended up running into his own father as its final boss¡­ What an embarrassing crappy dream that he wouldn¡¯t dare to tell anyone for, like, ever . He was greatly relieved that it was nothing but just a dream He spat out a sigh of relief and turned around, only to find a female student frozen stiff like a block of ice behind him . She got surprised out of her skull after the sleeping Soo-Hoh suddenly shot up from his spot, actually He wanted to break this awkward atmosphere somehow, so he started talking to her first ¡°Uhm, weren¡¯t you supposed to go home?¡±. Now that he took another look, it was the same girl sitting behind his spot that poked him in the back earlier in the day ¡°I¡¯m supposed to do the classroom duty this week, so¡­ I gotta lock the doors first before leaving¡­ . ¡±. The female student stuttered and took pauses between her words, but Soo-Hoh replied as if it was nothing to sweat over ¡°Want me to help?¡±. ¡°Eh?¡±. The girl got flustered for a moment there at the unexpected offer, but eventually, shyly nodded her head ¡°¡­ . Thanks . ¡±. ***. Around the same time Jin-Woo stood on the rooftop of the same school building alongside Beru and Igrit Igrit was the first to speak [My liege¡­ . Isn¡¯t it fine to restore the young lord¡¯s powers now?]. They had performed the same test a few times before, but today was the first time the young lord reached as far as the Sovereign¡¯s footsteps . Igrit wished to give Soo-Hoh full passing marks after the boy displayed wonderful progress during the examination Jin-Woo replied with a grin on his lips ¡°What would¡¯ve happened if I tried to fight the Dragon Emperor from the get-go while believing in the powers that I possessed at that time?¡±. Igrit shook his head What Jin-Woo wanted to teach Soo-Hoh was precisely this . No matter how powerful one was, one should consider escaping when facing a situation where the victory wasn¡¯t a certainty It was not a sign of bravery to jump in head-long against a powerful enemy without a plan ¡®Indeed, it¡¯s just a reckless, foolish bravado . ¡¯. Even when knowing that he couldn¡¯t win, Soo-Hoh still challenged Jin-Woo, regardless . His courage might be laudable, but from the perspective of his father, that was a rather worrisome result ¡®Too early Right, it¡¯s still too early for him However, Soo-Hoh is a smart kid, so he¡¯ll soon figure it out He¡¯ll learn that he needs to adjust his powers according to the situation at hand . ¡¯. [Young Lord¡­ . ]. Beru looked at a sheet of an old paper with him drawn on it, the edges of his eyes reddening up with tears once more Drop, drop¡­ Jin-Woo lightly patted the shoulders of despondent Beru before walking closer to the guardrail to take a look at the school grounds below . He could see the back of his son leaving the school gate along with a female student from his class Jin-Woo rested his chin on his hands and watched Soo-Hoh walk further away, before a grin floated up on his face ¡°It¡¯s been a while, so should I take my family out for dinner later today?¡±. < Chapter 269 > Fin Chapter 270 Only I Level Up Recollections/After Stories Part 6: Goodbye (TL: Here it is, the very last chapter . ) [The sibling conmen duo of Hwang Dong-Seok and his younger brother Hwang Dong-Su that caused an uproar in the country have been arrested earlier today¡­ . ] Beep . The TV located inside the Violent Crimes Unit that spat out the news was turned off . Jin-Woo put the remote down and picked up his coat while standing up, prompting Seh-Hwan next to him to stop the administrative work and ask a question . ¡°Uh? Hyung-nim, you¡¯re leaving already?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve got a prior arrangement to attend to, so I¡¯ll be going home early today . ¡± ¡°Yessir . ¡± Jin-Woo replied with a smile towards his partner performing a playful salute and escaped from the office . Seh-Hwan watched his boss¡¯s back disappear from view and chuckled slightly while crossing his arms . ¡°It¡¯s so strange . Hyung-nim always goes home early on this day every single year¡­ . ¡± ¡­ . Hang on a minute . He shifted his gaze over to the calendar stuck on one of the walls and a certain thought popped up in his head . ¡°Ahh, so that¡¯s what it was . Today is¡­ . ¡± *** Baek Yun-Ho spat out a low sigh, his face a mess of black soot and dirt . ¡°Fuu¡­ . ¡± Not too long ago, he and his crew managed to put out a massive wildfire raging near a residential area . This victory came about after over 50 fire engines and firefighting helicopters, as well as 800 or so brave firefighters had been mobilised . Baek Yun-Ho took a look around him . He could see his fatigued colleagues lying or squatting on the ground here and there . However, not one of them carried gloomy expressions . Some of them grinned brightly or raised their thumbs up real high when their gazes met . Whenever that happened, Baek Yun-Ho also raised his thumb up as his reply . No one died or got injured while they successfully reined in the fire . That should be seen as a real miracle in the scene of such a large-scale blaze . Even though they were deeply fatigued and left with no energy whatsoever after battling the flames for the whole night, they used their expressions to cheer each other up and celebrate their success . Baek Yun-Ho also felt deeply pleased about this outcome . It was then . ¡°Ouch, that¡¯s cold . ¡± He got startled by the sudden coldness touching his neck skin and took a look to his side to find Captain Seong Il-Hwan holding a bottle of ice-cold water . ¡°Thank you, sir . ¡± Baek Yun-Ho bowed his head slightly and took over the water bottle . Seong Il-Hwan settled down next to him and wetted his throat with a different bottle . The veteran of a hundred battles . Or, the greatest captain in history . Didn¡¯t matter what you called him, it didn¡¯t sound ill-fitting with Captain Seong . And as his nickname had alluded to, he had displayed unparalleled brilliance in today¡¯s event, too . Baek Yun-Ho was proud to be in the same crew as Seong Il-Hwan . Heck, all these bits of soot stuck on his face felt like medals of honour to him, even . ¡®One day, I¡­ . ¡¯ He sneaked a glance at his respected senior from the corners of his eyes, before pouring down the remaining cold water over his head . ¡°Pu-haah . ¡± Now he felt like a living person again . The stuffy heat clinging onto him felt as if it got washed away, starting from the top of his head . But then¡­ . ¡°¡­Ah . ¡± ¡­ . A scene from the past suddenly entered Baek Yun-Ho¡¯s brain . The side profile of a face he saw back then! ¡°Captain!¡± Seong Il-Hwan¡¯s eyes opened wider as he turned to look at his junior . ¡°Yeah?¡± Baek Yun-Ho hurriedly carried on . ¡°You know, that the large-scale blaze in Daesung Building three years ago¡­ . You still remember that, Captain? Our team got trapped in there and almost died, didn¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Yeah, I remember . ¡± Back then, Seong Il-Hwan and his crew were steadily losing their consciousness after being trapped within the blaze, but a mysterious stranger appeared out of nowhere, like some kind of a fantasy, and helped them to survive the ordeal . This mystery man rescued the isolated firefighters before disappearing without a trace, leading some to question whether the folks that day saw a mass hallucination at the same time or not . ¡°Actually, I saw the side profile of that man for a brief moment before I passed out, you see . ¡± ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± ¡°Yes . But that guy looked so much like¡­ . . ¡± Unfortunately, Baek Yun-Ho didn¡¯t get to finish what he wanted to say . Because Seong Il-Hwan had ripped open a packet of bread he brought along with the water bottle and pushed the resulting chow in Baek Yun-Ho¡¯s mouth, that¡¯s why . ¡°Euph, euph??¡± Baek Yun-Ho chewed through the bread and tilted his head . ¡°Captain?¡± Seong Il-Hwan didn¡¯t try to answer with verbal replies and grinned as he bit into his own bread . And, as if to cool down the heads of the firefighters fatigued by all that heat, a gentle breeze blew in from somewhere and brushed past their hair, ever so softly . *** Inside a conference chamber located on the top floor of a certain high-rise building . ¡°Chairman?¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± ¡°Sir, are you alright?¡± Yu Jin-Ho barely managed to suppress the corners of his lips trying to rise up to the heavens above . ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine . Well, then . Let¡¯s continue¡­ . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho fished through the documents placed in front of him before raising his head up to see the faces of his employees filling up the conference chamber . He formed an embarrassed grin and asked them a question . ¡°Uhm, what were we talking about just now?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The expressions of these employees hardened for a short while after they all realised that their boss hadn¡¯t heard a thing they were talking about for the past 30 minutes of the meeting . However, they calmed themselves and got the meeting going again . ¡°Sir, we were informing you that we need to come up with a new title for the virtual reality video game our company is about to publish . ¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right . Right . ¡± Yu Jin-Ho nodded his head, but then, couldn¡¯t hold it back anymore and shot up from his seat to loudly cry out towards his employees . ¡°Everyone, my wife is pregnant!! It¡¯s already the sixth week, apparently!!¡± His face was filled with an uncontrollable amount of joy right now . The inside of the conference chamber was filled with a sudden silence . But that lasted only for a brief while . Soon, documents were flying in the air and at the same time, employees were crying out in cheer as well . ¡°Congratulations, sir!¡± ¡°Congrats, sir!!¡± ¡°Finally, our Chairman has become a father!¡± Yu Jin-Ho did a lap around the conference chamber and high-fived all of his employees jumping up and down in joy as if this news concerned themselves . His absolutely lovely wife, his soon-to-be-born baby, and his game development company that was making a killing year after year¡­ . How could the world be this beautiful to his eyes right now? ¡®Heot!!¡¯ During the middle of his lap of celebration, Yu Jin-Ho had a moment of sudden, powerful inspiration . He climbed up on the conference table and confidently made a declaration to his employees . ¡°The Beautiful World!!!¡± Quite obviously, the gazes of all the employees gathered on him . ¡°Excuse me?¡± As they began doubting their ears, Yu Jin-Ho oh-so courteously proved that their hearing wasn¡¯t faulty . ¡°That will be the title of our new game! Let¡¯s go with the ¡°Beautiful World¡¯!!¡± The joy-filled conference chamber was enveloped in a sudden bout of silence . ¡°¡­ . Are you serious, sir?¡± Yu Jin-Ho replied without a moment¡¯s hesitation . ¡°Of course . The name ¡®Beautiful World¡¯ fits our game that will virtually recreate reality as close as it can, so¡­ . Ahh? What are you all doing?? H-hang on a second, everyone!! I, I might fall, you know??¡± The employees began to tussle with Yu Jin-Ho desperately in order to pull him off the top of the conference table . In the midst of his struggle, his gaze inadvertently shifted outside the window . ¡®H-hey . Feels like something flew past just now, didn¡¯t it?¡¯ Too bad, the feelings of having seen something got erased from his head in no time at all after he found himself under the crossfire of his employees¡¯ holy crusade to stop him . ¡°Sir, you should rethink this¡­ . ¡± ¡°The fate of our company hangs in the balance with this game, siiiir!¡± ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not really a ¡®Beautiful World¡¯, is it, sir??¡± ¡°You¡¯re being too much, you know?!¡± Even though his naming sense was being mercilessly shot down and trampled on by his employees, Yu Jin-Ho still felt really happy regardless . ¡®Hahaha . Fine, what if I¡¯m no good with naming stuff? The world is still really beautiful and all, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ Yu Jin-Ho stared outside the window as the sunlight poured in through the glass, and muttered to himself . ¡®In that case, should I ask Jin-Woo hyung-nim for the baby¡¯s name, instead?¡¯ *** [The chairman of Ah-Jin Soft, Yu Jin-Ho ¨C the miraculous tale of the young and successful entrepreneur who rejected the inheritance of a Chaebol!] Slice, slice¡­ . The chairman¡¯s office of the Yujin Construction was filled with the sounds of a pair of scissors cutting through a newspaper . Chairman Yu Myung-Han only raised his head after he was finished with decorating his scrapbook¡¯s pages . ¡°Were there any other articles?¡± Secretary Kim, one of his hands full of newspapers, shook his head side to side . ¡°¡­ . I see . ¡± Chairman Yu Myung-Han closed the scrapbook, his current expression filled with dissatisfaction . ¡°He rejected the position I created for him, and he instead starts a game company, of all things¡­ . Tsk, tsk . ¡± Secretary Kim wordlessly glanced at the corner of the chairman¡¯s desk . That was where he could see the thick pile of newspapers with all the articles related to Yu Jin-Ho cut out . More than that, they were worked on personally by none other than the Chairman himself, too . ¡®¡­ . . ¡¯ Secretary Kim had to dry cough in order to hold back the laughter rushing out from the deepest part of his chest . It was then ¨C the Chairman¡¯s head shifted towards the window . ¡°¡­ . ?¡± Secretary Kim walked over to the windows himself and looked outside while asking his boss . ¡°What¡¯s the matter, sir?¡± ¡°No¡­ . It¡¯s nothing . ¡± They were currently on the top floor of a tall skyscraper . It was not possible for ¡®something¡¯ to go past here, anyway . No, even if something did, it must¡¯ve been a small bird or another creature similar to that . Yu Myung-Han shook his head and handed the scrapbook over to Secretary Kim . The latter politely took the book and placed it back on the office¡¯s bookshelf . There were four such books on the shelf already . Chairman Yu Myung-Han¡¯s precious secret collection that no one knew about beside himself and his Secretary was steadily growing larger every day . *** On a peaceful stretch of a road after school . Soo-Hoh had grown close to the girl from the same class before long, and now, he found himself in the midst of an important challenge to decide who¡¯d get to carry the school bags home with her . ¡°Rock, paper¡­ . ¡± The girl¡¯s look of concentration only added to the weightiness of this confrontation . And the hour of judgement soon arrived . ¡°¡­ . Scissors!¡± The girl went with ¡®rock¡¯, so Soo-Hoh had to change his original choice of ¡®paper¡¯ to ¡®scissors¡¯ at the last second . This was the combined effort of his extraordinary dynamic vision and motor reflexes . ¡°Heck yeah!¡± The female student celebrated her victory and while forming a pleased expression, pushed forward her school bag . Soo-Hoh smirked softly and slung the bag over his other shoulder . ¡°You know, you really suck at rock, paper, scissors . ¡± ¡°Tell me about it . ¡± ¡°What will we do with a guy who sucks at it so bad??¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just learn it from you, that¡¯s all . ¡± Soo-Hoh smiled and strode forward while carrying bags on both of his shoulders . ¡°H-hey, wait for me!¡± The two of them chatted about this and that as they walked side by side on a quiet back street . But, out of the blue, Soo-Hoh stopped walking and raised his head up towards the sky . ¡®¡­ . ?¡¯ The girl followed suit and also looked up, but she couldn¡¯t see anything else, other than the floating clouds silently drifting away as if they were spectating on the two teenagers . ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there something up there?¡± Soo-Hoh stared at the sky for a while before looking back at the girl with a light chuckle . ¡°Nah, it¡¯s nothing . ¡± *** [Kiiiaahk-!] A Sky Dragon flew freely and unrestricted in the air while screeching out joyously . Hae-In riding on the creature¡¯s back asked in a worried voice . ¡°Dear, will this really be alright?¡± ¡°Yup, it¡¯s fine . ¡± Jin-Woo went on to explain that he used magic to erase all presence of their ride, Kaisel, so no one should be able to hear or see them flying . ¡°Hold on tight, okay?¡± Hae-In heard her husband¡¯s smile-filled advice and her arms tightly wrapped around his waist gained renewed strength . Taking that as the go-ahead, Jin-Woo immediately raised their travelling speed . [Kiiahk!] Kaisel¡¯s wing speed increased noticeably and they rose higher and higher until they broke past the layer of heavenly clouds above . The sight of an endlessly-stretching blue world spread out below their feet . ¡®Just a little bit further!¡¯ Kah-ahhak! Kaisel flapped his wings even more vigorously . Higher, even higher! The two passengers were being protected by magic, which meant they could fly up to the part of the sky that was much closer to outer space rather than that of the planet¡¯s atmosphere . They were soon greeted by the spectacular sight of a giant sun rising past the outline of Earth . Hae-In leaned her head against her husband¡¯s shoulder and watched this mesmerising spectacle unfold in this quiet, still sky, a warm smile floating up on her lips . Jin-Woo had been waiting for this chance, so he quickly seized it and pulled out the present he had readied earlier . Her eyes grew large after seeing it . ¡°Dear¡­¡± It was a special necklace he asked the bearded Dwarves to craft, as those guys happened to be rather handy with things like this . Jin-Woo gently placed the beautiful necklace shimmering under the sun¡¯s rays around the neck of his wife . The Shadow Soldiers watching and cheering on from his shadow all roared out in exhilaration at this wonderful conclusion of their liege¡¯s perfect wedding anniversary event . Waaahhh-!! Unfortunately, just before Jin-Woo¡¯s and Hae-In¡¯s lips, gradually closing in, could bridge the last couple of inches¡­ . ¡­ . He had to break the mood first and speak to her instead . ¡°Dear, looks like you¡¯ll have to go back first and wait for me . I¡¯ll be home as soon as possible . ¡± This was already their 16th wedding anniversary, so Hae-In knew oh-so-well what was going on when Jin-Woo said those things . ¡°Come home soon, okay?¡± Jin-Woo nodded his head and issued a new order to Kaisel . The Sky Dragon changed his heading towards Earth and quickly distanced itself . He wordlessly watched the back of his wife getting further away before turning around . Sure enough, a part of the space in the distance began distorting and tearing up before icy-blue ¡®fog¡¯ began oozing out from there . It emerged after disintegrating the wall between dimensions and revealed itself, before coagulating in one point to form a large figure . Jin-Woo recalled what the envoy of the Rulers had told him all those years ago . ¡®He said that an existence possessing great power can act like a magnet and attract horrifying beings from other worlds, didn¡¯t he?¡¯ There was no need to question just who that blue-fog monster came to visit today . The tear in space grew, so did the number of blue fog clusters at an alarming rate . Hundreds? A few thousands? It could even be a few tens of thousands . ¡°Fuu¡­ . ¡± Just as he would do, Jin-Woo closed his eyes and took a deep breath . Would his son take over this role in the future? Who knows . But, when Jin-Woo pictured that scene in his head, he realised that it wouldn¡¯t be so bad at all . ¡®A father and son duo facing off against enemies together¡­ . ¡¯ As a grin formed on his lips, he opened his eyes . The countless blue fog clusters had completely emerged from the gap in dimensions and, upon discovering Jin-Woo¡¯s presence, began emitting intense, horrifying malice towards him . The electrifying tension felt just before the battle travelled from the tip of his toes to the rest of his body . ¡®Nice . ¡¯ His own preparation was now complete . And eventually¡­ . Kuwaaaahhhh-!!! Those ¡®things¡¯ that acted under one will chose to eliminate the detected threat . As they moved towards Jin-Woo¡¯s location¡­ ¡­ . He spoke with a smile on his face . ¡°Rise up . ¡± ¨C Only I Level Up Recollections/After Stories Complete . Sponsored Content Chapter 270: Chapter 270 Only I Level Up Recollections/After Stories. Part 6: Goodbye. (TL: Here it is, the very last chapter . ). [The sibling conmen duo of Hwang Dong-Seok and his younger brother Hwang Dong-Su that caused an uproar in the country have been arrested earlier today¡­ . ]. Beep The TV located inside the Violent Crimes Unit that spat out the news was turned off . Jin-Woo put the remote down and picked up his coat while standing up, prompting Seh-Hwan next to him to stop the administrative work and ask a question ¡°Uh? Hyung-nim, you¡¯re leaving already?¡±. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve got a prior arrangement to attend to, so I¡¯ll be going home early today . ¡±. ¡°Yessir . ¡±. Jin-Woo replied with a smile towards his partner performing a playful salute and escaped from the office . Seh-Hwan watched his boss¡¯s back disappear from view and chuckled slightly while crossing his arms ¡°It¡¯s so strange . Hyung-nim always goes home early on this day every single year¡­ . ¡±. ¡­ . Hang on a minute He shifted his gaze over to the calendar stuck on one of the walls and a certain thought popped up in his head ¡°Ahh, so that¡¯s what it was . Today is¡­ . ¡±. ***. Baek Yun-Ho spat out a low sigh, his face a mess of black soot and dirt ¡°Fuu¡­ . ¡±. Not too long ago, he and his crew managed to put out a massive wildfire raging near a residential area . This victory came about after over 50 fire engines and firefighting helicopters, as well as 800 or so brave firefighters had been mobilised Baek Yun-Ho took a look around him . He could see his fatigued colleagues lying or squatting on the ground here and there . However, not one of them carried gloomy expressions . Some of them grinned brightly or raised their thumbs up real high when their gazes met Whenever that happened, Baek Yun-Ho also raised his thumb up as his reply No one died or got injured while they successfully reined in the fire . That should be seen as a real miracle in the scene of such a large-scale blaze Even though they were deeply fatigued and left with no energy whatsoever after battling the flames for the whole night, they used their expressions to cheer each other up and celebrate their success Baek Yun-Ho also felt deeply pleased about this outcome It was then ¡°Ouch, that¡¯s cold . ¡±. He got startled by the sudden coldness touching his neck skin and took a look to his side to find Captain Seong Il-Hwan holding a bottle of ice-cold water ¡°Thank you, sir . ¡±. Baek Yun-Ho bowed his head slightly and took over the water bottle . Seong Il-Hwan settled down next to him and wetted his throat with a different bottle The veteran of a hundred battles Or, the greatest captain in history Didn¡¯t matter what you called him, it didn¡¯t sound ill-fitting with Captain Seong . And as his nickname had alluded to, he had displayed unparalleled brilliance in today¡¯s event, too Baek Yun-Ho was proud to be in the same crew as Seong Il-Hwan . Heck, all these bits of soot stuck on his face felt like medals of honour to him, even ¡®One day, I¡­ . ¡¯. He sneaked a glance at his respected senior from the corners of his eyes, before pouring down the remaining cold water over his head ¡°Pu-haah . ¡±. Now he felt like a living person again . The stuffy heat clinging onto him felt as if it got washed away, starting from the top of his head But then¡­ ¡°¡­Ah . ¡±. ¡­ . A scene from the past suddenly entered Baek Yun-Ho¡¯s brain The side profile of a face he saw back then!. ¡°Captain!¡±. Seong Il-Hwan¡¯s eyes opened wider as he turned to look at his junior ¡°Yeah?¡±. Baek Yun-Ho hurriedly carried on ¡°You know, that the large-scale blaze in Daesung Building three years ago¡­ . You still remember that, Captain? Our team got trapped in there and almost died, didn¡¯t we?¡±. ¡°Yeah, I remember . ¡±. Back then, Seong Il-Hwan and his crew were steadily losing their consciousness after being trapped within the blaze, but a mysterious stranger appeared out of nowhere, like some kind of a fantasy, and helped them to survive the ordeal This mystery man rescued the isolated firefighters before disappearing without a trace, leading some to question whether the folks that day saw a mass hallucination at the same time or not ¡°Actually, I saw the side profile of that man for a brief moment before I passed out, you see . ¡±. ¡°Oh, is that so?¡±. ¡°Yes . But that guy looked so much like¡­ ¡±. Unfortunately, Baek Yun-Ho didn¡¯t get to finish what he wanted to say Because Seong Il-Hwan had ripped open a packet of bread he brought along with the water bottle and pushed the resulting chow in Baek Yun-Ho¡¯s mouth, that¡¯s why ¡°Euph, euph??¡±. Baek Yun-Ho chewed through the bread and tilted his head ¡°Captain?¡±. Seong Il-Hwan didn¡¯t try to answer with verbal replies and grinned as he bit into his own bread And, as if to cool down the heads of the firefighters fatigued by all that heat, a gentle breeze blew in from somewhere and brushed past their hair, ever so softly ***. Inside a conference chamber located on the top floor of a certain high-rise building ¡°Chairman?¡±. ¡°¡­ . ¡±. ¡°Sir, are you alright?¡±. Yu Jin-Ho barely managed to suppress the corners of his lips trying to rise up to the heavens above ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine . Well, then . Let¡¯s continue¡­ . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho fished through the documents placed in front of him before raising his head up to see the faces of his employees filling up the conference chamber . He formed an embarrassed grin and asked them a question ¡°Uhm, what were we talking about just now?¡±. ¡°¡­¡±. The expressions of these employees hardened for a short while after they all realised that their boss hadn¡¯t heard a thing they were talking about for the past 30 minutes of the meeting However, they calmed themselves and got the meeting going again ¡°Sir, we were informing you that we need to come up with a new title for the virtual reality video game our company is about to publish . ¡±. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right . Right . ¡±. Yu Jin-Ho nodded his head, but then, couldn¡¯t hold it back anymore and shot up from his seat to loudly cry out towards his employees ¡°Everyone, my wife is pregnant!! It¡¯s already the sixth week, apparently!!¡±. His face was filled with an uncontrollable amount of joy right now . The inside of the conference chamber was filled with a sudden silence . But that lasted only for a brief while Soon, documents were flying in the air and at the same time, employees were crying out in cheer as well ¡°Congratulations, sir!¡±. ¡°Congrats, sir!!¡±. ¡°Finally, our Chairman has become a father!¡±. Yu Jin-Ho did a lap around the conference chamber and high-fived all of his employees jumping up and down in joy as if this news concerned themselves His absolutely lovely wife, his soon-to-be-born baby, and his game development company that was making a killing year after year¡­ How could the world be this beautiful to his eyes right now?. ¡®Heot!!¡¯. During the middle of his lap of celebration, Yu Jin-Ho had a moment of sudden, powerful inspiration . He climbed up on the conference table and confidently made a declaration to his employees ¡°The Beautiful World!!!¡±. Quite obviously, the gazes of all the employees gathered on him ¡°Excuse me?¡±. As they began doubting their ears, Yu Jin-Ho oh-so courteously proved that their hearing wasn¡¯t faulty ¡°That will be the title of our new game! Let¡¯s go with the ¡°Beautiful World¡¯!!¡±. The joy-filled conference chamber was enveloped in a sudden bout of silence ¡°¡­ . Are you serious, sir?¡±. Yu Jin-Ho replied without a moment¡¯s hesitation ¡°Of course . The name ¡®Beautiful World¡¯ fits our game that will virtually recreate reality as close as it can, so¡­ . Ahh? What are you all doing?? H-hang on a second, everyone!! I, I might fall, you know??¡±. The employees began to tussle with Yu Jin-Ho desperately in order to pull him off the top of the conference table . In the midst of his struggle, his gaze inadvertently shifted outside the window ¡®H-hey . Feels like something flew past just now, didn¡¯t it?¡¯. Too bad, the feelings of having seen something got erased from his head in no time at all after he found himself under the crossfire of his employees¡¯ holy crusade to stop him ¡°Sir, you should rethink this¡­ . ¡±. ¡°The fate of our company hangs in the balance with this game, siiiir!¡±. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not really a ¡®Beautiful World¡¯, is it, sir??¡±. ¡°You¡¯re being too much, you know?!¡±. Even though his naming sense was being mercilessly shot down and trampled on by his employees, Yu Jin-Ho still felt really happy regardless ¡®Hahaha Fine, what if I¡¯m no good with naming stuff?. The world is still really beautiful and all, isn¡¯t it?¡¯. Yu Jin-Ho stared outside the window as the sunlight poured in through the glass, and muttered to himself ¡®In that case, should I ask Jin-Woo hyung-nim for the baby¡¯s name, instead?¡¯. ***. [The chairman of Ah-Jin Soft, Yu Jin-Ho ¨C the miraculous tale of the young and successful entrepreneur who rejected the inheritance of a Chaebol!]. Slice, slice¡­ The chairman¡¯s office of the Yujin Construction was filled with the sounds of a pair of scissors cutting through a newspaper . Chairman Yu Myung-Han only raised his head after he was finished with decorating his scrapbook¡¯s pages ¡°Were there any other articles?¡±. Secretary Kim, one of his hands full of newspapers, shook his head side to side ¡°¡­ . I see . ¡±. Chairman Yu Myung-Han closed the scrapbook, his current expression filled with dissatisfaction ¡°He rejected the position I created for him, and he instead starts a game company, of all things¡­ . Tsk, tsk . ¡±. Secretary Kim wordlessly glanced at the corner of the chairman¡¯s desk That was where he could see the thick pile of newspapers with all the articles related to Yu Jin-Ho cut out . More than that, they were worked on personally by none other than the Chairman himself, too ¡®¡­ ¡¯. Secretary Kim had to dry cough in order to hold back the laughter rushing out from the deepest part of his chest . It was then ¨C the Chairman¡¯s head shifted towards the window ¡°¡­ . ?¡±. Secretary Kim walked over to the windows himself and looked outside while asking his boss ¡°What¡¯s the matter, sir?¡±. ¡°No¡­ . It¡¯s nothing . ¡±. They were currently on the top floor of a tall skyscraper . It was not possible for ¡®something¡¯ to go past here, anyway . No, even if something did, it must¡¯ve been a small bird or another creature similar to that Yu Myung-Han shook his head and handed the scrapbook over to Secretary Kim . The latter politely took the book and placed it back on the office¡¯s bookshelf There were four such books on the shelf already Chairman Yu Myung-Han¡¯s precious secret collection that no one knew about beside himself and his Secretary was steadily growing larger every day ***. On a peaceful stretch of a road after school Soo-Hoh had grown close to the girl from the same class before long, and now, he found himself in the midst of an important challenge to decide who¡¯d get to carry the school bags home with her ¡°Rock, paper¡­ . ¡±. The girl¡¯s look of concentration only added to the weightiness of this confrontation . And the hour of judgement soon arrived ¡°¡­ . Scissors!¡±. The girl went with ¡®rock¡¯, so Soo-Hoh had to change his original choice of ¡®paper¡¯ to ¡®scissors¡¯ at the last second . This was the combined effort of his extraordinary dynamic vision and motor reflexes ¡°Heck yeah!¡±. The female student celebrated her victory and while forming a pleased expression, pushed forward her school bag . Soo-Hoh smirked softly and slung the bag over his other shoulder ¡°You know, you really suck at rock, paper, scissors . ¡±. ¡°Tell me about it . ¡±. ¡°What will we do with a guy who sucks at it so bad??¡±. ¡°I¡¯ll just learn it from you, that¡¯s all . ¡±. Soo-Hoh smiled and strode forward while carrying bags on both of his shoulders ¡°H-hey, wait for me!¡±. The two of them chatted about this and that as they walked side by side on a quiet back street . But, out of the blue, Soo-Hoh stopped walking and raised his head up towards the sky ¡®¡­ . ?¡¯. The girl followed suit and also looked up, but she couldn¡¯t see anything else, other than the floating clouds silently drifting away as if they were spectating on the two teenagers ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there something up there?¡±. Soo-Hoh stared at the sky for a while before looking back at the girl with a light chuckle ¡°Nah, it¡¯s nothing . ¡±. ***. [Kiiiaahk-!]. A Sky Dragon flew freely and unrestricted in the air while screeching out joyously . Hae-In riding on the creature¡¯s back asked in a worried voice ¡°Dear, will this really be alright?¡±. ¡°Yup, it¡¯s fine . ¡±. Jin-Woo went on to explain that he used magic to erase all presence of their ride, Kaisel, so no one should be able to hear or see them flying ¡°Hold on tight, okay?¡±. Hae-In heard her husband¡¯s smile-filled advice and her arms tightly wrapped around his waist gained renewed strength . Taking that as the go-ahead, Jin-Woo immediately raised their travelling speed [Kiiahk!]. Kaisel¡¯s wing speed increased noticeably and they rose higher and higher until they broke past the layer of heavenly clouds above . The sight of an endlessly-stretching blue world spread out below their feet ¡®Just a little bit further!¡¯. Kah-ahhak!. Kaisel flapped his wings even more vigorously Higher, even higher!. The two passengers were being protected by magic, which meant they could fly up to the part of the sky that was much closer to outer space rather than that of the planet¡¯s atmosphere They were soon greeted by the spectacular sight of a giant sun rising past the outline of Earth Hae-In leaned her head against her husband¡¯s shoulder and watched this mesmerising spectacle unfold in this quiet, still sky, a warm smile floating up on her lips Jin-Woo had been waiting for this chance, so he quickly seized it and pulled out the present he had readied earlier . Her eyes grew large after seeing it ¡°Dear¡­¡±. It was a special necklace he asked the bearded Dwarves to craft, as those guys happened to be rather handy with things like this Jin-Woo gently placed the beautiful necklace shimmering under the sun¡¯s rays around the neck of his wife The Shadow Soldiers watching and cheering on from his shadow all roared out in exhilaration at this wonderful conclusion of their liege¡¯s perfect wedding anniversary event Waaahhh-!!. Unfortunately, just before Jin-Woo¡¯s and Hae-In¡¯s lips, gradually closing in, could bridge the last couple of inches¡­ ¡­ . He had to break the mood first and speak to her instead ¡°Dear, looks like you¡¯ll have to go back first and wait for me . I¡¯ll be home as soon as possible . ¡±. This was already their 16th wedding anniversary, so Hae-In knew oh-so-well what was going on when Jin-Woo said those things ¡°Come home soon, okay?¡±. Jin-Woo nodded his head and issued a new order to Kaisel . The Sky Dragon changed his heading towards Earth and quickly distanced itself He wordlessly watched the back of his wife getting further away before turning around . Sure enough, a part of the space in the distance began distorting and tearing up before icy-blue ¡®fog¡¯ began oozing out from there It emerged after disintegrating the wall between dimensions and revealed itself, before coagulating in one point to form a large figure Jin-Woo recalled what the envoy of the Rulers had told him all those years ago ¡®He said that an existence possessing great power can act like a magnet and attract horrifying beings from other worlds, didn¡¯t he?¡¯. There was no need to question just who that blue-fog monster came to visit today The tear in space grew, so did the number of blue fog clusters at an alarming rate . Hundreds? A few thousands? It could even be a few tens of thousands ¡°Fuu¡­ . ¡±. Just as he would do, Jin-Woo closed his eyes and took a deep breath Would his son take over this role in the future?. Who knows But, when Jin-Woo pictured that scene in his head, he realised that it wouldn¡¯t be so bad at all ¡®A father and son duo facing off against enemies together¡­ . ¡¯. As a grin formed on his lips, he opened his eyes The countless blue fog clusters had completely emerged from the gap in dimensions and, upon discovering Jin-Woo¡¯s presence, began emitting intense, horrifying malice towards him The electrifying tension felt just before the battle travelled from the tip of his toes to the rest of his body ¡®Nice . ¡¯. His own preparation was now complete And eventually¡­ Kuwaaaahhhh-!!!. Those ¡®things¡¯ that acted under one will chose to eliminate the detected threat . As they moved towards Jin-Woo¡¯s location¡­. ¡­ . He spoke with a smile on his face ¡°Rise up . ¡±. ¨C Only I Level Up Recollections/After Stories Complete